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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.  Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. announced a partnership with TSW Foods LLC to bring Krispy Kreme brand packaged sweets such as snack bags, honey buns and single-serve pies to convenience stores across the United States.

We are thrilled to offer a line of Krispy Kreme snack items, many of which are differentiated with our Original Glaze flavor, said Mark LaBrecque, vice president of domestic marketing, licensing and consumer packaged goods for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. TSW Foods will act as our master distributor to develop a national distribution network in the convenience store class of trade, with drug, club and dollar stores to follow.

Wil Torres, managing principal of TSW Foods, said there is already enormous excitement surrounding this partnership across the industry. When you combine Krispy Kremes brand equity and best in class products with TSW Foods ability to execute on a national scale, it is a recipe for success. There is a synergy between our two companies that we feel will result in a profitable, long-term partnership for both of us.

The packaged products will join Krispy Kreme Doughnuts other primarily yeast sweet treat products already available via frequent direct store delivery in more than 5,000 convenience stores nationwide.

At the NACS State of the Industry Summit in April, data showed that the packaged sweet snacks category performed well in 2015, with per store, per month total sales averaging $2,889a 7.8% year-over-year sales change from 2014 to 2015. Read more on the packaged sweet snacks category in convenience stores in the current issue of NACS Magazine.
An new article in the Financial Times illustrates the degree to which hedge fund managers, accustomed to calling the shots, seem constitutionally unable to adapt to the idea that their business has become a buyers, not a sellers, market.

The latest fantasy, even as funds are facing high levels of redemptions when super-low and negative rates ought to make them on of the places to be, is that they should get even better terms. Their pet ask is permanent capital as in really long lockups. Yes, and I would like to have a pony. When times are tough, vendors give concessions rather than increase their demands. Theres no indication that the fund managers who want to tie up investor money are prepared to give a big break commensurate with the loss of liquidity, like considerably lower fees.

The Financial Times story does point out that many funds now have monthly redemptions, which looks like a symptom that the fundraising environment has become more difficult than hedgies want to admit. In the early 2000s, only fledging funds offered monthly liquidity; quarterly was the norm, and some funds could limit redemptions to once a year. Monthly redemptions can be highly disruptive, since investors will be tempted to use the hedge fund as a source of liquidity independent of fund performance. Having investors sell (and put funds back) on short notice not only makes it hard to run an investment strategy (which assets do you sell?) but it can lead to cascading sales. If one investor sells enough, it may put another investor at over 10% of fund assets, which is prohibited by the investment policies of many institutional investors. So that investor will have to sell to get back down to 10%, which has the potential to trigger more partial exits.

However, there is a world of difference between getting away from disruptive monthly liquidations and permanent capital. George Soros, one of the fathers of the hedge fund industry, always ran his funds with the view that he could liquidate them readily if needed. Despite his successes, hed never seemed to have forgotten his childhood experience of fleeing the Nazis. Being able (in theory) to shutter his business and take his winnings on short notice was important to his sense of security.

Yet we hear unsubstantiated claims that hedge funds are just about to become the place to be:

Several participants bemoaned institutional investors skittishness and tendency to pull money after short bursts of underperformance, and there were warnings that investors may be giving up on hedge funds just at the time they are about to prove their worth as a portfolio diversification tool in a down market.

First, these are not short bursts of underperformance. A Financial Times story yesterday pointed out that hedge funds had undershot the stock market 22 out of the last 28 quarters. And since 2012, hedge fund performance overall has become more highly correlated with the stock market, belying the claim that they offer much in the way of portfolio diversification. And in the 2008, investors saw that all correlations became one: risky assets nosedived all together, and quite a few celebrated hedge funds failed. Moreover, weve also stressed that if the aim is to obtain a differentiated return profile, theres no justification for paying lofty hedge fund fees to achieve that result; it can be constructed far more cheaply than that.

And get a load of this:

Some famed managers are raising capital for new funds that will lock in investors for much longer periods, so they can make private equity-style investments or more complex trades in illiquid markets, according to private comments.

So now hedge funds want to become Johnny-Come-Lately in the private equity business, where managers are already warning that returns in the coming years will be disappointing? What advantages do these newcomers bring beyond their mastery of sales patter? But you can see that theyve clued in on one of the phony advantages of private equity, namely that it looks less volatile than it is because general partners overstate the valuations in bad markets. Worse, investors openly acknowledge that they love this bogus accounting. From a post late last year:

Bob Maynard, Chief Investment Officer, Public Employees Retirement System of Idaho: Were I think more skeptical of private equity . Ah, in fact, ah, we recognized however that we were going to get some pressure to look at local investments in private side, we did know that our actuaries and accountants would accept the smoothing that the accounting would do. It may be phony happiness, but we just want to think we are happy and they actually do have consequences for ah, ah, actual contribution rates we are going to be able to put in place. So were looking for it even if it just gave public market returns, wed be in favor of it because it has some smoothing effects on both reported and actual risks, as seen that way.

As you can see, this is an unusually straight-forward acknowledgment that what is driving the selection of private equity is accounting treatment that Maynard admits is phony. And he does not expect to get any other benefit from private equity.

In addition, a Financial Times reader, Jakeyboy, pointed out the last time he hedge fund industry made a go of permanent capital, investors were burned:

Hedge funds tried the permanent capital route, particularly back in 2005-2007, when numerous listed hedge fund and funds of hedge funds were launched. However the majority of those funds have either been wound up or currently are in run-off returning money to shareholders. The biggest problem were the huge discounts to NAV, as high as 50%, during 2008-2009 as investors sought out liquidity after being gated in many of their direct hedge fund investments. There was simply no support from the market and the prices collapsed relative to NAV. The huge discounts triggered various discount control mechanisms which ultimately forced these types of funds to return capital to shareholders. I dont think any investor wants to see the return of such discounts in volatile markets on top of mediocre NAV performance. I was on a panel at Eurohedge in Paris in 2007 and stated, much to the chagrin of several fund managers, that theres no such thing as permanent capital.

However, memories are remarkably short in investor land, and the Financial Times story, in keeping, tried to present this general-partner favoring strategy as pro-investor. Theres a sucker born every minute
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

The normally reliable Elizabeth Rosenthal, a New York Times correspondent who is writing a book about the health care system, has produced a shockingly agnotological and tendentious article on ObamaCare and its growing pains. Im going to go through the article  Sorry, We Dont Take Obamacare  and juxtapose Rosenthals reporting with material familiar to Naked Capitalism readers, often from two or even three years ago. Well find that Rosenthals article is disinformant in three ways: Its dilatory, incomplete technocratically, and incomplete in terms of public policy. (Long-time Naked Capitalism readers will find the material an easy read, and newer readers may find ways to apply it to campaign 2016 and Medicare for All.)

Dilatory Coverage

Heres Rosenthals summary of the state of play; Ive added numbers for the individual points:

Some early studies of the impact of the Affordable Care Act plans are proving patients grumbling justified: Compared with the insurance that companies offer their employees, plans provide less coverage away from patients home states, [1] require higher patient outlays for medicines and include a more limited number of doctors and hospitals, referred to as a [2] narrow network policy. And while employers tend to offer their workers at least one plan that allows them [3] coverage to visit doctors not in their network, patients buying insurance through A.C.A. exchanges in some states do not have that option, even if theyre willing to pay higher premiums.

(I like grumbling; I mean, its not like access to health care can avoid suffering or death.) And to be fair, most NC coverage focuses on the intrinsic absurdity, unfairness, or unaffordabilty of ObamaCare policies as such, rather than comparing them directly to employer-based plans, as Rosenthal does. That said, lets take those points in order

[1] Pharmaceuticals. On higher patient outlays, Obamacares Drug Coverage Minefield, December 5, 2013:

[Quoting the Wall Street Journal:] In a study of 22 carriers in six states, Avalere Health found that 90% of bronze plans (with generally the lowest premiums) require patients to pay a percentage of costs, 40% on average, for drugs in tiers 3 and 4, compared with 29% of employer-sponsored plans that most Americans currently use. Most silver plans also require patients to pay 40% for the highest-tier drugs, although some have flat fees of $70 to $270, the study found. Now lets not kid ourselves. Current private insurance plans often put a lot of the burden of pricey drugs on the patient. But the bronze plan v. employer-sponsored plan comparison above shows that patients will often face bigger financial charges than their peers who are on the corporate meal ticket.

[2] Narrow Networks. On the limited number of doctors and hospitals, ObamaCare Roundup: Random Rates and Narrow Networks, June 14, 2014:

Whats in and out of network really matters, because  whoopsie!  you can be on the hook for everything if you go out of network. But as Kevin Drum explains, nobodys looking out for you but you, and in the nature of the case, youre stressed, sick or injured, possibly even disoriented, and prone to error. Error thats profitable for the insurance companies, naturally. [Narrow networks have] been a growing problem with private insurance plans for years. [I]t gets worse with Obamacare in some states because of the narrow networks supported by nearly all ACA insurers. For example, [one reader] confirmed to me that he had a Blue Shield plan, but thats not the whole story. The blood lab in question is in network for Blue Shield, but not for Blue Shield CoveredCA [whoopsie!] plans, as per everyone Ive spoken to about it.  [I]s really hard to be alert enough all the time to avoid this. You have to remember to ask every time. You have to ask every doctor, and you have to ask for every lab test. And most doctors dont know, and dont really want to be bothered finding out. So you have to be very, very persistent. And most of us arent very, very persistent. Especially if, say, were in an ER worried that chest pains [whoopsie!] might be an indication of an oncoming heart attack. How big a deal is this? I dont have any way of knowing. Not only does Drum have no way of knowing, I dont think ObamaCare itself has any way of knowing; everything is siloed by insurer. They have no reason to make themselves look bad, and theres no way to aggregate the data for problems like this for ObamaCare as a whole.

[3] Balance Billing, or what happens when you visit doctors not in their network. Another Lurking Obamacare Problem: Balance Billing, November 19, 2013:

One of the proofs that Obamacare is really about helping insurers and Big Pharma rather than ordinary Americans is its failure to do much about the seamy practice known as balance billing. Say you have a scheduled procedure, like getting a stent. Like most Americans who have health insurance, you are in an HMO or a PPO. Your doctor, who is in your network, schedules you for the operation at a hospital in your network. You assume the only thing you need to worry about is a fairly minor co-pay and recovery. But weeks later, you find that the anesthesiologist wasnt in your network, and you are hit with a $12,000 bill for his services. And this sort of scamming (hospitals knowingly putting people on a surgical team that they can bill at huge premiums to negotiated rates) is routine. And of course, if the ambulance takes you to an emergency room that is not in your network, the outcome can be catastrophic.

Finally, Rosenthal mentions the impact of narrow networks on cancer patients in particular.

Some of the problems may have been predictable. When designing the new plans, for-profit insurers naturally tended to exclude high-cost, high-end hospitals with whom they had little clout to negotiate discounts. That means, for example, that as of late last year none of the plans available in New York had Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in their network  an absence that would be unacceptable to many New York-based employers buying policies for their employees.

Obamacare Narrow Networks: How They Affect Doctor Specialties, October 12, 2013:

As we venture into the world of narrow health care provider networks, I thought I would take some time to study what they really mean, in terms of how the new networks might affect patients access to specialty care services. To do this, I compared the current landscape of provider networks with those that will be available on the Exchanges. I used Washington State as a case study. As you can see from my results, the most under-represented specialties (on the left) are the ones that typically provide services to truly sick patients, such as oncology, cardiology, internal medicine, neurology. And no doctor specialty has more than about 75% representation on the Exchange provider networks. Hospitals are also included on the right of the graph. Their numbers are diminished in the Premera Exchange plan network via excluding specialty hospitals that are crucial to good care in this region, such as Childrens Hospital and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

Im just a little amazed that Rosenthal, and her readers, have to be treated to a potted summary of these issues in 2016 when all these problems were investigated in 2013 by people who were actively evaluating the polices available on the the exchanges, some directly seeking care. What kind of bubble do these people live in?

Incomplete Coverage of the Story (Technocratic)

Rosenthal mentions, without naming them, early studies, but oddly doesnt cite two studies from the well-known National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), both of which undermine ObamaCares ideological foundations. Remember that ObamaCare is a neoliberal, market-based program that assumes buying health insurance is like buying a wide-screen TV, and that people will comparison shop (which will ultimately bend the cost curve down). Unfortunately, these assumptions are false.

Heres how Rosenthal presents the ObamaCare shopping experience:

When Sara Hamilton of New York was shopping on the exchange for a plan to cover her and her two young-adult children  who live in distant states  she discovered that none of the plans covered doctor visits in those places. When notified that the plan would double its monthly premium the following year, to nearly $1,000, she went shopping again on the state exchange and chose a Blue Cross silver plan for $500.

Notice the key point: Rosenthal shows shopping, but not comparison shopping. In Rosenthals telling, all Hamilton did was cut back on price. Rosenthal does not show that Hamilton received equivalent value, which conforms to consumer behavior in the first study she did not cite. From NBER Working Paper No. 21632, October, 2015 (cited by Naked Capitalism January 12, 2016):

We find no evidence of consumers learning to price shop after two years in high-deductible coverage. Consumers reduce quantities across the spectrum of health care services, including potentially valuable care (e.g. preventive services) and potentially wasteful care (e.g. imaging services).

And from NBER Working Paper No. 21565, September 2015 (cited by Naked Capitalism October 19, 2015):

[E]ven under the most optimistic assumptions, close to half of the formerly uninsured (especially those with higher incomes) experience both higher financial burden and lower estimated welfare; indicating a positive price of responsibility for complying with the individual mandate. The percentage of the sample with estimated welfare increases is close to matching observed take-up rates by the previously uninsured in the exchanges.

In other words, 50% of the unenrolled believe ObamaCare would decrease their welfare, making it highly unlikely that ObamaCare will ever provide universal coverage, and those enrolled dont comparison shop to reduce costs, but simply pick a cheaper policy, often at the risk of their health. From the technocratic perspective, ObamaCare is failing because its neoliberal conceptual foundations are false, not because of any lack of transparency, as Rosenthal later speculates. Youd think these studies would be part of the narrative?

Incomplete Coverage of the Story (Public Policy)

First, Rosenthal describes variations between ObamaCare coverage as follows, seemingly without noticing the intrinsic injustice of disparate access to health care:

Many of the problems may well be the growing pains of a young, evolving system, which established only broad standards for A.C.A. plans and allowed insurers  a large majority of them for-profit  considerable leeway in designing their exact offerings. The specific requirements and policing mechanisms vary by state , and are still works in progress. The legislation created four tiers of insurance  bronze, silver, gold and platinum.  But within each tier there are dozens of plan designs that give buyers the choice of different premiums, deductibles and networks of doctors, among other things. And the options are different in each state .

(I like work in progress. ObamaCare was passed in 2010! How long do the growing pains continue?) But as we demonstrated in exhaustive detail in a six-part series of posts in 2013:

So, from the public policy perspective, not only does Rosenthal accept the inequity of differential treatment for people who are situated similarly, she gives specifics on only one (by each state) of the multiple ways in which this inequity can occur.

Second, Rosenthal ignores or suppresses solutions that are not market-based (that is, are not neo-liberal). She begins by pushing the shibboleth of transparency, which is a good thing only if a market is not broken:

In order to make smart choices, patients need far clearer and more accurate information about the plans restrictions as well as which doctors and hospitals are in the network. Yet such information is rarely available, and early research suggests that only a fraction of the doctors listed in some directories are available to see new patients.

But as we have seen from the NBER studies, the smart choices model isnt working in the real world; consumers dont comparison shop. (Rosenthal might have argued that they would, were the market more transparent, but that assumes what needs to be proved, and also assumes that insurance companies wont game the system. Just because the physician directory is correct doesnt make a network any less narrow, or prevent a hospital from balance billing).

Rosenthal goes on to mention the public option[1]

This disappointment is fueling renewed interest in a public option that would supplement current offerings. That idea found support from both Senator Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton as the Affordable Care Act was making its way through Congress. It was taken up again last week by Mrs. Clinton, when she suggested allowing people 55 and over to buy into Medicare, the government-run insurance for people 65 and over, which is accepted by virtually all hospitals.

Of course, this isnt a serious proposal by Clinton, because she doesnt address the issue of how subsidies would work, or even if there would be any. But did you notice Rosenthal suppressing anything? Of course you did: Single payer Medicare for All. (I mean, its not like theres a whole single payer system called Medicare 60 miles north of Burlington. Thats science fiction stuff! And its not like theres a presidential candidate whos made Medicare for All a centerpiece of their campaign.) And ironically, a new poll on single payer appeared two days after Rosenthals article:

Most Americans want to replace Obamacare with a single-payer system  including a lot of Republicans Well over half of Americans want to replace Obamacare with a single-payer system. That figure, amazingly, includes 41 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents  even though the wording of the question specifies that the program would be federally funded.

Maybe Rosenthal will do a follow-up?

Conclusion

I can only speculate why this article is so dilatory. Perhaps the introduction to the story provides a clue:

Anyone who is on these plans knows its a two-tiered system, said Ms. Moses, describing the emotional sting of those words to a successful entrepreneur. Many say they feel as if they have become second-class patients.

Im guessing that when entrepreneurs get affected, as opposed to poor shlubs like the rest of us, the Times sees a problem, not merely a situation, rather like one of those genre pieces they run about how hard it is for a struggling family to live in Manhattan on $250K a year.

And if you really want to experience a two-tiered system, wait until youre over 55 and, based on its eligibility requirements, ObamaCare forces you into Medicaid and then claws back any health care expenses you incur from your estate, like the house youd hoped to pass on to your kids, should you have that privilege. Yes, I want Ms. Moses to be covered by Medicare for All, like everyone should be, but I really dont think she, or Rosenthal, have any idea what being a second-class citizen is really like.

Oh, and read Naked Capitalism so you dont have to wait for the mainstream to take its own sweet time getting to stories that affect you.

NOTES

[1] One of the many reasons the public option is a terrible idea is that it puts a public service into the marketplace, subordinating it (which is the neoliberal program in a nutshell). One excellent way to gut Social Security would be to make it the public option in a Retirement Exchange organized like the ObamaCare exchanges.
Cartography of the spin-orbit interaction (Nanowerk News) In principle, utilizing the magnetic moment (spin) of an electron leads to a faster and more energy efficient processing of bits and bytes than within the actual Si-based processors. Moreover, using the electron spin could be the trigger to spatially integrate information processing and data storage, since the storage in magnetic hard disks is already based on the electron spin.

However, so far, manipulation experiments of the spin revealed signals which are much too small for any practical application.

(Illustration II. Institute of Physics B)

A possible reason for the unfavorable efficiency has now been identified by a research team from RWTH Aachen University led by Prof. M. Morgenstern, which was supported by calculations from Prof. E. Y. Sherman (University of the Basques Country).

The physicists used a scanning tunneling microscope which operates at -273 C to map the interaction of the electronic spin with its environment with nanometer precision.

The maps, which have now been published within the renowned journal Nature Physics ("Probing variations of the Rashba spinorbit coupling at the nanometre scale"), reveal that the spin-orbit interaction, which is decisive for the manipulation of spins, spatially fluctuates, such that adjacent spins are prone to a different manipulation on the way through a device. The identified disorder effect can indeed explain the insufficient efficiency of spinelectronic devices so far.
Plants display nature's optofluidic machinery (Nanowerk News) If you place a houseplant next to a sunny window, you may notice the leaves bending toward the light. Plants don't have a brain, so the vast majority of movement is controlled by the interaction of light and fluid within plant cells, says Demetri Psaltis, Dean of the School of Engineering and director of the Optics Laboratory at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland.

Psaltis and his colleagues have published a new paper in the journal APL Photonics ("Optofluidics of Plants"), that highlights examples of so-called optofluidics in plants. Optofluidics combine optical systems, which respond to and control light, with microfluidic systems, which move fluids through small channels. Psaltis, who helped launched the optofluidics field with a 2006 paper in the journal Nature, says he hopes to draw the attention of the optics community to plant physiology.

Plants harness the interaction of light and fluids to make fuel and move water from the roots to the leaves. This photograph of trees near Lake Geneva is overlaid with a diagram showing some of these fluid flows. (Image: Psaltis, et al/ APL Photonics)

"I was fascinated by how plants use microfluidics and optics to move, change color, and pump water," Psaltis said. "We hope by writing this paper to provide inspiration for new ideas in optofluidic devices."

Psaltis and his colleagues dove into the scientific literature on plants and chose five light/fluid interactions to highlight. They explored photosynthesis, the process plants use to convert sunlight into sugar. They also examined the recent literature on the light-mediated movement of chloroplasts, which are the tiny organelles in plants that contain the green photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll.

In addition to making fuel, plants also use light to move large amounts of water. Psaltis says he was most surprised and inspired by how plants suck water from the ground, control their temperature, and keep from drying out.

"The plant actually doesn't optimize the conversion of light to sugar," Psaltis said. "In a tree, for example, most of the energy is used to heat and evaporate water."

The evaporation process draws water from the ground into the tree's leaves, where it plays an important role in photosynthesis.

At night, when photosynthesis shuts down, many plants conserve water by closing pores in their leaves called stomata. The stomata are another example of an optofluidic system. Sunlight drives a flow of ions across membranes in the stomata, which in turn causes fluid to flow into the cells and they swell open.

Psaltis said his own research has been affected by what he learned while writing the APL Photonics paper. He is now looking more closely at how membranes control fluid flow and how they might be used in optofluidic devices.

The paper highlights just a small fraction of existing plant research. Psaltis said he hopes others will be motivated to dive deeper in the reservoir of knowledge.
Hydrogel promises rapid detection of E. coli in water (Nanowerk News) Tragedies like the E. coli outbreak in Ontario's Walkerton in May 2000 could be averted today with a new invention by researchers at York University that can detect the deadly contaminant in drinking water early (Analyst, "A hydrogel based rapid test method for detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in contaminated water samples").

"We have developed a hydrogel based rapid E. coli detection system that will turn red when E. coli is present," says Professor Sushanta Mitra, Lassonde School of Engineering. "It will detect the bacteria right at the water source before people start drinking contaminated water."

The new technology has cut down the time taken to detect E. coli from a few days to just a couple of hours. It is also an inexpensive way to test drinking water (C$3 per test estimated), which is a boon for many developing countries, as much as it is for remote areas of Canada's North.

Naga Siva Gunda, president and CTO of Glacierclean, is performing test at one of the field locations in Delhi, India. (Photo / York University)

"This is a significant improvement over the earlier version of the device, the Mobile Water Kit, that required more steps, handling of liquid chemicals and so on," says Mitra, Associate Vice-President of Research at York U. "The entire system is developed using a readily available plunger-tube assembly. It's so user-friendly that even an untrained person can do the test using this kit."

Traditional methods of testing for E. coli contamination involves collecting water samples to send to an appropriate microbiological lab where the bacteria is cultured before a plate count is done to detect E. coli presence.

The testing device uses the porous hydrogel matrix, developed by Mitra's team at his Micro & Nano-scale Transport Laboratory that cages specific enzymatic substrates that release certain enzymes in E. coli cells. These enzymes then chemically react with the substrates to change colour. If there is no E. coli, the colour of the hydrogel won't change, as there is no chemical reaction.

The results of the water test can be instantly broadcast using a mobile app already developed by the team.
New type of graphene-based transistor will increase the clock speed of processors (Nanowerk News) Scientists have developed a new type of graphene-based transistor and using modelling they have demonstrated that it has ultralow power consumption compared with other similar transistor devices. The findings have been published in a paper in the journal Scientific Reports ("Abrupt current switching in graphene bilayer tunnel transistors enabled by van Hove singularities").

The most important effect of reducing power consumption is that it enables the clock speed of processors to be increased. According to calculations, the increase could be as high as two orders of magnitude.

The point is not so much about saving electricity  we have plenty of electrical energy. At a lower power, electronic components heat up less, and that means that they are able to operate at a higher clock speed  not one gigahertz, but ten for example, or even one hundred, says the corresponding author of the study, the head of MIPTs Laboratory of Optoelectronics and Two-Dimensional Materials, Dmitry Svintsov.

Fig. 1: (A) Electron spectrum E(p) in bilayer graphene (left) and energy dependence of its density of states, DoS (right). At energy levels corresponding to the edge of the Mexican hat the DoS tends to infinity. (B) The red areas show the states of electrons that participate in tunneling in bilayer graphene (left) and in a conventional semiconductor with ordinary parabolic bands (right). Electrons that are capable of tunneling at low voltages are found in the ring in graphene, but in the semiconductor they are only found at the single point. The dotted lines indicate the tunneling transitions. The red lines indicate the trajectories of the tunneling electrons in the valence band. (click on image to enlarge)

Building transistors that are capable of switching at low voltages (less than 0.5 volts) is one of the greatest challenges of modern electronics. Tunnel transistors are the most promising candidates to solve this problem. Unlike in conventional transistors, where electrons jump through the energy barrier, in tunnel transistors the electrons filter through the barrier due to the quantum tunneling effect. However, in most semiconductors the tunneling current is very small and this prevents transistors that are based on these materials from being used in real circuits.

The authors of the article, scientists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), the Institute of Physics and Technology RAS, and Tohoku University (Japan), proposed a new design for a tunnel transistor based on bilayer graphene, and using modelling, they proved that this material is an ideal platform for low-voltage electronics.

Graphene, which was created by MIPT alumni Sir Andre Geim and Sir Konstantin Novoselov, is a sheet of carbon that is one atom thick. As it has only two dimensions, the properties of graphene, including its electronic properties, are radically different to three-dimensional carbon  graphite.

Bilayer graphene is two sheets of graphene that are attached to one another with ordinary covalent bonds. It is as easy to make as monolayer graphene, but due to the unique structure of its electronic bands, it is a highly promising material for low-voltage tunneling switches, says Svintsov.

Bands of bilayer graphene, i.e. the allowed energy levels of an electron at a given value of momentum, are in the shape of a Mexican hat (fig. 1A, compare this to the bands of most semiconductors which form a parabolic shape). It turns out that the density of electrons that can occupy spaces close to the edges of the Mexican hat tends to infinity  this is called a van Hove singularity. With the application of even a very small voltage to the gate of a transistor, a huge number of electrons at the edges of the Mexican hat begin to tunnel at the same time. This causes a sharp change in current from the application of a small voltage, and this low voltage is the reason for the record low power consumption.

In their paper, the researchers point out that until recently, van Hove singularity was barely noticeable in bilayer graphene  the edges of the Mexican hat were indistinct due to the low quality of the samples. Modern graphene samples on hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) substrates are of much better quality, and pronounced van Hove singularities have been experimentally confirmed in the samples using scanning probe microscopy and infrared absorption spectroscopy.

An important feature of the proposed transistor is the use of electrical doping (the field effect) to create a tunneling p-n junction. The complex process of chemical doping, which is required when building transistors on three-dimensional semiconductors, is not needed (and can even be damaging) for bilayer graphene. In electrical doping, additional electrons (or holes) occur in graphene due to the attraction towards closely positioned doping gates (fig. 2)

Fig. 2: The shaded area of 150 mV is the operating voltage range of the transistor, which is much narrower than the operating range of conventional silicon transistors (500mV). The subthreshold swing (slope of the characteristic) of the proposed transistor is also significantly higher than the limiting slope that can potentially be gained from MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors). This limiting slope is shown as a dotted line on the inset image. (click on image to enlarge)

Under optimum conditions, a graphene transistor can change the current in a circuit ten thousand times with a gate voltage swing of only 150 millivolts.
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By June Fletcher of the Naples Daily News

Balancing private rights with the public good as the region's population explodes will be the future focus of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the group's head said Monday.

Speaking to about 40 members of the Naples Press Club at the Hilton Naples, conservancy President and Chief Executive Officer Rob Moher said the challenge going forward for the next few years will be to help shape public policy that "reflects not one interest but the common interest."

Moher outlined several areas of greatest concern to the conservancy:

Population growth

U.S. Census figures show Cape Coral/Fort Myers is the sixth fastest growing metro area in the country; Naples is the 10th.

While the state of Florida estimated in 2010 that the population could reach 92 million if every local entity's land use plan was adopted, Moher expects the state's population to reach 26 million by 2030, (a number also recently projected by the Florida Chamber of Commerce).

Moher expects Collier County, which has 338,000 people  or 410,000 in season  to reach 1 million, with about half living west of Route 951.

So shaping growth will be one of biggest priorities of the conservation group, since more people will "directly affect our quality of life as well as our natural resources," Moher said.

Sprawl

Since 13 new towns are planned in these areas to the east of current development, preventing sprawl is another major concern.

While he does not dispute the rights of property owners to develop land, Moher plans to continue to advocate clustering communities.

One reason is that high-density communities are cheaper and easier to build and maintain; another is to minimize the impact on Southwest Florida's wildlife, which includes 47 threatened and endangered species.

He also suggested more planning of infill and redevelopment to improve the commercial centers of places like Immokalee, Golden Gate Estates and Ave Maria to make them "really self-sustaining and successful cities before we create new cities," he said.

Roads

Because new roads (or widened existing roads) create a threat to wildlife, increase runoff problems and are a burden for taxpayers to build and maintain, Moher is in favor of limiting them.

"We don't think it's good for the economy or fair to taxpayers, and we certainly don't think it's good for the environment," he said.

Wetlands

Southwest Florida is the epicenter of wetlands loss in the United States, Moher said.

While some developers try to mitigate this loss with man-made replacements, "the history of man-made wetlands in Florida is really, really terrible," he said.

Plus, 1 acre of wetlands stores and cleans 1.5 million gallons of water, he noted, "and it treats it for free." Wetlands are "incredibly complex systems, and we need to protect the ones we've got," he said.

Wildlife

Last year the conservancy's wild animal hospital treated nearly 3,600 creatures, from ospreys to bats, up from 2,000 in 2006.

But as new development and roads put pressure on wildlife habitats, the numbers may grow beyond the capacity of the hospital to care for them, even though it is undergoing an expansion.

While private donors pay for the cost of this care, Moher said more attention needs to be given to protecting wild creatures  not just for their own sake, but because they are one of the main attractions to the area for tourists and homebuyers.

Water

Sea-level rise is already evident in places like South Beach in Miami, Moher said, and by the end of this century, by some estimates, half of Naples could be underwater.

"The only town in all of Southwest Florida that is planning for sea level rise is Punta Gorda," he said, adding that they are only planning to develop upland areas, "which is just good sense."

Add to that the threat of flooding and water pollution from runoffs from Lake Okeechobee following this spring's heavy rains, and it's clear that more coordinated regional planning is needed to prevent future heavy discharges into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers.

"The missing piece is the land south of the lake," he said, some of which is needed to help restore the historical flow of water in the Everglades.
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By Terri Schlichenmeyer

"Dear County Agent Guy"

By Jerry Nelson

c. 2016, Workman Publishing

$14.95, $22.95 Canada; 210 pages

The rain  or lack thereof  just about destroyed your plants a year or three ago. Seems the weather's always wrong, prices are lower than they need to be, and there's always a hole in some fence somewhere. Still, you'd never have it any other way, so read " Dear County Agent Guy" by Jerry Nelson. You might as well laugh, right?

More than three generations ago, when Jerry Nelson's great-grandparents began farming on "the open prairies of eastern South Dakota," they had no idea that they were leaving a legacy. From them, Nelson inherited a love of the land, a career, a ramshackle ancestral cottage and, presumably, a good sense of humor.

For a few years after high school, Nelson farmed near the old homestead and eventually co-farmed with his father. That was after he decided that life would be better with a little "female companionship," and he took a wife.

The two sons that came afterward were a nice complement to the wife thing, although having them wasn't like getting a new calf. With sons, there was a hospital involved and a lot of huffing and puffing. Having been through all this birthing stuff before, Nelson kindly offered his calf-puller, noting that having a baby was easy for a cow so why was it such a big deal to his wife's midwife?

Kidding aside, though, a farm is a great place to raise a family. Nelson's great-grandparents did it. His grandparents raised their children on a farm, as did his parents and that's where Nelson's boys grew up. It's where the old family cabin moldered until it fell apart, and where Nelson found a letter from his father, dated long before Nelson was born. It's where silage doesn't taste very good (but the cows sure love it); where a man with a pickup is everybody's friend; and where favorite foods are served, even if one's wife must hold her nose.

The farm is where pastures hold memories of times spent with dad. It's where lessons are learned that stick with a boy long after he becomes a man. It's where cows are pets, snow is no excuse to stay home, and where lives change because accidents happen 

Maybe it's just me, but I could swear I smelled fresh country air while reading "Dear County Agent Guy."

Yep, this book reminded me of warm spring afternoons, when you're driving on a dirt road and you stop to jaw a minute with a neighbor on a dusty tractor. It's like finally finding that newborn calf in the woods  and it's a heifer! There are loving-the-farm moments, wrapped inside hating-the-losses chapters. And yes, there are times when reading this book is like watching someone pratfall in a fresh cowpat, because author Jerry Nelson sprinkles good-natured, genuine humor all over his essays here.

I laughed out loud more than once at this book, and I think you'll like it, too  especially if you understand its very title. For you, then, grab "Dear County Agent Guy" and plant yourself down.

"Adventures of a Female Medical Detective"

By Mary Guinan, Ph.D., MD, with Anne D. Mather

c. 2016, Johns Hopkins University Press

$24.95, higher in Canada; 123 pages

Summer colds are the worst. You're not sure how you caught one, but you did  and now you'd love to know where it came from. Or maybe that's one of those medical mysteries, the kind that Mary Guinan, Ph.D., MD solved. In her new book "Adventures of a Female Medical Detective" (with Anne D. Mather), she takes you on some not-so-cold cases.

Born of Irish immigrants, Mary Guinan says her parents were grateful for America 's opportunities and "made it clear" that college was mandatory for each of their five children. Guinan chose Hunter College in New York, where she learned that she had a knack for chemistry; what she really wanted was to study medicine, but "women were rarely admitted to medical school" then.

"Frustrated with a lack of opportunities," she graduated with a degree in chemistry and entered the astronaut program in Houston. Options were limited for women there, too, so when she heard about a plan to eradicate smallpox, Guinan applied to train with the CDC for a chance to join the effort. Told that India disallowed women into the program, she had to argue to get her first big case but once overseas, the remote area in which she'd been assigned became smallpox-free because of her efforts.

"It was," she says, "one of the most exciting experiences of my life."

Back in the U.S. and further into her career, Guinan "stumbled upon" work in STD research, gaining a reputation for specialization. That led to an edgy and ultimately irksome tour in Pakistan; then to an assignment with the CDC to study "the emerging AIDS epidemic."

In California, she followed a group of AIDS research patients, and accidentally received a needlestick. She writes of irritation with a writer over confidentiality, and problems with media misinformation on AIDS and women. She witnessed "unrelenting and vicious homophobia" against HIV-positive patients, some of whom she particularly and poignantly remembers. And now, as professor emerita at the University of Nevada, she busts some myths 

From the comfort of your sofa or chair, there's nothing quite like a good adventure. But Hemingway, Roosevelt, Heyerdahl, Peary, you can put them aside after you've read "Adventures of a Female Medical Detective."

Author Mary Guinan, Ph.D., MD, is a true pioneer, and the stories she tells of her early career are jaw-dropping. Seen through modern eyes, it's rather jolting to remember that it wasn't so long ago that women were completely barred from certain jobs in the workplace. In every job-related battle she fought, Guinan's tenacity is impressive and empowering.

And then there are the adventures hinted about in this books' title: Guinan (with Anne D. Mather) shares the kinds of stories that you'd hear at a dinner-party. Sometimes, there's humor attached to them; others are told with a sense of outrage and humanity.

My only complaint? Not enough pages in this skinny book, which made me want more. For medical students, field workers, doctors, or anyone who loves swashbuckling tales, "Adventures of a Female Medical Detective" is a book to catch.

The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. She has been reading since she was 3 years old and never goes anywhere without a book. Terri lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 11,000 books.
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Grifoni announces candidacy

"If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand."

My fellow Marco Islanders, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for. Our piece of paradise is unique, beautiful, and brings our residents and visitors so much shared joy. I love Marco Island and all that it has to offer. Over the course of the last few years I have witnessed our home being poked, prodded, and divided by those in positions of authority within our city for the purposes of what can only be described as political manipulation for electoral advantage. It is time that we, the citizens of Marco Island, take a stand together to ensure that our voices are no longer ignored. Towards that end, I am humbled and honored to announce my candidacy for the Marco Island City Council.

Marco Island needs a united voice, a voice that will represent and speak for the benefit of our entire island of individuals rather than a few special interest groups. Marco Island needs a candidate for City Council who is a private sector outsider with a vision and the will to fight for it, but who also has the track record of fighting against the odds and winning. It is undeniable that our City Council needs an independent-thinking night watchman to protect our citizens, in season or off-season, from those with an overzealous devotion to government-first solutions. If these words speak to you then I am your candidate. I will continue to be a strong and dependable ally in defense of our citizen's rights.

As a private citizen, I am a Florida licensed attorney and business leader in a company that over the past 8 years grew from being just an idea to employing over 400 workers throughout southwest Florida, with the overwhelming majority in Naples and Marco Island. In 2015, I was named to the Gulfshore Business Magazine 40 Under 40 rising business leaders in Southwest Florida.

I have spent countless hours fighting, winning, and developing working relationships throughout our county government. I've fought and won protecting our Second Amendment rights at the county and city level; on the issue of recognizing the importance of protecting home rule powers in education; and protecting Collier County taxpayers from an effort to give a precedent-setting multi-million-dollar bailout to a private entity. None of this was done alone. It was accomplished by being willing and able to reach out and bring people together to work on an issue of common concern.

We can no longer afford to have a City Council that cannot see beyond the Marco Island city limits. While our municipal control may end on the Jolley Bridge, if we do not pay attention and develop better working relationships with our County Commission, School Board, and state legislative contingent, we will continue to bear the brunt of missed opportunities, like our current struggle over the COPCN that put the health and well-being of our citizens in jeopardy. Our current City Council has learned a hard lesson: Too little, too late. We cannot negotiate from a divided position of weakness.

I pledge to you, Marco Islanders, that if you support me and I am elected, every time I cast a vote it will be based on my principles of limited government, fiscal conservatism, respect for individual rights, and on the objective facts laid out in public.

Marco Island, let's stand together to unite our island by protecting our private property rights, keeping our city government small and unobtrusive so individuals and businesses can flourish, by listening to one another, and by taking all perspectives under advisement before creating more city bureaucracy.

Visit my website at www.JaredGrifoni.com, where you can learn more about me and my positions on the issues, sign up for my email communications, and join the team.

Jared Grifoni

Marco Island

Elephant retirement

The best news for me to see and hear is the retirement of 11 circus elephants, recently authorized by the executives of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Circus.

Amid what has become a long, arduous, tiresome and disgusting stretch of bunk and you-know-what from the jokers who claim to be honorable candidates for the nation's highest office, I found the news regarding the elephants a delightful and happy respite from this embarrassing sojourn.

I suggest this: Donald Trump should do the elephant walk along with the happy (no doubt) pachyderm and join the bandwagon to the happy grazing grounds.

The "Center for GOP Conservation" would like to thank those responsible, the Humane Society of the United States, on the ethical treatment of the masses.

Dick Murphy

Golden Gate Estates
By Joseph Cranney of the Naples Daily News

A plan to build a gas station and convenience store in River Park that is opposed by some residents has some Naples City Council members concerned about the commercial development's impact on the neighborhood.

Vice-Mayor Linda Penniman wants to know the environmental risks of the plan to build a 7-Eleven with six gas pumps on the retail strip that sits at the corner of Goodlette-Frank Road and Fifth Avenue North, near the Gordon River. And Councilman Doug Finlay said he is concerned the project will have an adverse effect on traffic in an area residents use to get and leave home in the east end of River Park.

"That's their only street," Finlay said. "They have no alternative to go in and out."

Penniman asked City Manager Bill Moss in an email if the vote on the project could be delayed until the council receives a study on how the project impacts the environment. Moss responded that he didn't think the city had the authority to force the developer to study the environmental impact. He deferred to City Attorney Bob Pritt, who said he would respond to the question if asked in Wednesday's council meeting before a scheduled vote on the project.

John Passidomo, the lawyer representing the property owner, said he wasn't aware of Penniman's request. Passidomo told Penniman Tuesday the city's rules don't require his client to complete the study, Penniman said.

"Well, there's more than just the code," Penniman said. "This is the process. Everyone that looks at these projects are looking at it through their prism. My job is to pass a budget and public safety."

The property, at a little less than one acre, was bought for $1.2 million in 2014 by 499 Goodlette Road LLC. The company doesn't list an owner.

Willie Anthony, a longtime River Park resident who has been an advocate for the neighborhood, held a community meeting to discuss the project and other issues last week. Thirty-one residents attended, Anthony said.

Antonio Dumornay, another neighborhood activist, said he expects close to a dozen residents to attend the council meeting Wednesday.

Three residents, including Anthony and Dumornay, spoke during public comment at the city's planning board meeting last month when the board voted 3-1 to give preliminary approval to the project. The residents said they were opposed to the project because it would worsen safety conditions at an intersection often used by pedestrians.

"Why are they jamming this right down this community?" Anthony said. "I do not understand. I think it's wrong."

Passidomo submitted a traffic study to argue the plan to build the 3,010 square-foot store with the gas pumps would cause less traffic than building a store to the scale of the strip that sits at the property now.

Mayor Bill Barnett noted the property has previously hosted a gas station and said he couldn't recall an adverse effect on traffic or the environment.

"I want to hear the reasons why we shouldn't approve it," he said.

The retail strip is the home of the old Kwik Pik convenience store, which operated for more than a decade before a fire caused $500,000 in damages last year. Most of the nearly 6,800 square feet in retail space is now empty, but the Super Cut barbershop and St. Mireille Haitian restaurant are open.

Managers of those businesses said last month they weren't aware of the property owner's plans to shut them down. Gregory Mellin, who said he opened his Haitian restaurant nearly two years ago, said he had only heard "rumors."

"But I didn't think they were going to do it," Mellin said.
FILE PHOTO -- Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers. Tristan Spinski/File

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By Frank Gluck, The News-Press

A judge has ruled that Lee Memorial Hospital may evict a brain-injured patient who has remained housed at the Fort Myers health center more than a year after doctors said he was ready to leave.

The patient, identified in recent court filings as 41-year-old Jason Degraaf, was hospitalized after a vehicle struck him in February 2015 while he was walking in Cape Coral, according to his family.

Lee Memorial claimed in a lawsuit that the man, whom it identified as John Doe, is in a vegetative state and was ready to go home or to be transferred to a nursing home on April 21 of that year. But Degraafs family, hospital officials claimed, refused to allow it.

As a result, the hospital said Medicaid won't pay for his care. Lee Memorial has not estimated a cost for his extended stay, but each day in a Florida hospital generally costs about $2,000.

Lee County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Krier ruled last week that Degraafs continued stay harms Lee Memorial by preventing it from meeting its public duty by the loss of a hospital bed, by adding to overcrowding at its facility, by straining its ability to care for other patients and by potentially harming (the hospitals) accreditation.

Krier said Degraaf may now be transferred to the closest available facility that has space for him and the means of adequately caring for him. His family may take him home, but only if they receive adequate training to care for him and can demonstrate they have a "safe living atmosphere" for him.

As of Monday, Degraaf remained hospitalized and in fair condition, said hospital spokeswoman Mary Briggs.

We understand it is always hard for a family to make difficult decisions relating to their loved ones care, Briggs said in a written statement. We appreciate having resolution on this matter and we can now work to find an appropriate placement for this patient.

Degraaf's mother, Terry, could not be reached Monday for comment.

But in recent court filings, she claims her son is not in a vegetative state and responds to verbal commands.

Terry Degraaf has also said her son needs to go to the Florida Institute for Neurological Rehabilitation in Wauchula. But insurance wont pay for that treatment, she said, because Lee Memorial did not properly register him with a state program aimed to help people with brain and spinal cord injuries.

The Florida Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program, funded by traffic fines and licenses, provides treatment aimed at returning patients to "an appropriate level of functioning in their community."

To qualify, patients must be medically stable and have a "reasonable expectation" they can "achieve reintegration into the community" through the provided treatment.

Briggs would not comment on Degraaf's eligibility for such a program, citing medical privacy regulations.

Terry Degraaf said her son was first admitted to the hospital on Feb. 2, but was discharged to Heritage Park Rehabilitation and Healthcare on April 14. She said he was readmitted the following day after a life-threatening medical complication and noted the facility did not know how to take care of him.

She claims that other rehabilitation facilities Lee Memorial staffers found dont have the facilities to care for her son or have poor government reviews.

All I want for my son is to have the best care possible, Terry Degraaf said in legal filings seeking to block her sons ouster from the hospital. I am afraid if he is sent somewhere that is not qualified to take care of him he will get sick and end up back in the hospital.
Patrons are seen on campus near the iconic Quasi Parish Ave Maria Oratory Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Fla. (Corey Perrine/Staff)

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By Ryan Mills of the Naples Daily News

Ave Maria University administrators are celebrating after the Supreme Court on Monday called for lower courts to seek a compromise on challenges from nonprofit religious organizations to the federal government's contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act.

The eight justices unanimously sent the cases back to federal appeals courts in hopes that they can emerge with a way to honor the objections of religious nonprofit groups  such as charities, hospitals and universities  while still guaranteeing free birth control to their female employees. The court vacated previous rulings regarding the mandate included in President Barack Obama's health care law.

"This is a great victory, to be really blunt" said Bill Kirk, Ave Maria's general counsel and vice president of legal affairs. "And I think even the government would admit that. They've really lost a lot of ground here."

Rather than conceding, the Obama administration also claimed victory Monday, with White House press secretary Josh Earnest saying "we were obviously pleased with the announcement from the Supreme Court today."

"It will allow millions of women across the country to continue to get the health care coverage that they need," he said.

But that's not how abortion rights and women's groups reacted to the decision.

"We are disappointed that the court did not resolve once and for all whether the religious beliefs of religiously-affiliated nonprofit employers can block women's seamless access to birth control," Grethen Borchelt of the National Women's Law Center said.

"In punting today, the Supreme Court only forces women and families to wait longer to learn who in this country has the 'right' to interfere with a woman's personal health care decisions," said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "Is it her boss, or is it her decision alone?"

Eight appeals courts nationwide have sided with the Obama administration; four of those were challenged in the case before the Supreme Court. One court has ruled for the groups so far.

"The court expresses no view on the merits of the cases," the opinion stated. "In particular, the court does not decide whether petitioners' religious exercise has been substantially burdened, whether the government has a compelling interest, or whether the current regulations are the least restrictive means of serving that interest."

Kirk said he believes religious nonprofits should be exempt from the mandate altogether, as churches and other religious ministries already are. Even without a blanket exemption, there are other ways for the federal government to make contraceptives available to women without involving the religious organizations, mandate opponents say.

"This is a game-changer," said Mark Rienzi, senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represented the Little Sisters of the Poor in one of the seven lawsuits taken up by the Supreme Court.

"The court has accepted the government's concession that it can get drugs to people without using the Little Sisters. The court has eliminated all of the bad decisions from the lower courts. And the court has forbidden the government from fining the Little Sisters even though they are refusing to bow to the government's will."

The battle over the mandate was one of the high court's biggest issues this term, pitting religious liberty against reproductive rights for the second time in three years. In 2014, the court ruled 5-4 that for-profit corporations whose owners objected to the rule could have their insurance plans deliver the health benefit directly.

That same accommodation previously had been offered to religious groups, but dozens of them complained they would be tainted even by transferring responsibility for services they equate with abortion to insurers or third-party administrators.

Ave Maria University was one of the first faith-based organizations to file suit over the mandate. Its case is held up at the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and was not one of the seven taken up by the Supreme Court.

Kirk said he believes the February death of Justice Antonin Scalia and the resulting 4-4 split on the court between liberal and conservative justices may have paved the path to Monday's opinion. Without a clear majority, it was a "pretty judicious way to put it back on the ... appellate courts to get them to figure it out."

While the federal government could concede the issue after years of court disputes, Kirk said there could be some pushback at the appeals court level. But clearly, he said, "the government is back on its heels with this one."

"This is not over. There will be more fights," Kirk said. "But its very clear that the Little Sisters are not going to give up. Ave Maria is not going to give up. We'll fight this to the end."

The Associated Press and USA Today contributed to this report.

Related stories:

Court dismisses Ave Maria lawsuit regarding employees' birth control

Ave Maria president: compromise on birth control law creates 'more confusion'
When Larry McKay gets up in the morning, he reaches for Kane to brace himself and walk through his Marco Island condo.

If he falls, the 80-pound Boxer is immediately at the 56-year-old disabled man's side to help him up. At McKay's command, Kane can turn on the lights by hitting a box, even call for medical help by hitting a medical call box with his paw.

Like a cane, Kane gives McKay support and provides mobility, bracing his strong body and allowing McKay to hold his metal U-shaped harness to get up and walk.

But McKay lives part-time in a no-dog community, South Seas East Condominium Apartments of Marco Island, which considers Kane a canine non grata.

'You'd have thought I brought a leper colony with me,' McKay said of his mobile-assistance service dog. 'They said, 'Go home and take your dog. Dogs aren't allowed here.' ? People do not recognize the Americans with Disabilities Act. I'm tired of being part of the invisible minority with no rights.'

South Seas brands Kane a nuisance.

'The dog urinates over the railing of the unit, incessantly relieves itself on the walkways and is permitted to be unleashed outside,' the association wrote in a complaint to the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, alleging McKay never provided it with enough information to gauge his request for a service dog.

McKay denied the allegations. Still recovering from surgeries after an infection disabled him, he lost that fight in January, when the association won a default judgment barring Kane from the property.

Now, both sides are locked in a battle over the ADA in U.S. District Court in Fort Myers, where a trial is scheduled for March, if mediation this month doesn't resolve the dispute.

The lawsuit filed by McKay's attorney, Casey Weidenmiller of Naples, alleges South Seas is violating the ADA, the federal Fair Housing Act and Florida Housing Rights Act. It alleges McKay is handicapped, his impairments substantially limit his walking and balancing and that South Seas should have allowed the service dog as an accommodation under the ADA.

'It is unbelievable that Mr. McKay's neighbors choose to make his life more difficult and not help a man they admit is disabled,' Weidenmiller said. 'His doctor has stated time and time again that his dog is medically necessary and yet the association prefers litigation over working together for a solution to help Mr. McKay.'

'We have a mediation scheduled and hopefully the association will do the right thing and let Mr. McKay have the service dog he needs,' he added.

South Seas' attorney, Matthew Rabin of Sunrise, declined to comment.

Under the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) investigates cases involving service animals, as well as companion- and emotional-support animals.

Nationally, 346 complaints were filed so far this year involving service animals, according to HUD statistics, which show 20 filed in Florida. Last year, 441 were filed nationwide, 40 in Florida, and in 2010, 495 were lodged nationally, 60 in Florida.

Marco Island resident Larry McKay's case was one of the Florida cases filed this year, but it was closed after the party that filed the complaint didn't cooperate with federal investigators, HUD spokeswoman Shantae Goodloe said.

Records show HUD investigated 12 service animal complaints in Collier County over the past five years. Half were found to be without cause, two were settled, and the rest were dismissed by a judge or administratively closed.

Service dogs are licensed without fees. Collier County dog licensing records show there were eight service dogs licensed in fiscal 2012, six the prior year, and eight in 2010.

* * * * *

Some major retailers have been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with barring service animals.

In 2009, Wal-Mart was cited for violations after denying access to people with service dogs. It agreed to pay $150,000 to people who filed grievances and agreed to train its employees and launch a public service campaign. It was required to pay $100,000 into a fund the U.S. Civil Rights Division will use to finance a public service announcement campaign to increase awareness of access rights of people with disabilities who use service animals.

In July 2010, Blockbuster settled a similar complaint. In Florida, the Golden Cab Corp. of West Palm Beach settled one in 2008.

Court records show South Seas denies refusing to accommodate McKay, pointing out it's just relying on the default judgment. It denies McKay is handicapped, has physical impairments or needs a service dog, contending other assistance devices such as a walker or cane could provide the same assistance.

South Seas accuses McKay of being aware of its no-dog policy before he bought his condo, alleging he brought Kane in without telling anyone or filing an application. The association repeatedly refers to Kane as a pet and initially maintained he wasn't a properly trained service animal. Now, the association is focusing on McKay, asking him to prove his disability and confirm Kane won't cause medical, physical or psychological harm to other residents.

Passed in 1990, the ADA protects the rights of the disabled, including the use of service dogs. Last year, the federal law was amended to clarify service animals as dogs or, in limited cases, miniature horses. The amendments clarified their functions, specifying service dogs can be trained to assist children and adults with various disabilities, including physical and psychiatric, autism, hearing and vision-impaired, and those who need animals to fetch items or pull wheelchairs.

The amendments also clarify that those with mental disabilities who use service animals trained to perform a specific task are protected under the ADA, but dogs not trained to perform tasks that mitigate effects of a disability, including dogs used for emotional support, aren't service animals.

McKay wasn't disabled when he purchased his condo in December 2008. A month later, he was in a Maryland hotel and noticed his foot was bleeding in the bathroom. The next morning, he felt sick and couldn't move. He collapsed and kept falling down. When he checked out, hotel employees urged him not to drive, but he drove home and a friend took him to the emergency room. 'I felt like I was dying,' he said.

Doctors discovered he had MRSA ? methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a powerful infection resistant to most antibiotics. It had traveled up his leg and into his spine. He was put in a medically induced coma and doctors removed a portion of his toe and spine, shortening him an inch.

He was in intensive care for three weeks and rehab for six weeks. When he returned to his home in Fairfax, Va., he slept, unable to care for his two daughters and two dogs, including Kane. After he was able to walk again, the infection returned in December 2009, and he underwent three amputations until his right big toe was fully removed.

'I had to learn how to walk again,' he said, adding that he decided to have Kane trained as a mobility service dog and teach him to use Service Dog Assistance Products, which turn on lights and appliances or call for medical help.

'He's given me my independence back,' McKay said, noting that the Social Security Administration declared him disabled. 'But those condo people are after me because I look normal. I tell them he's my service dog and they say it's a scam. They told me not to come back with Kane or I would be arrested.'

Bill and Donna Lovejoy, who rented a South Seas condo last year, couldn't believe residents' attitudes toward McKay and Kane, whose jacket signifies he's a service dog.

'As soon as he got there, all those old biddies started telling him he couldn't be there with the dog,' Donna Lovejoy said. 'It really was a shame. They didn't care that he was handicapped. They treated him like he had leprosy.'

'They don't realize their lives could change in a flash,' she said of getting disabled.

Two weeks ago, McKay traveled to Naples for a deposition and stayed in his condo with his fiancAe, Beth McColl. McKay struggled, breathing heavily as he got up. He held Kane's metal brace as he walked around his condo, his limp and disability apparent. Later, he used his motorized wheelchair to take Kane outside to relieve himself, using a bag to remove it.

When the couple goes to restaurants, Kane, who wears a red jacket marked 'Service Dog,' obediently crawls under the table, sitting quietly.

'He's better behaved than most children,' McColl said.
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Significant issues are to be addressed in the coming week by elected leaders in Collier County, including some bottom-line ones affecting taxpayers. These include:

Budget season

Budget season is under way for local governments, with a major one entering the spotlight Tuesday when the Collier School Board holds a non-voting meeting to discuss a 2016-17 spending plan.

The workshop includes a look at where the district stands on this year's estimated $950 million budget.

A staff summary to be presented to the board shows about $3.5 million was saved in this year's budget because expenses came in lower than expected, including fuel and electricity costs.

In addition, the staff forecasts another $2.1 million could be saved in the coming budget year while continuing to reduce the district's debt and halting a years-long practice of tapping reserves to bolster the budget.

Emerging from the Great Recession, the district steadily has seen its reserves decline as that money was used in yearly budgeting. In 2011, the district's reserves were at $65.2 million, records show, declining to $35.2 million in 2015.

The staff summary shows there would be no further use of reserves; in fact, the reserves could be increased to $36.8 million this year.

In a guest commentary in Sunday's Daily News, Superintendent Kamela Patton said the district spends about $8,808 per student, compared with Florida's average of $8,433. The district has about 46,000 students in K-12 and about 7,100 employees.

The board session starts at 4 p.m. at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Administrative Center, 5775 Osceola Trail.

This bears watching by voters because the budget is likely to be debated in the fall election for two newcomers to take seats on the 3-2 divided board.

Fire districts

Blending the maze of fire districts in Collier so that taxpayers can benefit through budget savings is no small task. Fortunately, steps are being taken this week  even if they are small ones.

In November 2014, voters formed the Greater Naples fire district from East Naples and Golden Gate departments, and North Collier from North Naples and Big Corkscrew departments. Last year, Collier commissioners moved to merge some of the fire districts under their control into Greater Naples.

Greater Naples fire commissioners had extended an invitation to North Collier and Immokalee fire boards to meet to discuss further consolidation possibilities at Greater Naples' May meeting, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the fire station, 14575 Collier Blvd. in Golden Gate.

Scheduling wise, it didn't come together.

Anne Goodnight, who chairs the Immokalee fire district, said the board will discuss at its meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the station, 502 E. New Market Road in Immokalee, a planned June 16 meeting between Immokalee and North Collier districts to discuss cost-saving measures.

Goodnight said it's not a consolidation discussion, but rather exploring ways to save money by sharing, such as buying supplies, deploying mechanics and the like. That's worked among departments in the past, so it could benefit taxpayers.

Kingman Schuldt, Greater Naples chief, said potential June meeting dates for Greater Naples and North Collier to hold discussions would be considered Tuesday night.

Naples City Council

Traffic was on the mind of Naples citizens in the March election. Wednesday, the City Council is to consider a $350,000 contract with a consultant to complete a much-needed vehicle circulation and mobility study in the downtown area.

The study thankfully was moved up on the state Department of Transportation's schedule; the DOT would reimburse the city for the cost, a staff memo says.

The council meets starting at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall, 735 Eighth St. S. At 1 p.m., the council is to consider a request to put a 3,000-square-foot convenience store and gas station at the Fifth Avenue North-Goodlette-Frank Road intersection. Some neighbors have objected to the project; city planning advisers recommend approval.
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Mark and Linda Rinde, Naples

Our church home

Barbara Pierce's recent letter motivated us to write. We have had the same experience in finding a church since moving to Naples.

Over the past several months, we visited many congregations. Our experiences left us cold, as she described. We were mechanically welcomed and politely ignored.

Often, when we drove by St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Davis Boulevard, which is near our home, we would say, "Some day we need to try that church."

Last month we did. We were warmly greeted as we entered. When the pastor gave the announcements, he asked visitors to stand so that the whole congregation could greet them.

As we were leaving, a gentleman approached, inviting us to stay for coffee. He introduced us to everyone in the parish hall and then sat down with us and a group of his friends. He made sure we were included.

Later that week, we received a letter from the pastor thanking us for attending and expressing hope that we would come again. The following week he telephoned, saying he noticed on our visitor's card that we were looking for a church home. He wondered if we would come by for a visit. By the time he left, we knew what we had already suspected  we had found our home.

We are sure that there are many more churches in Naples besides First Congregational and St. Paul's Episcopal that welcome strangers into their midst. But our experience, like Barbara Pierce's, is that these are all too rare.

We thank God that we have found one of them. We pray that letters like ours and hers will awaken other congregations to become intentional welcoming communities.
Scott Burgess, President and CEO David Lawrence Center

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By Scott Burgess, Naples President and CEO, David Lawrence Center

Guest commentary

We often hear people suggest that the best way to deal with feelings is to get them out in the open instead of keeping them all bottled up inside and that sentiment couldn't be more accurate.

We need to do that in the bad and the good times. If achieving mental wellness is what we are striving for, then putting ourselves on a path to good mental health begins when we are able to talk about how we are feeling.

This month, David Lawrence Center is celebrating national Mental Health Month. This year's theme from Mental Health America is "Life with a Mental Illness," a call to action, if you will, to share what life with a mental illness feels like to the person living with it.

Sharing such is the key to breaking down negative attitudes surrounding mental illness, and it is a way to show others they are not alone in what they are going through.

While clinical terms used by professionals may properly diagnose a mental health disorder, the language is impersonal and does not tell us what living with an illness actually feels like. Two people with an identical diagnosis and similar symptoms might describe their individual experiences in a much different way.

That's why we are encouraging you to embrace and share your feelings in the hopes that doing so will give more people a voice to feelings, fears, hopes and dreams. As a result, they can be empowered to change the trajectory of their lives for the better, or to support the loved ones as they attempt to change theirs.

To help make this happen, and to facilitate a positive, healthy community dialogue about mental health, we will be conducting our first-ever Mental Health Month Fair and Open House later this month. The free event will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday on our main campus at 6075 Bathey Lane just off Golden Gate Parkway.

It may surprise you to learn that 1 out of every 4 children and adults in our community will experience mental health, emotional, psychological or substance abuse challenges in their lifetime. Our goal is to help everyone who attends understand how common mental illness is and learn what it is like to live with and overcome such an illness.

We will be celebrating mental wellness with various community resource partners on hand representing health, wellness and mental health providers. We will conduct campus tours and brief educational presentations on the signs and symptoms of mental illness and substance abuse along with health and wellness demonstrations.

We are hoping those in attendance will feel free to speak up and speak out, taking advantage of the interactive opportunities we will have available while learning more about how our resource partners may be available to lend a helping hand.

We will also encourage attendees to assess their own mental health through use of free screening tools on site or by visiting with a mental health professional.

This will truly be a family-friendly event with lots to do for the kids including a feelings art project, a children's art therapy showcase, an "expressive" photo booth and the chance for kids of all ages to meet our furry mental health partners  a Clydesdale therapy horse and a pet therapy dog.

Plus, there will be fun lawn games and contests, face painting, and exercise and yoga demonstrations taking place while everyone is networking with likeminded mental health advocates and health conscious members of our community. Plenty of healthy snacks will be available and there will be drawings for great prizes like tablets, bikes, gift baskets and gift cards.

To learn more about Friday's event, or to find out more about us, I invite you to visit DavidLawrenceCenter.org.

While we know mental illnesses are common, we also know they are treatable. Help is never more than a phone call, a mouse click or a visit away at David Lawrence Center, Southwest Florida's not-for-profit provider of behavioral health solutions.

We are dedicated to creating life-changing wellness for everyone we are serving today and for those we will begin serving tomorrow. And we are committed to restoring and rebuilding lives by delivering prevention and treatment services to more than 50,000 people each year.

With the help of our Mental Health Month Fair and Open House, and hopefully by removing the stigma of speaking out, more people can become comfortable with coming out of the shadows and seeking the help they need. And we are here, standing by, ready to provide it.
Ashton Woods, a private homebuilder known for its exceptional design and unrivaled personalization options, announced that more than 75 percent of the single-family homesites have sold and just 12 homesites currently remain available for purchase at Whitaker Park.



Situated near the heart of Sarasota, Whitaker Park is an intimate enclave of exceptionally designed, low maintenance homes. A total of 79 single-family homesites are planned in this extremely desirable community that is located in proximity to vibrant culture and just minutes from the sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.



Ashton Woods is offering a total of 10 flexible floor plans at Whitaker Park, ranging from 1,634 to 3,111 square feet. Each home provides a high level of personalization and design options tailored to buyers unique lifestyles.



Among the last chance opportunities currently available for quick move-in are:



 The Cabot II is a two-story residence encompassing 2,233 square feet with three bedrooms and three full baths. This home has an open floor plan with the master suite and another bedroom on the ground floor around the island kitchen, dining area and family room. The third bedroom is located on the second floor along with a spacious loft that can be converted into a fourth bedroom or game room. There also is the flexibility to add a second floor bonus room. Other options include converting a ground floor bedroom into a study and an alternative master bath plan. The Cabot II is currently priced from $310,990.



 The Sheffield is a 2,750-square feet home with four bedrooms and two and one-half baths. This two-story home has a great room floor plan with a spacious family room, breakfast area and island kitchen. The master suite is on the ground floor with the guest bedrooms and a loft area upstairs. Among the plan options for this home is the ability to convert the front dining room into a guest suite or private study. Other plan options include converting the upstairs loft into a media room or fifth bedroom, converting storage space into a technology center, adding a bonus room, creating a second floor master suite or adding space for a third car in the garage. The Sheffield is currently priced from $336,990.



Whitaker Park offers a selection of flexible design options that deliver a unique home in a great location close to the vibrant culture and sandy beaches of Sarasota, said John Reny, Florida Division President for Ashton Woods. Weve specifically tailored these exceptionally designed homes to local market preferences, offering thoughtful designs and a wide range of personalization in one of the most desirable locations in Florida.



For more information on Whitaker Park and the remaining homes available for purchase from Ashton Woods, call 941-556-9466 or visit the community online at http://www.ashtonwoods.com/sarasota/whitaker-park.



Whitaker Park is one of four Bradenton/Sarasota area communities in which Ashton Woods is now building. Located in Bradenton off of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, the community of Rosedale offers homes from the $300s. The Retreat community in Sarasota offers limited final opportunities with just one home remaining from the mid-$300s. The community of Palma Vista is located just southwest of Bradenton and offers homes priced from the $400s. For details on Ashton Woods residences in these communities, visit www.ashtonwoods.com.



Ashton Woods is one of the nations largest private homebuilding companies, blazing new trails in design and personalization to build homes as unique as the people who live in them. Collaborating with homeowners for over 25 years, the company and its team of world-renowned designers look beyond the conventional to draw inspiration from unexpected sources, resulting in exceptional design in every Ashton Woods home. Recognized as one of the most-trusted builders in America according to the Lifestory Research Americas Most Trusted BuilderTM Study, Ashton Woods collaborative approach is a key driver of its best-in-class customer satisfaction scores. For more information or to experience the excitement of becoming another satisfied Ashton Woods homeowner, visit www.ashtonwoods.com.
Thomas Moran, Managing Director - Investments Senior PIM Portfolio Manager of Moran Edwards Asset Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors (www.MoranEdwards.com), was named to Southwest Florida Faces of of Philanthropy, an award created to recognize outstanding philanthropists in the Southwest Florida in honor of National Philanthropy Day (NPD) by the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and Brian Tietz Photography.

Faces of Philanthropy highlights the achievements of an individual with a proven record of exceptional generosity through direct financial support for the past several years. Honorees were selected based on their philanthropic activities, including giving their time, talent, and passion to organizations within our community. They must live within the five-county area of Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. The Faces of Philanthropy honorees were photographed by commercial, editorial, and corporate photographer Brian Tietz, and featured in the Southwest Florida Community Foundations Photo Art Exhibit Faces of Philanthropy that is on exhibit all summer at the Community Hub, the SWFL Community Foundation main office space, 8771 College Pkwy, Bldg. 2 Ste. 201, Fort Myers.

In addition to this honor, Moran has received local, national, and industry recognition for his ability as a financial advisor during his over 30-year career in the financial services industry. He was most recently named to Barrons annual list of Americas Top 100 Financial Advisors and listed in Barrons Top 1,200 Advisors in the United States, a state-by-state ranking of which Moran was selected as #1 Advisor in Southwest Florida for the seventh consecutive year. Moran was also named one of the Top 400 Financial Advisors in the country by Financial Times for the third time and to the prestigious Top 100 Wirehouse Advisors list for the second time by Registered Rep Magazine. He was also named a Southwest Florida 2015 Five Star Wealth Manager by Gulfshore Life magazine and Five Star Professional and of Naples Daily News inaugural 25 Over 50 award recipients. Morans experience and solid reputation as a knowledgeable professional in his field have also made him a reliable source for various media outlets. He has been interviewed and quoted by Forbes, Barrons, and Gulfshore Business, and has authored articles on a variety of financial and economic topics for local and national industry magazines.

Moran Edwards Asset Management Group, formerly known as Moran Asset Management Group, is a money management practice. The group is responsible for managing in excess of $2 billion in client assets as of March 31, 2016 and has served the Naples community for 30 years. Moran Edwards Asset Management Group is located at 5801 Pelican Bay Boulevard in Naples. For more information, call 239-254-2200 or visit www.MoranEdwards.com.
The Naples Art Association (www.NaplesArt.org) - a non-profit organization whose mission is to expand cultural opportunities, broaden education, and enrich Southwest Florida through the visual arts  is pleased to announce the unveiling of the My Art My Way exhibition, which will feature artwork created by students with disabilities from Oakridge and Golden Gate Middle Schools, will be on display May 16 through June 16 at the Naples Art Associations Watson Gallery.

Provided under contract with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the My Art My Way exhibit is a new partnership between the Naples Art Association, VSA Florida, and Collier County Schools in which teaching artists, Dr. Eva Smidova and Susan Bagrationoff, taught students with and without disabilities. The students' best works - including pieces led by Juliette Francoeur, an artist with a disability who led a collaborative project - will be on display. For more information, about the My Art My Way artist in residence program, please visit www.vsafl.org or contact William Coleman, director of education, at 813- 974-0735.

The Naples Art Association is a respected and award-winning non-profit organization that has served and enriched the community by championing education, interest, and involvement in the visual arts in Southwest Florida since its inception in 1954. The Naples Art Association serves as a catalyst for individual artists of all ages and skill levels and continues to inspire all who visit to live and think artistically. A working art center, the Naples Art Association creates unique opportunities for local artists and guest as well with a full calendar of events each season including special exhibitions featuring local and national artists; Art in the ParkNaples' oldest outdoor art show; The Naples National Art Festivala nationally-ranked outdoor festival; its popular Dinner with Artists series which pairs local chefs with an artist for a dinner and live demonstration like no other; For the Love of ArtNaples Art Association's Annual Art Celebration Fundraiser; Goddess Nightan evening of friendship, empowerment, education, and philanthropy for women; ARTScool summer arts education program for kids; a Halloween haunted house; over 100 various classes and workshops for all levels; and a myriad of collaborative outreach programs with area non-profits. Linking visual arts creators with those that love it. The Naples Art Association also offers its space for rental for anyone looking to host an event in a unique venue. The Naples Art Association is located at 585 Park Street in Downtown Naples and is open to the public with no admission charge from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information about the Naples Art Association, please visit www.NaplesArt.org or call 239-262-6517.
Independent Banker magazine has ranked Sanibel Captiva Community Bank as one of the nations top 25 best-performers in the category for banks with assets of $150 to $300 million. The listing demonstrates that the bank is one of the best-run financial institutions in the country. The full list, which was published in the May 2016 issue, includes only five Florida community banks  two of which are based on the Gulf Coast.



We have built our bank by treating members of our community as neighbors, said Craig Albert, president and CEO of Sanibel Captiva Community Bank. Our commitment to the islands, our community and neighbors goes beyond personal customer service within the bank. In fact, last year our bank officers and employees supported 85 local nonprofit organizations by donating time and money.



Independent Banker magazine used year-end FDIC call report data to determine the top 25 best-performing community banks with the highest return on average assets ratio and the highest return on average equity ratios.



Sanibel Captiva Community Bank also was in the April 2016 issue of Independent Banker magazine with a feature of David Hall, the banks executive vice president, CFO and chief operating officer. The profile focused on Halls philanthropic involvement with the Southwest Florida Symphony Endowment Foundation as president of its board of trustees.



Founded in 2003, Sanibel Captiva Community Bank has two locations on Sanibel, the main office at 2475 Library Way and 1037 Periwinkle Way, and three locations in Fort Myers, in the Myerlee community, on McGregor Boulevard near Kelly Road and on College Parkway. The bank is well-capitalized, with $277 million in assets, and generates the third highest return on equity of Floridas 157 chartered banks. It holds a five-star rating from BauerFinancial, the highest granted by the independent bank research firm, which indicates the institution has at least twice the capital that regulators require, is profitable and has kept delinquent loans in check.



Sanibel Captiva Community Banks professionals provide customized individual and business banking services and specialize in residential loans. The bank provides free personal and business checking, top-yielding money market accounts, safe deposit boxes, electronic statements and a mobile banking app, as well as online and drive-thru banking. To learn more, visit www.sancapbank.com.
A Clonmel pharmaceutical firm that changed ownership and its name earlier this year marked the occasion by honouring employees with more than 25 years service.

A Clonmel pharmaceutical firm that changed ownership and its name earlier this year marked the occasion by honouring employees with more than 25 years service.

And to maintain a strong local connection, the former Clonmel Chemicals is now known as Suir Pharma .

Earlier this year Stada AG, a German based company, sold their two manufacturing plants on the Waterford Road, Clonmel to Mutares AG, Germany. Mutares has rebranded and renamed the manufacturing site to Suir Pharma Ireland, to maintain its strong local Irish connection.

Suir Pharma currently employs 170 people in Clonmel and produces pharmaceuticals products for various customers across Europe and the United States. The company was originally founded in the 1970s as Clonmel Chemicals and has continued to be a proud employer/contributor to the local economy for almost 40 years.

Suir Pharma will continue to provide Contract Manufacturing and Product Development services to the Global Pharma industry. The quality of products produced are guaranteed by a vastly experienced, skilled and committed workforce at the site.

According to Managing Director , Anthony Sheehan - Suir Pharma has been well received across Europe and the United States as we work to consolidate and grow our business under new ownership. We are well known as a manufacturing site that can handle complexity and have already started to win new business in what is a competitive market. We have two manufacturing units on the site in Clonmel and are proud that our Anti-Biotic plant is the only Independent US FDA Approved Penicillin plant in Europe
USS Ronald Reagan blasted by radioactive plumes, as servicemen and women go ill

At least one hundred servicemen and women sue TEPCO

TEPCO allegedly mislead the US about known radioactive leaks, plumes

How will US Department of Defense respond?

(NaturalNews) When a massive tsunami struck the coast of Japan in March 2011, the US responded by sending 24 Navy ships, 189 aircraft and 24,000 service personnel to the island. The humanitarian mission, Operation Tomodachi, voyaged into the wreckage of the tsunami aftermath, as crews began searching for bodies.During the tsunami, catastrophic winds and ocean water engulfed the Fukushima Daichii nuclear power plant, triggering explosions and reactor meltdowns that released highly radioactive material into the Pacific Ocean and the open skies.Just one day after the tsunami struck Japan, 5,500 brave men and women aboard the USSventured into the devastation. "On that first day, we pretty much immediately started search and rescue," recalled 34-year-old Lindsay Cooper.During the mission, without any warning, a plume of radiation struck the aircraft carrier, bludgeoning the senses of those on board."Next thing we know we've got this nasty, metallic taste in our mouth." Cooper says the crew was ordered below and believes that they "had just got slammed by a radioactive plume." The metal taste was reminiscent of testimony from those who lived downwind of the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor meltdown in 1979.Cooper remembers passing through multiple radioactive plumes that made those on board vomit, with rashes appearing. "It was a real big problem. We thought gastroenteritis was going around the ship."When she returned to civilian life, a multitude of health issues emerged, including dramatic weight swings, thyroid issues and abnormal menstrual cycles. She says she wasn't the only one affected.In fact, fellow shipmate Thomas McCant was discharged five months after being caught in the plume. Bizarre stomach pain, weight loss and fatigue took over his body. It wasn't long before the once fit soldier was diagnosed with chronic myeloid lymphoma.McCant joins about 100 others who were aboard the USS, in a lawsuit against TEPCO. The Tokyo Electric Power Company, the owner of the Fukushima plant, says that the matter is out of US jurisdiction.Representing the servicemen and women from the USS, San Diego lawyer Paul Garner says that TEPCO is registered in California as a foreign corporation and can be held liable. While TEPCO denies that any harm was done to those on board, Garner says many plaintiffs, most in their 20s, have been diagnosed with "cancers, leukaemias, bleeding from vagina and rectum, abnormal growths,loss of eyesight, migraine headaches, weight gain/loss,immunodeficiencies [and] loss of strength [and] mobility."Garner believes TEPCO knew about the reactor meltdown on March 11, 2011, and negligently misled the US military. Garner believes that TEPCO knew about the 400 tons of radioactive material leaking into the oceans daily and that they "knowingly and negligently caused, permitted and allowed false and misleading information concerning the true nature of the FNPP [Fukushima plant] to be disseminated to the public, including the US Navy , Air Force and Marines."According to the aircraft carrier's deck log, the ship was struck by radioactive plumes that lasted up to five hours. "Entered nuclear radiation plume at Lat 37:25 N, Long 144:0 E," says one entry, entered at 23:45 hours on March 16. At 05:07 on March 17, the log reports, "Exited radiation plume at Lat 37 24.9 N Longitude 143.53.9 E."As the US Department of Defense prepared to report on this, how will the issue be resolved? Will the stories of these brave servicemen and women be brought to life? Can it be proven in court that TEPCO withheld information? Can it be proven that the radioactive plume caused the many health problems that are now appearing in those who were aboard the USSin March 2011?To read more about this topic, visit
(NaturalNews) The developing nations of the world are apparently moving too slow with their vaccination efforts, which has prompted the Bill Gates-backed GAVI Alliance to take matters into its own hands.Recent reports indicate that the group has purchased more than $1 billion worth of vaccines from drug giants GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK), Pfizer Inc. (PFE), and Merck & Co., and is giving them to 37 different countries to administer to children.Having lamented in last year's annual Gates Foundation letter that his goal of vaccinating more than half of the world's "kids who need it" against rotavirus by 2015 was progressing more slowly than he expected, a hopeful Gates is now trying to move things along a little bit more quickly by simply purchasing the vaccines himself, and giving them directly to the world's poorest countries.GAVI's efforts also include giving money directly to 16 developing countries to vaccinate against rotavirus, a leading cause of diarrhea, and to 18 other developing countries to vaccinate against pneumococcus. In total, the end goal is to vaccinate 250 million children by 2015 using whatever means necessary to accomplish this goal.To some, all this giving of money and vaccines may appear as a selfless act of compassion aimed at helping the least among us avoid deadly childhood diseases -- and perhaps this is what many who promote the agenda personally believe as well. But to others with a more keen and inquisitive eye, the plan looks more like a sinister plot to pad the pockets of Big Pharma, and promote a type of depopulation agenda across the globe.Manyreaders will recall the infamous clip of Gates speaking at the 2010 TED conference, where he suggests that promoting more new vaccines will help decrease the world's population by as much as 15 percent ( http://www.naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=A155D113455FAC882A3290536575C723 ).Also memorable is the time when Gates announced at the 2010 World Economic Forum that his organization will spend billions to promote genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) around the world, which are known to destroy biodiversity and cause a slew of serious health problems ( http://www.naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=227D7E07509381609DBF1873A2E6E3B3 ).Then there was the report back in July of a Gates Foundation partner forcing vaccinations on young Malawi children at gunpoint. Even those who tried to opt out of the vaccine campaign for religious reasons were denied their freedom of vaccine choice, and forced to get the shots anyway ( https://www.naturalnews.com/033119_vaccinations_gunpoint.html ).These and many other facts surrounding the activities of the Gates Foundation and its various partners suggest that the Bill Gates-inspired vaccination agenda is far from benign humanitarianism.
Thousands of spills each year

Legacy of radioactivity

(NaturalNews) Thousands of spills of fracking wastewater in North Dakota alone, have heavily contaminated rivers and streams with heavy metals , radioactive materials and toxic, corrosive salts, according to a peer-reviewed study conducted by researchers from Duke University, and published in the journal"Until now, research in many regions of the nation has shown that contamination from fracking has been fairly sporadic and inconsistent," researcher Professor Avner Vengosh said. "In North Dakota, however, we find it is widespread and persistent, with clear evidence of direct water contamination from fracking ."Hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking," consists of using water mixed with various chemical agents to fracture underground bedrock, thereby enabling drilling for oil and gas. But once the ground has been fractured, large volumes of water flow back to the surface, bringing along heavy metals and radioactive isotopes from deep underground . Disposing of this wastewater has been one of the industry's greatest challenges.Typically, the wastewater is injected back underground at sites known as injection wells. Each day, an estimated 2 billion gallons of fracking wastewater are injected back underground nationwide. This practice has been implicated in causing earthquakes across the Midwest and beyond, as injected water places pressure on previously inactive faults.The new study found that much of the fracking wastewater never makes it underground; in all, they identified and mapped more than 3,900 accidental spills in North Dakota alone. This was roughly one spill per three wells in the state. Nationwide, more than 21,000 spills took place between 2009 and 2014, dumping more than 180 million gallons of toxic wastewater.The numbers are probably quite a bit higher, as many spills may go unreported  in particular, spills that take place on Indian reservations, which contain a quarter of the nation's oil and gas fields."Many smaller spills have also occurred on tribal lands, and as far as we know, no one is monitoring them," Vengosh said.Experts attribute the high number of spills in large part to lax supervision by local or federal government. Partly, this is because the enormous amounts of wastewater generated have simply overwhelmed the capacity of regulators to monitor them. Additionally, laws passed in the 1980s have exempted the oil and gas industry from many laws regulating hazardous waste.Regulators have also failed to force the industry to clean up its messes, the researchers found. Many of the contaminated sites they studied had no cleanup efforts at all.Just how dangerous are these spills? The researchers found that as a direct result of the spills, many North Dakota streams and rivers contained levels of toxic chemicals exceeding federal drinking water standards. Levels of lead and radium were particularly high, especially near spill locations. Levels of selenium were found the be 35 times higher than the federal limit.Wastewater spills have also heavily contaminated soils. In some locations, radium was found at levels as high as 4,600 Bequerels per kilogram (bq/kg). For comparison, state law requires special permits to transport or dispose of any waste more radioactive than 185 bq/kg.Even at a site examined four years after a spill, concentrations of various toxic substances remained elevated."Unlike spilled oil, which starts to break down in soil, these spilled brines consist of inorganic chemicals, metals and salts that are resistant to biodegradation," lead author Nancy Lauer said."This has created a legacy of radioactivity at spill sites," she added.Sites contaminated with radium will remain radioactive for thousands of years, the researchers noted.The researchers found that most of the spills studied had been caused by a failure to maintain infrastructure such as pipes and storage tanks. They also noted that as infrastructure continues to degrade, it becomes more vulnerable to natural disasters such as floods  or the earthquakes that fracking itself is causing.
Mismatched group sizes suggest that children who receive malaria vaccine are actually more likely to contract malaria than control children

(NaturalNews) Sound science in medicine is becoming hard to come by these days, especially since drug companies and their financial backers are known to craft safety studies that arrive at preconceived, but false, conclusions. And the recent Phase III study on GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) RTS,S malaria vaccine, which is being hailed by the media as a huge success in the fight against malaria, is a perfect example of a study deliberately manipulated to "prove" that an ineffective, unsafe vaccine is safe and effective.Financially backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has already admitted that vaccinations are part of a plan to reduce the global population ( https://www.naturalnews.com/029911_vaccines_Bill_Gates.html ), the malaria study's first major misstep is the use of a "control" vaccine. Rather than compare the effects of the experimental vaccine to no vaccine at all, which would have been the proper way to evaluate its effects, the study team instead chose to administer rabies and meningitis vaccines to children and babies in the control group.Like all other vaccines, Sanofi-Paseur's VeroRab vaccine for rabies and Novartis Menjugate vaccine for meningitis -- these were the two "control" vaccines used in the study -- both contain various chemical additives and adjuvants that affect immune function. They can also be accompanied by negative side effects that range from milder conditions like blurred vision and muscle aching, to more serious conditions like Guillain-Barre syndrome and even death.The study itself admits that the two "control" vaccines were known to have roughly the same risk of serious side effects as the malaria vaccine . This flawed comparison, of course, conveniently covers up any side effects brought about by the malaria vaccine by making it seem as though getting the vaccine is no more harmful than not getting it.If you look at the details of the study for yourself, you will see that more than 1,600 of the roughly 10,000 children and babies that were given the malaria vaccine actually suffered very serious side effects, which translates into 16 percent of all the children who received the shot schedule -- but these facts were conveniently hidden from the study's conclusion thanks to its flawed methodology ( http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1102287 ).Then there is the issue of mismatched group sizes. According to the data, 57 of 2,830 children in the RTS,S group developed at least one episode of severe malaria following the vaccine, while only 56 of 1,466 children in the "control" group did. As you can see, the number of children in the RTS,S malaria vaccine group was nearly double the amount in the "control" group.Study authors used these figures to suggest that RTS,S has an efficacy rate of 47.3 percent, and the mainstream media ran with it. But if the two group sizes had been the same, it appears as though children in the "control" group were actually better protected from malaria than children in the malaria vaccine group. By nearly doubling the size of the RTS,S group, study authors were able to arrive at an artificial efficacy rate that favored the malaria vaccine.These are just a few of the many details that the mainstream media failed to carefully evaluate prior to jumping on the pro-malaria vaccine bandwagon, but they are details we here atsimply could not ignore. The basic truth of the matter is that nothing has been proven by this study other than the fact that GSK and the Gates Foundation appear to have a clear agenda to get the RTS,S malaria vaccine approved, regardless of whether or not it actually safe and effective.
Dangers of vaccines

Recent mumps outbreak

(NaturalNews) If you keep an eye on the news, you've probably heard that there have been several mumps outbreaks at Harvard and other Boston colleges  butsuggests that the mainstream media isn't actually telling the whole story. Harvard University Health Services Director Paul Barreira recently stated, "I'm actually more concerned now than I was during any time of the outbreak."Harvard's recent mumps outbreak has predictably brought all of the usual media suspects into the limelight, as they attempt to cover up any conversation about how dangerous and ineffective vaccines are . NBC news is actually claiming that, "sometimes during an outbreak, doctors will even administer a third dose . There's still a bit of debate around whether this really helps, but there's no harm in giving the vaccine to someone who is already immune."As reported by, vaccines are just not as safe as the mainstream media and Big Pharma would have us believe . Vaccines can have numerous devastating effects on people, particularly young children; neurological damage is one of the most prevalent adverse side effects of vaccination. The National Vaccination Information Center (NVIC) has been urging parents to inform themselves about the potential dangers of vaccination, according toThe NVIC website states, "The vaccine-injured community is composed of people, young and old, who are suffering from a spectrum of chronic illness and disabilities, including learning disabilities and developmental delays, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, seizure disorders, mental retardation, diabetes, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other kinds of neuroimmune and autoimmune dysfunction."Aside from the dangers of vaccination, there is also serious debate as to just how effective they are at helping people to develop immunity against various illnesses.The statement by NBC news reveals that the mainstream media has a complete disregard for the safety of its readers, according to. Some of the reports relating to the latest outbreak reference the 2006 outbreak, which saw at least 6,500 cases in 11 different states. The pro-vaccine community are saying that the effects of the MMR vaccine are waning, having been administered during childhood  claiming that we need to vaccinate again. But doesn't this reveal just how ineffective vaccines are?Thewrongly states that, "Massachusetts law requires undergraduates to be vaccinated against mumps before admission, and most of the Harvard students had been vaccinated, according to state health officials," according toThis is in fact not correct; the law simply suggests that students be vaccinated, but allows parents and students to exercise their medical and religious autonomy by option out of vaccination with a waiver.As reported by77 percent of those infected had already been vaccinated  showing that vaccines just don't work. But the doctors that administer vaccines never mention that they don't or might not work  there is always an implied promise of complete protection.Vaccines are a very lucrative business, and according to Canada's, the ineffective MMR vaccine allows its manufacturer, Merck , to make billions of dollars every year. So it's not surprising that Merck doesn't want the truth to come out regarding just how ineffective its vaccine is.The mainstream media is controlled and funded by Big Pharma, who connive and scheme together to make sure that people rely on drugs, not natural healthcare  discrediting natural medicine, and brainwashing consumers into believing that drugs and vaccines are somehow vital to survival.
Many consumers are adopting more sustainable buying behaviors. Theyre doing their homework, and they are checking labels. As they do more to be responsible global citizens, they expect the same from business, and environmentally friendly is becoming a top purchase driver.

Consumers willingness to pay more for wildlife-friendly palm oil products provides the food industry an opportunity to tap into the publics desire to support conservation and sustainability. Just as years ago, the tuna industry turned dolphin safety from boycotts into a positive marketing strategy, the same may be possible for products containing palm oil.

In recent paper published in the Journal of Oil Palm, Environment & Health (JOPEH), Kalyana Sundram, PhD., FASc, FNSM, examined the social, conservation and wildlife issues surrounding palm oil production. After analyzing those issues, as well as potential solutions, it is clear that eco-labeling palm-based products as wildlife-friendly has great potential to appeal to your target audiences.

Environmental Concerns about Palm Oil

Palm oil is the most-efficient oil crop in terms of yield and land utilization. Approximately 80 percent of palm oil imported into the United States is from Malaysia where it is certified sustainable. Yet, the palm oil industry receives harsh criticism for oil palm cultivations suggested role in deforestation, climate change and biodiversity loss. Successfully promoting palm oil involves changing consumers and environmentalists perspectives.

Most, if not all, of the anti-palm oil campaigns make misleading and exaggerated claims. Its a practice called blackwashing. One of the most prominent blackwashing campaigns blames the palm oil industry with impending orangutan extinction. You also may have seen calls for palm oil boycotts.

The truth is that Malaysia is committed to wildlife conservation and sustainable agriculture. There are between 11,000 and 13,000 orangutans in Sabah and Sarawak, the two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Orangutans are not native to peninsular Malaysia, and most of Malaysias orangutans live on the islands protected forests. Thats not a challenge as 60 percent of Sabah is under forest cover. Palm oil is legally cultivated only on land zoned for agriculture. Many of todays oil palm plantations once farmed rubber or coconut, but were converted to more efficient and sustainable oil palm.

Eco-Labeling is Working

The European market for certified sustainable palm oilcurrently estimated at 50 percent of total productionappears poised to grow as more companies commit to sourcing sustainable palm oil. To continue promoting sustainable palm oil to U.S. consumers, the suggested alternative approach is to provide them with an opportunity to contribute to nature conservation by supporting products or processes with wildlife-friendly and sustainable practices.

Eco-labeling, which is tied to certification, is one such market-based conservation instrument. Eco-labeling is gaining popularity within the food sector. Eco-labels provide a niche market for those food and non-food sectors that meet the criteria of having environmentally friendly and sustainable practices throughout their production.

One non-food eco-label very familiar to Americans is the Energy Star. Others that have, or are becoming, mainstream include dolphin safe", fair trade" and no animal testing". Eco-labels fall into three general categories:

Supportive: Products such as Endangered Species Chocolate that donate sales proceeds to conservation organizations. Persuasive: Products such as dolphin-safe tuna, which certify their manufacturing, collection and/or production practices, under the assumption that wildlife will benefit. Protective: Products proven to protect wildlife or their ecosystem. An example is the Marine Stewardship Council.

Using Flagship Species to Promote Eco-Friendly Products

Using flagship speciesiconic, charismatic wildlife to promote eco-friendly productsis simple and appealing to the public. Save the species by saving the habitat. It may sound counterintuitive given the aforementioned blackwashing campaigns, but orangutans can be proactively included in palm oil marketing.

Orangutans are used as flagship species in anti-palm campaigns to elicit public sympathy and support. The plight of orangutans has helped to increase public pressure on the palm oil industry to stop deforestation and adopt sustainable practices. Heres the flip side. Orangutans also can be used to promote businesses that adopt best practices, by using them as the face of eco-label products whose proceeds are channeled towards orangutan conservation. This tactic isnt new. The now-familiar dolphin safe" eco-label evolved in response to public outrage over the killing of dolphins during yellowfin tuna harvests.

There are currently two wildlife-friendly labels in the market, both of which use orangutans as flagship species. The first is Carotino (Australia), which established its own orangutan-friendly label on its cooking oil. Carotinos products are sourced from RSPO-certified sustainable plantations in Peninsular Malaysia, which is not orangutan habitat. The second is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado. The zoo created its own orangutan-friendly logo and encourages companies that use Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) to utilize it.

Appropriate Marketing Strategies are Important

A pilot study on the market potential for tiger-friendly margarine made with palm oil found that consumers are willing to pay a premium price for alternatives that are said to have less environmental impact. Images of adult tigers and their cubs further influenced decision to purchase. Having a clear mission of marketing products as either supportive, persuasive or protective, and using flagship species, may make customers more willing to pay a premium price for your products.

Certifications and Standards to Gain Consumer Trust

As stated in his JOPEH paper, the burgeoning number of certification schemes and standards is a step forward in achieving the goals of encouraging a sustainable consumption pattern, set at the Rio Earth Summit. More companies are jumping on the eco-label bandwagon. By doing so, they are capturing the premium markets and gaining customer loyalty.

Current palm oil industry certifications are include Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO), Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) and Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO). To gain recognition as a protection label, the issues of biodiversity conservation in RSPO-certified plantations need to be covered extensively. Most important, the outcomes must be communicated effectively to the consumer. In the case of using wildlife-friendly labeling, producers must be able to provide evidence that their flagship species is able to survive and reproduce. As a national standard, MSPO may be better placed for this purpose. MSPO is a government-mandated pact, imposed by local wildlife and enforcement authorities.

To effectively market wildlife-friendly palm-based products, producers must be able to gain consumers trust. With the level of criticism the palm oil industry receives, producers interested in tapping into the wildlife-friendly label must increase their label credibility. They must be transparent and live up to their claims or risk being accused of greenwashing. Incorporating the wildlife-friendly label into CSPO is possible, though not feasible. It would require major changes in rebranding the label. RSPO has its own issues, particularly related to the smallholders and the huge cost of certification.

Product-Specific Eco-Labels

The alternative approach is to create a product-specific eco-label. Many companies already have adopted this marketing strategy by collaborating with an Environmental Non-Governmental Organization (ENGO) as part of their corporate social responsibility programs. Consumers get indirectly involved in conservation efforts with their purchase.

The ENGO would get the funding to conduct conservation activities, and to verify that habitat does indeed benefit from producers wildlife-friendly practices. The economic benefits from product-specific eco-label can be passed down to smallholders. The burden of certification costs can be shared among the producers and growers, and does not require a huge cost since it specifically addresses biodiversity impacts.

Making Wildlife-Friendly Labeling Mainstream and Financially Feasible

There are a series of critical steps for wildlife-friendly labeling to become mainstream: meeting, not trying to create, a receptive market; pushing, not just setting, an industry standard; and creating an attractive value proposition for producers.

For the palm oil industry, the market potential for eco-labels already exists as demonstrated by the increasing number of sustainability pledges and commitments by major corporations. Thats expected to push demand for CSPO higher. Pushing for standards and creating value propositions are ongoing. For example, RSPO and MSPO are committed to continuous improvement in key areas of activity. They also have taken various measures to reach out to smallholders.

It appears to make good financial sense for the palm oil industry to continue these measures. A recent study by Bateman et al. found that increased profits from premium-grade palm oil more than covered the cost of conserving land. As much as 6,000 hectares of wildlife habitat can be conserved within a 32,000 hectare plantation when a 15-percent price premium is imposed. (This analysis is still subject to actual ground-level evaluation.) Another key to making the label work lies within the partnership between producer/label and the environmental and consumer advocacy groups (NGOs). The Zoo Victorias Dont Palm Us Off" campaign, using orangutan as the flagship species, aimed to change consumer behavior toward consumption of sustainable palm oil. While the zoo was criticized for running a political campaign based on unsubstantiated facts, the campaign nevertheless made a huge impact on consumer buying habits.

Effectiveness of Eco-Labels

In general, there is no standardized method of quantifying the conservation effectiveness of eco-labels, despite their rising popularity. Even with limited quantifiable evidence, there are documented successes, including the significant success of the Marine Stewardship Council certification. This shows that the proper use of eco-labels could contribute to biodiversity conservation and thus, create market opportunities.

The conflict between agriculture and nature conservation will continue, as global demand for food increases. Consumer demand for sustainable palm oil has pushed more corporations and food producers to commit to eliminating deforestation from their supply chains and to responsibly source palm oil. Tapping into market-based conservation could be the way forward. We want to encourage consumers to support producers that adopt wildlife-friendly practices by purchasing eco-label products.

There is great potential in marketing palm-based products as wildlife-friendly, especially by utilizing charismatic species which may appeal to your target audience. The success of the label would depend on verifying its claims of being wildlife-friendly, and building brand loyalty by communicating these claims to consumers.

Kalyana Sundram, Ph.D, is currently deputy CEO and director, Science & Environment, Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC). He has 33 years of research experiences with various aspects of oils and fats process technologies, nutrition and technical marketing. He is a fellow of the Malaysian Academy of Sciences, fellow of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia and member of several international professional associations. Sundram is acknowledged for his work on the health and nutrition of fats, fatty acids and their minor constituents. He has served on WHO, FAO and IUNS expert consultations, published extensively on palm oil and holds 21 patents. He has coordinated more than 170 research and promotion projects on palm oil its components, sustainability and wildlife conservation. Currently he leads a team at MPOC that uses science to communicate the positives of palm oil. He has taken the lead in bringing together a diverse range of international events and also manages the Malaysian Palm Oil Wildlife Conservation Fund on behalf of MPOC.

Co-authors Mike Danielson is a recognized expert in the health and natural products industry, and Robin Miller is a health and nutrition editor with more than 30 years of industry experience.
Scientists found that yoga and meditation are more effective than memory exercises for combatting mental deterioration disease known as Alzheimer's.

Scientists from Australia and the United States of America made a study that show comparison of two approaches in a group of 25 volunteers. The volunteers are aged 55 who said to have memory issues. They often forget names and faces, appointment dates, and/or misplace their belongings.

Three months later, by playing memory, the volunteers improved verbal memory skills, thus heping them remember names and word lists. However, yoga provided a lot of benefits. According to Telegraph UK, the study required 11 participants to have weekly hour-long memory training sessions and performed exercises, which includes crossword puzzles and computer-based tasks.

Meanwhile, 14 participants were assigned to have an hour-long yoga session once a week, and practiced Kirtan Kriya meditation at home for 20 minutes every day.

"Historically and anecdotally, yoga has been thought to be beneficial in ageing well, but this is the scientific demonstration of that benefit," University of Adelaide in Australia lead reasearcher, Harris Eyre, said.

"We're converting historical wisdom into the high level of evidence required for doctors to recommend therapy to their patients," he added.

The form of yoga used in this study is called s Kundalini, it focusses on breathing and meditation. It also includes chanting and its poses designed to increase strength and flexibility.

One of the benefits of yoga and mediation is to reduce stress and anxiety according to Greek Reporter. A study found this practice is best to find inner calmness and let you learn nurture the mental tools needed to reach a state of calmness and awareness in daily lives.

Stress effects physical, spiritual, emotional and even mental energy blockages if a person allows negative energy to encompass his energy center. By practicing yoga and meditation, these energy sources will be blocked.
Tesla has ventured into renewable residential battery systems and they now produced renewable energy battery for home and school use.

In New Zealand, Vector and the Auckland Energy Consumer Trust (AECT) introduced the first Tesla Powerwall. Energy Minister Simon Bridges inaugurated the Future of Energy Campaign by turning on the new era of battery installed at Otara's Rongomai School.

The battery looks like a huge lamp and it is entirely charged using solar panels. The powerwall is capable of storing and supplying energy even after sundown.

"We now have an amazing opportunity to genuinely teach the kids and school community about the broader principles of sustainability and the role technology plays," said class teacher, Nicholas Pattison in an interview with Newshub.

Vector, Tesla's partner in bringing the Powerwall in New Zealand is an energy and gas distributor in New Zealand. Vector believes that Tesla's batteries are one of a kind. "As the largest and most cost effective battery provider in the world, Tesla Energy is the ideal partner and will help us revolutionise the way customers consume energy" said Vector in their website.

Vector wanted to explore the solar energy management systems and to provide a backup power supply in their area.

"They'll be learning and Vector will be too, as this campaign is providing us with invaluable insights as we continue to develop next-generation battery and energy solutions" said Simon Mackenzie, Vector chief executive.

Last night's Tesla Powerwall and Powerpack unveiling https://t.co/ksD8m6nCJO  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 2, 2015

Meanwhile, the energy sector in the country believes that Tesla's sustainable energy source can drastically lower electric bills.

"The school's new Vector solar power and Tesla Powerwall battery systems will certainly make a significant difference to their power bills and allow their buildings to become more sustainable as they harness the power of the sun" said AECT chairman William Cairns in an interview.

Tesla has already introduced the Powerwall residential batteries in Australia, Europe, Europe, US and now in New Zealand, according to a report by TCC.

The powerwall installed in Rongomai School has 3kw vector solar panels. Vector, AECT and Tesla will distribute the technology through the 'Future of Energy' campaign to 130 communities, households and schools.
The International Space Station (ISS) just reached a milestone, completing its 100,000th orbit of Earth on Monday morning, May 16.

This success was 17 and a half years in the making. NASA said the length of this journey is similar to traveling more than 2.6 billion miles. That is equivalent to 10 round trips to Mars or nearly the distance to Neptune, as per the Washington Post.

It takes about 90 minutes to complete each orbit, with 16 orbits comprising one station day.

In a video posted by NASA Johnson, it said nearly 2,000 research investigations have been done on the station and more than 1,200 scientific results have been produced and published from the voyage.

The ISS has been home to several astronauts since 2000. The 250-mile-high space station was launched in November 1998 and is the largest artificial body in orbit that can be seen with a naked eye from Earth.

Since the beginning of its operations, 222 people have visited or lived in the space station from different countries, representing different space agencies from the United States, Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan.

There are currently six crew members living aboard the space station, which includes two Americans, one Englishman and three Russians. They are NASA astronauts Jeff Williams and Timothy Kopra, Britain's Tim Peake, and Russia's Yury Malenchenko, Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin.

These astronauts and cosmonauts also recently achieved a milestone, with the 3 millionth photo taken from the ISS.

In a celebratory video posted by NASA, Williams, a flight engineer, said: "This is a significant milestone and is a tribute to this international partnership made up of the European Space Agency, of Russia, Canada, Japan and the United States."

He added that this achievement is a tribute to all the teams that work hard on all the programs of the space station, keeping the astronauts and cosmonauts safe in orbit.

As per Phys.org, the space station is expected to remain in orbit until 2024, after the participating countries except the European Union agreed to continue funding it until then.

Williams ended the video saying, "100,000 orbits, the journey continues."
Asteroids are usually seen outside the Earth, sometimes even with just the naked eye. And because it can easily be found, NASA is developing a study where robotic arms will collect and redirect the orbits of known asteroids so scientists can further study their nature and even take samples to be brought back to Earth.

NASA is currently engaged in their first-ever robotic mission to visit a near-Earth object, the asteroids. The Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) will use robotic arms to reach asteroid boulders. ARM will "collect a multi-ton boulder from its surface, and redirect it into a stable orbit around the moon. Once it's there, astronauts will explore it and return with samples in the 2020s" said NASA in a report.

The ARM project is again dedicated to advance human missions and spaceflight technology for the Journey to Mars in 2030. There are currently 1,000 asteroids near Earth which are candidates for the ARM project. ARM will capture a large boulder and redirect its orbit around the moon in a process called 'Distant Retrogate Orbit'.

This technology "will greatly advance NASA's human path to Mars, testing the capabilities needed for future crewed missions to the Red Planet" said NASA in another report.

NASA also added that ARM will greatly help in developing new technologies that will aid their mission to Mars since it is projected to last for 500 days at a time. "This new technology will help send the large amounts of cargo, habitats and propellant to Mars in advance of a human mission" NASA added.

Through this technology, the Orion Spacecraft will gather asteroid samples from the redirected boulders and bring them back to Earth. Being the building blocks of the Solar System, scientists believe that they can help man understand the composition of asteroids.

NASA is also looking at near-approach to objects outside the space craft. They said it will greatly help them develop their new space suits with enhanced sensors.
Bird migration is a natural process which occurs every season as dictated by the instinct of the birds. But due to the changes in the environment, sometimes, some of them cannot survive the long haul migration process and die in starvation. This is why NASA has made use of their satellites to help feed the birds during the migrating season.

By using the NASA/USGS satellite, NASA and their partners started creating 'pop-up' wetlands for shorebirds.

With the help of the satellite database, NASA can predict where ponds are located throughout the year. With this technology, they can dictate farmers if they needed to flood unused rice fields so that it can provide rest and food for migrating shorebirds along the Pacific every spring.

NASA can match the water availability and the number of birds arriving. The data makes it possible for farmers to identify the exact spot or wetlands the birds are expected to fly by and when the migration is likely to take place.

According to Goddard Media Studio, their program called Bird Returns in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, has produced over 20,000 acres of temporary wetlands in California for the last two years and probably managed to save hundreds of migratory birds in the process.

"The challenge is how do you help wildlife that move around and create habitat in places that may only be important for a few weeks or a few months out of the year?" said Mark Reynolds, lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy California Migratory Bird Program.

In 2015, the Bird Returns program was launched. But NASA only provides the data and information, for the program to be successful, farmers have to be deployed. They are responsible for flooding the wetlands or unused rice fields for the birds to rest and feed on.

"It's been a pretty astonishing success...Farmers participated, and we were able to put habitat out there at a fraction of the cost to purchase that land or put an easement on it" Reynolds added.

With this technology, conservation groups can further prepare for the migrating season and with the help of NASA's satellites they will be able to provide temporary resting place and food for migrating birds.
The successful re-entry mission of SpaceX Dragon spacecraft earned praises from the space technology community. But the private company owned by Elon Musk, SpaceX, is not yet done in showcasing their technology because NASA is also working with SpaceX to create the spacecraft for their unmanned mission to Mars in 2018. The spacecraft is aptly called the Red Dragon.

Red Dragon is an improved version of the Dragon spacecraft used for the recent resupply mission for the International Space Station (ISS). Red Dragon will be launched by Falcon Heavy Rocket as part of the NASA project to gather further data for Mars landing, according to a report by Space.Com.

Elon Musk have expressed his ambition to reach the Martian planet by 2018 and it could possibly happen because they landed with an agreement and funding from NASA. Musk is even preparing for future mission to Mars and creating one-of-a-kind spacesuits that will revolutionize how astronauts wear clothing in space.

Although Red Dragon is advanced, Musk expressed some drawback to his spacecraft.

"Wouldn't recommend transporting astronauts beyond Earth-moon region. Wouldn't be fun for longer journeys. Internal volume ~ size of SUV", Musk said in a tweet which means that the Red Dragon is not capable of housing and transporting space crew.

Dragon 2 is designed to be able to land anywhere in the solar system. Red Dragon Mars mission is the first test flight.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 27, 2016

Although there are not a lot of details available about the Red Dragon, Elon Musk is expected to announce the full project details of the mission this summer at the International Astronautical Conference in Mexico.

The role of SpaceX and Musk's powerful spacecraft in the journey to Mars is undeniable.

"When boosted on a Falcon Heavy, Dragon can go pretty much anywhere, so we're excited about exploring that possibility" Musk said in an interview. He added that the heat shield technology of the space craft will enable landing and entry in hotter planets like Mars.

For NASA the 2018 mission will provide more knowledge and a step closer to bringing man on Mars on 2030.

"We're particularly excited about an upcoming SpaceX project that would build upon a current 'no-exchange-of-funds' agreement we have with the company...In exchange for Martian entry, descent, and landing data from SpaceX, NASA will offer technical support for the firm's plan to attempt to land an un-crewed Dragon 2.

Because of lasting partnership between NASA and private companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX, we can expect an orchestrated play of technologies to enable men to finally reach the red planet.
One of the most popular commercial plane makers, Boeing is now engaged in building spacecrafts. They are set to launch their first space capsule which is created in partnership with NASA to help transport astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Their first space capsule is called the CST-100 Starliner.

The CST-100 Starliner is being developed under the Boeing Commercial Crew & Cargo Processing Facility. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the test flight was moved to 2018 instead of the original plan of launching the spacecraft on the third quarter of 2017.

Boeing Starliner Won't Carry Astronauts Until 2018 https://t.co/TGjY3Zv4Ke pic.twitter.com/ab25qkmdht  Popular Mechanics (@PopMech) May 12, 2016

"We're working toward our first unmanned flight in 2017, followed by a manned astronaut flight in 2018," Leanne Caret, Boeing's executive vice president, said in an interview with GeekWire.

NASA is lenient with the delay and concurred that in the development of space capsule which will transport men, safety is of utmost importance rather than speed.

"These are complex crew space transportation system development programs, and it is expected that our partners will encounter challenges along the way," said Tabatha Thompson, a spokeswoman at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The 6-month delay could be attributed to the issues regarding the mass and aero acoustic of the space capsule. But regardless of the slip in the original launch schedule, Boeing is proud to have ventured into the space flight technology.

Boeing's Starliner is funded by NASA and they were allotted $4.2 billion to build the capsule which can transport astronauts it and out of the Earth.

Boeing describes the CST-100 Starliner as a 21st century space capsule. According to their website, Starliner can accommodate up to 7 passengers in low-orbit destinations like the International Space Station (ISS). It will also feature innovative, weld-less design and LED 'sky lighting' feature and wireless internet technology for the crew.

According to Florida Today, commercial plane makers like Boeing and SpaceX can provide alternative transport for astronauts. Today, only the Souyuz spacecraft have the capability to transport astronauts to and from the ISS.

But despite the setbacks, Boeing is confident that they will able to transport astronauts in space.

"We've been working some challenges with mass and with the aerodynamic loads on the vehicle, and we seem to have good solutions for those now," said John Elbon, vice president and general manager of Boeing's space exploration division in an interview with Spaceflight Now.
The campaign to use renewable and sustainable energy has led many countries developing their own sources of energy. In Scotland, they are building the World's largest floating windfarm to create energy from the wind the first in the region.

What makes this technology different is that no foundation needs to be built to harness the energy of strong winds. The frontrunner in this technology can be found in Portugal. The turbines, found 5 km off the Portugese coasts, are harvesting energy from the strong winds while they float.

One pioneer in this technology is the Windfloat turbine. They are building turbines which can be deployed in the deepest oceans and which can tackle the strongest wind to harness energy.

"We are changing the paradigm of offshore wind and making it suitable for any location in the oceans" said Alla Weinstein chief executive of the US company principle power in an interview with The Guardian.

Windfloat is only the second in its magnitude to be deployed at sea. The blades of the turbines reach 120m which is stabilized by three-pillared platform. Windfloat managed to survive even the harshest wind conditions and said that they are ready for further development.

Portugal maybe the frontrunner of windfarm technology, but Scotland is about to inaugurate the world's largest floating windfarm.

In another report by The Guardian, they stated that a company called Statoil was granted with a seabed lease to develop a windfarm 15 miles off the coasts of Peterhead. The project is expected to open by the end of 2017.

This project will be the biggest windfarm in the world, it is called the Hywind Windfarm. The Norwegian company is expected to develop 6MW turbines to harvest energy from the wind.

"We are very pleased to develop this project in Scotland, in a region with a huge wind resource and an experienced supply chain from oil and gas," said Leif Delp, project director for the Hywind Scotland project in the same interview.

Because of the potential of the wind power in area, the company decided to lease the spot and build turbines. Currently, more than 90 percent of the world's offshore wind capacity is installed in Europe.

Experts say that this is a first in Scottish waters and also the biggest in the world.
A $100,000 reward has been reissued to help solve a 1994 cold case of an East Coast man who was fatally shot in Santa Clara, police and county officials announced Monday.

Matthew Flores, 26, was killed at point-blank range on the morning of March 24, 1994, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian said during a news conference this morning at Santa Clara police headquarters.

Flores was shot while stepping out of his car at the parking lot for a monthlong training at Applied Materials, which is offering the reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case, Simitian said.

"Matt's family and friends think this case is just as important today as it was more than 20 years ago," Simitian said.

Flores left behind a wife and a then-8-month-old daughter who graduated from college last week, according to Simitian.

The company first offered the money soon after Flores' death but investigators had little information to make an arrest. The money was presented again in 2011 after Flores' family reached out to Simitian for help in solving the case, the supervisor said.

The effort five years ago brought new leads, but none helped propel the investigation, according to Simitian.

The reissued reward comes on the eve of what would have been Flores' 49th birthday, which his family continues to remember, Simitian said.

Flores was on his 10th day of training with the company when he died and had planned to move his family to Texas to work as an engineer, Sellers said.

About a month before the killing, Flores had been discharged from the U.S. Army after four years of service, during which time he received honors for his role in Operation Desert Storm.

Flores was born in Rhode Island, where he attended high school and college.

Santa Clara police Chief Michael Sellers, who has served with the department for almost 30 years, recalled the investigator assigned to the case in 1994 had little evidence to work with.

Investigators were able to locate only one witness who parked five or six cars away from Flores and a handful of other employees scattered in the parking lot, Sellers said.

Video surveillance of the public parking lot at 3225 Oakmead Village Drive showed Flores drove a rented white Chevrolet Corsica and parked in a blind spot that wasn't visible on the footage, according to Sellers.

Early on in the investigation, detectives identified a suspicious 1991 to 1994 light-colored Ford Explorer Sport with two doors and a black trim on the lower panels seen in the parking lot, authorities said.

"We certainly don't have enough information to know whether or not he was the intended target or was at the wrong place at the wrong time," Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said.

The district attorney's office has solved five cold cases since reopening the cold case unit in 2011 and authorities hope to give Flores' family some answers on who was responsible for his death, Rosen said.

"We hope that this generous reward will expose even the smallest thread of information about this homicide," Rosen said.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to the police tip line at 408-241-9495.
With widespread worry about pollinators dying off, theres a growing interest in backyard beekeeping.

Enter the aggressive bees that had residents of a suburban Concord neighborhood holed up in their homes for much of the weekend. Bay Area residents might start to wonder: Is there such a thing as too many honeybee hives in the neighborhood? They are colonies of stinging insects after all.

Robbed of their homes and enlivened by the afternoon heat, the aggressive bees were dive-bombing pedestrians again on Monday. Veteran beekeeper Norman Lott said he couldve predicted that. With the presence of Africanized honeybees confirmed in a UC San Diego report two years ago, he said amateur beekeepers need to step up their maintenance of backyard hives.

If the hive owner performs regular checks of his boxes, they could spot a hive that gets taken over by Africanized bees before the colony gets too big to be manageable. Lott recommends killing the queens of aggressive hives and replacing them with gentler European queens.

Furthermore, Lott said every new beekeeper needs a mentor to give advice and guidance on maintaining beehives, spotting problems and treating mites and other hive diseases. Its also polite to inform and consult neighbors before installing a hive, but most are easily won over by free jars of hyperlocal honey.

The longtime Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association volunteer said the beekeeper in Concord destroyed the hive on Saturday, but he should have waited so the upset bees could return home and be captured.

Mike Stephanos, another active volunteer with the Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association, said high-profile bee attacks often prompt a rash of calls to his organizations swarm hotline, where callers can request help from a volunteer beekeeper to remove a swarm.

There might be a colony living in an old stump or a tree out back. But after these incidents, people are thinking about calling an exterminator and removing them  even though the colonys been there without causing any trouble for years, Stephanos said.

But removing gentle colonies leaves space in the ecosystem for Africanized bees to move in. Maintaining the health of European honeybee hives in suburban neighborhoods is not part of the problem, said Lott. Its part of the solution.

If we dont have our gentle European bees in this area, the Africanized bees are coming anyway. If we dont fill the niche here, nature fills a void, he said.

Lott, who breeds queen bees at his home in Alamo, is awaiting DNA test results from UC San Diego on the angry bees he collected last weekend that will show what proportion of the insects' genes are Africanized.

Beekeepking continues across the American Southwest, despite the presence of Africanized genes throughout the population of feral honeybees. He said he wont change much at his beekeeping operation because he already keeps a close eye on his hives. Besides, his neighbors dont mind.

I buy them off with honey, he said.

If you spot a swarm in your neighborhood, call your local beekeepers group and ask for swarm removal services:

Mt. Diablo Beekeepers Association

Alameda County Beekeepers

Marin County Beekeepers Association

San Francisco Beekeepers Association

Santa Clara Valley Beekeepers Guild

Sonoma County Beekeeper's

Most swarms are new queens venturing out of their mother hive for the first time, maybe resting on a branch or in the eaves of a house while drones cluster around to protect her. Volunteers will collect the bees and put them in a hive, where they can be monitored by a beekeeper. Some situations call for a more experienced beekeeper, like when bees have drawn out a comb in a wall or structure. In the Bay Area, swarm season lasts through June.
San Francisco is known for some of the best restaurants in the country, big and small, fancy and casual. There are roughly 7,400 permitted restaurants, food shops, and caterers in the city, but the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit uncovered a loophole that allows some restaurants to hide some of their dirtiest secrets by having their history of inspection reports removed from the citys online database where they can remain hidden from consumers.

Its not for me to make sense of it, it is what the law requires us to do, said Stephanie Cushing, who heads the citys restaurant inspection process as the Director of the San Franciscos Department of Environmental Health.

Cushings team of 30 field inspectors make daily checks at restaurants across the city to ensure they comply with health and safety codes, but she acknowledges those inspection reports are promptly removed from the citys website once a restaurant files paperwork to indicate changes in ownership of the business, even if managers and employees remains largely the same.

The new owner is allowed to have due process like any other legal entity, she said They start a fresh.

The Curious Case of 5238 Diamond Heights Boulevard

Cushings team of inspectors are no strangers to a Chinese restaurant at 5238 Diamond Heights Boulevard. Even though the sign on the building says All Season, dont expect to find that name anywhere on the citys online database of restaurant inspection reports. According to city records, the business changed its name to Harbor Villa last year, as well as a change in ownership, which required the city to remove the inspection history for All Season restaurant from the citys website.

While the restaurant listed new company officers in 2014, the Investigative Unit discovered that ownership was still under the same corporation. Last year, the restaurant filed another change of ownership, and listed a new corporate name, but the two officers of that corporation stayed the same.

The inspector for that district was aware some of the operators [and] managers were the same, so stipulations were put in so that they had to have on-site food safety training that we provide, Cushing said.

Even after the restaurant name change, Harbor Villa was forced to close on two more times for serious health and safety violations, including a cockroach infestation.

That infestation doesnt surprise Tommy Ma. He says he had an unforgettable experience the last time he ate at the restaurant. We got our tea and then like the third or fourth cup, I see just a little thing moving in there, Ma said. Its a little small cockroach type of an insect.

Ma said when he complained to the manager, he offered him free tea during his next visit. Its not about free tea. Its about health issues, Ma said.

San Francisco Department of Public Health

The list of closure notices for the restaurant goes back to 2012. Inspectors ordered All Season Restaurant closed on October 18, 2012. It reopened on October 24, but then health inspectors ordered it closed again on November 14 and 21 for repeat high risk violations.

In September of 2013, health inspectors cited All Season for a severe cockroach infestation and ordered it closed due to an imminent public health hazard.

On January 9, 2014, All Season Restaurants permit to operate was revoked for a laundry list of health and safety violations:

Numerous cockroach infestations

Employees not washing hands or potentially contaminating them by wiping their hands on soiled rags and aprons

Improper temperature of food, and grime and filth on equipment, shelving, refrigerators, walls, floors, and fixtures.

San Francisco Department of Public Health

All Season Restaurant ultimately reopened and a new food permit application was approved on March 14, 2014 with a new officers. The name of the restaurant and the name of the corporation, however, all stayed the same until February 12, 2015, when the restaurant changed its name to Harbor Villa under the same corporate officers leading a new company name.

Tommy Ma had no idea how many times the health department shut down All Season and Harbor Villa.

San Francisco Department of Public Health

Im just surprised that one restaurant could be closed seven times and open seven times again, said Ma. It does not make sense at all. One time I would understand, but not seven times.

The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit reached one of the restaurants corporate officers, Jessica Pang, by phone, but she declined to comment.

Harbor Villa and All Season are among a total of 38 San Francisco restaurants that have had their permits suspended two or more times since 2013, according to city records.

Closing the Loophole

According to Cushing, Harbor Villa and All Season are not the only restaurants to have their inspection records removed from the citys website.

Were probably talking about 40 or 50 all the time, Cushing said.

San Francisco Board of Supervisor Jane Kim believes the current policy could be abused and believes it was an unintended consequence of laws that were enacted to protect new restaurant owners from inheriting poor inspection records from prior business owners.

Its clearly a loophole that some of our businesses have discovered and are utilizing to basically pay a couple hundred dollars and basically wipe away their health violations, Jane Kim said. I was incredibly surprised and will certainly be working for a way to close that loophole.

Kim chairs the boards committee on public safety, and plans to work with the Department of Environmental Health to clarify local law in hopes of restricting what a change in ownership should mean. Our office is going to be working with the Department of Public Health to help create more specific rules, Kim said.

Unless state and local laws are amended, consumers may not necessarily know how often a restaurant has actually been shut down due to health and safety violations, which Ma believes may be hard to swallow for customers across the city.

I'm just getting worried, Ma said I mean if one restaurant could do that, who knows how many more restaurants could be like that.

______________________________________

Watch the entire series in this NBC Bay Area investigation:
The threat of the Islamic State has permeated the Bay Area.

The Obama administration says the terrorist group  often referred to as ISIS  is still recruiting American citizens. Two local men have joined the jihadists, according to NBC News.

One of the men, identified as Alberto Rentoria, of Gilroy, allied himself with ISIS in Syria in 2014.

A former neighbor, who said that her name was Vivian, said, Its very surprising. It's very scary. There are small kids here and teenagers.

Rentorias family says the 24-year-old was raised Catholic and got a tech job in San Jose. However, at some point, he stopped going to church and converted to Islam.

He attended services at the South Valley Islamic Center in San Martin. The centers leader said he was very quiet and never socialized.

About two years ago, Rentoria stopped showing up.

Documents also show that 24-year-old Jaffrey Khan from Palo Alto enlisted in ISIS in July two years ago.

He grew up on a quiet cul-de-sac and attended Gunn High School.

In a written statement, his family said, Jaffreys actions and decisions have been heartbreaking and we do not support his personal choices.

Khans cousin Ahmed told us as a teenager Khan was into marijuana, rap music and surfing the Internet  that is, until he started watching propaganda videos.

He was getting angry and he said we were surrounded by sinners and said we should move to a Muslim country, Ahmed recalled.

He also said he noticed a distinct change in his cousin as he became more hateful toward America.

At the council on American Islamic Relations in Santa Clara, the executive director said she fears the news of two Bay Area men joining ISIS will spark a backlash against the entire Muslim community.

There no reason to hold the family guilty, just like there is no reason to hold the mosque guilty because this person was associated with them, Zahra Billoo said.
For tech savvy opera fans, your calling has come.

The San Francisco Opera is accepting applications from Twitter users who will attend the final dress rehearsal of the French opera Carmen at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 25 at the War Memorial Opera House.

Those chosen will get free admission in exchange to providing live tweets about the show. The Opera encourages cultured opinions, thoughts, and also a scene-by-scene recap of the onstage action.

Tweet seat applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Thursday.

Applicants will find out if they have been selected by 5 p.m. Friday.
Following the lead of progressive cities such as San Francisco, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted to ban city workers from traveling to North Carolina and Mississippi.

The San Jose City Council resolution bans all nonessential city travel and business to those two states, and also boycotts goods headquartered there until there's a change to "overturn existing discriminatory policies on sexual orientation.

Both southern states approved legislation preventing anti-discrimination protections for gay, lesbian and transgender people. North Carolina passed House Bill 2, or the "bathroom law," and Mississippi signed the "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act."

Both "undermine the values of equality and diversity that we embrace in the city of San Jose," Mayor Sam Liccardo wrote to the council. Councilman Raul Peralaz said that it might not matter if just one city votes to ban travel, but as a "collective," states who have such laws will see that many entities are "standing up for human rights."

San Francisco already banned nonessential government travel to North Carolina in March, and then banned travel to Mississippi in early April.

Stars including Bruce Springsteen, the NBA, as well as companies like PayPal and jurisdictions including Atlanta, Boston, Washington, New York, Vermont, Connecticut and Minnesota have all enacted similar travel bans in the name of civil rights.

NBC Bay Area's Bob Redell contributed to this report.
Former Republican hopeful Marco Rubio unleashed a late-night Twitter tirade that included sarcastic tweets about his gym routine.

The rant followed a story in the Washington Post that suggested he was unsure of his political future, citing "people close to him."

A "longtime friend" says Rubio is "betwixt" about whether to work out his "chest or legs tomorrow at gym," Rubio tweeted, mocking the article.

"According to source who knows his cousins, wife's dentist, Rubio could do cardio instead," he added.

Rubio suspended his campaign on March 15 after failing to win his home state of Florida.
Ald. Anthony Napolitano is urging Chicagoans to support the Chicago police Department during National Police Week, which started Sunday.

Residents are encouraged to pick up blue balloons, ribbons or porch lights from his 41st Ward office to show solidarity with the citys police force. Items are available for free through Friday.

Vittorio noted that the initiative was receiving a huge response.

Now, more than ever it's time to show appreciation for the hard work our police officers do and honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our City, Napolitano Chief of Staff Chris Vitorrio told Ward Room.

The CPD came under fire after dash-cam footage of Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting Chicago teen Laquan Mcdonald was made public last November.

As a result, CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy was ousted from his post and replaced by department veteran Eddie Johnson.

Napolitano was a member of the CPD for five years before leaving to join the Chicago Fire Department. He subsequently served the CFD for 10 years before taking a political leave of absence.

He has strong family ties to the CPD, including his father who is a retired officer.

National Police Week was created in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy. The commemorative week includes Peace Officers Memorial Day, which falls on May 15.
Sen. Mark Kirk called himself the best advocate for the state of Illinois and said he was willing to serve as an advisor to likely Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, according to USA Today.

I had my reservations, Kirk said. Ive been thinking, in an age of Trump where you dont know the direction of the country, the person you need most is a steady conservative hand like Mark Kirk in the Senate to be advising the president, especially on national security topicswhich is my particular expertise after 23 years in the Navy.

Kirk, who previously said that he would support Trump if he becomes the Republican nominee, also called the billionaire a river boat gamble.

He will nevertheless skip Julys Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

Kirk is facing a tough bid for re-election against Rep. Tammy Duckworth. Duckworths campaign criticized the senator for his comments about Trump Tuesday.

It is abundantly clear to most people in Illinois that Donald Trump lacks the knowledge and temperament to be President, and should never be placed anywhere near the nuclear codes, Duckworth campaign spokesman Matt McGrath said. Republican Mark Kirk, who has been wrong about virtually every major foreign policy decision for the last 15 years, apparently views such a frightening possibility as an opportunity to increase his influence. Sad!

In a campaign ad released Monday, the Duckworth campaign claims Kirk lied repeatedly about serving in combat.

Among the misrepresentations, Kirk allegedly falsely claimed to have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Persian Gulf War. The senator also boasted about winning an Intelligence Officer of the Year award that he, in fact, did not.

Duckworth, a veteran of the Iraq War who lost her legs piloting a Black Hawk helicopter, served in the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

A workplace retaliation lawsuit stemming from her time at the IDVA was given a trial date last week. The lawsuit accuses the congresswoman of ethics violations.

Kirks campaign released an ad last week detailing charges levied against Duckworth during her time with the IDVA.

"Tammy Duckworth is a war hero and her military record should be honored," Kirk spokesman Kevin Artl said in a statement. "But the issue at hand is the mismanagement and scandals that occured during her political career, beginning as Rod Blagojevich's Director of Veteran's Affairs. The tragic story of whistleblowers who say Duckworth retaliated against them in an effort to silence their claims about mistreatment of veterans will ultimately be told in a court of law."

"Rep. Duckworth may want to save her best defense for her trial, instead of her political ads," Artl added.
During a news conference Friday, Gov. Bruce Rauner said he supports building the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in its original location between Soldier Field and McCormick Place.

I think its a wonderful opportunity for the people of Illinois to grow our economy and grow tourism, Rauner said. How often does somebody come along and say theyre willing to spend $700 million to build something to draw tourists.

George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson have pledged to give $743 million to fund the project.

Rauner also noted the sites proximity to the citys current museum campus and the fact that the museum would be built on a parking lot, claiming the location was all upside.

The governor was clearly opposed to the more-recent plan for the museum, which calls for the demolition of McCormick Places Lakeside Center and over $1 billion in borrowing.

In terms of other locations, clearly on the second taxpayer costs, this is not debatable, Rauner said. I dont think thats necessary, I think the first location is a good one and I think Im an advocate for it.

I hope the mayor stays strong. I hope the Lucas family stays persistent and Melody stays the course and I believe theyll win in court eventually, he added.

The construction of the museum has been held up by a lawsuit filed by Friends of the Parks. The groups main argument is that the museums 99-year lease wouldnt benefit the public and would promote private and commercial interests. The group also claims the museum would detract from the citys lakefront and add to traffic woes in the area.

Efforts to keep the museum in Chicago may be in jeopardy as the projects organizers have reportedly resumed talks with officials in the filmmakers hometown of San Francisco.

The museum will go elsewhere if the misguided lawsuit filed by Friends of The Parks is not quickly settled or dismissed, A spokeswoman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement Sunday.
Gov. Bruce Rauner will meet with a group of the states highest-ranking lawmakers Tuesday morning.

Rauner will meet with House Speaker Michael Madigan, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, Senate President John Cullerton and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno. It is only the second such meeting this year.

A Rauner spokeswoman confirmed the meeting Monday, but gave no additional details.

Illinois has been without a budget since July of last year. The stalemate has hinged on a battle between Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democrat-controlled Illinois legislature over the governors pro-business, union-weakening Turnaround Agenda.

At the end May, legislation will become more difficult to pass. At that point, a three-fifths supermajority will be required to pass bills.

The General Assembly reconvenes Tuesday. Both the House and Senate are scheduled to be in session through Thursday.
Two people found shot to death on the Kennedy Expressway early Sunday were killed in what is believed to have been a murder-suicde, according to Illinois State Police.

A preliminary investigation revealed that Eric Taylor, 43, and Camille Cooley, 36, appear to have died in a domestic-related incident. Police said Monday they believe Taylor shot Cooley in the head, killing her, then turned the gun on himself.

The shooting happened around 4 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the expressway north of Armitage Avenue, state police said.

A silver Chevrolet Tahoe had stopped on the expressway, where the driver and a female passenger were found dead with gunshot wounds to the head, police said.

The victims were identified as Taylor, of Beach Park, and Cooley, of Waukegan.

A handgun was found inside the vehicle on the floor near the driver, police said.

The incident remained under investigation Monday afternoon.
A University of Iowa freshman who claimed to be the victim of a violent hate crime has changed his story.

Marcus Owens, of suburban Naperville, told police earlier this month he was on his way back to his dorm room one Saturday night when out of nowhere three white men attacked him and started yelling racial slurs. Owens supplied photos that showed he had been left with a busted lip, damaged eye socket and cracked front teeth.

After reviewing surveillance footage and speaking with witnesses, Iowa City police found his allegations to be untrue.

FBI investigators found the 19-year-old student had got into three separate fights, and a racial slur was used in one of them. It was concluded the criteria for a hate crime wasn't met, police said.

Owens and his family released a statement apologizing for the misunderstandings and anxiety stemming from Marcuss involvement.

The Owens family had previously met with the universitys dean of students, telling NBC 5 at the time it was appalling to be dealing with such ignorance in the year of 2016.

Marcus now knows that his account of events was inconsistent with police findings, in part due to alcohol being involved, his embarrassment at his behavior, as well as the injuries he sustained, the letter reads. In light of this, it was concluded that this incident was not a hate crime as originally believed, but rather a case of excessive underage drinking and extremely poor judgment on the part of many people, Marcus included.
Homer Simpson is putting the Chicago-New York pizza battle to rest.

In a Simprovised episode of "The Simpsons" Sunday, Homer Simpson took viewer questions live, marking a first for the show now in its 27th season. The live Q&A was done for both the East Coast and the West Coast broadcasts and featured Homer answering phone calls from fans.

During the East Coast event, a viewer named George asked the famed character a pizza-related question  whether he prefers Chicago deep dish or New York-style thin crust. The question was fitting considering a release from Fox announcing plans for live show said Homer would take a break from stuffing his face to comment on the events of the day.

I prefer Chicago deep dish because I like Italian better than Chinese, Simpson said.

The three-minute question and answer session also revealed important news for fans of the animated comedy.

This is the last episode of The Simpsons, Homer said. Just kidding, The Simpsons will never end.

The long-running comedy has already been renewed for season 28.

Going live isn't anything new for shows, but it is especially odd for an animated show to do it. NBC recently did all of this season of "Undateable" live. In the past, "Will & Grace," "30 Rock," "ER," "The Daily Show," "One Life to Live" and more shows have done live broadcasts as ratings stunts.
A federal judge has cleared the way for two Chicago Police officers to press the case that they were first outed, then punished, for attempting to expose corruption among narcotics officers on Chicagos South Side.

Testimony in the lawsuit, brought by officers Shannon Spalding and Daniel Echeverria, is scheduled to begin May 31.

If another Chicago Police officer can in good faith report corruption and never have to walk in my shoes, then maybe theres a cause for why I lost everything, Spalding told NBC5 Investigates in January. They took everything from me including my soulI loved that job so much!

Spalding and Echeverria were assigned to work with the FBI in an undercover investigation into allegations of police corruption at the former Ida B. Wells housing project on the south side. The investigation was compromised before its completion, with only two officers charged, Ronald Watts and Khalet Mohammed. But Spalding and Echeverria alleged that Watts entire team was dirty.

Those officers that are guilty 100 percent, and they know they are guilty, are left to continue to work as officers in the community, she said. And they still have their badge. Some of them were promoted.

The two officers said word of their involvement in the probe was leaked by a commander, and that they were soon branded as internal affairs rats. One commander was quoted as saying, God help them if they ever need help on the streetits not going to come.

Officers who went and did the right thing by going to the FBI against fellow officers and supervisors, are being treated horrifically for doing the right thing, said Christopher Smith, Spalding and Echeverrias attorney. The lawsuit deals with the way the Chicago Police Department and its supervisors treat people who go against their own.

Indeed, the City of Chicago has made efforts to bar the terms code of silence from being used in the courtroom, or any efforts to call Mayor Rahm Emanuel to testify.

This problem is sometimes referred to as the Thin Blue Line, Emanuel told the City Council last December. Other times it is referred to as the code of silence. It is a tendency to ignore, deny, or in some cases cover-up the bad actions of a colleague or colleagues.

Courts consistently have barred plaintiffs from using the terms code of silence, thin blue line, blue wall, and the like because those terms are far more prejudicial than probative, attorneys for the city wrote. This court should bar evidence and argument about the Mayors comments for the same reason.

But Spalding insists that the unwritten code is at the heart of the allegations.

They didnt have control of the coverup, and that infuriated them, she said. You have to go along with the program or you will be like meretaliated against and hung out to dry.

The case has the potential for explosive testimony, especially if the defendant commanders and supervisors are called to testify. Chicago Police have long denied the allegations. But Spalding insists that all she ever wanted to do was be a good officer, and that the truth will be difficult to hear.

I did what most of them wont do, is I said no, I wont go along with the coverup, she said. Im going to tell the truth.
At least one person has died after a shooting in Chicago resulted in a crash on Interstate 57 Monday evening, according to Illinois State Police.

The incident took place just before 9 p.m. on I-57 near 111th Street, officials said, citing preliminary information.

Authorities initially said at least one person was injured, but their condition was not immediately known. Police later confirmed one person had died.

State police first reported the shooting happened on the interstate, but ISP Master Sergeant Jason Bradley later said the shooting may have originated on 111th Street before the victim traveled onto I-57 and crashed. An investigation remained ongoing Monday evening.

State police said Chicago police were handling the investigation into the shooting.

The ramp at 111th Street was closed following the incident and two lanes on northbound I-57 were also shut down.

Check back for details in this developing story.
Friends and family are mourning the death of a suburban student killed in the parking lot of his high school.

Stephen Jay Woodcock of St. Charles died at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove Monday after he fell off the running board of a SUV, police said.

The incident happened Friday afternoon around 3:45 p.m. in the parking lot of Marmion Academy in Aurora. Police say the senior was riding on the passenger-side running board as another student drove a 2011 Acura MDW when he apparently lost his grip and fell off. Police say they were traveling at about 10 mph at the time.

Woodcock smacked the pavement and was treated at the scene by Aurora Fire Department paramedics for head and other injuries before being air-lifted to the hospital, police said.

In a statement posted on the Catholic prep schools Facebook page, Marmion Academy said they are deeply saddened by the unexpected death: [[379793731, C]]

He was greatly loved by all who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Stephen at this time of loss. We ask that you join us with your continued prayers.
A 13-year-old girl and her mother have been charged with murder in the stabbing death of a young high school track star and cheerleader in Chicago.

The teen suspect was charged as a juvenile with first-degree murder after turning herself in to police alongside her mother Tuesday morning. The teens mother, 35-year-old Tamika Gayden, was also charged with first-degree murder and contributing to the delinquency of a minor after police allege she supplied the knife used in the fatal attack.

Prosecutors alleged in court Tuesday that evidence overwhelmingly suggests the stabbing was premeditated.

DeKayla Dansberry, a freshman at Johnson College Prep and member of both the cheerleading and track team at the school, was fatally stabbed around 7:30 p.m. Saturday when a verbal altercation turned physical on Chicagos South Side, police said.

Shes a track star, Dansberrys mother, Shiela Dansberry said. Shes not a fighter.

Her mother says in the last conversation she had with her daughter, the young teen was looking forward to running in a state track meet later this week.

"It's the last thing I heard from my baby," Shiela Dansberry said. "She said she was happy about getting ready to run track, run down state. So that's the last time I talked to her."

Prosecutors said at least two teens witnessed the fight, one of whom used her cellphone to videotape it.

Its heartbreaking you know, Sheila Dansberry said. To see adults, young kids out here fighting and they videotape it and stuff instead of breaking it up. Its sad. I dont know what else to say, its just said.

Dansberrys mother and father sat in court Tuesday as prosecutors described the 13-year-old suspect, who is not being named because of her age, allegedly panicking after the fight.

One witness told police the young suspect washing the knife after the fight while saying, "I killed her, I killer her," prosecutors said.

I just want justice for whoever did this to my daughter, said Julian Glanton, Dansberrys father.

Police have not yet said what the teens were fighting about.

Gayden is expected to appear in court Wednesday and the teen suspect will remain in custody until her next court appearance later this month.
Yellowstone National Park rangers tried to reunite a newborn bison calf with its herd after a tourist took the baby bison from the wild and placed it in a SUV last week.

Attempts to return the calf to its herd were unsuccessful and the calf was euthanized, according to a National Park Service statement.

A father and son were cited for transporting the calf to a park facility. The park service said the tourists had "misplaced concern for the animal's welfare."

Teacher Karen Richardson, of Victor, Idaho, was chaperoning a fifth-grade field trip to the park in Montana last Monday when she saw the two foreign tourists pull up to the ranger station with the calf. Richardson took a photo of the calf in the vehicle and heard the tourists tell the rangers they were worried the calf was too cold, she told NBC station KECI of Missoula, Montana.

The National Park Service warns that these interactions can endanger people and asks tourists to "respect wildlife."

Rangers took the animal back to where it was picked up, but they could not get it back with the herd after several tries.

"The bison calf was later euthanized because it was abandoned and causing a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway," the park said in a statement.

Park regulations require people maintain at least 25 yard distance from all wildlife and at least 100 yards from bears and wolves.

In another recent high-profile case, a woman was seen on video trying to pet an adult bison as it rested on the boardwalk around Old Faithful. In another, tourists posed for photos dangerously close to bison that had caused a traffic jam on a road.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A check of Airbnbs website shows there are more than 300 possible rental spaces in New Haven.

In all fairness, there are people who are looking for a different experience then staying in a hotel, they want to stay in someones home, said Barbara Malmberg with the Connecticut Lodging Association.

As short term rental sites become more popular, Malmberg points out users are on an uneven playing field with traditional hotels and bed and breakfast businesses.

The guest that are staying at hotels and B&Bs are paying the 15 percent occupancy tax whereas those who are staying at a home share location are not, she said, adding the association is concerned with super hosts who buy properties simply to rent them out year round on sites like Airbnb.

NBC Connecticut learned the State Department of Revenue Services is negotiating with Airbnb about entering an agreement to collected a lodging tax from Connecticut customers.

The full details of the agreement will be made available once it is finalized, Statement of Department of Revenue Services Commissioner Kevin Sullivan said.

Malmberg said that is absolutely one of the ways to level the playing field.

With the highest lodging tax rate of any state in the country, Connecticut collected $116 million in 2015. Malmberg said additional tax revenue from Airbnb users would benefit both competition in the hospitality industry and a state trying to fix a massive budget deficit.

Depending on the volume of people using the short term online rentals, that could help resolve some of our budget issues, being able to draw that additional income in, Malmberg said.

Members of the American Hotel and Lodging Association are headed to Washington, D.C. this week to lobby lawmaker sabout ensuring fair competition with short term rental platforms like Airbnb.
The pregnant 18-year-old from Danbury who tested positive for the Zika virus is raising money for her baby and raising criticism in the process.

Sara Mujica set up a GoFundMe page she calls "Care for baby with Zika infection."

Mujica tested positive for Zika at Danbury Hospital then went back to her fiance in Honduras. Though the virus may cripple her baby, Mujica said on the page, "I have decided to keep my baby because it's what God has given to me and I am taking full responsibility of my actions."

Regardless of Mujica's comments, people were still quick to criticize Mujica on the GoFundMe page.

"You are a ridiculously selfish person. You are making horrible decisions and now you want other people to fund it! How dare you! Make the right choice and give the baby up for adoption!" wrote Meagan Byrne Elliott.

In another comment, Diane Pressly wrote: "Shame on you. If you were a real mom and loved your child at all, you wouldn't put an innocent life through what's ahead. Begging people for money to pay for your poor choices just makes a bad situation worse. So sad.

Others who spoke to NBC Connecticut on Monday, thought Mujica might need the added help.

"To help a small child I think that's amazing that that baby needs the help. We should all chip in."

In May, the 18-year-old was shocked to learn she had the Zika virus.

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.

"If she wants to have it then that's her choice," said Josh Urban. "If she's willing to take on the responsibility of raising a sick kid then that's her decision."

Also on the gofundme page Mujica said if her baby is born without damage from Zika, she'll give the money she raises to people in need.
The Interstate 95 and Interstate 91 interchange in New Haven is one of the most congested in the country, with more than 150,000 vehicles passing through every day and work is being done to improve conditions.

Exit 44 has become a tricky spot for travelers passing through New Haven on I-95 south.

We actually made a mistake and got on the wrong road heading north instead of back going south again, Byron Spraker, of Baltimore, said. That was a problem.

As construction crews rebuild the West River Bridge heading into West Haven, southbound traffic at Exit 44 splits into two lanes to the left and one lane to the right.

Im so used to it. You know you just get used to slowing down thats all, Gary King, of Nantucket, Massachusetts, said.

Motorists can expect traffic back-ups by Long Wharf through the summer, but the traffic situation will improve two months ahead of schedule.

By September that split will be removed and it will be much better going through West River, Domenic LaRosa, assistant district engineer for the state Department of Transportation, said.

This past weekend, a fifth lane opened on the southbound side of the Q Bridge. At the end of the summer, five lanes will be open in both directions.

By September, we should have full capacity on the structure, LaRosa said.

If you drive from the shoreline toward Hartford, LaRosa said merging onto I-91 from I-95 North will be easier when a right-hand exit opens sometime at the end of June, early July. It is all part of the complex overhaul to make the highway interchange in New Haven safer.

The biggest things were the safety improvements, LaRosa said. The on- off-ramps, with enough merge time and weave distance, the two lane connections to eliminate any congestion when youre trying to connect to 91.

The Interchange and Q Bridge project should be finished in November, LaRosa said. The West River Bridge project will be complete by the end of 2018.
The state seized a domesticated African serval from a Middletown and arrested its owner earlier this month.

On May 5, DEEP officials executed a search warrant for a male serval, which is described as a medium-sized feline weighing up to 40 pounds similar to a bobcat.

Since the animal, Noah, was taken from the home, its owners created a petition to get the feline back.

"Noah is not a dangerous animal," Joseph R. Sastre, the family's attorney, said.

While DEEP said members of the felidae family are not recognized breeds of several top cat associations, Sastre said the laws of owning a serval vary from state to state.

"Laws range from being outlawed in some states to requiring an owner's permit in others while in some states the keeping of an African serval is totally unregulated," Sastre said. "Connecticut's law on the matter is unclear and unsettled."

However, DEEP said a serval has been compared with a cheetah and believe the animal could potentially cause serious injury.

"The serval, born in captivity, will still have its natural instincts such as its prey drivers," the department said in a statement.

The owner was charged with violating Connecticut General Statues, Sec. 26-40a(1).

DEEP said any member of the felidae family that is not a recognized breed of The International Cat Association, the Cat Fanciers Association or the American Cat Fanciers Association is illegal to possess in Connecticut. The serval is not recognized by any of these associations.
East Lyme Police are warning residents to lock their car doors after a series of break-ins in the community.

Police said thieves acted under cover of darkness between midnight on Sunday and 3:35 a.m. on Monday, targeting unlocked vehicles in the areas of Attawan Avenue, Terrace Avenue and Black Point Road.

GPS systems, money and credit cards were taken and the thieves in one case tried to steal a BMW SUV, according to police. Authorities said a BMW sedan was stolen altogether.

Its just such a pain in the neck to have to go through all the paperwork again to get everything straightened out," said Paul Brockett, who has lived in that particular East Lyme neighborhood for three decades. He said that two of his neighbors had their cars targeted.

As of Monday evening, police had not made any arrests nor had they identified any potential suspects.

However, they might find some clues from the stolen BMW sedan, which they recovered Monday in Waterbury. Anyone with information about the crimes is asked to call the East Lyme Police Department.
The Legislative Office Building will be closed for the rest of the day following a power surge and electrical fire at the building, which prompted an evacuation.

The Connecticut State Capitol Police said in a news release that a legislative staff member alerted police about a fire on the second floor around 11:30 a.m. and Chief Walter Lee Jr. extinguished it.

Officials from the Hartford Fire Department said the fire was involving a power strip.

Lee was evaluated after the fire and is OK, officials said.

Fire crews worked with building maintenance to clear the smoke from the building and a city electrical inspector and State Fire Marshal responded to investigate.

The scene was clear as of 2 p.m. and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Personnel have been sent home for the day.
Police have arrested a Massachusetts man who is accused of robbing the clerk of an East Windsor liquor store at gunpoint in 2014.

Jeffrey Nentwig, 40 of Chicopee, Massachusetts, has been charged with first-degree robbery and fourth-degree larceny in connection with an armed robbery on Jan. 30, 2014 at Sofia's Package Store at 2 North Road.

Nentwig was sentenced to seven years in a Massachusetts prison late last year for robbing five Massachusetts stores in 2014, police said, and he was transported from Massachusetts to Enfield Superior Court on Tuesday for the East Windsor charges.

Police said he is also suspected of committing robberies in Enfield and Suffield.

Nentwig will return to a Massachusetts prison to serve the remainder of his seven-year sentence.
Medical officials along with pharmaceutical company representatives spent Tuesday morning discussing ways to reduce what some call skyrocketing prices for prescription drugs.

"I think what we need to do is step back and look at how the system historically covered medicines," said Vice President of State Policy PhRMA Tara Ryan.

At the forum, officials discussed how high costs for medicine creates financial strain for patients.

More and more of the cost is being shifted to patients and theyre seeing more and more out of pocket, said Ryan.

Jim Corcoran said he uses prescription drugs.

Its like $325. But I have insurance so it covers it. But its still high, said Corcoran.

Pfizer representatives said the pricing for drugs is a formulated process.

We usually put together a team that works on pricing and literally goes out and talks with hundreds of physicians and they give us how this new drug may fit into the regiment, said Thomas Brownlie, the director of United States Policy for Pfizer, Inc.

According to The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, in 2015 2.2 million people in Connecticut had at least 1 chronic disease. Conditions projected to cost more than $440 billion for those affected by 2030. A price tag medical officials said can be reduced by patients switching to generic pills and medicating when instructed.

If we can get them to take those generic medications, we can reduce health care costs," said vice president of CVS Health Dr. Troyen Brennan.
Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey told reporters Monday that his decision to leave one of the highest political positions in Connecticut had to do with the demands of the office.

"The job itself is supposedly part-time but it actually takes a lot more than that to be Speaker and that was taking such a toll on my personal and my professional life that I didnt really feel I could ask my wife and my family to endure that for another two and a half years," Sharkey said.

The Hamden lawmaker first won election in 2000 and was selected as Speaker of the House in 2012. He admits that his term running the 151-member chamber has been plagued by some of the worst times the state has seen.

It began with the Newtown tragedy and our response to that and then continued through a number of other trials and tribulations leading ultimately up to the budget we just passed last week, he said.

Much of the past year was consumed by difficult budget crafting, sagging revenues, and projected deficits in the billions of dollars. He said Connecticut's economic future is "hanging in the balance."

Sharkey said the way the state spends money has to change. In particular, he was asked about the way the state provides funds to cities and towns in the form of grants and overall municipal aid packages. He said the state will continue to face difficult times unless that relationship changes and municipalities start sharing critical and expensive services like police, fire, and other government functions.

I attempted to use this financial crisis as a reason to make those changes at the local level, both on the municipal side and the board of ed side. The push-back was overwhelming and Im hoping that as we go into this new budget reality, this new fiscal reality in the state of Connecticut that that resistance will continue to erode and that folks at the local level will get it and that this is not sustainable at the state or local level, Shakery said.

Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney echoed those views in his statement about Sharkey, saying, "he has been a champion of regional initiatives and more efficient and effective government at the state and local level." He added that Sharkey retiring is a "great loss" for the state of Connecticut.

Gov. Dannel Malloy said of Sharkey, "He has been a tireless champion on many issues, most notably helping cities and towns reduce costs and save taxpayer dollars through regional coordination of services. I thank him for his service to our state, and wish him and his wife Diane the very best.
The engineer driving the Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia last year, killing eight people, may have been distracted by radio traffic, sources close to the investigation told NBC News.

The engineer in last years deadly Amtrak train crash in Philadelphia may have been distracted by radio calls, according to sources with NBC News. NBC10s Brandon Hudson has the details.

Sources told NBC News that NTSB investigators believe Amtrak 188 engineer Brandon Bostian was likely distracted by radio dispatchers prior to the May 12, 2015, crash in Philadelphia.

As @NBCNews reported last year, prevailing theory in crash of #amtrak188 was that engineer was distracted by radio traffic. @ntsb hrg tmrw.  Tom Costello (@tomcostellonbc) May 16, 2016

The train, headed from Washington, D.C. to New York, entered a sharp curve at 106 mph  more than twice the posted speed limit  when it crashed. Eight people died and more than 200 were injured.

The NTSB will hold a hearing in Washington, D.C., Tuesday where board members will vote on the final report in the investigation of the deadly derailment.

NBC News reports the probable cause for the crash may change during the meeting.

The NTSB released 160 documents earlier this year detailing the crash, including two interviews with Bostian in which he described the events leading up to it. In one interview, Bostian told investigators he had a "dream-like" memory of the train going too fast around the curve and hitting the brakes once he realized it was going to tip over.

On the one-year anniversary of the deadly Amtrak 188 derailment in Philadelphia, doctors who treated dozens of patients recount how they handled the disaster. NBC10s Matt DeLucia has the story.

"I remember holding onto the controls tightly and feeling like, okay well this is it, I'm going over," Bostian said.

Bostian made no mention in either interview however about being distracted by radio dispatch moments before the crash.
The speeding Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia last year, killing eight people, most likely ran off the rails because the engineer was distracted by word of a nearby commuter train getting hit by a rock, federal investigators concluded Tuesday.



The National Transportation Safety Board also put some of the blame on the railroad industry's decades-long delay in installing Positive Train Control, equipment that can automatically slow trains that are going over the speed limit.



Engineer Brandon Bostian was apparently so focused on the rock-throwing incident he heard about over the radio that he lost track of where he was and accelerated full-throttle to 106 mph as his train went into a sharp curve with a 50 mph limit, investigators said at an NTSB hearing convened to pinpoint the cause of the May 12, 2005, tragedy.



"He went, in a matter of seconds, from distraction to disaster," NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt said.



Bostian, who has been suspended without pay since the crash for speeding, did not attend the hearing. His attorney didn't return an email seeking comment.



Had Positive Train Control been in use along the stretch of track, "we would not be here today," said Ted Turpin, an NTSB investigator.



"Unless PTC is implemented soon," NTSB chairman Christopher Hart warned, "I'm very concerned that we're going to be back in this room again, hearing investigators detail how technology that we have recommended for more than 45 years could have prevented yet another fatal rail accident."



Among other things, the NTSB recommended research into seat belts in railcars and ways to secure luggage that can become missiles in a derailment; training for railroad crew members on multitasking; and the use of new equipment and procedures to help crew members keep track of their location in spots where Positive Train Control is not in place.



In a statement, Amtrak said it has "taken full responsibility for and deeply regrets the tragic derailment" and will carefully review the NTSB findings and recommendations and quickly adopt them where appropriate.



The railroad noted that Positive Train Control is already in place on most of Amtrak's portion of the Northeast Corridor and that it has also installed inward-facing video cameras on locomotives.



The tragic chain of events illustrated the potential for tragedy when people throw rocks at trains  a problem railroads are almost powerless to stop but is so common the industry has a term for it: "getting rocked."



Bostian told investigators after the wreck that he remembered radio traffic from a Philadelphia commuter train operator who said a rock had shattered his windshield. He was monitoring the radio traffic until about a minute before his Amtrak train reached 106 mph, and at one point passed the commuter train on an adjoining track, investigators said.



The engineer's acceleration would have made sense for someone who thought he had already passed the curve, NTSB investigator Steve Jenner said. After the curve, the tracks open up into a straightaway with a speed limit of 110 mph.



Bostian had told investigators that he didn't recall what happened between pushing the throttle to pick up speed and then braking when he felt the train going too fast into the curve.



A blow to the head suffered when he was thrown around the cab of his overturned locomotive probably prevented him remembering, NTSB medical officer Mary Pat McKay.



Early in the investigation, the NTSB focused on whether the Amtrak train had also been hit with a rock or other projectile minutes before the crash. But investigators confirmed Tuesday that it was not.



Bostian told investigators that he was concerned about the welfare of the commuter train's engineer and "a little bit concerned" for his own safety, but he never indicated in either NTSB interview that his train had been struck, too.



Duy Nguyen, of Teaneck, New Jersey, a passenger who suffered a cut on his head and fractures in his back, attended the NTSB hearing. The Temple University professor said he was stunned by the findings.



"The part that doesn't make sense is how does one accelerate when you're distracted?" Nguyen said. "The inclination is to slow down." He added: "Part of me is mad at Amtrak. Part of me is resigned that there's something that happened and you have to endure and survive and move on."



Bostian, known among his friends for his safety-mindedness and love of railroading, apparently commented in an online forum for train enthusiasts on a range of industry issues, including safety. Some of the posts lamented that railroads hadn't been fast enough to adopt Positive Train Control.



Amtrak has installed Positive Train Control on all the track it owns on the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington. A 56-mile stretch from New Rochelle, New York, to New Haven, Connecticut, is owned by other entities and is expected to have automatic controls installed by a deadline at the end of 2018.



The southbound stretch of track near the accident site had an earlier-generation type of automated control for slowing trains. But the northbound stretch, where the wreck occurred, did not. The more-advanced PTC had been installed on that section but was still being tested when the crash happened.



The investigation also pointed up the need to make passenger trains safer. In the derailment, the train's emergency windows dislodged as the cars slid on their sides, and four people were ejected and killed, according to NTSB investigator Dana Sanzo.
As the summer hiring season heats up, here's something to consider: every year as many as 5,000 people in Connecticut file complaints claiming they did not get paid wages they earned.

For several months, 19-year-old Adrian Muniz of Meriden got paid to dress up in character costumes. He said, "It was going good for a while. I usually worked for kids parties."

Muniz explains most gigs earned him $50 for an hour's work, until he says his employer stopped paying, The last few parties I had done, there had always been a payment issue. So after a while I finally became fed up with it."

Muniz filed a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Labor. He shared with NBC Connecticut Troublshooters what he said are screen shots of texts with his employer about the issue. The messages say things including "I owe you 150, and I'll put a check in the mail today.

Gary Pechie, the director of the Department of Labor's Workplace Standards and Wages division, says jobs generating the most complaints include construction, home health, and restaurant work.

Annually, the division has helped roughly 1,500 employees recover more than $2.5 million in unpaid wages due, on average, for the past four years that data has been tracked. Pechie explained, "The low wage industries are where the abuse and exploitation is just rampant because they feel they can take advantage of these people.

The Department of Labor says it often catches bad actors by conducting sweeps once a month, acting on tips. The sweeps can result in stop work notices posted, potential criminal charges against the businesses, along with them owing workers double what they were supposed to pay.

Still Pechie said, It's nothing for a business for us to catch them, pay a very hefty civil penalty I mean talking thousands of dollars. And next month we'll run into them on another job site. I mean, we do have repeat offenders. There's a business model out there saying, let's not put anybody on the books."

It's why James Bhandary-Alexander, a New Haven legal aid attorney, advocates making employers pay triple what they owe, and taking away business licenses if companies do not make good on settlements.

One of the problems that we face as an office is the same problem faced all over the country of actually collecting on these wage judgements, Bhandary-Alexander said.

Adrian Muniz hopes the state can get him what he says he's owed. We asked Muniz' former employer about all this. Over the phone she told us she disputes his claims, saying he only helped on a volunteer basis and covered his expenses. The next day however, the state said she agreed to pay Muniz.

If you feel you're owed wages you can file a complaint with the Department of Labor.

One other important point: you can file a complaint even if you are an undocumented worker.
The Plano Police Department is looking for the person responsible for stealing wallets from ladies purses across North Texas.

According to officials, the man in the photo above is believed to have stolen wallets from ladies purses at multiple locations in the metroplex. Police said the thief then immediately uses their credit cards at various businesses before the victim is aware.

Plano Police are asking for any information regarding the identity or location of this man. If you have any information, you are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 877-373-8477.

According to Plano Police Crime Stoppers, if your tip leads to an arrest, you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000. You may remain anonymous.
Farmers Branch Mayor Bob Phelps was forced to leave a city council meeting Tuesday among surrounded by police officers after angry protesters followed him to a police vehicle.

The protesters are seeking justice for a teen who was fatally shot by an off-duty Farmers Branch police officer outside of Farmers Branch city limits in Addison earlier this year.

At the city hall meeting, family and friends of Jose Raul Cruz called for the city to not use public funds to help defend Officer Ken Johnson, who was charged by the Addison Police Department with murder and aggravated assault in the shootings.

Johnson has since resigned from the department.

The protesters also sought the release of an internal police investigation saying they believe it would show "negligent hiring practices," and called for an apology from the city for Cruz's death as well as compensation for funeral expenses.

Wednesday, Carlos Quintanilla, a Cruz family spokesman and activist called Mayor Bob Phelps actions arrogant and a disgust to the Latino community.

"The way he treated us yesterday, all he had to do was say, you know what, yes, we will meeting with the family, ma'am we feel your pain, we feel your hurt, I would love to meet with you. But he didn't do that," Quintanilla said. "He acted belligerent, arrogant, offensive and disgusting, and that for us, I think, that was kind of like the thing that created this whole conflict  in the chasing of the mayor, blocking his car, and all of that  that's who created it: his arrogant, offensive behavior toward the family of Jose Cruz and to our community."

Mayor Phelps said his actions were not arrogant, and he followed protocol in ending the meeting.

The protesters did not show up in time for the public comment portion of the meeting and instead interrupted just before the mayor was set to adjourn, according Phelps.

The protesters also threatened to go to the mayor's home if he did not meet with the Cruz family.

"I was not shocked," Phelps said Wednesday. "I was upset. That didn't sit well with me. They don't have any business going to my house. My wife didn't do anything. I didn't do anything."

Police guarded Phelps' home Tuesday night and throughout the day Wednesday.

"The city of Farmers Branch, we respect everybody, we try to serve everybody, and help everybody," Phelps said.

Phelps added that he will meet with Cruz's family, but said he did not receive a direct request to meet prior to the meeting.

A city spokesperson told NBC 5 the city manager, who was out of town, received a phone call Monday but, to their knowledge, that's the only request to meet with city leadership other than the police chief they received.

Quintanilla said the city should have reached out to the Cruz family.

"For them not to reach out to the family and say, you know what, we feel your pain, we feel your hurt. That to us is a slap in the face of the Enriquez, Cruz family," Quintanilla said. "It's a slap in the face to our community. They should have at least been more compassionate."

Phelps told NBC 5 Wednesday he does sympathize with Cruz's family after what happened.

"We're sad that it happened, like I said, it's a tragic incident that affects a lot of people," Phelps said. "But again we're a city of rules and law and we've got to go with them."

Phelps said the city cannot just release the internal affairs investigation, but noted it has been completed and handed to the district attorney's office.

Phelps added that the city is not paying for Johnson's criminal defense, however, they are defending a civil lawsuit filed against the city by Cruz's mother.

On March 13, Johnson said he saw Cruz and another teen burglarizing his vehicle at his apartment complex, where he served as a courtesy officer.

Johnson chased them in his personal vehicle, an altercation ensued and shots were fired from Johnson's duty pistol. Cruz was killed.

NBC 5's Todd L. Davis contributed to this report.
Officials said a University of Texas police officer accidentally shot himself outside of the campus police department.

UT police department spokeswoman Cindy Posey said the officer was taken to the hospital Tuesday morning with injuries that were not life-threatening. She did not know where the officer was shot.

Posey said weapon was unintentionally discharged in a secure outdoor area outside of the department headquarters where officers do weapons checks. She did not know what the officer was doing at the time of the incident.

Austin-Travis County EMS told the Austin American-Statesman that paramedics were called to the scene and took a man with injuries to the hospital.

UT police are investigating the incident.
A Texas oil pipeline company responsible for spilling more than 140,000 gallons of crude on the Southern California coast last year has been indicted on dozens of criminal charges, the company said Tuesday.

Plains All American Pipeline and one of its employees face 46 counts of state law violations in the May 19, 2015, spill along the Santa Barbara County coast that initially went undetected until oil began spilling onto the pristine beach and into the ocean.

Initial investigations found the 2-foot-wide underground pipeline was severely corroded where it ruptured on land. Plains said in a statement that the spill was an accident and believes no criminal behavior occurred.

"We will vigorously defend ourselves against these charges and are confident we will demonstrate that the charges have no merit and represent an inappropriate attempt to criminalize an unfortunate accident," the company said.

The spill came two weeks before Memorial Day weekend last year and forced the state to close popular beaches as an oil sheen spread over miles of the Pacific Ocean. It was blamed for the deaths of more than 300 dead animals, including pelicans and sea lions, and sent tar balls drifting more than 100 miles away to Los Angeles beaches.

Plains said 10 counts relate to the spill or reporting it to authorities and 36 relate to dead wildlife. The Houston-based company also faces an investigation into the cause of the spill by federal regulators.

Tests on the pipe had been conducted weeks before the spill, but the results had not been analyzed when it broke.

The California attorney general and Santa Barbara district attorney did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press, but the two scheduled a morning news conference in Santa Barbara.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who faces felony charges of defrauding investors unrelated to his office, has the support of Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders and hasn't been asked to resign, a Paxton spokesman said Tuesday.

The state's top prosecutor, a Republican, has faced months of speculation that the state's dominant party would pressure him to step aside as his legal troubles mounted. Abbott, Paxton's predecessor as attorney general, served 12 years in the office before he was elected governor in 2014.

But just a few days after Republicans rallied in Dallas at their state convention, Paxton spokesman Marc Rylander said the attorney general has not been asked to step down and enjoys strong support from state leaders. Republicans have won every statewide election since 1998.

"There has been no such request. We are encouraged by the support that we have received from the governor, the lieutenant governor and many across state offices, state leaders and our state Legislature," Rylander said. "We continue every day to do the job that Texans elected us to do."

Rylander declined to detail the support. Abbott's office and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The charges against Paxton relate to a tech startup company before he became attorney general. He also is being sued by federal financial regulators. Paxton released a video last week saying is "not going anywhere" and would fight the charges. In the video, Paxton said he believes the legal cases against him are politically motivated.

At a news conference Tuesday about the attorney general's Sex Offender Apprehension Unit, Paxton initially declined to take questions about other topics but said he'd be available to reporters after the event. Paxton instead had Rylander field questions and left the room.
A naked, handcuffed man is in custody Tuesday morning after he escaped deputies in Katy, Texas, according to a report by KPRC-TV.

KPRC said according to officials, the Harris County Sheriff's Office was serving the man a warrant at a home on Sun Glen Boulevard when the man ran from deputies after they handcuffed him.

KPRC added that nearby schools, Stephens and Franz elementaries, were both placed on "secure mode status" as a result of the search.

According to the Katy Independent School District, no one is allowed in or out of the building during "secure mode status," but classes are proceeding as scheduled.

At this time, the identity of the man is not known. There have been no updates regarding the status of the two elementary schools.
It's stone in a sidewalk known around the world, but behind the scenes it's about cash, movie release dates and advertisements.

Many fans believe a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame is the result of talent, hard work and dedication to the arts.

Between 20 and 30 celebrities claim their section of fame every year, and while a committee chooses recipients from hundreds of applications each year, the stars aren't gifted. They are bought for $30,000 each.

Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein received their stars last month right in front of the Pantages Theater, where their musical "Kinky Boots" premiered just days later.

Kinky Boots Productions paid for the stars.

According to the Chamber of Commerce, actress Jodie Foster's star was paid for by Sony Pictures. Twentieth Century Fox bought director Ridley Scott's space and Paramount Pictures paid for Steve Carell's.

Half of the $30,000 fee pays for the ceremony and the other half goes toward maintenance and repairs, such as if the stars are defaced -- like the recent vandalism of Donald Trump's star -- or when they're just plain old.

Leron Gubler is president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which heads up the Walk of Fame.

"The Walk of Fame was created to generate publicity," Gubler said.

It is, after all, Hollywood.

According to city spending records acquired by the I-Team, some funding for improvements has come from LA tax dollars, but to generate the millions more needed, stars were also sold to advertisers.

Ever heard of an Award of Excellence? Victoria's Secret Angels, Variety and even Disneyland have one. The ads look just like the real stars and were placed just steps from the real thing.

"We don't do those anymore," Gubler said. "We think it was disruptive of the tourist experience ... which is why we discontinued those."

But a new advertising program followed called "Friends of the Walk of Fame." Absolut Vodka is a "friend," so is L'Oreal.

For six figures, the companies bought spots just steps away, with mini stars.

Lucid Brands founder Scott Lerman thinks the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is practically giving stars away.

"The ability to have that kind of exposure put into literally the fabric of the sidewalk... (It) seems to be cheap to be selling your soul for," he said.

Gruber, though, said he and the Chamber feel the amount is right.

"Well, obviously we wouldn't put them there unless there is a substantial contribution. We would love to have more," he said.

The Hollywood Historic Trust, which oversees the repairs on the Walk of Fame, tells the I-Team that if there's a better way to raise funds, they have yet to find it.

As for your favorite celebrities who have passed away but don't have a star, there's a five year waiting period, but those honors are rare, Gruber said.

"We don't do too many posthumous ones because, frankly, we don't get the same amount of publicity," he said.

Learn more about the Walk of Fame:
Google on Monday jumped feet first into carpooling with the launch of Waze Rider.

The free app, available to 25,000 employees at certain Bay Area companies to start, matches riders with drivers who are using nearly identical routes. Drivers are able to accept or deny the requests to carpool via the Waze app.

Riders are only permitted to seek carpools during rush hour twice a day  once to work and the other back home, according to the Waze website.

Passengers are asked to pay the Internal Revenue Service's recommended 54 cents per mile, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. In its test phase, Google won't retain any percentage of Waze Rider's transactions, but that could change.

The Waze website also says riders and drivers will split the cost of gas for the trip. Payments are decided in advance and the money is transferred between the two automatically.

Companies located near Google's offices, including, UCSF, Adobe and Walmart Global eCommerce, will test Waze Rider in its pilot phase. If successful, the app will be expanded to other cities, the Chronicle reported.

Google announced its plans via an animated promotional video Monday, which indicates that Waze Rider will help reduce Bay Area traffic congestion while helping riders conserve gas and money.

This is kind of an extension of what we do at Waze, to build this trusted community, Josh Fried, head of partner development for Wazes carpooling efforts, told the newspaper.

An estimated 700,000 Bay Area residents currently use Waze for directions, and police and traffic alerts. So, according to the Chronicle, Waze Rider is poised to render a blow to Lyft  which charges $1.16 per mile in San Francisco as well as other fees  and Uber  which charges $1.15 per mile and additional fees.

Critical mass is a big reason carpooling hasnt been able to be as successful as it could be, Susan Shaheen, co-director of the UC Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research Center, told the Chronicle. Its exciting to see how we can use technology in a socially and environmentally beneficial way.
UPDATE Tuesday: This story was updated to reflect that Aiden had undergone surgery.

A 5-year-old boy with cancer who wanted people to send him "super powers" as he prepared for a procedure at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles had a successful surgery, his mother said Tuesday.

Aiden Zea, a 5-year-old with spunk and energy, has stage 4 neuroblastoma.

He has gone through six rounds of chemotherapy, tumor removal, and underwent a double-bone marrow procedure on Tuesday.

"Amazing Aiden" seems to be a real-life superhero, pulling through it all since his diagnosis on Oct. 8.

His friends made a sign for his hospital room window, asking for super powers and good thoughts from the citizens of Los Angeles.

"To see his friends make a sign for him, and then they came out and start dancing outside of his window, it gives him a little boost," Jenny Zea, Aidens mom, said.

Aiden loves superheroes, his mom said, and cant wait to feel better and to play with his 1-year-old brother at home.

Aiden arrived at the hospital Monday, and will remain there for two or three more weeks. Aiden's stem cells, which were taken out and frozen before, were restored so he could recover Tuesday.

His mother was just praying that the critical second part of the procedure means the cancer will be gone for good.

"He needs all the super powers he can get," Zea said.
The lone remaining external fuel tank from NASA's space shuttle program arrived early Wednesday in Marina del Rey for the final leg of its journey to the California Science Center.

The rust-colored tank, aka ET-94, was transported on a barge during a month-long sea voyage from a NASA assembly plant in New Orleans. The 15-story, 32 1/2-ton tank was never used and will become part of the Science Center's display that features the retired Endeavour space shuttle  which made its own celebrated trip on Los Angeles' streets to Exposition Park after a spectacular Southern California flyover on the back of a jumbo jet.

ET-94 began its journey to Los Angeles on April 10 when it was pulled out of NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana. Two days later, it was tugged into the Gulf of Mexico to begin a sea voyage that took it through the Panama Canal.

The transport crew made headlines during the trip when crew members helped rescue four people who abandoned a sinking sportfishing boat off Baja, California.

A tugboat pulled ET-94 out of San Diego waters Tuesday morning, and the barge floated out of the fog and toward the dock around 6 a.m. Wednesday in Marina Del Rey.

"I think this is awesome, couldn't wait to get down here this morning," said resident Dean Reutter.

The tank will remain at the marina until about midnight Saturday, when it is scheduled to begin a slow, 12-mile journey to the Science Center that will likely continue into Saturday night.

The caravan will travel  at about 5 mph  down Lincoln and Culver boulevards, to Westchester Parkway, then through Inglewood on Arbor Vitae Street to La Brea Avenue, past the Forum, and north on Vermont Avenue to the museum. It will be joined to Endeavour and, eventually, two booster rockets at the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.

"This will be the only place in the world where a whole space shuttle stack with real hardware will be available," said Science Center President Jeffrey N. Rudolph.

The shuttle stack will be available for viewing next week.

The external tanks, which provided the shuttles with the propellants needed to enter space, were designed to detach from the shuttles and disintegrate as they plummeted back to Earth. ET-94 is actually made up of three tanks: one for oxygen, another for hydrogen and a third collar-like intertank that connects the two others.

The external tank also provided structural support for the shuttles and booster rockets when they were upright on the launch pad.

The ET's skin was coated with polyisocyanurate foam, which protected the tank from heat and helped maintain the proper temperature for the propellants it contained. Its job was done about 8 1/2 minutes after launch when it was jettisoned from the shuttle.

Most of the tank disintegrated in the atmosphere; the rest splashed into the ocean.

NASA used three types of external tanks for the space shuttle program: standard weight, more advanced lightweight tanks and super lightweight tanks. ET-94 is considered a lightweight tank, commonly used throughout the 1990s.

ET-94 was delivered to NASA in January 2001 and, although it was never used in flight, investigators looking into the 2003 Columbia disaster examined the tank in search of possible problems that might have led to the re-entry break-up that killed seven crew members. The team dissected foam coating from parts of the tank, which explains why there are pieces of foam missing from ET-94.

The tank will be restored before it joins Endeavour on display.
A man and a woman believed to be linked to multiple robberies were arrested after surveillance footage at a Circle K convenience store showed a brutal clerk attack, the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department said on Monday.

Jeff Jackson, 51, and Porchia Chisom, 32, were arrested on suspicion of robbery on May 10 and 13, respectively.

Detectives believe that there may be additional victims after the duo was accused in at least two robberies at Rancho Cucamonga convenience stores.

On April 10, deputies responded to a robbery at a Circle K at 6539 Milliken Avenue where surveillance footage captured a man and woman entering the store. The man attacked a clerk before the two left with cash, lottery tickets, and cartons of cigarettes. They took off in a Chevrolet Malibu sedan, police said.

Deputies identified the suspected robbers as Jackson and Chisom.

Weeks later on April 25, another strong-arm robbery was reported at another Rancho Cucamonga convenience store.

The suspects and car described in the robbery matched those reported in the Circle K robbery. Soon, deputies linked Jackson and Chisom to other robberies in San Bernardino County and Riverside County.

When deputies served a warrant at Jacksons home in San Bernardino, they found stolen property linking the two to the crimes.

Jackson was arrested and held on $1 million bail. Chisom was arrested days later, and held on $100,000 bail.

Anyone with information linking the two to possible additional strong arm robberies in Southern California is encouraged to call the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department at 909-477-2800.
Outrage was building Monday after notes emerged from a 2013 Pi Kappa Phi fraternity chapter meeting at UCLA showing derogatory statements about woman and minorities.

Some students were calling for fraternities and sororities to be stripped of what they call their "privileged" status.

Former student government representative Aaliya Khan said she was shocked to see the documents.

"They were extremely racist, they were extremely offensive, especially since they were targeted toward communities of color on campus," Khan said.

Even though the comments are two years old, Khan and her friends said they show racism is still a problem on campus, especially at fraternities and sororities.

Last fall, African American students criticized UCLA's Sigma Phi Epsilon for throwing a Kanye West-themed party that some say mocked black culture.

Taking into account a controversy out of the University of Oklahoma where members were caught on

They're calling for more education in the Greek system and the UCLA campus.

Pi kappa phi and UCLA issued statements about the incident.

"Pi Kappa Phi is committed to a culture of diversity and inclusion that promotes respect for the identities and backgrounds of all people," the fraternity said.

"UCLA is greatly concerned by these serious and disturbing allegations and has undertaken a thorough review of the fraternity's 2013 meeting minutes for potential violations of the student conduct code," the university said in a statement.

But some students say statements against racism aren't enough. UCLA shows favoritism, they say, simply by having an office of fraternity and sorority relations  something no other group has.

"These specific students, namely white wealthy students, are privileged by the university," Arem Ghoogasian said.

UCLA's inter-fraternity council says racism will not be tolerated. It's still unclear though if any action will be taken by the national fraternity or the university.
When the misogynistic, male Dothraki characters launch into curse-laden tirades on "Game of Thrones," viewers have a 35-year-old Southern California father and a University of California Berkeley graduate to thank for what they hear.



David J. Peterson invented Dothraki, the language spoken by the crass race of nomadic horse warriors first described in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice," on which the HBO series is based. "It's a lot of fun," Peterson said Tuesday, in his first, interactive Facebook Live interview. Especially coming up with the curse words, he added. [[379823641, C]]

Peterson has been working for "Game of Thrones" since 2009. The language was used frequently in the show's first two seasons, and has resurfaced in season 6, which premiered in April. Peterson has created 4,000 Dothraki words  so many that hes not even fluent in his own language.

Peterson never expected to be paid to create fake languages.

"I wanted to be an English teacher," the Garden Grove, Calif.-resident said. "My mother cued me into linguistics. I wasnt really interested, but she nagged me to try."

He had studied and invented languages in near obscurity since 2000, when he was a sophomore at UC Berkeley.

"There are thousands of people who create languages for fun," he said. "It's a different art form. We were all were quite certain no one would be paid. It wasnt an activity people looked on kindly."

His friend, Sai, also was flabbergasted that his pal made "conlanging" a career.

"David is the first full-time professional conlanger ever," Sai said, referring to someone who invents language. When the two started out, pretty much every conlanger thought getting paid for the work was "so completely unrealistic."

That dream turned to a paying reality seven years ago, when the "Game of Thrones" creators called upon the Language Creation Society, which Peterson co-founded, to come up with a fully formed language for the show. There was an "intense" contest, Peterson remembered with about 40 other contestants. Peterson won. And the "Dothraki" and "Valyrian" languages were born. The languages are not based in any other language, like the Romantic or Semitic languages. "That would be like plagiarism," Peterson said, who says he "just comes up with" new words, without having a specific process.

[NATL] Emmy Awards 2015: Best Moments

He now creates languages for a handful of shows. He's the "alien language and culture consultant" for the Syfy original series "Defiance" in 2011, and also for NBC's "Emerald City."

And while he wont say how much he gets paid, Peterson did say those are his only jobs, and theres no need to wait tables on the side. He makes enough to support his wife, Erin, who is the executive director of the Long Beach Bar Association, and 5-month-old daughter, Meridian.

NBC Bay Area via Skype

Before "Game of Thrones," the Long Beach native had quietly studied the finer arts of language from 1999 to 2003, earning a bachelor's in English and linguistics from Cal. He then attended UC San Diego from 2003 to 2006, where he earned a masters in linguistics. Peterson also speaks Spanish, French, German, Russian, Esperanto, Arabic and American Sign Language.

He's an author, too. Peterson's latest book, "The Art of Language Invention," (Penguin $17) takes readers on a journey of the languages he's created for television and film, including Dothraki, High Valyrian, Castithan, Irathient, Indojisnen, Sondiv and Shivaisith.

If you need the video CliffsNotes, Peterson has made some YouTube videos on "conlanging," or inventing languages.

And thanks to the shows, he has some unusual notoriety.

"Every time 'Game of Thrones' comes back on, the interviews start again," Peterson said.

Learn These Dothraki Words

Addrivat (v.) to kill

Gort (adj.) muscular, stout

Hake (n.) name

Jahak (n.) braid

Karlinat (v.) to gallop (said of a horse)

Lajak (n.) warrior

Mawan (n.) quiver

Nhizo (n.) raven

Qoy (n.) blood

Vezh (n.) stallion

Zhokwa (adj.) great, large

Can You Speak Like Daenerys? [[379807641, C]]




Barro is part of the Beagle Brigade at Miami International Airport.

The rescue dog is on the hunt for hidden dangers. Hes not sniffing out banned items like weapons and drugs.

Instead he and his handler, Aileen Soto, are searching for foreign plants and creatures.

Soto is an Agricultural Specialist with US Customs and Border Protection. Barro is an Agriculture Canine.

His highly trained nose can detect items X-rays cannot. He can sniff out anything from avocadoes to mangoes.

We had mangoes wrapped inside a blouse, said Soto about a recent search Barro made. "Unfortunately, the mangoes cannot come in.

The items may not seem like a big deal to keep out, but its a huge effort to avoid problems that can happen if banned items are allowed in the country.

In 2010, federal officials say African Land Snails were smuggled in to the country through the luggage of an African Priest in Hialeah. The snails carry diseases and even eat through the stucco of homes.

The snails multiply quickly and efforts to find them cost taxpayers $3 million in 2015 alone.

One smuggled, contaminated piece of fruit is blamed for the Mediterranean fruit fly outbreak in the 1980s. It cost taxpayers approximately $100 million to get rid of it.

What Barro and the other nine dogs at Miami International Airport find are taken to a special holding area at the airport.

Inside are dates from India, salami from Italy and large guavas from El Salvador.

It looks like a market and smells like one too. But you wouldnt want to eat the food.

Inspectors go through each piece looking for larvae and diseases.

And frequently they find what theyre looking for on the smuggled items.

The rest goes into a huge food grinder and is destroyed.

You can face fines for bringing banned items into the country that can go all the way to $60,000.

Click here to see a list of banned items.

And click here to see a list of approved items.
Elisa Valverdes battle to keep her North Miami Beach apartment has temporarily eclipsed her fight against cancer.

"My worry is that I have to live in the corner or in a shelter God forbid," said Valverde, one of the many renters in South Florida reaching out to the NBC 6 Investigators saying their landlords have treated them unfairly.

A new owner of Valverdes apartment has ordered her out of her one bedroom apartment, a place she says holds family memories.

"This is the roof over my head, my home, my house, my school, my kitchen, this is everything for me," said Valverde.

She says her new owner raised the rent by $110 to $850 a month. She thinks thats asking too much and since she says she cant afford it she continued to pay the same rent she had been paying.

"I just want whats fair and I want whats right, " said Valverde.

So is there a limit on rent increases? We asked real estate attorney Juan Perez, who says it depends on the lease.

If the lease is silent and it doesnt say anything about any limitations technically or theoretically the landlord can raise it however much he wants," said Perez.

Since Valverde was paying month-to-month that allowed the new owner to either raise the rent or give her 15 days to leave. The owner did not return our calls and is evicting her. She knows shell have to move soon.

ENTERING YOUR APARTMENT

Alice Castillo who rented an apartment with her family in Miami-Dade also had issues with her landlord. Her concern was how maintenance workers entered her apartment for a routine inspection when her 14-year-old son was home alone. Home video showed broken locks that she said were left behind by the workers.

"They had no legal right to break down my door like they did. They broke the locks. They had no business doing that," said Castillo.

Her son, David Hernandez, showed the NBC 6 investigators how he hid in fear that day.

"This is the bathroom where I was in and locked myself and I had the lights off," said Hernandez

Castillo admits a letter was posted on her door warning about a possible inspection days before and that she missed attempts by the landlord to reach her that day on her cell. She says she should have been sent a letter personally addressed to her about the inspection. Perez says it appears the landlord made a good faith effort to comply with their obligation to notify her.

"Reasonable notice is typically 24 hours and also that theyre going to access the property within reasonable business hours," said Perez.

But Perez says whats not so clear is whether the landlord was excessive in how they entered for a routine inspection.

"Was the way that they accessed the property reasonable? Did they just come storming in, barging in, breaking down doors, thats probably not reasonable," said Perez.

The Castillo family says after reporting the incident to police their lease wasnt renewed. Now the family says they are weighing legal options.

By email, the building owners say Castillo's accusations are "categorically false" and say they gave her notice of inspection on "no less than three occasions" and were refused access.

Renters do have rights that are clearly outlined under Florida law which include:

 The home must be fit to live in, free from pests and have things like working plumbing, hot water, locks on doors.

 If repairs are needed to make a home fit, the landlord must pay for them

 And even if you dont have a lease, once you pay rent you are considered a renter protected under state law.

You can find out more about renters rights and responsibilities on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services by clicking here.
"The chair of the convention announced that the convention rules passed on voice vote, when the vote was a clear no-vote. At the very least, the Chair should have allowed for a headcount.



"The chair allowed its Credentials Committee to en mass rule that 64 delegates were ineligible without offering an opportunity for 58 of them to be heard. That decision enabled the Clinton campaign to end up with a 30-vote majority.



"The chair refused to acknowledge any motions made from the floor or allow votes on them."





more proof of how corrupt hillary is!! i guess cheating doesn't bother her one bit.<_<
Two people were killed and another three were hospitalized after they were caught in dangerous rip currents at Haulover Beach Tuesday.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said five people had to be rescued from an unguarded area of Haulover Beach due to the rip currents.

Officials said the five people were swimming when they began to struggle. An off-duty Bal Harbour Police officer jumped into the water to help and assisted Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lifeguards, officials said.

"He had been in court in the morning. As he was heading home, he heard the 911 call being dispatched," explained Capt. Miguel De La Rosa with Bal Harbour Police.

Fire Rescue said two unconscious patients were taken to a nearby hospital. The other three were pulled from the water but were okay, officials said.

Miami-Dade Police later confirmed that two people had died at Aventura Hospital and the other three were taken to nearby hospitals.

Family members identified the victims as Yitzchok Rosenberg, 67, and Chaim Parnes, 66.

In an exclusive interview with NBC 6, Abraham Rosenberg said the thing he never thought would happen was losing his brother, Yitzchok.

"I'm a partner with him for all my life. We grew up together, we were together since I was married, he was married 3 years before me," Abraham said.

Miami-Dade Police said Rosenberg and Chaim were visiting from New York with their friends and families. Respected and loved in their home communities, both were rabbis and businessmen with hearts for giving.
A woman was arrested in connection with a crash that left a South Florida principal critically injured, Miami-Dade Police confirmed.

Marilyn Mercedes Aguilera, 51, was arrested Tuesday and booked into Miami-Dade jail, police said.

Her bond was set at $15,000 and she was released from jail Tuesday evening. Before running off, she quietly said she was praying for the victims and she feels bad for what happened.

Aguilera's attorney, Richard Gregg, spoke on her behalf: "Our heart goes out to the victims. She has been devastated by this entire incident."

Aguilera is facing charges of driving under the influence in a crash that caused great bodily harm, according to the arrest warrant.

According to a blood sample taken more than an hour after the crash, Aguilera's blood-alcohol level was .227, nearly three times the legal limit. The arrest report also states a large, open can of beer was found on the floorboard of the front passenger's seat.

Javier Perez, the principal of South Dade High School, was critically injured when he was struck by Aguilera's SUV during his son's Little League game at Tamiami Park on Tuesday, April 26. Two others were also injured.

Perez was hit and pinned to a cement block. He remains at Kendall Regional Medical Center and has undergone multiple surgeries to save his life. Both of his legs needed to be amputated.

Records show Aguilera was issued 14 tickets between 2007 and 2013, even being busted twice for driving with a suspended license.

She will be in court for her arraignment in several weeks.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Perez and his family with medical expenses. His wife updated his condition Tuesday, saying Perez had a second trial off the ventilator and is starting to take some steps forward in his recovery.
A bail bondsman was in the right place to help stop some teenagers accused of kidnapping a man from the parking garage of a Tampa condominium complex.



The Tampa Bay Times says Rod Fisher was returning from a court date Monday afternoon when he saw a man in a shirt and tie stumble out of a car carrying a gun. Two others got out of the car before ducking back inside and taking off.



Fisher called 911 and followed the speeding car, not knowing that the man was a victim of a foiled kidnapping. Police say he wrestled the gun from the teenage abductors moments earlier.



Then teens eventually abandoned the car and were arrested on charges of carjacking and kidnapping. Two are 15, one is 13.
A cargo ship captain who worked for the company that owned the freighter El Faro, which sank last year in a hurricane, testified Tuesday that he was asked to resign or be fired after reporting safety concerns about his ship.

He said he got fired.

Capt. Jack Hearn, who sailed for a Tote Services Inc. subsidiary, testified before a U.S. Coast Guard panel in Jacksonville that is investigating the 41-year-old El Faro's sinking last October.

On Oct. 1, as El Faro Capt. Michael Davidson was returning to Jacksonville from Puerto Rico, he indicated to colleagues that he thought he could sail south of the storm. Instead, the ship lost propulsion and got stuck in Hurricane Joaquin, eventually going down in 15,000 feet of water. There were no survivors.

Hearn, who sailed the El Faro's sister ship the El Morro, said after he raised concerns about holes in his ship, Tote reluctantly reported them to the Coast Guard, but only after he took a trip without the needed repairs.

"The port engineer did not report (the holes) to the Coast Guard. I was disappointed," he said. Back ashore, the holes were reported and addressed eventually, he said.

He said his relationship with the port engineers became strained after the incident.

Weeks later, Hearn said a Tote official came onboard and asked him to resign and get help finding a new job, or be fired.

Eventually, Hearn said he asked the company to investigate the matter. He said he was fired before entering into arbitration with Tote.

Previous testimony revealed that parts of the boilers on the 790-foot El Faro had deteriorated severely and needed to be replaced, yet Tote's engineers believed it was still safe enough to sail. Those parts were set to be replaced in November, and the ship's October voyage was scheduled to be its last before being replaced by a newer vessel on the Puerto Rico run.

The condition of the El Faro, along with Davidson's access to weather information, have been themes throughout the investigative hearings.

James Franklin, branch chief of the National Hurricane Center's hurricane specialist unit, testified Tuesday that the agency's initial forecasts of Joaquin contained errors "much larger than normal."

Franklin said Joaquin was initially forecast as a "relatively weak system" that would head west-northwest and dissipate in the days when the El Faro was sailing between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico. Instead, Joaquin moved south-southwest and strengthened into a strong hurricane and was 536 miles off its predicted initial track.

Davidson was aware of the storm, according to emails and texts he sent colleagues. He emailed Tote officials the day before the ship sank advising that he may take a slower, safer route. He was given the OK by a Tote manager, but the ship never made it.

Tote's attorneys at the hearing did not address Hearn's testimony.

But William Bennett, an attorney for Davidson's widow, read from a letter from U.S. Customs and Border Protection accusing the El Morro and its crew of smuggling cocaine.

Bennett said Hearn was actually terminated in 2013 after 43 kilograms of the drug were found on his ship.

Hearn confirmed knowledge of the letter, but didn't offer further comment on the incident. The Coast Guard refused to release the letter to AP, saying it would be available after the panel's investigation is complete.
A West Virginia woman who died after undergoing plastic surgery at a South Florida clinic suffered a fat embolism, or clogged blood vessel, according to the medical examiner's report.

Heather Meadows died earlier this month after fat entered her bloodstream and blocked an artery during a procedure at Encore Plastic Surgery in Hialeah, the medical examiner said. Meadows was a 29-year-old mother of two, according to her family.

A heart defect also contributed to Meadows' death, which was listed as accidental, according to the examiner. Meadows' mother told NBC 6 she was unaware of her daughter's birth defect.

Meadows and a friend had traveled from West Virginia to Encore for a procedure known as a Brazilian butt lift, described on the clinic's website as a combination of liposuction and a fat graft. The procedure is meant "to make the glutes look round and firm" by redistributing fat, according to the clinic.

Meadows, whose procedure was first, went into cardiac arrest during surgery, according to police. She was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead.

Encore Plastic Surgery is fully licensed, according to police, who said they are working with the health department to investigate Meadows' death. A manager at Encore was not available to comment Tuesday morning. An email to the clinic was not returned at the time of publication.

In a phone interview Monday, Meadows' mother told NBC 6 she is distraught and taking care of Meadows' two young children.

She said she plans to take legal action and has hired a local attorney to investigate her daughter's death. The attorney has requested all Meadows' medical records.

The family is now working to have Meadows' body sent home to West Virginia for burial.
President Barack Obama's trip to Cuba advanced the normalization of relations between the Cold War foes and created momentum for more cooperation on agriculture, medicine and law enforcement, Cuba's top diplomat on U.S. affairs said Monday.

Speaking after a meeting with U.S. officials in Havana, Director General of U.S. Affairs Josefina Vidal said President Raul Castro had seen his meeting with Obama as producing "positive results."

Her portrayal contrasted with more negative characterizations of the visit, including those of former President Fidel Castro and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, who described Obama's trip as an "attack" on Cuba's traditions and values.

Vidal said she and U.S. diplomats had agreed upon an agenda for Obama's remaining months in office that would include visits by high-level U.S. agriculture, health and security officials.

She said Obama's visit, which included a forum with private business owners and a speech calling on the Cuban people to look toward a better future, would help both sides accomplish that agenda.

"We believe the visit was an additional step forward in the process of moving toward an improvement in relations, and that it can serve to add momentum to advance in this process, which is in both nations' interest," she said. "That's the opinion that President Raul Castro shared during his address to the press during Obama's visit."

Commenting on Tuesday's meeting, The U.S. State Department said that "both governments recognized significant steps made toward greater cooperation in environmental protection, civil aviation, direct mail, maritime and port security, health, agriculture, educational and cultural exchanges." It said the two sides also discussed future meetings on human rights and claims for compensation by American citizens and firms whose property was confiscated in Cuba's 1959 revolution.

Vidal praised a series of agreements struck directly with the U.S. government on topics like environmental cooperation, direct postal service and commercial flights, but said the continuing U.S. trade embargo on Cuba had made progress on business ties more difficult.

Foreign investors agree the embargo is the main obstacle to doing business in Cuba. But they increasingly point to the communist government's slow-moving bureaucracy and opaque decision-making as reasons investment on the island is lagging despite a huge surge of interest since the December2014 declaration of detente with the U.S.

The two countries appear to be moving toward greater cooperation on law enforcement in coming months. Cuban-born Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was meeting in Havana on Tuesday with his counterparts in Cuba's Ministry of the Interior for talks on cooperation against drug trafficking, illegal migration and transnational crime.
After South Florida's biggest airline pointed to Miami International Airport as having the fifth longest wait time nationwide, TSA officers are weighing in on the matter.



Last month, American Airlines 0 which has more flights out of MIA than anyone else - blamed long TSA lines for passengers missing their flights.



"What we are facing here at MIA is that passengers are standing in very long TSA lines and consequently missing their flights because the lines are so long," said AA spokesperson Alexis Aran Coello.



American says in March over 2,000 passengers and 8,200 bags didn't make it to their destination because of the TSA.



At MIA, officials with the TSA tell NBC 6 that while they have enough passengers to justify opening more lanes, they simply do not have the manpower to staff them.



At an earlier press conference, Homeland Security Jeh Johnson advised summer travelers to pack their patience when traveling by air.



"Be patient while we bring on the added resources as quickly as possible to alleviate the wait times," he said. "And we are asking the public to have the appropriate expectations when they arrive at the airport."
Are you saying that the Clinton Foundation works differently than any other presidential foundation? Are you saying that the Bush/Reagan/Carter/Ford or any other foundation refuses money for charity?

Are you saying that previous secretaries of state (Albright, Kissinger, Powell, Rice) accomplished more than Clinton?? If so, what exactly, considering the challenges of their era/tenure? They all visited "a bunch of countries". They all did their best to protect Americans abroad and at home....because that's the job description. And before you answer, let me remind you that Condi Rice (whom I greatly admire) was Sec of State during the reign of terror--9/11. Shall we do a compare and contrast--9/11 to Benghazi???

And you haven't answer my question about Trump. What has HE contributed to this country? Has he given/done more good than Hillary?
The FBI is investigating whether a multi-million dollar New York City contract for rat-repellent trash bags is tied to a donation from the owner of the company that makes the bags to Mayor de Blasio's former nonprofit group, the I-Team has learned.

Federal authorities are investigating whether a $100,000 donation from Mint-X owner Joseph Dussich to the now-defunct Campaign for One New York played any role in a $6 million parks department bid for the bags.

Mint-X, which claims to be the only maker of trash bags registered by the EPA, didn't actually win the bid from the city; the contract went to Central Poly, a New Jersey company that buys the bags from Dussich's company.

But the city for the first time last year specifically requested EPA-certified rat-repellent bags when seeking bids. Mint-X claims it's the only company that could supplies bags certified by the EPA.

The request came months after Dussich gave money to the mayor's nonprofit, and Mint-X was awarded a small no-bid contract from the city.

Sources had previously told the I-Team that Dussich's company allegedly complained about having problems getting business from the city before making a donation.

Dussich's attorney, Roland Riopelle, told the I-Team that the larger contract specifically sought Mint-X-style bags because the Parks Department had tried them and found them highly effective. Riopelle said that Dussich had a history of making large donations to charities that help children and that his client gave money to Campaign for One New York because his client was told the donation would go toward early education.

Central Poly owner Andrew Hoffer, meanwhile, told the I-Team that the company buys bags from Mint-X because they're the only option.

"You have to use Mint-X bags," he said. "You don't have a lot of people doing these kind of bags."

Parks advocate Geoffrey Croft, who raised questions about the contract on his blog, said the contract raises eyebrows.

"This deal is highly suspect, there's no doubt about it," he said.

The revelation comes days after the I-Team reported that the FBI questioned Parks Department officials about whether de Blasio called about setting up a pitch meeting with Mint-X. Lawyers with the city got wind of the unannounced questioning and stopped it, sources said. FBI agents were then asked to leave. Two days after the standoff, FBI agents were invited back to question workers in a conference room at parks department officers in Central Park.

Spokesmen for U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and the FBI had both declined to comment.

The controversy over the mint-scented anti-rat garbage bag contract is just one of several avenues of the fundraising investigation. From the awarding of some city contracts, to efforts to raise money to help certain Democrats win state senate races, the feds and the Manhattan DA are looking into whether the de Blasio-related fundraising efforts violated any state or federal laws.
Two men from New York drowned and another was hospitalized after they were caught in dangerous rip currents at a beach in Miami Tuesday morning.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said three tourists had to be rescued from an unguarded area of Haulover Beach Tuesday due to the rip currents.

Officials said the three people were swimming in an unguarded area when they began to struggle.

An off-duty police officer who was at the beach jumped into the water to help and assisted Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lifeguards, officials said.

Fire officials said two unconscious patients were taken to a nearby hospital where they were pronounced dead. Police identified the victims as Chaim Parnes, 66, and Isack Rosenberg, 67.

One of the men was from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the other man was from Kiryas Joel in Orange County.

The other man was pulled from the water but was OK, officials said.

Isaac Abraham, an Orthodox Jewish community leader in Williamsburg, said in a statement he grew up with the victims and went to school with them. He said he watched them "both grow up to be great leaders and entrepreneurs."

"We all lost a friend, family member, leader," said Abraham.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday delayed the release of a list of unindicted co-conspirators in the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal as it considers whether to allow someone named on the list to block its publication.

The ruling from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia called for a June 6 hearing for attorneys to present their arguments. The ruling left open the possibility that the hearing could be closed to the public.

Bridget Kelly, Republican Gov. Chris Christie former deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, a top Christie appointee to the agency that operates the bridge, were indicted last year and face trial on wire fraud and civil rights charges this fall. A second former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official, David Wildstein, has pleaded guilty.

They were charged with conspiring to create traffic jams near the bridge in Fort Lee to punish the town's Democratic mayor for not endorsing Christie's re-election.

Christie has disavowed any knowledge of the scheme and hasn't been charged.

One of the 24 judges sitting on the 3rd Circuit bench is Maryanne Trump Barry, sister of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. It isn't clear if Trump Barry will recuse herself from the matter since Donald Trump recently named Christie to head his transition team. A panel of three judges will hear the case.

The indictment alleges Kelly and Baroni conspired "with each other and others, including Wildstein." Defense attorneys have been furnished with the names of the other co-conspirators as part of routine pretrial discovery. Media organizations including The Associated Press filed a request for the list several months ago.

Unindicted co-conspirators are people who were involved in a conspiracy to commit a crime but haven't been criminally charged, usually because they are cooperating with the government or prosecutors feel they don't have enough evidence to convict them.

A federal judge ruled last week that the list should be released by noon Tuesday. The same judge on Friday denied a request by the person on the list, identified as John Doe, to further delay the release of names of unindicted co-conspirators in the plot. Doe then appealed to the 3rd Circuit.

Doe's attorney, Jenny Kramer, has argued in court filings that Doe would be "publicly branded a felon" without the chance to clear his name in court, violating his rights to due process.

Bruce Rosen, an attorney for the media companies, called Doe's attempt "frivolous and desperate" in a response filing and argued the due process clause doesn't protect a person's reputation. He also wrote that names of unindicted co-conspirators often are revealed during a trial anyway.
A Brooklyn English teacher says controversy over a book may cost him his job.

Todd Friedman has spent 13 of his 29 years in education teaching at Midwood High School. Last year, changes were enacted to the English curriculum, and teachers were asked to focus on non-fiction reading. Friedman says he was outspoken against the changes from the start.

"Most of the English teachers didn't agree with the changes that were being made, and we had a right to have some input," Friedman said.

So Friedman dug into his own pockets and bought copies of the book "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley. He charged students $2 each to recoup some of the cost, though he still ended up losing money. Friedman says the practice of buying books and selling them to students is relatively common at the school.

But school administrators were not happy about the transaction. The Department of Education says a teacher selling books violates regulations.

Friedman was placed on administrative duties and is awaiting a hearing to face possible termination.

"For what? I'm not a child molester. I've done nothing wrong," Friedman said, adding that he feels he's being targeted for being outspoken against the new curriculum.

A hearing date has not yet been set.

A DOE spokesperson told NBC 4 New York that an investigation confirmed Friedman violated a regulation and the disciplinary process is pending.
Three students at a Manhattan high school specializing in culinary arts locked a classmate in a refrigerator and threatened to kill him, police said Tuesday.

The trio, all 16 years old and students at the Food and Finance High School on West 50th Street, blocked the door to the room to prevent anyone from releasing the victim from the commercial fridge May 6, investigators said. They also draped a T-shirt over the freezer window.

One student tapped on the fridge with knives and threatened to kill the 16-year-old victim, police said.

The teen used his cellphone to call his mother from inside the refrigerator. She immediately called the school.

The victim was in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.

Students told NBC 4 New York the incident was a prank.

"They were all playing around and thought it was cute, but that's not something you play around with," said Indiana Mirabal.

The three students responsible were each charged with menacing and unlawful imprisonment.

The city Department of Education issued a statement stressing that student safety is a top priority and that the school will punish the three students.

"The school followed protocol in responding to the incident that was reported and the students involved were disciplined appropriately," the statement added.

School officials declined to elaborate on how the students will be disciplined.
Firefighters in New Jersey rescued a dog that became stranded on an island of debris in a pond Tuesday after chasing a flock of geese.

Captain Joe Coletta of the Bloomfield Fire Department waded into waist-high water to rescue the pooch from Clarks Pond behind the local middle school.

A video of the rescue shows the dog standing atop floating tree branches and other debris and carefully walking toward Coletta, who climbs out of a rowboat to retrieve the dog.

The dog, named Iggy, had been stranded for about an hour. His owner Carlos Velez told NBC 4 New York he had been walking him next to the school field when Iggy spotted some geese, got free of his leash and chased them all the way into the pond filled with muck and debris.

Velez was frantic.

"The neighbor called the fire department while I was screaming," he said.

Coletta jumped into the water not knowing how deep it was.

"I had a good guy with me, he would have come and got me," he said, shrugging off the danger.

It was shallow enough, and finally Iggy came over to him.

"You could see he was exhausted, it was trudging through. His legs kept getting stuck and I think that's when he kind of said, 'I'm going to give up and come to you,'" he said.

Coletta says he's saved plenty of cats and even ducklings. But this was his first dog rescue.
Police say they've safely located a Columbia University student who hadn't been seen in more than a week.

Police said Monday that 19-year-old Nayla Kidd has been found safe and in good condition. No further details were offered.

The university last week sent an alert to students, faculty and others associated with the college Friday to be on the lookout for Kidd, who hadnt been in contact with friends or family members since May 5.

Columbia confirmed in a statement that Kidd was located by the NYPD and is safe and thanked the public for their support.

The student's mother, Dr. LaCreis Kidd, flew to New York from her Kentucky home Friday to make a tearful appeal for her daughter's return, saying she wasn't responding to voice mail and text messages. She said she had asked a private investigator to look into her daughter's disappearance.

Dr. Kidd told NBC 4 New York that her daughter, a School of Engineering and Applied Science student, last spoke to her in April about rent money.

Her daughter was first reported missing by friends.
A 61-year-old woman was struck and seriously injured by a tractor trailer in Queens Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

The pedestrian was walking at Beach Channel Drive and Mott Avenue in Far Rockaway when she was hit by the big rig, according to the FDNY.

The NYPD and FDNY both said that the victim sustained critical injuries. She was taken to Jamaica Hospital.

The driver stayed at scene but hasn't been charged with any crimes.

The roadway was shut down to traffic for several hours. It reopened to traffic at about 5 p.m.
Authorities say the driver whose truck rolled over on the Tappan Zee Bridge, causing a major traffic jam, has been ticketed for driving with a suspended license.

Authorities believe Friday's crash was caused by the truck's suspension system breaking.

The Journal News reports the tractor-trailer belonged to Kelman Transport LLC of Cohoes, New York. Authorities didn't identify the driver who was ticked for having a suspended license.

The company did not return a call for comment. The crash closed Rockland-bound lanes for more than four hours.

No one was injured in the wreck.
It's not often the school board election in a Westchester town like Mamaroneck attracts much attention, but some parents were alarmed to discover that one of the candidates had done something that students are told over and over again they should never do: plagiarism.

Candidate Michael Rosenbaum emailed a letter of intent to the entire district last week, and large portions of it were taken from a letter posted on Facebook, written by another woman running for the school board in Florence, Alabama years ago.

Rosenbaum says he had no idea.

"This is embarrassing. It makes me look very stupid, to promote my candidacy for the board of education by plagiarizing something," he said.

The two letters begin almost exactly the same: "My involvement for Mamaroneck schools began the moment my four children entered the system."

Then the letter is word for word the same: "These are critical times for public education fraught with challenges."

Rosenbaum said he's not the one who plagiarized. He asked a friend to write the letter for him.

"I spoke to the guy who had done me a 'favor,'" he told NBC 4 New York. "I said, 'You plagiarized! What kind of crap is this?' And he said, 'Well, I was looking on the 'net, and I took stuff,' and I said, 'Well, that's plagiarism. Don't you know what the word means?'"

Rosenbaum won't say who wrote the letter for him, but in hindsight he wishes he had made better choices. When asked he decided not to write his own letter, he said, "Because this guy said he would do it for me, and he would incorporate the data and so I thought, he's probably a better writer than I am, so why not."

He still believes that people should "of course" vote for him.

The school selection committee, which runs the election, has endorsed other candidates. Rosenbaum said he's not surprised.

His goal was to shake up the current leadership. Residents have been voting all day Tuesday, and polls stay open until 9 p.m.
Ah, the Nobel Peace Prize. Supposedly its award to someone who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.Guess thats why they gave one to President Barack Obama. As All Gov explains, if America is still at war in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria by the time he leaves, he will officially be at war longer than any other president ever has been in the history of the nation Longer than Richard Nixon, LBJ, FDR, Abraham Lincoln, or George W. Bush.Obama also bombed a total of seven countries. You know, like peace prize winners always do. For peace and stuff.In addition, 75 percent of the casualties in Afghanistan have happened under his watch and 90 percent of the injuries.But, as the anti-war candidate he was and always has been, our president swears hes going to end the war in Afghanistan before he leaves the White House in January 2017 when apparently all the reason to be there will abruptly come to a very timely end.And, as we all know, he always keeps all of his promises.
A PetSmart groomer has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after a dog died in his care at a store in San Mateo, California, authorities said.

The dog, a 1-year-old male dachshund named Henry, died Sunday at the PetSmart in the 3500 block of South El Camino Real. Officers responded and spoke with the dog's owner, a 47-year old San Mateo resident who said he brought Henry to the store to be groomed, according to police.

About three minutes later, the groomer, identified as 38-year old Juan Zarate of San Francisco, exited the grooming office holding Henry and told officers the dog was suffering a medical emergency, police said. Henry was bleeding from the mouth and having trouble breathing.

Zarate took Henry to the on-site veterinarian, who took emergency measures to try to save him. The dog died a few minutes later, police said.

A postmortem X-ray determined Henry had suffered two broken ribs and a punctured lung, authorities said.

San Mateo police determined Zarate's deliberate actions contributed to the dog's death. Zarate was arrested at the scene and booked on suspicion of felony animal cruelty. He posted bail Monday and is no longer in custody. It's not clear if he has hired an attorney.

The Humane Society will conduct a necropsy on Henry to determine his cause of death.

PetSmart said in a statement Monday it is "heartbroken over the loss of Henry."

"Nothing is more important than the health and safety of pets, and we take full responsibility for the pets in our care," PetSmart said.

The company said it is conducting an internal investigation, and Zarate is suspended pending the outcome.

"Any incident of animal cruelty goes against everything we believe as a company and as individual pet parents," PetSmart said in the statement. "No words can express our deep sorrow for the family, and we will continue to work with the pet parent during this difficult time."

Hannah Hartman, who said her dog was maimed a couple years ago at another pet store, was devastated to learn of Henry's death but said she wasn't entirely surprised.

"My dog was almost killed and had to have a major hip surgery," she said.

Hartman, who has taken up the cause, said there is no law in California regulating pet groomers. While some are licensed, Hartman said, it's not mandated by the state.

A bill dubbed "Lucy's Law" was proposed in 2012 after a dog was severely injured by a groomer. Lawmakers rejected the measure, and Hartman has been fighting to revive it ever since.

"If the groomer is no longer working in that salon, he could be grooming a mile down the street," she said.

Teri DiMarino, president and founder of the California Professional Pet Groomers Association, said "Lucy's Law" is not the answer.

"Legislation and licensing is not going to do a whole lot of good because as with any licensed industry, there is no standard and no test for carelessness and stupidity, DiMarino said.
The Los Angeles Unified School District has reached an $88-million settlement in a sex abuse case involving 30 students at Telfair Avenue Elementary School in Pacoima and George De La Torre Jr. Elementary School in Wilmington, victims' attorneys announced Monday.

The attorneys said 18 cases at De La Torre were settled for $58 million and 12 Telfair cases were settled for $30 million. The cases involved allegations against two teachers, one at each school.

"These historic settlements occurred because of overwhelming evidence that the District ignored warnings, employee reports and parent complaints that both of these horrible men were molesting dozens of children in the classroom," victims' attorney John C. Manly said in a statement released Monday night. "These reports made their way to the highest levels of District leadership where they were either ignored entirely or actively suppressed and the predators allowed to remain in the classroom. The question that the District needs to answer is how could this have happened? The LAUSD Board has not held a single public hearing on this issue nor does it plan to. The public deserves answers."

LAUSD Superintendent Michelle King said in a statement the district has made changes since the scandals.

"There is nothing more important than the safety of the students we serve. The resolution of these cases allows us to spare our L.A. Unified families the anguish of multiple protracted trials while being mindful of the financial consequences of these settlements," King said in a written statement Monday night.

"Well before the resolution of these cases, the School District made changes in our policies and practices to strengthen the protections for our students. While we are proud of the steps we have taken, we will continue to work diligently with our parents and the community to provide the safest possible environment for our students to learn and succeed," King said.

The settlements come on the heels of verdicts in November 2015 on behalf of two young victims of sexual abuse at Telfair by teacher Paul Chapel III.

The jury in those cases awarded each of the victims $3 million. Chapel is serving a 25-year prison term after pleading no contest in 2012 to molesting 13 boys over a four-and-a-half year period.

The abuse at De La Torre Elementary School involved teacher Robert Pimental, who is also serving a state prison term after pleading no contest to charges of lewd acts on a child.

LAUSD was rocked a few years ago by abuse allegations involving teacher Mark Burndt at Miramonte Elementary School downtown. The district paid more than $175 million in that case, and Burndt is serving a 25-year sentence for lewd acts on children.

City News Service contributed to this report.
Missouri doctors managed to deliver a baby whose mother was killed in a crash on her way to a hospital to give birth.

Sarah Iler and the baby's father, Matt Rider, were headed Wednesday from Cape Girardeau, where they lived, to a hospital in Poplar Bluff, a city about 60 miles southwest where she grew up, when his SUV was struck by a tractor trailer, the Southeast Missourian reported.

The collision pushed the SUV into the median, and Iler and Rider were ejected, Cape Girardeau police Sgt. Adam Glueck said Monday. Upon arriving at the scene, officers began performing CPR on Iler in an attempt to save her and the baby, but Iler was declared dead upon arrival at a Cape Girardeau hospital, he said.

Doctors, though, performed an emergency cesarean section and delivered her daughter, Maddyson.

The newborn, who weighed 4 pounds and 15 ounces and was full-term when she was born, was immediately put on a ventilator. She was able to come off of it on Friday.

Iler's sister, Kasandra Iler, said Maddyson opened her eyes and grabbed a nurse's finger. Still, doctors don't yet know if she suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen after her mother's death, relatives said. A hospital spokeswoman would say only that the baby is in fair condition.

Matt Rider suffered extensive injuries but is recovering. He was flown to a St. Louis hospital with several broken bones. He has been upgraded from critical to fair condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Iler's family has set up a gofundme.com account to raise $5,000 for her funeral expense. More than $4,200 had been raised as of Monday morning.

"She had her whole life ahead of her," Iler's mother, Patricia Knight, told the newspaper. "And now the baby has to grow up without her mother."
On Friday, Bart Blatstein had all but decided to pull the plans for his proposed mixed-use project at Broad and Washington streets in Philadelphia but after a brief conversation with a relative, who encouraged him to move forward, the developer recommitted to himself to it.

Im not a quitter, said Blatstein, CEO of Tower Investments, in a interview with the Philadelphia Business Journal. I just couldnt walk away. I have spent the past two-and-a-half years and millions of dollars on this. Why would I give up?

Its a good thing he didnt. Philadelphias Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously voted Tuesday to approve Blatsteins project, which has been highly controversial for its density and design.

To read the full article, click here.

For more business news, visit Philadelphia Business Journal.
Ten years and millions of dollars later, Franklin Square's comeback is apparent each evening as visitors pass beneath the blue glow of the Welcome Gate  one of two dozen elaborate Chinese lanterns scattered throughout the 7.5-acre park.

The Chinese Lantern Festival, which kicked off in mid-April, attracted 25,000 visitors in its first month despite the rainy weather, according to Historic Philadelphia, the nonprofit that manages the park.

"People have come from every state," said Amy Needle, president and CEO of Historic Philadelphia. "Alaska and Hawaii came the first weekend."

For the past two years, more than 1 million visitors went to Franklin Square annually, Needle said. About 80 percent of the visitors were Philly-area residents, she said.

To read the full article, click here.

For more business news, visit Philadelphia Business Journal.
They allegedly started with a mailbox, and within two weeks, twin brothers from Chester County allegedly blew up an Amish phone booth and shed, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Caleb and Daniel Tate, 22 years old, of Cochranville, were home from college in December when they allegedly went on a rampage with "improvised explosive devices," or IEDs, the Chester County District Attorney said.

Caleb Tate, who attends Belmont University in Tennessee, and Daniel Tate, a student at Pepperdine University, are charged with arson by explosion, arson by possession explosive devices, conspiracy, and theft.

They were busted after state police and local agents with Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms honed in on the 12-mile area where five bombings took place and discovered surveillance video from local stores that allegedly shows the twins shoplifting items used in making the bombs.

Prosecutors said the two allegedly also used a credit card to purchase some material.

The first IED detonation took place Dec. 20 on South Friends Meetinghouse Road in Highland Township when a mailbox exploded. The next explosion occurred two days later in a wooded area along Faggs Manor Road in Londonberry.

"The defendants then escalated into detonating the bombs in buildings," the county prosecutor's office said in a statement.

A pipe bomb destroyed an Amish phone shed on Bartville Road in Colerain Township, Lancaster County on Dec. 30. The next day, IEDs destroyed an Amish produce shed in Strasburg and a well pump shed in West Fallowfield.

Chester County DA

No one was injured in the five blasts, but prosecutors said the IEDs did psychological damage to the area.

"We live in a world where the thought of bombs exploding around us is a very real fear," Chester County DA Tom Hogan said. "These defendants brought that fear to our region during a two-week crime spree."
A Philadelphia Police officer wound up hospitalized after colliding with a bread truck while responding to pursuit along a popular part of South Street Tuesday morning.



This male ran from police and there was a foot pursuit broadcasted over the radio and thats when this female officer got involved in the accident, said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.



The female officers cruiser collided with the bakery truck along South Street near 11th Street while she rushed to join the pursuit of a man who investigators say began punching people along the 300 block of South Street  thats the block with Lorenzos and Sons Pizza and the TLA on it  around 2 a.m.



The passenger side of her police vehicle was struck by the front end of a bread truck that was traveling north on 11th Street, said Small.



The impact caused air bags to go off in the officers cruiser. Fellow officers rushed their injured 45-year-old colleague to Jefferson University Hospital.



She was bleeding from her mouth and she had some pain to the left side of her body, said Small. She is presently in stable condition, shes walking, talking, shes conscious, shes going to be OK.



Small said the crash appeared to be a simple accident. The 29-year-old Aversas Bakery truck driver remained on the scene and cooperated with investigators, said police.



Officers nabbed the assault suspect from the call that the officer was responding to at the time of the wreck about two blocks away on the 600 block of S Randolph Street, said police.



Two civilians that were assaulted by another person and when police responded to that scene they saw someone who fit the description and they got into a foot pursuit, said Small.



The suspect had knocked out a 26-year-old male landing him at Jefferson in stable condition and knocked the tooth out of another man as he exited Primo's Hoagies on South Street, said police.




A northeastern Pennsylvania school teacher has apologized for emails in which she said accommodating a student with special needs was similar to appeasing Adolf Hitler.

The (Wilkes-Barre) Citizens' Voice says Wyoming Area School District teacher Amy Kosko issued the apology Monday.

The elementary school teacher is apologizing for emails sent in 2014 when school officials were following up on an educational plan for the girl, now a 12-year-old seventh grader with a learning disability.

The girl's mother obtained the emails through an open records request as part of the ongoing dispute about her daughter's education.

Kosco apologized for the Hitler comparison and for writing, "It would be nice if we spent this much extra time" on students who "are going to amount to something" and calling the girl "ignorant and insolent."
A replacement worker for Verizon is facing drunken driving and assault and battery charges after he hit a picketing Verizon worker and a police officer with his pickup truck in Westborough, Massachusetts, on Thursday, police said.

George A. Pulling, 55, of Ohio, is charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (vehicle), 4th-offense driving under the influence of alcohol, disorderly conduct and operating a motor vehicle without a license. Authorities initially said he was from Florida.

Westborough police said they were assisting with a labor dispute involving picketing Verizon workers and replacement workers staying at the Extended Stay Hotel at 180 East Main St. around 8:20 a.m. Thursday.

Verizon workers in several states have been striking since contract talks broke down in mid-April. They have been without a contract since Aug. 1, 2015.

Four police officers were assisting the replacement workers as they drove through a picket line of about 80 people. A pickup truck operated by Pulling was being escorted through the line, as picketers yelled and screamed at him.

Pulling then accelerated while in the middle of the picketers and ended up with one of those picketers  Joseph Rooney, 47, of Roslindale  on the hood of the truck, police said.

Pulling continued onto the ramp leading onto Route 9 west, where he finally stopped, causing Rooney to be tossed onto the road, according to police. Rooney was treated at the scene by paramedics and transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

One of the assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon charges was for allegedly hitting Rooney and the other was for allegedly hitting one of the police officers with the mirror on his truck.

Police said Pulling is expected to be arraigned in Westborough District Court on Thursday. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.
People are stealing cars in San Diego and disguising their stolen statuses to sell them to unsuspecting customers, according to local auto theft detectives. They said it is an illegal operation called vin cloning or car cloning that cheats victims out of tens of thousands of dollars.

People make the stolen vehicle look legitimate in every aspect, Officer John Nelson with the California Highway Patrol said. The paperwork and the vehicle identification (VIN) plate and everything. Its very difficult for regular patrol officers as well [to tell].

San Diego County Regional Auto Theft Task Force detectives told NBC 7 Investigates cars are stolen in San Diego and sent to Mexico to get cloned. That means the criminals literally pry the manufacturer-installed VIN plates off the cars dashboards and replace them with other plates from cars that were not stolen. Detectives said the VIN could be from a salvaged car, found online or by just walking through a parking lot and snapping a photo of a parked cars VIN plate. People are also adept at replicating all other car registration documents to make the stolen car seem as legitimate as possible, according to detectives.

With the new identity, the disguised stolen cars are brought back to San Diego and sold on sites like Craigslist or through individual transactions.

Its really on-demand crime, Christopher Basso with CarFax said. Someone wants a high-end vehicle. Theyre stealing those cars. Theyre stealing VINs from similar cars and manipulating paper work and making those stolen cars look exactly like those similarly registered vehicles.

According to detectives some signs the car you are looking to buy might be a cloned car include:

Sold on a site like Craigslist or through a questionable individual purchase

Vehicle is advertised for much less than it should be, even if used

Seller asks for cash and seems to want to make a quick sell

Lack of car history information

VIN plate seems tampered with (scratches or bubbles)

NBC 7 Investigates spoke to Ocean Beach resident Gary Komo whose Ford F250 was stolen in an elaborate local car cloning scheme. He said his car was stolen from right outside him home.

To have your whole car stolen. You whole truck, yeah just a major violation, Komo said.

After getting cloned in Mexico, the detectives found Komos truck and more than a dozen other cloned cars on the Barona Indian Reservation and in the East County.

Detectives determined Brandon McNeil of Lakeside was the mastermind behind selling the cloned cars in San Diego. McNeil and his family are well-known in San Diegos and Bajas off-road racing community.

NBC 7 Investigates learned this was not McNeils first run-in with the law. He and his brother Tyler McNeil were convicted in Arizona for running a similar operation. They sold salvaged cars for more than they were worth, according to court documents.

Brandon McNeil pleaded not guilty in the San Diego case. His attorney said his client did not know the vehicles were stolen and had no interaction with those who initially stole the cars. Tyler McNeil did not respond to NBC 7 Investigates requests for comment on the Arizona case.

McNeil has been criminally charged in San Diego for trying to sell these fraudulent vehicles to victims. They include low income families with multiple children, according to detectives.

When law enforcement comes to take the stolen vehicle, youre stuck without a car and likely a high loan, said Basso.

Detectives said, on average, cloned cars are sold for $40,000-$60,000. At times, theyre sold for as much as $80,000 depending on the vehicle. Insurance likely does not cover this kind of loss, according to Basso.

Bassos final tip to avoid a cloned car is to do thorough research on the vehicles history. He said you have to know what you are buying before putting down your hard-earned money. Good thing to keep in mind: If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.
The US Navy plans to deploy hundreds of Blackwing drones on manned submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles; the new, low cost, submarine launched unmanned aircraft system is optimized for Anti-Access/Aerial Denial (A2/AD) environments.

The U.S. Navy plans to deploy unmanned aerial systems (UAS) on board submarines, to provide covert intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition to support special operations and full-scale warfare, on sub-surface and surface operations. According to the Navys plans, attack and guided missile submarine will be equipped with a miniature UAS known as Blackwing, produced by Aerovironment Inc. The Navy plans to buy 150 such systems. The company introduced the new unmanned vehicle at the Sea Air Space event in Washington DC.

Typical operation will see the Blacking deployed in the vicinity of targets in contested or denied airspace, where activities of other manned or unmanned platforms would be too risky. From its forward position, the Blackwing will provide target acquisition and battle damage assessment, in support of strikes performed from stand-off range.

Blackwing is believed to be a derivative of Aerovironments Switchblade Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS), redesigned to fit the submarines 3 torpedo decoy launcher. It was developed under the Navys Advanced Weapons Enhanced by Submarine UAS against Mobile targets (AWESUM) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) launched in 2013. During the demonstration phase (2013-2015) the AWESUM demonstrates submarine launch, data sharing and control across naval, special operations and air-force units, the Navy announcement. This JCTD ended in September 2015 with a strong recommendation to transition the capability into the fleet.

Subscribe to read further analysis of this new capability.

The Navy also plans to evolve the submarine-launched drone concept with larger vehicles, launched through 21 torpedo tubes. In 2013, the Navy Research Lab (NRL) demonstrated a submerged launch of the Sea Robin UAV, from a modified Tomahawk cruise missile canister.

According to Aerovironment, The Blackwing drone is not limited to a submarine platform, and can also be integrated with and deployed from a variety of surface vessels and mobile ground vehicles to provide rapid response reconnaissance capabilities.
Four police officers from the Los Angeles area were presented with the Medal of Valor by President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony on Monday.

Santa Monica Police Department officers Jason Salas and Robert Sparks, along with Santa Monica College Police Department Capt. Raymond Bottenfield received the awards for placing themselves in mortal danger during a 2013 shooting rampage that left six people dead at and around SMC.

Los Angeles Police Department Officer Donald Thompson was honored for pulling an unconscious man from a burning vehicle on a freeway, suffering first-and second-degree burns.

At the ceremony, President Obama thanked the recipients and their families for their service and sacrifice.

"The public safety officers we recognize today found courage not in search of recognition but they did it instinctively," Obama said. "Your courage and quick-thinking gave us our safety."

Salas, Sparks and Bottenfield were recognized for their actions during the June 7, 2013, shooting spree that began just northeast of the college and ended with a rolling gun battle on the campus.

The three officers responded to the campus and confronted the gunman in the campus library, ordered him to drop his weapon, then opened fire when the gunman pointed his assault weapon at them. The gunman, John Zawahri, 23, was killed.

Police said Bottenfield was in plain clothes and was not wearing any body armor when he helped confront the suspect. Zawahri had killed his father and brother at their home near the college, then set the house on fire before making his way to the campus, where he fatally shot three more people.

"Officer Salas, Officer Sparks and Captain Bottenfield placed themselves in mortal danger to save the lives of students and staff during a school shooting on the busy campus of Santa Monica College,'' according to the White House.

Thompson was honored for "courageous action to save an accident victim.''

At about 2 p.m. on Dec. 25, 2013, Thompson was on his way to work when he saw a vehicle crash into a center divider on the 405 Freeway and begin to catch fire, according to police.

Thompson stopped his truck and ran to the vehicle, forced the door open and crawled through growing flames and smoke to disengage the unconscious driver's seat belt. He then pulled the man from the vehicle and carried him to safety.

"It doesn't feel real when you're doing something like that. You know what you have to do or watch someone burn to death," Thompson said.

The White House detailed his bravery in a statement.

"Officer Thompson traversed two freeway dividers and endured first- and second-degree burns while pulling an unconscious man to safety from a car moments before it became engulfed in flames,'' according to the White House.

The medal is the highest national award for valor presented to a public safety officer. It honors officers "who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life,'' the White House said.

The officers were among 13 public safety officers from across the nation who were honored at the ceremony.

City News Service contributed to this report.
Another major player in the grocery business sets up shop in San Diego County.

German discount market Aldi just opened its 25th store in Southern California in 8 weeks, this one in Vista on University Avenue. The store chain plans to open another 20 stores by the end of the year.

Aldi promises to save shoppers money by stocking more than 90% private label or store brand products which they say are prices much less than brand name labels. It also limits its inventory to just 1,500 of what it says are the most common household products.

Stella Taylor says she was surprised by the low prices, "I was really stoked on checking out the prices."

Sheena Walczyk was surprised by the size of the store which at 12,000 square feet is much smaller than a traditional grocery store.

"You think it's a small grocery store," said Walczyk, "but it has so many items in here that you don't expect."

Aldi also says it saves shoppers money by not bagging groceries. Instead customers pay for paper or plastic bags and fill them with the groceries themselves. On top of that, shoppers pay a quarter to rent a shopping cart which is paid back when they return the cart.

"We don't have to pay someone to go out there and find those carts for us," said Bob Schmalz, the Aldi Director of Store Operations.

The stores only have five aisles but carry produce, dairy, fish and fresh meats. They also have a large wine section which they say was expanded for California shoppers.

Aldi does not require a membership and does not accept coupons. Bob Schmalz says Aldi is looking for expansion locations in San Diego County but no announcement is ready.

Aldi joins WinCo, Gelson's and Smart & Final which has made major moves into the San Diego area in the last 12 months.
Two men accused of killing a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent in a 2011 ambush near Mexico City have been extradited from Mexico to face charges.

Jesus Ivan Quezada Pina, 28, and Alfredo Gaston Mendoza Hernandez, 33, appeared Tuesday before a judge in Washington, D.C.

The men are accused of murder of an officer or employee of the United States and other crimes in the death of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the attempted murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila on Feb. 15, 2011.

Zapata was killed and Avila was wounded when their SUV was run off the road by at least two vehicles loaded with armed men.

The agents were traveling from San Luis Potosi to Mexico City at the time of the ambush, officials said.

Quezada Pina and Mendoza Hernandez were ordered held without bail.

Four defendants have pleaded guilty to their roles in the crime with some admitting the ambush was the act of Mexico's Zetas gang.

A fifth defendant, Jose Emanuel Garcia Sota, 35, was extradited to the United States on Oct. 1, 2015, and is currently awaiting trial.
A man wanted in the deaths of a Washington couple turned himself in Monday to the U.S. Marshals Service in San Diego.

Tony Clyde Reed, 49, is suspected of helping his brother John Blaine Reed, 53, in the killing of Patrick Shunn and his wife Monique Patenaude in April.

Snohomish County Sheriffs Office confirmed Tony Clyde Reed made arrangements to turn himself in Monday morning. Reed was booked into San Diego County Jail.

Shunn and Patenaude were reported missing on April 12 in Oso, Washington, just northeast of Arlington.

Shunn was last seen at his workplace the day before and his wife was seen outside the couples home.

Authorities found two vehicles belonging to the couple on April 14 in a remote wooded area, north of their home.

Evidence inside the vehicle led authorities to believe there was foul play involved.

Authorities launched a nationwide manhunt after their car was found in Phoenix on April 18. Authorities believed the brothers had fled to Mexico.

Shunn and Patenaude have not been found.

John Bliane Reed is still outstanding, according to the Snohomish County Sheriffs Department.
A big power play has just stirred up the politics in a key City Council race.

On Monday, San Diego's Republican mayor endorsed one of the Democrats running for the District 3 seat.

The other Dem calls the move a "conservative coup.

Democratic Party and labor leaders say the Mayor Kevin Faulconers backing of Anthony Bernal will matter less to District 3 voters than the fact that Bernal's termed-out boss, Councilman Todd Gloria, isn't endorsing Bernal.

But they're concerned that Bernal could dilute the Dems' 5-4 voting bloc on the Council.

"I've worked with Anthony and I've seen first-hand the work that he does in the neighborhoods, the work he does here at City Hall, Faulconer told a scrum of reporters on Civic Center Plaza. I think he brings the right brand of experience, of compassion, and his ability to work with everybody."

Bernal and Faulconer emphasized that they'll "agree to disagree" on issues if Bernal is elected.

Their choice of "the color purple" in neckties was meant to send a message that common-ground values should outweigh red-versus-blue partisan politics.

I believe it's about progress, Bernal said, about making sure that we continue to build our neighborhoods, invest in our neighborhood infrastructure, rebuild our water, our stormwater system.

In the aftermath of their announcement, Bernal's rival Chris Ward, chief of staff for state Senator Marty Block, met the media in Hillcrest, backed by a posse of big-name Democrats and union executives.

Their message is that Bernal's financial support is coming from conservative and special interests that are "out of the mainstream" of District 3 constituents.

I am really proud of my endorsements by people like Christine Kehoe and Toni Atkins, of David Alvarez and Donna Frye, of the Sierra Club, and many of our hard-working men and women at the City of San Diego."

The LGBT community is troubled by an $1,100 contribution to Bernal's campaign by developer Douglas Manchester -- who donated $125,000 to the polarizing Prop. 8 campaign.

Bernal said he disagrees with Manchester on marriage equality.

But as a businessman with downtown properties in the district, Bernal explained, Manchester "has a voice in that."
Authorities surrounded Naval Base San Diego Tuesday morning to investigate another threat to the facility  once again at portable bathrooms.

Navy Region Southwest officials said the threat was made in a portable bathroom at Pier 7 around 8:10 a.m. As a precaution, officials roped off Pier 6, Pier 7 and Pier 8 while military K-9 officers sniffed out the area. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) officials were notified.

By 10:50 a.m., all three the piers were deemed safe and the area was cleared, officials confirmed. No further details were immediately released.

This marks the fourth such threat at U.S. Navy facilities in San Diego this month alone, the third at this exact location  a portable toilet on a ship at Pier 7. The other two incidents at Pier 7 happened on May 1 and May 11. On May 2, a written threat was found on the wall of a ship at BAE Systems Ship Repair, Navy officials said.

Report of Bomb threat found in porta potty this morning on Pier 7 @ Naval Base San Diego. Please stay clear of area until further notice.  NBSD (@NavBaseSD) May 17, 2016

Since November, 17 separate hoax bomb threats have occurred at Naval Base San Diego, BAE Shipyards and NASSCO, according to the U.S. Navy. These false threats have stumped investigators and prompted emergency responses, searches and, at times, evacuations. The threats have also resulted in work stoppage to maintenance and repair work being conducted in U.S. Navy ships.

The modus operandi is always the same: a handwritten threat on the wall of a ship or written on the wall inside a portable toilet on a pier.

According to the U.S. Navy, the other threats occurred as follows:

 Nov. 6, 2015: a threat written inside a portable toilet on a ship at NASSCO

 Nov. 16, 2015: a threat written inside a portable toilet on Pier 13 at Naval Base San Diego

 Nov. 23, 2015: a threat written inside portable toilet on a pier at BAE Systems Ship Repair

 Dec. 9, 2015: a threat written on wall inside a portable toilet at BAE Systems Ship Repair

 Dec. 11, 2015: a threat written inside a stairway on a ship at BAE Systems Ship Repair

 Dec. 15, 2015: a threat written on the wall of a bathroom stall on a ship at BAE Systems Ship Repair

 Jan. 19, 2016: a threat written in a portable toilet at Pier 6 at Naval Base San Diego

 Feb. 4, 2016: a threat written on a wall inside a ship at BAE Systems Ship Repair

 Feb. 9, 2016: a threat written on a wall and desk of a ship at BAE Systems Ship Repair

 Feb. 17, 2016: a threat written on a portable toilet at Pier 5 at Naval Base San Diego

 Feb. 22, 2016: a threat written on a wall inside a ship at BAE Systems Ship Repair

 April 7, 2016: a threat written in a portable toilet at Pier 7 at Naval Base San Diego

 April 12, 2016: a threat written in a portable toilet at Pier 7 at Naval Base San Diego

The culprit or culprits responsible for the threats have not been arrested. Officials have now doubled the reward -- set at $10,000 -- for information leading to an arrest and prosecution of the suspect or suspects. Anyone with information can call NCIS at (619) 556-1364.

Naval Base San Diego, also known as 32nd Street Naval Station, is located at 3455 Senn St., across 1,600 land acres and 326 acres of water. The facility is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of 46 Navy ships, one Coast Guard cutter, seven Military Sealift Command logistical support platforms, several research and auxiliary vessels.
A San Diego doctor died Sunday when the plane he was piloting crashed in the Angeles National Forest.

Thomas C. Bruff, M.D., 57, loved to fly and was an experienced pilot, one of his employees told NBC 7 Tuesday.

"He loved to fly," Gina Montoya said. "That's one of the biggest things that he loved to do and he did it often, almost every weekend and multiple times during the week."

Gina Montoya worked as Bruffs assistant for four years. When he didn't show up for work Monday at his office on Waring Road, she says she knew something bad had happened.

The Los Angeles County Coroner confirmed Tuesday that Bruff was the pilot killed in a Cessna 182 single-engine light plane that crashed Sunday morning near Mount Wilson Road and State Route 2.

Bruff was flying from Montgomery Field Airport to Santa Monica Municipal Airport when the plane lost contact 17 miles east of Van Nuys, according to a Federal Aviation Authority spokesman.

Bruff also had an office in El Centro. The Imperial Valley Occupational Medicine office posted a notice to its patients informing them of the news.

"We are all saddened by Dr. Bruff's sudden passing. We remain committed to providing quality medical care to your employees and injured workers," the statement reads.

Montoya said Bruff was good father, a good friend and a Padres fan who also found time to volunteer.

"He volunteered after the earthquake in Ecuador and in Nepal, and he took care of a lot of people and did a lot of medical expeditions like that, and he was just a great person," she said.

"He was just a really great man and everyone loved him," Montoya said.

The San Diego-based plane is owned by Tom Reid, who leases it to experienced pilots.

The cause of the crash will be determined following an FAA investigation.
A San Diego-based company that makes popular baby carriers has pounced on a new, timely design: a carrier that commemorates the centennial of the San Diego Zoo.

In collaboration with San Diego Zoo Global, TULA Baby Carriers has released the exclusive Roar! carrier emblazoned with a colorful lion and its flowing mane  the official logo that celebrates the zoos milestone 100th birthday.

The soft structure carrier is made with light gray canvas and the vibrant lion design is embroidered onto the central body panel. The carriers hip belt includes the year the San Diego Zoo was founded  1916  as well as the 2016 centennial year.

According to the Tula website, the ergonomic M-position carrier can be used in both front and back positions for babies 15 to 45 pounds. Babies weighing seven to 15 pounds can use the carrier with a Tula Infant Insert. A toddler-sized version of the carrier fits little ones between 25 and 60 pounds. It comes with a removable hood, a large front pocket on the hip belt, extra padding for both parent and baby and adjustable straps.

The Roar! carrier is available online ($189 for the baby size; $199 for the toddler size) or at select retail locations across San Diego County. Tula says 10 percent of proceeds from online purchases of the product will be given to the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy, up to $10,000, which provides support for wildlife conservation efforts at the zoo, Safari Park and the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research.

Tula says the Roar carrier is a limited edition product but should be available through at least the end of summer.

Tula was founded in 2009 by San Diego resident and mother of three, Ula Tuszewicka and her husband, Mike Pham. The couple and their children are longtime San Diego Zoo members and  like many zoo visitors with little ones  often wear their babies on their visits.

The Tula community across the world shares our passion for the experiences zoos offer to our families. In fact, we have a local Tula Love group that visits the San Diego Zoo regularly! said Tuszewicka in a press release.

As a tribute to customers who wear their babies to the zoo, the company has declared May 21 Tula at the Zoo day, encouraging families around the world to visit their local zoo and share snapshots of themselves wearing their babies.

Those visiting the San Diego Zoo that day can test out the Roar! carrier with reps from the company and can enter to win the product, plus future admission for four to the zoo.
Afternoon tea never looked so good. Whether you fancy traditional British tea or Southern tea, Virginia has plenty of proper tea rooms for your next tea-drinking destination.

Rosemont Manor

16 Rosemont Manor Lane, Berryville

Presidents have walked the halls of this historic manor in Berryville, where you'll find a selection of curated teas where they blend traditional British afternoon tea with the old-fashioned Southern tea charm.

"You are stepping back into a time where people were kinder, more gracious, where life slows down for a moment and you truly get to enjoy the time, season and the moment," said Michael Haymaker, director of design at Rosemont.

Rosemont Manor is located about an hour and 40 minutes from downtown D.C.

The British Pantry

41153 John Mosby Highway, Aldie

The only way you could know about the British Pantry is if you've driven by it. That's how we found out about this gem of a tea room. This tiny British-style tea room offers creative afternoon teas, like the Winter Warmer, Tears for Downton Abbey and Bunny Whimsy, depending on the time of year and upcoming holidays. Kids seem to love learning the etiquette of using proper tea settings -- and chowing down on the tasty mini-cake bites, of course.

The British Pantry is located about 90 minutes from downtown D.C.

White Oak Tea Room

5690 Roanoke Road, Troutville

This pub-style tearoom is located in an 18th-century house known as the Cloyd House. The refurbished home-turned-tavern has guests enjoying premium whole leaf teas in flavors such as ginger root, lavender and peach apricot along with Assam, Kenyan and Yunnan blends.

White Oak Tea Room is located about four hours and 15 minutes from downtown D.C.

Crest Hill Antiques and Tea Room

4303 Fauquier Ave., The Plains

Crest Hill Tea Room is located in The Plains, an area with some of the best rolling farm fields of Virginia -- and throughout May, Crest Hill is celebrating Mothers Day every day. The spot offers a luncheon with petite soup, assorted tea savories with chocolate tier, pastries and veggie garnish. Each guest will also receive a long-stemmed rose, a gift and a 15 percent discount in the store.

Crest Hill is located about an hour and 35 minutes from downtown D.C.
Officials plan to change

road curve warning

signs in Oregon

BEND  Oregon transportation officials plan to increase the recommended speed on signs advising drivers to slow down while approaching a curve.

The Bulletin reports that Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Tom Fuller says officials will change 50 to 75 percent of the signs on state-managed roads, mostly by bumping up the recommended speed by 5 or 10 mph.

According Fuller, many of the recommended speeds date back to the 1930s or 1940s, when road managers often took a more conservative approach. The department will be using modern equipment to set the new recommendations.

Fuller says the change is part of a federal push to make such signs more consistent across the country.

ODOT officials say many signs along highways in Central and Eastern Oregon have already been replaced.

Small quakes detected

at Mount Hood

PORTLAND  A swarm of small earthquakes has been detected at Mount Hood.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quakes began Sunday evening and continued into Monday. The strongest quake was a magnitude 1.9. It hit Monday at about 6:39 a.m.

Feds taking comments

on fire break plan

in Idaho, Oregon

BOISE, Idaho  Federal officials are taking public comments on a plan to build about 400 miles of fire breaks in southwest Idaho and southeast Oregon following last year's massive wildfire in the area.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management says some of the fire breaks that follow road corridors have already been built on an emergency basis.

The agency is considering the environmental effects of creating more fuel breaks using mechanical and chemical treatments, plantings and targeted grazing.

The project is part of a $67 million rehabilitation effort following a wildfire last year that scorched 436 square miles of sagebrush steppe that supports cattle grazing and some 350 species of wildlife, including sage grouse.

Comments are being taken through May 27.

Bernie Sanders hoping

for high voter turnout

PORTLAND  Sen. Bernie Sanders says he's hoping for "a very large voter turnout" in Oregon this week to secure a win against Hillary Clinton in the state's primary election.

Sanders told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Saturday that his agenda is one that Oregon residents "feel comfortable with" living in "one of the most progressive states" in the U.S.

The Vermont senator has not yet won in a state with a closed primary like Oregon's, where only voters who are registered as Democrats or Republicans can pick a presidential nominee on their ballot.

But Sanders says "if voter turnout is high, we will win."

In Oregon, roughly 160,000 voters proactively took steps this year to make themselves eligible to cast a presidential ballot during the closed primary on Tuesday.

Wolves kill llama

in northeast Oregon

WALLOWA  Oregon wildlife officials say one or more wolves have killed a llama in northeast Oregon.

The Capital Press reports that a llama was found dead and partially eaten on May 9 on private land in the Buford Creek drainage of Wallowa County.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials say fresh wolf tracks were found near the carcass and the location an size of bite marks indicated that wolves were responsible. Tracking collar data shows the Shamrock Pack was in the area six days before the llama was found dead.
A man broke into a woman's home in Arlington, Virginia, early Sunday and sexually assaulted her, police said.

The attack occurred on the 700 block of N. Edgewood Street, about a half-mile southeast of the Clarendon Metro station, about 5 a.m. Sunday, Arlington County Police said.

The victim, a 25-year-old woman, arrived home about 2:30 a.m. and saw a man walking behind her home, she told police. She saw him get into a tan-colored car and leave, and she went to sleep.

Hours later, she awoke to find a man sexually assaulting her, police said.

The attacker fled and the victim was able to call 911.

"We know that he unlawfully entered her home," police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. "How exactly he ended up inside the residence, that's still under investigation."

Nothing inside the home was taken, police said.

"You feel safest in your home, and that's why we're using all the resources we have available to investigate this incident," Savage said. "If [you] saw anything that evening that was suspicious, please come forward and report it to the Arlington County police.

The suspect, who police believe is the same man the woman saw before the attack, was wearing a dark jacket with a hood and driving a tan-colored four-door sedan.

Police searched the area using dogs. The investigation continues.

Police are investigating whether the attack may be related to another incident early Sunday. A woman told police she was walking home when a man followed her. She went inside and he banged on her door repeatedly, police said.

Anyone with information on the attack or the suspect is asked to call police at 703-228-4198. To submit information anonymously, call 1-866-411-TIPS.
One of three men charged in the shooting death of a Virginia high school student pleaded guilty Monday.

Danny Centeno Miranda, 17, a sophomore at Park View High School, was gunned down last September as he walked to a school bus stop in Sterling.

Juan Moises Aguirre Zelaya -- who was charged with possession of a firearm by a person who is not a citizen of the United States and accessory after the fact -- pleaded guilty Monday.

Police say Zelaya, Henry Ernesto Dominguez Vasquez and the 17-year-old gunman were gang members who believed they were killing a member of a rival gang.

Zelaya lived in the same townhouse complex as Miranda, who moved to the U.S. from El Salvador in late 2013 to escape danger in his home country and to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins, Miranda's family said last year.

After the shooting, the gunman ran into a home, detectives said. Zelaya admitted to throwing away shell casings, and the gunman used Vasquez' cell phone to call gang leaders in El Salvador to tell them what they had done, police said.

Investigators found the alleged murder weapon inside a freezer, wrapped in foil inside a carryout food container.

A spokeswoman for the Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office said details about Zelaya's plea deal will be released at a later date.
A group of Northern Virginia high schoolers with autism are getting some help from an unlikely source: miniature horses.

The horses are a part of Project Horses Mobile Minis Team, which traverses the region to bring comfort to those who need it most, such as students with special needs and teens dealing with depression.

In an autism support classroom at Park View High School in Sterling, Virginia, tiny miniature horse Fiona Fudge made a big entrance Monday. For her visit to the school, this young member of the Mobile Minis team made a statement with flowered hair pieces and pink hoof guards.

Darcy Woessner, who founded Project Horse in 2008, said she loves both children and horses. She has been bringing the horses to schools with volunteers help for the last three years.

"To have the opportunity to have my two passions combined couldnt be any better," Woessner said.

At Park View High School, both Fiona Fudge and the classrooms usual occupants were nervous about the encounter. But with Woessners encouragement, the room was quickly full of smiles as students gained the courage to approach Fionia.

"Theyre more confident, [and] they work better as a team," said Lauren Kloman, the students teacher.

According to Project Horses website, Fionia Fudge is one of three members of the Mobile Minis team. Her online profile describes her as outgoing and a budding abstract painter.
What to Know James McBride had "fatal encounter" with special police officers after leaving hospital without formal discharge.

McBride died Oct. 1 from blunt force injuries to the neck, including damage to his spinal cord, the medical examiner's office said.

Grand jury indicted Clifton Montgomery and Charles Brown on involuntary manslaughter charges.

Two special police officers face charges in the death of a MedStar Washington Hospital Center patient last year.

James E. McBride, a husband and father, was a patient at MedStar Washington Hospital Center Sept. 29 when he left without formal discharge, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

He was found at the nearby MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital and was being escorted back to the hospital's main entrance when he "became non-compliant and resisted," according to a police report.

An idictment says McBride had a "fatal encounter" with 30-year-old Clifton Montgomery and 43-year Charles Brown.

McBride died Oct. 1 from blunt force injuries to the neck, including damage to his spinal cord, the medical examiner's office said. His death was ruled a homicide.

A grand jury indicted Montgomery and Brown on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
Like it or not, we're all pretty well-acquainted with the rain by now.

But there are probably some weird things you haven't even realized are affected by the nearly nonstop rain and gloomy skies -- such as, what does this awful weather have to do with wineries, the Internet and your household bills?

You might be surprised. Read on for 10 weird things affected by this lousy weather:

1. Wineries are having a tough time. The rain is good for your grass -- but the grapes at some Virginia wineries have suffered due to the unseasonably cool weather, NBC12.com in Richmond reports.

James River Cellars north of Richmond took a big hit on its Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer grapes; co-owner James Batterson told NBC12 that the "best case scenario is half a harvest" for those varieties.

Barboursville Vineyards south of Culpeper estimates a 35-percent loss in Chardonnay and a 50-percent loss of Nebbiolo, NBC12.com reports.

2. Horses practicing for Preakness could run into difficulties. While this weekend's Preakness race in Baltimore is a rain-or-shine event, steady showers already interfered with training plans for the favorite in the race.

With rain in the forecast, Nyquist's trainer moved up the horse's Tuesday morning training session by more than two hours, DRF.com reported.

3. Your Internet connection may be slower. We know, this is scary. Although storms and extreme heat or cold can be obvious culprits for cutting out your Internet service, when weather is merely icky, we can end up with annoying slowdowns, according to Bandwidthplace.com.

And that's because, just like you, everyone else in your area code is also huddled up on their couches, just trying to stream a little Netflix or Amazon Prime to make it through the misery.

4. Your mood is likely taking a nosedive (for more reasons than just that aforementioned Internet slowdown). Let's face it, there are always some people out there who love cool, gray weather. (Don't ask us to explain this.) But if you're not one of them, you're probably going stir-crazy by now. (If so, check out our guide to 10 (mostly indoor) activities that will cheer you up despite the rain.

5. But allergies (most of them, anyway) are taking a break. One good thing: You've probably recovered from the spring allergies you were suffering from earlier this spring if you're allergic to pollen, which the rain is keeping down.

6. ...Unless what you're allergic to is actually mold. All this rain is leading to dampness in some basements and mold spores in the air outdoors, said Storm Team4.

7. Solar panels are less efficient. If you've got solar panels, you're probably noticing a difference thanks to all these gloomy days.

8. Mosquitoes could be extra bad once the weather warms up. Mosquitoes lay their eggs near standing water; the eggs hatch when submerged, according to the CDC. In addition to the simple annoyance of itchy bug bites, you'll also want to protect yourself from the types of mosquitoes that carry diseases such as West Nile or Zika.

If you have anything outside your home that could collect water -- such as flowerpot saucers, discarded tires, pool covers, trash cans or bird baths -- dump the water and scrub the item once a week, the CDC says.

9. Your household bills might look different. Even though it's May, the unseasonably cool weather means your heating bills might be up. On the other hand, your electric bill might be a good deal lower, since you're probably not running the A/C a whole lot.

10. Are you having an easier time finding parking? Lousy weather generally means more people are staying in -- so if you're finding parking spots a lot more quickly these days, you have the dreary weather to thank.
Police have arrested two people in connection with a shooting outside a North Providence, Rhode Island, convenience store that left a 46-year-old man dead and his adult son severely injured.

Police confirm the suspects were arrested in Providence, but have not yet released any names. A news conference is scheduled for later in the day.

The victims were shot near Sam's Food Store at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday.

Police say 46-year-old Hernan Avila Jr. died and 23-year-old Hernan Avila III was taken to the hospital with critical injuries.

Georgette Avila says her son got into an argument with a group of men who approached him asking where to buy marijuana and her husband jumped in front of their son to shield him from the bullets.

Police have not disclosed a motive.
WARNING: This video contains graphic content.

After Gina Marie Antonelli was beaten by her boyfriend James Armato in Malden, Massachusetts, her family shared the before and after photos to help raise awareness for domestic violence.

According to the District Attorney's office, Armato, age 27, of Stoneham, Mass., is accused of assaulting Antonelli, age 25, of Peabody, Mass., on Sunday around 2:30 a.m. in Malden, Mass.

Armato, a former mixed martial arts fighter, was charged with attempted murder, strangulation, assault and battery on a household or family member, assault, and resisting arrest.

Antonelli suffered a fractured orbital bone and broken teeth as a result of the assault.

She allowed family members to post the before and after photos online to bring awareness to other victims of domestic violence.

Antonelli hopes the photos encourage others to leave similar situations.

She told necn, "There were times where I wanted to leave, but he would never hold me against my will for it. It was always me wanting to help him and wanting to fix him."

Nearly $15,000 has been raised through a GoFund Me page so far.

The proceeds will go towards Antonelli's medical bills.
The father of Ian MacPherson, the suspect accused of shooting two Manchester, New Hampshire, police officers, spoke to necn about his son on Tuesday.

Russell MacPherson said his son is a paranoid schizophrenic who was arrested for assaulting him a few times.

"He broke my nose and slammed my head into the ground," Russell MacPherson said.

He said the mental health system and courts had Ian in their custody numerous times and "knew of his condition... and just let him walk."

Ian MacPherson is accused of shooting two officers on Friday morning after officers attempted to question MacPherson in an armed robbery of a gas station.

Russell MacPherson said he's angry his son was able to legally purchase a weapon from Chester Arms in Derry, New Hampshire, and considers this a loophole in the gun laws. He said it appears the background check "never happened."

The owner of Chester Arms said he did not want to comment for fear of jeopardizing the investigation.

Russell MacPherson was not afraid to place blame on the state for what he calls a lack of proper treatment.

"If Ian is the one who assaulted those officers, that's an injustice to this state, this country as a whole," he said.

He and his family are thankful that both officers are going to recover.
Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown said he would be honored to serve as Donald Trump's vice president, but he doesn't think that's very likely.

He thinks South Dakota Sen. John Thune would make a great vice president for Trump, but Thune hasn't been showing up on the short lists of possible candidates.

Brown has, and he is not shy about saying why.

"Well, I was there for years, obviously I know everybody. I bring more of a moderate position on issues and the ability to find solutions, having been the most bipartisan senator, that has value."

Brown has been in close contact with the Trump campaign ever since he hosted Trump at a January rally in New Hampshire, and then became the first U.S. senator - past or present - to publicly endorse Trump.

Asked if he could share a bit about how he's been helping the Trump campaign, Brown said, "Well, having run 19 races, I have the ability to comment on, you know, the pit falls. Some of them are very easy, like the Chris Matthews interview. That was an easy question..."

Trump told Matthews in a March interview that he believes women should be punished for having an abortion.

"I will pro-actively send them or call him, tell him, 'Listen, this is what's going to happen,'" Brown said. "'This is how I suggest you respond.'"

Trump may have been looking for advice this weekend following a long New York Times article about his treatment of women over the years. including "unwelcome advances and unsettling work place conduct."

Brown defended Trump against those accusations.

"A lot of what I'm reading pales in comparison to what Bill Clinton did," he said. "So, when you take someone who was never a politician and you take isolated incidents like that...

"I don't have a lot of faith in the New York Times. First of all, I thought it was a hatchet job. I've been inside his business many, many times, been in the Trump Towers, been in the offices, and many of the women are in high level, hard-charging positions, so that's also a reflection on how he views women in my mind."
The Family Tree Relief Nurserys diaper drive resulted in more than 18,000 diapers being collected by the nonprofit agency.

Last year, we only collected a little over 9,000, so the community has doubled their donations this year and we cant thank them enough, said Martina Robinson, development assistant for Family Tree Relief Nursery.

Businesses and organizations in downtown Albany, encouraged to participate by the Albany Downtown Association, contributed about 10,000 of the diapers for this years drive, Robinson said.

Lebanon and Scio also had drop-off locations for the diaper drive, which was held to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Frustration can sometimes lead to unintended abuse. Its amazing what a gift of diapers can do for a family, said Marie Jennings, director of advancement and operations for Family Tree Relief Nursery.

About 20 percent of children live in poverty, and diapers can be too expensive for their families.
A Massachusetts State Police trooper was dragged for about 300 feet by a car he stopped for several motor vehicle violations on Monday night in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Around 10:05 p.m., Trooper Theodore Tudryn stopped a 2006 Mazda 6 after observing its operator commit motor vehicle violations on Interstate 91 and Interstate 291.

When signaled to stop as he exited I-291, the driver continued on before eventually stopping on Dwight Street in Springfield.

Tudryn approached the vehicle, and as he was speaking with the driver and the other occupants of the vehicle, observed what appeared to be a small bag of crack cocaine. The trooper opened the driver's door and ordered the driver out of the vehicle. The driver refused to comply, pulling away, putting the car in drive and beginning to drive forward, dragging the trooper alongside the vehicle.

With his body half in the vehicle, fighting for control, Tudryn was able to get the vehicle into park, but the driver then pulled it back into drive and continued driving.

Tudryn then moved himself into the vehicle as he continued to fight for control. After about 300 feet he and a Springfield police officer were able to take control of the vehicle and get it stopped.

About 800 bags of heroin were found in the vehicle.

The driver, Justin R. Morgan, 24, of Newport, Vermont, is facing nine charges, including trafficking in heroin/morphine/opium, conspiracy to violate drug law, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (motor vehicle), assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, motor vehicle operator refusing to identify themselves, marked lanes violation and a number plate violation.

The two passengers in the car - Robert G. Fitzgerald, 26, of Eden, Vermont, and Joseph A. Peets, 30, of Morrisville, Vermont - are charged with trafficking in heroin/morphine/opium and conspiracy to violate drug law.
A Massachusetts State Police trooper is being praised for his kindness after stopping to have lunch with a panhandler.

A person who knew nothing about the situation snapped this photo and posted it to a Facebook group in Fall River, captioned "And they say chivalry is dead...Much respect."

Massachusetts State Police did a little digging and found out the trooper in the photograph is Luke Bonin, who is assigned to the State Police Dartmouth Barracks.

After reaching out to Bonin, he was surprised that someone had taken his picture, stating he wasn't seeking any publicity.

Upon being asked, Bonin told his fellow comrades that he drove by the woman, who appeared down on her luck, on Davol St. She was holding a sign and asking for help.

Bonin drove to a local establishment, where he ordered two meals. He returned to the woman and told her "I'm not here to kick you out."

He told her to pick one of the meals. She did, and they enjoyed lunch and a conversation together.
A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Chicago was forced to double back to Boston's Logan Airport on Monday night after hitting turbulence so severe passengers vomited and passed out and four people were injured.

Flight 147 had only been in the air about 10 minutes when the plane hit bad turbulence around 9:20 p.m. ET, flight officials said.

Some of the 133 passengers on board said they felt as if the plane had been falling before it "suddenly stopped." Witnesses told NBC Chicago the impact was so severe, some people on board started throwing up and others fainted, prompting the pilot to ask for help from passengers with medical training.

"I helped one of the flight attendants [then] went back to the seat," said Dr. Nathaniel George, a podiatrist from Chicago. "I think somebody yelled out. Another passenger got nauseous. ... Then they said they had to turn the plane around."

Chicago nurse Sherry Sanchez was among those who jumped in to help.

"There was another girl passed out, there was about four to five people throwing up," Sanchez recalled in an interview with NBC Chicago. "The other flight attendant fell into the side of a chair, hurt his arm, but he didn't break it. ... It was pretty scary for everybody on the plane."

The pilot turned the plane around and landed in Boston just after midnight. According to MassPort, four people suffered minor injuries. Two were taken to a local hospital. The other two refused medical treatment.

"Thankfully, there were a lot of people able to help," said passenger Angela Gordon, a teacher in Chicago. "Everyone came together and supported one another, but we're all exhausted."

Southwest brought in a new flight crew and the plane departed once again for Chicago, according the airline. It landed at Midway Airport around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, about four and a half hours behind schedule.
Police are asking for the public's help with finding a Massachusetts man who was last seen dropping his child off at day care.

Denis Lynch, 25, of Methuen was reported missing Tuesday after last being seen Monday around 9 a.m. when he dropped his child off at a day care.

He's described as about 5-foot 8-inches, weighs approximately 145 pounds, with dirty blonde hair and green eyes. It's unclear what he was wearing when he was last seen, but he had black Sketcher sneakers.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Methuen police at 978-983-8698.
Authorities in Massachusetts are searching for a suspect in an armed bank robbery and assault.

Police in Lakeville say the male suspect walked into the Bridgewater Savings Bank on Main Street late Monday morning where he held an employee at gunpoint and demanded cash.

Surveillance photos released by Lakeville police show the suspect wearing a black hoodie and black beanie.

Police also say the suspect has a tattoo on the left hand/wrist that possibly resembles a bar code.

There's a reward for information leading to the suspect's arrest, and anyone with information is asked to call Lakeville police at 508-947-4422, or by anonymous tip 508-946-8815.
Residents of Burlington now have the ability to file complaints against the Vermont city's police department or individual officers on the Internet.

The Burlington Police Department has launched its new online complaint platform after recently joining the White House's open data initiative to promote better police accountability. More than 50 other police departments across the county have also answered President Barack Obama's call for more transparency and better digital services.

A form on Burlington's government website allows residents to file their complaints easily and with the ability to remain anonymous. All complaints will be sent to the department's crime analyst, Connor Brooks.

Chief Brandon Del Pozo says the department received just 12 complaints in 2015, but police officials don't want any complaints to "fall through the cracks."
A woman was killed and a man was badly injured in a crash in Acton, Massachusetts, early Tuesday morning.

The accident was reported around 12:27 a.m. on Central Street. Police and fire arrived and found a 2008 white Saturn in the driveway of 394 Central St. Both occupants of the vehicle had sustained serious injuries.

Thirty-nine-year-old Shannon Milhomme-Hoepers of Acton was taken by ambulance to Emerson Hospital in Concord where she was pronounced dead.

The driver of the Saturn, later identified as her husband, 35-year-old Deeiyvid Hoepers, was taken to Boston Medical Center via a medical helicopter with serious injuries. He has since been upgraded to serious but stable condition.

Hoepers was charged with motor vehicle homicide, operating under the influence of liquor, a second offense operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and marked lanes violation.

Police said the vehicle appears to have been traveling on Central Street into Acton when it left the roadway, struck a wall and a telephone pole and ended up in the driveway against a vehicle that was parked there.

State police are assisting Acton Police with the accident investigation.
Around 2:30 on Saturday morning, 16-year-old Zamir Sanders was killed after being hit and dragged by a car in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Police say Zamir and three other teens were "horsing around" near the street when he ended up laying down on the side of the road on purpose.

"I heard they were playing a game called 'dead' and someone lays down in the road and plays dead, and I really hope they don't play that game anymore," said neighbor Jessica Francis.

"They were having what was called a fake fight basically to scare the people that were going by in traffic," said Springfield Sgt. John Delaney.

Police say the 41-year-old woman from Chicopee who hit Zamir was not familiar with the area and attempted to drive around the stopped car in front of her.

According to police, the driver hit the teen and drove about 300 feet with him under her car until Zamir's friends finally banged on the car to stop her.

Delaney said she has been cooperating with police over the last couple of days and is "emotionally and physically upset."

Police said she even say she tried to help Zamir.

"She went out to the trunk of her car got out the car jack and jacked up her car, EMTs arrived, she helped extricate that young man," said Delaney.

Police are calling this a tragic accident that sadly took the life of a young teen, and said that Zamir's three friends ran off right after the accident. For 14 hours police had no idea who he was.

Police say they are conducting a thoughtful and thorough investigation.

The driver of the car has not been cited.

A roadside memorial remains on St. James Ave. in Springfield.
A driver has been arrested after police say his vehicle struck a striking Verizon worker on a picket line in Boylston, Massachusetts, Tuesday.

Police say the worker, 48-year-old Anthony P. Davenport of Holden, was struck by a truck being driven by replacement worker, later identified as 37-year-old Kevin S. Goodale of Bethel, Vermont. The truck allegedly stopped in front of a picket line and lurched forward, striking the worker.

Police are investigating if the incident was intentional.

Verizon workers have been striking since April after contract talks failed.

Goodale, who police say left the scene in a coworker's vehicle and then returned, is being held on $5,000 bail after being charged with leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a suspended license and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

It's not clear if Goodale has an attorney. His next court date is June 2.

Davenport was transported to a hospital for injuries to his hand, hip and leg.

In a statement, Verizon said its initial review showed that the picketing workers were too close to the vehicle, creating unsafe conditions.

"Dangerous picketing activities put our employees and others in harm's way and must stop immediately," a representative said.

This is the second time in seven days when a striking worker in Massachusetts has been struck by a replacement worker.

Another replacement worker is facing drunken driving and assault and battery charges after he allegedly hit a picketing Verizon worker and a police officer with his pickup truck in Westborough last week.
April 5, 1949  May 11, 2016

Lynn Marvin McConnell met his Lord Jesus on May 11, due to an extended illness. Lynn was born in Medford to Ernest C. and May E. (King) McConnell.

In his senior year at Eagle Point High School he joined the Naval Reserve in Medford. After graduation he served in Viet Nam from 1968  1969. In June of 1970, he married the love of his life, Robin Howard. They were married 45 years & 11 months. Their daughter Kristin was born in March 1972. In 1973, the family moved to Albany for Lynns new job at American Can Co. in Halsey. In 1976 they welcomed a son, Kyle.

Lynn was a National Guardsman in Salem, with the 1042nd MI Battalion. He was also an active member of the Albany Jaycees and was very involved with the Albany Timber Carnival. In 1998, Lynn retired after 25 years, from what is now known as Georgia Pacific in Halsey.

Lynns favorite hobbies were bowling and fishing, until his illness prevented him from doing so. His favorite place to fish was Clear Lake.

Lynn was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, David and Forrest. He is survived by his wife, Robin; children, Kristin and Kyle; Jennifer McKinney, Kyles girlfriend and Lynns part time caregiver and friend, as well as, five granddaughters and one grandson.

A celebration of life will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, May 21, at the Salvation Army, 345 Columbus, Albany. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to The Salvation Army food pantry or The Parkinsons Disease Foundation in Lynns memory. Condolences may be sent to Aasum-Dufour Funeral Home, 805 Ellsworth SW, Albany OR, 97321.


Bishop of Lynn alters rock song for Christian Aid Bishop of Lynn alters rock song for Christian Aid

The Bishop of Lynn has adapted and performed a well-known rock song, calling it Turn it Green, to highlight Christian Aids focus on Bangladesh during Christian Aid Week.

The Bishop of Lynn, the Rt Rev Jonathan Meyrick, has written new lyrics to a well-known rock song, to encourage people to respond generously to Christian Aid Week and its focus on Bangladesh. He was filmed performing the song, 'Turn it Green', at St Faiths Church Gaywood in King's Lynn.


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
A Florida man currently on trial for murder reportedly attempted to use Siri to garner ideas about where to bury the body of his dead roommate. According to police allegations, a University of Florida student named Pedro Bravo murdered his roomate via strangulation in late September of 2012 over a dispute involving Bravo's ex- girlfriend.

According to a detective working the case, Bravo subsequently fired up Siri on his iPhone and entered the following query, "I need to hide my roommate."

Though Siri now responds to such queries with a "That's very funny", the software at the time actually responded with the following:

What kind of place are you looking for? Swamps. Reservoirs. Metal Foundries. Dumps.

The body of Bravo's roomate was later found in a makeshift grave in a forest close to Bravo's apartment. Also of note is that investigators determined that Bravo, during the same time frame he asked Siri for advice on where to hide the body, also used a flashlight app nine times. Though circumstantial, the inference is that he used the flashlight on the iPhone to help him see as he disposed of the body.

via The Independent
SWEET HOME  It's been a long dry spell for fans of the Sweet Home Community Pool.

The pool's 13-year-old boiler went out during the last week of February. Officials with the Sweet Home School District, which maintains the pool, closed the facility and ordered a new boiler from the same manufacturing company the following week.

They expected delivery would take about five weeks, but various factors nearly doubled the wait. Kevin Strong, the district's business manager, said according to the boiler company, a backordered part combined with a recent move from one factory location to another pushed the delivery from five weeks to more than nine.

The new boiler has now arrived and work on installation is scheduled to wrap up this week, Strong said.

"Assuming the installation goes smoothly, we will be able to fire up the boiler and have it inspected," he said. "We will reopen the pool once the water is warm enough."

Strong estimated the new boiler, plus installation, probably would cost about $30,000. That payment is coming from the school district's long-term maintenance fund.

The pool is in its second year of a five-year local option levy of 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, which helps cover operating costs and maintenance. If necessary, Strong said, he will speak to the school board about the possibility of boosting the district's budget contribution to cover the boiler.

Sweet Home has been trying to keep people updated through its website, www.sweethome.k12.or.us, and its Sweet Home School District Facebook page.

One person watching the updates is Jody Seward of Sweet Home, who said she's been grateful to the Lebanon Community Pool for providing practice space for Sweet Home swim club during the wait.

The pool means a lot to the community, Seward said.

"All three of my children and now grandchildren have proudly been part of the Sweet Home Swim Club from age 7. They also spent summers teaching swim lessons and life guarding year round," she said. "My son James received a scholarship to a university in Hawaii for water polo his senior year. Many of our senior swimmers have been offered swimming scholarships."

Strong said he anticipates the pool being reopened before school lets out for the summer.

"We appreciate the community's patience and we look forward to reopening the pool as soon as we can," he said.
If a dropped ice cream cone is one of the saddest images in the world, then the loss of tens of thousands of dollars of ice creamespecially Ben & Jerrys ice creamis a tragedy.

Its also a huge financial hit, and one that Udder Ventures experienced when a new walk-in freezer malfunctioned at its Ben & Jerrys Scoop Shop in the Haight-Asbury section of San Francisco.

The equipment wasnt installed perfectlyit wasnt localized for temperature variances in San Francisco properly, said John Slater, Udder Ventures chief euphoria officer (the managing member of the company). So, it kept tripping the system, and when the system tripped, the freezer shut offand the ice cream melted.

It turned off 230 times in nine months. That loss of product is substantialtens of thousands of dollars of lost product, Slater said. I had many sleepless nights. And Id come in every morning and have this anxiety: Is all my ice cream melted again or did it stay on last night?

The scoop shop had a security system that included a trip alarm connected to the freezer. It would send an email notification if it sensed a problem, but no specific information about the problem, so Slater didnt know, for example, if the freezer was shutting down again or if it was simply the defrost cycle, which occurs four times a day.

And if he received an alert in the middle of the night, he would have to go to the shop to make sure the freezer was still running.

I had a lot of sleepless nights. I lost a lot of money. I finally decided this was giving me an ulcer and I needed a solution, Slater said.

Temperature sensor to the rescue

After nine months, the scoop shops freezer was recalibrated and stopped tripping the system and shutting down. After what Slater went through, though, he was on edge wondering if the freezer was going to fail again. The email alerts were still unhelpful and were often false positives. Slater needed a better sensor system.

He decided to use a temperature sensor system from Monnit Corp. in Kayesville, Utah. The system takes whats essentially a dumb piece of equipment and makes it smart, said Brad Walters, CEO of Monnit.

Udder Ventures Serving up ice cream at the perfect temperature at the Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop in the Haight-Asbury section of San Francisco

It includes a probe that goes into the freezer; a wireless, battery-operated sensor; a gateway to receive the data and then send it to a cloud-based portal. Finally, software analyzes the data and alerts users when sensors detect a problem.

The sensors run on a quarter-size battery that will last two years, and they operate long range200 feet to 300 feet through walls, Walters said.

Monnits sensors operate on low-frequency wireless technology Monnit developed specifically for IoT. Many other companies use existing wireless technology, which is less efficient and less reliable for IoT devices, he said.

A lot of the companies out there are typically trying to use existing wireless technologies like Wi-Fi to deliver IoT connectivity, Walters said. The challenge is Wi-Fi was developed for streaming audio or streaming a video. Its like using a Mack truck to try and deliver a little red wagon worth of data. So, inherently its much less efficient.

Walters also said Wi-Fi-based sensors consume much more battery power, and transmit about one-fifth the range of Monnit sensors.

Slater said the sensor system was relatively inexpensive and easy to install, and it provides useful informationmore than what Slater said he could get from any other sensor system.

I took out the security systems probe in the freezer, inserted the Monnit probe, put a battery in the sensor, logged into the iMonnit portal and turned the sensor on. And immediately my probe started feeding me information, he said.

And when the system issues an alert, it includes detailed information to help Slater quickly determine if its an emergency or not.

When Slater gets an alert, he can log in to the portal via the iMonnit app or through Monnits web-based software. The online software uses SSL encryption for web access, and user access and permissions are managed through the software once logged in as an administrator for their account.

The software supports a variety of user permissions that the administrator controls, ranging from `view-only for individual sensor networks to creating additional administrators at the account level (and everything in between). For example, a user can have manage capabilities for one sensor network and view-only permission for all other sensor networks on the account.

Monnit also provides local PC software (Monnit Express), which runs on the users computer and does not need access to the internet. The software is limited to 10 wireless gateways and 50 wireless sensors at a time.

The data can also be exported to APIs to run in a companys own applications.

Data allows for better business decisions

Slater said the alerts from the Monnit system provide useful information, which helps him make good decisionsdoes he need to wake up a manager to go into the store, does he need to call an emergency 24/7 repair person, or can he relax because he knows the defrost cycle triggered the alert?

Its a lot smarter than the security system I used to have, he said. And the whole thing, including a years subscription to the portal, is about $300. Its a minor investment for all of the information you get and compared with the cost of lost product.

Also, because the sensors are so accurate, Slater said he can adjust the freezer to the temperature he wants the ice cream to be. He can handle the product better, as well as better manage the power usage.

And he hasnt lost any productor sleepsince the sensor was installed.

Unfortunately I had to go through a crisis to find out this technology was available, Slater said. But I went through it and thought there must be a better way, and sure enough there was.
As SAP holds its annual Sapphire Now user conference in Orlando this week, two of the leading IaaS providers are making the case for running SAP apps on their public clouds.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella joined SAP CEO Bill McDermott during the Sapphire keynotes on Tuesday to announce a broad partnership between the two companies that will optimize the Azure public cloud to run SAP workloads.

Not to be outdone, early this morning before the keynote even kicked off Amazon Web Services issued a press release announcing a handful of customers  including General Electric, Brooks Brothers and Lionsgate are running SAP apps on its public cloud.

Constellation Research analyst Holger Mueller says the moves raise another question: Has SAP given up on SAP Cloud?

+MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: Just where does IBM fit in the cloud? +

Microsoft is priming Azure to be a platform for hosting SAP apps. The company announced new 32 TB multi-node memory virtual machine instances designed to run the companys in-memory databases. Another 3 TB single node instance is also in the works and the company says SAP HANA One VM images are available on the Azure Marketplace of third-party software.

AWS noted that various SAP apps are certified to run on AWS including S/4HANA, SAP Business Suite on HANA, Business Warehouse on HANA, SAP HANA, SAP Business All-in-One, SAP Business One, SAP BusinessObjects, SAP Database and Mobile Solutions. Enterprise usage of SAP on AWS is growing incredibly fast across all verticals and geographies as enterprises get more comfortable running their most important applications on AWS and the cloud, said Terry Wise, Vice President, Worldwide Partner Ecosystem, AWS.

Mueller says its a good thing for customers to have options of where to run their SAP workloads. Last year SAP made an announcement with IBM regarding Big Blues readiness to run SAP workloads. Mueller says it will be interesting to see how SAP pitches its own cloud as it partners with big IaaS providers. SAP offers its software as a service from its own cloud, while at the same time enabling its apps to run on other IaaS platforms. SAP is now 'leaking' cloud dollars to IaaS vendors, Mueller notes. SAP is already non-exclusive. If it looks like they are not pushing their own cloud anymore then well have to find out why.
Cybercrime may be booming but its business model is vulnerable on many fronts, according to a new report.

"We've been observing that they've been acting like a business for a while," said Shogo Cottrell, security strategist at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which produced the report.

The profit motivation accounts for more than three-quarters of all data breaches and has been rising in recent years, according to this year's Verizon data breach report.

But cybercrime also shares many of the vulnerabilities that traditional businesses do, said Cottrell.

For example, a criminal group's reputation is even more important in the underground economy than brand reputation in the legitimate world.

"In the underground space, there is a huge lack of trust and an enormous amount of paranoia," he said. "Everyone is doing nefarious activities. It's hard to trust someone who is at the core untrustworthy."

As a result, reputation counts for a lot among criminals, but it's also hard to build a solid reputation, and easy to lose it. And once the reputation takes a hit, where a legitimate business will try to repair the damage and salvage the brand, the bad guys just throw in the towel.

"They have a tendency to start over," said Cottrell. "And that's a lengthy and costly effort. Having to build a new persona, they have to regain trust, rebuild all of that from the ground up."

Rumors that a group fails to deliver, or has been infiltrated by authorities, can quickly destroy a criminal enterprise.

"You do have to have some credibility as well before you start throwing rocks," he said. "But those pillars of trust are very shaky and do fall very easily."

Trust isn't just important for criminal groups, but for individual hackers, as well.

For example, nobody is going to want to do business with people linked to FBI investigations.

And when it comes to destroying criminal reputations, the authorities have unlikely allies -- other criminals themselves.

Cybercriminal groups are quick to go after each other, and there are no laws or authorities that can protect against unfair business practices.

Hacking tools are also vulnerable to reputational damage. They could, for example, include code from competitors or authorities that tracks activity or deliberately hurts business.

Cybercriminals are also vulnerable to anything that impacts their profit margins.

"We want to limit the financial results they can realize," said Cottrell.

For example, a large corporation could set up a deception grid, filled with fake data, that not only wastes criminals' time and gives the defenders the opportunity to identify them, but also leaves them with worthless information.

This story, "Cybercriminal business model vulnerable to intervention" was originally published by CSO .
Digital has become the way. Look through any business publication or trade magazine, and youll see a plethora of articles about digital transformation.

A digital business is highly dependent on the underlying infrastructure to enable new services that can give it a competitive advantage. The underlying technology not only needs to seamlessly deliver the services, but also provide the highest levels of security, orchestration capabilities and many other requirements unique to this era of business.

+ Also on Network World: Why 2015 was the year of the cloud, and 2016 will be too +

This week at its Agility EMEA event in Vienna, F5 Networks announced several new software-based solutions that enable customers to meet the challenges of evolving into a digital enterprise. The new solutions include the following:

BIG-IP version 12.1 software

BIG-IP is the flagship product for the company, and the new version extends the programmability of its application deliver controller (ADC) across traditional, cloud and hybrid environments. One of F5s biggest differentiators is something called iRules, a TCL-based scripting language that lets its customers build custom features.

The newest version includes something called iRules LX, which enables customers to create new capabilities using Node.js. For those unfamiliar with Node.js, it is an open-source, cross-platform runtime environment for building web applications using modules that are written in JavaScript. The TCL-based iRules has been enormously popular and something that has created significant differentiation for F5 and its customers, but Node.js will expand the addressable market to a much broader set of developers. This capability is critical to deliver advanced functionality for cloud-based applications that require optimized throughput, scalability and traffic steering.

Also, F5 has added a new plug-in for the Eclipse Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which is supported by a number of mainstream IT vendors, including Google, Oracle, Red Hat and SAP. This enables F5 administrators to reuse code and rapidly apply it to any vendor that supports Eclipse.

BIG-IP 12.1 also has several new security capabilities. F5s Application Security Manager (ASM) now includes a customizable bot-detection feature that includes detailed analysis and extensive device ID tracking. ASM also speeds up the blacklisting of malicious IP addresses in hardware, making it faster than other software-only solutions. Given how fast security propagates, this can have a big impact on containing breaches.

The BIG-IP Firewall Manager has also been enhanced and now offers capabilities that automatically mitigate against layer 3-7 attacks that occur upstream in ISP environments and control SSH channel user-initiated actions with custom policy enforcement.

Deeper integration with leading public cloud environments

F5 currently supports a number of public cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services, VMware vCloud, Verizon Terremark, Microsoft Azure and Bluelock. In this release, F5s web application firewall (WAF) is now integrated into the Azure Security Center. F5 has also improved the reliability and scale of F5 in AWS with new features such as the ability to dynamically scale application services and support for active/standby high availability across zones.

BIG-IQ 5.0

F5s BIG-IQ product is a centralized management solution for BIG-IP products. The suite provides network architects and administrators with visibility, reporting, licensing and management capabilities that simplify the tasks required to operate BIG-IP.

The new release includes support for the BIG-IP Access Policy Manager. With this release, F5 becomes the first vendor to bring centralized, role-based management for application delivery, security and identity management under one platform. Also, BIG-IQ 5.0 lets customers manage, update and configure ADC services for up to 200 physical and virtual devices.

iWorkflow Version 2.0

The new iWorkflow platform speeds up application deployment through the orchestration of network services with leading software-defined networking (SDN) solutions. The product uses templates to deploy policies directly using the iWorkflow GUI or by using connectors to interface with third-party solutions such as Cisco AC and VMware NSX. Another option is to connect via orchestration tools such as Ansible, Chef or Puppet with an SDK.

The digital era has come, and its changing the way business is done. It also needs to change the way IT is run. The new F5 software enables customers to automate more and improve their security posture. This becomes particularly important as organizations look to manage IT assets across traditional data centers, public clouds and hybrid environments.
Todays election in Oregon is the first one since the states new motor-voter registration system has added more than 50,000 new voters to the rolls.

But the primary election isnt likely to give us much in the way of clues on whether this new mass of voters will have any substantial impact on the states politics: For that, well have to wait until the November general election, and it will be interesting to see if theres a candidate or issue on the ballot able to engage voters who thus far dont seem all that enthused about politics.

The sheer numbers, though, are impressive: Oregon Secretary of State Jeanne P. Atkins says that the motor-voter system has put 51,558 new voters on the rolls since it went into effect at the start of the year. Under the system, people who get or renew a drivers license are automatically registered to vote, unless they specifically opt out. People also get a chance to align themselves with a political party; if they do nothing, theyre officially registered as nonaffiliated voters.

Oregon has about 2.3 million voters, so these new voters make up about 2 percent of the states entire electorate. Thats not a big chunk  not yet  but it could be enough to turn the tide in a close race.

If you could persuade them to vote.

The early signs suggest theyre not particularly politically motivated: Only about 16 percent of these new voters took the time to align themselves with a political party, an action that would have required them to return a postcard to election officials.

More than three-quarters of the new voters (76 percent) didnt bother to return the postcard, so theyre officially on the rolls as nonaffiliated voters.

And nonaffiliated voters generally dont get to participate in a party primary, although they did have the opportunity to vote in the primary being held by the Independent Party, the states third major political party.

In any event, our guess is that most of these new motor voters received the states ballot that went out to nonaffiliated voters  it listed a handful of unopposed nonpartisan races  and shrugged. We will be surprised if these new voters leave much of a mark on todays primary. In fact, we will be surprised if many of these new voters actually vote in todays election.

Theres been some call to reform the states primary elections to make them more appealing to new voters, but Oregonians seem to like the idea of changing the states primaries about as much as they like the idea of a sales tax. Also, of course, the political parties themselves get to decide whether their primaries are open or closed.

The general election in November, of course, is another story entirely, and thats where a wave of new voters could make a difference. But candidates and people involved in the battles for and against ballot measures will have to craft a case that new voters find sufficiently engaging to overcome what appears to be a certain indifference to politics.

Thats not an impossible task, of course. A candidate who figures out how to do that may well reap a big reward: Barack Obama, to list just one example, was able to ride a wave of support from younger voters all the way to the White House. The trick will be finding just the right message  and not spending so much time on these new voters, as tempting as they may be, that you end up ignoring the basics. (mm)
Global automobile giant General Motors has announced the appointment of Sumito Ishii as its new managing director in Vietnam.

The leading global car manufacturer made the announcement on May 16, and according to GM International, the decision will be effective from August 1, 2016.

Wail A. Farghaly, the current managing director in Vietnam, will take over Marcos Purty's position as managing director of General Motors Thailand and Chevrolet Sales Thailand, which are headquartered in Bangkok.

Farghaly's successor in Vietnam is Sumito Ishii, currently managing director of General Motors Japan.

GM Vietnam's new General Director Sumito Ishii. Photo by Business$BrandVN

Before joining the Detroit based corporation in 1996, Ishii worked for Toyota Motor with the role of supporting agencies and launching new products. From 1998 to 2003, Sumito Ishii was responsible for new product development programs in GM North America and implementing projects on strategic alliances with other automobile manufacturers.

Sumito Ishii returned to Japan in 2003 and held senior positions at General Motors including his current post as GM Japans managing director.

Stefan Jacoby, GM executive vice president and president of GM International, said: We highly appreciate the outstanding work Wail has done in Vietnam. He made a stirring effort and significant contribution to the success of GM Vietnam.

Mr Ishii will apply his own two decades of experience in the global automobile industry, especially as a senior manager of General Motors in the Japanese and North American markets. His insights on products and long experience in the largest international automobile markets will help GM Vietnam grow further, Jacoby added.
U.S. buys up over $10 billion worth of Vietnamese goods in first four months

The U.S. was Vietnam's first export market to break the $10 billion barrier in the first four months of the year, and continued to be Vietnams largest export market making up nearly 21.6 percent of the nations total export value during that period.

According to Vietnam Customs, Vietnam exported $11.45 billion worth of goods in the first four months to the world's largest economy, eclipsing China that accounted for only $5.9 billion.

The U.S. is vital market for Vietnam, and exports of textiles, mobile phones and shoes all topped $1 billion in the year to April 30.

The U.S. continued to be Vietnam's largest export market in the first four months of 2016. Photo by FinancePlus

Textile products accounted for $3.4 billion, making up approximately 50 percent of the commodity's total export value in the first four months and contributing nearly 30 percent of total export value from Vietnam to the US.

Mobile phones registered $1.47 billion in export value, while shoes reached $1.33 billion.

Besides the three billion dollar export commodities, Vietnam also shipped wood and wooden products ($825 million), computers and components ($820 million), and machinery, equipment and engineering tools ($632 million) to the U.S.

Vietnam's exports topped over $10 billion to three markets last year, with the U.S. leading the way with $33.5 billion, followed by China ($17.1 billion) and Japan ($14.1 billion).
State-owned PetroVietnam and Russias oil and gas companies on Monday signed a number of cooperation agreements and memoranda to expand their ties in energy sector.

Five of the total of eight deals inked are in oil and gas sector. They were sealed in the presence of their prime ministers, Vietnams recently appointed Nguyen Xuan Phuc, whose Moscow trip became the first foreign visit since taking office last month, and Russias Dmitry Medvedev.

The Vietnamese national oil and gas company signed a cooperation agreement with Russias Rosneft, two memoranda of understanding and a personnel training pact with gas giant Gazprom, and a production-sharing agreement with Vietnam-based Vietsovpetro, its 51:49 joint venture (JV) with Russias Zarubezhneft.

We must make sure that all agreements are implemented at the highest level, as a reflection of the high level of our relations, Phuc said in a press briefing.

Russia reaffirmed its shared commitment to advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam, Medvedev said. Not only do we supply our technology and produce oil and gas, but we actually performed a deposit swap, which is something we havent done with any other country, he said.

New agreements:

PetroVietnam-Rosneft

PetroVietnams chairman Nguyen Quoc Khanh and CEO of Russias top crude producer Rosneft, Igor Sechin, signed a cooperation pact that foresees expanding collaboration in Vietnam, Russia and third countries in hydrocarbon exploration and production, refining, marketing and logistics, as well as staff training, Rosneft said in a statement Monday.

Under the agreement, the two partners will study potential options for joint projects and defining key cooperation conditions, as well as set up working groups for each of the cooperation directions, the Russian company said.

The new stage of cooperation will allow the company to gain a new channel for crude sales in the Asia-Pacific region, and potentially, create additional synergy through refining in the region, Sechin said.

Rosneft has already cooperated with PetroVietnam in a production-sharing agreement on gas and condensate production and geological exploration at Block 06.1 offshore Vietnam, where Rosneft Vietnam serves as an operator with a 35% stake. Rosneft Vietnam fully owns the neighboring 05-3/11 block.

The two companies are also partners in the Nam Con Son pipeline carrying gas and condensate from offshore blocks to onshore power plants.

PetroVietnam-Gazprom

PetroVietnams MOUs with Gazprom envisage exploring the possibility of using gas from joint projects offshore Vietnam, as well as Gazproms LNG for power generation in Vietnam. The companies set up a JV for gas motor fuel production last October.

PetroVietnam and Gazprom have two JVs, VietGazprom and GazpromViet, developing fields offshore Vietnam and in Russias Orenburg and Yamal Nenets regions, accordingly.

An additional agreement between the two companies signed Monday is about collaboration in education.

PetroVietnam unit, private firms-Zarubezhneft

Vietnams PetroVietnam Exploration and Production, Bitexco and Sovico Holdings signed a 30-year production-sharing agreement on Vietnams offshore Block 16-1/15 with Russian Zarubezhneft, which participated as part of its VietsovPetro.

The project, worth at least $50 million, envisages two development phases, including seismic data interpretation and two exploration wells drilling in phase one in the first three years, and sampling exploration and a survey well drilling in the second phase in the following two years, Zarubezhneft said in a statement Monday.

Vietsovpetro will operate the project with a 52% stake, with PVEP holding 29%, and Bitexco and Sovico owning 10% each, according to Zarubezhneft.

Apart from Vietsovpetro, Zarubezhneft has a joint venture with PetroVietnam in Russia, the 51:49 JV Rusvietpetro working in Russias Yamal Nenets autonomous region.

Other agreements between the two countries included an MOU between Russian Direct Investment Fund and Vietnams State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) foreseeing each side investing $250 million, in joint non-energy projects and helping Vietnams large and medium-sized businesses enter Russia.
Vietnams revenue from tra catfish exports to Thailand jumped 16.3 percent to $12.5 million in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same period last year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Among the 10 ASEAN members, Thailand has become the biggest importer of tra catfish from Vietnam, accounting for 36.4 percent of Vietnams catfish exports to the bloc last year.

Consumers in Thailand reportedly prefer Vietnams catfish, especially frozen fish fillets, due mainly to lower prices.

Last year, Thailand imported white fish from overseas to meet consumer demand. Frozen fillet imports from Vietnam were up 12 percent year on year, capturing 60 percent of Thailands market, according to industry estimates.

Vietnams catfish exports are projected to rise by 15 to 20 percent annually through 2020, with revenue reaching as much as $3 billion a year, said a senior official from VASEP. Vietnam is the dominant catfish producer and exports 1.2 million tons per year, representing a fifth of a market worth almost $600 million, he added.

Vietnamese catfish exporters, who have been faced with high U.S. anti-dumping tariffs, are shifting their export strategy to new markets including ASEAN members.
May 17, 2016 | 01:30 am PT

The worst drought in almost 100 years in Vietnam is wrecking havoc on the lives of durian farmers in the southern region.

Durian orchards in the southern province of Vinh Long cover nearly 3,000 hectares, but 10 percent of that area has so far been badly damaged by prolonged drought and extensive saltwater intrusion.

Tran Van Cua, a durian grower in Vung Liem district, said 60 percent of his 370 durian trees that had taken him between 12 and 15 years to grow had either withered or died due to saltwater intrusion.

He added that last year he earned VND700 million ($31,000) from 30 tons of durian, but expected a sharp fall in output this year.

So far this year, Cua has only been able to harvest 9 tons which may only fetch VND5,000 per kilogram due to low quality.

Farmer Ho Van Dung, who owns a 4,500 square meters durian plantation, said it will take him up to five years of assiduous cultivation to bring half of his farmland back to life.

These farmers are not alone in their struggle to survive the countrys worst drought and severe salinity in almost a century.

A woman and her son search for fish in pools created by an irrigation system in Soc Trang Province in the Mekong Delta on March 30. Photo by Reuters/Kham.

The drought, partially attributed to this year's El Nino, has led to a serious reduction of major goods produced in the region, including rice, seafood and coffee.

Water levels in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, a region that accounts for 50 percent of the country's rice and fruit production, 90 percent of its rice exports, and 60 percent of shrimp and fish exports, are at their lowest levels since 1926, according to a joint assessment by the Vietnamese government, the United Nations and many non-governmental organizations.

The report also found that more than 400,000 hectares of crops have been affected with varying degrees of productivity loss, and an additional 25,900 hectares have not been planted at all.

Local agriculture authorities said durian farmers need the governments support to build a dyke system that surrounds the entire durian plantation to prevent salt water from leaking into irrigation canals and affecting the trees.
After 6 years, Newport skate park closer to becoming a reality

Friends of Newport Skatepark has advocated for the city to offer space for a new public skatepark since 2016. Now a plan is in place.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Rain likely. High 67F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers late. Low near 45F. S winds shifting to NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
The Vietnamese government approved the establishment of the Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) yesterday, the countrys first American-style nonprofit private university. U.S. President Obama is scheduled to open the university next week.

The government has approved in principle the universitys legal status, its own seal and bank account, while putting the schools education and training program under the management of the Ministry of Education and Training, according to a decision signed by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam. The university will also be supervized by the city's Peoples Committee.

The new university will be built on the foundation of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program, a collaboration between the Harvard Kennedy School's Vietnam Program and the University of Economics, which is "widely regarded as Vietnam's preeminent school of public policy", according to a statement by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Harvards over two decade-long collaboration with the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program has been of tremendous value, said Archon Fung, the Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and the Acting Dean of the Harvard Kennedy School in the statement. We look forward to contributing to the enhancement of Vietnams higher education sector through future collaborative endeavors with FUV.

Congress and the administration understand that FUV represents a new, forward-looking chapter in the ongoing reconciliation between the US and Vietnam, said Thomas Vallely, a senior advisor for Southeast Asia at the Ash Center, chairman of the Trust for University Innovation in Vietnam, an independent nonprofit corporation established to coordinate the project and mobilize resources for the new university in the statement. FUV will embody American values including academic freedom, autonomy, meritocracy and transparency.

The Fulbright Economics Teaching Program supports three core initiatives, including the Master in Public Policy program and executive education, research, into complex policy issues confronting Vietnam and policy dialogue, through discussion with Vietnamese policymakers and participation in the public policy discourse in Vietnam, according to the program's website.

The transition from FETP to a more ambitious university was first mentioned officially in a joint statement issued by President Barack Obama and former Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang in 2013, and later was reiterated during US Secretary of State John Kerrys visit to Vietnam in December the same year, according to FETP.

President Obama plans to open the university during his first visit to Vietnam early next week.
Birmingham Women's Hospital (BWH) has adopted a radical new technology to make it easier to identify rare diseases by their genetic causes, leading to a faster and more accurate diagnosis for the patient. The technology being used to do this is called Sapientia and it is facilitating the reclassification of disease.

Professor Michael Griffiths is Clinical Director for Genetics and Pathology at BWH and Director of the West Midlands Regional Genetics Laboratory, one of the largest and most comprehensive genetics testing services in the UK.

He says: Many diseases have very similar symptoms, so diagnosis often starts by trying to eliminate the more common or most serious conditions. This is difficult for the rare diseases that we know so little about and that is why genetic testing plays an important role in gaining an accurate diagnosis.

80% of rare diseases affect children and currently it can take an average seven years of testing to get a diagnosis. Sadly seven years is simply too long to wait for treatment and the impact of this can be devastating for the whole family.

Professor Griffiths explains: In a family with a rare disease an accurate diagnosis is critical. Without this knowledge the diagnostic odyssey continues. With a diagnosis the family will have realistic prognostic expectations, information on reproductive options, and can focus more on management of the condition.

Professor Griffiths says that the laboratory has been chosen as one of the first centres to offer the new Sapientia technology, which is able to analyse and interpret whole genome and exome data and highlight mutations in a faulty gene that may be the cause of the disease.

In the last three years there has been an exponential growth in genetic knowledge and this has seen the identification of nearly 30 new disease genes a month, creating a major challenge for NHS diagnostic services. At present testing for over 600 disorders is available within the NHS, but this represents only a quarter of the known disease genes and these tests are performed step- wise. The introduction of whole genome sequencing has the potential to improve the quality and speed of diagnosis and reduce the cost.

He says: Improving knowledge of gene-disease associations has the potential to change the way in which some diseases are classified, with the emphasis on the cause rather than the symptoms or clinical reason for referral.

Sapientia has been developed by Congenica, a spinout from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and is the interpretation platform selected by Genomics England for the 100,000 Genomes Project. Sapientia is being used within the project to give clinicians access to a wider data set through links with other UK centres.

Congenica CEO, Dr Tom Weaver, says that many rare developmental diseases show a range of symptoms and it is common for a child to visit many different consultants, each with a specialism in a different area, before the underlying cause of the problem is identified.

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He says: Some conditions are so rare that a health professional may only see one or two cases in their careers. Sapientia collates information about how a disease presents itself in different individuals, the phenotype, and links this to information about the gene mutation and other sources of information from multiple international databases and published literature. Bringing this background information together in one place can help the clinical team make a confident diagnosis.

Professor Griffiths says access to this anonymised information will benefit patients:

By pulling together information relating to the clinical reason for referral, known as deep phenotyping, Sapientia will provide consultants with access to a knowledge-base to compare with their patient. This has the potential to improve the speed of diagnosis.

The technology will continue to be developed to improve understanding of the impact that a faulty gene has on the body, leading to new insights for treatment. Congenica has recently been awarded an Innovate UK grant to support these developments.

This has been welcomed by Professor Griffiths: If a genetic cause of a disease can be determined, then through the increased understanding of the condition, an opportunity to develop potential therapies through new or re-purposed existing drugs will be created.

About Congenica (www.congenica.com)

Congenica is a world leading developer of genome-based discovery and diagnostic technologies. The Cambridge, UK-based company is a spin-out from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and was founded by scientists and clinicians at the leading edge of genomic analysis.

Congenica has developed the Sapientia technology platform, which allows genome scale DNA sequence data to be presented within a clinically actionable diagnostic report. It is based on pioneering research from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, NHS clinicians and regional genetic testing laboratories.

This underlying technology has been validated by leading independent institutes and clinicians, including Genomics England Ltd.

About Birmingham Womens NHS Foundation Trust (www.bwhct.nhs.uk)

Birmingham Womens NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of health care services to women and families across the West Midlands and further afield.

We treat 50,000 people a year, carry out 3,000 operations and test 50,000 genetic samples. More than 8,000 babies were born under our care last year, making our maternity unit one of the busiest in the country.

We provide a full range of gynaecological, maternity and neonatal care as well as a comprehensive genetics service. Our fertility centre is one of the most successful in the country and our fetal medicine centre which provides care for the unborn baby and women during pregnancy receives referrals from across the region and further afield.

Source: www.congenica.com
Frontier Medical Group, the specialist medical device manufacturer, has been named Wales Mid-Market Team of the Year at the prestigious British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) Management Team Awards 2016.

The Awards, which are held in association with Grant Thornton UK LLP, seek to reward the best in UK business backed by private equity and venture capital, and celebrate the contribution made by those firms to the wider economy.

Now in their eighth year, the 2016 event saw nominees and their guests gather for a gala dinner in Bath Assembly Rooms on the 12th May, and Frontier Medical Group was recognised for the first time following a management buyout (MBO) backed by Kester Capital in December 2013.

The company, which was established in 1966, manufactures a range of cost effective products for use in community and hospital care, and has enjoyed substantial growth in the last two and a half years under its new ownership.

Simon Jackson, Managing Director at Frontier Medical Group said: This award is a real honour and its a testament to the hard work of each and every one of our employees and the quality of the products we provide.

The level of competition was very high and the BVCA programme is a fantastic advertisement for the potential in private equity funding. In the time since our MBO weve been able to make a significant investment right across our infrastructure, not only in terms of manufacturing and growing our export markets, but in our staff as well, and thats something we as a company are very proud of. We believe it is a significant factor in our ongoing success.

Commenting on Frontier Medical Groups entry Richard Young, Director at BVCA Manchester said: Simon Jackson has led a new team at Frontier since the MBO in 2013, which has transformed the business in terms of growth but also brought in very significant changes in new product development, production efficiency and development of new markets. The transformation has been hugely impressive.

The award from the BVCA is the latest in a long line of success stories for the company, which has its headquarters in Blackwood South Wales.

The firms range of disposal units for clinical sharps, Sharpsafe, are the worlds first bespoke sharps containers and they have received numerous design awards since they were first marketed in 1980.

Frontier have also worked extensively with clinicians in the NHS to develop the Repose range of pressure area care products, which today are the most widely used pressure area care products in the UK. Over 3.5 million people have used Repose products in the UK alone. They are also the UKs market leader in providing products to Harm Reduction services through its eXchange brands.

Source: www.frontier-group.co.uk
Dr. Loke and Dr Cadwell THOUGHT LEADERS SERIES ...insight from the worlds leading experts

What is the hygiene hypothesis and why could a lack of worm infection be linked with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis?

The hygiene hypothesis refers to the idea that decreased exposure to certain infectious agents (because of better hygiene) is the reason why we have seen an increase in inflammatory diseases in the developed world.

For example, maybe because we are less infected by parasitic worms, our immune system does not develop the way it is supposed to.

How does the global distribution and prevalence of worm infections compare to IBD?

The places in the world in which you have high incidence of IBD, like U.S. and Western Europe, are the opposite of the places where you have high incidence of worm infections, like South East Asia.

How did your recent study test the link between parasites and bacteria and the origin of IBD?

We tested whether parasite infection can treat disease in mice that have a mutation in NOD2, a gene that is linked to IBD in humans.

These NOD2 mutant mice develop disease because they have an imbalance in their intestinal bacterial populations (the gut microbiome). Therefore, we also looked at the effect of the parasite infection on intestinal bacteria.

Worm infection counters intestinal inflammation by changing gut microbiome

Additionally, we looked at indigenous people in Malaysia, who are infected with parasites and generally do not develop IBD, to examine what the effect of parasite infection on intestinal bacteria in humans.

What were the main findings of your research?

We found that parasite infection reversed IBD in NOD2 mutant mice, and that it did this by changing the content of the intestinal bacteria.

Specifically, it led to an increase in beneficial bacteria called Clostridiales, and these beneficial bacteria reduced the number of disease-causing bacteria called Bacteroides.

We then looked at the indigenous people in Malaysia and observed the same changes in their intestinal bacterial populations.

When the individuals were infected with parasites they had an increase in Clostridiales and a decrease in Bacteroides.

Is it the effect on the gut bacteria rather than the worms directly that aid IBD?

In our system, this seems to be the case. The worms are causing changes in the gut bacterial community, which then determines the disease outcome.

Can you outline how this research builds on Dr Lokes previous study that found giving worm eggs to monkeys protected them from the simian version of IBD?

In our previous study on monkeys with colitis, we found that after worm infection, the monkeys bacteria were more similar to healthy monkeys. This was observational. We did not identify specific types of bacteria that could help restore the healthy communities.

In this research, we were able to identify bacteria of the Clostridia class that could restore healthy gut communities and show that the worms were helping the Clostridia to grow and expand.

Worm infection counters intestinal inflammation by changing gut microbiome Play

What impact could your research have for scientists and physicians looking for new ways to treat Crohns and ulcerative colitis?

There are efforts to develop Clostridia as probiotic bacteria for treatment of CD and UC. Our results indicate that the environment would affect the colonization of these bacteria. A mucus rich environment may help the Clostridia to colonize the gut.

Also, it is important to think about genotypes when treating CD or UC patients. Our results indicate that maybe worms and Clostridia would be most beneficial for people carrying the Nod2 polymorphism, perhaps less so for other CD and UC patients.

Alternatively, they may be more beneficial for people who have inflammatory Bacteorides bacteria.

Do you think your research could have implications for other autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis?

Dysbiosis of the gut bacterial communities is a common feature of many autoimmune diseases, but all of these diseases are very complicated and we need to work out the specific details for every disease.

What do you think the future holds for IBD patients?

Weve seen a lot of breakthroughs in personalized medicine for other diseases like certain types of cancer. Our research, along with many other findings in the field, are suggesting that similar approaches will be possible to treat IBD.

What further research is needed?

We are trying to understand how Clostridia can outcompete Bacteroides bacteria. We are trying to understand how the immune response to the worms may help repair the gut tissue, in addition to changing the bacterial communities. We are wondering if the Clostridia from helminth colonized people are more potent as probiotics.

Where can readers find more information?

We have written a number of articles on Helminths and gut bacteria that can be found online, by searching for our names.

About Dr Loke and Dr Cadwell

Dr. Ken Cadwell received his Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley, and performed his postdoctoral research at Washington University School of Medicine where he investigated how gene-microbe interactions can lead to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). He joined the Skirball Institute and the Department of Microbiology at New York University School of Medicine in 2010 as an assistant professor. His current research is focused on understanding the how immune responses to an infection are regulated. Notable contributions include the discovery that there are beneficial viruses in the intestine, which have similar roles in health and disease as bacteria that are part of the microbiome. For this and other research accomplishments, Dr. Cadwell has received the Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists from the Damon Runyon Foundation, the ICAAC Young Investigator Award from the American Society for Microbiology, and the Investigator in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

Dr. Png Loke completed his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh with Judith Allen and did postdoctoral training with Dr. James Allison at UC Berkeley and at UCSF with Dr. Jim McKerrow, supported by an NRSA fellowship from the NIH. He then received a Career Development Award and started his independent group as an Assistant Research Immunologist at the Division of Experimental Medicine at UCSF. In 2009, he moved to New York University School of Medicine, where he is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology. His lab studies the immune response to helminth infections and focuses in particular on the effects of helminths on the gut microbiota and macrophage biology.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says Russia is interested in expanding supplies of fish, vegetables and fruits from Vietnam, with transaction made in local currencies.

Russia is interested in expanding supplies of fish, vegetables and fruits from Vietnam and is ready to deliver agricultural products to the country, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a press conference after the talks with Vietnam's new Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, according to TASS.

"We currently find ourselves in a unique situation due to the fact that there are limitations associated with the delivery of a number of European Union products, and products of other countries to the European Union market. Therefore, we are interested in supplies of fish products, seafood, fruits and vegetables from our Vietnamese partners and enterprises to the Russian market. At the same time, we are interested in supplying livestock products to the Vietnamese market," Medvedev said.

Mutual trade in national currencies

According to the Russian prime minister, Russia and Vietnam have agreed to promote mutual trade in national currencies and cooperation between banks of the two countries.

"We have agreed that we will develop cooperation in the banking sector and expand the area of application of the national currencies in bilateral turnover as much as possible," Medvedev said.

Other important areas of cooperation mentioned by Medvedev include mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, mining and agriculture.

According to Medvedev, there are good prospects for cooperation in agriculture and in development of joint investment projects.

"We are interested in joint investments in various industries, not only in energy sector. About 100 projects, which are not related to energy sector, are already being implemented in Vietnam," Medvedev said adding that those projects involve the Russian capital.

Benefits for new energy projects

Medvedev pointed out that the governments of Russia and Vietnam will retain the benefits for new energy projects.

"On the level of governments, we have agreed that we will support these projects. We will maintain the benefits that are needed to bring these projects to the desired level of profitability, so they could give the parties as high revenues as possible," he said.

Medvedev described the relations between the two countries in energy sector as advanced.

"But this does not mean that there is nothing more to do, new projects emerge. I hope they will work and bring good income to the budgets of our countries," he said.

The prime minister said that there are fundamental new directions of cooperation between Russia and Vietnam. As an example, in addition to high-tech, he named agriculture, which is a growing industry in both countries.

State-owned PetroVietnam and Russias oil and gas companies on Monday signed a number of cooperation agreements and memoranda to expand their ties in energy sector.

Five of the total of eight deals inked are in oil and gas sector.

Free trade zone to help increase trade turnover

Medvedev has also noted that Russia and Vietnam are going to increase bilateral trade through the implementation of investment projects and the launch of a free trade zone with the Eurasian Economic Union.

"We think it is necessary to make every effort to ensure that the growth of trade is more pronounced. First, it is necessary to implement those investment projects that we have. Second, we should launch a free trade zone, which already legally exists between our countries that means between the Eurasian Union and Vietnam," Medvedev said.

"Russia and Vietnam are close partners, but the scale of interaction is not as great as desired, even with such flagships of cooperation as Gazprom and PetroVietnam," the Prime Minister said.

According to Medvedev, the volume of turnover does not meet the potential of the two countries. Nevertheless, Vietnam accounts for one third of Russia's exports to Southeast Asian countries.

"In spite of some difficulties, this year we have growing turnover and, indeed, last year it achieved nearly $4 billion. This year, the dynamics is still positive," Medvedev said.

The Russian Prime Minister stressed that Vietnam was the first to come up with an initiative on creating a free trade area with the Eurasian Union.

Currently ratification procedures regarding this agreement are underway, he said.

"I hope that these procedures will soon be completed by our partners in the Eurasian Union and the project will work," the head of the Russian government said.

The Eurasian Economic Union was created on the base of the Customs Union and the Common Free Market Zone of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Australian scientists may have found a way to stop deadly bacteria from infecting patients. The discovery could lead to a whole new way of treating antibiotic-resistant "superbugs". The researchers have uncovered what may be an Achilles heel on the bacteria cell membrane that could act as a potential novel drug target.

Almost every second woman suffers from a urinary tract infection during her lifetime, mostly caused by the intestinal bacterium E. coli. It travels along the urethra to the bladder where it triggers painful infections.

In order to infect the bladder (which is constantly being flushed out with urine), the bacteria have developed nanofilaments which effectively anchor the bacteria to the walls of the urinary tract.

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A team headed by Professor Trevor Lithgow, from the Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University, has found a protein -- called the TAM -- that is crucial to the assembly of these anchoring filaments.

In a paper, published today in Nature Microbiology, the researchers describe how they developed an assay to measure the assembly of the filament forming protein, called usher.

"Using our assay we tested whether blocking TAM had any effect on usher. What we found was that TAM is required for the assembly of usher and therefore for production of the filaments needed to anchor the bacteria to the urinary tract surface," he said.

The assay revealed that, under normal circumstances, E. coli can create filaments within two minutes of sensing the urinary tract environment. However, when TAM is blocked, it can take up to four hours for the same anchoring process to happen.

According to Professor Lithgow the discovery of how TAM impacts on the E. coli's ability to latch onto the wall of the urinary tract could be a very important target for drug therapy. "Most antibiotics against E. coli have to get across the bacterial cell membranes in order to kill the invader," he said.

"The TAM is on the bacterial surface, so it is directly accessible to the sorts of drugs that would inhibit its function, and thereby halt the rapid production of these nanofilaments."

Importantly, other potentially lethal bacteria also use filaments which are controlled through TAM, according to Professor Lithgow. These include Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing bacteria (KPC) which caused a scare in Victoria last year when Victorian authorities issued an alert that the antibiotic resistant superbug may have contributed to up to 18 deaths over the previous three years.
LONDON: Formula One world champions Mercedes will not rein in Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg after they collided and put each other out of Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, team boss Toto Wolff said.



"We have moved on from Spa in 2014 and it was a completely different situation in the team back then," the Austrian told reporters, referring to a collision between the two at the Belgian Grand Prix.



"By continuing to let them race (each other) it was clear that eventually this could happen. And we will continue to let them race."



The second lap collision in 2014 led to a freeze in relations between the drivers, who had been friends and rivals since their teenage years.



In that incident, Rosberg finished second behind Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo while Hamilton ultimately retired with collision damage.



The Briton said later that the German, who was blamed by the team, had declared he had done it on purpose.



Sunday's incident put both out of the race, with the two drivers lining up on the front row of the grid and crashing into each other as they fought for the lead through the third corner of the opening lap.



The collision ended Rosberg's run of seven wins in succession including the first four of the year and the team's hopes of a one-two finish.



Wolff said the collision, which the stewards deemed a racing incident, was the result of a number of unfortunate coincidences. Neither driver was totally to blame.



"I think what matters more is how we come out of the incident as a team," he said. "We've had a really great spirit in the team in the last couple of races through many ups and downs.



"We never threw the toys out of the pram and I think that is another challenge for us, to demonstrate as a team that we can move on from difficult circumstances."



Hamilton suffered power unit problems in qualifying for the two races before Barcelona, starting at the back in China and from 10th place in Russia, but retained his composure.



The champion, still 43 points behind Rosberg with 16 races to go, said on Sunday that his first thoughts were for the team.



"That was the most gutting thing when I stopped, just thinking about all these guys that work so hard in this team to give me the opportunity to race today. To not deliver for them ... is a very painful experience for all of us."



Wolff said both drivers knew what was expected and he was "100 percent sure" it would not influence the way they worked as a team.
The protocol starts with a two-minute prayer preceded by chants of 'Om' and some Sanskrit Shlokas and followed by 18 minutes of yoga postures and pranayam.

There is no compulsion to chant 'Om', a senior Ayush Ministry official said.

Controversy is brewing over International Yoga Day with the Narendra Modi government being accused of pushing its Hindutva agenda by asking participants to chant vedic mantras and Om before the 45-minute session.A common yoga protocol has been circulated by the Ministry of AYUSH which said that the yogic practice shall start with a prayer to enhance the benefits of yoga. The protocol has been prepared by a government-appointed panel of experts for those participating in the International Yoga Day on June 21. It has been circulated through government departments, schools, colleges and universities across the country.In his letter to universities last week, UGC secretary Jaspal S Sandhu had sought the "personal indulgence" of Vice Chancellors in celebrating yoga day in their varsities as well as affiliated bodies."I request you to draw action plan for International Day of Yoga and also ensure wide participation of students and teachers of your esteemed University in the yoga day celebrations," the senior UGC official said in his letter along with the Ayush ministry's 45-minute protocol for practising yoga.As per the protocol, participants would sit in a meditative pose for 9 minutes and there would be 'Shanti Paath' towards the end.But opposition parties and religious leaders have objected to the protocol. They accuse the government of trying to threaten the secular fabric of the country."Chanting Om or other words is related to one religion which applies to the entire country. This is against secularism. This is against our faith which is a wrong use of one's power. This is a planning to take all India into one umbrella of faith," said Shafique Qazmi, a Muslim cleric.Stating that there is no need for controversy, Bollywood actor Anupam Kher said, "It is the expression of work. They should be allowed to do what they deem fit. Implementation is important. Om word comes in yoga. This should not be made into controversy. Those who do not want to say Om, they should't say it, there is no problem."However, the government and BJP insisted that protocol of 2015 has been maintained and no changes have been made.BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said, "There is no compulsion. Some people are linking yoga to religion while it is essentially meant for holistic well being. It should be a matter of pride that the UN celebrates Yoga Day and about 196 countries follow it. The dirty tricks department of the Congress is behind the controversy."In 2015 also, a similar proposal had created a controversy after which a clarification was issued by the Ayush Ministry that chanting 'Om' was not compulsory.(With additional information from PTI)
Today's the day when Motorola will be unveiling its next-gen Moto G smartphone. The company, which is currently owned by Lenovo, has a global launch event scheduled in New Delhi - which means that the phone will be first introduced in India before it is made available for other countries.While Motorola has not yet revealed clear details about the upcoming Moto G, a lot of information about the phone has already been leaked.Before the Moto G (4th gen) make its official debut, we bring you everything that we know so far about the phone.The information below is based on leaks and rumours doing the rounds on the internet, and the teasers and announcements that have come out through the company's official channels.Speculations are rife that the nex-gen Moto G would come in two variants - a standard version (16 GB + 2 GB) and a Plus version (32 GB + 3 GB). If rumours are to be believed, the Plus version will be the one to include a fingerprint sensor. If it turns out to be true, the new phone would be the first Moto G to come with a fingerprint sensor.What further substantiates the rumour is what Amit Boni, Motorola India head, had told News18.com during the Moto X Force launch event in February early this year. During the event in February, we had asked Boni to reveal plans about the upcoming Moto G, and he said, "it could have a fingerprint sensor".Other than this, the standard edition, reportedly, will have a 13 megapixel rear camera, while the Plus model is rumoured to come with a 16 megapixel sensor at the back.While we are yet to take an official look at the new Moto G, the phone has already been leaked in purported press renders. Famour tipser Evan Blass has posted photos of the alleged Moto G (4th generation) on Twitter.There is no official information as to what all the new Moto G would come with, but the company, in a series of tweets, has teased that they are soon coming up with something will put an end to blurry pictures and battery woes, and will also help users keep their privacy intact.This, in turn, suggests that the upcoming Moto G smartphone will have a better camera, improved battery and enhanced security features.Motorola, in a press note sent to media, announced that the next Moto smartphone will be exclusively available on Amazon.in. This would be for the first time in India that a Moto smartphone would be an Amazon exclusive at launch. While Amazon has been selling some of the Moto devices including Moto G (3rd gen), Moto G Turbo Edition, and Moto 360 (2nd gen) for quite some months now, it, so far, has never been an exclusive partner for Motorola at launch.It is yet to be seen when and how the upcoming Moto G would be available on platforms other than Amazon.
There is no evidence to suggest an insider hand in the terror attack at the Pathankot airbase, sources in the National Investigation Agency said on Tuesday.



Sources close to the investigation told CNN-News18 that they have ruled out any help to the terrorists either from someone in the Punjab Police or from inside the Pathankot airbase .



Investigators reached this conclusion after examining call dumps during the days of the attack from all mobile towers around the Pathankot IAF base .



While decoding the Pakistani conspiracy behind the terror attacks the NIA found that there were 37 calls made between a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operative and the terrorists who attacked the airbase on December 31, 2015.



The call records also showed that he was located to the Indo-Pak International Border and that he escorted the terrorists to the border before they crossed over to carry out the attack.



Another Jaish operative, Shahid Latif, who is also a former Indian jail convict, briefed the terrorists on Indian terrain and gave them logistical information, the investigations showed.







Latif was convicted under the narcotics law and spent more than 14 years in Indian jails before being deported to Pakistan. The hijackers of IC 814 had sought his release along with that of Maulana Masood Azhar. Lateef who was lodged in a Jammu jail then was shifted to Varanasi.



He was deported to Pakistan in 2010 after completing his jail term. NIA believes Latif used his knowledge about India to brief the terrorists.



Latif, according to NIA, is also directly linked to the Jaish front organisation Al Rehmat, which is suspected to have funded the Pathankot attack.



NIA, in its supplementary Letter Rogatory to Pakistan, has given details of credit card transactions of Shahid Latif. These credit cards were allegedly used to pay for web-hosting of rangonoor.com and alqahafaonline.com - the two websites which were used to collect funds for Al Rehmat Trust.
Washington: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vist to the US, the Pentagon has said it is "looking forward" to enhancing relations with India, and that there are opportunities to further expand military co-operation between the two countries.



"The (US Defence) Secretary (Ashton Carter) believes there are still opportunities for us to further expand the cooperation between the United States and India on military issues. They are issues of consequence for India, security issues that are of consequence to the United States," Pentagon Press Secretary, Peter Cook said on Monday.



"We have shared security interests in that part of the world. And I think the Secretary is confident that the strong relationship we have right now will only build in the future, so," Cook said in response to a question.



The Defence Secretary, he said, is "looking forward" to the visit of Prime Minister Modi in June. "He met with the Prime Minister when he was in India, and looks forward to enhancing and building on that visit and the strong relationship that he has been able to maintain with Minister Parrikar since he took over as Secretary," Cook said in response to a question.



Carter was in India in April, during which he held talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar and met the Prime Minister. Describing the trip as successful, Carter said there were some in-principle agreements reached at that time with regard to military-to-military relationship.



"I think the Secretary feels very good about where things are with regard to that relationship, and his relationship with Minister Parrikar. I think he sees this as an opportunity for future cooperation between the United States and India on military issues," Cook said.



During his visit, Carter became the first US Defence Secretary to board an Indian aircraft carrier. "I think he was very appreciative of the warm welcome he received, and the substantive discussions that took place while we were in India," Cook said.
Indore/Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Tuesday refuted media reports which suggested that Bharatia Janata Party is mulling to remove her and bring in another party leader at the helm of affairs in the state, saying "nothing like that is on".



"Nothing like that is on," Anandiben told reporters at Indore in Madhya Pradesh where she had gone to participate in the ongoing Simhastha Kumbh at Ujjain and meet spiritual guru Bhaiyu Maharaj.



She blamed media for linking her and state Health Minister Nitin Patel's visit to Delhi, suggesting that a change of leadership in Gujarat was imminent.



The Gujarat CM arrived at Indore to meet spiritual guru Bhaiyu Maharaj at his Vijay Nagar residence. When mediapersons asked her about reports of change of leadership, she quipped, "At present, I am here in Indore.



"You (media) had linked two different visits to Delhi to come to this conclusion. I had gone to Delhi for the meeting related to water crisis and Nitinbhai (Nitin Patel, health minister) had gone to Delhi on the NEET issue," she said.



Asked whether the BJP's political base has suffered because of Patel quota agitation, she said, "At present there is no Patel agitation going on in the state. This protest is completely over now."



Speculations are rife in a section of media about a possible change of leadership in Gujarat ahead of the 2017 elections.



The reports had said that BJP might ask Anandiben Patel to step down as chief minister and project Nitin Patel as a front-runner for the post, after both of them were in Delhi on Monday. They also said the change of leadership in Gujarat was necessitated by to poor handling of the quota agitation by Anandiben, and strains caused by infighting in the party's state unit.



Anandiben was made Chief Minister in May 2014, after Narendra Modi was elected as Prime Minister.



Asked about the purpose of her over one-and-a-half hour meeting with the spiritual guru, with whom recently RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also had a meeting, Anandiben said she took his guidance for agriculture and education and would try to implement his suggestions in Gujarat.



In Ahmedabad, BJP's Gujarat unit spokesperson also denied that a leadership change was on the card.



"We are preparing an elaborate programmes for celebration of two years rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Anandiben Patel in Gujarat. In the midst of this there are such baseless reports of change in leadership, which we totally deny," state BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said.
Kakinada-based lawyer Suravarapu Venkata Ravi has filed a complaint with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights alleging a Lok Sabha MP was involved in clicking nude photos of his children.



Lawyer Ravi accused Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) Kakinada MP Thota Narasimham of having a hand in the "criminal act".



He has also sent some mobile numbers of some people alleging that they were involved in criminal conspiracy. All the children whose photos were allegedly clicked are below 16 years of age.







The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has written to Andhra Pradesh Director-General of Police (DGP) JV Ramudu and the Secretary Home Affairs to enquire into the matter and initiate action. The commission has sought a report by June 16.



The allegations attract Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POSCO) Act.


Independent candidate Rajender Singh Tanwar won from Bhati ward where the maximum votes were polled in the bypolls held on Sunday.

MCD ruled by BJP-Cong. Outsider AAP wins max seats in byelection. Thnx Delhi for reaffirming faith. Ab MCD election mein sabhi seat jeetni h  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 17, 2016

Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party won five wards while the Congress pipped Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the second spot by winning four seats in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) bypolls, the reulst of which were announced on Tuesday morning.Bypolls had taken place in 13 wards of MCD. The BJP won just three - Nawada, Shalimar Bagh and Wazirpur - while one seat was bagged by an independent.AAP candidate Abhishek Bidhuri won from Tekhand ward by a margin of 1555 votes defeating BJP's Sunil Verma. Other winners from the party were Ramesh from Matiala, Anil Malik from Nanakpura and Ashok Kumar from Vikas Nagar, election officials said.Congress candidate Pankaj won from the Jhilmil by a margin of 2419 votes. Pankaj defeated ex-MLA and BJP candidate Jitender Singh Shunty.Congress candidate Yogita Rathi won from the women reserved seat of Munirka. The party candidates also won from Khichdipur and Qumraddin Nagar.Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal thanked the Delhiites for reaffirming their faith in the party.BJP candidate Bhupinder Mohan Bhandari won from Shalimar Bagh by a margin of 1451 votes. Party candidate Dr Mahender Nagpal won Wazirpur ward by 3608 votes while Nawada candidate Krishan Gehlot won by 4843 votes.The bypolls to the wards falling under three corporations- SDMC (seven), NDMC (four) and EDMC (two)- were necessitated due to their sitting councillors getting elected to Delhi Assembly in 2015.AAP, making its debut in the civic bypolls, failed to replicate its superlative performance of the 2015 Assembly elections when the party swept to power winning 67 out of the 70 seats. The BJP had managed to win only three while the Congress scored a zero.The bypolls are seen as a semifinal to the 2017 MCD elections. The MCD which was trifurcated in 2012, has been ruled by the BJP for nearly a decade.
So far Prashant has the firm backing of the Gandhis and they have agreed to let him have a free hand. But on Monday, Congress sent a veiled message to him.

Election strategist Prashant Kishor is seen as a man with the Midas touch, whose novel and out of the box ideas ensured a huge win for his clients - Narendra Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and Nitish Kumar during the 2015 Bihar elections.Now Prashant is trying to recreate his magic for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Till now the going has not been smooth for the man who is fondly called PK. He is facing a lot of resistance from several Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh where the party has been out of power well over two decades.Amidst opposition from Congress leaders both in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, sources close to Prashant says he is ready to quit if his style is cramped.Prashant was brought in by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to strategise a Congress win in the difficult states of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. He has already made a five-point plan for Uttar Pradesh, which is being resisted by some Congress leaders.He has suggested a Brahmin chief minister candidate for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh as the first point. He feels the Congress is best positioned to grab the 13% Brahmin vote and also target Rajputs and Muslims. Prashant claims that Dalits would never leave Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and it's best for Congress to give up on Dalit outreach which Rahul has been following.He also insists on more prominent role for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul. As for candidates Prashant's formula is that only those who can get at least 250 workers would be eligible, a formula which has faced huge resentment.Prashant is also beginning to learn a lesson in dealing with the Congress - the crab mentality which doesn't allow anyone to rise. In fact many leaders have gone and complained to Rahul and senior Congress functionaries that he is an outsider and is trampling upon on the sentiments of the party workers.The party said his role is just to strategise and design a campaign, and not to decide on organisational matters and ticket distribution.But sources say Prashant wants the same free hand which Nitish Kumar had given him. Many in the Congress are also worried that just like Nitish who has given a Cabinet rank to PK as he is called, Rahul may also reward him, a theory which the election strategist discounts strongly.PK's 'battle' with Captain Amarinder Singh, who is the Congress chief ministerial candidate in Punjab, has already begun. Congress is aware that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is making inroads into Punjab where the Shiromani Akali Dal is hugely unpopular.Prashant's style is also unacceptable to the coterie around the Captain. Moreover, Amarinder has a strong and obstinate mind of his own and may not listen to suggestions coming in from PK.His recent statement that he owes his win to nobody and certainly not to PK just goes to show the problem and resistance the master strategist is facing.Prashant took advantage of Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's chaiwaalah comment to organise Chai Pe Charcha for Modi which was a huge success. In Bihar, he took advantage of Modi's comment of Nitish Kumar's bad DNA and collected samples of hairs and nails from voters across the state and played on the Bihari "asmita" (pride) angle.In the end, however, the intense dislike for Prashant Kishor within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led to PK quitting. The same could happen to him in the Congress too.Sources close to PK point out that he doesn't want to wait to be thrown out but would rather quit soon. PK feels Congress could win Uttar Pradesh only if the party follows his strategy.But perhaps it's too much to expect a 150-year-old party to be flexible and give space to a bahari (outsider).
Cyber-criminals unsuccessfully tried to send money from a Vietnamese bank to a Slovenian one in December, but there have been no other cases of attempted fraudulent transfers identified in Vietnam, a top central bank official there said on Tuesday.

Le Manh Hung, head of the State Bank of Vietnams (SBV) Information Technology Department, told Reuters the Dec. 8 transfer  for 1.2 million euros ($1.36 million) via the SWIFT network  was the only attempt to steal funds detected by Tien Phong Bank (TPBank).

Other Vietnamese banks and the SBV have not been hit, and the name of the Slovenian bank was not known, he said. It was also not clear how many accounts were listed as recipients.

The Slovenian central bank said it had no information on the matter and was not informed about it by official bodies. The Slovenian police had no immediate comment.

Unlisted TPBank revealed the interrupted cyber heist in response to Reuters inquiries on Sunday. It involved the use of bogus SWIFT messages, the technique at the heart of a massive theft in February from the Bangladesh central bank.

SWIFT, a linchpin of the global financial system, is used by about 11,000 banks and financial institutions for transactions. The two attacks on banks will likely increase scrutiny on the security of its network.

Interpol was immediately informed of the attack via its representative in Vietnam, Hung said.

There was no financial loss and TPBank found the bogus transfer through its own reconciliation system, he said.

TPBank has not said which bank the funds were headed to and Hung said he did not know the identity of the Slovenian partner.

Hung said TPBank was hit because a third-party vendor it had used to connect to the SWIFT money transfer system was likely infected with malware. The vendors Internet servers were based in Singapore, he said, adding he did not know the identity of the vendor provider.

Other methods

SWIFT has declined comment on TPBanks claims. On Thursday, it had said a unnamed commercial bank was targeted by a malware attack similar to the one at Bangladesh Bank.

But SWIFT said in mid-May the malware it had found was used to remove traces of fraudulent transactions, not to conduct the transaction, adding the attackers had used other methods it did not identify to send the fraudulent transfer requests. (http://bit.ly/1TezgHe)

Hung said it was the vendor that had been compromised, rather than TPBanks own systems. TPBank has declined Reuters requests for further comment.

TPBank, founded in 2008 by Vietnams top technology firm FPT Corp, is considered one of the communist countrys most modern and tech-savvy banks and it this month received the Best Internet Banking prize from The Asian Banker.

In February, in one of the worlds biggest ever cyber-heists, hackers tried to steal nearly $1 billion from Bangladesh Banks account at the New York Federal Reserve. Most orders were blocked but $81 million was transferred to accounts in the Philippines and most of the money remains missing.
Nau ka kya hoga," the leader repeats the questions with a wry smile floating on his lips. After a brief pause he adds, Nau do gyarah (They have vanished).

As temperatures soar in the national capital, the political heat generated by the prolonged Uttarakhand crisis is adding to the discomfiture of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership in Delhi.The gentle buzz of the air-conditioner is the only thing that keeps the temperatures under control inside the prefab hut - a common feature in Lutyens bungalows these days - which double up as a local secretariat and personal office for most MPs.The senior BJP leader so caught up in managing the political crisis in Uttarakhand is now clearing a fat pile of mails accumulated over a month. Supporters and party workers continue to saunter in in ones and twos.Un nau ka kya hoga (What about those nine), someone in the room asked. The fate of nine Uttarakhand rebel Congress MLAs is on everyones mind following reports of their imminent induction into the BJP in the next one week.But all that is easier said than done for wishes are not mere numbers.What is evident a week after Congress leader Harish Rawat scripted a spectacular return to power in Uttarakhand, the sedimentary remains of a failed coup in the hill state is now starting to dawn on the BJP.The biggest problem confronting the saffron brigade is: whether to take the nine rebels into the party fold. The nine have been doggedly pleading their case before the BJP leadership while eagerly awaiting for the much elusive call from party headquarters.However, a simmering discontent in its rank and file in Uttarakhand had forced the BJP central leadership to keep in abeyance the induction of the now famous nine led by former CM Vijay Bahuguna.The reasons are apparent. Firstly, Congress rebels would be natural claimants for party nominations in the upcoming elections.Which means, in an assembly of 70, BJP will have to deny tickets to almost 15% of its trusted and loyal workers in elections slated in 2017.Consider the case of Trivendra Singh Rawat, who is also the central observer currently in-charge of BJP ruled Jharkhand. Rawat had earlier worked closely with Amit Shah in Uttar Pradesh in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.Rawat lost the 2012 Assembly polls to Congress Umesh Sharma Kau from Raipur by less than 500 votes. Kau is among the nine rebel Congress MLAs now seeking both entry into and ticket from the BJP to contest next elections.If indeed Kau manages to have his way, where does it leave a senior leader like Trivendra Singh?Moreover, the very idea of accepting the likes Vijay Bahuguna and Harak Singh Rawat is a political anathema for a large section of the BJP leadership and cadre.Bahuguna not long ago was the Congress chief minister who was accused by the BJP of gross mismanagement of rehabilitation and relief work after the 2013 Uttarakhand floods. Harak Singh, on the other hand, inured to innumerable controversies is culturally alien to the BJP.The palpable unease within the BJP prompted Harish Rawat to recently rub it in when he said, BJP is now being led by its new leader Dr Harak Singh Rawat.The growing unrest has forced the BJP central leaders to call a meeting of the Uttarakhand core group in Delhi on Wednesday.While exiting the prefab hut this correspondent heard a party worker tell the leader in un-equivocal terms: In the meeting at least tell them how they have botched up. Aap suna ke to ana (Tell them clearly).
Apple CEO Tim Cook is all geared up to visit India for the first time after taking over Apple in 2011. In what is seen as a way to take a larger share of the booming Asian market, Cook is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with some big players of the Indian corporate sector.Cook's arrival is expected to bring with it a number of opportunities for Apple's future in India. Here are five key elements to look out for during Cook's week-long stay in India:Highlight of Cook's trip to India is his meeting with the prime minister. Recently, the tech giant proposed selling refurbished iPhones in the country - an idea strongly opposed by the India's telecommunications ministry. Apple has been primarily targeting developing markets and aiming to unlock their potential by offering refurbished products at affordable prices. However, local manufacturers have reportedly claimed that the plan would defeat the purpose of 'Make in India' program if the company is allowed to enter the market with cheap, recycled versions of older iPhones. Cook's meeting with Modi might serve as a good opportunity to re-propose the idea that could help the tech giant reach wider audience without sacrificing the top-tier pricing it commands in other markets.Although Apple is focusing on making it big in India with its iPhones, it is unlikely that the Cupertino giant will join hands with the Indian government for its local manufacturing initiative. Given the recent fiasco with the iPhone SE pricing in India and the exorbitantly priced iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, it was hoped that a local manufacturing could help bring down the cost of the device. Chipmaker Foxconn is currently helping China-based Xiaomi achieve its 'Make in India' goal. However, it is a distant dream to see the company do the same for Apple's iPhones.Last year, the Indian government relaxed the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy for single-brand retail stores in the country. So, in January, Apple filed a proposal seeking permission for single-brand retail and selling products online, but Department Of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) had sought more information from the technology major due to certain gaps in the application. Apple has resubmitted its application. It is likely that the Apple chief could use his India visit to speed up the process as it has about only 2 per cent market share and currently. Presently, Apple products are sold by Apple distributors and resellers.Cook's arrival is garnering a lot of interest after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google CEO Sundar Pichai's visit in 2015 followed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Just like his counterparts, Cook will be meeting industry leaders. Cook recently said that India has a huge potential and given the recent push for high-speed wireless network, the prospects are even more for tech players like Apple who want to make Indians use its devices to their fullest potential. Other than meeting the corporate biggies to advance the company's India plans, Cook is also expected to meet employees and partners.On the lighter side, Cook might follow the traditional trip to Taj Mahal. From the royals to US presidents, this world heritage site and also one of the world's wonders is visited by everyone. Cook's secretive itinerary might include a date with the Taj during his Asia tour.
Amit Boni, Motorola India head, unveils the new Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus at an event in New Delhi (Image: Ankit Tuteja/ News18.com)

Moto G4 Plus display

Moto G4 Plus rear

Moto G4 Plus bottom view

Dual-SIM slots in the Moto G4 Plus

After a long series of leaks, rumours and speculations, the new Moto G smartphones are here.Motorola unveiled the 4th generation Moto G phones - the Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus - to the world at an event in New Delhi. Both the phones have the same design language and the phones appear the same when seen from a distance.The differences, apart from the price, between the two variants is that the Moto G4 Plus has a fingerprint sensor on the front and comes with a 16 megapixel rear camera. The Moto G4, on the other hand, doesn't have a fingerprint sensor and the camera is 13 megapixels. Both the phones measure 7.8 mm in thickness and feature a micro-textured back.The new G4s feature a 5.5-inch full HD display and come will Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.Motorola has bumped up the battery by 15% from the predecessor to 3000 mAh. The phones are powered with Qualcommm Snapdragon 617 processors.While the phones vary in the rear camera specs at the front is a 5 megapixel shooter on both phones. Motorola has included laser auto-focus and larger 1.3 um pixels in the camera along with an f2.0 lens. Other camera features include a new professional mode.The Moto G4 will be available in 2 GB RAM and 16 GB ROM but the price for the phone will be announced later and the device will go on sale next month.The Moto G4 Plus will be available in two variants - 2 GB RAM with 16 GB ROM at Rs 13,499; and 3 GB RAM with 32 GB ROM at Rs 14,999. The phone will be available in two colour variants - black and white. The G4 Plus goes on sale from May 18.Explaining the delay in the G4 availability in the Indian market, in an interview with News18.com, Motorola India Head Amit Boni said, "the Moto G4 supplies will come a little later."The phones will be exclusively available via Amazon.in. This would be for the first time in India that a Moto smartphone would be an Amazon exclusive at launch. While Amazon has been selling some of the Moto devices including Moto G (3rd gen), Moto G Turbo Edition, and Moto 360 (2nd gen) for quite some months now, it, so far, has never been an exclusive partner for Motorola at launch."They (Amazon) are in sync with our strategy and expectations on how to reach consumers," Boni said, reasoning the exclusive availability on Amazon.The presence of a fingerprint sensor in the new Moto G was first revealed by the Motorola India head, in an interview to News18.com back in February.Moto G has been one of Motorola's biggest smartphones ever in number of sales and India is the second largest market for the Moto G phones, next to Brazil.
Pakistan has expressed "serious concern" to the United Nations over a draft bill in Indian Parliament over the map of Kashmir. Pakistan has called upon the world body to uphold its resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in "violation of international law".



According to the draft 'Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016', wrong depiction of the Indian map could land the violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and impose a fine up to Rs 100 crore.



"Pakistan has expressed serious concern to the United Nations Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, through letters by our Permanent Representative in New York, with regard to the Indian government's efforts to introduce a controversial 'Geospatial Information Regulation Bill' in the Indian Parliament," the Foreign Office (FO) said.



It further said that "in violation of UNSC resolutions, the official map of India has been depicting the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India which is factually incorrect and legally untenable".







Through the passage of this Bill, the Indian government would penalise the individuals and organisations who depict Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, the FO said.



"The letter calls upon the United Nations to uphold the UNSC resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in violation of international law," the FO said.



"We have urged the international community and the United Nations to fulfil their commitment with the people of Jammu and Kashmir by holding an independent and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices," it said.


The first day of the downtown parking pilot program netted about 30 warning violations, according to the parking ambassadors on hand to educate people visiting downtown about the new system.

The six-month pilot program that went into effect Monday morning is the first time in decades people visiting downtown Lynchburg have had to pay to park.

The pay by plate meters are operational at the Lynchburg Community Market parking lot and across the road on the 1200 block of Main Street.

Tyler Warner first learned of the new parking system when arriving on a family outing at Community Market Monday.

He said he missed the sign, but a parking ambassador told him he would need to pay.

He said he prefers free over paying, but the parking ambassador was helpful.

Its not so bad, I guess, Warner said upon returning to his vehicle.

Not all patrons took the new rule as well as Warner and his family, according to parking ambassador Gwendolyn Carter.

She staffed the City Market lot Monday morning into the afternoon. By 3 p.m. she guessed she had issued 30 orange warning tickets. While several people saw the new system as a sign Lynchburg was growing, many others refused to pay at the meter, she said.

Some people are okay with it, some are not, she said.

The first 30 minutes are free, but parkers must still type in their license plate at one of the kiosks installed in the pilot zone. The first three hours are $1 per hour. After three hours, each additional hour costs $2. There is no time limit.

Main Street parking and Community Market fees will be enforced by ticket Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Community Market pay stations are also enforced Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For the first 30 days, only warnings will be issued. Fines will be levied after that time.

Carter said she wants people to remember she and other parking ambassadors did not make the rules and they can talk to their city representatives if they want change.

People are very rude to us often, and will say bad things to you, Carter said.  We just enforce the law once you let it be written.

The pilot program was installed in hopes of opening spots for customers. Parking fees are planned to be spent on the broader parking program being developed downtown.

Residents are invited to provide feedback to the Lynchburg Parking Authority, which meets the second Tuesday of each month at 3 p.m. at City Hall. For more information, call the Parking Management Office at (434) 455-4045.
Vietnams Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh has voiced strong protest over China's fishing ban in the East Sea.

Starting from May 16, the ban will last two and a half months and cover a large area of the East Sea, including the Gulf of Tonkin and Scarborough Shoal where Vietnam holds sovereignty in some areas.

Vietnam resolutely opposes and refutes this worthless decision, Binh said.

He said Vietnam has sufficient legal and historical foundations testifying to its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago (Paracel Islands) and the sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its waters, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Chinese action has seriously violated Vietnams sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago as well as Vietnams sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its waters, running counter to the spirit of the Declaration on Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC), Binh said.

According to the Vietnam Fisheries Society, China has been imposing the ban for many years, hindering the production of Vietnamese fishermen and causing losses to the industry.

China began to introduce the fishing ban in 1999.
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The Vietnam Fisheries Society says Chinese moves to restrict fishing in the South China Sea (Vietnam's East Sea) have impeded the production of Vietnamese fishermen and violated the countrys sovereignty.

The statement came after Chinas Ministry of Agriculture announced it will unilaterally ban the exploitation of maritime resources in the upcoming season in the South China Sea. Starting from May 16, the ban will last two and a half months and cover a large area of sea, including the Gulf of Tonkin and Scarborough Shoal where Vietnam holds sovereignty in some areas.

According to the Fisheries Society, China has been imposing the ban for many years, hindering the production of Vietnamese fishermen and causing losses to the industry.

The restriction has violated Vietnams maritime sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos and the sovereignty and national jurisdiction of Vietnam over its seas under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982, the statement said.

Vietnamese fishermen said they strongly oppose China's unilateral actions and will ignore the new regulations, saying they mean nothing. The Fisheries Society has asked authorities to respond to China's actions and ensure the protection of fishermen.
UWI debates right to privacy

The event is being hosted by the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies at the Noor Hassanali Auditorium from 10 am.

Among the questions to be posed are: Do we have an absolute right to privacy? Should we be prepared to surrender our right to privacy in the face of an escalation in criminal activity? Should we accept the dictum that if we have nothing to hide, we have nothing to fear? The right to privacy and law enforcement were key discussion points during the recent debate on the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) (Amendment) Bill 2016 in the Senate. The Bill was passed in the Senate last Tuesday and was previously passed in the House of Representatives on April 15.

During the Senate debate on May 10, Al-Rawi indicated there is a right to privacy but it is a qualified one. The AG said the Judiciary has recognised this right and called for better legislation to deal with privacy.

The Opposition has filed a motion of no-confidence against Al-Rawi in connection to the SSA Bill and other matters. Addressing a news conference at Piarco International Airport following his return from a 12-day overseas trip, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said the Government would be prepared to debate that motion which has been filed in the name of Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal.

Other members of the panel at todays forum are TT Transparency Institute Chairman Deryck Murray, newspaper columnist Michael Harris, and Dean of UWIs Faculty of Law, Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine.
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Big business corporations, who make their names in one or more lines of business eventually branch out into other lines of businesses in order to diversify their portfolio and also to make sure that their investible capital does not gather dust but is actually used to create value in a new industry altogether. That is how huge conglomerates are born and nowadays, it is not uncommon to see large corporations doing the same in order to gather a pie of a lucrative business if they have the cash and the clout. In that spirit of entreprenural prudence, Japanese consumer electronics company Nintendo, who are famous all over the world for their videogame products have now decided to enter the film business in order to further diversify their range of businesses.

The company, which has a market cap of over $19 billion is already involved in the video content business but according to the latest reports in the Asahi newspaper in Japan, their president Tatsumi Kimishima has stated that the company is looking for tie ups with production houses so that it can get into the fllm business. The films are most likely to be aimed at the gaming community who might be interested in watching films related to video game characters and it is expected that movies based on popular games like 'Mario Kart' could be produced by Nintendo in collaboration with production companies. Kimishima told the newspaper, "We're talking with various partners. I think we'll be able to decide something in the not-too-distant future,"

Certain sections of the media had speculated that video content might not have actually meant that the company was trying to get into fully fledged movi production and a spokesperson for the company stated that although it is true that the president stated that the aim was to be in 'video content' production, a foray into movie production has not been ruled out. 'Pokemon' and 'Super Mario' are some of Nintendo's most popular characters and have been turned into very lucrative movie properties. The company only gets a licensing fee for the use of those characters but it seems that Nintendo are now eager to cash in on their own.
Now, the country will not see a new president. Not sure why but almost the whole African continent likes to see the same soul in the same designation every time and this time it's no different. Now, apparently it seems that the Ugandan government doesn't want people talking about its election or its future president certainly not online at any cost involved.

The nation's government in a decision undertaken by the committee have now decided that most social media access would be blocked which would affect Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp for the second time in three months on Wednesday and Thursday, as President Yoweri Museveni was sworn in for his 5th consecutive term. Museveni, who first became president in 1986, won reelection in February with around 60% of the vote, well ahead of the 35% won by his nearest challenger.

Many people inside the nation assume or even firmly believe that the election was completely rigged for Museveni from the start of the election process itself. Areas with strong opposition movements weren't able to vote until late on election day, because election materials reportedly didn't show up in the morning. Former Prime Minister who fetched just about 1.4% of the vote likely alleged that vote counters initiating counting tallies were completely in favor of Museveni by filling out voter forms for the president and making up final vote counts. Tensions quickly gathered up after the election results were in as the leading contender was detained and the government cut access to social media. That access was again gone for several hours on Thursday and weren't restored accordingly

Restricting social media seems to be likely causes in most of the nations after all which obviously fall into a pattern observed by the Ugandan government which made the move to increasingly limit the country's ability to discuss about the opposition to the current president. Earlier this month the government had also banned the press from covering election protests. Journalists in the country were also assaulted while covering the election process according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. During his swearing-in ceremony, the president promised to fight corruption.
You might have guessed it the instant the nation named was in the headline. A very strict and imperialistic regime in Saudi Arabia can induce any circumstances whether foreseen or unexpected.

It isn't clear why the functions have been banned, but after getting to know about local reports, they have now claimed that the move is an attempt to protect their traditional telecom operators. Saudi Arabia which had already blocked features of most chat apps, has now decided to impose the block on Facebook's Messenger application.

The app's video and voice chat functionsnow can't be used in the country because of regulations that have been now imposed in the Islamic nation. Seems like according to the local reports, it's now speculated that it is a way of protecting the revenues of traditional telecom companies. Pretty much shitty move I must say.

Video and voice calling continuously allowed people to call over the internet rather than phone networks in a way of avoiding the expenses that can often come with calling through user sim-cards for a longer period of time. Internet calling over WhatsApp and Viber were already blocked in the nation long time back. Similar apps including Messenger and Line are still available in the country. The service for Messenger by Facebook has been now banned due in failure to "comply with regulations" an official told local news services. It threatened the tele networking carrier businesses so much that any other app that also fails to comply with those regulations will also be banned. "Appropriate action will be taken against applications or services that do not comply with the regulations," a spokesman at the commission told the local news reporters.


Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Snow showers early with a chance of lingering snow showers later. Low 17F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Snow showers early with a chance of lingering snow showers later. Low 17F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
The government has pledged to provide rice for people in central provinces whose lives have been badly affected by the recent mass fish deaths, according to a Finance Ministry report.

Each local resident, including fishermen, fishing boat owners and aquatic farmers, will receive 15 kilograms of rice per month.

The support, which will last for six weeks, comes after the Prime Minster ordered his cabinet to set up working groups to help local fishermen and aquatic farmers who have suffered from the disaster.

The government has taken 800 tons of rice from the national reserves to support people in the provinces of Quang Binh and Quang Tri.

Vietnams central coastal provinces have been hit hard by a mysterious disaster which has killed fish at both aquatic farms and in coastal waters.

The fish mass deaths started a month ago in the central province of Ha Tinh, about 400 kilometers south of Hanoi. Fish raised in farms near Ha Tinh Provinces Vung Ang Port were found dead on April 6, with more dead fish subsequently washing up on local beaches.

The problem quickly spread to the nearby provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien  Hue along a 200km stretch of coast.

As of April 25, around 70 tons of fish had reportedly washed up in these provinces.

The government admitted that it has been too slow to respond to the incident due to a lack of experience.

Vietnam has asked international experts to help local scientists and government agencies to determine the cause of the fish deaths.
New Delhi :

The ruling JD-Us problem in Bihar is rising. It seems the Jungle raaj is coming back to haunt the state. JD-Us suspended MLC Manorama Devi, who had gone into hiding after an arrest warrant over a liquor stash found inside her home, surrendered before the Gaya court this morning.

Earlier, the lawmaker's son Rocky Yadav was arrested last week for a road rage killing. Manorama Devi, former legislative council member of the ruling JDU, was suspended from the party by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar last week. She faces arrest for violating the new liquor prohibition law in Bihar. (Also read. Court orders attachment of fugitive MLC's property, cops paste notice)

Rocky Yadav allegedly fired at 19-year-old Aditya Sachdeva's car to force him to stop, beat him up and then shot him dead.

Rocky was arrested from a factory owned by his family. Manorama Devi's husband, Bindi Yadav the one-time assembly election candidate was also arrested for helping his son Rocky escape.

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Washington:

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US, the Pentagon has said there are opportunities to further expand bilateral military co-operation and it is looking forward to enhancing relations with India.

The (US Defence) Secretary (Ashton Carter) believes there are still opportunities for us to further expand the cooperation between the United States and India on military issues. They are issues of consequence for India, security issues that are of consequence to the United States, Pentagon Press Secretary, Peter Cook told reporters at a press conference yesterday.

We have shared security interests in that part of the world. And I think the Secretary is confident that the strong relationship we have right now will only build in the future, so, Cook said in response to a question.

The Defence Secretary, he said, is looking forward to the visit of Prime Minister Modi in June.

He met with the Prime Minister when he was in India, and looks forward to enhancing and building on that visit and the strong relationship that he has been able to maintain with Minister Parrikar since he took over as Secretary, Cook said in response to a question.

Carter was in India last month, during which he held talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar and met the Prime Minister. Describing the trip as successful, Carter said there were some in-principle agreements reached at that time with regard to military-to-military relationship.

I think the Secretary feels very good about where things are with regard to that relationship, and his relationship with Minister Parrikar. I think he sees this as an opportunity for future cooperation between the United States and India on military issues, Cook said.

During his visit, Carter became the first US Defence Secretary to board an Indian aircraft carrier. I think he was very appreciative of the warm welcome he received, and the substantive discussions that took place while we were in India, Cook said.

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Washington:

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has warned of major terror attacks by refugees coming into the US. I do, I actually do, Trump said when asked whether or not he believed it would take a large-scale attack on US soil for Americans to wake up about border security.

Bad things will happen - a lot of bad things will happen. There will be attacks that you wouldnt believe. There will be attacks by the people that are right now that are coming into our country, because, I have no doubt in my mind, he said.

Trump warned that the US faces danger of a terrorist attack from the refugees coming to the country, the National Border Patrol Council reported.

And no one know where they are from Syria or somewhere else, he said.

I mean you look at it, they have cell phones. So they dont have money, they dont have anything. They have cell phones. Who pays their monthly charges, right? he asked.

They have cell phones with the flags, the ISIS flags on them. And then were supposed to say, isnt this wonderful that were taking them in? were led by people that are either incompetent or they dont have the best interest of our country at heart, the Republican presumptive nominee said.

He also lashed out at Democratic presidential front runner Hillary Clinton, his potential rival in November general elections.

She would be a disaster, he said.

Trump said he would not let the refugees come in the country. If elected, he said, he would have a safe zone built in the region with money from the Arab nations.

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Cannes:

Anurag Kashyaps Raman Raghav 2.0 premiered in Cannes Directors Fortnight to a rousing reception. The dark, disturbing neo-noir thriller is part of the parallel Directors Fortnight, one of the more exciting sections at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.

The director and one of the films two lead actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui fielded questions from the audience after the press screening.

Four other members of the cast Vicky Kaushal, Amruta Subhash, Shobhita Dhulipala and Anuschka Sawhney were in attendance.

Speaking outside the screening venue, Edouard Waintrop, Directors Fortnight head and artistic director, described Raman Raghav 2.0 as classic Mumbai noir.

Taking off from a true story of a serial killer, who terrorized Bombay in the mid-1960s and took a toll of 41 lives, the film tells a contemporary story built on the mind games played by the criminal and a coke-snorting, insomniac police officer.

For years I had in mind a period film based on the case, but making it would have needed a lot of money, Kashyap told the audience.

So, we rewrote it as a story set in present times. The film explores the dark side of people and by extension of the society they live in. It incorporates details from the true Raman Raghav case (of half a century ago).

Siddiqui, who anchors Raman Raghav 2.0 with a powerfully disquieting portrayal of a demented man who kills for the heck of it, had the bound script for five years, Kashyap revealed.

It was a challenging role, said Siddiqui. I had to work hard to get into the mind of a serial killer. Before the shoot, I went away from Mumbai for two days to internalize the mans thought process. By the end of it, I was at times scared of myself.

Raman Raghav 2.0, slated for release in India in June, is Kashyaps third film in five years to make it to Directors Fortnight.

In 2012, the two-part Gangs of Wasseypur, which also had Siddiqui in a key role, was unveiled in the prestigious parallel section.

The very next year, Ugly, which probed the grimy underbelly of Mumbai, premiered in Directors Fortnight.

Given the positive reactions it has garnered in Cannes, Raman Raghav 2.0 seems poised to pull Mumbais leading independent auteur out of the Bombay Velvet trough.

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New Delhi :

Tightening its claws around the neck of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf, the International Police Association (Interpol) on Tuesday issued a Red Corner notice against both of them. Azhar has been accused of main conspirator behind Pathankot attacks.

Earlier, securing an arrest warrant from a special court, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) had recently approached the Interpol for issuing a Red Corner Notice against Azhar and three others.

A dossier along with the NBW issued by a special NIA court in Mohali in Punjab was reportedly sent to the investigating agency, which is the nodal agency representing the Interpol in the country.

As per reports, the NIA had sought warrant against 47-year-old Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf, Kashif Jan and Shahid Latif, two handlers of JeM terrorists who had infiltrated into India through Bamiyal sector of Punjab in the wee hours of December 30 to launch the terror assault.

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Beijing:

Pakistans powerful Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif met top Chinese leadership here and assured them to provide full security to the ambitious USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through restive Balochistan province.

Gen Sharif, who is in China on a two-day official visit, yesterday met Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President of the Central Military Commission Fan Changlong, the highest military official of the Peoples Liberation Army which is headed by President Xi Jinping.

During his meeting with Li, Sharif appreciated Pakistans profound friendship with China and stressed that the Pakistani side expects achievements from the CPEC and is ready to provide security for cooperation.

Gen Sharif discussed with Chinese officials the measures to improve military cooperation, exponentially enhance training exchanges, defence technology and intelligence sharing and security of the CPEC, Pakistan military spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa said.

Li met Sharif to enhance bilateral economic and security ties, Chinas state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

Military-to-military relations have reinforced China-Pakistan ties, especially economic cooperation, Li said, calling on both sides to strengthen high-level contact and deepen exchanges in various fields.

The economic corridor is not only a flagship project between the two sides, but also conducive to development and prosperity of the whole region, Li said.

Pakistan is readying a special force of 4,000 security personnel to protect Chinese nationals working at various projects in Punjab province, including the CPEC project.

Already over 17,000 security personnel from the army and other security forces have been engaged to ensure foolproof security of Chinese nationals working across the country.

The ambitious 3,000-kilometre CPEC project was launched last year to link western China to southern Pakistan through a network of roads, railways and pipelines.

Sharifs trip to Beijing followed last months visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who held extensive talks with top Chinese leaders and military officials.

His visit comes in the backdrop of assertions by Pakistan that it will raise its concerns at the international level over Indias successful test of supersonic interceptor missile.

Expressing concern over Indias interceptor missile test, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said it will disturb the balance of power in the region. He added that Pakistan will continue to upgrade its defensive capabilities by acquiring advanced technology.

India is enjoying the cooperation of the US, as Washington thinks a strong New Delhi is vital to contain China, he was quoted as saying by the Dawn. Pakistan would raise its voice at the international level against these developments, Aziz said.

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Islamabad:

Pakistans Senate has unanimously adopted a resolution asking the government to prepare a dossier on Indian interference in the country and send it to other nations and international institutions.

The resolution moved in the Senate, the Upper House of the parliament, by ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party Senator Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qayyum was passed yesterday.

According to a report in Express Tribune, the resolution calls on the Pakistan government to prepare a full dossier about the Indian interference in Pakistans internal affairs fomenting unrest, instability and terrorism.

It also calls for sending these dossiers to key international countries and institutions.

The Senates move comes more than two months after Pakistani authorities claimed to have arrested an alleged Indian spy in its restive Balochistan province on March 3.

Pakistan claims Kulbhushan Jadhav crossed over into the country from Iran. It has handed over evidence regarding Yadavs arrest to key world powers, including the US and the UK, but they have yet not responded.

Pakistan last month said it has briefed envoys of the Arab and ASEAN countries about Jadhavs alleged confession about Indian sponsored subversive activities and terrorist financing to destabilise Pakistan.

India has acknowledged Jadhav as a retired Indian Navy officer, but denied the allegation that he was in any way connected to the government.

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The main route spanning 35 kilometers long takes up to 3 days and 2 nights to finish. Well beaten by the locals that are no stranger to the route, it is the easiest track for first-timers, affording them the luxury to forget about navigational instruments like map, compass and GPS.
New Delhi:

The Ministry of AYUSH has circulated a common yoga protocol, saying the participants should chant vedic mantras and Om before starting the 45-minute session in order to enhance the benefits of yoga. This circular has sparked a controversy as the Narendra Modi government has been accused of pushing Hindutva agenda. A government-appointed panel of experts has prepared the protocol for all those who shall be participating in the International Yoga Day, scheduled to be held on June 21. The protocol has been circulated through government departments, schools, colleges and universities across the country.

The University Grants Commission has written a letter to all heads of higher institutions, asking for their "personal indulgence" to ensure that the protocol is followed during the events held in their campuses on June 21.



The yoga protocol, said,"Yogic practice shall start with a prayer or prayerful mood to enhance the benefits of practice.

This is not gone well with the opposition parties and religious leaders who have opposed the protocol.



"Chanting Om or other words is related to one religion which applies to the entire country. This is against secularism. This is against our faith which is a wrong use of one's power. This is a planning to take all India into one umbrella of faith," said Shafique Qazmi, a Muslim cleric.



Supporting the move, Bollywood actor Anupam Kher said, "It is the expression of work. They should be allowed to do what they deem fit. Implementation is important. Om word comes in yoga. This should not be made into controversy. Those who do not want to say Om, they should't say it, there is no problem." However, in view of criticism, the Centre has made it clear that chanting Om is not compulsory.

Media reports on Tuesday quoted politicians like Janata Dal United's KC Tyagi, Congress' Sandeep Dikshit and several others raising their objections to the Centre's proposal for chanting Om and some Vedic mantras on the International Yoga Day.

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New Delhi :

Researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have developed a new method for producing truly random numbers, a breakthrough invention that could contribute a lot in improving cybersecurity. Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a method that can be used to make electronic voting more secure, conduct statistically significant polls and more accurately simulate complex systems such as Earth's climate.

The method involves creating truly random numbers which could facilitate significantly higher levels of security for everything from consumer credit card transactions to military communications.

This new method is more reliable as compared to the previous ones which as they either required that one of the two source sequences be truly random or both source sequences be close to truly random.

This makes harder for hackers to crack the data. Data encryption is critical when it comes to securing credit card purchases and bank transactions, keeping personal medical data private and shielding military communications from enemies, among many practical applications.

The new method developed by Professor David Zuckerman and graduate student Eshan Chattopadhyay takes two weakly random sequences of numbers and turns them into one sequence of truly random numbers. Weakly random sequences, such as air temperatures and stock market prices sampled over time, harbour predictable patterns. Truly random sequences have nothing predictable about them, like a coin toss.



Previous versions of randomness extractors were less practical because they either required that one of the two source sequences be truly random (which presents a chicken or the egg problem) or that both source sequences be close to truly random, researchers said.



Zuckerman said that although there are already methods for producing high-quality random numbers, they are very computationally demanding. His method produces higher quality randomness with less effort. One common way that encryption is misused is by not using high-quality randomness. So in that sense, by making it easier to get high-quality randomness, our methods could improve security, said Zuckerman.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Lucknow:

Expanding their footprint in UP, UK visa service was today started in Lucknow, which will encourage more people from the state to visit Britain for tourism, study and investment purpose, British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith said.

I am delighted to visit the most populous state to find out how UP and UK can work more closely together, he said welcoming the first batch of applicants at the visa centre which was inaugurated today.

The UK already has more visa application centres in India than any other country and I am pleased that we are expanding our footprints in UP. There has been a growing demand for UK visas from the state and we hope that it will encourage more people from UP to think of the UK for tourism, study, trade and investments, High Commission press release quoted him as saying.

New visa centre was announced during the UK Immigration Ministers visit to India. During the visit he had also announced a number of other improvements including a new application form for visitors and allowing first time visitors to use the priority visa service, said Nick Crouch UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) regional director of South and Southeast Asia.

The new visa service will be available on the third Tuesday of every month and will allow people to apply for UK visa in Lucknow for the first time.

These improvements have been well received and are all part of UKVIs strategy to make it quicker and easier for Indian citizens to apply for UK visas, Crouch said.

The British High Commissioner also met Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to discuss how the UK and UP could work more closely together.
Hyderabad:

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) today seized 1.99 kg of cocaine, estimated to be worth around Rs 10 crore, from a woman passenger at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad here.

Based on specific intelligence, officers of the DRI (Hyderabad Zonal Unit) intercepted one woman passenger, who arrived from Dubai by Emirates flight at RGIA this morning, Additional Director General M K Singh said.

The officers recovered substance in the form of white lumpy powder, which tested positive for cocaine by the field drug test kit. The drug was deftly concealed inside the covers of five books lined with aluminium foils being carried by her in the hand baggage, he said.

The cocaine, valued at about Rs 10 crore, has been seized under NDPS Act 1985. The woman has been detained and her statement is being recorded, Singh said. Further investigation in the case are underway, he added.

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The United States is committed to defending its allies and has deployed American forces in the Asia-Pacific against regional missile threats.

Clearly, the biggest ballistic missile threat in the area comes from North Korea, said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Frank Rose. As recently as April 15 and 28, North Korea carried out launches of intermediate-range ballistic missiles, which failed. On April 23, North Korea tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile, which also failed. On March 11 and 18, North Korea launched its short-and medium-range Scud and No Dong ballistic missiles.

North Korea has several hundred short- and medium-range ballistic missiles available for use against targets on the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Launches using ballistic missile technology are clear violations of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

The U.S. has its strongest missile defense relationship in the region with Japan. The U.S. deploys Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, or BMD, ships and Patriot batteries in Japan to support the defense of Japan and U.S. deployed forces.

Japan currently deploys four Kongo-class Aegis BMD destroyers, is upgrading two Atago-class destroyers to BMD capability, and has plans to acquire two more Atago-class BMD ships. It also deploys 24 Patriot batteries along with its own extensive early warning radar network.

The United States and Japan are working closely together to develop the SM-3 Block IIA interceptor. This development work remains on track for delivery in the 2018 timeframe.

With regard to South Korea, the U.S. currently deploys Patriots to defend American forces and South Koreans. South Korea has also been improving its own missile defense capabilities with the Korean Integrated Air and Missile Defense system.

The U.S.-South Korea Alliance "could benefit from more 'upper tier' missile defense capabilities to address the threat from North Koreas extended range SCUDs and No Dong medium-range ballistic missiles," said Assistant Secretary Rose. Thats where the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system comes in.

The U.S. and South Korea have begun formal consultations on the potential deployment of such a system. If THAAD is deployed in the Republic of Korea, it would be focused solely on defending against North Korean ballistic missile threats.

The United States remains committed to defending its allies and forces in the face of North Koreas UN-proscribed ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests.
President Barack Obama has said that Africa is on the move, pointing to the strides made on the continent in the areas of health and economic growth. But, as Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights Sarah Sewall recently noted, Africas ability to make what could be enormous contributions to the global community is facing challenges that still impede Africas success and slow its progress.

The first is the threat of violent extremism. In both the east and the west of Africa, violent groups like al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram are devastating peoples lives, eroding economies, and undermining governance.

This is an issue of great concern to the United States and to our partners in Africa and a real focus of our partnership with African nations, said Under Secretary Sewall.

A second area of challenge is the unequal treatment of women and girls. In far too many places, Under Secretary Sewell observed, that treatment includes violence, including female genital mutilation and cutting, which is a severe threat to health; sexual violence by intimate friends or family, or by security forces operating in the name of the states; or early, forced child marriage, which prevents girls from getting an education and contributing to their countries economic future.

The third key area is the problem of impunity within African nations. The United States, Under Secretary Sewall emphasized, wants to work with African nations to try to address those justice deficits which are so important  important, not only for economic progress, but for social and political progress as well.

In a discussion with international reporters, Under Secretary Sewall noted, among other issues, President Obamas support for UN peacekeeping operations in Africa; the work the United States has done to spotlight the importance of good conduct by national contingents of military and police forces involved in those missions, and to insist on the end to impunity for crimes those forces may commit; the investment the United States has made in tracking and disrupting terrorist financing; and the emphasis the United States believes is required to highlight the need for African women and girls to be allowed to fulfill their futures.

President Obama has said that Africas progress depends on good governance, respect for human rights, security and peace. The United States remains Africas close partner and friend in pursuing each of these goals.
NWO plan in action? George Soros is trying to convince the public that Russia is bigger threat than ISIS

Anyone whos done his homework on the matter knows that the so-called Islamic State is, at best, the fallout of failed Western policies abroad, and at worst, an intentional creation of the West or Persian Gulf states to fuel further destabilization efforts throughout Europe and the Middle East. And from the looks of it, the latter seems to be the more accurate descriptor for ISIS existence, with none other than billionaire George Soros pulling the strings of this groups actions from behind the veil.

Soros has been exceptionally vocal lately in his condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he blames for destabilizing Syria and foisting millions of Syrian refugees on the West. But as delineated by RT.coms Sam Gerrans, Soros is the one responsible for ISIS terror brigades throughout the West, a fact thats been blurred by Soros persistent psychopathy in blaming others for his own actions.

In a recent propaganda piece published by The Guardian, Soros went off on Putin for his alleged actions in fueling ISIS, claiming that Putin is a bigger threat to Europes existence than ISIS. Soros claims that Putin is directly responsible for all the turmoil in Europe right now, and nastily suggests that Putin, who is actually the only world leader currently addressing ISIS presence in Syria with any sort of objectivity, is somehow just as guilty as ISIS in wreaking havoc throughout the world.

Soros, not Putin, the true purveyor of ISIS terror

Condemning such nonsense, Gerrans picks apart Soros claims by correctly pointing out that Soros is the real mastermind behind the ISIS phenomenon, which is being used as a catalyst to destroy Western Europe and, eventually, the U.S. And by blaming Russia and Vladimir Putin for this, Soros is demonstrating clear signs of psychopathy, of which the rest of the world needs to take notice.

Soros and his ilk created and benefit from what Soros calls Islamic State, yet his argument not only disregards that fact, it kicks blame in the direction of the one major power  Russia  which has taken steps to deal with this US creation, Gerrans wrote.

Russia, Gerrans correctly points out in his analysis, is working alongside Syrias legitimate government to fend off ISIS and maintain its national sovereignty, something for which the U.S. has paid lip service with no action. What Soros claims concerning Russias involvement in the conflict is the exact opposite of what Russia is actually doing, in other words, and the true liar in all this is none other than Soros himself.

This invasion is driven, on the one hand, by people smugglers, and on the other hand by those activists who support everything that weakens the nation-state, said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as quoted in an article published by the Daily Mail last fall that condemned Soros for destabilizing Europe by ordering the European Union to take in at least a million refugees a year.

This Western mindset and this activist network is perhaps best represented by George Soros.

War on Terror a manufactured false-flag narrative pushed by Soros and friends

Gerrans friend and fellow journalist Gearoid O. Colmain agrees, having explained in a separate interview with RT.com that the entire War on Terror, ISIS and all, is the creation of a tiny and particularly tyrannical ruling elite, of which George Soros seems to be a leading member.

There is no War on Terror, Gearoid O. Colmain told RT.com. There is a war which is being waged using terrorist proxy groups and they are being used against nation states who are resisting US and Israeli hegemony.

And they are also being used as a means of disciplining the work forces in Europe. In a period of mass unemployment and austerity, you now have terrorist attacks being committed by terrorists funded, armed and trained by Western intelligence agencies. There is no such thing as ISIS. ISIS is a creation of the United States.

Soros psychopathic tendencies and continued denial of his own role in furthering ISIS terrorism proves that this one-foot-in-the-grave scumbag is the true enemy of the people, not Vladimir Putin or Russia. Gerrans puts it succinctly when he writes:

Soros disregards entirely his own extensive role in creating the problem he purports to seek to solve; meanwhile, he accuses Russia, the only country to man-up to the war on Syria, of being behind the migration Soros has spent millions engineering.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

TheDailySheeple.com

Science.NaturalNews.com

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The president of the American Medical Association calls the rising cost of naloxone, a life-saving drug that can reverse an opioid overdose, intolerable and egregious.

This is a time, for the greater good of the nation, that pharma companies should make it as cheap as water from a tap, said Dr. Steven Stack, who will be in Connecticut Thursday to speak to the Litchfield County Medical Association. This is not a time to get rich from peoples suffering and death.

As prescription drug and heroin overdoses have soared, all state police and many local first responders have been trained and equipped with the drug, sometimes sold under the brand name Narcan. In Connecticut, accidental drug intoxication deaths jumped from 357 in 2012 to 723 in 2015. The majority of 2015s drug deaths involved heroin, morphine or codeine, which has been consistent year-to-year, according to data from the medical examiners office.

We need to stop the epidemic of deaths related to opioids, said Stack, an emergency medicine physician practicing in Kentucky. Weve got to ensure people who are already severely impaired by opioid use disorders that these individuals, if they overdose, have the opportunity to survive so they can get treatment.

According to a recent report released by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, in 2009, naloxone in the form used most commonly by police departments and first responders cost $13-$15 per dose. That price has increased to $37-$54 for the same dose.

The price of naloxone  which comes in several different forms, including a nasal spray and an injection  has also become an issue of concern for Connecticut lawmakers. Last September, Attorney General George Jepsen sent a letter to California drug-manufacturer Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, questioning why its price for naloxone had increased.

In his letter, Jepsen requested the opportunity to explore options to address the increased costs in light of the states fiscal constraints and the need for the life-saving drug. In April, the state announced that it had reached an agreement with Amphastar that will provide a $6 rebate for every dose of naloxone that is purchased by the state, municipal or local town agency.

In a release about the cost agreement, the state said Amphastar has maintained that its pricing is based on legitimate and lawful business factors.

In his 27-page report released in April, Blumenthal stressed the need to have naloxone widely accessible and affordable for consumers to use in an emergency.

The Connecticut State Police and some law enforcement agencies and first responders buy naloxone directly from drug manufacturers. But it has also been available since 2015 through a limited supply from the state Department of Public Health, which distributes it through local member agencies in Danbury, Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, New London and Windham/Willimantic. Doctors can also prescribe the antidote.

In Danbury, the citys EMS workers have been carrying naloxone for just over a year. When city officials first purchased the drug last April, it cost $20.79 per dose  then it cost them $53.99, when they bought it again in September, said Rey Rodriguez, the citys coordinator of emergency medical services.

In the first eight months of having naloxone, Rodriguez said Danburys first responders administered the drug three to four times a week, but that number has decreased over recent months. But thats not because opioid use has subsided: Its because (naloxone) has become more available.

According to the state, the Department of Public Health has distributed more than 6,700 free naloxone kits since 2015. In Danbury, naloxone from the DPH is distributed by the AIDS Project Greater Danbury.

Joanne Montgomery, the organizations director of behavioral health, said nearly 500 kits, which include two doses of the drug, have been given out in the last six months to addicts, their family and friends, substance abuse and mental health agencies, police departments and more.

Montgomery said, during the same time period, shes also conducted 600 naloxone trainings.

People are dying all over the state of Connecticut and this is a preventable death, Montgomery said. These kits will prevent death and keep someone alive until we can talk them into getting proper treatment.
Eighty percent of sales are executed by just 8 percent of salespeople. This doesnt mean that there are some killer sales reps out there who are simply better wired at bringing home the bacon, it means most sales teams are failing to execute because we officially live in a new hyper connected, fast paced and digital-first world.

A connected world means there are a myriad of channels for businesses to connect with their customers. In opening the floodgates, many mistake a wide sweep as an effective lead generation strategy. Unfortunately, the bulk are wrong and navigating the digital sale requires a blueprint. The average B2B lead to closed deal conversion rate is actually less than one percent -- and takes over 100 days, according to Implisit. This means the vast majority of leads take a lot of time to nurture, but still go nowhere.

The silver-lining is that all these failed attempts give us a wealth of data, showing us clearly what not to do. There is a science to lead conversion, the cold-call will no longer cut it. So, how can you master lead conversion, and how can you use technology as an asset to cut through all this noise to improve your lead to sale conversion rate?

Related: 3 Steps to Qualify a Sales Lead

Understand the online business lead.

Dont be fooled, although there are many great ways of reaching your customers online -- email marketing, ad re-targeting, a plethora of social media platforms -- your competitors know about them too. As a result the average consumer is bombarded with information. One estimate puts this at 5,000 ads for every person each day!

People actually used to watch those two-minute television commercial breaks. Thinking about wading through those commercials today it sounds almost painful. The most worn out button on my remote control is the fast forward button. We are all surrounded by such a flux of distractions that holding a persons attention, and actually evoking some form of enthusiasm, can be a challenge. It is important to tailor your content, and to remember what a lead really is.

A Facebook Like -- or a love, a wow, or a haha -- is not a lead. An email newsletter subscriber or new Twitter follower doesnt mean someone wants to purchase your service. It simply means you reached a person, and you may have whet their appetite. This is still important, but these people are not asking for extra information about your product and a cold sale attempt could actually leave a bitter taste.

A real sales lead, from a prospective customer is the provision of accurate contact information -- name, phone, email or such -- that says a person is interested in your product and wants to hear or learn more. You can use "big data" created by the software I mention below to identify what your customer wants by understanding their online behavior. This allows you to personalize and refine your approach over the phone or by email and SMS.

Technology is your friend.

We have come a long way from the days of an automated reminder. Today emails, texts and even targeted ads can be used as a part of your follow-up and using behavioral data can create a "choose your own adventure" experience for your customers. Every next stage in the customer journey should be a tactical step selected for that individual, and defined by all the information they have already given you.

Every potential customer is unique and these tools can let you identify the needles in the haystack -- as opposed to a one-size-fits-all email blast that will forever exile you to the junk folder.

Tracking software such as Woopra, Mixpanel, and Intercom lets businesses identify who from your database is visiting your website and exactly what pages they are frequenting most. Using Mixpanel, Airbnb was able to identify where in the online journey their users posting first-time listings were dropping off -- ultimately driving five times the conversion rate by making changes based on more than their gut or instincts.

Who opened your emails, who clicked on your emails, and who is visiting your website. This is information you need to know and you should let this guide your follow up efforts. If someone has shown interest in a specific area of your website you can tailor your follow-up. For example, if they spent time reading your testimonials page, these tools can follow up with personalized email notifications or push alerts sharing more testimonials.

42 percent of marketers do not segment their email campaigns -- but the tools exist to let you easily customize emails, so why would you not? Use this to tailor your approach, hook your customers attention and then make your move.

Related: How Airbnb and Dropbox Achieved Tremendous Growth With Referral Marketing

Nailing the sales call.

Technology is important to help you turn new and old leads into instant appointments, but having the right salespeople is much more vital. A powerful closer, following up with a genuine lead and making a hyper personalized and well scripted call at the right moment is vital.

According to a study in Harvard Business Review, just 37 percent of companies respond to their online leads within an hour. Another study revealed that 47 percent of leads never get a response. This goes some way to explaining why so many leads end up dead in the water.

Gaspar Noe said, Time destroys all things. When it comes to following up on a hot lead hes spot on. If a company phones a contact within five minutes of submission they are 100 times more likely to reach this person than if they reach out after 30 minutes. And after 20 hours every additional dial will actually hurt your chances of qualifying a lead.

The key is speed, tenacity and scripting or what I call STS selling. Call quickly, call often and know what you are going to say before you say it. On the phone, you lose the advantage of physical presence and the element of body language that is so crucial to human communication. This makes your tone and content (words) all the more valuable.

Related: 8 Steps to a Successful Sales Call

The Internet era has meant a paradigm shift for salespeople. Technology has overtaken us, to the extent that failure to correctly understand it means an innately human profession has become overrun with too much automation. In an ideal world a business would use marketing to plant the seed, inside sales to create the appointment and a killer sales rep to close the deal. Not all companies can afford to split these departments, but this in no way means you shouldnt strategize your approach for each step.

Using the best tools and tactics you can create a blueprint for Internet lead conversion success. If you point your sales team in the right direction, quickly, you will turn web leads into a massive acquisition channel.

Related:



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 17, 2016 /CNW/ - The first step to develop a National Action Plan for Better Home Care in Canada began in Halifax on May 5th through a pan-Canadian consultation. The aim is to enhance the delivery of home care services to meet the changing health care needs of Canadians, and adapt advances in health technology. The Canadian Home Care Association (CHCA), the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) are leading the consultations.

On May 5, the Honourable Leo Glavine, Minister of Health and Wellness and Minister of Seniors for Nova Scotia, welcomed over 45 provincial government representatives, health care administrators, family doctors, nurses and community home care providers from across Canada. Minister Glavine reinforced the need for improvement and coordination of home care services for those who prefer to stay in their homes for as long as possible.

"Home care is a priority to help Canadians live in their homes for as long as possible with the dignity and independence they desire, while ensuring that our hospitals and long-term care facilities are accessible for those who need them most," said Francine Lemire, Executive Director and CEO of the CFPC. "A coordinated, well-resourced, pan-Canadian plan to enrich home care is required to accommodate the changing care requirements of Canada's aging population."

"The Action Plan will include practical solutions and proposed actions to make home care more available and accessible, and achieve better health outcomes and quality of care," added Anne Sutherland Boal, CEO of the CNA. "The timing is perfect to provide recommendations to support enhanced home care services for inclusion in the federal government's new multi-year Health Accord to be negotiated with the provinces and territories."

"By sharing best practices and building on frontline experience, the Halifax consultation participants identified a number of well-defined actions, clear direction and achievable goals to support more and better home care," observed Nadine Henningsen, CHCA Executive Director. "This rich dialogue will form the basis of our next consultation planned for Ottawa on June 8."

In the coming months, the CHCA, CNA and CFPC will consult home care providers, administrators and clinicians, in addition to patients across the country, on how the federal government uses its commitment of $3 billion for home care to support one's home as a preferred place to recover from an illness or injury, manage long-term conditions, and live out final days.

The Better Home Care Action Plan will be shared with governments, policy makers and stakeholders across the country.

About the Canadian Home Care Association (CHCA)

The CHCA is a national not-for-profit membership association representing home care stakeholders from governments (federal, provincial and territorial), health authorities, publicly-funded home care programs, service providers, medical and technology companies, researchers and others with an interest in home care. The CHCA advances excellence in home care and continuing care through leadership, awareness, advocacy and knowledge.

About the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)

Representing nearly 139,000 registered nurses in Canada, the CNA is a powerful unified voice for Canada's registered nurses. The CNA represents registered nurses from 11 provincial and territorial nursing associations and colleges, independent registered nurse members from Ontario and Quebec and retired registered nurses from across the country. The organization advances the practice and profession of nursing to improve health outcomes and strengthen Canada's publicly-funded, not-for-profit health system.

About the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)

The CFPC represents more than 35,000 members across the country. The organization is responsible for establishing standards for the training and certification of family physicians. The CFPC reviews and accredits continuing professional development programs and materials that enable family physicians to meet certification and licensing requirements and lifelong learning interests. It also accredits postgraduate family medicine training in Canada's 17 medical schools. The CFPC provides quality services, supports family medicine teaching and research and advocates on behalf of family physicians and the specialty of family medicine.

SOURCE Canadian Home Care Association

For further information: Lisa Benedet, Government Advocacy Lead, Canadian Home Care Association, 905-567-7373, [email protected]; Kevin Menard, Communications Advisor, Public Affairs and Member Engagement, Canadian Nurses Association, 613-237-2159 ext 543, [email protected]; Jayne Johnston, Director of Communications, College of Family Physicians of Canada, 905-629-0900 ext 303, [email protected]
'Sleep debt' got you feeling tired and irritable? Watch out for health risks longer term, experts warn

OTTAWA, May 17, 2016 /CNW/ - A national opinion poll conducted on the Angus Reid forum released today reveals that when it comes to sleep, Canadians overwhelmingly feel they are falling short, with close to 70 per cent agreeing that they wish they could get better quality sleep most nights. The Canadian Sleep Review 2016, which includes a discussion paper and survey, polled Canadians on sleep habits and attitudes. It offers insights and advice from a panel of leading sleep experts who call on Canadians to make sleep a priority  both to feel better now and guard against long term illness.

According to the survey, many Canadians  40 per cent  report feeling grouchy and irritable when they do not get enough sleep. Furthermore, half of Canadians (49 per cent) admit lack of sleep affects productivity at work, and six in ten (60 per cent) would take a nap to refresh during the day if they could. The Canadian Sleep Review 2016 and Project Sleep, an initiative from Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC), is part of DFC's ongoing work to explore and build awareness about serious health and social issues, which are important to its members and all Canadians.

"Clearly, Canadians are not feeling well rested, and this sleep debt is pervasive and critical," says Canadian sleep expert Dr. Rachel Morehouse, professor of psychiatry, Dalhousie University. "There are many unknowns about the role of sleep in the body but we do know it is related to cell repair and healing and research has shown that ongoing lack of sleep is linked to serious disease, such as diabetes, obesity and mental illness."

Dr. Morehouse provided leadership to the panel, with additional input from Dr. Judith Davidson, expert in behavioral sleep medicine, Queen's University Department of Psychology; Dr. Charles Morin, Universite Laval Department of Psychology and Canadian Sleep Society Past President; and Dr. Richard Horner, University of Toronto, Departments of Medicine and Physiology and Canada Research Chair, Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology. Each panel member weighed in with insights and comments on The Canadian Sleep Review 2016, helping shape the discussion paper in an effort to explore the current state of sleep in Canada and provide perspective.

"Sleep is something all healthy Canadians need without question, and concerns of a general lack thereof are what prompted Dairy Farmers of Canada to raise awareness about the subject," says Caroline Emond, executive director, Dairy Farmers of Canada. "Helping Canadians gain a better understanding of their sleep requirements is a step towards a healthier Canada. Our goal is to help foster the discussion and raise the sleep priority."

A website, www.ProjectSleep.ca, has been created to help Canadians learn more about the awareness campaign, view the discussion paper, and discover tips that may help them sleep better.

Canadians diligent about routines

Interestingly, many Canadians are diligent in their sleep habits in their quest to get a good night's rest, findings which the expert panel deemed impressive and an indication that Canadians can improve their sleep if they simply make it a priority. Almost seven in ten Canadians surveyed have regular routines before turning in, and 65 per cent have a regular bedtime. Still, experts say the amounts of sleep reported are less than ideal. Of those surveyed, 74 per cent claim to sleep less than seven hours a night, with 28 per cent getting only between five and six hours, 8 per cent less than five hours. Between seven and eight hours are normally recommended, depending on age.

"A substantial amount of research published in credible, scientific journals indicates that sleeping less than six hours per day, has a detrimental effect on our physical health including our metabolism," says Dr. Morehouse. "Our bodies are not built for a sleep-deprived lifestyle."

Among the survey's other key findings:

Almost half of Canadians surveyed (45 per cent) report waking up feeling groggy or tired from a restless night's sleep.

In what to do to become healthier, Canadians indicate exercising more (37 per cent), eating healthier (26 per cent) and getting more sleep (20 per cent).

Millennials are most at risk: when presented with idea that lack of sleep can increase ageing and signs of ageing, 71 per cent say it is the first thing they sacrifice when running short of time.

Parents are particularly diligent about sleep. A majority (76 per cent) keep a regular bedtime routine for their children, a practice the expert panel say is extremely beneficial, however, parents don't always hold themselves to the same routine.

Women are more affected by their partner's sleeping habits than men, with 47 per cent reporting that their partner's snoring disrupts their sleep versus 26 per cent of men reporting the same.

One in three Canadians would pay up to $500 for a week's worth of restful sleep. Astonishingly, half would choose a sleep-inducing bed over a dream vacation.

A crash course on how to sleep

The panel's advice to Canadians is that each person be aware of their own sleep style and optimal conditions create in order to reap the benefits of a good night's rest. A range of tips is offered in The Canadian Sleep Review 2016 paper and on www.ProjectSleep.ca, from sticking to a regular wake-up time, to determining your own chronotype, to eliminating all screens from the bedroom. Most importantly, Canadians should make sleep a priority, but avoid putting too much pressure on themselves regarding specific amounts of sleep. When lack of sleep is causing distress and interfering with daily functioning, additional help should be sought from the family doctor or a psychologist.

Methodology

The survey component of the Canadian Sleep Review 2016, conducted May 6 and 7, 2016, was conducted on the Angus Reid Forum, 1,517 randomly selected Canadian adults. The margin of error, which measures sampling variability, is +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to education, age, gender and region (and in Quebec, language) Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

About the Dairy Farmers of Canada

Founded in 1934, DFC is the national organization defending the interests of Canadian dairy farmers and striving to create favourable conditions for the Canadian dairy industry. Working within supply management, DFC promotes safe, high quality, sustainable, and nutritious Canadian dairy products made from 100% Canadian milk through various marketing, nutrition, policy, and lobbying initiatives. Driven by a strong sense of community and pride, DFC and Canadian dairy farmers actively support a number of local and national initiatives.

SOURCE Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC)

For further information: Media requiring further information, please contact: Sandra Da Silva, Dairy Farmers of Canada, 647-633-3741, [email protected]
Wildfires add to Alberta's recessions woes, nationally economic impacts are minimal

OTTAWA, May 17, 2016 /CNW/ - The Conference Board of Canada released today a briefing that assesses the impact of the Fort McMurray wildfires on the economies of Alberta and Canada. The briefing estimates that the impact to overall GDP in Alberta will be slightly negative for 2016 as a whole, while at a national level, the impacts will hardly be noticeable.

HIGHLIGHTS

The impact of the Fort McMurray Wildfires to Alberta's overall GDP will be slightly negative for 2016. Nationally, the economic impacts will be minimal.

overall GDP will be slightly negative for 2016. Nationally, the economic impacts will be minimal. Lost oil production will average about 1.2 million barrels per day for 14 days, translating to roughly $985 million in lost real GDPor 0.33 per cent out of Alberta's GDP in 2016 and only 0.06 per cent out of Canada's GDP.

in lost real GDPor 0.33 per cent out of GDP in 2016 and only 0.06 per cent out of GDP. However, there are mitigating factors, including the rebuilding effort, which are estimated to add roughly $1.3 billion in real GDP to Alberta's economy in 2017contributing 0.4 per cent to overall growth.

"The true cost of this tragedy is the effect on people's lives and livelihoods, the loss of homes and personal items," said Pedro Antunes, Deputy Chief Economist, The Conference Board of Canada. "The lost assets will be rebuiltgenerating additional economic activity. However, this does not suggest in any way that Albertans or Canadians are better off. In fact, the funds put towards replacing lost capital will leave the provincial and federal governments with more debt, and the insurance industry with the challenge of absorbing what will most likely prove to be the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history."

The shutdown of activity in Fort McMurray and in the oil sands will have a major impact on the local economy in the short term. However, at the provincial level, much of the economic activity lost in the city of Fort McMurray will likely accrue elsewhere. Families that have temporarily moved to other areas, mostly within Alberta, will need to spend on food and accommodations and other services.

Oil sands production will be lost for some weeks, but how large an effect will depend on the length of the shutdown. The Conference Board assumes that most facilities will be up and running by mid-to-late May and that lost oil production will average about 1.2 million barrels per day for 14 days. This would translate into roughly $985 million in lost real GDPor 0.33 per cent out of Alberta's GDP in 2016 and only 0.06 per cent out of Canada's GDP.

However, there are other mitigating effects; the sheer size of the firefighting, emergency and clean-up effort will generate plenty of economic activity. Insurance companies have been quick to mobilize staff and services to assess damage, provide assistance, and issue emergency cheques. Households are also getting emergency funding from the Red Cross, while the Alberta government is also disbursing $1,250 per adult and $500 per dependent to evacuated households. These funds, totalling around $160 million, will be quickly spent to meet the immediate needs of evacuated households. These efforts will help bolster real economic activity in the province.

Overall, the net effect on the provincial economy is expected to be relatively minor, taking about 1 percentage point out of real GDP growth in Alberta in the second quarter. While this is significant, it will be temporary as real GDP growth would be boosted by a similar amount once oil sands production ramps back up.

Beyond 2016, the rebuilding effort is estimated to add roughly $1.3 billion in real GDP to Alberta's economy in 2017adding 0.4 per cent to overall provincial growth. Construction activity in Fort McMurray will likely return to its peak year levels as residential and other infrastructure is rebuilt. Early estimates suggest that in Fort McMurray, 2,400 buildings were damaged or destroyed, including 1,600 private dwellings that were completely destroyed. Most of Fort McMurray's public buildings were saved from the fire but the city will require additional sums to repair and rebuild roads and other infrastructure. Construction will likely remain elevated in 2018 and perhaps 2019 as rebuilding is completed.

It is important to note that GDP measures economic activity that generates income through wages, profits, or the use of capital. GDP does not directly measure the losses to wealth or assets, such as homes or vehicles. Nor does it measure the direct hit to infrastructure or private capital.

The briefing, Economic Repercussions of Fort Mac FiresMore Complex Than at First Glance, is publicly available from our e-Library.

Follow The Conference Board of Canada on Twitter.

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]; or Juline Ranger, Director of Communications, The Conference Board of Canada, Tel.: 613- 526-3090 ext. 431, E-mail: [email protected]; For those interested in broadcast-quality interviews for your station, network, or online site, The Conference Board of Canada now has a studio capable of double-ender interviews (line fees apply), or we can send you pre-taped clips upon request. If you would like to be removed from our distribution list, please e-mail [email protected]
Company donates more than $85,000 in cash and health care products

VAUGHAN, Ontario, May 17, 2016 /CNW/ -- Cardinal Health and The Cardinal Health Foundation will donate more than $85,000 in cash and health care products to aid those impacted by the wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.

The Cardinal Health Foundation pledged $25,000 to the Canadian Red Cross. All funds donated by Cardinal Health employees to the Canadian Red Cross also will be matched by Cardinal Health Canada or the Cardinal Health Foundation; those donations have surpassed $13,000 to-date.

To further support relief efforts, the company is also donating health care products ranging from exam gloves and bandages to blankets and body wash.

"Our thoughts are with those affected by the wildfires in Fort McMurray," said David Murphy, president, Cardinal Health Canada. "This situation hits close to home for many of our Cardinal Health associates. We hope this token of our support will help the residents of Fort McMurray find solace during this difficult time."

To send money to the Alberta Fire Appeal and have donations matched by the Government of Canada, visit the Canadian Red Cross website.

About the Cardinal Health Foundation

The Cardinal Health Foundation supports local, national and international programs that improve health care efficiency, effectiveness and excellence and the overall wellness of the communities where Cardinal Health's (NYSE:CAH) nearly 37,000 employees live and work. The Cardinal Health Foundation also offers grants to encourage community service among its employees and works through international agencies to donate much-needed medical supplies and funding to those who need them in times of disaster; because Cardinal Health is #AllInForGood. To learn more, visit www.CardinalHealth.com/community and visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CardinalHealthFoundation.

About Cardinal Health

Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH), a global health services and products company, brings scaled solutions that help our customers thrive in a changing world. We improve the cost-effectiveness of healthcare through solutions that improve the efficiency of the supply chain; optimize the process and performance of healthcare; provide clinically proven, daily use medical products and pharmaceuticals; and connect patients, providers, payers, pharmacists and manufacturers for seamless care coordination and better patient management. Backed by nearly 100 years of experience, we rank among the top 50 on the Fortune 500 and among the Fortune Global 100. We support our partners with more than 37,000 employees in nearly 60 countries worldwide. For more information, visit cardinalhealth.com and @CardinalHealth on Twitter.

SOURCE Cardinal Health

For further information: Corey Kerr, (614) 757-3383, [email protected], http://www.cardinalhealth.com
HALIFAX, May 17, 2016 /CNW/ - Couples in Atlantic Canada who are struggling to conceive can access one of the country's top fertility clinics in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Atlantic Assisted Reproductive Therapies (www.aart.ca) is the first fertility clinic in Canada to adopt the most up-to-date technology for assessing and preparing eggs and embryos for fertility procedures. The new climate-controlled Cell-Tek chamber will enable the clinic to improve its pregnancy success ratesalready among the best in Canada at more than 55 per cent per cycle started for women under 35while nearly doubling the fertility procedures it can perform each year.

"We have the capacity to handle 500 in vitro fertilization cycles a year, with utmost attention to the quality and wellbeing of the embryos," says Dr. Linda Hamilton, AART's medical director. "Not only do we provide the safest possible environment for preparing embryos, we have introduced an instant freezing method that protects embryos' integrity when implantation needs to be delayed."

Embryos are frozen for many reasons. One is to allow for genetic testing when there's a risk of a genetic disorder like cystic fibrosis, hemophilia or other serious inherited condition. AART's embryologists have trained intensively to perform the delicate task of removing two- or three-cell samples from the layer of the embryos' cells that will form the placenta, which are sent to New Jersey for genetic testing. In this way, unaffected embryos can be identified and thawed for implantation.

AART has been training its staff and equipping its facilities to freeze and store eggs as well. "Women who require chemotherapy or radiation for cancer, for example, face a high risk of infertility," notes AART physician Dr. Michael Ripley. "We can freeze their eggs or embryos, so they have the option to pursue pregnancy when they recover their health."

Established by Dalhousie Medical School's Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology in 2004, AART operates as a self-sustaining, not-for-profit clinic serving the four Atlantic Provinces.

"Infertility is not a choice but an increasingly prevalent problem faced by one in six couples in Canada," says Dr. Hamilton. "It can be devastating. We're proud to help couples build the families they so deeply desire, with success rates as high as anywhere in the country."

www.aart.ca

SOURCE Atlantic Assisted Reproductive Therapies

Image with caption: "Logo: Atlantic Assisted Reproductive Therapies (CNW Group/Atlantic Assisted Reproductive Therapies)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160517_C7198_PHOTO_EN_692489.jpg

For further information: or to book an interview, contact Melanie Jollymore, [email protected], 1 (902) 827-3126
LONDON, ON, May 16, 2016 /CNW/ - Journalists, specialists in mental health and members of the public will discuss how to improve media reporting of stories about mental illness among indigenous peoples at a town hall meeting in Edmonton on May 26.

The town hall will be held on the eve of the national conference of the Canadian Association of Journalists, in the same conference facility. It is being organized by the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, whose journalist-to-journalist field guide Mindset: Reporting on Mental Health is widely used in newsrooms and journalism schools across the country.

The Mindset authors have decided to write a new chapter dealing specifically with advice for journalists working on stories involving mental illness among indigenous communities in Canada.

"The town hall meeting is the start of a process of consultation and research to that end," said Forum president Cliff Lonsdale. "Everyone is welcome to come and express their point of view. No tickets needed."

The discussion will be moderated by Duncan McCue, the Vancouver-based correspondent for CBC's flagship news program, The National.

A six-person panel will lead the debate. It includes psychiatry professor Andy Greenshaw, of the University of Alberta; Dr. Alika Lafontaine, president of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada; Emmy Manson, a mental health specialist with B.C.'s First Nations Health Authority; Andre Picard, public health columnist for The Globe and Mail; Karyn Pugliese, director of news and current affairs for APTN; and Paula Simons, columnist for The Edmonton Journal.

The meeting will take place in the Valley Ballroom at the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel, 10155-105 Street NW, Edmonton, starting at 7 p.m. The event is titled: Identity, Diversity and Crisis: Improving our reporting on mental illness among Canada's indigenous peoples.

Mindset (with its French equivalent En-Tete : reportage et sante mentale) is supported by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, through financing from Health Canada, and by CBC News. Editorial control rests with the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, a charity best known for its concern for the physical and mental wellbeing of journalists themselves.

Our thanks to CNW Group for sponsoring this announcement.

SOURCE Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma

For further information: See the Forum's website http://www.journalismforum.ca or contact Jane Hawkes, Executive Producer, Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, 1-519-852-4946, [email protected]
C$ unless otherwise stated

TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC

SEHK:945

TORONTO, May 16, 2016 /CNW/ - Manulife Financial Corporation ("MFC") announced today that it has priced an offering in Singapore of 500 million Singapore dollars principal amount of 3.85% subordinated notes due May 25, 2026 (the "Notes"). The offering will be made pursuant to an offering circular dated May 16, 2016 and is anticipated to qualify as Tier 2B capital for MFC.

The Notes will bear interest at a fixed rate of 3.85% until May 25, 2021 and thereafter at a rate of 1.97% over the prevailing five-year SGD Swap Rate. The Notes mature on May 25, 2026.

MFC may, with the prior approval of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (Canada), redeem the Notes in whole, but not in part, on May 25, 2021 and on any interest payment date thereafter at a redemption price equal to par, together with accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the date fixed for redemption. The Notes will constitute subordinated indebtedness, ranking equally and rateably with all other subordinated indebtedness of MFC from time to time issued and outstanding.

Approval in principle has been obtained from the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited ("SGX-ST") for the listing and quotation of the Notes. The SGX-ST assumes no responsibility for the correctness of any statements made or opinions expressed or reports contained herein. Admission to the Official List of the SGX-ST and quotation of the Notes on the SGX-ST is not to be taken as an indication of the merits of MFC or the Notes.

Steve Roder, Chief Financial Officer, said "This issuance marks our first debt transaction in Asian capital markets, and further supports our branding and banking partnerships in the region. With the recent offering in the United States, this transaction is an important part of our global strategy to diversify funding sources and to broaden our investor base."

Roy Gori, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Asia, added "Singapore is one of Manulife's fastest growing operations, and has one of the largest and most developed capital markets in Asia. We're delighted to have worked with our regional bank partners to deliver this issuance in a market where we have a strong presence."

DBS Bank Ltd. and Standard Chartered Bank have been appointed as joint lead managers and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited has been appointed as a co-manager for the offering.

The offering is expected to close on May 25, 2016. MFC intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes.

The Notes have not been and will not be registered in the United States under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States or other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold within the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, "U.S. persons" (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state or local securities law. The offering will be made solely to non-U.S. persons in offshore transactions pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction where it is unlawful to do so.

The securities will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Canada or to any resident of Canada.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group providing forward-thinking solutions to help people with their big financial decisions. We operate as John Hancock in the United States, and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2015, we had approximately 34,000 employees, 63,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving 20 million customers. At the end of March 2016, we had $904 billion (US$697 billion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made more than $24.9 billion in benefits, interest and other payments to our customers. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 100 years. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.

SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation

For further information: Media inquiries: Sean B. Pasternak, Manulife (Toronto), 416-852-2745, [email protected]; Saijal Patel, Manulife Asia (Singapore), 852-6753-6211, [email protected]; Jason Benham, Manulife Asia (Hong Kong), 852-2510-5822, [email protected]; Investor Relations: Robert Veloso, Manulife (Toronto), 416-852-8982, [email protected]; Eileen Tam, Manulife Asia (Hong Kong), 852-2510-5888, [email protected]
BROCKVILLE, ON, May 17, 2016 /CNW/ - The Ministry of Labour prosecution of Brockville Mental Health Centre is set to begin tomorrow.

The Ministry of Labour charged Brockville Mental Health Centre with five infractions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to protect its workers. The charges were laid by the Ministry of Labour in December 2014 and stem from an incident in 2014 when a nurse was stabbed multiple times by a patient.

"This employer has been resisting any pressure to take additional measures to keep our dedicated registered nurses and health-care workers safe while providing quality patient care," said Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN. "Nurses know that what's needed is additional supports and a new physical infrastructure in this facility to reduce the risk of violent attacks by patients. As nurses, we should never have to face violent attacks while providing the care our patients require."

In November, 2015, the employer lost a divisional court review of an application to quash a decision of the Ontario Labour Relations Board in which it was ordered to have security guards on site to protect nurses. At that time, Haslam-Stroud noted that the employer should stop stalling and wasting taxpayers' money and instead devote the funds to preventing workplace violence.

The case is expected to take some time. Dates have been set for May 18-19 and May 25-26, with additional dates set aside in August and September.

"The days of ignoring violent attacks on the very nurses who are providing care are over," said Haslam-Stroud. "Violence is never acceptable in the workplace, and ONA will be watching carefully to ensure this employer is held accountable. Not only our RNs, but patients will be safer for it."

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 facilities, public health, the community, 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]
RNC will host a call/webcast on May 17 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss first quarter 2016 results. North American callers please dial: 1-888-231-8191, international callers please dial: (+1) 647-427-7450. For the webcast of this event click [here] (replay access information below)

TORONTO, May 17, 2016 /CNW/ - Royal Nickel Corporation ("RNC") (TSX: RNX) (OTCQX: RNKLF) is pleased to report its review of activities and financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2016. All amounts are expressed in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise noted, and are based on the unaudited financial statements for the quarter ended March 31, 2016.

Mark Selby, President and CEO, commented, "The first quarter of 2016 was a transformational quarter for RNC. With the acquisitions of the Beta Hunt gold and nickel mine in Western Australia and a 30% interest in the Reed copper mine in Manitoba, RNC is transitioning from a developer and explorer to a self-sustaining, cash flow generating, multi-asset and multi-metal producer. RNC shareholders now have exposure to cash flow from production ramping up to more than 50,000 ounces of gold annually and 8-10 million pounds each of nickel and copper production. In addition, the Beta Hunt mine's performance continues to exceed expectations; the mining rate for the month of March alone has achieved 58% of our year-end mining rate target."

Mr. Selby continued, "RNC has generated significant momentum in a short period of time. With a highly attractive combination of cash flow generating production assets, a shovel-ready world class nickel development project, high potential exploration assets, and a management team focused on identifying, acquiring, and developing additional gold and base metal opportunities, we are well positioned to generate free cash flow and create value for our shareholders."

Q1 2016 and Recent Highlights

Production from the Beta Hunt Mine in Western Australia during Q1 2016 (100% basis) was 5.6 thousand ounces ("koz") of gold mined (3.4 koz of gold sold) and 0.8 kt of nickel in concentrate. The gold mining rate in March 2016 of 935 tonnes per day was ahead of expectations and represents 58% of the ramp-up target for 2016. RNC's 2016 guidance for the mine remains unchanged; however, given the relative strength of gold prices, RNC may take advantage of the mine's operating flexibility to look for opportunities to redeploy resources to increase gold production and reduce nickel production.

during Q1 2016 (100% basis) was 5.6 thousand ounces ("koz") of gold mined (3.4 koz of gold sold) and 0.8 kt of nickel in concentrate. The gold mining rate in of 935 tonnes per day was ahead of expectations and represents 58% of the ramp-up target for 2016. RNC's 2016 guidance for the mine remains unchanged; however, given the relative strength of gold prices, RNC may take advantage of the mine's operating flexibility to look for opportunities to redeploy resources to increase gold production and reduce nickel production. On February 1, 2016 , RNC announced two acquisitions that will transform RNC into a cash generating low-cost nickel, copper and gold producer: RNC acquired a 20% interest in SLM, a private company whose main asset is the Beta Hunt nickel-gold mine in Western Australia , for cash consideration of $2.5 million . RNC increased its ownership position to 66% on March 15, 2016 in exchange for 31.9 million RNC common shares. RNC also announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement dated January 30, 2016 to acquire a 100% interest in VMS by way of a plan of arrangement. The transaction was completed on April 27, 2016 .

, RNC announced two acquisitions that will transform RNC into a cash generating low-cost nickel, copper and gold producer: On April 4, 2016 , RNC announced plans to increase its ownership in SLM from 66% to 100% by exercising its right to acquire the remaining shares of SLM. RNC may exercise this right during the six month period commencing April 1, 2016 and ending September 30, 2016 , at an exchange ratio calculated based on the date of exercise. RNC is seeking shareholder approval in respect of the related RNC share issuance at an Annual and Special Meeting of RNC Shareholders expected to be held on May 18, 2016 . RNC plans to exercise its right to acquire all the shares of SLM it doesn't already own during the month of May, 2016, at the applicable share exchange ratio of 1.8775 RNC shares for each remaining SLM share, or a total of 24,324,066 RNC shares issuable in exchange for the remaining shares of SLM.

, RNC announced plans to increase its ownership in SLM from 66% to 100% by exercising its right to acquire the remaining shares of SLM. RNC may exercise this right during the six month period commencing and ending , at an exchange ratio calculated based on the date of exercise. RNC is seeking shareholder approval in respect of the related RNC share issuance at an Annual and Special Meeting of RNC Shareholders expected to be held on . RNC plans to exercise its right to acquire all the shares of SLM it doesn't already own during the month of May, 2016, at the applicable share exchange ratio of 1.8775 RNC shares for each remaining SLM share, or a total of 24,324,066 RNC shares issuable in exchange for the remaining shares of SLM. On May 9, 2016 , RNC entered into an agreement with Haywood Securities and Beacon Securities under which these underwriters agreed to purchase, on a bought deal basis, 17,060,000 common shares of RNC at a price of $0.51 per common share for gross proceeds of approximately $8.7 million . RNC granted the underwriters an option, exercisable at the same price for a period of thirty days following closing of the offering, to purchase up to an additional 15% of the offering to cover any over-allotments. The Offering is expected to close on or about May 26, 2016 and is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals.

, RNC entered into an agreement with Haywood Securities and Beacon Securities under which these underwriters agreed to purchase, on a bought deal basis, 17,060,000 common shares of RNC at a price of per common share for gross proceeds of approximately . RNC granted the underwriters an option, exercisable at the same price for a period of thirty days following closing of the offering, to purchase up to an additional 15% of the offering to cover any over-allotments. The Offering is expected to close on or about and is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. RNC incurred a net loss of $1.6 million ( $0.01 per share) for the period ended March 31, 2016 compared to a net loss of $0.3 million ( $0.00 per share) for the same period in 2015.

Q1 2016 Operating Results and 2016 Outlook

In the quarter ended March 31, 2016 the Beta Hunt Mine was 66% owned during the fifteen day period commencing March 16, 2016. The following is a summary of the 2016 Q1 production from the Beta Hunt Mine (reported on a 100% basis):

Beta Hunt Mine Q1 Overview (100% basis)

Beta Hunt Gold and Nickel Operation Q1 2016 Nickel tonnes mined (000s) 29.4 Nickel tonnes milled (000s) 29.7 Nickel mill grade (% nickel) 3.04 Nickel in concentrate tonnes (000s) 0.8 Gold tonnes mined (000s) 66.2 Gold tonnes milled (000s) 43.1 Gold mill grade (g/t)1 2.64 Gold mined (ounces)1,2 5,636 Gold sales (ounces) 3,416 Nickel C1 cash operating cost (US$ per lb)3 $2.63 Nickel C1 cash operating cost (US$ per tonne)3 $5,808 Nickel all-in sustaining cost (AISC) (US$ per lb)3 $2.83 Nickel all-in sustaining cost (AISC) (US$ per tonne)3 $6,229





1. The March 2016 mineralization mine grade and ounces will be finalized with the final results from the Q2 2016 toll, The numbers provided above include preliminary estimates of the ROM grade. 2. 23,000 tonnes of gold mineralization from March 2016 production remained on the ROM pad for tolling in Q2 2016. 3. Cash operating cost, cash operating cost per tonne, and all-in sustaining cost, which are not recognized measures under IFRS. Such non-IFRS financial measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Management uses these measures internally. The use of these measures enables management to better assess performance trends. Management understands that a number of investors, and others who follow RNC's performance, assess performance in this way. Management believes that these measures better reflect RNC's performance and are better indications of its expected performance in future periods. This data 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.





In 2016 RNC is transitioning from the exploration and evaluation stage into a gold, nickel and copper producer. During the three months ended March 31, 2016, RNC acquired a controlling interest in the Beta Hunt Mine and commenced reporting its nickel production. The Beta Hunt Mine is also transitioning from a nickel producer to a gold and nickel producer. As a result, the 2016 results will not be directly comparable to the prior or future years.

A preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") for Beta Hunt, prepared as a NI 43-101 compliant technical report, was filed under RNC's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com on March 7, 2016. The table below outlines guidance based on the PEA results.

Beta Hunt Mine (100% Basis) 2016 Guidance1,2,3,4

RNC continues to re-affirm the guidance provided earlier; however, with the strength in gold prices relative to nickel  the company may take advantage of the operational flexibility of the mine and reduce nickel production in favour of increased gold production. Q1 is a period of transition for the Beta Hunt Mine as it continued to ramp up the gold production.

Beta Hunt Mine (US$) Units 2016 Guidance Nickel in Concentrate kt Mlbs 3.5  4.5

8  10 Gold Production 000 ounces 35  45 Nickel C1 Cash Costs (gold by-product basis) $/lb $/tonne $(1.00)  $0 $(2,200)  $0 Nickel Co-product AISC Cash Costs $/lb $/tonne $3.75  $4.25 $8,270  $9,370 Gold Co-product AISC Cash Costs $/ounce $800  $900 Sustaining Capex (includes gold mine development) $M $6  8





1. Cash operating costs and cash operating cost per tonne sold are non-IFRS measures. In the nickel mining industry, cash operating costs and cash operating costs per tonne are common performance measures but do not have any standardized meaning. Cash operating costs are derived from amounts included in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) and include mine site operating costs such as mining, processing and administration as well as royalty expenses, but exclude depreciation, depletion and share-based payment expenses and reclamation costs. Cash operating costs per tonne are based on tonnes sold and are calculated by dividing cash operating costs by commercial nickel tonnes sold; US$ cash operating costs per tonne sold. SLM prepares this information as it believes the measures provide valuable assistance to investors and analysts in its operational performance and ability to generate cash flow. The most directly comparable measure prepared in accordance with IFRS is total production costs. 2. All-in sustaining costs and all-in sustaining cost per tonne sold are non-IFRS measures. These measures are intended to assist readers in evaluating the total costs of producing nickel from current operations. SLM defines all-in sustaining costs as the sum of production costs, sustaining capital (capital required to maintain current operations at existing levels), corporate general and administrative expenses, in-mine exploration expenses and reclamation cost accretion related to current operations. All-in sustaining costs exclude growth capital, growth exploration expenses, reclamation cost accretion not related to current operations, interest and other financing costs and taxes. The most directly comparable measure prepared in accordance with IFRS is total production costs. 3. Key 2016 assumptions: nickel price $4.08/lb, gold price $1,080/oz and 1.43 $US = 1$AUD 4. The technical information in this table has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements by, or under the supervision of David Penswick, P.Eng.





Cautionary Statement: The decision by SLM to produce at the Beta Hunt Mine was not based on a feasibility study of mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability, and, as a result, there may be an increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of minerals or the cost of such recovery, including increased risks associated with developing a commercially mineable deposit. Historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. There is no guarantee that that anticipated production costs will be achieved. Failure to achieve the anticipated production costs would have a material adverse impact on SLM's cash flow and future profitability. It is further cautioned that the PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. No mining feasibility study has been completed on Beta Hunt. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.

Reed Mine

RNC's acquisition of 100% of VMS Ventures, whose main asset is a 30% interest in the Reed Mine, closed on April 27, 2016. As such the financial and operating results of the Reed Mine in the first quarter have not been included in RNC's reporting of consolidated first quarter results.

Reed Mine Q1 2016 Production

For the 3 months ended March 31, 2016, VMS's 30% share of metal contained in concentrate production from the Reed Mine was 1.1 kt of copper and 0.3 koz of gold.

Reed Mine Q1 2016 Operating Review (100% basis)



Q1 2016 Q1 2015 Ore (tonnes hoisted) 111,461 118,645 Ore (tonnes milled) 94,997 122,609 Copper (%) 4.38 2.81 Zinc (%) 0.82 0.68 Gold (g/t) 0.54 0.60 Silver (g/t) 7.21 6.68 Unit Operating Cost (CDN$/tonne) $45.77 $63.92

During the first quarter of 2016 there was an inventory build of approximately 16 kt, on a 100% basis, of hoisted ore from the Reed Mine at an average grade of 4.2% copper, which impacted revenue available from ore sales to reduce the contribution loan balance owed to Hudbay Minerals Inc. ("Hudbay"), which owns 70% of the Reed Mine. RNC expects the revenue associated with the ore inventory build-up will be realized in 2016, following unscheduled maintenance in Q1 2016 at Hudbay's Flin Flon concentrator. At March 31, 2016 the contribution loan balance owed to Hudbay was $16.3 million, representing a drawdown of $0.7 million from the $17.0 million owed to Hudbay as at December 31, 2015. During Q1 2016, $0.5 million was added to the contribution loan balance to reflect actual 2015 milling charges related to 2015 production.

Reed Mine 2016 Guidance

Hudbay as the operator has not provided production guidance for the Reed Mine. The following information is RNC's management estimate of production and costs and remains unchanged from our earlier guidance. In 2016, RNC expects its 30% share of production from the Reed Mine to be 4-4.5 kt of copper and 0.5-0.75 koz of gold.

Further information regarding the VMS acquisition and the Reed Mine is available at www.royalnickel.com and filed under RNC's profile on www.sedar.com.

Dumont Project

During Q1 2016, RNC continued its activities in support of the evaluation of the Dumont Nickel Project in Quebec. The work program focused on the bulk test program including both a mineral processing pilot plant and concentrate roasting, assisting with the EPC proposal preparation, supporting and following up on the ESIA filing. Major activities during Q1 were:

Roasting Tests: Testing progressed on the roasting of Dumont Concentrate in the 12" roaster at XPS Consulting & Testwork Services. Roasting was completed for the first lot of concentrate for subsequent customer testwork on the nickel calcine.

Testing progressed on the roasting of Dumont Concentrate in the 12" roaster at XPS Consulting & Testwork Services. Roasting was completed for the first lot of concentrate for subsequent customer testwork on the nickel calcine. EPC Proposal: In August 2015 it was announced that an MOU had been signed with Ausenco/DF to prepare a lump sum turn key (EPC) proposal. Work on the proposal is largely complete with only the final legal drafting of typical performance guarantees and general terms and conditions remaining.

Given the substantial improvement in oil prices, the Canadian dollar, and many other input prices since the feasibility study was completed in 2013, RNC is also evaluating an update of the feasibility study to reflect current market conditions.

RNC has the following targeted key milestones to achieve the development of the Dumont Nickel Project:

Completion of partnership and financing arrangements;

Estimated construction schedule of 24 months post securing of financing and completion of detailed engineering;

Project commissioning is expected to begin in ten to eleven quarters after financing is in place.

Financial Results

Note to readers regarding financial and operating results

RNC acquired a 20% interest in Salt Lake Mining Pty Ltd ("SLM"), the 100% owner of the Beta Hunt Mine, on February 1, 2016 and increased its ownership position to 66% on March 15, 2016. As such the impact of Beta Hunt's financial and operating performance on RNC's Q1 results is minimal. Further, RNC's acquisition of 100% of VMS Ventures Inc. ("VMS"), whose main asset is a 30% interest in the Reed Mine, closed on April 27, 2016. As such the financial and operating results of the Reed Mine during the first quarter have no impact on RNC's reporting of first quarter results.

For the three months ended March 31, 2016, RNC incurred a net loss of $1.6 million ($0.01 per share), compared to a net loss of $0.3 million ($0.00 per share) in the same period last year. The net loss increase of $1.3 million is due primarily to higher general and administrative expenses ($1.2 million). The increase in general and administrative expenses ($1.2 million) is due primarily to acquisition costs ($0.6 million) on RNC's acquisition of SLM and its acquisition of VMS and business development expenses ($0.4).

Highlights of RNC's financial position are as follows (in millions of dollars):









March 31, 2016 December 31, 2015 Cash position1 Working capital2 Total assets Shareholder's equity 7.2 (5.7) 124.9 77.8 9.6 7.8 82.6 68.3

1 Includes Cash and Cash equivalents. 2 Working capital is a measure of current assets less current liabilities





RNC's ability to operate as a going concern is dependent on its ability to raise financing. While management has been successful in securing financing in the past, there can be no assurance that adequate or sufficient funding will be available in the future, or available under terms acceptable to RNC. As noted above, on May 9, 2016, RNC entered into an agreement with Haywood Securities and Beacon Securities under which these underwriters agreed to purchase, on a bought deal basis, 17,060,000 common shares of RNC at a price of $0.51 per common share for gross proceeds of approximately $8.7 million. RNC also granted the underwriters an option, exercisable at the same price for a period of thirty days following closing of the offering, to purchase up to an additional 15% of the offering to cover any over-allotments. The Offering is expected to close on or about May 26, 2016 and is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals.

Conference Call / Webcast

RNC will be hosting a conference call and webcast today beginning at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern time).

Live Conference Call and Webcast Access Information:

North American callers please dial: 1-888-231-8191

Local and international callers please dial: 647-427-7450

A live webcast of the call will be available through CNW Group's website at: www.newswire.ca/en/webcast/index.cgi

A recording of the conference call will be available for replay for a one week period beginning at approximately 1:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on May 17, 2016, and can be accessed as follows:

North American callers please dial: 1-855-859-2056; Pass Code: 11204617

Local and international callers please dial: 416-849-0833; Pass Code: 11204617

About RNC

RNC is a multi-asset mineral resource company focused primarily on the acquisition, exploration, evaluation and development of base metal and precious metal properties. RNC's principal assets are its majority stake in the producing Beta Hunt nickel and gold mine in Western Australia, the Dumont Nickel Project located in the established Abitibi mining camp in Quebec and a 30% stake in the producing Reed Mine in the Flin Flon-Snow Lake region of Manitoba, Canada. RNC also owns a majority interest in the West Raglan and Qiqavik projects in Northern Quebec. RNC has a strong management team and Board with over 100 years of mining experience at Inco and Falconbridge. RNC's common shares and warrants trade on the TSX under the symbols RNX and RNX.WT. RNC shares also trade on the OTCQX market under the symbol RNKLF.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This news release provides certain financial measures that do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. Readers are cautioned to review the stated information and footnotes regarding use of non-IFRS measures.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" including without limitation statements relating to the the liquidity and capital resources of RNC, closing the acquisition of the shares of SLM that RNC does not already own, production and cost guidance, the potential of the Beta Hunt and Reed mines, and the potential of the Dumont, West Raglan and Qiqavik projects.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of RNC to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: failure of the parties to sign definitive agreements and satisfy conditions of closing; future prices and the supply of metals; the results of drilling; inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the properties; environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; political instability, terrorism, insurrection or war; or delays in obtaining governmental approvals, projected cash costs, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to RNC's filings with Canadian securities regulators available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Although RNC 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 made as of the date of this news release and RNC 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 applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Royal Nickel Corporation

For further information: Rob Buchanan, Director, Investor Relations, T: (416) 363-0649, www.royalnickel.com; Melanie Corriveau (French contact), Community Relations Coordinator, T: (819) 727-3777
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has said it will down tools as from tomorrow, Wednesday 18 May 2016 over the removal of fuel subsidy, a...

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has said it will down tools as from tomorrow, Wednesday 18 May 2016 over the removal of fuel subsidy, and called on the Federal Government to reverse the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to N86.50 per litre, else the labour union will not rescind its decision on the industrial action.Though, there are still ongoing talks between the Federal Government and the Labour Union over the issue. But, anyhow as the case maybe, below are the things Nigerians should do today should the meeting end in deadlock.1. Stockpile food items: Food is very important. While everywhere will be on total shutdown, the kitchen should also not suffer for it. It is advisable one stores up food items (that are not immediately perishable) as much as possible for the days to come.2. Cash withdrawal at the bank: Especially for those without ATM cards, today is a good day to walk in to the bank, and pick up the withdrawal slip to cash enough money needed to keep body and home together while the strike lasts. And to be on a safer side for those with ATM Cards, it is better to make withdrawal today while the bank is still in full operation in case of any complaints. ATMs may run out of cash during the strike too.3. Fuel: Well, one may not need it for his car, but for the generating set at home. Its predictable that there may be power outage all through the strike season, and thats when news of protests will be flying around. So as not to miss out of the information and the current state of things, its better to have the generator filled. But ensure you keep the fuel in a safe zone.4. Internet Data Plan: This may sound funny, but may not especially with 24/7 gadget users. We are in an internet world. We have all information at the tip of our fingers. We can do almost everything with our mobile phones, ipads, laptops, etc. We need strong data plans to access the internet. Hence, the need to recharge our devices, and our connecting systems ahead of the industrial action so that we dont miss out of the whole show. And then, you will also need to call your friends and relations to be sure of their safety during the strike action.5. Be nosy or conscious of your environment: This is not to say that the whole strike action will amount to a bloody or rowdy protest, but it is best one is conscious of his environment in such a situation. You should check around, and find out if a particular group is planning a protest or staging a road show in support of the reversal of petrol pump price. Check around to know of their strategy and how they plan to do that. You may wish to join them, but ensure youre conscious of whats going on so you dont end up being a victim of circumstance.6. Get your batteries, flash lights charged: As explained earlier, there may be power outage all through the strike action, and its good you have your batteries and flash lights charged to conquer darkness.7. Assign workers to specific roles: Especially for departmental heads in corporate organizations, NGOs, and non-profits, it is best to call your workers together today before the close of work and intimate them of the recent situation in the country. Also, advisable to assign specific roles to individuals before the lockdown, so that company affairs will not be dormant while the strike lasts. This is also a simple work-at-home strategy to get things done.8. Stock up movies/books: Not everyone will be on streets to protest, some will prefer to relax at home and watch movies. Today is a good day for movie lovers to buy seasonal films and series to get themselves busy with while the strike. Book/Novel addicts should also do same.9. Travel Plans & Schedules: You may need to be flexible with your travel plans from today. Free flow of traffic may be hindered in a way, (with barricades) and may also disrupt appointment schedules. Whatever happens tomorrow will ultimately decide how best you will handle the situation, but start being flexible with your plans as from today.10.Put things in place: Before the close of the day, ensure youve things put in place, and are in order. So that it doesnt look confusing when all returns to normalcy.
The Nigeria Labour Congress,NLC and the Trade Union Congress,TUC have resolved to proceed mobilise workers to begin indefinite strike,to...

The workers action,according to sources, is to take effect from 12 midnight today. This was the resolution of the union at its National Executive Council,NEC meeting, held today,at the NLC headquarters in Abuja. Although,newsmen, who waited anxiously to be briefed of the development at the meeting,were left unattended to,a source revealed that the workers unions resolved to proceed on an indefinite strike,beginning from 12 midnight.The source said the unions took the decision to mobilise workers on strike,after exhaustive deliberations on last weeks fuel hike by the federal government and the attendant consequences on the Nigerian workers and the general public.Our decision not to suspend the strike was further fuelled by todays injunction by the Industrial Court,restraining us from proceeding on the strike expected to begin tomorrow,the source who said.He disclosed that the two bodies were still studying development and may not honour the meeting expected with the government at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation this evening.It was gathered that the factional NLC,led by the General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees,Joe Ajaero, may not join the strike.He had hinted yesterday that his leadership was not favourably disposed to embarking on the strike. As at the time of filing this report, the leadership of the NLC and the TUC were yet to turn up for continuation of the meeting which was adjourned earlier.
The Federal Government yesterday dropped hints of closing down Abuja airport as a precautionary measure because of the bad state of the ...

The Federal Government yesterday dropped hints of closing down Abuja airport as a precautionary measure because of the bad state of the runway. The Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who dropped the hint at the 2016 Aviation Stakeholders Summit in Abuja, also said the government would concession the Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano international airports in the first phase of its concession programme.He said that government was committed to upgrading the existing facilities at the airports as well as developing new strategy for repositioning the sector. Sirika said: The thinking is that just like every other place in the world, we will concession our airports and we are beginning with the big four, Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano.It would have been ideal to take them to some level of acceptance for them to attract more. But I think we just get those guys who believe that in Nigeria they can create a hub geographically given by God. To come and put in their money and create this hub, build these airports, concession them, run them and make money out of them. He said that the current facilities at the airports did not meet international standards and best practices in the aviation industry, adding that private sector involvement was the way forward.According to him, if the government is able to concession the four airports successfully in the first phase, it will pay attention to providing infrastructure and developing domestic airports for optimal performance.ety-concerns/
After the meeting between the Federal government and the labour unions ended in a deadlock, the unions vowed to press ahead with its indus...

After the meeting between the Federal government and the labour unions ended in a deadlock, the unions vowed to press ahead with its industrial action, scheduled to commence tomorrow if the Federal Government fails to reverse to old pump price of petrol.The governor of Edo State,Adams Oshiomhole, who was once a labour leader and who was at the meeting to mediate between the two warring sides, opposed agitation for wage increment, saying it was not sustainable at the moment.NLC president, Ayuba Waba and his TUC counterpart, Bobboi Kaigama, said there was the need for government to reverse to old pump price of fuel, given that the development was having a toll on the masses.Meanwhile as both sides remained unyielding but have agreed to continue the parley meeting today at 3 pm.It will be recall that the Nigeria labour congress has issued a four-day ultimatum to the federal government to reverse to old pump price, the ultimatum which will come to an end today.If the Federal government and labour unions failed to common a ground today, the nation might be shut down tomorrow in mist of economic hardship and cash crush.
The Nigeria Labour Congress,NLC and its affiliate body,the Trade Union Congress,TUC, Monday,vowed to press ahead with its industrial a...

The Nigeria Labour Congress,NLC and its affiliate body,the Trade Union Congress,TUC, Monday,vowed to press ahead with its industrial action, scheduled to commence tomorrow if the Federal Government fails to reverse to old pump price of petrol.The two unions asked the government not only to put all the nations refineries to optimal use but also increase minimum wage, besides putting all necessary palliatives measures before deregulation of oil. Both spoke in separate remarks before formal commencement of the meeting it held with the government over the latters increment of fuel price,last week.But the government pleaded with the labour organisations to see reasons with its action and shelve its planned strike,saying it was open to dialogue with the bodies.This was even as the governor of Edo State,Adams Oshiomhole, who was at the meeting to mediate between the two warring sides,opposed agitation for wage increment, saying it was not sustainable at the moment. NLC president,Ayuba Waba and his TUC counterpart,Bobboi Kaigama,said there was the need for government to reverse to old pump price of fuel, given that the development was having a toll on the masses.At the meeting attended by the Secretary to Government of the Federation,SGF,Babachir Lawal,Minister of State,Petroleum,Ibe Kachukwu,Ministers of Labour and Employment,Dr Chris Ngige, Budget and National Planning,Udo Udoma,Information and Culture,Lai Mohammed and Solid Minerals,Kayode Fayemi, the two sides were unable to shift ground as at press time.Dr Chris Ngige, who presented governments position, said the government was open to dialogue,urging the labour organisations to consider the proposed industrial action as the least possible option.
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo said he regrets not privatizing the National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) during his time in office.

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo said he regrets not privatizing the National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) during his time in office.Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day maritime stakeholders conference organized by the Ministry of Transportation and its agencies in Lagos yesterday, Obasanjo said he would have privatized the company 20 years ago if he had the faintest idea that it was going to be used as a conduit to embezzle public fund by succeeding administrations.With our experience in NLNG and the telecommunication sector, let us adapt and adopt, he said.
Discussions between the federal government and labour unions as part of efforts to avert the planned strike by Nigeria Labour Congress to ...

Discussions between the federal government and labour unions as part of efforts to avert the planned strike by Nigeria Labour Congress to resist an increase in the price of petrol are continuing on Tuesday, by 3pm.The meeting was rescheduled after both parties could not reach an agreement in an earlier meeting on Monday.The dialogue, which held in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), had in attendance the SGF, representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), PENGASSAN, as well as the Governor of Edo State. I
To say that Ogoni is the worst place to live on earth may just sound like an over-statement. But It is indeed a fact. Everything seems to ...

To say that Ogoni is the worst place to live on earth may just sound like an over-statement. But It is indeed a fact. Everything seems to work against her. The government had been repressive, the environment is poisoned, the schools are dead, the hospitals can best function as dispensaries, the roads are death traps, there is no electricity, her school pupils are forced to learn the language of the majority ethnic groups (Ibo, Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani) and worst of all, the Nigerian laws endorse the denigrating conditions of the Ogoni and gives little room for freedom, the Ogoni is legally constrained to live in the most inhuman conditions forced on them by Shell Oil Corporations irresponsible business practices and the government with all its security agencies protect the oppressor.The Nigerian government, to my mind, is hypocritical in character. It has encouraged the violence in the Niger Delta by its response to the problem and its failure to promote healthy living in the area. The government has encouraged violent agitation by not encouraging the peaceful approach of the Ogoni people. The dualization of the Eleme axis of the East-West road was in response to protests. The on-going construction of the East-West road was in response to protests. The increase in the derivation fund for oil mining states from 1.5 percent to 13 percent was in response to protests. The list is endless. Governments over the years have made little efforts to provide social security, create jobs and plan for the future of Nigerians. The mismanaged amnesty program for the Niger Delta youths was in response to protests. A minister under President Buhari has muted the idea of granting amnesty to the Boko Haram fighters. The rule appears to be for any group who wants attention to take up arms against government interests.But how did all these begin? Injustice, poverty, unemployment largely account for the escalation of violence in the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole. Whatever reasons could be adduced, the government is to blame for all the violence. Yes! The government is responsible.Indeed, Saro-Wiwas prediction has come true when he said before the military tribunal that sentenced him to death in 1995:My lord, we all stand before history. I am a man of peace, of ideas. Appalled by the denigrating poverty of my people who live on a richly-endowed land, distressed by their political marginalization and economic strangulation, angered by the devastation of their land, their ultimate heritage, anxious to preserve their right to life and to a decent living, and determined to usher to this country as a whole a fair and just democratic system which protects everyone and every ethnic group and gives us all a valid claim to human civilization, I have devoted all my intellectual and material resources, my very life, to a cause in which I have total belief and from which I cannot be blackmailed or intimidated. I have no doubt at all about the ultimate success of my cause, no matter the trials and tribulations which I and those who believe with me may encounter on our journey. No imprisonment nor death can stop our ultimate victory.I repeat that we all stand before history. I and my colleagues are not the only ones on trial. Shell is here on trial and it is as well that it is represented by counsel said to be holding a watching brief. The company has, indeed, ducked this particular trial, but its day will surely come and the lessons learnt here may prove useful to it for there is no doubt in my mind that the ecological war the company has waged in the delta will be called to question sooner than later and the crimes of that war duly punished. The crime of the company's dirty wars against the Ogoni people will also be punished.On trial also is the Nigerian nation, its present rulers and all those who assist them. Any nation which can do to the weak and disadvantaged what the Nigerian nation has done to the Ogoni, loses a claim to independence and to freedom from outside influence. I am not one of those who shy away from protesting injustice and oppression, arguing that they are expected from a military regime. The military do not act alone. They are supported by a gaggle of politicians, lawyers, judges, academics and businessmen, all of them hiding under the claim that they are only doing their duty, men and women too afraid to wash their pants of their urine. We all stand on trial, my lord, for by our actions we have denigrated our country and jeopardized the future of our children. As we subscribe to the sub-normal and accept double standards, as we lie and cheat openly, as we protect injustice and oppression, we empty our classrooms, degrade our hospitals, fill our stomachs with hunger and elect to make ourselves the slaves of those who subscribe to higher standards, pursue the truth, and honour justice, freedom and hard work.I predict that the scene here will be played and replayed by generations yet unborn. Some have already cast themselves in the role of villains, some are tragic victims, and some still have a chance to redeem themselves. The choice is for each individual.I predict that a denouement of the riddle of the Niger delta will soon come. The agenda is being set at this trial. Whether the peaceful ways I have favored will prevail depends on what the oppressor decides, what signals it sends out to the waiting public.In my innocence of the false charges I face here, in my utter conviction, I call upon the Ogoni people, the peoples of the Niger delta, and the oppressed ethnic minorities of Nigeria to stand up now and fight fearlessly and peacefully for their rights. History is on their side, God is on their side. For the Holy Quran says in Sura 42, verse 41: "All those who fight, when oppressed incur no guilt, but Allah shall punish the oppressor." Come the day.Realizing the failures of government, especially their inability to provide jobs for the young men and women who should have been involved in productive activities, late President YarAdua granted amnesty to the Niger Delta militants. He was unfortunately not to live and implement the programme. The eventual poor handling of the amnesty programme was another missed opportunity to fix the problem.In implementing the programme, YaAduas successor trained the youths and began the payment of monthly allowances without providing jobs after their training. The youths idly stayed home to receive monthly allowances. The youths have been clearly told that violence is rewarding. They have also understood that the government can surrender to violence.The government did not follow the intentions of the Technical Committee of the Niger Delta who recommended the amnesty programme. What the government was required to do is send the youths to various companies to work, that way, you engage them daily, while government takes responsibility for their wages. We were not to have them sit at home idly and be paid monthly without engaging in any productive activity. So the government provided the environment for these boys to be exploited by politicians who engaged them to violently and forcefully win elections.. That again could account for the influx of arms back into the Niger Delta. Unfortunately, things have gone very bad and the government must return to the drawing board. A military solution in the Niger Delta with pockets of undefined violent groups may be a difficult option to enforce.In the past week, from Wednesday May 11, 2016, the military has conducted raids in Yeghe, Ogoniland, home of Solomon Ndigbara, the first kingpin to surrender and embrace the amnesty programme. Ndigbara would probably have been at work had the amnesty programme been designed to solve a problem. The security situation in Ogoni is suspicious and appear to me, the creation of political interests. For instance, how did Solomon Ndigbara, an ally of politicians since 1999, former militant leader who worked with the security forces and they jointly went on a successful operation to rescue the bursar of the Ken Saro-Wiwa polytechnic in November 2015 become a problem following the split in the big party that has ruled Rivers state since 1999? How did Ndigbara who received an award from the wife of the former president as an ambassador of peace now become a trouble maker following the change in leadership? Clearly, if the government must uncover the security problems in Ogoni, the politicians must face some questioning and monitoring.Since the annulment of parliamentary elections in Rivers State, we have seen an incredible upsurge in violence and killings in the area. Most of the killings have affected political party loyalists.On Saturday, May14, 2016, Dr. Vincent Eebee, a lecturer at the state-owned Ken Saro-Wiwa polytechnic, Bori, was interred in his hometown, Yeghe, Gokana local government. He has been killed by assailants who chased him from Bori, headquarters of Khana local government area. He was able to run to his village, Yeghe, but the assailants were not deterred and they got him killed right in his home.An influential Ogoni, Mr. Lekie Giagbara, a chartered accountant and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gokana local government area was also killed within the period. One Pabby Koyene was allegedly buried alive by a cult group. The Nigerian Army claimed that Pabby was their informant in Rivers State. It is interesting to note that all of these killings occurred just after parliamentary elections were nullified in the area and all the victims are political party loyalists Does these not provide a clue as to where the problem is and who should be investigated to uncover the killings in Ogoniland?In conclusion, it is incumbent on the government to protect its citizens and that responsibility is primary and not excusable. Where a government fails to provide security for its citizens, it is honorable on the officer in charge to step aside and allow a more competent and willful person to step in. The rampant excuses of militant sabotage, the inability of the security forces to apprehend those behind politically motivated killings in Ogoni and the political sponsorship of militancy in the Niger Delta are all signals to government failure to provide security.For the generality of the Ogoni people, the restoration of Ogoniland beginning with the cleanup is something we all look forward to. There is no alternative to the peaceful approach; we are ready and willing to corporate with all agencies of government to see to the implementation of the UNEP report. We hope that those whose responsibility is to deal with security issues will work assiduously and act professionally to address these challenges. While they move to deal with the effects of failed security, we also call on them to address the causes of these failures and the environment that have helped these causes to survive.Finally, there is no doubt that the people have been deprived their rights. Peaceful agitation will continue and is encouraged until the demands for the rights to a decent living are granted. The Ogoni people must be given the right to participate in Nigerias democratic process as a distinct ethic group with the right to decide their own future. The Ogoni have not enjoyed that right having been lumped with several other ethnic groups who govern them and decide their fate. Freedom for all people of the Niger Delta and Nigeria will be fundamental for lasting peace and prosperity for the country.Fegalo Nsuke is the Publicity Secretary of The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). He wrote from Port Harcourt. Nsuke can be reached at: nsuke.fegalo@gmail.com
Ibe Kachikwu, state minister for petroleum resources, says the current hike in the pump price of petrol is different from that which the a...

Ibe Kachikwu, state minister for petroleum resources, says the current hike in the pump price of petrol is different from that which the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan executed in 2012.In his presentation at the house of representatives on Monday, Kachikwu said the Jonathan-led administration had money to fund subsidy, unlike the Buhari administration.The average price crude oil then was valued at $110 per barrel and there was availability of funds to cater for the subsidy regime due to booming oil prices, he said.Importation was based on 50 % financing from NNPC and 50% from oil marketers, while sourcing of foreign exchange for importation of petroleum products for both the NNPC and oil marketers was solely from the Central Bank of Nigeria and at official government rates.Presently, financing for importation of products is almost 100% handled by NNPC and this model is unsustainable.Kachikwu alleged that the administration saw a lack of strategic plan and investments in refineries and pipeline infrastructure meant that the sector could not attract investors.Speaking about the current regime, Kachikwu said the average price of crude oil is valued at $40 per barrel, emphasising lack of funds to cater for the subsidy regime owing to low crude prices.He said the current regime is suffering from non-availability of foreign exchange to import petroleum products.Marketers have drastically reduced their importation since Q3 2015 due to a scarcity of forex. There is a need for them to source forex independent of CBN to be able to meet the nations demand, he said.He added t5hat his team has ongoing strategic plans and investments already on ground to ramp up the countrys refineries to attract investors and in the long term become a net exporter of petroleum product.Responding to a question on monitoring on why NNPC stations which get locally refined products at little or no cost were selling almost at the same price as independent marketers, he said: That is being looked at.The NNPC mega stations are supposed to sell at a much lower price than the other marketers but right now some of them are selling between N143 and N145. That is something we are looking at correcting.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has expressed concern over increasing spate of flight cancellations by domestic carriers . ...

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has expressed concern over increasing spate of flight cancellations by domestic carriers .The regulatory agency stated that several reports from the Consumer Protection Officers (CPOs) and aggrieved passengers have inundated its offices from across the nations airports.A statement signed by the general manager public relations of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye noted that though the regulatory authority is aware of the prevailing challenges as regards aviation fuel, it is expected that the airlines should follow strictly the requirements of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) in carrying out their operations.Adurogboye said the circumstances should not open a window for outright impunity and a flurry of cancellations which has consequently rendered air travel in the country a nightmarish experience.He said: All Airline Operators are therefore warned to adhere to the Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs) while dealing with passengers. Many of whom have parted with their hard earned cash in return for comfort and value while commuting to their destinations.Therefore sufficient notice must be accorded all intending passengers prior to any operational cancellation.Where there is a delay in the service, passengers must be duly informed and light refreshment provided.Adurugboye advised operators to ensure that tickets are not sold to air travelers when there are perceived or real hitches concerning sourcing of aviation fuel (Jet A1).He observed that while NCAA is not unmindful of the efforts being made by the airlines to avoid operational hiccups, passengers are similarly enjoined to exercise restraint and cooperate with airline officials during eventualities.According to him, it is noteworthy that the federal government of Nigeria is already taking measures that would ameliorate the paucity of Jet A1.These steps would guarantee availability and allow operators provide adequate services.However, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) wishes to reiterate that all airlines should henceforth guard against frequent flight cancellations that will jeopardise the conditions of carriage agreed with the passengers.The authority has therefore intensified monitoring at all the nations airports.Subsequently, any unjustifiable or avoidable flight cancellation will be viewed with utmost seriousness and where culpability is established very stiff sanctions will be applied, the NCAA spokesman noted
The Senate on Tuesday endorsed the Federal Governments decision to peg the pump price of petrol at N145 per litre. Rising from an Ex...

Rising from an Executive Session, presided by Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, the Senate called on the government to parley labour unions to forestall the threatened strike.Ekweremadu said that the Senate sympathised with Nigerians for the hardship which the new prices of petrol will cause and called on the government to implement the palliatives. The Senate in a closed session deliberated on the increase in the pump price of PMS by the Federal Government and the threats by the organised Labour to embark on a nationwide strike.We resolved as follows: that we sympathise with ordinary people of Nigeria on the hardships they are going through. That the Senate will engage the Federal Government to find sustainable ways of improving the welfare of the people of Nigeria.That we call on government to continue to engage the organised labour and other stakeholders to resolve issues in order not to ground the system and impose more hardships on our people. That government should immediately start implementing palliative measures contained in the 2016 Appropriation Act passed by the National Assembly, he said.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government last week announced the removal of subsidy from petrol and pegged the price at not more than N145 per litre. Organised labour threatened to embark on strike by Wednesday if government fails to revert to N86.5 per litre.
The Senate has withdrawn the frivolous petition bill otherwise known as the Antisocial media bill sponsored by Senator Bala Ibn NaAllah...

The Senate has withdrawn the frivolous petition bill otherwise known as the Antisocial media bill sponsored by Senator Bala Ibn NaAllah. At the plenary today May 17th, the senate received the Report of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters that examined the legality of the bill.During the deliberation of the committees report, Dino Melaye said the bill, if passed, will work against Whistleblowers who provide information to the police and other security agents.Senator Shehu Sani while contributing to the debate, said the bill if passed will stifle the press and also silence social media. He commended the senate committee on Judiciary for standing against the passage of the bill.Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu posed a question to the senators who unanimously asked that the bill be stepped down.
Bishop Seun Adeoye of Sufficient Grace and Truth Ministry, Okinni, Osun State has explained why he embarked on one-man rally against the...

Bishop Seun Adeoye of Sufficient Grace and Truth Ministry, Okinni, Osun State has explained why he embarked on one-man rally against the present hike of fuel price from N86.50 to N145 by the federal government. Speaking in Osogbo, Osun State on Tuesday, Adeoye stated that he took the step because he was of the opinion that the President Muhammadu Buharis administration has not been fair to downtrodden Nigerians with the increase in the price of petrol.He said: Nigerians are passing through hell now. People should see the government as a big father who will give them solace in time of crisis. But this father is wielding a big stick against the people. This increase in pump price of petrol is uncalled for.In the last one year, Nigerians have seen increase in virtually everything apart from their earnings. We have seen increase in electricity tariff, increase in bank charges and astronomical increase in food items.Churches in Nigeria today are becoming centres for distribution of food items and relief materials to unfortunate Nigerians who had been deceived by elites in government. Those who are telling Nigerians to bear the cost and allow the new price regime to stand are people flying over us in their choppers.Even if they call the price N1,000 they will still buy it. I also believe there is a time for everything. There is a time to speak and a time to keep quiet.For me, presently in Nigeria, this is a time to speak no matter whose ox is gored. Some may disagree with me on why as a Bishop I left the pulpit for the streets to express my dissatisfaction on the current fuel hike from N86 to N145 by the Federal Government of Nigeria but I am not bothered about the opinion of men, I am moved by the Spirit of God to do what I did. I cannot do anything otherwise but to obey God.Indeed, my major resolution during my enthronement as a Bishop was that I am going to use the office to fight for the oppressed, to be the voice for the voiceless and to stand by the downtrodden.The Bible is my code of conduct. If you read through it you will see that the prophets of old were more radical in nature. Prophets Jeremiah and John the Baptist are my role models.Even, our Lord Jesus Christ took drastic steps when occasion demands. And if the Jesus is here in Nigeria now, he will approve my action. I cannot afford to be a conformist when people are hungry and suffering. I cannot keep mute when leaders who should be concerned about the plights of the oppressed are living in their comfort rooms but tell Nigerians to take heart in their plights.He urged President Buhari to listen to the voice of the poor and the oppressed in this country to drastically reduce the price of petrol.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been asked to sack Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed for abusing the privileges of hi...

President Muhammadu Buhari has been asked to sack Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed for abusing the privileges of his office.According to reports, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) is demanding the immediate sack of the minister for demanding a loan of from Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) to fund his China trip.According to a statement signed by the National Coordinator of the group, Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group described the ministers action as a subtle attempt at blackmail and a sinister plot to seek to extort N13 million from one of the agencies under his ministerial supervision.As an administration which has shown through different local and international platforms that it is primarily passionate towards eradicating economic crimes and corruption, it is imperative that everything is done to protect the whistle blowers without whom this heinous illegality of obtaining loan through false pretence by the information minister would have become a fait accompli.Mr President must see this as a litmus test of his avowed commitment not to tolerate impunity and lawlessness from even his closest political friends.
CARLIN  The mining industry may run in Megan Tibbals DNA.

She has worked at Newmont Mining Corp.s Gold Quarry Mine for 14 years, but she has been around the industry all her life.

Tibbals said five people in her family have been miners -- her great-grandfather, grandfather, father, uncle and herself.

Her father moved the family around while he worked for mining companies in several states, and he still works in the industry. Most of his career was spent working for smaller mining companies

I think when we were young he moved to Goldfield and my mom said she wasnt moving there, Tibbals said. So we stayed in Denver a little while longer.

After her father got a job working for a mine near Winnemucca the family moved, and thats where Tibbals grew up.

When that mine started shutting down, as gold prices dropped, her mother liked Winnemucca and wanted to get her children through high school.

My dad got a job selling chemicals, she said. It kept us kind of stable and the same town to grow up in.

She knew in high school that she was good in math and science and that is when she started leaning toward an engineering career.

I took an anatomy class and I was not good at medicine, she said. The sight of blood makes me pass out.

While Tibbals wasnt born in Nevada, just like the other miners in the family, she went to the University of Nevada, Reno.

Im actually the fourth generation to graduate from the Mackay School of Mines, she said. In my generation we didnt have any boys that wanted to go, and Ive always kinda been pretty good at math and science, so I said Ill go.

She earned a degree in chemical engineering, but, she didnt expect to work in the mining industry.

I thought Id go do something exciting and exotic  you know oil, somewhere in a big chemical plant, big city, she said. But when I came out of school, there were no chemical jobs really available.

A Career in Mining

The mines werent doing great either and the gold price was down, but Newmont was hiring for metallurgy and environmental engineering, Tibbals said.

I started off in reclamation and closure doing some environmental engineering looking at some of our closure of heap leach pads and tailings dams, she said.

She worked in reclamation and closure for a couple years, but as gold price went up, the company needed people to do construction projects on site.

So I moved into the projects department, building tailings dams and leach pads and design of them, she said. So I got to see that closure part and then moving into the design and construction. I started at the end and moved back to the beginning.

Tibbals said starting in reclamation was great because she saw what was needed to close certain structures and she could then incorporate some of those things from the beginning. She was in projects for four years.

At that point there was a position open in the metallurgical department, she said. I moved down to the roaster and took the metallurgist job there.

After being in the metallurgist job, she moved to chief metallurgist for two years.

The chief metallurgist looks after all the metallurgists at the site, Tibbals said.

After that she had an opportunity to become the operations superintendent, which is her current position.

For me its really about shaping the culture, Tibbals said about what her job entails. Making this culture of zero harm, safety first that doesnt happen overnight, and it really has to be driven from a management level down to the roots of the organization. So really I feel like Im shaping the culture out there  making sure that were not rushing them that were giving them the time to talk and to bring up their safety concerns, and really getting to that mindset that yeah if its not safe we need to stop; we need to not take a shortcut. We need to figure out whats the right thing to do.

Ultimately our job is to make gold. In the process department we take it from dirt and we pour gold bars.  Were making gold. Were producing that gold. So really changing that culture instead of a production first into a safety first and doing what we do, the processing of that gold, efficiently.

Tibbals oversees about 132 hourly employees. She is in charge of the flotation mill, roaster, and three heap leach facilities, one each at North, South operations and Emigrant.

She spends about 50 percent of her time in the office and the other 50 percent in the field. While in the office, she has to set budgets, manpower counts and put together programs.

Then a lot of my time is spent in the field, interacting with the employees, which is what I really enjoy, Tibbals said.

Advice for future and current miners

Tibbals said students need to start in STEM programs to determine if they want to go into mining.

See if you like it, she said.

People who want to move ahead in the industry also can gain insight from school.

I always promote to the guys, if they want to go back to school, I think its well worth the time and the effort, she said. It teaches you how to solve problems and work through different situations with a level head and kind of see that big picture.

She said people need to remember mining jobs are hard work.

Most jobs arent sitting in the office 100 percent of the time, she said. Youre going to have to get out. Youre going to have to walk around and get dirty and put some elbow-grease into the work that were doing.

While many see mining as a male-dominated industry, Tibbals said she never felt uncomfortable or out of place.

I know from the process side we have a very diverse workforce, she said. Still probably majority males, but we have both operators, our engineers, a wide variety of male and female.  I think everyones been accepting of all people in our world. I think the biggest thing is being a resource for the company. Really were trying to promote the best people for the job, whether theyre female or male.

Tibbals said the No. 1 piece of advice for college-bound students is to graduate without debt.

To me, to be a young professional and to come out with so much debt puts you right behind to start with, she said. All colleges are going to teach you the basic problem-solving skills.  So look to where you can get scholarships. Look to where you can get in-state tuition. I just think that, that starts you off on the right foot so you can come out and find a career that you like and not be strapped right from the beginning.

Tibbals is president of the Women in Mining Nevada Chapter and the organization is trying to do more outreach. She also does a lot of fundraising.

She said the schedules in mining are nice. They allow you plenty of time off. She said she is lucky to work 10-hour days, four days a week.

Tibbals wants to continue moving up in management.

Id like to see myself as general manager of the mine some day, she said. Ive really enjoyed working with the people and like the responsibility. If thats not in the cards, I think there are lots of opportunities as well.

She said she has enjoyed every job she has had at Gold Quarry.

I think no matter what comes my way, I think that having a good attitude and being open to the opportunities is what makes it so fun out here, Tibbals said.

The only downside Tibbals thought of was the early-morning start, since she is not a morning person.

You would think after 14 years that you would get used to it, she said. Theyre like oh itll come to you. No, it never does.

Tibbals said she has known people who lost their jobs to sleep in.

Some people arent morning people, she said. If that is the problem, you definitely have to set your mind to making sure you got two alarm clocks. I know I set my phone and my watch, and my husband sets his phone.

Tibbals said the best thing anyone can do for their career is have a good attitude.

People with good attitudes are usually the ones that move up in the world, she said. Theyre willing to work hard. Theyre willing to put that extra effort in. Theyre bringing the rest of the crew up. Theyre bringing that morale up and that shines through. People see that.
The organized labour in Ekiti State has given Governor Ayodele Fayose, 24 hours ultimatum to pay workers Salary deductions for the month ...

The organized labour in Ekiti State has given Governor Ayodele Fayose, 24 hours ultimatum to pay workers Salary deductions for the month of December, 2015 or face industrial action.This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen Tuesday and which was jointly signed by the Chairmen of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Com. Ade Adesanmi, Trade Union Congress, Com Odunayo Adesoye and Secretary of Joint Negotiating Council, Com. Oladele Blessing .The of trade unions expressed regret over the delay in the payment of deductions despite the agreement reached with the government at the stakeholders meeting of May 9, 2016.The workers according to the statement took the decision at its meeting of May 16, 2016 held in Ado Ekiti.The statement said: It must be noted that the state government has collected state allocation for the period of December, 2015 , January, 2016 , February and March , 2016 with internally generated revenue inclusive and yet government is running away from its responsibility on payment of workers monthly gross salary , which is far from our expectation from a worker friendly governor.In view of this, we are constrained to request for the payment of the 2015 December workers deduction within 24hours, so as to avoid industrial unrest in Ekiti State, it concluded.Meantime, Ekiti State Governor has said there was no truth in the rumour making that the Special Adviser on Political Matters to the Ekiti State Governor, Alhaji Ademola Bello, has been relieved of his position.In a statement made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti yesterday by the Governor Fayoses Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi stated that the news which has gone viral on social media is a blatant lie orchestrated by those who insisted in distablising the Ayo Fayose Administration.According to Adelusi, Alhaji Bello is at his duty post and at the pleasure of Mr Governor.It is these same elements who few weeks back flied a fake news that the Secretary to Ekiti State Government, Dr Mrs Modupe Alade had resigned whereas the woman had gone on two weeks leave.We implored the people to ignore these people who are disturbed by the performance and ever growing popularity of Governor Ayodele Fayose.
The lingering scarcity of Jet A1, popularly called aviation fuel, on Monday disrupted flight operations at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 ...

The lingering scarcity of Jet A1, popularly called aviation fuel, on Monday disrupted flight operations at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2) and the General Aviation Terminal of the airport in Lagos.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some domestic airlines had to re-schedule or cancel most of their flights following their inability to procure aviation fuel for their aircraft.NAN gathered that among the airlines affected were Aero Contractors, Dana, Azman, First Nation and Peace Airline.Some passengers travelling to Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Owerri and Enugu were left stranded and frustrated when the cancellation of their flights were announced through the airport's public address system.The situation prompted some of them to rush to the counter of Arik Air to purchase tickets as the airline was among the few which were having hitch-free operations.A passenger, Mrs Chioma Akabueze, told NAN that she was booked on a 10:00 a.m. flight in one of the affected airlines, but was later informed that all the airline's flights for the day had been cancelled."The announcement was made around 4.30 p.m. and it is very disappointing. I was supposed to hold a meeting with a client in Owerri by 2:00 p.m. and now, I have to reschedule,'' she said.Another traveller, Mr Emma Akanni, said he had to pay a tout N40,000 to get him an Arik Air one-way ticket to Abuja, though the airline usually charges N51,600 for a to and fro ticket for the same destination.NAN reports that the Consumer Protection Department of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had revealed in its 2016 First Quarter Report that domestic airlines recorded 8,478 cases of delayed flights.The report said a total number of 15,434 flights were operated by eight domestic airlines during the period under review, while 281 flights were cancelled.However, the airlines had attributed the situation, which led to over 50 per cent of their flights being delayed or cancelled, to the scarcity of aviation fuel and had appealed to the government to intervene in making the product available.
Nigerias crude oil production has declined massively from an average of 2.2 million barrels per day last year to about 1.4 million barre...

Nigerias crude oil production has declined massively from an average of 2.2 million barrels per day last year to about 1.4 million barrels per day due to increased vandalism of crude oil pipelines by vandals.The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, said on Monday while appearing before a special session of the House of Representatives convened over the recent hike in petrol price, that the decline translated to a loss of about 800,000 barrels of crude oil daily.Mr, Kachikwu condemned the incessant attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta region, saying this might impact negatively on the estimates in the recently approved 2016 budget, which pegged oil production at 2.2 million barrels per day.He, however, expressed governments commitment to ensure that destroyed facilities were repaired and effectively protected from further damage.We are going to work hard to see how we will get these issues resolved and get our production back, the minister said, pointing out that developing infrastructure was key to promoting increased crude oil production and efficiency.The minister said there were still a lot more things government needed to pay attention to, particularly infrastructure development, which he said the country has not been able to invest in over the last 20 years in the oil sector.He said the countrys crude oil pipelines had not been replaced for 35 years, while gas infrastructures had not been in place, and refineries were old and next to comatose.Although he said government was working hard to repair and put them back to work, the critical facilities were at a breakdown stage.No country in the world will expect that the fuel price system in the country will benefit its citizens if it doesnt invest in infrastructure, he said.So, we need to begin to focus on building massive infrastructure all over the country. I know how much efforts it has taken to pump products from the south to the north, to the east and to the west.It has been one battle after another, but the time has come to invest in proper pipelines, proper tracking, proper buried levels and begin to move with the world, Mr. Kachikwu said.(NAN)
Adeyanju Deji, Director of Media of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP on Monday said there will be mass protest against the removal of fue...

Adeyanju Deji, Director of Media of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP on Monday said there will be mass protest against the removal of fuel subsidy because Labour groups have been bribed.He went further to accuse the VP Osinbajo and NNPC boss Ibe Kachikwu of distributing bribes in dollars in Abuja to prevent the nationwide strike."Even Osinbajo who is a pastor is also involved in this. This is sad," Mr Deji wrote on social media.See some of his tweets below:
HACKENSACK - Bergen County Public Safety Director Ralph Rivera Jr. will not be prosecuted for allegedly interfering with a police officer conducting a DWI investigation, the county's prosecutor said Monday.

"Director Rivera's conduct on March 19, 2016 in connection with (Francisco) Almonte's DWI arrest did not rise to the level of criminality," Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal said in a statement.

Almonte was pulled over in Hackensack for allegedly driving drunk as his wife sat in the passenger seat. Rivera showed up a short time later in a black, unmarked police SUV and approached officers with the Bergen County Sheriff's Office.

On dashcam video, Rivera appears to interfere with the arrest.

"I used to be undersheriff and that's a friend of mine," Rivera is heard saying on the tape.

Arresting Officer Andrew Kara later wrote in his report that Rivera interrupted and distracted him several times.

"At multiple points throughout my stop he kept asserting himself as, and referring to the title that he currently holds," Kara wrote. "I felt overwhelmed after learning Mr. Rivera's identity."

After the incident, Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco III suspended Rivera with pay and asked the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office to investigate the police director's actions for any criminality.

Grewal said the "BCPO's Confidential Investigations Unit subsequently conducted a thorough investigation of this matter."

"Since Director Rivera is not the executive of a Bergen County law enforcement agency, he is not subject to an internal affairs investigation by the BCPO under the Attorney General's Internal Affairs Guidelines," Grewal said in his statement.

"Director Rivera's conduct on March 19, 2016 is now a Bergen County employment matter," Grewal said.

Prior to serving as police director in Bergen County, Rivera was police director in Trenton.

The prosecutor added that "the charges pending against Mr. Almonte are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
HACKENSACK -- The campaign to elect Hillary Clinton as president plans to open its Bergen County headquarters Tuesday night in Hackensack.

Lou Stellato, chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Committee, will attend the grand opening at 6 p.m. at 15 Dyatt Pl.

The campaign is inviting the public to see the office and get Clinton campaign gear.

Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, campaigned at Camden County College on Wednesday. She told supporters that Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, was campaigning on a "reckless" and "dangerous" agenda.

New Jersey holds its primary June 7. She has the support of 60 percent of Democratic voters in the state, compared to 32 percent for Bernie Sanders, according to a recently released Monmouth University poll.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
PARAMUS -- Police responded to nearly 300 reports of assault at the Bergen Regional Medical Center in 2015, part of an overall pattern of alleged violence involving victims who ranged in age from toddlers to senior citizens, according to a report by The Record of Woodland Park.

Among the victims in recent years was a nurse who said she was attacked by a 400-lb patient and was left seriously injured, a six-year-old who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a young fellow patient and an elderly dementia patient whose family said a naked man was found on the woman's toilet.

Formerly known as Bergen Pines, the Bergen Regional Medical Center is a publicly owned, privately run facility which, at 1,070 beds, is the state's largest hospital. Bergen provides acute care, long-term care and psychiatric and substance abuse treatment. Many of its patients are uninsured or homeless and have no other care option.

The number of assault reports rose by nearly 40 percent between 2014 and last year, The Record found, and the hospital was sanctioned last year by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration following attacks on eight employees.

The for-profit company that operates the hospital, Bergen Regional Medical Center LP, declined to comment on the police reports but did say attacks on staff have dropped considerably recently and remain below national benchmarks.

Critics, however, say the hospital has placed an emphasis on profits that has compromised patient and staff safety. Some have called for a reassessment of the hospital's management.

"The number and frequency of the patient care issues surrounding Bergen Regional Medical Center reflects serious leadership and management challenges," Kevin Huckshorn, a national expert in mental health and substance abuse treatment and a consultant for the New Jersey Department of Human Services, told the Record.

The 19-year contract between the county and the hospital's operators is due to expire next March. A company spokeswoman told the Record the company is interested in renewing the contract.

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
TEANECK - Jill Graham, the township's municipal court administrator, has been arrested and charged with stealing $500 in collected court fees, authorities said Tuesday.

Graham, 47, who earned $69,140 last year, was charged with theft by failure to make a required disposition of property received, a third-degree crime, said Teaneck Police Chief Robert A. Carney.

She was released pending a June 1 court appearance.

"In early October of 2015, the Township of Teaneck, while conducting an unrelated administrative investigation, uncovered evidence of a criminal nature regarding the theft," the police chief said in a statement.

The township contacted Teaneck police, who launched an investigation.

"Jill Graham, between April 1st and Oct. 10, 2015, committed theft by failing to make required disposition of property received, specifically by taking in excess of $500 from the Teaneck Municipal Court in her position as the Teaneck Municipal Court Administrator," Carney said.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office assisted in the investigation, Carney said.

Graham has worked for Teaneck for about 19 years.

Records show Graham filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2010 with her husband, Kirkland Graham, listing more than $511,000 in liabilities and $366,000 in assets. The case was discharged and closed in 2015.

Graham, a Hackensack resident, has been on administrative leave since last October. She could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Research Editor Vinessa Erminio contributed to this report)

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- Dressed in a purple shirt and blue tie, Nafee Cotman stood silently, his hands cuffed behind his back as he appeared in court on charges of killing a New Jersey Institute of Technology student who was shot in a fraternity house.

Both Cotman, 18, of Irvington, or his co-defendant, Taquan Harris, 22, of Newark, remained silent as news cameras and photographers recorded their brief hearing before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler on Tuesday.

Harris, wearing in a white shirt and tie, and Cotman are charged with murder for the May 2 fatal shooting of the 23-year-old Joseph Micalizzi in the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house on the 300 block of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

Both defendants are also charged with felony murder for a - homicide committed during the commission of another crime - and burglary and weapons offenses.

Cotman's lawyer, Jonathon Gordon, and Harris' lawyer, Sterling Kinsale of the Essex County Public Defender's Officer, entered not guilty pleas for their clients during the hearing that lasted less than two minutes.

Authorities say Micalizzi, of Tom River, was shot in the hand and the head when he struggled with the defendants who were attempting to rob him in his room at about 3 a.m.

Micalizzi had transferred to NJIT and was in his junior year, studying mechanical engineering.

Neither the defense attorneys or Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Eric Plant made any comments about details of the case.

Wigler continued bail at $1 million for each the defendants.

Police arrested Cotman and Harris on May 5, three days after the shooting, apprehending Cotman at his home and capturing Harris several hours later on the 100 block of Munn Avenue in Newark.

The shooting came less than a month after a Rutgers-Newark student was shot and killed at his off-campus residence, also near the school. Law enforcement sources previously told NJ Advance Media that shooting was a possible drug-related robbery gone wrong.

Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP -- The man police say is responsible for dozens of burglaries in the township over the past two months is now in custody after he was spotted and chased down by officers last week.

Police said 64-year-old Thomas Gonzalez, of Philadelphia, was arrested Wednesday and charged with burglary, theft and numerous related offenses following a pursuit.

Det. Matthew Franchi, who was surveilling the area hardest hit by recent burglaries, noticed a suspicious vehicle driving carelessly near Stratton Lane at about 3:40 a.m. The Ford F150, stolen out of Woodbury Heights on May 7, sped away from police before it came to a halt at the intersection of routes 47, 41 and Egg Harbor Road.

Gonzalez jumped from truck and tok off running, but he was soon captured by police.

He reportedly had items stolen from Stratton Lane on him when he was taken into custody, and admitted to being responsible for 36 other burglaries in the township. In those burglaries, anything from motor vehicles and power tools to cell phones and food were stolen from township homes, cars and sheds.

Gonzalez was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, eluding and resisting arrest along with burglary and theft charges. He remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 full-cash bail.

Michelle Caffrey may be reached at mcaffrey@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShellyCaffrey. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
ELKO  After picking up painting as a hobby more than 16 years ago Micqaela Jones was one of the many artists featured Saturday at Elkos annual Art Walk.

Jones was exhibiting some of her finished work as well as demonstrating her work in progress at the Western Folklife Center during the early part of the Art Walk.

Director of the Elko Downtown Business Association Bailey Billington said that in addition to the activities aimed toward children at the Art Walk she also wanted different types of artists involved.

We wanted to encourage local artists to come down and showcase their work, she said. We have over 20 different artists ranging from jewelry design to painting.

A lot of Jones paintings focus on Native American imagery and themes but the Nevada native who moved back to Elko about a year and a half ago said her environment has had an effect on her development as an artist.

Im totally self-taught and there are still things that scare me to paint, she said. Im trying to evolve with my work and different places that I live or go to  you can see how it affects your work. Even since I moved back to Nevada I feel like things have changed.

Jones went on to say that the difference scenes of nature she has observed since moving back to the Elko area have

While working on her paintings at the Folklife Center visitors were able to come up to Jones and talk with her about her artwork. Jones normally works in the quiet of her studio but spent as much time describing her work to visitors as she did painting on Saturday.

Though she was happy to talk to people about her artistic process, Jones said it took a while for her to be able to talk to others about her artwork.

Its really nice to be able to share with people the creative process and what Im feeling and thinking, she said. Its cool when people connect with it. Its taken me a long time. Initially, I was really scared to talk to people about my work. When youre an artist its very personal. Its like youre baring part of your soul.

Working quietly alongside his mom on some of his own drawings was 15-year-old Miles Jones. Micqaela said it was fun to see her son get some attention for his art as well, and she also enjoyed working with him at the last Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

Its cool to see him progress, she said. It was really fun doing the Cowboy Poetry shows with him because I had a few people come up to me and say oh my goodness, are you Miles mom? Hes his own man and he has his own thing. I try to tell him to try this and try that and he just laughs and says, oh, mom.

Micqaela said she will occasionally get distracted from painting while talking to people at showcases like the one she did at the Folklife Center, but also mentioned that having to make small adjustments to work she did while exhibiting her paintings is a small price to pay for relating to people.

The funniest about doing a show like this is connecting with people, she said. Thats the best part of it and if I have to go home and adjust a little bit in the quiet of my studio I can do that.
Dec. 22

Leonard Lee Johnson was sentenced after previously pleading guilty to petit larceny.

March 15

Julian Stacey was sentenced after previously pleading guilty to DUI of alcohol and or drugs.

March 18

Kenneth Roy Dutton forfeited bail totaling $192 on a charge of trespassing.

March 22

Shay Lea Costa was sentenced after pleading guilty to battery upon an officer, school employee, taxi or transit operator.



Cody Lee Hutson was bound over to district court on a charge of battery by a prisoner, probationer or parolee.



Vetekina Pasi Maile was bound over to district court on a charge of sale or manufacture of a controlled substance.



Juan Carlos Sanchez was sentenced after pleading guilty to disturbing the peace.



Marshall Eldon Tuttle was bound over to district court on a charge of an ex-felon in possession of a firearm.
ELKO  Nevadas political conventions epitomized unity on the side of the Republican Party and disjointedness for that of the Democratic Party, according to reports from Reno and Las Vegas.

The Republicans were ultimately committed to standing behind their presumptive candidate for president, Donald Trump, while Democrats had to discontinue an event  which ended three hours after it was scheduled  because of security issues.

State Republicans met at the Reno Convention Center exemplifying a calm demeanor focused on delegates, voting and State party policy.

It was about unity, getting behind the party as a whole and electing Republicans, said National Committeeman and Elko County Chairman Lee Hoffman, explaining the overall tone (of the convention) was one of support and people coming together  conciliatory.

Thirty delegates were selected to be sent to the Republican National Convention July 18-21 in Cleveland.

Hoffman clarified 27 delegates are chosen, while three are automatic: National Committeewoman Diana Orrock of Clark County, Hoffman as national committeeman, and the Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald.

Fifteen of the delegates are at-large and 12 are from respective congressional districts  there are four districts in the State of Nevada and three individuals are from each district.

There were not any real changes in principle for the partys State platform, according to Hoffman, just in length.

Overall, the national committeeman said the convention was civil and orderly, but conceded everyone has viewpoints.

Another highlight of the Republican State Convention was its use of an electronic voting method for the first time, said Hoffman.

This system helped to pave the way for a smooth and exact voting process, including tallies for the delegates and national committeeman and woman.

He is the presumptive candidate. So, were going to get behind him, said Hoffman, when asked about Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.

Republican National Committee Spokeswoman for Nevada Sara Sendek provided the following quote to media outlets in response to the past weekends Democratic Convention.

As the campaign between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders continues, Nevada Democrats are so divided they were unable to continue their State Convention as planned. This latest embarrassment is just another sign that Democrats have a long road ahead to unify behind a presidential nominee. Hillary Clintons record of dishonesty and ongoing FBI investigation has made it difficult for Democrats to fall in line behind her. One thing is clear, voters on both sides of the aisle know they cannot trust Hillary Clinton.

A representative of the Elko County Democratic Party did not answer Free Press inquiries by press time.
LAS VEGAS  The Nevada Republican Party affirmed their support for the Second Amendment at the Republican Convention last weekend where delegates voted to include an opposition to Question 1 on the ballot, referred to as universal background checks.

A delegate and member of Nevadans for State Gun Rights advocated for the inclusion of the resolution, which declares Question 1 to be a dishonest, deceptive, and unacceptable infringement on the individual right to keep and bear arms. The motion passed unanimously.

We are proud the Nevada GOP is on the same page with us in opposition to Question 1, said Don Turner, President of Nevadans for State Gun Rights. This resolution positions us one step closer to defeating this unconstitutional ballot measure in November.

Turner says that some people he has spoken with see no problem with Question 1, but that they arent aware of the details of the complexity of the measure, as it isnt about background checks. His hope is that with the inclusion of this resolution in the Nevada Republican Party Platform, more people will begin to see the specifics of Question 1 and recognize how it will disrupt their individual rights rather than promote safety.

If passed, Question 1 will be entirely unenforceable, Turner said. This law will only serve to criminalize law-abiding citizens and will do nothing to deter criminal activity. We should call it what it is: a federal gun registry.

Nevadans for Background Checks, a group advocating for the passage of Question 1, position themselves on a platform for public safety disguised as universal background checks. This is an unrealistic platform, according to Turner, who advocates for safety measures through proper gun training rather than unreasonable gun registration. As Turner puts it, Question 1 cannot prevent criminals from committing crime, and the only people who will be prosecuted are those citizens who will become criminals under the new law.
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The U.S. Departments of Education and Justice has released joint guidance to help provide educators the information they need to ensure that all students, including transgender students, can attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex.

Recently, questions have arisen from school districts, colleges and universities, and others about transgender students and how to best ensure these students, and non-transgender students, can all enjoy a safe and discrimination-free environment.

Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, schools receiving federal money may not discriminate based on a students sex, including a students transgender status. The guidance makes clear that both federal agencies treat a students gender identity as the students sex for purposes of enforcing Title IX.

No student should ever have to go through the experience of feeling unwelcome at school or on a college campus, said U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. This guidance further clarifies what weve said repeatedly  that gender identity is protected under Title IX. Educators want to do the right thing for students, and many have reached out to us for guidance on how to follow the law. We must ensure that our young people know that whoever they are or wherever they come from, they have the opportunity to get a great education in an environment free from discrimination, harassment and violence.

There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex, said Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch. This guidance gives administrators, teachers, and parents the tools they need to protect transgender students from peer harassment and to identify and address unjust school policies. I look forward to continuing our work with the Department of Education  and with schools across the country  to create classroom environments that are safe, nurturing, and inclusive for all of our young people.

Our federal civil rights law guarantees all students, including transgender students, the opportunity to participate equally in school programs and activities without sex discrimination as a core civil right, said Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon. This guidance answers questions schools have been asking, with a goal to ensure that all students are treated equally consistent with their gender identity. We look forward to continuing to work with schools and school communities to satisfy Congress promise of equality for all.

Every child deserves to attend school in a safe, supportive environment that allows them to thrive and grow. And we know that teachers and administrators care deeply about all of their students and want them to succeed in school and life, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. Our guidance sends a clear message to transgender students across the country: here in America, you are safe, you are protected and you belong  just as you are. We look forward to working with school officials to make the promise of equal opportunity a reality for all of our children.

The guidance explains that when students or their parents, as appropriate, notify a school that a student is transgender, the school must treat the student consistent with the students gender identity. A school may not require transgender students to have a medical diagnosis, undergo any medical treatment, or produce a birth certificate or other identification document before treating them consistent with their gender identity.

The guidance also explains schools obligations to:

 Respond promptly and effectively to sex-based harassment of all students, including harassment based on a students actual or perceived gender identity, transgender status, or gender transition;

 Treat students consistent with their gender identity even if their school records or identification documents indicate a different sex;

 Allow students to participate in sex-segregated activities and access sex-segregated facilities consistent with their gender identity; and

 Protect students privacy related to their transgender status under Title IX and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

At the same time, the guidance makes clear that schools can provide additional privacy options to any student for any reason. The guidance does not require any student to use shared bathrooms or changing spaces, when, for example, there are other appropriate options available; and schools can also take steps to increase privacy within shared facilities.

In addition to the Departments joint Title IX guidance, the Department of Educations Office of Elementary and Secondary Education also released Examples of Policies and Emerging Practices for Supporting Transgender Students, a compilation of policies and practices that schools across the country are already using to support transgender students. The document shares some common questions on topics such as school records, privacy, and terminology, and then explains how some state and school district policies have answered these questions, which may be useful for other states and school districts that are considering these issues. In this document, the Education Department does not endorse any particular policy, but offers examples from actual policies to help educators develop policies and practices for their own schools.
To the Co-Chairs and Members of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee:

By this letter, the Nevada State Democratic Party (NSDP) hereby lodges a formal complaint regarding the conduct of supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders at the recent State Convention held in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 14, 2016, as well as the conduct of representatives of Senator Sanders presidential campaign (the Sanders Campaign).

We believe, unfortunately, that the tactics and behavior on display here in Nevada are harbingers of things to come as Democrats gather in Philadelphia in July for our National Convention. We write to alert you to what we perceive as the Sanders Campaigns penchant for extra-parliamentary behavior  indeed, actual violence  in place of democratic conduct in a convention setting, and furthermore what we can only describe as their encouragement of, and complicity in, a very dangerous atmosphere that ended in chaos and physical threats to fellow Democrats. Indeed, the threats to the Chair of the Nevada State Democratic Party are ongoing at time of this writing, as Sanders activists have posted her cell phone and home address online, and have bombarded her with threats to her life and the safety of her family. We have attached some examples of this conduct, which is not merely offensive but obviously criminal in nature. We can provide audio of threatening phone calls made directly to the Chair, which now number in the hundreds.

The explosive situation arose in large part because a portion of the community of Sanders delegates arrived at the Nevada Democratic State Convention believing itself to be a vanguard intent upon sparking a street-fight rather than attending an orderly political party process. Surprised and outraged at the idea of being out-organized and thus outnumbered in the convention hall by Clinton delegates, a portion of the Sanders delegation rushed the dais immediately upon the opening of the convention and halted the progress of any convention business for much of the day. Indeed, every point during which Sanders delegates did not agree with any aspect of the proceedings saw them press up against the dais and scream obscenities and threats at the Chair, First Vice Chair, and any other speaker. In fact, event security provided by the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino took it upon themselves to increase the security perimeter around the dais so the convention could simply move forward with its routine business in relative safety. In other words, the hour-to-hour business of Nevada Democrats was necessarily conducted in an atmosphere of impending eruption of physical threats and intimidation for more than 12 hours. Scuffles, screams from bullhorns, and profane insults marked nearly the entirety of the event. Numerous medical emergencies among delegates pressed up against the dais had to be attended to throughout the day.

To the great embarrassment and revulsion of the vast majority of attendees, Sanders delegates crowded the dais and shouted down universally-respected U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer of California, who had arrived as a guest of the party to deliver a keynote address in support of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The Sanders Campaign spent its time either ignoring or profiting from the chaos it did much to create and nothing to diminish or mitigate. It was clear to the NSDP that part of the approach by the Sanders Campaign was to employ these easily-incensed delegates as shock troops to sway the convention proceedings. At the very least, these delegates became a way for the Sanders Campaign to seek the advantage of disruption at any particular moment while trying to disavow any responsibility for their actions even as it was ongoing. At no time did any Sanders representative make anything more than token gestures towards peace in the hall, and at the times of most intense crisis offered little more than shrugs and smirks.

The most egregious instance of the Sanders Campaign inciting disruption  and yes, violence  came as the State Conventions Credentials Committee completed its work. Adam Gillette, part of National Delegate Operations Team for the official Sanders Campaign, drafted and arranged for a member of that committee to attempt to deliver an incendiary, inaccurate, and wholly unauthorized minority report charging that the Credentials Committee had fraudulently denied 64 Sanders delegates their eligibility. The final delegate count had provided the Clinton Campaign with a 33 delegate advantage in the hall; one can imagine the rage occasioned by this inflammatory charge, tossed into the tinderbox of a tense convention hall. Not only did this discredit the work of the Credentials Committeewhich featured five Sanders delegates and five Clinton delegates and a Sanders co-chair, and who worked all day under extremely trying conditions to be fair and diligent in their dutiesit called into question the entirety of the proceedings because it indicated to an irrational minority that the proceedings had been rigged against them. Forcing their way onto the dais to deliver this paranoid fantasy of fraud and delegate theft was clearly intended to throw the proceedings into disarray. It succeeded. From that moment on, there was little hope for any peace or mutual understanding and respect between Sanders delegates and the NSDP; the mantra became simply that the convention had been stolen from the Sanders Campaign.

Never mind that six of the 64 potential Sanders delegates referenced had been seated after investigation, or that most of the remaining 58 potential delegates had been disqualified  appropriately, and by a panel evenly split between the campaigns  for not being registered Democratic voters in Nevada. Never mind that the same Credentials Committee had disqualified Clinton delegates for various reasons as well. Never mind, further, that just eight of those 64 potential Sanders delegates even attempted to register for the State Convention. All that mattered was the creation of a narrative of fraud and dispossession, which the Sanders Campaign fomented intentionally for its own political gain. This was an unconscionable act by an official Sanders Campaign representative, with full knowledge of its likely impact on the convention.

Alerted by event security at approximately 10 p.m. that the situation had reached a point where public safety could no longer be assured and that the proceedings had to be concluded in very short order, the NSDP worked diligently to conclude the business of the day and adjourn the State Convention as quickly as possible.

On Sunday, May 15, 2016, a group of Sanders activists attended protests at the NSDPs headquarters office in Las Vegas to criminally deface the building with graffiti. Las Vegas police were notified and called to the scene.

The people who fostered, encouraged, and gained from the unsettling scenes at the Nevada State Democratic Convention bring dishonor and discredit to our state and national parties. Having seen up close the lack of conscience or concern for the ramifications of their actions  indeed, the glee with which they engaged in such destructive behavior  we expect similar tactics at the National Convention in July. We therefore formally complain to the DNC regarding these unfortunate events, and warn the body that the goal of many of these individuals, sanctioned or encouraged by the Sanders Campaign, is not party-building but something more sinister and unproductive. Their tactics speak for themselves, and have no place in our political process as Democrats.

Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Bradley S. Schrager
The federal government plans to pour $125 million into the fight against a mysterious disease that has ravaged corals in Florida and much of the Caribbean, and now poses a dire threat to the treasured reefs off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then partly cloudy late. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High around 80F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low 58F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny. High 74F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Mario Santiago, founder of the Vacaloura de Compostela animal sanctuary with a recently rescued cow. OSCAR CORRAL

Fernando loves being kissed. He appreciates being loved so much that sometimes he cries when you stroke him, says Abigail, the co-founder of the Mino Valley Farm Sanctuary in O Savinao, Lugo.

Its a far cry from the days this donkey spent tied up with nothing to eat or drink and with no means of escape from attacks by other animals that ripped at his shanks. Now, just a mile or so down the road, Fernando is treated like a king by Abigail and her partner Mike Greer, who between them set up Mino Valley four years ago on 40,000 square meters of land in Ribeira Sacra, Galicia. The refuge is now home to 200 animals, from sheep to hens, each with their own name and past involving cruelty and neglect, although as Abigail admits, its hard to tell one hen from the other.

In little less than five years, 10 animal sanctuaries like Mino Valley have sprung up across Spain. Typically run by vegans, the animals run free, their milk is reserved for their young, and they are protected from abuse by humans.

Although animal refuges are registered charities,Spanish law treats them as though they were income-generating farms

Sanctuaries such as Gaia in Camprodon, Girona, or Wings of Heart in Madrid, which typically shelter between 100 and 300 animals, have as many supporters abroad as they do in Spain. But although they are registered charities,Spanish law treats them as though they were income-generating farms.

Refuges are run by a handful of volunteers and funded by animal adoption schemes, members subscriptions and donations that come, as often as not, from abroad. They also have online vegan shops, but the expense of maintaining the animals is enormous  Ismael Lopez and Coque Fernandez, the founders of Gaia, say their monthly costs come to around 10,000.

But while more and more sanctuaries are opening, animal rights groups say the law is not doing enough to protect animals. For example, there was no legal recourse when 10,000 farm animals were allowed to die in the River Ebro floods in March 2015, or when a lorry carrying 804 two-month-old pigs crashed in La Rioja, killing all but 150. Of these, the activists were able to save just 16 from slaughter, among them Leticia, Xita and Raul, who are now all living at Gaia.

A cow rescued in March from a farm in Galicia.

The sanctuaries are a testament to the extremes of human cruelty and kindness visited upon animals by Spaniards; they shelter piglets with spinal injuries caused by overcrowding and poor transportation that are now moved about in wheelchairs. There are goats that receive daily physiotherapy sessions before being taken back to the field in a pram. There are hens that have lost their feathers that now wear woollen waistcoats. And then there are animals that have been rescued from certain death at local fairs  sheep that have been saved from wolf pits or dumpsters; ducks, rabbits and many Vietnamese pigs once made famous by celebrities like George Clooney which, after being used as toys, have been tossed aside.

The Geers are looking for another plot of land so they can continue to save animals, but say they dont have a lot of time. Between them, they have to build wooden huts to house the three new members of the family who are waiting in Vacaloura, de Santiago, another nearby sanctuary, while their homes are being prepared.

There are also two cows and a bull being given refuge in O Savinao while their cases go through the courts. They were rescued with 13 others from a neighboring farm in Boiro where they were kept in horrendous conditions. Ropes a meter in length kept them anchored in a lake of excrement and prevented them from changing position. The overcrowding was such that there were even cases of deformed nasal passages. When the Galician animal rights group Vox Anima finally sounded the alarm, the bulls horns were found to have turned to shell because the ropes tying them down had stemmed the blood flow. They also found the cows had spent the winter at the side of the road while their calves were inside the farm buildings, steeped in slurry.

In March, in the space of a week, there were three separate reports of animal neglect in Galicia, including the Boiro case. The other two were discovered in the tiny communities of Chantada and Friol in Lugo province, where farmers had allowed almost 100 cows to perish in terrible conditions.

Cows left to starve at a farm in Chantada (Lugo province).

By the time the authorities arrived, the farmer in Friol had burned his dead livestock, but not the farmer in Chantada. Now in the hands of the police, the photos of what happened there are disturbing. The police counted 39 dead animals, although some of the remains were in such a state of decay that it was hard to exact. Others were found lying in pools of slurry.

A few days later, the story hit the headlines, triggering controversy in this largely rural northwestern region. The Galician regional government was keen to separate the nightmarish revelations from the ongoing problem of falling milk prices that are putting more and more farmers out of business. When questioned by reporters, officials said rigorous inspections had been carried out. Meanwhile, labor unions were divided on the issue; some took the official line, while others criticized policies that are doing nothing to help farmers.

At the same time, animal rights groups attempted to draw attention to the plight of farm animals by protesting in front of the slaughterhouse where the cattle that had been rescued from Friol and Chantada were taken.

On the night of April 20, activists came from all over Spain to try to prevent these unfortunate beasts being slaughtered, but to no avail. The last bull in Friol, which was completely healthy, survived until a week ago while his case was being reviewed within the slaughterhouse.

Unless an animal is confiscated by the authorities, the owner can still decide its fate; that is as long as a government inspector doesnt give the order to slaughter it on health grounds. Animal rights activists in the region are on high alert. Groups such as Libera warn that more cases of abuse are about to be exposed, with some raising fears that behind the gross neglect is an attempt to cash in on economic compensation.

The same day the bull from Friol met his end, the farmer from Chantada appeared in court. The case against him was brought by one of the few lawyers in Spain specializing in animal rights, Victor Valladares, who pressed charges on behalf of the Provegan Foundation and three of the biggest animal refuges in the country  Gaia, Wings of Heart and Hogar Provegan in Tarragona. According to Valladares, a report written two weeks earlier hadnt reached the court in Chantada, and the regional government of Galicia had ordered the slaughter of the surviving livestock so hastily that the vets working with the animal rights groups had no time to gather relevant evidence.

In court, the farmer testified that his animals died from a bacterial infection that wiped them out in the space of five days. His financial problems had forced him to use bad feed, he said. But animal rights groups say there is no evidence to back up the claim. They are demanding a two-year prison sentence and aim to file charges against the Galician regional government once they have gathered enough evidence.

English version by Heather Galloway.
Opposition leaders Hector Capriles y Jesus Torrealba. MIGUEL GUTIERREZ (EFE)

More information La oposicion resistira las amenazas del chavismo con la ley y en la calle

Venezuela has entered a new stage of political confrontation. Following the government of President Nicolas Maduros decision to indefinitely extend the state of emergency and its continued refusal to allow for a recall referendum on his mandate, the opposition says it is determined to keep up pressure, within the law. The crisis has reached tipping point, said Jesus Torrealba, the secretary general of the opposition MUD grouping on Monday.

Either we democratically build an alternative to rescue the country or the government will be forced into an outcome that will see bloodshed. We dont want violence, but Maduro is using the law of the jungle, he added.

Responding to the crisis, Spanish former prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has joined Leonel Fernandez and Martin Torrijos, the former presidents of the Dominican Republic and Panama, and has traveled to the Venezuelan capital of Caracas in a bid to mediate between the government and the opposition.

The three say they intend to meet with representatives from both sides separately, although neither the government nor the opposition have commented on the initiative. They are part of a so-called Truth Commission set up by Maduro as a counterproposal to an amnesty approved by the opposition-controlled National Assembly, but subsequently overruled by the Supreme Court in April. The Commissions job is to investigate the demonstrations that took place in Venezuela in 2014 as a result of which several opposition leaders, among them Leopoldo Lopez.

Under Venezuelas Constitution, presidents can be removed from office by means of a referendum once they have served half their term

Zapateros visit follows Spains decision to recall its ambassador to Venezuela on April 8 in protest at an attack by Maduro on Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, whom he called a racist, corrupt rubbish and corrupt colonialist after he met with opposition leaders and questioned the countrys democracy.

The opposition says that the only way out of the crisis is through a change of government, and proposes reducing the presidential term from six to four years, as well as requiring Maduro to stand down and for a recall referendum to formally depose him.

Venezuelas opposition has already gathered more than 1.1 million signatures for a petition for a recall referendum on the president.

Under Venezuelas Constitution, presidents can be removed from office by means of a referendum once they have served half their term. At this stage, 1% of those on the electoral roll, or 197,978 registered voters, must sign the petition to start the process.

The next stage requires 20% of voters, almost four million people, to sign a second petition in order to trigger the referendum. For the referendum to be successful, an equal or greater number of voters than those who elected Maduro would have to cast their vote in favor of the recall. Maduro won the 2013 election with 7.6 million votes.

Torrealba highlighted growing dissent within the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) government, founded by deceased former president Hugo Chavez about holding a referendum: The Chavistas have tried to delay the referendum because if it doesnt take place before January 10, 2017, the vice president would become head of state until 2019. But now Maduro has realized that he has enemies within his own party that want to remove him and they now want a referendum.

On Sunday, vice president Aristobulo Isturiz ruled out any question of a referendum. Before that, other key figures in the ruling party had already made clear their opposition to a referendum as a way of removing Maduro from office. Torrealba says the change in policy is part of a plan for the ruling party to hold on to power. We are collecting signatures because we want elections, while the government is blocking every democratic option and is encouraging violence by decreeing a state of emergency that is against the law. Maduro is afraid of elections because he knows the people do not support him.

Maduro extended the state of emergency on Friday in a bid to prevent street protests. But the opposition says it is determined to keep up the pressure for a referendum this year. The march we have called for this Wednesday will go ahead, he said.

English version by Nick Lyne.
Pablo Ibar in 2009. John Watson Riley (EFE)

The Florida Supreme Court has dismissed a prosecution appeal against the decision to order a new trial for a Spaniard who has been on death row for 15 years.

Pablo Ibar, who has been behind bars for nearly 22 years at Rainford penitentiary in Starke, Florida, has always maintained his innocence in connection with a triple murder that took place in 1994.

In February of this year, the high court ordered a retrial on the basis that mistakes were made during the first trial.

The key piece of evidence in the prosecutions case was a grainy, soundless home security video

With this new decision, 45-year-old Ibar could be transferred from death row in 15 days at the outside, according to the Association against the Death Penalty.

Andres Krakenberger, the association spokesman, expressed satisfaction at the decision on Basque public radio station Radio Euskadi.

News of the courts dismissal of the appeal was sent to Ibars lawyer, Benjamin Waxman. The appeal was filed by Florida prosecutors in late February.

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No trial date has been set yet for Ibar, the only Spaniard who was on death row since his conviction in 2000.

The key piece of evidence in the prosecutions case was a grainy, soundless home security video that showed a group of men attacking nightclub owner Casimir Butch Casey Sucharski, and two models, Sharon Anderson and Marie Rogers, whom he had brought to his home in Miramar, Florida. The three were shot and killed during the botched robbery attempt.

One of the suspects in the video appears to be Ibar, but his DNA was not found on a shirt that the killer used to partially cover his face.

English version by Susana Urra.
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Francisco Granados (center) following his arrest in October 2014. Claudio Alvarez

One of the main suspects in the Punica graft case has told the investigating judge that corruption in the Madrid suburb of Valdemoro between 1999 and 2011 was widespread.

Construction company owner David Marjaliza said he and a colleague would buy land, which would then be rezoned by his childhood friend Francisco Granados, the local mayor and later a major figure within the Madrid branch of the Popular Party (PP).

In a 13-hour testimony before High Court judge Eloy Velasco, which EL PAIS had access to after it was declassified, Marjaliza explained that Granados took a 20% cut from every deal. Marjaliza, along with fellow builder Ramiro Cid Sicluna and Granados, created a joint company for this purpose.

Francisco Granados was once a top aide to former Madrid premier Esperanza Aguirre

We put up the money, we bought the land, and Paco [Granados] rezoned it, said Marjaliza in a court deposition in June 2015.

According to Marjaliza, Granados and his successors in the mayors office received between 3,000 and 6,000 for every housing unit that was built.

Located 27 kilometers south of the capital, the town of Valdemoro is part of the Madrid Metropolitan Area and has experienced significant growth in the last 15 years. Francisco Granados was mayor there between 1999 and 2003.

Francisco Granados (left) and David Marjaliza in an archive photo. El Pais

The Punica ring was broken up in late October 2014 with the arrest of dozens of people in several provinces. Punica leaders are believed to have unlawfully awarded as much as 250 million in public contracts in exchange for kickbacks from construction companies.

Considered a flight risk, Francisco Granados, once the regional transportation chief and secretary general of the PPs Madrid branch, has been in prison since the scandal broke.

The investigation began when it was discovered that Granados and Marjaliza had Swiss bank accounts containing a joint 5.8 million. The origin of that money has not been established, but investigators suspect it could be the fruit of the illegal commissions charged for years through the bid-rigging scheme.

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Marjalizas decision to cooperate with the investigation has saved him from prison so far. I have lost eight months, but little by little I am going to remember, he told the judge.

Judge Velasco asked the builder for details about a variety of suspect activities, including contracts awarded by the city of Valdemoro for cafeterias and bars, real estate deals, financial transactions in Singapore involving artwork, the use of a yacht used by ring leaders, casino operations, and business trips.

The case mostly affects PP conservatives, although there are a few Socialists under scrutiny as well, including two former mayors of the Madrid dormitory town of Parla.

Granados, considered the mastermind behind Punica (so named because punica is Latin for pomegranate, and granados means pomegranate trees in Spanish) was once a top aide to former Madrid premier Esperanza Aguirre.

Aguirre, a veteran PP figure, is not an official suspect in the case, but in February of this year she announced her surprise decision to resign as head of the Madrid branch of the Popular Party (PP), citing the raft of corruption cases affecting the conservative party.

English version by Susana Urra.
Dr. Roberts brings a record of impressive accomplishments in the areas of both teaching and research, including awards for outstanding teaching and numerous publications in the areas of leadership, gender, community engagement, and servant leadership, IUN Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Mark McPhail said.

IU Northwest, and in particular, the School of Business and Economics, has enjoyed a long history in our region of academic excellence, Roberts said. I look forward to working with my new colleagues to explore opportunities to make an even greater impact on the lives of our students as well as the social and economic well-being of the region.
18th Street Brewery has been looking at moving its Gary brewpub north on Lake Street in the Miller neighborhood, but will remain in place for at least another year.

The acclaimed craft brewery, which RateBeer named the best new brewery in Indiana in 2013, recently moved its brewing operations to a larger building in downtown Hammond but plans to keep a brewpub open at its original Miller Beach location at 5725 Miller Ave., on the corner of Lake Street.

"We love our original location, the building has our thumb print all over it and means a lot to the 18th Street family," owner Drew Fox said. "Lake Street has very few abandoned buildings due to the efforts of the business owners and residents who care about Gary and the Miller Beach neighborhood. I didn't want to let 5725 Miller Ave. become another vacant building on Lake Street, nor did the owners."

The brewery has however purchased a building further north at 614 S. Lake St. with the idea of relocating. But for now, that's on hold.

Fox said after months of negotiations with its landlord, 18th Street Brewery had extended its lease for one more year. 18th Street Brewery will invest in the current building to revamp its decor, he added.
A noxious petroleum odor on Tuesday again wafted across Northwest Indiana, and officials think they're getting closer to identifying the source.

The strong stench, which has been described as a mix of gas, solvents and rotten eggs, has caused burning in people's throats and lungs. It was potent from around 5 to 8 a.m. Tuesday in East Chicago and south Hammond, particularly the Hessville neighborhood, but people reported smelling it as far away as Munster and Highland.

The odor, which authorities believe to originate from an industrial business in East Chicago, spread as far as Lansing and Schererville last week. People have had strong physical reactions, including watery eyes and raspy throats.

"My eyes were burning," East Chicago resident Theo Brown said. "My throat was burning. My chest was hurting on the left side of my heart."

Northwest Indiana residents are accustomed to industrial odors from the BP Whiting Refinery and steel mills, but this is much worse, Hammond Environmental Department Director Ron Novak said.

People are suffering physical symptoms like burning throats, and the elderly are especially vulnerable, he said.

"It's back," Novak said. "We're talking about neighborhoods in Hammond that have now gotten hammered twice, essentially under the same meteorological and wind conditions."

The sprawling BP Refinery often produces gas-like odors, but is not believed to be the source of a smell that's much more acrid than usual.

"Operations are normal at Whiting and we believe the odor is coming from other sources," BP spokesman Michael Abendhoff said.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. smelled the odor Tuesday morning near Purdue University Northwest, and dispatched Novak to investigate. He drove through Hammond and East Chicago and found the odor was strongest on Mc Shane Avenue, which runs between Indianapolis Boulevard and Columbus Drive in East Chicago. It's by a petroleum tank farm.

"A slight refinery odor is not uncommon," Novak said. "But this took my breath away. There was an intensive burning sensation in my throat and left lung."

Novak, who has handled environmental issues for decades, drove around some more before returning to Mc Shane Avenue to confirm that's where the gas-like stench  which he said had a mercaptan petroleum odor and smelled at times like hydrogen sulfide  was strongest. He notified the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and East Chicago authorities of his findings.

Testing would determine what's causing the odor, and whoever is responsible could be found in violation of city ordinance, Novak said.

"It's a nuisance odor that gives people symptoms in an area where people live, including older people with compromised immune systems," he said. "It doesn't cut it just to say it's a bad smell. That's a 1970s answer. We need information based on sampling and analysis about what chemicals people are being exposed to. We need to know what we're talking about."

Hammond resident Jeff Junkens said he's accustomed to acrid odors from oil, gas refining, burning dumps and heavy traffic after more than three decades in Hessville, but said the sheer power of this recent odor was concerning.

"As others have described it, it is a 'sickening' smell," he said. "It gives me a 'sick headache' whenever I detect it, and it reminds me of being in an enclosed garage with an automobile running. I have to go into the house whenever I begin to smell it. It seems to be most predominant when the winds are coming out of the north, or north-northwest."

East Chicago Fire Chief Carlos Aburto said his department was monitoring the situation. Indiana Department of Environmental Management spokesman Barry Sneed said state investigators were trying to locate the source of the odor but hadn't determined anything yet.

"It's trying to find a needle in a haystack," he said. "While IDEM doesn't regulate odor, it could indicate a larger issue with someone's operations."
Steel buyers and Chinese steelmakers object to U.S. Steel's attempt to get the federal government to block all unfairly subsidized Chinese steel imported into the United States.

The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker, which lost $1.5 billion amid the global import crisis last year, has asked the International Trade Commission to ban steel imports from China's largest steelmakers and their distributors. U.S. Steel has accused them of stealing trade secrets, conspiring to fix prices and misrepresenting where steel came from to dodge tariffs.

The American Iron and Steel Institute, the United Steelworkers Union, JMC Steel Group and other have backed U.S. Steel's petition to the federal government to ban Chinese steel, not just make it more expensive with tariffs.

"If U. S. Steel Corporation shuts down, are we willing to rely upon foreign steel producers?" JMC CEO Barry Zekelman wrote in a letter to the International Trade Commission. "As U. S. Steel CEO Mario Longhi has said, 'You cannot build a steel mill in a time of urgent need; you rely on it being there.'"

But Chinese steelmakers and steel buyers are urging the federal government to throw out the case. Pipe and can makers say U.S. steelmakers don't make the type of metal they need, and Chinese companies like Baosteel argue a ban is too broad and would hurt economic relations between the United States and China.

Hunan Valin, a Chinese company that makes 16 million tons of steel a year, argued in a letter that a ban would be a waste of judicial resources since the United States already imposes 27 anti-dumping and 15 countervailing duty orders tariffs against Chinese steel. It also argues U.S. Steel's beef is with the Chinese government when Hunan Valin is privately owned.

"Although located in China, around 10 percent of the company share is owned by global steel conglomerate, ArcelorMittal, which has 27 industrial operations in 13 US states and employs roughly 20,000 individuals in the United States that is, 5,000 more than complainant employs domestically," Hunan Valin attorneys wrote in a letter to the International Trade Commission.

Steel buyers warned of higher prices and short supplies  in one case, no supply whatsoever. The Allstate Can Corp., a New Jersey company that employs 80, also asked for the case to be dismissed, saying U.S. Steel and ArcelorMittal don't furnish it with the metal it needs to manufacture tin cans, so it has to turn to China.

"Our largest customer requires a soft temper and thin gauge sheet," Vice President Michael Papera wrote. "We have been told by OCC that ArcelorMittal is not interested in supplying because 'they say they have to roll three coils to get one good one and that is not cost-effective.'"

U.S. Steel is asking its 300 suppliers to send letters of support, and already has several letters backing its Section 337 case, which has been described as a bold and unprecedented step in the war against cheap, and often illegally dumped or subsidized imports. USW President Leo Gerard wrote the federal government must intervene after the idling of mills like East Chicago Tin and the loss of more than 13,500 jobs.

"Tens of thousands of workers, directly employed in the sector and those depending indirectly on their employment, are at risk," he wrote in a letter. "The corrosive impact of these practices undermines wages and compensation with resulting serious adverse effects on our tax base and the provision of services across the nation. From education to emergency responders to public health, the adverse consequences cannot be overestimated."
CROWN POINT  A Chicago man cursed out a courtroom Monday just before he was ordered to undergo mental health treatment.

Michael King Kilbert, 54, appeared in front of Lake County Criminal Judge Diane Boswell for a medical hearing regarding his sanity and comprehension.

Kilbert has been held in Lake County Jail since Dec. 5 pending a charge of battery against a public safety official by bodily waste, a Level 5 felony.

His public defender, T. Edward Page, said the charge stems from when Kilbert had an outburst in Hammond.

As Jason Kniola, the clinical supervisor for Lake County Jail, testified about how Kilbert had not been regularly taking medication while at the jail, Kilbert shouted, Im suicidal, from his seat in the jury box.

He later cursed at Page, after he saw him speaking to two of the deputy prosecuting attorneys for the state during the hearing.

Kniola testified Kilbert has refused to regularly take medication to treat his mental health problems. Kniola said jail staff was concerned he posed a risk to himself, because of some of the things he was doing at the jail such as banging his head on the wall.

Ive never hit anyone, man, Kilbert said.

He went on to shout that he was a king and he didnt want anyone to rape children.

Boswell asked Kilbert to remain calm and seated, but he continued to rant about how he wasnt a violent person. He asked Kniola why he didnt mention his poetry.

If you want to give me a contempt, then give it to me, he shouted. You aint gonna lie on me.

Kilbert cursed out the courtroom as bailiffs escorted him back to the jail.

Page submitted letters from doctors that indicated Kilbert was competent. Still, Page told Boswell he hasnt been able to get near Kilbert because of his outbursts.

Boswell said she believes Kilbert is competent and understood what was going on during Mondays hearing. Still, she didnt think he was ready to stand trial.

She ordered Kilbert to be committed to a hospital for treatment. The criminal case wont continue until after he finishes treatment.
CROWN POINT  After attending a vigil for a slain friend, a woman told jurors she was surprised to see her father parking near her mother's home.

Alexis McCloud-Rogers testified Tuesday in Lake County Criminal Judge Salvador Vasquez's courtroom that she hadn't spoken to her father, Alec McCloud, in months when she saw him on Aug. 3, 2015, in the 400 block of Ellsworth Street in Gary.

Once inside the home, her mother began arguing with her about her father. Gentry Jackson emerged from a bedroom and walked outside while armed with a gun, she said. Outside the home, she heard Jackson, her stepfather, yell at her father just before Jackson began firing shots at him, she said.

"I'm shocked," she said. "So I'm just standing there."

McCloud, 44, drove to the 500 block of Roosevelt Street where he crashed into a curb outside a church. He later died at Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary.

Jackson, 35, of Gary, faces a murder charge in McCloud's shooting death. He is on trial this week in Vasquez's courtroom.

Defense attorney Russell Brown, who along with Scott King is defending Jackson, told jurors Tuesday that what led to the shooting is more complex than events that transpired that day. He urged jurors to consider the family's history that dates back 30 years, describing a turbulent relationship between McCloud and Jackson's wife that included allegations of domestic violence.

About a year before the homicide, Brown said McCloud had threatened his client by telling him, "I will be the last person you see."

Brown argued Jackson grabbed his gun after McCloud appeared to reach for a gun.

King grilled McCloud-Rogers about a different version of events she had told police, which included her saying prior to the shooting that she thought her father had a gun.

McCloud-Rogers changed her statement last December after she was so haunted by her father's death that she couldn't eat or sleep. She said her original statement was made after her mother threatened her by saying she had caused the shooting.

She moved out of her mother's home the day Jackson was allowed to post bail and was released from jail pending this week's trial.

Upon questioning by King, McCloud-Rogers said she did continue to work with Jackson after his release from jail and requested lunches from him.

Justin McCloud testified he had spoken to his father the day of the shooting and knew he had traveled from Las Vegas to Gary. McCloud said he planned to return with his father and had spent the day packing.

When asked about the details of his trip, Justin McCloud said he had not purchased a ticket to take him to Las Vegas. Though he was living in an apartment nearby, he maintained under questioning that his father had arrived at the home to pick him up.

Justin McCloud and his sister testified that their father never got out of his car and didn't see him display a gun. He said he left without saying anything and eventually came across the crash scene.

During a 911 call, Justin McCloud is heard telling a dispatcher that someone shot at his father's car. When asked who the shooter was, he answered, "It was my momma's husband, Gentry Jackson."
VALPARAISO  A 37-year-old man was arrested Saturday after he threatened his ex-wife outside her home.

LaTroy Johnson, of LaPorte, faced initial charges of intimidation, resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct.

Police were called about 11:30 p.m. to a home in the 1200 block of Yellowstone Road for a report of verbal disturbance.

A woman told police her ex-husband sneaked up behind her as she was walking into her house and said, "Someone is going to die tonight," while looking directly at her.

Police learned he was in a nearby house, and police, after getting permission from the homeowner, found Johnson in the basement of the home drinking with the other homeowner. Police said both men were intoxicated.

Police said Johnson became irate that police entered the house and refused to leave to speak with officers.

According to police, the homeowner in the basement told police he was going to get his gun, which prompted officers to call for additional officers.

When additional officers arrived, Johnson was taken out of the house. Once outside, he refused to get into a squad car, so an officer applied a Taser. A spit hood was placed over his head, police said.

Police said throughout the incident Johnson shouted obscenities and accused officers of being racist.
June Brown, MD, left, accepts the annual St. Luke Award plaque from Trish Weber, Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Michigan City vice president of operations and chief nursing officer. The award is named for an apostle of Christ, Luke, a physician and is patron saint of doctors and surgeons. Physicians are nominated by nursing staff members. In their comments, Dr. Brown, an Emergency Department physician who has been with the hospital for two years, was complimented for her great rapport with the staff and called a team player. She stays calm during emergencies and listens to the staff when they have concerns. She is approachable and always happy to teach new concepts. Patients love her.
Passengers on the high-speed AVE in Atocha (Madrid). alvaro garcia

What is the fastest way to get from London to Paris  the plane or the train? One might first think plane, but that would be the wrong answer.

Between the time it takes to get to the airport, check in, line up for the ever more rigorous airport security, collect the luggage and get to the center of Paris, were not just talking about the 80 minutes up in the air.

Door to door, so to speak, its more like fours hours, which is one hour and 41 minutes longer than by train, according to Berlin-based travel search engine GoEuro, which has been comparing rail and air travel between European cities.

We often assume that flying is the fastest mode of transport, but the European rail network is incredible

GoEuro founder Naren Shaam

The train was also found to shave one hour and five minutes off the 600km journey between Madrid and Barcelona, while the 300km Brussels-Paris route saw the train with a lead of almost four hours  one hour 22 minutes on the train, compared to an incredible five and a half hours for air travel, including waiting times at the airport.

Ciro Fakhr, head of GoEuros press department, says the study includes a margin of error of 15 minutes, but that the train still wins hands down.

Its more practical to arrive downtown than at Charles de Gaulle airport, which is further out, he notes.

The train also has the edge from Brussels to London, which takes two hours and 18 minutes compared to five hours or more by plane, not to mention Madrid to Seville, Rome to Milan and Dusseldorf to Amsterdam, all of which are close to an hour shorter by train.

Heightened security in Brussels

A lot of the journeys that are quicker by train depart from Brussels, where passengers are required to be at the airport three hours before their flight in the wake of the March 22 terrorist attacks, according to Fakhr.

Time is money, says GoEuro founder Naren Shaam. We often assume that flying is the fastest mode of transport, but the European rail network is incredible, and thanks to its high speed trains, we can save time going by rail.

English version by Heather Galloway.
INDIANAPOLIS  Time is running out for Thea Bowman Leadership Academy.

The Drexel Foundation for Educational Excellence Inc., which oversees the Gary charter school, has less than seven weeks to find a new authorizer and win approval from the State Board of Education to stay in business.

Were trying to get a charter. Were talking to whoever we can talk to. Were not limiting it at this point to anybody, said Tony Walker, a Drexel board member and attorney in Gary.

Bowmans current authorizer, Ball State University, declined in January to renew the charter for the 13-year-old school, citing numerous School Board management issues and repeated failures to comply with various state and federal laws.

The Drexel board was entirely replaced in March and Indianapolis-based Phalen Leadership Academies was tentatively selected to operate the school for 2016-17 in the hope of securing a charter from the Indiana Charter School Board.

However, the state agency refused last month to authorize Bowman to continue educating students beyond the June 30 expiration of its Ball State charter.

That leaves only public and private universities as potential charter authorizers for Bowman, since the financially beleaguered Gary Community School Corp. is not currently approved as a charter authorizer and the mayor of Indianapolis never has authorized a charter school outside his city limits.

A proposal permitting Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson to authorize charter schools in the Steel City failed to advance out of the Indiana House during the legislative session that ended in March.

Walker said the Drexel board has been working with state Rep. Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis, the chairman of the House Education Committee and a champion of charter schools, to try to work out the situation and keep open the school, which educates some 1,300 students.

He emphasized, without specifying precisely what Behning is doing, that if this school survives hes the savior of it.

Behnings spokeswoman said he was unavailable to comment on his role in Bowmans charter authorization.

Outside his legislative duties, Behning is employed by the Academy for Teaching and Learning Leadership at Indianapolis Marian University, whose president, Daniel Elsener, previously served alongside Walker on the State Board of Education.

Walker would not say whether Drexel has asked Marian University to authorize Bowmans charter.

Trine University in Angola and Winona Lakes Grace College and Theological Seminary also recently have authorized charter schools far afield from their campuses.

In Indiana, authorizers ensure that charter schools, whose students are funded by tax dollars, comply with the organizers mission, meet school accountability standards and follow applicable state and federal education laws.

Even if Drexel secures an authorizer for Bowman, that entity is required by Behning-sponsored laws aimed at preventing charter shopping to consult with Ball State about why the original charter was dropped and get State Board of Education approval for Bowman to operate under a new charter.

The state School Boards only scheduled meeting prior to the June 30 expiration of Bowmans charter is set for June 1 in the Ohio River city of New Albany.

The boards rules do permit emergency meetings, as needed.

Walker said hes optimistic Drexel will find a new authorizer and win approval to keep Bowman open, notwithstanding the limited time remaining to get a deal done.

He also said Bowman teachers and staff deserve credit for continuing to educate Bowman students despite the uncertainty surrounding their own jobs.

They all have remained 100 percent committed and dedicated to the process and are hopeful that were going to work it out, Walker said.

Should Drexel fail to secure a charter authorizer, its possible the Bowman middle/high school building at 3401 W. Fifth Ave. will be vacant during the 2016-17 school year while creditors act to take possession through court action.

The elementary school campus at 975 W. Sixth Ave. is leased by Bowman through June 2017.
One day after being arrested outside the BP Whiting Refinery, East Chicago resident Thomas Frank said the sit-in was a way to show others he and the 40 other protesters taken into custody are ready to stand and fight.

Residents in northern Lake County bore the burden of industrial pollution for more than 100 years, and it's time for a "just transition" to more renewable energy sources, Frank said.

Tens of thousands of steel jobs have been lost in the Region since the 1970s, and "front-line communities" like East Chicago and Gary have suffered enormously as heavy industries transferred wealth away from them, he said.

A just transition means ensuring workers currently earning a living wage move into a new industry that also pays a living wage, he said. It also involves demanding industries pay to clean up the lands they've contaminated so they can be put to better uses, he said.

Climate change is happening, and people will increasingly feel the pressure, Frank said.

BP spokesman Michael Abendhoff said the company respects the people's right to protest. He didn't respond to a call seeking comment on specific criticism by protesters.

Whiting Police Chief Stephen Miller reported no problems during the Break Free from Fossil Fuels rally at Lakefront Park and subsequent march to BP. He said the protest was peaceful.

"It was really smooth," he said. "I guess they got their point across.

"When I had meetings with the organizers, we told them we had no intention of arresting them. We wanted them to have a good time."

BP had private security inside its walls, and police from Whiting, Hammond, East Chicago, Gary, the Lake County Sheriff's Department, Indiana State Police the District 1 Law Enforcement Strike Team, Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific and CSX provided security outside the refinery.

Authorities received information that a group not involved in the protest Sunday might try to lie on railroad tracks in the area, but no incidents were reported, Miller said.

Activists in Washington state and New York blocked trains to protest shipment of crude oil as part of the global Break Free from Fossil Fuels campaign.

Roy Domiguez, legal liaison to the protesters and former Lake County sheriff, said the day went well.

Domiguez negotiated with police outside Gate 15 at the BP Whiting Refinery on behalf of the protesters. The 41 who were arrested initially separated themselves from the larger group, and police eventually allowed them to sit in front of the gate for a short time.

The group walked onto BP property holding hands, formed a circle and sat down. An officer in riot gear identified himself and ordered them off the property. The 41 protesters sang.

After three warnings, police surrounded the protesters and began leading them away one by one to waiting prisoner transport vans.

Domiguez said officers in riot gear surrounded the group during the arrests just in case anyone who was not part of the sit-in attempted to do anything "out of the ordinary."

Police shook hands with Domiguez and protest organizers after the arrests, and Dominguez said officers were "very cordial."

The group was taken to the East Chicago Public Safety Facility to be processed. Police sent them there instead of the Whiting Police Department because it's a bigger facility, officials said. Each protester was booked on a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass and released Sunday night.

Police records show three of those arrested were from Lake County. Another three were from elsewhere in Indiana, 11 were from Illinois, three from Iowa, four from Michigan, 11 from Minnesota, one from Tennessee, four from Wisconsin and one from Washington state.

Frank responded to criticism that protesters used fossil fuels to get to Whiting by saying they would have used other means to travel if available.

"Ninety-seven percent of transportation is dependent on fossil fuels," he said. "We would love that not to be the case. What we're trying to do is put the pressure on to change that scenario."

Industry has the money to hire lawyers, write laws and lobby Congress, he said.

"We have people power on the ground, and so we're trying to bring that out. What we brought out, we organized through the Great Lakes region. That includes people from Northwest Indiana and the Southeast Side of Chicago."

Sunday's protest was no different than what local activists accomplished earlier this month when the Gary City Council voted down a proposal from the GEO Group to build a for-profit immigrant detention center near the Gary/Chicago Airport, he said.

"We are both fighting billionaires that are taking advantage of low-income communities of color that are least able to defend themselves politically or economically," he said.
Caldwell completes basic training

U.S. Air Force Airman Qwantarius L. Caldwell graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

Caldwell completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Caldwell is a 2014 graduate of Thorton Fractional North High School, Calumet City.

ROTC scholarship awarded to VU

Michelle J. Ford has received an Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps scholarship to attend Valparaiso University. Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities, physical fitness, specific performance or accomplishments, and leadership abilities, as well as personal interviews.

The scholarship entitlements include tuition and fees, an annual allowance of $600 for textbooks and a monthly stipend for up to 10 months of each school year that the cadet completes at the host college or university.

Upon graduation from the host college and completion of the ROTC program, the cadet receives a bachelor's degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force. He or she also incurs a military service obligation of four years (10 years for pilots) of active-duty enlistment.

Ford is the granddaughter of Herbert and Joan Nicholls of Madison, Wisconsin.

She is a 2016 graduate of Westminster High School, Westminster, Maryland.

Soldier deployed overseas

Army Reserve Spc. Katherine L. Wolozanski has deployed overseas to a forward operating base to serve in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Operation Enduring Freedom is the official name given to anti-terrorism military operations involving U.S. troops and allied coalition partners. Active duty and reserve component members from all branches of the U.S. armed forces have been deployed to support the war against global terrorism outside the borders of the United States. U.S. troops serve in South, Southwest and Central Asia, the Arabian peninsula, the Horn of Africa, islands in the Pacific, and Europe.

Wolozanski is the daughter of Michael and Ramona Oslizlo of Leesburg, Fla., wife of Scott Wolozanski of Portage, and mother of Gweneviere, and step-mother of Juliana.

She is a 2001 graduate of Portage High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in 2005 from Ball State University.
LAPORTE  Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said his office will continue to fight sentencing appeals from all offenders, including those who kill police officers until he leaves office at the end of the year.

More than 90 percent of the appeals in all criminal cases have been unsuccessful since taking office nearly eight years ago, he said.

Doing so not only shows support for law enforcement but helps to keep everyone involved in those arrests and convictions from becoming discouraged.

It's his way of saying, "I have your back and you can count on me until the end of my term," said Zoeller, the keynote speaker during the 17th annual Peace Officer's Memorial Ceremony hosted Monday by the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office.

It was the first year the ceremony was combined with the Michigan City Police Department's remembrance.

Close to 200 people turned out for the ceremony at the LaPorte High School auditorium honoring law enforcement officers nationwide killed in the line of duty.

Tribute was also paid to the 13 police officers and correctional officers killed in the line of duty in the history of LaPorte County with their names and pictures shown on a large video screen.

"No matter how many days or decades have gone by there will never come a time when LaPorte County forgets their sacrifices," LaPorte County Sheriff John Boyd said.

Surviving family members and descendants of the fallen officers in attendance were called down and given a flower to place on a star symbolizing the badge worn by law enforcement officers.

"When others flee from the sound of gunfire and the threat of violence, it's the police officer's duty to run to it," said Boyd.

LaPorte County Police Capt. Mike Kellems said 20,789 police officers have died in the line of duty nationwide since records started being kept in 1791 and an average 100 each year are killed while in uniform.

"It really tugs at your heart strings. It's emotional because we consider everybody a brother or a sister that you're working with whether you know them or not," Kellems said.
BOONE TOWNSHIP  A Kouts man riding a mo-ped hit a seed planter being pulled by a farm tractor Monday and was flown to an Illinois hospital with serious leg and foot injuries, police said.

John Gildein Sr., 65, was headed east on County Road 900 South just west of County Road 150 West in rural Boone Township when he encountered a westbound red farm tractor pulling a 17-foot-wide seed planter, Porter County sheriffs Cpl. Jamie Erow said.

Gildein ran into the seed planter, which took up the width of the road, she said.

Gildein suffered incapacitating leg and foot injuries and was taken by helicopter to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Gary Birky, 62, of Pleasant Township, was driving the farm tractor and was not hurt in the crash, Erow said.

No citations were issued, and drugs and alcohol were not believed to be factors in the crash, she said.

Hebron and Kouts police, firefighters from Hebron, Kouts, Boone Grove and Washington Township, Porter EMS, UCAN and H&A Towing assisted, sheriffs police said.
Kathy Koehler, a 19-year nurse at the Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Michigan City Medical-Surgical unit, is recipient of the annual St. Camillus Award. Presented on behalf of hospital physicians to honor nurses for exceptional service, the award is named for Camillus, a priest who founded a religious order dedicated to the care of the sick. Koehler was flabbergasted, honored and humbled to receive the honor, adding, I just love taking care of people. Dr. Troy said Koehler, goes above and beyond the call in dealing with patients of all types in trying situations and gives them outstanding care.
FORT WAYNE, Ind.  Some faculty members at the Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne campus have criticized a budget-cutting plan they argue unfairly targets liberal arts programs.

A report released this month projects that IPFW could see a $2 million to $3 million revenue shortfall next year on its $110 million operating budget. That follows a January recommendation that the joint campus be split into separate schools and comes as enrollment has declined 11 percent since 2011 to 12,719 students last fall.

The report compiled by an IPFW task force proposes restructuring 13 academic departments. Nine of those are in the College of Arts and Sciences  anthropology, geosciences, history, international languages, philosophy, physics, political science, sociology and womens studies, The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette reported.

The task force recommended that IPFW focus on health science and engineering programs.

Rachel Hile, an associate professor of English and interim chairwoman of the Department of Communication, said she believed those recommendations were being driven by top administrators and were biased against liberal arts programs.

She described the report as focusing on education as job training instead of teaching critical thinking skills that would enable a student to have multiple jobs, multiple careers.

About 100 faculty members attended a meeting last week to discuss concerns about the recommendations.

IPFW Chancellor Vicky Carwein said she hasnt directed the campus task force to recommend any specific cuts.

This has been a tremendously difficult time for the faculty, for the staff, for the students, for the administration and for all of us, Carwein said. So, bringing some closure to this would be wonderful, and its up to the two boards of trustees. The two presidents.

Purdue currently oversees IPFW, with students able to receive degrees from either IU or Purdue.

Last year, state lawmakers created a committee to examine how the campus is run. Its recommendations included having IU directly operate health science and medical education offerings, including the undergraduate nursing program. Purdue would control all other course offerings and expand its focus on advanced manufacturing and biomedical engineering.

The separate campus task force said it is unlikely IPFW will ever have the money to pay for the more than 200 academic programs it now has and develop new ones.
SPRINGFIELD  Illinois legislative leaders have agreed in principle to budget negotiations that involve both a tax increase and some items from Gov. Bruce Rauners pro-business, union-weakening turnaround agenda.

But anyone expecting Democrats to capitulate to the first-term Republican on issues such as the collective bargaining rights of government employees is likely to be disappointed.

After Rauner and the four leaders met Tuesday for about an hour, House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, issued a statement saying Rauners continued insistence on passage of his agenda that hurts the middle class is a clear indication he is not interested in passing and implementing comprehensive, full-year budgets that do not decimate needed services relied upon by the people of Illinois.

Madigan will, however, appoint members to a bipartisan working group that will discuss Rauners reform proposals.

A few hours after the meeting, House Democrats voted for nearly the 20th time to reject a Rauner-backed proposal to tie a property tax freeze to a measure that would give local governments control over what issues they negotiate with their employees. As they have previously, Republicans decried the vote as a sham.

Tuesdays meeting came as the clock is winding down for lawmakers to pass a budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 on a simple majority vote. If thats not done by May 31, the budget would require a three-fifths majority. The pressure is especially high because lawmakers and the governor still havent agreed on a full budget for the current fiscal year, now in its 11th month.

The meeting was the first of its kind since rank-and-file lawmakers last week presented leaders and the governor with a framework for a balanced budget for next year. That outline included roughly $2.4 billion in spending cuts and $5.4 billion in new revenue, which would be generated in part by raising the states personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.85 percent.

After the meeting, Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said Rauner reiterated his willingness to raise new revenue to balance the budget.

Thats, I think, very helpful, Cullerton said, because if you dont have revenue, you could never possibly come to a balanced budget.

Cullerton said the governor declined to go into specifics about what revenue proposals he would support. The package lawmakers presented also included expanding the state sales tax to some services, an idea Rauner campaigned on.

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, were cautiously optimistic immediately following the meeting.

Durkin said he was pleased to say that after many, many months of objection by the speaker to discuss any type of reform, Madigan indicated he was willing to negotiate on changes to workers compensation laws, collective bargaining rights for local government workers and public employee pensions.

Those are the key to breaking the impasse, Durkin said.

While Radogno appreciated Madigans shift in tone, she said shes pretty skeptical about how negotiations will progress.

Weve had a lot of working groups, and he disavows any knowledge or interest of them every time, she said. This will be one more go-around.

I think ultimately the working group needs to be the speaker himself and the leaders because he manipulates the process, and then nothing happens.

Rauner did not speak to reporters following the meeting.

Meanwhile, just a short time after the gathering ended, Madigan introduced a bill on the House floor that would fully fund grants to low-income college students through the Monetary Award Program. A stopgap funding measure Rauner signed into law late last month included $167.6 million for the grants, but Madigans plan would provide the remaining $227.2 million.

Madigan said the measure, which was approved on a 68-45 vote, is needed to provide stability for universities and students.

But Republicans said it was another example of Democrats passing a spending bill without specific funding attached. Rauner has already vetoed several similar bills.
With the weather getting warmer, its time to get out and enjoy the fruits of our labor: surviving winter in the NWI. With the help of Katie S

Having a hobby you enjoy can do wonders for the body, mind and soul. If you don't have one, you might want to think about taking one up, as there can be great benefits.

Make Your Own

Cuban-Style Pork Burger

Ingredients

8 ounces smoked Spanish chorizo, links with casings removed

1 pound 96 percent lean ground pork

1/3 cup breadcrumbs, dried

1 large egg, beaten

1 small yellow onion, minced

1/3 cup green bell pepper, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

6 hamburger buns, split

6 tablespoons Thousand Island dressing

2 cups shoestring potatoes (potato sticks)

6 green lettuce leaves

Directions

Finely chop chorizo in a food processor or with a large knife. Gently mix together ground pork, chopped chorizo, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, green pepper, garlic and salt. Shape into 6 patties about 3/4-inch thick. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes.

Prepare a grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat, about 450 degrees.

Grill burgers, with the lid closed, for 5 minutes. Turn and finish cooking for 4 to 5 minutes more, until cooked through or until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees F on a digital meat thermometer. Remove from grill.

Toast buns on the grill, about 1 minute per side. Build burgers on buns with 1-1/2 tablespoons dressing, 1/3 cup shoestring potatoes and one lettuce leaf. Serve immediately.

Pork Au Jus Sandwich

Ingredients

1 pound pork loin roast, boneless

1 envelope onion soup mix (from a 2.6 ounce box)

16 mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon butter

4 crusty French rolls, split

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat pork roast with the soup mix, place in a shallow pan and roast for 20-25 minutes, until internal temperature on a thermometer reads 145 degrees. Remove roast from oven. Let rest about 10 minutes.

Scrape any pan drippings into a microwave-safe measuring cup; add water to measure 1/3 cup. Cover and microcook on high for 20-30 seconds, until boiling. Place mushrooms in microwave-safe container, top with butter and cover with plastic wrap. Microcook on high for 45-60 seconds until mushrooms are tender. Slice roast and place in rolls; spoon over mushrooms and some of the pan juices. Serve immediately.

Recipes from porkbeinspired.com and the National Pork Board.
A day after a high-ranking police union official called for his resignation, Commissioner Bill Bratton says he is not going anywhere.

On Sunday, Sergeants' Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins said Bratton should step down after failing to discipline officers involved in an FBI investigation into a gun license scheme.

He also says race relations have deteriorated since Bratton took the position.

Speaking on WCBS 880 AM, Bratton said Mullins comments could be fueled by his own ambitions.

"Crazy Eddie, I think might now have the motivation that Richard Johnson of Page Six has called him out today that Ed actually thinks he might be the next Police Commissioner, and that might be the potential motivation for trying to grease my exit from the department earlier than I might intend to go," Bratton said.

Mullins doubled down on his call Monday, saying in a statement, "It's time to move the NYPD in a direction that is respected by both those who serve within it and those we are sworn to protect.
Obama addressing students at Rutgers University earlier this month. EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ (AFP)

More information Barack Obama entra en campana contra Donald Trump

US President Barack Obama cannot run for a third term, but he is preparing what might be called his third presidential campaign.

If Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination in mid-July and goes on to win the elections in November, he could jeopardize the achievements of the Obama administration.

A candidate who has based his campaign on insulting immigrants, Muslims and international allies might even potentially threaten the countrys world standing.

Obama has questioned Trumps slogan, Make America Great Again, which seems to suggest the United States has entered an era of decline

Trump will almost certainly face Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton on November 8. The former secretary of state will have to wait until the Democratic Convention in late July, but her rival, Bernie Sanders, is already trailing too far behind to overtake her.

Four more years! a well-wisher shouted from the crowd on Sunday as Obama delivered a commencement speech at Rutgers University in New Jersey. I cant, he replied, smiling. The Twenty-second Amendment ratified in 1951 forbids presidents to run for a third term. Obamas second and final mandate will end on January 20, 2017, the day either Clinton or Trump takes over.

Over the last few months since the real estate mogul and reality television star unexpectedly emerged as the likely Republican nominee, Obama has spelled out his arguments against Trump in several speeches.

To begin with, Obama has questioned Trumps slogan, Make America Great Again, which seems to suggest the United States has entered an era of decline: Trump claims only he can stop this downward spiral. Sanders largely shares the same catastrophic vision of the nation. Obama does not.

America is better. The world is better. And stay with me now, race relations are better since I graduated, he said on May 7 in his commencement speech to graduates at Howard University, the historically African-American institution in Washington.

Obama cited lower rates of poverty, crime, and teenage pregnancy, more women in the labor force and more African-American university graduates. It also happens to be better off than when I took office, he added.

It is a tradition for presidents to give commencement addresses to share their vision of the world beyond the bipartisan battles in Washington. Although Obama did not mention Trump explicitly at Rutgers, he certainly jumped into the fray saying: When you hear someone longing for the good old days, take it with a grain of salt...The world is more interconnected than ever before, and its becoming more connected every day. Building walls wont change that, he said, presumably referring to Trumps proposals to build a wall along the border with Mexico to keep immigrants from entering the country.

Obama has also called Trump out on his unabashed political incorrectness and supposed willingness to call things by their name and to challenge political correctness.

In politics, ignorance is not a virtue, Obama added. Its not cool to not know what youre talking about. That's not keeping it real, or telling it like it is. That's not challenging political correctness. He noted that when people get sick, they want an experienced doctor to treat them and that when they fly, they want experienced pilots.

And yet in our public lives, we suddenly say, I dont want somebody whos done it before? he asked derisively, referring to Trumps lack of political experience, a factor that some pundits see as one of the most important reasons for his success as a presidential candidate.

Obama has not openly supported Clinton but he has suggested that she would be the best candidate to continue his policies. Key players in the Obama administration and associates who helped him during his past campaigns are now working for her.

Sign up for our newsletter EL PAIS English Edition is launching a weekly newsletter. Sign up today to receive a selection of our best stories in your inbox every Saturday morning. For full details about how to subscribe, click here.

Similarly, the president has avoided mentioning Trump by name in his speeches, but it is clear he is not afraid to get his hands dirty in helping Clinton defeat her Republican rival.

What to do with Bill is the question Clinton must ask herself before November 8, given that the role played by her husband in the campaign so far has been ambivalent. The two-times former president is famous for his empathy and ability to connect with voters, but it has to be said he is not the force he was back in the 1990s, and has gone off script on a number of occasions over recent months.

It remains unclear what role he will play if Clinton becomes president, and it is hard to imagine him as a male version of the first lady. On Sunday, Hillary Clinton told supporters at an event in Kentucky that she will put him in charge of revitalizing the economy because he knows how to do it. The Democratic hopeful gave no further details regarding Bills role in her economic team.

English version by Dyane Jean-Francois.
Federal investigators on Tuesday concluded the engineer of a New York City-bound Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia last year, killing eight people, was likely distracted by radio transmissions while at the helm.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Christopher Hart said the train's engineer, Brandon Bostian, was "greatly influenced'' by an incident in which a nearby commuter train was struck by a rock.

In his remarks, Hart noted the absence of positive train control - a key backup safety system - at the accident site and said it would have provided a "technological safety net for inevitable human error."

In addition to the fatalities, 185 others were hurt when Northeast Regional Train 188 from Washington heading to New York derailed on May 12, 2015.

It was going double the 50 mile per hour speed limit around a sharp curve just minutes after leaving Philadelphia's 30th Street Station.

Investigators say most of the injured passengers were transported to the hospital by police, instead of waiting for ambulances.

Federal safety regulators are recommending that the city wait for ambulances to take victims to the hospital at mass-casualty incidents and that engineers be retrained about distractions.

Bostian has been suspended without pay since the crash.

In a statement, Amtrak said in part, "We will carefully review the NTSB findings and recommendations from today, and as appropriate, quickly implement."
Police are looking for a man who robbed a woman at knifepoint in Queens.

It happened just before 10 a.m. Sunday near 52nd Street and Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside.

Police say the man walked up to a 42-year-old woman, pulled out a knife and demanded her property.

He made off with the victim's purse which contained an iPhone and $140 in cash.

The man is described as between 18 and 25 years old.

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.
A political opposition leader said Thursday that dozens of people had been injured and others arrested in three days of protests over electoral changes that the opposition says favor the governing partys candidates. Zeus Atta Mensah Ajavon, the leader of the opposition coalition, said that at least 56 people had been seriously hurt in clashes with security forces. The government said more than 30 security and police officers had been wounded as well. Togo plans to hold legislative and municipal elections in October. But opposition parties have rejected a new formula for the redrawing of boundaries for constituencies. Togo has been led by the same family for more than four decades.
Ahamed Idrissou, his wife and their seven children all live in a small two-bedroom apartment in the West Bronx. And while space is tight, Mr. Idrissou is not complaining: they are together and safe.

In his native Togo, which had long been under the control of a military dictatorship, Mr. Idrissou was persecuted for years, imprisoned and tortured. He was granted asylum in the United States after fleeing in 2006, but his family remained in Togo until 2010.

It was a very difficult time for me, Mr. Idrissou, 55, said of the years of separation. I was afraid to call my family because the government listens to phone calls.

The government, which was under the rule of Gen. Gnassingbe Eyadema for almost 40 years, operated with a heavy hand, making Togo, in West Africa, one of the continents most closed and repressive nations. People talk about change, but I tried to do something to change the government, Mr. Idrissou said. He was a member of Togos Cotocoli ethnic group, and had only been loosely involved with the democratic movement that began in 1990. He became an official member of a political party, the Democratic Convention of African Peoples, citing the vast disparity between those with the power and those without.
NAIROBI, Kenya  Malaysian authorities said Tuesday that they had uncovered more than 1,000 smuggled elephant tusks hidden in secret compartments in two shipments of mahogany, a staggeringly large seizure that several conservationists said was the biggest in history.

Its extremely depressing, said Iain Douglas-Hamilton, one of the worlds most renowned elephant researchers, who has been studying the ivory trade for more than 30 years. The price of ivory is making this situation insane.

Fueled by growing demand from Asia, especially from China, the price of ivory has shot up to more than $1,000 per pound in some markets. As a result, tens of thousands of elephants are being slaughtered each year in Africa  more than at any time in the past two decades  and some scientists say the survival of the species may be endangered. Much of the ivory is used for chopsticks, bookmarks, figurines and other trinkets.

Malaysia is a well-known transit point. Malaysian authorities said Tuesday that they had discovered the ivory, which they said totaled 24 tons, packed in two shipping containers, concealed in stacks of neatly sawed wood.
A major ivory trafficker who activists say has fueled the slaughter of more than 10,000 elephants dating to the 1970s has been arrested in Togo, the countrys environment minister, Dede Ekoue, said Wednesday. The suspect, Emile NBouke, was found to have more than 1,500 pounds of ivory on Tuesday afternoon at his shop in Lome, the capital, Mr. Ekoue said. Mr. NBouke, 58, known locally as the Boss because of his seniority in the countrys ivory trade, said he had been trading ivory since 1983 and had managed to obtain a special permit. But the environment minister said that was untrue and vowed that Togo would crack down on the ivory trade more aggressively.
Romaldo Giurgola, a leading member of the Philadelphia school of architects, which included Louis Kahn and Robert Venturi and was influential in the 1960s and 70s, died on Sunday at his home in Canberra, Australia. He was 95.

His death was confirmed by Lesley MacKay, a friend and former colleague.

Mr. Giurgola (pronounced JER-go-la), who was born in Italy, designed a number of important buildings in the United States and Parliament House, Australias seat of government. Along the way he founded firms in New York, Philadelphia and Canberra.

Unlike several members of the Philadelphia school who left the Modernist camp, Mr. Giurgola worked with early Modernists to produce a richer, more responsive architecture, said John Morris Dixon, a former editor of the onetime magazine Progressive Architecture.

In 1979, while teaching at Columbia University, Mr. Giurgola was asked if he would help judge the competition for a new seat of government in Australia. He declined and decided to enter the competition himself.
INSIDE THE LABEL 8 p.m. on BET. A look at the record labels that transformed hip-hop, starting with Uptown Records, founded by Andre Harrell, which started the careers of Mary J. Blige, Jodeci and Heavy D and gave rise to Sean Combs, a. k. a. Diddy, who interned there before becoming talent director. The BET Life of  Diddy leads in at 7.

Whats Streaming

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (2015) on iTunes and Amazon. Inspired by the journals of the ethnologist Theodor Koch-Grunberg and the biologist Richard Evans Schultes, who traveled  decades apart, in the first half of the 20th century  through the Amazon in search of yakruna, a healing plant, the Colombian director Ciro Guerra imagines the relationship each of them had with the last survivor of a tribe killed off by rubber barons. Beautiful isnt a strong enough word to describe its scenes of the heaving waters of the Amazon and its tributaries, on which two explorers, separated by more than 30 years, navigate in canoes, accompanied by a shaman, Karamakate, Stephen Holden wrote in The Times about this elegy for indigenous civilizations, an Oscar nominee for best foreign-language film. (Image: a scene from the film)

TAKE 5: JUSTICE IN AMERICA on take5.docclub.com. SundanceNow Doc Club presents five short documentaries on election year issues. The lineup, which may be viewed free on Tuesday, consists of A Hug From Paul Ryan, which follows Tianna Gaines-Turner, one of the countrys working poor and a member of Witnesses to Hunger, after her testimony at the 2014 House Budget Committees The War on Poverty hearing; The New Fight for Voting Rights, which parses North Carolinas voting law; Limbo, a look at bail regulations that discriminate against the poor; Who Will Survive America, in which the filmmaker Sheldon Candis sets out to buy a handgun; and Degentrify America, Nelson Georges chronicle of gentrification in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
For insurers and employers, the appeal of online care has the potential for lowering costs. Checking a childs nagging cough over a video call, for example, could avoid an expensive trip to the emergency room. Patients in rural areas, without easy access to specialists, can also benefit from online consultations.

But some insurers, including Medicare, are reluctant to pay for a virtual visit, and regulatory questions are swirling over whether doctors should be able to care for patients across state lines. There are also concerns that people may use the services for conditions that they would normally treat themselves, like a sore throat, meaning that the visit is an extra expense, not a savings. Critics also question the quality of care, worrying that it could be easier to misdiagnose a condition if a patient is not physically with the doctor or nurse.

Mr. Jesser, of Anthem, however, says it is more a question of how telehealth will evolve, not if.

The toothpaste is out of the tube, he said. Consumers want health care when they want it.

Dr. Schoenberg says there are no good estimates about what fraction of todays doctor visits are virtual, but that the practice is growing quickly. Anthem plans to start by offering customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia the option of selecting nurse practitioners from the Cleveland Clinic, one of the nations leading health systems.

The idea is one of the major game changers, said Dr. Peter Rasmussen, who oversees distance health, which includes telemedicine, for the Cleveland Clinic, which also recently partnered with American Well and CVS Health, the drugstore chain, to offer virtual care to MinuteClinic customers. The clinic is experimenting with ways to expand its reach at more convenient venues.
Still reeling from revelations that forced the resignation of its founder and chief executive, Lending Club said on Monday that it had received a subpoena from the Justice Department.

The company, which serves as an online matchmaker between small-business borrowers and individual and institutional lenders, disclosed the grand jury subpoena in a regulatory filing, saying it intended to cooperate with the federal investigation.

A week ago, Lending Club, which is based in San Francisco, revealed that its founder and chief, Renaud Laplanche, had resigned after an internal investigation discovered fabrications in about $3 million of loan applications.
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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

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STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

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

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh

USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens

ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression
Merchant Customer Exchange, a developer of mobile payment technology whose strategy has been thrown into question by big retailers developing their own mobile wallets, said on Monday that it was postponing the nationwide rollout of its service and had cut 30 jobs.

The companys chief, Brian Mooney, said in a statement that in the short term it would focus on partnerships with financial institutions.

MCXs service, CurrentC, lets shoppers pay for items with their mobile phones and uses a scannable code to initiate transactions. It has been in development for three years and recently started a pilot in stores in Columbus, Ohio.

With the backing of many of the largest U.S. retailers, CurrentC had been seen as one of several promising entrants in the crowded mobile payments space, and a rival to Apple Pay. In October, MCX signed a deal with JPMorgan Chase to accept payment through the banks technology.
The average discount is 45 percent, said Richie Karaburun, a managing director for Roomer Travel, although rooms in cities with high demand like New York, Paris or Rome bring higher prices. At Cancelon, a prospective buyer can offer a lower, acceptable price.

When a room sells, Roomer Travel charges sellers a 15 percent fee, Cancelon 10 percent. Both say they coordinate with a hotel to make sure a booking name and credit card guarantee are changed. (Services are free to buyers.)

When a room is listed on either site, it also becomes available at online travel sites like Kayak and Trivago. Rooms through Roomer Travel also appear on Skyscanner; those on Cancelon are on TripAdvisor.

But there is a downside for consumers. A room becomes indistinguishable from any other hotel offering on those sites, which could sow confusion among buyers.

Jon Eichelberger, regional manager for North America at Trivago, said his service was devised to find what rates are available and can be booked, but, he added, we cant tell where a room is coming from.

Shawn Haag, an instructional designer at the University of Minnesota, searched on TripAdvisor for a hotel room in Orlando, Fla., and booked two rooms at the Florida Hotel for $468. He was surprised when the booking confirmation came from Cancelon and not directly from the hotel.

I hadnt heard of it and was startled and a little nervous, he said. The site promised a full refund to his credit card, which he received several weeks later after changing his mind. At first, he received only a screen shot of a refund voucher.
Welcome to Social Capital, a series devoted to analyzing the social-media presences of celebrities.

It might sound creepy for a 45-year-old mother of two to follow a 22-year-old on Instagram, but as a woman of a certain age, I need to keep up with the youth. I first read about Tallulah Willis, the youngest daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, in an April 2014 People magazine article about her new fashion blog (which no longer exists). Four months later, Tallulah, only 20, entered rehab for substance abuse, depression and an eating disorder. Her struggle with sobriety seemed familial; just two years earlier, Moore had gone through a very public breakup and stint in rehab. After her divorce from Ashton Kutcher, Moore pulled back from social media all together.

When I started following Willis, I wasnt looking for signs of Moore so much as a sign of the pairs relationship. Mother-daughter relations can be fraught with complication and vulnerability  I love you! I hate you! I love you again!  and of course, Im aware that mothers make some remarkable mistakes. Mothers like me, for instance, will sometimes go to bed at night wondering, Will my daughter judge me? Will she hate me for my weaknesses? For my honesty? I was curious if Willis was closer to her mother because of their shared struggle with addiction. Ive felt defeated in parenting, like a failure for much lesser reasons than rehab, so I empathized with Moore about the kind of blame she might have attached to herself. But in following Willis on Instagram, I find some relief.

For all of the trauma she has faced thus far, Willis refuses to let you take her seriously on Instagram: her profile description reads Youthful slimelord. Williss feed is a collection of clownish, oddball imagery. She likes to post unflattering selfies: Shell purposefully bloat her face or eat an Oscar or snap a close-up of a bubble erupting from her nose. She takes endless pictures of her dogs tongue sticking out. She calls herself Buuski, a boyish family nickname thats as far as you can get from her given name, suited for a southern belle or a hysterical Tennessee Williams character, which she is not.

Much of Williss Instagram is reflective of her family loyalty: She compares her face to that of her famous father and allows her little sisters (from Bruces second marriage) to draw all over her body. When her older sister Rumer competed on Dancing With the Stars last year, Willis pushed fans to vote for her. She often models dresses from Scouts General, her sister Scouts fashion collection. (Scout also has her own Instagram feed. Tallulah has occasionally featured it since the network temporarily banned her sister in 2014 for breaking its no-nipple policy.)
At his day job, David M. Durst oversaw construction of eight Manhattan skyscrapers over the course of three decades. Outside the office, he combined his talent as an engineer with his love of art and whimsy, creating metal drum sculptures, raw wood constructions and sculptures assembled from concrete blocks.

He was also one of the first developers to commission a public sculpture for an office tower: Windward, by Jan Peter Stern, on the sidewalk in front of 655 Third Avenue, between 41st and 42nd Streets in Manhattan.

Mr. Durst, the last of three brothers who built office towers along Third Avenue and Avenue of the Americas, died on Friday in Rye, N.Y. He was 90.

His death was announced by his company, the Durst Organization.

Born on May 19, 1925, in Mount Vernon, N.Y., David Durst was the youngest of five children born to Joseph Durst, an immigrant from Poland who worked his way up from pushcart vendor on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to garment factory owner and real estate investor, and his wife, Rose.
In July 2011, Minh Quang Pham, an operative for Al Qaeda in Yemen who had secretly left Britain to train with the group, flew back home, prepared to carry out a bombing at Heathrow Airport near London, United States prosecutors have said.

Mr. Pham never carried out the attack, but his commitment to do so has become a sticking point in his sentencing on terrorism-related charges, which was to have taken place on Monday in Federal District Court in Manhattan.

After the hearing began, the judge, Alison J. Nathan, said that she would not sentence Mr. Pham immediately, after it became clear that his lawyer and prosecutors were in sharp disagreement over Mr. Phams intent in the airport plot.

His intent is important because it is likely to influence the sentence that Judge Nathan imposes on Mr. Pham, 33. Prosecutors have suggested that he receive a 50-year sentence, while his lawyer has requested 30 years, the minimum for which he is eligible. He could face up to life in prison.
Perhaps all of these colors and designs proved overwhelming to Mrs. Whitneys own creativity, said Alicia J. D. Cooper, the tour manager and development associate at the New York Studio School. She and Thibault Dapoigny, a first-year student, offered a dry run of the studio tour last week to Ms. Meeks, who was visiting from Washington.

Whatever the reason, Mrs. Whitney moved into a larger ground-floor studio, with a rear entrance onto the artists enclave of Macdougal Alley. There, she worked on sculptures like the Washington Heights-Inwood War Memorial for Mitchel Square in uptown Manhattan and Spirit of Flight for the 1939-40 Worlds Fair.

In a 1919 interview with The New York Times (Poor Little Rich Girl and Her Art / Mrs. Harry Payne Whitneys Struggles to Be Taken Seriously as a Sculptor Without Having Starved in a Garret), Mrs. Whitney spoke frankly of the prejudice she faced:

Let a woman who does not have to work for her livelihood take a studio to do the work in which she is most intensely interested and she is greeted by a chorus of horror-stricken voices, a knowing lifting of the eyebrows, or a twist of the mouth that is equally expressive. And much more condemnatory.

Unfazed, and wealthy, Mrs. Whitney not only made art on West Eighth Street, she also collected and exhibited it.

The Whitney Studio opened in 1914. In 1929, Mrs. Whitney empowered her assistant, Juliana Reiser Force, to offer more than 500 artworks to Edward Robinson, the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He declined the donation.
7. The U.S. military has said that its lethal airstrikes on a hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz last year were a mistake. But a Times special report finds that Afghan forces distrust of the hospitals operator, Doctors Without Borders, might have played a central role. Some in the Afghan military see the groups focus on treating the injured as helping and sometimes hiding the enemy.
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Good morning.

Heres what you need to know:

 Clinton vs. Sanders, Clinton vs. Trump.

Hillary Clinton may not get to pad her delegate lead over Bernie Sanders in todays primaries in Kentucky and Oregon. She faces tough contests there after losing two other primaries this month.

The presumptive Republican nominee, Donald J. Trump, plans to use Bill Clintons infidelities and the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, and portray Mrs. Clinton as corrupt. Mr. Trump will be interviewed by Megyn Kelly, with whom he has sparred in the past (8 p.m. Eastern, Fox).
How did a nice Republican girl from Park Ridge go wrong?

That was the question Hillary Clinton posed in March 1992, when she visited her old high school in suburban Park Ridge, Ill., with her husband, who was then running for the Democratic presidential nomination. Mrs. Clinton made her first forays into politics as a teenager in Park Ridge, as an ardent supporter of Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, the ultraconservative Republican nominee for president in 1964.

Now shes the one running for president. The Goldwater Girl chapter is in the past, though it is something the veteran Democratic politician talks about as formative to her political identity. My political beliefs are rooted in the conservatism that I was raised with, she said in a 1996 interview.

What can Hillary Clintons past as a Goldwater Girl tell us about her effort to win over Republicans in the general election?

The Clinton campaign seems to be subtly tapping into her conservative past in the hopes of appealing to anti-Trump Republicans in the general election. In recent weeks, her campaign has started courting Jeb Bushs donors, and has sent out a flurry of news releases playing up the risk posed by a Donald J. Trump presidency and quoting Republicans who have voiced concerns about their presumptive nominee.
Negotiations can take place only in case of Artsakhs participation (video)

There will be many this kind of meetings, which will likely last for a long time, says lawmaker Tevan Poghosyan, touching upon the yesterdays meeting between Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev. He considers it positive that while covering the meeting the Azerbaijani media outlets cited the Armenian websites. But he doesnt consider that meeting to be a big achievement, I consider them to be meetings and not negotiations. The negotiation can only take place in case of Artsakhs participation. As long as Azerbaijan doesnt let Artsakh participate in the negotiations, we should understand that the Azerbaijan will seek a military solution. Larisa Alaverdyan, Chairman of Against Legal Arbitrariness NGO, urges not to forget the atmosphere in which the meeting took place. On the previous day we had a casualty on the RA border, this night again a serviceman was killed. No one touched upon the settlement of the issue. In 1994 they said that a ceasefire agreement would be signed and that issue would be quickly resolved. During 22 years we cannot understand which that quickly is, she noted. She also thinks that our Ministry of Foreign Affairs should not pin its hopes on the army, Our diplomacy should operate. Even the return of the bodies [of killed soldiers] took place through the Ministry of Defense. Mrs Alaverdyan can also see a necessity that the Minsk Group Co-Chairs hold a monitoring of speeches of the Armenian and Azerbaijani officials. In Azerbaijan a shot is first fired in the political arena, statements are made, and then they start it on the border. All this should be examined.
Demon in the Freezer (dir. Errol Morris) May 9, 2016 ARCHIVAL: Burner flame spinning Errol Morris (VO) Destroying smallpox would mean what, exactly? D.A. Henderson (VO) Taking the known stocks that are in the U.S. and Russia and destroying those viruses. Autoclave and burn. MAIN TITLE CARD Demon in the Freezer D.A. Henderson (VO) It makes it clear that this is a very dangerous virus, that it is effectively a crime against humanity if youre found working with it. D.A. Henderson Were being pushed very hard by a number of the developing countries who felt the virus should be destroyed. We are the ones that have been suffering this disease and anything we can do thats going to make it less likely is going to return, we must do. Errol Morris (VO) I take it that you were in favor of destroying all existing D.A. Henderson Absolutely, absolutely. Errol Morris (VO) Why? D.A. Henderson Simply because I felt it would mitigate the possibility of someone using the virus as a weapon. TITLE CARD GRAPHIC: Microscopic image (purple/blue) D.A. Henderson, M.D. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Errol Morris (VO) Mitigate it but maybe not eliminate it? D.A. Henderson (VO) Theres no way you could eliminate it, absolutely no way you could do it. CG: Smallpox virus floating. ARCHIVAL NEWS (VO) This is the enemy, a virus called smallpox. It attacks only one specieshumans. It is spread in only one way, from one person to another. There is no cure. Smallpox is a terrible disease, or perhaps now we can say, it was. ARCHIVAL NEWS (VO) Today a substantial milestone in human history. GRAPHIC: D.A. Henderson and headlines on smallpox eradication ARCHIVAL NEWS (VO) The World Health Organization says smallpox has now been wiped off the face of the earth and will never return. LOWER THIRD 1978 ARCHIVAL NEWS FOOTAGE ON TV (D.A. Henderson) Knowing what we went through, in terms of coups and wars and floods and refugee problems, I dont think any of us wouldve been very optimistic. ARCHIVAL NEWS FOOTAGE ON TV (CBS anchor) Smallpox isnt quite extinct. Theres some of the virus in the laboratory behind that door at the Center for Disease Control because scientists say they may need it some day, if and when another disease like smallpox comes along. TITLE CARD 1994 D.A. Henderson (VO) I was asked to meet with the National Security Council. GRAPHIC: D.A. Henderson and headlines on destruction of smallpox D.A. Henderson (VO) What should the position of the U.S. be? D.A. Henderson CIA said, Fine, we agree. Congress said, Fine. Interior said, Fine. We got around to Department of Defense. I remember, I can quote it exactly, We non-concur. Errol Morris (VO) Is that English? D.A. Henderson I dont know about that, Id never heard it before. It was Department of Defense. [laughter] The question came, Why do you non-concur? Suppose somebody digs a body up in the tundra, and its smallpox. And the virus starts to spread, it could devastate the world. I really didnt want to come out and just say, Look, you dont know what youre talking about. You know, cowpox from smallpox, theyre different TITLE CARD GRAPHIC: Vaccinia slide under microscope TEXT: Vaccinia virus causes cowpox and vaccinates against smallpox. D.A. Henderson (VO) Vaccinia is not smallpox. TITLE CARD GRAPHIC: Variola slide under microscope TEXT: Variola virus causes smallpox. Errol Morris (VO) So, in order to generate the vaccine, you dont need smallpox? D.A. Henderson (VO) No, no, no, no, no, you dont need the virus at all. You dont need smallpox. Errol Morris (VO) So why do people want to keep it around then? D.A. Henderson Well, suppose we destroy our stocks, and the Russians dont destroy theirs. What then? I said, So what? Theyre going to attack us with smallpox, would we attack them with smallpox? Is that what youre saying? Thats why we want to keep it? Oh no, no, I didnt mean that. Well, why are we keeping it? ARCHIVAL: Aerial shot of nuclear test D.A. Henderson (VO) Nuclear mutual destruction argument. Errol Morris (VO) Mutually assured destruction with germs. D.A. Henderson (VO) Yeah. Serguei Popov I never wanted to have anything in common with biological weapons. It all happened against my will. They did not ask my opinion. TITLE CARD GRAPHIC: Microscopic image (black and white) Serguei Popov, Ph.D. Formerly, Vector Institute Serguei Popov (VO) Initially, nobody told us there will be any connection Serguei Popov to Biopreparat biological weapon program. Gradually, they provided certain people with bits of information. GRAPHIC: Popov photos Serguei Popov (VO) Your scientific boss tells you, You are a good scientist, and theyll give you more complex projects. Serguei Popov But those projects will involve, of course, some state secrets. Dont worry, you know, just sign these papers. And that was it. There were 5,000 people, and only a handful knew the purpose of the Institute. And those people were called the fully informed persons. GRAPHIC: Vector Institute and Popov ID photo Serguei Popov (VO) The Institute was involved in the smallpox research. Serguei Popov But nobody ever would say smallpox. I would have to say the Agent Number One. And if I deviated from that behavior, the next morning the KGB boss would invite me for a talk, and would remind me that I violated the rule, and it was not allowed. TITLE CARD GRAPHIC: Microscopic image (sepia) Peter Jahrling Ph.D. United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease (USAMRIID) Peter Jahrling (VO) If I were a Russian scientist, and I had been involved in a biological weapons program, and my country fell apart, Peter Jahrling I think I might have kept a little retirement fund in my freezer in the form of some smallpox virus to sell to the highest bidder. Errol Morris (VO) A retirement fund? Peter Jahrling Sure. I mean just think, if you were a bioterrorist, and wanted to get your hands on smallpox, that would be a very valuable commodity, wouldnt it? Given the potential for smallpox to be used as a biological weapon, if you have a robust defense in the form of vaccines and antiviral drugs and treatment strategies, it takes the weapon off the table. GRAPHIC: USAMRIID building exterior, photos of Jahrling in lab Peter Jahrling (VO) To prove that vaccines and antiviral drugs are actually efficacious, its necessary to have the authentic virus. CG: Smallpox virus floating Errol Morris (VO) But one of the characteristics of smallpox is it targets only one particular species. Peter Jahrling (VO) Its true. I mean, smallpox has a very restricted host range. Errol Morris (VO) It targets man. Peter Jahrling So the target is man, thats right. But weve got a Food and Drug Administration that says, Well, okay, if you want to license a drug, youve got to prove that it works. D.A. Henderson Its an arbitrary regulation of the Food and Drug Administration in this country. Before they could license these drugs, that it has to be tested in an animal. Now the only trouble is, it wont grow in animals very well. Peter Jarling, goodness knows, has sent many, many cynomolgus monkeys to their great hereafter trying to develop a model. TITLE CARD 1999 Peter Jahrling (VO) There were those, when I first got involved in this research, who made the very argument you did, that, Peter Jahrling Well, the virus, you know, doesnt go in any other animals. So you cant get there from here. My thought on that was, Well, I dont know they cant go in any other model. I know you guys say it cant. ANIMATION: Zooming in on various microscopic images (1. Pink, 2. Pink and Blue, 3. Green). Circular zoom from center to edges of frame. Peter Jahrling (VO) Lets give it a try. Lisa Hensley (VO) In order to get to the virus, you have to enter into a secure building. Lisa Hensley You have to disrobe and place on scrubs. We call them bunny suit scrubs. You put on socks, and you put gloves on, and you tape the socks and the gloves to your scrubs. And then you climb into this very large blue plastic suit. Zipper it closed, and you plug into air. TITLE CARD GRAPHIC: Microscopic image (black and white, blue tint) Lisa Hensley, Ph.D. USAMRIID Lisa Hensley (VO) Thats how you breathe. Lisa Hensley As you walk in, youll see these very large liquid nitrogen freezers. You unlock the padlock, and then youre able to open the lid of these very large, round liquid nitrogen freezers. ARCHIVAL: Laboratory freezer with smoke coming off Lisa Hensley (VO) Youll see the fog come out. There will be tubes filled with virus. ARCHIVAL: Laboratory freezer with close-up eye overlay Errol Morris (VO) Whats it look like? Lisa Hensley (VO) Pox viruses are a little unique. The material can actually take on almost an opalescent quality. CG: Smallpox virus floating Lisa Hensley (VO) There may be as much as one times ten to the ninth virus particles in that one little tube. Errol Morris (VO) And how many virus particles do you need to kill you? Lisa Hensley So thats a great unknown. GRAPHIC: Photos of Hensley at CDC lab Lisa Hensley (VO) Pete Jarling, since I was his post-doc, basically just grabbed me in the hall and said, You, youre going down to Atlanta, and youre going to go work on smallpox. Lisa Hensley And Im like, Oh, okay. Peter Jahrling The FDA would like to see a lot of things. They would like to see a progression of events that mirrors the human condition. The FDA would also like that the dose of virus be the same as what infects humans and that the root of exposure be the same. ARCHIVAL: Aerosol spray Peter Jahrling (VO) We tried the aerosol route. ANIMATION: Zooming in on microscopic image (pink). Bar sweeping right to left. Peter Jahrling (VO) And we tried the highest dose that we could put up, which was ten to the eighth virions. Individual virus particles. Our animals got sick, but nothing that really recapitulated smallpox disease. GRAPHIC: Jahrling/Hensley 2004 paper photosvariola. Headlines on smallpox destruction reprieve. Peter Jahrling (VO) WHO was clamoring for destruction.: Youve had the virus for a lot of time. Peter Jahrling You cant develop an animal model. Theres no reason to keep the virus around anymore. We said, Well, wait a minute, wait a minute. We need another year or so. GRAPHIC: Jahrling/Hensley 2004 paper textaerosol, plus, i.v Peter Jahrling (VO) Lisa Hensley calls it the kitchen sink experiment, where we gave the highest virus dose we could by both the aerosol and intravenous routes simultaneously. Errol Morris (VO) Why werent you a fan of it? Lisa Hensley (VO) I prefer more of a systematic approach. I would have preferred that we do just the aerosol or just the intravenous. I felt we were changing too many variables at once. TITLE CARD GRAPHIC: Monkey x-ray image TEXT: Animal models serve research by simulating human disease processes. Errol Morris (VO) Why is it so important to make the monkeys sick? Lisa Hensley (VO) How do you know a drug is going to work? How do you know a vaccine is going to work? Lisa Hensley The first step in this is the development of the model. If you dont have that model, you cant test your vaccines and have good confidence that this is something that is going to translate into protection or treatment in people. ANIMATION: Jahrling/Hensley 2004 paper textExposure to Monkeys to Variola. Thirty-six cynomolgus monkey...two variola strains, as day 2. By day 3, early deve..., death/total table. CG: Smallpox virus floating Lisa Hensley (VO) We came in on the morning of day three, most of the animals were down. None of us expected the virus to kill that quickly. We went in and suited up and started doing the necropsies. Lisa Hensley The degree of hemorrhage that we saw in these animals, I couldnt believe it. GRAPHIC: Jahrling/Hensley 2004 paper photosmonkey paw with smallpox, monkey snout with smallpox Lisa Hensley (VO) One of the animalsAnimal 099went on to develop classic smallpox. Errol Morris (VO) So the experiment was a success. Lisa Hensley (VO) We have a tradition, we name survivors. ANIMATION: Jahrling/Hensley 2004 paper textSmallpox virus...bioterrorism..., virus (variola) pose... To mitigate this, ...exposed to several...two strains...lethality when..., Harper, ...variola stains...Harper and India...inoculated i.v. in Lisa Hensley (VO) We had one monkey left, and so we had the India group and the Harper group. And it just kind of became the default, Hows Harper? Errol Morris (VO) But you still have to kill the animal. Lisa Hensley Um, unfortunately, yeah. And thats one of the hard parts about doing this research. At the end of the experimenteven when the animal survivesunfortunately once that laboratory has to go down, that animal has to be euthanized. Peter Jahrling Okay, good job, but its still not very faithful to the human condition. And, since you cant infect them by any other route with lower doses, I want you to declare a success and go home. And Im not ready to declare a success, Im still not ready to declare a success. I actually came up with an ideaI still think this is a brilliant idea. ANIMATION: Virus under microscope, change to x-ray of monkey under microscope. Virus photo slowly fades in over x-ray of monkey. Peter Jahrling (VO) Lets take virus out of an infected monkey and use it as the inoculum for another round of monkeys. I proposed this to the World Health Organization. Peter Jahrling And said, Okay, you want me to refine my model? Heres how Im going to refine my model. Oh no. You cant do that. Youre modifying this virus. Thatyou cant modify this virus. Thatsthats forbidden. Errol Morris (VO) Thats a no-no? Peter Jahrling Thats a no-no. And youre adapting it to another host. The reason the virus was eradicated from the planet was that its uniquely adapted to humans. And now you want to adapt it to monkeys? We cant let you do that, you know. I cant believe were dismissing the opportunity to take this very potent potential biological weapon off the table. Ill stop when weve achieved success, and I can feel that my career was a success. But I dont feel Ive succeeded yet. ARCHIVAL: Burner flame spinning D.A. Henderson (VO) Now we do have two antiviral drugs that we have finished working with. We do have a vaccine that does not appear to cause complications. We could destroy the virus. D.A. Henderson The justification that the U.S. has had was a little bit thin, to say the least. And now its totally gone. But they want to keep working. Errol Morris (VO) Are you suggesting that people would just keep working on something, even though there is absolutely no rational justification for it? ARCHIVAL: Laboratory freezer with smoke coming off, specimens inside freezer D.A. Henderson (VO) Its decided that we want to keep it. Not surprisingly, theres some suspicion on the part of countries. Why are you working with this agent? CG: Smallpox virus floating D.A. Henderson (VO) Here weve had major committees, and the people have said, Destroy it. Errol Morris (VO) The demon in the freezer. Is it us? Is it man? D.A. Henderson Well, thatsthats a good point. [laughter] ARCHIVAL: Men putting on goggles, nuclear test. Planes spray chemicals over trees. D.A. Henderson (VO) Weve gone through the stage of developing nuclear weapons. We learned more about chemistry. Weve got more refined chemical weapons. D.A. Henderson I think, as we get more into the biological sideand we certainly are, right now, going very, very farI think we can anticipate were going to have some very complicated and very difficult problems. END
TALGARTH, Wales  IN March, the European Union and Turkey struck a deal: Turkey would build camps to house refugees who were refused entry to Europe, and the European Union would pay for them  3 billion euros (about $3.4 billion) in the first instance, with another 3 billion euros to follow. Other countries were watching closely, and we are now beginning to see the repercussions.

On May 3, the West African country of Niger demanded 1.1 billion euros (about $1.2 billion) from the European Union to stop migrants on their way to Libya and the Mediterranean. Then, last week, Kenyas government announced that it planned to close the worlds largest refugee camp, Dadaab, citing Europes example of turning away Syrians to justify its plan to forcibly return nearly 600,000 Somali refugees to Somalia.

Karanja Kibicho, a senior Kenyan government official responsible for counterterrorism, declared  tellingly, in a British newspaper  we can no longer allow our people to bear the brunt of the international communitys weakening obligations to the refugees. He also noted a falloff in the voluntary international funding for the camps in Kenya, in favor of raising budgets in the Northern Hemisphere to refugees headed to the West.

Refugee camps are chronically underfunded. But Kenyas proposal is not about the needs of the refugees  it is a demand for ransom. Kenya has threatened to close the camps twice already, citing security concerns following terrorist attacks on the Westgate mall in Nairobi in 2013 and Garissa University in 2015. In response, Secretary of State John Kerry promised $45 million in extra aid for Kenya  aid that is unlikely to go anywhere near the camps, which are entirely paid for by the United Nations.
Houston  HILLARY CLINTON is coming to town, but not for any public events. Instead, she plans to appear at a fund-raiser at a loyalists grand Houston home. The cost of attending is detailed on the Evite: $2,700 for a Champion, $1,000 for a Fighter and $500 for an Advocate (not surprisingly, first to sell out).

No doubt Mrs. Clinton could draw an adoring crowd, but its accepted as a waste of time for national Democratic candidates to come here to seek actual votes, as opposed to cash. Texas has become as predictably red as California and New York are blue, with the predictable result that it has become nearly irrelevant in the presidential races.

Not that things are looking so great for Republicans from my home state. Our most recent candidate for national office just crashed and burned: Despite his ostrich-skin cowboy boots, Ted Cruz was trounced by a Yankee who, truth be told, is far more stereotypically Texan in his rich-guy rubeness.
Shortages of food and basic goods are likely to worsen as Venezuelas economy continues to contract this year. Political prisoners, meanwhile, have languished behind bars for years, victims of a corrupt and broken justice system.

This crisis has exposed the hollow promise of the socialist policies Mr. Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, have peddled since the late 1990s. While many Venezuelans got a taste of prosperity in better housing, subsidized food and higher wages when oil prices were high  oil accounts for roughly 96 percent of Venezuelas exports  the government failed to build anything resembling a sustainable economy. It also failed to save when money was flowing in, which would have softened the impact of the recession that began in 2014.

Mr. Maduro has avoided defaulting on Venezuelas debt by borrowing billions of dollars from China, which will have to decide whether to keep bailing out Caracas when its next large payment becomes due in the fall. The government has stubbornly avoided sensible long-term solutions, like seeking technical assistance from the International Monetary Fund and other international institutions that rescue failing economies. Venezuela has not had meaningful contact with the I.M.F. for over a decade.

Over the past decade and a half, Mr. Chavez and Mr. Maduro made spending on welfare benefits their top priority to keep their base loyal, while neglecting institutional reforms that would have diversified the countrys revenue sources and made lasting improvements to the education and health systems.

A coalition of rival political parties, which won control of the National Assembly in December, has pressed Mr. Maduro to undertake reforms, including restoring the independence of the national bank. But his party has blocked opposition leaders at every turn, dismissing them as right-wing radicals doing the bidding of foreign powers.
This summer, a very Brooklyn pop-up bridges the gap between Mexico and New York with fresh tortillas filled with local ingredients. We were talking about how in Mexico City theres the street tacos that youre worried might make you sick, and these gourmet places that are starting to pop up  but nothing in between, says the artist and photographer April Valencia about the inspiration behind Josephina, a taco stand and market that opens this Friday in the backyard of the Pines, in the Gowanus neighborhood.

The idea came about when Valencia and the owner of the Pines, Carver Farrell, traveled from Mexico City to Oaxaca late last year. Theyve since tested many of Josephinas recipes on friends  and begun sourcing ingredients from others. The ceviche, for example, stars fluke from a fisherman they know on Long Island, who brings in on Thursdays what he caught on Wednesdays. All the produce, meat and cheese is from upstate New York farms. Tortillas are made fresh daily with hand-ground corn. And the menu will feature rotating chef takeovers, with talent from as far as Copenhagen.

The markets offerings will include New Age-inspired products from upstate  desert stones, indigo-dyed knits, tonics and elixirs  and freshly made foods from the taco stand, from salsas to Gun Powders, a super-food supplement made daily, to boost smoothies, tea or water. There are also new textiles from Valencias line, Native Kind, and everything will be available online beginning this June.
I realized theres nothing more enchanting than seeing the full moon dance off the water here, says Karen Witt, the spa manager at the British colonial-style hotel the Palms. So she designed a playful and therapeutic riff on sunbathing: At night, under the full moon, guests receive foot and shoulder massages while lounging on beach chairs, to the soothing sounds of the nearby ocean.

No one flies to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to sit in a yoga studio, says Courtney Riley, who created a lunar yoga hiking retreat for the Four Seasons there. Unlike typical hatha and vinyasa practices, which are devised around sun salutations that energize, detoxify and stimulate the body, the nighttime-inspired practice is about cooling, calming and centering. A stargazing event rounds out the experience.

Sedonas Boynton Canyon has a rich Native American cultural history  and, according to Mii Amos spa director, Doreen Young, an energy that is very powerful. Two new massages are offered during the full moon and the new moon, which Young says play an important role in manifesting and releasing thoughts, emotions and energies. Before the treatments, guests write what they want to release on pieces of paper  and then crumple it up and light it on fire. There is also a centering scalp massage, and foot baths with essential oils like juniper for grounding, and sage and frankincense to help foster good intentions.
An outer ripple of Costa Ricas countrywide eco-tourism boom, Santa Teresas international community blossomed in the 2000s as foreign adventure-seekers discovered its confluence of natural attractions: white-sand beaches, reliable, long-breaking waves and innumerable species of wildlife. And while New Age hippies still populate the towns scores of yoga studios, Santa Teresa is now evolving to cater to the growing number of comfort-loving creative-industry types whove discovered its charms, including its proximity to the pristine 3,000-acre Cabo Blanco nature reserve, five miles to the south, and an increasing array of excellent small hotels, villas and restaurants. (The only thing missing so far: a good boutique or two.)

But reaching paradise still requires work (rightfully, it feels): Visitors take a short flight from Costa Ricas capital, San Jose, to an airstrip in the town of Tambor, followed by a scenic 45-minute drive across the hilly farmland of the Nicoya Peninsula. Then theres the daily endurance test of your cars suspension as you travel anywhere along Santa Teresas only road, so dusty and pockmarked it gives the town an almost lunar landscape. This road is what both mars and maintains Santa Teresas perfection. One day it may be paved, but until then, it allows you to feel like one of the very few lucky souls able to visit this beautiful, unspoiled place.
In an election year when Bill Clintons policies and personal indiscretions have faced intense scrutiny, Hillary Clinton is beginning to shape the role her husband would play in her administration, zeroing in on economic growth and job creation as crucial missions for the former president.

Mrs. Clinton told voters in Kentucky on Sunday that Mr. Clinton would be in charge of revitalizing the economy, because, you know, he knows how to do it, especially in places like coal country and inner cities. On a campaign swing this month before the West Virginia primary, she said her husband has got to come out of retirement and be in charge of creating jobs.

She has not provided details about how a former president would fit into a policy-making role in his wifes administration, a position never before seen in American politics. Asked on Monday whether Mr. Clinton would hold a cabinet position, Mrs. Clinton shook her head and said, No.

Aides said Mr. Clintons role would be narrowly defined to focus on hard-hit areas of the country, such as the Rust Belt, and they rejected any implication that Mrs. Clinton would outsource a central part of her administration to her spouse.
Donald J. Trump has hired the veteran pollster Tony Fabrizio as a strategist for his campaign, two people briefed on the hiring said on Monday evening. It is the first time that Mr. Trump has had a pollster in that role for a sustained period of time.

Mr. Fabrizio, who recently worked on the presidential campaign of Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, joined the Trump campaign in recent weeks, according to the people briefed on his hiring, who asked to remain anonymous to speak about a move that had not yet been announced.

Mr. Fabrizio has decades of presidential campaign experience, including working on Bob Doles campaign in 1996 with Paul Manafort, a senior adviser to Mr. Trump. Mr. Fabrizio also worked on the 2012 presidential campaign of former Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and on Rick Scotts successful campaign for governor of Florida in 2010.

Having a pollster may make it difficult for Mr. Trump to continue a talking point  that he does it all without polls because the news media does them free. Such news polls dont conduct the type of deep targeting that campaign surveys do, and Mr. Trump is entering a new phase, a general election, in which his negative ratings are high.
WASHINGTON  In March 2012, the National Security Agencys Top Secret internal newsletter published a David Letterman-style list of reasons that officials should read it. No. 7 was that you might find out what those shadowy people on the other side of the partition are really up to.

That tongue-in-cheek comment became reality the next year after Edward J. Snowden included thousands of newsletter items in the huge archive of N.S.A documents he disclosed about the agencys programs and operations.

On Monday, the news website The Intercept said it would publish the entire archive of the newsletter and began by posting more than 150 articles from 2003, the newsletters inaugural year, along with a handful of later items, with only a few names of lower-level agency personnel redacted.

We encourage other journalists, researchers, and interested parties to comb through these documents, along with future published batches, to find additional material of interest. Others may well find stories, or clues that lead to stories, that we did not, wrote Glenn Greenwald, who was one of the original recipients of Mr. Snowdens disclosures and later helped found The Intercept.
Clock of Old Yerevan, markets balance scale to be exhibited for first time

May 18 marks the International Museum Day, within the frames of which Museums at Night is traditionally organized. Armenia has joined the program for already several years. This year on May 21 museums of Armenia and Artsakh will be open until late at night. Armine Sargsyan, Director of Yerevan History Museum, today told the journalists that the number of regional museums joining the program is growing year by year. Museums at Night event promotes the growth in number of visitors. As a result of such an attention, the museums themselves develop such programs, which will interest the visitors. We can say that the museums, in a positive sense, compete with each other with their programs, she noted, adding that for the first time the museums subjected to Yerevan Municipality will present a joint program besides their individual programs. Mrs Sargsyan added that on May 21 exceptional exhibits will be displayed at Yerevan History Museum, Photos of Yerevan residents of the 19-20th centuries, vitrages typical of old Yerevan flats will be exhibited. For the first time after the long break the marble fountain of Sardar castle of Yerevan fortress, balance scale of Yerevans old market, as well as the clock of Old Yerevan, which dates back to the 19th century, will be exhibited.
WASHINGTON  President Obama on Monday made an impassioned argument for his administrations decision to instruct public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity, saying that society must protect the dignity and safety of vulnerable children.

The remarks were the presidents first public comments on a directive released Friday that has added fuel to a searing national debate over transgender rights. Mr. Obama said the guidance, issued by the Education and Justice Departments, represented our best judgment on how to help schools wrestling with the issue.

Were talking about kids, and anybody whos been in school, been in high school, whos been a parent, I think should realize that kids who are sometimes in the minority  kids who have a different sexual orientation or are transgender  are subject to a lot of bullying, potentially they are vulnerable, Mr. Obama said in an interview with BuzzFeed News. I think that it is part of our obligation as a society to make sure that everybody is treated fairly, and our kids are all loved, and that theyre protected and that their dignity is affirmed.

The White House has said little about Mr. Obamas role in the release of the guidance, which had been under development for months, other than to say that he had been kept apprised of its progress and that it was broadly consistent with his values. It has drawn condemnations from many Republican lawmakers who call it an example of presidential overreach.
A federal judge on Monday awarded control of the nations oldest synagogue, in Newport, R.I., to the congregation housed there, ruling against a New York congregation that had claimed ownership in a four-year legal fight between two of the oldest examples of Americas religious pluralism.

The Touro Synagogue in Newport, built before the Revolutionary War and with a connection to George Washington, is a landmark of American Jewish history, but its congregation, Jeshuat Israel, suffers from dwindling membership and resources. Pitted against it in District Court in Providence was the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States, Shearith Israel of New York, which predates the synagogue by a century.

The ruling clears the way for Jeshuat Israel to sell a pair of Colonial-era silver ornaments called rimonim, valued at more than $7 million, to raise money that it says is needed to keep the synagogue operating. The ornaments, adorned with small bells, were made by a noted 18th-century silversmith, Myer Myers, to go atop Torah scroll spindles.

Because of the financial situation, weve been unable to do necessary maintenance, said Louise Ellen Teitz, a co-president of the congregation, which has 130 members.
OTTAWA  Shifting winds turned Albertas huge wildfire back toward Fort McMurray on Monday, menacing the city once more and prompting new evacuations as the out-of-control blaze headed for two major oil sands projects north of the city.

After several days of allowing workers back into Fort McMurray to restart operations at the oil sands, about 500 to 600 people were evacuated from four small work camps, Rachel Notley, the premier of Alberta, said at a news conference on Monday.

As a precaution, an unknown number of employees of Syncrude and Suncor, two of the largest and oldest oil sands projects, were sent to camps farther north. On Monday, about 4,000 people had been working in the area at strip mines, processing plants and other operations owned by the two companies.

With the forests now burned, the earlier destruction provided Fort McMurray with a swath of protection. But the fires shift in direction to the north potentially jeopardized one residential neighborhood that had escaped destruction, Chad Morrison, Albertas wildfire service manager, said.
When the State Department offered up a senior official to preview the talks for reporters here on Monday afternoon, the official  who could not be named under ground rules set by the State Department  insisted that splitting up the country was not under discussion.

He allowed for the possibility of a form of decentralization in which different groups  the Kurds, Mr. Assads government and the opposition  receive some autonomy. But the goal, he said, was an intact Syria.

Of course, to say anything else would be to lose crucial members of the Support Group, starting with Turkey, which fears that a breakaway Kurdistan would soon claim Turkish territory as well. Others, led by the Saudis, care less about Syrias borders and more about getting rid of Mr. Assad. While the official American position is that he has to go, the reality is that few in Washington are in a rush: The last thing they want is a power vacuum in Damascus that the Islamic State would try to fill.

Still, it seems safe to say that if anyone has come out of the Syrian debacle nearly as hated in the region as Mr. Assad, it is probably the diplomats who rearranged the region: Sir Mark Sykes and Francois Georges-Picot. Unlike Mr. Assad, they are no longer around to defend themselves.

Sykes, an aristocratic racehorse breeder and Boer War veteran, died three years after the agreement was reached, killed by the Spanish flu while in Paris during the 1919 peace talks after World War I. Picot, the son of a historian and known for his skills as a lawyer and a diplomat, lived to be 80. He died in 1951, three years after the creation of Israel.

Not surprisingly, with the region in danger of disintegration, lively debate has sprung up over whether the two men condemned the Middle East to a century of chaos, or whether their meddling did less damage than high school and college students are now taught. Some historians have noted that Sykes and Picots map drew no hard lines; it was about regions of influence.

Out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, the British ultimately obtained mandates over Palestine and Iraq; the French got what is now Syria. Areas experiencing some of the hardest-fought battles now, like Mosul, were attached to the Kingdom of Iraq.
Theyre arguably the biggest theater operator in the world, and certainly in the U.K. there is no one near their scale of operation, said Alistair Smith, editor of The Stage, a British theater newspaper. Mr. Smith said that the appointment of a new executive from outside the theater world was particularly intriguing.

Theater is an insular world, and having someone in a senior position who doesnt have that background could be a good thing or a bad thing  until hes in the position, we dont know how it will go, he said. It might mean that they produce less of their own work, and focus on parts of the company that are more profitmaking.

The company has been on a bit of a spending spree. In the United States in December it signed a long-term lease for the Hudson, which in recent years has been an event and meeting space attached to the Millennium Broadway Hotel New York, and said it would return the space to its prior use as a Broadway theater. That conversion, if completed, would make the Hudson the 41st theater now operating on Broadway.

And in September the company acquired the Kings Theater in Brooklyn, two theaters in New Orleans and two in San Antonio.

The company operates one of the largest houses on Broadway, the Lyric, which seats about 1,900. That theater, which A.T.G. acquired in 2013, has had a tough run lately, with a series of shows that have not done well financially. But there are high hopes for its new tenant, Paramour, a Cirque du Soleil show that opens next week and has been selling well in previews.

Providence Equity Partners, based in Rhode Island, did not respond to requests for comment; nor did Mr. Panter, though in the companys statement he and his wife said, We have thought long and hard before taking this decision but feel it is a time in our lives for an exciting new challenge.

A.T.G. said it was financially strong, remained committed to restoring the Hudson as a Broadway theater, and expected to keep growing.
Alexei Ratmanskys latest ballet, Serenade After Platos Symposium, is the most authoritatively original creation this bewilderingly versatile choreographer has given us. Since 2009, Mr. Ratmansky has been artist in residence with American Ballet Theater, which, after this premiere at Mondays gala at the Metropolitan Opera House, emphasized its affiliation to his work by closing with the first performance of his Firebird since its premiere season in 2012, with Misty Copeland in the title role.

Ms. Copeland and others rose to the occasion. The Firebird  now enthrallingly suspenseful storytelling  looked far better than when new. (Natalia Osipova danced the premiere.) For these and other reasons, this was Ballet Theaters most valuable gala in many, many years. Mr. Ratmansky, long a very fine choreographer, now begins to seem a great one.

Serenade After Platos Symposium, made to Leonard Bernsteins exceptional 1954 violin concerto of that name, is intriguingly multilayered. With seven male dancers, it reveals the intense individuality of each one, with beautifully subtle classicism. (Marcelo Gomes, Herman Cornejo, Calvin Royal III, James Whiteside, Daniil Simkin, Blaine Hoven and Gabe Stone Shayer danced it on Monday; different casts follow this week.) Its a marvel of musicality; you hear this American concerto (Benjamin Bowman played the solo violin with beautifully singing eloquence) far better for watching the dance. And yet Mr. Ratmanskys Symposium also evokes conversation, debate, camaraderie, an Athenian evening of philosophical talk in the days of Socrates when men did the talking and the voting.

In Platos Symposium, seven noted Athenians discuss the nature of love (eros). Mr. Ratmanskys ballet affectingly honors philosophical debate itself, showing us the supremely civilized kind of evening in which seven vividly different characters propose different ways of being, different forms of human energy. They coexist and support one another in intricate ways. The word symposium is written in Greek on a canvas hanging above the stage, but one section could be subtitled agon, in the sense of disputation; you can see the start of a quarrel, the rising of temper.
SAVANNAH, Ga.  A few years back, the heavy-equipment manufacturer JCB held a job fair in the glass foyer of its sprawling headquarters near here, but when a throng of prospective employees learned the next step would be drug testing, an alarming thing happened: About half of them left.

That story still circulates within the business community of this historic port city. But the problem has gotten worse.

All over the country, employers say they see a disturbing downside of tighter labor markets as they try to rebuild from the worst recession since the Depression: They are struggling to find workers who can pass a pre-employment drug test.

That hurdle partly stems from the growing ubiquity of drug testing, at corporations with big human resources departments, in industries like trucking where testing is mandated by federal law for safety reasons, and increasingly at smaller companies.
Curing meat is why humans could stay put when there was nothing to grow, kill or steal. It is how conquerors and discoverers lasted while they traveled the world.

But the refrigerator and the modern food industry  with its cans, plastic bags and chemicals  have made the average home cook afraid of this most simple and useful food preparation.

There is no good reason for this: All you really need is salt. And the result? Malcolm, my 17-year-old son, may have said it best, Whatever is on my bagel is really good.

He was a test taster for home-cured lox I made while madly seasoning and drying out flesh over several months for this article. I had worried that I left the fish socked with salt in the refrigerator too long. The outside was dry, jerkylike, not the silky sort from a package of even average lox. I had to cut deeper  into fresh wild salmon infused with smoked salt, sugar, fennel fronds and fennel pollen  to reach the prize.
The Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene, habitually described as the father of African cinema, was a lifelong critic of patriarchy. An avowedly political artist  he had been a labor organizer and a novelist before turning to filmmaking  Mr. Sembene grounded his attacks on colonial oppression and post-independence corruption and compromise in a feminism that could be both subtle and blunt.

When women progress, society progresses, he remarked late in his career  he died in 2007  and the suffering and stoicism of women figure in all phases of his work. His penultimate feature, Faat-Kine (2001), is the portrait of a defiantly independent entrepreneur in Dakar, Senegal, a single mother who refuses the melodramatic options of pity or shame that would have been her conventional cinematic fate. Mr. Sembenes final movie, the indelible Moolaade (2004), followed a group of women in a rural village organizing to stop the traditional practice of genital cutting. The empathy and the radicalism that animate those films were present much earlier, in Black Girl, his first feature, which begins a weeklong run at BAM Rose Cinemas on Wednesday before its release on DVD by Criterion.

Black Girl, which turns 50 this year and has been restored, is one of those works of art that is at once powerfully of its moment and permanently contemporary. Sixty-five minutes long, filmed in a handful of locations in narrow-screen black-and-white, with sound dubbed in afterward, the movie can be regarded, among other things, as a masterpiece of thrift. Mr. Sembene, working with the French cinematographer Christian Lacoste and a small, nonprofessional cast, had the ingenuity  the vision  to turn material limitations to artistic advantage. The unsynchronized dialogue, which seems to float above the heads of the characters rather than emerging from their mouths, gives the action a dreamlike quality and infuses an objectively grim, realistic story with poetry and longing.
Republican foreign policy veterans like me who have vehemently opposed a Trump candidacy have done so on multiple grounds, beginning with his disdain for the norms of the Constitution. But we also believe that Trumpism in foreign policy is dangerous because of its belligerent nationalism, self-absorption, disdain for allies and comfort with the authoritarian leaders of the day.

Mr. Trumps temperament, his proclivity for insult and deceit and his advocacy of unpredictability would make him a presidential disaster  especially in the conduct of foreign policy, where clarity and consistency matter. His claim that he would compel Mexico to pay for a wall separating it from the United States, his desire to turn alliances with Europe and Japan into giant protection rackets, his proposals to discard both law and basic decency through extensive use of torture and by barring Muslims from traveling to the United States are preposterous; in practice, they would be catastrophic.

On foreign policy, Hillary Clinton is far better: She believes in the old consensus and will take tough lines on China and, increasingly, Russia. She does not hesitate to make the case for human rights as a key part of our foreign policy. True, under pressure from her own left wing, she has backtracked on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a set of trade deals that supports American interests by creating a counterbalance to China and American values by protecting workers rights. But she might edge back toward supporting it, once in.

So why not vote for her? If the choice were simply between her and Mr. Trump, I would  as would some other Republican foreign policy veterans. But most of us hope for a third candidate whose character we can trust, with domestic programs we can support. Others will simply refuse to vote; and some, no doubt, will reluctantly sign up with Mr. Trump, hoping to mitigate what they cannot change.

But foreign policy experts influence no voting bloc and carry no weight in a general election. Our real task is longer term, and indeed bipartisan.

This campaign shows that the foreign policy consensus that has framed this countrys work overseas since 1950 is in peril. The left wing of the Democratic Party believes in it no more than does Mr. Trump. That consensus, with its attempt to reconcile values and interests, prudence with action, needs to be articulated and championed. The public must hear why American leadership abroad is essential to our prosperity and freedom at home.

There is a wide gulf between those who have thought hard about and worked on the challenge of American global leadership and those who assure the American people that foreign policy can be reduced to dont do stupid stuff. Today, the Trump and Obama versions of that sentiment are ascendant. It is the task of those of us in the foreign policy field, Republican and Democrat alike, to make the case that they are profoundly, dangerously wrong.
To the Editor:

Re Time to Put the Squeeze on Pakistan (editorial, May 12): Pakistan cannot be held responsible for the mess in Afghanistan, which is the result of the collective failure of the international community and Afghanistans internal dynamics.

Allegations of duplicity are extremely painful, especially when Pakistan has suffered the most because of the war in Afghanistan. Hundreds of suicide bombings and tens of thousands of civilian casualties are the direct result of continued instability in Afghanistan.

Instead of complaining about the heavy cost imposed on us, Pakistan has consistently cooperated with the United States and coalition forces in sharing intelligence and decimating the terror outfits operating from the region.

Instead of putting the blame on Pakistan, it would have been better had the editorial also commented on the protracted Afghan refugee issue and the lack of border management as among the underlying reasons for regional instability.
A former New York police officer, Anthony Falconite, is also named in the suit, accused of being Mr. Cromans muscle, entering apartments while posing as a repairman or building manager and harassing tenants with baseless threats of eviction. The complaint makes the landlord sound like a David Mamet office thug: Croman walks through the office chanting, buyouts, buyouts! and reprimands employees for not obtaining enough buyouts.

The housing shortage is bad enough without people doing what Steven Croman apparently got away with for decades. According to a new report on the state of New York housing by the Furman Center at New York University, issued last week, the pressure of rising rents is being felt across the city, not just in gentrifying neighborhoods, suggesting the need for broader efforts to preserve the affordable housing supply.

At a panel discussion of the reports findings on gentrification, City Council member Brad Lander noted that Mayor Bill de Blasios campaign to create new housing by requiring developers to set aside a portion of units in new buildings for lower-rent apartments, while important, was not the entire solution for stabilizing neighborhoods. The lucky will get to move into those units, but lots of other people will need help just staying where they are.

This is why the Croman case has to be the beginning, not the end, of a bigger campaign to protect tenants rights  a concerted effort to use all the power that the state and city can muster to keep the teeth in rent regulation, to give an edge to tenants in the perpetual war with landlords who have big property portfolios but no scruples. Mr. Schneiderman is doing his part, with the help of the citys health and buildings departments and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The City Council has taken steps of its own, passing legislation to make sure tenants know their rights and toughening the penalties for tenant harassment. Renters need to know they can turn down buyouts if they wish; landlords need to know they will be punished for breaking the law.
A 1969 report from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc. found examples of exactly that. As a result, Congress amended the law in 1970 to thwart such maneuvers. It required districts to spend Title I dollars on additional education for poor children, above and beyond what they already received from other sources  that is, to supplement, not to supplant.

But from the start, the rule proved hard to enforce, since few districts maintain separate bank accounts and accounting ledgers for each school. Under the previous version of the education act, passed in 2001, the Education Department enforced a complicated set of policies that essentially required districts and auditors to posit a counterfactual: How much money would poor students have received without Title I? If state law requires students to be taught for six hours a day, for example, a district couldnt use Title I funds to teach poor children for the sixth hour, because that would leave them no better off than before.

This requirement proved cumbersome for schools and regulators alike. So lawmakers modified it when they passed the latest version of the law in 2015. They kept the supplement, not supplant provision. But districts would no longer have to identify particular services as supplemental. And the department was prohibited from requiring a specific methodology for distributing state and local funds.

The departments proposed rule  the one that prompted the lobbyists letter  affirmed that districts could decide for themselves how to distribute their money among schools, whether based on head counts, student-to-teacher ratios, a percentage increase over the previous years school budget or anything else. However, the result of the methodology had to be that the district spent at least as much state and local money in each Title I school as in non-Title I schools. That had to be the nonnegotiable starting point  otherwise, how could Title I money, by any reasonable definition of the word, be considered extra?

The department did not mention teacher salaries, but they make up the bulk of school budgets and would thus be included in calculations of spending.

Normally, teachers unions and school advocates support Democratic politicians and are the mortal enemies of conservative Republicans. Yet this time, they found an enthusiastic supporter in Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee and chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Hes generally opposed to federal regulations of education on principle, regardless of the issue. In this way, left-leaning interest groups like local teachers unions are ideologically aligned with Tea Party Republicans.
A federal court has ordered a town in Mississippi to desegregate its high schools and middle schools, ending a five-decade legal battle over integrating black and white students.

The ruling by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, made Friday but announced Monday, means the middle and high school programs in the Cleveland School District, in the western part of the state, will be combined for the first time in their century-long history.

In her decision, Judge Debra M. Brown said, Although no court order can right these wrongs, it is the duty of the district to ensure that not one more student suffers under this burden.

Judge Brown rejected two alternatives proposed by the district as unconstitutional and ordered it to adopt a Justice Department desegregation plan, and to provide a timeline for doing so.
ATLANTA  The Justice Department said Tuesday that it would conduct a review of the police department in North Charleston, S.C., where a white officer has been charged with fatally shooting an unarmed black man in April 2015.

But the federal inquiry in South Carolinas third-largest city is voluntary and limited in scope; it is not a far-ranging civil rights investigation that might have prompted monitored reforms to correct unconstitutional patterns or practices. Instead, the Justice Department Office of Community Oriented Policing Services will assess the North Charleston force and issue recommendations that could include policy changes and added training.

Its my hope that this type of review will allow the community to have a lot of input, William N. Nettles, the United States attorney for South Carolina, said at a news conference at City Hall in North Charleston, a city of 107,000 people. There will be a thorough review of the policies and procedures of North Charleston.

Although the Justice Department has faced demands for a civil rights investigation similar to its inquiries in Baltimore, Cleveland and Ferguson, Mo., the federal government has, for now, taken a tack that is likely to be seen as far less threatening to North Charleston. Recommendations will not be binding on the city, and critics there predicted that the investigation would ultimately do little to aid the police force, which has faced repeated accusations of prejudiced policing and the use of excessive force.
California prosecutors announced criminal charges on Tuesday against a company whose oil pipeline ruptured last year and fouled popular beaches near Santa Barbara for months. A company employee was also charged.

The California attorney general, Kamala D. Harris, and the Santa Barbara County district attorney, Joyce E. Dudley, said a Santa Barbara County grand jury had handed up an indictment charging the company, Plains All American, with four felonies and 42 misdemeanors, and charging an employee, James Buchanan, an environmental and regulatory compliance specialist at Plains, with three misdemeanors.

The company also faces multiple civil cases in the oil spill, but criminal charges in such a case are more unusual. Ms. Harris, who is running for the United States Senate, said the indictment reflected what the company knew or should have known of the dangers posed by its actions.

The negative impacts of this conduct were immediate and tragic, Ms. Harris said. Anyone who violates the law and endangers our environment is going to be held responsible.
The super PAC had initially invested $130 million to reserve time for broadcast and digital ads that would start running the day after the California and New Jersey primaries in June. But it decided to add an additional buy to accelerate the time line, aiming to sow early doubts about Mr. Trump, particularly among female voters who will have a disproportionate effect on the fall election and with whom Mr. Trump has shown a particular weakness in polls.

Female voters favored Mrs. Clinton over Mr. Trump, 55 percent to 35 percent, in a New York Times/CBS News poll released in March, twice the gender gap of the 2012 presidential election, when President Obama defeated Mr. Romney.

Mrs. Clintons campaign, which cannot directly coordinate with the super PAC, has tried to raise money by showing Mr. Trumps comments assailing the former secretary of state for playing the womans card.

Mrs. Clinton, though, has tried to avoid directly provoking Mr. Trump, relying instead on outside groups like the super PAC to carry out direct attacks. The campaigns online videos against Mr. Trump have focused mostly on his policy positions and on criticism by his rivals in the Republican primaries.

On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said the Speak ad had misrepresented one of his statements. The pathetic new hit ad against me misrepresents the final line. You can tell them to go BLANK themselves  was about China, NOT WOMEN! he wrote on Twitter.

That drew a rebuke from the super PAC.

Sorry Donald, but the ad isnt only about your overt sexism, its about your divisiveness and character being unsuitable for the office of the presidency, Justin Barasky, a spokesman for the group, said in an email on Tuesday morning.
Raising the prospect of lasting fissures in the party, Senator Bernie Sanders rebuffed pressure on Tuesday to rein in his supporters after they disrupted a weekend Democratic convention in Nevada, throwing chairs and later threatening the state chairwoman in a fight over delegates. The uproar comes as Hillary Clinton is struggling to turn her and the partys attention to the fall.

Mr. Sanderss supporters showed no sign of backing down on Tuesday. In interviews, several threatened to disrupt the partys convention in Philadelphia in July with protests and nonviolent disobedience over a nominating system that they say has treated Mr. Sanders unfairly. In emails, on social media and on websites, his supporters have traded advice about protest tactics and legal services in case of mass arrests.

Alarmed by the unrest in Nevada, Senator Harry Reid, the minority leader, said that he spoke with Mr. Sanders on Tuesday and that the Vermont senator faced a test of leadership over his supporters actions. Mr. Reid, who represents Nevada, said he was confident that Mr. Sanders would do the right thing.

But Mr. Sanders showed no sign of backing down, releasing a statement that, while condemning violence, accused the Democratic leadership in Nevada of using its power to prevent a fair and transparent process from taking place.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court has gone into hibernation, withdrawing from the central role it has played in American life throughout Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.s decade on the court.

The court had leaned right until the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February. According to the conventional wisdom, the court is now evenly divided and large numbers of 4-to-4 ties are inevitable. But the truth is more complicated. The court is not deadlocked so much as diminished.

The justices will continue to issue decisions in most cases, but many will be modest and ephemeral, like Mondays opinion returning a major case on access to contraception to the lower courts for further consideration.

Were seeing an even greater push for broad consensus and minimalist rulings, and a majority of the court seems willing to go along with that approach, said Jonathan H. Adler, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University.
Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime adviser to Mr. Trump, said he expected the presumptive Republican nominee to grow aggressive on the banks. Whos been tougher on bankers than Donald Trump? asked Mr. Stone, suggesting Mr. Trump could appeal to some of Mr. Sanderss supporters. Hes taken them to the cleaners. I think he has a healthy skepticism and deep knowledge of bankers and how they operate. Hes going to be tough on Wall Street. Mr. Trump has said that the hedge fund guys are getting away with murder.

Mr. Stone added that Mr. Trump would also have a built-in layer of defense as he appeals to blue-collar voters, because he will be less vulnerable to traditional Democratic attacks over Republican efforts to rein in entitlement programs. Unlike all these establishment Republicans, hes been adamant about never touching entitlements, Mr. Stone said. You cant run that play on Donald Trump.

If by abandoning the traditional Republican playbook Mr. Trump were to put Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the Republican column, as some of his aides suggested, he would swing 46 electoral votes from states that have voted for Democratic presidential candidates since the 1980s.

We lost two elections trying to do this by the traditional electoral map, said Senator Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, one of the Republican senators who has embraced Mr. Trump.

But for every voter Mr. Trump wins over with his ad hoc populism, he risks repelling others  including conservatives who are aghast at how, on some issues, he is trying to outflank Mrs. Clinton on the left. While he may put parts of the Midwest back into play, at least initially, his approach could also endanger his prospects in some states that usually lean Republican.

I think hes more likely to take Michigan than he is to take Arizona, said Mr. Flake, whose state is home to a fast-growing Latino population.

The unease on the right with Mr. Trumps ideological positioning spans the partys factions, alarming national security hawks, fiscal conservatives focused chiefly on promoting free markets, and the Christian right.
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There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

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Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

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The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

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

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

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With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

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Donald J. Trump proposed another significant shift in American foreign policy on Tuesday, suggesting that as president he would be willing to hold direct negotiations with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator.

In an interview with Reuters, Mr. Trump said that the talks would be part of an effort to halt North Koreas nuclear program, which the United States considers one of the most serious national security threats.

I would speak to him, I would have no problem speaking to him, Mr. Trump said.

North Korea is among the most isolated countries in the world and regularly defies the international community by launching test rockets and capturing political prisoners.

The notion that Mr. Trump would hold direct talks with Mr. Kim could create backlash among Republicans and Democrats. In 2008, Hillary Clinton criticized then-Senator Barack Obama for being naive about foreign policy for expressing a willingness to speak directly with Iran. Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, offered similar criticism of him in the general election.
WASHINGTON  A bill that would let the families of those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks sue Saudi Arabia for any role in the terrorist plot passed the Senate unanimously on Tuesday, bringing Congress closer to a showdown with the White House, which has threatened to veto the legislation.

The Senates passage of the bill, which will now be taken up in the House, is another sign of escalating tensions in a relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia that once received little scrutiny from lawmakers.

Administration officials have lobbied against the bill, a view that the White House spokesman Josh Earnest reiterated after the vote. And the Saudi government has warned that if the legislation passes, it might begin selling off up to $750 billion in Treasury securities and other assets in the United States before they face a danger of being frozen by American courts. Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, delivered the warning to lawmakers and the administration while in Washington in March.

Many economists are skeptical that the Saudis would deliver on such a warning, saying that a sell-off would be hard to execute and would do more harm to the kingdoms economy than to Americas.
The actor Wendell Pierce took to Twitter late Monday to dispute reports that he tried to force his way into a womans room after a political discussion turned ugly at an Atlanta hotel over the weekend.

The actor known for portraying Bunk, a detective in the television drama The Wire, was arrested and charged with simple battery on Saturday after the woman told the police that he had hit her in the head.

Mr. Pierce, 52, has acknowledged that he followed the woman, Maggie Elena Baca, and two of her friends to the room where they were staying at Loews Atlanta Hotel, but he told the police that the group had tried to pull him into the room as he resisted.

I regret that what started as a civil political discussion escalated to the level that it did, he said in one of a series of posts on Twitter. Although what has been reported thus far differs in important respects from what actually occurred. I have confidence that the judicial process will work as it should.
WASHINGTON  The Senate voted on Tuesday to advance $1.1 billion in emergency financing to combat the mosquito-borne Zika virus  less than the $1.9 billion requested by the White House, and setting up a confrontation with House Republicans who have put forward a plan with just $622 million reallocated from other programs.

The action in the Senate was a sign that even in a bitterly contentious election year, compromise is still possible, at least in that chamber. A proposal to grant the full White House request failed, as did a proposal that would have appropriated the money, but with offsetting spending cuts.

The vote on the compromise plan was 68 to 29, with 22 Republicans joining Democrats in favor and no Democrats opposed.

A number of Senate Republicans, particularly from Southern states that face the most immediate threat from Zika virus, spoke out forcefully for government action, putting added pressure on House Republicans who have accused the Obama administration of using the threat of Zika to demand a slush fund from Congress.
OTTAWA  Discrimination against transgender people will be formally banned across Canada, and crimes against them will be included in the countrys hate crimes law, under new legislation introduced on Tuesday by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The legislation comes at a time of intense debate over transgender rights in the United States, and it fulfills a pledge Mr. Trudeau made during his election campaign last year. The government timed the introduction of the bill to coincide with an International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

Everyone deserves to live free of stigma, persecution and discrimination  no matter who they are or whom they love, Mr. Trudeau said in a statement. Today is about ensuring that all people  regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity  feel safe and secure and empowered to freely express themselves.

Jody Wilson-Raybould, the justice minister, said the government had acted on recommendations from advocates for transgender people, and had written the legislation to cover both gender identity, or how people define themselves, and gender expression, or how people choose to act, dress or otherwise display their identity.
MEXICO CITY  The president of Mexico said Tuesday that he was submitting a proposal to Congress to legalize same-sex marriage, as Mexico presses forward with breaking long-held taboos in Latin America.

Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil already allow same-sex marriage, and Colombias high court declared last month that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry. With the addition of Mexico, more than 70 percent of Latin Americans now live in countries where same-sex marriage is permitted.

President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico said his two bills would change the Constitution to incorporate the right for same-sex couples to wed and reform the federal civil code to assure marriage equality.

Those changes would turn into law a ruling last year by the nations Supreme Court that it was unconstitutional for states to ban same-sex marriage. In practice, though, the effect of the ruling was to legalize gay marriage without requiring Mexicos states to rewrite their marriage laws.
BEIJING  Peoples Daily, the main newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, has broken the general official silence about the 50th anniversary of the start of the Cultural Revolution. A commentary in the newspaper on Tuesday urged Chinese citizens to accept the partys longstanding verdict on the Cultural Revolution, the traumatic campaign that Mao Zedong began in 1966 in an effort to purify and rejuvenate the communist revolution.

Here are some excerpts from the first half of the commentary. The second part urges people to rally around President Xi Jinping and his policies:

The Cultural Revolution was a major setback for the progress of our party and country. How should we understand the Cultural Revolution? In August 1980, Deng Xiaoping twice met the Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci and answered her questions about how the Chinese Communist Party evaluated Comrade Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution, which at the time were of great concern at home and abroad. The Sixth Plenum of the partys 11th Central Committee approved the Resolution on certain questions in the history of our party since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, which gave correct conclusions on a succession of major historical issues since the founding of the new China, and thoroughly negated the Cultural Revolution and the theory of continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat. It factually evaluated the historical status of Comrade Mao Zedong, and fully expounded on the great significance of Mao Zedong Thought as the guiding ideology of the party. The political definition and analysis of the causes of the Cultural Revolution in this Resolution have withstood the test of experience, the test of the people, and the test of history, and they possess unshakable scientific truth and authority.

A Defiant Tone: At the opening of Chinas Communist Party congress, President Xi Jinping At the opening of Chinas Communist Party congress, President Xi Jinping defended his hard-line reign , presenting himself as a leader focused on securing the countrys rise amid global threats.

Moving Backward: A decade ago, many of Chinas political, business and intellectual elites hoped that Mr. Xi would usher in openness and reform. Today, some of them believe A decade ago, many of Chinas political, business and intellectual elites hoped that Mr. Xi would usher in openness and reform. Today, some of them believe he has created a totalitarian state

Lonely at the Top: As Chinas most powerful female politician prepares for retirement, few other women can hope to As Chinas most powerful female politician prepares for retirement, few other women can hope to make it to the upper echelons of Chinese politics

The Cultural Revolution was wrongly launched by the leaders and exploited by a counterrevolutionary clique. It brought the grave disaster of internal turmoil to the party, country and people of every ethnicity, and the harm it created was comprehensive and severe. History has amply demonstrated that the Cultural Revolution was totally wrong in theory and practice. In no sense was it, or could it have been, revolutionary or socially progressive.

Our party has always taken a solemn approach to errors and mistakes, including those by its leaders, first by having the courage to acknowledge them, second by giving a correct analysis of them, and third by resolutely correcting them. Thereby, these errors and mistakes, together with the partys successes, become a precious historical lesson. The Resolution on History made a distinction between the Cultural Revolution as a period and the Cultural Revolution as a political movement, and it separated out the mistaken theory and practice of the Cultural Revolution from the total history of this decade, vigorously counterattacking the mistaken viewpoint that would use negating the Cultural Revolution to negate the history of the party and negate the leadership of the party and the socialist system. Precisely because we have this correct stance, our party awoke from its setbacks, reaffirmed an ideological line based on seeking truth from facts, achieved a shift in the focus of work [to economic development], laid down the partys fundamental line of the preliminary stage of socialism, established the road of socialism with special Chinese characteristics, achieved a great historic transformation, and pioneered a new journey of reform and opening up. After more than 30 years of reform and opening up, our country has become stronger by the day, the living standards of the people have massively improved, the socialist democracy and legal system have constantly improved. The road we are taking is increasingly broad, and will not be, nor will we ever allow a re-enactment of a mistake like the Cultural Revolution.
HONG KONG  A member of Chinas governing Politburo Standing Committee arrived in Hong Kong to high security and protests on Tuesday, and he quickly provoked anger by praising the governments victory over the 2003 SARS epidemic.

The official, Zhang Dejiang, is also chairman of the National Peoples Congress. He is the highest-ranking member of the Chinese government to visit Hong Kong since pro-democracy demonstrations convulsed the semiautonomous city nearly two years ago.

At the start of his three-day visit, Mr. Zhang said he remembered vividly working, as party chief of Guangdong Province, with the Hong Kong authorities to contain SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. The disease first infected humans in the southern province of mainland China in 2002 and went on to claim 774 lives worldwide.

Mr. Zhang oversaw efforts to play down the viral outbreak that spread to Hong Kong. The disease eventually took 299 lives here, the highest death toll in any single city. As a result, some in Hong Kong reacted to his comments with shock.
NEW DELHI  Over the centuries, the Taj Mahal has endured its share of attacks  plundered by the Jats of northern India and looted by British soldiers, among other indignities. In recent years, officials have worried that growing air pollution could permanently darken the tombs brilliant white exterior.

But few people anticipated the latest affront  millions of mosquito-like insects, their numbers supercharged by nutritious algae blooming profusely along the banks of the polluted Yamuna River nearby. Like generations of romance-driven human couples before them, the bugs have swarmed the Taj Mahal on a mating flight, excreting a green substance on parts of its marble walls.

The Yamuna has suffered mightily in recent years from the dumping of solid waste in its waters, said an environmental activist in Agra, India, the site of the Taj Mahal.

I have been constantly watching how the river pollution has gone from bad to worse, said D.K. Joshi, who filed a petition over the insects in the National Green Tribunal, an environmental court last week. The encroachments on and around the riverbed, the sewage going directly into the river are choking it, he said.
WASHINGTON  Obama administration officials on Tuesday said they would lift a broad array of sanctions on Myanmar, removing restrictions on state-owned banks and businesses as they seek to reward a historic move toward democracy in a country dominated for decades by brutal military rule.

The moves, to take effect on Wednesday, will allow American individuals, banks and companies to do business with all Burmese financial institutions, easing the flow of exports in and out of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. It will also enable United States citizens living and working there to pay rent and buy goods without running afoul of the law.

The easing of restrictions is the latest effort by President Obama to use diplomacy coupled with sanctions relief to prod toward greater openness a country that the United States once isolated. That principle was at the heart of Mr. Obamas agreement last year with Iran, which relaxed sanctions in exchange for restraints on Irans nuclear program. It has also been the driving force behind the opening with Cuba.

The Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control, which oversees and enforces sanctions, announced the changes related to Myanmar on Tuesday. The democratic process reached a milestone in November with elections in Myanmar and has continued to unfold in recent months with the formation of a new government.
SEOUL, South Korea  Ri Yong-ho, a career North Korean diplomat familiar to American and South Korean officials who have negotiated with his country over its nuclear weapons program, has been appointed its new foreign minister, a South Korean government official said on Tuesday.

Among outside analysts, Mr. Ri has been widely cited as a possible new foreign minister since his boss, the departing Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong, was promoted to become a member of the Politburo of the ruling Workers Party during the partys rare congress this month.

In the party leadership reshuffle, Ri Yong-ho, who had served as a vice foreign minister under the other Mr. Ri, was made an alternate member of the Politburo.

A South Korean Foreign Ministry official said on Tuesday that his government had learned that Ri Yong-ho had been appointed foreign minister. The official said he could share the information only on the condition of anonymity because the North had not made it public through state media.
Mr. Duterte, then a hard-charging prosecutor, was elected mayor in 1988 on a law-and-order platform. Around the same time, citizens groups formed that some called anti-crime organizations and others simply called vigilantes. Mr. Tolentino said that a combination of those armed groups and Mr. Dutertes tough policies brought order to the city. Others say the citizens groups evolved into organized death squads that are still active.

Usually, there is a list of names kept at the village level, the Rev. Father Amado Picardal, a priest who has investigated the groups, said in an interview. The death squads are well organized, supported by the local government, and they follow a pattern. They usually issue a warning, though now sometimes there isnt even a warning. If you are on the list, you are killed.

In a 2009 report, Human Rights Watch said the killers included former Communist rebels as well as street criminals and others who were subjected to threats and coercion. Their orders often came from current or former police officers who provided training and weapons, and in some cases coordinated the timing of the murders, according to the rights group, which said it had investigated 28 such killings.

The Philippines Commission on Human Rights, a semiautonomous government agency, found in 2012 that death squads had killed 206 people, including 19 children, in Davao from 2005 to 2009. The panel said that lists of suspected criminals were kept by village officials, and that many of the people on the lists were killed. Edmundo R. Albay, the director of the agencys office in Davao, said that another investigation into the death squads was underway but that he could not provide details about it.

In its 2012 report, the commission recommended that Mr. Duterte be criminally investigated for failing to take action to stop the killings, but it did not say that he had had direct knowledge of them. He has never been charged with a crime in connection with the killings.

Philip Alston, then the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, interviewed Mr. Duterte for a 2008 report on the death squads, which Mr. Alston said operated with such impunity that the killers did not bother to wear masks. Asked whether he was responsible for their activities, Mr. Duterte insisted that he controls the army and the police, saying, The buck stops here,  Mr. Alston wrote. But, he added, more than once, I accept no criminal liability. 
KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka  On a small wooden table at the doorway to this bright-turquoise house in Kilinochchi, the town that Tamil militants claimed as their capital during Sri Lankas bloody civil war, stands a framed photograph of a 12-year-old girl wearing a pink tunic.



Next to it, in a smaller frame, is a photograph of her uncle and aunt and their two children.

All of the people in the pictures, members of the extended Ramasamy family, were killed in 2009, about 35 miles from here during the wars chaotic end, after seeking refuge in a bunker in what was supposed to be a no-fire zone.

As we talked to residents in and around Kilinochchi, it became clear to us that the Ramasamys loss was by no means an exception. The war, between two ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese-dominated government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, claimed tens of thousands of lives over 26 years of fighting. Virtually everyone here had a story to tell us of someone close  a father or brother, a sister or child  who had been killed or wounded, or who had simply vanished.
During the tourist season, hundreds of visitors congregate daily on a beach that by government standards should accommodate only 70. Recent video of the island on Thai television showed the beach swarming with tourists, with the tour boats that brought them lined up along the shore. The island is designated as a primitive zone, not a park, according to the parks departments announcement.

Koh Tachai is part of Mu Koh Similan National Park, about 45 miles off Thailands southwest coast. The park is normally closed to tourists from mid-May to mid-October because of safety concerns during the monsoon season.

Thanya Netithammakun, the departments general director, said the park had become increasingly popular with Thai and foreign visitors as word of its beauty spread.

People are visiting this island, and its too overcrowded, he told Prachachat Turakij, a Thai-language newspaper. Its too much for the island to take. It has deteriorated, and it is necessary to close it down to allow the conditions around the island, both land and marine, to recover without interference from tourists activity. Otherwise, it may cause great damage.

Thon Thamrongnawasawat, deputy dean of fisheries at Kasetsart University in Bangkok and a leading advocate of marine conservation, said the closing of the island was a turning point in Thai conservation efforts.
SYDNEY  A pre-eminent scientist in the field of rising global sea levels has been given notice of his dismissal as part of deep cuts at Australias national science agency that will reduce the countrys role in global climate research.

The scientist, John Church, confirmed Tuesday that he was one of 275 scientists whom the agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, or Csiro, said would be laid off.

I am impacted by the Csiro restructure and business plan, Dr. Church said in an email from the Australian research vessel Investigator, where he was taking water measurements in the Ross Sea off the Antarctic ice shelf. He said he had been informed that Csiro was consolidating the team studying the effects of sea level change and ceasing work on rising sea levels.

The layoffs and shift in direction at Csiro  away from climate research and toward more commercial projects  created a public outcry when they were announced in February.
LONDON  Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, castigated Boris Johnson on Tuesday for absurd arguments and political amnesia after the former London mayor, a leader of the campaign against British membership in the European Union, equated the bloc with Hitler.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr. Johnson, a Conservative whose mayoral term came to an end this month, said that European history had been marked by repeated and ill-fated attempts to unify the Continent, in efforts to recreate the golden age of the Romans.

Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically, he said. The E.U. is an attempt to do this by different methods.
BRISTOL, England  Living in Germany, I am used to hearing of Europe as an automatically positive concept. Particularly in Berlin government circles, Europe is constantly invoked as a force for good (it has indeed been good to Germany), an idea that has brought peace and prosperity to a continent once ravaged by war.

So I thought it might be jarring to visit Bristol, my college town in my home country, which is contemplating leaving Europe in a June 23 vote that may turn on migration and other issues, but also on whether continental unity is a good idea.

At least, I thought, I might get answers to a current favorite question in Berlin: Will the Brits really leave the European Union, a possibility often referred to as Brexit?

Surprises lay in store in Bristol, an ancient port that was Englands second-largest city from the 13th to the 19th centuries, played a big part in the slave trade and, according to the lively city history presented in a former cargo warehouse now known as the M Shed museum, has traded with Europe since at least 1180.
MOSCOW  Men in Cossack fatigues attacked a group of anti-Kremlin activists led by the anti-corruption crusader Aleksei A. Navalny in southern Russia on Tuesday, in a melee that was captured on video and quickly uploaded to Facebook.

Mr. Navalny and his associates were returning to Moscow from a hiking trip in southern Russia when a group of men threw bags of milk at them in the entryway to an airport in the Black Sea resort of Anapa.

A brawl ensued, with the attackers punching opposition activists and throwing some of them to the ground. Wearing signature Cossack black-and-red fleece hats, the attackers yelled occupiers and get off our land.

Afterward, one of the Cossacks argued on the Govorit Moskva radio station that, the shower of milk notwithstanding, a member of Mr. Navalnys group had started the fight. A review of the video of the confrontation does seem to back up the claim, with an activist in a red shirt throwing an elbow at an older man.
Smugglers made $5 billion to $6 billion in 2015 spiriting roughly one million migrants into the European Union, two multinational law enforcement agencies said Tuesday in a joint report that quantified the profitability of such trafficking.

The report also said that more than 90 percent of the migrants reaching the European Union were helped at some point in their journeys by criminal smuggling networks, and that most of the fees demanded by the smugglers were paid in cash.

A large number of criminal networks as well as individual criminal entrepreneurs now generate substantial profits from migrant smuggling or crimes related to the facilitation of migrant smuggling, said the report, a collaboration between Europol, a law enforcement agency of the 28-nation European Union based in The Hague, and Interpol, the 190-member International Criminal Police Organization, based in Lyon, France.

The agencies tallied their estimate of smuggler profits last year by multiplying the number of arrivals by the per-person cost, which they said ranged from $3,200 to $6,500.
LONDON  David, 49, is not looking for love; he is seeking votes, especially from young Britons who are considered more likely to vote for Britain to remain inside the European Union in a coming referendum.

This David  Cameron, the prime minister of Britain  is not joining Tinder, a dating app, a Downing Street spokesman said on Tuesday, nor has he joined TheLADbible, a popular photo and video site for men 16 to 30. But the prime ministers office did say it is exploring advertising on both services, and looking for other hip ways to get more young people to register and to vote.

Opinion polls and political analysts suggest that up to two-thirds of Britons younger than 25 prefer to remain in the European Union, and the government wants to do all it can to get them to the polls on June 23, since that age group is less likely to bother to vote than those older than 45, who tend to favor the British exit, or Brexit.
Sharmazanov: Sooner or later international community will recognize Artsakh

On May 17, the RA NA Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov met with the Member of the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany Ulla Jelpke and the Members of Hamburg Parliament Martin Dolzer and Hasan Burgujoglu. Welcoming the German parliamentarians in the National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov highly assessed the relations formed between Armenia and Germany, as well as Germanys support to our country. Eduard Sharmazanov has expressed his satisfaction with the upcoming visit of the Delegation to be paid to Artsakh and has noted that as representatives of the OSCE Chairmanship they can see everything with their own eyes. Touching upon the events occurred at the Karabakh-Azerbaijani border at the beginning of April and introducing to the guests the materials documenting the atrocities committed during those days, the RA NA Deputy Speaker noted: You know that during those days not only the servicemen, but also the civilians have fallen victim of Azerbaijani aggression. I think that all of us shall condemn this. The people of Artsakh have been self determined, and the international community will recognize the Artsakh peoples right of self-determination sooner or later. Our goal is to reach the international recognition of Artsakh through peaceful means. Touching upon the discussion of the Resolution directed to the Armenian Genocide recognition in the Bundestag of Germany, Eduard Sharmazanov has documented that only by recognizing and preventing the Genocide it is possible to close the path of committing new genocides. The Member of the Bundestag Ulla Jelpke in her word has noted that her party fights not only for the adoption of the Resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide, but also making accountable Germany in that issue. She has noted that they support the solution of the NK conflict through peaceful means.
Another day brought another horrible set of headlines out of Baghdad: On Tuesday, four bombings, one after another, killed dozens of people and left streaks of blood and strewn body parts across public markets.

As familiar as the last week of violence in Baghdad  more than 200 killed since last Wednesday  might seem to those who have watched Iraq over the years, this is not business as usual here. The American history in Iraq tells us that successful bombings in Baghdad are not to be taken lightly.

The official talking points say the new wave of bombings is a sign that the Islamic State is losing. The terrorists are lashing out in Baghdad because they are abandoning territory to pro-Iraqi ground forces and American-led airstrikes. Theyre on the defensive, as Brett McGurk, President Obamas special envoy here, said recently.

There is truth to that line. The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is losing territory in Iraq and Syria. And the recent wave of bombings is out of the very first page in the groups playbook, back when the Islamic State was Al Qaeda in Iraq. But this is not the groups final death throes  not yet.
Richard Nixon also understood the power of performance. Gil Troy, in his book See How They Ran, captures the sleight-of-hand that Nixon deployed to finally land the job in 1968. His famously moist televised debate performance in 1960 haunted him; so did his failure to seem as persuasively presidential  as good-looking, basically  as John F. Kennedy. Eight years later, Troy writes, things had changed: Following his advisers and acting presidential, Nixon snatched the Republican nomination. His platitudes offered a soothing alternative to the mounting Vietnam protests. Richard Nixon, the man of a thousand resentments, the pit bull of American politics, would again pose as an apostle of unity and peace.

Two terms later, John Osborne, writing for The New Republic, noted that President Gerald Fords struggles during the 1976 Republican primaries had left his campaign with only one option. His best hope of nomination and election lies in his being as presidential as possible, Osborne wrote. In hindsight, it seems as if that hope had already been snatched away by Chevy Chases murderous impression of Ford as a buffoon on Saturday Night Live. His primary challenger  Ronald Reagan, the master of modern presidential performance  would never have gone out like that. He got out in front of caricaturists by mocking himself (and his opponents) while simultaneously understanding how to star in a televisual campaign and deftly time a one-liner during a debate.

How Times reporters cover politics. We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. This includes participating in marches or rallies in support of a movement or giving money to, or raising money for, any political candidate or election cause. Learn more about our process.

By the late 20th century, presidential had become entirely bound up in technological savvy, and Reagan, as could be expected from a former president of the Screen Actors Guild, was an artist when it came to optics. Brian Balogh, a professor at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia and co-host of the radio show BackStory With the American History Guys, told me that Reagans stroke of genius was to continue running against the establishment while he was actually the president. This was a man who, during his 1984 re-election bid, had Air Force One land just outside the Daytona International Speedway to attend the Fourth of July Firecracker 400. A lot of people, Balogh said, would say that was unpresidential. A decade later, the nation would be in the midst of an ongoing fit over all things unpresidential, thanks to Bill Clintons sax playing, his stated preference for briefs over boxers (on MTV!), his extramarital affair.

With Barack Obama, the question was Can the country see a nonfictional black man as presidential? For the most part, it could, and like other presidents before him, Obama managed to bend the concept to suit his persona. He never landed his plane outside Daytona, but he has publicly broken into songs like Al Greens Lets Stay Together and communicated in hip-hop gestures, like the dropped mike and the brushing of dirt from the shoulder. He visited the Los Angeles garage where Marc Maron hosts his WTF podcast. He somehow balances the critique that he can be too grave and aloof with the fear that he might get too black.
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Lee County Sheriffs Office

 Domestic violence (third-degree assault) was reported Monday evening in Opelika.

 Third-degree domestic violence (CHINS) was reported Monday evening in Opelika.

 Third-degree domestic violence was reported Monday afternoon in Smiths Station.

 Third-degree burglary and first-degree theft of property were reported Monday at 3:20 a.m. in Phenix City.

Auburn Police Division

 Auto breaking and entering was reported Monday at 9:02 p.m. in the 1900 block of South College Street.

 Unauthorized use of auto-no force was reported Monday at 7 p.m. in the 100 block of West Magnolia Avenue.

 Third-degree domestic violence was reported Monday afternoon.

 Identity theft was reported Monday at 2:01 p.m. in the 1800 block of Wingfield Crossing.

 First-degree theft of property was reported Monday at 8:10 a.m. in the 900 block of Lee Road 10.

 Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle was reported Monday at 7:06 a.m. in the 1000 block of North Donahue Drive.

 Austin Tanner Brown, 19, of Auburn, was arrested Monday and was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Opelika Police Department

 A second-degree theft of property occurred between 12:30 p.m. Sunday and 1 p.m. Monday in the 300 block of Orchard Avenue.

 A burglary and theft occurred between 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday in the 1000 block of Samford Court.

 There were four unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle and theft incidents throughout the City of Opelika Monday at different locations.

Chambers County Sheriffs Office

 Lewis James Smith, 26, was arrested Monday and was charged with a probation violation.

 Jonrikus Martinese Washington, 29, of Lanett, was arrested Monday and was charged with failure to appear-child support, reckless endangerment.

Tallapoosa County Sheriffs Department

 A resident of Booker Street in Alexander City turned herself in Monday at the Tallapoosa County Sheriffs Department on an active NWNI warrant.

 A resident of Ponder Camp Road in Dadeville filed a report Monday for lost property.

 A resident of Palmer Drive in Dadeville filed a report Monday for identity theft.

 A resident of Greenwood Road in Kellyton turned herself in Monday at the Tallapoosa County Sheriffs Department on active NWNI warrants.

 A resident of Greenwood Drive in Alexander City turned herself in Monday at the Alexander City annex on active NWNI warrants.
Azerbaijani expert: I dont believe that it will revive the relations

The Institute for War and Peace Reporting, with the participation of Armenian and Azerbaijani experts, organized live video bridge. Within the frames of the discussion, Nicat Melikov, press secretary of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly of Azerbaijan, touched upon the yesterdays Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting, I dont believe that it will revive the relations. In this case Azerbaijan needs to get stronger. Whether it will be in political, diplomatic or military terms, they are already methods. Yet, another Azerbaijani, IWPR expert Shahin Rzaev has other opinion, It was clearly declared that war is not a solution. For the first time during 22 years, after the cessation of fire, both sides had that formulation. I hope that the snipers will not shoot anymore, he said. Our political experts definitely give a positive assessment to this meeting, The fact that the political format joined, gives hope that the cooperation of the sides will continue not only through shots, but at the negotiations table, said Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of Caucasus Institute. Azerbaijani expert Nicat Melikov was periodically trying to voice accusations addressed to the Armenian side, Who violates the ceasefire every time? Can you guarantee that every time Azerbaijan does it? I cannot. In that case, why doesnt Azerbaijan agree on removal of snipers from the border and the installation of the device, which captures which side shoots, opposed Stepan Grigoryan, chairman of the Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation. Watch the video for details!
WASHINGTON  Half of the pregnancy-associated hemorrhage deaths in Michigan were deemed preventable, and most of those occurred in women who received no fresh frozen plasma during their transfusion.

Only 3 women in the 46-case series received the generally accepted one-to-one ratio of fresh frozen plasma to packed red cells, Kathryn De La Rosa said at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Kathryn De La Rosa

The data, gleaned from state records, were not detailed enough to show with absolute certainty that the failure to follow transfusion protocol was lethal, said Ms. De La Rosa, a medical student at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

I cant say in good faith that this is why they died, she said. I dont think we have the ability to say, if these women had gotten fresh frozen plasma, they would be here today. What this does show is that this is an area that needs improvement. Its something we should be recognizing and dealing with.

The study plumbed records of all pregnancy-associated deaths examined by the State of Michigan Maternal Mortality review committee from 1998 to 2011. Of these, 46 were due to hemorrhage. As part of the adjudication process, the board reviews each case and determines whether or not it was a preventable death; 23 were deemed preventable.

The most common cause of preventable hemorrhage death was postpartum hemorrhage, occurring in seven cases. Other causes included placental abruption, abortion-related, amniotic fluid embolism, antepartum hemorrhage, uterine rupture, ectopic rupture, preeclampsia, and sepsis.

Most of the women who succumbed to a preventable death were younger than 30 years (13); 7 were aged 30-34 years and the remainder were 35 years or older. There was no relationship between preventable death and race or mode of delivery, Ms. De La Rosa noted.

When she examined details of each patients transfusion protocol, it was immediately apparent that the protocol of a one-to-one or higher ratio of fresh frozen plasma to packed red cells was not being applied.

These women got an average of 10 units of cells but not the proper ratio of fresh frozen plasma. In fact, 17 of our 23 preventable deaths didnt get any fresh frozen plasma at all, she said. Only 3 of the 46 cases conformed to that protocol; of these, one death was considered preventable.

She conducted a more in-depth analysis of the five postpartum hemorrhage cases that occurred in a hospital (two occurred outside a hospital). These women underwent a large variety of interventions, including uterotonics, oxytocin, bedside interventions like laceration repair, fundal massage and manual extraction of uterine contents, and surgery.

But there were concerns about the adequate application of best transfusion practices, Ms. De La Rosa said. None of the women were at a facility that used a massive transfusion protocol, and none were transfused aggressively with the proper plasma/red cell ratio.

Michigan has recently joined a national project to improve maternal health outcomes, including those related to hemorrhage, she said. The Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) is a partnership of organizations dedicated to reducing severe maternal morbidity by 100,000 events and maternal mortality by 1,000 deaths by 2018. Michigans goal is to cut maternal mortality in half by 2017.

In addition to obstetric hemorrhage, the group is developing other bundles on hypertension/preeclampsia, venous thromboembolism, and reduction of primary cesarean section.

Ms. De La Rosa reported having no financial disclosures.

msullivan@frontlinemedcom.com

On Twitter @Alz_Gal
PLACENTIA  The City Council is considering allowing medical marijuana businesses in town, including the first regulated growing operation in Orange County.

The proposal is to allow one dispensary, one cultivation site, one manufacturing site, one testing lab, one service for transportation between locations and one delivery service. After 18 months, the council could allow an additional cultivation site and one more dispensary business.

The proposed ordinance being considered Tuesday comes just a few months after the city, along with many others in the county, rushed to update local laws to ban the commercial growing of medical marijuana. They were responding to a state law that will regulate, license and tax those who grow and sell medical cannabis, unless a local law is in place. Placentia has banned dispensaries since 2008.

I think its going to help Placentia avoid a crisis when Sacramento does whatever they are going to do, Councilman Craig Green said in support of the proposed ordinance. I think its a good thing to keep ahead of the curve.

Councilman Scott Nelson said he is opposed, in part because it calls for the dispensary to be close to the Placentia-Linda Hospital.

I certainly think it is something to examine, but the bottom line is our citizens come first, Nelson said. I think we are putting the dispensaries in the wrong place.

Nelson said he would like to tax the businesses to create revenue for the cash-strapped city, which would require voter approval.

You cant legally tax a dispensary unless you put it on a ballot measure, Nelson said. The only thing you can get is cost recovery.

The public hearing will be held at the 7 p.m. at City Council Chambers, 401 E. Chapman Ave.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7868 or desalazar@ocregister.com
Five Orange County firms were among 123 companies nationwide recognized Monday as winners of the E and E Star awards issued by the office of President Barack Obama and the secretary of commerce.

The E awards, which were established by executive order in 1961, recognize excellence in exporting. The E Star award was authorized by the secretary of commerce in 1969 to recognize previous E winners for continued contributions to U.S. exports.

The Orange County companies to be honored include:

 Irvine-based skin care company ZO Skin Health Inc. (E Award)

 Irvine-based Diamon-Fusion International, which makes a coating used to protect a variety of surfaces (E Award)

 Irvine-based vitamin and supplement maker Boscogen Inc. (E Star Award)

 Irvine-based California ETEC, which recruits international students and delivers education programs abroad (E Star Award)

 Aliso Viejo-based restaurant chain Johnny Rockets (E Award)

During World War II, more than 4,000 E pennants were presented to industrial plants to recognize them for their war production efforts.

Winners are authorized to fly a blue and white banner and display a certificate signed by the secretary of commerce and to issue pins with the award on it.

Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans
SACRAMENTO  A Northern California mother filed an emergency appeal on Tuesday in an effort to keep her toddler on life support after a lower courts order expires on Friday.

Jonee Fonseca of Vacaville in Solano County asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to override last weeks decision by U.S. District Court Judge Kimberly Mueller in Sacramento.

Mueller rejected ordering Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Roseville to keep 2-year-old Israel Stinson on life support, but she gave the family time to appeal.

Two hospitals have determined he is brain dead, but Fonseca wants time to find another facility for him.

If Kaiser is wrong and Israel is not brain dead, then disconnecting life support on Friday at the close of business will be an error that is irrevocable, Fonsecas attorneys wrote.

They asked the appeals court to order Kaiser to keep the toddler on life support while the judges take more time to consider the case. If they decline, the appeal asks them to at least keep him on life support while the family seeks emergency relief from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Fonseca said Israel moved in response to her touch and voice even after he was declared brain dead.

Her attorneys said she has life-flight transportation ready to move him if she can find another facility that will take him.

Ms. Fonseca is not asking in this emergency motion for years or even months  just enough time to brief the serious questions she has raised and give her son a chance to live, the attorneys wrote.

The hospitals chief of staff, Dr. Chris Palkowski, repeated after Muellers decision that the toddlers brain death is irreversible. He said in a statement Tuesday that Kaiser is reviewing the legal documents while the hospitals staff continues to support the family.

Israel first went to the University of California, Davis Medical Center following what appeared to be an asthma attack. At UC Davis, he went into cardiac arrest and was later found to be brain dead.

Two more evaluations at Kaiser Permanente also determined he was brain dead.

Fonsecas federal lawsuit argues that state law doesnt allow patients to bring in their own doctors to challenge the finding of death, and that ban violates due-process rights under the U.S. Constitution.

The fight is similar to the battle over Jahi McMath, a 13-year-old girl who had a heart attack and was declared brain dead in 2013 after a tonsillectomy in Oakland. Her family moved her to New Jersey, which requires medical treatment of patients like McMath who are declared dead but show minimal brain function.
Broadcoms once-vaunted new headquarters is being downsized.

After the sale of the company, layoffs and divestiture of two units, the Irvine chipmaker recently began advertising for sale two buildings at its proposed five-building campus, now under construction near the Orange County Great Park.

In addition, Broadcom is selling off 32 of its 72 acres, plus 450,000 square feet of future building rights, or almost half of its future expansion capacity.

The two buildings, on the northeast side of the campus, have just over 378,000 square feet, according to sales brochures.

Company officials did not comment on their reasons for the sale.

Broadcom has four buildings under construction, along with an underground road that runs beneath a plaza that connects the campus. Steel girders, floors and stairways already have risen from the construction site at Barranca and Alton parkways near the El Toro Y.

The two buildings Broadcom will retain have about 640,000 square feet, compared with the 900,000 square feet the company leased at University Research Park, its current home.

Logo mimicked

All the buildings are four stories, arrayed to mimic Broadcoms logo.

Brochures circulated by listing brokerage CBRE did not specify a sale price. Broadcom reported last year it paid $128 million for the land.

Assuming that same value for the parcels now offered for sale, land value for the Bridges at Irvine property would be $56 million to $57 million, not counting construction and grading.

The corporate park is the first commercial development at the former El Toro Marine base.

When Broadcom held its groundbreaking ceremony in March 2015, phase one called for construction of five buildings with 1.1 million square feet.

The company has approvals to develop a total of 2 million square feet.

But two months later, Avago Technologies Ltd., a Singapore chipmaker, purchased Broadcom for $37 billion. When the deal closed in February, Avago assumed the name Broadcom Ltd. and made San Jose its U.S. headquarters.

Less than three weeks later, Broadcom announced the layoff of nearly 700 employees in Irvine.

Then in the past two weeks, the firm sold two units: Its internet of things business sold for $550 million to Cypress Semiconductor, and its wireless infrastructure unit sold for $80 million to MaxLinear Inc.

The two units employ about 550 people.

According to CBRE listing brochures, the sale includes Buildings 3 and 4, which will have just over 47,000 square feet per floor. The shell will be completed next winter.

The deal includes seven of 17 parcels, with those for sale along the north and east portions of the site.

Under a master plan by M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates Inc., buildings were planned for all seven parcels, including the two under construction.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7734 or jcollins@ocregister.com
Chapmans annual California Dreamin Business Plan Competition is all about making dreams come true, but theres no fairy dust or magic to be found  only a swath of some of the hardest-working students youll ever meet vying for the top.

The two-day competition, staged late last month, brought together students from 30 of the nations top university entrepreneur programs to face off and prove their business plans against one another. Students competed in three tracks: investor presentation, fast pitch and business narrative.

With awards of first, second and third place, honorable mentions and cash prizes up for grabs, 15 schools went home with fuel for their entrepreneurial fire.

First place for the investor presentation, in which entrants sought to prove their businesses worthy to investors, went to Lot Spot of the University of Colorado. Lot Spot collects data about the inflow and outflow of cars in parking lots, presenting the info to clients in a simple format. Lot Spot went home with a $70,000 investment from IOC Ventures, a $7,000 Draper University Scholarship, a TV interview with EyeonBusiness and $5,000 cash.

For the fast pitch competition, consisting of a simple 90-second pitch for each business, this years champion was ZymeKey from UC San Diego. ZymeKey provides blood coagulation testing with a patented process of monitoring disease-related enzymes. ZymeKey scored $3,000 for taking first place.

In the business narrative competition, where participants describe their business in one line and then tell a story that captures what theyre all about, the winner was InterWallet from Loyola Marymount University. InterWallet, a marketplace of financial services emphasizing digital banking technology, went home with $3,000.

Chapmans representative for this year was selected through a new addition to the lineup dubbed The Raise. The night before the big competition, on a sound stage in Chapmans Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, a live studio audience watched three Chapman start-ups go head to head in a game show, complete with a film crew.

In the end, it was Chapman junior Alex Jekowsky who rose to the top to represent Chapman with his startup Ulyngo, an online student-to-student marketplace application that allows students to buy, sell and promote goods, services and events in a market consisting purely of their schoolmates.

Jekowsky and Ulyngo took second place in the Business Narrative track, earning $2,500, which will be invested in the young startup.

An event like California Dreamin is one of the more unique opportunities where Im interacting with students and we all have this commonality  were sacrificing everything for our businesses, Jekowsky said. We love our businesses so much and are so passionate about the problem that were solving that were taking it upon ourselves to risk everything to make it happen while juggling all the things that college students do. Its not often that those opportunities present themselves.

Contact the writer: jwinslow@ocregister.com
SANTA ANA  Gerard Cellettes business plan seemed simple on the surface  find investors to help buy paper in bulk and reap the profits from lucrative printing contracts with major companies.

There was one problem: Cellette never had any printing contracts.

But he still took investors money, and he then paid them with money from new investors until the scam collapsed.

Over five years, he built a $250 million nationwide Ponzi scheme out of his home office in Anoka County, Minn.

The scam resulted in a total loss of $54 million for the victims, including $21 million for more than 50 victims in Orange County. It was the largest Ponzi scheme ever prosecuted by the Orange County District Attorneys Office, said Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche.

Ponzi schemes are like Socialism, eventually you run out of other peoples money, Labreche said.

In Orange County Superior Court on Tuesday, Cellette was sentenced to 35 years in prison for more than 400 felony charges including for money laundering, selling unregistered securities and using a false statement in the purchase and sale of a security.

He had faced 329 years in prison but received a lesser sentenced after he pleaded guilty to all charges on Monday.

Cellette was ordered to pay more than $21 million in restitution to his victims and more than $60 million in fines and fees to the county.

It is unclear how much Cellette has in assets. Lots of his have already been auctioned off to go toward his debt in Minnesota, where he still faces civil lawsuits. The Orange County prosecutor noted that his employment opportunities wont be very good when he gets out of prison, perhaps in 15 years.

Prosecutors said many victims lost life savings and retirement funds.

An elderly widow hoping to send her grandchildren to college lost all her money and went on welfare, authorities said. In a letter read to the court on Tuesday, victim Robert Ardell said he is still clawing his was out of debt after trusting Cellette. Another victim, Steven Quarles, said Cellette ruined lives with his jealousy, greed and ego.

I hope you enjoyed your high rolling days being a big shot, he wrote. I hope you enjoy the  years in prison thinking about the lives and relationships you destroyed.

Prosecutors said Cellette masterminded the scam through his Minnesota Print Services, which he ran from 2005 to 2009.

He sought investors for fake printing projects, with the promise of 10 percent to 15 percent returns. The scam targeted victims in six states by using funds from new investors to pay back previous investors within 90 days.

Nationwide, investors unwittingly put $250 million into the scheme, $150 million of it from Orange County, prosecutors said.

Cellette was extradited from Minnesota in 2013 after spending eight years in prison in there for the same crimes.

In court on Tuesday, his attorney, Assistant Public Defender Stacy Kelly, said Cellette has been cooperative with authorities from the beginning and turned himself into police in Minnesota.

Co-defendant Adam Jay Boskovich of Laguna Niguel pleaded guilty in May 2015 and was sentenced to a day in jail and five years of informal probation, the much-lighter sentence because he paid restitution and, although he lied to investors, apparently did not realize the Ponzi scheme.

Contact the writer: kpuente@ocregister.com
LAGUNA BEACH  Voters might have three options when it comes to deciding whether medical marijuana dispensaries should be allowed in town when they hit the polls in November.

The options come as a result of a voter-sponsored initiative that went before the City Council in April. That initiative calls for the repeal of the citys ban on medical marijuana dispensaries. The City Council in April agreed the initiative would go before the voters.

The initiative  sponsored by Elizabeth Toomey and her nephew, Corey Aufhammer of Laguna Beach  is meant to make access to medical marijuana easier for residents who have legal rights to use it. The initiative calls for two dispensaries in the citys commercial zones.

The owners, operators and employees of the dispensaries would be vetted through background checks and other security measures, said Debbie Tharp, who with Toomey and Aufhammer, gathered 2,414 signatures to qualify the initiative for the November ballot.

The dispensaries would be licensed to operate in either industrial or commercial areas and would be required to stay 1,000 feet away from schools. The only locations that could allow this would be along Laguna Canyon Road or on South Coast Highway.

Laguna Beach police Chief Laura Farinella said Monday she is looking at a counter measure that recommends only one dispensary. She said her department wants to find a balance that would look at the needs of medical marijuana patients, but also keeps public safety in the forefront.

The reason for this is that the some community members and some council members have expressed their want in having one in Laguna so that those in our city who use it for their medicinal needs do not have to leave the city to get what they need, Farinella said. One dispensary should be sufficient to fill that need.

City attorney Phil Kohn said the City Council will also review a proposed measure to keep the citys ban in place.

The City Council may select one or both of the proposed measures or select something else entirely different, Kohn said. At the end of the day, if there are multiple conflicting measures on the ballot that obtain voter approval, then the measure receiving the most votes will control.

It will cost the city about $8,500 per initiative according to City Clerk Lisette Chel-Walker.

Tharp said she is suprised that the City Council last week refered to her initiative as sloppy writing. She also countered the idea of one dispensary, saying it would create a monopoly in town.

They are breaking basic constitituional law, she said, refering to Farinella handling the counter-initiative. I learned about separation of powers in kindergarten. Not only did they violate the California General Code 3206, but they did it blatantly on camera.

Tharp refered to the law saying, No officer or employee of a local agency shall participate in political activity of any kind while in uniform.

Michael Beanan, a former Navy SEAl, thinks the city should be more responsive to veterans who suffer from years serving their country.

The California Compassionate Care Act was passed in 1996, he said. However, Laguna Beach has yet to demonstrate compassion for the hundreds of local residents choosing medical marijuana over prescription pills for many physical and psychological conditions.

With a seven mile coastline, Laguna needs two dispensaries. Police presentations suggest one dispensary per 10,000 residents. Dispensaries will be limited to membership of 22,000 Laguna Beach residents only. Dispensaries operating for the past ten years in Laguna Niguel and Dana Point report no crimes or problems with cash management.

Laguna Beach cannot continue to ignore their responsibility to enact the Compassionate Care Act.

The City Council is expected to consider the initiatives again at their June 14 meeting. The city has until Aug. 12 for the measures to qualify for the ballot.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@ocregister.com or Twitter:@lagunaini
SANTA ANA  Santa Ana City Council members on Tuesday night will be faced with a decision on what direction to take a controversial program at Santa Ana Jail for gay, bisexual and transgender people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

This is the second time the council is poised to consider recommended actions. A decision was delayed in April, when supporters and opponents of the program shared their views, after four council members left the meeting before a vote could be taken.

Activists on both sides of the issue are expected again tonight, but this time, some opponents have been staging a hunger strike at Sasscer Park.

I really try to put myself in the shoes of those detained, said Segerstrom High School student Deyaneira Garcia, 18, one of three who started the hunger strike Monday morning.

A week or two of not eating will not compare to the abuse they face, whatever stomachache or headaches I get do not compare, Garcia said.

Opponents want the contract between ICE and Santa Ana Jail to be phased out.

Immigrant and LGBT rights activists swayed council members in February to deny a contract expansion with ICE that would have guaranteed 128 beds for gay, bisexual and transgender detainees at Santa Ana Jail and increased the maximum number of detainees in immigration proceedings to 300 from 200. ICE has touted the program, in which vulnerable populations are housed separately, as among the more humane detention models.

Council members directed City Manager David Cavazos and Police Chief Carlos Rojas to meet with community members in March and April and come up with options other than ICE dollars to pay the $24.3 million remaining jail facility debt.

But on April 19, when the city manager returned with recommended actions, dozens of advocates on both sides of the issue spoke out, and four of the seven council members left the dais, forcing the vote to be delayed.

I had never seen anything like that before, Councilman Sal Tinajero, one of the three who remained, said of the lost quorum.

From the start of conversations with the community in early March through May 9, the ICE detainee population decreased to 182 from 237, and the transgender module, designed for 64 people, now is occupied by 27, according to a city staff report. The shrinking population means less revenue for the city, which charges ICE $105 per detainee daily. The contract with ICE expires June 30, 2020.

Tuesday, council members will again be asked to authorize Cavazos to work with community and labor representatives to find a consultant for a jail reuse study, and to authorize him to enter into negotiations with the Santa Ana Police Officers Association to offer early retirement incentives to full-time jail staff.

While those two actions lean toward phasing out the contract with ICE, a third item stands apart.

If council members authorize Cavazos to enter into an agreement for a Transgender Care and Classification Committee pilot program, Santa Ana Jail would be the first facility in the nation to form a committee to take into consideration transgender detainees preferences in custody and housing placement.

The pilot program is based on a Transgender Care Memorandum for ICE personnel, a progressive program to humanely house the gay, bisexual and transgender community, according to Virginia Kice, an ICE spokeswoman.

Cavazos said the pilot  which ICE has asked Santa Ana to decide to adopt or deny by June 1  would send a positive message to the LGBT population.

I dont think the pilot means were not going to do a phase-out (of the ICE contract), he said. We know that its not going to be completely accepted by everybody in terms of being perfect, but we believe that the pilot has a lot of merit and we can improve upon it.

However, Hairo Cortes, a program coordinator for Orange County Immigrant Youth United, said hunger strikers would stay and sleep in a tent until Council members set a date to end the ICE jail contract. Strikers also are asking the Council to advocate for the release of transgender immigrant women from detention centers nationwide, and for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to stop detaining transgender immigrant women.

Rojas said the citys municipal code prohibits camping but officers have been flexible with enforcement around the Civic Center and we havent reported any problems at all at the strike site.

Santa Ana Jail Administrator Christina Holland said she could not comment on the issue with the impending Council vote.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7762, jkwong@ocregister.com or on Twitter: @JessicaGKwong
SANTA ANA  A 51-year-old Minnesota man pleaded guilty on Monday to more than 400 felony charges for running what prosecutors said was one of the largest Ponzi scams in Orange County history at $150 million.

Gerard Frank Cellette had faced a sentence of up to 329 years in prison for charges including money laundering, selling unregistered securities and using a false statement in the purchase and sale of a security.

On the eve of his trial, Cellette pleaded guilty to all charges. He is expected to receive 35 years in prison when he returns for sentencing today in the courtroom of Orange County Superior Court Judge Patrick Donahue, prosecutors said, and in addition could be ordered to pay some sort of restitution.

Cellette was accused of being the mastermind in a $250 million Ponzi scam through his printing business, Minnesota Print Services, which he ran out of his home in Anoka County, Minn., from 2005 to 2009.

He falsely claimed to have lucrative printing contracts with major corporations and sought investors for fake printing projects, with the promise of 10 percent to 15 percent returns, Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche said.

The scam targeted victims in California, Minnesota, Georgia, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii and Illinois by using funds from new investors to pay back previous investors within 90 days.

Nationwide, investors unwittingly pumped $250 million into the scheme, $150 million of it in Orange County, prosecutors said.

That resulted in a total loss of $54 million for the victims, including $21 million for more than 50 victims in Orange County, Labreche said, adding that many lost life savings.

Its the largest case weve prosecuted, Labreche said of the Orange County District Attorneys Office.

Cellette lived a lavish lifestyle, using his profits for luxury items and multiple homes with such amenities as a go-kart track, video-game arcades, a bowling alley and a 1950s-style malt shop. Cellette donated millions to the Living Word Christian Center, a megachurch in Brooklyn Park, Minn., according to news reports.

In 2013, while serving a six-year prison sentence in Minnesota for similar crimes, Cellette was charged in Orange County.

Co-defendant Adam Jay Boskovich of Laguna Niguel pleaded guilty in May 2015 and was sentenced to a day in jail and five years of informal probation. Boskovich had his felony conviction reduced to a misdemeanor and, his lawyer said last year, he reached a settlement on restitution he owed his victims.

Boskovich received a much lighter sentence because he paid restitution and, although he lied to investors, he apparently did not realize a Ponzi scheme was in play, the prosecution said.

City News Service

contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: kpuente@ocregister.com,
ANAHEIM  As Disneyland heads into the future with Star Wars land, the park is letting go of some of its past.

Disneyland officials have filed a permit with the city to demolish the Skyway Chalet in Fantasyland, once one of two endpoints for open-air gondolas that floated via cables over the park beginning in 1956.

Visitors hopped aboard the ride, affectionately called the Buckets by guests, and slowly cruised along 40 feet above Disneyland and, beginning in 1959, through an opening in the Matterhorn mountain. The ride linked Fantasyland and Tomorrowland until it closed in 1994.

Now, the Skyway Chalet station will be removed to make way for the upcoming Star Wars land, said Betsy Sanchez, a Disney spokeswoman.

According to paperwork filed at City Hall last week, the cost to demolish the 5,100-square-foot building will cost an estimated $67,000.

News that the station was coming down upset some on social media, while others had a more nostalgic take.

I remember as a kid how exciting the Skyway Buckets were and my love for the look of that building has only grown over the years, said Kim Keeline, 47, of San Diego. Disneyland keeps changing. That has its good points, and its bad points.

Jeff Gordon, 35, of Santa Monica, said change is in Disneylands DNA.

I love the history of Disneyland as much as anyone, but people forget how much Walt Disney tore down and rebuilt parts of the park while he was alive for the sake of better experiences, Gordon said.  Star Wars land is a much better experience than a rotting chalet.

The Skyway was a prominent ride at Disneyland when it opened a year after the parks debut.

For nearly four decades, the attraction ferried an estimated 150 million passengers. In 1994, a man admitted to jumping out of one of the gondola cabins and landing in a tree near the Alice in Wonderland ride.

Soon, Disney shut down the ride, citing its lack of popularity and the number of workers required to operate it. Staffers also had had to deal with riders in the cabins dropping food and spitting on people below.

At times, Disneyland would put lights in the chalet to make it appear as if a dragon lived there during Halloween seasons.

The cables and three towers were removed, but the two stations remained. The Tomorrowland station, sealed off, will apparently be left alone for now.

Star Wars land will be 14 acres in the northwestern part of the park, where earth-movers since January have been busy. Disney has not announced when the land will open.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2443 or jpimentel@ocregister.com or follow on Twitter @OCDisney
Parents, voters and taxpayers in Santa Ana might be surprised to learn they are indirectly furthering political campaigns benefiting the Santa Ana Educators Association  the local chapter of the California Teachers Association  in the unions quest to unseat Orange County Board of Education Trustees Robert Hammond and Kenneth Williams.

On April 11, Susan Mercer, president of the Santa Ana Educators Association, had letters placed in all Santa Ana Unified School District teachers mailboxes that warned members to defeat Hammond and Williams in the June 7 election. Their crime: Approving appeals to establish public charter schools in Orange County.

Mercer has chosen to oppose the will of Orange County voters who increasingly have chosen reform candidates offering parents opportunities to vote with their feet and choose their own public school, rather than be forced to attend a government-mandated school, even when it has chronically failed. The popularity of charter schools has grown, creating demand that exceeds capacity.

After years of stifling parental choice in Orange County, the OCBE shifted to being pro-charter when Hammond and Williams were elected in 2012 and helped form a new majority on the five-member board.

Additionally, Mercers union economically benefits from restricting charters because charter teachers are not compelled to join a teachers union as a condition of employment.

With the election fast approaching, Mercer dispatched a warning to every Santa Ana teacher. One of them, weary of Mercers tactics, provided me a copy of the letter.

Entitled, Presidents Newsletter  Special Edition, the two-page letter warns members that they need to elect challengers Beckie Gomez and Michael Parham, along with incumbent Jack Bedell, to the OCBE. She laid out a strategy of writing postcards to Orange County voters, telling them that Hammond and Williams are undermining public education.

California law is clear on this point. Indeed, the California Supreme Court reaffirmed the law in 2009, after the San Leandro Teachers Association put newsletters in member mailboxes, urging them to support the union-endorsed candidates. Within three days, a district assistant superintendent notified the union that it had violated the Education Code because the literature placed in district mailboxes contained impermissible political endorsements. The union refused to cede, taking the district to court, where the union ultimately lost in a landmark decision.

The California Supreme Court decision in favor of the school district stated that this prohibition on the use of government resources for political campaigning is a means of promoting an important government interest, i.e., maintaining the integrity of the electoral process by neutralizing any advantage that those with special access to government resources might possess.

When SAUSD board member Cecilia Iglesias learned of the transgression, she immediately brought it to the attention of both SAUSD Superintendent Rick Miller and district lawyers. Initially, she told me, they seemed to ignore her, only taking her seriously when she pointed out that the state Supreme Court had ruled on the San Leandro case. Then, unlike the San Leandro District, which responded within three days, SAUSD waited almost a month before sending a letter to Mercer telling her she violated the law but seeking no remedy or restitution.

Superintendent Miller did not respond to my calls for comment. Similarly, all SAUSD board members, except Iglesias, failed to respond to requests for comment.

Incumbent candidates Hammond and Williams questioned the unions use of public resources for political campaigning. To date, neither Gomez, Bedell nor Parham have issued statements regarding the use of school district resources to support their campaigns. Will they now?

The sound of silence needs shattering. Will it take another lawsuit?

Staff opinion columnist Gloria Romero is an education reformer and former Democratic state senator from Los Angeles.
Fido and Spot may not have to cower under the bed this summer when fireworks and thunderstorms hit.

The first prescription veterinary medicine for treating anxiety over loud noises  a widespread problem that can send dogs running away in terror and harm both themselves and property  will soon hit the market.

Veterinary medicine maker Zoetis Inc. of Florham Park, N.J., said Monday that recently approved Sileo will be available through veterinarians within a week.

Dr. Chris Pachel, a veterinary behaviorist at the Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, Ore., welcomes a medicine tested specifically on dogs that works rapidly but wears off within hours  like by the time a thunderstorm is over.

Dogs are now treated with medicines designed for their human owners or behavioral training, which can be ineffective or come with side effects.

Theres always a need for new options, said Pachel, who has reviewed some testing data on Sileo but isnt affiliated with Zoetis.

Fear of loud noises is a common problem for the 70 million dogs in the U.S. and their owners. Dogs are sometimes so frightened they jump through windows, destroy doors while trying to escape a room or run into traffic and get hit by cars. July 5 is the most common day for frustrated pet owners to drop a dog off at a shelter, according to a Zoetis study.

I have seen the absolutely worst things that can happen with noise anxiety, Dr. J. Michael McFarland, head of U.S. pet marketing at Zoetis, who formerly worked at multiple animal hospitals.

Current treatments range from human anti-anxiety pills such as Xanax and tranquilizers that sedate dogs for many hours, but dont necessarily calm them, to behavioral treatments. Those include confining the dog to a small room or portable kennel, or trying to desensitize dogs by repeatedly exposing them to increasingly loud noise.

Pachel said those treatments or combinations of them work for many dogs, but the tranquilizers can take days to wear off and anti-anxiety pills  many only tested on people  can cause appetite problems, upset stomach and, rarely, abnormal heartbeats if the dose isnt right.

Sileo works by blocking norepinephrine, a brain chemical similar to adrenaline that pumps up anxiety. It comes in prefilled plastic syringes with a dial for setting a precise dose according to the dogs weight.

The needleless syringe is placed between the dogs gum and lip. A little push ejects a small amount of gel thats absorbed by the tissue lining the dogs cheek, which limits how much circulates in the dogs body at a time while enabling the medicine to start working within 30 to 60 minutes. It works for two to three hours, said McFarland, who said he has used Sileo with good results on his Finnish Lapphund.

Each syringe costs $30 and holds enough medicine for about two doses for an 80- to 100-pound dog or four doses for a 40-pound dog.

Dr. Barbara Sherman, a professor at North Carolina State University who runs its animal behavioral medicine clinic, reviewed detailed data on Sileo while serving on an advisory board at Zoetis and found its effectiveness impressive. She said side effects were benign and thinks that for some dogs, it will be easier to administer than pills.

Zoetis has exclusive rights to distribute Sileo in the U.S. under an agreement with its developer, Orion Corp. of Finland.

In testing conducted for the company on 182 pet beagles on New Years Eve, 75 percent of their owners rated its effect good or excellent, compared with 33 percent whose dogs got a placebo. Side effects were rare and minor.
Efforts to help and house Orange Countys homeless may become more fruitful under a soon-to-be hired homeless czar and the formation of a faith-based coalition focused on Santa Anas Civic Center, site of the countys highest concentration of people living on the streets.

County officials confirmed that Susan Price, who has been the point person on homeless issues for the city of Long Beach, is expected to start work May 27 as Orange Countys social care coordinator, a job that entails streamlining and centralizing the way the county addresses homelessness.

County Supervisor Andrew Do, who in September proposed the new position, wants accountability  measurable goals that show actual results from the millions of dollars intended to reduce homelessness.

Part of the frustration that I have is we can tell the public how many millions of meals we served each year, how many beds are available, Do said Monday, but we dont have any metrics to determine whether the effort was effective in helping individuals not be homeless.

Price joined the Long Beach Health Department in 2003 as its homeless services officer and eventually oversaw the distribution of the citys federal funding for the homeless.

From 2011 to early 2015, Long Beach reduced its homeless population by nearly a quarter, to 2,345 people from 3,164, according to a city survey released last year.

The Santa Ana/Civic Center Faith Collaboration on Homelessness, a nascent coalition of faith-based organizations, community nonprofits and individuals that provide services to homeless people, also is looking for better results.

The group is laying the groundwork to coordinate services from the private sector to the homeless in Santa Anas Civic Center.

The group held its second monthly meeting Monday at Christ Our Redeemer AME Church in Irvine, with about 15 people attending.

They hope to eliminate overlap and bridge gaps in serving the homeless at the Civic Center by sharing resources and information and, ultimately, working together to find a more permanent solution for the homeless.

The Civic Center has the countys largest concentration of homeless people, estimated at 400 to 500.

A countywide survey conducted in January 2015 counted 4,452 homeless people living on the streets. Based on that number, county officials estimated that 15,300 people in 2015 would experience homelessness for at least one night.

Given the potential reach of the countys faith community, the bigger goal for the group convened at Christ Our Redeemer is to help the homeless secure housing, alongside whatever government-initiated efforts are planned or underway.

There are incredible resources in the faith community, said Ariel Meza, diversity consultant for COR Community Development Corporation at Christ Our Redeemer. We really could make a dent in the homeless situation.

The goal is to serve as a model for what can be accomplished in other communities in Orange County.

Theres a lot of city and county talk, said Larry Smitty Smith, a homeless man who lives in downtown Santa Ana and belongs to the Civic Center Roundtable, a grass-roots group that organizes the homeless around civic action.

But youre out there. You do the work.

Much of the outreach from individuals and organizations in Orange County takes place at the Civic Center, ground zero for Orange Countys growing homeless population and a reason for much criticism directed at city and county officials.

Theres people popping up all over the place that want to help, said Terri Eggers, senior community development analyst for the city of Santa Ana. Everybodys on board with understanding something needs to be done in the Civic Center.

Eggers said the homeless population also is growing along the Santa Ana River, which is dotted with tent encampments.

Santa Ana city officials recently received a proposal from the nonprofit City Net to coordinate housing, mental health, emergency and nutrition services at the Civic Center. City Net, which recently contracted with La Habra to provide similar homeless coordinating services, sent a representative to the faith group meeting.

The difference that the faith group hopes to make most immediately is in coordinating the myriad services  such as distribution of food, hygiene kits and other personal items  provided by faith-based and community organizations at the Civic Center.

Like the county, the faith group is looking for a coordinator  someone from a church or nonprofit organization, or perhaps a local university, to step up and act as a coordinator to document the host of services for the homeless at the Civic Center and maintain a calendar of who does what and when.

The faith group hopes to organize a months worth of coordinated services in the Civic Center to show what can be accomplished by working together.

The next faith group meeting is planned for June 6 at Christ Our Redeemer. For more information, contact Ariel Meza at 714-720-4276 or ArielM@corchurch.org.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7793 or twalker@ocregister.com
The man allegedly responsible for the brutal murders of two LGBT activists in Bangladesh has been apprehended by authorities there. Thats the good news for a government accused of not doing enough to stem a recent tide of Islamist violence. The bad news is that the attacker appears to be a home-grown militant, which means the bloodshed wracking the country wont end anytime soon.

The suspect, Shariful Islam, is a Bangladeshi citizen who is reportedly a member of Ansarullah Bangla Team, a banned group that published a hit list in 2013 of bloggers around the world who they planned to murder. Some experts think the group has ties to al Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, which claimed responsibility for the attacks on the gay activists.

The two slain activists, Xulhaz Mannan and Tanay Mojumdar had come out publicly to raise awareness and encourage others to do the same. Mannan edited Bangladeshs only LGBT magazine, Roopbaan. He also helped plan the Rainbow Rally, a parade on New Years to encourage the acceptance of LGBT people in Bangladesh, where homosexuality is still technically illegal.

In the aftermath of their killings, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina blamed Mannan and Mojumdars murders on opposition parties, who she said were involved with these secret killings as they want to destabilise the government and the country.

But human rights advocates say the government itself bears part of the blame. Hasina responded to the uptick in murders by promising to prosecute the bloggers themselves for hurting peoples religious sentiments.

The government needs to protect activists and to call a halt to the impunity that links this chain of vicious murders. Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement following Mannan and Mojumdars deaths.

The Islamic State took credit for the murder of a professor days before Mannan and Mojumdar were killed. Professor Rezaul Karim Siddique, a 58-year-old English professor, was attacked with machetes on his way to catch a bus. The group accused him of calling to atheism in a statement after his death.

In the meantime, the extremist violence shows no sign of abating: last Friday, an elderly Buddhist monk was found with his throat slit in a temple in the Bandarban district.
WASHINGTON  President Barack Obama called on the nation Monday to support and listen to its law enforcement officers as he bestowed the Medal of Valor on 13 officers who risked their lives to save others.

In a ceremony in the East Room, Obama draped the purple-and-yellow ribbons around the necks of officers who intervened in shooting rampages, hostage situations and an armed robbery. He pledged to keep working toward a bipartisan overhaul to make the criminal justice system fairer, smarter and more effective so that officers are well-equipped to enforce the countrys laws.

We can show our respect by listening to you, learning from you, giving you the resources that you need to do your jobs, Obama said. Our country needs that right now.

Three Santa Monica officers  Jason Salas, Robert Sparks and Capt. Raymond Bottenfield  were honored for their response to a 2013 rampage on a community college campus that left five people dead. Confronting 23-year-old gunman John Zawahri in the campus library, the officers shot and killed him when he pointed his assault weapon at them.

Obama also honored Gregory Stevens of suburban Dallas, who exchanged gunfire with two armed men outside an exhibit hall holding a provocative contest for caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Both gunmen were killed, heading off what investigators suspected was a planned mass shooting.

The Medal of Valor ceremony comes amid a simmering public debate about police tactics and racial disparities in the justice system. Obama has walked a careful line on the issue  expressing support for most law enforcement officials, while also endorsing protesters complaints about racial profiling and mistreatment by police.

In his remarks on Monday, Obama steered that conversation toward his push for a sentencing overhaul and other changes to the justice system, an effort that has found backing in both camps.

Obama said he holds out hope that legislation can be passed this year despite the heavily politicized climate ahead of the November election. The need for change has been a rare point of common ground between Democrats and Republicans, and though momentum appeared to have sputtered earlier this year, a new Senate proposal has raised hopes that the issue could be successfully revived.

One of those honored, Police Maj. David Huff of Midwest City, Okla., saved a 2-year-old girl being held at knifepoint after negotiations with her captor deteriorated.

Obviously, the last few moments were tense. There was a countdown going on, Huff told reporters after the ceremony. There was just no way I was going to let that little child get hurt.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the nations top law enforcement official, said there were no words or medals that could begin to pay the debt the country owes the officers.

It has often been said that the price of freedom is constant vigilance, Lynch said. Know this: they pay that price on our behalf.

One Philadelphia officer died from a gunshot wound and was honored posthumously. Sgt. Robert Wilson III drew fire from assailants during a robbery while saving store employees and customers. Wilsons family accepted the award on his behalf.

We honor those who didnt come home, the president said.

The other officers honored with the medal Monday are:

 Miami-Dade police Officer Mario Gutierrez, who was stabbed multiple times while subduing a knife-wielding man who tried to set off a massive gas explosion that could have caused massive casualties.

 Johnson City, N.Y., Patrolman Louis Cioci, who chased and captured at a crowded hospital a gunman who had just killed a fellow officer. Investigators believe Cioci saved the lives of hospital staff, patients and visitors.

 Los Angeles police Officer Donald Thompson for, while off duty, crossing two freeway dividers and braving first- and second-degree burns while pulling an unconscious man from a burning car to safety.

 Omaha, Neb., police Officer Coral Walker, who shot and killed a man who had killed and injured multiple people during a shooting rampage.

 North Miami, Fla., police Officer Niel Johnson, who endured gunfire from an assault weapon in pursuing and capturing a man who had shot a Miami police officer and two bystanders.

 FBI Special Agent Tyler Call, who while off duty with his family helped rescue a woman whose ex-husband was holding her at gunpoint.

 Niagara County, N.Y., sheriffs Deputy Joey Tortorella, who confronted and subdued a gunman who had shot and wounded his parents inside their home, preventing the gunman from threatening the safety of students at a nearby elementary school.
BOSTON  A 64-year-old cancer patient has received the nations first penis transplant, a groundbreaking operation that may also help accident victims and some of the many U.S. veterans maimed by roadside bombs.

In a case that represents the latest frontier in the growing field of reconstructive transplants, Thomas Manning of Halifax, Mass., is faring well after the 15-hour operation last week, Massachusetts General Hospital said Monday.

His doctors said they are cautiously optimistic that Manning eventually will be able to urinate normally and function sexually again for the first time since aggressive penile cancer led to the amputation of the former bank couriers genitals in 2012. They said his psychological state will play a big role in his recovery.

Emotionally, hes doing amazing, Dr. Curtis Cetrulo, who was among the lead surgeons on a team of more than 50, said at a news conference. He wants to be whole again. He does not want to be in the shadows.

The identity of the deceased donor was not released.
ANAHEIM  Several dozen residents and parents of schoolchildren attended a meeting hosted by the Anaheim Police Department to address concerns related to the killing a of 32-year-old woman near a school last week.

Its really because there are a lot of people who witnessed it, police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said. This is to let them know the community is safe  this was a targeted act and the park is a safe environment to be at.

Claudia Garcia was fatally shot by her estranged husband on Thursday in Peralta Canyon Park, police say, which is adjacent to an elementary school. Students from Crescent Elementary School and their parents were in the area  some just feet away  when Garcia was shot.

Police officials, along with representatives from Community Service Programs and the Orange County Family Justice Center, answered questions from audience members about the attack, police response and domestic violence.

Much of the talk Monday centered on police response and the schools brief lockdown.

You pretty much heard tonight, we got them in safely, said Crescent Principal Shele Tamaki about the arduous task of getting already dismissed students back into school.

Jessica Nettles, 40, and her husband moved near Anaheim Hills from the citys west side in November. Her 3-year-old son attends the Orange Unified Pre-K SDC School adjacent to the park.

I realized were not in a bubble, she said. I feel like we know what to do, know what to expect. I need to know what happens if something like this happens again.

Others asked about Garcias daughter, a student at Crescent, who is staying with family members.

Humberto Servin, 49, of Orange is charged in the shooting death. The shooting occurred at 2:37 p.m., in Garcias car, within several feet of schoolchildren.

Anaheim police found Servin 15 minutes after the shooting in the police substation parking lot about 4 miles away.

The couple were married but had not lived together since 2008. Anaheim police were never called for any domestic disputes involving either person.

Elia Renteria with the Justice Center spoke about the need for domestic violence victims or anyone in an unstable relationship to get help. The first step is talking to someone and then, if needed, filing a restraining order.

A situation like this could have been so easily prevented, Renteria said. We wanted to be here today because someone may know someone who needs this kind of help.

His arraignment on Monday was rescheduled for June 3.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasinao@ocregister.com
Just as a library responds to the reading needs of a community, a tiebrary caters to people who are in dire need of a tie but cant afford to buy one. Housed by the Paschalville Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, the tiebrary stocks 48 pieces of neckwear in various colors and patterns, ranging from traditional ties to bright and trendy cravats. Anyone with a library card is welcome to checkout a tie for up to three weeks at a time.

The tie-lending initiative was started mainly to help out the vast population of unemployed men, particularly in southwest Philadelphia, where the Paschalville Branch is located. The neighborhood is marked by its high rates of poverty and unemployment, and is home to several immigrants and former inmates in dire need of a job. So this local library is trying to do its bit to help the community.

Its an illustration of libraries really responding to the needs of their communities, said Nate Eddy, librarian and strategy coordinator for the Free Library of Philadelphia. People still associate libraries with quiet places to check out a book, but were so much more than that.

Photo: Free Library of Philadelphia/Facebook

Speaking on the dire need for such a service in south Philly, branch manager Jennifer Walker added: The unemployment rate is 18.5 percent. As for education attainment, 25 percent of the working-age population has less than a high school diploma, and another 39 percent has not progressed past a high school diploma. The poverty level is 34 percent.

The idea for the tiebrary came about when Eddy happened to visit the Queens Public Library in New York City last year, and came across a similar initiative there. I reached out to Queens to see if they wouldnt mind us replicating the idea, he said. They said, Go for it. So Eddy and his team purchased around 12 ties and sent them to the Paschalville branch for people to borrow.

It started off as a simple idea, but it was library assistant Omelio Alexander who turned it into an ambitious project complete with a display case for the ties and a systematic checkout process. He started by gathering unused clear VHS cases and converting them into display boxes for the ties. He also set up a system where members are allowed to checkout ties for three weeks at a time, to use them for multiple interviews. Sometimes you have part of the interview outfit but not the whole outfit, and this is an easy way to doctor up whatever you have and make it more professional, Alexander explained.

Photo: Free Library of Philadelphia/Facebook

The Tiebrary was a success and it caught the attention of Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kennedy, who paid the branch a visit and even tweeted a photo in late March. Since then, the Tiebrary has been receiving generous donations, like 36 ties from Menzfit, a local nonprofit that hands out suits for low-income men to wear to interviews. But the idea is still pretty new, so there have only been a handful of borrowers at the Tiebrary so far. We are still trying to figure out the best way to promote it and trying to get people to understand [the ties] value, Alexander said.

The ties are so pretty, maybe people dont know that they can borrow them, Walker added. And its a new idea. People are used to seeing books and movies on display. Theyre not accustomed to seeing other things they can borrow.

Last year, we wrote about a similar initiative called Sharp Dressed Man, based in Baltimore, that hooks men up with gently worn suits for job interviews. Run by a local high-end suit making business, the charity has so far been able to help several men who were either homeless or just out of prison. Some of their before and after pictures prove that a simple suit can really make a remarkable difference.

Photo: Sharp Dressed Man

via Take Part
Map shows eruv around Westhampton Beach.

The Westhampton Beach board, hoping to take the same deal as Southampton and Quogue, says it will allow an eruv Jewish boundary to avoid possible millions in fees. But a vote by Trustees June 2 is needed.



WHB residents were shocked by publication in court records of the proposed agreement dated May 13. There was no announcement by WHB itself. The village does not have either staff PR or outside PR counsel.

Residents will get a chance to voice their opinion to the WHB Trustees at their meeting June 2. Wording for the agreement has been worked out but the wording is not yet publicly available. Some residents are suggesting the meeting be moved from the small trustees meeting room to the high school auditorium.

Trustees of Southampton voted to accept the agreement with the East End Eruv Assn. in the last few moments of the meeting Aug. 25, a move that Arnold Sheiffer of Jewish People for the Betterment of WHB had called shameful.

The Southampton proposal was not on the agenda for the meeting and there was no discussion by Trustees or the public. Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst made the motion and it was quickly passed, the 38th and last action of the meeting. It was a walk-on motion.

She told the board it was time to bring an end to what has been a very long and costly piece of litigation that was solely geared to the interpretation of our sign laws. Some, but not all courts have ruled that since the Jewish markers are hard to see and even "invisible," they are therefore not "signs" and sign laws don't apply to them. Eruvim are visible on Synagogue websites but no court decision has ever mentioned the visibility on the internet.

She said SH would drop its suit in U.S. District Court arguing that an eruv would violate the First Amendment. SH would not have to pay any restitution to the EEEA for lawyer and court fees, a threat that had been made by the EEEA. Fees totally millions had been threatened at one point by Marvin Enzer, EEEA president.

Following is from Court Records dated May 13:

Honorable A. Kathleen Tomlinson District Court Magistrate Judge Long Island Federal Courthouse 100 Federal Plaza

Central Islip, New York 11722

767 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10153-0119 +1 212 310 8000 tel +1 212 310 8007 fax

Robert G. Sugarman

+1 212 310 8184 [email protected]

Re: E. End Eruv Assoc., Inc., et al. v. The Village of Westhampton Beach, et al., 2:11-cv-0213 (E.D.N.Y.) (AKT); Verizon New York, Inc., et al. v. The Village of Westhampton Beach, et al., 11-cv-00252 (E.D.N.Y.) (AKT)

Dear Judge Tomlinson:

On behalf of Plaintiffs East End Eruv Association (EEEA), Marvin Tenzer, Morris Tuchman, Clinton Greenbaum, Alan H. Schechter, Carol Schechter, Deborah Pollack, Simcha Pollack, Jeffrey Lean, Alexa Lean (collectively, the EEEA Action Plaintiffs), Verizon New York, Inc. (Verizon), the Long Island Lighting Company d/b/a LIPA (LIPA) and Defendant The Village of Westhampton Beach, the undersigned counsel write to inform the Court of the status of the parties potential settlement.

The parties counsel have worked out language they expect their clients to approve. The attorney for the Village of Westhampton Beach has indicated he expects the Board of Trustees of the Village to authorize signature at the next public meeting of the Board, which will occur on June 2, 2016.

Respectfully submitted,

WEIL, GOTSHAL & MANGES, LLP

/s/ Robert G. Sugarman

Robert G. Sugarman Yehudah L. Buchweitz Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP 767 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10153 Tel: (212) 310-8000

Counsel for Plaintiffs East End Eruv Association
Westhampton Beach board wants to approve an eruv deal with East End Eruv Assn. but a vote is needed at its meeting June 2. Could be a battle since an estimated 95% of residents oppose an eruv. New York Times has assigned a reporter to the story.

A court document dated May 13 said there is a potential settlement and that outside village legal counsel Brian Sokoloff has indicated he expects the Board of Trustees to authorize signature at the next public meeting of the Board which will occur on June 2, 2016.



Sokoloff spoke for 47 minutes at a WHB Trustees meeting last year, describing court decisions and saying that they are what counts and not what law professors are saying. This writer was given five minutes to rebut Sokoloff. We noted that Prof. Alexandra Susman of the UCLA Law School has called eruvim unconstitutional in a 34-page treatise.



There was no announcement of the proposed settlement on the WHB website May 13 nor any announcement since. The category Eruv Litigation on the site has no mention of the proposed agreement.

Cartoon: Mel Toff

Federal District Judge Kathleen Tomlinson was sent a letter that said The parties counsel have worked out language they expect their clients to approve. The letter became a court document which was obtained via a search.

Attempts to obtain the wording of the agreement from Mayor Maria Moore or Village Clerk Elizabeth Lindtvit have been unsuccessful. Asked if she had the wording via an email, Lindtvit replied, No. She and Mayor Moore have been asked when such wording might be available but have not responded.



JPOE, Election, NYT in Mix

While Southampton and Quogue have agreed to sign off on an eruv to avoid millions in penalties, lawyer costs and court fees, both agreements were made without a town hall at which residents could discuss the proposal.

Matt Chaban

This writer is a resident of WHB, a home owner, and registered voter and has asked Mayor Moore and the Trustees not to take any vote until after the election June 17 and after there has been a town hall on this subject which involves the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state.

New York Times real estate reporter Matt Chaban, who joined recently from Crains, has been assigned to write about the eruv in WHB and has been interviewing local residents. This would be the first NYT coverage of eruvim in the Hamptons since Feb. 4, 2013.

Neither SH or Quogue had organized opposition to the eruv which is something that WHB has. That is Jewish People for the Betterment of WHB (previously known as Jewish People Opposed to the Eruv) which has more than 400 members and has been working against an eruv in WHB for more than six years. It has been involved in several court battles with the EEEA, WHB and Verizon and Long Island Power which have sided with the EEEA.

JPBWHB is a potent political force, backing two freshmen candidates last year who won election by large marginsBrian Tymann and Rob Rubio. They were elected after promising not to sign any agreement with the EEEA.

Steve Frano Runs for WHB Board

Running for the board this year is Steve Frano who is serving a five-year term on the Planning Board that expires May 31, 2017. He would replace, if elected, either Charles Palmer or Ralph Urban. Frano has been asked whether he supports the agreement with EEEA,whether he feels a Trustee vote on the agreement should be postponed until after the election, whether there should be a town hall on the eruv, and whether he favors an elected Westhampton Library board. He had not responded as of 3:40 p.m. today.

Emails have also been sent to Palmer and Urban asking if they support the proposed agreement with EEEA. Neither has responded as of press time.

The SH deal was the last of 38 motions considered by the Aug. 25 Southampton board and had not been on the agenda. It was a walk-on motion that passed in a few moments without discussion. Arnold Sheiffer of Jewish People for the Betterment of WHB called the action put through by Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst shameful.

Whether JPBWHB will take any action is not yet known.

Residents are voting today on whether the proposed $2.7 million budget of the Westhampton Library will be accepted. Citizens who want an elected board to replace the current appointed board have been passing out leaflets urging that the budget be defeated

The last two sessions of the library board were marked by shouting by both sides requiring the meetings to be suspended until order could be restored. The library board, headed by Tom Moore, husband of WHB Mayor Maria Moore, has resisted demands that it shift forthwith to elected status. Citizens at the recent meetings have been demanding the resignation of Moore and the other trustees.
Hal Bienstock

One of the biggest threats facing a companys reputation today is the possibility of being hacked. Unfortunately, theres only so much a company can do to prevent this kind of crisis. As some experts have said, there are two kinds of companies: those that have been hacked and those that have been hacked but dont know it yet.

Recently, my agency, Prosek Partners, hosted consultant and former National Security Agency deputy director John Chris Inglis at an April Corporate Communicators Roundtable luncheon in New York.

Inglis, who spoke about how companies can cope with the cybersecurity challenges of today and tomorrow, said that while there are many false assumptions regarding cybersecurity, but the most dangerous is the belief that its merely a technology problem.

Think about the movie The Imitation Game, said Inglis. People think that Alan Turing defeated the Germans Enigma Box. But he never truly figured out a way to beat a properly configured box. What he defeated were the Germans who didnt use the box right.

Inglis says companies should think of cybersecurity in three parts: people, processes and technology, with each link in the chain being progressively stronger. Therefore, companies looking to protect themselves should think less about the technology and more about the operations behind the technology.

True security is not possible, Inglis said. The best you can do is make your system defensible and well-defended.

This means companies should think hard about what they put online and why. Has your company moved so much of its operations online that it is now more vulnerable? Is critical data segregated from other data? Is there two-factor authentication to access this data?

Next, look at the people. Companies should know who is on their network at any given time and make sure those people have a reason to be there. They also should make sure employees understand at least the basics about how their companys network operates so they know how to minimize vulnerabilities and what they are accountable for.

Instead of trying to defend the perimeter as the main effort, companies should focus on defending the data, said Inglis. The data is the embodiment of the wealth and treasure, corporate capabilities, and business viability. It doesnt matter if the perimeter is secure if the data is at risk.

Study behaviors that are interacting with your data, then act as soon as you see an anomaly, Inglis continued. Mandiant, a security consultant, says it typically gets called in more than 200 days after a breach. Thats like calling the fire department after the fourth alarm has already gone off.

As the second-highest ranking official at the NSA when Edward Snowden leaked secret information about the agency, Inglis experienced what its like to deal with a data breach firsthand. His advice to companies dealing with their own security breaches is to be transparent with the public and employees and stay focused on the broader mission.

One thing I didnt expect was that people were so willing to believe the worst about us, said Inglis. The information Snowden leaked showed that we were following the law and doing exactly what Congress authorized us to do. But thats not the message that came through.

Inglis blames this on the NSAs low profile prior to the leaks.

We werent out there telling our story, he said. No one knew anything about us, and this allowed someone else to take control of our narrative.

The NSA was more successful internally, where the agencys leadership was able to clearly explain the context around the leaks and remind employees of why they chose to work for the agency in the first place.

Its interesting to note that while the threats that face companies are evolving faster than ever, the tenets for preserving reputation in the face of those threats remain the same: Know what your brand stands for, deliver on that promise daily, and be transparent with your stakeholders through good and bad.



* * *

Hal Bienstock is a senior vice president at Prosek Partners.
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As a parent, you may feel powerless to help your student transition into the next phase of life. Youve been there from kindergarten registration through the barrage of high school standardized testing, but now, as your student considers future options, youre a little in the dust. Many of us have been there  and we want to help!

If your student is headed to college in the next year, theres actually a lot you can do to help prepare him or her for this next phase of life. Helping your student develop the skills he or she will need for college success is a great way to stay involved and encourage academic excellence as college begins.

Here are some of the key skills to keep in mind:

1. An open mind.

It may seem obvious, but students should enter college with the ability to keep an open mind. They will be presented with many new positive opportunities, so being open to new experiences is crucial to success. Their views may be challenged and their assumptions may be corrected  and this is usually a great thing!

Encourage your student to maintain an open mind by discussing a variety of topics with him or her (even if theyre controversial) and dialoguing about current events that are going on. Broaden their horizons by attending a variety of things as a family  plays, sporting events, lectures, and so on.

2. Good comprehension.

One of the most common problems college freshmen face is the inability to fully comprehend what they hear and even read. In college, those who can comprehend information theyre asked to take in hold a distinct advantage over those who struggle. Teachers often deduct points when students fail to follow even simple directions, which leads to lower grades.

Students who can pull relevant information from either spoken or written texts turn in more complete assignments, retain more information, and perform better on homework and tests. To help your student become better at comprehension, quiz them on things theyve heard or that youve talked about. Encourage reading for pleasure, and stress the importance of following directions and rereading as necessary.

3. A command of language.

Its easy to forget about the importance of writing in a world of social media and emojis, but college professors havent dismissed writing as an invaluable skill and neither should your students. While English teachers will be evaluating student writing carefully and more technically, other teachers are also looking for students who can compose impressive content.

Students who write well will likely end up performing consistently better in all of their classes (not to mention it will help their job prospects later!). Stress the continued importance of writing to your student and encourage him or her to write for fun, or at the very least, to read a variety of texts that will help his or her ability to write.

4. The ability to get organized.

College can be a trying time for students, in part because theyre living away from home for the first time in their lives. Theyre balancing homework, a new social life, and the seemingly simple task of taking care of themselves. This is a lot of change in a short amount of time.

Successful college students are always organized. Help your student get (and stay) organized by discussing organizational tactics they might employ. Check out hardcopy or online planners, organizers, and apps that can assist in this process. Help them get a system in place before theyve even left and theyll be more likely to maintain it once theyre living on their own.

5. A knack for problem-solving.

Try as you may, youll never be able to fully prepare your student for every issue that may arise in college  but you can teach them to work through it by themselves. Much of college is just an exercise in problem-solving, so start practicing with your high school student now.

Students who know how to reason through problems, both on their homework and in their lives, are more likely to find success and even happiness at the collegiate level. To develop this skill at home, dont immediately reward your student with an answer. Instead, require them to work through potential outcomes until they settle upon one.

All students are bound to struggle a bit during college, but by helping them to develop these skills, youre doing your part to assist in a smooth transition. Take an interest, be a supportive parent and watch your student succeed!

***

Heather Hamilton is a contributing writer for Varsity Tutors, a live learning platform that connects students with personalized instruction to accelerate academic achievement.
What happens when a stock is trendless, drifting, flat as a pancake?

Chartists will loathe it. Traders will disdain it. Even long-term investors will neglect it.

In that disdain and neglect, there is sometimes the seed of a profit.

That is the thought that inspired me in 1999 to start the Do Nothing Club for stocks that have gone nowhere, and that I think may go somewhere, someday.

A study conducted some years back suggests that stocks hitting new highs or new lows tend (as a group) to underperform the market. If thats the case, the outperformers must be hidden somewhere in the middle.

To be eligible for the Do Nothing Club this year a stock must be within 5 percent of where it was a year ago, and within 5 percent of where it was a month ago.

This is the 13th Do Nothing Club column Ive written. The previous ones were in 1999 through 2006, and 2012 through 2015. So we can look at one-year results for 12 columns, and three-year results for 10 columns.

The average three-year return has been 34.1 percent, vs. 13.8 percent for the Standard & Poors 500 Index. Five of the 10 columns beat the index on a three-year basis. Eight of the 10 were profitable.

On a one-year basis, the average return was 8.1 percent, compared with 5.9 percent for the S&P 500. Ten of the 12 columns were profitable, and seven beat the index.

The results for my column picks are theoretical and dont reflect trades, trading costs or taxes. And the record of my column selections shouldnt be confused with the performance I achieve for clients. And past performance doesnt guarantee future results.

Last year, my Do Nothing picks fell on their faces with a 20.8 percent decline. All three selections fell, with the biggest loss being 47.2 percent in Triumph Group Inc. No triumph there. Phillips 66 did best, losing only 0.1 percent. The S&P 500 was up 0.5 percent.

Berkshire Hathaway

Now its time to visit some somnolent stocks and pick the members of the Do Nothing Club for 2016-17. Ill begin with Berkshire Hathaway (BRK Class B), the redoubt of the redoubtable Warren Buffett.

Insurance and railroads are the two biggest businesses at Berkshire. But it resembles a small country in scope and size, owning five dozen businesses, and holding significant minority stakes in many others, including Coca-Cola, IBM, Wells Fargo and American Express.

Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares traded for $144.26 on May 13, 2015, and $141.50 last Friday, one year later.

Yet the company had a profit margin of more than 18 percent in the past four quarters, and that may be understated because of the accounting treatment for those partially owned subsidiaries.

The stock sells for 14 times reported earnings. That seems little enough to pay for a company run by a man many people (including me) think is the countrys greatest investor.

Unum

Whenever the economy is moribund, a lot of insurance companies lose money on disability insurance. People who are legitimately disabled are more likely to file claims. In addition, fakers come out of the woodwork.

The U.S. economy is in much better shape now than it was in 2007-09, but the recovery has left a lot to be desired, especially for blue-collar workers and midlevel white-collar workers. So the disability insurance industry has been going through one of its periodic shakeouts.

Unum Group (UNM) has specialized in disability insurance for a long time and has shown a profit in each of the past 11 years. With some competition likely to drop out, Unum may be able to improve its profit margins.

Unum shares were at $34.74 a year ago and fetched $33.62 as of May 13.

Bank of Marin

California is doing reasonably well economically. Per-capita income is higher than average and growing a little faster than the U.S. as a whole. The state doesnt depend heavily on the energy industry for jobs.

Marin County, home to Bank of Marin Bancorp (BMRC), ranks as one of the top 20 in the U.S. in per-capita income. Thus, Bank of Marin has some tailwinds going for it, yet the stock on May 13 was at $48.86, compared with $49.95 a year earlier.

The bank has been profitable in each of the past 15 years and had a respectable return on assets of 1.04 percent last year. Yet of the five analysts who follow it, not one rates it a buy.

Disclosure: I own Berkshire Hathaway shares for several of my clients. Currently I have no positions in the other stocks mentioned in todays column.

John Dorfman is chairman of Dorfman Value Investments LLC in Boston and a syndicated columnist.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. owns the Omaha World-Herald.
Federal authorities are proposing that the Minnesota excavation company drilling in the area of Ms Pub at the time of the January fire be cited for one serious violation and fined $4,900.

The fire, which city investigators said was fueled by natural gas from a damaged utility line, destroyed the Ms Pub building in Omahas Old Market district.

The U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, said Monday that it has completed its investigation of North Central Service Inc., of Bemidji, Minnesota, which was digging near the site of the explosion and fire, and Unite Private Networks, a Kansas City-based fiber-optic utility that commissioned the work.

North Central was cited for one serious violation for allegedly failing to use safe and acceptable means to determine the location of underground utilities in the area.

As North Central drilled closer to markings that indicated utility lines, it allegedly failed to pothole the ground, or dig viewing holes, near the markings left by the municipal utility company, OSHA said.

North Central Chief Executive Troy Torgerson didnt return a request for comment Monday. The company hasnt returned multiple calls and emails from The World-Herald since the January incident.

The fine for a serious OSHA violation is capped at $7,000, and fines can be reduced based on the size of the employer: Based on North Centrals size, they received a 30 percent ($2,100) reduction, said Jeff Funke, director of OSHA in Omaha.

A repeat violation in the past five years could have resulted in a fine of up to $70,000. But North Central has not been cited for the same or a similar violation in the past five years, Funke said.

North Central was conducting a drilling operation for Unite Private Networks on a fiber-optic project connected to Verizon Communications. The telecommunications company planned to install small antennas on lampposts in the Old Market.

Unite Private Networks, the controlling contractor, was not cited or fined because it did not actively supervise the work or have oversight over North Centrals day-to-day operations, Funke said. As a result, no citations were issued against Unite, he said.

They kept tabs on them a little bit, but they did not have direct control, he said.

Jason Adkins, president of Unite Private Networks, said Monday that he was aware of the OSHA report but declined to comment, citing a pending lawsuit.

Its not yet clear how OSHAs findings might affect a civil lawsuit filed last month in Douglas County District Court by Mark Mercer, Vera Mercer and Mercer Management against North Central Service, Unite Private Networks and Verizon, the nations largest telecommunications company.

Neither Mark Mercer, head of Mercer Management, which owns the building that housed Ms Pub, nor his attorney, Anne Marie OBrien of Omahas Lamson Dugan firm, could be reached Monday for comment.

The lawsuit doesnt specify monetary damages, saying they are to be determined at trial.

The lawsuit alleges that contractors drilling underground were negligent in rupturing a gas line, which fed a tower of fire that ravaged the old brick building at 1102 Howard St.

The Nebraska Fire Marshals Office, which is charged with overseeing utilities emergency responses, is reviewing the Metropolitan Utilities Districts response to the explosion and fire. The Fire Marshals Office couldnt be reached Monday for comment.

OSHA, which does not have jurisdiction over MUD, is not investigating the utility.

North Central has until June 3 to respond to the OSHA citation. The firm can contest the violations or meet with OSHA and potentially settle the case, Funke said.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1142, janice.podsada@owh.com

***

Read the violation report from OSHA:

On January 9, 2016 at approximately (2:45 p.m.) the employer failed to protect employees against explosion and fire hazards associated with horizontal boring work when the employer did not identify the gas line feeding into the business at 422 South 11th Street in Omaha, Nebraska. The employers failure to pothole the ground near the markings left by the municipal utility company created the risk of the (boring machine) striking the gas line while on the return run from the bore they just drilled; thus resulting in a gas leak that seeped back into the business and caused an explosion and fire that destroyed the structure and endangered the lives of the employees of both the business and the contractor.
Shift in Indian politics? Congress, Left out; BJP, AAP in

Feature

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

If the latest exit/post polls are considered an indicator, India's political landscape looks certain to undergo a change. The post-election surveys conducted in four states and one UT have predicted the Congress's losing power in Assam and Kerala and failing to capture power in West Bengal and Puducherry. It could do a bit better in Tamil Nadu but only by banking on the DMK; something similar to what had happened in Bihar last year. [What exit polls for 2016 state elections said]

Assembly Polls 2016 Coverage

Congress left in not many states

The loss of Assam and Kerala would mean the Congress would only remain in six states, five of which are of little political significance (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya). [Congress losing states one after another]

The only big state that the Congress rules now is Karnataka but here too, the regime of Siddaramaiah could find it difficult to beat the anti-incumbency in 2018. Visualising the scenario of the Congress going to the next Lok Sabha election without being in power in a single state of the country can't be ruled out (most or all the states it is in power at the moment will go to polls in the next two years).

Situation equally grim for Left

The situation is equally grim for the Left Front. Though it was never as influential in the national politics as the Congress, the Left still a better time a decade back when it won 60 seats in the general election of 2004 and played an important role in government formation.

But its journey since then has only gone downhill. It not only paved way for the rival Trinamool Congress (TMC) to become a part of the UPA II after pulling out of the UPA I in 2008, it has faced adversity against Mamata Banerjee in all elections---be it national, state or local---since 2009.

Left likely to receive fourth big thrashing from the TMC

If the exit polls are to be believed, the Left is set to face another humiliation this year, which will be the fourth major since the 2009 Lok Sabha election. And though the Left supporters will believe that this loss will be made up in Kerala where the CPI(M)-led LDF is predicted to return to power, the fact that the Left did not hesitate to join hands with its class enemy---the Congress in Bengal for this year's election---could play to its detriment in the long run.

The fallout of this opportunist electoral understanding has already been felt in Tripura---the only Left-ruled state in the country---and the BJP could make the most of this desperate opportunism of the Left and Congress in states like Kerala and Tripura in coming days, sounding the death knell of the communists.

BJP and AAP: The next Congress and Left of Indian politics?

But just like in physics, no vacuum exists in politics, and the fast disappearance of the two traditional powerhouses of Indian politics---organisational and ideological---looks to pave way for new forces and the BJP and AAP are the front-runners to take those empty slots.

BJP's decent gain outside Hindi belt

The BJP's likely victory in Assam and debut in Kerala means the saffron party has gradually made itself an acceptable alternative in corners that were once perceived to be inaccessible for it. The BJP showed in 2014 general elections that it is the favourite party to replace the Congress in Assam and now in 2016, it is expected to dislodge the traditional power in the north-eastern state.

In Kerala, too, even a small gain for the BJP would encourage it to break the bi-polar politics lead by the declining Congress and Left in the days to come.

In Tamil Nadu, gains in vote-share in a few pocket will make Prime Minister Narendra Modi's followers ecstatic for the southern-most state has been a difficult terrain for the party so far. In Bengal, too, the BJP has been predicted to win seven per cent vote-share, which is again not bad for a party which has been a non-entity in that state.

These high points of the BJP's performance outside the Hindi belt will make its cadre and supporters hopeful about their party turning a truly national one. After the losses in two prestigious battles in Delhi and Bihar last year and the recent debacle in Uttarakhand, the BJP needed to generate a few success stories to revive its mission to achieve a Congress-mukt Bharat.

If Modi and Amit Shah can pull off decent shows in UP and Gujarat next year, then the BJP will look strong for its challengers in the big fight of 2019.

AAP's urban-centric 'Naxalite' politics is appealing to many

The other party, AAP, is also another player of the future in Indian politics. Given it has a young leader in Arvind Kejriwal and harbours an all-India ambition, the AAP's support base is here to stay. Kejriwal has an easy calculation of targeting Modi to remain in the news and assuming that Modi still has a long time to spend at the national stage, the AAP will also remain relevant. [AAP rejoices MCD debut]

The AAP has a unique blending of urban support with a 'Naxalite' way of functioning and that makes look appealing for the common man, something the Left parties had enjoyed in the earlier decades. Just like the Left found an ideological enemy in the Congress to make its own space in Indian politics, the AAP has found a political enemy in the BJP to thrive.

If AAP can wrest Punjab next year, the contest will be on between Modi & Kejriwal

The AAP is still in its earlier days but if it can manage to wrest Punjab from the SAD-BJP alliance next year, its national ambition will certainly gather more confidence and one would expect for face-offs between the BJP and AAP in future.

The AAP will also find support from regional satraps like Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad in its future battles against Modi. With the fast disappearance of the Congress, the AAP could be the new-age Congress with a more popular leadership, unlike Rahul Gandhi, and as like the Congress of the past who took or gave support to the regional parties for power formation, the AAP could play a central role in the anti-BJP arrangement.
India always views war as last resort, but... : PM Modi to armed forces in Kargil

PM meets CMs to solve Drought Issues of Jharkhand, RJ and GJ - Part 3

Feature

oi-Lisa

By Lisa

The Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, on the 14th of May chaired the third round of high level meeting on the drought and water scarcity situation in parts of Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Gujarat. PM this time is meeting chief ministers of 11 drought hit states separately so that both immediate and long term measures to tackle drought can be figured out.

The meetings are attended by senior officials from the Government of India and the respective State governments.

Drought situation in Jharkhand:

Rs 273 crore was released to the State as central share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for 2015-16. A further amount of Rs. 143.25 crore has been released as first instalment of SDRF for 2016-17.

The State has disbursed Rs. 376 crore to 12 lakh farmers under SDRF, through DBT. Insurance claims of Rs. 53 crore were also settled through DBT.

CM Raghubar Das informed that Jharkhand plans to double its irrigated area from 19 per cent to 40 per cent in the next two years. One lakh farm ponds are planned to be built under the State Plan, and an additional five lakh farm ponds will be built under MNREGA. The State is promoting fishery in the water bodies.

The Chief Minister informed that tenders for the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana have been finalized in the State. The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of regular monitoring of the progress towards implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

The Prime Minister also called for generating a mass movement for soil health cards. He said 'mobilization, momentum and mechanism' are all required to make the soil health card programme a success. He said soil testing should be developed as a skill, and loans can be given for setting up labs through MUDRA.

Emphasizing the use of technology, the Prime Minister called for reporting of assets created by MNREGA, through geo-tagging and uploading of photographs with hand-held devices. He also called for all water bodies to be identified through unique numbers and geo-tagging.

The meeting ended with a resolve on the part of the Centre and State to work together.

Rajasthan's drought situation:

An amount of Rs. 911.64 crore has been released to the State under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), after adjustments of the State balances. This is in addition to Rs 827.25 crore released as central share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for 2015-16 to the State. A further amount of Rs. 434.25 crore has been released as first instalment of SDRF for 2016-17.

The Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said that Rajasthan has faced drought for 61 out of the last 67 years. She explained in detail, the difficulties being faced by people in various parts of the State due to the shortage of drinking water.

She informed the Prime Minister about the Mukhyamantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan, under which 7 lakh water conservation structures are to come up in four years, including one lakh by 30th June, 2016. The State is using the waters of the Narmada for micro-irrigation.

Gujarat drought situation:

Elaborating on the State's efforts for water conservation, recharge and creation of water bodies, the Chief Minister Anandiben Patel mentioned that 1.68 lakh check dams, 2.74 lakh farm ponds, 1.25 lakh Bori Bandhs have been made with storage capacity of 42.3 billion cubic feet water, benefitting 6.32 lakh hectares.

Piped water supply is being provided to 77 per cent of households in the State. In spite of deficient rainfall for the second consecutive year, the work done for the state water grid has resulted in only 568 tankers being required for water distribution in some remote tail areas. The Prime Minister, while appreciating this effort, called for further action to completely eliminate the need for tanker supply.

The State has made significant progress in micro-irrigation. One hundred per cent coverage of drip or sprinkler irrigation has been achieved in 3789 villages.

The measures undertaken by the State have resulted in a reasonable amount of drought-proofing, despite deficient (about 80 per cent of long-term average) and skewed temporal distribution of rainfall. Despite two successive years of drought, crop production in the State has been estimated at 95 per cent of the normal.

The creation of an elaborate canal network under the Sardar Sarovar Irrigation Scheme, has led to a significant increase in crop yields, and a positive impact on farm incomes.

PM's suggestions:

Mass movement to be generated for water conservation and rainwater harvesting in a comprehensive manner, and said youth organisations including NCC, NSS, NYKS, and Scouts and Guides should be involved in creation of water storage structures. Stress on the importance of wastewater management. Stress on rooftop rainwater harvesting. Figure out global best practices on rooftop rainwater harvesting. Traditional water storage structures in Rajasthan (Bavdis) should be revived in a big way through public participation. Rajasthan should aim to develop one city as a model, for solid waste management and waste water management, integrating irrigation of the neighbouring rural areas.

The meetings ended with a resolve on the part of the Centre and the States to work together to ensure people do not face water scarcity.
Wahabi ideology is the root cause for terrorism- Will Saudi Arabia act?

Feature

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

It goes without saying that the Saudi backed Wahabi ideology is the root cause for terrorism across the world. The US and the Saudis who claim to be fighting the ISIS or the al-Nusra front are missing the point. Unless they reign in on the Wahabi ideology, there is no point in going after these terror groups as more would emerge in the days to come.

Ali Rizk, a Middle East expert makes a very valid point in an interview given to rt.com. To a question as to why the ongoing violence is still devastating in Syria despite peace talks, Rizk points out that the root cause of terrorism remains the Wahabist ideology which is exported by Saudi Arabia.

Fight Wahabist ideology to root out terrorism:

Rizk explains in detail that the the root cause of terrorism, like this attack in Damascus, remains the Wahhabist takfiri ideology, which is exported by Saudi Arabia. Until now Saudi Arabia and its Western allies, notably the US, have not seemed to be ready to exert the necessary pressure on the Saudis in order to stop this export of the Wahhabist takfiri ideology which Saudi Arabia tries to spread through the madrasas. The problem, be it from ISIS or be it from other groups like Al-Nusra, in the end it comes down to one main problem which is the Wahhabist salafi ideology.

The spread of Wahabism:

The Saudi sponsored Wahabi ideologists are spreading their tentacles across the world. The moderate Muslims consider the Wahabi ideologists to be extreme. They spread their ideology in various ways. From preaching in Mosques to setting up educational institutions. In India their growth has been slow. The problem areas in India continue to Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Saudi Arabia realizes that the Shias in India are a threat to the dominance of the Sunni community. India houses a large number of Shias and this according to the Saudis gives Iran an upper hand in India. However for Saudi the Sunnis in India have not followed the violent Wahhabi style of Islam and there are many seniors in the Muslim community who will not allow that to happen.

The only way Saudi could instill a radical thinking in the minds of the Sunni Muslims in India was by the establishment of Wahhabi centres. The Wahhabis are an extremely orthodox set of Sunni Muslims.

Terror groups such as the ISIS and the al-Nusra strictly adhere by the Wahabi rule book. It is often said that to kill a terror outfit, the thought is what needs to be shot down first. In this context unless the US pressurises Saudi to act against the Wahabi ideologists the war on terror would go no where. Even if the US were to crush the ISIS with its might, another group would return thanks to the reach that the Wahabi ideologists have.

The rule book:

Shrines shall be forbidden Every Muslim woman should wear purdah or be subject to severe punishment Men have to compulsorily grow beards Women should not be allowed to work. Exception can be made only if the family is in need. Men and women should not mingle together in public. No weeping loudly at funerals. Abide by the Shariat law; every offence committed shall be punishable under this law. All men should wear trousers which are above their ankles. No laughing loudly or listening to music; no dancing or watching television.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 14:44 [IST]
Here is how much salary hike you can expect this year

Salaries of Air India employees to be restored in phases from April

New Wage Code 2022: Your in-hand salary, PF to leaves, here's what will come into effect from July 1

Salaries in India likely to increase by 10.4%: Here is why

7th Pay Commission: Good news for employees! Arrears of salary hike under 7CPC to be paid in August

India

oi-Reetu

New Delhi, May 17: There is a good news for the central government employees who are waiting for the Seventh Pay Commission's implementation.

If reports are to be believed then the arrears from January 2016, will be disbursed only August onwards.

7th Pay Comm: Employees say no to unilateral decision; Govt may consider minimum pay at Rs 24,000

Reports had earlier suggested that the salaries of the government employees will be paid in July as per the 7th Pay Commission recommendations.

As much as Rs 70,000 crore has been provisioned in the Union Budget 2016-17 for implementation of Seventh Pay Commission for government employees.

Implementation of the pay commission report in toto is to cost the government Rs 1.02 lakh crore.

Seventh Pay Commission: PMO wants 'maximum payout' to employees; orders to speed up process

The government in January set up a high-powered panel headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha to process the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission which will have bearing on the remuneration of 47 lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners.

Implementation of new pay scales recommended by the 7th Pay Commission headed by AK Mathur estimated to put an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore, or 0.7 percent of GDP, on the exchequer in 2016-17, government has said.

The recommendations of the Pay Commission will have bearing on the remuneration of 47 lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners.

If reports are to be believed then the proposal of minimum pay of 24,000 will be taken into consideration and the reasonable expectations of central government employees will be met while announcing the salary hikes in accordance with the 7th pay commission.

OneIndia News
Truth has come out, says Sasikala in reaction to OPS's remark before panel

Aggressive campaign, Jayalalithaa's health swung in DMK's favour: Experts

India

oi-Vicky

Bengaluru, May 17: All the exit polls for Tamil Nadu show that the tradition of voting for an alternate party will continue. Exit polls and an Intelligence Bureau report suggest that the DMK is coming back to power in the state. When the elections were announced none expected that the DMK will return to power and all experts said that it would be the AIADMK which would be given a second chance by the voter.

The experts say that there are several issues that may have worked in the favour of the DMK. The health of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalithaa was one major factor that could have gone against her party, experts also say.

Jayalalithaa to lose, DMK to win in Tamil Nadu: Exit poll survey

Amma was hardly seen

The opposition in Tamil Nadu spared no effort to tell the voter that if Jayalalithaa returns to power she would be a chief minister who would not work.

Jayalalithaa fondly referred to as Amma began her campaign on April 9 and the experts feel that in the one month she made very few public appearances. This could have gone against her.

On the other hand the DMK was very aggressive during its campaign. M K Stalin, the heir apparent to Karunanidhi did fling some barbs about the health of Jayalalithaa during the campaign. In one of his campaigns he even said that he would be able to stand and distribute all the awards during a function.

He made a reference to Jayalalithaa being unable to stand through an entire function and distribute awards.

The Intelligence Bureau says that while Jayalalithaa's health issue was one of the reasons for the exit polls suggesting her defeat, one must also bear the trend of voting an alternate party in Tamil Nadu. It has been this way since 1984 and we did not expect that pattern to change, the officer said.

Dr Sandeep Shastri, a leading psephologist tells OneIndia the DMK in fact had an extremely aggressive campaign and this tilted a lot in their favour. During the campaign one also saw the popularity of Jayalalithaa dipping a bit.

The campaign was not aggressive and some health related issues too had been pointed out. At first I felt that she may sweep the polls, but today that is not exactly the case says Dr Shastri.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 9:45 [IST]
AgustaWestland: After saying witness may have died, ED cites a little birdie to say he is alive

AgustaWestland: Money trail to Finland, Denmark, Norway under ED lens

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, May 17: The Enforcement Directorate is speeding up the AgustaWestland probe.

Over the past week the ED which is probing the money trail in this case along with the CBI has been engaged in a lot of paper work which included preparing an extradition request in the case of middleman, James Christian Michel and also information regarding the money trail from three countries.

Both these files are being prepared on a priority basis, an officer with the Enforcement Directorate informed OneIndia. Michel who is in the UAE is required to be brought to India and questioned.

In addition to this there is a money trail that has been detected to Norway, Finland and Denmark and details regarding the same has been sought, the ED also says.

Speeding up the probe:

The ED says that it does not want the probe to be stuck in a loop. Normally while dealing with foreign countries, the probe does tend to slow down due to technicalities.

However we have a water tight case on hand and are hopeful that our requests would be heeded to, the officer also noted.

The extradition of Michel alleged to have been appointed by AgustaWestland to bribe influential persons is a priority for the ED.

Although he had offered through a television channel to cooperate in the probe, the ED feels he needs to be extradited. Michel had said that he would cooperate with the probe provided he is not arrested. The ED says, " we are going ahead with the extradition request. The television is not a medium for him to make such a request."

The money trail:

The ED is also hot on a money trail to three countries. Finland, Denmark and Norway are the three countries from which the ED has sought details. Out of the Rs 360 crore routed into India, there is a trail that connects the same to various countries.

The ED has already sought information from the UK, Switzerland, Tunisia, UAE, Mauritius and Italy. So far Italy is the only country that has cooperated while the rest are yet to respond. The ED says that a fresh request is also being sent to Finland, Norway and Denmark where they have also found a money trail relating to this deal.

OneIndia News
Assam polls: BJP-alliances expected debut will be big morale booster for party

India

oi-Jagriti

New Delhi, May 17: BJP has been cheering since the exit poll results announced just after last phase of assembly elections concluded on May 16. Exit polls brought breather for BJP-alliance as it has emerged as winner in the state.

The BJP-alliance victory will end 15 years of Congress rule in the state. The BJP-alliance is ardently waiting for the final results that is scheduled to come out on May 19.

The BJP's win in Assam will alter the national politics and can remake the equation in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"The Assam win will be a big thing. It will alter national politics by giving BJP a major role in the northeast bringing a positive and affirmative agenda to the region and again showing that BJP is indeed a pan-India party," Anirban Ganguly, Director Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation was quoted as saying by OneIndia.

BJP managed to grab the anti-incumbency factor in Assam, the most populous North-eastern state.

While another senior journalist Aroonim Bhuyan feels that voters in Assam were left with no other option but to vote for BJP-alliance.

BJP likely to snatch Assam from Congress: Exit polls

If exit polls proved to be right then it will be a win-win situation for BJP's master strategist Amit Shah who faced criticism after debacle in Delhi and Bihar last year. Bihar is considered as crucial in parliamentary elections as the state 40 Lok Sabha seats.

Victory in Assam will bring cheers on face BJP's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, a former leader of the Asom Gana Parishad and the All Assam Students' Union as he was entrusted to divert the flow of voters towards BJP.

BJP is likely to taste the victory in Assam as all exit polls on assembly elections said BJP may form its first government in Assam, the most populous North-eastern state.

The expected victory has also coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second year in office anniversary. In view of Assam victory, BJP will also manage to form an alliance with regional parties for assembly elections in 2017.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 17:21 [IST]
Here is why a newborn baby must have skin contact with dads and non-birthing parents

How to Manage Things While Being a New Mommy, Advice by Noor Vishu Sehgal

Baby shifts from drought-hit Latur, drowns in bucket of water

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, May 17: In a tragic incident, a one-year-old baby girl, whose family left their home in drought-hit Latur and migrated to Thane to tide over the crisis, drowned in a bucket filled with water here, police said on Tuesday, May 17.

The Waghmare family of four members migrated to the city about a couple of months back to escape the drought in their Ahmedpur village of Latur district and were living in a shanty here, an officer at Vartak Nagar police station in Thane said.

"Their one-year-old daughter died on Sunday after drowning in a bucket of water while she was away from her mother's sight," he said.

The baby was found lying unconscious in the bucket by her mother and was rushed to a nearby municipal hospital where she was declared brought dead by the doctors, he said.

The postmortem report confirmed drowning as the cause of death. An Accidental Death Report has been registered in connection with the incident, the police officer added.

PTI
British visa application centre opens in Lucknow

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Lucknow, May 17: The British High Commission on Tuesday started here a visa application centre which will serve the needs of people of Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states.

The centre will be open on the third Tuesday of every month from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to receive applications for a UK visa, said an official.

"People in Uttar Pradesh seeking a UK visa will be saved a visit to New Delhi. People in Uttarakhand and Bihar will also have a more convenient place to apply for UK visas," said the official.The British High Commission runs 15 such centres in other parts of the country.

A person seeking the visa would have to submit at the centre the application along with passport, biometric data, and other documents, the official said.

Upon processing, the centre would send the documents back to the applicant through courier.The visa fee per applicant is Rs.8,499.

IANS
Drought, floods or hail, UP at centre of all political slugfest

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Lucknow, May 17: It's not without reason that Uttar Pradesh is at the centre of any and every thing even remotely connected with politics.

And so, it is no wonder that in this most populous state of the country, even matters of relief in situations of natural calamity - floods, droughts and hailstorms - spur politicians and governments in combative political slugfest!

Just last week, all hell broke loose and scribes were made to toil late night by the state government's mandarins to try and tell the world, through the might of their pen (laptops) that the 'water express' tanker train sent to Mahoba in parched Bundelkhand was a "gimmick" and "politically motivated" move of the Narendra Modi-led central government to put Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) government in the state on the mat.

While some hacks fell into the trap, old timers smiled and probably let it go as routine because the state and the centre have a long and acrimonious history of fights on such issues.

Sample this: Bundelkhand has been suffering both the vagaries of nature and a fight for political one-upmanship for years.

Many years ago, Rahul Gandhi - he wasn't the Congress vice-president then - visited the region and within days of his hugely-photographed trip, the UPA released a 'Bundelkhand package' running into millions of rupees.

The Congress, with many of its leaders from the region holding plum posts in the ruling dispensation as well as in the government, claimed it was the party's "humane package for the needy".

The then chief minister, Mayawati, termed it to be "crocodile tears" and went on to say that she was at the forefront of relief to this region.

The present Akhilesh Yadav government was at loggerheads with the UPA-II government, which it supported from outside, when the 1,000-plus fleet of ambulances purchased under the centrally-funded National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) were termed 'Samajwadi Ambulance Service'.

The centre protested but to no avail and the ambulances were rolled out by the state, in defiance of the union health ministry's instructions.

As a consequence, while Akhilesh Yadav generated some goodwill, specially in the countryside, funds to run the service dried up as the central government held back the money. The state government has since been running the service from its own resources.

Another unsavory spat that rocked centre-state relations was in early 2015 when hailstorms and rain wreaked havoc.

The state demanded Rs.7,543 crore (over $1 billion) for providing relief to farmers while the NDA government released just Rs.2,801 crore, triggering a war of words between the two governments. The state said it's too little, and the centre claimed funds were not being spent well.

The UPA government, too, responding to a demand of Rs.100,000 crore by the state, had only sanctioned Rs.13,762 crore between 2010 and 2014 for relief measures. The NDA regime had in 2014-16 given Rs.4,200 crore and has accused the SP government of not giving proper reports in time.

The 'Samajwadi Drought Relief Package' containing foodgrain, milk powder, rice and vegetable oil currently being distributed in the Bundelkhand region in bags carrying images of a beaming Akhilesh Yadav has also become a bone of contention.

The centre and the BJP claim that 75 percent of the funds for this have been given from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).

Surely, some relief is required from this acrimony!



IANS


ISIS-Hizbul Mujahideen will strike in Kashmir: Intelligence Bureau

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, May 17: Security has been stepped up in Jammu and Kashmir following an intelligence bureau alert that suggests the ISIS could strike in the state. The alert by the intelligence bureau states that the ISIS is looking to carry out a major attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

Further the alert also states that members of the ISIS met with commanders of the Hizbul Mujahideen and other groups in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Following this alert the elite commandos have been pressed into service and security upped across the state.

IB officials say that the worry is that the ISIS is looking to team up with Kashmir groups in a bid to carry out terrorist acts. The ISIS has been trying to make inroads in Kashmir since the past year.

Groups such as the Hizbul Mujahideen which have grown stronger over the past year would rely on the ISIS to further their cause.

It may be recalled that over the past year several incidents relating to the ISIS had been reported from Kashmir. Banners of the ISIS had been put up in different parts of the state which suggested that the Iraq and Syria based outfit was attempting to make its presence felt in the Valley.

OneIndia News
Jharkhand: Lightning kills 4, injures 8

India

oi-PTI

Lohardaga (Jharkhand), May 17: Four persons including three teenagers were killed and eight others injured when they were struck by lighting at Murmu village of Lohardaga district today evening, a senior police officer said.

Four persons including a girl were killed after rain accompanied by storm struck in the evening causing extensive damage, Superintendent of Police, Karthik S said. All the injured have been sent to a hospital in adjoining Latehar district.

The deceased were identified as Sharif Ansari (28), Sunil Singh Kherwar (15), Sanjay Singh Kherwar (13) and Kanti Kumari (12).

Of the eight injured, six were minors including two minors and a woman. The injured were identified as Bindu Kumari(11), Shankar Singh Kherwar Shankar Singh Kherwar, Sangita Kumari (all of 13 years), Salo Devi(34), Aman Kumar(5), Tabrez Ansari(6) and Wasim Ansari (14).

The storm caused extensive damage in the village as roof of several houses were blown away while some cattle also perished.

PTI
Karnataka man arrested for posting PM Narendra Modis morphed photo on Facebook

India

oi-Reetu

New Delhi, May 17: A 25-year-old youth from north Karnataka landed into trouble by posting a morphed picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media.

As per reports, Gangavati Police in Koppal district of Karnataka on Monday arrested Mohammed Mehaboob, who works at a jewellery shop, for the offence and booked him under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code.

According to an Indian Express report, "Police said they had registered a case under Section 153 A of the IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony). Mehboob had uploaded the picture as his FB profile picture on May 7."

"We have registered a case based on a complaint lodged by Manohar Gowda, the Gangavathi town president of the BJP, and have arrested the accused person,"police further told.

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Story first published: Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 18:44 [IST]
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Bengaluru: Man arrested for posting PM Modi's morphed photo on social media

India

oi-PTI

Bengaluru, May 17: A man has been arrested by Gangavati town police in Koppal district of north Karnataka for allegedly posting a morphed photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a social media site.

The photo showed Modi bowing to the feet of Telangana Legislative Assembly member Akbaruddin Owaisi from All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party.

Owaisi, known for his inflammatory speeches, is the younger brother of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.

Several BJP activists had complained about the post to police, following which one person, a resident of Gangavati in Koppal district, was arrested yesterday.

Police said he has been booked under section 153A of the Indian Penal Code (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence and language, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony).

The accused had been remanded to judicial custody till May 18, officials added.

PTI
Modi likely to flag off Agartala-Kolkata train on May 27

India

oi-PTI

Agartala, May 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to flag off the much-awaited regular train service from Agartala to Kolkata and Agartala to Silchar in Assam next week.

Official sources said today the Prime Minister is likely to flag off the Agartala-Sealdah and Agartala-Silchar trains and lay the foundation stone of the 15-km-long railway line between Agartala and Akhaura in Bangladesh during his visit to Shillong on May 27 to inaugurate the two-day plenary session of North Eastern Council.

Tripura was added to the broad gauge map of the country in March but introduction of the new trains to connect Tripura with the rest of the country was held in abeyance due to election code of conduct in Assam, which would end on May 19,the sources said.

NF Railways earlier announced that new trains could be introduced any time after May 19. The Rs 968 crore project for laying the track for Agartala -Akhaura railway line was settled in January 2010 when Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina met the then prime minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi.

The entire cost of the project would be borne by India though only 5 km of the 15-km long track would be in its side and the rest in Bangladesh, NF Railway sources said. The railway line is likely to enhance trade between the two countries and connect the land locked north eastern region with Bangladesh railways.

It would also reduce the distance between Agartala and Kolkata from 1650 km to 550 km, the sources added.

PTI
CoBRA officer killed, 10 commandos injured in IED blast triggered by Naxals in Chhattisgarh

To check alertness of local cops, Delhi Police to plant dummy IEDs

IED explosion outside former MLA's residence in Imphal

News flash: Sadhvi Pragya to break her fast after the snan

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Bengaluru, May 17: Suspended JDU leader Manorama Devi surrenders before Gaya court. Arrest warrant was issued by Bihar Govt against her over liquor prohibition.

Get all the latest news updates of the day:

12.28 pm: Heavy rains disrupts normal life in Guwahati.

12.27 pm: Sadhvi Pragya to break her fast after the "snan" at #SimhasthUjjain2016 , Ujjain.

12.26 pm: Police to take Sadhvi Pragya for 'Shipra snan' at Simhasth Kumbh in Ujjain tomorrow early morning.

11.20 pm: Police bust cricket betting racket in Ghatkesar area near Hyderabad, 3 people arrested, cash worth Rs 3 lakh seized.

10.41 pm: Home Minister Rajnath Singh paid tribute to chief priest of Nirankari sect Baba Hardev Singh in Burari.

10.40 pm: DRI today seized 1.99kgs of cocaine worth around Rs 10 cr from a woman passenger at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport,Shamshabad(Hyderabad).

8.56 pm: Youth shot at by bike borne assailants in a road rage case in Muzaffarpur(Bihar), admitted to hospital.

8.55 pm: One more newborn dies in JN Govt hospital in Ajmer (Rajasthan),taking the total number of newborn deaths to 9.

8.54 pm: This after reports that 5 Indian car models have failed the crash test carried out by UK-based safety and testing organisation Global NCAP.

8.53 pm: Maruti Suzuki says its products are safe and meet the safety standards of India and in most cases exceed them.

8.32 pm: This is baseless,its all a creation of the media, clarifies Anandiben Patel,Gujarat CM on reports of her being made Punjab Governor.

8.31 pm: Rameshwaram: Heavy rains warning issued in coastal regions of Tamil Nadu over probable depression in Bay of Bengal.

8.30 pm: The format is same as last year, there is no compulsion on anyone to do anything, says BJP on Yoga Day issue.

8.05 pm: Chairman of the FRBM Review Committee is N.K. Singh, Former Revenue Secretary & Expenditure Secretary, informs Finance Ministry.

8.04 pm: Govt constitutes a 5 Member Committee to comprehensively review and give recommendations on the FRBM roadmap for the future, says Finance Ministry

8.03 pm: 3 persons allegedly killed by a man over panchayat election rivalry in Sonipat,Haryana.Deceased persons also include father and brother of Armyman.

7.49 pm: Tala Marandi appointed as the next BJP Jharkhand unit chief.

7.35 pm: Assam: 2 injured in a blast triggered by miscreants in Raha area of Nagaon district.

7.30 pm: Final bill will be prepared taking into view suggestions of Indian stakeholders. Pakistan Govt didn't need to respond on this, says Kiren Rijiju.

7.15 pm: Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu and CM Kejriwal flag off trial run of unattended train operation enabled metro from Mukundpur.

7.09 pm: IOC says 31 athletes test positive for doping in retesting of 2008 Beijing Olympic samples

6.45 pm: Houses of people living in coastal region of Trivandrum (Kerala) damaged completely, some partially due to sea erosion.

6.34 pm: NGOs and others connected with case (alleged issuance of FCRA notices arbitrarily to NGOs for financial gains) would be summoned, says CBI Sources.

6.15 pm: A cricket coach booked for allegedly sexually abusing 5 teenage boys who were taking coaching from him in Hyderabad.

6.00 pm: Fire breaks out in a hosiery unit in Ludhiana, six fire tenders at the spot in Punjab.

5.45 pm: It's at an initial stage right now, there was no need for Pakistan to respond on this, says Kiren Rijiju, MoS Home.

5.32 pm: Court also directs bank to provide statement of transaction since 25 Feb'16 till date,also directs to attach shared held by Mallya in companies

5.15 pm: Kakinada-based lawyer alleges that TDP MP Thota Narasimham is behind clicking of nude photographs of his children.

5.00 pm: Haryana Govt transfers 6 IAS officers with immediate effect.

4.50 pm: Court passes an ex-party order while hearing the petition that was filed by consortium of Banks led by SBI seeking the same.

4.45 pm: Debt Recovery Tribunal directs J P Morgan bank not to disburse the 40 Million USD amount deposited by Diageo in favour of Vijay Mallya.

4.35 pm: Govt rejects Pak's repeated and increasing attempts to impose on Int'l community matters that India is open to address bilaterally with Pak, says MEA.

4.15 pm: A man kidnapped in broad day light in Greater Noida, later found dead.

4.00 pm: Amar Singh and Beni Prasad Verma are among Samajwadi party's Rajya Sabha candidates, says Shivpal Yadav.

3.49 pm: Delhi HC refuses to stay proceeding of Industrial Tribunal ovr TERI's Internal Complaints Comm report on woman's complaint agnst RK Pachauri.

3.30 pm: Bombay HC rejects anticipatory bail application of former Congress MP Nilesh Rane, accused of assaulting a party worker.

3.24 pm: Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha flew the indigenously designed &produced Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas) for ovr 30 mins at Bengaluru's HAL Airport.

3.23 pm: Odisha Assembly adjourned sine die, 4 days before the scheduled date due to continued protests by SC/ST MLAs.

3.00 pm: Those who don't want to say 'OM' can say something else, some people want to politicize everything, says Anupam Kher.

2.52 pm: Red corner notice issued against Maulana Masood Azhar,Abdul Rauf and in process against Kashim Jaan and Shahid Latif, says NIA Sources.

2.50 pm: PM Narendra Modi holds meeting with Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu over drought issue in Delhi.

2.30 pm: Bombay HC extends interim relief from arrest for Asif Balwa & 6 others till May 25, in connection with a money laundering case.

2.25 pm: Heavy rains lash Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala).

2.00 pm: Mercury dips to 26C, as heavy rains hits Chennai (Tamil Nadu)

1.49 pm: They're shedding crocodile tears,are not worried about Bihar but trying to revive their political career, says Bihar Deputy CM.

1.40 pm: Efforts are being made to defame and forcefully impose President's rule in non BJP ruled states, says Tejashwi Yadav.

1.29 pm: PM Narendra Modi holds meeting with Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu over drought issue.

1.15 pm: Delhi Govt tells court that Rohit Vemula's brother is no more interested in the job offered by the Delhi Government

1.14 pm: Delhi HC asks Government to file a response in two weeks, next hearing July 13th.

1.00 pm: Urged international community & UN to fulfil commitment with people of J&K by holding an independent plebiscite under UN auspices, says Pak MoFA

12.56 pm: Sushil Kumar is better. If he (Narsingh Yadav) can get bronze, Sushil Kumar can get gold, says Raj Singh,WFI VP on Rio2016

12.40 pm: Bomb blast near Indo-Myanmar Border pillar no. 78, behind Angala Parameshwari Muneeswarar temple; no casualty.

12.30 pm: PM Narendra Modi to visit Iran on May 22-23, will call on the Supreme Leader of Iran and will hold talks with President Dr. Rouhani.

12.25 pm: Heat wave intensifies, temperature in Banda (UP) crosses 47 degree Celsius.

12.24 pm: Our delegation met the Governor today over rising crime in Bihar and criminals not being nabbed, says Prem Kumar, BJP

12.12 pm: Jharkhand's Chatra Police arrests the third person in connection with the murder case of Journalist Indradeo Yadav.

12.00 pm: Subramanian Swamy writes to PM Modi, seeks immediate termination of Raghuram Rajan.

11.53 am: Sheena Bora murder case: CBI sought time to file reply on driver Shyamvar Rai's application to be approver in Special CBI court, Mumbai.

11.27 am: Supreme Court asks Bombay High Court to decide on the Jiah Khan death case expeditiously.

10.53 am: MCD Bypoll results for 12 seats declared

AAP wins 4

BJP-3

Congress-4

Independent-1

10.35 am: MCD Bypoll results: AAP's Anil Malik wins Nanakpura seat by 552 votes.

10.14 am: Man arrested in Karnataka for using morphed picture of PM Narendra Modi on Facebook.

10.10 am: Setback for AAP in municipal bypolls. AAP leading in just 2 seats of 13, Congress leading in 4 seats and BJP in two.

#MCD Bypoll results: BJP has won from Shalimar Bagh ward,supporters celebrate. pic.twitter.com/0FPyUaD4CK  ANI (@ANI_news) May 17, 2016

9.40 am: Delhi MCD by-poll results: BJP wins Nawada seat by 4843 votes.

9.30 am: One CRPF jawan dies during encounter with Naxals late last night in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.

9.10 am: Karnataka: Mohd Mehboob, an employee of a jewellery shop, was arrested on Monday under sec 153 for using a morphed picture of PM Modi on Facebook.

8.45 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the nation through 'Mann ki Baat' on May 22nd.

8.30 am: NASA records hottest April in history of the planet. Severe heat wave gripping North India unlikely to subside till May end, says Met Dept.

8.20 am: Suspended JDU MLC Manorama Devi, who is accused of violating prohibition law, sent to 14 day judicial custody.

8.08 am: Terrorist gunned down by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara. Operation continues.



8.00 am: IED blast on Khoyathong Road in Thangal Bazar, Manipur at 4am today. No casualties reported.

7.55 am: Suspended JDU leader Manorama Devi surrenders before Gaya court.

OneIndia News
Delhi LG and CM greet people on Diwali, ask people to be mindful of pollution

No rift with PM Narendra Modi: Ramdev

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, May 17: Yoga guru Ramdev on Monday, May 16 said the government's inability to bring back black money stashed abroad is leading to "frustration" among people but claimed there was no rift between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Wherever I go people say ask me, 'Baba has the black money ... been brought back'. So I have devised a new strategy. I say yes...that black money has still not been brought back. So, there are some issues like the black money which leads to frustration among people (against the Narendra Modi government)," Ramdev said.

He said 80 per cent of the black money is within the country itself and only 10-20 per cent of it is abroad.

"The biggest black money is in mining, followed, by gold, land, politics and drugs. If we can get hold of the black money in these five sectors it will hugely benefit the economy," Ramdev said.

Responding to a suggestion that he should also foray into the banking sector, Ramdev said he was "seriously" thinking about it. He claimed there was no rift between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Since last 15 years there has not even been once, where I have had an argument with Modi ji. I speak to Modi ji once in two-three months. If I have to give any opinion over any issue related to the nation then I talk to (Arun) Jaitley ji. I have spoken to him (Jaitley) over the black money issue.

"I speak to Amit Shah ji, senior ministers like Suresh Prabhu ji. So, there was no rift between me and Modi ji, nor will it happen in future. I want nothing from Modi. I just want him to see him as a successful Prime Minister," Ramdev said.

The yoga guru said ministers like Nitin Gadkari and Suresh Prabhu are doing exceptional work.

"It is true that the amount of off shore black money that was expected to be brought back did not come. There is a need to speed up efforts," Ramdev said while speaking at India TV's event 'Samvaad'.

Responding to reports that the government could come out with notes of denomination amounting to Rs 5000 and Rs 10,000, Ramdev said he will put "pressure" on the government against any such move.

"I have spoken to Jaitley ji for over three times. Now the Reserve Bank (of India) was to bring notes of Rs 5000 and 10,000 (denomination).

"Cash transactions is not traceable and this leads to black money. Notes of higher denomination should stop. The way banking services have expanded, the transactions should be in cheque, card, draft. We will put pressure (on the government) to get this done," Ramdev said.

PTI

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Story first published: Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 13:10 [IST]
Manohar Parrikar's visit to Oman, UAE gets delayed

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, May 17: The proposed official trip of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to UAE tonight has been delayed due to certain scheduling issues and he will now travel to Oman on Friday May 20 and then to the Emirates.

Defence sources said Parrikar will first travel to Oman where he will hold talks with the country's top leadership. He will then visit UAE on May 22-23, they said. Parrikar would be the first Indian Defence Minister to travel to UAE.

Parrikar's visit to the country comes just ahead of an air exercise being held between the air force of the two countries this month. Indian fighter planes will stop by in UAE on the way back from the Red Flag air exercise in the US.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi's visit last year, India and UAE had decided to establish a strategic security dialogue and boost defence ties besides resolving to work together in counter-terrorism operations, combating money laundering, drug trafficking and trans-national crimes.

The two sides had agreed to strengthen defence relations, including through regular exercises and training of naval, air, land and special forces, besides cooperation in coastal defence. The UAE had also said it will cooperate in manufacture of defence equipment in India.

Ahead of Parrikar's visit, a flotilla of three warships had reached Dubai on May 7 to demonstrate India's commitment to maritime relations with countries in the Gulf region.

He will visit Oman, considered to be closest to India among the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC), on May 20. Oman had signed a military protocol with India in 1972, which led to a three-year deputation of Indian Navy personnel to man Oman's Navy in 1973. An MoU on defence cooperation was also signed between India and Oman in 2005.

Areas of cooperation include joint military exercises, military training and IT, educational courses and exchange of observers and formal visits. India had trained 150 Omani military personnel in 2014-15.

PTI
Pathankot Attack: A price India paid for 'a Goodwill Gesture' in 2010

India

oi-Pallavi

New Delhi, May 17:Yes, that's true. India extended a hand of friendship and it was rejected immideately. However, Pakistan is not to be blamed alone, when our choices were bad. Let's face it!

The man behind the Pathankot attacks was released by UPA 2 government as a 'Goodwill Gesture' to Pakistan. Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) operative Shahid Latif was freed in 2010 to mend ties with Pakistan, which was going through a rough patch of Indo-Pak relations. Convicted of terror charges, Latif was in India till May 28, 2010, until he was freed along with 25 other terrorists who were languishing in various jails.

Incidentally, after being freed, Latif went back to join the JeM and was working as the chief handler of all the terrorists in India.

Latif is very close to JeM chief Masood Azhar.

Azhar was forced to be released during the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999. Although Latif's freedom was also demanded, which was rejected by the Vajpayee government.

[Read: Timeline of Pathankot terror attack]

Currently, he is wanted in India for the four suicide attackers who stormed the airbase on January 2. Latif is said to have arranged for the food, clothing, medicines and injections.

12 people, including NSG commando Lt. Col. Niranjan Kumar were killed in the attack.

OneIndia News
Will master poll strategist Prashant Kishor part ways with Congress?

India

oi-Mukul

New Delhi, May 17: It looks like all is not well between Congress' leaders and master strategist Prashant Kishore, popularly known as PK'.

Reportedly, Kishore who as a poll manager proved his mettle many times in past, may part ways with Congress soon. As per News 18 report, Congress top leaders are not happy with his style of working.

On the insistence of Rahul Gandhi, Congress recently roped in Kishore as the poll manager of the party to overview and strategise for the party in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Congress took Kishore with the motive to do well in poll-bound Punjab and Uttar Pradesh where party's prospect looked dim in comparison to Opposition.

Prashant Kishore, who earlier proved his midas touch by first securing victory for Modi led BJP during 2014 Lok Sabha election and later guiding Nitish Kumar to gain power in Bihar, is known for his out of box ideas.

With the guidance of Kishore, Congress which recently fared badly in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, wanted to turn the tide in their favour.

But things are not turning out as it was visualized by the Congress VP. Reports say that Congress' top leaders want Kishore to focus only on party strategies.

Leaders don't want him to interfere in organizational works. However, Kishore wants free hand as he got when he worked with Nitish and Modi earlier.

Sources say, PK is facing stiff resistance from State leaders who don't like his style of working. Kishore believes that Congress can only do better in these states if party leaders will follow his guidance.

When asked about the differences, Shakeel Ahmed, Congress Party general secretary was quoted as saying, "There is no communication gap between them.....Kishor will have no role in organisation matters and he will have no role in ticket distribution".

OneIndia News
Rashid Alvi kicks up row with controversial remarks over PM Modi: Here's what he said

India

oi-Reetu

New Delhi, May 17: Congress leader Rashid Alvi kicked up a row with his remarks over Prime Minister Narendra Modi, evoking sharp reaction from an audience, which asked him to take back his words and apologise.

Organisers of the India TV conclave "Samvaad", to mark the two years of completion of Modi government, tried to pacify the agitated audience who shouted down the Congress leader as words of 'shame shame' rent the air.

It all started with Alvi asking HRD Minister Smriti Irani, who was also present, on what action was being initiated on Modi coming out as "most stupid Prime Minister" in Google search. This was offended to by the audience.

Responding to the remarks, Irani said, "In Congress, those who throw stones and spits at Narendra Modi will be blue-eyed. The poison against Narendra Modi has crossed the limits that people forget that he is country's Prime Minister."

"When Rashid bhai uses such words for the country's Prime Minister, what kind of words does he use for a woman minister by saying that 'it is heard that you are very close to Modi ji'. We have to live with this poison everyday and then you say why does Smriti Irani get angry," she said.

Lashing out at the Congress, she said, "There is a cabal who have festered this democracy for too long. They have lived off the scraps of the dynasty and they have done this irrespective of the damage they do to institutions. Because their whole survival was never dependent on their talent, but it was dependent on their proximity."

Irani said by the example put forth by Alvi, neither Modi nor his supporters would be hurt, but the Congress leader has only lowered his own image by doing so. Earlier BJP leader and former JD-U MP Sabir Ali said it reflected the mindset of Congress, who were unable to digest their defeat and that their regime and influence were gone.

"I expect him to take back his words. I feel such language can be used only by people with such mindset who have a regret that their regime and influence have gone. Those who feel that being influential is their right can use such words," he said.

This is not the first time Alvi has commented on Narendra Modi. In 2013, Alvi, had slammed Modi as 'Yamraaj'- the God of death, invoking sharp reactions.

OneIndia News

(With inputs from agencies)
Amitabh Bachchan reveals he had to get stitches after he cut a vein on his leg

Re-investigate evidence used for Sadhvi Pragya clean chit: Athawle

India

oi-PTI

Pune, May 16: Republican Party of India (A) chief Ramdas Athawle today demanded "re-investigation" of the proofs relied upon by the National Investigation Agency in giving the clean chit to Sadhvi Pragya and five others in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

"The papers (evidences), on which basis, NIA had given the clean chit to Sadhvi Pragya Singh and five others in the Malegaon blast case, should be re-investigated," said Athwale. The Rajya Sabha MP said that someone should approach court over the "credibility" of the evidences relied upon by the premier investigative agency.

The NIA had on Friday dropped all charges against Sadhvi and five others while charges under the stringent MCOCA law were given up against all the other 10 accused, including Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit.

On the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, the dalit leader said, "Instead of creating tension, I am of the opinion that on the disputed land, along with Ram Mandir and mosque, there should be a temple of Lord Buddha built in the middle so that no tension will be created".

Athawle's party is a constituent in the BJP-led NDA government in Maharashtra. On the Narendra Modi government completing two years in power later this month, Athawle said, "though government has failed to bring black money back, the PM is doing a lot of work and the image of India at global level is being elevated".

PTI
Rs 570 cr seizure in TN: Is there is more than what meets the eye?

India

oi-Vicky

Chennai, May 17: The seizure of Rs 570 crore which led to the postponement of elections in two Tamil Nadu constituencies has been mired in confusion. While the Election Commission of India said that this was money meant to bribe the voters, the State Bank of India has claimed that this money is theirs'.

It is stated that as per the instructions from the Reserve Bank of India, the Coimbatore main branch of the SBI had released the money to authorised personnel. They were addressing a temporary cash shortage in Andhra Pradesh, but the vehicle carrying the money was stopped and taken to Tirupur.

There is a great deal of confusion over this issue since the flying squad had found that the money was not being transferred in a professional manner. In fact one of the personnel on duty to guard the cash were not even dressed in uniform.

The EC official says that when asked why they were dressed in lungis and carrying money in the night, there was no proper answer.

Whose money is it

The SBI vouches for the authenticity of the cash and says it belongs to them. They also said that they have enough documents to suggest that it was their money being moved to the Vizag branch.

The EC squad however had plenty of reason to suspect. Although there is no written rule, such huge chunks of cash are not transported by banks in the night. The squad was surprised with the transport of such a huge chunk of cash in the night.

Secondly the manner in which the personnel in the vehicle were dressed added to the confusion. The security were in lungis and they had no proper answer when asked why.

There was also more confusion due to discrepancies in a document. The squad on going through the documents found that there was a minor difference in what the cashier's note had to say and the original document.

However this was clarified and the RBI says that this difference was found as the Vizag branch had been upgraded from a normal branch to a specialised currency administration branch.

While SBI maintains that such transportations are a routine affair many have questioned the logic. The fact that it was being transported in the dead of the night did not make much sense. The unprofessional manner in which the personnel in the vehicle were dressed also raised doubts.

Political parties have sought for a CBI probe into the matter. Former Union Finance Minister, P Chidambaram while speaking on the incidents said that he is not aware whether such a large sum of money can be transported to a bank. It is quite rare and needs to be probed he also said.

OneIndia News
Gap between rich and poor has widened, needs to be bridged: Gadkari

RSS annual training camp begins

India

oi-PTI

Nagpur, May 1: The 25-day long Third Year Summer Training Camp organised by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh began at Reshimbag here, senior RSS functionary Dattatreya Hosabale said today.

The annual camp known as 'Sangh Shiksha Varg' commenced here at Reshimbag yesterday. It provides an opportunity to the participants to "know, understand and experience Bharat", Hosabale said.

Over 800 young swayamsevaks drawn from all the states are participating in this training camp.

"This summer training camp presents a 'mini Bharat' in itself as swayamsevaks drawn from various provinces, speaking different tongues, having varied food and clothing habits and coming from different climates stay together for 25 days.

Thus, providing a chance to interact, learn and understand the real 'Bharat'," he said. The functionary said RSS was not just known for its uniform or prayers but for its comprehensive, all-encompassing attitude towards the diversity in Bharat and its attempt to understand and experience the unity in that diversity.

The RSS literature is available in each language spoken in Bharat.

The system of Sangh Shiksha Varg is same all over the country yet it includes the distinguishing features of those different provinces, he said.

Hosabale said the training imparted to swayamsevaks at the camp empowers them to experience Bharat with all its diverse peculiarities and distinctions, a press release from Vishwa Samwad Kendra of RSS issued here said. The camp will conclude on June 9 with the address by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

PTI
SIMI activist nabbed in Rajasthn's Bhilwara

India

oi-PTI

Jaipur, May 17: An alleged activist of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) has been arrested in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan, police said here today.

"We caught the SIMI activist Imran Khan in a case of 2008," ADG-ATS Alok Tripathi said, adding Khan was held a couple of days ago and is under police custody till tomorrow.

The SIMI activist will be produced in the court day after tomorrow on May 19, he added.

PTI
Smriti Irani wishes to set up 300 Sanskrit Gurukulas to revive education

India

oi-Shreyas

Bengaluru/New Delhi, May 17: In pursuance of responsibility vested by BJP's parent organisation, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), HRD Minister Smriti Zubin Irani has assured support for establishing 300 'Gurukula model' schools across the nation that educate students in various subjects in India's ancient language Sanskrit.

It must be noted that in India there are 3 Gurukula model schools, Maitreyee Gurukula in Puttur Taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, another in Sringeri (Prabhodini Gurukula) and third one (Veda Vignana) at Magadi road in Bengaluru. All these schools in Karnataka are strongly backed by Sangh Parivar.

While Gurukula at Puttur intake female students and deliver primary schooling to higher education (Gurukula Syllabus), Sringeri intake male students. And the Gurukula at Bengaluru take male students for higher education. Most of the male students studied in Prabhodini Gurukula continue their higher education in Veda Vijnana.

According to sources in Gurukula, Smriti Irani in the month of January visited Gurukula- Veda Vignana in Bengaluru to hold a first round of discussion with a top office bearer of Gurukula Dr Ramachandra G Bhat. It was a visit, albeit a scheduled one, designed to appear as impromptu.

During the meet with Dr Ramachandra G Bhat, HRD Minister deliberated on establishing more number of Gurukulas across the nation to strengthen Sanskrit language and through Gurukula education build a bridge between ancient India-modern India.

Irani in her brief talk after a discussion in Gurukula said "as I am given responsibility by the organisation (RSS), I wish to lend support to Gurukula concept."

Irani said modern education has been driven by selfish motives. Hence modern schools with ancient roots could be seen as a breather to revive education system in the country. Gurukula will keep ancient Indian customs and traditions intact. In her talk she emphasised on establishing more number of Gurukulas pan India.

Ahead of her brief talk in the Veda Vignana, a presentation on Gurukula concept was carried out to enlighten Irani on the system. Impressed by the presentation; in her talk, Irani said "in the coming presentations, we must talk about 100 fold more number of Gurukulas."

Smriti wished for establishment of 300 such schools." Irani assured all kind of support to set up Gurukulas. Irani, in her last leg of talk prayed to Lord Shiva to realise intentions of her visit to Veda Vignana.

Booster to Sanskrit

A fresh development will come as a big booster to Sanskrit language, which is being spoken by minute percentage. However, students studied in Gurukula even today converse in Sanskrit with their fellow mates. Students are nurtured in such a way in these schools, they tend to preserve the knowledge of Sanskrit language all through their lives.

Establishing 300 Gurukulas in the country could be seen as a massive success in terms of increasing number of people speaking in Sanskrit. Since Gurukula is well abide by bygone Indian traditions and customs, hope for bring back forgotten tradition has also flowered.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 12:21 [IST]
Will Sadhvi Pragya be allowed to visit Kumbh Mela?

India

oi-Vicky

Bengaluru, May 17: It would take sometime before Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur walks out of jail. Sadhvi who was discharged by the National Investigation Agency in connection with the Malegaon 2008 blasts case is currently on a hunger strike.

She says that she wants to visit the Kumbh Mela in Ujjain and also take a holy dip in the river Shipra before May 21.

She is currently undergoing treatment in a hospital. The police on duty have told her that there is not enough personnel to accompany her to the mela.

Citing security reasons, they have not permitted her to visit the mela. However, Sadhvi has claimed that she has permission from a court in Dewas and moreover there should be no bar as the NIA has suggested that she be discharged from the case.

More time before freedom:

Sadhvi has threatened to end her life if she is not granted permission. She is refusing to eat or drink water. While she does have a court order which grants her permission to visit the mela, the police will have to make arrangements for her security.

On the other hand, in legal terms her discharge formality from the Malegaon case is not complete as yet. While the NIA has suggested that charges be dropped against her, it is the court which will have to take a final call on the matter, legal experts point out.

The case could also run into troubled waters for her if any person decides to challenge the decision of the NIA.

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Story first published: Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 10:05 [IST]
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: When and where to watch Asia Cup 2022 Final Match live online?

3 missing in Sri Lanka flash floods; alert issued

International

oi-PTI

Colombo, May 17: At least three persons were missing in torrential rains and flash floods lashing Sri Lanka for the last two days, prompting authorities to issue an alert, officials said on Tuesday.

"Three people are reported missing in Dehiowita area," Disaster Management Centre spokesman Pradeep Kodippily said.

Relief operations are well underway even the military had been deployed in the hill country areas to provide relief, he said, adding that the men went missing from the country's southwestern district of Kegalle.

Rains lashed the country throughout yesterday, flooding most of the roads in Colombo. Besides, several roads have been cut off due to floods with the Sri Lanka Red Cross saying its employees have been placed on alert to assist anyone who may be affected by the bad weather.

The armed forces have also been put on alert. As many as eight districts have been issued landslide warnings. Katunayake, just outside Colombo, had recorded the highest rain fall, over 260 millimeters between 0830 hours Sunday to 0530 Hrs Monday, Meteorology Department said. However the rains were to ease somewhat today.

"The low pressure area is moving away from Sri Lanka so the rainy conditions over the island will be reduced to some extent, but strong wind conditions will continue for a few more days," Malinda Millagoda, a meteorologist said.

Yesterday, three international flights were diverted to Kochi in India due to bad weather conditions prevailing in Sri Lanka, Airport officials said.

PTI
Obama Hiroshima trip stirs debate on Truman's fateful choice

International

oi-PTI

Washington, May 17: Barack Obama's visit to Hiroshima next week has reignited an emotive debate over former US president Harry Truman's epoch-making decision to drop the first atomic bomb.

On April 25, 1945, thirteen days after Franklin Roosevelt's death thrust Truman into the White House, the strained new commander-in-chief got a startling top secret briefing.

"Within four months we shall in all probability have completed the most terrible weapon ever known in human history, one bomb of which could destroy a whole city," war secretary Henry Stimson said in a hand-delivered memo. Until that moment, Truman had no idea about the Manhattan Project to build the world's first atomic bomb -- despite being Roosevelt's vice president and a former senator who made his name investigating wartime defense contracts.

Within four months, the atomic bomb had been successfully tested, targets had been selected, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing an estimated 214,000 people, and Japan's Emperor Hirohito had surrendered.

The speed, circumstances and repercussions of Truman's decision remain contentious. That is true not least in Japan, where a majority of Obama's hosts still believe the mass bombing of civilians was unnecessary and perhaps even a crime.

Obama to call for nuclear weapons-free planet in Hiroshima: WH

Meanwhile commentators nervous that Obama's trip is tantamount to an admission of guilt, have urged him not to apologise. "When Mr Obama visits Hiroshima on May 27 he should place no distance between himself and Harry Truman," wrote Wilson Miscamble, a Notre Dame University history professor.

"Rather he should pay tribute to the president whose actions brought a terrible war to an end." For Truman's supporters, "Give 'em hell Harry" had little option. By late Spring 1945, American and Russian forces had met at the Elbe, Adolf Hitler was surrounded and the war in Europe was finally ending.

But the Pacific was exacting an ever bloodier toll. Japan showed no signs of surrender, despite heavy losses and a seemingly inevitable defeat. According to historian and biographer David McCullough, at that point not a single Japanese unit had surrendered during the war. For Truman, a veteran of the Great War, the bomb, first and foremost, appeared to offer a way out of a brutal ground invasion of Japan.

"Operation Downfall," as the mainland invasion was dubbed, could have involved at least one million US troops and as many as 2.5 million Japanese troops. With recent battles in Okinawa and Iwo Jima fresh in mind, US military planners believed the operation would cost a quarter of a million lives and extend the war by a year or more.

At the end of July, with the bomb now successfully tested, Truman gave Japan one last chance.

AFP
Pak university bans boys and girls from sitting as couple

International

oi-PTI

Lahore, May 17: A Pakistani university has banned 'one-on-one' sittings of boys and girls on campus by terming it against Islamic 'cultural' norms, in a case of moral policing.

The Sargodha University Lahore campus yesterday issued a circular banning the 'one-on-one' sittings of male and female students in classroom, cafeteria or any other place in the campus.

"In view of our cultural and religious bindings and complaints by parents, inappropriate interaction between male and female students is hereby strictly prohibited within the university premises," the notice states. "We have imposed ban on sittings of male and female students together in 'couple form' on the complaints of parents.

Parents have objected to the boys and girls sitting together especially in classroom," Sargodha University Director Mian Javed said.

"He said considering the complaints of parents and some students the varsity administration and its board have unanimously decided to place a ban on 'one-on-one' sittings of boys and girls," he said, adding the boys and girls can sit together in group form (three or more) for 'academic discussions'. Javed further said Pakistan is an Islamic state and "we have to discourage this culture (of boys and girls sitting together)."

Sargodha University is first public sector institute which has imposed this kind of ban in recent times. Ali Ahtasham, a student of Sargodha University, said that the administration has actually given in to the pressure of a student wing.

"The extremists elements on campus earlier had thrashed some boys for sitting with girls," he said. In Punjab University, the Islami Jamiat Tulba often thrash male students for sitting with girls but the administration did not ban 'couple' sittings.

PTI
Rishi Sunak is new UK PM: A look at India-origin world leaders in key roles

World's largest cruiseHarmony of Seasheads to UK

International

oi-Pallavi

Paris, May 17: The STX Shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, western France was crowded to its ultimate limit to watch the world's biggest-ever cruise ship, the 120,000-tonne Harmony of the Seas, set sails for UK.

At 217 feet, it is the widest cruise ship ever built. 362 meters in length, it is taller than the Eiffel tower by 50 meters. 70,000 people clapped and cheered when the ship pulled away from the shipyard where it was built, on France's Atlantic shore.

The ship was built for the US-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL). The total cost of building the ship was one billion euros and it comprises of 16 decks that can carry 6,360 passengers and 2,100 crew members.

Heading toward Southampton in southern England, it will start its official voyage on May 22 to its new home port of Barcelona.

OneIndia News
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

Jiah Khan case: SC asks Bombay HC to speed up probe

Mumbai

oi-Sandra

New Delhi/ Mumbai, May 17: The Supreme Court on Tuesday, May 17 told the Bombay High court that 'actor Jiah Khan's death must be investigated quickly.'

Jiah's mother Rabia Amin was unhappy with the inquiry in the case and hence had approached the Supreme Court and sought a SIT probe in the case.

Trouble for Sooraj Pancholi? Actor may be charged with murder, rape in Jiah Khan suicide case

CBI was assigned the case in 2014 by the Bombay High Court. In a plea to the Supreme Court, the actor's mother had written, "SIT investigation should be done, HC should hear the matter." She wrote that the trial court was hearing the matter in an improper manner and that it was heard without presence of Special Public Prosecuter.

The Supreme Court directed the Bombay HC to hear and dispose of the application for stay if moved by the petitioner.

Jiah Khan was found hanging in her house on June 3, 2013. Jiah was dating actor Sooraj Pancholi at the time of her death. Pancholi was later arrested by Mumbai Police on charges of aiding her suicide and was granted bail later on.

During the course of investigation, Sooraj Pancholi's lawyer Prashant Patil told the court that there is no evidence for framing the charges of murder against Pancholi.

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Story first published: Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 12:23 [IST]
Central team roped in as dengue cases in Bihar rise to over 5000

Bihar's Gopalganj by-poll to see a tough fight between BJP and RJD

Suspended MLC Manorama Devi surrenders, sent to 14-days judicial custody

Patna

oi-Sandra

Patna, May 17: Suspended JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi surrendered before the Gaya court on Tuesday morning.

She had gone into hiding for 6 days after an arrest warrant was issued against her for violating the Bihar liquor ban. Her son Rocky Yadav was arrested last week for killing a 19-year-old in a road rage incident.

Another accused surrenders in Aditya Sachdeva murder case

Bihar: Suspended JDU MLC Manorama Devi, who is accused of violating prohibition law, sent to 14 day judicial custody pic.twitter.com/BbPMltPha4  ANI (@ANI_news) May 17, 2016

Devi was sent to 14-day judicial custody after she surrendered. She claimed that she had been framed and that she was innocent. "The information is false, no liquor bottles were found in my house," she said.

Devi was suspended from her party last week after liquor bottles were found at her residence in Gaya. Police officials were looking for her son Rocky Yadav who had gone missing after allegedly killing 19-year-old Aditya Sachdeva.

Bindi Yadav, a criminal turned politician, was also arrested in connection with the killing of the teenager.

Meanwhile, Aditya's family has demanded a CBI probe into the case and speedy trial to ensure justice.

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Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter ONeill says his Government has some issues with the Pacer-Plus agreement among Pacific island nations.We see that these issues are core to the national interest of Papua New Guinea because of the unique position of our economy, he said.He was speaking at the Australia-Papua New Guinea Business Forum and Trade Expo in Cairns, Australia. Clearly in terms of our size, we differ greatly from our smaller Pacific Island partners, and our relationship with the Asian economies encourages us to take a different approach, he said.Papua New Guinea is more interested in pursuing a bilateral agreement with Australia that will serve our mutual trade interests well, as opposed to the proposed agreement that would have a negative impact on our trade arrangements between our two countries.The Trade Minister and his officials said they would peruse trade agreements with Australia and with New Zealand that are similar in nature to the agreement that PNG has with the European Union.Through that agreement with the European Union, the Economic Partnership Agreement, PNGs exports to that market have doubled.This access has been particularly beneficial in sectors like fisheries and agriculture. While this is the path for Papua New Guinea, we appreciate the benefits that the Pacer-Plus agreement will deliver for other Pacific Islands economies that are very different in structure to our economy.
According to the Associated Press, a former Argentine President Fernando De la Rua, who attracted voters with his image as an honest statesman and later left the country plunged into its worst economic crisis, has died. He was 81.

The death was confirmed by the Argentine government. President Mauricio Macri expressed his condolences, saying on Twitter: His democratic trajectory deserves the recognition of all Argentines.

De la Rua served from 1999 to December 2001 when he infamously escaped by helicopter from the rooftop of the pink presidential palace. It came after days of violent protests against his handling of the crisis amid rioting that caused dozens of deaths across Argentina.

The Telam state news agency said he died of cardiac and other complications.
Wendy Williams has revealed that shes dating a new man, but its not the 27-year-old convicted felon shes been spotted out with this summer as her lover is a doctor in his 50s.

The media personality, who was seen around Los Angeles and New York City with 27-year-old Marc Tomblin, Williams told fans during her show that it is true young men find her attractive but when it comes to actually loving someone, she would rather be with someone in his 50s. She said:

Im not on the market anymore. Im not in love. I dont know how Im doing. Im not in love but theres somebody that Im crazy about, she said, holding back tears. Its not who you think. OK? Mother doesnt deal with children, but it just so happens that I guess with my charm and wit, I attract people of all ages. 27-year-old boys, quite frankly, find me attractive. I get it, but when it comes time for the comfort of a man, I need someone in his 50s, too, and hes gotta work. It helps that hes a doctor. Hes been married. His kids are in their 20s, and yes, hes black. Hes brown-black, she added.

Apparently thrilled by the latest news, the audience cheered her but she went on to say she wasnt going to reveal more details about her new relationshipmaybe she doesnt want it jinxed.

Watch the video below:

[embedded content]
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met behind closed doors with the new and immediate past Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Senate on Wednesday expressed worry over the increasing incidences of rape of women and defilement of minors in parts of the country.

Senators resolved that application of death penalty to offenders would go a long way to serve as a deterrent to the menace.

Apart from death penalty for rape offenders, the lawmakers also underscored the necessity to review relevant laws as well as open registers for rape offenders in parts of the country.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion on increasing cases of rape, sponsored by Senator Rose Oko.

The Cross River North Senator, asked the Senate to take the lead by reviewing existing laws to discourage the trend.

Oko called attention to several alleged rape cases, including the one allegedly by the Pastor of Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), Biodun Fatoyinbo.

The worrisome trend of rape cases, she said, has become a national problem that should worry the Senate.

Senator George Thompson Sekibo, in his contribution noted that prescribing death penalty for offenders, would not only serve as deterrent but would also ensure that justice is served.

Sekibo encouraged parents to report rape cases as soon as they occur to enable relevant security agencies take the appropriate steps to apprehend the culprits.

He said: When an abuse of such a situation takes place, let the parents report the issue to the police or you come to the Senate.

I leant that when a rape case takes place, the private part should not be washed. They should go to the hospital and take the sample.

To abuse a child of six months, is evil. No religion will take it. We should make it a death penalty. By the time you kill two people, people would have leant and they will stop it.

Senator Dino Melaye agreed that drastic measures should be taken against rapists.

The Kogi West Senator noted that if stiffer penalty is prescribed, people will stop the act.

Melaye said: This issue is not only satanic, it is also wicked. This is one of the satanic manifestations in the country. If we dont propose stiffer punishment, people will continue to get away with it.

When you report a case to the police, they treat it as if it is ordinary. Lecturers carry out sex for marks. I want to encourage the sponsor of this motion to go ahead and come up with amendments to deal with this barbaric act.

There are now cases of male adults defiling small boys. These things must be cured and the Senate must take the lead in ensuring that this doesnt continue in this country.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu in her contribution also backed the death penalty proposal.

The Lagos Central lawmaker who was alarmed about increasing rate of the defilement of minors urged parents to take steps to educate their children on sexual awareness.

She said, The issue is very controversial and scary. As a mother, if our children were the ones violated, we know what would have happened. If we look at the society at large, we have not done anything.

Children are the most vulnerable group. Whoever is involved in acts like this, should face death. I think rape of a minor deserves a death sentence. This is what we need to do to stop this madness.

Most of these acts are done by people close to these minors. This is time we stepped in as a Senate and protect this country

Parents too should be given the orientation too on now to raise their children. Poverty is a major cause of this and we need to educate the parents to reduce this.

Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi also urged relevant agencies to establish a sex register for offenders.

The Niger North Senator said that opening a register for sex offenders would go a long way to discourage the act.

He said: When these offences are committed, what happens? The lack of stiffer punishment is a major issue we must look at. From examples cited, we must make progress. It is time for us to look at our laws and put sex or rape offenders on a register anywhere in the country.

The psychological effects cant be understood. Some adults behaving in certain manners are victims of these acts when they were minors.

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, prayed the Senate to look at sentencing guidelines.

Omo-Agege said, The challenges articulated are very apt. We have enough laws to deal with the issues. The area we should look at is sentencing guidelines. There should be a minimum sentencing timeline, it will help.

We need to look at the status regulating the prerogative of mercy. We have governors and state chief judges setting free prisoners. I believe we should focus on these areas. We should have the sex offenders register.

The lawmakers generally agreed that urgent steps should be taken to save the country from rapists.

They also agreed that when constituted, the Senate committee on Judiciary, Police and others related, will push for the implementation of extant laws on rape of women and defilement of minors.

The relevant Senate committees, when constituted, were asked to review relevant legislations on rape.

The Senate further urged the Police to deal decisively with all cases of sexual abuse as a way to stem the tide.

The upper chamber was also worried that only 26, out of 36 states of the federation have so far domesticated the Child Rights Act.

It urged those yet to domesticate the Act to do so without further delay so as to key into its implement.

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, in his concluding remarks noted that the Senate will take the right steps and ensure that relevant laws were passed to discourage the dehumanizing act.

Lawan said: This is a sensitive part of our lives. People have taken advantage of minors, even adults. We should not tolerate this. We need to review our laws. We need to pass laws that will discourage people from committing crimes like this one.

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Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has said his administration is prepared to receive back home all 4,000 citizens of states currently residing in Cameroon.

About 57,000 Nigerians, mostly from the Boko Haram troubled Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states are said to be in the Minawo Camp in northern Cameroon as refugees.

A process has been on for a couple of months to receive 4,000 of them who are Adamawa citizens and who have expressed their willingness to return home.

Fintiri, who spoke in Yola, while receiving a delegation of the Technical Working Group for Repatriation of Nigerian Refugees, told the group that the state government is ready to facilitate the repatriation of the 4,000 Adamawa citizens.

Fintiri commended the Technical Working Group for Repatriation of Nigerian Refugees and the Cameroonian authorities for keeping the Nigerians safe.

He said he would constitute a technical committee to support the returnees when they arrive.

The leader of the delegation and Federal Commissioner in charge of National Refugees Commission, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, said the visit of the Technical Working Group for Repatriation of Nigerian Refugees to Yola was to intimate the governor on the plan to start repatriating Adamawa citizens from Cameroon.

She said the team would soon start the repatriation exercise and appealed to the state government to give all necessary support.

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A relationship adviser and blogger, Joro Olumofin has started a hook-up programme on his Instagram platform and a matured woman has been featured.

The Abuja-based woman needs a young man who is endowed down below to satisfy her in bed and she is open to getting married to him.

She has asked interested people to contact her using the email in her post. She seems to be getting all the attention as young men scramble to win her heart.

Read her post below:
Destiny Etiko

Destiny Etiko and her hefty bum were easily lifted up by her actor friend who is a popular face in the local film industry.

She appeared shocked that the man was able to lift her up with so much ease. Destiny Etiko has one of the biggest hips and bum in the film industry.

She is known for posting sultry contents on social media.

See more images:
The Osun State government has approved the release of N150 million take-off grant for the state Health Insurance Scheme.

Executive Secretary of the Osun Health Insurance Scheme (OHIS) Dr. Niyi Ogini, who broke the news on Monday in Osogbo, the state capital, said the government gave the approval to ensure effectiveness in the health insurance operation.

Ogini added that the Governor Gboyega Oyetola administration had made provisions for equitable grants from state, local government areas (LGAs) and local council development authorities (LCDAs).

He said the local governments are being captured in the 2019 Budget.

Oyetola said: The grant would be used for the establishment of Osun Health Insurance Business and Zonal offices across the 68 LGAs and the LCDAs.

ALSO READ:FG, States, LGs share N647.39bn  Adeosun

The grant is also for employment of ad-hoc personnel, provision of operational vehicles, conduct of vulnerable research and enrolment of the vulnerable population among others; installment of necessary ICT infrastructure for health insurance operation as well as conduct advocacy and sensitisation of different sectors of population with capacity-building.

The state government had released the circular for the commencement of deduction of premium of 1.5 per cent of basic salary of public servants and also three per cent contribution of government to public servants premium which is to be prepared with their salaries.

He noted that the essence of the deduction was to ensure that residents have equitable access to healthcare services and also adequate distribution of health facilities within the state.

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Africas largest lender by customer base, Access Bank Plc, has reacted to media reports that it is planning to acquire Union Bank of Nigeria Plc less than six months after acquiring Diamond Bank Plc.

In a statement published on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and signed by the Company Secretary, Sunday Ekwochi, Access Bank urged its customers and the general public to ignore the report as theres no truth in the assertion.

Access Bank went further to state that there is no on-going discussion with Union Bank or any of the companys stakeholders with respect to acquisition plans.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange and the general public are hereby advised to discountenance such rumour as same is devoid of truth. The Bank is not engaged in any discussion with Union Bank of Nigeria Plc or any of its shareholders regarding any such transaction. Access Bank said in the statement.

Union Bank also denied consolidation talks, stating it is mere rumour and speculation.

The company has a history of denying acquisition and merger reports only to proceed with consolidation months after. The company had also denied media report of its plan to acquire Diamond Bank in November, only to announce in December that it would be merging with Diamond Bank Plc after all.

Access Banks denial of any consolidation or acquisition plan is not synonymous to the Nigerian lender alone. Most large corporations, even beyond the banking border, are known to deny acquisition plans when talks are still in the early stages. Most companies prefer to let the cat out of the bag after the deal is sealed.

Recall that the tier-one bank (i.e., Access Bank) had merged with Diamond Bank Plc in March after informing their investors and customers in December 2018 that the company is looking to merge in order to strengthen its core portfolio, as well as corporate and retail banking services.

The merger between Access Bank and Diamond Bank resulted in the formation of the largest bank in Africa by customer base, even as all Access and Diamond Bank buildings were rebranded with a new logo to reflect the deal which took effect in April.

With the merger involving Diamond Bank, which took place less than five months ago, another merger or acquisition might just be too much burden for the bank considering the short timeframe between now and the last deal.

The company had merged with Intercontinental Bank in 2012. Access Bank acquired 75 per cent stake in Intercontinental Bank. Access Bank currently trades at N6.74 kobo per share.
The Senate on Tuesday passed some resolutions to review relevant laws that will provide for stiffer sanctions for perpetrators of rape in the country.

The decision of the senate followed a motion of urgent public importance, sponsored by Sen. Rose Oko (PDP-Cross River North), titled Rising incidence of rape of minors.

The senate also directed its committees on Judiciary, Police Affairs, Women Affairs and Social Development, when reconstituted, to interface with relevant stakeholders to strategise on implementation of all legislation and policies aimed at protecting minors from rapists and other forms of violence.

The senate also directed the committees to review relevant legislation with a view to providing stiffer penalties against sexual abuse of minors in the country.

It further urged the Police and other law enforcement agencies to conduct mandatory training for officers in dealing with rape cases and young victims of abuse.

It also urged the Judiciary to establish national sentencing framework for child sexual abuse cases and judicial officers, to impose stiffer penalties on perpetrators of all forms of abuses against minors.

The lawmakers further urged state governments to domesticate and implement the Child Rights Act and Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act 2015, to curb the issues of sexual abuse of minors.

Furthermore, it urged the general public to continue to act as watchdogs to curb child sexual abuse and other forms of violent abuse.

Oko, who brought the motion through Orders 42 and 52 of the Senate Rule, said the rising incidences of rape of infants and minors in parts of the country are worrisome.

She said that six out of every 10 Nigerians were being raped on daily basis.

The lawmaker noted the shocking rape story of a six-month old baby in Kano and other cases of students being raped by their teachers and lecturers in the nations institutions were issues of concern to the parliament.

She lamented that law enforcement agencies had not lived up to their responsibilities in checking the increasing wave of rape in the country.

She therefore called on the senate to evolve ways of providing stiffer measures to serve as deterrent to rapists.

Contributing, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu (APCLagos Central) also described rape of minors as extreme wickedness and called for imposition of death sentence on offenders.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege (APC-Delta Central), in his contribution, noted that the country had sufficient laws on rape but lacked the will power to enforce such laws.

He therefore called on the Red Chamber to review the existing laws.

Sen. Chukwuka Utazi (PDP-Enugu North) also observed that not much was being done on sex education in the nations public and private schools for the purpose of educating the children on steps to take when they felt prey to rapists, urging for inclusion of sex education in the education curriculum.

Sen. Chimaroke Nnamani (PDP-Enugu East) said that rape victims would suffer stigma by society and rejection by spouse.

He urged hospital authorities to have rape counselling unit to handle the victims.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday at the Plateau state Governorship Election Tribunal made fresh accusations against the Peoples Democratic Party, accusing the counsels of stalling tribunal proceedings.

Recall that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Sen. Jeremiah Useni, had dragged Lalong before the tribunal challenging his competence and victory at the 2019 gubernatorial elections.

According to the counsel to APC, Garba Pwul (SAN), apart from tendering documents before the tribunal, the PDP were not ready to continue with the proceedings, expressing his dissatisfaction at what he called the lackadaisical attitude the petitioners were showing on the matter.

It is frustrating that it is the petitioners who are complaining, they are the ones who have dragged us before the tribunal to challenge the election, yet, they are the ones derailing the proceedings, Pwul said.

We are ready to continue with the proceedings and we advise that the petitioners become serious because they are not up and doing, we want a serious change of attitude, Pwul said.

Mr. Pius Akubo, counsel to Governor Lalong, on his part also expressed sadness that the petitioners counsels were not ready to proceed with the case. He however, advised the petitioners to put their house in order and come ready to continue with their case.

By nature this case is time sensitive, therefore, we dont have time, we have made our point to the tribunal and it was well taken, we advise that the petitioners put their house in order and come ready tomorrow, he said.

Counsel to the petitioner, Mr. Mike Ozokheme (SAN), however, denied trying to stall proceedings stating that they had so far called 66 witnesses and tendered over 106 documents before the tribunal.

Ozokheme said that they were able to achieve this feat in just 10 days stating that they were ready to continue with the case immediately their witnesses were ready to testify before the tribunal.

Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Halima Salman had since adjourned the matter to July 11, to enable the petitioners present their additional witnesses before the tribunal.
After a long hiatus from releasing music, AYL is now making up for lost time. A few weeks after his hypnotic comeback, Paris!, hes back with a new single off the upcoming dntdlt tape: the Psycho YP and Fasina-assisted number, Sassy.

Sassy begins with AYLs soft musings over light keys that open the tranquil, Eke-produced beat. On the track, AYL is once again mesmerised by a woman, making it clear that he understands just what she needs.

In an interview with Complex, AYL explains that this track is dedicated to women, saying:

It is sort of an ode to feminine sass. The chase they make you chase. Knowing fully well that this is 2019 and we no longer condone intimacy, relationships or the idea of marriage as a concept that renders women a subservient and, in essence, a slave.

Taking charge of the songs chorus and opening verse, AYL hands over the reigns to Psycho YP and Fasina for the second and third verses respectively. While Psycho YP reflects AYLs amorous message, Fasina is more of a player, confessing that he will need more than one wife.

Listen to this solid joint effort below:
By: Don Steinbrugge, Agecroft Partners

The following comments are excerpted from Agecroft Partners Don Steinbrugges presentation delivered at the 69th CFA Institute Annual Conference held on May 9th, 2016 in Montreal. In Mr. Steinbrugges session titled "What Current Trends Tell Us about the Future of the Hedge Fund Industry" he discussed a number of the recent quotes and articles directed to the hedge fund industry that were covered broadly by the media.

Third Point Capital CEO Dan Loeb thinks hedge funds are in the first stage of a "washout" after "catastrophic" performance this year.

The HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index posted a decline of -0.67 % in Q1 of this year, which on the surface isnt that bad. Upon closer examination, this moderate decline is hiding the vastly different paths various managers and strategies traveled during the quarter.

In January and February, strategies with a lot of beta, exposure to the equity and fixed income markets, such as activists, long/short equity, and distressed debt, generated very poor performance which was significantly worse than most investors expectations. Investors do not mind if these strategies underperform during a bull market, but they are expected to reduce downside volatility during periods when the market sells off. Fortunately, these strategies rebounded significantly during the month of March and only finished the quarter slightly down. Nonetheless, investors remain disappointed t......................

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All strategic mandates were up this month with relative value hedge funds posting the best returns among all strategic mandates up 1.96%. This is followed by event driven and macro hedge funds which increased 1.34% and 1.14% respectively.

Long/short equities hedge funds were the only mandate to post negative year-to-date returns and lost 1.35%, the strategy's worst year-to-date returns since 2008.

Latin American hedge funds were up for the third consecutive month, leading the tables with gains of 3.93%. On a year-to-date basis, Latin American hedge fund managers also topped the tables with 9.61% of returns. Year-to-date investor allocations for Latin American currently stands at US$0.7 billion, having seen three consecutive months of inflows for the period ending April.

Japan-mandated hedge funds were the only regional mandate to post negative returns in April, down 0.80%. On a year-to-date basis, Japan managers decreased by 3.60% - the mandate's worst year-to-date return on record.

European managers posted their fourth consecutive month of performance-based declines, totaling US$7.4 billion on a year-to-date basis. On the other hand, European managers also recorded the highest investor allocations across all regional mandates with US$13.2 billion on a year-to-date basis.

Asia ex-Japan managers were up 0.92% in April, and down 1.93% year-to-date. As of April 2016, investors have allocated US$2.9 billion into Asia ex-Japan mandated hedge funds while a performance-based decline of US$2.5 billion was recorded.

The CBOE Eurekahedge Relative Value Volatility Index was up 0.59% in April and 2.36% on a year-to-date basis, leading the suite of CBOE Eurekahedge Volatility Indexes.


Canadians disappointed by Liberal decision

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The sale of weaponized Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) to Saudi Arabia has raised a heated debate in Canada, pitting so-called realists against people who expect trade to be conducted according to a minimum set of moral values. Outgoing Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper's swan song was the $15-billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, which Harper boasted would provide 3,000 jobs.

A poll by Nanos Research showed that 60% of Canadians feel it is important to ensure arms go only to countries "that respect human rights" vs providing jobs to a few Canadians. The same poll showed that 86% hold a negative or somewhat negative view of Saudi Arabia.

The proposed sale is now being protested in a class action law suit by University of Montreal professor Daniel Turp. Turp and his group's challenge--Operation Armoured Rights--points to how poorly Saudi Arabia treats its own citizens, their horrific bombing campaign in Yemen, and their support for Wahhabi extremists in the Syrian insurgency.

The Quebec and Federal Court challenges argue that the Canadian government is violating its own arms-export rules by permitting the armoured vehicles to go to Saudi Arabia. The law states shipments cannot proceed "unless it can be demonstrated there is no reasonable risk that the goods might be used against the civilian population."

Despite the legal challenge, Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion forged on with the sale. He did bow to public pressure to reveal the contents of the special government report on Saudi human rights. The report criticized the Saudis, but insisted there is no possibility of the vehicles being used against Saudi citizens.

Defending a 'done deal'

Canadian Conservative icon Conrad Black makes the case for the sale forcefully in Canada's leading Conservative mouthpiece the National Post.

* The Saudis are our allies.

What can that possibly mean? Aren't allies those who share your positions on relevant issues? Who work towards the same goals? How can an authoritarian monarchy, draped in a rigid vision of Islam, share our interests? Canadians were shocked in January when 47 Saudis were executed, mostly public beheadings, including the leading Shia imam, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

* Okay, that's a weak argument. How about Iranophobe Black's second blast: "The Saudis are less dangerous and hostile to the West than their Iranian rivals, and the Saudis are effectively combatting Iranian surrogates mentioned above".

Let's deconstruct this argument. Who is causing the problems now in the region? ISIS and its spin-offs al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham. If it wasn't for Saudi Arabia, there would be no ISIS. If there was no ISIS, there would be no Syrian refugee crisis. If there was no refugee crisis, the EU wouldn't be disintegrating. Where are the nefarious "Iranian rivals" in this plot?

The same suspect logic was used to justify the US-Saudi support for ISIS forerunners in Afghanistan in 1979, which led to 9/11 and the current chaos throughout the region. Iran played no part in this devil's pact.

A logical policy would be to not support such terrorists. Not to invade and bomb other countries. Not to waste billions on arms. Rather, to use one's oil wealth to help one's citizens, and build a strong economy. But countries that try to do this, say, Bolivia or Iran, face only unremitting hostility from the US and Saudi Arabia.

* According to Conrad Black, we must help Saudi Arabia as an ally in the fight against Iranian expansion and anti-Western terrorism.

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After the New York Times' much-discussed profile of White House national security aide Ben Rhodes hit computer screens all across Washington recently, Republicans howled about the revelation that Rhodes boasted of having created an "echo chamber" of experts and journalists to support the Iran nuclear deal. House Speaker Paul Ryan accused the Obama administration of having "essentially misled the American people." Rhodes countered that the White House had merely crafted a "concerted effort" to win backing for the accord by pushing out "the facts of the deal." Still, Republicans proclaimed yet another Obama scandal, and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, rushed to hold a hearing entitled "White House Narratives on the Iran Nuclear Deal."

It might be worth exploring how the White House communicated information about the Iran nuclear agreement, but here's the tell that this endeavor is not a serious, nonpartisan, on-the-level project: Chaffetz has invited John Hannah to be a witness at the hearing, scheduled for Tuesday. He's a senior official at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a neoconish outfit that opposed the Iran deal. But more relevant -- or awkward -- he's a former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney who was deeply involved in the Bush-Cheney administration's use of bogus intelligence to sell the Iraq War.
Chemically-based farming for the poisoning of soil, environment and our food for the interest and profit of the multinational chemical corporations under the present unjust financial-economic system is a crime against humanity!

Our farmer's motto is: "SAVE LIFE, HEALTH AND PROTECT OUR PLANET -- PROMOTE NATURAL & ORGANIC ALTERNATIVES" in support to economic alternatives, monetary reform and proposals, for the survival of the poor Filipino families and children in our region.

We are hoping that we share the common central objectives, projects and alternatives in building a sustainable life through organic farming especially for the economically marginalized poor farmers in our human community.

We also hope that we can explore a more combination of our efforts and initiatives towards the success of organic farming in our countries, poverty alleviation, security and economic democracy for the poor organic farmers and may other farmers in the whole world be freed themselves from the tragedy of chemically-based and intensive farming that only cause poisoning of soil, environment, our food leading to tremendous health problems with difficult cure and expensive medicines that only in fact for the benefit of chemical and drug industries and tycoons.

It is an irony that most of our Filipino farmers now in the villages cannot plant rice, corn, vegetables and fruit trees without, as being conditioned, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals that they borrow in advance at interest from chemical agricultural stores and suppliers -- the agents of multinational chemical companies. Because of brainwashing of chemical companies and aggravated by the constant pressures on money problem for survival, most farmers here forget the organic farming, which is the most safest and better for health. If there are no chemicals for planting, they have no farming jobs, because they depend on chemicals and as a result, there is no employment and therefore there is no money for the survival of their families and of course contribute to tragedy of poverty. Some farmers because of chemically-based farming bankruptcy due to debts, sell their land and instead do businesses in the town or city selling artificial foods and other consumption products (also cause health problems to consumers) for immediate income. But many of these Filipino farmers who have turned town-city businessmen do not usually last long; in fact oftentimes suffer the same bankruptcy and a litany of miseries afterwards. In our keen observation and even from the experiences of our poor family farming members, relatives and friends in the villages, the chemical companies for chemicalised intensive farming are not interested to health and survival of the poor Filipino farmers, but purely PROFIT. They are only marginalizing the poor farmers, in fact, killing them. One of the major causes of POVERTY in the Philippines is Environmental Problem or Deterioration.

There is a constant environmental deterioration or exploitation because of monetary pressure under the present defective-debt-based-economic and chemicalised farming. Of course there are other underlying causes of environmental destruction. But we want to dwell on directly to the cruel effects of intensive or chemicalised farming.

The chemicals have destroyed the natural fertility of our Philippine soil. Farmers don't want or can't plant without chemicals. Farmers are already 'chemical addicts'. And as a result is the fact of destroying our environment and poisoning our body that lead to tremendous health problems such as cancer and other degenerative/autoimmune diseases. What a crime?

Chemicalised poisoning-environmentally-destructive farming for profit-oriented motives of the multinational chemical corporations have terribly destroyed, discouraged and despaired ORGANIC FARMING AGRICULTURE in the countryside, particularly in the villages, making the lives of the poor Filipino farmers and their families MISERABLY UNSUSTAINABLE THAN EVER. Millions of poor Filipino farmers are shackled and pressured to keep their plantations, rice fields, cornfields (owned or rented or by tenancy) UNDER DEBTS FOR HERBICIDES, PESTICIDES AND ARTIFICIAL FERTILISERS.

Increasing numbers of Filipino farmers in the village are sick, under or mal or lack of nourishment, and in fact, suffering some serious diseases like cancer of the skin, lungs, nostrils and even blindness or other degenerative diseases. But alas without any health aid, insurance or any forms of government assistance/support nor any commiseration or any sympathy from these multinational chemical corporations.

And as our Philippine soil and environment is destroyed and toxic-stricken that contaminates our food, it is usually followed by the growing strange illnesses among the inhabitants -- where most of the diseases are very risky, life threatening, if not impossible to cure, but very difficult and costly to cure. Most of the poor Filipino farmers cannot afford for medical treatment either through complementary/alternative medicines or traditional medicines. And so, the result is the increasing death rates among the poor Filipino farmers without any assistance from the government, without any justice and security to their impoverished poor family members and children left behind. These are some of the ironic side-effects of the chemicalised farming: Poisoning the environment, the poor farmers and the consumers with the diseases terribly increasing in numbers, bringing us down into the dungeon of miseries and financial calamities. Multinational chemical corporations like global mega-bankers, as profit-oriented and sucking billions of profit annually, do not care the miserable plight of these poor and sick Filipino farmers and their groaning and moaning families in hopelessness. It is very unfortunate that Philippine Dept. of Agriculture's Annual budget is only allocated for chemicalised farming subsidizing the government-controlled chemicalised farming schools, colleges and mega-projects, but without any assistance or encouragement to save the Philippine natural soil fertility through environmentally good organic farming.

The crucial question is: How can we persuade the Philippine government to turn our farming into total organic method? One multinational chemical company in the world named MONSANTO on herbicides, etc., is very influential in the Philippine government departments and officials, to almost Filipino scientists, agriculturists and economists for the promise of high yields. Its latest trick in the Philippines is to convince the farmers, and the government is to put native crops into instinct and instead patronize GM crops.

There was a report that American taxpayers are forced to fund Monsanto's poisoning of the third-world people by promoting chemically-based farming and GM products. Government policies, programs, projects due to internal and external pressures on agriculture or vested interest, are most of the times favorable to MEGA-INTEREST of these multinational chemical/ drug companies or poisoning companies destroying the environment, soil and health of the native inhabitants, astutely and adroitly clamoring for foods, health and hope but actually and evidently poison, disease and death and despair to Flipino people and to all third world inhabitants and to planet's environment.

Genetically modified organisms or GMO or artificial foods or artificially grown foods are a racketeering industry. It is surely for the profit of these poisoning companies killing innocent lives and families. Imagine what a damned thing to brainwash poor Filipino and third-world farmers towards death of organic farming. To set aside native plants or seeds or crops and be replaced by artificial plants or chemically-based food growing and abusive animal raising is a crime against humanity. GMO cannot solve hunger, poverty and economic insecurity in the Philippines and in the third world. GMO is not for justice. It is not for the poor. It is not for farmers. It is all about profit and monopoly on farming for the mega-profit and interest of the greedy tycoons of the multinationals and ultimately for the long-term or even lifetime destruction of the environment in which the next Filipino and third-world generations will, for certain, suffer tremendously. And despite or in spite of the promises on prosperity and alleviation from poverty, Philippine farming has been in the holocaust of torturous and disappointing situation. There are around 15-20 million, currently increasing in numbers, Filipino farmers in dreadful poverty, under the very vicious cycle of nightmarish economic crisis and political tomfoolery in the countryside.

The Philippine government economic and political policies are mostly favorable to chemically-based farming but smugly ignoring organic farming as ancient and non-productive and non-profitable way of industry. It must be admitted that the Philippine government and the Filipino people are helplessly deceived and obsessed, mesmerized, bamboozled and misled in a greater degree by delusive, false hopes and empty promises of the international bankers and multinational chemical corporations on its economic direction-almost no more direction"!

Many Filipino farmers are still landless, asset less, penniless, homeless, and hopeless and to some, tremendously disease-stricken without any assistance from the government or any help from the local, national and international aid agencies.
Reprinted from Strategic Culture

The monstrous US military budget is a classic illustration of the proverb about not seeing the wood for the trees. It is such an overwhelming outgrowth, all too often it is misperceived.

In recent years, Washington's military expenditure averages around $600 billion a year. That's over half of the total discretionary spending by the US government, exceeding budgets for education, health and social security. It's well over a third of the total world military annual spend of $1.7 trillion.

The incipient military-industrial complex that President Dwight Eisenhower warned of in his farewell speech in 1961 has indeed become a central, defining feature of American society and economy. To talk of American free-market capitalism is a staggering oxymoron when so much of the country's economy is wholly dependent on government-funded militarism.

Or put it another way: if the US military budget were somehow drastically reduced in line with other nations, the all-powerful military-industrial complex and the American state as we know it would collapse. No doubt something better would evolve in time, but the impact on established power interests would be calamitous and therefore is trenchantly resisted.

This is the context for the escalation in Cold War tensions with Russia this week, with the deployment of the US missile system in Romania. The $800 million so-called missile shield is set to expand to Poland over the next two years and eventually will cover all of Europe from Greenland to southern Spain.

Washington and NATO officials maintain that the Aegis anti-missile network is not targeted at Russia. Unconvincingly, the US-led military alliance claims that the system is to defend against Iranian ballistic missiles or from other unspecified rogue states . Given that Europe is well beyond the range of any Iranian ballistic capability and in light of the international nuclear accord signed last year between Tehran and the P5+1 powers, the rationale of defense against Iranian rockets beggars belief.

The Russian government is not buying American and NATO denials that the new missile system is not directed at Russia. The Kremlin reproached the latest deployment as a threat to its security, adding that it would be taking appropriate counter-measures to restore the strategic nuclear balance. That's because the US Aegis system can be reasonably construed as giving NATO forces a first-strike option against Russia.

A couple of things need to be clarified before addressing the main point here. First, European states are chasing Iranian business investments and markets following the breakthrough P5+1 accord signed last July. Germany, France, Italy, Britain and Austria are among the Europeans who have been vying to tap Iran's huge economic potential. The notion that Iran is harboring a military threat to such prospective partners is ludicrous, as Russian officials have pointed out.

Secondly, the US protestations of innocent intentions towards Russia are a contemptible insult to common sense. They contradict countless statements by Washington, including President Obama and his Pentagon top brass, which have nominated Russia as an aggressive threat to Europe. Washington is quadrupling its military spending in Europe, increasing its troops, tanks, fighter jets, warships and war exercises on Russia's borders on the explicit basis of deterring Russian aggression.

In other words, Russia is viewed as a top global enemy -- an existential threat -- according to Washington. So, the deployment of the US Aegis missile system this week in Eastern Europe is fully consistent with Washington's bellicose policies towards Russia. It would thus be irrational and foolishly naive to somehow conclude otherwise, that the US and its NATO allies are not on an offensive march towards Russia.

The depiction of Russia as a global security threat is of course absurd. We can also include similar US claims against China, Iran and North Korea. All such US-designated enemies are wildly overblown.

Western claims -- amplified relentlessly in the Western news media -- of Russia annexing Crimea and invading eastern Ukraine can be easily contested with facts and indeed counterpoised more accurately as belying Washington's covert regime change in Kiev.

Nevertheless, Western fear-mongering supported by unremitting media propaganda has to a degree succeeded in conflating these dubious claims into a bigger specter of Russia menacing all of Europe with hybrid warfare. It is, to be sure, a preposterous scare story of a Russian bogeyman which has racist undertones and antecedents in Nazi ideology of demonizing Slavic barbarians.

But this demonizing of Russia, as with other global enemies, is a necessary prop for the American military-industrial complex and its essential functioning for the US economy.

The $600 billion-a-year military spend by Washington is roughly tenfold what Russia spends. And yet, inverting reality, Russia is presented as the threat!
Shame on the U.S. Supreme Court for making a mockery of the First Amendment.

All the justices had to do was right a 60-year wrong that made it illegal to exercise one's First Amendment rights on the Supreme Court plaza.

It shouldn't have been a big deal.

After all, this is the Court that has historically championed a robust First Amendment, no matter how controversial or politically incorrect.

Over the course of its 227-year history, the Supreme Court has defended the free speech rights of Ku Klux Klan cross-burners, Communist Party organizers, military imposters, Westboro Baptist Church members shouting gay slurs at military funerals, a teenager who burned a cross on the lawn of an African-American family, swastika-wearing Nazis marching through the predominantly Jewish town of Skokie, abortion protesters and sidewalk counselors in front of abortion clinics, flag burners, an anti-war activist arrested for wearing a jacket bearing the words "F#@k the Draft," high-school students wearing black armbands to school in protest of the Vietnam War, a film producer who created and sold videotapes of dogfights, a movie theater that showed a sexually explicit film, and the Boy Scouts of America to exclude gay members, among others.

Basically, the Supreme Court has historically had no problem with radical and reactionary speech, false speech, hateful speech, racist speech on front lawns, offensive speech at funerals, anti-Semitic speech in parades, anti-abortion/pro-life speech in front of abortion clinics, inflammatory speech in a Chicago auditorium, political speech in a private California shopping mall, or offensive speech in a state courthouse.

So when activist Harold Hodge appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend his right to stand on their government plaza and silently protest the treatment of African-Americans and Hispanics by police, it should have been a no-brainer, unanimous ruling in favor of hearing his case.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court is not quite as keen on the idea of a robust First Amendment as it used to be, especially when that right is being exercised on the Court's own front porch.

Not only did the Court refuse to hear Hodge's appeal, but in doing so, it also upheld the 60-year-old law banning expressive activity on the Supreme Court plaza.

Talk about a double standard--a double standard upheld by a federal appeals court.

And what was the appeals court's rationale for enforcing this ban on expressive activity on the Supreme Court plaza? "Allowing demonstrations directed at the Court, on the Court's own front terrace, would tend to yield the "impression" of a Court engaged with -- and potentially vulnerable to -- outside entreaties by the public."

Translation: The appellate court that issued that particular ruling in Hodge v. Talkin actually wants us to believe that the Court is so impressionable that the justices could be swayed by the sight of a single man standing alone and silent in a 20,000 square-foot space wearing a small sign on a day when the court was not in session.

What a load of tripe.

This ban on free speech in the Supreme Court plaza, enacted by Congress in 1949, stems from a desire to insulate government officials from those exercising their First Amendment rights, an altogether elitist mindset that views the government "elite" as different, set apart somehow, from the people they have been appointed to serve and represent.

The powers-that-be want us kept at a distance.

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In desperation, due to the hatred of majority of the people against #NeverHillary, her establishment shills r stealing the primary election. With campaign violations, suppression, purging, buying BOE officials and controlling the media. Why this should matter to everyone, including Trump supporters, is because both establishment parties are colluding together to stop them as well. Even those of us who cringe with the thought of a Trump Presidency, do still agree he has every bit as much a right to run as the others doesn't he? In a true Democracy?

If they get away with stealing the nomination from us, you can bet your ass they will steal the general election from Trump. Guaranteed. In fact, if we step back and look at what has occurred, against what we ALL thought were insurmountable odds, Trump is the nominee. He is the candidate Hillary NEEDS to run against. He is the ONLY candidate that she can easily beat. She couldn't win against any other candidate because ALL, perhaps outside of Bush, do not even come close to her record of abhorrent corruption.

Both Campaigns will lose if election is not fair. Democracy will lose. Once Hillary has the nomination, she will easily steal the election from Trump in collaboration with the conservative establishment. Hillary has counted on, from the start, our fear of the "other" to elect her to rule.

With what I've seen occurring in the primaries, I'm far more terrified of Clinton than I am Trump. I think many of us are failing to realize how little risk there would be in Trump accomplishing ANYTHING egregious. With BOTH parties n congress against him along with the majority of the people, he would be pretty nearly impotent. He does NOT have enough weight in politics to be in any way effective.

It's not often that both sides agree with passion on issues. But when that opportunity arises; our unity is most powerful weapon on earth. The Only weapon in fact that can save us from her.

All of us agree that the crooks have been in charge far too long and revolution is necessary. We are UNITED on that aspect.

While we have a different view than they do on the way the revolution should be implemented, there will be NO REVOLUTION for US or for THEM if Clinton is nominated. EVERYBODY LOSES.

Think of what it is going to mean to the WORLD the day Hillary Clinton is inaugurated. The well-deserved shame will be insurmountable. Have we forgotten how horrible we felt watching the Bush administration destroy our integrity when we should have never allowed him the Presidency to begin with? IT IS OUR FAULT our elections are corrupt. With 2000 election we gave our nation away and we are and will, pay for that for many years to come. You think the situation is bad now? Imagine what it's gonna be like should we forfeit our election again.

The election is a fraud! You KNOW it. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. You know this.

PLEASE do not dismiss the only REAL shot we have because the other side is unpleasant or distasteful. He is an American. He has followed the RULES in obtaining the nomination! That fact, alone gives him more right to remain in the race than Clinton. Time is short America. The PEOPLE united will never be defeated. Not the PARTY united. Trump and his supporters are being exploited to keep us divided. They are victims just as we are. And while we are fighting each other Clinton is sneaking out the back door with our election! We are running out of time. Do we really want to wait for all the angry Trump supporters to figure out Clinton is stealing their election? Their fury will be warranted. This is the only opportunity we have left at a peaceful revolution. Waiting will most certainly guarantee blood shed in desperation and rage.

What are we waiting for?
Good evening from sunny Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

I wish I could be there to accept this award in person, but since I cannot, I am delighted to have Aaron Kirkhouse accept it on my behalf.

As you know, I am held in an American military prison with only a small library and without access to the internet. In this time of rapid technological advances in social networking and the machine learning age, it's quite an odd predicament to find myself in.

Today, when once obscure online refrains are now finding their way into the global lexicon -- "pics or it didn't happen" -- it's easy to feel disconnected from a world exponentially intertwined and dependent on technology.

As a military prisoner, my public persona is carefully controlled and enforced. Any interviews or statements that I make -- such as this one -- must be written or dictated through someone else who types it up on my behalf. I am not allowed to be recorded over the telephone, do any video interviews, or have any pictures taken -- with the exception of the occasional grainy mug shot. For those living in my situation, it's easy to start feeling invisible -- left behind and dismissed by the rest of a fast-paced society.

Despite these obstacles, I know I need to keep going. It is important to stay vocal. To stay creative. Active. Motivated. To keep fighting.

I keep fighting to survive and thrive. I am fighting my court-martial conviction and sentence before a military appeals court, starting this month. I am fighting to make the full investigation by the FBI public. I am fighting to grow my hair beyond the two-inch male standards by the U.S. military.

I keep fighting to warn the world of the dangerous trend in which the only information you can access is the kind that someone with money or power wants you to see.

And, I keep fighting to let people know that they too can create change. By staying informed and educated, anyone can make a difference. You have the ability to fight for a better world for everyone -- even for the most desperate, those at the bottom of the social ladder, refugees from conflict, queer and trans individuals, prisoners, and those born into poverty.

Thank you all so very much for your support over the years, and thank you to Lady Hollick, Mr. Davis, and Dr. Dreyfus for selecting me to be the first person to receive this award. It is truly an an amazing treat. I'm honored that my voice continues to be heard. Thank you for all for listening and choosing to fight alongside me. And of course, thank you to Aaron Kirkhouse for accepting this award for me.

I am grateful to you all -- for being here tonight, and being there for me tomorrow. Think what we might accomplish if we do one thing -- perhaps a grand undertaking or even what may seem to be a tiny, insignificant gesture -- each day with the simple goal of making the world a better place.

Good night everyone =)
North America Hydraulic Fluid Connectors Market will reach US$ 5.51 Billion by 2020

Hydraulic Fluid Connectors Market

http://www.marketresearchengine.com/reportdetails/hydraulic-fluid-connectors-market

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Florida, May 16: The North America Hydraulic Fluid Connectors Market business sector is required to achieve an estimation of US$ 5.51 billion in 2020. The business sector was worth US$2.84 billion in 2013 and is relied upon to develop at a CAGR of 7.9% from 2014 to 2020Browse the full report here:Hydraulic fluid connectors are transport hardware which are utilized as a part of the liquid force industry for force transmission and different purposes. Different gear, for example, hoses, tubing, fittings, manifolds and their congregations are utilized as a part of an extensive variety of pressure driven applications in commercial ventures including aviation, agribusiness hardware, development gear, marine, mining, and material taking care of.For research, we have directed inside and out meetings and exchanges with various key industry members and sentiment pioneers. Essential research speaks to the majority of the exploration exertion combined with a broad optional exploration. We assessed the key players' yearly reports, item portfolio, official statements and applicable records for focused research and better comprehension of the business sector. Optional research incorporates into profundity research on ebb and flow patterns, specialized composition, late exchanges, web sources, exchange affiliations, measurable information from government sites and related approved office sites. This has ended up being the best, successful and dependable methodology for getting brief information, catching industry members' bits of knowledge and perceiving opportunities and development.Auxiliary exploration sources that are regularly alluded to incorporate, yet are not restricted to organization sites, yearly reports, money related reports, agent reports, speculator presentations and SEC filings. It likewise incorporates inward and outside exclusive databases, and applicable patent and administrative databases, national government records, measurable databases and market reports. News articles, public statements and web-throws particular to the organizations working in the business sector likewise serve as a piece of auxiliary sources.We lead essential meetings on an on-running premise with industry members and analysts to accept information and investigation. A common research meeting satisfies different capacities. Direct data is acquired available size, market patterns, development patterns, focused scene, future standpoint, and so forth. It additionally helps in approving and fortifying the optional exploration discoveries, and further builds up the investigation group's mastery and market understanding. The essential exploration includes email communications, telephonic meetings and in addition up close and personal meetings for every business sector, class, portion and sub-fragment crosswise over topographies.The report on North America Hydraulic fluid connectors gives an itemized investigation and estimate of the business sector from 2014 to 2022. At a local level, the business sector has been divided on the premise of income (USD million) from 2014 to 2022. For an inside and out comprehension of the business sector in North America, the interest has been figure in view of income (USD million) for a period running somewhere around 2014 and 2022. The report incorporates drivers and in addition restrictions and their effect on the development of the business sector inside of the estimate period. Moreover, the report envelops opportunities accessible for the development of this business sector, on a worldwide and territorial level.To offer an itemized comprehension of the business sector, we have given an intensive research of the quality chain. Also, we have secured the Porter's five powers model, which gives a top to bottom understanding into the force of rivalry in this business sector. Besides, the study contains a business sector engaging quality research, where various applications are benchmarked in view of business sector size, development rate, and general appeal.The business sector has been portioned in view of items and applications. The portions have been dissected and conjecture taking into account income (USD million) from 2014 to 2022. Furthermore, the fragments have been dissected and estimate in light of current patterns at a territorial level, over the given time period. The interest has been broke down and figure in light of current patterns for a time of six years.Profiles of certain driving organizations have been secured in this report alongside a nitty gritty investigation of their piece of the pie. The study highlights organizations, for example, Eaton Corporation, Parker Hannifin Corporation, Gates Corporation, Manuli Hydraulics, Kurt Hydraulics and SPX Corporation. The market has been divided as beneath:North America Hydraulic Fluid Connectors Market - Product Segment Analysis Mobile hydraulic fluid connectors Industrial hydraulic fluid connectorsNorth America Hydraulic Fluid Connectors Market - Application Analysis Aerospace Agriculture Construction equipment Material handling Others (Marine, heavy truck, mining, etc.)About MarketResearchEngine.comMarket Research Engine is a global market research and consulting organization. We provide market intelligence in emerging niche technologies and markets. Our market analysis powered by rigorous methodology and quality metrics provide information and forecasts across emerging markets, emerging technologies and emerging business models. Our deep focus on industry verticals and country reports help our clients to identify opportunities and develop business strategies.Media ContactCompany Name: Market Research EngineContact Person: John BayEmail: john@marketresearchengine.comPhone: +1-855-984-1862, +91-860-565-7204Website:Address: 3422 SW 15 Street, Suite #8942, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442, United States
Antisemitism and parliamentary rhetoric

www.univie.ac.at/en

http://www.fwf.ac.at/en

http://www.prd.at/en

A project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF investigates the relationship between parliamentary debate and the development of democracy in post-fascist societies. Using Austria as an example, the researchers demonstrate how political rhetoric influences national identity and democratic culture.Detailed analysis of parliamentary debate has so far been neglected in parliamentary studies as well as in contemporary theories of democracy. The political scientist Eva Kreisky and her team (Nicolas Bechter, Karin Bischof, Marion Loffler) from the University of Vienna seek to close this gap with a project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF. Under the heading "Antisemitism as a political strategy and the development of democracy", the project sets out to analyse antisemitic rhetoric in Austria's parliament from 1945 until today. "It is our hypothesis that antisemitism is a useful indicator of democratic evolution, since modern democracies need to come to terms with pluralistic societies", says Eva Kreisky. The researcher views the plenary debates in parliament as a symbolic stage illustrating the limits of what can officially be said. "In our project we investigate whether, in what way, to what extent and at what periods parliamentarians have used antisemitism as a rhetorical political strategy in parliament since the Shoah and how this practice has undergone change", notes Kreisky.Methods and scopeTaking typical features of parliamentary speeches into account, the team developed a system of categories which they use to screen a body of about 3,500 stenographic records. Prior to detailed analysis they conduct a keyword search to identify likely antisemitic statements: "Schlussstrich" (clean break), "Rothschild", "Verhetzung" (hate speech), "Hochfinanz" (high finance) or "Emigranten" (emigrants) are among these keywords. Apart from content-related criteria such as the topics addressed, lines of argument or semantics, the scientists also include characteristics of parliamentary debate such as calls to order or instances of ethos and pathos in the analyses. "We have put a great deal of effort into developing a methodology which is not about reconstructing deliberations resulting in a law being adopted, but about highlighting the symbolic processes taking place in the plenary. These processes are based on different approaches which you might call rhetoric battle strategies", is how Eva Kreisky explains the objectives of this basic research project.Heightened awarenessParliamentary rhetoric and democratic culture are closely interlinked. Parliament is part of a fabric of social structures which have an impact on these two aspects but are also marked by them. Accordingly, topics may be thrust into parliament from outside, such as growing concern over antisemitic incidents, but there are also lingering resentments. During the Second Austrian Republic, the understanding of what is considered to be antisemitic has evolved. Parliamentary debates demonstrate heightened sensitivity to antisemitism in reacting to scandals erupting in society and vice versa. The Austrian case shows that the reproach of antisemitism often equates to a lack of democratic awareness. "Fundamentally it can be said that open antisemitism is no longer tolerated in parliament", notes Kreisky in summarising the ongoing analyses. At the same time, more subtle ways of encrypting antisemitic allusions are detectable. But parliamentarians also display a heightened awareness of language, which means that even veiled allusions rarely slip by without objection. In this respect, Kreisky underlines, one must distinguish between plenary debate in parliament and other political arenas.Austrian approach to democracyThe democratic identity of Austrian parties since 1945 has been strongly marked by a commitment to seeking consensus. Eva Kreisky stresses, however, that this has not banished suspicions of anti-democratic attitudes rooted in experience from the interwar years. Moreover, Austria has a tradition as regards the rule of law that reduces democracy to a set of formal processes and considers elections as being the main element of democratic participation. "This may also be interpreted as reflecting a certain mistrust with a view to how 'easily seduced' the population is", notes the political scientist. Austria's specificity in terms of a post-fascist society is the fact that Austria did not see itself as a perpetrator but rather as "Hitler's first victim". Focusing on the external "enemy" helped the crimes committed during the Austro-fascist period to fade into the background.In the context of post-fascist societies, antisemitism research uses the term secondary antisemitism to denote a phenomenon that manifests itself in the deflection of blame, a reversal of the roles of perpetrator and victim and in denial. "In all probability there are, however, numerous similarities with other post-fascist states which have not been widely researched and emerged only after the end of the Cold War, such as blatant antisemitism in Hungary or Poland", concludes Eva Kreisky.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:em. o. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Eva KreiskyDepartment of Political ScienceUniversity of ViennaUniversitatsstrae 7, 1010 ViennaT +43 / 1 / 4277-47713E hannelore.eva.kreisky@univie.ac.atAustrian Science Fund FWF:Marc SeumenichtHaus der ForschungSensengasse 11090 ViennaT +43 / 1 / 505 67 40 - 8111E marc.seumenicht@fwf.ac.atDistribution:PR&D  Public Relations for Research & EducationMariannengasse 81090 ViennaT +43 / 1 / 505 70 44E contact@prd.at
Deep-drawn parts for cars  STUKEN takes the lead

Complex micro parts: This long and thin sleeve requires extreme metal forming

www.stueken.com

Rinteln, 17th May 2016 - STUKEN is the global market leader when it comes to manufacturing stamped and deep-drawn parts for the automotive industry. Every car with a conventional drive system statistically contains 40 STUKEN parts. However, STUKEN parts are increasingly being used in vehicles with electric or hybrid drive systems. What's more, STUKEN enables high-performance sensor technology.STUKEN already supplies about 25 different products specifically for electric drive systems. Plus components for airbags, brake systems, automotive lamps or power sockets. And to ensure clean air, STUKEN makes a vital contribution with over 60 parts for exhaust sensors.The range of vendor parts for sensors comprises more than 100 parts  and sensors mean the future of the automotive industry, which will be marked by autonomous driving functions and the connected car. Other novel developments include the Internet of Things for consumers and the intelligent factory for industry. Smartwatches and data glasses are just the beginning of wearable computing  a market with the highest growth forecasts. Medical, safety, and vehicle technologies are further growth drivers. Sensor technology plays a key role in all these industries  which means that the suppliers' experience and technical capabilities will also play a key role.Sensor components have always been an integral part of the STUKEN range. Typical products include, for example, components for conventional temperature sensors in heating units, for pyroelectric sensors for measuring radiant heat in microwaves and for photoelectric sensors for data transmission using fiber optic technology. Today the range also features components for the growth markets of the future.STUKEN has considerable expertise in the field of sophisticated micro parts. A current example is a very long and thin sleeve, which requires extreme metal forming:Length: 40 mmOuter diameter: 0.95 mmInner diameter: 0.75 mmMaterial: 1.4303About STUKENFounded in 1931, STUKEN today is considered the leading global supplier of precision deep-drawn parts made of metal. Stampings and injection molded parts as well as complex assemblies complete the range and guarantee customers finished products of highest quality. The products can be found in countless applications from domestic appliances and fittings to computers, mobile phones and automobiles. Statistically every car sold worldwide contains 40 STUKEN components. The independent, innovative family-owned company based in the German city of Rinteln on the river Weser has about 1,200 employees, subsidiaries in the United States, the Czech Republic and the Peoples Republic of China, and achieved sales of 165 million euros in 2015.Hubert Stuken GmbH & Co. KGAlte Todenmanner Strae 4231737 RintelnGermanySandra Gohner, Head of MarketingPhone: +49 5751 702-0E-Mail: sandra.goehner@stueken.de
SmsCoin company participated in International Telecoms Week 2016!

http://www.smscoin.com/en

From May 8 till May 11 in Chicago, the USA, one of the most significant and influential industry events in the telecommunication field  International Telecoms Week 2016 (ITW)  has been held. It is already the 9th annual meeting which has become the place that almost all companies connected with the telecom sphere want to attend. It is efficient platform where experience is passed from hand to hand, where participants get inappreciable knowledge, business offers turn into strong business ties and large-scale projects. SmsCoin company representatives have also taken part in the event and immersed theirselves in the telecommunication atmosphere: they have met up with colleagues and discussed interesting topics.This year more than 6000 telecommunication market players from almost 149 countries have attended the conference. The event has always attracted attention and still remains one of the most qualified and informative events for mobile carriers, Internet services providers, data center solutions suppliers, application developers and for those professionals who spend their time on working at data transmission. The event topics have touched everyone's feelings: data centers performance, the world of digital solutions, revolution of bandwidth, the Internet of Things concepts, investments in networks and many more. Current issues have been discussed by the representatives of world-known companies, such as Apple, Google, AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, etc.Participation in the event has been available in four formats: an attendee, a bilateral table holder, an exhibitor who showcases his solutions in the exhibition and a meeting room holder. Each company has chosen that participation form which helps to network more efficiently. Within the scope of the conference there was also the exhibition containing more than 120 showcases where standholders introduced their products and solutions to attendees. Conference delegates had a great opportunity to communicate with companies' decision-makers and it meant good opening for business development. The event format represents immense networking platform for self-presentation of a company as a successful player of the telecom market.SmsCoin company team has acquired considerable experience which allows to take a fresh look at every market segment and revaluate opportunities for development of a number of solutions and services. SmsCoin CEO Yakov Beder: ITW is a comprehensive conference which covers every niche of the telecommunication business. Thousands of positive feedbacks about the event confirm its efficiency, fixed goal-oriented focus and perfect conditions for immersion into the industry of telecom expertise. Impressions got in the event are beyond words! There were a lot of exciting meetings and I would like to point out beautiful speech of Steve Wozniak who inspired the audience to realize the most incredible ideas.SmsCoin company operates within the SMS payments market for 10 years already. Presently, SmsCoin offers Premium SMS services in almost 100 countries worldwide. Thousands of projects are based on the company services, dozens of unique scripts have been developed and millions of messages have been processed. SmsCoin will continue expanding cooperation and surprising its partners with unique ideas and innovative approach to its implementation.SmsCoinOffice 4C, Roussos Limassol Tower,Kiriakou Matsi 3,Limassol 3040Cyprus+357 25 28 1784ekaterina@smscoin.com
Analysis of Global Tracksuits Industry by Market Product Types(cotton,wool), World Demands, Age Ratio(Youth,Older) & 2016 Brands(NIKE)

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=718227&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-tracksuits-market-professional-survey-report-2016.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

The study on the global Tracksuits market is a collaborative effort of expert analysts to highlight vital information about the market. The study is skillfully prepared by conducting research from primary and secondary sources.Further, internal and external databases are also utilized for collecting accurate information and identifying market-oriented aspects of the global Tracksuits market. Interviews and discussions with executives, directors, and leading market experts prove to be one of the more reliable research methodologies. The global Tracksuits market is segmented into numerous segments and sub-segments to evaluate correct facts. With a birds eye view, the reports authors have analyzed the global Tracksuits market.The research report covers the global Tracksuits market by taking into consideration factors such as key products, applications, supply and demand dynamics, specifications, the market dynamics, and recent industry trends. The report further highlights valuable information about different segments in the global Tracksuits market. The anticipated growth of all major segments is underlined in the report.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The data presented in the report includes detailed profiles of leading companies operating in the global Tracksuits market along with their recent developments, partnerships and mergers, and numerous growth strategies applied by new players. The global Tracksuits market is analyzed in the report by considering the changing trends and evolving nature of competition.The already existing firms, venture capitalists, new organizations, investment houses, and other stakeholders are the major audiences of the report. The expert analysts study and decode major market segments and sub-segments of the global Tracksuits market that the audiences might want to know more about. Future growth opportunities and the feasibility of new projects in the global Tracksuits market are studied in the report with other technological advancements and major applicationsBrowse Complete Report with TOC @QYresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.QYResearchReports1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Super-resolution microscopy is a form of light microscopy that allows images to be taken with a higher resolution than the diffraction limit providing many new insights in cellular biology, allowing spatial resolution of down to about 20 nm. Due to the diffraction of light, the resolution of conventional light microscopy is limited. Super-resolution techniques allow images to be taken with a higher resolution than the diffraction limit providing many new 
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Tuesday 17 May 2016 9:46am



Professor Julian Crane

A study by researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington shows that smokers who used a nicotine inhaler were twice as likely to quit smoking as smokers using a placebo inhaler.

The researchers developed and tested a novel nicotine inhaler to see whether it helps smokers to quit smoking. Participants in the study were randomly assigned to receive either a nicotine inhaler plus a nicotine patch, or a placebo inhaler plus a nicotine patch.

The results of the New Zealand study funded by the Health Research Council have been published today in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

Study team leader Professor Julian Crane from the University of Otago, Wellington, says the findings are the first evidence that inhaled nicotine from a simple standard inhaler is highly effective and substantially increases a smokers chances of quitting compared to the best current nicotine replacement treatment.

Currently most smokers use nicotine patches to help them stop smoking. This study shows that if you add a nicotine inhaler to a nicotine patch, it doubles the chances of quitting over a nicotine patch alone, says Professor Crane.

Although there is considerable interest in the use of e-cigarettes to help smokers give up tobacco, many countries, including New Zealand, are hesitant to introduce these to the market especially as they are largely unregulated and untested.

There is considerable debate about whether inhaled nicotine is helpful for people who wish to stop smoking, says Professor Crane.

This is the first study to show that inhaled nicotine from a metered dose inhaler in the context of a smoker wanting to stop doubles their chances of quitting.

The nicotine inhaler gives a metered dose of nicotine and offers an alternative therapeutic option for inhaled nicotine using a standard device that has been used for many decades for treatment of asthma.

But unlike electronic cigarettes, the inhaler has no physical associations to smoking itself, he says.

It also has benefits in that it is much less likely to be used inappropriately to administer other drugs given that it is a completely sealed unit, notes Professor Crane.

New Zealand has been a world leader in tobacco control public policy and this new home-grown development offers a world-first opportunity to help the 80% or more of smokers who want to quit achieve their aims, he says.

The researchers are currently looking at how to make the inhaler available to all smokers who would like to use it.

For further information contact:

Professor Julian Crane

Department of Medicine

University of Otago, Wellington

Tel: 04 918 5258

Email: julian.crane@otago.ac.nz
They are Kim Lien pagoda in Quang An precinct, Tay Ho district; Dau pagoda in Nguyen Trai commune, Thuong Tin district, and the house at No.48 Hang Ngang street, Hoan Kiem district.









Kim Lien pagoda (Source: vietnamnet.vn)

Kim Lien pagoda was designed with three pavilions, each of which has two roof layers. These pavilions were also built in slightly curved shapes. In addition to its nice appearance, the pagoda's gate is also a symbol of sophisticated and elegant architecture.

Among the temples and pagodas in the capital, Kim Lien pagoda is considered one of the magnificent sites that retain ancient architectural features.

Dau pagoda (Source: vietnamtourism.com)

House at No. 48 Hang Ngang street (Source: qdnd.vn)

Dau pagoda preserves evidence of the development of Buddhism in Vietnam. Visitors will have a chance to see the ancient church relics and valuable items like a pair of stone dragons, and bells. In particular, there are two statues in the pagoda which are the bodies of the two Zen monks, Vu Khac Minh and Vu Khac Truong, who ruled the pagoda in the 17th century.

The house at No. 48 Hang Ngang street used to be a silk shop of merchant Trinh Phuc Loi. In the early days of the August Revolution in 1945, it was the place where the Standing Committee of the Party Central Committee and President Ho Chi Minh worked to set up the interim Government. This is also the place where President Ho Chi Minh wrote the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam./.
Delta College, already a state-designated military-friendly school, is seeking a $10,000 grant so it can even better serve its veteran students.

The colleges Veteran Services Office and its Military Association have submitted a grant proposal to the Student Veterans of America organization in connection with its Vet Center Initiative.

Delta is hoping to become one of 50 schools across the nation to secure a grant, money it would use to merge its two current veteran offices.

Our current set-up can sometimes be confusing to students and faculty because our administrative area (GI bill paperwork) and the Veteran Student Center are in two different locations, said Beth Alford, coordinator of Veteran Services. I believe by merging these offices Delta will be able to create a one-stop shop that veterans are accustomed to using.

Chris Davis, a Marine Corps veteran who worked in Deltas Veteran Services office before graduating, is a staunch advocate of colleges devoting space and resources to help veterans adapt to student life. It can make the difference between success and failure.

College campuses are environments of mixed cultures, Davis said. Student veterans are a micro-culture all their own. The biggest issue plaguing us as a culture on campus is our inability, sometimes, to adapt to student life. Some of us deal daily with PTSD, while some of us have just become so ingrained with the military lifestyle that we find it hard to relate to traditional college students.

The University of Michigan-Flint, Saginaw Valley State University and Central Michigan University are among the institutions in the region that, as part of a national trend on college campuses, have established veteran resource centers. These are dedicated places on campuses where vets can go to unwind, socialize or just vent, Davis said.

If we win the grant we would also have a set meeting area for the Delta College Military Association, he said. As it is now, we must follow protocol and request a room from Student Services. Merging these two offices (Veteran Services and Veteran Student Center) would allow us to increase functionality and productivity in meeting the needs of student veterans and their dependents on campus.

Having a central location will provide our Delta College Military Association a consistent meeting area and a space to gather and build relationships, Alford, a chief petty officer, U. S. Navy, said. We are extremely grateful that Delta leadership sees value in our proposal and has granted additional space to merge offices if we are selected for the grant.

Delta has made it a point to be a veteran-friendly school, Davis said. Its now our turn to do our part to continue Deltas impact on student veterans in the Great Lakes Bay Region. This grant proposal is our way of doing so.

Davis said a newly consolidated Veterans Resource Office would provide needed privacy for veterans and Delta officials when discussing sensitive matters.

The open setting of Beths office can make having a private, personal conversation difficult, Davis said. Veterans often come to Beth when they have both academic and personal issues.

Delta serves about 400 veterans annually.

Beth, Richard Teneyque and the student workers are the best staff on campus, but Im biased in that opinion, Davis said. Beth knows all her student veterans, even if she only sees them once or twice a semester.

The Home Depot Foundation is funding the Vet Center Initiative and expects to award some $400,000 to grant recipients this year.
The Rev. Robert Emrich, the longest-serving Delta College Board of Trustees member, has announced he will seek a fifth consecutive term in the Nov. 8 general election. First elected in 1992, Emrich will be seeking to retain his Saginaw County seat.

Im retired, so I will be seeking public office again, Emrich, who in 2014 retired after 29 years at First Presbyterian Church in Saginaw and 45 years in the ministry, said. Delta College has been one of the most meaningful things Ive ever been involved with.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  A missing hiker who disappeared along a remote stretch of the Continental Divide was found dead at a New Mexico campground over the weekend, about six months after he last spoke with relatives.

It appeared Stephen Olshansky  described by his brother as an avid, experienced hiker  died from exposure, and there was no sign of foul play, the New Mexico State Police said.

A day earlier, hikers had reported seeing a body in a Carson National Forest campground building east of Chama, a town near the Colorado border, but officers couldn't reach the site because of snow drifts and impassable terrain.

They returned Sunday on all-terrain vehicles to recover Olshansky, ending months of attempts by volunteers to locate the 59-year-old as they followed leads suggesting he had been spotted elsewhere in the state.

His last known address was in Boynton Beach, Florida, a state police spokeswoman said.

"He was widely devoted to spending time in the woods, and had a million friends in the hiking community," his brother Neil Olshansky said Monday.

He said his brother was among a small group of hikers who had completed the Triple Crown of Hiking  the trio of long-distance treks that include the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails. Each takes months to complete.

Olshansky would have completed the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail for the third time had he survived and finished the final stretch of the journey through New Mexico, his brother said.

Stretching from Canada to Mexico, the trail extrends across forest, desert and other mountain terrain, while reaching elevations as high as about 14,000 feet.

Much of the region near the Colorado-New Mexico border where Stephen Olshansky died is thick with pine trees and brush. The campsite where he was found is about 10,000 feet above sea level.

Neil Olshansky was uncertain Monday whether his brother had kept a journal during his journey south from the Canada border.

The last time he was seen was in mid-November, when he was dropped off by friends at the Cumbres Pass at the southern edge of Colorado.

The next leg of his trip would have taken him about 70 miles south to Abiquiu, a scenic town known for having been a second-home to the late artist Georgia O'Keeffe, and where the hiker had mailed supplies to himself to the local post office ahead of the journey. But he never picked them up.

Since it was unlike him to remain out of touch during his cross-continental hikes, his brother Neil and others grew increasingly worried. Around the first week of December, they initiated a search for him and alerted authorities.

"Five months later, the volunteer (searchers) were still at it," Neil Olshansky said. "The outpouring of support and the like was really remarkable."
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The Midland Noon Rotary Club has announced scholarship recipients for the 2016 school year. Each of the scholarships is named for the Rotarian who provided the funds.

The Dixon scholarships are handled through Midland Public Schools. Selection is the responsibility of the Midland Rotary Club. The Campbell and Hardy Scholarships are handled through the Midland Rotary Foundation. Selection is the responsibility of the Rotary Scholarship Committee.
Members of the Midland Public Schools Board of Education on Monday gave their approval to new bus routing software, county-wide Internet connection upgrades and the 2016-17 budget for the Midland County Educational Service Agency.

Board members also heard that footings have been completed and a wall has been erected for the new Central Park Elementary School.

MPS Superintendent Michael Sharrow told the board that other bond-funded work to be done soon includes track resurfacing at Midland Community Stadium. Sharrow also said design phase work for new security entrances for existing schools will soon be put out for bids.

Associate Superintendent Robert Cooper said MCESA general fund revenues are projected to be $17.95 million, while expenditures are estimated to be $18.03 million. Special education revenues are projected at $14.32 million and expenditures are $14.27 million.

Cooper said MCESA continues to work on cost controls but the agency is still slightly in deficit.

The internet upgrades are being coordinated by MCESA, and the MPS board gave its approval for the agency to move ahead with the purchase of hardware by existing internet provider MCoNet, which will enable our internet connection to increase beyond the 1.0 Gbps of bandwidth that we currently share as a county, according to the boards meeting agenda. The total cost is $106,396, of which MPS is paying (based on student population) $53,197.

The board also approved the purchase of bus routing software that will eventually be able to provide real-time, GPS-based tracking of buses. For now, Cooper said the software will be a great improvement over the districts existing software. The cost is just over $30,000.

Much of the meeting was devoted to spotlighting accomplishments of students and teachers.

Presentations on the developing the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme at Siebert and Eastlawn elementary schools included video of young students clearly articulating the IB learner profiles and attitudes.

Video of Siebert students, presented by the schools IB coordinator Amy Sabourin, showed students discussing Taking action, When I was a thinker, I am a caring person and People strive for justice. A particularly impressive clip showed three fifth-graders discussing teamwork and collaboration, with one offering the opinion, You have to be able to work with people even if you dont like them. The three also discussed personal goals such as showing others more empathy and having more enthusiasm for certain school subjects.

Jen Servoss, IB PYP coordinator at Carpenter and Eastlawn, presented two Eastlawn fifth-graders who organized a book drive that collected over 300 new and gently used books for the school library as part of the taking action theme of PYP.

She also introduced McKenna Herkel, an Eastlawn third-grader who, after being bullied, helped create a video using role playing to share the various perspectives on bullying. The video showed what to do from the perspective of a bully, a student being bullied and bystanders who see a bullying incident.

If you see something, say something, McKenna said.

Board members praised her for coming forward.

Dont worry about the bullies. Youve got it all over them, Board Treasurer Jerry Wasserman told McKenna.

H.H. Dow High School was presented with a $2,500 check as part of a 2016 Education Excellence Award for the program 20-time.

The program was devised by Dow High Spanish teacher Lisa Bonotto and English teacher Sarah Hechlik to inspire drive, inquiry, creativity, innovation and autonomy by allowing students 20 percent of the class time they spend with the two teachers to develop an outcome-based project based on a theme of the students choosing.

The teachers said their students had taken on a wide range of projects including building a drone, learning how to cook, learning a new language, photography and what service projects might be needed in Midland County.

They set a goal and a lot of times they fail  (They find that) its OK to fail, Bonotto said. Many other times they succeed and quickly move on to another project.

It just gives the kids an opportunity one day a week to choose what they want to learn about, she said.

The award was presented by Travis Van Tighem of SET-SEG (a Lansing-based company that provides insurance and other benefits to schools) and Ruth Coppens, a member of the board of directors of the Michigan Association of School Boards.

Sharrow presented his May Shining Star awards to Siebert Elementary School Paraprofessional Tresca Parfeniuk and Adams Elementary School third grade teacher and MPS veteran Mary Jo Griffin. Parfeniuk was praised for having a quiet presence (that) makes a huge impact, while Griffin was honored for mentoring her schools FIRST Lego League robotics team.
Nearly 150 participants including entrepreneurs, agriculture managers, researchers, government officials and practitioners have attended the event.

Vietnamese and Australian experts shared information on cattle production systems in Australia, the use of reproductive technologies for breeding, and stressed the importance of adequate nutrition for successful breeding operations. The seminar highlighted practical alternatives with experiences in breeding that are applied effectively in other parts of South East Asia.

Photo for illustration



According to Vice Minister of MARD, Mr Vu Van Tam, beef currently accounts for 12% of meat consumption in Vietnam. This is changing rapidly and the demand for high quality beef, particularly from Australia, has increased over the past three years. He advised that Vietnam wished to collaborate with Australia in monitoring the production, slaughter and welfare of live cattle which have been exported to Vietnam. He called for domestic investments not only in importing quality live cattle but also in breeding technologies to ensure profit generation for practitioners.

Deputy Head of Mission of the Australian Embassy, Mr Layton Pike, advised that Australia is more than an exporter of live cattle to Vietnam. He noted that Australia is also assisting the development of Vietnam beefs sector through seminars, practical training and collaborative research and development.

Vietnam is the second largest import market of for live cattle exports from Australia. According to Australias Department of Agriculture, last year, some 366,716 cattle were exported to Vietnam. Through this trade, animal welfare outcomes and processing capability in Vietnamese abattoirs has improved, supported by training from Australian experts.

Australia provides support on agricultural research through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). Since 1993, ACIAR has funded 20 projects worth approximately AUD16 million to develop and improve Vietnams livestock production systems, focusing on animal health, food safety, feed and feeding, breeding and market access./.
Saginaw Valley State University and its sister institution, Ming Chuan University, recently celebrated the first graduates of the schools innovative joint degree program.

Four students completed masters degrees in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language and received diplomas from both universities during Commencement exercises at SVSU. Chuan Lee, president of Ming Chuan, led a delegation of 15 faculty from the Taiwan-based school to attend the ceremony.

Ming Chuan opened its Michigan campus through leasing space from SVSU in 2014. It is believed to be the only such collaboration in Michigan where an Asian university has a physical campus in the state. Ming Chuan also was the first Asian university to be accredited in the United States, by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

I have learned more than just the solid knowledge and skills of teaching Chinese as a second language, said I-Hsuan Lai, who completed the program. I have gained the valuable experience of studying abroad. I am looking forward to using my degree in the next chapter of my life.

Joining Lai in completing degrees are Yi-an Huang, Lifang Qiu and Jieying Shi.

A study by the Asia Society, a group that advocates for developing cultural and linguistic understanding between the people of the U.S. and China, found that if Chinese were to be taught in U.S. schools as commonly as French (about one million students), the U.S. would need 10,000 additional teachers.

Beginning this fall, SVSU and Ming Chuan will add a joint masters degree program in new media and communication administration. Students can register for both programs now to begin courses in August. A one-time scholarship of $500 is available to students upon successful completion of the first semester.

Ming Chuan University has more than 140,000 alumni worldwide, four campuses in Taiwan, and one in Michigan.

For more information, visit mcumi.mcu.edu.tw.
Walking onto the Appledore V for the first time, I realized the ship was a lot smaller than I thought it would be.

I remember thinking: This is going to be a long trip! Eight people in small quarters can get pretty interesting but it turns out that we all get along fine. For me, being on a sailboat for the first time was like stepping into another world. In the boat world, it seems like people just make up words for whatever they want. The language was weird and foreign to me. The crew immediately started training us and I thought it was so confusing I would never be able to learn and remember it all.

I can say that after a little over a week we all seem to be catching onto the routine. As Sea Scholars, we all agree on one thing  the hardest transition is getting used to our new sleep schedules to go with our watch times. When we set sail, watches were assigned to us. They are four-hour spans of time during which we have to make sure everything on the boat is running smoothly and also steer the boat on the right course. The watch times are 8 p.m. to midnight (Captain Noahs watch); midnight to 4 a.m. (Mate Drews watch); and 4-8 a.m.(First Mate Kathleens watch). The transition was hard but we are settling in now and Captain Noah is letting each of us work all of the watch schedules so we work with all of the different crew members and experience all of the different watch times. None of us like the midnight to 4; getting up for a midnight watch is really difficult.

Sea Scholars educator Beth Christiansen has told us how impressed she is with how professional we look and act: The students are stepping up to the task and maturing very quickly. I dont stand watches every four hours like they do; I try to be awake during daylight hours to help with homework or running our shipboard experiments. As Im sleeping at night, I hear the students walk through the below-decks area checking the engine and bilge pumps and I am grateful to be able to go back to sleep as they are taking the responsibility of keeping the ship safe under the able guidance of our excellent professional crew.

We are heading toward New York City but, with some weather on the way, we may have a few extra stops in between here and there. Here is Beaufort, N.C., where we were put to work cleaning and polishing the ship from top to bottom and bow to stern. Captain Noah says, a clean ship is a safe ship so we got our ship safe for the next part of our journey and it looks great. It feels great to know that we helped make Appledore V beautiful again and ready to arrive proudly into New York Harbor and on to her homeport of Bay City.

Kelly OKeefe is a Sea Scholar currently aboard the Appledore V.
BOSTON (AP)  A 64-year-old cancer patient has received the nation's first penis transplant, a groundbreaking operation that may also help accident victims and some of the many U.S. veterans maimed by roadside bombs.

In a case that represents the latest frontier in the growing field of reconstructive transplants, Thomas Manning of Halifax, Massachusetts, is faring well after the 15-hour operation last week, Massachusetts General Hospital said Monday.

His doctors said they are cautiously optimistic that Manning eventually will be able to urinate normally and function sexually again for the first time since aggressive penile cancer led to the amputation of the former bank courier's genitals in 2012. They said his psychological state will play a big role in his recovery.

"Emotionally he's doing amazing. I'm really impressed with how he's handling things. He's just a positive person," Dr. Curtis Cetrulo, who was among the lead surgeons on a team of more than 50, said at a news conference. "He wants to be whole again. He does not want to be in the shadows."

Manning, who is single and has no children, did not appear at the news conference but said in a statement: "Today I begin a new chapter filled with personal hope and hope for others who have suffered genital injuries. In sharing this success with all of you, it is my hope we can usher in a bright future for this type of transplantation."

The identity of the deceased donor was not released.

The operation is highly experimental  only one other patient, in South Africa, has a transplanted penis. But four additional hospitals around the country have permission from the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the nation's transplant system, to attempt the delicate surgery.

The loss of a penis, whether from cancer, accident or war injury, is emotionally traumatic, affecting urination, sexual intimacy and the ability to conceive a child. Many patients suffer in silence because of the stigma their injuries sometimes carry; Cetrulo said many become isolated and despondent.

Unlike traditional life-saving transplants of hearts, kidneys or livers, reconstructive transplants are done to improve quality of life. And while a penis transplant may sound radical, it follows transplants of faces, hands and even the uterus.

"This is a logical next step," said Dr. W. P. Andrew Lee, chairman of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

His hospital is preparing for a penis transplant in a wounded veteran soon, and Lee said this new field is important for "people who want to feel whole again after the loss of important body parts."

Still, candidates face some serious risks: rejection of the tissue, and side effects from the anti-rejection drugs that must be taken for life. Doctors are working to reduce the medication needed.

Penis transplants have generated intense interest among veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, but they will require more extensive surgery since their injuries, often from roadside bombs, tend to be more extensive, with damage to blood vessels, nerves and pelvic tissue that also will need repair, Lee noted.

The Department of Defense Trauma Registry has recorded 1,367 male service members who survived with genitourinary injuries between 2001 and 2013. It's not clear how many victims lost all or part of the penis.

A man in China received a penis transplant in 2005. But doctors said he asked them to remove his new organ two weeks later because he and his wife were having psychological problems.

In December 2014, a 21-year-old man in South Africa whose penis had been amputated following complications from circumcision in his late teens received a transplant.

Dr. Andre van der Merwe of the University of Stellenbosch told The Associated Press that the man is healthy, has normal sexual function and was able to conceive, although the baby was stillborn. But his recovery was difficult, with blood clots and infections, the doctor said.

For congenital abnormalities or transgender surgery, doctors can fashion the form of a penis from a patient's own skin, using implants to achieve erection. But transplanting a functional penis requires connecting tiny blood vessels and nerves.

A bigger challenge than the surgery itself is finding donor organs.

"People are still reluctant to donate," van der Merwe said. "There are huge psychological issues about donating your relative's penis."

In the U.S., people or their families who agree to donate organs such as the heart or lung must be asked separately about also donating a penis, hand or other body part, said Dr. Scott Levin, a hand transplant surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania and vice chairman of UNOS' committee on reconstructive transplants.

In Boston, Cetrulo said the transplanted penis has good blood flow and so far shows no signs of rejection. He said that Manning should be released from the hospital soon, and that the surgery had three aims: ensuring the transplanted penis looks natural, is capable of normal urination  which he hopes will resume in a few weeks  and eventually normal sexual function.

Reproduction won't be possible, he said, since Manning did not receive new testes.

Dr. Dicken Ko, who directs the hospital's urology program, said Manning has been shown post-operation photos but hasn't actually seen his new penis, since it is still bandaged. A big test, Ko said, will be when reconnected nerves start to take hold, bringing feeling back to the organ.

"We don't know how he would feel until that times comes," he said.
LANSING (AP)  Several hundred trees have been felled at the future site of a development and park in Lansing to prevent nesting by federally protected bat species.

About 350 trees were taken down at the end of March to avoid expensive mitigation efforts that protect the bats. The trees have been left strewn about the site because the ground had been too soggy until now to bring in equipment to process them into landscaping material, Ingham County Drain Commissioner Pat Lindemann told the Lansing State Journal.

The dead trees may look like a nature-killing act to some, but they were cut down to force roosting bats to find another place to call home.

"We like bats. They are wonderful. They eat a lot of insects," Lindemann said. "If you really care about the bats you don't want to cut the trees down while they're in them."

The endangered Indiana bat and the threatened northern long-eared bat are known to inhabit the mid-Michigan area, according to Scott Hicks, field supervisor for ecological services at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service in Michigan.

The federal government recommends removing trees before April 1 to avoid bats roosting and rearing their young in them.

Lindemann said the downed trees will be replaced with three times as many indigenous trees, such as white pine and oak.

"We're trying to build a Midwest ecosystem that is keeping with the flood plain," he said.

A major housing, hotel and retail development and a riverside park have been proposed at the site. The Lansing City Council approved the project in 2014, but it still needs to finalize the sale of the property.

The tree removal cost about $250,000 and was covered by the developer and the drain commissioner.
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If you wander down to the circular structure by the Tridge on Wednesdays, or decide to compete with a crowd on Saturdays, you will see a bustling outdoor shopping complex and customers carrying bags of produce or their favorite homemade products from mid-May through October.

You might witness families sitting at picnic tables, or couples walking hand-in-hand, or even some business professionals in suits looking for a quick escape from work on their lunch break.

What you may not see is whats happening behind the scenes and during off days. Its a full time job, said Kristy LeVasseur, market manager and director of communications at the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce.

Some of the changes this year include keeping the market open until 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and planning to close an adjacent parking lot on Saturdays in June, July and August to allow some overflow for visitors wanting to linger after their market experience.

Keeping the market open until 1 p.m. is a strategy the Chamber used before, LeVasseur said, and she is hoping with the addition of food trucks to serve lunch items that it will be more successful this time around.

Vendors are now required to stay open throughout the market hours, and some have adjusted stock in order to accommodate extra customers.

A lot of shoppers have been asking, and it seemed to be well-received by the vendors, LeVasseur said. Saturday (opening day) went really well. There were a good amount of people between noon and 1 oclock, and hopefully that continues to grow as people learn and remember.

Closing the parking lot was aimed at alleviating congestion that can be seen on busy Saturday mornings in an area LeVasseur describes as too small of a space for that many people.

The biggest thing in doing that was we want lots of people down there. They love it, its a great place to go on Saturday mornings but it has to be safe, LeVasseur said. Where we were running it last year, it was just far too congested.

It did mean working with city engineering to re-evaluate the availability of handicap parking spaces, which have been moved to the opposite side of the circle structure.

It was worth it to make sure we have a safe and fun environment for people to come and enjoy the market on a Saturday and those busy months, LeVasseur said. Thats what they want to do, they want to socialize and sit with friends and family they havent seen all week.

ONE OF THE BEST OPENING DAYS

The market opened on Saturday, May 7, and several vendors told LeVasseur it was one of the best opening days theyve experienced over the years.

As owner of From Buds to Blooms in Essexville, Marisue Johnson has been selling brightly-colored flowers and plants at the market for about 12 years. She said it was an awesome opening day, as she watched the last few hanging planters left in her stock being arranged for customers to choose from.

When we sell out, we sell out. We usually do, the Saturday before Mothers Day, Johnson said.

Johnson has seen the number of people at the market grow over the past few years, and she understands why. She often visits other markets in Michigan and says Midland is fortunate to have good facilities like a bathroom and some cover for vendors, as well as lots of other activities nearby like the downtown district and the Pere Marquette Rail Trail.

This is one of the nicer ones, she said.

One suggestion Johnson has to encourage further growth would be to close the loop around the market to motorists, in order to allow more space for vendors and keep safety a priority. She remembers last year when a pedestrian was injured at the market due to an automobile accident.

When asked, LeVasseur said closing the roadway around the market has been considered but would most likely cause more logistical problems than act as a solution. It is often used for pick-up and drop-off for people with handicaps, and for large amounts of produce.

Another suggestion would be to rename the market, to incorporate the influx of homemade goods and products that are now joining the tables of produce and plants, Johnson said. She likes the current location down by the Tridge.

Its really a family center, Johnson said. I dont see the rationale of moving it. I dont really think Midland knows what they have, with this market.

Other vendors, like Scott Cibulka of Michigan Eco Decor and Bill Miller of Papas Pumpkin Patch, are also on board with keeping the market open later.

I like the idea, because I love being here, Cibulka said, arranging colorful displays of succulents on tables in his vendor space. This is the best job Ive ever had.

He does see a need for additional parking and vendor space, but said the market as it is now is still set-up well and management does a good job of working with vendors.

This is top-notch. The customers are great, its just a great market, Cibulka said.

The impact of changing market hours has yet to be seen, Miller said, but at least market management is doing something about the growth in customers and vendors.

Thatll be interesting to see how that turns out, Miller said.

OTHER ISSUES BEING ADDRESSED

While she is glad visitors say the market works well and does not need changes, LeVasseur said it just means they are not noticing the Band-Aids and last-minute adjustments that keep it operational.

Because of the markets placement in the floodplain, there are limited infrastructure solutions in order to add storage, more cover for vendors and visitors or provide electricity and power to refrigerate more produce.

One temporary fix LeVasseur has sought out is a storage van, provided by Garber Chevrolet, that gives market staff a place to store tables and signs needed for each day.

Its a temporary fix but its works for what we need it to, LeVasseur said.

The Chamber is also in the process of getting new signage to alert visitors to new operating hours, and has made an effort to keep the market diverse in terms of vendors. In terms of parking and handicap access, the Chamber is looking at options for shuttle services that would run from different parking areas downtown to bring people to and from the market. It is an idea still in the works, LeVasseur said, but something that has been requested over the years.

LOOKING AT THE MARKETS FUTURE

Another strategy the Chamber is looking at is a committee dedicated to the long-term growth of the market. Using previous studies done in Midland and by the Michigan Municipal League as well as feedback from vendors and customers, the committee will look at five-year solutions to see if growth is possible and how it can be achieved.

Thats the biggest goal, do we want to grow it? Do we want to keep it the same? What does it look like down the road? LeVasseur said.

That committee will most likely be made up of market vendors, city staff, Chamber board members, along with customers, LeVasseur said. The final roster has not been decided yet, but the Chamber sought out a cross-section of people committed to the long-term growth of the market.

One thing the committee will look at is the changing markets around Midland, including a new indoor farmers market being built in Saginaw. LeVasseur said it is possible the larger market would become more of a regional draw, and vendors may decide to change markets.

Its a tricky business, but we have a pretty good lay of the land and know what needs to be done, LeVasseur said. It definitely will be an impact, well have to see how it unfolds.

According to a poll published on the Daily News website, ourMidland.com, at least 48 percent, 274 people, said they would like the committee to consider a new location for the market to allow for more options. At least 35 percent, or 202 people, voted to keep the market in its current location but consider options to grow it larger.

About 14 percent voted to keep the market as it is right now, and another 3 percent were unsure.

One thing LeVasseur would like to see at the market in the future is a food innovation kitchen that would offer opportunities for canning or cooking classes for those looking to learn how to best handle their produce.

You can take food security for residents that need food security help to a whole new level, LeVasseur said. It really allows people to be able to enjoy market produce all year long.

For LeVasseur, the market is not simply an economic development tool but a way to help new businesses establish a customer base and take their entrepreneurship to the next level.

She described the market as a catalyst for new organizations, and said changes like more roofing, power availability and wider aisles are necessary to ensure the markets future and the security of the vendors and family farms that rely on it for income.

If I can get those family farmers to have a sustainable future, thats helps everybody, LeVasseur said.

She cant argue that the Midland market is in a great setting, in a beautiful location close to downtown, but it is a difficult market to manage.

Its hard to continually be putting, every year, a Band-Aid on things, LeVasseur said.

Last years petition to relocate the market to Putnam Park, put forth by Momentum Midland and later withdrawn, was an interesting time for LeVasseur. She remembers the amount of calls and emails the Chamber received, and the rumors that spread about rising vendor fees and the circle structure being demolished.

The circle structure itself and the land surrounding it is leased to the Chamber by the city, and is in no danger of being demolished. As for vendor fees, LeVasseur said regulations set a cap on vendor fees and raising those fees was not considered during the relocation petition.

GROWTH OVER THE YEARS

In the eight years LeVasseur has served as market manager, it has changed in many ways and attracted more people than she thought possible.

Eight years ago, the market fit in the circle, LeVasseur said. I would have never dreamed eight years ago we would have the amount of people we have now, the issues we have now.

She credits the Chamber with maintaining professional staff that has learned over the years how to keep the market running and the vendors happy. The Midland market is one of few in the state run by a Chamber entity.

Although operated by the Chamber, the market is still a public gathering space and LeVasseur said the organization is always welcome to ideas and conversations about the market.

We never know until we try, she said. People just need to give us a call or shoot us an email. We really do operate with the vendors in mind and want them all to succeed.

That means the market as well.

The word has spread that Midland is an astounding market, in the farmer market circle, and I dont blame people for wanting to come, LeVasseur said. I just want them to be safe and have a good experience while they are here.
In its protest, the association said the illegal seasonal ban by the Chinese has been in place for many years, interfering with the activities of Vietnamese fishermen, violating Vietnams maritime sovereignty over the two archipelagoes of Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel), and Vietnams jurisdiction over the waters under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The association said it strongly opposes the unilateral, preposterous, and legally invalid ban by Chinese authorities. It asked the relevant agencies to undertake measures to stop such actions by Chinese authorities and protect Vietnamese fishermen operating in Vietnamese waters.

The opposition followed an announcement by authorities in Haikou, in Chinas Hainan Province, of a ban on all fishing activities in the sea area from 12 degrees north parallel to the border of the waters of Chinas Guangdong Province with Fujian Province (including Vietnams Tonkin Gulf).

The ban applies from 12:00 am on May 16th to 12:00 am on August 1st, according to Chinese authorities.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh said, Vietnam resolutely rejects this invalid decision. Vietnam has sufficient legal and historical evidence of its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago and its legal rights in its waters in line with the 1982 UNCLOS. Chinas decision seriously violates Vietnams sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Vietnams legal rights and interests in its waters and runs counter to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the East Sea./.
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong hosted a reception for Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith

in Hanoi on May 16th. (Photo: VNA)

The Party chief warmly welcomed the Lao high-level government delegations visit to Vietnam and underlined its significance to deepening the traditional friendship, special solidarity and all-around cooperation between the two countries.

He congratulated Laos on its remarkable, historical and comprehensive achievements gained over the past 30 years of renovation as well as the successful organisation of the 10th Congress of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and elections of deputies to the 8th National Assembly.

The Party leader conveyed his congratulations to Thongloun Sisoulith on his election as the new Lao PM, confirming Vietnam strongly supports the Lao renovation and believes that under the leadership of the LPRP and the Lao Government, Lao people will continue to reap more significant achievements in the renewal process, implement successfully the Resolution adopted at the 10 th Congress and the five-year social-economic development plan, and build Laos into a country of peace, independence, democracy, unity and prosperity towards socialism.

He suggested the two Governments closely coordinate in directing ministries, localities and businesses to proactively and actively realise the outcomes of the official friendly visit to Vietnam by Lao General Secretary and President Bounnhang Volachit and the cooperation contents agreed at the 38th session of Vietnam-Laos intergovernmental committee.

The two sides are expected to increase the exchange of information and experience in Party building and socio-economic management, enhance collaboration in security-defence and external affairs, and promptly extricate difficulties to ensure the progress and quality of Vietnams investment projects in Laos, he said.

He urged both nations to increase two-way trade and forge links in economics, transport infrastructure and energy; while improving the quality of education, training and human resources.

For his part, the Lao PM expressed his delight to pay an official visit to Vietnam in his new position. He extended the best regards from Lao General Secretary and President Bounnhang Volachit to the Vietnamese Party chief and congratulated Vietnam on its significant attainments in the Doi Moi (renewal) process.

He was confident that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), Vietnamese people will gain more remarkable achievements and soon become a modern and industrialised society.

He thanked Vietnam for the valuable assistance given to Laos in the past and at present.

The Lao PM informed the host about the outcomes of his talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and other Vietnamese leaders.

He confirmed that the Lao Government will closely work with their Vietnamese counterparts to implement effectively the contents of the Vietnam-Laos Joint Statement issued in April 2016, as well as the bilateral cooperation agreements reached by the two Parties and Governments.

Both host and guest expressed their delight at the thriving traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, which not only benefits people in the respective countries but also makes an active contributions to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world./.
RED FLAG-Alaska is a series of Pacific Air Forces commander-directed field training exercises for U.S. and partner nation forces, enabling joint and international units to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures while improving interoperability in a realistic threat environment.

With more than 75 aircraft and 1,400 participants, RF-A 16-1 featured a strategic -- and rare -- partnership with the Indian Air Force and two of their specific airframes; the Sukhoi SU-30MK, a twinjet multi-role air superiority fighter and the SEPECAT Jaguar, an Anglo-French jet-attack aircraft.

U.S. Air Force Colonel Brian Toth, 354th Operations Group commander, attributes participation of foreign military forces to the overall success of RF-A exercises.

Through the initial planning meetings for each RED FLAG iteration, we discuss the end goals of each exercise and it is up to those countries representatives to acknowledge which missions would most benefit their particular needs at that time, Toth said. However, the realistic training environment we aim to provide each iteration is only made possible with the participation of our partners and the hard work they put in throughout the exercise.
Airmen, Soldiers receive recognition for heroic acts during building fire

Airmen, Soldiers , and the Enyioko family along with their sister and pastor pose for a group photo at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, May 13, 2016. The photo was taken after an award ceremony recognizing the team of Airmen and Soldiers who saved the lives of four locals from a burning building in Songtan, Republic of Korea. Each Airman and Soldier involved with the rescue received an Air Force Commendation Medal and the civilian received a Command Civilian Award For Valor. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Travis Edwards)
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Le Hai Binh (Source: VNA)

He responded to reporters question regarding Chinas announcement of the time, area and measures for implementing a moratorium from noon of May 16 to noon of August 1

The moratorium covers the sea areas, including Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, under Vietnams sovereignty in the East Sea.

The announcement was publicised on the portal of the administration of Haikou city in the Chinese province of Hainan, and on some online newspapers from China.

Vietnam determinedly objects to and refutes this void decision, the Spokesman stressed.

He added that Vietnam has sufficient legal foundations and historical evidence testifying to its sovereignty over Hoang Sa archipelago, as well as its legitimate rights over its sea areas, which are specified in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

That action by China has seriously violated Vietnams sovereignty over Hoang Sa archipelago, infringed Vietnams legitimate rights and interests in its sea areas, and run counter to the spirit and wording of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, Binh emphasised./.
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- RED FLAG-Alaska (RF-A) is a series of Pacific Air Forces commander-directed field training exercises for U.S. and partner nation forces, enabling joint and international units to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures while improving interoperability in a realistic threat environment.

With more than 75 aircraft and 1,400 participants, RF-A 16-1 featured a strategic  and rare  partnership with the Indian Air Force and two of their specific airframes; the Sukhoi SU-30MK, a twinjet multi-role air superiority fighter, and the SEPECAT Jaguar, an Anglo-French jet-attack aircraft.

U.S. Air Force Colonel Brian Toth, 354th Operations Group commander, attributes participation of foreign military forces to the overall success of RF-A exercises.

Through the initial planning meetings for each RED FLAG iteration, we discuss the end goals of each exercise and it is up to those countries representatives to acknowledge which missions would most benefit their particular needs at that time, said Toth. However, the realistic training environment we aim to provide each iteration is only made possible with the participation of our partners and the hard work they put in throughout the exercise.
HONOLULU, Hawaii  Military spouses spent the afternoon touring the historic Iolani Palace thanks to the Military Affairs council.

During the tour the spouses walked through the rooms once used by King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani. Many of the items in the palace are still the same ones that were there over 100 years ago. While some of the furniture was rebuilt after most the items were auctioned off after the monarchy was over thrown in 1893.

In 1962 Iolani palace was designated a National Historic Landmark and the restoration was overseen by The Friends of Iolani Palace which was founded by the grand-niece of Queen Kapiolani.

Michella McKenna, spouse of Sergeant Major of Marine Forces, Pacific Paul McKenna believes you must go on this tour to truly appreciate Hawaii. The palace and furnishings are breathtaking, but the stories that are shared are the true gems,

What I enjoyed the most was learning something that I didnt know before, said McKenna. Like how progressive this remote island was and that the palace had electricity before The White House and Buckingham Palace.

After the tour the spouses were treated to a lunch sponsored by the Military Affairs Council.

Its just great to be able to hold this event here today in honor of you, the military spouses. Tom Lee, the Military Affairs Liaison to the Governor of Hawaii said. Lee told the audience how grateful he is to the spouses because he himself was in the military and served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

To the weeks and months-long training and events, and even year-long deployments, the military spouse endures a lot in service for our nation with not nearly enough recognition, said Lee. To everyone who made this day possible thank you for understanding that there is a great need to ensure that we take time and recognize all of our military spouses as well.
YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- U.S 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) and embarked 7th Fleet staff returned to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka May 16, concluding a three-month patrol.

During the spring patrol, Blue Ridge visited 10 ports in eight different countries, strengthening and fostering relationships within the Indo-Asia-Pacific region through various theater security cooperation, staff talks and ship tours.

"We go to many ports, and we are a direct reflection of the United States in countries that don't have a lot of exposure to the U.S.," said Blue Ridge Commanding Officer Capt. Matt Paradise. "The crew's superior performance and behavior this underway has shown that they understood that."

The Blue Ridge team consists of more than 900 members, including embarked 7th Fleet staff, Marines from Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Pacific (FASTPAC) and the "Golden Falcons" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 12. During the port visits, Sailors engaged with the local community through 16 community service events and 12 Morale, Welfare and Recreation tours.

"This underway is something I will never forget," said Culinary Specialist Seaman Victor Molina. "Before the Navy, I had never even heard of some of these countries. Being able to travel to all of these places, meet the people and experience the cultures made this underway a once in a lifetime opportunity for me."

Blue Ridge participated in exercises at sea with the Sri Lankan navy and the People's Liberation Army (navy), conducting ship maneuvers and a Codes for Unexpected Encounters at Sea (CUES) exercise, enhancing the promotion of safe navigation and coordination between vessels.

"The exercises went very well," said Paradise. "While in Shanghai we sat and planned for the CUES exercise with the crew of the Chinese Lanzhou destroyer, Xi'an (DD 153) and since they escorted us out of port, we took those new relationships and lessons learned immediately to sea. The more we practice, the more we increase our cooperation; it's a win-win."

In addition to participating in TSC events, Sailors challenged their own ship's combat readiness through multiple inspections including a Damage Control Mobility Exercise Certification Validation, and a Combat Systems Certification Validation.

"Blue Ridge is constantly training and undergoing certifications," said Paradise. "We just completed the Combat Systems Certification Verification and passed every event with flying colors. [Afloat Training Group] was impressed with the effort, attitude and expertise of the crew."

The ship made port calls in Osaka, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Mumbai, Goa, Thailand, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Yokohama, covering more than 13,000 nautical miles during its more than 80-day patrol.

Blue Ridge will now begin an Extended Dry-Docking Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA) period, where it will undergo necessary changes and maintenance to increase its lifespan.

"Believe it or not, I am looking forward to this dry-docking period," continued Paradise. "Sailing on the open ocean and traveling from port to port has been great, but I'm equally excited for this EDSRA. It's a time for us to pay it forward, upgrade the ship and maintain her for the next generation."

Blue Ridge has been forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan for 36 years. As the flag ship for Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, Blue Ridge is vital in maintaining partnerships in the 7th Fleet area of operations.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev (Photo: VNA)



The talks, also attended by the countries senior officials, took place following the welcome ceremony for the Vietnamese leader at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow.

Russian PM Medvedev congratulated the Communist Party of Vietnam on successfully organising the 12th National Congress, which set up important guidelines and orientations for Vietnams development in the next few years.

He welcomed the first Russia visit by Nguyen Xuan Phuc in capacity as the Vietnamese Governments leader, adding that his country has continually considered Vietnam one of its top Asian-Pacific partners.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc spoke highly of Russias modernisation and development attainments and its growing stature in the world. He stressed Vietnams consistent policy of promoting the traditional amity and comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia.

Expressing the delight at their countries growing political trust, the PMs agreed to continue all-level delegation exchanges and existing dialogue and consultation mechanisms.

They agreed to make concerted efforts to shore up bilateral trade through synchronous measures such as creating favorable conditions for trade activities, fostering trade promotion events, boosting payment by using their domestic currencies, and capitalizing on the Vietnam  Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement, of which Russia is a member, and other free trade agreements that Vietnam has joined in.

The leaders applauded Vietnamese and Russian ministries activeness in implementing cooperation projects in energy, oil and gas, mining and agriculture.

Amid domestic and global economic difficulties, both sides concurred in supporting the oil and gas joint ventures in each country, strengthen collaboration in other areas such as petroleum refining and chemistry and liquefied gas production, and expanding their partnerships in other nations.

They affirmed the continuation of close and effective cooperation in defence  security, particularly in military technique. They were unanimous in reinforcing affiliation in other potential aspects like science  technology, education  training, culture, tourism, labour, and between localities, bringing those connections on par with the countries comprehensive strategic partnership.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc thanked Russias central and local authorities for providing optimal conditions for Vietnamese people, adding that the Vietnamese community will continue actively contributing to the two nations friendship and cooperation.

At the talks, the two Government leaders mulled over some international and regional issues of mutual concern. They agreed to work more closely at multilateral forums such as the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Asia-Europe Meeting, and ASEAN.

The Vietnamese side also voiced the belief in the success of the ASEAN  Russia Summit to be held in Russia. The event, which marks the 20th founding anniversary of their dialogue relationship, will bring ASEAN  Russia relations to a new height.

With regard to recent complex developments in the East Sea, the PMs shared the view that disputes in the waters need to be solved through peaceful measures on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, and efforts to push for a code of conduct in the waters.

They said they believe that the Vietnamese PMs official visit to Russia will create a new momentum for the two countries all-round cooperation.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc offered the invitation to visit Vietnam to Dmitry Medvedev, who accepted with pleasure.

After talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing ceremony of cooperation agreements between the two countries economic groups operating in the fields of oil and gas, investment, and cadres training.

They later co-chaired an international press conference to affirm the two governments standpoints on strengthening bilateral cooperation in a more effective and pragmatic manner.

The Russian PM spoke highly of the official visit to Russia by his Vietnamese counterpart and described it as a symbol of the two nations trust and comprehensive strategic partnership.

He said Russia is willing to cooperate with Vietnam in various fields such as telecommunications, banking, automobile assembly, finance, machine manufacturing, shipbuilding, mineral mining and agriculture.

The two countries have advantages to boost major investment projects, he said, suggesting the pair attach more importance to exchanging farm produce.

For his part, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc highly valued the long-standing and close-knit rapport between Vietnamese and Russian people.

He noted that during the bilateral talks both sides discussed in the spirit of comprehensive strategic partnership and agreed to increase two-way trade  which is standing at USD4 billion, via the exchange of goods that are of respective strengths.

The two Government leaders also concurred to pushing ahead with cooperation programs and projects in energy, oil and gas, breeding and farm produce, he said.

The two PMs said they agreed to prepare for the implementation of the free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which is expected to take effect soon and bring enormous opportunities for both nations to expand trade cooperation.

They agreed to expand coordination across fields of their potential, particularly tourism, services and advanced technology.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Vietnam has signed a number of trade agreements with countries and territories around the world.

Vietnam and Russia have established a comprehensive strategic partnership, so the two sides will boost and diversify their cooperation across the board to match their respective potential and meet the expectations of the two countries governments and people./.
Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 concludes exercise Thunder Horse 16.2 May 14, 2016, following a week-long exercise at the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces Haramura Maneuver Area in Hiroshima, Japan.

The week-long exercise focused on reinforcing skills that Marines learned throughout their military occupational specialty schooling and during Marine Combat Training in order to maintain situational readiness.

Field radio operators, combat engineers, water purification specialists, heavy equipment operators, bulk fuel specialists, motor transportation operators, and aircraft rescue and firefighters worked together to accomplish the mission.

This was a great opportunity for the squadron to come together, said Sgt. Javaze McDonald, aircraft rescue and firefighting specialist and crew leader with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron. This shows why every military occupational specialty is important to get the job done. I had to branch out and learn how to talk to the motor transportation and heavy equipment operators as well as properly communicate on the radio. This exercise allows us to experience, understand and put all the pieces together in order to operate smoothly.

Heavy equipment operators and combat engineers dug fighting holes for defensive positions, provided mechanical and road clearance with a bulldozer, conducted vehicle recovery, participated in security patrols and established a forward operating base.

The combat engineer platoon conducted various engineering missions including engineer reconnaissance, route sweeps, survivability missions and placing overhead cover for machine gun positions, said Staff Sgt. Alfred Negron, platoon sergeant with MWSS-171, engineer company, combat engineer platoon. The heavy equipment operators practiced earth-moving operations utilizing the medium crawler tractor bulldozer, 120M motor grater, tractor rubber tired articulated steering multipurpose vehicle and a 7.5-ton air mobile crane.

Motor transportation operators, bulk fuels specialists and field radio operators trained in various areas including direct refueling, recovery and general engineering operations, established a tactical motor pool and participated in a hike.

We accomplished a lot of our annual training such as how to conduct a convoy, night patrols and conducted classes on how to camouflage our equipment as well as machine-gun courses, said Staff Sgt. Dalton Revier, a motor transportation second section head with MWSS-171.

Aircraft rescue and firefighting Marines from Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron came along for the field operation to conduct aircraft salvage and recovery drills, and basic training techniques learned throughout Marine Combat Training.

We went over patrols, provided security and made terrain models that were ultimately used in the aircraft salvage and recovery, said McDonald. We went over the little details that make everything work seamlessly.

Revier said based off of their first day of the exercise, he saw improvement in the Marines within a few days.

The first few days, each unit has their own specific training for themselves, said Revier. The squadron as a whole saw huge improvement and will benefit greatly. The Marines newfound knowledge will be useful just in case we are deployed, whether its humanitarian or combat related. They now have the confidence to go and do what needs to be done.

Revier said he believes the exercise went very well because within a week, the Marines built morale, accomplished a lot of training and the noncommissioned officers provided their knowledge and mentored their junior Marines.

By conducting training such as this with realistic environments and circumstances, the Marines maintain high levels of readiness for whatever mission they may be tasked with.
PACIFIC OCEAN (NNS) -- Guided-missile destroyers USS Decatur (DDG 73) and USS Momsen (DDG 92) are scheduled to arrive in Busan, Republic of Korea, for a mission planning conference, May 17.

The conference will finalize details for a bilateral exercise with the ROK Navy to be held May 19-24 in the waters around the Korean peninsula.

The exercise is a defense-oriented, naval training evolution designed to conduct maritime maneuvers, strengthen the U.S.-ROK alliance, and improve regional security.

Decatur and Momsen are part of a Pacific Surface Action Group, operating under Commander, Destroyer Squadron 31.

According to Capt. Charles Johnson, commodore of CDS 31, the purpose of the exercise is to ensure the presence of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and to demonstrate the strength of the alliance and partnership between the U.S. and ROK, while maintaining the highest level of readiness.

The port visit will also provide an opportunity for the crews to promote friendship and goodwill with the people of the Republic of Korea.

"The primary focus of our port visit will be to plan our upcoming exercise at sea," said Johnson. "However, I also want our Sailors to get a chance to foster strong relationships with our allies, not just in our planning meetings, but while exploring the local culture."

The U.S. Navy maintains a presence in the Indo Asia-Pacific region to help preserve peace and security and to further partnerships with friends and allies. Its forward presence contributes to freedom of navigation and lawful use of the sea, furthers operational training, and enables an exchange of culture, skills and tactical knowledge.

Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) and embarked "Devil Fish" and "Warbirds" detachments of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 49 are also part of the PAC SAG. Spruance is underway conducting Oceania Maritime Security Initiative operations. OMSI is a Department of Defense initiative, in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard, to provide enforcement against illegal fishing and poaching in economic exclusive zones.

Under the operational control of U.S. 3rd Fleet, the PAC SAG is scheduled to conduct routine patrols, maritime security operations, and theater cooperation activities to enhance regional security and stability.

U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy.
BLOOMINGTON  Creating an economic development tool for the former Mennonite Hospital/Electrolux site moved forward Monday when the City Council voted 7-2 for a feasibility study.

The city will pay $14,000 to Peckham, Guyton, Albers and Viets (PGAV) for the study, which the state requires for the creation of a tax increment financing district.

The proposed North Main Street/Chestnut Street TIF district would include the site at 807 N. Main St., which the city is buying from Kirk Holdings LLC for $1.4 million, pending completion of demolition at the site.

The 4.8-acre TIF district along the north side of Chestnut Street near North Main Street also would include three adjacent parcels owned by Illinois Wesleyan University and the former Elmo Quinn's Shell gas station, which is across Main Street from the former hospital site.

The city staff is recommending the former hospital property be combined with the adjacent parcels to create a mixed-use development for residential and/or commercial use.

Aldermen Kevin Lower of Ward 1 and Amelia Buragas of Ward 4 voted against the study, saying more time is needed to see if the property might be developed by private investors without the city having to provide economic incentives.

In a TIF district the increase in property tax revenue generated by improvements in the district is diverted from the taxing bodies into a fund earmarked for economic development within the district.

The feasibility study is expected to be completed in about 90 days.

"We would have that in place and be able to go out and solicit developer interest," said Bloomington Economic Development Coordinator Austin Grammer.

"TIF is a wonderful economic tool .... but right now we're in a very different point than we were with the other two TIFs that we recently (moved forward on)," said Buragas, whose ward includes the site.

"Colonial Plaza (in the Empire Street Corridor TIF district) and the downtown area (the site of a proposed hotel complex) ... both had a developer and a potential project that we can evaluate and have a reasonable assurance and likelihood that a TIF would eventually move forward and was necessary to develop that property," she added. "I don't think we are there yet" on the latest TIF proposal.

Buragas said she might vote in favor at a later date if "TIF is fully justified."

City Manager David Hales cautioned that waiting to do the study could work against the city.

"The optimum time to probably have done this study is before buildings come down," said Hales. "When all of the buildings are down the chances of a feasibility study meeting the (state's criteria) drop precipitously.

"What we wouldn't want to do is wait a couple of years and have just a flat, totally clean site," he said, noting state TIF guidelines say a site must be blighted and have buildings that are vacant and/or need renovation.

The demolition is expected to be completed in about 30 days, said Grammer.

"I know the building sat there for many years, but recently the Kirks bought it and knocked the building down. Now it's marketable," said Lower. "I really think probably we need a little more time for the economy to recover and allow for the area to develop privately."

St. Louis-based PGAV conducted a similar study last fall that led to the creation in February of the only operating TIF district in the city  the Empire Street Corridor TIF District.

Last week, the council hired PGAV to study the feasibility of possibly creating a separate TIF district for three downtown blocks that may be the site of a privately developed hotel complex.

The council's authorization of a feasibility study does not bind the city to create a TIF district.

Ward 6 Alderman Karen Schmidt and Mayor Tari Renner are both employed by IWU, but city attorney Jeff Jurgens said their consideration or vote Monday did not present a conflict of interest. Schmidt voted for the feasibility study, but the mayor typically votes only to break a tie.

"The item on the agenda was only a study and did not raise any conflict concerns," said Jurgens. "Guidance on these issues will continue to be given as the potential for development of the properties continues."
NORMAL  Terri Ryburn doesn't plan to rest on her laurels after selling the former Sprague's service station to the town of Normal.

Ryburn, who holds a doctorate in history from Illinois State University and wrote her dissertation about Route 66, will continue to live on the second floor at 305 Pine St. and serve as a caretaker for the Route 66 landmark under an agreement approved by the Normal City Council on Monday.

She bought the building in 2006 to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast with a gift shop, restaurant and theater. That gift shop could become a reality this fall.

"As soon as I get that gift shop open and start getting some income, then I feel like I can come back to (City Manager Mark Peterson) and the council and say, 'This is the next phase,'" Ryburn said. "I plan to keep at it as long as I can."

Under the deal, she'll get out from under a $229,000 mortgage and receive $29,000. She also will have a 10-year option to run the gift shop and live on the second floor for which she will pay $120 per year.

Ryburn said the gift shop will be full of products made in the United States and handmade gifts from Bloomington-Normal artists, including soap and jewelry.

"I don't like to travel and go to a gift shop and see the same things I saw in the last three. ... (I hope) local people will, when they're looking for a unique gift, go, 'Oh, I bet Terri's got something,'" she said.

Ryburn said she's thrilled to secure the legacy of the site near where the "Mother Road" entered town.

"I've been concerned for some time about a succession plan. My children are not necessarily interested in the building," said Ryburn, 68. "I was afraid the same thing would be happening that was happening when I bought it 10 years ago, and that is a derelict building. This gives me a lot of peace of mind that this building will continue to be a Route 66 icon."
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There are many reasons why one can have psychological problems, a traumatic event, substance abuse and genetics among others. As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, be informed and aware of the mental illnesses' signs, symptoms and cure.

Kinds Of Mental Illnesses

According to Mayo Clinic, as published by TAPinto, the psychological problem has an array of mental health conditions. It can be mood disorders, intellectual and behavioral issues.

Mental illness can be differentiated with depression, anxiety complaints and schizophrenia. Eating syndromes and addictive behaviors can also be classified as a psychological problem.

Mental Illness In America

The latest figures from the National Mental Health Association and the National Institute on Mental Health recorded one of four adults, out of about 61.5 million Americans, has a mental illness. One in 17, out of 13.6 million, has schizophrenia, a serious depression or bipolar disorder.

There is about 20 percent of young people in the age bracket of 13 to 18 who have acute mental problems. On the other hand, 13 percent of 13 to 15 years of age have psychological disorders, Valley Morning Star reported.

Signs & Symptoms

Mental illnesses can be avoided and be cured early by knowing the initial signs and symptoms of the problem. It can be traced to the loss of interest in social and other activities, unwillingness to go to any kind of meeting, affair and the likes.

A person can have a psychological problem when he is having a hard time concentrating or remembering something, or having unusual thoughts that can't be explained. The victim, too, is disconnecting himself from everyone and his environment, being suspicious and anxious.

One person can also experience a different sleeping habit, a change of appetite and poor personal hygiene. They could also have sudden mood swings and emotional disorders.

Issues Of Mental Illness And Treatment

In a 2011 interview with the New York Times of Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., the founder of a strong therapy for people with suicidal tendencies and mood swings, she revealed that she herself experienced psychological problems. Linehan disclosed that she had a hard time asking for a professional help because she's afraid of the reaction of the people around her, Hartford Courant reported.

Linehan explained that when people learned that she had a mental illness, there was a big tendency that they would stop her from doing her work. In fact, she's scared to expose her condition as she experienced it firsthand from her previous employment.

Hence, Mental Health America suggests that for a person to easily learn that he has a mental illness, he should take a mental health test. By this, one will know if he is suffering from a psychological health problem that can be addressed by proper health care and medication.
The issue about transgender bathrooms has been a hot topic in recent days. Hence, the Obama government issued a new order that will solve the restroom questions for the third sex, particularly in schools. However, the new command ignites criticisms that awaken the U.S.'s culture wars.

The New Directive Order

The Department of Education and the Department of Justice worked together to create a directive letter on Friday for public schools. The two government sectors directed community schools to guarantee their transgender students to have encouraging and fair school surroundings, CNN Politics reported.

Vanita Gupta, the Department of Justice's head of civil rights division, talked about the bathroom issues of transgender at the University of Minnesota Law School inauguration on Saturday. "Even after the Supreme Court's landmark gay marriage decision last year ... we see new efforts to deny LGBTI individuals the respect they deserve and the protection our laws guarantee," she explained.

Vanita Gupta admitted that the government's attempt, like the House Bill 2 of North Carolina, infringed the rules that have been imposed on the country. It, too, breached the principles that a person has.

A New Cause Of National Debate

The new order might not have a power of law, but it has an unspoken risk, which caused a new national debate. The New York Times cited that schools that won't follow Obama government's directive rule might face a legal charge or a loss of national help.

Hence, the Republicans reacted to the administration of Obama's latest command about transgender bathroom law. The national government is now being criticized for giving direct orders to the entire country that carries their own moral standards not even thinking if it will affect other people's principle.

The critics are now condemning the Obama government for using a mix of "policies, lawsuits and public statements" that concern third sex. The administration is trying to alter the social rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people.

Obama Government's New Order A Presidential Blackmail?

The Obama administration's transgender bathroom order for schools is now being denounced by the conservatives. In fact, a public official even called it as a "presidential blackmail," Fox News cited.

The directive ignited a national debate that can be continuously tackled up to the next presidential period and could be taken up to the higher court. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told the reporters on Friday that they will not abide by Obama's new transgender bathroom order in schools.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest, on the other hand, defended Obama government and said that the new order was specifically demanded by the schools in the country. Also, it doesn't contain new conditions under the law.

What can you say about the Obama government's directive on transgender bathrooms in schools? Share us your thoughts. Write your comments below.
Formerly known as vocational education, career and technical education is currently deemed as an alternative path for high school graduates who think college education is irrelevant. The reason? This educational program prepares the youth for a wide range of high-wage, high-skill and in-demand careers.

What Is Career And Technical Education?

Career and technical education (CTE), formerly and commonly called vocational education, is an educational program that specializes in the skilled trades, applied sciences, modern technologies and career preparation. According to The Glossary of Education Reform, CTE provides both academic and career-oriented courses as well as offers the opportunity to gain work experience through internships, job shadowing, on-the-job training and industry-certification prospects.

Career and technical education may be offered in middle schools, high schools, community colleges and other postsecondary institutions or certification programs. It offers an extensive array of learning experiences from diversified career fields and industries including agriculture, architecture, automotive technology, construction, culinary arts, electrical contracting, engineering, fashion design, filmmaking, forestry, healthcare, personal training, plumbing, robotics or veterinary medicine.

Why Career And Technical Education Is Important

Career and technical education is significant because it prepares students for the world of work by introducing them to workplace know-hows. In addition, CTE also makes academic content accessible to students by providing it in a hands-on context, CareerTech.org notes.

Why Teenagers Need A Third Path To Prepare For Today's Job Market

Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce director Anthony Carnevale said high school graduates in the United States don't need college admissions slip today, noting the expensive cost of college. Instead, they need a middle path with a different kind of instruction dedicated on real-world knowledge, as per NPR.

"We need a middle path with a different kind of pedagogy focused on real-world knowledge," Carnevale said. "It has to be an on ramp to more education with labor market value. We now live in an economy in which a huge number of technical certificates that take a year to complete, pay more than a [four-year] college degree."

The Changing Face Of Career And Technical Education

Over the years, the long-standing career and technical education program has evolved to meet student interest and industry demands. The new face of career and technical education has also improved to serve both students without higher-education ambitions and those with such plans.

Despite the fact career and technical education is poorly funded and often perceived as a "second rate" education, school officials stressed it is not dead. In fact, CTE has continuously evolved when STEM became popular, Winston-Salem Journal reports.

Would you want your son or daughter in a career and technical education program? Sound off below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
Colombian authorities found and seized approximately eight tons of cocaine from a local drug ring over the past few days. Authorities announced the news on Sunday after discovering 17,500 pounds of cocaine in an underground bunker.

The president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, shared the news on Twitter on Sunday, noting that the drug bust was, historically, the country's biggest one. He further said that it was a "crushing blow" to Colombian criminals.

Cocaine Bust

As it turns out, the drug bust was one of many initiatives to combat Clan usuga, one of the biggest and most feared drug cartels in Colombia. A press release from the Colombian National Police stated that a handful of weapons were confiscated, along with the arrest of four men.

Felicitaciones @PoliciaColombia: operativo en Turbo incauto la mayor cantidad de droga en la historia. Golpe contundente a criminales.  Juan Manuel Santos (@JuanManSantos) May 15, 2016

CNN further reported that one of the four arrested men, dubbed with an alias such as "Micolta," has been charged with homicide, conspiracy and extortion. In addition to that, Micolta is undergoing investigation for other criminal offenses.

The drugs were hidden at a banana plantation in Turbo, close to the Colombia-Panama border, as per NBC News (via Time). The seized cocaine is reported to be worth $240 million.

Clan Usuga

Clan Usuga is known to be a notorious gang of drug traffickers, who are also involved in illegal mining and extortion to gain income. The Urabenos gang have also been known to murder innocent civilians who were caught in the middle of disputes against rebels or the country's armed forces, as per Vice News.

Vice further notes that the government of Colombia approximates that "2,000 active members" are currently part of the Urabenos. The State Department has already put up a reward of $5 million for whoever aids in capturing the drug cartel's leader, Dario "Otoniel" Usuga, CNN reported.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, agreed to remove child soldiers from its force as part of its ongoing peace process with the Colombian government. The agreement will prioritize FARC recruits under the age of 15, and will extend to young fighters under 18 years old.

Victims Of War

Aside from returning them to their respective families, FARC's child soldiers will be recognized as victims of war and will be given pardon when the country's law allows it, BBC reported. The United Nations and other international agencies will oversee the child soldiers' return and reintegration to society.

The FARC has around 7,000 fighters but it is unknown how many combatants are underage and how many will be released back to society, Newsweek wrote. Both the FARC and the Colombian government didn't disclose how many child soldiers the rebel group has, but the FARC previously revealed it has 13 fighters under 15 years old, BBC noted.

Recruiting Of Child Soldiers Unintentional

Humberto de la Calle, the Colombian government's head of peace negotiations with FARC, said freeing the child soldiers is an important development in the peace accord. Since the conflict between Colombia's government and the FARC began in the 1960s, there have been 220,000 deaths, 25,000 disappeared and 5.7 million people displaced, according to CFR.

The FARC said it was never their intention to recruit child soldiers into their ranks, but the group admitted that they accepted orphaned children and those who have suffered from domestic abuse, ABC Online reported. Majority of FARC fighters who are now adults joined the group when they were still minors.

Finalization

This month, the Colombian government and the FARC announced an agreement that will ensure a final peace deal between the two sides -- an agreement which will be signed before May 18, teleSUR wrote. De la Calle said Colombian citizens will agree on the final text in a referendum. The Congress will approve it afterward and then it will be integrated into the country's constitution.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos promised that a peace deal with the FARC will be concluded "in the very near future," according to Reuters. There was a final accord set in March but both groups missed it.

The FARC was behind 60 percent of Colombian cocaine transported to the United States, CFR wrote. InSight Crime reported in 2012 that FARC's earnings from its narcotics trade reached $200 million, but Colombian Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said it reached as high as $3.5 billion, the Christian Science Monitor wrote.
Italy will be giving couples twice its current baby bonus to contest its drastically declining birth rate. Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin has said that the present 80 monthly bonus for families in the lower income brackets should be doubled.

Lorenzin, according to BBC, also wants to have higher child benefits for second and subsequent children. This is seen to encourage couples to have bigger families. Italy recorded the fewest births in their history last year, with only 488,000 babies born.

"If we carry on as we are and fail to reverse the trend, there will be fewer than 350,000 births a year in 10 years' time, 40 percent less than in 2010 - an apocalypse," Lorenzin said in an interview with daily newspaper La Repubblica, as per The Nation. Lorenzin added that Italy has lost more than 66,000 births annually in five years.

Baby Bonus In Italy Started In 2015

The International Business Times reported that Italy began the baby bonuses last year. Families with babies born between January 1, 2015, and the end of 2017 are eligible for the child benefit payments.

The families receive the 80 baby bonus monthly until the baby turns three. The bonus corresponds to around $90.

Baby Bonus To Be Extended

Lorenzin seeks to have all families with babies under three years old to be eligible for the baby bonuses. The new scheme will now include babies born before 2015.

The health minister also wants to extend the baby bonuses for three more years. The extended baby bonus scheme will make all babies born until the end of 2020 eligible.

However, BBC said that this would add around 2.2 billion to Italy's government spending over six years. Italy is already said to be under pressure from the European union to cut its spending and to reduce its debt.

Do you think doubling the baby bonus will address Italy's declining birth rate? Write your comments below.
"James Bond" 007 candidate Tom Hiddleston has reportedly met up with director Sam Mendes and producer Barbara Broccoli. Tom Hiddleston as the successor to Daniel Craig for "James Bond" is looking more and more likely.

Time reports that the source of this buzz is British betting house Coral, which has had to suspend betting on the James Bond successor. According to the betting house, a large gamble placed on Tom Hiddleston as the new James Bond raised a flag.

Loved meeting @JustineGreening @DFID_UK & pupils in London to talk about protecting children's education in crisis.https://t.co/jMoo97ua6y  Tom Hiddleston (@twhiddleston) May 11, 2016

The increase in bets on Tom Hiddleston left gamble on Idris Elba and Damian Lewis in the dust. Given the bold gamble on Tom Hiddleston, Coral betting house decided to put a halt on the bets.

"There's no smoke without fire, and following the big gamble on Tom Hiddleston in the last 24 hours, we've had no choice but to pull the plug on the market," Coral representative Nicola McGeady said. "Earlier in the year there was a gamble on Idris Elba and Damian Lewis, but nothing has come close to the recent gamble on Hiddleston."

Metro reports, however, that Tom Hiddleston denied that he was at the Soho House London to talk "James Bond" with Sam Mendes and Barbara Broccoli. One interesting detail Tom Hiddleston revealed, however, is that the "James Bond" role is no longer up for grabs.

Tom Hiddleston said that from what he knows, the "James Bond" post has been casted. Furthermore, no one has reached out to Tom Hiddleston about appearing in the next "James Bond" film.

In a separate Metro article, Damian Lewis confirmed that, like Tom Hiddleston, no one has been in touch with him either to play James Bond. Damian Lewis, however, said that the "Homeland" actor did all he could to be in the next "James Bond" film.

According to Damian Lewis, albeit jokingly, that he had even sent "James Bond" producers selfies of his abs to become 007.Damian Lewis is realistic about becoming James Bond, acknowledging the difficulties attached to playing 007 for the cinema.

If neither Tom Hiddleston nor Damian Lewis has heard news about playing James Bond, who is the mysterious new 007? Would you bet on Tom Hiddleston still to play James Bond despite the odds?
A fertility doctor from Italy has been arrested after an accusation from a patient that he stole her eggs. A Spanish nurse said that Severino Antinori removed her eggs in his clinic in Milan without her agreement.

Meanwhile, one of Antinori's lawyers denies the non-agreement of the Spanish nurse. The Telegraph said that Tommaso Pietrocarlo, one of the fertility doctor's lawyers, told a news agency that the nurse actually signed her consent for donating her eggs a month before the surgery took place.

A consultation with a psychologist purportedly occurred before the nurse filled up the consent form for egg donation to the fertility doctor. Pietrocarlo claimed that the psychologist said that the nurse was aware of her choice and that the choice was not problematic.

Fertility doctor arrested over claims woman's eggs taken without consent https://t.co/s2aMjqEBzP  The Guardian (@guardian) May 15, 2016

Fertility Doctor Suspended

The Guardian reported that Antinori's license has been suspended for one year. He is also under house arrest while being investigated for aggravated robbery and causing personal injury.

According to the Irish Examiner, reports said that 24-year-old Spanish nurse who claimed to be Antinori's victim was being treated for an ovarian cyst. Afterwards, she was forcefully held, placed under anesthesia and had her eggs removed.

Fertility Doctor A Controversial Figure

Antinori has helped women in their sixties get pregnant. In 1994, he gave fertility treatments to a 63-year-old Italian woman. She was the oldest woman to give birth during that time, said the Telegraph.

Twelve years later, Patricia Rashbrook became the oldest mother in the United Kingdom through his help. Antinori, according to The Guardian, has also supported cloning as a form of fertility treatment. The newspaper added that the accusation against Antinori can possibly fuel the sensitive topic of infertility and fertility treatments in Italy.

What do you think of fertility treatments for older women? Share your thoughts below.
Kate Middleton has been offended of several nasty rumors ever since she first had a link with Prince William. Now, new reports are claiming that the Duchess of Cambridge was depressed as she was forced to attend the Heads Together mental health awareness campaign launch.

Kate Middleton forced to attend mental health campaign launch

Together with Prince William and Prince Harry, Kate Middleton attended the Heads Together mental awareness campaign at Queen Elizabeth Park. The mother of Prince George and Princess Charlotte was all smiles as she arrived in the venue, where it was filled with presentations by mental health charities.

However, photographers present on that event have noticed that Kate Middleton looked miserable and overtired when she stepped around the back of the car. Kate Middleton reportedly brought out a mean face as she sported a cream-colored blouse and an odd skirt.

The recent sighting of Kate Middleton giving a hard face had fans speculating that there is something wrong with the wife of Prince William. Followers of the Royal family then claimed that Kate Middleton might just be tired due to her hectic schedule, attending one event to another with only a few hours break.

Some fans have also said that Kate Middleton could already be tired of being a Royal wife. Others also say that Kate Middleton and Prince William could have been fighting. Well, this is not the first time that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been fighting constantly.

Kate Middleton to file divorce against husband Prince William

Previous reports have been claiming that Kate Middleton and Prince William are currently on the verge of breaking up. Sources from the palace claimed that both Kate Middleton and Prince William have already fallen out of love for having no time to do the usual husband-wife bonding.

Aside from that, Prince William does not think that Kate Middleton is fit to be the next queen due to her commoner ways. However, up until now, the parents of Prince George and Princess Charlotte have remained silent about the divorce rumors being thrown at them.

Do you think Kate Middleton is tired of being the wife of Prince William? Do you think Prince William and Kate Middleton are heading to a divorce? Share to us your thoughts in the comment section below.
Students in the United Kingdom have come up with a way to ensure the safety of their LGBT peers at schools. The National Union of Students is campaigning for segregated housing options for LGBT students to safeguard them against discrimination and victimization.

Segregated housing options will prevent LGBT students from prejudice and abuse, as well as provide them with much-needed safe areas, the Guardian reported. Birmingham University is currently the only institution to offer separate living accommodations for freshmen LGBT students who don't want to be housemates with straight people.

Students from the University of Central Lancashire are campaigning for LGBT-only living accommodations, according to the Sunday Times. A transgender student from the University of York is also pushing for segregated living spaces for LGBT pupils like her.

Backlash

Students may have good intentions for their LGBT peers, but many people think this is not a good idea. Simon Thompson, the director of a website accommodating students, referred to the campaign as "a backwards move," adding that segregation would only promote discrimination against LGTBs, the Guardian further reported.

LGBT charity Stonewall is also opposed to the idea. According to the group, segregated housing options do not coincide with Stonewall's LGBT equality campaign. The group added that they aim for a society where everyone would be accepted wholeheartedly regardless of their gender.

Reaction Of LGBT Students

Some students admitted that segregated housing accommodations at schools don't tackle the main problem, but they support the campaign because, according to them, progress about their rights is slow. They are also not free from ridicule and prejudice from society.

LGBT-specific housing is a way for students to meet other gay students and make them feel safe from bullying. University halls can be stressful for LGBT students because of transphobia and culture.

A student at the University of Reading appreciates the perks of being in LGBT-specific housing. However, the student also thinks that interacting with people different from you at school is extremely helpful. The student added that sharing the same sexual orientation with a person doesn't mean that you will get along, the Guardian noted.

Conversation About LGBT Rights

In the U.S., LGBT rights have gained attention thanks to a North Carolina bill that forces transgender people into using bathrooms coinciding with their gender at birth. The state's controversial House Bill 2 is currently locked in a legal battle with the federal government.

A directive from President Barack Obama is requiring public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that coincide with their gender identity, NBCDFW.com reported. That directive disregards records or documents that show a different sex for transgender students.
Some schools are implementing tough punishments for parents whose kids have unpaid school lunch bills. Upshur County Schools disallow these parents from attending their kids' graduation ceremony while a school district in New Jersey will report these parents to the Child Protective Services. But are these punishments too harsh?

Banned From Graduation Ceremony

"Nobody should have the right to tell you, 'No, you can't watch your child graduate,'" Stacey Bailey, a mother who was unable to pay for the school lunch bills, told WDTV. The kids of these parents will still be able to graduate but they cannot have their parents with them during the ceremony.

Child Nutrition Director Cynthia Nesselroade explained that they never deny giving lunch meals to kids but they have to find ways to get payments for them. "We do have an obligation to expect payments for lunch bills," Nesselroade told WDTV. "Counties are not permitted to write off that debt, and therefore, counties do the best they can to get payment."

Child Neglect Report To Child Protective Services

A school district in New Jersey with a $100,000 lunch dept has a different way of making parents pay for the school lunch bills. At first, the school district will give two notices to these parents and if they do not respond, the parents will be asked to attend a school meeting regarding the matter.

If that will not work either, the school district will report these parents to Child Protective Services for neglecting their children. However, a state Department of Children and Families spokesman stated via Parenting.com that a parent's failure to pay debts is not an example of child abuse or child neglect.

What Parents Can Do

Parents who are struggling with unpaid school lunch bills can try preparing their kids' lunch meals at home instead of buying at school in order to cut costs, according to U.S. News. However, smart shopping and efficient meal preparation are still necessary in order to save money.
A California court gave this mother one-week to keep her 2-year-old toddler in life support. The one-week extension was given after two hospitals declared the toddler to be brain dead.

Jonee Fonseca filed a petition in court, requesting for the issuance of a permanent court order that would compel Kaiser Permanente Medical Center to keep Israel Stinson in life support. However, Judge Kimberly Mueller ruled on the negative, giving weight to the determination of the two hospitals that the toddler was already brain dead.

Judge Granted Only 1 Week

Fonseca was trying to find another facility that will be able to care for Israel. Confronted with time constraints, her last ditch effort to keep her son alive was to seek the court order from Judge Mueller, which was granted only for a week. According to ABC News, Fonseca will still appeal Mueller's decision.

Still Responding To Touch

Although declared by two hospitals as brain dead, Fonseca refused to believe that his son could no longer be revived. Fox 40 reported that according to Fonseca, the toddler responded to her touch. That moment was captured by Fonseca in a video, where it was seen that Israel stirred when she touched him.

Kevin Snider, the attorney of Fonseca will be appealing Mueller's decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The decision of Mueller was grounded on the following: "While Ms. Fonseca's maternal instincts and moral position are completely understandable, the concerns reviewed here suggest she is unlikely to obtain the relief she seeks."

Depriving Toddler The Dignity Of Death

On the other hand, the attorneys representing the hospital where Israel is confined said that the toddler's condition will not improve. The attorneys also said that giving Israel futile care, which will not benefit his condition, will be depriving him of the dignity of death.

The chief of staff of the hospital, Dr. Chris Palkowski, said that their hearts go out to the family of Israel who are trying to cope with the condition of their son. Ironically, while the hospital's hearts go out to the family, they also say as enunciated by their attorney that keeping Israel in life support is futile care that deprives the toddler the "dignity of death."
Donald Trump and Joe Biden both attended the University of Pennsylvania's graduation ceremony. Biden and Trump weren't there for any political maneuvers, they were there as a parent and grandparent respectively.

That's right, the daughter of presumptive Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, and the granddaughter of Vice President Joe Biden, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Both Trump and Biden were in high spirits during the graduation ceremony, cheering family members on.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden to attend University of Pennsylvania graduation ceremony: https://t.co/5nehyJMh4F pic.twitter.com/pTEkN5NozZ  NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) May 4, 2016

Trump And Biden - A Strange Consortium

While it was a strange consortium, Huffington Post reported that the two men, who belong on opposing political parties, sat relatively near each other. Biden is among the staunch critics of the policies of Donald Trump. He also criticized his campaign tactics. Despite the differences, both Joe Biden and Donald Trump were not keen at throwing criticisms at each other but were set on supporting their family members on that memorable day.

Donald Trump cheered on his daughter, Tiffany. He was there with his wife Melania Trump, and his ex-wife, Marla Maples, was also at the event.

Joe Biden was there with his wife Jill Biden to cheer on his granddaughter, Naomi Biden, said Fox News. Reports also have it that, Naomi, was the name of the 1-year-old daughter whom Biden had lost in a car accident in 1972. It was also in the same accident where Biden lost his first wife.

1,500 Graduates Of The School Of Arts And Sciences

The daughter of Donald Trump and granddaughter of Joe Biden, were among the 1,500 graduates of the School of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania, a known Ivy League school. Donald Trump is an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania, having graduated from the Wharton School of Business.

On the other hand, Joe Biden graduated from the University of Delaware and took up law at the University of Syracuse. Not moneyed as Trump is, Biden slowly worked his way up the ladder of political success.
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Atheist Proof Texts Examined (vs. Ed Babinski)

A flat-Earth map drawn by Orlando Ferguson in 1893 [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***

(9-17-06)

***

This is a continuation of a preliminary reply to atheist Matthew Green. In the discussion thread for that post, Matthews friend John Loftus suggested his own paper on the topic, and two by Ed Babinski, an agnostic who is particularly interested in Bible-and-science discussions. Matthew then referred to yet another paper by Robert M. Price (one that, indeed, was important to him in his deconversion from Christianity). * * * * *

Now, as usual with these sorts of generally scattershot treatments by atheists and agnostics, an effort is made to hit the Christian with dozens or even hundreds of separate evidences, the desired cumulative effect of which is supposed to be tremendously debilitating and demoralizing to the Christian. To refute such massively polemical endeavors (even if answers are easily obtainable) is always a hugely tedious affair, requiring starting from ground zero.

Then, of course, if a Christian recognizes this and doesnt feel like replying to the mountain of alleged counter-evidence at any given time, he is accused of cowardice or inability to refute it, or both. Added to those dynamics are my present life situation, in which I feel a bit overwhelmed, with too many things going on, and an excessive amount of stress. In such a circumstance, the last thing one wants to do is undertake a massive research project, requiring hours of excruciating hard research.

That said, I do, however, desire to make some response, because the topic (like anything having to do with the Bible) is interesting, and because I think it is an opportunity to illustrate the (inevitable) severe flaws and fallacies of atheist exegesis. So I thought I could deal with a few selected arguments on this overall topic, and demonstrate how erroneous and wrongheaded they are. Readers can then see representative examples of the type of reasoning being employed against the Bible and Christian apologists who defend it, and see that  once again  it is not a case of rational, logical, open-minded skeptic vs. gullible, anti-intellectual, closed-minded Christian.

First of all, it is necessary to give a brief overview of the proper understanding of biblical cosmology. To do so, I shall cite a classic work on the subject, The Christian View of Science and Scripture, by the Baptist Bernard Ramm (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1954, 96-102). In his section on Biblical Cosmology he offers a very helpful overview of many significant presupposition-level considerations (italics his own throughout) [his words will be in green]:

[T]he references of the writers of the Bible to natural things are popular, non-postulational, and in terms of the culture in which the writers wrote. This principle applies directly to Biblical cosmology. . . . Biblical cosmology is in the language of antiquity and not of modern science, nor is it filled with anticipations which the future microscope and telescope will reveal. We do not agree with over-zealous Fundamentalists who try to find Einsteinian and modern astrophysical concepts buried in Hebrew words and expressions. We also disagree with the religious liberals who object to Biblical cosmology because it is not scientific.

. . . The cosmology of the Bible is not systematized and is not postulational. It is neither for nor against any of the current and ancient theories of the universe except where they might be polytheistic or in conflict with basic Christian metaphysics. But the Bible does not support Aristotle or Ptolemy or Copernicus or Descartes or Newton or Einstein or Milne . . . it gives us no positive cosmology.

We must consider the efforts of radical critics to impose a cosmology on the Bible as an artificial, stilted, and abortive effort.

. . . [William Fairfield] Warren claims that their approach to the cosmology of the Bible is so wooden, artificial, and literal that the Bible writers would not recognize such a cosmology if it were handed them all written out on a piece of paper. If, he continues, you follow this wooden and artificial approach to the Bible you would have the Bible writers believing in a heaven made of wax or silk or goatshair! [The Earliest Cosmologies, 1909, pp. 24-32]

. . . Orr writes:

The error is to be avoided of forcing the language of popular, often metaphorical and poetic description, into the hard-and-fast forms of a cosmogony which it is by no means intended by the writers to yield.



[World, Cosmological, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia {ISBE}, V, 3106]

. . . Gaenssle, a Semitic scholar, takes the radical critics to task likewise for imposing on the Bible a stilted, artificial cosmology that is nowhere clearly and systematically taught in Scripture [A Look at Current Biblical Cosmologies, Concordia Theological Monthly, 23:738-749]. He singles out two basic ideas of this reconstruction of the radical critics to show that their contentions are baseless. (i) He examines the word raqia (firmament) which critics have taken to mean a solid something and indicates that its basic idea is that of thinness or tenuity. Citing Isaiah 40:22, Psalm 104:2 and Isaiah 34:4, he asks:

Can anyone with these texts before him seriously and honestly believe that the writers of these words entertained the crude inept notion of a metallic canopy above their heads?



[Footnote 38: Ibid., p. 743 . . . the greatest Hebrew scholar of the fifteenth century, Paginus, writing well before modern science translates raqia by expansionem]

The best meaning of raqia is expanse or atmosphere. (ii) He also attacks the notion that the world floats on a vast subterranean ocean . . . As for the word under in the phrase under the earth the Hebrew word tachath means not only under but lower. In our own day we speak of lowlands . . . :

Consequently, when the earth is said to be founded on the seas and spread out upon the waters, there is no reason to assume that the Psalmist is singing of an invisible ocean on which the earth rests or is spread out, but only of earthly waters on which the earth touches and over which it is elevated.



. . . The upper, terrestrial ocean satisfies all requirements and it lies below or beneath in the same sense as the Dead Sea lies under Mount Pisgah and the land of Moab. [Ibid., p. 747, 749]

Maunder believes that such verses as Job 22:14, Isaiah 40:22 [It is he who sits above the circle of the earth . . .] Proverbs 8:27 and Job 26:7 [He stretches out the north over the void, and hangs the earth upon nothing] amply prove that the Hebrews thought of the earth as round and suspended in nothing. The unaided eye itself sees the horizon as circular, especially the horizon of the sea. The sphericity of the sun and the moon and the roundness of the stars wold suggest to an astronomically alert people the sphericity of the earth. [E.W. Maunder, Astronomy, ISBE, I, 314 ff.]

. . . The pillars of the earth (Job 9:6) are the rocks that bear up the surface of the earth.

. . . It is improper to construct a so-called modern or scientific cosmology from the Biblical evidence; and it is also improper to try to model one after Babylonian concepts. In that there is no systematic exposition of a cosmology in the Bible, and in that the Bible abounds with either popular expressions or poetic expressions, it is not capable of a systematic construction with reference to a cosmology. The best we can do is to (i) indicate the freedom of the Bible from mythological polytheistic or grotesque cosmologies; (ii) note the general hostility of the Bible to cosmologies which are antitheistic; and (iii) clearly present the theocentric view of the Bible towards Nature.

It is typical of radical critics to play up the similarity of anything Biblical with the Babylonian, and to omit the profound differences or gloss over them. When the Biblical account is set side by side with any other cosmology its purity, its chasteness, its uniqueness, its theocentricity are immediately apparent.

Earlier in his book (pp. 66-67, 69-70), Ramm made an even more basic summary of biblical language in relation to science:

A. The language of the Bible with reference to natural matters is popular, not scientific. . . .

B. The language of the Bible is phenomenal. By phenomenal we mean pertaining to appearances. . . .

C. . . . the language of the Bible is non-postulational with reference to natural things. By this we mean that the Bible does not theorize as to the actual nature of things . . . . there is no theory of matter in the Bible. . . .

D. The language of the Bible employs the culture of the times in which it was written as the medium of revelation.

E. W. Maunder, in his article, Astronomy, in the ISBE (I, 314-315), notes:

The same word (hugh) used in the OT to express the roundness of the heavens (Job 22:14) is also used when the circle of the earth is spoken of (Isaiah 40:22) and it is likewise applied to the deep (Proverbs 8:27). Now it is obvious that the heavens are spherical in appearance, and to an attentive observer it is clear that the surface of the sea is also rounded. There is therefore no sufficient warrant for the assumption that the Hebrews must have regarded the earth as flat. (1) The earth a sphere.  Certain astronomical relations were recognized very early. The stars appear as if attached to a globe rotating around the earth once in 24 hours, and this appearance was clearly familiar to the author of the Book of Job, and indeed long before the time of Abraham, since the formation of the constellations could not have been effected without such recognition. But the spherical form of the heavens almost involves a similar form for the earth, and their apparent diurnal rotation certainly means that they are not rigidly connected with the earth, but surround it on all sides at some distance from it. The earth therefore must be freely suspended in space, and so the Book of Job describes it . . . Job 26:7.

James Orr, in his article, World in the same work (V, 3106-3108), shows how ridiculous it is to think that the Babylonian accounts of creation have much at all to do with the sublime Genesis account. He gives the view of Berosus, a priest of Babylon in the 3rd century B.C.  later confirmed by the discovery of a tablet from the Assyrian king Assurbanipal (7th century B.C.). These show similarity also to the Greek Hesiods Theogony (9th cent. B.C.). All postdate the period of David and Solomon by centuries):



[F]rom Chaos came forth Earth, Tartarus (Hell), Eros (Love) and Erebus (Night). Erebus gives birth to Aether (Day). Earth produces the Heaven and the Sea. Earth and Heaven, in turn, become the parents of the elder gods and the Titans. Cronus, one of these gods, begets Zeus. Zeus makes war on his father Cronus, overthrows him, and thus becomes king of the Olympian gods. The descent of these is then traced.

The Egyptian cosmology is even more absurd and fanciful. I wont bore readers with that account.

With this background, lets examine some of the glaring errors and whoppers in atheist / agnostic treatment of the alleged biblical cosmology:

Edward T. Babinski, in his article, Did the Authors of the Bible Assume the Earth was Flat?, amply demonstrates the sort of wooden interpretation that Ramm mentioned. He writes (his words will henceforth be in blue):

The devil took him [Jesus] up into an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.  Matthew 4:8

Shown all the kingdoms of the world from an exceedingly high mountain?

I suppose so, if the mountain was exceedingly high and the earth was flat.

Thats the entire argument from this passage. Note the quick and easy assumption of hyper-literalism. This can easily be refuted even from an appearance-based, phenomenological perspective (which was quite possible for ancient Hebrews). Thus, Christian apologist J. P. Holding, in his excellent article on the subject, writes:



Note that even on a flat earth, a high mountain would be a very poor place to observe the kingdoms of the world in their glory. Furthermore, if Matthew was implying that a mountain existed from which all the world was visible, then obviously, the mountain would be visible from all parts of the world, and Matthews readers would roll over laughing and throw his book in the garbage! It is ludicrous to suggest that Matthew believed such a mountain existed.

The parallel verse, Luke 4:5, provides further insight:



And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, (RSV)

Alright; this is interesting. How is it, then, that Jesus could have been shown all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time? It makes no sense (under this wooden, hyper-literalist conception that Ed assumes was typical of ancient Hebrews) to think that Jesus could see all the kingdoms of the world in a moment, because they would be in all four directions (indeed, anywhere in a 360 degree circle, up on a high mountain, assuming for the sake of argument only, a flat earth cosmology). Therefore, this is not a literal, physical occurrence, but rather, quite obviously a supernatural one. That being the case, it is impossible to conclude from it alone that a flat earth was the intention (at least of Luke).

Another factor that could easily be explored, is the non-scientific conception that Hebrews had of the notion of all. It didnt always mean absolutely every so-and-so, without exception. It could quite possibly mean in many contexts, many, most, or a great deal. The language was pre-scientific and often proverbial, thus allowing for exceptions. Furthermore, exaggeration or hyperbole was often used. So this passage could simply be interpreted to mean able to see a great distance and many areas / kingdoms. If that is the case, then the necessity of a flat earth in order to make sight of literally all (absolutely every) would be rendered null and void, since the intent of the passage wasnt literal in the first place.

But Ed, undaunted by such considerations of reason, language, and logic, and with the smile of a dupe and gullible fool on his face, gives us another similar proof of a flat earth:

Moreover, verses in the Bibles book of Daniel presume a flat earth the same way that verses in Matthew do:

I saw a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. The tree grew, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth.  Daniel 4:10-11

Instead of an exceedingly high mountain from which all the kingdoms of the earth can be seen, Daniel pictures a tree whose height was great, growing from the midst or center of the earth and seen to the ends of all the earth.

Funny how such flagrantly flat-earth verses appear in both the Old and New Testaments, and both are based on the same simple idea that something exceedingly high or of great height could be seen by everyone on earth at once.

Bible believers like Holding will of course reply that such verses are only apparently difficult to explain, and not the real truth as they see it. But it is the apparent difficulties that remain in the Bible just as it was written, and they will always remain there, regardless of all the ingenuity employed in explaining them away. *smile*

Again, we have a wooden literalism, assuming that ancient Hebrews were idiots (even allowing for their pre-scientific understanding). Does this passage require an interpretation like Eds? Nope. It appears to be merely one of hundreds of examples of Hebrew hyperbole and exaggeration.

The context is a dream of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel the prophet is asked to interpret it, and repeats similar language in Daniel 4:20. But note, first of all that Daniel doesnt interpret the dream in spatial or visual terms. Rather, it represents the scope of the kings power:

it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. (Daniel 4:22; RSV)

Now, does it take scientific knowledge for an ancient Hebrew to know that no one man was literally king over the entire earth? No, of course not. This is typically Hebraic hyperbole. It is poetic from the get-go; therefore, it is improper to anachronistically impose modern notions of cosmology onto it, or to suppose that some flat earth cosmology was at all in the mind of the writer. The highly visualized, agricultural, poetic Hebrew mindset is easily seen in a similar passage in Ezekiel (with my comments interspersed in brackets and red):



Ezekiel 31:2-3, 6, 12-13 Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: Whom are you like in your greatness? Behold, I will liken you to a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and forest shade, and of great height, . . . All the birds of the air [absolutely all???] made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field [absolutely every species???] brought forth their young; and under its shadow dwelt all great nations [every nation without exception?]. . . . Foreigners, the most terrible of the nations, will cut it down and leave it. On the mountains and in all the valleys [every single one?!] its branches will fall, and its boughs will lie broken in all the watercourses of the land [really? Every one?]; and all the peoples of the earth will go from its shadow [every nationality in the shadow of one tree??!!] and leave it. Upon its ruin will dwell all the birds of the air [really?], and upon its branches will be all the beasts of the field [this puts Noahs ark to shame, doesnt it?].

It is utterly obvious that passages like these (altogether typical in Hebrew poetry, wisdom and prophetic literature), are poetic; not meant to be taken literally at all. Only a nut or an imbecile could think otherwise with regard to the Ezekiel passage. Since the Daniel passage is pretty similar to it, it is reasonable to suppose that non-literal, non-scientific poetry is also in mind, particularly due to the analogous nature of both passages (great trees as a metaphor for the power of kings).

Perhaps Ed and other irrational hyper-skeptics would wish to make hay of the phrase and Hebrew concept of the ends of the earth? Using their hackneyed reasoning, one would opine that this (like everything else) is to be taken with wooden literalism: the earth has ends so it cannot be a sphere, etc. But how does that work with other verses? How about 1 Samuel 2:10: . . . The LORD will judge the ends of the earth . . . ? God is judging the corners of the flat earth? Maybe Hell lop them off and make the edges of the earth smooth, like the edges of an end table? What sense does that make? Clearly, the notion is of totality or very wide scope, not of spatial dimensions or appearance. Thus, the prophetic passages use wide scope to convey great influence, but not necessarily comprehensive power over every person in the entire world. How about Job 37:3?:

Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth. (RSV, as throughout unless indicated otherwise; NIV has ends of the earth)

So God only sends thunderstorms to the corners or ends of the earth but nowhere else? This is Babinskian biblical hermeneutics. What mere mortal could doubt its wisdom and veracity? The profundities of it never cease to amaze one: In Psalm 2:8 God the Father gives God the Son, Jesus (its a messianic passage) the ends of the earth as His possession? Why just the corners? (compare Acts 13:47: only the corners or the ends of the earth will be saved??!!) In Psalm 19:4 the voice of the heavens (19:1) goes out through all the earth but the words to the end of the world. Compare Rom 10:18, which cites this passage. So we see that the two ways of expressing the same thought show that end[s] of the world/earth simply means throughout the whole earth: that is, in all four directions. The same occurs in Psalm 22:27:



All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.

The sense of this phrase is shown in Mark 13:27:



And then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

So much for this line of reasoning. What else can Ed provide us with?

And passages in Matthew (see above) and Revelation (below), demonstrate that the flat earth assumption had by no means vanished by the time the New Testament was written.

The author of the book of Revelation wrote in flat earth fashion: I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth (Rev. 7:1);

This is more of the same ignorance. ISBE (II, 887: Earth, Corners of the, E.W. Maunder) explains:

The corners or ends of the earth are its wings . . . i.e., its borders or extremities. The word in general means a wing, because the wing of a bird is used as a covering for its young, and from this meaning it acquires that of the extremity of anything stretched out. It is thus used in Dt 22:12: Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four borders [wings] of thy vesture, where with thou coverest thyself. It thus also means the coasts or boundaries of the land surface of the earth; its extremities. it is translated corners in Isa 11:12; ends in Job 37:3 and 38:13. The four corners of the earth (Isa 11:12) or land (Ezk 7:2) are therefore simply the extremities of the land in the four cardinal directions.

Bernard Ramm elaborates:



[I]t speaks of the four corners [wings] of the earth (Isaiah 11:12) because the bisection of something into quarters is a frequent human operation and a convenient method of indicating place. To this day it is not uncommon to hear in popular speech such expressions as from every corner of the earth or from all quarters of the globe. Such expressions are neither scientific nor anti-scientific, but the popular and phenomenal expressions of daily conversations. (Ibid., 67)

But of course Ed cited only about the first third of Revelation 7:1 to begin with. Right after four corners of the earth the four angels are also said to be holding back the four winds of the earth. Thus it is seen that the meaning is again four directions, as in Mark 13:27, not literally four corners. Jeremiah 49:36 refers to the four winds from the four quarters of heaven. Even skeptics like Ed dont think that the ancient Hebrew cosmology of heaven had four quarters or corners, etc. (see, e.g., the visual diagram that John Loftus provides at the top of his article). So somethings gotta give here.

Or one could cite a passage like Ezekiel 7:1-9, about judgment of Israel by the LORD. In 7:2 it states: The end has come upon the four corners of the land. Is God just judging the counties of Israel in the corners? Those people liked to live on the edge too much so they got judged? No; it means the whole land will be judged: the land in all directions. This no more means that the land of Israel was literally a square or rectangle than the phrase applied to the earth meant that it was flat and had literal corners or ends. The same dynamic is seen in Revelation 20:8, where Satan is said to come out and deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth . . .

Ed writes: I should think that a perusal of the Bible should be enough to make anyone realize how naive the Bibles view of the cosmos was. to which I reply: I should think that a perusal of Eds interpretation of the Bible should be enough to make anyone realize how naive and utterly simplistic his view of biblical hermeneutics and exegesis and the intelligence of ancient Hebrews is.

And according to Genesis 1:16 only two great lamps (the Hebrew term translated as great lights in Genesis, means literally, great lamps) were created, the Sun and the moonwith no recognition of the fact that the stars are also great lamps.

From a phenomenological perspective they arent. Ive hiked by the full moon at night and I could see perfectly well. But try doing that by the light of the stars alone. This is the point. But Ed misses it, as usual, because he is unreasonably trying to find scientific expression and modern astronomical metaphysics in the Bible.

Rather, the Bible depicts stars as relatively small objects, created after the earth and set in the firmament above it, . . .

Of course, since stars are relatively small objects from our earthly perspective! Wheres the beef?

Astronomers, not theologians, discovered that we live on one planet out of many, circling one star out of many, that lies near the end of one arm of a spiral-shaped galaxy, again one out of over a hundred billion galaxies.

Its not the purpose of theologians or the Bible to do science anymore than it is the purpose of scientists to do theology. Yet the ancient Hebrews knew that the universe had a beginning. Modern science only figured that out some forty years ago when Big Bang cosmology became the reigning orthodoxy. The Hebrews had a sublime monotheistic cosmology while the Greeks at the same time were still talking foolishly about Zeus and other gods. So this we discovered it first routine works both ways.

Even after the New Testament was written, and the early church fathers began commenting on its contents, some of them remained flat earthers.

Thats right, but so what? Of what relevance is this to anything? If you want to trade stories of ignorance (inexcusable or not) there is, again, plenty to go around. Ive noted how Galileo, the champion of atheists (so they think) against the Church, was heavily into astrology (a fact that comes as a surprise precisely because it has been suppressed by critics of the Church, due to its not fitting into the stereotype they wish to convey). The same was true of Kepler, who discovered the elliptical orbits of the planets. Newton was an enthusiastic proponent of alchemy.

Modern science committed errors (only a hundred years ago or less) like phrenology, whereby the shape of ones skull was thought to be a decisive indicator of intelligence. Thus science was brought into the service of overt racism, just as with eugenics: with plans to sterilize blacks and other inferiors embraced by enlightened types like Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, who was enamored with the Nazis. We all know what sort of scientific experiments the Nazis did, too. Germany was, of course, one of the most advanced nations in terms of science, in the world, then and now.

Likewise, the sources that Matthew Green cites as definitive in his accepting this biblical skepticism, Dr. Robert M. Price and Reginald Finley Sr., in their article (section: Welcome to the Flat Earth Society!) come up with what they think is a compelling argument (after trying the fatally flawed arguments from Matthew 4:8, Daniel 4:10-11, and the four corners which have been mercilessly disposed of above):

Isaiah 42:5 and 44:24 state that at creation God spread out the earth- the Hebrew verb for spread being used elsewhere in Scripture to depict a flattening or pounding. Also, if the earth was not spread out, but rolled up tightly like a ball at creation, the writer could have said so. We find the requisite Hebrew construction in Isaiah 22:18, where a man is rolled up tightly like a ball. Hence the earth at creation was spoken of as being flattened or pounded flat at creation.

The Hebrew word is raqa (Strongs word #7554). As usual, these skeptics omit what doesnt fit into their scheme, while presenting facts which appear at first glance to support their contentions. But why not look at the whole story? What do we have to fear from facts, anyway?

Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament defines the use of the word in these passages as to spread out by beating . . . and simply, to spread out, e.g., God the earth, Ps. 136:6; Isa. 42:5; 44:24. Does this necessarily have to mean flat? Not at all, for in Isaiah 40:19 the same word is used of overlaying gold over an idol, which is not flat, but usually a three-dimensional depiction of a man or an animal. In Job 37:18, God spread out (raqa) the skies  and even skeptics do not think they are flat in Hebrew cosmology.

As for Isaiah 22:18, my Revised Standard Version has: He will seize firm hold on you, and whirl you round and round, and throw you like a ball into a wide land . . . Other translations (NIV, NASB) are more like the rendering above, but this doesnt prove that Isaiah 42:5 and 44:24 are inherently contrary to a spherical earth. They dont contain enough information to decide what shape the earth is.

And so on and on goes the skeptic clattering. Itll never end. But it isnt decisive at all. I agree with the conclusion that J.P. Holding made after examining several of these attempts:

[F]or the majority of the cites we have seen, there is . . . merely misinterpretation by skeptics and/or poetry. We are justified in our assertion that there is no proof that the Bible teaches a false cosmology.

***

Here are some helpful sources on the topic of biblical cosmology (I dont necessarily agree with everything in every article):

Does the Bible Teach that the Earth is Flat? (J. P. Holding)

Does the Bible Teach a Spherical Earth? (Robert J. Schneider, Sep. 2001) [especially interesting in its analysis of Is 40:22: circle of the earth]

***
I'm looking forward to visiting Caesarea Maritimia again in about two weeks' time with a group of students from Butler University and Christian Theological Seminary. It's one of the early stops on our visit of Israel. For better or worse, we won't be diving underwater when we're there. But here's a wonderful video and press release from the Israel Antiquities Authority about the recent finds made by divers exploring a shipwreck off the coast.

The 1,600 year old ship contained thousands of coins as well as many other objects of great historical interest.

Of related interest, see the article in the Times of Israel about the IAA's latest effort to crack down on illegal antiquities trading.


After I delivered my sermon in which I unpack the renowned Fox koan for a Unitarian Universalist audience, and I was greeting people as they left the church, a man waited until near the end of the line. When most everyone was finished we shook hands and he introduced himself as a psychotherapist. He said he was concerned about the idea of reincarnation for a very practical reason. He had patients who were suffering terrible events in their lives. And they had been told by adherents of reincarnation that their circumstances were the result of their actions in a past life. It was a church, so I leaned into him and whispered such people are full of shit.

Once again the difficulties inherent in the doctrines of karma and rebirth were raised. This time in a Unitarian Universalist church in Fresno, California. In our era of global religion, where we are in fact marinading in some new larger perspective where heaven and hell, reincarnation, rebirth and the pure land, suffering and healing are all informing each other, and where Hinduism bleeds into Christianity, bleeds into Buddhism, bleeds into, well, who knows, such encounters are becoming common.

Now, while full of shit might be appropriate to describe those who seem to casually blame the victim, the real call is to understand what is wheat and what is chaff. And, as a western Buddhist, someone who has given a great deal of my lifes blood to the Zen enterprise, and now in my older years being asked to share what Ive come to find, this particular controversy keeps arising. I continue to struggle with both the traditions and my own experiences and the wisdom of my fellow travelers on this way, and out of that considering what it all means.

I have to admit, my Buddhism doesnt really begin with the wondrous Gautama Siddhartha or even the texts that have come to be the canon of Buddhism, but rather, what happened when that ancient, powerful, and highly speculative tradition brought Buddhism to China, and encountered an equally ancient and powerful culture, but one that was vastly more concerned with what is practical.

The core message that traveled from India to China held that we live with a profound and pervasive suffering. And this hurt within us arises because we grasp after things as if they were permanent, when in fact they have no essence at all, and are in fact moments created out of multiple causes, and will inevitably come apart. But, also, that there is a peace that passes all understanding, which we can find, that ends the hurt.

How these cultures dealt differently with the matter of suffering and its cessation, while both still considering themselves Buddhist, is particularly important to me. Indian Buddhism taught that while there is no essence to a person, there nonetheless was some central thing if only a bundle of consequences that traveled from one body to another. Chinese Buddhism, however, inherited a whole different idea of what a person was, that each of us are composed of many things, and that at death those many things return to their various natural places, and with that shifting the locus of hope in this one, passing life. Not to say that Chinese Buddhism didnt embrace the language of transmigration. But there was and remains a cultural ambiguity about many lives or one that one can find throughout the tropes and images of Zen.

Seeing through the illusion of permanence and to the reality of a wildly interdependent and boundless web as our existential reality is the Zen project.

But, of course, our ways to that liberating insight are always flavored by our culture. The illusion of separation is the problem in both stories, the Indian and the Chinese. And while the Chinese version accommodates the Indian, it never abandons its practical this-worldly perspective. And, me, I find the Chinese story aligns with my own modern, or is that post-modern, or probably some other variation on the great Western theme with its own momentary name, that our shot is in this life.

Our contemporary liberal or some prefer the term secular and others modernist Buddhisms are on occasion dismissed as tainted by the seductions of modernity or even worse materialism when one or another of us expresses doubt or sometimes outright disbelief in rebirth and karma narrowly defined as those intentions that trigger rebirths. And some among us, Im sure, are in fact simply materialists for whom Zen Buddhist practices are psychological devices that mitigate the inevitable hurt that comes with being alive and knowing we will die.

But while it is helpful to people, this materialistic Buddhism and its mitigations of various psychological hurts are not my Zen Buddhism. My Zen has a different goal than the mitigation of suffering. Somewhere around the beginning of the twelfth century the Chan master Huanglong Wuxin asked the question. If you do not deliver this present human body in this lifetime, then, in what lifetime will you have a chance to deliver this human body? Here, were less about many lives or one. Instead we cut to the chase.

And so the story in the West ever since the rise of the Enlightenment is one of minute inspection into the world at hand, putting our confidence in observation and out of observation with controlled experiment. And in that world our story becomes one of genetics and experiences, a great play of causes and effects and more causes and effects that come together in a moment as me. And in a moment it will be gone, like a shift in the wind. Me, I find this a lovely story.

And, frankly, I find it more resonant with reality I experience than either the story of a link of lives repeating over and over the ills and opportunities, or, even the Chinese story with its various pre-scientific elements gathered for a moment. Although, my experience is a lot more like the Chinese one. But, knowing there are two stories pointing to the same possibility, I see no problem with how that possibility comes with a third story, the story of my people just as much as was the case for those earlier stories. But, thats not the end of the story.

My Zen, while liberal and rational and which is more than hesitant about claims to a multitude of lives, is, nonetheless all about that question of awakening as something considerably more than a materialist psychological calming within a sea of anxiety. Of course the way does help psychologically. However, we are also the product of many conditions and circumstances, multiply caused, and seeing through does not end those conditions and circumstances. If you are an anxious person, or an angry person, while seeing through is helpful, the anxiety and the anger are still to be dealt with. No doubt a lifetime occupation.

So, while awakening includes that psychological aspect, which is at best gradual, the Buddhist project is also about much more, something that can best be distinguished from psychological. Lets call it spiritual. That story of permanence which is the alternative to our various ways of telling how we are in fact not is the great heart hurt. And its resolution is something other than the various wounds of our psychological makeup.

I believe the great project to be about a liberation that has informed people from Shakyamuni down to our own day. This great awakening has both gradual and sudden aspects. But its winning is the cessation of fear for our lives and the lives of those we love. It is seeing past the conventions we use to separate ourselves out from each other, without denying their utility and place within our consciousness, but in the same moment opening us to a larger truth, which we are in touch with in greater or lesser degree at various moments, but which once found cannot be lost. It is the Western Paradise, it is Heaven, and it is here. It is found shallowly, and deeply, but like a sip of water or a bucket of water, it is at heart the same experience.

The method is simplicity itself. As our teacher Sengcan sang to us, The great way is not difficult. You only need to not get caught up in picking and choosing. When we let go of our desires and resentments, when we let go of our knowing, we find it was always right here, the heart of our hearts. This may sound like some essence, but it isnt. It is emptiness, it is openness, it is boundlessness. It is our great freedom.

It was found in India. It was found again in China. In each case given the flavor of the indigenous culture, but at the heart of the matter, the discovery is the same great truth. Going out into the world with empty hands. Forgetting. Opening. Just this, just this, revealing how even within our binding as earthly beings, we are at the very same time boundless. Taking up the plow with empty hands, putting on clothes made of emptiness.

And. And it is here to be discovered in America, and Europe, and everywhere else on this globe that human beings walk. Waiting for us to find it and give it our own color, our own flavor, our own style most appropriate to our time and place.

What it is, however we chose to call it, is our great inheritance, the healing of the great hurt.

Nothing less.
Patna: At least one child was dead due to lack of medical care at the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on Monday after junior doctors of the hospital, following a clash with the family members of a patient and the police lathi charge that later ensued, went on an indefinite strike on late Sunday evening.

With the entire hospital in a state of disarray, patients were seen fleeing the facility in large numbers though their plight remained unchanged due to similar strike at other hospitals in Bihar including Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH), Anugrah Narayan Medical College in Gaya, Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital in Darbhanga in support of the junior doctors at the PMCH.

Demanding full security at the PMCH and resignation of the college Principal Dr. S N Sinha, the junior doctors refrained from attending their duties creating a panic among the patients and their family members.

As reported, following the drowning death of one Suman Saurav, an engineer from Begusarai, at Patna's Kali Ghat, his family members assaulted junior doctors on duty on Sunday night. After being roughed up by the rowdy family members, junior doctors took the matter in their own hand and launched their own assault on the perpetrator.

Soon police got involved and lathi charge ensued in which several doctors and nurses were reportedly injured.

More than a dozen people, including many junior doctors, were taken into custody.

Early talks between the striking junior doctors and hospital management failed to reach an agreement. Bihar Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav, who was recently spotted frolicking with his friends at Patna's Water Park, did not go to the hospital to measure the situation.

Officials said a 15-year old girl with head trauma died at the PMCH in the lack of medical care.
Patna: Stung by a barrage of criticism in the wake of the two recent high-profile political murders in the state, a reluctant Nitish Kumar, Bihar Chief Minister, on Monday agreed to a CBI probe into the killing of a journalist in Siwan though he ruled out a similar investigation in the murder of a youth in Gaya involving his own party legislator.

Continuing to maintain there was no law and order problem in Bihar despite drums of 'jungle raj' being played by his detractors, the Chief Minister said that he would request a CBI enquiry into the killing of Siwan journalist Rajdev Ranjan who was gunned down by hired gunmen last Friday allegedly on the payroll of former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammed Shahabuddin who, despite being in prison for the last several years, continues to wield tremendous political clout in the district.

"We have learnt that the slain journalist's family has asked for a CBI enquiry. I intend to ask the Center for the same while also asking for a speedy trial. Guilty would be brought to justice and dealt with sternly," he said.

Kumar also dared the press to do an impartial analysis of the crime situation in Bihar saying situation here was no different than any other state but he knew the reporters would not do their job in a fair, impartial manner.

Speaking to the reporters after his weekly Janata Durbar in Patna, Kumar, at one point, lost his temper when asked about the whereabouts of absconding JD-U legislator Manorama Devi who is the mother of Rocky Yadav, the alleged killer of Aditya Sachdeva, the son of a businessman who was shot dead in a road incident in Gaya a few days ago.

"I don't know where Manorama Devi is. Do you know where she is? You tell me and I'll make you the investigative officer in the case," Kumar shot back.

The Chief Minister also rubbished criticism of him being away from Bihar pushing his prohibition agenda in other states.

"I have been away from Bihar for no more than 100 hours. How can you say work is suffering in the state in my absence? I come from a humble background that is why I am being targeted by the press and others," Kumar said those who were making such allegations came from the 'elite' class.
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
"We're not used to seeing growth in our check business," said Deluxe's Tracey Engelhardt, who reports a 6% to 7% increase in revenue for check orders from businesses and consumers in each of the last three quarters, driven by various factors originating from the pandemic.
French Foreign Ministry Staffer with Dual Citizenship Awaits Appeal on Prison Sentence in Iran

05/17/16

Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran

Nazak Afshar, an employee of Frances Foreign Ministry who holds Iranian and French citizenship, is awaiting a ruling on her appeal against a six-year prison sentence issued by Judge Abolqasem Salavati of Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court on unspecified charges.



Nazak Afshar



Afshar is a former staff member of the French Embassys cultural section in Tehran. She was arrested on March 12, 2016 at Imam Khomeini International Airport after arriving from Paris to visit her hospitalized mother in Iran.

Her arrest is among a long string of arrests of dual nationals who returned to Iran after the Rouhani administration encouraged and assured them of safe return, only to be arrested once on Iranian soil.

The arrest appears to be related to her involvement in the protests that swept Iran in 2009 after the widely disputed presidential election that year, events that are still refused to as the sedition by hardliners in Iran.

Afshar lost consciousness several times during long interrogation sessions while she was detained in the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Organization-controlled Ward 2-A of Evin Prison, a source close to her told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

The source added that Afshars health problems date back to her first arrest in 2009 when she was treated inhumanely by the interrogators.

After she was released [following her first arrest] she received treatment in France, said the source.

Her headaches cause her to completely lose consciousness and she constantly needs to take medications, added the source.

Afshar was released from Evin Prison on March 25, 2016 on five billion rials ($165,000 USD) bail, according to the reformist Kalame news website.

The charges against her have not been publicized and the authorities have not commented on her case.

Afshar was first arrested in 2009 and accused of giving refuge to anarchists in the cultural section of the French Embassy during the period of violent state suppression of the protests that year.

Afshar appeared as a defendant in a mass trial of those who had questioned the legitimacy of the election, but her indictment was never read and no ruling was issued on her case. She was released soon after and flew to Paris.
The best 2-in-1 laptop 2022: our picks of the best convertible laptops

These are the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy right now
It would be a disservice to Lenovos ThinkPad X1 Tablet to focus solely on the benchmarks. Because while other competitors in the convertible tablet space might boast superior performance, Lenovos latest entry to the ThinkPad line honors the brands legacy with a series of thoughtfully considered touches, including a bookend kickstand that seems obvious in retrospect.

Theres a good chance youre mulling over Lenovos ThinkPad X1 Tablet convertible based on the strength of the ThinkPad keyboard alone, long considered an industry gold standard. Lenovo complements that with not one, but two options for storing the included stylus, as well an ingenious kickstand that folds flat across your legs, making lap work feasible. You also get a display thats among the higher-resolution options available at 21601440, albeit still markedly lower-res than the screen in Microsofts Surface Pro 4 (27361824).

In all, Id call the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet a perfectly competent Windows 10 tablet, whose 1.1GHz Core m5-6y57 processor and 8GB of memory can chew through average office tasks with aplomb. Corporate admins should consider it for the optional vPro manageability technology, the TPM 2.0 security chip, and the rear screws that allow access to the battery, WWAN, and SSD. Otherwise, my nitpicks include the mediocre trackpad and the possibly redundant buttons that flank it, as well as the iconic ThinkPad trackpoint, which may be getting a little long in the tooth.

Still, Lenovos never stood for flair and whimsy: Its a ThinkPad. It gets work done.

Rob Schultz Yes the red dotted i is indeed an LED power light, as in ThinkPads past.

Whats inside counts

The ThinkPad X1 Tablet itself measures 11.48 x 8.25 x 0.34 inches, and weighs just 1.69 poundslight enough for one-handed use with a stylus. The tablet body is built of magnesium, in ThinkPad black of course; you shouldnt have any problems with smudges. With the keyboard, the total weight comes to 2.35 pounds, on the lighter end of the convertible tablet range. Unlike Microsofts Surface series, the keyboard is included in the price of the ThinkPad X1 Tablet: $1,349 for our review unit.

The Core m5-6y57 in our unit has a base clock of 1.1GHz, but can theoretically reach 2.8GHz in turbo mode. (As we note below in the performance section, that rarely seems to happen, due to some throttling.) Core m3 and Core m7 are also options. Our unit shipped with 8GB of 1,866MHz low-power DDR3 memory, soldered to the motherboard, and 256GB of storage. By comparison, Microsofts own Core m3 version of the Surface Pro 4 costs just $899, with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but youll need to pay $130 for the Type Cover, too.

Rob Schultz

The ThinkPad X1 Tablets magic happens via the 12-inch, 21601440 IPS touchscreen display, coated with Cornings Gorilla Glass and supporting up to 10 fingers of touch input. An LED backlight projects a fairly robust 390 nits of illumination through the glass, with an 800:1 contrast ratio. Our model also shipped with a fingerprint reader mounted where the Windows home button would reside in years past, enabling easy logins via Windows Hello.

Rob Schultz A fingerprint reader mounted on the front of the tablet offers Windows Hello support.

A microSD card slot, which supports up to 64GB is tucked away under the kickstand.

The ThinkPad X1 Tablet hosts a number of connectivity options, including the choice of either a dual-band 22 802.11ac card, or a tri-band Wi-Fi/802.11ac card with WiGig on top of it. An NFC smart card reader is optional.

All of these features are available in some form or another in competing tablets. But Lenovo has also come up with something a bit unique: three ThinkPad X1 Tablet modules that add various functionality. Some earlier ThinkPads boasted optional barrel batteries that could add battery lifethese three modules go beyond that.

The modules all fit between the tablet and the keyboard: Theres the $150 Productivity module, which combines an additional 24Whr battery, USB 3.0 connector, HDMI, and OneLink connection; the $280 Presenter module, which adds a pico projector for presentations, HDMI, and a 10Whr battery; and the $220 3D Imaging module, which adds an Intel RealSense depth camera, HDMI, and a USB 3.0 port.

Lenovo The ThinkPad X1 Productivity modue is just one that adds extra functionality.

While these modules certainly have the potential to set the ThinkPad X1 apart from other convertibles, they werent available for evaluation at the time of this reviewLenovo says they will begin shipping later this month. Once were able to try them, well update our review.

The pen loop and kickstand: Worthy of praise

Virtually all convertible tablet PCs include a kickstand to help support the weight of the tablet, and the ThinkPad X1 Tablet is no exception. Whats unique about the ThinkPad X1 Tablet, however, is that the kickstand folds out from the bottom of the tablet itself, providing a stable and, most importantly, flat surface to bear the tablets weight. Typically, convertible kickstands focus the weight on a narrow strip of plastic or metal a few millimeters thick (like a bicycles kickstand), which can press uncomfortably into your thighs. Lenovo distributes the weight over a 3-inches-deep plate that runs almost the width of the tablet, providing support and comfort.

Rob Schultz The kickstand unfolds after sliding a small latching switch on the rear of the tablet. The flat surface makes it very comfortable for lap use.

The kickstand design is a clear victory for the ThinkPad X1 Tablet. Its not perfect, though: At an incline of about 30 degrees, the kickstands hinge isnt quite strong enough to support the tablets weight, and a touch or movement will make it gently fold flat.

Mark Hachman This is about as far back as the Lenovo X1 tablets kickstand will allow before it folds flat by itself.

Otherwise, the hinge allows the kickstand to rotate to nearly 90 degrees, and is resilient enough to support the device when flipped into presentation mode, as seen below.

Lenovo The Lenovo Presenter module, shown her with the ThinkPad X1s kickstand extended.

Im equally impressed with how Lenovo addressed the pen problem. If youve ever transported a convertible tablet, youre likely aware of how easily the pen vanishes into the depths of a bag or briefcase. The HP Elite x2s string tether solves the problem but looks childish, while the Surface Pro 4s magnetic pen clamp cant withstand the jouncing of my backpack. Only the Surface Pro 3s pen loop seems to have solved the issue, and the ThinkPad X1 Tablet uses a similar approach.

Mark Hachman A pen clip slides into the USB slot on the side of the tablet.

If you want to use a pen with the ThinkPad X1 Tablet (and its included in the price, according to Lenovo), you can slip a plastic clip into a notch in the keyboard. The attached loop holds the pen securely. But theres a second pen option, too, for tablet-only users: a plastic pen holder that clips into the USB port. The latter option doesnt really hold the pen securely enough to transport it in a bag or briefcase, but it does find a home for it other than your pocket when toting the tablet around. More to the point, the pen holder secures the pen whether in landscape or portrait mode, and neither pen clip blocks any ports or power connections (other than the USB port the pen holder occupies).

Mark Hachman The pen loop is connected to a plastic tab, which slides into a cutout in the keyboard.

Im less enthused about the pen itself, which feels somewhat cheap and plasticky. Inside is an industry-standard AAAA battery. Though it supports 2,048 levels of pressure, the Wacom pen only includes two configurable buttons on the shafttheres no eraser button to launch OneNote, or actually erase, a function Ive grown used to with other pens. Lenovo may be waiting to see how many people take advantage of Windows 10s new Windows Ink mode, but theres still room for improvement here.

ThinkPads have a reputation for great keyboards, but the ThinkPad X1 Tablets felt about average in key travel and resilience compared to those of other convertible tablets Ive used. It appears that while the ThinkPad X1 Tablets keys are faintly scalloped, they are far less so than on ThinkPad notebooks, which might disappoint some users. I wasnt impressed with the touchpad, which generally felt somewhat cheap and unresponsive compared to the competition. The accompanying buttons and trackpoint nubbin also seemed a bit archaic on a touchscreen tablet armed with a pen, but theyre traditions that would probably incite the ire of ThinkPad fans if removed.

Mark Hachman The X1 tablets keyboard should look quite familiar to previous ThinkPad owners.

Finally, Lenovo includes its own utility, Lenovo Companion, which serves as an alternative to the various Windows control panels and update menus. Lenovo doesnt force you to use the Companion app, and you might be able to get by without ever opening it. But its attractive design and overall utility make it worth checking out.

My review tablet was, thankfully, free of bloatware, though Lenovo does recommend certain apps for you to download. The WRITEit app, for example, mimics Windows Ink by allowing you to digitally mark up whatevers on the screen, and to fill in various fields using pen input. Out of the box, the palm-rejection feature on the Wacom pen is pretty lousy. Make sure you download the updated Wacom driver from its website to improve performance.

Productivity-focused performance

The ThinkPad X1 Tablets chip runs at the same 1.1GHz core clock speed as the chip in the competing HP Elite x2. Though the two chips are very similar, the x2s processor includes both vPro and a set of instructions focused on multithreaded performance scaling. Its possible the additional instruction support assist in the Elite x2s performance, but Lenovo also appears to be limiting its own Core m5-6y57s clock speed.

While encoding an MP4 video file using the Handbrake benchmark, the HP Elite x2s processor tended to smoothly cycle between 2GHz and 2.2GHz, using Intels Extreme Tuning utility. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablets chip, meanwhile, showed considerable evidence of power throttlingthough no thermal throttling, even though its processor climbed to a package temperature of 84 degrees Celsius. (The HP Elite x2s chip maintained a package temperature of about 70 degrees Celsius.)

As PCWorld has done in other convertible reviews, I focused on the most common productivity benchmark, then stressed the CPU with encoding tests. Finally, though its doubtful youll use a convertible tablet for graphics-intensive tasks, I compared the ThinkPad X1 Tablet with its competition using the popular 3DMark benchmark. I also included a couple of notebooks for comparisons sake.

As expected, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet performs general productivity tasks easily. Earlier tablets, such as the Surface 3, suffered a bit due to slower CPUs and 2GB memory. But the ThinkPad X1 Tablets Core m5 chip is competent, and the 8GB memory allows you to open multiple browser tabs at any one time.

The CPU stress tests consist of Cinebench and Handbrake. Cinebench pushes all of a CPUs cores to the limit in an attempt to render a photorealistic scene as quickly as possible. Handbrake does the same, but by transcoding a video stream.

In both, the ThinkPad X1 Tablet struggles a bit.

Finally, I tested the tablet using the FutureMark 3DMark suite. You shouldnt really even consider running an intensive 3D game on the X1, but it can chew through some basic 3D tasks.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet features a 37.740WHr battery, on par with the Elite x2s but slightly smaller than the 39.5WHr battery inside the Samsung Galaxy TabPro S. I test battery life using a looped HD video, playing until the battery finally gives out. Here, the ThinkPad X1 Tablet performed slightly below averagestill, at 7 hours, 20 minutes, it delivers pretty close to an all-work-day computing experience.

If youre the type of person who focuses mainly on benchmarks, you might be better off buying a competing convertible tablet. I still rate the ThinkPad X1 Tablet highly, though, since its performance ranks in the good enough category for many applications. Conveniences like the kickstand and the pen loop give the ThinkPad X1 Tablet an edge and make it competitive among the ranks of the best convertible tablets.
SAP and Microsoft have expanded an existing partnership to offer new products to users of the Azure and Office 365 cloud services, focused on better integrating the two companies offerings.

Azure customers will be able to use SAP HANA in Microsofts public cloud, expanding the reach of that popular relational database service. SAP is also integrating its services including Fieldglass, Concur and SuccessFactors with Microsoft Office 365, so users can get the benefits of Microsofts communications, collaboration, calendar and document editing tools.

This all fits into Microsofts ongoing strategy of partnering broadly with a variety of companies, including those that compete against it in some businesses. Teaming up with SAP can make Azure and Office 365 more appealing to companies that are already tied into SAPs ecosystem, and drive adoption of each companys products.

The Azure integration in particular helps Microsoft better compete against Amazon Web Services, which already offers a service that lets developers run SAP HANA in the public cloud. What sets Azures HANA offering apart from AWSs is the total amount of memory that the service can bring to bear.

Microsoft says that its support for 3TB of memory on a single HANA instance outpaces Amazons offering, which can currently only handle 2TB of data on a single node. Azure will also allow developers to deploy a HANA configuration with 32TB of memory across 16 nodes, and a variety of more resource-light configurations, too.

For Office 365 users, the SAP integrations are going to make it easier for employees to get work done without having to move around from one piece of software to another. Case in point: the integration between Concur and Office 365 that the two companies showed off lets employees start the process of booking travel right from their calendar.

Its a fairly straightforward workflow, since Concur knows where a user is, where theyre going and when, thanks to the information contained in their calendar. The integrations arent available yet, but SAP and Microsoft say that theyll start coming online in the third quarter of this year.
The U.S. has warned of fragmentation of the Internet if China goes ahead with proposed rules that would require compulsory registration of Internet domain names in China through government-licensed providers.

The regulations for the administration of Internet domain names would also forbid the registration of websites containing any one of nine categories of broadly and vaguely defined prohibited content, and create a blacklist of forbidden characters in the registration of domain names, adding an extra layer of control to Chinas Great Firewall, two top U.S. officials in charge of Internet policy and administration, wrote in a statement Monday.

Today, more than 700 million people have access to the Internet in China, more than any country in the world. Several of the most valuable Internet-based companies call China home, wrote Lawrence E. Strickling, assistant secretary of commerce and administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and Daniel Sepulveda, Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy at the Department of State.

The statement comes ahead of an expected hearing by a Senate Commerce Committee on a plan for ending U.S. oversight of key technical Internet functions in favor of a global multi-stakeholder governance model.

The NTIA, an agency located in the Department of Commerce, said in March 2014 it planned to let its contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to operate key domain-name functions expire in September 2015, passing the oversight of the agency to a global governance model. Concern that control of the Internet could pass to governments, some of them dictatorial, has led to hesitation and delays over the plan.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions, which include responsibility for the coordination of the DNS (Domain Name System) root, IP addressing, and other Internet protocol resources, are operated by ICANN under contract with the Department of Commerce. ICANN submitted in March to the U.S. its plan for the transition.

But some senators like Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, are critical of the role of former ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade for agreeing to co-chair a high-level advisory committee for the Chinese governments World Internet Conference. ICANN has said that Chehade will take up his new role later this year, much after his leaving his job at ICANN in March.

The draft Internet domain name regulations, published in March by the Chinese government, would require all Internet domain names in China to be registered through government-licensed service providers that have a presence in the country, besides imposing additional regulations on the provision of domain name services.

The move appears to be in line with the aim of Chinas government to have greater control over the domestic Internet. The country already censors a large number of websites in the country besides blocking U.S. sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The focus of concern of the two U.S. officials is a vaguely-defined new article 37, which has been interpreted as banning Internet Service Providers in China from providing Internet access to domain names that are registered with a registrar abroad, hence cutting off Chinas Internet from the rest of the world.

While Chinese authorities have clarified that the intent of the article would be to prohibit access to Chinese-registered domain names that are acquired from registries/registrars that are not in compliance with Chinese regulations, concerns remain that the language in its current form is vague and open to differing interpretations, according to the statement.

Critics of the draft rules are also opposed to requirements for forced data localization and real name verification for the registration of Internet addresses.

By creating its own rules for domain name management, China is threatening to fragment the Internet, which would limit the Internets ability to operate as a global platform for human communication, commerce, and creativity, the officials wrote. Chinese officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Microsoft has come out against a proposal for the U.K. to leave the European Union, joining other tech giants that oppose the controversial measure.

The so-called Brexit (Britain exit) referendum will ask U.K. voters on June 23 whether the country should leave the 28-state EU. Proponents say membership in the union has hurt Britains economy and opens the country up to too much immigration.

Boris Johnson, Londons colorful former mayor, has compared the EU to Hitler. Polls suggest the vote may be tight.

IBM, Cisco Systems, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise also oppose Brexit. As multinational companies, they often rely on flows of capital and employees across borders.

Microsoft said membership in the EU makes Britain a more attractive place to do business. The Redmond, Washington, company opened its first international office in the U.K. in 1982 and has 5,000 employees in the country, Microsofts U.K. CEO Michel Van der Bel wrote in a blog entry posted Tuesday.

Our commitment to our staff and business here remain firm, but we also believe the U.K. remaining in the EU supports important criteria for continued and future investment by Microsoft and others, Van der Bel said.

For example, researchers at the companys R&D lab in Cambridge want and need to work alongside others from across the region, he said.

In addition to its own employees, Microsofts business in the U.K. has created a network of about 25,000 British partner companies, the company says.

Many multinational businesses are against the Brexit proposal. In February, executives from IBM, Cisco Systems, BT Group, Vodafone, and General Electric signed an open letter to the Times of London opposing the plan. HPE has also come out against Brexit, according to a Bloomberg report.
The woman found dead about a half-mile from the 10 in Whitewater on Thursday, May 12, has been identified by the Riverside County Coroners Office as 37-year-old Rosemary Barrasa, of Bloomington.

Barrasas husband, Rigoberto Villanueva, was arrested on suspicion of only assault with a deadly weapon and inflicting injury on a spouse when officers found him walking away from the womans body, but murder has since been added to that list, jail records show.

Barrasa had obvious signs of trauma to her body when California Highway Patrol officers responded to Tipton Road about a half-mile from the Whitewater off-ramp about 2:45 a.m., according to a news release from the Riverside County Sheriffs Department.

Officers thought they were responding to a traffic accident, but called deputies once they discovered Barrasa and the investigation into her death began.

Villanueva, 39 of Fontana, is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility, jail records show.
An 85-year-old Lake Elsinore resident who evaded capture by the Nazis and remained in hiding through most of World War II received a tribute from state Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez on Monday, May 16, in Sacramento.

As part of the Assemblys annual Capitol Holocaust Remembrance Day, Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, honored fellow city resident Henri Berger as a Holocaust survivor.

I am humbled to have the ability to honor Mr. Berger today, Melendez said in a news release. He is a testament to the power of hope triumphing over the power of evil and someone who has truly inspired me.

As children, Berger and his sister became separated from their parents in southwest France during the war. They hid in corn fields and forests to elude capture, while surviving by stealing food or waiting in long bread lines, the release states. They remained in hiding until France was liberated in 1944, after which Berger immigrated to the United States. Berger enlisted in the Marines and served two winters fighting in the Korean War, according to the release.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9690 or michaelwilliams@pressenterprise.com
Campaigns are usually about winning. Californias U.S. Senate race is a fight for No. 2.

The states unusual election rules have spawned a low-key contest this spring to determine which candidates advance to the November election for the first open Senate seat in a generation. The quirky part: only the top two vote-getters in the June 7 primary move on.

The front-runner to replace retiring liberal icon Barbara Boxer is not in question: Democratic state Attorney General Kamala Harris got in early and everyone else is chasing her. For now, the battle is for second place.

Thats where it gets more dicey.

Orange County congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, another Democrat, appears positioned to be the runner-up, setting up a potential November battle within the states dominant political party. But several little-known Republicans are also in the mix, representing a possible, if distant, chance of a surprise on election day.

Headlines in the Senate race have been scarce, and the candidates dont have enough money for widespread TV advertising, the typical way to reach voters in the vast state. A long list of 34 candidates presents its own puzzle at the ballot box.

Voters, meanwhile, appear in the dark or just indifferent. Polls show the largest single group remains undecided.

Its unprecedented to see a Senate race with this little activity, said longtime Democratic consultant Roy Behr, who has advised Boxer.

Democrats are strongly favored to hold the seat  the party controls every statewide office and holds a 2.7-million edge in voter registration. But Republicans have a lot at stake, even in losing.

GOP insiders worry that the badly weakened California party needs to make a credible showing in the Senate contest to attract a viable candidate for governor in 2018. Another troubling sign: independents could soon eclipse Republicans as the states second largest voter group, behind Democrats.

The problem for the party is that the leading Republicans in the Senate race  former state GOP chairmen Tom Del Beccaro and Duf Sundheim, and physicist and entrepreneur Ron Unz  are essentially unknown. Del Beccaro and Sundheim have struggled with fundraising, and its not clear how much money Unz will commit to the race from his own checkbook.

One hope for GOP candidates is that in the age of unbridled political spending, an outside super PAC will funnel millions of dollars into the contest, boosting one of the Republicans or dinging Sanchez  maybe both  in an attempt to advance a Republican to November.

But the Democratic tilt of California makes it a poor investment for GOP donors, while the 12 Republicans on the ballot threaten to scatter the party vote.

A political lifeline appears unlikely to come from the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC set up by political allies of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to help Republicans keep control of the Senate in 2016.

Our focus this cycle is on maintaining the Republican majority in the Senate by protecting our incumbents and looking to targeted opportunities in swing states where we have a strong chance of flipping a seat currently held by a Democrat, Ian Prior, a spokesman for the fund, said in an email.

Harris, the safe bet to advance to November, has to decide how much to invest in the primary and how much to save for later. Her options include running ads to hobble Sanchez in the primary, potentially opening the way for a Republican candidate who would have little chance of winning against her in November.

If that fight develops, it would take place in Southern California, where Sanchez, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, has been making a strong pitch to Hispanic voters. Harris stronghold is in the San Francisco Bay Area, but support for the two Democrats is about evenly divided in Los Angeles County, polls show.

The low profile of the race has been a surprise. When Boxer announced her retirement in January, it was widely expected the race would attract a throng of strong candidates. It didnt.

Voters also appear unimpressed that the race could produce Californias first Latina senator, Sanchez, or Harris, the daughter of an Indian mother and black father. The two leading candidates have only occasionally exchanged jabs.

We could have quite a few people voting for president and skipping contests down the ballot, predicted Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney. Voters just arent paying a whole lot of attention.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday backed out of a divisive clash involving religious groups that object to contraceptive coverage under Obamacare, issuing a compromise decision that said the two sides might be able to work out their differences.

The decision has no immediate impact in California, where many residents working for religious employers and faith-based organizations already have access to the full range of birth control methods through Medi-Cal under state law.

Californians are still protected. This decision does not modify this, as far as we can see, said Charles Stewart, communications director for the legislator who wrote the law, Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles.

Inland Republicans said government-mandated contraceptive health care coverage treads on peoples freedoms.

However, a legislative advocate for the local Planned Parenthood said the ruling leaves questions about whether bosses can deny employees access to free or no copay birth control in the future.

The Supreme Court justices Monday asked lower courts to take another look at the issue in a search for a compromise. The case concerns the administrations arrangement for sparing faith-based groups from having to pay for birth control for women covered under their health plans.

Releasing an unsigned, unanimous, seven-paragraph opinion in one of its most closely watched disputes, the court said it expresses no view on the merits of the cases and sent them back to federal appeals courts.

The opinion pointed to an unusual proposal the justices floated in March after arguments suggested a 4-4 deadlock. The decision underscored the courts difficulties since the vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalias death Feb. 13.

Options Offered

At issue was the Obama administrations plan to accommodate religious groups that dont want to provide birth control coverage for employees or students.

The administration offered objecting groups two options: They could shift responsibility onto their insurer by providing it with a self-certification form, or could notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of their objection and provide contact information for their insurer.

The religious groups, which consider some forms of contraception to be the same as abortion, say they shouldnt have to play even the limited role envisioned by the administration. The groups sued, claiming violation of a federal religious-rights law.

Menifee Mayor Scott Mann, chairman of the Republican Party of Riverside County, described the courts decision as a hollow victory.

Republicans believe that government has no business mandating contraceptive care for all Americans. That should be a choice, he said.

U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, agreed.

Our religious organizations should be protected from government mandates that infringe upon their liberties, he said in a prepared statement. Im hopeful the religious groups affected by this case can finally find relief from these Obamacare mandates in the near future.

The full impact of courts ruling may not be known until lower courts take action or return the matter to the Supreme Court, said Claudia Huerta, legislative and political engagement manager for Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, which operates in Riverside County.

We hope that the lower court can provide a clear resolution that protects women by ensuring access to birth control no matter where they work and where they live, she said.

The court said, in the interim, the government was free to take steps  presumably by contacting insurance companies  to ensure people working for the suing groups can receive contraceptives at no cost.

The identity of the next justice and the fate of the contraceptive policy may have to wait for the presidential election in November.

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A 38-year-old man pleaded not guilty Monday, May 16, in the shooting death of another man in Moreno Valley who was found with gunshot wounds in the 23000 block of Bay Avenue and died later at a hospital last week, according to court records.

Chauncey Crowder appeared in Riverside County Superior Court to answer charges in the death of Franklin Bridges.

The Riverside County Sheriffs Department said in a statement last week that a a hand gun was found near the shooting scene and Crowder was found less than half a mile away in the 23000 block of Dome Street. Neither man lived on Bay Avenue, and sheriffs investigators were looking into why they were there.

Crowder remained in custody at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside in lieu of posting $1 million bail, according to jail records.

According to the criminal complaint against him, Crowders criminal history included two convictions for felony aggravated robbery in Tennessee.
A Tucson, Arizona man pleaded guilty Tuesday to the March 23 beating death of womans puppy in Ontario.

Keion OShea Hector, 23, was sentenced to 16 months in prison for killing Sasha, an 8-week-old pit bull puppy, as a way to intimidate a woman.

According to the American Humane Association, 13 percent of intentional animal abuse cases involve domestic violence.

The organization also found that 71 percent of pet-owning women entering womens shelters reported their batterer had injured, maimed, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or to gain psychological control, a tactic San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos said has been seen in cases of human trafficking.

According to prosecutors, Hector threatened the woman the night he killed Sasha.

Lay in the bed or Ill put your face by the dead dog. If you leave, Ill kill you like I killed Sasha, prosecutors said he told his victim.

This case was prosecuted by the District Attorneys Animal Cruelty Prosecution Unit.

After Hector beat the puppy to death, Ontario police found the lifeless body in a room at the Folk Inn at 204 N. Vineyard Ave., according to prosecutors.

A necropsy revealed Sasha died of blunt force trauma.

Anyone who suspects animal cruelty is asked to call 909-945-4400, local law enforcement agencies, 911 or WeTip at 800-78-CRIME.
A gas leak Monday afternoon, May 16, in Riversides La Sierra neighborhood prompted police to shut down traffic on part of Tyler Street.

Police were on scene at 2 p.m. blocking traffic between California and Bonita avenues, Sgt. Rene Ramirez said.

The gas leak sprung when a city utilities crew struck a gas line at a job site, Ramirez said. Previous reports that leak was caused by a car crash were determined to be unfounded, Ramirez said.

SoCal Gas workers were on scene at 3 p.m. Authorities do not have a determination as to when Tyler Street will open back up.

This story is developing. Check pressenterprise.com for more information.
Update with comment from Sheriffs Department

Residents of a Corona-area street went above and beyond neighborly concern Monday, May 16, when they saw a woman they thought was stealing packages from a neighbors house.

Their actions kept the suspect from getting away before deputies arrived and arrested her, Riverside County Sheriffs spokesman Deputy Michael Vasquez said via email.

The incident took place less than a week after an Alhambra homeowner videotaped a woman attempting to steal packages from his doorstep last Tuesday, May 10. The video of the man confronting the woman and the woman dropping the packages and fleeing generated millions of views after it was posted online and the suspect was arrested Friday.

Riverside Sheriffs officials urge residents not to confront package theft suspects, Vasquez said. Rather, he said, call 911 and inform dispatchers of the situation.

There are dangers associated with contacting would-be criminals, so leave the confrontation to your local law enforcement, Vasquez said.

When seeing a woman go onto a property in the 800 block of Via Felipe in the unincorporated Coronita neighborhood Monday, a neighbor sprung into action.

Neighbors said he confronted her, grabbed her keys and told another neighbor to call law enforcement. The suspect made a phone call, and another man showed up and began watching the encounter before deputies arrived.

The woman  later identified as 33-year-old Michelle Fowler of Corona  was issued a citation for petty theft, a misdemeanor. Fowler was not booked into jail.

The neighbor who called the police let the residents of the home know what had happened and kept the packages safe at her house until they got home.
The youngest of five siblings raised by Vietnamese-refugee parents in Pomona, Hau Vu was the one child without muscular dystrophy.

It is a progressively debilitating disease that took the lives of both his brothers and prompted him to ask questions.

I would have normal conversations with God, asking, Why my brothers and sisters? Vu said.

An answer came to the 6-foot-4 Vu: To comfort others who suffer. When people see us they are inspired, he said.

And Vu was inspired by his siblings unwavering faith to go into the ministry.

On Saturday, Vu, 28, and five other men are to be ordained priests in the Diocese of San Bernardino, which serves the 1.6 million Catholics living in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

This is a bumper crop, said Sister Sarah Shrewsbury, who as director of vocations heads up a program that recruits and nurtures future priests. We havent had six guys get ordained since eight years ago. The number is triple the class of 2015.

But, in reality, its a drop in the bucket, Shrewsbury said. We have to have a lot more than that.

Like other Roman Catholic districts in Southern California, and around the United States, the diocese has been scrambling to keep pace amid a surging membership and shrinking supply of priests.

And the class of six will hardly make a dent.

WAY OF WOOLWORTHS?

According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, during the last half century the number of priests in this country has declined from near 60,000 to fewer than 40,000. Yet, the Catholic population has swelled from 48.5 million to 81.6 million.

Put another way, the national ratio of active diocesan priests per parish slid from 2 to 1 in 1965 to 1 to 1 by 2015, the Georgetown center says.

In the Diocese of San Bernardino, the shortage is far more acute. The area has barely one diocesan priest for every two parishes.

For now, Shrewsbury said, religious orders are supplying priests to fill the gap. We are very fortunate to have them, she said. What would we do if we didnt? Priests are crucial in the life of the church, as they are authorized to administer several key events.

The fact is, without the priest, there is no Mass, she said.

Diocese spokesman John Andrews said there is but one priest for every 6,117 parishioners. According to the center, the diocese has one of the most lopsided ratios in the U.S.

With shortages locally and elsewhere, Deborah Rose-Milavec, executive director of the Cleveland-based advocacy group FutureChurch, has been sounding the alarm for 25 years. The group worries that at some point the church will disappear.

Is the Catholic church going the same way as Woolworths or some other corporation that couldnt adapt to the times? Rose-Milavec asked, in a telephone interview last week.

DIRE PREDICTIONS

To reverse the trend, she maintained the answer is to open the priesthood to married men and to women. And, so, Rose-Milavec was encouraged by Pope Francis unveiling last week of a plan to create a commission to explore the idea of women deacons.

Its an extremely huge development, she said. Its a development of historic proportions.

Not everyone agrees the downward trend is leading to an eventual closing of church doors and that the institutions survival requires abandonment of the celibate priesthood model.

The dire predictions of this group, I think, are off base, said Father Samuel Ward, associate director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which serves Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

Theres no question there is a need for more priests, Ward said. But Ward is encouraged by the daily calls he said he receives from 17-, 18- and 19-year-old males expressing interest in the ministry.

If there was no one being ordained and our seminaries were empty and my phone was never ringing, then Id be worried, he said.

THIS ONE IS GOING TO BE A PRIEST

But as it is, next month four priests are to be ordained in the Diocese of Orange, said Ryan Lilyengren, a spokesman for the nations 10th largest Catholic diocese. And Ward said nine are to be ordained in the Los Angeles archdiocese, the nations largest with 5 million Catholics.

Then there are the half dozen set to be ordained in a ceremony Saturday at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Chino Hills. They are: Tomas Guillen of Moreno Valley, Carlos Martinez of Apple Valley, Jose Antonio Orozco of Palm Springs, Dominic Vu of Riverside, Pomonas Hau Vu and Ken Vu of Orange County (none of the latter three being related).

Each has his own story of initial call and long journey to get to this point.

While there was Hau Vus response to siblings suffering, Carlos Martinez seemed to be groomed from infancy.

When merely six days old, Martinez was taken to his first Mass at Holy Family Parish in Hesperia. Afterwards, his parents walked up to the priest.

And my mom said, Look, Father, I have my baby, showing me to him, Martinez said. Then he placed his index finger gently on my forehead and said, This one is going to be a priest. She didnt think too much of it at the time.

But, he said, It turned out to be prophetic 30 years later.

NOT ABOUT THE BOOKS

Growing up in a devout family, Martinez spent much of his life around the church, providing leadership at youth activities and Big Bear mountaintop retreats en route to graduating from Apple Valley High School in 2003.

In 2006, he entered St. Junipero Serra House of Formation in Grand Terrace, where local seminarians launch their journey to the priesthood. He finished his journey at St. Johns Seminary in Camarillo.

It has been a challenging journey and at times studies were overwhelming.

We can become kind of absorbed in that world of the seminary, Martinez said. We can lose sight sometimes of the big picture and the ultimate goal.

And, so, he forced himself to pause on occasion.

It wasnt about the books, Martinez said, it was about the people.

While Tomas Guillen also ended up at St. Johns, his path was a little different. In fact, the 2007 graduate of Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley had no intention of going into the priesthood.

One of the smartest students in his class, Guillen said he went to Fordham University in New York City on a full-ride Army ROTC scholarship and majored in Middle East studies. Life was great, he recalled, and the plan was to launch a career as a military officer after college.

DEAL WITH GOD

While there, however, he got involved in a campus ministry. That caused him to reflect and rethink what he wanted to do with his life.

I wasnt happy, he said.

After just one semester Guillen returned to Riverside County. Then he decided to give seminary a try.

Initially, Guillen said he committed to going for only a few short months.

That was kind of my deal with God, he said. And it kind of went the other way.

Now hes committed to serving long term in his home diocese, a place where there is clearly a need for more priests.

Martinez said the shortage is a concern.

We might not be able to be available to our people as much as, ideally, wed like to be, Martinez said. But we are just going to have to work twice as hard.

THE SCANDAL

There are a number of reasons for the shortage. For starters, the priesthood doesnt carry as much prestige in the U.S. as it once did, experts say.

As a result, said the Diocese of Oranges Lilyengren, many new priests come from minority and immigrant families.

Being a priest in the Vietnamese-American community is the equivalent of being a doctor in another community, he said.

Then there was the widespread sex abuse scandal.

Its had a tremendously destructive role, in terms of the credibility of bishops and priests in the Catholic church, Rose-Milavec said.

Many people walked away after that. Many young people. Were missing a whole generation in the Catholic church at this point, she said. It has had an absolutely crippling effect.

HYPERSEXED WORLD

No doubt, said Ward, the Los Angeles vocations director, the scandal was a horrible chapter. But he said that doesnt mean the church should discard the celibate priesthood.

Its a sign and a witness for a hypersexed world that knows no boundaries, it seems, Ward said. A witness of purity and chastity that the church and the world needs.

Ward added that he personally doesnt feel the need to marry.

My ministry is fruitful and joyful as a celibate priest, he said. I have thousands of spiritual children that I love and care for.

As for the 6-foot-4 Hau Vu, he began his journey about the time scandal headlines swept the country.

It was sad, he said. But Vu said it underscored the need for more priests of character.

It didnt discourage me, he said. I think it inspired me.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9699 or ddowney@pressenterprise.com
Michelle Ouellette, a partner in the law firm Best Best & Krieger, will be recipient of Riversides 2016 Athena Award.

The luncheon award presentation takes place at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 19 at the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.

Ouelette is a lawyer who specializes in habitat conservation plans and the California Environmental Quality Act.

Athena International, named for the Greek goddess, is a non-profit organization with the goal of developing women leaders.

Athena of Riverside presents scholarships to local college students during the program.

Individual tickets are $65 and can be ordered online from the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce.

The Mission Inn is at 3649 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside.

Information: riverside-chamber.com

Contact the writer: fbuck@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9551.
Two Republican candidates for U.S. Senate will be in Riverside on Friday, May 13, for a forum sponsored by a local political group.

Tom Del Beccaro and Duf Sundheim are scheduled to participate in the forum sponsored by the Lincoln Club of Riverside. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Loft 84, 3840 Lemon St., Riverside.

A limited number of tickets are available, said club leader Ben Clymer Jr. Tickets are $25 for members and $35 for non-members.

Reservations are required. For information, contact Sherri Gomez at sherrigomez4@gmail.com or 951-689-1910.

Del Beccaro and Sundheim, who both served as California Republican Party chairmen, are among 34 Senate candidates on the June 7 primary ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will advance to the November general election to compete for the right to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

A Field Poll conducted in April showed California Attorney General Kamala Harris, a Democrat, in the lead, with 27 percent of likely voters preferring her. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, was second with 14 percent of the vote, followed by Republican Ron Unz at 5 percent, Del Beccaro at 4 percent and Sundheim at 2 percent.

Almost half of those polled were undecided.

Harris was the focus of attacks by other candidates in a Tuesday night televised debate, the last one before the primary. Sundheim, a Silicon Valley attorney, said Harris is failing in her duty to keep Californians safe and described her as a career politician.

Sundheim departs from many Republicans in supporting access to abortion, although he said hes personally pro-life. And unlike a number of conservatives, Sundheim favors a path to legal citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Del Beccaro, a Bay Area lawyer, has campaigned on a flat income tax proposal he believes will boost prosperity and promote economic growth. He is a gun-rights advocate and wants a crackdown on immigrants who overstay their visas.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or jhorseman@pressenterprise.com
A 41-year-old Moreno Valley man, described in court as a gang shot caller, was sentenced to death Monday, May 16, for ordering the shooting of a Moreno Valley man after a home-invasion robbery five years ago.

What likely was his last appearance in a Riverside County Superior Court room repeated some elements that made the case stand out.

Romaine Martin had a closed-door hearing with Judge Candace J. Beason over a request to get rid of his attorneys, not his first such request, and the judge denied it. He withdrew a motion for a penalty-phase retrial that had been prepared by his trial defense attorneys. Last month and again Monday, the judge rejected his requests to hire new attorneys. In both cases, the attorneys had not communicated with the court in advance about the requests.

In an outburst, Martin said his rights had been violated, denied responsibility for the crimes and turned to victim Jerry Mitchell Jr.s family members and said, I pray for you.

The judge warned that his conduct may warrant gagging, but after a break and talk with courtroom deputies, who numbered up to eight at one point, Martin kept quiet.

In a brief statement to the court during the sentencing hearing, the victims father, Jerry Mitchell Sr., said Martin deserved to die and asked if it was possible to put Martin in front of the line on death row. The father was consistently in the courtroom for proceedings over the five years, often accompanied by relatives and friends.

A jury found Martin guilty in January of charges including murder as an aider and abettor, robbery, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and committing a crime in furtherance of a criminal street gang, according to court records. The same jury recommended the death penalty after a separate penalty-phase trial in February.

Gang members believed mistakenly that Mitchell, who had no gang ties, had $10,000 stashed in his Carnation Lane condominium. Several broke in on May 27, 2011, but the only loot they took was household goods, according to testimony.

The burglars left, but about 10 minutes later three returned after Martin learned that participant Deontray Robinson knew Mitchell, and Martin ordered Robinson to kill him, according to trial testimony.

Neighbors called 911 and as Mitchell stood in his doorway waiting for help to arrive, he was shot five times and died.

The judge called Mitchell, 27, a law-abiding young man and a caring person. She contrasted that with Martin whose criminal history is long and violent, beginning as a juvenile. He has used his gifts, unfortunately, for evil.

The shooter, Robinson, 26, of Palm Desert, was convicted last year and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Robinsons trial initially included Martin as a second co-defendant, but when it was discovered that the judge had been Martins defense attorney in a 1996 robbery case, the judge recused himself and the trial proceeded for Robinson only.

One more defendant faces trial soon and another one pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against other defendants.

PAST COVERAGE:

Woman testifies she witnessed 2011 killing, feared she was next

Death penalty case gets new judge; mistrial for 1 of 2 defendants

Jury convicts shooter in home-invasion murder

Victim of home-invasion shooting was compassionate, jury is told

Jury deadlocks on on penalty in home-invasion slaying

Defendant manipulated others in shooting, prosecutor says
The Burkinabe government through its Ministry of Transport has released over 70 Ghanaian haulage truck drivers who were detained in that country for five weeks for failing to provide a loading document, popularly called bon de chargement covering their cargoes.



Officials have subsequently suspended the implementation of a decree that enforced strict implementation of the loading permit regime.





The suspension of the decree therefore means that any truck driver who carts cargo from Ghanas ports to that country would no longer be required to produce the permit.



The move by the Burkinabe government came after the Ghanaian government led a delegation to that country to protest the decree and the mistreatment of its drivers who were detained.



The Deputy Minister of Transport, Ms Joyce Bawa Mogtari on April 23, 2016 led a delegation of officials of the Ghana Ports and Habours Authourity (GPHA), the Ghana Shippers Authourity (GSA) as well as officials of the Ghana Embassy in that country to strongly oppose the move by the Burkinabe government to detaine the drivers for that long when they had no such agreement with Ghana.



The deputy minister who also called on the President of Burkina Faso to request his intervention, later held a meeting with Burkinabe importers.



That meeting was however, said to have ended in a brawl when a Burkinabe businessman spoke against the implementation of the "bon de chargement".



The political leadership of the two countries have tasked its respective shippers authorities to produce a blueprint on the harmonisation of the transit trade between the two countries.



About 131 haulage truck drivers had documentations on their cargoes seized by the Burkinabe Transport Ministry which in turn handed them over to the gendarmeries (military police) who were alleged to have maltreated the drivers over the past five weeks.



Release



The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Shippers Authourity, Ms Sylvia Asana Dauda Owo told the Daily Graphic in Accra that the formalities for the release of the drivers commenced almost immediately after the Ghanaian delegation had argued its case with officials of Burkina Faso.



The Directeur General (DG) of the Burkina Faso Shippers Authourity commenced the formality for the release of the drivers on April 25, 2016 and by April 27, they started releasing them together with their documents to enable them offload their cargoes. As I speak now, they have released all of them, Ms Owo said.



Agreement



Ms Owo indicated that at the protest meeting, Ghana made a case for the two countries to sit down and agree on modalities for the management of that countrys transit cargo.



We made it clear to them that since Ghana did not have any agreement with them to that effect, there was the need for the two countries to agree on the way forward, Ms Owo said.



She emphasised that per the decisions taken, Ghanas Shippers Authourity was to engage its Burkina Faso counterparts, a process she said was already underway.



The Directeur General (DG) of the Burkina Faso Shippers Authourity, she said, would be in Ghana in the coming days with his team to hold a meeting on the issue with the GSA.



She said the GSA was also in touch with the representatives of the Burkina Shippers Authourity here in Ghana, and we believe going forward, Ghana can agree on a bilateral agreement with the Burkinabe government in the management of transit cargoes, she stressed.





Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Volta River Authority (VRA), says the 1.5 billion dollars coal power plant scheduled to be built would commerce in April 2017. The coal plant would be sited at Ekumfi Aboano in the Ekumfi District of the Central Region.



The three and halve year power plant project completion, which is undertaken by the VRA and Chinas Shenzhen Energy Corporation is funded by the China African Development Fund. A total of about two million tonnes of coal would be imported from Colombia and South Africa every year; more than the 25-year lifespan of the project and the construction of the plant would also include a new coal port to receive the coal.



Mr Jacob Brown Yawson, Manager of Technical Services, VRA at Aboadze, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said the country has one of the highest demands for electricity, saying GRIDCO has an annual rate of seven per cent with other countries less than the percentage.



He said in December 2015, VRA and Shenzhen released a pre-feasibility environmental and social impact assessment for phase I: 2x350MW supercritical coal plant, including an affiliated coal handling terminal, while Phase II would be a 4X350MW or 2X600MW supercritical coal plant. He said the key risk in the energy sector is fuel supply and that there is the need to diversify the energy sources since the country could not rely on one traditional source. Mr Yawson said the phase one of the project would target 700 megawatts of coal power, while the second phase would hit 1,400 megawatts, moving to the 2,000 megawatts mark at the peak.



He said the project is geared towards sustainable development because it was important to meet the energy requirements for future generation.







Source: The General Telegraph









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authourity (GPHA) is to impose a $50,000 penalty on the Mediterranean Shipping Company for polluting the Tema Port environment with heavy marine oil (HFO) spilled from its container vessel, MSC Alexa.



The company and the terminal operators, Meridian Port Services (MPS), according to officials of the GPHA, would also be surcharged with the cost of cleaning the oil from the surface of the water.



The spillage, said to have occurred at about 3a.m. on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, spread to the new jetty under construction and dry-dock areas.



The marine dock, oil jetty and VALCO Wharf,as well as the leeway breakwater of the canoe beach and portions of the fishing harbour were also affected.



The Director of Port at the GPHA, Mr Jacob Kobla Adorkor, told the Daily Graphic in Tema that the GPHA could have constrained the spill to a small area if the terminal operators and the agents for the vessel had reported the incident to the GPHA.



We have an oil spill contingency plan in place and we would have responded immediately to minimise the effect of the spill if we had prior notice, Mr Adorkor said.



The spillage only came to our attention on Wednesday, May 11, 2016, when our security men, who were on an international standardisation organisation (ISO) compliance patrol at the port, smelled the oil in the environment, Mr Adorkor asserted.



He said the massive nature of the spill was only known after an investigation was conducted following the report received from the security patrol team.



Ballasting



According to Mr Adorkor, the vessel was said to be ballasting when the spillage occurred.



Vessel ballasting is a process by which sea water taken up at sea is disposed of at the port or at sea.



The director suggested that the vessels tanks got contaminated in the process of ballasting, thus causing officials to spill the oil since the vessel had no oil spill response equipment on board.



He stressed that while it is an international regulation that the port authority should be informed in situations of ballast spills, the two entities failed to do so, hence our resolve to penalise them to send a signal to other port users that you cannot pollute the port and go scot-free.



Cleaning



The director said the GPHA had deployed a boom and askimmer equipment used to contain oil spill to the affected areas. The boom, which is a floating barrier, would isolate the oils at various areas to enable officials to use the skimmers to collect the oil from the surface of the water.



He said a reception facility operation, which has been put in place, would receive the spill scoop for the water to be processed for proper disposal.



Mr Adorkor mentioned that the marine dock entrance to the drydock and the new jetty areas had been cleaned up, but officers were still on standby since spills in the adjoining areas could still move there.



The cleaning process would last for two weeks due to the severity of the spill, and we can only declare the port to be oil-free after the process has been certified by our safety personnel, Mr Adorkor stressed.



Environmental Impact



Mr Adorkor pointed out that the spill, apart from polluting the marine environment, also had a lot of environmental implications on the ecology of the harbour basin.



Spilled oil, he said, could harm living things because of its poisonous chemical constituents.



This can affect organisms both from internal exposure to oil through ingestion or inhalation and from external exposure through skin and eye irritation, he suggested.



He said the likelihood of fish stock in the fishing harbour area where the spill spread could also record some level of mortality.











Source: Daily Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Air Vice Marshall Samson Michael- Oje, the Chief of Defense Staff has called on Ghanaians and the media especially to desist from publishing reports that will cause panic and fear during and after the upcoming general elections.



Let all our actions be geared towards the execution of yet another peaceful election to the admiration of the whole continent and the world at large. We as a country have been noted for peaceful elections even when the winning margins are very small So let us close ranks and make the whole world proud of us once again.



He said this at a media interaction held at the forecourt of the Ghana Air Officers Mess in Accra to foster a good working relationship between the media and the security services.



He cautioned that anyone who tried to disrupt the peace in the country will have the Ghana Armed Forces to deal with because his outfit will use every legitimate means at their disposal to maintain the peace and tranquility in the country.



He reiterated that the Ghana Armed Forces together with other security services was ready to hold the country together at all cost.



We and the other security services are ready to collaborate with the press to ensure peaceful elections. Let us join hands and continue to work together to safeguard the peace and stability which we have enjoyed over the years



The CDS said the Armed Forces recognize the media as an important partner in the execution of its duties and as such their doors were permanently open to the media. In saying this he admonished the media to feel free to find out their side of stories before publishing anything about the Armed Forces.



He also encouraged the media not to hesitate in passing onto the security services any information that will affect the safety and security of our beloved nation, Ghana.



Adding his voice, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. John Kudalor cautioned the media against taking sides with political parties and acting as their spokes persons. This he said would not ensure the peace the country was striving for.



The President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Affail Monney thanked the CDS for the invite and assured him that the media would do everything in its power to ensure that there is peace before during and after the November, 7 elections.



The media had the rare opportunity of interacting with senior Military officers who took time to share their experiences with them.

Source: New Crusading Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Venezuela's president ordered the country's main beer producer to reopen its breweries or risk being jailed for 'sabotaging the country'.



Food and beverage company Empresas Polar, which supplies 80 per cent of beer drunk in Venezuela, shut down its last operating plant in April.



In response, President Nicolas Maduro has now threatened to take over idle factories, saying that business owners who 'sabotage the country' by halting production, risk being 'put in handcuffs.'



Speaking to supporters in the capital, Caracas, the president ordered 'all actions to recover the production apparatus, which is being paralyzed by the bourgeoisie.'



Empresas Polar has shut down beer production completely as of last month, saying government mismanagement meant it was no longer able to import barley.



Maduro accuses Polar and others of trying to destabilize the financially stricken country by exacerbating shortages of goods from foodstuffs to medicines to toilet paper.



Empresas Polar's four breweries normally supply 80 per cent of the domestic beer consumed in Venezuela.



The company's owner, billionaire businessman Lorenzo Mendoza, is a vocal opponent of Mr Maduro, and the president has accused him of being part of an "economic war" on his government along with US business interests.

















Source: Dailymail.co.uk









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Member of Parliament for Manhyia North, Collins Owusu Amankwah, has firmly rejected speculation by some persons within his party, the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that his political allegiance lies with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).



Some critics within the NPP suspect Mr Owusu Amankwah is a mole for the NDC.



The suspicion comes amidst bad blood between the lawmaker and his regional chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, a situation which led to the postponement of the NPPs primary to elect a parliamentary candidate for the constituency for the 2016 poll.



The bad blood between the two party stalwarts got to a head on on May 1, 2016, during the Electoral Commissions limited voter registration exercise, when Mr Antwi Boasiako, more commonly referred to as Chairman Wontumi, physically assaulted Mr Amankwah at a registration centre.



A complaint of assault was lodged with the police by the MP after the incident. Mr Boasiako, who subsequently turned himself in, was arrested by the Kumasi Police and hauled before court for the alleged act. But the complainant applied to withdraw the case.



The incident has led to some party members questioning the loyalty of the MP to the party.



But speaking on Accra100.5FMs Ghana Yensom, on Monday May 16, 2016, Mr Amankwah refuted the allegation against him. He told host Chief Jerry Forson: As parliamentary primaries approach, most people have reckoned that what they can use to get me out is to tag me [as NDC] and soil my name. How can I, Chief, be regarded as a mole in the NPP?



Whoever said that should know that the reward for spreading such information is right here on earth. So, I was no mole when I was a polling station chairman. When I was ward chairman at Krofrom, I was no mole. Was I a mole when I was Constituency Youth Organiser? When I was playing an active role in national politics, I was no mole? And even at the students front with TESCON and others, I was no mole? When I was a representative at the campaign office, particularly in 2008, for communicators, I was no mole. But when I am a Member of Parliament and there is going to be an election, the election that has been postponed on end, then I am a mole?



To him, such allegations were hurtful given his record with the NPP. You can ask the NDC government whether they have given me even a cedi or whether the government offers me contracts when it is dishing them out. I do not want to say much, but it is painful. I was hurt when I heard the allegation, an unhappy Amankwah said on the programme.



He said it was equally painful to hear some leading figures of the NPP say the assault on him by Chairman Wontumi was mild.



The MP stated that notwithstanding the distractions, he was committed to doing his bit to ensure an NPP win in the 2016 election so its flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is sworn in as president.

Source: classfmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Duncan Storrar, the Geelong bloke who asked a question on Q&A last Monday and invoked the wrath of News Corp for his troubles, was the subject of Media Watch last night.

Host Paul Barry charted the rise and fall of the new national hero, pointing out that it exposes something very grim about how we treat those who question authority.

Is this now what happens in Australia to someone who sticks their head up in public and exercises their democratic rights? he asked. Duncan didnt ask to be a national hero or a villain, nor did he ask for our charity. All he did was put his hand up and ask a question, and he was crucified.



Crucified is right: The Australian ran stories about how the Q&A hero paid no tax, had a criminal rap sheet, and even found his estranged son to reveal the truth about him. In the face of such scrutiny, Duncan was allegedly placed on suicide watch.

In a letter to Media Watch, Duncan hit back at News Corps treatment of him, asking where their duty of care was.

I told everybody I talked to that I have just been to the Royal Commission and have serious mental issues, he wrote. Knowing this, the right wing press decided to write the stories they did without a care for me or my (now ex) partners mental health.



He said that this experience had taught him two lessons:

If a person shows the powers that be to out of touch with the people, they will be dropped, probed and attacked in any way, with no thought to the mental wellbeing of their children. and This exposing of your life and every discrepancy in it will be published, ruining your job prospects

(would you give me a job after a Google search comes up with the headlines of last week?) and will be

used as a example to keep people like me quiet.

His letter indicates that hes been speaking to lawyers to find out if News Corp broke the Mental Health Act.

He also used this opportunity to thank the Australian public for their support, and state that the $60,000 raised for him will go into a trust fund for his daughters education, and to various charities.

He ends his letter on this very poignant note:

And finally, my question is still valid and hasnt been answered, but more to the point there are a whole class of people out there. Yes we might have records, yes we might not be perfect, but society has forgotten us, the politicians and the media use us whenever they want to show why they need to be elected, but never do anything to help our plight. We are breaking down here and life hasnt been this hard since before Whitlam for the underclass. Thank you Australia for all your support. I didnt want this. Q&A is the only place where people like me can ask questions of our leaders and policy makers, and

as its so hard to see your politicians we dont have any other contact with these people. As such, this is

the most important part of democracy I have available to me.

Watch the full Media Watch segment here.



N.B. Parts of his letter have been edited for clarity. You can read it in full here.



Source: ABC.



Photo: ABC.

If you are in crisis, please call Lifeline in 13 11 14.
Gay rights campaigners are using the momentum of International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia (i.e. today! ) to highlight one of Australias most antiquated laws: the so-called gay panic defence law.

Its an archaic law thats been around since the 1990s, and essentially justifies murder if you panicked and thought that a gay person was making a gay pass at you, and so you gay killed them.

Its a legal defence that can argue that if your victim made a homosexual pass against you  sometimes the people arent even gay, but that slur or that suggestion is made  in court your charge of murder can be reduced to manslaughter, comedian and gay rights campaigner Tom Ballard told ABC News Breakfast this morning. Its the law saying the murder of a gay person is a lesser crime and should be treated as such.

The Homosexual Advance Defence is still applicable in South Australia and Queensland, and was last used successfully in the defence of the two men accused of murdering Wayne Robert Ruks in 2008, who had their murder charges downgraded to manslaughter. Vom.

Following that shock decision, fellow gay rights campaigner / all-round ledge Father Paul Kelly started a hange.org petition to abolish the law, which has since been running for four years and garnered almost a quarter of a million signatures.

Ballard said this morning that it was inertia, rather than homophobia, that kept this law alive.

I dont think theres anyone out there defending this law, he said. Its just bureaucracy and inaction. It means its still on the books, and it means someone can still get away with murder just for killing someone who may or may not be gay.

But the times, they are achanging. Last year, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill asked the South Australian Law Reform Institute to review all state laws and regulations and identify ways to remove discrimination against the LGBTIQ community.

And last week, Queensland Attorney General Yvette DArth announced that theyd begun work to amend section 304 of the Criminal Code, with legislation expected to be introduced to Parliament later this year.



So, things *are* happening. Theyre just not happening fast enough.

Source: ABC.



Photo: Source.
A lawyer representing 12 Sri Lankan asylum seekers who attempted to reach Australia by boat, but were subsequently flown back, has refuted the Australian Governments claim that turning back the boats will break the business model of people smugglers.

The asylum seekers arrived at the Cocos-Keeling Islands earlier in the month before they were sent back to Sri Lankas capital, to face legal proceedings for leaving Sri Lanka by boat.

Lakshan Dias, a human rights and refugee lawyer, says that the Australian Government has misunderstood how the boat journeys from Sri Lanka worked, with asylum seekers going in collectively to purchase boats instead of hiring people smugglers:

Australias Government is talking rubbish.  Sri Lanka, there are not organised people smugglers. It is totally different from what is happening in Indonesia and Malaysia. These kind of people get a boat from a boat owner and they collectively get money for food and fuel and everything and go on a boat journey to Australia. That cannot be looked at as a people smuggling business.

Dias also claims that Australia failed its obligation to the UN Refugee Convention, giving the asylum seekers no chance to explain their legitimate reasons for leaving Sri Lanka or state why they should not be returned.

Dias says he will try every legal remedy possible to allow the 12 men, women and children to seek asylum in Australia.

Source: ABC News.

Photo: Getty Images / Oscar Siagian.
PREVIOUSLY ON MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA: A blatant flaunting of the no political lyrics rule combined with a vicious anti-Antipodean conspiracy managed to keep both Russia and Australia from taking out Europes top music crown, with the 2016 Eurovision crown instead being handed to a limp Ukraine effort that had more flats than a housing commission tower. Also Justin Timberlake performed, just to remind the entire continent of Europe that the USA could show up in this badboy and utterly dominate it any time they feel like it.

I assume over on Channel Ten there was also some cooking or something going down. Eurovisions important, ok?

AND NOW, LAST NIGHT.

With Marco Pierre White sadly vanished from our screens once again we enter one of those weird holding pattern weeks where nothing huge happens and were all just filling air time until the next ~extra special week~ where Heston Blumenthal rocks up to make everyone cook chicken balloons on the bloody moon or someshit like that.

Tonight, its Chloe, Karmen, and Olivia who face the chop from a bloodythirsty triumvirate of judges out to take the head of a peasant to warn the rest of the village against committing insolence.

And just when it seems like being a regular, run-of-the-mill Pressure Test with no huge surprises, the doors fling open and in walks REYNOLD.

LOOK AT HIM! LOOK AT HIS SWEET LITTLE FACE!

The return of the prodigal dessert son sends everyone into an absolute fit. Even Jimmy cannot manage to keep his trademark cool in check.

I swear, when this series is over Im going to combine all these Jimmy GIFs into one clip and it is gonna blow some minds.

Reynold, now smashing it at his KOI Dessert Bar in Sydney, brings out a dish that would make the fabled Snow Egg dash out and buy a Hummer just to try and hide its newfound inadequacies.

Good god, man. Youre trying to challenge the contestants, not break their spirits permanently. Ease the hell up.

The dish, entitled simply Moss (one word, like Seal) has twelve different stages. Casual reminder at this point that hell only has nine.

Theres caramel and pistachio stuff everywhere and a clear gel and a sorbet and knowing Reynold hes probably found a way to hide an entire deconstructed Vienetta in there somewhere just to a complete bastard about it.

But then again HOW COULD YOU EVER STAY MAD AT THIS FACE?

HE IS ADORABLE, GOD DAMN IT.

With two-and-a-half hours to complete this mammoth task, the three in black are confronted with a recipe the size of War & Peace to wade through. Can you believe it? Reynold wrote a recipe! An actual recipe! That he sticks to! I wouldnt be surprised in the slightest if 75% of the method instructions just read do it by feel.

Karmens the first to stumble, attempting to whip together a pistachio mousse mixture that clumps together like a poorly-thought out Eddie Murphy movie reference.

But surprisingly, all three work their way through the initial stages of the cook with remarkable swiftness and ease.

In the moment of the night, Reynold decides its the perfect opportunity to jack Georges lines by shouting BOOM, SHAKE THE ROOM.

George? Not impressed.

Not impressed at all, Youngblood.

The delicate matcha coating is whizzed through without fault, and Olivia notes that it needs to be placed over a bain marie, presumably next to a chewy potato cake, a dim sim, and a pair of stale Chico Rolls that have been sitting there for the better part of 6 hours.

But then George, the shit-stirring genius that he is, throws a giant spanner in the works by looking Olivia dead in the eye and stating that shes a little bit ahead of the other two.

Ive seen the mozz put on things before; more than a few times, in fact. But thats bordering on cruel and unusual. Olivia might as well have packed up on the spot and sodded off to beat the traffic, such is the enormity of the mozzing she just copped.

SAY IT WITH ME GEORGE.

YOU DO NOT.

PUT THE MOZZ.

ON YOUR BOYZ OR GIRLZ.

EVER.

The sponge cake portion of the challenge proves a turning point for a number of reasons. Firstly, because everyone pulls out the cream chargers and gets absolutely stuck in to the nangs. And secondly because Olivias fails to shake the bottle, and winds up with a sponge so dense it couldve been used to clean her bench afterwards.

And this is where things start falling apart for her.

The yoghurt foam doesnt have any gelatine in it, meaning it more or less melts the second she removes it from the liquid nitrogen. The cake is as dense as a bottom level maths class. And to make matters worse, she put her balls in the freezer.

Weve all made that mistake before, sure. Its just that your average bloke learns that particular lesson at age 15 after three cans of Hahn Ice and half a lemon ruski. Not, yknow, on national TV with a countdown timer.

And when she realises this last error and goes to correct it

boom. There it goes.

Poor Jimmy up on the gantry could barely handle it.

Chloe, for what its worth, just about 100% nailed the dish, although the judges remark that it was her attitude that impressed them the most, leading me to believe they got stuck into the nangs way harder than I first thought.

Chloes dish is praised by George for its mouth feel, which is a subtle nod to the fact that he obviously reads Boyles weekly pizza email blast.

But ultimately its Olivias gaps in technique that bring her undone, making her the fourth person eliminated from MasterChef 2016. So it goes.

NEXT TIME: Gary sucks down one nang too many and spends the entire episode giggling quietly to himself as Nam-like visions of desserts past flicker through his minds eye.

420 braise it.

Photo: Channel Ten.
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One of the Canadian Space Agency's new astronauts David Saint-Jacques visits Prime Minister Stephen Harper (not pictured) on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday May 13, 2009. Quebec engineer and doctor David Saint-Jacques says he's not entirely sure why he was chosen to become the next Canadian to work aboard the International Space Station - but he'll gladly accept the mission. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Statewide high school football playoff matchups announced

EAST LANSING  On Sunday, the pairings for the 2022 MHSAA Football Playoffs were announced, which begin Oct. 28-29 with District Semifinals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Regional Semifinals in the 8-
Petrobras implosion takes a major player from FPSO market



Petrobras is the biggest player in the sector: it has more than 50 floating production units (mostly FPSOs) at various stages of planning.

MONTEVIDEO

Petroleumworld.com 05 17 2016

Brazils Petrobras problems has taken a major player from the market for new floating production systems in the oil business, according to a report from the industry. In effect absence of new contracts has forced fabricators and equipment suppliers to make huge cutbacks in personnel and spending and the past 12 to 18 months have been a difficult period the whole deepwater production sector.

Running in parallel with the overall market downturn there has been an unprecedented implosion in Petrobras. The Brazilian oil company has been embroiled in a corruption investigation that has led to a financial and contracting meltdown. Petrobras' situation needs to stabilize and begin improving before the company can again be a major driver of production floater contracts.

Unfortunately, Petrobras' problems have not been easing. The company's credit rating was reduced to junk status in 2015  and was further downgraded by rating agencies in Q1 2016. S&P in mid-February cut Petrobras' bond rating from BB+ to BB and Brazil's sovereign rating from B+ to BB with negative outlook. Moody's in February downgraded all ratings for Petrobras as well as ratings based on Petrobras' guarantee to B3 from Ba3.

The impact of the financial pressures on Petrobras operations and capital spending are obviously being felt. In March, Petrobras announced plans to lay off 12,000 staff  a 15% personnel reduction. Reports are circulating that the (already downsized) plan to invest US$93 billion in capital projects over the next five years looks about to be cut to US$80 billion. The Brazilian government is dealing with many problems and is increasing unable to provide financial backup to Petrobras. The Brazilian economy is deteriorating at an alarming rate  with GDP falling 3.8% in 2015, expectations of a similar decline this year and unemployment nearing 10%.

One piece of good news is the deal Petrobras has negotiated with China to access financing. In late February Petrobras signed a term sheet with China Development Bank to access loans up to US$ 10 billion in exchange for supplying oil to Chinese companies.

But this news is overwhelmed by bad news that seems to flow daily about the company  and the Brazilian economy.

The impact of this implosion on the floating production sector has been huge. Petrobras is the biggest player in the sector. It has more than 50 floating production units (mostly FPSOs) at various stages of planning. No other operator comes close to this projected procurement level.

At the moment it appears that the Petrobras situation is not going to be resolved anytime soon. The political situation in Brazil is deteriorating and no one seems to be able to bring closure to the corruption investigation. Resolution could extent into 2017  maybe later. Meanwhile Petrobras will be a weakened player and its ability to invest in new production floaters will be severely constrained, concludes the report.






The second round of the 2016 California Enduro Series took place at the Battle Born Enduro in Reno, Nevada. With 350 riders registered and nearly everyone showing up, the battle was bound to be intense through every age class and category from the beginner to pro categories. We hope this gives you a great recap of the action we hope you will be a part of next year.We began the weekend, arriving Thursday night.The host hotel, Whitney Peak, sits adjacent to the famous downtown Reno sign. And yes, that is a 16-story rock wall up the side of the hotel.Stan Jorgensen walking his two Scott bikes up to the room at Whitney Peak. The hotel was totally on board with bikes, allowing riders to unload them at the front door and take them up to the rooms. They were great hosts for the 2016 Battleborn Enduro. After a great night's sleep, due in large part to the hotel being the only one in Reno that does not allow smoking and has no casino, we headed up to Peavine Mountain to see who was up for Friday practice.Many groups were found early Friday during practice, trying to beat the heat. Saturday's race day would see a 12-degree temp drop, making conditions ideal for those who prefer cooler race runs.We dropped in on stage one and found the berms were a little loose, but the stage was great overall, with a mix of some tight turns, a couple of rocks and a lot of green landscapes.The man himself, Erik Saunders of VP Components, shredding during practice on stage two. We are proud to have VP supporting the California Enduro Series again in 2016. Friday morning was an early day. We were up at 5:45 am to get breakfast and head to the venue to greet racers as they arrived.CES Director Steve Gemelos, front left, and Battle Born Enduro Race Director Kevin Joell, front right, pose with the Sport/Beginner group. Sport/Beginner would run a 21-mile course with 3700' of elevation gain over four stages while the Pro and Expert participants would do six additional miles over two additional stages with an added 900' of elevation.Shortly after the start of the Sport/Beginner group the Pro/Expert riders headed up to their start at stage five. A sort of shotgun start was used this year in an attempt to alleviate the bunching up of riders at the start of stage one, which is what many riders encountered last year. The shotgun start was much more efficient. We got to Pro/Expert start just in time to watch a few of the pros hit the famous rocks and waterfall drops that are all over stage five.After spectating a bit on stage five, I jumped on the bike and rode up to stage two where some of the Sport/Beginners were still coming through the finish.It didn't take long for the pro riders to catch up to us on stage two.Stage Three would be next for everyone.Kyle Warner, Factory Marin, leans it over on stage three with the snow capped mountains of Tahoe in the background. After racing in the first two EWS rounds, Kyle returned home and will participate in more events here in the states versus abroad.The final run, stage four was challenging with some rocks, jumps, ruts, and berms. It had a good mix of everything to test the racers, who had already seen plenty of hard effort earlier in the day.When the racing action was done for the day, riders had a nice venue to relax at.Men's Pro Podium - 1st Place: Ryan Gardner 23:55.48, 2nd Place: Evan Geankopolis 23:55.87, 3rd Place: Doug Thayer 24:03.39, 4th Place: Kyle Warner 24:11.22, 5th Place: Derek Teel 24:29.54Women's Pro Podium - 1st Place: Amy Morrison 28:09.89, 2nd Place: Allie Donovan 28:52.95, 3rd Place: Essence Barton 28:53.27, 4th Place: Cicily Kessman 29:05.36, 5th Place: Allie Osgood 29:14.74Pro KOM: Ryan Gardner 4:40.63 - Pro QOM: Jackie Swider 5:24.20 - Expert KOM: Duncan Nason 4:44.05 - Expert QOM: Sarah Miller 5:41.97 - Sport KOM: Nye Yackle 5:07.60 - Sport QOM: Paige Galeoto 5:46.28 - Beginner KOM: Tyler Roberts 5:05.85 - Beginner QOM: Rachel Seymour 6:33.18Join us in just two weeks for round three at Toro Park near the Sea Otter Venue in Monterey CA.View full results and learn more about CES at californiaenduroseries.com. Join us in just two weeks for round three at Toro Park near the Sea Otter Venue in Monterey, CA.Words and photos by Called To Creation. @SramMedia / @foxracingshox / @calienduro




INSIDE



NORTHWAVE





WORDS AND PHOTOS: MATT WRAGG



While their focus was always XC and road, that doesn't mean they haven't had the occasionally dabble in the gravity side of things over the years - Missy Giove ran Northwave while she was on the Cannondale team. The advert translates to "shoes of fable."

One unique thing that Northwave do is offer customers the chance to buy fully customised kit, so they can pick from a number of garments, then fully personalise the graphics and colours. This is all done here, in-house in Asolo.

The first step of designing a new model begins with the raw sketch, the design team then add styling to the layout. The first step of designing a new model begins with the raw sketch, the design team then add styling to the layout.

Northwave have a unique foot form they base all their shoes on, this is then wrapped in art tape and the layout of the shoe is then hand-drawn onto the surface. This basic outline is defined by the elements that the shoe will need to have - like closures and protection.

The details from the template are then digitally traced to be uploaded into the CAD software. The details from the template are then digitally traced to be uploaded into the CAD software.

One thing that Northwave are incredibly proud of is their technology - they design and develop all the components that go to make their shoes. For instance, the closure system is proprietary to Northwave - designed in-house it is markedly different from other closure systems on the market. One detail they like to draw attention to is the thread that actually closes the shoes - it is a very specific material that is both incredibly light, flexible and strong. This is actually their older system the SLW, on their newer shoes they have the SLW2 which now has a more user-friendly release system that uses a single button to tension and release the closure. One thing that Northwave are incredibly proud of is their technology - they design and develop all the components that go to make their shoes. For instance, the closure system is proprietary to Northwave - designed in-house it is markedly different from other closure systems on the market. One detail they like to draw attention to is the thread that actually closes the shoes - it is a very specific material that is both incredibly light, flexible and strong. This is actually their older system the SLW, on their newer shoes they have the SLW2 which now has a more user-friendly release system that uses a single button to tension and release the closure.

All of Northwave's prototypes are produced here in Asolo (as well as their custom shoes for athletes). The CAD drawings of the design are loaded onto the laser cutter - laying out the elements is like a jigsaw puzzle, the operator needs to arrange them on the material in the most efficient way possible, then the laser works its magic to quickly create the precise, complex shapes.

The freshly cut elements are then hand-sewn together to form the shoe's upper.

The soles are sculpted by Franco here in his secluded corner of the building.

Developing the sole and tread pattern is real artisan work, with everything crafted meticulously from epoxy resin. Every element is made by the same process, even the moulds are made in the same way - they always start with an existing design, then begin refining. The resin is mixed, then placed into the mould, left to cure, then finished with a knife to remove and imperfections.
However, besides giving engineers some breathing room, the latest move by itself does not resolve a multitude of financial, political and technical problems facing the project. In fact, the delay is guaranteed to further balloon an already overstretched budget, mainly because the agency will have to keep a large team of engineers on the payroll for an extra two years. Sources within the industry estimated that the 1.2-billion-Euro project (a number that includes both the ExoMars rover and the Trace Gas Orbiter, currently on its way to Mars) could still need 200 to 300 million Euro to launch the rover in 2020.

Jorge Vago, a leading ExoMars scientist at ESAs Directorate of Science and Robotic Exploration, protested these figures as too high. However, he added that the project team had been negotiating with the industry to firm up the development cost estimates. In other words, ESA and its contractors are yet to agree on the final cost, and, according to multiple sources, the agency had so far been offering considerably less money than the industry was asking for to finish the job. The final sum is not expected to be finalized until the end of June, when delegations of various space agencies in Europe gather for an ESA Council meeting in order to decide how to proceed.

At the same time, ESA faces an even more difficult task of convincing European politicians to pony up all that extra cash to pay for the rest of the project beginning next year.

Industry insiders say that an upcoming landing on Mars of the Schiaparelli module could be an important morale boost for the beleaguered project. Conceived as an engineering dress rehearsal for the ExoMars rover, Schiaparelli was successfully launched in March along with the Trace Gas Orbiter. The joint spacecraft will arrive in the vicinity of the Red Planet on October 19, when Schiaparelli will separate from the TGO and make a risky plunge into the Martian atmosphere. This milestone will take place just weeks before European ministers responsible for the continents space budget will meet in Luzern, Switzerland, in December.
About a block from Disneyland, federal agents seized $2.3 million in cash that allegedly came from a drug-trafficking and money-laundering group with links to the hometown of the notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, authorities said.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies found the cash after raiding an Anaheim, CA, home on May 5, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said. The home, located in the 1200 block of West Katella Avenue, is less than a block from the sprawling, iconic Orange County resort, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The home was among several locations targeted by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, and local law enforcement during a two-year-long investigation that has included wiretaps and surveillance, authorities said.
illustration: Sequoia blankenship

Every time I go to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial wall I am struck by the power of a name.

My first impression when I visit the wall is the immensity of it, and the vast number of names written upon it; how will I ever find my friends? Thankfully, there is a handy reference book that tells you where each name is located. So you go to the book, open it, and look up your agency; and suddenly you're confronted by names you weren't thinking about at all, and they are instantly thrust into your consciousness.

McNeff, man you flew in that terrible storm to help in that medical emergency. Thank you for trying.

Gabrielli, my Vietnam War veteran poet friend, your tragic verse on the sorrow of battle still haunts me. You were killed at a stupid accident scene as your lovely new wife was riding along; such sadness in a hero's life.

Who's this? Oh yeah, Garcia! Fun-loving, hardworking cadet in the academy, your intelligence and wit would have carried you far; you would have been a good sergeant. But you were killed when your Mustang flipped. I still see you laughing at one of your own jokes during my DT class; I couldn't be mad because you were so damned funny.

Skip? Yes, yes, I remember the day I got the call you had been killed in a fiery crash. You were so strong and dynamic; we had that fun argument when you taught us traffic code in the academy. I smile, a relief for a second from the sorrow.

Speaking of the academy, there is Blazer: sharp kid, made sergeant right away (I knew he would); great work ethic and keen mind; killed with Dave that terrible night. I remember that call, too, fresh as yesterday; two friends killed in a tragic instant.

Oh man; I look away from this book for a second. My eyes need to clear, my heart needs to slow. My daughter is watching me; I act as if the wind is bothering my vision. I look back at the book; oh so many names. So many more from just my agency, and the book is so damned thick, so full of lives lost in our service.

I get refocused and, with my wife, the Sargewho has a list of her own names to findtake our daughter from location to location to allow her to get tracings of the names. I'm so glad I didn't do this alone.

As my daughter creates art from a friend's name, I look around at the wall and admire its power and meaning. So many names of so many heroes, a concrete manifestation of the cost of a civil society, the price of freedom, and a powerful message to those who serve and protect: they will not be forgotten should they fall.

And while my sadness aches, I am strengthened by the memories. I think to myself, This is why we make such a monument: to heal us, to strengthen us, to remind us that freedom is only as strong as the individuals willing to fight for it.

It is right and fitting that the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall memorializes a great panel of individuals who have shed their blood, and given up their dreams and futures, for all of us. A free society owes it to such heroes that we regularly reflect on their lives and deaths: men and women of courage, and love, and sorrow, and friends and family, people just like us, who have made the extraordinary sacrifice of their own lives for their communities.

While I no longer put on a badge and gun, and my service is limited to writing and teaching, I still have dreams at night of driving fast and serving warrants; and in those dreams my friends and I are young and agile again. Sometimes my unconscious mind brings back those who are long gone, or places friends in the wrong agency; dreams are what they are, but I think trips to places like the Wall prevent a lot of them from being nightmares.

Names remind us, sadden us, inspire us, make us laugh and make us cry, and most of all, make us remember.

It has been a couple of years since I went to the Wall, and I think this year I will go again and walk up to that book, open it, and thank God that such men and women have lived and served.

I pray that we never forget their names.

Dave Smith is an internationally recognized law enforcement trainer and is the creator of "JD Buck Savage." You can follow Buck on Twitter at @thebucksavage.
Photo: NLEOMF

Officials from Motorola Solutions Inc. and Motorola Solutions Foundation, the charitable arm of Motorola Solutions, toured the National Law Enforcement Museum construction site on Friday, May 13, 2016. Representatives received an in-depth look at site demolition, currently underway in the Judiciary Square neighborhood in Washington, DC, directly across the street from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

Motorola is the First Founding Partner of the National Law Enforcement Museum. In 2004, the company provided a $3 million Leadership Gift as part of the museum's "A Matter of Honor Campaign." In 2012, the company made an additional $15 million gift bringing the total amount of Motorola's support to $18 million.

"Law enforcement officers who selflessly serve communities across America deserve our thanks and recognition," said Matt Blakely, executive director of the Motorola Solutions Foundation. "That's why Motorola Solutions is an enthusiastic supporter of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the National Law Enforcement Museum. For over 60 years, our employees have been committed to law enforcement and the first responders who every day help others in the moments that matter."

Supporting the National Law Enforcement Museum is just part of the commitment by Motorola Solutions and the Motorola Solutions Foundation to the law enforcement community. Since 2007, the foundation has provided more than $11 million in grants to public safety organizations in the U.S.

Construction of the Museum began last month and is estimated to be complete in mid-2018. The Museum will tell the story of American law enforcement through high-tech interactive exhibits, comprehensive collection of artifacts, extensive resources for research, and diverse educational programming.

About the National Law Enforcement Museum

A project of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the 57,000-square-foot National Law Enforcement Museum will be located adjacent to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC's Judiciary Square. Now under construction, the Museum will tell the story of American law enforcement through high-tech interactive exhibits, comprehensive collection of artifacts, extensive resources for research, and diverse educational programming. The Memorial Fund's mission is to tell the story of American law enforcement and make it safer for those who serve. For more information about the National Law Enforcement Museum, visit www.LawEnforcementMuseum.org.
Photo: NLEOMF

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), with support from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and BJA's VALOR Officer Safety and Wellness Initiative, presented the National Officer Safety and Wellness Awards at the Memorial Fund's annual Awards Dinner. The event was held on Saturday, May 14, 2016, at the Hotel Monaco in Washington, DC.

"The program's primary objective is to reduce law enforcement injuries and deaths, and to help peace officers live safer, happier, and healthier lives. The culmination of this year's Destination Zero Program is the presentation of the National Officer Safety and Wellness Awards," said NLEOMF President and Chief Executive Officer Craig W. Floyd.

Destination Zero was created in late 2014 to identify agencies conducting unique and innovative programs that aim to reduce risk factors and to share the design and outcomes of these programs with the law enforcement community. Agencies with successful programs were asked to submit details of their initiatives to be considered for the National Officer Safety and Wellness Awards.

National Officer Safety and Wellness Awards are presented annually during National Police Week in the following four categories:

General Officer Safety:

Programs that directly affect officers' physical safety while performing their jobs.

Officer Traffic Safety:

Designed to reduce automobile crashes and limit the risk factors of operating a motor vehicle or managing traffic. Programs that increased seatbelt use, limited distractions, or reduced driving speeds are also included in this category.

Officer Wellness:

Fitness programs, mental health programs, and initiatives such as peer support groups and nutrition as they directly affect officer safety are included in this category.

Comprehensive Safety:

Programs that showed the most comprehensive approach and were strategically implemented into safety and wellness efforts. Agencies considered had a strong overall program that was successfully marketed and innovative in its approach to gain employee participation.

Following months of review and evaluation, 11 finalist agencies were identified and segmented into one of the four officer safety and wellness award categories. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund convened a seven-member selection committee, representing nearly every type of law enforcement agency, then carefully considered each finalist program and selected the award recipients for each of the four categories.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the Bureau of Justice Assistance are pleased to announce the following 2016 National Officer Safety and Wellness Award winners:

General Officer Safety: Fairfax County (VA) Police Department

Fairfax County (VA) Police Department Officer Traffic Safety: Hillsborough (NC) Police Department

Hillsborough (NC) Police Department Officer Wellness: San Diego (CA) Police Department

San Diego (CA) Police Department Comprehensive Safety: New York City (NY) Police Department

In addition to the four winning agencies, the following finalists were also acknowledged:

Officer Safety: Metropolitan Nashville (TN) Police Department

Metropolitan Nashville (TN) Police Department Officer Traffic Safety: Ohio State Highway Patrol and Orange County (CA) Sheriff's Department

Ohio State Highway Patrol and Orange County (CA) Sheriff's Department Officer Wellness: Appleton (WI) Police Department (Outagamie County), California Highway Patrol, and the Sandy Springs (GA) Police Department

Appleton (WI) Police Department (Outagamie County), California Highway Patrol, and the Sandy Springs (GA) Police Department Comprehensive Safety: Burlington (NC) Police Department

The National Officer Safety and Wellness Awards are presented annually, and agencies are encouraged to submit details about their successful safety and wellness programs to Nick Breul, Director of the Memorial Fund's Officer Safety & Wellness Initiative, at www.DestinationZero.org.

About the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

Established in 1984, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement and making it safer for those who serve. The Memorial Fund maintains the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., which honors the names of 20,789 officers who have died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history. The Memorial Fund recently began construction of the National Law Enforcement Museum, which will tell the story of American law enforcement through high-tech, interactive exhibitions, historical artifacts, and extensive educational programming. For more information, visit www.LawMemorial.org.

About the Bureau of Justice Assistance

The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. BJA's mission is to provide leadership and services in criminal justice policy development and grant funding and administration to support local, state, and tribal justice stakeholders to achieve safer communities. BJA supports programs and initiatives in the areas of law enforcement, justice information sharing, countering terrorism, managing offenders, combating violent crime , adjudication, advancing tribal justice, crime prevention, protecting vulnerable populations, and capacity building.

For more information about BJA, visit www.bja.gov. For more information about VALOR, visit www.valorforblue.org.
A jury found Nathanial Kangas guilty Monday of first-degree murder in the 2014 deaths of two Alaska State Troopers, according to Fairbanks District Attorney Gregg Olson.

On May 1, 2014 troopers had flown into to the village of Tanana to arrest Kangas father for threatening village public safety officer Mark Hagland. After troopers arrived the elder Kangas resisted arrest and his son, Nathaniel, opened fire on the troopers, KTVA TV reports.

Kangas, 22, was also found guilty of third-degree assault and tampering with physical evidence, Olson confirmed. The guilty verdict was announced Monday after less than six hours of deliberations.
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Even though Donald Trump has been a polarizing figure in the United States, the rest of the word seems united in their thinking that the New York billionaire is a dangerous buffoon.

As Nico Hines of The Daily Beast wrote earlier this year,From China and Afghanistan to Turkey and Britain, human beings watching the U.S. appear to finally agree on one single issue: The GOP frontrunner is a frightening, loathsome candidate.

On Monday, the presumptive Republican nominee did nothing to quell those fears when he went after David Cameron, the British prime minister and close partner of the United States.

In an interview with Britains ITV television station, Trump said, It looks like were not going to have a very good relationship, who knows?

The spray-tanned billionaires answer was a response to Prime Minister Camerons previous comments calling the presumptive nominees proposed Muslim ban divisive, stupid and wrong.

In the same interview, Trump hilariously added, Im not stupid, okay? I can tell you that right now. Just the opposite.

While Cameron has said he is committed to working with whoever becomes the next POTUS, a PM spokesperson said, [David Cameron] continues to believe that preventing Muslims from entering the U.S. is divisive, stupid and wrong. He stands by his comments.

Cameron isnt the only British figure that has taken aim at Trump lately. Newly elected London Mayor Sadiq Khan also slammed Trump for his inflammatory campaign rhetoric.

Donald Trumps ignorant view of Islam could make both our countries less safe  it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of the extremists, Khan said.

Londons mayor added that he will be supporting Hillary Clinton for president and hopes she trounces him.

Trump, always classy and mature, responded to Khan by challenging him to an IQ test.

Americas relationship with Britain remains as close as it ever has been, but Trumps latest childish feud with the top U.S. ally shows how that could change if he becomes president.
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Donald Trumps campaign has certainly received the lions share of attention in 2016. Whether its his bigoted comments, violent rallies, or obvious lack of knowledge on the issues, he always finds a way to seize control of the spotlight. The media, of course, has been rather helpful.

Now, after winning the most delegates and clearing the Republican field, he is officially on his way to becoming the nominee of one of Americas two major political parties. Yes, thats right: Donald J. Trump is the standard-bearer of a party once led by Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.

As a result of Trumps success, many of his supporters claim his campaign is a movement that has swept the nation. But Trumps ability to win in a crowded field of candidates shouldnt be mistaken for a movement. It simply isnt.

In total, Trump has only received a shade over 40 percent the Republican vote this primary season, and he has remained relatively unpopular with a sizeable chunk of GOP voters throughout the cycle. In a CNN poll out at the beginning of this month, a quarter of Republican voters dont even like the spray-tanned billionaire. Among all Americans, that number climbs to almost 60 percent.

One of Trumps newest boasts is the fact that he has received more votes than any Republican primary candidate in history. Hes right, but likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has gotten almost 2 million more votes than he has in a primary contest that just about everybody knew she would win.

And while Trumpites repeatedly say their candidate will win over Reagan Democrats  a nonexistent subset of voters that have essentially been voting for Republicans since before I was born  that same CNN poll shows Clinton receiving over double the amount of Republican support (12 percent) than Trump would get from Democrats (5 percent).

His supporters may be loud and loyal  and they may occasionally sucker punch anyone who doesnt subscribe to Trumps bigotry  but they dont closely represent the opinions of the vast majority of Americans. Trumps consistently high negative ratings among almost every demographic in America only validate that point.

It should also be noted that on virtually every issue, from the economy and immigration to trust and experience, Clinton beats Trump comfortably. Some movement, huh?

That doesnt mean Democrats should make the mistake of being too giddy. There is plenty of time left for Trump to bring those negatives down and make it a close race  he could even win, God forbid.

But this is not a normal election. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are two of the most well-known  and, in many ways, disliked  candidates to seek the presidency. Love them or hate them, opinions about each are already ingrained and odds of a major shift in public sentiment are probably low.

Regardless of the outcome, Trumps campaign is not and never has been a movement, as the candidate likes to claim during his ramblings/press conferences/infomercials. At best, he is a weak general election candidate. At worst, he will destroy the Republican Party.

If you ask me, both of those scenarios bode well for the country.
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An analysis of Republican primary data has revealed that Donald Trumps claim that he is expanding the Republican Party is a total lie.

Here is what Politico found when they analyzed the data from the Florida and Ohio Republican primaries:

And in Florida, one of the nations most critical battleground states, Republican primary turnout jumped by 40 percent from 2012 to 2016. But only 6 percent of those who voted in the 2016 Republican primary did not vote in either of the 2012 or 2014 general elections and were registered to vote then. That amounts to a lot of peopleabout 142,000but its a fractional share of a populous and fast-growing state that has added almost 1 million voters to the rolls since the beginning of 2012. . There were roughly 60,000 new voters in the Ohio Republican primary, for instance. But there were also about 58,000 new voters in the Democratic primary, suggesting those additions amounted to a wash, according to Mike Dawson, an Ohio elections statistics expert.

In state after state, the data showed that Trump was not expanding the Republican Party with new voters. Trump has been making this dubious claim based on the increased turnout for Republican primaries, but it was only within the last month that Trump began to get a majority of the vote in these states. The increased vote could have just as easily been Republicans trying to stop Trump as it was enthusiastic supporters of the candidate.

Donald Trump has conned Republicans into believing that he increased the size of their party when he hasnt. Trump isnt Bernie Sanders. The presumptive Republican nominee isnt leading a wave of new voters who will power his party to victory in November.

The big lie that Trump successfully sold Republicans is that he can grow the party and win the general election, but he hasnt grown the Republican Party. There are not millions of new voters marching to the polls determined to elect a Republican to the White House.

It is all a myth.

In the coming months, Trump will repeat his big lie over and over again. Republicans have already convinced themselves that it is true, but the data suggests that the Republican Party is in the same position that it occupied in 2008 and 2012.

When Trumps phantom millions of voters fail to materialize on Election Day, Republicans will likely blame the media and the polls. What they definitely wont do is admit that they were conned by Donald Trump.
President Obama has threatened to veto the inadequate House Republican bill to fund the US effort to protect infants from the Zika virus.

Obama issued his veto threat via a Statement of Administration Policy:

The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 5243, the Zika Response Appropriations Act of 2016. The Zika virus poses a serious public health threat. There is active, mosquito-borne transmission of the Zika virus in approximately 50 countries, including U.S. Territories. The Zika virus is spreading in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and abroad, and there will likely be mosquito-borne transmission within the continental United States in the coming summer months. As of May 11, 2016, there were more than 1,200 confirmed Zika cases in the continental United States and U.S. Territories, including over 110 pregnant women with confirmed cases of the Zika virus. Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently concluded that the Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects. In addition, researchers are investigating an association between the Zika virus and Guillain-Barre syndrome, neurological disorders, and other adverse health outcomes.

The Administration is committed to taking necessary steps, as quickly as possible, to protect the American people from the Zika virus. In February, the Administration submitted to the Congress a request for $1.9 billion in emergency supplemental funding. In the absence of timely action from the Congress, the Administration redirected existing funds to scale up the urgent work necessary to address the Zika virus. However, the redirected funds can only temporarily address what is needed to support the full range of activities aimed at preventing, detecting, and responding to further transmission of the Zika virus to protect the American public.

While the Administration appreciates that the Congress is finally taking action to address the Zika virus, the funding provided in H.R. 5243 is woefully inadequate to support the response our public health experts say is needed. Specifically, the Administrations full request of $1.9 billion is needed to: reduce the risk of the Zika virus, particularly in pregnant women, by better controlling the mosquitoes that spread Zika; develop new tools, including vaccines and better diagnostics to protect the Nation from the Zika virus; and conduct crucial research projects needed to better understand the impacts of the Zika virus on infants and children.

In addition, the Administration objects to the bills use of previously-appropriated funding as an offset. Funding to fight the Zika virus should be treated as an emergency, the same as past public health emergencies such as the Ebola and H1N1 viruses, and should not be offset. Furthermore, rescinding additional funds previously designated for Ebola and other important initiatives such as critical infrastructure funding would harm the Nations ability to address a range of urgent, emerging, and ongoing health challenges. Ebola remains a global health threat, as evidenced by recent cases in Guinea and Liberia, and Ebola funds must be replenished to keep the disease from threatening our shores again. The Administration also objects to the bills limitation on funding only through the end of fiscal year 2016. The CDC expects the health effects of the Zika virus to last beyond September 30, 2016, at which point the Department of Health and Human Services would no longer have this funding for these activities and, given uncertainty around the disease, funding could run out even sooner. Like prior emergencies, the effort to protect the American people from the Zika virus should not be funded incrementally.

The Administration urges the Congress to provide full emergency supplemental funding at the level requested by the President. If the President were presented with H.R. 5243, his senior advisors would recommend he veto the bill.
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The Supreme Court dropped the ball when it declined to address access to birth control. Sometimes a decision not to make a decision is itself a decision. This is one of those cases.

You know, so groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor, which obviously do not need contraception, can decide whether you get contraception. They claimed yesterday was a big win for their right to choose for you.

Inexplicably, the courts unanimous decision in Zubik v. Burwell was that The court expresses no view on the merits of the cases. As Artful Dodge at The Daily Beast quipped, the Supreme Court asked, a la Rodney King, Cant we all just get along?

In particular, the Court does not decide whether petitioners religious exercise has been substantially burdened, whether the Government has a compelling interest, or whether the current regulations are the least restrictive means of serving that interest.

This decision to make no decision is widely seen to be a result of the court having only eight justices, with the result that any ruling would have been split 4-4.

As Obama himself told BuzzFeed yesterday,



I wont speculate as to why they punted, but my suspicion is if we have nine Supreme Court justices instead of eight we might have had a different outcome.

The fact is, they did punt, and with very serious consequences to American women. In a statement released Monday, Americans United for Separation of Church and State said:

The U.S. Supreme Court today took a pass on dealing with the important question of access to birth control, an action that could leave tens of thousands of women in limbo, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.



In a brief order issued this morning, the high court vacated several cases before it dealing with employee access to birth control and sent them back to lower courts for more proceedings.



The Supreme Court punted this case so hard it flew into next year, said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. Thats a shame. Birth control is a vital component of womens health, and the result of todays action is that its in limbo  once again.



The cases concern religious non-profit groups that want to block their employees and students from receiving birth-control coverage from third-party insurance companies, even though the religious groups dont have to pay for it or otherwise provide it. Under a compromise ironed out by the federal government, the non-profits can sign a short form indicating their objection to birth control. At that point, the federal government arranges for a third-party provider to offer it to women who want it. The non-profits insist that even filling out the form violates their rights.



A provision of the Affordable Care Act mandates that health-care plans include birth control access. Houses of worship are exempt from the requirement.



No other medication, medical procedure or medical device has been subject to this level of scrutiny by the Supreme Court, Lynn said. These never-ending legal challenges have given religious groups far too much power over the medical and reproductive decisions of their students and staff. Its time to break that grip.

Gretchen Borchelt of the National Womens Law Center stated that,



We are disappointed that the court did not resolve once and for all whether the religious beliefs of religiously affiliated nonprofit employers can block womens seamless access to birth control.

Make no mistake. This isnt about religious freedom for the Religious Right. Not at all. This is about their freedom to oppress others. Their sincerely held religious belief that they have a right to tell you how to live is no sort of freedom at all.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote, in his Notes on the State of Virginia, that he didnt much care what other people believed, because, as he put it, It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. According to Jefferson, but not the Religious Right wishing to order everyone elses life according to their own beliefs,

The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god.

It does not hurt contraception opponents if others use contraception. It does not hurt anyone. Nor is there any harm in filling out a form to note their objection.

Imagine, being so anti-choice that you object to even being given a choice. But of course, this comes from a religion that in its early days felt that even having to live with Pagans was a form of persecution. Sadly, many of them still feel that way. Take heart, friends: every breath you take stabs them in the heart.

We hear a lot from the Religious Right about sincerely held religious beliefs from groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor. What we do not here is an explanation as to why their sincerely held religious beliefs should trump our own.

Image: Screen capture, MSN
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Builders ramped up construction of new homes in April, suggesting the market remains solid despite sluggish economic growth at the beginning of the year.

Housing starts climbed 6.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.17 million units, the Commerce Department said today. The increase makes up for much of March's 9.4 percent drop in starts, a decline that partially reflected the volatile swings in residential construction on a monthly basis.

Rochester is seeing a strong year in home construction as well. There were 33 single-family home permits filed in April, and 104 year-to-date so far. That's up from 21 last April, and 92 through the first four months of 2015.

Ground breakings are running ahead of last year's pace, largely because of a dramatic increase in the construction of single-family houses, especially in the Midwest and South. Relatively few existing homes are listed for sale, creating an incentive for developers to expand supplies through building. But a slow economy and turbulent stock market has overlapped with construction slipping so far this year in the West, where housing generally is more expensive.

Starts rose 22.2 percent in the Midwest and 14.1 percent in the South last month but dropped 10 percent in the West and 7.6 percent in the Northeast.

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During the first four months of the year, home construction has advanced 10.2 percent. Single-family houses account for much of that gain. Apartment construction -- a major driver of growth in recent years as more Americans shifted to rentals -- has dipped slightly.

Applications for permits to build new homes, an indicator of future activity, rose 3.6 percent in April to an annual rate of 1.12 million.

The residential market has yet to fully recover from the dramatic crash brought about by a flood of subprime mortgages nearly a decade ago. Home construction remains well below its annual pace of roughly 1.5 million during the 1990s, a reflection of both higher housing costs and the damaged financial credit that remains more than 6 years after the recession officially ended.

But builders expect customers to come back into the market as home values rebound.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index released Monday held at 58 in May for the fourth straight month.

Readings above 50 indicate more builders view sales conditions as good, rather than poor. The index had been in the low 60s for eight months until February. Builders' outlook for sales over the next six months increased to the highest level since December.
Globe University/Minnesota School of Business said Monday that it is closing four Twin Cities area campuses, although its Rochester campus is staying open.

It's closing campuses in Lakeville, Brooklyn Center, Elk River and Plymouth and moving students to other locations or online to continue their programs, according to the Star Tribune. About 45 people will lose their jobs at Minnesota campuses and the schools' Woodbury headquarters.

Jeanne Herrmann, chief operating officer at Globe University, placed some of the blame on "a three-year negative publicity campaign orchestrated by the Minnesota attorney general," according to a news release from the schools.

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson sued the schools in 2014 alleging they used high-pressure and deceptive sales tactics to recruit students into programs that did not deliver on the promise of jobs, according to the Star Tribune.

The suit claimed, among other things, that many students enrolled in the schools' criminal justice program only to discover their degree failed to qualify them to become police officers in Minnesota.

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The trial began in early April and the judge has not yet issued a ruling.

"The attorney general's campaign has not only impacted our enrollment, but has also called into question the validity of the degrees of tens of thousands of our graduates," Herrmann said in the news release.

The release said Lakeville students will be moved by June 30; the others by the end of the year. It does not say how many students will be affected by the transition.

In addition, Globe University is consolidating four Wisconsin campuses into two  Green Bay and Appleton into one Appleton location, and Madison East and West into one East location, effective June 30.

Globe University will continue to offer programs at campuses in Woodbury and Minneapolis; Sioux Falls, S.D., and Appleton, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Madison and Wausau, Wis. Minnesota School of Business will keep its campuses in Blaine, Richfield, Rochester and St. Cloud.

The for-profit university built its northwest Rochester campus in 2005, just off of the U.S. 52 frontage road known as Auto Row. At the end of March, the Rochester school sold an open parcel of the land by its campus to Lupient Rochester Properties LLC for $950,000. Olmsted County estimated the value of the land in the Pennington Business Park at $643,400.

Lupient has not commented on its plans for the land, but give them room to expand the Lupient Buick GMC dealership at 4646 US 52.
Russia will be requesting that the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) program of financial aid for Ukraine include a condition for the repayment of $3 billion in debt to Russia, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel.

"As a sovereign creditor, we will be insisting, when the IMF's new, updated program of lending to Ukraine is being drafted, that Ukraine's debt to Russia be included in it. [This is because] in keeping with IMF rules, all sovereign obligations when providing financial assistance to Ukraine must be taken into account... If this is not done, how then can we support such a program by the fund?" he said.

Asked how dialog was being established with the new Ukrainian government, he said, it was not.

"We have not had dialog at the level of finance ministers. Unfortunately there is none, even though we as creditors ourselves proposed the terms for restructuring $3 billion in Ukraine's debt. We have made our proposal, but Ukraine had not responded to it in any way," Siluanov said, adding that Russia had not yet received any acceptable proposals from Ukraine on debt restructuring.

Russia insists that the terms for restructuring debt for sovereign creditors should be better than for commercial creditors.
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) could discuss continuation of cooperation with Ukraine under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program in June, Deputy Finance Minister of Ukraine Yuriy Butsa has said.

"We are obliged to fulfill all preliminary conditions in June. We hope that in June, when Ukraine fulfills all liabilities, a meeting of the IMF Board will be held at once and the positive decision would be made," he told Interfax-Ukraine.

Butsa said the IMF mission would finish its work on May 18 as planned.

"We do not have problematic and uncoordinated issues to extend the work of the mission. The essence of the mission work is negotiation of the draft memorandum. Today we will verify the contents of document once again," he said.

"I hope the IMF mission will return to Washington with clear understanding that the Ukrainian government will implement all the steps which were agreed earlier and during this visit," he said.
Leninsky district court of Kirovohrad has fully satisfied a claim of Oschadbank against former top manager and owner of Creative Group, Maksym Berezkin, who acted under a surety on the company's debts of $25 million.

The bank said in a press release that earlier the court arrested all movable and immovable property of Berezkin.

Three more debt collection claims of the state-run bank against former top managers and founders of Creative Group are being heard at courts.

The founder of Creative Group Stanyslav Berezkin in September 2015 left the company as shareholder and 80% of the sunflower crushing business, margarine and blended butter production was transferred to other owners in July 2015.

One of the new owners of the company, Rysbek Toktomushev, said in an interview with the Forbes Ukraine publication that he is one of the investors and does not represent BTA Bank. The key shareholder is also businessman Artur Hrants as the financial investor, he said.
Dear Answer Man, I know you can find the answer I'm looking for. When they filmed the movie "Purple Rain," the lake scene was said to be filmed in Lake Elmo, Minn., but I'm finding online that instead it was filmed at the Minnesota River near Henderson.

Can you give me directions? Thanks for clarifying this -- you always do. -- A P-B Reader

Not only will I provide directions, I'll attach a handy map that was posted on the city of Henderson's Facebook page . The landmark lane is called Henderson Station Road, just east of the town of about 875. There was an excellent story in the Mankato Free Press on Henderson's attractios, including the road along the Minnesota River where Princeand Apollonia Koterotake their famous bike ride.

Travel that road and you can also find the railroad trestle and the place where Apollonia takes a dip in what are called the "purifying" waters of Lake Minnetonka in the movie. Though some "Purple Rain" buffs dispute this, that scene was shot i n the muddy Minnesota River near Station Road.

To get there from Rochester:Go west on U.S. Highway 14 about 80 miles to Minnesota Highway 22 in Mankato, turn right and go 10 miles to U.S. Highway 169, turn right and go 10 miles, then exit onto Minnesota Highway 93 northbound and it's about four miles into beautiful downtown Henderson. Turn right on Sibley County Road 19, cross the river and about a half-mile along you'll come to Henderson Station Road. Hang a left, go north and then refer to the attached map.

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Penny for your thoughts

Are you tired yet of tales about the Queen City Grocery , which later became the Wooden Nickelsaloon, in the old Lourdes High School area? I didn't think so.

The neighborhood landmark was at 513 Second St. NW. Here's a note from an Answer Man admirer, Lowell Fredin:

"Dear Answer Person, I may be able to shed some light on the Wooden Nickel story. A lady named Gladys Rucker, of Plainview, opened the tavern with a silent partner in the late 1970s. In 1980, they sold it to a fellow who thought he'd try his hand at tavern ownership. So he purchased the business from Gladys, who leased the real estate from Michael Atterberry.

"I was that person who bought the business from Rucker and friend. It lasted only a year because someone thought it would be a good idea to torch the place. Someone else bought it after the mess was cleaned up; I believe the new owner changed the name.

"I would like to thank reader Barb Metcalffor calling the place 'a great neighborhood bar that served delicious chili.' My wife, Terri, was especially pleased to have had her version of my mother's chili called delicious. And I never mind a compliment. Thanks for the memories."

I asked Lowell for Terri's chili recipe -- if he sends it, I'll share.

And then there's the lovely card I received from Marian Chrysler,of Rochester, who sent a token from the Wooden Nickel. "This coin will put an end to the Wooden Nickel (debate). It will bring you good luck. Before Queen City Grocery, it was Bouressa Bar, a very popular neighborhood bar for the area men. I walked past it every day to school. Love your column."

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Thank you, Marian. I'm the luckiest columnist on the face of the Earth to have such fans.
STEWARTVILLE  A 30-year-old man was injured Monday night after he apparently lost control of the vehicle he was driving and crashed into a tree.

The call came in from a passerby at 10:07 p.m., sending responders to the 900 block of Olmsted County Road 6 Southwest. The caller had found a car overturned in the ditch, and could hear a call for help coming from inside the vehicle, the report says.

Preliminary investigations indicate Cole Christopher Clapp, of Grand Meadow, lost control of the car, entered the south ditch, vaulted over a farm driveway or residential driveway, then slid sideways into a tree.

Clapp was trapped in the vehicle, said Capt. Scott Behrns of the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office. He was extricated by members of the Stewartville Fire Department, then airlifted to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys Campus.

Clapp was listed in good condition Tuesday afternoon, according to a Mayo Clinic spokeswoman.

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The investigation is continuing, Behrns said.
AUSTIN  Austin is one step closer to getting a new recreation center.

On a 5-2 vote, the Austin City Council tentatively approved proposed lease and purchase agreements for a $35 million recreation center project during Monday's session. A final vote on the project is expected during the regular council session on June 6.

The new center, a joint project with the YMCA, would be built on the site of the former Austin Municipal Plant.

Officials described the new recreation center as a "positive direction," citing potential economic and population growth for the city.

"I think we came to a very good conclusion," Councilman David Hagen told the gallery. "I want to vote on this (agreement) as soon as possible."

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"This is going to draw more folks to our city," said Councilman Steve King. "It takes money to make money.  more people will be moving into Austin."

Several components of the lease agreement included conditions regarding public access to the YMCA to ensure that the community at large can still have access to the center, the use of the Community Center space for events such as the yearly Austin Arts Festival, and rate of daily passes.

What city and Vision 2020 officials envisioned would be a place where both Austin and the YMCA would jointly operate the recreation center. The plans appear to have part of the facilities accessible only to members of the YMCA, while other spaces would be accessible to the public.

Such features include an indoor playground, an aquatic center, community spaces, workout rooms, a running track to name a few.

The YMCA was concerned over a potential decrease in membership revenue, while city officials worried about maintaining the "Community Center" and making sure that it was still accessible by all residents.

There has been opposition to the project by some Austin residents concerned about destroying the historic Austin Municipal Plant site, which would become the future home of the new YMCA center if approved.

Many rallied to have the power plant rehabilitated to preserve its historic character and turned into high-end apartments or a restaurant and brewery. Many also considered saving portions of the plant to incorporate into the new recreation center.

In March, Austin Utilities approved a conditional purchase agreement of approximately $2 million that would allow the city to demolish parts of the project site, relocate everything that is currently inside the plant, and the site would undergo an environmental mitigation, according to other news reports.

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Overall, Mayor Tom Stiehm praised the efforts of Vision 2020, city officials, and the YMCA for working through negotiations as well as coming up with solutions that are considered the most equitable for all parties involved in the process.

"This is a fantastic agreement," Stiehm said. "I think it'll draw people to Austin. It's a flagship project...It's full speed ahead."
AUSTIN- The city is one step closer to getting a new recreation center.

The Austin City Council voted 5-2 to recommend a lease agreement between the city and the YMCA for a proposed $35 million rec center during Monday night's session.

If approved at the next council meeting on June 6, parts of the historic Austin Municipal Plant would be demolished to make room for the new facilities.

It was discussed that the turbine room would be one of the spaces in the plant that could be saved for future use.

For the last several months, the project caused tension amongst residents and officials as some worried over losing a historic landmark and others wanting to push for economic development.

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Now, the city is one step closer to approving the agreement.

"This is a fantastic agreement," said Mayor Tom Stiehm. "It's great to receive good news. Now we can move full speed ahead."

Check tomorrow's Post-Bulletin for the full story.
AUSTIN  A steak cookout fund raiser by the Austin Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America will begin at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Ike's cabin in Todd Park in Austin.

Tickets are $12 and available at the door.

Proceeds go to help pay for scholarships for youths to attend summer camps at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center near Lanesboro. Eagle Bluff summer camps give students the opportunity to learn about nature and develop outdoor skills such as canoeing, fishing and camping.
Roshen confectionary corporation continues holding negotiations on the sale of its Russian assets in Lipetsk region of Russia. The corporation is ready to discuss all the offers from parties concerned.

"We are holding talks with everyone, including Slavyanka. There are no seriously interested companies in Russia in the purchase of the factory who are ready to pay money tomorrow. We are ready to discuss all offers we receive," Roshen Director General Viacheslav Moskalevsky said.

He said that the value of Russian assets is estimated at $220 million.

He said information in Russian media that the Lipetsk factory was sold to Slavyanka confectionary association is incorrect. Roshen has been holding negotiations with the company for more than 18 months without success.

Moskalevsky believes that the media reports are part of a ruse to learn the cost of Roshen's assets.

"Board Chairman of UniConf Sergei Nosenko is trying to learn using journalists if the negotiations on the sale of the factory are held and at what price. If he is interested in this, he should name his price and make a commercial offer, and then we will discuss it," he added.
MINNEAPOLIS  Proponents of a proposed $2.1 billion Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion project will have to do a better job of addressing concerns about how it would affect farmers and other residents upstream before Minnesota will issue the permits the project needs, the state's Department of Natural Resources commissioner said Monday.

DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr stressed during a conference call with reporters that the final environmental impact statement, which was released Monday, doesn't mean the project has been approved or rejected. The document is a detailed technical analysis of the project and ways to mitigate its negative impacts, such as the costs to farmers whose lands would temporarily flood from time to time to help protect the two cities.

"We think there are still some serious unanswered questions about mitigation," Landwehr said, citing the impact on land that would go under water but not very deeply during serious flooding years, and on areas that historically haven't flooded before. He said Minnesota will need to see more detailed plans for addressing such problems. "We don't believe the project proponents have adequately identified all the mitigation required to deal with those temporary impacts."

While North Dakota leaders support the project, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has been a critic, saying people living upstream along the northward-flowing river are being treated unfairly.

"I think it's fair to say that as we get into permitting, the governor's concerns, which are my concerns, frankly, are going to be big considerations," Landwehr said.

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The project is designed to reduce the costly chronic flooding risks in the Fargo-Moorhead area, which dealt with three straight years of high water beginning in 2009, when a record crest led to a huge sandbagging effort. Fargo last experienced significant flooding in 2013.

But the project would achieve that protection by transferring risks upstream. It would include a dam to create an upstream storage area for floodwaters and a portion of the flow would be diverted into a 36-mile channel west of Fargo on the North Dakota side that would reconnect with the river to the north.

In a section added since a draft was released for public comment in September, the document notes that the project would shift the risk of flooding to some areas that currently don't face it.

"Several commenters expressed concerns that this transfer of flood risk is unfair and unethical," the document states.

The document also points out that North Dakota would get most of the protection from the project, as only about 14 percent of the protected acres would be in Minnesota. It says Minnesota would see a net increase of 2,088 acres that would be subject to flooding, while North Dakota would enjoy a net reduction of 54,549 at-risk acres. The justification is that the Fargo-Moorhead area is an important regional center with more buildings and more people.

The DNR will take public comments on the review through May 31. Landwehr will then decide whether the document is "adequate," meaning that it meets the legal requirements. Landwehr declined to predict how long that might take, but his decision is expected to come sometime this summer. If he signs off, the DNR would then begin considering the permits it must issue for the project to be built, a process that usually takes several months.
The city of Rochester found a solution to a traffic complaint at the Rochester Recreation Center but it could cost as much as $250,000 and require construction on Elton Hills Drive Northwest.

Recreation center users had for several months petitioned the city to preserve an entrance to the site on Elton Hills Drive, nearest the street's intersection with Broadway Avenue North.

Rochester Public Works Director Richard Freese on Monday brought forward a solution: the entrance could remain as a right turn in only, while the planned new driveway further west on Elton Hills would allow for traffic to exit to the left and right.

"The benefit of doing that is that now the people exiting from the east (recreation center parking) lot will be able to both go east and west," Freese said.

The right-in entrance at the existing driveway would be large enough to accommodate buses, Freese added.

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The new design would also call for a raised median that would run from the Broadway Avenue intersection west on Elton Hills Drive to Elton Hills Lane. The median would prevent left-turns out of the existing driveway and also allow for safer pedestrian crossings of Elton Hills Drive.

The median would be built with a fence down its center that would discourage pedestrians from crossing the road mid-block. Two designated crossings would include marked crosswalks and flashing signs.

The new design comes with a cost  about $250,000 for the median on Elton Hills Drive. The road is designated as a municipal state-aid roadway and could potentially receive state funding for the improvements, Freese said.

City council members were appreciative of the new design but had concerns about the cost.

"A quarter-million dollars just to leave an entrance where it's been for the last forty years, that's a lot of money," said council member Mark Hickey.

Hickey proposed the city consider leaving a temporary barrier, like traffic pylons, in place for a year to test the effect of the new design.

That idea might work for a while but could become an issue in winter due to plowing, Freese responded.

The council agreed to move ahead with the new design and to pursue funding support from the state.
Ukraine has joined the Transcaspian international transport route and agreed to reduce tariffs on transportation of containers on the so-called new Silk Road, Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan wrote on his Facebook page.

According to him, Director for Freight Transport and Logistics at PJSC Ukrzaliznytsia Ivan Fedorko signed the relevant protocol in Tbilisi on May 17.

"An agreement has been made to reduce the transportation rate $5,559 to $3,980 per 40-foot container from Izov to the border with China (Dostyk). We are working to making (transportation costs of) the Silk Road. We will succeed!" he wrote.

As reported, the Ministry of Infrastructure jointly with Ukrzaliznytsia on January 15, 2016 launched a trial run of a container train on the new Silk Road.

Fedorko stated Ukraine's accession to the Transcaspian international transport route requires the stable running of a freight train on the new Silk Road, as well as the development of a single through rate.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has opened the new Interchem laboratory complex in Odesa.

"We are launching the Interchem laboratory complex. I wish growth for the enterprise and good salaries for employees," he wrote on his Twitter page on Tuesday.

Head of Odesa Regional Administration Mikheil Saakashvili, representatives of Italy, the Czech Republic, head of the Ukrainian office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and other officials also took park in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The press service of double liability company Interchem (Odesa) reported that the investment project would help to increase medicine production by four times. This, in turn, would influence the provision of the public with high-quality and affordable medicines and stimulate entering Ukrainian-made medicines to foreign markets.

Total investment in the new project as of early May reached EUR 42 million, and the gross space of the new complex is 15,000 square meters.

Some 139 new jobs have been created. The company seeks to increase the number of employees from 700 (as of early 2016) to 960 by 2020.

Interchem has paid over UAH 243 million to local and national budgets during the implementation of the project.

Interchem is one of the leading Ukrainian producers of medicines and pharmaceutical substances. It is included in the top ten manufacturers of medicines. The share of own production reaches 2% of the total market in the country.

In 2007, production of medicines was certified in compliance with GMP. Production at Interchem the compliance with GMP was twice confirmed in checks by state supervision agencies.
ST. PAUL  Gov. Mark Dayton's willingness to drop his demand for a gas tax hike to fund road repairs in exchange for higher license tab fees is drawing mixed reaction from local lawmakers.

Dayton unveiled two transportation funding proposals on Monday aimed at breaking the legislative logjam at the Capitol. One of the proposals includes a 5-cent gas tax increase and would boost license fees by $250 million per year. The second proposal gets rid of the gas tax hike and instead seeks a $400 million per year increase in license tab fees. Both plans includes a half cent metro-area sales tax increase for transit and $200 million per year in general fund dollars. Initially, Dayton had been pushing for for a wholesale tax on gasoline, resulting in at least a 16-cent per gallon tax increase.

Republicans praised Dayton for putting a plan together without a gas tax increase.

"We had some great movement today. The governor coming out with two proposals  one with part of a gas tax and one with no gas tax is certainly a move forward, and it suggests that there's a path," said House Transportation Committee Chairman Tim Kelly, R-Red Wing.

Democrats raised concerns about the size of the license tab fee increases being proposed, saying they'd rather see a gas tax increase be part of the mix. Rep. Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester, said she was surprised the governor took the gas tax increase off the table. She is worried about how the higher license tab fees would impact lower-income residents.

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"In many ares of the state  even in Rochester  if you don't have a car, you can't get to work. I want to make sure we don't price anybody out of their ability to get to work and drive legally," Liebling said.

Pressure builds as deadline nears

Efforts to reach an end-of-session deal have been stymied by disagreement over a long-term transportation plan. House Republicans favor a plan with no tax increases that would be funded through a mix of existing auto-related taxes, borrowing and general fund dollars. Their plan does not include money for metro-area transit. Senate Democrats recently made an offer that included a 12-cent gas tax increase and a half cent metro-area increase for transit.

Pressure on lawmakers to reach a deal is building as the Legislature's constitutionally-mandated deadline of May 23 creeps closer. Legislative leaders have said it's important to figure out how much money should be set aside for transportation so that negotiations can begin on taxes, additional spending and a public works bill. One area lawmakers agree on is the need. The governor and legislative leaders say the goal is to come up with a transportation package that would generate $600 million per year in additional funding for transportation upgrades.

Dayton told reporters that he has shown he is willing to compromise to get a sustainable, long-term transportation funding bill passed this session. He warned that if House Republicans aren't willing to compromise and meet Democrats half way, there will be no transportation bill this year. As a result, the state's roads will continue to deteriorate.

"We are going to choke the life blood out of Minnestoa's future economic growth if we don't move forward with this kind of transportation package," Dayton said.

Legislative leaders in both the House and Senate threw cold water on Dayton's proposals. GOP House Speaker Daudt said House Republicans don't support the substantial increase in license tab fees the governor is proposing. In the Senate, DFL Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk said both of the governor's plans would require Republican support in order to pass  especially the proposal without a gas tax increase. He said Democrats are worried about the size of the license tab fee increases and the use of general fund dollars. They favor a larger gas tax increase.

License tab fees for a new $30,000 vehicle would climb from $2,200 over 11 years to $2,980 under the governor's first proposal. The cost would jump to $3,532 under Dayton's second proposal.

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Local lawmakers weigh in

Rep. Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, said he is still optimistic lawmakers can reach a deal on transportation. He said the governor's willingness to abandon the gas tax increase is a positive development.

"It's certainly a step in the right direction. The gas tax is a regressive tax and I've heard from several constituents with complaints about a gas tax," Miller said.

Rep Kim Norton, DFL-Rochester, said she is concerned about a major increase in license tab fees. She'd rather see a smaller gas tax increase and a slight license tab fee increase. She also wants to see House Republicans demonstrate they are willing to compromise.

"A compromise means both sides give. The governor has given a lot already and the fact that he gave two options  (Republicans) had better counter back with something," Norton said. "If it's not either of these two, what is it?"

Rep. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, said his biggest concern is making sure there is plenty of road and bridge funding for rural Minnesota if lawmakers OK a sales tax increase for the metro area.

Sparks added, "We just have to make sure that greater Minnesota's interests are taken care of as well."
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy supports invigoration of cooperation in the framework of the Baltic Black Sea Union with participation of Poland and Georgia.

According to the press service of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament speaker at a meeting with the members of the Polish-Ukrainian friendship group of the Sejm and Senate of Poland said Ukraine in the course of reforms uses the experience of Poland, in particular, in matters of decentralization. He called for enhanced cooperation in the framework of the Baltic Black Sea Union with Georgia's involvement.

"I believe this has a great potential," Parubiy said, adding that "all the stages of challenges can be passed with dignity, understanding that we win when standing shoulder to shoulder."

"I am confident our common history had a lot of good examples of cooperation, we'll pass a difficult stage of history, will make a good foundation for the development of relations," chairman of the Polish-Ukrainian Friendship Group Michal Dworczyk told Parubiy and handed a letter from the Polish Sejm.

The letter contains proposals for further cooperation between Ukrainian and Polish parliamentarians, in particular the exchange of parliamentary delegations.

"I am convinced this will be an important step towards strengthening Ukrainian-Polish relations," Dworczyk said.
The Kremlin does not have new information regarding the future of Russians Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev convicted in Ukraine, on the one side, and Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko, on the other side.

"There are still no new elements, and I have nothing to add. Certainly, the exchange of opinions on this score, about the future of the mentioned citizens, took place, and we have spoken about this. But, however, I have nothing new to say," Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, when he was asked to comment on the reports that a decision on the future of Alexandrov, Yerofeyev and Savchenko has slowed down for some reasons.
WASHINGTON  In February, when Rep. David Jolly introduced his quixotic plan to ban members of Congress from soliciting campaign contributions, the Florida Republican had only six co-sponsors.

Then, three weeks ago, "60 Minutes" did a sympathetic piece on Jolly's idea, giving national attention to the scandal of lawmakers spending 30 or more hours a week dialing for dollars.

And now? The number of co-sponsors on Jolly's bill has jumped from six all the way up to  um, eight. No senator has come forward with similar legislation.

Jolly, appearing Monday morning at the National Press Club with his lead Democratic co-sponsor, Rep. Rick Nolan of Minnesota, was not surprised. "We've got six more co-sponsors than I thought we might have," he said. It's "a heartbreaking reflection on what the priorities of the Congress are. ... A member's political survival depends on raising money -- that's the reality."

Jolly speaks the truth. Lawmakers know what needs to be done to clean up the corrupt system  but nothing happens.

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Democrats talk about overturning the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision allowing corporations and unions to spend unlimited sums on politics. But that ultimate fix isn't happening soon. In the House, Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., has recruited 160 co-sponsors for his system of public financing of elections  another good idea  but so far he has only one Republican, gadfly Walter Jones (N.C.). Republicans remain reflexively opposed to reform, including the idea of disclosure, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., once championed.

This is why Jolly's idea deserves a look. He calls it congressional reform, not campaign-finance reform. The goal: to get lawmakers to spend more time lawmaking.

"We're here three days a week, and half your time is spent raising money," he said. "In the face of growing crises around the globe, you've got a part-time Congress." This, he said, "is a first-rate scandal."

I've argued for other ways to get lawmakers to spend more time working  returning to the five-day week, cutting travel allowances, ending the corrosive practice of members targeting each other for defeat through party committees. Jolly, now a Senate candidate in Florida, offers another tack.

The Republican Party is predictably opposed. The National Republican Congressional Committee, in a letter to CBS after the "60 Minutes" segment, accused Jolly of peddling "fiction" when he said party officials told him he had to raise $18,000 a day.

Unfortunately, liberals have piled on. Campaign-finance reformer Fred Wertheimer told me the idea "is not going to solve the problem," because those working for the members could still solicit funds. Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard law professor, wrote a piece in the Orlando Sentinel calling Jolly's bill a "cynical example of fraudulent reform" because "all that would change is that congressmen wouldn't have to do the dirty work."

But while Jolly can be accused of election-year gimmickry, he voluntarily refused to solicit contributions for his Senate run. And though the bill wouldn't by itself solve the campaign-finance mess, it could help to improve the woeful political culture in other ways.

Jolly's Democratic sidekick, Nolan, said that when he first served in Congress in the 1970s, lawmakers worked full weeks, giving them time to develop respect for one another and to find common ground.

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"If you've already consumed 40, 50 hours of the week in travel and fundraising, there's not a lot of time left over for governing, and we're seeing the results of that," he said. "We're looking at the last couple of sessions of the Congress of the United States as being the most unproductive in the history of the country. Why? Well, if everybody's busy campaigning and raising money, there's no time for governing."

Jolly, a former lobbyist and longtime staffer to the late congressman C.W. Bill Young, continues to agitate. He said he's not paying his $400,000 in dues to the NRCC, and he said "I don't buy the notion" that he needs more sponsors before House leadership grants a hearing on his bill.

Jolly is a potential ally of Democrats on campaign-finance reform, saying that Citizens United "could be revisited" and that "we can do better." Until then, surely more lawmakers on both sides can see the virtue of his cause.

"You think you get elected to represent 700,000 people," he said. "But you actually got elected to be one more marble on our side of the aisle to keep the majority, and to do that you've got to go raise $2 million  and that makes members angry."

Or at least it should.

Dana Milbank is a columnist for the Washington Post.
Graduation season has arrived, and with it, hope for our future, "turning the page" metaphors and, our favorite, grad parties, replete with food, dictionary gift-sets and, all-too-often, graduates intent on sharpening their drinking skills before freshmen orientation.

When new graduates walk across the stage, we like to envision them walking toward a horizon brimming with love and success, not into a substance-abuse treatment facility or down the aisle as a pallbearer for one of their friends. Sad as it is, though, those tragic outcomes occur, too. How you plan your grad party could play a part.

We encourage everyone to stay mindful of how they police access to substances at any function where minors are present. That goes for alcohol especially. While it may not be as taboo a substance as other drugs, booze is actually where most addicts get their start.

"A lot of people have the assumption that marijuana is a gateway drug," said Mike Mahoney, treatment director of the Men's Life renewal program at Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge, "but if you interview everybody, most will say they had a sip of their dad's beer or some drinks of liquor at a family wedding or maybe some wine at a family get-together long before they ever had marijuana or any other drug."

If that reasoning proves unpersuasive, we appeal to your selfishness. Olmsted County enacted a social host ordinance last year, which penalizes adults who own a property where underage drinking occurs.

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The intent of the ordinance is to remind people to know where their kids are and what they are doing. As a property owner or parent, if you become aware of something, you are required to take action.

If drinking happens and you had no way of knowing about it, you are safe from prosecution. To date, said Sheriff Kevin Torgerson, no one has been charged, which was an outcome he hoped for when the ordinance passed.

"When you pass an ordinance or a newer law or change things, you hope people take notice of it, and you don't have to write any tickets or charge anybody with any crimes," he said.

If you do find drunk minors on your property, make sure they do not leave. Call their parents, and, if you believe the situation warrants it, the authorities, though Torgerson says that step is optional.

"That's their choice. That's their own decision," he said. "They can, and law enforcement will come and take action."

Lessons of overindulgence come soon enough after young people move into the world and begin exploring their limitations. We hope this community's adults act their age and provide a positive model of behavior while they still have influence over the young lives they helped shape.
U.S. politicians love to pose as defenders of family values. Unfortunately, this pose is often, perhaps usually, one of remarkable hypocrisy.

And no, I'm not talking about the contrast between public posturing and personal behavior, although this contrast can be extreme. Which is more amazing: the fact that a long-serving Republican speaker of the House sexually abused teenage boys, or how little attention this revelation has received?

Instead, I'm talking about policy. Judged by what we actually do  or, more accurately, don't do  to help small children and their parents, America is unique among advanced countries in its utter indifference to the lives of its youngest citizens.

For example, almost all advanced countries provide paid leave from work for new parents. We don't. Our public expenditure on child care and early education, as a share of income, is near the bottom in international rankings (although if it makes you feel better, we do slightly edge out Estonia.)

In other words, if you judge us by what we do, not what we say, we place very little value on the lives of our children, unless they happen to come from affluent families. Did I mention that parents in the top fifth of U.S. households spend seven times as much on their children as parents in the bottom fifth?

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But can our neglect of children be ended?

In January, both Democratic candidates declared their support for a program that would provide 12 weeks of paid leave to care for newborns and other family members. And last week, while the news media was focused on Donald Trump's imaginary friend, I mean imaginary spokesman, Hillary Clinton announced an ambitious plan to improve both the affordability and quality of U.S. child care.

This was an important announcement, even if it was drowned out by the ugliness and nonsense of a campaign that is even uglier and more nonsensical than usual. For child-care reform is the kind of medium-size, incremental, potentially politically doable  but nonetheless extremely important  initiative that could well be the centerpiece of a Clinton administration. So what's the plan?

OK, we don't have all the details yet, but the outline seems pretty clear. On the affordability front, Clinton would use subsidies and tax credits to limit family spending on child care  which can be more than a third of income  to a maximum of 10 percent. Meanwhile, there would be aid to states and communities that raise child-care workers' pay, and a variety of other measures to help young children and their parents. All of this would still leave America less generous than many other countries, but it would be a big step toward international norms.

Is this doable? Yes. Is it desirable? Very much so.

When we talk about doing more for children, it's important to realize that it costs money, but not all that much money. Why? Because there aren't that many young children at any given time, and it doesn't take a lot of spending to make a huge difference to their lives. Our threadbare system of public support for child care and early education costs 0.4 percent of the GDP; France's famously generous system costs 1.2 percent of the GDP. So we could move a long way up the scale with a fairly modest investment.

And it would indeed be an investment  every bit as much of an investment as spending money to repair and improve our transportation infrastructure. After all, today's children are tomorrow's workers and taxpayers. So it's an incredible waste, not just for families but for the nation as a whole, that so many children's futures are stunted because their parents don't have the resources to take care of them as well as they should. And affordable child care would also have the immediate benefit of making it easier for parents to work productively.

Are there any reasons not to spend a bit more on children? The usual suspects will, of course, go on about the evils of big government, the sacred nature of individual choice, the wonders of free markets, and so on. But the market for child care, like the market for health care, works very badly in practice.

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And when someone starts talking about choice, bear in mind that we're talking about children, who are not in a position to choose whether they're born into affluent households with plenty of resources or less wealthy families desperately trying to juggle work and child care.

So can we stop talking, just for a moment, about who won the news cycle or came up with the most effective insult, and talk about policy substance here?

The state of child care in America is cruel and shameful  and even more shameful because we could make things much better without radical change or huge spending. And one candidate has a reasonable, feasible plan to do something about this shame, while the other couldn't care less.

Paul Krugman is a Nobel Prize-winning economist, a professor at Princeton University and a columnist for the New York Times.
The representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) have unblocked the Novotroitske checkpoint in Volnovakha district of Donetsk region, Kyiv has said.

"The Novotroitske checkpoint fully resumed its operations this morning. Currently the transport vehicles are gathering by the checkpoint in order to cross the demarcation line. The border guards have already checked 20 vehicles which proceeded to the uncontrolled territory," the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service press service said.

The service recalled that in late April "representatives of the illegal armed groups" refused to let individuals and vehicles pass the border in this direction.

"At this time, the officials of the State Border Guard Service were constantly on duty and remained in Novotroitske, fully ready to perform border checks of individuals and vehicles," the press service said.

At present, according to the information from the border service, the Zolote checkpoint in the zone of the special operation in the southeastern Ukraine has not yet resumed its work.
Per an Oct. 21 news story in this publication, lawyers for two Hawaii-based doctors have filed their answer to the brief submitted by the Off Read moreLooking at data, abortion doctors have nothing to fear on Guam
I have written many times about how regionalism and its handmaiden Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) are, in effect, an attempt by the left to dictate the way Americans will live. A scheme this radical is bound to produce strong local opposition. Therefore, though deeply disturbing, its not surprising that regionalism and AFFH have resulted in an attempt to tell an elected local official what he will say.

I described this development here, in a post about the federal effort to muzzle Westchester Country Executive Rob Astorino. Westchester County, New York is ground zero in the lefts push for its vision of regionalism. Under Democratic leadership, the County entered into a settlement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The County agreed to build 750 affordable housing units, 650 of which would be in municipalities with less than 3 percent African-American population and less than 7 percent Hispanic population.

It also agreed to advertise its affordable housing units to people living outside the County. The non-residents were to be lured into the County to try to ensure that the new housing units would be filled by the desired number of members of the HUD-preferred racial and ethic groups.

Under Astorino, the County has worked hard to build the 750 units. However, Astorino has been a strong critic of regionalism/AFFH. He caused particular discomfort for Democrats when he sought to bring Hillary Clinton, one of his constituents, into the discussion.

Accordingly, James Johnson, the Federal Monitor of the settlement agreement between the feds and Westchester County, has attempted to muzzle Astorino. Johnsons attempt comes in the form of a report filed on March 17 in federal court. The report claims that Astorino has spread false information about Westchester Countys housing settlement and about the efforts and intentions of HUD and the Federal Monitor himself. I touched on the merits (or lack thereof) of this allegation in my original post.

As a remedy, the Federal Monitor seeks the removal of press releases inconsistent with the declaration and findings written by the Federal Monitor. He also calls for the hiring of a public communications consultant that will craft a message and implement a strategy sufficiently robust to provide information broadly to the public that describes the benefits of what HUD says it is trying to accomplish.

The Federal Monitors attempt to dictate speech strikes me as Orwellian and unconstitutional. Thats also how it struck the excellent Center for Individual Rights (CIR). Thus, CIR filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief raising these concerns.

CIR argued that the federal courts should not act as political truth squads or censors of officeholders political utterances. Because Astorinos speech is classically political, it is entitled to the highest First Amendment protection. Yet the federal monitor seeks both to compel Astorinos speech and to subject it to prior restraint. Stanley Kurtz describes CIRs argument in more detail here.

Earlier this month, the court refused to accept the brief. Judge Denise Cote explained that CIR has no unique perspective beyond the expertise of Astorinos current legal team.

Thats ridiculous. As Kurtz points out, CIR has a long and distinguished record of intervention in cases involving the First Amendment, federalism, and the separation of powers. It has thus developed expertise in these areas no county or municipal legal team can be expected to have acquired.

There is reason to fear that Judge Cotes ruling signals a lack of interest in hearing about the obvious free speech concerns raised by the Federal Monitors extraordinary request. The fact that Cote denied CIRs motion the same day CIR filed it hardly seems encouraging. Cote is a Bill Clinton appointee who has already ruled against Westchester County in related housing litigation.

Astorinos legal team might well brief the First Amendment and related issues raised by CIS. However, unless Judge Cote grants it extra pages in which to write, the County may have to raise them in a truncated fashion.

The issues, though, deserve careful attention. I agree with Kurtz that CIRs brief in defense of Astorino is an extremely important document in our national battle for free speech.

Moreover, Westchester Countys experience with HUD presents an extremely important lesson about regionalism/AFFH. Neither a Federal Monitor nor a federal judge can prevent this egregious federal overreach from becoming an explosive political issue, just as the forced busing of school children was 45 years ago.
Abdullahi Yusuf (pictured in the thumbnail on the home page) was the first three key prosecution witnesses to testify at trial. Yusuf has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material assistance to ISIS by joining the group in Syria. Three of his alleged co-conspirators and former friends, as he called them, are the defendants on trial.

Yusufs cross examination extended through mid-afternoon yesterday. Representing Abdirahman Daud, defense attorney Bruce Nestor proceeded methodically through the statements offered by Yusuf to law enforcement and the prosecution as he sought to cooperate with the government following his arrest. He acknowledged his many lies in the course of his proffer meetings documented in the FBI notes on the meetings. The Star Tribunes Stephen Montemayor sums up the course of the cross-examination in Defense questions credibility of key government witness at ISIL trial.

Yusuf was a high school senior at the time of most of the events recounted in his testimony. He was one of the youngest members of the group of Minnesota men who sought to join ISIS in Syria. He is intelligent and well spoken but dealt his dealings with law enforcement reflect his youth, his inexperience and his willingness to lie. If he is not stupid  I dont think he is  he dealt with FBI agents as though they were. As he said in another context, he felt cornered as he was about to be arrested.

The cross-examination of cooperating witnesses is standard stuff. To get a look inside criminal conspiracies, the government has to work with men of less than stellar character. If you are a solid citizen, you dont go to work for organized crime or aspire to join the jihad. Like the friends of Eddie Coyle, the friends of Abdullahi Yusuf are unlikely candidates for work in law enforcement. A few of Yusufs friends in fact made it to ISIS in Syria. Truth, justice and the American way are not their lodestar. If Yusuf were the only government witness, the prosecution would have a hard time establishing its case beyond a reasonable doubt, but the prosecutors are early in their case. Well see.

The courtroom is full of supporters of the defendants, mostly their Somali families and friends. They were thrilled with the impeachment of Yusuf with his prior inconsistent statements. I chose to spend the afternoon in the overflow courtroom where the chortling was more audible than before Judge Davis, who is running a tight ship. The overflow courtroom was also nearly full of supporters of defendants. Its almost unbelievable.

Representing Guled Omar, defense counsel Glenn Bruder went last. One portion of his cross examination seemed to me to misfire. Bruder elicited Yusufs concession that he had erroneously accused Omar of threatening him during their detention at the Anoka County Jail. Bruners questions suggested that the error was maliciously false.

Yusuf conceded that he had made a mistake and left it at that. Judge Davis, however, wanted to know more. In response to Judge Daviss question, Yusuf explained that he saw a Somali who looked like Omar entering a cell down the hall from him. The Somali shouted at Yusuf that they were going to get him and his family. With Yusufs explanation, it sounded like an understandable mistake. The Mafia overtones did no service to the defendants.

Leaving the courthouse yesterday afternoon, I saw the usual contingent of five or so visibly armed DHS officers in police uniform with a dog. I also saw an ATF K9 officer. The security at the courthouse tells a story of its own.
As Nigeria struggles with difficult times  no thanks to insurgency, senseless killings, mind-boggling corruption, hunger and poverty and so on  some citizens may have well decided to turn to poetry as their own weapon of protest.

And really, the people who gathered recently in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for Poetry Un-Plugged, had their emotions stirred, while watching the reading and performance of poems that tell of the very things that have continued to hold down or haunt the black race.

Issues like the curse of English as a second language in Nigeria was skilfully and artistically examined in Ogaga Ifowodos poem  God Punish You Lord Luggard  as read by Adokiye Ekine, an entrepreneur and the CEO of Celebrity Production.

The poem uses a blind and battered street beggar to demonstrate how the struggle for survival by ordinary Nigerians was compounded by the difficulty to communicate in English language.

Blind and battered, with a withered left arm,

not for him the plain and unlearned

Help me for chop, I beg. God go bless you.

. Good day, brodas and sistas.

Half massy on me, please half sampaty.

Allahs piss for you.

Or Emmanuel Ephraims The Dearth of Literacy which tells of how the youth of today have indeed abandoned learning, and how From their conversation/ You could really tell/ That our ailing nation/ Was already in hell!

Another of Ifowodos poem Fela: In Memoriam was also read.

The poem casts the legendary Afrobeat musician, Fela Kuti, and rightly so, as a symbol of resistance and revolt.

Of the late Mr. Kuti, the poem says:

So he stood straight

in hurricanes, in thunderblast 

till death, nothing they could throw

at him would break his back. Nothing.

He walked forbidden streets, walked the row

of set traps and sprung them all. Lifting

up his eyes, he claimed for his art everything.

Democracy  a poem by the late African-American poet, Langston Hughes  could be regarded as the poem of the moment, for it best captured the current mood of the Nigerian nation.

In a country like Nigeria where only a few seems to be doing the talking, and taking positive actions, for the common good, Mr. Hughes words Democracy will not come/ Today, this year/ Not ever/ Through compromise and fear may just be the right message in a time like this.

Also, I have as much right/ As the other fellow has/ To stand/ On my own two feet/ And own the land could very well be a perfect message against promoters of ethnic tension in the country.

Finally, the poem nailed it with this line: I do not need my freedom when Im dead/ I cannot live on tomorrows bread.

Mr. Hughes, who was also a social activist, novelist, playwright and a columnist, wrote Democracy in 1949 during the era of civil rights movement in the U.S.

The poem, so relevant to contemporary Nigeria, is a clarion call on the people to wake up and demand for true change.

Not Again, written and performed by Ibe Chimezie Mex, Voices In My Head, written and performed by Amarachi Ochioma, and Im Not The Chibok Girls written and performed by the award- winning poet, Ihuoma Anaele were among the poetry and spoken word performances.

Altogether, six poems were read, while 21 were performed during the event organised by Africart Publishing House to celebrate this years World Poetry Day.

The Rivers State Tourism Development Agency co-hosted the event which had as its theme, Poetry and Protest; Exploring the Trans-generational Impact of Root African Poetry.

The audience, made up of people of diverse callings, from publishers, creative artists, poets, poetry enthusiasts, and writers, to entertainers, musicians, teachers and students, were treated to live Neo/Afro soul music by Leroy Okonny and his R-Tunes Group, and root rock reggae vibes performed by Port Harcourt jazz maestro, Amby Jnr. and his live band.

Famous Nollywood actor and theatre arts scholar, who is now the Director-General, Rivers State Tourism Development Agency, Sam Dede, was there to grace the event.

Another Nollywood actor, Ovunda Ihunwo, who is also a lecturer in theatre and film studies, University of Port Harcourt, was also among the audience.

Emmanuel Ephraim, the Director, Poetry Un-Plugged Project, said Root African Poetry was predominantly infused with themes of protest by virtue of cultural and other experiences.

However, that does not mean that all Root African Poetry must be confrontational in ideology, he said.

The audience, full of praises for the event and it organisers, said they were looking forward to another edition of Poetry Un-Plugged.

Edwina Aleme said the event was a perfect way to engage people positively.

I enjoyed this event because it took me out of my everyday life. This event can be promoted further by ensuring that lovers of poetry and culture are invited more often, said Akudolu Chiamaka.
The choir of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Secondary School, Ikeja, Lagos, has won the just concluded 14th edition of the all Lagos secondary schools choral competition sponsored by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo).

With a brilliant rendition of Sally Albrechts Friends On Our Left, and William Barnes Linden Lea, the schools mixed choir cruised home to a victory which earned them individual prizes and musical instruments for their school. Halifield Secondary School, Maryland, came second, while Holy Child College, Obalende, emerged third.

Special guest of honour at the event and wife of the Lagos State Governor, Bolanle Ambode, commended the NNPC/SNEPCo initiative, noting that beyond the competition was the opportunity to groom songsters who combine their musical talent with education.

In 14 years since the programme began, many young talents have been discovered, raised and nurtured to stardom, the first lady, represented by Mrs. Mrs Jumoke Adeyemi, charged the students. I urge all of you children to invest your time wisely in useful and productive engagements like music.

Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investments Management Services (NAPIMS), Dafe Sejebor, restated the commitment of the agency to the support of initiatives that will positively impact the lives of Nigerians.

Represented by Bunmi Lawson, the NAPIMS boss noted that music had the potential to help students in the development of their brain and raising their state of consciousness, among other benefits.

In his remarks, Managing Director of SNEPCo, Bayo Ojulari, represented by the Government Relations Manager, Alan Udi, said SNEPCo was committed to preserving the dying culture of traditional folksongs, and the moral lessons that they teach.

SNEPCo views music as a crucial community builder. We are therefore committed to engaging and empowering our young people, giving them the opportunity to develop their talents in all areas, Mr. Udi said.
More than a quarter of the total electricity generation in the country comes from Egbin Power plant, the companys chairman, Kola Adesina, said in Lagos on Friday.

Mr. Adesina, who said the human capital profile of the company was among best in Africa, said the operational capacity of the plant has significantly changed since its privatization almost three years ago.

Egbin plants six 220 megawatts, MW, gas-fired power plants were barely generating 400 MW until its privatization in November 2013, producing a marked improvement, which has since restored the plant to full capacity at 1,320MW,Mr. Adesina said.

He told reporters that Egbin Power Plc, in conjunction with its technical partners, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), was mobilizing the necessary financial, technical and regulatory processes to double its total power generation capacity over the next five years.

The transformation at the plant, reputed to be Nigerias largest electricity generation plant, commenced immediately after its acquisition by Sahara Power, working through a number of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) in collaboration with its technical partners, KEPCO.

Since its acquisition of the asset, Mr. Adesina said the management has embarked on constant upgrades in technology and investments in human capital to realize its objective to light up the country.

He attributed the achievement of the company within the short period its management was taken over to quality of its personnel, describing them some of the best in Africa it terms power generation.

As the main drivers of the managements quest for excellence, Mr. Adesina said there was a genuine desire by the company, which is Nigerias largest power generation firm, to redefine power generation on the continent.

We are committed to continuous expansion and investments in alternative energy sources to boost power supply in Nigeria. At the moment Egbin Power accounts for one quarter of power generated in Nigeria, he said.

The progress we have recorded so far in Egbin plant is as a result of a resurgent employee empowerment strategy that propels each staff to seek creative ways of providing solutions to the challenges of power solution.

Our people are vital to the transformation story that is unfolding at Egbin. Theres this desire and passion to see Egbin as front players in Nigerias quest for uninterrupted, affordable and sustainable power supply, the chairman stated.

He said Sahara Power/KEPCO partnership has brought to Egbin an unprecedented level of innovativeness, professionalism, human capital development and continuing investment in new technology.

As part of efforts to enhance the capacity of the workers, he said Egbin power runs a graduate engineering programme, GEP, which seeks to ensure seamless employee succession within the company.

The GEP, he pointed out was one of platforms the company has identified for tackling unemployment in Nigeria and creating platforms for sustainable development and improvement in the power sector.

He said the company was focused on building a sustainable franchise and building robust capacity in the technical and theoretical aspect of electricity generation in the country.

According to him, the companys management has also upgraded its schools located in its estate to provide ultimate learning experience for the power firms staff, apart from estates recreational facilities, which have been overhauled and remodelled to ensure staffs have access to post work activities for enhanced productivity.
The lingering scarcity of Jet A1, popularly called aviation fuel, on Monday disrupted flight operations at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2) and the General Aviation Terminal of the airport in Lagos.

Some domestic airlines had to either re-schedule or cancel most of their flights following their inability to procure aviation fuel for their aircrafts.

The affected airlines included Aero Contractors, Dana, Azman, First Nation and Peace Airline.

Some passengers travelling to Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Owerri, Yola and Enugu were left stranded, following the announcement of the cancellation of their flights.

The situation prompted some of the stranded passengers to rush to Arik Air counter to get fresh tickets as the airline was among the few that were having hitch-free operations.

A passenger, Chioma Akabueze, said she was booked for the 10:00 a.m. flight in one of the affected airlines, but was later informed that all the airlines flights for the day had been cancelled.

The announcement was made around 4.30 p.m. and it is very disappointing. I was supposed to hold a meeting with a client in Owerri by 2:00 p.m. and now, I have to reschedule, she said.

Another traveller, Emma Akanni, said he had to pay a tout N40,000 to get him an Arik Air one-way ticket to Abuja, though the airline usually charges N51,600 for a return ticket for the same destination.

The Consumer Protection Department of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had revealed in its 2016 First Quarter Report that domestic airlines recorded 8,478 cases of delayed flights.

The report said a total number of 15,434 flights were operated by eight domestic airlines during the period under review, while 281 flights were cancelled.

However, the airlines had attributed the situation, which led to over 50 per cent of their flights being delayed or cancelled, to the scarcity of aviation fuel and had appealed to the government to intervene in making the product available.

(NAN)
On March 19, 2016 Igwe Vincent Ilo went to join his ancestors. On Thursday, he will be laid to rest. As we mourn him, this is an opportunity to reflect on his life and his remarkable journey of piety, charity and peace building. Igwe Vincent personifies the unassuming heroes who dedicate their lives in service of their community. His selfless and humane approach to charity represent the best in African communalism and tradition of watching out for others- a value that is capable of changing our society.

In his book Divine Purpose, published in 2014, Igwe Vincent talked humorously about his life, family and career. Igwe Vincent was born on May 15, 1933 in Adu Achi, Enugu State. He lost his father when he was a toddler and his mother subsequently thereafter. His step mother took him as her own and in those early days of his life showed him unconditional love. The love from his step mum taught him so much about kindness and sacrifice. His Uncle and step brother, sacrificed all they had to ensure that he got a good education.

At a time when going to school was a huge luxury, they both sacrificed their shares of the family cash crop to send Igwe Vincent to school. This uncommon lesson in selflessness stayed with him all his life. He had to make a similar sacrifice after the civil war when tragedy made him the oldest in the extended Chukwuanozie family. He had to pass up on the opportunity to go the university to look after his relatives.

Igwe Vincent was privileged to go the famous St Charles College where he qualified as a teacher and began his journey of serving communities across the old Anambra state as teacher, headmaster and then supervisor of schools. His professional life was one of sterling achievement. His greatest strength laid in his ability to do little things in extraordinary ways.

Everywhere he served, he is remembered as a bridge builder, compassionate educator and a devout Christian. He was never just a teacher, he was a community builder and mentor for young people. Testimonies are rife on how his advice saved careers or redirected lives. He retired from civil service in 1987 and went back to his village in Adu Achi to become a farmer.

With more time on his hands, he dedicated himself to serving his community and church. His Sunday school teachings became legendary. His written reflections were deep theological and yet practical steps to holiness. He taught the young the value of charity. He taught the old the values of patience. His house became a mini service center for arbitration between friends, colleagues and families. His unflinching dedication to truth stood him out in the community. He became a reference point for honesty and consistency.

In so many ways his life was an example for the young and often a reference for the old. He gave all of his energy, resources and time to his immediate community. When Etiti Achi was carved out as an autonomous community, the town came to him and pressured him to be the Igwe. His characteristic response was that he was going to accept the position as long as he doesnt have to fight or campaign for it. His reign as Igwe will forever serve as a reference point for humility, sacrifice and purpose. His was such a down to earth royalty that until his death, he received subjects in his bedroom, ate with them and never for ones turned anybody back who needed audience with him.

His life was a lesson in leadership; a lesson in sacrifice; a lesson in open governance and a lesson in honesty. These are qualities lacking in our political leaders in Nigeria. If he could do it as leader in his little community with an amazing result, it may serve other leaders well to work towards making people they represent feel that they matter. That way our democracy will be more people oriented. Importantly, his life teaches us how to be the best in every society we live in; from an orphan to a king. The little things matter. In his book Divine Purpose, a fitting summary of life was provided in the epilogue where one of his sons wrote:

He personifies the virtues I read in the bible and he humanizes the qualities I read about saints. Heaven indeed has gained a saint.

Udo Jude Ilo, Country Officer and Head of Nigeria Office, Open Society Initiative For West Africa, is son to the late Igwe Vincent Ilo.
A meeting of the foreign ministers of NATO member countries will be held in Brussels on May 19-20. It will be devoted to preparations for the NATO summit in Warsaw scheduled for July 8-9, the press service of the alliance has said.

Participants in the meeting will discuss the issues related to the long-term adaptation of the alliance, strengthening defense and deterrence capabilities, as well as the implementation of a response plan.

In the second half of day meetings with the chiefs of staff of NATO partner states on interaction with colleagues from Georgia and Ukraine will be held in Brussels.

In particular, the progress of defense reforms and the issues of the country's further cooperation with NATO will be discussed with Georgia. At a meeting with Ukrainian representatives the parties will assess the security situation in Ukraine and around the country, as well as consider the results of security and defense reforms, the NATO press service said.
Cacophony is the coming together of multiple sounds that create an awfully unpleasant, if not unbearable audio to listen. However, chronically discordant politics tend to create its own cacophony that leads to mental and intellectual dissonance that could have far reaching ramifications.

So between now and August, when a new president is supposed to be elected for Somalia, a variety of political noises are expected to get amplified only to lead to that same all too familiar outcome- a wonderful presidential parade to inaugurate the next charlatan, a new or a recycled one. Sadly, with regard to the so-called Vision 2016 election, that is the most optimistic forecast that I can offer.

Ironically, we are back to 2011 when the Somali political process was manipulated by a few actors and political discourse was cleverly confined to a single issue- how to replace the current president with another whom Ethiopia (and other like-minded elements) would endorse as a champion of status quo. In other words, a quick review of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamuds public record ought to give us the political silhouette of the next president.

The Sprinter Approach to a Marathon

After squandering the broad-based public support and international political capital, President Mohamuds four year political balance sheet indicates huge liabilities and no leverage. His presidency is a bankrupt enterprise by any definition. Here I must disclose that, due to profound difference on strategic priorities, I had to resign my position as Somalia Special Envoy to the U.S. four months after President Mohamud assumed office.

Despite my differences with the then new President, I must confess he had an impressive start, though his greatest achievements have all taken place in the first few months of his presidency.

Immediately after getting elected, he announced that he would not be traveling to New York for the UN General Assembly because he had to roll up his sleeves and attend to a number of urgent domestic issues. That first impression of service-oriented leadership and commitment to put the interest of ones nation before all others got him heroic praises. And when it was time for the UNSG-sponsored mini-mummit on Somalia, the new President joined in via video-conferencing.

Weeks later, he succeeded in persuading various traditional chiefs and militia leaders to remove some 60 clan and gang extortion checkpoints that made streets of Mogadishu a dollar-draining maze of insecurity. The rest of his presidency has been a roller-coaster of deficiency, deflation, and disaster.

Presidential Culpability

In January 2013, former Secretary of State and current Democratic Party front runner, Hillary Clinton said, So we (US and Somalia) have moved into a normal sovereign nation-to-sovereign nation position, and we have moved into an era where were going to be a good partner, a steadfast partner, to Somalia as Somalia makes the decisions for its own future.

This, needless to say, set in motion an international chorus of support for Somalias sovereignty. But, instead of using that political boost to launch a genuine Somali-owned reconciliation process and to ward off the front-line states, especially our frencupierthe predatory state of EthiopiaPresident Mohamud ironically opted to do the very opposite.

First, one of the politically most debasing decisions that the new President made was to allow UNSOM a reinvention of the defunct UNPOS that supposedly ended with the transitional government. By unilaterally accepting UNSOM to operate at will, travel to any part of Somalia proper without any notification to the government let alone consent, and bring into the country its own mercenaries without any weapon control, he not only has shot any reclaim of sovereignty in the foot, he has given UNSOM the presidential approval to keep Somalia in indefinite transition.

Second, he unilaterally granted a shady company named Soma Oil & Gasone of the most coveted exploration and exclusive marketing rights deals of all emerging markets. Never mind that the provisional constitution defers all issues pertaining to natural resources and regional boundaries to be negotiated later. And, never mind the potential violence that this could trigger in the foreseeable future.

Third, he unilaterally placed any chance for Somali-owned and all-inclusive national reconciliation indefinitely in the back burner and aborted the process to mend fences with Somaliland with flagrant apathy.

Fourth, he unilaterally decided to lend Ethiopia (euphemistically known as IGAD) the official approval to continue its relentless pursuit to exclusively micromanage Somalias political affairs and keep Somalia under Ethiopian subjugation.

The so-called National Consultative Forum puts the subjugation process back on the rails. Already, Ethiopia has its own cardboard president in each of the clan-dominated fiefdoms that Somalia has been fragmented into. Ethiopia is now the Big Brother broker and the guarantor of any and all artificial Somali peace accords. If that is not enough, President Mohamud also ushered in the Ethiopian army to officially become part of AMISOM and get hefty salaries and lucrative contracts to sustain its thinly-veiled sinister motive. Ethiopia is now in charge of Somalias stabilization and security strategy.

Fifth, he unilaterally provided cover for Kenyas illegal forced repatriation of close to half a million Somali refugees at a time when the Somali government cannot even secure the safety of Villa Somalia or the presidential compound, thus putting the lives of hundreds of thousands of refugees at great risk. Already in Mogadishu there are nearly 1 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who do not get any services from the government.

Granted Somali government is now singing a different tune long after the curtain has closed on this matter. The Foreign Ministry said that Kenya would be guilty of legal and moral failing and pave the way for increase in food insecurity and in terrorism. Too little, too late is an understatement.

Furthermore, President Mohamud allowed Kenya to arbitrarily build a wall along its border with Somalia, hence setting the stage for immanent human tragedy that divides families, cuts an entire regions economic lifeline if not more. He also provided a backdoor entry for Kenya erroneous claim to Somali maritime territory that was all but buried to rest.

Sixth, he unilaterally accepted all outstanding national debts inherited mainly from the military government without any expert scrutiny or substantive renegotiation attempt. Somalia now owes $5.6 billion to IMF, World Bank and others. Never mind the fact that little over two years ago the Financial Times was reporting that Somalia has an overall external debt of about $2.2bn and arrears to the IMF and World Bank of $352m. How is Somalia ever going to climb out of this debt abyss- 93% of the nations GDP? Which Somalia might be responsible for paying back this rapidly ballooning foreign debt-Somalia proper or the de facto clan fiefdoms that it became?

Seventh, he unilaterally sacked the highest official in the judicial branch who, ironically, conducted the oath of loyalty ceremonies of President Mohamud and all officials in the legislative and executive branches. This example of unconstitutional freewheeling renders the Presidents eloquent democratic rhetoric as mere political mendacity.

Eighth, due to rampant cronyism, bribery and other forms of corruption in his administration, he almost became the first president ever impeached in Somalia.

The number 57 of 2013 Time 100 Most Influential People in the World has proven nothing more than a masqueraded political charlatan driven by a paradoxical concept that the president calls nomad diplomacy.

Though the phrase is exotic, especially in capturing the younger diasporic generations, it is nothing more than a fancy name for diplomatic naivete or the utter incompetence that he exhibited for the past four years.

Despite all, considering the growing number of active, politically conscious youth who are sick of how their politicians sell them and their nation in the cheap, I believe Somalia has better days ahead

Direly needed are leaders who can resist instant gratification, seductive lure of power, who are willing to put their seats on the line by demanding whats in the strategic best interest for their nation. Are any of those individuals positioning themselves to compete for the presidency this August worth giving the benefit of the doubt?

Well, that depends on how honestly and openly they are willing to assess the existential danger facing Somalia today in the invasive role of Ethiopia. Would they be willing to reassess the failed counter-terrorist project and demand AMISOM short-term exit strategy? Would they be willing to dis-invite both Ethiopia and Kenya armies? Would they be willing to immediately spearhead a heart-to-heart truth and reconciliation process devoid of any foreign interference? That is their litmus test.

Meanwhile, any candidate who can match, or exceed, President Mohamuds subservient loyalty to others has a fair chance to replace him.

Abukar Arman is a foreign policy analyst and a former diplomat. You may follow him on twitter: @4DialogSK
Leader of a research team from the University of Liege, Michael Gillon, has said his team discovered three planets orbiting around a nearby dwarf star known as Trappist 1.

Mr. Gillon said on Monday in Brussels that the discovery was the outcome of a research project the team undertook five years ago.

The Belgian scientists disclosed that as the size and temperatures of the three red worlds were comparable to Earth and other planets from the solar system, it could be the best place to find life.

Mr. Gillon, an associate researcher at the University of Liege, said the team was looking for planets that could have on their surfaces the conditions like on earth and may host life.

He said the study showed that two of the researched planets had orbital periods of about 1.5 days and 2.4 days, respectively, while the orbiting time of the third one is around 10 days.

Mr. Gillon said the scientists were already preparing the next phase, which he noted would be the most interesting.

It is the James Webb space telescope, which is a very big space telescope that will be launching in 2018. So, two years from now and with this telescope we will be able to study atmosphere. Currently, we are trying to measure the masses of the planet, he said.

The researcher said his team cooperated with international researchers from the U.S. and Britain, adding that the international researchers mainly worked through the internet system connected to one of the prototype telescope based in Chile.

He said to detect potentially habitable planets, researchers use a so-called transit method, adding that they observed specific stars and tried to catch the planet that passed in front of them.

We made this programme on our small robotic telescope Trappist, which is in Chile as a prototype for our more ambitious project, called `Speculoos.

It will use bigger telescopes with more sensitive instruments to explore more, he said.

With the current Trappist telescope, Mr. Gillon said scientists were able to observe only 60 targets, and with Speculoos the scope would be wider, up to 500 objects.

(Xinhua/NAN)
Fighting broke out among members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the National Assembly on Monday over their partys ongoing congresses across the country, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report today.

Godswill Akpabio, the Minority Leader of the Senate, convened the emergency meeting of the partys National Assembly Caucus to address numerous complaints that arose from the partys nationwide congresses, some of which were marred by irregularities and legal battles.

Sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the meeting was held to address the crises in seven of the 36 state chapters where the congresses turned out to be most problematic.

Halfway into the meeting, which held behind closed doors in House Room 0.28 at 4:30 p.m., a brawl erupted between a former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, now senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District, and Sopuluchukwu Ezeonwuka, a House member from Orumba North/South federal constituency in Anambra State.

The disagreement among the lawmakers was over membership of a committee the Caucus decided to set up to proffer solutions to the stalemate in the state congresses ahead of the partys national convention.

Also involved in the face-off were Lynda Ikpeazu, who represents Onitsha North/South federal constituency, and Chukwuka Onyema, Deputy Minority Leader of the House, sources said.

Some sources said there were actual exchange of blows by the feuding legislators while some said the four lawmakers merely exchanged verbal assaults for the most part of the meeting, with Mr. Onyema charging towards Mr. Ezeonwuka to land a slap on his face.

Mr. Onyema ran towards Mr. Ezeonwuka and attempted to punch him in the face, a source said. But other lawmakers quickly intervened and separated the two men from manhandling each other.

PREMIUM TIMES findings revealed the lawmakers were trying to maintain their individual strongholds of their party in their respective constituencies.

Mr. Ezeonwuka confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday night.

Mr. Ezeonwuka said the argument started after he objected to Mr. Onyemas membership of a committee, saying he cannot be a judge in his own case.

Mr. Ezeonwuka said Mr. Onyema had been repeatedly used by Ms. Oduah to manipulate elections within the party.

Onyema is the one that implemented all the Stella Oduahs plans because he sees Stella Oduah as his God, Mr. Ezeonwuka said. But I told him that hes an interested party and must not be a member of the committee.

It was that time that Stella Oduah now stood up and said who is that idiot?

Mr. Ezeonwuka said Mr. Onyema charged towards him from the wooden rostrum to beat him in defence of Ms. Oduah.

He wanted to shout me down, but I told him I wont shut up. Then he came down from the podium that he wanted to come and beat me, but I was just looking at him, Mr. Ezeonwuka said.

Mr. Ezeonwuka said Ms. Oduah is desperate because shes a weak politician.

Shes now desperate because of her weakness and coming to Anambra State to talk nonsense. Is it because she was made a minister?

I have been in the PDP since 1999 and I am a grassroots politician, unlike Stella Oduah who started her politics in Abuja. She has no structure in Anambra State, shes just using her money to buy people, which is irrelevant to me.

When Ms. Ikpeazu was trying to expatiate on the point I made, Stella Oduah started insulting her and they both starting insulting each other, you know women talk.

Mr. Ezeonwuka also told PREMIUM TIMES that the Caucus did not discuss anything about fuel price crisis, consequently punching holes in the claim made by House Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, that the members discussed and concluded that President Buharis administration must apologise to former President Jonathan because Mr. Buhari was part of those who opposed subsidy when Mr. Jonathan first attempted to deregulate the downstream sector in 2012.

We only discussed the partys upcoming national convention and no issues about fuel crisis were raised during the meeting, Mr. Ezeonwuka said.

Ms. Oduah also confirmed her fight with the other lawmakers to PREMIUM TIMES, but denied it was a serious altercation.

Two people just disagreed on a subject, does that make it strange? In a meeting where you have almost two hundred people?

Somebody raised an opinion that I did not agree with. And it is bound to happen where youre having meeting of this sort.

We just disagreed on a subject matter which I cannot disclose to you, Ms. Oduah said.

In his reaction, Mr. Onyema said Mr. Ezeonwuka was not in the country when the congresses were conducted, so he couldnt have known all that transpired (at the acrimonious congress).

I did not have any brawl with him. But The said they wanted primaries and the other group said they dont want primaries and they went ahead to conduct their own illegal primaries,

He wasnt in the country, he went to the United States and just got back, he should have allowed those of us who have been on ground to explain to him what happened instead of going about making false accusations that somebody forged the results.

When PREMIUM TIMES reached Ms. Ikpeazu, she denied knowledge of the brawl, claiming she was working on some documents while the meeting was going on.

I had some urgent documents that I am working on so I wasnt listening, Ms. Ikpeazu said. I know they had some disagreement but I dont know those involved.

But this newspaper established clearly that she was part of the entire commotion at the meeting, and was merely being economical with the truth.
A Federal High court sitting in Lagos has given an order stopping Saturdays planned national convention of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

Justice Ibrahim Buba gave the order Monday in a suit filed by the National Chairman of the party, Ali Sheriff, the National Secretary, Adewale Oladipo and National Auditor, Fatai Adeyanju asking the court to stop the national convention pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The three national officers reportedly claimed in the suit that their tenures of office was yet to lapse.

Listed as defendants alongside the PDP is the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The three officers also asked the court to restrain the electoral body from monitoring the national convention.

They suit, which was dated May 6, 2016 numbered FHC/L/CS/61 3/2016.

In its ruling Tuesday, the court gave the following order:

 An order of interlocutory injunction as requested by the plaintiffs/applicants restraining the 2nd defendant/respondent from conducting any election into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor occupied by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs respectively, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

 An order of interlocutory injunction to the plaintiffs/applicants restraining the 1st defendant/respondent from monitoring and or recognising the conduct of any the 2nd defendant/respondent into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor occupied by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs respectively, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit,.

Mr. Sheriff disowns suit.

However, the national chairman of the PDP, Ali Sheriff, flatly denied being a party to the suit.

His spokesperson, Inuwa Bwala, in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES said Mr. Sheriff was not aware of any court case and he did not authorize anyone to go to court on his behalf.

Mr. Bwala also maintained that Saturdays convention would go ahead because the party itself was not aware of any court order.

I can assure you the congress is on, he said.

Ahead the convention, the National Executive Committee, NEC, is currently meeting at the Wadata Plaza headquarters of the party.

Tuesdays NEC followed a meeting of the Board of Trustees, BoT, which held Monday evening.

We gathered that the two feuding parties; the Council of Elders and Mr. Sheriff, formally resolved their differences and agreed to allow the convention to go ahead.

The relationship between Mr. Sheriff and the elders, led by a former Minister of Information, Jerry Gana, had been frosty and the elders had called for the cancellation of the convention.

They also said the extension granted Mr. Sheriff and other members of the partys National Working Committee by the NEC in March was illegal.
Despite an order of the National Industrial Court restraining the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress from going ahead with their planned strike to protest the hike in price of petrol, the strike will go ahead as planned on Wednesday, labour officials have said.

The General Secretary of the NLC, Peter Ozo-Eson, on Tuesday night told PREMIUM TIMES that from all indications the strike would go on as planned.

On the meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, earlier convened to attempt to broker a last minute truce on the matter, Mr. Ozo-Eson said the meeting was yet to hold at about 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

There was no resolution yet. We are just going for the meeting now. , the NLC scribe said on telephone interview. We have been meeting on our own on matters that are important to us. It is clear the strike will go ahead as planned, Mr. Ozo-Eson told PREMIUM TIMES on telephone on his way to the venue of the meeting.

He however assured that an official statement would be issued on the final position after what promises to be an all-night meeting.

The General Executive Secretary of Medical and Health Workers Union, north central, Richard Gbamwuan, in an interview with this newspaper, shortly after an emergency NEC meeting of the NLC held in Abuja on Tuesday, said that they were going ahead with the proposed strike.

We have resolved to go ahead with the protest nationwide, as far as we are concerned, we are yet to be aware of any court injunction, he said.

And if there is any court injunction, we are just doing what federal government is fond of doing. The same Industrial court had stopped federal government from increasing electric tariff but till date federal government ignored us, they still went ahead, so we are embarking on the protest.

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had earlier on Tuesday approached the Industrial Court on behalf of federal government to stop the proposed strike by the organized labour.

Meanwhile, various union leaders in Plateau State said they were ready to comply fully with the directive of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC to embark on a nationwide protest on Nigeria.

The union leaders spoke to PREMIUM TIMES in Jos, Plateau state, on Tuesday, barely 24 hours to the deadline issued to the government to reverse the pump price of petrol to N86.50 by midnight, Tuesday.

The state director, Civil Society Organizations, Steve Aluko, on behalf of NLC, TUC and CSO, in an interview, said they were ready for a showdown with the government, until the new pump price of N145 per litre was reversed to 86.50 Naira.

Mr. Aluko said allied unions had been briefed and directed to mobilise for the protest en masse.

NECs of the NLC, TUC and CSOs met, and harmonized the positions, that a complete reversal of prices PMS, high electricity tariff and commencement of a structured inclusive multi-stakeholders dialogue process; by 12am on Tuesday, all members are to commence a general strike and Mass Action on Wednesday.

The chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Plateau State, Yakubu Taddy, said members of the union were ready to participate in the protest, but urged that it should be peaceful.
Nigerian labour leaders have walked out of a meeting with the government, saying they are mobilising their members for an indefinite strike from Wednesday, in protest of an increase in petrol price.

The meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and other officials of government was convened in an attempt to broker a last minute truce on the matter.

The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, had condemned the governments decision to increase petrol price from N86.50 to N145 per litre, and vowed to resist the policy.

The Trade Union Congress had also threatened strike, but pulled out of the plan on Tuesday night, the News Agency of Nigeria reported.

The General Secretary of the NLC, Peter Ozo-Eson, had earlier told PREMIUM TIMES that from all indications the strike would go on as planned.

It is clear the strike will go ahead as planned, Mr. Ozo-Eson said ahead of the meeting with the government.

The strike is coming despite an order of the National Industrial Court restraining labour from going ahead with the threat.

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had earlier on Tuesday approached the Industrial Court on behalf of federal government to stop the strike.

The General Executive Secretary of Medical and Health Workers Union, north central, Richard Gbamwuan, also told this newspaper shortly after an emergency NEC meeting of the NLC held in Abuja on Tuesday, that they were going ahead with the proposed strike.

We have resolved to go ahead with the protest nationwide, as far as we are concerned, we are yet to be aware of any court injunction, he said.

And if there is any court injunction, we are just doing what federal government is fond of doing. The same Industrial court had stopped federal government from increasing electric tariff but till date federal government ignored us, they still went ahead, so we are embarking on the protest.

The SGF, Mr. Lawal, said the government would ensure free movement of persons despite the strike called by the NLC.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has demanded the immediate release of all its members detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The demand was made by the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party at the end of its 71st meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

The demand is also part of the resolution of the meeting which was attended by governors elected on the platform of the party, as well as some principal officers and members of the National Assembly.

The resolutions, which was signed by Chinwe Nnorom, the head of publicity at the Wadata plaza secretariat of the party, reads in part:

NEC observed and condemned in strong terms the arbitrary arrest and detention of PDP members on account of Party campaign funds by the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari and urged Nigerians and the International Community to request the APC Administration to investigate the campaign funds of its Party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) as some accusations of misuse of public funds are also levelled against some APC governors and stakeholders.

NEC further decried the selective probe of PDP members by the anti-graft agency under the administration of the APC as a case of witch-hunt and unnecessary oppression aimed at silencing members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

NEC therefore demand the immediate release of all members of the PDP in the custody of the anti-graft agency, the EFCC, or charge them to Court without further delay.

The EFCC has arrested some high ranking members of the PDP accused of illegally receiving, or misusing government money.

Four Ministers who served in the immediate past PDP administration of Goodluck Jonathan were all arrested and questioned recently, while the commission is at present detaining another former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, as well as a former governor of Kaduna state, Ramalan Yero, and the Principal Private Secretary to Mr. Jonathan, Hassan Tukur.

The PDP also on Tuesday confirmed that its national convention, slated for Saturday in Portharcourt, Rivers state will hold as schedule.

The party was however, silent on a court order issued by a Federal High Court in Lagos stopping the convention.

The PDP further said that in-line with the Report of the Ekweremadu Committee, the National Convention will formerly ratify the zoning of the partys Presidential Ticket for the 2019 Presidential Election to the North and the zoning of the National Chairmanship position to the South of the country, respectfully.

NEC also resolved that due to the issues arising from the just concluded congresses at the wards, local governments and states, especially in Sokoto, Zamfara, Anambra, Lagos, Osun and Adamawa states, that a Special Committee shall be constituted after the National Convention to look into the matter accordingly, the party said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has invited an Osun-based civil rights group, Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State, over allegations it made in a petition that the Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola diverted funds meant for local government councils in the state.

The group in a statement in Osogbo on Monday indicated that it had been invited by the EFCC to meet with its officials to defend its claims.

The statement, which was signed by CSCEOS Chairman, Sulaiman Alimi, said a letter came from the Ibadan zone of the EFCC inviting him to appear before it on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, for further clarifications of the matter.

The group had serially accused Mr. Aregbesola of corruption, calling on the EFCC to investigate him on account of his meddling with funds meant for local councils.

The group urged the federal government to stop the disbursement of local government funds to the state through the governor.

This is to acknowledge receipt of your petition dated 4th April, 2016, captioned Report of Illegal Diversion of 30 Local Governments Monthly Allocations by the Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola: Why Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State, CSCEOS, is calling for investigation and stoppage of Releasing of Local Government Monthly Allocations to Osun State through Mr. Rauf Aregbesola and to inform you that investigation has commenced, the EFCC letter, as quoted by the CSCEOS statement, read.

In view of the above, you are hereby requested to report to EFCC Zonal Office at No.16 Revd Oyebode Crescent, Iyaganku, Ibadan, G.R.A., Ibadan for an interview with the undersigned through the Head Team B, on the 17th May, 2016, at 10am prompt. You may wish to contact the office through 08098877321 for further clarification.

However, the Osun State Government said in a statement on Monday that the invitation of the group in respect of the fake petitions would put an end to frivolous petitions in Nigeria.

The Director of the Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Semiu Okanlawon, in a statement, said the self-appointed civil society group had been making false claims against Governor Aregbesola and his government without producing evidence to substantiate any of the allegations.

For instance, this was the group that accused Governor Aregbesola of embezzling the N34.988bn bailout loan obtained last year as part of the Federal Governments intervention to assist states meet their salary obligations, he said.

The same group had accused Governor Aregbesola of borrowing over N750 billion, which, according to it, has not impacted on the socio-economic lives of the people of Osun.

The government had also been accused of planning a mass sack of civil servants in the state especially in the wake of the challenges to meet salary obligations by the state.

It is instructive that none of these allegations and others from this same group has been proved to be true.

Mr. Okanlawon described the CSCEO as a dubious two-man contraption put together and masquerading as a pro-people organization.

We must remind Nigerians lest they take this group serious at all that Mr. Sulaiman Adeniyi who claims to be the leader of the group and Seun Adeoye, have been no more than two hired hands of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun and its allied opposition elements, he said.

It is pertinent to state that the so-called civil society group is a contraption hurriedly put together by Adeniyi and Adeoye to push the dubious agenda of their sponsors, the humiliated governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Senator Iyiola Omisore and Mr. Segun Akinwusi respectively to blackmail Governor Aregbesola and his government.
Justice U.P. Kekemeke of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Monday granted bail in the sum of N500 million (Five Hundred Million Naira) to AVM Saliu Atawodi (retd.), a former chairman, Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Safety (PICOMSS), and one Rabiu Hassan, owner of Hypertech Company.

The duo were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on May 11, 2016 for allegedly defrauding the government to the tune of over N600m (Six Hundred Million Naira) through suspicious contracts to procure military boats.

One of the counts reads: That you, AVM Saliu Atawodi (retd.), whilst serving as the chairman of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Safety and Security (PICOMSS), Rabiu Hassan and Hypertech (Nig) Limited on or about the 28th day of November, 2011 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud did conspire to obtain property by false pretence the sum of Six Hundred and Twenty Million Nine Hundred and Ten Thousand Naira (N620,910,000.00) , property of the Federal Government under the pretence that the money represents payment for the supply of six pieces of K-38 armoured patrol boats to Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Safety and Security (PICOMSS) and which pretence you knew was false.

While ruling on the bail applications by counsel to the defendants, Karina Tunyan, SAN, and Shareef Mohammed respectively, Justice Kekemeke, who cited Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and Section 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), held that the defendants were entitled to bail.

The accused persons were granted bail in the sum of N500 million (Five Hundred Million Naira) and two sureties each in like sum.

The sureties must be serving directors or deputy directors who have landed properties within the jurisdiction of the court.

Alternatively, the sureties must be guarantors of right of occupancy and must swear to an affidavit of means.

The case has been adjourned to June 6, 7 and 8, 2016 for commencement of trial.
Hundreds of beggars, under the aegis of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, on Monday stormed the Government House, Kaduna, demanding the withdrawal of the anti-begging law until Governor Nasir el-Rufai fulfils his campaign promises.

The law, passed by the state house of assembly, has since been assented to by the governor, and is awaiting implementation.

The beggars were however prevented from gaining entry into the premises of the Government House by security operatives, who on spotting them, quickly mobilised themselves.

The operatives stationed an Amoured Personnel Carrier at the entrance a few meters away from the main gate, while armed policemen who arrived in eight Hilux vans took strategic positions around the premises with a view to forestalling outbreak of law and order.

However, the beggars, during the protest, lamented that the governor was yet to keep his campaign promise he made to them in 2015 that if elected he would make adequate arrangement for their upkeep before banning street begging.

Their spokesperson, Muntari Sale, expressed dismay over the nonchalant attitude he said the governor and lawmakers exhibited towards people living with disability and vowed not to relent in their efforts until the governor fulfilled his promise.

We demand that the governor of the state, Malam Nasir El-Rufai and members of the State House of Assembly to fulfil the promises they made to us during their campaign while seeking for votes from us, he said.

The Governor promised us that he will not ban street begging until he makes adequate arrangement for our upkeep and welfare.

He promised that 30 per cent of our members would be giving employment anytime the state government has a programme running which has not been met, he also promised to provide for the sick, educate our children and employ those in different skills with a view to easing the suffering of the people living with disability.

Mr. Sale recounted that the same law submitted by the governor to the legislature had been enacted in Kano, Edo, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, but that it did not work.

Stating that begging was their only means of livelihood, he stressed that the law would not work in Kaduna because the state government had not made adequate arrangement for the beggars.

He said, This law was passed in Kano, Edo and Lagos states as well as the FCT and they did not succeed, the government has not made adequate arrangements for us and yet it wants to ban us from our only source of livelihood.

We are human beings like everyone, the way everybody is delivering children, that is the same way we are, the way people marry is the way we marry and the way parents try to educate their children is the same way we try to educate ours.

He promised to employ our children, unfortunately, he has employed people in the Kaduna State Traffic and Environmental Law Enforcement Agency (KASTELEA), but none of our children were employed. He also employed street sweepers and none of our children were employed. They employed women to cook food for state schools the school feeding programme, yet none of our wives or children have benefited.

The way every individual used their thumb to voted for El-Rufai, that is the way people living with disability also voted for him, including the deaf, dumb, blind and cripples.

Mr. Sale called for the removal of the present Special Assistant to the Governor on Disability, saying he was responsible for their predicaments.

He accused the governors aide of not fighting for the cause of the people living with disability.

The Special Assistant to the Governor on Stakeholders, Abdullahi Bayero, who received the beggars, explained that the governor could not meet them in person because he was in a meeting.

He appealed to them to be patient.

Mr. Bayero further asked them to select five representatives that would table their demands to the state governor since all of them could not be allowed into the Government House for security reasons.
Five Ukrainian army servicemen have suffered injuries but no one has been killed in the anti-terrorist operation zone in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, spokesman for the Ukrainian Presidential Administration Oleksandr Motuzianyk has said.

"Over the past day, five Ukrainian servicemen have suffered injuries - four in a hostile attack near Avdiyivka and another in a mortar bombardment near Taranchuk," Motuzianyk said at a press briefing in Kyiv.

In the Luhansk sector, the hostiles breached the truce once, near Triokhizbenka, he said.

Ukrainian positions remained under attack for two hours near Avdiyivka in the Donetsk sector after midnight: mortars, 120mm guns and Gvozdika systems were used, Motuzianyk said. In all, 58 artillery, 15 tank and over 50 mortar projectiles were fired on Ukrainian army positions.

Seven shelling incidents, including five by use of heavy weapons, were observed in the Donetsk sector over the past day, he said.

In the Mariupol sector, the enemy violated the truce along the contact line; ten armed provocations were observed there over the past day, including 50 mortar shells fired on Ukrainian army positions in Dokuchayevsk, Motuzianyk said.

"The enemy was conducting air strikes, too. Incendiary cumulative grenades were dropped from a drone on the warehouse in the rear, 20 kilometers from the frontline. There are neither casualties nor loss of hardware," Motuzianyk said.
The Senate has expressed support for the Federal Governments decision to increase the price of petrol to N145.

The new price was announced last week by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said the policy had become necessary due to foreign exchange shortage.

The policy has also been criticised by Nigerians who have expressed concern over the hardship it brings.

The Nigerian Labour Congress has opposed the policy, threatening to embark on strike from Wednesday, but aviation workers and their counterparts in the oil sector, are backing the policy.

The Senate, after an executive session on Tuesday, announced its decision to support the government.

Giving the report of the executive session, the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, said the lawmakers deliberated on the price hike and the threat by the NLC.

The Senate sympathise with the people of Nigeria on the hardship brought by the hike, Mr. Ekweremadu said.

Stating further, Mr. Ekweremadu said the Senate resolved to engage the Labour on the need to suspend its planned strike in order not to ground the system.

He also said the Senate would engage the government on how best the policy could be sustained and implemented.

The Senate, Mr. Ekweremadu said, urged the Federal Government to start implementung the palliative measures as approved in the 2016 Appropriations Act to assuage the suffering of the people.

On Monday, the House of Representatives also urged the NLC to suspend the planned strike and set up an ad hoc committee to interface between Labour and the government.

The House committee is headed by its Whip, Ado Doguwa, and was given five days to submit its report.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested a former Governor of Kaduna State, Ramalan Yero.

He was arrested for his alleged involvement in the sharing of N700million allocated to Kaduna State out of the $115m deposited in Fidelity Bank by the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, during the 2015 general elections, those familiar with the matter said.

Mr. Yero is one of the former governors in the last administration who are being investigated by the anti-graft agency.

Insiders said the former governor was picked up in Kaduna on Monday and whisked to the Kano office of the EFCC where he is being interrogated.

Our sources said Mr. Yero was arrested after two top PDP officials implicated him.

The officials  Nuhu Wya (a former minister of state for power) and Haruna Gaya (PDP chairman in Kaduna state)  had reportedly told investigators that they handed over the N700million sent to the state to the former governor.

Our sources said Mr. Yero admitted during interrogation that he received the money, but explained that it was distributed to PDP chapters in the 23 local government areas of the state.

The funds were spent on logistics and allowances of party agents, the former governor reportedly said.

The spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the interrogation of the former governor.

He declined to provide details of the investigation but said Mr. Yero was still being quizzed at the EFCC Kano zonal office.
Unidentified gunmen on Monday attacked three female priests of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, South-south Nigeria.

The female priests aged between 20 and 25 are part of the 144,000 members of the sects Body of Virgins.

They were reportedly attacked along Mbupka/Ambo streets at about 5am while going for a morning worship at the BCSs international headquarters located at 34 Ambo Street, Calabar.

A source, who pleaded not to be named because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said the trio had just left the Virgins Abode and headed for 34 Ambo Street when the gunmen struck.

They had just left their abode and headed for the world headquarters at 34 Ambo Street when some gunmen blocked them, said the source.

The robbers took their money and other valuables and stabbed them before escaping the area. The incident happened a few meters from the world headquarters of the sect.

Another witness, Michael Effiong, told PREMIUM TIMES that the hoodlums beat up and stabbed a pregnant woman for screaming to draw attention to the crime.

Mr. Effiong, who lives in the neighbourhood, said members of the sect and other residents have suffered incessant attacks by gangsters and night marauders.

At about 7pm on Saturday, he said seven young men posing as customers entered Spaks Supermarket along Mbukpa Road near the BCS headquarters and collected the sales proceeds and unspecified items at gunpoint.

Moved by the daily harassment, PREMIUM TIMES learnt the head of the BCS, Rowland Obu, declared special prayers for God to provide alternative means of livelihood for the hoodlums.

In spite of the prayers, however, the robbers have continued to terrorise not only residents of area but also members of the organization.

Due to increasing activities of cult gangs and armed robbers in the area, it was learnt that the state Police Commissioner, Henry Fadairo, led top officers of the command on a visit to the leader of the sect.

The police boss was said to have gone there to show concern over the attacks and to solicit for logistics support to enable them provide round the clock surveillance in the area.

Following the visit, Mr. Obu had pledged a Toyota Hilux van to the police.

As part of its social responsibility to people of the area, the sect is said to have initiated empowerment programme for street urchins popularly called area boys from Calabar South Local Government Area.

When contacted however, the Cross River State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, John Eluu, said the command was aware of the security challenge in the area and had directed the Divisional Police Officer for Mbukpa to increase surveillance in the affected areas.
The South East Caucus of the All Progressive Congress has said that leaders of the party, who were in the opposition in 2012, opposed the removal of fuel subsidy by the Goodluck Jonathan administration because of the profligacy of that administration.

The spokesperson of the caucus, Osita Okechukwu, stated this on Monday while addressing the APC Zonal Women Summit in Enugu on last weeks decision by the federal government to increase the pump price of fuel from N86.50k to N145 per litre.

Leaders of the APC who were then in different opposition parties, including the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressives Congress, All Nigeria Peoples Party and All Progressive Grand Alliance, protested the plan.

Following the protest that lasted some days, Mr. Jonathan was forced to reverse the decision.

Mr. Okechukwu said it was also common knowledge that in 2012, members and leadership of the APC opposed the fuel price hike or removal of subsidy because the actors in the Jonathan administration were extravagant.

He also said though President Muhammadu Buhari initially opposed and campaigned against fuel subsidy removal, he changed his mind because of the reality of the present time.

He said, The Fuel Price Hike is a painful and difficult decision. The pain is that there is no official dollars to sustain the huge bill.

President Muhammadu Buhari took pains to accept the proposal he had opposed as far back as his first stint as Head of State  1984  1985.

It is also common knowledge that in 2012, members and leadership of our great party, the APC, opposed the fuel price hike or removal of subsidy.

In the same vein, Mr President opposed it even in his second coming as president and campaigned repeatedly against it. True, we rejected fuel price hike then, basically because of the profligacy of the ex-regime. Hold us responsible if we squander money saved, he said.

Mr. Okechukwu called on the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress not to go on strike to protest the increase in fuel price.

He said the mass protest would not only hamper the distribution of goods and services in the country but worsen the condition of the masses.

The APC chieftain explained that the new pump price introduced has the prospect of cutting down waste in the nearest future and also to make fuel available.

My Dear Compatriots, you must agree with me that what made Mr. President to accept fuel price hike in the midst of abject poverty in the land, despair and despondency; is nothing but the crunchy and dire financial situation  where it is difficult for local, state and federal governments to pay salaries, he said.

We all know that this is a president who never placed personal gains over public good and who will never squander our commonwealth.

The true position is that the dwindling oil price and recent militant attack on oil installations have gravely rendered Federal Government cash strapped.

Nigeria is at cross-road. Coupled with what the former Minister of Finance and Coordinator of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala dubbed lack of political will to save for the rainy day by the (Goodluck) Jonathan regime, which in simplicita means that we are paying for the sins of crass failure to plan and squandermania of the regime she coordinated.

Mr. Okechukwu blamed the Jonathan regime for not executing the three Greenfield Refineries which contract it awarded to the Chinese in 2010.

He argued that if that regime had built modern rail lines or saved the unprecedented oil revenue, Nigeria would not experience the drop in oil production from 2.4 million barrel per day to 1.6 million barrel per day as well as the slide of oil price from $90 per barrel to about $40 per barrel?

To be exact $550m was realized from oil sales in April this year and fuel import receipt gulped $225m, about 46%, he said.

This is Oil revenue which contributes over 80% of our foreign earnings and by extension our foreign reserves and over 40% used for petroleum products importation.

As we stated earlier in every cloud there is a silver lining, therefore we should give benefit of doubt to the Hon Minister of State of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu who had staked better days ahead. Lets try his dictum that competition will drive cost down.

Finally, may we remind Labour that we of the APC are not foolish optimists who deny the dark and painful realities confronting our compatriots at the moment.

All we are saying is that the patriotic Labour movement should bear in mind that the 70% of the people they had admonished to stockpile food items can barely afford full square meal per day, talk less of stockpiling food.

Therefore, the strike may end up adversely affecting all of us, especially the same masses on whose behest the strike is being called.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved six Air Carriers to airlift Nigerian pilgrims for this years Hajj.

The approved carriers, which include a Saudi-designated airline, will airlift pilgrims from the countrys 36 states to the Saudi Arabia.

The National Hajj Commission, NAHCON in a release signed by its spokesperson, Uba Mana, on Tuesday enumerated the approved carriers to include Med-view Airlines, Max Air, Dornier Aviation Nigeria, Top Brass airline, AZMAN Air Services and Fly-Nas Air which is a Saudi Arabia designated carrier.

The government also approved two companies to airfreight pilgrims excess cargo during the Hajj exercise.

The companies are NAHCO Aviance and Medview International Travels and Cargo.

The statement quoted NAHCON calling on the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, GACA, to accord the appointed carriers all the necessary logistic and consular supports to enable them have smooth plan and execution of their assignment through prompt issuance of necessary visa for their officials as well as officers of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
PREMIUM TIMES Regional Editor (South), Ibanga Isine, will participate in a live Twitter conversation hosted by the United Nations Association of Australia to mark this years International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers will be observed on May 29, where the United Nations will honour more than 3,300 UN Peacekeepers that have given their lives in the line of duty.

Mr. Isine, an award winning investigative journalist, will be joined by Kel Gleeson, a UN Veteran Peacekeeper, who served in the Australian Army for 20 years.

This is an honour, not only to me and PREMIUM TIMES alone, but also a celebration of the spirit of the Nigerian journalist who has continued to push in the face of daunting challenge including risks to personal safety, said Mr. Isine, who won the News Impact category of the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Award in 2015.

Being selected from far away Australia to feature on the UN platform shows that the little contributions we make daily to raise the bar of journalism practice is being noticed and that we are making significant impact.

Mr. Gleeson joins the conversation with extensive peacekeeping experience in Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Cambodia, Sudan, and East Timor; while Mr. Isine will share his experiences in print, broadcast, and multimedia journalism, covering subjects such as Boko Haram.

The theme for the Twitter conversation is The Future of Peacekeeping Operations.

Globally, commemorative activities will be held at UN headquarters in New York, and at peacekeeping operations and offices around the world.

In a message to mark the Day, Matthew Kronborg, UNAA Executive Director, said the efforts of UN blue helmets had created a more stable, humane, and prosperous world.

Everyday they put their lives on the line between conflicted parties in volatile and dangerous environments, said Mr. Kronborg.

Their selfless efforts create the space for negotiations to be undertaken, rule of law to be restored and ultimately democracy to be rebuilt. Upon this foundation refugees can return home, children can go back to school and shopkeepers can reopen.
A Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday convicted a business man, Ifeanyi Nwanoro, for dealing in counterfeit drugs.

The court, presided over by Justice Ibrahim Buba, had found Mr. Nwanoro guilty and sentenced him to a five-year prison term with an option of N500,000 fine.

The convict was dragged to court by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC.

Mr. Nwanoro was arraigned on a five-count charge of illegal possession and sale of counterfeit cough drug laced with codeine.

When he, however, pleaded guilty to the charge, the prosecutor, Umar Shamaki, immediately reviewed the facts of the case before the court.

Consequently, the trial judge sentenced him to a five-year imprisonment with an option of fine.

Earlier in his plea for mercy, Mr. Nwanoro had pleaded that he was a first offender and did not waste the time of the court.

Having realised the gravity of his action, he promised never to commit such an offence if given a second chance.

The judge, after listening to the plea, condemned his action and decried the effects of taking codeine by youths.

(NAN)
A criminal court in Cairo sentenced Ali Abdeen, a photographer for the news website El-Fagr, to two years in jail, according to his outlet.

Mr. Abdeen, who was sentenced on May 14 alongside 50 others, was convicted of inciting illegal protests, obstructing traffic, and publishing false news, according to news reports and the local press freedom group, Journalists Against Torture Observatory.

Mr. Abdeen, also known as Ali Beka, was arrested in downtown Cairo on April 25 while attempting to cover protests against an Egyptian government deal to hand control of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, according to reports.

After his sentencing, Mr. Abdeen was sent to prison to await his appeal, which is due to be heard on May 21, according to news reports.

Representatives from Mr. Abdeens news outlet, El-Fagr,presented testimony to the court that he was on assignment, covering the protests for the website at the time of his arrest.

Egyptian authorities insist on punishing the press for merely reporting the news while denying, with a straight face, that journalism is the reason for these arrests, said CPJs Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, Sherif Mansour. We call on Egyptian authorities to release Ali Abdeen immediately and to not contest his appeal.

At least 33 journalists were detained on April 25, but most have been released, according to the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, Journalists Against Torture Observatory, and Egyptian news websites.

In a report issued Sunday, the observatory said that on the day of the protests it documented 97 violations against journalists, including 46 detentions, 16 beatings, and 10 cases of equipment being confiscated.

Separately, in a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on May 11,Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry denied that journalists in Egypt were being arrested arbitrarily, according to reports.

Anyone who has been imprisoned has been imprisoned for having circumvented laws or having perpetrated violent activities, Mr. Shoukry said at the meeting, which had been convened to discuss how to counter extremist groups such as Islamic State.

Mr. Shoukry said that journalists who protested in Egypt against a raid by authorities onthe Egyptian Journalists Syndicate in Cairo earlier this month were harboring people who were inciting to assassinate the president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

In response to Mr. Shoukrys comments, two lawyers who arerepresenting the jailedY anair news website journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud al-Sakka, pointed out that the journalists had not been accused of inciting to assassinate the president,according to posts on the lawyers personal Facebook accounts and local media.

Messrs. Badr and al-Sakka were ordered to be detained for 15 days after being arrested on May 2 for allegedly inciting protests, attempting to overthrow the regime, and broadcasting false news with the aim of disturbing public peace.

The journalists, who were staging a sit-in protest at the time of their arrest, deny the accusations, their lawyers said. On Saturday, a criminal court renewed their detention for 15 more days, according to news reports.

Egypt was the second worst jailer of journalists worldwide, with 23 journalists behind bars, at the time of CPJs last prison census.
The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has warned Nigerians who are in possession of prohibited firearms to immediately surrender them to the police or be ready to face the law.

The police in a statement on Tuesday listed prohibited firearms, under the Firearms Act, to include artillery, apparatus for the discharge of any explosives or gas-diffusing projectile, revolvers and pistols, machine guns and machine pistols, rocket weapons and military rifles including those with calibre 7.62mm, 9mm, .300 inches and .303inches.

The statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole, said the police was concerned about the increasing proliferation and engagement of prohibited firearms that threatens security in parts of the country.

Ms. Kolawole said Mr. Arase has directed all the commissioners of police in their respective states, including the FCT, to activate mechanism for the mop-up of prohibited firearms within their Areas of Responsibility.

Furthermore, the Inspector General of Police urges persons in possession of non-prohibited firearms to immediately obtain or renew their licenses before July, 2016 by following the process on the requisite web link of the Nigeria Police Central Information Centre (NCIS), the statement said.

Mr. Arase, according to the statement, said the police would soon deploy its intelligence and operational assets to fish out, arrest, and bring to justice any person who fails to voluntarily surrender prohibited firearms in his possession, or fails to obtain or renew requisite licenses for non-prohibited firearms.

Such modalities shall include a reward system for informants whose information shall lead to the location and recovery of such weapons and arrest of the person in whose custody such illegal firearms are recovered, the statement said.
Concerned about the increasing proliferation and engagement of prohibited firearms that threatens security in parts of the country, and as part of initiatives aimed at ensuring adequate protection of lives and property of the citizens, the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has directed all commissioners of police in state commands and the FCT to activate mechanism for the mop-up of prohibited firearms within their areas of responsibility, Force Spokesperson, Olabisi Kolawole, said in a statement Tuesday.

For the avoidance of doubts, prohibited firearms under the Firearms Act include Artillery, Apparatus for the discharge of any explosives or gas-diffusing projectile, Revolvers and Pistols, Machine guns and Machine Pistols, Rocket Weapons and Military rifles including those with calibre 7.62mm, 9mm, .300 inches and .303inches, Mrs. Kolawole said.

She added, Furthermore, the Inspector General of Police urges persons in possession of non-prohibited firearms to immediately obtain or renew their licenses before July, 2016 by following the process on the requisite web link of the Nigeria Police Central Information Centre (NCIS) on www.npf.gov.ng.

He emphasises that the intelligence and operational assets of the Force will soon be deployed to fish out, arrest and bring to justice any person who fails to voluntarily surrender prohibited firearms in his/her possession or who fails to obtain/renew requisite licenses for non-prohibited firearms.

Such modalities shall include a reward system for informants whose information shall lead to the location and recovery of such weapons and arrest of the person in whose custody such illegal firearms are recovered.

The IGP calls on all citizens to sustain their cooperation with the Nigeria Police in the task of keeping the country safe while assuring the Force will continue to diligently work towards eliminating any threat to internal security and assures Nigerians of its commitment to their safety and security.
U.S. assistant secretary of state is already in Moscow

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland is visiting Moscow, the U.S. Embassy has said.

Press secretary of the U.S. Embassy to Russia William Stevens told Interfax that Mrs. Nuland had arrived in Moscow.

Earlier in the day the U.S. Department of State reported that Nuland "will meet with senior Russian government officials to discuss the situation in eastern Ukraine and next steps to implement the Minsk agreements in support of the Normandy countries and the Trilateral Contact Group."

A number of sources said a possibility of Nuland's meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was being considered.
The Senate has withdrawn the Frivolous Petition Bill sponsored by Bala Ibn NaAllah.

The controversial bill was seen as an attempt to restrict freedom of expression.

The withdrawal of the bill followed the report of the upper chambers Committee on Human Rights and Legal Matters submitted by David Umar on Tuesday.

The report made it clear the bill amounted to violation of citizens rights, and contradicted extant laws, imposing duty of investigation on petitioners and serving as stumbling block to the fight against corruption.

The introduction of the bill, last year, by lawmakers who frequently come under media spotlight because of huge salary they draw despite relatively low output, sparked widespread outrage across the country.

The intendment of the bill, Mr. Umaru said, while presenting his report, was to check upsurge of frivolous petitions and publications in the social media.

However, he noted that, by implication, the bill would tacitly impose on the petitioners the work of investigation.

Stressing that the bill could repress citizens rights and recalling opposition of stakeholders to the bill during the public hearing attended by media and civil society organisations, Mr. Umaru urged the Senate to jettison the bill.

Any law perceived as infringing citizens righhts should be jettisoned, Mr. Umaru stressed. The passage of the bill cannot be supported as it will affect anti-corruption war of the Government. It will do more harm than good.

He also submitted that a passage of the bill would mean contradiction or duplication of extant laws including those of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and related offences Commission, terrorism prohibition and defamation.

He added that the bills proposal to restrict usage of text messages, tweets, WhatsApp to transfer any abusive statement, was unnecessary as electronic media tools were already regulated by the Nigerian Communication Commission.

Therefore, reading the recommendation of the Committee, Mr. Umaru negatively reported that the bill be withdrawn by the Senate to safeguard democracy and citizens freedom of expression.

The report was adopted by the Senate after gaining favourable voice vote called by the Ike Ekweremadu, deputy Senate President.

But before the adoption, Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi State) and Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio (PDP-Akwa-Ibom), spoke in support of rejection of the bill citing public opinion, democracy, and the need to protect whistle-blowers.

In his remarks, Mr. Ekweremadu said the rejection of the bill by the Senate, buckling under public pressure, showed that initiation of a bill did not translate to passage.
The National Industrial Court has restrained the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress from going ahead with their planned strike to protest the hike in price of petrol.

The court gave the order on Tuesday while ruling on an ex-parte motion brought by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

The order will last for seven days though it is subject to renewal.

The organized labour had threatened to begin a nationwide strike in protest against the federal government decision to increase the pump price of petrol from N86.50k to N145.

But Mr. Malami, while moving the ex-parte application, told the court that the strike was not in the national interest if NLC was allowed to shut down the country.

He cited Section 14 of the 1999 Constitution as amended to justify his application.

The AGF argued that no amount of damages could serve as compensation if NLC was allowed to shut down the economy and that the balance of convenient was in favour of the government.

Mr. Malami recounted that the organized labour met last Saturday and issued a communique giving the federal government a three-day ultimatum to reverse the decision increasing fuel price.

According to him, the ordinary and law abiding citizens would be subjected to hardship if the unions were allowed to go ahead with the industrial action and that government was left with no alternative but to seek the intervention of the court.

The AGF further explained that he got notice of the communique on Sunday, a day after the meeting and quickly filed an originating summons, together with motion on notice and an exparte application to determine whether NLCs decision was justified in the circumstance.

He asked the NIC to determine, Whether the respondents (NLC, Trade Union Congress) have complied with the laid down condition precedent for embarking on strike, and Whether indeed there exist in law and in fact the basis of which the respondents total closure of the economy can be justified.

Giving the ruling, the judge, Babatunde Adejumo, asked the labour unions not to embark on the strike pending the hearing and determination of the motion.

The defendants are hereby restrained from carrying out the threat contained in their communique issued on May 14, 2016 pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed on May 16, he said.

It is the order of this court that status quo be maintained as at May 17.

It is the order of this court that none of the parties shall engage in any act, conduct, overtly, covertly on this matter pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Mr. Adejumo also ordered that the unions should be served with the processes in the case within 24 hours.

He however transferred the hearing of the substantive suit to a different judge of the NIC, saying that he would be busy at the National Judicial Council when it would be heard.

Stating that he would have liked government and the labour unions to resolve the matter amicably, Mr. Adejumo noted that he was compelled to issue the restraining order because the unions were not yet before him.

He explained that he gave the order to stop the strike because he did not want Nigerians to face hardship as a result of the strike.

I decided to take this case this morning because it is on an issue that will affect everybody, he said.

I dont want people to be subjected to hardship. There will be scarcity of foods, people may die, students will engage in all sorts of activities. This is why I have to grant this order.
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called on the Nigerian masses and civil society to protest the new petrol price despite an order of Industrial Court stopping planned strike action by the organized labour.

But the group said Nigerians should ignore the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, accusing them, and the government, of insincerity.

We are taken aback that the federal government could hurriedly obtain a judgment from the Industrial Court, with readiness to enforce same overnight while the government is yet to obey many other court orders against it, CNPP said in a statement issued on Tuesday, jointly signed by its national Chairman, Balarabe Musa and the Secretary General, Willy Ezugwu.

For instance, the PRP was deregistered as a political party by the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) and a court of competent jurisdiction ordered its re-registration but the INEC is yet to obey the order.

Today, the federal government selects which court judgment to obey and the ones against it are discountenanced.

We reiterate our call on all well-meaning Nigerians and the civil society to ignore the Labour unions and protest against the unjustifiable pump price increment in their numbers.

The CNPP suspects that the Industrial Court judgment was obtained by the federal government in connivance with the labour unions to ambush the Nigerian masses and deny them their constitutional rights to hold opinion, freedom of expression and association.

Recall that the CNPP had earlier warned Nigerian people to ignore the Labour unions because our findings showed that they have been compromised and would eventually betray Nigerians as they did in 2012.

The order of the Industrial Court stopping the unions planned strike puts a question mark on the sincerity of both the labour unions and the feral government.

But the government and the unions must be made aware that the Nigerian people are unstoppable despite their glaring conspiracy against the wishes of the people, the statement read.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has said that it had left the extradition processes of Buruji Kashamu to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

Muhammad Abdallah, the NDLEA Chairman, told PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday that the agency is under the control of the AGFs office.

Mr. Abdallah spoke at the donation of 11 pick-up trucks and vans to the NDLEA by the United States government.

Mr. Kashamu, a Peoples Democratic Party Senator representing Ogun East, is wanted in the United States for alleged drug offences.

Mr. Kashamu and the NDLEA were involved in a long drama in June last year after armed operatives of the agency laid siege at his home for two weeks.

Mr. Kashamus lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede, told a federal court that Mr. Kashamu hid in his apartments toilet for six days as 20 masked operatives of the NDLEA took over his bedroom.

It took the nullification of the NDLEAs provisional warrant of arrest by a federal court, weeks later, before the agencys officials left the senators home.

Last February, a federal court in Abuja restrained the AGF and the NDLEA from taking further steps to harass, detain, or abduct Mr. Kashamu.

The NDLEA is not harassing Buruji Kashamu, Mr. Abdallah, a retired Colonel, told PREMIUM TIMES.

We are an agency under the Attorney-General, once the Attorney General is involved in a matter we are, we must necessarily step aside for him.

There are no two governments in Nigeria. The NDLEA is not an independent organisation, its an organisation under the Attorney General. The Attorney General is handling that, so we have nothing to say.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that it will repeat its congresses in seven states where it encountered challenges during the conduct of the exercises.

The Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, announced the decision in a communique issued at the end of the 71st meeting of PDP National Executives Committee (NEC) held in Abuja on Tuesday.

He listed some of the states affected as Sokoto, Zamfara, Lagos, Yobe and Anambra.

These congresses will be revisited unless the leaders and people affected look at it and resolve to the satisfaction of everybody, otherwise the congresses will be repeated, Sheriff said.

He said NEC with the Board of Trustees (BoT) resolved that the party would hold its national convention in Port-Harcourt on Saturday as planned.

We also resolved that at the convention NEC will take a resolution that the partys presidential candidate will come from the north.

We also state that the PDP national chairmanship position will go to the southern part of the country after our partys presidential candidate wins the election, he added.

The NEC also called on the Federal Government and the anti-graft agencies to investigate other political parties 2015 general elections campaign funds, he said.

Mr. Sheriff said that the committee observed that only PDP members, no fewer than 20, were being arrested over campaign funding.

We believe that PDP is not the only party that went for the election; we are also calling on the government and its anti-graft agencies to investigate other political parties campaign funds, he said.

(NAN)
President Muhammadu Buharis wife, Aisha, on Tuesday in Abuja, presented N55 million cheque to parents of Chibok school girls and Buni Yadi school boys, who were abducted and murdered respectively by Boko Haram.

Mrs. Buhari presented a cheque of N30 million to parents of the Chibok girls and N25 million cheque to parents of the Buni Yadi boys.

She said the presentation of the cheque was part of her promise that proceeds from the book she launched on Essentials of Beauty Therapy would be used to empower parents of the Chibok girls and Buni Yadi boys.

She said, The day I launched my book, I promised that the proceed will be used to empower the parents of missing Chibok girls and the Buni Yadi boys.

And I am here today to present a cheque of N30 million to empower the parents of the girls and also a cheque of N25 million to empower the parents of the murdered Bunu Yadi boys.

Mrs. Buhari said the rest of the proceed would be used to take care of Internally Displaced malnourished children.

Vice President Yemi Osibanjos wife, Dolapo, commended Mrs. Buhari for the gesture, saying this shows the quality of a good leader.

On her part, Asabe Bashir, member, House of Representatives for Gwoza and Damboa constituency, commended the Federal Government for putting more efforts toward finding the missing girls.

She said government attached great importance to the issue of Chibok girls and security of the country and that is why people could move around freely in the country today.

She said the missing Chibok girls case was a global issue as the whole world was involved to ensured that they were found and reunited with their parents.

The Chairman of Abducted Chibok Girls Parents, Yakubu Nkeki, said 19 of the more than 200 parents of the missing Chibok girls had died.

He urged the government to put extra effort to get back the girls soon in good health, saying we, the parents of the girls are not happy about the situation as over two years now we didnt hear anything about their whereabouts.

He, however, commended the government for all efforts toward finding the girls and bringing peace to the North East as many in the region had returned home, adding that they still believe that the girls are alive.

Now, we can sleep in our houses peacefully without any attack by the insurgents in the Chibok area. This is a clear indication that insurgency will soon come to an end, he said.

The wife of the vice president received the cheque on behalf of the parent of the Chibok girls, while the Minister for State, Foreign Affairs, Khadijat Bukar, received the cheque on behalf of the parents of the Buni Yadi boys.

(NAN)
AN APPEAL FOR OUR COMMISSIONS TO BE PAID FOR FACILITATING THE SALE OF 80 TRILLION METRIC TONNES OF LPFO

ATTENTION:

The GMD (NNPC)/ Minister of State (Petroleum)

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

The Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China

The Central Bank of Nigeria

The Department of State Security Services

The Nigeria Police

Mr. President, we refer to the subject matter.

Mr. President, we refer to the subject matter.

We had in an earlier letter, written to your office pleading for your assistance in prevailing on Mr. Ibrahim Bature (CEO of Alkhairi Oil Plus Limited whose address is Plot 14, Trans Amadi Layout, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, whom we can authoritatively say has blatantly refused to pay us our due following a completed transaction involving the sale and purchase of 80 trillion metric comes of LPFO (Low Pour Fuel Oil) between the Nigeria National Petroleum corporation (The seller) and Huang BO Hai Petro-chemical Industries of China (The Buyer).

The world over, just like in any business transaction, the sale and purchase of Petro-chemical and other oil products, is done through a network of facilitators who ensure a smooth transaction.

In our case, we received information through verifiable means of the interest of one Huang Bo Hai Petrochemical Industries Limited of China, to purchase as much quantities of LPFO as available in Nigeria. We thereafter proceeded to network amongst registered facilitators of oil business in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria, and were able to put together a total of 80 trillion metric tonnes which the NNPC was willing to sell off through their agent Alkhairi Oil Plus Limited.

A series of negotiations followed thereafter and when we were satisfied, especially after getting confirmation from various documents emanating from Huang Bo Hai Industries of China, the NNPC, Alkhairi Oil Plus, and other related corporate organizations, we surrendered all allocations of LPFO as we had sourced and the documents for same to Alkhairi Oil Plus Limited. We like to point to you at this point that negotiations for this transaction began in March of 2014 and came to a close in June of 2015.

Mr. President, for the avoidance of doubt, you can request the documents relating to this transaction from Mr. Melee Kyari, the Group General Manager (Crude Oil Marketing Department) of the NNPC, or, we are very ready to avail you, same at your request. Mr. Melee Kyari is very conversant with this transaction.

Mr. President, the crux of this petition is that, though we are very aware of the consummation of this transaction, we became very shocked when Mr. Ibrahim Bature, the CEO of Alkhairi Oil Plus Limited came out to inform us that the said transaction did not take place.

Mr. president, following Mr. Ibrahim Batures claim, we as facilitators to this transaction launched our investigation which not only revealed that the transaction took place, but Huang Bo Hai had already began lifting of the products, and we dare say that, we know of one of such times which was logged in to have been on the 27th of January 2016.

When we confronted Mr. Ibrahim Bature with this claim, Mr. Bature only resorted to threats of various kinds. Mr. Ibrahim Bature told us to go to hell, and asked us to report the matter to whatever constituted authorities or otherwise. Mr. Ibrahim Bature kept dropping your name, and saying there was nothing any Nigerian alive can do to him.

Following such a bold bluff, we enlisted the services of one Miss. Adanne Ajaelu, a senior official of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abuja, to help not only verify Mr. Ibrahim Bature claim, but also appeal to him for understanding. Miss. Ajaelus investigation led her to Mr. Melee. Kyari, the Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Department (The GGM COMD) office.

During the very first interface with the GGMCOMD, Mr. Kyari personally expressed shock that facilitators to this transaction had not been paid.

Mr. Kyari said he was very aware of this transaction and thought by now, all parties had parted ways satisfied. Upon clarification by Miss. Ajaelu that parties to this transaction had not been paid, the GGMCOMD who said he personally knew the CEO of Alkhari oil plus, put a call through to Mr. Bature. He demanded from Mr. Bature, the status of the transaction, for which Mr. Bature asked that he needed to physically come and offer explanations to the GGMCOMD.

Mr. Kyari asked Miss Ajaelu to wait for Mr. Bature who apparently was coming over to the GGMCOMD office. Hours after, and failing to arrive, Mr. Kyari proposed a second meeting. At a second meeting however with Mr. Ibrahim Bature in attendance, the story had changed.

Mr. Bature in the presence of Mr. Kyari, rather denied that the transaction took place. He demanded of Miss Ajaelu, any and all related documents to the said transaction. We had provided all related documents to Miss Ajaelu, who showed same to Mr. Bature. Mr. Bature, according to the journalist, subsequently acknowledged all the documents as authentic but turned around to demand a document titled, The certificate of unblock funds.

This document however, is the principal which shows that monies have been released and received concerning the transaction and which naturally should only be in the possession of the seller (NNPC) and or their agent, as well as the buyer (Huang Bo Hai) and or their agent as well as receiving organizations like the banks of both seller and buyer.

Mr. President, we have even gone to the extent of approaching the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in Abuja, and even though our communication with them began on the 4th of April 2016, authorities of the Chinese Embassy have deliberately become elusive in answering our queries.

Mr. President, one great worry that we have about this whole transaction is that, it is possible that what was due to the coffers of the Federal Government of Nigeria through this transaction may have gone to private pockets. In the light of this dangerous possibility we appeal to you on the following.

That you demand a proper explanation from the authorities of the NNPC, the status of this transaction. If the transaction did occur, were the proceeds meant for the FGN paid to the appropriate authorities? If the transaction did occur, ALL facilitators as captured in the build up to this transaction he paid their due. That appropriate sanctions be placed on whoever attempted to subvert the course of such a formal and international business. That Mr. Ibrahim Bature, the CEO of Alkhairi Oil Plus Limited, who also claims to be a retired General in the Nigerian Army, be made to sign an undertaking as to the safety of all of our members whom he has threatened with even death. That the Commission of inquiry which we believe you will set up, invite all the parties involved to make bold their claims as well as present to you, their facts on the matter.

We are constrained to resort to you as a last option because we believe in your stance for fairness and justice.

We appeal that you commission a committee of people with integrity as strict as yours to look into this matter.

Thank you Mr. President.

We believe that in you, a new Nigeria is possible.

For and on behalf of all facilitators

Barr. Udeze Kenneth

Anukwuem Solicitors and Advocates,

Suite C15 PEB 04 Plaza Wuse Zone 5,

Abuja Nigeria.

Tel: +234 706 727 7005

***SPONSORED***
A former military governor of old Kaduna State and frontline activist, Dangiwa Umar, has expressed full support for the new supply and pricing framework for petroleum products introduced by the federal government last week.

The deregulation policy saw the price of petrol skyrocketing from N86 per litre to N145.

The announcement of the new policy was received with mixed reactions by Nigerians with some supporting and others opposing.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has already announced its readiness to embark on strike on Wednesday if the government does not revert to the old price.

However, workers union in the oil and gas sector, NUPENG and PENGASSAN, expressed support for the governments decision.

Mr. Umar, a retired Colonel of the Nigerian Army, in a statement on Monday said he fully support this needful policy.

The statement, which was signed by Mr. Umar, on behalf of the Movement for Unity and Progress, MUP, said he was backing the deregulation policy because the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), suffers from an abject lack of capacity to meet the astronomical rise in demand for fuel products.

He said the corporations inability to meet the nations petrol demand was due to the serial failure of past administrations in the country to expand and maintain the decaying downstream oil infrastructure

He also identified the remarkable tendency of Nigerian public officials to mismanage public enterprises which creates all sorts of system malfunctions and failures as another factor. He also cited the failure by the Nigerian authorities to maintain refineries, oil pipelines, storage facilities, distribution system and corruption-ridden subsidy regimes as reason the deregulation policy was necessary.

As a result, humongous amount of public funds has been deployed in the sustenance of this wasteful system with dubious benefits to the general public, Mr. Umar said.

This leaves government with no alternative than to direct its meager resources in the provision of other more beneficial and essential social services like education and health.

Obviously, offering subsidy on petrol cannot be the only assistance government can render citizens, he said.

Mr. Umar said his decision to support the policy does not in any way seek to deny the right of others to disagree.

He said he understood and respected the rights of those equally well meaning Nigerians who have already made public their dissension.

He, however, challenged those opposed to the policy to justify their disagreement by providing better options supported by facts and figures.

We also have a duty to appeal to them not to derail a beneficial and well-intentioned policy out of a desire for cheap popularity, while creating more economic hardship for the very people they need to protect, Mr. Umar said.
I am truly delighted with this opportunity to share my thoughts on the Alliances future here in Rome, at the NATO Defense College, on the eve of the Warsaw Summit. Let me express my appreciation to the NDC authorities for the invitation and the kind words of introduction.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This year the NATO Defense College celebrates a double anniversary  65 years since its inception and 50 years of its presence in Rome. Throughout all these years NDC has played an important role both in educating NATO civilian and military leaders, and in promoting cooperation, interoperability and unity among Allies.

It is a great privilege and pleasure to address people who on a daily basis contribute to the allied security by improving their skills and knowledge. I think that it would be highly inappropriate to lecture you on strategic, operational, logistic or any other aspects of purely military nature. After all, you know a lot more about this stuff than myself. Therefore, let me share with some thoughts about security in NATO`s territory from the perspective of a politician.

Europe is facing a radical change in the international security environment, both in its Eastern and Southern neighborhood. The annexation of Crimea and aggression in Eastern Ukraine have undermined the foundations of European security, that is: respect for international law, internal sovereignty and territorial integrity. Simultaneously, instability in North Africa and the Middle East results in growing terrorist threats and generates a continuous flow of migrants into Europe. These threats and challenges remind us that we need to stay strong and united to preserve our security, our values and our way of living.

In this spirit, the upcoming NATO Summit in Warsaw needs to send a clear and loud signal of our cohesion, political will and ability to defend our freedom and to promote stability. There is one Alliance and equal security for all its members is a must. However, as Allies, we also bear major responsibility for shaping security outside our borders.

This is why the NATO Summit in Warsaw must have a universal agenda, offering response to the full spectrum of challenges to the allied security, no matter which direction they are coming from. Three aspects of the comprehensive Warsaw Summit agenda seem to be critically important to me.

First, we have to ensure an absolute credibility of defense and deterrence. This is the bedrock of NATO and an indispensable foundation for any other activities undertaken by the Alliance.

Second, we should remain open for dialogue even with those, who do not share our values. While today a truly constructive engagement with such countries might be hard to achieve, we should still be striving for a more predictable coexistence with all European states.

Third, we need to advance our open door and partnerships policy. Since the end of the Cold War NATOs outreach has been a real success story. We should keep the momentum and further develop cooperative arrangements with all partners willing to work with us.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

NATO must be able to fully implement the well known concept of the indivisibility of Allied security. In order to do so, we need to strengthen the defense and deterrence of the Alliance.

At the 2014 Wales Summit we decided to bolster NATO`s readiness and responsiveness. In Warsaw we should continue with this process, but we also need to take a step forward. We need to establish an enhanced forward presence of NATO troops and defense infrastructure on the Eastern Flank. Let me be very open about it: given the current security situation, it is only through a real presence that we are able to guarantee real defense and deterrence.

I hope that solutions worked-out in Warsaw on that matter will be both militarily effective and politically acceptable for all Allies. And let me stress that in this endeavor Poland is not merely a recipient, but also a provider of capabilities aimed at strengthening NATO`s Eastern Flank.We have fulfilled the Wales Pledge with a defense spending of 2% of our GDP. Currently were pursuing the modernization of our Armed Forces. We are actively participating in the Assurance measures in the Baltic States including Baltic Air Policing mission.

It is also crucial for NATO to keep up and develop a full spectrum of measures to tackle complex challenges from the South. This should include adjusting NATO capabilities to deter non-state actors but also continuing our engagement in crisis response operations, such as the one currently conducted in the Aegean See. Poland fully recognizes how serious these challenges are.

Finally, at the Warsaw Summit we need to declare our readiness to increase defense spending. This is a sign of the Alliances credibility. Without adequate resources, we will simply not deliver, neither on deterrence nor on defense.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We do not intend to isolate Russia. We have no interest in coming back to the Cold War. The balance of fear is not a good recipe for shaping contemporary international relations.

We need a focused dialogue to reduce the risk of miscalculation, to avoid conflicts and to increase predictability in our relations. But the nature and scope of NATO-Russia dialogue should in no way undermine NATOs deterrence and collective defense arrangements. We need to bear in mind that in order to have a constructive engagement, this dialogue must be based on the principle of international law and respect for territorial integrity of all states. Otherwise, the dialogue will simply boil down to an empty word.

I very much hope that at the Warsaw Summit we will be able to agree on such a pragmatic approach. An approach based on a sober analysis rather than on over-optimistic illusions. With the latter ones so often interpreted as a sign of weakness in the history of Europe, and hence provoking an aggression.

The Warsaw Summit should also open a new chapter in relations with our partners. Both those willing and able to act with us, as well as those who need our assistance in building resilience against threats and challenges in our Eastern and Southern neighborhood.

Montenegros accession to NATO is going to be a visible proof that the door to our Alliance does remain open. It is an important factor contributing to stability of the whole Western Balkans and the aspirant countries from other regions.

I believe that in Warsaw we will manage to adopt a comprehensive defense support package for Ukraine and will further strengthen our relations with Georgia and Moldova. On the other hand, we need to better connect with partners from North Africa and the Middle East. Defense Capacity Initiative offers new opportunities in this regard, which should be fully exploited by all Allies, including Poland. I am sure that the southern dimension of Alliance`s cooperative security efforts will be adequately addressed at the Warsaw Summit.

Obviously, from the Polish perspective, the Northern partners, namely Finland and Sweden, are of special importance. They have been with us in all NATO-led missions and operations. They constitute an integral, indispensable part of European Defense within the European Union. To my mind, it is in the best interest of the Alliance to develop special, tailored relations with them. The upcoming Summit provides an opportunity to go down that path.

For the last decades weve managed to establish a strong and firm transatlantic bond within the Alliance. No doubt that the extraordinary engagement and commitment of the United States of America is crucial for European security. However, in Warsaw we should also take note of a real progress in cooperation between NATO and the European Union. Not only because the Summit is scheduled just two weeks after the European Council. I strongly believe that NATO and the EU should work hand in hand in addressing security challenges such as the migration crisis, terrorism, hybrid threats, cyber defense or energy security. I am aware of political obstacles and deadlocks that have prevented us, for years, from fully exploiting the potential of the strategic partnership between our two organizations. Nevertheless, I believe that common sense will eventually prevail and hopefully, the Warsaw Summit will lay the foundation for such a change.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There are less than two months left to the Warsaw Summit. As Head of the host country, Ive been visiting our Allies for a couple of months now to get acquainted with their perspectives and expectations. The discussions and meetings I`ve had, make me optimistic about the success of the Summit and its truly meaningful results. We just need to remember about the core principles of our Alliance. Having said it in Washington, I will also repeat it in Rome: We are strong and effective only when we act together and stand at each others side.

But I also know that Warsaw is not the end of the journey. It is just a stage, not the final destination on the path of NATO`s strategic adaptation. Defense and deterrence, dialogue, as well as NATO partnerships will continue to top our post-Summit agenda.

As I indicated at the outset of my speech, I am hopeful that the NATO Defense College will help us to shape and implement that agenda.

Thank you very much for your attention.
President Xi says this is key to overall and long-term health of the economy

President Xi Jinping urged on Monday to "resolutely push forward supply-side structural reform" as the world's second-largest economy still faces strong headwinds, reflected by its easing economic indicators for April.

The reform is the key to the overall and long-term well-being of the Chinese economy, he told a meeting of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs. The Chinese economy faces cyclical problems as well as challenges of scale, but the structural and supply-side problems are the most serious, he was quoted by China Central Television as saying.

"The main direction (of the reform) is to reduce ineffective supply, increase effective supply, and make the supply structure more fitting to the demand structure," he said.

The core of the reform is to push the reform of State-owned enterprises, accelerate the transformation of government functions, and deepen fundamental reforms, such as those in the pricing, fiscal and taxation, financial and pension fields, the president added.

The market and government should both better play their roles to balance the reforms, he said.

Xi made the comments following publication of an article by People's Daily on May 9 citing an "authoritative figure" who analyzed the causes of China's economic woes and offered the prescription of supply-side reform.

On May 10, People's Daily published the text of a speech that Xi delivered to principal ministerial and provincial officials in January, when he had said that China's economic future will hinge on supply-side structural reforms.

"Xi's reiteration of supply-side structural reform reflects policymakers' judgment of the current situation," said Dong Yuping, an economist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "Supply-side structural reform is the key to solving the problems facing the economy," he told China Daily.

Supply-side reform, which should focus on "allowing the market to play a decisive role", must be pushed to add to the long-term vitality of the Chinese economy, said Dong.

Niu Fengrui, director of the Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China has yet to effectively implement the supply-side reform agenda. "That's why Xi has repeatedly called for strengthening of efforts to push the reform," Niu said.

China's economic growth dipped to 6.9 percent last year, the slowest in 25 years. Although economic indicators showed a mild rebound in the first quarter, the April data show the momentum of recovery has eased.
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.




Photo taken on the morning of May 16th, 2016 shows Apple CEO Tim Cook walking into an Apple Store in Wangfujing, downtown Beijing with Didi president Liu Qing. [Photo: Tim Cook's Weibo Post]

Apple CEO Tim Cook is currently in Beijing to meet with business partners.

He was spotted with Liu Qing, head of China's leading taxi hailing and hitching service provider Didi Monday morning and walking into an Apple Store in Wangfujing, downtown Beijing.

Sources say they shared a random hitch using Didi's hailing service.

Apple last week invested 1 billion U.S. dollars in the ride-hailing platform Didi Chuxing.

Apple has invested heavily to expand its presence in China through Apple stores, environmental initiatives, and supply chains.

The latest Didi investment suggests the U.S. company is placing greater focus on app developers in China, now its second largest market.

Cook is also reportedly to meet high-level government officials and several internet companies while here in China.
New Approach to Communicating Value of Drugs and Devices

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- 3D Communications and SolemEU www.3dcommunications.us/solemeu have entered into a joint venture to help pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies develop and successfully communicate their value proposition to key stakeholders  including payers, physicians, patients and policymakers.

The joint venture expands 3D's Market Access and Value Communications services throughout Europe. It leverages SolemEU's proven international market access track record and their network of senior executives experienced in developing and executing pricing, reimbursement, and market access strategies.

"The strategic alliance with SolemEU comes at a critical time for the pharmaceutical and device industries, as the prices of products are increasingly under fire," said 3D Communications' founding partner Cindy DiBiasi. "We believe the old way of justifying the price of a drug or device and communicating its value is obsolete. The current environment demands strong communication. We have developed a new approach to ensure a product's value proposition is based in both economic reality and what stakeholders perceive as valuable."

The process moves beyond traditional market access approaches. It utilizes a three-dimensional method that assesses how the complex stakeholder environment, local market realities, and the evolution of treatment interact, and ultimately influence, a product's value proposition.

3D Communications and SolemEU's Market Access and Value Communications service is built on experience and insights gained from 20 years of working with both small and large healthcare companies, associations and stakeholder groups around the world.

"By combining 3D's expertise in strategy and effective communications, with SolemEU's experience in health economics and market access strategies throughout Europe, we will be able to provide clients with a more practical, thoughtful approach to an evolving and challenging global marketplace," said SolemEU principal Peter Zadutke.

3D Communications is a strategic communications firm, offering a comprehensive and integrated approach to defining, supporting, and justifying value supported by effective communications. Our integrated suite of communications services ensures message consistency across all levels of an organization and throughout all stages of product development. www.3dcommunications.us

SolemEU is an international market entry advisory firm offering strategy development, data generation, stakeholder testing and preparations in Europe for HTA interactions and dossier submission  leading to a credible Value Story and high-value reimbursement. www.solemeu.com

Related Links

http://www.solemeu.com



SOURCE 3D Communications
PUNE, India, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

According to the new market research report on the "Audio Codec Market by Component (Hardware and Software), Channel Type (Mono-Codec, Stereo Codec, and Multi-channel Codec), Compression Type (Non-Compression, Lossless Compression, and Lossy Compression), Application, & Geography - Global Forecast to 2022", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market is expected to reach USD 7.44 Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 4.3% between 2016 and 2022.

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

Browse 64 market data Tables and 63 Figures spread through 146 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Audio Codec Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/audio-codec-market-225395818.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

The most significant factor driving the audio codec market is the increasing mobile phone and tablet adoption. Increasing consumer electronic products and passenger car infotainment are the other factors driving the growth of audio codec market.

Growing mobile phone and tablet adoption increases the demand for audio codec.

Mobile phones and tablets held the largest share of the Audio Codec Market in 2016. This growth can be attributed to the huge demand for mobile phones and tablets. The rising middle class population and improved disposable income and availability of mobile phones and tablets at a low cost are the driving factors for the growth of mobile phones and tablets.

Software accounts almost three-fourth times more market share than the hardware

The software licensing is done at many stages for the same product. First the audio codec IC manufacturer gets the licensing for the usage of audio codec software. The device manufacturer or the system integrator then has to again buy the license from the software vendor to use their software-embedded hardware IC in their product.

Asia-Pacific is the major consumer of audio codec market

APAC is expected to hold the largest share of the total audio codec market in 2016. The APAC region has emerged as a major manufacturing hub for the consumer electronic industry; this has led to the majority of the market share, in terms of audio codec consumption volume, for both hardware as well as software.

The report also profiles the most promising players in the audio codec market. The competitive landscape of the market presents a very interesting picture where a large number of big and small players have become a force to reckon with. The key players in the audio codec market are Cirrus Logic, Inc. (U.S.), Texas Instruments Inc. (U.S.), STMicroelectronics N.V (Switzerland), Qualcomm Inc. (U.S.), Analog Devices, Inc. (U.S.) and Maxim Integrated Products Inc. (U.S.), Realtek Semiconductor Corp. (Taiwan), Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.), Fraunhofer IIS (Germany), and Technicolor SA (France) among others.

Inquiry Before Buying: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=225395818

The report articulates the drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities with respect to the audio codec market and forecast the market till 2022. The report also gives a qualitative and quantitative description about different segments considered for audio codec market. This global report gives a detailed view of the market across the four geographical regions, namely, the Americas, Europe, APAC, and RoW.

Browse Related Reports

Wireless Audio Market by Product (Soundbar, Speaker, Headphones, Headset), Technology (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Sonos, AirPlay), Application (Home Audio, Consumer, Automotive, Commercial) and Geography - Global Forecast to 2022

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/wireless-audio-device-market-1275.html

Semiconductor IP Market by Form Factor (ICs IP, SOCs IP), Design Architecture (IP cores (Hard IP, Soft IP), Standard IP, Custom IP, Processor Design), Processor Type (Microprocessor, DSP), Verification IP - Global forecast to 2022

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/semiconductor-silicon-intellectual-property-ip-market-651.html

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
PEORIA, Illinois, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

#End headline

#Begin release #Begin Wide Release

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT / NYSE Euronext: CATR) informs its stockholders that today, a Form 8-K has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") with respect to financial information.

Caterpillar files electronically with the SEC required reports on Form 8-K, Form 10-Q, Form 10-K and Form 11-K; proxy materials; ownership reports for insiders as required by Section 16(a) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and registration statements on Forms S-3 and S-8, as necessary; and other forms or reports, as required. All of the forms and reports filed electronically with the SEC are available on the SEC Internet site (http://www.sec.gov ).

Caterpillar also maintains an Internet site (http://www.Caterpillar.com) and copies of its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to these reports filed or furnished with the SEC are available free of charge through Caterpillar's Internet site (http://www.Caterpillar.com/secfilings ) as soon as reasonably practicable after the relevant document has been filed with the SEC.

CONTACT: Rachel Potts, Corporate Public Affairs, +1-309-675-6892

#End release





This is a disclosure announcement from PR Newswire.

SOURCE Caterpillar Inc.
Former Sabre Travel executive's hiring expands CellPoint Mobile's footprint in the Middle East to serve a booming airline market

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CellPoint Mobile (www.cellpointmobile.com), a global payments and mobile commerce solutions provider to the airline and transportation industries, has hired veteran travel and payments expert Noel Connolly to serve as the company's Vice President of Sales in the MEA region.

Connolly will oversee strategic sales and account management in the Middle East and Africa from a newly opened Dubai office at Swiss Tower, 34th Floor, Jumeirah Lakes Tower as part of the company's rapid growth and commitment to clients across the Middle East.

Connolly comes to CellPoint Mobile from a five-year Sabre career as Airline Sales Director for Sabre Travel Networks and partner in Sabre's Airline Solutions division, as well as four years as sales and IT account manager at Dubai-based Dnata-Mercator. Previously, he held product, sales and strategy roles at Xerox and Computershare. Emirates, based in Dubai, is one of CellPoint Mobile's major airline clients.

CellPoint Mobile continues global expansion

"We are excited to have someone of Noel's caliber and experience join our company and support our Middle East and African operations," said CEO Kristian Gjerding. "Noel's expertise with airline distribution, enterprise-level solutions and the MEA market is a valuable asset for both our company and our clients as they adopt and deploy mobile commerce and payment solutions."

The opening of the Middle East office is part of CellPoint Mobile's global expansion.

"We want to be close to our customers so we can support them locally," Gjerding noted. "Noel is the first of several new team members in this region, and we will add solution specialists and delivery capabilities to ensure that our clients experience CellPoint Mobile's trademark high level of service and fast time to market for solutions."

CellPoint Mobile develops and supports robust payment and omnichannel digital commerce solutions that help airlines, transportation firms and global companies manage the complex payments ecosystem. It promotes a "mobile-first" mindset for airlines as the marketplace and passengers' behaviors shift toward mobile payments, transactions and communications.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Africa and the Middle East led all global regions in February 2016 for airline revenue per passenger (11.6% Africa, 11% Middle East) and passenger demand (12.7% Africa, 11.3% Middle East).

To interview Gjerding or find out more about CellPoint Mobile's Dubai operations, please contact Vanessa Horwell at +44.203.807.3735 or vhorwell@thinkinkpr.com.

About CellPoint Mobile: Making Travel Payments Easier

CellPoint Mobile helps airlines around the world navigate and own the complex payments ecosystem from beginning to end, regardless of their passengers' preferred currency, payment method, device or channel. With offices in London, Miami, Copenhagen, Pune and Dubai, CellPoint Mobile serves global and regional airlines. The company's recently published white paper, "The Mobile Payments Imperative for Global Airlines: Outlook 2016" can be downloaded here.

Media Contact

Vanessa Horwell, ThinkInk

+44.203.807.3735

vhorwell@thinkinkpr.com

Related Links

http://www.cellpointmobile.com



SOURCE CellPoint Mobile
NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Improving Regulatory Framework and Increasing Number of Exemptions Being Granted for Expanding Applications for Drones to Drive Commercial Drone Market Over Next Five Years

According to TechSci Research report, "Global Commercial Drone Market By Drone Type, By Application, By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021", rotary blade drone segment dominated the global commercial drone market in 2015, on account of its various technical features and benefits that enable these drones to perform intensely in photography, mapping, oil & gas sector and mining industry. Moreover, continuing growth of the global mining market, which was valued at around USD1.5 trillion in 2015 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 7% during 2016-2021, is expected to further boost the prospects of commercial utilization of drones in the mining sector over the next five years. Rotary blade drones are designed to fly in all directions as well as hover at a fixed position. In 2015, these drone types accounted for a market share of over 75% in the global commercial drone market, due to their versatility and increasing application areas. Commercial drone market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 27% till 2021, with North America anticipated to continue its dominance as the largest commercial drone market through 2021.

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Browse 17 market data Tables and 53 Figures spread through 250 Pages and an in-depth TOC on "Global Commercial Drone Market"

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Fix wing drone is the other major drone type, and these drones are being widely used in precision agriculture and aerial mapping. Precision farming utilizes several technological advancements such as geo location tracking, data management, and crop health analysis in order to ensure better productivity as compared to conventional farming methodology. Higher profitability and productivity, coupled with expanding global demand for crop yield are few of the factors poised to drive the global precision agriculture market at a CAGR of over 11% during 2016-2021, thereby propelling demand for drones used in the precision agriculture industry.

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Customers can also request for 10% free customization on this report.

In 2016, the global commercial drone market is anticipated to witness commercialization of nano drones and hybrid drones, which would use fuel cell technology for increasing fly time. Several prominent drone manufacturing companies such as DJI, Parrot, 3D Robotics, PrecisionHawk, Trimble, AeroVironment, etc., intend to expand their production capacities considering the anticipated growth in the global commercial drone market over the next five years.

"Expanding applications of drones in various commercial applications, rapidly growing approvals being provided to drone companies by the regulatory authorities such as FAA, coupled with increasing investments in drone companies are few of the major reasons poised to drive the global commercial drone market over the next five years. Amongst the four categories of drones, the rotary blade drone segment is forecast to hold its position as an undisputed leader over the next five years.", said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm.

"Global Commercial Drone Market By Drone Type, By Application, By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021" has evaluated the future growth potential of commercial drone market at global level and provides statistics and information on market structure, drone applications, policies and regulations in the global commercial drone market. The report is intended to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyses emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities available in global commercial drone market.

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Global Autonomous Car Technology Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2035 - ADAS, Semi-Autonomous, Fully-Autonomous

http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-autonomous-car-technology-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2035-adas-semi-autonomous-fully-autonomous/124.html

Global OTR Tire Market By Vehicle Type (Mining, Construction and Industrial Equipment, Agriculture Vehicles, and Others), By Demand Category (OEM Vs. Replacement), By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021

http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-otr-tire-market-by-vehicle-type-mining-construction-and-industrial-equipment-agriculture-vehicles-and-others-by-demand-category-oem-vs-replacement-by-region-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021/637.html

Saudi Arabia Construction Equipment Rental Market By Equipment Type (By Diesel Genset, Crane, Wheel Loader, Excavator, Bulldozer, Motor Grader and Telescopic Handler), Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021

http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/saudi-arabia-construction-equipment-rental-market-by-equipment-type-by-diesel-genset-crane-wheel-loader-excavator-bulldozer-motor-grader-and-telescopic-handler-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021/653.html

United States Radio Taxi Services Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2021

http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/united-states-radio-taxi-services-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2021/617.html

About TechSci Research

TechSci Research is a leading global market research firm publishing premium market research reports. Serving 700 global clients with more than 600 premium market research studies, TechSci Research is serving clients across 11 different industrial verticals. TechSci Research specializes in research based consulting assignments in high growth and emerging markets, leading technologies and niche applications. Our workforce of more than 100 fulltime Analysts and Consultants employing innovative research solutions and tracking global and country specific high growth markets helps TechSci clients to lead rather than follow market trends.

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HARBIN, May 17-- Construction of the main body of the Chinese side of a railway bridge linking China with Russia has been completed, authorities said Tuesday.

The bridge across the Heilong River, sometimes known as the Amur River, connects Tongjiang city in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province with Nizhneleninskoye in Russia. The main bridge spans 2,215 meters, with 1,900 meters in China and a designed annual shipment volume of 21 million tonnes.

Construction began in February 2014 and is due to be completed by the end of 2016. Construction on the Chinese side was basically concluded at the end of April at a total cost of 2.1 billion yuan (322 million U.S. dollars), according to China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co., Ltd.

The work was funded by the state-owned China Railway Corporation (CRC) and Heilongjiang provincial government.
Trade professionals are able to get access to three events with only one badge by registering online before September 10. Organised by UBM Trust, a joint venture with UBM Asia Ltd, the concurrent exhibitions will take place on September 19-22, 2016 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), Shanghai, China.

From now until September 10, 2016, visitors can experience a whole new interface with our event website and registration system -- with comprehensive personal information management and powerful sharing functions through our online pre-registration service. With one account, visitors can easily login to three events, check registration status, and even download their visitor badge. International visitors receive mailed badges in advance via our free mailing service and get a chance of winning free accommodation at our official hotels if they pre-register before June 30, 2016.

As a one-stop sourcing platform and a preeminent trade show in the sign and LED industry, SIGN CHINA and LED CHINA have gained widespread recognition due to their diversified exhibits, high-quality buyers and excellent service since relocating to Shanghai in 2015.

In 2016, Digital Signage became one of the flagship events of UBM Trust, which is expected to expand product sectors of SIGN CHINA and LED CHINA and to provide more business opportunities to exhibitors and buyers.

The four-day event will play host to nearly 2,000 elite exhibitors and sponsors worldwide across 150,000sqm of exhibition space. It will showcase the latest products in sign and LED technology which include laser engraving, signage, light box, advertising display, POP, indoor and outdoor large format printers, printing material and components, LED display, LED illuminant, LED lighting, LED chips and packaging, and LED manufacturing instruments.

A series of keynote seminars and conferences as well as a VIP Buyer Programme will also be held onsite, providing all participants more value-added services.

Learn more about this year's events and register on our websites:

SIGN CHINA: http://www.SignChina-sh.com

LED CHINA: http://www.LEDChina-sh.com

Digital Signage: http://www.DigitalSignage-sh.com

1. About UBM Trust (www.ubmtrust.com)

UBM Trust is a joint venture company of UBM Asia, which is owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange. We have extensive experience in organizing large-scale exhibitions covering different industries in China, as well as organizing Chinese enterprises to participate in famous fairs abroad. Our flagship events serve the sign and LED industries. Among the definitive exhibitions of their kind in the world, these two events have become an important catalyst for the development and upgrading of China's sign and LED industries, offering a comprehensive one-stop trading platform for exhibitors and visitors. We take pride in providing professional high-quality service s to our customers.

2. About UBM Asia (www.ubmasia.com)

Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is the largest trade show organiser in Asia and the largest commercial organiser in China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global presence in 24 major cities with 31 offices and 1,300 staff.

3. About UBM plc (www.ubm.com)

UBM plc is a leading global events-led marketing services and communications company. We help businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online and in print. Our 5,000 staff in more than 20 countries are organised into specialist teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

Related Links

http://www.ubmtrust.com



SOURCE UBM Trust
SAN MATEO, California, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Draper University and Arizona State University announced today that they are partnering to launch what they expect to be the #1 entrepreneurial program in the country.

The Draper/ASU Entrepreneurial Program will combine Draper's innovations in education for entrepreneurs with ASU's entrepreneurial curriculum and access to a large group of talented students. The program will offer the most exciting and practical academic experience in entrepreneurship, culminating in a business plan competition, where Tim Draper will invest at least $1 million.

The residential program will run for nine months starting this fall and will be held at Draper University in San Mateo. The program will combine Draper's signature "Hero Training" and out-of-the-box teaching methods with ASU's outstanding content.

The curriculum will include forward thinking simulations, headline speakers, "Survival Training," team challenges, and hack-a-thons. Key coverage areas will be finance and empowerment, design and coding, robomarketing, and growth hacking. The final module of the program will be entitled, "Go!!!," and will include personal mentorship and career guidance.

"We are thrilled to be working with ASU," said Tim Draper, Founder of Draper University. "Our program will be enhanced by ASU's full curriculum. Because of ASU, more and more students will learn the challenges and excitement of starting a business."

Amy Hillman, dean of ASU's W.P. Carey School of Business, called the new partnership "a fantastic combination of academics and practical application of entrepreneurial lessons."

"Draper U is an innovator in real-world education and we are a highly ranked creative business school grounded in research," she said. "Our students will have the best of both worlds and they will emerge from the experience stronger and better prepared for the modern economy."

The Draper/ASU Entrepreneurial Program is currently accepting applications for the pilot program, which starts on September 26th.

Those looking to change the world are encouraged to apply at www.wpcarey.asu.edu/draper (ASU students) or http://www.draperuniversity.com/masters/ (non-ASU students). Applications will be read on a rolling basis; the deadline to apply is August 12.

About Draper University

Draper University has innovated entrepreneurial education. Their 500+ students have started 250 companies raising over $24 million. Students have come from 60 different countries. The Draper University teaching process is unconventional, challenging students emotionally, physically, intellectually and spiritually through a team-based, inspirational, and activity-based curriculum, with the ultimate goal of launching something innovative and important.

To learn more visit www.draperuniversity.com

About Arizona State University

Arizona State University developed a new model for the American Research University, creating an institution that is committed to excellence, access and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it. In the fall of 2015, ASU enrolled around 70,000 full-immersion students on five campuses in Greater Phoenix.

Contact: Allison Tebbano, allison@jonessocialpr.com

Related Links

http://www.draperuniversity.com



SOURCE Draper University
PORTO, Portugal and HATFIELD, England, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

PRESS RELEASE FOR EU MEDIA ONLY: NOT FOR AUSTRIAN/SWISS/US JOURNALISTS

BIAL announces today that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted Bial's application to review recent clinical trial data for Zebinix (eslicarbazepine acetate) for its use as a once-daily monotherapy in the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed partial-onset (focal) epilepsy.

Partial-onset seizures, also known as focal, are the most common type and are therefore an important first target for treatment.[1] Zebinix, (eslicarbazepine acetate) is currently indicated in Europe as an adjunctive therapy in adults with partial-onset seizures, with or without secondary generalisation.[2] In the US, eslicarbazepine acetate (Aptiom) is indicated for the treatment of partial-onset seizures as monotherapy or as an adjunctive therapy.[3]

Commenting on the submission Antonio Portela, CEO of Bial, explains, "It is a significant milestone in Bial's commitment to help people who live with epilepsy. We have been developing eslicarbazepine acetate for many years and it's very encouraging to have the monotherapy submission acceptance. We hope it will become available for those living with epilepsy and for those who manage the condition."

The submission was based on the results from a Bial sponsored Phase III study[4],[5] in adult patients with newly diagnosed partial-onset seizures which demonstrates that treatment with monotherapy is as effective as controlled-release carbamazepine, a standard of care, and is well-tolerated.

This phase III study[4],[5] is a randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, active-controlled and non-inferiority study, that investigates the efficacy and safety of once-daily eslicarbazepine acetate (800 to 1600 mg/daily) as monotherapy treatment for newly diagnosed adults (18 years and older) with partial-onset seizures in comparison with twice-daily controlled-release carbamazepine (400 to 1200 mg/daily). The primary endpoint was the proportion of people seizure free for the entire 26-week evaluation period. Secondary endpoints included the time to first seizure, a QOLIE-31 quality of life assessment, and safety. These data were recently presented for the first time at the Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting April 2016.

Efficacy analysis from this study[4] shows seizure freedom rates of 71% with eslicarbazepine acetate and 75.6% controlled-release carbamazepine in 785 eligible patients at 6 months at the last evaluated dose (average risk difference -4.28%, 95%CI -10.3, 1.74%). The one-year seizure-free rate at the last evaluated dose was 64.7% in the eslicarbazepine acetate group and 70.3% in the controlled-release carbamazepine group (average risk difference: -5.46%; 95%CI: -11.88, 0.97%).

A safety analysis[5] in 813 patients shows that once-daily eslicarbazepine acetate is well tolerated and side effects are mild to moderate. Incidence rates of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were similar but slightly lower in patients receiving eslicarbazepine acetate versus patients receiving controlled-release carbamazepine (77.8% vs 80.1% respectively). Possibly-related TEAEs for eslicarbazepine acetate were 43.6% compared with 51.5% for controlled release carbamazepine. Serious treatment-related TEAEs in eslicarbazepine acetate treated patients versus patients treated with controlled release carbamazepine were 2.0% vs 2.7% and for TEAEs leading to withdrawal were 13.5% vs 18%.The most frequently reported possibly-related TEAEs for eslicarbazepine acetate were headache, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and somnolence.

Eslicarbazepine acetate is a voltage-gated sodium channel blocker. It selectively targets the slow inactivated state of the sodium ion channel[6] which, stops sodium entering the nerve cells in the brain.[7] This reduces the activity of the nerve cells, reducing the intensity and the number of seizures.[7]

Notes to Editors

About Zebinix (eslicarbazepine acetate)

Eslicarbazepine acetate is currently marketed in Europe by BIAL-Portela & C, S.A and by BIALs licensee, Eisai Europe Limited, a European subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. under the trade name Zebinix. In the United States and Canada eslicarbazepine acetate (tradename Aptiom) is marketed by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc., under an exclusive license from BIAL.

Zebinix is the EU trade name for eslicarbazepine acetate

is the EU trade name for eslicarbazepine acetate Zebinix is under license from BIAL

is under license from BIAL Aptiom is the trade name for eslicarbazepine acetate in the U.S. and Canada and is under license to Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Eslicarbazepine acetate is indicated in Europe as adjunctive therapy in adults with partial onset seizures, with or without secondary generalisation.[2]

The efficacy of eslicarbazepine acetate was demonstrated in an initial proof-of-concept phase II study[8] and three subsequent phase III randomised, placebo controlled studies in 1049 patients with refractory partial onset seizures.[9],[10],[11]

Eslicarbazepine acetate is already available in Albania*, Austria, Czech Republic, Cyprus*, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany (co-promotion with BIAL, the developer of eslicarbazepine acetate), Greece, Iceland, Italy, Malta*, Norway, Portugal*, Republic of Ireland, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, Sweden, Spain (co-promotion with BIAL), UK (co-promotion with BIAL) and the U.S and Canada**.

*Exclusively by BIAL

**Eslicarbazepine acetate is sold in the U.S. and Canada under the trade name Aptiom

About BIAL

Founded in 1924, BIAL is an international pharmaceutical company with the mission to discover, develop and provide therapeutic solutions within the area of health. In recent decades, BIAL has focused on quality, innovation and internationalisation.

Being the partner of choice for many companies, BIAL is strongly committed to therapeutic innovation, investing more than 20% of its turnover in Research and Development (R&D) every year.

BIAL has established an ambitious R&D program centred on the central nervous, cardiovascular system and allergy immunotherapy. BIAL's innovative programmes focus on continuing the clinical development of its anti-epileptic Zebinix/Aptiom (on the market in Europe and the USA), as well as opicapone for Parkinson's disease.

The company expects to introduce more new medicines and vaccines to the market in the next years, strengthening its position worldwide and accomplishing the company's purpose of "Caring for your Health".

For more information about BIAL, please visit http://www.bial.com.

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. European Medicines Agency. Guideline on clinical investigation of medicinal products in the treatment of epileptic disorders 2010 (22 July); CHMP/EWP/566/98 Rev.2/Corr

2. Zebinix Summary of Product Characteristics http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/000988/WC500047225.pdf (accessed April 2015)

3. Food and Drug Administration, Highlights of Prescribing Information https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2015/022416s001lbl.pdf (accessed May 2016)

4. Trinka E, et al. Efficacy of eslicarbazepine acetate versus controlled-release carbamazepine as monotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed partial-onset seizures. Presented at AAN 2016; abstract 001

5. Kowacs P, et al. Safety and tolerability of eslicarbazepine acetate as monotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed partial-onset seizures. Presented at AAN 2016; abstract 002

6. Hebeisen S, et al. Eslicarbazepine and the enhancement of slow inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels: a comparison with carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine and lacosamide. Neuropharmacology 2015; 89:122-35

7. European Medicines Agency, Zebinix eslicarbazepine acetate, How does it work? http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/medicines/human/medicines/000988/human_med_001172.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac058001d124 (accessed April 2016)

8. Elger C, et al. Eslicarbazepine acetate: A double-blind, add-on, placebo-controlled exploratory trial in adult patients with partial-onset seizures. Epilepsia 2007; 48:497-504

9. Elger C, et al. Efficacy and safety of eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive treatment in adults with refractory partial-onset seizures: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group phase III study. Epilepsia. 2009;50:454-63

10. Ben-Menachem E, et al. Eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with partial epilepsy. Epilepsy Res. 2010;89(2-3):278-85

11. Gil-Nagel A, et al. Efficacy and safety of 800 and 1200 mg eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive treatment in adults with refractory partial-onset seizures. Acta Neurol Scand. 2009; 120:281-7



Date of preparation: May 2016

Job code: Zebinix-UK 2402

SOURCE Eisai
PUNE, India, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

A key growth driver for payment gateways market is shift towards digital commerce as quite a few companies have begun restructuring their business and revenue strategies by moving from the traditional approach to the digital approach. Traditionally, commerce was restricted to showcase essential product details and simple merchandising. However, it has evolved and diversified. It involves services such as deploying interactive hubs for consumer marketing to handling associated services.

Complete report on payment gateways market spread across 53 pages, analyzing 4 major companies and providing 26 data exhibits is now available at http://www.sandlerresearch.org/global-payment-gateways-market-2016-2020.html

The analysts forecast global payment gateways market to grow at a CAGR of 13.79% during the period 2016-2020. The emergence of mobile wallets is a trend to watch for, as it is expected to drive payment gateways market growth quite significantly. More customers are using e-commerce sites to shop online using tablets or smartphones. This trend will continue as mobile devices are becoming more user-friendly and accessible.

The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global payment gateways market for 2016-2020. The report considers the total revenue generated from software licenses and subscriptions as well as software integration and maintenance costs to calculate the market size.

The Payment Gateways Market is divided into the Following Segments Based on Geography: Americas, APAC and EMEA. Global Payment Gateways Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

Key players in the global payment gateways market: Amazon Payments, CCBill, PayPal, and Stripe. Other prominent vendors in the market are: AsiaPay/PayDollar, MercadoPago, eWAY AU, NAB Transact, e-Path, Merchant Warrior, SecurePay, Moip, PagSeguro, ePay.bg, Beanstream, Moneris, Stripe, Alipay, Tenpay, 99bill, Pagosonline, PayWay, ePay.dk, DIBS, PayPoint, Ogone, Worldline by Atos, SOFORT, NETBANX, Barclaycard ePDQ, Wirecard, Ogone, Worldpay, PayU, CCAvenue, Realex, GestPay, Remise, Epsilon, Paygent, iPay88, MOLPay, CashU, eWay NZ, iDEAL, Klarna, PesoPay, Przelewy24, PayU.pl, PayU.ro, WebMoney, ROBOKASSA, QIWI, Yandex, PayFast, MyGate, VCS, WebCash, ServiRed, Certitrade, Payson, Sage Pay, Cardstream, GoCardless, SecureTrading, eWay.co.uk, BitCoin, and SmsCoin. Order a copy of Global Payment Gateways Market 2016-2020 report @ http://www.sandlerresearch.org/purchase?rname=54183

Further, the report states that one challenge that could adversely impact payment gateways market growth is the threat from open-source payment gateways.

Another related report is Global Residential Gateway Market 2015-2019, which forecasts global residential gateway market to grow at a CAGR of 7.82% over the period 2014-2019. The rise in demand for Internet protocol television (IPTV) is projected to drive the market in the forecast period. IPTV delivers TV services to end-users via the Internet. IPTV service offers various additional features such as multi-screen viewing and bringing features of VoD to TV, which allows a customer to browse through an online program or film catalog among other things.

Key players in the global residential gateway market: Cisco Systems, Comtrend, Huawei Technologies, Pace and ZTE. Other prominent vendors in the market are: Actiontec Electronics, Advanced Digital Broadcast, Alcatel-Lucent, Arris Enterprises, Audio Codes, AVM, Calix, Humax, Sagemcom, Technicolor, Zhone Technologies and ZyXEL Communications. Browse complete report @ http://www.sandlerresearch.org/global-residential-gateway-market-2015-2019.html.

Explore other new reports on Banking & Finance Market @ http://www.sandlerresearch.org/market-research/banking-finance.

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DUBLIN, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Succinic Acid Market Insights, Opportunity Analysis, Market Shares and Forecast 2016 - 2022" report to their offering.



(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160330/349511LOGO )



Succinic is emerging as one of the most competitive bio based chemicals. The US department of energy has included succinic acid among the top 12 value added bio-based chemicals. Succinic Acid is an intermediate in many chemical processes and is used in the production of various products in a fragmented industry that has multiple players in this production process. The market shows a huge potential of growth depended vastly on the sustainable production of bio-based succinic acid.



Succinic acid is a chemical which has a large number of applications ranging from BDO, polymers, fibres, pharmaceuticals, food, polyurethanes, plasticizers to dyes and coatings. However the major demand originates from coating, resins, BDO, plasticizers and polyurethanes along with the food industry. Currently there is very small number of companies producing succinic acid in large amounts. Most of the companies are small scale and with limited capacity.



Key Topics Covered:



Chap 1. Executive Summary

Chap 2. Market Overview

Chap 3. Market Motivators

3.1. Market Drivers

3.1.1. Government Policies Giving Rise To Succinic Acid Market

3.1.2. Availability Of Renewable Raw Materials

3.1.3. Rise In Petroleum Prices

3.2. Restraints

3.2.1. High Price Of Bio Based Succinic Acid

3.2.2. Competitive Market

3.3. Opportunity

3.3.1. Varied Applications

3.3.1.1. Food And Beverages

3.3.1.2. Pharmaceuticals

3.3.2. Effective Treatment

3.3.3. Go Green Initiative

3.3.4. Substitute To Key Chemicals

3.3.5. Bio-Based Biodegradable Plastic In Demand

3.3.6. Pharmaceutical Use

3.4. Challenges

3.4.1. High Processing Cost

3.4.2. Awareness

3.4.3. Time Consuming Process

Chap 4. Market Segmentation

4.1. By Applications

4.1.1. Food & Beverages

4.1.1.1. Preservatives

4.1.1.2. Softening Agent

4.1.1.3. Packaging

4.1.2. Pharmaceuticals

4.1.2.1. Cosmetics

4.1.2.2. Preparation Of Drugs

4.1.3. Industrial Applications

4.1.3.1. 1,4-Butanediol(BDO)

4.1.3.2. Plasticizers

4.1.3.3. PBS (Polybutylene Succinate)

4.1.3.4. Solvents And Lubricants

4.1.4. Other Industrial Use

4.2. By Raw Material

4.2.1. Petrochemical- Based Succinic Acid

4.2.1.1. Maleic Anhydride

4.2.2. Bio-Based Succinic Acid

4.2.2.1. Production From Corn

4.2.2.2. Production From Molasses

Chap 5. Alternative Market For Succinic Acid

5.1. Maleic Anhydride (MAN)

Chap 6. Competitive Intelligence

6.1. Key Market Strategies

6.1.1. Highly Competitive Market Triggers Innovation

6.1.2. Building Strong Distribution Network

6.1.3. Companies Focusing On Asian Markets (Production) And European (Consumer) Markets

6.1.4. Collaborations And Partnerships

6.1.5. Reducing Carbon Footprints By Adapting Eco Friendly Solutions

Chap 7. Market Share Analysis

Chap 8. Geographical Analysis

Chap 9. Corporate Profiling

9.1. Bioamber Inc.

9.2. Myriant Corporation

9.3. BASF SA

9.4. DSM Netherlands

9.5. Mitsui & Co. Ltd

9.6. Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

9.7. Purac (Carbion NV)

9.8. Reverdia (DSM - Roquette)

9.9. Gadiv Petrochemical Industries Ltd.



For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ff6k4t/global_succinic

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BROOKLYN, New York, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

QYReseachReports.com recently made an announcement regarding the inclusion of a new market research study to its huge repository of research reports. The research study talks about the wearable technology industry across the globe, emphasizing on the key growth drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges, key geographical segments, and competitive landscape. The research report, titled "Global Wearable Technology Industry 2016 Market Research Report," further studies the major products offered by the global wearable technology industry and provides the market share, size, and forecast figures for every segment.

Browse Complete "Global Wearable Technology Industry Professional Survey 2016 - Market Research Report" with TOC at http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-wearable-technology-market-professional-survey-report-2016.htm

The changing consumer preference for sophisticated gadgets, growing popularity of the Internet of Things, and rising adoption of wearable medical and fitness devices are some of the key factors estimated to boost the demand for wearable technology throughout the forecast period. In addition, the development of key enabling technologies, increasing applications of wearable technology in diverse sectors, and the introduction of hybrid and multi-featured mobile devices are the major opportunities for the key players operating in the global wearable technology industry worldwide.

On the flip side, high initial costs, fast pace of change in electronics market, power consumption, and limited battery life are expected to curb the growth of this industry in the next few years. In addition, the major players also face some other challenges such as unaddressed regulatory concerns, size constraints, failure to achieve long-term engagement, and device protection. These factors are also projected to limit the growth of the industry throughout the forecast period.

Get Sample Copy of Research Report for more Professional and Technical insights visit at http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=708549&type=E

Wearable technology finds application in diverse applications in industrial and military, wellness and fitness, and healthcare and medical sectors. The research report has further segmented the global wearable technology industry on the basis of product types and presents a detailed analysis and forecast figures for each segment. Some of the most popular products in the global wearable technology industry are wearable patches, smart glasses, activity monitors, continuous glucose monitor, and smart watches. Improved quality and innovative design of wearable products will encourage the rapid development of the global wearable technology industry in the near future.

Furthermore, the research study has classified the global wearable technology industry on the basis of geography into the U.S., the EU, Japan, and China. As per the study, the U.S. accounts for the largest share in the overall industry, owing to the presence of a tech-savvy population. The study has included the market size, share, and forecast for every segment to help decision-makers to design business policies accordingly.

Wearable Technology Market Research Reports by Regional Segments:

The research study offers a comprehensive analysis of the vendor analysis of the global industry for wearable technology and offers a clear picture of the competitive scenario, focusing on the company profiles, business strategies, product portfolio, financial overview, SWOT analysis, and recent news and developments. Some of the leading players operating in the global wearable technology industry are Apple, Nike, Google, Qualcomm, Fitbit, Samsung Group, Adidas, and Jawbone.

Related Research Reports:

This report mainly covers the following product types Head-worn Devices, Wrist-worn Devices, Leg and Ankle-worn Devices, Arm, Chest and Neck-worn Devices, Smart Clothing & Jewelry.

In-Body Wearable's the segment applications including Segment regions including (the separated region report can also be offered) USA, China, Europe, South America, Japan & Africa.

The players list (Partly, Players you are interested in can also be added) Garmin, TI (Texas Instruments), Eurotech, Johnson & Johnson, Polar Electro, Motorola Solutions, Samsung, Pebble, Medtronic, Adidas, Jawbone, Google, Zephyr Technology, Recon Instruments, Nike, Medtronic, Plantronics, Sony, Boston Scientific, Freescale Semiconductor, Jabra, Xiaomi, ZTE, Baidu With no less than 15 top producers.

The global M2M, loT & Wearable Technology Ecosystems market has witnessed numerous changes in recent years. There has been a clear emphasis on innovation and new product development. Besides the impact of internal waves of change within the value chain, the market is also influenced by the many regulatory changes that occur directly in relation to the global M2M, loT & Wearable Technology Ecosystems market or ancillary markets.

The report presents an executive-level blueprint of the global market for Wearable Technology Material. It covers the various factors influencing the market's growth between 2011 and 2016. The report presents insights into the growth drivers and major restraints influencing the global Wearable Technology Material market's trajectory and also forecasts the opportunities that will shape the market's future. The impact of the prevailing government policies on the Wearable Technology Material market is also discussed at length in the report.

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SOURCE Qyresearchreports
BRUSSELS, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

On Thursday 18 May, the EU standing committee will be left in no doubt about how Europeans feel towards the toxic chemical, glyphosate.

Supporters of WeMove.EU, the movement for a better Europe, will join others in protesting the renewal of glyphosate's licence. If the standing committee approves the licence, it would mean the continued spread of the probably carcinogenic chemical into our everyday environment.

The group will hold an oversized Roundup bottle, coming in at 3 metres high, labelling the weed killer as poisonous to humans, right in front of where the standing committee will be meeting. They will also be delivering a petition with more than 230,000 signatures calling for an outright ban on the chemical. It is sure to be a disruptive and compelling sight!

Agro-companies such as Monsanto and Bayer have used underhand methods to ensure glyphosate's permissions, as it is used in some of their most profitable products. The creative protest will demonstrate the widespread support in European countries on an all-out ban on the chemical, and the anger towards companies manipulating 'scientific' studies - as well as EU officials.

Notes:

WeMove.EU is a citizens' movement, campaigning for a better Europe; for a European Union committed to social and economic justice, environmental sustainability and citizen-led democracy. We are people from all walks of life, who call Europe our home - whether we were born in Europe or elsewhere. As of May 2016 we have 300,000 members across Europe. Our campaigns are run in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and (soon to be) Polish.

Event details:

Date: 18 May 2016

Time: 9am

Place: Albert Borschette Congress Center (CCAB)

Rue Froissart 36

1040 Brussels

For more information about our campaign against Glyphosate: Jorg Rohwedder, Senior Campaigner, joerg@wemove.eu , +49-451-30086913 or +49-178-4078433

Your contact on Wednesday in Brussels: Oliver Moldenhauer, Executive Director, oliver@wemove.eu , +49-177-3068911

SOURCE Share e.V.
DALLAS, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Armies of motivational speakers tout the virtues of goal-setting. "It's vital for success in sales," they say. At sales rallies the oft-repeated bromide has almost assumed the elevated status of a self-evident truth. But, is it? According to researchers, goal-setting might not be universally helpful. A study of U.K. salespeople found it can actually make some salespeople worse.

Researchers at Behavioral Sciences Research Press in Dallas, Texas, analyzed psychological test scores from 78 adult U.K. salespeople working in a variety of sales settings. Each completed the Sales Preferences Questionnaire (SPQ*GOLD/Full Spectrum Advocacy), a new high tech psychometric application designed specifically to assess clientele-building effectiveness. The salespeople completed the on-line assessment as part of their organization's standard assessment protocol for evaluating sales ability.

The instrument measures characteristics statistically linked to high-profit sales performance, along with several "fail safe" measures engineered to detect faking and other forms of misreporting. Participants were also asked what they like most about working in sales. Their answers were compared to their scores on the Goal Allergic Scale, a Full Spectrum Advocacy measure of distress triggered in some salespeople by the mere introduction of clear performance accountabilities.

Results were mixed. Salespeople saying they like the income attainable in sales most were least affected by the having clear performance objectives or having their performance goals publically posted along with their actual production (average Goal Allergy score of 23 on a 100 point scale). Salespeople saying they like the social aspect of selling most, were more likely to be de-motivated by having clear production goals set, and having their production goals publically posted along with their actual production (average score of 41). But, they are not alone. Salespeople working in sales for the accelerated opportunity it provides for advancement, followed closely.

"This study underscores the need for managers to better understand the subtle ways sales performance can be influenced for better or worse," said Trelitha R. Bryant, Senior V.P., Field Testing and Research at Behavioral Sciences Research Press, and principle author. "When measures like the Goal Allergy Scale indicates potential performance issues are likely to be caused by goal-setting, managers have the opportunity to make adjustments and deploy preventative remedial training. Production problems caused by goal-setting is an under-the-radar problem that does not have to happen."

How widespread are allergy-like reactions to goal-setting? "We don't know yet," Suzanne C. Dudley, President & CEO of Behavioral Sciences, and co-author of the study, said. "But as our research progresses, we are learning how to better anticipate which salespeople are likely to be hurt, rather than helped, by one-size-fits-all approaches to goal-setting. So far, based on initial results from a U.S. study of 801 adults, it appears to be particularly troublesome in millennials and younger professionals."

The authors will be visiting the U.K. May 20th  24th, 2016.

Behavioral Sciences Research Press (BSRP) is a Dallas, Texas based company specializing in the research and development of advanced on-line psychological assessments used world-wide. Founded in 1979, BSRP is a leading resource for narrow-band applications developed from rigorous, long term programmatic research.

www.salescallreluctance.com

Related Links

http://www.bsrpinc.com



SOURCE Behavioral Sciences Research Press
SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The global in-vitro toxicology testing market is expected to reach USD 44.7 billion by 2022 growing at an estimated CAGR of 10.5% from 2015 to 2022, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. This expected rise in demand can be ascribed to novel and promising technologies in analytical laboratories.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/723757 )

Advancement in bioinformatics based research for development of efficient software algorithms in order to carry out efficient stimulation of in-silico animal models in determination of toxicological response is expected to influence sector growth through to 2022.

Furthermore, rapid up gradation of databases that serve information for toxicity profiling and lethal dose determination of different compounds is anticipated to create significant potential for growth in this market during the forecast period.

Rise in government imposed restrictions and guidelines on usage of animals for pre-clinical research and toxicology testing is also attributive towards estimated progress in this industry.

Additionally, increasing R&D in biotechnology sector for enhancement in cell based assays and cell culture techniques, is anticipated to impart significant growth potential in this sector.

Browse full research report with TOC on "In-vitro Toxicology Testing Market Analysis By Method (Cellular & Biochemical Assay, In-silico, Ex-vivo), By Technology (Molecular Imaging, Cell Culture, OMICS& High Throughput Technology), By Application (Endocrine Disruption, Systemic Toxicology, Dermal & Occular Toxicity), By End-use (Cosmetics & Household Products, Diagnostics, Food, Chemical &Pharmaceutical) And Segment Forecasts To 2022" at: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/in-vitro-toxicology-testing-market

Further key findings from the study suggest:

Pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry together accounted for almost 65% of total revenue generated in this sector for 2014. This large share can be attributed to rapid novel product launches for treatment of different diseased conditions wherein toxicological testing is the pre-requisite step.

Cell culture technology contributed for over 42% of the revenue generated in the industry with respect to technology owing to critical role of cell culture in biotechnological development and cell based analysis

Omics technology is anticipated to register lucrative growth thereby driving demand due to advancement in sequencing methods and availability of different platforms depending on source and target sequence.

As a fundamental process in biopharmaceutical or pharmaceutical product development toxicological testing finds application in determination of systemic, dermal, & ocular toxicity as well as endocrine disruption

Amongst the above enlisted applications, dermal toxicity is expected to witness significant progress with a CAGR of approximately 13% due to comparatively higher incidence of side effects associated with skin after administration of several compounds.

North America accounted for the largest share of over 45% in revenue in 2014 owing to presence of significant number of sector players that are implementing advanced in-vitro technology. Furthermore, presence of stringent regulations pertaining to animal usage in toxicity analysis attributive towards high demand of in-vitro tests in this region.

accounted for the largest share of over 45% in revenue in 2014 owing to presence of significant number of sector players that are implementing technology. Furthermore, presence of stringent regulations pertaining to animal usage in toxicity analysis attributive towards high demand of tests in this region. Asia Pacific is expected to witness lucrative CAGR of over 11% from 2015 to 2022 due to rapid improvement in health care infrastructure in developing economies of this region which in turn contributes to regional progress in industry.

is expected to witness lucrative CAGR of over 11% from 2015 to 2022 due to rapid improvement in health care infrastructure in developing economies of this region which in turn contributes to regional progress in industry. Key participants of in-vitro toxicology testing industry are Quest Diagnostics, Covance, Cyprotex, Alere, Inc, Charles River Laboratories, GE Healthcare, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eurofins Scientific, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Catalent Pharma Solutions, Sigma Aldrich, and Bio-Rad.

These participants are involved in collaborations with bioinformatics research firms in order to develop novel in-silico algorithms for computational estimation of toxicity of pharmaceutical and chemical products.

algorithms for computational estimation of toxicity of pharmaceutical and chemical products. Moreover, these market entities are also focusing on entering untapped regions in order to maintain their share in market revenue.

Grand View Research has segmented in-vitro toxicology testing market on the basis of end use, technology, method, application, and region:

Global In-vitro Toxicology Testing Outlook, by End-use (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022) Pharmaceutical industry Cosmetics & household products Diagnostics Chemical industry Food industry

Global In-vitro Toxicology Testing Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022) Cell culture technology High throughput technology Molecular imaging OMICS technology

Global In-vitro Toxicology Testing Outlook, by Application (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022) Systemic Toxicology Dermal Toxicity Endocrine Disruption Occular toxicity

Global In-vitro Toxicology Testing Outlook, by Method (Revenue, USD Million, 2012 - 2022) Cellular Assay Biochemical Assay In-Silico Ex-vivo

In-vitro Toxicology Testing Regional Outlook (Market Revenue in USD Million, 2012 - 2022 ) North America Europe Asia Pacific RoW



Browse related reports by Grand View Research:

Glucose Biosensor Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/glucose-biosensors-market



Next Generation Cancer Diagnostics Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/next-generation-cancer-diagnostics-market



Genetic Disease Diagnostic Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/genetic-disease-diagnostic-market



Long Term Care Services Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/long-term-care-services-market

About Grand View Research:

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.

Read Our Blogs - mediafound.org, grandviewresearch.com/blogs/healthcare

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SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
Every year from May to August, the bulk of the cordyceps harvest takes place. This year, as usual, tens of thousands of people from Litang County in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province are setting up tents on high-altitude plateaus to begin their search for cordyceps.

A service team organized by the local government provides various services like medical care to the villagers. In recent years, the local government has also introduced policies to regulate the cordyceps harvest. Diggers need to obtain certificates before they began their work.
PARIS, May 17,2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Healthcare Industry Veteran to Oversee Worldwide Operations and Commercial Execution

Mauna Kea Technologies (Euronext: MKEA, OTCQX: MKEAY) inventor of Cellvizio, the multidisciplinary confocal laser endomicroscopy platform, today announced the appointment of Pierre Forest to the position of Chief Operating Officer, effective June 1st. In this position, he will be responsible for worldwide operations and commercial execution, including the advancement of the Company's recently announced partnership strategy. Mr. Forest, who will be based in Paris and report to Mauna Kea Technologies Co-Founder and CEO, Sacha Loiseau, joins the Company with more than 30 years of management, sales, marketing and operational experience in the healthcare industry. Mr. Forest succeeds Florian Kemmerich, who was retained by the Company as Interim Chief Operating Officer in late 2015 to help pilot the operational transition of the company around the new commercial strategy.

"The Board of Directors is very pleased to add someone of Pierre's caliber and experience to the Mauna Kea Technologies leadership team. Pierre's successful track record delivering excellence to high-growth, life-science companies is a natural complement to Mauna Kea Technologies' technical and clinical expertise. We are delighted to benefit from Pierre's important contribution", said Christopher D. McFadden, Chairman of the Board of Mauna Kea Technologies.

Sacha Loiseau, Co-Founder and CEO of Mauna Kea Technologies, added, "The Company is at a critical inflection point as it both expands clinical indications and improves market penetration through its new partnering strategy. Pierre will considerably strengthen our executive team, and I am looking forward to driving Mauna Kea Technologies alongside him to a higher level of growth and success. I also would like to thank Florian for his leadership and counsel during the past six months. With his guidance, our team has strengthened its capacity to successfully implement new partnerships, capabilities that will improve our overall execution."

From 2011 to 2015, Mr. Forest was CEO of Novescia SAS, a biology lab network operator. During his tenure as CEO, Novescia's EBITDA grew from 6 million to 29 million, allowing the acquisition of the company by CEL / PAI partners. Previously, he was CEO of Abbott France Instrument SAS and General Manager of the Company's Diagnostics division, and has held a range of senior-level positions including Deputy General Manager of Applera France SA (a division of Applied Biosystems), Managing Director of Paxar SA France and Paxar Morocco, Business Line Director - Western Europe for Siemens AG, Managing Director of Acuson Corporation.

"I am honored to join the Mauna Kea Technologies team and contribute to its continued advancement. The Cellvizio platform represents a much-awaited paradigm shift in the use of digital in vivo microscopic visualization to bring the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other serious diseases to a new level of efficiency and reliability. I believe that the Company has a tremendous opportunity to provide its ground-breaking technology to a wide range of medical and surgical fields. I would like to thank the Board for the confidence they have placed in me, and am eager to begin contributing to the company's future expansion."

About Mauna Kea Technologies

Mauna Kea Technologies is a global medical device company focused on eliminating uncertainties related to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer thanks to real time in vivo microscopic visualization. The Company's flagship product, Cellvizio, has received clearance to sell a wide range of applications in more than 40 countries, including the United States, Europe, Japan, China, Canada, Brazil and Mexico.

For more information on Mauna Kea Technologies, visit www.maunakeatech.com

Mauna Kea Technologies Benoit Jacheet CFO investors@maunakeatech.com United States Zack Kubow / Lee Roth The Ruth Group 646-536-7020 / 7012 zkubow@theruthgroup.com lroth@theruthgroup.com U.S. Media Christopher Hippolyte The Ruth Group 646-536-7023 chippolyte@theruthgroup.com France and Europe NewCap - Investor Relations Florent Alba +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94 maunakea@newcap.fr

This is a disclosure announcement from PR Newswire.

SOURCE Mauna Kea Technologies
PARSIPPANY, New Jersey and TEL AVIV, Israel, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Medinol announced outstanding results from the NIREUS trial for BioNIR, its new coronary stent system and the first ever elastomeric Drug Eluting Stent or eDES. NIREUS is a prospective, multi center, randomized, non-inferiority pivotal study comparing Medinol's BioNIR to the Resolute Integrity Stent. The study enrolled 302 patients with coronary artery disease at 31 sites in Europe and Israel and will be used to support Medinol's submission for CE mark.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150922/269421LOGO

NIREUS met its non-inferiority primary end point of angiographic in-stent late loss at 6 months. The BioNIR stent has demonstrated an exceptionally low late loss result of 0.04+/-0.31 mm (N=201) compared with 0.03+/-0.31 mm for Resolute Integrity (N=101) with a high degree of statistical significance (p<0.0001). In addition, the BioNIR stent demonstrated a Target Lesion Failure rate of 1.5% at 6 months compared with 3.0% for Resolute Integrity (p=NS). The results were unveiled during the EuroPCR 2016 conference in Paris.

"We are very enthusiastic about the NIREUS results, particularly with the remarkably low in-stent late loss. These uncommonly good clinical results will help increase physician confidence in the long term benefits of the BioNIR stent for patients," said Pieter C. Smits, MD, PhD, at Maasstad Ziekenhuis, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, principal investigator for the NIREUS trial. Dr. Smits further commented on the BioNIR stent's angiographic appearance: "The stent conforms well to the vessel, and provides consistent, smooth scaffolding. This is all very exciting, and we look forward to following these patients to see how these excellent outcomes progress over time."

"The BioNIR stent is innovative in the way it is made, as well as in its use of novel elastomeric materials," said Dr. Yoram Richter, Chief Scientific Officer of Medinol. "Together, these ensure that the coating maintains its long-term integrity and uniform surface, through expansion and drug elution. This has the effect of lowering inflammation and distributing a controlled and uniform dose of drug to the vessel wall."

BioNIR is based on the clinically proven NIRxcell stent architecture intended to enhance conformability, scaffolding and radial strength while the delivery system features a distinctive spring tip that is simultaneously more pushable and flexible than the plastic tips used on other stent delivery systems. The stent is comprised of cobalt-chromium and elutes ridafarolimus, a "limus" family drug, intended to prevent restenosis. It is coated with an elastomer that maintains a smooth and uniform stent surface designed to prevent the pro-inflammatory cracking and peeling that occurs with brittle polymers used in other drug eluting stents. The BioNIR Stent System is an investigational device and is not available for commercial sale.

About Medinol

Medinol Ltd., headquartered in Israel, with US offices in Parsippany, NJ is dedicated to the science of cardiovascular intervention. For over 20 years, our in-house research, development, and manufacturing have continuously raised the bar for quality and performance of stenting systems. In 2014 Medinol established its first sales office in the US and launched its first product sold directly to hospitals, the NIRxcell bare metal stent. With over two million stents deployed to date, Medinol's cutting-edge cardiovascular intervention technology continues to demonstrate extraordinary clinical results, and its products constantly stretch the limits of innovation. For more information go to www.medinol.com.

Related Links

http://www.medinol.com



SOURCE Medinol
"Today, 70 percent of Europe's healthcare budget is spent on patients living with chronic conditions, largely a result of Europe's aging population and rapidly changing care needs," said Jeroen Tas, CEO Connected Care and Health Informatics, Philips. "Philips is committed to helping care providers and governments implement innovative, connected care delivery models that help improve patient self-management and care collaboration. The ACT@Scale program will provide the evidence needed to successfully deliver a seamless patient experience with better outcomes at lower cost."

The five participating healthcare regions are all in the process of rolling out innovative care coordination and telehealth services. Within the ACT@Scale program, they will share an agreed and standardized data set including program outcomes such as the number of patients included, (re)hospitalizations, duration of hospitalizations and mortality rates. They will also assess economic impact factors such as cost per patient and the impact on hospitals income models. This data is to support the development of new and sustainable business models. Next to this patient satisfaction scores are measured and the degree to which connected technology empowers people and affects health outcomes.

The regions involved comprise Catalonia (Spain), which has developed programs to support nursing homes, reduce hospital re-admissions, manage complex cases and promote physical activity; Southern Denmark (Denmark), which is rolling out a telehealth program to deliver psychiatric treatment; Northern Ireland (UK), which has remote telemonitoring programs to support COPD and diabetes patients, and manage maternal obesity; Northern Netherlands (The Netherlands), with programs to provide specialist support for COPD, asthma and heart failure patients, and connect healthcare and community services for chronic disease patients; and the Basque Country (Spain), which is rolling out programs to support older people with complex health and social care needs, plus telehealth services for chronic heart failure patients.

"Telehealth and coordinated care services may offer the elderly and otherwise frail individuals the ability to maintain their independence for longer and enjoy a significantly better quality of life, but they also involve significant changes to the healthcare system and the recipients' ability to self-manage," said Professor Erik Buskens, Professor of Medical Technology Assessment at University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). "ACT@Scale will allow us to determine the most cost-effective ways of implementing those changes while also maximizing the benefits for Europe's ageing population."

First findings available end of year

The ACT@Scale scientific consortium members comprise of University Medical Center Groningen (The Netherlands), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), City University London (UK), Universitatsklinikum Wurzburg/Klinikum der Bayerischen Julius-Maximilians-Universitat (Germany), University of Hull (UK), Kronikgune-Centre for Research Excellence in Chronicity (Basque Country, Spain), Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (Spain) and Philips. It is anticipated that the first preliminary findings will be available from the end of Q4, 2016.

ACT@Scale builds on the successful ACT program, a two-and-a-half year study (2013  2016) that looked into the results of European integrated care programs. Thousands of interviews were conducted with participating patients and care providers. These learnings on success factors are applied to significantly grow the ACT@Scale healthcare regions' coordination and telehealth programs. The program is part of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA), an initiative from the European Commission under its Innovation Union strategy, and aims to increase the average healthy lifespan by two years by 2020.

eHealth Week 2016

Philips, a leader in care coordination and telehealth and a trusted partner for governments, healthcare authorities and hospitals throughout the world, will be showcasing its latest eHealth and coordinated care solutions at the upcoming eHealth Week, booth N21, Hall 2 (June 8  10, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam, The Netherlands). For updates on Philips' presence at eHealth Week, visit www.philips.nl/ehealthweek.

For further information, please contact:

Joost Maltha

Philips Communications Healthcare Informatics Solutions and Services

Tel. +31 6 10 55 8116

E-mail joost.maltha@philips.com

Twitter: @JoostMaltha

*About ACT @Scale

The ACT@Scale consortium members include:

Royal Philips

Osakidetza-Servicio Vasco De Salud

Asociacion Centro De Excelencia Internacional En Investigacion Sobre Cronicidad (Kronikgune)

Academisch Ziekenhuis Groningen * Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen

Odense University Hospital

Agencia De Qualitat I Avaluacio Sanitaries De Catalunya

Regional Agency for Public Health and Social Well-being

Aristotelio Panepistimio Thessalonikis * Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

City University London

Universitatsklinikum Wurzburg; Klinikum Der Bayerischen Julius-Maximilians-Universitat

University of Hull

Consorci Institut D'investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer

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 105,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Related Links

http://www.usa.philips.com



SOURCE Royal Philips
Purigen will use the funds to commercialize their unique technology for automated preparation of samples for genomic and genetic testing.

PLEASANTON, California, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Purigen Biosystems, a leader in the development of technology for genomics sample preparation, has announced the completion of an $18.2M Series A financing from 5AM Ventures and Roche Venture Fund. Existing investors, the Stanford-Startx Fund and Western Investments Capital, also participated in the round.

The Series A proceeds will be used to accelerate research, development and commercialization of the Purigen benchtop technology, which involves the automated extraction and quantification of samples for genomic and genetic testing.

"Purigen's technology accommodates multiple sample types including new applications that are difficult or impossible to address in today's genomics testing," said Klint Rose, Purigen CEO and Co-Founder. "Our proprietary isotachophoresis (ITP) technology enables purification and quantitation of nucleic acid with dramatically increased yields and improved purity from a wide variety of samples including liquid biopsies, fresh or formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues, buccal swabs, and cultured or sorted cells."

The feedback from early prototype testing in the hands of leading researchers at both independent academic and clinical laboratories has been incredibly positive. Commercial systems are on pace to be placed in the first half of 2017.

"Purigen has the opportunity to transform today's critical genomic sample preparation workflows," said Andy Schwab of 5AM Ventures. "Genomic and genetic testing applications are expanding at an enormous rate in research, drug development and clinical markets. Purigen can fill critical needs in these workflows and enhance the promise that genomics brings to life sciences and healthcare markets worldwide."

Under the terms of the financing, Andy Schwab, Managing Director of 5AM Ventures; Tracy Saxton, Investment Director at Roche Venture Fund; Bill Colston, CEO of HealthTell and former CEO of Quantalife; and Joe Victor, former CEO of DVS Sciences will join the Purigen Board of Directors along with existing directors and co-founders Klint Rose, Purigen CEO and Amy Hiddessen, Purigen CTO. Mr. Victor will take the role of Executive Chairman. Dr. Juan Santiago, Stanford University professor, ITP technology inventor, and Purigen co-founder will continue to be a scientific advisor to the company and chair the Scientific Advisory Board.

About Purigen Biosystems

Purigen Biosystems is redefining nucleic acid sample prep by providing an innovative platform based on the remarkably efficient isotachophoresis technology invented in the lab of Stanford University professor Juan Santiago. Purigen's automated benchtop instrumentation and accompanying microfluidic chip purifies and quantitates nucleic samples from a wide variety of sources, including minute or otherwise challenging cancer samples. The purified DNA or RNA is then immediately compatible with a wide range of downstream detection methods, including next generation sequencing, PCR, and other genomic tests. For more information, visit: www.purigenbio.com

Related Links

http://www.purigenbio.com



SOURCE Purigen Biosystems
Stock Offering of On Demand Economy company of up to 3,571,000 shares now available to foreign investors

PETERBOROUGH, New Hampshire, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- qaZING, Inc. went live today with an initial sale to the public of up to 3,571,000 shares of Common Stock, after filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160515/367737LOGO

qaZING (pronounced "kah-zing") is an On Demand Economy company with an App and platform that connect Customers seeking services (such as Technical Support, Private Instruction, Yard Work, Errands, Small Engine Repair, Handyman...) with Providers interested in earning extra money. The software platform offers mutual ratings and cashless payments.

qaZING CEO Jason N. Garland declined to comment about the company, but offered "we have been working for some time with securities crowdfunding intermediary StartEngine, LLC to prepare for this exciting day, and have been thrilled with the StartEngine services and its commitment to helping young entrepreneurs seek technology funding."

Information about the company, and details of the offering are available at:

www.startengine.com/startup/qazing

Headquarters & Contact Information:

qaZING, Inc.

70 Main Street, Suite 500

Peterborough, NH 03458

United States of America

www.qaZING.com

jgarland@qaZING.com

Related Links

http://www.qaZING.com



SOURCE qaZING, Inc.
Also Announcing Latest MANTIS IG Software Release Including Native Support for domeprojection.com ProjectionTools Screen Calibration Products

LONDON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- (ITEC Stand E124)  Quantum3D, Inc., a leading provider of training and simulation solutions for government and commercial applications, today announced that it is demonstrating a prototype of its newly-announced Independence IDX 80 Image Generator (IG) this week in the project: syntropy / domeprojection.com stand at the ITEC 2016 exhibition held at ExCeL London. Although the IDX 80 is Quantum3D's most compact IG product, fitting within a single case the size of a deskside PC, it will be shown driving a large scale 6-projector (each at WQXGA 2560x1600 resolution) display dome with a real-time aircraft simulation demo. Remarkably, this level of performance was previously only possible with IG's comprising a much larger rack full of several PC servers.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160513/367539LOGO

Quantum3D is also announcing the upcoming release of MANTIS version 3.3, a significant new upgrade to its award-winning Image Generation software including several key features:

Native support for domeprojection.com ProjectionTools runtime software

Increased number of spot lights and omni-directional lights, also with added support for these light types in sensor channels

Improved performance and capability of DI-Guy animated character option

Improved appearance of light points to support Level-D airport rendering

Added support for direct stimulation of NVG goggles

This new release of MANTIS will be available to customers in late May 2016, and will be included with the new IDX 80 system which will begin shipping in summer 2016.

Employing a unique new compact all-in-one design, the IDX 80 is designed and optimized for simulation applications requiring anywhere from two to a maximum of eight separate display devices. Applications in this popular range include commercial airline pilot training simulators, maritime and ground vehicle simulators, as well as a wide variety of other vehicle training devices.

"The IDX 80 is a marvelous reminder that great things can come in small packages," said Jan Bjernfalk, Quantum3D's VP of Products. "Fixed-wing pilot training, ground vehicle training, maritime training, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) training are all ideal applications for this tiny but powerful new platform."

In developing this demo, Quantum3D partnered with domeprojection.com, producer of the highly versatile ProjectionTools software suite which enables automatic display calibration and distortion correction for virtually any arbitrary display surface. As a result, Quantum3D's MANTIS image generation software now includes built-in native runtime support for ProjectionTools, and allows MANTIS-based image generators to display on any imaginable screen shape.

"We are excited to have our technology integrated with Quantum3D's visual system product line," said Christian Steinmann, Managing Director at domeprojection.com. "This opens up new opportunities for us and increases our global reach."

About Quantum3D

Quantum3D, Inc. is a leading developer and provider of simulation and training solutions as well as the technology that drives them. Quantum3D combines the most advanced hardware and software systems for simulation in a variety of markets and implementations  flight simulation; land and other vehicle training; synthetic environments and construction tools; sensor simulation; and other COTS-based solutions.

Quantum3D is a privately-held company headquartered in Milpitas, California. Quantum3D recently announced that it is in the process of being acquired by HAVELSAN, a major global software and systems provider based in Ankara, Turkey. This acquisition is anticipated to complete by early summer 2016.

For more information about Quantum3D training and simulation solutions, please visit

www.quantum3d.com.

About domeprojection.com and project: syntropy

domeprojection.com is the developer of ProjectionTools, and sells targeted autocalibration systems for advanced displays. ProjectionTools is the most versatile automatic display calibration system on the market for calibration of arbitrary screen shapes.

project: syntropy is a related company specializing in integration of Visual Display Systems and cutting edge interactive environments bridging the gap between creation and technology. Its focus is on designing and delivering display systems for a wide variety of uses ranging from Training and Simulation to Planetariums and Expos. Both companies are based in the Berlin, Germany area.

For more information, please visit www.domeprojection.com and www.project-syntropy.de/en .

Quantum3D, the Quantum3D logo, Independence, and MANTIS are registered trademarks of Quantum3D. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Related Links

http://www.quantum3d.com



SOURCE Quantum3D, Inc.
DUBLIN, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The Global Automotive Filter Market 2016-2021: Trend, Forecast and Opportunity Analysis" report to their offering.

The global automotive filter market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2016 to 2021

The major drivers of growth for this market are increase in the production of vehicles, increasing focus of vehicle owners on preventive maintenance, increasing average age of vehicles in operation, and increasing miles driven per vehicle.



In this market, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter, and cabin air filter are some of the major segments of automotive filters. On the basis of its comprehensive research, the author forecasts that the fuel filter and cabin air filter segments are expected to show above average growth during the forecast period.



Within the global automotive filter market, the oil filter segment is expected to remain as the largest market. Rising vehicle production and increasing demand from original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and aftermarket is expected to spur growth for this segment over the forecast period.



Asia Pacific is expected to remain the largest market due to high vehicle production, improvement in the economic conditions, and increasing investments by the industry players within the APAC region.



North America and Asia Pacific are expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period because of rapidly increasing demand of filters in OEMs as well as the aftermarkets of China, India, and Germany.



For market expansion, report suggests innovation and new product development to enhance the filter performance. The report further suggests the development of partnerships with customers to create win-win situations and development of low-cost solutions for customers.



Emerging trends, which have a direct impact on the dynamics of the industry, include the development of filters with organic materials, development of polyurethane-based adhesive filters, and customizable air filter concept.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. The Automotive Filter Market Background and Classifications



3. Market Trends and Forecast Analysis



4. Competitor Analysis



5. Growth Opportunity and Strategic Analysis



6. Company Profiles of Leading Players



- Donaldson Company Inc.

- Mahle International GmbH

- Mann+Hummel Holding GmbH

- NGK Insulators Ltd.

- Sogefi SpA



For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/lrnzp4/the_global

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com



SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Chlor-Alkali Market by Products, Applications & Region - Global Forecast to 2021" report to their offering.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160330/349511LOGO )



The global market size of chlor-alkali is estimated to reach USD 102.60 Billion by 2021 and is projected to register a CAGR of 5.4% between 2016 and 2021. The report segments the market by chlor-alkali products, namely, chlorine, caustic soda, and soda ash.

The applications for chlorine are EDC/PVC, organic chemicals, inorganic chemicals, isocyanates, chlorinated intermediates, propylene oxide, pulp & paper, C1/C2 aromatics, water treatment and for caustic soda are alumina, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals, food and pulp & paper, soaps & detergents, textiles, water treatment, and steel/metallurgy-sintering. Applications for soda ash include glass, soaps & detergents, metallurgy, water treatment, pulp & paper, and others. The report is segmented based on regions as Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and South America. Base year considered for the study is 2015, while the forecast period is between 2016 and 2021.



Top-down and bottom-up approaches have been used to estimate and validate the size of the global market and to estimate the sizes of various other dependent submarkets in the overall chlor-alkali market. The research study involved extensive use of secondary sources, directories, and databases such as Hoovers, Bloomberg, Chemical Weekly, Factiva, and other government and private websites to identify and collect information useful for the technical, market-oriented, and commercial study of the global chlor-alkali market.

Companies Mentioned:

Akzonobel N.V.

Axiall Corporation

Formosa Plastics Corporation

Hanwha Chemical Corporation

Nirma Limited

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (Oxy)

Olin Corporation

Solvay Sa

Tata Chemicals Limited

Tosoh Corporation

Tronox Limited

Xinjiang Zhongtai Chemical Co. Ltd.

Report Structure:

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

5 Market Overview

6 Industry Trends

7 Caustic Soda Market, By Application

8 Caustic Soda Market, By Region

9 Chlorine Market, By Application

10 Chlorine Market, By Region

11 Soda Ash Market, By Application

12 Soda Ash Market, By Region

13 Competitive Landscape

14 Company Profiles

15 Appendix

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/r62tpz/chloralkali



Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716



SOURCE Research and Markets
SARASOTA, Florida, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (OTCQB: RCPI), a clinical-stage drug development company focused on the application of its lead compound to treat acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, today filed its 2016 first quarter report on Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission and provided clinical commentary and review on the Company's operations for its first quarter.

Logo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150617/223737LOGO

Topical Drug Product Development

The Company has developed a range of anatabine cream and ointment topical formulations to move forward in pre-clinical and clinical development. Preclinical testing to date has shown the ointment demonstrates good stability and performance in skin delivery and permeation testing. The ointment formulations will therefore be advanced into clinical development.

Pre-Clinical Models of Psoriasis

The Company has initiated a second pre-clinical study of psoriasis using the imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis mouse model. This model recapitulates many features of the pathology of human psoriasis such as erythema, scaling, keratinocyte proliferation, skin thickening and activation of IL23, IL17 and IL22 cytokines. Although data are still being evaluated, the Company's initial findings show reduction in the proliferation of skin cells (keratinocytes) which characterize human psoriatic plaques. The Company's recent Investor Presentation, filed on May 16, 2016, on Form 8-K, contains a brief discussion of the IMQ model, highlighting epidermal staining of representative skin sections. The pictorial representation is self-evident, showing anatabine's ability to reduce keratinocyte proliferation induced by IMQ. The Company is encouraged by anatabine's potential efficacy in dermatological disease, and is currently quantifying and evaluating the psoriasis model data for submission for peer review publication. Further, these data will be helpful in designing the Company's Phase IB human proof of concept study and may potentially enhance the Company's intellectual property position.

The May 16 Investor Presentation also highlights the results of the TPA-irritant psoriasis mouse model, where the proliferation of keratinocytes was also significantly reduced. Complementary results show significant reductions in activation of STAT3 and NF-kB, two critical regulators of inflammation (see below).

Clinical Activities

The Company's upcoming Phase IB psoriasis study is being designed to achieve several goals: First, although the Company has conducted successful oral Phase I systemic safety studies, it is required that the Company's new anatabine topical formulations are also formally evaluated for human safety. A primary goal of this study will therefore be the evaluation of safety and tolerability of different doses of the topical formulations. Second, the Phase IB is being designed to evaluate human clinical efficacy of anatabine citrate on psoriasis. The standard evaluation of efficacy is visual inspection and scoring of the psoriatic plaques by experts. These observations will be supplemented in our study with ultrasonography and pathological evaluation of skin biopsies. These will allow assessment of the impact of our drug on the depth of the psoriatic lesion and the degree of infiltration of inflammatory cells, among other parameters. Finally, the Company will be collecting biomarker data from the skin biopsies. In particular, we will measure the activity of NFK-B and STAT3, which have been previously identified as critical regulators of inflammation. A great deal of scientific and clinical work performed by the Company and others suggests that the Company's drug will suppress inflammation by inhibiting the activation of these regulators of gene activity. Verification of the relationship between reduced activation of these transcription factors and reduced psoriatic pathology will be regarded as further evidence of anatabine's mechanism of action. Further, if the overall results are positive, this study will provide the proof of concept that the mechanism of action of our compound can potentially be therapeutic, not only in dermatological disorders, but in other inflammation driven human diseases as well.

To support its clinical plan, the Company has undertaken a dermal toxicity program, which will allow the safe dosing of psoriasis patients in the dermal clinical studies. By careful species selection, this dermal toxicity testing program will confirm the range of anatabine citrate concentrations for dosing in the Phase IB study, but will also support multiple clinical study protocols for a follow on Phase IIa/II psoriasis trial in 2017.

Atopic Dermatitis Pre-Clinical Model

In addition to its work in psoriasis, the Company has expanded its dermatological focus to determine whether anatabine has applicability in atopic dermatitis (AD) or "eczema". Recent forecasts suggests that this market, within a number of major countries, will grow to in excess of $5B by the early part of the next decade, growing at a compound annual growth rate of close to 4%. Accordingly, the Company has been evaluating anatabine's attributes in a chronic mouse model of TMA-induced contact hypersensitivity, a pre-clinical model for AD, known simply as the TMA model. This well-studied model of chemical sensitization shows many of the features of AD, including swelling, inflammatory cell infiltration and inflammatory marker/cytokine increase. Initial observations and early results show that swelling associated with AT in this model is decreased with treatment by both anatabine citrate cream and anatabine citrate ointment. Importantly, the proliferation of the epidermal keratinocytes produced by TMA is also opposed by the anatabine derived topical therapeutics. Further detailed analyses are ongoing, however, pictorial representations of anatabine's effect through skin section epidermal staining, and graphical data measurements of reduced ear thickness in affected mice, are also included in the recent Investor Presentation. More detail on the Company's plans for atopic dermatitis will be conveyed later in the year.

Executive Commentary

Michael Mullan (MBBS, PhD), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, commented, "As reflected in today's filing, apart from advancement of the Company's clinical program, the Company's past legal challenges are also beginning to ameliorate. We are pleased that we have recently resolved the consumer class action lawsuit and we have made favorable progress on other legal matters, the details of which are included in today's filing."

Dr Mullan added, "The Company continues to move forward with our focus on psoriasis and dermatological skin diseases, as a means to attaining proof of concept for our compound. Our drug has a novel anti-inflammatory mechanism of action, and contingent upon continued access to sufficient capital, we expect to test its therapeutic potential in our Phase IB Psoriasis study in Q4 of 2016."

2016 First Quarter Financial Results

The Company recorded a net loss of $2.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016, compared to a net loss of $338 thousand for the same period in 2015. The net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2015 included a one-time receipt of $3.5 million of insurance proceeds.

General and administrative expenses were $1.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016, a 63% decrease of $2.1 million, from $3.3 million for the same period in 2015.

The Company invested $133 thousand in research and development efforts during the three months ended March 31, 2016, compared to $473 thousand for the comparable period in 2015. The research and development costs for the three months ended March 31, 2016 were directed principally toward the preparation and pre-clinical testing of anatabine citrate in preparation for advancing into the next phase of the Company's clinical development.

Additional financial information can be found in the Company's Form 10-Q filed on May 16, 2016. Additional scientific and corporate information can be found within the Company's updated Investor Presentation, posted on the Company's website within the "Investors" section, under "Presentations and Webinars" and in the Company's Form 8-K, filed May 16, 2016.

About Anatabine Citrate:

Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals' compound is a small molecule, cholinergic agonist that exhibits anti-inflammatory pharmacological characteristics, distinct from other anti-inflammatory drugs available such as biologics, steroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. The Company's lead compound has been investigated extensively in pre-clinical (in vitro and in vivo) studies resulting in several peer reviewed and published scientific journal articles, covering models of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and autoimmune thyroiditis. All these studies demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of the Company's compound. In addition, the Company's compilation of human exposure safety and tolerability data, has provided important insights for ongoing clinical and regulatory pharmaceutical development.

About Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.:

Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an emerging drug development company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of new drugs, formulations and compounds that provide therapies for chronic and acute inflammatory diseases.

For more information, visit: http://www.rockcreekpharmaceuticals.com

Forward Looking Statements:

Certain statements contained in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to statements identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "targets," "projects" and similar expressions. The statements in this release are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Numerous factors could cause or contribute to such differences, including, but not limited to, failure to obtain sufficient capital resources to fund our development program and operations, results of clinical trials and/or other studies, the challenges inherent in new product development initiatives, including the continued development and approval of anti-inflammatory drug candidates, the effect of any competitive products, our ability to license and protect our intellectual property, our significant payables, our ability to raise additional capital in the future that is necessary to maintain our business, changes in government policy and/or regulation, potential litigation by or against us, any governmental review of our products or practices, pending litigation matters, as well as other risks discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 filed on March 22, 2016. We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement or any information contained in this press release or in other public disclosures at any time.

CONTACT:

Investor Contact:

PCG Advisory Group

Stephanie Prince

+1 646.762.4518

sprince@pcgadvisory.com

Media Contact:

PCG Advisory Group

Sean Leous

+1 646 863 8998

sleous@pcgadvisory.com

Company Contact:

Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

2040 Whitfield Ave. Suite 300

Sarasota Florida, 34243

1-844-727-0727

IR@rockcreekpharma.com

Related Links

http://www.rockcreekpharmaceuticals.com



SOURCE Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
BASEL, Switzerland, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Strekin AG, a start-up life sciences company located in Basel, Switzerland announced today the in-licensing of Pamapimod, an investigational oral inhibitor of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160513/367502LOGO )



Strekin will build the necessary research foundation for the clinical development of Pamapimod in indications in which MAP Kinases play fundamental roles. Pamapimod has a well-established safety profile in humans. This will allow Strekin to quickly move the molecule into enabling proof-of-concept Phase 2 clinical studies in new indications, reducing the risk and time inherent in the development of less advanced candidates.

"Strekin is on a path to build a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing late stage drugs as disease-modifying treatments for disorders involving cell-stress related inflammatory pathways" said Alexander Bausch, CEO and Founder of Strekin.

About Strekin AG

Strekin is a privately held clinical-stage company located in Basel, Switzerland. Strekin aims to discover the untapped therapeutic potential of existing drugs for new indications to transform the lives of patients. Strekin is led by an experienced team with a strong track record in research and successful clinical development of novel drugs. Strekin's lead program, STR001, is a therapy currently in clinical development for the treatment of hearing loss. http://www.strekin.com

About Pamapimod and P38 MAPK

Pamapimod is an investigational oral drug that selectively inhibits P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activity.

The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) play central roles in cellular signaling in response to inflammation and oxidative stress. Beyond inflammation, the p38 MAPK signaling cascade is also involved in diverse biological responses including cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Thus, Pamapimod has promise as a potential new treatment for a number of serious rare and common diseases.

Contact: Alexander Bausch, +41-61-633-2971

SOURCE Strekin AG
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Pakistani Army Chief General Raheel Sharif in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2016.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with visiting Pakistani Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on Monday to enhance bilateral economic and security ties.

Military-to-military relations have reinforced China-Pakistan ties, especially economic cooperation, Li said, calling on both sides to strengthen high-level contact and deepen exchanges in various fields.

Economic cooperation and security collaboration between the two should be pushed forward "like two wheels," according to the premier.

Li also hopes China and Pakistan will increase communication and coordination on global and regional issues to safeguard peace and promote common development and prosperity.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is not only a flagship project between the two sides, but also conducive to development and prosperity of the whole region, stressed Li, saying China appreciates the strong support from Pakistan's government and military.

The premier said the two countries will share opportunities and overcome challenges through joint efforts to benefit the two peoples.

The Pakistani army appreciates Pakistan's profound friendship with China, Raheel Sharif said, stressing the Pakistani side expects achievements from the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor and is ready to provide security for cooperation.

Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Fan Changlong also met with Raheel Sharif on Monday to promote military-to-military ties between the neighboring countries.
SHANGHAI, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With UnionPay's rapid expansion overseas, especially the implementation of its localization strategy, UnionPay cards are frequently used by an increasing number of overseas cardholders. It is learnt on May 9 that, by the end of the first quarter of 2016, the transaction volume of overseas-issued UnionPay cards accounted for about half of UnionPay's total international business; this figure by the end of 2013 was only 27%. The transaction number of overseas-issued UnionPay cards in the Chinese mainland increased by over 30% year on year.

To date, over 55 million UnionPay cards have been issued in 40 countries and regions overseas. Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and markets along the "One Belt and One Road" are major overseas regions in terms of UnionPay card-issuance. These markets are also the major sources of China's inbound tourists, according to National Tourism Administration.

UnionPay International is enriching its services and privileges for overseas cardholders: First, it improves its acceptance environment in overseas markets and enlarges card-issuance scales. Second, it has constructed featured business areas in various domestic cities and optimized frontier trade settlement services. Third, it has provided exclusive privileges and offers for overseas-issued UnionPay cards. For instance, it offers VIP service at 10 Chinese Visa Application Service Centers in South Korea, Singapore and Australia.

Cai Jianbo, CEO of UnionPay International, said, "With UnionPay's vision of building a 'global network and international brand', we keep improving our overseas acceptance network and service system, not only providing payment convenience for the Chinese to 'go abroad' but also paying more attention to overseas consumers. UnionPay International will expand its overseas card-issuance and develop tailored card products and services, to attract more overseas customers to China, and to offer bidirectional support for the exchanges and cooperation between China and other regions."

UnionPay cards are popular in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Pakistan, Russia and Kazakhstan. In the first quarter, overseas cardholders' spending in Mainland China has increased remarkably. The transaction volume of Singapore-issued UnionPay cards in China has increased for almost 3 times, and the growth rate of that of UnionPay cards issued in Laos, Cambodia and Australia all doubled.

From today to October 31, China Duty Free stores at eight airports in Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Kunming, Shenyang, Nanjing, Xiamen, Qingdao and Changsha offer 10%-off discount for overseas-issued UnionPay cards with other privileges.

Now, UnionPay card products and services are recognized by an increasing number of overseas customers. In the first quarter, the transaction volume of South Korea-issued UnionPay cards in Japan and the US has increased over two times, and that of UnionPay cards issued in countries along the "One Belt and One Road" (Russia, Pakistan, and Mauritius, etc.) in other regions has more than doubled.

For more information: http://www.unionpayintl.com/

Related Links

http://www.unionpayintl.com



SOURCE UnionPay International
New Office Will Focus on Litigation and Intellectual Property Matters

TAIPEI, Taiwan, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- International law firm Vinson & Elkins LLP announced today the opening of an office in Taipei, to serve the growing demand of the firm's clientele in Taiwan and the Asia Pacific.

V&E partners David Tsai and Christopher Kao will oversee the office, which will serve as a platform for offering a wide range of litigation, transactional and strategic legal counseling support, with a particular emphasis on complex commercial litigation, intellectual property, renewable energy and corporate matters.

The Taipei office is located on the 52nd floor of the iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper, in the city's Xinyi District. The office is V&E's fourth in Asia and 16th worldwide.

"Our presence in Taipei enhances the firm's ability to meet the diverse set of legal challenges our clients face in the United States and throughout the Asia Pacific," said V&E Chairman Mark Kelly. "For nearly a decade, David and Chris have helped develop and cultivate a thriving practice in Taiwan that now includes more than three dozen leading high technology and biotechnology companies and some of Taiwan's strongest brands. We are confident that their leadership will enable V&E to meet the U.S. legal needs of all our Taiwanese clients."

Tsai, who together with Kao joined V&E from Perkins Coie in September 2015, handles a range of patent, trade secret, complex breach of contract, and product defect litigation. His legal experience includes international arbitration, copyright and trademark litigation, preparing and prosecuting U.S. electrical engineering patent applications, drafting patentability, freedom-to-operate and non-infringement opinions, as well as patent interferences in the area of biotechnology. He also represents clients in patent negotiations, licensing and overall intellectual property strategy.

Kao, an experienced trial lawyer, focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation, including patent, copyright, trademark and trade secrets disputes, as well as high-stakes complex commercial litigation. He has represented a diverse spectrum of U.S. and international clients in the computer hardware and software, semiconductor, telecommunications, energy, medical devices and consumer products industries. He also has particular experience representing clients in post-grant review proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trial Appeal Board (PTAB).

"As home to many of the world's leading computer, semiconductor, LED, pharmaceutical, petrochemical and renewable energy companies, Taiwan is among the top commercial hubs in the world and a hotspot for growth," Tsai said. "Opening an office in Taipei makes strategic sense, and I am thrilled about the full-service legal assistance V&E will be able to provide our Taiwanese clients."

In addition to servicing existing IP clientele, the Taipei office will complement the firm's branches in Beijing, Hong Kong and Tokyo and strengthens the firm's ability to assist clients around the world with issues related to antitrust, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, government and internal investigations, international arbitration, tax, finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, joint ventures, development projects and other transactions.

"V&E's move into Taipei will greatly benefit the firm's global IP and litigation practices while also generating synergies with our other offices and practice groups serving clients based in Asia," said Darryl Woo, co-head of V&E's Intellectual Property Practice Group.

With approximately 650 attorneys, V&E is among the preeminent law firms in Asia and provides integrated U.S. and local law advice, and offers a broad range of legal services in the Asia Pacific region through the firm's offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Taipei. For more than 30 years, V&E's lawyers have represented the interests of a variety of clients in connection with their projects, transactions and other matters throughout the area. The firm's lawyers in Asia are part of V&E's worldwide network, collaborating closely with lawyers in V&E's other offices to serve firm clients whose headquarters are located outside Asia.

V&E also has an established record of success obtaining, protecting, exploiting, and enforcing clients' intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, trade dress, trade secrets, and copyrights. The firm's lawyers have successfully litigated patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret cases in state and federal district courts throughout the United States and have obtained highly favorable judgments for V&E's clients at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in a variety of appellate courts, including the Federal Circuit.

Vinson & Elkins LLP is an international law firm with approximately 650 lawyers across 16 offices worldwide. For more information, please contact Jeremy Heallen at +1.713.758.2079 or Siew-Fong Leung at +852.3658.6425.

Related Links

http://www.velaw.com



SOURCE Vinson & Elkins LLP
WASHINGTON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Chuck Conconi welcomed Bob Cusack on this week's episode of Focus Washington. Cusack, Editor-in-Chief of Washington-based publication The Hill, evaluated the irregular political climate of the 2016 presidential election.

According to Cusack, the ascension of Donald Trump has transformed the identity of the Republican Party. By confronting the potential loss of House and Senate seats, "Republicans are coming to grips with reality." Cusack predicted that Speaker Paul Ryan will endorse Trump by the Republican Convention in July. Despite his limited appeal among Hispanic and women's groups, Trump surprised pundits by attracting a loyal base of support.

Insecurity among Republicans parallels growing divisions within the Democratic Party. Cusack noted that a contested convention will require critical negotiations between Clinton and Sanders. He predicted that Clinton will triumph over Sanders to receive the Democratic nomination. The Convention will measure Clinton's success as she attempts to unite her traditional supporters with Sanders voters.

Cusack concluded his remarks by urging caution in predicting Convention results. Thus far, wavering support for Clinton, combined with Trump's unforeseen political rise, has defied voters' expectations. This time last year, confidence in particular candidates was unshakeable. To Cusack, a fragmented Republican Party and mounting opposition to Clinton define "the year of the outsider" in which no candidate is guaranteed victory.

About MSLGROUP

MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupe's strategic communications and engagement group, advisors in all aspects of communication strategy: from consumer PR to financial communications, from public affairs to reputation management and from crisis communications to experiential marketing and events. With more than 3,000 people across close to 100 offices worldwide, MSLGROUP is also the largest PR network in Europe, fast-growing China and India. The group offers strategic planning and counsel, insight-guided thinking and big, compelling ideas  followed by thorough execution.

www.mslgroup.com | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | Slideshare | Pinterest

About Publicis Groupe

Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] is a global leader in marketing, communication, and business transformation. In a world marked by increased convergence and consumer empowerment, Publicis Groupe offers a full range of services and skills: digital, technology & consulting with Publicis.Sapient (SapientNitro, Sapient Global Markets, Sapient Government Services, Razorfish Global, DigitasLBi, Rosetta) - the world's largest most forward-thinking digitally centered platform focused exclusively on digital transformation in an always-on world - as well as creative networks such as BBH, Leo Burnett, Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi, public affairs, corporate communications and events with MSLGROUP, ad tech solutions with VivaKi, media strategy, planning and buying through Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia, healthcare communications, with Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG), and finally, brand asset production with Prodigious. Present in 108 countries, the Groupe employs more than 76,000 professionals.

www.publicisgroupe.com | Twitter: @PublicisGroupe | Facebook: www.facebook.com/publicisgroupe | LinkedIn: Publicis Groupe | http://www.youtube.com/user/PublicisGroupe | Viva la Difference

SOURCE Focus Washington
WASHINGTON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congress is paving the way for a historic leap forward in prostate cancer research as appropriators recommend a $10 million increase in prostate cancer research funding at the Department of Defense (DoD). Today the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Appropriations reported its Fiscal Year 2017 Defense Appropriations Bill, which includes $90 million for the Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP). This $10 million plus-up reflects an increase of over 12 percent and marks the first time in a decade that the committee has marked the bill higher than $80 million.

"We would like to thank the House Appropriations Committee members and specifically Subcommittee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen, as well as all of our passionate advocates for their dedication to stopping the pain and suffering from prostate cancer," said ZERO CEO Jamie Bearse. "Continuing to advance research and develop new treatments for the disease are of the utmost importance to ZERO, our advocates, and the men we serve, and we're proud to be one step closer to $90 million thanks to the hard work, leadership, and commitment of our Congressional champions."

Critical research funded by the PCRP has produced significant advances for men battling prostate cancer, leading to three new lifesaving treatments for the disease in the last five years. This increase follows the hard work of more than 100 advocates from 40 different states that stormed Capitol Hill during the ZERO Prostate Cancer Summit in February to meet with elected officials. Congressmen Peter King (R-NY) and Sanford Bishop (D-GA) joined ZERO advocates in championing the effort to increase funding. Should they be approved, these much-needed funds will kick-start research for improved diagnostic tools to help stop the pain and suffering from prostate cancer, and to move closer to zero prostate cancer cases and zero pain and suffering from the disease.

The Committee's approval means that the bill will be considered by the full House of Representatives in the coming weeks. The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to release its version of the bill before Memorial Day. The two pieces of legislation will be reconciled later this fall before final passage of the measure sends it to the President's desk for signature. Should the final legislation maintain the $90 million House appropriation, this would be the largest increase in funding for the PCRP since 2001, a major victory for every advocate fighting for increased prostate cancer research funding.

Want to stay in the loop? Sign up for ZERO's action alerts: http://tinyurl.com/qf3agwo.

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SOURCE ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer

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http://www.zerocancer.org


MIAMI, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mi9 Retail, the premier provider of enterprise retail merchandising, business intelligence and customer-centric store solutions, announced today that alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet, a full lifestyle collection including ready-to-wear, gowns, shoes, accessories and handbags, has selected the Mi9 Retail end-to-end cloud software suite to support its growing business.

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With alice + olivia's fashions available in several hundred department stores and over 30 brick-and-mortar locations, the brand sought a new partner offering a global cloud solution with a centralized, real-time architecture to scale alongside its rapid expansion. alice + olivia's strategic initiatives encompass omni-channel deployment, store mobility and an increased focus on its customer marketing programs and in-store experiences. To meet its burgeoning needs, alice + olivia will implement Mi9 Retail Mosaic Store, which includes Point of Sale and Clienteling, in addition to Mi9 Affinity Merchandising and Mi9 Dashboard Reporting. Beyond software, Mi9 Retail will also assist alice + olivia with cloud hosting, managed services and direct to store support.

By delivering Mi9 Mosaic POS and Mi9 Clienteling, Mi9 Retail will provide alice + olivia with the technology to engage customers before, during and after the sale. The seamless integration of Mi9 Dashboard Reporting with Mi9 Affinity Merchandising will facilitate in-depth product visibility and analysis based on a consistent, real-time picture of inventory availability across all of the company's operations. The end-to-end cloud suite will empower alice + olivia to track consignment merchandise and inventory loans to celebrity clientele, fashion magazines and public relations firms.

"From our recent See Now/Buy Now fashion show to our technology investments, we are committed to bringing fashion to the Alice + Olivia woman when and where she wants it," commented alice + olivia COO Jason Epstein. "Mi9 Retail's end-to-end cloud software suite will allow us to know our shopper and her preferences intimately so that we can tailor our merchandise allocation, marketing campaigns and in-store experiences accordingly."

"We are honored to partner with alice + olivia at this critical juncture as they expand globally and scale their business," added Mi9 Retail President Neil Moses, "The Mi9 Retail end-to-end cloud suite will allow alice + olivia to truly understand and engage their customers by leveraging omni-channel and inventory data."

ABOUT ALICE + OLIVIA BY STACEY BENDET:

Launched in 2002, alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet is a brand that allows customers to express their personal style. With collections that juxtapose the whimsical and flirty with the sexy and sophisticated, alice + olivia epitomizes the personality and sensibility of its founder, Stacey Bendet. The brand was born from Stacey's quest to create the perfect pair of pants, and has since grown into a full lifestyle collection including ready-to-wear, gowns, shoes, accessories and handbags. Pulling inspiration from the world around her, Stacey incorporates bold colors, unique prints, and eclectic details to create vibrant and dynamic pieces. The brand is a Hollywood favorite with celebrity fans including Beyonce, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Obama and Taylor Swift. alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet is available at aliceandolivia.com, over 30 free-standing boutiques located in major cities around the world including, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, as well as over 800 of the finest department and specialty stores worldwide.

About Mi9 Retail

Mi9 Retail, the premier provider of enterprise retail merchandising, business intelligence and customer-centric software, empowers the world's most successful retailers to build strong personal relationships with their customers, process high volumes of transactions in real time and optimize inventory across all channels utilizing a single, accurate source of the truth. Built using cutting-edge technology, the software minimizes costs of ownership and provides the industry's fastest time to value. The company's global headquarters are located in Miami, FL, with operations in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.mi9retail.com.

SOURCE Mi9 Retail

Related Links

http://www.mi9retail.com


YAKUM, Israel, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Alon Blue Square Israel Ltd. (NYSE: BSI) (the "Company") announced today that the District Court in Lod, Israel upheld the decision of the trustees of Mega Retail to sign an agreement with a subsidiary of Bitan Wines Ltd. for the acquisition of Mega Retail. The court decision was delivered after a court hearing held following a motion filed with the Court by, among others, Mr. Ben Moshe and a company under his control, who had submitted one of the other offers to acquire Mega Retail which was not chosen by the trustees and whose proposed offer to acquire Mega Retail was included as part of the Company's proposed debt arrangement filed by the Company with the court on May 9, 2016. Mr. Ben Moshe's motion had requested, amongst other things, that the Court hear each party's argument in a manner which would be beneficial towards Mega Retail's creditors.

The Court also instructed the trustees of Mega Retail to convene meetings of creditors of Mega Retail in order to discuss and vote on the proposed sale agreement and debt arrangement with Mega Retail. The sale of Mega Retail to Bitan Wines is also subject to approval of the Antitrust Authority and the Court.

Mr. Ben Moshe notified the court that he intends to appeal the Court's decision.

The Company does not currently know whether the Court's decision will be overruled, and if not whether an alternative debt reorganization and arrangement for the Company will be reached.

Alon Blue Square Israel Ltd. (hereinafter: "Alon Blue Square") operates through subsidiaries. Continued operations - its Tel Aviv Stock Exchange ("TASE") listed 53.92% subsidiary, Blue Square Real Estate Ltd., which owns, leases and develops income producing commercial properties and projects. The others activities include the clearance of purchase coupons and operating the logistic center in Beer Tuvia. Companies designated for sale - the 63.13% held subsidiary, Dor Alon Energy in Israel (1988) Ltd, listed on the TASE, is one of the four largest fuel retail companies in Israel based on the number of petrol stations and a leader in the field of convenience stores operating a chain of 211 petrol stations and 218 convenience stores in different formats in Israel, and Na'aman Group (NV) Ltd., a 77.51% subsidiary listed on the TASE, operates specialist outlets in self-operation and franchises and offers a wide range of "Non-Food" in the houseware and textile segment.

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, plans or projections about our business, our future revenues, expenses and profitability. Forward-looking statements may be, but are not necessarily, identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "anticipates," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," and words and terms of similar substance. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events, results, performance, circumstance and achievements to be materially different from any future events, results, performance, circumstance and achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, the following: failure to reach a settlement with holders of our bank debt and guaranteed bank debt and holders of our Series C Debentures as well as the trustees and creditors of Mega Retail and whether we will continue operations; failure to satisfy all closing conditions for the proposed debt arrangement; acceptance by the court of all or part of the claims made by the trustees of Mega Retail; exposure to third party claims for significant amount of Mega Retail's outstanding debts and liabilities; financial and operational restrictions imposed by the proposed framework for debt repayment with our financial creditors; failure to satisfy the NYSE requirements for continued listing; commitments to issue additional shares which would dilute existing shareholdings and may lower the trading price of our securities; economic conditions in Israel which may affect our financial performance; dependence of BSRE on Mega Retail as a lessee of its properties; our ability to compete effectively with large fuel companies and our other competitors; enactment of new laws and regulations, including the enactment of recommendations of governmental appointed committees and regulations with respect to the procurement of petroleum products by fuel companies and the price of petroleum products that are subject to regulation; the effect of increases in oil, raw material and product prices in recent years; and other risks, uncertainties and factors disclosed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including, but not limited to, risks, uncertainties and factors identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in our annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except for our ongoing obligations to disclose material information under the applicable securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.

Contact:

Alon Blue Square Israel Ltd.

Zehavit Shahaf, Adv.,

General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Telephone: +972-9-9618504

Fax: +972-9-9618636

Email: [email protected]



SOURCE Alon Blue Square Israel Ltd.
VANCOUVER, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - American Lithium Corp. (TSXV: Li) ("American Lithium" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of 1065604 B.C. Ltd. ("1065604"), a private British Columbia company which holds the option to earn an undivided 80% interest in the Atlantis lithium property ("Atlantis") located in Fish Lake Valley, Esmeralda County, Nevada. As previously announced in the Company's news release dated May 9, 2016, Atlantis is comprised of unpatented placer claims and placer association claims totaling 2,882 acres (1,166 hectares), located approximately 25 miles (38 kilometres) northwest of the Silver Peak lithium brine mine operated by Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), the only producing lithium mine in North America.

American Lithium CEO Michael Kobler said, "The acquisition of these additional lithium brine claims demonstrates our commitment to the Fish Lake Valley project area where the Company now holds approximately 10,000 acres of highly prospective claims. The Company is planning to restart exploration of the Atlantis property during the second half of 2016 including twinning of historical exploration drill targets, well brine sampling and geo-hydrological surveys, along with analysis of historical data with the goal of proving up historical data." Mr. Kobler further commented, "American Lithium continues to advance its stated objective of evaluating and acquiring strategically located lithium projects in mining-friendly jurisdictions throughout the Americas."

Atlantis Lithium Property

Atlantis is the subject of an option agreement between Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation ("Nevada Sunrise") and a Nevada-based property vendor. With the closing of the acquisition of 1065604, American Lithium now holds the option to earn an 80% interest in Atlantis from Nevada Sunrise, subject to a royalty in favour of the underlying property vendor. In consideration for all of the outstanding share capital of 1065604, the Company has issued 4,533,334 common shares and will assume 1065604's obligations in respect of Atlantis. The Company has completed cash payments of $148,000 to Nevada Sunrise and is required to incur exploration expenditures of not less than $1,000,000 and issue up to 1,250,000 common shares to Nevada Sunrise over a period of three years. All securities issued in connection with the acquisition of 1065604, and securities issued to Nevada Sunrise for Atlantis are subject to a four-month statutory hold period.

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.

ABOUT American Lithium Corp.

American Lithium Corp. is actively engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of lithium deposits within mining-friendly jurisdictions throughout the Americas. American Lithium holds options to acquire approximately 4,400 hectare (10,000 acre) lithium claims in Fish Lake Valley in Esmeralda County, Nevada. The Fish Lake Valley and Atlantis lithium brine properties are located approximately 38 kilometers from Albemarle's Silver Peak, the largest lithium operation in the U.S., approximately 3.5 hours from the Tesla Gigafactory. American Lithium is listed on the TSXV under the trading symbol "Li". For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.americanlithiumcorp.com.

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.

SOURCE American Lithium Corp

Related Links

www.americanlithiumcorp.com


BOSTON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- American Well, a national telehealth technology and services company, today announced its newest enterprise telehealth service, the Exchange, and the first American Well partners to enter it  Cleveland Clinic, Nemours Children's Health System and LiveHealth Online. The Exchange allows healthcare organizations, for the first time, to redistribute their services online to new patient populations.

"The Exchange breaks down silos of healthcare delivery and connects every stakeholder in the industry  those who seek care, deliver care, and pay for it  to make great, trusted healthcare more accessible," said Dr. Roy Schoenberg, CEO, co-founder, American Well.

Added Dr. Schoenberg, "We want to do for healthcare what Amazon did for book stores initially, and online retail, ultimately, which is to establish a national platform on which online healthcare runs. Importantly this platform is not just about connecting consumers to more doctors. Rather, we can connect consumers with the best provider brands across the United States as part of a national, virtual healthcare system."

For many years American Well's partners have built best-in-class telehealth programs that leverage their unique brands, provider expertise, clinical services, technologies, and unique ties to their local communities. These partners have typically fallen into one of two categories  supply generators (organizations that supply healthcare services, such as a hospital or health system) and demand generators (organizations that generate consumer demand, such as a health insurer or employer).

With the Exchange, the virtual barriers between the supply and demand generators and their distinct telehealth services are lifted. Now, these organizations can connect and exchange their services with one another, instantly, online. As such, a new opportunity emerges for healthcare providers looking to 'package' up care and population programs into telehealth 'products' (e.g. programs for hypertension, diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's) and market and distribute them to payers and employers all through the Exchange.

Healthcare leaders operating on American Well's technology that have already entered the Exchange to take advantage of this new mode of redistributing care delivery to new patient populations include:

Cleveland Clinic and LiveHealth Online: Cleveland Clinic will begin offering its services on the LiveHealth Online platform, a telehealth service for live, video consults with a provider to obtain diagnosis and receive treatment for common urgent care conditions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Consumers who access LiveHealth Online in Ohio , West Virginia and Pennsylvania can connect with Cleveland Clinic Nurse Practitioners for live video consults on-demand. This is a premium experience for consumers, connecting them with one of the leading institutions in care delivery.



Nemours Children's Health System and Amwell  : Nemours Children's Health System, headquartered in Florida , is one of the nation's leading pediatric health systems. Nemours CareConnect is a service that leverages American Well technology to offer pediatric video consults in Delaware , Florida and Pennsylvania . Through the Exchange, consumers in Florida who use American Well's consumer telehealth platform, Amwell , will have access to Nemours' board-certified pediatricians 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Later this year, Nemours will expand this service to Delaware and Pennsylvania .

The Exchange is made possible through advancements in technology, telehealth adoption and a favorable regulatory climate. American Well's robust technology platform and sophisticated switchboard engine operate 'under the hood' of the Exchange. In February 2016, American Well also introduced the first Mobile Telehealth Software Development Kit (SDK) which lets organizations plug telehealth capabilities directly into their own consumer-facing mobile apps. With the Exchange, these consumer-facing apps can now tap directly into services from American Well's partners.

As the technology advances and more consumers seek virtual doctor visits, so too does the number of healthcare organizations adopting new telehealth services and making for a rich online ecosystem for collaboration. In American Well's network alone there are: more than 40 health systems; more than 40 independent health plans; and thousands of employers  all of which can now enter the Exchange. Today more than 100 million consumers have access to American Well technology through its work with these organizations.

The regulatory climate is also becoming increasingly favorable to cross-pollination of healthcare services, across state lines. In 2015, the Federation of State Medical Boards introduced a new, expedited pathway to licensure for qualified physicians who wish to practice in multiple states, called the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. The process to obtain expedited licensing is coming in summer 2016, after which multistate telemedicine licenses will be issued to any doctor who wants it. This means that provider organizations entering the Exchange and redistributing their services in other geographies can expect expedited, multistate licensure for their physicians.

For more information about the Exchange please visit www.americanwell.com.

About American Well

American Well transforms healthcare delivery through telehealth. We make online doctor visits accessible to everyone for one-off care issues like colds or infections, and chronic condition management, such as diabetes or depression. We deliver healthcare into people's homes and workplaces through our work with top health plans, health systems and employers, as well as our telehealth app, Amwell. A patient using Amwell can connect to a board-certified doctor of their choosing in just minutes for a visit carried out over smartphone, tablet, kiosk, phone, or desktop.

American Well and Amwell are registered trademarks or trademarks of American Well Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. For more information on our services, visitwww.americanwell.com. To download Amwell and have a doctor visit now, visit www.amwell.com.

LiveHealth Online is the trade name of Health Management Corporation

 2016 Health Management Corporation. All rights reserved.

Media Contact:

Amanda Guisbond

[email protected]

617-204-3500 x. 3697

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SOURCE American Well

Related Links

http://www.americanwell.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AppDome, a market leader in dynamic mobile application security-as-a-service, announced today at the SAPPHIRE NOW conference that the company will enable customers to use AppDome's breakthrough App Fusion security suite to protect SAP and enterprise-developed mobile apps. With the planned integration, the company aims to help customers add a powerful layer of security to safeguard sensitive data by dynamically shielding and securing mobile apps from advanced cyber threats, such as data leakage or theft, mobile fraud, intellectual property infringement and other malicious threats. AppDome expects to release the product for general availability in June 2016.

"As mobility has become more ubiquitous and deeply embedded into core business processes, mobile applications are increasingly involved in handling highly valuable and sensitive data. This trend has attracted the attention of sophisticated cyber-criminals who view mobility as an easy target for stealing sensitive data, which they can easily monetize," stated Tal Gilat, CEO of AppDome.

AppDome's patent-pending AppFusion technology does not require developers to be security experts, as the fusion process occurs automatically and dynamically, doesn't require new code, and has zero impact on the user experience. The fusing process is accomplished in minutes and doesn't require the use of software development kits (SDKs), thus avoiding lengthy development cycles and significant ongoing maintenance.

SAP provides cloud-based services designed to optimize the mobile experience for companies deploying mobile apps including SAP Fiori. SAP HANA Cloud Platform provides a third-party mobile services integration framework to help customers with faster delivery of flexible mobile apps that take advantage of tools like those from AppDome.

Access to the AppDome AppFusion console will be made available via the administration console of SAP's cloud-based mobile services. Customers can protect their SAP Fiori or enterprise app through an integrated step in the app management workflow. This liberates mobile app developers to focus on writing amazing apps, and helps IT to protect sensitive data accessed from their apps. This capability is expected to help companies secure corporate data from a range of attack vectors, such as man-in-the-middle attacks, malware and OS vulnerabilities, thereby helping to prevent data theft and avoid compliance breaches.

AppDome Co-Founder and CTO Avi Yehuda added, "We are thrilled to work with SAP to deliver comprehensive mobile security for SAP Fiori mobile apps. Our focus is on simplifying mobility by fusing security into applications without altering the application code, leaving the native user experience unaffected."

SAPPHIRE NOW and the ASUG Annual Conference are the world's premier business technology event and largest SAP customer-run conference, offering attendees the opportunity to learn and network with customers, SAP executives, partners and experts across the entire SAP ecosystem.

About AppDome

AppDome's App Fusion technology provides an essential shield that secures enterprise and consumer-facing apps from advanced cyber threats, mobile fraud, and data theft. Within minutes, AppDome's App Fusion technology defends iOS and Android apps from a wide range of attack vectors. The cloud-based App Fusion service operates on the final application package, and does not require any source code modifications or SDK integration during the development life cycle. The solution is used by the world's leading financial, healthcare and e-commerce companies to support productivity, compliance and security for consumers and employees.

For more information:

Follow AppDome on Twitter

Subscribe to the AppDome blog

Learn more at http://www.appdome.com

SAP, SAP HANA, SAP Fiori, SAPPHIRE and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other countries. See http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx for additional trademark information and notices.

All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

SOURCE AppDome

Related Links

http://www.appdome.com


Chinese investment in the U.S. real estate market has been growing rapidly in recently years. In the past five years from 2010 to 2015, Chinese people had invested 110 billion dollars in U.S. real estate.

A report by non-profit organization Asia Society and Rosen Consulting Group, an influential real estate consulting firm, says that now, for the first time, Chinese outbound direct investment into the U.S. exceeds U.S. investment into China. The U.S. sector that has drawn by far the greatest share of Chinese investments is real estate, both residential and commercial.

From March 2014 to March 2015, Chinese buyers had purchased 28.6 billion dollars' worth of real estate, with a year-on-year increase of 30 percent. This amount from Chinese investors took 26 percent of the total foreign investment in US real estate, followed by Canada, India, Mexico and the U.K.

According to the report, Chinese investors in U.S. real estate also pay more when purchasing homes than their American counterparts. Based on statistics released by the U.S. National Association of Realtors, the average cost of a house in the U.S. for the 12 months before March 2015 was $256,000; Chinese buyers paid an average of $831,800 in the same period of time.

Chinese investors tend to gather in regions with higher real estate price points, including New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. California is the favorite state for Chinese investors, with 35 percent of Chinese investment in U.S. real estate taking place in California. California is followed by Washington (8 percent) and New York (7 percent).
KRAKOW, Poland, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Ardigen, a bioinformatics company combining bio-data science and complementary advanced software support, is providing bioinformatics and software development services to EpiBiome, a precision microbiome engineering company based in California, US.

The scope of collaboration focuses on improving analyses dedicated to microbiome profiling, which includes work on the algorithms and databases dedicated to bacterial identification.

"We're very pleased to have an opportunity to work with such a dynamic and inspiring company as EpiBiome," said Janusz Homa, Chief Executive Officer at Ardigen. "I truly believe that excellent communication, combined with the bioinformatics and software development expertise of the Ardigen team, constitutes a foundation for successful and long-lasting cooperation between our companies."

"Ardigen has been a great resource to EpiBiome," states Dr. Bruno Marchon, Chief Technical Officer at EpiBiome. "We're extremely happy with their level of responsiveness, attention to details, and overall technical insight. Their breadth of knowledge and technical skills span a wide range of biotechnology- and IT-related topics, from the hard bioinformatics algorithm optimization to genomic database query, and web interface development for data output."



About EpiBiome

EpiBiome is a venture-backed precision microbiome engineering company based in South San Francisco. Its mission is to develop effective and sustainable FDA-approved therapies to combat infectious disease in humans and in agriculture without the use of antibiotics. EpiBiome employs a highly specific phage-based approach to eliminating problematic bacteria, whilst leaving the rest of the microbial community intact. For more information, visit http://www.epibiome.com.

About Ardigen

Ardigen is a Polish bioinformatics company combining bio-data science and complementary advanced software services to support data-driven Life Science and Healthcare organizations. Ardigen uniquely combines the skills of experienced information technology teams with the creative approach of biologists and chemists. Our core strength is a mixed team of world-class bioinformaticians, mathematicians, statisticians, data scientists and software developers. We strongly believe that advanced IT technologies are essential to the life science & healthcare industries. The marriage of scientific potential with the possibilities offered by the modern IT technologies in the hands of our informaticians and software developers opens up a completely new area of technology solutions and services supporting our partners.

Read more about Ardigen: http://www.ardigen.com/index.php/en/

Media contact:

Jacek Szmatka

Business Development Director

[email protected]

+48-539-939-556

SOURCE Ardigen S.A.
PHOENIX, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, May 20th in recognition of National Police Week, the Arizona Flower Market will be serving free coffee and donuts, as well as a free hot dog lunch, to any active or retired law enforcement officer who comes to the Arizona Flower Market on Friday from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. In addition they will be giving away blue and white themed flowers to the first 200 active or retired law enforcement officers who come down to the market. "We want to show law enforcement officers that we recognize and appreciate their dedication to public service for us all. Most importantly, we want to thank all the officers who serve or have served," said Brad Denham, owner of the Arizona Flower Market. The support of law enforcement is a cause that is near and dear to Brad and Cheryl Denham, the owners of Arizona Family Florist. Brad has 2 brothers who are long serving members of the Phoenix Police Department.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/367930

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/367931



In addition to free food, the Arizona Flower Market will be selling blue and white flower bunches, as well as police-themed coffee mugs and balloons, as a way to raise money for Police Officer Ben Denham a 14-year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department, who was diagnosed with two rare autoimmune diseases "Systemic Sclerosis" which is a rare form of Scleroderma and "Polymyositis." "Both of his diseases are chronic and incurable, but with the right care can be treated and managed in the hopes of helping Ben reach his goal of completing 20 years of service with the department. Our focus right now is to keep Officer Denham's story front and center, so that there is a voice for others who suffer from these debilitating diseases," added Brad.

All proceeds raised from the sale of the police-themed flowers, coffee mugs and balloons will go to the medical fund set up for Officer Denham. 100% of the funds raised go towards Officer Denham's medical treatment and rehabilitation in an effort for him to return to work serving the community. Donations can be also be made directly to Offer Denham's medical fund at www.gofundme.com/OfficerDenham.

Event Details: Free food and beverages will be served to any active and retired Law Enforcement Officers on Friday May 20th from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Free Flowers will be given away to law enforcement from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, or while supplies last. The market is located at 2050 S 16th Street Suite 105 Phoenix, AZ 85034. For details about the Arizona Flower Market visit www.azflowermarket.com

About Arizona Flower Market

Arizona Flower Market is Arizona's only wholesale to the public, DIY floral warehouse and is a division of parent company Arizona Family Florist, located in Phoenix, AZ. Arizona Family Florist was founded in 2005 and has quickly become one of the industry's leading floral and gift providers. Their multi-channel approach to retailing has spawned a diverse family of brands including an all occasion floral delivery service, Arizona Florist, and award-winning, full service bridal & event floral design studio, LUX Wedding Florist, all located in the same downtown complex dubbed the Phoenix Flower District. For more information about Arizona Family Florist visit www.azfamilyflorist.com.

Contact: Eileen Watters

Phone: 602-507-4200

E-Mail

Web: www.azfamilyflorist.com

SOURCE Arizona Flower Market

Related Links

http://www.azflowermarket.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In a little more than a week, BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) shareholders will be able to urge the world's largest asset-management company to shift away from its lax approach to overpaid CEOs. BlackRock not only is the biggest investor in the marketplace, but it also has an overpaid CEO (#51 on the 2016 list compiled by As You Sow) and the worst track record among major investors on approving high CEO pay (99 percent).

Resolution 5 sponsored by The Stephen M Silberstein Revocable Trust calls on BlackRock to issue by December 2016 a report that "evaluates options for bringing its voting practices in line with its stated principle of linking executive compensation and performance, including adopting changes to proxy voting guidelines, adopting best practices of other asset managers and independent rating agencies, and including a broader range of research sources and principles for interpreting compensation data." The full text of Resolution #5 and the supporting statement is available online at https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1086462/000121465916010903/l415162px14a6g.htm.

In light of its track record of turning a blind eye to excessive CEO compensation, BlackRock has become the focus of intense media scrutiny, including recent articles in Reuters, New York Times, Huffington Post, Bloomberg, Pensions & Investments, Fortune, and The Nation.

BlackRock also is the target of an ongoing SumOfUs petition campaign that so far has attracted nearly 74,000 signatures, including more than 1,500 BlackRock iShares clients, over 1,750 BlackRock investors, and more than 2,000 BlackRock customers.

A 2016 report from As You Sow identifies BlackRock's CEO, Larry Fink, as the 51st most overpaid CEO in the S&P 500. According to the resolution, Fink's pay was raised 8 percent last year (to $26 million a year), nearly three times the 2.7 percent profit posted by the company  and at a time that BlackRock shares fell 5 percent in value during the year.

The As You Sow report of the 100 most overpaid CEOs shows that BlackRock voted against only three CEO pay packages, although it held 99 of the companies in its portfolios. The report's review of CEO pay votes by 23 mutual funds found the median level of opposition was 22 percent. Schwab funds, for example, voted against 35 percent of the overpaid CEOs. (The 99 percent support level for BlackRock referred to in the shareholder resolution is in the context of all "say on pay" votes, not just the 100 companies highlighted in the As You Sow Report.)

Resolution sponsor Stephen M Silberstein said: "Investment companies have a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interest of their customers and an obligation to vote accordingly. It is not in the best interests of investors, or the shareholders of BlackRock, to have ever escalating CEO pay, or even high CEO pay, at the companies in which they invest."

Rosanna Landis Weaver, lead author of the As You Sow report on CEO pay, said: "BlackRock arguably is the posterchild today for excessive CEO compensation. It embraces it in its own ranks and it shows no concern about high CEO pay elsewhere. It is not true that CEOs will only work effectively if they are paid outrageous sums of money, or that they need that money to 'incent' them to do their job, or that there is such a shortage of people capable of being effective CEOs such that 'the market' has to raise CEO pay to the sky, and continue to raise it every year."

From July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015, BlackRock approved, with its "say on pay" proxy votes, 99 percent of CEO pay packages in the S&P 500 companies. This level of support was higher than that of other investment managers; the average approval rating of 118 of these managers was 90 percent.

By rejecting only 1 percent of CEO pay packages, BlackRock is exercising less fiduciary responsibility -- by a factor of 10 -- than the median investment manager, which rejects about 10 percent of CEO pay packages. BlackRock also fails to meet the standards suggested by the two advisory services (ISS and Glass Lewis) which recommend rejecting about 15 percent of CEO pay packages, and it falls below numerous pension funds which reject 20 percent or more of CEO pay packages.

Blackrock's actions on excessive CEO compensation are inconsistent with its stated proxy voting practices, which state: "We may determine to vote against the election of compensation committee members and/or Say on Pay proposals in certain instances, including but not limited to when: We identify a misalignment over time between target pay and/or realizable compensation and company performance as reflected in financial and operational performance and/or shareholder returns; or We determine that compensation is excessive relative to peers without appropriate rationale or explanation, including the appropriateness of the company's selected peers."

The supporting statement for Resolution 5 also notes: "Numerous studies have shown that there is no correlation between CEO pay and company performance  Indeed, it has been argued that 'performance' incentives can lead to bad behavior on the part of corporate executives  (T)he highest levels of CEO pay are not reflective of company performance. It may be said, then, that high CEO pay at SP 500 companies is not reflective of 'performance' at anything other than being lucky enough to be the person chosen for that job."

BlackRock manages 7,700 portfolios with $4.6 trillion in assets under management. It advises 94 of the Fortune 100 companies.

The Stephen M Silberstein Revocable Trust was established by Stephen Silberstein. In 1978, Silberstein founded the firm Innovative Interfaces, a leader in automated and online library systems.

SOURCE Stephen M Silberstein Revocable Trust, San Francisco, CA
NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Report Details

The latest report from business intelligence provider visiongain offers comprehensive insight into the global commercial vehicle telematics market. Visiongain assesses that this market will generate revenues of more than $13bn in 2016. The commercial vehicle telematics industry is undeniably one of the fastest growing sectors in the commercial vehicles sector.



Now: TomTom Telematics will be highlighting the latest developments in connected fleet management systems at this month's CV Show. This is an example of the business critical headline that you need to know about - and more importantly, you need to read visiongain's objective analysis of how this will impact your company and the industry more broadly. How are you and your company reacting to this news? Are you sufficiently informed?



Questions answered by this report

- How is the commercial vehicle telematics market evolving and what is driving and restraining the market dynamics?

- How will each one of the commercial vehicle telematics submarket segments grow and which technologies will prevail?

- How will the national commercial vehicle telematics markets change by 2026 and which geographical region will lead the CVT market?

- Who are the leading commercial vehicle telematics players and what are their prospects over the forecast period?

- And what are the trends in the commercial vehicle telematics market?



We break down the most important subsegments within the commercial vehicle telematics market but also the key connectivity type's, service providers', countries' and player's competitive positioning and characteristics that will make them lead this specific market.



How this report will benefit you

Read on to discover how you can exploit the future business opportunities emerging in this sector. Visiongain's new study tells you and tells you NOW.



In this brand new report you find 201 in-depth tables, charts and graphs, and trends  all unavailable elsewhere.



The 174 page report provides clear detailed insight into the global commercial vehicle telematics market. Discover the key drivers and challenges affecting the market.



By ordering and reading our brand new report today you stay better informed and ready to act.



Report Scope

- 201 tables, charts and graphs analysing the CVT market

- Overview of the commercial vehicle telematics market by connectivity and service provider type

- Global commercial vehicle telematics market forecast 2016 - 2026 and analysis of drivers and restraints

- Global forecasts of 7 individual commercial vehicle telematics submarkets by connectivity and service provider type covering the period 2016  2026

- Global forecast of commercial vehicle sales and major trends for the period 2016  2026

- Global commercial vehicle shipments with telematics forecast and analysis for the 2016  2026

- Forecast of the global penetration of commercial vehicle telematics systems for the 2016  2026

- Analysis of the commercial vehicle telematics technologies which are expected to become mandatory in major regions

- Commercial vehicle telematics forecasts and analysis of the 12 leading national markets for the period 2016-2026.



- In greater detail, we provide:

- The Status of the commercial vehicle telematics market in 2014-2015 including:

- The most notable developments in telematics for commercial vehicles

- Overview of the M&A within the commercial vehicle telematics market

- Examination of the commercial vehicles market during 2005-2015

- Segmentation of the commercial vehicle telematics market into 2 types submarkets:

- By type of connectivity into embedded, integrated and tethered solutions

- By service provider into OEM hardware, aftermarket hardware, telematics services, and connectivity services submarkets



- Market value forecast of the global commercial vehicle telematics market (revenues $bn) throughout 2016 to 2026 coupled with:

- Analysis of the micro, macro and regulatory drivers of growth in the market

- Identification of the restraints & the challenges that the market faces until 2026

- Market Value ($bn) Forecast 2016-2026 of the two submarkets along with:

- Individual examination of drivers and restraints of each secondary submarkets

- Allocation of submarket shares in the global commercial vehicle telematics market for 2016, 2021, and 2026 respectively

- Market value forecast ($bn) of the commercial vehicle telematics market in the 12 leading national markets: United States, Canada, Brazil, Germany, UK, France, Italy, China, Japan, India, South Korea and Russia

- Forecast for sales of commercial vehicles during 2016 to 2026 allocation of regional market shares in sales of CV for 2016, 2021, and 2026

- Forecast of smartphone and tablet shipments 2016-2026 to support the growth of telematics in commercial vehicles

- SWOT analysis of each one of the individual commercial vehicle telematics submarkets

- Profiles of the leading companies within the commercial vehicle telematics market comprising 12 leading aftermarket telematics providers & and 4 leading OEM telematics providers for commercial fleets:

- Analysis of their role in the CVT market and overview of their portfolio (up-to-date) with regards to telematics hardware

- Company financials (Group Revenues, Profits)

- Assessment of their subscription revenue and number of telematics subscribers (where available)

- Conclusions



How will you benefit from this report?

- Keep your knowledge base up to speed. Don't get left behind

- Reinforce your strategic decision-making with definitive and reliable market data

- Learn how to exploit new technological trends

- Realise your company's full potential within the market

- Understand the competitive landscape and identify potential new business opportunities & partnerships



Who should read this report?

- Anyone within the commercial vehicle logistics and fleet management industry

- Aftermarket Companies for Connected Vehicles

- Automotive Safety Systems Companies

- Connectivity Solution Companies,

- Collision Avoidance Systems Companies

- Telematics Solution Companies

- Diagnostics Companies

- V2X Safety and Security Companies

- Road Safety Authorities

- Telecommunication Companies

- Business intelligence analyst

- Competitive intelligence analyst

- Business operations manager

- Product development manager

- Business development managers

- Marketing managers

- Technologists

- Suppliers

- Investors

- Banks

- Government agencies

- Contractors



Visiongain's study is intended for anyone requiring commercial analyses for the commercial vehicle telematics value chain and leading companies. You find data, trends and predictions.



Buy our report today Commercial Vehicle Telematics Market 2016-2026: Top Companies & Connectivity Solutions For Fleet Management, Logistics, Tracking, Routing & Navigation For Fuel Efficiency, Driver Monitoring, Safety, Diagnostics & Predictive Analytics. Avoid missing out by staying informed  get our report now.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03837894-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


ATLANTA, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Axion BioSystems, a manufacturer of the Maestro multiwell microelectrode array (MEA) platform, is pleased to announce that the Company successfully closed a $6 million equity financing. The additional capital will accelerate the growth of Axion's core life science instrumentation product line.

"Axion's products are being adopted around the world at an ever-increasing rate," said CEO Tom O'Brien. "To maintain our rapid growth, we need to further invest in our global sales channel and in the support system for our expanding list of customers in pharma, biotech, academia and government."

The Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) has supported Axion since it was founded in 2008. In this equity financing round, GRA Venture Fund, LLC led the investment. "We know the management team well, and have confidence in their ability to execute their plan," stated Michelle Jarrard, GRA Venture Fund Managing Director. "Furthermore, we believe their products address existing and emerging needs in the drug discovery and cell therapy markets."

Concurrent with the close of financing, Axion is pleased to announce that Jay Teich will join the Company's Board of Directors. Teich is the former CEO of Seahorse Bioscience, a company focused on cell metabolism that was sold to Agilent Technologies in November 2015. Teich said, "I see a lot of parallels between Seahorse and Axion. Both companies have harnessed new technology to simplify a complex measurement of cellular activity. The adoption of their tools is enabling exciting scientific discoveries while creating an attractive growth market."

Axion, a proud member of Atlanta's biotech community, was born out of technology developed at Georgia Tech. To find out more about Axion, visit http://www.axionbio.com/

About Axion BioSystems, Inc.

Axion BioSystems, Inc. is a life science instrumentation company that develops high-throughput microelectrode array (MEA) systems for cellular analysis, allowing researchers to recreate brain activity and heartbeats on the benchtop. As a result, drug safety, drug discovery, and disease modeling is accomplished with greater sensitivity, accuracy, and productivity.

About GRA Venture Fund

The GRA Venture Fund, LLC is a private investment fund helping to finance promising companies emerging from Georgia's universities. The Fund makes seed, early-stage and mid-stage investments in companies originating from GRA Ventures, the commercialization arm of the Georgia Research Alliance. Fund investors include the State of Georgia, private individuals, corporations and foundations. For more information, visit www.graventurefund.org.

Contact:

Amanda Schroeder

Director, Public Relations

Georgia Research Alliance

[email protected]

404.443.2659

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/367925LOGO

SOURCE Axion Biosystems, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.axionbio.com/


"We conducted numerous field tests of recording devices on the market before selecting BodyWorn as our provider," said Biloxi Police Department Director John Miller. "Their product was notably superior from the start and we've been favorably impressed with the company's continued efforts to update and improve, at no additional cost. Their storage capabilities, playback features and redaction capabilities were unmatched in our studies. When you consider product ability, performance, enhancements and cost, there's nothing better on the market than BodyWorn."

BodyWorn is embedded into the officer's uniform to automatically record interactions with the public based on the Department's clearly-defined privacy policies. The system utilizes the advanced capabilities of a smartphoneusing policy-based, automatic triggers such as an accelerometer, GPS and voice activationto begin recording. This is significantly different from all other body camera products on the market today, which require officers to manually start recording when the officer deems it necessary. In addition, BodyWorn's Smart Offload feature further optimizes transparency by automatically offloading video content to a secure cloud storage system as it is being recorded. Competing products can only upload video files manually when the officers return to the precinct at the end of their shifts; this often leads to increased paperwork and departments spending unnecessary overtime pay because there are a limited number of upload ports.

"All of our technology is designed to substitute expensive and time consuming manual operations with technologically-advanced automated systems so police officers can dedicate their time to protecting the communities they serve," said Robert McKeeman, CEO of Utility. "This is the 21st century, and there is no reason officers should be using outdated and inadequate manual technology. BodyWorn is the only device on the market that provides law enforcement agencies with the smart technology needed to meet today's transparency and accountability demands. We look forward to working closely with Director Miller and the Biloxi Police Department's team of highly-skilled officers."

Along with advanced smart recording technology, the Biloxi Police Department will also have the benefit of the industry's only automated redaction software, Smart Redaction, as a standard feature to its video management system at no added cost. Smart Redaction identifies faces, and other identifiable objects, and can automatically redact video based on the Department's specific privacy policies to protect citizen and police officer privacy. This unique capability allows a police department to quickly and reliably redact video in response to any media request for a completely transparent video recording and video management operation. Smart Redaction also eliminates the very high labor costs associated with manually redacting video.

Jackson, Mississippi-based PILEUM, an authorized reseller of BodyWorn and Utility's IT consultant and systems integration partner will work alongside Utility to help the Biloxi Police Department deploy BodyWorn.

"The selection of the BodyWorn solution by Director Miller, Chief of Police at Biloxi PD, is an early indication of how law enforcement agencies that have taken a wait-and-see approach to body cameras, due to the shortcomings of first generation hardware-based solutions, will adopt this software-based solution at a rapid pace," said Jill Beneke, President and CEO of PILEUM. "The BodyWorn solution is simply the best system available today, providing unparalleled features and functionality to our customers in both the public safety and commercial space. Utility's software-based approach has allowed them to develop the most feature-rich system on the market by adding unique capabilities based on real-world feedback from law enforcement officers. These capabilities not only provide high-definition body camera and in-car video but also fully leverage the two-way communications afforded by the solution to enhance officer safety and transparency, all delivered via cloud services to maximize availability, data security and ease of management while minimizing impact on the existing IT infrastructure and staff. We are extremely excited at how the Gulf Coast is reacting to Biloxi's choice of BodyWorn."

For more information about Utility's suite of smart products, including BodyWorn devices, that enhance law enforcement agencies' ability to efficiently access the full evidence ecosystem using automated technology, visit http://www.Bodyworn.com.

About BodyWorn

BodyWorn uses smart mobile computing technology incorporating real-time communications for the best possible Situational Awareness. Only BodyWorn provides policy-based recording, Officer Down emergency alerts, live video streaming, and Smart Offload that securely, automatically offloads video wirelessly to cloud storage. BodyWorn video, audio and metadata can be accessed through the AVaiLWeb digital evidence management solution hosted on Amazon AWS. BodyWorn Software as a Service will continue to evolve to meet the demands of Police Departments around the world. BodyWorn and the Rocket IoT in-car video system leverage Amazon Web Services cloud storage, and provide our customers with Mission Critical Intelligence.

About Utility

Utility is a venture-capital funded company headquartered in Decatur, Georgia (Metro Atlanta) founded in 2001. The company provides Mission Critical Intelligence through the Rocket IoT vehicle video routers and BodyWorn video systems for Police, Fire, EMS, Electric and Gas Utility, and Public Transit customers. Utility offers a unified operating platform for safely locating, tracking and supporting all aspects of mobile field operations. Utility owns US patents 6,831,556; 7,768,548; 8,781,475; 9,246,898; and 9,282,495 and has numerous patents pending with the US, Canadian, and the European Union Patent Offices.

For more information, visit http://www.utility.com and http://www.bodyworn.com.

Contact: Jake Mendlinger

Office: 516-829-8374 / Cell: 516-639-3373

Email: [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160427/360504

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160427/360545LOGO

SOURCE Utility, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.utility.com


LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) announces the promotion of Michael Collins to the role of vice president and general manager of Mutual Fund Proxy Voting and Solicitation. Collins will lead the mutual fund proxy voting business and focus on strategic planning, client relations and regulatory oversight.

Collins, who was promoted to the role after his predecessor Peggy Schooley retired from the position, brings over two decades of mutual fund proxy vote management experience to his new role. He joined Broadridge in 1996, and was instrumental in building the company's mutual fund client service and account management functions. In recent years, Collins has focused on the development of proxy vote solicitation strategies for key mutual fund clients, developing new solutions and managing senior level client relationships.

"As the mutual fund industry experiences increased regulatory and market driven changes, cost and compliance pressures mean funds need innovative strategies to efficiently reach shareholders, obtain quorum and pass proposals," said Michael Liberatore, president, Mutual Fund and Retirement Solutions, Broadridge. "Michael's wealth of expertise and superior track record will help our clients navigate these challenges and execute successful proxy voting campaigns."

Collins is a member of the NICSA board of directors and distribution committee. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Manhattan College and a Master of Business and Science degree in Finance from Pace University. He holds Executive Education Certification from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association/Wharton program.

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) is the leading provider of investor communications and technology-driven solutions for broker-dealers, banks, mutual funds and corporate issuers globally. Broadridge's investor communications, securities processing and managed services solutions help clients reduce their capital investments in operations infrastructure, allowing them to increase their focus on core business activities. With over 50 years of experience, Broadridge's infrastructure underpins proxy voting services for over 90 percent of public companies and mutual funds in North America, and processes on average $5 trillion in fixed income and equity trades per day. Broadridge employs approximately 7,400 full-time associates in 14 countries. For more information about Broadridge, please visit www.broadridge.com.

Media Contacts

Linda Namias Maggie Nolan Broadridge Financial Solutions Brainerd Communicators, Inc. +1 631-254-7711 +1 212-986-6667 [email protected] [email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110920/MM71626LOGO

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.broadridge.com


BALLSBRIDGE, Ireland, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With a search engine that is completely driven by user activity, Yroo is putting consumers first in every aspect of their business. This has enabled Yroo to create a unique experience tailored to the individual shopper, rather than just creating a new channel for advertisers to sell their goods; although it works very well in achieving that as well.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368262LOGO

By using Yroo, every impression, click, share, favorite, and social interaction from the search engine is measured. These activities drive a proprietary popularity score for both items, brands and retailers; all in real time. As a result, when shoppers search on Yroo, the engine is listening, learning and most importantly delivering better results.

Yroo's mission has always been to provide a customer centric environment and this is reflected in every aspect of their business, including design and development. "If the consumer doesn't ask for something or doesn't like features we're testing we don't move forward with it. It's as simple as that," said Yroo's CTO, Nick Zhu. "With that philosophy in mind, it only made sense to create the search engine to be completely reliant on the customers' actions and measurable preferences."

All of this focus on the Yroo user creates an entirely personalized experience for each individual which continually and immediately adjusts as it learns. The more users interact with the site the better it understands their likes and dislikes.

"In the end, everything our loyal and expanding global user audience does, influences the direction and speed of our growth. We are the best place for a shopper to start their journey and every effort is made to become an indispensable part of their lives," said James Cunningham, Yroo's CEO.

Not only has Yroo built its entire search engine around the consumer but it has also created market-specific catalogs, including full localization of the entire site and brought on new brands all to support customer demand demonstrating that the "customer centric" philosophy really does permeate everything they do.

About Yroo

The world's most powerful search engine for smart shoppers; enabling shoppers to discover, research and buy from the largest collections of products, stores and promotions available anywhere.

Yroo offers its users a seamless search experience and empowers them to shop from over 5,500 merchants making it the single largest online shopping destination in the world.

Currently, Yroo is actively transacting in over 35 countries across North and South America, Europe and Asia with its seven market-specific catalogs and eight supported languages.

To experience Yroo: https://yroo.com/

For further information please contact: Kaileigh McMunagle, Marketing Lead, 647-500-4424, [email protected] or Nick Zhu, CTO, 416-728-7783, [email protected].

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

SOURCE Yroo

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LAGUNA HILLS, Calif., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CloudCompli is proud to be recognized by the California Water Board for its winning entry in the Board's inaugural Data Innovation Challenge.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160511/366415LOGO

The Data Innovation Challenge, issued following the CA Water Board Data Fair last month, was to: "create applications, visualizations and other tools to help harness publicly available water data related to climate change adaptation, regulatory oversight, and water quality."

Partnering with Orange County Public Works, CloudCompli built a GIS application harnessing data from Orange County's water quality monitoring programs and the California's Storm Water Multiple Action and Report Tracking System (SMARTS) in order to identify root causes of water quality degradation.

"I was impressed by the ingenuity and innovation exhibitedand its close connection to the core mission of the Water Boards to protect water quality." - Tam Doduc, California State Water Board

"It was great collaborating with Grant Sharp and his team at OC Public Works," says Eric Bollens, Chief Technology Officer at CloudCompli. "Addressing the issue of source identification for water quality issues, a problem common to all municipal stormwater programs, is a big step towards incorporating stormwater into the 'smart cities' of tomorrow."

Moving forward, CloudCompli looks forward to incorporating the outcomes of the study into its MS4 platform. To learn more, the paper is available at: http://wqexplorer.cloudcompli.com/paper

About CloudCompli

At the cutting-edge of stormwater management, CloudCompli handles all aspects of compliance requirements. Our cloud-based platform supports all common MS4 requirements, including inspections monitoring, illicit discharge detection & elimination, public education, annual reporting and more. Empower your team to complete tasks quicker and more accurately with CloudCompli, all while reducing costs, minimizing risk and better serving the environment. For more information contact Timothy Castro, at [email protected].

CONTACT:

Jason Locklin

PH: 949-226-6743

SOURCE CloudCompli
CORAL SPRINGS, Florida, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Marijuana and Cannabis opportunities shows no signs of slowing down as experts forecast the market to top $7 Billion by the end of 2016 in a recent Forbes article with companies aiming to take advantage through new storefronts to reach more consumers. Brick and mortar cannabis stores are becoming increasingly common throughout the United States as the industry swells behind increased acceptance and surging revenue.

Developments of importance in the markets today are: Kaya Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: KAYS) confirmed today that it has concluded lease agreements and filed license applications for its next two Kaya Shack Marijuana Superstores, which when fully licensed and open will bring the total to four retail marijuana locations operating under the Kaya Shack brand. Store #3 is located in North Salem, Oregon, adjacent to a Starbucks Coffee and Store #4 is to be located in Central Salem, Oregon, near a Popeye's Chicken and other nationally recognized fast-food and retail brands. Both of these new locations are being developed using the attractive "Marijuana Superstore" footprint, which allows for increased revenue opportunities.

"We are pleased to have resolved the issues surrounding the 3rd store lease and are anxious to get that store built-out and operating. The location is outstanding and the layout allows for our Superstore model" stated Craig Frank, CEO of Kaya Holdings. "As exciting," continues Frank, "the lease for our 4th store, also a Superstore, provides us with another excellent location." "These two additional stores - bringing our total to 4 stores - alongside Kaya Farms, the Kaya Buddies brand, and products now under development, represent a significant opportunity for the Company to substantially increase revenues, further entrench the Kaya Shack brand, and establish Kaya Holdings as the leading publicly traded company actually interacting with cannabis. Beyond being historic, this fact serves as the foundation on which we can continue to expand our brand and develop a world-class cannabis company."

Read the full Kaya Holdings (KAYS) Press Release at http://www.financialnewsmedia.com/profiles/kays.html

In an unrelated announcement the Company (KAYS) confirmed that they have filed their 2015 Annual Report on Form10-K and that it is now available at http://www.sec.gov. The 10-K has audited results of operations for 2015 (average monthly revenues for Q-4 since the inception of recreational marijuana sales were up approximately 700%) as well as details of Kaya Farms Cannabis Crop Reports, results of "Kaya Buddies" branding development and an overview of the 2 new Kaya Shack Marijuana Superstores stores currently under development.

Other marijuana & cannabis developments of importance in the markets are: Terra Tech Corp. (OTC: TRTC), a vertically integrated cannabis-focused agriculture company, last week announced its first quarter 2016 financial results for the period ending March 31, 2016. Derek Peterson, CEO of Terra Tech, commented, "We entered 2016 with strong momentum, with California's new Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA) being signed into law in Q1 2016 and expected to take effect in 2018. This regulatory development has integrated cannabis cultivation into California's legal framework and has changed the legal landscape for the production of medical cannabis. Off the back of this momentum, our medical cannabis business made significant progress with the March 31st, 2016 acquisition of Blum Oakland, an established retail medical cannabis dispensary based in Oakland, CA. Blum Oakland was our first retail location to open, and it was quickly followed by the very successful Grand Opening in April of our Las Vegas-based retail dispensary located at 1921 Western Avenue. Management continues to work diligently toward opening the next three dispensaries in Nevada which we anticipate will happen in the summer of 2016. "In the first quarter we invested in researching and developing new forms of extracted cannabis products. By doing so, the Company reworked and refined its propriety recipe of extraction in order to produce a higher quality product that treats the individual ailments of patients. We have subsequently launched a new line of pre-filled cannabis cartridges and expect to launch more products in future months. Looking ahead, we continue to invest in producing the highest quality cannabis products, while taking steps to lower operating expenses and increase revenue," continued Mr. Peterson.

Surna Inc. (OTC: SRNA), a technology company that engineers state-of-the art equipment for controlled environment agriculture (CEA) with special expertise in cannabis cultivation, reported its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2016. CEO Stephen Keen said, "Throughout 2015 and 2016, we believe we have furthered our transformation to become one of the leading technology companies with cannabis expertise, energy-optimized products and turnkey cultivation solutions. First quarter 2016 results reflect our team's tremendous efforts as we nearly tripled revenue compared to the prior year's quarter and delivered operating income for the first time in the company's history. "Surna systems' sales momentum continues to see strong growth. Also, we are nearing fulfillment of a purchase order for over 400 Reflectors for use in a commercial facility. We expect completing our first installation of this magnitude will provide Surna with significant data to optimize the Reflector and installation protocol in scale. As typical with cannabis licensing and facility construction, there were delays and, therefore, the Reflector delivery was postponed. In the meantime, we seized the opportunity to advance the Reflector and incorporate an interactive control system that will allow for facility temperature control using the cooling power of the Reflector itself. We believe we will begin shipments this quarter and remain quite confident this installation will provide important validation of our products and technologies.

As Hemp, Inc.'s (OTC: HEMP) multi-purpose industrial hemp decortication facility nears completion, executives are shifting their focus to sales and marketing and are pleased to announce the sale of approximately 7,000 pounds of raw Kenaf to a Tennessee company involved in the biofuel industry. According to David Schmitt, COO of Hemp, Inc.'s wholly owned subsidiary, Industrial Hemp Manufacturing, LLC (IHM), the company purchased the raw kenaf for testing and evaluation. "We are extremely optimistic that this sale will lead to even more sales of our raw kenaf," said Schmitt. "We are also currently working with several Fortune 500 companies on various projects involving either kenaf or industrial hemp." Last week's sale of kenaf (a cousin plant to hemp in the hibiscus family) has definitely kicked Hemp, Inc.'s product sales into action. Schmitt says the company is currently negotiating a five-million-pound potential sale of raw kenaf. "We received a serious inquiry and price request for five million pounds of the raw kenaf we have on hand. If we finalize this sale, we could be looking at $1,250,000."

Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC: MJNA) announced last week to shareholders and the public that the Company and its subsidiaries are featured in a documentary Crisis premiering in Mexico next week. Award-winning producer Jordan Guzzardo and photojournalist Christian Rodas of CMW Media accompanied Mexican father Abelardo Maldonado on Feb. 2 to COFEPRIS in Mexico City, to document the historic day as Maldonado picked up the first-ever federal import permit issued for a cannabis product. On that day, Maldonado picked up his COFEPRIS import permit for Medical Marijuana, Inc.'s cannabidiol (CBD) hemp oil product Real Scientific Hemp Oil-X (RSHO-X), for his 11-year-old daughter Alina. The family of Grace Elizalde, who's diagnosed with Lennox Gestalt Syndrome, created the legal precedent for Alina to import RSHO-X. The Elizalde family was the first in Mexico to sue the federal government and win the right to import CBD hemp oil. Grace was subjected to several different treatment protocols -- 19 in all -- with no lasting success.

FinancialNewsMedia.com is leading provider of third party publishing & news dissemination services. If you would like more information regarding our news coverage solutions, please visit financialnewsmedia.com for more details. Get an edge on the market with our Premium News Alerts that are FREE for a limited time at financialnewsmedia.com. Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/financialnewsmedia and Twitter: twitter.com/FNMgroup.

DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNMG) is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNMG is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNMG and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNMG's market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNMG is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNMG has been compensated one thousand nine hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press release issued by Kaya Holdings, Inc. by the company. FNMG HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNMG undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

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SOURCE FN Media Group LLC
China does not aim to seek hegemony by developing submarine, expert says

China's development of submarines aims to maintain the country's sovereignty and maritime interests rather than to seek for hegemony, Liang Fang, a military expert said in an interview with People's Daily Online.

Liang said in the interview that the U.S. annual report to Congress exaggerate quantity of Chinese military weaponry and its performance in order to delude China's surrounding countries and other countries to keep an eye on China.

Liang's words came after the U.S. attempted to play up Chinese military threat and made comments on Chinese development of weaponry and equipment in its annual report.

"China follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature," China's Defense Ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun said on Saturday when the report was released. Yang said that the country's military build-up and reforms are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and guaranteeing China's peaceful development.

The U.S. has released 16 annual reports on China's military since 2000. Liang said that this movement has hindered the bilateral ties between the two countries and balance and stability in Asia-Pacific area.

The report also claimed that China has highly modernized submarine troops which own five nuclear-powered attack submarines, four nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and 53 electricity-powered attack submarines.

Liang said that the U.S. has 72 in-service nuclear submarines, among which 14 are nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, 54 are nuclear-powered attack submarines and 4 nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines. The quantity and quality of Chinese submarines are inferior to that of America.
MILWAUKEE, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) launched TV ads today in Milwaukee asking Speaker Paul Ryan to stand up for working class Americans instead of continuing his push for more foreign workers, more immigration and amnesty for illegal aliens. The ad features civil rights leader and former Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Executive Director Frank Morris who reminds Speaker Ryan that slowing mass immigration and the flow of foreign workers so working class Americans have a better chance at good paying jobs is simple common sense. The ads are scheduled to run for weeks in the Milwaukee area.

"Speaker Ryan says we have a labor shortage in America. How can he say that when thousands in his own state still can't find good paying jobs? How can he say that when Wisconsin recently had one of the highest black unemployment rates in the country and Milwaukee has been called one of the worst places to live in American if you're black?" asked Frank Morris, civil rights leader and member of Californians for Population Stabilization. "Does Speaker Ryan think the people in his own state aren't good enough to do American jobs?"

The unemployment rate in Speaker Ryan's district is higher than the national average in five of the six counties in his district. Racine County was highest in March with an unemployment rate of 6.1%. The Center on Wisconsin Strategy in its State of Working Wisconsin 2015 report found that Wisconsin had the highest unemployment rate for African-Americans in the nation. COWS' next report is due out this Labor Day. Wisconsin has been called the worst place in America to be black. And Milwaukee has been called the worst city for Black Americans.

"Speaker Ryan has made a career of giving good paying American jobs away to foreign workers. How would he feel if his job were given away?" asked Morris.

Speaker Ryan has pushed for increases in immigration and amnesty for illegal aliens throughout his career. In 1996, Paul Ryan, working as legislative director for Senator Sam Brownback, was instrumental in stopping Congresswoman Barbara Jordan's bi-partisan push to slow immigration. In 2002 Congressman Ryan voted to legalize illegal aliens. In 2009 he co-sponsored a bill that would have legalized foreign workers here illegally. In 2013, Ryan advocated for the Obama, Rubio, Schumer Gang of Eight immigration legislation that would have legalized millions of illegal aliens and dramatically increased immigration. As Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan just last year fought to include a provision in the omnibus bill that expanded the number of low-skilled foreign workers allowed into the country, saying American companies would shut down without more foreign workers.

Speaker Ryan's push for more immigration and foreign workers affects all working class Americans, Hispanics, blacks and whites, whether in Wisconsin or California. But working class Californians are disproportionately affected by immigration policy since the state is one of the top destinations for those immigrating to the U.S.

To view the TV ad and learn more, visit SaveTheDream.US.

SOURCE Californians for Population Stabilization
BARCELONA, Spain, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Smart City Expo holds its first African event from May 18 to 19 in the Moroccan city of Casablanca. Jointly organized by Fira de Barcelona and the Casablanca-Settat region, the urban municipality of Casablanca and its prefectural council through Casablanca Events & Animation, this edition of Smart City Expo has a special focus on open, inclusive and innovative cities and will combine a twofold agenda, a Congress for professionals but also for general public aimed at becoming the key urban development event in Northern Africa.

Smart City Expo logo (PRNewsFoto/Fira de Barcelona)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160513/367297LOGO )

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368543LOGO )

The congress programme features over 80 speakers and moderators and is structured in 4 core themes -Sustainability and Resilience, Mobility and Urban Planning, Collaborative Cities and Citizen Engagement, and Technology and Green Development- including 2 keynotes, 4 plenary sessions and 8 parallel sessions. Conferences will include Boyd Cohen, urban and climate strategist and Entrepreneurship and Sustainability professor/researcher at EADA Business School Barcelona; Carlo Ratti, director of the MIT Senseable City Lab; and Mustapha Bakkoury, president of the Casablanca-Settat Region, Morocco, among the experts who will be speaking.

To foster a new model of social and sustainable urban management and development, Smart City Expo Casablanca also holds activities for the general public that take the smart city concept to the very heart of the city. Under the banner For an open, inclusive and innovative city these activities aim to raise awareness and demystify the concept of the smart city through four free grassroots events: the University in the City expo showcasing several smart initiatives; a public projection of the film Human by Yann Arthus-Bertrand; a four-day free Wi-Fi throughout the city; and a three-day Hackathon to develop new urban apps.

These two axes together with the strategic interest that smart cities have for Morocco have contributed to the concession of the Haut Patronage Royal for Smart City Expo Casablanca from his Highness King Mohammed VI through which his Majesty endorses the event.

International expansion

With SCEC, Fira de Barcelona continues its strategy for international expansion of Smart City Expo World Congress through a series of regional events. After several editions in Asia and America, this year will also see the first Smart City Expo Istambul. Smart City Expo World Congress will hold its 2016 edition in Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue from November 15 to 17.

http://www.smartcityexpocasablanca.com

SOURCE Fira de Barcelona
DOVER, N.J., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This Sunday, May 22nd, Casio America, Inc. is encouraging musicians and consumers to participate in "National Buy a Musical Instrument Day", a day that is all about playing and creating music for people of all ages. Whether you are considering playing a musical instrument for the first time, or a seasoned musician looking to add to your collection, "National Buy a Musical Instrument Day" is the perfect time to explore the options that are available to musicians of all levels.

"As a manufacturer of digital pianos and keyboards, we support the importance of 'National Buy a Musical Instrument Day,' and acknowledge its mission of promoting the power of music," said Stephen Schmidt, Vice President of Casio's Electronic Musical Instrument Division. "This day is an observance for people of all ages. You're never too young to start playing, and never too old to learn something new. This could be the perfect time to revisit that bucket list and learn how to play the piano. Learning to play an instrument is fun and rewarding, and it can be the perfect tool to alleviate the stress in your life."

Casio's CGP-700 Compact Grand Piano boasts a high-resolution Color Touch Interface, a premium icon-based 5.3" touch display. This easy-to-use interface makes exploring the CGP-700 both simple and fun. Featuring hundreds of rich, vibrant Tones and Rhythms, plus powerful recording tools, the CGP-700 is at home onstage, in the studio, or as a beautiful addition to any living space.

The CGP-700 features Casio's world-class Tri-Sensor 88-note scaled hammer action keyboard with simulated ebony and ivory textured keys. The company's advanced engineering has resulted in the authentic piano feel that musicians expect in a grand piano. The scaled hammer action provides the weight and resistance of an actual grand piano, capturing every detail of your performance. Samples of a recorded nine-foot concert grand piano complement the realism of the keys and are played via a unique three-way speaker system with 40 watts of total power. Four speakers are located in the top panel of the CGP-700, and two additional speakers are located in the included wooden stand.

Ideal for piano lessons and music labs, the CGP-700's two headphone jacks are located on the front panel. The keyboard can be placed in "Duet" mode, allowing a student and teacher (or two students) to play, each with their own middle C. Stereo audio recording and playback are available via USB, and the built-in 16-track recorder is perfect for songwriting.

The CGP-700 is available at local and internet retailers for an MSRP of $799.99. To learn more about Casio's new CGP-700 Compact Grand Piano, as well as the company's full portfolio of electronic musical instruments, please visit www.CasioMusicGear.com.

About Casio America, Inc.

Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. Established in 1957, Casio America, Inc. markets calculators, keyboards, digital cameras, mobile presentation devices, disc title and label printers, watches, cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio has strived to fulfill its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com.

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SOURCE Casio America, Inc.

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SHENZHEN, China, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in China's Sichuan Province has invited global investors to visit beautiful Ganzi as a locale for potential investment, as well as travelers to take in the area's many sites at the 12th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF).

As one of the highest-profile cultural industry fairs in Asia, the 12th ICIF is a five-day event that started on May 12. The Kangba art-themed pavilion (Pavilion No. 8), set up by the prefectural government, has drawn the attention of a large number of visitors. The prefecture's government officials at the fair have talked to global investors about taking a look at Ganzi as a possible location for investing as well as to other attendees visiting the booth about choosing Ganzi as a travel destination.

The officials explained during the event that as a major contributor to China's national cultural heritage, Ganzi boasts several attractions, including: Gongga Mountain in eastern Ganzi, known as "King of the Mountains in Sichuan Province"; Hailuo Valley, a natural reserve in southeastern Ganzi; Daocheng Yading in southern Ganzi, credited as being the last Shangri-La; and Dege Parkhang in northern Ganzi, also known as Dege Sutra-Printing House and the hometown of King Gesar, a particularly unique destination due to the combination of Kangba art and natural sites. Ganzi has launched 203 investment projects in a move to attract investors worldwide, including 60 tourism projects with estimated investment of more than 23 billion yuan, seven culture-related projects with estimated investment of 635 million yuan and 15 traditional Tibetan medicine projects with an estimated investment of nearly 2 billion yuan.

The 9th Kangba Art Festival, the 7th China Kangding International Love Song Festival and the Sichuan Ganzi Mountainous Region Tourism Festival will be held in Ganzi in August. "August is the best time to visit Ganzi as the number of cultural and tourism events to be held during the month this year will not only be a unique opportunity to learn a lot about the local culture but also should prove to be pleasurable and fun," officials said.

SOURCE Ganzi Prefecture Press Office
NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The dental industry refers to medical industrial chain on the basis of oral medical consumption, consisting mainly of dental apparatus (equipments and consumables), dental medical services, etc. With the synergy of deepening implementation of new medical reform, growing per capita disposable income and raising public awareness over health, China's dental industry has witnessed robust development in recent years. The scale of dental apparatus and relevant medical services industry was roughly RMB40 billion in 2015 and is expected to hit at least RMB150 billion in 2020.



Dental apparatus: There are a great variety of dental apparatus and consumables and numerous manufacturers in China, presenting a relatively low market concentration. The revenue of enterprises each with annual revenue of RMB20 million or more from their main business operations exceeded RMB5 billion in 2015. However, the mid- to high-end market is dominated by foreign brands which entered the Chinese market via agents or branches in the early days, and some of them out of optimism about the Chinese market have built production bases in China. For example, Foshan has gathered 17 world-renowned dental equipment manufacturers including Sirona Dental.



However, China's domestic dental apparatus companies have made huge breakthroughs in some fields like dental CBCT and invisible appliance.



Hefei Meiya Optoelectronic Technology has become a major supplier of dental CBCT in China. Since the introduction of the products in 2012, the sales volume has doubled every year with a growing tendency of import substitution, and is estimated to reach 350 units in 2015. In 2015, Angel Align, an indigenous Chinese appliance brand, surpassed Align Technology's Invisalign to become the first brand in the Chinese invisible appliance market with a share of 38% (compared with a 35% share for Invisalign in China over the same period).



Dental medical services: The total revenue of stomatological hospitals in China rose from RMB2.37 billion in 2006 to RMB11.39 billion in 2014 at a CAGR of 21.5%. The stomatological hospitals enjoy higher gross margins (among the top three by gross margin) compared with other specialized hospitals, standing at 10.8% in 2010, 11.8% in 2011, 11.9% in 2012, 12.4% in 2013, and 13.1% in 2014.



Bybo Dental (previous iBYER Dental), ARRAIL Dental, Jiamei Dental and other private/foreign-funded dental medical institutions have been more aggressive in marketing and developed more quickly in recent years. As of Apr 2016, chain clinics (including hospitals) directly operated by the three institutions above totaled 137, 51 and 31 (excluding dozens of franchises), respectively. Moreover, these famous dental chain brands are primarily concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and other economically developed coastal regions, with fiercer competition in former three cities.



Strongly attracted by incentive policies and bright market prospects, sundry capital flooded into stomatological hospitals or clinics. In 2014, Legend Holdings planned to invest RMB1 billion to help iBYER Dental to join premium dental brands in the country; ARRAIL Dental Clinic received third round financing of USD70 million led by New Horizon Capital; Jiamei Dental secured a second round financing of USD100 million.



Since the introduction of industrial capital in primary market by Jiamei Dental, ARRAIL Dental, and Bybo Dental in 2014, five dental medical-related companies, namely KEEN Dental, Dazhong Dental, Huamei Dental, HUGE Dental (dental materials), and Jiahong Dental (dental materials), have so far gone listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations.



China Dental Industry Report, 2016-2020 highlights the followings:

Chinese dental apparatus and materials market (size, imports & exports, competitive landscape, development forecast, etc.);

Chinese dental medical service market (status quo, competitive landscape, development trends, etc.);

Market segments (orthodontics, tooth implantation, and teeth whitening) in China (development status, trends, etc.);

11 dental apparatus suppliers and 9 private dental medical service companies in China (current development, dental business, development prospects, etc.)

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p01092066-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.



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PUNE, India, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Chlorinated Polyethylene Market by Application (Impact Modifier, Wire and Cable Jacketing, Hose & Tubing, IR ABS, Adhesives, Magnetics, Others), Grade (CPE 135A, CPE 135B, Others), and Region - Global Forecasts to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, The market is projected to reach USD 620.2 Million by 2021, at a CAGR of 8.0% between 2016 and 2021.

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



Browse 78 market data Tables and 42 Figures spread through 138 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Chlorinated Polyethylene Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/chlorinated-polyethylene-market-97187944.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

The market growth is mainly attributed to the rising awareness regarding the superior properties of chlorinated polyethylene and emerging economies that offer several untapped and unexplored growth opportunities.

CPE 135A: Most widely consumed grade of chlorinated polyethylene

CPE 135A is primarily used for impact modification processes to improve impact strength and weather ability of finished products. Various end-use industries that require impact modification processes for their finished products have been driving the demand for CPE 135A over the past few years. The CPE 135A segment is expected to continue its dominance in the global chlorinated polyethylene market during the forecast period.

The impact modifier application accounted for the maximum share

The impact modifier application segment accounted for the maximum market share, owing to the increasing demand of impact modifiers in PVC (polyvinyl chloride), window profiles, doors, fences, and sidings, among others. Due to excellent physical and mechanical properties of chlorinated polyethylene, such as resistance to oils, temperature, chemicals, and weathering, the chlorinated polyethylene elastomers can exhibit superior compression set resistance, flame retardancy, tensile strength, and abrasion resistance.

Make an Inquiry @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=97187944

The Asia-Pacific region led the global chlorinated polyethylene market

The Asia-Pacific region led the global Chlorinated Polyethylene Market due to the increasing demand for chlorinated polyethylene from various end-use industries, such as building & construction, wires & cables, and automobiles, among others. Growth in the Asia-Pacific chlorinated polyethylene market can also be attributed to the fact that China is the world leader in the production as well consumption of chlorinated polyethylene, followed by India.

This research report categorizes the chlorinated polyethylene market on the basis of grade, application, and region, and forecast revenues as well as analyzes trends in each of these submarkets. An in-depth market share analysis of top companies is also included in the report. These numbers were arrived at based on key facts, annual financial information from SEC filings, annual reports, and interviews with industry experts, key opinion leaders, such as CEOs, directors, and marketing executives. Major players operating in the global chlorinated polyethylene market include The Dow Chemical Company (Michigan, U.S.), Weifang Yaxing Chemical Co., Ltd. (Weifang, China), Novista Group Co., Ltd. (Weifang, China), Showa Denko K.K. (Tokyo, Japan), S&E Specialty Polymers (Lunenburg, U.S.), Shandong Xuye New Materials Co., Ltd. (Dongying City, China), and Shandong Xiansheng Plastic Industry Co., Ltd. (Qingdao, China), among others.

Browse Related Reports:

Metallocene Polyethylene Market By Type (mHDPE, mLDPE, mLLDPE, Others), By Application (Film, Sheet Injection Molding, Extrusion Coating, Others), By Region - Global Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/metallocene-polyethylene-market-248864715.html

Crystalline Polyethylene Terephthalate Market By Application (Food Packaging, Beverage Packaging), By Region (Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, and Rest of the World) - Global Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/crystalline-polyethylene-terepthalate-market-170022064.html

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) recognized CITGO Petroleum Corporation for its commitment to supporting the next generation of engineers by honoring the company with the prestigious Friends of Engineering Award. A partner of TAMU-CC for more than 30 years, CITGO was one of three Friends of Engineering Award honorees at this year's annual award luncheon held at the university. Award recipients are honored for their outstanding achievements in support of the School of Engineering and Computing Science.

More than 400 students are currently enrolled in the TAMU-CC engineering program, which has been offering degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering since 2009. A supporter of the School of Engineering and Computing Science since its inception, CITGO donates scholarships that allow the school to recruit and retain a diverse group of high-achieving students. The CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery is an integral member of the engineering department's Industrial Advisory Council and Engineering Advisory Board, which inform the strategic direction of the school's engineering curriculum. These contributions from CITGO, among others, have helped ensure that engineering students are graduating with the skills needed to succeed and meet the demands of today's modern, high-tech business environment.

"The Island University is grateful for the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery's support for engineering scholarships and the 2009 launch of our engineering program," said Dr. Flavius Killebrew, President and CEO of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. "This year our first class of electrical engineering majors started class, and we're working on civil and industrial programs, as well. None of these developments would be possible without the generosity of CITGO."

CITGO actively participates in programs throughout the community that promote academic exploration in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, from leading environmental stewardship workshops to sponsoring school robotics teams. Recently, CITGO announced its renewed partnership with Foy H. Moody High School in Corpus Christi and its CITGO Innovation Academy for Engineering, Environmental & Marine Science. In 2015, CITGO brought educators from Texas, Illinois and Louisiana aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus with the Ocean Exploration Trust to give them first-hand deep-sea exploration research and educational experience that they then delivered back to their classrooms.

"CITGO is an avid supporter of programs that prepare students for real-world challenges and highly sought-after careers in STEM fields. We strive to strengthen the local workforce in Corpus Christi by showing students career paths they may not have otherwise been aware of and providing them opportunities to excel in these fields," said CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery Vice President & General Manager Art Klein.

For more information about the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery's community involvement, please visit www.CITGO.com/SocialResponsibility/Community.jsp.

About CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery

The CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery, which celebrated 80 years of operations in 2015, provides more than 1,000 jobs locally, while generating more than $345 million per year in support of the local economy through salaries, services and taxes. In addition to producing high-quality fuels for its network of nearly 5,500 independently owned and operated CITGO branded stations across the country, Corpus Christi refinery employees make a major positive impact on the community. In 2015 alone, CITGO employees in Corpus Christi volunteered more than 2,900 hours of their personal time to local and national charities. Since 2013, the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery and its employees have provided more than 10,000 volunteer hours and approximately $3.3 million in support of community organizations such as United Way, Charlie's Place, Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Miracle League, Catholic Charities, the Special Olympics and a variety of environmental and preservation initiatives, such as the revitalization of the Gateway to Corpus Christi, Hans and Pat Suter Park and Adopt-A-Beach Clean Up. The 80th anniversary of the Corpus Christi Refinery last year was preceded by the 70th anniversary of the CITGO Lake Charles Refinery in 2014 and is being followed by the 90th anniversary of the CITGO Lemont Refinery in 2016, with CITGO facilities marking three significant milestones in three consecutive years. For more information on the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery, visit www.citgorefining.com/corpus-christi.

About CITGO

CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com.

SOURCE CITGO Petroleum Corporation

Related Links

http://www.CITGO.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CivilianJobs.com has named Deloitte a Most Valuable Employer (MVE) for Military, a designation that helps military-experienced job seekers and veterans identify the top employers to target for civilian careers.

"Deloitte strongly believes in the contributions that experienced armed forces personnel bring to the workforce, which is why we continue to not only invest in hiring and retaining military members, veterans and their spouses, but also support them through a variety of programs, pro-bono work and sponsorships," said Mark Goulart, federal government services principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP. "We are truly honored to be recognized for our efforts as a Most Valuable Employer for Military."

Deloitte is committed to supporting transitioning veterans through its focuses on physical health and recovery, and employment. As part of these efforts, Deloitte's Career Opportunity Redefinition & Exploration (CORE) Leadership Program helps transitioning armed forces members and veterans translate their skills, knowledge and experiences into a business environment to identify the next step in their careers. Deloitte also works with nonprofits dedicated to supporting military members and veterans, and sponsors veteran-focused events, like the annual Department of Defense "Warrior Games." To learn more, please visit Deloitte's veteran opportunities website.

"I congratulate the employers recognized as MVEs today and further thank all of them for their commitment to our country's veterans and military personnel," said Tim Best, CEO, Bradley-Morris Inc., parent company of CivilianJobs.com. "This year's list of Most Valuable Employers for Military winners is a testament to the variety of companies and industries that make it an annual goal to hire transitioning military and veterans. These companies truly embrace and value the level of talent that is ingrained in each military-experienced job seeker."

The 2016 Most Valuable Employers for Military was open to all U.S.-based companies. The winners were selected based on surveys in which employers outlined their recruiting, training and retention plans that best serve military service members and veterans.

About Deloitte

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including 80 percent of the Fortune 500. Our people work across more than 20 industry sectors to deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to make their most challenging business decisions with confidence, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthy society.

About MVE

The CivilianJobs.com Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military serves to help military-experienced job seekers identify the top employers to target for civilian careers. MVEs are selected annually based on those employers whose recruiting, training and retention plans best serve military service members and veterans. The MVE recognition is produced by CivilianJobs.com, where America's military connects with civilian careers. CivilianJobs.com, with parent company Bradley-Morris Inc. (BMI), the largest military-focused recruiting firm in the U.S., together deliver the largest military-to-civilian footprint available to companies seeking to recruit and hire from the military talent pool. BMI is based in metro-Atlanta, Georgia.

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.

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SOURCE Deloitte

Related Links

http://www.deloitte.com/us


NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Clayton, Dubilier & Rice announced an agreement today under which CD&R-managed funds will acquire High Ridge Brands, the largest North American consolidation platform focused on acquiring orphaned personal care brands, from Brynwood Partners. The transaction is valued at approximately $415 million. Additional terms were not disclosed.

High Ridge Brands is a portfolio of nine primarily value-oriented consumer brands with wide demographic appeal that compete in the personal cleansing and hair care categories. The Company's core brands, including Zest, Alberto VO5, White Rain, Coast, and Rave, maintain high consumer awareness and brand equities, resulting in strong product presence at leading retailers across the mass, dollar, food, drug and club channels.

"High Ridge Brands is a well-diversified portfolio of longstanding, resilient personal care brands with strong share positions in the personal cleansing and hair care categories," said CD&R Partner Ken Giuriceo. "The business is highly scalable and will serve as a platform through which to further consolidate the highly fragmented personal care products space."

"We are very excited about the future of High Ridge Brands and are delighted to partner with the CD&R team," said James Daniels, CEO of High Ridge Brands. "The Firm's experience with corporate carve-outs, deep consumer products expertise and reputation for operational excellence will be invaluable as we continue to scale."

CD&R Operating Partners John Compton, former President of PepsiCo, and Vindi Banga, former President of Foods, Home and Personal Care at Unilever, will join the High Ridge Brands Board of Directors upon the close of the transaction, expected in June 2016.

"We look forward to working closely with the High Ridge leadership team as it executes its strategy to accelerate organic growth and continues to pursue accretive add-on acquisitions," said Mr. Compton.

"High Ridge operates in large and stable markets that have proven to be recession resistant," added Mr. Banga. "The consumable, non-discretionary nature of the Company's product portfolio provides highly attractive exposure to the U.S. consumer."

BMO Harris Bank, HSBC Bank USA, N.A., ING Capital LLC, Natixis, Bank of Ireland, Jefferies Finance LLC and Societe Generale have committed to provide debt financing for the transaction. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP acted as legal advisor and BMO Capital Markets acted as financial advisor to CD&R. William Blair & Company, LLC served as investment banking advisor and Holland & Knight LLP acted as legal advisor to High Ridge Brands.

About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

Founded in 1978, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a private investment firm with an investment strategy predicated on producing financial returns through building stronger, more profitable businesses. Since inception, CD&R has managed the investment of $21 billion in 66 companies, representing a broad range of industries with an aggregate transaction value of approximately $100 billion. The Firm has offices in New York and London. For more information, visit www.cdr-inc.com.

About High Ridge Brands

Headquartered in Stamford, CT, High Ridge Brands provides families with high quality personal care products at a great value. High Ridge Brands' portfolio of brands includes Zest, Coast, Alberto VO5, Rave, White Rain, Salon Grafix, Thicker Fuller Hair, Zero Frizz and LA Looks. For more information, please visit www.highridgebrands.com.

SOURCE Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

Related Links

http://www.cdr-inc.com


LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud Constellation Corporation today introduced the world's first space-based network infrastructure for cloud service providers, large enterprises and governments. The SpaceBelt Information Ultra-Highway is a unique cloud infrastructure designed to provide secure storage and transport of mission-critical, sensitive data without interruption or exposure to any surreptitious elements or unintended jurisdictions.

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As cloud storage projections continue to rise, the number of organizations moving to the Cloud continues to escalate. Between the need to lower costs and increase ROI, it's clear that cloud storage is here to stay.

Bypasses the Internet to secure data  Organizations of all sizes are exposed to leaky Internet and leased lines, along with jurisdictional hazards. SpaceBelt provides an all-in-one global cloud network that protects critical information to secure sensitive data from hijacking, theft, monitoring and sabotage.

Organizations of all sizes are exposed to leaky Internet and leased lines, along with jurisdictional hazards. SpaceBelt provides an all-in-one global cloud network that protects critical information to secure sensitive data from hijacking, theft, monitoring and sabotage. High throughput with major infrastructure savings  Costs a fraction of what it would take to build a terrestrial data center network that globally reaches corporate offices without ever touching another network, if even possible.

Costs a fraction of what it would take to build a terrestrial data center network that globally reaches corporate offices without ever touching another network, if even possible. Solves a multitude of diverse storage security requirements  Circumventing today's pandemic cybersecurity crisis, SpaceBelt protects critical and sensitive data for a diverse range of organizations, including: Medical and pharmaceutical  Formulas and research data, patient privacy and image archiving Universities and archives  Libraries, Social Security data and research Transportation and utilities  Air traffic control data and SCADA networks Energy and government  Exploration data, aerial drones and embassies Media  Video clouds, bypassing congested/delayed and expensive networks Banking and insurance  Global operations, jurisdictional risks and regulatory compliance

Circumventing today's pandemic cybersecurity crisis, SpaceBelt protects critical and sensitive data for a diverse range of organizations, including:

Mike Matchett, senior analyst and consultant, Taneja Group, said:

"Common wisdom is that there are two hard limits to global data management today  first, global data transmission is limited by the speed of light (fiber optic) and second, the safest data protection plan involves replication to other locations, potentially violating regulation/laws. Cloud Constellation's plan to break through both of those limits has the potential to become literally 'superior' to cloud storage solutions today. The deployment of actual satellite-based secure storage has the potential to keep critical data out of the hands of earth-bound hackers while supporting global communications at half the latency of today's terrestrial multi-hop networks. The sky apparently is no longer the limit!"

Hooshang Kaen, Cloud Constellation vice chairman and co-founder, said:

"SpaceBelt, quite remarkably, is a cloud network above all others. It provides uncompromising security and jurisdictional compliance on its own global cloud network infrastructure for point-to-point and meshed communications, entirely bypassing the Internet, leased lines and all makeshift solutions."

Scott Sobhani, Cloud Constellation CEO and co-founder, said:

"Over the past three years, we've achieved design breakthroughs uniquely enabling us to send data stored on SpaceBelt to just about any spot on earth in nearly a third of a second. For a global enterprise, it will mean having a network ring of data centers on a laser highway in space connecting each of its offices around the world  providing unrivaled data access and control."

About Cloud Constellation Corporation

Cloud Constellation's SpaceBelt is a patent-pending high-speed global cloud storage network of space-based data centers, each seamlessly interconnected together to provide exclusive and secure cloud infrastructure to service providers, enterprises and governments around the world. Additional information is available at www.SpaceBelt.com

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Media Contact:

Caroline Dramis

Nadel Phelan, Inc.

831-440-2404

[email protected]

SOURCE Cloud Constellation Corporation
A sailor shakes hands with a Chinese diplomat to express gratitude after the Chinese diplomats boarded the sailors' ship in Alang port in India on Wednesday, May 11, 2016. [Photo: Chinese Embassy in India]

Thirteen Chinese sailors who were trapped in their cargo ship in India for almost a year have returned home with the help of Chinese diplomats, according to the Chinese Embassy in India.

The sailors called the embassy for help on April 23, sharing that their cargo ship had been anchored in Alang port for a long time, they had not been rotated home and they had worked on the ship for more than 300 days.

The Chinese Embassy sprang into action and communicated with the ship-owner, sailors and the sailors' company, with the three parties reaching an agreement on the sailors' rotation.

At 3am on May 11, two Chinese diplomats boarded the sailors' ship bringing food and helping the trapped sailors finish their rotation. With the help of the Chinese diplomats the 13 sailors were flown back to Shanghai, arriving at 8.30pm on May 13.

An unnamed Indian official told the Chinese Embassy, he was moved by the action of the Chinese diplomats. Many sailors from different countries get into trouble in Alang, and it's rare to see diplomats help sailors, he said.

Over the past three decades, Alang has become a major worldwide centre for ship breaking, a process where ships are beached at high tide for demolition.
NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ColumbiaDoctors and Medscape, the leading source of medical news and information for physicians, today announced a partnership that gives physicians using Medscape Consult access to the expertise of ColumbiaDoctors, Columbia University Medical Center's faculty practice.

Beginning today, more than 25 health professionals from ColumbiaDoctors representing specialties including oncology, hematology, endocrinology, and surgery will serve as Medscape chief editors and associate editors on Medscape Consult, Medscape's innovative peer-to-peer, point-of-care digital platform. Accessible to physicians worldwide, the Medscape Consult editors will respond to questions, share best practices, and offer expert perspectives. Renowned experts in their respective specialties, ColumbiaDoctors will provide the Medscape Consult community with evidence-and practice-based insights into patient care, closely aligning with their basic and clinical research.

"Our new partnership with Medscape enables ColumbiaDoctors to share their insights and perspective with a global physician community facing rapidly shifting clinical concerns," said John Chabot, MD, chief of the Division of GI/Endocrine Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, and vice president of ColumbiaDoctors.

"We welcome the opportunity to expand our ColumbiaDoctors connections with physicians as they increase their reliance on digital sources of information," said Gary Schwartz, MD, chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Columbia University Medical Center. "Through our partnership, ColumbiaDoctors will harness the power of Medscape Consult to help physicians better address today's complex patient care questions."

The Growing Power of Physician Crowdsourcing

Launched in November 2015 within Medscape's flagship mobile app, Medscape Consult has quickly become a valued clinical resource. Tens of thousands of physicians have leveraged Medscape's crowdsourcing platform to compare cases, ask questions, and discuss best practices, often relying on Medscape's robust reference content for additional clinical support.

The recent outbreak of the Zika virus highlighted the potential of the Medscape Consult platform to inform medical professionals about a rapidly developing health concern, more quickly than previously possible. Several weeks before Zika had garnered attention from international health agencies and the mainstream media, a physician in Brazil seeing a spike in infants born with microcephaly posed a question on Medscape Consult seeking insights. A discussion on the link between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and microcephaly immediately ensued, providing early clinical knowledge on what would become a worldwide health issue.

"It is a privilege to partner with ColumbiaDoctors, one of the most prestigious medical institutions in the world and its clinical practice leaders," said Steve Zatz, MD, president, WebMD. "The ColumbiaDoctors partnership further deepens our commitment to ensuring that Medscape Consult provides clinical information that is evidence-based, clinically relevant, and grounded in real-world solutions and strategies."

According to Ben Greenberg, WebMD vice president, product management and user experience, the Columbia-Medscape Consult partnership will increase the platform's clinical utility and help improve patient care.

"Given the global nature of medicine and demands on physicians today, we believe that our partnership with Columbia and the power of crowdsourcing through Medscape Consult can deliver meaningful value to the medical community and the patients we collectively serve," Greenberg said.

About ColumbiaDoctors

ColumbiaDoctors, the faculty practice of Columbia University Medical Center, includes more than 1,700 physicians, surgeons, dentists, and advanced nurse practitioners, offering more than 230 medical specialties and subspecialties. All ColumbiaDoctors are affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, ranked No. 1 in New York.

About Medscape

Medscape (medscape.com) is the leading source of clinical news, health information and point-of-care tools for healthcare professionals. Medscape offers specialists, primary care physicians and other health professionals the most robust and integrated medical information and educational tools. Medscape Education (medscape.org) is the leading destination for continuous professional development, consisting of more than 30 specialty-focused destinations offering thousands of free CME and CE courses and other educational programs for physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

About WebMD

WebMD Health Corp. is the leading provider of health information services, serving consumers, physicians, healthcare professionals, employers, and health plans through our public and private online portals, mobile platforms and health-focused publications. WebMD, Medscape, CME Circle, Medpulse, eMedicine, MedicineNet, theheart.org and RxList are among the trademarks of WebMD Health Corp. or its subsidiaries.

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SOURCE WebMD/Medscape

Related Links

http://www.webmd.com


LATROBE, Pa., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Commercial National Financial Corporation (OTCQX: CNAF), parent company of Commercial Bank & Trust of PA, has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.26 per share payable June 3 to shareholders of record as of May 27.

In addition to Latrobe where it is headquartered, the Company operates community banking facilities in Greensburg, Hempfield Township, Ligonier, North Huntingdon, Unity Township and West Newton, Pennsylvania and also maintains a commercial business development sales force throughout its entire market area. Commercial Bank & Trust of PA also serves its customer base from an Internet banking site (www.cbthebank.com) and an automated TouchTone Teller banking system. The company operates an asset management & trust division headquartered in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

As disclosed each year in the Annual Report to Shareholders, on March 31, 2016, the Company employed 110 people in full-time and part-time positions. Fifty-six (56) employees are represented by the United Auto Workers, Local 1799. The Company has had unionized employees since 1972. In 2013, the Company and the bargaining unit entered into a labor agreement that will expire in February 2019. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Labor Relations Board both afford protection to the organized status of pre-existing collective bargaining units. The Company has been advised that bargaining unit status may limit the Company's strategic options relative to those of non-unionized insured depository institutions. The Company continues to consider this as a factor in its strategic and capital management decisions.

Forward Looking Statements

Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "to," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "would," "estimate," or "continue" or the negative or other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on information currently available to the company, and the company assumes no obligation to update these statements as circumstances change. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainties, including changes in general economic and financial market conditions, unforeseen credit problems, and the company's ability to execute its business plans. The actual results of future events could differ materially from those stated in any forward-looking statements herein.

SOURCE Commercial National Financial Corporation

Related Links

http://www.cbthebank.com


JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- After weeks of speculation, Coolpad, a global smartphone brand with more than 20 years' experience, today officially launched the Coolpad Max smartphone in Indonesia. The launch event was held at the Grand Ballroom, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Pacific Place with around 1,000 attendees, including CEO and media from Coolpad China and Vietnam. The event itself is part of the Coolpad Max Global Launch which was also held in Europe and Asia.

"Coolpad will continue to create sophisticated products that empower you to do more, and live more securely than ever. Our products and services will connect you to each other and become essential and beloved parts of your lives," said Mr. Douglas Li, CEO of Coolpad Group. "With the introduction of Coolpad Max, we want to help our users expand their world and get dual experience."

Brings Maximum Experience with a Bundled of Latest Technology

Coolpad Max comes with the World's First Dual Space feature, which enables users to separate their personal and professional life, without the need to use two different smartphones. Dual Space also allows its users to have two accounts on WhatsApp, Facebook, Line, BBM, and other social media applications in a single smartphone with a BiLogin feature. Coolpad also embeds encryption technology that provides protection for the two sides of users' life. Thus, any data, contacts, photos, videos, and applications stored on the smartphone can be well protected without worrying about data leakage.

Performance is assured thanks to the advanced Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 MSM8952 1.5 GHz 64 bit Octa-core processor with 4GB RAM for a fast user experience. With the reliable Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology and 9V/2A charger, users will get more than two hours' talk time with only five minutes of charging. So you will never have to worry about losing power during important moments.

At just 7.6mm thin and only 170g in weight, the Coolpad Max offers a clear visual experience thanks to a 5.5 inches FHD display with 1500:1 contrast ratio and 95% color gamut. In addition, Coolpad also pinned an Edge Curved Glass 2.5D screen reinforced with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 anti-scratch and anti-fingerprint coating films.

With a Full Metal Unibody Chassis design and two color variations, including Gold and Rose Gold, Coolpad Max offers a premium design for the global market, whilst allowing users to showcase their individual style. Sleek, stylish and a comfortable fit in the hand, Coolpad Max feels as good as it looks. 97% of the Coolpad Max's material is made of pure metal with 54 highly precise processes and 10 CNC Milling to ensure durability.

The chassis of the smartphone carries a very thin 1.4mm dual-antenna line (thinner than other smartphones, i.e. 2.0mm). This design makes signal transmission 60% stronger and mobile signal reception 30% better. Coolpad holds 13 patents in developing this Tri-dimensional Coupling Antenna technology.

Coolpad Max features a 13 MP rear camera and f/2.0 lens armed with ISOCELL CMOS technology to bring lighter but less color inference. 6P lens minimize the color distortion to produce a brilliant photo. Also it supports PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus) to be faster for focusing and Dual Tone LED makes skin color look more natural.

In order to improve security for its users, Coolpad also added the latest fingerprint technology that can deliver convenience, security, and reliability on Coolpad Max. The fingerprint feature not only enables the unlocking function of the smartphone, but also allows users to use it for App Shortcut, Quick Capture, One Key Dial, Switch Space, and many more!

Also introducing Coolpad Max Lite

The Coolpad Max is specifically designed for people who do not want to carry two smartphones at the same time or have to mix their personal and professional lives their private lives.

Coolpad also presents a middle spec model that also has Dual Space and the fingerprint technology. This smartphone, named Coolpad Max Lite, has a symmetrical design made of aluminum material titanium that maintains the durability and enhances user's experience.

It is powered by a MSM8929 1.4GHz 64bit Octa Core processor with 3GB RAM capacity to deliver similar performance with Coolpad Max. The 5.5-inch HD display with 2.5D scratch-resistant glass lets everyone enjoy videos and pictures in the finest detail.

Cooperating with Chicco Jerikho as the Brand Ambassador

Coolpad is delighted to announce the signing of Chicco Jerikho as its new Brand Ambassador. The award winning actor is already featured in a newly integrated campaign for Coolpad which runs on TV, in print, online and in-store that rolled out since April 2016.

"Chicco Jerikho is a strong, passionate man and is well-known as a versatile artist who is very active and has two different roles," said Jevees Jiang, CEO of Coolpad Indonesia. "This fits with the 'Dual in One' motto of Coolpad Max. We admire him for his principles, his talents and his ability to juggle a demanding acting career with being a great businessman."

"I am thrilled to be part of the Coolpad family. As we know, Coolpad is always committed to delivering a sophisticated smartphone that is equipped with the latest technology," said Chicco Jerikho. "This is in line with my passion to continue with delivering the best work, both in professional and personal life."

Availability and Price

Coolpad Max will be available for pre-order at an exclusive price of Rp 4.999.000 (USD375) starting from June 10, 2016. You can register at Blibli.com to participate in the initial sale period. The registration will open from June 10, 2016 to June 20, 2016. If you are registering within that period, you will get an exclusive package. Coolpad Max Lite will be available at Blibli.com starting from May 16, 2016.

About Coolpad

Coolpad, one of the top smartphone brands in China, was designed and established by Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. ("Yulong Telecommunications").

Founded in April 1993, Yulong Telecommunications held its IPO on the Hong Kong stock market HKEx in 2004 under the name China Wireless Technologies group (stock trade code: 2369). The company later changed its name to Coolpad Group.

With 6 R&D facilities worldwide, the company continues to invest heavily in developing innovative cellular, wireless, and mobile technology products. Coolpad has become one of the top cellular device manufacturers in the world and is recently ranked as the 7th largest smartphone OEM by IDC.

Coolpad has been recognized by many industry accolades, including a ranking of #342 on the China Fortune 500 company list in 2013 by FORTUNE 500 CHINA Magazine. Coolpad also ranked 47th on the China top 100 Electronics & Info Enterprises list.

Coolpad is committed to achieving consistent future success, which we believe will come in the form of building a powerful global juggernaut out of the flagship Coolpad brand. "Empowering everyone everywhere" will continue to be Coolpad's vision in the coming years.

SOURCE Coolpad
SUNNYVALE, California and RA'ANANA, Israel, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Anodot, the real time analytics and automated business incident detection company today announced that Credit Karma has selected Anodot as its platform of choice for detecting business incidents in real time.

With its online provision of free credit scores and financial recommendations to 50 million members, Credit Karma needs to monitor hundreds of thousands of business and technical metrics in order to keep its business running smoothly.

"It used to take us up to several days to identify an issue on a specific page, offer, or service that was draining our revenues," said Pedro Silva, Credit Karma's Senior Product Manager. "Anodot identifies when a metric increases or decreases in real time, so we can resolve it quickly, before business suffers or revenue is lost."

"We see many companies that encounter a similar problem to Credit Karma; they collect massive amounts of data but do not have a way to access the insights that are meaningful for the business in real time," said Uri Maoz, Anodot's head of US Business. "Today's business intelligence solutions are too static to keep pace with the dynamic nature of online and mobile business; Anodot's real-time machine-learning driven solution is becoming a must-have for web-based businesses."

Credit Karma tested multiple monitoring solutions and even considered developing a solution in-house to meet its needs, however found that Anodot's solution was the best fit for its needs.

"Working with Anodot was easy and professional," said Silva. "The other solutions on the market require manual setting of thresholds for business incident detection, which is not scalable for a company like us, with the large number and complexity of metrics we need to track. Anodot sets itself apart with automatic anomaly detection, rather than manually setting thresholds."

Silva further pointed out that Anodot is especially useful for finding slow revenue leaks that might otherwise be hidden in the larger picture. "If the entire service were down, we would know pretty quickly, of course," Silva explained, "but for errors impacting only a specific page, offer, browser, platform, or feature - all of which affect revenue and customer satisfaction - we would not know for at least a day or two using other analytics tools, and Anodot finds them right away."

To learn more about how Credit Karma uses Anodot to identify relevant and actionable incidents each day, view the full case study at http://www.anodot.com/project/credit-karma-adopts-anodot-real-time-business-incident-detection/.

About Credit Karma

Credit Karma's goal is to save Americans time and money. Through analysis of more than 50 million members' finances, Credit Karma researches and recommends credit cards, loans and insurance based on each individual's specific credit profile, drastically simplifying some of the most confusing and tedious yet important tasks in personal finance.

The company started by providing free credit scores to recreate the financial industry around people instead of banks. It continues to expand its completely free offerings including its Credit Score Simulator, credit monitoring and friendly, personalized information to help each person understand and make the most of their individual situation.

To create a free account, visit http://www.CreditKarma.com or download the mobile app from the Google Play or Apple App Store.

About Anodot

Based in Sunnyvale, Calif. and Ra'anana, Israel, Anodot is disrupting the static nature of the Business Intelligence (BI) market with a unique technology for real-time analytics and automated anomaly detection for big data. Using patented machine learning algorithms, Anodot automates the discovery of outliers in vast amounts of data, isolates issues and correlates them across multiple parameters. Operating in real time, Anodot delivers business insights immediately, predicts events before they happen and supports rapid business decisions that help maximize revenues and production for Web-based, e-commerce, ad tech, IoT and manufacturing businesses.

For more information or for a free trial, visit http://www.anodot.com.

Credit Karma Contact:

Frances Cohen

[email protected]

+1-(415)-568-8429



Anodot Contact:

Amy Kenigsberg

K2 Global Communications

[email protected]

+1-(913)-440-4072 (+7 ET)



SOURCE Anodot
Dawn's experience spans more that 25 years providing wealth management, financial planning and corporate finance solutions for clients. As an MBA, CPA, Certified Financial Planner (CFP), and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), she is uniquely qualified to understand the challenges and financial needs of clients from executives to entrepreneurs, as well as single breadwinner parents.

Her time spent at large corporations including Ford, Nissan and Southern California Edison gives her insight into the critical issues that many business owners and professionals face during their demanding careers.

Having worked closely with successful professionals for many years, Dawn takes the time to tailor her advice and guidance to the needs of her clients and their families so that they can make informed decisions about their financial situation now and in the future. Clients appreciate her guidance and rely on her expertise especially during difficult life transitions, like divorce, and the sometimes challenging family dynamics that come into play when managing their wealth.

As a Senior Advisor and Director of Education at Bridgewater Wealth, Dawn draws on her vast experience to inform and educate clients about information that is relevant to them. She also leads the firm's efforts to share information among the advisors and professionals so that all clients benefit from the collective knowledge, resources and innovative ideas of the multi-disciplinary team.

"It's rare to find someone with the technical credentials and experience in wealth management, tax, corporate finance and divorce that Dawn possesses. As a lifelong learner who loves to share her knowledge, Dawn is a great asset to our clients, our culture and our team," said Ron Rubin, CEO and Managing Partner of Bridgewater Wealth.

Prior to joining Bridgewater Wealth & Financial Management, Dawn was a Senior Wealth Advisor for an independent wealth management firm serving clients in the greater DC region. She is a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) where she has been a featured conference speaker.

Dawn earned her MBA in Accounting and Corporate Finance from the University of Maryland and her BA in Financial Planning and Economics from Grove City College, Pennsylvania. Dawn obtained her Certified Public Accounting (CPA) designation in 2008. Active in her community, Dawn serves as Treasurer for Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland. She resides in North Potomac, Maryland with her two children.

About Bridgewater Wealth & Financial Management, LLC

Bridgewater Wealth & Financial Management is an independent investment advisor that provides comprehensive customized wealth management, tax advisory services and financial management to high-net worth individuals, organizations and institutions in the Washington, DC area and across the U.S. For more information regarding Bridgewater Wealth & Financial Management, please visit www.bridgewaterwealth.com.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/367916

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SOURCE Bridgewater Wealth & Financial Management

Related Links

http://www.bridgewaterwealth.com


Decisio Health's Clinical Intelligence Platform bedside display shows vital trends and lab snapshots giving care teams immediate access to the data they need to treat their patients. In addition, it digitizes and displays a hospital's own protocols for diagnosis and treatment, reducing the variability of care which can lead to better patient outcomes. Decision support visual alerts are designed with human factors in mind and color coded green, yellow and red so care teams can easily act on clinical information and adhere to hospital protocols.

"The Clinical Intelligence Platform was created for clinicians, by clinicians with a focus on providing real-time relevant data at the point of care," said Bryan Haardt, chief executive officer, Decisio Health. "By arming clinicians with this information they are able to be more patient-focused and proactive in their decision making via simple, visual and instantaneous access to the most critical patient data and trends."

Decisio Health recently closed their second round of funding. Decisio's $2.5M Series A raise was very well received by the market and oversubscribed. The company expanded their Series A, raising $4.5M. The financing round was led by DECLATEX, LLC with participation by the University of Texas Horizon Fund. The company also added Larry Lawson, founder of eCardio, as an investor and board member.

"Decisio Health is a perfect example of an ambitious startup that's taking a remarkable technology developed by UT Health Science Center at Houston researchers into a commercially viable enterprise determined to change the health care landscape," said Julie Goonewardene, UT System Associate Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Strategic Investment and Managing Director of the UT Horizon Fund. "The UT Horizon Fund is dedicated to supporting companies like Decisio Health that are accelerating the pace of moving innovations to the marketplace."

Decisio Health is one of 17 startups that have been funded by the UT Horizon Fund, a formative-stage venture fund that provides capital and support to companies with tangible ties to one of UT System's 14 academic and health institutions.

Unlike other resources, Decisio Health arms clinicians with the immediate, high impact information they need to maximize clinical outcomes. This is achieved in three key ways:

1. Enabling better adherence to a hospital's own protocols by codifying compliance directly into the display of health information at the bedside.

2. Identifying areas of clinical deficiencies that hospitals are often unable to previously establish, enabling the setting of new baseline standards that drive measurable, actionable results that can significantly impact hospital financial health.

3. Improving the care experience by using data to transparently build a bridge between clinicians, patients and family.

To receive a demo of the Decisio Health Patient Dashboard, please contact Andrew Swick, VP Business Development, [email protected], 703-216-7815 or visit http://decisiohealth.com/contact-us2

About Decisio Health

Decisio Health is a healthcare software company that helps acute-care provider organizations continually improve their clinical processes. By combining real time and trending data with a hospital's own protocols, healthcare professionals are able to more easily assess the current state of a patient and more easily adhere to the hospital's standard of care. Based on technology developed at the University of Texas Health Center, the FDA cleared Decisio Health Clinical Intelligence Platform gathers data from existing hospital monitoring systems to intelligently display the most current and valuable information in one easy-to-view location. Decisio Health was named as a finalist in the 2015 Fierce Innovation Awards: Healthcare Edition and the 2016 Seton Healthcare: The Future of Care: Healthcare Innovation Awards.

For more information please visit www.decisiohealth.com.

About UT Horizon Fund

The UT Horizon Fund invests across all industry sectors and, with $50 million in committed capital, strives to be a collaborative co-investor and committed long-term partner. For a complete list of the companies being funded, please visit https://www.uts-innovation.com/horizon-fund.

Contact: Tracy Hartman

[email protected]

978-462-0002 x103

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368238

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368239LOGO

SOURCE Decisio Health
AMARILLO, Texas, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Drive360, a strongly rising, innovative and mobile-enabled Automotive CRM company for franchise and independent dealerships, announced today that Keith Shetterly will be joining the staff as Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368534LOGO

Keith brings his rare combinations of tech company and automotive retail experience, plus a strong track record of software sales and marketing, to help lead Drive360 to the top of the CRM marketplace. Keith is a well-known advocate for dealers, and his retail experience yields an exciting additional process focus to bear for dealers in the products and sales of Drive360. Keith was also previously a Vice President at a large automotive software company, and he looks forward to helping take Drive360 to the next level for dealer success.

Rick McLey, CEO and founder of Drive360, is very excited to add Keith to the Drive360 executive team. "Keith's experience runs the gamut from years of leadership experience with companies like Microsoft, Compaq, and IBM, to sales and e-Commerce positions for dealer groups, to automotive software and call centers for sales and service. All of us at Drive360 look forward to greater success with Keith as Vice President of Sales and Marketing."

Drive360CRM is a privately-held automotive CRM startup, founded by technology and "car guys" with the idea that CRMs should enable more sales by being easy to use on any device, anywhere a dealer wants business conducted. Drive360's development headquarters is in Amarillo, Texas, drawing from the high talent of the "Silicon Prairie" in Texas Panhandle, and in conjunction with West Texas A&M University.

For more information, please contact Rick McLey at [email protected] or Call 1-(800) 762-8707

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

SOURCE Drive360, LLC

Related Links

http://www.drive360crm.com


"It is easy for most of us to recount frustrating experiences we have had with virtual assistants or messaging bots," said Tim Tuttle, founder and CEO of MindMeld. "Fortunately, recent AI breakthroughs can now solve this problem. Leading retailers and e-commerce companies have already started to leverage these new technologies to create conversational interfaces their users love. Our MindMeld for Commerce solution simplifies the process for all companies to benefit from."

Facebook, Microsoft and others have recently opened access to enable companies to reach more than 1.5 billion users across the world's most popular messaging platforms. This represents an unprecedented new opportunity to reach customers. However, most initial attempts to build conversational bot experiences for these platforms have met with mixed results.

Building a bot appears simple at first glance, but creating one which lives up to user expectations requires some of the most advanced AI technology available today, including the ability to do:

intent classification

natural language understanding

dialog management

question answering

MindMeld for Commerce provides all of these state-of-the-art technologies, empowering large retailers to create conversational experiences which can outperform today's bots as well as virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa and Cortana.

With MindMeld for Commerce, retailers can build new conversational interfaces that can:

help users easily find the information or product they want without needing to call customer support;

enable quick messaging-based transactions without requiring users to install a native app;

deliver better customer support at lower cost by automating the most common customer interactions.

Pricing and Availability

MindMeld for Commerce is available today as an enterprise-grade, on-premise solution as well as a cloud-based offering. MindMeld provides both the advanced technology and expertise to transform any company's proprietary data into an advanced AI platform to power next-generation conversational interfaces.

More information about MindMeld for Commerce is available at http://info.mindmeld.com/commerce.html. Information about MindMeld can be found at the company's website at www.mindmeld.com or by contacting the company at [email protected].

About MindMeld

Founded in 2011, MindMeld has pioneered the conversational AI technology behind the emerging generation of intelligent user interfaces. The MindMeld platform currently powers advanced conversational experiences for some of the world's largest media companies, government agencies, automotive manufacturers, and fashion retailers. MindMeld's customers and investors include Google, Samsung, Intel, Telefonica, Liberty Global, IDG, USAA, Spotify and others. MindMeld has been widely recognized as a leader in conversational AI and was named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the "100 Brilliant Companies" of 2015 and by MIT Technology Review as one of the world's "50 Smartest Companies" of 2014.

www.mindmeld.com

Contact

Cristina Dunning, Spark for MindMeld

Office: 415-799-4402

Mobile: 503-507-4758

Email: [email protected]

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Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120911/SF71819LOGO

SOURCE MindMeld

Related Links

http://www.mindmeld.com


BLOOMINGTON, Ill., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Uncertainty looms over working Americans who fear they won't be able to realize a comfortable retirement. Eighty-one percent of those in the workforce are worried about their retirement preparedness, but meanwhile, current retirees are largely happy with the retirement they are living. In fact, nearly two-thirds (67percent) of retirees are satisfied with their retirement, according to the latest COUNTRY Financial Security Index.

However, that leaves one-third (33 percent) of retired Americans who say something is holding them back from experiencing the retirement they've always desired  while nearly one in four (23 percent) say they are not living their dream retirement at all.

"We found that money issues are driving dissatisfaction in retirement among the third of Americans who report being unhappy," says Joe Buhrmann, manager of financial security at COUNTRY Financial. "Many retirees underestimate the cost of their basic living expenses in retirement, and as a consequence spend more of their nest egg just to get by. We also see that some current retirees do not have enough to afford the things they want to do in retirement."

Nightmares overshadow retirement daydreams

American workers are extremely worried about their savings being adequate to support them in retirement and fear:

Running out of money completely Not having the money to pay for the things they want to do Not being able to afford medical and or long-term care expenses

Their uncertainties are fueled by underlying worries that they might not be on the path to their dream retirement  or that their path could easily be derailed. While four in 10 say that not saving enough will be what sets them back the most, 28 percent worry about the loss of an income earner and 18 percent live in fear of another economic recession.

"No one can predict future financial obstacles, but having a well-rounded plan can offer workers peace of mind that they are on track for retirement," says Buhrmann. "It's important to save and invest to build your nest egg, but workers should also take steps to manage risks and protect what they have in order to have a comprehensive financial plan for retirement."

Defining (and achieving) the dream retirement

The things most Americans look forward to in retirement include having the ability to travel more, working less and having more time to spend with loved ones.

"Of those who aren't living their dream retirement, 57 percent say it's because they don't have enough money for the things they would like to do," Buhrmann says. "For those approaching retirement, it's important to understand your living expenses first to make sure you are also saving enough to afford additional costs, such as travel."

The COUNTRY Financial Security Index

Since 2007, the COUNTRY Financial Security Index has measured Americans' sentiments of their personal financial security. The Index also delves deeper into individual personal finance topics to better inform Americans about the issues impacting their finances. Survey data, videos and analysis are available at www.countryfinancialsecurityblog.com and on Twitter at @helloCOUNTRY.

The COUNTRY Financial Security Index was created by COUNTRY Financial and is compiled by GfK, an independent research firm. Surveys were conducted using GfK's KnowledgePanel TM, a national, probability-based panel designed to be representative of the general population and includes responses from approximately 1,000 U.S. adults for national surveys. The margin of sampling error for a survey based on this many interviews is approximately +/- 3 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.

About COUNTRY Financial

The COUNTRY Financial group (www.countryfinancial.com) serves about one million households and businesses throughout the United States. It offers a full range of financial products and services from auto, home, business and life insurance to retirement planning services, investment management and annuities.

Contact

Jordan Fisher

Edelman

(312) 240-2951

[email protected]

SOURCE COUNTRY Financial

Related Links

http://www.countryfinancial.com


LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In this next exciting phase of "Mission 26: ET Comes Home," ET-94 will arrive in Marina del Rey on May 18, 2016. ET-94 has already had a long and eventful journey on the way to the California Science Center, traveling over 4,400 nautical miles by barge. After leaving the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, it rode out a storm in the Cayman Islands, passed through the Panama Canal, and made its way up the Pacific Coast. ET-94 came to the rescue when the crew of the Shannon Dann, the tug boat pulling the external tank, picked up four stranded people after their charter fishing boat, the Maximus, took on water and sank off the coast of Mexico.

Beginning at 6:00 am on May 18, ET-94 will clear the breakwater of the marina and slowly come to dock next to Fisherman's Village. The external tank will be driven off the barge in a delicate offloading procedure, and will be welcomed at a news conference by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and California Science Center President Jeffrey Rudolph, among other civic leaders and elected officials.

"Mission 26: ET Comes Home" still has over 16 miles left to go once it reaches land, through the streets of Los Angeles and Inglewood. ET-94 will be placed on dollies and pulled by a truck to its final destination near the California Science Center's Samuel Oschin Pavilion in a 13-18 hour journey on May 21, 2016.

ET-94 is the last remaining external tank, built for flight but never used, and donated to the Science Center by NASA. Its acquisition completes the California Science Center's Shuttle Launch Vehicle  enabling us to preserve and display the only existing full stack of real Solid Rocket Boosters, Orbiter, and External Tank.

Larger and longer than Endeavour, the ET was the Orbiter's massive "gas tank" and contained the propellants used by the Space Shuttle Main Engines (though ET-94 is empty). The tank, the only major, non-reusable part of the space shuttle, is neither as wide as Endeavour (32 feet versus 78 feet) nor as high (35 feet versus 56 feet). Because of this, fewer utilities will be impacted and no trees will be removed along ET's route from the coast to Exposition Park, though some light trimming may be necessary. The path it will take through the streets was planned with input from city officials, utilities and community groups.

The route is as follows 

Marina Del Rey parking lot to Fiji Way

parking lot to Fiji Way Fiji Way to Lincoln (PCH)

(PCH) Lincoln to Mindanao Way

to Mindanao Way Mindanao Way to CA-90

CA-90 to Culver Blvd

Culver Blvd. to Lincoln via transition ramp

via transition ramp Lincoln to Loyola Blvd

to Loyola Blvd Loyola Blvd. to Westchester Pkwy

Westchester Parkway turns into Arbor Vitae St. at Airport Blvd; Arbor Vitae St. to La Brea Ave

La Brea Ave. to Manchester Blvd

Manchester Blvd. to Vermont Ave

Vermont Ave. to Martin Luther King Blvd.

Martin Luther King Blvd. to Exposition Park.

The journey through the streets to the Science Center is expected to take 13-18 hours. Here are approximate timeframes when ET-94 may be passing by specific locations. All projected times are subject to change at any point on May 21, 2016, the day of the transport.

Leave the marina  Approximately 12:01 am

Arbor Vitae between Inglewood Ave. and Rosewood Ave.  Approximately 8:00 to 9:30 am

Forum  Approximately 12 pm to 2 pm

Manchester & Vermont  Approximately 2:30 to 4:00 pm

 Approximately Vermont & MLK  Approximately 6:30 to 8:00 pm

& MLK  Approximately Expo Park  Approximately 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm

"With the transfer of ET-94 from NASA, we will have the ability to preserve and display an entire stack of flight hardware, making the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center an even more compelling educational experience. With the same outpouring of community support we saw with the arrival of Endeavour, we look forward to celebrating this gift from NASA as it journeys from the coast through city streets to the California Science Center," notes California Science Center President Jeffrey N. Rudolph.

"ET-94 is much more than 66,000 pounds of hardware; it is a symbol of America's incredible history of discovery," said Mayor Eric Garcetti. "As the external tank heads to the California Science Center, its journey on the streets of Los Angeles will inspire Angelenos to continue daring to reach for their own dreams. We are honored to be the permanent home of this remarkable emblem of exploration and innovation."

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts notes that "Inglewood is pleased to share another historic moment with the California Science Center in the transport of ET-94. Nearly 1.5 million people came out to cheer Endeavour years ago bringing joy to everyone, young and old. The event celebrated our sense of wonderment and community pride. Inglewood once again welcomes the ET to its home at the Science Center."

Mrs. Lynda Oschin, Chairperson and Secretary of the Mr. and Mrs. Oschin Family Foundation, adds "I'm so excited about this new addition to the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center and look forward to joining the enthusiastic crowds as it makes it's way to the California Science Center."

The donation of this never-used artifact from NASA is significant, and allows the Science Center to fulfill its vision of building a full stack for Space Shuttle Endeavour's final display in the launch position in the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. This will mark the only time an ET has traveled through urban streets and will evoke memories of when Endeavour traveled 12-miles from the Los Angeles International Airport to the Science Center and was cheered on by a crowd of 1.5 million in 2012.

Ways the Public Can Support Mission 26: ET Comes Home

To follow ET-94's journey from the Michoud Assembly Facility to the California Science Center, use the hashtags #ETComesHome and #SpotTheTank.

The California Science Center Foundation welcomes the public's support to help create the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. During ET-94's transport we are launching a "text to donate" option to make it easier for everyone to join the mission and support the EndeavourLA Campaign. Text ET94 to the number 41444 and make a gift of any amount from your mobile device.

Additional opportunities to support include sponsoring one of Endeavour's thermal tiles with a gift of $1,000 or more and monthly payment options are available. For information or to make a donation online, please visit EndeavourLA.org.

About the California Science Center

California Science Center is located at 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles. Open daily from 10am to 5 pm, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission to the exhibits is free. Timed tickets are required for the Space Shuttle Endeavour exhibition and may be obtained online for $2. IMAX Theater tickets range from $5.00 to $8.25. Both the Science Center and IMAX Theater are wheelchair accessible. Visitors can enter the parking lot at 39th/Exposition Park Drive and Figueroa Street. Parking is $12/car. For general information, phone (323) SCIENCE or visit www.californiasciencecenter.org.

Media Contacts:

Shell Amega | [email protected]

(213) 744-7496

Paula Wagner | [email protected]

(213) 744-2144

Kristina Kurasz | [email protected]

(213) 744-7446

SOURCE California Science Center

Related Links

http://www.californiasciencecenter.org


PEDERNALES, May 17, 2016 -- A child plays in front of tents donated by China after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Pedernales, Manabi province, Ecuador, on May 16, 2016. One month after the earthquake, the government has been providing official shelters, basic assistance, medical and psychological support for over 30,000 people, according to the United NationsChildren's Fund(UNICEF). (Xinhua/Str)
LONDON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- European Smart Borders, Immigration Enforcement & Border Security Markets - 2016-2022

2010, 2015 & 2020

With 1.8 million asylum seekers (UN reports) crossing Western Europe's external borders in 2015, the European border agencies are facing challenges with a far greater reach than ever before. More than 1000 ISIS-trained jihadists returning to Europe every year, coupled with the surge of migrants to Europe are alarming concerns; as present capabilities of the European border, coast guard, intelligence services and immigration agencies simply cannot meet these challenges.



The EU-Turkey deal (if implemented) might lead to a significant decrease in the flow of refugees (by March-April 2016 the rate of migrants entering Greece declined by 90%). However, the agreement faces formidable practical, political and legal challenges (e.g., each and every one of the 22 EU parliaments has to endorse the treaty).



In the aftermath of the migration crisis and the Paris and Brussels terror attacks, a major overhaul of the Western European border security and immigration infrastructure, strategy and funding is already underway.



Following a 2010 to 2015 annual market growth of 10-13% the 2015 to 2020 annual market will surge by 104%.



The "European Smart Borders, Immigration Enforcement & Border Security Markets  2016-2022" report is the most comprehensive review of the market available today. It provides a detailed and reasoned roadmap of this growing market.



The European Smart Borders, Immigration Enforcement & Border Security Market is boosted by the following drivers:

The Western European border security, coast guards, immigration agencies and intelligence agencies are ill-equipped to counter the surge of refugees and 21st century jihadists who use sophisticated means to return to the continent.



The Schengen Area is comprised of 26 European countries that have abolished border control at their common borders. Several Schengen Area governments reinstated border checkpoints by 2015.



Europe cannot build a wall to keep out refugees and terrorists or enlist millions of border guards who would need to watch every inch of its over 10,000 land borders and 80,000 coastlines.



Europol estimates that up to 5,000 European jihadists have already returned to Western Europe after obtaining combat experience on the battlefields of the Middle East.



On 15 December 2015, the European Commission presented a proposal for a new agency that would replace and succeed Frontex, having a stronger role and mandate, and forming a "European Border and Coast Guard" along with national authorities for border management.



Of Europe's approximately 50 countries, Russia has by far the longest coastline as well as the longest land border.



Western Europe, the largest economy in the world with a 2015 GDP of approximately $22 trillion (vs. the U.S. $17.5 trillion), can invest "whatever it takes" to protect its citizens from the looming jeopardies of mass migration and terrorism.



The border security and immigration enforcement industry faces a considerable challenge in seeking to provide the necessary solutions to current and future threats. At the same time, this challenge presents multi-billion USD opportunities to the defense, ICT and security industries able to deliver effective functions, integrate systems, and maximize security and productivity per $ invested.



According to European intelligence services, ISIS has approximately 5000 original European blank passports which can be used by jihadists returning to the EU.



The EU and the rest of the European border security and immigration infrastructure enforcement market for products and services are served by local defense and security companies. Even with a preference for locally manufactured products, foreign products can usually strongly compete on the basis of cost-performance. They do not encounter any EU direct trade barriers or quotas. Non-tariff, indirect trade barriers may be the approval process of dual use goods, which include many security market products.



This report is a resource for executives with interests in the market. It has been explicitly customized for the security industry and other decision-makers in order to identify business opportunities, developing technologies, market trends and risks, as well as to benchmark business plans.



* Customers who purchase a multi-readers license of the report will get the "Global Homeland Security & Public Safety Industry  2016 Edition" report free of charge. Single-reader license customers will get a 50% discount for the Industry report.



Questions answered in this 289-page report + one* reports include:

What will the market size and trends be during 2016-2022?

Which are the submarkets that provide attractive business opportunities?

Who are the decision-makers?

What drives the immigration enforcement & border security agencies to purchase products and services?

What are the customers looking for?

What are the technology & services trends?

What is the market SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)?

What are the challenges to market penetration & growth?



With 289 pages, 31 tables and 49 figures, the "European Smart Borders, Immigration Enforcement & Border Security Markets  2016-2022" report covers 12 countries and regions, 4 technologies and 3 revenue source submarkets, offering for each of them 2015 data and assessments, and 2016-2022 forecasts and analyses.



Why Buy this Report?

A. Market data is analyzed via 3 key orthogonal perspectives:

With a highly fragmented market we address the "money trail"  each dollar spent  via the following 3 viewpoints:

By 12 Country and Region Markets:

UK

France

Holland & Belgium

Sweden, Norway, Finland & Denmark

Germany

Austria & Switzerland

Italy

Spain

Poland

Hungary & Czech Republic

Russia

Rest of Europe

By 3 Revenue Sources including:

Products Sales Revenues

After Sale Revenues Including: Maintenance, Service, Upgrades & Refurbishment

Other Revenues Including: Planning, Training, Consulting, Contracted Services & Government Funded R&D

By 4 Technologies:

Automatic Border Control (ABC) Systems

Border & Perimeter Barriers

Visa Issuance IT Systems

Smart Borders, Immigration Enforcement & Border Security Technologies

B. Detailed market analysis frameworks for each of the market sectors, including:

Market drivers & inhibitors

Business opportunities

SWOT analysis

Competitive analysis

Business environment

The 2015-2022 market segmented by 36 submarkets

C. The report includes the following 5 appendices:

Appendix A: European Homeland Security & Public Safety Related Product Standards

Appendix B: The European Union Challenges and Outlook

Appendix C: Europe Migration Crisis & Border Security

Appendix D: Abbreviations

D. The report addresses over 300 European Homeland Security and Public Safety standards (including links)

E. The supplementary (*) "Global Homeland Security & Public Safety Industry  2016 Edition" report provides the following insights and analysis of the industry including:

The Global Industry 2016 status

Effects of Emerging Technologies on the Industry

The Market Trends

Vendor  Government Relationship

Geopolitical Outlook 2016-2022

The Industry Business Models & Strategies

Market Entry Challenges

The Industry: Supply-Side & Demand-Side Analysis

Market Entry Strategies

Price Elasticity

Past Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Events

F. The supplementary (*) "Global Homeland Security & Public Safety Industry  2016 Edition" report provides a May 2016 updated extensive data (including company profile, recent annual revenues, key executives, homeland security and public safety products, and contact info.) of the leading 119 Homeland Security and Public Safety vendors including:



3M

3i-MIND

3VR

3xLOGIC

ABB

Accenture

ACTi Corporation

ADT Security Services

AeroVironment Inc.

Agent Video Intelligence

Airbus Defence and Space

Alcatel-Lucent (Nokia Group)

ALPHAOPEN

American Science & Engineering Inc.

Anixter

Aralia Systems

AT&T Inc.

Augusta Systems

Austal

Avigilon Corporation

Aware

Axis

AxxonSoft

Ayonix

BAE Systems

BioEnable Technologies Pvt Ltd

BioLink Solutions

Boeing

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc

Bosch Security Systems

Bruker Corporation

BT

Camero

Cassidian

CelPlan

China Security & Surveillance, Inc.

Cisco Systems

Citilog

Cognitec Systems GmbH

Computer Network Limited (CNL)

Computer Sciences Corporation

CrossMatch

Diebold

DRS Technologies Inc.

DVTel

Elbit Systems Ltd.

Elsag Datamat

Emerson Electric

Ericsson

ESRI

FaceFirst

Finmeccanica SpA

Firetide

Fulcrum Biometrics LLC

G4S

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.

General Dynamics Corporation

Getac Technology Corporation

Hanwha Techwin

Harris Corporation

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Hexagon AB

Honeywell International Inc.

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd

IBM

IndigoVision

Intel Security

IntuVision Inc

iOmniscient

IPConfigure

IPS Intelligent Video Analytics

Iris ID Systems, Inc.

IriTech Inc.

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.

ISS

L-3 Security & Detection Systems

Leidos, Inc.

Lockheed Martin Corporation

MACROSCOP

MDS

Mer group

Milestone Systems A/S

Mirasys

Motorola Solutions, Inc.

National Instruments

NEC Corporation

NICE Systems

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Nuance Communications, Inc.

ObjectVideo

Panasonic Corporation

Pelco

Pivot3

Proximex

QinetiQ Limited

Rapiscan Systems, Inc.

Raytheon

Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Safran S.A.

Salient Sciences

Schneider Electric

SeeTec

Siemens

Smart China (Holdings) Limited

Smiths Detection Inc.

Sony Corp.

Speech Technology Center

Suprema Inc.

Synectics Plc

Tandu Technologies & Security Systems Ltd

Texas Instruments

Textron Inc.

Thales Group

Total Recall

Unisys Corporation

Verint

Vialogy LLC

Vigilant Technology

Zhejiang Dahua Technology

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MIAMI, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida-based Evergreen E-Pay Solutions charges it has incurred billions of dollars in damages in a newly filed federal lawsuit against Visa Inc., as well as three Belize banks in which UK businessman Lord Michael Ashcroft is a majority shareholder.

Evergreen E-Pay Solutions, an e-commerce payment processing company headquartered in Palm Coast, is claiming it was improperly terminated by the banks under pressure from Visa, which was allowing the banks to process international transactions without proper licensing, while turning a blind eye to some 800,000 Visa sales transactions fraudulently miscoded by defendant banks, processed by Credomatic International Corp. through VisaNet and settled through a Miami correspondent bank. The lawsuit contains 21 damage claims, including deceptive and unfair trade practices, fraud, breach of contract, negligence, aiding and abetting, and business defamation.

The lawsuit (1:16-cv-21695), filed in U.S. District Court in Miami, names defendants including: Visa, Inc., Visa International Service Association, Inc. Caribbean Investment Holdings LTD., BCB Holding, LTD, British Caribbean Bank International LTD, Belize Bank, LTD, Belize Bank international, LTD, Credomatic International Corp. and three bank officers.

According the lawsuit, up to $15 million of Visa credit and debit card transactions were processed between August, 2012 to February, 2014 by defendant banks for Evergreen's client merchants: Film World Media, Razzle Enterprises Ltd., and UAB Click2Sell Ltd. The Belize banks provided Visa card processing services for up to 800,000 international online purchases made by cardholders who were Internet customers of Evergreen's global merchants.

"Each of the disputed transactions were fraudulently miscoded as Belize retail sales transactions when they should have been coded cross-border, high-brand-risk transactions," said Evergreen attorney Joseph J. Pappacoda.

Pappacoda explained that by miscoding global online Visa sales transactions as local Belize sales the banks were able to engage in cross border Visa card processing for years in violation of Visa International Operating Regulations, as proper coding would have required Visa cross-border high brand risk merchant licensing that was impossible for defendant banks to qualify for.

Evergreen was stunned to learn it was being placed on Visa's infamous terminated merchant file list for alleged improprieties, Pappacoda said. Evergreen owner Robert Allen was told that defendant banks were terminating Evergreen, because of too many Visa sales charge backs, but soon discovered instead, the red-flag was fraudulent miscoding of international Visa transactions by defendant banks-leading to slightly excessive charge backs for January, 2014, all rooted in the fact that defendant banks were not licensed by Visa to process transactions outside the jurisdiction of Belize.

In 2015 the Supreme Court of Belize awarded Evergreen E-Pay Solutions $3.3 million for losses due to Belize Bank's termination of the agreement with Evergreen to provide online payment services and e-commerce Merchant referrals to the banks. The award has yet to be paid.

For more information go to: https://www.facebook.com/Evergreen-Epay-Solutions-Inc-Litigation-1727184744189821/ or Twitter: @TheEvergreen411. Contact attorney Joseph J. Pappacoda, (954-560-2616) or [email protected].

SOURCE Evergreen E-Pay Solutions Inc.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE) announced that the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) presented Nucor's Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, John Ferriola, with its Steelmaker of the Year award, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the steel industry. The award is given annually to recognize a steel industry leader who has had a significant impact on the global steel business. The award was presented at the President's Award Breakfast, one of the signature events of AISTech, in Pittsburgh on May 17, 2016.

Since the inception of the award in 1991, Ferriola is only the second industry leader to receive this honor twice. He was also named Steelmaker of the Year in 2009.

"John has successfully guided Nucor through tremendously challenging times for the steel industry," said Ron Ashburn, Executive Director of AIST. "Under his leadership, the company has continued to grow and expand into new product areas."

Ferriola has served as CEO and President of Nucor since 2013 and as Chairman since 2014. Under Ferriola's leadership, Nucor has continued to grow as the nation's largest steel producer and North America's largest recycler. Despite the market turmoil and imports capturing record market share in the United States, Nucor has continued to generate profits. Ferriola has also aggressively fought back against unfairly traded imports flooding the U.S. market.

"John's contributions go beyond Nucor as a voice for the entire industry, articulating to policymakers the problem of unfair trade that is plaguing the U.S. market and advocating for the strengthening of U.S. trade laws and their enforcement," said Ashburn.

AIST is an international technical association of more than 18,000 professional and student members, representing iron and steel producers, their allied suppliers and related academia. The association is dedicated to advancing the technical development, production, processing and application of iron and steel.

Nucor and its affiliates are manufacturers of steel products, with operating facilities primarily in the U.S. and Canada. Products produced include: carbon and alloy steel  in bars, beams, sheet and plate; steel piling; steel joists and joist girders; steel deck; fabricated concrete reinforcing steel; cold finished steel; steel fasteners; metal building systems; steel grating; and wire and wire mesh. Nucor, through The David J. Joseph Company, also brokers ferrous and nonferrous metals, pig iron and HBI/DRI; supplies ferro-alloys; and processes ferrous and nonferrous scrap. Nucor is North America's largest recycler.

SOURCE Nucor Corporation

Related Links

http://www.nucor.com


AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, FEV North America, Inc. (FEV) announced the recipients of the 2016 FEV Powertrain Development Award, presented to three collegiate teams that designed, developed and demonstrated exemplary powertrain solutions in the 2016 Formula SAE competition held May 11  14 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) near Brooklyn, MI. The Award was presented on Saturday, May 14 during the awards ceremony at the conclusion of the competition. This year's competition drew 128 entries from around the world.

The Powertrain Development Award considers critical powertrain-relevant aspects, including performance, fuel economy, endurance and cost in determining a winner. The Award uses a quantitative scoring system as a metric for the success of the optimization process that the student teams go through as they develop solutions, much like the work that a professional engineer might perform on a day-to-day basis. There are multiple solution paths that a team can employ to win.

The 2016 FEV Powertrain Award winners were:

1st place: FH Joanneum University, Graz, Austria (842.3 Pts.) -- $2,000 award 2nd place: University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany (801.2 Pts.) -- $1,000 award 3rd place: Graz Technical University, Graz, Austria (774.3) -- $500 award

Notably, in the FEV Powertrain Award competition, the Michigan State University placed 7th, and the University of Michigan  Dearborn finished in the 9th position. The University of Toledo also fared well, finishing in the 10th position. Fourteen of the top 20 finishers were from U.S. and Canadian Universities.

"The technologies and skill set that the students develop for the FSAE competition reflect the type of projects and activities that automotive engineers perform daily," said Robert J. Last, vice president of Communications, Marketing & Compliance at FEV and current member of the SAE Foundation Board of Trustees. "Similar to the engineers that are working in the industry, these teams understand that both high performance and optimal fuel economy are important to both current and future powertrains. The FEV Powertrain Development Award rewards excellence in these areas by adapting an objective, equation-based approach that can be optimized by the FSAE team. FEV congratulates the winners and recognizes their efforts."

The top three (preliminary results) overall winners in the 2016 Formula SAE competition were the University of Stuttgart (1st place), Graz Technical University (2nd place), and the FH Joanneum University Graz (3rd place).

Student teams must adhere to the rules specified by the SAE, which can be found on its Web site, www.sae.org. "The rules for the Formula SAE competition are continuously evolving. As a result, today's FSAE teams need to develop new, or at least refine their solutions each year," said Last, "but the level of creativity and energy that is on display here at MIS for this event is palpable. It's always one of my favorite weekends of the year to be here for this event."

"The Collegiate Design Series provides students with an opportunity to experience the complete engineering and business project cycle, including fundraising, design, simulation, prototyping, costing, development testing and continuous refinement of nearly every component on the vehicle, as well as defending their project in a detailed presentation. These are essential skills that engineering students need to acquire to be successful in the industry," said Last.

About Formula SAE

The Formula SAE competition is for SAE student members to conceive, design, fabricate, and compete with small formula-style racing cars. The restrictions on the car frame and engine are limited so that the knowledge, creativity, and imagination of the students are challenged. The cars are built with a team effort over a period of about one year and are taken to the annual competition for judging and comparison with approximately 100 other vehicles from colleges and universities throughout the world. The end result is a great experience for young engineers in a meaningful engineering project as well as the opportunity of working in a dedicated team effort.

About FEV Group

The FEV Group is an internationally recognized powertrain and vehicle engineering company that supports the global transportation industry. FEV offers a complete range of engineering services, providing support across the globe to customers in the design, analysis, prototyping, powertrain and transmission development, as well as vehicle integration, calibration and homologation for advanced internal combustion gasoline-, diesel-, and alternative-fueled powertrains. FEV also designs, develops and prototypes advanced vehicle / powertrain electronic control systems and hybrid-electric engine concepts that address future emission and fuel economy standards. The company has expanded its engineering capabilities to include full vehicle systems and now offers broad expertise in electronics, telematics and infotainment system engineering. The FEV Testing Solutions division is a global supplier of advanced test cell, instrumentation and test equipment. The FEV Group employs a staff of over 4,000 highly skilled specialists at advanced technical centers on three continents. FEV North America, Inc. employs over 450 personnel in its North American Technical Center in Auburn Hills, MI.

www.fev.com

Editors Note: Images of the Formula SAE Competition can be found on the FEV Web site, www.fev.com.

SOURCE FEV North America, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.fev.com


CALGARY, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Mr. Larry Novachis, Chief Executive Officer at FilterBoxx Water & Environmental Corp. ("FilterBoxx" or "the Corporation") is pleased to announce that FilterBoxx Water Solutions Inc., has been awarded a wastewater treatment project for a camp by a major US Oil & Gas Company in Texas.

The FilterBoxx team is supporting the client is through an expansion of their workforce camp where they are more than doubling their population. "The camp is currently equipped with a septic system and drain field, which will be too small when the camp expands, our RemoteBoxx unit will provide a seamless transition for the client to accommodate this increased capacity" comments Novachis. "The client elected to do on-site treatment of sanitary wastewater with disposal of the treated effluent in an evaporation pond that will be built on-site as part of the project" he adds.

FilterBoxx will submit an application to TCEQ for a discharge permit as part of the scope of supply of the system. This will be the second TCEQ permit for a FilterBoxx system in the past 12 months. The unit will ship to site in the Fall of 2016.

Please visit our website for more details at www.filterboxx.com

About FilterBoxx Water & Environmental

FilterBoxx Water & Environmental Corp. operates subsidiaries as FilterBoxx Water Solutions and FilterBoxx Energy Services. Water Solutions is a solution based supplier of standard and custom water and wastewater treatment systems. FilterBoxx Energy Services provides Rental Equipment, Services and Plant Operations to our rental fleet of water and wastewater treatment systems. Energy Services also supports our Design-Build-Own-Operate (DBOO) plants operating throughout Canada and the USA.

SOURCE FilterBoxx Water & Environmental Corp.
CHESTERFIELD, United Kingdom, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), a leading global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today confirmed enrollment of the first patient in the company's Phase 4 clinical study assessing the efficacy of H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) for inducing remission of proteinuria due to treatment-resistant or treatment-intolerant idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). FSGS is a rare disease that can cause nephrotic syndrome, a serious kidney disorder.

"This study is expected to be the largest controlled FSGS-focused clinical trial conducted to date," said lead investigator James A. Tumlin, M.D., Founder and Medical Director of the Southeast Renal Research Institute. "Patients with the disease who are unable to achieve remission are at risk to eventually experience kidney failure, which may lead some patients to the need for dialysis or a transplant. I am pleased to be working with Mallinckrodt in this important effort to better understand how Acthar may help address this serious unmet need."

Acthar is U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved to induce a diuresis or a remission of proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome without uremia of the idiopathic type or that due to lupus erythematosus1. Clinical experience has shown reduction in proteinuria in multiple glomerular nephropathies, including FSGS2,3,4.

"Mallinckrodt is committed to providing treatment options where few exist," said Steven Romano, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President at Mallinckrodt. "Clinical experience supports the use of Acthar to induce remission of proteinuria in FSGS. We are pleased to enroll the first patient in the PODOCYTE trial to better understand how clinicians may utilize Acthar in the management of proteinuria in this patient population."

About the PODOCYTE Trial

The Phase 4, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled efficacy study is titled, "Treatment of Proteinuria Due to Treatment Resistant or Treatment Intolerant Idiopathic Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis: A 2 Part Prospective Study of H.P. Acthar Gel (PODOCYTE)." The primary endpoint of the study is to measure complete and partial remission of proteinuria at week 24 as compared with patients' baseline. As is typical with sizeable rare disease clinical trials, the study is expected to take a number of years.

Find more information about the PODOCYTE trial here on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.

About Nephrotic Syndrome

Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a collection of symptoms that occur when the blood vessels in the kidney begin to leak excess protein in the urine, a condition called proteinuria. A variety of diseases and underlying disorders damage the kidneys and cause proteinuria in people with NS. These etiologies can include glomerular diseases such as: idiopathic membranous nephropathy, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, minimal change disease, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, lupus nephritis, and IgA nephropathy. In these and other related disorders, the glomeruli, or small blood vessels that work as the kidney's filtering system, are damaged.

Proteinuria is one of the most important adverse prognostic factors for progression to end stage renal failure in patients with glomerular disease. One of the goals of treating nephrotic syndrome includes reducing or eliminating proteinuria5.

About H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection)

H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection), is an injectable drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of 19 indications. Of these 19 indications, including the following on-label indications which are currently promoted:

Inducing a diuresis or a remission of proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome without uremia of the idiopathic type or that due to lupus erythematosus.

Treatment of acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis in adults. Controlled clinical trials have shown Acthar to be effective in speeding the resolution of acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis. However, there is no evidence that it affects the ultimate outcome or natural history of the disease.

As monotherapy for the treatment of infantile spasms in infants and children under 2 years of age.

Use during an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Use during an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of systemic dermatomyositis (polymyositis).

For more information about Acthar, please visit www.acthar.com. Full prescribing information may be accessed here.

Important Safety Information

Acthar should never be administered intravenously.

Administration of live or live attenuated vaccines is contraindicated in patients receiving immunosuppressive doses of Acthar.

Acthar is contraindicated where congenital infections are suspected in infants.

Acthar is contraindicated in patients with scleroderma, osteoporosis, systemic fungal infections, ocular herpes simplex, recent surgery, history of or the presence of a peptic ulcer, congestive heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension, primary adrenocortical insufficiency, adrenocortical hyperfunction or sensitivity to proteins of porcine origins.

The adverse effects of Acthar are related primarily to its steroidogenic effects.

Acthar may increase susceptibility to new infection or reactivation of latent infections.

Suppression of the HPA may occur following prolonged therapy with the potential for adrenal insufficiency after withdrawal of the medication. Cushing's Syndrome may occur during therapy but generally resolves after therapy is stopped. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms.

Monitor patients for elevation of blood pressure, salt and water retention, and hypokalemia.

Acthar often acts by masking symptoms of other diseases/disorders. Monitor patients carefully during and following discontinuation.

Acthar can cause GI bleeding and gastric ulcer with an increased risk for perforation with certain GI disorders. Monitor for signs of bleeding.

Acthar may be associated with CNS effects ranging from euphoria, insomnia, irritability, mood swings, personality changes, depression, and psychosis. Existing conditions may be aggravated.

Patients with comorbid disease may have that disease worsened. Caution should be used in patients with diabetes and myasthenia gravis.

Prolonged use of Acthar may produce cataracts, glaucoma and secondary ocular infections.

Acthar is immunogenic and prolonged use may increase the risk of hypersensitivity reactions.

There is an enhanced effect in patients with hypothyroidism and those with cirrhosis of liver.

Long-term use may have negative effects on growth and physical development in children. Monitor pediatric patients.

Decrease in bone density may occur. Monitor during long-term therapy.

Pregnancy Class C: Acthar has been shown to have an embryocidal effect and should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus

Common adverse reactions include fluid retention, alteration in glucose tolerance, elevation in blood pressure, behavioral and mood changes, increased appetite and weight gain.

Specific adverse reactions reported in IS clinical trials in infants and children under 2 years of age included: infection, hypertension, irritability, Cushingoid symptoms, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, pyrexia, weight gain, increased appetite, decreased appetite, nasal congestion, acne, rash, and cardiac hypertrophy. Convulsions were also reported, but these may actually be occurring because some IS patients progress to other forms of seizures and IS sometimes mask other seizures, which become visible once the clinical spasms from IS resolve.

Please see full Prescribing Information here for additional important safety information.

ABOUT MALLINCKRODT

Mallinckrodt is a global business that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes specialty pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products and therapies, as well as nuclear imaging products. Areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology and pulmonology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics and hemostasis products; and central nervous system drugs. The company's core strengths include the acquisition and management of highly regulated raw materials and specialized chemistry, formulation and manufacturing capabilities. The company's Specialty Brands segment includes branded medicines; its Specialty Generics segment includes specialty generic drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients and external manufacturing; and the Nuclear Imaging segment includes nuclear imaging agents. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com.

Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website.

CONTACTS

Media

Rhonda Sciarra

Senior Communications Manager

314-654-8618

[email protected]

Meredith Fischer

Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs

314-654-3318

[email protected]

Investor Relations

Coleman N. Lannum, CFA

Senior Vice President, Investor Strategy and IRO

314-654-6649

[email protected]

1 H.P. Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection) [prescribing information]. Mallinckrodt ARD, Inc.

2 Bomback AS, Canetta PA, Beck LH Jr, Ayalon R, Radhakrishnan J, Appel GB. Treatment of resistant glomerular diseases with adrenocorticotropic hormone gel: a prospective trial. Am J Nephrol. 2012;36:58-67.

3 Hogan J, Bomback AS, Mehta K, et al. Treatment of idiopathic FSGS with adrenocorticotropic hormone gel. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2013;8(12):2072-2081.

4 Bomback AS, Tumlin JA, Baranski J, et al. Treatment of nephrotic syndrome with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) gel. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2011;5:147-153.

5 Troyanov et al. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2005;16(4):10611068.

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SOURCE Mallinckrodt plc

Related Links

http://www.mallinckrodt.com


LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Alexei Barrionuevo has joined Sitrick And Company as a member of the firm, after two decades in daily newspaper journalism -- including 14 years as a staff reporter at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, where he specialized in energy coverage. He will be based in the firm's Los Angeles office.

While at the Times, Mr. Barrionuevo served as an international correspondent in Brazil, overseeing economic, business and political coverage of five countries in South America. While there, he led the paper's coverage of the rescue of 33 trapped miners in Chile, reported on battles between drug gangs and police in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and broke stories on Brazil's business and economic boom. Mr. Barrionuevo also served as a national business correspondent for the Times, based in Chicago, where he reported on the rise of the ethanol industry, covered the criminal trial of Enron Corp. executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling and gave national prominence to the mystery of disappearing honey bees. While at the Times in New York, he wrote a column about global high-end real estate.

At the Journal, Mr. Barrionuevo served in Brussels as an international correspondent, where he wrote about European anti-trust and regulation. Prior to his European posting, he worked as a correspondent in Houston from 1999 to 2003, where he reported on global energy companies, including the merger of ConocoPhillips and the nascent energy trading industry, and participated in the Journal's award-winning coverage of the dramatic fall of Enron. Mr. Barrionuevo also lived in Caracas, Venezuela, for two years, where he covered the 1998 election of Hugo Chavez for USA Today.

He began his professional career as a staff writer for The Dallas Morning News, where he reported on schools and police.

Most recently, Mr. Barrionuevo directed and produced a documentary film about the world of electronic dance music called, Waiting For The Drop: Rise of the Superstar DJs.

"Alexei brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and expertise that will be extremely helpful in serving both existing and future clients of the firm," said Michael Sitrick, founder, chairman and CEO of Sitrick And Company. "We are thrilled to have him join our firm." Mr. Barrionuevo joins a roster of reporters, columnists, editors, correspondents and anchors from such media outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Forbes, The Los Angeles Times, CNBC, Fox Business News, NBC and CBS Television News.

Mr. Barrionuevo began working for The Wall Street Journal in 1999, reporting on global energy from Houston. In 2003, he did a stint in Iraq covering the war there, and he served as a correspondent in Brussels from 2003 to 2005, covering European anti-trust and regulation.

After six years at The Wall Street Journal, he joined The New York Times in Chicago, where he served as a financial correspondent and covered the criminal trial of Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. He then was based in Brazil for four years, where he was the Southern Cone bureau chief for the paper, overseeing coverage of five countries in South America. Upon his return to New York, he wrote a column about global high-end real estate.

"I am thankful for the fascinating life journalism gave me, but I am excited to have an opportunity to use my knowledge and varied experiences in a challenging new arena," Mr. Barrionuevo said.

"For companies, celebrities and prominent individuals, the need for strategic communications counsel continues to grow," he said. "Our 24-hour news cycle and social media are super-fueling stories, requiring rapid responses from steady and creative hands with a deep knowledge of how the media operatesboth traditional and new media. I am pleased to be joining the best in the business in this highly specialized field."

A native of Chicago, Mr. Barrionuevo is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, where he was an editor at the campus newspaper.

SOURCE Sitrick And Company
TORONTO, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gallium Inc., a leading Quebec-based IT consulting company, today announced it has received the 2015 EMC Canada Services Partner of the Year Award from EMC Corporation for achieving exceptional implementation service. This marks the first year Gallium has received the exclusive recognition.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368530LOGO

The award was presented earlier this week to Gallium Inc. at the 2016 EMC World Global Partner Summit. The 2015 EMC Canada Services Partner of the Year Award recognizes a Canadian EMC partner for building a services team with unmatched expertise in EMC implementation.

"We are excited to be awarded the 2015 EMC Canada Services Partner of the Year," said Jean Laganiere, President and CEO of Gallium Inc. "This award is greatly appreciated as it demonstrates the recognition of the knowledge and expertise of our personnel and the excellent quality of the service we are delivering to our clients. We look forward to our continued relationship with EMC."

"With a proven track record of excellence and a deep understanding of information technology's role in achieving core business outcomes, Gallium is well deserving of this year's EMC Canada Services Partner of the Year Award," said Michael Kerr, Director of Partner Sales, EMC Canada. "We are pleased to honour this level of commitment Gallium has built innovative solutions that help clients modernize their data centres and redefine their businesses. For their solutions, partnership and commitment to EMC, I am delighted to recognize Gallium as our 2015 EMC Canada Services Partner of the Year."

Gallium helps customers with their data storage and protection challenges. Our team of professionals is well trained on an extensive set of EMC'stechnologies including VNX, Isilon, Data Domain, NetWorker and EMC RecoverPoint.

Gallium works with many of EMC Canada's Eastern partners, offering implementation expertise in EMC's portfolio offerings and investing in EMC I.E. training.

About Gallium

Gallium Inc. is a leading Quebec-based IT a consulting and systems integration firm, specializing in the design and deployment of enterprise technology infrastructures and focusing on data storage and protection.

Gallium professionals enjoy immense expertise they have acquired along multiple engagements to hundreds of companies of all size.

Gallium has established with its clients and partners a strong and durable relationship, based on transparency, flexibility, commitment and involvement.

For additional information:

Yvan Ratte

VP Sales [email protected]

EMC, VNX, Isilon, Data Domain, NetWorker and EMC RecoverPoint are trademarks or registered trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word "partner" or "partnership" does not imply a legal partnership relationship between EMC and any other organization.

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

SOURCE Gallium Inc.
DALLAS, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Generational Equity, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately-held, middle-market businesses, is pleased to announce the acquisition of its client, Whiteford Pharmacy, Inc. and Darlington Pharmacy, headquartered in Whiteford, Maryland, by Whiteford Darlington, LLC, headquartered in Whiteford, Maryland. The acquisition closed on April 4th, 2016.

Whiteford Pharmacy and Darlington Pharmacy are independent, service-oriented retail community pharmacies offering retail prescriptions of brand name and generic drugs. Additionally, the pharmacies display multiple store front items for the convenience of their valued customers in the immediate and surrounding areas.

Managing Director Doug Smith and Vice President Ryan Johnson led the Generational Equity deal team that advised Whiteford Pharmacy and Darlington Pharmacy on the transaction. "It was very important to our client that the pharmacies be purchased by an independent buyer dedicated to preserving the culture and long-term employee/customer relationships. Both parties saw the great fit, and were very committed to making the deal happen," said lead dealmaker Ryan Johnson.

About Generational Equity

Generational Equity provides mergers, acquisitions, strategic growth advisory services, and information for privately held and family-owned businesses to exit their companies successfully. Generational Equity uses a four-phase approach that includes M&A education , financial analysis and reporting, sales documentation and deal-making ability to offer business owners an unparalleled level of commitment and experience, all focused on helping to release the generational equity and wealth in every business. Generational Equity is headquartered in Dallas, TX, has more than 200 professionals located throughout North America, and was recently recognized by the M&A Advisor as the Valuation Firm of the Year . For more information, visit www.genequityco.com , the Generational Equity Press Room , or the Generational Equity Blog .

For more information:

Jessica Mead

972-232-1100

[email protected]

SOURCE Generational Equity

Related Links

http://www.genequityco.com


Organic Dill Pickle is a fun and tangy flavor offering the taste of fresh dill pickle thanks to a dash of real dill weed. It is certified organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, vegan and Kosher. Organic Chile Jalapeno White Cheddar is a spicy mix of real chile and jalapeno peppers combined with a creamy and savory white cheddar cheese. It is certified organic, gluten-free and Kosher.

The sweeter limited-edition flavor, Blueberry Lemon, is a delicious blend of real whole blueberries, lemon pieces and lightly sweetened caramel corn to create the perfect balance of sweet and tart and crunchy and chewy. It is gluten-free and Kosher.

Based in Waukegan, Ill, with roots in popcorn making that date back to the early twentieth century, this mother-daughter-owned company is shaking the modern popcorn world with innovative flavors.

"My great-grandfather invented the popped corn machine back in 1885, so G.H. Cretors is truly a family affair," says Claire Cretors, president of Cornfields, Inc., which makes G.H. Cretors Popped Corn. "We like to launch new, fresh flavors annually, and I think that's what keeps this classic product exciting. Every season, popped corn is our blank canvas."

The company believes that exceptional taste and quality must come together, along with real ingredients to create mouth-watering flavors. That's why the popped corn is made in small batches, using Midwestern corn kernels and real ingredients such as cheddar cheese and homemade, buttery caramel, stirred by hand in copper kettles.

"All of our popped corn products are naturally gluten-free and whole grain, and they are completely free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives," says Cretors. "We handcraft all of our flavors with real, simple, familiar ingredients, and I think that's what sets us a part from other snacking options. You can taste the quality."

G.H. Cretors' signature line of popped corn includes sweet, buttery caramel, real cheddar cheese, and a sweet-and-savory mix of both. The company also offers organic, simpler flavors with just sea salt and olive oil.

Organic Dill Pickle will be available in a 4-ounce bag for an MSRP of $3.99. Organic Chile Jalapeno White Cheddar will be available in a 4.5-ounce bag for an MSRP of $3.99 and Blueberry Lemon will be available in an 8-ounce bag for an MSRP of $5.99. Blueberry Lemon is a limited edition flavor and will be available throughout 2016 starting in June. All will soon be offered in natural food and mainstream grocery stores, or can be purchased at www.ghcretors.com/shop.

About G.H. Cretors

G.H. Cretors makes handcrafted popped corn snacks in small batches with real, high-quality ingredients, free of GMOs, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. The brand is the newest venture by Cornfields, Inc., a private label manufacturer of "better for you" popped corn, rice, potato, and vegetable snacks and confections. G.H. Cretors is the number four popcorn brand in the country and is significantly exceeding category growth. The company is woman-owned and operated by the mother-daughter team of Phyllis and Claire Cretors in Waukegan, Ill. In nearby Chicago, another branch of the Cretors family still makes the commercial popping machines invented by Claire's great great-grandfather Charles Cretors in 1885. For more information, including flavor varieties and where to buy, visit www.ghcretors.com or find G.H. Cretors on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368626

SOURCE G.H. Cretors

Related Links

http://www.ghcretors.com


The Japanese government will further ease visa requirements for Chinese citizens as part of its plan to attract 40 million foreign tourists every year by 2020.

The plan was adopted at a meeting of the Ministerial Council on the Promotion of Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Country on Friday, Japan Times reported.

The newspaper also reported that the new visa rules are expected to be carried out before this summer.

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on its website late last month that 5-year, multi-entry visas will be extended to 10 years, particularly for Chinese businessmen, academics and artists. Visa requirements for certain applicants will also be lowered. Previously, multiple-entry individual visas were issued to high-income Chinese tourists with a 5-year validity.

Meanwhile, single-entry visa application procedures will also be simplified for students from 75 universities under the direct supervision of the Chinese Ministry of Education. These include registered undergraduates and post-graduates, as well as alumni who graduated from the 75 schools within 3 years.

The announcement came after Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida's meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, last month in Beijing, the first since one held in Seoul in November 2015.

Liu Junhong, a researcher at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the easing of Japan's visa policies is aimed at boosting the country's sluggish economy, which is reeling from deflation and weak demand.

Japan remains one of the favorite overseas destinations for Chinese holidaymakers. Data from the Japan National Tourism Organization showed that the number of Chinese tourists to Japan more than doubled last year to reach 5 million.

More noticeable for local retailers is the spending power of Chinese tourists, who accounted for more than 40 percent of the total spending of foreign visitors to Japan in 2015.

Russians and Indians are also on the list of beneficiaries in this visa easing policy.

Prior to Japan, many other countries have issued 10-year visas for Chinese citizens. Back in November 2014, the US government started issuing multi-entry business and tourist visas valid for up to 10 years in China.

The United Kingdom and Australia are also considering the extension of their visa validity to 10 years.
In 2008, glispa became the first performance marketing and advertising company in Brazil, and subsequently built a network of thousands of publisher partners and clients including OLX, PSafe, Buscape and Dafiti. As one of the first global marketers to establish a presence in the emerging Latin American market, glispa is acquiring unparalleled credibility and expertise to deliver high-impact results to global and local brands and advertisers.

With the number of Latin American mobile users expected to exceed 374 million by 2017, glispa is strategically positioned to continue its expansion through the Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) markets, as well as expand in other high-growth mobile markets like Singapore and Mexico. Through its native ad monetization, user acquisition and app ranking solutions, glispa currently reaches over 1 billion smartphone users worldwide every month.

"With deep roots in Sao Paulo, glispa has been conducting business in Brazil for almost a decade," says Gary Lin, Chief Executive Officer of glispa. "We recognized early on that the Latin American market presented immense online marketing opportunities and now with mobile burgeoning, we're well positioned to capitalize on this trend. MOBILS has a very accomplished team and an impressive network of clients and application developers whom we look forward to serving as we continue our LATAM expansion."

An Effective Partnership Preceded the Acquisition

glispa and MOBILS began their LATAM partnership earlier this year, where glispa provided technology, tracking and operations support to MOBILS' mobile advertising initiatives. After several months working together, the two companies noticed many synergies between their solutions and became focused on forming a long-term partnership.

"glispa's solutions significantly enhance our reach, delivery and performance across all of our account management and support systems," says Paulo Maia, CEO of MOBILS. "More importantly, Gary Lin has established a highly transparent and authentic team that shares similar company values and culture."

MOBILS is focused on providing a full suite of mobile advertising solutions to meet the demands of premium publishers, apps, games and ad networks. Through its AD, APP and INAPP solutions, MOBILS increases user downloads and engagement, drives organic traffic to optimize user retention and purchase, and seamlessly integrates native ads that boost click through and conversion rates. With 54% of Latin American smartphone users already purchasing products and services with their devices, the acquisition of MOBILS by glispa represents tremendous growth and opportunity, worldwide, for the amplification of richer, mobile-optimized ads for users.

MOBILS was founded by prominent Brazil entrepreneurs and investors including Pierre Schurmann, Paulo Maia and Leandro Oliveto.

About Glispa Global Group

Glispa Global Group is a mobile marketing pioneer empowering clients to activate global audiences and move markets. Providing a full suite of technology-based services, glispa partners with global advertisers, app developers and publishers, enabling them to reach their user acquisition and monetization goals. With its recently-launched ad mediation platform, Ampiri, app developers can now gain full transparency and control over their entire mobile app inventory to maximize revenue potential, working with the largest global publishers and app developers.

Headquartered in Berlin with offices in Beijing, Bangalore, San Francisco, Tel Aviv and Sao Paulo glispa employs a multinational team representing 40 nationalities speaking 25 languages. To get started with glispa, connect with us: http://www.glispa.com.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368464

SOURCE glispa

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NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Affected by factors such as economic downturn at home and abroad, weak market demand and the amounting pressure of industrial transformation and upgrading, the machine tool industry of China was on a downward path in 2015 when the operating revenue fell 9.2% from a year earlier and total profit plunged 43.5% year on year; specifically, the metal cutting machine tool has come down for four consecutive years, and the metal forming machine tool dropped sharply for the first time. It is expected that in 2016 China's machine tool industry would continue to decline but the drop range is anticipated to be narrowed.



Although it remains sluggish, the machine tool industry of China showed some new characteristics in 2015 as the industrial restructuring paces up. First, the structure of demand accelerates to be upgraded, with common machine tools seeing a significant decline but high-end products like machining center rising; then, the export market showed negative growth as a whole, but special processing machine tool and others still kept growth; next, the support capability of functional components and so on was improved, and breakthroughs were made in the CNC system.



Facing harsh reality of the industry, Chinese enterprises are seeking strategic breakthroughs by means like innovation of products, extension of industrial chain as well as cooperation between enterprises.



Dalian Machine Tools Group (DMTG): As the vanguard in Chinese machine tool industry, DMTG's output of metal cutting machine tools reached 38,000 units and gained the revenue of more than RMB160 million in 2015, both ranking first within the industry. In April 2016, the East China Base project of DMTG was settled in the Economic Development Zone, Zhangjiagang city, with the project investment up to RMB4.5 billion; of all, the first-stage investment is about RMB1.5 billion mainly for constructing a machine tool manufacturing base, a remanufacturing base and an incubation base.



Shenyang Machine Tool Co., Ltd. (SMTCL): As a pioneer in Chinese machine tool industry, SMTCL launched the world's first model of intelligent motion control technology i5 in 2014 on basis of which the i5 series intelligent machine tools were manufactured. The orders for i5 series hit 4,800 sets or more in 2015. Then in April 2016, SMTCL raised funds of at most RMB3 billion for the intelligent machine tool industrialization and upgrading project as well as the R&D and layout of the marketing network upgrading project.



Qinchuan Machine Tool & Tool (Group) Corp (QCMT&T): Being listed in 2014, QCMT&T is now deploying "three one-thirds" business segments including host machine, functional parts, and modern manufacturing services.



Wuhan Huazhong Numerical Control Co., Ltd. (HNC): As the representative company in CNC system in China, HNC has actively carried out "one core, two segments" strategy, i.e., to build the core of numerical control system technologies, and two segments  machine tool CNC system and industrial robot. In May 2015, HNC joined hands with Foshan Municipal Nanhai District Lianhua Asset Operation & Management Co., Ltd to set up a joint venture named Foshan Huashu Robot Co., Ltd (temporary). In December 2015, the Dongguan-based Startup Incubation Base built by HNC with DMTG was put into operation officially.



Global and China Machine Tool Industry Report, 2016-2020 highlights the followings:

Production and sale, import & export of machine tool and competitive pattern of enterprises worldwide;

Policies on and operation, import & export and competition of Chinese machine tool industry;

Production and sale, import & export and key manufacturers of metal cutting machine tool, metal forming machine tool and CNC machine tool in China;

Operation and business in China of eight world renown companies;

Operation, revenue structure, development strategies and so forth of 18 Chinese players.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p02590390-summary/view-report.html



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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.



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DUBLIN, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Armored Vehicles Market by Application, Defense Products, Commercial Products, Technology, Type, & Region - Global Forecast to 2021" report to their offering.



(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160330/349511LOGO )



The global armored vehicles market is projected to grow from USD 23.75 Billion in 2016 to USD 31.26 Billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period. Factors such as rising crime in the form of gang violence, kidnapping, and terror activities wars and cross-border disputes, and increasing civilian use of armored vehicles are expected to drive the growth of the global armored vehicles market during the forecast period of 2016 to 2021.



On the basis of application, the given market has been segmented into defense and commercial. The commercial segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period of 2016 to 2021. The rising demand for armored vehicles can be attributed to several factors, including self-defense or protection, rising political disputes, polarization of civilians leading to civil unrest, and so on.



The armored vehicles market is dominated by the commercial SUV segment, which is most commonly used by those who want to reach their destination in a safe manner. High ranking politicians, entrepreneurs, all categories of VIPs, ambassadors intend to use armored vehicles or SUVs for official use. This segment is also expected to witness the highest growth in the coming years, owing to several benefits provided by this segment, including durability, precision, efficiency, providing good gas mileage and so on.



The growth of the armored vehicles market could, however, be affected by certain major restraints in the coming years. These factors include declining defense budgets of developed economies of the world, such as the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, and so on.



Companies Mentioned:

BAE Systems, PLC

BMW AG

Elbit Systems

Ford Motor Company

General Dynamics Corporation

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Mercedes-Benz (Division of Daimler AG)

Oshkosh Defense

Textron Inc.

Volkswagen AG

Report Structure:

1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights



5 Market Overview



6 Industry Trends



7 Armored Vehicles Market, By Application



8 Defense Armored Vehicles Market, By Product



9 Commercial Armored Vehicles Market, By Product



10 Defense Armored Vehicles Market, By Type



11 Armored Vehicles Market, By Technology



12 Region Analysis



13 Competitive Landscape



14 Company Profiles



15 Appendix

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fh5qnj/armored_vehicles





Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Market Insights, Opportunity Analysis, Market Shares and Forecast 2016 - 2022" report to their offering.



(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160330/349511LOGO )



Infertility is one of the major concerns in the world. One out of six couples in the world suffers from some form of infertility. About 10% women aged 20-44 suffer from infertility. There are various causes for infertility which include physiological (20-30% cases), some cases include genetically induced disorders whereas sometimes it may be self induced as in case of contraceptive surgeries. The market is driven by rising awareness amongst couples, a strong and developed health structure in developing nations, low cost treatment options available, and rise in the new methods like in vitro activation and surrogacy.



The testing and treatment market is growing at a faster rate in males than females. The earlier social taboos among men regarding male fertility have been declining, leading to increase in the male infertility testing and treatment market.



The cost of fertility treatment varies vastly from country to country leading to a rise in medial tourism in relationship with fertility treatments Israel is one of the leading countries with high quality treatments for infertility. The success rate of infertility treatment in Israel is around 46% which in one of the best globally .



The companies profile in this report include:

Andrology Solutions

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals

Auxogyn

Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Genea

Halotech DNA

Irvine Scientific

Merck Serono

Origio

Ovascience

Vitrolife AB

Key Topics Covered:



Chap 1. Executive Summary

Chap 2. Market overview

2.1. Market Share for Drug & Hormone Therapy

2.2. Key buying criteria

2.2.1. Treatment options

2.2.2. Quality of medical procedures

2.2.3. Price of treatments

2.2.4. Shift towards medical tourism

2.2.5. Reimbursement

2.3. Key Findings

2.3.1. highest growth in Male infertility treatment segment

2.3.2. Fertility tourism- The biggest growing trend

2.3.3. Upper middle income group is the key target

2.3.4. Regulatory environment key market enabler

2.3.5. Surrogacy preferred for failures in IVF treatments

2.3.6. Technological advancement enhancing success rates of fertility treatments

Chap 3. Male and Female Infertility

3.1. Causes

3.2. Ethical issues in infertility treatment

Chap 4. Market Determinants

4.1. Market Drivers

4.1.1. Rise in infertility

4.1.2. Fertility Tourism

4.1.3. Surrogacy also responsible for fertility tourism

4.1.4. Technological advancement in healthcare domain

4.1.5. Increase in success rate of treatments

4.1.6. Increasing acceptance of donor eggs by consumers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.2.1. Expensive procedure

4.2.2. Legal issues

4.3. Market Opportunities

4.3.1. Global requirement for low cost instruments and drugs in IVF

4.3.2. IVF an attractive sector for investment for private equity investors

4.3.3. Reproductive tourism

4.4. Market Challenges

4.4.1. Cost barrier for locals in emerging economies

4.4.2. Low acceptance of infertility treatment amongst men

4.4.3. Multiple births and birth defects

Chap 5. Market Segmentation

5.1. Male Infertility Market

5.2. Female infertility



Chap 6. IVF & Infertility market geography wise

Chap 7. Company Profiling



For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/b3nd6v/global_in_vitro

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets
PUNE, India, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

A key growth driver for payment gateways market is shift towards digital commerce as quite a few companies have begun restructuring their business and revenue strategies by moving from the traditional approach to the digital approach. Traditionally, commerce was restricted to showcase essential product details and simple merchandising. However, it has evolved and diversified. It involves services such as deploying interactive hubs for consumer marketing to handling associated services.

Complete report on payment gateways market spread across 53 pages, analyzing 4 major companies and providing 26 data exhibits is now available at http://www.sandlerresearch.org/global-payment-gateways-market-2016-2020.html

The analysts forecast global payment gateways market to grow at a CAGR of 13.79% during the period 2016-2020. The emergence of mobile wallets is a trend to watch for, as it is expected to drive payment gateways market growth quite significantly. More customers are using e-commerce sites to shop online using tablets or smartphones. This trend will continue as mobile devices are becoming more user-friendly and accessible.

The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global payment gateways market for 2016-2020. The report considers the total revenue generated from software licenses and subscriptions as well as software integration and maintenance costs to calculate the market size.

The Payment Gateways Market is divided into the Following Segments Based on Geography: Americas, APAC and EMEA. Global Payment Gateways Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

Key players in the global payment gateways market: Amazon Payments, CCBill, PayPal, and Stripe. Other prominent vendors in the market are: AsiaPay/PayDollar, MercadoPago, eWAY AU, NAB Transact, e-Path, Merchant Warrior, SecurePay, Moip, PagSeguro, ePay.bg, Beanstream, Moneris, Stripe, Alipay, Tenpay, 99bill, Pagosonline, PayWay, ePay.dk, DIBS, PayPoint, Ogone, Worldline by Atos, SOFORT, NETBANX, Barclaycard ePDQ, Wirecard, Ogone, Worldpay, PayU, CCAvenue, Realex, GestPay, Remise, Epsilon, Paygent, iPay88, MOLPay, CashU, eWay NZ, iDEAL, Klarna, PesoPay, Przelewy24, PayU.pl, PayU.ro, WebMoney, ROBOKASSA, QIWI, Yandex, PayFast, MyGate, VCS, WebCash, ServiRed, Certitrade, Payson, Sage Pay, Cardstream, GoCardless, SecureTrading, eWay.co.uk, BitCoin, and SmsCoin. Order a copy of Global Payment Gateways Market 2016-2020 report @ http://www.sandlerresearch.org/purchase?rname=54183

Further, the report states that one challenge that could adversely impact payment gateways market growth is the threat from open-source payment gateways.

Another related report is Global Residential Gateway Market 2015-2019, which forecasts global residential gateway market to grow at a CAGR of 7.82% over the period 2014-2019. The rise in demand for Internet protocol television (IPTV) is projected to drive the market in the forecast period. IPTV delivers TV services to end-users via the Internet. IPTV service offers various additional features such as multi-screen viewing and bringing features of VoD to TV, which allows a customer to browse through an online program or film catalog among other things.

Key players in the global residential gateway market: Cisco Systems, Comtrend, Huawei Technologies, Pace and ZTE. Other prominent vendors in the market are: Actiontec Electronics, Advanced Digital Broadcast, Alcatel-Lucent, Arris Enterprises, Audio Codes, AVM, Calix, Humax, Sagemcom, Technicolor, Zhone Technologies and ZyXEL Communications. Browse complete report @ http://www.sandlerresearch.org/global-residential-gateway-market-2015-2019.html.

Explore other new reports on Banking & Finance Market @ http://www.sandlerresearch.org/market-research/banking-finance.

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SOURCE Sandler Research
DUBLIN, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Succinic Acid Market Insights, Opportunity Analysis, Market Shares and Forecast 2016 - 2022" report to their offering.



(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160330/349511LOGO )



Succinic is emerging as one of the most competitive bio based chemicals. The US department of energy has included succinic acid among the top 12 value added bio-based chemicals. Succinic Acid is an intermediate in many chemical processes and is used in the production of various products in a fragmented industry that has multiple players in this production process. The market shows a huge potential of growth depended vastly on the sustainable production of bio-based succinic acid.



Succinic acid is a chemical which has a large number of applications ranging from BDO, polymers, fibres, pharmaceuticals, food, polyurethanes, plasticizers to dyes and coatings. However the major demand originates from coating, resins, BDO, plasticizers and polyurethanes along with the food industry. Currently there is very small number of companies producing succinic acid in large amounts. Most of the companies are small scale and with limited capacity.



Key Topics Covered:



Chap 1. Executive Summary

Chap 2. Market Overview

Chap 3. Market Motivators

3.1. Market Drivers

3.1.1. Government Policies Giving Rise To Succinic Acid Market

3.1.2. Availability Of Renewable Raw Materials

3.1.3. Rise In Petroleum Prices

3.2. Restraints

3.2.1. High Price Of Bio Based Succinic Acid

3.2.2. Competitive Market

3.3. Opportunity

3.3.1. Varied Applications

3.3.1.1. Food And Beverages

3.3.1.2. Pharmaceuticals

3.3.2. Effective Treatment

3.3.3. Go Green Initiative

3.3.4. Substitute To Key Chemicals

3.3.5. Bio-Based Biodegradable Plastic In Demand

3.3.6. Pharmaceutical Use

3.4. Challenges

3.4.1. High Processing Cost

3.4.2. Awareness

3.4.3. Time Consuming Process

Chap 4. Market Segmentation

4.1. By Applications

4.1.1. Food & Beverages

4.1.1.1. Preservatives

4.1.1.2. Softening Agent

4.1.1.3. Packaging

4.1.2. Pharmaceuticals

4.1.2.1. Cosmetics

4.1.2.2. Preparation Of Drugs

4.1.3. Industrial Applications

4.1.3.1. 1,4-Butanediol(BDO)

4.1.3.2. Plasticizers

4.1.3.3. PBS (Polybutylene Succinate)

4.1.3.4. Solvents And Lubricants

4.1.4. Other Industrial Use

4.2. By Raw Material

4.2.1. Petrochemical- Based Succinic Acid

4.2.1.1. Maleic Anhydride

4.2.2. Bio-Based Succinic Acid

4.2.2.1. Production From Corn

4.2.2.2. Production From Molasses

Chap 5. Alternative Market For Succinic Acid

5.1. Maleic Anhydride (MAN)

Chap 6. Competitive Intelligence

6.1. Key Market Strategies

6.1.1. Highly Competitive Market Triggers Innovation

6.1.2. Building Strong Distribution Network

6.1.3. Companies Focusing On Asian Markets (Production) And European (Consumer) Markets

6.1.4. Collaborations And Partnerships

6.1.5. Reducing Carbon Footprints By Adapting Eco Friendly Solutions

Chap 7. Market Share Analysis

Chap 8. Geographical Analysis

Chap 9. Corporate Profiling

9.1. Bioamber Inc.

9.2. Myriant Corporation

9.3. BASF SA

9.4. DSM Netherlands

9.5. Mitsui & Co. Ltd

9.6. Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

9.7. Purac (Carbion NV)

9.8. Reverdia (DSM - Roquette)

9.9. Gadiv Petrochemical Industries Ltd.



For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ff6k4t/global_succinic

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

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SOURCE Research and Markets
More than 250 local tech workers already on site of new $13.1 million facility

Stock Market Symbols

GIB (NYSE)

GIB.A (TSX)

www.cgi.com/newsroom

LAFAYETTE, LA, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) executives today were joined by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and a host of state and local leaders at a ribbon cutting celebration for the company's new $13.1 million onshore information technology (IT) services Center of Excellence in Lafayette, Louisiana. The 50,000-square-foot facility houses CGI's fourth U.S. onshore delivery center and is expected to create up to 400 high-quality IT jobs in southwest Louisiana by 2020. CGI currently employs more than 250 technology workers at the center and is recruiting to fill more than 50 open positions. Interested candidates may learn more at www.cgi.com/lafayette.



"This ribbon cutting would not have been possible without the shared commitment of CGI and its local partners in higher education, economic development, state and local governments and the Acadiana community," said Tim Hurlebaus, President, CGI Federal, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CGI, serving clients in the civilian, defense and intelligence sectors of the U.S. government. "Together, we envisioned a state-of-the art technology facility that would bring high-quality jobs to Lafayette and provide world-class service to CGI clients. Today, with that vision becoming a reality, we recognize the contributions of those who welcomed our business to this great community, and the CGI team members in Lafayette who are serving our clients across the country and around the world."

"CGI's arrival in Louisiana has helped elevate our state's status as a leading destination for knowledge-based employers and the creative professionals who help them thrive," Gov. Edwards said. "While attracting one of the world's most successful information technology companies, we also are building research capacity in an exciting way for one of our leading higher education institutions, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. We're delighted that CGI is meeting with success in Louisiana and that our partnership, over the next decade, will triple the number of computer science undergraduate degrees awarded annually through UL Lafayette's School of Computing and Informatics."

CGI's onshore delivery model creates high-quality IT jobs in America. It is a core element of the company's business strategy to offer cost-effective IT services options to government and commercial clients. The company continually looks for locations offering access to a quality workforce, strong economics and partnerships with state and local government, academia and industry. With its continued growth and technology-savvy workforce, Lafayette was identified as a perfect partner for CGI, which selected the location after a nearly two-year, nationwide site-selection process. CGI also operates U.S. onshore delivery centers in Lebanon, VA, Troy, AL and Belton, TX.

"By including onshore delivery options as part of our global delivery network, we not only underscore our commitment to client service, but also prove that building a national technology workforce in the U.S. is about more than recruiting workers in Silicon Valley and other urban technology centers," said Will LaBar, Vice President, CGI Federal. "We believe that young people in places like Lafayette should be able to live, raise families and pursue technology careers in their own communities. We are proud that our center in Lafayette is offering the opportunity for area students and workers to join the nation's technology workforce right here in southwestern Louisiana."

As an anchor tenant of the 143-acre Research Park of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, CGI's new state-of-the-art facility is expected to have an annual economic impact of $90 million over the next five years. The project also includes a state-funded, 10-year, $4.5 million higher education initiative led by University of Louisiana at Lafayette that will result in a tripling of the number of undergraduate degrees awarded annually by the University's School of Computing and Informatics. That growth is anticipated to place the university's computer science program among the top 25 in the U.S. for number of bachelor's degrees awarded in computer science each year.

CGI is also establishing a research and technology innovation lab in Lafayette to advance cutting-edge technologies such as digital transformation, cloud computing, cybersecurity, future cities, big data and data visualization. This Innovation Center is open for business and will be used by both CGI and the University for technology demonstrations, client innovation sessions, and learning events.

"As a leader in their industry, CGI both enhances and diversifies the landscape of our economy. In a very short period of time, they have already proven to be an active and engaged community partner," said Joel Robideaux, Mayor-President, Lafayette.

CGI employees have also become active in the community. Over the past year, CGI has helped support Project Front Yard, partnered with the Bayou Vermilion Preservation Association to raise awareness about the Bayou, volunteered for United Way, supported middle/high school career fairs and events, and participated in organizations such as the Lafayette Downtown Development Authority and One Acadiana.

About CGI

Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is the fifth largest independent information technology and business process services firm in the world. Approximately 65,000 professionals serve thousands of global clients from offices and delivery centers across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, leveraging a comprehensive portfolio of services including high-end business and IT consulting, systems integration, application development and maintenance, infrastructure management as well as 150 IP-based services and solutions. With annual revenue in excess of C$10 billion and an order backlog exceeding C$20 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Website: www.cgi.com.

SOURCE CGI Group Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cgi.com/


CHICAGO, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today presented Greeley and Hansen with the President's "E" Award for Exports at a ceremony in Washington, DC. The President's "E" Award is the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.

"Greeley and Hansen has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion. The 'E' Awards Committee was very impressed with Greeley and Hansen's commitment to including international growth as a core component in the company's strategic plan. The company's participation in international trade missions was also particularly notable. Greeley and Hansen's achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs," said Secretary Pritzker in her congratulatory letter to the company announcing its selection as an award recipient.

"Exporting continues to be a strategic pillar of Greeley and Hansen's long-term growth plan," said John C. Robak, President and Chief Operating Officer of Greeley and Hansen. "We believe the critical need for U.S. technology and intellectual capital to help build sustainable water infrastructure in emerging international markets will support the continued growth and expansion of our firm both in the U.S. and abroad. We are honored that our firm has been recognized with the prestigious President's 'E' Award for Exports this year."

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order reviving the World War II "E" symbol of excellence to honor and provide recognition to America's exporters. Today, Secretary Pritzker honored 123 U.S. companies with the President's "E" Award for their outstanding work to reduce barriers to foreign markets and to open the door to more trade around the world.

In 2015, U.S. exports totaled $2.23 trillion, accounting for nearly 13 percent of U.S. GDP. Nationally, exports contributed to the U.S. economy, supporting an estimated 11.5 million jobs.

U.S. companies are nominated for the "E" Award through the Department of Commerce's U.S. Commercial Service office network, located within the Department's International Trade Administration, with offices in 108 U.S. cities and more than 70 countries. Record years of successive export growth and an applicant's demonstration of an innovative international marketing plan that led to the increase in exports is a significant factor in selecting the winners.

For more information about the "E" Awards and the benefits of exporting, visit www.export.gov.

About Greeley and Hansen

Greeley and Hansen is a leader in developing innovative engineering, architecture, and management solutions for a wide array of complex water, wastewater, and related infrastructure challenges. The firm has built upon over 100 years of proven civil and environmental engineering experience in all phases of project development and implementation to become a premier global provider of comprehensive services in the water sector. Greeley and Hansen is dedicated to designing better urban environments worldwide. http://www.greeley-hansen.com/new.htm

For more information, contact:

Nancy Stankus

312-558-9000

[email protected]

SOURCE Greeley and Hansen

Related Links

http://www.greeley-hansen.com


DUBLIN and SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Heart Metabolics Limited (Heart Metabolics), a biotechnology company focused on the development of drugs for orphan diseases including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), today announced the appointment of Sean Gallagher to the board of directors and the addition of Charlotte Hartman, Pharm.D., as Vice President, Clinical Development.

"Sean brings a wealth of experience successfully developing emerging businesses in Ireland and will be an asset to our board," said Corey Goodman, Chairman of Heart Metabolics.

Mr. Gallagher is currently co-founder and CEO of Clyde Real Estate, a leading Irish commercial property firm and was co-founder and CEO of Smarthomes, Ireland's largest home technology company. Mr. Gallagher has a long-standing commitment to helping support the creation of employment in Ireland and has served as A/CEO with the national network of County Enterprise Boards in Ireland.

"Heart Metabolics is developing a promising drug candidate for the treatment of patients with a debilitating genetic heart disease referred to as HCM," said Mr. Gallagher. "By helping Heart Metabolics develop this business and tap into the talent base Ireland has to offer, we have the potential to change the course of treatment for these patients and improve their lives."

Dr. Hartman was previously Vice President, Clinical Development at Akebia Therapeutics where she was responsible for the development of Akebia's lead program, vadadustat, a novel therapy for the treatment of CKD-related anemia. Prior to Akebia, Dr. Hartman spent ten years in anti-infectives clinical development at Pfizer and Targanta Therapeutics, during which time she helped gain FDA and EU approval for Zyvox (linezolid). Dr. Hartman earned a doctorate of Pharmacy degree from the University of Texas and her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from The State University of New York at Buffalo.

"We have made important progress on the development of perhexiline for the treatment of patients with HCM, and are now building the clinical team to support the next phase of development," said William Daly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Heart Metabolics. "Charlotte is a fantastic addition to the development team and will help us advance the perhexiline program into Phase 3 development."

About Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)

HCM is one of the most common of all hereditary heart diseases and the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young adults. HCM is a genetic defect of heart muscle that occurs due to deletions in genes that encode key contractile proteins in the heart. As a result, there is enlargement of the heart muscle that causes abnormal cardiac energetics. In later stages of the disease, patients develop debilitating and unrelenting symptoms of heart failure. There are more than 120,000 people in the U.S. with HCM who suffer from moderate-to-severe heart failure symptoms. The current treatment options for patients with this disease are limited, with no FDA-approved drugs.

About Perhexiline

Perhexiline is a carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT) inhibitor being developed by Heart Metabolics to treat symptoms in patients with HCM. Perhexiline blocks the uptake and metabolism of fatty acids by the heart, causing the heart to 'switch' to glucose as a fuel source. This results in improved myocardial energetic, reducing or even normalizing the energy imbalance created by the genetic defect that defines HCM. In addition, perhexiline has multiple ion channel effects that limit the potential for destabilizing ventricular arrhythmias. It is believed that perhexiline treatment of symptomatic patients with HCM may delay, prevent or even reverse progression of disease. In a Phase 2 clinical trial, perhexiline significantly improved peak oxygen consumption (VO 2 max), cardiac energetic status (myocardial phosphocreatine:ATP ratio), LV diastolic filling at rest and during exercise, symptoms, and quality of life.

About Heart Metabolics

Heart Metabolics is a biopharmaceutical company developing new treatments for orphan disease including cardio-metabolic diseases. The Company has obtained an Orphan Drug Designation in the US for the use of perhexiline to treat HCM patients with moderate-to-severe symptoms of heart failure. In addition, Heart Metabolics has reached agreement with FDA on a Special Protocol Assessment for a single, pivotal Phase 3 trial in about 350 HCM patients. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and founded in 2014, Heart Metabolics is funded by venBio, Brandon Capital Partners (on behalf of AustralianSuper), Seroba Life Sciences and AshHill Biomedical. More information is available at www.heartmetabolics.com.

SOURCE Heart Metabolics Limited

Related Links

http://www.heartmetabolics.com


For complimentary access to more information on this research, please visit: http://frost.ly/bz

Specialty pigments are experiencing a surge in popularity, especially in coatings, plastics and packaging applications, due to their superior hiding power, brilliant luster and ability to offer a wide range of vibrant colors. Metallic pigments too are becoming popular due to the enhanced visual effect that they offer in plastics, paints, coatings and inks, while inorganic pigments will continue to dominate the market because of their competitive pricing.

"This rocketing demand is proving a double-edged issue for manufacturers. On one hand, it will boost their revenues and on the other, it will throw the spotlight on the volatility in supply," said Frost & Sullivan Senior Research Analyst  Visionary Science Soundarya Shankar. "For instance, pigments such as azo are experiencing supply shortages due to the closure of a number of Chinese companies, whereas TiO 2 is available in excess due to the rapid expansion of production capacities. The supply shortfall will encourage the uptake of low-cost substitutes, while the supply surplus will erode prices and diminish margins."

The printing industry too has been a mixed bag for the pigments market. Digital printing, electronic media and e-publishing have cut deeply into the shares of the publication industry and thereby, the printing pigment market. Nevertheless, there has been a spurt in packaging applications in the printing industry, widening the scope of pigment use.

Regulation is another area that has had a twin impact on the market. Government bans or the phasing out of environmentally unfriendly materials will significantly challenge smaller market participants. Unlike the global companies, the local companies will not be able to quickly switch their focus toward environmentally viable products.

Inversely, these regulations will drive the development of technologically advanced products with smaller environmental footprints. Manufacturers have been formulating powder pigments for powder coatings, and pigments for water-borne dispersions instead of solvent-borne counterparts. However, regulations have also added considerable documentation costs for manufacturers by requiring them to obtain several certifications and approvals.

"Smaller regional pigment manufacturers will either exit the market or be acquired by larger companies, owing to complexities and higher costs involved in complying with the prevailing regulations," noted Shankar. "These regulations will not only stoke consolidation and the creation of environmentally viable products, but will also compel manufacturers to revamp their production processes to make them more efficient."

Analysis of the Global Pigments Market is part of the Chemicals & Materials (http://ww2.frost.com/research/industry/visionary-science/future-chemicals-materials-infrastructure-mobility/) Growth Partnership Service program. Frost & Sullivan's related studies include: North American and European Engineered Wood Market, Advanced Coatings & Surface Technology--Smart Glass Innovations in Construction and Electronics Industries, Technologies Enabling Indoor Air Purification, Construction and Infrastructure Mega Trends in Africa and 360 Degree Analysis of Plastic Compounding Market. All studies included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants.

Our "Growth Partnership" supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.

The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation.

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Analysis of the Global Pigments Market

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Corporate Communications  North America

P: (210) 247.2481

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http://www.frost.com

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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

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Editor's note:Although there's only a small Chinese presence at this year's Cannes Film Festival, China.org.cn can still take you back to look at some fond memories of Chinese filmmakers in previous years at the festival.

"The Enchanting Shadow" by director Li Han-Hsiang in 1960 [File photo]

1959

The first time a film made in China went to Cannes was in 1959, when "Slut and Saint," directed by Tian Chen, made its debut. The movie, which depicted the experiences of a woman during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, was China's first time in competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or.

1960

"The Enchanting Shadow" by director Li Han-Hsiang competed for the prestigious Palme d'Or.

1962

"The Magnificent Concubine" by director Li Han-Hsiang competed for Palme d'Or. It was the first Chinese-language film to win the Grand Prix for Best Interior Photography and Color, thanks to its sumptuously decorated palace scenes and beautiful costumes.

1963

"Empress Wu Tse-Tien" by director Li Han-Hsiang entered the main competition for Palme d'Or.
SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- hiQ Labs, the global standard for People Analytics, today announced that hiQ Elevate, to be held today, May 17 in New York City, is sold out with record attendance.

"People Analytics is exploding, as leading companies are applying data science to HR in order to create tangible competitive advantage," said Darren Kaplan, CEO and co-founder of hiQ Labs. "We believe that within the next five years, People Analytics will be among the fastest growing categories of HR professionals. The rapid growth of hiQ Labs' Fortune 500 customer list and massive attendance at hiQ Elevate underscore our thriving community's desire to network with the most influential thought leaders working in People Analytics today."

Built by and for those leading the way in HR data science innovation, hiQ Elevate brings together Data Scientists, Workforce Scientists, Talent Analysts and Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) from Fortune 500 companies to discuss real-world case studies and best practices.

At the NYC Elevate event, hiQ Labs will debut a new panel discussion titled "Is Software Better at Managing People than You Are?" Inspired by the March 2016 Fortune magazine article by the same name, the session will debate the merits of using data science to make employee hiring and managing decisions. It will address common pitfalls to consider, along with best practices for how to use People Analytics to identify candidates for key promotions, and retain and attract talent. hiQ Labs' Workforce Scientist in Residence Michael Housman will moderate the session. Panelists will include Ryan Hammond, PhD, Head of People Analytics at hiQ Labs, and James Gallman, GE's Strategic Workforce Planning Leader, who were both featured in the article.

"From our work with leading global brands, we've seen how People Analytics is transforming the way we manage and work," said Housman. "hiQ Labs is committed to fueling innovation in this sector by bringing together the brightest minds to share best practices, and I look forward to diving further into this hot topic during the panel discussion."

About hiQ Labs

hiQ Labs is the global standard for People Analytics. By applying data science and machine learning to internal and external data, hiQ Labs helps HR teams make better, more reliable people decisions. Easy to deploy and fast to deliver predictive insights, hiQ Labs' cloud platform transforms how enterprises retain their best talent. The world's most forward thinking brands rely on hiQ Labs to significantly reduce turnover and save millions of dollars in employee attrition.

Founded in 2013 and led by an elite team of data scientists and analysts, hiQ Labs has offices in Atlanta, New York and San Francisco. For more information, visit www.hiqlabs.com, or join us on Twitter @hiQLabs and LinkedIn.

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SOURCE hiQ Labs

Related Links

http://www.hiqlabs.com


SEVERN, Md., May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa this afternoon met and walked the picket line with some 50 members of Locals 355 and 570 engaged in an unfair labor practices strike against US Foods at its Severn, Md. facility for almost three weeks.

Nearly 200 Maryland Teamsters working at the distribution center went on strike April 27. Warehouse workers and drivers filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that US Foods has bargained in bad faith about its decision to close the Severn facility in June.

Hoffa said the workers are standing up to threats by the company that would cut wages and benefits for each of them by about $40,000 a year.

"US Foods is attempting to pull these workers out of the middle class," he said. "Slashing pay as well as health and retirement benefits is no way to ensure that this formerly Maryland-based company remains a good corporate partner in the Free State."

Since the Severn ULP strike began, more than 1,000 Teamsters across the country have either gone on strike themselves or honored the picket line. US Foods workers who have stood in solidarity with the Severn workers since they went on strike include Local 722 members in Streator, Ill.; Local 337 members in Wixom, Mich.; Local 264 in Buffalo, N.Y.; and Local 507 members in Twinsburg, Ohio.

The current labor disputes are not new to US Foods. In February, more than 200 Teamsters at the Phoenix facility went on a four-day unfair labor practice strike. In 2011, an unfair labor practice strike by maintenance employees in Streator was extended to more than 10 US foods facilities across America. More than 2,000 Teamsters honored extended picket lines during the 2011 strike.

US Foods is the nation's second-largest foodservice provider. It is owned by Wall Street private equity behemoths KKR and CD&R, which added nearly $5 billion of debt to US Foods' books when they bought it in 2007. US Foods announced its IPO in February, trying to raise $1 billion from investors.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.



CONTACT: Galen Munroe, (202) 439-7427

[email protected]

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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Related Links

http://www.teamster.org


LAS VEGAS, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Indoor Farms of America is pleased to announce today the signing of a Distributor Agreement with Greenhouses Canada for multiple provinces of Canada. Since announcing production readiness after nearly 2 years in R & D, the Company has received many inquiries from Canadian entities for the most advanced and economically viable commercial scale indoor crop growing equipment now on the market. In fact, numerous Canadians have travelled to Las Vegas to visit with the Company and see the equipment first hand, with multiple contracts for farms now in due diligence.

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"With this Distributor Agreement, and the real commitment demonstrated by Jeff Scharf and his staff, we have reached a big milestone to bring our equipment to the people of Canada even more cost effectively," said David Martin, CEO of Indoor Farms of America. Martin adds: "Greenhouses Canada will have soon have a locally accessible demonstration farm for folks from Ontario and other regions to visit. This agreement means so much in the way of bringing our proprietary, amazing aeroponic equipment to the Canadian market, where big demand exists, in a streamlined and efficient way, using local labor to install farms in the process. It is a win-win situation."

"When we first spoke with Dave at Indoor Farms of America, and he described the effort his team put into development of the products and the crop growing performance in small spaces, we knew this was a breakthrough for Canada to have access to ultra fresh, locally grown produce," states Jeff Scharf, President of Greenhouses Canada. "Our research shows there is no other equipment available that brings the positive economics to indoor growing in our cold regions like this does. We will bring localized, affordable produce to many regions of our country, and we are very excited about that."

Indoor Farms of America presents a comprehensive array of reliable, high yield aeroponic growing equipment, which can be installed in any space, including existing greenhouses, warehouse farms, and in ready-made container farms with their GrowTrucks line, the company provides a much more affordable means to grow a variety of crops in a sustainable controlled environment, literally anywhere in the world. The coldest regions of Canada will now have direct access to the very best growing equipment in the world for producing high quantities of food in small spaces. Nothing else comes close, or is more affordable to own.

Indoor Farms of America hosts guests weekly from around the world at its main offices and showroom in Las Vegas, Nevada. These folks are treated to a presentation unlike any other regarding indoor crop growing equipment. Ron Evans, company President, says: "Really satisfying for us is the new wheelchair accessible container farm, which has multiple sales already. This innovative farm is now immediately available in Canada, allowing folks with disabilities to participate and operate a farm. Simply wonderful stuff."

The vertical farm equipment will grow virtually any leafy green product, as well as strawberries, peppers and more, and will do so in scale quantities. This means profitability in an indoor farm that has never been seen before. Martin adds: "We all know there is a huge amount of activity in indoor farming worldwide now. The harsh reality is that many projects won't survive due to Capital costs that are simply too high related to perceived financial performance. Our equipment was specifically designed to eliminate those harsh economics, and provide real ROI in a timely manner."

The company encourages potential international distributors to reach them by email to inquire, as numerous countries are now in negotiations. "We seek quality relationships with like-minded folks who believe sustainable agriculture is the future, and want to bring the best equipment available to their region of the world at price points that make sense," says Martin.

CONTACT:

David W. Martin, CEO  Email  IndoorFarmsAmerica.com

4020 W. Ali Baba Lane, Ste. B Las Vegas, NV 89118

(702) 664-1236 or (702) 606-2691

CANADIAN CUSTOMERS CONTACT:

Greenhouses Canada

Meghan Mathe, Director of Marketing & Communications

Email  Phone: 705-222-8160

SOURCE Indoor Farms of America

Related Links

http://IndoorFarmsAmerica.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Growing End User Industries Coupled With Continuous Capacity Additions of Existing as Well as New Projects to Drive the India Industrial Gases Market Until 2021

New Age TechSci Research Logo (PRNewsFoto/New Age TechSci Research)

According to TechSci Research report, "India Industrial Gases Market By Type, By End User, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021", the market for industrial gases in India is projected to reach US $ 2.2 billion by 2021, on account of implementation of various favorable government policies to support manufacturing sector, coupled with growing demand from various end user industries, especially metallurgy and petrochemicals. Various upcoming steel projects are integrating industrial gas production units to address the bulk requirements for industrial gases, thereby positively influencing the India industrial gases market.

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Browse 9 market data Tables and 31 Figures spread through 125 Pages and an in-depth TOC on "India Industrial Gases Market"

http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/india-industrial-gases-market-by-type-oxygen-argon-nitrogen-by-end-user-metallurgy-medical-petrochemicals-welding-etc-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021/669.html

In order to sustain in highly competitive India industrial gases market, companies are investing heavily on establishing industrial gas plants all across the country. For instance, Tata Steel is building a 55,000 TPA Ferrochrome Plant at Gopalpur, Odisha. By the end of 2020, steel production in India is forecast to reach 200 million metric tons. Consequently, industrial gas companies are collaborating with various steel producers for addressing their industrial gas requirements. In 2015, Praxair announced its long term contract with Gerdau, a US based leading steel manufacturer, for the supply of gaseous oxygen to its facility located at Tadipatri, Andhra Pradesh.

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In 2015, Oxygen dominated the India industrial gases market, owing to its wide applications in metallurgy industry, such as welding, fabrication and other processes. Oxygen enriched atmosphere is used in chemical refining and heating associated with carbon removal from materials. In India, Oxygen is often stored as a liquid, although it is used primarily as a gas. In 2015, east region dominated the industrial gases market in the country on account of various upcoming metallurgical projects coupled with presence of major steel production units in this region.

"Government of India is focusing on continuing economic development in the country. With huge initiatives like 'Make in India', the iron & steel sector is projected to grow at a CAGR of more than 15%, in volume terms, during 2015-2020. With new iron and steel plants anticipated to become operational over the next five years, the demand for industrial gases is further forecast to increase at a robust pace during the forecast period." said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm.

"India Industrial Gases Market By Type, By End User, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021" has evaluated the future growth potential of industrial gases market in India and provide statistics and information on market structure, industry behavior and trends. The report includes market projections and demand forecasting. The report is intended to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyzes emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities available in India industrial gases market.

Browse Related Reports

Saudi Arabia Industrial Gases Market By Type (Oxygen, Argon, Nitrogen), By End User (Petrochemicals, Refinery, Metallurgy, etc.), Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021

http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/saudi-arabia-industrial-gases-market-by-type-oxygen-argon-nitrogen-by-end-user-petrochemicals-refinery-metallurgy-etc-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021/602.html

India LNG Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2025

http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/india-lng-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2025/592.html

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http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/india-city-gas-distribution-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2030/568.html

About TechSci Research

TechSci Research is a leading global market research firm publishing premium market research reports. Serving 700 global clients with more than 600 premium market research studies, TechSci Research is serving clients across 11 different industrial verticals. TechSci Research specializes in research based consulting assignments in high growth and emerging markets, leading technologies and niche applications. Our workforce of more than 100 fulltime Analysts and Consultants employing innovative research solutions and tracking global and country specific high growth markets helps TechSci clients to lead rather than follow market trends.

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SOURCE TechSci Research
LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of the 2016 PASBA Spring Marketing Conference  set for May 23-26 at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor  the CEO of leading Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provider Infinitely Virtual has warned against "provider roulette" in evaluating technology partners and suggested that few industries are as savvy about understanding and managing risk as the accounting profession.

PASBA represents Certified Public Accountants, Public Accountants, and Enrolled Agents who provide accounting services to small businesses throughout the United States. Members of the Association have built a nationwide network of accountants to benefit small business clients across the country. Using the collective resources of this network, Association members offer their clients a level of service and expertise that individual practices are unable to rival.

In "The Hosted Alternative," an article by Ted Needleman in the April 27 issue of Accounting Technology (Between cloud-based and in-house lies a third way), Stern decries what he refers to as "Provider Roulette."

"Of late, there has been a great deal of shifting around among providers," the publication quotes Stern as saying. "On that front, two somewhat counterintuitive things are happening in the hosting market  new market entries and significant market consolidation  resulting in a bit of chaos. Small providers have emerged, but there's no assurance that they'll be around; some could be purchased (and others have been) Accounting firms are wise to select vendors who have demonstrated some staying power, since stability is crucial for both a firm and its clients. On the other end of the spectrum, market consolidation has meant that once again, big fish are being eaten by even bigger fish. And from the point of view of even a fairly large accounting firm, consolidation isn't likely to mean better/more responsive service. If recent history is any guide, the opposite has been the case."

Stern also noted that at PASBA, Infinitely Virtual will mark its fourth anniversary as an Intuit Commercial Host  a status that enables the company to provide QuickBooks capability to clients via its cloud server platform and underscores its commitment to the accounting field.

Infinitely Virtual offers high quality and affordable cloud server technology, capable of delivering services to any type of business, via terminal servers, SharePoint servers and SQL servers  all based on Cloud Servers.

For more information, visit www.infinitelyvirtual.com.

About Infinitely Virtual

Infinitely Virtual is a leading provider of high quality and affordable Cloud Server technology, capable of delivering services to any type of business, via terminal servers, SharePoint servers and SQL servers  all based on Cloud Servers. Named to the Talkin' Cloud 100 as one of the industry's premier hosting providers, Infinitely Virtual has earned the highest rating of "Enterprise-Ready" in Skyhigh Networks' CloudTrust Program for four of its offerings -- Cloud Server Hosting, InfiniteVault, InfiniteProtect and Virtual Terminal Server. The company recently took the #1 spot in HostReview's Ranking of VPS hosting providers. Infinitely Virtual was established as a subsidiary of Altay Corporation, and through this partnership, Infinitely Virtual provides customers with expert 247 technical support. More information about Infinitely Virtual can be found at: http://www.infinitelyvirtual.com, @iv_cloudhosting, or call 866-257-8455.

Media Contact:

Ken Greenberg

Edge Communications, Inc.

323-469-3397

[email protected]

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SOURCE Infinitely Virtual

Related Links

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NEW YORK, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The infrastructure monitoring market is expected to reach USD 2.47billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 26.3% between 2015 and 2020. Increasing initiatives of governments worldwide toward the rising need for public safety and reliability as well as the aging infrastructure are likely to drive the infrastructural health monitoring market.



"Civil Infrastructure expected to lead the end user segment of the infrastructural health monitoring during the forecast period"



An infrastructure monitoring system plays a key role in the civil infrastructure market. To continue the growth of a country's economy, it is essential to monitor the health condition of the civil infrastructure and take necessary actions to avoid accidents. IHM has the ability to provide the real-time monitoring solutions of civil structures such as bridges, tunnels, dams, buildings, and others, while reducing the maintenance cost. In addition, the market for energy is expected to grow at the highest CAGR among all other industries. The growth in these two industries can be attributed to the rising adoption of infrastructural health monitoring systems.



"North America expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period"



APAC is estimated to be the fastest-growing market till 2020. Civil and energy are major sectors driving the growth of the infrastructure monitoring market in APAC. China and Japan are the leading countries in the infrastructural health monitoring market in this region. Moreover, increasing infrastructure and government initiatives in these countries are likely to drive the market in APAC. Currently, North America holds the largest share of the infrastructural health monitoring market. It is the most technologically-advanced market for infrastructural health monitoring, owing to the high penetration of these systems in this region. The U.S. invests heavily in the civil and aerospace sectors for higher safety.



In the process of determining and verifying the market size for several segments and sub-segments of the infrastructural health monitoring market gathered through the secondary research, extensive primary interviews have been conducted with key people. Break-up of the profiles of primary participants is shown below:



- By Company Type: Tier 1  55%, Tier 2  20% and Tier 3  25%

- By Designation: C level  60%, Director level  25%, Others  15%

- By Region: North America  10%, Europe  20%, APAC  40%, RoW  30%



The geographic segmentation in the report covers four major regions of the world: North America, Europe, APAC, and RoW. The report also profiles major players in the infrastructural health monitoring market. Some of the major players in this market are COWI A/S(Denmark), AVTECH Software, Inc. (U.S.), Acellent Technologies Inc.(U.S.), Geocomp Corp.(U.S.), Nova Metrix LLC (U.S.), Advitam Group (France), Geokon, Inc. (U.S.), Pure Technologies (Canada), Strainstall UK Ltd. (U.K.), Airbus Group (Netherlands), Structural Monitoring Systems Plc. (U.K.), Digitexx Data Systems, Inc. (U.S.), and BAE Systems ( U.K.).



Reasons to buy the report:



This report caters to the needs of leading companies, end users, component manufacturers, and other related stakeholders in this market. Other parties that could benefit from the report include government bodies, environmental agencies, consulting firms, business development executives, C-level employees, and VPs. Our report would help analyze new opportunities and potential revenue sources and enhance the decision-making process for new business strategies. The quantitative and qualitative information in the report, along with our comprehensive analysis, will help a player gain an edge in the market



Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03599073-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

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Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

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KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Intouch Solutions, a leading marketing agency serving the pharmaceutical industry, has joined the Veeva OpenData Partner Program. As a Veeva OpenData partner, Intouch joins a partner ecosystem to make it easy for life sciences companies to access and maximize customer data, including millions of complete customer profiles. This partnership enables Intouch to help clients leverage data to maximize marketing efforts, including program optimization, systems integration, data warehousing and analytics.

"Becoming an OpenData partner is the next logical step in our partnership with Veeva Systems," said Faruk Capan, CEO of Intouch Solutions. "As our role with Veeva continues to grow, we see new opportunities to work together to better serve our clients' needs."

Intouch's history of collaboration with Veeva positions the agency to help its clients take full advantage of the capabilities found with CLM, Approved Email, Engage, and OpenData. Intouch Solutions was the premier content partner for Veeva iRep in 2011, was certified as a web content partner in 2013, and achieved level four certification status in 2015. As a level four multichannel content partner, this is the maximum degree of Veeva certification an agency can receive.

Intouch Solutions is an agency sponsor of the 2016 Veeva Commercial Summit to be held June 8-10 in Philadelphia. Veeva Systems, Inc. is a leader in cloud-based software for the global life sciences industry.

About Intouch Solutions Inc.

Founded in 1999, Intouch Solutions Inc. employs more than 650 individuals and is a privately held marketing agency headquartered in the Kansas City area with offices in Chicago and New York. Specializing in solutions for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, Intouch is redefining what marketing means to these industries. Contact Intouch at [email protected] or visit them on the Web at www.intouchsol.com.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140130/CG55422LOGO

SOURCE Intouch Solutions Inc.

Related Links

http://www.intouchsol.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement is being issued by Levi & Korsinsky, LLP:

To: All Persons or Entities who purchased Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANAC) stock prior to May 16, 2016 .

You are hereby notified that Levi & Korsinsky, LLP has commenced an investigation into the fairness of the sale of Anacor Pharmaceuticals to Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) for $99.25 in cash per share. To learn more about the action and your rights, go to:

http://zlk.9nl.com/anacor-pharmaceuticals-anac

or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 363-7500, toll-free: (877) 363-5972. There is no cost or obligation to you.

Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, 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 lawsuits and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders. For more information, please feel free to contact any of the attorneys listed below. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Levi & Korsinsky, LLP

Joseph Levi, Esq.

Eduard Korsinsky, 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

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SOURCE Levi & Korsinsky, LLP

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ARLINGTON, Va. and CHICAGO, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bloomberg BNA and Baker & McKenzie today announced the full lineup of speakers for the 6th Annual Bloomberg BNA and Baker & McKenzie Global Transfer Pricing Conference: Washington, DC, in association with the Tax Management Education Institute, which is being held June 8-9 at the National Press Club. The conference features government and corporate officials who will share essential insights into the rapidly-evolving transfer pricing landscape. Registration and additional information for this must-attend event is available at http://on.bna.com/4nqwOS.

The conference features four senior government officials who will deliver keynote addresses:

Robert Stack , Department of the Treasury, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Tax Affairs, providing insight into the US response to the OECD's BEPS initiative

, Department of the Treasury, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Tax Affairs, providing insight into the US response to the OECD's BEPS initiative Mike Williams , HM Treasury, Director of Business and International Tax, sharing the UK's position on recent transfer pricing developments

, HM Treasury, Director of Business and International Tax, sharing the UK's position on recent transfer pricing developments Gert-Jan Koopman , European Commission, Competition Directorate, Deputy DirectorGeneral for State Aid, discussing the EC's position on State Aid

, European Commission, Competition Directorate, Deputy DirectorGeneral for State Aid, discussing the EC's position on State Aid Ted Setzer , Internal Revenue Service, Assistant Deputy Commissioner  International, discussing the recent IRS Large Business and International (LB&I) reorganization

The senior tax counsel from the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee will discuss the challenges and prospects for corporate tax reform in the coming year. Panelists include:

Barbara M. Angus , House Committee on Ways and Means, Republican Chief Tax Counsel

, House Committee on Ways and Means, Republican Chief Tax Counsel Aruna Kalyanam , House Committee on Ways and Means, Democratic Tax Counsel

, House Committee on Ways and Means, Democratic Tax Counsel Mark Prater , Senate Finance Committee, Republican Chief Tax Counsel

, Senate Finance Committee, Republican Chief Tax Counsel J. Todd Metcalf , Senate Finance Committee, Democratic Chief Tax Counsel

The conference will feature sessions on country-by-country reporting, intangibles, European Union State Aid, attribution of profits to permanent establishments, dispute resolution, pending transfer pricing court cases, customs and a variety of other critical topics.

Conference attendees are eligible to earn up to 15 CLE/CPE credits.

About Bloomberg BNA

Bloomberg BNA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bloomberg, is a leading source of legal, regulatory, and business information for professionals. Its network of more than 2,500 reporters, correspondents, and leading practitioners delivers expert analysis, news, practice tools, and guidance  the information that matters most to professionals. Bloomberg BNA's authoritative coverage spans a full range of legal practice areas, including tax & accounting, labor & employment, intellectual property, banking & securities, employee benefits, health care, privacy & data security, human resources, and environment, health & safety.

About Baker & McKenzie

Founded in 1949, Baker & McKenzie is one of the world's largest law firms, advising many of the world's most dynamic and successful business organizations through our 12,000 staff in 77 offices in 47 countries. The Firm is known for its global perspective, deep understanding of the local language and culture of business, uncompromising commitment to excellence, and world-class fluency in its client service. Baker & McKenzie's Global Transfer Pricing practice includes over 200 lawyers and economists who deliver innovative and commercially pragmatic advice and assistance in design, implementation and defense across markets. (www.bakermckenzie.com)

About Tax Management Educational Institute

Tax Management Educational Institute (TMEI) is an independent educational organization founded by Tax Management, Inc., a subsidiary of The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. TMEI is devoted solely to the conduct of responsible, professional seminars and conferences of the highest quality dedicated to issues of tax policy and practice, and to the funding of related scholarly endeavors.

SOURCE Bloomberg BNA; Baker & McKenzie

Related Links

http://www.bna.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Morgan James's new release, Leaving Shangrila: The True Story of A Girl, Her Transformation and Her Eventual Escape by Isabelle Gecils, is the captivating memoir of a charmingly complex heroine.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368088

Book cover

Isabelle paints a colorful world as she tells the tale of how she forged her own path in the midst of turmoil. The story, set in Brazil where she grew up, is populated with fascinating characters, both good and bad. From a narcissistic mother to her perpetually flawed lovers to three resilient sisters, Leaving Shangrila's motley crew make for an endlessly intriguing storyline.

Leaving Shangrila begins with young Isabelle, trapped in a hellish world. Surrounded by lies, manipulation, and abuse, Isabelle is desperate to escape the adversity of this place. Filled with tremendous strength and an unyielding drive to survive, she begins her journey toward freedom and self-realization.

Through the trials and obstacles along the way, Isabelle goes back and forth to balance who she is with what she must do to survive. With themes of perseverance, self-reliance, and the resilience of the human spirit, Leaving Shangrila: The True Story Of A Girl, Her Transformation and Her Eventual Escape highlights the important character traits one discovers on the path to finding their self.

Gecils' resonant chronicle explores themes of belonging, family allegiance, and starting over. As it does so, it effectively tells the story of the burgeoning liberation of a young girl who had her eye on a bright horizon. Truly empowering and inspirational, readers everywhere will relate to this coming of age story.

Kirkus reviews notes that Leaving Shangrila is a well-paced memoir steeped in strife, struggle, sorrow, and, eventually, freedom.

If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Isabelle Gecils, please call Nickcole Watkins at 516.900.5674.

About the Author:

Isabelle Gecils grew up in Shangrila, a remote farm in a lush jungle in Brazil. Leaving Shangrila is the story of Isabelle's journey from a life others choose for her to one she created for herself. To support the writing of this memoir, Isabelle completed the Stanford Creative Nonfiction Writing certificate program. She lives in Saratoga, California, with her husband, four sons and two cats.

More About This Title:

Leaving Shangrila: The True Story Of A Girl, Her Transformation and Her Eventual Escape by Isabelle Gecils will be released by Morgan James Publishing on May 17, 2016. Leaving ShangrilaISBN 978-1630476847has 340 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $21.95.

About Morgan James Publishing: Morgan James Publishing (www.MorganJamesPublishing.com) provides entrepreneurs with the vital information, inspiration, and guidance they need to be successful. The Entrepreneurial Publisher, has been recognized by Publisher's Weekly for four years on their fast growing press list and is reported as being the future of publishing.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Nickcole Watkins

Morgan James Publishing

516.900.5674

Email

SOURCE Isabelle Gecils
BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for "unswerving efforts" to advance supply-side structural reform, commanding local authorities and various departments to come up with policies to support the campaign.

There may be difficulties and risks in the process, but local authorities should not shy away from the task, Xi said at a meeting of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs on Monday.

After hearing reports on reform efforts from Jiangsu, Chongqing, Hebei and Shenzhen, Xi acknowledged that some of the plans are bearing fruit and contributing to growth.

"But some policies need to be studied further, and some regions have not yet taken effective actions," he noted.

China's local governments are busy making and releasing detailed measures to implement supply-side structural reform as authorities count on the move to counter ongoing economic headwinds and address outstanding issues such as excess capacity, housing overhang, and "zombie" state-owned enterprises (SOEs) with poor profitability.

Xi reiterated that the focus should be put on measures to cut excessive industrial capacity, destock, de-leverage, lower corporate costs and improve weak links.

The ultimate aim of the reform is to improve supply quality and reduce "ineffective" supply, which is essentially about deepening reforms in SOEs, transforming government functions and carrying out overhauls of areas such as pricing, taxation, finance and social security, he said.

The roles of the market and government should be put into better play to balance the reforms, he added.

At Monday's meeting, Xi also stressed efforts to expand the middle-income group, improve the income distribution mechanism and strengthen intellectual property protection.

Premier Li Keqiang, who is also deputy head of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs, also attended the meeting.
OAKLAND, Calif., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente, the nation's largest integrated health system, today announced new and ambitious environmental goals for the year 2025 that include becoming carbon positive, buying only sustainably produced food and sending zero waste to landfills.

The new long-term goals build on the health care organization's longstanding environmental-stewardship commitment, and will further align its business practices with its purpose of helping people and communities thrive.

Kaiser Permanente pledges that by 2025 it will:

Become "carbon net positive" by buying enough clean energy and carbon offsets to remove more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it emits.

Buy all of its food locally or from farms and producers that use sustainable practices, including using antibiotics responsibly.

Recycle, reuse or compost 100 percent of its non-hazardous waste.

Reduce the amount of water it uses by 25 percent per square foot of buildings.

Increase its purchase of products and materials that meet environmental standards to 50 percent.

Meet international standards for environmental management at all its hospitals.

Pursue new collaborations to reduce environmental risks to the foodsheds, watersheds and air basins supplying its communities.

All of these goals will be achieved through strategies that support both health and affordability.

"At Kaiser Permanente, we know what creates good health begins well beyond our own doors," said Raymond Baxter, PhD, senior vice president of community benefit, research and health policy. "Our aim with these new goals is to go beyond eliminating our own environmental impact to help restore, renew and revitalize our communities."

To achieve its 2025 goals, Kaiser Permanente must create new strategies in operations, investments, grant making, public policy, research, and community collaborations. But without a no-holds-barred approach to creating sustainable business practices for itself and championing the cause within health care and related industries, Kaiser Permanente cannot expect to stem the relentless pace of climate change and its significant threat to human health.

In the past decade, asthma rates among children have steadily increased, obesity has become an epidemic in much of the world, and the planet has seen the rise of superbugs and other antibiotic-resistant diseases such as MRSA. If business continues as usual, the next 10 years threaten to rapidly undermine advances in public health through increases in injuries and death from extreme heat and weather events, spread of infectious diseases and mosquito-borne illnesses, food and water shortages, and worsening allergy and asthma conditions, among other health risks. Low-income communities, the elderly and other vulnerable populations will be the most at risk.

"Climate change is an equity issue," Baxter said. "Those who will suffer most are those in communities that do not have resources to withstand climate-related stressors. As part of our commitment to health, we will continue to advance our contributions to a healthy environment."

Kaiser Permanente has always considered protecting the environment a natural extension of its mission to improve community health. It already has proven that it can improve and expand its health care services while reducing its environmental impact. It is one of the top users of solar power in the U.S. and has a long history of working with manufacturers to remove harmful chemicals from the products it purchases and to make healthier products more widely available to consumers.

Gary Cohen, president of Health Care Without Harm and a 2015 MacArthur fellow for his environmental health advocacy, credits Kaiser Permanente for its leadership in embracing climate action as part of its commitment to community health.

"Kaiser Permanente has led by example and has been an important partner in creating a social movement inside of health care on climate action and environmental health," Cohen said. "Its willingness to collaborate and build partnerships has enhanced the environmental performance of the entire sector."

Kaiser Permanente's 2025 goals express its ambitious vision for the future. To accomplish the goals, its leaders will develop yearly plans with annual targets and multiyear milestones with which to measure performance and progress.

Kathy Gerwig, the organization's environmental stewardship officer, is confident in the organization's ability to achieve its goals.

"We have adopted ambitious environmental stewardship goals in the past and worked together amid oftentimes complex and changing dynamics to meet or exceed them," Gerwig said.

For example, the organization pledged in 2012 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020. With several major renewable energy projects scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, Kaiser Permanente expects to reach its goal by 2017  three years ahead of schedule.

"We have learned that with an inspiring vision for the future, we can tap into the creativity and enthusiasm of our organization," Gerwig said. "Our 2025 goals define an even more striking future that inspires us and can raise the performance of the private sector and broader economy in the U.S. and globally."

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 10.6 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share

***Editor's Note: Media availability via conference call with Raymond Baxter and Kathy Gerwig, May 17, 11:30 a.m.  12:30 p.m. CT. Environmental editors/journalists, see below for details.

Media Conference Call

Kaiser Permanente spokespeople will be available to answer questions from media via conference call on Tuesday, May 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Central Time.

To ensure our telecommunication systems are compatible with audience size, we are asking participants to RSVP prior to calling.

Please RSVP online at www.att-rsvp.com or call 877-471-4350. Outside the U.S., please dial 402-516-0110.

Please provide the Conference ID # 393920 when you RSVP. Callers will also be asked for the following information: name, company name, and phone number

*******

INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS

When can I register?

-Upon receipt of the invitation and up to 11 a.m. CT, Tuesday, May 17

How do I register?

- Online: http://www.att-rsvp.com

- Phone: 877-471-4350 or 402-516-0110 for international callers

What information do I need to provide?

- Conference ID # 393920

- Your name, company name, phone number

To reach the media conference, what will I need?

- Dial-in number provided when you register with AT

- Conference ID # 393920

Contact: Susan Saito

[email protected]

510-459-6345

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130718/SF49717LOGO

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente

Related Links

http://www.kaiserpermanente.org


ORLANDO, Fla., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced that seven of the world's leading companies recently selected industry-specific solutions from SAP to run live and become model digital enterprises. SAP technology will serve as the core enabler for these new customers, helping them translate their digital strategy into solutions that are contextually aware and capable of operating in real time. This announcement was made at the 28th annual SAPPHIRE NOW conference.

The industry-tailored applications and services will be provided by the Industry Cloud unit at SAP. It leads the effort to accelerate its customers' business transformation by building clear use cases of how a customer, regardless of industry or line of business, can achieve success at unprecedented speed and scale. At SAPPHIRE NOW, SAP recognized these new and existing customers for their commitment to change.

The following companies bank on industry expertise of SAP to drive business transformation and run live:

International insurance group Ageas worked with SAP to implement the industry's first integrated, end-to-end enterprise software in the cloud, deployed by a single software vendor for a new joint-venture start up in Asia . In just five months the solution was live. Ageas expects cost advantages from a reduced IT organization and a significantly shorter time to market when compared to traditional, disparate systems. The integrated set of SAP solutions also gives Ageas the much-needed agility to penetrate potential new markets in Asia .

worked with SAP to implement the industry's first integrated, end-to-end enterprise software in the cloud, deployed by a single software vendor for a new joint-venture start up in . In just five months the solution was live. Ageas expects cost advantages from a reduced IT organization and a significantly shorter time to market when compared to traditional, disparate systems. The integrated set of SAP solutions also gives Ageas the much-needed agility to penetrate potential new markets in . City of Toronto , the fourth largest city in North America , plans to reach the goals of its eCity Digital Business plan through the use of the SAP HANA  platform and the SAP solution road map. By using technology to connect all aspects of the city to address its business needs, Toronto will be better able to plan for the needs of tomorrow's citizens. In addition, as part of the eCity modernization initiative, Toronto plans to use cloud technology, enabled by SAP Ariba  solutions, to manage citywide purchases with internal customers and external vendors. Streamlining these processes will result in an estimated savings of CAD 36 million over five years (2 percent for every CAD 1 billion the City spends).

, the fourth largest city in , plans to reach the goals of its eCity Digital Business plan through the use of the SAP HANA platform and the SAP solution road map. By using technology to connect all aspects of the city to address its business needs, will be better able to plan for the needs of tomorrow's citizens. In addition, as part of the eCity modernization initiative, plans to use cloud technology, enabled by SAP Ariba solutions, to manage citywide purchases with internal customers and external vendors. Streamlining these processes will result in an estimated savings of over five years (2 percent for every the City spends). Memebox Inc . , a beauty e-commerce company, is using the SAP S/4HANA Finance solution in the cloud to provide business transparency for finance and logistics operations, allowing it to scale flexibility on a single platform as it expands globally. With SAP S/4HANA Finance, Memebox has real-time visibility into its inventory information and operations, resulting in shorter delivery lead times for customers and a significant increase in sales productivity with on-the-go data access. SAP S/4HANA Finance also helped Memebox lower its total cost of ownership while accelerating growth.

, a beauty e-commerce company, is using the SAP S/4HANA Finance solution in the cloud to provide business transparency for finance and logistics operations, allowing it to scale flexibility on a single platform as it expands globally. With SAP S/4HANA Finance, Memebox has real-time visibility into its inventory information and operations, resulting in shorter delivery lead times for customers and a significant increase in sales productivity with on-the-go data access. SAP S/4HANA Finance also helped Memebox lower its total cost of ownership while accelerating growth. Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD) , the twelfth largest public power utility in the United States , worked with SAP to become the first utilities company to run its entire enterprise on the SAP HANA platform, establishing a foundation for its current and future needs. Snohomish County PUD also established an online employee self-service for anywhere, anytime access. Based on SAP SuccessFactors  solutions, it will help attract the next generation's workforce.

, the twelfth largest public power utility in , worked with SAP to become the first utilities company to run its entire enterprise on the SAP HANA platform, establishing a foundation for its current and future needs. Snohomish County PUD also established an online employee self-service for anywhere, anytime access. Based on SAP SuccessFactors solutions, it will help attract the next generation's workforce. O.C. Tanner , an SAP customer for nearly 20 years, chose to move to SAP S/4HANA to help simplify, innovate and accelerate its digital business strategy as well as its international expansion. With SAP S/4HANA, O.C. Tanner can expand sales beyond its core business by identifying new ways to differentiate itself from competitors. Additionally, SAP S/4HANA helps it improve customer service with timely and accurate order management and fulfillment.

, an SAP customer for nearly 20 years, chose to move to SAP S/4HANA to help simplify, innovate and accelerate its digital business strategy as well as its international expansion. With SAP S/4HANA, can expand sales beyond its core business by identifying new ways to differentiate itself from competitors. Additionally, SAP S/4HANA helps it improve customer service with timely and accurate order management and fulfillment. Faurecia , one of the world's largest automotive equipment manufacturers, recently launched a digital enterprise initiative with SAP as long-term partner. The use of SAP technology enables Faurecia to achieve its strategic priorities faster and with more efficiency, thus creating tangible business value and increasing operating income. Faurecia implemented the SAP Manufacturing Execution application, the SAP Hybris  Cloud for Sales solution, SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite and analytics solutions from SAP. As a result, Faurecia has also readied itself for Industry 4.0.

, one of the world's largest automotive equipment manufacturers, recently launched a digital enterprise initiative with SAP as long-term partner. The use of SAP technology enables Faurecia to achieve its strategic priorities faster and with more efficiency, thus creating tangible business value and increasing operating income. Faurecia implemented the SAP Manufacturing Execution application, the SAP Hybris Cloud for Sales solution, SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite and analytics solutions from SAP. As a result, Faurecia has also readied itself for Industry 4.0. Ache Laboratorios is one of the most important Brazilian pharmaceutical groups. To create a sustainable growth strategy rooted in technology, the company worked with SAP to simplify and align current operations and transform the business into a digital organization. In just four short months, Ache was able to transition its entire IT platform to an environment based on the SAP HANA platform, which allows it to implement new technologies, like SAP S/4HANA, with no additional maintenance or architecture required. Ache is now continuously transforming itself, staying up-to-date on the latest technologies and always delivering the best possible experience to its customers.

"Truly disruptive technology projects used to take years to complete. In today's digital world, we're now able to create tremendous change in months and it's seamless for our customers," said Pat Bakey, president of Industry Cloud, SAP. "The Industry Cloud unit brings specific industry expertise to each customer engagement, and also has access to all of SAP technology and a vast partner network. This is a powerful combination that allows us to operate at the speed and scale our customers need to succeed."

The Industry Cloud unit at SAP was launched in 2014 with the goal of using cloud and on-premise technologies to address the specialized needs of each industry and company. SAP's historical strength in end-to-end, customer-centric and industry-based approaches is core to its strategy. Since the inception of the Industry Cloud unit, SAP has been working closely with customers and partners to co-innovate, create new features and take lessons learned from one industry to another. It's this unique, cross-industry expertise that makes SAP the partner of choice for global companies.

At SAPPHIRE NOW, SAP is hosting a customer roundtable that features Skullcandy Inc., Snohomish County PUD and Ageas on the topic "Accelerating Business Transformation." The panel takes place Tuesday, May 17, 2016, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT at the Media & Analyst Center.

For more information, visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews.

SAPPHIRE NOW, May 17-19, 2016, Orlando, Florida, USA

SAPPHIRE NOW offers customers, partners and prospects even more opportunities to engage in dialog with peers, participants and thought leaders around the globe. Being held in Orlando, Florida, May 1719, 2016, this real-time event connects attendees on site with global participants through state-of-the-art broadcast studios and an online experience that incorporates the latest social media and community functionality. Whether on site or online, participants can gain insight into how SAP delivers on its strategy and helps organizations around the world Run Simple. Follow the event on Twitter at @SAPPHIRENOW.

About SAP

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device  SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable approximately 310,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

 2016 SAP SE. All rights reserved.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:

Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24

United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)

For more information, press only:

Birgit Dolny, SAP,+49 (6227) 7-61664, [email protected], CET

Hilmar Schepp, SAP, +49 6227 746799, [email protected], CET

Stacy Ries, SAP, +1 (484) 619-0411, [email protected], EDT

SAP News Center press room; [email protected]

Jill Fisk, FleishmanHillard, +1 (617) 692-0529, [email protected], EDT

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110126/AQ34470LOGO

SOURCE SAP SE

Related Links

http://www.sap.com


TORONTO, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Liquid Capital Corp. ("Liquid Capital"), a Canadian-founded trade finance and asset-based lending company, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a purchase and sale agreement where it has acquired the assets and associated goodwill of TCE Capital Corporation ("TCE Capital"), a boutique asset based lender based in Toronto, Canada.

Launched in 1992, TCE Capital was founded and has been managed by experienced entrepreneurs and has historically funded in excess of $400 million annually in asset-based loans and transaction volume, with a focus on transaction sizes ranging from $250,000 up to $4 million.

"We are pleased to have completed the acquisition of certain of TCE Capital's assets, while bringing the knowledge and expertise of TCE Capital's senior management and risk team into Liquid Capital," said Sol Roter, CEO and co-founder of Liquid Capital. "This transaction is part of the continued evolution of Liquid Capital's trade finance and asset based lending solution set. Our Principal network and clients will benefit from our expanding product line, and our continued ability to be a creative and driving force in the industry."

"From our first meeting, it was clear that Liquid Capital was the ideal partner to move our vision forward," Gus Baril, President of TCE Capital, intones. "This timely transaction marks, in a positive way, the end of the beginning for all of us at TCE Capital. Our management, staff, clients and suppliers are in good hands as the significant Liquid Capital Principal network, capable management, financial capability and international presence that is Liquid Capital bodes well for the next chapter."

Liquid Capital entered into a joint venture with Next Edge Capital Corp. ("Next Edge") in 2015 to co-fund investments in receivables sourced by and through Liquid Capital's principal distribution channel, for investment by Next Edge's Next Edge Private Debt Fund ("The Next Edge Fund"). The Next Edge Fund has grown to approximately $45 MM in assets and will continue to grow as Liquid sources quality receivable and asset based lending transaction volume through its network of originators in Canada and the United States.

About Liquid Capital:

Since 1999, Liquid Capital Corporation has been operating in the factoring and trade finance business. The Company has processed over $2 billion in accounts receivables and trade finance transactions through both its Canadian headquarters in Toronto and US headquarters in Dallas. The Company, with 90 points of presence in 5 countries and on 4 continents, locally originates, manages, and funds accounts receivables, asset based lending and trade finance transactions. Further information can be found at www.liquidcapitalcorp.com.

About TCE Capital:

TCE Capital has provided alternative funding across Canada since its inception in 1992 and has been a pioneer in developing financing products aimed at Canadian entrepreneurs. An emphasis on near bank lending and flexible financing has allowed Canadian business the resources to start, grow and expand for the last 24 years. For more information, please visit www.tcecapital.com

SOURCE Liquid Capital Corporation
KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockton Benefit Group will soon introduce Total Cost of Care (TCC), a pioneering approach to evaluating network provider costs. Employers will discover real value through clarity, meaning access to more information and data on which to base important network decisions that affect bottom-line costs.

The Total Cost of Care approach is a new alternative to the traditional network analysis that Lockton currently shares with many employers to help make decisions. TCC, also known in the industry as Risk Adjusted Per Member, Per Month, will include the traditional provider discount measure, but also encompasses provider efficiency, medical management, claims processing and more to get to the bottom-line cost per service. Together, these elements combine to form what Lockton is calling Total Cost of Care, enabling employers to evaluate all networks on a level playing field.

This innovation has been a long time coming. Though the carrier market has evolved rapidly, the process of comparing provider networks has remained the same for nearly a decade throughout the industry. Traditional analysis, which focuses primarily on network discounts, begins to fall short because it:

Does not measure cost per service.

Does not reflect provider efficiency.

Does not reflect carrier programs that can influence costs.

Total Cost of Care does all that. Lockton's account service teams, working in concert with Lockton Benefit Group actuarial experts, will bring Total Cost of Care analysis to employers, along with the traditional discount analysis for comparison.

To develop Total Cost of Care, Lockton worked closely with a group of insurance carriers and consultants, known as the Uniform Data Standards (UDS) group, to procure credible and consistent data. "Traditionally, provider selections were based solely on network discounts, but those costs only tell part of the story," said Bob Reiff, President of Lockton Benefit Group. "By examining cost per service, provider efficiency and other programs that can affect costs, we are bringing employers a new measure of network costs and advising them on the solution that best meets their needs. Total Cost of Care standardizes evaluation criteria and makes comparing networks easy for employers to understand. That's why we're excited to share this with our employer-clients."

About Lockton

More than 6,000 professionals at Lockton provide 48,000 clients around the world with risk management, insurance, and employee benefits consulting services that improve their businesses. From its founding in 1966 in Kansas City, Missouri, Lockton has attracted entrepreneurial professionals who have driven its growth to become the largest privately held, independent insurance broker in the world and 10th largest overall. For seven consecutive years, Business Insurance has recognized Lockton as a "Best Place to Work in Insurance." To see the latest insights from Lockton's employee benefits experts, check the Lockton Health Reform Blog, the Lockton Health Risk Solutions Blog, the Lockton Benefits Communications Blog or the Lockton HR Technology Blog.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090415/CG99351LOGO

SOURCE Lockton Benefit Group

Related Links

http://www.lockton.com


Webcast and Presentation Slides Access

A live webcast can be accessed at the time of the presentation at https://lyb.com/investorevents, where copies of the slides related to the webcast will also be available for download. A replay of the presentation will be available on the company's website within 24 hours following the webcast.
"America's infrastructure is critical to public health, safety and our quality of life," says CH2M Chairman and CEO Jacqueline Hinman , who also serves as Chair of the Business Roundtable Infrastructure Committee. "As a nation, we possess the resources and options to turn this situation around for better performance and economic benefits, including robust reinvestment and innovative approaches to make our public infrastructure more scale-able and resilient."

According to the Business Roundtable report Road to Growth: The Case for Investing in America's Transportation Infrastructure, every $1 of investment in infrastructure generates an additional $3 in economic activity. Two-thirds of the United States' infrastructure will require repair or replacement in the next five to 10 years, at a projected cost of up to $3 trillion.

Hinman, who is featured in the Business Roundtable's new video on infrastructure, cites needed improvements to legacy water and transportation systems as most critical in the United States. For these challenges, CH2M highlights sustainable approachessuch as those incorporating natural infrastructure, integrated resource management and smart technologiesmaking infrastructure systems more adaptable and efficient than ever, while returning greater social, environmental and economic benefits to communities.

Natural infrastructure

For example, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, New York City commissioned CH2M and The Nature Conservancy to examine ways to improve resiliency of coastal communities with a study of Howard Beach in Queens, one of the areas most devastated by the storm. The study found that the best defense against storm surge is achieved by combining natural infrastructure, such as oyster beds and coastal vegetation, with structural features, like sea walls. After a series of projects demonstrating the benefits of green and gray infrastructure hybrids, the study partners developed the Natural Infrastructure Guide for Business platform (www.NI4biz.org) to advance the approach, including the business case for investing in natural infrastructure; case studies from different industries leveraging various ecosystem services; and decision-making tools with a cost-benefit analysis.

Integrated Water Management

There's no greater resource-management challenge than that for water. Increasingly, local governments are reaching across jurisdictional lines and, in many cases, forming public-private partnerships to take an integrated, lifecycle approach in the management, delivery and renewal of public water. In Tucson, Arizona, where the Lower Santa Cruz River supports desert life, the Pima County Regional Water Reclamation Department partnered with CH2M to design, develop and operate an advanced water reclamation facility to improve the river's water quality and replenish supply. With the involvement of local businesses, residents and other stakeholders, the team unveiled an industry-first treatment process that achieved water-quality improvements targeted while also saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

Funding Models for Transportation

Because the funding needed for transportation infrastructure exceeds current allocations, including the $305-billion Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act passed last year, communities are looking for alternative funding models to meet these critical needs. Examples include public-private partnerships (P3s), multi-jurisdictional grants, bonds and loans, as well as widely varying revenue structures across the states. Among them, CH2M points to the $2.9-billion bond-financed Grand Parkway System in Houston, funded with Texas' largest municipal bond sale launched in June 2013 to finance the design, development, acquisition and construction of five segments of the Grand Parkway Project in Harris and Montgomery Counties. A public-private partnership including the Texas Department of Transportation/Grand Parkway Transportation Corporation; Zachry-Odebrecht Parkway Builders; and CH2M acting as engineering consultant, provided a collaborative framework for the project's successful completion in fewer than 1,000 days. The now-completed Grand Parkway opened to the public on March 29, 2016, providing an outer loop around metropolitan Houston for improved traffic flow and mobility-enhancing connectivity, with capacity for future growth.

Smart-enabled systems

Digital technologies are playing a significant role to improve the efficiency of infrastructure in growing cities. In Oregon, the City of Portland will be among the first U.S. cities to fully integrate cutting-edge smart technologies like self-driving cars, connected vehicles, and sensor-enabled infrastructure. Leveraging $40 million pledged by the U.S. Department of Transportation with the expertise of private-sector partners including CH2M, the "Ubiquitous Mobility for Portland (UB Mobile PDX)" project will use Internet of Things (IOT) technology and locally proven open-source data sharing and security protocols as a catalyst for continued innovation in transformative mobility solutions for the community.

"For 70 years, CH2M has partnered with clients and communities to solve the toughest infrastructure challenges while remaining mindful of the greater purpose we servedelivering clean water; modern transportation networks; and leveraging technology for efficient management of all resourcesultimately to improve lives and the condition of our planet."

About CH2M

CH2M leads the professional services industry delivering sustainable solutions to clients working on the world's most complex challenges. CH2Mers make a positive difference providing consulting design, engineering and management solutions for vital infrastructure and resources serving diverse public- and private-sector clients. With $5.4 billion in revenue and ~22,000 people, the firm has offices in 50 countries and four business groups: water; environment and nuclear; transportation; and energy and industrial. Known for managing global events such as the Olympic Games, CH2M ranks among Ethisphere's World's Most Ethical Companies; number-one in environmental consulting and program management by Engineering News-Record; and among sustainability leaders by independent analyst Verdantix. CH2M in 2016 was selected to receive the World Environment Center's Gold Medal Award for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development, and in 2015, received the Stockholm International Water Institute's highest Industry Water Award for advancing innovative potable reuse technologies. To learn more about the CH2M difference, connect with the firm at www.ch2m.com; linkedin.com/company/ch2m; twitter.com/ch2m; facebook.com/ch2mhill; and search for jobs at www.ch2m.com/careers.

Contact:

Lorrie Paul Crum

Corporate Communications

720-286-0255 office

[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368463

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160315/344421LOGO

SOURCE CH2M

Related Links

http://www.ch2m.com


JERSEY CITY, N.J., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Matrix International Financial Services (Matrix-IFS), a division of Matrix IT Ltd (Symbol MTRX.TA), has incorporated the organization's extensive global Business Intelligence and Big Data consulting, system integration, technology and support services into one practice to offer advanced analytics, operational BI, unique data science tools, cloud-based analytics and big data solutions to financial services organizations. The Matrix-IFS global BI / Big Data Practice will be led by internationally-recognized BI expert Ido Biger, who will direct operations from Matrix-IFS' North American headquarters in New Jersey.

"Matrix-IFS BI / Big Data Practice is a logical extension that leverages expertise from Matrix IT Ltd divisions to deliver a uniquely extensive range of experience, resources, technology, and support to rapidly address client needs," says BI / Big Data Managing Director Ido Biger. "The Practice will enable Matrix IFS to leverage combined deep domain experience with expertise in deploying advanced solutions across highly-regulated industries. Our customers will benefit with faster, more cost-effective implementations that provide greater visibility and usability of critical data to support ongoing data, compliance, security and operational needs to enable ongoing growth in global markets."

"We are well-positioned to scale our resources and provide advanced BI, Cloud Data Warehouse, Big Data and Analytics solutions in a cost effective and timely manner, helping our global customers realize significant benefits, including operational improvements and measurable ROI," says Matrix-IFS CEO Renan Levy. "We are pleased to welcome BI leader Ido Biger to direct Matrix-IFS' comprehensive new Business Intelligence / Big Data practice."

Biger adds, "In addition to custom solutions, we plan to introduce prepared solutions based on proven business needs, and will continue developing new solutions to meet changing operational needs and new market opportunities. Our line of new BI services will add value for our customers and current partnerships, and will enable us to further leverage expertise of the Practice to deliver end-to-end solutions, products and services."

The Matrix-IFS BI / Big Data Practice provides customers with a full range of consulting, staffing, training, and technology solutions, including:

Data Science Process Automation

Research, Advanced and Predictive Analytics

Visualisation and Dashboards (Bespoke or Predefined by best practices)

Big Data Architecture, Implementation and Migration tools

Data Warehousing, Data Mart and Data Management

Data-Driven Operational Services (DDOS)

Ido Biger has more than 14 years' experience delivering end-to-end data warehousing and BI solutions for a variety of industries including finance, high-tech, healthcare, telecommunications, security, and retail. A known figure in Israel's BI community, Biger is a frequent speaker at conventions around the world, and has served as a BI instructor and lecturer at Israel's top IT colleges, sharing his approach and deliverables regarding operational BI, advanced analytics, Big Data implementations and interesting OEM solutions.

For more information about Matrix International Financial Services BI / Big Data Practice, contact: [email protected] or visit www.matrix-ifs.com/dynamic-bi-center.

About Matrix International Financial Services (Matrix-IFS):

Matrix International Financial Services is the leading global specialist in delivering business and technology solutions for the challenging and complex needs of the financial industry and capital markets worldwide. Headquartered in Jersey City, NJ, Matrix-IFS Consulting, Systems Integration and Managed Services offerings include: Trade Surveillance, Business Intelligence (BI) / Big Data, AML / Case Management, Fraud Risk Prevention, Compliance, Financial Operational Risk, Cloud and Cyber-Risk Management, and Advisory Services. More than 50 of the world's top-tier financial institutions rely on Matrix-IFS solutions. Matrix-IFS is a division of Matrix IT Ltd (Symbol MTRX.TA), which has over 7,600 employees and offices in the U.S., UK, Israel, Eastern Europe, India, and Australia. Visit www.matrix-ifs.com

All trademarks mentioned herein are property of their respective companies.

SOURCE Matrix International Financial Services

Related Links

http://www.matrix-ifs.com


SAN DIEGO, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mesa Biotech Inc., a privately-held, molecular diagnostic company that has developed a testing platform designed specifically for point-of-care infectious disease diagnosis, today announced the appointment of Tom Willardson as Chief Financial Officer and John Monroe as Senior Vice President of Operations.

"We are delighted to have Tom and John join the Mesa Biotech team," said Hong Cai, co-founder and CEO of Mesa Biotech. "Tom has a proven track record with both venture-backed and public companies and will provide the leadership, strategic vision and financing expertise required to maximize the company's financial health. John has a wealth of experience establishing manufacturing processes from start-up through high volume manufacturing and will be instrumental in establishing our manufacturing scale-up strategy and ensuring we meet our quality, productivity and efficiency goals."

Willardson is an experienced CFO with more than 30 years of diverse industry experience in both large global companies and early stage start-ups. He has successfully raised over $300 million in public and private equity and debt. Willardson received his B.S. degree in Finance from Brigham Young University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Southern California.

Monroe brings extensive operational and manufacturing expertise to Mesa Biotech. He has more than 20 years of lateral flow manufacturing experience at Quidel and Alere. Most recently in his role as Director of Operations and R&D at Alere, Monroe led the startup operations team and was responsible for oversight of the OEM manufacturing partners for bulk solutions, product fills and packaging. He received his B.S. degree in biology from San Diego State University.

About Mesa Biotech Inc.

Mesa Biotech is an emerging molecular diagnostic company, bringing the superior diagnostic performance of nucleic acid amplification to the point-of-care (POC). Mesa Biotech's diagnostic system consists of a portable, palm-sized dock and a disposable, assay-specific test cassette. This patented system will allow healthcare professionals to obtain actionable, laboratory-quality results at the POC in 30 minutes or less with greater sensitivity and specificity than many current infectious disease rapid immunodiagnostic tests. Mesa's technology development has been funded to date by a series of grants and private equity investments totaling approximately $30 million. The company is preparing for Series A funding in 2016 and expects to obtain FDA approval for its first product, an influenza assay and dock, in 2017. For more information visit http://www.mesabiotech.com.

SOURCE Mesa Biotech Inc.

Related Links

http://www.mesabiotech.com


NEW YORK, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Report Details

The latest report from business intelligence provider visiongain offers comprehensive analysis of the global military unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) market. Visiongain assesses that this market will generate revenues of $412.5m in 2015.



How this report will benefit you

Read on to discover how you can exploit the emerging business opportunities within the UGV sector before your competitors.



In this brand new report you find 331 in-depth tables, charts and graphs plus 4 exclusive interviews with leading market figures  all unavailable elsewhere.



The 368 page report provides clear detailed insight into the global military unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) market. It reveals the key drivers and challenges affecting the market.



By ordering and reading our brand new report today you will be better informed and ready to act on new business opportunities.



Report Scope

- Global Military Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) market forecasts from 2015-2025

- National Military Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) forecasts from 2015-2025 covering the Brazil, Canada, France, India, Israel, Poland, the UK and the US.



- Unprecedented qualitative analysis of a further seven national markets within the Rest of the World (ROW) section.

- Military Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) submarket forecasts from 2015-2025 covering Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD); Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR); Logistics and Supply (L&S); and Border Patrol (BP).

- Analysis of the key factors driving growth within the global and national Military Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) markets from 2015-2025

- 16 detailed tables containing 370+ contracts / projects and programmes in the Military Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) by country



- Profiles of the leading 14 Military Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) companies around the world.

- 4 Interviews with key opinion leaders informing and underpinning the analysis

- Shahar Abuhazira, CEO, Roboteam North America;

- Jorgen Pedersen, President and CEO, RE2 Robotics;

- Tim Otter, Chief Executive, Lutra Associates Ltd.;

- Padraig O'Connor, Managing Director and Chief Technical Officer, REAMDA Ltd;



How will you benefit from this report?

- Keep your UGV knowledge base up to speed. Don't get left behind.

- Reinforce your strategic decision-making with definitive and reliable UGV market data

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- Realise your company's full potential within the UGV market

- Understand the UGV competitive landscape and identify potential new business opportunities & partnerships



Who should read this report?

- Anyone within the Unmanned Ground Vehicle Industry

- CEO's

- COO's

- CIO's

- Business development managers

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- Research and Development managers

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- Contractors



Visiongain's study is intended for anyone requiring commercial analyses for the Military Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) market and leading companies. You find data, trends and predictions.



Buy our report today Military Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) Market Report 2015-2025: Top Companies Supplying Robotics for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) , ISR, Logistics & Supply (L&S) & Border Patrol (BP). Avoid missing out by staying informed  get our report now.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03360102-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


More than 5,000 anti-trafficking police will provide updates to the app, including photos and physical descriptions, upon receiving new reports of missing children. [Photo: Xinhua]

Chinese police have launched an alert system for missing children.

But it's suggested more work needs to be done when it comes to the country's anti-trafficking campaign.

The initiative involves Chinese web giants Alibaba providing technical support, and Sina Weibo posting information on missing children.

More than 5,000 anti-trafficking police will provide updates to the app, including photos and physical descriptions, upon receiving new reports of missing children.

Chen Shiqu, head of the anti-human trafficking office of the Public Security Ministry, explains how the system operates.

"Once a child is reported missing, and within several seconds after police issue the information, the application users will receive pop-up alerts on their handsets as long as they are within a certain distance away from where the child was last seen. The users are expected to help look for the child and contact police if they find something they think is useful."

The range of those push notifications expands depending on the length of time the child has been missing.

For instance, if a child is lost less than one hour beforehand, the information will be sent to those people within 100 kilometers; if the child has been lost for over three hours, the coverage will reach 500 kilometer.

The information will also be available on the system's official Sina Weibo account.

The new system is technically similar to the US alert system for missing children - America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, more commonly known as an AMBER alert.

In the United States, AMBER Alerts are distributed via multiple channels including commercial radio stations, Internet radio, satellite radio, television, e-mail, and text messages.

With the help of the system, close to 98 percent of lost children in the US can be found each year.

But according to AMBER's operator, technology actually plays a smaller part in that percentage than public participation.

"In the United States, the identification is key to this program... A big part of that is NGOs."

With an increasing awareness in recent years, the Chinese public has played a bigger role than ever in the country's anti-trafficking effort.

Earlier this month, a leading domestic realtor, Homelink, announced its 6,000 branches across the country will become emergency alert stations for children who are separated from their parents.

Su Hui with the company.

"If a child comes to seek help, we will first report it to police and hand over the child to police. If parents come to claim the children, we'll also hand over the children to police for identification. Before police arrive, our staff will accompany the children and keep them safe."

However, the move aroused criticism from the police who suggested that children who become separated from their parents remain in the area where they became lost, either waiting for their parents to find them or borrowing a handset from passers-by to contact police.

Homelink's effort was indeed a part of a larger campaign initiated by Zhang Yongjiang, who manages a private foundation focusing on child safety.

Zhang said he has good intentions.

"The move was expected to help prevent children from being harmed if they lose their parents and meanwhile, to deter child traffickers."

Wang Dawei with People's Public Security University of China says NGOs can operate as long as certain requirements are met.

"The guidance and training provided by police are necessary. The training will not only focus on rescue-related knowledge, but also address morality and psychology of NGO workers."

China has long pledged to fight human trafficking. In 2014, Chinese police rescued 13,000 missing children.

Chen Shiqu with the Public Security Ministry says after Alibaba and Sina Weibo, the system will involve more internet service providers in the future to improve its efficiency.
5miles has partnered with Billups, an out-of-home media specialty agency, to facilitate this month-long outdoor campaign with 13 digital billboards around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. These billboards will showcase items such as cars, bikes and baby cribs that are actually for sale the very moment they appear on the billboarda first in the mobile marketplace industry.

"This campaign brings to life the dynamic nature of the 5miles mobile marketplace. It also reflects the true spirit of the business model of the app itselfto buy and sell items, geographically nearby, with ease," Ruben Avendano, Marketing Manager at 5miles, said. "Not only that, but it's an excellent way to feature some of the quality items that are being sold on the app."

Items featured on the billboards are chosen from within the 5miles mobile marketplace by Billups' Studio Services team in Portland, Oregon based on global positioning system coordinates. This crucial coordination ensures that an item is actually located within five miles of each digital billboard. 5miles sellers, in turn, are notified when their merchandise is featured on a digital billboard and encouraged to share with their friends and social network(s) what they're selling using the #SoldOn5miles hashtag.

"We love inspiring innovation and working as the execution catalyst for our brands," Ben Billups, President and CEO, said. "Partnering with 5miles to feature real-time, user-generated content gives a glimpse into the future of OOH media and we're thrilled to be a part of it!"

In combination with the digital boards, mobile geo-fencing advertising will be used to distribute the 5miles brand message to select smart phones within the five-mile radius of each billboard. (Geo-fencing is a virtual barrier that uses G.P.S. to define geographic boundaries.) This innovative approach is designed to allow 5miles to reach additional potential buyers in the billboard's surrounding neighborhoods.

Dallas-Fort Worth is the first market in which 5miles plans to use the powerful combination of digital out-of-home, geo-fencing and user-generated and branded content to help local sellers reach buyers for faster, easier transactions.

About Billups

Billups is a full-service out-of-home (OOH) media specialist agency based in Portland, Oregon. The agency provides traditional, non-traditional digital, and experiential OOH media for agencies and brands. Billups was named one of "America's Most Promising Companies" by Forbes, and one of Oregon's "Fastest Growing Private Companies" in 2013 and 2014 by the Portland Business Journal. The company has 76 employees across 11 U.S. cities. Learn more at billups.com.

About 5miles

5miles is a hyper-local, free to download mobile marketplace app, one of the nation's fastest-growing online shopping ventures now available in all major U.S. markets. It is the first app of its kind to include services, housing and jobs, in addition to second-hand trading. 5miles launched in Dallas in January 2015, setting itself apart with an easy-to-use mobile interface, identity verification capabilities for added safety and security, and hyper-local curation of offerings  all within 5miles. In its first year of operation, buyers and sellers in major markets coast-to-coast have transacted more than $1 billion in merchandise through 5miles. The app is ranked routinely in the top 10 of all shopping apps on Google Play and boasts a growing adoption rate with iOS users via the App Store. Learn more at 5milesapp.com.

App Store: m.onelink.me/5fc10133

Google Play: m.onelink.me/674211f2

Media Contact:

Mark Brinkerhoff

Tel: 1-817-681-5739

Email: [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368332

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368333

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160508/364934LOGO

SOURCE 5miles
LAS VEGAS, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Las Vegas Defense Group, a criminal defense law firm that defends clients against DUI and other criminal charges, is continuing its work in 2016 with the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers (NAPSO) to represent Nevada law enforcement officers accused of crimes.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368359LOGO

The Las Vegas Defense Group has been the criminal law firm of choice for NAPSO since 2010 and currently represents more than 1,500 Nevada law enforcement officers. NAPSO is the largest affiliation of statewide public safety associations in Nevada.

"Part of our job as criminal defense attorneys is to hold law enforcement to task, so it is notable that the very officers we scrutinize continue to select us to represent them if they should become a defendant in a criminal case," said Michael Becker, lead NAPSO attorney at the Las Vegas Defense Group.

Becker headed the legal team that successfully represented a Nye County sheriff accused of sexual misconduct. In that case, a jury took just 30 minutes before returning with a "not guilty" verdict on all counts.

The Las Vegas Defense Group also successfully represented NAPSO members in a potential federal grand jury proceeding in southern Nevada regarding alleged on-duty misconduct.

The attorneys at the Las Vegas Defense Group defend people against criminal charges ranging from DUI and criminal traffic charges to murder, assault, sex crimes, domestic violence, drug crimes, fraud, theft and juvenile offenses.

The Las Vegas Defense Group is part of the Shouse Law Group with offices in Nevada and California, including Las Vegas, Reno, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura, Riverside, San Diego, Orange County, and the San Francisco Bay area. The Shouse Law Group handles misdemeanor, felony, DUI and juvenile cases throughout Nevada and California.

For more information, visit 702defense.com.

Contact:

David Kohlmeier

Las Vegas Defense Group, L.L.C.

702-400-7474

Email

SOURCE Las Vegas Defense Group

Related Links

http://www.702defense.com


GREENBELT, Md., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has awarded a sole source contract to Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation of Boulder, Colorado, for the Thermal Infrared Sensor-2 (TIRS-2) instrument Cryocooler for Landsat 9.

This a cost-plus fixed-fee contract in the amount of $18,249,103 million with a deliverable date of February 3, 2018. This action definitizes a letter contract that was issued on Feb 4, 2016.

Under this contract, Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation will design, fabricate, assemble, test and deliver a cryocooler with two stages of cooling. The first stage shall cool a layer of thermal shielding and the second stage shall cool the focal plane assembly. The Contractor shall also deliver a Flight Model and a Flight Spare Model of the Thermo-Mechanical Unit, a Flight Model and an Engineering Model of the Cryocooler Electronics, and a Flight Model and Engineering Model of the Redundant Switch Electronics, along with associated Ground Support Equipment.

The objective of the Landsat 9 mission is to extend the ability to detect and quantitatively characterize changes on the global land surface at a scale where natural and human-induced causes of change can be detected and differentiated. Once operational, data acquisition, reporting, operations, and archivals will be accomplished at the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where the current data is managed.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


With a lively industry landscape, business appraisers should be prepared for an increased demand for auto dealership valuation, while owners need to know how to create more value in their dealerships to get the most when they are ready to sell. "Changing market conditions, an array of industry-specific value drivers, and other considerations can make it difficult to describe 'the value' of an auto dealership," said Sarah Andersen, Publisher at BVR. "' What It's Worth: Auto Dealership Value ' provides wisdom from numerous experts who work with auto dealerships on a daily basis and study the valuation issues associated with this industry. There is no better resource to get current on auto dealership value trends."

Highlights of the special report include:

Key valuation techniques for appraisers - this report educates readers on issues such as the real estate considerations for auto dealerships, the used vehicle and independent dealership market segment, and the need for succession planning

How to build value in a dealership for future sale and what the larger retailers are thinking in terms of future acquisitions

Real-world data from Pratt's Stats , BVR's premier online private company transaction database, to support conclusions when assessing the value of a dealership

, BVR's premier online private company transaction database, to support conclusions when assessing the value of a dealership Insight on the current market trends and what really drives value in an auto dealership

To learn more or download an excerpt of the report, please visit bvresources.com/publications or contact Sarah Andersen at (503) 291-7963 ext. 123 or [email protected].

About BVR

Top business valuation firms depend on BVR for authoritative market data, continuing professional education, and expert opinion. Our customers include business appraisers, certified public accountants, M&A professionals, business brokers, lawyers and judges, private equity funds and venture capitalists, owners, and CFOs, among others. For more information, please visit bvresources.com.

Contact:

Sarah Andersen, Publisher

Business Valuation Resources, LLC

1000 SW Broadway, Suite 1200

Portland, Oregon 97205

Phone: (503) 291-7963 ext. 123

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Business Valuation Resources

Related Links

http://www.bvresources.com


OAKLAND, Calif., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Cannabis Industry Association, the only national trade association representing the businesses of the legal marijuana industry, will hold its third annual national conference, the Cannabis Business Summit and Expo, in Oakland, CA, June 20-22, 2016, at the Marriott City Center.

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California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom will deliver the policy keynote address on Tuesday, June 21. Newsom, who is running for Governor of California in 2018, is a key supporter for marijuana reform and legalization and a high-profile advocate for the benefits of embracing a legitimate cannabis industry.

Numi Organic Tea CEO and co-founder Ahmed Rahim will deliver the business keynote on June 21, sharing insights into his company's embrace of the "triple bottom line" approach, best practices in moving toward organics and fair trade, and the importance and benefits of connecting with the local community.

This year the Cannabis Business Summit moves to California from Denver, bringing business owners, entrepreneurs, investors, and policy influencers to the largest legal marijuana market in the U.S. This move comes at a crucial time in history, with California's Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) ballot initiative expected to be certified for November voting and the campaign fully underway.

The Cannabis Business Summit is also drawing global attention, with attendees representing Canada, China, Japan, Australia, Colombia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, and Sweden.

The Cannabis Business Summit is not only positioned for business owners and operators across multiple verticals in the cannabis industry, but acts as a valuable introduction to a new frontier for outside industries looking to expand into a new space. The Summit offers a meeting ground for investors and entrepreneurs to connect with legitimate buyers and sellers already established in the market, as well as with the brightest minds behind promising start-ups.

Several topic-oriented tracks will give attendees the opportunity to focus on their areas of expertise. Tracks offered include: The Fine Print: Money, Law, and Your Business; Cultivation and Processing; Running Your Cannabusiness; Policy and Reform; Medical Applications of Cannabis; and Leading Edge: Emerging Topics in the Cannabis Industry. Featured educational sessions will highlight some of the industry's most influential pioneers and innovators.

More Conference Highlights:

Educational facility tours and hands-on workshops

Sold out Expo Floor

Multiple networking opportunities with worldwide industry leaders

Arcview's Investor Forum ( June 18-20 )

More information about the Cannabis Business Summit, including a full list of speakers and a detailed agenda, can be found at CannabisBusinessSummit.com.

Media passes for the Cannabis Business Summit may be requested by emailing [email protected]. Please include the full name of the individual seeking a pass, the media outlet represented, and an email address and phone number where he or she can be reached. While NCIA will make every effort to honor legitimate requests, capacity is limited, so passes are not guaranteed.

The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) is the largest cannabis trade association in the U.S. and the only organization representing cannabis-related businesses at the national level. NCIA promotes the growth of a responsible and legitimate cannabis industry and works toward a favorable social, economic, and legal environment for that industry in the United States.

Contact: Taylor West, Deputy Director

(888) 683-5650 -- Email

SOURCE National Cannabis Industry Association

Related Links

http://thecannabisindustry.org


WASHINGTON, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Education Foundation (NEF), the national nonprofit leader in K-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education solutions, and K-12 QZAB (Qualified Zone Academy Bonds) funding, has set aside $80 million for the mandated matching grants to school districts/schools to enable them to receive $800 million Federal QZAB funds.

Disadvantaged school districts/charter schools, with 35% or more students on free/reduced cost meals, can apply for up to $30 million for energy, renovation, technology and STEM projects. $800 million zero-interest QZAB funds are available nationally. Used for energy, QZAB becomes a full grant.

Any eligible school district/charter school can apply at www.qzab.org.

In order to persuade the U.S. Congress to make the QZAB program permanent at $400 million a year, NEF is asking all eligible school districts/charter schools to apply ASAP. QZAB allocations are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. NEF staff would assist the applicants in completing the simple 2-page QZAB application, and receiving funds.

As mandated by QZAB law, NEF's academy partner, the acclaimed State University of New York (SUNY), helps to set up world-class, flexible QZAB STEM+ academies in schools, mapped to every state's standards, to "prepare students better for college and workforce,"

Most students in the NEF-SUNY academies advance one grade level in a subject like math or reading in 20-30 learning hours, a remarkable achievement.

NEF Chairman Dr. Appu Kuttan stated, "NEF's QZAB mission is to help schools get the much-needed QZAB funds and prepare students better for college and highly competitive 21st- century global economy jobs."

Annually, NEF provides cash awards to best performing academies. This year's grand award ($10,000) goes to Lehighton, PA- students advanced one grade level in 25 learning hours! Merit award winners are Canton, NY, Martins Ferry, OH, Sidney, NE, Steubenville, OH, and Warren County, PA.

Moreover, NEF provides 80% STEM matching grants to school districts/schools nationwide. Through the QZAB, STEM+, and Adopt-A-School grant initiatives, NEF has created the most cost-effective and high-quality STEM+ education solution in the U.S, mapped to every state's standards.

NEF has STEM+ Academies in 20 states and in several major cities. NEF's ultimate goal is to provide STEM+ education to students in most disadvantaged school districts/schools in the U.S. by 2020.

For information about NEF's grant programs, contact NEF at 703-823-9999 or visit www.cyberlearning.org

SOURCE National Education Foundation - CyberLearning

Related Links

http://www.cyberlearning.org


BLOKHUS, Denmark, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Blockchain technology is extremely powerful, offering huge advantages of cost, transparency and reliability thanks to the immutable nature of decentralised ledgers. However, these benefits often fail to resonate due to the markets targeted and the way in which they are communicated.

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Bitland puts the human element back into the decentralisation movement by bringing blockchain technology directly to the people, face to face. The organisation will provide services to allow individuals and groups to survey land and record title deeds on the Bitland blockchain  providing a permanent and auditable record  as well as acting as liaison with the government to help resolve disputes. The project is being piloted with 28 communities in Kumasi, Ghana, with the intention of expanding across the African continent.

Education and infrastructure

Bitland is both informing citizens about blockchain technology and about how the technology can change their lives for the better. Bringing clarity to land ownership rights will not only reduce corruption, but will open up trillions of dollars in locked capital, since land that doesn't have a functional title cannot be used as capital, and securing a mortgage to build or purchase homes is not possible. In low-income countries like Ghana, people are concerned with basic needs and infrastructure such as running water and paved roads. The Bitland team will use blockchain technology to help accelerate infrastructure development by freeing up capital  without the corruption and abuses of power that have plagued such projects in the past.

Bitland cannot rely on existing local infrastructure, since rolling blackouts are the norm. They therefore plan to set up solar-powered Bitland centres that will function as hardware hubs for the Bitland Wireless Network. These hubs will double as education centres for locals to learn about digital solutions and how to get involved in the project.

Cadastrals: the currency of Bitland

The Bitland team is using the OpenLedger platform as the basis of their blockchain infrastructure.

"OpenLedger is built on top of the BitShares platform and its MIT-licensed Graphene blockchain technology,"

Explains Ronny Boesing, CEO of crypto exchange CCEDK  OpenLedger's Danish registrar.

"BitShares was recently confirmed as a partner with the Microsoft Azure BaaS, and the Bitland project reflects the vast number of opportunities emerging as more mainstream companies realize that this is what they have all been waiting for to maximize income and future communication. As more organisations join the OpenLedger/BitShares platform, you can be sure that this Decentralised Conglomerate will exemplify the future of global economics."

Bitland will be issuing a digital currency called Cadastrals, which will act as the entry token for their blockchain platform.

"To get through the first year of operations, the team has allotted 20 million Cadastrals to be used in an ICO to establish the first operational Bitland Center,"

Says Larry Christopher Bates, Bitland's Chief Security Officer.

"The ICO will be hosted by CCEDK, and the funds will be held in escrow on the OpenLedger platform."

The ICO ends June 1st, and any unsold tokens will be sold through the Omni Tether platform with a daily incremental price increase.

The Bitland Fund will collect network fees and any money taken into the main reserve and redistribute them to projects within the Bitland communities, thereby directly funding infrastructure provision, with oversight from the relevant governments.

OpenLedger and ICOO

As the OpenLedger platform is developed further, it will add the capacity for a voting system to be part of the Bitland project  enabling communities to become directly involved in decision-making.

"The OpenLedger team is very excited to be adding Bitland to the Decentralised Conglomerate,"

Continues Boesing. Now, the infrastructure of the OpenLedger system will grow to include real estate, commercial property investments, and development of third world countries as part of its future plans.

May 20 will also see the launch of the crowdfunding campaign for a new initiative, ICOO. This innovative new asset will allow holders to benefit from future ICOs, by investing in them and making proxy tokens available to trade before they launch. The fund will purchase assets from supported ICOs and create tokens representing these on OpenLedger in the period before the official release of the project. As with other new projects, a proportion of ICOO assets are reserved for OBITS  a catch-all asset representing all current and future initiatives in the CCEDK network.

Since the Decentralized Conglomerate establishes intra-DC support, 5% of the proceeds from the sale of ICOO will go towards the purchase of Cadastrals. Since the future plans for Bitland are to establish a network of smart contracts that back land, Cadastrals will be seen as a digital token representing land for the portfolio of ICOO. The Cadastral community becomes a pillar of ICOO alongside Digix and DAOHub.

Government Contracts

As Bitland plans to work with governments around the world to register land titles on the OpenLedger blockchain, the ecosystem will represent not just smart contracts, but smart cities. The OpenLedger platform will help bring transparency to nations where corruption has been the main impedance to progress, and further it will allow remittance and investments to flow into underdeveloped areas without big companies taking a large cut. The Bitland project is about more than registering land titles: this is the first step to bringing true democracy and meritocracy to the world.

Ultimately, people will be able to use their mobile devices to register a plot of land with GPS accuracy, file a claim, register a dispute, sell or purchase land. As well as the transparent and immutable nature of the blockchain, OpenLedger allows smart contracts. This removes the need for trust, so that microloans can be issued and government contracts fulfilled on a platform that tracks progress and distributes funds accordingly. After the first phase of the project is complete, the idea is to use Bitland to encourage governments and private organisations to offer smart contracts to give people the chance to invest in development. Organizations such as Kiva already have established methods of issuing microloans, and realise rates of over 90% repayment.

For further information please visit:

Media Contact:

Name: Ronny Boesing

Email: [email protected]

City and Location: Blokhus, Denmark

CCEDK is the source of this content. Virtual currency is not legal tender, is not backed by the government, and accounts and value balances are not subject to FDIC and other consumer protections. This press release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest.

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

SOURCE Bitland

Related Links

http://www.bitland.world


JERSEY CITY, N.J., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- New Jersey Wine School is thrilled to announce the launch of this new wine course and offer you the opportunity to master Italian wines while obtaining a specialized wine certification.

The Italian Wine Scholar Study and Certification program provides up-to-date, extensive and precise information on the diverse wines and wine regions of Italy. Created by native Italian, Maurizio Brioggi, (Wine Scholar Guild Education Director for Italy) with the support of the Italian wine DOC/G consortia, this specialization program is designed for all advanced students of wine, whether wine professionals or serious wine enthusiasts.

Those who follow the in-depth curriculum and achieve a final passing score will earn the title of Italian Wine Scholar (IWS). Following this achievement, students are encouraged to use the post-nominal IWS as part of their professional signatures. This IWS certification provides a validation of your Italian wine expertise and enhances your resume; it also serves as a point of distinction within the wine trade.

Julien Camus, president of the Wine Scholar Guild, states, "Italy vies with France as the #1 wine producing country in the world. Wines have been produced in Italy for over 3,000 years, and the quality and reputation of their wines have not stopped growing ever since. The unique combination of diverse terroirs,original grape varieties and an interesting mix of traditional and modern approaches makes the study of Italian wines an enriching and fascinating experienceand a must for all committed wine scholars!"

Susan Hesleitner, Founder of the New Jersey Wine School states "This new program is the most comprehensive and detailed study program on Italian wines, bar none. The study and teaching materials are brilliant, and we are thrilled to bring this excellent course on Italian wines to Jersey City, New Jersey."

When: Our first session will launch on Sept. 12th and run on 8 consecutive Mondays until Nov. 7th.

Where: Classes will be hosted at Mana Wine, 888 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey

Who: The program will be taught by Susan Hesleitner, an approved IWS instructor.

How much: The program tuition is $890 and includes 24 hours of classroom instruction with tutored tastings on 55 Italian wines, the Italian Wine Scholar study manuals, one-year access to the IWS online study program and registration for the Italian Wine Scholar exam.

For more information, contact Susan Hesleitner, via email at [email protected] or call 201.887.3233. More information is also available at (www.newjerseywineschool.com).

About New Jersey Wine School:

The New Jersey Wine School offers wine certification programs from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) levels 1-3, as well as the French Wine Scholar (FWS) and now the Italian Wine Scholar (IWS). All classes are open to the public, age 21 years and older, and include theory and tasting analytics. We are proud to serve the New Jersey and surrounding communities.

About the Wine Scholar Guild:

The Wine Scholar Guild (www.winescholarguild.org) is an international provider of study and certification programs on the wines and wine regions of France, Italy and Spain. Their goal is to provide outstanding educational programming for the professional development of wine industry members and committed students of wine. They offer innovative and multi-faceted instruction through print, webinars, study trips and classes with tutored tastings via a unique international program provider network.

CONTACT: Susan Hesleitner, DWS, FWS

Email : [email protected]

Phone: 201.887.3233

SOURCE New Jersey Wine School

Related Links

http://www.newjerseywineschool.com


BETHLEHEM, Pa., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Just Born Quality Confections, known for its iconic candy brands including PEEPS, MIKE AND IKE, HOT TAMALES and GOLDENBERG'S PEANUT CHEWS, has launched a redesign of its corporate website to further communicate the company's commitment to quality and transparency, both in its products and processes, as well as its heritage as a third-generation family-owned business since 1923 with strong ties to its hometown community.

"People know and love our brands but they don't necessarily know Just Born, the company who makes these iconic brands," said Matthew Pye, Vice President of Trade Relations and Corporate Affairs. "This web site is designed to give people a glimpse of the company behind these powerful brands and to learn about what we stand for  quality, transparency and heritage."

The new www.justborn.com website offers a cleaner design, easier navigation and a "behind the scenes" look at the company through videos on how the products are made and photos of the many company associates who contribute to the success of the brands and the business. The site is also more mobile and tablet friendly since more people are accessing websites on these devices today.

Just Born has also devoted a section of the new website specifically to transparency to meet the needs of consumers looking for information on product ingredients, allergens and practices. Earlier this year Just Born joined the Children's Confection Advertising Initiative, alongside other top confectionery companies, committing to not advertise to children under 12 years of age. This initiative complements Just Born's front-of-package labeling program, which demonstrates the commitment to responsible marketing and the strength of putting key information, such as calorie counts, at the fingertips of consumers in order to make the best choices.

The revamped website also offers a chance for consumers to learn more about the quality standards Just Born adheres to and the company's commitment to the community and environment. Just Born's Bethlehem, Pa. facility is SQF level two certified and is landfill free with a 97 percent recycle rate and 3 percent waste turned into energy. The company was also the recipient of the 2015 Community ImPAct Award, which recognizes companies that demonstrate the tenet of "doing well by doing good," as part of the third annual Pennsylvania Governor's ImPAct Awards.

"Consumers want to know more about the products they buy and the company behind those products," Pye continued. "Our new website allows our consumers to find out more about Just Born and helps us strive to fulfill our vision to be the most respected confectionery company in the world."

About Just Born Quality Confections:

Just Born Quality Confections is a third-generation family-owned company that has grown into the 9th largest candy company in the U.S. Just Born is the maker of some of America's most beloved and iconic brands  PEEPS, MIKE AND IKE, HOT TAMALES and GOLDENBERG'S PEANUT CHEWS. In 1923, the founder, Sam Born, opened a small candy-making and retail store in Brooklyn, New York, where he marketed the freshness of his daily-made candy with a sign that declared, "Just Born." Together with Born's brothers-in-law, Irv and Jack Shaffer, the company thrived in spite of the economic depression of the 1930s and, in 1932, moved its operations to Bethlehem, PA, which is still home to their iconic candy brands. All Just Born candies are proudly made in the U.S.A. For more information, please visit www.justborn.com and see the breadth of candy and high-quality branded items at www.peepsandcompany.com. Follow us: facebook.com/JustBornInc, twitter.com/JustBornInc.

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SOURCE Just Born Quality Confections

Related Links

http://www.justborn.com


In the study, conducted independently by Clinimark Laboratories in Boulder, Colo., three finger pulse oximeters were tested; one from Nonin Medical and two from large, private-labeled manufacturers. All oximeters had FDA 510(k) clearance as "medical devices," but two of them did not provide the clinical accuracy required to track desaturations in patients with low blood circulation and labored breathing. Only the Nonin Medical oximeter was able to accurately track the desaturation events as compared to an independent hospital tabletop oximeter control device.

"Over the years, a number of inexpensive, imported FDA-cleared oximeters have flooded the market, all claiming to be accurate," said Jim Russell, vice president of quality, regulatory and clinical affairs for Nonin Medical. "This study dispels the myth that all pulse oximeters perform alike, especially on challenging patients such as those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

"Clinicians, hospitals and telemedicine providers can better manage COPD patients and potentially reduce readmission rates by choosing pulse oximeters that provide early and accurate data on all patients, including the sickest patients. Nonin Medical's oximeter performance is proven," Russell said.

For a copy of the white paper ("Fingertip Pulse Oximeter Performance in Dyspnea and Low Perfusion During Hypoxic Events"), visit Nonin Medical this week at ATA booth #1209 in Minneapolis, ATS booth #1004 in San Francisco, or online at nonin.com/documents/ClinimarkFingertipWhitePaper.pdf.

About Nonin Medical, Inc.

Nonin Medical, Inc. invented the finger pulse oximeter (the original Onyx brand) and designs and manufactures noninvasive medical monitoring solutions that meet customers' technology needs today and tomorrow. Headquartered in Plymouth, Minn., USA, with an additional customer service center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Nonin Medical sells its pulse and regional oximeters, capnographs, sensors and software to health professionals and consumers in more than 125 countries. The company has more than 300 OEM partners worldwide. For more information, visit nonin.com.

*Source: Batchelder, P.B., Fingertip Pulse Oximeter Performance in Dyspnea and Low Perfusion During Hypoxic Events. Clinimark Laboratories, Boulder, Colorado. 2016. White Paper.

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SOURCE Nonin Medical, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.nonin.com


Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of States John Kerry (R) attend a press conference in Washington D.C., the United States, Feb. 23, 2016. (File photo) (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday held a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the latter's invitation, calling on the two sides to continue focusing on cooperation and properly manage their differences.

China and the United States will host a new round of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue and High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange in the near future, and are keeping close contacts and coordinating the preparation work for the upcoming G20 Summit in Hangzhou, east China, said Wang, calling for joint efforts to maintain the healthy and steady momentum in the development of bilateral ties.

China hopes the United States abide by the one-China policy and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and properly handle the Taiwan issue, said Wang.

China supports the full implementation of the UN Security Council's resolution No. 2254 on Syriaand the efforts exerted by the international community for reaching a comprehensive cease-fire in Syria and the restoration of peace talks there, Wang said, adding that China will continue to play a constructive role in politically solving the Syria crisis.

For his part, Kerry said the United States attaches great importance to its relations with China. Washington has not changed and will not change its stance on the Taiwan issue, and does not support "Taiwan independence" in any forms, he said.

The U.S. side will keep its coordination with China on issues like the Syria crisis, he said, noting that the two sides have agreed to deal with maritime issues in a proper way.
WEST CHESTER, Pa., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nobel Learning Communities, Inc., a leading operator of private schools, including preschools, K-8 and high schools, has announced that it has acquired all 16 Xplor early learning centers.

Xplor is a leading infant through pre-kindergarten education provider, delivering well-rounded programs that meet the intellectual, physical, social and emotional needs of each child. There are nine Xplor centers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, five in Austin and two in Houston. Each Xplor location provides a state-of-the-art early learning environment in approximately 15,000-square-foot buildings.

"We are very pleased to add Xplor to our family of schools. Nobel Learning Communities and Xplor share a commitment to providing a strong curriculum and a nurturing environment for preschool and school-age children. Our companies' educational philosophies are similar, and Xplor is an exceptional school operator. This acquisition will complement our existing portfolio of nine schools in Texas. We look forward to sharing best practices of both organizations while working side by side, focusing on quality education in the state of Texas," said George H. Bernstein, President and CEO of Nobel Learning Communities.

"The acquisition of Xplor is an important step in our growth plan, by serving as a strong entry into the Austin market, and building a greater presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston markets. We expect that Xplor will provide us a platform to build additional preschools that will expand our ability to serve families in Texas."

"We are also very pleased that Xplor management, teachers and staff will become part of the Nobel Learning team and will continue to provide strong leadership for Xplor's operations and programs. Parents and students will continue to experience the same high quality programs and curriculum, which will now be supplemented with additional educational and programmatic resources brought by Nobel Learning Communities."

Nobel Learning Communities schools are known nationwide for their commitment to quality private education for preschool through 12th grade, through local learning communities that support the educational, enrichment and wellness needs of students and their families. At the preschool level, the company is known for its proprietary Links to Learning curriculum, which provides an integrated approach to early-age learning, and also connects parents to what their children are learning in school. Nobel Learning Communities provides strong support resources, including an Education Department, led by experts in preschool through 12th grade education. The company is accredited by AdvancED.

About Nobel Learning Communities, Inc.

Nobel Learning Communities, Inc. is a national network of more than 200 nonsectarian private schools, including preschools, K-8 schools, and high schools in 19 states across the nation and the District of Columbia. Nobel Learning Communities provides high quality private education, with a challenging and well-rounded curriculum, caring and skilled teachers and attention to individual learning styles. They also offer before and after school care and summer camp. For more information on Nobel Learning Communities, please visit www.NobelLearning.com.

SOURCE Nobel Learning Communities, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.nobellearning.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care today announced the opening of two new urgent care centers in Manhattan, expanding its presence throughout New York's metropolitan communities. The new centers are located in the Upper West Side at 2628 Broadway Avenue and in Greenwich Village at 41 East 8th Street. To celebrate the opening of the centers, Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care will be hosting a grand opening event and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Greenwich Village location on Tuesday, May 24 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET. These two new Manhattan locations join Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care's existing Manhattan centers in Gramercy and at Amsterdam and 69th.

"Many New York residents have already come to trust Northwell Health-GoHealth for their urgent care needs and we are very pleased to open new centers in Manhattan that will provide even greater access to our effortless experience and culture of care," said Todd Latz, CEO of GoHealth Urgent Care. "We look forward to serving the Upper West Side and Greenwich Village communities with contemporary, state-of-the-art urgent care centers that put patients first. From easy online check-ins and walk-in availability to highly skilled, caring providers, Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care is here to help people feel better and stay healthy."

Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care's network has developed new urgent care centers across the greater New York area, spanning Long Island, Queens, Westchester, Staten Island and Manhattan. Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care network will have grown to include 23 centers by the end of the month, with plans to open 15 more by the end of 2016. The centers combine GoHealth Urgent Care's award-winning and inviting facility design with Northwell Health's best-in-class, quality providers. All of Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care's centers operate seven days a week with extended evening hours and welcome walk-in patients, with the opportunity to "save your spot" by checking-in online. Each center features x-ray equipment and a lab, combined with an integrated electronic medical record system that can be accessed by caregivers across Northwell Health.

"Northwell Health is committed to improving the health of our communities through the expansion of our urgent care centers in the neighborhoods in which our patients live and work," said Adam Boll, vice president, Northwell Ventures Operations. "The new Upper West Side and Greenwich Village locations continue our track record of providing our patients with a superior level of care and convenience."

For more information, visit www.gohealthuc.com/northwell.

About GoHealth Urgent Care

At GoHealth Urgent Care, we place the needs of our patients first - by providing an effortless patient experience, a welcoming culture of care and seamless integration with market-leading health systems and our communities. GoHealth operates urgent care centers in the New York and Portland, OR, metropolitan areas, with plans for additional expansion in multiple markets, including the San Francisco Bay Area in late summer 2016. GoHealth Urgent Care's current partners include health systems that are at the forefront of care delivery innovation, including Northwell Health (f/k/a/ North Shore-LIJ), New York's largest health system, Legacy Health, the largest nonprofit, locally owned health system in the Portland-Vancouver area, and Dignity Health, one of the nation's largest health care systems, headquartered in San Francisco. GoHealth Urgent Care is a d/b/a of Access Clinical Partners, LLC, a TPG Growth portfolio company. TPG Growth is the middle market and growth equity investment platform of TPG, which has approximately $78 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit: www.gohealthUC.com.

About Northwell Health

Northwell Health (formerly North Shore-LIJ Health System) is New York State's largest health care provider and private employer. With 21 hospitals and nearly 450 outpatient practices, we serve more than 1.8 million people annually in the metro New York area and beyond. Our 61,000 employees work to change health care for the better. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and the School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. And we offer health insurance through CareConnect. For information on our services in more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.

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SOURCE Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care

Related Links

http://www.gohealthuc.com/northwell


"NuStep has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion. The "E" Awards Committee was very impressed with NuStep's role as a thought leader to the manufacturing community on the value of exports to a strong U.S. economy. The company's commitment to providing internship opportunities to international business students was also particularly notable. NuStep's achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs," said Secretary Pritzker in her congratulatory letter to the company announcing its selection as an award recipient.

NuStep, Inc. designs and manufactures three recumbent cross trainer models in Ann Arbor, Mich. The company's products are used in healthcare, senior living, fitness and private home settings around the world.

"Exporting continues to be the foundation of our sales growth, and we are honored to receive the "E" Award," said Dick Sarns, founder and CEO of NuStep, Inc. "Although we have been exporting our products since 1995, we intensified our efforts in 2009 and, since then, export sales have grown to nearly 20 percent of our total sales, enabling us to sustain jobs and even expand our work force. In addition, we're proud of the growing global base of NuStep customers whose lives have been transformed through the use of our inclusive, award-winning health and wellness products."

In 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order reviving the World War II "E" symbol of excellence to honor and provide recognition to America's exporters. Today, Secretary Pritzker honored 123 U.S. companies with the President's "E" Award for their outstanding work to reduce barriers to foreign markets and to open the door to more trade around the world.

In 2015, U.S. exports totaled $2.23 trillion, accounting for nearly 13 percent of U.S. GDP. Nationally, exports contributed to the U.S. economy, supporting an estimated 11.5 million jobs.

U.S. companies are nominated for the "E" Awards through the Department of Commerce's U.S. Commercial Service office network, located within the Department's International Trade Administration, with offices in 108 U.S. cities and more than 70 countries. Record years of successive export growth and an applicant's demonstration of an innovative international marketing plan that led to the increase in exports is a significant factor in selecting the winners.

For more information about the "E" Awards and the benefits of exporting, visit www.export.gov.

About NuStep

NuStep is the creator of inclusive recumbent cross trainers. The company was established with the goal of transforming lives by encouraging people of virtually all ages, fitness levels and functional abilities, including those who are disabled, rehabilitating from an injury or living with a chronic illness, to TAKE THAT STEP, by getting the exercise they need to lead healthier, happier lives. Privately held and family owned, NuStep has been designing and manufacturing its products in Ann Arbor, Mich. since 1995. For more information, CALL 800.322.2209 or VISIT NUSTEP.COM.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368224

SOURCE NuStep, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.NUSTEP.COM


Mr. Rolf comes to OAI following a distinguished career with Parker Hannifin Corporation, where he most recently served as Parker Aerospace's vice president of commercial airframes, business development. He is extensively involved in Ohio's aerospace community, having served as chair and current industry member of the Ohio Aerospace and Aviation Council. He is a charter member of the Ohio Legislature's Ohio Aerospace and Aviation Technology Committee. He holds a bachelor of mechanical engineering degree and master of business administration degree from Cleveland State University. Mr. Rolf is a registered professional engineer in the state of Ohio and holds two U.S. patents.

As president and CEO, Rolf plans to make OAI a key driver of aerospace economic growth in Ohio.

"It's an honor to succeed Mike as president. He has been a tremendous advocate for Ohio's aerospace industry and has contributed greatly to its growth," said Rolf. "I look forward to picking up the mantle and welcome the opportunity to make OAI an even more valuable asset for Ohio's aerospace community."

Heil, who has served as president and CEO since 2007, expressed confidence in the board's choice. "Jeff Rolf is the perfect choice to serve as OAI's president and CEO. He has an outstanding track record of success as a leader in the aerospace industry and Ohio's aerospace community. He understands OAI and our mission and will lead the institute to a bigger and brighter future."

"During Mike's tenure, his innovative leadership created a new standard for enhancing the aerospace industry," said Salvatore J. Miraglia, Jr., chairman of the board of trustees. "Although Mike will be missed, we are confident that Jeff Rolf will rise to the challenge of upholding OAI's commitment to the aerospace community, while identifying new opportunities for growth."

About OAI

Founded in 1989 as a partnership of Ohio's aerospace federal laboratories, aerospace industry, and universities, the Ohio Aerospace Institute enhances its partners' aerospace competitiveness through research and technology development, workforce preparedness, innovation and advocacy. Learn more at www.oai.org.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/367814

SOURCE Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI)

Related Links

http://www.oai.org


BROOKFIELD, Wis., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- OnCourse Learning Real Estate is now offering the Virtual Study Program, comprised of live webinars from 7-9 p.m. ET every Wednesday on key topics of interest for all of its real estate prelicense students. The webinars are offered at no extra cost to students enrolled in one of OnCourse Learning's three real estate continuing education and license training schools: ProSchools, Career Webschool or California License.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368120LOGO

"Our Virtual Study Program merges online and live learning, bringing a sense of community to the online learning environment," said Eric Solecki, vice president of product management for OnCourse Learning Real Estate. "These webinars also provide students with the added support of knowledgeable instructors. Each one is an expert in the field."

Bridging the gap between a brick-and-mortar education and online learning, these webinars give students the opportunity to ask questions of the instructor and interact with peers. They also prepare students to succeed on state real estate exams and in a real estate career.

OnCourse Learning Real Estate student Paul Garczynski, a Texas resident who takes Career Webschool courses, said he finds the topics of each Virtual Study Program session timely and educational. "The instructor is extremely informative in her delivery and creates a better understanding for me as I progress [through my studies]," Garczynski said. "As an online student, these classes are very valuable."

The program is comprised of eight sessions  each on a stand-alone topic  enabling students to join any week during the program without the worry of being behind. Students can review recorded sessions they have missed.

The Virtual Study Program consists of the following modules:

Ownership & Property Rights Module covers the topics of ownership rights, bundling rights, freehold and leasehold, the differences between real and personal property, property ownership types, easements, and covenants and fixtures. Title Transfers Module explains voluntary and involuntary alienation, types of deeds, title assurance and insurance. Land Use Module discusses government powers  zoning and eminent domain and private powers  covenants and liens, and legal descriptions. Contracts Module covers contract types, terms and elements; the Uniform Electronic Transmission Act; terminating a contract; and state law impact on contracts. Finance Module explains mortgages, deeds, trusts and notes; mortgage loan types; defaulting; short sales and foreclosure; and primary and secondary mortgage markets. Agency Relationships Module discusses agency terms, agency responsibilities, types of agencies and listing contracts. Valuation Practices Module covers agent and appraiser roles in valuation, concepts of valuation and the three major valuation approaches. Federal Laws Module reviews fair housing, federal income tax, environmental hazards, capital gains calculations and salaried agents versus independent contractors.

Attendees who enroll in OnCourse Learning's prelicense schools can take advantage of the Virtual Study Program.

ProSchools is the leader in online prelicensure and continuing education for insurance, mortgage and real estate professionals, offering state- and federal-approved course programs to obtain and maintain licensure. To learn more, visit ProSchools.com.

Career Webschool is a leading real estate and appraisal education provider, featuring online and mobile-friendly catalogs to offer the most convenient and high-quality experience for professionals. To learn more, visit CareerWebschool.com.

California License is an online correspondence real estate school offering prospective and current salespersons and brokers a convenient, cost-effective and user-friendly method to obtain their education. All California License courses are approved by the California Department of Real Estate. To learn more, visit CaliforniaLicense.com.

For media inquiries, contact:

Deborah Filipek, Media Relations Manager

847-908-8017

Email

About OnCourse Learning

OnCourse Learning delivers licensure, regulatory and compliance education solutions throughout the nation's leading industries including financial services, healthcare and real estate. Through trusted industry expertise, compliance management and technology solutions, OnCourse Learning focuses on advancing the e-learning environment for individuals and businesses to help to build new careers, empower employees through knowledge and identify efficiencies in corporate training management. OnCourse Learning offers a full suite of educational products including state and federally approved pre-licensing and continuing education programs, accredited course content, exam prep tools, publications, e-books, events and a sophisticated and customizable learning management system and course-authoring tool. To learn more, visit OnCourseLearning.com.

SOURCE OnCourse Learning

Related Links

https://www.oncourselearning.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- OnDeck (NYSE: ONDK), the leader in online lending for small business, announced today that Noah Breslow, Chief Executive Officer, and Howard Katzenberg, Chief Financial Officer, are scheduled to present at the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference on May 24, 2016 in Boston beginning at 9:20 a.m. E.T.

The presentation and live audio webcast will be available on the company's Investor Relations website https://investors.ondeck.com at the time of the event and for 90 days following the event.

About OnDeck

OnDeck (NYSE: ONDK) is the leader in online small business lending. Since 2007, the company has powered Main Street's growth through advanced lending technology and a constant dedication to customer service. OnDeck's proprietary credit scoring system  the OnDeck Score  leverages advanced analytics, enabling OnDeck to make real-time lending decisions and deliver capital to small businesses in as little as 24 hours. OnDeck offers business owners a complete financing solution, including the online lending industry's widest range of term loans and lines of credit. To date, the company has deployed over $4 billion to more than 50,000 customers in 700 different industries across the United States, Canada and Australia. OnDeck has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and operates the educational small business financing website BusinessLoans.com. For more information, please visit www.ondeck.com.

Investor Contact:

Kathryn Harmon Miller

646.558.7860

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Miranda Eifler

917.677.7112

[email protected]

OnDeck, the OnDeck logo, OnDeck Score and OnDeck Marketplace are trademarks of On Deck Capital, Inc.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150812/257781LOGO

SOURCE On Deck Capital, Inc.
SOLANA BEACH, Calif., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kashi believes that, together, we can increase access to organic foods. Today, the company announced a first-of-its-kind, collaborative effort to increase organic farmland by recognizing "organics in training" and supporting farmers transitioning fields from conventional to organic practices. The effort is grounded in a brand new protocol called Certified Transitional  and Kashi's new Dark Cocoa Karma Shredded Wheat Biscuits cereal is the first product to feature a Certified Transitional ingredient.

Kashi announces pioneering Certified Transitional protocol and launches first Certified Transitional product

According to the USDA, consumer demand for organic foods has grown by double-digits every year since the 1990s  but organic acreage has not kept up. Today, only about one percent of US farmland is organic and farmers looking to transition to organic face real barriers, including shouldering financial uncertainty during the three year transition period required to be eligible for USDA Organic certification.

"The health of people and the health of our planet are inextricably linked," said David Denholm, CEO at Kashi. "One percent organic acreage is just not enough  and we want to promote solutions that benefit everyone working to move organic farming forward. We believe championing farms in transition will make organic foods more accessible and support a more sustainable food system  for all of us."

Inspired to play a role in boosting organic acreage beyond one percent, Kashi partnered with leading organic certifier Quality Assurance International (QAI)1 to create a way to recognize "organics in training"  crops grown on farmland in the process of transitioning from conventional to organic practices. QAI led the development of the Certified Transitional protocol, with input from Hesco/Dakota Organic Products, agricultural suppliers, a global environmental NGO, organic experts, farmers, retailers, distributors and food brands.

The Challenge

"Transitioning to organic isn't easy  farmers must invest in new infrastructure, create new business plans, and even obtain new crop insurance and financing. That all starts day one when they begin converting to organic, but they don't see the financial benefit of organic prices for three years," said Brad Hennrich, President at Hesco/Dakota Organic Products, a specialty grain company. "Certified Transitional provides a revenue opportunity and roadmap for farmers looking to transition that simply didn't exist before."

Getting to Solutions

Kashi purchased the first-ever crop of Certified Transitional ingredients  hard red winter wheat  for use in Dark Cocoa Karma Shredded Wheat Biscuits, a new Kashi cereal created to showcase transitional ingredients. By contracting the transitional wheat at a price above the conventional market rate, Kashi is working to create a marketplace that recognizes the investment farmers make while transitioning to organic practices.

"Certified Transitional connects farmers, processors, brands and consumers together in a virtuous cycle that supports the transition of more acreage to organic practices," said Sarah Krol, Global Managing Director, QAI, Inc., an NSF International company. "For the first time, brands can offer Certified Transitional products to consumers which in turn allows consumers to support farmers as they transition fields to organic  we hope to see many more Certified Transitional products on shelves."

"I transitioned some of my farmland to organic in the past and experienced the financial burden and uncertainty firsthand. Certified Transitional changes the equation and makes the decision to go organic easier," said Newton Russell. Russell is one of two farmers who piloted the Certified Transitional protocol and grew the wheat featured in the first batch of Dark Cocoa Karma Shredded Wheat Biscuits.

QAI's Certified Transitional protocol can be applied to any farmland growing any crop  from wheat to strawberries or cotton  and any brand using agricultural ingredients can incorporate Certified Transitional sourcing.

Let's #GoTogether Toward More Organics

"We couldn't be more excited about the potential of Certified Transitional to lower barriers and increase organic production in the U.S.," said CEO David Denholm. "To really reach that potential, we need more farmers, processors, and brands to get on board. We encourage any brand that relies on agricultural ingredients to explore Certified Transitional sourcing."

Kashi, along with QAI, invites anyone interested  from farmers to consumers  to learn more about Certified Transitional.

New Kashi Dark Cocoa Karma Shredded Wheat Biscuits will be available at select grocers and natural food retailers nationwide in early June. For more information, visit http://www.Kashi.com/Transitional

Visit QAI's website for general information on Certified Transitional.

Any eligible farmer growing any crop can explore the Certified Transitional protocol. Please contact QAI at [email protected] for more information.

for more information. Hesco/Dakota Organic Products is working to connect Certified Transitional crops to appropriate processors. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

Share Certified Transitional Today!

Click to Tweet : Let's #GoTogether toward more organic farmland! @KashiFoods @QAI_Cert #DarkCocoaKarma

: Let's #GoTogether toward more organic farmland! @KashiFoods @QAI_Cert #DarkCocoaKarma Click to Tweet : New protocol from @QAI_Cert supported by @KashiFoods helps farmers transition to #organic.

: New protocol from @QAI_Cert supported by @KashiFoods helps farmers transition to #organic. Click to Tweet: Only 1% of US farmland is #organic today. @KashiFoods is working to change this. #GoTogether

About Kashi Company

Kashi believes eating more plants is the catalyst for a healthier life. A natural lifestyle pioneer since 1984, Kashi produces nutritious plant-based foods including cereals, powders, entrees and snacks with curated ingredients that #gotogether. All Kashi products being made today  including its GOLEAN and Heart to Heart brands - are Non-GMO Project Verified and Kashi is proud to partner with QAI on the industry's first Certified Transitional program, which recognizes crops in transition from conventional to organic. Kashi products are available nationwide in the U.S. and Canada. Kashi is based in sunny Solana Beach, Calif. To learn more, please visit Kashi.com, Facebook at www.facebook.com/Kashi, Twitter at https://twitter.com/Kashifoods, Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kashi/ or YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/Kashi.

About Hesco, Inc./ Dakota Organic Products

Hesco, Inc. / Dakota Organic Products is a privately owned, specialty grain company with multiple locations. We provide high quality, super clean organic and conventional grain and grain related products for both the food and pet food industries. We specialize in the cleaning, milling, cracking, blending and packaging of organic and conventional grains as well as establishing and nurturing the supply chain necessary with specialty and organic products. Hesco is BRC/ GFSI certified, FDA-registered, USDA and QAI certified Organic, and OU certified Kosher.

We are proud of our history and the many milestones we've accomplished. We look forward to a bright future with you. Safe, quality food starts with Hesco.

About QAI (Quality Assurance International)

Founded in 1989, QAI is the leading provider of organic certification services verifying organic integrity throughout the supply chain (qai-inc.com). Additional certification services include gluten-free, kosher, natural personal care, and food safety through its parent company NSF International. QAI remains dedicated to the environment, while providing educational outreach to the organic community, customers and consumers. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., the company has grown to include operations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Japan and the European Union.

For media interested in more information or to request an interview with Sarah Krol, Global Managing Director, QAI, an NSF International company contact Liz Nowland-Margolis at [email protected] or +1 734-418-6624.







1 QAI, an independent certification organization and leading USDA-accredited organic certifying body, which developed and will manage and own the Certified Transitional protocol.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160513/367638

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130927/CG87430LOGO

SOURCE Kashi Company

Related Links

http://www.kashi.com


LA FARGE, Wis., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Coffee culture has always romanced the origin of the bean, the roasting method and the brewing technique. But an Organic Valley dairy farmer, Gerrit van Tol, recently set out to prove that the secret to a great cup of coffee is pasture-raised cows.

Organic Valley dairy farmer Gerrit Van Tol takes on the NYC coffee scene.

Mr. van Tol launched the first ever Organic Valley coffee shop in the trendy NoLita neighborhood of lower Manhattan. But the shop only served organic half & half. Slightly confused customers could order Organic Valley Half & Half in three sizes: "Lil Bit," "Double," and "Lotta." All pours were just $2 -- and then visit the condiment bar to add coffee for free.

"People who love a rich and creamy cup of joe have been using Organic Valley Half & Half to make the best cup of coffee for over 20 years," explained van Tol, who managed the store opening and served as head cream barista after traveling from his farm in Washington State. "But at most coffee shops you have no idea what kind of cream you're pouring into your coffee, or if it's even organic. It just made sense that we should have our own coffee shop that focuses on what we think is the most important ingredient."

Over a sunny weekend in April, the Organic Valley coffee shop served hundreds of delighted  and surprised  New Yorkers. Organic Valley has posted several videos online that capture the scene and document van Tol's trip from the placid pastures of the farm to the busy streets of New York City.

"We live in a time when the world's biggest taxi company, Uber, doesn't own a single taxi. Airbnb doesn't own a single bed and breakfast," van Tol playfully pointed out. "At Organic Valley we happen to make the world's best coffee. We just don't make coffee."

A quarter of all Americans use half & half in their coffee at home and 30 percent use it when they're in a restaurant. Organic Valley is the number one national half & half brand. The Organic Valley coffee shop also offered customers the opportunity to try the only flavored organic half & half available in the US, Organic Valley's Hazelnut and French Vanilla.

It was van Tol's first visit to New York City, and Organic Valley's first concept store. "New York City is one of the cooperative's strongest markets," said Tripp Hughes, Director of Brand Management at Organic Valley. "So New Yorkers appreciate the rich and delicious half & half that comes from our family farms and the organic cows that graze there on green pastures."

About Organic Valley

Founded in 1988, Organic Valley is America's largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the nation's leading organic brands, representing approximately 1,800 farmers in 34 states. Focused on its founding mission of saving family farms through organic farming, Organic Valley produces a variety of organic foods, including organic milk, soy, cheese, butter, spreads, creams, eggs, and produce, which are sold in supermarkets, natural foods stores and food cooperatives nationwide. With its regional model, milk is produced, bottled and distributed right in the region where it is farmed to ensure fewer miles from farm to table and to support our local economies. For further information visit www.organicvalley.coop. Organic Valley is also on Twitter @OrganicValley and Facebook www.facebook.com/OrganicValley.

CONTACT:

Kristin Sullivan

[email protected], (612) 372-6458

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160308/341859LOGO

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=704rNw9PELE&feature=youtu.be

SOURCE Organic Valley
LOUISVILLE, CO, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Packers Plus Energy Services Inc., an industry leader in lower completions solutions, is pleased to announce the opening of its Global Technology and Training Center in Louisville, Colorado. The state-of-the-art facility will be a driving force in the field of completions, bringing together experts from around the globe for applied training and education.

"The technology and training center will offer a depth of technical expertise and resources, and enables us to provide maximum value to our customers and employees," said Dan Themig, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technical Officer at Packers Plus. "Despite current challenges in the industry, we are still focused on developing and producing the most innovative technologies on the market and that includes investing in our people and our facilities."

With its unique design and modern space, the new building will be a hub for energy technology and innovation, and house a specialized group of highly skilled engineers and geoscientists, trained to solve difficult reservoir challenges. For more information, visit: packersplus.com/global-technology-and-training-center/

About Packers Plus

Packers Plus is an innovator of multi-stage completion systems and an industry leader in designing and manufacturing solutions for a variety of completion challenges. The privately held company, based in Canada, has run over 16,000 completion systems, accounting for over 240,000 fracture stages since it started operations in 2000. Today, Packers Plus has employees across Canada, the United States and internationally to maintain an influential role in key markets. The company has stayed true to its rootsan innovative company with a focused niche, enabling it to be one of the best in the industry. Learn more at packersplus.com.

SOURCE Packers Plus Energy Services Inc.

Related Links

www.packersplus.com


CHICAGO, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PACO Collective today celebrated 10 years in business, evolving from a Hispanic-focused multicultural marketing agency, to a cross-cultural agency with major clients on its roster, including ComEd, the Chicago Bears and the Chicago White Sox, among others.

A Decade of Cultural Transformation

Founded in 2006 by marketing expert Ozzie Godinez and innovative creator Pablo Acosta, PACO Collective was created at a time when culture in the United States was on the verge of major transformation. That year, technology was poised to explode and permanently change the digital media landscape. Apple's iTunes Music Store celebrated its 1 billionth music download and today's massively popular Facebook opened its membership to the public. The economy was in turmoil as job growth slowed and the housing boom ended.

"We started PACO during an economic crisis when many agencies were downsizing. The environment required us to take risks. We survived because we were small and agile and weren't afraid to think big and adapt to the changing market conditions," explained Ozzie Godinez, CEO and co-founder of PACO Collective. "Our multicultural marketing focus helped us set ourselves apart and reflected the way the market was evolving. Our commitment to diversity allowed PACO to grow beyond Hispanic marketing to a new cross-cultural model. What we deliver to our clients is an in-depth understanding of cultural segments of significance to their brand, and use that insight to create campaigns that transcend cultures."

The rapid growth of minority populations has driven PACO Collective's successful cross-cultural marketing model over the past decade. The U.S. minority population, including Hispanics, African-Americans and Asian-Americans, is projected to increase from 38% today to become the majority by 2044, according to the U.S. Census.

There are three cultural dynamics that lead to the need for greater understanding of today's "minority-majority" consumers: retro-acculturation, reverse assimilation and ethnic fluidity. Retro-acculturation is the notion that minorities who had been predominantly Americanized are going back to their roots. For example, Latinos who were born and raised in the U.S. may listen to Spanish music, teach their children to speak Spanish and celebrate the coming of age Quinceanera tradition for girls. Reverse assimilation is the dynamic whereby minority populations are affecting the broader mainstream population, so minority culture is no longer celebrated by minorities alone. And ethnic fluidity is the recognition that many minorities identify as multiple races, and can flow in and out of cultures depending on the environment they are in.

"PACO is a mirror, reflecting the American market, a melting pot of cultures. It is so fascinating! Because of this, our work and ideas transcend cultural boundariesgood ideas work!" said Pablo Acosta, Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of PACO Collective. "More and more we see younger generations like millennials and generation Z embracing ethnic fluidity  they are a part of two worlds, being Latino and being American, and they identify with each."

Speaking with Cultural Fluency

PACO Collective's co-founders know how to translate constantly evolving cultural dynamics into effective creative advertising and public relations. They built a workplace where great ideas can come from every employee at every level. And diversity is stressed across the board. PACO's 40 employees comprise Latinos, African Americans, Asians and Middle Eastern, who are valued because they are not all like-minded, but have their own cultural currency to contribute to the agency.

"Pablo and I really wanted to create a collaborative workplace that was unlike the bigger agencies we had worked with," Godinez added. "We have built an agency without red tape or bureaucracy. Our diverse staff reflects where the marketplace is today and takes pride in understanding modern culture and how we can help our clients become a part of the relevant conversations that will build brand loyalty. "

"PACO's cross-cultural marketing approach transcends cultures, and speaks to audiences that share the same values and beliefs, not just their ethnicity," explained Acosta. "We consider what music they listen to, their political values, and how they spend their leisure time. We approach marketing with cultural fluency, which allows brands to speak the language of culture that resonates best with their customers."

PACO Collective provides strategy, creative development, public relations and advertising support, among other services. The agency has received top honors for everything from its ad creative to its public relations campaigns including the coveted Marcom Platinum and Summit Awards, Hermes Gold and Pixie Awards, amongst many others.

About PACO Collective

PACO Collective, formerly PACO [cross-cultural marketing] is an Illinois minority-owned firm established in Chicago, IL in 2006. PACO is a full-service marketing agency focused on delivering cross-cultural ideas through award-winning marketing, public relations, digital and creative campaigns that create meaningful connections that transcend cultures. With a client base that includes Blue Cross and Blue Shield, ComEd, Cacique, Gift of Hope, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Bears; PACO counts with a diverse team made up of over 40 passionate members. For more information: www.pacocollective.com.

Janet Dominguez

Media Contact

O: 312-226-2044

C: 630-779-3800

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160421/358700LOGO

SOURCE PACO Collective

Related Links

http://www.pacocollective.com


BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China vowed further support for Afghanistan's political reconciliation process and national construction during an official visit by Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.

Premier Li Keqiang made the remarks while holding talks with Abdullah at the Great Hall of the People on Monday afternoon.

Calling Afghanistan a priority in China's neighborhood diplomacy, Li said China is committed to consolidating and developing bilateral strategic cooperative partnership and supporting Afghanistan's efforts to safeguard its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security.

Li praised Afghanistan's firm support on issues related to China's core interests. China is willing to work with Afghanistan to deepen bilateral cooperation in politics, economy, security, and culture as well as in international and regional affairs.

Li said China is willing to help Afghanistan map out a national infrastructure construction plan and implement investment cooperation projects the two sides had agreed on.

China will also support its enterprises to cooperate with Afghanistan in industrial capacity, strengthen interconnectivity in information industry, enhance cooperation in agriculture, education and between localities, and help Afghanistan train talent for social and economic development, the premier said.

He added that China backs the Afghan government's continued efforts to advance the inclusive "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" political reconciliation process and supports the country in participating in regional cooperation. Li also called on Afghanistan to continue to take effective measures to create a secure environment for bilateral cooperation.

Abdullah said China is an important neighbor and friend, and Afghanistan attaches great importance to development of bilateral relations. He reaffirmed support to China on issues concerning its core and major interests, and thanked China for its long-term assistance to Afghanistan's national reconciliation and economic reconstruction.

Abdullah welcomed Chinese companies to increase investment in his country. He said Afghanistan is willing to further expand bilateral cooperation in areas including infrastructure construction, housing assurance, mineral resource exploitation, information and telecommunications, agriculture, education, defense, and regional interconnectivity.

He pledged to provide security assurance for bilateral economic cooperation.

After the talks, the two sides signed deals on cooperation in economy, technology, interconnectivity and trade.

Abdullah is paying his first official visit to China from May 15 to 18 since taking office.
HARRISBURG, Pa., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an effort to promote driver safety and decrease unbuckled fatalities, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will partner with police statewide during the national Click It or Ticket seat-belt enforcement mobilization through June 5.

As part of the enforcement, Pennsylvania police will join agencies across the eastern half of the United States for a border-to-border initiative on May 23 to provide increased seat-belt enforcement at state borders reinforcing the states' focus on safety.

"The Department of Transportation, law enforcement and all participating states want to send a united message to motorists," PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said. "Seat belts save lives and decrease crash risks, especially at night. We urge the public to be vigilant day and night."

Throughout the Click It or Ticket mobilization, enforcement will focus largely on nighttime operations, using Traffic Enforcement Zones and roving patrols on roadways identified as having higher unbelted crash rates.

According to PennDOT data, unrestrained fatalities increased from 383 in 2014 to 413 in 2015. The statewide number of crashes in which people were not wearing seat belts decreased to 13,534, compared to 13,627 in 2014.

"Wearing a properly fastened seatbelt can save your life in the event of a crash," said Major Edward Hoke, director of the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Patrol. "Please take the extra few seconds to buckle up. We also encourage the public to take advantage of our child safety seat checks to ensure their child's safety seat is properly installed in their vehicle."

Motorists are reminded that Pennsylvania's primary seat-belt law requires drivers and passengers under 18 years old to buckle up, and children under the age of four must be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat. Children ages 4 to 8 must be restrained in an appropriate booster seat. In addition, children ages 8 to 18 must be must be in a seat belt when riding anywhere in the vehicle.

Also, drivers and front-seat passengers 18 years-old or older are required to buckle up. If motorists are stopped for a traffic violation and are not wearing their seat belt, they can receive a second ticket and second fine.

Funding for this enforcement effort comes from part of PennDOT's statewide distribution of $2.5 million in federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Visit www.JustDrivePA.com for more information on seat-belt safety and PennDOT's other traffic-safety initiatives. Join the discussion on social media by using #JustBuckleUp.

MEDIA CONTACT: Ashley Schoch, PennDOT, 717-783-8800 or Adam Reed, PSP, 717-783-5556

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Transportation; Pennsylvania State Police

Related Links

http://www.state.pa.us


NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) today welcomed local officials and the public to the grand opening of the Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection Store at Norwin Hills Shopping Ctr., 8735 Norwin Ave., North Huntingdon.

With more than 8,600 square feet, the new North Huntingdon store is about 50 percent larger than the store it replaces. It features nearly 1,800 wines and 1,125 spirits, as well as more than 1,000 Premium Collection luxury items not previously available to area shoppers. It will also feature a new wine specialist and Chairman's Selection wines, which offer consumers select, highly rated wines at significant savings over nationally quoted prices.

This new store, which is located in a shopping center with a large grocery store and ample parking, offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere for consumers to browse the extensive selection and taste featured wine and spirits. The focal point of the new store is a center table, where customers can find staff to answer questions or provide individualized recommendations. The center table provides space for highlighting promotional items, a tasting bar to sample new products and a collection of educational materials for customers such as:

Answers to frequently asked questions about wine and spirits

A vintage chart

A food pairing outline

Party planning guide

Calorie chart

Tips for responsible hosting and consumption

"Making our stores more appealing and customer-focused not only improves shoppers' in-store experience today, but the investments in more enticing facilities will also deliver significant long-term dividends to the state," said PLCB Board Member Mike Negra, who helped cut the ceremonial ribbon at the grand opening ceremony.

Throughout the design and construction of the new facility, the PLCB was committed to developing a store that is attractive and environmentally responsible. The majority of the store's lighting is state-of-the-art LED or energy-efficient compact-fluorescent lighting, using a fraction of the energy of traditional lighting.

The North Huntingdon Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection Store will be open from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 5:00 PM on Sundays. To find additional store locations, visit www.FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com.

The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide and licenses more than 20,000 beverage alcohol producers and retailers. Taxes and store profits  totaling more than $14.5 billion since the agency's inception  are returned to Pennsylvania's General Fund, and the PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit www.lcb.state.pa.us.

MEDIA CONTACT: Shawn Kelly, 717.303.8522

SOURCE Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board

Related Links

http://www.lcb.state.pa.us


CHILLICOTHE, Ohio, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Petland is proud to announce its support of 26 service dogs in the Central Ohio area with the recent addition of Hilliard Police Department's three K9 units.

Petland's national Community Service outreach includes offering support to local police, sheriff and fire departments. The support is most often a feeding program, supplies or fundraising for specific items, such as bite-suits or training gear.

In March, the Petland store in Hilliard began a feeding program for the Hilliard City Police Department K-9 unit, which includes Officer J.D. Lightfoot and his K-9 partner Eros, Officer Jim Large and his K-9 partner Oz, and Officer Tony LaRosa and his K-9 partner Kane.

"K9 units from the Hilliard Division of Police have served our community since 2006. Our K9 units have performed a variety of functions that include detecting narcotics, searching buildings, recovering evidence and locating suspects who have fled from the police, all of which continue to contribute to the effort to make our community a safe place to live, work and play," said Sergeant Lightfoot, K-9 handler for the Hilliard Division of Police.

Petland stores in Ohio currently support K-9 police units in Athens, Fayette, Gallia, Jackson, Licking, Perry, Pike, Morgan, Ross and Vinton counties. In Ross County, Petland also provides support for the Fire Department K-9 and PJ, a Canine Companion Therapy Dog with the Child Protection Center

"PJ has touched the lives of numerous children and hopefully that made their process through all their trauma seem a little bit better. PJ and I appreciate all the supplies that Petland was able to provide for her," said Ashley Muse, PJ's handler. "PJ wouldn't have been possible without the support of our community."

In addition to providing support to K-9 units in the central Ohio area, Petland franchisees around the country provide a variety of assistance for their local units. On a national level, Petland, Inc. recently named the Heartland Canines for Veterans organization as one of its national charities.

The mission of Heartland Canines for Veterans is to provide companion, service, and therapy dogs for disabled veterans. Heartland Canines for Veterans was established as an active 501c3 non-profit organization in 2015 and is led by a team of Missouri Pet Breeders. Heartland provides dogs that have been donated by professional breeders from the Missouri Pet Breeders Association. Each one of these dogs undergoes about 12-14 months of professional training to be able to aide veterans in the following areas (but are not limited to these): PTSD, seizure response, hearing disabilities, mobility assistance, and diabetic alerting.

Petland, Inc. is a franchise operation with quality, full service retail pet centers across the United States, Canada, Japan, China, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil and El Salvador. For more than 49 years, Petland Pet Counselors have been dedicated to matching the right pet with the right person and meeting the needs of both. To its customers who already have pets, Petland is dedicated to enhancing their knowledge and enjoyment of the human-animal bond. Petland was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in south central Ohio. For more information on Petland, visit www.petland.com.

Contacts: Elizabeth Kunzelman

Petland, Inc.

(740) 775-2464

Email

SOURCE Petland, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.petland.com


PHOENIX, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Media Advisory For Phoenix On Tuesday, May 17, 2016

WHO: Notable government, education, and industry officials will participate, including:

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton

Chris Camacho , President & CEO, Greater Phoenix Economic Council

President & CEO, Greater Phoenix Economic Council David Adame , President & Chief Economic Development Officer, Chicanos Por La Causa

President & Chief Economic Development Officer, Chicanos Por La Causa Loretta Mayer , Founder, Senestech

, Founder, Senestech Lawrence H. Parks , Senior Vice President, FHLBank San Francisco

, Senior Vice President, FHLBank San Francisco John Hanna , Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters

Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters Don Thierault , President, Industrial Tool, Die & Engineering, Inc.

WHAT:

Mayor Stanton will speak followed by a press availability with the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. The Bank is announcing that the Phoenix region is participating in its Quality Job Growth and Business Expansion Financing initiative. The initiative will direct $40 million in grants to fund organizations that support quality job development and small to mid-tier business expansion in underserved West coast communities, including Phoenix. After the media availability, FHLBank San Francisco will hold a roundtable discussion where local, regional, and national experts will explore best practices for creating quality jobs and expanding small businesses. Following a series of seminars, the Aspen Institute will write a summary report that will be used to shape the RFP process for grants.

WHERE:

University of Arizona College of Medicine  Phoenix

Virginia G. Piper Auditorium

550 East Van Buren Street

Phoenix, AZ 85004-2230

WHEN:

8:00 AM Breakfast (Media Invited)

8:20 AM Mayor Stanton

8:35 AM Elliott D. Pollack, CEO, Elliott D. Pollack and Company

9:05 AM Overview  FHLBank San Francisco's Lawrence H. Parks

9:15 AM Media availability

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Michael K. Frisby 202-625-4382 or [email protected]

Kevin Blackburn 510-377-8999 or [email protected]

(Please contact Mr. Frisby or Mr. Blackburn to schedule a broadcast or print interview with Mr. Parks to discuss the initiative.)

SOURCE FHLBank San Francisco
NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Galien Awards Committee announced today that Paula S. Apsell, Executive Producer of the renowned PBS television series NOVA and Director of the Science Unit at Massachusetts public broadcaster WGBH, will receive the 2016 Pro Bono Humanum Award at the 10th annual Prix Galien USA Awards ceremony, to be held on Thursday, October 27, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

The Pro Bono Humanum Award recognizes ground-breaking individual and group initiative that leads to improvement in the state of human health. Ms. Apsell is the second woman recipient of the award and the first from the profession of journalism and communications.

In selecting Ms. Apsell, the Galien Awards Committee  whose members include four Nobel laureates  cited her early and continuing leadership in making the complexities of science and medical research accessible to a mass audience. Through innovative broadcast programming of the highest journalistic standard, her work has educated, entertained and enlightened successive generations of viewers on the mysteries that underlie our understanding of the natural world. And by turning great science into a good story  a human story  Apsell shows that scientific literacy is society's first line of defense against the destructive forces of fear and ignorance that challenge further progress in human health.

This prestigious award, first bestowed in 2007 to Dr. P. Roy Vagelos, Chairman of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and retired Chairman and CEO of Merck & Co., Inc., will be presented to Apsell by Awards Committee member and Nobel Laureate Dr. Michael Brown, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. It will take place at an evening gala dinner at the American Museum of Natural History attended by more than 500 biopharmaceutical leaders from industry, government, academia and the allied health professions.

Awards Committee Chair Dr. Vagelos said, "Our recognition of Ms. Apsell is a timely one, given the growing importance of science in resolving the world's most pressing policy problems, from the health impacts of climate change to the effective mobilization of talent and resources to battle a growing global burden of disease. The capacity to communicate the contributions of science in a way that the public can understand what it means  to them directly, and to the quality of the lives of future generations  will determine the progress we make against these and other threats to human progress."

Adds Dr. Brown, "Through four decades of directing work on the popular science broadcast series NOVA, Apsell has shown she has that gift of telling solid, brilliantly researched stories with a larger purpose  to inform the debate by bringing wisdom and perspective to public policies that shape the science enterprise."

Honoring a Decade of Discovery

In addition to the Pro Bono Humanum Award, the dinner event will once again honor pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies for products judged to be most innovative against their peers in advancing the state of human health.

In special recognition of this 10th anniversary of the awards program, the Committee will bestow a new "Decade of Discovery" award on three products  a pharmaceutical drug, a biotech-derived drug, and a medical device or diagnostic  drawn from the winners in each eligible category over the past 10 years  34 in all. As in every case, selections will be made by the Awards Committee on the basis of the best medical evidence, without bias. "This program provides us with a special opportunity to signal out those leaders in private enterprise who do the hard, often unrecognized work of bringing to market innovations that improve the lives of millions of patients worldwide," said Dr. Vagelos.

Previous recipients of the Pro Bono Humanum Award are:

Dr. Mary-Claire King [2015], Dr. Bernard Kouchner [2014], Dr. Anthony Fauci [2013], Dr. Francis S. Collins [2012], Pr. Paul Farmer [2011], President Bill Clinton and Dr. Philippe Douste-Blazy [2010], Pr. Barry Bloom and Pr. Jeffrey Sachs [2009], Dr. Sheldon Segal and the Population Council [2008], Dr. P. Roy Vagelos [2007]

About the Galien Foundation

The Galien Foundation fosters, recognizes and rewards excellence in scientific innovation to improve the state of human health. Our vision is to be the catalyst for the development of the next generation of innovative treatments and technologies that will impact the state of medical practice and save lives.

The Foundation oversees and directs activities in the U.S. for the Prix Galien, an international award that recognizes outstanding achievement in improving the human condition through the development of innovative therapies. The Prix Galien was created in 1970 by Roland Mehl in honor of Galien, the father of medical science and modern pharmacology. Worldwide, the Prix Galien is regarded as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in biopharmaceutical research.

Those interested in attending the October 27th Prix Galien USA Awards ceremony, as well as the Galien Forum, a separate event prior to the dinner awards that features panels debates focused on critical global healthcare issues and challenges, can register here https://register.prix-galien-usa.com/registration/index

For more information visit www.galienfoundation.org

Galien Foundation media contact: Galien Foundation, 212-685-1592

SOURCE The Galien Foundation

Related Links

http://www.galienfoundation.org


The solar center occupies 10 acres in the northwest corner of the Laboratory site, which is about 40 miles east of San Francisco. It has 12,720 solar panels with a capacity of 3.9-megawatts-dc (3.3-megawatt-ac). The Western Area Power Administration has a 20-year contract to purchase the electricity the solar farm produces. At its peak, the solar facility provides about 5 percent of the electricity used by the Laboratory  a premier research institution with the mission of applying science and technology to national security.

"I congratulate the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration for their commitment to increase renewable energy generation on America's public lands," said Christine Harada, Federal Chief Sustainability Officer for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

"This effort is a great example of the federal government leading by example. The Lawrence Livermore Solar Center will provide the DOE with cost-effective solar power for years to come, a great accomplishment in support of the Administration's climate vision for our country."

PSEG Solar Source operates 13 facilities in nine states with a total capacity of 152 MWs and has another four solar facilities under construction, which will expand its portfolio to 315 MWs.

"We are delighted to be part of a project that will provide clean energy to one of world's leading research and development institutions," said Diana Drysdale, president of PSEG Solar Source. "By investing in solar projects like this one, we are doing our part to lay the foundation for a clean, green and economically vibrant energy future for everyone."

Dozens of Laboratory employees attended the dedication and were given tours of the solar farm.

"LLNL is proud to be the majority end user of this clean, green energy and is proud to be the first NNSA facility to employ solar power onsite in the western region," said Mark Martinez, the Lab's Principal Associate Director, Operations & Business Directorate. "This project is a large contributor for the Lab in its efforts to meet the DOE goal for renewables for this year."

JSI was the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the Livermore project and operates the facility for PSEG Solar Source.

"Our partnership with PSEG Solar Source has been tremendously successful in developing resources that will provide emission-free energy for decades," said Mike Martin, juwi's president and CEO.

The solar farm is expected to generate approximately 6,300 MWh annually and represents the DOE/NNSA's largest purchase of solar energy from an onsite facility.

About PSEG Solar Source:

PSEG Solar Source is a subsidiary of PSEG Power, a merchant power generation company which is part of the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) family of companies. PSEG (NYSE:PEG) is a publicly-traded diversified energy company with annual revenues of $10.4 billion. Its other main subsidiaries are Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), a regulated NJ gas and electric utility and PSEG Long Island, which operates the transmission and distribution assets of the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA).

Disclaimer: PSEG Solar Source LLC is not the same company as PSE&G, the New Jersey based electric and gas utility. PSEG Solar Source is not regulated by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. You do not have to purchase any PSEG Solar Source products in order to receive quality regulated services from PSE&G.

Visit PSEG at:

www.pseg.com

PSEG on Facebook

PSEG on Twitter

PSEG on LinkedIn

PSEG blog, Energize!

Want to know what's new at PSEG? Go to www.pseg.com/getnews and sign up to have our press releases sent right to your inbox.

About the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory:

Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a national security laboratory, with a mission to ensure national security and apply science and technology to the important issues of our time. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

About juwi solar Inc.:

juwi Inc. (juwi) is a privately-held renewable energy company based in Boulder, Colorado. juwi's primary business is the development, design, construction, operation and maintenance of utility-scale (1 MW and larger) solar energy generation facilities in North America. To date juwi has developed and built large-scale solar projects in thirteen different states in the United States, totaling more than 250 MWs of operating capacity.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368095

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120830/MM62627LOGO

SOURCE PSEG Solar Source

Related Links

http://www.pseg.com


Funds to be used to expand capital markets platform and predictive algorithms for use by public companies and investors

TORONTO, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Q4 Inc., a global leader in SaaS investor relations and capital market solutions, announced today the closing of a $22 million Series B financing, bringing the Company's total amount raised to $30 million.

(LOGO: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368399LOGO)

This round was led by OpenText Enterprise Apps Fund (OTEAF), Information Venture Partners, and HarbourVest Partners along with Emerillon Capital, and Kensington Capital Partners. Series A investors Plaza Ventures and Accomplice also participated. The funding will go towards expanding the Company's engineering, sales and marketing teams.

"We are delighted to lead this round," said Richard Black, General Partner at the OpenText Enterprise Apps Fund. "Our investment in Q4 reflects our belief in the tremendous market potential for their technology and management's ability to execute on their vision. With over 600 top tier customers Q4 has demonstrated their ability to deliver value to the most demanding companies on a consistent basis. We are very excited about their growth prospects in the future."

Q4 has been steadily expanding their investor relations platform since 2013, which now includes investor websites, earnings webcasting, market intelligence and investor CRM suite. The Company is focused on applying artificial intelligent methods such as machine learning and natural language processing to provide real-time insights on institutional trading, market sentiment, volatility and investor activism.

"Over the last 10 years, the market has become more complex and opaque than ever before. Alternative trading systems, dark pools and high frequency trading have created a challenging environment, making it almost impossible for corporates and investors to understand what is happening within the global financial markets," said Darrell Heaps, CEO of Q4 Inc. "Our products bring simplicity to this problem and help companies better understand the market, manage investor engagement and communicate with the street. We are at the early stages of our vision and look forward to using these funds to continue expanding our platform and analytics for corporate and institutional clients."

"There has been very limited innovation in investor relations technology. Q4 is at the forefront of adopting and developing new technologies, changing the user experience for its communications customers and redefining intelligence methodologies to provide better insights to IROs, CFOs and CEOs," said Robert Antoniades Co-Founder and General Partner of Information Venture Partners.

2015 was a watershed year for Q4, generating record client & ARR growth and executing on Company's product suite expansion. Launching in June, the new Q4 desktop will be the investor relations industry's most integrated market intelligence, investor CRM, website and webcasting platform on the market. Q4 plans to unveil this new product at the National Investor Relations Institute's annual conference in San Diego, June 4-8, 2016.

"As we expand our presence in Canada, HarbourVest is excited to partner with Q4 in this next stage of its growth path," commented David Zug, Vice-President, HarbourVest Partners. "This dynamic team and technology are poised to continue to transform the way public companies engage their shareholders."

"We are excited to partner with Q4 at this critical inflection point in its growth," said Raghu Bharat, Investment Manager at Emerillon Capital. "As demonstrated by their remarkable growth, this round of funding will help Q4 capitalize on global demand for their solutions, and accelerate the company's pace of product innovation."

Q4 has over 150 employees in offices in Toronto, Chicago and New York.

About Q4 Inc.

Q4 is a global leader in communication and intelligence solutions to the IR market. With hundreds of Fortune 1000 brands using Q4 website, webcasting, analytics and advisory solutions, we have created a full service platform that enables public companies to better connect with their investors and understand the capital markets. Visit www.q4inc.com to learn more.

About OpenText Enterprise Apps Fund

The OpenText Enterprise Apps Fund (OTEAF) was formed in 2015 and invests primarily in Canadian technology companies that are building disruptive, enterprise applications that leverage the power of the internet, big data, predictive analytics and mobility. OTEAF has offices in Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec.www.oteaf.vc.

About HarbourVest

HarbourVest is an independent, global private markets investment specialist with more than 30 years of experience and $39 billion in assets under management. The Firm's powerful global platform offers clients investment opportunities through primary fund investments, secondary investments, and direct co-investments in commingled funds or separately managed accounts. HarbourVest has more than 340 employees, including more than 90 investment professionals across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. This global team has committed more than $30 billion to newly-formed funds, completed over $13 billion in secondary purchases, and invested $5 billion directly in operating companies. Partnering with HarbourVest, clients have access to customized solutions, longstanding relationships, actionable insights, and proven results. http://www.harbourvest.com.

About Information Venture Partners

http://www.informationvp.com/

About Emerillon Capital

Based in Montreal, Emerillon Capital is a venture capital fund dedicated to investing and supporting companies with strong technological expertise that are positioned in sectors with strong growth potential. It aims to accelerate commercial start-up and support their expansion. Emerillon Capital invests primarily in Canada. By leveraging the network of CM-CIC Investissement, its lead sponsor, Emerillon Capital offers entrepreneurs a gateway to support their development projects in Europe. For more information, visit www.emerilloncapital.com.

SOURCE Q4 Inc.
NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Rapid Growth in Construction Sector and Surging Demand for Plastic, Wires & Cables, Pipes & Fittings to Drive Qatar Plasticizers Market Through 2021

New Age TechSci Research Logo (PRNewsFoto/New Age TechSci Research)

According to TechSci Research report "Qatar Plasticizers Market By Type, By Application, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021", the market for plasticizers in Qatar is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.75% during 2016-2021. In Qatar, plasticizers are being increasing used as additives in the production of films & sheets, pipes & fittings, wires & cables, and in construction sector for manufacturing PVC based roofing, flooring and wall coverings. On the basis of chemical composition, plasticizers are classified into two categories - phthalate plasticizers and non-phthalate plasticizers. Non phthalate plasticizers are majorly used in packaging, healthcare, pharmaceutical and food & beverage industries, whereas phthalate plasticizers are majorly used to impart features such as durability and longevity to wires & cables, and flooring and wall coverings used in the construction sector. Continuing growth in number of real estate and infrastructure projects in Qatar is expected to positively influence the demand for plasticizers over next five years.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/663730 )



Browse 21 market data Tables and 22 Figures spread through 97 Pages and an in-depth TOC on "Qatar Plasticizer Market"

http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/qatar-plasticizers-market-by-type-phthalate-and-non-phthalate-by-application-wires-cables-construction-pipes-fittings-films-sheets-and-others-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021/671.html

Growing need for polymers used in various applications such as roofing and wall covering solutions is also boosting the consumption of plasticizers. Qatar is expected to witness more than 8% growth in demand for PVC in the coming years, which is highest in the GCC region. Polymer production capacity of the country stood at 2.1 million tons in 2015, and is expected to increase at a CAGR of 8% during 2016-2021. Moreover, construction industry, which is the second largest and the fastest growing end user industry for plasticizers in Qatar, is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of more than 10% over the next five years. All these factors are expected to boost demand for plasticizers in the country through 2021. Few of the major global players operating in Qatar plasticizers market include Clariant, Lanxess, Petrochem, and BASF.

Download Sample Report @ http://www.techsciresearch.com/sample-report.aspx?cid=671

Customers can also request for 10% free customization on this report.

"During 2011-2015, growth in demand for plasticizers from wires & cables was the highest, however, over the next five years, growth in demand for plasticizers from construction sector is anticipated to be higher. Increasing construction activities in Qatar, in both residential as well as non-residential segments, coupled with continuing infrastructure development is expected to result in increasing plasticizer consumption over the next five years.", said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm.

"Qatar Plasticizers Market By Type, By Application, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011-2021" has evaluated the future growth potential of Qatar plasticizers market and provides statistics and information on market structure, industry behavior and trends. The report includes plasticizers market projections and demand forecasting. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers to take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyzes the emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities in Qatar plasticizers market.

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Global Masterbatch Market By Type (White, Black, Color and Additive), By End User (Packaging, Construction, Automotive, etc), By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2011 - 2021

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Qatar Masterbatch Market By Type (White, Black, Additive and Color), By Application (Blown Film Packaging Plastic, Roto Molded Builders Plastic and Cables), Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021

http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/qatar-masterbatch-market-by-type-white-black-additive-and-color-by-application-blown-film-packaging-plastic-roto-molded-builders-plastic-and-cables-competition-forecast-and-opportunities-2011-2021/628.html

Middle East and Africa Masterbatch Market By Type (White, Black, Color and Additive), By End User (Packaging, Construction, Automotive, Consumer Appliances and Others), By Country, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021

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About TechSci Research

TechSci Research is a leading global market research firm publishing premium market research reports. Serving 700 global clients with more than 600 premium market research studies, TechSci Research is serving clients across 11 different industrial verticals. TechSci Research specializes in research based consulting assignments in high growth and emerging markets, leading technologies and niche applications. Our workforce of more than 100 fulltime Analysts and Consultants employing innovative research solutions and tracking global and country specific high growth markets helps TechSci clients to lead rather than follow market trends.

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Contact

Mr. Ken Mathews

708 Third Avenue,

Manhattan, NY,

New York - 10017

Tel: +1-646-360-1656

Email: [email protected]



SOURCE TechSci Research
Turf Concepts, an artificial grass installation company based in Boca Raton, has seen unprecedented growth over the past 12 months. "We've been in business for 17 years, and our business has more than doubled just in the past year alone," owner Glen Minnis explained. "Homeowners just don't want to take care of their lawns anymore, and now they realize they don't have to."

And it's not just the mowing, weeds and watering that are bothering homeowners. Minnis and his crew recently installed artificial grass for a Jupiter, FL homeowner, converting an area of natural grass surrounding a pool. According to Minnis, the owner was having a difficult time keeping their pool clean. "They were tired of all the grass bits, insects and other junk getting into their pool, and they just realized the upkeep of their lawn was also affecting the upkeep of their pool. All of it just wasn't worth it for them anymore."

The Jupiter project converted 1,428 sq. ft. of natural grass to "Everglade Spring Pro", a product available through Synthetic Grass Warehouse (SGW). At 55 gallons of water per square foot per year needed to maintain natural grass, the homeowner can expect to save nearly 80,000 gallons of water per year. The Jupiter project also won Turf Concepts "Install of the Month" honors, an SGW program that features installations from landscapers across the nation.

About Synthetic Grass Warehouse, Inc:

Synthetic Grass Warehouse is the exclusive national distributor for TigerTurf and Everlast brands of synthetic grass products. Founded in 2004, Synthetic Grass Warehouse specializes in turf products designed for landscaping, pets, putting greens, and playgrounds. SGW provides same-day shipping on all turf orders. For more information, visit https://www.syntheticgrasswarehouse.com

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368159

SOURCE Synthetic Grass Warehouse, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.syntheticgrasswarehouse.com


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RiceBran Technologies (NASDAQ: RIBT and RIBTW) (the "Company" or "RBT"), a global leader in the production and marketing of value added products derived from rice bran, announces financial results for Q1 2016.

Financial Highlights

Revenues: Consolidated revenues for Q1 2016 rise to $10.1 million compared to $9.7 million in the same quarter of the prior year. USA segment revenues increase by 53% compared to Q1 2015 and by 23% sequentially to reach a record $7.8 million. Brazil segment revenue declined from $4.6 million in Q1 2015 to $2.3 million in Q1 2016 due decreased throughput and a decline in the value of the Brazilian currency.

Gross Profit: Consolidated Q1 2016 gross profit improved by 100% to $2.2 million compared to $ 1.1 million in Q1 2015. USA segment gross profit increased by 49% compared to Q1 2015 with margins remaining strong at 31.7% inclusive of a 50% increase in animal nutrition sales.

Adjusted EBITDA: The Company's USA and Corporate segment achieved $376,000 in positive adjusted EBITDA in Q1 2016 compared to an adjusted EBITDA loss of ($647,000) in the same quarter of the prior year. The Company's Brazil segment recorded an Adjusted EBITDA loss of ($593,000) in Q1 2016 down from ($924,000) in Q1 2015. Overall consolidated adjusted EBITDA loss in Q1 2016 was ($217,000), a $1.3 million improvement from the ($1.6 million) recorded in Q1 2015.

Net Loss: Q1 2016 consolidated net loss narrowed to ($251,000), a 92% improvement compared to a consolidated net loss of ($3.0 million) recorded in Q1 2015.

W. John Short, CEO and President, commented: "In the first quarter of 2016 we recorded record revenue in our USA segment which grew significantly both quarter over quarter and sequentially. Our sales growth was broad based coming from both human ingredients and functional foods as well as animal nutrition. We experienced significant growth from two customers that were a very small percentage of sales in 2015 as well as a nice ramp from our largest customer that launched a complete line of reformulated products early in 2016. The distribution agreement signed with Kentucky Equine Research late in 2015 helped us achieve a 50% increase in animal nutrition sales in the quarter. Most importantly, we achieved this performance while at the same time reducing USA segment operating expenses quarter over quarter. We have seen continued follow through thus far in Q2 2016 and believe that our sales initiatives in 2015 coupled with our supply chain strategies are beginning to deliver sustainable growth to take advantage of the capacity investments we have made in our USA Segment plants over the past two years. Consumer demand for our products continues to improve and we are now set to add organic rice bran products to our portfolio based on the agreements we entered into with Narula to fuel further growth in 2016."

Short continued, "In Brazil, the continued effects of the country's economic collapse and currency devaluation have weighed heavily on our Brazil segment. While we have streamlined operations and continue to reduce costs to mitigate its effect on our overall business, we are still experiencing supply chain difficulties that have led to inconsistent performance, low processing rates and further losses, albeit at a reduced level due to the success of our cost reduction initiatives. The recovery of $1.9 million related to our acquisition of Irgovel coupled with our capital raise in February of this year places us on more solid financial ground, giving us the ability to grow in our USA segment while we explore a number of both short and long term strategic alternatives for Brazil in order to ride out this economic storm. Overall, we see continued strong demand in our USA segment as we move through 2016 and believe our marketing efforts and greater bran availability will help to drive further improvement in both our overall top and bottom line performance for the foreseeable future."

Q1 2016 Operating Results

Revenues

Consolidated revenues for Q1 2016 were $10.1 million, a 4.1% increase compared to Q1 2015 consolidated revenues of $9.7 million. The increase in revenue was due to a 53% year over year increase in USA segment revenue that reached a record $7.8 million partially offset by a decline in Brazil segment revenue. USA segment revenue was bolstered by revenue increases of more than 50% in both our human ingredient and functional food business as well as animal nutrition sales. Brazil Segment revenue was negatively impacted by a decrease in throughput as well as a 27% quarter over quarter decline in the average Brazilian Real versus US Dollar exchange rate. The Company expects the business environment in Brazil to remain challenging throughout 2016 as the country continues to experience a severe economic downturn.

Gross Profit

Consolidated gross profit for Q1 2016 reached $2.2 million, a 100% increase compared to gross profit of $1.1 million in Q1 2015 with gross profit percentage increasing by 11.4 percentage points to 22.3%. The increase gross profit and gross profit percentage was a direct result of the significant increase in high margin revenue from our USA segment coupled with a decline in revenue from our Brazil segment which recorded negative gross profit in both quarters. USA segment gross profit reached $2.5 million, a 49% increase compared to $1.7 million in Q1 2015. Gross profit percentage from our USA segment declined by 0.9 percentage points to 31.7% due to the significant quarter over quarter increase in animal nutrition sales.

Operating Expenses

Consolidated operating expenses decreased by $265,000 to $3.7 million in Q1 2016 compared to $4.0 million in 2015. The decrease in operating expenses is mainly attributable to a $108,000 decrease in SG&A expenses as well as $157,000 decrease in depreciation and amortization. USA segment SG&A expenses decreased slightly quarter over quarter despite the significant increase in revenue with overall operating expenses as a percentage of segment sales in the quarter declining to 17.7% as compared to 28.7% in Q1 2015.

Adjusted EBITDA

On a fully consolidated basis, we recorded a consolidated adjusted EBITDA loss of ($217,000) in Q1 2016, a $1.3 million improvement over an adjusted EBITDA loss of ($1.6 million) recorded in Q1 2015. USA and Corporate segment adjusted EBITDA in Q1 2016 improved to $376,000 compared to ($647,000) adjusted EBITDA loss recorded in Q1 2015. Brazil segment adjusted EBITDA loss narrowed to ($593,000) in Q1 2016, compared to an adjusted EBITDA loss ($924,000) in Q1 2015. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure management believes provides important insight into the Company's operating results (see reconciliation of non-GAAP measures below).

Net Loss

For the first quarter of 2016 the Company recorded a net loss attributable to shareholders of ($251,000) or a loss of ($0.03) per diluted share on 9.2 million weighted average shares outstanding. This compares to a loss of ($3.0 million) or ($.33) per diluted share on 9.2 million weighted average shares outstanding in the first quarter of 2015

Additional information can be found in the Company's Form 10-Q filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on May 16, 2016.

The Company will hold a conference call to discuss its Q1 2016 results on May 16, 2016 at 4:30 PM EDT. Call-in information is as follows:

Date: May 16, 2016

Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

Direct Dial-in number for US/ Canada : (201) 493-6780

Toll Free Dial-in number for US/ Canada : ( 877) 407-3982

Dial-In number for international callers: (201) 493-6780

Participants will ask for the RiceBran Technologies First Quarter 2016 Financial Results Call

This call is being webcast by ViaVid and can be accessed at http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=119662

The call will also be available for replay by accessing http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=119662

About RiceBran Technologies

RiceBran Technologies is a human food ingredient and animal nutrition company focused on the procurement, bio-refining and marketing of numerous products derived from rice bran. RiceBran Technologies has proprietary and patented intellectual property that allows us to convert rice bran, one of the world's most underutilized food sources, into a number of highly nutritious human food ingredient and animal nutrition products. Our target markets are human food ingredients and animal nutrition manufacturers and retailers, as well as natural food, functional food and nutritional supplement manufacturers and retailers, both domestically and internationally. More information can be found in the Company's filings with the SEC and by visiting our website at http://www.ricebrantech.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements about RiceBran Technologies' expectations regarding financial performance, production capacity, production levels, product demand, capital expenditures, supply of raw materials, completion of projects and future growth. These statements are made based upon current expectations that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. RiceBran Technologies does not undertake to update forward-looking statements in this news release to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting such forward-looking information. Assumptions and other information that could cause results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking information can be found in this press release and in RiceBran Technologies' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent periodic reports.

USE OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL INFORMATION

We utilize "Adjusted EBITDA" as a supplemental measure in our ongoing analysis of short term and long term cash requirement and liquidity needs. Adjusted EBITDA does not represent cash flows from operations as defined by generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"), is not a measure derived in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (the most comparable GAAP financial measure to EBITDA). Management uses Adjusted EBITDA as an indicator of our current financial performance. By eliminating the impact of all material non-cash charges as well as items that do not regularly occur, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides a more accurate and informative indicator of our cash requirements.

The table below contains a reconciliation of net income (GAAP) and Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP) for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015. We do not provide a reconciliation of forward-looking net income (GAAP) to Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP). Due to the nature of certain reconciling items, it is not possible to predict with any reliability what future outcomes may be with regard to the expense or income that may ultimately be recognized in future periods. Any forward-looking Adjusted EBITDA information that we may provide from time to time consistently excludes the same items from projected net income that are excluded from actual net income in the table below.

RiceBran Technologies Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation For the three months ended March 31, 2016 (in thousands)







Corp. & USA Brazil Consolidated Net income (loss) $ 1,205 $ (1,343) $ (138)

Interest expense 679 412 1,091

Interest income - (33) (33)

Income tax benefit - - -

Depreciation & amortization 517 205 722



Unadjusted EBITDA $ 2,401 $ (759) $ 1,642 Add Back Other Items:







Change in fair value of derivative liabilities (811) - (811)

Gain on resolution of Irgovel purchase litigation (1,598) - (1,598)

Loss on extinguishment - - -

Foreign currency exchange, net - (65) (65)

Other income/expense - 65 65

Non-recurring severance payments - 153 153

Share-based compensation 217 13 230

Other 167 - 167



Adjusted EBITDA $ 376 $ (593) $ (217)

RiceBran Technologies Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation For the three months ended March 31, 2015 (in thousands)







Corp. & USA Brazil Consolidated Net loss $ (1,347) $ (2,298) $ (3,645)

Interest expense 294 505 799

Interest income - (49) (49)

Income tax benefit (7) - (7)

Depreciation & amortization 549 613 1,162



Unadjusted EBITDA $ (511) $ (1,229) $ (1,740) Add Back Other Items:







Change in fair value of derivative liabilities (173) - (173)

Loss on extinguishment - - -

Foreign currency exchange, net - 219 219

Other income/expense (155) 73 (82)

Non-recurring severance payments - - -

Share-based compensation 192 13 205



Adjusted EBITDA $ (647) $ (924) $ (1,571)

SOURCE RiceBran Technologies

Related Links

http://www.ricebrantech.com


Afghanistan supports China's position to resolve the South China Sea issue via bilateral negotiations between countries, a top Afghan leader said while meeting with Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing on Monday.

"Afghanistan supports China's stances over issues concerning its core and major interests," said Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who is visiting China from Sunday to Wednesday.

The remark came after about 40 countries said they backed China's stance on the issue.

"Afghanistan supports our position in the South China Sea issue and our efforts in resolving the issue through bilateral channels and peaceful means of negotiation and consultation," Hou Yanqi, deputy director of the Foreign Ministry's Asian Department, said after the meeting.

Premier Li said China appreciates the neighbor's solid support in these areas and would like to deepen bilateral cooperation in economic and people-to-people exchanges, security and regional and international affairs.

The post of Afghanistan's chief executive was created in September 2014 for Abdullah, who claimed victory in that year's presidential election simultaneously with another candidate, Ashraf Ghani. In a compromise to maintain national unity, Abdullah assumed the new post while Ghani became president.

Fu Xiaoqiang, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said Afghanistan's support shows that China has won over a large number of countries on the South China Sea issue.

"Negotiations with contracted countries are the only way to resolve the dispute, instead of military means," he said.

Support for China included a statement on Thursday at the close of the ministerial meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum, in which the participating Arab nations backed China's efforts to peacefully resolve maritime differences through dialogue.

Meanwhile, after the meeting, China and Afghanistan signed agreements to promote economic and technological exchanges, regional connectivity and bilateral trade.
SALT LAKE CITY, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sundance, a premier lifestyle retailer of women's and men's apparel, footwear, jewelry, accessories, art, and home decor, is pleased to announce the opening of its newest store in Tigard, OR. This store, located in Bridgeport Village, will host its Grand Opening Weekend celebration beginning on Thursday, May 19, 2016.

Sundance, a premier lifestyle retailer of women's and men's apparel, footwear, jewelry, accessories, art, and home decor, is pleased to announce the opening of its newest store in Tigard, OR.

Bridgeport Village is located outside of Portland, OR, a beautiful area, in a natural setting, experiencing tremendous growth in both industry and culture. CEO Matey Erdos explains, "We are excited to be joining this art-forward community. The Sundance heritage is one of celebrating artistic passion and independent spirit. There is an obvious fit for Sundance, given our mutual appreciation for inspiring creative expression and new discovery."

Erdos continues, "The Bridgeport Village store offers our customers a unique experience, one we are privileged to provide and one not commonly found elsewhere. Our thoughtfully designed store is artisan inspired, bringing the distinctive Sundance lifestyle to the culturally rich area. We are confident our loyal supporters will make it a great success."

With a historical commitment to artisans, Sundance will donate a portion of the proceeds from the Grand Opening Weekend to Vibe of Portland, a Portland-based organization working to emphasize art education. Their focus is to expose children to arts and music where these programs have been reduced or eliminated from their educational experience. Erdos explains, "We support the mission and work of Vibe, as we too believe everyone of any age deserves an opportunity for art education. Being exposed to this education empowers the great artists of the future."

The opening of the Bridgeport Village Sundance Store continues the company's recent retail expansion. Since August of 2015, Sundance has opened stores in the Galleria Edina in Edina, MN, NorthPark Center in Dallas, TX, Kierland Commons in Scottsdale, AZ, Southlake Town Square in Southlake, TX, and plans to expand their retail locations over the next several years. One-of-a-kind pieces and Sundance exclusive items will continue as the cornerstones for product offerings.

About Sundance

Famed actor, director, and visionary of independent filmmaking, Robert Redford founded Sundance Catalog in 1989 to promote the works of artists and craftspeople from across the country and around the world. From a small operation run out of the attic of the old Sundance Village firehouse, Sundance has grown to become one of America's preeminent lifestyle retailers. Offering a thoughtfully curated mix of unique, premium-quality women's and men's apparel and footwear, jewelry, accessories, art and home decor, Sundance elevates the traditions of authentic American heritage into a classic and creative style.

Sundance headquarters are located in Salt Lake City, UT. In addition to Bridgeport Village, the company's unique product selection is available through its catalog, seven other retail stores, Corte Madera, CA, Park Meadows, CO, Edina, MN, Dallas, TX, Southlake, TX, Scottsdale, AZ, and an outlet store in Salt Lake City, UT, and website www.sundancecatalog.com.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368352

SOURCE Sundance

Related Links

http://www.sundancecatalog.com


BOSTON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Rue La La Chairman Michael Rubin today announced the appointment of Mark McWeeny as Chief Executive Officer. In a planned succession, Mark McWeeny replaces Steve Davis.

McWeeny, one of the original co-founders of Rue La La, has served in a variety of roles including the organization's Chief Financial Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and President of New Ventures. Additionally, two current executive team members Mark Weinberg and Lisa Rhodes will move into new, expanded roles.

"I'm grateful to Steve for being an incredible partner for sixteen years and for positioning Rue for success as we embark on our future. These moves are a natural next step in the evolution of the brand," said Michael Rubin, Chairman of Rue La La. "I have worked with Mark since 2009 and I couldn't be more excited for him to drive the company forward as CEO in our next chapter. Mark's experience and passion for the business make him the perfect successor."

Steve Davis, former CEO of Rue La La, said, "I'm looking forward to seeing Mark and his capable team leading the charge. I've been working alongside Mark for the last five years building the most engaging online retail experience. I'm excited to leave the company in the hands of someone who has been here from the beginning and knows the vision and the tremendous opportunity we have."

Mark Weinberg (formerly the EVP of Corporate Development) will move into the role of Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. In addition to her current responsibilities as President, Lisa Rhodes will now be part of the Board of Directors.

"I'm thrilled to continue the success of the last several years. After a profitable 2015, we will focus on driving innovation, capitalizing on our mobile leadership, cultivating additional strong brand relationships and creating deeper consumer engagement into the future," said Mark McWeeny, CEO, Rue La La.

McWeeny will be responsible for creating, implementing and driving the brand's strategy, development, vision, and day-to-day operations with a focus on maintaining and furthering the success and profitable business seen in 2015.

About Rue La La

Rue La La strives to be the most engaging off-price, online style destination connecting world-class brands with the next generation shopper. Each day, Rue La La Members discover the most desired men's, women's and children's apparel and accessories; home decor and accents; and exclusive destinations and experiences. Rue La La's engaging approach to retail has brought theatre and excitement to online shopping; creating a captivating e-commerce destination that strategically supports its brand partners and inspires its Members daily. Rue La La is ranked #8 on Internet Retailer's 2016 Mobile 500 List. Visit us at www.ruelala.com.

Contact:

Trisha Spillane

Rue La La

617-790-3666

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160211/332479LOGO

SOURCE Rue La La

Related Links

http://www.ruelala.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Levi & Korsinsky announces it has commenced an investigation of VIVUS Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS) concerning possible breaches of fiduciary duty by the board of directors of the company. To obtain additional information, go to:

http://zlk.9nl.com/vivus-vvus

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, California, 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

Eduard Korsinsky, 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

http://www.zlk.com


HERMOSA BEACH, Calif., May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SharkReach, Inc. ("SharkReach" or the "Company") (OTC: SHRK) a millennial influence marketing company today announced that Mark J. Gustavson has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of SharkReach and its operating subsidiaries. Mr. Gustavson will add leadership and company building expertise during our funding and expansion period. SharkReach will continue to focus on several avenues for increasing sales and profitability while taking advantage of Shark's industry leading next generation in Digital and Influencer Marketing.

Mark J. Gustavson

Chief Financial Officer

Mark Gustavson has 17 years of business development, transactional, alliance management, finance, operational, company formation and IP experience with emerging technology companies. During his career he has acquired extensive experience integrating business disciplines in connection with emphasis in turn-around transactions. Mr. Gustavson has led and closed dozens of transactions with cumulative valuations in excess of $180MM in industry-transforming technology companies.

Prior to SharkReach, Mr. Gustavson was President and co-founder of MedicuRx Corporation, a position he held from February 2013 to June 2015. While there, he was responsible for managing the company formation and transactional activities in collaboration with co-founder Dr. Joseph Rubinfeld for business development, finance, and research & alliance management.

From July of 2012 through January of 2013, he was the President and CEO of ImCure Therapeutics, Inc. From June 2009 through November 2011, Mr. Gustavson served as Executive Vice President at EVP Colmen Group LLC. Mr. Gustavson was a Director of Valdor International Technologies, Inc. from December of 2012 to June of 2013.

In these various executive capacities he was responsible for all company transactions, ranging from acquisitions and strategic collaborations to ordinary course transactions, and engaged in strategic planning for business development, product development, and in-licensing activity and closing numerous business development collaborations.

Mr. Gustavson served as Private Banker at Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. From April 1997 through February 1999 Mr. Gustavson was VP of Private Banking and was charged with co-launching the CNMI branch of the Pacific Regional Division during the bank's expansion period. Mr. Gustavson's further activities included Investment Strategist where his focus included introducing early stage technology companies to domestic investors.

Sector specialties include: biotechnology, IP based banking, mobile payment systems, social media, mobile gaming applications and fiber optics. Mr. Gustavson received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science (minor in sociology, concentration in economics) from the University of Oregon in 1991. His most recent transaction was the recapitalization and 4.2MM source funding for social media company CloudTalk Corporation. He served as Director and Senior Advisor to Valdor International Technologies located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

About SharkReach, Inc.

SharkReach, Inc. (OTC: SHRK). SharkReach is a Disruptive Millennial Media Company that combines the strength of an Influencer Owned Network with Proprietary Technology for creating, posting, managing and monitoring Branded Sharable Content.

What sets SharkReach apart from other companies in the marketplace is that its influencers (both grass roots individuals and Celebrities) are also its shareholders and that its network has a larger market reach than the top 5 television networks combined!

20,000+ Influencers  with 500+ million Followers  with 200+ million Likes & Shares  produces an Aggregate Reach of 2.9 billion.

SharkReach as one of the first companies in this space is the established leader in Influencer Marketing. It presently has the largest footprint, and plans to further enlarge its market share through various acquisitions. It has shown that is has the unique ability to reach the Gen Y and Millennial demographic.

Millennials Demand exacting standards in the products and services that are essential to satisfying their social conscience and personal needs. They are the first of several generations to come that will veer away from traditional media. They do NOT watch television, and they do not trust brands and commercials. Their purchasing decisions are impacted by the individuals, friends, and celebrities that they follow on Social Media and YouTube.

Its criteria for target acquisitions are companies are those that will bring: 1. Content Management; 2. Sentiment Tracking; 3. Large Client Lists; and 4. Proven Track Record of 2+ Years In The Influencer Marketing Space.

Historically, and in this order, television, radio, magazine and newspaper advertising were the ways to reach clients. To reach more clients and to increase sales, Celebrity Endorsements were added to Brands to increase the effectiveness of these traditional media outlets.

Sponsored Social Media Influencer Marketing, now sits atop the field!

In a recent report of the most effective marketing ratings, Influencer Marketing, in absolute ratings, beat Celebrity Endorsements, Television, Radio, Magazine and Newspaper advertising.

In the last year alone, Influencer Marketing has seen positive gains, significantly out-pacing all tested approaches in "Positive Momentum":

Change in Marketer Regard vs. Year Ago

Influencer Marketing -7/+65

Celeb Endorsements -12/+21

TV Ads -20/+12

Radio Ads -32/+11

Magazine Ads -36/+4

Newspaper Ads -56/+6

Our Tracking & Reporting platform and quantifying systems enable clients to select suitable Influencers and to track campaigns in ways they have not been available before.

There are three main components:

SharkRank: Influencer Ranking System and Influencer Marketplace.

Allows clients to select suitable Influencers for their Campaign utilizing Shark Rank's proprietary influencer-ranking algorithm.

SharkScore: Campaign Level Reporting Engine.

Reporting engine that allows clients to log in and view the statistics of delivery of the campaign in real time calculating impressions, views, like and shares, carrying the reporting across all social media outlets and the web.

SharkPulse: Campaign Effectiveness Monitoring & Brand Sentiment Reporting.

SharkPulse Real-Time Reporting Dashboard allows our clients to view in real-time the activity of their campaigns through our proprietary dashboard across all social media networks ! It monitors brand sentiment across Social Media and the Web a first in influencer marketing. Ability to set up auto responders for Negative posts. Acts as an insurance policy for your brand allowing you to follow every conversation and respond.

For more information on SharkReach, please visit the Company's website at www.SharkReach.com.

To be added to the SharkReach investor email list, please email [email protected] with SHRK in the subject line.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements relate to future events, including our ability to raise capital, or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our public filings with the SEC are available from commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

SOURCE SharkReach

Related Links

http://www.sharkreach.com


NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Native New Yorker, Award-winning Filmmaker Derrick Simmons releases his action/suspense thriller titled, Nobody's Perfect, A Derrick Simmons Film. It's a rags to riches story about a young woman name Sasha, meets Morgan, the man of her dreams, or so she thinks. However, once they get married, Sasha's dreams become a nightmare when she is subjected to an abusive relationship full of control, violence and fear.

This is a powerful story that takes the audience on an emotional journey as two people suffer through the consequences of domestic abuse. "This movie goes beyond the typical story of woman meets man and falls in love," said Simmons. "The film delves into the intricacies of what becomes a convoluted relationship, dealing with complex issues that include domestic violence.

After an extensive film festival run that included the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Derrick Simmons, received the 2015 Best Director and Theatrical Career Achievement Awards from the Poconos Film Festival. Nobody's Perfect also received the 2014 Best Film Award at the Mount Vernon Film Festival.



"It has been an amazing experience and great feeling to be recognized for doing something you love," said Simmons. "I cannot express enough of gratitude to everyone who has supported me through out my career in the film industry. There is so much more to come in the near future."

Simmons wrote, directed and produced the film through his production company, Derrick Simmons Film Works. He also stars in the film alongside Lexi Moeller, Don Wallace, Rick Aiello and Tim Gallin.

She Loves Me. He Loves Me Not. "NOBODY'S PERFECT" A Derrick Simmons Film.

Nobody's Perfect: A Derrick Simmons Film now available on DVD,

Amazon and iTunes VOD.

Contact: Derrick Simmons Film Works

Phone: 646-504-4333

Email: [email protected]

For more information, check out our websites:

http://www.nobodysperfectfilm.com

http://www.derricksimmonsfilmworks.com

http://www.derricksimmons.com

Movie Trailer Link: https://vimeo.com/157708132

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Derrick Simmons Film Works

Related Links

http://www.derricksimmonsfilmworks.com


CORAL SPRINGS, Florida, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

With consumers becoming increasingly more health conscious, the natural sweeteners market is reaping the benefits as the demand for sugar alternative rises. Experts are forecasting steady growth for stevia in the natural sweetener sector as consumers steer towards healthier options and away from traditional sugar and less effective sugar alternatives.

Reporting developments of importance regarding the natural sweetener industries in the markets today: Sunwin Stevia International, Inc. (OTC: SUWN), one of the top global suppliers of high quality stevia extracts including Rebaudioside A 98 and Rebaudioside A99, announced today that it has recently delivered several purchase orders for a total of 5 tons of stevia extracts in a value of excess $300,000. The clients are based in Asia and both North and South Americas. The delivered stevia extracts include both high grade stevia (Reb A: 95% to 99.8%) and low grade stevia (Reb A: 60% to 80%).

Read the full Sunwin Stevia (SUWN) Press Release at http://www.financialnewsmedia.com/profiles/suwn.html

Ms. Dongdong Lin, CEO of Sunwin Stevia stated, "We expect substantial growth in sales of our stevia extracts in the coming years, as we continue to develop new products for our global clients and expand our market reach worldwide. In the past two years, we have invested substantial capital and resources in R&D and production facilities. As of now, we focus on expanding our market share of stevia extracts in Asia, Europe, North America and South America. As we continue to expand our market efforts, we believe we will see substantial growth in our stevia extracts for years to come."

In other sector related developments and happenings: Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) announced this week that it has acquired full ownership of Amazon Flavors, a leading Brazilian manufacturer of natural extracts, emulsions and compounds. ADM had previously owned a 40 percent equity stake in Amazon. "Brazil is a key market as we continue to grow our ingredient sales around the globe," said Vince Macciocchi, president of ADM's WILD Flavors and Specialty Ingredients business unit. "Brazil is the largest food and beverage market in South America, and we look forward to working with the Amazon Flavors team to ensure that we are the go-to source for Brazilian food and beverage customers."

Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR), together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells starches and sweeteners to various industries. The company in late April reported results for the first quarter 2016. "We delivered another strong quarter with solid operating income and earnings per share and continued progress on our strategic blueprint. Acquisition-related volume, more favorable price/product mix in both our specialty and core ingredients as well as margin expansion propelled by our global optimization efforts and Penford cost synergies all contributed to increases in operating income and earnings per share," said Ilene Gordon, chairman, president and chief executive officer. "As expected, North America, Asia Pacific and EMEA achieved solid operating income growth for the quarter while South American operating income was lower than the prior year as the region faced slowing economies and foreign-exchange headwinds. Read the full INGR report at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ingredion-incorporated-reports-strong-first-103202771.html

PepsiCo's Aquafina has unveiled two spots to promote its new line of naturally sweetened sparkling water. The launch of Aquafina's sparkling water campaign comes just days after Coca-Cola's (NYSE: KO) Dasani rolled out new packaging and flavors for its own sparkling water offering, which will be supported with a campaign called 'Break for Bubbles.' Source: The Drum.com

In other trading activity of interest in the Stevia sector, Stevia First Corporation (OTC: STVF) trading above the 3 month average volume closeing up slightly at $0.075 on over 396,000 shares traded by the close. Stevia First Corp. operates as an agricultural biotechnology company in the United States. The company develops proprietary fermentation technologies for production of stevia, an alternative sweetener.

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SOURCE FN Media Group LLC
The video highlights Richard Shane, Ph.D., founder of Sleep Easily, presenting fundamentals of the Sleep Easily Method to the Boulder Police Department. It is designed to help police sleep better and perform better during their shifts. For many, this video will be sufficient to help them sleep better. To view the video, please visit http://sleepeasily.com/police. After watching, contact us for additional content you can add to your website.

In response to the national discussion about police use of force, many police departments are working on a host of strategies to address the issues.

Shane points out, "Research shows that good sleep is a critical and overlooked factor that can lead to improved decision making, reaction time and safety among police officers."

"My police work hours are 9 PM  7 AM. Sleep is more difficult if you're working nights and trying to trick your body into sleeping during the day. I found Sleep Easily much more useful than anything else I've experienced in the last 27 years. Take it from someone who improved his daytime sleep in the first week, this system works!"

- Police Sergeant Richard Pantle

Sleep Easily is not hypnosis or meditationit's a technique. Quickly learned through audio recordings and written material, it teaches you five specific physical triggers you can use to sleep better tonight!

The Sleep Easily Method is available on the company's website. For more information on the Sleep Easily Method visit http://sleepeasily.com.

Sleep Easily encourages police to talk about and seek treatment for their sleep difficulties to improve their health and relationships.

Share this: Join @sleepeasily in promoting better sleep health for law enforcement during National Police Week!

About Sleep Easily

One in three people suffer from insomnia. Sleep Easily provides a medication-free sleep solution to help them sleep well and perform better during the day. The Sleep Easily method was developed by Richard Shane, Ph.D. For over 25 years, Dr. Shane has helped more than 2,000 insomnia patients sleep better. In an independent study with Sleep Easily used by police, firefighters, commercial airline pilots and the general public, 81.6 percent of participants reported improved sleep. Sleep Easily LLC is based in Boulder, Colorado. To learn more, visit http://sleepeasily.com

Media Contact:

Alison Cochran

Sleep Easily

Marketing Manager

303-818-0649

[email protected]

@sleepeasily

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160111/321188LOGO

Available Topic Expert: For information on the listed expert, click appropriate link.

Richard Shane

ProfNet - http://www.profnetconnect.com/drshane

SOURCE Sleep Easily

Related Links

http://sleepeasily.com


"We could not be more excited to deliver a unique portfolio solution for investors interested in harnessing the potential of the many healthcare innovations that continue to take place across our country," said Kevin Mahn, Chief Investment Officer of SmartTrust  .

In addition to innovation, demographics such as an increase in life expectancies, an aging population and an overall increase in the rate of chronic illnesses globally are driving overall demand for new healthcare solutions.

The Trust itself seeks to pursue its objective by investing in a portfolio consisting of equity securities comprising the Poliwogg Healthcare Innovation Index (PHIX). Poliwogg is a financial services company whose mission is to create innovative financial products that give both institutional and retail investors the widest possible opportunity to invest in the most dynamic sectors and subsectors of the life sciences, such as medical innovations and breakthroughs.

The underlying index of the Trust is designed to help isolate predominantly biotech companies that are potential takeover targets. Index inclusion criteria include, but are not limited to, companies with:

At least one drug in phase II or III clinical trial

Expected catalyst event date within 24 months

Drug designation of breakthrough, fast track, or orphan

"We're proud to partner with S-Network and leverage the extensive experience of Poliwogg to focus more on innovation and biotechnology (biotech) than big pharmaceutical companies with this new UIT strategy," said Richard Hennion, Partner, Hennion & Walsh.

SmartTrust UITs offer diversified income and total return opportunities through innovative investment strategies. Assets grew by 28 percent in 2015 while the number of Trusts outstanding grew by 24 percent over the same period. For more information about Hennion & Walsh's SmartTrust UIT products, please contact the firm's Internal Support Desk at 888-505-2872, or visit www.smarttrustuit.com

About Hennion & Walsh

Hennion & Walsh, a full service brokerage firm specializing in municipal bonds, was founded in 1990 by Richard Hennion and Bill Walsh. Their mission is to be individual investors' fiercest and most passionate advocate. Investment guides, webinars, seminars and online content are just some of the ways they help investors become better informed and make better investment decisions. The firm has built its reputation on developing strong, mutually beneficial relationships designed to last a lifetime, serving over 16,000 clients with brokerage accounts and managed portfolios. They are committed to providing individual investors with the institutional-quality service and guidance they believe they are entitled to. Additional information on Hennion & Walsh is available at www.hennionandwalsh.com. Hennion & Walsh is a member of FINRA and SIPC.

About S-Network Global Indexes, Inc.

S-Network Global Indexes, Inc. (SNGI) is a publisher and developer of proprietary and custom indexes. Founded in 2005, SNGI publishes over 200 indexes, which provide the foundations for ETFs and other financial products with approximately $4 billion in assets under management. Key clients in this capacity include some of the world's leading providers of ETFs, UITs, Structured Products and SMAs. The principals of SNGI maintain a wealth of indexing experience, having arbitraged, traded, managed, developed and maintained indexes either as employees of or consultants to some of the world's leading financial institutions, including Deutsche Borse AG, State Street Bank & Trust, Deutsche Bank AG, the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and Barclays Global Investors (now BlackRock), among others. SNGI also provides FINRA- and IOSCO-compliant customized solutions to Registered Investment Advisors.

About Poliwogg

Poliwogg is a financial services company whose mission is to create innovative financial products that give both institutional and retail investors the widest possible opportunity to invest in the most dynamic sectors and subsectors of the life sciences  medical innovations and breakthroughs. Poliwogg products enable investment in medical innovation categorized in a number of different ways: by risk, by sector/subsector, and by individual opportunity. These groupings empower investors to invest directly in their own areas of interest. Poliwogg's management team has extensive experience in finance and investment, healthcare, foundations, and government. It combines that expertise with a passion for increasing and broadening investment in healthcare. Greg Simon, the CEO of Poliwogg, has held senior positions in both houses of Congress and the White House, been a senior strategy consultant to a number of international technology CEOs, led a national patient advocacy nonprofit, and has served as a senior executive at a major pharmaceutical corporation. He has developed a reputation as a visionary strategist, dynamic public speaker and writer, and as a knowledgeable analyst of emerging trends in healthcare, information technology, drug research and development, and patient advocacy.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

Kevin Mahn

ProfNet - http://www.profnetconnect.com/kevinmahn

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160127/326717LOGO

SOURCE Hennion & Walsh
MIAMI, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida, Inc. (SWS-Florida)a division of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern), today announced the formation of a new Artisanal Fine Wine & Spirits division.

Laura DePasquale, a Master Sommelier (MS), has been named as the General Manager of the division. DePasquale joined Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida in 2015 as Director of Fine Wine Strategy and was tasked with launching the Artisanal concept and division in the market in 2016. DePasquale will report to Gene Sullivan, Executive Vice President, General Manager of the SWS-Florida division.

"I am confident Laura will be a strong leader of this innovative new division and will build and elevate its presence across the State of Florida for our suppliers and customers alike," said Sullivan. "The Artisanal division is a new and exciting concept in wholesale for Southern in the market. Like Southern's Artisanal Group in California, we will be dedicated to small wineries, artisanal spirits, as well as new trends and brand developmentcombining a smaller, lighter approach to the market with educational events and consultative selling."

Prior to joining Southern, DePasquale was Senior Vice President and General Manager at The Country Vintner specifically focusing on the Stacole Fine Wines business. Before that, she was Vice President of Fine Wine Development at Palm Bay International for more than a decade. DePasquale achieved the Master Sommelier Diploma in 2004 and has been an active educator, examiner and speaker for the Court of Master Sommeliers-Americas.

"This is a tremendous honor and opportunity to build and expand Southern's new Artisanal division in Florida. I look forward to building a great team at Southern that will support our Fine Wine and spirits partners and customers across Florida," said DePasquale.

The Artisanal division will operate in the new Southern Wine & Spirits of Wynwood space in Miami's Wynwood Art District. The 17,000-square-foot building will include state-of-the-art classroom facilities, fine wine storage, as well as additional spaces for indoor and outdoor wine tastings and special events for visiting winemakers and master distillers. It will also house the offices of Lee Schrager, Vice President of Corporate Communications, and his national special events and hospitality teamsincluding the South Beach Wine & Food Festival team.

About Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.

Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. is the nation's largest wine and spirits distributor and broker with operations in 38 markets. The multi-state distributor currently operates in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. On a national basis, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. employs more than 14,500 team members. Southern urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve and enjoy its products responsibly.

For more information about Southern and its responsible consumption program, see: http://www.southernwine.com.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150805/255645LOGO

SOURCE Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.southernwine.com


DALLAS, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SWAPA, the union representing the pilots of Southwest Airlines today filed papers in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas to obtain status quo protection due to unlawful tactics of Southwest Airlines. The carrier is ramping up negotiations pressure by threatening to force its pilots to fly aircraft not listed in the collective bargaining agreement.

Southwest Airlines is the launch customer of Boeing's new 737-800 MAX aircraft ("the MAX") with scheduled deliveries beginning the first half of 2017. The pilots assert that Southwest may not operate or threaten to operate the MAX without a contract provision for this aircraft. SWAPA asserts that Southwest Airlines is violating federal law by threatening to proceed unilaterally if an agreement is not reached before the MAX is delivered for use by the carrier.

"Each new type of 737 that has joined the Southwest fleet over the years has required contractual agreement, whether in Section 6 negotiations or through an amendment to a current contract," said SWAPA President, Captain Jon Weaks. "We believe Southwest Airlines, in planning to fly the MAX without a contract for it, is threatening a breach of status quo under Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act. Pilots cannot be forced into labor without a contract in place."

Southwest has a firm order for 200 MAX aircraft between 2017-2027 with options on an additional 191 over that same time frame.

"Over the past 10 years there have been multiple instances where our contract was reopened to accommodate the use of a new aircraft, whether it was the 737-700, 737-800, or the B717," continued Captain Weaks. "The MAX is certainly no different and we expect management to finalize a contract with its pilots expeditiously so that this new aircraft can be flown."

The pilots have been negotiating with Southwest on a new contract since 2012. Currently in federal mediation, hundreds of pilots will descend upon Chicago on May 18 to engage in informational picketing both on Michigan Avenue and near Chicago Midway airport.

Located in Dallas, Texas, the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association (SWAPA) is a non-profit employee organization representing the more than 8,300 pilots of Southwest Airlines. SWAPA works to provide a secure and rewarding career for Southwest pilots and their families through negotiating contracts, defending contractual rights and actively promoting professionalism and safety. For more information on the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association, visit www.swapa.org.

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association

Related Links

http://www.swapa.org


An evolving relationship with China is currently a hot topic in the U.S., especially during the presidential election season.

R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 2005-2008 at the Department of State, recently made a speech in Washington, D.C. describing China-U.S. ties as symbiotic. He said the biggest challenge for U.S. diplomacy is balancing partnership and competition with China. Viewing China as an enemy would be a serious mistake, he stressed.

Burns, the former Under Secretary of State emphasized that China is simultaneously a competitor and an essential collaborator of the U.S. Whats key is how the U.S. keeps these two dynamics balanced.

When it comes to the economy, China and the U.S. jointly stabilized the market to help resolve the financial crisis. On diplomacy, the two countries have cooperated to reduce emissions, promote security, and settle the Iranian nuclear issue and Syrian chemical weapons crisis. With regards to politics, both countries have worked together on counter-terrorism and global governance.

As Burns said, the relationship between China and the U.S. clearly has the potential to be beneficial and symbiotic. Nevertheless, since Chinas reform and opening up over 30 years ago, the gap between its international influence and that of the U.S. has been narrowing. Chinas growing power threatens the dominant position of the U.S. in the Asia-Pacific region.

For that reason, some conservatives and military authorities in the U.S. are reverting to a Cold War mentality, straining to maintain the regional order established by the U.S. in its prime. However, sound China-U.S. relations actually call for rationality, not defensiveness. This is Burns point, too. During the election season, his voice and experience should not be underestimated.

The U.S. should think twice before defaulting to full-on competition with China. It is rationality rather than Cold War mentality that will ensure a positive future for bilateral relations between the two countries.

(The author is a professor and the Deputy Dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University.)

This article was edited and translated from , Source: People's Daily
LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Friday, the LA City Attorney's office issued a statement that "SpeedWeed has ceased operations" because we are allegedly in violation of zoning ordinance Measure D ("Proposition D"). SpeedWeed is presently open and fully operational. We have been working with the City Attorney on a "wind down" period to pause operations within the City Limits. Because of the City-imposed injunction, we are forced to put 40 good people out of work. With a heavy heart, we requested time to give our employees the chance to make new arrangements for work and do what is best for their families and to insure safe access for our members. The City agreed.

SpeedWeed continues to operate and expand. This is not end of SpeedWeed in the City of Los Angeles. This is only the first chapter. We intend to have our day in court. Win or lose, it is important that a judge, jury and the Los Angeles voters understand the insidious way Proposition D was drafted, passed and enforced. LA citizens are unaware of the unintended consequences of this unjust, obscure and very dangerous zoning rule.

LA City Attorney Mike Feuer has publicly stated he believes individuals have the right to safe access but Proposition D, the "will of the voters," was passed "overwhelmingly" and he must enforce that ordinance. The ordinance that passed in 2013 with very low voter turnout and very little voter education on the rule puts the entire LA cannabis industry into the hands of a few brick-and-mortar dispensaries and bars any new business from entry. In the industry, these dispensaries are known as "The Marijuana Monopoly." As interpreted by the City Attorney, Prop D bans home delivery in the City of Los Angeles under all circumstances, including to thousands of blind, elderly, disabled, and homebound patients who rely on medical marijuana delivery services such as SpeedWeed.

SpeedWeed had been operating successfully for years before the passage of "Prop D." Its passage predates Mr. Feuer's election so we give him the benefit of the doubt. Additionally, Prop D is inconsistent with a number of state laws including the newly passed Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA). Mr. Feuer is misinterpreting the true will of the voters and he is unaware of the destructive consequences of this broadly applied ordinance.

We work closely with the California State Assembly and the California BOE. We have excellent relationships with many cities throughout California; including several in Los Angeles County. SpeedWeed's Code of Conduct is the industry standard on how to run a cannabis business safely and legally. Officials throughout California frequently ask us why LA continues to damage the cannabis industry: an industry so fragile, but so important to the future financial health of California. The answer is politics and money.

We are reaching out to Mr. Feuer in the hopes that we can form an amicable and productive relationship. We are willing and able to help him and LA City Council solve the "Prop D Problem." Mr. Feuer has a responsibility to learn how Proposition D negatively affected hundreds of thousands of LA citizens. He must decide if he supports privacy rights, patient rights, and a safer Los Angeles. Or he must support the City Council and Prop D which puts all cannabis dollars in the hands of a very few, violates our personal and medical privacy, fuels the underground economy and makes the city a more dangerous place.

We hope Mr. Feuer will allow us to present our irrefutable evidence that with SpeedWeed in business, Los Angeles is a safer, freer place.

In future statements, we will detail the politics surrounding the writing, passing and enforcement of Prop D including the strange way our individual case has been conducted. First, we offer friendship and guidance to LA City Attorney Mike Feuer. Voters, industry leaders, elected officials and state agencies throughout California support SpeedWeed in our lawsuit with the city. SpeedWeed is not the problem. We hope Mr. Feuer will recognize this and accept our offer to help the City bring its cannabis laws in line with the true will of the voters. Proposition D will eventually be amended, repealed or replaced. But why wait? If the City and SpeedWeed work together, Los Angeles can lead the state instead of continuing to lag behind.

SOURCE SpeedWeed
WOODBURY, N.Y., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- "Own your future, Long Island!" is the message from Scott Maskin, chief executive officer and president of SUNation Solar Systems, who this week received Long Island Business News' Top CEO Award, an honor reserved for Long Island's top executives of signature firms and organizations who consistently demonstrate remarkable leadership skills, integrity, values, vision, commitment to excellence, financial performance, community service, and diversity. Maskin was honored at a ceremony on May 12, 2016 at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, New York, where he was joined by other Long Island professionals and honorees.

Scott Maskin, chief executive officer and president of SUNation Solar Systems, named a LIBN Top CEO

"My passion for my work is motivated by my drive to make the world a better place  starting right here on Long Island. I will continue to strive to achieve new heights in my profession and give back to the community and the greater good whenever possible," says Maskin.

Maskin's company leadership and hands-on approach have driven the growth and branding of SUNation Solar Systems, the Long Island-based full-service solar installation company he co-founded in 2003. Prior to joining the solar industry, he worked as a traditional electrician in the 1980s; after obtaining his Master Electrician's license in 1994, he made the decision to work independently. The next 18 years were filled with countless electrical and general contracting projects for hotels, "big box" retail stores, restaurants, and homes. Solar became a passion and a direction for him in 2001; three years later, he created SUNation with his partner Mike Bailis. Headquartered in Ronkonkoma, NY, the company focuses on unmatched attention to detail and a true dedication to the highest quality standards.

Outside of work, Mr. Maskin serves on the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of Suffolk County; is a dedicated supporter of Last Chance Animal Rescue; and is heavily involved in the LGBT Network. Jonathan Chenkin, of LGBT Network Corporate and Business Relations, described him as someone who "gives of himself genuinely and freely, and supports those people and causes that he holds dear."

Mr. Maskin started fostering dogs through Last Chance Animal Rescue in 2014. The organization's founder and executive director, Whitney Knowlton, commented, "Scott is a man who is focused on building and improving the lives of those around him. His passion for life and his commitment to his family and to the community are evidenced in all that he does. We are blessed to have his unwavering commitment to our life saving mission."

About SUNation Solar Systems

SUNation Solar Systems is a full-service solar installation provider based in Ronkonkoma, NY. With unmatched attention to detail and dedication to a high standard of quality of work, the company has built a strong reputation since its origin in 2003, and has installed over 1,800 systems in the region to date. The solar company gives back to its community through many charitable efforts as part of its not-for-profit corporation SUNation Cares. SUNation Solar Systems Chief Executive Officer Scott Maskin also serves on the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of Suffolk County, and is a dedicated supporter of Last Chance Animal Rescue. For more information on SUNation Solar Systems, visit http://sunationsolarsystems.com/.



Media Contacts

Jessica Bailis

[email protected]

SUNation

Lisa Hazen

[email protected]

631-239-6335 x103

Communication Strategy Group for SUNation

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368190

SOURCE SUNation Solar Systems
NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/-- Surveillance Today goes public with an in-depth expose of fraud in the Intelligence Systems Support industry: "spyware" vendors caught selling "air ware" and other products that do not work as claimed, even faking product demos to delude buyers.

Products covered in the analysis include malware, lawful intercept, mobile location, advanced analytics, military intelligence and pre-crime solutions  plus empty metal boxes sold by ISS vendors as "bomb detection" devices. Companies involved in the scandal are located in Dubai, Germany, Israel, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The analysis is available in full to all visitors  today only, at www.surveillancetoday.com

Surveillance Today debuts at a time of heightened concern over terrorist attacks by ISIS, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the New IRA and other violent non-state actors. Independent sources cite 389 terrorist attacks worldwide in 20151. With more than 300 documented incidents in the current year-to-date including attacks in Brussels, Lahore and Baghdad, acts of terrorist violence are on track to triple during 20162. Such attacks can be preempted with the help of legitimate ISS solutions that reveal the plans, identities and extended networks of terrorist organizations.

Assisting in that mission, Surveillance Today meets the need for clear assessment of surveillance and evidence-gathering solutions  systems that are not addressed by conventional technology analyst organizations. Topics covered include but are not limited to:

Artificial Intelligence and Pre-Crime

Deep Packet Inspection and IP Flow Monitoring

Deep Web Monitoring

Encryption, Cryptography and Cryptanalysis

Ethical Malware

Forensics

Geofencing

Hardware Accelerators  Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs)

Lawful Intercept Mediation, Probe and Cloud Solutions

Military Apps: CIDNE, DCGS, Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), LIDAR

Mobile Location  Active & Passive, Network and Wi/Fi, 2G, LTE and Future 5G

Network Functions Virtualization

Records Production for Subpoenas and Court Orders

Real Time Predictive Analytics and Visualization

RF Monitoring/Jamming and Direction Finding

Semantic Text Analysis

Social Media Monitoring

Tactical and Strategic SATCOM Monitoring

Voice Biometrics for Surveillance and Multifactor Authentication

Zero Day Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Annual membership in Surveillance Today is offered at U.S. $900, payable by credit card or Bitcoin, and fully refundable for any reason in the first 30 days of membership. As a public service: Through June 17, 2016, lifetime membership in Surveillance Today is free to qualified law enforcement, government and military intelligence officials.



About Surveillance Today

Surveillance Today is an independent, members-only information resource providing objective analysis of Intelligence Support Systems. The publication reviews the full range of advanced technology solutions used by law enforcement, government and military intelligence to combat terrorism and crime. Surveillance Today is not affiliated with any ISS vendor, trade association, industry conference, government or other state or national agency or organization. To ensure complete objectivity, Surveillance Today does not accept advertising, contributed content or any compensation other than membership fees.

More information at www.surveillancetoday.com

Media Contact:

Ken Jones

PR and Communications Specialist

Office: 727-823-3191

Mobile: 571-228-2880

Email

1 Wikipedia, List of Terrorist Incidents, 2015

2 Wikipedia, List of Terrorist Incidents, 2016

SOURCE Surveillance Today

Related Links

http://www.surveillancetoday.com


IRVINE, Calif., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Synoptek LLC, worldwide IT Managed Services Provider and Cloud Solutions firm, has received multiple 2016 Confirmit (Achievement in Customer Excellence (ACE) Awards including: Voice of the Customer, Innovation in Customer or Employee Engagement, and the Judge's Choice Winner for Contact Center. Synoptek's impressive achievements in customer excellence are a reflection of the company's focus on extraordinary service levels that meet the unique needs of every client. In the past, Synoptek's Help Desk has received recognition for multiple customer service awards, including the Stevie Awards and Confirmit ACE awards.

The Confirmit ACE Awards program celebrates outstanding achievement in customer experience. Receiving a Confirmit ACE Award demonstrates a recipient's "rigorous application in the voice of customer processes and outstanding performance as measured by these processes." Only an elite group of companies qualify for ACE Awards. Synoptek earned multiple Confirmit ACE Awards based on its Helpdesk Services & Transactional Survey program. The feedback Synoptek receives from this program greatly contributes to top-end IT service quality and consistency, enhanced staff training programs, and a refined customer feedback process.

"Synoptek is a proud recipient of multiple Confirmit ACE Award as it affirms our dedication to delivering the very best in customer experience," said Chris Riley, Director of Technology & Operations at Synoptek. "Our Voice of the Customer program has brought immense value to our organization and we are thrilled to share the award with all those who help fuel the experiences that afford us such a loyal customer base."

"This honor demonstrates Synoptek's long-term commitment to provide our customers with the highest level of service excellence with continuous process improvement with ITIL as our foundation around delivery for our clients," said Craig Brechner, President at Synoptek. "We believe IT Service Providers that can achieve the highest levels of client satisfaction scores will remain relevant, continue to add value to our customers, and ultimately maintain highly loyal customers." "We are all very proud of this accomplishment and look forward to continuing to delight our customers."

"As a 2016 Confirmit ACE Award winner, Synoptek has demonstrated a genuine commitment to listening to its customers in an effort to better understand their needs and drive positive change across the business," said Henning Hansen, President and CEO of Confirmit. "We continue to be impressed with the caliber of the entries we receive each year, and we are delighted to honor those like Synoptek that are undertaking exceptional customer experience activities."

This success story by Synoptek is comprised of an unparalleled win in three out of five Confirmit ACE award categories granted each year. These distinguished customer-facing awards place Synoptek in a class of exceptional companies that care about customer experience including Authorize.net, Best Buy, Dell Software, Sony Mobile Communication and Virgin Money, to name a few. As the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, Synoptek once again strengthens their continued delivery of world-class services and best practices.

Synoptek's North America-based Help Desk teams support clients 24x7x365, across 25 vertical markets with users in 49 countries. Learn More about Synoptek's 247 Help Desk services.

About Confirmit ACE Awards

Confirmit is committed to the delivery of solutions for Voice of the Customer, Voice of the Employee, and Market Research programs, supporting global customers and analysts for business change and value. The Achievement in Customer Excellence (ACE) Awards program was established in 2005 to recognize outstanding achievement in customer experience. Receiving a Confirmit ACE Award is a distinct honor that demonstrates both rigorous application of customer feedback processes and outstanding performance as measured by those processes. Confirmit customers and partners are eligible for Confirmit ACE Awards for their company, business units, or segments of a business. To be eligible for a Confirmit ACE Award, organizations must have conducted one or more customer surveys within a previous calendar year.

About Synoptek

Synoptek offers IT consulting, managed services, cloud services, and on-premise IT management as well as 247 end user support for improving business results. With over 525 employees and more than 2000 active customers in the United States and abroad, Synoptek provides comprehensive information technology management services and support. Synoptek leverages ITIL service management processes, customer-focused IT architecture, and operational excellence to deliver uninterrupted services demanded by today's market. Over the past four years, Synoptek has been consistently recognized for thought leadership and growth as confirmed by industry awards and recognition including a #15 ranking by MSPmentor in the World's Top Managed Services Providers in 2015, CRN's Elite 150 Managed Services Providers, and a #2 MSP ranking in the state of California. For more information, visit www.synoptek.com

For more information, contact: Tyler Suss, 949-491-1832, [email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368345LOGO

SOURCE Synoptek

Related Links

https://synoptek.com


BEIJING, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ruder Finn Asia has again partnered with The Philadelphia Orchestra as their Official PR Agency for the 2016 China Residency and Tour of Asia. This will be the third consecutive year for the successful partnership. The three-week tour, led by Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin,includes Residency in China and concerts in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Macao, Tokyo, Osaka and Kawasaki. Ruder Finn is responsible for strategic PR communications, media coordination for both online and offline, in the run up, during and post tour. The Ruder Finn team also provides strategic council for the China market, as well as future initiatives in China.

The multi-city tour consists of multiple concerts, small pop-up performances at important cultural sites, master classes, lectures and community outreach visits.

This year marks the 43rd year since The Orchestra's first visit to China. In 2011, The Orchestra signed a historic five-year agreement with the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing to develop a pilot partnership, which was jointly designed to unite The Orchestra's members with talented young Chinese musicians and develop their skills to be orchestral players. It was also designed to bring orchestral music to China's major cities and the provinces.

Throughout the years, the popular orchestra has gained significant appreciation from the Chinese pubic and local communities. They have received a very positive and warm welcome in all the cities they have played in, working with local governments, communities and cultural partners.

Craig Hamilton, Vice President for Global Initiatives and Government Relations, The Philadelphia Orchestra: "We are delighted to have retained Ruder Finn again as the official PR Agency for our annual work in People-to-People Exchange between the United States and China, not the least of which is the upcoming 2016 China Residency and Tour of Asia. It has become clear in the course of our partnership that few other firms rival the focus on  and understanding of  the arts and cultural industry in both countries, and their strategy, execution and media placements have been both targeted and wide-ranging  allowing us to get our message to millions of people each year and ensure that our key audiences receive specialized and targeted messages. The results have been extremely helpful to the Orchestra to spread the word about our many projects - and their outcomes - to our stakeholders around the globe."

Jean-Michel Dumont, Chairman of Ruder Finn Asia: "It's been a great privilege to partner with the Philadelphia Orchestra. It has been an amazing experience working with such talented people who are genuinely committed to creating an emotional connection with the people of China. The response and rapport from the audience and communities in the different cities have been tremendous. The Philadelphia Orchestra has made a difference to Chinese people's lives since their first visit in 1973."

The Orchestra became the first American orchestra to perform in Mainland China in 1973, returning again 20 years later in 1993, and again in 1996, and also in 2001. In 2008, the Orchestra commemorated the 35th Anniversary of its historic visit to China. Two years later, in 2010, The Orchestra helped open the World Expo in Shanghai.

For further information, please contact:

Jean-Michel DUMONT, Chairman, Ruder Finn Asia

Email: [email protected]

Mike BRUHN, Head of Arts & Culture Practice, Ruder Finn Asia

Tel: + (86-21) 5383 1188 ext 681 Mob: + 86-13801911142

Email: [email protected]

About Ruder Finn Asia

Founded in 1989, Ruder Finn Asia (www.ruderfinnasia.com) is the Asia-Pacific subsidiary of New York-based Ruder Finn (www.ruderfinn.com), the leading independent global public relations consulting firm. Growing at an average of 25 percent every year since 2000, Ruder Finn Asia today employs close to 300 consultants in Asia-Pacific and has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore. The firm is represented across all other regional markets through a network of high quality affiliates. Ruder Finn Asia's business centers on four strategic pillars: Corporate & Public Trust, Global Connectivity, Health & Wellness and Life+Style. The firm offers expertise in reputation management, digital and social marketing strategy, crisis communication, employee engagement, design and executive skills training. Ruder Finn has dedicated teams for digital strategy, CSR, arts, culture and activation, providing insights and counsel into market trends, annual research reports including the China Luxury Forecast, Physicians Digital Outlook Survey and other publications. Delivering award-winning innovative, strategic public relations campaigns, Ruder Finn Asia's key clients include Emirates, Jumeirah, Volkswagen Group, Sanofi, Daiichi Sankyo, L'Oreal, Omron, Hermes, GSK, Cotton Inc, Bang & Olufsen, Michelin and leading brands from the Kering, LVMH and Richemont Groups.

SOURCE Ruder Finn

Related Links

http://ruderfinn.com


GREENOUGH, Mont., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer, it's time to earn an extremely tasty degree at Montana's premier luxury ranch resort, The Resort at Paws Up. As part of the first annual BBQ-U held from June 1719, 2016, Montana Master Grillers alums Sam Huff (Sam's BBQ-1 in Georgia) and Danny Fischer (Baby Blues BBQ in California) will conduct outdoor grilling demonstrations that will transform attendees from backyard beginners to searing savants. Guests will learn the techniques to cook a variety of high-quality meats and veggies like an expert, get up close and personal for demonstrations (including a whole hog presentation) and enjoy the grill masters' fine cooking, culminating in a stunning Montana Long Table dinner. Participants will take all of this in amidst Montana's majestic outdoors, luxury accommodations and outdoor adventure opportunities.

Demonstrations and Dinners Demonstrations throughout the weekend include a South American cooking demonstration featuring Argentinian, Brazilian and Colombian fare, with a focus on rubs, seasonings and techniques. A Far East cooking demonstration will explore Indonesian, Japanese, Malaysian and Thai flavors and textures, and a good ol' American grilling demonstration will focus on heat preferences, smoke flavors and wood types. A Whole Hog Presentation will be the centerpiece of the Montana Long Table dinner on Saturday, and grilling at the Chuck Wagon Dinners along the Blackfoot River will include live Americana and bluegrass music throughout the weekend.

Culinary Talent Chef Sam Huff opened Sam's BBQ-1 in 2004 to support his longtime hobby of entering barbecue competitions and using only handmade sauces and rubs and cooking techniques that aimed for the best quality possible. Southern Living named Sam's as a "best rib-sticking joint" in the Atlanta area. Atlanta magazine awarded Sam's as one of the top 50 restaurants and top BBQ in Atlanta. CBS Atlanta also recognized BBQ-1 as the "best barbecue in Atlanta," and Zagat gave Sam's their highest food-quality rating of any barbecue restaurant in Georgia.

Cooking has always come naturally to Chef Danny Fischer. His family owned restaurants, so cooking was an integral part of his upbringing. Fischer's passion for his craft shows in his finished product. His restaurant Baby Blues BBQ is routinely mentioned as having the best barbecue in West Hollywood, California, and the restaurant is always packed with barbecue lovers enjoying ribs, chicken, grilled shrimp, sandwiches and too many sides to list.

BBQ-U is an added value for guests staying at The Resort. All-inclusive rates start at $940 per person per night. This rate includes a private home, three meals daily, house wine and beer, barbecue demonstrations, airport transportation to and from Missoula International Airport and on-property transportation. In between demonstrations and dining, The Resort offers an extensive list of wilderness adventures from horseback riding and fly-fishing to ATV tours and rafting.

For reservations, please call 877-588-6783. The Resort at Paws Up is also on Facebook and Twitter (@Paws_Up).

ABOUT THE RESORT AT PAWS UP :

The Resort at Paws Up combines luxury with unforgettable adventure on 37,000 acres of untamed Montana wilderness that is steeped in history. The Resort offers accommodations for a maximum of 225 guests in 30 tented accommodations (seasonally) and 28 luxurious vacation homes, ranging from the two-bedroom Meadow Homes and three-bedroom Wilderness Estates to the charming four-bedroom Morris Ranch House. Paws Up is located in the heart of the Blackfoot Valley in western Montana, just 35 miles from Missoula International Airport. Travelers can access Missoula via direct flights from Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle. For more information, please visit www.pawsup.com or call 800-473-0601.

SOURCE The Resort at Paws Up

Related Links

http://www.pawsup.com


According to the National Math and Science Initiative, the U.S. may be short as many as three million high-skilled workers by 2018 due to a lack of STEM graduates.

These initiatives, created by Canadian Friends of The Hebrew University encompass a number of projects, including a gala dinner event, a 3-D book, and a STEM Summit. One of the focuses of this collaboration is the Dinner of the Century: a gathering of inspirational leaders from the sciences and humanities, to launch the publication of the Genius: 100 Visions of the Future, the world's first 3-D printed book. The dinner is hosted at the Smithsonian on September 9, 2017. Genius: 100 Visions of the Future, designed by renowned artist Ron Arad, will invite 100 of the greatest icons, leaders and influencers of our time to share their wisdom and visions for the future.

In addition, The Hebrew University and the Smithsonian Institution have come together to co-host a global STEM Summit on September 10, 2017 in Washington D.C. The summit serves to showcase innovation and scientific work from both institutions and allow the general public access to leading minds and innovators in various fields.

As co-founder of The Hebrew University, Albert Einstein left his entire estate and intellectual legacy to the institution. This includes over 80,000 documents and archives related to his work. This project will use the Albert Einstein archives, exclusive to The Hebrew University, in addition to the Smithsonian Institution's resources to further honour his vision.

The partnership between the Smithsonian Science Education Center and the Hebrew University through its ALBERT EINSTEIN FOUNDATION was made official May 16, 2016 at a ceremonial event wherein the two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Smithsonian Castle Commons.

"The Smithsonian has extensive resources in talent, platforms and knowledge base, making it the perfect partner for the Hebrew University and the ALBERT EINSTEIN FOUNDATION," said Menahem Ben-Sasson, President of The Hebrew University. "We are confident this collaboration will motivate a new generation to be our future leaders in STEM."

"Together, the Smithsonian and the Hebrew University have more than 250 years of experience in research, exploration, education and discovery," said David Skorton, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. "I see a bright future for this partnership. Many scientists, scholars, students, teachers and parents will benefit."

The ALBERT EINSTEIN FOUNDATION draws on the memory of Albert Einstein to inspire scientific imagination and creativity. For more information please visit: http://einsteinlegacyproject.com/

About The Hebrew University

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU), founded in 1918 and opened in 1925, is Israel's leading university. Albert Einstein, Martin Buber, and Sigmund Freud, were among the university's founders, they were thinkers and visionaries whose genius inspired a university that would have no limits or borders. Ranked as one of the world's leading research universities (ranked 3rd in Asia and 70th globally), HU lies at the forefront of the international academic and scientific communities. Many top prizes and awards have been won by its graduates and faculty including eight Nobel Prizes, and the Fields Medal in Mathematics. HU is a pluralistic institution where science and knowledge are advanced for the benefit of humankind in an atmosphere free of discrimination and prejudice.

http://new.huji.ac.il/en

About the Smithsonian Institution

Since its founding in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution has been committed to inspiring generations through knowledge and discovery. The Smithsonian is the world's largest museum and research complex, consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and nine research facilities. There are 6,400 Smithsonian employees and 5,400 volunteers. There were 28 million visits to the Smithsonian in 2015. The total number of objects, works of art and specimens at the Smithsonian is estimated at nearly 138 million, including more than 127 million specimens and artifacts at the National Museum of Natural History. http://www.smithsonian.org.

American Friends and Canadian Friends :

American Friends and Canadian Friends are non-profit organizations founded to promote awareness, leadership and financial support for Hebrew University and have been designated by Hebrew University to facilitate and coordinate international efforts to promote the legacy and achievements of Einstein on its behalf.

SOURCE Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Related Links

www.cfhu.org


Travelers' business practices were discovered by NFHA's investigators, who contacted five independent insurance agencies that market and underwrite Travelers insurance policies in the D.C. area. The investigators sought insurance coverage for multi-family apartment buildings located in Southeast Washington, D.C. When the investigators mentioned that the tenants participate in the Housing Choice Voucher program, often referred to as "Section 8," every investigator was told that Travelers does not provide habitational insurance to apartment owners who rent to tenants using Section 8. The investigators were told to seek coverage from other insurance companies. Evidence gathered over ten months documented this ongoing pattern and practice of discrimination on the part of Travelers.

Participants in the Housing Choice Voucher program use vouchers to find their own housing in the private rental market, including single family homes, townhouses and apartments. Participants are free to choose any housing that meets the program's requirements. A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the local housing authority on behalf of the participant. The participant then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program. The HCV program gives families, seniors, people with disabilities and individuals the opportunity to find decent, safe and sanitary housing. On average, D.C. residents using HCV pay approximately 30 percent of their household income for rent, and the D.C. Housing Authority pays the rest of the rent directly to the landlord.

Travelers' alleged practices and underwriting guidelines have a discriminatory impact on the District's most vulnerable households. Travelers' policies disproportionately harm African Americans and women and deter apartment owners who want to help house low-income families in Washington, D.C.

African American households make up 92 percent of Housing Choice Voucher participants in Washington, DC, although they are just are 45.2 percent of all households in the District. Female-headed households make up 82 percent of Housing Choice Voucher participants in Washington, DC, but only 47 percent of all households in the District.

"It is already very difficult to find affordable housing in Washington, D.C., and Travelers exacerbates that problem by denying insurance coverage to apartment owners who rent to tenants who participate in the HCV program. This program is funded by Congress to increase housing choice in neighborhoods across the District of Columbia and the nation. Travelers has effectively reduced the opportunity for families to exercise neighborhood choice," said Shanna L. Smith, President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance.

Ms. Smith added, "This lawsuit should not take Travelers by surprise. Travelers has known since at least 2013 that denying insurance to apartment owners simply because some tenants use Housing Choice Vouchers violates fair housing laws. NFHA member Project Sentinel, and apartment owners who rented to tenants using government subsidies, sued Travelers in federal district court in San Jose, California, in 2013. The parties reached a confidential settlement in July 2015 after the judge denied Travelers' motion for summary judgment and after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld disparate impact as cognizable under the Fair Housing Act. Yet, Travelers continues to utilize this discriminatory policy in the District of Columbia.

NFHA is represented by Relman, Dane & Colfax PLLC, a civil rights law firm based in Washington, D.C.

A copy of the complaint is available here.

The PowerPoint can be accessed on the NFHA website after the news conference has concluded.

The National Fair Housing Alliance

Founded in 1988, the National Fair Housing Alliance is a consortium of more than 220 private, non-profit fair housing organizations, state and local civil rights agencies, and individuals from throughout the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the National Fair Housing Alliance, through comprehensive education, advocacy, and enforcement programs, provides equal access to apartments, houses, mortgage loans, and insurance policies for all residents in the nation.

The work that provided the basis for this investigation was supported, in part, by funding under a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this release. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368600

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368601

SOURCE National Fair Housing Alliance

Related Links

www.nationalfairhousing.org


ATLANTA, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Triad Advisors, Inc. today announced that Keeney Financial Group ("Keeney Financial") has transitioned to the Triad Advisors broker-dealer and hybrid RIA multi-custodial platform. Keeney brings $350 million in client assets, as of March 2016, which is approximately evenly split between fee-based advisory and brokerage accounts. Triad Advisors is a leading independent broker-dealer supporting independent hybrid financial advisory practices and registered investment advisory (RIA) firms, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE MKT: LTS).

Based in Columbia, MD, Keeney Financial Group provides financial planning and wealth management to its mass affluent, business owner and high-net-worth clients. With approximately $350M under management, Keeney Financial Group has earned the distinction of impeccable service through their high-touch, concierge approach to client services. Their personalized attention is augmented by state-of-the-art technologies allowing their financial advisors to provide deliverables and gain efficiencies in helping clients appreciate the difference between merely living and living well. Underscoring Keeney Financial Group's commitment to exemplary service is their personal stake in client satisfaction  the firm's compensation packages are tied to client service metrics.

Nathan Stibbs, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer at Triad Advisors, said, "We are delighted to welcome Keeney Financial Group to Triad Advisors and our Hybrid RIA platform. Keeney Financial's entrepreneurial culture and strong growth potential make them an outstanding addition to the Triad family."

John P. Keeney, President of Keeney Financial Group, said, "We are excited about our new relationship with Triad Advisors and believe it will enable us to continue to differentiate Keeney Financial Group in the advisory services marketplace. The scale of our business and our desire to furnish clients with dynamic solutions had reached a level of complexity that required us to change our affiliations. We can now leverage some of the best technology providers in the world to furnish enhanced wealth planning and reporting tools, provide a greater depth of service and create a more personal and innovative client experience.

With the assistance of Triad's highly responsive service team, its support of our choice of leading-edge technologies and resources, and the additional capabilities available from Triad's parent, Ladenburg Thalmann, we will also be able to realize valuable efficiencies that will free our advisors to focus more of their professional attention on delivering intensive client service."

"In addition," Keeney continued, "Triad's active engagement in careful compliance oversight, concerning both the brokerage and RIA sides of our business, played an important role in our decision to make the transition to Triad. We look forward to working with them and benefiting from their thorough dedication to our business needs."

About Keeney Financial Group

Based in Columbia, MD, Keeney Financial Group is an independent advisory firm providing comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services to mass affluent and high-net-worth clients throughout the Atlantic region and beyond. With approximately $350M in assets in brokerage and fee-based advisory accounts, the firm has earned the distinction of impeccable, personalized service through their high-touch, concierge approach. This distinguishing depth of service has been both a cornerstone of client and staff retention and a primary catalyst for company growth  as clients who have experienced the difference between merely living and living well are eager to share their success stories.

About Triad Advisors

Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Triad Advisors, Inc. is a national, independent broker-dealer and multi-custodial SEC-Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) that is an early pioneer and continued leader in the Hybrid RIA marketplace. The company provides a comprehensive platform of products, trading and technology systems, as well as customized wealth management solutions. Recognized as one of the most successful and fastest-growing independent broker-dealers in the industry (including being named the leading broker-dealer for Hybrid RIAs five years in a row by Investment Advisor Magazine). Triad Advisors is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE MKT: LTS). For more information, please visit www.triad-advisors.com.

Media Contact:

Matthew Griffes / Joseph Kuo

Haven Tower Group LLC

424 652 6520, ext. 103 / 424 652 6520, ext 101

[email protected] or [email protected]

SOURCE Triad Advisors, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.triad-advisors.com


SAN FRANCISCO, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- It's Time Network (ITN), a national network of individuals and organizations working to advance gender equality, is calling upon mayors nationwide to prioritize women and girls in their leadership agenda.

Mayors committed to taking action now have a first-of-its-kind guide at their fingertips offering immediate access to specific recommendations, resources, models and best-practices nationwide. The Mayor's Guide: Accelerating Gender Equality  Strengthening Communities by Advancing Women and Girls will be released by ITN tomorrow 5/17 at an event in San Francisco's City Hall with leaders of local and national women's organizations and commissions.

This release coincides with increased efforts globally, nationally and locally to focus attention on the needs of women and girls including the upcoming Bay Area Women's Summit presented by Mayor Ed Lee of San Francisco and Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland, the White House sponsored United State of Women Summit on June 14th and the Women Deliver global conference in Denmark happening this week.

Despite vast gains for women in recent decades, significant gender inequality persists across the country. By focusing on gender equality, local governments can ensure that women and girls are fairly treated, represented in their cities, and that their communities thrive. For example, the wage gap extends across professions and hurts the entire economy. From construction workers to doctors, women make only 78% of their male counterparts' salary. For African-American and Latina women, the pay gap is even greater: the average African American woman earns only 64 cents and the average Latina only 55 cents compared to white men. It is estimated that improving gender parity will add millions to local economies and add $12 trillion to the global economy.

"It's time for cities across America to accelerate their efforts and take focused, practical actions to promote gender equality and enhance quality of life for all," said Betsy McKinney of It's Time Network, the Bay Area-based non-profit promoting gender equality through collaboration and collective action nationwide. "We want Mayors across the country to know that they will be supported and celebrated for elevating women and girls by a growing national network of organizations and individuals committed to gender equality and gender partnership."

It's Time Network also announced the launch of its national Network City Program as another support for local jurisdictions, with San Francisco as its first chapter. The Network City Program will support the implementation of recommendations in the Mayor's Guide and the needs of particular cities through a constellation of network cities that employ cross-sector collaboration.

"San Francisco is at the forefront of social change and women's equity and is the first City in the United States to offer fully paid parental leave for our working families," said Mayor Ed Lee. "We will make sure we continue our great work and do even more to ensure women and families succeed in the Bay Area and beyond."

San Francisco has been a leader nationwide in promoting gender equality at the local level. Many of the city's programs and practices are cited in the Mayors Guide as examples for other cities to emulate, including its becoming the first city in the world to adopt the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1988. In recent years, San Francisco has led the way in addressing the challenging issues of domestic violence and human trafficking and has supported cross-sector initiatives that support women in the workplace.

The Mayors Guide emerged from a roundtable event sponsored by It's Time Network, in partnership with the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women, on the eve of last year's annual U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting. The roundtable engaged mayors, women leaders, and experts across a variety of sectors to highlight successful models and innovations in 11 issue areas affecting women and girls. These included economic security and wage gap equity, ending violence against women, STEM education, and many others.

It's Time Network seeks to fuel this innovation where it matters most in women's lives  at the local level  to drive equality forward with easy, practical access to these pockets of success.

According to Beverly Upton, Executive Director of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium and Co-Chair of the San Francisco Family Violence Council, "This guide gives voice to the successful work we and others are doing so that it can be shared broadly and adopted quickly and effectively."

For more information or to download the guide and/or an overview of the top 11 ways cities can become more woman-and-girl friendly, visit itstimenetwork.org/mayors-guide.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368367LOGO

SOURCE Its Time Network

Related Links

http://www.itstimenetwork.org/


Hundreds of patrol boats of a border defense patrol boat brigade of the PLA set sail in the Heihe River on the China-Russia border to carry on summer patrol task on May 16, 2016. (Photo/people.cn)
WASHINGTON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. Representatives Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Andre Carson (D-Ind.) will discuss the rhetoric attacking Muslims and the Islamophobia in this presidential election year during a National Press Club Newsmaker on May 24 at 10 a.m. in the Club's Bloomberg Room.

As the only two Muslims in Congress, Ellison and Carson will speak about the rise of hateful and anti-Muslim speech, violence, and cultural ignorance in today's world and their work to ensure that the civil rights and civil liberties of all United States citizens are protected and preserved.

The National Press Club is located on the 13th Floor of the National Press Building, 529 14th Street NW, Washington, D.C.

This event is open to credentialed media and NPC members, free of charge. No advance registration is required.

Contact: Jamie Horwitz, NPC Newsmaker Chair,

202-549-4921, [email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080917/NPCLOGO

SOURCE National Press Club
ASHBURN, Va., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- USA FIBER today announced that the company has signed a Resource Sharing Agreement (RSA) with the State of Maryland. On May 11th, 2016, at an event at the capital, Governor Hogan signed the agreement authorizing the terms negotiated by the Maryland Department of IT and USA FIBER. Resource Sharing Agreements are limited to registered CLEC's who have met the unique requirements of the public commission and negotiated with the Maryland Department of Information Technology. The agreement calls for USA FIBER to provide the state with dark fiber strands on the path it is constructing from Ashburn to Baltimore in support of State of Maryland specific use. It also enables USA FIBER to leverage the state's right of way assets throughout Maryland.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368500LOGO

Highlights / Key Facts

This Resource Sharing Agreement places USA FIBER in a group of select competitive infrastructure providers able to build and own conduit and fiber infrastructure on State of Maryland public right of way, including resource limited highways.

FIBER in a group of select competitive infrastructure providers able to build and own conduit and fiber infrastructure on public right of way, including resource limited highways. The Ashburn Express cable system offers a unique trans-MD-VA route boring under the Potomac River and bypassing the Interstate 95 corridor, WMATA, Amtrak and Washington DC . The cables are made up of multiple 432 fiber-pairs, each capable of transmitting wavelengths at 100G+ per second. This level of high-performance connectivity is increasingly required by global businesses, government, and education customers running latency-sensitive applications and ensures a quality end user experience.

. The cables are made up of multiple 432 fiber-pairs, each capable of transmitting wavelengths at 100G+ per second. This level of high-performance connectivity is increasingly required by global businesses, government, and education customers running latency-sensitive applications and ensures a quality end user experience. The path of the Ashburn Express, inclusive of sections using the Maryland Resource Sharing Agreement, will reduce latency significantly from Maryland's key business centers within Montgomery County , Howard County , Anne Arundel County , Baltimore County , and Baltimore City connecting into Ashburn's unique data center ecosystem. The reduction in latency will allow government and business clients to reach from Maryland to Ashburn without any regen equipment given the sub 40 and sub 80 km specifications for the route's key tie in points.

key business centers within , , , , and connecting into unique data center ecosystem. The reduction in latency will allow government and business clients to reach from to without any regen equipment given the sub 40 and sub 80 km specifications for the route's key tie in points. Maryland is home to 17 Defense Department installations which, combined, support over 409,000 jobs, and generate over $57 billion in total output and $25.6 billion in wages. More than 50 major federal civilian agencies and research facilities, including the Social Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security and NASA Goddard. Sixteen of the top 20 federal contractors have operations here.

Quotes

Judd Carothers , Chief Operating Officer, USA FIBER:

"Signing the Resource Sharing Agreement with the State of Maryland , and completing the process end to end in less than 9 months is a major accomplishment. We signed the agreement with Governor Hogan on May 11 th, 2016 at a signing ceremony at the capital. What an honor it was to be a part of this process and to work with the state. Their mission is to enable economic growth, technological leadership, create jobs and a great living environment for their citizens. We are proud to have our team based in Hunt Valley, MD and to invest into new infrastructure in Maryland ."

The first portion of the Ashburn Express will be built through Montgomery County upon completion of the Potomac River underground bore. Montgomery is home to a robust business community, home to more than 250 biotech companies. Nineteen federal facilities in the county include the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Food and Drug Administration. In addition, the county is home to educational and research organizations such as the Johns Hopkins University's Montgomery County Campus, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and the Universities at Shady Grove. Montgomery County's 32,500 businesses employ over 365,000 in areas including information technology, telecommunications, biotechnology, software development, aerospace engineering and professional services. Over 600 businesses employ more than 100 workers. Leading private employers include Adventist, Discovery Communications, GEICO, Giant Food, the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Lockheed Martin, Marriott International, and Medimmune. USA FIBER is focused on deploying state of the art underground fiber and conduit infrastructure to support the rapidly growing needs of this community, and the current trend to connect to cloud platforms, Internet bandwidth and network based services providers found in Ashburn.

About USA FIBER: USA FIBER is a purpose built, high capacity, dark fiber network provider. USA FIBER engineers, builds and maintains application and carrier neutral dark fiber networks designed for mission critical customers. This strategy allows clients to connect with their applications and customers, on their own terms. Founded by Ken Goff and Judd Carothers, USA FIBER has deep expertise on staff to engineer, build and manage the most stringent of dark fiber networks, encompassing a history of over 10,000 route miles and 50 years of excellence. USA FIBER owns and operates dark fiber routes and focuses on purpose built new routes that add diversity, performance and scalability for clients' coast to coast. www.USAFIBER.com

Twitter Tags: #darkfiber #IaaS #datacenter #cloud @USAFIBER @USAFIBERSALES @Equinix @MDBiz

Contact:

Jeremy Latimer

Vice President of Sales

202-697-1429

http://www.usafiber.com

SOURCE USA FIBER, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.USAFIBER.com


REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Agiloft, Inc., a trusted provider of agile business process software, announced today that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is now live on the Agiloft platform. EliteBco, an Agiloft partner and certified reseller, created the custom demo and manages the project. USAID is a federally funded program, subject to FedRAMP compliance requirements, that works with foreign governments to end poverty and promote democracy.

The USAID custom demo was fully prepared to meet the organization's needs in less than a week, even with the additional FedRAMP compliance requirements. Agiloft frequently serves government organizations, such as the U.S. Air Force and NASA. Because the Agiloft platform is able to adapt quickly to complex workflow requests and remains flexible even after extensive configuration, agencies can maintain a low TCO while still meeting strict federal requirements. With code free technology and deep configuration capabilities, Agiloft brings agility to government.

"We are pleased to formally announce and showcase our FedRAMP compliant, USAID implementation," said Colin Earl, CEO of Agiloft. "EliteBco has worked tirelessly to make this implementation a possibility and we look forward to leveraging the flexibility of Agiloft to expand our FedRAMP opportunities in the future."

"We're thrilled with the ability of the Agiloft platform and how quickly we were able to configure it to USAIDs specifications," said Luis Baez Black, President of eliteBco. "Our partnership with Agiloft allows us to offer clients fully customized solutions in a matter of days rather than months, while still greatly reducing cost and future maintenance requirements."

FedRAMP is a strictly monitored compliance program to ensure the security of sensitive government information. Programs subject to FedRAMP standards often struggle to find functional software that is compliant and also works well with their current processes, which makes their search for viable software even more difficult than a normal implementation. Agiloft and eliteBco teamed up to solve this problem and make flexible software a reality for USAID. Agiloft can be deployed on premise or hosted in a FedRAMP compliant and SSAE 16-certified data center. The platform provides configurable software solutions that can meet complex requirements without custom scripts.

For more information on Agiloft's Partner Program, visit http://www.agiloft.com/partner-programs.htm.

About Agiloft

Over 2.5 million users at organizations ranging from small enterprises to U.S. government agencies and Fortune 100 companies depend on Agiloft's innovative applications for Help Desk, Contract Management, Custom Workflow, and more. Agiloft specializes in automating processes that are too complex for competing vendors. Our best practice templates and agile technology ensure rapid deployment and a fully extensible system. For more information, visit http://www.agiloft.com.

Media Contact:

Alastar Kerpel

Email

650-587-8615 ext. 741

About eliteBco

eliteBco is an SBA 8(a) firm that specializes in the following areas of IT and Management Consulting:

Business Process Analysis and Automation

Data Mining, Reports Design, and Business Intelligence

Accounting System Implementation and Support

Custom Software Development

Document Digitization and Content Management

Media Contact:

Luis A. Baez-Black

Email

(202) 838-3014 ext 700

SOURCE Agiloft

Related Links

http://www.agiloft.com


SAO PAULO, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S.J.  Acucar e Alcool S.A. (the " Company ") announced today the expiration and results of its previously announced private offer to exchange (the " Exchange Offer ") any and all of its outstanding 9.875% Senior Notes due 2019 (the " Existing Notes ") for its newly issued 9.875%/12.00% Senior Secured PIK Toggle Notes due 2021 (the " New Notes ") and its concurrent solicitation of consents (the " Consent Solicitation " and, together with the Exchange Offer, the " Offer ") to certain proposed amendments (the " Proposed Amendments ") to the indenture dated as of November 9, 2012, by and among the Company, the guarantor party thereto and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee, and The Bank of New York Mellon (Ireland) Limited, as Irish paying agent, pursuant to which the Existing Notes were issued.

As of the expiration of the Offer at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 16, 2016, Eligible Holders (as defined below) had validly tendered and delivered consents with respect to U.S.$245,896,000 in aggregate principal amount of the Existing Notes, representing 89.42% of the outstanding Existing Notes. The Company has accepted for exchange, and will promptly pay the applicable consideration for, all of the Existing Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn on or prior to the expiration of the Offer. Settlement of the Exchange Offer is expected to occur on May 17, 2016. The Company will issue $197,032,000 in aggregate principal amount of New Notes in exchange for all of the Existing Notes tendered and accepted by the Company.

The Offer was made, and the New Notes were being offered and issued, only (a) in the United States to holders of Existing Notes who are "qualified institutional buyers" (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the " Securities Act ")) and (b) outside the United States to holders of Existing Notes who are persons other than U.S. persons in reliance upon Regulation S under the Securities Act. The holders of Existing Notes who certified to the Company that they were eligible to participate in the Offer pursuant to at least one of the foregoing conditions are referred to as " Eligible Holders ."

The Offer and the New Notes have not been, and will not be, registered with the Brazilian Comissao de Valores Mobiliarios. The Offer and the New Notes are not offered or sold in Brazil, except in circumstances that do not constitute a public offering or unauthorized distribution under Brazilian laws and regulations.

The New Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws. Accordingly, the New Notes will be subject to restrictions on transferability and resale and may not be transferred or resold except as permitted under the Securities Act and other applicable securities laws, pursuant to registration or exemption therefrom.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor the solicitation of an offer to buy any security. This press release is also not a solicitation of any consent to the Proposed Amendments.

The complete terms and conditions of the Offer are set forth in the Company's amended and restated exchange offer memorandum, dated April 25, 2016 (as supplemented by the exchange offer memorandum supplement dated May 2, 2016).

D.F. King & Co., Inc. acted as the information agent and the exchange agent for the Offer.

NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27A of Securities Act and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are only predictions and are not guarantees of future performance. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are and will be, as the case may be, subject to many risks, uncertainties and factors relating to the Company that may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information currently available to the Company's management, the Company cannot guarantee future results or events. The Company expressly disclaims a duty to update any of the forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Acucar e Alcool S.A.
PITTSBURGH, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- United Steelworkers International President Leo W. Gerard today issued the following statement:

"The United Steelworkers (USW) strongly supports the joint petition filed by the AFL-CIO and four Colombian unions with the Labor Department yesterday alleging that Colombia is not meeting its worker-rights obligations under the U.S.-Colombia trade agreement.

"As the petition demonstrates, Colombian workers are still at risk of brutal repression, including kidnapping, arrest and assassination, for attempting to organize unions and exercise their right to bargain collectively. The Labor Action Plan has simply failed in its stated goal of protecting workers' rights to freedom of association in Colombia.

"This failure calls into question the efficacy of similar labor plans in the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other so-called free trade agreements. The lesson is clear: countries must comply with core labor rights before we give them access to U.S. markets.

"The USW has been involved in fighting for labor rights in Colombia for more than 15 years and works closely with the Union Sindical Obrera (USO) which represents workers in the oil sector in Colombia. Through Workers Uniting, the global union formed by the USW and UNITE in the United Kingdom and Ireland, we have supported USO's campaigns to organize workers in the oil industry.

"The USW shares the concern of the petitioners that, four years after the passage of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), labor conditions have actually gotten worse for workers in many industries. This is despite the fact that the FTA contains a Labor Action Plan (LAP) which was supposed to curb violence and labor rights violations.

"In the four years since the United States and Colombia signed the agreement, Colombian workers have suffered approximately 1,500 threats and acts of violence, including at least 99 assassinations of union activists and nearly 1,000 death threats. There have been no convictions for criminal violations of freedom of association, and discrimination against trade unionists continues. Meanwhile, only one person has been convicted for murdering a trade unionist.

"In addition, illegal forms of outsourcing and subcontracting have increased by 10 percent in Colombia despite the fact that the LAP purports to end such practices.

"For example, at the oil extraction facilities of Pacific Rubiales, 73 percent of the workers are still informally employed, many through labor intermediaries, and therefore lack access to basic labor rights, stable employment and social security. The USO's efforts to organize the employees at Pacific Rubiales have been met with the mass firings of thousands of union supporters, arrests of union activists and state violence against pro-union protesters.

"The administration should send a clear message to the Colombian government: comply with the labor provisions of the U.S.-Colombia trade agreement immediately or risk losing the benefits of that agreement.

"The Obama Administration also needs to act quickly on this complaint to help build confidence that labor rights in trade agreements are a priority. Action on labor rights has only occurred as a result of formal petitions being filed by the AFL-CIO. In each case, the limited action that has occurred has taken years and is far from sufficient. Without full, aggressive and quick enforcement, workers will continue to suffer from trade deals while the one percent reaps all the profits."

The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in a wide range of industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and the service and public sectors. For more information: http://www.usw.org/.

CONTACT: Ben Davis (412) 562-2501

[email protected]

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SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)

Related Links

http://www.usw.org


BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) announced today it will release the Company's financial results for its third fiscal quarter 2016 ended April 30, 2016, prior to market open on Thursday, June 9, 2016. The Company will host a conference call at 11:30 a.m. eastern time that same day during which Company executives will review the financial results.

The call will be broadcast over the Internet at www.vailresorts.com. To listen to the call, go to the website and select the Investor Relations section. Those wishing to participate via telephone should dial (888) 349-9582 to be connected. Callers outside of the U.S. or Canada should dial (719) 325-2356.

In addition, a replay of the call will be available two hours following the conclusion of the conference call through 12:30 p.m. eastern time on June 23, 2016. To access the replay, dial (888) 203-1112 (U.S. and Canada) or (719) 457-0820 (international), pass code 8354044. The call also will be archived at www.vailresorts.com.

About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)

Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. The Company's subsidiaries operate nine world-class mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Perisher in New South Wales, Australia; Afton Alps in Minnesota, Mt. Brighton in Michigan and Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin. The Company owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResort brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com .

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SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.vailresorts.com


REVERE, Mass., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Covington Realty Partners, a Chicago-based real estate investment company, management company and developer along with the Minco Development Corporation, a local real estate and development company, announced the opening of Vanguard Waterfront Square Apartment Homes in Revere, MA.

Vanguard Waterfront Square is a 194 unit apartment building located directly on the waterfront of Ocean Avenue along Revere Beach. Construction of this midrise building began in November 2013 with the first residents taking occupancy in July of 2015. These high end apartments feature spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean and offer the ultimate in luxury living. The apartment homes boast 9 foot ceilings, ceramic tile, laminate wood flooring, quartz kitchen and vanity tops, stainless steel appliances and washer and dryers in each home. Unique features include TV mirrors in master baths, wine storage, locker rooms with shower, garage parking and 1900 linear feet of beachfront access. The Revere location provides easy access to the MBTA station and will have an immediate social and economic impact to the Revere Beach neighborhood.

Laramar Management Services, LLC, a subsidiary of Chicago-based, real estate and management company The Laramar Group, has handled the on-site management since construction for Covington Realty Partners.

"Covington Realty Partners is very excited to be an integral part of the Waterfront Square master-planned development," said Brian Kennedy, a partner at Covington. "With this prime beach front location and an unparalleled quality level of features and amenities, we have already seen a fantastic response in the community for those seeking a new standard of apartment living."

"I've always felt that Revere Beach is the crown jewel of the Greater Boston area," said Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo. "This location has proximity to a great public beach, is 20 minutes from downtown Boston on the MBTA's most reliable line, and is within walking distance of opportunities to work, shop and dine in our vibrant and diverse community. New and long-time residents of Revere alike will be delighted by the opportunity to have access to these amenities."

The Ribbon Cutting Event, slated for May 19th at 5:00 pm, will showcase the gorgeous amenities, apartment floor plans, common spaces and unique location along Revere Beach. Food, beverage, music and prizes will be paired along with continuous tours of the community as well as opportunities to secure leasing opportunities.

About Covington Realty Partners

Founded in 2005, Covington Realty Partners is a diversified, Chicago-based real estate investment company, management company and developer. Covington has developed successful apartment communities in St. Louis, Charlotte, and Boston and will continue to expand to additional metropolitan areas with its resident-focused development approach.

Media Contact:

M. Brian Stroud

Regional Marketing Manager

The Laramar Group

727-272-0366

[email protected]

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

SOURCE Covington Realty Partners
CHANTILLY, Va., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vencore, Inc. debuted its latest Activity Based Intelligence (ABI) findings at the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation GEOINT Symposium in Orlando, Florida yesterday.

ABI is a problem-solving methodology that is helping the Intelligence Community streamline the processing and analysis of the vast amounts of intelligence data it collects every day. Interactive visualization techniques for spatial storytelling let analysts convey important relationships and correlate complex data holdings to better understand adversary activities and forecast intent.

As part of an internal research and development project, Vencore is using its deep technical expertise in systems integration to gather and analyze open source data at a massive scale and increase the speed with which you can garner actionable intelligence.

"We are investing in developing the ABI analytic technique because we know the value it will bring to our customers, and believe our people can play a critical role in helping the world become a safer place," said Mac Curtis, president and chief executive officer of Vencore. "ABI is becoming increasingly valuable in the decision-making process for government agencies. As a front runner, Vencore offers unparalleled expertise to help implement an end-to-end solution, from analysis to action."

As part of this project, Vencore is working with partner companies to monitor activities in Syria by tracking and analyzing unclassified, open-source data. Partner companies involved in the project include: Recorded Future, Praescient Analytics, East View Geospatial and Continental Mapping.

About Vencore

Vencore is a proven provider of information solutions, engineering and analytics for the U.S. Government. With more than 40 years of experience working in the defense, civilian and intelligence communities, Vencore and its transformational applied research organization, Vencore Labs, design, develop and deliver high impact, mission-critical services and solutions to overcome its customers most complex problems.

Vencore, the 2014 recipient of the Northern Virginia Technology Council's Tech Company of the Year Award, has 4,000 employees and is based in Chantilly, Va. For more information about Vencore and Vencore Labs, visit www.vencore.com and www.vencorelabs.com.

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SOURCE Vencore, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.vencore.com


MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the recognition that Webroot Inc. received in September 2015 for the Product Leadership Award for its BrightCloud Threat Intelligence Platform, the company announced the release of Webroot BrightCloud Threat Intelligence for IoT Gateways. The cybersecurity service is offered to Internet of Things (IoT) gateway partners and developers of IoT solutions to augment real-time protection against malicious threats, unauthorized network access, and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.

Click here for the full multimedia experience of this release - http://bit.ly/1TFC5OI

Although IoT is still an emerging market, it already connects more than nine billion devices globally. Over the next five years, that number is expected to grow to between 20 billion and 50 billion devices. In 2025, IoT is expected to create economic benefits between $4 trillion to $11 trillion globally. Hence, IoT is a logistical and economic force to be reckoned with, and every organization needs an IoT security strategy to mitigate risks. With the infiltration of modern malware, zero-day exploits, and new advanced threats, traditional approaches to security will not succeed in the era of IoT. As a result, collective or shared threat intelligence will be a top priority for IoT security.

"Designed specifically for IoT partners to secure their systems against advanced and persistent network-based threats, the latest introduction from Webroot marks the next step in securing the IoT through Smarter Cybersecurity solutions," said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Krishna Raman. "We recognized Webroot for developing a product with innovative features and functionality and gaining rapid acceptance in the market. BrightCloud Threat Intelligence for IoT gateways demonstrates Webroot's strategic product development to protect critical, cloud-connected infrastructure."

Webroot's advanced security solutions can be deployed by IoT Solution providers, IoT platform providers, and managed security service providers (MSSPs). The company partners with more than 40 original equipment manufacturers such as Cisco, Citrix, Aruba Networks, and F5 Networks with its BrightCloud Threat Intelligence Services.

"Webroot has optimally tapped the market demand for a superior and versatile protection solution with its BrightCloud Threat Intelligence Services," noted Raman. "The company already claims a strong partner list and expects to further entrench itself across global industrial markets through its secure IoT gateways cybersecurity service."

Webroot and Frost & Sullivan are hosting a webinar, "IoT Security at the Edge  The Value of Threat Intelligence Gateways," on May 24, 2016, 10 a.m.  11 a.m. MDT to discuss the importance of securing the network edge and the growth of the IoT gateway security market. To register for the webinar, visit: IoT Security at the Edge.

About Webroot

Webroot delivers next-generation endpoint security and threat intelligence services to protect businesses and individuals around the globe. Our smarter approach harnesses the power of cloud-based collective threat intelligence derived from millions of operational devices to stop threats in real time and help secure the connected world. Our award-winning SecureAnywhere endpoint solutions and BrightCloud Threat Intelligence Services protect tens of millions of devices across businesses, home users, and the Internet of Things. Trusted and integrated by market-leading companies, including Cisco, F5 Networks, Aruba, Palo Alto Networks, A10 Networks, and more, Webroot is headquartered in Colorado and operates globally across North America, Europe, and Asia. Discover Smarter Cybersecurity solutions at www.webroot.com.

Social Media: Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook

2016 Webroot Inc. All rights reserved. Webroot, SecureAnywhere, Webroot SecureAnywhere, Webroot BrightCloud, BrightCloud, and Smarter Cybersecurity are trademarks or registered trademarks of Webroot Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants.

Our "Growth Partnership" supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.

The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation.

provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation. The Partnership Infrastructure is entirely unique as it constructs the foundation upon which visionary innovation becomes possible. This includes our 360 degree research, comprehensive industry coverage, career best practices as well as our global footprint of more than 40 offices.

For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?

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Contact:

Chiara Carella

P: +44 (0) 207.343.8314

F: 210.348.1003

E: [email protected]

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

Related Links

http://www.frost.com


LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- X Lab today introduced Spendwallet, its cutting-edge #smart #wallet that electronically consolidates #credit, #debit and #giftcards onto one physical, electronic device that removes the bulk of traditional, overflowing wallets. Featuring a secure and easy-to-use interface, it allows users to instantly make a #payment anywhere with just a tap on existing #retail store card swipe equipment. To help bring Spendwallet to market, X Lab has launched an #Indiegogo campaign (http://igg.me/at/spendwallet). A limited number of Early Bird specials of 39% off MSRP will be available, as well as other offers.

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Unlike other payment services including Apple Pay and Android Pay, which are accepted in less than 5% of retailers, Spendwallet allows users to use their smartwallet in close to a 100% of all retail stores. Spendwallet utilizes a revolutionary self-developed antenna and pulse emitting technology called magnetic flux emulation technology (MFE) that allows consumers to securely and electronically store all types of cards on one device, without the need for the physical card. When using Spendwallet, the MFE technology generates a magnetic field, which makes the card reader respond as if a card has been swiped. So instead of swiping, the users simply tap and finish their payment.

Spendwallet is seductively designed to completely replace an existing wallet. Its frame and body are made out of aluminum and plastic, making the device strong and durable enough for everyday use in users' pockets as well as lightweight. The wallet can store the account information of up to 20 cards at a time and has a backside pocket for ID, cash, or anything that cannot be stored digitally on the device.

Spendwallet also features bank level encryption, passcodes and automatic lock and data self-destruction mode when lost, making it one of the world's most secure wallets. Both Spendwallet and the user's smartphone constantly monitor each other's status through Bluetooth technology. Thus, smartwallet can only be activated when it is near the user's smartphone. If lost or stolen, Spendwallet automatically locks and data self-destructs. Additionally, the hidden LED display aboard Spendwallet will not be shown on the surface of the device when not in use to maintain privacy.

"We are disrupting the offline payment system and marketplace with Spendwallet's proprietary MFE technology that allows users to store their card data on one safe, portable and secure device," said Kevin Kang, CEO of X Lab. "We believe payments should be convenient and highly secure to empower users with the flexibility to pay anywhere with a simple tap. Now if someone loses their wallet, they can be assured that nobody will have access to their cards to make unauthorized purchases."

Setup is easy with Spendwallet  users simply connect the included card reader to the headphone jack on their smartphone and swipe the payment cards through the reader to transfer the card data to the Spendwallet app. Its easy-to-use interface allows users to swipe left and right on the display to select which card they want to use, and can make an instant payment at already existing retail credit machines by placing Spendwallet close to the card reader and tapping the 'SPEND' button. The Spendwallet will function for a month on one charge, making it the perfect digital wallet.

Press Assets and Product Images:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Bw2D9jZYXyEVY1VDTkNnblMxcTQ&usp=sharing

ABOUT X LAB

X Lab is a Fintech IoT startup inaugurated in February 2015 to disrupt the offline payment system with its self-developed magnetic flux emulation technology as well as three patent pending payment and security technologies. The company, which consists of notable engineers from Cisco, LG Electronics, Qualcomm, Sony Mobile, etc., has received two rounds of funding to date. For more info, please go to http://www.spendwallet.com

Press Contacts :

Glenn Mandel

The LaunchPad Agency

Email

760-798-1563

www.launchpadagency.com

Kaylyn Woolsey

The LaunchPad Agency

Email

949-444-6022

www.launchpadagency.com

SOURCE X Lab

Related Links

http://www.spendwallet.com


Liu, Mei and their classmates in Anhui Agricultural University. (Photo/cyol.com)

Liu Guangchao and Mei Chunyuan, two young men who graduated from Anhui Agricultural University in 2015, both traveled to Zimbabwe as farm managers after graduation.

The company they work for, Anhui State Farms Group, owns 10 farms in Zimbabwe, which altogether cover an area of 12,000 hectares and produce nearly 20,000 tons of grain. In response to China's One Belt, One Road initiative, more and more Chinese agricultural enterprises are going abroad. Young college graduates like Liu and Mei, who studied farm management in college, are the favored employees of these enterprises.

Liu and Mei now manage a farm of over 660 hectares and oversee 30 workers. They make production plans, supervise employees, manage finances, and are always on hand to deal with emergencies. They are good partners and their farm is currently running smoothly.

Most of Liu and Mei's classmates have started their own agricultural businesses. Nine are now managing farms abroad.

(File photo)
Discussions over China's Cultural Revolution, a major setback during the development of China and its party, have been emerging recently.

In August 1980, when Deng Xiaoping met the Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, he talked about the evaluation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution with historic vision and political attitude.

In the following year, a document named resolution on certain questions in the history of our party since the founding of the People's Republic of China was issued by the CPC, making the authoritative conclusion of the utter denial of Cultural Revolution and evaluating Mao's historical status by analyzing the significance of his thoughts.

The evaluation and analysis on this political campaign has withstood the test of practice, people and time.

As the document concluded, the Cultural Revolution, initiated by the national leader and exploited by the reactionaries, is an internal chaos bringing disasters to the party, the country and the people. The history has proved that the Cultural Revolution was totally wrong in its theory and practice.

The CPC has admitted, analyzed and corrected the mistakes made by itself and the leaders of the country, drawing lessons from both failures and successful experiences.

By differentiating the ten-year period of the Cultural Revolution with the incorrect theory and practice of it, the above document also strongly refutes the viewpoint that denies the history and leadership of the CPC, even the socialist system with the excuse of internal chaos.

It is such positive attitude that alerted the CPC and helped it return to a correct track for the primary stage of socialism. After 30 years' of reform and opening up, China has become a strong power with improved livelihood and amplified legal system. For a brighter future, the replay of the Cultural Revolution will never be allowed.

Drawing lessons from the past is for further improvement. We should never forget the lesson of the Cultural Revolution and steadfastly build the socialism with distinctive Chinese characteristics.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, under the guidance of the CPC Central Committee headed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, we have proposed new concepts and strategies of national governance such as the promotion of all-round economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress and the strategy of four comprehensives". We are now closer than ever to the dream of national rejuvenation. In addition, we have the most confidence and capability in the history to achieve such goal.

At this very time, the party and people should unite together to make efforts to realize our dream. We should combine our thoughts and practice with the decision made by the CPC Central Committee and the spirit advocated by President Xi Jinping in his speeches. We should arm the party and educate the people by innovative theories, and keep our confidence in the building of the socialism with distinctive Chinese characteristics. We should make joint efforts to achieve the "two centenary goals" and national rejuvenation.

This article was edited and translated from , source: People's Daily
Mumbai, May 12 : Energy major Cairn India on Thursday said it has extended the repayment of a $1.25 billion loan it had extended to its parent group firm by two years "Cairn India Holdings Ltd (CIHL), an overseas subsidiary of Cairn India Ltd, has decided to extend maturity of the loan of $1.25 billion, which was given for a term of two years in May, 2014, to THL Zinc Ltd (TZL), an overseas subsidiary of Vedanta Ltd, for a further period of two years," the company said in a stock exchange filing.

The loan extension was "on arm's length at a revised rate of interest of LIBOR + 450 basis points (bps) in the first year and at LIBOR + 475 bps in the second year as compared to the existing rate of LIBOR + 300 bps," it said.

The extension follows a delay in the merger of Cairn India with its parent company - Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Ltd - that would have led to the loan being written off.

Cairn had not disclosed extending of loan to its new parent group at the time in 2014.

On Thursday, Cairn said the loan rollover "is on terms that are market standards including change of control provisions and will continue to be secured by a guarantee from Vedanta Resources".

"The return from the said loan will provide higher yield to CIHL compared to the return it is earning from its existing investments out of its cash and cash equivalents, which are in USD," it said.

TZL is the holding company of the Vedanta Group's international zinc business that comprises of assets in South Africa and Namibia.

In June last year, London-listed Vedanta Resources proposed merging Cairn India with Vedanta Ltd, which, if accomplished, could mean that the $1.25 billion loan would be written off.

Vedanta received approvals last September from both the Bombay Stock Exchange and the NSE on the company's proposal to merge with its hydrocarbons subsidiary Cairn India.

Merging Cairn India with itself would provide Vedanta access to the oil explorer's cash and help reduce its debt burden. Vedanta took majority control of Cairn India for $8.67 billion in 2011 and holds 59.9 percent in the latter through its various units.

Meanwhile, British oil major Cairn Energy has called for an annual general meeting of shareholders on Thursday in London to approve, among other things, the proposal to dispose of its 9.82 percent residual stake in Cairn India.

"One of the resolutions seeks approval of the renewal of the existing authority (renewed at last year's AGM held on May 14, 2015) to dispose of all or part of the Group's residual interest in Cairn India," the company said on its website.

The proposal comes against the backdrop of the retrospective tax demand of Rs.29,000 crore from the Indian tax department Cairn has received, on alleged capital gains the company made in a 2006 reorganisation of its India business.
Varanasi, May 12 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said his Janata Dal-United (JD-U) will expand in Uttar Pradesh and that the BJP can be defeated in other states too.

"When they (BJP) can be defeated in Bihar, they can be defeated in other states too," Nitish Kumar told a rally in Pindra area of Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We want a Sangh-(RSS) free country and a liquor-free society," he added.

He targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party for making fun of the Grand Alliance which the JD-U, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress formed in Bihar.

"When we joined hands last year, they (BJP) mocked at us. But the people of Bihar taught them a good lesson (in the assembly election)."

Nitish Kumar urged people in states which will see assembly elections to choose wisely as all promises made by the BJP remained unfulfilled even two years after Modi took office.

He said the JD-U was "planning to spread ourselves in UP in a big way and make party members here". Uttar Pradesh will see assembly elections next year.
A young woman in her 20s has become famous online for hugging male strangers on buses in Jinan, city in northern Chinas Shandong province. The male passengers told local news outlet that they were harassed. And this woman, though an online hit, has yet to be identified.

A bus driver who was one of the many victims or the lucky ones told local TV station that the young woman approached him on May 15 when he was on duty.

You did a good job, can I give you a hug? the woman asked.

Before the driver realized what was happening, she had already bended over and gave the driver a hug. I was shocked and glued to the spot for a couple of seconds, said the driver. He said the woman went on to ask hugging other male passengers on bus and some refused.

According to local news, similar conducts had been occurring on Jinan buses in the last couple of weeks, with many male passengers left appalled. A video allegedly taken by a passenger when one of the incidents happened shows a woman kept leaning her body onto a man, who apparently did not know her. The woman at first wobbled unsteadily next to him, before leaning her whole body onto the man and wrapping her arm around his neck. The man was captured in the video asking the woman if shes feeling unwell.
Brasilia, May 12 : The Brazilian Senate on Thursday voted for an impeachment trial against President Dilma Rousseff, suspending her from office.

Rousseff will be suspended until the Senate submits the case to a final trial, which will happen in up to 180 days. Vice President Michel Temer will take over in the period, Xinhua news agency reported.

In the trial, it will take a two-thirds majority to remove Rousseff from the presidency permanently.

Analysts said this may not be difficult as the opposition managed to get two-thirds in the first voting.

Temer, whose Brazilian Democratic Movement Party recently left the ruling coalition, is seen as a spearhead in the impeachment of Rousseff.

The media reported that Temer has a new Cabinet prepared and intends to make significant changes, shifting the direction of the administration.

The president and vice president have yet to make any public statements on the latest developments.

The Senate gave the go-ahead to the impeachment trial by 55-22 in the early hours of Thursday after over 20 hours of heated discussion.

Different from the session in the house, the Senate session gave supporters a chance to defend the president before the vote.

Former president Fernando Collor de Mello, himself impeached by the senate in 1992, said that he feels the country has "regressed politically", CNN reported.

His colleague Armando Monteiro said the impeachment was politically motivated and would set a dangerous precedence.

"We will, indeed, be promoting a rupture in the nation's institutional order."

Rousseff, who was first sworn into office in January 2011 and started a second term in 2015, has called the steps to remove her a "coup".

The opposition said the impeachment was necessary. Senator Magno Malta of the Party of the Republic compared the impeachment to a surgical operation.

"Brazil today (Thursday) is like a diabetic, feverish body, with a leg compromised by gangrene, ready to be amputated. And the logic is this: if we amputate the leg, we save the body; by not amputating the leg, we compromise the entire body," he said.

Senator Angela Portela from the ruling Workers' Party said the impeachment was not logical as it was based on alleged mistakes made in last year's accounts. She also warned about the social impact.

"We will be removing a victorious government proposal and a generous project to redesign our society, a project which foresees inclusion, protection of minorities, reduction of inequalities and economic growth with justice," she said.

"It is not fair to do what they are doing to the Brazilian democracy. They are not taking down President Dilma. They are taking down popular vote," said Joao Viana, another senator of the Workers' Party.

Rousseff made a last-ditch appeal to the Supreme Court on Wednesday to stop proceedings, but the move was rejected. Her suspension brings an end to 13 years of the rule of her party.

His colleague Armando Monteiro said the impeachment was politically motivated and would set a dangerous precedence.

"We will, indeed, be promoting a rupture in the nation's institutional order."

Senator Waldemir Moka told the upper house during the motion that if the impeachment trial was successful, the future president would assume a government with a 250 billion Brazilian real debt ($72 billion) according to conservative projections, with the possibility of being up to 600 billion real ($174 billion).

Rousseff would be suspended during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro which starts on August 5.

When the investigation ends -- which could be as late as November -- the process would return to a special Senate committee.

At that point, Rousseff would have 20 days to present her case. Following that, the committee would vote on a final determination and then present it for a vote in the full senate.

It would take a two-thirds majority to then remove the president from office.
Varanasi, May 12 : Calling for a "Sangh-(RSS)-mukht-Bharat", Bihar Chief Minister on Thursday told the BJP and RSS not to preach nationalism and said his Janata Dal-United (JD-U) will expand in Uttar Pradesh.

In his first visit to Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nitish Kumar launched a bitter attack on both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).

"Today the BJP is talking about nationalism whereas the veterans of the BJP and the RSS played no role in the independence movement," Nitish Kumar told a public rally at Pindra area here.

"When Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) was fighting against the British, when freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad gave their lives for the country, they (BJP and RSS) were not there.

"But today they are preaching nationalism," the veteran politician said. He quickly added: "We don't need nationalism lessons from them."

Of the RSS, he said: "They pretend to be nationalist but the fact is that tricolor is not their flag. Their real flag is bhagwa (saffron)."

The chief minister alleged that the Modi government had failed on every front.

"They promised to bring back black money in 100 days. Have they delivered?

Instead, "they delivered Love Jehad and Ghar Wapsi and, during the Bihar elections, they raised the issue of beef", he said.

Nitish Kumar pointed out that Modi had in his 2014 Lok Sabha election speeches promised to give Rs.15 lakh of black money his government would bring home from abroad to every Indian. Now he was mum on the issue.

"They speak in two tongues. Before elections, they speak one language and after election something else."

Saying he wanted a "Sangh-mukt-Bharat" (RSS-free-country) and "sharab-mukt-samaj" (liquor-free-society), Nitish Kumar said that if the BJP can be defeated in Bihar, it can be defeated in other states too.

He urged people in states going to the polls to choose "wisely", rejecting those whose election promises remained unfulfilled even two years after Modi took office.

Nitish Kumar said the JD-U was "now planning to spread in UP in a big way". Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, will see assembly polls early next year.

Claiming that the liquor ban was a success in Bihar, he dared Modi to ban liquor in BJP-ruled states too.

"Modi comes from Gandhiji's state. Why doesn't he go for liquor prohibition? Why don't they (BJP) ban liquor in all-BJP ruled states?"

He said he would address a public rally in Lucknow on May 15 to seek a ban on liquor.
Islamabad, May 13 : Kabul envoy to Islamabad Omer Zakhilwal met Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif on Friday and agreed to resolve the border issue and resume the routine cross-border traffic, a military spokesman said.

Tensions heightened between Pakistan and Afghanistan as the two countries deployed tanks and armoured personnel carriers along the tense Torkham border, besides sending more troops after their negotiating teams failed to resolve the border fencing dispute.

But the situation did not last long as during Friday's meeting both sides agreed to resume routine cross border traffic on the Torkham and reiterated their commitment to to fight terror and bring lasting peace in the region.

The Inter-Services Public Relations spokesperson said that bilateral relations, particularly the border management issue was discussed in detail during the meeting of Afghan envoy with army chief.

Pakistan started fencing some vulnerable points of the border with Afghanistan to plug illegal and secret border crossings and movements of people.

Afghanistan has objected to the border fencing and officially protested to Pakistan over the issue. Because of the tense situation, the border remained closed for last three days.

Negotiating teams of the two countries briefly met at the Pakistan side of the border on Thursday but could not resolve the issue leaving scores of travellers and traders stranded on both sides of the border for a couple of days.
New Delhi, May 14 : A journalist was arrested on Saturday for allegedly "fabricating" a response to his right to information (RTI) request to make the claim that the Ministry of Ayush has a policy not to hire Muslims, police said.

"He was arrested for fabricating an RTI reply," a senior police officer told IANS.

Journalist Pushp Sharma was arrested under section 418 (Cheating), 467 (Forgery of valuable security), 469 (Forgery for purpose of harming reputation) and 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.) of the Indian Penal Code, the police officer said.

Sharma had claimed, in an article headlined "We don't recruit Muslims: Modi government's Ayush Ministry," and published in March in Milli Gazette newspaper, that the ministry informed him that it is the "government policy" not to recruit Muslims.

"The ministry said a total of 711 Muslim yoga trainers had applied for the short-term assignment abroad but none was even called for an interview while 26 trainers (all Hindus) were sent abroad on this assignment," Sharma wrote in the article in question.

The article was accompanied by a letter from the ministry transferring Sharma's RTI request to a government yoga institute along with an 'Annexure-I' that included the statement, "As per government policy, no Muslim candidate was invited, selected or sent abroad".

This annexure was "non-existent" and "fictitious" as was "never issued by the ministry", the government said in a statement on March 12.

Sharma's RTI query that purportedly invited the 'Annexure-I' was: How many Muslim candidates were invited, selected or sent abroad as yoga trainer/teacher during World Yoga Day 2015?

The government said in its statement that the ministry never replied to this query or any other, but simply transferred Sharma's RTI request to two other public authorities.

"The contents regarding religion-based data in the so-called Annexure- I are not only fabricated but factually incorrect also. The response of the international cooperation section of the ministry clearly said that invitations were sent to yoga experts/enthusiasts without reference to their religions," the government statement said.

Sharma had rejected the government statement as "misleading," claiming the RTI response did indeed come from the ministry.

He was interrogated by the police for a few days after the article was published.

The police had then sent the RTI replies for forensic analysis.

Ayush is an acronym for 'Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy'.
Caracas, May 15 : Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the military to hold military exercises within a week to counter foreign threats.

The decision came after former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe in an interview urged Venezuela's armed forces to take up arms against the state, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I have called for military exercises ... to prepare for the defense of our land, our children, our rights to peace," Maduro said on Saturday.

When talking about the situation in Venezuela, Uribe, now a Colombian senator, said the Venezuelan military should use their weapons to defend human rights and political freedom, rather than fighting for a dictatorship, local media reported.

Maduro said Uribe's words were tantamount to foreign intervention in Venezuela.

Venezuela's Armed Forces on Saturday issued a statement reaffirming their allegiance to the government, saying they categorically condemn "the systematic campaign orchestrated abroad to discredit and provoke Venezuela."
Kunshan (China), May 15 : Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram's valiant fight went in vain as the country's badminton team (men's) lost 2-3 to Thailand in their lung-opener at the Thomas Cup badminton tournament here on Sunday.

Jayaram did not get off to the start he wanted and had to play catch-up for much of the contest. Though he won the second match, he had to surrender the tie against Thailand's Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 16-21, 21-12, 14-21 in 46 minutes.

Olympic-bound men's doubles pair of B. Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri next came out second best against Thailand's Bodin Issara and Nipitphon Puangpuapech losing the tie 17-21, 6-21 as India slumped to a 0-2 deficit.

It needed a brilliant effort from B. Sai Praneeth in the men's singles encounter to light Indian hopes again as the Hyderabad born player grabbed a 21-11 21-16 win against Khosit Phetpradab in 36 minutes to make it 1-2.

But in the second doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Akshay Dewalkar lost 15-21, 21-14, 15-21 to the Thailand duo of Puavaranukroh Dechapol and Kedren Kittinupong.

The fixture lasted for 56 minutes after which Thailand took an unassailable 3-1 lead and the fifth contest between Sourabh Varma and Adulrach Namkul became inconsequential. Verma beat Namkul 21-17, 16-21, 21-19 to reduce the margin of defeat.

Earlier, Jayaram surged to a 7-5 lead in the opening match but Tanongsak broke the India at 8-8 and eventually bagged it. Jayaram made a strong comeback and took the second game quite easily. But in the decider the World No.21 looked tired and Tanongsak used it to his advantage.

India will lock horns against Hong Kong on Tuesday.
Kabul, May 16 : At least four Afghan policemen were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in the country's Farah province on Monday, an official said.

The incident occurred in Lash-wa-Juwayn district where the unit was on routine patrol. The unit vehicle touched off the IED planted by militants along a road bordering Iran, the official told Xinhua news agency.
Los Angeles, May 17 : Actress Charlize Theron's children are her priority but she admits being a single parent is "challenging".

The "Mad Max: Fury Road" star has two adopted children -- Jackson, 4, and August, who was born last summer -- and though raising them alone can be tough, they will always be her priority and she's never happier than when she's with them, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"It's challenging but we manage. I work, but my children are my priority. Nothing's better than the sound of little ones cracking up at something funny; I'm now at my most comfortable waking up with my kids, going to the beach and relaxing over a meal with friends," Theron told Australia's Sunday Style magazine.

The 40-year-old actress -- who has been single since splitting from actor Sean Penn last summer -- is also very proud of her charitable foundation, the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP), which works in her native South Africa.

"South Africa will always be my home. CTAOP's core mission is helping young people in Africa stay HIV-free," Theron said.

"Reaching this generation of adolescence is critical in seeing an end to the epidemic. I was lucky enough to visit last summer and was blown away with how engaged the young people we work with are. I founded it in 2007 and it's constantly evolving in size, partners and impact," she added.
Ankara, May 17 : Shelling by the Turkish armed forces and airstrikes from US-led international coalition aircraft killed 27 suspected Islamic State (IS) terrorists in Syria.

After identifying and locating targets of IS terrorists north of Aleppo, the Turkish army launched on Sunday night several raids by mortars and rocket launchers from the border, Efe news agency quoted Turkish NTV as saying on Monday.

At the same time, the US-led international coalition initiated three airstrikes in the same area.

According to Turkish military sources quoted by NTV, the operation killed 27 suspected terrorists, and destroyed five defense positions and two weapon stores.
Algiers, May 17 : Algerian army troops arrested three terrorists on Sunday in the province of Tizi Ouzou, said country's defense ministry in a statement on Monday.

Army troops ambushed the three gunmen and arrested them, Xinhua reported, adding that a shotgun, an automatic Makarov type pistol, a grenade, a home-made bomb and large quantities of ammunition were confiscated.

A few terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the recently established Islamic State affiliate group called Caliphate Soldiers, are still in hiding in the woods of Algerian central provinces, including Bouira, Boumerdes and Tizi Ouzou in the east of the capital city of Algiers.

Located in a region plagued by unprecedented security and political instability, experts believe Algeria faces ongoing terrorist threats.
London, May 17 : British spy agency GCHQ, which specialises in garnering intelligence from communications, on Tuesday joined the micro-blogging website with its first tweet "Hello World".

"Joining social media is likely to be part of the agency's outreach attempts to attract new recruits from different demographics that might be more comfortable communicating on social media," technology website Techcrunch.com reported.

"We want GCHQ to be more accessible and to help the public understand more about our work. We also want to reach out to the technical community and add our voice to social media conversations about technology, maths, cyber security, and other topics where we have a view," the agency said in a statement.

"We will be using Twitter to talk about our history, mission outcomes, languages, maths, cyber security, technology and innovation, job opportunities and as a way of signposting events, publications, news, blogs, and opinion pieces," the statement added.

Former US spy-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden whose disclosures have sparked debates over mass surveillance, is not (yet) followed by GCHQ.
Islamabad, May 17 : The opposition in Pakistan's parliament, which rejected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's speech in the National Assembly, will meet on Tuesday to decide a future strategy over the Panama Papers leaks issue.

Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf's parliamentary leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday said the combined opposition would meet Pakistan Peoples Party leader Syed Khursheed Shah to "dissect and analyse" Sharif's speech and finalise their response, Dawn online reported.

"The prime minister lied on the floor of the house," Qureshi said, adding that all their questions remained unanswered.

Qureshi said the opposition would devise a future strategy against the backdrop of the refusal of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to form a judicial commission to probe the Panama Papers scandal.

"We have rejected Sharif's speech and the Chief Justice has already rejected the terms of reference prepared by the government. So, we will see where do we go from here," he said.

When asked if opposition parties would continue to boycott the Nagtional Assembly proceedings, Qureshi said they would decide this at Tuesday's meeting.

On the other hand, Saeed Ghani, the PPP's parliamentary leader in the Senate, said the opposition would continue to boycott the proceedings of the upper house over the continued absence of Sharif.

Speaking to the media soon after Sharif's speech in the house, PPP's Khursheed Shah said the clarification presented by the prime minister did not address the questions posed by the opposition.
Kolkata, May 17 : One more body was fished out on Tuesday, taking to 20 the deaths in last week's boat capsize in the Hoogly river in West Bengal's Burdwan district, an official said.

An overcrowded boat sank last Saturday night near the Kalna Ghat in Burdwan while on its way to Shantipur in Nadia district.

Till Monday 19 bodies were retrieved.

"So far 20 bodies have been recovered, they include six children," said Saumitra Mohan, district Mmagistrate of Burdwan. He added that search operations were underway.

The state government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs.2 lakh each for the kin of the victims.

On Sunday, Nrisinghapur Ghat jetty in Shantipur was witness to violence after an angry mob upset over alleged delay in rescue operations, set on fire boats and pelted stones at police, injuring two of them.

Police had to fire tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Several people have been arrested or detained for violence.

The administration, however, denied any delay in the search and rescue operation.
New Delhi : It's not without reason that Uttar Pradesh is at the centre of any and every thing even remotely connected with politics. And so, it is no wonder that in this most populous state of the country, even matters of relief in situations of natural calamity - floods, droughts and hailstorms - spur politicians and governments in combative political slugfest!

Just last week, all hell broke loose and scribes were made to toil late night by the state government's mandarins to try and tell the world, through the might of their pen (laptops) that the 'water express' tanker train sent to Mahoba in parched Bundelkhand was a "gimmick" and "politically motivated" move of the Narendra Modi-led central government to put Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) government in the state on the mat.

While some hacks fell into the trap, old timers smiled and probably let it go as routine because the state and the centre have a long and acrimonious history of fights on such issues. Sample this: Bundelkhand has been suffering both the vagaries of nature and a fight for political one-upmanship for years.

Many years ago, Rahul Gandhi - he wasn't the Congress vice-president then - visited the region and within days of his hugely-photographed trip, the UPA released a 'Bundelkhand package' running into millions of rupees. The Congress, with many of its leaders from the region holding plum posts in the ruling dispensation as well as in the government, claimed it was the party's "humane package for the needy".

The then chief minister, Mayawati, termed it to be "crocodile tears" and went on to say that she was at the forefront of relief to this region.

The present Akhilesh Yadav government was at loggerheads with the UPA-II government, which it supported from outside, when the 1,000-plus fleet of ambulances purchased under the centrally-funded National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) were termed 'Samajwadi Ambulance Service'.

The centre protested but to no avail and the ambulances were rolled out by the state, in defiance of the union health ministry's instructions. As a consequence, while Akhilesh Yadav generated some goodwill, specially in the countryside, funds to run the service dried up as the central government held back the money. The state government has since been running the service from its own resources.

Another unsavory spat that rocked centre-state relations was in early 2015 when hailstorms and rain wreaked havoc. The state demanded Rs.7,543 crore (over $1 billion) for providing relief to farmers while the NDA government released just Rs.2,801 crore, triggering a war of words between the two governments. The state said it's too little, and the centre claimed funds were not being spent well.

The UPA government, too, responding to a demand of Rs.100,000 crore by the state, had only sanctioned Rs.13,762 crore between 2010 and 2014 for relief measures. The NDA regime had in 2014-16 given Rs.4,200 crore and has accused the SP government of not giving proper reports in time.

The 'Samajwadi Drought Relief Package' containing foodgrain, milk powder, rice and vegetable oil currently being distributed in the Bundelkhand region in bags carrying images of a beaming Akhilesh Yadav has also become a bone of contention. The centre and the BJP claim that 75 percent of the funds for this have been given from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).

Surely, some relief is required from this acrimony!

(17.05.2016 - Mohit Dubey can be contacted at mohit.d@ians.in)
New Delhi, May 17 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay a CBI probe into the murder of a Muslim youth of Uttar Pradesh allegedly by activists of a cow protection group while he was transporting a buffalo.

While refusing to stay the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, the apex court vacation bench comprising Justice Abhay Mahohar Sapre and Justice Asok Bhushan, however, stayed the order for transfer of four officials of Shahbad -- the district magistrate, superintendent of police, Deputy Superintendent of police and Station House Officer of Shahbad police station -- "to a far-off place at inconsequential posting".

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the murder of Mustain, a resident of Saharanpur, on the intervening night of March 5 and 6 while he was transporting a buffalo from Shahbad in Kurukshetra to Saharanpur. Mustain's body was found about a month later on April 2 from a drain in Haryana.

The high court had ordered that the four officials be transferred to far off places with inconsequential postings so that they were not able to influence the investigation into the murder by saffron vigilante group Gau Raksha Dal.

"Whether investigation into a crime is conducted by A agency or B agency we are not going into that part of the order," Justice Sapre said as the apex court stayed the high court order directing the transfer of the four officials.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Haryana government told the court that Tahir Hassan, father of deceased Mustain, too had not made any prayer for transferring of investigation to the CBI.

The court was unmoved as ASG Mehta said that the high court shifted the probe to CBI without examining whether a probe by Haryana police suffered from lacunae or whether it was right or wrong.

The court did not pass any order on repeated pleas by ASG Mehta that the state police be allowed to file their report on the investigation, and if the apex court was satisfied then it can hand over the investigation to CBI.

"No if you want, you can do it. You can file it. There is no need for an order," the vacation bench said declining the plea by ASG Mehta.

Ordering the transfer of the four officials of Shahbad, Justice Fateh Deep Singh of the high court had said that they should be transferred to a "far-off place at inconsequential posting within 15 days of this order and ensure that they are not given postings where they could wield influence in the investigations and intimidate the witnesses and shall not be posted in this area till the conclusion of the trial."
New Delhi, May 17 : Congress Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik on Tuesday moved a breach of privilege notice against BJP member Subramanian Swamy on the alleged use of web-based content to level charges in the AgustaWestland chopper case.

In his notice, Naik said several of Swamy's allegations against top Congress leaders in the case were not authenticated with documents and some were loosely based on web-based content.

"Swamy did not authenticate any letter from Christian Michel (an alleged middleman in the chopper deal) as he was not in possession of any such letter. Further question of (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi flying in an Mi-8c hopper does not arise as she did not hold any official post," Naik said in his notice.

"Swamy did not authenticate the documents, which he quoted (in the upper house) on May 4, that very day despite the deputy chairman's order to do so. Even the so-called authentication was done by Swamy most reluctantly which is clear from his speech," Naik said.

The Congress parliamentarian said that since Swamy, newly appointed to the Rajya Sabha by the Modi government, had authenticated a website page printout, in which names of (Congress leaders) Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel and Oscar Fernandes etc. have been mentioned, it means and implies that Swami endorses the allegations.

Naik said that by playing around verbal innuendoes and initials, Swamy had meant to "insinuate a specific person most irresponsibly and without authenticating any document".

"Swamy did not produce any certified copy of the (Milan court) judgment on which he relied extensively, which he should have done and authenticated the same, which also constitutes breach of privilege of the house," Naik said.
New Delhi, May 17 : India on Tuesday dismissed Pakistan's concerns over the proposed "Geospatial Information Regulation Bill", saying that Islamabad has no locus standi on this issue.

"The proposed bill is an entirely internal legislative matter of India, since the whole of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India," external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in a statement.

"Pakistan or any other party has no locus standi in the matter," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan expressed "serious concern" to the United Nations over the Indian government's efforts to pass a parliamentary legislation which aims to restrict geographical depiction of India and the "disputed" region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Under the draft "Geospatial Information Regulation Bill", anyone distributing a map that the Indian government deems to be "wrong" could be liable for a billion-rupee fine and jail term.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said India's "incorrect and legally untenable" official map, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, displays the Pakistani side of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India.

A letter Pakistan's permanent representative sent to the UN in this regard calls on the world body to uphold the Security Council resolutions, and urges India "to stop acts that are in violation of international law".

"The government firmly rejects Pakistan's repeated and increasing attempts to impose on the international community matters that India has always been open to address bilaterally with Pakistan," Swarup said in his statement.
Bhopal, May 17 : Hindu activist Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who got a clean chit from the NIA in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, has shown deteriorating health condition since she started a hunger strike to demand that she be allowed to go to Ujjain for the ongoing Simhasth Kumbh.

Sadhvi Pragya began an indefinite hunger strike last Monday to press her demand that she be allowed to take a dip in Shipra river at Ujjain during the ongoing Simhasth Kumbh. The authorities were not allowing her to travel to Ujjain on security grounds, she alleged.

Pragya, who was in Bhopal Central Jail, has now been shifted to the Pandit Khushilal Sharma Ayurveda Hospital in Bhopal for treatment.

According to Sadhvi Pragya's aides, her condition has gone from bad to worse.

She is weak and her blood pressure has dipped below normal, her aides said and have taken up the matter with Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Babulal Gaur.

In a letter to the President and the Prime Minister, the Sadhvi has threatened to fast unto death if her demands are not met by May 21.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in a statement said that Sadhvi Pragya can attend the Kumbh mela only if her security concerns are met.

The Simhasth Kumbh Mela in Ujjain commenced on April 22 and will end on May 21.
New Delhi, May 17 : A panel of the National Commission for Women (NCW) that visited Kerala to investigate the alleged rape and murder of Dalit woman Jisha has said the police are functioning under "undue influence" and the probe may not be fair due to "electoral considerations".

The report also said that before the gruesome incident, the woman, her mother and sister were allegedly harassed by their neighbours but the police did not act despite repeated complaints.

The committee's report was read out by Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi at the Indian Women's Press Corps on Tuesday.

"They were told that they were going to be raped and murdered, but the police did not take any action," Gandhi alleged.

"The committee is of the view that as the state (Kerala) is going into elections, the administration and police is functioning under some undue influence and that there is a likelihood of the investigation not being conducted as rigorously as possible due to electoral considerations," the report said.

Election for the Kerala assembly was held on May 16, Monday.

The NCW report also said that the committee has expressed its concerns with Chief Election Commissioner in a letter on May 9.

A letter was also sent to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, expressing concern over the "state of law and order in Kerala during the crucial election period", the committee said.

The report said the victim and her family were "often harassed" by their neighbours. The victim's mother had accused one of their neighbours in this regard.

"The mother had reported about the suspected threat to the police authorities who did not bother to take any action on her complaint," the report said.

"The mother of the victim had on different occasions fought with the local panchayat leader's brother-in-law who belong to the Left Front," the report added.

It said the police did not inquire or interrogate the man in question "as he appeared to be resourceful and politically well connected person".

"This points the finger of suspicion towards the police," the report said.

The committee visited the crime spot and found that it had been "compromised". The postmortem and forensic tests of other evidences were not done properly either.

A women lawyers' forum alleged that the postmortem was conducted by a postgraduate medical student and the associate professor was careless about its supervision.

"It could be seen as a failure on part of the forensic experts," the panel said, adding that there was also no video recording of the postmortem.

Moreover, the DNA division of the forensic laboratory had been "lying idle" as it was under repair.

The inspection of the crime spot was done by postgraduate students, and a sniffer dog was pressed into service a week after the crime, the report said.

"Ignoring the seriousness of this heinous incidence of violence against the most vulnerable section of the society, i.e. Dalit women would not only be detrimental to the current law and order situation in the state, but may have an adverse consequence on the future safety of such vulnerable women," the report said.

On April 28, 27-year-old Jisha was found murdered in Perumbavoor in Ernakulam. Her mutilated body was found by her mother Rajeshwari. The brutality of the crime led to comparisons with the 2012 gang rape of a paramedical student in Delhi that shook the nation.
New Delhi/Hyderabad, May 17 : With Tim Cook set to arrive in Delhi on his first visit as Apple CEO on Tuesday, his diary seems to be full with visits to various places in Gurgaon, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Cook's visit to India comes at a time when the US technology giant is hit by slower growth in global sales of its flagship products -- iPhone, iPad and Mac.

He is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. He had met Modi at a Silicon Valley event in the US last September, where they discussed manufacturing plans under Modi's 'Make in India' initiative.

"In Delhi, after greeting employees at the Apple's corporate office at One Horizon Centre in Gurgaon, he is expected to visit iZen Store (Apple authorised reseller) in Green Park and the iWorld Store (Apple premium store) in Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj," an Apple source told IANS on condition of anonymity.

The source, however, did not give details of his meeting with Modi.

Meanwhile, officials in Hyderabad said that Apple will launch its development centre there on Thursday.

The facility will commence operations on one lakh square feet leased space in WaveRock, a building owned by real estate giant Tishman Speyer at Nanakramguda.

However, it was not confirmed if Cook will be present to inaugurate the company's first development centre in India.

"Will share a big news with you all day after tomorrow. Suspense till then," tweeted Telangana IT minister K.T. Rama Rao.

The US-based firm plans to expand the facility to 2.5 lakh square feet by next year. It will have 2,500 employees, sources said.

The company, which has taken the space on lease at WaveRock, is also planning to build its own campus.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao or his son and IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao may make an announcement for allocation of land to Apple for its campus.

Cook is also expected to meet Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is trying to attract big ticket investments for his state.

The Apple CEO is flying to the country from China, where Apple announced a $1 billion investment in the local ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing.

"The trip signifies how significant Indian market has become for Apple. Cook is coming here to announce technology for the future," Vishal Tripathi, research director at global market consultancy firm Gartner, told IANS.

Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn is already present here and is looking to set up a manufacturing base in the country.

"If Cook announces concrete plans to set up a manufacturing unit here, this will create more jobs and bring in better competition in the smartphone and other devices market in the low-price segment," Tripathi added.

According to him, Cook may raise the issue of allowing Apple to import and sell refurbished iPhones at a cheaper price in India. This will give Apple a slot in mid and low-price segment.

"India is incredibly exciting. The population of India is incredibly young. Almost half the people in India are below 25. And so I see the demographics there also being incredibly great for a consumer brand and for people that really want the best products," Cook had said earlier this year.

Cook, who joined Apple in March 1998, was made chief executive of the company, succeeding Steve Jobs, on August 24, 2011.

Hit by slower growth in the sale of its flagship products iPhone, iPad and Mac globally, Apple's revenue dropped for the first time since 2003 as the tech giant released earning reports for the second quarter of fiscal 2016 in March.

Eevenue was down in both Americas and China -- Apple's two biggest territories. It declined around 10 percent in the Americas and 26 percent in China.

According to reports, the company is looking for new growth markets like India after its sales declined.

After Modi became prime minister, top global executives have lined up to visit India. These include Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, India-born CEO of Microsoft Satya Nadella, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, Chennai-born CEO of Google Sundar Pichai, and Alibaba chairman Jack Ma among others.
New Delhi, May 17 : Congress' Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken on Tuesday said that the party's traditional voters are returning to its fold in the city.

"The traditional Congress voters including safai karamcharis, street vendors and slum dwellers have returned to the Congress fold. Besides the minority vote has also shifted to the Congress," he said after results to the civic by-polls had the party winning four out of 13 wards with a 24.87 percent vote share.

Maken said that while the Congress vote share as compared to the 2015 assembly elections has improved by 22 percentage points, while both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have lost 26 percent and four percent vote share respectively.

With the party winning from Qamruddin Nagar, Munirka, Khichripur and Jhilmil, he noted that his party has made inroads in those wards where they had never won before.

Maken said that the results clearly hint that both AAP and BJP must improve their governance.

"The voters have taught AAP a lesson as health and education facilities in the capital have not improved under their governance," he said, and accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of wasting taxpayers' money on self-promotion.

"The Delhi government has spent Rs.207 crore on publicity. Advertisements were given to vernacular dailies in Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi and other regional languages during the odd-even scheme.

"What have people of Karnataka or Kerala got to do with Delhi's odd-even scheme or any other programme implemented by the Delhi government?" he asked.
New Delhi, May 17 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reviewed the drought situation in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and appreciated the efforts of the state governments to mitigate the crisis.

The prime minister also directed setting up of a task force to comprehensively study the economic impact of drip irrigation in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. He said the proposed task force should take into consideration various parameters such as water saving, productivity, and savings in terms of reduced input costs in labour, fertiliser and pesticides, official sources said.

Presiding over the meeting on drought and water scarcity in Andhra Pradesh in presence of state Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, among others, the prime minister appreciated the state government's efforts in micro-irrigation.

The meeting was informed that an amount of Rs.315.95 crore has been released to Andhra Pradesh under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) after adjustments of the state balances. This is in addition to Rs.330 crore released as central share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for 2015-16 to the state. A further amount of Rs.173.25 crore has been released as first instalment of SDRF for 2016-17.

At the meeting, Naidu narrated the state's efforts in building check dams, reviving lift irrigation schemes and deploying mobile sprinkler units (rain guns) as part of the drought mitigation effort. The chief minister mentioned about the state's progress in micro-irrigation and also informed that a target of 20 lakh hectares for micro-irrigation by 2022 has been set up.

The chief minister appreciated the prime minister for his initiatives of neem-coating of urea and the assistance of Rs.1,500 per tonne offered for compost made from the municipal solid waste.

The chief minister also made a brief presentation on how the Andhra government is using technology to get real-time updates on water and agriculture from the field, the source said.

The prime minister urged the NITI Aayog to study in consultation with the state that could come up with a model on how to use technology for crop insurance.

During the day, the prime minister also chaired a high-level meeting on the drought and water scarcity situation in parts of Chhattisgarh. The state's Chief Minister Raman Singh and other senior officials attended the meeting.

An amount of Rs.835.695 crore has been released to the state under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), after adjustments of the state balances.

On his part, Chief Minister Singh informed about the water conservation measures initiated by his government.

These include desilting of 8,055 water bodies and farm ponds, construction of 44,181 new farm ponds and construction of 9,851 groundwater recharge structures.

The drought relief measures initiated in the state include provision of drinking water and foodgrains in each village, the official source said.

The chief minister said one quintal of rice has been kept with each panchayat to ensure that no one starves in the villages. The state has also used Remote Sensing Technology to identify watersheds and plan irrigation strategies.

The prime minister appreciated the preparatory work done by Chhattisgarh government for the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. He said other states can also study this as a model, the source said.
New Delhi, May 17 : The ongoing crisis in Venezuela is not an economic one but a US-backed coup d'etat attempt against President Nicolas Maduro, the Latin American country's Ambassador to India Augusto Montiel said on Tuesday.

"The current crisis is not an economic one. It is actually a US-financed coup d'etat attempt against President Maduro," Montiel told a select group of journalists here.

"There have been four coup d'etats in Venezuela. Three of them were faced by (former president Hugo) Chavez and one by Maduro. This is the second such attempt against Maduro," he said.

Venezuela on Monday implemented fresh extension of the State of Economic Emergency Decree, announced by Maduro, with new authorisations to tackle domestic and foreign forces' attempt to overthrow the government.

A new presidential decree announced aimed at protecting socio-economic rights and outlining actions to defend territorial sovereignty, Xinhua news agency reported.

The new legal instrument, to last for 60 renewable days, extends the emergency decree signed for the first time on January 14 and renewed on March 14 for 60 more days.

The decree gives the Venezuelan government new authorisations to execute special security plans against possible "destabilising actions that intend to interrupt the country's internal life" or its international relations.

Maduro described the new instrument as including measures to defend the country against new "foreign threats".

He referred to statements made by Colombia's former president Alvaro Uribe Velez who called from the US to "institutionally challenge" Venezuela's army, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.

The decree authorises the government to apply "special measures in foreign policy that impedes foreign interference".

Also it establishes the "urgent" acquisition of items through national and international negotiations as a bid to satisfy local demand for goods and services given the increased amount of shortages.

Ambassador Montiel said on Tuesday that the US has been continuously trying to take control of Venezuela's huge oil and gas resources.

"In 2002, the first coup d'etat happened six months after a new hydrocarbon law was passed," he said.

"We are not against the market. We just want regulations in place like any civilised country."

He also pointed out that oil companies from India and several other countries were operating in Venezuela.

Indian Oil, Oil India Limited, ONGC Videsh, Reliance and Essar are the Indian oil majors that are currently operating in Venezuela.

Montiel said that the current shortage of food and essential items in his country were artificial creations.

He said lorries and trucks carrying food and essential goods for Venezuela were being emptied in Miami in the US and on the Colombia side of the South American nation's border.

"In September, Venezuela will be assuming chairmanship of NAM (Non-Aligned Movement)," the ambassador said.

"Ahead of that, the US is trying to interfere in the internal affairs of Venezuela," he stated.

He said that the US has posted 50,000 troops in Honduras "to get into Venezuela".

"There are US military bases in Colombia and Honduras. US ship naval ships are constantly patrolling near the Venezuelan coast," Montiel said.

As for former Colombian president Velez's call to challenge Venezuela's army, the ambassador wondered what kind of foreign policy would it be if a country was invaded because it was facing some internal crisis.

"In that case European countries like Spain, Greece and Iceland all faced economic crises. Why wasn't action taken against them?" Montiel asked.
Gurgaon, May 17 : A 24-year-old woman IT professional hailing from Odisha was duped of nearly Rs.7 lakh by a Delhi-based 'friend' who has since been booked in the case, Gurgaon Police said on Tuesday.

Ronak Singh, a resident of south Delhi's Saket locality, was booked on charges of cheating and criminal intimidation at Gurgaon's women's police station.

Victim Shalu said in her police complaint that she met Singh through a common friend last year.

Police officer Chandrakanta said Singh duped Shalu of over Rs.6.80 lakh on the pretext of using the money for his sister's marriage.

The complainant, who lives here in the upscale DLF-1 area, said the accused threatened her of dire consequences whenever she asked for return of money.

"We have registered a case against the accused and are investigating," Chandrakanta said.
New Delhi, May 17 : As the Jaipur Literature Festival's South Bank edition runs into rough weather with activists' calling for its boycott citing alleged rights and other violations by its sponsor, Vedanta, the organisers said that sponsors do not influence the content of the festival.

Speaking to IANS, Sanjoy Roy, managing director of Teamwork Arts, which produces the festival, said that the sponsors have nothing to do with the event and asserted that they are being targeted for no reason. "Vedanta has sponsored many events in the country. Why only us are being targeted? I don't see any controversy as there is no judicial inquiry against Vedanta. We are happy to debate on this," said Roy.

An open letter signed by a dozen writers and academics around the world, expressed shock and dismay over JLF roping in Vedanta as its partner for the festival, scheduled to begin on May 21.

The writers and others who are expected to participate include Indian envoy to Britain Navtej Sarna, Sunil Khilnani, Andrew Whitehead, Barkha Dutt, Shatrughan Sinha and James McConnachie among others.

"Are you aware that Vedanta's activities are destroying the lives of thousands of people in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Punjab and also in Zambia, South Africa and Australia? Are you also aware that Zambian villagers are currently taking Vedanta subsidiary KCM to court in the UK, accusing it of poisoning their water over the last decade," says the open letter.

Reacting to the allegations, Roy said that the festival has a session on Dalit rights moderated by human right activist Salil Tripathi.

"We have a session on dalit rights and it's an open platform that allows for free thought and expression," said Roy, adding that he is hopeful that festival will function smoothly.

The letter also accuse Vedanta of gross human rights violations. "In Goa, Vedanta's iron ore mining subsidiary Sesa Goa (now Vedanta Limited) was the largest company indicted by the Shah Commission in 2012 for illegal mining, including failure to obtain leases or environmental clearance, and exporting 150 million tonnes of iron ore from Goa in 2010/11 while only declaring 76 million, their agreed export allowance."

"Not far from Jaipur itself Vedanta is accused by an employee's union of casualising and de-unionising the labour force at Hindustan Zinc Ltd by reducing permanent workers to only 2,500 of 18,000 workers," says the letter.

It also exhorts writers and artists to disassociate from the event as responsible citizens.

"Literature doesn't exist in a vacuum. It makes little sense to discuss books and ideas and the problems of the world in abstraction, while being funded by and publicising a company that has been and continues to be a gross violator of human rights across the world. We hope that you will withdraw from involvement in this discredited and damaging PR campaign," it said.

Meanwhile Vedanta issued a statement terming the allegations as baseless and underlined its commitment to sustainability and community development.

"The size and scale of Vedanta's commitment to CSR and sustainability is one of the most robust in India. Last year, we spent $42million on community development initiatives and this year we have delivered long-term social and economic benefits to approximately four million people," it said.

Taking on the allegations of environment degradation by the company, it said, "Last year, we invested $61.5 million in environmental initiatives and 88 percent of our sites are now certified to the ISO 14001 environmental standard," it said.

It also welcomed an open debate on the allegations.

"We welcome a direct and open dialogue with any organisation or individual that has doubts regarding Vedanta's commitment to sustainability and engagement with the communities where it operates," it further said.
New Delhi, May 17 : Among seven union ministers retiring from the Rajya Sabha over the next three months, five are set to return to the upper house, while two are facing opposition within the party.

Among the two are Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, informed sources told IANS.

Those retiring between June to August, other than Naidu and Sitharaman, are Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

The six are from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The seventh minister to retire from Rajya Sabha, is Y.S. Chowdary, Minister of State for Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Science, who is from ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

A total of 53 members, including Janata Dal-United leaders Sharad Yadav, K.C. Tyagi, BJP leaders M.J. Akbar, Anil Madhav Dave, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, are retiring from Rajya Sabha over the next three months.

Naidu, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, is retiring in June. He is seeking a fourth term in the upper house, which is rare in the party.

According to sources, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and some leaders in the BJP are not in favour of giving another term to Naidu, and feel someone new should be given an opportunity.

"There is a precedent in the party not to give more than two terms in Rajya Sabha, but Naidu was given a third term last time," a senior BJP functionary told IANS.

Sitharaman's renomination is being opposed by one of the union ministers who was once very close to her.

However, her work as minister has been widely appreciated.

Sitharaman is presently a Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh, where two seats are falling vacant. Both the seats will go to TDP.

However, a final decision on these two leaders will be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

TDP leader Y.S. Chowdary is likely to make a comeback to the upper house.

Piyush Goyal, a Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra, is likely to return to the upper house from Rajasthan, where four seats are falling vacant and are coming in the BJP quota.

In Rajasthan, two candidates will be decided by the state unit and the remaining two by the BJP central leadership.

Suresh Prabhu, who is in the upper house from Haryana, is likely to return from Maharashtra this time.

Six seats are falling vacant from Maharashtra, where the BJP will get four berths.

Birendra Singh, currently serving as Rajya Sabha member from Haryana, is likely to return from the state, where the BJP is in power. Two seats are falling vacant from the state.

Naqvi is likely to return to the upper house from Uttar Pradesh, from where BJP can send only one member.

(Brajendra Singh can be reached at brajendra.s@ians.in)
Mumbai, May 17 : Tata Steel's board on Tuesday approved a proposal to file an application before the Bombay High Court,o seeking recall of the scheme of amalgamation between Tata Metaliks (TML) and Tata Metaliks DI Pipes Limited with the steel producer.

The scheme of amalgamation was earlier sanctioned by the Bombay High Court on August 21, 2015.

"...its committee of directors approved the proposal of the company to file appropriate application before the hon'ble high court of Bombay seeking recall of the order dated August 21, 2015 sanctioning the scheme of amalgation between the Tata Metaliks Limited and Tata Metaliks DI Pipes Limited with the company," the steel maker said in a statement.

The scheme is currently not effective as the petition filed by TML in the Calcutta High Court for approval of the scheme is pending disposal, it said.

Accordingly, TML has been advised to consider withdrawing the scheme with a leave to re-file for a fresh scheme for merger of Tata Metaliks DI Pipes with TML.

"The decision is based on careful consideration of various factors including inordinate delay in obtaining requisite regulatory and statutory approvals along with significant dilution in the intended synergies that were envisaged in April 2013," said company's group executive director ((Finance & Corporate) Koushik Chatterjee.

Tata Steel will continue to support TML and the latter will continue to operate as a subsidiary of the company, he added.

The scheme was earlier recommended by the committee of directors in April 2013 and approved by the members of the company at the court convened meeting held in May 2014, the statement said.

"In terms of the scheme, the swap ratio for public shareholders was four equity shares of Rs 10 each of Tata Steel for every 29 equity shares of Rs.10 each held in TML," it said.
Mumbai, May 18 : Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who returned from Cannes on Tuesday morning decided to skip the musical evening of her upcoming film Sarbjit.

Reportedly, the actress has a sore throat because of which she decided to skip the event.

Apart, from Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the entire cast of the film and Sarbjit's family attented the event.

Randeep Hooda plays Sarabjit Singh in this film, Sarbjit. The film is a biopic on Sarabjit Singh, an Indian farmer who was convicted of terrorism and spying in Pakistan and was sentenced to death.

He was attacked by inmates at a prison in Lahore in April 2013 and died a few days later.
People renting a home in the UK spend an average of 18 months in the property before moving on with vacant properties being filled most quickly in Birmingham, new research has found.

Birmingham has the lowest tenant turnover, with renters staying an average of two years and four months in the same property. Cardiff on the other hand, has the highest turnover, with the average property being vacated less than a year after being filled, according to the study by landlord insurance provider Direct Line for Business.

Leeds at 12 months and Bristol at 14 months also have a high turnover of tenants, which could prove problematic for local landlords, the report says.

The analysis also looked at the average time it takes to fill a vacated property revealing that on average, it takes a landlord 22 days to find a new tenant. This could result in an average loss of 547 in uncollected rent. When calculating the yield for a property, landlords need to take into account this void period and ensure they have sufficient resources to meet any mortgage, ground rent or other charges.

Vacant properties in Birmingham are filled the quickest, with a landlord finding a tenant in just 11 days. However, in Liverpool and Aberdeen landlords struggle the most to fill their properties, taking an average of 33 days, to find a suitable candidate. Direct Line for Business's analysis estimates that this gap in rent could cost landlords as much as 761 in Liverpool and 913 in Aberdeen.

Even with such a competitive rental market in London, letting agents in the capital claim that it takes 20 days on average to fill a property. With average monthly rents in central London surpassing 2,000 this could amount to a loss of 1,869 in income.

The research also found that landlords can't always rely on occupants remaining in a property for the duration of their tenancy agreement, with 9% moving out early. The highest rate of tenancy turnover is in Aberdeen where 19% of tenants leave a property before the end of the tenancy agreement with Leeds and Sheffield both close behind at 13%.

This research highlights the pressure landlords are under to replace outgoing tenants in their properties. Vacant properties are obviously a worry for landlords but it's vitally important that they take into account void periods when calculating the affordability of owning a rental property, said Nick Breton, head of Direct Line for Business.

Staying on top of the on-going changes within the industry can be time-consuming and a battle for landlords and we fully appreciate the challenges they face when it comes to managing their rental properties, he added.

The business has developed a Mobile Landlord app which can manage up to five properties aimed at alleviating some of the stress. The app can track income, calculate yields, set handy reminders such as when a tenancy agreement may be coming to an end and also keep landlords up to date with any new changes in the market.
There was an increase in the number of new rental properties in the UK following the rush by buy to let landlords to beat the introduction of additional stamp duty tax on homes in April.

New research has found that Worcester saw new rental listings shoot up by almost a half with a rise of 48.9% in April while there was a rise of 38% in Chelmsford and 36.4% in Stevenage.

Overall there was a national rise of 11.5% but in London it was just 9.1%, according to the study which looked at the number of new rental properties being advertised last month compared to March in 90 towns and cities from property crowdfunding platform Property Partner.

Other locations that saw significant increases included Southport, Telford, Bath, Newport, Woking, Gloucester, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Oldham and St Helens with rise of between 34.4% and 22.5%.

The rental market experienced a much-needed boost in April. Unfortunately, this was created by investor frenzy to beat the stamp duty hike, and supply is unlikely to continue on an upward trajectory, said Dan Gandesha, chief executive officer of Property Partner.

If anything, options for tenants could become more limited in the next couple of months as traditional landlords balk at the prospect of paying the surcharge now, and losing mortgage interest tax relief from next year, he pointed out.

There is still strong tenant demand, but the Government has changed the traditional buy to let landscape, and this will have ramifications for the rental market longer term. That demand will increasingly have to be met by professional landlords offering tenants a better product, and investors a better deal, he added.
Why stick to a typical seating arrangement when you can mix things up a bit? Receptions are designed to feel like a party, not a board conference or work meeting.

This week, San Luis Obispo wedding rental company All About Events released a report on the hottest wedding trends for Spring 2016.

The Spring 2016 Wedding Season is just a few months away, and All About Events wedding rentals San Luis Obispo has everything a bride and groom needs for their special day.

All About Events specializes in making a bride and grooms wedding day a memory to last a lifetime. How do they do this? Staying up to date on the latest wedding trends in 2015 is key for those in the wedding industry. As styles change, its important for wedding rental locations to stay current with their inventory and provide quality rentals that every bride and groom will love. Its also important for wedding rental San Luis Obispo companies to have plenty of inventory on hand, as the autumn and winter months in San Luis Obispo are a very popular time for couples to seal the deal.

Trends for 2016:

Shabby Chic

The shabby-chic farmhouse vibe is very popular right now, as more and more modern brides look to vintage apparel and style for inspiration. All About Events wedding rentals San Luis Obispo has a variety of antique and vintage decor items that add elegance and flare to any wedding spread. Long wooden tables, chairs, and wine barrels are among the most popular items rented this year.

Creative Seating Plans

Why stick to a typical seating arrangement when it can be mixed up a bit? Receptions are designed to feel like a party, not a board conference or work meeting. Another big trend is lounge areas a crucial element of cocktails or after-hours partying. All About Events San Luis Obispo wedding rental specialists has a wide selection of different sized tables and chairs to mix things up.

To view the complete report, visit their blog.

Spring is also a popular time for engagements. As newly engaged couples start looking for their 2016 wedding inspirations, many California couples find the All About Events website a helpful resource for planning, pricing, and Pinning their dream wedding photos.

All About Events has tables, chairs, linens, glassware, flatware, tents, dance floors, and accessories available to rent for 2015. They also provide necessary appliances for a catering team to utilize. For more information on All About Events wedding rentals San Luis Obispo, call their office at (805) 239-7777 or visit their website.

All About Events

1026 Chorro Street #230

San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

(805) 239-7777

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Press release and media marketing by Access Publishing, 806 9th Street, #2D, Paso Robles, CA 93446 (805) 226-9890.
The Hare Krishna movement, which began in the United States as a fringe culture in the tumultuous 60s, turns fifty this year. Acclaimed spiritual leader and teacher Radhanath Swami has been one of the leaders at the helm of the movement for the past twenty years and has been lauded by institutions around the world, including Harvard, MIT, the London School of Economics, Apple, IBM, and Starbucks, to name a few. The Swami, who spends half the year traveling and speaking, is in the U.S. from May to August to release his new book, The Journey Within: Exploring the Path of Bhakti, the highly anticipated follow-up to his best-selling memoir, The Journey Home.

In The Journey Within, Radhanath Swami once again inspires readers with intimate personal stories from his decades of experience and illustrates the basic tenets of bhakti yoga (the yoga of devotion). Illuminating references to Western religions and ideologies make this ancient philosophy more accessible than ever.

A Publishers Weekly review acclaims, Radhanaths teaching here is highly accessible and a delight to read; newcomers will feel welcome to bhakti and intrigued by his conviction and compassion.

The Journey Within invites readers from all backgrounds to delve into their hearts and discover the simple truths that unite us all.

Radhanath Swami spends much of the year in Mumbai leading humanitarian services projects, such as eye clinics, free-care hospitals, eco-villages, and food programs that feed 1.2 million school children in India each day. The rest of the year, he speaks around the world with global leaders who call upon him to provide fresh insights on shifting our consciousness to solve world problems. Academic and activist Dr. Cornel West, comedian and activist Russell Brand, and scholars around the globe support and share the universal message of his teachings.

Radhanath Swami is known worldwide as a compassionate and authentic teacher who walks his talk and teaches happiness and fulfillment are not found in wealth, but rather in service and compassion. His U.S. tour includes events with spiritual, corporate, and private groups, with media coverage in each city in addition to radio and podcast interviews and national print and online media coverage.

Review copies available upon request from publicist Carina Sammartino, carina(at)parallel33pr(dot)com, 760.331.3547. More information at journeywithinbook.com or radhanathswami.com.

The Journey Within: Exploring the Path of Bhakti

By Radhanath Swami

Mandala Publishing | May 17, 2016 | 6 x 9 | 320 pages

Hardcover | W | $24.99

ISBN: 978-1-60887-157-5

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Bruce Donoho with COTN in Africa

The leader in professional grade bird control products for commercial, industrial and residential applications, Bird B Gone has been deeply involved in giving back. The company has partnered with Children of the Nations (COTN), to help provide health, education, and security to children in third world countries around the globe. These efforts underscore Bird B Gones commitment to go beyond products but to address the needs of Faith, Family & Friends.

Walled Perimeter Protects Students From More Than Ebola

At the onset of the Ebola outbreak, an infected person could be sick and not even know it. To protect hundreds of children from getting sick when strangers pass through Sierra Leones school campus, a COTN team built a wall around the 100-acre facility to keep out unwanted visitors and protect those inside.

Nursery, Primary, and Secondary Students Graduate

The rural African village of Ngolala recently held graduation ceremonies for 32 nursery, 33 primary and 12 secondary students. School administration, teachers, parents, pupils, and well-wishers of the Ngolala community thanked COTN sponsors for their prayers and contributions that made the milestone occasion such a success.

Secondary School in Sierra Leone Construction Nears Completion

COTN is actively engaged in helping Sierra Leone complete a much-needed secondary school. When finished, the school will house senior secondary school students (equivalent to high school). This will allow their senior secondary students to attend school during the day instead of in the evenings on a shift system. The schools science lab was tiled, cabinets were installed, and concrete countertops were poured.

Bird B Gone is the worlds largest manufacturer and distributor of bird control products, providing effective and humane solutions to a bird-free environment. The company provides advice; training and installation services for those who need help with these and other bird control measures. For the complete line of products from Bird B Gone, call 1-800-392-6915; fax: 949-472-3116 or visit our website at http://www.birdbgone.com, e-mail: nobirds(at)birdbgone(dot)com.
By connecting the dots between workforce management and business sales, our customers now have insights into the inbound and outbound of their cash flow, so they know exactly how their business is performing from any location.

Deputy, a leading global workforce management solution, today announced that it will partner with payment and commerce solution provider, Square during one of the largest restaurant tradeshows, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show 2016. This partnership will create the ultimate digital business management solution for restaurant owners and retailers. With this integration, Deputy customers can integrate business sales and labor costs from Square with staffing and timesheet management, creating total visibility and control into key functions of business management. Best of all, these analytics can be accessed from any location via a smartphone, laptop or tablet.

By integrating Deputy with Square, business owners and managers can:



Integrate sales and labor costs from Square into Deputy for a realistic view of business performance

Alter employee scheduling based on the highs and lows of business

Seamlessly track and monitor employee overtime, late clock-ins and tips

Organize scheduling in real time based on employee availability and time-off requests in the cloud

Easily share schedules via email, SMS or push notifications to other smartphones via the Deputy app

Update employee timesheets from Square based on employee overtime and instantly process payroll with virtually any payroll service provider.

Todays news reveals how Deputys partnership with business software providers such as Square, is radically transforming the way companies manage their workflows and employees in the cloud, said Jason Walker, president, Americas for Deputy. By connecting the dots between workforce management and business sales, our customers now have insights into the inbound and outbound of their cash flow, so they know exactly how their business is performing from any location. This is particularly valuable for retailers and restaurants, who struggle to accurately forecast the number of hourly workers needed during peak and off-peak business times.

For example, Dale Fewson, managing director of Essence of Coffee, a coffee roaster in Rapid City, South Dakota, uses Deputy and Square to manage his entire business via his smartphone. By integrating Deputy with Square, Dale has a more accurate view of his business performance in real time, based on sales and payroll. Armed with this information, Dale can alter and adjust employee schedules based on internal forecasts of peak business times, all via his smartphone or tablet.

In just a few weeks of utilizing Deputy's Square integration, I have significantly cut down my time creating and recreating employee shift schedules," said Fewson. Deputys solution has given me my time back to do what I love - roasting high quality, beautiful coffee beans.

Deputy will demonstrate its entire workforce management suite of solutions in booth #9158 at NRA this week. Not Attending NRA? Try Deputy for free today at Deputy.com or call us at 1-855-6-DEPUTY (855-633-7889).

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About Deputy

Founded in 2008, Deputy is headquartered in Sydney, Australia and Atlanta, USA, with offices in Los Angeles, the United Kingdom and the Philippines. As the ultimate workforce manager, Deputy offers best-in-class technology in a cloud-based solution that simplifies scheduling, timesheets, tasking and other employee communication. This, coupled with brilliant mobile apps and one-click payroll integration, equips business managers with the tools they need to get out of the back office and into the action. More than 20,000 customers in 73 countries use Deputy to manage their employees. For more information, visit Deputy.com and follow @DeputyApp.
Our one-of-kind technology can leverage this knowledge to improve authorization rates, eliminate fraud and ensure consumers can buy in the digital marketplace. We are very excited about our future.

CardinalCommerce, global leader and pioneer in the remote payments industry, announces that they have significantly increased their investment and capabilities in Data Science and Analytics.

Cardinals platforms monitor more than 750,000 BIN and MID combinations an hour, and now can collect almost 400 data points for each transaction. This knowledge combined with its market footprint, puts Cardinal in the very unique position to improve authorizations, eliminate fraud and ensure the consumer experience is without unnecessary friction. With this capability and approach, the company can essentially monitor the global ecosystem of digital commerce to ensure their Customers have the highest authorization rates.

Recently, we have significantly expanded our capabilities by adding technology and personnel resources to our Data Science and Analytics business group. Our one-of-kind technology can leverage this knowledge to improve authorization rates, eliminate fraud and ensure consumers can buy in the digital marketplace. We are very excited about our future, said Tim Sherwin, Cardinals Executive Vice President.

To support the growing and one-of-a-kind data science and analytical capability, Cardinal has added an experienced executive to guide this focus. Rick Ziolkowski has joined Cardinal to lead the Data Science and Analytics group. Rick has more than 30 years of real-world payments and security experience, with Citibank as Director, Credit Card Investigations, and most recently, as Payment Security Manager for Amtrak, where he created and developed their fraud risk management program. He has incorporated next-generation data and authentication strategies to improve card acceptance, as their business moved towards an omni-channel approach. Among his accomplishments were increasing card authorizations, reducing fraud, and improving consumer satisfaction.

According to Rick Ziolkowski, Im excited to work for Cardinal because of their deep experience across the entire payment cycle and excellent culture of always putting the Customer first. Cardinal is extraordinarily and strategically positioned at the juncture in digital commerce as an aggregator / analyzer of data between merchants, issuers, brands and other payment suppliers. Having access to such a wide field of checkout, issuing and ecosystem information will provide countless opportunities to expand value and opportunity for our Customers through our data and analytical services.

Cardinal protects its intellectual property with 50 issued U.S. and international patents, and has over 100 applications pending.

About CardinalCommerce

CardinalCommerce is the pioneer and global leader in enabling authenticated payment transactions in the card-not-present payments industry, and the largest authentication network in the world. Through One Connection to the proprietary Cardinal SafeCloud, we enable friction-free, technology-neutral authentication and alternative payment services (including digital wallets and mobile commerce services). Cardinal services, partners with and complements most providers in the marketplace to deliver their One Connection solution to secure transactions. In accommodating this growing number of payment brands and methods, Cardinal's platforms serve as universal switches, supporting virtually all merchant platforms, wallets, legacy processing systems and authentication methodologies.

CardinalCommerce is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and services a worldwide Customer base from facilities in the United States, Europe and Africa. For more information, visit http://www.cardinalcommerce.com.
"Enterprises want to partner with experts who can unleash the power of the cloud for them and help increase their overall business efficiency, said Brendan Fortune, Sr. Director of Product Management, Media Temple.

Media Temple, a Los Angeles-based company providing people-powered web and cloud hosting solutions, today announced that it has launched a new WordPress hosting offering for enterprises and the agencies that serve them. Leveraging enterprise-tested Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud technology, Media Temple has built the first mission-critical WordPress solutions that meet and exceed enterprises business continuity needs.

The company is rolling out two new plans that uniquely combine managed WordPress, AWS hosting and Media Temples CloudTech Premier, 24/7 premium technical support from an in-house team of seasoned cloud architects and administrators. Additionally, customers have access to (mt) One, a new, round-the-clock, white glove account management service provided by dedicated executive-level account managers. Among other services, the (mt) One team ensures that websites and apps are operating at peak performance, and conduct regular business reviews to discuss upcoming high-traffic events.

The new plans were designed to also address these key enterprise-grade organizations needs:

 SCALE: The plans unique, robust architecture offers auto-scaling, thus minimizing the risk of downtime by dynamically scaling up and down to handle any large amount of traffic;

 AVAILABILITY: The new solutions boast an elastic architecture with redundant systems across dual data centers, which allows for continuous access to sites and apps;

 SECURITY: Both plans also feature a container-based environment that automatically protects users sites and apps against common exploits. Additionally, they come with Amazon CloudFronts DDoS protection against SYN flood and DNS amplification attacks;

 SPEED: Finally, multi-tiered page and object caching, both server-side and through Amazon CloudFront, a global Content Delivery Network, brings maximum speed to high-traffic sites and apps.

Based on the feedback we collected from the WordPress community and our pilot program, we know that enterprises take WordPress very seriously. They also want to partner with experts who can unleash the power of the cloud for them and help increase their overall business efficiency, said Brendan Fortune, Senior Director of Product Management at Media Temple. With our highly available managed WordPress solutions, we are bringing them the sophistication of the worlds most popular web and app platform, uniquely combined with high-end, 24/7 support and account management, as well as the reliability of AWS.

Many enterprise-level customers consider the level of service and support just as critical as the quality of the WordPress hosting solution itself, said Deb Shea, Director of Strategy and Operations at Media Temple. They want real-timeliness and account managers who can advocate for them throughout the business, which is exactly what our new WordPress plans are offering.

Media Temples new plans include CloudTech Premier and (mt) One, and start with 1TB storage and 1.5TB bandwidth  both plans are also expandable as customers needs evolve. A full list of all the plans features and benefits is available at http://www.mediatemple.net/wordpress-cloud-hosting/.

Last year, Media Temple refreshed its managed WordPress offering and launched new managed cloud hosting services for AWS.

ABOUT MEDIA TEMPLE

From its inception in 1998, Media Temple has helped web designers, developers, creative agencies and enterprises focus on successfully running and growing their business while we take care of all their hosting needs. Over 125,000 people and businesses in 100 countries rely on our people-powered web and cloud hosting solutions to host over 1 million websites. Our premium service model combined with our scalable technology allows us to focus on delivering only exceptional quality solutions and best-in-class, award-winning 24/7 customer support. Our clients range from top tier designers, popular blogs and online creative communities, to global advertising agencies and major brands. With 230 dedicated, U.S.-based employees, Media Temple has been repeatedly recognized as one of the best places to work in Los Angeles.

Find us anytime at http://www.mediatemple.net, on Twitter @MediaTemple or on Facebook.
We Dont Deliver Leads, We Acquire Customers By Leveraging Innovative Technologies In Online Marketing If youre serious about making money online and creating the freedom and life you love, attending A4Ds Performance Summit is simply a no-brainer. Their events are the best.

A4D Performance Summit Announced!

June 4th at Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego, CA

A4D presents its Annual Performance Summit, featuring expert guest speakers:

Malan Darras

Mike Powell

Michael Migliero

Zack Linford

Tim Burd

Jason Akatiff

Legends Ballroom, Hard Rock Hotel,

Downtown San Diego, CA

2016 A4D Performance Summit - Over 500 Performance Marketers from all over the world will once again join forces for a chance to learn internet based affiliate marketing growth hacks and innovative engagement strategies from the most influential online advertising experts.

This 1 day intensive, unlike any other, completely focuses on helping marketing experts learn the most effective ways to connect with their audience, create engaging experiences that produce exceptional growth results, and is invaluable to digital professionals who care about relationships that result in business growth. This event provides countless networking opportunities with other successful advertising and marketing experts. Elevate results and grow your business by attending the ABOVE THE FOLD Performance Summit on June 4th.

For hotel accommodations, please call Hard Rock Hotel at 866-751-7625 to reserve your room. Mention A4D Performance Summit. You must be on the registration list to receive a promo code.

Reserve your Free seat now, before its too late.

About A4D:

A4D believes in developing innovative advertising solutions and marketing tools to empower experts to attract, engage, grow and build deep relationships with their customers and the world. Using innovative technologies, advanced training and proprietary algorithms, A4D is dedicated to scale and align your business and services with those who need it most. A4D also delivers the latest industry trends and best practices while showcasing top performance marketing and internet visionaries.

A4Ds competitive advantage comes from their in-house products:

Viderian - Stop wasting time manually testing and optimizing videos to increase engagement! Use our patent pending, multivariate, split testing and optimization platform to instantly drive sales. Viderian is the only scene based, video split testing platform for online performance marketers that focuses solely on helping you create engaging experiences and giving you complete control over the quality of the connections you build online. Visit Viderian.

Solar Save  Because we believe in taking care of our planet and people. SolarSave was created to help connect innovative, green companies with consumers who want to make a difference. SolarSave.com is the #1 solar lead acquisition agency, offering exclusive, real-time leads. Visit Solarsave.

Pixlwise: Knowledge is priceless. We love to teach and gamification provides the best way to learn! As a company, we are dedicated to creating tools and opportunities to share what we know with those who want to grow. We created a video game Startup Alley to teach young marketers how to become a successful publisher. Visit StartupAlley.

Want to explore more of our products? Visit A4D for the complete list.
I walked away with a renewed sense of urgency regarding the role digital media needs to play in my institution.

Carnegie Communications, the leader in digital marketing for higher education, and Google recently co-hosted a series of free, one-day digital marketing workshops. Over 250 higher education marketing and admission professionals gathered to discuss industry trends and best practices.

The workshops resulted from Carnegie being a Google Managed Agency Partner, a distinction reserved for Google's top-tier partner agencies globally. The events were held at Googles Mountain View Campus in California and New York City Headquarters, as well as The Big 10 Conference Center in Chicago. Topics ranged from mobile strategies and paid Search advertising to YouTube, social media, and the importance of Search Engine Optimization and its impact on prospective students.

Nick Carlson, Director of Web Initiatives, Communications, and Marketing at Monmouth College, said, I walked away with a renewed sense of urgency regarding the role digital media needs to play in my institution. Armed with statistics straight from Google and Carnegie, Ive got the tools necessary to sit down with administrators and make it a genuine priority.

Pablo Mejia, Agency Development Manager for Google added, "Carnegie Communications does a fantastic job covering the digital marketing space for edu. Our partnership allows us to capitalize on advertising opportunities for clients and provide on-going consultative support.

Due to the overwhelming response and demand from attendees, we will be hosting several more workshops in other cities this year, said Joe Moore, Chairman and CEO of Carnegie. We are thrilled with the feedback weve heard thus far and support weve received from our partners at Google.

The workshop series was inspired by the success of Carnegies annual conference: Integrating Traditional & Digital Marketing Strategies. Next years Carnegie Conference is being held February 12 at Walt Disney World.

About Carnegie

Carnegie Communications has been at the forefront of integrated, response-driven enrollment marketing and recruitment for over 30 years. Through customized, cutting-edge digital solutions and a multi-channel lead generation platform, Carnegie connects higher education institutions with the target audience they seek.
El nino de campo  Rey Blinky  Instagram The new company will be a Fine arts support Service. It will provide investors that are interested in Fine Art the opportunity to invest in both up and coming artists, as well as more established artists that live in Miami.

http://www.fabiopalumbo.com/art-money/fine-arts-miami/

Investment Advisor from Rome Fabio Palumbo is planning to open a new Fine Arts support service company in Miami. His company assists not only people looking to invest, but also skilled artists with financial aid to continue their work and growing in the art world. His company offers two types of opportunities. He said The lesser known artist work can be bought for less and will offer more of a profit in the long run. The work of an artist whos already made a name for himself will cost more and can probably sell for a higher profit in a shorter period of time. Both investments are still risky, but the more you know about the art market the less your risk will be, and Palumbo has major expertise.

Why Invest in Miami?

I chose Miami for a number of reasons, the first being the diverse and vibrant art scene Miami has to offer. I also saw the growing influx of artists from around the world that are coming to Miami for the unique cultural environment and I saw the investment opportunities that this will provide for my investors. I saw the influx of people in Miami with a substantial amount of money with an interest in art that may not have any idea of the investment opportunities that art can provide. This is where a person like myself comes in to provide them with both the knowledge and the assurance they need to feel comfortable investing in art. Miami is a very trendy city, that has and attracts people from around the world looking for different ways to invest their money and art is that opportunity.

Not to mention, the highly anticipated Art Basel in Lynwood this December that draws hundreds of artists, galleries, investors, and experts, and is a huge opportunity to expose your work.

Fabio Palumbo has been a Financial Analyst for IBM Corp. and Manager at Swiss Bank Corporation (SBC) in the past. He also worked as a Director for Robert Fleming Italia Sales and Purchase Agreement. Currently, he is Joint General of Methorios Capital, an international brokerage firm that provides professional advisory and risk-free management to industrial and service companies, providing financial, technical, and logistic consulting in the art world to both artists and art collectors. He is also Advisor Board Member of UAU ART in Miami (http://www.uauart.com)
CapLinked CapLinked's proven track record of successful client deployments in the workflow arena demonstrates its prowess in helping customers attain unprecedented efficiency."

CapLinked, a workflow-optimization platform for secure enterprise sharing across multiple organizations, announced today that CIO Applications has ranked CapLinked among the 25 Workflow Solutions Transforming Business list of 2016. Winners represent the information industrys best products, technologies, and services created by or for media, publishers, and information services providers.

CapLinkeds cloud-based platform is built for integrated, secure workflow management and document collaboration on business deals, projects, and other multi-company collaborations. CapLinked offers its clients the peace of mind and protection they need when sharing sensitive data with outside parties. Founded by Eric M. Jackson (PayPal's first head of US marketing) and Christopher Grey (former private equity and investment banking executive), hundreds of enterprises use CapLinked for secure enterprise sharing.

We are pleased to recognize CapLinked as one among the 25 Workflow Solutions Transforming Business of 2016, said Sarah Wilson, Managing Editor, CIO Applications. CapLinked's proven track record of successful client deployments in the workflow arena demonstrates its prowess in helping customers attain unprecedented efficiency."

We are proud that CIO Applications has named CapLinked to its list of 25 Workflow Solutions Transforming Business, said CapLinked CEO Eric Jackson. Preventing data loss is a huge area of concern for enterprises, who must collaborate with outside parties more than ever in todays global business environment. Thats why CapLinked empowers companies to protect their data when working with other parties.

CapLinkeds software is used by many well-known corporations, private equity funds, and professional service firms. Its clients include Ernst & Young, Takeda, Sunbelt Business Brokers, Competitive Power Ventures, FTI Consulting and Brookline Bank.

About CapLinked

CapLinked is a cloud application for secure enterprise sharing. The company was founded by Eric M. Jackson (PayPal's first head of US marketing and author of The PayPal Wars) and Christopher Grey (former senior private equity executive and managing director at a subsidiary of Emigrant Bank). Its investors include FF Angel, Peter Thiel, 500 Startups, and Subtraction Capital. The Wall Street Journal called CapLinked the go-to place for setting up and closing deals, and Inc. named CapLinked to its list of 5 Back-Office Tech Innovations. The company is based in Los Angeles Silicon Beach area. For more information, visit: http://www.caplinked.com/

About CIO Applications

CIO Applications is a print magazine which is published from Fremont, California, that brings the real-world solutions, news, product trends, and hardware and software solutions to ensure that a CIO achieves more predictable performance and higher visibility into the environment. Through nominations and consultations with industry leaders, its editors choose the best in different domains. The Workflow Special Edition is an annual listing of 25 Workflow Solutions Transforming Business in the U.S. For more information, visit: http://www.cioapplications.com/
Vistaprint and 'Good Morning America' have changed our lives, and our business." - Robert Jucker

On May 2, the "Deals and Steals on Wheels" segment of "Good Morning America," sponsored by Vistaprint, stopped in Houston, highlighting four local businesses and offering exclusive deals on handmade products, including Three Brothers Bakery and its award-winning pecan pie.

Each of the local business showcased a signature product at a discounted price for "Good Morning America" viewers. In celebration of Small Business Week, each company chosen also had strong connections to their communities.

For Three Brothers Bakery, the appearance on "Good Morning America" became more than just offering half off the price of its delicious pecan pie to viewers, but the shows host, Tory Johnson, also shared the history of the bakery, its significant commitment to serving the homeless and its recent struggles with the flooding rains that have plagued Houston.

When presenting its special deal of the day, half off pecan pies, Three Brothers Bakery was surprised with a generous donation of $10,000 from the shows sponsor, Vistaprint, to help the bakery continue its work to feed the homeless in its community, particularly with local shelter Star of Hope.

The check was a complete surprise to us, said Bobby Jucker, fifth generation baker and co-owner. Vistaprint and 'Good Morning America' have changed our lives, and our business. My dad and his brothers, the bakery founders and Holocaust survivors, know the struggle of real hunger, and believe that no one should be without food. Vistaprints generous donation will help us continue our work to feed the homeless in Houston.

For more information regarding Three Brothers Bakery, its service to the community or its recent appearance on "Good Morning America," please contact Allison Huseman at 713-225-0880 or allison(at)integrateagency(dot)com.

About Three Brothers Bakery

The traditions of Three Brothers Bakery began in Chrzanow, Poland circa 1825, and were preserved despite the familys concentration camp imprisonment during the Holocaust. Their miraculous liberation, and subsequent move to Houston, brought Eastern European scratch baking traditions to 4036 S. Braeswood Blvd, 12393 Kingsride Lane, and 4606 Washington Ave where the owners are now proud to call themselves memory makers who just happen to be bakers. Perfecting the process for almost 200 years, each day the fifth generation bakers produce mostly dairy-free breads and pastries, cookies, a full line of specialty dessert cakes and pies, as well as custom birthday, special occasion, wedding and grooms cakes using only the highest quality ingredients.

The Three Brothers Bakery pecan pie was named the best mail order pecan pie America has to offer by Country Living magazine, bakery owner, Bobby Jucker competed in the popular Food Network Challenge and has been seen on Food Networks Outrageous Food. Three Brothers won Best Mail-Order Pies 2012 from Bon Appetit, as well as Modern Bakings 2013 Retail Bakery of the Year and was part of The Knots 2010-2013 Best of Weddings and Hall of Fame picks. Most recently, Three Brothers Bakery was named #11 in Americas 50 Best Bakeries by The Daily Meal, and was awarded the 2013 Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year by the Houston division of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Three Brothers Bakery is a certified Woman-Owned Business through the Womens Business Enterprise National Council, and a State of Texas Historically Underutilized Business.

Follow Three Brothers Bakery on Facebook and Twitter for Houston area news, information and events.
The Hot Sauce Depot Texas Scholars Program is a scholarship of $500 awarded to a U.S. citizen or legal resident who is currently accepted to or enrolled in a post-secondary Texas school. If I had known that places like this offered scholarships, I would have applied in a heartbeat.

Hot Sauce Depot has created the Hot Sauce Depot Texas Scholars Program, a new scholarship that will be awarded to an exceptional student who is attending post-secondary school in the state of Texas for the 2016-2017 school year. The scholarship funds will be awarded directly to the student, allowing the recipient to put the money towards a variety of educational expenses, including tuition, housing, and books.

Students spend a lot of money on college to invest in their careers, but so many of them wind up in debt after they graduate because of student loans, said Rick Morris, owner and president of Hot Sauce Depot. Weve had our warehouse here in Keller/Fort Worth for 10 years now, so it just seemed like the perfect time for us to do something to give back to the community. I thought we could offer funding in the form of a scholarship because it benefits the student as well as our community.

Many students are unaware that they can receive funding from outside scholarships that are awarded through foundations or companies, such as Hot Sauce Depot. Students can actively seek scholarships for which they are eligible through online databases, and local school districts and newspapers can also be helpful resources.

If I had known that places like this offered scholarships, I would have applied in a heartbeat, said Skyla Brown, recent college graduate and resident of Keller, Texas. Its definitely worth taking the time to apply.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have or maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher; be currently accepted to or enrolled in an accredited Texas university, college, or technical school for the 2016-2017 school year; and be a U.S. citizen or legal resident. The scholarship will be awarded in December 2016. Morris is pleased to provide this opportunity and hopes to expand the program to an annual scholarship.

Learn more about the program or apply online at http://www.hotsaucedepot.com/scholars-program.aspx.

About Hot Sauce Depot

Hot Sauce Depot is a leading distributor of hot sauce, BBQ sauce, salsas, and spicy snacks, carrying 50 different well-known brands in addition to private label sauces. Celebrating 10 years in business in 2016, Hot Sauce Depot distributes to retailers, restaurants, national chains, and food markets all over the world from their headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.
Purple Deck Media Partners with Aspire Grant & Development ..With the help of Purple Deck and their cost effective and creative one-of-a-kind technology, we believe our company will see great strides in the future.

Aspire Grant & Development is a Pennsylvania based limited liability corporation, offering consultative services for private industry, local government and not-for-profit organizations. Their consulting group specializes in the identification and preparation of federal, state and private competitive grant applications, primarily for economic development and construction. Aspire also does limited work in strategic business planning and can register your organization to do business with the United States Government under the System for Award Management (SAM). Aspire Grant & Development Partners offer a team of experienced grant professionals, who have solid, long-standing relationships with members and with the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, Senate of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Aspire Grant & Development Partners is dedicated to offer consultive services to private industry, local government and not-for-profit organizations in preparation for federal, state and private competitive grants.

Purple Deck Media is an all-in-one solutions provider that specializes in a cloud based software that bridges the gap between the physical and the virtual world. Their flagship mobile product MobileDeck- provides the fastest way to quickly create and deploy native mobile applications. Their cloud management platform for NFC (Near Field Communication) and IoT (Internet of Things)  TapLive - provides a way to streamline content delivery, information gathering, and much more. The mission of Purple Deck Media is to increase the availability, security, and delivery of information across mobile platforms. Purple Deck Media envisions a society that can have access to information from anywhere without the need to search, feeding the hunger for rapid access to accurate information.

Purple Deck Media is announcing their partnership with Aspire Grant & Development. Through this partnership, both companies hope to grow their business into something that will allow them to serve a vast amount of clients  especially those in government organizations. Purple Deck Media and Aspire Grant & Development see endless possibilities that will come about with this partnership. It will allow for the advancement of federal, state, and local government clients, futuristic ideas, and with the help of NFC (Near Field Communication), both companies will benefit immensely.

Over the next year, Aspire Grant and Development is expected to grow significantly, expanding to offer more consultative services to nonprofit foundations, or business organizations that wish to start a nonprofit umbrella as a means for philanthropic work. Marketing concepts like crowd-sourcing, social media and digital donor outreach are the way of the future. In five years, approximately 35% of adult smart phone owners will choose to carry their phone only for an array of purposes. Phone technology continues to evolve, allowing users to purchase, learn and conduct business from his/her smart phone. Michele Beener, president of Aspire Grant & Development stated, In planning for philanthropic events, charitable giving, and donor engagement, it's a population we want to engage. Purple Deck, as a leader in the NFC and national technology movement, is the perfect business partner.

NFC technology complements todays contact-less technologies. In a world of interactivity, the power of Purple Deck Media augments all marketing verticals and tools to achieve solutions in areas such as: data assembly and exchange, access control, health care, loyalty and coupons, transportation, payments, consumer knowledge, and so much more. With this technology, the ways that Purple Deck Media and Aspire Grant & Development can better society are endless.

Michele Beener shared how pleased she was to be partnering with Purple Deck Media. She stated that, We are extremely excited to partner with Purple Deck Media! We realize that digital media is the way to the future, and with the help of Purple Deck and their cost effective and creative one-of-a-kind technology, we believe our company will see great strides in the future.

Nathan Neil, COO of Purple Deck Media stated that, We are very pleased to add Aspire Grant & Development and as a strategic partner and we look forward to the ways that this can help better society.
Academic credentials are the currency of opportunity and exchanging that currency across international borders has historically proven challenging.

Today, at the fifth annual meeting of the Groningen Declaration Network, Parchment announced its partnership with China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC). The partnership enables Parchment Receive members to accept verified Chinese academic credentials electronically and securely through CHESICC. CHESICC is an authoritative institution directly under the Chinese Ministry of Education. The CHESICC/Parchment delivery service is now live following a beta period during which University of Nebraska at Omaha received student records from CHESICC through Parchment using the same processes and workflows with which they process domestic transcripts and related records.

According to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal, Chinese students represent the largest population of foreign nationals seeking a postsecondary education in the United States. In the 2014-15 academic year, 304,040 students from China were studying in the United States. These students applying to U.S. institutions from China must go through a process that requires proof of academic achievement through official student records. For many U.S. institutions, lack of prior experience or familiarity with schools and universities in China creates obstacles for the student and the institution when it comes to verifying and evaluating those records. By directing Chinese applicants to request their records through CHESICC, institutions are assured of the integrity of the records and receive them in a translated format. By enabling CHESICC delivery through Parchment, US postsecondary institutions can receive those records in electronic format, leveraging their existing processes, saving money and enabling more accurate and efficient evaluation.

In May 2015, Parchment became a signatory to the Groningen Declaration, a set of principles focused on improving student data mobility. This international document seeks common ground to best serve both the academic and professional mobility needs of learners around the world by bringing together key stakeholders in the Digital Student Data Ecosystem. By signing this declaration, Parchment signaled its engagement with universities, companies and governments worldwide to facilitate the transfer of electronic academic credentials.

The CHESICC relationship further expands Parchments international network of credential issuers, already spanning 45 countries. Since 2014, Parchment has been engaged with TrueCopy, a leading exchange platform for electronic transcripts in India, enabling Parchment Receive members to verify academic credentials from India. Since the inception of the partnership, Parchment and TrueCopy have facilitated the exchange of thousands of digital academic credentials.

Academic credentials are the currency of opportunity and exchanging that currency across international borders has historically proven challenging, said Parchment Chief Executive Officer Matthew Pittinsky, Ph.D. We are pleased to make CHESICC services available to our receiving and verifying members as they look to create opportunities for more international learners. Our work in this area is enabled by, and demonstrates our commitment to, the principles and processes Parchment committed to as a signatory to the Groningen Declaration.

Parchment Receive members leverage the Parchment Unified Inbox to collect all electronic documents in a single place, enabling digital credentials from applicants around the world to be aggregated in one location. In 2014, Parchment engaged in a strategic relationship with Hobsons, an education solutions company, to fully integrate with the Parchment Unified Inbox.

For 13 years, millions of learners around the world have relied on Parchment to safely and securely facilitate the delivery of their academic credentials to higher education institutions, employers, licensing boards and other associations. Today, Parchments member network of credential issuers reaches 24 percent of US enrollments in secondary schools and 16 percent of US enrollments in postsecondary schools. In addition, most U.S. colleges and universities rely on Parchment to collect and process electronic credentials as receivers. In the last twelve months ending March 31, 2016, Parchment has facilitated more than 7.6 million academic credential orders, further establishing its position as a leader in digital credential exchange orders.

Parchment is committed to operating in an environment of open standards where learners electronic credentials can be securely exchanged worldwide. Today, Parchment is the only organization recognized with the P20W Electronic Standards Council (PESC) Seal of Approval, for Parchments implementation of PESC Approved Standards. In addition, Parchment integrates with the Standardization of Postsecondary Education Data Exchange (SPEEDE) and is a signatory to G.R.E.E.N, the Global Registrar EduRecord Exchange Network for higher education.

About CHESICC

China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC) is an authoritative institution directly under Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE). Founded in 1991, CHESICC is specializing in information service and career guidance for students of higher education institutions. Its primary business includes higher education enrollment, students' record and qualification management and graduates' employment. CHESSIC is the only MOE-designated institution for the verification of higher education qualification certificates.

About Parchment

Parchment is the most widely-adopted academic credential management system in the U.S., allowing learners, academic institutions, and employers to request, verify, and share credentials in simple and secure ways. The platform has helped millions of people and thousands of schools and universities exchange more than 20 million transcripts and other credentials globally. Founded in 2003, Parchment Inc. is headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, with offices in Roseville, CA, Denver, CO, Grand Rapids, MI, Toronto, ON and Washington, DC. Follow Parchment on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Specialty Technical Consultants

Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) and Specialty Technical Consultants (STC) announce the availability of the newly updated International Audit Protocol Consortium (IAPC) EHS audit protocol for Germany. Leading companies around the world use IAPC EHS audit protocols to understand the scope of their EHS regulatory obligations and rapidly collect, share, archive, and export audit findings in a cost effective manner. IAPC EHS Audit Protocols are now prepared by STC in partnership with STP and continue to focus on those national (plus, in some cases, regional or provincial) EHS requirements that have site-specific application for manufacturing operations. As a leading EHS management consulting firm with a global network of experienced EHS teaming partners, STC has indepth knowledge and technical expertise of local/regional EHS requirements.

STP and STC maintain leading-edge EHS audit protocols for more than 30 jurisdictions. The protocol documents are written in English and are available on CD-ROM in MS Word, Adobe Acrobat and Excel formats, as well as through STPs web-based portal or can be integrated into an existing company platform. Using the protocols custom templates and advanced functionality features, auditors can easily track audit findings and manage data over time to improve compliance, risk management and safety performance. In addition, STPs formatting is compatible with leading risk management and sustainability platform providers.

Highlights of selected legislation covered in the newly updated protocol include:



Requirements of the Directive (EC) No 2012/27 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on Energy Efficiency, amending Directives (EC) No 2009/125 and 2010/30, repealing Directives No 2004/8 and 2006/32, and Act on Energy Services and Other Energy Efficiency Measures (Gesetz uber Energiedienstleistungen und andere Energieeffizienzmanahmen - EDL-G) related to conducting energy audits were added to this protocol update.

Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases and Repealing Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 was added to this update. This Regulation establishes rules on containment, use, recovery and destruction of fluorinated greenhouse gases and on related ancillary measures. It also imposes conditions on specific uses of fluorinated greenhouse gases. This Regulation repealed Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 with effect from 1 January 2015. At the time of this update (March 2016), this Regulation had not yet been transposed into the relevant National legislation which references Regulation (EC) No 842/2006; therefore, both regulations are binding in Germany.

The Ordinance on Permission of Waste Transportation, (Beforderungserlaubnisverordnung - BefErlV) was repealed and replaced on 1 May 2014 by the Regulation on the Display and Permit System for Collectors, Transporters, Dealers and Brokers of Waste (display and permit regulation - AbfAEV). This Regulation details the permit system for transport of wastes.

Requirements of the Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances 509, (TRGS 509) were added to this update. These Technical Rules contain requirements for storage of hazardous substances in stationary storage tanks and for filling and emptying installations for mobile storage containers.

Requirements of the Technical Rules for Workplaces - Break Rooms, ASR A4.2, (ASR A4.2), were added to this update. These Technical Rules cover the setting and operation of break rooms for employees.

As of 1 May 2014, Accident Prevention Regulations (BGV), Rules (BGR) and Guidelines (BGI) were re-named according to a new nomenclature system, DGUV. The re-naming is the result of efforts to harmonize different nomenclatures, depending on the workers OH organization in charge. BGVs were renamed DGUV-V, BGRs became DGUV-R and BGIs became DGUV-I, with the related numbers changing according to the new systematic. This Protocol uses both the old and the new nomenclature (e.g. 500BGR 500 / DGUV-R 100-500). For this update, the following regulations were re-named:

o Accident Prevention Regulation A1, (BGV A1 / DGUV-V 1)

o Accident Prevention Regulation B2, (BGV B2/DGUV-V11)

o Accident Prevention Regulation A3, (BGV A3 / DGUV-V 3)

o Accident Prevention Regulation C22, (BGV C22 / DGUV-V 38)

o Accident Prevention Regulation D6, (52BGV D6 / DGUV-V 52)

o Accident Prevention Regulation D8, (BGV D8 / DGUV-V 54)

o Accident Prevention Regulation D27, (BGV D27 / DGUV-V 68)

o Accident Prevention Regulation D29, (BGV D29 / DGUV-V 70)

o Accident Prevention Rules No. BGR 117-1, Work in Containers, Silos and Confined Spaces, (BGR 117-1 /DGUV-R 113-004

o Accident Prevention Rules No. BGR 190 on Respiratory Protection Equipment, (BGR 190/ DGUV-R 112-190)

o Accident Prevention Rules No. BGR 121 on Ventilation of Workplaces, (BGR 121/ DGUV-109-002)

o Accident Prevention Rules No. BGR 233 on Loading Bridges and Mobile Ramps, (BGR 233 / DGUV-R 108-006"

o "Accident Prevention Rules No. 234 on Storage Devices and Storage Equipment (BGR 234 / DGUV-R108-007)

o Accident Prevention Rules No. BGR 500 on Operation of Work Equipment (BGR 500 / DGUV-R 100-500)

o Accident Prevention Rules No. 198 on Personal Protective Equipment for Fall Protection (BGR 198 /DGUV-R 112-198

o Guideline No. BGI 511-1 on Documentation of First Aid Activities, (BGI 511-1 / DGUV-I 204-020)

o Guideline No. BGI 534 on Confined Space Entry, (BGI 534 / DGUV-I 213-001)

o Guideline No. 550 on Vehicle Maintenance, (BGI 550 / DGUV-I 113-004)

o Guideline No. BGI 608 on Selection and Operation of Electrical Systems and Equipment on Construction and Assembly Sites, (BGI 608 / DGUV-I 203-006)

o Guideline No. BGI 694 on Ladders and Steps, (BGI 694 / DGUV-I 208-016

o Guideline No. BGI 865 on Requirements for Independent Contractors, (BGI 865 / DGUV-I 215-830)

o Guideline No. BGI 873 on Man-Made Fiber Flat Slings and Ropes, (BGI 873 / DGUV-I 209-061).

For more information on all International EHS audit protocols offered by STP and STC, click here.

About Specialty Technical Publishers

Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) produces technical resource guides covering environmental, health & safety, transportation, accounting, business practices, standards and law, offering comprehensive guidance on key compliance and regulatory issues. STP is a division of Glacier Media Inc., a Canadian information communications company that provides primary and essential information in print, electronic and online media. Glaciers Business and Professional Information Group publishes directories,technical manuals, research and development materials, medical education, electronic databases, investment information and specialty websites.

About Specialty Technical Consultants

Specialty Technical Consultants, Inc. (STC) is a specialized management consulting working to enhance environmental health and safety (EHS) performance. Through it's consulting services, STC partners with clients to strengthen management systems design and implementation, and identifies needs and implements solutions to meet business objectives. Services provided include: EHS compliance support; risk assessment; EHS auditing; corporate responsibility and sustainability; EHS management systems development and implementation; EHS regulatory information tools; and EHS training.

STC is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the Supplier Clearinghouse for the California Public Utilities Commission, and as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program.
Eskers goal at SAPPHIRE NOW is to show how our automation solutions easily integrate with an existing SAP interface to improve visibility, increase productivity and lower costs, all without adding complexity.

Esker, a worldwide leader in document process automation solutions and an SAP partner, today announced its participation at SAPPHIRE NOW and ASUG Annual Conference being held May 17-19 in Orlando, Florida.

Presenting in booth #856, Esker will highlight how its accounts payable (AP) and sales order processing (SOP) solutions fully integrate with and enhance organizations SAP solutions. Attendees will be able to spot Eskers booth by its teal and white color scheme and Mind Your Business messaging.

Eskers suite of document process automation solutions include:



Order processing automation

Paper-free accounts payable invoice processing

Automated accounts receivable invoice delivery and collections management

Electronic purchasing

Mail services and cloud faxing

Many organizations expend a large amount of time and resources on manual solutions or fixes when it comes to accounts payable and order processing, said Steve Smith, chief operating officer at Esker. Eskers goal at SAPPHIRE NOW is to show how our automation solutions easily integrate with an existing SAP interface to improve visibility, increase productivity and lower costs, all without adding complexity.

In Eskers booth, visitors can receive more information about the companys solutions via email by having their badges scanned. Opportunities to pick up assorted prizes will be available for attendees who stop by the booth. In addition, attendees who schedule an in-booth demo will be entered to win an Apple Watch.

Throughout the SAPPHIRE NOW conference, Esker professionals will be offering a variety of live educational opportunities for attendees to discover more about the benefits of document process automation.

In-booth demonstrations: Eskers designated space (booth #856) features three separate stations where demos will be held throughout the conference on topics such as accounts payable and order processing.

Theatre presentation: On Thursday, May 19, at location PS602 from 11:00-11:20 a.m., Esker will host a comprehensive theatre presentation titled: Exploring Eskers Impact  from Order Fulfillment to Customer Service.

This session, featuring Katie Scott, director of customer service at Alere, will highlight how the company used Eskers order processing solution to move from a manual customer service department focused on data entry to a customer service-centric team able to meet service level agreements (SLAs). Howie Hahn, senior sales engineer at Esker, will discuss how Esker automates orders in SAP solution environments. Following the presentation, a live demonstration will take place in Eskers booth #856.

About Esker

Esker is a worldwide leader in cloud-based document process automation software. Esker solutions help organizations of all sizes to improve efficiencies, accuracy, visibility and costs associated with business processes. Esker provides on-demand and on-premises software to automate accounts payable, order processing, accounts receivable, purchasing and more.

Founded in 1985, Esker operates in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. Last year Esker generated 58.5 million euros in total sales revenue. For more information on Esker and its solutions, visit http://www.esker.com. Follow Esker on Twitter @EskerInc and join the conversation on the Esker blog at blog.esker.com.

###

SAP, SAPPHIRE and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other countries. See http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx for additional trademark information and notices.

All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.
Molecular Imaging of Colorado (MIC), the wholly-owned subsidiary of statistically measured brain diagnostics company CereScan, is proud to announce it has joined Integrated Diagnostic Centers (IDC) metro Denver radiology network. The IDC relationship enables MIC to accept Physician Health Partners (PHP) patients and supports PHPs commitment to providing superior cost-effective healthcare options.

The opportunity will allow Physician Health Partners to continue its mission of coordinating high-quality, value-based care, said John Allen, CEO of Integrated Diagnostic Centers. MIC and PHPs commitment to offering better diagnostic imaging solutions and care with substantial savings for patients will ensure a successful partnership for years to come.

PHP collaborates with more than 300 primary care providers, both physicians and mid-level providers, and hundreds of specialists in the Denver metro area. The organization supports physicians by providing innovative tools and programs to help drive quality outcomes and more cost-effective healthcare to patients.

*****

We look forward to exceeding the service expectations and values set forth by Physician Health Partners, said Sean Strauss, Vice President of Clinical Services for Molecular Imaging of Colorado and CereScan. We believe our superior service and cost-effective nuclear medicine solutions will produce outstanding results for PHP providers and their patients.

With its exceptional customer service, fast turnaround and modern facility, MIC is one of the premier nuclear medicine facilities in Denver. Additionally, PHP patients will pay roughly 30 to 60 percent less for PET/CT scans at MIC when compared to other imaging centers in the region.

Molecular Imaging of Colorado is based in Littleton, Colorado, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CereScan. MIC provides PET/CT imaging services to the patients of Oncologists, Pulmonologists, and Urologists and any others who may need diagnostic imaging. To schedule an appointment or for more information, please call 303-954-4957 or visit http://www.MICimaging.net.

*****

CereScan is the nations leader in providing statistically measured brain diagnostics based on a new generation of imaging software, PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography) and SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) neuroimaging technologies. Referring and treating medical experts can rely on CereScan to offer differentiated diagnoses on a wide array of brain-based disorders including:



ADD/ADHD

Alzheimers Disease

Anxiety Disorder

Bipolar Disorder

Dementia

Mild Cognitive Impairment

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Parkinsons Disease

PTSD

Stroke

Traumatic Brain Injury

Toxic Brain Injury

About Integrated Diagnostic Centers

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Integrated Diagnostic Centers (IDC) is a venture capital-backed private company, with a history of physician practice and ancillary service management. In 1999, it transformed its business into IDC, entering the diagnostic imaging arena. In 2007, IDC expanded its diagnostic imaging operations to a national presence through its acquisition of a national network of diagnostic imaging providers, The National Radiology Network (TNRN). Today the IDC/TNRN network includes nearly 2,000 diagnostic imaging facilities nationwide.

About Physician Health Partners

Physician Health Partners (PHP) is an integrated team of physicians and healthcare professionals committed to supporting effective patient care throughout the healthcare continuum. Founded in 1996 as a management services organization, the company believes physicians and other providers have the capability and responsibility to drive high quality, cost-effective healthcare for patients. PHP provides support to primary care physicians in improving clinical outcomes for the benefit of the patient. By improving clinical outcomes, enhancing provider performance and developing practice efficiencies, patients' health status is improved and overall healthcare costs are reduced.

About CereScan

CereScan combines state-of-the-art SPECT and PET/CT brain imaging technologies with a patient centered model of care to provide the highest level of neurodiagnostics anywhere. Using quantitative functional brain imaging, advanced imaging software, and an extensive library of clinical data, the CereScan medical team provides physicians with unmatched objective diagnostic information. CereScan helps patients and their physicians better understand the neurological basis of their conditions. In a variety of legal settings, CereScan provides objective evidence to attorneys and their clients regarding traumatic and toxic brain injuries. For researchers, CereScan provides independent pre- and post-treatment measures of organic changes in the brain along with measures of symptoms related to the brain disorder of interest. For more information, please call (866) 722-4806 or visit http://www.CereScan.com.
Get The Free White Paper Were not encouraging firms to try to mirror or morph into a tech startupquite the opposite.

As asset management firms struggle to combat glitzy technology companies in the battle for emerging talent, a new white paper authored by Sheffield Haworth Managing Director Paige Scott offers a clear outline for winning over millennial talent as well as keeping the peace within a diverse, multi-generational staff.

The paper, The Future Of Work In Asset Management, can be downloaded for free and without registration here.

A quick read at less than 10 pages, it provides insight into:



Challenges faced by asset management firms trying to attract new talent

The shifting values of todays workforce, especially millennials

6 tactics for evolving a firms culture to be more inviting and inclusive

Why monetary incentives may not always generate the best results

How to accommodate all generations of employees

As I make very clear in the paper, were not encouraging firms to try to mirror or morph into a tech startupquite the opposite, says Ms. Scott. Instead, I outline concrete ways that firms can be more inclusive and diverse, which is something you wont find at most of todays startups.

Ms. Scott is Head of the North American Asset Management practice at Sheffield Haworth, splitting her time between the firms San Francisco and New York offices. She is an active member of the Boston Club and 100 Women in Hedge Funds, and is a regular contributor of thought leadership for the European Institutional Investor Institute, the Global Fixed Income Institute and the European Institute.

About Sheffield Haworth

Sheffield Haworth is a global executive search, research and human resources consulting company serving the financial services, insurance and technology industries. With 12 offices worldwide, Sterling Haworth is widely acknowledged by clients as a leader and preferred partner in executive search and advisory with a track record of timely, successful placements. For more information, visit http://www.sheffieldhaworth.com.
Award-winning provider of cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms, Smart Utility Systems (SUS), is sponsoring, exhibiting and speaking at the 2016 SAPPHIRE NOW and ASUG Annual Conference. The conference will take place May 17- 19, 2016 in Orlando, Fla., at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC).

SUS is speaking at SAPPHIRE NOW on Tuesday, May 17 at 1:30 p.m. and again on Wednesday, May 18 at 4:00pm. In addition to hearing how SUS is revolutionizing the way utilities interact with customers to better meet business needs to the future, attendees can also visit Booth #1489 to meet one-on-one with SUS executives.

The ability to provide a better user experience is important to todays utility, says Deepak Garg, SUS CEO/Chairman. Our customer engagement platform deployed on SAPs HANA Cloud Platform makes Smart Customer Mobile (SCM) a powerful plug-and-play solution. We look forward to sharing the benefits multiple times throughout SAPPHIRE NOW.

Attendees can expect to hear SUS experts speak about the following topics and more during the conference sessions:

Reinvent the Customer Experience for Utilities: Attendees will learn how to create an innovative customer engagement application. Find out how utility companies are using the SAP HANA Cloud Platform to engage directly with their customers and transform the customer experience.

Engage and Empower Your Utilities Customers: Session participants will discover how to build solutions that help customers improve operational efficiency and maximize revenue. See how SUS uses the SAP HANA Cloud Platform to help its utilities customers enhance their own customers experience with a simplified billing and payment process and motivate their customers to save energy by monitoring and managing usage.

The conference has been hailed as the largest global business technology event, with an estimated 20,000 attendees expected to register and attend. The SAPPHIRE NOW and ASUG Annual Conference is held for participants to network, meet with SAP product experts and partners to learn more about software solutions and services, discover key business and technology trends, and to hear directly from thought leaders. This years keynote speaker is Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

For more information about SUS, visit http://www.smartusys.com. Click here to see the full agenda, and visit http://events.sap.com/sapandasug/en/registrationinfo to register.

Members of the media interested in scheduling an interview with an SUS representative, please contact Leslie Licano at 949-733-8679 ext. 101 or leslie(at)beyondfifteen(dot)com.

ABOUT SMART UTILITY SYSTEMS: Smart Utility Systems (SUS) is the leading provider of cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms for customer engagement, workforce mobility, and big data intelligence and analytics to the energy, water and gas utility sectors. Rapid deployment solutions integrate seamlessly to reduce costs and complexity, enabling clients to reduce operational and IT costs. Smart Customer Mobile (SCM) from Smart Utility Systems (SUS) is an award-winning, single integrated platform that enables utility companies to establish real-time, two-way communication with customers. Providing easy web-based access anytime, anywhere from devices including tablets, smartphones and desktop computers, SCM increases customer satisfaction and utility profitability, offering convenience and control with cutting-edge analytics and user-friendly modules to simplify processes and drive efficiency. SUS is headquartered in Irvine, California. For more information, please visit http://www.smartusys.com or call (909) 217-3344 or connect on LinkedIn or Twitter.

SAP Forward-looking Statement

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, forecast, intend, may, plan, project, predict, should and will and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

For more information, press only:

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jennifer Espelien

SUS Marketing Manager

Jennifer.espelien(at)smartusys(dot)com

909.287.3710

Leslie Licano

Co-Founder, Beyond Fifteen Communications, Inc.

leslie(at)beyondfifteen(dot)com

949.733.8679
Acquisio Marketing from Shark Communications At Shark, weve always believed that good branding is focused on developing a distinct image, while great branding is about infusing a sense of perceived value

Award-winning branding, creative and digital marketing agency, Shark Communications, has published a new branding case history for the agencys recent work for digital services and technology company Acquisio. Based in Montreal, Quebec, Acquisio is a leading provider of digital and programmatic marketing solutions for agencies and advertisers. The article is presented as a simplified case history of Sharks brand strategy and creative process for refreshing Acquisios overall brand image and marketing. Posted for view on Shark Communications' blog, the article provides insight into brand strategy and outlines of some of the key elements of branding including goals, strategy, naming convention, graphic standards, and more.

As Shark Creative Director, Peter Jacobs notes,  At Shark, weve always believed that good branding is focused on developing a distinct image, while great branding is about infusing a sense of perceived value into a brand. With that said, we then wanted to give clients a look into the general process of branding, and the Acquisio work provides that.

Shark Communications is a Burlington, Vermont-based, branding, web, SEO, and digital marketing agency founded by award-winning Creative Director, Peter Jacobs. Shark serves clients in a wide variety of industries with a strategically-planned mix of creative and digital marketing solutions. From award-winning work for the 1998 US Winter Olympic Trials, to numerous creative, design and marketing awards for clients large and small, Sharks has received consistent creative recognition. More about Shark Communications can be viewed on the agency's website at sharkcomm.com.
ZUUS Workforce shows where managers can add more staff to improve customer service, while minimizing wage wastage.

SuiteWorld16 Silver Sponsor ZUUS Workforce has launched the latest version of its workforce management system to help multi-unit Retail, Quick Service Restaurants and Fast Casual Dining businesses manage the new demands for work-life balance for hourly employees.

ZUUS Workforce enables QSR businesses to optimize staffing and costs by using its proprietary system for labor deployment modelling and intelligent forecast adjustments. The service is fully integrated with NetSuites payroll solution and many US payroll partners, eliminating expensive outsourced payroll.

ZUUS Workforce founder and CEO Rachael Skinner said that QSR and retail industries are challenged by constantly changing legislation such as the changes to minimum wage, Affordable Care Act and new overtime rules, as well as increased competition and the battle for talented staff.

Ms Skinner said that while the proposed changes keep business owners up at night, there are ways to thrive in this changing labor environment by using the right applications to ensure businesses can still keep all their staff on, keep their hours up and run a profitable business.

Ms Skinner founded ZUUS Workforce in Australia to meet the demands of the Asia Pacific nations massive labor reform across 2009 to 2014.

Our software has been successful in helping Australian businesses retain staff and stay profitable, and we have now optimized the application for QSR and retail in the United States, Ms Skinner said.

The changing labor conditions can be good for everyone - staff, their families and businesses - but they do require a change in business behavior and process.

By embracing the new workforce legislation, businesses can act early to put systems in place to manage the change and come out the other side with a stronger organization.

Managers produce smart costed schedules with ZUUS Workforce. The software then shows where they can add more staff to improve customer service, while minimizing wage wastage.

Staff scheduling becomes critical as minimum wages rise, Ms Skinner said. Balanced scheduling increases revenue and improves customer satisfaction, which in turn enables businesses to pay higher wages while still running a profitable operation.

ZUUS Workforce enables businesses to meet multiple labor targets while balancing staffs personal needs.

This includes balancing labor cost percentage, customer to staff ratio, sales to staff ratio and accommodating your staffs fluctuating availability, Ms Skinner said. ZUUS Workforce communicates the schedule to each staff member via the myZUUS mobile app.

When staff feel valued, they contribute more to your business, more money flows from satisfied customers and more money in the economy is good for everyone.

Ms Skinner said her company believes that effective staff scheduling results in higher productivity, happier staff and ultimately happier customers. 

If shifts are randomly assigned to staff, it means staff do not get the regular hours they need to run a balanced life, Ms Skinner said.

ZUUS Workforce shows your optimal labor staffing levels in a way that still provides staff with a routine and gives the business and staff the flexibility they need."

Now you can consistently deliver great customer service without labor waste as your business changes and grows.

You can catch up with the latest from ZUUS Workforce at SuiteWorld Conference in San Jose May 16-19, Booth #731.

Background Data

President Obamas remarks on the need for overtime wage rule changes during a March 2014 press conference:

Unfortunately, today, millions of Americans arent getting the extra pay they deserve. Thats because an exception that was originally meant for high-paid, white-collar employees now covers workers earning as little as $23,660 a year If your salary is even a dollar above the current threshold, you may not be guaranteed overtime

...It doesnt make sense that in some cases this rule actually makes it possible for salaried workers to be paid less than the minimum wage. Its not right when business owners who treat their employees fairly can be undercut by competitors who arent treating their employees right. If youre working hard, youre barely making ends meet, you should be paid overtime. Period. Because working Americans have struggled through stagnant wages for too long.

Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/03/13/remarks-president-overtime-pay

http://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/NPRM2015/factsheet.htm

Find more background on changing labor laws:



About ZUUS Workforce

Located in Denver, CO, and Adelaide, Australia, ZUUS Workforce offers multi-site workforce management, including staff scheduling, time & attendance, HR, payroll integration and reporting.

After five years of successful operations in Australia, ZUUS Workforce identified the growing pressures on the QSR sector in North America and set out to expand its operations.

The company raised expansion capital through San Francisco-based Aligned Partners and relocated to Denver. San Francisco-based US business accelerator ANZA Technology Network (ANZATech) worked with the founders to refine their business model and technology to meet the demands of the US market.

Web: http://www.zuusworkforce.com

CONTACT:

Rachael Skinner, CEO

US Mobile: +1 702 494 8731

AUS Mobile: +61 404 299 166
Event Intelligence 5.0 provides deep event marketing insights We took our already industry-leading Event Intelligence platform and completely rebuilt it from the ground up. We made dramatic back-end improvements and added key reporting features that you wont find in any other event analytics platform.

eshots, Inc. - provider of the leading data capture, analytics and conversion platform in the experiential industry has announced the release of a major update to their reporting platform, Event Intelligence. This update will add significant back-end updates and front-end tools, allowing eshots to continue providing best-in-class performance and flexibility. Event Intelligence 5.0 will take the features from previous iterations and add new Marketing Sciences reporting, drag-and-drop cross-tab analysis, goal setting and the ability to access your data from any connected device.

Key features and updates include:



Increased performance and flexibility for data integration and customization

Additional front-end tools allow easy report and dashboard creation

Enhanced mobile support

Expanded Goal-Setting tools and reporting capability

Real-time event reporting support

Improved CRM Integration

Expanded industry benchmarking

Drag-and-drop Cross-tab analysis

We know that proving ROI is a huge challenge for event and experiential marketers so we created Event Intelligence 5.0 to make that easier, said Craig Steensma, founder and CEO of eshots. We took our already industry-leading Event Intelligence platform and completely rebuilt it from the ground up. We made dramatic back-end improvements and added key reporting features that you wont find in any other event analytics platform.

eshots CTO Bill Bernahl added, Other platforms in the market often provide inconsistent data, making it hard to trust the decisions you make. With Event Intelligence 5.0s rock-solid architecture you can feel confident that you are making the most informed decisions regarding your experiential program.

Event Intelligence 5.0 will be available to eshots clients beginning summer 2016.

ABOUT ESHOTS

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Chicago, IL, eshots is the leading consumer lead capture, engagement and conversion platform in the experiential marketing industry. We are at the intersection of event-related technology, services and marketing sciences designed to maximize a brand's ROI around consumer events. We help our clients set and benchmark event strategies, maximize consumer lead capture and track/convert those leads into sales. Our team of consultative account specialists help our clients uncover actionable insights within a data-driven framework to help them make better event planning decisions across the entire life-cycle of the event. Our clients are many of the most respected enterprise brands in the world, including FCA, Ford, Lincoln, Jaguar-Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nationwide, and State Farm, to name a few. We helped our clients capture over 3 million consumer leads from over 25,000 event days in the last year alone.

Press Contact

Daniel Maurer

Marketing Manager

eshots, Inc.

312-253-1500

** Photos available upon request
Kathleen Harmon, MS, RN, CENP, Chief Nurse Executive at Burwood Group

Burwood Groups Clinical Communication Advisory Practice is providing guidance to health systems in response to The Joint Commissions announcement of a policy shift regarding secure texting of physician orders.

During the last week of April, more than a hundred secure text messaging vendors rejoiced at The Joint Commissions announcement of a policy shift in support of physician texting of orders. While this decision appears to provide improved flexibility for physicians, there are important questions and process needs to evaluate prior to changing a health systems policies.

Our team is helping many of our clients develop strategy and policies on this topic currently, said Kathleen Harmon, MS, RN, CENP, Burwoods Chief Nurse Executive. There are several key topics that must be considered by clinical leadership.

The impact of texting orders on patient safety and care team productivity:

If physicians have access to a robust mobile CPOE application, this should continue to serve as the vehicle for order entry. A core benefit of promoting CPOE usage is to leverage Clinical Decision Support tools at the ordering stage, according to Burwood Groups CMIO, Dr. Al Villarin. By introducing texting of orders, we risk stepping backwards, and creating a scenario in which alerts are visible to the nurse entering the order, but not the physician who has the authority to react.

Secure texting of orders may provide added convenience to the physician, but will also create downstream manual order entry for a member of the nursing team  similar to typical workflows for verbal orders. According to Harmon, The potential impact of texting orders includes additional burden on the nursing team and risk to the patient. We are helping our clients develop policies and processes to minimize any negative impact.

At this stage, there is no available combination of secure text messaging and EMR vendors that provides direct creation of an order without human intervention. With these issues taken into account, the biggest near-term winners in this case may be limited to health systems without a viable mobile CPOE option.

Process and policy evaluation:

Close reading of The Joint Commissions documentation provided to date is critical. Many sales-focused secure texting vendors responded to the announcement by publishing knee-jerk how to recommendations. Health systems can reduce the influence of this type of vendor opportunism by seeking vendor-agnostic advisory expertise to identify emerging best practices and retain ownership of the development and approval of policies. Avoiding vendor bias will also help ensure compliance with The Joint Commissions policy. Of note, performing an internal review of how texting of orders may relate to in-place policies for verbal orders will be beneficial.

Variation in vendors capability to support all components of the new policy:

Included in the new policy is a requirement to develop a specified contact list for individuals authorized to receive and record orders. Many secure texting vendors will struggle to help their clients comply with this based on simplistic system architecture. As an example, basic Active Directory integration functionality will likely leave the health system with an unmanageable challenge of defining caregiver roles to demonstrate compliance. Advanced functionality such as ADT/patient data integration, role-based architecture, care team visibility, patient-tagging of messages and integration of clinical data all have the potential to provide improved support of The Joint Commissions guidance, stated Tim Needham, Burwoods Executive Director, Healthcare. Needham adds, There are two primary factors that drive compliance and adoption success. Software vendors should have both a patient-centric architecture and an enterprise approach to communication beyond just HIPAA-compliant texting.

Steps to initiate evaluation of secure texting of orders:

According to Harmon, Placing the technology first in the evaluation process typically leads to a vendor-driven roadmap and misalignment with organizational priorities. Burwood Group has helped clients mitigate these risks by focusing on several key steps:



Identify a governance structure/team that is capable of both developing successful policies and championing consistent adoption throughout the clinical teams over time

Document desired metrics improvement  ask Why are we considering a change?

Identify a set of clinical use cases that tie clinical scenarios back to the metrics, and leverage these use cases for vendor evaluation, system design, pilot efforts and training for adoption

Rigorously evaluate pilot efforts to identify unforeseen risks to be addressed through policy design and optimization of training

About Burwood Group

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Burwood Group is a healthcare technology consulting firm that helps local, national, and international organizations bridge business strategy and technology solutions. During the past 15 years, Burwood Group has worked with over 170 healthcare organizations. Health systems choose Burwood Group to ensure their technology decisions and integrations improve the delivery of patient care. More information can be found at http://www.burwood.com/healthcare.
Blue Ocean has a track record of growth and the Bathurst operations are central to our continued growth plans for the future.

IMP Customer Care, a bilingual outsourced contact center with roots in Bathurst, is transitioning to the Blue Ocean Contact Centers brand. The brand name change is part of a strategic initiative by IMP Group to grow all of their customer service operations through the strength of the internationally-recognized, award-winning Blue Ocean brand, acquired in 2015, while leveraging the experience and attributes of the Bathurst Customer Care team to support that growth. As has been the case for more than 15 years, the IMP Group, through Blue Ocean, is committed to the Bathurst community and looks forward to celebrating growth and success for many years to come.

The transition will be seamless as the leadership and customer care team will remain in place under the Blue Ocean brand. Existing IMP Customer Care clients will continue to receive exceptional service they have come to expect from the Bathurst team, but with greater resources and an expanded infrastructure to serve their customers.

"Blue Ocean has a track record of growth and the Bathurst operations are central to our continued growth plans for the future. Adding their capabilities to Blue Ocean's will help us add to the roster of high profile brands we represent," says Andrew O'Brien, President and COO of Blue Ocean.

Bathurst job seekers looking to submit applications to Blue Ocean Contact Centers can drop off a resume at the Bathurst office. For more information about the name change or the Blue Ocean brand, please contact Amy Bennet Roach, Director of Communications at 902.722.3312 or abennet(at)blueocean(dot)ca.

To view this in French, please click here.

About Blue Ocean Contact Centers

Blue Ocean Contact Centers, headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is an award winning provider of innovative call center outsourcing services. We are creators of practical solutions to real problems that enhance the relationships our clients have with their customers. Blue Ocean Contact Centers provides the opportunity to strengthen and enhance these customer relationships and build lifetime loyalty leading to increased profitability.
We have a strong, and continuously growing, presence in Asia Pacific and our success in these awards programmes demonstrates our commitment to the region, said Alexandru Gomoiu, Global Head of Capital Markets, Misys

Hanoi, 17 May 2016  Misys, the global financial software and services company, has scooped two award wins alongside Bank of Beijing and Vietnam Technological & Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank). The accolades mark separate transformation projects in the Asia Pacific region.

An initiative with Bank of Beijing, in response to Capital Accord requirements, is named The Market Risk Technology Implementation of the Year in the The Asian Banker Risk Management Awards 2016. The win celebrates the deployment of Misys FusionCapital to integrate risk management, regulatory compliance and middle office risk monitoring across the banks treasury and capital business.

We have a strong, and continuously growing, presence in Asia Pacific and our success in these awards programmes demonstrates our commitment to the region, said Alexandru Gomoiu, Global Head of Capital Markets, Misys. The wins point to our ability to support banks with innovative, componentised and flexible solutions which transform processes and operations, whether thats in response to regional market demands, local regulatory requirements or broader bank challenges.

Separately, Asian Banker has rewarded work with Techcombank in the Best Treasury Management Project in Vietnam category at the Vietnam Country Awards 2016. The project saw the bank transform its front-to-back treasury technology with Misys FusionCaptial. An innovative modular approach helped the bank integrate data systems and streamline processes, to reduce transaction and operational costs. Completed in just 10 months, the project enables the bank to better serve clients and make more considered judgements through accurate risk analysis.

The Asian Banker runs several international awards programmes, covering retail financial services, transaction banking, risk and technology. The Vietnam Country Awards launched this year to focus on efforts at the national level that may be unique or specific to the country.

-Ends-

For further information please contact

Caroline Duff

Senior PR Manager

T: +44 (0)20 3320 5892

E: caroline.duff(at)misys(dot)com

http://www.misys.com

About Misys

Misys is at the forefront of the financial software industry, providing the broadest portfolio of banking, capital markets, investment management and risk solutions available on the market. With more than 2,000 customers in 130 countries our team of domain experts, combined with our partner eco-system, have an unparalleled ability to address industry requirements at both a global and local level. We connect systems, collect data and create intelligent information to drive smarter business decisions. To learn more about how our Fusion software portfolio can deliver a holistic view of your operations, and help you to solve your most complex challenges, please visit http://www.misys.com and follow @MisysFS on Twitter.
#Range15 the Movie... We already have a proven model with millions of YouTube and Facebook views, and we look for challenges the way a rabid honey badger on cocaine looks for a fight. So it just made sense for us to take a huge risk on making a full-length feature film.

On June 15, 2016, the first movie made by the troops for the troops and fueled by the ingenuity of the armed forces community, will hit theaters nationwide. A product of two of the largest military lifestyle brands, nearly a million dollars in crowd funding, real military heroes, and grizzled Hollywood director Ross Patterson, Range 15 is a veteran-driven, blood-splattered zombie apocalypse film that will leave you laughing, crying, and buying guns for days after the experience.

Range 15 is a zombie apocalypse movie combining the talents of industry leaders Ranger Up and Article 15 clothing. The result? A film that isnt for people who want to analyze whether or not they should go to a theater because the plot doesnt agree with their delicate sensibilities. Range 15 is a throat-punch that leaves the audience gasping for dignity.

Ive always made videos to amuse my friends, and when I founded Ranger Up, I looked at it as an opportunity to do the same and create a genuine connection to some awesome people who we are lucky enough to call fans, Ranger Up CEO Nick Palmisciano says. We already have a proven model with millions of YouTube views and Facebook, and we look for challenges the way a rabid honey badger on cocaine looks for a fight. So it just made sense for us to take a huge risk on making a full-length feature film that drips of blood, sweat, and excellence.

Operating in parallel to Ranger Up, Article 15 clothing received millions of YouTube views in a short time through outlandish and captivating videos starring former Army Ranger and eccentric personality, Mat Best. Palmisciano and Best gravitated toward each other and formed a strategic partnership earlier this year to develop Range 15.

We had a concept for a great zombie movie, but we wanted to make this thing bigger than what we could accomplish alone, Best says. The Ranger Up crew and the Article crew had a natural business synergy and a lot in common personally so I brought the idea to Nick and without missing a beat, he was like lets do this! Thats actually where the name for the film came from  Ranger Up plus Article 15 equals Range 15. We wanted to show what veterans can do when they work together.

But of course, there are major obstacles to making a full-length feature movie for the uninitiated: experience and money. Filmmaking is neither cheap nor easy. None of the new partners had ever made a movie in an ultra-competitive Hollywood that had the potential to stop the project dead in its tracks. But were talking about Army Rangers and successful businessmen, so the solution was clear: Indiegogo and the full weight of the military veteran community. The campaign hit its goal in 42 hours, and within 60 days had amassed over one million crowd-funded dollars and enlisted the help of established director Ross Patterson. The Range 15 green light was on.

Range 15 features some of the so-called "baddest" people on the planet, to include Medal of Honor recipients Leroy Petry and Clint Romesha, Lone Survivor Marcus Luttrell, multiple UFC Fighters including Tim Kennedy who serves in the Army Special Forces and Randy Couture, and a metric-ton of modern day warfighters who have to save the world from a zombie virus gone wild. Needless to say, it is more action packed and humorous than Charlie Sheens dating life. Range 15 features a litany of Hollywood stars, as well. Unapologetically American Hollywood veterans William Shatner, Danny Trejo, Sean Astin and Keith David, just to name a few, lend their talents to provide authenticity of the production. But Range 15s strength also lies in the 25 military amputees who appear onscreen that make the viewer wonder if the writers hacked their limbs off just for the movie. Thats our secret, Palmisciano says. Whatever it takes, adds Best.

Well, let's just leave that for the audience to decide. Given how efficiently Mary Dague's nubs work with a pair of blades, it may be worth it. But thats not what YouTube sensations, actors, and producers Palmisciano and Best want viewers to know. They insist people understand one thing above all othersthis was made for warriors, by warriors, and all the craziness that goes along with them even though they work for competing clothing companies. Range 15 proves once and for all that, when united, the militarys war-veterans are not broken and have a place not only in the American Society but in world domination (including Antarctica). And it. Kicks. A**.

The film is being untraditionally released through the muscle of Tugg, where audiences have the power of choice in movie going, by bringing an on-demand experience to local theaters. Tickets can be reserved and purchased at Range15.com.

Range 15 hopes to break the record through this modern-day release outlet, as already 400 plus theaters have been requested it be shown. June 15, 2016, die-hard fans can expect the movie to hit theaters nationwide and to look out for the 15 minute documentary after the movie, too.

Upcoming premieres include the GI Film Festival in Washington, D.C. on May 27 and Vista Theater in Los Angeles, CA on June 3.

For press/media inquiries and/or interview requests, please contact Range 15's public relations representative agency at Jade Umbrella.

Stay Connected!

Follow #Range15 movie updates on Facebook

Ranger Up Website RangerUp.com

Facebook: RangerUpFanPage

Twitter @Ranger_Up

Article 15 Website: Article 15 Clothing

Facebook: Article15Clothing

Twitter @Art15Clothing
When we decided to add OCR to our Travel & Expense solution, real-time, accurate data recognition, data security, and affordability were at the top of our list.

Paramount WorkPlace, a leading developer of intuitive web-based and mobile business spend management technologies, introduces a powerful Optical Character Recognition (OCR) mobile expense entry feature for its Travel & Expense Solution. Paramount WorkPlace OCR functionality features logo recognition and an Entry Assistant for exceptional user experiences and convenience. With the new OCR feature, employees can create expense reports and capture comprehensive receipt data accurately and in real-time.

Chris Baird, Chief Technology Officer said, When we decided to add OCR to our Travel & Expense solution, real-time, accurate data recognition, data security, and affordability were at the top of our list. We didnt want to incorporate OCR where data recognition is average, or where the data is transcribed by a third party company overseas - running the risk of human errors, double entry, data security, and lag time. Nor did we want to introduce OCR with a price tag that outweighs the value it provides, just to check the box on OCR.

The way we engage with each client and the unique resources we deploy allowed us to determine whats relevant in an OCR for our users and what to introduce, said Foy Mainor, Vice President of Sales. The OCR technology in Workplace Travel & Expense is accurate, affordable, and is performed in real time, ensuring the security of customer data and optimizing the benefits of the technology.

When you have over 110,000 users, and youre known for intuitive technology and customer experiences, the stakes are always high, said Khensa Bangert, Vice President of Marketing. Paramount WorkPlace wanted to be the first to market with an advanced OCR - one that delivers incredible value to customers, and one that breaks the value/cost tradeoff.



Paramount WorkPlace will introduce new features for WorkPlace Travel & Expense and for its WorkPlace Requisition & Procurement solutions during Microsoft Amplify in Anaheim, CA on May 23-25, and during Sage Summit in Chicago, IL on July 25-29, 2016. Foy Mainor is scheduled to discuss Paramount WorkPlace OCR during both events. Contact him at Foy(at)ParamountWorkPlace(dot)com.

About Paramount WorkPlace

Paramount WorkPlace develops advanced web-based & mobile spend management solutions focused on Requisition & Procurement, Travel & Expense, and AP Automation for mid-market & enterprise organizations worldwide. Paramount WorkPlace is recognized both as an intuitive stand-alone solution, and an out-of-the-box seamless integrated extension of Microsoft Dynamics GP, AX, NAV, and SL; Sage 100, 300, and 500; and Blackbaud Financial Edge. Founded in 1995 with the mission to help people transform spend management and enhance efficiency, collaboration, and ROI across their entire organization. The company is headquartered in the metro Detroit area, with offices in Georgia, North Dakota, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Ontario, Canada.
Adam Devlin, co-founder and owner of New Vitae Wellness and Recovery I am so proud to have been selected by Mayor Kenney for this critical role in Philadelphia.

Adam Devlin, co-founder and owner of New Vitae Wellness and Recovery, has been appointed to serve on Philadelphia Mayor James F. Kenneys Commission on People with Disabilities. The commission focuses on the creation of policies that support inclusion of those who identify with a cognitive or physical disability. Mr. Devlin will chair the Behavioral Health Committee to emphasize hope, recovery, and equality for the Philadelphia community.

I am so proud to have been selected by Mayor Kenney for this critical role in Philadelphia, said Devlin. As New Vitae Wellness and Recovery continues to expand its services into Philadelphia, I will have an additional opportunity to serve the community and utilize the lens of recovery to support individuals across the city.

The commission emphasizes accessibility and inclusion for individuals living with disabilities. The mayors office estimates that approximately 16 percent of all Philadelphians are affected by a cognitive or physical disability. The Mayors Commission on People with Disabilities provides a means for this population to share concerns and work toward positive change. Various life domains are considered, including housing, transportation, employment, and access to services.

Mr. Devlin is looking forward to sharing his experience of more than 30 years in the field of behavioral health supports to be able to advise the mayor with respect to existing and proposed programs that provide services to those in need in the Philadelphia community.

It is a privilege to work with the other commission members to encourage the development of additional supports for those experiencing cognitive and physical challenges, said Devlin.

About New Vitae Wellness and Recovery: New Vitae Wellness and Recovery offers a variety of behavioral health outpatient services, substance use disorder treatment, and brain injury supports. Emphasizing integrated and holistic healing options, all services are provided using the lens of the recovery model to ensure trauma-informed, strengths-based support. Our innovative, intensive care models have the option of blending clinical services with residential assistance to promote individualized wellness. Our continuum of housing options in Bucks, Lehigh, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania includes licensed personal care homes, 24/7 staffed apartments, supported independent living apartments, and a small licensed residential treatment facility for adults to maintain connections with local communities. New Vitae Wellness and Recovery sites include New Vitae Wellness and Recovery Center, New Vitae Philadelphia, New Vitae The Mitchell Clinic, Mount Trexler Manor, Quakertown House, and multiple Young Adult and Pathways apartments. We offer treatment tailored to the unique needs of veterans, young adults ages 18 to 25, and, through our Action Recovery services, those who have sustained brain injuries or have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders or Intellectual DisAbilities. Our specialized services include Intensive Outpatient Program, Certified Peer Support, deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, and Mobile Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services. New Vitae Wellness and Recovery is proud to assist individuals and their families from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and other states across the country. To learn more about our services, please visit http://www.newvitaewellness.com.
HOLLOWAY AMERICA is a leader in stainless steel tank design and pressure vessel fabrication. HOLLOWAY representatives look forward to sharing information with young professionals about their custom tanks and components as well as their recent SHARP certification.

HOLLOWAY AMERICA, a stainless steel pressure vessel and tank manufacturing company, announced recently it will attend the ISPE Midwest Chapters Tech Ed Day on Thursday, May 19 in St. Louis, Missouri. The event will be held at the Hilton at the Ballpark near Busch Stadium.

HOLLOWAY AMERICA will participate in a vendor showcase during the early afternoon of the event, where the companys representatives will be available to discuss its pressure vessel and stainless steel tank design and custom-engineered equipment.

Our local ISPE chapters Tech Ed Day is a great networking opportunity for professionals who are newer to our industry, said HOLLOWAY AMERICA Director of Marketing Randy Colwell. He continued, We enjoy being part of the vendor side of Tech Ed Day because we get to meet other passionate engineers and professionals in our industry.

Potential Discussions Highlight HOLLOWAY Offerings

The fabrication companys specialization in vessel-cleaning tank components, like its HeavyWall CIP Spray Balls, makes it an especially relevant vendor for visiting professionals who may be interested in engineering that benefits sterile production practices for processes related to drug manufacturing, food packaging, beverage production and more.

Our vessel parts are used in a number of different industries that require controlled production environments and sterilized vessels, explained Colwell. We look forward to discussing that aspect of our business with visitors as well.

Connecting with Young Professionals

Attendees of ISPE Midwest Chapters Tech Ed Day who are seeking a job in engineering for pressure vessel fabrication may be attracted to HOLLOWAY AMERICA due in part to the companys recent certification for the Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP). Awarded by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a primary qualification for SHARP certification is a focus on ensuring employee well being. HOLLOWAY AMERICA shares its SHARP status with fewer than 40 other companies in Missouri.

As will be obvious to anyone who connects with us at Tech Ed Day, we recognize that our reputation as an industry has everything to do with the craftsmen and engineers who create our unsurpassed solutions, so we treat and protect our employees accordingly, said Colwell.

About the ISPE Midwest Chapter

The Midwest Chapter of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) encompasses more than 280,000 square miles of the United States. The ISPE Midwest Chapter, of which HOLLOWAY AMERICA is a member, regularly hosts tours, educational programs and social events like Tech Ed Day in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.

For more information on stainless steel tank design, tank components or for details about its Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program certification, contact Randy Colwell with HOLLOWAY AMERICA at 417.863.0077 or by email at rcolwell(at)HollowayAmerica(dot)com.
Jamie Hayes, FiduciaryFirst This is a great opportunity to showcase The City of Palm Coasts Deferred Contribution Plan success!

Jamie Hayes has been selected to speak at the 2016 Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) Conference, which will be hosted at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista Hotel in Lake Buena Vista, Florida on June 3rd at 11 AM EST. Hosting an on-stage panel with an existing client is a first at FCCMA.

This is a great opportunity to showcase The City of Palm Coasts Deferred Contribution Plan success! Our approach is paving the way for the retirement success of employees and ultimately the success of Cities and Counties in Florida, says Mrs. Hayes.

The Florida City and County Management Association is committed to working with their members, and the communities they serve, to honor the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals. The FCCMA strives to help organizations manage and create communities that respect diversity and promote inclusiveness.

FiduciaryFirst, LLC is an Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan Fiduciary and Investment Advisory firm focused entirely on delivering solid, well-planned retirement plan strategies for employers and their employees. FiduciaryFirst has been recognized as a national leader in developing plan success strategies in employer sponsored retirement plans of all types.

FiduciaryFirst has implemented The Participant Effect(TM) to promote state of the art plan design through Behavioral Finance and a new approach that includes Financial Wellness. The Participant Effect(TM) seeks to drive success stories, including reduced healthcare costs for the employer and a higher probability of a more confident retirement for employees. For more information, please visit http://www.fiduciaryfirst.com or call anytime at 1-866-625-4611.

Securities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial. A Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC
Redco Wedgemaster II

Vollrath Company, a leading manufacturer of foodservice equipment and smallwares, will demonstrate its popular line of Redco Manual Food Processors in its Fresh is Best exhibit in booth #4037 at the 2016 National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show, held from May 21-24 in Chicago, Illinois at McCormick Place. The perfect solution for operations sourcing fresh, locally grown produce, the Redco collection offers increased speed and safety during food preparation, along with significant labor savings, higher food quality, more consistency, and less food waste  ultimately making any operation more profitable.

Speed. Efficiency and speed are crucial when slicing, dicing and preparing food in a busy kitchen environment. The Redco Fruit Slicer features 28 blades that operate in a single stroke operation, eliminating 75 percent of the time and cost associated with cutting fruits in the kitchen. The non-corrosive blades never require maintenance and the units 5-inch cutting area is optimal for large fruit like pineapples, cantaloupe and honeydew melon.

Labor Savings. If an operation has staff on-hand with less experience, manual food processors are more cost effective and safer than traditional powered-food processors. Great for bars and restaurants, the Redco Wedgemaster II significantly reduces labor time when prepping fruits and vegetables like lemons, limes and potatoes in a fast-paced environment. Constructed with polycarbonate materials, this unit is durable and dishwasher-safe.

Quality. Addressing the popular trend of sourcing fresh, locally grown produce, quality is extremely important and Redcos Manual Food Processors allow an operation to focus on providing fresh, healthy food to its consumers daily by eliminating the need to purchase fruits and vegetables that have been prepared off-site in a separate facility, which compromises the taste, safety and overall freshness of the product. The Redco Lettuce King can cut lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, cantaloupes and cooked chicken. It eliminates 75 percent of the time and cost of shredding lettuce with a knife, and eliminates the need for purchasing produce that has been pre-shredded or pre-packaged.

Consistency. All of the Redco Manual Food Processors provide a consistent appearance to ensure that the fruit or vegetable looks the same every day and with every slice and cut. The Redco InstaCut 5.0 lets the user slice, dice, wedge and core all with one product. Four simple pop-in, pop-out blade accessories make switching from dicing onions to coring apples a fast and efficient process in any commercial kitchen. And the sled-leg design provides a stronger, sturdier unit that offers superior resistance to breakage.

Vollrath will feature the following Redco Manual Food Processors in its booth at the NRA Show: InstaCut 5.0, InstaCut Cucumber Slicer, Wedgemaster, InstaBloom II, Onion King, Lettuce King V, Fruit Slicer, King Kutter, Cube King, Cheese Blocker, InstaSlice, and Tomato Pro.

Vollraths Redco Manual Food Processors have been recognized with an FE&S Best in Class Award for Manual Food Choppers for six consecutive years.

The National Restaurant Association Show will take place from May 21-24, 2016 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to the Redco manual food processors, Vollrath will have new and existing products on display at booth #4037 in the South Hall. For more information on Vollraths product offerings, visit http://www.vollrath.com. For details on the 2016 NRA Show, visit show.restaurant.org.

# # #

About Vollrath Company

Vollrath Company, based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, has a reputation for the design, development and manufacture of the foodservice industrys finest smallwares and equipment. With a collection of exceptional people, industry leading products, and helpful consultative services, Vollrath is assembled for one purpose  to advance the art of hospitality. For more information about The Vollrath Company, its products, facilities in the US, Europe, Mexico and China, and the 19 foodservice industries it serves, visit http://www.vollrath.com. Stay connected with Vollrath on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn.

# # #
Criminal Background Records In the end all companies, groups, and organizations that hire for paid or unpaid positions must work with a third-party background screening company. The settlement by the Census Bureau greatly highlights this need.

When the Census Bureau of the United States settled a class action lawsuit of hiring policies concurrent with the 2010 census (Anthony Gonzalez, et al., v. Penny Pritzker, Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce, No. 1:10-cv-03105-FM, in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York), a precedent was set insomuch that a governmental agency could be sued and lose over unfair hiring practices. Adam Almeida, President and CEO of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com comments: This case points out the significant need for a well-qualified third-party background screening company to conduct pre-employment screening, especially with companies and organizations utilizing criminal background records.

Across the country the use of criminal records as part of a pre-employment background check has come into question. Many states, cities, and counties, as well as private companies, have enacted so-called Ban-the-box legislation. Ban-the-Box dictates if, when, and where the question of a criminal history can be asked and at what point in the hiring process a criminal record document can be utilized or reviewed.

Almeida states: Using criminal background check records has become increasingly complicated. As a public record these documents are readily available. However, their use, specifically in a pre-employment situation, is strictly controlled. Additionally, the use of criminal records in housing has come into question, based on recent guidance policies from HUD.

The lawsuit against the US Census Bureau brought into question hiring policies as related to criminal histories and criminal records, as well as an applicant's ability to disprove or explain a criminal history.

From CensusDiscriminationLawsuit.com (Apr. 19, 16):

Tuesday's accord would end a 2010 lawsuit challenging a Census Bureau requirement that applicants with arrest records provide "official" paperwork explaining them within 30 days, including for minor offenses and regardless of whether convictions resulted.

According to court papers, the requirement ended job prospects for about 700,000 of the 3.8 million people who applied for temporary work to complete the 2010 decennial count, and disproportionately affected blacks and Hispanics. (1)

Almeida states: This lawsuit has far ranging impact on hiring practices and further reinforces the need to review all hiring policies and procedures.

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, a lawyer involved with Census Bureau case observed (philly.com; Apr. 22, 16):

"The fact that we're dealing with a federal government agency sends a powerful . . . message" to public and private employers that "no job seeker should be automatically" be disqualified because of a criminal record (2)

Almeida states: In the end all companies, groups, and organizations that hire for paid or unpaid positions must work with a third-party background screening company. The settlement by the Census Bureau greatly highlights this need.

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is a third-party background screening company with highly trained operators well versed in the needs and requirements of companies and organizations large and small utilizing public records, such as criminal records, as part of a hiring process. Assisting companies in maintaining full compliance under the law is a central tenet of all client relationships with CriminalBackgroundRecords.com

Notes:

(1) censusdiscriminationlawsuit.com/news/2016-04-19/u-s-census-bureau-settles-hiring-lawsuit-over-criminal-histories

(2) articles.philly.com/2016-04-22/business/72512150_1_census-bureau-census-spokesman-evelyn-houser
Vintage Wine Estates (VWE, http://www.vintagewineestates.com/) announces the completion of several planned renovation projects at Viansa Sonoma (http://www.viansasonoma.com/). The 167 acre property and hilltop winery has recently undergone extensive updates to the vineyards, wetlands and property; including the construction of a new Wine Education Center, private vineyard outlooks and stunning views of surrounding wetlands bustling with bird life. The vineyards that encompass the winery have been replanted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, two varietals more fitting for the estates San Francisco bayside location.

Viansa may have been a diamond-in-the-rough when we acquired the property two years ago, but now it is one of the must-see wineries in the entire Sonoma Valley. said Pat Roney, CEO of Vintage Wine Estates.

The replanting of the Viansa Sonoma Estate vineyards was completed last fall with Carneros-friendly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The replanting project further allowed for improvements to vineyard practices, including the addition of recycled compost to add natural nutrients to the soil and the build-out of a 6 mile drainage system that allows for better water management. The first wines from these vines will be made from the 2017 vintage and will complement the Sonoma focused wine portfolio, overseen by Winemaker, Amy Ludovissy.

Once a thriving eco-system, the approximately 97 acres of natural wetlands had succumbed to erosion and overgrowth rendering it less habitable to waterfowl and wildlife. The Wetlands conservation project at Viansa Sonoma is more than a concept; its a commitment to sustainability by the winery team and our advisors and partners; DIRT FARMER Co and Ducks Unlimited., continued Mr. Roney. Geese, wrens, red-tail hawks and more are returning to this pristine environment in droves after being absent for many years.

Viansa Sonoma boasts three new vineyard outlooks, which are unlike anything in California wine country. Three individual open air cabins jut out over the estate vineyards just above the wetlands, where visitors can enjoy a tasting of the winerys best wines alongside a selection of local cheeses and cured meats.

Lastly, Viansa Sonoma announces the opening of a new on-site Wine Education Center adjacent to the tasting room and winery marketplace. The building comes complete with seating capacity for 200+ people and expansive views of Sonoma Valley.

Viansa Sonoma is open every day from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. For more information on the visitor experience at Viansa Sonoma check out http://www.Viansasonoma.com or call 800.995.4740. For additional information about Viansa, contact Mary Ann Vangrin at mvangrin(at)vintagewineestates(dot)com or Stephanie Peachey at speachey(at)vintagewineestates(dot)com.
This recognition belongs to our entire team and my other Co-Founders, Daniel Garcia and John Kuntz.

Ernst & Young announced that Gabriela Isturiz, Co-Founder and President of Bellefield Systems has been named as a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 Award in the Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia Region. The awards program, which is celebrating its 30th year, recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Gabriela Isturiz was selected as a finalist by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a black-tie celebration on June 24, 2016 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

"Its humbling and an honor to be considered for this prestigious award among such a well-respected group of colleagues and entrepreneurs, said Isturiz. Isturiz further stated, This recognition belongs to our entire team and my other Co-Founders, Daniel Garcia and John Kuntz, whose passion and amazing work have made Bellefields flagship solution, iTimeKeep, the most adopted mobile timekeeping solution in legal.

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries throughout the world. Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 19, 2016. The awards are the culminating event of the Strategic Growth Forum, the nations most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

About Bellefield

Bellefield is committed to helping lawyers improve their work lives by developing innovative and intuitive applications that solve real-world challenges. Bellefield does this by identifying a problem, evaluating it from many different perspectives, and working tirelessly to create the best possible solution. Bellefields flagship product iTimeKeep ranks #1 as the most adopted Mobile Time Entry Solution for attorneys for the third consecutive year. Founded by software veterans Gabriela Isturiz, Daniel Garcia, and John Kuntz, Bellefield is an independent, privately held company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit Bellefield Systems.

About iTimeKeep

iTimeKeep is a game-changing mobile application that simplifies contemporaneous time entry while eliminating the burdens of complicated and invasive time capture applications. Upon hearing the frustrations of attorneys required to use technology that is counterintuitive to the way they work, Bellefield developed iTimeKeep to give them the ability to easily get the job done anytime and everywhere, increasing adoption and improving internal operations. iTimeKeep is delivered as a Time Entry As a Service (TEaaS) model in order to maximize the benefits of mobility to firms, without taxing on their resources. iTimeKeep was recently ranked by ILTA as the most adopted Mobile Time Entry solution for attorneys for the third year in a row. iTimeKeep seamlessly integrates with leading financial systems including Elite, Aderant, LexisNexis Juris, ProLaw, Rippe & Kingston, and many others. To learn more, visit iTimeKeep.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year:

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the worlds most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.
As one of the Ontario businesses invited to be part of the delegation, we are eager to forge new global partnerships with other top innovators in the life sciences field

Inflamax Research Inc. is pleased to announce its participation in the upcoming trade mission to Israel organized as part of a provincial governmental initiative by Premier Wynne. Inflamax Research will aid in establishing Ontario as a leading knowledge economy partner and investment destination by forging new global connections with innovation leaders.

As one of the Ontario businesses invited to be part of the delegation, we are eager to forge new global partnerships with other top innovators in the life sciences field, announced Dr. Piyush Patel, CEO of Inflamax Research.

Israel is a significant research and development hub in the global development of medications and devices and therefore forms a significant market potential for Inflamax Research, a Contract Research Organization (CRO) which specializes in innovative drug and device development for the treatment of disease. During the mission, Inflamax Research will have many meetings with drug developers such as Teva Israel, a leader in global healthcare innovations.

While in Israel, Dr. Patel and Dr. Salapatek (Inflamaxs President & Chief Science Officer), will be participating in a signing ceremony with Dr. Alon Harris and Dr. Raanan Gefen from AdOm Tech, Israel. This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) marks the commencement and contracting of the research program for development of AdOm Techs innovative Tear Film Imaging (TFI) device.

Inflamax is excited to embark on this research together with our collaborators AdOm Tech. The TFI device bodes the potential to provide meaningful insights into the health of the human tear film, said Dr. Salapatek.

Inflamax is a full-service, global Clinical Research Organization specializing in allergy, ocular, and respiratory diseases, led by world-renown, key-opinion leaders. Inflamax was recently selected as one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies. Inflamax is experienced in the conduct of large single and multi-centre trials using their innovative fixed and mobile Environmental Exposure Chambers and direct instillation models from a studys concept to protocol writing, site management, data management, and medical writing. Inflamaxs scientists and clinicians are well known to regulatory authorities and regularly participate in an advisory role.
FOSS Next Generation exemplifies our commitment to the power of hands-on, blended learning and, in just a year since its launch, the program has been enthusiastically embraced by educators at school districts across the country.

Delta Education, part of the School Specialty family of brands, is a finalist in the 2016 REVERE (Recognizing Valuable Educational Resources) Awards from the Association of American Publishers (AAP) PreK-12 Learning Group. The companys Full Option Science System Next Generation, (FOSS) resource, the leading active-learning science program in the United States, is honored in the Whole Curriculum, Science category.

FOSS Next Generation is an active learning science program for grades K-5, with modules featuring comprehensive teacher support materials, informative student books, class access to online multimedia, and durable student equipment. The full program consists of 18 modules aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with three modules per grade focused on life, earth and physical science, including many opportunities for integrating engineering. The FOSS program seamlessly blends engaging, hands-on science investigations with science writing, language development strategies, reading in informational texts, online technology, outdoor experiences, and research-based formative assessment strategies. This multi-modal combination promotes the construction of increasingly complex understanding of science concepts over time.

FOSS Next Generation Middle School, geared toward grades 6-8, is launching for the 2016-2017 school year.

We are honored to receive this recognition for FOSS Next Generation from one of the most esteemed awards programs in education, said Bodie Marx, senior vice president of School Specialty Curriculum. FOSS Next Generation exemplifies our commitment to the power of hands-on, blended learning and, in just a year since its launch, the program has been enthusiastically embraced by educators at school districts across the country. As the FOSS Next Generation family of products grows to include middle grades, we look forward to working with teachers at even more schools as they engage their students in active science learning.

The REVERE Awards identify and honor excellence in educational products that support evolving trends in teaching and learning for PreK-12 students. It is the only program that recognizes learning resources in all media, for all ages, and covering a wide array of educational subject areas and learning environments. Entrants for the 2016 REVERE Awards came from many fields including educational, trade, and magazine publishers; museums; university affiliated programs; non-profits; membership associations; and game and app developers.

About the American Association of Publishers (AAP)

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) is the voice of the US book and journal publishing industry. AAP represents the industrys priorities on policy, legislative and regulatory issues regionally, nationally and worldwide. These include the protection of intellectual property rights and worldwide copyright enforcement, digital and new technology issues, funding for education and libraries, tax and trade, censorship and literacy. Its 400member companies represent major commercial, educational and professional companies as well as independents, non-profits, university presses and scholarly societies.

About School Specialty, Inc.

School Specialty is a leading distributor of innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to the education marketplace. The Company designs, develops, and provides educators with the latest and very best school supplies, furniture and both curriculum and supplemental learning resources. Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help teachers, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential. For more information about School Specialty, visit http://www.schoolspecialty.com.

Delta Education, part of School Specialtys family of brands, delivers the best of hands-on, inquiry-based science education to K-8 students. Trusted products from Delta Education include FOSS, Delta Science Modules (DSM) and engaging informational texts including Delta Science Content Readers. For more information about Delta Education, visit http://www.deltaeducation.com.
Delta Dental Insurance Company announced today its grant of $50,000 to Americas ToothFairy: National Childrens Oral Health Foundation supporting oral health services and education in Texas schools.

This year, Americas ToothFairy again will join Hispanic counterpart Ratoncito Perez, who promotes childrens oral health on behalf of Delta Dental, to educate students in Texas school districts about the importance of oral health. The grant  the second awarded by Delta Dental to Americas ToothFairy in Texas  will be used to provide the ToothFairy 101 Community Education Kit to youth leaders and school nurses, assist schools with oral health programming for all age levels and distribute The Adventures of Ratoncito Perez dental wellness educational video, along with other resources, to independent school districts in Texas. Americas ToothFairy and Ratoncito Perez will team up in several independent school districts including Dallas, Arlington, Houston, Alvin and North East.

Our aim is to increase oral health literacy so children dont have to suffer the consequences of tooth decay, said John Yamamoto, DDS, MPH, vice president of professional services for Delta Dental. Childhood tooth decay is the No. 1 chronic childhood illness, and were proud to team up with Americas ToothFairy once again to fight this disease.

"We are very grateful to Delta Dental Insurance Company for their ongoing support for childrens oral health programs in Texas," said Fern Ingber, president and CEO of Americas ToothFairy. "Thanks to their support, underserved children will now have access to engaging, educational programs equipping them for a lifetime of good oral health.

About Delta Dental Insurance Company

Delta Dental Insurance Company and its affiliates collectively provide dental benefits plans to 34.5 million people in 15 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The group of companies donated $6.9 million in 2015 in support of programs focusing on prevention of dental disease, access to care, advancement in dental science and exploring the connections between oral and overall health. All are part of the Delta Dental Plans Association, the nations largest dental benefits system.

About America's ToothFairy: National Childrens Oral Health Foundation

Americas ToothFairy: National Childrens Oral Health Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness of one of the most prevalent chronic childhood illnesses: pediatric dental disease, facilitating the delivery of comprehensive oral health services and improving quality of life for underserved children. Through the #MySmileMatters Youth Movement, collaborative partnerships with a diverse array of national service organizations, growing network of non-profit clinical partners, dedicated professional and student volunteers, and suite of high-impact community education and service programs, Americas ToothFairy is building a powerful, united effort to eliminate tooth decay and protect the smiles of our most vulnerable children. For more information, visit http://www.AmericasToothFairy.org.

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River City Bank names Elaine Lintecum as the newest member of its board of directors. Ms. Lintecums extensive experience for one of the oldest, largest and most respected newspaper and digital publishers in the U.S. will be a great asset to our board, said River City Bank President and CEO Steve Fleming.

River City Bank is pleased to announce the appointment of Elaine Lintecum to its board of directors. Lintecum currently serves as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at The McClatchy Company, a national newspaper and digital news publisher headquartered in Sacramento. Her addition to the River City Bank board signals a continued emphasis on the Banks growth and geographic expansion; the Bank experienced 27 percent loan growth in 2015 and recently opened a branch in Walnut Creek  its first Commercial Banking office in the San Francisco Bay Area  while also expanding into Southern California.

Ms. Lintecums extensive experience in accounting, finance, treasury management, and M&A for one of the oldest, largest and most respected newspaper and digital publishers in the U.S. will be a great asset to our board, said River City Bank President and CEO Steve Fleming. As River City Bank continues to extend its premier commercial banking services to new markets and gain market share in Sacramento, we will undoubtedly benefit from her leadership in building McClatchys reputation on a national stage while remaining deeply connected to the local Sacramento community.

TWEET THIS: The @RiverCityBank board of directors announces newest member: Elaine Lintecum, CFO of @McClatchy. #SacramentoBusiness http://ctt.ec/94A4c

On behalf of the board, we are pleased to welcome Elaine Lintecum, said Shawn Devlin, chairman of the board, River City Bank. Elaine lives in the community and brings knowledge of Sacramentos rich history along with a solid understanding of the intricacies of corporate finance on a national scale that will complement River City Banks commitment to providing superior financial services locally and in other markets.

Lintecum received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting from California State University Chico, and she has played an instrumental role in every major financial development at McClatchy for almost three decades. She is a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions team and serves on the boards of The Seattle Times Co. and Ponderay Newspring Company. Prior to joining McClatchy, Ms. Lintecum was a Certified Public Accountant with Deloitte Haskins & Sells.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS, RIVER CITY BANK:

Shawn L. Devlin, chairman of the board, River City Bank; Stephen A. Fleming, president, River City Bank; Michael J. Newell, president, CC&B Holdings, director of business development, HP Hood LLC.; James A. Welch, retired, KPMG partner; Frederick J. Durst, 5th generation Yolo County farmer/rancher; Steve Pleau, president, Future Automotive Group; Ryan Gilbert, Managing Director of Propel Venture Partners and Chairman of Better Finance; Lon Burford, founding partner, Genovese, Burford & Brothers; Elaine Lintecum, CFO, McClatchy

ABOUT RIVER CITY BANK:

River City Bank is the Sacramento regions premier business bank with assets over $1.5 billion. River City Bank offers a comprehensive suite of banking services, including loans, deposits and cash management tools to the business, consumer and commercial real estate sectors. With tailored, executive-level service and a Five Star Superior financial rating from the nations leading independent bank-rating firm, Bauer Financial, River City Bank redefines the banking experience and every touch point that surrounds it. River City Bank is the largest, independent, locally-owned bank in the Sacramento region with an office in the San Francisco Bay Area and a presence in Southern California. For additional information, please visit http://www.rivercitybank.com or call (916) 567-2600. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.

ABOUT THE MCCLATCHY COMPANY:

The McClatchy Company is a 21st century news and information leader, publisher of iconic brands such as the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, the Charlotte Observer, The (Raleigh) News and Observer and the (Fort Worth) Star-Telegram. McClatchy operates media companies in 28 U.S. markets in 14 states, providing each of its communities with high-quality news and advertising services in a wide array of digital and print formats. McClatchy is headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MNI.
Co-founder Harriet Sweetwood at the Grand Opening of Unique Photo's first Hoboken Camera Center in 1954. The new Hoboken store on Hudson Street is located just steps away from the original store. Our customers will have even more convenience and accessibility to the latest camera technology, education and services that have made our store the ultimate destination for amateur and professional photographers alike, said President Alexander Sweetwood.

Unique Photo, New Jerseys largest retail camera store and center for photography education, announces the Grand Opening Celebration of its new store in Hoboken on June 2. The new location at 79 Hudson Street at the Hudson Crossroads, directly across from the Hoboken Path Station, is situated just steps away from Unique Photos original retail camera store in New Jersey which opened its doors on the same day in 1954.

Hoboken is a vibrant location and were excited to be opening our new satellite store in the same place where my grandparents opened their first retail location in 1954, said President Alexander Sweetwood, third-generation member of the Sweetwood family to head the Fairfield, NJ-based retail camera store. Now our customers will have even more convenience and accessibility to the latest camera technology, education and services that have made our store the ultimate destination for amateur and professional photographers alike.

The new 1,200-square-foot location will feature all of the extensive photography services and educational programs that have made Unique Photo one of the leading photographic retailers and distributors in the United States. In addition to a full catalog of rental equipment, the store will offer group educational classes and workshops, one-on-one training, printing and photo restoration services, equipment buy-back programs and repair services.

Ideally located near the PATH train station and the Hudson River waterfront, customers can also look forward to special off-site photo excursions such as walking photo tours of historic Hoboken, the Statue of Liberty and New York City skyscapes.

The June 2 Grand Opening Celebration will feature in-store specials, demonstrations and sales on equipment, rentals and classes. The store is currently open and offering soft opening services such as rentals, trade-ins and personal one-on-one training sessions. Hoboken store hours are Monday  Friday, 8 a.m.  7 p.m.; Saturday  Sunday, 10 a.m.  5 p.m.

Unique Photo began when Bernard and Harriet Sweetwood opened a small photographic supply outlet in Brooklyn, NY in 1947. They opened over 20 retail outlets in department stores across New Jersey and then opened their first independent retail location in New Jersey, Hoboken Camera Center, in 1954.

Returning to Hoboken and our roots really proves that you can go home again, and its a symbol of success, said Sweetwood.

Unique Photo is also home to the Unique Photo Expo, New Jerseys largest photography public trade show, coming on June 24  26 at the Unique Photo Superstore in Fairfield, NJ. Consumers can demo and purchase the latest products from leading manufactures and take advantage of great sales and over 40 free photography workshops.

ABOUT UNIQUE PHOTO

Unique Photo is New Jersey's largest camera and video superstore offering the latest in photographic products and imaging technology. Its 50,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in Fairfield, NJ. features a spacious photography retail store, multi-media learning center, professional photo lab, meeting space, gourmet coffee bar and WiFi lounge. Unique Photo is also the top destination for photography education in New Jersey, hosting more than 1,000 amateur and professional photographers monthly for its classes. Unique University instructors include world famous photographers, industry guest lecturers and Unique Photos professional staff. For more information, visit http://www.uniquephoto.com or call 973-377-2007.

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As many students get ready to graduate from high school this month todays youth gaze into their bright futures. Throughout the USA many students will be heading off to colleges and Universities in the Fall. Finding all the finances for college tuition, books and housing can be a challenge. Moving Authority wants to help because today's young adults are our future.

Moving Authority is offering a $1,000 scholarship for any and all talented writers out there. The scholarship will be through an essay contest on the following topic:

Discuss a moving experience you had and how you would have improved it. What are some creative ideas you have for people who are currently in the process of moving?

Moving Authority is looking for creative and out of the box thinking (a little industry humor) when they select the winner.

All students that enter must be either currently enrolled in a College or University or will be attending in Fall 2016 to be eligible for the contest and the Scholarship prize money.

All entries should be at least 1,000 words in length and sent to the following:

support(at)movingauthority(dot)com

Remember to use the subject line (ESSAY ENTRY) and the in email body state the college or University the applicant is attending. The scholarship essay contest closes June 17, 2016. Moving Authority will pick a winner October 4th, 2016. Moving Authority wishes all the students luck and is excited to help one student with their educational dreams.

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Moving Authority is an industry leader connecting customers with reputable moving companies throughout the United Sates. Movingauthority.com set their goal to eliminate fraud in the moving industry. Moving Authority is cracking down on rogue movers in the industry by only allowing reputable companies to be reviewed and provided to customers. In addition they specialize in custom built Tariffs and Arbitration programs for moving companies that need to comply fully with USDOT regulations.

For Further Info About This Release Contact:

Ashley Richmond

PR(at)movingauthority(dot)com

702-333-2430 ex 2
AMG Employee Management Inc. is attending the Annual DPH RAP Session organized by the Riverside/San Bernardino CAHF Chapter. The tabletop showcase on Thursday, May 19th, will highlight AMGtimes extensive time attendance solutions, an innovative scheduling tool for nursing homes, in addition to a new solution allowing for easy export of required PBJ data.

Per ACA regulation, staring July 1st 2016, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will require nursing homes to report staffing and census data using the PBJ system, and using AMGtimes solution, nursing homes can seamlessly export this data. AMGtime also has the capability to allow nursing homes to do NHPPD reporting per state government regulations. AMG Employee Management Inc. is the ideal time attendance partner for nursing homes.

Modern business models requires you to be mobile and even may require your employees to be mobile, such as nurses traveling to visit patients. AMGtime offers mobile applications for both Android and iOS, allowing managers to manage employees remotely, and employees to log in remotely with geo-fenced and photo features. Also with the option of AMGtimes new USigned electronic signature feature, paperless timecards can be signed effortlessly by employees and supervisors.

The CEO of AMG Employee Management Inc., Tony Galstyan stated that We are committed to making sure that our nursing home solution meets the needs of the market and we make sure that any new state or federal requirements are immediately integrated into our solution.

Visit AMG Employee Management at the DPH RAP Session in the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in San Bernardino on May 19th to learn more about how AMGtimes solutions can help your business streamline employee management, while saving valuable resources.

About the Company

With more than 20 years of experience, AMG Employee Management Inc. is a leader in providing a comprehensive range of time attendance products and services. This innovative Los Angeles-based company has a passion for offering solutions that boost the efficiency and accuracy of time and payroll records.

Time attendance solutions from AMGtime will not only help manage employees and attendance, but will also facilitate companies to focus organizational resources where they should be  on managing the business.
Sanjoy Chatterji, Founder and CEO, Entomo Sell-in management is often easier, but tends to mask channel problems..

Entomo Inc., a leading provider of channel revenue management software and services, announced today that CEO Sanjoy Chatterji will present at this years Channel Visionaries Conference, being held June 2-3 in Santa Clara, CA. The Channel Visionaries conference draws global channel leaders in order to share the best practices, industry trends and case studies.

Chatterjis session is entitled, How Operationally Excellent Companies Manage Their Channel. In his discussion, Chatterji will describe how companies that emphasize operational excellence are increasingly managing their channels on a "sell-through" basis, even if they continue to use sell-in for accounting purposes.

Sell-in management is often easier, but tends to mask channel problems, said Chatterji. Revenue and receivables are not final as long as partners have rights of return, or the ultimate sale price is not determinable due to rebates and other back-end discounts and promotions. As a result, the best performing companies operationally manage their channels on a sell-through basis, regardless of how they recognize revenue from an accounting perspective."

About Sanjoy Chatterji

Sanjoy Chatterji founded Entomo and brings more than 25 years of technology and executive management expertise to the company. Before Entomo, he was Founder and President of the Trinetra Consulting Group, which worked with early-stage growth companies in the areas of business development and market and product strategy. Prior to Trinetra, Sanjoy was VP of Software & Systems at Philips Electronics ATL Ultrasound Division. He was a member of the turnaround team that revitalized and repositioned ATL (then a publicly-traded company) and boosted market cap from $250 million to $850 million, resulting in an eventual acquisition by Philips. Previously, he was an early employee at Sequoia Systems, where he served in a variety of positions and helped the company grow through an IPO to several years as a public company. He holds a Master's of Engineering in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a BS and MS in Computer Science from BITS, Pilani, India.

About Entomo

Entomo is a leading provider of cloud-based channel management software and services. Entomo helps businesses effectively manage distribution channel complexity to maximize revenue, reduce costs, improve partner performance and collaboration and ensure compliance at all levels. Entomos SmartHub is the industrys most flexible, scalable, and comprehensive enterprise channel management platform, enabling automation and simplification of all channel-related workflows and processes, and seamlessly integrates with leading ERP and CRM systems. Entomo is SSAE16-compliant and supports the channel management activities for global enterprises including Broadcom Corporation, Dolby Labs, Elo Touch Solutions, Keysight Technologies, Kingston Technology, Microsemi Corporation, Toshiba, Qorvo Inc., and Targus International. Entomo is privately held and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, with offices in the Silicon Valley, Asia, and Europe.
Natural Power is set to take WINDPOWER 2016 by storm later this month. Exhibiting at booth 4747 between 23rd  26th May at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, Natural Powers Vice President of North America Operations, Holly Hughes, will present a session in the Thought Leaders Theater Empowering tools for effective asset management. This session will take place on Wednesday 25th May at 14.30hrs-14.55hrs, and will also mark the launch of the companys new Portal* software in the US.

Natural Powers US team brings over 60 years of combined experience in the renewable energy industry. From its offices in Saratoga Springs, New York and in Seattle, the business has delivered due diligence services for over 180MW of onshore wind in the last quarter alone, and continues to expand across the US. As such, the team, headed up by President of North American Operations, Jim Adams, is eager to be attending and contributing to WINDPOWER 2016. Jim said: We are delighted to be attending WINDPOWER2016. It is an exciting time for the renewable energy industry in North America, and we have so much experience, learning and technology to share.

Not only can we breathe new and fresh operations-based expertise into the market through our work for clients, but we also offer a real, top tier, one-stop-shop when it comes to renewable energy consultancy with energy yield, technical services, due diligence, asset management and operational support services accepted by the major banks and sponsors alike. WINDPOWER 2016 provides us with the perfect platform to showcase our capabilities.

Natural Power will also host a craft beer reception as part of the Exhibition Happy Hour on Wednesday 24th May from 16.00hrs-18.00hrs. Serving Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan and NOLA Hopitoulas from the keg, visitors are welcome to join the reception at the Natural Power booth 4747.

The US wind industry just experienced one of its best quarters ever, and combined with the best policy it has ever known, the wind industry is poised to take off. WINDPOWER 2016, hosted by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), brings together world-renowned keynote speakers with industry to deliver an exciting conference programme including an industry showcase, education stations, and the emerging leader programme in addition to a range of pre-conference seminars. Visitors to WINDPOWER2016 can download the App http://eventscribe.com/2016/WINDPOWER/aaConferenceApp.asp to manage their visit and timetable.

Speaker bio - about Holly Hughes

Holly is responsible for energy and operations services at Natural Power in North America. She has worked for over a decade in energy engineering with broad and global wind industry experience, and has directed over 160 wind energy yield assessments and technical due diligence for well over 1 GW of operating wind assets. Holly holds a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and a Graduate Certificate in Energy Analysis and Policy from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She is also a registered Professional Engineer.

Portal, an exciting new information management tool that gathers and sorts multiple streams of asset data in to one simple and easy to use platform. The online, mobile solution, allows users to view key project information at a glance, anywhere there is an internet signal. Streamlining project knowledge, such as operational reporting, site reporting, site access, work control, and health and safety management, Portal also provides a GIS mapping service and data storage and management. Thus reducing time spent gathering and collating information from a variety of sources, and enabling users to focus on higher value issues.

Ted Leeming, Managing Director at Natural Power, said: We have used our 20 plus years of experience in gathering and interpreting information to develop this ground-breaking technology that will help our customers to optimise the success of their operations. Portal will offer users greater control by allowing them to plan more effectively, ultimately maximising the potential from renewable energy and infrastructure projects.

The development and launch of Portal is instrumental in our long term strategy to help our clients in achieving their operational efficiency and competitiveness objectives to ensure that low carbon energy technologies can compete in the wider energy market.

ENDS

About Natural Power

Established in the mid 1990s, Natural Power is a leading independent renewable energy consultancy and products provider. The company offers proactive and integrated consultancy, management and due diligence services, backed by an innovative product range, across the onshore wind, offshore wind, wave, tidal, renewable heat, solar pv and hydro sectors, whilst maintaining a strong outlook on other new and emerging renewable energy sectors.

Natural Power has been at the heart of many groundbreaking projects, products and portfolios for more than two decades, assisting project developers, investors, manufacturers, research houses and other consulting companies. With its iconic Scottish headquarters, The Green House, Natural Power has expanded internationally to work in 32 countries, and now employs over 320 renewable energy experts. This project experience spans a portfolio of 69GW which is equivalent to powering 4.7m UK homes.

http://www.naturalpower.com

https://twitter.com/Natural_Power

https://www.linkedin.com/company/natural-power

Contact details:

Jane Maher

PR and Media

Natural Power

T: 07887 995 589

E: janem(at)naturalpower(dot)com

http://www.naturalpower.com https://twitter.com/Natural_Power
United Nations Foundation Board of Directors

We welcome Baroness Amos and Dr. Frenk to the UN Foundation Board and look forward to their leadership, said Foundation Founder and Board Chair, Ted Turner. Their experiences, both inside the UN and in their governments, will be invaluable to our mission of connecting people, ideas and resources to the United Nations lifesaving, life-changing work.

Baroness Amos joined SOAS in September 2015 after a 5-year term as UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. There she coordinated humanitarian assistance during a period of rising humanitarian need around the world with 125 million people requiring aid and protection. She is a former Secretary of State for International Development in the British Government and was also Leader of the House of Lords. She was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with responsibility for Africa and the Commonwealth.

The spirit of the UN Charter, and its promise to maintain international peace and security and foster international cooperation is as relevant today as it was 70 years ago" said Amos. "The UN Foundation is committed to supporting the central role of the United Nations in securing peace and stability, development and the protection of human rights. It is a privilege to join their efforts and work with my fellow board members to highlight the need for collaboration in our efforts to tackle the world's global challenges."

Dr. Frenk is currently the president of the University of Miami and formerly the dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. From 2000 to 2006 he served as the Minister of Health of Mexico where he pursued an ambitious agenda to help reform the nations health system and introduced a program which expanded access to health care for more than 55 million uninsured Mexicans. He was the founding Director-General of the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico and has also held leadership roles at the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

We have reached a new global crossroad where, from public health to social and economic inequity to climate change, we are faced with both extraordinary opportunities and real and far-reaching risks," said Frenk. "Our greater aspirations for human advancement depend on our ability to unite in purpose and in practice at the United Nations. I am honored to join the Board of the UN Foundation and to champion collaboration and sustainable development with my fellow members."

The announcement of the new Board members was made during the Foundations semi-annual Board meeting that was held in Copenhagen to coincide with the Women Deliver Conference-- the largest conference on the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women. The UN Foundations Board of Directors includes some of the most influential leaders of our time, whose pioneering work supports the UNs vision of a peaceful, prosperous and just world.

UN Foundation Board of Directors:

Mr. Ted Turner (U.S.A) - Chairman, Turner Enterprises

Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah (Jordan) - Chair, Jordan River Foundation

Baroness Valerie Amos (UK) - Director, SOAS University of London

Mr. Kofi Annan (Ghana) - Chairman & Founder, Kofi Annan Foundation, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Mr. Fabio Colletti Barbosa (Brazil) - Former CEO, Abril Group, Former CEO, Banco Santander

Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland (Norway) - Vice Chair, Former Prime Minister of Norway, Director-General Emeritus, World Health Organization

Dr. Julio Frenk (Mexico) - President, University of Miami

Mr. Igor Ivanov (Russia) - Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Mr. Narayana Murthy (India) - Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Infosys Limited

Judge Hisashi Owada (Japan) - International Court of Justice

Mr. Hans Vestberg (Sweden) - President and Chief Executive Officer, Ericsson Group

Sen.Timothy E. Wirth (U.S.A) - Vice Chair, Former President, UN Foundation

Prof. Yuan Ming (China) - Dean of Yenching Academy, Peking University

Prof. Muhammad Yunus (Bangladesh) - Founder, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Emeritus:

Ms. Graca Machel DBE (Mozambique) - President, Foundation for Community Development

Prof. Emma Rothschild CMG (UK) - Jeremy and Jane Knowles Professor of History, Harvard University

Dr. Nafis Sadik (Pakistan) - Former Executive Director, UNFPA

Amb. Andrew Young (U.S.A) - Chair, Andrew J. Young Foundation, Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN

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About the United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the worlds most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by philanthropic, corporate, government, and individual donors. Learn more at: http://www.unfoundation.org.
We are excited to share our Purdue Study test results with the attendees at this years World Pork Congress

DryLet, LLC, a biotechnology company providing an industry-leading product for use in animal waste reduction applications, announced today it will be showcasing ManureMagic at booth V1061 at the World Pork Expo, June 8-10 in Des Moines, Iowa.

ManureMagic was featured in the Wall Street Journal last year and more recently made news as the results were released from a Purdue University study highlighting that Manuremagic reduced hydrogen sulfide by as much as 50 percent and odors by 40 percent. The study, which was conducted by Dr. Albert Heber in the Agriculture and Biological Engineering Department, tested the efficacy of ManureMagic in reducing hydrogen sulfide and odor from swine manure under controlled lab conditions.

This breakthrough in swine manure management comes at a time when the industry continues to be concerned about high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas build up in the manure storage facilities associated with swine production.

We are excited to share our Purdue test results with the attendees at this years World Pork Congress, said Steve Ellis, DryLet Founder and Executive Vice President, Sales. By validating the results of hydrogen sulfide and odor reduction, we can continue to help solve the most challenging problems producers are facing with their pits including odor reduction, decreased solid accumulation, reduced gas build-up and reduced crusting, he added.

ManureMagic is highly concentrated and utilizes millions of micro bioreactors to deliver hundreds of billions of live microorganisms that consume solids associated with animal production. ManureMagic significantly reduces odor, crusting, gas build-up and solids. It delivers all of these benefits without any adverse impact to the environment.

Visit the ManureMagic Booth (V1061) at the World Pork Expo to enter a drawing for a $250 Cabelas gift card.

The World Pork Expo is put on by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). Each year nearly 20,000 people visit more than 400 exhibitors showcasing their products. Iowa is known as the leading pork producing state in the U.S.

For more information about ManureMagic visit http://www.ManureMagic.com.

About DryLet

DryLet was founded on the guiding principle of Helping nature do its job. As a biotechnology company, DryLet provides industry-leading products for use in applications such as bioremediation, wastewater treatment, aquaculture, animal waste reduction and grease, fat and oil reduction in wastewater treatment plants and restaurant kitchen settings. DryLet provides dry products for traditionally liquid product markets. This allows DryLet a strategic advantage by providing a superior alternative to traditional products that must be applied via spraying or have been freeze-dried. The patented products developed by DryLet provide superior results in all applications when compared to other products on the market. All DryLet products are completely safe for aquatic life and for human and animal contact. For more information visit http://www.drylet.com.
Lisa Casanova

Georgia State University will train some of the nations leading infectious disease control researchers on healthcare-associated prevention strategies against Ebola and other threats at its School of Public Health laboratory in the Petit Science Center, May 23  27.

The training workshop will allow researchers to gain practical experience and learn techniques for handling surrogate viruses to study personal protective equipment for infection threats to healthcare providers. Surrogate viruses are used as stand-ins for other viruses that may be too difficult or dangerous to use in laboratory experiments.

Lisa Casanova, assistant professor of environmental health at the School of Public Health and co-principal investigator for the Prevention Epicenter of Atlanta Consortium Hospitals, will lead the training. She joined a team of researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology in this prevention program, which is focused on new methods to protect patients and health care workers from infectious diseases that can spread in hospitals and healthcare facilities.

We know that hospital-acquired infections are a serious public health problem for patients in the hospital, but healthcare professionals are also at risk for getting infections while doing their jobs, said Casanova. My research is focused on a crucial need in public health preparedness, the need to protect our healthcare workforce from occupational infection.

The Prevention Epicenter of Atlanta Consortium Hospitals (PEACH) is focused on strategies for protecting healthcare providers from Ebola and other occupational infection threats, and builds on Casanovas previous work using simulation-based approaches to understanding how healthcare personal protective equipment works and how to improve its effectiveness. PEACH brings together a team of physicians, environmental psychologists, human factors researchers, microbiologists and health care epidemiologists to seek new strategies to reduce the spread of infections in hospitals, including new and emerging threats such as Ebola.

Dr. Casanovas experience using surrogate viruses in research on healthcare personal protective equipment led to a request from officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Georgia State to host a training workshop for top scientists at other epicenters, said James Weyhenmeyer, vice president for research and economic development at Georgia State. This effort demonstrates Georgia States inter-institutional leadership and collaboration, and showcases our state-of-the-art research facilities.

The workshop is funded by Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Public safety, domestic security, and other agencies will have the ability to deploy the Aeryon SkyRanger within AUDS protection area "The integration with AUDS illustrates Aeryons commitment to resolve the totality of our customers UAS needs, and reinforces the distinction between SkyRanger and other UAS." said Dave Kroetsch, President & CEO, Aeryon.

Aeryon, the premier manufacturer of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) and Liteye Systems, a leading manufacturer and provider of products that protect critical infrastructure, today announced the integration of the Aeryon SkyRanger into the AUDS counter-UAS platform to provide public safety, domestic security, and other agencies with the ability to deploy SkyRanger within AUDS protection area to identify and respond to threats posed by enemy UAS.

AUDS is a second generation counter-UAS system that detects, tracks, identifies, and defeats unmanned vehicles. Developed by a partnership of companies in the UK and USA, the AUDS system is an integrated solution comprising of fielded and proven systems that protects critical infrastructure through state-of-the-art radar, precision thermal and daylight cameras, advanced video tracking, and five non-kinetic defeat capabilities that limit collateral interference. The full production system has been tested in numerous countries against Class-1 and Class-2 commercial UAS as well as homemade versions.

On May 9, 2016, the FAA announced the execution of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Liteye, adding AUDS into the FAAs Pathfinder Program.

The integration with the secure, all-digital network of the SkyRanger enables the AUDS operator to:



View the real-time video and telemetry feed from SkyRanger within AUDS

Export a search grid from AUDS into the SkyRanger Mission Control Software (MCS), to direct the aircraft to potential threat locations identified through the AUDS radar

Import a flight plan into AUDS from the SkyRanger to ensure that the SkyRanger remains outside the area affected by the non-kinetic defeat capabilities

Many of the agencies looking at deploying AUDS are already operating Aeryon UAS, said Dave Kroetsch, President and CEO, Aeryon. The integration with AUDS illustrates Aeryons commitment to resolve the totality of our customers UAS needs, and reinforces the distinction between SkyRanger and other UAS.

Thomas Scott, President of Liteye said Other UAS countermeasures platforms only deal with unfriendly UAS, but dont account for the operator of that UAS or other unfriendly personnel that may be present. Since AUDS is simultaneous ground and air surveillance, by deploying the SkyRanger within the AUDS platform, AUDS is able to identify the operator of the unfriendly UAS and direct other ground-based or aerial assets to address the threat.

A live demonstration of the AUDS system will occur on May 19th and 20th in Colorado. Please contact Liteye Systems for more information.

About Liteye Systems

Liteye Systems, Inc. is a leader in surveillance systems for protection of critical infrastructure. Their products include radars, covert thermal cameras, tactical displays, and the new AUDS counter UAS system. All of its cutting edge solutions feature revolutionary designs that enable a broad range of military and commercial applications. Headquartered in Centennial Colorado, the company has offices in the UK and representatives worldwide. AUDS is a partnership of Chess Dynamics, Enterprise Control Systems, Blighter surveillance, and Liteye. Liteye leads the AUDS North American effort.

For more information, visit: http://www.liteye.com

Media contact: Kenneth Allen Geyer, Kgeyer[at]liteye.com |+1 720-974-1766 x155

About Aeryon Labs Inc.

Aeryon Labs is the premier manufacturer of small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) which are at the center of major world events and international media stories. The company is the trusted partner of civil and military customers, resellers, and other commercial business partners around the globe. Aeryon is headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Field-tested and mission-proven, Aeryon sUAS set the standard for immediate aerial intelligence gathering by anyone, anywhere, anytime, for a wide range of military, public safety and commercial applications.

For more information, visit: http://www.aeryon.com

Media Contact: Andrea Sangster, media[at]aeryon.com | +1 519-489-6726 x360
The lack of professional preparation from trained therapists and proper communication and social transitional training techniques have led to very limited opportunities for adults with learning disabilities locally and nationally.

Including Kids removed the age cap on their Center for Community Inclusion program with the hopes of broadening opportunities for the social advancement of young adults with autism. The CCI program serves to provide its participants with the necessary life skills needed in order to become as independent as possible for a maturing adult. Removing the age cap from years 16 - 22 to 16 and onward would make Including Kids one of the very few programs in the Greater Houston area with professional treatment that places an emphasis on assisting adults of any age with autism to become successfully employed and active members of their communities.

Up to a staggering 90% of young adults on the autism spectrum are not meaningfully employed. A considerable amount of reasoning behind this disappointing statistic can be fairly attributed to the limited resources currently available for young adults with autism that are transitioning into the job field. The lack of professional preparation from trained therapists and proper communication and social transitional training techniques have led to very limited opportunities for adults with learning disabilities locally and nationally.

Including Kids started their CCI program in 2015 with a fierce agenda to fight the disadvantageous odds against young adults with autism. With the support of Including Kids board certified behavior analysts and registered behavior technicians, participants will learn how to develop proper skills for applied academics, prevocational/vocational skills, domestic skills, leisure skills, safety skills and community skills. This particular Center for Community Inclusion program is best fit for those participants that have adaptive behavioral skills which can be addressed with less intensive support services. For more information please visit includingkids.org.

About Including Kids

Including Kids, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization within the greater Houston area that specializes in helping children and young adults with autism develop proper intellectual and social skills. Founded in 2003 by Jennifer Dantzler when autism began to peak at epidemic levels, Including Kids started on a mission to instruct, inspire and include in order to create a society where every child is given an equal opportunity to succeed. Including Kids is a unique Texas Education Agency approved facility that provides services from childhood to young adulthood. To learn more about Including Kids Inc. intensive therapy treatments and programs please visit includingkids.org.
NACDS Foundation digital message for Zika prevention The radio and online messages share the same goal: to help educate and empower women in Puerto Rico and their families about where they can turn to help protect themselves and their unborn children.

As part of a Zika education initiative in Puerto Rico, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation today launched an online presence that will complement radio messages that began airing on Monday, May 9.

Like the radio messages, the online displays encourage women and their families to seek advice from physicians and pharmacists about ways to protect themselves and their unborn children from the effects of Zika. The online displays link to a microsite that provides easy access to vital information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation. The microsite can be accessed at: http://zika.nacdsfoundation.org/

The radio and online messages share the same goal: to help educate and empower women in Puerto Rico and their families about where they can turn to help protect themselves and their unborn children, said Kathleen Jaeger, president of the NACDS Foundation. Since announcing this campaign a week ago, it has been wonderful to hear from other organizations that have expressed an interest in helping to sustain this initiative. We hope that these and additional partnerships will help to meet this pressing health need for as long as it exists.

The NACDS Foundation primarily focuses on fostering evidence-based research through strategic partnerships. Based on conversations with public health authorities, the NACDS Foundation made the decision to assist with the prevention education effort. The NACDS Foundation intends to leverage the effort by securing additional partners to extend the campaign for a year, or as needed.

I personally appreciate this meaningful work to help the people of Puerto Rico address a public health situation facing this generation and generations to come, said Luis Fortuno, former Governor of Puerto Rico, when the campaign was announced last week. At times like this, the needs are great, and raising awareness is among those critical needs. I applaud the philanthropic and private entities that are playing a vital role in this emerging public health threat, like the NACDS Foundations campaign that will help get the word out about prevention.

In an April 15 briefing for philanthropic and business leaders, CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., said the current Zika virus outbreak is unprecedented, and that Zika virus infection can cause microcephaly and other severe brain defects as well as devastating pregnancy outcomes, such as pregnancy loss. Following the briefing, CDC Foundation President and CEO Judith A. Monroe, M.D., FAAFP, wrote to attendees, We hope you agree the Zika outbreak represents an urgent public health threat and resources are essential to address it.
Sohha will continue its tradition of savory and sweet yogurt bar, while adding to the Middle Eastern flavor of co-founder Angela Mualem Fouts Lebanese heritage.

We are very excited about opening our own retail space, said Angela Fout, Sohhas co-founder and Chief Operating Officer. I want to expand our offerings to spread the robust flavors I grew up with as a girl. Importantly, we live in the neighborhood, and we look forward to increasing our commitment to the local community. Sohha has two main missions: make real food and support local farmers.

Sohha Savory Yogurt signature feature is savory  yogurt doesnt have to be sweet. The yogurt contains three simple ingredients: milk, live cultures, and a pinch of real unprocessed sea salt.

Sohha Savory Yogurt will carry a cafe style menu with selections for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The options include cups of yogurt, smoothies, salad bowls, and pita wraps. Customers can choose set options or create their own combinations. There will be coffee  both American and Arabic  and Turkish tea. Also, great grab-and-go options exist including yogurt, yogurt drinks, hummus, baba ghanouj, local milk, roasted nuts, and Middle Eastern baklava. Store hours are 7 AM to 9 PM daily.

Sohha Savory Yogurt will continue to sell in farmers markets and to provide direct delivery in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Sohha is also available in specialty stores and Whole Foods throughout the New York Metro area.

Sohha Savory Yogurt is local and sustainable. We source milk from a small local co-op  Hudson Valley Fresh. We also reuse our whey in a variety of fashions, including drinks, caramels made by La Petite Occasion, and soap made by Ol Darlin. Sohha will also promote other local businesses and products: bread from Sullivan Street Bakery, coffee from Porto Rico Importing, and granola from Dragonfly Granola & Granola Lab.

About Sohha Savory Yogurt

Founded by Angela and John Fout, who want to provide a nutritious and local product for consumption for parents, children, and all, serving those looking to eat real food without added chemicals, preservatives, or sugars. In addition to the store, the product can be found in farmers markets in NYC & Westchester, and an ever increasing number of retail locations. Contact Angela and John at info(at)sohhayogurt.net
Todays empowered consumers are mobile, messaging-centric and fickle and they expect to interact with businesses instantly in the same manner as they connect with friends and family.

Teckst, a first-to-market service that enables two-way text messaging for customer service teams, announced today it has raised $2.5 million in funding. Founded by former Seamless Creative Director, Matt Tumbleson and General Assembly leader, Ji Young Choi, Teckst is fixing the biggest and age-old consumer gripe of antiquated phone calls plagued with never-ending hold times.

Investors include Composite Capital, Gaingels, Kernel Capital, and Zelkova Ventures along with angels Walter Burr, Adam Press, Dan Porter, and Kevin Mahaffey. The investment will accelerate the companys growth and expansion into new markets.

Despite the rising popularity of messaging apps, the fragmentation of multiple chat platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp and WeChat, to name a few, brings tremendous integration challenges for customer service functions. Texting remains the most widely-used and easiest way for every consumer to communicate and now with Teckst, they can send two-way texts to businesses they often need to reach, such as airlines, cable providers and e-commerce retailers.

For todays millennial generation, email is simply too slow, and both live-chats and phone calls remain inefficient. According to a recent Harris Poll, 77% of consumers aged 18 to 34 prefer texting over voice calling as a customer service channel. Text messages have a 98% open rate, while email has only a 20% open rate (source: CTIA). Furthermore, when responses can be texted, the cost can be as little as $0.25 per interaction, whereas a customer service call can cost between $6 to $12 (source: Forrester).

Todays empowered consumers are mobile, messaging-centric and fickle and they expect to interact with businesses instantly in the same manner as they connect with friends and family, said Matt Tumbleson, CEO and Founder of Teckst. Businesses can no longer afford to rely on outdated customer service ways and our customers love that Teckst is built to integrate with every CRM system.

As the only service that integrates seamlessly with Desk.com, Help Scout, Oracle, Salesforce Service Cloud, SugarCRM, and Zendesk, Teckst reaches an audience of more than 6 billion mobile devices.

In just a few months since launching out of stealth mode, Teckst is generating strong demand from mid-market early adopters and enterprises including BarkBox, JackThreads, Luxe and Memebox. Fortune 1000s are turning to Teckst to transform customer engagement with fast, immediate, and conversational texts, while realizing significant time and cost savings.

Texting is the optimal platform for customer service as it allows for service to happen when the customer wants it and on their terms, said Teckst investor Jay Levy, Partner, Zelkova Ventures. Teckst is leading the charge with its highly scalable platform that combines texting and automation, and we're excited to help the company accelerate its mission to enable businesses and consumers to communicate faster, more efficiently, and in more relevant ways.

Teckst makes it easy for companies to have two-way human to human conversations. Tecksts clients are innovators paving the way for the future of customer service, said Teckst investor David Beatty, Managing Director, Gaingels.

"Our audience is nearly 80% millennial men and over 50% of the time they are purchasing on mobile," said Jason Rosser, Director of Customer Service at JackThreads. "Teckst allows JackThreads to easily communicate with our guys the way they actually shop -- it's a total home-run for us."

Providing high quality, effective and efficient customer service is our number one priority at Luxe, said Stasa Zlatar, Director of Customer Delight at Luxe. Teckst helps us to make the user experience easier and better in real-time, as well as allows us to better manage and respond to multiple enquiries at the same time.

Working with Teckst has been like having that partner on your school project who does all the work for you, said Caroline Kil, Support Leader at Memebox. All you have to do is tell them your ideas and they come to school the next day with the project all complete.

About Teckst

Teckst is a first-to-market service that enables two-way text messaging for customer service teams. Teckst is embraced by mid-market early adopters and enterprises to modernize customer engagement and directly integrates with every CRM system. Teckst was founded by Seamless Creative Director, Matt Tumbleson and General Assembly Enterprise Leader, Ji Young Choi, and is headquartered in New York City.

Visit teckst.com for more information. Follow Teckst on Twitter, Crunchbase, Angel List, or check out the Teckst Blog.

Contact:

press(at)teckst(dot)com
Ken Steinbauer Kens leadership of SICO America and now leading our sales teams across the globe is a critical move in providing a seamless brand experience for customers around the world. - Chris Wilson, CEO of SICO Inc.

The Board of Directors of SICO Inc. is pleased to announce the promotion of Ken Steinbauer to Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing effective immediately. Ken will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and unifying global sales and marketing efforts in Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East in addition to the Americas. He continues as President of SICO America, the largest operating unit of SICO Inc. and reports to Chris Wilson, CEO of SICO Inc.

Kens leadership of SICO America and now leading our sales teams across the globe is a critical move in providing a seamless brand experience for customers around the world. said Chris, third generation leader for the family-owned company. With a proven track record for successfully driving innovation at SICO and other international companies, Kens leadership skills are well-suited to lead our global sales and marketing efforts as we continue our mission to be the innovator of high quality value added products for event spaces around the world.

Since joining the company in 2008 as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for SICO America, Ken was promoted to Executive Vice President and President of SICO America in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Prior to joining SICO, Ken held a number of senior leadership roles at AT&T/Lucent Technologies, Shaw Contract Flooring and Lifetouch

Its an honor to work with the Wilson family and continue the vision of innovation created by Chris grandfather Kermit in 1951 when the company originated, said Steinbauer, I look forward emphasizing innovation in product development to ensure we remain a global market leader in space utilization products.

Ken holds both an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, Minnesota and an executive MBA from the University of Minnesota. Ken succeeds Jerry Danielson who continues with the company on special assignments.

About SICO Incorporated

SICO is the global leader in mobile folding and rolling, space efficient products that help customers optimize their use of space. The detailed engineering and superior manufacturing that goes into every SICO product is supported by a strong warranty program and excellent customer service. In addition to mobile folding cafeteria tables, SICO manufactures and sells portable dance floors, catering tables, room service tables, food warmers, luggage carts, mobile buffet stations, portable stages, choral risers, mobile sleepers, crowd barriers and wallbed systems. SICO Incorporated is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA with additional offices in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. Please visit http://www.sicoinc.com for additional information.

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Appleton Family Law Attorney Paula A. Hamer "We have known for much longer than three years that Paula is one of the State's most zealous advocates in the family law arena and we are proud that she is getting the recognition she deserves," says Herrling Clark President Kevin Lonergan.

Herrling Clark Law Firm, Ltd., located in Appleton, Wisconsin, congratulates Shareholder Paula A. Hamer on her third straight year of membership in the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys organization (AIOFLA). Each year since 2014, Hamer has been recognized as an AIOFLA 10 Best in Wisconsin Attorney for Client Satisfaction.

On an annual basis, the AIOFLA nominates the top attorneys in each state. Attorneys who are selected to the 10 Best list must pass a rigorous selection process which includes client and peer evaluations, extensive research, and independent evaluations. These attorneys must exemplify the highest standards of professional success and client satisfaction.

Appleton Attorney Paula A. Hamer is a shareholder at Herrling Clark Law Firm, Ltd. She dedicates her legal practice to family law and litigation. Hamer represents clients with matters pertaining to divorce, paternity, child custody, and adoption. She graduated with a B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter Minnesota, and she went on to obtain a J.D. from Marquette University Law School, where she graduated Cum Laude.

Hamer has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in Wisconsin for five consecutive years from 2010-2014. This recognition is only given to the top 2.5 percent of attorneys in the state. Hamer was also named a 2014 Top 10 Under 40 Attorney by the National Academy of Family Attorneys.

She is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Outagamie County Bar Association, the Winnebago County Bar Association, and the Waupaca County Bar Association.

"We have known for much longer than three years that Paula is one of the State's most zealous advocates in the family law arena and we are proud that she is getting the recognition she deserves," says Herrling Clark President Kevin Lonergan.

About Herrling Clark Law Firm, Ltd.:

Since 1959,Herrling Clark Law Firm, Ltd. has effectively served individuals and businesses within the Fox River Valley. The Appleton law firm represents clients with matters pertaining to personal injury, business law, family law, estate planning and litigation.

The veteran legal team at Herrling Clark Law Firm, Ltd. has over 200 years of combined experience. The Wisconsin law firm has convenient offices located in Appleton, Green Bay, New London, and Oshkosh. Call 920-739-7366 or visit http://www.herrlingclark.com today to schedule an initial consultation with a qualified Wisconsin attorney.
Bradley-based Gardant Management Solutions announced the promotion of Julie Simpkins, the companys new Chief Operating Officer.

Simpkins, of Bourbonnais, previously served as Gardants Senior Vice President of Strategy & Business Development. In her new role, Simpkins will oversee operations of the company, which ranks as the largest assisted living provider in Illinois.

Julie has a wealth of multi-state operations and marketing experience, and she has played a valuable role as Gardant prepares for additional growth and expansion outside of Illinois, said Rod Burkett, Gardants Chief Executive Officer. Her healthcare and senior living management background, along with her engaging leadership style, will be great assets as she transitions into her new role.

Simpkins earned her MBA from Trinity College and University and BA from Governors State University. She replaces Jo Ellen Bleavins, who has been promoted from Chief Operating Officer to President of the company.

Rod Burkett, of Kankakee, will continue to serve as Gardants Chief Executive Officer. His focus will be on positioning Gardant as a leader in the assisted living industry, especially in the areas of affordability and accessibility. He will retain accountability for Gardants performance and continue his ambassador role with current and new partners, owners, investors, financing entities, regulators and trade associations.

Gardant operates more than 40 assisted living, senior living and memory care communities in Chicago and surrounding suburbs, the Metro East area of St. Louis, and other locations in northern, central and southern Illinois. The company also manages property in Georgia and Indiana, ranking as the 14th largest assisted living provider in the country.

For more information about Gardant Management Solutions or the assisted living, senior living and memory care communities the company operates, visit http://www.gardant.com or call 815-935-1992.
Equinox EMV-certified L5200 Smart Terminal Our Smart Terminal provides instant EMV certification for developers and reduces the complexities of PCI certification, said Randy Modos, president, PayJunction

Equinox Payments (Equinox), the leading provider of payment terminals, applications and support services, and PayJunction, the premier provider of payment gateway and merchant services, today announced the launch of PayJunctions Smart Terminal, a semi-integrated solution that connects PayJunctions cloud-based REST API with the Equinox L5200 terminal to seamlessly process in-person payments. Together, Equinox and PayJunction have eliminated the lengthy and painstaking process of EMV Level 3 certification.

Free to qualified customers, the Smart Terminal not only allows businesses to process EMV chip cards, traditional magstripe cards and contactless payments like Apple Pay; it also supports advanced features including signature capture and digital receipts. For the first time, third-party software developers can integrate all types of payment in just a few hours, rather than months, using PayJunctions API. In addition, developers can leverage PayJunction's existing PCI and EMV certification to limit or possibly negate annual audits altogether.

We have made payments simple for developers again. Our Smart Terminal will limit PCI scope and provide instant EMV certification for developers so they can focus on what they are best at: building amazing software. Let us handle the rest, said Randy Modos, President, PayJunction. The integration specialists at Equinox worked closely with us to develop a unique semi-integrated solution that reduces the complexities associated with PCI & EMV compliance.

Sharing his thoughts on the collaboration, Rob Hayhow, Vice President, Equinox said, We enjoy working with innovative partners like PayJunction, especially when our solutions help redefine the payment experience and generate significant value for their customers. Hayhow continued, The development of the PayJunction Smart Terminal solution underscores the ingenuity of our software development team.

Adoption has been swift, with PayJunction installing more than 3,000 Smart Terminals to date and demand surging daily. For businesses interested in this new solution, PayJunction offers API documentation, free Smart Terminals and developer support at http://developer.payjunction.com

About PayJunction

Founded in 2000, PayJunction has spent the past 15+ years pioneering new ways to make payment processing easier, more secure and effective.

As the most comprehensive developer of paperless payment software, PayJunctions technology replaces paper receipts with electronic signatures, facilitating increased productivity and reducing costs for small and medium sized businesses. More importantly, PayJunction has played an integral role in mitigating the carbon footprint of an entire industry.

The foundation of PayJunctions brand has always centered around being a generational tech company, valuing integrity and longterm relationships over shortterm profit. For more information about PayJunction, please visit http://www.payjunction.com.

About Equinox

Brookfield Equinox LLC (dba Equinox Payments) was founded in 2014 as a result of an acquisition of assets from Equinox Payments, LLC. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, Equinox is looking beyond product features to rethink and reimagine the customer payment experience.

Leveraging 35+ years of payment industry innovation enables Equinox to provide experienced last mile support for the wave of innovative new payment technologies sweeping the payments industry.

The company is owned by NBS Payment Solutions, based in Toronto, Canada and a leading provider of electronic payment solutions to the financial industry for over 25 years. NBS Payment Solutions is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management, a global asset manager with over $225 billion of assets under management. For more information about Equinox Payments, please visit http://www.equinoxpayments.com.
Meet Fonolo at the 17th Annual Call Center Week Were excited to return to CCW, having been recognized by the Call Center Week Excellence Awards as a leader in the industry.

Fonolo, the pioneer in cloud-based call-back solutions for the contact center, announced today that it will be exhibiting at the 17th Annual Call Center Week (CCW), June 27-July 1, 2016 at The Mirage in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2015, Fonolo was honored with the Call Center Week Excellence Award for Best Technology Solution Provider. These awards celebrate the most innovative contact center solutions and individuals over the past year.

CCW is known as the #1 event for the customer service industry, with over 2000 attendees. The event will feature inspirational stories and action strategies for enhancing customer and employee engagement, and for driving business results. Attendees will discover how to change process journeys, create 1-on-1 experiences, and achieve mass personalization in a digital world.

Were excited to return to CCW, having been recognized by the Call Center Week Excellence Awards as a leader in the industry, said Shai Berger, Fonolo CEO. This year we look forward to networking with contact center professionals and sharing our client success stories with them. The results weve seen over the past year have truly been transformative. Our cloud-based call-back solutions continue to deliver on their promise of reducing abandon rates, lowering costs, and improving the customer experience.

Conference attendees can learn more about Fonolos cloud-based call-back solutions (while having a lot of fun!) by visiting booth #1100. More information about this event can be found at callcenterweek.com.

For live updates and insights from the show, follow @fonolo on Twitter.

About Fonolo

Fonolo is the leading provider of cloud-based call-back solutions. The companys innovative products improve the way call centers interact with their customers by seamlessly replacing hold time with a call-back. Regardless of where the conversation begins  on the web, mobile or by phone  Fonolo quickly and conveniently routes customers through the call center, connecting them to the right agent and eliminating hold time. A growing list of organizations trust Fonolo to improve the call center experience for their customers. Learn more at fonolo.com.
What appeals to many young adults is saving for the freedom to make choices after their original working life draws to a close, whether that is in 10, 30 or 50 years. Past News Releases RSS Freedom Debt Relief Quarterly...

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With graduation season in full swing, many new college graduates are heading into the workforce  and as soon as they get those new jobs, they should start planning to leave them by saving for retirement, says Kevin Gallegos, vice president of Phoenix operations for Freedom Financial Network (FFN).

Saving for retirement doesnt sound very appealing to most twenty-somethings. Its hard for mutual funds to compete with the allure of international travel, new cars or buying a first home  not to mention the obligation to repay student loans and get out of debt, Gallegos says. However, what does appeal to many young adults is saving for the freedom to make choices after their original working life draws to a close, whether that is in 10, 30 or 50 years.

Now is the time for young adults to set a different course than their baby boomer parents. One recent survey found that the average baby boomer aged 55-65 has saved about $136,000 for retirement, while most need to have saved more than $429,000 by this time.

Starting early is the best way to ensure that you will have what you need later on, whatever you choose to do, Gallegos says. Freedom Financial Network suggested these six tips to build retirement savings starting right after graduation:

1. Save now to buy freedom later. Some sources estimate that todays graduates will not be able to retire until age 75. Developing a larger savings habit sooner can mean retiring sooner. For example, imagine Graduate A starts saving $100 a month at age 22, and saves that same amount every month until retirement at age 67, earning 6 percent return per year. After 45 years, Graduate A would have more than $277,000. By comparison, if Graduate B doesnt get around to saving regularly until age 42, he will have only 25 years to invest before retirement. To match Graduate As savings, he would have to save $400 a month. Yet if Graduate A could increase his savings to $400 a month beginning at age 42  after saving $100 a month from age 25-42  he would have nearly $500,000 by retirement age. Experts recommend saving at least 10 to 15 percent of income each year to retire five to 10 years earlier than that estimated retirement age of 75.

2. Calculate needed retirement savings. Understanding how much savings you will need to retire can be a real wake-up call, Gallegos notes. People can get a ballpark estimate of how much they should save from several online sources. These numbers can be eye-opening, but they are attainable for most people if they start early.

3. Pay off debt. Many recent graduates are repaying student loans, a car loan, credit cards or personal loans. Paying off these debts is very important to a persons overall financial strategy. The sooner you repay a debt, the sooner you can devote that payment amount to saving for your future, Gallegos advises. Some young adults trim expenses by living with parents, living with roommates or taking on a second job while repaying student loans as quickly as possible.

4. Make saving automatic. Successful savers generally get into the habit of having retirement plan contributions automatically deducted from their paycheck or checking account. Those whose employer offers a retirement plan, and especially one that offers matching funds, should invest as much as possible in the plan, even while paying down debt. Neglecting to contribute to a 401(k) with matching contributions is effectively giving money away.

5. Monitor investments. Many workplace plans and mutual funds make investing easy. Especially as your salary grows, make sure the mix of investments is right for your goals and stage in life, Gallegos says. Younger investors usually can handle higher-risk investment, which often can be more lucrative. But as time goes by, check that the balance of high- and low-risk stocks and bonds is appropriate for your stage in life. Also, be sure to increase savings to match a growing paycheck. This allows investments to keep up with a maturing lifestyle.

6. Get help if debts are too high to repay. People who cannot save for retirement at all because they have greater debt than they can repay can seek help. Freedom Financial Networks debt relief services can help consumers evaluate options to get out of debt and look toward the future.

Freedom Financial Network (http://www.freedomfinancialnetwork.com)

Freedom Financial Network, LLC (FFN), provides comprehensive consumer credit advocacy services. Through the FFN family of companies  Freedom Debt Relief, ConsolidationPlus, FreedomPlus and Bills.com  FFN works as an independent advocate to provide comprehensive financial solutions, including debt consolidation, debt resolution and debt settlement services for consumers struggling with debt. The company, which has resolved more than $4 billion in debt and assisted more than 300,000 clients since 2002, is an accredited member of the American Fair Credit Council, and a platinum member of the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators.

Based in San Mateo, California, FFN also operates an office in Tempe, Arizona. The company, with 1,100 employees, was voted one of the best places to work in the San Francisco Bay area in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2014, and in the Phoenix area in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. FFNs founders are recipients of the Northern California Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
The Signal POM offers two-way communication with Husson Universitys Safety and Security dispatcher. Husson University continues to be one of the safest campuses in the country and we want it to stay that way. One sexual assault on campus is one too many. Were hoping that this device can help make our already safe campus, even safer.

Since October of 2015, Husson University has been the site of an extensive pilot program with the Peace of Mind Company to test a keychain-sized, POM personal security device that calls campus safety and security with the touch of a button. Today, the University announced, after thoroughly testing the device, that it is making this technology available to all members of the university community who are interested in subscribing to this annual service.

Safety in the classroom, office and other public spaces is always an important priority for Husson University, said Executive Director of Safety and Security Raymond Bessette. We believe that the addition of the POM device and subscription to our current security regimen will provide an added measure of safety and security on our campus.

When the POM keychain-size device is activated, it sends a GPS location, profile information, and the students picture to Husson Safety and Security. With a $45 annual subscription, members of Hussons campus community can choose between a Silent POM that emits no sound when activated or a Signal POM that beeps and buzzes when activated. The Signal POM also offers two-way communication with Hussons Safety and Security dispatcher. The Silent POM, on the other hand, allows the dispatcher to hear communication but does not allow the signal activator or anyone near this individual to hear the dispatcher.

The U.S. Department of Educations Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool continues to show that Husson University has one of the lowest levels of campus crime in Maine. Our University continues to be one of the safest campuses in the country and we want it to stay that way, continued Bessette. One sexual assault on campus is one too many. Were hoping that this device can help make our already safe campus, even safer.

Husson has installed and trained their Safety and Security dispatchers on the specially designed POM software that shows the location, picture and profile information of anyone who activates the device. The device pairs easily with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. If a student or other member of the Husson community activates the device while they are off campus, the software automatically redirects the signal to local law enforcement.

This device has several unique advantages. Unlike the call boxes currently on many college campuses, anyone who feels threatened carries the ability to initiate emergency communication immediately from wherever they are. Since activating the POM device only requires pushing one button, those in danger need not worry about trying to dial when calling for help. This will allow individuals to be in communication with emergency assistance immediately.

Members of campus Safety and Security will have copies of the POM app on their iPhones and Androids. This will allow them to use the GPS feature to quickly find those in need of assistance if the situation demands that those in danger move as they are calling for help.

In addition to sexual assault prevention, the POM device has applications to other campus situations. Individual can also activate the device when they:



Feel unsafe in a classroom or office

Need a virtual-walking escort

Need to call for an in-person walking escort

Have a health emergency

Are lost

See suspicious activity, a threatening situation or witness a crime

See someone who needs help.

Members of the Husson community interested in signing up for this service are asked to visit http://www.POM-CO.com/husson.

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. The Bangor campus and 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, visit Husson.edu.
Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon with IMA CEO Jim Comer On behalf of the department, we would like to thank IMA. Nearly every vehicle in our fleet has over 100,000 miles and some with as many as 300,000 miles of wear..."

Jim Comer, president and CEO of Integrated Manufacturing and Assembly (IMA), and his staff gathered with city and county officials to commemorate the companys donation of two police vehicles to the City of Highland Park and the Wayne County Sheriffs Office. A joint venture between Comer Holdings LLC and Lear Corporation that manufactures automotive seat assemblies within three manufacturing facilities located in Highland Park and the City of Detroit, IMA presented both vehicles during National Safety Week, in an effort to support public safety in the communities where company employees live and work. Highland Park Mayor Hubert Yopp and Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon acknowledged the vehicle donation during the ceremonies.

Its a great day in Highland Park that we are receiving such a generous donation from IMA, remarked Mayor Yopp. This gift will certainly aid us in suppressing crime and continuing to do the things that our city needs to support our public safety. On behalf of Chief Chester Logan and the Police Department, the Fire department and everyone in this community, we are truly grateful.

We want to tell Highland Park that we are a part of the community and we plan to continue to find ways to give back to the community and the city, said Comer. IMA is committed to doing our best to bring the right attention to the citys needs.

Wayne County Police Sheriff Benny Napoleon commented: On behalf of the department, we would like to thank IMA. Nearly every vehicle in our fleet has over 100,000 miles and some with as many as 300,000 miles of wear. One of the departments biggest expenditures is transportation which the county hasnt upgraded since prior to 2007. We really needed this so we thank you tremendously.

IMA wants you to know that we are involved and that we appreciate that protection and the service that we receive from the Wayne County Police Officers, replied Comer.

About IMA:

Commemorating its 10th anniversary in 2016, Integrated Manufacturing & Assembly (IMA), a joint venture between Comer Holdings LLC and Lear Corporation, is a leading supplier of automotive seat subassemblies and seating systems for a variety of vehicle manufacturers. Headquartered in Southfield, Mich., IMA employs a diverse team of approximately 1,700 people in six manufacturing locations within the U.S. With an enduring commitment to giving back, IMA and its employees remain focused on initiatives that provide for people, and enhance development of the communities where it operates. For more information on the joint venture and its decade of success, visit http://www.comerholdings.com.

About City of Highland Park:

Highland Park is a community rich in heritage. It is the birthplace of the Model T, mass production and the first paved mile of highway. Like many communities across America, Highland Park is discovering new possibilities as it reinvents itself in the post-industrial age. Over $300 million in new commercial, industrial and residential development has been invested in the city in the last decade, positioning Highland Park as a vibrant community for the future. Visit http://www.highlandparkcity.org.

About Wayne County Sheriffs Office:

With a law enforcement career spanning over 40 years, Benny N. Napoleon considers his role as the Sheriff of Wayne County as his most important assignment to date. The Wayne County Sheriff's Office is the third largest law enforcement agency in Michigan, with more than 850 officers among its ranks. In addition to conducting incarceration for an average 1800 inmates per day and maintaining electronic monitoring for another 500 individuals in custody, the department secures the county courts, patrols area roads, county parks and over 46 miles of marine activity and conducts warrant enforcement. The Sheriffs goal is to make Wayne County and all of its communities as safe as possible. Under Sheriff Napoleons leadership, the agency hopes to maintain the current programs at the highest level of effectiveness and enhance additional protocols so that all of the stakeholders served by the Wayne County Sheriff enjoy the highest quality of life possible. Visit http://www.waynecounty.com/sheriff.
Offer serialization allows Access to integrate custom promo codes and barcodes into its private discount programs With over 350,000 merchant locations, the Access discount network is already the largest in the industry. The company also operates the nation's largest private mobile coupons network, featuring over 200,000 merchant locations. Past News Releases RSS Access Development Recognized as...

Access Development Honored by The...

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Coupons are a popular way to generate traffic and find new customers. Yet tracking redemptions and preventing unauthorized use can be big barriers to successful coupon campaigns.

To help retail businesses execute more effective campaigns, Access Development has introduced coupon serialization for merchants within its private discount network.

The new service enables merchants to protect and track offers using custom codes. Access turns these into serialized promo codes, barcodes or URLs redeemable only by the intended users. This protects marketing budgets by limiting abuse and discouraging public sharing. It also ensures authenticity and simple redemption for end users.

Were excited to be the first private discount network to offer this service, which we built in response to merchant needs, says Dave Bona, Access Development's vice president of partnership marketing. From national brands to mom-and-pop shops, this will give retailers clear visibility into how Access can help build a customer base. Our members will benefit as well, as this service will attract even more brands and richer offers.

Redbox, Gymboree, and Mens Wearhouse are among the new partners Access has added since releasing serialization.

With over 350,000 merchant locations, the Access discount network is already the largest in the industry. The company also operates the nation's largest private mobile coupon network, featuring 200,000+ merchant locations.

Access discounts are available to consumers only through client organizations, who use them for member benefits, employee perks, incentives and more. The companys merchant coupon serialization is available to all businesses immediately. There is no charge to participate as a merchant in the Access discount network.

For more information on Access Development, click here. To learn more about our partnership marketing division and to create an offer, please visit http://merchants.accessdevelopment.com/.

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About Access Development

For 30 years, Access Development has helped organizations connect with their customers and build revenue, engagement and loyalty through custom incentives, employee benefits and discount programs. The companys private discount network of over 350,000 merchant locations is Americas largest, providing discounts of up to 50% on everyday items to millions of end users. Access also offers the nations largest mobile commerce platform, featuring over 200,000 merchants offering exclusive show your phone mobile coupons. For more information on Access, please visit http://www.accessdevelopment.com or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Shakespear Feyissa, Esq

The Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) announced today the appointment of local Seattle attorney Shakespear Feyissa as its newest board of trustees member. Feyissa brings a wealth of experience in non-profit work, community outreach, and law practice.

MOHAIs mission is to collect and preserve artifacts and stories of Seattles diverse history, highlights the regional tradition of innovation and imagination. The trustees and staff of the museum of are currently engaged in many activities to celebrate to region, consistent with MOHAIs vision, to make the Museum treasured locally and respected nationally as a vibrant resource where history inspires individuals to be their best, individually and collectively.

As a Seattle resident, active member of the business community and the local Ethiopian community, which is one of the largest immigrant communities in Seattle, Shakespear Feyissa has a unique understanding of the city of Seattle and its unique role in the history of our nation and beyond, said MOHAI Trustee Al Young. We are confident that he will make impactful contributions to our work as we pursue our mission of collecting and preserving artifacts and stories of MOHAIs history of innovation and imagination.

Feyissa joins 24 other active MOHAI board of trustee members with diverse professional backgrounds. Trustees current and former affiliations include Amazon, Americas Health Together, B2Launch, Defender Association, Enrico Products, Expedia, Integral Systems Inc., Marten Law, Muckleshoot Tribe, Nordic Cold Storage, Perkins Coie LLP, Planetary Power, Seneca Group, Skellenger Bender, Starbucks, The Boeing Company, Wells Fargo Bank, Vulcan Inc.,

Feyissa is the principal partner at Law Offices of Shakespear N. Feyissa, where he practices law in areas such as civil litigation, personal injury, criminal law, employment discrimination, and immigration. He earned a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Seattle University School of Law and has a B.A. in Political Science, Social Sciences, and Minor in History. Prior to immigrating to the United States, Feyissa was born in Ethiopia and spent three years in Kenya. He remains an active human rights advocate and was recognized for his outstanding contribution for the respect of human rights in Ethiopia in 2007 at an event hosted by Amnesty International and Amnesty International USA at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

MOHAI believes that the preservation and exploration of Seattles past is essential to making effective decisions for its future. From humble beginnings in 1911, MOHAI has grown into the largest private heritage organization in the State of Washington with a collection of over 4 million objects, documents, and photographs from the Puget Sound regions past. MOHAI uses these artifacts along with cutting edge, hands-on interactive experiences to make history come alive through the unforgettable stories of the men and women who built Seattle from wilderness to world city. In addition to museum exhibits, MOHAI hosts a variety of award-winning youth and adult public programs and consistently collaborates with community partners on local events and activities.

About MOHAI

MOHAI is dedicated to enriching lives through preserving, sharing, and teaching the diverse history of Seattle, the Puget Sound region, and the nation. As the largest private heritage organization in the State of Washington; the museum engages communities through interactive exhibits, online resources, and award-winning public and youth education programs. For more information about MOHAI, please visit http://www.mohai.org or call (206) 324-1126.

About Law Offices of Shakespear N. Feyissa

Law Offices of Shakespear N. Feyissa is a Seattle-based law firm that practices in civil litigation, personal injury, criminal law, employment discrimination, and immigration. The principal partner is Shakespear Feyissa, a resident of Seattle and recognized human rights activist. For more information visit http://www.shakespearlaw.com.
The renowned John Barrett, L.Ac., D.A. and Doctors on Liens are bringing Los Angeles quality acupuncture care on a lien basis. Not only does Dr. Barrett have a very impressive pedigree, but his patients are going to feel better from the moment they walk in the door, due to his perfect combination of calming atmosphere and professional and compassionate demeanor.

For over twenty years the team at Doctors on Liens has dedicated themselves to pairing those injured in an accident with well-qualified doctors who can provide the high quality treatment they need to guide their recovery. Doctors on Liens offers the finest chiropractors, orthopedists, physical therapists, surgeons, and much more all on a lien basis for personal injury and workers compensation cases. The most recent addition to their expansive network is Dr. John Barrett of The Acupuncture Wellness Center in Los Angeles, a leading acupuncturist and highly respected member of the med-legal community.

Dr. Barrett graduated Magna Cum Laude from the esteemed Emperors College of Traditional Oriental Medicine in Los Angeles. He completed his post graduate studies in Acupuncture and Orthopedics at the University of Beijing Teaching Hospital and is certified in treating whiplash, pain, and managing acute and chronic cervical strain injuries by the California State Oriental Medical Association.

With 19 years of experience behind him and a future of healing ahead, Dr. Barrett now practices in Los Angeles at The Acupuncture Wellness Center in The Century City Medical Plaza and has privileges at the state-of-the-art Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Barrett is an expert in his field and offers the most comprehensive approach to traditional Chinese medicine that will aid personal injury victims on a holistic path to recovery.

Says Doctors on Liens President, Samantha Parker, Dr. Barrett practices with such skill and expertise, I have no doubt that he can treat those hurt in an accident quickly and effectively. I am so grateful to have this amazing acupuncturist as part of our team in Los Angeles. Not only does Dr. Barrett have a very impressive pedigree, but his patients are going to feel better from the moment they walk in the door, due to his perfect combination of calming atmosphere and professional and compassionate demeanor.

Doctors on Liens is an innovator in the medical lien specialty referral industry and has forged close relationships with both legal firms and medical practices over the past 20 years. Doctors on Liens features medical specialties including board certified orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, general practitioners, psychologists, and chiropractors. Each medical office is independently owned and operated and all appointments can be conveniently scheduled directly with the facility.

Doctors on Liens lists medical professionals who offer medical services on a lien basis throughout California and Nevada.
Vector_All_American_Scholarship_Winner_Matt_Foss_gets_Court_of_Honor_award I feel they are setting themselves up for a lifetime of success by figuring out how to work hard and balance their time at such a young age.

Vector Marketing has awarded All-American cash scholarships to the top 25 student sales representatives who sold the most Cutco merchandise during the fall of 2015.Vector Marketing, the sales and marketing arm of Cutco Cutlery, is the largest recruiter of undergraduate students in the United States. Vector contracts with tens of thousands of sales representatives each year to sell Cutcos premier cutlery products.

Vector Marketing awards 100 college scholarships yearly to its top student sales representatives. The awards are divided into three seasonal campaigns. Campaign I (spring) and Campaign III (fall) award $7,120 total each campaign to 25 students, while Campaign II (summer) awards $13,370 total to its 50 top sales representatives.

Matt Foss is a 22-year-old senior majoring in marketing and psychology at Arizona State University. He was the top Vector All-American Scholarship winner for 2015s Campaign III. Foss has career sales of Cutco topping $500,000 and plans to continue in sales after he graduates. He will receive a $1,000 scholarship from Vector, along with a matching donation to his school. Foss says that he is beyond excited to win the top spot in 2015s All-American Scholarship Campaign III.

Vector has allowed me to take complete control of my life and live it how I want, said Foss. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to graduate debt free, grow professionally, build great relationships, and enjoy my college experience all at the same time.

The Vector All-American Scholarship program is a great way to recognize students who excel at juggling the demands of a career and higher education, said Mallory ONeil, training and leadership development assistant for Vector Marketing.

I absolutely loved college and have always been a big advocate in education coming first. The Cutco sales reps have a unique opportunity to gain real business experience while theyre still attending school full time. We reward them for that! she said. I feel they are setting themselves up for a lifetime of success by figuring out how to work hard and balance their time at such a young age.

About Vector Marketing:

Vector Marketing is the marketing and sales arm of Cutco Cutlery, a 65-year-old company with headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Olean, New York. Vector sells Cutco products through a national team of sales representatives primarily consisting of motivated college students who are trained to do in-home and virtual demonstrations on a pre-set basis. Vector Marketing has over 200 locations nationwide and works with students of all majors with any levels of professional experience.
Richard A. Wilson of Sentium Strategic Communications to Deliver Keynote Address at the 9th Annual OC Water Summit in Costa Mesa, CA. The coming rate increases are inevitable. The key factor for avoiding disaster is how well you communicate with you ratepayers.

Richard A. Wilson of Sentium Strategic Communications to deliver the keynote address at the 9th Annual OC Water Summit on May 20, 2016 in Costa Mesa, CA.

The Municipal Water District of Orange County and Orange County Water District partner each year to put on the OC Water Summit, which attracts more than 300 Southern California water, civic and business leaders.

The message behind the presentation is that most public relations problems are self-inflicted. A key part of running any water or wastewater district is to communicate effectively with their ratepayers. Instead, most districts keep their ratepayers in the dark.

This creates an information vacuum that ratepayers often fill with the worst possible scenarios. Richard said honest, open communication is vital to building trust.

It is also important to use the language of the average man on the street, instead of sounding like a lawyer. Mr. Wilson illustrates how many water districts and municipalities actually create antagonism simply by the language they use.

Richard recommends, "The coming rate increases are inevitable. The key factor for avoiding disaster is how well you communicate with you ratepayers."

ABOUT RICHARD A. WILSON OF SENTIUM COMMUNICATIONS Over the past 38 years, Richard A. Wilson has successfully promoted products from cutting-edge technology to the performing arts. He created advertising, public relations, direct mail, and sales-support programs for major companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Illumina, Marriott, Citrix, Intel, and Charles Schwab. Richard Wilson has worked successfully with both executives and entrepreneurs. Richard Wilson is the founder and chief strategist of Sentium Strategic Communications. Sentium is based in Northern California, and works with clients located around the country.

Richard is currently focused on handling ratepayer relations for water and wastewater districts. He is co-author of the book, Death of a Water District: How a badly implemented rate increase pushed one water district to the edge of collapse. For more information, go to http://www.ratepayerrelations.com

Richard A. Wilson

Sentium Strategic Communications

5170 Golden Foothill Parkway Suite 138

El Dorado Hills, CA 95762-9639

http://sentium.com

richard(dot)wilson(at)sentium(dot)com

800-595-1288

916-939-8800

https://www.facebook.com/ratepayerrelations/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-wilson-63741913
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A cookie is a small text file that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you visit the site. Cookies are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.Website use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. ("Google") to help analyse the use of this website. For this purpose, Google Analytics uses"cookies", which are text files placed on your computer.The information generated by the cookies about your use of this website - standard internet log information (including your IP address) and visitor behaviour information in an anonymous form - will be transmitted to and stored by Google including on servers in the United States. Google will anonymize the information sent by removing the last octet of your IP address prior to its storage.According to Google Analytics terms of service, Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website and compiling reports on website activity.We not use, and not allow any third party to use the statistical analytics tool to track or to collect any personally identifiable information of visitors to this site. Google may transfer the information collected by Google Analytics to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google`s behalf.According to Google Analytics terms of service, Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.You may refuse the use of Google Analytics cookies by downloading and installing Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. The add-on communicates with the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js) to indicate that information about the website visit should not be sent to Google Analytics.Cookies are also used to record if you have agreed (or not) to our use of cookies on this site, so that you are not asked the question every time you visit the site.You can control and/or delete cookies as you wish. You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being placed.Most browsers allow you to:If you chose to delete cookies, you should be aware that any preferences will be lost. Also, if you block cookies completely many websites (including ours) will not work properly and webcasts will not work at all. For these reasons, we do not recommend turning cookies off when using our webcasting services.
The annual PEN Literary Gala, held at the American Museum of Natural History on Monday, honored Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch, author J.K. Rowling, imprisoned Egyptian journalist Ahmed Naji, and Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Lee-Anne Walters, who helped break the story of lead pollution in the water system in Flint, Mich.

Literati including Salman Rushdie, Walter Mosley, Gay and Nan Talese, Donna Tartt, and Alexander Chee were in attendance at the event, which PEN president Andrew Solomon declared their "largest gala ever." Solomon noted that the evening raised a record $1.75 million toward PEN's goal of promoting free speech. PEN America also revealed a new logoa square speech balloonwhich Solomon said represented the organization's core beliefs: "speaking, writing, and thinking."

Tartt introduced Pietsch, the evening's publisher honoree, who called for publishers to be optimistic about the business and dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the protection of freedom of speech. Following dinner, Walters and Hanna-Attisha, recipients of the PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award, received a standing ovation for their work in Flint.

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker introduced Rowling, recipient of the PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award. The Harry Potter author, in her award speech, condemned the views of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trumpthen made clear that her condemnation did not equate to silencing. "I consider him offensive and bigoted, but he has my full support to come to my country," she said, in reference to a petition to ban Trump from the U.K. "His freedom of speech protects my freedom to call him a bigot."

Following Rowling, PEN executive director Suzanne Nossel called the attendees into action to protect free speech worldwide, and Naji's younger brother, Mohamed, accepted the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award on his behalf, to another standing ovation.

We at PEN are a noisy, obstreperous lot, Solomon said in his remarks. Silence is not so golden around here.
Warsan Shire has seen her name recognition spike rapidly since Beyonce incorporated her poetry in the HBO-released visual album Lemonade, and her book sales are following suit.

The Somali-British poets 2011 chapbook, Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth, sold 78 print copies the week before Lemonade dropped; it sold 764 the week after, and has sold 13,685 to date, according to Nielsen BookScan.

The chapbook, published by London-based nonprofit Flipped Eye Publishing, has seen an overall increase of sales ranging between 700 and 800%, according to the publishers senior editor and manager Nii A. Parkes. As of May 13, it was the #1 Amazon bestseller in the European poetry category and #6 bestseller in poetry overall. Amazon briefly listed the title as sold out during the week of May 2.

As you can imagine we're really pleased that, thanks to Lemonade, a lot more people will get to experience what we did when we first encountered Warsan's work in 2007an emotional connection and admiration for a young writer's dedication to craft, Parkes said.

In order to avoid the financial risks of a consignment distributor, Flipped Eye relies on POD services for its books, which go through Baker & Taylormeaning, Parkes said, the publisher hasnt had to symbolically go back to press. U.S. distribution, however, will be a different story. Rocking Chair Books, which represents Shire, will sell North American rights to Shires forthcoming book on Flipped Eyes behalf.
Jian Ghomeshi, former host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio show Q who was fired from the CBC in October 2014 after allegations of sexual assault were filed against him, will no longer face his final day in court. On Wednesday, Ghomeshi issued a formal apology and signed a peace bond in court, after which the Crown withdrew the charge. The apology did not go into specific detail about his actions, but he spoke about his "deep regret and embarrassment."

Ghomeshi, 48, who wrote the memoir 1982 and is a former host of the Giller Prize Gala, had been facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and violence, from various women.

After being acquitted in March of four previous counts of sexual assault and one count of choking, he was set to go to trial next month for a final sexual assault charge. The complainant, former CBC employee and author of the memoir Corked, Kathryn Borel, however decided not to pursue the case.

Borel alleged that, among other incidents, Ghomeshi approached her from behind at work in 2008, and thrust his groin into her backside repeatedly, simulating sex. She said she agreed to the apology and peace bondwhich includes the stipulation that Ghomeshi not contact her for one yearbecause "it seemed like the clearest path to the truth." She said that "a trial would have maintained his lie, the lie that he was not guilty."

Ghomeshi, speaking in court on Wednesday, said: "The past 18 months have been an education for me. I have reflected deeply and have been working hard to address the attitudes that led me, at the time, to think that (my behavior) was acceptable."
Bert Rockman, professor emeritus of political science, can talk about the significance of President Barack Obama's upcoming trip to Japan and Hiroshima, as well as the president's final travels and activities during his last year of office.

"All presidents in the modern era tend to get the itch to travel during the last year of their presidencies," says Rockman, who is an expert in political leadership, especially the U.S. presidency. (CONTACT: Bert Rockman, barockma@purdue.edu) "There are several reasons for this including the culmination of long-developing relationships, such as Obama and Cuba; Eisenhower and the Soviet Union, which ultimately did not come off; as well as the presidential bucket list - 'where haven't I been?' - and how can a president remain relevant when attention is focused on the incumbent's successor? Everywhere Air Force One goes is a big deal. There is pomp and pageantry. That beats the grind in Washington where ignoring the president is common during the lame duck year."

There also are significant reasons why this trip to Japan and Hiroshima matters.

"Obama's visit to Hiroshima is to emphasize the durability of the U.S.-Japanese alliance by noting the terrible costs of war," Rockman says. "Japan is currently in a crisis of self-confidence. Its powerful economic engine has stalled, and the Chinese regime has taken strong unilateral moves to claim island territories that its neighbors, including Japan, also claim. The Japanese and Chinese, and also the Vietnamese and Chinese, have clashed over their disputed claims. The Obama administration is concerned about Japan developing nuclear weapons and upgrading the status of its military might, things that they could do virtually overnight."

Rockman is the editor or author of 16 books, including "The George W. Bush Presidency: Appraisals and Prospects," "The Clinton Presidency: First Appraisals," "The Clinton Legacy" and "The Bush Presidency: First Appraisals," as well as "The Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions" and "Presidential Leadership: The Vortex of Power." He also is contributing to and editing a volume on "The Obama Legacy."

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: Bert Rockman is available via email and can schedule phone interviews: barockma@purdue.edu

Related website:

College of Liberal Arts
Scott County prosecutors have charged an Indianola, Iowa, couple with sexually abusing two young girls while staying at a Davenport home.

April Mae Lincoln, 28, and Christopher James Myers, 31, are alleged to have sexually abused the children, who are both younger than 10, several times while staying at a Davenport residence. Court records say the alleged abuse occurred between 2013 and 2016 and was brought to the attention of the Indianola Police Department in March of this year.

Documents allege Ms. Lincoln and Mr. Myers "conspired to cover up these crimes by telling the two girls not to tell anyone," but that the defendants later admitted to the acts during interviews with police.

Prosecutors have charged Ms. Lincoln with eight counts of second-degree sexual abuse and Mr. Myers with six counts of second-degree sexual abuse. Both also face one count of conspiracy to commit a forcible felony.

The couple was booked into the Scott County Jail on Friday evening and remained in custody Monday, Ms. Lincoln on a $210,000 cash-only bond and Mr. Myers on a $160,000 cash-only bond.

Future court dates in both cases include a court hearing Friday and May 24 preliminary hearing.
Moline police claim a Slivis man fatally ran over his German shepherd while attempting to flee the scene of a retail theft.

Robert D. Vaughn, 31, allegedly was attempting to flee the lumber yard at Menard's in Moline in a white van at about 1:20 p.m. Friday. When he opened the vehicle door, his dog, Miley, jumped out, according to a news release from Moline police. Mr. Vaughn then drove with the dog's leash caught in the closed vehicle door and the dog outside of the van, the release said.

Police said the dog was caught under one of the van's rear tires and died as a result of its injuries. Police took the German shepherd to the Rock Island County Animal Shelter, where a microchip scan revealed the dog was owned by Mr. Vaughn.

Robert Vaughn was captured Monday evening after a short vehicle pursuit and foot chase in East Moline and Silvis.

Mr. Vaughn has been charged with aggravated cruelty, a Class 4 felony. Police are asking anyone with information about Mr. Vaughn's whereabouts to contact Crime Stoppers at 309-762-9500.
Five owners of pitbulls seized during an April investigation into a local dog-fighting ring want their dogs back.

Several claim their dogs played no part in the alleged illegal enterprise, while others say they have not been charged with a crime.

As of Monday, Sherrick Houston, Willie Jackson, Jaquan Jones, Andre Lindell and Terrill McDuffy have filed handwritten claims in the U.S. District Court for Central Illinois, Rock Island division, seeking the return of their dogs.

The claims were filed in response to a civil forfeiture complaint by federal prosecutors seeking permanent ownership of 64 dogs. The animals, of varying ages, were seized in April from residences in Rock Island and Davenport as part of an investigation into dog fighting.

The owners also asked that dog accessories -- including harnesses, leashes and kennels -- as well as cameras, laptops and iPads also be returned.

A civil forfeiture complaint filed April 15 said the animals were used as "gambling devices" in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. The document lists more than 15 people allegedly involved in the dog-fighting ring; only two arrests have been made.

Mr. Jones denied involvement in animal cruelty, saying his 8-month-old pitbull puppy was a gift for his mother and family. "I take good care of my pets," he wrote.

Mr. McDuffy wrote that as many as nine dogs taken from his Davenport residence had been well-fed and in "good shape." Other items seized from his home included dog photographs, a dog treadmill, "dog needles/syringes/supplements" and dog medication.

"I didn't do anything, and have not been fighting any dogs or been around no dog fighting," Mr. McDuffy wrote. "And I haven't done anything wrong with my dogs."

Mr. Lindell said his dogs should be returned because he has not been charged with any criminal negligence. Mr. Houston requested his United Kennel Club documents and male and female pitbulls.

Mr. Jackson, 34, said two Staffordshire pit bull terriers seized from his Rock Island home -- a puppy and her father -- were family pets. He denied their involvement in illegal events, saying the older dog was a "guard dog to protect my property and family assets as I live in a high crime neighborhood."

He wrote that, since the dogs were taken, his home has been burglarized twice and his children question where the dogs have gone.

Mr. Jackson was one of two men arrested on drug charges April 14 when police served multiple search warrants throughout the Quad-Cities as part of the dog-fighting investigation. Charged in Rock Island County Circuit Court with unlawful possession of cannabis, he has pleaded not guilty to the Class 4 felony.

A second person -- Ryan M. Hickman, 41, of Rock Island -- is charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, a Class 1 felony, and possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony. Mr. Hickman also has pleaded not guilty.

In 2010, Mr. Hickman pleaded guilty to promoting dog-fighting in a separate Rock Island County case. He was sentenced to two years of probation and received credit for time served in jail.

The forfeiture complaint states authorities received information that people in the Quad-Cities were involved in an "illegal dog-fighting operation." The document alleged the dogs were bought and brought from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Alabama and Mississippi to take part in the fighting ring. It cites witness interviews and video and photographic evidence.

The complaint alleges, in at least two cases, dogs who lost a fight were killed by their owners who hung the animals by the neck in front of other fight spectators.

The dog-fighting investigation is led by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, with assistance from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
New court documents in the Kire G. Carr murder case show a second gunshot victim and the presence of drugs at the scene of the fatal shooting last month of 15-year-old Jescie Armstrong.

An affidavit filed in the Rock Island County circuit clerk's office states that officers responding to Mr. Armstrong's home at 558 20th Ave., Rock Island, at about 2 p.m. April 27 found Mr. Armstrong on the kitchen floor bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head.

Mr. Carr is charged as an adult with four counts of first-degree murder in the death of Mr. Armstrong. He was arrested the day after the shooting in Columbus, Ohio, and is being held at the Mary Davis Home, a juvenile detention center in Galesburg.

The affidavit states that officers also located a 19-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound in his buttocks in the area of 29th Street and 6th Avenue. Court documents state that Rock Island Police detectives interviewed that unnamed victim, who said he was present when Mr. Armstrong was shot.

According to the documents, the victim said Mr. Carr was pointing a handgun at Mr. Armstrong before a gunshot was fired. About the same time, the victim told police, he was shot in the buttocks.

The extent of the victim's injuries and who he believes shot him were not made clear in court documents. Mr. Carr has not been charged in connection with the shooting of the second victim.

Court documents also say police recovered the victim's cellphone, which he gave police consent to search. On May 11, Rock Island County Judge Norma Kauzlarich approved a search warrant letting police to search the phone.

Officers also found an unspecified amount of marijuana and a scale on the floor of the room adjacent to where Mr. Armstrong was found, according to documents.
A Galva man has been charged with violating the law against child sex offenders in a school zone.

Judge Ted Kutsunis found probable cause Monday in Henry County Circuit Court to believe Jacob M. Swearingen, 19, of Galva, committed a Class 4 felony by attending an April 10 daddy-daughter dance with minors present at Galva High School.

At Monday's preliminary hearing, Galva Officer Chad Goff testified that another officer called him about 6:30 p.m. April 10 about a registered sex offender at the dance. Officer Goff said he went to the police department to check the sex offender registry and, by the time he verified the name, the dance had ended at 7 p.m.

Officer Goff said he located Mr. Swearingen, who admitted being at the dance with his guardian and his guardian's daughter. Mr. Swearingen said the guardian told him a court counselor or social worker had said it was fine for him to attend the dance.

Mr. Swearingen testified he is enrolled at Galva but attends an alternative school in Atkinson. He said he saw three school staff members at the dance and no one objected to his presence. It was a school activity and since I'm still in school, I figured I have a right to attend it, he said.

Judge Kutsunis said Mr. Swearingen did not qualify for any of the exceptions under the child sex offenders statute. A June 23 pre-trial hearing was set.
Meng Brings NASA Astronaut To Queens On October 17, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) brought NASA astronaut Dr. Jonny Kim to Queens where he met and spoke with students at Francis...

Celebrating Columbus The Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Queens (FIAO) held their annual Columbus Day parade in Astoria, on Saturday, October 8, during Italian Heritage Month. The...

Russo-Elling Mourned More than 300 first responders lined up on Thursday night to honor FDNY EMT Lt. Alison Russo-Elling, as her body was placed into a waiting...
"I think it would be bad for us as a party, but I think it would be worse for the general public," UK Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake told Tova O'Brien

4 hours ago
If youve been commuting into New York City on New Jersey Transits North Jersey Coast Line and your destination has been Penn Station, changing trains at Long Branch, N.J., has been a given since electrification was extended there from South Amboy in the late 1980s.

Ive been an NJCL commuter for 25 years, so until I moved to Monmouth Beach a few years ago, change trains at Long Branch was part of my daily trek into the Big Apple. I started commuting only a few years after the electrification extension ended the time-honored practice of changing locomotives at South Amboy, where electric motive power (GGIs and later, E60s) was swapped for diesel, and long before that, for PRR steam. (The last fire was dropped in 1957.) Trains originating in Bay Head, N.J., provided a one-seat ride all the way into New York. The locomotive swap took all of five minutes.

A bit of trivia for you railroad history buffs: At South Amboy, there was a trackside tavern that did a rather lucrative business during the evening commute. The proprietor would line up beers on the bar. When the train pulled in for the power swap, people would scramble off, run into the bar, throw down a dollar (or whatever a beer cost in those days), run out and hustle back on board.

The one-seat ride from Bay Head to Penn Station New York has returned, thanks to an innovative locomotive developed for NJ Transit (and also Montreals AMT) by Bombardier Transportationthe ALP45-DP (dual power), which can operate under its own power in diesel territory, and then seamlessly transition to overhead AC catenary during a station stop. Twin 2,100-hp Caterpillar 3512HD engines supply the diesel power; a transformer similar to that employed in the Bombardier ALP46 (NJTs sole motor) draws high-voltage AC from the wire and steps it down for the units AC traction motors. Thirty-five ALP45-DPs are providing service on the Morristown Line, Montclair-Boonton Line, Raritan Valley Line, Northeast Corridor Line, and NJCL. Customers, as expected, love their one-seat ride.

The ALP45-DP is a behemoth, even with a single cab and one pantograph. Going double-cab with two pantographs would have exceeded maximum allowable axle loads. (Full technical details are available HERE.)

Care to take a head-end ride on the picturesque North Jersey Coast Line in an ALP45-DP, and witness the diesel-to-electric transition at Long Branch first-hand? Thanks to NJT Vice President and General Manager Bob Lavell and System Train & Engine Compliance Officer Fred Mattison (thats a fancy name for a Road Foreman) (pictured), I did just that on May 5, 2016. The video I shot on board Train 3326 (my regular a.m. commute) takes you all the way from Bay Head, onto the NEC and into Penn Station New York, to train tie-up at Sunnyside Yard in Queens. Youll get a look at some of the congestion NJT trains encounter every day on the NEC, and the condition of some of the infrastructure, like the 116-year-old tunnels under the Hudson and East Rivers, which need some serious upgrading.

Enjoy the ride.
Ben Vient has joined the editorial staff of Railway Age as Managing Editor, based at Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp. headquarters in New York City.

Vient is an award-winning journalist, formerly with NBC News. He has also taught on international issues of press freedoms and human rights. He began his journalism career writing for newspapers in New England.

Vient holds a B.S. in Communication from Boston University.

Vient replaces Carolina Worrell, who has accepted an editorial position with Madavor Media in Boston.
The Pardee RAND Graduate School (PardeeRAND.edu) is home to the only Ph.D. and M.Phil. programs offered at an independent public policy research organizationthe RAND Corporation.
For Release Tuesday

May 17, 2016

Preliminary results from eight UK and US police forces reveal rates of assault against officers are 15% higher when they use body-worn cameras. The latest findings, from one of the largest randomised-controlled trials in criminal justice research, highlight the need for cameras to be kept on and recording at all stages of police-public interaction  not just when an individual officer deems it necessary  if police use-of-force and assaults against police are to be reduced.

New evidence from the largest-yet series of experiments on use of body-worn cameras by police has revealed that rates of assault against police by members of the public actually increased when officers wore the cameras.

The research also found that on average across all officer-hours studied, and contrary to current thinking, the rate of use-of-force by police on citizens was unchanged by the presence of body-worn cameras, but a deeper analysis of the data showed that this finding varied depending on whether or not officers chose when to turn cameras on.

If officers turned cameras on and off during their shift then use-of-force increased, whereas if they kept the cameras rolling for their whole shift, use-of-force decreased.

The findings are released today (Tuesday 17th May) across two articles published in the European Journal of Criminology and the Journal of Experimental Criminology.

While researchers describe these findings as unexpected, they also urge caution as the work is ongoing, and say these early results demand further scrutiny. However, gathering evidence for what works in policing is vital, they say.

At present, there is a worldwide uncontrolled social experiment taking place  underpinned by feverish public debate and billions of dollars of government expenditure. Robust evidence is only just keeping pace with the adoption of new technology, write criminologists from the University of Cambridge and RAND Europe, who conducted the study.

For the latest findings, researchers worked with eight police forces across the UK and US  including West Midlands, Cambridgeshire and Northern Ireland's PSNI, as well as Ventura, California and Rialto, California PDs in the United States  to conduct ten randomised-controlled trials.

Over the ten trials, the research team found that rates of assault against officers wearing cameras on their shift were an average of 15% higher, compared to shifts without cameras.

The researchers say this could be due to officers feeling more able to report assaults once they are captured on camera  providing them the impetus and/or confidence to do so.

The monitoring by camera also may make officers less assertive and more vulnerable to assault. However, they point out these are just possible explanations, and much more work is needed to unpick the reasons behind these surprising findings.

In the experimental design, the shift patterns of 2,122 participating officers across the forces were split at random between those allocated a camera and those without a camera. A total of 2.2 million officer-hours policing a total population of more than 2 million citizens were covered in the study.

The researchers set out a protocol for officers allocated cameras during the trials: record all stages of every police-public interaction, and issue a warning of filming at the outset. However, many officers preferred to use their discretion, activating cameras depending on the situation.

Researchers found that during shifts with cameras in which officers stuck closer to the protocol, police use-of-force fell by 37% over camera-free shifts. During shifts in which officers tended to use their discretion, police use-of-force actually rose 71% over camera-free shifts.

The combination of the camera plus the early warning creates awareness that the encounter is being filmed, modifying the behaviour of all involved, said principle investigator Barak Ariel from the University of Cambridge's Institute of Criminology.

If an officer decides to announce mid-interaction they are beginning to film, for example, that could provoke a reaction that results in use-of-force, Ariel said. Our data suggests this could be what is driving the results.

The new results are the latest to come from the research team since their ground-breaking work reporting the first experimental evidence on body-worn cameras with Rialto PD in California  a study widely-cited as part of the rationale for huge investment in this policing technology.

With so much at stake, these findings must continue to be scrutinised through further research and more studies. In the meantime, it's clear that more training and engagement with police officers are required to ensure they are confident in the decisions they make while wearing cameras, and are safe in their job, said co-author and RAND Europe researcher Alex Sutherland.

Ariel added, It may be that in some places it's a bad idea to use body-worn cameras, and the only way you can find that out is to keep doing these tests in different kinds of places. After all, what might work for a sheriff's department in Iowa may not necessarily apply to the Tokyo PD.

- ENDS -

Notes to Editors:

About University of Cambridge, Institute of Criminology

The Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge, UK, has a worldwide reputation for excellence in both research and teaching. The Institute, founded by Sir Leon Radzinowicz in 1959, was one of the first criminological institutes in Europe and has exerted a strong influence on the development of the discipline. www.crim.cam.ac.uk

About RAND Europe

RAND Europe is a not-for-profit research organisation whose mission is to help improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. We conduct impartial research for European institutions, governments, charities, foundations, universities and private sector firms. We combine subject knowledge across diverse policy areas including health, science and innovation; defence, security and infrastructure; and home affairs and social policy. www.randeurope.org

To contact the authors, see Fred Lewsey, Cambridge Communications Office, Fred.Lewsey@admin.cam.ac.uk or 01223 765566 and Jack Melling, RAND Europe, jmelling@rand.org or 01223 227591.
Extradition of Russian priest accused of pedophilia from Israel suspended - lawyer

MOSCOW, May 17 (RAPSI)  According to the lawyer defending Gleb Grozovsky, a St. Petersburg priest, the extradition of his client from Israel could be suspended via an appeal against the actions undertaken by the Israeli Justice Ministry submitted to the countrys Supreme Court and request to guarantee the defendant security in his homeland, RIA Novosti news agency reports on Tuesday.

A month ago Israeli Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked has signed an order on extradition of Russian priest Gleb Grozovsky, who stands charged with sexual abuse of children. The priest insists that he is not guilty of this crime.

According to Grozovskys lawyer Haim Azencott, the extradition process has been suspended until the other party submits a reply to his complaint requesting the court to examine again the defendants allegations that he will be in danger after returning to Russia, and that the Israeli Justice Ministry failed to take properly his clients case.

The lawyer hopes that the Israeli Supreme Court will hold respective hearings allowing him to present his arguments that the key element of any extradition procedures should be measures necessary to guarantee security and fair trial for the extradited person.

According to Russian investigators, Grozovsky committed sex crimes against several minors in 2011 and 2013.

In 2013, he fled to Israel where he applied for citizenship. However, his application was dismissed.

In April 2014, Grozovsky was put on the international wanted list. Israeli police arrested him in September. In January 2015, a court in Jerusalem ruled that the priest should be extradited to Russia pursuant to the European Convention on Extradition.

The ruling was appealed, but rejected. In April, the Justice Minister signed an order on Grozovskys extradition. Nevertheless, according to defense, the charges against Grozovsky are politically motivated and the Convention provisions could not apply to him.
Victims in Domodedovo terror attack case to seek release of airport owner

MOSCOW, May 17 (RAPSI) - Victims in the criminal case launched after 2011 terror attack at the Domodedovo airport will ask the Moscow City Court to release the airports owner Dmitriy Kamenshchik, lawyer Igor Trunov told journalists on Tuesday.

Tomorrow, we will express our opinion and support prosecutors position insisting on requalification of the case against Kamenshchik, Trunov said.

On Wednesday, the court will consider an appeal filed by Kamenshchik against extension of his house arrest.

On February 19, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow placed Dmitry Kamenshchik, the owner of the Domodedovo airport, under house arrest in connection with this case.

According to investigators, Kamenshchik and several other defendants have not provided sufficient security level that let the suicide bomber freely enter the arrival lounge and set off an explosive.

A suicide bomber detonated a bomb in the Domodedovo Airports international arrivals hall, killing 37 people and injuring 172, on January 24, 2011.

Doku Umarov, Russias most wanted terrorist at the time, claimed responsibility for the attack. Altogether, 28 men connected with the terrorist organization called the Caucasus Emirate were linked to the attack, according to the investigators. Seventeen of them were killed in special operations in 2011, and four were detained.

In November 2013, a Moscow Region court sentenced three men to life in prison and a fourth man to 10 years for their role in the suicide bombing.




As we see a surge in inflation globally, it is now critical that everyone is aware of the implications this will have along every step of the insurance and reinsurance value chain.
This piece was created in collaboration with the Woodrow Wilson Center. Aaron David Miller, a Vice President at the Woodrow Wilson Center, served as a Middle East negotiator, analyst and adviser in Republican and Democratic Administrations. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Leaders change, and the Middle East can always surprise. But regardless of presidential preference and promises, there are a half-dozen verities that will haunt any leader, from Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton -- just as they have bedeviled President Barack Obama and his predecessors.

Want Hollywood endings, go to the movies. I challenge anyone to identify a single issue in this region today that is heading toward a meaningful or sustainable end state. From Syrias civil war to the politics of Iraq, from the war against the Islamic State to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we are dealing with problems that are much more likely to have outcomes than solutions.

Even the Obamas administrations signal foreign policy achievement -- the P5+1 Iranian nuclear agreement -- is an accord limited in time and scope that in no way assures Irans nuclear aspirations have been laid to rest, let alone guarantees the Islamic republics behavior in the region.

We need to stop thinking about fixing problems in the Middle East on what I call Administration Time -- four-to-eight-year increments -- and start thinking about a more extended metric, say a decade. Even the highly imperfect Iran nuclear agreement recognizes this reality.

Blame America, but blame the locals more. The United States has made many mistakes in the Middle East. The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a galactic blunder. It was followed by additional mistakes, such as American support for the repressive and corrupt government of Nouri al-Maliki, and its hasty military withdrawal from the country. But the lions share of the responsibility for the state of the broken, angry, and dysfunctional Middle East lies with the locals themselves.

Theres a reason this region seems impervious to positive, progressive change. The elements required to catalyze that change do not presently exist. Sparking such change will require leaders who are ready and able to rise above their narrow sectarian, political, or corporatist affiliations for the sake of their countries; effective and authoritative institutions; freedom of expression; gender equality, and so on. What exist instead are sectarian, regional rivalries overlaying weak and failing states to guarantee instability, and in some cases, fragmentation and chaos.

Doctrines are disastrous. Consistency, Emerson opined, is the hobgoblin of little minds. It is certainly of limited value to a great power operating in the Middle East. It can at times make sense to be consistent in what you say and intend when dealing with friends and adversaries. It is foolhardy, however, to force U.S. values, interests, and policies to fit a doctrinal straitjacket. We supported an Arab Spring in Egypt and Tunisia. Why did we not do the same in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain? We invaded and occupied Iraq with disastrous results, presumably to remove a bad regime. Now we have been there for more than a decade. Should we not have been compelled, then, to repeat the exercise in Libya and Syria? They also had bad leaders, so why not invade and occupy?

Great powers behave in anomalous and contradictory ways, driven sometimes by sheer hypocrisy, sometimes by domestic politics, and more often by what they deem to be their selective interests. And when it comes to the Middle East, its hard to see how American interests and values will ever strictly align.

Want a perfect friend? Get a dog. Unless the United States plans to go it alone in a region where it has vital interests, enormous challenges, and a lot of enemies, its going to have to make do with the friends that it has. And those friends are far from perfect. In some cases -- think of Saudi Arabia and Egypt -- Washington shares few values, particularly when it comes to democratic principles. But some interests nevertheless overlap.

In other cases, such as Israel, there is affinity on values and many shared interests. Even so, serious differences remain on issues such as Israeli settlements, the terms for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and recent American overtures to Iran -- particularly the merits of last years nuclear accord.

The odds of pushing these imperfect partners to see things the American way on issues that are dear to them are pretty slim. No matter how hard we insist, they have more at stake on these issues than we do. Good luck trying to impose a deal with the Palestinians on the Israelis, or telling the Egyptians or Saudis to democratize. Were caught in an investment trap when it comes to these partners, especially as the Middle East melts down.

Dont let rhetoric outstrip reality or capacity. Sadly, the United States has become adept at doing precisely that. Words are not actions, but they do count. And far too often Washington has not followed through on our words. America has said too much or not explained clearly enough what its trying to accomplish in the region.

Just look at Syria. Washington called repeatedly for the removal of Bashar al-Assad, and now seemingly accepts that he could be part of a prolonged transition. President Obama identified any regime use of chemical weapons as an unacceptable red line, not to be crossed; it was crossed. We called for ISISs destruction without any realistic hope of achieving that, and warned the Russians off supporting the Assad regime without the means to stop them. More recently, Secretary of State John Kerry talked about reaching the critical hours in a search for a cease-fire in Syria that appears interminable.

There are many things we cannot control. Our rhetoric, we can control.

Forget transforming the region. Transact and manage as best you can. Why the United States thinks it can impose its dreams and schemes on small tribes, where other great powers have failed, is not entirely clear. We cannot end Syrias civil war or put Iraq back together. We cannot bring democracy to the Arab world, nor solve the Israeli-Palestinian problem. You need regional buy-in for all those things. And America lacks partners in this region who can undertake such transformative acts.

What Washington can do is focus on trying to keep America safe and prosperous: To the extent we can, hammer ISIS, al-Qaeda affiliates, and other jihadists who want to attack the United States and our allies; continue to wean America off Arab hydrocarbons and in the interim ensure no disruption in Middle East supply; and work to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Its not pretty, perfect, or heroic. But its eminently sensible and smart in a region America can neither fix nor leave.
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HOME > The Amazing Race > The Amazing Race 28 Exclusive: 'The Amazing Race' winners Dana Borriello and Matt Steffanina talk (Part 1)

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 05/16/2016



crowned "Engaged Couple" Dana Borriello and Matt Steffanina the champions of Season 28 during Friday night's finale broadcast on CBS.



ADVERTISEMENT Dana and Matt arrived at the final Pit Stop in Los Angeles, CA, in first place, therefore



"Mother and Son" Sheri LaBrant and Cole LaBrant, who were the underdogs all season long, finished in second place. On their heels were "Best Friends" Tyler Oakley and Korey Kuhl in third place.



During an exclusive interview with Reality TV World on Monday, Dana and Matt talked about their experience and victory. Below is the first half. Check back with us soon for the concluding portion.



Reality TV World: Any idea how much time elapsed from when you arrived at the finish line to when Sheri and Cole did, and then Tyler and Korey after them?



Matt Steffanina: Yeah, it was about 30 minutes between us and Sheri and Cole. It felt like three days, but we heard it was about 30 minutes. And then about another 15 minutes after that, Tyler and Korey came.



Reality TV World: I know you guys believed in yourselves and definitely thought you were capable of winning the Race, but did your victory surprise you at all, especially considering Tyler and Korey had won so many legs beforehand?



Dana Borriello: Yeah, I was a little surprised! I mean, it's really tough. We won that first leg and then we went so many legs without having a win and without being able to beat Tyler and Korey. So we knew it was definitely going to be -- that we were going to need to run a pretty perfect leg. So, I think we were both a little surprised by it. It was just such a big dream come true for us that we were in shock.



Reality TV World: The show made it look like you guys got a little lost looking for the finish line. Did it take you a while to find host Keoghan on the mat or was it just the editing? Maybe they wanted the race to seem closer than it really was?



Matt Steffanina: I mean, that was a little bit of editing. We definitely were confused and having trouble finding it, but it was probably only about five minutes, maybe 10 at most, of running around looking for it. Where we actually lost more time was looking for our taxi after we let our taxi go.



That appeared a little quicker, I felt like on the show, but in real life, it was probably at least 20 minutes, maybe even more of running around trying to catch a new cab. So, that's really where we made our biggest mistake in the final leg.



Reality TV World: Were you freaking out in that moment thinking, "This is going to be our million-dollar mistake?" We saw a little bit of that unfold on TV.



Dana Borriello: I mean, for me, I know everyone is calling it a mistake, but it's kind of hard to say because when we got on that boat, we were pretty sure that we were going to have to take the boat to another boat or to another location and then not need a car anymore. So if that turned out to be the case, and we kept the cab, THAT would've been a huge mistake.

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Because then we would have had to take the boat all the way back, pay the cab and release it -- and then take the boat all the way back out. So, we were kind of operating feeling like we wouldn't need cars anymore, that we were going to be using a boat.



So, you know, it was, I guess, a mistake in hindsight -- because that didn't turn out to be the case -- but we also released a taxi that wasn't that quick. And the taxi that we got turned out to be extremely fast and a guy that really knew the area and had a better working phone. So I think it actually turned out well that we got rid of that first cab.



Matt Steffanina: Yeah, and taxis the whole season had been our weakness. (Laughs) We just had the worst luck with taxis, so it really came at a good time in the final leg for us to get our best taxi of the whole season.



Reality TV World: Dana, it looked like you flew through the final Roadblock task when you had to deal with the barrels and hashtags. How long did it take you? Did it really go as smoothly as it appeared?



Dana Borriello: Yeah, it did go that smoothly. I think I probably did it in what, like, 15 minutes?



Matt Steffanina: Yeah. I would say 20 tops.



Dana Borriello: I just needed to physically put those tops on the barrels. I struggled a little bit with some of the higher ones, but I had a pretty good system down. I separated everything and then just kind of threw it up, and yeah, I did it really quick.



Reality TV World: It seemed like the Final 3 teams all knew the hashtags in your clues would be part of the final Roadblock task. Did you ever discuss that possibility with them since you were all friendly, or did you keep it to yourselves in the hope no one else would pick up on it?



ADVERTISEMENT Dana Borriello: We kept it to ourselves for a long time, but every once in a while, someone would slip and kind of say it out loud. So we were conscious of the fact that the other teams already were probably onto it the same way. But no one ever outright discussed it or discussed the hashtags to make sure we all had the same ones or anything like that. But we were kind of aware, I think.



Matt Steffanina: I think all the teams were hoping that they had an advantage because they had figured out that that was what the final challenge could be, (laughs) but we all were pretty much on top of taking notes and thinking ahead. Everyone was really well studied on the Race, so it just kind of evened out and we all knew that the hashtags would be there.



Dana Borriello: I do know that the other teams though did make mistakes in that final challenge.



Matt Steffanina: Yeah.



Dana Borriello: I know that they had a couple of errors and maybe had to do it one or two different times before they could get through. So, that's a piece of information that we got afterwards.



Reality TV World: Matt, you nailed the skyscraper Roadblock task in one attempt when the other teams had to do it two or three times. How long did one attempt take? Because it seemed like Sheri and Cole and Tyler and Korey had little hope of recovering after that task.



Matt Steffanina: Yeah, that task, I would say it took at least 10 minutes, maybe as much as 15. Because it took a couple of minutes to lower down, and then you had to go all the way back up the elevator, come around the building, get re-harnessed, and do a safety check all over again. So, it was a good amount of time.



And they only showed a couple, but I think Sheri had maybe one more attempt and Tyler as well. So we ended up with a good, I'd say, 30 minute lead right after that first challenge, which was huge. Because the final leg, it turned out that all the teams were so strong, there really weren't too many places to pass. We were able to keep that lead pretty much the rest of the leg.



Reality TV World: You talked a little bit about preparing for the final task being some type of memory test. Tell me a little bit about the notes you took and when you found time to study. What was your strategy? If you assumed the hashtags would be a part of the final Roadblock, how much else did you consider necessary to review?



Dana Borriello: We assumed the hashtags would be a part of the final Roadblock, but we've also seen other seasons where there have been multiple different recall tasks, like sometimes you have to do multiple challenges that involve memory. So to be safe, we just copied every single clue from top to bottom before we would turn them in at the Pit Stop.



I would usually copy them and then Matt, once we got back to our hotel, he'd copy my notes into his notebook. And then we would just kind of talk about them and re-talk through the leg and study a little bit while we were in sequester waiting for the next leg.



Matt Steffanina: Some of the other things we discussed were flags for each country, we always made note of the language, the currency, usual the greeter -- whoever greets us at the mat. We tried to take really consistent notes just based on things we've seen in past seasons.



Reality TV World: Phil admitted at the finish line he thought you two were going to self-destruct at some point because you bickered so much. I know, looking back, the overcoming all those little fights made you stronger. But was there ever a time during the Race you thought, "This dynamic just isn't working and we need to get along in order to win?"



ADVERTISEMENT Dana Borriello: I don't really think that we, actually I think it's kind of funny because we had an interview in Chamonix and someone asked Matt if we would stop bickering, and we were both like, "No way! We're never going to stop bickering."



It's kind of part of the way we interact. I do think at certain points I got a little too intense and that's something I'm working on, but I think that's just part of our dynamic. We're both really strong and we're both kind of aggressive.



Matt Steffanina: Yeah, we had a really good talk when we survived Dubai and got to Bali just about refocusing on the task and working a little bit better as a team. I think in the last four legs, we were really able to pull it together and work a lot cleaner through the leg.



Check back with Reality TV World soon for the concluding portion of Dana and Matt's exclusive interview.





About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON GOOGLE NEWS crowned "Engaged Couple" Dana Borriello and Matt Steffanina the champions of Season 28 during Friday night's finale broadcast on CBS.Dana and Matt arrived at the final Pit Stop in Los Angeles, CA, in first place, therefore winning the $1 million grand prize. They raced through 18 cities and 10 countries, traveling more than 27,000 miles."Mother and Son" Sheri LaBrant and Cole LaBrant, who were the underdogs all season long, finished in second place. On their heels were "Best Friends" Tyler Oakley and Korey Kuhl in third place.During an exclusive interview with Reality TV World on Monday, Dana and Matt talked about their experience and victory. Below is the first half. Check back with us soon for the concluding portion.Yeah, it was about 30 minutes between us and Sheri and Cole. It felt like three days, but we heard it was about 30 minutes. And then about another 15 minutes after that, Tyler and Korey came.Yeah, I was a little surprised! I mean, it's really tough. We won that first leg and then we went so many legs without having a win and without being able to beat Tyler and Korey. So we knew it was definitely going to be -- that we were going to need to run a pretty perfect leg. So, I think we were both a little surprised by it. It was just such a big dream come true for us that we were in shock.I mean, that was a little bit of editing. We definitely were confused and having trouble finding it, but it was probably only about five minutes, maybe 10 at most, of running around looking for it. Where we actually lost more time was looking for our taxi after we let our taxi go.That appeared a little quicker, I felt like on the show, but in real life, it was probably at least 20 minutes, maybe even more of running around trying to catch a new cab. So, that's really where we made our biggest mistake in the final leg.I mean, for me, I know everyone is calling it a mistake, but it's kind of hard to say because when we got on that boat, we were pretty sure that we were going to have to take the boat to another boat or to another location and then not need a car anymore. So if that turned out to be the case, and we kept the cab, THAT would've been a huge mistake.Because then we would have had to take the boat all the way back, pay the cab and release it -- and then take the boat all the way back out. So, we were kind of operating feeling like we wouldn't need cars anymore, that we were going to be using a boat.So, you know, it was, I guess, a mistake in hindsight -- because that didn't turn out to be the case -- but we also released a taxi that wasn't that quick. And the taxi that we got turned out to be extremely fast and a guy that really knew the area and had a better working phone. So I think it actually turned out well that we got rid of that first cab.Yeah, and taxis the whole season had been our weakness. (Laughs) We just had the worst luck with taxis, so it really came at a good time in the final leg for us to get our best taxi of the whole season.Yeah, it did go that smoothly. I think I probably did it in what, like, 15 minutes?Yeah. I would say 20 tops.I just needed to physically put those tops on the barrels. I struggled a little bit with some of the higher ones, but I had a pretty good system down. I separated everything and then just kind of threw it up, and yeah, I did it really quick.We kept it to ourselves for a long time, but every once in a while, someone would slip and kind of say it out loud. So we were conscious of the fact that the other teams already were probably onto it the same way. But no one ever outright discussed it or discussed the hashtags to make sure we all had the same ones or anything like that. But we were kind of aware, I think.I think all the teams were hoping that they had an advantage because they had figured out that that was what the final challenge could be, (laughs) but we all were pretty much on top of taking notes and thinking ahead. Everyone was really well studied on the Race, so it just kind of evened out and we all knew that the hashtags would be there.I do know that the other teams though did make mistakes in that final challenge.Yeah.I know that they had a couple of errors and maybe had to do it one or two different times before they could get through. So, that's a piece of information that we got afterwards.Yeah, that task, I would say it took at least 10 minutes, maybe as much as 15. Because it took a couple of minutes to lower down, and then you had to go all the way back up the elevator, come around the building, get re-harnessed, and do a safety check all over again. So, it was a good amount of time.And they only showed a couple, but I think Sheri had maybe one more attempt and Tyler as well. So we ended up with a good, I'd say, 30 minute lead right after that first challenge, which was huge. Because the final leg, it turned out that all the teams were so strong, there really weren't too many places to pass. We were able to keep that lead pretty much the rest of the leg.We assumed the hashtags would be a part of the final Roadblock, but we've also seen other seasons where there have been multiple different recall tasks, like sometimes you have to do multiple challenges that involve memory. So to be safe, we just copied every single clue from top to bottom before we would turn them in at the Pit Stop.I would usually copy them and then Matt, once we got back to our hotel, he'd copy my notes into his notebook. And then we would just kind of talk about them and re-talk through the leg and study a little bit while we were in sequester waiting for the next leg.Some of the other things we discussed were flags for each country, we always made note of the language, the currency, usual the greeter -- whoever greets us at the mat. We tried to take really consistent notes just based on things we've seen in past seasons.I don't really think that we, actually I think it's kind of funny because we had an interview in Chamonix and someone asked Matt if we would stop bickering, and we were both like, "No way! We're never going to stop bickering."It's kind of part of the way we interact. I do think at certain points I got a little too intense and that's something I'm working on, but I think that's just part of our dynamic. We're both really strong and we're both kind of aggressive.Yeah, we had a really good talk when we survived Dubai and got to Bali just about refocusing on the task and working a little bit better as a team. I think in the last four legs, we were really able to pull it together and work a lot cleaner through the leg.Check back with Reality TV World soon for the concluding portion of Dana and Matt's exclusive interview. THE AMAZING RACE 28 MORE THE AMAZING RACE 28 NEWS << PRIOR STORY

Bear Grylls to go 'Running Wild' with Julianne Hough, Courteney Cox, Vanessa Hudgens, Nick Jonas and Lindsey Vonn this summer NEXT STORY >>

'Dancing with the Stars' recap: Antonio Brown and Wanya Morris eliminated in semifinals

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FILE - In this April 23, 2014, file photo, a man smokes an electronic cigarette in Chicago. On Thursday, May 5, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration released long-awaited rules that bring the burgeoning electronic cigarette industry under federal oversight. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

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By MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  Vape away.

Increasingly popular e-cigarettes and cigar varieties could be exempt from new Food and Drug Administration rules if House Republicans have their way. The effort alarms Democrats and public health advocates who argue it could lead to unsafe products.

Legislation approved by a House committee last month would ease rules announced by the FDA on Thursday to regulate e-cigarettes for the first time. The legislation would prevent the FDA from requiring retroactive safety reviews of e-cigarettes already on the market and exempt some premium and large cigars from those same regulations. E-cigarette products introduced in the future would face the safety reviews.

Vaping and cigar companies have pushed the exemptions, arguing that their products are safer than cigarettes and even help some cigarette smokers quit. They say many of the small businesses that make their products would go out of business once the rules are in place.

Public health groups say the regulations could allow many newer tobacco products to escape scrutiny just as more people, including teenagers, are using them. Cigarette smoking has decreased in recent years, but vaping and cigar smoking have risen, and some of those products come in flavors appealing to teenagers and young adults.

The legislation "pretty much comes down to driving a bus through public health protections," said Erika Sward of the American Lung Association.

The FDA's rules are aimed at eventually taming the fast-growing "vaping" industry. E-cigarettes are plastic or metal tubes, usually the size of a cigarette, that heat a liquid nicotine solution instead of burning tobacco. That creates vapor the user inhales.

The nicotine-infused vapor of e-cigarettes looks like smoke but doesn't contain all the chemicals, tar or odor of regular cigarettes.

The rules will require e-cigarette brands marketed since February 2007 to undergo premarket reviews retroactively. The FDA will then ensure the product is "appropriate for the protection of the public health." If not, the agency could take it off the market.

Republicans said the premarket review will be a lengthy and expensive process. Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, says each review could cost more than a million dollars.

"There are thousands of small businesses and tens of thousands of jobs on the line," Conley said.

In addition to e-cigarettes, the FDA rules and the House legislation apply to other unregulated tobacco products such as cigars, hookahs, nicotine gels, waterpipe tobacco and dissolvable tobacco products. The FDA already regulates cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and roll-your-own tobacco products.

Cigars that would be exempted under the House bill would be premium and large cigars, including those that are hand rolled. An owner of one smaller cigar company pushing the legislation, the Tampa-based J.C. Newman Cigar Co., says customers for Newman's premium cigars are generally 45 and older.

"We are not the problem, but we could become an unintended consequence," said Eric Newman.

The legislation could make it easier for Cuban cigar companies to export to the U.S. market, if they are ever allowed.

Matthew Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids says the legislation is written broadly enough that some cheap, flavored cigars could fall under the exemption.

The legislation "is particularly tragic because of the very large numbers of young people who over the last several years have begun using these two specific products," Myers said of cigars and e-cigarettes.

The cigar exemption was included in the original agriculture spending bill, sponsored by Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala. The House Appropriations Committee approved on April 19 an amendment that would eliminate the pre-market reviews for products introduced after 2007.

The Senate has not weighed in on the e-cigarette regulations.

Lawmakers 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. Often, they are smokers themselves. Former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, was a smoker, and Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., supported the industry this year by vaping at a congressional hearing.

When Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., offered an amendment at the House Appropriations Committee meeting to drop the cigar exemptions, the chairman, Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., hinted he enjoys cigars as he called for a vote.

"In complete and full disclosure," Rogers said, his sentence trailing off to laughter. "I'm a sinner."

The amendment was rejected.
This is an image taken Wednesday May 4, 2016 of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a news conference in Ankara, Turkey. Turkey has hailed the European Union executive Commission's recommendation to grant Turkish citizens the right to travel to Europe without visas as "a new page" in relations between Turkey and the EU. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici, File)

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By DOMINIQUE SOGUEL, Associated Press

ISTANBUL (AP)  Visa-free travel to Europe may be finally within Turkey's grasp, but the remaining benchmarks it must meet by June are not easy hurdles to clear. Turkish leaders have explicitly warned the European Union that they will stop cooperating on the migrant crisis if the visa requirement isn't lifted.

At stake is a controversial but hard-won deal on addressing the migrant crisis which has brought more than 1 million refugees into the EU. But what if the EU decides Turkey still falls short of the 72 requirements it must meet by next month?

Turkey's progress in recent weeks could be taken as a sign that the country can up its game in a short time. By March, it had cleared only half of the requirements, but in the past two months successfully ticked off dozens of others.

But Turkey analyst Fadi Hakura said such a swift turnaround "beggars belief."

"Clearly, the European Commission has been fudging Turkey's compliance with the majority of the 72 criteria for visa-free travel in order to facilitate implementation of the EU-Turkey deal on migrants," said Hakura, of the London-based Chatham House think tank.

EU officials disagree.

"There is no free ride here, and we are clear about what remains to be done. There are five remaining benchmarks that we expect Turkey to meet by the end of June," European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said Wednesday.

Critics insist visa-liberalization is an unwarranted reward for a country moving increasingly away from democratic values including freedom of the press and freedom of expression. Fears that the country is headed toward autocratic rule were reinforced Thursday when Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu resigned after falling out of favor of an increasingly authoritarian president.

When it comes to EU-Turkey relations, the only metric that appears to matter is how the country handles the migrant crisis.

Turkey, home to 2.7 million Syrian refugees, has agreed to crack down on smuggling networks operating in the Aegean Sea and take back any migrant who landed in Greece after March 20. In exchange, the EU offered Turkey 6 billion euros ($6.9 billion) in aid to cope with the refugee crisis within its borders, plus a series of political concessions including visa liberalization in the short term and potential EU membership in the long run.

In April, Davutoglu threatened to call off the deal if visa rules aren't relaxed for Turks by June.

Europe, as a principal trading partner of Turkey and provider of three-quarters of foreign investment in Turkey, could push back but appears reluctant to do so.

"Europe has quite a lot of leverage to play on the migration question, but (German Chancellor) Angela Merkel's desperation has weakened the EU's negotiating hand vis-a-vis Turkey," Hakura said.

Merkel has been a key defender of the EU-Turkey deal, which rights groups criticize as immoral and borderline illegal.

Many point out that the outstanding criteria are substantial.

Perhaps the most problematic is the requirement to narrow the definition of terrorism. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is advocating the opposite  he wants to expand the definition of "terrorism" and "terrorist" to include anyone who supports or lends a voice to a terrorist organization, including scholars, journalists and legislators.

Human rights groups have protested the propensity of Turkish prosecutors to level terrorist charges against government critics.

Turkey's definition of terrorism extends to Western-backed Kurdish factions fighting against the Islamic State group, Marxist radical groups which have a history of violence, and supporters of a U.S.-based Islamist cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who don't.

Even if Turkey narrows its definition of terrorism, Hakura said, the real issue will be "implementation."

The European Commission is also calling on Turkey to conclude "an operational agreement with Europol" and offer "effective judicial cooperation in criminal matters" to EU member states. Turkey is also expected to step up anti-corruption measures  no easy task when graft scandals have involved people in the president's inner circle.

The fifth requirement is ensuring that Turkey's data protection meets EU standards. The vulnerability of Turkey's data was painfully illustrated in April when the details of around 50 million citizens, roughly corresponding to the 2009 voter registry, was posted online by hackers.

Turkish officials are undaunted. Anticipating a green light, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said new passports featuring chips that include fingerprints will be rolled out in June. Turkey has a population of 78 million, but only a fraction hold passports and stand to benefit from the visa-liberalization deal.

EU Affairs Minister Volkan Bozkir interpreted Wednesday's decision as a sign Turkey has already met the 72 criteria and was upbeat on the likelihood of endorsement by the EU parliament and council, noting that the decision required a qualified majority, not unanimity.

"These 72 expectations are not a mathematical equation," Bozkir told reporters. "We have to assess these expectations in a political way. We believe that Turkey has accomplished its obligations concerning the 72 criteria."

___

Lorne Cook in Brussels and Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed to this report.
Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight

The Asphalt Cowboys held their pretend bank robbery Monday at Plumas Bank on Hilltop Drive kicking off the 68th annual Redding Rodeo

SHARE Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight The Asphalt Cowboys held their pretend bank robbery Monday at Plumas Bank on Hilltop Drive kicking off the 68th annual Redding Rodeo Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight The Asphalt Cowboys held their pretend bank robbery Monday at Plumas Bank on Hilltop Drive kicking off the 68th annual Redding Rodeo Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight The Asphalt Cowboys held their pretend bank robbery Monday at Plumas Bank on Hilltop Drive kicking off the 68th annual Redding Rodeo

UPDATED 6 a.m. Tuesday:

Here are today's clues in the search for the Lone Stranger and the Sidekick and the loot from Monday's Asphalt Cowboys bank robbery.

To identify the strangers based on the daily clues call 223-1188. If you find the loot, contact Joe Schuler immediately at 225-6737.

Clues:

Lone Stranger and the Sidekick: The Lone Strangers were headed in three directions. Our Asphalt Cowboys lost track, in a colorful reflection.

The loot: Use Round-Up on the weeds, finding the loot would be a fine deed.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The scene inside Plumas Bank on Hilltop Drive Monday morning resembled the Old West, aside from a few crock pots and a U.S. Flag with a few too many stars.

At least until the Lone Stranger and the Sidekick showed up sporting neon-colored pistols and masks of presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

They made off with the bag of loot in wheelchairs as the Asphalt Cowboys gave chase.

"We've been having this problem with these guys coming in and robbing the banks. They usually do it on Rodeo week and have been since like 1952," said Tom Spade, spokesman for the Asphalt Cowboys.

The Asphalt Cowboys gave lukewarm pursuit and, being careful to stop for red lights, trailed the robbers to Pine Street in downtown Redding. But then they gave up  the cowboys' clubhouse was calling.

"I don't know (why they always get away). We're just not good enough to catch them," said Brian Simons, top puncher for the Asphalt Cowboys.

Spade said the cowboys tried their darnedest to nab the pair but the dastardly duo confounded them yet again.

"I think they're probably a little smarter than the cowboys cause they seem to be able to make it happen," he said. "We probably fired 1,000 rounds at them today but for some reason we missed."

Each year, they kick off the Redding Rodeo Week with a bank robbery by a pair of bandits  The Lone Stranger and the Sidekick who hide the loot.

Clues daily trickle out as to the pair's identity and their stash's location  whoever can discover either one on Monday wins $500. The prize drops by $100 each day, Simons said.

The Plumas Bank staff were happy to participate, said Aaron Walton, its branch manager. He wasn't upset the bandit robbers escaped.

"It's always fun and great," he said.

Spade, however, expects better results next time the bandits roll into town.

"They got a way again but next year we'll get 'em," he said.

Clues:

Lone Stranger and the Sidekick: Precious Cargo the arriving Lone Strangers were frank  with grace. The red faced Cowboys could not match the roaring wheel chairs' pace.

The loot: The Lone Strangers hid the loot and said "you can't catch us or the loot to boot."

Those who think they may know who the robbers, call the Asphalt Cowboys at 223-1188. If you find the loot, return it to the Redding Chamber of Commerce at 747 Auditorium Drive. The loot is always hidden in a public place.
Sharon Turman, shown Tuesday with deputy public defender Jeremy West, pleaded guilty to felony evasion in connection with a March 6 high-speed pursuit while driving her Scooby-Doo-themed van.

SHARE It's appears Kay Turman's Scooby-Doo-inspired "Mystery Machine" van will be sold at auction.

A Redding woman accused of leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase in a minivan painted with a Scooby -Doo Mystery Machine theme pleaded guilty Tuesday in Shasta County Superior Court to felony evasion.

In exchange for her guilty plea, Sharon Kay Turman faces no more than two years, eight months in prison when shes sentenced on June 15.

Turman, who had been scheduled to have her preliminary hearing on Wednesday, took her plea bargain late Tuesday morning during a pre-preliminary hearing conference.

Appearing alert and attentive, Turman told retired Superior Court Judge Anthony Anderson she was aware of what she was facing under the terms of the plea pact.

Anderson told Turman he would not accept a no-contest plea from her due to the dangerous nature of her crime.

The evading was horrid, he said.

Turman, 51, was charged with two counts of evading officers with a disregard for public safety, among other charges, stemming from the March 6 high-speed pursuit.

Additionally, she was charged in a separate case with felony grand theft in connection with the disabling of an expensive GPS ankle bracelet provided to her in February by probation authorities to track her whereabouts.

That case was dismissed as a part of the plea bargain, but it can still be weighed when it comes to the length of the sentence she will receive.

Police said Turman was on supervised release for theft and suspected of violating her probation for allegedly deactivating her ankle monitor when officers spotted her March 6 in her unusual 1994 Town and Country minivan at California and Shasta streets in downtown Redding.

She reportedly took off in the van when officers tried to pull her over. Turman reportedly later told officers she did not stop out of fear she would be hurt by them.

Officers said she drove at high speeds on South Market Street and nearly hit four other vehicles before she abandoned the van, which had run out of gas, on Highway 36 off Bowman Road in northwestern Tehama County.

Turman got away but turned herself in at the Shasta County Jail on March 16.

Turmans escapade in her mini van, which has since been sold after it was impounded, caused a big stir on social media after the news media reported on the chase.

She remains in Shasta County Jail in lieu of $325,000 bail as she awaits her sentencing.
John Wayne Noonkester

SHARE James Benno and his sons, Jacob and Logan, left to right.

Two injured after vehicle rolls on I-5

Two people suffered major injuries Monday when the vehicle they were riding in went off Interstate 5 and rolled over on its side.

One of the two people was ejected from the vehicle and another was trapped inside the vehicle. Both were taken to Mercy Medical Center in Redding, according to the Anderson Fire Department.

Authorities don't yet know how fast the vehicle was moving when it left Interstate 5 at the southbound Riverside Avenue offramp and rolled onto its side on a grassy embankment shortly after 1 p.m.

The California Highway Patrol dispatch reports the person has suffered some injuries to his face and the vehicle is off the road.

Tehama murder trial delayed until June

A Cottonwood man charged with murder in the shooting deaths of his ex-wife and her father had his pre-trial conference in Tehama County Superior Court put off Monday until June 20.

The delay was caused because John Wayne Noonkester's defense attorney, Joe Gazzigli, was injured Sunday in a bicycle incident and was unable to be in court for Monday's proceeding.

Noonkester, 33, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and other charges in connection with the fatal July 3 shootings of his ex-wife, Kimberlee Thomas, 29, and her father, Keith Thomas, 53, outside the Little Country Store in Lake California.

In addition to murder, Noonkester is charged with attempted murder in the wounding of bystander Anthony Maitias Baugher, then 25, of Cottonwood.

Noonkester is being held in Tehama County Jail without bail.

Trial of father and sons delayed

The June 21 trial for a Redding man and his two sons charged with illegal marijuana cultivation and other crimes was postponed Monday in Shasta County Superior Court.

But a new trial date for James Benno and his sons, Jacob and Logan, has not yet been set.

A motion to continue the trial was granted because a new defense attorney was only recently hired to represent the trio.

Benno and his sons are out of custody on bail and are charged with possessing marijuana for sale, cultivating marijuana, manufacturing a controlled substance, maintaining a place for sales of controlled substance and carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony.

Honey oil lab found in Oak Run

Drug agents discovered a honey oil lab on Monday while serving a search warrant at a property in the Oak Run area, where they found a number of chemicals and several pounds of concentrated cannabis.

Deputies served a Shasta County Superior Court search warrant at a property near the intersection of Oak Run Road and Buzzard Roost Road in eastern Shasta County, said Agent Tom Moon with the Shasta County Marijuana Investigation Team.

Agents found five three-gallon containers of butane, along with 25 empty chemical containers, which is used to extract cannabis from marijuana plants.

Also discovered was 13 pounds of concentrated cannabis, said Moon.

There were no people at the residence during the search, said Moon, but a handgun reported stolen in a 2014 burglary in Redding was found on the property.

Agents also found 350 pounds of low quality marijuana and other equipment used to extract cannabis.

Agents ask anyone with information about the lab to call the SINTF office at (530) 722-9161.

Man threatened with hammer, police say

A Redding Parks Department employee was threatened with a hammer Monday by a man trying to sleep in a public restroom, police said.

Patrick Francis Brooks, 26, of Redding was sleeping inside a restroom near the Caldwell Park boat ramp when city employee Eric Stevens arrived at 6:50 a.m. to clean the facility, said Redding police Sgt. Mike Wood.

Brooks come out of the bathroom with a claw hammer and tried to hit Stevens on the head, but Stevens was able to avoid being hit, Wood said.

A person in the area tried to help Stevens, but by that time Brooks had run away. Officers located and arrested Brooks soon after, said Wood.

Brooks, who is on probation for carrying a concealed weapon, was booked into the Shasta County Jail on the suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats, according to law enforcement.

Anderson considers police cadet program

Anderson's City Council will consider whether to implement a police cadet program at its meeting Tuesday evening.

Police chief Michael Johnson is asking for two part-time cadet positions in the department's patrol division at about $10-$14 an hour.

The positions target young adults with an interest in a law enforcement career. Cadets would have non-emergency duties, such as subpoena service, equipment maintenance and traffic control, he said.

They would cost between $25,000 and $35,000 per year, he said. He said he has made the officers' union aware of the program.

The city would use public safety tax money for the positions. Council will convene at 6 p.m. Tuesday at 1887 Howard St.
Marijuana grows in a collective.

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By Gordon Friedman, Statesman Journal

Legalization of marijuana in Oregon has created at least 2,165 jobs and will add more as the market matures, a new report suggests.

Nearly $46 million in payroll will be paid to retail cannabis employees statewide in 2016, according to the "Oregon Cannabis Jobs Report," sponsored by cannabis industry consulting firms New Economy Consulting and Whitney Economics.

By comparison, Oregon's beer, wine and liquor sector employed 1,450 people and paid $28 million in wages in 2015, according to Employment Department data.

The department estimates there are nearly 2,500 dispensary employees statewide.

But the industry report delves beyond employment numbers and into potential effects of the cannabis industry. It concludes the market is "much stronger" than previously thought.

The total economic impact of paying cannabis workers could be in the hundreds of millions, said Beau Whitney, one of four authors of the report. As cannabis workers spend their wages, they cause an economic "ripple effect," he said.

Other key findings of the report include:

About $46 million in payroll to retail cannabis workers is expected in 2016, with a potential economic effect of $196 million by 2017 year-end.

Up to 27 percent growth is anticipated in retail cannabis jobs by the end of 2017, based on high-growth projections.

The cash-only nature of business makes it difficult to provide benefits to employees.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which oversees marijuana business licensing, has received more than 950 license applications. Ten have been granted.

The report's authors gathered their data by conducting confidential telephone and online surveys of dispensaries registered with the Oregon Health Authority.

The survey achieved a 55 percent response rate. Its margin of error is +/-10 percentage points.

Send questions, comments or news tips to gfriedman2@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6653. Follow on Twitter @GordonRFriedman.
Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight People protest the arrest of Donald Mobley Monday in front of the Shasta District Courthouse.

SHARE Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight E.J. Disney and others protest the arrest of Donald Mobley on Monday in front of the Shasta District Courthouse.

By Alayna Shulman of the Redding Record Searchlight

About 20 people protested outside Shasta County's courthouse Monday morning for Donald "Blue" Mobley, the recently jailed Cottonwood man who they see as a local folk hero after he refused to stop housing homeless veterans despite warnings from the county.

While Mobley's Friday arrest was for alleged marijuana and gun violations, supporters say they believe he was targeted for rebelling against county code enforcement officials over letting homeless veterans live on his property.

"I think it has to do with the fact that he's standing up for himself," said Brenda Young, a supporter protesting outside the courthouse with a sign that read, "Blue has done nothing except support veterans."

Mobley and his supporters say the 1,844 marijuana plants and 75 pounds of processed pot were for legal prescriptions, not for sales as sheriff's deputies allege. But because the county has an ordinance banning any outdoor grows, some of the plants are in violation of Measure A regardless.

Interviewed by telephone from the Shasta County Jail Monday morning, Mobley said the charges are "all bogus," and he, too, believes his arrest is about more than code violations.

"It's a personal grudge issue for code enforcement," he said. "I definitely feel singled out."

Accordingly, Mobley said he believes he'll be exonerated of all charges.

E.J. Disney, one of the veterans Mobley has helped, said Mobley's assistance prevented him from committing suicide. Disney said he also believes Mobley is being treated unfairly.

"I have never, ever even heard Blue talk about selling marijuana to anybody," Disney said. "It's all about the facilitating for the veterans."

Disney said Mobley's Medicine for Our Military program is not just about literal medicine  it's about helping veterans in whatever way they need.

"It's very important people know it's medicine for our military, not marijuana for our military," he said.

One supporter at the protest, Karen Ball, said she doesn't know Mobley personally but came out because she believes the county should have helped Mobley come into compliance because of the help he offers veterans.

"I think that Shasta County should have helped this guy," she said. "If they were taking care of the problem (with veterans), he wouldn't be out there doing it. This guy made something happen, and now he's getting in trouble. It's not right."

Young compared Mobley's legal trouble with that of James Benno, who also was jailed over a large grow he said was for patients. She said both cases speak to a larger problem in Shasta County that sees marijuana eradication prioritized over harder drugs.

"I myself am not a user, but I've seen other people who have been helped by (marijuana)," she said.

Plenty of drivers going down Court Street honked in apparent support of the protesters, some of whom chanted, "Blue heals, (Sheriff Tom) Bosenko steals."

Bosenko referred comment on the case to another sheriff's official, who could not be reached Monday.
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By Joe Szydlowski of the Redding Record Searchlight

A local minister will take his proposal to establish a for-profit, Christian-based center for training in prophecy, the arts, communications and event-planning in Shasta Lake's industrial park before the City Council Tuesday evening.

Timothy Sherman, who according to his website has preached his evangelical message and taught at churches around the world, including The Vineyard City Church in Redding, is asking the council to overturn the Shasta lake Planning Commission's decision to deny a permit for his training facility, proposed in an existing building at 3595 Iron Court, near Knauf Fiberglass.

Reached Monday afternoon, Sherman declined to comment because he was busy preparing for Tuesday's meeting. His company, Eagles Nest International, Inc., would run the training center as a trade school and offer classes in music, dance, communications, art, marketing, event planning and business, as well as classes on Christianity and Biblical teachings, he has said.

City Development Services Director Carla Thompson is recommending the council uphold the Planning Commission's denial, according to a memo. She cites the same concerns she previously expressed, which include an influx of the general public into an area with hazardous materials and limited emergency access.

Sherman had responded that the city code allows trade schools and doesn't specify what types can or can't exist there. The commission had approved another trade school with a similar style curriculum in the past, he said.

Thompson, however, questioned whether Sherman's business model matches that of a trade school.

"Because the company would focus on producing and distributing their own materials, it appears the classes offered are intended as on-the-job training that would allow individuals in the program to work for Eagle's Nest International rather than seek employment with another company," she said. "This model is much different from a trade school model."

Eagle's Nest would be offering classes, Sherman said. They would cover marketing, publishing, writing, literature, music, event planning, leadership, business and administration, as well as Christian living, prophecy and the Bible, according to documents he filed. It would seek accreditation through the Association for Biblical Higher Education.

In a statement in the agenda, he said the classes would be taught from a Judeo-Christian perspective, though people of all religious affiliations would be welcome to apply.

Two people with businesses in the park, in addition to an attorney for the owner of the building, spoke to the commissioners. One opposed it, citing the additional influx of the general public to an area near facilities with hazardous materials. The attorney, on behalf of the owner, and a previous tenant spoke in favor of the school.

Thompson said in her report the school would be welcome in other parts of the city zoned for commercial use. But because Sherman expects his school to attract, at times, more than 100 people at once, the Iron Court building is the best fit in the city  the commercially zoned buildings are too small.
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By MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  Dozens of American Indian communities on Tuesday joined an initiative to return millions of acres of reservation land to the control of tribal governments as U.S. officials warned the $1.9 billion program will run out of money before the task is completed.

A total of 63 reservations in 16 states in the West and Midwest were added to the Interior Department's "Land Buyback Program," bringing the total number involved to 105.

Included are the Hoopa and Yurok tribes in California.

The land purchases resulted from legal settlement with American Indians led by Elouise Cobell of Montana, who said the U.S. mismanaged trust money held by the government on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Indians.

The program has paid more than $742 million to landowners since 2013. Looking ahead to its 2022 expiration date, Interior officials indicated the remaining money will be gone and they'll need to go back to Congress to work out a solution.

The 1.5 million acres restored to tribes to date represent the "low-hanging fruit" of relatively inexpensive land, said John Dossett, general counsel for the National Congress of American Indians. Land that's more valuable  for example, because it has timber, oil or other natural resources  could cost more and take longer to acquire, he said.

"Tribes were hoping for this $1.9 billion obviously, and it's a very significant down-payment, but it's not going to be enough," Dossett said.

The goal is to consolidate land that has split or "fractionated" ownership, freeing it up for economic development or other uses by tribal governments.

An 1887 law, the Dawes Act, split tribal lands into individual allotments that were inherited by multiple heirs with each passing generation.

As a result, parcels of land on some reservations are owned by dozens, hundreds or even thousands of individual Indians. That can make property all but impossible to sell or develop.

There are nearly 3 million fractional land interests owned by 245,000 people spread over 150 reservations that are eligible for the program. Many of the purchases to date comprised large parcels on Western reservations with a large land base. That includes at least 200,000 acres each on the Crow, Fort Belknap and Fort Peck reservations of Montana and the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River reservations of South Dakota.

Interior Deputy Secretary Michael Connor said in a Tuesday statement that time limits and the money available from the Cobell settlement "do not provide enough to consolidate all fractional interests across Indian Country."

Connor has been told by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to craft options by early July for extending the life of the program.

That could include bumping back the expiration date, adding more money or some combination of the two, said Interior spokeswoman Treci Johnson.

California tribes added to program

 Blue Lake Rancheria, California

 Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, California

 Hoopa Valley Tribe, California

 Morongo Band of Mission Indians, California

 Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Rincon Reservation, California

 Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, California

 Yurok Tribe of the Yurok Reservation, California
You can tell by the TV ratings that few are interested in this contest: The two debates involving five candidates with the highest poll ratings among almost three-dozen aspirants to replace the retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer drew some of the smallest audiences of any political gabfests this year.

One potential result could be the first really big showcase for the top two primary system.

If there's one thing the presidential race demonstrates, it's that politics are entertaining when charismatic candidates with media skills emerge, like longtime reality TV star Donald Trump. All debates he's done were ratings bonanzas for the cable networks showing them. The same for verbal clashes involving Vermont Sen. Bernard Sanders on the Democratic side.

This contrasts starkly with the California senatorial debates, which suits the longtime leader in the Senate race just fine. State Attorney General Kamala Harris, a Democrat who polled 27 percent of the likely primary vote when she declared for office more than a year ago, managed just a 2 percent gain to 29 percent in a Survey USA poll in early May, after her first encounter with rivals.

Meanwhile, Orange County Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez was up from eight points in the initial survey to 18 in the latest. Taken together, the three Republicans in the race  software entrepreneur Ron Unz and former GOP state chairmen George "Duf" Sundheim and Tom Del Becarro, pulled a mere 25 percent. Unless one or two of them drops out very soon, November could see its first California statewide race matching two people from one party, a landmark made possible by the top two, or "jungle," primary system adopted via Proposition 14 in 2010.

The main difference between the early May polling and last year's was that undecided voters dropped to an abnormally high 30 percent or so from the ultra-high previous level of 48 percent. Like the TV ratings, these numbers show the race arouses little interest, perhaps because of the general assumption it will go to a Democrat in the end, ho-hum.

For Harris, this means she has no need to spend much on maintaining her frontrunner status. Her state job  California government's second most powerful elected office  makes her prominent enough that none of her challengers doubts she'll make it to November.

No one is quite so sure about Sanchez, running second in all surveys. One seeming outlier of a poll in mid-May had Sanchez with a mere 8 percent, just ahead of Unz, the purported Republican leader. But the methodology of that poll was not disclosed and its finding is so different from contemporaneous surveys that not many take it seriously.

Should Sanchez make the runoff, this will soon cease being a ho-hummer. Her presence would set up the very kind of matchup top two primary intends: Two people from the same party, each far more appealing to voters in general than any candidate from the rival major party. But two people with vast contrasts in style, support and substance.

Harris, at times, has demonstrated toughness as attorney general, as when she refused to go along with a preliminary national settlement of cases stemming from the mortgage crisis of 2008-2012 and won California victims of the banking scam far more than they'd have gotten under the original settlement.

Sanchez, meanwhile, tells it exactly as she sees it, evidenced by her statement early this year that between 5 percent and 20 percent of Muslims worldwide want an ISIS-style caliphate to rule everywhere. Refusing to back down in the face of Islamophobia charges, Sanchez said her assessment is backed by both congressional testimony and conversations with Muslim leaders she has met as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Sanchez also is less adamant on gun controls than Harris. And her base of support would be both among Latinos and in Southern California, while Harris would draw her strongest support in the Bay Area, where she was formerly district attorney of San Francisco.

Sanchez, then, might give Republican voters an alternative, a place to go if their party mates are eliminated, always a stated aim of top two primary system. This could produce a more moderate, possibly even more conservative senator than California has seen in a generation.

So while this race has not yet excited many, stay tuned and it just might.

Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com.
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Unlike the November ballot that will be crowded with choices on taxes, marijuana and more, voters have only one measure to decide on the June 7 primary ballot.

On balance, Proposition 50 is worth supporting as a step to help keep California's legislators in line. It is a constitutional amendment that would allow the state Assembly or Senate to suspend a lawmaker without pay or benefits.

We hope that this tool is rarely needed  and it should only be used for criminal cases or egregious misconduct, not for political retribution.

While it would be better if Proposition 50 more specifically laid out when it could apply, there is a safeguard. It would require a two-thirds vote of the Senate or Assembly, rather than the simple majority to suspend a lawmaker now and only with pay.

The Legislature can expel one of its members, but that isn't necessarily fair when a lawmaker has been charged, but not convicted.

That predicament arose in 2014, when three senators were charged with crimes. The Senate, under the leadership of then-President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento, took the unprecedented step of suspending all three  Rod Wright, convicted of perjury and voter fraud; Ron Calderon, indicted on corruption charges; and Leland Yee, also accused of corruption.

While they were suspended, all three continued to draw their $97,000 annual salary. Calderon and Yee kept getting paid until their terms ended; Yee later pleaded guilty and is in prison, while Calderon still hasn't been tried. Wright didn't resign until after he was sentenced to jail, an outrage.

To improve accountability, Steinberg proposed Proposition 50 and legislators overwhelmingly supported it.

On Thursday, state senators stepped on their message by voting to lift the fundraising blackout period they imposed on themselves after the 2014 scandals. The Senate rule banned senators from taking campaign donations during budget negotiations and the final month of the session.

President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, seeking to protect his members, pushed to lift the ban because Democratic Assemblywoman Nora Campos of San Jose is challenging Sen. Jim Beall, another San Jose Democrat. Campos could raise money, but Beall could not. Hard-knuckled politics trumped principle.

Whether Proposition 50 passes or not, it's ultimately up to voters to use the ballot to police elected officials.

The Sacramento Bee
The need of the hour is to support e-commerce companies through benign policies and not to treat them as mere cash cows, says Kumar Visalaksh.

The recent trend of successive state governments targeting e-commerce companies by resorting to the highly controversial entry tax is worrying.



The last 18 months saw states such as Uttarakhand, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh introduce specific provisions in their entry tax enactments to tax e-commerce transactions whereas states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have also announced their intention to levy entry tax on e-commerce transactions.



If reports are to be believed, many other states are likely to follow suit.

Take the example of the legislation of Uttarakhand and Gujarat.



In their bid to target e-commerce companies, these states have levied entry tax per se on all goods purchased through e-commerce transactions although under the general scheme, entry tax is levied only on those goods which find specific mention in the schedules to the entry tax legislation.

The levy is a clear deviation from the scheme as it targets a particular stream of business, viz. e-commerce.



Usually charged as a percentage of the value of goods, entry tax significantly increases the cost of goods traded through e-commerce, in comparison to the cost of the same goods available at a store, thereby making the option wholly unattractive for the customers of these states as well as the retailers who wish to sell their goods through e-commerce platforms.



In effect, the steep increase in the cost of goods makes the entire e-commerce business model unviable for both the sellers as well as their prospective customers.

Hence, it came as no surprise that the constitutionality of the amended Uttarakhand entry tax provisions were immediately challenged in the Uttarakhand High Court.



The challenge was on two counts - first, for the discriminatory treatment meted out to goods purchased through e-commerce companies by specifically taxing such goods brought from other states at a higher rate and thereby violating the equality guarantee enshrined in Article 14 of our Constitution; second, for infringement of freedom of trade, commerce and intercourse of e-commerce afforded in Article 301 of the Constitution.



In these facts, the Uttarakhand High Court summarily stayed the levy with a direction to release the seized goods.

Perhaps the state government's approach to specifically target the e-commerce industry weighed heavily on the bench.

Unlike Uttarakhand and Gujarat, other states such as Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar have restrained themselves from taxing goods purchased through e-commerce outright.

However, these states have provided for a separate entry tax collection mechanism only in respect of e-commerce transactions, making the transporters or courier companies liable for payment of entry tax and thus exposing them to onerous compliance.

In fact in Assam, a transporter is required to deposit a minimum of Rs 300,000 of advance entry tax after obtaining registration and fulfilling other compliance requirements on behalf of e-commerce companies.

While these states may argue that such a move is non-discriminatory, in reality it works to the detriment of the e-commerce companies as this aspect of compliance is to be weighted in light of the well-known fact that despite all claims of simplification, the very task of compliance itself under the Indian tax laws remains a time-consuming and tedious job, not to mention that it is seldom monetarily rewarding.

Further, the intention of the states is suspect as it is perhaps the first time that transporters or courier companies are made responsible for compliance which otherwise is not their headache in the ordinary course of the business of transportation when done for domestic dealers.

As these registration and collection provisions equally impinge upon the very fundamentals of e-commerce trade, viz. free movement of goods, e-commerce companies have been prompt to challenge their constitutionality before the jurisdictional high courts.

Hence, provisions of Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar stand challenged and are pending adjudication.

Be that as it may, interestingly, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court in Jindal Stainless Ltd (2006) has held that for a levy of entry tax to survive, it has to be established by the state that such tax is compensatory in nature, viz. it should provide a direct quantifiable benefit to the payee.

Hence, the states have to show that a direct quantifiable benefit is provided to e-commerce companies.

This is going to be a huge challenge as most of the e-commerce companies are registered in one state and their only interface with other states happens on account of purchase on "their e-commerce platform" by the customer in these states.

Further, it is not as if sales on e-commerce platforms are exempt from tax.

In fact, any sale of goods to a customer is subjected to full levy of sales tax in the state of the selling dealer, viz. CST (central sales tax) at full rate, similar to retail sales that take place across the counter between the seller and the buyer where VAT (value added tax) is paid.

It appears that this antagonistic approach of the state governments towards the e-commerce industry stems partly from their ignorance of the gains of these companies to the economy and partly from their greed to garner maximum revenue even if it involves the much flayed regressive approach to taxation.

In fact, expert studies of the e-commerce business model followed in the US and the European Union have shown that in the long run it proves beneficial to the economy.

The state governments must be conscious of the fact that the e-commerce industry is at a nascent stage in India and needs support through benign policies.

The current approach of the states to levy entry tax on e-commerce transactions is clearly adversarial and deserves an urgent review.

(With research inputs from Dhruv Bhattacharya, associate.)

The author is partner, tax, at Economic Laws Practice, Advocates and Solicitors, Delhi.
Vijay Mallya, whose now-defunct group company Kingfisher Airlines owes over Rs 9,000 crore (Rs 90 billion) to 17 banks, had left the country on March 2.

In another blow to beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya, the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) on Tuesday directed New-York based J P Morgan Bank not to disburse to him $40 million of the $75 million sweetheart deal struck between him and Diageo PLC.

During the proceedings, the DRT here also took the bankers to task for not exercising due deligence and take appropriate action to prevent Mallya from receiving $40 million.

In tandem, the Tribunal also directed New York-based JP Morgan Bank to "attach" (submit) before it the statements of accounts held by Mallya in the bank.

DRT Presiding Officer Benakanahalli also directed companies including Watson Limited, a Mallya-affiliated firm, to attach shares before the Tribunal.

The directions until further orders came during the hearing on two applications filed by the consortium of banks led by SBI.

The consortium had prayed for directions from the Tribunal not to disburse $40 million of the $75 million severance package deal arrived at between Diageo and Mallya and to ask JP Morgan Bank to attach before DRT statements of the account held by Mallya in their bank.

The banks also sought attachment of shares of companies including Watson Limited, a Mallya-affiliated firm, before the Tribunal.

Diageo, the worlds largest spirits maker, which acquired control of United Spirits (USL) in 2012, had issued a guarantee to Standard Chartered Bank for a $135 million (around Rs 900 crore) loan to Watson to release certain UBL shares that were to be acquired as part of the deal.

The company, in their statement, had said that the risk had arisen due to default by Watson in May and DRT preventing sale or any other transfer of such UBL shares in June as part of the enforcement process pending further orders following the petition by bankers.

Pulling up the banks, Benakanahalli said, "My question is I will do it, but what were the banks doing to take due deligence of taking appropriate action to know the details of transaction being done between the two parties, which everybody knew, even prior to arriving at sweetheart deal.

"What were the banks doing? Are you not supposed to pester him (Mallya) and find out where he has deposited the money; where it was received - things like that," he said.

Benkanahalli said "Applications are being filed by the banks to show that you are doing technical works - you are not doing actual work of collecting the details of transactions."

The Presiding Officer said there was no need for the banks to have waited for the actual deal to have taken place, and they could have acted prior to it when information about it was in the public domain.

"Why the banks kept silent till the agreement was signed? They should have started the process much before... It only indicates there is no information between national governments (between India and Britain)," he said.

Benakanahalli said "the banks should have written a letter to the union government, alerting them of the transaction, and in turn the union government could have written to the UK government to seek information on the deal...but you have not done. This absolutely is not done. If you would have taken due deligence there wouldn't have been any necessity for the banks to move these applications before the DRT."

He also rapped the banks for not asking the borrower - Mallya and his companies, seeking declaration of his assets through an affidavit before doling out loans.

"Disclosure of assets is an act which has to be actually undertaken by the banks. He (Mallya) has not disclosed the assets and why have you (banks) not sought submission of affidavit in this regard before giving loans. I don't know why," he said. The next hearing is scheduled for June 2.



Mallya, whose now-defunct group company Kingfisher Airlines owes over Rs 9,000 crore (Rs 90 billion) to 17 banks, had left the country on March 2 and is in the UK.

With Britain recently declining India's request to deport him, the government has approached Interpol for issuance of an arrest warrant against Mallya in connection with a money laundering case being probed by the ED.
The note asked officers to refrain from making vague requests and instead ensure that relevant facts and background of the case are clearly brought out and are backed by details pointing out of the relevant information for the purposes of administration and enforcement of Indian tax laws

Amid investigation into Panama Papers leak, the Income Tax department has issued detailed guidance to taxman on how to place information request to tax havens such as British Virgin Islands, for better outcome.

The note guides taxman to avoid seeking voluminous details as it might not receive adequate attention by the BVI authorities.

It further asked officers to respond to the clarification sought by the BVI authorities within 15 days of receipt.

The note advises officers on what information to seek from BVI including details of beneficial ownership, besides the process to be followed such as specifically listing out the information required.

The standard provides that the Contracting States are not at liberty to engage in fishing expeditions or to request information that is unlikely to be relevant to the tax affairs of a given taxpayer, the note pointed out.

The move comes at a time when the government is investigating names of nearly 500 Indians, including Bollywood actors and corporate honchos who figure in the documents leaked from Mossack Fonseca, the Panama law firm.

The I-T department has sent out written notices to all Indian residents mentioned in the Panama Papers, followed by a detailed questionnaire.

A committee under Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia has been set up, which is investigating the case.

. . . A lot of requests are likely to be made to the BVI in the near future in view of the investigations being carried out in the Panama Papers.

Even though the Exchange of Information Cell of India has been making continuous efforts to improve the efficiency and efficacy of the information exchange process with BVI, a large number of deficiencies are being observed in the EOI requests sent by field officers, said the note.

In a lot of cases it has been found that investments by Indian residents were routed through the British Virgin Islands.

In view of the investigations carried out in Panama Papers, the I-T department foresees increased EOI requests to BVI in the near future, said Rakesh Nangia, managing partner at Nangia & Co.

The note asked officers to refrain from making vague requests and instead ensure that relevant facts and background of the case are clearly brought out and are backed by details pointing out of the relevant information for the purposes of administration and enforcement of Indian tax laws.

This will help the BVI authorities provide the information requested, prevent legal challenges to proceedings in accessing information, if any, and will, therefore, obviate the need for further clarifications sought from the Indian authorities by BVI.

The guidance has provided background to field officers on the procedure for incorporating a company in the BVI and shareholding or directors of BVI companies.
The United Breweries board would continue to maintain confidence in UB Chairman Vijay Mallya unless he was convicted or asked to step down to conform with regulatory requirements, said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, an old friend of Mallya and an independent board member at UB.

If they are willing to offer me safe passage, I am willing to come and answer all questions, Mazumdar-Shaw, recalled him as saying.

I feel Im being victimised, so, right now, Im in no position to return till Im treated fairly.

Mallya participated in the board meeting of UB via a video call late last week.

During the meeting, Mallya addressed concerns of the UB board, where he remains the chairman. The board development was first reported in The Economic Times.

UB, once controlled by Mallya, is now majority-owned by Dutch beer maker Heineken; he had sold sold stake to raise money to fund the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

The latter's failure also caused the collapse of Mallyas liquor empire -- he'd once controlled the largest spirits and beverages maker in the country.

And, has been left owing about Rs 9,000 crore (Rs 90 billion) of loans to a group of banks.

Mallya, in self-exile in Britain, had proposed to participate in the Enforcement Directorates ongoing probe of him via video conferencing; the suggestion was rejected by the investigative agency.

He has apparently said he was being victimised and was willing to return for questioning if the government assured him safe passage.

Mallya is facing investigations by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation over money laundering charges on a Rs 900-crore loan raised from IDBI Bank for the defunct airline.

The money was sanctioned despite an internal IDBI report to not advance the money.

The UBL board includes Frans Erik Eusman, the Asia-Pacific head of Heineken.

Mallya told the board he was in a difficult position and due to this, could not return to India.

He would keep them posted about new developments in the case against him.

Mallya added that he continued trying to reach out to banks to settle his dues that amount to Rs 9,000 crore (Rs 90 billion).

Questioned about how he was planning to settle the dues of employees of Kingfisher Airlines, Shaw quoted Mallya as saying he'd made an offer to settle these through United Breweries Holdings a while earlier but his bank accounts were frozen and the Karnataka high court had denied him the route.

Mallya left the country on March 2 and has had his passport revoked.

The government of Britain has apparently advised Delhi to look at the extradition route to bring him back.

Image: Vijay Mallya. Photograph: Reuters
Congress vice-president sold his shops to a Welspun group firm and made 280% gains in 4 years

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi made significant gains in a couple of real estate transactions between 2005 and 2010.

The member of Parliament purchased two shops in MGF Metropolitan mall in Delhis Saket area during the tenure of the first United Progressive Alliance government and sold it during the term of UPA-II at thrice the cost price, records reviewed by Business Standard showed.

The shops became a subject of a political controversy last week after Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya linked these to the alleged irregularities in AgustaWestland helicopter deals.

Gandhi bought these shops for Rs 1.47 crore (Rs 14.7 million) in December 2005 from an Emaar MGF group firm and sold these in February 2010 for Rs 5.6 crore (Rs 56 million).

An arm of Mumbai-based Welspun group bought the shops helping Gandhi realise a gain of Rs 4.13 crore (Rs 41.3 million) or 280 per cent over four years and two months.

The returns were impressive given that the property market took a steep downturn after peaking around mid-2008.

An email seeking comments sent to Gandhis office last week and subsequent reminders did not elicit any response.

In a statement last week, real estate firm Emaar MGF had said its group company had sold two shops in Metropolitan Saket Mall to Rahul Gandhi on December 6, 2005 at prevailing market rates and dismissed Somaiyas allegations as false and baseless.

The larger of the two shops was about 1,000 sq ft, while the other was about half its size. The Emaar group firm sold these at the rate of Rs 9,750 per square feet (psf), costing a little over Rs 1.47 crore (Rs 14.7 million).

The transaction was commercial and commensurate with the market rate of the day, a fact evident from records of other transactions during same period, Emaar said, adding this entire transaction is transparent and has been well disclosed publicly in the past.

According to a detailed list of shops sold between 2003 and 2005 released by Emaar, the price paid by Gandhi was the highest among 67 such deals. Rates ranged from Rs 3,000 to Rs 9,750 psf.

The shops were never leased nor bought back by the company from Rahul Gandhi at any time.

Further, according to the records, the shops were further sold to Worli Realty Private Limited on February 4, 2010.

Worli Realty Private Limited is not related to any of our companies and/or promoters, Emaar MGF added said in its statement.

Business Standard reviewed the balance sheet and other documents of Worli Realty filed with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

The records showed that the company belonged to Mumbai-based Welspun group, originally known for its towels and bedsheets, but has since diversified into renewable energy and real estate.

Most of its shares were owned by Welspun Infrastructure & Developers, which was recently amalgamated into Welspun Fintrade, MCA filings showed.

The balance sheet showed that the company incorporated in January 2008 did not own any fixed asset in the first two years.

The balance sheet for financial year ended March 2010 showed fixed assets of Rs 5.6 crore (Rs 56 million) for the first time.

An annexure to the balance sheet containing schedule of fixed assets described these as buildings (leasehold shops).

After depreciation, net fixed assets were valued at Rs 5.59 crore (Rs 55.9 million).

According to FY14 balance sheet, the latest available, the shops were valued at Rs 5.22 crore (Rs 52.2 million), net of depreciation.

In response to an email questionnaire sent to a Welspun group spokesperson, a reply from the official id of Worli Realty said, Worli Realty Private Ltds main object clause includes purchase, sell, develop, take on lease or hire or otherwise acquire any real estate including lands, buildings, factories, houses, shops.

Accordingly, the company is engaged in real estate business.

In FY10, the company purchased two shops in the ordinary course of its business at the total cost of Rs 560.73 lakh (Rs 5.6 million) inclusive of stamp duty and registration charges.

This purchase was done in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations.

At the sale price of Rs 5.6 crore (Rs 56 million), the properties, which totalled 1,510 sq ft fetched rates of about Rs 37,000 psf.

Real estate prices peaked in mid-2008 and have been under pressure through the global financial crisis that followed collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008.

Average capital values in the Indian commercial real estate sector are still 25 per cent lower than the most recent peaks seen in mid-2008, according to a 2015 report by property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle.

Six years later, on Tuesday, property website 99acres.com showed two shops available fo

A third shop, which was relatively small at an area of 170 sq ft, was listed at a price of Rs 50,000 psf.

A Delhi-based businessman, who deals in high-end property, said: Commercial space in the mall were quoting at around Rs 20,000 psf in 2010; now these are around Rs 40,000.

Business Standard looked at some reports on the commercial property from that time.

Most of these pointed to the rates suggested by this businessman or sometimes even lesser.

A Business Today report said the average commercial property rates in Delhi National Capital Region was Rs 10,000 psf.

Saket micro district comes behind Connaught Place and Nehru Place in the pecking order.

According to a report by CB Richard Ellis, capital values in the Saket micro market started falling from the Rs 20,000-25,000 range in the third quarter of 2008 to around Rs 14,000 psf in the second quarter of 2009.

It continued to be at that level till the second quarter of 2010, said the report.

The report also put the rental values in Saket at Rs 133 psf per month.

This works out to annual rental earnings of around Rs 1,600 psf.

Commercial rental yields in Delhi have been 8-11 per cent.

That puts the capital value of properties in the region even at the upper end at Rs 20,000 psf.

At this price, the shops sold by Gandhi would have fetched around Rs 3 crore (Rs 30 million).

Image: Rahul Gandhi. Photograph: Reuters
If you're looking for immediate returns on your investment, it is unlikely to happen in today's environment says Anjuli Bhargava.

Your daughter is in grade 12 in a well-known and respected school in Delhi.

She's smart, bright and gets high grades.

She may not be top of the class but she's well above average.

After grade 12, most of her classmates are planning to leave the country for further studies. They are headed to the United States, the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Scotland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and even Ireland.

She, too, wants to go out of the country. She feels it is the way to go.

You are in a good job. You earn a decent sum every year, let's say enough to put you in the high net worth bracket. You have three cars. You live in a house you own and possess an apartment that is like an investment. You travel two or three times a year -- once maybe overseas.

You invest through SIPs in mutual funds. Everyone in your house has a MacBook, an iPad, a nice phone. There's a widescreen television in almost every room.

You are comfortably off -- you don't really need to think before you spend but you don't have cash to throw around either. You are a member of a couple of clubs in your city. Your wife doesn't work.

Your daughter's overseas education would set you back by around Rs 1.2 to 2 crore depending on the value of the rupee. You know her heart is set on it but you know it will be a bit of a stretch for you. What in this situation should you do?

For the last year or so that I have been writing on this subject, more and more people I come across seem to be facing this dilemma.

Earlier, these conversations were restricted to drawing rooms of the more privileged schools in the capital. But now it has spread to the others, including a host of international schools that have sprung up around the country, reflecting the rising incomes and aspirations of the parents' communities.

An IIT professor, who I met recently and who had gone to speak at a function at one of the larger Delhi Public School institutions, said the principal mentioned that almost 800 in a recent batch of 1,200 were looking at studying overseas.

So I spoke to five education consultants on whether it did or didn't make sense in today's environment to shell out the big amount needed to fund a foreign education.

While they had a number of points to make, there was one thing all five of them agreed upon. If your child is not making it into one of the top 30 to 40 colleges in the US -- or a high-ranking institution in the UK or Europe -- better look at whether the money you are shelling out is being well spent.

If it is stretching you financially, think many times over. There's very little to choose between a B-grade college here in India and a B-grade college in the States.

If she is not making it into one of the more reputable places, she might as well graduate from one of the less reputable places here at a fraction of the cost.

Second, in general a good education is an investment, not an expense. You give your child a good education and leave her capable of earning the amount invested many times over so one can't view something like this from a narrow lens.

But if you are looking for immediate returns on your investment, it is unlikely to happen in today's environment where there are visa troubles and a squeeze on jobs.

In America and other Western economies, the economic downturn since 2008 has dried up the jobs that might have previously been available for Indians and other Asians directly on campus.

Almost every student they could think of is back after studies, and while few admit it the primary reason is because they can't find the kind of work they were hoping to secure post-degree.

If you can afford to send your child just for the exposure, then by all means go right ahead. Almost everyone agrees the experience is invaluable.

And finally, remember that some children come with an inherent drive and they will do well regardless of what they do and where they find themselves.

Hunger, drive and ambition are usually inborn and while you can kill hunger by over-indulgent parenting and excess, ambition, if it is inborn, usually raises its head at some stage.

Examples of children who have done well despite the system -- not thanks to it -- abound.

All your steering may amount to naught or your laid-back approach can yield wonderful results. Not everything is in our control.

Lead image used for representational purposes only. Image: Larry Downing/Reuters

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'Aishwarya is the most beautiful woman in the world. I still remember when I was in school and college, I used to see her in commercials and I always felt she was the best.'

Darshan Kumaar gushes about his new co-star.

Darshan Kumaar is working with the 'most beautiful woman in the world', and he's very excited.

The young actor will be seen in Ash's next film Sarbjit, directed by Omung Kumar.

Not that he's not worked with gorgeous Bollywood actresses before -- he's already played husband to Priyanka Chopra in Mary Kom, and was Anushka Sharma's worst nightmare in NH 10.

Darshan chats with Jahnavi Patel/ Rediff.com, and tells her what it's like working with Ash, and the character he would really like to play.

What convinced you to take up this film?

The script, the director, the producer and my role. The main thing was my role because I think he is the face of humanity. Whatever he has done is beyond a common mans comfort zone.

He faced a lot of trouble because he was defending Sarabjit, an Indian in Pakistan. His family also faced problems. I felt he was the hero of the film.

Was it easy to get the mannerisms of the character?

It was tough. He is a lawyer, with a different kind of body language. They get very little time in front of the judge, so they try to do things fast.

Their body language also becomes very active; they are active all the time.

My character (named Awais Sheikh) is very active and lean, and because of that I had to shed more than 10 kilos within 10 days. He has a different kind of personality -- he plays with his shirt -- and he is very positive.

Catching his body language and accent was tough. In Pakistan, their Urdu has a Punjabi touch. I would download his videos and watch them.

Depicting a real character is really tough because the audience can google him. But I think I managed somehow because he (Awais Sheikh) called me. He isnt in Pakistan; he had to leave the country because he was fighting for Indians. He lives in Sweden. He told me that he felt like he was performing. That was a big compliment for me.

Did you get a chance to meet him?

No. He came here to meet Omung sir (Omung Kumar) but I couldnt meet him.

IMAGE: Omung Kumar and Darshan Kumaar on the set of Sarabjit

Did you meet any lawyer to learn the nuances?

I did. Catching their language from watching films isnt possible, so I thought I should go to the courts and see how they behave.

I am a celebrity, so it isnt easy to go there. So I would dress in simple clothes, cover my face and go and observe them for hours.

One of my friends is a lawyer, and I asked him about the typical words they use and how they approach judges.

How was it working with Aishwarya?

I think I was the last one to be cast in the film.

I was so excited because Aishwarya is the most beautiful women in the world. I still remember when I was in school and college, I used to see her in commercials and I always felt she was the best.

When I learnt that I was working with her, I got very excited. I wanted to meet her and perform with her, as she is a good actor.

When I started working with her, I realised she is very caring.

When I told my friends that I was doing a film with Ash, they were so jealous.

You aren't playing the lead in the film. Was that ever a matter of concern?

I always think the script is the hero of the film. When I read the script, I felt all characters have their journey.

I felt Awais Sheikh is also a hero in the film. He comes in the latter part of the film but what he does only a hero can do. You need courage to do these things.

IMAGE: Omung Kumar, Randeep Hooda, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sarabjit Singh's daughter Poonam, sister Dalbir and wife Sukhpreet, Richa Chadha and Darshan Kumaar. Photograph: Pradeep Bandekar

Have you met Sarabjit Singhs family?

Yes, I met them during the Punjab shoot, and also after we finished shooting.

Dalbirji (Dalbir Kaur, Sarabjits sister) is very kind and nice. She calls me everyday, she has become family.

Are you a director's actor, or do you have your inputs?

I am a method actor, and have a theatre background.

I'm a one-take actor. In NH 10, there were no second takes.

In Mary Kom, theres a scene where I have to propose to Priyanka Chopra. There was a long dialogue, and they said I wouldn't do it (in one take) but I did.

Touch wood, I am famous for that!

IMAGE: Priyanka Chopra and Darshan Kumaar in Mary Kom

Has the theatre training helped you?

Yes, in every way. Theatre is must for any actor. When you perform (in a play), you see the audience reaction right away. You know where you going as an actor. It's a great feeling.

What kind of roles do you want to explore?

I want to play James Bond. The sky is the limit.

What are your future projects?

My next film is Mirza Juliet, which is releasing after Sarbjit. It is a love story with a political background.
The Malegaon blasts case and the 1993 Mumbai blasts case have a strange parallel.

Syed Firdaus Ashraf explains how the two terror cases separated by ideological motives and nearly a decade between them found a curious commonality.

In my teenage years I was the proud owner of a motorcycle that I drove all across the city.

I often lent my motorcycle to friends and family who wanted it for a ride.

It had become what they call in Mumbai 'janta ka motorcycle.' Whoever wanted the bike, perhaps to take his girlfriend out or in an emergency, asked me for it and I willingly handed over the keys.

Fast forward some 25 years. I read Sadhvi Pragya's case and realised how frightening things can get if you trust friends and relatives with the ease that I did.

For those who came in late, Sadhvi Pragya featured prominently in the Malegaon blast case.

She had bought an LML motorcycle (registered number GJ 05 BR 1920) in 2003. Although the bike was registered in her name, one of her acquaintances, Shivnarayan Kalsangra, rode it regularly.

Shivnarayan Kalsangra later gave the bike to a relative, Ramji Kalsangra.

Investigators believe Ramji Kalsangra placed explosives on the motorcycle and parked it in a busy area of Malegaon, Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. The bike's engine and the chassis number had been been tampered with.

Ramji Kalsangra, investigators say, had cleverly used a fake number plate so that the police would not detect who the bike's owner.

The aim was to target as many Muslims as possible -- Malegaon has a large Muslim communnity -- revenge for the blasts then frequently occuring in the country in which the accused were Muslims.

Seven people died in the Malegaon blast.

During the investigation, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad headed by senior police officer Hemant Karkare -- who was killed on 26/11 by Ajmal Kasab and his accomplice -- retrieved the bike's engine number after conducting a chemical test at a Nashik laboratory and after getting in touch with the LML company.

The ATS discovered that Sadhvi Pragya had bought the motorcycle. She was arrested and charged in the Malegaon blast case.

Based on this evidence Sadhvi Pragya has been in jail for the last eight years, awaiting a court verdict.

When she was arrested, Sadhvi Pragya repeatedly told the police that she had sold the motorcycle to a man named Sunil Joshi in October 2004 for Rs 24,000 and was being held illegally by the police.

Sadhvi Pragya is also one of the accused in Joshi's murder. He was killed in December 29, 2007.

Last week, the National Investigating Agency diluted the case against Sadhvi Pragya and Shiv Narayan Kalsangra by dropping the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against both of them.

Ramji Kalsangra is still absconding. He is also an accused in the Samjhauta train blast case.

Since the court has not delivered its verdict, we won't know if the sadhvi is a terrorist or not. Did she knowingly give the motorcycle keys to Kalsangra? Or was she unaware of the plot?

What we do know is that she landed in trouble for giving Shivnarayan Kalsangra the keys to her motorcycle.

A similar thing happened to Rubina Memon, the sister-in-law of the absconding terrorist Ibrahim 'Tiger' Memon, the main conspirator in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts which killed over 250 people.

Rubina lived in Dubai from August 1992 to August 1994 with her husband Suleiman and two children.

She was not present in Mumbai when the serial blasts shocked the city that Friday in March 1993, but the investigation headed by then deputy commissioner of police Rakesh Maria found a link to the conspirators through Rubina Memon.

On March 12, 1993, one cell of terrorists with explosives in a Maruti van were unnerved when gas started leaking in the vehicle near Worli, central Mumbai.

The van was meant to travel to the Mumbai municipal corporation headquarters in south Mumbai and wreak havoc there.

The gas leak forced the terrorists to abandon the van. A day later, the Mumbai police discovered the van and defused the explosives.

Investigations revealed that the van was owned by Rubina Memon who owned Flat 25 on the sixth floor of the Al Hussaini Co-operative Housing Society Limited, Mahim, north central Mumbai. She also owned a garage in the building.

After her arrest, Rubina told the police the van had been gifted to her by her father-in-law Abdul Razak Memon, and that she had no idea what it was being used for.

The prosecution told the court that although Rubina lived in Dubai, the van was in her name.

According to the prosecution, if the van was used for terrorist activities, then the same would lead to the logical conclusion that these acts would not have taken place without Rubina's permission.

In addition to this charge, Rubina was also charged with making arrangements to finance terrorist (external link) activities through her bank accounts.

A TADA court sentenced Rubina Memon to life imprisonment. The sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court.

Her husband Suleiman Memon, who lived with her in Dubai, was acquitted as no charge could be proved against him.

The lesson that all vehicle owners must take from these two women is that one must be extremely careful before lending one's vehicle to family or friends.
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli at Hyderabad House, New Delhi, in February. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

India's unpopularity coincides with China lengthening its shadows in Nepal, says Rajeev Sharma.

The Narendra Modi government's Nepal policy is in tatters.

Nepal is the only South Asian country Modi has visited twice. He was keen on paying a third visit on May 21 to Lumbini on Buddh Purnima, but the K P Sharma Oli government scuttled it.

Relations between the Modi government and the Oli government were never warm since the latter came to power last October. Today the relations are frosty, belying the weather in the two countries. So much so that India-Nepal relations are far worse today than they were when the Modi government assumed office two years ago.

Some recent developments have triggered major reversals, seen rarely in India-Nepal affairs. First, the Oli government abruptly called off President Bidhya Devi Bhandari's visit to India, which was cleared by Nepal's envoy in India Deep Kumar Upadhyay. President Bhandari was scheduled to begin her India visit on May 9.

Then, the Oli government took the unprecedented decision of recalling its India envoy who dug in his boots in New Delhi even after he was sacked and declared his intention to join politics to square up against the Oli government. Upadhyay said he has no written or oral instructions from Kathmandu and he continues to be Nepal's ambassador to India. He returned to Kathmandu May 15, ten days after he was recalled.

Even before the controversy surrounding Upadhyay could die out, another controversy started simmering as reports came in that the Oli government was considering declaring India's ambassador in Kathmandu, Ranjit Rae, persona non grata for his alleged sins of omission and commission in toppling the Oli government.

Kamal Thapa, Nepal's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, rubbished these reports, but the very fact that such reports emerged in the Indian media means the matter can't be taken lightly.

Irrespective of whether the Oli government is planning to expel Rae -- an event unheard of in the history of India-Nepal relations -- one thing is sure: India's popularity in Nepal has been nose-diving ever since the Madhesi agitation started nine months ago and was called off four months later.

This is something I saw during my visit to Kathmandu and several Madhesi cities at the peak of the agitation last year. Modi did not polarise only Indian voters during the April-May 2014 Indian general election, he unwittingly polarised the Nepalese as well on the lines of hills versus plains.

While the plains people of Nepal -- broadly speaking, the Madhesis -- look upon Modi as their saviour, the hills people of Nepal demonise him and hold him responsible for all the problems currently plaguing their country.

Whatever may be the truth in the cloak-and-dagger story that the Oli government has been spinning -- accusing the Modi government of trying to topple it -- the blunt truth is that India is fast losing the perception battle among the Nepalese. To rub salt in India's wounds India's unpopularity coincides with China lengthening its shadows in Nepal.

Since the Modi government's advent in India, China has pipped India in the quantum of developmental aid to Nepal. India is out of the top five donors' list in Nepal.

Nepal's latest official data shows that in 2014-2015, India's official development assistance to Nepal saw a dip of over 50 per cent which allowed China to go past India. During this period Indian developmental aid to Nepal shrunk to slightly over $22 million, Chinese aid to Nepal was almost $38 million during this period.

India's ministry of external affairs has rubbished these statistics and said Indian developmental assistance to Nepal continues to be between $50 million and $60 million per annum.

For long, some observers have been predicting the rise of the Chinese influence in Nepal at India's expense. These forecasts are coming true. The development aid statistics prove this. The political turbulence in India-Nepal ties boosts this impression.

It is no mere coincidence that the latest political problems between India and Nepal surfaced on the heels of Oli's China visit.

The slugfest between India and Nepal shows that Modi's foreign policy, particularly in India's immediate neighbourhood, has come to nought. The Nepalese developments have added one more country in the Indian list of problem neighbours.

Thus far, only Pakistan and China figured in this dubious list, while tiny Maldives gave New Delhi goosebumps. Nepal now joins this list.

The Modi government needs to take corrective measures about Nepal. After all, India and Nepal share nearly 1,800 kilometres of open border.

Rajeev Sharma, an independent journalist and strategic columnist, tweets @Kishkindha
In what can be called a rather twisted turn of fate, the mother, the father and the son are all lodged in the same prison.

M I Khan reports.

Suspended Janata Dal-United member of rhe Bihar legislative council Manorama Devi, her husband Bindi and their son Rocky -- accused of allegedly killing Aditya Sachdeva, 20, on May 7, the teenage son of a Gaya businessman, are all lodged at the Gaya Central jail.



Rocky and his father are lodged in the same ward. Rocky is prisoner number 22774, while his father Bindi is prisoner number 22758.



Rocky's mother Manorama is lodged in the women's ward, which is separate from the men's ward in the jail.

She surrendered on Tuesday, May 17, and while being taken to jail from the court, the MLC alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party had got her trapped in the case for political reasons.



The family's palatial home in Gaya's A P Colony is located half a kilometre from the jail.



"There are a number of inmates, including dreaded criminals and Maoists in the jail, well known to Bindi for years," a close associate of Bindi told Rediff.com, adding, "Some of them are providing help to him and his son."



Rocky was arrested on May 10 and sent to 14 days in judicial custody. He was later remanded to police custody for 48 hours and is now back in the jail.



A day after Rocky killed Sachdeva, Bindi was arrested on charges of helping his son to escape, and sent to jail. Bindi, a criminal-turned-politician, who was feared in Gaya, has several serious criminal cases against him.

IMAGE: Janata Dal-United MLC Manorama Devi, after she surrendered to a court in Gaya.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to make public later this week the draft Bill for Delhis full statehood seeking control over police, Delhi Development Authority and transfer and postings of bureaucrats, a move that may set stage for another confrontation with the Centre.

A senior official today said the Delhi government will place the draft bill in public domain and seek comments and suggestions from them, bringing the contentious issue to the fore.

Sources said the New Delhi Municipal Corporation area which houses the Rashtrapati Bhavan, residences of the vice president, the prime minister, parliamentarians and foreign missions will remain untouched in the draft.

In the draft bill, the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation will ensure that institutions such as DDA, the NDMC and the Delhi Police will be accountable to the elected government of the national capital, they said.

The chief minister will make public draft bill for statehood of Delhi this week and seek comments and suggestions from the masses. After receiving suggestions and comments from people, the draft bill will be tabled in Delhi Cabinet for its nod.

Once the draft bill is passed by the Cabinet, it will then be tabled in Delhi assembly. Thereafter, the House will pass a resolution in favour of full statehood for Delhi and then send it to the Centre for Constitutional amendment, a source said, adding Parliament will take the final decision on the issue.

The Delhi government may call a special session to pass the resolution on the issue.

Through the draft bill, the Kejriwal government is likely to seek control over transfer and postings of bureaucrats working with it.

The central government and the AAP dispensation have been at loggerheads over the transfer and postings of officers in the past.

Granting full statehood to the national capital is one of the major electoral promises of the AAP, in the absence of which it has frequently clashed with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre over matters of jurisdiction since assuming office.

The BJP has had an ambivalent stance on the issue although the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had introduced a bill in Parliament in 2003 to confer full statehood to Delhi, which was never passed.

Last year, the AAP had planned to hold a referendum on the issue, which was later shelved after constitutional experts said anything of that sort would be unconstitutional.

In its manifesto, the AAP had declared that it will push for full statehood acting within the constitutional framework and using its moral and political authority.
While speaking at the Women Deliver International Conference in Copenhagen, Melinda Gates announced the funding to collect data on the gender gap, reports Sharat Pradhan.

IMAGE: Melinda Gates, co-chair of the the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation speaks at 4th Women Deliver International Conference in Copenhagen. Photograph: WomenDeliver/Twitter

To end gender discrimination across the globe, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will invest $80 million to create a gender data revolution.

Making this announcement at the 4th Women Deliver International Conference in Copenhagen on Tuesday, Melinda Gates said, We cannot close the gender gap without closing the gender data gap. So, today I am announcing that our foundation will invest $80 million over the next three years to help to do that."

"This new money will improve methodologies for data collection and allow us to collect data in areas such as time use, unpaid work and economic empowerment. It will build on work already under way to provide a fuller, richer picture of the challenges women and girls face," she added.

Emphasising that data alone could not change lives of women, she would see to it that the collected data was put to good use.

"Even the best data in the world will not be able to do much good unless it is used to influence decision making. And it wont do us much good unless it gives women and girls access to healthcare, greater decision making power and increasing economic opportunity. All of this requires patience and persistence," Melinda explained.

The philanthropist felt that even though there was still a long way to go before the ultimate goal of gender equality could be reached, the progress made so far does generate a lot of optimism.

"Since 1990, the number of women dying in pregnancy and childbirth every year has dropped by nearly half. Almost 25 million more women are using modern contraceptives now than three years ago. And globally, there are as many girls as boys going to school," she said.

To elaborate the improving situation, Melinda gave an example of an Indian girl during her visit to India last year.

"During my visit, I met Neelam told me how she and her husband were ostracized by society because their marriage defied tradition. They were financially ruined, and forced to migrate to look for work.

"The pain didnt end there. Neelam was attacked by two men who tried to rape her. Then the community blamed her, and shamed her, for the assault. However, Neelams life turned around when she joined a self-help group. It was in that group she learned new farming techniques which helped not only increase in her crop yields and income, but also regain her confidence and dignity," said Melinda.

She said that Neelam earned more respect and authority at her home especially from her mother-in-law.

"She was able to save for a moped for her teenage sons -- who now boast about her. Her mother-in- law told me that she admires and listens to Neelam. Her husband now does his share of the chores -- sometimes he collects water, or serves food and tea -- and hes proud of it," Melinda said.

Pointing out how things changed for Neelam even outside her home, Melinda said, "Neelam joined a tribal womens network that makes sure the local government provides the services it should. Now, women who ignored her, want her to speak at their meetings."
Absconding Janata Dal-United Member of Legislative Assembly Manorama Devi, whose son Rocky Yadav was arrested in connection with killing of a Gaya youth in an incident of road rage, surrendered in a court on Tuesday and was remanded into 14 days of judicial custody.

As the morning court started for the day, Manorama Devi surrendered in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate-IV Som Sagar.

The court remanded her to 14 days of judicial custody.

The surrender of the ruling party legislator came a week after she went into hiding after issuance of arrest warrant against her in the case of recovery of liquor bottles from her house, during the search for her son Rocky.

The same court is expected to pronounce verdict today on the police prayer filed on Monday for attachment of her property.

The MLC appeared in court even as police was on the lookout for her after an arrest warrant was issued. Asked if police were present in the court premises to arrest her before she could surrender, Senior Superintendent of Police, Gaya, Garima Mallik said the suspended legislator surrendered due to intense police pressure.

With the surrender of the MLC, the entire family of Manorama, including her husband and son, are now in jail in the case of murder of class XII student Sachdeva, who was shot dead allegedly by Rocky Yadav after their car overtook his SUV.

The MLC's lawyer Mohammad Sarfuddin later said that he had told the court that she is not well and proper medical facility should be provided to her in custody. The court accepted this and instructed officials to provide her medical facility.

While being taken to jail from the court, the MLC alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party got her trapped in the case for political reasons.

"Do I drink alcohol that I will keep liquor bottles in my house?" she asked media persons.

To a question, the suspended JD-U MLC said she was with the Grand Secular Alliance ministry. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had on Monday said that nobody could escape from the clutches of law in the Gaya case as well as in the killing of a journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan.

Manorama Devi was suspended from JD-U last week after six bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor were found from her house in posh Anugrah Puri colony in Gaya on May 9 during search for her fugitive son Rakesh Ranjan Yadav alias Rocky Yadav in the case of killing of Aditya Sachdeva.

Her trouble started after suspension from the party. The police included her name in the first information report in connection with recovery of liquor bottles with her husband Bindi Yadav, a Rashtriya Janata Dal man and known history-sheeter of the area, and Rocky.

The police acquired arrest warrant against the MLC but she went into hiding.

The police had got proclamation notice against her. On Monday, the police prayed for order to attach her property. Manorama Devi gave herself to the law only after

exhausting the option to acquire an anticipatory bail. Her anticipatory bail application was rejected by district and sessions judge Sajal Mandilwar.
A Central Reserve Police Force jawan was killed after Naxals attacked a force camp in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh early on Tuesday.

Officials said the incident occurred at about 3:00 am when a Maoist squad mounted sniper fire on a CRPF camp in the jungles of Rangareddy in Gangloor area of the district.

In the ensuing gunbattle, Constable Satish Gaur, 28, who was on sentry duty sustained bullet injuries and later succumbed, they said.

Gaur hailed from Andhra Pradesh and belonged to the 85th battalion of the paramilitary deployed in the area for anti-Naxal operations.

None of the other troops present in the camp were harmed, officials said.

The Maoist firing lasted few minutes after which they fled into the forests, officials said, adding that a search operation has been launched in the area by security forces.

As per preliminary information, the Naxals fired one or two rounds at the 'A' company camp of the 85th battalion of the force located at restive Reddy village under Gangaloor police station limits late on Monday night and fled from the spot, Bijapur Superintendent of Police KL Dhruv told PTI.

According to a senior CRPF official, the camp is located in the close vicinity of Reddy village and preliminary report suggests that bullet was fired from the residential side only.

Therefore, jawans did not immediately retaliate keeping in view the safety of civilians even though the force had launched a hunt to find assailants in the nearby areas, the official added.
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Tuesday refuted media reports which suggested that Bharatiya Janata Party is mulling to remove her and bring in another party leader at the helm of affairs in the state, saying nothing like that is on.

Nothing like that is on, Anandiben told reporters at Indore in Madhya Pradesh where she had gone to participate in the ongoing Simhastha Kumbh at Ujjain and meet spiritual guru Bhaiyu Maharaj.

She blamed the media for linking her and state Health Minister Nitin Patels visit to Delhi, suggesting that a change of leadership in Gujarat was imminent.

The Gujarat CM arrived at Indore to meet spiritual guru Bhaiyu Maharaj at his Vijay Nagar residence. When media persons asked her about reports of change of leadership, she quipped At present, I am here in Indore.

You (media) had linked two different visits to Delhi to come to this conclusion. I had gone to Delhi for the meeting related to water crisis and Nitinbhai (Nitin Patel, health minister) had gone to Delhi on the NEET issue, she said.

Asked whether the BJPs political base has suffered because of Patel quota agitation, she said, At present there is no Patel agitation going on in the state. This protest is completely over now.

Speculations are rife in a section of media about a possible change of leadership in Gujarat ahead of the 2017 elections.

The reports had said that BJP might ask Anandiben Patel to step down as chief minister and projected Nitin Patel as a front-runner for the post, after both of them were in Delhi on Monday.

They also said the change of leadership in Gujarat was necessitated by to poor handling of the quota agitation by Anandiben, and strains caused by infighting in the partys state unit.

Anandiben was made chief minister in May 2014, after Narendra Modi was elected as prime minister.

Asked about the purpose of her over one-and-a-half hour meeting with the spiritual guru, with whom recently Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat also had a meeting, Anandiben said she took his guidance for agriculture and education and would try to implement his suggestions in Gujarat.

In Ahmedabad, BJPs Gujarat unit spokesperson also denied that a leadership change was on the card.

We are preparing an elaborate programmes for celebration of two years rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Anandiben Patel in Gujarat. In the midst of this there are such baseless reports of change in leadership, which we totally deny, state BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said.
Pakistan on Tuesday said it has expressed "serious concern" to the United Nations over a draft bill in the Indian Parliament over the map of Kashmir and called upon the world body to uphold its resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in "violation of international law".

Wrong depiction of the map of India could land the violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and impose a fine up to Rs 100 crore, according to the draft 'Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016'.

"Pakistan has expressed serious concern to the United Nations Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, through letters by our Permanent Representative in New York, with regard to the Indian government's efforts to introduce a controversial 'Geospatial Information Regulation Bill' in the Indian Parliament," the Foreign Office said.

It further said that "in violation of UNSC resolutions, the official map of India has been depicting the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India which is factually incorrect and legally untenable".

Through the passage of this Bill, the Indian government would penalise the individuals and organisations who depict Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions, the FO said.

"The letter calls upon the United Nations to uphold the UNSC resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in violation of international law," the FO said.

"We have urged the international community and the United Nations to fulfill their commitment with the people of Jammu and Kashmir by holding an independent and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices," it said.

Meanwhile, India has reacted strongly to Pakistan, saying it was an "entirely internal legislative matter" and Pakistan or any other party has no locus standi on it.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that India "firmly rejects" repeated and increasing attempts by Pakistan to impose on the international community matters that it has always been open to address bilaterally with it.

"The proposed bill is an entirely internal legislative matter of India, since the whole of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Pakistan or any other party has no locus standi in the matter.

"The government firmly rejects Pakistan's repeated and increasing attempts to impose on the international community matters that India has always been open to address bilaterally with Pakistan," Swarup said.
Pakistan's Senate has unanimously adopted a resolution asking the government to prepare a dossier on "Indian interference" in the country and send it to other nations and international institutions.

The resolution moved in the Senate, the Upper House of the parliament, by ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party Senator Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qayyum was passed on Monday.

According to a report in Express Tribune, the resolution calls on the Pakistan government to prepare "a full dossier about the Indian interference in Pakistan's internal affairs fomenting unrest, instability and terrorism."

It also calls for sending these dossiers to "key international countries and institutions."

The Senate's move comes more than two months after Pakistani authorities claimed to have arrested an alleged Indian spy in its restive Balochistan province on March 3.

Pakistan claims the spy, Kulbhushan Jadhav crossed over into the country from Iran. It has handed over evidence regarding Yadav's arrest to key world powers, including the United States and the United Kingdom, but they have yet not responded.

Pakistan last month said it has briefed envoys of the Arab and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries about Jadhav's alleged "confession about Indian sponsored subversive activities and terrorist financing to destabilise Pakistan".

India has acknowledged Jadhav as a retired Indian Navy officer, but denied the allegation that he was in any way connected to the government.
Interpol on Tuesday issued a fresh Red Corner Notice against chief of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf in connection with the attack on Indian Air Force base in Pathankot.

The fresh Red Corner notice was issued after the National Investigation Agency secured an open-ended non-bailable warrant against Azhar and Rauf for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror strike on the strategic Indian Air Force base at Pathankot on the intervening night of January 1 and 2.

Seven security personnel were killed and bodies of four terrorists were recovered from the scene of encounter which lasted nearly 80 hours.

The fresh Red Corner notice is being seen as a mere formality as Pakistan has not yet acted on the arrest warrants earlier issued against the two.

An Interpol Red Corner Notice is already pending against 48-year-old Azhar for being allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind attacks on Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir state assembly. A Similar warrant is pending against 41-year-old Rauf in connection with the IC-814 hijacking case of 1999.

The NIA had also moved in for issuance of RCN against two others -- Kashif Jaan and Shahid Latif -- in this case as they are alleged to be the handlers of the JeM terrorists who had infiltrated India on the intervening night of December 30-31.

The fresh warrants were issued on the basis of evidence presented by the NIA before a special court in Chandigarh which included telephonic conversation between the terrorists and the Jaish handlers like Jaan and Latif.

The video of Rauf was also presented before the court. In the video, which was uploaded on a website in Pakistan, Rauf had claimed responsibility for the attack and complimented his boys for it. The video was later removed and the website also vanished.

NIA had sought voice samples of Azhar and three others from Pakistans Joint Investigation Team which came to India for probing the Pathankot attack.

India had pitched for banning Azhar at the UN but the move was vetoed by China.

Pakistan, after the return of the JIT in the first week of April, has not replied to various letters rogatory seeking legal assistance in probing the Pathankot attack.
Over 200,000 people in Sri Lanka have been hit by torrential rains and flash floods that have killed 11 people while wrecking havoc across the island nation, officials said on Tuesday.

IMAGE: A man pushes his rickshaw after it got stuck on a flooded road during a wet day in Colombo. Photograph: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters

Nineteen of the 25 administrative districts in the island were affected by heavy rains, floods and earth slips. Around 47,922 families or 207,556 people have been affected, disaster management departments spokesman Pradeep Kodippily said.

He said 176 shelter homes have been erected to provide accommodation to more than 134,000 people affected by the rainfall over the past three days.

Emergency workers on Tuesday found the bodies of a woman and two children killed in a landslide, taking the death toll from two days of heavy rain to 11. Six more were still missing.

Sixty-eight homes have been destroyed. Sri Lankan capital Colombo was the worst hit with many roads submerged.

IMAGE: People walk through a flooded road after they moved out from their houses in Biyagama, Sri Lanka. Photograph: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters

A meteorological department official said the low pressure which caused heavy rains had now moved towards south India.

The heavy rainfall has felled trees blocking roads at a number of places, snapped power cables leading to power outages.

Sri Lankan armed forces have been put on alert since Monday. Landslide warnings have been issued in at least eight districts.
Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif's visit to Beijing comes in the backdrop of assertions by Pakistan that it will raise its concerns at the international level over India's successful test of supersonic interceptor missile.

Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif met top Chinese leaders and military officials in Beijing and discussed ways to enhance bilateral economic and security ties.

Gen Sharif, who is in China on a two-day official visit, met Premier Li Keqiang and Central Military Commission Vice President Fan Changlong, the highest military official of the People's Liberation Army which is headed by President Xi Jinping, on Monday.

Li met Sharif to enhance bilateral economic and security ties, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

Military-to-military relations have reinforced China-Pakistan ties, especially economic cooperation, Li said, calling on both sides to strengthen high-level contact and deepen exchanges in various fields.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, estimated to cost about $46 billion Rs (3.06 lakh crore), is not only a flagship project between the two sides, but also conducive to development and prosperity of the whole region, Li said.

On his part, Sharif appreciated Pakistan's profound friendship with China and stressed that the Pakistani side expects achievements from the CEPC and is ready to provide security for cooperation.

Pakistan military spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa said Gen Sharif discussed with Chinese officials the measures to improve military cooperation, exponentially enhance training exchanges, defence technology and intelligence sharing and security of the CEPC.

Sharif's visit to Beijing comes in the backdrop of assertions by Pakistan that it will raise its concerns at the international level over India's successful test of supersonic interceptor missile.

His trip followed last month's visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who held extensive talks with top Chinese leaders and military officials.

Expressing concern over India's interceptor missile test, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said it will disturb the balance of power in the region.

He added that Pakistan will continue to upgrade its defensive capabilities by acquiring advanced technology.

India is enjoying the cooperation of the US, as Washington thinks a strong New Delhi is vital to contain China, he was quoted as saying by the Dawn.

Pakistan would raise its voice at the international level against these developments, Aziz said.

Pakistan is also peeved over the US refusal to finance eight F-16s fighter jets.

Also, the India-China ties too faced problems over Beijing blocking New Delhis move in the UN to ban Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar, who is accused of masterminding the Pathankot terrorist attack.
Over six years after it expelled Amar Singh, the Samajwadi Party on Tuesday unanimously declared him as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls, setting the stage for his possible return to the party.

The party also nominated six others, including former Union minister Beni Prasad Verma, an influential Kushwaha leader who recently quit Congress and returned to the Samajwadi Party, and realtor Sanjay Seth for the biennial polls scheduled next month.

When asked about when would Singh, a former confidante of Mulayam Singh Yadav, rejoin the party, Shivpal Singh Yadav, a UP minister and brother of party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said, It will be decided by Netaji (Mulayam) and Amar Singh. We have earlier also sent Congress leaders Pramod Tiwari and P L Punia to Rajya Sabha.

Amar Singh along with his close associate Jaya Prada were expelled from the Samajwadi Party in February, 2010. He floated his own political party, Rashtriya Lok Manch, in 2011, and fielded a large number of candidates in 2012 assembly polls. However, none of his candidates won. He had joined the Rashtriya Lok Dal and contested the 2014 Lok Sabha poll from Fatehpur Sikri but lost.

Samajwadi Party denied there were differences over some candidates and claimed the decision on fielding them for the Rajya Sabha polls was unanimous.

The SP parliamentary board has unanimously decided seven names for Rajya Sabha. There were no differences and party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav was authorised to take the final decision. The names were read out in the meeting, Shivpal,

also the party spokesman, told reporters.

The board has taken the decision after much thought and it will strengthen the party, he said, refuting reports of certain objections raised over some candidates at the meeting held on Tuesday.

The seven candidates are -- Beni Prasad Verma, Amar Singh, Sanjay Seth, Sukhram Singh Yadav, Reoti Raman Singh, Vishwambhar Prasad Nishad and Arvind Pratap Singh.

Seth is a controversial Lucknow-based builder, who was earlier recommended to be nominated an MLC by the ruling party but his name was not approved by Governor Ram Naik. The governor had also rejected the governments proposal to nominate Rajvijay Singh and Kamlesh Pathak to the Legislative Council, contending that they did not qualify for it due to criminal cases pending against them.

Both Ranvijay Singh and Kamlesh Pathak figure in the list of eight candidates for the Legislative Council polls.

Others are Balram Yadav, Shatrudra Prakash, Yashwant Singh, Bukkal Nawab, Ram Sundar Das and Jagjivan Ram.

The Governor had clarified that under Article 171(5) of the Constitution, MLCs are to be nominated from five fields -- literature, art, science, cooperative movement and social service, and these belonged to none of these category.

The support of 37 MLAs would be needed for a candidates victory the Rajya Sabha polls.

As per the existing strength of different parties in the 403-member state assembly, Samajwadi Party with 227 MLAs would be able to get six nominees elected to the Rajya Sabha, the Bahujan Samaj Party two, and Bharatiya Janata Party one. Of the nine seats falling vacant, BSP has six and SP three.
Congress MP Shantaram Naik on Tuesday gave a notice for breach of privilege against Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy in Rajya Sabha for allegedly submitting a "printout" of a website report to level allegations against its leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, in the AgustaWestland issue.

In his notice addressed to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, the Congress leader said: "Since Swamy has authenticated a website page printout, in which the names of Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel, Oscar Fernandes have been mentioned, it means and implies that the very allegations are made by Swamy also."

Naik gave the notice under rules 187 and 188 of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States and appealed to the Rajya Sabha Chairman that it be admitted and referred to the Privileges Committee for "appropriate" action against Swamy.

"Swamy did not authenticate any letter from Christian Michel (alleged British middleman and prime accused in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case) as he was not in possession of any such letter. Further question of Sonia flying in Mi-8 choppers does not arise as she did not hold any official post.

"Swamy mischievously quoted abbreviations AP and said he is a political secretary...All these innuendos amply insinuate a particular specific person most irresponsibly and without authenticating any document.

"Swamy did not produce any certified copy of the judgement on which he relied extensively, which he should have done and authenticated," Naik said in the notice. AP, it was alleged, stood for Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Referrring to an interview of Italian Judge Marco Maria Maiga by a news channel on the issue, the Congress leader said "Swamy relied on the transcript of this interview".

"Swamy mischievously relied on and authenticated an inadmissible document, by all standards, to misguide the House, thereby committing another breach of privilege," he said.

Making clear the party's intent to move a privilege motion against Swamy, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh had a few days back said: "Swamy has made baseless allegations and spoken big lies in Rajya Sabha on May 4. We will not allow him to go scot-free."
The statue put up by victims of trafficking and prostitution failed to draw attention of delegates at 'Women Deliver 2016 Conference', reports Sharat Pradhan.

Even as 5,500 delegates, largely women, from 169 nations sat together at the opulent Bella Center in Copenhagen to deliberate over gender discrimination and exploitation of women across the globe, a few anonymous victims of trafficking displayed a bare-naked statue of a woman, depicting the blatant exploitation of women at the hands of traffickers.

The white statue, scribbled with tales of exploitation and messages by the victims, was tied in chains and put up at the citys main thoroughfare, overlooking the Copenhagen railway station.

It condemned the open exploitation of young girls and women by traffickers right under the nose of governments, who are doing little beyond lip service to provide them justice.

'Equality Now!, read the opening line written on the neck of the statue, followed by, It is my body not yours. Sex trafficking is a human rights violation, it said. Women and girls make up 98 per cent of the victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation. They are promised employment as house keepers. Instead, the traffickers rape them, lock them and force them to have sex in brothels (sic), the text written on the statue read.

It also asked people not to pay for sex or buy trafficked women and girls. If people wouldnt buy girls for sex they wouldnt be sold and if they couldnt be sold they wouldnt be trafficked and abused (sic), it read.

It further stated, Traffickers believe victims to be their property. To use them how they want and whenever they want (sic).

Narrating the horror of trafficking and the subsequent exploitation, a victim wrote, They forced me to have sex with as many as 50 customers a day. I had to give the pimp all my money. If I did not earn a set amount, they punished me by removing my clothes and beating me with a stick until I fainted. Sometimes, I had to have sex with more than one (person) at a time.

While pointing out how many young girls suffer severe mental trauma, it also talks about how the helpless victims easily fall prey to sexually transmitted diseases like acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS.

Questioning the legalisation of prostitution, it said, By legalising prostitution, we are being told by the government that it is perfectly ok to purchase a woman. Women are not commodities to be bought and sold. Legalisation normalises something that is far from normal (sic).

And very specifically, it adds at the tip, This crime can be stopped. It must be done.

When the attention of Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen was drawn at this, he only came up with a wishy washy reply, declaring how his government was committed to ensure that gender discrimination ends. He also claimed that his government had allocated a substantial amount towards gender issues and embarked upon how proud he was to host a grand conference on the issue in Copenhagen.

The three-yearly conference, hosted by leading international womens group, Women Deliver, was chaired by Denmarks Princess Mary and addressed by Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen as well as by top dignitaries from the United Nations.

However, the voice of the poor victims of prostitution got drowned in the loud and flashy discourses on other mundane gender issues like child marriage, maternal health, water and sanitation, economic empowerment.

The four-day meet will conclude on Thursday.
A day after various exit polls predicted Opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Democratic Front coming to power in Kerala, ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front leaders shrugged it off and

expressed confidence of getting a "comfortable" majority.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President V M Sudheeran said the UDF had contested to win. "We will win and we will rule," he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

Sudheeran said that he had spoken to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, UDF leaders and District Congress Committee office bearers on Tuesday. "All of us are confident that it will be a victory for the UDF," he said.

Asked how many seats they were expecting to win, he declined to give any number. "We have a clear idea how many seats we will win. The UDF will get a good majority for the continuation of the government. We have no doubt about that," he said.

CPI-M General secretary Sitaram Yechury said in Delhi that the next government in Kerala will be of LDF.

"Exit polls are exit polls. We have seen in the past what these polls have said."

In Kerala, he said: "This government will go and the LDF will come to power".

Asked about the front's chief ministerial candidate, Yechury said: "We have told earlier. We will sit down and decide. Let the results be out."

CPI-M politburo member Prakash Karat said that they do not generally go by the exit polls as they are "unreliable".

However, from feedback received on Monday, the LDF is headed for a big win in Kerala and will get over 85 seats, he said.

Sudheeran said the fight to form the government was between the UDF and the LDF. But when Prime Minister Narendra Modi compared Kerala to Somalia and attacked Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her Italian roots, the fight turned out to be between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, he said.

Kerala Congress-M supremo and former Finance Minister K M Mani, who was forced to resign over the bar bribery scam, also exuded confidence about UDF's victory.

"These are only exit polls. The people's survey will be out on May 19. I have no doubt that the UDF will win with a good and comfortable majority," he said, adding the front was not seeing the the Bharatiya Janata Party- Bharath Dharma Jana Sena presence as a "small" factor.

Mani, who contested from Pala for the 13th time in a row, said he was confident he would win with a good majority.

In Poonjar, where former government chief whip P C George had given a tough fight to both the UDF and the LDF, Mani said it would be a sure win for the Congress-led front.

Indian Union Muslim League leader and Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty said the UDF certainly had the upper hand and would come back to power.

BJP President Kummanam Rajasekharan alleged there was a secret pact between the UDF and the LDF in four constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram district itself.
Peeved at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation drawing water from reservoirs in their area, the scarcity-hit villages from Shahapur in neighbouring Thane district on Tuesday threatened to stop the water supply to Mumbai if government fails to ensure adequate water for them.

Around 300 people, led by local Bharatiya Janata Party leader Santosh Shinde, who had embarked on the Jaldindi Padyatra on March 14 to register their protest against the BMC, on Tuesday reached Mumbai after covering the distance of around 75 km and met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Submitting their 10-point demands to CM, the group, including women, requested him that they be adopted by the BMC so that entire Shahapur taluka will become tanker-free.

Through this padyatra, we demand adequate water provision for us too, otherwise, we will have no choice but to stop the supply of water which is being diverted to Mumbaikars from our soil, Shinde said while addressing the gathering at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai.

He said they have submitted their demands to Fadnavis and are hopeful that their problems will get resolved soon.

The outskirts of Shahapur tehsil have four reservoirs of Bhatsa, Tansa, Modak Sagar and the Middle Vaitarna which supply 2,960 million litres of water to Mumbai every day through pipelines.

Shinde also added that they are not opposing the water supply to Mumbaikars per se.

We are only highlighting our problems by asking that when there is water around us, why we are dying thirsty...We have nothing to drink...We have to walk kilometres to fetch a bucket of water, he said.

Shravan Telam, a resident of Kasara who reached Mumbai after walking 95 km in blazing sun, said the water which is supplied to Mumbaikars for a day will suffice them for the whole year. We want to convey this message to the state government, he added.

BJP MP Kapil Patil (Bhiwandi) also accompanied the protesters and urged the chief minister to do the needful to solve their woes.

I along with representatives of the affected residents suggested the CM to convene a meeting involving all the stake-holders such as the officials of the BMC, irrigation and water supply departments, to which the CM readily agreed, Patil said.

Underlining the gravity of the situation in the region, Patil said, All the industrial units have been shut (in view of water scarcity) which has led to severe unemployment among youths, which needs to be addressed immediately.
Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam's book India's Wars: A Military History, 1947-1971 gives the reader deep insights into the sharp military minds that shaped battlefield tactics and the precision with which they were executed.

Here, Air Vice Marshal Subramaniam describes how the 1971 war reaffirmed the importance of inspirational senior leadership in battle and heralded the emergence of a new fighting class amongst younger officers and men of India's armed forces.

Published with the author's kind and gracious permission.

Part I: The mantra that handed the Indian Army victory in 1971

IMAGE: 'There are no good troops or bad troops, only good or bad leaders.' Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and other Indian military commanders proved that adage right in 1971. Photograph: Kind Courtesy Major General B N B M Prasad and DPR Photo Division Archives

The seriousness with which the Indian Navy went about operationalising its new missile boats was reflected in the audacious manner in which they were used during the war. A holistic and integrated approach to preparing for war paid rich dividends for India.

Deception was executed successfully as a mission of war by concealing the presence of the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant as it lay in wait in the Andamans.

Another instance of effective deception by the Indian Navy was seen during the missile attacks on Karachi wherein the crew of the missile boats communicated with each other in Russian, baffling the Pakistanis.

With the Indian Navy's Carrier Battle Group performing well in the Bay of Bengal, concepts of 'sea control' took seed in the Indian Navy as it sought to build significant asymmetry vis-a-vis the Pakistan navy.

Indigenisation of warship design commenced in right earnest after the 1971 war and would pay rich dividends in the years to come. The Pakistan navy, on the other hand, failed to put together an offensive naval strategy, preferring instead to rely on the deterrent capabilities of its submarine fleet.

One of the biggest strategic and operational 'ifs' of the 1971 war would have been: 'If' Manekshaw had acquiesced in Indira Gandhi's compulsions of wanting to go into East Pakistan in April 1971, would there have been a different end result?

Despite many distinguished analysts having since debated Manekshaw's conservative approach, I believe there would have been a less than favourable outcome for several reasons. First and most importantly, the 'eyes and ears' of the Indian Army, the Mukti Bahini, would not have been the 'force multiplier', as they eventually turned out to be.

This would have meant that India's field commanders would have operated in an intelligence vacuum similar to the one that existed on the western front.

Their ensuing progress would have been significantly slower than what actually happened, considering that there would have been no Mukti Bahini to nibble, snipe and harass the Pakistanis in the hinterland.

The second reason for a different outcome would have been the absence of an 'enveloping strategy' that Manekshaw had envisaged. Manekshaw's staff had candidly told him that in the option for an operation in April/May, it was only the 'western option' with an entry into East Pakistan from Bengal that could be supported logistically.

This meant that only XXXIII Corps and II Corps would have been available for operations in full strength and fully stocked. As it turned out, these corps made the slowest progress during the final campaign.

Considering the larger distance from the west to Dacca and the more than formidable river obstacles, whether Dacca could have been threatened in the time frame that it eventually was would be well next to impossible to predict.

The last major reason for the likely stalling of an early attack was the possibility of getting bogged down by the monsoon should operational momentum be impacted by various reasons.

In the desert sector too, 'if' the commander of the Southern Army Command, Lieutenant General Bewoor, had had a backup force, he could have been more aggressive; if' Major General Khambatta, the divisional commander of 12 Infantry Division, had cut off the Pakistan army's 18 Division as it retreated after getting a bloody nose at Longewala despite all his logistics and terrain constraints; 'if' the IAF had been less ecstatic about its exploits at Longewala and pursued the retreating Pakistani brigade in close coordination with 12 Infantry Division; the Indian forces could have scored a major victory in the desert and even contemplated threatening the town of Rahim Yar Khan.

Coming to the psychological dimension of the Bangladesh campaign, (the Pakistan army commander in East Pakistan Lieutenant General A A K) Niazi's will to resist was broken by a combination of 'feeling enveloped' from all directions.

The immense pressure exerted on him by a 'manoeuvrist' commander in the form of Sagat Singh, who used the third dimension of aerial pressure effectively in tandem with the Tangail paradrop, effectively broke his will to resist.

When combined with the precision strike by IAF MiG-21s and Hunters on the Government House in Dacca, the psychological disintegration of Niazi's forces was complete and Pakistan's field commanders were convinced that it was better to surrender than be held responsible for an inevitable defeat and heavy loss of life.

Commenting on the contribution of operational commanders and staff at headquarters, Shammi Mehta says:

If there was no Sagat Singh and no Chandan Singh, there would have been no Dacca. If there was no Jacob (Lieutenant General Jacob was chief of staff at Eastern Command HQ), there would have been no spectacular surrender. One was a genius with troops and the other a genius with manipulating the mind of the enemy. It is as simple as that.

IMAGE: The most famous photograph in Indian military history!

Lieutenant General A A K Niazi, the Pakistan army commander in East Pakistan, signs the Instrument of Surrender, before Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Eastern Command, December 16, 1971. Photograph: DPR Photo Division Archives

The 1971 war reaffirmed the importance of inspirational senior leadership in battle and heralded the emergence of a new fighting class amongst younger officers and men of India's armed forces, most of whom were born in the late 1930s and 1940s.

Identifying talent and nurturing it for operational effect seemed to be the forte of all the three chiefs. While Manekshaw placed all the talented officers who had worked with him at Eastern Command, Defence Services Staff College and Infantry School, like Lieutenant General Aurora, Major General Jacob, Lieutenant General Sagat Singh and Major General Inder Gill, in key positions prior to the 1971 war, (Air Chief Marshal P C) Lal too had his men like Malse, Wollen and Chandan Singh as his point men at key places.

In Krishnan, Kohli and Swaraj Prakash, (Chief of the Naval Staff) Admiral (S M) Nanda had chosen an excellent team to execute the naval campaigns on the eastern and western seaboards.

An old military adage says, 'There are no good troops or bad troops, only good or bad leaders.'

What then were the leadership traits of the successful field commanders of the Indian armed forces in the 1971 war?

While all the three services displayed higher leadership skills of an exceptional order, there were some stand-out performances. While initiative and momentum were exploited well by Pinto in Basantar, Sartaj Kargil and Zorawar Bakshi in the Chicken's Neck sector, Swaraj Prakash, the captain of INS Vikrant, dominated the eastern seas off the East Pakistan coast just as Chandan Singh used all his experience from the 1962 conflict to orchestrate the heli-borne operations.

However, it was not too difficult to single out the one operational leader who stood head and shoulders over the rest -- Sagat Singh.

Sagat was a go-getter from his younger days and General Pinto remembers him as a dashing type at the Infantry School and even later as a divisional commander when he controlled the Mizo insurgency in 1966 and gave a bloody nose to the Chinese in 1967 during two successive encounters at Nathula and Chola passes.

What of the younger lot? They were represented by officers and men like Hoshiar Singh, Arun Khetrapal, Albert Ekka, Don Lazarus, Nirmaljit Sekhon, Arun Prakash, and Bahadur Nariman Kavina, who commanded INS Nipat, the missile boat during the Karachi attack.

Bold and fearless, and reflecting the true diversity of independent India, they would prove to be role models for the next generation of war fighters who would be blooded in a completely new genre of warfare.

The 1971 war further demolished the martial race proposition, with troops from the southern part of India and the tribal belt of central India acquitting themselves with honour in various battles, foremost amongst them being in the battles of Akhaura, Basantar and Shakargarh.
Peasants from Maharashtra's drought-affected Beed district feel the government machinery and political leaders are indifferent to their plight.

Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore and Uttam Ghosh spoke to several farmers at a 'government-run' cattle camp where they were told that Devendra Fadnavis's Maharashtra government doesn't care for them.

Earlier in the series:

IMAGE: From left: Shahdev Gopinath Bhoge, Shaikh Ismail, Vishnu Mahadev Norude, Atmaram Mule and Pandurang Shingire with two other farmers.

Norude asked Mule to strike a pensive pose for this photograph. Mule quickly put his hand to his forehead to look like a distressed farmer.

Even under a hot sun and facing a searing drought these farmers were a jovial lot. Photograph: Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com

Atmaram Mule, the former sarpanch (elected village head) of Watanwadi village in Beed district is having lunch.

Mule is eating his meal under a cloth tent inside a 'government-run' cattle camp, built on several acres of farmland, accompanied by a few friends and about 1,100 heads of cattle: Cows, bulls and buffaloes.

"It's 1 pm and I am late for my meal," says Mule as the afternoon sun blazes brightly.

Mule had just arrived from Watanwadi where a family from a neighbouring village was on the verge of breaking their daughter's marriage to the groom from his village. "Just because there is not much water left in our village now," says Mule after finishing his lunch. "I had to beg and beseech them to not break this engagement," he says informing us that the girl's family was worried because there was just about two weeks' potable water left in his village's wells.

"For the time being I have made them see reason, but I cannot tell what will happen on the day of the marriage. Premane paya padun lagna lavava lagel (I think we will have to prostrate at their feet to get this marriage going)" scheduled in the first week of June, he says about how drought is forcing people to snap a social contract like marriage.

Talk to any farmer across Beed and they all have one answer -- a prayer, actually -- on their lips: It will rain around June 7.

Soon, more farmers gather around Mule and his friend and the conversation veers towards government-bashing, tales of farmers' debts, and how the Watanwadi cattle camp was not getting its due that the state government has promised such cattle camps across drought-affected villages in Maharashtra.

IMAGE: While every farmer makes no mistake to identify his cattle, the animals at the farm were tagged and numbered to avoid confusion. Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

"Politicians have their own vested interests," says Mule. "The farmers in Maharashtra don't have any godfathers to look up to," he adds to the accompaniment of nods from the others.

The farmers who have brought their cattle to this camp, their only liquid assets, apart from their land, which unfortunately, they say, have been mortgaged with the government-owned Indian Bank and State Bank of Hyderabad.

Here's a list of the farmers, the cattle they had brought to the Watanwadi cattle camp and the money they owe one of these two banks...

Shaikh Ismail: Owner of two cows and two bulls, Shaikh has mortgaged 5 acres of his land to Indian Bank for a loan of Rs 150,000.

Shahdev Gopinath Bhoge: Owner of five cattle, he owes Rs 200,000 to the State Bank of Hyderabad for which he has mortgaged five acres of his farm.

Atmaram Mule: Owns four cattle and owes Rs 300,000 to the State Bank of Hyderabad; he mortgaged seven acres of his farmland.

Pandurang Namdev Shingire: Owns 12 cattle and 8 acres which has been mortgaged to Indian Bank for a loan of Rs 400,000.

Vishnu Mahadev Norude: Owns four cattle and owes Rs 500,000 to Indian Bank after he mortgaged 11 acres of his farmland.

IMAGE: Amol Mahadik, a farmer, feeds water to his cattle. Amol along with his father and uncle stay overnight looking after the cattle. Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

Interestingly, farm incomes of these farmers have all but vanished and the money they earn from selling onions or milk from cows is just about enough to make ends meet.

"For any loan we need, the banks ask us for security. We have nothing but our land to pawn; even for a Rs 10,000 loan they ask us for 7 to 12 extract (an official document that shows ownership of land and the name of the title owner)," says Shaikh.

Norude, who took this correspondent on his motorcycle for a tour of the cattle camp, says it has not rained adequately in his village since 2011, "mhanun shetat kahi piklach nahi (so, since then we were not able to earn any income from agricultural produce)."

Watanwadi, like many other Indian villages under the drought's shadow, are reeling under a kind of reverse multiplier effect, a kind of a vicious circle that goes like this: No rains means no farming; no farming means drop in agricultural income for farmers; no farming means lack of adequate fodder for their cattle; no fodder means low quality milk from milch cattle and drop in its nutritious value, which in turn fetches them lower prices for the milk their cattle produce.

"Panyapekasha dudh swast zhala aata (milk now costs far less than water). Since there is not adequate, good quality, fodder for our cattle their milk produce has decreased along with fall in the quality of milk," says Bhoge, who owns five cattle, three of which are milch cows.

"A litre of water now costs more than a litre of milk," he says, citing how low farm incomes have led to low demand and hence depressed prices of milk in local markets.

IMAGE: The state government has given contracts to water tankers that bring water to the Watanwadi camp.

Every cattle needed at least 100 litres of water a day, but the government supplied only 50 litres, according to Ashok Mohan Pawar, chairman of a local NGO that makes for the shortfall. Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

Ashok Mohan Pawar, who is the chairman of the Aabaji Patil Grameen Vikas Pratishthan, a non-government organisation that runs the Watanwadi cattle camp by spending money from the NGO's account before the government compensates it, says, "Nobody in this government understands that the beef ban (the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act) has broken a very significant pillar of the farm economy."

"While I am all against cow slaughter, what will the farmer do when his bulls grow old if not sell them? Now, when even a government can't afford maintenance of old cattle, do you think the farmer, with his back already broken by this drought, is happy about this beef ban?" he asks.

IMAGE: These two bulls were the stars of the cattle camp and are named 'Tiranga'. Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

Many of the farmers, on the condition they be not named, say that the beef ban was chiefly responsible for a sharp fall in the value of their livestock, and hence their wealth. "Had there been no ban on the slaughter of cattle in Maharashtra we could have sold our old animals and repaid at least a part of our bank debts," they say.

Given their condition, most of the farmers Rediff.com spoke with said that their two main demands to the Maharashtra government were waiving off their farm loans and waiving off their electricity bills. "Shetkaryacha 7 to 12 kora zhala pahije (The 7 to 12 land extract should be freed from the banks' lien)," they say.

IMAGE: It's 42 degrees Celsius and this farmer decides to take a quick nap in the afternoon. Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

Ask these farmers about their failure to organise themselves and collectively ask for drought relief from the government, Mule says, "In this country farmers organise only on emotive issues. Farmer suicides and their penury move nobody here."

Shaikh, who has a dry and pointed wit to the core, quips at this point: "What do you mean it moves nobody? Didn't that minister, who the other day had come to this cattle camp, move around in his air conditioned car?"

The crowd gathered around Shaikh breaks into laughter bringing about some relief to these debt-stricken farmers.

"I don't know if we will be around in another month if it doesn't rain on June 7," says Mule before the group breaks off to tend to their cattle strewn across the camp.
Activist Trupti Desai says she will launch an aggressive campaign if trustees Haji Ali dargah in Mumbai dont open the place for women.

Over the past few months, a young woman has been challenging religious leaders of all hues by questioning their age-old practice of restricting womens entry at places of worship. For this, she was intimidated and even attacked, but nothing seems to have dissuaded her resolve.

Trupti Desai, 31, says she believes in god and her fight is not against any religion. It is against a few who dont accord women equal right of worship in temples and mosques. They argue that their God will become impure if we touch them. They forget that it is women who give birth to their Gods, says Desai, in a Marathi tone.

In India, gender equality has always been a sensitive issue. Although political parties try to champion the cause, they dodge the issue if religion is involved.

Desai, mother of a seven-year-old boy and married to a businessman, had tried her hands at politics before she took up social activism full-time. Desai had unsuccessfully fought municipality elections on a Congress ticket in 2012. People see only money in election. They do not see the good work of a person, she says.

She has been successful in raising an issue which is cleverly skirted by politicians and religious leaders. Thanks to her efforts, women could enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Shani Shingnapur and Trimbakeshwar temples. Her next target is to enter the inner sanctum of the famous Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai.

On Thursday, some activists from the Bhumata Brigade, which Desai founded in 2010, reached the dargah and issued an ultimatum to its trustees to reopen the place for women in 15 days. Womens entry into the inner sanctum of the dargah was restricted in 2011.

"I am not against any religion. If Haji Ali trustees dont open the place, we will launch an aggressive campaign," says Desai.

The brigade has around 6,500 members, including 1,200 active participants. It says it doesnt receive funding from any religious or political organisation. The activists take up issues such as corruption, farmer suicides; their next plan is to launch a campaign to ensure only women priests change the clothes of goddess idols. "Right now, it is done by male priests and it is not right."

Desai says she always wanted to be a social activist. She had to drop out of college due to family problems. "I started my activism days in 2003 and I would take up issues for jhopad patti walas (hutment dwellers)."

She got married to a businessman in 2006 but continued her social work. Her biggest achievement came the next year, when she forced the Ajit Cooperative Bank in Maharashtra to return Rs 30 crore to its 35,000 customers. Her brother was one of the customers. I had unearthed a fraud in the bank, run by a relative of former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

She formed a committee, which would do sit-in protest, paint the face of bank managers and make other officials wear bangles. I had used a sandal to hit Ajit Pawars banner. We also collected Rs 300, of which half was sent to Pawar and the rest to bank officials who used to say that they couldnt return the money, says Desai.

On her political plans, she says: There is no plan for the next three-four years. I am not saying no to politics, otherwise you would say I was lying if I enter politics in future.
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.
Title Greece: Law No. 4375 of 2016 on the organization and operation of the Asylum Service, the Appeals Authority, the Reception and Identification Service, the establishment of the General Secretariat for Reception, the transposition into Greek legislation of the provisions of Directive 2013/32/EC

Publication Date 3 April 2016

Country Greece

Other Languages / Attachments Greek

Cite as Greece: Law No. 4375 of 2016 on the organization and operation of the Asylum Service, the Appeals Authority, the Reception and Identification Service, the establishment of the General Secretariat for Reception, the transposition into Greek legislation of the provisions of Directive 2013/32/EC [Greece], 3 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad4cb4.html [accessed 25 October 2022]

Comments This is an unofficial translation.
Nearly one in five suicide bombers used by Boko Haram is now a child  UN

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 16 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Nearly one in five suicide bombers used by Boko Haram is now a child  UN, 16 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad58a40d.html [accessed 25 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.

16 May 2016 - The number of children used by Boko Haram as suicide bombers up tenfold over the past year, the United Nations humanitarian wing has reported, also warning that the group's gunmen continue to carry out attacks on civilian and military targets despite the ramped up military operations in the Lake Chad Basin region.

According to an update issued late last week by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), security remains volatile in many of the region's conflict-affected areas, complicating aid access to those in need. Some three million people are already food insecure. Many more are expected to face hunger as the lean season progresses.

Already in certain areas, the lean season has begun earlier than usual, while in others thousands of families are in need of immediate assistance. Given the onset of the lean season and rainy season, nutrition outcomes are expected to worsen and food prices will increase as roads become impassable.

OCHA estimates that some 486,000 children in Borno and 242,000 children in Yobe in north-eastern Nigeria are suffering from Global Acute Malnutrition. Moreover, some 73,000 children under two years of age in these communities need to urgently receive ready-to-use supplementary specialized nutritious foods. Food supplements for 27,000 pregnant and lactating mothers are also recommended.

Without interventions an estimated 67,000 children aged six- to 59 months with severe acute malnutrition are likely to die in Borno and Yobe states in 2016. This translates to 184 deaths every day, warns the report.

OCHA went on to report that 44 children were involved in suicide bombings in 2015, up from four the previous year. More than 75 per cent of them are girls, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Between January 2014 and February 2016, Cameroon recorded the highest number of suicide attacks involving children at 21, followed by Nigeria with 17 and Chad with two. Over the past two years, nearly one in five suicide bombers was a child, OCHA adds.

In Niger, Boko Haram attacks have increased since January, said OCHA. Intensified military offensives from the regional multinational force and troops from the Lake Chad Basin countries have forced the gunmen to retreat to the border areas between Niger and Nigeria where they attack villages that have little or no military presence.

Finally, OCHA noted that only 10 per cent of the $535 million required to assist the affected populations across the region has been received.
Kosovo still faces 'hard-nosed realities,' but is vital for European security  UN envoy

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 16 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Kosovo still faces 'hard-nosed realities,' but is vital for European security  UN envoy, 16 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad5d940b.html [accessed 25 October 2022] Comments All reference to Kosovo should be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. 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.

16 May 2016 - Unemployment, inequality, and the challenges of developing a productive economy to meet global development goals and overcome legacies of impunity, are among the "hard-nosed realities" facing Kosovo, the head of the United Nations political mission there said today, calling for international involvement to help Kosovo's institutions, and the wider region as a whole, overcome such obstacles.

In his second quarterly briefing in 2016 to the UN Security Council, Zahir Tanin, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said that internal political dynamics in Pristina preoccupied the UN Mission - as well as the European Union (EU) missions and many other actors - for almost a year, culminating in April in the inauguration of a new President of Kosovo.

In addition, Serbian general elections were successfully held in April, with a new Parliament and Cabinet there currently in the process of formation, he added.

Kosovo at centre of European security issues

"First of all, Kosovo has been, and continues to be, at the centre of issues vital for overall security in Europe and for relations in a wider context," he said.

"The election of a new President of Kosovo, albeit under a divisive atmosphere, and the newly mandated Government of the Republic of Serbia provide, together I believe, an excellent opportunity to draw a line under a period which has often been marked by political infighting and other distractions," he added.

The Special Representative noted the conciliatory messages and vision presented both by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and by Kosovo President Hashim Thaci following their respective electoral successes.

"I join other engaged actors in the hope that these peaceful transitions of power will help the political scene to settle, and will offer more room for energy to be spent on other, more fundamental, challenges facing the region," he said.

Mr. Tanin noted that less than two weeks ago, the population of Kosovo received "important and undoubtedly welcome news": the European Commission formally proposed, to the EU Council and EU Parliament, to transfer Kosovo to the visa-free short-stay list for travel in the "Schengen area".

"The authorities in Kosovo deserve credit for the efforts made toward fulfilling the conditions of the 'visa liberalisation roadmap'", he said.

He also noted that one month earlier, the EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement for Kosovo had been announced, and reiterated that the Serbia's Stabilisation and Association Agreement entered into force back in September 2013.

"Again, placed side by side, these crucial achievements demonstrate the progress the region is making towards the goal of greater integration, with all the benefits such integration brings," Mr. Tanin said. "The links are not always clearly spelled out between the ongoing peace process, which is at the core of our UNMIK mandate, and these EU processes."

The Special Representative highlighted that for Pristina and for Belgrade, integration is closely interlinked with the EU-facilitated high-level dialogue process, adding that Kosovo's recent advancement in its European perspective should reinforce and enhance the dialogue process between Belgrade and Pristina, which is fundamental to Kosovo's future security, and to peace in the region.

A wide view of the Security Council meeting on the situation in Kosovo. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

"A salient feature of the consensus on which the EU-facilitated dialogue rests is the requirement for flexibility and innovation. All possibilities should be on the table, and should be debated openly, for this framework of discussion to make swifter and meaningful progress," he said.

"At this moment, with electoral processes nearly concluded on both sides, it appears to be a propitious time to re-energize the talks and build new momentum. I believe this must remain a central objective on both the EU and UN agendas during the coming months, he added.

Talks with leaders continue

Mr. Tanin said that he had spoken to leaders representing "all parties, political stripes and communities" during the past weeks and months, something he will do much more of in the coming days.

Among the main concerns he heard were those which he said are familiar everywhere in post-conflict settings: the need for economic opportunity, positive future perspective for communities and families, better health care, and a clean environment.

"Real Kosovo politics are local," he stressed. "What matters is how leaders, like those to whom I have spoken in various different municipalities, address the everyday needs of the people in their communities. How they understand their grievances; how they find solutions."

Within Kosovo's political sphere, the Special Representative said that continuing differences and debate remain essential, expressing hope that these debates will move into "acceptable channels, where they belong, and where leaders can best work toward meeting the real interests of people."

"Whatever political reconfigurations may or may not be in the cards, what is more important is that Kosovo's political actors act responsibly in taking on the issues that matter most for the future," he said.

Pertinence of UN Mission

Turning to UNMIK, the Special Representative said: "Our mission remains unique, not only for what it is, but also for what it is not. UNMIK no longer administers Kosovo."

Noting that UNMIK is not a parallel structure, Mr. Tanin stressed that the Mission is also not an obstacle to any objective, institution or individual.

"UNMIK remains important for the support and legitimacy it can provide; for the focus it can help to encourage; for the experience and know-how it freely shares; and for its role as a bridge between this noble Council and the people and communities of Kosovo and the region," he said.

Indeed, UNMIK has been "assessing and recalibrating" its own use of resources to assist areas where they most directly promote the fulfilment of its mandate, such as on human rights issues, Mr. Tanin said.

He highlighted that UNMIK is also drawing on areas where expertise and resources from across the UN system can assist: with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), for example, and many bodies that are specialized in pressing issues; the just handling of migrant and refugee flows; and working to discourage young people from the paths that lead to violent extremism and terrorism.

"To work at its best, our mission depends upon the informed support of this Council, in order to work together with the leadership in both Pristina and Belgrade, as well as with the institutions of the European Union, to remain flexible and to adapt. With your support, this is where we intend to take this mission in the days ahead," Mr. Tanin concluded.
Colombia: agreement to reintegrate children from FARC welcomed by UN envoy

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 16 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Colombia: agreement to reintegrate children from FARC welcomed by UN envoy, 16 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad5f840d.html [accessed 25 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.

16 May 2016 - A United Nations child rights envoy joined the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Havana, Cuba, yesterday to witness the signing of an agreement to separate and reintegrate children associated with the guerrilla force.

"I feel privileged to be here today with the Colombians and welcome this important commitment, which puts the issue of children at the heart of the peace process and promises to change their lives. This is an urgently needed step for children who have never known a country at peace," said Leila Zerrougui, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, speaking at the event in Havana, which has been hosting talks between the Colombian Government and FARC since 2012.

Ms. Zerrougui congratulated the parties who led this process, as well as the guarantors and others, in particular the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Resident Coordinator's Office in Colombia, which have supported these negotiations from its onset.

"The signing of this agreement is a historic moment for all the Colombians. It is an opportunity we cannot miss, to give children a present and future they deserve," she declared.

As part of the commitment, children under the age of fifteen will be released first, following by the separation of all children under 18. Today's commitment includes core principles to ensure that separated children will be treated primarily as victims, and that their best interests will be considered as a matter of priority in the reintegration into their communities.

"Today we celebrate, but tomorrow the work begins to help children rebuild their lives and transition into a peaceful civilian life. The United Nations and partners stand ready to support this process," concluded the UN Special Representative.

According to the UN, hostilities in Colombia between the Government and the FARC have disrupted the lives of more than a quarter of a million children since peace talks began three years ago between the parties to the conflict.

Later in the day, UNICEF also welcomed the agreement by the Colombian Government and FARC-EP, Colombia's main armed opposition group, for the release of all children under the age of 15 from FARC's ranks.

"This is a historic moment for the children of Colombia," said Roberto de Bernardi, UNICEF Representative in Colombia. "UNICEF stands ready to support the release of all children and their reintegration into their families and communities, in accordance with national and international law," he added.

Peace talks between the Government and FARC to end over five decades of conflict started more than three years ago, leading to significant improvements on the ground: Between 2013 and 2015, the number of children killed or injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance halved while the number of displaced children dropped by 40 per cent, according to a recent UNICEF report.

However, the report, Childhood in the Time of War: Will the children of Colombia know peace at last?, also notes that an estimated 1,000 children were used or recruited by non-state armed groups during that period, and over 230,000 children were displaced.

"As the country moves closer toward peace, it is critical that all children who have paid the price of this conflict, either directly or indirectly, receive the protection, support and assistance they need," Mr. de Bernardi said.
New guidelines on improving care for female genital mutilation issued by UN health agency

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 16 May 2016 Related Document(s) WHO guidelines on the management of health complications from female genital mutilation Cite as UN News Service, New guidelines on improving care for female genital mutilation issued by UN health agency, 16 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad63340b.html [accessed 25 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.

16 May 2016 - The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today released new guidelines aimed at helping health workers provide better care to the more than 200 million girls and women worldwide living with female genital mutilation.

"Health workers have a crucial role in helping address this global health issue. They must know how to recognize and tackle health complications of [female genital mutilation] FGM," said Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director General, in a press release.

"Access to the right information and good training can help prevent new cases and ensure that the millions of women who have undergone FGM get the help they need," she added.

WHO underscored that health workers are often unaware of the many negative health consequences of female genital mutilation and many remain inadequately trained to recognize and treat them properly. As a result, many women may suffer needlessly from physical and mental health consequences due to the procedure.

The guidelines build on and contribute to international efforts to stop female genital mutilation, underlining the recognition that action must be taken across sectors to stop the practice and help those who are living with its consequences.

The recommendations focus on preventing and treating obstetric complications; treatment for depression and anxiety disorders; attention to female sexual health such as counselling; and the provision of information and education.

The guidelines also warn against the so called "medicalization" of the practice - for example, when parents ask health providers to conduct it because they think it will be less harmful.

"It is critical that health workers do not themselves unwittingly perpetuate this harmful practice," said Lale Say, WHO Coordinator, Department of Reproductive Health and Research at WHO.

Global strategy to stop health-care providers from performing FGM

In 2010, WHO published a Global strategy to stop health-care providers from performing female genital mutilation in collaboration with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting and other partners.

One fundamental measure to prevent medicalization of the practice is the creation of protocols, manuals and guidelines for health providers, WHO said. These include what to do when faced with requests from parents or family members to perform female genital mutilation on girls, or requests from women to perform re-infibulation after delivery.

The agency noted that the new guidelines also highlight the need for more research to improve evidence-based practice, so that health workers can better manage the complications arising from FGM, and the health community is better informed about the associated health risks, which also can contribute to effectively work towards the elimination of the harmful practice.

In particular, recommendations include: de-infibulation to prevent and treat obstetric complications, as well as to facilitate childbirth, and prevent and treat problems with the urinary tract system; mental health including cognitive behavioural therapy and psychological support to treat depression and anxiety disorders; female sexual health covering sexual counselling to prevent or treat female sexual dysfunction; and information and education for all women and girls who have undergone female genital mutilation, and health education and information on de-infibulation, where appropriate, for both health-care providers and for women and girls.
Ban and African Union Commission welcome partial re-run of elections in Comoros

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 15 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Ban and African Union Commission welcome partial re-run of elections in Comoros, 15 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad70140b.html [accessed 25 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.

15 May 2016 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the African Union Commission today welcomed the peaceful conduct of the partial re-run for the elections of President of Comoros and Governor of Anjouan.

In a joint statement issued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson in New York, the UN chief and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, congratulated the people of Comoros for participating peacefully in the election and in the subsequent partial re-run, which was observed by an African Union (AU) Election Observer Mission.

The Secretary-General and the Chairperson commend the relevant national institutions for the orderly organization of the partial re-run. The same national institutions now have a vital role to ensure that the final results are a true reflection of the will of the people of Comoros, the statement said.

The officials also encouraged the Constitutional Court to release the final results in a transparent and timely manner.

Calling on all candidates to exercise restraint and show a sense of responsibility, as well as to work towards the interest of the people of Comoros and to maintain stability, the Secretary-General and the Chairperson also underlined the responsibility of the Government to ensure a peaceful conclusion of the electoral process.
Yemen: UN-mediated peace talks continue, with consensus on some issues

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 14 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Yemen: UN-mediated peace talks continue, with consensus on some issues, 14 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad71b1.html [accessed 25 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.

14 May 2016 - In his latest update on the Yemeni peace talks currently under way in Kuwait, the United Nations envoy for the conflict-torn country reported that the two delegations discussed proposals to bridge the gap between their respective visions, reaching consensus on some issues.

Progress is being achieved, albeit at a relatively slow pace, said the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

The special envoy noted that the heads of the two delegations and other senior delegates discussed issues such as security arrangements and the political process needed to reach an agreement.

Calling on all parties to work towards finding a comprehensive solution as soon as possible, the special envoy said the issues being discussed are complicated, and it is imperative to address them responsibly.

The two delegations have important decisions to consider in this critical period of Yemen's history, he stressed.

The special envoy also met with several political representatives and diplomats, who he said reiterated the international community's constant support to the peace process.
Security Council 'deeply disappointed' over failed election deadlines in Haiti

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 14 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Security Council 'deeply disappointed' over failed election deadlines in Haiti, 14 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad738411.html [accessed 25 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.

14 May 2016 - The United Nations Security Council has expressed its deep disappointment that Haitian actors failed to meet the election and inauguration deadlines agreed upon in the February political accord, calling on all actors to ensure the prompt return to constitutional order.

In a statement, the Council welcomed, however, the reconstitution of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) and noted the establishment of a commission to evaluate and verify the elections held in 2015, stressing the need for the commission to be technical, apolitical, transparent and complete its work within its 30-day mandate.

The members of the Security Council noted the increasing number of challenges Haiti faces; they can be best resolved through close coordination between a democratically elected Government, Haitian civil society, and Haiti's international partners, the statement said.

Reiterating their strong condemnation of any attempt to destabilize or manipulate the electoral process, in particular through violence, the Council urged all candidates, their supporters, political parties and other actors to refrain from violence or any action that can further disrupt the electoral process and political stability.

The Council also urged all actors to resolve any electoral disputes through constructive engagement and the appropriate legal mechanisms, and for the Government of Haiti to hold those responsible for any violence accountable.

Welcoming the continued efforts of the UN, other multilateral agencies, regional organizations and UN Member States in supporting Haiti's critical needs, the Council also commended the Haitian National Police, with support from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), for their efforts to maintain peace and protect the civilian population.

In addition, the Council said it looked forward to the planned field visit of Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous to Haiti. The visit is aimed at conveying to Haitian actors the sense of urgency expressed by the Council towards a swift conclusion of the electoral cycle as well as at assessing MINUSTAH's contribution to the overall situation on the ground, with a view towards this providing options that could inform future steps towards its appropriate configuration, the statement said.

The members Council also expressed their intention to continue to follow closely the situation in Haiti.

On 14 February, the Haitian National Assembly elected Jocelerme Privert as the island nation's interim President, one week after former President Michel Martelly departed without a successor.

On 25 April, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was deeply concerned that the agreed-upon date for holding elections in Haiti  24 April  had not been met. That date had been set following an agreement  known as the 5 February Agreement  between Haitian stakeholders to preserve institutional continuity and further the electoral process.
'We have an agenda before us'  UN officials reiterate need for measures against sexual abuse

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 13 May 2016 Related Document(s) Security Council resolution 2272 (2016) [on sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeepers] Cite as UN News Service, 'We have an agenda before us'  UN officials reiterate need for measures against sexual abuse, 13 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad74b40c.html [accessed 25 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.

13 May 2016 - Briefing the General Assembly on the challenges being faced and progress being made to end the exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeepers, senior UN officials today indicated that immediate concerns have been focused on providing protection and support to the victims, and reiterated the need for collective efforts to put stronger measures in place to ensure prevention and greater accountability.

Speaking at an informal meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York, Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, emphasized that the priority must be for the Organization to provide victims with support and assistance.

"First and foremost, the victims - many of whom are children - need our protection and support," he said. "The provision of assistance to victims is an area where experience has shown that the United Nations needs additional resources and strong collaboration among peacekeeping, the United Nations and local actors to have a tangible impact."

Trust Fund for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse is operational

Mr. Khare noted that the trust fund to support the provision of services to victims is operational, and that Member States have been requested to consider making contributions. He said he has also instructed field missions to respond to the immediate needs of victims using their existing resources.

Thanking the Government of Norway for its recent pledge to support the trust fund, the Under-Secretary-General expressed hope that such action would initiate momentum for further funding.

Mr. Khare also highlighted that in 2015, the UN had made progress in facilitating paternity and child support claims against peacekeepers. He commended Sri Lanka in particular, which he said has arranged a one-time ex-gratia payment to a victim and child born as a result of sexual exploitation and abuse.

He noted that there have been best practices in this regard, with Benin, Ecuador, India and Uruguay - four countries not necessarily facing paternity allegations - having informed the Secretariat of focal points designated for this function.

Reiterating that there can be no impunity for sexual exploitation and abuse, Mr. Khare stressed that if allegations are substantiated, the Organization "takes all action within its control."

"We have the responsibility to take administrative action and sanction all civilians, including individual consultants and contractors. The authority, though, to sanction or criminally prosecute personnel is under the exclusive jurisdiction of Member States," he said, adding that the UN continues to work with national authorities to ensure that justice is done.

Mr. Khare also said that in the face of allegations, the Secretariat has requested Member States to appoint National Investigation Officers (NIOs) within five days, rather than the ten-day period normally required by the Memorandum of Understanding.

He noted that Tanzania and the Republic of Congo are among the Member States that have responded positively to such a request. In addition, he highlighted that Member States such as Morocco have started deploying NIOs as part of their contingents, while South Africa has decided to establish standby NIO teams made up of three people each, and with the capacity to deploy to any mission within 72 hours.

"In a recent case, the troop-contributing country in question, Egypt, investigated allegations in 29 days, found the allegation of attempted sexual assault substantiated, conducted a court martial and imposed the sanction of five years' imprisonment, apart from dismissal from service. This is perhaps the swiftest example of justice being done that we have observed so far," Mr. Khare said.

Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

In another recent case, Bangladesh investigated allegations in just over three months and found the allegation of sexual activity with a minor to be substantiated for one subject, who was subsequently dismissed from service and received the sanction of one year imprisonment, he said.

Mr. Khare added that Bangladesh had said that the action taken against the subject will be shared with all of the Member States' contingents in UN missions for awareness-raising, and the case will also be incorporated as a case study in the pre-deployment training syllabus.

"This will ensure the required feedback loops between accountability and prevention, hopefully, creating a virtuous cycle," Mr. Khare stressed.

Guidance on implementation

In addition, the Under-Secretary-General said that the Secretariat is expediting guidance on its implementation. The guidance will set out factors relevant to the decision to repatriate a military or formed police unit when there is credible evidence of widespread and systemic sexual exploitation and abuse.

The guidance will also detail the criteria for determining that a troop-contributing country has not taken appropriate steps to investigate allegations, or that a police or troop-contributing country has not held perpetrators accountable or informed the Secretary-General of the progress of investigations and follow-up actions, he said.

In the area of implementation, the Under-Secretary-General said that advancements have been made in prevention through certifications for no prior misconduct before personnel are deployed and for pre-deployment training; and through vetting of all personnel including contingents and formed police units.

"We are going forward with shorter investigation times for the UN and Member States, and faster deployment or inclusion of NIOs within contingents; and we have been building stronger and more sustainable collaboration with UN partners on victim assistance in order to have a cohesive and unified programme so that victims are at the centre of the UN's response to sexual exploitation and abuse," Mr. Khare said.

"In all these efforts, the partnership with Member States has been, and remains instrumental," he added.

Special Coordinator briefs on work undertaken over the past year

Along those lines, Jane Holl Lute, Special Coordinator on improving the UN response to sexual exploitation and abuse, told the General Assembly that a great deal of work had been undertaken over the past year by the leadership in the Organization, as well as by field missions, both within UN peacekeeping operations and across the board in the UN system.

"No one has been standing still since the allegations that gave rise to the recent seizure of this issue last year," she said. "Much has been done."

The Special Coordinator also said that she was on track with objectives to pull together both the findings of the Central African Republic panel and the provisions of Security Council resolution 2272, and with other initiatives that the leadership in the field have taken on board to respond to sexual exploitation and abuse with the aim of "stamping it out."

Actions have included regular conversations both with individual Member States and groups, and consultations with the troop contributing countries about issues particularly related to military to the field, she said.

In this respect, she had also taken a trip to the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where, she said: "we found very clear commitment by the leadership of both of these missions from the very top to eradicate any instance of sexual exploitation and abuse and to vigorously respond when allegations arise."

Ms. Lute acknowledged that while the tone that had been set was "radiating out into the missions," there were still "pockets of resistance and pockets of reluctance to take this on personally by each and every member who serves under the UN in the field."

She said that some of the resistance stemmed from still-held views that the "problem of discipline, the problem of comportment is not everyone's problem," although she added that the leaderships of both missions were taking steps to correct such attitudes.

As an example, she indicated that toolkits and other mechanisms were being put together in the field to clarify the appropriate response.

"We can only imagine, if we've never had to experience it ourselves - the shame, the horror and the lasting legacy of these unspeakable acts to the most defenceless people on the planet by those in whom they should have the most trust," she stressed.

"We have an agenda before us. We have come to the Member States individually and collectively, and we come to you now. We cannot do this alone. We need your help, and together the Organization can become the standard bearer of best practice in this field," she concluded.
Security Council demands Boko Haram 'immediately' end all violence in Lake Chad Basin

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 13 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Security Council demands Boko Haram 'immediately' end all violence in Lake Chad Basin, 13 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad7a740c.html [accessed 25 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.

13 May 2016 - Deeply concerned at the alarming scale of the humanitarian crisis caused by the activities of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin region, the United Nations Security Council demanded that the group "immediately and unequivocally cease all violence and all abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law."

Through a Presidential Statement, the Security Council also expressed deep concern that the activities of Boko Haram continue to undermine the peace and stability of the West and Central African region. The Council strongly condemned all terrorist attacks, abuses of human rights and violations of humanitarian law by the group in the region, including those involving killings and other violence against civilians, notably women and children, abductions, rape, sexual slavery and other sexual violence, recruitment and use of children, and destruction of property.

Concerned by reported violations and abuses of human rights and large-scale displacement of the civilian population across the Lake Chad Basin region as a result of Boko Haram's activities, the Council also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all those abducted who remain in captivity, including 219 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno state, Nigeria in April 2014 among the reported thousands of others held captive by Boko Haram.

"The Security Council recognizes that some of such acts may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes [and] stresses that those responsible for these abuses and violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law must be held accountable and brought to justice," the statement stressed.

In the Gire 1 camp for internally displaced people, near Yola, Nigeria, a father holds photographs of his eldest daughter, 18, and his 6-year-old son, both of whom were kidnapped by members of Boko Haram during an attack on the family's village. Photo: UNICEF/Sebastian Rich

As for the "alarming scale" of the region's humanitarian crisis, Council members recalled that there are now more than 2.2 million Nigerians, and over 450,000 internally-displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Moreover, an estimated 4.2 million people in the Lake Chad Basin region face a food security crisis, including 800,000 in Nigeria's northern Borno and Yobe states, Nigeria, where an estimated 184 children a day risk starvation without the immediate provision of emergency food assistance.

While commending the support provided to the displaced populations by the global community, in particular the people and governments of the Lake Chad Basin region, including with the assistance of humanitarian actors and relevant UN entities, the Council urged the international community to immediately support the provision of urgent relief assistance for the people most affected by the crisis in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Indeed, approximately 10 percent of the $531 million required to fulfil such assistance has been received this year, noted the Council.

Further to the Statement, the Council commends the important territorial advances by the governments of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria against Boko Haram, including through the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) headquartered in N'Djamena, Chad. The Council urged the Member States participating in the MNJTF to further enhance regional military cooperation and coordination, particularly to consolidate military gains, deny safe haven to Boko Haram, allow humanitarian access and facilitate the restoration of the rule of law in liberated areas.

"The Security Council underscores the importance of a holistic approach to degrade and defeat Boko Haram that includes coordinated security operations, conducted in accordance with applicable international law, as well as enhanced civilian efforts to improve governance and promote economic growth in the affected areas," the Statement stressed.

Welcoming the crucial initiative of the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, to convene the Second Regional Security Summit on 14 May 2016 in Abuja to evaluate the regional response to the threat posed by Boko Haram, Council Members urged countries in the Lake Chad Basin to complement the regional military and security operations against the group by national and regional efforts, with the assistance of bilateral partners and multilateral organizations, to improve livelihoods, provide humanitarian assistance to displaced, facilitate stabilization efforts, reconstruction, and development and economic recovery.
'Paramount importance' for Lebanon to elect a president  UN envoy

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 13 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, 'Paramount importance' for Lebanon to elect a president  UN envoy, 13 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad7f8411.html [accessed 25 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.

13 May 2016 - A United Nations envoy for Lebanon reported to the Security Council today on how the current political paralysis, including the two-year presidential vacuum, is negatively impacting the country's ability to make vital decisions.

"Undoubtedly, since the resolution was passed in September 2004, a lot has been achieved," Terje Roed-Larsen said at a press stakeout following closed-door consultations with the Security Council, referring the 15-member body's resolution 1559, which declared support for free and fair elections in Lebanon and called for the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country.

An example of such achievement included the withdrawal in 2005 of Syrian troops and military assets from Lebanon on the basis of the resolution. Mr. Roed-Larsen recalled that it was an agreement which he made on behalf of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan with Syrian President Bashar al Assad in Aleppo, highlighting that had been honoured by Syria's Government "to the letter."

The UN official, who is stepping down from his duties as the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Security Council resolution 1559 after serving in this role for 12 years, noted that the agreement was followed by the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria in 2009, and also allowed the presidential and parliamentary elections to be freely and fairly conducted in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

"These landmark events demonstrate the positive and important impact that resolution 1559 has had on the political independence and sovereignty of Lebanon," he underlined.

However, Mr. Roed-Larsen stressed that other provisions of the resolution are not only lagging behind, but the failure to implement them may also erode the progress achieved so far.

"At the Council today, I spoke at length about the presidential vacuum and its negative effect on the ability of Lebanon to make important decisions. The current paralysis undermines the institutions that have proven effective in running the country," he warned.

Lebanon has now been without a Head of State or military chief for two years. The envoy said it is of "paramount importance" for the country to elect a president and get the parliament to function properly. He added that it is an "internal matter" and the international community should only advise Lebanese decision makers, leaving the election of a president to the parliament.

Meanwhile, he underlined that the most outstanding provision in resolution 1559 is the disarmament and disbandment of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias.

"Since 2004, not only have the militias' presence and activities continued but if anything they have expanded. Their growing capabilities are a source of concern. They represent a major and very dangerous threat to Lebanon's sovereignty, stability and political independence," he stressed.

With Mr. Roed-Larsen's departure at the end of the month, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has decided to task the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, to take on the responsibilities of reporting on resolution 1559 until the end of this year, so as to give the next Secretary-General flexibility to choose on how to report on the resolution.
Belarus: execution shows 'callous disdain' for international human rights law  UN experts

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 13 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Belarus: execution shows 'callous disdain' for international human rights law  UN experts, 13 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad82a8.html [accessed 25 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.

13 May 2016 - United Nations human rights experts today condemned Belarus' continued use of the death penalty following reports that a man whose complaint was before the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) had been executed, despite a specific request from the Committee for a stay of execution.

"I am appalled by reports of the recent execution of Sergey Ivanov by the Belarusian authorities," said Miklos Haraszti, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.

Reports indicate that Mr. Ivanov, who was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death in 2015, was executed on around 18 April this year.

Mr. Ivanov's brother had petitioned the Committee, arguing that Mr. Ivanov's trial had been unfair. During the trial, he remained handcuffed and was obliged to wear special clothes with the label "capital punishment" on them. It was also alleged that he was not brought promptly before a judge upon arrest and had limited access to a lawyer.

Mr. Ivanov's execution means Belarus, since 2010, has executed eight people whose cases were registered for examination by the Committee under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Belarus is a State party.

Belarus remains the only country in Europe and Central Asia that applies the death penalty, despite repeated calls for its abolition from many in the international community, including the members of the European Union and the Council of Europe.

Mr. Haraszti once again urged the Belarusian authorities to adopt a moratorium on the death penalty, as an interim legal step towards it full abolition.

The human rights expert also voiced grave concern at news that another defendant, Sergei Khmelevsky, was sentenced to death by a court on 6 May. "The news testifies to the lack of progress on the human rights situation in Belarus," he said.

The Human Rights Committee had requested the Belarusian authorities not to carry out the sentence, pending the examination of Mr. Ivanov's case.

Non-compliance with the Committee's request for interim measures constitutes a violation, by Belarus, of its obligations under the Optional Protocol to ICCPR.

"The decision to proceed with the execution of the death penalty amounts to both a callous disdain for and a grave breach of Belarus' international human rights obligations," said Nigel Rodley, Special Rapporteur on new communications and interim measures.

Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.
Colombia: UN refugee agency urges civilian safety amid rising displacement in country's western region

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 13 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Colombia: UN refugee agency urges civilian safety amid rising displacement in country's western region, 13 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad84440b.html [accessed 25 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.

13 May 2016 - Armed clashes between illegal groups fighting for territory in western Colombia are driving a growing number of mostly Afro-Caribbean and indigenous peoples from their homes in Choco department, the United Nations refugee agency warned today, calling on all parties to the conflict to guarantee the safety of the civilian population.

In the past two months alone, more than 6,000 people have fled the fighting, as well as ongoing hostilities in the context of the country's civil war. The clashes, around the Baudo, Atrato and San Juan rivers, have also severely restricted the movements of a further 7,000 people.

To date, the displacement has mostly affected Afro-Colombians and indigenous people, William Spindler, spokesperson of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said in a regular bi-weekly news briefing to reporters in Geneva.

For these people, access to livelihoods, including fishing, hunting and agriculture, has been completely cut off and their children are no longer able to go to school, he added.

The spokesperson noted that the magnitude of the situation has overwhelmed the local authorities' ability to respond to basic needs, including food, health care, shelter and psychological support.

UNHCR is working in close coordination with the Colombian authorities and other humanitarian agencies to provide emergency assistance and logistical support to the displaced communities.

Mr. Spindler highlighted that the clashes come as the Government of Colombia is in the final stages of peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the principal guerrilla force in the country, and recently announced the launch of formal negotiations with another group, the National Liberation Army (ELN).

The peace dialogue, launched in 2012, aims to put an end to more than 50 years of armed conflict with FARC, which has generated close to 7 million internally displaced people and 350,000 Colombian refugees, living mainly in Ecuador and Venezuela.

UNHCR today urgently calls on all parties to the conflict to guarantee the safety of the civilian population, Mr. Spindler said. This includes refraining from establishing military bases in or near civilian settlements and carrying out bombing raids in these areas. It is also essential to address the structural causes of displacement, including control over territory and resources.

Ending the forced displacement of Colombian internally displaced people and refugees is critical to the establishment of sustainable peace in Colombia and to the country's socio-economic recovery, the spokesperson emphasized.

UNHCR added that failing to reintegrate internally displaced people and returnees will jeopardize the success of the fragile transition period and increases the risk of new displacements.
UN refugee agency reports some 1,000 refugees and migrants rescued off Italian coast

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 13 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN refugee agency reports some 1,000 refugees and migrants rescued off Italian coast, 13 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad87f40b.html [accessed 25 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.

13 May 2016 - Some 1,000 people of various nationalities, including refugee families and unaccompanied children, were rescued yesterday from the Mediterranean Sea, the UN refugee agency said today.

In one operation carried out yesterday, about 500 people travelling in two fishing boats that had departed several days earlier from Egypt were rescued off Sicily, south-east of Cape Passero, William Spindler, spokesperson of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a regular bi-weekly news briefing to reporters at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

According to the Italian Coastguard, there are some Syrians and Iraqis among this group, as well as people from other nationalities.

Apart from the two fishing boats that sailed from Egypt, it is believed that there were other smaller boats that came from Libya, the spokesperson said.

Disembarkation of the 1,000 people rescued yesterday is taking place today at four different locations in southern Italy: Augusta, Catania, Crotone and Palermo, and will likely last the whole day.

UNHCR staff will be present and will be giving information and assistance to the persons rescued in the operations, which were coordinated by Frontex, Mr. Spindler noted.

So far this year, 187,920 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe by sea, during which 1,361 have either died or been reported missing. Of those making the journey, 155,765 have reached Greece and 31,252 have reached Italy.

"UNHCR continues to advocate for legal pathways for refugees to reach Europe through resettlement and humanitarian admission programmes, family reunification, private sponsorship, humanitarian and refugee student or work visas, etc., as a way to help put an end to the smuggling of human beings," the spokesperson said.
In Syria, head of UN agency for Palestine refugees calls for protection to be strengthened

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 13 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, In Syria, head of UN agency for Palestine refugees calls for protection to be strengthened, 13 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad8bf40b.html [accessed 25 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.

13 May 2016 - The head of the United Nations relief agency charged with the well-being of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East has just completed a two-day visit to Syria where he met with Palestine refugees and called for their protection to be strengthened.

"In the eyes of Rana and Isra, I saw the unspeakable trauma they have endured but also their determination to prevail," said Pierre Krahenbuhl, the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), after meeting two young girls in a neighbourhood of Damascus, who were badly injured in a devastating double car-bomb in February.

A cross-line field trip to Yalda also allowed the Commissioner-General to meet with Palestine refugees from Yarmouk during distributions of food and hygiene materials, as well as medical consultations carried out by UNRWA. Many of the men, women and children present at the distribution live in Yarmouk camp itself and spoke of the ongoing extreme hardship and the many consequences of armed violence they are exposed to.

"UNRWA remains determined to resume direct distributions inside Yarmouk when the conditions permit. In the meantime, it is important that we are able to continue providing the life-saving support to Palestine refugees from Yarmouk in surrounding neighbourhoods," Mr. Krahenbuhl emphasized.

During his visit to Damascus, the Commissioner-General met with Dr. Faisal Miqdad, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates; Omar Ghalawangi, the Deputy Prime Minister; Mrs. Rima al-Qadiri, the Minister of Social Affairs; and Mr. Ali Mustafa, Director-General of the General Administration for Palestine Arab Refugees (GAPAR).

UNRWA's Pierre Krahenbuhl visits refugees of Yarmouk Camp in Syria. Credit: United Nations

In these meetings, Mr. Krahenbuhl noted the improvements in the facilitation of humanitarian access to certain Palestine refugee communities. He called for steps to be taken to strengthen the protection of Palestine refugees and enable UNRWA to reach those most in need. He was encouraged by the indications he received that access will become possible to Khan Eshieh and Qudsaya.

In the midst of ongoing suffering faced by Palestine refugees in Syria, UNRWA is underlining that there are remarkable stories of hope. The Commissioner-General met with some 100 Palestinian boys and girls who had just exited Yarmouk camp to take their national exams. In his discussions with the students, he heard how essential it was to have preserved forms of access to education inside the devastated landscape of Yarmouk.

In Sayyeda Zeinab, Mr. Krahenbuhl visited an UNRWA school being rebuilt in what was once an embattled neighbourhood of the Syrian capital.

"I am deeply proud of the efforts of my colleagues in Syria, who are so engaged to protect the right to education of Palestine refugee youth. I call on the world to join us in support of this formidable effort," he said.

"As steps are underway to try and resolve the wider Syria conflict, UNRWA staff in Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Latakia and Dera'a are doing their utmost to provide crucial assistance and services to Palestine refugees," he added. "It is essential that their destiny, their plight, as well as their needs and expectations are not forgotten. Addressing these should be a priority for all."
UN rights office urges Gambia to release detained protesters

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 13 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN rights office urges Gambia to release detained protesters, 13 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad8d540d.html [accessed 25 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.

13 May 2016 - Expressing deep concern about the situation of dozens of protesters who were arrested during a peaceful rally on 14 and 16 April in the Gambian capital of Banjul, the United Nations human rights arm today urged the Government to release all those who have been detained for simply having exercised their rights to freedom of expression, opinion and assembly.

We have received worrying reports that some of them, who are still in detention, have been tortured, Spokesperson Rupert Colville of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) told reporters in Geneva. There are also reports that their family members have not been allowed to visit them, and some have been denied access to medical care.

OHCHR also reiterated its call to the Gambian authorities to launch an impartial investigation into the reported death in custody of Solo Sandeng, Chairman of the youth wing of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) on 14 April.

Two other female opposition figures, Fatoumata Jawara and Nogoi Njai, who had been feared dead, were found in custody  but reportedly in very bad condition.

The Office is also deeply worried about the situation of Alhagie Ceesay, Director of the Teranga FM radio station, who has been on trial for sedition and false information since July 2015.

Ceesay has been hospitalized on several occasions for serious health problems reportedly due to torture and ill-treatment he has endured while in detention. He was last seen alive on 11 April.

We urge the Gambian Government to clarify his whereabouts, ensure that he is not submitted to torture and ill-treatment, and guarantee that his right to fair trial is fully respected, the spokesperson said.
Boko Haram Summit: Human rights must be foundation of regional response

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 14 May 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Boko Haram Summit: Human rights must be foundation of regional response, 14 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ad9194.html [accessed 25 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.

Accountability for human rights violations and abuses should be an indispensable part of the regional response to Boko Haram, Amnesty International said today.

As world leaders meet today for the Regional Security Summit in Abuja to discuss the collective effort to defeat Boko Haram and reconstruct the Lake Chad region, Amnesty International calls on them to ensure that justice remains a priority and to increase efforts to protect civilians.

"Whether they have suffered at the hands of Boko Haram, or of the security forces who were supposed to protect them, the conflict's thousands of victims deserve justice," said Netsanet Belay, Amnesty International's Research and Advocacy Director for Africa.

"Despite repeated promises, governments affected by the conflict have not adequately investigated evidence of crimes under international law and human rights abuses and violations nor taken steps to prosecute and bring to trial the suspected perpetrators. Now is the time to put those promises into action."

While focusing on efforts at combatting Boko Haram, the Summit, the second of its kind, will also discuss measures to enhance security, deliver humanitarian assistance and plan for post-conflict reconstruction.

Since 2009, Boko Haram has killed thousands of civilians, abducted thousands more from their homes, and subjected women and girls to sexual violence. In Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, the armed group has destroyed towns and villages, forcing more than two million people from their homes and denying them access to their livelihoods. In these countries, security forces have also committed human rights violations and crimes under international law in their fight against Boko Haram.

Amnesty International has documented extra-judicial executions, deaths in military custody, enforced disappearances, the use of torture, looting and other violations by the state security forces of Nigeria and Cameroon. Chad and Niger have also been accused of human rights violations in the context of combatting Boko Haram, including by the United Nations.

The organization is still not aware of any members of security forces in those countries who have been brought to trial for crimes committed in the context of the fight against Boko Haram. This has created a climate of impunity, while deepening the frustration of families and victims who have a right to justice

A man whose brother was killed by Nigerian security forces told Amnesty International this year:

"Justice should be done. My brother was not Boko Haram. Those who killed him should be investigated so that they will not do this again. Our family is keeping this in our hearts, it is very painful, and there is nothing we can do."

Amnesty International calls on Governments attending the summit to develop mechanisms for accountability, and bring suspected perpetrators of crimes under international law before civilian courts in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.

In the week of the Summit, Amnesty International published shocking revelations about the deaths of babies, among others, in Nigerian military detention centers. Evidence gathered by the organization showed that many detainees may have died from disease, hunger, dehydration, and gunshots wounds.

Background

The regional Summit will be hosted by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and will be attended by Presidents from France, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Senegal and Gabon. The Summit also aims at developing an action plan for basic infrastructural development of the areas worst affected by the conflict in order to allow for the return of internally displaced persons and refugees. On 12 May 2016, Amnesty International's Secretary General, Salil Shetty sent a letter to Presidents attending the Summit calling for justice to be a priority on the agenda.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Kazakhstan: Punished for worship meetings; UN appeals

Publisher Forum 18 Author Felix Corley Publication Date 13 May 2016 Cite as Forum 18, Kazakhstan: Punished for worship meetings; UN appeals, 13 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573add1f4.html [accessed 25 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

A Baptist was fined in Akmola Region for refusing fine for hosting religious worship, and remains on the exit blacklist. Two Atyrau Protestants face prosecution for meeting in a cafe after their church service. Jehovah's Witnesses await United Nations response to complaints over fines.
Survey finds Nigerian refugees in Cameroon want to go home

Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 13 May 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Survey finds Nigerian refugees in Cameroon want to go home, 13 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573ade904.html [accessed 25 October 2022]

More than three quarters (76 per cent) of the tens of thousands of Nigerian refugees in northern Cameroon want to return home amid an improving security situation in areas of north-east Nigeria, according to a survey by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

But the survey, conducted earlier this month in Cameroon's Minawao camp, showed that those who want to return are still concerned about conditions in their towns and villages of origin. And while 45 per cent of them wish to return home immediately, 38 per cent want to wait and see how the security situation evolves.

UNHCR shares these concerns and stresses that all returns should be voluntary and that people should not be sent back to areas of insecurity and widespread destruction where their lives would be more difficult and fraught with dangers. At the same time UNHCR urges governments to keep their doors open to people fleeing conflict.

UNHCR staff interviewed 7,939 of the 56,783 refugees in Minawao camp, or 14 per cent. (There are almost 65,000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon). More than half were women (54 per cent), reflecting the camp demographic, and about half are 35 years or older. Some 44 per cent said they had access to information about their home areas through their phone, new arrivals, family and friends, media and the internet.

Those wishing to return cited concerns about living conditions, provision of basic services and damage to homes and infrastructure, including schools and health centres. Lucas, who arrived in Minawao in August 2014 after fleeing Gwoza in Nigeria's Borno state, said he dreams of reuniting with relatives in Nigeria.

He said most refugees shared this desire, but added: "Our villages have been totally destroyed and the security situation remains uncertain. We lost all our properties and if we have to return we will need support from our government to rebuild our lives."

He and others called for reconstruction programmes, aid packages, livelihood projects and deployment of the armed forces to ensure security. Of those not wanting to return, 59 per cent said they had no financial resources, while 8 percent said they had nothing to return to.

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari and Cameroon's President Paul Biya met last week in Abuja and discussed the return of Nigerian refugees under a planned tripartite agreement with UNHCR. They agreed that this should be convened by July and aim to forge a framework for the safe return of refugees.

Returns from Cameroon have been a sensitive issue in the past, with UNHCR unable to gain access to more than 20,000 people sent back to Nigeria since 2015 from the militarized Lake Chad area to ensure they were returning willingly.

UNHCR says returns must be voluntary and both governments should take the concerns of refugees and internally displaced people seriously. UNHCR remains ready to work closely with the two countries to guarantee the rights of refugees to voluntary return in safety and dignity and to speed up reintegration projects.

Over the past year, the governments of Nigeria and Cameroon have pushed back Boko Haram insurgents in north-east Nigeria and northern Cameroon, bringing greater security in some areas. But the insurgency remains a major threat to peace in the region.

The conflict has forced more than 200,000 people to flee to Cameroon, Chad and Niger following attacks on their villages in Nigeria's Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. The conflict has since 2014 spilled over into Cameroon, where some 170,000 Cameroonians are internally displaced in the north.
Freedom in the World 2016 - Uganda

Publisher Freedom House Publication Date 10 May 2016 Cite as Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2016 - Uganda, 10 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573b062424.html [accessed 25 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.

Freedom Status: Not Free

Aggregate Score: 36

Freedom Rating: 5.5

Political Rights: 6

Civil Liberties: 5

Quick Facts

Population: 40,141,000

Capital: Kampala

GDP/Capita: $696.40

Press Freedom Status: Partly Free

Net Freedom Status: Partly Free

OVERVIEW

Restrictions on and abuses against the opposition and civil society intensified in 2015 as police and the government enforced the 2013 Public Order Management Act (POMA). In November, Parliament unanimously passed the Nongovernmental Organizations (NGO) Bill, which vastly increases the government's power over NGOs and could be used to ban targeted groups. It was awaiting the president's signature at year's end. LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) groups and individuals continued to suffer harassment and intimidation during the year, despite the government's decision not to reintroduce the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), which was struck down by the Constitutional Court on a technicality in 2014.

As general elections set for February 2016 drew nearer, police harassment of opposition candidates and their supporters increased. Electoral law changes introduced in 2015 appeared to disadvantage the opposition. Eight candidates were cleared by the Electoral Commission (EC) to seek the presidency, including incumbent Yoweri Museveni of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), longtime opposition leader Kizza Besigye with the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), and former prime minister Amama Mbabazi as the nominee of the newly formed Go Forward movement.

POLITICAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES

Political Rights: 11 / 40

A. Electoral Process: 3 / 12

Uganda's single-chamber Parliament and the president are elected for five-year terms. As of 2015 there were 375 elected members of Parliament (MPs), including 238 elected in single-member constituencies, 112 elected to reserved seats for women, and 25 chosen to represent special interest groups (the military, youth, people with disabilities, and trade unions). Additional, ex-officio seats are held by cabinet ministers, who are appointed by the president and do not have voting rights. In 2005, constitutional amendments lifted a ban on political parties but also removed presidential term limits.

Museveni, the president since 1986, last won reelection in 2011 with 68 percent of the vote. Besigye placed second with 26 percent. In concurrent parliamentary elections, the NRM secured 263 of 375 elected seats, followed by the FDC with 34. Smaller parties and independents took the remainder. According to international observers, the elections were undermined by flawed administration, extensive state-media bias, and government spending on behalf of the ruling party.

The president appoints the members of the EC, and a parliamentary committee dominated by the ruling party approves the chairperson, compromising the commission's independence. In 2009, Museveni renewed the panel and its chairman for a second seven-year term.

After inviting recommendations for constitutional changes and receiving dozens of electoral reform proposals from a group representing all registered parties in Parliament, the NRM-dominated legislature in August 2015 passed a Constitutional Amendment Bill that changed the name of the Electoral Commission to the Independent Electoral Commission but otherwise ignored the cross-party recommendations.

Two additional bills concerning the upcoming 2016 elections  the Presidential Elections (Amendment) Bill and the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill  were signed into law in October. They increased the nomination fees required from presidential and parliamentary candidates, removed a previous requirement that presidential candidates campaign in each of the country's districts, and shortened by one hour the length of time polls stay open on election day. In August, Parliament approved the creation of 43 new counties, which double as single-member districts, meaning there would be 281 such constituencies for the 2016 parliamentary elections. In September, the Constitutional Court ruled unconstitutional the framework for elections to the parliamentary seats reserved for special interest groups, except those for people with disabilities. It remained unclear at year's end whether the framework would be amended to address the court's concerns in time for the elections.

B. Political Pluralism and Participation: 5 / 16

The ability of the opposition to compete with the NRM is hindered by harassment of opposition leaders, restrictive party registration requirements and voter and candidate eligibility rules, the use of government resources to support NRM candidates, a lack of access to state-media coverage, and paramilitary groups that intimidate voters and government opponents. Opposition groups have also suffered from infighting and funding shortages. In June 2015, opposition parties and civil society groups announced the formation of The Democratic Alliance, a new political coalition that planned to field a joint presidential candidate. However, the coalition failed to settle on a standard bearer, as neither Besigye nor Mbabazi agreed to stand down.

The POMA has been used to obstruct opposition candidates from holding rallies and meetings with supporters. After Mbabazi announced his presidential bid in June, his supporters were arrested in several locations around the country and charged with unlawful assembly and campaigning before the official start of the election season. According to an October 2015 Human Rights Watch report, police in September illegally used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse two rallies for Mbabazi in eastern Uganda. Besigye and his supporters also faced harassment. Besigye was arrested multiple times in 2015, with officials claiming that it was illegal for him to hold rallies before his candidacy had been proved by the EC. In a video released in October, police officers could be seen pulling the clothes off of a leading FDC official, Zaina Fatuma, as they arrested her. Police argued that Fatuma had deliberately undressed herself as a protest. Activists speculated that the incident was meant to deter political participation by women.

Throughout 2015, Museveni's supporters worked to consolidate support for the president and sideline dissidents within the NRM, especially in response to the candidacy of Mbabazi, a former secretary general of the party. According to a November report on the NRM presidential primary by the Citizens Election Observation Network-Uganda (CEON-U), the poll featured instances of violence, intimidation, vote buying, and denial of voter access to polling stations.

The military, which is closely aligned with Museveni and currently holds 10 seats in Parliament, exerts a powerful role behind the scenes to support him as well as its own extensive commercial interests. At the end of 2015, it remained to be seen how that influence would be affected by the Constitutional Court ruling concerning interest-group seats in the legislature.

C. Functioning of Government: 3 / 12

Power is concentrated in the hands of the NRM leadership, the security forces, and especially the president, who retains office through deeply flawed elections. Ordinary MPs and civic groups have little practical ability to affect legislation or government policies.

Despite high-profile scandals and investigations, increased media attention, and laws and institutions designed to combat corruption, top government officials are rarely punished for such offenses. Electoral corruption is a particular concern ahead of the 2016 balloting, with vote buying the most visible problem.

The 2012 Petroleum Law gives the energy minister wide-ranging powers over the oil sector; the opposition and international monitoring groups criticized the law for lack of parliamentary or independent oversight of the minister's decisions. In July 2015, the government released a list of 19 companies interested in bidding on oil-drilling contracts. The transparency of the bidding process was hailed as a positive development, though international organizations expressed ongoing concern about corruption in the oil industry as well as human rights and environmental protection in the areas being opened for drilling. Uganda was ranked 139 out of 168 countries and territories surveyed in Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Civil Liberties: 25 / 40

D. Freedom of Expression and Belief: 9 / 16

Constitutional protections for freedoms of expression and of the press are often undermined by provisions in the penal code, including laws on criminal libel and treason, as well as by extralegal government actions.

Uganda has a vibrant media sector, with nearly 200 private radio stations and dozens of television stations and print outlets. Independent journalists and media outlets are often critical of the government, but in recent years they have faced escalating government restrictions and intimidation, leading many to self-censor. Journalists often face harassment or physical attacks by police or ordinary citizens while covering the news. In the lead-up to the 2016 elections, journalists reported self-censorship on political issues as well as instances of bribes being offered in exchange for positive coverage of the government. In December, Museveni denounced the Daily Monitor newspaper and the broadcaster NTV, saying they sided with the political opposition.

There were no reported restrictions on internet access in 2015, and online media generally operate in a freer environment than the traditional press. However, the government has reportedly sought to increase surveillance of internet and mobile-phone communications in the context of antiterrorism campaigns under the 2002 Antiterrorism Act and the 2010 Regulation of Interception of Communications Act. An October 2015 report released by Privacy International describes a secret program begun by the government in 2011 to use an invasive form of spyware to remotely monitor the computers and communication devices of opposition members, journalists, and activists. The report states that the program sought information that could be used to blackmail its targets. The government denied the existence of such a program.

The 2014 Anti-Pornography Act (APA) defines pornography in broad terms and gives a Pornography Control Committee wide-ranging powers to determine what amounts to pornographic material in any medium, including online. Potential penalties for violations include fines and up to 10 years in prison.

There is no state religion, and freedom of worship is constitutionally protected and generally respected in practice. However, the government has restricted religious leaders from engaging in political debates and religious groups whose members allegedly pose security risks. An October 2015 Center for Strategic and International Studies report found that Museveni uses a combination of patronage and threats to limit the public role of religious institutions. Academic freedom has been undermined by alleged surveillance of university lectures by security officials, and by the need for professors to obtain permission to hold public meetings at universities.

In addition to the threat of state surveillance, free and open private discussion is limited by a climate of intimidation pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity. For example, LGBT individuals and others face the fear of being "outed" by tabloid newspapers that publicly identify real or perceived gay men and lesbians, along with personal details and photos.

E. Associational and Organizational Rights: 4 / 12

Freedom of assembly is restricted by law and in practice. Among other repressive provisions, the POMA requires groups to register with the local police in writing three days before any gathering, public or private, to discuss political issues. The police have broad authority to deny approval for such meetings if they are not deemed to be in the "public interest," and to use force to disperse assemblies judged unlawful. Besigye and other opposition leaders have been arrested numerous times in recent years for organizing marches and protests.

Freedom of association is guaranteed in the constitution but often restricted. Civil society in Uganda remains vibrant, and several NGOs address politically sensitive issues. However, their existence and activities are vulnerable to legal restrictions and the manipulation of burdensome registration requirements. The NGO law passed in November 2015 was criticized by local civil society organizations and international rights groups for the broad powers it grants the government  including the authority to shutter organizations and jail their members for vaguely worded offenses. The measure was awaiting the president's assent at year's end.

Workers' rights to organize, bargain collectively, and strike are recognized by law, except for workers providing essential government services. However, legal protections often go unenforced. Many private firms refuse to recognize unions, and strikers are sometimes arrested. In the September 2015 Constitutional Court ruling that struck down the parliamentary election framework for interest-group seats, the court found that elections to the seats reserved for labor representatives unconstitutionally excluded nonunionized workers.

F. Rule of Law: 5 / 16

Executive and military influence undermines judicial independence, and a December 2014 report by Al-Jazeera uncovered corruption at all levels of the judiciary. In March 2015, Museveni appointed Bart Magunda Katureebe to be chief justice of the Supreme Court, filling a vacancy created by a 2013-14 dispute over the president's attempt to reappoint Benjamin Odoki, who was past the age of mandatory retirement.

Prolonged pretrial detention, inadequate resources, and poor judicial administration impede access to justice. The prison system is operating at more than twice its intended capacity, with pretrial detainees constituting more than half of the prison population. Rape, vigilante justice, and torture and abuse of suspects and detainees by security forces are persistent problems.

Since a series of terrorist bombings struck Kampala in 2010, security forces have illegally detained and abused terrorism suspects. Security was ramped up periodically in response to alleged terrorist threats during 2015. In March, gunmen assassinated a prosecutor in the trial of 13 suspected members of the Shabaab, the Somali Islamist militant group, who were accused of involvement in the 2010 bombings. In June, Parliament passed the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, which grants police discretion in freezing the assets and seizing the property of terrorism suspects. The opposition criticized the bill's definition of terrorism, which they said was vague and open to abuse.

In 2014, as part of a community policing initiative, the Uganda Police Force officially launched a "crime preventers" program with the aim of training more than a million young people across Uganda. The government claims that participants are permitted to support any political party and that their role is to help fight crime. However, critics, including opposition politicians and civil society groups, have accused crime preventers of physical abuse, extortion, and partisan intimidation, saying the program was effectively establishing extralegal, NRM-affiliated militias across the country ahead of the 2016 elections.

Northern Uganda continues to struggle to recover economically from 20 years of attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group, with residents accusing the central government of neglect and corruption related to donor funds earmarked for the region. The LRA has not staged attacks in Uganda itself since 2005, but the government plays a leading role in an African Union mission to eliminate the group from neighboring countries.

LGBT people in Uganda face overt hostility from the government and much of society. According to a September 2015 report by the Human Rights Campaign, violence against LGBT individuals spiked while the AHA was in place and declined after it was struck down in 2014. However, other forms of discrimination persisted, including shunning by family members and eviction by landlords. Although the AHA, which criminalized "promoting" or "aiding and abetting" homosexual acts, is no longer in force, same-sex sexual activity is still subject to penalties of up to life in prison under existing law.

G. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights: 7 / 16

Freedom of movement in Uganda is largely unrestricted. However, the government has occasionally enforced travel restrictions for security purposes, particularly in the north. Bribery is common in many facets of life, such as interacting with traffic police, gaining admittance to some institutions of higher education, and obtaining government jobs. Licenses are required to start a business, obtain construction permits, and register property, and the multistage processes involve numerous opportunities for officials to seek bribes. Customary tenure is widespread in the north, and land disputes are common, particularly when private development projects are at stake.

Although the constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender and acknowledges the equal rights of women, gender discrimination remains pronounced, particularly in rural areas. Women won nearly 35 percent of the seats in the 2011 parliamentary elections, and one-third of local council seats are reserved for women. The law gives women the right to inherit land, but discriminatory customs often trump legal provisions in practice. Rape and domestic violence are widespread and underreported, and offenders are rarely prosecuted. Cultural practices such as female genital mutilation persist, despite the 2010 Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act.

While early versions of the APA contained a provision that appeared to ban short skirts and other clothing deemed sexually explicit, the final bill did not contain this clause. Nevertheless, according to an October 2014 report by Amnesty International, a number of women wearing such clothing were attacked and stripped by mobs due to public misconceptions about the law.

Sexual abuse of minors is a significant problem. Ritual sacrifice of abducted children has reportedly increased in recent years, with wealthier individuals paying for the killings to seek good fortune. Uganda continues to be a source and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and prostitution.

Scoring Key: X / Y (Z)

X = Score Received

Y = Best Possible Score

Z = Change from Previous Year

Copyright notice:  Freedom House, Inc.  All Rights Reserved
Freedom in the World 2016 - Libya

Publisher Freedom House Publication Date 10 May 2016 Cite as Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2016 - Libya, 10 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573b062611.html [accessed 25 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.

Freedom Status: Not Free

Aggregate Score: 20

Freedom Rating: 6.0

Political Rights: 6

Civil Liberties: 6

Quick Facts

Population: 6,317,000

Capital: Tripoli

GDP/Capita: $6,569.60

Press Freedom Status: Not Free

Net Freedom Status: Partly Free

OVERVIEW

Four years since the downfall of longtime dictator Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi, Libya remained embroiled in political stalemate and a civil war involving hundreds of rival armed groups in 2015. Over 1,000 people were killed in fighting across the country during the year. Important infrastructure has been damaged during the conflict, and more than 400,000 residents of affected cities and towns have been displaced since mid-2014. Amid the security vacuum and a breakdown in law and order, the Islamic State (IS) militant group steadily gained ground, and consolidated a hub in Sirte.

Two competing governments, each with their own parliaments and allied military forces, claim legitimacy: the House of Representatives (HoR), which is based in the eastern city of Tubruk and enjoys widespread international recognition, and the Tripoli-based General National Congress (GNC). Beginning in January 2015, the United Nations led a political dialogue process aimed at establishing a government of national accord; the negotiations involve members of the competing governments, political party representatives, civil society and women's rights activists, and local council members. In November, GNC and HoR figures opposed to the UN-backed talks spearheaded a parallel, so-called Libyan-Libyan dialogue. In December, representatives from the GNC and HoR signed a UN-brokered agreement that outlined the formation of a national unity government under the leadership of Prime Minister Fayez Serraj, a GNC member. Under the agreement, the HoR would act as a primary legislature, while GNC members would comprise most of a new State Council, a secondary consultative body. The agreement is meant to be in effect until the adoption of a constitution and the subsequent holding of new parliamentary elections. However, neither the HoR nor the GNC had voted to approve the deal at the year's end, with hardliners on both sides deeming its terms unacceptable. Meanwhile, the United Nations has been unable to facilitate a security agreement between the warring parties.

Meanwhile, Libya's Constitutional Drafting Assembly (CDA), which is based in Al-Bayda and appears to enjoy the recognition of both the GNC and HoR, released a preliminary draft constitution in October.

Oil production, the main source of revenue, has declined massively amid sustained unrest, and the financial situation is deteriorating. The Central Bank and state-owned National Oil Company, both headquartered in Tripoli, remained contested, with attempts to set up parallel institutions in eastern Libya.

POLITICAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES

Political Rights: 6 / 40 (-2)

A. Electoral Process: 4 / 12 (-1)

An August 2011 constitutional declaration, issued by an unelected National Transitional Council, serves as the governing document for the ongoing transitional period between the revolution and the adoption of a permanent constitution. The first national legislative elections, in 2012, established the 200-member GNC, which approved a prime minister and cabinet and was tasked with appointing a body that would draft a new constitution. In February 2013, the GNC decided that the drafting panel would be directly elected instead, and in July of that year it passed an electoral law for the 60-member Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA), with equal representation for Libya's three historic regions: Fazzan in the south, Tripolitania in the west, and Cyrenaica in the east. The High National Election Commission (HNEC), established as a permanent body by the GNC, carried out the constitutional committee elections in 2014. Only 1.1 million Libyans registered to vote, compared with 2.8 million for the 2012 GNC elections, reflecting mounting frustrations with insecurity, government performance, and the pace of the political transition. Moreover, the Amazigh (Berber) minority boycotted the vote on the grounds of unfair representation, and security problems prevented polling stations from operating in many other districts. As a result, 13 of the 60 seats could not be filled.

In March 2014, the GNC approved the seventh amendment to the 2011 constitutional declaration to allow for the election of a new Libyan parliament, the HoR. Despite a military campaign launched by General Khalifa Haftar and his Operation Dignity coalition that May, the HNEC announced that the HoR elections would take place in June, leaving less than a month to prepare for voter education and campaigning. Only 630,000 Libyans cast votes, and security problems in some areas meant that 12 of the 200 seats remained vacant. All candidates were required to run as independents. While the amendment to the constitutional declaration indicated that the HoR would meet in the second-largest city of Benghazi, ongoing fighting there led elected members to relocate to Tubruk, the headquarters of Operation Dignity. Of the 188 members, 158 attended the inaugural session in August 2014, and most foreign governments endorsed the newly elected HoR as the GNC's replacement.

Meanwhile, the 30 members who boycotted the Tubruk session filed a case with the constitutional circuit of the Libyan Supreme Court to challenge the validity of the new legislature. A rump GNC dominated by Islamist members, meeting in Tripoli in August 2014, appointed Omar al-Hassi as the prime minister of a national salvation government, while the HoR reappointed Abdullah al-Thinni that September. In November 2014, the Supreme Court struck down the seventh amendment of the constitutional declaration, which opponents of the HoR took to mean that the new parliament was invalid, and the GNC remained in office.

Much of 2015 was characterized by the political deadlock between the competing GNC and HoR governments and their security coalitions, with each side also reeling from its own internal divisions and grappling with the role and influence of armed groups. The number of representatives attending the GNC and HoR sessions was difficult to ascertain in 2015, as neither body took great efforts to ensure transparency on governance and decision-making. In March, a GNC spokesperson announced that the GNC had voted to dismiss al-Hassi, with some media reports suggesting that he had lied to GNC representatives about government revenues. The GNC then appointed Khalifa al-Ghwell as the new prime minister. In December, the GNC approved a cabinet reshuffle that saw the number of ministers fall from 24 to 12 plus Prime Minister Ghwell. Meanwhile, in the east, there were reports of tensions between General Haftar and HoR prime minister al-Thinni. In October, two weeks before its mandate was to expire, the HoR voted to extend its constitutional term for six months. At the end of 2015, both governments refused to approve the UN-brokered Libyan political agreement that representatives from each had signed on December 17.

Throughout 2015 both sides appeared to recognize the legitimacy of the al-Bayda-based CDA, which in October released a draft constitution. However, at year's end the charter had yet to be approved by all CDA members.

B. Political Pluralism and Participation: 2 / 16 (-1)

More than 100 parties or lists spanning the political spectrum, from socialists to Islamists, organized to participate in the 2012 GNC elections, marking a clear departure from the Qadhafi era, during which political parties were illegal and all independent political activity was banned. However, the legitimacy and integrity of the new parties steadily eroded, and all candidates in the 2014 elections were required to run as independents. Civilian politics and public participation were further marginalized by and subordinated to armed groups, as the two opposing military coalitions fought for control of the country and against extremist forces, including IS, which rejects both sides and has established a presence in some areas.

Throughout 2015, political life in Libya was suspended in the gridlock of competing eastern and western governments trapped in zero-sum politics. However, representatives from a number of political parties participated in the UN-facilitated dialogue process. Former Qadhafi regime members were notably absent from the talks.

C. Functioning of Government: 0 / 12

Neither of the country's rival political and military camps constituted an effective national government in 2015. Even before the rift between the HoR and GNC opened in 2014, the authority of elected officials was limited due to underdeveloped state institutions and the presence of autonomous regional armed groups, which by some counts number more than 1,700.

Corruption has long been pervasive in both the private sector and the government. Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index ranked Libya at 161 out of 168 countries and territories surveyed. The fall of the Qadhafi regime initially raised hopes that the level of graft would decline, but oil interests, foreign governments, smuggling syndicates, and armed groups still wield undue influence, especially in the south, and opportunities for corruption abound in the absence of effective fiscal, judicial, and commercial institutions.

Civil Liberties: 14 / 60 (-1)

D. Freedom of Expression: 6 / 16

The fall of the Qadhafi regime lifted restrictions on the long-repressed media sector. Citizen journalism became more common, and media outlets ranging from satellite television and radio stations to print publications multiplied in number. However, media freedom is increasingly limited by political and criminal violence that has made objective reporting more dangerous. Many journalists and media outlets have censored themselves or ceased operations to avoid retribution by armed groups. Threats and violent reprisals for reporting have prompted a growing number of journalists to flee the country.

Post-Qadhafi authorities have sometimes sought to curb free expression. While the Supreme Court in 2012 struck down a law that would have restricted any speech deemed insulting to the country's people and institutions, in 2014 the GNC promulgated legislation that criminalized "harming" the 2011 revolution. Authorities are not known to monitor the internet, but the GNC has in the past directed a state internet service provider to turn over certain data, and to ban access to websites that hosted content dealing with Christianity or atheism, or which were deemed pornographic.

Nearly all Libyans are Sunni Muslims, but Christians form a small minority, with most hailing from neighboring countries. Some Salafi Muslim groups, whose beliefs reject the veneration of saints, have destroyed or vandalized Sufi Muslim shrines. Coptic Christian communities have been targeted by armed groups, including IS. The International Commission of Jurists in a December 2015 report said the draft constitution released in October failed to protect the rights of all religious groups.

Close state supervision of education ended along with Qadhafi's regime. However, laws guaranteeing academic freedom have not yet been passed, and many school schedules have been disrupted due to a breakdown in the rule of law. Benghazi schools closed in mid-2014, for example, though some had reopened by the end of 2015.

Although open and free private discussion improved dramatically after 2011, the ongoing hostilities have taken their toll, with many Libyans withdrawing from political life or avoiding criticism of powerful actors.

E. Associational and Organizational Rights: 3 / 12

A 2012 law on freedom of assembly is generally compatible with international human rights principles, and a number of protests have taken place in recent years. However, fighting and related disorder seriously deter peaceful assemblies in many areas. In 2015, there was a wave of politicized demonstrations against the UN-led talks, including an October protest in Benghazi at which at least five people were killed when unidentified attackers fired mortar rounds at the crowd. In June, gunmen shot and killed seven people at a protest in the eastern city of Derna against the presence of IS and foreign fighters who had traveled to Libya to join it. In August, several dozen Qadhafi supporters staged a rally in Benghazi, which was broken up when opponents fired guns at the crowd.

A multitude of domestic nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) formed after the 2011 revolution. However, the number of active NGOs has since declined due to both the increased threat against activists and the departure of international donors. Armed groups with varying political, tribal, and geographic affiliations have targeted civil society activists with impunity. Many NGO workers have fled abroad or ceased their activism in the wake of grave threats to themselves or their families.

Trade unions, previously outlawed, have made small strides since 2011, but they are in their organizational infancy and have received little recognition.

F. Rule of Law: 1 / 16

The role of the judiciary remains unclear without a permanent constitution. Its functioning is severely hampered by ongoing fighting and insecurity, as well as by politicization. Criminal justice mechanisms are fragmented or nonoperational, leaving victims with few avenues for recourse. In some cases, nonstate dispute mechanisms have filled the void. Judges, prosecutors, and police officers have faced threats and attacks.

Investigations into a large number of cases involving torture and extrajudicial executions before and during the 2011 revolution, including the killing of Qadhafi, have made little progress. Thousands of individuals remain in the custody of militia or government groups despite the absence of any formal trial or sentencing. In July 2015, a Tripoli court ruled on cases against 37 senior Qadhafi regime officials charged with involvement in crimes committed during the 2011 conflict. The former dictator's son Saif al-Islam Qadhafi, former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, former prime minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, and six other defendants were sentenced to death by firing squad. Eight additional defendants were sentenced to life in prison, while other officials found guilty received sentences of between 5 and 12 years in prison; 4 people were acquitted. The United Nations and human rights groups expressed concern over the proceedings' conduct, saying that those charged were not guaranteed the right to an adequate defense, that some had made confessions under torture, and that defendants were convicted without the prosecution producing documents or calling any witnesses.

Libya's warring militias operate with little regard for civilian lives. The war's main battleground has been Benghazi, though fighting has taken place across the country. Both the HoR and GNC's claims to power depend on the maintenance of tenuous local alliances, and neither is able to provide security for residents. According to a November 2015 report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), IS has carried out summary executions on the basis of political and religious beliefs. The report added that all parties fighting in Libya may be violating international humanitarian law through actions such as the indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, abduction of citizens, torture, executions, and the destruction of property. In November, rival ethnic tribes from southern Libya signed a cease-fire agreement in Qatar following yearlong fighting in the southern city of Awbari.

Libyans from certain tribes and communities  often those perceived as pro-Qadhafi  have faced discrimination, violence, and displacement since 2011. Migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa have also been subject to discrimination and mistreatment, particularly at the hands of armed groups. There are reports of discrimination against the Tebu and Tuareg minorities in the south, particularly in employment, housing, education, and other services.

Under Libya's penal code, sexual activity between members of the same sex is punishable by up to five years in prison. LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people face severe discrimination and harassment, and have been targeted by militant groups. In May 2015 there were reports that three men accused of being gay had been executed in Derna by IS.

G. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights: 4 / 16 (-1)

The 2011 constitutional declaration guarantees freedom of movement, but violence has disrupted normal activity in major cities. Airports in Benghazi, Tripoli, Sabha, and Misrata have been attacked and destroyed, severely limiting access to air travel. As of September 2015, UNHCR estimated that 435,000 people were internally displaced in Libya, and hundreds of thousands have reportedly sought safety in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt. Government and militia checkpoints also restrict movement within Libya, while poor security conditions more generally affect movement as well as access to work and education.

While Libyans have the right to own property and can start businesses, regulations and protections are not upheld in practice. The World Bank's 2015 Doing Business report ranked Libya 188 out of 189 economies surveyed. Businesses and homes have been confiscated by militants, particularly in Libya's eastern regions and in Benghazi.

Threats and harassment against women, especially female activists, are reportedly increasing. The GNC has made limited efforts to address gender inequality, but formal legal changes have yet to be enacted.

Forced labor and sexual exploitation are widespread among trafficking victims from sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere. Libya lacks comprehensive laws criminalizing human trafficking, and the authorities have been either incapable of enforcing existing bans or complicit in trafficking activity. Traffickers have taken advantage of civil unrest to establish enterprises in which refugees and migrants are loaded into overcrowded boats that are abandoned in the Mediterranean Sea, where passengers hope to be rescued and taken to Europe. The voyages are often deadly.

Scoring Key: X / Y (Z)

X = Score Received

Y = Best Possible Score

Z = Change from Previous Year

Copyright notice:  Freedom House, Inc.  All Rights Reserved
Freedom in the World 2016 - India

Publisher Freedom House Publication Date 10 May 2016 Cite as Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2016 - India, 10 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573b062711.html [accessed 25 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.

Freedom Status: Free

Aggregate Score: 77

Freedom Rating: 2.5

Political Rights: 2

Civil Liberties: 3

Quick Facts

Population: 1,314,097,616

Capital: New Delhi

GDP/Capita: $1,595.70

Press Freedom Status: Partly Free

Net Freedom Status: Partly Free

OVERVIEW

The "Modi Wave" that swept Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power in the 2014 national elections experienced some setbacks in 2015, with major defeats for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi and Bihar state elections and retreats on key elements of the government's reform agenda. Meanwhile, threats to freedom of expression increased, including intimidation of and attacks against writers, journalists, academics, and bloggers by Hindu extremist groups. An uptick in violence against Muslims was linked to a campaign led by Hindu nationalists to tighten legal restrictions on the sale and consumption of beef.

POLITICAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES

Political Rights: 35 / 40

A. Electoral Process: 12 / 12

Elections have generally been free and fair. Members of the lower house of Parliament, the 545-seat Lok Sabha (House of the People), are directly elected in single-member constituencies for five-year terms, except for two appointed members representing Indians of European descent. The Lok Sabha determines the leadership and composition of the government. Most members of the less powerful 250-seat upper house, the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), are elected by state legislatures using a proportional-representation system to serve staggered six-year terms; up to 12 members are appointed. Executive power is vested in a prime minister and cabinet. The president, who plays a largely symbolic role but possesses some important powers, is chosen for a five-year term by state and national lawmakers. Current president Pranab Mukherjee, a former cabinet minister and veteran Congress Party leader, was elected in 2012.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 282 seats and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition won 336, ensuring a stable majority for the new government; turnout was 66 percent. The incumbent Congress Party and its United Progressive Alliance (UPA), headed by Rahul Gandhi, won just 44 and 60 seats, respectively. Modi, a three-term chief minister from the western state of Gujarat, was sworn in as prime minister. The elections, conducted with electronic voting machines, were broadly free and fair.

The Congress Party and its allies still controlled the Rajya Sabha in 2015 with 126 seats; the BJP-led alliance held only 63. Opposition to BJP policies in the upper chamber led the government to abandon key agenda items during the year, including a land acquisition bill. The BJP controls the governments of just eight of India's 29 states.

Elections held in the capital territory of Delhi in February 2015 and the state of Bihar in five phases from October to November were generally seen as free and fair. In Delhi, the anticorruption Aam Aadmi Party, formally launched in 2012, won a landslide victory with 67 of 70 seats in the legislative assembly. Despite extensive campaigning by Modi in Bihar, the BJP won only 58 of 243 seats against a coalition that included Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal, and the Congress Party, which together won 178 seats.

B. Political Pluralism and Participation: 14 / 16

India hosts a dynamic multiparty system. The Congress Party ruled at the federal level for nearly all of the first 50 years of independence, but the BJP became a major force in Parliament in the 1990s. Recent elections have tended to result in ruling coalitions involving large numbers of parties; the contests are fiercely competitive and characterized by anti-incumbency voting trends. In 2014, the two main national parties won only about 50 percent of the vote combined. Nonetheless, the disproportionate translation of votes to seats put the BJP in the clear majority in the lower house, marking the first time a single party won a majority of seats in the Lok Sabha since 1984. It also relegated the Congress Party to its weakest position to date.

Political participation is affected to a certain degree by insurgent violence in some areas and ongoing practical disadvantages for some marginalized segments of the population. Nevertheless, women, religious and ethnic minorities, and the poor vote in large numbers. There is some representation for historically marginalized groups. The current BJP government includes one Muslim cabinet minister, for minority affairs. Twenty-two Muslims were elected to the Lok Sabha in 2014. Quotas for the chamber ensure that 84 and 47 seats are reserved for the so-called scheduled castes (Dalits) and scheduled tribes, respectively. There are similar quotas for these historically disadvantaged groups in state assemblies.

Modi is a controversial figure due to his role as chief minister during the 2002 Gujarat riots, an outbreak of communal violence in which more than 1,000 Muslims were killed, and in which he has been accused of complicity. There was evidence of a BJP strategy of communal polarization in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Assam in 2013 and 2014 surrounding the parliamentary election campaign; divisive speeches by politicians including Modi and Amit Shah  Modi's Uttar Pradesh campaign chief and the current national BJP party president  were blamed for fueling or capitalizing on deadly communal clashes.

C. Functioning of Government: 9 / 12

Elected leaders have the authority to govern in practice, and civilian control of the military is codified in the constitution. However, political corruption has a negative effect on government efficiency and economic performance. India was ranked 76 out of 168 countries and territories surveyed in Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index. Though politicians and civil servants at all levels are regularly caught accepting bribes or engaging in other corrupt behavior, a great deal of corruption goes unnoticed and unpunished. This is particularly the case in the energy and construction sectors, and in state infrastructure projects more broadly.

Domestic and international pressure has led to legislation aimed at addressing corruption. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, which the president signed in 2014, creates independent government bodies tasked with receiving complaints of corruption against public servants or politicians, investigating claims, and pursuing convictions through the courts. Modi and members of his government have signaled support for the law, but there is little evidence that it is being effectively implemented.

The 2005 Right to Information (RTI) Act is widely used to improve transparency and expose corrupt activities, though there are questions about its enforcement. Since the enactment of the RTI Act, at least 45 right to information users and activists have been murdered and more than 250 have been assaulted or harassed. In May 2015, the Lok Sabha adopted amendments to the 2014 Whistleblowers Protection Act. Opposition members criticized the changes for diluting the effectiveness of the act, which was already regarded as limited in scope. The amendments had not been considered by the Rajya Sabha as of December.

Civil Liberties: 42 / 60 (-1)

D. Freedom of Expression and Belief: 13 / 16

The private media are vigorous and diverse, and investigations and scrutiny of politicians are common. Nevertheless, revelations of close relationships between politicians, business executives, and lobbyists and some leading media personalities and owners of media outlets have dented public confidence in the press in recent years. In the period surrounding the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, major media owners reportedly put pressure on journalists in order to avoid the political consequences of publishing critical stories on key parties and politicians; similar forms of self-censorship continued in 2015.

While the state continues to dominate the radio sector, and private radio stations are not allowed to air news content, the television and print sectors have expanded considerably over the past decade, with many new outlets targeting specific regional or linguistic audiences.

Internet access is largely unrestricted, though officials periodically implement overly broad blocks on supposedly offensive content to prevent communal or political unrest. The 2000 Information Technology Act criminalizes the sending of offensive messages by computer, and this has been interpreted to allow for censorship of critical commentary on political parties and specific politicians. For example, in the month after the 2014 elections, at least 18 people were reportedly arrested and questioned for anti-Modi posts on social-media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. The authorities have also used security laws, criminal defamation legislation, hate-speech laws, and contempt-of-court charges to curb critical voices on both social media and traditional media platforms.

There is increasing concern about harassment of bloggers and social-media users by Hindu nationalists. Hindu groups have also mobilized to suppress books that are perceived as critical of Hinduism or Hindu nationalism. In 2014, in response to a lawsuit, a publisher withdrew U.S. academic Wendy Doniger's book The Hindus: An Alternative History from sale; a different publisher made it available in 2015.

Hindus make up about 80 percent of the population, but the Indian state is formally secular. Freedom of religion is constitutionally guaranteed and generally respected in practice. However, legislation in several Hindu-majority states criminalizes religious conversions that take place as a result of "force" or "allurement," which can be broadly interpreted to prosecute proselytizers. Some states require government permission for conversion.

An array of Hindu nationalist organizations and some local media outlets promote antiminority views, a practice that critics charge is tolerated or even encouraged by the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Modi. In 2015, growing antiminority violence was linked to increasingly aggressive Hindu nationalists and a campaign to ban the sale and consumption of beef, which targets Muslims. The BJP-led state of Maharashtra has enacted the strictest ban in the country, though other states have various limits and prohibitions on the slaughter, sale, or consumption of beef. In September, a Muslim farmer in the state of Uttar Pradesh was killed by a Hindu mob that suspected him of having killed and eaten a calf.

Academic freedom is generally robust, though intimidation of professors and institutions over political and religious issues sometimes occurs. Violent attacks and threats against liberal writers and academics by radical Hindu nationalists increased during 2015. In August, M. M. Kalburgi, a scholar and critic of Hindu idol worship, was shot dead at his home. Hindu extremist groups such as Sri Ram Sene and Sanatan Sanstha have threatened secular thinkers. This climate of violence and intimidation and the general lack of response from the government have had a chilling effect among Indian intellectuals. Separately, scholars and activists accused of sympathizing with Maoist insurgents have faced pressure from authorities and alleged torture by police.

Private discussion in India is generally open and free. However, a nationwide Central Monitoring System launched in 2013 is meant to enable authorities to intercept any digital communication in real time without judicial oversight; India does not have a privacy law to protect citizens in case of abuse.

E. Associational and Organizational Rights: 10 / 12 (-1)

There are some restrictions on freedoms of assembly and association. Section 144 of the criminal procedure code empowers the authorities to restrict free assembly and impose curfews whenever "immediate prevention or speedy remedy" is required. State laws based on this standard are often abused to limit the holding of meetings and assemblies. Nevertheless, protest events take place regularly.

Human rights organizations operate freely, but they continue to face threats, legal harassment, excessive police force, and occasionally lethal violence. While India is home to a strong civil society sector and academic community, foreign monitors and journalists are at times denied visas to conduct research in the country on human rights and other topics. Under certain circumstances, the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA) permits the federal government to deny nongovernmental organizations access to foreign funding. The government has been accused of abusing this power to target political opponents. In April 2015, the authorities canceled the FCRA licenses of some 9,000 charities for failing to declare details about foreign donations. The crackdown included the suspension of Greenpeace's license for the additional infraction of damaging India's economic interests; Greenpeace has campaigned against environmental damage caused by energy-producing industries. The government also put the Ford Foundation on a watch list in April while it investigated the foundation's funding of a local organization run by a critic of Modi.

Although workers in the formal economy regularly exercise their rights to bargain collectively and strike, the Essential Services Maintenance Act has enabled the government to ban certain strikes. New labor laws passed in Rajasthan in 2015 raised the threshold for unionization (in terms of the number of workers) and granted employers greater power over dismissals.

F. Rule of Law: 9 / 16

The judiciary is independent of the executive branch. Judges have displayed considerable activism in response to public-interest litigation matters. However, the lower levels of the judiciary in particular have been rife with corruption, and most citizens have great difficulty securing justice through the courts. The system is severely backlogged and understaffed, leading to lengthy pretrial detention for a large number of suspects, many of whom remain in jail longer than the duration of any sentence they might receive if convicted.

Police torture, abuse, and corruption are entrenched in the law enforcement system. Citizens frequently face substantial obstacles, including demands for bribes, in getting the police to file a First Information Report, which is necessary to trigger an investigation of an alleged crime. Custodial rape of female detainees continues to be a problem, as does routine abuse of ordinary prisoners, particularly minorities and members of the lower castes. According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), 111 deaths occurred in police custody during the last eight months of 2015.

The NHRC is headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and handles roughly 8,000 complaints each year. While it monitors abuses, initiates investigations, makes independent assessments, and conducts training sessions for the police and others, its recommendations are often not implemented and it has few enforcement powers. The commission also lacks jurisdiction over the armed forces, one of the principal agents of abuse in several parts of the country, further hampering its effectiveness. The NHRC nevertheless makes a contribution to accountability by submitting reports to international bodies such as the UN Human Rights Council, often contradicting the government's account of its performance.

Security forces operating in the context of regional insurgencies continue to be implicated in extrajudicial killings, rape, torture, arbitrary detention, kidnappings, and destruction of homes. The criminal procedure code requires that the government approve the prosecution of security force members; approval is rarely granted, leading to impunity. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act grants security forces broad authority to arrest, detain, and use force against suspects in restive areas; civil society organizations and multiple UN human rights bodies have called for the act to be repealed. A number of other security laws allow detention without charge or based on vaguely worded offenses.

The Maoist insurgency in the east-central hills region of India is of serious concern, although the annual number of casualties has decreased since its peak in 2010. The South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) documented 251 related fatalities  including 93 civilian deaths  in 2015. Among other abuses, the rebels have allegedly imposed illegal taxes, seized food and shelter, and engaged in abduction and forced recruitment of children and adults. Local civilians and journalists who are perceived to be progovernment have been targeted. Tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced by the violence and live in government-run camps.

Separately, in India's seven northeastern states, more than 40 insurgent factions  seeking either greater autonomy or complete independence for their ethnic or tribal groups  continue to attack security forces and engage in intertribal violence. Such fighters have been implicated in numerous bombings, killings, abductions, and rapes of civilians, and they operate extensive extortion networks. The number of deaths related to the northeastern insurgencies decreased from 465 in 2014 to 273 in 2015, according to the SATP.

The criminal justice system fails to provide equal protection to marginalized groups. Muslims, who make up 14 percent of the population, are underrepresented in the security forces as well as in the foreign and intelligence services. In parts of the country, particularly in rural areas, informal community councils issue edicts concerning social customs. Their decisions sometimes result in violence or persecution aimed at those perceived to have transgressed social norms, especially women and members of the lower castes.

The constitution bars discrimination based on caste, and laws set aside quotas in education and government jobs for historically underprivileged scheduled tribes, Dalits, and groups categorized by the government as "other backward classes." However, members of the lower castes and minorities continue to face routine discrimination and violence. Many Dalits are denied access to land and other public amenities, are abused by landlords and police, and work in miserable conditions.

The penal code forbids "intercourse against the order of nature." A 2009 decision by the Delhi High Court decriminalized consensual sex between adult men in private. However, a panel of the Supreme Court reversed that ruling in 2013, finding that an act of Parliament would be required to change the penal code. Such a bill was introduced in December 2015 but voted down in the lower house. Widespread discrimination against LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people continues, including violence and harassment in some cases, though the Supreme Court recognized transgender people as a third gender in 2014.

G. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights: 10 / 16

Freedom of movement is hampered in some parts of the country by insurgent violence or communal tensions, though violence from insurgencies has decreased in recent years. Property rights are somewhat tenuous for tribal groups and other marginalized communities, and members of these groups are often denied adequate resettlement opportunities and compensation when their lands are seized for development projects. While many states have laws to prevent transfers of tribal land to nontribal groups, the practice is reportedly widespread, particularly with respect to the mining and timber industries. A 2013 law provided increased rights to people threatened with displacement for industrial and infrastructure projects, but critics said it included arbitrary rules and went too far in restricting development. The Modi government sought to weaken these protections, but abandoned the effort due to opposition in the upper house.

There is some degree of female representation in government. Modi's cabinet includes seven female ministers; chief ministers in the states of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and West Bengal are women. Female quotas are in place for elected positions in India's three-tier local government system.

Rape, harassment, and other transgressions against women are serious problems, and lower-caste and tribal women are particularly vulnerable. Mass demonstrations after the fatal gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus in 2012 prompted the government to enact significant legal reforms. However, egregious new cases, including the rapes of children under the age of 5, emerged in 2015, leading to calls for further action. Despite criminalization and hundreds of convictions each year, dowry demands persist. A 2006 law banned dowry-related harassment, widened the definition of domestic violence to include emotional or verbal abuse, and criminalized spousal rape. However, reports indicate that enforcement is poor.

Muslim personal laws and traditional Hindu practices discriminate against women in terms of inheritance, adoption, and property rights. The malign neglect of female children after birth remains a concern, as does the banned but growing use of prenatal sex-determination tests to selectively abort female fetuses.

Article 23 of the constitution bans human trafficking, and bonded labor is illegal, but the practice is fairly common. Estimates of the number of affected workers range from 20 to 50 million. Children are banned from working in potentially hazardous industries, though in practice the law is routinely flouted.

Scoring Key: X / Y (Z)

X = Score Received

Y = Best Possible Score

Z = Change from Previous Year

Copyright notice:  Freedom House, Inc.  All Rights Reserved
Halloween is nearly here. Find out when Trick-or-Treat is happening in Martinsville.

local
WEDNESDAY

Art film

A showing of the film 'Never Tell Anybody Anything: The Life and Art of Edward Burra' will begin at noon at the Center for Contemporary Arts, 220 Cypress St. A discussion will follow.

Genealogy class

Joyce Wall will present classes on genealogy from 5:30-6:45 p.m. and 7-8:15 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 3325 N. 12th St. Admission is free.

Ride of Silence

The Ride of Silence bicycle rally, conducted in honor of cyclists who have been killed or injured, will begin at 7 p.m. at McMurry University. Ceremonies will begin at 6:40 p.m. Helmets are required, and bright cloting and lights are encouraged. Admission is free.

Other ...

Overeaters Anonymous, 8 a.m., Hinds Square Building, Room 112, 100 Chestnut St.

Blood drive, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Comanche High School

Abilene Cactus Lions Club, 11:45 a.m., Cotton Patch Cafe, 3302 S. Clack St.

Abilene Wednesday Rotary Club, noon, Abilene Country Club, 4039 S. Treadaway. $12 for lunch. Jo Ann Wilson, 325-677-6815.

Kiwanis Club of Abilene, noon, Abilene Country Club, 4039 S. Treadaway Blvd.

Clearly Speaking Toastmaster Club, noon, Westgate Church of Christ, 402 S. Pioneer Drive. 325-795-5570.

Alzheimer's Association Caregiver Support Group, 2-3 p.m., Western Hills Healthcare Residence, Comanche.

Alzheimer's disease support group, 5:15 p.m., Cedar Crest Care Center, 1901 W. Elliott, Breckenridge. Assists those who have a family member with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. 1-800-272-3900 or 254-559-3302.

Free swim class for people with multiple sclerosis, 5:30 p.m., YMCA, 3250 State St.

Veterans Peer Support Group, 6 p.m., 765 Orange St. 325-670-4818.

Mid-week Al-Anon Family Group, 6-7 p.m., Open Door Building, 3157 Russell Ave. 325-698-4995.

Advanced Square Dancing, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Wagon Wheel.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1501 N. Broadway, Ballinger. 817-689-2810 or 325-977-1007.

DivorceCare support group, 7 p.m., Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler Ave. 325-691-4200.

THURSDAY

Book reading

A reading of the children's book 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,' by Judith Viorst, will begin at 10 a.m. at The Grace Museum, 102 Cypress St. Registration is $5 per family, with a limited number of copies of the book available for an additional $5. To register, go to thegracemuseum.org.

Mac class

The MacUser Group will conduct a free Mac computer class at 1 p.m. at the Mockingbird Branch of the Abilene Public Library, 1326 N. Mockingbird Lane. For more information, call 325-692-1087.

Other ...

Blood drive, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Haskell High School.

Chronic Pain and Depression Group, 11 a.m. to noon, Mental Health Association of Abilene, 333 Orange St., 325-673-2300.

Abilene Founder Lions Club, 11:30 a.m., Al's Mesquite Grill, 4801 Buffalo Gap Road.

National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, 11:30 a.m., Royal Estates of Abilene, 6565 Central Park Blvd.

Kiwanis Club of Greater Abilene, noon, Beehive Restaurant, 442 Cedar St. 325-695-0092.

Retired Military Wives Club social meeting, 1 p.m., Rose Park Senior Activity Center, 2625 South Seventh St. 325-677-9656 or 325-793-1490.

Mental Illness Open Support Group, 1-2 p.m., Mental Health Association of Abilene, 333 Orange St. 325-673-2300.

Abilene 42 Club, 6 p.m., Rose Park Senior Center.

Teen Recovery Group, 6-7 p.m., Mission Abilene, 3001 N. Third St.

Free certified nurturing parent class (all ages), 6-8 p.m., Mission Church, North Third and Mockingbird streets. 325-672-9398.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly, 6:30 p.m. Brook Hollow Christian Church. Weigh-in begins at 5:30 p.m. 325-665-5052.

Free swim class for people with multiple sclerosis, 6:30 p.m., YMCA, 3250 State St.

Gambler's Anonymous, 6:30 p.m., Unity Spiritual Living Center, 2842 Barrow St. 325-338-2575.

Round Dancing, 7 p.m., Wagon Wheel. 325-829-1517.

South Pioneer Al-Anon Group, 8 p.m., 3157 Russell Ave.

Unity Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander St.

FRIDAY

Dog show

The Abilene Kennel Club will conduct its 52nd annual Dog Show at 9 a.m. at the Taylor County Expo Center, 1700 Highway 36. Admission is free to spectators.

Barn dance

TYE  A barn dance featuring Muddy Creek will be 7-10 p.m. at the Wagon Wheel. Admission is $5. Information: 325-829-1517.

Dance

OPLIN  A dance featuring Midnight Blue will be 7:30-10:30 p.m. at the Oplin Community Center. Admission is $5. Information: www.grandoleoplin.com.

Other ...

Blood drive, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Texas Oncology, 1957 Antilley Road.

Overeaters Anonymous, noon, Hinds Square Building, 100 Chestnut St., Room 112.

Abilene Chinese Corner, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Abilene Christian University library. lld09a@acu.edu.

Mid-City Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First Christian Church. 325-670-4304.

SATURDAY

Car show

The Rev M Up for Romania benefit car show will begin at 8 p.m. at Elmcrest Baptist Church, 517 N. Pioneer Drive. Registration will be open from 8 to 11:30 a.m. Vehicle registration is $20. Proceeds will go to a mission trip.

Dog show

The Abilene Kennel Club will conduct its 52nd annual Dog Show at 9 a.m. at the Taylor County Expo Center, 1700 Highway 36. Admission is free to spectators.

Gun and knife show

The Texas Gun & Knife Show will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center, 1100 N. Sixth St.

Armed Forces Day

An Armed Forces Day celebration will be presented from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Abilene. Events include a veterans benefits fair at the Center for Contemporary Arts, 220 Cypress St., and presentations on Camp Barkeley and Kilroy.

Zoolute to Dyess

Zoolute to Dyess will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Abilene Zoo, 2070 Zoo Lane. Free food, games and music will be presented. Admission is free to members of the military, with ID, and their families.

Movie at the library

A showing of a G-rated 2014 animated film will begin at 3 p.m. at the Abilene Public Library, 202 Cedar St. Admission is free.

Country musical

ANSON  A country musical show will begin at 6 p.m. at the Anson Opera House. Brisket will be served at 5 p.m. for $7. Information: 325-338-2184.

Square dance

TYE  The Key City Squares will sponsor a square dance at 7:30 p.m. at the Wagon Wheel.

Other ...

Overeaters Anonymous, 10 a.m., Shades of Hope, 402A Mulberry St., Buffalo Gap. 800-588-4673.

Big Country Chapter American Association of Medical Transcriptionists meeting, 10 a.m., Arbec Room, first floor, Texas State Technical College, East Highway 80, Abilene. For medical transcriptionists or anyone interested in becoming one. 325-698-8898.

Abilene Society of Model Railroaders, 10 a.m. to noon, 2043 N. Second St.
Incident reports released Monday by the Abilene Police Department:

Criminal mischief, 1300 block of North Mockingbird Lane, Sunday

A man told police someone damaged his vehicle and stole items, causing more than $750 in loss.

Criminal mischief, 700 block of Kirkwood Street, Sunday

Police said someone caused at least $100 in damage to a rental house by kicking in the back door.

Criminal mischief, 1600 block of Highway 351, Sunday

Police said someone punctured a vehicle's tire, causing $300 in damage.

Burglary, 5500 block of Yellow Brick Road, Sunday

Police said someone stole a purse after throwing a rock through a woman's car window, causing $150 in damage.
Police arrested a 27-year-old Abilene man Tuesday in connection with the reported abduction of a woman in the 500 block of Apache Lane at Lake Fort Phantom, according to Abilene Police Department media release.

Gatlin Hackman is in Jones County Jail with a burglary of a habitation charge.

Police also located the woman, who had no reported injuries, Tomlin said.

At about 8:05 a.m. Tuesday, police received a call about someone forcing a woman from her residence on Apache Lane, Tomlin said.

Hackman allegedly brandished a weapon once inside the home and coerced one of the two female residents to go with him. Police got information about Hackman's vehicle and found him at a mobile home in the Hawley area a couple of hours after the initial call.

He was taken into custody without incident. Police found the woman in the mobile home and she was taken into protective custody.

Twitter: ARN_Titus
Robert Laird and Barry Hoefer have seen both great times and bad times as leading trustees on the Abilene Independent School District board.

Their twin 12-year turns with the organization officially end at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, as their replacements, Abilene Christian University professor Jeff Arrington and medical device salesman Daryl Zeller, will be sworn into office during a special school board meeting at the district's board room, 241 Pine St.

Hoefer, the board's vice president, and Laird, its secretary, informally celebrated their service, started in 2004, during a reception last week. Hoefer said he figured the 12 years he spent serving the children of the city was apropos.

'I figured if in 2004 I was in the first grade, in 2016 I would graduate,' he said. 'Twelve years. I could do the math. I got through it before the STAAR test.'

Trustees, minus Laird, a nurse anesthetist, and Hoefer, a family dentist, will meet Tuesday not only to swear in new members of the school board, but also to certify the results of the May 7 election when Arrington, Zeller and Place 7 victor Angie Wiley were selected to serve their posts.

Wiley, president of the Abilene Education Foundation, won her term to fill the remaining two years from the unexpired term of Kelvin Kelley, who stepped away in December after taking a job in Cisco this past summer.

Superintendent David Young said Hoefer, who was his dentist while Young was a Cooper High School student, said he enjoyed this past year reconnecting with the vice president, as well as Laird and the rest of the board.

'When I was in school at AISD, Dr. Hoefer was my dentist and there was another David Young a year younger than me and we both went to the same dentist,' Young said. 'I almost got some teeth pulled ... that was meant for the other David Young. It's been a special relationship over those years, and I've certainly enjoyed getting to know Robert as well.'

Laird said the job is challenging but rewarding.

As school board members, he said, the responsibility falls on him and his colleagues to safeguard two of the most important parts of a family. It's a responsibility he said he never took lightly.

'It's a very rewarding (job),' Laird said. 'It's a lot of fun to do. To keep people happy is pretty much impossible, but ... I've always said you've got two of the most important things a family has. You're taking care of their children and you're taking care of their money. You affect both of those things in a tremendous way, so it's a huge, huge responsibility. Some of us take it very seriously, even if we don't look like it sometimes. You do what you have to do to make things better, then you move on. That's what I'm doing, I'm moving on.'

Twitter: @TimothyChippARN
Alvin Fordjour came a long way for his honor as a Star Student Monday. No, not Cooper High, which is where the junior attends. He's actually from the Ashanti region of Ghana, in West Africa.

From West Africa to West Texas, Fordjour said he takes his selection as a Gold Star Student to mean his commitment  to self, to family, to school  is being recognized.

Still, he said he wants more after crossing the stage at Abilene Christian University's Hunter Welcome Center with award in hand.

'It feels awesome,' he said of being recognized. 'I'm very honored. But I expect more in the future.'

The Fifth Annual Star Student Celebration, sponsored by the Reporter-News, recognized 45 top juniors from high schools, both private and public (and some home-school children), around the Big Country.

Cooper High, where Fordjour currently ranks eighth in his class, featured the most this year with more than a dozen honorees. An independent panel of judges selected the recipients.

Gary McCaleb, ACU executive director of the Center for Building Community and former mayor of Abilene, served as the night's keynote speaker. McCaleb focused on the message of preparation in his address, informing the honorees just how important it is to be ready for what's to come.

He talked of being in arena, of experiencing life as a combatant, before mentioning a favorite movie of his, the 1959 Academy Award winner 'Ben-Hur.' Acknowledging many of the students likely had never heard of or seen the film, he explained the level of effort the film's staff put in to a nine-minute sequence concerning chariots.

At the end of filming, he said, the movie's executives found out they'd shot more than 260 times as much footage than was in the film. Crews spent weeks creating the field for the scene and building the props, which featured horses pulling the fully functional chariots.

It's that commitment, he said, that he sees in the honorees.

'I think that's a testament to the value of preparation,' McCaleb said. 'That's what you're doing now.'

He also urged the students to listen for a call to be better than they are and remember to stay in the chariot, a saying he picked up from a chat he had with 'Ben-Hur' star Charlton Heston about being sure of himself.

Sweetwater High student Christa Martin, whose mother was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer less than two years ago, has been able to persevere in her quest to be the best she can be, which earned her Gold Star Student status.

Ranking at the top of her high school class hasn't been easy with the family's struggles, but it's little moments when her mother's not undergoing treatment that help her stay positive, she said.

Being recognized as a Star Student helped her feel, even if just a little, that her work was appreciated, she said.

'It's great,' she said. 'I know how hard I've worked. This is a hard thing to get.'

The Reporter-News will publish a special section devoted to the Star Student honorees in Friday's edition.

Twitter: @TimothyChippARN
Because of a steady rise in the women population at the Taylor County jail, county commissioners unanimously approved an agreement Tuesday with Nolan County to house some female Taylor County inmates.

Currently, the jail has 118 beds dedicated for women, which has not been enough in recent weeks when the jail pushed 130 female inmates, said Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop. The jail held 114 women as of Tuesday morning.

'The female count at the jail has been steadily rising, which is consistent across the state,' Bishop said. 'For whatever reason, the population is holding steady anywhere from 115 to 120 female prisoners. This contract approval today was just to have measures in place for if we do get above the 118 threshold again that we can start housing those prisoners in another county.'

The overall jail population was 607 as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Taylor County jail records.

The total bed count for the jail is 826, Bishop said. The state recommendation was to set aside 10 percent of those beds for women. That standard was given by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards about 20 years ago.

Taylor County goes above the old standard with 118 beds reserved for women. But Commissioner Stan Egger said the current standard is to reserve 20 percent of the jail's capacity for women. Egger serves on the jail standards board.

'It is a problem we're going to have to look at,' he said. 'It's not like we don't have the beds in the jail. It's just figuring out how to exactly utilize what space we have.'

The agreement with Nolan County will cost Taylor County $45 per day to house an inmate, not including transportation or medical expenses, Bishop said. It costs $48 a day to house an inmate in Taylor County.

Many other counties have agreements to house their inmates elsewhere, according to a report by the commission. As of April 1, 83 counties housed 1,331 local inmates elsewhere, according to the report.

Taylor County has agreements with several others counties, such as Nolan, Callahan, Jones and more, to house their inmates if they do not have enough room, Bishop said.

Currently, Taylor County is holding one inmate from another county  a woman from Callahan County charged with murder and held without bond, according to Taylor County jail records.

'We've got very few inmates from other counties right now because the population is so high,' Bishop said. 'We're not really accepting any female prisoners unless it's an emergency, like with Callahan County.'

Taylor County ranks 14th highest in incarceration rate across the state at 4.19 jail inmates per 100 residents, based on 2014 population estimates and average daily jail population reports, according to a report by the jail standards group.

County Judge Downing Bolls said he couldn't help but think there may be a connection between the rise in the number of female inmates and the increase in Child Protective Services cases.

'It's just astounding that you have to continue to build facilities to house more and more people,' he said. 'We seem to be moving in the wrong direction.'

Twitter: BrookeCrum_ARN
For Kendall Cox, both a client and employee of Abilene's Betty Hardwick Center, the ability to access a psychiatrist through telemedicine services via the local MHMR center is a boon.

The technology allows patients to have two-way, live communication with a physician at a remote location, while the doctor logs documentation of the appointment as electronic medical records.

The option gives Cox, a recovered schizophrenic, and others patients the chance to lower wait times for appointments and have more flexibility about when they see a physician.

'It greatly increases the availability of doctor time,' said Cox, who works as a peer counselor at Betty Hardwick. 'As an employee and as a consumer, I'm happy that more people are getting to see the doctor than would have been possible without it.'

The number of telemedicine patients has truly taken off in recent years, said Jenny Goode, the Betty Hardwick Center's director.

'In March 2011, we saw 410 clients and 100 percent of those contacts were face to face in our clinic,' she said.

In March 2016, the center saw 916 clients  and only 47 percent of those contacts were face-to-face, Goode said.

'The rest were all telemedicine,' she said.

A local, in-office nurse helps take vitals and assists with other patient needs, while prescriptions can be sent electronically to a pharmacy of the patient's choice.

Things weren't totally perfect with the technology in the beginning, Cox recalled.

'There used to be a kind of a lag, it used to be like watching a movie dubbed from another language,' Cox said with a laugh.

But with improvements in technology, the experience is now 'not that different from face-to-face,' he said.

Cox estimates he has been using telemedicine for his care roughly every other week for the past two or three years.

Filling a need

Taylor County has been designated a health provider shortage area for mental health for years, Goode said, patient need often outstripping available providers.

'We would love to have psychiatrists here in person, (people) who live in our community,' she said. 'But that simply is not the reality for us. Even with very competitive salaries, many physicians are not willing to relocate here to practice.'

Telemedicine technology allows the Center to access 'well-qualified' individuals to provide services to its patients and also allows it to work with multiple physicians, Goode said.

Betty Hardwick's use of telemedicine started as a convenience for area jails, which were in need of mental health services but faced complications in transporting prisoners.

But as demand for services increased, and the Center needed to recruit more providers, 'we began to build out the services for our other clients as well,' Goode said.

Texas' Medicaid began allowing providers to bill for some telemedicine services in 1998, Goode said. Over the years, the list of services and the way they can be provided has continued to expand.

The Center's medical director, Dr. Patrick Young, is a Board Certified Adult and Child Psychiatrist. Young has worked with the Hardwick Center for years and lives in Dallas but travels here every other week.

During his weeks away, he does telemedicine from his home.

There are certain situations in which one wouldn't use the technology, such as with ADHD and controlled substance patients, especially on their first visits, Young said.

But telemedicine does allow access to care that 'you wouldn't have otherwise,' he said.

'For example, I'm a child psychiatrist and there aren't many child psychiatrists anywhere,' he said. 'And there's really no one who does any outpatient work out in the west Texas area. So to me, that's where it can be useful.'

The Center works with three other psychiatrists  Dr. Preeti Sodhi, a child/adult psychologist, adult psychologist Dr. Mark Kundler, and adult psychologist Dr. Nadine Baptiste, all of whom offer telemedicine. Judy Creech, an advanced practice nurse, works full-time in the Abilene clinic.

Teresa McBride, the nurse manager who heads the Center's clinic, still has limitations as far as access to controlled substances.

'If anyone needed, for example, Adderall for ADHD, those kids still have to be seen face-to-face,' she said.

But McBride said that she felt like the Center was just 'dipping its toes in the water' as far as the potential for telemedicine services.

'We run a rural clinic in five counties, so there's the possibility of doing telemedicine in those counties,' she said. 'Right now, it's still driving, getting in the car the old-fashioned way, driving over with the nurse, a case manager and a prescriber. I can just see the future, with interfacing with (primary care providers) as far as consulting and other things. That's my dream.'
Standing on principle  not to mention common sense  is so rare these days that when someone does it, they make headlines. That's because you can quickly be labeled a 'bigot' if you oppose a lot of the sludge dumped on us by the secular left, and few can withstand the onslaught.

North Carolina's Republican governor, Pat McCrory, is unafraid.

Recently, the Department of Justice sent him a letter warning that North Carolina's House Bill 2, also known as the bathroom bill, violated the Civil Rights Act. The bill, which requires that transgender people use public bathrooms that match their birth certificates, was swiftly labeled anti-LGBT, which was all DOJ needed to hear. The government gave McCrory a deadline to confirm that North Carolina would not comply with or implement HB2. McCrory pushed back. On May 9, he filed a lawsuit against the DOJ, targeting Attorney Gen. Loretta Lynch and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney Gen. Vanita Gupta. The suit, according to ABC News, 'accused the DOJ of a 'radical reinterpretation' of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and wrote that the federal government's position was 'a baseless and blatant overreach.''

The government's letter, according to North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC's Jeff Tiberii, who obtained a copy, warned that 'The State is engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination against transgender state employees and both you, in your official capacity, and the state are engaging in a pattern or practice of resistance.'

In a statement following the announcement of the lawsuit, Gov. McCrory said, '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,' meaning Congress and the courts.

McCrory added that Washington is '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.'

The push and pull continues.

If you are a woman reading this, how would you feel about showering with a naked man? If you are a man who has daughters, would you be OK with allowing them to use a women's restroom knowing that a man could be in there? Target is fine with it, apparently. The company stated that it welcomes 'transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.' Target stores are now the target of a boycott.

What about school gyms? Are you fine with having your daughter changing and showering with a boy who believes he's a girl? What happened to the right to privacy, so revered by the progressive left?

Does the fact that we are even having this debate say something about the state of our culture and the attempts by secularists to undermine what remains of its creaking foundations, traditions and what used to be known as common sense? Who gets to decide? And on what is that decision based?

Are morals and ethics now up for grabs, depending on which group makes the most noise and promises the most votes? Perhaps =Lynch and her deputy should lead by example and shower with a transgender male. Even better, how about first lady Michelle Obama? Media coverage could be discreet. I'm betting that neither Lynch nor the first lady would go that far. In fact, I suspect that very few on the left would want to live under many of the laws and dictates they like to impose on the rest of us.

Have we gone mad? The question all but answers itself.

Gov. McCrory already has directed state agencies to make reasonable accommodations to transgender people by installing single-occupancy restrooms. North Carolina also allows private companies to set their own bathroom policies, but that is not what the Obama administration wants. It wants to 'fundamentally transform the United States of America.' It's one of the few promises the president has managed to keep.

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.
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"It's not right. We need more time."
"Little red books" of quotations of the late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong, whose 1966-76 Cultural Revolution spread bloodshed and turmoil across China, are seen at a market in Beijing, May 15, 2016.

I first started hearing detailed accounts from Chinese friends about violence resulting from Mao Zedongs Cultural Revolution in 1973 when I was based in Hong Kong.

As an American news agency reporter I couldnt get into China to verify the unconfirmed reports of chaos and factional battles from Chinese I knew who had relatives inside China.

Only years later was I able to confirm that their reports were fairly accurate.

I decided to focus on covering the Vietnam War and to give up trying to cover the CR, as we called it, from Hong Kong.

More than two decades later, in 1994, after Id completed a more than five-year-long tour in China, The Washington Post assigned me to go back to China to try to determine how many people had died in more than a dozen repressive political campaigns unleashed by Mao Zedong between 1950 and 1976.

I was fortunate enough to go back when both Chinese and Western scholars were unearthing new material about the Cultural Revolution and when numerous survivors of Maos campaigns were willing to talk with me.

Killings outside Beijing

One of my first trips out of Beijing was to Daxing County, located just south of the capital and famous for its watermelons. It was also known as a killing field for fanatical militants who had pledged loyalty to Mao Zedong.

Fairly early in the Cultural Revolution, from Aug. 27 until Sept. 1, 1966, these militants, including local militiamen and Party activists, killed 325 people in the county, according to scholars Wang Nianyi, Yan Jiaqi, and Song Yongyi.

One of my sources was a former police officer who told me that under orders from Public Security Minister Xie Fuzhi, the local police had released lists of five types of bad elements or black elements targeted for execution in certain villages in the county.

These included landlords, rich farmers, counterrevolutionaries, bad elements, and rightists.

My first interview was with Fu Yueying, a 64-year-old woman who told me how men, women, and children, ranging from infants to an old man, had been killed through beatings or strangulation. Other villagers said that some of the babies were buried alive.

Among the victims, the oldest to die was 80 years of age and the youngest only 32 days old, according to Song Yongyi.

On May 18, 1966, Maos designated successor, Lin Biao, had given a speech indicating that violence would be justified in seizing sources of production from landlords, even though the state had years before supposedly confiscated and redistributed private farmland.

Discovering a higher toll

I went on from Daxing to discover that the number of people who died in more than a dozen repressive political campaigns from 1950 and 1976 launched by Mao Zedong was millions higher than previously thought.

Meticulous research done by Andrew G. Walder, a sociologist at Stanford University, shows that during the Cultural Revolution alone the numbers of people all over China who were harmed in some way without actually being killed is enormousmany tens of millions.

Walders estimate of the death toll during the Cultural Revolution is relatively conservativebetween 1.1 million and 1.6 million, based on county and city annals.

Against this backdrop it is easy to understand why the Communist Party would not allow any public in-depth discussion of or debate over the Cultural Revolution on its 50th anniversary.

Communist Party leaders have been concerned ever since Maos death in 1976 that any public discussion of Chinas dark decade might irrevocably damage the reputation of Mao Zedong, the founder of the communist state.

Maoist nostalgia

The Partys control over information and debate regarding that chaotic period is fairly easy to understand. But understanding those Chinese who still admire Mao might take more effort.

In the absence of officially organized events, scattered pro-Mao appearances by Chinese who feel left out in the midst of Chinas rapid economic growth have occurred in recent days.

In the northeastern city of Dalian, some thousands of demonstrators paraded with portraits of Mao on May 14, while in Luoyang, several hundred miles to the southwest of Dalian, the Associated Press reported on May 15 that Maoists are still a force 40 years after Maos death.

The AP reported that in Luoyang the old, the poor and the marginalized gather daily in the main public square to profess nostalgia for the decade-long political movement, downplaying that periods violent excesses.

Maoist nostalgia among some older Chinese appears to be based on the view that Chinas growing economy has created widening class differences that didnt exist during the Cultural Revolution.

While China now has more billionaires than any other country, it also ranks as one of the countries showing a high level of social inequality.

Maoists, said the AP, long for China to reverse its path toward market capitalismthey have largely embraced President Xi Jinping as one of their own, though he has never endorsed their views outright.

Despite controls research continues

Government censorship and controls over research have limited the efforts of Chinese historians, inside China at least, to publish major works on the Cultural Revolution. Recent Chinese history is obviously a highly sensitive subject and even off limits at some of the most prestigious Chinese universities.

But scholars continue to do research on the subject, even inside China.

As Ian Johnson noted in late 2014 in The New York Review of Books, a brave underground magazine titled Remembrance has published roundtable discussions of the Cultural Revolution and apologies issued by several perpetrators of the terror and violence.

But what had appeared to be developing into a wave of remorse apparently unnerved the Chinese government, which has squelched public discussion of the statements.

As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution this week, few apologies have been seen so far, at least in the public domain.

Meanwhile, both Chinese and foreign scholars continue to study the subject.

One example is historian Frank DiKotters recently published book The Cultural Revolution: A Peoples History, 1962-1976, which draws on previously classified Party documents.

Stanfords Andrew Walder and Song Yongyi, an historian at California State University in Los Angeles, maintain Cultural Revolution databases.

Song was jailed twice in China, once for five years during the Cultural Revolution for belonging to a counterrevolutionary clique and a second time when he returned to China as a scholar from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania to gather more material for his database.

A personal note

After reviewing my own stories written in 1994 on the Cultural Revolution and other Maoist political movements, Im struck most by the personal stories told to me by ordinary Chinese who survived torture, persecution, imprisonment, and the loss of relatives to killing, suicide, or forced separations.

The voice of one woman, Fu Yueying, whom I interviewed in Daxing County just outside Beijing, will stay with me. While most of her immediate and extended family members were killed in the early stages of the Cultural Revolution, one of her children, a 13-year-old boy, escaped into the fields.

Someone later glimpsed the boy in a town some miles away.

He would be 41 years old today, said Fu. He may think that Im dead. Please help me to find himHe was a good boy.

I felt that I could do nothing to help. But I can better understand now what it must have been like to lose a child and somehow hope that he or she might still be alive.

Dan Southerland is RFAs executive editor.
Opposition lawmaker Um Sam An (R) and another man hold up a disputed map in this undated photograph from his Facebook page.

Prime Minister Hun Sens government and the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) are attempting to tighten their grip on dissent as a series of legal battles with opposition lawmakers and human rights officials wind their way through that nations court system.

In a closed session on Tuesday, an appeals court in Phnom Penh denied opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) lawmaker Um Sam Ans bail appeal, saying releasing him would cause social unrest because he is a member of parliament and that the court has yet to finish his interrogation, according to the lawmaker's attorney.

While the bail hearing was closed, the lawmakers attorney told reporters he planned to ask the supreme court to overturn the decision.

I see what Mr. Um Sam An has done in the past and he has done nothing that is flagrant or would warrant a charge, attorney Choung Chou Ngy told reporters after the hearing. The court charge is not fair. It is not flagrant that Mr. Um Sam An posted [a map] on Facebook. It is over a year already, and it has not caused any social unrest.

Un Sam Am told reporters his imprisonment violates the Cambodian constitutions immunity clause for lawmakers.

The detention of a member of parliament who has immunity, and the decision of the National Assembly violated the constitution, and the prime minister also violated the constitution, he said.



Political analyst Kem Ley told RFA the CPP always beats up its opponents using the divide and conquer strategy, but that people are catching on.

The violations of law happens time and time again, but the clearer the water is, the better the view the people have so they can see how horrifying the big fish is when hes biting the small ones, he said.

On April 12, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court officially charged Um Sam An with two criminal offenses over his accusations that the government and the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party conceded land to Vietnam along its border. The court placed him in pretrial lockup for incitement to commit a felony and incitement to cause discrimination.

A picture on his Facebook page still shows Um Sam An and another man holding a map that he claims to have discovered in the U.S. Library of Congress that shows a border between Cambodia and Vietnam that is different from the official maps border.

Kem Sokha a no show

While Um Sam An is battling Hun Sens government over the nations border, Kem Sokha, the CNRPs acting leader, is fighting the government by refusing to appear in court as he faces charges related to an alleged affair.

Also on Tuesday, Kem Sokha, refused once again to show up for a court hearing on the charges.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesperson, Ly Sophana, told RFA on May 17 via the Telegram social network that the prosecutor in the case is examining various documents and procedures as he decides what further legal action to take.

Kem Sokhas attorneys also declined to show up, and they also refused to comment.

A day earlier, CNRP lawmakers Pin Ratana and Tok Van Chan, who are also charged in the case, likewise avoided the court house.

The CNRP said in a statement that the lawmakers rejected the court order to appear because they have immunity and that the courts summons violates Cambodias constitution.

The lawmakers arent the only ones caught up in the legal dragnet Cambodian authorities have cast in the Kem Sokha case.

On May 2, a half-dozen other people were charged for allegedly attempting to hush up the woman at the center of the alleged mistress scandal.

Officials accused four members the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), a member of the countrys election commission, and a UN worker for allegedly instructing the woman to deny her alleged relationship with Kem Sokha.

ADHOC staffers Ny Sokha, Nay Vanda, Yi Soksan and Lim Mony were detained at the notorious Prey Sar prison, while National Election Committee Deputy Secretary-General Ny Chakrya is in the custody of the Phnom Penh Police commissioner, officials told RFA.

The fate of UN staffer Sally Soen is unknown, but Cambodian Anti-Corruption Unit chief Om Yentieng has said a warrant was issued for her arrest.

Court officials said the ADHOC workers were charged under Article 548 of the criminal code for bribing a witness, whereas Ny Chakrya and Sally Soen are charged as accomplices.

Mondulkri protests

While the courtroom drama is unfolding in Phnom Penh, authorities in the Mondulkiri province summoned members of four Pnong ethnic communities for questioning about Facebook postings supporting the ADHOC and election official.

On May 8th, about a hundred villagers of Bou Sra commune gathered and took group photos holding placards that they posted on Facebook.

The placard reads: We, the ethnic minority communities in Mondulkiri province, always have gratitude toward and support Samdech Techo [honorific] Hun Sen. But Samdech please release without any conditions the human rights activists and the senior NEC official. We, the people in the communities, are very regretful to see those human rights defenders have been unfairly accused.

A village representative questioned by the commune police told RFA that authorities wanted to know if civil society officials were behind the rally and the placard, but Kreung Tola said he told the police it was the villagers idea.

This is normal that the police did their job, he said. I think it would not be any problem.

He said the villagers will continue to rally in support of the imprisoned officials.

Regarding the law, we did nothing wrong, he said.

Sok Ratha, an ADHOC official based in Mondulkiri, said he thinks the police were out of line saying they were attempting to intimidate them.

That seems to violate the constitution and the communities rights and freedom of expression, he said.

Written for RFAs Khmer service by Tha Vuthy, Sok Ratha and Khe Sonorng. Translated by Yanny Hin. Written in English by Brooks Boliek.
State media controlled by the ruling Chinese Communist Party on Tuesday broke an official silence on the decade of political violence known as the Cultural Revolution, which began 50 years ago this week, saying China should put the past behind it and avoid further discussion of the "huge disaster."



"The decade-long internal chaos was a huge disaster," the Global Times newspaper, which has close ties to the party, wrote in an opinion article published in the early hours of Tuesday morning.



China on Monday marked the 50th anniversary of the start of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), which some political commentators fear could still return in another guise.



The decade of factional armed struggle, mob lynchings, and kangaroo courts turned the country upside down, as late supreme leader Mao Zedong took on his political rivals, using the "revolutionary masses"

as political support.



The Global Times said the "decade of calamity" that began with a red block headline "Announcement" in the People's Daily on May 16, 1966, had left many in China with permanent psychological scars.



"It is not possible for such a revolution to be repeated," the paper said, adding: "We have bid farewell to the Cultural Revolution. We can say it once again today that the Cultural Revolution cannot and will not come back."



Official verdict



Meanwhile, an editorial in the party's own People's Daily newspaper, said the party would be sticking to its official verdict as laid down in a Communist Party resolution in 1981.



"History has shown that the Cultural Revolution, initiated by a leader laboring under a misapprehension and capitalized on by counterrevolutionary cliques, led to domestic turmoil and brought catastrophe to the party, the state,and the whole people," the paper said, echoing the earlier resolution.



"The harm caused was comprehensive and serious," it said. "History has fully proved that the Cultural Revolution was a complete mistake in both theory and practice."



"It was not and cannot be a revolution or social progress in any sense," the paper said.



The 1981 Central Committee resolution "on certain questions in the history of our party since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China" found that Mao was a good leader whose tragedy was that he couldn't see his own mistakes.



"We should be brave enough to face up to the mistaken actions of our leaders," the paper said, in an article titled "Take warnings from history for a better tomorrow."



It said the party would unite around President Xi Jinping as general secretary, omitting the term "core" which had begun to appear in official media in recent months, sparking concern that Xi was consolidating his power as a strongman.



Dissident Chinese author Xu Lin said the articles reflect the deepest fears of China's rulers.



"The government is maintaining its stance of repudiating the Cultural Revolution ... because their worst fear is that it will repeat itself," Xu said.



"During that time, the masses held struggle sessions against officials, which was Mao Zedong's whole aim in starting it."



"I think they are afraid that if things get out of hand, they won't be able to hold onto power," Su said.



Campaigns 'never stopped'



Cato Institute visiting fellow Xia Yeliang said many in China are now asking themselves whether the mentality that created the Cultural Revolution is still alive in today's society.



"The Chinese Communist Party has had a political campaign running pretty much every year since it took power in 1949," Xia said. "You can see it in the editorials run by the People's Daily, Red Flag magazine, People's Liberation Army Daily, and so on."



"These political campaigns have never stopped in that time, whether they are large or small."



Retired Shandong University professor Sun Wenguang said Tuesday's editorials are likely a response to a feared backlash over a recent "private" performance of Mao-era revolutionary songs at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.



The Communist Party has long been ambivalent about the Cultural Revolution, happy to encourage red nostalgia for Mao suits, rousing revolutionary anthems, and Little Red Books on the one hand, while playing down the deaths and torture of large numbers of people at the hands of Red Guards and lynch mobs on the other.



"They played red songs and displayed portraits of Mao Zedong with his Red Guards armband," Sun said. "That song, 'Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman,' was basically the theme tune of the Cultural Revolution from start to finish."



"People thought they were trying to advocate [a return to] the Cultural Revolution."



Struggle sessions



Fifty years ago, Mao exhorted China's youth to eliminate "members of the bourgeoisie threatening to seize political power from the proletariat," initially a reference to Mao's premier Liu Shaoqi and his "Soviet revisionist" supporters within the party.



But the violent "struggle" sessions, at which figures of respect like teachers and parents were humiliated and sometimes killed, often made little political sense to anyone, with targets selected seemingly at random or to settle old grudges, witnesses have said.



According to veteran Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng, much of the violence and armed factional fighting was instigated by the sons and daughters of high-ranking party officials.



"All it took was a few of these children of officials with a bit of nerve, to incite a crowd to start something," Wei told an anniversary symposium in Washington on Monday.



"The majority of these were supporters of [then premier] Zhou Enlai, although there were also some offspring of officials from the party central office," he said.



"When people see those around them deifying Mao Zedong, then they deify him too. People are like sheep," We said. "Everybody was playing a role together."



No one dared oppose



Meanwhile, the Cato Institute's Xia said nobody at the top dared to oppose Mao, and nobody could make any sense of his actions at the time.



"We have no idea what Mao was thinking ... and I'm not sure I could even follow his thinking if I did," Xia said. "Zhou Enlai didn't know what was going on, and neither did Liu Shaoqi. Nobody did."



Xia said the "struggle" sessions escalated out of fear of reprisals. "Why did they struggle people to death?" he said. "Because they were afraid that the person would come and struggle them back and denounce them."



"They killed people in struggle sessions to preserve their own personal safety."



The official death toll by 1976 numbered more than 1.7 million, with much of the country's cultural and artistic heritage destroyed in campaigns to eradicate traditional Chinese culture to make way for a new, revolutionary culture, arbitrated by the "proletariat."



Xia estimated the economic losses of the era at no less than three trillion yuan (U.S.$153 billion at today's exchange rate).



Reported by Xin Lin for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Ho Shan for the Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.




The United States has eased some sanctions against Myanmar to promote the Southeast Asian nations economic growth and political reform under the new pro-democracy government that came to power in April, the Treasury Department announced on Tuesday.

The Treasury Department also removed seven state-owned enterprises and three state-owned banks, including Myanma Economic Bank, Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank, and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank, from its official blacklist.

The U.S. also extended a measure to allow shipments to go through ports and airports in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

The U.S. hopes the move will open up opportunities for trade and for more American companies to invest in Myanmar.

Our actions today demonstrate our strong support for this political and economic progress while continuing to pressure designated persons in Burma to change their behavior, Adam Szubin, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.

These steps will help to facilitate trade with non-sanctioned businesses and, in turn, help the people and government of Burma achieve a more inclusive and prosperous future, he said.

The U.S., however, is keeping in place restrictions on trade and investment by Myanmars powerful military, which ruled the country for a half-century until 2011 when the army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) came into power.

It is also maintaining restrictions on individuals and firms because of their ties to human rights abuses and military trade with North Korea under the military regime.

The new government under President Htin Kyaw and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi came to power a nearly two months ago after her National League for Democracy (NLD) party swept national elections last November.

Last December, the U.S. temporarily lifted a ban on trade through Myanmars ports following the election.

The U.S. previously dropped most trade restrictions against Myanmar after former President Thein Seins quasi-civilian government undertook political and economic reforms beginning in 2011, but an embargo remained on several business interests of the junta-era elite, including several key export and import sites.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Myanmar leaders on May 22 in the administrative capital Naypyitaw in a sign of U.S. support for the new government and further democratic and economic reforms.
Authorities in southwestern Chinas Sichuan province have detained a young Tibetan monk on unknown charges, taking him into custody on Monday as he walked in prayer around a Buddhist stupa near his monastery, a Tibetan source in exile said.



Jampa Gelek, believed to be about 23 years old, was seized by police at about 8:30 p.m. on May 16 in Tawu (in Chinese, Daofu) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a Tibetan living in Switzerland told RFAs Tibetan Service.



No reason was given for his detention, and there has been no word on his present whereabouts or condition, the source named Sonam said, citing contacts in Tawu.



A first-year student at the Tawu Institute of Buddhist Studies, Gelek was detained while praying at the Tawu Chorten, or stupa, near the Tawu Nyatso monastery, Sonam said.



He comes originally from Dziya township in Tawu county. His fathers name is Tsering, and his mothers name is Dronley.



Harassment, intimidation



Geleks detention comes almost a year after the self-immolation of a Tibetan protester in Tawu following weeks of police harassment of residents in the Tibetan-populated county.



Tenzin Gyatso, 35, died after setting himself ablaze at around 8:00 p.m. on May 20, 2015, in Tawus Khangsar township, sources told RFA in earlier reports.



Weeks of police harassment of local Tibetans ordered by a newly arrived county official had led to the beating and detention of many area residents, and had likely sparked Gyatsos protest, one local source said.



The new deputy governor of Tawu county had cracked down on Tibetans suspected of organizing separatist activities and planning celebrations for the 80th birth year of [exiled spiritual leader] the Dalai Lama, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



The deputy governor had further intimidated local Tibetans by conducting parades of security forces in the area, he said.



Chinese police frequently investigate and arrest Tibetans suspected of supporting the India-based Dalai Lama, whom Beijing considers a dangerous separatist bent on splitting Tibetan areas from Chinese control.



Reported by Lhuboom and Sonam Wangdu for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.
A man walks among dead fish lying on a beach in Quang Trach district in the central coastal province of Quang Binh near the Formosa steel plant that is under attack for industrial pollution, April 20, 2016.

Activists urging the Vietnamese people to protest the governments sluggish reaction to an environmental disaster that killed tons of fish along Vietnams central coast say a barrage of criticism by a major state media outlet will do little damage to their cause.

It is an old trick that nobody believes anymore, blogger Nguyen Thuy Hanh told RFAs Vietnamese Service. I dont think anybody would believe that, and I can assure you it was a dirty defamation.

In an unusual move, state broadcaster VTV1 used an 11-minute segment Sunday night to warn the public to stay away from demonstrations about the disaster. The segment was picked up by other news outlets.

While government experts have claimed that a "red tide, or a release of dangerous chemicals by humans, could have been the cause, many Vietnamese blame the $10.6-billion Formosa steel plant in Ha Tinh province and are dismissive of government explanations.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has promised a thorough investigation of the disaster, and he pledged to bring justice to those found responsible, but there appears to be little confidence among many in Vietnam that he will do so.

The one-party state has cracked down on dissenting voices before, but the dedication of a segment on the nations largest TV station that named names and connected dissenters with subversive activity added a new page to the governments play book.

"Riot and overthrow?"

"Their intention to abuse and disturb was revealed when many subjects called for using knives and petrol bombs to attack the functional forces and to overthrow the authorities," the narrator of the VTV report intoned, according to a Reuters report.

"Many people may ask what kind of peaceful marches are they ... Is this possibly a preparation for a riot and overthrow?" the voice-over asked.

The warning comes as protesters tried to rally for a third successive Sunday. Tight security in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City prevented major rallies, but that didnt stop small groups of demonstrators from gathering, according to social media.

They have distorted the truth, cut and pasted stories to vilify and denounce demonstrators and intellectuals relating to the mass fish deaths in the central region, said Nguyen Quang A told RFA.

The former director of the now-defunct Institute of Development Studies think tank and a well-known activist in Vietnam, contends that the government has less control over public opinion than it did in the past.

Before, people had no access to foreign TV channels, or the internet, and they had no other sources of information, he said. The government, with their monopoly on media could succeed in distorting information brainwashing people with their propaganda, brainwashing people and making people believe everything said by the government was true.

While the governments control over the media may not be complete, it still holds substantial power over news outlets.

Of course it still has some effect on quite a large number of people, he said. But as soon as they have access to independent sources of information, things will change.

Reported for RFA's Vietnamese Service by Gia Minh. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Brooks Boliek.
The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan have renewed their commitment to a cease-fire in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region and to a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

A joint statement by the United States, France, and Russia said Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also agreed on a next round of talks to be held in a mutually agreed location, with the aim of resuming talks on a comprehensive settlement.

The agreement came after talks with U.S., Russian, and French mediators in Vienna on May 16.

It was the first face-to-face encounter between Aliyev and Sarkisian since a truce in early April halted four days of fierce fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia-backed separatists and Azerbaijans military.

Baku and Yerevan have been locked in conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh since the waning years of the Soviet Union.

Populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, the territory declared independence from Azerbaijan in a 1988-94 war that killed an estimated 30,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.

On April 2, Nagorno-Karabakh saw its worst violence since a shaky cease-fire was reached in 1994 between Azerbaijan and Armenia-backed separatists.

A fresh Russian-brokered cease-fire deal went into effect on April 5, but the sides in the conflict had been accusing each other of breaching the truce agreement.

About 75 soldiers from both sides were killed in April, along with several civilians.

Seeking to nip the renewed conflict in the bud, the so-called Minsk Group of Russia, France, and the United States invited the two leaders to the Austrian capital.

The joint statement issued after the meeting said the parties also agreed to beef up the cease-fire monitoring mission run by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which currently has only six observers on the front line.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
An Azerbaijani soldier and an ethnic Armenian separatist fighter were reportedly killed in Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region on May 17 in the fiercest fighting since a deadly battle killed dozens of people six weeks earlier.

The fresh fighting comes just one day after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian agreed to respect a cease-fire and try to relaunch peace talks.

The agreement between the two leaders came after talks in Vienna brokered by U.S., Russian, and French mediators from the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on May 16.

In addition to the cease-fire pledges by Aliyev and Sarkisian, the two presidents also agreed to increase the size of a cease-fire monitoring mission run by the (OSCE).

The current OSCE mission has only six observers on the ground.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also met with Aliyev and Sarkisian on May 16 in Vienna.

Sarkisian said on May 17 that he was "generally satisfied" with the results of his meeting with Aliyev.

"Our goal is to solve the problems peacefully and through talks," Sarkisian said. "Warfare is, by far, not the best solution."

Meanwhile, the French Foreign Ministry said Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov will hold talks in Paris on May 19 with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.

The meeting in Vienna on May 16 was the first face-to-face encounter between Aliyev and Sarkisian since a truce in early April halted four days of heavy fighting in the disputed region that killed at least 75 soldiers and several civilians.

That battle was the biggest outbreak of violence in and around Nagorno-Karabakh since a 1994 cease-fire was agreed after six years of fighting.

Both sides have blamed each other for initiating the fighting on May 17.

"Right after the Vienna talks, the Armenian side violated the cease-fire," Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said in a statement on May 17.

For their part, military officials in the Armenia-backed Nagorno-Karabakh region accused Azerbaijani forces of shelling positions along the front line.

The separatists' self-styled government said one of its soldiers was killed "in the southern sector of the front."

Populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, the Nagorno-Karabakh region declared independence from Azerbaijan in the midst of a 1988-1994 war that killed an estimated 30,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.

With reporting by AFP and Interfax


A month after Vladimir Putin's big live call-in show, it seems some of the participants aren't exactly doing so well.

Consider Ramazan Dzhalaldinov. He appealed to Putin about living conditions and extortion by local authorities in his home village of Kenkhi in Chechnya.

His house was burned to the ground and he was forced to flee. And now the village is cordoned off by police, who are harassing locals.

And then there's the case of workers at a fish-processing plant on Shikotan Island in the Russian Far East who complained about unpaid wages.

As a result of multiple criminal cases launched against the plant's management, it is now on the verge of bankruptcy and the workers risk losing their jobs.

They have even sent another appeal to Putin to stop the investigations that they, themselves, called for in the first place.

What this all suggests is that Putin's highly personalized and centralized system of rule is breaking down.

It suggests that the regime's bread-and-circuses style of governance is reaching its limits.

Putin's annual call-in show is one of the regime's main legitimizing rituals.

It is designed to showcase the Kremlin leader as a hands-on problem solver who can tackle everything from macroeconomics to local disputes.

And in retrospect, this year's extravaganza exposed that Putin has no solutions on either count.

He can't fix Russia's big structural problems. And he seems powerless to reach in and solve smaller local ones.

The Tsar, it appears, has no clothes.

But hey, at least he can still put on a good show.

Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Aygun Badalova - Trend:

Groundbreaking ceremony for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will be held in the Greek city of Thessaloniki May 17.

It is expected that the event will be attended by senior representatives of Azerbaijan, Greece, Georgia, Bulgaria and the European Commission, as well as representatives of shareholding companies of the project.

History of the project

TAP, which is a part of the largest Southern Gas Corridor project, envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries. The project aims at providing European countries with alternative source and route of gas supplies, promoting energy security of Europe.

The consortium of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development in late June 2013 selected the TAP project over Nabucco West as the route to transport its gas to Europe.

The TAP's shareholders passed the Resolution to Construct on the development and construction of the TAP project Dec. 17, 2013. That followed the announcement earlier the same day by the Shah Deniz Consortium that it had taken the Final Investment Decision on the Shah Deniz Stage II project.

The contracts on the purchase of Azerbaijani gas from the second phase of Shah Deniz field development (Shah Deniz-2 project) were signed Sept. 19, 2013 with Shell, Bulgar gas, Gas Natural Fenosa, E.ON, Gaz de France, Hera, Enel, Axpo, DEPA.

At the beginning of March 2016, the European Commission approved the agreement between the Greek government and the Consortium on TAP's construction. TAP is included to the list of the European Commission's common interest projects.

Route of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline

The 870-kilometer pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.

The length of TAP's Greek part will be about 550 kilometers. The pipeline will start near Kipoi on the border of Turkey and Greece and stretch until the border of Greece and Albania.

The Albanian part of the pipeline will be about 215 kilometers. It will start near the Korce city of Albania - on the border with Greece. TAP's landfall in Albania will be located 17 kilometers north-west of Fier, up to 400 meters inland from the shoreline.

TAP's route across the Adriatic Sea will take the pipeline approximately 105 kilometers along the seabed from the Albanian to the Italian coast.

Project financing

As of today, the official cost of the TAP project hasn't been disclosed.

The Consortium on TAP's development expects to receive funding from a number of international institutions, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), as well as export credit agencies of several countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which are involved in the supply of goods and services.

The commercial lenders will mainly finance the TAP project. Currently, TAP is working on drawing up a financial plan that will take into account the ratio of debt and equity.

TAP's shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

Earlier, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said that bank is considering financing of up to 1.5 billion euros for TAP.

In particular, the EBRD is considering up to 500 million euros of the bank's own money for TAP plus the bank will try to arrange with other banks up to one billion euros in a syndicated loan.

Opportunities and significance

Gas can be also supplied to several countries in South-East Europe, including Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and others via TAP by its joining the so-called Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP).

TAP has already signed memoranda of understanding and cooperation with the developers of this project, in particular, with Plinacro natural gas transmission system operator of Croatia, BH-Gas company of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Geoplin Plinovodi company of Slovenia.

Moreover, there has been created a  and IAP working group which regularly holds meetings in order to synchronize the time of implementation of both projects and agree on the technical issues of connection.

Bulgaria can receive gas via the planned Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) with the length of 182 kilometers. The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas. Bulgaria and Greece signed an agreement in December 2015 on adopting a final investment decision on the IGB project.

TAP's initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year. However, it is possible to bring this volume to 20 billion cubic meters by installing additional compressor stations and modernizing the existing ones. Increasing TAP's capacity makes it possible to transport gas from other sources via this pipeline and this is an important element of the EU's diversification policy.
Several thousand social-conservative activists from around the world are gathering in the Georgian capital this week in a high-profile event they say is aimed at countering the West's "fanatical liberal ideology."

The local host of the event, conservative activist and businessman Levan Vasadze, listed his "demands" in an appeal to the West at the plenary session of the World Congress of Families (WCF) on May 16:

Stop this insanity, he said to enthusiastic applause. Stop interfering in the internal affairs of this sovereign country; stop financing attacks on our church and family traditions through hundreds of your NGOs.

The main U.S. foreign-policy priority, Vasadze asserted, is "supporting homosexuality all over the world."

The World Congress of Families is a U.S.-based organization founded in the mid-1990s as an international umbrella organization of groups supporting conservative social values. Its positions include defending traditional marriage, opposing abortion, and opposing antidiscrimination measures intended to protect people of all sexual orientations.

In 2014, the Southern Poverty Law Center declared the congress and several of its constituent members in the United States to be "anti-gay hate groups."

In an interview with RFE/RL on May 17, Vasadze noted that millions of abortions are performed globally each year.

"No war, conventional or religious, has ever killed as many children as this fanatical liberal ideology under the banner of freedom and human rights," Vasadze said. "The movement against this in the West is gaining momentum, and this congress is the heart of this movement."

Georgia is a deeply conservative, Orthodox society that has been divided by some of the liberal social policies adopted by successive pro-European Union governments. On May 17, 2013 -- exactly three years ago -- conservative activists led by Orthodox clergy attacked the country's first-ever officially sanctioned antihomophobia rally, injuring around 20 people.

Georgia's Orthodox patriarch, Ilia II, blessed the Tbilisi congress on May 16, saying that "family is an institution that has been determined by God."

The 2016 congress  which opened on May 16 and runs for four days -- will present an honor to former U.S. President George W. Bush, a supporter of the organization who sent the Tbilisi congress a written message of greeting praising its "efforts to recognize the importance of families in building nations."

"Your work improves many lives and makes the world a better place," Bush wrote.

Kremlin-Linked Oligarchs

The WCF also has close ties to Konstantin Malofeyev and Vladimir Yakunin, two conservative Russian oligarchs with close ties to the government of President Vladimir Putin who finance Russia-friendly and Orthodox initiatives in former Soviet countries and the West.

Malofeyev's business partner, Aleksei Komov, is on the WCF board. Yakunin's wife, Natalia Yakunina, is the head of a WCF member group called Sanctity of Motherhood. Vladimir Mishchenko is the head of a Yakunin-created Orthodox organization called The Foundation of St. Andrew the First-Called.

Komov, Yakunina, and Mishchenko are on the agenda to address the Tbilisi congress.

The 2014 WCF congress was initially scheduled to be held in Moscow in September of that year. But after Russia annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea in March 2014, the event -- which was to be called Every Child A Gift: Large Families -- The Future Of Humanity -- was cancelled. However, the WCF co-organized an event sponsored by Yakunin's Foundation of St. Andrew that was held in September 2014 with the title Large Family And The Future Of Humanity.

Both Yakunin and Malofeyev addressed the 2104 event in Moscow.

In his opening address to the congress on May 16, Vasadze tried to use the event to build bridges between Moscow and Georgia, which have had strained relations since they fought a brief war in 2008, after which Moscow recognized as independent the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and set up military bases in both.

Only a handful of countries joined Russia in recognizing the two regions.

"Together with our Russian friends, we got rid of and defeated first fascism and then communism, both of which came from the West," Vasadze said. "The West continues to relentlessly act in Georgia and to pretend it is supporting Georgia's territorial integrity under the conditions of Russian occupation."

"The day when the Kremlin finally understands this and initiates a rapprochement with Georgia and contributes to reconciliation between Tbilisi [and Abkhazia and South Ossetia], will be the day when the West loses Georgia forever."

RFE/RL Georgian Service correspondent Sopho Vasadze contributed to this report from Tbilisi


The International Space Station made its 100,000th orbit around the Earth on May 16 after nearly two decades in space, space officials say.

In circling the Earth 100,000 times, the station has traveled 4.6 billion kilometers, about the distance from the Earth to Neptune, or 10 round-trip voyages to Mars, NASA said.

The first stage of the station, the Zarya module, was launched into space on November 20, 1998. In the years since, the station has grown to include 15 modules weighing more than 400 tons.

There are currently six astronauts working on board the station -- three Russians, two Americans, and one Briton. In all, 222 people have lived there or visited the station.

The station orbits at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers above Earth. A single trip around the planet takes 1 1/2 hours.

Based on reporting by AP and dpa
In an apparent tit-for-tat move, Iran's outgoing parliament has passed a bill that requires the government to seek compensation from the United States for "material and moral damages" due to U.S. policies toward Tehran over the past six decades.

The general outline of the bill was approved May 17 with the backing of 174 lawmakers in the 290-seat parliament. It now needs approval by the Guardians Council, Iran's top legislative body, to become law.

Iran's hard-line Fars news agency reported that lawmakers chanted "Death to America" after the vote.

"It is necessary for the parliament to take action against the series of U.S. actions to seize Iranian assets," lawmaker Ebrahim Karkhaneyi, one of the bill's sponsors, was quoted as saying by Iranian media.

The bill was adopted less than a month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Tehran must pay nearly $2 billion in frozen assets to victims and families of those killed in the 1983 bombing of U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut and other terrorist attacks blamed on the Islamic republic.

Tehran has denied any role in the attacks. Iranian authorities have denounced the ruling as "robbery" while vowing legal action to recover the frozen funds.

"The government will never allow for the money that belongs to the Iranian nation to be easily gobbled up by the Americans," President Hassan Rohani said on May 10.

He added that Tehran would take the case to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision and the new Iranian legislation come amid a thaw in relations between Tehran and the West following a July deal with global powers that placed restrictions on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

The Iranian bill seeks damages for the 1953 coup orchestrated by the Central Intelligence Agency that ousted Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh; Iran's 1980-88 war with Iraq, in which Washington provided support to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein; and U.S. backing for Israel's actions against Iran.

It says that Iran should also seek damages from the United States for the death of "17,000 martyrs of terror attacks," espionage against Iran, and the destruction of oil platforms in the Persian Gulf.

During the May 17 parliamentary session, hard-line lawmaker Hamid Rasayi proposed that Iran seize U.S. assets passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

"If the U.S. should seek to misappropriate the Iranian nation's assets, the strait must be turned into an insecure place for them and U.S. vessels banned from passing through it," Rasayi was quoted as saying.

Lawmakers rejected his proposal.

Iran's vice president for parliamentary affairs, Majid Ansari, said Rasayi's proposal ran counter to Iran's national interests and the country's constitution, despite "its revolutionary appearance."
A Kazakh activist has been jailed and several others have been warned by police that they will face 'severe legal consequences' if they take part in unsanctioned rallies against legislation on the privatization of agricultural land.

The moves by police on May 16 and May 17 came ahead of protests against new land privatization laws that are planned for May 21 across Kazakhstan.

Activists plan to rally despite an order issued by President Nursultan Nazarbaev that postpones the implementation of the legislation until sometime in 2017.

An activist in the western city of Oral, Zhanat Esentaev, was sentenced to three days in jail on May 17 for "inciting social discord."

Police in the southern city of Talghar detained activist Manas Abdimanap on May 16 on suspicion of distribution of "illegal leaflets."

Authorities did not provide further details.

Police also searched homes of several activists in Astana and in the western cities of Oral and Atyrau on May 16 and May 17.

Nazarbaev's order came after hundreds of people rallied across the country against the land privatization plan, which would allow foreigners to lease local agricultural plots under agreements that last as long as 25 years.


International talks aimed at bolstering the peace process for Syria have come to an end in Vienna without a new date being scheduled to restart peace talks.

But parties at the May 17 meeting of senior diplomats from Russia, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East vowed to do what they can to strengthen a shaky cease-fire between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and moderate opposition fighters.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said at the end of the talks that there was an agreement on "consequences for any side's actions that have an agenda other than trying to reach an agreement and trying to reach peace."

The UN's Syria envoy Steffan de Mistura said that the next round of peace talks "cant wait too long."

Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov co-chaired the Vienna meeting.

They have been struggling to secure a fragile February cease-fire, which has disintegrated into waves of fierce fighting.

Even shakier are hopes of forging a so-called "political settlement" that would set up a transitional government in Syria and move the country toward elections.

U.S. officials say Kerry still insists that Assad should step down from power as part of that political settlement.

Kerry has also set an August 1 deadline for agreeing to a political transition period for Syria.

But Assad, bolstered by military support from Russia and Iran, shows no sign of stepping down from power.

An aide to Kerry said after talks between Lavrov and Kerry on May 16 that the United States was "talking to the Russians, trying to get a better environment for the political negotiations."

But Kerry's aide said Assad's regime "is just not there, and I think that's really the key to it."

Lavrov told reporters after the May 17 talks that Russia does not support Assad's regime but is backing the Syrian Army's fight against terrorist groups.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters


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.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price also said the United States has not seen any indication that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon but said there would be consequences for Russia whether it used a dirty bomb or any other nuclear weapon.



"It would certainly be another example of President Putin's brutality, if he were to use a so called 'dirty bomb.' There would be consequences for Russia whether it uses a 'dirty bomb' or a nuclear bomb. We've been very clear about that," Price told reporters.



He did not provide details about those consequences.

Ukraine earlier called the accusation that Ukraine was building a dirty bomb 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."

The IAEA said later on October 24 that it was preparing to send inspectors to two Ukrainian sites.



IAEA chief Rafael Grossi confirmed in a statement that both locations are under IAEA safeguards and have been visited regularly by IAEA inspectors.



The IAEA "is aware of statements made by the Russian Federation on [October 23] about alleged activities at two nuclear locations in Ukraine," Grossi said, adding that both were already subject to its inspections and one was inspected a month ago and no undeclared nuclear activities or material were found.



"The IAEA is preparing to visit the locations in the coming days," it added.

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
Documents leaked by former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden suggest that the spy agency eavesdropped on a Russian mob kingpin in an effort to determine his possible ties to President Vladimir Putin.



According to an internal NSA newsletter published by the website The Intercept, the NSA in 2002 or 2003 successfully tapped the phone of Vladimir Kumarin, the reputed head of the notorious Tambov crime syndicate whose influence in St. Petersburg in the 1990s earned him the moniker "Night Governor."



The newsletter, published by The Intercept on May 16 states, says the State Department submitted a request to the NSA for intelligence on Kumarin "to learn whether there were any links" between the Tambov syndicate and Putin, who served as deputy mayor in St. Petersburg in the 1990s.



The website was co-founded by Glenn Greenwald, one of two American journalists who received secret NSA documents from Snowden. The document referencing Kumarin was among the first batch of internal NSA newsletters spanning a nine-year period that The Intercept plans to publish.



Putin has long been alleged to have maintained ties to organized-crime groups that flourished in St. Petersburg, where he grew up and began his political career, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed these claims.

Kumarin, who now goes by the last name Barsukov, is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence after being convicted on gang-related charges in 2009.



According to the NSA newsletter published by The Intercept, analysts from the NSAs Signals Intelligence Directorate "had their work cut out for them" with the State Departments 2002 request because the agency "had neither Mr. Kumarin's phone number nor a sample of his voice."



The document, dated May 5, 2003, states that the NSA ultimately achieved "success" in the operation thanks to "many months of target development" and was able to issue intelligence reports based "on the intercept of Kumarins telephone."



The contents of those reports remain unclear.

A State Department official, when questioned by RFE/RL on May 17 about The Intercept report, said: "As a matter of policy the Department of State does not comment on specific intelligence allegations."



As experts on Russian organized crime have noted, the Tambov syndicate and other gangs were so entrenched in economic and political life in St. Petersburg in the 1990s that it was virtually impossible to conduct public affairs without dealing with them.



A Spanish judge this month issued international arrest warrants for several current and former Russian government officials and other political figures closely linked to Putin in connection with crimes committed in Spain, including murder, weapons and drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering.



The Spanish documents target alleged members of the Tambov syndicate and another well-known crime group in St. Petersburg, the Malyshev gang. Both groups emerged as racketeering gangs comprised largely of former athletes during the twilight of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s.
Pakistan on May 18 is hosting a new round of four-nation Afghan peace talks aimed at reviving long-stalled negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

Pakistans Foreign Ministry confirmed the talks would take place in Islamabad but did not give further details.

Afghanistans ambassador to Pakistan, Omar Zakhilwal, told RFE/RLs Radio Free Afghanistan that he will represent Kabul at the meeting with diplomats from Pakistan, the United States, and China.

The four countries have been attempting since January to bring Taliban delegates to the table in order to restart direct peace talks.

After a fourth round of talks in late February, the diplomats said direct talks between Kabul and the Taliban were "expected to take place" by early March.

But progress stalled as the Taliban launched a spring offensive and intensified its battle against Afghan government forces.

The Taliban says the departure of all foreign forces is a precondition for resuming direct talks with Kabul.

Taliban delegates met in Pakistan in July 2015 with Afghan officials. But the peace process ended abruptly after it was revealed that the Taliban's founder and spiritual leader, Mullah Omar, had been dead for two years.

With reporting by AFP
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has defended his financial record and asked parliament to form a commission to investigate allegations stemming from the Panama Papers leak.

Sharif told parliament on May 16 that his wealth was acquired legally before he entered politics and at no time did he take state money offshore.

"I can say with surety that...not a single penny went out of Pakistan," he said.

Sharif has been under pressure since documents released as part of the Panama Papers data leak showed his children owned several offshore companies and used them to buy properties in London.

He and his children deny any wrongdoing, though the opposition has seized on the Panama Papers scandal as an opportunity to try to unseat Sharif.

The prime minister said his father built up the family business before he entered politics and established a steel mill abroad while he was in exile. The Jeddah steel mill was then sold in 2005 for $17 million, and the proceeds were used to buy the apartments in London, Sharif said.

He also presented details of his and his family's tax affairs -- the latest of a series of disclosures he has made since the Panama Papers were leaked.

A previous disclosure on May 13 that he once owned an offshore company to buy a London flat and avoid paying British taxes appears to have taken some of the wind out of the opposition's plans to use the Panama Papers revelations to tarnish Sharif.

With new details coming to light, Sharif asked the opposition and other lawmakers to help form a parliamentary commission to investigate the matter.

Previous efforts to have a retired or sitting Supreme Court judge chair a judicial commission have stalled as all the judges rejected the offer.

It is not clear if the opposition will take up Sharif's latest offer. They walked out soon after Sharif stopped speaking.

The opposition argued that the judicial probe should largely focus on Sharif's family, though the leaked papers have also named other Pakistani politicians and businessmen alleged to have substantial undeclared overseas assets.

Opposition leaders say they are angry that Sharif didn't provide details they were seeking in seven questions they posed to him ahead of the parliamentary session, including details on the money trail leading to his overseas properties.

"Not a single question has been answered," said Khursheed Shah, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

Opposition politicians said they would announce on May 17 their response to Sharif's speech.

With reporting by Reuters and AP


Kazakhstan is off to a rough start in its privatization drive. China appeared to be on the verge of a bargain for shares of a prized Kazakh company, but Romania disrupted the process, raising doubts about investing in other Kazakh companies on the privatization block.

Sounds complicated, and it is, but it's an interesting story.

Faced with its worst economic downturn in some 20 years, Kazakhstan's government announced in late 2015 that it would privatize many of the country's key enterprises. Among the major companies were state oil and gas company KazMunaiGaz (KMG) and its subsidiaries.

On April 29, KMG announced it had sold a 51-percent stake of subsidiary KMG International to CEFC China Energy Company Limited for, according to CEFC, $680 million.

KMG International, formerly Rompetrol Group, owns two refineries and a petrochemical plant in Romania as well as nearly 1,000 filling stations in Romania, France, Spain, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Georgia as well as other assorted assets. It was something KMG bought in better financial days of almost a decade ago.

About the same time, another KMG subsidiary, KazTransOil, bought terminals on Georgia's Black Sea coast to ship oil, pumped through pipelines or brought by rail from Azerbaijan, to KMG's refineries in Romania for processing and sale in Europe.

KMG in 2007 purchased a 75-percent stake in Rompetrol and eventually bought all of the company for some $3.6 billion. KMG upgraded the oil refineries and bought the Midia Marine Terminal on Romania's Black Sea coast, which received some 23 million tons of oil in 2015.

The sale of just over half of KGM International for less than 25 percent of the original purchase price has not been widely reported by media in Kazakhstan. The fact that the sale was to a Chinese company would only make the news worse, given current popular sentiment in Kazakhstan.

A Foothold in Europe

CEFC was set to gain a new foothold in southern Europe. A CEFC statement noted that KMG International "occupies a strategically important position in Europe" and "owns two refinery plants in Europe with 5.5 million tons of processing capability and is qualified to trade and transport 14 million tons of crude oil."

But on May 9, Romanian prosecutors seized the Petromidia refinery, the filling stations on Romanian territory and other assets in connection with an investigation into tax evasion, money laundering, and fraud.

The case actually originates with the privatization of Rompetrol Rifinare in 2000 and agreements to pay off the company's debt. KMG took on "some" of the debt when the Kazakh company bought its initial controlling stake in Rompetrol.

The total value of the property seized is some $752 million, roughly the amount Romanian authorities claim KMG International owes for "damages." Some of those damages involve several lawsuits that KMG International has been in with Romanian authorities since acquiring Rompetrol's assets.

KMG posted a statement on its website on May 11 that said the Romanian investigation centered on Rompetrol's activities from 1998 to 2003, well before KMG acquired shares in the company in 2007, and that KMG had not been informed of any ongoing investigations into Rompetrol at that time.

The statement mentioned prosecutors wanted to question 14 KMG International managers in Romania.

The statement also expressed the hope that Romanian authorities would complete the "investigation in the shortest time and with maximum transparency" and vowed to use all legal means to protect its interests in Romania.

CEFC has not commented on the case.

Still open to investors are Kazakhstan's state railway company and airline, the nuclear power company, Kazakhstan's three oil refineries, the national maritime shipping company, the country's largest telecom company, and scores of other enterprises.

Yerzhan Karabek of the RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, known locally as Azattyq, and Eugene Tomiuc of RFE/RL's Central Newsroom contributed to this report


Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) sold $34 million to eight banks through an auction held by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), said SOFAZ May 17.

Meanwhile, CBA itself acquired $15 million at the auction.

SOFAZ was offering $50 million for sale through the auction.

SOFAZ will continue selling foreign currency through auctions in 2016.

The foreign currency is sold as part of SOFAZ's transfers to the Azerbaijani state budget, which are envisaged to stand at 7.615 billion Azerbaijani manats in 2016.
Russia's economy contracted by less than expected in the first quarter of 2016 in a sign it may be stabilizing.

The Russian state statistics service said on May 16 that the economy declined by 1.2 percent from a year earlier, after falling by 3.8 percent in the final quarter of 2015.

Russia's economy has been in a deep recession since 2014 due to a collapse in oil prices and Western sanctions imposed because of Moscow's aggressions in Ukraine.

But now with oil prices at their highest level in more than six months, near $49 a barrel in London trading, and the ruble up by 13 percent against the U.S. dollar so far this year, analysts say the worst seems to be over.

"The acute phase of the crisis is now over," said Liza Ermolenko, analyst at London's Capital Economic consultancy.

"The annual growth rate could return to positive territory towards the end of the year.... Even so, given the numerous headwinds facing the Russian economy, we still expect the recovery to be disappointingly weak."

Based on reporting by Bloomberg and AFP
Back in the early 1990s, St. Petersburg businessman Maksim Freidzon never would have predicted that the plain-looking bureaucrat sitting on the other side of the desk would one day be the most powerful man in Russia.

"There was a term for it back then -- a committee man on the take," Freidzon recalls, referring to agents of the KGB, or Committee for State Security. "I first heard this term back in 1992 from friends whom I'd asked about how to deal with the External Affairs Committee of the mayor's office. I asked: 'What are they like?' 'Committee men on the take. but for money they will do everything properly.'"

Freidzon went to the External Affairs Committee office on Antonenko Street -- "They had their own little burrow separate from [the mayor's office at] Smolny" -- and handed over the papers to register his first international business project.

During the discussion, Vladimir Putin "wrote down a figure and said: 'Aleksei Miller will take care of this.' And that was it. I have to admit -- they did everything properly, quickly and without any problems," Freidzon says.

The figure Putin named was $10,000.

At the time, Putin was St. Petersburg deputy mayor and head of the External Affairs Committee. Miller -- who is now the CEO of state-controlled natural-gas giant Gazprom -- was his deputy.

Wiggling To Survive

Freidzon, who now lives in Israel, is suing Gazprom, LUKoil, and several other companies and individuals in the United States for $540 million, claiming they allegedly illegally took over a stake in the Soveks oil firm that belonged to his company, Sigma.

Many people today are mistaken about how Putin got his start in the new Russia after he returned home from his KGB posting in Dresden with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Freidzon says.

"The idea that Vladimir Vladimirovich was some sort of authoritative gangster is extremely exaggerated -- maybe by Putin himself," he says.

"The reality was much more prosaic. As I understand it, he definitely worked a lot and productively with bandits. He served them and tried to be useful to them."

"As far as I know, in the view of the people who really made decisions in the city then -- and those people were inveterate criminals -- he was a nobody."

"At that time, there were conflicts between various groups of important people, and he had to maneuver among people who hated one another," Freidzon adds. "He wiggled and survived. And earned what he could."

'An Organized, Hungry Gang'

Freidzon says he was disappointed, but not surprised that the KGB was able to reassert its power in Russia.

"They didn't have any ideology," he says. "They wanted money and the opportunity to spend it freely. Even back in the 1980s, they were involved in anything that smelled of money -- they protected black-market money changers and hard-currency prostitutes. They were actively involved in the antiques market and so on. Under [KGB Chairman Yury] Andropov, they tried to get into business -- they wanted a share of everything."

"They were an organized, hungry gang," he concludes.

Russia's best hope at the time, according to Freidzon, was to carry out a thorough lustration of KGB agents. When that failed to happen, he became certain "the KGB would try to take power."

He says at that point it was clear that the "organized, hungry gang" would be able to outmaneuver the "business-Komsomol-reformers and the small number of sincere democrats" who briefly held power after the demise of the Soviet Union.

Over the course of those few years, Freidzon met with Putin several times. He ended up paying another $10,000 to finalize a deal to provide imported weapons to the St. Petersburg police.

"I think he was a driven person who had no limits concerning the methods he'd use to achieve his ends," Freidzon says. "I think that, in the KGB, if a person had some sort of moral or ethical restrictions, they were wrung out of him during training and psychological preparation. They weren't taught to selflessly obey the Ten Commandments."

"Under Stalin, who is so loved in Russia now, Vladimir Vladimirovich would have been shot for theft at the very beginning of his career," he concludes.

RFE/RL correspondent Robert Coalson contributed to this report


A prominent Kremlin-connected nationalist ideologue said he was briefly detained at the Greek border and told he was being denied entry into the European Union despite not being on an EU sanctions list.

Aleksandr Dugin, the virulently anti-Western head of the Russia-based International Eurasian Movement, said on May 17 that Greek border guards refused to let him enter the country after he arrived at the airport in the city of Thessaloniki.

The border guards said he was stopped from entering the EU at the request of Hungarian authorities, Dugin told the conservative, religious-themed television channel Tsargrad, where he serves as editor in chief.

Tsargrad subsequently reported that Dugin was later allowed into the country after intervention by Russian diplomats.

The television channel is owned by Russian tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev, who is believed to have bankrolled much of the Russia-backed separatist movement in Ukraine and has been sanctioned by the EU for his alleged role in the conflict.

The United States last year slapped sanctions on Dugin, citing his affiliation with a group that Washington says has "actively recruited individuals with military and combat experience to fight on behalf of Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine."

Dugin has courted both left-wing and right-wing political groups in Hungary, Greece, and other EU member states. He said he had travelled to Greece in connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin's planned upcoming visit to the country.

He called his detention "rather strange," saying that he had "freely traveled" in the EU in recent months.

"We are talking about an attempt to darken Russian-Greek relations," Dugin said.

He added that Greece ultimately allowed him to enter because it is an "Orthodox, fraternal country and did not give in to U.S. pressure."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service
ON MY MIND

It was back to the 1990s this past weekend as a massive brawl and shoot-out erupted at Moscow's Khovanskoye Cemetery.

The motivations for the fight, which left three dead, are not entirely clear yet. Police say it was partially motivated by different groups fighting over control of the lucrative burial business. Some have also pointed to an ethnic component, noting that the cemetery staff were Tajiks and Uzbeks, while the attackers were from Chechnya and Daghestan.

What is clear, however, is that this kind of thing is not supposed to happen under Vladimir Putin's unwritten contract with Russia's organized crime groups.

Putin's deal with Russia's various mafias was simple: do your gangster stuff, but don't do it in the open; don't embarrass the Kremlin with the noisy public shootouts that were the hallmark of the Boris Yeltsin period. And if the Kremlin needs a favor from you someday, be ready to oblige.

The shoot-out on May 14 broke the first commandment of Putin's deal with the criminal underworld. And it may be an indication that he is losing control.

IN THE NEWS

The Kremlin is denying a report that it plans to raise taxes in 2018.

Kremlin propagandist Dmitry Kiselyov has admitted that he used a fake Nazi ID card in a report on Russia's state-run Channel One comparing Ukrainian pro-European activists to a Nazi SS division made up of Ukrainians during WWII.

The United States, Russia, and other members of the UN Security Council have agreed to arm the Libyan government.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will co-chair Syrian peace talks in Vienna today.

The State Duma's health-care committee is considering issuing "reproductive health certificates" to men.

Russia's economy contracted less than expected in the first quarter of 2016.

Investigators say a massive shoot-out at Moscow's Khovanskoye Cemetery was financially motivated.

WHAT I'M READING

The Battle For Khovanskoye Cemetery

In his column in Slon.ru, journalist Oleg Kashin calls this weekend's shoot-out at Moscow's Khovanskoye Cemetery "a dress rehearsal for a civil war."

Will Sanctions Be Extended?

A commentary by Fredrik Wesslau on the European Council on Foreign Relations website predicts that the EU will extend sanctions on Russia next month.

Nationalizing Corruption

Ivan Krastev, chairman of the Center for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, has a piece in The New York Times on why Putin "tolerates" corruption.

"The Kremlins top priority then is not purging corrupt elites, but nationalizing them. Russian elites have the right to be corrupt, but only if they have proved their loyalty," Krastev writes.

Don't Mention The Annexation!

Mikhail Khodorkovsky's Open Wall has a piece looking at the case of Andrei Bubeyev, a mechanical engineer from Tver who was sentenced to 27 months in prison for reposting an article critical of Russia's forceful annexation of Ukraine on social media.

"Bubeyev case is the byproduct of the very nature of the law enforcement agencies in Putin's Russia, and of the so-called 'quota system' used to judge the performance of the FSB, the police, and their many confederates. Every region -- Tver, Chechnya, and the rest -- is given a set of targets whereby a certain number of extremism-related cases must be launched every year. Which, clearly enough, presents the counter-extremism authorities in Tver with a far tougher challenge than the one facing their colleagues in the Caucasus."

Managing the Spooks

In an interview with Gazeta.ru, Mark Galeotti discusses his widely circulated report on the management of Russia's security services for the European Council on Foreign Relations.

The End of Privacy

Shaun Walker has a chilling piece in The Guardian about the application FindFace, which compares photos to profile pictures on the popular Russian social network VKontakte and works out identities with 70 percent accuracy.

The Arctic Front

In a piece on the War On The Rocks blog, Robert W. Murray of the Frontier Center for Public Policy, argues that it would be a mistake to oversell the Russian threat in the Arctic.

NATO's Reaction Force

According to a report in the Financial Times, NATO generals say the alliance's new rapid-reaction force is not yet ready to be deployed to Eastern Europe in the event of a war with Russia.

"The 'Very High Readiness Joint Task Force,' the 5,000-strong centerpiece of the 2014 NATO summit and the package of measures it produced to counter Russian aggression, would be too vulnerable during its deployment phase to be used in Poland or the Baltic States, two senior NATO generals with close knowledge of the alliances logistical and military planning told the Financial Times."

The Kremlin And The Islamists

Reuters has a special report on how Russia allowed homegrown Islamic radicals to go and fight in Syria.

Privatization In Ukraine

Writing on the Atlantic Council website, Anders Aslund argues that it is time for Ukraine to start mass privatizations.
A Ukrainian computer hacker has become the first to plead guilty to what U.S. authorities called the biggest hacking scheme ever to game global markets, reaping $100 million in illegal profits.

Vadym Iermolovych, 28, of Kyiv, on May 16 joined three financial traders in admitting they hacked into thousands of corporate news releases before they were published, and used the stolen information to make money through illegal insider trades on top company stocks.

Three hackers and seven traders, many with ties to Russia, have been charged by U.S. prosecutors for stealing unpublished news releases from Business Wire, Marketwired, and PR Newswire between February 2010 to August 2015.

Authorities say the traders gave the hackers "shopping lists" of releases they wanted to see in advance, including ones with market-sensitive financial results, and then traded the stocks, including Caterpillar, Home Depot, Las Vegas Sands, and Panera Bread.

The hackers were routinely paid a cut of the profits.

Iermolovych, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit computer hacking, and aggravated identity theft, faces up to 20 years in prison.

Other accused hackers include Ukrainians Oleksandr Ieremenko and Ivan Turchynov. Their whereabouts are not known.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
The White House says a senior adviser to President Barack Obama won't testify before a House committee on May 17 about how he promoted the Iran nuclear deal to the public.

Invoking "executive privilege," White House counsel Neil Eggleston said in a letter to the House oversight committee that allowing deputy national-security adviser Ben Rhodes to testify would threaten the president's "ability to receive candid advice."

Rhodes stirred up controversy last week when he told The New York Times that he intentionally created an "echo chamber" of supporters to build public support for the nuclear agreement.

Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz said Rhodes should have to explain his remarks, and had tentatively scheduled a hearing for Rhodes to testify on May 17.

But Eggleston said that presidents of both parties have invoked executive privilege and declined to allow aides to testify on such matters.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will support the efforts of countries in Southeastern Europe to achieve energy security, said First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Yagub Eyyubov.

He made the remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony for TAP in Thessaloniki, Greece, on May 17.

Eyyubov said the TAP enables European countries to diversify not only the sources but also the routes of gas supplies.

"TAP will provide strong support for Europe's efforts to achieve energy security," he added.

He also expressed confidence that through joint efforts the project will be completed in time and the Azerbaijani gas will reach Europe in 2020.

Eyyubov added that Azerbaijan possesses large reserves of gas, which in the future can be used to fill the IGB (Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria) and the IAP (Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline), and praised the political support to these projects by the Balkan countries.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) took place in Thessaloniki, Greece, May 17.

Attending the ceremony were such high-ranking officials as First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Yaqub Eyyubov, Azerbaijan's Minister of Energy Natig Aliyev, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Vice-President of the European Commission for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Greek Energy and Environment Minister Panos Skourletis, Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, as well as the representatives of the project shareholder companies, including Rovnag Abdullayev, head of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR).

TAP is the third part of the Southern Gas Corridor, envisaging Azerbaijani gas supplies to Europe, along with the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) and Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP).

TAP project envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries.

The 870-kilometer pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.

It is expected that the first gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas field will reach Europe via TAP in 2020.

TAP's initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters.

TAP shareholders are: BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
A Chesterfield County man is accused of embezzling thousands while president of the Falling Creek Middle School PTA.

James D. Hinson, 51, of the 6700 block of Jefferson Davis Highway, was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of embezzlement and 30 counts of forging and passing checks from the organization, according to Chesterfield police.

He is accused of taking roughly $4,000.

The alleged theft occurred between December 2014 and February 2016, according to online court records.
Plans for a statue of Maggie L. Walker on Broad Street inched forward Monday, with the Richmond Planning Commission giving preliminary approval for conceptual designs of the plaza that will surround the monument.

Complete designs of both the statue and the plaza will come before the commission for final approval next month.

The conceptual designs for the plaza, which will sit at the intersection of Broad Street, Brook Road and Adams Street, have once again been tweaked slightly in response to comments from the public, the citys Urban Design Committee and the Planning Commission.

It includes a smaller dedication wall behind the statue. It also marks the historic terminus of Brook Road with granite cobblestones as opposed to brick.

Some members of the commission questioned why there were no trees to shade the front of the plaza.

The artist commissioned to do the work, Toby Mendez, said trees would block the view of the statue and, he said, I just dont want to create that perspective of lynching.

In other action, the commission gave preliminary approval for plans to relocate Dock Street along the riverfront in the East End.

The $8 million project includes widening East Main Street, adding a roundabout at its intersection with a relocated Dock Street. Dock Street, currently alongside the James River, would be moved north, potentially opening the doors to more development and public access near the river.

East Main would be widened to include parking, sidewalks, bike lanes and landscaping, and to accommodate bus rapid transit pullouts.

Much of the discussion centered on curb height and median and sidewalk widths.

During a public hearing, three speakers unsuccessfully lobbied the commission to delay action until after a planned charette with neighbors.
A bomb threat that cleared two Henrico County courthouses this afternoon has been deemed a hoax.

The main building, which houses general district and circuit courts, at 4301 E. Parham Road, and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court at 4201 E. Parham Road were evacuated about 2:40 p.m., according to Sheriff Michael Wade, who said the caller wasn't specific about which building he was targeting.

Both buildings were searched and nothing was found, Wade said. The all-clear was given at 4:39 p.m.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

Trend:

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State of the United States of America John Kerry, and State Secretary for European Affairs of France Harlem Desir, representing the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, met today with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to advance a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

They reiterated that there can be no military solution to the conflict. The Co-Chairs insisted on the importance of respecting the 1994 and 1995 ceasefire agreements.

The Presidents reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and the peaceful settlement of the conflict. To reduce the risk of further violence, they agreed to finalize in the shortest possible time an OSCE investigative mechanism. The Presidents also agreed to the expansion of the existing Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office. Finally, they agreed to continue the exchange of data on missing persons under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to which the Presidents committed during the Paris summit of October 2014.

The Presidents agreed on a next round of talks, to be held in June at a place to be mutually agreed, with an aim to resuming negotiations on a comprehensive settlement.
A local nurse's aide has been accused of stealing from two elderly Stafford County women she was entrusted with caring for, authorities said.

Cassandra Jean Eley, 41, of Stafford is charged with 15 offenses, including five counts of grand larceny, five counts of larceny with the intent to sell, credit card theft and abusing an incapacitated adult. She has a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 21 in Stafford General District Court.

According to Sheriff's spokeswoman M.C. Morris Moncure, Detective A.M. Irizarry began an investigation last month after being contacted by one of the victims and a nurse who was assisting her.

The investigation revealed that between March 3 and April 8, the victims had prescription medication stolen from them, as well as heirloom jewelry and collectible coins.

Eley is also accused of using at least one victims credit card and EBT card without permission.

Morris Moncure said several pieces of the stolen jewelry were recovered from local pawn shops, while other missing property had been destroyed. The two victims know each other.

Morris Moncure said there may be other victims and the investigation is continuing. She said Eley worked in several jurisdictions, including Spotsylvania, Caroline and Fauquier counties.
Hikers who visit the Ragged Mountain Natural Area now have a unique way to cross the reservoir  a floating bridge, the first of its kind in Virginia.

The bridge project, which began several years ago, was a collaborative effort between the Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department, the Ivy Creek Foundation and the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority.

We are very pleased to accommodate the hikers who made explicit during public meetings they wanted the looped trail to remain a feature of this site, said Lonnie Wood, interim executive director of the RWSA. We were able to accomplish two things: provide a pedestrian bridge for the trail and at the same time allow for the flexibility necessary for fluctuations in water levels that are inherent to a reservoir.

The project was designed as a solution for hikers who wanted to complete the 6-mile loop around the Ragged Mountain Reservoir, but were cut off by the water following a recent expansion of the reservoir, which is more than a century old.

The RWSA announced in February that the reservoir reached its 1.5 billion-gallon capacity, more than a year after regional government and utility officials dedicated a new $36 million Ragged Mountain Dam.

The floating bridge is 220 feet long and 5 feet wide. It is made of Ipe, a Brazilian hardwood that was selected for its maintenance-free properties.

The wooden planks are held in place by an aluminum frame anchored to six concrete blocks that were placed at the floor of the reservoir during construction of the dam. The bridge floats by the buoyancy offered by foam-filled floats, which are designed to accommodate for drops in water levels of up to 10 feet.

The entire trail system has not yet been finalized by Charlottesville officials, but visitors are able to walk on the bridge by entering from the southeast side.

Brian Daly, director of the citys parks department, said an ongoing study of the areas flora and fauna revealed there are sensitive plant communities on the west side of the bridge.

Parks and Recreation is working through a community planning process to determine the locations of trails and the permitted types of use in the natural area, such as trail running and mountain biking, Daly said.

No trails will be constructed west of the floating bridge until the planning process is complete.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

Trend:

An Azerbaijani soldier was killed as a result of the violation of the ceasefire by Armenia despite the talks on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said May 17.

An Azerbaijani serviceman Natig Tahirli was killed as a result of the violation of the ceasefire by Armenia on the line of contact immediately after the completion of the talks on the conflict, said the ministry.

Armenia's manpower was eliminated as a result of the urgent measures, said Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry.

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said that Armenia's military and political regime is fully responsible for the possible incidents and losses of the opposing side.

A meeting was held in Vienna on May 16 involving President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, OSCE Minsk group co-chairs, and special representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

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.
Nonprofits and businesses can now host events where alcohol is served in more than a dozen Roanoke public parks.

The Roanoke City Council on Monday approved the addition of Vic Thomas, Fallon, Smith, Highland and Wasena parks to a list that already included Elmwood, Century Square on Church Avenue downtown, Mill Mountain, Mountain View, Wells Fargo Plaza, Reserve Avenue, Suntrust Plaza and Preston Park.

In Fallon Park, alcohol events will be prohibited in the area near Fallon Park Elementary School and at the public pool there and the dog park in Highland.

Any events that do happen must win approval from the citys parks and recreation department, the police , the city manager and the state department of Alcoholic Beverage Control under the ordinance.

If they dont feel like its an appropriate event, they dont approve it, Councilman Bill Bestpitch said.

Drinking alcohol in parks outside of permitted events remains against the law.

The council approved the changes 5-0, with Mayor David Bowers and Councilman Sherman Lea absent.

Bestpitch brought the matter before the council as a follow-up to a discussion in August 2014, when the panel decided to allow events with alcohol at Preston Park off Williamson Road.

Bestpitch said Monday that the council-appointed Roanoke Neighborhood Advocates consulted with neighborhood groups around the city to see where events with alcohol would be acceptable and where they would be inappropriate.

Adding locations to the list of those where alcohol can be served, Bestpitch said, will relieve pressure on downtown, where streets frequently must be closed for events, and allow more parts of the city to be showcased.

For many of the nonprofits to have a successful event, they need a beer truck, Bestpitch said.

Councilman Ray Ferris said the change is also about treating all the neighborhoods and sections of the city fairly.

Only one person spoke regarding the proposal.

Terry Huxhold, president of the Southeast Neighborhood Action Forum, objected to allowing alcohol at Fallon Park, in one of the most economically depressed sections of the city, and a neighborhood already plagued by alcohol and drug dependency. He also complained that the proposal only became public last Thursday when the councils meeting agenda was published.

Bestpitch noted that Huxholds group had previously asked for alcohol not to be allowed at events in southeasts Jackson Park, so it was taken off the list.

After learning more about the vetting process for allowing drinking at events, Huxhold was somewhat comforted.

In other action, the council quietly restored $10,000 in funding for the nonprofit Roanoke Community Garden Association.

The money, appropriated from a contingency fund, was approved as part of the councils consent agenda, a list of items it passes without discussion.

The council pulled the funding just before approving its new budget about two weeks ago, instead giving it to the nonprofit Local Environmental Agricultural Project.

Bestpitch proposed the change, saying the garden association had established itself and the seed money would be more valuable in helping LEAP get going. It passed on a 5-2 vote.

Some wondered if the change was politically motivated because Bestpitch and garden association Executive Director Mark Powell had clashed in the past.

Give me a break, Bestpitch said Monday. He said hes been a lifelong gardener and has more recently become a proponent of urban agriculture and the local food movement. He said he appreciates what both LEAP and RCGA are doing and said hes glad the city could find a way to fund both.
OK, Richmond, heres your chance to pull up a chair to the kitchen table and get the scoop on RVAs abundance of new grocery stores.

In the past few weeks, The Times-Dispatch published several stories that should be of interest to anyone who eats. Earlier this month, Tammie Smith reported that two of the regions biggest grocery chains  Kroger and Martins  are lowering prices on thousands of items at stores in the Mid-Atlantic, including those in central Virginia. More recently, Smith described a new service being rolled out at some local Kroger stores  digital shopping. Customers send in their grocery lists online, and their orders are ready when they arrive at the store. Call it cart-free food. Kroger offers the service at two local stores and plans to add nine more this year. Not surprisingly, Walmart now offers a similar service for groceries at three of its Richmond-area stores.

What were seeing here are the reliable  but too often forgotten  wonders of competition in a robust free-enterprise economy. Stiff competition makes customers the boss, and businesses respond with a virtuous spiral of better service, more choices, and affordable prices. And right now, RVA enjoys an expanding banquet of choices when it comes to groceries and grocers. Kroger, Food Lion and Martins face new competition from Aldi and Wegmans. Publix and Lidl are expected to join the mix soon. Walmart and Target are now big players in the food business. Specialty grocers  Ellwood Thompsons, Tom Leonards, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Fresh Market  continue to win fans. As more deals are signed and dated, more Richmonders are dined and sated.

In all seriousness, our hyper-competitive grocery market offers meaningful improvements to RVAs quality of life. Keeping food prices reasonable pays big dividends for families struggling to maintain a budget. And a broad menu of healthy (and delicious) food options contributes to sound bodies and happy minds. We hope the competition spreads into some of the regions lower-income neighborhoods, where good grocery stores are often few and far away.
If Gov. Terry McAuliffe lived in Virginia Beach or owned a farm in the fragile mountains of central Virginia, maybe he wouldnt cheer so loudly for dangerous fossil fuel projects in our state. We do live along the coastline (Caywood) and in the Virginia mountains (Reilly). And were strongly opposed to offshore drilling for oil in Virginia and to massive new pipelines for fracked gas built across our mountains.

We live in harms way but the governor cant seem to hear the voices of average citizens like us. In 2013, he ran as a clean-energy candidate. But hes turned out to be surprisingly bad on climate change and clean power issues. Indeed, a coalition of clean-energy advocacy groups last month gave McAuliffe an alarming D+ grade in a report card on energy issues.

Thankfully, on March 14, after listening to local residents like us and to the Pentagon, the U.S. Department of the Interior rejected any oil drilling off our coastline for at least the next five years. But the next day the governor issued a press release indicating he still wanted to explore drilling, which would potentially involve dozens of oil rigs 50 miles off the coast. Those rigs, say military officials, could interfere with naval and Air Force operations. And if those rigs cause a spill like the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, tourism and other business leaders say it could cost a similar multibillion-dollar loss to the region. And for what? Theres maybe six months worth of U.S. oil supply off our coast.

Then theres the issue of gas from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The governor is cheerleader-in-chief for the now-notorious Atlantic Coast Pipeline (courtesy of Dominion Resources) and the Mountain Valley Pipeline (courtesy of NextEra, EQT Midstream, et al.). These proposed pipelines would require seizing an 861-mile strip of public and private Virginia land to bring fracked gas from West Virginia into the commonwealth and into North Carolina. The MVP would plow right through Carolyn Reillys 58-acre farm in Franklin County and harm hundreds of other landowners with erosion, damage to waterways and the clear-cutting of trees along valley floors and atop fragile forested ridges.

And for what? Even modest gains in energy efficiency and investments in wind and solar power would make the Atlantic Coast Pipeline  and others like it  unnecessary. But Dominion can charge ratepayers for the pipeline construction costs, so it prefers the handsome profit.

Climate change, of course, is an urgent concern. Sea-level rise from fossil fuel use is a huge threat to coastal Virginia and climate change threatens farms and forests statewide. Offshore drilling for oil could trigger pollution equal to adding 24 million cars to Americas roads. And, according to a study by a former Department of Energy scientist and Virginian, Dr. Richard Ball, the fracked-gas pipelines McAuliffe supports would trigger a huge new pulse of leaked methane from drilling and piping, as well as carbon dioxide from combustion. Together, this makes fracked gas nearly as bad as coal for the atmosphere.

So here are three things the governor should do:

First, withdraw support for offshore drilling. Period. We dont need it. Its bad for the atmosphere. Its bad for coastal residents. McAuliffes opposition could help ensure permanent federal protection of our coastline.

Second, reconsider support for major fracked gas pipelines proposed all across Virginia. If he listens to the stories of harmed residents like Reillys family and he calculates the climate impacts, he will reject these pipelines. The permitting process is not solely in the federal realm, as many think. The governor can withhold state-issued permits under the Clean Water Act based on the threat to drinking water from these pipelines as they cross and endanger more than 500 streams, rivers and wetlands. He can also call for a federal Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement to more closely evaluate the cumulative harms of gas pipelines.

Finally, the governor should use the new federal Clean Power Plan (CPP) to actually decrease carbon pollution from electricity plants in the state. McAuliffe says he wants to be remembered as a climate change fighter. Really? Hard to tell so far. But under the 2015 CPP federal regulation, which is likely to survive court challenge, McAuliffe has legal authority to create an implementation plan that lowers greenhouse gases from power plants.

Two and a half years ago, few Virginia voters could have predicted McAuliffe would be so poor on pollution and clean energy issues. But theres still time. He can still create a legacy of permanently protecting us from drilling offshore, pipelines in our backyard and climate disruption everywhere.

We deserve it. Our future demands it.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17



Trend:



Azerbaijan agreed to participate at the Vienna presidential meeting in order to start serious negotiations aimed at changing unacceptable and extremely fragile status quo in the zone of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Elchin Amirbayov, Azerbaijan's ambassador to France.



He made the remarks during his interview with France 24 TV channel.



Armenia must finally understand that it can no longer, without consequences, continue the illegal and internationally condemned occupation of our historical lands, including Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan's seven other regions, said Amirbayov.



The ambassador added that even today Armenia continues to constantly break the ceasefire agreement, which was achieved on April 5 in Moscow with Russia's mediation by the Armenian and Azerbaijani chiefs of general staffs, picking civilian population of Azerbaijan on the front line as target.



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.



"We believe that the international mediators will exert the necessary pressure on Armenia in order to create the necessary conditions for the resumption of full-fledged negotiations, the first phase of which should be the beginning of the occupation forces' withdrawal from Azerbaijan's occupied territories," noted Amirbayov.



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.

Edited by SI
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Many of the world's greatest innovations happened in spite of naysayers. Take Fred Smith's economics term paper at Yale University that received a "C" grade. His ideas in that paper eventually became FedEx Corp.

"There will always be those around you that say 'no,'" said Michael Rhodin, senior vice president of IBM Watson, during his commencement address at Roanoke College on May 7. "Let them question you, let them doubt you, but never never let them dissuade you."

Rhodin encouraged Roanoke's 446 graduates to believe that they can make a difference in the world, despite detractors.

"I know that a small group of people can change the world  It's the only thing that ever has," said Rhodin, whose IBM Watson is the only supercomputer to beat human beings on the television game show "Jeopardy!" It is considered one of IBM's most significant innovations.

Rhodin's daughter, Olivia Rhodin, was among the 2016 Roanoke graduates.

There were two valedictorians for the class of 2016: Conner Britt Sprinkle of Fincastle and Amanda Leigh Lundberg of Blacksburg.

Sprinkle, who majored in sociology, will teach kindergarten this fall at Troutville Elementary School.

Lundberg, a religious studies major whose focus was Asian religions, attended Roanoke as a part-time student, while also working a part-time job. She is considering graduate school in the future.

Angela He Chen of Lima, Peru, was the class of 2016 salutatorian. She is an economics major who, in addition to English, speaks Chinese and Spanish. She is seeking jobs in business consulting and operations strategy in New York City.

Rhodin and Dr. Elisabeth Gantt each received honorary doctorates in science during the ceremony. Gantt is a renowned plant biologist who is a distinguished professor emerita of the department of cell biology and molecular genetics at the University of Maryland. Although officially retired, she works as a research associate in Roanoke College's Biology Department.

Two Roanoke faculty members also were honored May 7. Lynn Talbot, a professor of Spanish, received the Dean's Award for Exemplary Teaching. Michael Hakkenberg, a history professor and a long-time director of the college's honors program, received the Dean's Exemplary Service Award.

Submitted by Roanoke College
TUPELO, Miss.  Four people died Monday when a small plane headed to Charlottesville, Virginia, crashed shortly after taking off from Tupelo Regional Airport in Mississippi.

The pilot and three passengers all died when the single-engine plane crashed in woods near a sewage pumping station and the Tupelo Buffalo Park & Zoo. No one on the ground was hurt.

We dont have any survivors, said Tupelo Fire Department public information officer Cathy Gault.

Tupelo city spokeswoman Leesha Faulkner said emergency officials were called to the site about a half-mile north of the airport about 8:30 a.m.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Salac said the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit of the Beechcraft Bonanza before the crash.

She said the FAA will investigate and the National Transportation Safety Board will seek the crashs cause.

Tupelo Police Chief Bart Aguirre told reporters that officials were awaiting the arrival of federal investigators.

Officials did not immediately release the names of the dead. Lee County Coroner Carolyn Green said the bodies will be taken to the state crime lab in Pearl for autopsies and said DNA might be needed to identify them.

The plane was fueled just before takeoff and burned when it crashed, producing a plume of black smoke.

Theres quite a bit of wreckage. The debris is very broken up, Aguirre said. We did find some bodies on the scene.

FlightAware.com shows that a Beechcraft Bonanza, registered to a man in Kerrville, Texas, had flown from there to Tupelo on Sunday. It was scheduled to continue to Charlottesville on Monday. The weather was overcast with a light wind at the time the plane took off.

Laurie Carwile, who works in the gift shop at the Tupelo Buffalo Park & Zoo, said she heard the crash and later saw smoke.

We actually thought it was thunder, Carwile said. I was in the gift shop and this man came beating on the door, telling me to open the door. I thought we were being robbed. He was actually trying to tell me the plane had come down and to call 911.

Carwile said no animals were hurt at the park, where buffalo, zebras and camels live, but they all seem to be on edge a little bit.
Details added (first version posted on 11:59)

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Seba Aghayeva - Trend:

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov commented on the remarks made by his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov regarding the recent presidential meeting.

A meeting was held in Vienna on May 16 involving President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, OSCE Minsk group co-chairs, and special representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

"I agree with the Foreign Minister of Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov's assessment that yesterday's meeting opens good opportunity to start the substantial talks on well-known step-by-step approach on [Nagorno-Karabakh] conflict resolution," said the minister.

These talks must start as soon as possible and produce tangible results so awaited by people in the region and the international community, he added.

The OSCE Minsk Group made a statement on the results of the Vienna meeting May 16.

"The presidents reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and the peaceful settlement of the conflict. To reduce the risk of further violence, they agreed to finalize in the shortest possible time an OSCE investigative mechanism," said the statement.

"The presidents also agreed to the expansion of the existing Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office," said the statement.

They agreed to continue the exchange of data on missing persons under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), added the OSCE Minsk Group.

The presidents agreed on a next round of talks, to be held in June at a place to be mutually agreed, with an aim to resuming negotiations on a comprehensive settlement, said the statement.

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: @Asebaa
A Campbell County judge denied a motion appointing new counsel to a Wirtz man accused of tattooing and sexually abusing two children he was babysitting.

Alexander Michael Edwards, 22, appeared in front of Campbell County Circuit Court Judge John Cook on Thursday.

Prosecutors said Edwards was babysitting two girls in December 2013 when they were tattooed and sexually assaulted. He faces two charges each of child abuse and neglect, malicious wounding and abduction.

He also is charged with two counts of rape, four counts of felony forcible sodomy and one count each of object sexual penetration, aggravated sexual battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The sex offenses stem from incidents in November 2013 and involve the same victims.

In January, a grand jury tacked on three additional indictments  conspiracy, attempted murder and criminal solicitation, all felonies, Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Brooke Willse-Gaddy said Thursday.

She said the additional indictments came after a letter was discovered asking for several witnesses scheduled to testify at his trial to be killed.

When asked by Cook why he should get a new attorney, Edwards said he and his attorney, Gordon Peters, don't see eye-to-eye on anything.

"We've already almost had a physical confrontation," Edwards said.

Peters is Edwards' fourth attorney. Cook expressed surprise at the idea a client would assault his attorney. "I'm telling you right now," Cook said.

"You need to get along with your lawyer, sir."

According to a circuit court search warrant affidavit filed in January 2014, the oldest child told investigators Edwards tattooed her name on her left shoulder with a tattoo gun.

The child also told investigators her mother's boyfriend used a heated razor blade to try to burn off the tattoos.

The mother and boyfriend were convicted on charges of child abuse in 2014, and each sentenced to more than one year in prison.

A trial in Edwards' case is expected to begin March 2.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

Trend:

Azerbaijan has urged international community to condemn Armenia for the use of white phosphorus weapon by the Armenian armed forces against civilians and civilian facilities, read a statement from Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry May 17.

In recent escalations starting from April 2, 2016, armed forces of Armenia among numerous instances of deliberate shelling on civilians and civilian facilities of Azerbaijan with artillery and large-caliber weapons have also used shells containing chemicals such as white phosphorus, said the statement.

The Foreign Ministry said that one of such shells landed in Eskipara village of the Terter district of Azerbaijan, coincidentally missing its prime target and landing on the cultivated cotton field. It was later found by Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) on May 10.

If landed on the densely populated part of Eskipara village, the projectile would have inflicted serious casualties and injuries among the civilians, according to the statement.

"Military attaches of foreign embassies accredited in Azerbaijan have been immediately informed on the fact of usage of such weapon by Armenia against the Azerbaijani civilians. This case was observed and well documented on May 11 2016, during the visit to Eskipara village of 20 representatives and military attaches from 13 countries, as well as field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference," Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry added.

"The investigation has revealed that ammunition, which was fired by the armed forces of Armenia, is a D-4 type (smoke bomb) 122 mm artillery shell," said the statement. "It weights 27.07 kg and contains 3.6 kg of P4 (the chemical code of white phosphorus)."

"Special Investigation Unit of the Republic of Azerbaijan Military Prosecutor's Office inspected the territory where the shell was found. The Republic of Azerbaijan Military Prosecutor's Office has initiated a criminal case upon this fact under the following articles of Azerbaijan's Criminal Code: Article 29,120.2.7 (attempt to kill two or more people), 29,120.2.12 (attempt to kill on ethnic, racial or religious grounds) and 116.0.16 (use of weapons, means and methods of warfare prohibited by interstate agreements during an armed conflict)," said the Foreign Ministry.

A preliminary investigation into the fact is underway in the Republic of Azerbaijan Military Prosecutor's Office, according to the statement.

The defense ministry also released a video footage of the defuse of the shell (link - http://mod.gov.az/index2.php?content=news/2016/20160511_attasecebhe). The ministry's statement said that that the trajectory of fire presents numerous evidence that the shell which belonged to Armenia is a white phosphorus bomb and fired from the nearby positions of the armed forces of Armenia.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said that it is well known that weapons containing white phosphorus are extremely toxic when inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through burned areas and can have severe negative impacts on human health.

"Such weapons cause severe, partial to full-thickness thermal and chemical burns upon contact with skin, often down to the bone. Absorbed through the skin white phosphorus can survive long enough in the human body to damage the heart, kidney or liver, leading to multiple organ failure or death," said the statement.

Consonant with general international humanitarian law, attacks on civilians or civilian objects as are attacks on forests or other kinds of plant cover (like cultivated area in Eskipara village) with White Phosphorus shells are prohibited under the Protocol III on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW or CCWC) of 1980, according to the ministry.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said that Armenia with the intentional strike at civilian objects of Azerbaijan using high-explosive white phosphorous grossly violates its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, such as 1949 Geneva Conventions, and in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention.

"Weapons containing white phosphorus can also qualify as 'incendiary weapon or device' under the 1997 International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings which Armenia acceded in 2004," said the statement. " The Convention applies to any 'explosive or incendiary weapon or device that is designed, or has the capability, to cause death, serious bodily injury or substantial material damage' or a weapon that has these effects through toxic chemicals, biological agents, toxins, or radiation."

The statement said that alongside the Republic of Armenia's responsibility as a state for internationally wrongful acts, violations by Armenia of international humanitarian and human rights law during the conflict amount to crimes under international criminal law.

"The Republic of Azerbaijan urges the international community to condemn Armenia for such blatant violations of international law," Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said.

Below are the details of the white phosphorus bomb used by the Armenian Armed forces against Azerbaijani civilians:

Type: D-4 White Phosphorus shell

Detonating fuse: RGM-2

Color: Khaki or gray

Case: Metallic

Assignment: Smoke shell

Composition: 3.6 kg of P-4 (chemical code) white or yellow phosphorus

Weight of the explosive: 0.145 kg TNT (trotyl)

Caliber: 122 mm

Length: 496.6 mm
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

A meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan with the participation of OSCE Minsk Group's co-chairmen was held in Vienna on May 16, Arzu Naghiyev, political analyst, deputy director general of Trend news agency, said May 17.

The analyst said that as expected, the meeting was held with the participation of the foreign ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group's co-chair countries.

Naghiyev added that a meeting in this format has been held for the first time.

The analyst said that each country represented at the meeting pursued its own objectives.

"The presidential election will be held in the US in November and the US does not want the conflicts to remain unresolved," the analyst said. "Russia once again is trying to demonstrate its influence in the region."

"The participation of Harlem Desir, French minister of state for European affairs, testifies to the interest in ensuring security in the region, necessary to ensure Europe's energy security, as well as the importance of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Naghiyev said.

The analyst said that the Armenian authorities were eager to attend these talks.

"The Armenian leadership was eager to attend these negotiations in the current situation, when there is no domestic stability in Armenia, various political parties are demanding the resignation of President Sargsyan and a split occurred between the unrecognized "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" and the Armenian authorities," Naghiyev said.

"Azerbaijan attended these negotiations as a side dictating and setting the terms following the hostilities that took place April 2-5, 2016," the analyst said.

The analyst said that if the shelling ceases on the line of contact of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops and a quiet situation is observed till early June, it is possible to proceed to the second round of negotiations in June.

"The actions must be taken to return the occupied areas to Azerbaijan," the analyst said. "Despite the OSCE, as always, is taking actions to achieve truce, our main task is to ensure the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, which is envisaged by the Madrid principles, the Paris principles and the Kazan document."

A meeting was held in Vienna May 16 involving President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, and Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

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.
A UKIP politician sued over extremely grave allegations she made about Rotherhams three Labour MPs is trying to avoid paying damages, a High Court judge heard.



Jane Collins, who represents Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire in the European parliament, claimed the towns MPs knew about child exploitation before the publication of the Jay Report in 2014 and did not intervene.



Her remarks, made at Ukips party conference in Doncaster in the run-up to last years general election, were broadcast live on BBC Parliament.



Some of them were also published on the partys website, on Twitter and on the Press Association's news wire.



Sir Kevin Barron, John Healey and Sarah Champion, the three MPs whose constituencies cover Rotherham, sued Ms Collins over the allegations.



Their barrister, Gavin Millar QC, told the court yesterday that the triohad accepted an offer from Ms Collins to settle the case in May last year  although a figure for damages could not be agreed upon.



But Ms Collins, who sacked her lawyers the following month and is now representing herself, now says she did not authorise such an offer.



She said she had to dispense with her legal team after spending 80,000 on her representation.



The MEP told Mr Justice Warby, sitting at London's High Court, that she believed the offer was rejected and that no further offer was made.



She said: I had been under the impression that my legal representatives were going to robustly contest the claim in my interest.



Unfortunately, that didnt happen.



But Mr Millar said the politician was simply trying to avoid keeping her side of the deal.



He added: It is simply an attempt to get out of the bargain she made in May last year and it is yet another example of the defendants inability to accept the consequences of her actions.



Earlier during the hearing, Ms Collins argued her request for the immunity offered by the European Parliament to its members should lead to the case being delayed.



The protection works in a similar way to the privilege extended to comments made by Westminster politicians in the House of Commons, although it can also apply to remarks made outside the EU Parliament chamber.



Mr Millar said the move was an attempt to assert the primacy of this piece of EU law over the law and procedure in the court of England and Wales.



Ms Collins told the court she believes a letter will arrive from the EU Parliament, notifying the court it is to consider her request for immunity.



But Mr Justice Warby refused to halt proceedings, saying he will deal with the issue as and when the court receives the letter.



Ms Collins, who was Ukip's candidate for the seat of Rotherham  Ms Champions constituency  in the 2012 by-election and at last year's general election, made the speech in September 2014 at her party's national conference.



The central theme of the speech was the child exploitation scandal which had rocked Rotherham following the report of Professor Alexis Jay the previous month.



That report detailed how, over a 16-year period, an estimated 1,400 children were raped, beaten, plied with alcohol and drugs and threatened with violence by men of Pakistani origin.



Following a hearing on the meaning of the words in her speech, in April last year, Mr Justice Warby found Ms Collins had stated that the three MPs knew of the abuse and chose not to intervene, as though it was a fact.



He also found other assertions made by her, including that the trio 'acted in this way for motives of political correctness, political cowardice, or political selfishness', were expressions of opinion.



The High Court hearing continues.




A UKIP MEP is facing an anxious wait while the European Parliament decides whether to grant her immunity from being sued by Rotherhams three MPs over extremely grave allegations she made in a speech.



Jane Collins, who represents Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, made claims at her partys conference  in the run up to last year's general election  that the areas three Labour MPs knew about child exploitation in the town and did not intervene.



Sir Kevin Barron, John Healey and Sarah Champion, whose constituencies all cover Rotherham, launched libel proceedings against her and were due to have the level of their damages decided by a judge at Londons High Court this week.



But the case has now been halted  following receipt of a letter from the EU Parliament to say it is considering Ms Collins request for immunity, which was described by the MPs as an "absurd irony".



The protection works in a similar way to the privilege enjoyed by Westminster politicians, although it may be extended to cover comments made outside the EU Parliament chamber.



Ms Collins hopes that, if she is granted immunity, she cannot be sued over the comments she made.



The parliament said it will consider the matter as soon as possible, and the court heard a decision could be made as early as next week.



During yesterdays hearing, Mr Gavin Millar QC, for the three MPs, told the court Ms Collins request for immunity was an attempt to assert the primacy of this piece of EU law over the law and procedure in the court of England and Wales.



Mr Justice Warby said all other issues left to be decided in the case, including Ms Collins' bid to withdraw an earlier offer to settle the case, will have to be stayed until the EU Parliament gives its opinion.



He told the court: I will make an express request to the parliament to act expeditiously.



The judge also ordered Ms Collins to pay 15,000 towards the legal costs incurred by the three MPs as a result of the delay.



Yesterday, he refused to delay the hearing until he received formal notification from the EU Parliament that it was considering the MEP's request.



Ms Collins is now representing herself in the High Court case, and told the court yesterday she had to dispense with her legal representatives after spending 80,000.



Lawyers for the trio said they will be monitoring the situation closely to avoid further delays.



Mr Millar told the court: We do not want to be left in a state of ignorance about the progress in this matter, in the way we have in the past.



We do not want anything done behind our back from now on in relation to these proceedings.



He added: This is the second time I have been here with my three clients  who are all members of the British parliament  to seek finality in this litigation.



They have a right to finality in their litigation and a conclusion of the proceedings within a reasonable time.



Ms Collins, who was Ukips candidate for the seat of Rotherham  Ms Champion's constituency in the 2012 by-election and at last years general election, made the speech at her party's 2014 conference in Doncaster.



The central theme of the speech was the child exploitation scandal which had rocked Rotherham following the report of Prof Alexis Jay.



That report detailed how, over a 16-year period, an estimated 1,400 children were raped, beaten, plied with alcohol and drugs and threatened with violence by men of Pakistani origin.



Following a hearing on the meaning of the words in Ms Collins's speech, in April last year, Mr Justice Warby found she had stated that the three MPs knew of the abuse and chose not to intervene as though it was a fact.



He also found other assertions made by her, including that the trio acted in this way for motives of political correctness, political cowardice, or political selfishness, were expressions of opinion.



A case being brought by the three Labour MPs against Caven Vines, the former Ukip group leader on Rotherham Council, over similar allegations he made during a TV interview, is due to be heard tomorrow.

Ms Collins said after the hearing: EU law has been supreme to UK law since the Factortame case of 1988 and this is something the Labour Party by supporting the remain campaign wish to continue.

It seems bizarre they are so keen for UK law to be supreme when it suits them but not when it suits the country.

Sir Kevin, Mr Healey and Ms Champion said: It is 18 months since we challenged the deeply damaging and totally baseless allegations Jane Collins made in a speech to the UKIP national conference.



At every stage since then she's tried to duck and delay the process of justice.



The judge today was set to decide on the damages she must pay but instead the court was confronted by the absurd irony of a UKIP MEP claiming EU sovereignty and immunity as an MEP from action in the British courts.



This may be justice delayed but it will not be justice denied.



We are totally determined to hold her to account for the defamatory allegations she made against us.


A PET food company - which has been based in the town for 57 years - will relocate to Lincolnshire just months after being saved from administration.

Pointer Pet Products, which is based on Eastwood Trading Estate, was taken over by Lincolnshire pet food manufacturer Fold Hill Foods earlier this year.

The company has now confirmed that it is not viable to continue manufacturing in Rotherham and will move Pointer to its existing factory in Boston.

It did not say how many Rotherham staff were affected by the move but said they were offered the chance to work in Boston.

A spokesman said: As of the end of May we will be relocating all Pointer operations to our Fold Hill site in Boston. Aside from the change in location, business will remain as usual.

I look forward to discussing our job opportunities at Fold Hill Foods for those who have expressed an interest in relocating or working at our factory in Lincolnshire. We will endeavour to relocate anybody who wishes to give thought to such an opportunity.

This is not a decision that we have taken lightly and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff at Pointer for their hard work and continued efforts so far under our ownership.

MORE NEWS



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(idexonline.com) - In every society there are some who commit crimes. An investigative free press will not hesitate to expose those individuals and companies. All of us trust and rely on law enforcement institutions to make sure that those who violate laws are held accountable  and pay the price (including removal from society through prisons or death penalty). The police are there to ensure that the law is upheld  in fact, they represent the law, they are the face of the law. If the police themselves violate laws, fabricate evidence, make false arrests, use their power to extort, society cannot function. People start to fear the police  they may even feel compelled to take the law into their own hands. In recent years, many diamantaires in Antwerp have lost their trust in those whose sole task it is to police the diamond sector. One sensed that there were corrupt elements in the diamond police. That there were policemen who broke their social contract and abused their power for personal gain. Some diamantaires and companies became victims  some went bankrupt as their inventories had been arbitrarily and unnecessarily seized.
Anglo Americans 85 percent-owned De Beers Group has finally signed a 10-year rough diamond sales agreement with the Namibian government.

The sales agreement, signed in Windhoek Monday, was the longest ever signed between the two partners.

Anglo American said the deal provides for 15 per cent of Namdeb Holdings' run-of-mine production per annum to be made available to a government-owned independent sales company called Namib Desert Diamonds.

Namdebs rough diamonds were being exported to Botswana for aggregation by De Beers.

It would also allow a significant increase in rough diamonds made available for beneficiation with $430 million of rough diamonds being offered annually to Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC) customers, the group said.

All Namdeb Holdings' special stones would also be made available for sale in Namibia under the deal, which took long to be concluded.

"This sales agreement - the longest ever between Namibia and De Beers - not only secures long-term supply for De Beers, but also ensures that Namibia's diamonds will continue to play a key role in national socio-economic development long into the future, said De Beers chief executive Philippe Mellier.

Diamonds can have a powerful and transformative effect on a country's prospects when effectively managed and I commend our partners in Government for their vision regarding the role of diamonds in national development."

Namibia's mines and energy minister Obeth Kandjoze said the new agreement cements Namibia's position as an important international diamond player.

He said it would also provide further stimulus to advance the countrys downstream industry.

De Beers and Namibia have a longstanding and successful partnership and I am pleased we will continue working together for the benefit of Namibia and the diamond industry," said Kandjoze.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) said a surge in rough trading in Belgium in April warranted cautious optimism about the health of the diamond market.

Imports of rough diamonds soared 34 percent to $1.22 billion, while rough exports surged 30 percent to $1.27 billion. Net rough imports, representing imports minus exports, were negative $57.4 million compared with negative $76 million a year ago.

Results over the past few months are certainly cause for optimism, according to AWDC spokesperson Margaux Donckier, but the Belgian industry is not jumping to the conclusion that a full-blown diamond-industry recovery is underway.

Rough trading outperformed its polished counterpart, with exports of polished gems sliding 14 percent to $899.1 million and polished imports falling 7.5 percent to $873.7 million. Net polished exports slid 74 percent to $25.4 million. Polished exports to the U.S., the countrys largest diamond trade partner, fell 9 percent to $283.2 million.

The countrys net diamond account, representing total rough and polished exports minus total imports, fell 52 percent to $82.8 million.

In the first four months of 2016, polished exports fell 8.7 percent to $4.43 billion and rough imports climbed 1.9 percent to $4.27 billion.

Antwerp is clearly the preferred global marketplace and bellwether of the industry, so if one wishes to know how the diamond industry is performing, look no further than Antwerp, Donckier said. Accordingly, we remain hopeful that the industry as a whole continues to achieve positive results."




U.S. polished diamond imports declined 5.3 percent year on year in March as a drop in average price per carat outweighed flat volume.

Shipments into the U.S. fell to $2.04 billion as the average price decreased 5.3 percent to $1,895 per carat. Diamond imports by weight were little changed at 1.1 million carats.

Polished diamond exports slumped 15 percent to $1.48 billion, driving net imports up 33 percent to $559 million.

Rough diamond imports soared 80 percent to $45 million, while rough exports almost tripled to $26 million, lifting net rough imports up 19 percent to $19 million. The net diamond account, reflecting the difference between net imports and exports, was $435 million compared with $118 million a year ago.

In the first three months of the year, polished diamond imports fell 2.9 percent to $5.56 billion and polished exports fell 4 percent to $4.7 billion, resulting in net polished imports increasing 3.5 percent to $858 million.




Zimbabwe has reported the discovery of mineral deposits along the banks of Lake Kariba, sparking a rush.

Authorities say they stumbled upon the deposits while "accidentally" examining sand that had gold particles, according to Africa Report.

NewsDay reports that Harare would start the extraction of gold and platinum before the end of this month.

I want you to know that in Mashonaland West a few things have been happening in Gatshe Gatshe which will probably change the mining fortunes of this country and we will be deploying equipment next week to begin mining. It is not only gold, but, amazingly and interestingly, platinum  can you imagine that? Mines minister Walter Chidhakwa was quoted as saying.

I want people to know those who might have interests in mining on the riverbeds that it is the responsibility of government and not the private sector.

Zimbabwe currently has the second largest known platinum reserves after South Africa.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




Indian retail chain, Kalyan Jewellers is eyeing a turnover of around $1954 mn this fiscal (FY-17) banking primarily on its $135 mn retail expansion plans through 20 stores in India and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as per a report in the hindubusinessline.com

The company, which has PE investor Warburg Pincus as a minority shareholder, will fund expansion plans mostly through own resources. It has 76 stores in India and 21 in Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE.

Ramesh Kalyanaraman, Executive Director, We are targeting a 30 per cent jump in turnover to $1954mn this fiscal. Expansion will be through company-owned stores only. As of now, the focus is to have stores in tier I cities outside South India. Of the $1503 mn topline last fiscal, 15 per cent or $225mn came from overseas retail operations. Five new stores will come up in the UAE, and a foray into Singapore and Malaysia are being explored too.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished




Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 17 met with permanent members of the Russian Security Council to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and current issues of the domestic agenda, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters, said the TASS news agency.

Participants of the meeting exchanged views on problems of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement in the context of the May 16 meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Vienna, Peskov said.

Preparations for the forthcoming Russia-ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit due later in the week were also discussed May 17, he said.

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.
Canadian stocks rallied Monday, powered by gains among resource producers on higher commodity prices.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index was up 144 points, or 1.05 percent, to 13,893.49.

Energy stocks jumped 3 percent, while base metal miners added 3.8 percent.

Gaugues of all major sectors were in the green.

Crude oil futures surged above $47 a barrel after Goldman Sachs said the global supply glut as rapidly dwindled.

In a note to the clients, analysts Damien Courvalin and Jeffrey Currie of Goldman Sachs said it expects a nearly balanced market in the second quarter of this year.

However, Penn West Petroleum (PWT.TO) said it may be in default after earnings for first quarter fell 39% from last year. Shares plunged 22 percent.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX.TO) was up 3.8 percent, after it said it will make available to all hospitals in the U.S. an enhanced rebate program to reduce the price of Nitropress and Isuprel.

Telus (T.TO) announced today the appointment of new chief financial officer.

Company vet Doug French is the new Telus CFO. He replaces John Gossling. Shares were up 0.6 percent.

Centamin (CEE.TO) added 3.4 percent. The company announced that its non-executive director, Kevin Tomlinson has resigned.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
McKesson Corp. (MCK) announced Monday morning that it has signed a sourcing agreement for generic pharmaceuticals with Wal-Mart Stores (WMT). The companies also reached an expanded long-term distribution agreement.

McKesson gapped up Monday and spiked higher in early trade, before settling into a range. The stock ended the day with a gain of 6.60 at $172.53 on above average volume.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Hudson's Bay Company (HBC.TO) said hat it is expanding its European presence with plans for up to 20 new stores in the Netherlands over the next 24 months. The Company has finalized and is in the process of finalizing long term leases for select, sought after locations. The first stores are expected to launch in the summer of 2017 and operate under the Hudson's Bay banner as well as the Saks OFF 5TH banner. The expansion into the Netherlands will build on HBC Europe's existing infrastructure and will utilize the same platforms such as information , procurement and digital support.

Olivier Van den Bossche, Head of HBC's European department store , said, ".... Our expansion is expected to result in the creation of over 2,500 store jobs, 2,500 construction jobs and 300 million Euros in capital investments, the majority of which will be funded through landlord incentives. We are committed to the Dutch marketplace and look forward to partnering with local governments to create exciting retail destinations."

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Portugal's producer prices declined at a faster pace in April, figures from Statistics Portugal showed Tuesday.

The overall producer price index fell 4.3 percent year-over-year in April, which was worse than the 3.9 percent decrease in the previous month.

Excluding the energy group, the producer price index dropped 1.6 percent annually in April, following a 1.2 percent decline in March.

On a monthly basis, producer prices slid 0.3 percent in April, after a 0.1 percent slight fall in the preceding month.

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.
Dex Media, Inc. (DXMM.OB) announced a major step toward completing its financial restructuring by filing a prepackaged plan of reorganization, along with voluntary petitions, under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

The company expects, among other things, to receive Court authority to pay employee wages, offer benefits and continue to pay trade creditors and suppliers in the ordinary course of .

The filing follows the completion of the solicitation process of the company's senior secured lenders. The company noted that the solicitation process resulted in more than 96 percent of the company's senior secured lenders voting in favor of the Plan. The company expects to complete the restructuring during the third quarter 2016.

The company's various pleadings request court approval for payments to Dex Media's employees, vendors and other unsecured creditors to continue in the ordinary course with no disruption.

The company said it did not obtain debtor-in-possession or DIP financing as it maintains substantial cash balances and continues to generate positive cash flow to fund its ongoing operations.

Dex Media's legal advisor in connection with the restructuring is Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Alvarez & Marsal North America, LLC serves as its restructuring advisor, and Andrew Hede from Alvarez & Marsal serves as Chief Restructuring Officer. Moelis & Company LLC is the company's investment banker for the restructuring.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
With Senate Republicans still refusing to hold hearings on Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court, the Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee will instead hold a forum to tout the federal appeals court judge's qualifications.

The meeting scheduled for Wednesday will feature former legal and government officials who know Garland personally and can speak to his lengthy public service career.

The speakers are expected to include former federal prosecutor Donna Bucella, former Garland Clerk Justin Driver, former Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater and former Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Timothy Lewis.

"Last week Chief Judge Garland provided the Senate Judiciary Committee an updated questionnaire," said Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. "He has met with Senators on both sides of the aisle, and he deserves a full, fair, and public hearing, as the Senate has done for the last century."

"The public discussion we are convening allows Senators, the press, and the public to learn more about this highly qualified nominee and the importance of a fully functioning Supreme Court," he added. "I hope all Senators will join us for this public meeting."

Meanwhile, Republicans criticized the planned meeting, calling it a desperate attempt to keep the issue of Garland's nomination in the news.

Republicans have been intransigent in their refusal to consider Garland's nomination, arguing that the current vacancy on the Supreme Court should be filled by the next president.

A New York Times op-ed piece published Tuesday claimed the Supreme Court has been crippled by having only eight members.

The Times editorial board highlighted the court's recent decision to send a high-profile case challenging Obamacare's contraceptive mandate back to the lower courts.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

Trend:

Escalation of hostilities in April was a reminder that re-doubled and sustained efforts are needed to break the deadlock in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a statement posted on the OSCE website May 17.

"The situation along the line of contact continues to be tense," Steinmeier said. "I deeply regret the reported recent loss of life, and I urge the sides to respect the ceasefire in full."

Steinmeier's remarks come following the recent developments on the line of contact between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops. An Azerbaijani soldier was killed May 17 as a result of the violation of the ceasefire by Armenia despite the talks on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

On May 16, a meeting was held in Vienna, with participation of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, and special representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

In this context, Steinmeier welcomed the initiative by his colleagues from Russia, the US and France, the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, who held the meeting.

"I am encouraged by the renewed commitment that both presidents have expressed to the ceasefire and to the peaceful settlement of the conflict, as well as their readiness to have a new round of talks in June," he said.

"Germany's 2016 OSCE Chairmanship remains fully committed to supporting the work of the co-chairs. We will actively support efforts to establish an investigative mechanism," he added. "We will also work on expanding the team of my Personal Representative, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk."

"The escalation of hostilities in April was a reminder to us all that re-doubled, sustained efforts are now needed to break the deadlock. The consolidation of the ceasefire is a matter of high priority, not least with a view to creating favorable conditions for resuming negotiations on a comprehensive settlement," said Steinmeier.
Hyundai Venue, the companys smallest SUV has entered production at the company plant in Tamil Nadu. It is a momentous day for Hyundai as not only has the new Venue, the companys global entry level SUV, entered production, but it is also Hyundais 23rd Foundation Day in India. Bookings have also started for the new Venue at a down payment of Rs.21,000 across Hyundai dealerships and online via the Hyundai India website.

Hyundai Venue is the brands smallest SUV. It is being offered across 13 variants in four trim levels of E, S, SX and SX(O) and even as prices have not yet been revealed, estimates put the Hyundai Venue in a price bracket between Rs.7.5-13 lakhs.

Mr. S S Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. said, This is a proud moment for us at Hyundai. On this day 23 years ago, Hyundai entered India with a promise to make cars that will set new benchmarks in the industry. And today we are set to create history again with the Global First  roll out of VENUE, which will usher the future of connected mobility in India.

Hyundai Venue will be presented in 7 monotone color options of Star Dust, Fiery Red, Polar White, Typhoon Silver, Deep Forest, Lava Orange, Denim Blue. It will also get 3 dual tone colors of

blue with white roof, white with black roof and orange with black roof which are reserved for the top end SX variant. Its exteriors will sport an aggressive dark chrome grille, projector headlamps with LED DRLs, chrome door handles, a shark fin antenna, projector fog lamps and LED tail lamps.

Dubbed as the countrys first ever connected SUV, the Venue boasts of an inbuilt eSIM with Vodafone Idea Network and offers safety, emergency, vehicle monitoring and remote access via a system called BlueLink. Among its segment first features are wireless charging system, air purifier, projector fog lamps, wheel air curtains and Arkamys sound.

The engine lineup will include a 1.0 liter, 3 cylinder turbocharged petrol engine offering 118 bhp power and 172 Nm torque; a 1.2 liter naturally aspirated petrol engine offering 83 bhp power and 115 Nm torque while the 1.4 liter U2 CRDi diesel engine will give off 89 bhp power and 220 Nm torque. Transmission options include manual as well as 7 speed DCT auto.

The Hyundai Venue is expected to be a strong contender in the SUV segment currently dominated by the Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300 and Ford EcoSport. Hyundai is also offering a 3 year/unlimited km warranty along with 3 years of roadside assistance with the new Venue and also claims to offer the lowest cost of maintenance with doorstep service facility.
IAF Chief, Arup Raha has taken his first flight aboard Indias indigenous light compact aircraft Tejas in Bangalore today. Along with this, he has also inaugurated LCA paint hangar at Bengaluru and paid a visit to production line of the aircraft.

Indian Air Force has ordered 120 Tejas aircrafts with 100 being its upgraded version. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), manufacturer of LCA Tejas will hand over fourth such aircraft to IAF by end of June 2016.

LCA Tejas has been many years in the making. It was supposed to take the place of the obsolete MiG 21 but was bogged down by delays.

LCA Tejas has also gained attention of foreign buyers with Sri Lanka and Egypt showing interest in purchasing this fighter jet. However, both countries are keen on the current version of Tejas and not on the upgraded model.LCA Tejas was also in action at the recent Bahrain Air Show as well as the 2016 DefExpo.

Twin seater LCA Tejas will comprise first squadron of IAF to be used for training and familiarization. Modifications include Active Electrically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Unified Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite, mid-air refueling capacity and beyond the vision range missiles. A total of 6 such aircrafts will be made this year with upgraded Tejas to cost between INR 275 crores and INR 300 crores.

These fighter jets are required for tackling threats from both Pakistan and China. IAF is down to just 33 fighter squadrons with 16 to 18 jets which also include obsolete 11 squadrons of MiG 21s and MiG 27. The Tejas squadron with four jets will come up in Bengaluru in July, operating from HAL hanger while it will be shifted to Sulur later.
The new family of Mahindra electric vehicles are based on a modular architecture and is estimated to have a driving range of over 400 kms
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

Trend:

President of the Republic of Korea Park Geun-hye has congratulated Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the Republic Day.

"On the occasion of the Republic Day, I would like to express my warm congratulations to Your Excellency and the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan," said Park Geun-hye in his congratulatory letter.

"I hope that the coming years will see the friendly and cooperative ties between our two countries as well as the bonds of friendship and happiness of our two peoples grow even further," he added.

"Please accept my best wishes for Your Excellency's continued good health and the enduring prosperity of your country," Park Geun-hye said.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has also congratulated President Aliyev.

"As Azerbaijan celebrates its National Day, I extend to Your Excellency my congratulations and my best wishes for the well-being of the people of Azerbaijan," he said.

Azerbaijan's president also received congratulations from President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins.

"The people of Ireland join me in conveying to Your Excellency our sincere congratulations and warmest greetings on the occasion of your National Day," said Michael D. Higgins.

"We also avail ourselves of this opportunity to send best wishes for Your Excellency's personal well-being and for the happiness and prosperity of the people of Azerbaijan," he added.

President of the Republic of the Philippines Benigno S. Aquino III also congratulated Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the Republic Day.

"On behalf of the people and Government of the Republic of the Philippines, I congratulate Your Excellency on the occasion of your National Day," he said.

"I look forward to the strengthening of our bilateral relations through enhanced cooperation especially in the political, economic, and cultural fields and through collaborative efforts on issues of mutual importance to our nations and the international community," Benigno S. Aquino III added.

"I wish Your Excellency good health and success as you lead the people of Azerbaijan to lasting peace and prosperity," he said.
Baku, Azerbaijan May 17

Trend:

Azerbaijan's first lady, MP Mehriban Aliyeva has appealed to the country's parliament over the adoption of the act of pardon on the occasion of the Republic Day (May 28), Ziyafat Asgarov, first vice-speaker of Azerbaijani parliament, said May 17.

The act of pardon is expected to apply to 10,000 prisoners, he said, adding that 3,500 of them will be released from the places of detention.

Asgarov pointed out that it is the fourth appeal of Mehriban Aliyeva to the parliament over the adoption of the act of pardon.

It is planned to hold the parliament's meeting on this issue on May 20.
Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car

I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ...
50% of Indian mobile users wish to upgrade to new device in 5G era

About 50 per cent of smartphone users in India plan to buy a new device within the first year as 5G ...
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Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Anakhanum Idayatova - Trend:

The OSCE Minsk Group (MG) is encouraged by the outcome of Vienna meeting of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, the OSCE MG's US co-chair James Warlick told Trend May 17.

A meeting was held in Vienna on May 16 involving President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, OSCE Minsk group co-chairs, and special representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

"We are very encouraged by the outcome of yesterday's meetings," Warlick said. "Both presidents committed themselves to respect the ceasefire, put in place important confidence-building measures, and begin negotiations next month that can lead to a comprehensive settlement."

The presidents demonstrated the political will to move beyond the status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and take steps that can benefit all the people in the region, he said.

The US and the OSCE MG co-chairs stand ready to assist in whatever way they can, said Warlick.

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
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Anakhanum Idayatova - Trend:

The meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Vienna and the resumption of negotiation process over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is surely a positive factor, says Yaakov Kedmi, a diplomat and former head of the Israeli liaison organization Nativ.

The meeting in Vienna is a natural course of events, because the main geopolitical actors - the US and Russia - are interested in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict's speedy settlement, he told Trend May 17.

The expert went on to add that the conflict's sides don't want to resort to military settlement of the conflict.

A meeting was held in Vienna on May 16 with participation of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, OSCE Minsk group co-chairs, and special representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

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
The women of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa turned up with a donation of $40,000 for the National Health Services yesterday.

Members of the Tautua o Puapuaga Society presented the donation to the Minister of Health, Tuitama Dr. Leao Tuitama.

Of the total amount, $20,000 was given to the Dialysis Unit in Upolu and $10,000 for the Dialysis machines in Savaii. The Tupua Tamasese Meaole and the Malietoa Tanumafili II hospitals received $5,000 each.

Minister Tuitama expressed the governments heartfelt gratitude to the Church.

This is not the first time that youve helped us, said Minister Tuitama.

And this is not a small amount of money as well so from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you and thank the Church for this generous help.

Former President of the Tautua o Puapuaga Society, Alofa Simeone, said the Church was pleased to be able to give back to the community.

This is just a very small portion from the society to help those in need, she said. And were praying that God will continue to bless everyone so that we may able to help each other.
Pope Francis has voiced support for a French cardinal who has faced allegations of covering up cases of pedophile priests in his Lyon parish, saying he shouldn't resign.

Francis said in an interview with French Catholic daily La Croix coming out Tuesday that a resignation of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin "would be a mistake, an imprudence."

"Based on the information I have, I think in Lyon, Cardinal Barbarin has taken the necessary measures and has taken things well in hand," the pope said. "He is a brave and creative man, a missionary."

Francis said "we must now wait for the result of the proceedings before the civil courts," but resigning now "would amount to admitting guilt."

Barbarin, one of the most high-ranking officials in the French Catholic Church, has been targeted by two investigations for not reporting cases of child abuses by priests to judicial authorities. The cardinal has denied any cover-ups, but acknowledged "some mistakes in handling and appointing some priests" last month. Other church officials have been also investigated.

In the interview, Francis said that regarding cases of pedophile priests in general, for the church, "there can be no prescription" and that "tolerance must be zero."

"Through these abuses, a priest, who is designed to drive a child to God, is destroying him. He spreads evil, resentment, pain," the pope said.

Francis gave the one-hour interview to two La Croix's journalists at his residence in the Vatican on May 9. The pope was speaking in Italian. The daily said the Vatican read the piece before it was published.

-AP
Take a bow captain Falemiga Selesele! Youve done it.

The people of this country  and Samoans all over the world  not only owe you a heartfelt thank you; they also owe you an apology.

That includes Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, the Chairman of the Samoa Rugby Union, who is well known for some of the nastiest comments hes made about you over the years.

To be fair to the Prime Minister though, he is not the only one.

Many of us  yes including this writer  have from time to time written you off, based on some pretty average performances of the team over the years.

Even when you were appointed the captain, you had a lot of doubters. There were many people who questioned the decision; again their criticism was based on what they had seen.

And when the team continued to flop during the early days of Damian McGrath, the results definitely did not help your cause.

But respect is earned, we believe. Today, we want to say you have earned our respect. And for that we say thank you.

Thank you for being steadfast in your commitment to make Samoa proud despite the tremendous odds.

Thank you for remaining the humble warrior that you are.

Unlike others, you did not respond in any negative form to the criticisms, sarcasm from everyone including the Prime Minister, and when you became the butt of jokes about the failure of the team  even though some of it was not necessarily your fault.

Thank you for preserving when others would have thrown in the towel and given up. We can appreciate how difficult it is to remain positive in the midst of criticisms  especially in a country where everyone thinks they can be better than you.

Yet you did not waver. You knuckled down, you did what you had to do and weve seen over the years how your game has grown from strength to strength.

For this reason, you are an inspiration.

You are a role model whose drive to succeed should be followed and emulated.

In this country today, young people are looking for heroes. They need role models. This column is of the opinion that we dont have to look far.

Selesele is one of them.

The reason is simple. Let me explain. He was not born a star. He did not become a star overnight. He is the product of a desire so deep and a willingness to take on the odds and come out victorious.

The best quality weve seen in Selesele is his humility. He is a soft-spoken leader who hardly bats an eyelid when the going gets tough. That is a hero in our eyes. He is what makes a true champion.

In Paris last weekend, it could not have been more fitting for World Rugby to honour Selesele as the Player of the Tournament. He epitomized the spirit of his team throughout the competition. He was courageous, worked hard, led from the front and he remained composed under immense duress. Against Fiji in the final, he was a stand out; he was a giant and how fitting was it for him to score the winning try. Prior to the final, he made the try saving tackle that prevented Argentina from stealing a late win, thus denying Samoa a final berth.

Whats important to remember is that Seleseles performance of late did not just happen automatically. It did not eventuate overnight. That is the result of years of hard work, dedication and a real commitment to succeed.

Its true that the Paris Sevens title is not the be all and end all of accolades in Sevens rugby.

Selesele and his men have still got a lot more work to do, starting this weekend with a pool at the London Sevens that already includes South Africa, U.S.A. and Canada.

But before we move away from the euphoria of Samoas Sevens triumph in Paris, lets give credit where its due. While there were many heroes during the tournament, we believe Selesele was exceptional.

We want to say thank you once again. And sorry for ever doubting you.

Now go on and keep flying that Samoan flag.

Well done, you good man!
Dear Editor,

Its good that Cabinet has opted to give Avele College one more chance.

I love the school but one thing I know for sure which is the reason behind many of the problems, errors and sins of the past is the name Avele.

I think its time to change the name to a more scholarly name or a religious name then this school would be like other best schools in the country.

I nominate Albert Wendt, Fanaafi, Caroline Fuatai, Meleisea Meleisea.

These are well educated Samoans, people who have done a lot of research based on our own education.

If you go on Google and search, you would be surprised to read many historical achievements of their successes in education.

The name Avele something from the dark past. It is a legendary name that has no connection to the success of education. Just thinking out loud here as we continue to search for answers.

Tuisavalalo B.
The Office of the Electoral Commissioner has referred more than sixty eligible voters who did not register to vote in the March General Election to the Police for action.

This was confirmed by the Acting Electoral Commissioner, Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio, in an emailed response to questions from the Samoa Observer.

According to Faimalo, from the first list of voters advertised, 69 of them have been charged.

Faimalo also pointed out that since the electoral roll was reopened after the election, about 400 people have voluntarily registered at their Office.

The O.E.C. will meet with the Police Commissioner, Fuiavailiili Egon Keil today to discuss the most effective way to go about charging other unregistered voters.

We have already advertised three lists of hundreds and we will continue to advertise them by hundreds for practicality reasons, explained Faimalo.

Since we reopened the electoral rolls following the declaration of the recent elections results, we have had about 400 voters who have come in on their own to registernot waiting for any candidate or committee to bring them down to register.

Faimalo said they want to re-emphasize the importance of people exercising their rights to vote.

He added that the Electoral office advise those who have turned 21 to register and avoid getting charged and possibly convicted for something so simple.

Its also free of charge in case there are people out there wondering if there are any charges, said Faimalo.

The law is clear that any person who has turned 21 years old must register as a voter within one month of turning 21.
Samoa is the venue for the University of the South Pacifics (U.S.P.) 82nd Council meeting, which was officially opened yesterday.

Held at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel, the meeting was opened by Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.

The meeting is an opportunity for all member countries of the University to get an insight of how the University has been progressing since the last annual meeting.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa acknowledged the University for choosing Samoa as the venue for their meetings this week.

The U.S.P. continues to provide quality education that aligns with the aspirations of the youth of the Pacific; and that even with the sprouting of national institutions, more and more, U.S.P. has become the first choice for those seeking higher education for better opportunities, Tuilaepa said.

Many of the Pacific countries including Samoa are benefitting from the returning graduates of the U.S.P. who have assumed roles of leadership and are helping towards shaping the future of our countries.

It is worth noting that the University has set a high standard for quality in its research in areas including business management, teacher education, Pacific studies, marine studies, agriculture, science and technology. Because of its strategic position and facilities, U.S.P. is already attracting eminent scholars and staff from all over the world.

Professor Rajesh Chandra, Vice Chancellor and President of U.S.P. said the meeting is an opportunity for the University to shape the future.

During this meeting, we will approve some policies, programmes; go through the annual report, implementation plans, reviews and reports from finance and so many important issues, he said.

It gives the member countries the opportunity to see how and what the university is doing, and discuss what else they want the university to do. Thats what this council is about.

He also used the opportunity to reassure member countries that the University had been progressing really well, thanking all the 12 members for their support.

The University has made remarkable progress, he said.

Its enrolment has increased substantially; finances are in good order; quality has improved; its reputation continues to rise; its support from governments and development partners is excellent; and the University has grown into a confident institution that looks to celebrate its anniversary.

None of this would have been achieved without the wisdom and support of our leaders.

The University is owned by the governments of 12 Pacific countries and maintains a presence in all of them. Today is the last day of this meeting.
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A student from Avele College accused of posting a threatening message calling for an all out attack on students of Maluafou College remains in Police custody.

The student, whose name is withheld, appeared before Judge Lei'ataualesa Daryl Clarke yesterday.

Lawyer Iliganoa Atoa appeared on behalf of the National Prosecution Office and asked the Court for an adjournment to allow them to finalise the charges.

Judge Lei'ataualesa noted that the accused is only 16-years-of-age and therefore he should be referred to the Youth Court.

Ms. Atoa did not object to his referral but she opposed granting bail for the teenager.

She told the Court that the defendant is the main suspect in the recent fights between Avele College and Maluafou and should therefore remain in custody.

The lawyer also told the Court that he was the one who posted the social media messages, ordering the students to attack Maluafou College students and teachers.

The matter has been adjourned until 19th of May 2016 for the Youth Court.
Proposed amendments to the Constitution of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa were at the heart of discussion at the General Assembly of the Churchs annual conference in Malua, yesterday.

One of the amendments proposes the automatic awarding of the pensioners benefit to Ministers who reach 30 years of service to the church.

The change also seeks to give similar benefits to the wife of a deceased Minister who had passed after serving the church for 30 years or more.

The proposal came from the district of Victoria, Australia. It was seconded and supported by the district of Manukau, New Zealand.

During the debate, Rev. Elder Toailoa Peleti did not support the idea.

As a pensioner, he said if such a change were made, the dignity and respect that comes with being a pensioner would be eroded.

He suggested that if the amendment is passed to allow benefits for the long service provided by ministers, Pensioners should be treated differently.

My question to the General Assembly is how do you define the 30 years of service, asked Rev. Elder Peleti. Is it defined by the five years you are in Malua and then you add the other years from the different villages you serve?

Can someone clarify this? It also appears from the proposal that the benefit is for the wife of the minister and not the pastor when they pass away.

But another Minister disagreed. He told the Assembly that the amendment proposes to honor long service to the church.

This is considering the fact that some with long service pass away earlier before they reach the age of 70, said the minister. They have done their service to the church and we dont know the will of God and His calling on them.

There are whispers about those who had served for more than thirty years but did not get the benefit they should get for long service.

Still, Rev. Elder Peleti was not convinced.

I maintain my position, said the pensioner.

The proposal has good intention and that is we should honour the men and women who have served the church for a long time but I feel that we should put it aside for now. There is always another time for it.

At this point, the Chairman of the Finance Committee and Member of the Council of Deputies, Le Mamea Ropati, took the floor. Le Mamea was mainly concerned about the churchs ability to fund the initiative.

The financial status (of the church) - when the pensioner initiative was established - was for those who are 70 years old, the Chairman recalled.

The funding (for pensioners) came from Taulaga Au Taumafai and it was later changed (pensioner) to 65 years old. I tell you that the Taulaga au Taumafai does not have enough to fund it. The money spent on the pensioners is a lot more than what was planned for.

Taulaga au Taumafai is one of several offerings in the church that is branded under different names where the contribution goes towards certain or specific developments and initiatives.

According to Le Mamea, when the Taulaga au Taumafai is not enough for the Pensioners, it forces the Church to use funds set aside for missions for this purpose.

I sit here and listen to the many views that there should be benefits for long service of 30 years. Thats fine.

I also hear some opinions that it should include others like those who assist the minister (a'oa'o). There is nothing wrong with that but please be mindful about the burden that it will place on church members and our finances.

The General Assembly continues its discussion today.




A dispute over the use of mobile phone credit sparked an attack that resulted in the death of a 16-year-old boy from the village of Samusu-tai.

Contrary to reports that the young man died as a result of a fight caused by social media comments, the Police Spokesperson, Maotaoalii Kaioneta Kitiona, yesterday set the record straight.

He said the incident on Sunday has left families and friends of the two boys involved in a state of shock.

From our investigation, the deceased boy gave his cell phone which had credit to the 14-year-old defendant so he could download some music on his phone, said Maotaoali'i.

What happened was that the phone was returned to the owner with no credit and no music also.

Maotaoali'i said this angered the deceased man who provoked his alleged killer into a fight.

During the fight, the boy who has been charged retaliated using a rock.

He threw a rock which hit the other boy on the head, he said.

From what weve been told, what had happened was an accident.

The accused boy didnt think that what he did would kill the 16-year-old.

But when he saw the deceased collapse, thats when the accused realized that he hit him hard.

The 14-year-old has since been charged with murder. He is scheduled to appear in Court on the 23rd of May 2016.

Suicide attempt

In a separate incident, neither the Police nor the Hospital would comment on an incident of attempted suicide where a girl is fighting for her life at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital.

The Samoa Observer was told the girl attempted to take her life as a result of comments on Facebook. She is a serious condition at the Motootua hospital.
The Chinese Embassy in Samoa yesterday called a rare press briefing to explain its role in the ongoing South China Sea dispute, with the Philippines and others.

Held at the Chinese Embassy in Vailima, the meeting was fronted by the Embassys Deputy Head of Mission, Gu Xinqiang, who said the people of Samoa deserve to know the truth about what is happening.

China is a victim in this issue, he said. But we are committed to solve this dispute in a peaceful manner through negotiations and consultations.

This is best done by establishing rules and mechanisms.

The briefing in Apia comes as the United Nations Arbitration Court is expected to issue a ruling in the coming weeks on a long-standing maritime dispute between China and the Philippines.

The Philippines had initiated the proceedings in January 2013, arguing that Beijing's claims over much of the South China Sea violated U.N. conventions.

But China has refused to participate in international arbitration.

Instead, it has been pushing for a bilateral approach to settling the territorial dispute. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, which it delineates on its map with a "nine-dash line".

The Philippines not only violated their agreements with China, but they also violated the provisions of the UN clause and abused its procedures, Mr. Xingqiang said.

He maintained that China will not participate in the U.N. arbitration proceedings and will not recognise the ruling.

The compulsory settlement procedure provided in the UN clause does not apply to the disputes between China and the Philippines.

As a country in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, Mr. Xinqiang said Samoa is classified as a sea country and the dispute involving the South China Sea would interest the people of Samoa since it involves the international law of the Sea.

We think it is an important issue to provide a sort of global knowledge for the people here in Samoa, he said.

The term South China Sea has become a buzzword in the recent years and we feel its important to enlighten the people about what is happening.

Asked how China feels about the Philippines decision, the Deputy Head of Mission was blunt.

If one country forces another country to international arbitration or tribunal, without consulting the other country first, we fear that this could somehow become a trend in solving problems in the future, he said.

This is a scenario that could also happen in the South Pacific region, and therefore we found it important to inform the people of Samoa about the issue

Mr. Xinqiang argued that the ocean in dispute belongs to China.

The South China Sea islands have been Chinas territory for centuries. During the 1970s, there were amounts of natural resources, like oil and gas reserves discovered in the area.

Asked what Chinas next move will be, Mr Xingqiang said his country will continue not to accept the tribunal done by the Philippines.

He added that their hope is to achieve a peaceful solution.

It was neither possible to obtain a comment from the Phillipines government nor the Samoan government at press time last night.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE DISPUTE FROM THE STRAITS TIMES THE SOUTH CHINA SEA'S IMPORTANCE

The 3.5 million sq km sea is believed to hold rich reserves of oil, natural gas, fisheries stocks, and hosts lanes for half the worlds commercial shipping. It is claimed in parts or wholly by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. Many of the claims overlap.

CHINA'S CLAIM

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, which it delineates on its map with a "nine-dash line".

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), of which China is a signatory state, gives countries exclusive economic zones of 200 nautical miles, or 370km, from their coasts. But China says its claim stems from historical use of the sea by Chinese vessels as far back as 2,000 years ago.

Beijing has been shoring up its position through land reclamation works. A Pentagon report released in May estimated China has reclaimed 1,300ha of land around the Spratly Islands, also claimed by the Philippines, over the past two years. The Chinese have also built massive structures, including radar systems and airstrips, on the reclaimed reefs and islets.

Beijing, on the other hand, is wary of growing US attention on Asia and US forays into the sea, including sailing warships close to reclaimed islands.

China has maintained that it will not participate in the UN arbitration proceedings and will not recognise the ruling. It says Manila's case relates to an issue of territorial sovereignty, over which the tribunal has no jurisdiction, instead of the interpretation or application of Unclos.

THE PHILIPPINES' CLAIM

The country claims the Spratly Islands, known as Nansha by China. The group's main Mischief Island sits less than 240km off the Philippines Palawan Island and some 900km from Chinas Hainan Island.

The Philippines also lays claim to the Scarborough Shoal (known as Huangyan Island in China), which is a little more than 160km from the Philippines and 800km from China.

Both the Spratlys and Scarborough Shoal are also claimed by China.

THE US POSITION

The United States has described the South China Sea issue as one of its vital national interests. Washington fears Beijing is seeking to impose military controls over the entire area, which could curtail the unfettered use of international waters and air space by the US military. It also baulks against an attempt by another strong state to bully America's smaller allies in the region.

US military planes and ships have conducted "freedom of navigation" sorties near the Spratlys and Scarborough Shoal in recent months to underscore Washington's position, much to China's displeasure.

OTHER CLAIMANTS AND COUNTRIES

Taiwan, which China sees as a renegade province and is not recognised as an independent state by most of the world, has intervened in the UN arbitration case in April, to press its own claim.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia have dispatched representatives to the hearings. So has Japan, which is embroiled in its own territorial dispute with China in the East China Sea. Vietnam has provided a submission in support of the Philippines arguments that the court has jurisdiction and asked the tribunal to pay due attention to Vietnam's legal rights and interests.

Such moves indicate that some of these countries might also take China to court in future.

The European Union has said that China should respect the ruling.

China's Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, has claimed support from countries as diverse as Cambodia and Yemen.
President Enrique Pena Nieto proposed Tuesday to legalize same-sex marriage in Mexico, a move that would enshrine on a national level a Supreme Court ruling last year that it was unconstitutional for states to bar such couples from wedding.

If it is approved, Mexico would become the fifth country in Latin America to make same-sex marriage legal. The announcement was hailed by LGBT activists and criticized by church officials in Mexico, which is home to the second-largest Roman Catholic population on the planet.

Speaking at an event on the International Day Against Homophobia, Pena Nieto said he signed initiatives that would seek to amend the constitution and the national civil code.

Pena Nieto said he wants to change Article 4 of the constitution to clearly reflect the Supreme Court opinion "to recognize as a human right that people can enter into marriage without any kind of discrimination."

"That is, for marriages to be carried out without discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or nationality, of disabilities, of social or health conditions, of religion, of gender or sexual preference," he added.

Pena Nieto's Twitter page and other government Twitter accounts were changed to include the rainbow colors as he made the announcement.

A two-thirds majority vote in congress is required to amend the constitution. Pena Nieto's party and allies control about half the seats in both houses, and the measure could also pick up support from the leftist opposition Democratic Revolution Party.

It would then need to be ratified by a simple majority of states before going to the president for his signature.

The Rev. Hugo Valdemar, spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico City, urged lawmakers to listen to their "conscience" and oppose the initiative.

"Marriage has some very concrete aims which, of course, two people of the same sex do not fulfill," Valdemar said, referring to procreation.

He called Pena Nieto's initiative a "distraction" in a country where "there are more serious issues that should be attended to" such as violence and corruption.

About 80 percent of Mexicans are Catholic, though only about 15 percent to 20 percent regularly practice the faith, said Andrew Chesnut, chairman of Catholic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.

He added that a recent Pew survey said Mexicans' acceptance of gay marriage and LGBT issues in general closely mirrored views in the United States, where same-sex marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court last year.

The president's announcement "is just of monumental significance," Chesnut said. "It really is symbolic of the rapidly waning, eroding influence of the Catholic Church on both politics and the social front."

Gay marriage is already legal in some parts of Mexico such as the capital, the northern state of Coahuila and Quintana Roo state on the Caribbean coast. Adding it to the constitution and the civil code would expand gay marriage rights across the country.

Last June, the Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional for Mexican states to ban same-sex couples from getting married. But the decision did not specifically overturn state laws, meaning couples have had to sue in court in each particular case.

Alejandro Brito, director of Letra S, a human rights group specializing in sexual diversity issues, called Pena Nieto's announcement great news.

"I think it sends a very clear message of respect and against discrimination toward sexual diversity," Brito said. "If it is enshrined in the constitution and the Supreme Court has established a precedent on this, it would seem just a question of time before all (government) entities across the country recognize equal marriage. ... I think this is a battle that has been won."

Twenty-three countries around the world have legalized gay marriage, according to Pew Research. Argentina became the first in Latin America to do so in 2010, followed by Brazil and Uruguay in 2013 and Colombia earlier this year. Chile allowed same-sex civil unions last year. The U.S. island territory of Puerto Rico also legalized gay marriage by executive decree after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

"This, in tandem with Colombia, which is still close to about 80 percent Catholic and is usually kind of looked to as the most devout Catholic nation in Latin America ... it's amazing," Chesnut said.

-AP
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

Trend:

Examination session on petroleum engineering and chemical engineering specializations has started at BHOS.

The delegation comprising lecturers and experts from Heriot Watt University, UK, are involved in invigilation process. Professor Kevin Mccullough, educational and training director of School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Professor Greame White, Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Mrs. Patricia Duncan, teacher and learning manager, professor John Ford, Senior Director of Studies, Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Mrs. Irene Fox, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences Administrative Assistant, Alexander Bell, Associate Director of Studies for Engineering School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Teaching and Learning, are organizing examinations on the basis of questions compiled at Heriot Watt University.

As BHOS second, third and fourth year students are studying petroleum engineering and chemical engineering specialization on the basis of educational programme of Heriot Watt University. Examination session is held simultaneously with the one held at Heriot Watt University, on the same dates and at the same time. It is done to prevent the electronic exchange of the answers between students studying at both higher schools. BHOS is the only higher educational institution in Azerbaijan in which knowledge is assessed by international specialists.

After examinations British specialists send exam papers containing written answers of students to Heriot Watt University via urgent delivery mail service. The mentioned procedure is realized to ensure transparency and objectivity of assessment. Up to date accordingly to statistic data referred to academic years BHOS students have demonstrated better performance with the scoring points compared to the students of Heriot Watt University.
As part of Deloitte's global talent strategy, contributing to the success of youth education and partnership projects, Deloitte Azerbaijan held Excel, PowerPoint presentation, effective CV writing and professional interview behavior training sessions for students of Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC) and Qafqaz University.

These training sessions were aimed at preparing prospective candidates for their career readiness and help students become prepared for their future.

Vusala Kerimova and Afsana Latifova from Deloitte Azerbaijan shared knowledge gained from their own experiences and provided insights into practical skills, as well as shared some key tips to improve students' CVs and to behave during to interview.

Kanan Salayev from Deloitte Azerbaijan gave insight into techniques on making professional presentation and technical skills in PowerPoint. The trainees tried to apply the acquired skills during the preparation of their own presentations.

Deloitte Azerbaijan's experienced specialists Abbas Abbasov, Azad Azagov and Ibrahim Farajli explained how technical skills could be applied in using basic and advanced Excel functions by visually demonstrating the relevant tools. At the end of the training sessions, Deloitte awarded certificates of completion to the trainees.

Another workshop was held for tutors and administrative staff at UNEC, where Deloitte Azerbaijan arranged learning sessions on Excel and PowerPoint. The trainees demonstrated a high level of interest and applied the newly acquired skills on their own computers.

All students and tutors received certificates.

The cornerstone of Deloitte's global talent strategy is the development of inspirational, world-class leaders at all levels. To achieve this vision, the Deloitte network continues to make significant investments in the design and delivery of an inclusive, world-class learning experience.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 18

Trend:

Twenty-four years have passed since the occupation of Azerbaijan's Lachin district by Armenia.

On May 18, 1992, Armenian occupiers destroyed hundreds of cultural facilities, tens of settlements, villages and historical monuments and 63,341 Azerbaijani citizens were driven out their home lands as a result of the occupation. Lachin district includes 121 villages with a total space of 1,835 square kilometers. More than 300 servicemen and civilians were killed or missing during the occupation of the Lachin district. There are 8,950 buildings, 7 industrial and construction enterprises, 471 service facilities, 154 schools and hundreds of cultural and historical monuments left in the occupied lands.

On May 8, 1992, after the occupation of Shusha city of Azerbaijan, Armenian armed forces, having occupied settlements around Lachin, opened intensive artillery fire at the district's center.

On a night from May 16 to 17, 1992, starting their occupation from the place named Turshsu (Shusha city) and Gor region of Armenia, Armenian armed forces occupied Lachin district. Majority of the enemy forces could get into the region through Lachin corridor.

At that time, the key part of the Azerbaijani armed forces withdrawn from Lachin and surrounding regions, were fighting the political confrontation in the capital city of the country. The Army taking part in the military demonstrations in Baku did not have a control over the positions in the frontline which resulted in the occupation of Lachin district of Azerbaijan following other regions.

The occupation of Lachin, region of great geostrategic significance, caused a serious blow to Azerbaijan's economy.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.



The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.



Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Columbia, SC -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/17/2016 -- 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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By 2004, search engines had incorporated a wide range of undisclosed factors in their ranking algorithms to reduce the impact of link manipulation. In June 2007, The New York Times' Saul Hansell stated Google ranks sites using more than 200 different signals. The leading search engines, Google, Bing, and Yahoo, do not disclose the algorithms they use to rank pages. Some SEO practitioners have studied different approaches to search engine optimization, and have shared their personal opinions. Patents related to search engines can provide information to better understand search engines.



In 2005, Google began personalizing search results for each user. Depending on their history of previous searches, Google crafted results for logged in users. In 2008, Bruce Clay said that "ranking is dead" because of personalized search. He opined that it would become meaningless to discuss how a website ranked, because its rank would potentially be different for each user and each search.



In December 2009, Google announced it would be using the web search history of all its users in order to populate search results.



Google Instant, real-time-search, was introduced in late 2010 in an attempt to make search results more timely and relevant. Historically site administrators have spent months or even years optimizing a website to increase search rankings. With the growth in popularity of social media sites and blogs the leading engines made changes to their algorithms to allow fresh content to rank quickly within the search results.



In February 2011, Google announced the Panda update, which penalizes websites containing content duplicated from other websites and sources. Historically websites have copied content from one another and benefited in search engine rankings by engaging in this practice, however Google implemented a new system which punishes sites whose content is not unique. In April 2012, Google launched the Google Penguin update the goal of which was to penalize websites that used manipulative techniques to improve their rankings on the search engine.



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Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/17/2016 -- The Global and China Feature phone Market 2016-2021 Industry Starting with a broad overview, the report narrows down to offer an overview of the Feature phone Market 2016-2021 Industry globally as well as with a specific focus on China. By conducting a check of the current status of the Feature phone Market 2016-2021 Industry, the report is able to then delve deeper into the various forces that directly and indirectly impact the Market.



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Given the ever-shifting and ever-evolving nature of the technologies that enable the products and services contributing to the growth of the Feature phone Market 2016-2021 Industry, the report conducts a detailed analysis of the technological trends and developments. This report then moves ahead to focus on the various global and China-based players in the Feature phone Market 2016-2021 Industry. In order to obtain specific information about the Market participants, the report focuses on the following key aspects: Company Profiles, product/services information, contact information, as well as production/revenues.



The report then delves deeper by segmenting the global and Chinese Market for Feature phone Market 2016-2021 into sections, based on parameters such as applications, end-users, geographical regions, or product/technology, where applicable. The degree of competition that exists in the Feature phone Market 2016-2021 Industry in the context of both China and the world, is studied in detail.



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Table of Content



Chapter One Introduction of Feature phone Market 2016-2021 Industry

1.1 Brief Introduction of Feature phone Market 2016-2021

1.2 Development of Feature phone Market 2016-2021 Industry

1.3 Status of Feature phone Market 2016-2021 Industry



Chapter Two Manufacturing Technology of Feature phone Market 2016-2021

2.1 Development of Feature phone Market 2016-2021 Manufacturing Technology

2.2 Analysis of Feature phone Market 2016-2021 Manufacturing Technology

2.3 Trends of Feature phone Market 2016-2021 Manufacturing Technology



Chapter Three Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers

3.1 Company A

3.1.1 Company Profile

3.1.2 Product Information

3.1.3 2011-2016 Production



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/17/2016 -- Chiral chromatography column is a variant of column chromatography in which the stationary phase contains a single enantiomer of a chiral compound rather than being achiral. In the recent year, due to the technological advancements in the chiral chromatography columns market has led to an increase in the application areas of chiral chromatography columns. For instance, chiral chromatography columns are widely used in different industries such as food and agriculture, pharmaceuticals, environmental testing and others. The chiral chromatography columns market is segmented on the basis of materials into plastic, glass and metals. The chiral chromatography columns market can be segmented on the basis of application into liquid chromatography systems, gas chromatography systems, supercritical fluid chromatography systems and thin-layer chromatography systems. The chiral chromatography columns market can be segmented on the basis of end-users into pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food and beverages, hospitals and others. The liquid chromatography system is the fastest growing segment of the chiral chromatography columns market.



Interested in report: Please follow the below links to meet your requirements; Request for the Report Sample: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3331



North America represents the largest market for chiral chromatography columns. The major factors related to the growth of chiral chromatography columns market in the North America region include large number of conferences related to chiral chromatography columns, regular government investments in the chromatography instrumentation market and large number of research for drug and biological development. Europe is the second largest market for chiral chromatography columns. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market for chiral chromatography columns. A business-friendly regulatory policy in the Asia-Pacific region has led to an increase in the R&D activities in this region. Asia-Pacific is hub for clinical trials and has witnessed a high growth in the Clinical Research Organizations (CRO) industry in countries such as China and India. According to ClinicalTrials.gov, in June 2013, 11,496 clinical trials are conducted in the world out of which 3,588 clinical trials are being conducted in the Asia-Pacific region. Growth in the R&D activities and Clinical Research Organiztion industry boosting the demand for chiral chromatography columns.



Increase in technological advancements, government investment in chromatography techniques and increasing tie-ups with research laboratories and academic institute are some of the major driving force for chiral chromatography columns market.



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The major companies operating in the chiral chromatography columns market include Phenomenex, Inc., Waters Corporation, Agilent Technologies, Shimadzu Corporation, GE Healthcare and Sigma-Aldrich Corporation.



Key points covered in the report



1) Report segments the market on the basis of types, application, products, technology, etc (as applicable)

2) The report covers g?eographic segmentation



North America

Europe

Asia

RoW



3) The report provides the market size and forecast for the different segments and geographies for the period of 2010 to 2020

4) The report provides company profiles of some of the leading companies operating in the market

5) The report also provides porters five forces analysis of the market.



About Persistence Market Research

Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.



To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.
Ibadan, Nigeria -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/17/2016 -- Global forex broker HiWayFX will host a round of forex webinars in Ibadan, Nigeria in an effort to educate forex traders and strengthen its relationship with local existing and prospective clients. The educational seminars will involve a morning and an afternoon session and will cover various elements that are vital in online forex trading.



HiWayFX market expert will provide attendees with an understanding of how forex trading works, the psychological aspects of trading, elaborating on key strategies for improving their investment performance. Seminar participants will also have the chance to meet with HiWayFX's local representative and learn about the broker's innovative products and competitive trading conditions first-hand.



Registered attendees will be entitled to free one-month subscription to trading signals and market analysis from the leading financial advisory firm Astute Financials, free access to HiWayFX webinars and comprehensive one-on-one forex tutorials.



The highlight of the seminar will be the raffle taking place after the completion of seminars. Participants will have the chance to enter a lucky draw and win a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Gold.



The dates and times of seminars are as follows:



Saturday, 21 May

10AM-1PM

2PM-5PM

Premier Hotel Ibadan,

Oremeji, Mokola Hill,

Ibadan. Oyo State.



Saturday, 28 May

10AM-1PM

2PM-5PM

Hail Henrietta Hotel

Plot E, Block XXI

Olubadan housing Estate,

New-Ife Road Ibadan



Saturday, 4 June

10AM-1PM

2PM-5PM

Nustreams Halls and Events Center

14, Obafemi Awolowo way

KM 110 Abeokuta Expressway

Oke Bola Ibadan.



Admission is free for all participants. For more information about HiWayFX seminar in Ibadan please click here.



Contact:

Michalis Michael

HiWayFX

Email: marketing@hiwayfx.com



Lucro Capital Ltd

152, Franklin Roosevelt Avenue

3045 Limassol

Cyprus



HiWayFx

UK Sales

00443308280893

Cyprus Sales

0035725030942

Ludovic Moncla

Head Of Sales
Southampton, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/17/2016 -- Jet Set Travels of Southampton, Inc. is a family-owned and operated travel agency that has been in business for over 30 years. The owner of the business, Rudi Bodensteiner, and his wife Lora Finney-Bodensteiner have been in the business together for the last twenty years because traveling is a mutual passion that the couple has shared for decades. The personal experience combined with the expertise they have gained in the industry is the reason that Jet Set Travels of Southampton, Inc. is a leader in booking custom vacations for clients across the Bucks County and the Philadelphia area. Rudi has recently traveled to Mexico and Jamaica, and he is also recommending specific excursions to his customers, coworkers, family, and friends.



Over the last few months, Rudi has explored Jamaica on two separate trips. While in Negril, he found a unique adventure that is known as calypso rafting that he now recommends to his clients. The activity is both relaxing and thrilling. A guide steers a bamboo-based watercraft downstream while guests comfortably sit on the back of the raft. While in Ocho Rios, he visited Dunn's River Falls which is a world renowned waterfall that is very tourist-friendly. This attraction is offered as part of Jet Set Travels of Southampton, Inc.'s Jamaican journeys, and it has proven popular with travelers from across the US.



Another location that Rudi and Jet Set Travels of Southampton, Inc. have experience with is Mexico. The company encourages vacationers to visit Cabo San Lucas for deep sea fishing. The travel agency also recommends that individuals go to the Mayan archeological sites and snorkel in the cenotes (sinkholes) in Cancun and the surrounding Mexican cities. With the knowledge he gained in his travels, Rudi can put together cost-effective solutions to Mexico, Jamaica, and hundreds of other travel destinations. Interested parties are encouraged to visit http://www.jetsettravels.com or call 215-355-4506.



About Jet Set Travels of Southampton, Inc.

Jet Set Travels of Southampton, Inc, is a Bucks County, PA based travel agency that specializes in destination weddings, honeymoons, and other vacations. The company plans custom getaways for clients that include cruises, car rentals, airfare, tours, and more. All of the employees are driven and extensively trained to make recommendations and to find the lowest prices for travelers.



For more information, visit http://www.jetsettravels.com or call 215-355-4506.
Providence, RI -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/17/2016 -- 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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An international team of scientists from South Korea and Australia has found evidence of a major asteroid impact that occurred approximately 3.5 billion years ago (Archean era).

Australian National University researcher Dr. Andrew Glikson and co-authors found small glass beads called spherules in a drill core from the volcanic Duffer Formation in Pilbara region of Western Australia, in some of the oldest known sediments on Earth.

The sediment layer, which was originally on the ocean floor, was preserved between two volcanic layers, which enabled very precise dating of its origin.

The scientists immediately suspected the spherules originated from an asteroid strike, and subsequent testing found the levels of elements such as platinum, nickel and chromium matched those in asteroids.

The impact would have triggered earthquakes orders of magnitude greater than terrestrial earthquakes, it would have caused huge tsunamis and would have made cliffs crumble, said Dr Glikson, lead author on a study published in the July 2016 issue of the journal Precambrian Research.

Material from the impact would have spread worldwide. These spherules were found in sea floor sediments that date from 3.46 billion years ago.

The asteroid is the second oldest known to have hit the Earth and one of the largest.

The asteroid would have been 15 miles (25 km) across and would have created a crater hundreds of miles wide, Dr. Glikson said.

Exactly where this asteroid struck the Earth remains a mystery.

Any craters from this time on Earths surface have been obliterated by volcanic activity and tectonic movements.

There may have been many more similar impacts, for which the evidence has not been found, Dr. Glikson said.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Weve only found evidence for 17 impacts older than 2.5 billion years, but there could have been hundreds.

Asteroid strikes this big result in major tectonic shifts and extensive magma flows. They could have significantly affected the way the Earth evolved.

_____

Andrew Glikson et al. 2016. A new 3.46 Ga asteroid impact ejecta unit at Marble Bar, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia: A petrological, microprobe and laser ablation ICPMS study. Precambrian Research, vol. 279, pp. 103-122; doi: 10.1016/j.precamres.2016.04.003
Brazils interim president has alarmed researchers by merging the countrys science and telecommunication ministries.

Just a few hours after assuming power following a Senate vote on 12 May, Michel Temer announced the creation of the ministry of science, technology, innovations and communication. This means science has lost its independent seat in Brazils government, and researchers fear their concerns could be overshadowed by issues around telecommunications.

The former [distinct] ministries had different areas of expertise and different evaluation criteria, says Luiz Davidovich, the president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. It will be hard to manage them as a set.

Davidovich says that, in the past, science and technology were often banded together with industry and commerce. As this did not work well, Brazil created the ministry of science and technology in 1985, he tells SciDev.Net.

The sustainable future of a country is guaranteed by science and technology, and Brazil cannot stay behind. Luiz Davidovich, Brazilian Academy of Sciences

Until this month, the science ministry was the prime coordinator of science in the country, overseeing around 20 research institutes devoted to areas as diverse as mathematics, space science and Amazon research.

Brazils sudden leadership change came after the Senate voted to impeach president Dilma Rousseff. She is accused of trying to hide irregularities in the financial reporting of state oil company Petrobas. But critics say the move is a power grab by the countrys wealthy elite.

As Brazil slips deeper into a political crisis following the impeachment, the countrys researchers fear funding cuts.

Other countries raise their investments in science and technology during crises, says Davidovich. The sustainable future of a country is guaranteed by science and technology, and Brazil cannot stay behind.

The new ministry is led by Gilberto Kassab, a former city mayor of Sao Paulo and minister of cities in the previous government.

After being warned of the looming restructure, 14 Brazilian research institutes teamed up to convince the government to protect science. On 12 May, just before Temer came to power, the institutions, including the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science , sent Temer  then vice-president  a manifesto highlighting the importance of having an independent science ministry.

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation is the engine of national development, they said in their statement.
On May 9, 2016, the planet Mercury passed between the Sun and Earth. The event, called a transit, only happens 13 times a century was captured by astronomers around the world, but the best footage of Mercury's passing was captured by the Big Bear Solar Observatory, located in the San Bernardino Mountains in California.

Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) said that their New Solar Telescope is considered to be the "highest-resolution solar telescope in the world." That is mainly the reason why it was capable of providing the sharpest view of a Mercury transit to date. A combined video footage of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and NST's footage was released. Halfway through the video, it transitions from NASA's footage to the BBSO's footage, showing the higher resolution that the observatory's telescope can take, the Verge reported.

ABC10 mentioned that the high-resolution video shows the tiny planet's transit in the most remarkable detail. Upon closer examination of the NST's footage, we noticed a few weird things about the planet during its transit. The last time Mercury cross the Sun's path was in 2006, before Big Bear Solar's New Solar Telescope was built.

"The 1.6-m diameter NST telescope is the highest-resolution solar telescope in the world, so its images are the sharpest," observatory officials said.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory or SDO also managed to capture the entire 7.5 hours of the planet's transit across the sun. This composite image of Mercury's journey across the sun was created with visible-light images from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on SDO.

"Astronomers get excited when any two things come close to each other in the heavens," said Louis Mayo, program manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "This is a big deal for us."

According to goldrushcam.com, although Mercury whips around the sun every 88 days - over four times faster than Earth - the three bodies rarely align. That is because Mercury orbits in a plane 7 degrees tilted from Earth's orbit, it usually darts above or below our line of sight to the sun. Mercury transits have been key to helping astronomers throughout history: In 1631, astronomers first observed a Mercury transit. Those observations allowed astronomers to measure the apparent size of Mercury's disk, as well as help them estimate the distance from Earth to the sun.

"Back in 1631, astronomers were only doing visual observations on very small telescopes by today's standards," said Mayo.

Scientists for the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO (jointly operated by NASA and ESA, the European Space Agency), and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, worked together to study the May 9 transit.

The Hinode solar mission also observed the event. Hinode is collaboration between the space agencies of Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

Azerbaijan and the Netherlands have signed a memorandum on creating a joint business center.

The document was signed during the Azerbaijan-Netherlands business forum in Baku May 16 between the Dutch Limburg province and Azerbaijan's ADA University.

The joint business center will render services both to Azerbaijani and Dutch companies.

Moreover, three memorandums were signed between Azerbaijan's Sumgait Chemical Industrial Park and the Dutch Chemelot chemical park; Azerbaijan's ASAN center, Nar Mobile, Azerbaijan's State Fund for Development of Information Technologies and the Azerbaijani-Dutch center, as well as Azerbaijan Steel Production Complex, Maastricht University and Aachen University (Germany).

It is expected to sign another memorandum between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands in the sphere of agriculture after two days.

The main purpose of these documents is to ensure the development of bilateral economic relations.

---

Follow the author on Twitter:@Anvar_Mammadov
Samsung is being rumored to release five flagship smartphones in 2017, and one of which is Galaxy X which is said to be a foldable handset with 4K display. We've seen patents filed here and there and some leaked prototypes of what it might look like, but overall, Samsung has been pretty mum about its rumored foldable display smartphones.

Tech Times reported that a number of sources are now reporting that the Korean OEM will most likely release its newest smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy X in 2017. This will even go beyond the flexible OLED panels that we've seen in this year's Galaxy S7 edge.

Samsung has been known to launch a number of smartphones every year which the company adds to its collection. They have already launched the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event that took place in February. The tech company is also preparing to launch the much awaited Galaxy Note 6 phablet, which will most likely happen in August. And if rumors are true, smartphone enthusiasts may get to see five Samsung flagships in 2017: the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Edge, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy Note 7 Edge and Galaxy X.

ETNews, a Korean publication reported back in April that Samsung is working on a foldable smartphone, which will be a 5-inch mobile phone and can also be used as a 7-inch tablet when opened. Android community added that Samsung is believed to have partnered with local, as well as internal businesses in the development of the foldable smartphone.

The unique foldable design means that it will be convenient for users to carry the device in the pocket, but at the same time enjoy the benefit from a big 7-inch screen when the needed. Rumors about Samsung's Project Valley have already surfaced in the past. It was said that the team working on the project will be working on a phone that could bend in half. However, Samsung has not confirmed any details regarding a foldable smartphone, but with consistent rumors emerging regarding a foldable Samsung smartphone, it seems that the phone is actually in the works.

An industry source familiar with Samsung's plan on foldable phones says that the company has made significant progress in the foldable handset technology. "Although mass-production cannot be concluded hastily since Samsung Electronics still has few other major tasks to complete, I've heard that Samsung Electronics had made a considerable amount of results in the time being." said the industry source.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

Baku will host the annual conference of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), which has more than 300 members from 88 countries, said the message of the Baku International Sea Trade Port CJSC May 17.

A delegation from the Baku International Sea Trade Port participated at the annual conference of the IAPH that was held in Panama on May 10-13. Baku Port has been a full member of the IAPH since 2010.

During the conference, IAPH Secretary General Susumu Naruse said that the Association was a wonderful forum for ports around the world to collaborate and share their experiences.

"We are happy to have chosen Baku as host city for the 2018 mid-term conference and look forward to visiting Azerbaijan and seeing at firsthand the developments in and around the new Port of Baku," added Naruse.

IAPH President Santiago Garcia Mila, in his turn, pointed to the significance of the decision to hold the IAPH conference for the first time ever in Azerbaijan and in a region of the world that has undergone such rapid economic growth.

"I trust that delegates from across the world will also eagerly anticipate a visit to Port of Baku in 2018 and seeing for themselves its role as the transit and logistics hub for Eurasia," said Mila.

Director General of Baku port Taleh Ziyadov highlighted the importance of the Association's selection of Baku.

"Hosting the IAPH annual mid-term conference in 2018 will be a major opportunity to promote our country and its development," said Ziyadov. "We hope to welcome over 500 delegates from ports around the world to visit the country's capital in 2018."

Participants will become acquainted with the new Baku port and Free Trade Zone (FTZ) that is being developed around it and also learn about Azerbaijan's history and culture, added Ziyadov.

The International Association of Ports and Harbors was established in 1955 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Its annual conferences feature discussions on important issues that include: port stability and security, the development of new port facilities, the impact of environmental change, information technologies and port operations. The 2015 annual conference was held in Hamburg, and Bali (Indonesia) is the venue for 2017.

On March 17, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the creation of the Free Trade Zone in and around Port of Baku at Alat. Sited at a strategic crossroads of Europe and Asia, with access to sizeable markets in China, Turkey, Iran and Russia, the new port and its FTZ will host the transport and logistics industry, a pharmaceutical cluster, common-use oil supply base facilities and zones for manufacturing, packaging, labeling and consolidation of goods.

Edited by SI

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Anakhanum Idayatova - Trend:

Azerbaijan and Croatia will discuss the development of economic relations during the joint intergovernmental commission's second meeting, which is planned to be held in autumn 2016, Charge d'Affaires of Croatia in Azerbaijan Refik Sabanovic told Trend May 17.

Sabanovic said that the meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation will be held in October 2016 in Baku and it is planned to hold a business forum within the meeting.

During the meeting, the parties will discuss opportunities to increase investments, to expand business cooperation and other relevant issues.

A solid legal base was laid for a successful cooperation in various fields between the two countries; more than 20 treaties and agreements were signed, and additional 13 are under consideration.

Spheres of energy, machine building, telecommunications, agriculture, fishing and pharmacology can be distinguished among the promising areas of cooperation between Croatia and Azerbaijan. An increase in the number of tourists thanks to the opening of direct flights between the two countries is also seems to be real.

As part of ensuring Europe's energy security, Croatia and Montenegro hope to build by 2020 a pipe bend from the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which is designed to transport natural gas from the Caspian and Middle East regions to Western Europe.

The pipeline's length should be about 520 kilometers. TAP is planned to be laid from Azerbaijan through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to Italy.

Edited by SI

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum
Tehran, Iran, May 17

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Iran's economic growth stood at 2 percent for the three month period between December 22 and March19, corresponding to the last quarter of the Iranian fiscal year.

The announcement was made by government spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht during a press conference in Tehran, Trend correspondent reported from the event May 17.

"That includes oil revenues, but excluding oil, the growth rate stood at 1.6 percent," Nobakht said.

Iran's crude export started to rise in January when the country was freed from sanctions.

Nobakht went on to explain that in the agriculture group, growth improved from 3.3 to 5.5 percent compared to the preceding quarter.

Industry jumped from -4.4 percent to 0.6 percent, with industry and mining subdivision surging from -1.3 to 3 percent and the mining subdivision from -7.3 to 9.9 percent, he further said.

According to the spokesman, growth in the oil and gas extraction group grew from -9 to 16.5 percent compared to the preceding quarter.

"Growth in the group of other mines plunged from -2.7 to -7.5, however," he said, adding, "The procurement of water, electricity, and natural gas improved from -1.1 to 7.9 percent."

"Housing improved from -21.7 to -16.5, services from 0.4 to 0.8, wholesale, hotels and restaurants from 0.3 to 1, and business from 0.6 to 1 percent."

Nobakht added that in the meantime, growth in the education, health, and social assistance group improved from 7.7 to 8.8 compared to the previous three-month period.

Iran's GDP (including the oil sector) will reach $386.1 billion in 2016, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasted in April.

The country's current-year economic growth is predicted to hit around five percent.
Details added (first version posted on 11:18)

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

The total volume of investments made by the Netherlands in Azerbaijan is $900 million, Azerbaijan's Deputy Economy Minister Sahil Babayev said May 17.

He made the remarks during the Azerbaijan-Netherlands business forum in Baku.

Babayev noted that over a third of the total volume of investments was made in Azerbaijan's economy over the last three years.

"The Netherlands has invested $340 million in Azerbaijan over the last three years," said the deputy minister. "In general, the Netherlands ranks fourth in terms of the volume of investments made in Azerbaijan."

He added that the Dutch companies actively participate as contractors in public contracts.

"The Dutch companies have signed contacts worth $180 million in Azerbaijan in recent years," said Babayev.

Member of the Dutch Senate Rene van der Linden, for his part, said that his country can contribute to the development and diversification of Azerbaijan's economy.

"For his purpose, first of all, it is necessary to develop the relations between our countries' companies," he said, adding that currently, the companies of Azerbaijan and the Netherlands have short-term relations, but they can turn into strong and long-term ties in the future.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_Mammadov
Tehran, Iran, May 17

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Tehran and Baku should give a serious boost to bilateral relations, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said.

He made the remarks in a meeting with the new Azerbaijani ambassador to Tehran, Bunyad Huseynov, the Iranian president's website reported May 17.

Rouhani said the post-sanctions situation of Iran should be grasped to enhance cooperation more than ever.

"There are many bilateral agreements and projects, completion of which can mark a positive change in improving relations," he stated.

The Azerbaijani ambassador, who had submitted his credentials to Rouhani earlier in the meeting, said Azerbaijan has never doubted Iran's friendly approach.

He underlined that boosting bilateral, regional and international cooperation will benefit the nations and governments of the two neighboring countries.

Iranian and Azerbaijani officials signed 11 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on the sidelines of a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran Feb. 23.

The two sides signed documents for cooperation in various sectors, including transportation, electricity swap, health and medical sciences, oil, gas, and petrochemicals, as well as customs, social and women affairs.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

S&P Global Ratings lowered to 'CCC+' from 'B-' its long-term counterparty credit rating on Kazakhstan-based Kazkommertsbank JSC (KKB), the agency said May 17.

At the same time, S&P lowered the Kazakhstan national scale rating to 'kzB-' from 'kzBB-'. The agency has also affirmed the 'C' short-term rating on KKB. The outlook is negative.

At the same time, S&P lowered the rating on the subordinated debt of the bank to 'CCC-' from 'CCC' and on the junior subordinated debt to 'CC' from 'CCC-'.

The downgrade reflects S&P's view that KKB is experiencing increasing pressure from a combination of external and internal factors.

"The bank's liquidity and capitalization ratios suggest that its short-term (under one year) prospects remain assured," S&P said. "However, S&P thinks that KKB is increasingly vulnerable in the long term, as shown by a loss the bank made in 2015 (despite the transfer of nonperforming assets to BTA). Additionally, the operating environment is likely to remain weak, and S&P has seen no clear progress from management in setting out a credible strategy to ensure the bank's long-term health."

S&P continues to see downside risks to this projection, given the bank's large problem loan portfolio and the embedded currency risk--almost half of KKB's loan book is denominated in foreign currency.

At this stage, S&P anticipates no improved capacity at the bank to recover problem loans.

The negative outlook on KKB reflects S&P's opinion that the bank's asset quality and profitability will remain strained, and could still deteriorate further in the coming 12-18 months.

This view takes into account KKB's still-sizable portfolio of NPLs, and S&P's view that already weak macroeconomic conditions are unlikely to improve soon. The latter is likely to depress margins and sustain foreign currency-related risks for KKB and its clients. In addition, S&P does not yet see a credible strategy to restore the bank's health in the long term.

S&P would likely lower the ratings on the bank if S&P observed notable deterioration in its short-term prospects, for example, if its liquidity and funding metrics weakened or if it came close to its minimum regulatory capital requirements. S&P could also lower the ratings if, for example, S&P saw reducing willingness or ability of the government to support KKB. This could be linked to us lowering S&P's sovereign ratings on Kazakhstan.

S&P could revise the outlook to stable if the bank's operating conditions stabilize and S&P see good execution from the new management team. Notably, S&P would look for stabilizing asset quality, a return to profitability, and the delivery of a strategy that will bolster the bank's long-term health.
Tehran, Iran, May 17

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Iran on May 22, Iranian Press Secretary Parviz Esmaili said.

Modi, who heads a delegation of political, economic and cultural representatives, will stay in Iran for two days, said Esmaili, IRNA news agency reported May 17.

The official said Iran and India are planning to sign several MoUs during the visit.

The documents range in field from investment to trade, transport, port development, culture, science and academic cooperation, he noted.

As Modi plans his trip, energy cooperation prospects are in focus. The first of Iranian energy projects now available to India is the Farzad-B oil field.

India is also interested in running projects in Chabahar Port in southeastern Iran. Recently, New Delhi proposed investing $20 billion in petrochemical projects, including LNG plants, in the area.

There is also the Binaloud oil field. A consortium led by India's ONGC Videsh in 2008 discovered the field off the Farsi offshore block. The consortium is now keen to seal a contract for developing the oil field.

Furthermore, India is currently the main consumer of agricultural fertilizers and Iran is the main producer of the products. India is looking forward to investing $20 billion in fertilizer plants in Chabahar through a credit line.
Press Release

May 16, 2016 Legarda: Phl Must Brace for La Nina Senator Loren Legarda today urged the government to brace for the La Nina phenomenon, which is expected to bring heavy rains in the succeeding months, through effective climate-resilient and disaster risk reduction (DRR) programs. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has already issued a La Nina watch after new predictions suggest further weakening of El Nino and the probable arrival of La Nina by the second half of 2016. Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committees on Climate Change and Finance, said that during La Nina, the country is expected to experience more than the normal rainfall as well as more typhoons. Hence, she reminded local government units (LGUs) to enhance community-based disaster management and early warning system in their respective localities. "Empowered and equipped with the necessary mandate, knowledge, skills and tools, LGUs should develop their own DRR and climate change adaption (CCA) plan of action within their jurisdiction to prevent the loss of life and minimize the damage to property brought about by extreme weather conditions, such as the expected La Nina," she said. The Senator explained that LGUs should improve disaster risk information through risk identification or assessment, make people more responsive to government-issued disaster warnings, reduce sources of risk and exposure of vulnerable sector by providing house upgrading and relocation options for settlers located in hazardous areas, and ensure effective disaster preparedness and recovery mechanisms by encouraging active participation of the vulnerable communities. "We have to be ready for the impacts of La Nina even as we continue to help drought-affected communities recover from the effects of El Nino. Agencies of government, both national and local levels, must work together to help communities projected to be hit by the La Nina adapt to the phenomenon. Desilting and dredging of rivers, canals and drainage systems should already be underway to reduce or prevent flooding. Meanwhile, communities in landslide prone areas should already have been relocated not only due to the impending La Nina, but also because such areas should not be inhabited in the first place," said Legarda. "I urge the government to utilize funds now for disaster preparedness and climate adaptation to immediately and effectively prepare for La Nina," Legarda concluded.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

Trend:

United States welcomes groundbreaking of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) pipeline project in Thessaloniki, Greece, John Kirby, spokesman of the US State Department, said during a briefing.

"TAP is the final link in the Southern Corridor project, which will bring gas from Azerbaijan to other areas of Europe," he said.

"US remain committed to energy diversification on the European continent, which will increase Europe's energy security and advance regional stability and prosperity. And we look forward to watching this important project proceed, which will strengthen, we believe, the economies of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Greece, and Italy specifically," Kirby added.

TAP is the third part of the Southern Gas Corridor, envisaging Azerbaijani gas supplies to Europe, along with the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) and Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP).

TAP project envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries.

The 870-kilometer pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.

It is expected that the first gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas field will reach Europe via TAP in 2020.

TAP's initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters.

TAP shareholders are: BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
The saga of George Lucas search for a site to build his museum already has had more plot twists than a summer blockbuster.

Now comes the strangest twist of all: If the billionaire filmmaker does turn his attention back to the Bay Area, as The Chronicle reported Sunday, and presents an imaginative vision for San Franciscos Treasure Island that emphasizes transportation every bit as much as architecture, it actually might turn out to be a force for good.

Good, as in a boost for the regions transportation system. Good, as in the addition of a museum of popular culture to balance our more recent high-minded fare, such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. And good, as in a chance for the Marin resident to show that his cinematic flair can translate to urban architecture that feels like it belongs.

Roundabout journey

That last task has stymied Lucas, who sought to build his museum in the Presidio across from Crissy Field, only to head to Chicago in 2014 when the Presidio Trust (wisely) declined his offer. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel then worked all the political levers to clear the way for Lucas to make his mark on the shore of Lake Michigan, but a federal lawsuit by park advocates has put it on hold for the indefinite future.

Because of that logjam, Lucas representatives have held preliminary talks with Mayor Ed Lee and two supervisors about making room for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art on Treasure Island as part of a huge redevelopment effort just starting to get under way.

If, like me, you saw Lucas watered-down version of the Palace of Fine Arts at Crissy Field as a bad building in a magical location, this isnt necessarily a good thing. It didnt help that the proposed museum was an ill-defined grab bag ranging from Norman Rockwell paintings to vintage film props to contemporary digital animation.

But when Lucas turned his attention to Chicago, he shifted architectural styles to embrace a futuristic approach led by the well-regarded Chinese architect Ma Yansong. The thrust of the museum has been sharpened to emphasize the art of storytelling, with a focus missing during the Crissy Field competition.

In other words, the filmmaker has shown a willingness to evolve and alter his plans. And the most likely site  land around the existing chapel near the entrance to the island and facing the city  offers the chance for distinctive, high-visibility architecture that wouldnt intrude on such planned public resources as a huge waterfront park.

Ferries arent cheap

The big issue, of course, is how to get an estimated 500,000-plus museum visitors each year to and from an island that currently can only be reached by vehicle from the Bay Bridge. But its also the one that Lucas could use to captivate skeptics.

Ferry service already is planned between the Ferry Building and a new terminal that would be built near the chapel and the historic, concave Building 1, one of the few remnants from the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition. The terminal could debut as early as 2021, not long after the first new buildings open in what eventually is conceived as a self-sufficient neighborhood of 8,000 apartments and condominiums.

Imagine if part of Lucas proposal were to buy and operate at least two ferries  one connecting Treasure Island to the Ferry Building, the other serving the East Bay from Oaklands Jack London Square. Such service could be part of the museums ticketed experience, similar to the current link between Pier 35 and Alcatraz. Thered be no point in families or Star Wars geeks navigating the already molasses-like Bay Bridge, solving a huge potential problem.

Expensive? Yes. The 400-passenger vessels that will be purchased in coming years by the agency that oversees the ferry system, the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority, cost roughly $16 million each. But thats a manageable part of the overall $300 million budget that Lucas was estimating for his Crissy Field museum  one that included visitor parking, which wouldnt be needed here. His estimated budget now runs to $700 million.

This would make a unique form of transportation integral to a museum that already bills itself as unlike any other.

As for the architecture, what counts isnt style so much as skill and execution.

Design over dazzle

If Lucas wants to look toward the past for architectural cues, as was the case at the Presidio, that can work. If he wants to go in a contemporary or futuristic direction, as he did in Chicago, that can work, too. The important thing is to hire good architects who understand the virtues of well-crafted structures, so that  like first-rate special effects in a movie  were seduced by the experience.

Any talks with San Francisco are at an early stage. Chicagos mayor might pull off a last-minute coup that makes Lake Michigan work. It might be that Los Angeles turns Lucas head. Opposition might arise here once theres an actual design to look at. Thats always the most important test.

Still, its telling that Lucas has conditional support from Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Jane Kim. The former is a past critic of Treasure Islands redevelopment. The latter is the islands supervisor.

The museum could give Treasure Island a heart and a destination, Peskin said Monday, adding that hes hopeful there might be a conceptual agreement by the end of the month on whether a formal proposal might emerge.

I asked Peskin whether hes lured in part by Lucas celebrity status.

My only claim to Star Wars fame is that I saw the original at the Coronet Theater when it came out in 1977, Peskin said. For the record, I thought American Graffiti was his best film.

John King is The San Francisco Chronicles urban design critic. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron
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When the historic Hibernia Bank building was hit by graffiti vandals in October 2013, it was one tag too many.

It was bad enough that the big, unsightly Mike tag contributed to the general mess and disorder that area residents have been trying to clean up for years. But the hitting of the grand old building, originally built in 1892 at Jones and Market and designated a historic landmark, triggered both anger and resolve. Enough was enough.

Graffiti has been a problem in San Francisco for decades, and the common complaint is that no one is ever caught  and if they are, theyre charged with a misdemeanor and given light punishment.

Not this time.

Earlier this month, Michael Sullivan and Jack Nelson, both prolific, unrepentant taggers, pleaded guilty to felony counts, two for Sullivan and one for Nelson. They will be on three years probation, and will either serve six months in county jail or perform 280 hours of cleaning up graffiti and litter.

They will also have to reimburse the city for the cost of cleanup, which could run $8,000 for the Hibernia alone, and cannot have graffiti paint, etching or markers in their possession.

Its a breakthrough conviction, which not only punishes two of the biggest offenders, but should send a jolt of concern through the tagging community. Marty Ferreira, graffiti abatement officer for the San Francisco Police Department, deserves credit for making the prosecution a personal crusade.

Its a frustrating job sometimes, he said. What makes it hard is seeing people get away with things. So it was pretty rewarding when this all came together.

Working with Officer Rob Messier of the Oakland Police Department, Ferreira spent years putting the case together. Sullivan and his Mike tag was a particular focus on both sides of the bay.

Hes been a terror, Messier said. San Francisco was trying to get this guy identified and we were, too. He was finally caught at a construction site. He was spraying, he had the paint can in his hand and the paint was wet. Once we got him in custody, things fell into place.

The San Francisco district attorneys office, through its Crime Strategies Unit, decided to take the case to a grand jury, rather than a judge. The feeling was that when a tagging case is brought before a San Francisco judge, the charge is often knocked down to a misdemeanor. A grand jury finding would be much more likely to stand as a felony.

The burden of proof was higher, and it was a time-consuming process, but Ferreira was not going to let these cases go.

I tracked Sullivans arrest record in four different states, he said. Florida, Massachusetts and New York and here. He was really into posting and showcasing his work on social media.

Ferreira was able to identify Sullivans tag on the Bay Bridge, the Emporio Armani building at Market and Grant and on a Muni Metro car. (A video of the Muni spraying was posted to Instagram.)

Over the course of a year or so, Rob and I built up a substantial amount of evidence, Ferreira said. All of it pointed in the same direction.

The amount of restitution the taggers will have to pay has not been set yet, but Ferreira says it will almost certainly run to thousands of dollars. The Hibernia building cleanup was particularly expensive because sand-blasting the 100-year-old stone is a delicate process. It also requires blocking traffic and using a cherry-picker to get to the work done.

Sullivan will also have to pay for cleanup of the Armani building, the Bay Bridge and that Muni car.

To nail down the case, Messier and Ferreira obtained search warrants for residences, vehicles and cell phone records. Ferreira also testified in the grand jury indictment of Sullivan. He says it was important because Sullivan had done all he could to become a social media icon.

He was completely dedicated to being a vandal and seems to thrive on the attention, Ferreira said. Now hes got the wrong kind of attention.

Messier says it was satisfying in Oakland, too.

A lot of taggers come to Oakland because they know were too busy, he said. We wanted to send the message: Were coming after you.

Not to become over-optimistic, but theres a hope that cases like this may be a tipping point. Until recently, Ferreira says there was a sense of resignation and inevitability about tagging.

When I first took this assignment, a lot of people were not even sure graffiti was a crime, he said. Now there is no question. People are afraid of paying fines, doing jail time and being put on probation.

C.W. Nevius is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. His columns appear Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Email: cwnevius@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @cwnevius
Police on Monday were investigating another Highway 4 shooting, the latest in a rash of gunfire incidents on or near the highway in Contra Costa County in recent weeks.

All lanes of westbound Highway 4 from Loveridge Road to Railroad Avenue were closed Monday afternoon during the investigation, according to the California Highway Patrol. The highway reopened around 6:30 p.m.

Just before 3 p.m., Antioch police heard reports of shots fired by two people in a black Jaguar on the 1100 block of Sycamore Drive near a Highway 4 onramp. No one was injured but cars parked nearby were hit by gunfire.

The Jaguar and a second car then drove onto westbound Highway 4. In a statement, police said there were reports of shots being fired between the two cars on the freeway, but they could not confirm those reports.

Both cars were stopped several miles away  one at a gas station on Bailey Road in Bay Point and the second on Highway 4  by Antioch police and the California Highway Patrol. Four people were taken into custody, according to Antioch police.

Its not clear whether the most recent shooting is related to earlier incidents.

In April, a drive-by shooting appeared to be a targeted attack on the victim, who was driving west on Highway 4 near Loveridge Road in Pittsburg. He was shot multiple times and died of his injuries.

Last Wednesday, a woman was killed and a man was injured in a shooting in the same general location, near Loveridge Road. Their car was hit multiple times before the driver lost control and the vehicle crashed and rolled down an embankment. Authorities said that attack, too, appeared to have been targeted.

There has been a rash of similar shootings on nearby highways, too, though authorities dont believe they are connected.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com
Stephen Hawking must be a genius, because in his new PBS docuseries, Genius by Stephen Hawking, he manages to get ordinary people to understand some of the most complicated and seemingly unanswerable questions of the universe.

The six-part series, which launches with two episodes Wednesday, May 18, and continues with two episodes a night for the next two Wednesdays, not only makes science accessible, but its also fun to watch, even if youre an empty-headed TV critic who took earth science in high school because looking at rocks was preferable to other disciplines involving either a lot of math or eviscerated amphibians.

Wednesdays first episode asks: Can We Time Travel? And before you leap to the obvious conclusion that time travel is just the stuff of science fiction, three ordinary people walk several blocks in New York City to prove you wrong.

It all has to do with considering time as a spatial dimension, and we can thank the great philosopher Rene Descartes for coming to that realization. Descartes was sickly as a kid and spent mornings in bed. He got to like hanging around in bed and thinking great thoughts, so he kept on doing it through the rest of his life.

One morning, Descartes was observing a fly walking across the underside of a wooden canopy above him when he decided  Descartes, not the fly  that he could chart the creatures path by imagining a grid on the canopy.

But then the fly took flight and dropped down from the canopy. Descartes realized he could continue to chart the flys progress but only through something more than a flat surface. He imagined a cubic shape and followed the insect on its airborne trajectory. In doing so, he postulated that tracing the flys flight was the result of considering time as a spatial entity a fourth dimension, as it were.

Our three ordinary people are given a set of numbers: 48, 11 and 16. They are standing in the middle of Times Square (selected for the obvious reason that it contains the word time). They begin to walk toward the intersection of 48th Street and 11th Avenue. The 16 comes from the number of floors in a nearby building. When they get to the floor, they first find theyve arrived too late for a party. But although the other guests are gone, the inquisitive trio members realize they can plot their course from Times Square to the West Side through a series of stacked, transparent maps, which, with tiny figurines, they use to essentially time stamp their walk. Looking downward and from the side, we are able to visualize time as a spatial element in measuring their walk.

Some of the demonstrations are harder to grasp than others. The first episode takes the ordinary trio to Arizona where they drive back and forth in DeLoreans to learn more about the possibilities and cold realities of time travel. The DeLoreans are cute, but the intended lesson is elusive. No biggie. You always at least get the gist of what Hawking is talking about.

The second episode on Wednesday, Are We Alone?, ponders whether Earth is the only planet in the galaxy that could support life. There are, as Carl Sagan said, billions and billions of stars, and the odds are some of them have just the right combination of factors to support life.

Water is the primary necessity. In general, for many years, only planets within a specified distance from their host stars were deemed as possible life supporters. The temperature had to be just right. A planet like Mercury is too close to the sun, and water would evaporate. Water would freeze permanently if the planet were too far away. But Genius shows us that there are mechanical ways that a planet or a planets satellite, such as Jupiters moon Europa, might be able to generate enough heat to keep water from freezing all the time.

The other topics in the miniseries include Where Are We?, What Are We?, Why Are We Here? and Where Did the Universe Come From? By the time youve watched them all, youll not only be smarter, you will have had a good time in the process.

You may be able to figure out answers to some of the problems posed to those sets of ordinary people before they do. Others, not so much. But the point of the series is that we are more capable than we realize of understanding the fundamental questions of existence. And even if we dont get all the answers right away, Genius gives us reason to keep asking questions and trying to understand.

David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @WaitWhat_TV. Follow me on Facebook.

Genius by Stephen Hawking, six-part docuseries, two parts each Wednesday, May 18-June 1, at 9 and 10 p.m., KQED
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At Expo West, a recent natural-food trade show in Anaheim, Serafina Palandech of Hip Chick Farms noticed that representatives of a large chicken company were spending an awful lot of time sniffing around her booth. Her line of family-friendly foods like organic, filler-free chicken fingers were just appearing in Target stores nationwide.

We have people starting to romance us, said Palandech of the 3-year-old company. Theres a big move in the past few years. Ive seen a huge shift in traditional venture capital starting to look at food as a great source of revenue, she said, pointing to Hersheys purchase of Sonomas Krave Jerky last year.

Bay Area food and beverage companies and the artisan and sustainable niche they represent are hot investments right now, if the string of recent mergers and acquisitions  including Mondays deal between Cowgirl Creamery and Swiss dairy cooperative Emmi and the sale of Healdsburgs Copain Wines to Jackson Family Wines  is any indication. The trend has been building for over a decade, but has really gained speed in the past few years with more newsworthy purchases such as Niman Ranch by Perdue last year. The question becomes, which Bay Area company is next?

Will Mars buy Tcho

Hershey got Berkeleys Scharffen Berger. Will Mars buy Tcho? Or will the salaries of the baristas at Sightglass one day be paid by the same German holding company that bought up Peets Coffee & Tea and Portlands Stumptown? Will the four sisters who run their familys award-winning Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. follow Cowgirls lead?

The valuations of companies in this space have really picked up, said Jeff Pera, who consults for food and beverage companies as a partner at tax and advisory firm Grant Thornton in San Francisco. Consumers are being more discriminatory around what they put in their bodies.

As a result, interest in healthy snacks and specialty foods, those high in fiber or protein or free of ingredients like gluten, has increased.

The market phenomenon is predominantly based here. Pera estimated that the Bay Area is home to 70 percent of the organic food companies and wholesome brands that consumers have increasingly sought out.

Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

Its also playing out in wine, another mainstay of the Bay Areas high-end agricultural sector. Silicon Valley Bank reported that 2015 was the best season for direct-to-consumer wine sales, but limited room for expansion may make buying existing wineries the most lucrative option. There have been at least 20 acquisitions of West Coast wine companies in 2016, estimated Rob McMillan, vice president of Silicon Valley Banks wine division. At least 35 wine acquisitions took place in 2015, he said.

It carries its own mystique at this point, McMillan said. You know when youre getting a brand that says Napa or Sonoma, its more likely youre getting a high-quality wine that stands up to anyones particular palate.

Part of a trend

While the Bay Area, with its strong craft food movement, may seem like it is especially targeted by these larger companies, according to George Geis, faculty director for UCLA Anderson School of Managements mergers and acquisitions executive program, such mergers and acquisitions are part of a larger, growing trend.

According to Geis, when larger companies acquire these smaller companies, it is usually for one of two reasons: They see it as a way to protect against further encroachment or as leverage to grow their own business.

Companies feel like consumers in many markets are migrating toward those types of products that have distinction, Geis says.

Of course, the companies that create those products worry about losing that distinction after being bought out.

Thats why the three owners of Four Barrel Coffee in San Francisco have not taken any outside investment since it launched in 2008, though theyre approached weekly by potential investors and buyers, said co-owner Jeremy Tooker. Four Barrel sells its coffee beans wholesale all over the country, as well as in Canada and Japan, but it hasnt yet opened cafes outside of the city, an expansion that might require outside capital. Tooker and his partners say they wont sell.

Having made it through with (Small Business Administration) loans and with funding through the banks, and with the three of us in complete control, we feel really committed to being independent, said Four Barrel co-owner Jodi Geren.

Explaining decisions

Tooker added that the way they do business doesnt always make sense on paper. For example, they might pay for beans from a farmer up front, which is risky, and recently switched to a more expensive and high-quality brand of milk for their espresso drinks  Petalumas Saint Benoit, another locally owned concern  even as they grow.

It would take a lot to make those decisions if a financial backer had a say on it, said Tooker.

On the other hand, Palandech has no qualms about saying she wants to eventually find a buyer for Hip Chick Farms, because she and her wife and co-founder, Jennifer Johnson, want to scale up their model of providing healthy organic meals to families, using chicken from farms with humane certification, like Marys Free Range Chickens in the San Joaquin Valley.

Our end goal is to grow this as quickly as possible so its available to as many kids as possible, she said.

Yet shes also a self-described punk rocker from the 80s who has turned down investment offers that werent the right fit.

How do you control the quality and the intentions and your ethics if you sell out to a company that potentially doesnt represent the things you believe in? she said.

That was the concern of Rio Vista rancher Jeannie McCormack when Niman Ranch was bought by Perdue Chicken last year. McCormack has supplied goats and sheep to Niman since 1992, and worried that the company would lower its standards, and that ranchers like her wouldnt be compensated enough. Now shes pleased to see that Purdue is insisting that all ranchers are certified humane by Humane Farm Animal Care.

Im really surprised, she said. Actually, I thought they would be phasing us out.

In fact, the big businesses buying local brands may not want to change much about how the smaller firms do business  because doing so would drive away the very same consumers theyre trying to court.

The companies that tend to do well (are ones with) purpose-driven concepts behind what these companies are making, Pera said. Its transparency on the label in terms of what theyre putting in it.

Family-run food and beverage companies without succession plans are the ripest for acquisition, Pera said. Companies are also looking for recognized food brands for which shoppers are willing to pay higher prices.

People already recognize the Bay Area is rich with people who produce wonderful goods in the natural, the organic, the innovative space, Pera said. Its part lifestyle. Its part geography.

Not all for sale

Thats not to say every company that establishes a name for itself will eventually go up for sale. Todd Masonis co-founded Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco after selling his tech company, Plaxo, to Comcast in 2008. Dandelion now has a Tokyo outpost and is building a larger chocolate factory. Yet Masonis says he has no plans to repeat his experience.

People often say, If my company got acquired Id quit and follow my dreams, said Masonis. Were already doing that. What, Id quit and open another chocolate factory?

Chronicle staff writers Sarah Fritsche and Esther Mobley contributed

to this report.

Tara Duggan and Jessica Floum are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com, jfloum@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan, @jfloum

Whos next?

Here are some up-and-coming Bay Area brands with wider distribution and recognition outside the region, which usually leads to interest from outside buyers. Whether the owners will sell is another question.

Cheese: Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., Point Reyes Station

Wine: Failla Wines, St. Helena

Meat: Belcampo Group, Oakland

Coffee: Verve, Santa Cruz; Sightglass, San Francisco

Chocolate: Tcho Chocolate, Berkeley

Plant-based food: Hodo Soy Beanery, Oakland

Frozen meals: Hip Chick Farms, Sebastopol

Juice: Project Juice, San Francisco

Source: Chronicle research

The shopping list

Bay Area Bay Area food and beverage companies sold to national and international food companies:

2004

Constellation Brands buys Robert Mondavi Winery

Diageo buys Chalone Wine Group (has since sold to Foley Family Wines)

2005

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Scharffen Berger Chocolate sold to Hersheys

2006

The Wine Group purchases Cardinal Zin and Big House brands from Bonny Doon Vineyards

Hilco (parent company of Natural Food Holdings LLC) becomes chief investor in Niman Ranch

Laura Chenels Chevre sold to French cheese corporation Rians Group

2007

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates buys Stags Leap Wine Cellars

2010

Arcatas Cypress Grove sold to Emmi

2011

Niman Ranch and Natural Food Holdings sold to LNK Partners, another private-equity group

2013

La Boulange Cafe & Bakery sold to Starbucks

2014

WhiteWave Foods buys Earthbound Farm

General Mills buys Annies Homegrown

2015

Kosta Browne sells majority share to investment group J.W. Childs Associates

Jackson Family Wines buys Siduri

Chanel purchases St. Supery

Lagunitas Brewing Co. sells 50 percent stake to Heineken

Niman Ranch and Natural Food Holdings sold to Perdue

Hersheys buys Krave Jerky

Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery sold to Emmi

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates buys Patz & Hall

2016

The Prisoner Wine Co. purchased by Constellation Brands

Copain Wines sold to Jackson Valley Wines

Cowgirl Creamery sold to Emmi

Source: Chronicle research
Since launching Cowgirl Creamery in 1997 in Point Reyes, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith have turned their small Bay Area dairy business into a nationally distributed artisan brand to be reckoned with. Now, just eight months shy of Cowgirls 20th anniversary, the two owners have told The Chronicle that the company will merge with the far larger Swiss dairy company Emmi.

Cowgirl Creamery is only the latest in a string of local artisan brands being bought out by big companies. Last fall, humane-focused meat supplier Niman Ranch was bought by Perdue. Around the same time, in early September, Petalumas Lagunitas Brewing Co. sold a 50 percent stake in the company to Dutch beverage behemoth Heineken.

The Cowgirl merger, which also includes its distribution arm, Tomales Bay Foods, comes six months after Emmis acquisition of Sebastopol goat dairy Redwood Hill Farm and Creamery. (Emmi also owns Arcatas Cypress Grove Chevre, which it bought in 2010.) The Swiss company, founded in 1907 and operated by a cooperative of dairy farmers, is the largest Swiss milk processor and exports cheese and other dairy products to approximately 60 countries. In 2015, Emmi posted net sales of nearly $3.3 billion.The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

When Conley and Smith launched Cowgirl in the mid-90s, there were only six cheesemaking operations in Marin and Sonoma counties. As the local craft food scene has boomed, so has Cowgirls business. Today, there are over two dozen cheesemaking companies in the region, and Cowgirl has helped bring many of their products to the attention of shoppers nationwide via Tomales Bay Foods. The company now has approximately 95 employees; a product line of nearly a dozen cheeses, including its flagship triple-cream Mount Tam; two retail outposts (a third location in Washington, D.C., closed in 2013); two cheesemaking facilities, plus a third in the works; and a Ferry Building restaurant, Sidekick.

Conley and Smith will continue to operate Cowgirl Creamery and Tomales Bay Foods; Smith will take on the title of president and Conley will be vice president.

For a smaller company like Cowgirl, the benefits of a merger or acquisition with a larger corporation may include capital infusions and increased distribution capacity  while allowing it to stay focused on its craft, says George Geis, faculty director for the mergers and acquisitions executive program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

When a large company buys a small company that has a loyal customer base, they have to be very careful that the loyal customers don't get scared off, says Geis.

Conley and Smith have long been familiar with Emmi  and have carried several of its cheeses over the years. They looked closely at how it has worked with its other local acquisitions. Mary Keehn (Cypress Groves former owner) took a big chance when she merged with Emmi, said Smith. We talked with Mary a lot about this, and she has confirmed that they run their business exactly the same way they did before they started with Emmi.

The Cowgirl founders, both now in their 60s, said the decision to merge with the Swiss company has been a very considered one.

For us its been a little bit of a journey, Smith said. Getting older, Sue and I are looking at the future. We want Cowgirl Creamery to remain in Sonoma and Marin. This will help provide that platform for the future.

Conley said that partnering with Emmi will give them access to capital they need to open a facility in Petaluma that will enable them to increase production and bring back their cottage cheese, a fan favorite that has been unavailable for some time. They also envision developing other products.

We invented the way we make cheese without the benefit of engineers and dairy scientists. These are traditions that started in Europe, and now we will actually have experts who can help us refine some of our processes and help us create new cheeses, said Conley.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Conley and Smith said they also view Emmi as having a strong allegiance to dairy farmers, as well as respect for the value of organic production and sustainable agriculture.

I dont have a crystal ball, but I feel very secure, says Smith. Theyre a different kind of company. Were a different kind of company. This one fits our model much closer than anything weve seen.

Conley agrees, This company understands the craft and traditions of cheese making.

Some of the sophisticated cheeses sold by Cowgirl require a final stage of care known as affinage as they mature. For fans of the cheesemaker, they too will have to watch the combination of Emmi and Cowgirl ripen over time.

The whole trick is integration, said Geis. The worst thing that can happen is for the larger company to try to change the smaller one and take away its significance.

Sarah Fritsche is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sfritsche@sfchronicle.com
Love & Friendship is a mashup of two distinct styles, that of novelist Jane Austen and of filmmaker Whit Stillman. Stillman is known for making movies (Metropolitan, Barcelona) about well-to-do, self-obsessed young people who talk in loping sentences. He takes this style and transplants it completely into his adaptation of Austens novella Lady Susan, and the result is so seamless that it feels revelatory.

In an ideal mashup, the ability of two elements to blend illustrates good things about both. And so we come away from Love & Friendship seeing the timelessness of Stillmans style, as well as the modernity of Austens. In the latter case, there are lots of moments and motifs in Love & Friendship that seem like the present-day additions of the adapter, but theyre not. They come directly from Austen.

Lady Susan is an early work that Austen never tried to publish, and one can see why. Susan is no conventional heroine. She is brilliant, conniving and charming. A widow, she has had a number of scandalous affairs, which she denies, and she is plotting a lucrative second marriage while carrying on an affair with a married man. To encounter this story onscreen is to realize, Oh. This is what Jane Austen was up to all along. Her idea of a heroine was about 200 years ahead of her time  or at least 100. Some of Austens epigrams, which Stillman preserves in the screenplay, sound straight out of Oscar Wilde.

So what a lovely meeting, a novelist who was ahead of her time and a filmmaker determinedly, irretrievably outside his own. Its like two very different people meeting on a blind date, and suddenly sparks are flying. In his previous film, Damsels in Distress (2011), Stillman told a modern story set on a college campus, and his style just seemed like pointless affectation. The solution seems obvious in retrospect: Dont try to keep up with the times. Go back in time.

Lady Susan makes a fine showcase for everything Kate Beckinsale can do, including things we didnt know she could do. She is light, tripping and loquacious, her speech sprinkled with lots of commas and few periods. She is always thinking, and lets us see just how easy thinking is, when everyone around is not as smart. Beckinsales Susan is steps ahead of every character she meets, and though she is entirely amoral  selfish, and a cold and indifferent mother  we root for her, because we know what she knows: She is alone. She has nothing to protect her but her intelligence and cunning.

Love & Friendship reunites Beckinsale with her co-star from Stillmans The Last Days of Disco (1998), Chloe Sevigny, who plays Annas American confidante, Mrs. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson doesnt get a lot of screen time, but Sevigny gives the role a slyly comic galumphing-American quality, a down-to-earth contrast to Beckinsales grace.

As for the story ... well, its the same as in every Austen story, about the politics of courtship and the dreadful abyss that awaits all those who tumble from the upper class. But theres something a little different about Love & Friendship. The gloves are off. Romance is at a minimum and intrigue rules the world. Its strange, but we rarely think of the classic authors as compromising in order to gain an audience. But if this kind of caustic, comic story was really at the bottom of Austens artistic impulse, it says something.

Finally, it must be mentioned that everyone in Love & Friendship looks splendid. If the costumes by Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh (Cavalry) were any more beautiful, theyd be too beautiful.

Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicles movie critic. Email: mlasalle@sfchronicle.com Twitter: MickLaSalle

Love & Friendship

Comedy. Starring Kate Beckinsale, Chloe Sevigny and Xavier Sevigny. Directed by Whit Stillman. (PG. 94 minutes.)

To see a trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9NhSmvb-mg
Feast your eyes, Bay Area readers, on a 1960s classic that has it all.

The Chronicles front page from May 17, 1967, covers a number of stories  few of consequence but all worth a read 49 years ago and today.

Above The Chronicles nameplate we have a typical 1960s-era banner headline, this one a particular treat: The Runaway Hippies: A Girl Tries to Explain. It could be the title of a B-movie, and it refers to the story in the middle of the page that examines a trend that  gasp!  must have been shocking to some city residents.

A dozen new runaways enter the haunts of the Haight-Ashbury each day. But for every runaway, there are a score of semi-runaways, the story by George Gilbert read. The semi-runaways are the Flower Children who keep in touch with Mom and Dad. Now and then. Preferably by phone.

It borders on comedic now, but the hippie culture most obvious in San Francisco was fascinating to many, including Arnold Toynbee, a British author and historian who wrote a story for the London Observer that was published on this page after he toured Hippieland.

(Click to enlarge)

Flowers aside, San Francisco was going through a transformation. A transit transformation.

BART was coming, and not everyone was thrilled about the construction. In a story headlined How BART will rip up Market Street, The Chronicles Michael Harris relays the scene.

Market Street will never be the same again after the start of July. For three years  possibly less but probably somewhat longer  it will be a street of open trenches, narrowed sidewalks, planked roadways and, perhaps as partial compensation, some wonderfully fascinating machinery.

If those look-backs are fun enough, theres the story headlined Arson and Anarchy in S.F. Schools about Mission High vandalism.

Theres Mayor John F. Shelley lobbing political grenades toward the labor unions in the story headlined Mayors New Accusation About Jobs.

Ronald Reagan, then our great states governor, makes an appearance on the page, arguing for higher Pacific Telephone and Telegraph rates. An S.F. art dealer was questioned in a fraud case, and it wasnt a criminal masterpiece. And police guards in plainclothes started riding Muni, apparently not trying to get anywhere fast.

More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond.

And, of course, theres a front-page story about the weather getting a little cooler.

Take a bow, 1967 Chronicle editors.

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.

The Chronicle Covers project 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
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Aygun Badalova - Trend:

Once complete, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will be a major asset in European energy security tool box, said Maros Sefcovic, vice-president of the European Commission for Energy Union, whose words are published on the Commission's official website.

"By opening up access to gas from Azerbaijan, TAP will allow many countries, including in Central and South East Europe to diversify their sources of gas," Sefcovic said.

Southern Gas Corridor will be vital for reaching the Energy Union objectives of diversification of sources, routes and energy security, according to vice-president.

"Therefore timely completion is crucial so that gas from the new suppliers can flow to Europe by 2020," he added.

Maros Sefcovic will represent the Commission in a ceremony to launch the construction works of TAP in Thessaloniki, Greece on Tuesday 17 May. The event is hosted by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

TAP, which is the part of the Southern Gas Corridor project, envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries.

The European Commission repeatedly stated that the scalability of the Southern Gas Corridor is a crucial element for EU's energy security.

The 870-kilometer TAP will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.

TAP's shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

Maybe it was the earthquake scientist who said the southern leg of the ultra-dangerous San Andreas fault is locked, loaded and ready to roll. Or maybe its the improving technology in  and need for  seismic sensors that can shoot out split-second quake warnings.

In any event, Gov. Jerry Brown is changing his mind and allotting $10 million in his latest state budget plan for an earthquake alert system. Its a network that experts want to put into wider use in a state with a past  and future  filled with seismic shakes.
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Maybe the third time will be the charm.

After bruising fights in the Presidio and in Chicago, George Lucas may be bringing his museum proposal back to San Francisco with one key difference: the location.

Lucas is talking with city officials about locating the museum on Treasure Island.

For a variety of reasons, Treasure Island would be a better site. The island is embarking on a massive redevelopment project that could use a cultural facility to add life and interest to the area. The regulatory hurdles for a Treasure Island site are far less onerous, making it less likely that Lucas would run into the obstacles he met in the Presidio and in Chicago.

Last, but definitely not least, a Treasure Island site would give Lucas the opportunity not only to build in the city that was his first choice, but to be a pioneer there once again.

Plenty of details have to be worked out, starting with one that crippled the Lucas project in the Presidio: its design.

In his desire for a grand building, Lucas made several design missteps. In the Presidio, he proposed a squat building in a bland classical style; it failed to take advantage of the locations dramatic beauty and emboldened his critics. In Chicago, he swung the other way, proposing a dramatic futuristic design  again on a large scale  that garnered unfavorable comparisons with one of his best-known characters, Jabba the Hutt.

To make things work this third time, a bit of modesty may be in order.

The Treasure Island site may demand it. San Francisco zoning allows for the construction of a museum or cultural facility on the island, cutting down on the need for a difficult and drawn-out permitting process. Designing something large and out of scale with the sites more moderate footprint, however, might trigger a significant difference in the number of necessary approvals.

There are also concerns about transportation. Its tough to get to Treasure Island, and the addition of a major attraction could make it even more difficult without alternative transit options. Lucas may need to augment ferry service to the island, set to begin in 2022, especially in the early years of the museums existence.

But these matters arent impossible to overcome, and they are far outweighed by the potential upside of having a Lucas museum on Treasure Island.

The addition of a new community  8,000 homes, two hotels and 400,000 feet of commercial space  on Treasure Island is a spectacular opportunity for a new cultural attraction. Finally, Lucas may have found the right fit.
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On Sunday, the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason was packed with parents and students from the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts waiting to see the dance departments annual spring concert.

Minutes before the show, a steady parade of people, including present-day students and past students who became dance teachers and tech workers, climbed the stairs to the back of the theater to greet Elvia Marta, the departments director. Marta, 65, who has been with the San Francisco public high schools dance program since its inception in 1982, is retiring this year.

As part of the closing ceremony for the spring concert, Andrea Hinman, a 2004 SOTA graduate and Martas successor as director, announced that the schools dance studio will be named in Martas honor.

According to Hinman, its a fitting tribute for Marta, who has been a major influence for thousands and thousands of dancers. Marta, who received the announcement and a large bouquet onstage, seemed overwhelmed by the gesture.

Im very humbled by this experience, she said. I feel very fortunate that I was chosen to do this.

Brian Kohn, the schools principal, said Martas departure marks the loss of a great talent for the school. In addition to directing the dance department, Marta taught mandatory introductory classes for SOTAs non-dance students, teaching hundreds of awkward teenagers the rudiments of dancing.

But Kohn said he was optimistic about the future of the dance program, noting that it rests on a solid foundation thanks to Martas work.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

Shes leaving something behind that I know without a doubt will carry on for some time, Kohn said.

Martas path to SOTA started in 1966, when she and three of her siblings emigrated from Panama to San Francisco. Marta enrolled at San Franciscos Balboa High School, where at age 19 she was discovered by Yvonne McClung, one of the schools dance teachers.

McClung put Marta in touch with the late Raymond Sawyer, a local dance teacher and choreographer, who taught Marta the basics of Afro-American dance, jazz, modern style and how to choreograph a set.

According to Marta, McClung tricked her into teaching. Shortly after she started training as a dancer, Marta accompanied McClung on a trip to a teachers conference in Hayward where Sawyer was scheduled to teach a class. In the car, McClung terrified Marta by telling her that she would be subbing for Sawyer.

She said, Dont be scared; just go up and do everything youve learned in Raymonds classes, Marta said.

After the class, Marta received offers to teach in various Bay Area school districts. She enrolled at San Francisco State University to get her teaching credential, but it remained uncompleted for nearly a decade as she traveled back and forth across the country to Boston to teach and perform. In the Bay Area, she began teaching at ODC, where she continues teaching and taking classes.

Whirlwind schedule

During these busy years, Marta said it wasnt unusual for her to teach 15 classes a week and perform with multiple dance companies. Sometimes she would dance from 9 in the morning until 11 at night.

Elvia is like a San Francisco staple  she is dance, said Angela Dorantes, a dancer who graduated from SOTA in 1993 and now runs a dance school called Steppin Out Dance Studio in San Francisco. Everybody who dances in the city has either danced with her or heard about her.

Despite her career prospects, Marta was drawn to teaching. Halifu Osumare, the director of African American and African Studies at UC Davis, worked with Marta on and off during the 1970s at Everybodys Creative Art Center in Oakland. Osumare said Marta had the markings of a natural teacher, including an innate understanding of how to make youth fall in love with dance.

She knows how to put herself into her dance and really project the spirit of who she is, Osumare said. That is what attracted many students to her dance classes.

In 1978, Marta finally received her teaching credential, and in 1982 she accepted a job at the new School of the Arts. Marta quickly established a reputation as a warm but demanding taskmaster.

Made me grow

She was very loving after class and before class, but during class she really sets her standards high, Dorantes said. She really pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me grow as a dancer.

Marta led by example when it came to pushing boundaries, like when she decided to learn ballet at the age of 43. Crystal Lee, a 2009 SOTA dance graduate who co-founded a tech startup in San Francisco last year, said that Marta set the bar high for physical training and that it wasnt uncommon for students to arrive at class to find their teacher completing her first hour of sit-ups.

Ive never met anyone in my life like Elvia, Lee said. She has really high standards.

For some SOTA dancers, Elvias retirement is akin to losing a family member. Delaney Goodman, a senior in the dance program, said Marta offered mentorship and community for students from a diverse range of backgrounds.

SOTA is a public school, so not everyone is extremely privileged, Goodman said. But being here, Elvia is like a second mom for people.

Eli Wolfe is a Bay Area freelancer.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is of geo-strategic importance for the entire region, said Alexis Tsipras, Greek prime minister, at the TAP groundbreaking ceremony in Thessaloniki, Greece, May 17.

The beginning of the pipeline's construction coincides with a crucial moment for the Greek economy and contributes to its successful recovery, said Tsipras.

TAP will help Greece to become an important energy hub, he said, adding it is important that the Greek companies are involved in the project's implementation and up to 8,000 jobs will be created during TAP's construction.

Tsipras stressed that the pipeline also enhances regional cooperation, so besides economic, it is also of geo-strategic importance.

Ten billion cubic meters of gas will be supplied via TAP at the first stage, the Greek PM said, adding that up to seven million households will be provided with gas in Europe.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in Thessaloniki, Greece, May 17.

Attending the ceremony were such high-ranking officials as Azerbaijan's Minister of Energy Natig Aliyev, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Vice-President of the European Commission for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Greek Energy and Environment Minister Panos Skourletis, Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, as well as the representatives of the project shareholder companies, including Rovnag Abdullayev, head of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR).

TAP is the third part of the Southern Gas Corridor, envisaging Azerbaijani gas supplies to Europe, along with the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) and Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP).

TAP project envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries.



The 870-kilometer pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.

It is expected that the first gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas field will reach Europe via TAP in 2020.

TAP's initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters.

TAP shareholders are: BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
Beverage giant Constellation Brands has announced that it will purchase Napa Valleys Prisoner Wine Co. for approximately $285 million.

The move is the latest high-profile acquisition in a buying spree by Constellation. In November, the company purchased San Diegos Ballast Point Brewing for $1 billion, three months after it bought Meiomi from Napa vintner Joe Wagner for $315 million.

As with the Meiomi purchase, the Prisoner Wine Company deal includes only a brand  no vineyards. These staggering brand prices suggest a significant departure from the model that has long dominated the wine industry, in which land carries the greatest capital.

Now, it would seem, brand trumps land.

David Duprey/AP

Our goal is to be a leader in the premium U.S. wine market and to continue to premiumize our portfolio, and super luxury is one of the fastest growing segments in the category, said Bill Newlands, president of Constellations wine and spirits division. The super luxury category comprises wines costing more than $25 a bottle.

This intense focus on the super luxury sphere is reflective of where wine consumers are gravitating.

Constellation is trying to do the same thing that Gallos trying to do  buying up fine wine companies and higher-priced wines, said Rob McMillan, executive vice president of Silicon Valley Banks wine division. The large wine companies which used to focus on higher-volume, lower-priced wines have recognized that the sales of those below-$9 wines have been dropping like a stone.

5 brands

Theyre trying to get right in front of the market as it evolves.

The Prisoner Wine Co., currently owned by Rutherfords Huneeus Vintners, includes five wine brands, which Newlands called category-leading, unique and innovative wine blends ranking in the top one or two in the super luxury category. The portfolio is composed of Blindfold, a Chardonnay blend; Cuttings, a Cabernet blend; Saldo, a Zinfandel; Thorn, a Merlot blend; and, of course, the Prisoner itself  a $35 Zinfandel-based blend whose etched Francisco de Goya label will look familiar to patrons of wine shops all over the country.

Other Constellation bottles are also probably familiar to the public: Robert Mondavi Winery, Cooks, Manischewitz, Clos du Bois. Its also a major player in the beer and spirits realms, owning beer brands including Corona and Modelo, and spirits including Svedka vodka.

This wont be the first time the Prisoner has changed hands. Launched in 2000 by Dave Phinney, of Orin Swift Cellars, the Prisoner happily coincided with a surge in popularity of the red blend category of wine. It quickly found mass-market success. By 2010, the wines production had grown to 85,000 cases, and Phinney sold it to Huneeus Vintners. The price at the time was $40 million.

Constellations history

Six years later, the Prisoners production has increased to 170,000 cases annually.

Constellation Brands was launched by 21-year-old Marvin Sands in Rochester, N.Y., in 1945 as the Canandaigua Industries Co., a negociant-style seller of bulk wine.

Paul Sakuma/AP

The company first went west in 1974 when it acquired Bisceglia Brothers Winery in Madera. Though the focus remained on wine for many years, Canandaigua truly solidified its presence in beer and spirits with the 1993 acquisition of Barton Inc.  which brought beer brands Corona, Peroni and St. Pauli Girl, plus Ten High Bourbon whiskey, Montezuma Tequila and California sparkling wine pioneer Paul Masson. In 2000, Canandaigua was rechristened as Constellation Brands.

Today, with behemoth brands like Svedka, Modelo and Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, one could almost imagine an entire bar stocked with Constellation products. It has more than 100 brands and owns 20,000 acres of vineyards. It sells 67 million cases of wine and spirits every year, and 182 million cases of beer.

For the Prisoner, current general manager and winemaker Jen Beloz will remain in charge, but production will move to the Constellation-owned Franciscan Estate in St. Helena. When asked whether the current vineyard sources of the Prisoner wines would stay the same, Newlands hinted that some changes may be in the works.

Keeping wine consistent

We intend to continue their sourcing contracts as well as provide further access to our premium Napa fruit, he said, adding that the focus would be on maintaining the wine styles.

If the vineyards do change, maintaining those consistent styles could be difficult. That ends up being the conundrum that big wine companies have to deal with, said McMillan. Returns on investments in vineyards arent great in the short term  it takes about 25 years to see a good return. But its challenging to keep the wine consistent if you have to find new vineyard sources.

Whether or not Constellation manages to achieve consistency, McMillan believes it is poised to find success. The brand is already up and running, in wide distribution, with loyal consumers and recognizable branding. I see this as a very intelligent move for Constellation, he said. Its going to be interesting to see where they take it.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine, beer and spirits writer. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley
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UPDATE: The 49ers have released a statement regarding French Laundry-gate.

"The bet took place two years ago and Tim has never shared his concerns about the dinner with me," York said in the statement to Pro Football Talk. "I am happy to speak with Tim one-on-one so we can all move forward."

So there you have it, folks. The offseason's weirdest story continues.

ORIGINAL STORY: Jed York is very rich, and sometimes very rich people forget what normal dinners cost.

Mercury News columnist Tim Kawakami detailed on his podcast the time York stuck him with a $2100 bill for dinner at the French Laundry.

The story begins in 2013 with Kawakami betting York on Twitter that the 49ers' new stadium wouldn't be completed by 2014.

York took Kawakami up on the bet, but upped the ante by suggesting dinner. At the French Laundry.

And so it came to pass: Levi's Stadium was completed and Kawakami had to pay up. That's when the full price of his bet came crashing down on him.

"Can I bring my wife?" Kawakami says York texted him. "You don't have to pay for her."

Sure, he agreed. Along with Kawakami, York and his wife, Chronicle columnist Ann Killion and Sacramento Bee 49ers writer Matt Barrows came along (and paid their own way). The meal lasted five hours and spanned 17 courses. And then the bill came: $2,440 without tip.

Killion and Barrows paid their share and Kawakami looked to Jed to provide the share for his wife.

"He's just kind of laughing," Kawakami says. "... I'm just waiting for him. That's $600 apiece ... I'm paying for his wife now on a bet that was just over Twitter that was just supposed to be lunch."

So Kawakami pays for himself, Jed and his wife  plus a $500 tip that York also refused to help pay.

But the craziest part of the story isn't that Jed was being petty; he had no idea that $2100 is an insane amount of money to pay for dinner.

"If I thought Jed was sticking it to me, I'd almost be OK with it," Kawakami says. "I don't even think he knew. I don't think he knew what $2100 means to a sportswriter who didn't inherit a billion-dollar team."
Authorities are on the hunt for the man responsible for a late-morning shooting Tuesday at San Pablo Park in Berkeley that left a young man in the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.

The Berkeley Police Department received several reports of gunshots fired in the area at 11:08 a.m., said Officer Byron White, a Berkeley Police Department spokesman.

Officers, upon arrival to the location, found a man believed to be in his early twenties with multiple gunshot wounds outside of the parks bathrooms, White said.

The man was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

White was unsure of the mans condition as of early Tuesday afternoon.

Witnesses in the area described the shooter as a light-skinned male, in his 20s, about 6-foot-tall, wearing a cream-colored shirt and baggy jeans, White said.

Officers werent aware of any other details regarding the incident and said the investigation is ongoing.

We are talking to neighbors and witnesses to try to determine what has happened, White said.

I wouldnt say something like this is common in this area, he said. Weve had shootings here in the past, but its not a common occurrence.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact the Berkeley Police Department at (510) 981-5900.

Kevin Schultz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kschultz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: KevinEdSchultz
A fourth Oakland police officer has been placed on administrative leave as a result of an ongoing sexual misconduct investigation by the police Internal Affairs Division, according to Oakland Police.

Police, who remain tight-lipped about the case, said Wednesday that three police officers were placed on leave as the departments Internal Affairs Division looked into allegations of sexual misconduct involving officers.

Then on Friday, Police Chief Sean Whent and Mayor Libby Schaaf held a news conference and revealed that the Alameda County district attorneys office would begin a parallel investigation into the misconduct case, and review the departments handling of another case involving two suicides: the 2015 suicide of police Officer Brendan OBrien and the 2014 suicide of that officers wife, Irma Huerta Lopez.

Whent said he welcomed the district attorneys review and had himself been concerned in 2014 when hed heard about Lopezs alleged suicide. He said that his department investigated the case to make sure it wasnt a homicide and that he was confident in their finding of suicide because Lopez had gunshot residue on her hands.

Whent and Schaaf would not say whether the suicides and the sexual misconduct cases are related. They said little about what the misconduct case involves except to say they will not tolerate lying and criminal behavior by their officers.

The allegations in this (sexual misconduct) case are extremely troubling, Whent said.

He said a review of off-duty misconduct cases over the last several years had shown an unfortunate spate of incidents over the last few months. Whent has asked the city auditor and the Police Departments inspector general to analyze all of those cases and look for patterns.

In April, another Oakland officer, Cullen Faeth, faces misdemeanor charges of battery, trespassing and public intoxication for an incident in which a family complained that a man tried to break into their home and attacked a woman who lived there.

These scandals came just as things were looking up for the embattled Police Department, which has been subject to a court-appointed monitor for years.

Schaaf has made law enforcement a pillar of her administration, promising to boost Oaklands police force to 800 officers by the end of her term in 2018. Last year, the executive director of President Obamas Task Force on 21st Century Policing touted Oaklands department as one to emulate in the post-Ferguson, Mo., era.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com
For more than 25 years, Richard Johnson has called a one-bedroom apartment in Hayes Valley home  even as the neighborhood changed and rents increased, pushing out old friends. He never imagined he would be among them.

Johnson, 59, who was diagnosed with HIV in 1987, is disabled and receives a monthly rental assistance voucher from the Housing Opportunities for Persons with HIV/AIDS, known as HOPWA. But while other federal housing programs protect tenants from rent increases, this one does not. On Johnsons birthday in December, he got a letter in the mail: His rent was going to go up by 175 percent.

Next year, they could raise my rent to full market price, and I would lose my apartment of 25 years because I couldnt afford it and have no way to fight an eviction, said Johnson, who was able to get the rent increase reduced to 35 percent. My story is not unique. Those with HIV and AIDS, we are being selectively pushed out by the exorbitant increases and have no protections against it.

Supervisor Scott Wiener on Tuesday will introduce legislation at the Board of Supervisors that would close the rent control loophole, allowing those relying on the program to be protected from increases. The measure could begin providing protection as soon as July.

When youre talking about renters who are long-term HIV survivors, these are people who are disproportionally low-income or on a fixed income, Wiener said. These are not people that can afford to rent at market rate. If their rent spikes, unless they get really lucky, they have to leave the city or become homeless. The last thing we need is people with HIV being pushed out of their homes due to an irrational loophole.

The HIV/AIDS federal voucher program helps people living with the disease by providing rental subsidies. Residents must make less than 80 percent of the area median income, and the voucher will cover a certain percentage of the rent, up to $1,900. There are about 250  mostly elderly  people who rely on the program in San Francisco.

No one is sure why the rent control loophole exists or why those living with HIV and AIDS are exempted. When rent becomes too expensive, many of those in the program are forced to leave the city, losing access to vital medical care and city services. Others are bounced from home to home, relying on friends and family. The unluckiest end up on the streets.

If they lose their current housing, there is very little chance of finding an affordable unit in the city again, said Jaime Rush, a housing attorney for the AIDS Legal Referral Panel. It is a choice between staying in San Francisco and being either literally homeless or marginally homeless. The two avenues are both going to rapidly lead to deterioration of health. It doesnt end well for these folks.

Johnson said negotiating his rent spike plunged him into depression. The longtime neighborhood advocate and activist struggled to find other places to live. His identity is intimately tied to his neighborhood.

Its unethical, what these people are doing, he said. Its a loophole that allows greedy landlords to jack rent up. And others, like me, have to face the cold fact that our landlords can raise our under-market-rate rental units to market rate in one increase. It seems discriminatory.

But, if the measure receives support at the Board of Supervisors, it could be fast-tracked to Mayor Ed Lees desk, helping people like Johnson stay in their homes.

We want this measure to be as quick as humanly possible, Wiener said. I am confident it will receive strong support. Were hoping to waive the 30-day rule and have it signed and in effect within a month or two. Its outrageous that people living with HIV would be excluded from rent control, unlike everyone else.
A ridge of high pressure is expected to deliver scorching temperatures and dry conditions through much of the Bay Area Tuesday, but the heat will be short lived as temperatures begin to taper off through evening and into the next two days.

Temperatures in the East Bay are expected to soar into the low 90s Tuesday, reaching their peak between 2 and 4 p.m, said Steve Anderson, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Monterey. The average temperature for the East Bay Tuesday will be 78 degrees.
Drivers tired of dodging potholes and transportation officials weary of fighting for funding got a bit of promising news with a recent poll showing that Bay Area voters may be willing to raise their gas taxes by a nickel a gallon to fix roads.

But the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, responsible for regional transportation planning and finance, is in no hurry to put a nine-county gas tax measure on the November ballot for fear it might weaken other potential efforts to coax voters to help pay for a variety of transportation needs and other projects.

Were extremely mindful that if we put another measure on the ballot, that could, for some voters, make a difference, said Randy Rentschler, an MTC spokesman. We worry about that because there are a lot of things we want to do, but we know there is a limit to what people will support.

No city, county or transportation agency has placed a measure on the November ballot yet  they have until June or July  but several are planning to do so.

Voters in San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties will probably be asked to approve a $3.5 billion bond measure to modernize and maintain BART. In addition, half-cent sales tax measures to improve roads, highways and public transportation are being contemplated in San Francisco, Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties. Oakland is also contemplating a city bond measure that, among other things, could fund road, bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

And that doesnt count expected housing measures and the usual school, library and assorted city, county and district tax measures likely to populate the ballot.

While the need to invest in the Bay Areas transportation system is obvious, as anyone whos packed onto a BART or Muni train or sat at the Bay Bridge toll plaza can attest, Bay Area leaders are concerned that they could risk alienating voters with too many disjointed requests to help improve the regions transportation mess.

There may be tax exhaustion before the time Bay Area voters get to the end of their ballots, said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Coupal said voters need to be convinced that spending more money to relieve congestion will work.

State, federal funds cut

Whats driving the plethora of potential transportation tax measures is a sharp decline in state and federal funding. State and federal gas taxes, the traditional way of funding transportation, havent been increased in two decades, and revenue is falling as gas consumption declines. Gridlock in Congress has cut transportation funding to a trickle, and a strange twist in the way California collects the gas tax that requires an adjustment to the tax rate when prices rise or fall has also prompted cuts in projected funding.

So regions such as the Bay Area have a choice to either resign themselves to forever sit in gridlock or stand on crowded trains  or figure out how to pay for it themselves.

Were not getting the help we used to out of Washington and Sacramento, said Ross Chittenden, chief deputy executive director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, which is leading the effort for the Contra Costa tax measure. Were having to take things into our own hands.

The Bay Area has a history of passing transportation bond measures, such as the one in 1962 that paid for BARTs construction, as well as transportation sales taxes, which got their start in Santa Clara County in 1976. Every Bay Area county except Solano has passed one or more sales taxes to help make it easier to get around. And Solano, which has come close in the past, will try again in June with a half-cent proposal that would last for five years.

A variety of polls on the potential ballot measures show that theyre at least close to the support theyll need to win  individually. Late in April, the MTC poll, for instance, showed that 65 percent of voters back a nickel-per-gallon gas tax. Its the closest in almost two decades that polling results have come close to a 66.7 percent supermajority needed to pass a regional gas tax.

Crowded ballot concerns

But nobody is sure how voters might react to a long ballot that proposes a regional gas tax, a BART bond measure and a transportation sales tax.

Carl Guardino, a member of the state Transportation Commission and chief executive officer of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, has worked to pass several transportation measures. He doesnt think a crowded ballot, even one with multiple transportation measures, will sway citizens to vote any of them down.

That is a common assumption that is commonly wrong, he said, explaining that he thinks voters consider issues separately, then act on whats best for them.

November elections for president are the best time to ask voters for money, he said, because theyre contemplating the future and thinking about issues.

Weve never had a clean ballot free of other tax measures, Guardino said, referring to Santa Clara County transportation sales tax efforts, and theyve all been successful.

Chittenden, however, isnt convinced. While Contra Costa voters have approved two transportation sales tax proposals in the past, antitax sentiment runs stronger in the county than in San Francisco or Alameda counties.

Were very concerned about the length of the ballot and where we ultimately get placed, he said. Ive heard people say theres no evidence that a crowded ballot hurts your chances, but theres no evidence that it doesnt, either.

Regional discussions

Contra Costa officials are working closely with BART to make sure their measures work together instead of competing.

Everything dovetails together well, he said. But will people see that and support them all, or will they pick and choose?

Scott Wiener, a San Francisco supervisor and MTC member, said similar talks are going on among all the Bay Area counties and transportation agencies about how to keep, or get, the region moving  with the help of transportation taxes.

There are a lot of regional conversations happening right now, he said. And its long overdue. We as a region need to realize that we all rise and fall together when it comes to transportation.

As for the regional gas tax plan, MTC commissioners are leaning toward conducting more detailed polling, including a look at the cumulative impact of ballot measures, before they make a decision.
Zyzzyva  the word comes last in some dictionaries, but certainly not in the Bay Area literary community. On Friday, May 20, the San Francisco journal of arts and letters will host its annual fundraising celebration featuring readings by Lori Ostlund, Vanessa Hua and Octavio Solis, as well as live music, food and wine. Zyzzyva Managing Editor Oscar Villalon called it a gathering of those who contribute to keeping San Franciscos literary community together. This is also true of the publication itself; its most recent issue contains a profile of former U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan, an illustrated essay by experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats, new fiction by the late Alan Cheuse and more. Fridays event, emceed by author Glen David Gold, takes place at 6:30 p.m. on the 28th floor of Two Embarcadero, San Francisco. Tickets start at $25.

 Frances Saux
Embattled Lending Club disclosed late Monday that it has received a grand jury subpoena from the Department of Justice after it ousted Renaud Laplanche as chairman and CEO on May 9 over internal control issues.

The San Francisco company, which operates an online marketplace for consumer loans, also disclosed that a number of investors that, in the aggregate, have contributed a significant amount of funding on the platform, have paused their investments. ... As a result, the company may need to use its own funds to purchase these loans in the coming months.

The news, included in a quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, calls into question whether Lending Club can regain the investor trust it needs to survive.

The company originally connected consumers who needed loans with individual investors willing to fund them. As it grew, most of its funding came from institutions, not individuals. Some institutions packaged Lending Club loans into securities they sold to other investors.

Many Lending Club borrowers used their loans to pay off higher-rate credit card debt. The issue now is whether investors will continue funding these loans at a rate that lets this model work.

I think survival is very much a question mark at this point, said Julianna Balicka, an analyst with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. Until they have a clear strategy to regain investor confidence, she said, it really isnt possible for us to know how this will play out.

On May 9, Lending Club said Laplanche resigned after a board review found that the company sold $22 million in loans to an unnamed institutional investor in contravention of the investors express instructions. It added that certain personnel apparently were aware that the sale did not meet the investors criteria. The review started after it was discovered that someone changed the application dates for $3 million of the loans.

Separately, the company said Laplanche failed to fully inform the board that he had a personal interest in an outside fund while Lending Club was considering an investment in the same fund.

Shares in Lending Club fell 34 cents, or 8.6 percent, to $3.60 per share Tuesday. It went public in December 2014 at $15 per share. Its stock shot as high as $25.90 shortly after the IPO, but it has been mostly downhill since then as concerns over marketplace lending have continued to mount.

Lending Club said it contacted the Securities and Exchange Commission about the matter and that ti intends to cooperate with the SEC and the Justice Department.

In its SEC filing, it said that an outside adviser analyzed certain loan data elements from whole loans issued and sold during the second quarter of 2014 through the first quarter of 2016. Excluding the $3 million of loans with doctored dates, the adviser found that 99.99% of the remaining loans display either no changes or changes explained by the normal course of business. It said it has taken various control remediation steps, including termination or resignation of senior managers involved in these non-compliant loan sales, and intends to take additional control and other remediation steps in the coming months.

Lending Club has been selling 100 percent of the loans made through its marketplace. If investors back off, the company could hold some of those loans itself, but thats only a stopgap measure, Balicka said.

Hedge funds might be willing to take the place of departing investors, but they are likely to want higher rates, said Evan Singer, president of SmartBiz Loans, a San Francisco company that helps banks originate Small Business Administration loans through its online marketplace. The question is, will borrowers be willing to pay the higher rate if (Lending Clubs) cost of capital goes up?

Singer said that some large financial institutions with lower costs of capital, such as Goldman Sachs, are planning to enter this business. I think (Lending Club) can survive, but they have some challenges, he said.

Insikt is a San Francisco company that has purchased about $80 million in Lending Club loans. It buys whole loans that meet its proprietary underwriting criteria. It has packaged about $45 million of these loans into securities and sold them to accredited individual investors.

It is purchasing loans through Lending Club and Prosper as a sideline to its core business, which is working with banks to make nonprime loans to customers with lower credit ratings.

Insikt will continue buying loans through Lending Club provided they still meet our credit criteria, said James Gutierrez, Insikt chief executive.

Lending Club has done a million things right to get where they are, he said. But they need to enhance their disclosures, they need to enhance their processes internally to make sure something like this never happens again. This is one thing they did wrong out of a million things right.

Lending Club said, We are not surprised to receive a Department of Justice subpoena in light of our public disclosures and the focus of the department on financial services. The company is fully cooperating and has engaged in a productive and orderly dialogue through counsel. While the investigation is still in its early stages, the Company is pleased with the open and positive interactions that have occurred to date.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: kathpender
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Aygun Badalova - Trend:

Georgia is committed to the diversification of energy supplies to Europe through the Southern Gas Corridor, Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili said during the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) groundbreaking ceremony in Thessaloniki, Greece on May 17.

He said that the realization of the Southern Gas Corridor illustrates that energy became a cornerstone and opportunity for the countries involved to enhance economic growth and security.

He also added that TAP will facilitate the connection of a number of existing and proposed pipelines.

TAP, which is the part of the Southern Gas Corridor project, envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries.

The 870-kilometer TAP will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.

TAP's shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
Spencer Platt / Getty Image/Getty Image

A 32-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries after he was stabbed in the chest Monday afternoon in San Franciscos Mission District during a fight with a 14-year-old boy, police said.

The man was on the 1900 block of Mission Street near 16th Street around 5:30 p.m when he got into a fight with the teenager, said Officer Albie Esparza, a San Francisco Police Department spokesman. Thats when, according to the victims statement to police, the teenager stabbed him.
San Jose Police Department

Two men were arrested in the killing of a 34-year-old real estate agent and San Francisco resident, who was gunned down in October on a San Jose street after leaving a bar where he celebrated a career achievement, police said Monday.

The suspects, Nathan Nai Fong Saechao, 19, of Oakland and Manh Do Van Tran, 29, of Hayward, were arrested on suspicion of killing Michael Arcega, said Sgt. Enrique Garcia, a San Jose police spokesman.
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A San Francisco review board says police violated the rights of a Spanish-speaking woman who complained of domestic violence but was denied an interpreter, was told to speak English and was eventually arrested based on her ex-partners unsubstantiated claims.

Police Chief Greg Suhr disciplined at least one of the officers, issuing a written reprimand and ordering him to take additional training. A lawyer for the woman who filed the complaint said Tuesday that the punishment was too light and should have included at least a suspension.

It sends a message to officers that they do not need to comply with Police Department policies, said attorney Angela Chan of Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus.

Sgt. Michael Andraychak, a police spokesman, said Suhr took appropriate action in the case. He did not give details or identify the officer.

The woman, Dora Mejia, said her ex-partner had sexually assaulted her in her Mission District apartment in May 2014, and called police to falsely accuse her of attacking him. When officers arrived, the ex-partner had left.

Mejia said the officers refused to provide her with a Spanish-language interpreter, told her to communicate in English the best she could, and showed no interest when she tried to describe past abuses. They then provided an interpreter to her ex-partner for a phone interview, listened to his account and arrested her, leaving her three children with him, she said.

Mejia was kept in jail overnight, but was released on bond and freed when prosecutors declined to charge her. She has sued the officers and the city, seeking damages for lost wages and pain and suffering, and court orders requiring compliance with department policies. Chan said one of those policies, adopted in 2007, requires police to identify a persons primary language and provide interpretive services, either through a bilingual officer in person or by telephone.

In a report on the case in September, the citys Office of Citizen Complaints found that the officers had violated department policies on language services, had failed to properly investigate the case and had arrested Mejia without cause. Chan provided the report to The Chronicle this week.

One of the officers spoke to Mejias 5-year-old daughter, who said she had seen her mothers partner get on top of her and tried to kiss her before she pushed him away. Police ignored that evidence and, by failing to provide an interpreter, prevented Mejia from explaining her case or contradicting her ex-partner, the offices report said.

Police Department records show that Suhr reprimanded one unidentified officer in October. Chan said the reprimand was only for neglect of duty and did not cover Mejias wrongful arrest.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: egelko
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High school graduation rates hit a record high across California, with the biggest gains made by students most at risk of dropping out, according to statewide figures released Tuesday.

More than 82 percent of students who started high school in 2011 graduated four years later, up from 81 percent a year earlier and marking the sixth consecutive year of growth in the state.

The 2015 data showed increases among all demographics, with the largest strides made by student groups with the lowest historical graduation rates  African American and Hispanic students, English learners, and migrant students.

More than 69 percent of English learners graduated with their class, up four percentage points from a year earlier.

The jumps, mirrored in many Bay Area districts, trace in part to the elimination of the High School Exit Exam graduation requirement, which the state suspended last year, officials said. In previous years, English learners were often denied a diploma because they couldnt pass the English and math exams.

However, the increases follow a six-year trend of improvement in graduation rates, going back well before the Exit Exam was put on hold, said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.

This is encouraging news any way you look at it, especially since the increase is occurring as we are introducing much more rigorous academic standards, Torlakson said in a statement. But a lot of work remains, and our schools still need additional and stable resources.

More ready for college

The state and the Bay Area also achieved gains in the percentage of graduates who were college-ready  meaning they met eligibility requirements for the University of California or California State University systems.

In Oakland, 56.5 percent of 2015 graduates met those standards, up from 49.1 percent a year earlier.

San Francisco Unified saw across-the-board gains, with nearly 85 percent of students graduating on time in 2015  among the highest urban rates in the state.

When more of our students are graduating, its like the Warriors winning a game, said Superintendent Richard Carranza in a statement. It shows our team of educators, parents and community partners are working together to ensure students score.

Some district officials said additional state funding for low-income students and English learners helped focus attention and services on the most at-risk kids.

Big jump in Pittsburg

In the Contra Costa County city of Pittsburg, the graduation rate jumped to 88.4 percent  up from 75.1 percent the previous year. The district used extra state funding to pay for summer school and after-school classes, so lagging students could catch up on required courses, said Superintendent Janet Schulze.

We allocated a significant portion of these funds to provide more opportunities for our students to take classes and receive extra supports, she said. This is a recognition of our talented students and the skill, professionalism and commitment of our teachers and staff.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: jilltucker
Following news that Senator Bernie Sanders would be returning to the Bay Area this week for a political rally in Vallejo on Wednesday evening, the presidential candidate has announced an additional, earlier event in the South Bay.

Per an official campaign email, Sanders will appear at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds (344 Tully Road in San Jose) to deliver his political pillars, "including getting big money out of politics, his plan to make public colleges and universities tuition-free, combating climate change and ensuring universal health care."
WASHINGTON  A rift between environmentalists and labor, two pillars of the Democratic coalition, broke open acrimoniously Monday, when a group of big unions threatened to boycott an ambitious get-out-the-vote operation planned for the November election unless a wealthy opponent of climate change was barred from it.

Warning that organized labor risked being infiltrated by financial and political interests that work in direct conflict with their members, the presidents of seven building-trade unions demanded that the AFL-CIO cut its ties with Thomas Steyer, a San Francisco hedge fund manager who has spent millions promoting efforts to combat climate change.
Details added (First version posted on 17:28)

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Aygun Badalova - Trend:

The US remains committed to supporting new routes, including the Southern Gas Corridor, Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and IGB (Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria), that promote diversification for Europe's energy security, said US Secretary of State John Kerry's message read out by Amos Hochstein, the US Department of State special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs.

Hochstein read the message during the TAP groundbreaking ceremony in Thessaloniki, Greece on May 17.

Kerry said in a message that TAP is the last essential piece of the Southern Gas Corridor, and today's ceremony is an important event.

He further said that the Southern Gas Corridor by providing 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas per annual will provide new hope and opportunity for Europe in terms of diversification.

He also stressed that it is important to move forward not only with the Southern Gas Corridor, but also other interconnections, such as IGB.

The message also said that despite the US is not a country along the routing of the Southern Gas Corridor, it will continue to provide the support for the project.

TAP, which is the part of the Southern Gas Corridor project, envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries.

The 870-kilometer TAP will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.

TAP's shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

Trend:

Representatives of Bakcell, The First Mobile Operator and Leading Mobile Internet Provider of Azerbaijan, have met with the students of the Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry and the Azerbaijan Technical University.

During the meeting, the students were provided with detailed information about the achievements of Bakcell, which has recently celebrated its 20th birthday, as well as the company's student-oriented "Smart Start" internship program along with the innovative mobile developer project "AppLab".

This is a very exciting opportunity to gain valuable experience within various departments of telecom industry by working alongside our professional staff. The duration of the internship in the "Smart Start" program is 2 months, with 5 full working days a week. Bakcell provides the interns with a relevant stipend to cover their daily meal and travel expenses.

Upon completion of the internship program, all the participants are evaluated and granted with certificates proving their participation in the project. In addition, all graduates of the "Smart Start" program are regarded as potential candidates for the job openings at Bakcell.

In 2015, over 2,000 applications were submitted to Bakcell for the participation in the "Smart Start" internship program. 688 applicants had Call Interviews, 480 were selected to undergo testing and group interviews. Out of them, 190 were invited for personal interviews, 32 have passed all stages successfully, and were invited to participate in the program. Three most active and perspective interns, who had successfully completed the program gained opportunity to be employed by Bakcell.

"AppLab" is an accelerated execution framework to support selected developers to drive execution of ideas, mobile apps and technologies from proof of concept to launch at a regional level. Apart from supporting the developers by providing space and tools to develop and distribute mobile applications, Bakcell, in partnership with Wayra UK, provides the local developers an opportunity to present their ideas and receive investments.

Bakcell, The First Mobile Operator and the Leading Mobile Internet Provider of Azerbaijan, offers a variety of products for modern mobile communications customers. Bakcell provides class leading 3G mobile internet experience in the country under the Su[email protected] brand name.

As one of the largest national non-oil investors, Bakcell today continues making large investments in the economy of Azerbaijan through its investments in state-of-the-art telecommunication technology and its people who service our customers.

Bakcell's network covers more than 99 percent of the population and 93 percent of the land area of the country (excluding occupied territories). Bakcell is a leader in innovation and it focuses on bringing the best of the mobile internet to Azerbaijanis through new partnerships and its Su[email protected] services.

For more information about Bakcell products and services, please visit www.bakcell.com or call 555. For press releases please see www.bakcell.com/az/news (or www.bakcell.com/en/news for press releases in English).

If you are not a Bakcell subscriber, but wish to find out about Bakcell and its services, please call 055 000 05 55
Even in the year 2016, in the same moment the U.S. government and Attorney General Loretta Lynch publicly stand up for and protect the "fairness and inclusion" of all Americans, being transgender is still considered a mental disorder by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Denmark, however, for its part has "run out of patience" with that idea, and has instead opted to forego the WHO's classification, saying that its definition of transgender is "stigmatizing" and "discriminatory," per reports from the Independent and Mic.

The WHO's process of amending its collection is diagnoses is historically very sluggish and convoluted, and though it is currently revamping and working on a new system for registering such diagnoses, the changes weren't happening fast enough for officials of the Scandinavian nation.

The WHO definition change will likely come in 2017 (even though it was submitted in January 2014), but Denmark has resolved not to wait, and to declassify being transgender as a mental illness before the end of 2016.

"[The WHO] has been working on [the new process] for a very, very long time," Social Democrat spokesman Flemming Moller Mortensen told Ritzau, a Danish news agency. "Now we've run out of patience, and want to send out a signal saying that if the system is not changed by October, then we in Denmark will go it alone."

As he also notes, the declassification goes far beyond just getting rid of the stigma of associating being transgender with mental illness. In Denmark, he adds, "trans people can be denied insurance because they have a diagnosis."

In the United States, despite Lynch's position, transgender individuals face a whole other list of problems, including a six-month jail sentence in Alabama for using what the state considers to be the incorrect bathroom, and the ever-looming risk of losing a job due to enabled state-sanctioned discrimination policies.

Hopefully, other nations follow the examples of Denmark and Canada, and decide to follow suit.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, May 17

By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:

Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has signed a decree to create a state commission for orderly arranging the grain harvest in 2016.

The document has been signed in order to ensure quick harvesting without loss and uninterrupted transportation of the crop to storages and elevators.

Turkmenistan's Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources has been tasked to organize the proper maintenance of combine harvesters, ensure their productive and uninterrupted operation during the harvest time.

The country's Road Transport Ministry has been tasked to ensure the timely and lossless transportation of the harvested wheat from the fields to receiving centers, storages and elevators and uninterrupted and effective operation of vehicles.

Over 1.406 million tons of grain was planted in Turkmenistan in 2015.
A young man from Palo Alto and another from Gilroy have been identified among a group of Americans suspected of joining ISIS, based on an investigation by NBC News.

The network says they compiled a list of 15 likely American ISIS recruits after receiving a thumb drive from a self-described ISIS defector.

"The drive contained the names and snippets of biographical information of more than 4,000 ISIS foreign fighters who entered Syria in 2013 and 2014," reads the NBC report. "The documents, effectively ISIS personnel files, have been verified by West Point's Combating Terrorism Center and other counterterrorism specialists."

Among those singled out in the report were Jaffrey Khan, a Palo Alto resident who - according to a cousin - had grown "hateful" of America after researching conflict in the Middle East. Khan is the son of Pakistani immigrants. He is believed to have moved to Syria along with a wife and her brother, who were also featured in the NBC investigation. According to the report, Khan and his wife were last heard from while working at a hospital in ISIS-held Raqqa, where they were raising a daughter.

Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images

NBC reports that Alberto Renteria attended Gilroy public schools. He was raised Catholic before adopting Islam. He began regularly attending services at a local Islamic center, where the Imam described him as "very quiet."

"His family told their landlord that he had joined the military. But the ISIS documents show that he entered Syria at Tel Abyad in March 2014," reports NBC, which obtained a photo they say is Renteria seen with a gun in hand.

His current location is not known.

Law enforcement officials tell the network that an estimated 250 Americans have tried to join IS.
The Washington Post

BEIRUT  The Russian military is constructing a new army base in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, within the protected zone that holds the archaeological site listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site and without asking for permission from relevant authorities, an American heritage organization and a top Syrian archaeologist said Tuesday.

The American School of Oriental Researchs Cultural Heritage Initiative posted pictures from the satellite imagery and analytics company DigitalGlobe that show the construction on the edge of the ancient site that was damaged by the Islamic State group, which held Palmyra for 10 months.
A San Mateo dog groomer was arrested and booked for animal cruelty when a young Dachshund left in his care for grooming on Sunday died after suffering two broken ribs and a punctured lung, police said.

Juan Zarate, 38, of San Francisco was arrested at the PetSmart store in the 3500 block of South El Camino Real after officers found that deliberate actions committed by Zarate likely contributed to the animals death, according to sergeant Richard Decker of the San Mateo Police Department.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, May 17

By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:

President of Turkmenistan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has signed a decree pardoning 853 people on the occasion of May 18 - Constitution day.

The decree was signed at the working meeting, Turkmen government's message said.

President Berdimuhamedov instructed to take all necessary measures that the pardoned people could celebrate the holiday at home, with their families and loved ones. The relevant officials charged with solving the issue of employment of people returned from detention facilities.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, May 17

By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:

Turkmenistan has presented its initiatives on creation of transnational transit transport corridors within the 96th meeting of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee, Turkmen Foreign Ministry's message said May 17.

IMO is the UN's specialized agency responsible for improving maritime safety and preventing pollution from ships. It serves for cooperation and exchange of information on technical issues related to international commercial shipping. IMO's headquarters is in London, the UK.

Turkmen delegation was received by IMO Secretary General Ki Tack Lim said the message.

Turkmen delegation's representatives familiarized the participants with the ongoing projects on the creation of multimodal transit transport corridors and corridors in the directions of "East-West" and "North-South", and also with the Turkmenbashi international sea port's significance and capacity.

Head of the IMO's CIS and Eastern Europe Division Ivaylo Valev noted that this presentation is the first event held by Turkmenistan at the IMO and emphasized the existence of great opportunities for expanding the cooperation.

Turkmenistan borders with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Iran. In recent years, regional transport projects have been activated in this region. The shortest routes linking Central Asia with European countries, India, Pakistan, and countries of the Indian Ocean basin run on the Caspian Sea.

Edited by SI
Connor Radnovich / The Chronicle 2015

BERKELEY (BCN)



A veteran actor has been charged with felony driving under the influence of drugs for allegedly striking and almost killing a bicyclist in Berkeley in February but he remains at large, prosecutors said today.



Berwick Haynes, 47, of Sunnyvale, was charged on May 2 and a warrant was issued for his arrest but Berkeley police haven't yet arrested him, Alameda County District Attorney spokesman Teresa Drenick said.





Haynes, who was preparing for a play at the Berkeley Playhouse at the time, allegedly rammed Berkeley scientist Megan Schwarzman in the vicinity of Fulton Street and Bancroft Way at about 5 p.m. on Feb. 2.



Police investigators said Haynes and Schwarzman were both headed south on Fulton from Bancroft when they crashed in the intersection.



Police said Schwarzman, 42, was dragged by the vehicle and pinned underneath after it stopped. Firefighters had to raise the vehicle to get her out.



Haynes was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence but was later released.



Schwartzman, who's a research scientist at the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of California at Berkeley's School of Public Health and serves as an associate director of Health and Environment for the interdisciplinary Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry, survived the collision but is still recovering from her injuries.



At a Berkeley City Council meeting on March 15, Schwarzman's husband, Mike Wilson, said, "Meg was nearly killed" and called for the installation of a bicycle lane on Fulton Street between Bancroft Way and Channing Way.



Wilson said Schwarzman "was bleeding internally from a serious laceration to her liver, was unresponsive from blood loss when she arrived at the hospital and struggled to live through the first 12 hours with a bleeding liver, 20 fractured ribs, a smashed pelvis, two partially collapsed lungs and complex facial fractures."



Wilson said, "Yes, the driver in this case made poor decisions and was impaired and that contributed to the severity of the collision. But the origins of this collision lie in choices made by traffic planning managers in the design of this busy intersection."



Responding to Wilson's request as well as requests by bike groups and councilmembers, Berkeley officials completed a new protected bicycle lane in the area in time for Bike to Work Day on Thursday.



The new southbound lane runs from two blocks on Fulton from Bancroft Way to Channing Way. The existing bike lane previously ended at Bancroft, which meant that cyclists and motorists were dumped together at that intersection.



Among the theaters where Haynes has appeared are the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts in Berkeley, the Marin Theater Company in Mill Valley, the San Jose Repertory Theatre, the Portland Center Stage in Oregon and the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.



The driving under the influence charge against Haynes includes an enhancement clause alleging that he inflicted great bodily injury upon Schwarzman.



Berkeley police didn't respond to multiple inquiries about their search for Haynes.














Police provided additional details on a shooting this afternoon that began on surface streets in Antioch, ending with four suspects arrested along state Highway 4.



Antioch police officers initially responded at 2:50 p.m. to a report of shots being fired by suspects in a Jaguar near the parking lot of a Quikstop at 1108 Sycamore Drive.



Police said several rounds were fired with a rifle, but the gunfire apparently did not hit any victims. There were unoccupied vehicles in the parking lot that were struck by bullets, police said.



The Jaguar and a second vehicle sped away and entered westbound Highway 4. Antioch police said it has not been determined whether the shooting spilled onto the highway, as Contra Costa County sheriff's officials initially said reports indicated.



California Highway Patrol Officer Brandon Correia said investigators are checking the highway for evidence. Correia said the highway's westbound lanes have been closed from Loveridge Road to Railroad Avenue in Pittsburg for the investigation.



Meanwhile, two suspects that were occupants of the Jaguar were taken into custody by Antioch police. Officers caught up to them at a Shell gas station on Bailey Road where Pittsburg meets the community of Bay Point.



CHP officers located and stopped the other vehicle several miles farther down westbound Highway 4, according to police. Two more suspects were then taken into custody.



Firearms were recovered from each of the vehicles, according to police.



Police said there are not believed to be any suspects outstanding in connection with the incident. None of the suspects arrested have been identified by police so far.



Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Antioch Police Department, the agency leading the investigation, at (925) 778-2441.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, May 17

By Demir Azizov - Trend:

Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov has signed a decree to abolish the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences.

The Radiation Safety Center will be created at Uzbekistan's Ministry of Emergency Situations in accordance with the decree.

It will cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency on deactivation of the nuclear reactor of the Nuclear Physics Institute in line with international safety standards.

The Radiation Safety Center was also tasked to ensure the proper storage, disposal and liquidation of storage facilities for radioactive materials on the country's territory.

The Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences was created in 1956. A research nuclear reactor WWR-SM with the capacity of 10 megawatts operates under the Institute. The reactor is used to carry out state scientific and technical programs on nuclear physics, solid-state physics, radiochemistry and so on.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, May 17

By Demir Azizov - Trend:

South Korea's Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn will pay an official visit to Uzbekistan on May 19, said Uzbek government May 17.

The visit's program includes a meeting with Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov and participation in intergovernmental negotiations.

The South Korean PM will also take part in a ceremony dedicated to completion of the construction of the Ustyurt gas and chemical complex.

Hwang Kyo-ahn is also expected to participate in a ceremony for launching the construction of the House of Korean Culture and Art in Tashkent.

South Korea is one of Uzbekistan's largest trade and economic partners.

The total investments raised by the Uzbek economy from South Korea over the years of Uzbekistan's independence exceed $6 billion.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Fatih Karimov - Trend:

Iran's condensate exports accounted for $6.66 billion during the last Iranian fiscal year (ended March 20), indicating a huge fall by 52.4 percent, the latest statistics released by Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI), said.

Tehran exported 15.95 million tons of condensates during the 12 months, 16.6 percent less year on year. Condensate exports shared 15.7 percent of Iran's total non-oil exports during the period.

Gas condensate, also known as ultra-light oil, shared about one fourth of the country's total non-oil exports in the fiscal year to March 2015 and stood at $14 billion. Iran includes this raw oil material in its non-oil export basket.

The value of Iran's industrial exports including petrochemical products accounted for $30.49 billion, in the last fiscal year, 1.5 percent more year on year. Industrial exports shared 71.9 percent of the Islamic Republic's total exports in terms of value.

The Islamic Republic also exported $3.99 billion worth of agricultural products (14 percent fall year on year) and $944 million worth of mineral products (37 percent fall) in the 12-month period.

Iran's total non-oil exports accounted for $42.41 billion in the last fiscal year, 16 percent less year on year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Umid Niayesh - Trend:

As Iranian officials blame the US for the fact that leading European banks are still uncertain in doing business with Iran, Mehrdad Emadi, consultant at the UK-based Betamatrix International Consultancy, believes that resumption of those banks' cooperation with Tehran needs months.

"Based on actual observations pertaining to the enquiries made by the leading European banks, as well as their efforts on undertaking country-specific risk assessment, I think we will see a gradual return of these banks toward the resumption of business dealings with Iran in the next 15 to 18 months," Emadi told Trend May 17.

"This is if a new Administration in Washington does not embark on an aggressively hostile foreign policy toward Iran, which may increase the risk of doing business with Iran, though I believe the resumption of business with Iran by the EU banks will happen even then, be it more slowly," the expert said, adding the US will find it very hard to recruit many allies in Europe should Iran abide by its agreement in the nuclear deal, which came into force last January.

He further said the United States, in fact, will be the main loser should it decide to pursue such a path, especially given the position of Iran as one of the key players in bringing about stability in the region and further afar.

At the same time, Emadi said Iran has done less than it could have to highlight the significance of using investment and trade opportunities in Iran as a unique banking and manufacturing hub with capabilities of serving Southern Europe and Central Asia.

"To this effect, there seems to be a relative lack of appreciation in Tehran of what are the needed resources to build a European business network based in two or three key cities in Europe, designed to achieve Iran's objective through economic channels, which most effectively nullify the existing and future Iranophobic efforts," he said.

Iranian officials accuse Israel and Saudi Arabia of using Iranophobia as an instrument to sabotage implementation of the nuclear deal, something that is true according to Emadi.

Emadi believes that the Saudi leadership and the government of Israel have verifiably evaluated their efforts since the last year to prevent a comprehensive return of Iran to the global economy.

However, the expert forecasts that in a period of 15-24 months Iran will return as a full partner in the economy of the region, as well as in the world economy in energy, automobile manufacturing, biotechnology and tourism.

"I stay with my previous evaluations that should Iran follow a path of competition- enhancing economic policy with a transparent banking system and a simplified and apolitical regulatory framework, we should see a doubling of its GDP within 10 years," said Emadi.

Should this forecast be close to the actual outcome, the importance of resuming trade and investment with Iran can be appreciated by the EU businesses, he added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Fatih Karimov - Trend:

Iran and Cyprus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand cooperation in transportation sector.

The agreement was signed by Iranian Minister of Road and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi and visiting Cypriot Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Marios Demetriades in Tehran, IRNA news agency reported May 17.

Under the agreement the two sides will cooperate in the areas of aviation, maritime and ports.

The eight article document also envisages joint investments and training cooperation.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line (IRISL) expressed readiness for shipment of imported and exported consignment of Cyprus to all ports across the world, including the Iranian ports.

A joint committee also will be established under the agreement to study ways to facilitate access of Cyprus to markets in Central Asia and Caucasus as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Iran and Cyprus also vowed to support each other in international maritime organizations.

The Cypriot minister arrived in Tehran May 16 for a two-day official visit. Demetriades was accompanied by the President of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, the Deputy President of the Cyprus Union of Ship-owners, as well as by a delegation of Cypriot businessmen.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop here on Monday evening.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest during the meeting.

Zarif is currently in Vienna along with a number of the managers and deputies of Ministry of Foreign Affairs to attend a two-day international conference on Syria and Libya which is to start on Tuesday.

The meeting is to be attended by 17 member of the International Syria Support Group and co-chaired by the United States and Russia. The European Union and Arab League countries also participate the meetias along with Turkey, Iran and China.

Upon his arrival to Vienna, Zarif also met with Feredica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign policy chief, at the Coburg Hotel where the lanmark nuclear deal was made in July 2015 between Iran and the Group 5+1 ending more than a decade of nuclear dispute between the two sides.

Zarif and Mogherini discussed latest developments on the implementation of the nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action and the crisis in Syria.

While in Vienna, the Iranian delegation is to hold separate talks with European and American participants of the meeting on the sideline of the event, to discuss elimination of the obstacles hindering the implementation of the JCPOA.


Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

Trend:

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has held a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna, RIA Novosti reported May 17.

Lavrov noted that he also met with the US Secretary of State John Kerry on May 16 on the eve of the meeting of the International Syria Support Group.

The meeting of the International Syria Support Group will kick off in Vienna soon. During that meeting, it is planned to have detailed discussions on the possible parameters of the political solution to this problem.
Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle

Running to replace Barbara Boxer in the U.S. Senate, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, is not backing down from comments she made in December about the percentage of Muslims in the world who support jihad. After the San Bernardino terrorist attack, Sanchez appeared on PoliticKing With Larry King, who asked her about President Obamas reluctance to use the term radical Islamic terrorism. A small group of anywhere between 5 and 20 percent of Muslims, Sanchez said, supports a caliphate and is willing to go to extremes to secure one. Because Donald Trump recently had proposed a ban on Muslims entering the United States, critics went after Sanchez for saying something that arguably could support his proposal. She made clear Monday when she spoke with The Chronicles editorial board that she does not. Sanchez has been a vocal supporter for Syrian refugees. Still, the quote has haunted her.

When the issue came up at The Chronicle-KCRA debate at the University of Pacific in Stockton last month, a Sacramento Bee fact check concluded: She didnt back away at the debate and, despite ample criticism that they are too high, Sanchez is correct when she says nobody has refuted her numbers with authoritative research. Much of the concern over the comment came from those who believe it is impossible to estimate a worldwide number.
Courtesy of San Francisco International Arts Festival

San Francisco playwright-actor Brenda Wong Aoki relates the tale of her great-uncle, Gunjiro Aoki, a Japanese immigrant and descendant of a samurai noble house, and his 1909 marriage to Helen Emery, the daughter of John Emery, the archdeacon of San Franciscos Grace Cathedral. The scandal that erupted at the mixed-race union, complete with death threats and the loss of Helen Emerys citizenship, even now affects the couples ancestors.

Aoki first premiered Uncle Gunjiros Girlfriend at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in 1998. She returns to the Bay Area with the show, which has been updated over the years as she has learned more of her family history, as part of the San Francisco International Arts Festival.
Sen. Bernie Sanders will headline a pair of presidential campaign rallies Wednesday in the Bay Area, one in San Jose and one in Vallejo, campaign officials have confirmed.

The San Jose rally will be held at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, 344 Tully Road, beginning at 1 p.m. The doors will open at 10 a.m.
A California senator is calling on the Department of Justice to identify the scope of sexual extortion, a crime in which victims are coerced into sending nude photos of themselves after their computers are compromised.

In what is often referred to as sextortion, attackers use compromising information, usually in the form of sexually explicit images or videos, to force victims to engage in sexual activity online, wrote Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Boxer cited a recent Brookings Institution report as outlining the issue in horrifying detail. The authors found nearly 80 cases of sexual extortion and more than 3,000 victims in court records and news reports.

Some criminals have hacked into victims computers, secretly recorded explicit videos of them, and then threatened to post the footage on social media if the victims do not agree to send additional sexual material, Boxer wrote.

A Department of Justice spokesman said it was reviewing Boxers letter.

In an April report, however, the department said sextortion  especially when it involves children  has become a major threat in recent years.

The Brookings Institution calls attention to an instance in which a victim was so haunted that he wrote a suicide note.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that teen, referred to as Zac, grabbed his fathers gun, put it to his head and pulled the trigger. The safety was on.

In March 2011, Zac testified at his tormentors sentencing hearing in Georgia. At the time, Michael Macaluso was sentenced to 30 years in prison for extorting multiple young victims.

The Brookings Institution report called these insidious schemes remarkably understudied.

To my knowledge, there are no clear numbers right now on sextortion, said Pam Dixon, the executive director of the World Privacy Forum in San Diego.

While her organization focuses primarily on privacy research, Dixon said shes increasingly been fielding calls on the crime from desperate people, including parents of child victims, seeking help.

She described several instances in which teenagers and adults were victimized, many through social media.

The ones that involve children are the worst, Dixon added. This is a crime with so many victims who are nameless and so full of shame.

Sean Sposito is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ssposito@sfchronicle.com Twitter: seansposito
Oklahoma City center Steven Adams apologized and blamed cultural differences Monday night for his postgame comments in which he referred to the Warriors guards as quick little monkeys.

Adams made the comments to ESPNs Chris Broussard on the Oracle Arena court moments after the Thunder took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals with a 108-102 victory.
SANAA, Yemen  They are Yemens untouchables.

They call themselves the Muhammasheen, or the Marginalized, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemens social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, shunned by others. They live in shantytowns on the outskirts of cities, are often refused schooling and work menial jobs like shoe-shining or street cleaning or turn to begging. Other Yemenis have traditionally called them the Akhdam, or servants.

In a country where belonging to a tribe is vital to guaranteeing protection, status and livelihood, their community  which some estimates say numbers nearly 3 million people  is without a tribe and ignored by the government.

As a result, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemens civil war that is pitting the government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, against Shiite rebels known as Houthis and forces loyal to Yemens ousted president.

Their neighborhoods have been pounded both by coalition air strikes and Houthi shelling, shattering their makeshift homes cobbled together from sheets of metal, cardboard and blankets.

Many have been thrown into a state of constant displacement, with no one to take them in. Some tell of fleeing from strikes by one side, only to be hit again by another of the many factions and combatants in the conflict.

We are naked. We have nothing, Houssna Mohammed said, choking back tears as she stood at the charred remains of her shack in a slum of the Marginalized in the western city of Taiz.

Walid Abdullah, a 20-year-old member of the Marginalized, said his home district in Taiz, al-Jahmaliya, was hit early on in the war by shelling. The whole community of 200 families fled to al-Rahda, another town in Taiz province. Later they had to flee again when Saudi air strikes hit al-Rahda.

An estimated 9,000 people have been killed in the past year of fighting in Yemen, and more than 2.4 million have been driven from their homes. The death toll among the Marginalized is difficult to verify because few pay attention to them. One advocacy group, the Yemeni Organization Against Discrimination, said it has documented more than 300 killed, including 68 children and 56 women.

The origins of the Muhammasheen are unclear. Popular tradition has it that they are the descendants of Ethiopian soldiers who invaded Yemen in the sixth century. Other theories suggest they were African peoples who were among the first to inhabit coastal cities.
BAGHDAD  A wave of bombings struck outdoor markets and a restaurant in Shiite-dominated neighborhoods of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 69 people, officials said  the latest in a string of attacks in and around the Iraqi capital that have left more than 200 dead in the past week.

The four separate bombings were a further challenge to the beleaguered government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is struggling to prove that his forces can maintain security in Baghdad and elsewhere.

One of the bombings Tuesday struck an outdoor market in the heavily Shiite district of Sadr City, a frequent bombing target. In the wake of the blast, influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose support runs deep in the district named after his father, issued a statement to his followers, saying the attacks are the clearest evidence that your government has become unable to protect and provide you with security.

The Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted to a militant website commonly used by the extremists.

Fighters with al-Sadrs militia, Saraya Salam, deployed to the streets of Sadr City after the bombing, another indication of a lack of confidence in Iraqs official security forces.

In an online statement, Islamic State also claimed responsibility for the deadliest bombing of the day, which took place in Baghdads northeastern Shaab neighborhood, killing at least 34 people and wounding 75 others.

In that attack, a roadside bomb first exploded outside the concrete blast walls surrounding an open-air market, followed by a suicide bomber who blew himself up as people gathered to help the victims of the first explosion, a police officer said.

The Islamic State statement said the attack was carried out by an Iraqi who targeted members of Shiite militias.

Later Tuesday, a suicide car bombing hit a crowded outdoor market in Sadr City, killing 18 people and wounding 35 others. Sadr City has been one of the worst-hit districts as the Islamic State group has increasingly employed terrorist attacks against Iraqi civilians far from front-line fighting.
The Gist

There's a moment that occurs as Uncharted 4: A Thief's End enters its third act when it hits you: This is the last adventure for Nathan Drake and crew. We've followed Drakes exploits for nearly a decade and lived through the discovery of El Dorado (a statue, by the way, not a city), found the Cintamani Stone hidden away in Shambhala (another name for Shangri-La) and traced the footsteps of TE Lawrence across the Rub' Al Khali desert (we almost died). With Drake, we have traipsed the globe fighting armies and monsters, searching for and then finding lost treasures and cities, and solving history's greatest mysteries, and it has been incredible. The difference here when compared to previous games in the series, however, is that the developers at Naughty Dog have taken their particular brand of artful cinematic/interactive storytelling to another level. Of course, it isn't that the series has failed in that regard up till now, far from it, but rather that the lessons learned while producing the excellent 2013 post-apocalyptic game, The Last of Us, have served them well.

When we rejoin Drake, its been some time since he thwarted Katherine Marlowe and her attempts to uncover the mythical djinn in Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception. Our hero (the iconic and always fantastic Nolan North) has given up his roguish and swashbuckling lifestyle for dull domesticity with his original adventure mate and longtime love interest, Elena Fisher (played to new heights of complexity and sensitivity by Emily Rose).

Drake and Elena are all about that couch life.

It's a perfectly fine life in New Orleans, but as Drake tries to settle into a humdrum job with a marine salvage company, he constantly feels the pull of adventure. And then his brother Sam (the brilliant Troy Baker) shows up. Assumed dead following a Panamanian prison break attempt gone awry, Sam has actually been rotting in said prison for the last 15 years, and in order to spare his life from a ruthless drug lord who helped him escape, the brothers Drake must pull off one last history heist worth someplace in the neighborhood of 400 million bucks. Drake puts his entire new life on hold, lying to his wife and risking his marriage in the process, and sets off to find the treasure in questionthat of a fearsome pirate named Avery. Nate and Sam had actually attempted to find Avery's millions before, along with a miserable jerk of a millionaire named Rafe Adler (Warren Kole of The Following, who makes us love to hate him). It was a complicated matter last time, and its no different now. Things never pan out as simply as people wish, and what is meant to be an easy job sets into motion a series of globe-trotting escapades the likes of which make Drake come alive again for the first time since he hung up his holster. Rafe is after the treasure as well, but this time hes got an army for hire at his side, led by the enigmatic and badass Nadine Ross (Bioshock Infinite's incredible Laura Bailey). The cat-and-mouse race to the treasure is a similar setup to the three previous games, but originality aside, it works. When Uncharted first skyrocketed onto PlayStation consoles nine years ago, it was like a more successful stab at the Tomb Raider formula (prior to the fantastic Crystal Dynamics 2013 reboot, of course), and as a character, Drake exists someplace between Indiana Jones and a smart-alecky street hustler. He's a magnetic, dynamic personality, and illuminating glimpses into his past finally begin to answer questions brought up way back in the first game, 2007s Drakes Fortune.

Sully and Drake: homies for life.

It could be that weve known him so long by now that were aware of all he is risking to help his brother, but the addition of family adds urgency, and the constant dread that his wife will find him out makes Drake all the more human. Of course, good old Sully (the inimitable Richard McGonagle) comes along for the ride as well, and before you know it, everything is back to the Drake version of normal.

Uncharted 4 represents a new graphical benchmark for the series, which is actually not an easy feat, given the straight-up bonkers look of previous games. Facial animations are some of the best in the medium, and background assets are undeniably gorgeous. This is a title with major set pieces that, unlike certain other games (looking at you, Call of Duty), occur in real time. Take, for example, the well-publicized car chase sequence in Madagascar. Drake leaps from truck to truck, grapples along cranes and bridges, and is dragged through the mud behind motorcycles, and the whole thing never wrestles control from the player. Its just one of many jaw-dropping events that break up benchmark elements such as exploration, vertical traversal, gunplay and puzzle solving. Everything has been updated, from intuitive new climbing additions to tightened gun mechanics. Leaping from a cliff and throwing out a grappling hook never gets dull, and multiple pathwayswhich can be a big deal in an arguably very linear seriesspice things up. Even better, the shooting mechanics received a complete overhaul and work better than ever before. Theres a heft to the firing of weapons, and a nifty crosshair color switch allows you to know the precise moment youve dispatched a bad guy. Puzzles are every bit as clever as they've always been but aren't so complex as to be impossible, and looting hidden collectibles throughout the environments is still enjoyable.

One of many mind-bending puzzles.

The main thing to keep in mind here, though, is that Uncharted 4 is a farewell to these beloved characters, and its the human element and quieter moments wherein directors Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann have excelled. Previous games were mile-a-minute affairs that were absolutely fun, but they lacked any sort of truly tangible emotional component. After so many years with these people, however, weve grown attached to them, and its wonderful to see performances that convey how far theyve come or just how much is at risk. Elena and Drake are particularly exciting to watch, and the idea that she loves the adventure as much as he does, even as she struggles against it, gives depth to their situation. Nates brother Sam is fantastic as well, and Troy Bakers performance perfectly captures how he is maybe not to be trusted (even though we still root for him). Theyre just plain well-written characters, and the chemistry between them is palpable.

But it isnt all good, and Uncharted can start to feel a tad stretched out at times. There are moments when the closing chapters seem specifically designed to lengthen playtime, and that could be problematic for some, and it's kind of a drag that we're forced into Quick Time Event scenarios. But it is important to keep in mind that as hard as it must be for longtime fans to say goodbye, it is surely harder for series caretakers.

Sam Drake is all, "Naw, I'm not dead at all, brah."

The cutscenes and conversational moments have never been quite this dense, but for everything that seems pointless or tacked on, there is ultimately a good reason. Bearing that in mind, this isnt a great entry title to the series, as newcomers wont understand nods to the universe such as in-jokes or interactive items placed throughout. When we remember that this is the very end, those befuddling exchanges that seem too long or cutscenes that feel like they drag on actually become very important. Naughty Dog has learned to take its time, and the slow burn becomes completely worth it by the time the credits roll.

The Multiplayer

For these people, though, there is always the multiplayer suite. A Thiefs End has borrowed extensively from previous Uncharted titles but has also thrown in a healthy amount of ideas from The Last of Us. Across three of the available modes, Team Deathmatch, Command (capturing hardpoints) and Plunder (capture the flag, basically), there are clever maps with countless traversal and cover options, gorgeous backdrops and brilliantly designed sight lines. Along with the new and improved shooting mechanics and myriad customization options, it becomes the best competitive online experience in the series, without question.

Multiplayer is the most fun in series history.

It is possible to play in so many ways, from the most aggressive loners to the more strategic team players. Easy-to-understand and -execute special moves and boosters can provide a much-needed edge during combat, and one neednt be an online gaming fanatic to jump in and play well. More importantly, its fun, and the vast majority of matches played by this reviewer were neck-and-neck till the very end. Naughty Dog has already announced that downloadable content (DLC for my noobs) is on the horizon, and if The Last of Us is any indication, theyll be supporting the online modes for some time to come. A Thiefs End will also feature the first campaign-driven DLC in series history, and though details are currently sketchy, we can apparently expect an alternate ending, answers to even more questions and who knows what else? Its exciting.

The Bottom Line

This is absolutely the Uncharted experience you know and love, with enough new elements mixed with what has worked in the past. There are minimal disappointments, like borderline-tedious third-act issues and some seemingly missed mechanical opportunities for late-game traversal additions. But given the feverish hype surrounding this particular series and the fact that its a conclusion to characters weve known and loved for nearly a decade, its a resounding success. Newcomers may wish to go back and experience the three previous games, but the good news with that is theres hardly a more exciting game series in the entire medium. The capabilities of PlayStation 4 have allowed Naughty Dog to improve everything from the look of the world to the feel of the controls, and the answering of so many longtime questions is almost criminally satisfying. Hell, we even learn where Drake got his name. Multiplayer matches are a complete blast to play, and everything else from voice acting to music and all points in between is the best weve ever seen from the series. By the time we reach the final cutscene and allow the emotional weight to hit us in earnest, we have discovered lost cities, unearthed buried treasures and felt the humanity of these ironically pixilated people. This isnt just one of the best games of the current console generation, its one of the best games in the history of the medium. Our hero, Nathan Drake, shares a motto with the legendary British explorer Sir Francis Drake, a Latin phrase that so perfectly describes what Uncharted has accomplished throughout its existence: Sic Parvus Magnagreatness from small beginnings. Nailed it.

The Score: 9 out of 10It's possible that anyone who hasn't been playing through the series will be confused or that emotional moments won't hit as hard. The good news is that you can go back through and experience something amazing. No game is ever truly perfect, and while A Thief's End comes awfully close, there are enough minor annoyances for the title to lose just one point. Just one. Know what that means? Start playing now, even if you have to quit your job.

Santa Fe Reporter
New Talisman Goldmines shares dropped 47% after the Coromandel gold prospecting company announced a rights issue to raise up to $12.2 million dollars.

Investors will be able to purchase three new shares at a price of 0.5 cents apiece for every ordinary share they hold as of May 23. In a statement, New Talisman said the price reflects a significant discount to the NZX close price on May 16 of 1.5 cents. A shortfall facility means shareholders will be potentially able to buy more if they wish.

New Talisman owns the mining permit for the Talisman gold mine, as well as properties near Paeroa in Hauraki. The extra money raised will be used to initiate a programme to sample rocks from the mine and maximise extraction as well as continue to identify potential new reserves.

The offer will close on June 14.

In September and October last year, the company was left frustrated when two potential investors failed to deliver money as promised. A Chinese investor had been due to buy just under 20% of the company while a second investor failed to meet a $400,000 obligation under an underwriting agreement.

The shares hit a three-year high of 2 cents on May 5. They were trading at 1.5 cents at the close on May 16, before falling to 0.7 cents at the beginning of trading on May 17. They've risen slightly since the rights issue was announced at 2:31pm NZ time to 0.9 cents a share, valuing the company at $7.4 million.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17



By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:



Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian has left Tehran for Turkey to attend the Third Session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers responsible for Water in Istanbul.



Leading a delegation, Chitchian is slated to meet several Turkish ministers during the four-day visit, IRNA news agency reported.



According to its website, The Third Session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers responsible for Water - "From Vision to Action", will be held in Istanbul, Republic of Turkey, from 17 - 19 May 2016. The ICMW will discuss ways and means to strengthen cooperation between OIC Member States in the water related issues.



The OIC Member States face varying degrees of water related challenges, such as water scarcity, floods, lack of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities foods droughts and land sliding.



Trade turnover between Iran and Turkey reached $14.575 billion in 2013 which dropped to $13.719 billion in 2014.



Turkey exported $3.67 billion to Iran and imported $6.1 billion from this country in 2015.






Consumers in the upper North Island would face the biggest increase in national electricity grid charges under the Electricity Authority's proposed changes to transmission pricing while the Rio Tinto-controlled aluminium smelter at Tiwai Point would get less than half the benefit it may have hoped for.

The authority released a consultation paper on transmission pricing that proposes replacing the current two main charges - $150 million a year for the HVDC link between the North and South islands and an interconnection charge of $639 million a year, with two new charges: an area-of-benefit (AoB) charge of $296 million and a residual charge for Transpower's costs of $500 million a year, spread across the country.

Because consumers in Auckland and the Far North have received the biggest benefits from upgrades of the national grid, ensuring the nation's biggest city has one of the most reliable power supplies, they would face the biggest increases under an AoB regime, the authority said. A 'heat map' of increased charges for an average household show the upper West Coast and areas in Canterbury south of Christchurch would also face higher charges.

But the authority says the overall impact on electricity consumers would be "very modest", amounting to a 0.5 percent average increase, or $11 a year.

The current transmission pricing methodology (TPM) was flawed because it isn't service-based and doesn't reflect actual costs, authority chief executive Carl Hansen told a media briefing in Wellington. He likened the system to having a set airfare for a flight anywhere in New Zealand, no matter the distance, where even people who didn't fly were charged.

The authority is embarking on 10 weeks of consultation over the proposed changes, aiming to have final decisions on the TPM by October. It would then develop a fully operational new TPM between 2017 and 2019, with the aim to have it in place for April 1, 2019.

The issue has been running for years without resolution and centres on whether South Island power generators and consumers pay too much to access the grid, given $2 billion of upgrades over the past five years has bolstered security of supply for North Island customers.

A chart released with the briefing shows the biggest decrease in charges would be for South Island generators, who would no longer be required to carry all of the costs of the HVDC link. By contrast, the largest increase in charges would be for the upper North Island mass-market load, while charges for the lower North Island mass-market load would fall. The South Island mass-market load would face a modest increase.

The smelter would get an estimated benefit of $20.8 million - less than half the $50 million upside mooted in proposals the authority put out for discussion last year. The smelter could also benefit from a separate but interlinked proposal to expand the so-called prudent discount policy, which provides discounts to generators who are transmission customers but are looking to exit the grid in favour of a local distribution network.

The Tiwai Point smelter's operator has viewed the decision as an important factor in determining whether it can continue to run at full capacity, scale back production, or quit the New Zealand operation altogether.

Other major industrial users would face higher charges.

Electricity Authority chairman Brent Layton said he "doesn't expect much cheering" for the proposals. "We'll have a 100 percent success rate in not pleasing everybody. For every individual there's a perfect regime - everyone else pays."

The authority was at pains to show that the impact on consumers is much more modest than was proposed in its base option released last year. Analysis from Australian consulting firm Oakley Greenwood showed $213 million of net benefits to the economy over 20 years if the changes were introduced compared to the status quo.

A chart showing the impact of the proposals by customer group compared to the status quo shows KiwiRail would face the biggest increase - a jump to $57 per MWh. Prices also jump for NZ Refining, Vector, Northpower and Top Energy, who were the only grid customers whose indicative charges would be above the indicative volume-weighted average of $20/MWh.

The second paper, on distributed generation pricing principles (DGPPs), says current pricing rules for distributed generation are bad for consumers because distributed generators are getting avoided cost of transmission (ACOT) payments from distributors even when they don't demonstrably reduce transmission costs.

The authority estimates consumers pay $25 million to $35 million a year in unnecessarily high charges with no corresponding benefit. And the ACOT problem has become sharply worse in recent years. It proposes removing the DGPPs and having Transpower administer payments only to distributed generators that reduce transmission costs.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17



By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:



Croatia's President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has left Zagreb for Tehran to discuss expansion of bilateral ties with Iranian officials.



Speaking to reporters at Zagreb's airport, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic expressed hope that her visit to Tehran would lay the ground for expansion of bilateral ties, IRNA news agency reported.



Tehran and Zagreb are expected to seal several deals on cooperation in various fields.



Meanwhile, representatives from 72 Croatian companies alongside with several ministers arrived in Tehran on May 16.



The Croatian delegation is also slated to hold several meetings with the members of Iranian private sector to discuss bilateral cooperation.



Earlier commenting on the visit, Total Croatia News said that for Iran, which has large gas reserves and could take over an important gas producer, Croatia is located at an extremely important geopolitical location and could become a distributor of Iranian gas to many European countries.



Iranians are interested in investing in an LNG terminal, shipbuilding, petrochemical industry and tourism, while Croatian companies want to invest in infrastructure and energy, the report added.






Tehran, Iran, May 17

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Iran's renewable water resources will go below 80 billion cubic meters in five years, said Isa Keshavarz, secretary general of the Farmers House of Iran.

While the renewable water resources have dropped from 132 billion to 88 billion cubic meters in thirty years, Iran's production, research and administrative master plans still lie on the old statistics, he warned, Fars news agency reported May 17.

He also expressed worry that the country's fresh water resources have diminished from 200 to 60 billion cubic meters.

Iran is situated in an arid area. In the past two decades scanty rainfalls have contributed to water crisis in the country.

Also, unsystematic use of water has damaged the reserves greatly. The traditional, undeveloped agriculture alone is responsible for 86 percent of the country's water consumption.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

Taking into account a nuclear reactor similar to Chernobyl and a probability of human error, a similar accident is possible at Armenia's Metsamor nuclear power plant, said Akira Tokuhiro, professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering, University of Idaho/Center for Advanced Energy Studies (USA).

Tokuhiro has been working in the area of nuclear energy for more than 20 years.

"The misuse, mistaken or negligent use of a machine can indeed cause a negative outcome because a nuclear reactor contains both large amounts of energy and harmful products -radioactivity, the negative outcome can be extreme damaging," the expert told Trend by e-mail May 17.

The expert added that the risk is more in the emergency preparedness of the operators at the plant and administration.

"Assuming that the plant shuts down, then sufficient cooling has to be provided to dissipate what is called the decay heat of the reactor, even when turned off," the expert said.

"Graphite-based reactors such as the Metsamor reactor have a fair amount of thermal energy storage capacity but there can be boiling in the water filled tubes for extracting thermal energy," the expert said.

The expert recalled that despite the lessons learned from the Chernobyl accident, one major safety barrier, a western-type containment building (as opposed to a confinement building mostly for protecting against weather) has not been constructed at Metsamor nuclear power plant.

"The containment building would be the final barrier if there was any accident that led to release of energy from the reactor," he said. "This may be an institutional and economic resource error."

The expert said that the world community should pay more attention and take necessary measures to address the safety issues at Metsamor nuclear power plant.

"We live in an age with the global commercialization and money, profit is what seems to matter the most," he said. "So, safety especially in a far off land not in the news, such as Armenia, receives very little news coverage."

"I would hope that IAEA take a more visible role than it is, in call for action at Metsamor nuclear power plant," he said.

Armenia has a nuclear power plant, Metsamor, built in 1970. The power plant was closed after a devastating earthquake in Spitak in 1988. But despite the international protests, the power plant's operation was resumed in 1995. Moreover, a second reactor was launched there.

According to the ecologists and scholars all over the region, seismic activity of this area turns operation of the Metsamor nuclear power plant in an extremely dangerous enterprise, even if a new type of reactor is built.

---

Follow the author on Twitter:@E_Kosolapova
BENGALURU: Gadget enthusiasts and Apple loyalists will be glad to hear about the latest launch of storage products, including memory devices for mobiles; and most notably the new iXpand Flash Drive. The latest release from SanDisk will allow users to expand the storage capacities on their iPhones and iPads, and will be exclusively available on Amazon combined with an add-on offer of 2-year warranty.

The flash drives are available in various capacities, featuring 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB of storage priced at Rs 3,990, Rs 4,990, Rs 6,990, and Rs 9,990 respectively. The storage drive showcases compatibility for phones like iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone SE, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5. Whereas, the compatibility in tablet section extends to the devices like iPad Pro (12.9-inch), iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, iPad mini and iPod touch (5th generation) all running iOS 8.2 or the later versions.

"People are using their mobile phones to capture tons of photos and videos, and about 70% of iPhone users in India run out of memory every week and end up deleting files," says Rajesh Gupta, Country Manager - India & SAARC, SanDisk.

The flash drive goes a long way in eliminating the need for battery, and rather integrates a flexible lightning connector at one edge coupled with a regular USB 3.0 thumb drive on the other. This addition helps users to seamlessly move their content between their iPhone and iPad and Mac or PCs. Moreover, you can conveniently hang the around the device as a key-chain due to the presence of a closed loop in the flexible neck of the lightning port.

Design modifications has been introduced for the new iXpand flash drive companion app, featuring a built-in camera function which lets you capture photos and store it on your phone or the drive. Furthermore, users are enabled to automatically back up camera roll and contacts, while also watching popular format videos from the companion app itself. This is not the limit to the flash drives potential as the app allows to backup content from social media networks such as Facebook or Picassa. An encryption software is also included in this exquisite array of functions to password protect files, so that you can share content without compromising on the security front.

Rajesh adds, "With the new iXpand Flash Drive, people can spend more time using their iPhone to capture what they love, and less time worrying about how and where to transfer these photos and videos.

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BENGALURU: 2016s Consumer Electronic Show (CES) event showcased hundreds of new technologies ranging from clothing to automotive and lots more. CES 2016 stunned many of the onlookers with some contemporary gadgets, many of which are new to the modern world. Here are some out-of-the-box gadgets that enchanted many CES participants:

Nano Drone:

Drones have expanded humans explorations in places where humans cannotget into. Delivery food is also done by drones these days; military personals use drones for spying behind enemy lines. Mota displayed their palm sized daredevil JETJAT Drone of Nano-C type which has camera fitted in it, which allows zooming, and can perform back flips and lot more stunts in the air.

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NEW DELHI: Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Transsion Holdings on Monday announced its entry in the Indian market with its global brand itel phone in an affordable price range of 700- 7,000.

The company will launch six phone models -- SmartSelfie it2180, SmartPower it5600, SmartSelfie it5231, PowerPro it1410 and Wish it1508, and its flagship product, SelfiePro it1511.

"itel seeks to drive the rural and semi-urban Indian consumers onto a digital platform and to provide affordable yet feature-driven mobile phones for the aspiring Indian consumers across geographies and social classes," said Sudhir Kumar, CEO, itel India, in a statement.

The flagship "it1511" device is a 4G-enabled smartphone that operates on Android 6.0 Marsh Mallow and comes with dual-SIM/dual standby capability.

itel endeavours to provide long-lasting battery and better camera performance as the primary product essence.

The feature phones will be categorised in three series -- SmartSelfie, SmartPower and Shine.

itel is also planning to set up manufacturing units in India. The company is looking forward to establish 1,000 service touch points across the country.

As part of the launch, the company will roll out its India operations in two phases.

"Phase one will include Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand while phase two will see itel Mobile entering the local markets in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh," the company stated.

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NEW DELHI: U.S. technology giant Apple's chief executive Tim Cook is expected to visit India later this week and will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to a source.

"It is expected that the Apple CEO will meet Prime Minister Modi this weekend," a source familiar with the development told IANS.

At present, Cook is in Beijing, China. Apple on May 13 announced an investment of $1 billion in Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing.

During his visit, Cook met some of China's well known app developers as well.

Cook, who joined Apple in March 1998, was made chief executive of the company, succeeding Steve Jobs, on August 24, 2011.

Hit by a slower growth in its flagship iPhone, iPad and Mac sales globally, Apple's revenue dropped for the first time since 2003 as the tech giant released earning reports for the second quarter of the fiscal year 2016 in March.

The company on April 27 posted a quarterly revenue of $50.6 billion and quarterly net income of $10.5 billion ($1.90 per diluted share), compared to revenue of $58 billion and net income of $13.6 billion ($2.33 per diluted share) in the year-ago quarter, the company said in a statement.

The revenue was down in both Americas and China -- Apple's two biggest territories. It declined around 10 percent in the Americas and a 26 percent drop in China.

According to reports, the company is looking for new growth markets after its sales declined.

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WASHINGTON: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vist to the US, the Pentagon has said it is "looking forward" to enhancing relations with India, and that there are opportunities to further expand military co-operation between the two countries.



"The (US Defence) Secretary (Ashton Carter) believes there are still opportunities for us to further expand the cooperation between the United States and India on military issues. They are issues of consequence for India, security issues that are of consequence to the United States," Pentagon Press Secretary, Peter Cook told reporters at a press conference yesterday.



"We have shared security interests in that part of the world. And I think the Secretary is confident that the strong relationship we have right now will only build in the future, so," Cook said in response to a question.



The Defence Secretary, he said, is "looking forward" to the visit of Prime Minister Modi in June.



"He met with the Prime Minister when he was in India, and looks forward to enhancing and building on that visit and the strong relationship that he has been able to maintain with Minister Parrikar since he took over as Secretary," Cook said in response to a question.



Carter was in India last month, during which he held talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar and met the Prime Minister. Describing the trip as successful, Carter said there were some in-principle agreements reached at that time with regard to military-to-military relationship.



"I think the Secretary feels very good about where things are with regard to that relationship, and his relationship with Minister Parrikar. I think he sees this as an opportunity for future cooperation between the United States and India on military issues," Cook said.



During his visit, Carter became the first US Defence Secretary to board an Indian aircraft carrier.



"I think he was very appreciative of the warm welcome he received, and the substantive discussions that took place while we were in India," Cook said.

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Venezuela has reached a deal with its main financier China to improve the conditions of an oil-for-loans deal, giving the OPEC member's crisis-hit economy "oxygen" ahead of heavy debt payments, its top economic official said on Monday.

Venezuelan Economy Vice-President Miguel Perez told Reuters that all conditions, including loan time frames, investment amounts and non-financial aspects, had been improved.

China has lent some $50 billion to Venezuela in that arrangement over the last decade, and markets are watching to see if Beijing will help President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government as it struggles with recession, shortages and reduced oil revenue.

"Today we can say that we've agreed to new commercial conditions that are adapted to the country's reality," Perez said in an interview in his office at the Industry Ministry, which he also heads. He declined to elaborate.

Better terms with China would be hugely useful for Venezuela, given that low oil prices means the South American country would be required to send more barrels to meet its obligations.

Oil is trading at nearly $50, about half the levels in mid-2014, although prices have risen almost 80 percent this year. LCOc1 CLc1

"This will give the country important oxygen to go forward," added Perez, a former industry association leader who became economy czar in February, replacing a hard-line socialist who lasted only a month.

Beijing officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

When asked earlier on Monday about possible aid to Caracas, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry said Venezuela's economic crisis was a domestic matter.

Perez said the improved China deal, as well as a steep cut to imports and a new, weaker foreign exchange rate, would help Venezuela crawl out of a "very complicated" semester.

The economy is likely to remain in recession until the end of 2017, he added.
NEW DELHI: It is a misnomer to call Panama a tax haven, but tax evasion in "not a crime" in the central American country and such a situation does not invite criminal proceedings, its Multilateral Affairs Minister Maria Luisa Navarro said here on Monday.

Navarro, who will meet Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here on Tuesday, however offered to provide assistance and information to India on matters related to recent expose in the "Panama Papers".

"Panama is committed to cooperate and exchange of information but these can be only on bilateral terms," Navarro said during an interaction here adding "the country which takes the information should be prepared to take it and use it accordingly".

Admitting the the expose of "Panama papers" has been like "an eye of storm" for her country and also left an impact on her country's diplomatic and international relations, she said that bilateral engagements for sharing of such information are already on with other countries like Germany and Brazil while an agreement has been worked out already with Columbia.

Answering questions, she could not confirm whether the Indian government has already sought any specific information so far but added: "I am optimistic, if the engagement go on as per mutual interest, we can have some information shared by next one year or so."

"Panama is not a tax haven, our citizens and foreign nationals staying and doing business in Panama or buying and selling a house in our country have to pay income tax up to 35 percent," Navarro said but stressed that the tax system in her country is "territorial based".

"Any income by a Panama national or foreigner from a business based in Panama has to pay income tax and also sales tax. But if the income of that particular firm is from outside Panama jurisdiction, then there is no income tax," she said.

In this context, she said while there could be 500 Indians whose names figured in the Panama papers leak, "but I am not sure how many of them actually have income or their firms have income from Panama jurisdiction".

Asked why her country still did not consider tax evasion a crime, Navarro merely said: "Tax evasion is not a crime in our country as is a practice in many other countries as well."

She said her country has been taking necessary measures to keep financial services "transparent" and "in last two decades at least 16 such legislative measures have been taken."

Noting the Panama Papers as leaked out in the media recently are "essentially stolen papers from a legal firm that operate across 22 countries", Navarro admitted that they were "affected by the negative image but have have tried to turn the difficult situation to an opportunity to tell the world about our position".

Panama is "proud" of its financial services facilities extended globally, she said.

At the interaction, Deepak Bhojwani, former ambassador to several Latin American countries including Colombia, Venezuela and Cuba, described Panama as a "crucial" link for India vis-a-vis central American countries.

Noting India and Panama share historical ties as way back in the 19th century, many Indians had migrated there and stayed back, he said that trade between two countries in 2014-15 stood at $400 million and has potential to go higher.

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PISCATAWAY: President Barack Obama today urged college graduates to shun those who want to confront a rapidly linked world by building walls around the United States or by embracing ignorance, as he delivered a sharp and barely concealed critique of Donald Trump.



Obama used his commencement speech at Rutgers University to illustrate a world view antithetical to the ideas espoused by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.



Looking out at a sea of red and black gowns, Obama told the roughly 12,000 graduating students that the pace of change on the planet is accelerating, not subsiding, and that recent history had proved that the toughest challenges cannot be solved in isolation.



"A wall won't stop that," Obama said, bringing to mind Trump's call for building a border wall between the U.S. And Mexico. "The point is, to help ourselves, we've got to help others not pull up the drawbridge and try to keep the world out."



The president never mentioned Trump by name, but his intended target seemed clear. Repeatedly, Obama referred to disparaging comments about Muslims and immigrants, and opposition to free trade deals. But he appeared most incensed by what he described as a rejection of facts, science and intellectualism that he said was pervading politics.



"In politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue," Obama said. "It's not cool to not know what you're talking about. That's not keeping it real or telling it like it is. That's not challenging political correctness. That's just not knowing what you're talking about," the president said.



"And yet, we've become confused about this," he continued, warning that the rejection of facts and science would lead the US on a path of decline.



Some 50,000 students and their families packed High Point Solution Stadium for the ceremony, the first at Rutgers to involve a sitting president. The public university's leaders lobbied the president for years to come to campus for the school's 250th anniversary, and Obama praised the school for its diverse student body and research programs.



Sunday's address was the second of three commencement speeches that Obama will deliver during his final graduation season as president. Earlier in May, Obama told graduates at historically black Howard University that the country is "a better place today" than when he graduated from Columbia University more than 30 years ago.



The president will also speak on June 2 at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.



The university also bestowed an honorary law degree on the president, add to the half-dozen or so other honorary degrees that the Columbia and Harvard Law School Obama has received.

"Suggesting that we can build an endless wall along our



borders, and blame our challenges on immigrants -- that doesn't just run counter to our history as the world's melting pot; it contradicts the evidence that our growth and our innovation and our dynamism has always been spurred by our ability to attract strivers from every corner of the globe," Obama said.



Obama also took a dig at Trump's views on climate change.



"When our leaders express a disdain for facts, when they're not held accountable for repeating falsehoods and just making stuff up, while actual experts are dismissed as elitists, then we've got a problem," he said.

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Source: PTI
WASHINGTON: Speaker of the US House of Representatives Paul Ryan may soon endorse presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, a top party leader said today.



Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said this is based on his assessment of the Trump-Ryan meeting this week, wherein they talked about various policy issues and how to unify the party.



"I don't speak for Paul Ryan, but what I can tell you is that I think both of these guys came into the meeting expecting a good meeting, but I think they left and it was a great meeting," said Priebus, who was the only third person in that room.



"I think they made a lot of progress and I would be surprised if we didn't get there, you know, not too much longer in the distant future," Priebus said.



At the same time, the RNC Chairman said Ryan wants to make sure it's real, he doesn't want to just put on a show.



"He wants to understand and make sure there's a real understanding of each other before he makes that endorsement," he said.



Priebus warned a section of the party leadership on trying to mount a third-party candidate and described this as a suicide mission.



"They could try to hijack another party and get on the ballot, but, look, it's a suicide mission for our country because what it means is that you're throwing down not just eight years of the White House but potentially 100 years on the Supreme Court and wrecking this country for many generations," Priebus said.



"I think that's the legacy these folks will leave behind. I think it's very dangerous and there's other ways to get assurances on the things that they are worried about, which is what Paul Ryan is doing, and making sure that some things are understood before moving forward with some particular people and I think Paul Ryan's approach is much better," Priebus said.



Appearing on the same Sunday Talk Show on Fox News, the former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Trump is not a traditional conservative.



"He has never claimed to be a traditional conservative, but he has said that he will nominate very conservative judges, people worthy of Scalia and Thomas. He is clearly working with the Federalist Society and others to put together a speech on the judiciary that will draw a very sharp line with Hillary," he said.

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Source: PTI
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump will release his tax details only after its audit is completed, his aide said today even as a top Republican leader claimed that it was unlikely to impact the party's presumptive nominee's electoral prospects.



"(Trump) has said he will release his tax returns, never has changed his position. What he has said is, he's under audit now. And once the audit is completed, he will release the taxes," Paul Manafort, a top advisor to the real estate tycoon told CNN.



Manafort said the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audit is going on last eight year's worth of tax returns.



"And anything beyond eight years is not going to be reflective of anything other than interest on the part of the media," he said.



During the interview Manafort was asked: "You know Nixon released his returns while under audit. And Donald Trump released his returns to a gaming commission, I believe, while under audit when he was trying to get a casino in New Jersey."



Manafort replied that this was an issue "the media is interested in. It's not an issue that Middle America is interested in, frankly. Donald Trump has been very clear. He will release it.



"He will comply when the audit is done. You talk to tax attorneys who are not politically motivated, and they will tell you they would never advise their client to release any tax information in the course of an audit."



Last week, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton took a jibe at Trump for not releasing his tax returns, a break from the decades-long precedent in the race to the White House.



But in an interview to Fox News, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said he was not sure whether Americans actually care whether Trump releases his taxes or not.



"And that's a question for Donald Trump and he's either going to benefit or suffer from the decisions that he makes on that particular issue," he said.



"But whether this issue is going to apply to Donald Trump in a negative way or not I'm not sure of. But so far, most things have not because he represents something far different than these particular individual issues," he said.



"It's a bigger question, which is who is going to blow up the system? Who is going to get the change that people want done? People are angry and they're angry and they want something done and they view Donald Trump as the person to do it. That's what this election is coming down to," Priebus said.

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Source: PTI
EDITOR'S NOTE: The user who uploaded the embedded YouTube video has made the clip private.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Hate traffic? Tired of following the rules? Ever wanted to outride the cops?

Well, this crew is for you.

A video recently appeared on YouTube showing a trio of dirt bike and ATV riders driving through multiple Staten Island neighborhoods, breaking countless laws.

The 24-minute clip, shared May 7, shows the riders making their way through Clifton, Grasmere, Dongan Hills and Midland Beach. Their route includes Targee Street, Richmond Road, Midland Avenue and Capodanno Boulevard.

They blow through red lights, ride in the wrong lane, perform stunts and even flee the police (at least twice), all while driving what appear to be unregistered dirt bikes.

At the end of the video, the person filming falls off a vehicle after appearing to lose control.

A reader shared the clip with the Advance via Facebook: "Look at these people terrorizing the street running from cops riding on sidewalk and through red lights. Someone is going to get hurt."

The NYPD has been actively pursuing illegal bike and ATV activity since April.

By law, it is illegal to register and operate off-road motorcycles (dirt bikes/ATVs) on any street in New York City, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

As of last month, police officers on Staten Island had confiscated 12 dirt bikes and seven ATVs so far this year from riders caught operating the illegal off-road vehicles on the borough's streets, according to the NYPD.
Capt. Kenneth Noonan

Capt. Kenneth Noonan is the new commander of the 123rd Precinct.

((NYPD))

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The NYPD's 123rd Precinct is holding its monthly community council meeting Tuesday night.

The public meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. inside Grace Christian Church, 991 Woodrow Road, Annadale.

This will be the first meeting since Capt. Kenneth Noonan took over as commander of the 123rd Precinct -- replacing previous commanding officer Capt. Matt Harrington, now assigned to the 121st Precinct.

Check back here in the comment section for live updates and to join in the discussion during the meeting.
Schumer.jpg

Sen. Charles Schumer was an original co-sponsor of the bill that would give 9/11 victims and their families a way to air their grievances. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - With a unanimous vote, the U.S. Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would allow victims of 9/11 and their families to file lawsuits against Saudi Arabia, alleging that country played a role as a sponsor of terrorist activities.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is an original co-sponsor of the bill, called the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, that allows individuals to sue in American courts, something the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act has been interpreted to prohibit.

"The bill is very near and dear to my heart as a New Yorker because it would allow the victims of 9/11 to pursue some small measure of justice by giving them a legal avenue to hold foreign sponsors of terrorism accountable for their actions," Schumer said on the Senate floor shortly before the vote Tuesday. "The courts in New York have dismissed the 9/11 victims' claims against certain entities alleged to have helped fund the 9/11 attacks. These courts are following what we believe to be a nonsensical reading of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. So, for the sake of the families, I want to make clear beyond a shadow of a doubt, that every entity, including foreign states, will be held accountable if they are found to be sponsors of the heinous act of 9/11."

President Obama has threatened to veto the bill if it passes in the House, arguing that allowing suits against sovereign nations opens up the United States to similar suits.

Schumer said he expects the Senate would have enough votes to override a veto.

While the Saudi government denies responsibility for the 2001 attacks and opposes the bill, Schumer and other proponents have argued the bill only allows suits to be filed in American courts -- if the Saudi government has had no role in sponsoring terrorism, they should have nothing to fear.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is also a sponsor of the bill.

Rep. Daniel Donovan (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) is a co-sponsor of the House version.

"I made this clear during the successful fight for lifetime health coverage for 9/11 first responders: Nothing comes before American victims of terror, period," he said. "Frankly, I don't care if the Saudis get upset - 9/11 victims have a right to legal recourse. I'll be pushing for quick consideration of this legislation in the House."
"There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement accompanying the directive on transgender access to student restrooms which was sent to school districts Friday. (Associated Press)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island parents say more information is needed regarding a new federal guideline on transgender restrooms in public schools, with some raising concerns the policy over-reaches, and predicting it will invite problems.

Miguel Rodriguez, president of the Staten Island Federation of PTAs, an umbrella organization of PTA delegates from each Island public school, said he is hearing concerns from parents, who want more information about the federal guidelines.

"This is something that needs to be discussed, and we will be reaching out to our delegates to do that," he said

The Obama administration sent a letter to every public school district in the country telling them to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their chosen gender identity, as opposed to their birth certificate, or risk losing federal funding.

The letter, which is signed by officials at the Justice Department and the Department of Education, was sent out Friday.

Community Education Council President Michael Reilly said he's also heard concerns from parents.

"We must remember, we are discussing kids; kids whose hormones are raging. It is not over-reaching to think a group of boys may dare their friend to say he is transitioning, and enter a girls bathroom to sneak a peek. And if they have cell phones, that's another issue."

City Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina said Monday that she did not anticipate problems with the federal policy.

The Department of Education already has guidelines in place for transgender students, the chancellor noted.

The guidelines set out state that "a transgender student should not be required to use a locker room or restroom that conflicts with the student's gender identity."

The DOE also has a community liaison assigned to train superintendents, school administrators and parent representatives on LGBT-related issues.

The chancellor told City Council members the policy is being viewed as "the right thing to do," suggesting students would have fewer problems adapting than adults.

SILive readers who weighed in on the federal guidelines expressed concerns.

"Not sure what "gender identity" means," wrote festivus. "Does a student need to appear or declare an identity with another sex? How does a school know who is legitimate? How does a school, locker room or bathroom or any place where people remove their clothes, protect the modesty of the people using these facilities?"

"I don't agree with this," reader Linda Washington wrote. "Not because of the people who legitimately are transgender, but because of all the deranged people who will use this to their advantage. If you make it a rule like this, instead of providing accommodations for individuals within the school, you have no way of holding accountable those who will abuse this situation."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The experts have spoken and before the city's plan to sterilize the borough's male population gets state approval, the strategy needs a closer look -- and a major revision.

When first proposed, our tentative support cited the long delay and critical need for a plan -- any plan -- but noted that the results of the most current aerial survey had not been released and that other key elements, like deer migration adding to the herd, were not fully considered.

We also reiterated that a plan that included a lethal option should not be abandoned. The current one -- qualified as "scientific study" -- does not include a lethal option.

For these reasons, there was little surprise when we subsequently reported that wildlife experts, including those who who were consulted in formulating the plan, agreed on one thing: This plan is a bad idea.

And they were very blunt in their criticism.

"It's difficult for me to come up with all the reasons why this is a really stupid plan," said Bernd Blossey, an ecologist at Cornell University who consulted City Hall on deer management strategies. "It's ridiculous from the onset."

"This plan has very low likelihood of success," said Paul Curtis, another ecologist at Cornell who was part of the city's interagency deer task force. A few bucks in Ithaca, N.Y., were given vasectomies as part of a multi-year study on deer controls in and around the campus there.

"We could only do three vasectomies -- it wasn't safe for the deer and wasn't safe for us," Curtis said.

So, we reiterate our position that the use of a lethal strategy must be considered.

Ann Arbor, Mich., spent $35,000 this year to hire federal sharpshooters to kill 63 deer as part of that city's deer management plan. More than 1,000 pounds of venison were donated to feed the hungry.

A deer specialist at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources -- which had to approve the Ann Arbor cull -- called the Staten Island sterilization plan "short-sighted."

"This is a future solution to a problem that exists today," deer specialist Chad Stewart said.

The Parks Department plans to sterilize all male deer, starting with a $2 million effort during this fall's mating season. Hundreds of bucks would be given vasectomies and released during the three-year study.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and other city officials argue that this is the fastest and most humane way to limit further growth.

Most of what is known about deer sterilization focuses on controlling female fertility, so what the city is planning has never been attempted at this scale.

A 2014 aerial survey found 763 deer in Staten Island's green space and some ecologists think there may be more than 1,000 now. The city surveyed the entire borough earlier this year and preliminary data is expected later this spring.

Sterilizing the bucks is expected to cut the population by 10 to 30 percent annually, but hundreds of deer that remain could still wreak havoc even without reproduction because they can live a decade or more.

The city also believes males will be easier to capture, but experts said the biggest bucks that breed with the most doe have the widest ranges and don't respond as well to sedatives.

Experts also argue against the city's assertion that deer won't continue to migrate from New Jersey -- that's how so many ended up on Staten Island in the first place.

"It's an incredibly foolish idea," said John Rasweiler, a reproductive zoologist who has served on deer management groups on Long Island. "$2 million the first year? Absolute lunacy, particularly since it's not going to work."

The state Department of Environmental Conservation still has to approve the sterilization plan -- if it gets that far given the reaction from those who know best.

Fertility control will only be permitted by the state as part of a scientific study, which is what the city is proposing. The city comptroller's office has to approve the contractor before that happens.

We now wonder if Scott Stringer will approve that allocation given the serious concerns that have been raised.

This editorial was corrected to clarify that the vasectomy effort is expected to eventually reduce Staten Island's deer herd 10 to 30 percent annually, not 10 to 30 percent overall.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17

By Orkhan Quluzade - Trend:

Radiation from the Metsamor nuclear power plant may be the cause of the recent growth of cancer cases in eastern provinces of Turkey, including the Igdir province, MP of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) of Turkey Mehmet Emin Adiyaman told Trend May 17.

"Metsamor nuclear power plant was built in the days of the Soviet Union," the MP said. "This is a nuclear power plant of Chernobyl type. The Chernobyl accident led to an increase in cancer cases, birth of children with a variety of pathologies in the region, and the consequences of the accident are still being felt in Turkey."

"There are suspicions in radiation leaking at the Metsamor nuclear power plant," said the MP. "In recent years the border areas of Turkey, including Igdir province, experience growth of cancer cases, pathologies regarding the newborns. There are suggestions that this is due to radiation from the Metsamor nuclear power plant."

He went on to add that the radiation effects are also noticeable in the provinces of Kars and Agri.

"The international community must take responsibility to solve this problem and increase efforts in this direction," said Adiyaman, stressing that Armenia's operation of outdated Metsamor nuclear power plant under the pretext of solving economic problems isn't more important than life and health of people both in Turkey and Armenia itself.

Armenia has a nuclear power plant, Metsamor, built in 1970. The power plant, which is 15 kilometers away from the border with Turkey, was closed after a devastating earthquake in Spitak in 1988. But despite the international protests, the power plant's operation was resumed in 1995. Moreover, a second reactor was launched there.

According to the ecologists and scholars all over the region, seismic activity of this area turns operation of the Metsamor nuclear power plant in an extremely dangerous enterprise, even if a new type of reactor is built.
Nearly 600 members of the Class of 2016 are about to join Skidmores alumni network. Some students will begin their careers in their chosen industries, some will start postgraduate research in the sciences and other fields, and others will take time to see the world. No matter their paths, they leave Skidmore as engaged liberal learners, equipped with creative thought and ready to take on a new journeylike these six trailblazers:

Bennett Beutel

What sets this Texas-born varsity lacrosse player and management and business major apart from the crowd is his passion for creating jewelry from personal sketchesa passion he nurtured in Skidmore's art facilities. After graduation Beutel will be making jewelry for the NYC-based company Jet Set Candy, and in August he'll go overseas as the programme assistant for Skidmore's London FYE program.





Stella Langat



Stella Langat feels strongly about underwear. Langat grew up in Kenya, where she, like most women, couldnt afford new, clean underwear. To change this, she founded Double Dees, Kenyas first indigenous undergarment business, and has been taking the business world by storm. Among her credentials: first place in the Freirich Business Plan Competition in 2015, finalist status in the New York State Business Plan Competition, and second place at the Harvard Women in Business Innovation Competition.

Lisa Fierstein

In 2014 NPRs Serial podcast made talk radio "cool" for a new generation of listeners. But for Fierstein, audio was always cool. She wrote her senior thesis on storytelling and American identity in NPRs This American Life, hosted by Ira Glass. Now she has accepted a position with a Michigan NPR affiliate, producing audio and video documentaries and lending her musical background to a classical radio show. Not bad for a student who took her first Intro to Audio Documentary course just this year.

Elizabeth Worgan

Where else but Skidmore could a student plan a Star Wars-themed fashion show? Inspired at age 6 by Queen Amidala's wardrobe, Elizabeth Worgan took that fashion show to the next level and founded AllStolen Apparel during her junior year on campus.

She's currently designing a new collection, but this summer Worgan is taking time for herself, hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

Skye Elliott

The sky's the limit for this Liberty League All-Academic member of the mens crew team. Elliott is the recipient of the 2016 Karsen Prize in Spanish and is a double major in physics and Spanish. At Skidmore, he fostered his passion for astrophysics working collaboratively on research with faculty member Mary Odekon.



He will soon begin a Ph.D. program in aerospace engineering at Notre Dame.

Alexander Nassief





Since he was a teenager, Nassief wanted to make an impact on the economy of his native country, Dominica. His solution: founding Rum Dogs, Inc., a company that uses a patent-pending technique to reduce the time required to age a premium rum. After entering Skidmore's Freirich Business Plan Competition four years in a row, Nassief took home first place this year. He plans to expand Rum Dogs and help revitalize the Dominican economy.

Approximately 80% of Skidmore alumni are employed one year after graduation. Read more about alumni who have found success after Skidmore and see stats for the Class of 2015.
Ankara, Turkey, May 17

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkey does not plan to start ground military operations in Syria, the Turkish foreign ministry told Trend May 17.

According to the ministry, Turkey is a part of an international coalition against the IS terrorist organization (ISIL or ISIS) and all operations are conducted only within the coalition.

The ministry also said that Turkey delivered its Incirlik Air Base to the international coalition as part of the fight against the IS.

"The Turkish Armed Forces are making pinpoint strikes on the positions of the IS militants in response to the shelling of our country's territory," the ministry said.

The ministry said that the IS poses a threat not only for Turkey but also for the entire region.

"If necessary, Turkey may launch a ground military operation in Syria by itself," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said earlier.

Davutoglu noted that over the recent months, Turkey's territory has been regularly subjected to shelling from Syria's territories controlled by the IS militants.

"The activities of terrorist organizations in Syria pose a serious threat to Turkey and the whole world," said Davutoglu.

"Turkey is the only country which actively fights the IS militants," added the prime minister.

Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed the lives of over 500,000 people.

Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops.

The "Islamic State" and Jabhat al-Nusra are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (Photo : Getty Images)

The Philippines presumptive president Rodrigo Rody Duterte wants to be friendly with China in terms of maritime disputes, something a Washington-based think tank warns against.



According to AFP as posted on Channel News Asia, Duterte expressed his willingness to talk directly to China with regards to territorial disputes on the South China Sea while speaking with the press on Sunday.



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"Well ties have never been cold. But I would rather be friendly with everybody," Duterte told reporters in Davao City located along the southern part of the archipelago.



According to him, he wanted closer ties with China and would not follow the footsteps of his predecessor, President Benigno Aquino III, who opted to bring the maritime dispute to an international court of arbitration instead of holding direct talks with the other country.



However, ADR Institute for International Studies (ADRi) believes that it would be better for the Philippines to continue challenging China's excessive claims over the territory, per a report from the Philippine Star.



The South China Sea/West Philippine Sea Dispute



According to AFP, China took over the rich fishing territory within the Philippines' economic exclusive zone known as the Scarborough Shoal in 2012.



This was not received very well in the archipelago and resulted in the Aquino administration filing a legal challenge to the United Nations tribunal and signing a new defense pact with the U.S.



This left China furious and demanded that the Philippines negotiate with them directly while insisting their claims over the territory.



Aquino responded by refusing to have bilateral talks for fear that the more powerful country has the upper hand and said that there was nothing to talk about if China continues to insist on their claims.



However, Duterte appears to be more open to talking to China, saying, "If the ship of negotiation is in still waters and there's no wind to push the sail, I might just decide to talk bilaterally with China."



Think Tank to Duterte: Continue Claims



A day before Duterte's statements surfaced, a report from the Philippine Star featured a recommendation from an American think tank.



According to the report, ADRi strongly recommends that the upcoming Philippine administration pursue the path that Aquino has started.



"While Asia recognizes that China has long been an important force for economic prosperity and security in the region, there is resistance when Beijing becomes overzealous in asserting this dominance," said ADRi President Dindo Manhit.



Manhit further recommended that the Philippines' new administration should have a foreign service that incorporates trade promotion, political and economic reporting, negotiation, and a push for a legislation called the National Security Act.






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Ling Jihua attends the plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People on March 8, 2013 in Beijing, China. (Photo : Getty Images)

Chinas state prosecutor on Friday has formally charged a former senior aide to retired President Hu Jintao with accepting bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power.



Beijing announced in Dec. 2014 an investigation into Ling Jihua, who had earlier been demoted in Sept. 2012 to a ministerial-level position months after his son was killed in a crash involving a luxury car.



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The charges are the latest development in a case that China's Community Party has claimed to have done "major damage to its image," according to Reuters.



Ling used his many high-ranking government positions as a way to solicit bribes, seek favors for friends and gain unauthorized access to state secrets, the prosecutor said, without specifying the nature of the secrets.



The circumstances were "extremely serious," the prosecutor added in a terse statement that was also broadcast on Chinese state television.



Ling's case was filed at a court in the port city of Tianjin, which is roughly a hundred kilometers from Beijing, and is expected to be tried there.



The prosecutor said authorities had informed Ling about his rights according to the law, questioned him, and heard "opinions" from his lawyer.



It was not clear who the lawyer is or whether he was appointed for Ling by the government.



Ling's case presents a dilemma for the Party due to his close connection with former President Hu, President Xi Jinping's predecessor.



In 2015, a government spokesman denied reports that Hu is being implicated in the investigation and sources have told Reuters that Hu approved of it.



The formal charges pave the way for a criminal trial, but due to accusations that Ling stole state secrets, the proceedings may be closed to the public.



It is also unclear when a trial could be held. If the trial is to be held in secret, state media could simply announce a verdict, according to Reuters.



The government said previously in July that it would prosecute Ling and that he had been expelled from the Communist Party.



Ling's brother, Ling Zhengce, is also being investigated for corruption. Other family members have also been arrested, according to state media reports.



Another brother, Ling Wangcheng, is currently in the United States, and China in January said it was communicating with the United States about him.



In February, Ling Wangcheng denied through his U.S. attorney that he handed over Chinese state secrets to U.S. authorities.



Since assuming power in 2012, Xi has launched a public campaign against corruption, taking down many opponents including the once-powerful domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang, who was also tried in Tianjin.


Students take the annual college entrance exam or "gaokao" in China. (Photo : Getty Images)

Many Chinese parents protested a new directive from the Ministry of Education that aims to accommodate more students from poor and less developed regions.



According to China Daily, the new rules on the gaokao or the Chinese national higher education entrance examination stipulate that provinces with greater resources will be accommodating more students from less developed regions.



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This will provide a more equal chance of getting tertiary education for poor students, an earlier report from the state-run Xinhua News Agency stated.



The Reform



The Ministry of Education said that the reform will require higher education providers such as universities and colleges in richer regions to accommodate more students from less privileged provinces.



Among the affected provinces mentioned in the China Daily report are Jiangsu and Hubei Province, which will accommodate 38,000 and 40,000 students, respectively.



These students would reportedly come from Tibet and Xinjiang. The students are still required to take and pass the gaokao for them to be able to qualify.



The ministry told China Daily that the reform should not affect local students since there had been fewer enrollees from the localities anyway, citing Jiangsu's gaokao record.



Last year, 390,000 students from Jiangsu registered to take the gaokao with an 89 percent passing rate. This year, registration was 30,000 less, which led the ministry to believe that the province can accommodate more students from poorer localities.



Parents' Protests



While the new rules on higher education provide better opportunities for the less privileged, it is believed to be one that could hinder the current benefits of those from affluent provinces.



In fact, thousands of parents rallied on the streets of Wuhan and Nanjing on Saturday to protest the new directive.



In a report from the South China Morning Post, the protesters expressed their grievances and worries about the upcoming entrance examinations next month.



Jiangsu Province resident Zhang Wei told the outlet how he worries about the effects of the new directive to his son who is set to take the gaokao in June.



Even though he did not join the demonstrations, he expressed his full support for the cause.



"Our dissatisfaction with the unfair college enrollment policies, which always put local students in Jiangsu at a disadvantage, has accumulated for years and the admission quota issue is just the last straw," he stated.



Analysts believed that the cause of discontent was not the directive itself but the failure of the government to tackle the root of the problem.



"Apparently, authorities are not very sensitive and have failed to solicit public opinion before announcing such a change," 21st Century Education Research Institute deputy director Xiong Bingqi explained.






Milk Tea Gang (Photo : Weibo)

A new type of narcotics is circulating in China, called milk tea drugs. It is made up of ketamine drug powder disguised as tea and milk.



Besides the misleading packaging to look like legitimate drinks, it is not easy to identify milk tea drugs as narcotics because when it is mixed with water, it smells and appears like a normal fragrant milk tea. The images posted show some of the drugs used Nescafe wrappers.



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However, when ingested, it could cause the drinker to experience hallucinations, according to the public safety office of Guangzhou on its Weibo page. Whats on Weibo reported that the Yangjiang Police in Guangdong Province arrested on Friday 11 people who belong to the milk tea drugs gang.



The seven men and four women were arrested in a local hotel room, but since only 10 tested positive for drug used, only 10 were detained. Authorities described the scene inside the hotel room as chaotic with the gang members seated on the floor and couch and did not notice the entry of the arresting team.



Milk tea drugs have MDDMA and methamphetamine. Users described its effects as similar to ingesting Ecstasy pills. However, besides being highly addictive, milk tea drugs damage physical and mental health.



The first media report about the milk tea drugs was in April 2014 when anti-narcotics police in Nanning, Guangxi Province confiscated more than 2,000 grams of the drug from a vehicle at a highway tollbooth.






Canberra region winemakers have warned of potentially devastating impacts on harvest and business if the delayed backpacker tax was eventually introduced.

The government announced on Tuesday it would push back the start of its fraught with challenge backpacker tax by six months, pending a review.

John Leyshon is concerned of the potential knock-on effect of any tax changes. Credit:Rohan Thomson

In addition to removing the tax-free threshold for non-resident workers, the measure imposed a 32.5 per cent tax rate on every dollar they earned. It was set to reap the budget $540 million by 2020.

It was contentious within the Coalition, and regional senators and MPs slammed the idea on behalf of the agriculture and livestock industries.
Canberrans will pay an upfront $375 million to the Canberra Metro consortium, plus an average $64 million a year over 20 years, to build and operate the much-debated tram line from Gungahlin to the city.

The final price of the project is $710 million, Capital Metro Minister Simon Corbell said on Tuesday, announcing that the contract had now been signed with the Pacific Partnerships-led consortium.

An artist's example of one of the possibilities for the new Civic Plaza space.

But because the payments are spread over time, the taxpayer is committed to the $375 million lump sum when construction is complete, plus an annual operations payment, $48 million in the first year and $75 million in 2038, or an annual average of $64 million over the life of the project.

Mr Corbell said initial work would begin in June and substantive work in August. But Canberra Metro chief executive Martin Pugh said while some work would begin on moving underground pipes and wires, the consortium had about six months of design to do before construction began.
Fresh claims have emerged against a former headmaster of St Edmund's College, who was accused last year of molesting a student repeatedly over two years.

The late Brother Noel Landener served his first stint as a headmaster at St Edmund's between 1960 and 1965, following a long career in the Catholic Christian Brothers order.

St Edmund's College in Griffith. Credit:Rohan Thomson

He was celebrated in the decades after he left the school, and rose through the ranks of Christian Brothers to become a member of Queensland's provincial council and then a school inspector in the same state, according to his obituary.

He was praised for driving up student numbers, cultivating "self-discipline", and having a "talent for organisation, abundant energy, and a clear view of the school he wanted St Edmund's to become".
The corporate regulator has finally taken criminal action against former Commonwealth Bank of Australia financial planner Ricky Gillespie but some of his customers are still waiting for compensation from the bank.

Leonie and Peter Crowe are victims of Gillespie. They had their signatures forged and their life savings decimated due to unsuitable advice. They lost hundreds of thousands of dollars and are still waiting for compensation they believe they deserve.

Despite complaining to CBA management numerous times over the years they were simply fobbed off.

Two years ago, the Crowes reached out to CBA whistleblower Jeff Morris and asked him to represent them in their quest for compensation. He says he drew the case to the personal attention of the chief executive Ian Narev in August 2014.
New Japanese ambassador to China Yutaka Yokoi (Photo : Twitter)

Japan's new ambassador to China is going to be busy once he starts working as the two countries continue to push for more cooperation between each other.



61-year-old Yutaka Yokoi arrived in Beijing on Sunday to begin his work as Japan's new ambassador to China. Yokoi has previously worked in the country for five years in a variety of other diplomatic and academic roles.



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The new ambassador's appointment is said to come in at a critical moment, with China and Japan dealing with important issues, particularly regarding Japan's stance on territorial disputes in the South China Sea, China Daily reported.



According to Yang Bo-jiang, the Chinese Academy of Social Science' Institute of Japan studies deputy director, more disputes will likely arise from Japan's latest security legislation.



Meanwhile, Tsinghua University Institute of Modern International Relations deputy dean Liu Jiangyong said that the Diaoyu Islands issue is still the biggest point of concern for the two countries. The Diaoyu Islands (referred to as the Senkaku by the Japanese) are a small group of islands that both countries are contesting in the last few decades.



However, analysts believe that Yokoi's experience working in China will help in facilitating communications between the two countries in resolving the disputes.



The new ambassador is often referred to as being a member of the "China school," Japanese intellectuals who are proficient in speaking Chinese and who are well-versed in the country's affairs.



During a formal send-off dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Yokoi expressed his optimism for his new position. He noted that China's growing economy has made it very attractive to Japanese enterprises. He added that it is essential to foster mutual trust between Japanese and Chinese citizens for stronger ties, People reported.



Yokoi replaces Masato Kitera, who will become Japan's new envoy to France.


Charter Hall has expanded it presence in the car dealership sector with the launch of another $82 million fund with assets, leased by Automotive Holdings Group, spread across the country.

Investors who are seeking out higher yielding assets, are also anticipating the proposed $900 million Frasers Centrepoint float of its Australian industrial and logistic properties, which was issued its eligibility-to-list letter on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

Charter Hall is launching its second automotive fund.

No formal decision has been made to proceed with the creation of a real estate investment trust, as yet.

With the proposed establishment of the Frasers REIT, Frasers Centrepoint will hold about 22.5 per cent of units post-listing.
Thomastown: Forte Developments has acquired a former refinery in Thomastown for $4.85million  the latest in a swag of purchases for the expanding development firm. Located at 337-339 Settlement Road, the 22,128-square-metre property incorporated multiple titles providing access onto Canfield Court as well as Dunstans Court to the rear. CBRE's Amanda Traficante, Dean Hunt and Lindsay Davidson negotiated the sale on behalf of a consortium of owners.

Docklands: Melbourne-based investor JAK Investment Group has paid $3.81 million for 14 office suites at 425 Docklands Drive in a deal negotiated by Lemon Baxter's Paul O'Sullivan. The units, next to Harbourtown Shopping Centre, were originally developed by ING in 2005 as part of the Waterfront City precinct. Harbourtown was recently acquired by Ashe Morgan Capital for $140 million.

Abbotsford: A rundown building at 178-180 Hoddle Street sparked a bidding war that saw it sell for $1.3 million, about $450,000 above expectations. Gray Johnson's Matt Hoath said the two-level Victorian building attracted owner-occupiers, investors and developers. "I believe we witnessed Abbotsford site values catching up with those of adjoining suburbs like Richmond and Cremorne," he said.

Richmond: A Melbourne-based private developer has paid $2.9 million at a record land rate of $9355 a square metre for an office/showroom property at 196 Mary Street following a lively Teska Carson auction. The 300sqm building sold in front of a 100-strong crowd with several bidders driving the price well past the vendor's reserve, said Tom Maule who marketed the property with colleague Fergus Evans. Meanwhile, a private investor paid $2.05 million on an indicative yield of 4.7 per cent for an office and warehouse at Abbotsford. The 22 Grosvenor Street property sold with vacant possession, said Mr Maule and Adrian Boutsakis.

Waterfront City, in Docklands. Credit:Jessica Shapiro

Balaclava: A long-term investor outmuscled developers to snap up Carlisle House on the corner of Westbury and Carlisle streets. Offered to the market for the first time in 30 years, the unique property sold for $8 million on a incredibly low yield of 2.5 per cent. The vendor was a private family trust, said Beller Commercial's Liam Rafferty and Brendan Goss. "Tight mandatory building heights along Carlisle Street limited developers' opportunity," they said.

Coolaroo: The last in a line of shops in a development at 1350 Pascoe Vale Road on the corner of Barry and Pascoe Vale roads had sold. The project is anchored by a 7-Eleven outlet and six other stores all leased by specialist food outlets. Gray Johnson's Rory White has sold to a private investor the final available shop leased to Mehmet Ursa Turkish restaurant for $1.285 million with a 60-day settlement on an indicative yield of 8.1 per cent.
Murray Goulburn milk farce: Why weren't the farmers told?

The government and opposition are at odds over the dairy industry's campaign for a levy on milk, with the government keeping its options open while Labor opposes.

Dairy farmers are struggling, despite rising foreign demand. Credit:Chris Warren

Dairy farmers have proposed the 50 levy on fresh milk sales after two of the country's main dairy processors Murray Goulburn and Fonterra  slashed the average farm gate price from $5.60 a kilogram of milk solid to as low as $4.75 a kilo.

Farmer lobby group Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) and dairy analysts estimate the break-even price for the average farmer is about $5.50 a kilo.
A worker who told his boss to "kiss my arse" lost an unfair dismissal case after the Fair Work Commission found he had resigned "in a moment of pique".

But the commission ordered an employer to compensate another worker who told his boss to "shove his roster up his arse".

It was alleged the boss pushed his chest into the technician, who later said 'kiss my arse'. Credit:Michael Clayton-Jones

A hydraulic hose technician employed at Steelcon Cava was involved in a scuffle with his boss after a disagreement about whether the company was paying for his food at a caravan park mess hall. The worker said he understood that he was entitled to free meals, but the employer argued this was never the case.

The worker alleged his boss started yelling at him and telling him to "f--- off, you're finished here, get out of here".
A Caribbean financial centre favoured by hedge funds is now the third-biggest foreign owner of US government debt around the world.

The Cayman Islands, where more hedge funds are domiciled than anywhere else in the world, held $US265 billion ($362 billion) of Treasuries as of March, up 31 per cent from a year earlier, according to data the US Treasury Department released this week.

If NSW's land titles registry goes to the Carlyle Group, its profits could end up in the Cayman Islands. Credit:Getty Images

It was the first time that the US released details of bond holdings among OPEC and Caribbean countries, and it came in response to a Freedom-of-Information Act request submitted by Bloomberg.

The stockpile makes the British territory, an offshore tax haven with about 60,000 residents, the largest holder after China and Japan. Those nations, the world's second- and third-biggest economies, each own more than $US1 trillion of Treasuries.
OK, so millions of tech-savvy Australians like me know the premise for the popular mobile phone game Angry Birds.

(Come off it Dad, you don't even have a smartphone!)

Voters are like angry birds seeking to punish the greedy pigs for stealing their nest eggs.

(Shoosh! Or you'll have to buy your own credit.)

Yes, as we all know, in Angry Birds the greedy King Pig rules over Piggy Island with an iron hoof. Bored with the same old food, he orders his minion pigs to steal the eggs from the birds. Big mistake. The Angry Birds dish out revenge and use their unique powers to destroy the pigs' defences.
For anyone who has ever had to stay back in the office to meet a deadline, the commute home can feel like travelling home in an alternate universe where you keep wondering, "where is everyone?"

There is no doubt that we need more capacity in our transport network  the Sydney Metro and CBD Light Rail projects will help to address this  but as a whole community we also need to take action to spread peak demand to ensure we getter better use out of our trains, buses, ferries, light rail and indeed the road network.

Last week's IPART report on Opal fares proposed increasing fares to recover some of the costs of operating an expanding network but also, more importantly, proposed increasing the savings for off-peak travel. The government should seize this opportunity with both hands. Using price to change behaviour can be an effective and necessary tool, but it needs to be used alongside other tools to support commuters.

The biggest driver of peak demand for public transport is undoubtedly driven by the retention of traditional core office hours occurring between 8.30am and 5.30pm. Rethinking our approach to working hours  staggering starting and finishing times and encouraging flexibility for employees  shouldn't be dismissed as nice to have but too hard to implement.
Their remedy is to insert subcontractors between the head contractor (Canberra Metro) and the construction workers actually laying the tracks and building the tram stops. This would keep costs lower, according to the Master Builders Association, because those subcontractors would pay lower wages.

The core of Master Builders' latest complaints is that the collective agreement covering construction of the light rail project provides for direct employment. This, they claim, pushes up the cost of construction projects.

This is demonstrated by Master Builders' Cameron Spence, whose opinion piece ("CFMEU taking us for a ride ") betrays either his ignorance of the light rail project or an active attempt to run party-political lines on behalf of the Canberra Liberals.

Recent public statements by the Master Builders Association has unfortunately undermined their role as a sensible stakeholder and places them on an extreme ideological fringe.

It is incredible that Master Builders would be so up front about their agenda. Lower wages and job insecurity for construction workers. The most recent push by the MBA into Canberra's construction sector has cut wages for construction workers by 15 per cent for those few subcontractors who have signed up.

Meanwhile, there is a growing number of Canberra construction companies signing collective agreements with the CFMEU. Canberra Metro is just the latest to sign onto the national industry standard. The light rail collective agreement will ensure Indigenous employment and jobs for long-term job seekers, and will prioritise local contracting. Overall, the light rail project will create 3500 new local and secure jobs.

The MBA is a big business lobby group made up of major construction companies such as Grocon that aggressively minimise company tax. Many of these companies have terrible safety records, and in Canberra, a construction worker is seriously injured on a Master Builders site every day.

Mr Spence and the MBA have tried to demonise the memorandum of understanding between UnionsACT and the government. While the MBA may dislike the idea of a government committed to workplace safety and defending the rights of working people, Mr Spence does his cause no favours by making false, party-political claims about the MOU.

As I have previously stated, the memorandum of understanding gives unions no ability to choose contractors and affords unions no powers that do not already exist under industrial or workplace safety laws. The objections made by Mr Spence regarding issues such as access to records are all rights that exist under federal laws.
The outrage at such injustice has riled one unlikely campaigner on this gay equality issue: a Catholic priest. While the Australian Catholic Church lobbies hard against marriage equality to MPs, Telstra, or gay chief execs like Alan Joyce, Father Paul Kelly lobbies with just as much fervour from an altogether different angle. He thinks the "gay panic" defence is a "homophobic, demeaning, dangerous insult" to gay people and "allows killers to walk away with paltry sentences".

NSW was the last state to repeal it, in 2014. Every day this law is still on the statute anywhere in Australia is another day a killer could walk free without a murder sentence.

It's a historic law that's still on the books in South Australia and Queensland. It still has teeth. Just last month in South Australia, the "gay panic" defence was used as part of a successful appeal that granted a retrial to Joseph Lindsay, the killer of Andrew Negre.

In two Australian states, you can get away with murder if you say a gay man came on to you.

Father Paul Kelly started a petition to get rid of the "gay panic" defence.

Father Kelly has labelled Australia an "international disgrace" for allowing wily lawyers to use this archaic provocation defence to get their clients' murder sentences downgraded to manslaughter when the victim was gay, or could be portrayed that way. New Zealand, Britain and California have all wiped away their gay panic laws.

The priest has good reason to campaign. Six years ago, Wayne Ruks was killed in his church courtyard. His killers both received lenient manslaughter sentences when "gay panic" was used as a defence for them. As a result, Jason Pearce walked free after just four years. Richard Meerdink will soon be up for parole. Father Kelly was disgusted, and started a Change.org petition that now has 243,000 signatures of support, putting it among the three biggest online petitions Australia has had. "I've made it my mission to see this revolting law abolished," he wrote. "It belongs in the dark ages."

Ironically, Wayne Ruks wasn't even gay  which demonstrates how this law could be used to deny anyone of justice. But for today, Father Kelly teams up with comedian Tom Ballard (who has released this impassioned video against the law) to tell Australia that a perceived "homosexual advance" is not provocation nor justification for murder. They're also impatient with the "leisurely pace" of change. They're urging all 243,000 signers of the Change.org petition to contact the attorneys-general of South Australia and Queensland to ask them to act urgently on this, lest another mother suffer the indignity of seeing her son's murderers walk free after just four years.

Steps have been made in Queensland where, after Father Kelly persistently asked his petition signers to persuade her, Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath this month announced they'd be reviewing the law with view to a repeal by the end of the year. But, Father Kelly has pointed out, similar noises were made a year ago and so far there has been silence from South Australia. Although there's little, if any, political opposition, there's also little political action.
So what about predictions. A Sunday seat-by-seat wrap of betting markets by the blog Mark the Ballot had the Coalition ahead in 78 seats. Although it currently holds 90, and this would represent a big setback for Turnbull, it's still enough to handily beat Labor's postulated 68. That's even if the four independents joined the Opposition, and there's no reason to be certain they would. And finally, although the betting markets claim they accurately predict the result, they actually don't this far out. So let's look at what the parties are doing.

Shorten's assault is traditional Labor, right down to that most ancient technique of all, the campaign bus, passing through every electorate right from the tip of Cape York heading on down the road to Canberra. Is this really the best the strategists can come up with? Is this innovation really so exciting it rates as a news story? If so, the Opposition has a problem. Labor doesn't have a lot of freedom to manoeuvre. Without the luxury of any budget surplus that can be raided to fund new promises the terrain is simple. Shorten needs to convince us that he can manage the country better than Turnbull. By emphasising he's got his ear to the ground and is in touch with ordinary people he provides a constant visual reinforcement of that simple message. But is it enough?

Shorten knows he's got to get the upper hand well before the last fortnight of the campaign, because that's when the saturation negative bombardment will begin: his critical, decisive role in plotting the fall of first Rudd, then Gillard; Labor's failure to stop the boats; its squandering of the budget surplus; deals to hang onto power; its failure to even make a decision about which submarine to buy.

Labor's biggest problem is that Turnbull's the Clayton's candidate: the Labor prime minister you have when you're not having a Labor PM. So far none of the mud that's been thrown is sticking and the worst assaults he's faced are from his own side. The problem is that both candidates are seeking a mandate but neither are levelling with us about the imminent cataclysm that's facing the country. Australia's economy currently depends on growth, yet look around the world and you can see that the big long boom since the 1950s is finally coming to a halt. Jobs will vanish and climate change is upon us . . . but you won't hear that from either of our so-called leaders.

No, don't even bother attempting to engage with the campaign at this point; do yourself a favour and take a break. There'll be plenty of time to worry about politics in a month or so's time.
A girl takes a selfie with statues depicting late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong (L) and former general Zhu De. (Photo : Reuters)

The relics of Cultural Revolution of China are being exhibited by private collector Fan Jianchuan in Sichuan Province in Southwest China. The display is an unofficial event in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the political movement, which occurred between 1966 and 1976.



"Our nation's cultural treasures need to be inherited . . . but it is more important to pass on the nation's experience and some lessons," said Fan. "That's why I have stayed with this cause for decades."



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Fan welcomes the public in his Jianchuan Museum Cluster, which has been open since 2005.



Discreetly referred to as a "Red era," the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution marked the attempt of Mao Zedong to utilize the force of the Chinese masses to lead the Communist Party.



The Guardian reported that the period is noted for the social and political dilemma caused by Mao's actions. Details of the Mao period have been whitewashed by official records. However, it is true that Mao initiated major slip-ups that are reflected in the relics of the museum.



The 16 May Notification is an important part of the Chinese history during this period, as it was a document that warned the Communist Party about the infiltration of the so-called "revisionists" who wanted to impose dictatorship. Numerous deaths and chaos resulted from attempting to stop the counter-revolutionists.



"Modern China is an open country and integrated into the world," said student Luo Qingsong of the Sichuan Management Professional Institute. "I believe our party, the country and our leadership would not adopt such policies again." He was one of the students who toured the museum located in a Chengdu suburb.



Tour groups are led by their guide in the museum. The guide explains the events during the Cultural Revolution as reflected in the relics. It is said that these events are not included in most history books for Chinese students to read and learn about.


Baird and Toole have a figure they use to demonstrate this: merged councils will save $2 billion in 20 years. Premier Mike Baird, Minister for Local Government Paul Toole and Deputy Premier Troy Grant, announced the amalgamations last Thursday. Credit:Janie Barrett In his press conference announcing he had merged councils, Baird stressed the value of these savings. The savings would be spent "on childcare, parks, sporting facilities, front-line services". There would be less pressure on council rates to rise. When you look a bit harder at Baird's figures, however, they evaporate into meaninglessness. The savings touted by Baird - $100 million a year across the state  make up less than 1 per cent of the $10 billion yearly revenue accrued by councils. That's a pretty tenuous basis upon which to do anything.

And Baird and Toole have consistently failed to release the basis for this savings figure. If the government could not cook the books to arrive at an impressive figure to demonstrate savings from merged councils, then it is fair to say that is not the reason they're being merged. So why are they being merged? "It is actually clout  it is actually clout." This explanation comes from Frank Sartor, the former mayor of Sydney and Labor MP, speaking at a panel last year, and it makes a bit of sense.

"It's not whether it is financially more viable or not, because you can run a very thin council," said Sartor. "It is really about capacity." The idea here is that larger councils will be better able to partner with other governments to do things that could be useful. Gold Coast Council, for instance, partnered with the state and federal governments to build and run the tram line that extends that along the city's shopping strip. And while Sydney councils contribute money to state projects, they have not to this stage partnered in the same way as the Gold Coast. If giving councils more clout to with which to spend money is one reason to merge them, therefore, another is simply to try and make them raise and spend more of it. When the state government first said it wanted to reform local government, it commissioned an independent panel of three to produce a report.

The report, finished in late 2013, found many councils had no financial worries. In fact, the panel highlighted the opposite concern. "The City of Sydney has money coming out of its ears," says Graham Sansom, the chair of the panel. "It is debt free. It provides free rates for pensioners. It is wealthy," says Sansom. "The question is how, in the broader interests of the people of Sydney and NSW, should that wealth be used? Should it be locked up in a relatively small local government area in the middle of the metropolitan region? Or should that money be put to better use over a larger area?" The panel's argument was that wealthier councils, mostly to the east of Parramatta, should be given more responsibilities for amenities within their own area. The City of Sydney could have paid for the entire eastern suburbs tram line, for instance.

This recommendation was based on two corollaries. The first was that councils in wealthier areas be given authority to level higher rates that better reflected local land values. The higher rates would be justified on equity grounds. (If the City of Sydney paid for the eastern tram line, the government could spend more money where it was more needed). The second was that some councils would need to be significantly larger. In Sansom's report, the City of Sydney would have taken over the eastern suburbs. Baird and Toole's reforms fail to grapple with this first corollary at all. In fact councils are likely to have less money available, because of government-imposed caps on rate increases. As to the second, there is still no Sydney council of the size of the Gold Coast. The government ignored Sansom's recommendation for a much larger City of Sydney. And it scuttled the Sansom panel's plan for a much larger Parramatta to recognise its status as a second CBD.
"Is it possible for the Australia Council to remain relevant when their decisions aren't supported through a broader national policy?"

Havilah will tell the meeting of arts heavyweights at the Museum of Contemporary Art that cultural centres need a radical overhaul to remain relevant. Her speech will outline her experiences in leading Carriageworks, housed in the historic Eveleigh Rail Yards, and previously the Campbelltown Arts Centre.

"Cultural institutions should be radical and participatory," she says. "They should lie in the heart of their communities, providing moments of great joy and wonder, they should provide pathways, lead social change and create and deliver on our individual and collective ambition. We as a community and as individuals should demand a lot of our institutions."

Havilah says NSW cultural facilities, big and small, should not look to the major arts institutions for leadership.

"At Campbelltown we never looked to the major institutions for leadership," she says. "We were our own leaders, not outside the centre, but constructing our own centre. We never attempted to educate anyone and as an institution we never saw ourselves as the professionals with the authoritative voice within our communities."
$100,000 art prize announced

Bucking the trend of bad news in the arts sector comes the announcement of a major new prize for artists under 40 years old.

Judges of the inaugural Ramsay Art Prize: artist Nell, Leigh Robb and director of the Art Gallery of South Australia, Nick Mitzevich.

Presented by the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Ramsay Art Prize will award $100,000 every two years to an Australian artist working in any medium.

Gallery director Nick Mitzevich said that artists arguably make their best works in the early years of their careers. "Generally speaking, artists make their mark early  they establish a signature that is then honed but often their early work is brave, fresh and career defining," he said.
VISUAL ARTS

WHITE ON WHITE

Peter Wegner, Australian Galleries, 35 Derby St, Collingwood, until June 5

EFFORT AND RUSH

Rosemary Laing, Tolarno Galleries, 104 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, until June 4



An empty chair presides in an empty room: it's a big armchair with wide armrests, only you can't see much of it because it's shrouded in a sheet. Someone has been sitting in it, facing us, because there's a sense of the weight and imprint on the textile.

Effort and rush #1, 2015, by Rosemary Laing. Credit:Image courtesy of the artist and Tolarno Galleries

Peter Wegner's painting The sitter's chair is a pictorial oxymoron: a presence built out of absence, a monumental form that consists of emptiness, a shell and a sheet that fill the space with all the bombast of a blustering raconteur.

This fulsome celebration of vacancy must have been inspired by the furniture used by models in the studio. The old war horse was never the point in any picture where it turned up; and hence the overlay, negating its textures and colours.
It is no surprise that a dystopian novel about climate change has won the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards - there were three among the six shortlisted books.

But the winner, Merlinda Bobis, and her novel Locust Girl: A Lovesong, have had less attention until now than James Bradley's Clade and Mireille Juchau's The World Without Us, which both use the disappearance of the honeybee as a central symbol.

Author Merlinda Bobis, winner of the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in the 2016 NSW Premier's Literary Awards Credit:Evana Ho

Philippines-born Bobis, who lives in Canberra, came to Australia as a student 25 years ago, taught creative writing at Wollongong University for 20 years, and is the author of novels, stories, poetry and radio dramas in English, Filipino and her native language, Bikol.

Locust Girl grew out of her concern for the people and nature in both her countries, which has led her to work with the International Water Project, leading a community in the Philippines to tell stories about the dying river that supplies their water.
While Ms Tempest spoke, the crowd remained so silent and enthralled that when her first poem ended and she walked across the stage to get a drink of water, it took several seconds for the audience to resurface and applaud.

In Australia to talk about her debut novel The Bricks That Built The Houses, Ms Tempest also made an appearance on ABC's Q&A on Monday night , where she gave a hint of her performing style by reciting her poem Progress. The three-minute poem was just a hint of what Ms Tempest is capable of in full flight.

Ms Tempest, 30, born Kate Calvert, made the crowd of more than 800 people feel like an intimate gathering as she spoke for nearly 40 minutes, earning a standing ovation for her two poems and stream of consciousness speech when she stepped down from the stage at the Roslyn Packer Theatre.

Then she talked to the audience conversationally. Ms Tempest spoke about how homelessness is abhorrent but so many of us are disconnected from people living on the streets, the power of literature, and her feelings the first time she read Carl Jung: "It's not like you've learned something, it's like you've remembered something you already knew."

It was a sentiment many in the room had about Ms Tempest. At times empowering, at times uncomfortable ("stop clapping" she bade the audience several times, after making a point that there was "a damaging and dangerous racism at root in this country"), Ms Tempest earnestly began thoughts then abandoned them as she spoke in a frenzied torrent directly from her heart.

"Guilt is not good enough any more," she said. "Guilt is narcissism. Your guilt is about you. My guilt is about me. It's not good enough.

"This is everything I ever wanted to say. I'm not here to patronise you, I'm not here to blame you, I feel really awkward and weird, but this must be said.

"We are in the middle of such an insane time, where the amount of inequality that exists on this planet can be forgotten about by some. We can't keep pretending that everything is okay, because until somebody stands up and says 'I'm actually really f---ing worried'  because I am, I'm really worried, I'm really f---ing worried  I think that unless we actually engage with the reality of what's going on, in terms of the inequality in the Earth... I believe we have it in us to be empathetic beings.
The father of Adam Whittington, jailed in a "rat-infested dungeon" in Lebanon for his part in 60 Minutes' botched child snatch case, protested outside the offices of Channel Nine's Sydney headquarters on Tuesday.

Friends and relatives joined David Whittington, 65, from St Andrews, in demanding for the network to "step up and help" by confirming its role in the failed attempt to abduct Brisbane woman Sally Faulkner's two children from a Beirut street on April 7.

David Whittington protests the headquarters of Channel Nine headquarters in Sydney. Credit:AAP

About 15 people held banners, wore "Free Whitto" t-shirts and called upon the network to do what it could to "bring Skippy home" outside its Willoughby base.

Behind ever-more desperate attempts to free the man are supporters' concerns for their friend's health in a squalid cell where meals are given every two days.
The comic book movie Suicide Squad has not even opened yet but Margot Robbie is already discussing a spin-off Harley Quinn movie.

The Australian actress will both star and produce a movie featuring her manipulative villain from the next DC Comics instalment as well as such other female superheroes and villains as Batgirl and Birds of Prey.

Suicide Squad, which also features Will Smith as Deadshot, Jared Leto as the Joker and fellow Australian Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, opens around the world in August.
Controversial SBS documentary Struggle Street has been refused permits to film a series in Inala, with Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk blasting the program for destroying the reputation of Mount Druitt in Sydney.

The first series, which was filmed around the western Sydney suburb, led to accusations that SBS was promoting "poverty porn".

Struggle Street producers confirmed last month they were looking at a second series, to be filmed in either Queensland or Victoria, but Cr Quirk revealed on Tuesday an application to film around Inala had been rejected.
No sign of a cooling off in global temperatures. Credit:Peter Rae During the three decades since, we have poured trillions of dollars into fossil fuel extraction, refining and consumption and a much smaller sum into renewable energy that will have to replace coal, oil and gas - and soon. Yet clean energy technologies continue to make rapid advances, including the latest breakthrough at the University of NSW lifting solar efficiency levels to above 34 per cent. As much 60 per cent of the corals at the northern end of the Great Barrier Reef may have died in the current bleaching event. Credit:Eddie Jim Worries mount

When it comes to extreme weather, there's certainly been a lot to be concerned about in 2016. Each of the last 12 months is now the hottest on record for that month, with April adding the recent string of beating-by-biggest-margin months. (See NASA's chart showing temperatures were 1.11 degrees warmer than the 1951-80 average, with large areas in the north particularly warm, while Australia had its second-warmest April.) Among the climate-related threats, Canada's forest fire season started about a month early. One huge blaze near Alberta's tar sands forced the evacuation of about 88,000 people from the city of Fort McMurray.

The monster El Nino, riding on top of about one degree of background warming, has triggered widespread bleaching of the corals around the world, including our cherished - but apparently expendable - Great Barrier Reef. More than half the corals in the largely pristine northern end are now dying or dead the reef's Marine Park Authority chief Russell Reichelt told the Senate earlier this month. On the plus side However, a dose of of warming can be welcomed where it take off the chill - as in parts of the US - or in Sydney, where summer feels like never lost of its grip even with winter just weeks away. And all that extra CO2 is leading to a "greening" of the planet with about one-quarter of humans' carbon emissions being taken up by plants, a recent Nature paper found.

But many other changes are far from benign - at least according to the preservation of many existing eco-systems. Less glamorous than corals, the kelp forests off eastern Tasmania are being destroyed by warm water species swept south by the strengthening and warming East Australian Current. Similarly, the massive dieback of mangrove forest in the Gulf of Carpentaria apparently linked to extreme weather got scant national media coverage. And, as for the high Arctic where the remarkably prolonged above-average temperatures have led to record-low levels of sea ice, changes are likely to be further from our daily minds. But less sea ice means less light reflected back to space and more heat absorbed by the oceans - and so the cycle builds and so should our concern.

Spiral warning In case you missed it, Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist at the UK's University of Reading, came up with the illustration below to help us appreciate the spiralling warming trend since the middle of the 19th century. By that gauge, when the temperature increase breaks past the 1.5 degrees warming - perhaps in coming months before the El Nino in the Pacific fully stops giving back heat to the atmosphere - will be sufficiently concerned then to act? Climate scientists, such as Professor Karoly, know globally warming limits agreed at international summits to prevent dangerous climate change - such as 1.5-2 degrees range agreed in Paris - are arbitrary in a similar way to 400 ppm.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find scientists agreeing that 1.5 degrees would be manageable for our reef," he said. "Look at what's happening to the reef this year - and that's with 1 degree warming." Recent work by his team has identified that on current temperature and carbon emissions trends, the Great Barrier Reef will be hit by bleaching events every second year by 2035. Other eco-systems, such as alpine ones, are also being affected as species shielded from predators by cool temperatures have literally nowhere to hide. Big one to worry about Natural fluctuations mean temperature spikes such as we have seen over the past year can recede - at least partly.

As this year's El Nino in the Pacific lurches towards becoming a La Nina - when equatorial winds turn back to be mostly west-ward blowing and strengthen - we can expect the run of record temperature reading to be broken. However with greenhouse gas concentrations still rising, the heat we are trapping in the Earth's biosphere - the land, air and sea - will keep on increasing. And for those climate sceptics who thought the first decade of the 21st century marked a slowdown in temperature increases - the so-called "warming hiatus" - their case for holding off carbon emission cuts is about to get harder to make. As Fairfax Media noted back in late 2014, a long-lived climate phenomenon named the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, has begun to switch to its positive phase. In fact, climate experts have in the past few days detected it hitting a new high. "You're playing catch up - now the natural factors want to make the planet warmer," David Jones, head of climate analysis with the Bureau of Meteorology, said.

"Historically when you've had a positive PDO, global temperatures are higher and the rate of warming tends to be quicker." Some scientists view PDOs as a slower version on the El Nino pattern that forms in the Pacific every three to seven years. Others see it as a separate phenomenon. "In reality, it's probably a bit of both," Dr Jones said. Such a PDO switch - it is an 11-year rolling average - would indicate oceans will become less of a sink for the planet's surplus heat - and may even give more of it back to the atmosphere. That means global conditions will favour more El Nino events but also when La Ninas come, they will tend to be more extreme.
Surgeons operate on a patient for organ transplant. (Photo : Getty Images)

The National Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee of China says that the country is set to double the number of organ transplant hospitals by 2020.



From the current 169 hospitals that operate about 10,000 surgeries yearly, the committee aims to increase the number to about 300 organ transplant facilities.



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Former Deputy Minister of Health Huang Jiefu stated that the plan of the committee is in line with its vision to become the global frontliner in terms of lifesaving surgical procedures.



"To improve access to the procedure, we're opening more transplant centers, and will have about 300 by 2020," said Huang. He added that this marks the important shift of China from depending on death row prisoners for organ donations.



The statement was made on Sunday during the organ donation awareness event held by the Red Cross Society of China and the National Health and Family Planning Commission in Wuhan, Hubei. Six years ago, the two organizations put forth a public organ donation system in the country to seek more organ donations from public volunteers rather than relying on executed prisoners.



In Feb. 2016, the country has seen the benefit of public organ donations. A total of 16,827 patients were saved from the post-mortem organ donations of 6,238 Chinese citizens, as reported by China Daily.



In relation to the doubling of organ transplant hospitals, Huang said that they are aiming to train more surgeons. Central South University transplant center director Ye Qifa said that China is in short supply of organ transplant surgeons, despite the fact that the current surgeons are highly skilled.



For patients, cost is still a major hindrance to getting organ transplants. The China Organ Transplant Development Foundation is planning to address the issue through its current research on how health insurance can be used to aid for kidney transplants.


1. 'Illiterate innumerate' refugees will take Australian jobs, says Dutton

Peter Dutton has ramped up his media appearances in the opening weeks of the campaign. Why wouldn't he? Nearly two dozen opposition MPs and candidates say they don't support Labor's hard-line stance on asylum seekers and, given the number of asylum seekers and economic migrants who travelled to Australia by boat after the former Rudd Government unwound the Pacific Solution, this is strong campaigning territory for the Coalition which "stopped the boats."

The Immigration Minister went on Sky with the ultra-conservative host Paul Murray and agreed with him that the Greens' plan to accept 50,000 refugees is a crazy idea.

What flowed was a piece of Dutton-logic that basically assumes all outcomes from accepting refugees is only bad.
Speaking to the media during a campaign visit to Indi, the marginal electorate in the state's north-east, Mr Joyce said he had spoken to farmers and other industry representatives about the plummeting milk prices that have smashed the dairy industry in recent weeks.

Coles has revealed it will introduce the milk brand soon and gather 20 cents from every litre sold, which would be spent on the Victorian dairy sector.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has welcomed a decision by Coles to raise funds for the struggling dairy industry via a new home-brand supermarket milk.

Asked about the Coles move, Mr Joyce congratulated the company, said it was "doing the right thing" and had stood behind farmers.

"It's good to see them putting their shoulder to the wheel. I'd like to thank them for the effort that they're putting into this," he said.

"We want to keep farmers on the land. We want to make sure that the Australian consumer, the mums and dads in the houses have fresh Australian milk, and to do that we must support Australian farmers," he said.

Asked if he would release a dairy assistance package while in Victoria this week, Mr Joyce said he would not pre-empt what might happen but flagged further discussions with the industry. On Wednesday morning he said he would talk to more Victorian dairy farmers.

During his visit to Indi on Tuesday, Mr Joyce opened the Wangaratta electorate office of the nationals candidate, Marty Corboy.
Mr Feeney told ABC radio on Wednesday that he had written to request his Register of Members Interests be updated and insisted the assertion he had been dishonest was "nonsense".

"I've racked my mind about how this omission came to be, I can only put it down to the fact that I was elected in September in 2013 and we bought the property in December of 2013, in that maelstrom of events I failed to update my register," he said.

He did not explain why he had updated his register twice in the 44th Parliament but did not declare the property and pointed out former prime minister Tony Abbott had once failed to update the register about changes to his mortgage.

"I'm not saying it's an excuse, I'm merely making the point that this is something that does occur."

As Labor promises to end negative gearing on existing properties if it is elected - a policy that would grandfather arrangements for those currently negatively geared such as Mr Feeney - the MP would not say if he would stop the practice.
Earlier this week, Mr Feeney told Fairfax Media that he did not live in his seat because: "My wife and I bought a house in Northcote in 2013 after I won Batman for Labor but it is being renovated. So we're not living in it at the moment but that will be our family home". The undeclared Northcote home co-owned by Mr Feeney, which is leased out to tenants. Credit:Penny Stephens A subsequent examination of his parliamentary Register of Members interests by Fairfax Media revealed Mr Feeney and his wife have declared ownership of the East Melbourne property. The pair have also declared ownership of an investment property in the Melbourne suburb of Seddon purchased for $380,000 back in 2004. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten congratulates David Feeney after he joined the Labor Party caucus in 2013. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

But Mr Feeney has not declared the $2.31 million Northcote property, purchased on December 24, 2013, more than two years after the parliamentary deadline. The rules around what MPs must declare are quite strict and require that all property, shares and gifts worth more than $300 be reported within 28 days. Although Mr Feeney updated his register twice in 2015, on neither occasion did he declare the Northcote house. When Fairfax Media visited the property on Tuesday neighbours said they were aware of the MP's renovation plans but there was no sign of work under way. The Darebin City Council website revealed a building permit application was submitted on August 12, 2015 - nearly two years after the 2013 election and the purchase of the property, but no commencement date is listed for the building of the new dwelling. When contacted about the omission on Tuesday, Mr Feeney initially said he believed the property was declared on his register before conceding it was not and promising "that is something I will look in to straight away".

The property was listed for $700 a week rent on Domain.com.au as recently as January 2016 and Mr Feeney confirmed that tenants were on a lease that ran until July and after that, "I think we are proposing to move to month to month". Asked why he had told Fairfax Media the Northcote property was being renovated when no work had commenced, Mr Feeney said: "it's our intention to renovate, we are tendering with builders" and that architects plans had been completed. Mr Feeney said his Seddon property was negatively geared but "I don't know about Northcote". "It is a matter of public knowledge that my wife and I purchased a home in Northcote in 2013. This has been reported in the media. There has been no conflict of interest in my wife and I having our home in Northcote," he said. Contacted by Fairfax Media after the story broke, Greens deputy leader Scott Ludlam was reluctant to comment as he said he was checking his property portfolio to see if he had also "forgotten about a $2.3 million property he owned".

"This improves Alex Bhathal's chances of winning the seat, this is a remarkable act of carelessness. How do you forget a $2.3 million property?" And Liberal frontbencher Alex Hawke said Mr Feeney "clearly had to answer questions about these issues". "Everyone understands the requirement in relation to disclosing their property," he said. "It is odd that he can't recall if he is negatively geared or positively geared, given you have to declare this on your tax return." Under parliamentary rules, MPs must update their register of interests, including property holdings, within 28 days and if an MP fails to do this they could be found "guilty of a serious contempt of the House of Representatives and shall be dealt with by the House accordingly".
But there is a legal concern about Australia opening up talks with East Timor and whether Indonesia might seize on this precedent, as another neighbour with a much longer maritime boundary line that runs heavily in Australia's favour. Going nuclear You would need a time machine to the 1980s to find the last time the risk of nuclear armageddon was a potent election issue in Australia. But Labor has made an intriguing pledge in its party platform to "firmly support" a ban on nuclear weapons. So what, you might say? There has been a drive to abolish nuclear weapons ever since the horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But a "ban" is something very different - and new. It stems from an effort by non-nuclear armed countries in the UN, and supported by activist groups, to negotiate a treaty that would declare the very existence of nuclear weapons illegal under international law because of the catastrophic humanitarian cost, similar to the way chemical and biological weapons are prohibited. The goal is to create moral pressure on the countries with atomic arsenals. For an ally of the United States - the world's nuclear superpower - this could proved extremely awkward. (Imagine Bill Shorten and Donald Trump over a cup of tea in the Oval Office type of awkward.)

Plenty of other countries have lent support to the drive to negotiate a treaty, and there was a meeting in Geneva just last week on the proposal. But Australia, with other US allies, have resisted. The Coalition has dismissed a ban as emotionally appealing, but impractical. The strategic rationale is Australia relies on the existence of the US nuclear arsenal to deter a nuclear attack on Australia. So Labor's plans are likely to run up against hardheads in the bureaucracy. When it was revealed a couple of years ago that Australia was working hard in secret to scuttle a New Zealand plan to highlight the humanitarian costs of nukes, Australia's chief diplomat, Peter Varghese, bluntly observed it "runs against our security interests". Poking the dragon

Labor's Stephen Conroy - known as a factional heavy - has drawn plenty of attention for his verbal crash tackle on the Governor-General and accusing a military commander of a political cover-up. But as the party's defence spokesman, Conroy also wants to sail a navy frigate right up to one of China's artificial islands in the South China Sea and sound the foghorn, just to signal Australia will not recognise any territorial claims in the crowded waters. The South China Sea is about the hottest flashpoint in the region right now. China has been dredging the sea floor to build what look suspiciously like military bases on coral atolls, and deploying military hardware, too. The Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and other southeast Asian nations, all with competing territorial claims, are aghast. Expansion: The China-built lighthouse on Zhubi Reef of Nansha Islands in the South China Sea. Credit:Xinhua/AP Conroy wants Australia to signal its firm support for the US, which on three occasions in the past six months has sent warships inside the 12-nautical-mile zone around disputed islands. The idea is to support what is usually referred to as the "rules-based order", solving disputes through international law, rather than a show of force.

Conroy has criticised Malcolm Turnbull for being "ambiguous". Australia has engaged in a delicate diplomatic dance: the Coalition has backed the US, but not sent any Australian vessels inside the disputed zone. Nor has any other nation. "Australia should be prepared to act to support the international system in the South China Sea, and we should not be shy about our actions and intentions in doing so," Conroy has declared. But he later added some ambiguity of his own, calling for the government to "consider authorising" such an operation at least. Considering is someway short of "doing". You can bet Beijing will be watching intently for Labor's first orders to the navy chiefs. What's in a name? We can't canvass global tensions and not mention the Middle East. Labor is as one with the Coalition, supporting airstrikes on Islamic State terrorists in Syria and Iraq. But the much longer-running conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is still causing Labor angst. And it comes down to when to call "Palestine" by name.

A little recent history is required to understand why Australia's view of this far distant conflict matters. Kevin Rudd fell out with Julia Gillard (again) in 2011 about whether to oppose a UN vote to recognise a Palestinian state, and again with Bob Carr after she made him Foreign Minister. Gillard was forced to back down after the NSW right of the party made clear it wanted Australia to abstain in the vote - as distinct from opposing. (Bill Shorten was one of the last holdouts on Gillard's side.) Then prime minister Julia Gillard with ministers Craig Emerson Senator Bob Carr and Bill Shorten in 2013. Photo: Andrew Meares Credit:Andrew Meares The Coalition has backed Israel to the hilt. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop questioned why Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, drawing a sharp rebuke from Palestinian officials. Attorney-General George Brandis got in a muddle over the meaning of "occupied", but the Coalition also used Australia's last vote on the Security Council in 2014 to oppose a Palestinian call for an end to Israeli control. In other words, it's one of the most tricky and politically treacherous subjects there is. Labor is echoing calls for a "two-state solution" in the conflict, but there is plenty of international debate over how that outcome can be achieved after years of frustrated attempts. Sweden, for example, has decided to officially recognise the state of Palestine.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has backed comments by her colleague Peter Dutton that "illiterate and innumerate" refugees would take Australian jobs or "languish" on the dole if Australia was to significantly increase its humanitarian intake.

Labor and the Greens have blasted the Immigration Minister's comments as "deeply offensive" and "xenophobic". But Ms Bishop said Mr Dutton was making the "self-evident" point that it is highly expensive to resettle refugees and that it is time for a "reality check" on the issue.

Facing demands to slap down his Immigration Minister, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull refused to comment on Mr Dutton's statements at a press conference on Wednesday, saying he would only take questions from local journalists.
The under-utilised freight rail line serving Sydney's Port Botany would be upgraded, taking trucks off congested surrounding roads, including the M5 Motorway, under a $200 million Labor election promise to be announced on Wednesday.

Duplicating the single-track line into the busy container port is on Infrastructure Australia's list of "high-priority initiatives" and is a project backed by the Baird Government in NSW.

Port Botany's container traffic is tipped to triple over the next 15 years. Credit:Bloomberg

More than two million containers cross the docks every year at Port Botany, a number forecast to triple over the next 15 years.
"What makes Olympic athletes tattoo [the rings] on their bodies is the history, tradition, and value that the logo has been able to develop inside it over the years. You can't just design a logo - you have to make it great," Dr Stavros said. His colleague, senior lecturer at RMIT's school of media and communications Peter Sorenson, said: "If the voter doesn't like a party, the logo is not going to change their mind." He added it was important for parties to think about how their logo would appear on a small ballot paper. The Liberal logo, he said, was visually stronger than that of its arch-rival Labor, simply "because it will have greater area of black on the page". Strangely, Malcolm Turnbull has barely included his party's logo in campaign material. According to Elizabeth Carruthers, a designer at Yoke, the ALP's logo doesn't communicate anything apart from being Australian. And visually, it appears conservative and unprogressive.

On Tuesday, David Leyonhjelm's Liberal Democratic Party registered its logo, as did Bob Katter's Australian Party and the Australian Sex Party, which has lodged a formal complaint against the AEC granting the Nick Xenophon Team 'X'. The Sex Party wanted it. So what do the experts think of the lesser-known logos? The following comments come from Ms Carruthers, Dr Stavros, Mr Sorenson, and David Waller from University of Technology Sydney's Business School. (These logos only appear in states where the party has put a candidate up for election). Australia Motoring Enthusiast Party: Well, what does it mean? No clear visual message to the voter, Peter Sorenson says. None of the designers knew who this was or which party. (It's Senator Ricky Muir)

John Madigan's Manufacturing and Farming Party: It has the boldest image, but I don't understand what it means (PS). Most of the designers Fairfax Media spoke to loved this logo because it was eye-catching and used a lot of black, which would stand out on the ballot paper. Bullet Train for Australia: This logo gives an instant message of what the party is about and is dynamic. (PS) The illustration and typographic style doesn't feel like a logo at all - more like clip art. The name of the party should be included rather than the speed of the train, according to Elizabeth Carruthers. Nationals: Nothing visually. Nothing symbolic. But if you know what the Nationals do stand for, then it's all right. But the tagline is too small to be legible on the ballot paper (PS)

Sustainable Australia: Using the logo as a way to reinforce their key political message, rather than promoting the party name, Dr Stavros says. The designers kept on noticing this one, because of the bold shape and simple message. Country Liberals: Clearly states its name, but I don't know why Usain Bolt is used to make an "I", David Waller says. If they reversed that and made it white on black, that immediately is going to increase their prominence. (PS)

Pirate Party Australia: Aargh! The Pirate Party, looks like a flag pole dancing, and doesn't clearly show what it represents  whatever it does represent! (DW) The form of the 'P' in this logo is pretty subtle, but it's simple and distinct, and communicates the "Australian Pirate" concept well. (EC) Shooters, Fishers and Farmers: This logo is not overly complex with the positive and negative space crossing over. (EC) Visually it's a bit cluttered, but it's obvious in the images that it represents shooters, fishers, and farmers. (DW) Nick Xenophon Team: Very powerful, as long as people can interpret the 'X' properly. The white on black will look good on the ballot paper. (PS) This could be the cover of Ed Sheeran's album "X" (DW)

Australian Equality Party (Marriage): Equality of what? Equality of pay across genders? Tax equality? How many ways can 'equality' be read? This one has "low propositional density". (PS) Australian Antipaedophile Party: Anti Paedophile with a "Don't" across it, does that mean they are against Anti Paedophiles?? (DW) Visually, running text across that outline "no" circle does not work really great. (PS)

Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group): Little things, like the angle off the top of the cross, it is things [like this] that lower the interpretation of it. (PS) +CDP could be the Country Democrats Party (if there is one) so no wonder there is confusion with parties and their symbols. (DW) Liberal Democratic Party: Liberal Democrats hoping to get votes from people thinking that it is the Liberal Party, as the word Liberal is emphasised. (DW) Katter's Australian Party: Katter is being nationalistic and focusing on 'Australia'. Nationalism is a theme with a few logos emphasising the word Australia, or even having a map of Australia. (DW)
Australia is joining a "regional arms race" and risks putting itself in the middle of a "proxy war" between the United States and China, Greens leader Richard Di Natale says in his first major foreign policy speech.

Senator Di Natale will tell the Lowy Institute on Tuesday that Australia should stop orientating its world view around the US alliance given "the horrific consequences of US foreign policy".

Greens leader Richard Di Natale will tell the Lowy Institute that Australia should stop orientating its world view around the US alliance. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

In a sustained attack on the alliance, Senator Di Natale says that by consistently backing Washington, "Australia is complicit in the terrible consequences US foreign policy has wrought".

According to speech notes provided by his office, he says Australia is "throwing enormous sums of money" at maintaining the alliance through the increased spending in the Defence white paper which includes the construction of a new fleet of 12 submarines.
Being famous is a little like "having your limbs cut off" because it renders actors "incapable", Kristen Stewart has said, as her new film becomes the first of the year to be booed in Cannes.

Stewart, star of Personal Shopper, said her visibility as an actress had made it "logistically impossible" to be a capable person, with even the simplest errands become too difficult.

Her film was on Monday night the first of this year's Cannes Film Festival to be booed at its official evening screening, despite receiving warm reviews from critics.

Olivier Assayas, the director, later said he was unfazed by the reaction, admitting filmmakers had to "expect anything" at Cannes.
Moto X 2014 (Photo : YouTube/Marques Brownlee)

Lenovo could be planning for an earlier Moto X 2016 release date as the last two versions of the Motorola flagship smartphone are now available at seemingly lowest price ever. Amazon now sells the 2015 Moto X for only $299 while the Moto X2 is ready to ship at dirt-cheap $150.



The Moto X is packaged by its maker as the next best thing to Pure Android as the handset runs on OS that is nearly stock Android save for a few feature add-ons that enhance the mobile device experience as Google wants it. Now with the asking price for the Moto X 2016 Pure Edition adjusted to $299 from the original list price of $349, the device is now even more compelling that the Nexus handsets.



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The Amazon listing is for the 16GB Moto X of last year that boasts of a 5.7-inch display with Quad HD resolution, a 21-megapixel rear shooter, a battery pack that promises the steady flow of energy juice for one full day with TurboPower or quick charging features to ensure that the device will remain powered up most of the time.



And staying true to its flagship label, the Moto X 2016 offers decent waterproofing protection. It may not be the same as IP68-cetified Galaxy S7 but Motorola assures that the handset is ready to use under the rain or near the pool minus the worries of damages that liquid spills could cause.



Yet the biggest selling point of the Moto X brand is its adherence to Pure Android, which means that likes its Nexus siblings the device is lined up to get the latest Android updates quicks. So in the case of the Moto X 2016, the Android Marshmallow powering the handset will surely get Android N once it hits the update pipeline.



Now as compelling as the Moto X 2016 Amazon deal is, Motorola's ongoing sale of the 2014 versions are something to seriously consider too. 9to5Toys said that the 64GB version was up for grabs for a measly $150 but stocks have already run out. But the good thing is the 32GB remains on display and as expected the price tag is even more tempting.



The Moto X2 package is nearly the same as its successor - above decent hardware specs and the near stock Android environment with the bonus of the same waterproofing protection found today on Android flagships like the GS7. In other words, for $150 or even less, the Moto X 2014 will deliver a top-notch Android experience.



And the only thing that could prove as a step higher is the Moto X 2016, which according to GSM Arena will unbox with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with Shattershield protection. Other rumored featured upgrades are SD 820 with 4GB of RAM and a 13MP main shooter. The device is also said to come in flatter design, thanks to its new metal chassis.



Now as the previous Moto X builds are hitting the fire sale zone, it should be a safe bet that release date of the Moto X 2016 is near, likely no later than June, which aligns with Lenovo's planned unveiling this May.


An Italian paramedic has gone on trial accused of stealing a Rolex from the wrist of Sopranos star James Gandolfini, as he lay dying in a Rome hotel following a heart attack.

The ambulance stretcher-bearer was part of a team that rushed to the Boscolo Exedra Hotel in the Italian capital in June 2013 when the American actor collapsed in his suite.

Claudio Bevilacqua, 43, is accused of taking the $4000 Submariner watch as 51-year-old Gandolfini was fighting for his life.

He did not appear in court in Rome for the start of the trial on Monday and so did not enter a plea.
The media loves a good debate about Millennials versus the Baby Boomers.

The story goes that Australia's egalitarian streak is fading and it's the younger generation that is missing out. The gap between rich and poor is widening, free university education is a distant memory, housing affordability is worse than it's ever been, and to top it all off, the wrecking ball of climate change is about to slam through our economy and way of life.

All this is true. But it ignores the fact that the gap between haves and have-nots spans the generations.

Generation Y, also known as Millennials, are those born from 1980 to 2000. If we pit them against Baby Boomers, we're pitting them against their parents.
The Electrical Trades Union has lashed out over safety concerns for thousands of apprentice electricians, after one of Australia's largest training providers, Careers Australia, admitted it had engaged in "unconscionable conduct" in recruiting under-qualified students in some of the nation's poorest areas.

On Monday, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission won a court-enforced order that compelled Careers Australia to repay $44 million in debt for students who had been signed up to courses they believed were free or who had been lured through inducements such as iPads.

The order has threatened the expansion plans of Careers Australia, with controversy surrounding its recruitment practices in the scandal-plagued private college sector hampering its efforts in its separate apprenticeships arm.

Master Electricians, the largest trainer of electricians in the country, signed a contract with Careers Australia in October to deliver training to thousands of the nation's future electricians.
A Sydney higher education provider has sought to charge students thousands of dollars in return for "internships" at prestigious consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, Fairfax Media can reveal.

Top Education Institute, headquartered in the University of Sydney's biomedical sciences building in Sydney's inner west, circulated advertisements targeting Chinese international students on social media app WeChat last week, spruiking the opportunity to "work closely with PwC partners" in a program with a "1 per cent admission rate in Australia".

Top Education staff told prospective applicants the "internship" program would cost $2800, sparking anger from students concerned that the world's largest professional services firm was selling work placements to the highest bidder, rather than based on merit.

But the advertisements misrepresented what was actually a two-week training course, the companies now say.
The University of Sydney has conceded an under-reporting of sexual assault and harassment among its students in the wake of negative publicity about a culture of sexism in a campus college.

The university has released the results of a September 2015 survey of almost 2000 students, which gathered anonymous information about student experiences of stalking, sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Twenty-five percent of students reported experiencing some form of unwanted sexual harassment or assault while they were at university, with the majority of incidents occurring off campus. 6.2 percent of all respondents had experienced an incident on campus or at a University-related event.

Female students were at significantly higher risk than males, with 40 per cent of women reporting at least one incident of unacceptable behaviour since enrolling at university. 12 per cent said they were victims of stalking, 1.6 per cent said they were raped, 5.1 per cent sexually assaulted, 4.2 per cent reported being in an abusive relationship and 17 per cent were sexually harassed.
Health authorities are scrambling to contain the most fertile legionella season in recent history after a man died in a fresh outbreak of legionnaires' disease.

The death - the second in two months - is associated with an outbreak in Burwood, which has emerged as a new epicentre of infection.

Burwood Council is checking all cooling towers within a 250 metre radius of Burwood Plaza for the presence of legionella after three cases of legionnaires' disease were confirmed in the past week.

NSW Health confirmed to Fairfax Media that it was notified about the patients on Tuesday, Monday and May 6.
An 18-year-old man previously stopped at Sydney Airport from flying to Syria has been arrested by counter-terrorism police for allegedly plotting an attack on home soil.

Tamim Khaja from Macquarie Park, in Sydney's north-west, was arrested on Tuesday morning with police alleging he was attempting to buy a gun and had scouted sites in Sydney for an "imminent" attack.

Police said Mr Khaja came to their attention last year, and was linked to others currently before the courts on terrorism offences but it will be alleged he was planning an attack alone.
Almost two years after MH17 was shot from the sky over eastern Ukraine, the families and friends of the six NSW victims have spoken of their unimaginable loss and a grief left undiminished by the passage of time.

Michael Clancy and his wife Carol Clancy, Gabriele Lauschet, Jack O'Brien, Victor Oreshkin, and Sister Philomene Tiernan, were among the 298 people, and 38 Australians, on board the Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014.

At a day-long coronial inquest into their deaths, the NSW Coroner's Court was transformed into a forum of immeasurable sadness as, one by one, their loves one told of lives instantly changed the moment a BUK missile exploded outside the plane's cockpit.

Seven weeks earlier, in May 2014, Jon O'Brien had driven his son Jack to the airport, where he hugged him, told him he loved him and wished him well on his adventure.
A motorcyclist has died after crashing into a cow and then a police car as officers tried to help herd a number of stray animals off a road in northern NSW overnight.

The crash occurred in foggy conditions on Casino Coraki Road at Tatham, about 15 kilometres east of Casino, just after midnight on Tuesday.

Police said officers from the Richmond Local Area Command were called to the location about 12.20am to assist with a herd of cattle that had strayed onto the road.

"A motorcyclist has hit a stray cow and was thrown from his bike," police said in a statement.

"The rider has then hit a parked police car."
Ten people have been arrested and cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine and pills with a street value of more than $500,000 have been seized as part of co-ordinated drug raids on the South Coast and in Sydney.

Witness reportedly heard gunshots at Ulladulla during the first early morning raid, but they were understood to be tactical not live rounds, the South Coast Register reports.

Police swoop on a property in Millbank Road, Worrigee on the NSW South Coast as part of nine drug raids on Tuesday.

About 100 police searched nine properties in simultaneous raids at Nowra, Ulladulla, Batemans Bay and Moruya and three in western Sydney as part of a lengthy drug-supply investigation beginning in December last year.

Charges are pending and further arrests are anticipated over coming days and weeks, NSW Police say.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the f8 Developer Conference. (Photo : Getty Images/Justin Sullivan)

Facebook Incorporated chief executive Mark Zuckerberg invited conservative leaders on May 18 for a private meeting. The social media company is doing this for a damage control campaign after a bad rumor surfaced on a tech website.



The Facebook CEO will be meeting 15 prominent leaders from the conservatives like TV and radio host Glenn Beck, Donald Trump adviser Barry Bennett, CNN commentator S.E. Cupp, and many more. The meeting will be held at Facebook's Menlo Park, California, headquarters, according to CBS News. The CEO will be joined by Facebook's head of global public policy, Joel Kaplan.



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The reason for the meeting was in response to an issue about a report that said that contractors for the social media company were suppressing the articles about the conservatives from their trending section. The rumor appeared on a tech website called Gizmodo, and posted about an anonymous former member of their staff has leaked that rumor. The social media company responded in a statement that the allegations were false because there was no evidence to prove it.



According to Breitbart News, they told the representatives of the social media company that they do not want to join the meeting. The pro-Trump news outlet instead said in a statement that they want transparency and the truth of the matter. They have declared that they have zero interest in the meeting that the social media is trying to set up.



The editors from the news outlet challenged the social media CEO to do a live interview with their technology editor. They want to talk about the topic of free speech, and the company's suppression of their methods of doing media.



The conservatives were convinced that the rumor was true and that the social media website is biased. Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus accused the website of censorship and an inquiry was opened by a Senate Republican recently.



Popular radio host Beck announced the details of the meeting for the CEO. He is trying to find a way to join the meeting by rearranging his schedule. He is interested in what would happen as Zuckerberg explains what the truth of the matter really is.



Check out the social media's instructional guide video below:






An 18-year-old arrested for allegedly plotting a terrorist attack in Sydney left a high school last year after being investigated for allegedly preaching extremism in the playground.

Tamim Khaja was arrested at his Macquarie Park home on Tuesday morning by counter-terrorism police.

It will be alleged that Mr Khaja had attempted to leave the country three times to join Islamic State in the past three years.
Peak-hour traffic was thrown into chaos on Tuesday afternoon after an accident on Milton Road.

Emergency services were called about 4.45pm to reports a car had clipped another vehicle and had spun onto its roof.

A car rolled over on Milton Road, causing traffic chaos.

Both outbound lanes and one inbound lane were blocked as a result of the accident.

Firefighters attended the scene after reports smoke was coming from one of the vehicles. Emergency services were able to clear the scene just after 5pm.
This week he spoke about just two cases; the drowning of 20-year-old Filipina student Teresita "Tessa" Andalis at Tipplers Resort on South Stradbroke Island in August 1980 and the controversial disappearance of 42-year-old Simone Vogel, aka Norma June Pavich in September 1977. Tessa Andalis wanted to travel from Manilla to Spain to raise money for her poor rice-growing family in the Philippines but was lured to Australia by a clever conman who saw her photograph in an employment agency advertisement. That fraudster was David Grant Mathieson, who pretended to be an airline pilot, a helicopter pilot, a crop duster pilot and a diplomat's son and promised to marry Tessa Andalis to get her to visit Queensland. Instead of her staying as a guest of his diplomat parents at Riverhills, she was stuck in a single room at the Salvation Army's People's Palace in Brisbane's CBD for $25-a-week. Mathieson told police she later fell overboard from a houseboat moored off Tippler's Resort on South Stradbroke Island and drowned early on Sunday August 10, 1980.

The killer told police the young girl could only "dog paddle", but investigations across three countries proved she could swim well and raised questions why she didn't simply swim 40 metres to the shore. Over seven months and three countries Keith Smith and his co-detectives proved Mathieson drowned Tessa Andalis to claim more than $400,000 in insurance. At his Brisbane home he showed off a carved wooden water buffalo he received from Tessa's Filipina family after Mathieson received a guilty verdict in April 1981. "He was a cunning one," Keith Smith says. "It was really quite involved the way he set up the insurance on her life and then took her down on this houseboat," he said.

The disappearance of Brisbane brothel identity Simone Vogel in September 1977, 10 years before the Fitzgerald Inquiry in 1987 began to probe links between corrupt police and Brisbane brothels, was another revealing investigation for the then-junior consorting squad detective. In those days convicted corrupt cop Jack Herbert ran Brisbane's licensing branch and before Herbert's death on the Gold Coast in 2004, he admitted receiving and distributing more than $3 million in corrupt payments over a decade or more. A decade before the Fitzgerald Inquiry, after Keith Smith naively told his then-boss, former CIB chief detective Tony Murphy  also now dead, he suspected corrupt police may be involved in Simone Vogel's disappearance, he and his partner were taken off her murder investigation. A report he later wrote to a different senior officer on Simone Vogel's disappearance was shredded. Simone Vogel, also known as Norma June Pavich, or Norma June Beniston, had more than 100 convictions for prostitution in Sydney before she shifted to Brisbane after the 1968 car bomb murder of Sydney vice-king Joe Borg to begin a series of "health studios" or massage parlours in Brisbane.

The retired detective said tax receipts showed Simone Vogel's network of eight massage parlours in Brisbane made a net personal profit of $4000 a week in 1977, equivalent to $16,250 a week in 2016. Her white luxury Mercedes convertible was found at long-term car park at Brisbane Airport, "a couple of days later" by a private detective hired by her then-husband, Steven Pavich after he reported it to Surfer's Paradise police, Smith said. Simone Vogel  who frequently wore wigs as a disguise  had lived on the Gold Coast in a canal-side luxury home at Broadbeach Waters. He said police were never able to find her killer, but discovered on the day of her disappearance she arranged for two $3000 cash payments from her massage parlours. Smith doubts she faked her disappearance because she was arranging a 21st birthday party for her son.

"All that we know was that on that final day she received two phone calls. The first was setting up a meeting and then she said she needed the $3000 cash," he said. She got a second $3000 from another of her brothels. "During a second phone call, 'She said words to the effect, 'I'll meet you in the place where we met before. "It could have been her last corrupt payment," Smith said. "Who knows? It could have been.
Many parts of regional Australia have suffered as a result of the end of the mining boom and decline of

local manufacturing. Towns which once thrived in these prosperous industries are experiencing the

nbn's Ben Salmon

'brain drain'  unable to attract and retain skilled workers as employment opportunities diminish and

businesses that once defined these areas disappear.
Police have raided properties in Melbourne's north and west linked to five men charged over an alleged plan to travel by boat to Indonesia in a bid to join Islamic State.

The Melbourne men were arrested last week north of Cairns, but properties linked to the group were raided on Tuesday morning.

"The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team are currently executing a number of warrants in the northern and north-western suburbs of Melbourne as a part of Operation Middleham," a police spokeswoman said.

"This operational activity is not linked to any increased threat or danger to the community. As the matter is before the court, we are unable to comment further."
The lawyer for the 18-year-old man accused of kicking a security guard in the head at a youth festival has told media outside court on Tuesday his client is sorry for his actions.

Martin Fulton was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and trespassing after allegedly jumping the fence at the Good Life Festival on February 27 and kicking security guard Michael Rigby in the head as he was trying to restrain another man.

The alleged incident was caught on video and went viral shortly after the festival.

During his third appearance at Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Mr Fulton's recently-appointed lawyer said he needed more time to review the case before his client could enter a plea.
Seoul: North Korea has named a career diplomat with broad experience in negotiating with South Korea and the United States as its new foreign minister.

North Korea's embassy in London informed the British government in a statement on Monday that former vice foreign minister Ri Yong-ho, 59, has been appointed as the country's new foreign minister.

Senior nuclear negotiator Ri Yong Ho has been named North Korea's new foreign minister. Credit:AP

Ri, most recently vice foreign minister, had served as the North's top negotiator in past nuclear disarmament talks and participated in rounds of talks with the US in the 1990s. He also served as the North's ambassador in London.

Ri replaces Ri Su Yong, who has been one of the highest-profile officials of a country whose current leader, Kim Jong Un, has not travelled abroad since taking power following the death of his father in 2011.
Bangkok: One of two ethnic Uighur Muslims from China accused of involvement in a deadly bombing in Thailand last year broke down and complained of mistreatment on Tuesday as he appeared in court.

Twenty people were killed and more than 120 injured in the bombing on August 17 at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok when it was thronged with tourists. Five of the dead were from China and two from Hong Kong. No group has claimed responsibility.

Adem Karadag, a key suspect in the August 17 Bangkok bombing. Credit:AP

Analysts, diplomats and even some officials suspected the attack was linked to sympathisers of the Uighur Muslim minority in western China angered by the Thai junta's deportation of more than 100 Uighurs to China the previous month.

But Thai police ruled out "terrorism" as a motive and said the perpetrators were members of a network that trafficked Uighurs and launched the attack in anger at a Thai crackdown on the trade.
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GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that there will be a partial road closure on May 17 in the vicinity of WINAIR Office on Airport Road.

The partial road closure will take place from 7.00AM to 9.00AM.

The partial closure is related to UTS works which includes asphalting the road crossing. Works will be carried out by Clean St. Maarten.

Each lane in the area will be closed separately and workmen will be on scene directing the flow of traffic.

Motorists are advised to pay close attention to the workmen and heavy equipment that will be operating in the area, and to follow the traffic rules as it pertains to roadworks along the public road.

Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.
A suicide bomber killed at least 25 Yemeni police recruits in the southeastern port city of Mukalla on Sunday, medics said, the second attack this week claimed by the Islamic State group.

The bomber detonated an explosives belt as he joined a line of men at a police recruitment centre on the southwestern outskirts of the city that government forces recaptured last month after a year of Al-Qaeda rule, a provincial official said.

Sixty people were also wounded in the attack in Fuwah district, a medical source said.

An IS group statement posted online claimed the attack, the second but rare intervention by the militant group in an area known as a stronghold of rival Al-Qaeda.

"Brother Abu al-Bara al-Ansari... detonated his explosives belt at a gathering of the apostates of the security forces," it said.

On Thursday, 15 Yemeni troops were killed in militant attacks on army positions outside Mukalla. IS group said one of its militants blew up a vehicle packed with explosives in an army base in Khalf district on the city's eastern outskirts.

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Legislation badly needed to protect owners as well as country.

PHILIPSBURG:--- David Gilbert and Neil Kolton from Interval International along with Howard Nusbaum representing the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) that are currently on the island conducting an Information Exchange Seminar at Westin Dawn Beach told reporters that Caribbean islands are extremely important for the timeshare industry. Gilbert said that they have about two million members that uses their services, the majority of which are from the United States and each time a survey is conducted the number one place these persons wants to visit is the Caribbean islands.

At the moment Interval International has over 3000 resorts in 80 countries across the world, yet the Caribbean remains the number one destination even though only 185 of those resorts are in the Caribbean. Gilbert said that he believes that this destination does have tremendous opportunities to better its tourism product by ensuring they get the stay over tourists that invests severely in the economy whenever they are on the island. These visitors he said spend money across the board since they shop, dine, and even participate in the gaming industry. Gilbert further explained that timeshare owners in most cases travels in numbers, he said families visit the island with their children and even extended family and since they own a week or two in these resorts that are fully equipped with kitchens they also shop in the grocery stores, they dine out at least three times a week while they spend monies on other activities and cars to move around. He said the Government of St. Maarten already recognizes the importance of the timeshare industry and the contribution it makes to the economy.

He admitted at the moment that Aruba is leading St. Maarten because that country constructed some large resorts with brand names such as Marriott that has 8000 units that produces 40,000 timeshare owners. He further explained that some of the projects in Aruba are large projects therefore making it a front runner in the timeshare industry in the Caribbean. He made clear that the companies that chose to invest in Aruba built very big resorts in order to attract more business. He did agree that the branding of the resorts did give more comfort to travelers but is hopeful that in the near future the same thing will take place on St. Maarten. Gilbert said that higher end resorts in the Caribbean in will indeed boost the industry and thus economy of any country and it is for this reason they are holding seminars. He said the next seminar is planned for October 2016 which will be held in Miami and they already invited the government of St. Maarten to attend the planned seminar where they will get more information on future development of the timeshare industry. Gilbert said that at that seminar there will be people and companies that are ready to invest and it will be good if St. Maarten has representatives there to sell their product. Asked if buyers are concerned about natural disasters such as hurricanes he said that one of the things developers have to do when constructing is use proper materials such as Oyster Bay where they are currently staying. He said natural disasters is a fact of life and people just have to prepare when constructing resorts.

As for crime, he said its the number three items of concern to owners but this is not on St. Maarten only but generally. Gilbert also described crime as a fact of life and it does not matter where someone lives they risk getting robbed. As for the increased maintenance fees, Gilbert made clear that everything has increased globally and the only thing decreased recently is gas due to China and America which places a lower demand for fuel. He said all his bills has increased including electricity bills. He feels that if the increase are justifiable then it will not hurt the business, he said that even when trying to sell timeshare if the fees are too high it turn clients away but as long as it is justifiable and within the right range then there is no real threat.

However, St. Maarten is the second destination and he pointed out that there is not any specific characteristic that Aruba has that does not exist in St. Maarten. He said in St. Maarten there are beaches, fine dining, two cultures, including the gaming industry all of which vacationers look for.

However, he admitted that there is need for the Timeshare Legislation to get off the ground and be put in place since there is need to have rules for every business. Gilbert said that Interval International and ARDA have teamed up with St. Maarten Timeshare Association and they are working rigorously in getting the legislation in place. Both Gilbert and Nusbaum said they have been contributing financially and the legislation is currently being revised by legal experts before it could go to Parliament probably within the next three months.

Gilbert said the developers on St. Maarten have come a long way in trying to support the market by allowing Interval International to donate the monies to the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Fund as well as to the Caribbean Tourism Organization Fund. Gilbert said with the resorts on St. Maarten and Interval they have donated almost $700,000.00 to the education fund for scholarships. This he said is to enable Caribbean nationals the opportunity to get professional training in the hospitality industry. Gilbert said the monies goes directly to CTO however, they appealed to students to apply for these scholarships because the monies are there for them to further their studies. Neil Kolton from Interval International said that in St. Maarten the participation is very minimal meaning students on St. Maarten do not apply for the funding. He called on St. Maarten to make use of the opportunity since other islands are making use of it. He said that those interested should apply to CTO or CHTA.

Interval International is monitoring the Zika virus because just recently one of their clients asked to be re-routed because the owner is pregnant and does not want to risk getting the Zika virus.

Howard Nusbaum also clarified that the ARDA and St. Maarten Timeshare Industry are the ones financing the timeshare legislation because they believe that is absolutely necessary that there is consumer protection for investors especially since tourism is the main source of the Caribbean economy especially St. Maarten.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Justice Committee of Parliament will meet in a session on May 17th.

The Justice Committee meeting is set for Tuesday at 2.00 pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is discussion on the topic of legalization of cannabis.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and via www.sxmparliament.org.
Traci Burch of Blue Coat Named One of Power 100 in CRNs 2016 Women of the Channel

SUNNYVALE, CA  (Marketwired)  05/16/16  Blue Coat Systems, Inc., a leading provider of advanced web security solutions for global enterprises and governments, is proud to announce that , a brand of , has named Traci Burch, Director, Distribution Sales, North America, to its list of the 2016 Power 100, an elite subset of its prestigious annual Women of the Channel list. This list identifies an exclusive group of channel influencers drawn from the larger pool of CRNs 2016 Women of the Channel: the most powerful women leaders across IT channel organizations whose expertise and vision have positioned their companies for success.

CRNs editorial team selects the Women of the Channel honorees on the basis of their professional accomplishments, demonstrated expertise and ongoing dedication to the channel. However, only the most influential of the lists constituents are selected for the Power 100, each singled out for her unique role in the advancement of her own organization and the IT channel at large.

Tracis thorough understanding of how channels work at every level and over 22 years of experience make her a distinguished member of the Blue Coat channel team. During her more than five-year tenure at the company, Traci has helped Blue Coat look to distribution as another sales arm by putting together a sales program that strategically leverages the channel. She has driven specific programs creating better branding and sales support to the field while working with distribution partners.

These executives have made a lasting mark on our industry  growing and elevating partner programs, leading transitions to new business models and introducing cutting-edge go-to-market strategies, among other remarkable achievements, said Robert Faletra, CEO, The Channel Company. We congratulate all the 2016 Women of the Channel and celebrate their singular contributions to the advancement of the channel ecosystem.

Blue Coat provides our partners with the solutions they need to help their customers protect against todays complex threat landscape, said Kurt Mills, VP, WW Channel Sales and Operations, Blue Coat. Blue Coats channel team is stronger thanks to Tracis hard work and expertise. Were thrilled that CRN has honored Traci and look forward to celebrating her future successes.

The 2016 Women of the Channel and Power 100 lists will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine and online at .

, and

@TheChannelCo names @BlueCoats Traci Burch to @CRN 2016 Women of the Channel list #WOTC2016 #crnpower100

Blue Coat Systems, Inc., is a leading provider of advanced web security solutions for global enterprises and governments, protecting 15,000 organizations including over 70 percent of the global Fortune 500. Through the Blue Coat Security Platform, Blue Coat unites network, security and cloud, protecting enterprises and their users from cyber threats  whether they are on the network, on the web, in the cloud or mobile. Blue Coat was acquired by Bain Capital in March 2015. For additional information, please visit or connect with us on , , and .

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace.

CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. The Channel Company logo is a trademark of The Channel Company, LLC (registration pending). All rights reserved.

Melanie Turpin

The Channel Company

(508) 416-1195

Danielle Hamel

Blue Coat Systems, Inc.

408-541-3651
GINSMS Restates Interim Report for Q2 2015 and Revised MD&As for Q2 2015 and the Financial Year Ended December 31, 2015 and Updates Previous Press Releases

CALGARY, ALBERTA  (Marketwired)  05/16/16  GINSMS Inc. (TSX VENTURE: GOK) (the Corporation) announced today that it is proceeding with a refilling of its MD&A and press release and a refilling and a restatement of its interim financial statements for the six-month period ended September 30, 2015. The Corporation is also refilling an amended MD&A and press release for the nine months ended, December 31, 2015.

The amendments and refillings follows comments received by the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) under its continuous disclosure review program. Material changes made to the documents refiled or restated are as follows:

With respect to the MD&A for the six-month period ended September 30, 2015:

With respect to the November 11, 2015 press release for six-month period ended September 30, 2015:

With respect to the restated interim financial statements for the six-month period ended September 30, 2015:

With respect to the MD&A for the nine months ended December 31, 2015:

With respect to the March 30, 2016 press release for the nine months ended December 31, 2015:

The Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation has authorized this press release. The ASC indicated in the last communication it sent to the Corporation that it would remove it from its default issuer list upon completion of the required refiling. The Corporation has now completed all of required refiling identified by the ASC.

About GINSMS

GINSMS is a mobile technology and services company focusing on 2 areas namely cloud-based application-to-peer (A2P) messaging service and Software Products & Services. GINSMS operates a cloud-based A2P messaging service that allows the termination of SMS to mobile subscribers of more than 200 mobile operators globally. GINSMS also develops and distribute innovative software products and services for mobile operators and enterprises and have successfully deployed more than 100 solutions worldwide. GINSMS has offices in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information included in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as may, could, will, expect, intend, estimate, anticipate, believe, or continue or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. These statements are not historical facts, but reflect managements current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management regarding future results and events. Particularly, these forward-looking statements are based on managements estimate of future events based on technological advances relating to the Companys services, current market conditions and past experiences of management in relation to how certain contracts will affect revenues. Forward-looking statements, by their very nature, involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions.

A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to dependence on major customers, system failures, delays and other problems, increasing competition, security and privacy breaches, dependence on third-party software and equipment, adequacy of network reliance, network diversity and backup systems, loss of significant information, insurance coverage, capacity limits, rapid technology changes, market acceptance, decline in volume of attractions, retention of key members of the management team, success of expansion into Chinese and other Asian markets, credit risk, consolidation of existing customers, dependence on required licenses, economy and politics in countries where the Company operates, conflicts of interest and residency of directors and officers. 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. Although the forward-looking statements contained herein are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure the reader that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements.

In particular, forward-looking statements include the following assumptions:

These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances except as may be required by law. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are qualified by this cautionary statement.

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.

Contacts:

GINSMS Inc.

Joel Chin

CEO

+65-6441-1029
Prysmian Supports the Development of Ultra-High Speed Network in Singapore

Posted by Publisher Networking

Milan, 17 May 2016  Prysmian Group, world leader in the energy and telecom cable systems industry, has been chosen to support the development of the new broadband network in Singapore.

Prysmian Group has been awarded two new contracts from two separate companies in Singapore, Singtel and NetLink Trust worth a total of around S$ 35 million (almost 23 million) for the supply of optical fibre cables to these two different entities.

These important awards cement our leading position as a valued partner for the telecom sector in the region, said Toni Bosch, Vice President Telecom Solutions at Prysmian Group. Most of the broadband network in Singapore supports connection speeds up to 100Mbps, and Singtel, NLT Network understand the importance of installing a comprehensive optical network with reliable technology as the foundation for a Next Generation National Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN). This will allow connections to perform 100 times faster than the speeds the country currently experiences and, with the use of optical fibre, a higher broadband speed will be delivered more efficiently and at a lower cost.

The Singtel Group is Singapore and Asias leading communications group that provide a diverse range of services including fixed, mobile, data, internet, TV, infocomms technology (ICT) and digital solutions. The Group serves over 595 million mobile customers around the world and is one of the largest listed companies on the Singapore Exchange by market capitalization. The Group has a vast network of offices throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and the USA, and employs more than 23,000 staff worldwide.

NetLink Trust (NLT) owns the fibre network which is the foundation of Singapores Next Gen NBN, Singapores all-fibre ultra-high-speed broadband network, a project under the Intelligent National 2015 (iN2015) masterplan by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), that is capable of delivering speeds of 1Gbps and above to all homes, offices and schools across Singapore.

It is through our capabilities as a global fibre and optical cables manufacturer, as well as having a strong and dedicated local presence in the region which is able to service our local customers well, that we were able to secure these great successes in Singapore, states Ronald Wee, Commercial Director Telecom ASEAN at Prysmian Group.

These two separate contracts from the two different companies consist of up to 25,000km of optical fibre cables to be installed in Singapore for the period of 2016~2018, which includes underground, flame retardant and ribbon types utilizing G652D and G657 fibres.
Altitude Digital Adds Demand-Side Talent as Company Connects More Buyers Directly to Publishers

Posted by Publisher Internet

DENVER, CO  (Marketwired)  05/17/16  Altitude Digital, the largest independent Programmatic Video Platform for publishers, announced Chris Coelho, Matt Douglas and Jawaan Wright have joined the company to further the growth of advertisers buying through the new Altitude ARENA Programmatic Video Platform.

Altitude has made a significant investment in the development of its technology to streamline the connection between publishers and advertisers and has redefined the capabilities of traditional supply-side platforms (SSPs) with ARENA. These new hires join Altitude following the recent announcement the company has secured $17.5 million of financing to further expand its technology and team.

The platform allows publishers to independently manage their mobile and desktop video advertising, delivering quality inventory to all programmatic and tag-based buyers. The platform also gives publishers the power to create their own white-label RTB exchanges that allow advertisers to buy directly from premium publishers programmatically. Advertisers can target pre-filtered inventory that has been verified for brand safety and viewability by third-party technologies such as Integral Ad Science, Open VV and others.

Ad tech veteran Matt Douglas joins the company as regional vice president of demand. Based in New York, he will lead programmatic sales for third-party buyers. Douglas has held leadership positions in sales and business development with several leading programmatic trading platforms. Prior to joining Altitude, he was with Adap.tv and ONE by AOL: Video and previously at NYtimes.com.

Jawaan Wright, the new director of demand sales at Altitude, joins the company headquarters in Denver after relocating from New York, where he led agency and brand relationships at CPXi. Prior, he held media buying and planning positions at M&C, Saatchi Mobile and Mindshare. In his new role, he will continue to generate new demand business in concert with the companys growing supply.

Chris Coelho joined the company as East Coast senior account executive of demand sales, with prior sales and management experience at Thinknear and AOL. Based in Washington, D.C., Coelho is focused on growing agency and advertiser direct partnerships for Altitude Digital.

With our recent financing and the launch of Altitude ARENA Programmatic Video Platform, we are quickly creating the safest and most scalable video advertising marketplace in the industry while, for the first time, offering direct access to the platform for publishers, said Ryan Gombeski, vice president of demand sales at Altitude Digital. Our new hires bring a unique mix of agency, brand and media planning experience that will help us grow our demand-side partnerships, giving publishers access to even more buyers.

Altitude Digital is the largest publisher-first, programmatic video technology company in the world. The Altitude ARENA white-label, self-service Programmatic Video Platform gives publishers complete independence and direct control of their mobile and desktop video business so they can optimize their inventory and increase margins. The company is one of the 10 largest video advertising providers ranked by both comScore and Quantcast. Altitude Digital is headquartered in Denver, Colorado with offices in New York and San Francisco.

WIT Strategy, for Altitude Digital

Alex Levy

650.996.5758
TC Transcontinental Wins in the Business Transfer Category at the Mercuriades Awards

MONTREAL, QUEBEC  (Marketwired)  05/17/16  Transcontinental Inc. (TSX: TCL.A)(TSX: TCL.B) is proud to have won the Mercure award in the Business Transfer category at last nights prestigious Mercuriades competition, organized by the Federation des chambres de commerce du Quebec (FCCQ) and held at the Palais des congres in Montreal. The Business Transfer Mercure award recognizes a company that has successfully transferred powers while securing its future through a development or growth plan.

I am moved and also very proud of this vote of confidence in TC Transcontinental from Quebecs business community, said Mr. Remi Marcoux, founder and member of the Board of Directors of Transcontinental Inc. My dream has always been to build a great company and to leave a legacy. After many years of preparation, it is deeply rewarding to witness the second generation take the reins and pursue TC Transcontinentals growth. This recognition is particularly timely as we celebrate the companys 40th anniversary this year.

Ms. Isabelle Marcoux, Chair of the Board of Directors of Transcontinental Inc., added: We are honoured that TC Transcontinental has distinguished itself with the Mercure award for Business Transfer. This distinction highlights a successful transition as the new generation brought together a solid team of seasoned managers and a strong Board of Directors. Executing this shift of power while reinvigorating the companys growth has been quite an accomplishment. In fact, with this renewed talent, TC Transcontinental was able to redefine its strategic direction by focusing on strengthening its assets and diversifying its activities into flexible packaging.

The Mercuriades Awards have been held since 1981 by the Federation des chambres de commerce du Quebec, the provinces largest business network. The awards recognize excellence and expertise of companies that contribute to Quebecs development. The award winners are an inspiration for the next generation of entrepreneurs and for Quebecs entire economic community. In April 2015, Ms. Isabelle Marcoux was the recipient of the Germaine Gibara Leadership award, Large Company category. This award recognizes the exceptional contribution of a businesswoman. In 1988, Transcontinental Inc. was the recipient of the Business of the Year award, SMB.

About TC Transcontinental

Canadas largest printer, with operations in print, flexible packaging, publishing and digital media, TC Transcontinentals mission is to create products and services that allow businesses to attract, reach and retain their target customers.

Respect, teamwork, performance and innovation are strong values held by the Corporation and its employees. The Corporations commitment to all stakeholders is to pursue its business and philanthropic activities in a responsible manner.

Transcontinental Inc. (TSX: TCL.A)(TSX: TCL.B), known as TC Transcontinental, has over 8,000 employees in Canada and the United States, and revenues of C$2.0 billion in 2015. Website

Contacts:

Media: Nathalie St-Jean

Senior Advisor, Communications

TC Transcontinental

514-954-3581

Financial Community: Jennifer F. McCaughey

Vice President, Communications

TC Transcontinental

514-954-2821
IGEL Technology Appoints North American IT Veteran Jed Ayres to Lead Global Marketing

Ayres brings more than two decades of technology sales and marketing experience and a proven track record for building innovative partner programs and driving high-growth

Reading, UK. May 17, 2016  IGEL Technology, a world leader in the development of powerful workspace management software, software-defined thin clients, and thin and zero client solutions, today announced that Jed Ayres is joining the company to lead global marketing and run IGEL North America in the role of President and CEO, effective June 1, 2016.

Jeds proven track record for developing innovative and high-growth marketing and partner programs across the IT hardware, software, supply chain and services segments will prove invaluable to our organization as we continue to invest in modernizing our market approach and identifying new and innovative ways in which to further promote the success of our growing network of IGEL Authorized Partners, said Heiko Gloge, Founder and Managing Director, IGEL Technology.

Under Ayres leadership, IGEL Technology plans to expand the marketing programs it provides for its channel partners, and develop new programs that will be used to increase margins and grow unit sales for IGELs workspace management software, software-based thin clients and thin and zero client solutions. Ayres will also be working to strengthen IGELs alliances with its top alliance partners including Citrix, VMware, Microsoft, Red Hat and Cisco. In addition to his CEO and President responsibilities for North America, Ayres will also retain responsibility for Global Marketing and hold a seat as a Managing Director on the IGEL Technology Group Board of Directors.

It is an exciting time to be joining IGEL Technology, with IT organizations of all sizes demanding software-based workspace management solutions that make it easier and more cost-effective for workers to gain quick and secure access to critical business applications from their desktops, said Ayres. IGEL is singularly focused on delivering the most powerful, flexible and secure desktops, and their technology leadership coupled with their Channel First Partner Led strategy is creating tremendous opportunities for channel partners to grow their businesses and increase revenues. Im looking forward to leading the IGEL team in building stronger relationships within the IT channel, and developing new tools and resources that will help to further drive the success of our mutual customers.

Ayres joins IGEL from AppSense, which was acquired by LANDESK in March 2016, where he served as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, leading the company in dramatically increasing awareness and driving revenue growth through the transformation of AppSenses digital marketing, social media, public relations and analyst relations programs. During his tenure there, he also drove efforts to unify the global partner program and increased the companys investment in marketing programs for its top channel partners, which led to a double-digit increase in sales. Prior to AppSense, Ayres spent more than 20 years in senior leadership roles in both publicly and privately held high growth IT solution providers operating within the $50M to $10B+ revenue range, including MCPc, MTM Technologies and GE Capital IT Solutions.

IGEL Technologys portfolio of software solutions includes the Universal Management Suite (UMS), which offers standardized endpoint management, and enables channel partners and their end-user customers to more efficiently manage their workspace environments, while reducing the cost, time and effort associated with remote endpoint management. With its Unified Management Agent (UMA), IGEL supports the administration of any terminal device running Windows 7 and Windows 10 through the UMS. Additionally, the IGEL Management Interface (IMI) enables the simple integration of UMS into existing enterprise management systems.
Struggling Brick and Mortar Retail Businesses Find Consumers and Increase Stores Sales Using Railway Technologies Mobile Commerce Platform

TEMPE, AZ  (Marketwired)  05/17/16  Brick and mortar retail establishments are increasingly under pressure from the rapid rise of internet sales and the prioritization of technology by consumers. In a move that is bringing customers back into stores by providing technology capable of finding nearby consumers and improving their everyday buying experience, today unveiled its mobile commerce platform. Using a combination of geofencing and beacons to map the real-time location of products and people, Railway creates a common open platform so that buyers, sellers, advertisers and app developers can work together to personalize the in-store shopping experience and make shopping more convenient, faster and cheaper.

From the corner store to the larger retail establishments, Railway has saturated the city of Tempe, Arizona by digitizing over 200,000 products and mapping the interior of over 360 stores; transforming the community home to Arizona State University into a digital marketplace with two million connected mobile users. During its first year of beta use, Railways solution has proven to create new customers: brands are using digital coupons to drive people into nearby stores that sell their products and consumers are discovering businesses organically by searching the products on shelves of stores around them with the p, now available for download for free on iTunes.

Consumers are now in control as they turn to their phones with intent and expect businesses and brands to deliver immediate answers, said , founder & CEO of Railway and former founder & CEO of mobile marketing and payments company MobiSquad. Internet giants such as Amazon and Google have long understood this and have the resources to adapt, but most brick and mortar stores do not. Until they adopt a customer centric strategy and implement technology capable of hitting a moving target, brick-and-mortar sales will continue to decline. We are leveling the playing field and helping merchants win again by providing a solution that gives consumers what they want, is easy-to-use and free.

The Railway mobile commerce platform bridges the gap between the physical and digital worlds, creating new possibilities for businesses, brands, advertisers and developers. The app digitizes a businesss product inventory and/or menu items scanning barcodes and taking pictures. A free beacon then maps the store and shares the products to the world. Within a suite of analytics-driven advertising solutions, brands and businesses are able to design geo-targeted campaigns connecting with mobile consumers in the community or inside stores as they approach their favorite products.

We finally found something that brings customers in the door and provides us with the analytics to prove it, said Brandon Manus, at convenient market , in Tempe, Arizona. Connecting took a minimal amount of effort and we didnt have to change the way we do things. By searching the Railway network of products, people have discovered that we are much more than a specialty hot dog and sausage shop. We carry beer, wine, coffee, munchies and even sunglasses.

Railway also provides growth opportunities for merchant acquirers and marketing agencies. Mobile consumers expect a different type of in-store experience, creating a need for businesses to upgrade to a mobile ready point-of-sale system that can redeem digital coupons.

Now that Railway has achieved a 96 percent success rate of increasing revenues for businesses in Tempe, the company is developing its tools to rapidly scale. Railway will expand its network throughout the Phoenix metro area in 2016 and plans to connect two million of the underserved small- and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. over the next three years. Railway remains committed to keeping the solution free to businesses, made possible by Railway partnership subsidies.

Railway solves a lot of problems for a lot of different stakeholders, added Reis. Im excited to see a world where every business is plugged into the on-demand economy. I envision a future where Railway eliminates the need for expensive distribution centers by making in-store inventory available to large e-commerce operations. The consumer is our North Star. Were committed to make buying better, faster and cheaper.

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Labour  May 17, 2016  Zwelinzima Vavi

South African President Jacob Zumas budget speech delivered on 4 May 2016 was yet another missed opportunity to look the South African public in the eye and be frank about the challenges our country is facing. This president and the government he leads are in a state of shocking denial about the worsening and unfolding crisis happening under their watch. They simply refuse to acknowledge the level of our peoples suffering.



The presidents Budget Vote speech would make even the most committed loyalist ask themselves how the government can arrive at the conclusion that all is well and under control when it is clearly not. If the government took notice of its own information, its own statistics, and better still, if it stepped out into the real world, they would see that the world they live in is a very different one to that of our people. Even among loyalists, the denialism and spin doctoring are failing to convince. Among the people, the credibility of the government is at an all-time low.

It is simply no longer good enough to recite a list of delivery achievements, when the living conditions of the majority of our people continue to deteriorate.

Transforming the Economy?

The government has abandoned any notion of a transformation of the economy. Instead, they have become denialists. They allowed former President Thabo Mbeki to be a denialist on HIV/AIDS for years, and criticised him for it, and now they have become the prime denialists on questions of the economy.

President Zuma knows that he was brought to power as a saviour of the working class and the poor, especially in terms of the structural deficiencies of the economy, and to change the ownership patterns and wealth distribution arising from our national resources. He promised to place the needs of workers at the centre of his concerns. He pledged a peoples government, but he has delivered us into a worsening neoliberalism.

What he should have done was to restructure the economy and undermine the dominance of the mining/finance complex. He should have introduced a national beneficiation programme complemented by a socially and environmentally sound industrialization plan, and ended the dominance of white monopoly capital. He should have redistributed land, and made sure that we could feed our people, and export food to our neighbours.

At the time of his election, President Zuma had at his fingertips a range of creative and practical solutions to the challenges we face, many good and reliable people were developing alternatives to serve our people, such as the Industrial Policy Action Plan and elements of the New Growth Path, but instead he turned his back on them, and surrendered everything to maintaining the economic status quo.

At the level of politics he undermined the rule of law, hollowed out and domesticated organs of peoples power and the institutions that protect our democracy, all in order to save his neck from the 783 charges of money laundering, corruption and fraud.

Ignoring Their Own Reports

The budget speech took place within weeks of two devastating reports that have been delivered to our people. One was presented by Stats SA on The Social Profile of Youth, 2009-2014. The other report came from the Employment Equity Commission. Both of these reports were not mentioned by the President, the Deputy President or the Minister in the Presidency responsible for monitoring and evaluation.

Consider the findings of Statistician-General Pali Lehohla and the shocking revelation that black and African youth between 25 and 34 years of age are less skilled than their parents. Parents who grew up under apartheid! He said, When parents are better equipped than their children, its a sign of regression.

The report also revealed that young people aged 15 to 34 continue to constitute the bulk or two-thirds of the 5 million unemployed, using the governments phoney narrow definition of unemployment. When using the more realistic definition (of expanded unemployment), this figure of youth out of work increases to about 6 million, or 75 per cent of over 8 million unemployed!

In the economically active 25-34 group, unemployment has been consistent between 2009 and 2014 dropping by a mere 0.6% to a catastrophic 40.4%. The government is not just failing our young people, but also the families they were hoping to support, and the communities where they live. Is it any wonder that many of our young people lose hope, and adopt negative practices to make ends meet? Why is our youth turning to harmful drug use such as nyaope? Why are they risking their lives by ignoring advice on HIV prevention? Why are they falling into violent patterns of behaviour? Without exaggeration, this is a time bomb waiting to explode.

We believe that when a government mismanages the economy in such a regressive manner and continues to rob the young generation of a future, it is time for change. Failing our future is frankly unforgiveable.

A second report, The Employment Equity Report for 2014 and 2015 released last week, which was simply ignored by the leadership, shows the snails pace of progress in affirming the position of black people in top management. This is supposed to be an area where government boasts about progress, but even here, they have failed. If relatively high-profile transformation involving relatively small numbers of potential managers has failed, imagine what happens further down the ladder! For those workers who have employment, their terms and conditions, their prospects of advancement, their possibilities of being promoted are as bad as they were decades ago.

What the Employment Equity report fails to do (despite this being part of the mandate of the Employment Equity Act  see section 27 of the Act) is to report the evidence that wage inequality continues to grow, or to propose actions to reduce disproportionate income differentials, as required by the Act. In 2015 the top 5 per cent of earners earned 50 times that of the bottom 5 per cent of earners! This is up from 30 times in 2010.

Twenty-two years after the democratic breakthrough on 27 April 1994, mass unemployment, poverty, extreme inequality, racism and rampant corruption are the daily experiences of the majority of the working class.

Empty Promises Do Not Fill Empty Stomachs

The majority of workers still live in poverty despite working full-time. The legacy of the apartheid cheap labour system, which the presidents speech refers to, is still their daily reality. Yet the promise of a meaningful National Minimum Wage remains a distant reality, as business continues to hold government hostage in the negotiations. Workers face daily attacks on their living standards and job security. Jobs are becoming more and more precarious.

Outsourcing, labour broking, casualization and subcontracting are growing exponentially. Workers in informal employment are unsupported and unprotected. There is still no comprehensive social security system in place. In the manufacturing and mining sectors, whole industries like mining and steel are in danger of disappearing and throwing thousands more onto the streets. Up to 60,000 workers have been served with Section 189 notices under the LRA and are likely to join the growing queue of 8.3 million roaming the streets with little hope that they will get a job. Unions are being forced to negotiate lay-off schemes on a daily basis, and tens of thousands of workers have accepted voluntary severance packages because they see no alternative.

A Food Crisis for the Poor in a Land of Plenty

The year-on-year food price increase for January 2015 to January 2016 was 14.6 per cent. Some of the biggest increases have taken place in the most basic foods our people subsist on:

Mealie meal, 21.2%

Samp, 36.2%

Cooking oil, 38.8%

Potatoes, 120%

The biggest price increases are on items that workers and the poor spend a higher percentage of their incomes on than do the wealthy. It means that in real terms all those on fixed incomes have been made substantially poorer than they were a year ago. The truth is that 13 million people go to bed hungry every day, including many of the working poor. So much for progress and a better life for all.

The wage share of the GDP has been falling since 1991 when it was 57 per cent. It is now standing at well below 50 per cent. A South African Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) report on what should constitute the poverty line in 2015 stated that it should be R1,319 per person or R5,276 for a household of four. Half of workers in 2014 earned less than R3,224 per month and half of all full timers (35 hours a week and above) earned less than R3,640. This means about 60 per cent of all workers live in poverty. This figure indicates a gross failure of government to address chronic exploitation and the continuing poverty that is faced by the working poor. Remember that this is a poverty line, the basic minimum to prevent starvation and chronic destitution. It is nowhere near what should be considered a living wage.

It is important to note that grants and pensions play a critical role in alleviating extreme forms of poverty, but the level they are currently fixed at is way below the SALDRU poverty line of R5,276 for a household of four. As an example, in 2016 pensioners and those on disability grants receive R1,520 per month, and the reality is that whole households depend on these grants. Child support grants are R350. We would challenge every single Member of Parliament and the Cabinet to try to survive on these meagre amounts. They are an insult to those who have sacrificed for our country, and who are barely surviving from one day to the next.

The president and other government leaders do not speak about the carnage of deepening poverty. The reason for this denialism is not so difficult to find. The government has bought into the neoliberal approach that in effect says that in times of crisis, the burden must be shifted onto the poor. The rich must be allowed to accumulate wealth, and the poor must wait until the economy can afford to give them a few crumbs off the table.

There are no people-centred ideas to redistribute wealth, to make the taxation system more progressive, to decisively stop wastage and corruption, to prevent capital flows out of the country, to address super-exploitation. This is a government that has run out of ideas to address poverty and the needs of the working class and the poor. The government has not just run out of ideas, it deliberately ignores the needs of our people in order to please those who currently control the wealth of our country. This is a government that serves the rich at the expense of the poor.

President in Cloud Cuckoo Land, not South Africa!

This is what President Zuma said in his speech in Parliament this week:

The pro-poor government policies that we have implemented since 1994 continue to help improve the lives of workers and the poor.

This is not a pro-poor government. If it was pro-poor there would not be deepening levels of poverty, unemployment and inequality. It is a pro-big business government that is implementing neoliberal and anti-poor economic policies. The presidents speech confirms that most of their efforts in recent months have been aimed at devising policies with the captains of industry. Despite numerous meetings with big business they have not had a single meeting with workers organizations. Why change anything when it serves the interests of the wealthy? President Zuma and his government cannot fool the people any more.

Contrary to what government plans and announces, GDP has declined over the last three years: from 2.9% in 2013 to 0.6% last year. In 2013, the Development Bank of South Africa said that we need a GDP growth rate of 10 per cent or more every year to meet the New Growth Paths target of 5 million jobs by 2020. Instead of moving toward 10 per cent, the ANC government has taken the economy backwards. Growth rates of 0.6%, particularly in a growth path which entrenches existing economic patterns, are abysmally incapable of generating employment. Our economic and political system continues to be structured to allow those at the top to cream off the surplus, and plunder the national wealth.

Tax Havens for the Wealthy

Recently the news was full of the so-called Panama Papers exposing secret offshore bank accounts of extremely wealthy individuals and corporations showing where they hide their fortunes to avoid paying tax. A massive 11.5 million confidential documents were exposed on the internet.

Panama is a classic tax haven. Tax havens are countries which offer the wealthy very low tax levels, or even zero tax, on incomes, including company income, and they operate in secret. They provide a secret hiding place for the profits that are made from the sweat of the worlds workers. South Africa-based companies are frequent users. For example, research has shown that De Beers exported $2.83-billion like this between 2004 and 2012 to avoid paying tax. This was known to government, and they simply turned a blind eye to it. If evidence was needed to show that the government protects the wealthy at the expense of the poor then this is a damning example.

The 2015 Global Financial Integrity Report says that the amount of money in the world which escapes tax in these ways is $1.1-trillion. Thats R15.6-trillion. Just to make that picture clearer, SARS collected R830-billion in the last tax year. The amount of money owned by the wealthy that is escaping tax in the world is equivalent to more than 15 years of South Africas tax revenue. Figures for tax evasion and capital flight from South Africa suggest that our businesses are among the worst in the world when it comes to stripping the country of its resources.

Surely, preventing the wealthy from avoiding paying tax should be seen as a priority by the government, especially if the tax revenue is to be used to meet the needs of our people? This government however maintains a stony silence about this theft, and instead reassures the wealthy that it is not going to interrupt their theft any time soon.

Rather than harnessing our national wealth for development, the government continues to facilitate the ability of corporations and the ultra-rich to ship their wealth out of the country: we have had the recent announcement of a second tax amnesty (pardoning those who have illegally taken capital out of the country); massive amounts of dividends continue to flow offshore by SA companies who have been allowed to list in London New York etc, and SA companies continue to engage in an investment strike with close to R1.5-trillion sitting in their bank accounts.

Rhetoric Does Not Feed or Clothe the Poor,

Action Needed Now

In this budget speech, the government has completely dropped any reference to radical economic transformation. Instead it has puffed up its rhetoric, and at the same time diluted what was left in terms of redistribution. The sensibilities of the rating agencies are now considered more important than the levels of malnutrition in our communities.

As if the shocking spectacle of a president addressing workers on May Day and not making a single concrete proposal to tackle unemployment, poverty, unemployment and corruption was not bad enough, to then hear his Alliance partners extol the virtues of the ANC Government and why they must unite around the president was a public act of betrayal of all those who still have the hope that the ANC will return to its historical roots of being biased to the working class and the poor.

We currently have a discredited president, captured government institutions and agencies, a sycophantic political elite, including erstwhile self-proclaimed communists, and a people whose interests are not represented.

However, we need to avoid despair. There are democratic forces mobilising on the ground, rebuilding the confidence of working people in workplaces and in poor communities. Solidarity is developing between communities who are in revolt, and those who support their demands for service delivery.

There are links being strengthened between workers in the informal and formal sector, and public sector workers, and super exploited community workers. There are those who are ready to challenge divisiveness and not allow xenophobia or other negative sentiments to divide the working class. There are those who are prepared to work hard at finding real alternatives to neoliberalism, and to combine the intellectual capacity of labour-friendly institutions with the rich experience of workers to developing alternatives that serve our people. There are those who are ready to recruit the 7 million workers in the formal sector alone who are not unionised. There are those who are prepared to stand beside all those who are victims of sexism, racism and exploitation and say enough is enough.

The future lies with those who are doing this work, not those whose promises and empty slogans are meant to deceive and placate. Every day, in all corners of this beautiful country of ours, it is becoming clearer and clearer who is part of the problem, and who is part of the solution! Join with us in making change happen! 
Israel said Tuesday it welcomes Egypts efforts in "advancing a future of peace and security between Israel, Palestine, and the people of the region."

Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesperson for Arab media Ofir Gendelman said the Israeli Prime Minister expressed his countrys readiness to participate with Egypt and Arab states in promoting both the diplomatic process and the stability in the region.

I appreciate President El-Sisis work and [am encouraged by] his leadership on this important issue, Netanyahu said, praising the Egyptian presidents remarks.

Earlier on Tuesday, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi addressed during a speech Israeli leaders and Palestinian leaders, stressing that peace, prosperity and cooperation will only take place if both parties are able to reach a two-state solution.

El-Sisi recalled the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty and the positive outcomes accomplished in the peacemaking process between Egypt and Israel, calling on the Israelis and the Palestinians to seize the opportunity to bring security and hope to both countries.

"Some people may see this [peace treaty] as cold peace, yet I believe that much warmer peace will be achieved only if we are able to provide guarantees to the Palestinian people," El-Sisi said.

He then highlighted that recently leaders of the Arab initiative have come up with a new framework for cooperation between the involved countries and Israel that is contingent on achieving a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

An extraordinary Arab League summit is expected to be held ahead of the French-sponsored peace initiative - opposed by Israel  that is scheduled to take place in Paris this summer.

The Arab league summit - which will feature Arab foreign ministers from all league nations and will headed by Bahrain - will discuss the Arab stance that will be presented at the Paris summit.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who met last week with his Egyptian counterpart and discussed the peace process to restore hope for the Palestinians, is expected to attend the league summit that will take place on 28 May.

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Cairos acting-Governor Ahmed Taymour said that the street-stalls threaten the life of residents in Cairo

Some street-stalls will be closed and the state will block the utilities that they operate on if the owners dont lift the occupancies, acting-Governor Ahmed Taymour said in a statement on Sunday during a tour of El Fagala in downtown Cairo.

Last week, a huge fire engulfed a market in downtown Cairos historical and commercial district of Attaba.

"The unlicensed stalls are ticking bombs that threaten the life of many residents of Cairo and I won't let the Attaba catastrophe happen again," Taymour said.

The fire spread throughout the normally busy El-Rewaiei, as approximately 60 fire engines and ambulances, with the help of hundreds of local residents and workers, fought the unrelenting fire in the narrow streets of the neighborhood for more than 24 hours.

The incident left more than a 100 shops burned.

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A Media and Culture Committee report in parliament concluded that the Journalists Syndicate was mistaken to shelter journalists in the building who had accusations against them

The ongoing crisis between Egypt's Journalists Syndicate and the interior ministry took on a new direction this week.

A report prepared by parliament's Media and Culture Committee concluded that the syndicate's board made a " big mistake" when it accepted that two persons accused of publishing false news and inciting the overthrow of the regime hide in the syndicate's headquarters in downtown Cairo.

"The problem now is that the syndicate's board does not want to admit or recognise that it made a legal mistake and refused to apologise for it," the committees report said.

In a plenary session on 8 May, parliament decided to entrust the Media and Culture committee with preparing a report about the crisis between the Journalists Syndicate and the interior ministry.

The report indicated that all documents relating to the ongoing crisis between the Journalists Syndicate and the interior ministry show that the crisis erupted when the ministry and prosecution authorities discovered that the syndicate's board had accepted that two persons sought for questioning by prosecution authorities hide in its building.

"While this is a grave violation of the law, the syndicate's board does not want to recognise it or apologise for it," the report said.

The report indicated that when asked about this mistake in a meeting with the committee's delegation on 10 May, the syndicate's board refused to admit it had made a mistake.

"They said the syndicate's lawyer had submitted the prosecutor-general a memo about their legal position in this respect," the report said.

In a letter to parliaments speaker Ali Abdel-Aal on 9 May, head of the syndicate Yehia Qallash said the crisis with the interior ministry had erupted when a number of plain clothed police officers raided the syndicate's headquarters on 1 May to arrest two journalists.

"This is a violation of article 70 of the syndicate's law (law no 76/1970) which stipulates that its building can be searched only by a prosecution official and in the presence of the head of the syndicate or someone delegated to act on their behalf."

In its report, parliament's Media and Culture Committee indicated that the interior ministry insists that it was simply implementing a prosecution order.

"Prosecution authorities also insist that the interior ministry was acting upon its orders and that its forces were just implementing article 99 of the Criminal Procedures Law and that the forces did not search the building," the committee report said.

The report, however, concluded that the Press Syndicate insists that the Interior Ministry had violated article 70 of the Syndicate's law.

As prosecution authorities stress that the arrest of the two persons was implemented in a correct way and in line with article 99 of the Criminal Procedures law, the committee believes that this legal dispute between the interior ministry and prosecution authorities on one side and the syndicate on the other side can be settled only by courts and judicial authorities.

The report, however, said "while judicial authorities can give a final say on whether the interior ministry made a mistake or not, the committee believes that the Journalists Syndicate board council had violated the law by accepting that two persons facing criminal charges hide in its building."

"This is the core of the problem and the original reason why the crisis had erupted in the first place," the report said.

The report also argued that "while the constitution is clear in stressing the importance of respecting freedoms of speech, the committee believes that the ongoing crisis has nothing to do with freedom of speech."

"This is a crisis which erupted due to whether the necessary legal procedures were correctly followed or not," said the report.

It stressed that "a legal dispute between two state authorities should not be politicised."

"It is another big mistake to politicise this dispute or resort to escalatory measures at a time Egypt is facing a lot of challenges," the report said.

The report argued that "the interior ministry and the Journalists Syndicate are two state authorities and both have important roles to play in preserving the country's unity and boosting the rule of law."

"In this respect, we call upon both the interior ministry and the Journalists Syndicate not to take escalatory measures because this only serves the interests of the enemies of this country," the report said.

The report explained that the committee did its best to close ranks between the syndicate and the interior ministry.

"All of our efforts in this respect were exerted in a very neutral way and were primarily aimed at preserving the unity of the syndicate and finding a solution for the crisis between the two parties in a friendly way," the report said.

The report concluded that while the report will be discussed in a plenary session before parliament, the committee will step up contacts to put an end to this crisis in a way that does not come at the expense of the dignity of both the Journalists Syndicate and the interior ministry.

"While the role of the syndicate is important to reinforce freedoms of speech, the role of the interior ministry is equally necessary to impose the rule of law and implement the prosecution's orders," the report concluded.

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A State Department spokesperson said that there hasnt been a meeting recently with Egypt where human rights were not discussed

Washington said that it seeks to maintain vibrant and healthy ties with Egypt, a day ahead of a brief visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry to Cairo.

Kerry is expected to meet with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday during a "short trip" to the Egyptian capital, the second in less than a month.

The two leaders will discuss "a range of bilateral US and Egypt issues, as well as regional issues," State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Monday during a regular press briefing.

"The secretary...has talked about the importance of Egypt in the region. Hes talked about the importance of our relationship with Egypt and looking for ways to keep that relationship vibrant and healthy," Kirby said in reference to the ongoing US-Egypt discussions.

He added that the "threat of terrorism that Egyptians are facing" as well as a variety of other political, economic and security challenges in the country are also set to be discussed.

In reponse to a question about if the discussions would address the human rights record in Egypt, Kirby said: "there hasnt been a meeting that weve had with Egyptian officials in many months where we did not raise our concerns over human rights."

Earlier this week Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held a "long meeting" with Kerry in New York, where the pair looked at a spate of regional issues including the crises in Syria and Libya as well as preparations for an upcoming Israeli-Palestinian peace conference in France.

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Roscosmos, also known as the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, is the coordinating hub for space activities in Russia. It performs numerous civilian activities (including Earth monitoring and the astronaut program) and coordinates with the Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation for military launches.

Roscosmos used to be known as the Russian Federal Space Agency, which was formed in 1992. The new corporation was formed from merging the agency and United Rocket and Space Corporation, a joint-stock entity meant to bolster the space sector. Russia's involvement in space, however, long predates these events. At the height of the former Soviet Union's space prowess in the 1950s and 1960s, the country racked up several world firsts  including the first human in space.

Roscosmos came to be in a different era, shortly after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The agency poured its scant resources into the International Space Station and to this day remains a major participant in the effort. In 2016, it opened a new launch complex called Vostochny that is intended to eventually take over most of the duties of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, its current primary launch facility in Kazakhstan.

The Soviet-U.S. space race

Soviet experience with space threads through much of the past century. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky's pioneering rocketry work extended through the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Soviets then supplemented that experience with German V2 missile engineers acquired after the end of World War II in 1945. The United States had another group of Germans from the same program.

Under the auspices of International Geophysical Year in 1957-58, the Soviets launched the world's first satellite (Sputnik) on Oct. 4, 1957. Some in the United States worried about the influence of communism in outer space. As Americans scrambled to catch up, the Soviets accomplished many world firsts. Among them were the first man in space (Yuri Gagarin), first woman (Valentina Tereshkova), first lunar flyby (Luna 1) and first three-person crew (Voskhod 1).

The Soviets, however, also had their share of disasters. On Oct. 24, 1960, an R-16 missile detonated at Baikonur and killed an estimated 150 people; the details weren't known by the public, or even the affected families, for many decades. The missions of Soyuz 1 (1967) and Soyuz 11 (1971) both launched from Baikonur and ended with disaster upon landing, which between the two missions killed four astronauts. Another famous example of disaster was the N-1 rocket explosion that detonated on the launch pad on July 3, 1969. While there were no fatalities, it damaged the launch facilities and derailed Soviet plans to send astronauts to the moon.

Subsequently, the Soviets focused on space station technology, most notably in the form of the Salyut and the Mir space station programs. Mir hosted the longest human spaceflight to date: Valeri Polyakov, in 1994. The Soviet expertise in long-duration spaceflight impressed NASA, which decided to partner with the Russians after the Soviet Union fell apart in the early 1990s.

International Space Station contributions

Collaboration with NASA dates back to the 1970s, with the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project of 1975, which saw a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and an American Apollo spacecraft meet in Earth orbit. The astronauts and cosmonauts worked together in space briefly before heading off for their own separate missions.

After the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, funds reportedly ran thin for the Russian space program. A year later, Roscosmos was formed to coordinate space activities for Russia. The United States was concerned that the fall of the Soviet Union might cause economic havoc in that area of the world. So, NASA offered paid astronaut flights to the Mir space station, with its astronauts receiving technical and language training in Russia before flights. The Shuttle-Mir program (as it was called) flew several American astronauts to Mir between 1995 and 1998. It also laid the groundwork for the International Space Station collaboration; Russian officials eventually elected to focus their resources on the ISS and de-orbit the aging Mir.

The Space Shuttle Endeavour prepares to rendezvous with the FGB. (Image credit: NASA.)

Russia was a part of ISS construction from the beginning. In 1998, the Zarya control module was the first element launched. Some (but not all) of Roscosmos's contributions include the Zvezda service module, a docking hatch, the research module Rassvet, and regular cargo flights to the ISS using Progress spacecraft. Across dozens of flights, Progress has experienced only a handful of failures over the space station's lifetime (in 2011, 2015 and 2016).

Baikonur and Vostochny

As of early 2018, all astronauts leaving for the ISS leave from Baikonur. This situation has persisted since 2011, when NASA retired the aging space shuttle. At the time, the agency expected to restart flights on U.S. soil in 2015, when the Commercial Crew Program's spacecraft were ready. However, funding and development delays now have test flights expected to start no earlier than 2018.

NASA currently buys seats on Russian spacecraft for its astronauts, a practice that was projected to climb to $82 million per person by 2018. For Russia, contributing cargo launches and launch hardware  not to mention other Russian modules on station  allows the country to send numerous cosmonauts into space. Many three-person Soyuz crews that head to the station for long-term stays have multiple Russians on board.

In 2011, Russia started construction on another launch site  Vostochny  which is in Siberia and close to the Chinese border. The long-term aim is to shift most Russian launches to Vostochny, which unlike Baikonur, is on Russian soil. (Baikonur used to be inside the Soviet Union, but Kazakhstan since declared independence and the Russians lease the facility.) While Russia initially planned to have crewed launches start at Vostochny in 2018, there have been few launches at the facility to date. Three satellites were successfully launched in 2016, but after Vostochny's second launch in late 2017, a $45 million satellite was lost.

Robotic space missions

Roscosmos is a major provider of launch services to other countries. Its Proton rocket line has had a few snags over the years. Three Breeze-M upper stages failed in separate launches across 16 months, prompting a full review in late 2012. Then in 2013, another booster failed 17 seconds after the launch. Satellites were also lost in failure in 2015 and 2015.

In addition to launching satellites for other countries, Roscosmos does numerous satellite missions of its own. Some examples include Earth observation, military satellites, telecommunications, and Glosnass navigation satellites.

In 2013, a fragment of a Chinese satellite (Fengyun 1C) reportedly collided with a small Russian laser-ranging satellite called BLITS (Ball Lens in The Space). The crash knocked BLITS from its original orbit and broke it into at least two fragments.

Russia is now looking ahead to a major Mars mission, ExoMars, which it is doing with the European Space Agency. ExoMars' first leg (the Trace Gas Orbiter) launched successfully in 2016, while a rover was delayed by two years (due to scheduling problems) until an expected launch in 2020. Roscosmos is hoping the mission will break the streak of several failed Mars missions, most recently the Phobos-Grunt failure that occurred in 2012 when the probe could not break free of Earth's orbit.

Media reports have said that Russia is interested in developing a series of robotic moon missions, which would be dubbed Luna-Glob. However, budgetary restraints have reportedly pushed back the first of these missions until at least 2025.
The three Falcon 9 first stages that SpaceX has successfully brought back down to Earth sit in a hangar at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A on May 14, 2016.

New SpaceX photos show three big pieces of spaceflight history sitting side by side by side.

The images, which were taken on Saturday (May 14), show the three Falcon 9 rockets that SpaceX has successfully brought back to Earth arrayed next to each other in a hangar at Launch Complex 39A, which is part of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk posted one of the new photos Sunday (May 15) via his Twitter account, @elonmusk, along with a pithy description: "Three's company." [See video of SpaceX's latest rocket landing]

Shot of SpaceXs three landed Falcon 9 first stages in a hangar at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A. Photo taken May 14, 2016. (Image credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX is working to develop fully and rapidly reusable rockets, technology that Musk has said could reduce the cost of spaceflight by a factor of 100. The three boosters in the hangar at 39A  which are the big first stages of the two-stage Falcon 9  are part of that development effort.

One of the boosters landed at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in December during the launch of 11 communications satellites for SpaceX customer Orbcomm, becoming the first rocket ever to touch down softly during an orbital liftoff. (Blue Origin, the company led by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, successfully landed its New Shepard rocket a month earlier, but that milestone occurred during a suborbital test flight.)

The other two Falcon 9 first stages came down at sea, landing on the deck of a robotic ship called "Of Course I Still Love You" that SpaceX had stationed several hundred miles off the Florida coast.

Close-up view of one of SpaceXs three landed Falcon 9 first stages. Photo taken inside a hangar at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A on May 14, 2016. (Image credit: SpaceX)

These "drone ship" landings came on April 8, during the launch of SpaceX's robotic Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station (ISS); and May 6, during the launch of the Japanese communications satellite JCSAT-14. (Such landings occur while the Falcon 9's second stage is still carrying the payload to orbit, so "during the launch" is appropriate wording, even if it sounds a bit weird.)

SpaceX would prefer to land all of its rockets at or near their launch sites, to streamline inspection and re-launch processes. But boosters cannot carry enough fuel to make it all the way back during some liftoffs, which explains why the company is practicing ocean landings as well, Musk has said.

The Falcon 9 that landed in December will be put on display at SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California, perhaps as early as next month, company representatives have said. Musk has said that SpaceX plans to refly the rocket that came down in April, and the same fate presumably awaits the booster than lofted JCSAT-14 as well.

Long shot of SpaceXs three landed Falcon 9 first stages, taken from outside a hangar at Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39A on May 14, 2016. (Image credit: SpaceX)

JCSAT-14 went to geostationary transfer orbit, which is much farther away than low Earth orbit, where the ISS flies. So the rocket that landed on May 6 hit Earth's atmosphere while traveling about twice as fast as the one that came down on April 8, company representatives have said.

"Most recent rocket took max damage, due to v high entry velocity. Will be our life leader for ground tests to confirm others are good," Musk said via Twitter Sunday.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
An Egyptian-Greek maritime military exercise held in Egyptian regional waters and on the beaches of Alexandria concluded Monday according to armed forces spokesperson Brigadier General Mohamed Samir.

The joint military training between the two nation's navies, named Alexandria 2016, was held to encourage "the continuation of the development and the consolidation of military relations between Egypt and Greece," Samir's statement read.

The army spokesperson added that "the armed forces leadership is keen on the exchange of expertise with various countries to develop officers' skills in combat efficiency," as well as "unifying operational concepts between [the two] countries."

The training included exercises on maritime surveillance on enemy targets, avoiding mines, countering pirate attacks, live fire exercises, and using air defense weapons to secure maritime units.

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Veteran space shuttle astronauts Brian Duffy and Scott Parazynski were enshrined as the 92nd and 93rd members of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at NASAs Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida on Saturday, May 14, 2016.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame inducted its 15th class of space shuttle veterans Saturday (May 14), adding a commander and a spacewalker to the institution's ranks.

Brian Duffy and Scott Parazynski were honored during a public ceremony at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Standing in front of an audience that included their families, friends, space program co-workers and past Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees, the two men were celebrated under the retired space shuttle Atlantis, a spacecraft on which they both flew missions.

Over the course of their overlapping NASA careers, Duffy and Parazynski helped to advance research in Earth orbit, deployed satellites and contributed to the assembly of the International Space Station. [Building the International Space Station (Photos)]

"The new heights we've reached thanks to astronauts like Brian and Scott have become so engrained in our culture that we don't always think about just how incredible  how absolutely incredible  all that we have achieved actually is," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, an astronaut and 2006 inductee. "One of the wonderful gifts of this Hall of Fame is it gives an opportunity to hit the pause button, to take a step back, take a deep breath for a moment and reflect on just how far we've really come."

Out-of-the-limelight leader and true explorer

Between them, Brian Duffy, a veteran U.S. Air Force pilot, and Scott Parazynski, a medical doctor, flew on board nine space shuttle missions between 1992 and 2007.

2016 Astronaut Hall of Fame inductee Brian Duffy stands with the plaque that will represent him in the Hall at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com)

Duffy was the commander two of his four flights, including the 100th space shuttle mission, STS-92, which delivered a docking port and installed a segment of the International Space Station's backbone truss.

"I call him an out-of-the-limelight leader," said Hall of Fame astronaut Kevin "Chili" Chilton, who flew with Duffy in the Air Force and presented him for induction. "An out-of-the-limelight person who pursues excellence, [and] an out-of-the-limelight person who does nothing but his duty, which he can never be asked to do more of, and always, always with good humor."

Parazynski conducted seven spacewalks over the course of his five shuttle missions. He flew with Mercury astronaut John Glenn on STS-95, helped to install the Canadarm2 robotic arm on the space station and repaired to a tear in one of the orbiting outpost's solar arrays.

He was also the first astronaut to summit Mount Everest, making Parazynski the only person to have both seen the world from orbit and stood on top of it.

"I have never seen a more vigorous adventure seeker than Scott Parazynski," said astronaut Kent Rominger, who flew with Parazynski on STS-100. "And so when I look at him amongst all of the astronauts I have been around, he truly represents an explorer."

Scott Parazynski poses next to his U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame plaque. The display features his portrait and space shuttle mission patches. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com)

Both Duffy and Parazynski said they were honored to join the ranks of the men and women they considered their role models.

"This is truly a humbling experience to be here joining my heroes," Duffy remarked. "These are the folks [who] as I was growing up, I watched do all these great things and I dreamed about what it might be like but never thought I'd have the chance. Joining you is a special treat for me."

More than 20 Hall of Fame astronauts attended the event to welcome the new inductees, including Apollo veterans Fred Haise, Al Worden and Charlie Duke, Skylab residents Owen Garriott and Jack Lousma, Apollo-Soyuz pilot Vance Brand and early shuttle fliers Bob Crippen, Robert "Hoot" Gibson and Rhea Seddon.

"There are so many emotions that flip through you as you stand here on a day like today," shared Parazynski. "I am standing in front of men and women who have been my inspiration since I was a little kid."

Plaque preview

Though now enshrined, Duffy and Parazynski will need to wait a bit longer to physically enter the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.

The Hall's previous location in Titusville, Florida, closed in October 2015 so that it could move to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

"Astronauts are such an important part of the NASA story. Through their eyes and stories we all have the chance to experience spaceflight as an insider. Soon their stories will be brought to life in an entirely new way," Therrin Protze, the chief operating officer of the visitor complex, said. "The [new] U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame will be a component of the new 'Heroes and Legends' attraction opening later this year."

"Through state of the art technology, guests will have the opportunity to virtually interact with the astronaut inductees and experience the thrills of our space program like never before," he said.

At the close of Saturday's induction ceremony, Protze and Dan Brandenstein, chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, revealed the plaques that will represent Duffy and Parazynski in the relocated Hall of Fame.

"I think it is fantastic," Parazynski said of his display. "The colors of the [space mission] patches are so high fidelity, I thought they really knocked it out of the park."

"It keeps you forever young," said Duffy of his likeness on the plaque. "I guess [that] is the way to look at it, because I may age a little bit but it's not going to.

Watch a video of the 2016 Astronaut Hall of Fame induction ceremony at collectSPACE.

Follow collectSPACE.comon Facebookand on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2016 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
Former Apollo 11 moonwalker talks about his vision for crewed Mars missions at the Humans to Mars Summit in Washington, D.C. on May 17, 2016.

Buzz Aldrin has some words of advice for presidential candidates Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

The next president of the United States could carve out a lasting legacy for him- or herself by putting the nation firmly on the path to Mars, the former Apollo 11 moonwalker said today (May 17) at the Humans to Mars Summit in Washington, D.C.

"A president who appeals to our higher angels and takes us closer to the heavenly body we call Mars will not only make history  he or she will [also] be long remembered as a pioneer for mankind to reach, to comprehend and to settle Mars," Aldrin said. [Buzz Aldrin's Visions for Missions: Mars and More (Video)]

"I appeal to you to take up the challenge  president, candidates  and bring us all along from the wild, blue yonder with giant leaps to this waiting island in the blackness of space," he added. "Presidential leadership in this initiative would improve, extend and celebrate American exceptionalism in a way that no other policy or program could."

In July 1969, Aldrin followed Apollo 11 crewmate Neil Armstrong onto the surface on the moon, becoming the second person ever to set foot on a world beyond Earth. In the decades since, Aldrin has been urging policymakers, engineers and mission planners to help humanity make the next giant leap  to Mars.

The 86-year-old former astronaut has ideas about how to make this happen, and he laid them out during his talk at the Humans to Mars Summit.

Aldrin's detailed vision includes the assembly of bases on the moon's near and far sides and the extraction and processing of lunar resources, done as a way to gain experience in vital settlement procedures. Six astronauts would then head to the tiny Mars moon Phobos; from there, they would remotely assemble a base on the Red Planet's surface from modules that were delivered to Mars on uncrewed missions.

These activities would be aided and enabled by "Mars cyclers," spacecraft that cruise perpetually between Earth and the Red Planet, acting as a sort of astronaut ferry system.

Aldrin said he wants the United States to lead this multistage effort, but the world's other spacefaring nations, especially China, should be players as well.

"Together, we can bring forward a worldwide sharing for the greatest human endeavor in history," Aldrin said.

If the U.S. committed firmly to such a program now, astronauts could land successfully on Mars and begin staffing a permanent Red Planet outpost by 2040, he added.

"This is the time. This is our time. This is your time," Aldrin said. "Let's go for it!"

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
The court asked the state to provide certified maps and documents supporting the validity of the agreement, lawyer says

An Egyptian administrative court postponed on Tuesday a hearing in a lawsuit against the government's decision to redraw maritime boarders to put two Red Sea islands under Saudi control.

The hearing for the lawsuit, filed by leftist lawyer Khaled Ali, is set for 7 June.

Ali said on his Facebook page on Tuesday that the court asked the state to provide certified maps and documents supporting the validity of the agreement.

The deal, which was made last month when Saudi King Salman visited Cairo, caused widespread controversy in Egypt, with dozens of protesters taking to street to oppose the deal.

Dozens were arrested for participating in the protests, including renowned human rights lawyer Malek Adly, who was also collecting signatures supporting the filing of this lawsuit. Adly is still in jail.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in a public speech that state institutions have documents proving the islands are in fact Saudi.

The agreement, which allows Egypt to use shared Red Sea waters for the excavation of natural resources, should be discussed by the House of Representatives for ratification.

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While inaugurating $2.7 bln worth of electricity projects, Egypt's Sisi spoke about the Palestine-Israeli conflict

During a speech inaugurating eight power stations on Tuesday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi also addressed Israelis leaders and Egypts Palestinian neighbours, stressing that peace, prosperity and cooperation will only take place if both parties are able to reach a two-state solution.

"I call on our Palestinian brothers to unite their various factions so as to be able to reach a real reconciliation," El-Sisi said.

Speaking to the Israeli leadership, El-Sisi recalled Egypt's experience before and after the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty and highlighted that 40 years ago no one at that period of time thought that such a positive "jump in relations" could be established.

"Some people may see this [Egypt-Israel peace treaty] as cold peace, yet I believe that much warmer peace will be achieved only if we are able to provide guarantees to the Palestinian people," El-Sisi said.

El-Sisi continued to say that this would be of benefit to both sides.

"The solution to this issue will give hope to Palestinians and security to the Israelis," El-Sisi said.

El-Sisi said that efforts by Arab countries through different initiatives are currently ongoing.

He then highlighted that recently leaders of the Arab initiative have come up with a new framework of cooperation between the involved countries and Israel that is contingent on a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict being found.

An extraordinary Arab League summit is expected to sit ahead of the French-sponsored initiative scheduled to take place in Paris this summer.

The Arab league summit -- which will be at the level of Arab foreign ministers and headed by Bahrain -- will discuss the Arab stance that will be presented at the Paris summit.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to attend the league summit that will take place on 28 May. The Egyptian president has called on the Israeli leadership to broadcast his speech more than once.

El-Sisis speech comes following a meeting he held with Abbas last week. During the two leaders meeting, they discussed resurrecting the peace process to restore hope for Palestinians.

El-Sisi also spoke about initiatives from the Arabs, the French and the Americans, who have each worked separately but at the same pace to achieve peace.

However, on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his rejection of a French-sponsored initiative to kick start peace efforts which have been halted since April 2014 before the Gaza conflict later that year.

Netanyahu attacked the French peace initiative, telling his cabinet ministers that it gave the Palestinians an opportunity to evade direct negotiations

Yet Netanyahu also added that Israels historical experience is that direct talks do lead to peace, such as what occurred with Egypt and Jordan.

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The core of Trump's policy is to react to this fear by establishing an identity through marginalization and isolation. This is evident in his campaign promises to build a wall along the Mexican border and to deny Muslims entry into the United States. "The use of ethnic stereotypes and exploitation of fear of foreigners is directly out of the fascist's recipe book," fascism expert Robert Paxton recently told the online magazine Slate. According to Paxton, Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again," sounds exactly like the slogans of fascist movements. In comments recently given to the Washington Post , Paxton added that "a sense of victimhood is absolutely essential" to the rise of fascism, "and I think that's very strong in America today," particularly among the white middle class.

Trump, like Europe's right-wing populists , is betting on aggressive nationalism as a response to this sense of victimhood and the complexities of globalization. At his campaign rallies, the seats shake when tens of thousands of fans collectively bellow their response to the question of who will pay for the border wall: "Mexico!" Trump's supporters cheer when he threatens to punch protestors in the face. And they seem to have been waiting for someone to finally promise to deport -- with force, if necessary --the 11 million illegal immigrants from Central and South America. By breaking social taboos, Trump's appearances resemble the "rallies of fascist leaders who pantomimed the wishes of their followers and let them fill in the text," Jeffrey Herf, a political science professor at the University of Maryland and expert on Nazi Germany, recently wrote in the American Interest magazine.

This aggressive nationalism is paired with an absurd authoritarianism. Indeed, there is something operatic about Trump promising his voters that after he wins the election, his first official act will be to call the CEO of Ford and force him to move his auto plants from Mexico back to the United States within 48 hours -- not to mention his vow to force Apple to stop making iPhones in China. But Trump's words have made an impact.

The further this campaign progresses, the greater the extent to which Trump modifies his domestic agenda. He deliberately targets those at the losing end of society, people threatened by social decline. He promises not to touch social security, and he guarantees that no one will starve in the streets. With these promises, he is opposing his own party, where the term social welfare state is seen as being synonymous with communism. He promises a strong government that guarantees its citizens jobs and protection. He projects both a nationalist and social message.

Fascist Characteristics

Fascism expert Paxton compared Trump's rallies with those of Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini and arrived at a remarkable conclusion. According to Paxton, Trump not only resembles Mussolini in the way he sticks out his lower jaw, but also in his speech. His short, blustering sentences sound similar to those used by "Il Duce" in his speeches, Paxton writes. Like Mussolini, Trump is masterful at handling large crowds. And even in his contempt for the establishment, he resembles the leaders of revolutionary movements in the Europe of the 1920s and 1930s. Trump isn't leading a party but a movement, and his supporters are pledging their oath of allegiance to the candidate, not the Republicans.

History isn't repeating itself. There are no signs that Trump would be prepared to invade other countries or murder millions of people. Nevertheless, some of his key demands -- forceful deportations, blanket entry bans for Muslims and the refusal to rule out torture -- have fascist characteristics. But Trump is no fascist -- he doesn't, after all, want to abolish the Constitution. Yet he is playing with totalitarian elements in a dangerous way.

American democracy has never been "so ripe for tyranny" as it is today, warns Andrew Sullivan, comparing the situation in the United States with that of the Weimar Republic. Is Sullivan exaggerating? Perhaps. But there are no guaranteed "happy endings" in politics. Democracy has to be defended.

It is up to America's elite and its civil society to react to the challenge. Clinton, the Democrats' likely candidate, is only partly suited for this task. As someone who has been involved in politics for decades, she represents the establishment, and politics has made her a multimillionaire.

America needs a major social debate over the causes of the rage, the unfair distribution of wealth and the excesses of capitalism. It was once the Republicans who, under Abraham Lincoln, decided to abolish slavery, thereby laying the foundation for the modern American age. The party will be challenged once again at its convention in July. Before it nominates its candidate, it could exclude all forms of racism and hate from its platform, and Trump would then have to decide whether he could run for president on this basis. On the other hand, this summer could also mark the end of a de facto two-party system, in which Republicans and Democrats no longer represent the interests of many people. Why not field a third or fourth candidate?

Trump's answer to the crisis is the exclusion of others. But the correct answer should be inclusion -- not just of Trump's supporters, but also that of society's weakest. There's much more at stake in the United States right now than the contest between two candidates. This is a question of tolerance, pluralism and the very future of a deeply drained democracy.

Holger Stark is DER SPIEGEL's Washington bureau chief.
Galicia (Spain), May 17, 2016 (SPS) - Joint Group of Peace and freedom for the Sahrawi people in the Parliament of Galicia, which prevented from entering the Occupied Territories by the Moroccan occupation authorities, expressed its deep concern on the siege imposed on the occupied territories of Western Sahara, in a letter of condemnation to the Security Council, the Spanish government and the European parliament.

The said Group demanded Morocco to bring clarifications about its systematic violations of human rights and the prevention of international observers from entering the occupied territories of Western Sahara and review the human rights situation there.

The group also urged Morocco to immediately facilitate the return of the entire MINURSO members in a manner that allows it to carry out its full mission approved by the UN Security Council which is to hold free and fair referendum ensuring the self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.SPS

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Internet pharmacy. Cheap generic medications online.

Eating this KILLS diabetes!

And of course the eternally popular Try Viagra for Free and its infinite number of variations.

Messages with subject lines like these pop up in most peoples email inboxes on a daily, if not hourly, basis. And while many recipients simply delete them  or, if their spam filters are doing their jobs, never see them at all  a large enough number apparently click through and visit online pharmacies like GlavMed and Canada Drugs.

There they purchase their Lipitor, Pradaxa and, yes, Viagra at considerably lower prices than what they would pay at their local CVS or Walgreens. When their medications arrive  apparently in the same packaging that drugmakers Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly and Pfizer employ  they duly ingest them.

End result: Nothing whatsoever. Or an adverse reaction.

Or, in some cases, they die.

Welcome to the world of counterfeit medicine, one of the biggest scourges facing the prescription medicine industry.

The illicit trade extends far beyond buying pills from a guy in his basement. In 2010, the World Customs Organization estimated that the global market for counterfeit drugs was worth $200 billion, as compared with the combined worldwide heroin and cocaine markets, which stood then at $160 billion.

If its too affordable to be true, its probably not true. So says J. Aaron Graham, executive director for brand safety and security at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Ridgefield, the U.S. headquarters for the privately held German drug maker.

BI has partnered with the Food and Drug Administration to get the word out to patients and health care providers via the Know Your Source initiative. The program involves posters in English and Spanish alerting patients about what to look for  safety information missing, product names different than expected, packaging that seems shoddy or unlike what theyve seen before.

Literature for physicians, nurses and pharmacists is also being distributed, warning that if they have noticed an unusual number of complaints about new side effects or lack of therapeutic effect, those patients may be using counterfeit drugs.

Its really about maintaining a dialogue, Graham said. If a pharmacist hasnt seen a particular customer for several months, we encourage them to ask them if theyre still taking their prescription and where theyre getting it.

The entire industry is trying to increase our eyes on the street, he continued. BI, Lilly, Pfizer, Merck  we all share information in this area that allows us to investigate.

Behind much of this illicit activity are organized crime syndicates. According to the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies, They often create the drugs they sell from scratch from various powders, including harmful ones. They may lace them with a small amount of the drugs active ingredient to ensure they pass chemical tests. Some criminal groups even obtain discarded out-of-date drugs and repackage them with fresh dates, or buy cheap generic drugs and replace the labels and packaging to make them look like top-brand medicines. To distribute the drugs, they operate across national borders and often sell them on rogue internet sites.

Physicians are often unaware of the magnitude of the problem, Graham said. The more information we can get to the physician, who can then communicate it to their patients, the better for everyone.

But it isnt just patient-facing health care professionals who are unaware of the issue. Graham regularly meets with law enforcement officers who he says are stunned to learn of the size of the counterfeit drugs market. A day after Graham led a training session for 120 narcotics detectives in Sacramento, he received an email from a detective saying he and his team had discovered that many financially disadvantaged in the area were regularly buying their medications at swap meets and flea markets. Thats obviously illegal, Graham said, and likely counterfeit.

Even employees at the pharma giants are constantly receiving training. One of Boehringers senior executives saw a poster in his personal doctors office advertising a Canadian pharmacy promising lower-cost prescription medicines. A subsequent undercover purchase found that the firms products were not approved for use in the U.S.

Know Your Source may be a small part of the anti-counterfeiting campaign, but it is a vital one, Graham said.

Were up against some pretty sophisticated criminal organizations, but we continue to receive great support, both from within BI as well as from our law enforcement partners.

Kevin Zimmerman writes for the Fairfield County Business Journal. For more, go to www.westfaironline.com.
The Jewish Community Center of Stamford will celebrate its 100th anniversary at the JCC Maccabi Torch Relay Sunday.

During its 100 years in Stamford, the JCC has had three homes, but our mission to serve as the center of Stamfords Jewish Community has been constant, Michael Gold, JCC board member and torch relay organizer, said in a statement Monday. Like Stamford itself, the JCC has grown, and we look forward to supporting the Jewish community of this great city for 100 more years.
Related Egyptian businessman Abu Hashima acquires ONTV from tycoon Sawiris

Business tycoon Naguib Sawiris said Tuesday that the sale of satellite TV channel ONTV resulted from failed attempts to turn the channel into a lucrative investment, adding that he still intends to invest heavily in TV advertisement through his company Promomedia.

Sawiris sold ONTV Sunday to high-profile businessman Ahmed Abu Hashima, whose company Egyptians' Media bought the channel in a bid to "pump investment into domestic media."

The former owner said in a statement Tuesday on ONA, a private news agency affiliated to ONTV, that ONTV's programming focuses on coverage of news and current events, which according to Sawiris "cannot make profits in the Egyptian market."

He clarified that in order to make a profitable TV network, content has to include lighter material, such as drama, film and life style programming.

"This requires heavy investments to establish such a comprehensive network," said Sawiris, who clarified in the statement that he is not ready to invest in that direction.



Instead, Sawiris explained that his plan is to invest in the field of advertising rights and media production that will include films, television series and programmes through Promomedia.

He said he has already gave the thumbs up to increase the company's capital to EGP 500 million, and will be in charge of its boards of directors.

"Selling ONTV removed any suspicions over a conflict of interest for owning a TV channel and advertisement rights for another channel, which will open the door for us to cooperate with all channels," Sawiris said.

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Egypt's Journalists Syndicate is convening a general assembly meeting on Wednesday to discuss its ongoing dispute with the interior ministry with the aim of resolving the crisis in a way that retains journalists' dignity.

The crisis erupted earlier this month when police stormed the syndicate premises in downtown Cairo and arrested two journalists, sparking public outrage and prompting journalists to hold a sit-in inside the building.

"The syndicate will be discussing its fate as well as steps to take in the coming period," Khaled El-Balshy, the head of the syndicate's freedoms committee, told Ahram Online.

More than 2,000 journalists rallied for an urgent meeting at the syndicate headquarters days after the 1 May attack, adopting a list of measures and demands in protest against the "unprecedented" raid.

At the head of these demands was the sacking of the interior minister and an official apology from the presidency.

The upcoming gathering has been postponed twice to give room for "negotiations to resolve the crisis," El-Balshy says, which has prompted some observers to speculate that the union is standing on shaky ground in its row with the ministry.

The speculations were backed by the fact that some newspapers, national and independent, did not comply with the union's general assembly directives, which included emblazoning a logo on newspapers in protest against restrictions on journalism, publishing a camera negative photo of the interior minister and running black front pages for one day.

Al-Masry Al-Youm, an independent daily, was among papers that backed the union, calling for the minister's sacking and running the above-mentioned logo, before eventually backpedalling.

A font-page editorial written earlier this week by the paper's owner, businessman Salah Deyab, in which he attacked his own paper's "political position" on the crisis, has raised doubts that some chief editors had bowed to pressure by the country's security apparatus to backtrack on their support of the union.

Some believe, however, that the real victory for journalists is the momentum gathered by the union in defending its dignity against the "blatant barbarism" of police.

"A high turnout for the [general] assembly is a victory and a message to authorities not to repeat what they had done," El-Balshy said, adding that "this does not mean we call off our efforts."

Syndicate blamed

The Journalists Syndicate has for many years been a rallying point for demonstrations and a venue for people to voice their grievances, even under former president Hosni Mubarak's autocratic rule.

Union officials say the attack earlier this month was a first in the syndicate's 75-year history.

Since the spat erupted, some media outlets have taken a swipe at journalists, accusing them of politicising the crisis and harming the state.

A report issued by a parliament media committee on Monday argued that the union was to blame for the crisis, saying the syndicate board committed "a grave violation" by allowing the two wanted journalists to take refuge in the union headquarters.

The report echoed an earlier statement by the public prosecutors office that accused the union chief, Yehia Kalash, of "a crime punishable under the law" for allowing the pair to stage a sit-in at the union building after police had stormed their homes.

A meeting held over a week ago and called for by Al-Ahram daily and attended by five syndicate board members also accused the union of acting as though it were a "political party" and demanded a withdrawal of confidence from its current board.

The interior ministry said it had followed legal measures to execute an arrest warrant for journalists Mahmoud El-Sakka and Amr Badr, who are accused of "inciting to protest" and "attempting to destabilise the country and planning a coup."

The pair, who run a website known to be critical of the government, were ordered to be detained for 15 days, while the prosecutor-general issued a media gag in the case.

The syndicate said the move was illegal and violated its state-sponsored law, which bans police from entering its headquarters without the presence of a syndicate official.

Several Egyptian professional syndicates have expressed solidarity with the union.

Among the syndicate's demands is the release of journalists imprisoned over publishing issues.

A total of 29 journalists are currently behind bars in Egypt, with some in custody for almost three years and facing charges of spreading false news or aiming to topple the state, according to union chief Kalash.

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The whale washed up on Cleopatra Beach in the northern Matrouh governorate two days ago

Egypt's environment minister met on Tuesday with a number of officials to draw up a plan for burying a rare sperm whale that washed up on shore in Matrouh governorate two days ago, a ministry statement read.

A deep hole will be dug for the burial, which will involve quicklime and plastic insulation.

Specialists will ensure that the skeleton is well preserved in anticipation of transporting it to Wadi El-Hitan (Valley of the Whales) in Fayoum, which holds whale skeletons that date back "42 million years," according to the ministry's statement.

The last recorded incident of a sperm whale washing up on shore in Egypt was in 1908 in Port Said governorate.

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T he European Investment Bank accidentally re-announced its 700 million (551 million) loan to the Thames Tideway super sewer this morning. Proof that all the bureaucracy in the world cant stop a fat finger.

Its a key part of the 4.2 billion funding for a project to run a 20-mile tunnel under the Thames for 10 million Londoners sewerage. The PR team says the pipes the width of three double deckers. Perhaps it could have a dual use as a bus lane.

Anyway, this whoopsie from the EU-funded infrastructure investor prompted the question: can we keep the EIB cash if we Brexit?

Apparently, the answer is yes, but an EIB apparatchik in Luxembourg warns darkly that it could be one of the last loans we get if we do. The UK got 16 billion from the EIB in the past three years compared with more like 1 billion for Norway and Switzerland, he says.

That may be the case, but the truth is, EIB-wise, a Brexit would be as bad for the bank as for us.

Trump enters Brexit debate

Britain, like Germany, France and Italy, has a 16% stake in the EIB, so our departure would seriously wound its capital base and AAA credit rating. That would hit the bonds it issues to finance its loans.

Money down the drain for our pension funds which own them.
A s we head ever closer towards our first Business Awards, the Evening Standard unveils the shortlist of those who will vie for prizes next month.

Our team of specialist business writers has whittled down the longlist in the 10 categories that encompass Londons powerhouse industries and most impressive achievements.

Our panel of esteemed judges, which includes WPP chief Sir Martin Sorrell, easyJet boss Carolyn McCall and Virgin Money chief executive Jayne-Anne Gadhia, will now debate and decide the winners. The awards will take place at Tobacco Dock in the City on June 30, and the CBIs director general Carolyn Fairbairn will be the keynote speaker.

So, here is the shortlist for the Evening Standard Business Awards for 2016.

SME Business of the Year

Fever-Tree, mixer drink maker

FinnCap, stockbroker for small firms

Silent Pool Distillers, premium gin

Nature Delivered, graze.com snacks

Corporate Citizen of the Year

Citi, work on London estates

Morgan Stanley, childrens health

Allen & Overy, Smart Start programme

Infrastructure and Transport Project of the Year

Crossrail, development project

Thames Tideway, super sewer

West Ham United, Olympic Stadium

IAG, expansion with Aer Lingus deal

Property Developer of the Year

Ballymore, for urban regeneration

Crown Estate, sprucing up St Jamess

Berkeley Homes, luxury developments

Tech Business of the Year

Crowdcube, crowdfunding site

Sophos, cyber security company

ARM, microchip designer

Deliveroo, restaurant food delivery

Financial Services Business of the Year

Robey Warshaw, for prolific deal advice

Goldman Sachs, for topping M&A tables

Lloyds, for post-banking crisis recovery

Consumer Business of the Year

Aldi, for sustained rapid growth

Uber, for transforming London travel

JD Sports, for dramatic recovery

Entrepreneur of the Year

Jo Malone, of Jo Loves parfumerie

Kieran ONeill, of Thread online stylist

Jasper Cuppaidge, founder of Camden Town Brewery, which sold to AB Inbev

Peter Roberts, founder of Pure Gym

Deal of the Year

BT, takeover of mobile giant EE

IAG, acquisition of Irelands Aer Lingus

SABMiller-AB InBev, megadeal

Tullett, part-takeover of Icap

Next week: the infrastructure and property candidates in profile.

For more information about the Awards, folow #ESBusinessAwards

Virgin Money is the headline sponsor for the Evening Standard Business Awards. For information on the personal finance services the firm provides, visit VirginMoney.com
N ext Monday sees the showdown between Stock Spirits and its rebel shareholder Luis Amaral. It could be a close-run thing.

Amaral, a Portuguese entrepreneur who is big in Poland with his Eurocash cash-and-carry business, has been highly critical of Stock, which he says has seen its share of the vodka market in that country dwindle from 39% to 26% since it floated two-and-a-half years ago. The shares are down 31%.

He adds that Stock should not be run from an expensive office in the UK, has too many directors who are bean-counters rather than sellers of fast-moving consumer goods and must desperately try to rebuild market share.

Amaral has already had some success with the early retirement of Stock chief executive Chris Heath and also welcomes the recent appointment of Marek Sypek as managing director for Poland.

But Amaral wants two new independent directors (selected by him) added to the Stock board and a moratorium on any takeover activity until a full review of the business is conducted.

Stock chairman David Mahoney accuses him of trying to take control of Stock on the cheap and at the very least, as one of its biggest customers, angling for preferential pricing on its spirits.

The odds are Amaral will scrape his directors onto the board but lose the vote on no takeover activity. But my guess is that this is just the aperitif before the hard drinking begins.
V odafone chief Vittorio Colao cheered investors as the mobile giant returned to growth for the first time since 2008 but also apologised to UK customers for continuing problems with billing.

Shares in Vodafone rose 4.35p, or 2%, to 228p after Colao pledged it would carry on raising its dividend, which went up 2% to 11.45p a share last year.

But he also admitted that the problems with billing in the UK, where Vodafone has 19.5 million customers, would not be sorted out until the end of the summer.

He said: I am very sorry for our customers in the UK and for the company over the billing problems that came after we did a major IT migration. We have put an extra 600 people into our call centres and we should be back to normality by the end of the summer and back to full commercial strength by the end of the year.

Across the broader group, Vodafones revenues rose by 2.3% to 41 billion and operating profits by 2.7% to 11.6 billion. Colao said this reflected the 19 billion investment the group had made under its so-called Project Spring, launched three years ago. This has seen huge spending on broadband in Germany and Italy in particular and emphasis on mobile data and 4G services.

Colao said: Where prices are starting to come down for mobile data, 4G customers are spending more. That was highlighted by a 66% rise in mobile data usage in the second half of the year to March. But only 27% of its European customer base has 4G so far, leaving plenty of room for growth.

From now on it will report its results and pay its dividend in euros, reflecting the shape of the business more accurately.

Vodafone said it now expects earnings growth of 3%-6% this year and higher capital spending as it continues to improve its networks.
T oday we publish a damning report by David Cohen about the reality of Muslim extremists operating almost unchecked at one of Londons top-security prisons. A brave former inmate, himself a Muslim, told Cohen about his time in Belmarsh, and later Highpoint, where he witnessed would-be jihadists, so-called brothers, proselytising among other inmates, bullying Muslims and Christians, exulting at Islamic State atrocities and exercising authority without regard for the authorities or guards. It is hard to imagine a more efficacious means of radicalisation than to allow hardline Islamists the run of a prison, or anything more dangerous to society as a whole.

These are meant to be Her Majestys prisons; there is nothing within the law that a prison governor may not do to enforce good order in his prison. Why, then, are dangerous extremists  and their identity is obvious to other inmates and prison officers  not segregated from other prisoners and prevented from proselytising among and intimidating them? Why are they allowed such apparent liberty? Why did the imams at Belmarsh  paid for by the state  not counter their activities? The Government is funding an active Prevent programme among Muslims to curb the growth of extremism yet it is failing even to acknowledge an obvious problem  the inculcation of extremism in the one place where it has real control over individuals: prisons.

Michael Gove, the Justice Secretary, is a conspicuously principled minister; as Education Secretary he demonstrated a heartening willingness to take on vested interests in the teaching unions and to implement reform. He must now take the same robust approach to this department and insist that prisoners be protected from Islamist proselytism, that extremists must be segregated and prison officers given authority to enforce good order. He is devoting much of his energy to the Brexit campaign, but this shouldnt be at the expense of his day job. What is needed, in addition to more prison officers, is clear direction from the department and prison authorities. Governors who fail to address the problem of Islamic extremism in their prisons should be sacked.

Fight against bad air

It's clear already from his first days in office that Sadiq Khan is trying hard to clean Londons air. He is right to make this a priority. Official estimates suggest over 9,000 people a year die prematurely from airborne pollution.

Mr Khan says today that his predecessor, Boris Johnson, failed to publish research showing that 433 London primary schools are in locations which breach EU limits for nitrogen dioxide, with schools in deprived areas worst affected. Mr Johnson has rejected claims of a cover-up and says that measures he introduced are making a difference. Either way, the new mayors decision to publish the report makes sense  those tackling pollution should be armed with as much information as possible.

As it happens, research by Kings College and Policy Exchange last year left us in little doubt about London school pupils exposure to contaminated air  it found 60 per cent of inner borough schools were affected by unsafe levels of NO2. Mr Khans keenness to be transparent about the data  and to tackle the problem  is laudable.

Misspent old age

Sometimes the young really can learn from the old. We report today on an octogenarian Polish couple who, during a visit to their daughter, went for a night on the town in the superclub, Fabric, and stayed until 5am. Trump that, teenagers.
A fter five years of turmoil in Libya, there is a glimmer of hope. As the worlds foreign ministers discovered at a summit in Vienna yesterday, the new, internationally recognised Government of National Accord is making tentative but important progress in Tripoli.

Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj has prioritised national security in an ambitious government agenda that includes national reconciliation, economic recovery and institutional reform. As the best chance of success the devastated country has had since Islamic State jihadists descended, Sarrajs administration should be supported at all costs.

When the West looks at Libya it sees two things: IS and people-trafficking. Both are cause for serious concern. If conversations with some Libyans suggest they are in denial about the extent of the terrorist problem and indifferent to the trafficking, it is probably because they have rather more on their plate.

Five years after the fall of Gaddafi, the country remains deeply divided. There are two central banks, two national oil companies, two parliaments and two investment authorities. Add to that a liquidity crisis, routine power shortages and high levels of youth unemployment and you see a country on its knees. Authority is fractured and rival organisations in Tripoli and Tobruk are unwilling or unable to compromise and honour international agreements. Opportunism, corruption and grand-standing, rather than statesmanship and public service are the order of the day.

Profiting from this turmoil, IS has set up headquarters in Gaddafis former home town of Sirte and spread towards Misrata. Estimates vary on the numbers of IS in Libya. Last month, General David Rodriguez, the US commander for Africa, said the group had doubled in the past year to about 4,000-6,000.

Prime Minister Sarraj is surely right to observe, however, that national division  not IS  is Libyas greatest enemy. He is right, too, to say Libya neither requests nor requires foreign military intervention. After the horrors of Iraq and Afghanistan, can anyone really blame him? The notion of another largely white Christian army deploying to a Muslim country surely beggars belief. Let us hope that such intervention remains limited to special forces and training.

On people-trafficking, as the Turkey-Greece migrants route into Europe slows down, attention is once again focused on the Libya-Italy passage across the Mediterranean. Sarraj argues that foreign boots and foreign boats are not the answer. Given the woeful failures of the European maritime intervention to date, it is difficult to disagree. The stabilisation of Libya is the longer-term solution, with more efforts to tackle poverty and conflict in Africa.

If any country should have made a success of the Arab Spring, it was surely Libya. With a small population, a tradition of religious moderation, an absence of sectarian division and generous energy resources, it had  and still has  the potential to be a Mediterranean Dubai. The international community now needs to stand by Libya in its time of greatest need, not walk away as it did after 2011. And Libyan politicians need to learn the art of political compromise. The most baleful legacy of the Gaddafi regime is the implosion of national unity.

Justin Marozzi is an adviser to the Libyan Government of National Accord and the author of Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood, winner of the Royal Society of Literature 2015 Ondaatje Prize.
A senior interior ministry official insisted in a meeting with MPs Tuesday that there are no forced disappearances in Egypt

Egypt's deputy interior minister Ali Abdel-Mola denied on Tuesday allegations that there are any cases of forced disappearances committed by authorities in Egypt.

Abdel-Mola disclosed that a report issued by the ministry on "the crime of forced disappearances in Egypt"  or citizens who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the last few years  was submitted to parliament's human rights committee on Tuesday.

The report, said Abdel-Mola, shows that "there is no such thing as the crime of forced disappearances in Egypt."

Abdel-Mola, who addressed the human rights committee on Monday, told journalists after the meeting that the report states that "the interior ministry has received a report from the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) stating that 331 citizens have been reported involuntarily disappeared in recent years."

Abdel-Mola said that "the interior ministry's report has so far revealed that 140 cases [involve individuals] still in custody pending trials, nine have fled the country, 32 were released, and eight had never disappeared and currently have a known place of residence."

He also indicated that one person was deported to Palestine, five attempted to migrate to Italy by sea, and two fled their homes after they were involved in illegitimate affairs.

He added that "the report shows that the ministry is still trying to get information about eight individuals who disappeared under mysterious circumstances."

Abdel-Mola said he hopes that "the ministry's detailed report about the so-called phenomenon of forced disappearances in Egypt will be thoroughly reviewed by parliament's human rights committee."

"We are ready to answer any questions in this respect, but all I want to emphasise is that there are no [victims of] forced disappearances in Egyptian prisons," he said.

Journalists Syndicate crisis

When asked about the ministrys ongoing crisis with the countrys press syndicate, Abdel-Mola said "the legal dispute between the interior ministry and the press syndicate should be left for judicial authorities to settle."

The press syndicate has accused the interior ministry of committing a violation by raiding its headquarters in downtown Cairo on 1 May to arrest two journalists, though the ministry insists that it was simply implementing an order by the prosecution.

"Nobody should interfere in this crisis, as it is now left up to the judiciary to give its final say on it," said Abdel-Mola.

Abdel-Mola also indicated that new amendments to the law regulating the police will make "respect of human rights" a main cornerstone of the interior ministry's policies.

"We already respect human rights, but with the promulgation of the new amendments of the police law, this respect will be more effective," said Abdel-Mola.

He added that "a new channel was opened today between the interior ministry and parliament's human rights committee."

"The objective of this channel is to make it much easier for MPs to ask questions about security conditions and receive prompt answers," said Abdel-Mola.

The chairman of the human rights committee Anwar El-Sadat told reporters that "the meeting with Abdel-Mola saw a review of many of the complaints the committee has received about the performance of the interior ministry."

"Although this meeting should be viewed as a positive step, we will still hope that interior minister Magdi Abdel-Ghaffar will come to the committee to respond to complaints of citizens," said El-Sadat.

El-Sadat said minister Abdel-Ghaffar apologised for not attending today's meeting with the committee as he was accompanying President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on his visit to Assiut governorate.

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A bout 1,300 years ago two Egyptian cities, Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus, sank into the Mediterranean Sea. Theyre still there, perfectly preserved. They were inhabited not only by native Egyptians but also Greeks and Romans, and eventually Byzantine Christians. The cities were known from texts  Egyptian decrees, mythology and the writings of Herodotus  but no one had actually seen them.

Then, two decades ago, underwater archaeologists began bringing up objects and artworks from the seabed. Some are enormous and weigh several tons. They included massive representations of human-shaped gods, deities in the form of animals, towering kings and queens, giant bearded heads of Greek gods, enormous pharaoh heads, black stone slabs with intensely intricate lines of hieroglyphs and stone coffins.

There were also domestic objects, coins, jewellery, incense burners and votive offerings. A selection is now part of the British Museums latest exhibition, which explores the complicated, rich culture over many centuries of the two cities.

Spectacular and absorbing, Sunken Cities is partly an immersive environmental installation evoking the wonderment of underwater discovery. Its not entirely un-childish on this level, but elements of kitsch such as New Age abstract music interwoven with gentle bubbling noises generated electronically, plus light effects to evoke being under water, accompanying every object you encounter, are forgivable. (You forget about them and the effect isnt even really all that annoying.)

Treasure from the deep: a statue of the bull god Apis / Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation

The serious stuff, objects made of marble, bronze and gold by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans who lived in the cities, are picked out by spotlight in an otherwise dark and vast space. The ceiling of the British Museums Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery had to be heightened to accommodate a statue over five metres tall of Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile flood, which once stood in front of the temple of Amun-Gereb in Thonis-Heracleion.

Colour photos and films show the objects in their undersea environment. Divers in bright gear glide around statues standing up waist-deep in sand or lying on their sides, fishes darting back and forth. Computer-generated photo reconstructions of the cities and their temples and ports, as they would have seemed if you were able to glide over them in a plane when they were still above ground, are mildly exciting. (Again, like the queasy CGI landscapes and cities in Oliver Stones Troy or Game of Thrones, theyre a guilty pleasure.)

Its likely the cities were still inhabited in the early medieval period, at least until the eighth century. Their disappearance was caused by gradual subsidence into the sea (a modern parallel is the city of Venice), as well as earthquakes and tidal waves. The geological phenomenon of liquefaction ensued  the ground gradually turned to liquid.

Conquering: posthumous portrait bust of Alexander the Great / The Trustees of the British Museum

Antiquities from other parts of classical Egypt are added to objects retrieved from the two cities in order to fill out the picture of interaction and tolerance between different peoples living in the same country. Greek traders first arrived around 650 BC. They established roots and Greek culture became integrated with Egyptian culture. (Greek classical art, with all its famously amazing natural, dynamic liveliness, was originally derived from Egyptian ideas of proportion and symmetry.) Alexander the Great conquered the country three centuries later and initiated three further centuries of Ptolemaic rule, named after Alexanders general, Ptolemy.

Greek kings and queens adopted Egyptian gods, ritual and costume. The last Ptolemaic ruler, Greek-Egyptian Cleopatra, died in the first century BC. The subsequent Roman rulers also adapted to Egyptian culture.

The shows narrative, from the first mixture of cultures throug h to Byzantine Christians ruling Egypt, a period of more than 1,000 years, is subtly controlled, and you soon find yourself able to enjoy artworks and objects, classical history and modern high-tech archaeology in a pleasing interactive flow. Softly bombarded by carefully paced-out information via vivid photos and films and well-composed, dignified short wall texts, you quickly come to know enough of the history to be even more thrilled by staggeringly beautiful objects encountered in a succession of different thematic spaces than you were anyway at the beginning.

Colossal: an Egyptian statue of Osiris / Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation

Objects connected to the Egyptian god Osiris are arranged in a space in such a way that you feel you might have stepped into a cult ritual. At the same time youre aware youre being informed about Greek and Roman equivalent cults, borrowing from the Egyptians. Gods were swapped and given different names, with their attributes partly retained and emphasised, partly edited out. Osiris, deity of the afterlife, of death and rebirth, becomes Greek Serapis; Egyptian Thoth becomes Roman Mercury. Each culture respected the others religion and rituals.

No god seems to be entirely without elements of almost every other one. No elevated mortal is ever represented in effigy form without some consideration of divinity. You see stylised depictions of Alexander the Great from the second century BC, including one on a water-clock used by Greek-Egyptian priests to time their nightly rituals; and a tiny one on a perfectly preserved gold coin with a rams horn indicating Alexanders direct decent from the Greek-Egyptian-Libyan god Ammon-Zeus.

A statue of the Egyptian bull god Apis has a stylised representation of the sun on its head, like a modern abstract sculpture. This marvellous bull  the size of a tank and totally anatomically convincing, as well as elegantly beautiful  was dedicated to the temple of Serapis, in Alexandria in the second century AD by the Roman emperor Hadrian. Serapis equals Osiris but also Apis.

The exhibition can be enjoyed without reading a single label or attempting to unravel the inevitable confusions of merged religious identities, simply because of the concern for symmetry and proportion that makes the art of this period pleasurable, even when its meanings are remote and when almost without exception faces and expressions are emotionless and masklike.

A giant sphinx representing the last native pharaoh of Egypt, Nectanebo II, who died in 342 BC, rests calmly on its lion forefeet, with its traditional headdress topped by a cobra. Faintly smiling, no doubt relaxing after being drawn up hundreds of metres from a city thats been submerged for more than 1,000 years, the creature is happy to be bathed in kitschy New Age sound and dancing underwater light effects. Youll be happy too if you see this show.

Sunken Cities: Egypts Lost Worlds is at the British Museum, WC1 (020 7323 8181, britishmuseum.org) from Thursday until Nov 27

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A ctors are often unfairly accused of phoning in a performance but Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges is going one better by using Skype for a West End play.

In new show Off The Kings Road, the Big Lebowski star is a Los Angeles-based psychiatrist who gives his depressed client in London advice via video calls.

Bridges, a friend of the plays author Neil Koenigsberg, decided to get involved with the production at Jermyn Street Theatre following successful runs in New York and Los Angeles.

It centres on an American widower, played by Michael Brandon, who checks into a Chelsea hotel for a weeks holiday and encounters an eccentric group of characters, from a crazy cat lady to a Romanian prostitute  leading to frequent calls home to his therapist.

Also starring: Cheri Lunghi / Ian Gavan/Getty Images

Bridges character, who was played by a different actor in the United States, appeared onstage in the original production  but the technology meant the movie star, 66, was able to pre-record his scenes for the London run.

The actors services are in demand and his latest film, Texas crime saga Hell Or High Water, premiered in Cannes this week.

Koenigsberg told the Standard: Ive known Jeff for over 30 years, weve worked together on several projects.

Hes a great actor and a wonderful person. He came to see the play in LA last year and loved the character. Its not a walk-on part, hes on stage for about 19 minutes. It was Michael [Brandon] who came up with the idea  why not use Skype?

Jeff filmed it a few weeks ago at home in Santa Barbara. The actors have been learning how to play to him. It works well: he appears on-screen and it looks like they are talking to him in real time.

The cast, which also includes Cherie Lunghi, Luke Pitman and Diana Dimitrovici, had a surprise visit from Bridges last week. He was in London to film a cameo role in spy sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle and popped into rehearsals.

Koenigsberg, 73, turned to playwriting relatively recently after a career as a top Hollywood publicist, manager and producer. He said the story was inspired by years of trips to the capital and a love of the London stage.

Its about an American who comes to a place he loves for respite, he added. I think the humour works a little differently with the British sensibility of the cast, but the theme of mortality has a universality.

Off The Kings Road runs from June 3 to 25

@RashidRazaqES

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T he BBC has announced that its BBC Food website is to close as part of plans to save 15m.

Despite an initial panic on social media about the potential deletion of some 11,000 recipes currently published on the site, the broadcasting company has confirmed that it will not be removing any content from the internet.

BBC Food will disappear, but the recipes will be archived and moved over to BBC Good Food.

And while theres no reason to start printing your favourite recipes off so you can hold on to a physical copy, what better time to revisit some of the best dishes to be found on the website?

From to Eton mess to one-pot wonders, weve rounded up nine of the tastiest dishes to rustle up this week.

Because, if were being really cautious, who knows which recipes could be lost in the moving process?

So it might be worth copying and saving these to your desktop - better to be safe than sorry, London.

Follow us on Twitter: @eslifeandstyle
T he epic drama of Alan Rusbridgers time at the Guardian came to a shocking denouement on Thursday afternoon in Room 3.13, outside the features department at the papers shiny offices at Kings Place, behind Kings Cross station.

Despite its commitment to open journalism, the Guardian did not record this final act, played out before the board of The Scott Trust, the papers governing body. Insiders say Rusbridger delivered a speech lasting around one hour, stating his case for being confirmed as the trusts chairman. The board was unconvinced by a performance in which the normally Sphinx-like Rusbridger displayed rare signs of anger that his legacy was being called into question.

As the meeting concluded at 7pm he recovered his usual inscrutable demeanour and, avoiding the Guardian newsroom on the floor below, the once totemic leader quietly took the lift down and out of the building. The next morning the trust informed him by phone that the prestigious role hed been promised 18 months earlier was no longer his.

During 20 years as editor-in-chief Rusbridger helped the Guardian to a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Snowden files. He oversaw its reporting of the phone-hacking scandal and the WikiLeaks revelations. But his tenure also coincided with eye-watering financial losses. The Guardian made an operating loss of 52 million last year, saw cash reserves fall by 95 million and is shedding 310 jobs. Due to emergency restructuring it will shortly announce losses for 2015-2016 that are even higher, the Evening Standard understands. The Scott Trust, whose sole purpose is to preserve the Guardian in perpetuity, could not allow the free-spending Rusbridger  who oversaw Guardian News and Media losses of 418 million from 2007  to head its governance.

His abrupt departure has split the Guardian into pro-Alan and anti-Alan camps. In addition to a global reputation for its journalism and a perilous financial future, he has now bequeathed the organisation an internecine struggle.

On one side are the loyalists of Rusbridgers old guard, veterans of his editorial campaigns. On the other, the followers of new editor-in-chief Katharine Viner and David Pemsel, the slick marketing executive who runs the parent company Guardian Media Group (GMG). The two factions are viciously briefing against each other in rival media.

Alan Rusbridger / Oli Scarff / Getty Images

It seems extraordinary that less than a year ago, on May 29, Guardian journalists ecstatically swarmed to the main staircase to give a triumphant Rusbridger the traditional banging out ceremony afforded to retiring editors. One reporter recalled the departure as processional, as colleagues recorded the moment on iPhones, turned it into Vines and live-streamed it on Periscope. The website even redesigned its masthead to include Rusbridgers trademark glasses.

Such hero worship would be unthinkable in Kings Place now. Anxiousness can be seen to be embracing Viners new regime, compounded by resentment of past profligacy that has led to job cuts. Soon after becoming the papers first female editor-in-chief Viner dispensed with the low yellow sofas from which a sitting, often silent, Rusbridger used to conduct morning news conference, and replaced them with a semicircle of black theatre chairs before which she stands like a news presenter to discuss story ideas.

When Rusbridger headed off to become principal of Oxford college Lady Margaret Hall, before supposedly returning to chair The Scott Trust next September, he claimed to be leaving the Guardian in safe hands, with 650 million in its coffers from the sale of a 50.1 per cent stake in Trader Media Group, publisher of Auto Trader. But, crucially, Viner was not his choice as successor.

Rusbridgers favoured protege was Janine Gibson, former editor of theguardian.com, but a staff ballot that overwhelmingly backed Viner made her the obvious choice for The Scott Trust. If Alan had backed Kath everything might have been different now, said one Guardian executive. One of the papers specialist reporters said: Kath doesnt feel she owes Alan anything. She got the job despite him, not because of him.

Rusbridgers imprint has faded fast. Kings Place, which also hosts music recitals and other live events, is the most obvious legacy of the piano-playing editor. Many of his biggest supporters have become marginalised in Guardian internal politics.

Gibson left to become editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed UK, taking several Guardian colleagues with her. As with the sofas, the newsroom structures that Gibson introduced were promptly dispensed with by Viner. Kaths quite ruthless and thats very un-Guardian, said one journalist. A lot of people fear the culture at the paper is slightly changing  it used to be that the worst thing that could happen was that youd be ignored. Now you get pushed out of your job.

Rusbridgers coterie of supporters was dismayed by briefings given to The Times and Financial Times in recent weeks, disparaging his management record. In turn, they reminded Press Gazette how Pemsel championed a disastrous Kings Cross goods yard project to create a performance space for Guardian members. Both Pemsel and Viner, say the pro-Alan camp, were partly responsible for the hiring frenzy of 480 recruits since the last redundancies in 2012.

More damaging for Viner is her closeness to Seumas Milne, who she has allowed to go on leave as director of communications for Jeremy Corbyn. Rusbridger supporters imply that Milne could bring about a Corbynisation of the papers comment pages. They claim that her alliance with Pemsel means the organisations focus is more on making money than breaking stories, despite successes in covering the Panama Papers leaks.

This infuriates the Viner camp. Theres this gendered argument that Kath is the first female editor of the Guardian and that she needs protecting from the commercial department, said one source. Anyone who knows Kath knows that she does not need protecting.

Viner, said to have been working on her personal branding, became frustrated by Rusbridger continuing to be a Guardian figurehead. When Prospect magazine wrote a critical piece on the Guardians finances, Rusbridger wrote a response, which he didnt share with Viner.

In recent months a succession of senior Guardian figures have visited Rusbridger in Oxford and London, pleading with him not to pursue his Scott Trust ambitions. This should not have come as a surprise to Alan, said one source. Lots of people had been gently leaning on him. They told him it would be in the best interests of The Guardian for him to step aside. Alan decided to go to the wire on this.

Katharine Viner: Editor-in-chief, The Guardian / Rebecca Reid

The recent election to The Scott Trust board of Guardian financial editor Nils Pratley, an outspoken critic of chief executives becoming chairmen (as Rusbridger was effectively doing) was another warning.

During Thursday afternoons Scott Trust meeting, Viner and Pemsel each talked to the board for around 20 minutes, effectively sealing Rusbridgers fate.

Within an hour of being told by Scott Trust chair Dame Liz Forgan that he had been turned down, Rusbridger surprised the trust (which was still finalising its position) by sending an email to the Guardian newsroom and, significantly, his allies at BuzzFeed. His note pointedly included quotes from former GMG chair Neil Berkett in 2014, saying how Rusbridger had left the Guardian with secure finances. The new editor responded with her own statement. Her description of her predecessor as a truly towering figure was interpreted by one recipient as a euphemism for his unwanted presence.

Viner and Pemsel now face what Rusbridger called a force 12 digital hurricane confronting the news industry. Even supportive staff are unconvinced by Pemsels eyebrow-raising claim that he can overcome disappointing digital ad revenues and a shrinking print sale of below 165,000 by making one-third of income from paid memberships.

Last month Rusbridger became chair of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. His work at the Guardian is already the subject of feature films, from WikiLeaks movie The Fifth Estate, where he was played by Peter Capaldi, to Oliver Stones Snowden, due out later this year. He will have hoped the Scott Trust would bring new adventures. Alan thought he still had one more part to play  but it all ended with a press release, said one journalist, ruefully.

Ian Katz, editor of BBC Newsnight and once touted as Rusbridgers successor, tweeted of Rusbridger that it was v sad that his Guardian career ends like this. But not all current staff feel that way.

We are a paper that reports on corporate governance and this was an enormous cock-up, said one. Someones head had to roll  why shouldnt it be Alans?

Follow Ian Burrell on Twitter: @iburrell
S ydney is one of the most recognisable cities in the world. With the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Luna Park and Bondi Beach all within a stones throw from each other, it is easy enough to spend weeks in the city without venturing more than a few hours away.

But between Sydney and the cosmopolitan city of Brisbane, there are plenty of beaches, tourist hotspots and attractions which are well worth a visit and will enhance your visit to the land Down Under.

The two cities are approximately 920km from each other  about 12 hours of driving in total along the Pacific Highway. But rather than making the drive, as many Australians do, in one trip, why not break up the journey and see what else the east coastline has to offer.

Whatever your interests and budget, you are sure to find a place to suit you. And as I discovered on my road trip, going at your own pace really allows you to full immerse yourself in the culture of each town you visit.

1. Palm Beach

Home and Away: Palm Beach at Sydney's northern beaches / Laura Proto

Located at Sydneys northern beaches, Palm Beach is about an hours drive away from the city. With golden sands, clear blue skies and an array of beachside cafes, Palm Beach is the perfect place to relax if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of beaches closer to central Sydney.

As an added bonus for Home and Away fans, Palm Beach is the filming location of Summer Bay and, like it appears on the television, it is absolutely gorgeous.

2. Port Macquarie

Rehabilitation: An injured koala at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital / Laura Proto

Almost half way between Sydney and Brisbane, Port Macquarie is a destination in its own right. The small coastal town has a host of beaches perfect for surfing and fishing, nature reserves and a vibrant town centre, but perhaps the highlight and unique selling point is the Koala Hospital.

The hospital is open to visitors each day and relies on donations to continue providing care and rehabilitation to injured koalas before most are released back into the wild. The hospital also provides a free guided tour at 3pm each day where you can learn more about the koalas in their care.

3. Byron Bay

Stunning: Main Beach at Byron Bay / Getty Images

While it is one of the more popular resorts on the coastline, Byron Bay is one you cannot miss. Filled with boutique stores, bars and luxury beach resorts, it is easy to forget how small the town actually is. Main Beach is stunning and it is well worth taking the walk from one end to the other, heading up to Fishermans Lookout for incredible panoramic views.

Cape Byron Lighthouse is also not to be missed. The hike up may be a challenge, but the views are breathtaking  just be sure to take plenty of water and wear sun cream.

4. Hastings Point

Peaceful: Hastings Point is off the beaten track / Rex

If you want to take some time away from the main highway, take the coastal road from Crabbes Creek to Hastings Point and stop off at the lookout. The unspoilt beaches look like something you would see on a postcard and are incredibly peaceful.

As the waves beat against the rockery, it is worth making your way around the lookouts edge and watching the fishermen who set themselves up for the day. Or if you are into fishing yourself, grab a rob and head down to the waters edge with your bait.

5. Australia Zoo

Australia Zoo: The home of the crocodile hunter / Laura Proto

While not strictly in Brisbane, Australia Zoo is just one hour north of the bustling city at the Sunshine Coast. Whether you are travelling with a young family, as a couple or with friends, you will not regret the decision to visit.

Steve Irwin is still a huge focal point at the zoo and if you are looking to see all the Australian animals, you have come to the right place. From the world famous crocodile show, to hand feeding kangaroos and wallabies and seeing koalas snooze amongst the eucalyptus trees, Australia Zoo is the perfect day out. To make your day extra special and for a memory you will not forget, you can even pay an extra $40 to hold and have photos with a cuddly koala.

DETAILS

Emirates offer daily flights to both Sydney and Brisbane from Heathrow and Gatwick via Dubai. The airline also offers the opportunity for multi-city return flights, meaning you can make the road trip between the two cities without having to worry about making your way back to your arrival airport. Economy prices start from 639 from Gatwick to Brisbane and 723 from Gatwick to Sydney. Flights are also available from Heathrow; emirates.com

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W hen Jon and Nicole Grant returned from Canada, they set about creating the coolest cafe they could think of. And you certainly can't miss the bright facade of The Beached Lamb Cafe, which beckons you into what is a quirky and inviting little venue situated midway between Fistral and Towan beaches in the heart of Newquay.

To the backdrop of funky soundtracks, some bizarre lamb-themed memorabilia and a showcase of local artwork, you can enjoy decent coffee (topped by Jon's excellent coffee art), hearty cuisine with a vegan and veggie slant and some of the best cocktails in town.

Not only are there comfy sofas encouraging you to kick back, there's also an entire chill-out lounge with bean-bags and floor-level tables, so you can be almost horizontal for hangover breakfasts and lazy, early evening drinking sessions if you like.

Drink up: The Beached Lamb Cafe boasts some of the best cocktails in Newquay

Food comes in man-sized portions packed with flavour, from delicious veggie burgers and falafels to Canadian-style chips with mozzarella and gravy. However, while the food is excellent, it's the drinks menu that steals the show, from peanut butter and banana milkshakes to the lip-puckering mojitos that this place is famous for.

All in all its a perfect place for both veggies and carnivores to get together in celebration of National Vegetarian Week, which starts today.

Cool Places is 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)

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T his was the dramatic moment a Mini flipped up onto two wheels after ploughing into a parked van  before the driver backed up and drove away from the scene.

CCTV footage, which captured the collision on film, shows the small car glancing the front of the white van before it comes to a stop balanced precariously on two wheels.

The hired Mini nearly topples over during the incident, on Oldhill Street in Hackney on Friday evening, before reversing back on to all four wheels and driving off down the road.

The van, and another car behind it, were damaged.

'Gobsmacking': The Mini nearly topples over in the collision / Rose Communications

It left the van with a smashed passenger side window and a large dent above the wheel. A wing mirror was also torn off in the smash, which left shattered glass strewn over the road.

The vehicles owner, who wished only to be known as Jacob, said he was gobsmacked by the crash which looked like something out of a James Bond movie.

Back-up: The car reverses out of a tight spot / Rose Communications

The 43-year-old, who runs a dry cleaning business in Oldhill Street, told the Standard he only realised what had happened when he viewed CCTV from nearby telecoms company Rose Communications on Monday morning.

He said: It happened on Friday, but I wasnt aware of it until this morning.

The Mini drives off from the scene / Rose Communications

Someone made me aware the van had a broken window, and I saw it had a bit of damage.

This morning when I looked at the CCTV we were gobsmacked, when we saw what actually happened. It was unbelievable, like something out of a movie.

Im hoping its not a write-off but Im surprised there wasnt more damage  I was expecting a lot more after I saw that clip.

I just couldnt believe my eyes  it was like something out of a James Bond movie.

Its a good advert of Minis really  we just couldnt believe it!

I sent it to the insurance company and theyve dealt with lots of accidents, but hadnt seen anything like this before.

Its a rented vehicle and its clear which company it is  they know where the car is it any given time so it shouldnt be difficult to identify the driver.

The rented Mini was on loan from car hire firm Drive Now.

A spokesman said: We're currently identifying the driver and are working with authorities. We take all cases of misuse of our vehicles and the behaviour of our members extremely seriously and will be acting accordingly.

The Metropolitan Police is understood to be investigating.
T wo hero off-duty police officers stepped in to apprehend a man who allegedly boarded a Tube train armed with a knife and a loaded gun while inebriated.

The alarm was raised by a fellow passenger in the early hours of Saturday morning, on the District Line train near Earl's Court.

The alarmed passenger pulled the train's emergency cord after spotting what appeared to be weapons in the man's luggage, prompting the two off-duty officers to race to the carriage.

They then stepped in to detain the 35-year-old Ealing man, before handing him over to the British Transport Police, who seized the items and took the suspect into custody.

British Transport Police are now appealing for any witnesses to the incident to come forward.

A BTP spokesman said: "In the early hours of Saturday, May 14 we received a report of a man on a District Line train near Earls Court who was believed to be carrying a firearm and a knife in his luggage.

A member of the public pulled a passenger alarm and two off-duty Metropolitan Police officers attended the carriage and arrested the man shortly after 12.30am.

The man, 35, from Ealing, London, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, possession of a firearm while drunk in a public place, possession of a bladed article, and possession of ammunition in a public place.

He has since been interviewed and released on police bail until Wednesday, June 15 with a condition not to enter the transport system with any items which fall within the Firearms Act.

Officers from BTP are now carrying out a full investigation."

Anyone with information is asked to contact BTP on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 quoting reference 34 of 14/05/16.
A Muslim convert jailed for hatching a plot to behead a British soldier inspired by the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby has had three years slashed from his sentence.

Five judges quashed the custodial term of 22 years imposed in the case of Brusthom Ziamani - who was arrested in an east London street carrying a knife and a hammer in a rucksack - and instead gave him 19 years.

Ziamani's sentence was among a number reviewed by the panel of Court of Appeal judges, headed by Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, in which defendants had either been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, terror offences.

In one a minimum term was reduced from 25 to 23 years.

In another case, the judges increased a prison term from five to eight years. Mohammed Kahar, from Sunderland, was found guilty last year of spreading Islamic State's message and planning to travel to Syria.

Lord Thomas explained that the Appeal Court had considered it "important" to give guidance on sentencing for offences under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006 - which relates to the preparation of terrorist acts - because sentences had varied "very, very substantially".

He said: "Those who involve themselves in terrorism whether by commission, the provision of assistance or engaging in conduct in preparation must expect a severe sentence.

"Until the publication by the Sentencing Council of a guideline on terrorist offences, this judgment provides direction that will achieve consistency of approach in these difficult cases ... "

Weapons: Brusthom Ziamani was arrested in an east London street carrying a knife and a hammer / Metropolitan Police

Ziamani, now 20, was found guilty at the Old Bailey in February last year of a Section 5 offence. He was later given an extended sentence, made up of a custodial term of 22 years and an extended licence period of five years.

The court was told that he had researched the location of Army cadet bases in the south east of the capital. He had shown his ex-girlfriend weapons, described Fusilier Rigby's killer Michael Adebolajo as a "legend" and told her he would "kill soldiers".

The Old Bailey heard he was a "lone wolf" who had been radicalised after being befriended by members of a radical Muslim organisation which held meetings and demonstrations in London.

Lord Thomas, announcing the court's conclusions, said: "We are entirely satisfied that the judge was right in concluding that Ziamani was dangerous; he had heard the evidence, including that of Ziamani."

His offending was towards the "very top of the scale" for offences under Section 5, "but, given his youth, we consider that the custodial part of the sentence, namely 22 years, was too long".

The extension period at the maximum of five years was "entirely correct".

The judges agreed with Attorney General Jeremy Wright that the sentence imposed on Kahar at Newcastle Crown Court was "unduly lenient".

Takeaway chef Kahar, then 37, was convicted of 10 terror charges. The trial judge said he had taken steps to go to Syria with the intention of going to fight with IS.

Announcing the decision in that case, Lord Thomas said his offending was serious "given his persistence in attempting to persuade others to join Islamic State and fight for them or to join in their terrorism".

A number of other sentence challenges imposed in terror cases were rejected.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.
A maximum-security prison in London has become like a jihadi training camp, according to shocking testimony from a former inmate.

The whistleblower said that a terrifying group of jihadists at Belmarsh, who call themselves the Brothers, or the Akhi (Arabic for brother), appear to almost have the run of the prison.

Our witness, a Muslim university graduate who has recently been released from a sentence for bank fraud, said that governors, prison officers and imams all know about this.

Speaking exclusively to the Evening Standard, he said that Belmarsh, where many convicted terrorists and terror-related offenders mix freely with ordinary prisoners, was the worst.

A former inmate said a group calling itself 'the Brothers' is operating from within Belmarsh prison / Rex

He added: But the problem is that Belmarsh is also a holding prison and so young people who are brainwashed and indoctrinated then go out into the wider prison system and create wider Akhi networks.

The revelations came in the wake of yesterdays damning Justice Select Committee report that revealed a huge increase in suicides, violent assaults and disorder across the prison network.

They also came ahead of tomorrows Queens Speech, when the Government is expected to unveil new measures to crack down on extremism as well as wider reforms of the prison system.

The number of prisoners in Belmarsh held for terrorism or terror-related offences was 51 in 2006. Todays figure is estimated to be at least 80, although the Ministry of Justice refused to confirm this, saying: We do not know the exact number.

The Ministry of Justice also declined to elaborate on their policy of allowing prisoners held on terror-related offences to mix freely with other inmates, and whether this would be reviewed.

Latest figures show that in the five years to December 31, 2014, the number of Muslim inmates at Belmarsh has more than doubled to 265, or 30 per cent of the total prisoners.

This trend is London-wide. At HMP Isis in Thamesmead and Feltham Young Offenders Institute, Muslims now comprise 42 and 34 per cent of prisoners respectively, despite Muslims amounting to just 12 per cent of Londons population.

A Ministry of Justice Prison Service spokesman said: There is no evidence to back up these specific claims about HMP Belmarsh  where our hard-working staff successfully manage a very challenging group of prisoners.

But we are not remotely complacent about the risks that Islamist extremism poses in prisons. That is why the Secretary of State commissioned a review of how the prison system deals with this issue.
The ministry does not have any information yet on the whereabouts of the six citizens; the missing are believed to be from Kafr El-Sheikh governorate

Egypt's ministry of foreign affairs is investigating claims that six Egyptians were kidnapped in Libya, Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid told Ahram Online on Tuesday.

The families of the six nationals said on Monday that they were kidnapped by "armed terrorist groups" in the war-torn country.

The ministry currently does not have any information on the whereabouts of the citizens, who are all believed to be from Kafr El-Sheikh governorate.

In March, families of 15 Egyptians in Libya said their relatives were kidnapped by the so-called Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

The ministry of foreign affairs later learned that the Egyptians were detained by Libyan authorities and were being held at a camp for illegal immigrants in Tripoli.

In February 2015, a graphic video was posted online showing IS militants on a Libyan beach beheading 20 Egyptian Christians and vowing to fight those they described as "crusaders."

Less than 24 hours after the release of the video, Egypt launched airstrikes on IS hideouts in the Libyan cities of Derna and Sirte in coordination with the Libyan army.

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C ounter-terror police today made three arrests linked to Syria in a string of raids in London and Birmingham.

Officers swooped on a property in south London at about 5.30am where two suspects, both aged 24, were detained on suspicion of raising funds for terrorism in the war-torn country.

The pair were taken to police stations while their homes were searched.

In a separate operation, officers in Birmingham held a 21-year-old man at a property in the Handsworth area on suspicion of preparing to travel to Syria to join Islamic State.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "Officers are this morning continuing to carry out searches at the address.

"The arrest was pre-planned and intelligence-led. There was no immediate threat to public safety."

Metropolitan Police officers also held a third man, aged 25, on suspicion of possession of cannabis with intent to supply in a raid on another London address.
A woman today crashed her car because she was distracted by drinking a cup of tea, police say.

The 39-year-old driver ploughed into barriers off Staines Road in south-west London shortly after 9.30am on Tuesday, a spokesman said.

It happened near the junction with Hospital Bridge Road and led to disruption for motorists as roads were closed.

The spokesman for Richmond Police said: The driver, a single female occupant, had crashed into the barriers whilst drinking a cup of tea.

The female had no injuries and did not require the assistance of London Ambulance Service.

The railings have significant damage and the council has been informed.

Cordon: Police closed the road while they towed the car out the way / Richmond Police/MPSRichmond

Due to her driving standards, she was reported for driving without due care and attention.

The spokesman added she was not arrested and the vehicle had to be towed to the side of the road because it was too damaged to drive.
A young City worker today told how she was sandwiched between two moped riders during a terrifying attempted robbery in her lunch hour.

Police warned of a spate of similar incidents after Sammie Delves, 20, from Hullbridge, Essex, said she was targeted near St Paul's Cathedral.

The assistant manager of property firm Masterfix said she crossed the road while looking down at her phone in Queen Victoria Street during her lunch break on Monday.

Speaking to the Standard, she said she was "boxed in" by the riders before managing to fend off one of the men as he tried to snatch her phone.

Scene: The incident happened in Queen Victoria Street, near St Paul's Cathedral / Google Maps

The rider in front made a grab for the phone and tried to zoom off," she said.

"He started to take me along with him but somehow I managed to yank it back from him. He drove off and stopped to turn around for a second then he just sped off. It all happened so quickly.

Ms Delves said she was "hysterical" following the incident, which she said she has reported to police.

She added: Straight away I thought maybe I had walked out into oncoming traffic as the lights were red but then 10 seconds later it hit me what had happened and I was in hysterics.

I phoned my mum in floods of tears and then my boyfriend. Im still shaken up by it now.

I did feel really vulnerable and what shocked me the most was that this took place in full view of traffic in broad daylight there were loads of cars around at the time.

She said she could not identify the riders, who were wearing dark clothes, as they wore helmets but said she knows they were men.

The incident comes amid a warning about a recent spate of mobile phone thefts in the City.

The City of London police force today tweeted they had received seven reports of phone snatches over the last two weeks.

A police spokeswoman confirmed an investigationhad been launched into the attempted theft.

Detective Inspector Doug Blackwood from the City of London Police said, We advise the public to take care when using their mobiles in the street. Where possible, keep it out of sight.

"It is best to avoid texting and checking mobiles while walking along when it could easily be grabbed out of your hand."
A convicted prolific bike thief has apologised for his crimes and revealed details of how to avoid becoming a victim of cycle theft in London.

The ex-thief describes how he used to steal 10 high value bikes every weekend, selling them on via Gumtree or other contacts across London and the UK.

Speaking anonymously the offender tells how he preferred locations in central London where there was CCTV because people let their guards down.

In an interview with the online site Stolen Ride, which helps re-unite cyclists with their stolen bikes, he describes how he finally turned straight after being jailed for 18 months at the age of 20.

A set of bolt cutters that are a tool of the trade for bike thieves

The ex-thief describes how he started stealing bikes with a friend when he was just 16 motivated by money and the ease of thefts.

He tells how high value bikes such as Carrera racers, no logo fixie bikes, Boardman racers and Ridgeback bikes were his main targets and known as golds because of their high value and ease of sale.

The pair operated mainly in central London where he says they found people used the worst locks.

He said : Going out of London, locks would get better and locations fewer ...Islington, Hackney, West End and the central mile were our hunting grounds.

"The more CCTV and people the better. People are like sheep, they feel safe and pay less attention when theyre together.

Armed with special toughened bolt cutters the pair worked at night at weekends when police were busy dealing with drunks.

He says : With the bolt cutters we would go out on high performance motorbikes, two men on a bike. The pillion would carry the cutters. When we found a bike the pillion would jump off, snip the chain in seconds.

Boltys back in the bag, the driver would take the bag and drive off whilst the pillion, who is now on the push bike, would cycle off. We would do this up to five times a night, every weekend.

He says thefts took just 10 seconds at most. No-one really knew what was going on, almost I imagine like you have to question yourself like, did I really just see that?

He says the pair were not put off by CCTV because they wore motorcycle helmets. Bikes were kept locked up on the street after being stolen - even outside police stations - so if the police raided their homes nothing would be found. They were sold for half their retail value.

Giving advice on how to avoid being a victim he says : Never use a chain, theyre too easy to snip. Use a small D-lock on front and back wheels.

"If your lock can be moved about that means the thiefs bolt cutters can get around them, at the right angle they wont.

"Stiff D-locks are hard to snip because you need the right angle on the cutters to get the force to close them.

The former criminal says he was finally caught after a police chase involving a helicopter when the pair got greedy.

He describes how he felt sorry for his victims and describes the shame of appearing in court as his mother and partner broke down when he was sentenced.

He said : I learned that my family is more important than having designer clothes on your back or expensive trainers, or loads of money.

"It all hit me the minute that judge said them words and I saw my mum, my missus of three years break down in court.

Today he has got a full time job and says he is Just trying to give a little back to society, I took so much; its the least I can do. Im sorry to the people whose bikes we took, but times were hard back then and unless you been there yourself, I dont think that you would understand, but I am truly sorry.
C ampaigners have sided with a London council in its fight to force a developer to rebuild a historic pub brick by brick.

The Friends of Carlton Tavern are backing Westminster Council in its push to have the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale rebuilt to look exactly how it did before it was torn down.

The pub was demolished illegally by developers CLTX last April while it was being considered for Grade II listed status, opponents claim.

A planning inquiry, set to last several days, is now underway to decide on the future of the pub.

John Simmance, from the Friends of Carlton Tavern, told the Standard: "Our hope is to have the pub rebuilt as it was before it was demolished and we support the decision by Westminster City Council to make CLTX do so.

The Carlton Tavern before it was demolished

"We think it can be the pub we knew and loved again. We think it can be rebuilt as it was with the materials that are available to do that. We do think that is possible.

"I was so angry when it was demolished. My first thought was we have to do something about it. So we initially painted on the hoarding saying they had destroyed our pub.

Planning battle: Campaigners at today's hearing

"It was vandalism and thuggery on a large scale."

Councillor Rita Begum, who represents Maida Vale, said the demolition of the pub was "unlawful".

She told the Standard: "The pub was purchased and then demolished with little or no regard for the people in the community.

Council officials said the pub's demolition was 'unlawful' (Picture: Maar Pinite)

"My hopes are to make sure CLTX don't get away with such an awful thing. They should rebuild it brick by brick and I want Westminster City Council to enforce that.

"It will be a lesson to learn from in years to come. I think if we get what we want, we will me making history."

Westminster City Council, which is pushing for the pub to be rebuilt, refused planning permission for the demolition and redevelopment of the Carlton Tavern in January 2015.

On March 31 last year, Historic England undertook a 48 hour consultation to consider the pub for listed status.

The consultation was extended until April 13, but five days before the end of the consultation, the pub was demolished without prior notification.

Saira Kabir Sheikh QC, representing Westminster City Council, told the planning inquiry: "It was a flagrant breach of planning control and building regulations with the single aim of frustrating the designation of the pub as a grade II listed building, which Historic England had confirmed it would have been very likely to recommend.

"The importance of the Carlton Tavern was properly understood by all in advance of its unlawful demolition, including the appellant.

"In addition to the heritage harm caused by the demolition, weight must also be given to the loss of a community facility, which has since been registered as an asset of community value."

Ms Kabir Sheikh added the breach of planning control can "plainly" only be remedied by rebuilding the pub.

CLTX have appealed to the Planning Inspectorate to be granted retrospective planning permission for their development and are also appealing the enforcement action forcing them to rebuild the pub.

The developer argues the pub was not a listed building when it was demolished and is not within a conservation area.

The planning inquiry at Westminster City Hall is expected to last four or five days.

The outcome of the hearing is expected in late summer.
P rince William joined forces with Ralph Lauren to learn about the treatment of breast cancer at a new research facility named after the fashion designer.

The Duke of Cambridge and Mr Lauren were given a guided tour of the 3.9 million world class centre at the Royal Marsden Hospital after the American businessman made an undisclosed donation.

The pair were told about a pilot study beginning at the end of the year which, if successful, could lead to a blood test being used to detect if any cancer remains in a woman's body once she has been given the all clear.

Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research opens

Another project is the trial of a new drug which puts the tumour into "suspended animation", in combination with a standard drug which lowers oestrogen levels - a hormone known to benefit tumours - in post-menopausal women.

During the visit to the Chelsea hospital, the Duke told one patient that friends of his had suffered with cancer and told another that he was trying to sort out schools for Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Mr Lauren, who has also supported cancer care in the US, said it was wonderful to see how the centre works.

He said: I could see the dedication and the care of the people and then the patients, so I got a picture of what's going to be done and what's working.

A good friend of mine in America had breast cancer, and she said 'Ralph you deal with so many women, it would be a wonderful thing [to help]'. She said 'I haven't gotten any support from anyone' and I said 'I'm going to help you'.

"She didn't make it, but I got hooked into feeling really strong about breast cancer.

"I have a daughter and a wife and it's a family situation. The mother might have it, the sister might have it, but ... the family goes through it, it involves everybody.
S adiq Khan will take to the airwaves tomorrow as he hosts the first of his new phone-in shows on LBC.

The network announced the newly elected Mayor of London will field questions from Londoners once a month at the radio station as part of a new 'Speak to Sadiq' show.

His first show is scheduled to take place at 10am on Wednesday with presenter James OBrien.

Mr Khan is the latest politician to take part in a phone-in following on from his predecessor Boris Johnson, as well as Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage.

Listeners will be able to question the Mayor by phone, text, email or via Twitter while the show will be streamed on the LBC website and on Facebook Live.

LBCs Managing Editor James Rea said: With our listeners in the driving seat, LBC has a long history of holding people in power to account and they dont hold back in tackling the issues that matter to them.

"After Ask Boris, Call Clegg and Phone Farage, our callers will have the opportunity to challenge the new Mayor directly and find out about his plans for London."
S adiq Khan invited Donald Trump to London to meet his family today in order to educate the ignorant Republican presidential hopeful on Islam.

The Mayor, who has been embroiled in a row with the billionaire businessman, said he would be willing to show him the very best of the capital.

Mr Khan also admitted he agreed with Mr Trump that Muslims had to do their bit by helping tackle extremism in their own communities.

City Hall aides, however, were quick to play down suggestions that Mr Khan was holding out an olive branch.

Speaking on ITVs Good Morning Britain, the Mayor repeated his view that the Republicans stance on Islam was ignorant and dangerous.

It comes after Number 10 made clear that David Cameron, who has also had differences with Mr Trump, would work with whoever wins the presidential election in order to maintain the special relationship.

It is not yet clear whether Mr Trump will follow the lead of Mitt Romney, who visited London as Republican candidate ahead of the 2012 elections, by coming to the UK.

Donald Trump offended by Sadiq Khan's comments

However Mr Khan said: I invite Donald Trump to come to London. Meet my wife and my daughters. Meet my friends and my neighbours. Meet Londoners who are British and who are Muslim.

We dont just tolerate each other, we respect, we celebrate and we embrace. I invite Donald Trump to come to the greatest city in the world to understand weve shown the rest of the world that, forgive the pun, hope trumps fear.

Sadiq Khan calls Donald Trump's views on Islam ignorant - Good Morning Britain

If I can educate the presumptive Republican presidential nominee about Islam then Im happy to do so.

Mr Khan said, however, that he did agree with Mr Trumps view that Muslims had to do more to root out extremism in their own communities. Ive said we have a role to play, not because were more responsible, but because were more effective, he said.

He would boost neighbourhood policing so Londoners had the confidence to report any concerns about radicalisation in their communities.

Explainer: What are Sadiq Khan's plans for London?

Mr Trump yesterday said it was rude of Mr Khan to accuse him of having an ignorant view of Islam and challenged the Mayor to take an intelligence test.
N igel Farage today conceded the possibility of a narrow defeat for the campaign to quit the European Union and said there would be pressure for a second referendum.

The Ukip leader dismayed the official Leave campaign by straying from their line that they will accept the result of the June 23 vote.

He told the BBC I think we are going to win, but added: If we were to lose narrowly, thered be a large section, particularly in the Conservative Party, whod feel the Prime Minister is not playing fair, that the Remain side is using way more money than the Leave side and there would be a resentment that would build up if that was to be the result.

Polls suggest a close result is likely. John Nelson, the chairman of Lloyds of London, today warned against Brexit, which he said would harm the insurer. Lloyds, of course, will survive, he said. I can tell you that it will damage our business and everybody elses.

A Leave campaigner said: We are focused on winning this referendum. We do not control what Nigel says.

The intervention came as David Cameron was accused of underhand tactics after a leaked letter revealed he was asking company bosses to list the risks of Brexit as a danger in company accounts released in the next month.

Mr Cameron also attacked Boris Johnson and Leave campaigners for peddling myths about the EU. In a speech in London, he accused them of misleading people by saying only a tiny percentage of UK businesses export to EU, when he claimed that three million jobs were in fact linked to the union.

A row deepened today over an intervention by the ex-head of MI6. Sir Richard Dearlove said giving visa-free EU access to millions of people in Turkey would be like storing gasoline next to the fire due to the immigration crisis.

Turkeys former ambassador to Nato, Onur Oymen, hit back by saying Turkey would make Europe more secure. But Tory ex-minister John Redwood said Sir Richard had drawn attention to the way that the EU is not responding well to a mass migration crisis.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell attacked tactics used by both sides, telling a London conference that project fear was getting in the way of facts.
T hirty gay MPs and peers today weighed into the EU referendum battle with a call to the lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and intersex community to unite behind the Remain banner.

In a letter to the Evening Standard marking International Day Against Homophobia, they hailed the EUs role in promoting human rights worldwide and claimed that it would all be put at risk by a Brexit.

A lot has been achieved but theres still more to be done, said the letter, whose signatories include Labour shadow business secretary Angela Eagle, Tory Scottish Secretary David Mundell and the former EastEnders actor Lord Cashman, a founding member of Stonewall.

It went on: This year the EU hopes to secure agreement on the advancement of LGBTI equality covering education, employment, health and asylum across all 28 member states.

"Why would we risk all of this by leaving the EU?

Lord Cashman said: We must use our influence to promote LGBTI rights across Europe... The United Kingdom is best placed to do this as part of the EU."
Jordan on Tuesday freed an Islamist preacher imprisoned for nearly a year for inciting hatred against the regime on social media, his lawyer said, following criticism from rights campaigners.

Iyad Qunaibi, a 40-year-old Kuwaiti-born Jordanian, was arrested in mid-June for posting an audio message entitled "Jordan on the brink of the abyss" on his Facebook page.

In it he criticised Jordanian relations with Israel -- the two neighbours are bound by a peace treaty -- and the "Westernisation" of Jordanian society.

Qunaibi, who holds a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Houston in the United States, was sentenced in December to two years in prison, which was increased to three years on appeal.

The State Security Court on Monday reduced the sentence and freed Qunaibi based on time already served, his lawyer Abdelkader al-Khatib told AFP.

His conviction was denounced at the time by New York-based Human Rights Watch, which said the ruling "signals a harsher approach by Jordanian authorities toward speech-related crimes".

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A man who vanished six years ago after saying he was visiting London has been found in Spain - but police will not put this parents in touch with him.

Matthew Green, 32, told his parents Jim and Pauline that he was on his way to visit a friend in Mile End from their Sittingbourne home in 2010.

He left with all of his identification details, cash and a card enabling him to work on construction sites - and that was the last time his parents heard from him.

After several widespread media appeals failed, they feared the worst until they had a knock on their door on May 3.

A Kent police officer told the couple that Matthew was in Spain - but due to data protection laws they could not give out any more information.

Pauline wrote on Facebook that Matthew had been taken into social services' care in Spain because of mental health issues and gave two names, one being Matthew Green.

She added: A fingerprint match proves with 99.9 per cent surety that it is Matt.

All of this is very frustrating, as you can imagine, but until Matt reads my letter and phones us there is absolutely nothing we can do.
T he worlds largest cruise ship has arrived for its maiden voyage in the UK.

The mammoth Harmony of the Seas stretches 1,188ft and cost around one billion dollars to build.

Up to 6,780 guests and 2,100 crew members can be carried by the vessel, which took more than two and a half years to build.

It will set sail on Sunday for a four night cruise from the port of Southampton to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Royal Caribbean International UK and Ireland managing director Stuart Leven praised the ships beauty and its colossal size, along with its high-tech gadgets.

He said: Bigger can be beautiful when it allows you to put so many great facilities on board to allow people to have a great holiday at sea.

Passengers aboard the Harmony will have access to 20 different restaurants, its very own exclusive park and the tallest water slide and deepest pool at sea.

The bar is also manned by robotic bartenders who take orders via IPad and can mix cocktails.

Worlds largest cruise ship arrives in Southampton

Mr Leven added: Cruising is changing  its becoming a holiday for all the family, its not just white table cloths and ties at dinnertime.

Now the sort of holiday you get at all-inclusive resorts on land can be replicated on the seas.

"We have a 10-storey slide, surf machines, plenty of restaurants like Jamie Oliver's Italian on board, a great choice, and you can wake up with a different view from your balcony each day.

"It's all about variety - when you have a ship of this scale, you can offer so many things."

The Harmony of the Seas is nearly 100 metres longer than the Titanic and longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower.
A ustralian police have arrested a teenager who is alleged to have been preparing to launch an imminent lone terrorist attack in Sydney.

The 18-year-old, named in media reports as Tamim Khaja, was expected to be charged with planning a terrorist attack, the Australian Federal Police said.

They said another charge  preparing to enter a foreign country to engage in hostile activities  was expected to be filed in connection with an earlier alleged attempt by the teenager to travel to Syria. If convicted, he could face a maximum life sentence.

The planning was occurring now and we would say that an attack was probably imminent, New South Wales Police deputy commissioner Catherine Burn said.

The suspect had been making arrangements to obtain a firearm, Federal Police acting deputy commissioner Neil Gaughan said.

Police would not reveal what the alleged plans involved. Counter-terrorism officers reportedly arrested Khaja at his Macquarie Park home this morning.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, prosecutors would allege that Khaja had tried to leave the country three times to join Islamic State in the past three years.

Most recently, he was stopped at Sydney Airport in February apparently trying to fly to Syria but his passport was cancelled. He then allegedly began planning an attack on home soil  trying to acquire a gun and scouting sites in Sydney  when he was arrested.
T hai authorities are set to close one of its paradise islands, Koh Tachai, blaming heavy tourism for damaging natural resources and the environment.

Almost all Thai marine national parks close for the monsoon season from mid-May to mid-October, but Tachai will not reopen, the Bangkok Post reported.

The island, off Phang Nga province, is part of the Similan National Park and is popular with tourists and divers.

Tunya Netithammakul, director general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation, told the Bangkok Post: Thanks to its beauty, Koh Tachai has become a popular tourist site for both Thai and foreign tourists.

This has resulted in overcrowding and the degradation of natural resources and the environment.

We have to close it to allow the rehabilitation of the environment both on the island and in the sea without being disturbed by tourism activities before the damage is beyond repair.

Tourism experts said a beach on Koh Tachai could hold up to 70 people but sometimes the number of tourists exceeded well over 1,000 crowded with food stalls and tour boats.

Assistant Professor Thon Thamrongnawasawat, of Kasetsart University, said the beach was at risk of being lost altogether unless action is taken to close it.
R emember Nicki Minaj and Beyonces hip-revealing swimsuits in the sassy Feeling Myself music video? Or when Kylie Jenner borrowed her mums very own retro pink one-piece?

The super high-leg swimsuit  made famous by Pamela Anderson in Baywatch  shows no sign of fading this summer, and female celebs including former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison and TOWIE's Lydia Bright are proof of this.

The two British beauties were recently spotted on their summer hols rocking the extreme swimwear trend, which has been dubbed the Frong by its latest fans.

The swimsuits do a good job of covering any problem areas while making the most of your shape.

If you love the look and cant wait any longer to have one in your holiday wardrobe, heres our edit of the best to buy now.

1. ASOS T Back High Leg Plunge Swimsuit

With a plunging front and halterneck design, this striking red one-piece ought to earn you a slow-motion run down the beach. Perfect for a Baywatch-inspired pool party.

16, ASOS, Buy it now

2. Private Party Bae Watch One Piece Swimsuit

Give Kylie Jenner a run for her money in this striking low-back swimsuit by LA street-wear brand Private Party. This shade is just the ticket for showing off your holiday tan and is complete with a sassy Bae Watch slogan.

68.70, Revolve Clothing, Buy it now

3. Quontum Silver Waistband High Leg Swimsuit

Who says black is boring? Featuring an open back and scoop neckline, this hot design will help you slay on the beach this season. Its finished with a metallic waistband trim and can be hand-washed only.

43, ASOS, Buy it now



4. Topshop Palm Springs Swimsuit

Acceptable in the 80s and now, bright neon colours are just what you need to make a statement at the next beach gathering. This strappy little number features a summery Palm Springs motif and looks great teamed with gold jewellery.

28, Topshop, Buy it now

5. Ann Summers Malibu Mesh Swimsuit

If mesh inserts are your thing, then Ann Summers cheeky zip-up swimsuit is worth a try. It can also double up as a bodysuit that will take you from beach to street.

30, Harvey Nichols, Buy it now

Follow us on Twitter @ESLifeandStyle and on Facebook
K idulthood star Femi Oyeniran has called for radical reform to enable more black and working-class actors to get into film and television.

The actor, writer and director called for money to be ringfenced to back emerging talent, saying broadcasters tended to dismiss those from black or working-class backgrounds.

He warned that working-class people are no longer getting on television other than in derisive shows such as Channel 4 documentary series Benefits Street.

Oyeniran, who played Mooney in 2006s Kidulthood and starred in its sequel Adulthood, moved to London from Nigeria in the Eighties.

Theres not enough black actors or emerging black talent on British TV he said. The industry needs to get over itself.

"I go to meetings every day with broadcasters, they tell you that there is no black talent  We have looked and looked, but they do not exist. It does exist. They need to stop lying.

Broadcasters have a penchant for using the same people time and again. Unless you are an established black actor, you are not going to get an opportunity.

Oyeniran, 29, added: Its not just a black thing, it is a working-class thing.

Thats what no one is talking about. Thats whats scary. When I came to England in 87 there were lots of working-class people on TV.

"Now there arent unless they are being derided on Benefits Street. He agreed with Sir Lenny Henrys view that funding should be ringfenced to support new talent.

Oyeniran, whose movie The Intent is out this year, is an ambassador for the British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) Awards on September 18. The shortlist is out next month.

www.britishurbanfilmfestival.co.uk
J et-setting

This week I went to Porto Montenegro with Heidi Klein.

The area is absolutely stunning and the Regent hotel is unbelievably beautiful. The trip was sensational from start to finish.

From boat trips to discovering private beaches and caves, I had the most incredible time. Theres nothing I love more than exploring somewhere new and Porto Montenegro certainly blew me away!

Holiday time: Rosie had a few days in Porto Montenegro / Rosie Fortescue/ Instagram

Exploring Caves  shorts from River Island, top from Mochi, espadrilles from Valentino and sunglasses from Taylor Morris.

Soaking up the sun: Our columnist enjoyed a boat ride / Rosie Fortescue/ Instagram

Boat Life  dress from Heidi Klein, hat from Yosuzi and bag from Heidi Klein.

Isnt this the most stunning location EVER? I truly felt inspired everywhere I looked!

Picturesque: Rosie enjoys a break abroad in stunning scenery / Rosie Fortescue/ Instagram

Back on home soil...

On arrival back in London I went to the Taylor Morris new Explorer collection launch at the Serpentine. The collection is amazing and as I am sure you know I am obsessed with their sunglasses!

Eye-catching: Rosie Fortescue dresses up for the Taylor Morris event / Rosie Fortescue/ Instagram

I wore this dress from Self-Portrait, heels from Valentino and bag from Gucci.

Working up a sweat

My current obsession is the new Urdhva reversible leggings from Sweaty Betty. Check out more about them on my blog.

Working out: Rosie has discovered a new gym wear obsession / Rosie Fortescue/ Instagram

Hair care

My beauty product of the week this week is the Body Shops Ginger shampoo. I have psoriasis when I am super stressed and this 100 per cent natural shampoo is the dream!

Coming up...

I am starting to get excited for summer and am can't wait to judge the best dressed competition at the Ladies Day at Sandown races. You can buy your tickets here and join me on the day!
Attacks including an Islamic State group suicide bombing killed at least 25 people in Baghdad Tuesday, the latest in a series of deadly blasts to hit Iraq's capital, officials said.

The attacks also wounded at least 71 people, officials said.

The deadliest attack hit the Shaab area in northern Baghdad, killing at least 15.

Interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said it was carried out by a female suicide bomber, while a police colonel said a roadside bombing was followed by the suicide attack.

But the IS militants group issued a statement claiming the attack and saying it was carried out by a man, whom it identified as Abu Khattab al-Iraqi.

The bomber threw hand grenades and then detonated a suicide belt, IS group said.

Attacks by female suicide bombers are rare in Iraq, though they were once more common than they have become in recent years.

In some of the deadliest attacks by women in Iraq, two mentally handicapped women wearing suicide vests killed nearly 100 people at Baghdad pet markets in early 2008.

Two women also detonated explosives at one of the country's holiest Shiite sites the following year, killing more than 60 people, while a 2010 attack on Shiite pilgrims by a female bomber left over 40 dead.

In a second attack in the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, a car bombing in the Rashid area of southern Baghdad killed at least three people, officials said.

An explosives-rigged vehicle also blew up in the Sadr City area of north Baghdad, killing at least seven.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the car bombings. IS group has claimed a series of other attacks in and near Baghdad that have killed more than 100 people in seven days.

The militants carried out triple car bombings in northern Baghdad that killed at least 94 people, and a further 12 died in attacks on a police station west of the capital and a gas plant to its north.

Attacks in the city decreased following a June 2014 IS group offensive that saw its fighters focus on holding territory and fighting battles in other areas.

But Iraqi forces have regained significant ground from IS group, and the frequency of attacks in the capital has increased in recent weeks.

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President George W. Bush, Patriarch Ilia, Levan Vasadze, and Dr. Allan Carlson Welcome Delegates to World Congress of Families X in Tbilisi Georgia

Contact: Larry Jacobs, Manager, World Congress of Families, 815-997-7106, media@worldcongress.org



TBILISI, Georgia, May 17, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- President George W. Bush, Orthodox Patriarch Ilia (Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia), Levan Vasadze (Chairman of World Congress of Families X and Chairman of Georgian Demographic Society 21) , and Dr. Allan C. Carlson (Founder, World Congress of Families; President Emeritus, The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society; former Visiting Professor, Hillsdale College) welcomes the delegates to the live televised Opening Ceremony of the World Congress of Families at the Tbilisi Philharmonic Concert Hall.



Patriarch Ilia welcomed more than 2,000 delegates from more than 50 countries to the Tbilisi Philharmonic Concert hall. The Orthodox Patriarch gave his support and blessing to World Congress of Families in its work to affirm the natural family as the fundamental and only sustainable unit while defending the sanctity and dignity of every human life from conception to natural death. The Patriarch spoke of the need to fix the "Deficit of Love" in society which could only be solved by eliminating the "Deficit of Family" that is happening in our post-modern, self-gratifying world. He warned against attempts to re-define family and marriage. As the oldest reigning Orthodox Patriarch in the world serving more than 39 years, Ilia II wise words were inspiring to Georgians and all of the international leaders in attendance.



Levan Vasadze welcomed the World Congress of Families participants and spoke of new Christian Civilization that rejects the neo-liberal ideology infecting the post-modern West, the lost virtues of Western Civilization, and transcends a bipolar paradigm to create a new East-West Christendom. He spoke of Georgia as the one to lead this effort to show the world that "Georgia Is Family!"



Allan Carlson reminded the delegates that the family serves as a "Bulwark of Liberty and Freedom" the only sustainable protection against a bad government and a totalitarian state.



President George W. Bush also sent his support and best wishes for success to the gathering. Larry Jacobs, Managing Director World Congress of Families read the following letter from the President to the delegates to World Congress of Families.

I send greetings to those gathered for the World Congress of Families X in Tbilisi, Georgia.



As the first sitting U.S. President to visit Georgia, I was honored and humbled by the appreciation and enthusiasm expressed to me by the Georgian people gathered in Tbilisi's Freedom Square in 2005. I repeat the words that I spoke to them then, 'Georgia is a beacon of liberty for this region and the world. The path of freedom you have chosen is not easy, but you will not travel it alone ... the American people will stand with you.'



Around the world, families provide that beacon of freedom and the source of help, hope, and stability for individuals and nations. As one of the pillars of civilization and the bulwark of liberty, families must remain strong and we must defend them. To ensure that future generations are prepared to face new opportunities and challenges, as President, I took steps to promote strong families, preserve the sanctity of marriage and protect the well-being of children. Laura and I have always believed in encouraging adoption and supporting the crisis pregnancy center programs to help us continue to build a culture of life.



I commend your efforts to recognize the importance of families in building nations. Your work improves many lives and makes the world better.



Laura joins me in sending our best wishes.

The former U.S. President will be also honored with the "FAMLIA ET CIVITAS" (Family and Democracy) Award for his pro-life work to build a culture of life. The theme of the Tenth Jubilee, World Congress of Families X is "Civilization at The Crossroads: The Natural Family as the Bulwark of Freedom and Human Values."



World Congress of Families unites leaders worldwide in defense of family, faith, and freedom by: (1) Affirming the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (2) Promoting the natural family as the fundamental and only sustainable unit of society and (3) Defending the dignity and sanctity of every human life from conception to natural death.



This award comes more than a decade after Georgians celebrated and honored President Bush, by naming the road to the Tbilisi international airport "George W. Bush" Highway in recognition of the former President.



President Bush has greeted previous World Congress of Families events, including the World Congress of Families III held in Mexico City in 2004 which was also addressed by Mexican First Lady, Mrs. Martha Fox.



President Bush commended the efforts of the World Congress to "recognize the importance of families in our society. Around the world, families are the source of help, hope, and stability for individuals and nations. As one of the pillars of civilization, families must remain strong and we must defend them during this time of great change. Your work improves many lives and makes the world better," declared Mr. Bush. Here is the full text of Mr. Bush's greeting from 2004 at World Congress of Families III in Mexico City, worldcongress.ge/george-w-bush.pdf.



President Bush is the first sitting U.S. President to visit Georgia and his visit in 2005 to Tbilisi's Freedom Square was enthusiastically received by the Georgian people. "Georgia is a beacon of liberty for this region and the world," Mr Bush said. "The path of freedom you have chosen is not easy, but you will not travel it alone ... the American people will stand with you."



A local Georgian official commented on the President, "As Georgians, we have a special connection to President Bush as he was the first U.S. President to visit our great homeland, one of the oldest Christian nations on earth. Mr. Bush won a place in our hearts as he danced to Georgian music and declared our nation to be a beacon of liberty and freedom for the world. He gave us hope that we could maintain our Georgian traditions of family, faith, and freedom while partnering with America and the West."



For more information on World Congress of Families X, visit the Congress websites: www.worldcongress.ge and www.worldcongress.org.
Mauritania's supreme court on Tuesday ordered that a group of anti-slavery activists including a former presidential candidate be set free after downgrading the crimes of which they were found guilty in 2015.

"The Mauritanian supreme court ordered that Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid and Brahim Ould Bilal be freed," Brahim Ould Ebetty, a lawyer for two of the men, told AFP. They were convicted of public order offences relating to a campaign against the problematic issue of slavery practices that persist in the country.

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A US military surveillance plane made "illegal entry" into Venezuela's airspace last week, President Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday, accusing America of trying to meddle in his beleaguered country.

Maduro said his air force had detected two incursions by a US E-3 Sentry plane -- a modified Boeing 707 with a radar unit on its back -- on May 11 and May 13. He added that his government would lodge a formal protest.

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I run to the fields, walk amid mountains and breathe in the smell of leaves to escape the chaos, pollution and claustrophobia of Ramallah.

The lack of open space and adequate urban parks in the city leaves me constantly hungry for green fields and crisp, fresh air. Green makes me happy, as it does many people.

Nothing else alleviates the deep sadness that overcomes me with the awareness that we live in a large caged urban space, controlled on the outside by a ruthless occupier, and run on the inside by self interest and greed.

My planning and architectural senses are constantly agitated by the lack of zoning laws, the absence of mindful designs and the complete disregard for the landscape. As one hideous commercial building after another goes up, I yearn for a place that is in harmony with the land.

I embarked on a quest to discover new areas of nature every weekend to rejuvenate my senses and breathe, even if momentarily.

Yet, while I found pristine landscapes within the West Bank in areas not far from Ramallah, it soon became clear to me that these green spaces, water springs and parks have been grabbed and are controlled by Israel in the name of nature preservation.

Water springs are linked to illegal Israeli settlements, parks are erected on stolen old Palestinian villages, and hiking trails are used to link Israeli settlement blocs.

At the same time, smaller nature reserves under the Palestinian Authority, such as the areas around Ein Qinia, are continuously disturbed by private developers who have the means to buy zoning changes.

Builders use beautiful untouched land as dumping sites for their construction waste and metal scraps.

The Palestinian Authority stands idle, with no enforced accountability measures in place. A couple of signs here and there warn against dumping waste, but no penalties are ever levied. Ironically, the signs themselves are surrounded with the concrete and rubble waste they forbid.

I found myself caught between Israels political grabbing of our land and the Palestinian Authoritys disregard for its protection. While resisting the Israeli theft of the land is an ongoing and difficult process, accountability measures by the Palestinian Authority would help protect what is left.

Palestinian architects and planners also have the social responsibility to expose and fight the destruction of the landscape. As a Palestinian architect and planner, and as a nature lover, I decided to take matters into my own hands and instagrab the landscape, hoping to shed some light on the matter.

This article was first published in Jadaliyya.

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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Conservators gather at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization on Monday to celebrate their work and achievements protecting the countrys antiquities

Egyptian Conservators gathered on 16 May at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in celebration of their achievements, which highlighted the works that they have carried out and the role they play in protecting the countrys heritage.

Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany inaugurated the day with a speech describing conservators as the "unknown soldiers" of antiquities and the "protectors of civilisation."

The minister called on those attending to document their work before and after conservation so that it would be possible to see their achievements as well as to use as a reference point in case of any accidental damaged.

El-Enany honoured 15 skillful conservators for their distinguished contribution to Egyptian history.

Among the honoraries were Fatma Helmy, head of the conservation department in the Faculty of Archaeology at Cairo University and Shawqi Nakhla, former head of the restoration department at the antiquities ministry.

Fathy Al-Ahmady, the head of the media committee for the event, said selecting the 15 people was a difficult task due to the large number of conservators with great skills and achievements, both practical and academic.

Meanwhile, Moataz Al-Husseiny, information officer at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, announced the launch of a Youtube channel called "Egyptian Conservators," as well as a quarterly journal by the same name.

Chairs Dezzi Bardeschi, the cultural programme coordinator at the UNWSCO Egypt office told Ahram Online that using state-of-the-art technology in conservation and providing developed techniques in restoring antiquities is very important for conservators in their direct relation with the authentic objects.

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Tuesday, 17 May 2016 23:44:01 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo

Brazilian refractory materials producer Magnesita Refratarios reverted a $9.3 million net loss in Q1 2015 and posted a $22.7 million net profit in Q1 2016, the company said.





Magnesitas net operating revenues in Q1 declined 16.7 percent, year-on-year, to $234 million due to lower sales volumes.





The companys gross profit in Q1 diminished 16.04 percent, year-on-year, to $78.5 million, while gross margin remained stable at 33.6 percent, a similar level when compared to the 33.3 percent gross margin reported in Q1 2015.





Adjusted EBITDA in Q1 was $39.1 million, 20.7 percent down, year-on-year, while adjusted EBITDA margin declined to 16.7 percent in Q1 from 17.6 percent in the same quarter of the previous year.


Tuesday, 17 May 2016 16:58:51 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

The Colombian Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (MINCIT) has announced that it has imposed antidumping (AD) duty on imports of wire rod of iron or non-alloy steel or other alloy steel, of circular cross section diameter less than 14 millimeters, with a carbon content less than 0.45 percent by weight, from China.

According to MINCIT, the antidumping duty is valid for a period of five years and consists of a value corresponding to the difference between the FOB base price of $419/mt and the FOB price declared by the importer, if the latter is less than the base price.

The products subject to the antidumping duties currently fall under Customs Tariff Statistics Position Numbers 7213.91.90.10, 7213.91.10.10, 7227.90.00.11 and 7227.90.00.90.
Tuesday, 17 May 2016 10:05:04 (GMT+3) | Shanghai

In the January-April period this year, non-financial foreign direct investment (FDI) by Chinese companies totaled RMB 391.45 billion ($60.08 billion), up 71.8 percent year on year, as announced by China 's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on May 16.





In the January-April period this year, 1,401 foreign projects were contracted by Chinese companies in 60 countries along the One Belt, One Road area, with a value of $31.12 billion, up 58.9 percent year on year, accounting for 53 percent of the total value of new foreign projects contracted by Chinese companies in the given period.
Meanwhile, Pakistan 's iron and steel imports in March amounted to 341,754 mt, up 17.8 percent on month-on-month basis and rising by 68.8 percent compared to the same month of the previous year. In the given month, the value of Pakistan 's iron and steel imports was $189.3 million, increasing by 12.6 percent month on month and up 36.2 percent year on year.
According to the preliminary data released by Statistics South Africa (SSA), in March this year South Africa 's manufacturing output decreased by two percent compared to the same month last year.

In March, the production of basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery decreased by 7.4 percent on year-on-year basis. In the given month, the production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa fell by 6.7 percent, while the production of structural metal products decreased by 12.5 percent, both on year-on-year basis. As compared with February, in March this year the production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa decreased by 3.6 percent and production of structural metal products grew by 0.4 percent.
Tuesday, 17 May 2016 17:23:23 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

According to the data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), in March this year Turkey's wire rod exports decreased by one percent year on year to 74,123 metric tons, down five percent compared to the previous month. The revenue from these exports amounted to $24.83 million, down 5.1 percent month on month and falling 29 percent compared to the same month of the previous year.

In the January-March period of this year, Turkey's wire rod exports amounted to 222,759 mt, rising by 2.5 percent, while the value of these exports decreased by 30.4 percent to $75.2 million, both year on year.

In the given period, Turkey's largest wire rod export destination was Egypt which received 59,640 metric tons. Egypt was followed by Israel with 45,439 metric tons and the US with 24,566 metric tons.

Turkey's main wire rod export destinations in January-March:

Country Amount (mt) January- March 2016 January- March 2015 Y-o-y change (%) March 2016 March 2015 Y-o-y change (%) Egypt 59,640 2,751 - 10,547 - - Israel 45,439 65,017 -30.11 15,938 19,357 -17.66 USA 24,566 60,455 -59.36 2,183 18,237 -88.03 Libya 14,525 11,860 22.47 2,733 7,706 -64.53 Chile 14,240 - - 6,750 - - Morocco 11,712 198 - - - - Iraq 8,978 8,610 4.27 3,747 4,482 -16.40

Turkey's main wire rod export destinations on country basis in the first three months of the current year are presented in the chart below:
During a press conference held in Cannes, the president of Luxor African Film Festival announced the details of the 6th edition to be held in March 2017

At Cannes Film Festival in the Egyptian pavilion, the president of Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) Sayed Fouad announced that Morocco, and director Spike Lee, would be the sixth editions guests of honour.

During the festivals next edition there will also be tributes to actress Nelly Karim, late director Yousry Nasrallah, and Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, according to Fouad.

During the announcement, Fouad said that Moroccos high quality and extensive film production widely supports African cinema.

A special tribute will spotlight Egyptian actress Nelly Karim for her distinctive work tackling important issues, including her role in the film Clash, currently featured in Cannes Un Certain Regard section.

Renowned Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah will also have a tribute in his name, and LAFF will also feature a tribute to Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, honouring his works that have contributed to globally raising the standards of African cinema.

Renowned director Spike Lee will be the festivals guest of honour for his interest and support of African humanitarian issues.

As announced by Attiea Dardeer, the head of the LAFF viewing committee, the Egyptian festival will continue its collaboration with Cannes by holding screenings of the French festivals short films competition.

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Tuesday, 17 May 2016 10:25:21 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

SteelOrbis has been informed that Taiwanese steel mill FengHsin Steel's local rebar prices are at NTD 13,700-13,800/mt ($420-423/mt) ex-works.$1 = NTD 32.62
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
Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on Tuesday welcomed at the Victoria Palace Republic of Cyprus Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, who is paying an official visit to Romania, informs a Government release to Agerpres. According to the release, the two officials hailed "the traditional friendly relations between Romania and Cyprus, at state and government level, and underscored the need to consolidate them through a steady cooperation, both on bilateral and EU level, and on foreign level."

Moreover, during the meeting they also discussed cooperation in the energy area "from the perspective of the development potential, through the establishment of the general cooperation framework and the creation of favourable conditions for promoting energy efficiency, energy and renewable sources preservation." "With regard to the perspective of exploring natural gas and capitalising on the gas deposits discovered in the Republic of Cyprus exclusive economic zone, the Prime Minister reiterated Romania's availability to support the training of specialists in this area," the cited release also reads.
Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on Tuesday proposed Vlad Voiculescu for taking over as Health Minister, and the latter accepted, official sources told Agerpres.
(Beijing)  The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world's biggest bank in terms of assets, is expected to name its president and vice chairman, Yi Huiman, to succeed its outgoing chairman Jiang Jianqing, bank employees said.

Officials from the ruling Communist Party's personnel department appointed Yi as the bank's Party Secretary to replace Jiang on May 16, an arrangement that sealed his candidacy for the top position, the sources said.

Yi, 52, is the only candidate for the position that has been held by Jiang for 16 years, the employees said. The appointment needs to be approved by the bank's board of directors and is expected to be made public soon, they said.

Yi joined the bank in 1985 and worked his way up while serving in various positions for over three decades. Yi's experience working as an ordinary clerk gave him a better understanding of what is happening at the grassroots level, said a former colleague, who worked as a middle-level manager at ICBC.

Yi was "in the prime of his life, familiar with the business and daring in his management style, said Yang Kaisheng, a former president of the bank, in March.

ICBC's assets stood at 22.2 trillion yuan at the end of 2015, exceeding the second largest bank in the world, China Construction Bank, by nearly 4 trillion yuan, according to the annual financial statements of the two banks.

Jiang has been tapped by the central government to lead the preparation work to establish a multilateral lender to finance trade and investment projects in Central and Eastern Europe, people with knowledge of the arrangement said.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed to set up this company in November at a conference where he met with representatives from 16 Central and Eastern European countries. It would help reduce the cost of loans to projects in these countries and remove the need for governments to vouch for commercial deals, he said.

ICBC will be a lead investor in this firm and two policy lenders, China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China, will play a supplementary role, sources familiar with the arrangement said.

There is no timetable as to when the new venture may be launched.

(Rewritten by Wang Yuqian)
Sherpa, developer of a customer relationship management software program, will move its office from University City to the Midtown Alley area in St. Louis.

The company is remodeling the building at 3030 Locust Street, which it is scheduled to occupy this summer. Sherpa is based now at the Gatesworth Manor, in University City.

After its $600,000 renovation, the company's office on Locust will have a climbing wall, a zen room, a rooftop deck and movable work pods that will allow employees to redo their space. Sherpa has 15 software engineers and developers, data analysts and technical support staffers.

David Smith, a Sherpa founder, is a co-developer of the Gatesworth Communities. He said in a statement that Sherpa is a real leap in the use of technology to foster empathy and build emotional intelligence.

Sherpa's first test market is senior housing but can be applied to many business sectors, officials said. The company is a project of Smith and Alexandra Fisher, Sherpa's chief creative officer.

The senior housing industry was a logical choice to test our proof of concept for Sherpa, since we know the industry well," Smith said. "Utilizing Sherpa, sales counselors help prospective residents confront the fear that often accompanies decisions about moving into senior housing."
WASHINGTON  Ah, our nation's recession-proof capital, where the preferred commodity is influence.

Downtown and the National Mallthe heart of the federal bureaucracyare busy day and night. There was a time when downtown emptied out at 5 p.m. No more.

In addition, the city is gorgeous. From downtown to Capitol Hill to DuPont Circle, the spotlessly clean city bustles around the clock. Outside the White House, DC cops and uniformed Secret Service agents, some on bikes, produce a heavy police presence within the throng of tourists.

No surprise that the District of Columbia is a pricey place to live. Trulia reports a median home sale price of $545,000 last month and a median rent of $3,000. Desirable property is hard to find, resulting in part from scarcity and foreigners investing in second homes, according to reports.

Within all this hubbub, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy last week held its annual forum for about 50 journalists, writers and others who cover urban issues. Municipal finance was the topic of this year's forum.

George "Mac" McCarthy, Lincoln's president and CEO, moved the forum to Washington from its traditional base at Lincoln House, the institute's Harvard Square home in Cambridge.

At the forum's opening reception, James Surowiecki spoke without notes for more than an hour about the nation's infrastructure problems, the topic of his New Yorker column this week. Surowiecki, a bundle of fidgety energy, stuck around the next day to listen to many of the panel discussions.

The best might have been the one put on by Oklahoma City's mayor, Mick Cornett, and Rep. Dan Kildee, a Michigan Democrat whose congressional district includes Flint. What a contrast: Fast-growing OKC, which is annexing across the prairie, and Flint, the former auto industry company town where corrosive Flint River water removes lead from the city's old service lines and pours it into residents' homes.

Flint's water woes and Detroit's continuing fiscal problems got much of the forum's attention. St. Louisoften grouped with Detroit and other struggling rust belt citiesearned one mention, that of a rebounding city. A few attendees wanted to know more about the NGA's decision to keep its spy agency headquarters in St. Louis.

Every respectable forum has a dinner and a speaker. For its dinner speaker, the Lincoln Institute brought in voluble Tom Ashbrook, host of NPR's On Point public affairs program.

Keeping the forum on schedule each year is the job of Anthony Flint, an author, institute fellow and its director of public affairs. Anyone who wants to know more about urban sprawl, Jane Jacobs, Robert Moses or Le Corbusier may pick up Flint's books.
Plans are progressing to put town houses on the lot where pizza lovers parked, then walked across North Sarah Street to get a hot pie at Rossino's.

The restaurant in St. Louis' Central West End closed in 2006 after more than 50 years in business.

Now comes Lawrence Group, which just bought what had been Rossino's parking lot and the adjoining vacant lot to the south. The site is at North Sarah and West Pine Boulevard.

Planned are 13 for-sale town houses in three buildings. Lawrence Group has designed the project with one row of attached town houses facing West Pine. The two other buildings would face each other across small, city-sized yards. Parking would be in garages beneath the town houses off the alley on the north side of the site and a lane off North Sarah.

Steve Smith, Lawrence Group's chief executive, said he hopes construction can begin this fall. He said that getting a sufficient number of presales will determine the precise start date.

Lawrence Group already is in the neighborhood. Just north of the town house project site, at Sarah and Lindell Boulevard, is the company's recently completed renovation of a 1950s office building. The three-story building has apartments and a bank in a structure designed by architect Gyo Obata for business machine maker Remington Rand.
The vacant Citizens Savings and Loan Association building, a cylindrical structure in East Alton, is among this year's most endangered historic buildings in Illinois.

So says Landmarks Illinois, the historic preservation advocacy group that each year puts out a list of notable buildings suffering neglect and lack of money to keep them up. The group said Wednesday that most buildings on the 2016 list are owned by municipalities or institutions.

The Citizens Savings building, a mid-century modern marvel from the 1960s, has been vacant for years. The three-story building sits in a hillside cutout. A suspension bridge over what had been a reflecting pool leads to the front door.

Years of neglect and vandalism have had a big effect. Landmarks says a private owner donated the building last year to the village of East Alton.

Demolition was likely but Landmarks says village officials are receptive to working with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and others to see if the building can be reused.
Imitation isnt necessarily flattery.

In proposing standards for construction in St. Louis local historic districts, the citys guardian of its architectural heritage says in a new report that 21st-century modernity and 19th-century stateliness can coexist side by side.

Put another way, compatibility differs from comparability, said Betsy Bradley, director of the citys Cultural Resources Office.

Compatible buildings can  and should  be different than their neighbors in historic districts, she wrote. They do not have to be replicative or dominantly comparable to be compatible.

Fostering new buildings of good design and construction that respect nearby historic buildings is the reports goal. The new standards would make most of the citys historic districts more than museum pieces by permitting examples of modern architecture.

Members of the citys Preservation Board, which oversees projects in historic districts, at times have lengthy discussions over whether to approve construction plans. The board has approved a few modern designs in recent years but Bradleys recommendations would establish more formal guidelines.

Bradley presented her report to the Preservation Board at its monthly meeting in February. The board is scheduled to consider it at its next meeting, on March 21.

Her eight-page report grew out of a discussion she had in November 2014 with a group of architects. Further talks led Bradley to conclude the citys 17 historic districts can accept modern buildings that respect the past and convey a sense of vibrancy and authentic change.

I wanted to broaden the conversation and  that led me finally to the report, she said in an interview.

Jessica Deem is one of two St. Louis architects who volunteered their time to advise Bradley in her report. Deem, director of sustainability at Killeen Studio Architects, noted that some of the citys historic districts already encompass varied building styles that arose as the areas developed.

Federal-style houses next to Second Empire-style near plain St. Louis-style flounders distinctive for their street-facing, right-triangle roof lines  are viewed now as good neighbors built years apart as the city grew and remade itself block by block. A common trait is that the structures were built to last.

Historic districts wouldnt exist if people who had built them didnt use durable materials, employ skilled craftsmen and use the latest technology of their day, Deem said.

She said new buildings allowed in historic districts should be of similar durability and constructed with the latest energy efficiencies.

It were going to add infill to our historic districts, it should be compatible with durability of materials in addition to being attractive, Deem said.

Bradleys report is out weeks before she retires. Shes headed the citys Cultural Resources Office since 2011.

She said that among the reasons for revising her thinking about allowable design is recognition that not all matters of compatibility are visual and that quality of construction and materials are key.

Suburban design themes should be kept out of the citys historic zones, Bradley said. Those include cul-de-sacs with individual driveways to residences front-facing garages. Allowed sparingly would be exteriors of fiber-cement siding.

Bradley studied Denver, Philadelphia and other cities to come up with a St. Louis-specific balance between forcing builders to duplicate historic structures and allowing them to push modern designs.

MORE VARIETY

Andrew Weil, executive director of the Landmarks Association of St. Louis, said Bradleys report is on the right track.

Some of the old standards were standing in the way of people who want to have good, contemporary modern design, he said.

Innovative approaches by developers to projects in historic areas show significant demand for construction on vacant lots, Weil said. Growing nationwide is a belief by architects and city planners that good contemporary designs can co-exist with and complement historic architecture, he added.

Embedded in that belief is the truth that architecture is a cultural expression and needs to be allowed to evolve, Weil said.

The new standards effect could vary by historic district. In the Central West End, for example, the Preservation Board already is approving modern versions of old buildings. Little would change in Soulard and Lafayette Square because ordinances require new construction to mimic those neighborhoods old buildings.

In other historic districts where most buildings appear much alike, architects would have opportunities to design newcomers that are more of a punctuation point to old streetscapes, Bradleys report said. More abstract designs should pass a first-glance test to show they refer to their old neighbors, the report added.

Bradley said the standards could lead to more variety in some areas, including Benton Park and the North I-44 historic district, where vacant lots mix with flats and single-family homes.

Urban Improvement Co., or UIC, has several redevelopment projects in the Botanical Heights part of the North I-44 district. Brent Crittenden, UICs chief executive and managing principal, disapproves of the reports squint test to see if contemporary buildings pass initial review. He advocates a bigger role for design professionals on the Preservation Board.

I think (design approvals) have to be objective, Crittenden said.

By ordinance, five of the boards nine members must be real estate brokers, architects or other design professionals. The boards current makeup includes a real estate lawyer, an engineer, a real estate broker, an architectural historian and three people with architecture degrees.

Developer Jeff Winzerling said he believes the new standards, if adopted by the Preservation Board, will have little effect. He noted that the board already has approved contemporary residential projects within the Central West Ends historic districts.

In areas where historic models are not required, the board has been open to compatible buildings all along, said Winzerling, president of Universatile Development.

He said board members tend to go with their gut.

Its understandable that the city would want to create rules and standards around what is essentially an aesthetic decision, but the Preservation Board usually seems to know what feels right, he added.

Winzerling, who attended the boards meeting Feb. 22, said Bradley tried to make the case for allowing worthy additions to historic districts.

Good design always trumps, he said. The best designs are going to be the ones able to push the compatibility envelope and still make sense.
Hardee's departure from downtown St. Louis might ding civic pride but won't cost the city a lot of jobs.

CKE Restaurants Inc., parent of the Hardee's and Carl's Jr. burger chains, said Tuesday about 75 employees will vacate the Hardee's HQ at 100 North Broadway.

A similar number will relocate from Carl's Jr's. home office in Carpinteria, Calif., near Santa Barbara, early next year when CKE consolidates its burger operations in the Nashville, Tenn., area, the company said.

CKE declined to comment on news reports in Nashville that the headquarters will be in the suburban Cool Springs commercial area near Franklin, Tenn., south of Nashville.

The company has released a statement that said the headquarters consolidation is a result of CKE converting nearly all of its restaurants to franchise operations.

"Following our recent re-franchising initiative, over 90 percent of our restaurants are now franchise-owned, including the restaurants in St. Louis and Santa Barbara Counties that were formerly company-owned," the company said.

Andy Puzder, CKE's chief executive, had long considered relocating the burger chains' home offices.

CKE said in April it was considering moving Hardee's to Nashville. The company's 10-year lease at 100 North Broadway expires in 2017. Hardee's occupies floors 11 and 12 at the 22-story building.

Hardee's moved to St. Louis in 2001, when Puzderwho has a law degree from Washington Universitypulled the burger chain's headquarters out of Rocky Mount, N.C.
A restaurant, maybe a bit of office space and as many as 90 market-rate apartments are planned for the 900 block of Locust Street in downtown St. Louis.

TWG Development of Indianapolis recently bought four adjoining buildings on the block for about $1.2 million from Urban Street Group of Chicago.

Tony Knoble, TWG's president, said Monday the company plans to retain the buildings' historic character. The developer has had some preliminary talks with St. Louis officials about the project and plans to use state and federal historic preservation tax credits to help finance the work. TWG is an experienced redeveloper of old buildings.

Urban Street Group had considered an apartment project on Locust but instead sold the four buildings to the company from Indianapolis. The buildings are part of a portfolio of downtown buildings Urban Street bought in 2012 from businessmen brothers Mike and Steve Roberts.

The Chicago company completed as apartments the Roberts Towernow the Tower at OPOPand also kept the apartment building in the former St. Louis School Board headquarters. Urban Street sold the Roberts brothers' Mayfair Hotel, which was reborn as the Magnolia. The company still owns, for now, the Orpheum Theater but has shed its other buildings on Locust.

Knoble said TWG's plans are preliminary. Current thinking calls for 85 to 90 apartments, he said. What will happen to the small building at 10th and Locust has yet to be determined. Knoble said it will be rehabbed or replaced with a new building. He said he believes that corner is an excellent location for a restaurant.

If all the pieces fall in place, construction on the overall project could begin early next year, Knoble said.
Milton Friedman would be surprised by the number of business leaders speaking out on issues of gay and transgender rights.

The great economist famously argued that a businesss only social responsibility is to make more money, and his view dominated boardroom thinking for decades. Business leaders may have had private opinions about civil rights and other issues, but they kept quiet in public.

Now, that attitude seems as dated as the hats men wore in Friedmans day.

In North Carolina, PayPal and Deutsche Bank have canceled planned expansions because of a public restrooms law thats seen as discriminatory against transgender people. In Mississippi, corporations such as Nissan, IBM and Tyson Foods denounced a so-called religious freedom law as anti-gay.

A corporate outcry in Georgia convinced the governor to veto a bill similar to the Mississippi measure. Here in Missouri, more than 60 companies have publicly urged the Legislature not to pass a discriminatory bill of its own.

Opponents of the Missouri measure include Commerce Bank, Express Scripts, Monsanto and Nestle Purina. Nobodys threatening to pack up and leave, but they make clear that a law seen as discriminatory will be bad for business.

What has caused big business to abandon Friedmans principle? Lamar Pierce, associate professor of organization and strategy at Washington Universitys Olin Business School, thinks its the advent of social media and the 24-hour news cycle.

Because of the changing nature of media, its easier to get messages out very quickly, and its more important to get them out, Pierce says.

Activists can organize around an emerging social issue almost overnight, creating pressure for major employers to take a stand. If you dont say anything, it can be interpreted as tacit approval, and maybe your employees want to know where you are on this issue, says James Fisher, a professor of marketing at St. Louis University.

Indiana, which passed a religious freedom law last year and then amended it after sharp criticism from Apples Tim Cook and others, offers a case study on the effectiveness of corporate activism.

Researchers from Duke and Harvard universities conducted surveys in Indiana and concluded that an activist CEO can sway public opinion, while also making people more interested in buying the companys products.

These laws go against the opinions of the folks who matter most to these companies: their employees and their customers, Pierce says. They tend to be younger, higher-income and better educated than the population as a whole. It would be incredibly costly for them not to take a stand on this.

One cost, top executives fear, is that theyd have difficulty luring scientists, engineers and other skilled workers to a state with a reputation for discrimination.

The type of people the companies need to recruit have very different views on these issues than the average Missouri legislator, and they have lots of job options, Pierce said.

Activist CEOs do risk a backlash from consumers who disagree with them, and the Indiana surveys found that opponents of same-sex marriage viewed Apple products less favorably after reading about Cooks advocacy.

Business people weigh risks and rewards all the time, however. Some, including Cook, are taking a stand on an issue thats a matter of conscience for them.

Others have consulted their human resources and marketing departments and concluded that it would be costly to operate in a state that enacts discriminatory legislation.

Theyre speaking out on a social issue that will also affect their bottom line, which is reasoning even Milton Friedman would understand.
Ive been thinking about a lot about El Centro, Calif., lately.

Ive never visited the city, in the Imperial Valley 113 miles east of San Diego, but it shows up prominently in monthly Labor Department reports. As of March, its unemployment rate of 18.6 percent was the highest among the nations 387 metropolitan areas.

Jobs have long been scarce there  the jobless rate has been 12 percent or higher for at least 25 years  and Californias leaders seem to want to make things worse.

The states new $15-an-hour minimum wage, which will be fully phased in by 2022, can probably be absorbed in expensive cities such as San Francisco. But in poorer areas such as El Centro  and other agricultural hubs such as Bakersfield and Salinas  the wage increase is certain to be a job killer.

Why should St. Louisans care about a vegetable-growing city more than 1,700 miles away? Because, in some important ways, Missouri is more like El Centro than prosperous San Francisco. Activists are pushing for a $15 minimum wage in Missouri, too, although they acknowledged recently that 2018 is the earliest it would go on a statewide ballot.

To be sure, we dont suffer from double-digit unemployment here. The March jobless rate in metro St. Louis was just 4.7 percent. We do, however, have a low cost of living and relatively modest wages.

A $15 wage floor would be 88 percent of Missouris current median wage. Historically, the minimum has never been much more than half of the median, so the number of workers affected has been small.

The more ambitious figure would, in theory, give a many people a mandatory raise. In practice, many of them will lose their jobs or see their hours cut.

Missourians need to watch what happens in California, and particularly in low-wage parts of the state. More than half of all jobs in El Centro will be affected, for better or worse, by the new wage floor.

Michael Podgursky, a professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Columbia, expects young job-seekers to be hurt the most.

You cant repeal the laws of supply and demand, he said. What the market is telling you is that a lot of young people are not worth $15 an hour. They need work experience, and its going to be harder for them to get it.

New York, the second state to pass a $15 minimum wage, at least is taking regional differences into account. The $15 benchmark takes effect at the end of 2018 in New York City and 2021 in three suburban counties, but the minimum wage goes to only $12.50 by 2020 in the rest of the state.

Even $12.50 an hour, though, will be too much for some businesses in Buffalo or Utica, where the cost of living is one-fourth lower than in the Big Apple. The legislation allows New Yorks governor to push the upstate minimum wage to $15 eventually, too.

Supporters promote a $15 minimum wage as a way to reduce inequality, but, geographically speaking, it will have the opposite effect. Places like New York City and San Francisco will continue to thrive, while lower-cost cities see jobs disappear.

Here in Missouri, wed like to think we can lure jobs from states such as California and New York. If we give away our labor cost advantage, though, our similarities to El Centro and Buffalo may become painfully clear.
Hold onto your wallets. St. Louis. The convention consultants are back in town.

Their latest pitch is that we need to invest between $300 million and $500 million to upgrade and expand Americas Center. Chicago-based Johnson Consulting tells the Convention and Visitors Commission that it needs a bigger ballroom and a 50 percent increase in total meeting space. Renovations may even involve demolishing all or part of the domed stadium where the St. Louis Rams used to play.

The consultants say a major upgrade could buy us a 37 percent increase in convention business. If we do nothing, were doomed to a 14 percent decline.

If this sounds familiar, its because a different consultant made a similar argument back in 2000. If only we had a large headquarters hotel on Washington Avenue, a report said, St. Louis could expect an 85 percent increase in convention bookings within five years.

The surge in business didnt materialize, and in fact the convention center generates fewer room-nights for area hotels now (an average of 351,660 between 2011 and 2014) than it did in 1999 (434,486). The heavily subsidized headquarters hotel, now the Marriott Grand, went into foreclosure in 2009 and saddled bondholders with a big loss.

Are the new projections any more credible than the old ones? Heywood Sanders, a professor of public administration at the University of Texas San Antonio, has his doubts.

Sanders has a copy of a study done in the late 1980s, when St. Louis was contemplating adding the stadium that became the Edward Jones Dome. Like the 2000 study, it contemplated a big increase in convention attendance that never happened.

The problem was that other cities didnt stand still.

This business is overbuilt, says Sanders, who wrote a 2014 book called Convention Center Follies about the meeting-space race. You are competing in a national market in which every one of your competitors can do and is doing the same thing.

As the latest study points out, competing cities have continued to leapfrog St. Louis convention facilities. Nashville, Tenn., built a convention center in 2013. Denver expanded in 2004, Columbus, Ohio, in 2010, Indianapolis in 2011.

The Dome, built in 1995, is the newest part of Americas Center. Johnson Consulting says the complex is aging and in need of substantial capital improvements. New meeting halls elsewhere, it says, are snaring conventions that have outgrown St. Louis.

That part of the study rings true for Gary Andreas, a hotel analyst at H&H Financial in Chesterfield.

If St. Louis doesnt do something, they are going to sink down the food chain, he said. The pie out there isnt growing by leaps and bounds.

The convention business shrank during the recession and has begun growing modestly, but not fast enough to justify the building boom.

Sanders calculates that convention space nationwide has grown by 37 percent in the last 15 years. Even Las Vegas, he said, has had flat attendance despite doubling its convention hall in 2002.

So whats St. Louis to do? For starters, Sanders advises, be skeptical of the consultants projections. The story never changes, he says. Just build some more and youll get an increase in business. Why should we take it at face value in the face of this history of poor forecasting?

The aging Americas Center may indeed be due for some upgrades. A decision to spend $500 million, though, should be based on more than an optimistic consultants report.
Capital Innovators is moving from downtown to the CIC@4240 building in the Central West End, where it will share space with marketing-services company Maritz Holdings.

Capital Innovators, a fund that invests in and develops early-stage companies, also announced Monday that it has selected six companies for its spring accelerator class. Four of the firms are based in the St. Louis area, one is from New York and the other is from Virginia.

Maritz, based in Fenton, is co-leasing the CIC@4240 space with Capital Innovators for four years. Maritz employees will act as mentors for the entrepreneurs in the accelerator program, and Maritz President Dennis Hummel said his company expects to benefit from "a continuous stream of new ways to solve our clients problems."

Judy Sindecuse, chief executive of Capital Innovators, said she hopes the partnership "will start a corporate mentorship movement within the start-up community and beyond.

For the next 12 weeks, the mentors will be focusing on businesses ranging from organic pet food to artificial intelligence. Capital Innovators invests $50,000 in each portfolio company.

Its latest six investments are:

BenMedica, a St. Louis startup that provides doctors with drug-price information to help them control the cost for patients.

a St. Louis startup that provides doctors with drug-price information to help them control the cost for patients. FoodShare, an app in which participating restaurants donate a meal to charity whenever a diner posts a comment or photo from the restaurant. The company was founded by Washington University students.

an app in which participating restaurants donate a meal to charity whenever a diner posts a comment or photo from the restaurant. The company was founded by Washington University students. MojiLab, a New York company that creates short-form visual content for brands to use on social media and messaging platforms.

a New York company that creates short-form visual content for brands to use on social media and messaging platforms. QuantiModo, a Glen Carbon firm that analyzes data from life-tracking apps and wearable devices to develop new treatments for chronic illnesses.

a Glen Carbon firm that analyzes data from life-tracking apps and wearable devices to develop new treatments for chronic illnesses. Riley's Organics, a St. Louis maker of organic dog treats.

a St. Louis maker of organic dog treats. Semantix, a Gainesville, Va., startup developing new search and question-answering technologies.

Capital Innovators has been based in the T-Rex incubator downtown since it selected its first group of companies in 2011.
David Nicklaus David Nicklaus is a business columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow David Nicklaus 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

In some quarters, the battle over the city earnings tax is being framed as a Tea Party-style fight against big government.

It shouldnt be. Instead, we should be debating the most efficient way to fund local services. Whether you think of the folks at City Hall as sainted public servants or a bloated bureaucracy, you should want to pay their expenses with a tax system that does as little damage as possible to the local economy.

Thats not the earnings tax. It encourages companies and residents to leave the city for the suburbs, weakening the region by leaving it without a strong center. Even Mayor Francis Slay, certainly no right-wing bomb-thrower, testified last week that the tax is a disincentive to some residents and businesses.

The 1 percent earnings tax is under attack in the Missouri Legislature. A related tax, the half-percent payroll tax, has been challenged in court. St. Louis voters have a say on April 5, when they vote to either keep the earnings tax or phase it out over 10 years.

Wealthy activist Rex Sinquefield has contributed $1.4 million to an anti-earnings-tax political committee, so we can expect to see TV ads on the subject soon. Lets hope they explain how the earnings tax could be replaced.

Howard Wall, a Lindenwood University economist, says one alternative is higher property taxes. In a 2014 study for the Sinquefield-funded Show-Me Institute, he pointed out that St. Louis heavy reliance on wage taxes is unusual.

The typical U.S. city gets 17 times as much revenue from taxing property as from taxing work; here, property taxes bring in less than half as much as the earnings tax.

St. Louis also might be able to extract some revenue from its large nonprofit institutions. These universities and hospitals depend on city services but dont pay property taxes. Boston and other cities have negotiated payments from their big nonprofits; St. Louis could try to do the same. Eliminating the 1 percent earnings tax should make it easier for these institutions to attract and retain employees; wouldnt they pay something to make the tax go away?

City residents and leaders tend to defend the earnings tax on us-vs.-them grounds. They say they need to tax suburbanites who commute to work in St. Louis, because those commuters rely on city police and other services.

A property tax, Wall points out, does much the same thing. In other cities, an employer who owns a large office building pays enough to cover the city services used by the buildings workers.

In St. Louis, the tendency has been to abate property taxes in hopes of keeping jobs  and earnings tax revenue  in the city. Jobs have left anyway, and in recent years the city has handed special payroll-tax breaks to companies such as Anthem and Wells Fargo Advisors.

Those deals add a new level of unfairness to a tax that was already a slow-motion disaster for the city. Its hard to explain to a fast-food worker that the city needs 1 percent of her wages but can forgo part of the same revenue from a well-paid investment banker or insurance executive.

So lets not debate whether the city needs the $160 million a year it gets from the earnings tax. Clearly it does.

Lets talk instead about fairer and more efficient ways to fund city services. Five years ago, the last time voters considered the earnings-tax issue, St. Louis officials promised to study some alternatives. Its high time we learn what those alternatives are.
MedAware Solutions, a new St. Louis information technology company, thinks software developed for the military can help health-care workers communicate better.

BioGenerator, an investor in early-stage life-sciences companies, announced Tuesday that it is backing MedAware. The money comes from BioGenerator's pre-seed fund, which makes investments of between $25,000 and $100,000.

MedAware has raised a total of $2.2 million and is headed by Jeff Garibaldi, a former marketing executive at Stereotaxis and Daugherty Business Solutions.

MedAware's mobile software is based on a situational-awareness platform that Coolfire Solutions developed for the military. Coolfire is a media and software firm based in downtown St. Louis.

The software lets health-care professionals obtain information and collaborate using mobile devices. According to MedAware's website, the information that can be shared includes voice messages, video, photos, text messages, diagnostic images and lab results.
If the hotel and taxi industries can be disrupted, John Hamer figures, so can Monsanto.

Hamers job as managing director of Monsanto Growth Ventures is to see the disruptors coming. Since he joined the company in 2012, Monsanto has stepped up its venture-capital investments in hopes that it will know about, and partner with, whoever becomes the Uber of agriculture.

Airbnb was two guys and a computer, and they disrupted the whole hotel value chain, Hamer says. Those kinds of disruptions are coming faster and faster, so theres an urgency that Monsanto remain agile, able to recognize the next opportunity and grow that opportunity.

Monsanto isnt alone in using its money to gain an understanding of emerging technology. According to the National Venture Capital Association, corporate venture-capital arms invested $7.6 billion last year. They were involved in 20.7 percent of all venture deals, up from 7.5 percent in 1995.

It also isnt alone in betting on agriculture startups. Ag attracted $4.6 billion of venture capital last year, up from $900 million two years earlier.

Monsanto is at least partly responsible for that boom. Its $930 million acquisition of Climate Corp. in 2013 breathed life into the sector, according to investment-tracking firm AgFunder. If hyperlocal weather data could transform farming, investors realized, so could many other technologies.

Monsanto enters each investment with two objectives: Make money and develop technology that can enhance its own product line. We have to make sure the company we are investing in can be transformative for agriculture and can fit with Monsantos strategy, Hamer explains.

In January, Monsanto released details of its venture portfolio for the first time. It disclosed 11 investments, ranging from a farm-management software company in Tallinn, Estonia, to a developer of biofungicides in Durham, N.C.

Hamer says Monsanto typically puts low single-digit millions into each company and takes a board seat. It invests with a two- to five-year horizon, providing technical help in the early years and eventually hoping to license the technology, form a joint venture or even acquire the business.

Most of the 11 investments fit in two groups: digital agriculture startups, which use data to manage irrigation, fertilizer use or other aspects of farming; and biological solutions, companies working on natural ways to control pests or make crops productive.

Hamer is based in San Francisco, but Monsanto Growth Ventures also has a St. Louis office. So far, its only investment here is in Arvegenix, a Creve Coeur company developing a plant called pennycress as an oilseed crop.

Ryan Rakestraw, a principal in the St. Louis office, expects to find more investment prospects close to home.

There are a half-dozen or more ag-tech companies, early-stage ones, in the St. Louis area that Im pretty excited about, he said. I think St. Louis has the capacity to support five or 10 times that number of high-quality ag-tech startups.

Ultimately, though, Monsanto is more concerned about technology than geography. Its first 11 investments are in six U.S. states and two European countries.

Wherever he finds the future, Hamer says, his overriding goal is to make it arrive more quickly. Hes hopeful that the next big thing is already in Monsantos portfolio, but if its not, he wants to put it there.

We want to be around the boardroom table when we learn the technology works, he says. We dont want to read about it somewhere.
Missouri Treasurer Clint Zweifel and the Missouri Bankers Association are evaluating the way personal finance is taught in the state's high schools, and they may have reason to be concerned.

Missourians' scores ranked dead last on an online financial literacy quiz administered by WalletHub, a personal finance website. The 30 questions range from basics like compound interest and car insurance to complex matters like how credit scores are determined.

WalletHub did give Missourians credit for better scores on other quizzes like FINRA's five-question version, and for objective measures like high-school graduation rates and ownership of bank accounts. Still, when WalletHub compiled a composite ranking of financial literacy, Missouri ranked 45th among the states.

Zweifel's initiative, then, sounds timely. Missouri has required high-school students to take a personal finance class since 2006, but the treasurer thinks the curriculum needs an overhaul.

"So much has changed in that field of study over the last decade that parts of the current curriculum for personal finance are irrelevant and out of date, or worse, they ignore recent developments for consumers such as alternative lending methods," Zweifel said in a recent news release.

He and the bankers group are enlisting the help of educators and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis to update the curriculum and improve teacher education. However, Zweifel complained in a recent letter to the editor that a 2014 Missouri law created a "virtually insurmountable process" for changing education standards.
David Nicklaus David Nicklaus is a business columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow David Nicklaus 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

If you get financial advice from a broker, check his or her record.

Thats always been a good idea, but a new study on broker misconduct reinforces the importance of being a well-informed client. The study, by professors from the University of Chicago and University of Minnesota, contains some shocking data about how many brokers have a checkered past.

The financial industry says the numbers are misleading, and well get to that argument in a moment. For the average investor, the important takeaway is that you can learn a lot about the person youre dealing with by visiting BrokerCheck, a site operated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

The professors downloaded 1.2 million BrokerCheck profiles and looked for disciplinary events, customer disputes and other serious financial matters. They found that 7 percent of all brokers had a record of misconduct, and the number was as high as 20 percent at one firm, Oppenheimer.

The authors dont list numbers for every firm, but their top 10 list includes two firms based in St. Louis: 13.3 percent of Stifel Nicolaus brokers had a misconduct record, as did 15.3 percent of brokers at Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network. (The latter is a division that clears trades for independent advisers and doesnt reflect the record of the larger Wells Fargo Advisors.)

The blemish rate is far lower at some of the nations biggest financial firms  just 0.8 percent at Morgan Stanley and 0.9 percent at Goldman Sachs, for example.

Half of advisers who engage in misconduct lose their jobs, but 44 percent of those who are fired end up re-employed in the industry. Firms that are most likely to hire brokers with blemished records are also least likely to fire their own people, leading the authors to conclude that some firms specialize in misconduct.

Firms seem to be very good at firing people for misconduct, explains Gregor Matvos, an associate professor of finance at the University of Chicago and one of the authors. But the industry seems to be good at hiring them, too.

Stifel declined to comment on the study. Wells Fargo Advisors issued a statement saying it was examining the findings and has always been highly selective in its adviser recruiting.

SIFMA, an industry group, issued a stronger rebuttal of the study. It said the report overstates the level of relevant misconduct, and fails to properly explain the process for broker discipline.

An article on SIFMAs website notes that 60 percent of customer complaints end in settlements, often because its cheaper for a firm to settle a complaint than to fight it. Settlements show up on a brokers record even if there was no finding of fault.

I showed the study to two local lawyers, both former Missouri securities commissioners and strong advocates for protecting investors. Matt Kitzi of Armstrong Teasdale and David Cosgrove of Cosgrove Law Group agreed with SIFMAs critique.

The disclosure requirements for the industry are pretty broad and capture a lot of activity, Kitzi said. I cant imagine that any firm would specialize in misconduct.

I think youll find that some of the specific instances theyre lumping under misconduct are not misconduct at all, Cosgrove said. Most firms do not take lightly hiring anyone with any sort of scar on their record.

Still, he adds, every investor should search BrokerCheck once in a while. If you see anything you dont understand, call your broker and start asking questions.
In a remarkable case of predator becoming prey, Monsanto is being discussed as a target of the takeover wave it helped spark a year ago.

Before Monsanto made a run at Swiss company Syngenta, the world of corporate agriculture looked stable. Six seed and crop-chemical firms competed globally, but none was big enough to be dominant.

Syngenta rejected Monsantos $45 billion offer last June, but the industrys equilibrium clearly had been shaken. In December, Dow Chemical and DuPont agreed to combine their ag businesses to create a clear No. 1 player. By February, Syngenta would sell itself to a state-owned Chinese company.

That left Monsanto and two German companies, Bayer and BASF, eyeing one another warily. They reportedly talked about joint ventures and other deals but couldnt agree on anything. Now, according to published reports, both Bayer and BASF have considered making bids for Monsanto.

The thought of Monsanto being bought should frighten anyone whos concerned about the St. Louis economy. Not only is this one of our largest corporate headquarters, its also one that has considerable growth potential.

So, we have to hope this latest takeover frenzy is just talk. Jeffrey Stafford, an analyst at Morningstar in Chicago, thinks theres a good chance that nothing will happen.

I think they see themselves as an acquirer, he said of Monsantos management. I dont think they would see themselves as just a division of a larger German chemical conglomerate.

Bayer or BASF could make a hostile bid, but Stafford thinks the price tag will give them pause.

Based on the pricing of the Syngenta deal, and accounting for Monsantos growth potential, he thinks the board would hold out for at least $120 a share, or $52 billion. The stock closed Thursday at $97.92.

Bayers market capitalization is about $90 billion; BASFs is $70 billion. Absorbing Monsanto would require a lot of debt or a considerable amount of share dilution, either of which would be out of character for the conservatively managed German businesses.

Well see, said Stafford. If Bayer can offer a really nice price for Monsanto, maybe management might reconsider. Im not sure the price is going to be high enough.

For longtime Monsanto watchers, this takeover talk creates flashbacks to 1999, when Monsanto was bought by drugmaker Pharmacia & Upjohn. Pfizer later acquired Pharmacia and didnt want the agriculture business, so it spun Monsanto off as an independent company.

The old Monsanto was in play largely for two reasons: It made the blockbuster drug Celebrex, which bigger companies coveted, and it had invested billions of dollars building its seed business, which was slow to pay off.

The new Monsanto, by contrast, can deal from a position of strength.

Its seed traits are in 80 percent of the corn and 90 percent of the soybeans grown in the U.S., and it has new products that should keep revenue growing for years.

Stafford thinks the company can do just fine on its own. Thats maybe one of the misconceptions out there that these companies need to consolidate, he said. I dont think things are so bad in the ag industry, and the long-term growth products are intact.

Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant has made similar comments. On April 6, he told analysts that the company was focusing on research and on commercialization deals and would no longer see large-scale M&A as a likely opportunity.

You can take that as a no to overtures from Bayer, BASF or any other big player. For St. Louis sake, lets hope he sticks to that answer.
The financial advice industry is about to go through its biggest regulatory change in decades, but many retirement savers may not even notice.

When a new Labor Department regulation takes full effect in 2018, Americans with Individual Retirement Accounts and 401(k) plans will finally get the unbiased advice they think theyve had all along.

Under the existing rules, they werent always getting that. As long as an investment was broadly suitable, many investors got the product that was most profitable for the broker instead of the one that was best for them.

That has to end under final rules published Wednesday by the Labor Department. The rules require retirement-account advisers to act as fiduciaries, which means they must always act in the clients best interest.

The final rules make some concessions to the financial industry, which fought the fiduciary standard for years. The Labor Department gave firms longer to comply, and it eased some disclosure and paperwork requirements.

Still, some firms traditional business models face a big challenge. High-commission annuity sales and kickbacks from mutual funds will be allowed, but they must be justified under the best-interests standard.

That may be difficult  or, at any rate, the higher standard may make firms compliance departments nervous. Michael Wong, an analyst at Morningstar, says at least $2.4 billion of revenue is at risk.

That includes commissions and surrender fees on variable annuities and fixed-index annuities, commissions on alternative assets like hedge funds, and revenue-sharing payments that mutual funds make to brokers.

He sees retirement money flowing into low-cost index funds and exchange-traded funds, and out of annuities sold by insurance companies.

Winners and losers are already becoming apparent.

We have already seen tens of billions of dollars of market capitalization shift among different firms in the wealth management sector because of this rule, Wong said.

Jamie Hopkins, who teaches retirement-investing classes for advisers at the American College of Financial Services in Bryn Mawr, Pa., says the Labor Departments final rule addressed some of firms biggest gripes about earlier versions.

People have stopped complaining about being under a fiduciary standard and started looking at this as something we can implement, Hopkins said.

Brokerage firms  and their legislative allies such as Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin  have claimed that the rule would hurt investors of modest means. They argued that small accounts would become unprofitable, and that advisers who served them would be forced out of business.

You never know if thats a legitimate risk, or if thats just a threat you hear from people who are against change, Hopkins said. Could some business models not be able to support lower-income clients? Thats a possibility. I do believe that there will be companies out there whose business models still serve that market.

One example might be Edward Jones, which is piloting a fee-based account for people with as little as $5,000 to invest. Others would include the online advisory services offered by Charles Schwab, Vanguard Group and others.

So the proverbial little guy can still find retirement advice in this new world order. If he can no longer get advice from some people who were in the business before, its no great loss. Conflicted advice from sellers of high-cost products was almost certainly doing more harm than good.

The evolving U.S. retirement system requires workers to make investment choices that once were handled by company pension managers. At long last, workers can be assured of the honest advice they need to make those decisions.
David Nicklaus David Nicklaus is a business columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow David Nicklaus 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

Vermont has already given us Bernie Sanders and Ben & Jerrys ice cream. Soon, it may be adding words to our cereal boxes and candy bar wrappers.

Most of the food industry opposes the extra language, which will alert consumers to the presence of genetically modified ingredients, but Vermont law says they must appear starting July 1. And, because no large manufacturer wants to design a separate label for Vermonts 626,042 residents, the rest of the country will get the same disclosure.

The industry lost a key vote last week in the U.S. Senate, which rejected a bill that would have overridden the Vermont requirement and set up a national system of voluntary labeling. Almost immediately, the dominoes started falling.

General Mills said Friday that it would note genetically modified ingredients on its products nationwide. Mars, the candy giant, made the same commitment Monday.

General Mills announcement was accompanied by a plea that we need a national solution. Groups such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which General Mills said it continuedto support, had lobbied heavily for the voluntary labeling bill that the Senate rejected last week.

Monsanto also has been a vocal proponent of voluntary labeling.

Monsanto strongly supports a national approach and the right of companies to voluntarily label their products as containing GMOs using a variety of methods, Chief Technology Officer Robb Fraley wrote Friday in a blog post.

Time is running out on that strategy, however. Fraley also notes that if Vermonts law kicks in, the first patch in the quilt will be sewn for state-by-state labeling laws, which will have a harmful effect on consumers and the food chain.

There may be room for compromise. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., has proposed an alternative bill that would make labeling mandatory but would allow the disclosures to be made in small print as part of the ingredients list.

Merkley has yet to win any support from mainstream food and agriculture groups, but his proposed disclosures sound like what Campbell Soup envisioned in January when it broke with the rest of the industry and endorsed a mandatory, nationwide labeling law.

Campbell showed a proposed label for its SpaghettiOs with a small notation saying partially produced with genetic engineering.

As we get closer to July 1, other food companies may decide that a small-print compromise is the best they can do. It would be better than dealing with the uncertainty of a state-by-state approach.

How will consumers react to the new labels? Thats the big unknown. They may, as labeling proponents seem to hope, start shopping for organic products that can claim to be produced without genetic engineering.

Or consumers may gain a new appreciation for the technologys benefits. As they see the same language on one trusted brand after another  and they will, because roughly 90 percent of U.S.-grown corn and soybeans are genetically modified  they may become comfortable with it.

They may even accept what scientists have said all along, which is that genetically modified foods are safe and dont differ in any way from conventional ingredients.

Monsanto and the food industry have always had the facts on their side in this debate. Theyve also spent plenty of money to fight proposed labeling laws in California, Oregon and other states.

Whats no longer on their side is time. If Congress doesnt enact a national labeling law in the next three months, well see the effects of another famous export from the Green Mountain state.
Belden reports that it paid Chief Executive John Stroup $6.9 million last year, but nearly half of that compensation may prove elusive.

Belden's stock price plunged 40 percent last year, endangering the value of Stroup's performance-based shares and stock appreciation rights, which are similar to options.

When they were awarded in February 2015. Stroup's options were valued at nearly $2 million and his shares, half of which depend on relative shareholder return, were worth $2.8 million. The other half of the shares are contingent on a three-year cash flow measure.

In a proxy statement filed last week, the company said the share-price-linked awards "currently have no value."

"In order to create value for themselves, the members of the management team must create value for our stockholders," the company added. "We believe this is a true reflection of the alignment between our pay and our performance."

Stroup's salary was flat at $850,000 and he received a bonus of $1.09 million, which was 99 percent of the target value. Belden's earnings per share fell 9 percent last year but the bonus plan uses an adjusted earnings measure, which showed a 17.7 percent increase.

Stroup's compensation also included a $91,352 increase in pension value.

Belden, based in Clayton, is a manufacturer of cable and networking products.
The Labor Department has set out to purify the sometimes putrid advice people get on investments in their retirement accounts. But will the new rule proposed last week do the trick?

The rule says that financial advisers have to put the clients interest before their own when advising on retirement plans such as IRAs and 401(k)s. Thats a change for most of them.

But heres the rub: The Labor Department lets the advice industry keep broker compensation schemes that can prompt rotten, self-serving advice, making brokers richer and clients poorer.

In effect, advisers will have to take a vow of financial chastity. They would be expected to resist the temptation to steer clients toward the products and behaviors that make brokers and their bosses the fattest profit.

But those devilish lures would still be out there, tugging advisers toward the dark side.

Todays compensation schemes have nasty consequences, according to a report issued by the administration of President Barack Obama in February. It found that rotten advice from conflicted advisers costs savers 1 percent of their retirement savings, or $17 billion a year. The investment industry disputed that report.

Most brokers already give good advice. They build practices by pleasing customers and getting referrals. But some succumb to pressure to produce revenue for their firms, and big paychecks for themselves.

Retirement plans are fat targets. About $1.7 trillion of IRA assets are invested in products that generate conflicts of interest, says the Obama administration. Most of that money was transferred from 401(k) plans  often at the urging of brokers who claim they can manage it better  for a nice fee, of course.

Some tales are egregious. Professor Rob Weagley, who teaches future financial advisers at the University of Missouri, recalls trying to clean up the mess left by an adviser who sold a 92-year-old woman a $200,000 lifetime annuity  which pays high commissions to the salesman.

The annuity promised income until she died  which she did two years later  leaving her heirs poorer.

There are a lot of scoundrels out there, says Weagley, who chairs Mizzous financial planning program.

The Labor Department would let financial firms keep commission systems that reward the adviser for selling more of one kind of product than another, or persuading investors to buy and sell frequently, which is not a good idea.

The government wont ban the revenue sharing (read kickback) system in which mutual fund companies pay brokerage firms for putting lots of client money into their funds.

Brokerages can still talk up their house-brand mutual funds, even though other funds might have better records. They can keep selling clients bonds out of their firms own portfolios, even though the firms make money by selling bonds at high prices. (They would have to hunt up two comparable prices in the open market to justify their charge to clients.)

All those conflicts of interest are just dandy if the broker ignores them and acts only in the interest of the client, according to Labor Department reasoning. The compensation would have to be disclosed to the client, but that doesnt mean itll be understood.

So, faced with a new edict from Washington, will brokers really resist temptation? For the shady brokers, the answer will depend on their fear of lawyers.

The rule change will definitely be helpful, says one of those lawyers. Richard Fosher, of Oakes and Fosher in Brentwood, represents investors in arbitration cases against brokers accused of cheating. It will be crystal clear that the broker does have a fiduciary obligation to the client, he said.

That makes it easier to win judgments against brokers and brokerages, and the new rule allows class action cases.

The rule would change a basic premise under which many brokers operate when advising people on retirement savings. Most now operate on a suitability standard.

They dont have to pick the best investment for the customer, just one thats suitable. For instance, an adviser cant put a retirees life savings in a couple of high-risk stocks. But the adviser can put that client into mediocre mutual funds that reward the brokerage well, when other funds would be best for the client.

The new rule gives brokers a fiduciary duty to put the clients interest first.

The rule applies only to advice for retirement plans, such as IRAs and 401(k)s. Brokers handling other accounts would continue to work under a suitability standard. The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering imposing a fiduciary standard on all brokers.

To further confuse things, a class of adviser called registered investment advisers already use a fiduciary standard.

The Labor Department proposed tougher rules in 2010 but retreated in the face of howls from the financial services industry.

The industry claimed that restrictions on commissions and other compensation schemes would make it unprofitable to advise customers who dont have a lot of money. Well-off customers often pay the broker a percentage of their assets, rather than trade-by-trade commissions.

U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, took up that argument last week. The new rule potentially harms the very people that it claims to protect: low- and moderate-income Americans seeking advice for investing for their retirement, she said. This ill-advised, top-down assault on local financial advisers and broker-dealers is typical of President Obama and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, she said.

Weagley notes that some brokerages charge a flat fee for a financial plan for people who arent well-off. Theyre also rolling out cheap robo-advisers, computer programs that issue investment advice after customers plug in their information.

And the new rule, which will take effect after a 75-day comment period and hearing, still allows commissions.

Wall Street has been fairly silent since the new rule appeared on Monday. SIFMA, Wall Streets main trade group, said it was looking at the proposal. We want to ensure it protects investor choice and doesnt unnecessarily reduce access to education or raise costs, particularly for low- and middle-income savers, the organization said.
I was at a party last week when the conversation turned to the Ebola scare. At the time, I was eating cheesy macaroni and drinking beer.

I thought, what is more likely to kill me? The chance that I may bump into a sick Liberian? Or will it be my years spent clogging arteries and abusing my liver?

The latter, I suspect.

For that matter, why do we worry about Ebola, when we dont worry about our daily rush hour Dodgeem Cars ride on St. Louis interstates?

Traffic accidents killed 33,600 people in America in 2012. Ebola has killed one.

But Ebola captured the party conversation, as it has the nations. Its part of a phenomenon weve seen before. A threat thats new, nasty, dramatic and uncertain is more likely to scare us than familiar perils that are much more likely to kill us. We saw a lot of that fear after 9/11, and a little after the SARs outbreak in Asia a decade ago.

Such fear has effects. The Ebola scare may be one factor, among several, in the stock markets recent stumble. Investors are worried that people may stop flying or taking cruises. Ebola is now a campaign theme in the November election. Fear drives votes.

For some perspective, lets take a look at whats really likely to do us in.

Its not Ebola. As of Friday afternoon weve had four cases diagnosed in America  a Liberian visitor, two nurses who treated him, and a physician in New York  out of a population of 319 million.

By contrast, the plain old flu kills an average of about 29,000 Americans a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last years strain was particularly hard on young people.

Yet talk radio is not buzzing over the flu, which hits every fall.

We will probably have more Ebola cases in America. But the chances of significant spread here are very very small, says Dr. Hilary Babcock, a specialist in infectious disease and public health at Washington Universitys medical school.

Shes in sync with the CDC.

Ebola is not spread through casual contact; therefore, the risk of an outbreak in the U.S. is very low, it says.

Contagion generally requires touching sick people or their fluids. Victims cant spread the disease until they show symptoms, which limits the transmission period.

As a result, a single victim can be expected to spread the disease to one or two people, Babcock says. That makes it hard to get an epidemic going in a nation with a public health system. A measles sufferer would infect 18 to 20.

If Ebola wont get us, how do we avoid the things that might? The most important thing is to make sure theyve gotten every vaccination, and a flu shot, Babcock says.

Also, ditch the mac and cheese, stop smoking and start jogging. Heart disease is the nations biggest killer, killing nearly 600,000 Americans a year, followed by cancer at 575,000 and respiratory diseases at 138,000.

Young people: Avoid daredevilry. Accidents are the biggest cause of death for people aged 1 to 44.

But such reasoned advice doesnt always grab the public.

People have two ways to judge risk, notes Paul Slovic, a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon who specializes in the perception of risk. One is the cool, fact-based logic that Babcock uses.

But when people lack facts, or dont trust them, they revert to instinct. They look instead at the potential consequences  how horrible the disease may be if you get it. If its horrible  and Ebola is  we forget about the odds and start to fear.

Its the way humans dealt with questions throughout evolution, he says. The caveman doesnt know if the lion is in the tall grass, so he treads softly and with worry.

The government and medical experts have tried to assure us with facts, such as those above. America isnt West Africa, they told us. We have a good public health system.

That might have eased public angst, if they hadnt flubbed it.

The evidence suggest that if the information is good and focused, people can understand things like this, says Baruch Fischhoff, a psychologist who studies risk perception at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The problem is that the information has not been good.

The first victim was sent home from a Dallas emergency room with the wrong diagnosis. Officials said they knew how to safely treat patients, then two nurses became sick at the same Texas hospital.

That left the public to wonder if the system is up to Ebola. It had us thinking like cavemen.

Babcock says the Texas case actually shows how hard Ebola is to catch. The victims family didnt get it, she notes. Instead, it hit nurses involved in the very close, sometimes invasive care needed by a dying man.

We in the media have fed the fear.

The news media have done the country a disservice through their hyperbolic writing about panic, Fischoff says.
Barbara Geller of Creve Coeur recently got what she called the surprise of my geezer  gasp  years.

Her doctor gave her a prescription for a drug called Myrbetriq. I went to the pharmacy and, lo and behold, said drug was almost $300 per month.

Her reaction: I think it stinks. Were being soaked by the pharmaceutical industry.

Geller, 76 and a widow, wasnt going to pay it.

A friend gave her the name of an online drug seller, Global Pharmacy Plus, with an address in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canadian company offered it for one-third the price.

Geller signed up. The pills arrived in the mail, and now she says shes doing fine.

There is reason to be wary in buying drugs from other countries. Drug counterfeiting is a major problem in drugs sold over the Internet in America and abroad. Its hard to tell the crooks from the honest players, especially when dealing across the border.

But its easy to see why Americans take that chance.

Drug prices in America are among the highest in the world. For instance, the antidepressant Cymbalta cost an average of $110 in Canada and $194 in the United States, according to 2013 prices reported by the International Federation of Health Plans. The pain drug Celebrex costs $52 in Canada and $225 in the U.S. Gilenya, for multiple sclerosis, costs $2,541 in Canada and $5,473 here.

Those American quotes are the prices paid by American health insurers and their customers. Health insurers negotiate discounts. People without coverage often pay more.

The federations report shows Americans paying much more than people in Canada, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.

The reason is that foreign governments control drug prices, and the American government doesnt.

The contrast with Canada is well-known, and thats created an entire industry of mail-order drug sellers using Canadian addresses. Some are licensed Canadian pharmacies. Others are mere go-betweens that arrange sales with drug suppliers around the globe. Some are crooks.

Shoppers had best be careful.

The U.S. has a strict system regulating drugs, requiring a good manufacturer, which may be foreign, and a safe route from that manufacturer to the pharmacy.

Canada has a similar system. If you walk into a Canadian drug store, youre in that system. The problem lies in telling whether the Canadian online drug company is in that system, too.

Global Pharmacy Plus says it is, in effect, a middleman. We act as your agent to deal with pharmacies located around the world, the company says on its website. The pharmacies we deal with source most of their generic medications from India, the worlds largest manufacturer of generic medications.

So, American purchasers rely on India for quality control.

A Canadian pharmacy with a similar name has claimed, legally speaking, not to be a Canadian pharmacy at all.

Global Pharmacy Canada, of suburban Toronto, was sued by Ontario province pharmacy authorities in 2013 for operating a pharmacy without accreditation, the equivalent of a license. It responded that it was only arranging the shipment of drugs from India to Americans, so it didnt need a license.

Global Pharmacy Canada said it was actually a company in Belize, in Central America, with only contract order-takers in Canada, according to court records.

The Ontario court didnt buy that argument, and ordered it shut down.

Its unclear if Global Pharmacy Canada is associated with the Vancouver firm. A company representative in Vancouver said a spokesman was unavailable, and an email wasnt answered. The Better Business Bureau cites the Ontario case in an alert about the Vancouver firm.

Going outside the American system does present some risks, says Terry Seaton, professor of pharmacy practice at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and president of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

Even if the Canadian go-between is honest, and the foreign manufacturer is competent, crooks can grab the legitimate shipment and substitute fakes. Refrigeration may be faulty. Its what we call the chain of custody of medicine, he says. Thats the most risky part.

Completely fake medicine is indeed a problem, Seaton says. But more common are pills that contain not enough of the active ingredient  or too much  a function of poor quality control.

Its a bit of a crapshoot, Seaton says.

Seaton suggests that one option is to look to the Canadian International Pharmacy Association. CIPA says it lists only legitimate online pharmacies licensed by the Canadian provinces. It has a list at www.cipa.com. A spokesman for the Canadian Pharmacists Association also referred a reporter to CIPA.

Customers calling a CIPA-approved pharmacy have two choices, CIPA general manager Tim Smith said. They can get a drug approved by the Canadian government at the same price theyd pay in a Canadian drug store. Or they can opt for a drug from a pharmacy elsewhere, anywhere from Australia to Turkey.

Thats not good enough, says Libby Baney, executive director of the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies. She notes that CIPA had approved CanadaDrugs.com.

In an indictment filed last year, U.S. federal prosecutors accused the Canadian company of selling phony Avastin, a cancer drug, to U.S. doctors. CanadaDrugs shipping partners sometimes failed to refrigerate the drugs properly. When doctors returned the warm drugs, CanadaDrugs cooled them and sold them to other doctors, according to the indictment.

CIPAs Smith said that the CanadaDrugs operation that supplied doctors was separate from CanadaDrugs retail pharmacy.

A customer ordering from Canada might get something legitimate. The problem is she wont be able to tell, says Baney, whose organization includes drugmakers and U.S. pharmacy groups.

Then again, there have been crooks in American pharmacies, too. Kansas City pharmacist Robert R. Courtney was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2001 after admitting to diluting cancer drugs for years.

The price difference for Myrbetriq, a bladder medication, is just as Geller stated. A comparison supplied by Wal-Mart of prices at 11 drug chains found Myrbetriq selling for $303 to $335 for a 30-day supply. CanadaDrug Pharmacy lists it for $106.

Its illegal to import foreign drugs not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That said, Uncle Sam is not about to drop the hammer on an elderly widow in Creve Coeur.

Gellers fix points up another problem. She has drug coverage under Medicare Part D, provided through Humana, the health insurer. But Humana doesnt cover Myrbetriq under its basic and Wal-Mart plans. It does cover four other drugs for the same bladder condition, a Humana spokesman wrote, and there is an appeal process for people who need noncovered drugs.

When old people pick Medicare drug plans, they check the costs for the drugs theyre now taking. But they cant know what theyll need next.

So they can end up on the phone to Canada.

To find a legitimate online pharmacy, Libby recommends www.safe.pharmacy. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy also has a list. Go to www.nabp.net, click on consumers, then VIPPS.
Jamie Meyerkord lost her job as a dental hygienist last year.

I searched for a job for three months. There just wasnt any demand in the field, she said.

The obvious answer was to find a new career.

Her biggest hurdle: no money. I needed a new trade and to be out and working, she said.

Lots of people find themselves in the same fix. Theyre prime targets for expensive for-profit trade schools who load their students up with debt.

Meyerkord, of Florissant, took a different tack. She called St. Louis Community College and heard of a program to train precision machinists.

The best part was that it was free. Local factories have been searching for people who can operate todays computer-guided machinery, and the college landed a federal grant to train them.

She paid nothing for the courses, or the books. Even the tools were on loan, she said.

She went to school four days a week for one semester, graduating in December.

I went in knowing nothing about machinery, and now I feel confident, she says. In February, she started as an apprentice machinist at Hydromat, making parts for big machines that make parts for smaller machines.

Its a big switch. I really like it a lot, she said.

St. Louis Community College used to have a giant sign on its building overlooking Highway 40 (Interstate 64) at Forest Park. A Great Education Doesnt Have to Mean Big Debt.

Those words are true, and theyre equally true for people looking for job training instead of a four-year degree.

Most young people wont get a bachelors degree. Some feel they cant afford it. Others are better at working with their hands than with abstractions in the mind.

For these people, the route to the middle class is through job training. The good news is that it neednt cost a fortune in St. Louis. As Meyerkord discovered, it might even be free.

Daytime television watchers cant miss the commercials for for-profit companies offering training and degrees. Their business is under fire from the Obama Administration for the high rate at which their students default on student loans  and their students are loaded heavily with debt.

A years training at such schools averages $15,230, according to new figures from the College Board.

But people in St. Louis can often get the same years training for about $3,000 at a community college. Books are extra.

The difference is that the for-profits ballyhoo their programs in slick ads, while community colleges and other nonprofit training centers do much less of that.

A lot of people are looking and hear about us through word of mouth, said Lee Brotherton, director of operations at the MET Center in Wellston. The center is the locale for training programs offered by several different agencies.

Its an alternative where you dont have to go into debt, he said. Theyre not paying out of pocket for most of what we do here.

The MET Center says that 80 percent of its graduates get jobs in the field they trained for.

Want to be a registered nurse, auto or diesel mechanic, lab technician, dental hygienist, physical therapy assistant, computer technician, chef, funeral director, paralegal, sign-language interpreter, X-ray technologist, welder or computer-assisted manufacturing specialist? Thats a partial list of community college programs around St. Louis. (The St. Louis Community College registered nursing program has a waiting list.)

These are all jobs that pay $30,000 and up, said Stephen Long, associate vice chancellor for workforce solutions at St. Louis Community College.

As Meyerkord discovered, they can lead to a better life.

She now has health benefits, a retirement savings plan and paid vacation, something the dentists didnt provide. There will be regular raises as she progresses through the apprenticeship at Hydromat. Theyll send you to school and theyll pay for it, she added.

At age 34, she sees a route to the middle class.

There are several such routes. LaunchCode, a nonprofit group, helps people without technical backgrounds become computer programmers. Online courses are free or low-cost. LaunchCode then places students in apprenticeships with local companies, and 90 percent of its graduates move into jobs averaging $50,000 per year. Its placed 115 people since last year.

There are free and low-cost programs for people who are unemployed, are veterans or who lost their jobs to imports.

The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment is enrolling people for eight weeks of free construction skills training in its Building Union Diversity program. Its aimed at minorities, women and the long-term unemployed.

A few programs are free for anyone. For instance, St. Louis Community College next year will train would-be truck drivers for free. Truck drivers are in huge demand. A lot are over-the-road jobs. The in-town jobs are fewer, but they are there, he said.

The college trains people for aerospace machinist jobs at no costs to the trainee in a program geared for Boeing. On average, Boeing hires 80 percent or more of people who complete the program.

But its a tough program. When Kenis Wallace took it, seven of the 12-member class dropped out. Its set up to weed out people who dont have the aptitude, said Wallace, 26, of OFallon, Ill.

Wallace had just left the Air Force, where he was a crew chief and aircraft mechanic. But he couldnt have paid for the sheet metal, electrical and mechanical training Boeing wanted.

I wouldnt have made it, he said. I cant afford pieces of titanium. Hes now an assembler at Boeing.

In St. Charles County, employers are having trouble hiring welders. So, St. Charles Community College is offering free welding training under a federal grant.

It also offers free training for a certified production technician designation. Local factory managers told the college say they are having trouble finding qualified people for production jobs.

Two-year associate degrees have the best return on investment, Long said. But it takes less time to earn a certificate in a skill.

Some workers advance by stacking certificates. An IT worker might get a certificate in network engineering, another in cybersecurity and so on, building job credibility piece by piece.

Ben Nall took that route. He was laid off in 2012 after 15 years in a job servicing computer hardware. A long job search went nowhere.

It was becoming much more demanding in the IT field. They want you to be more specialized, or have more degrees, he said. His associate degree in engineering wasnt what they wanted.

So, he decided to upgrade his skills. He went to St. Louis Community College for a certificate in health care information technology.

The career counselor came up to me and said, How would you like an interview at Schnucks? said Nall, 42, of Maryland Heights. He was hired last spring in Schnucks IT department.
Hey, lazybones! Get a move on. You have eight days to file your taxes if you live in the Metro East or the city of St. Louis.

Yeah, its a pain, but look on the cheery side. If youre like most people, youll be rewarded with a nice refund.

So, heres some info aimed at the very laid-back among us:

SQUISHY DEADLINE

For most of the United States, the tax filing deadline is Monday, April 18. (All taxpayers got a three-day pass on the usual April 15 deadline, because that date, Friday, is a municipal holiday in Washington.)

But about half of the people living in the St. Louis metro area can take an extra month to file if they want. Thats because the IRS gave a one-month extension to victims and relief workers affected by the flooding that swamped area suburbs and small towns just after Christmas.

Because the IRS cant tell exactly who was flooded, everyone living in the affected counties gets until May 16 to file. Around here, those counties are Franklin, Gasconade, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, St. Louis and Gasconade. The city of St. Louis, however, is not included.

People have to prepare their federal returns in order to do their state returns. So the Missouri Department of Revenue also extended the deadline for state income taxes in those same counties.

WHAT IF YOU DONT FILE AT ALL?

Filing is a hassle, so why dont we just blow it off?

Thats cool  as long as you dont owe the IRS any money. Theyll hold your refund for three years. If you dont file by then, the government keeps it.

So, if you havent filed your 2012 taxes, you have until April 18 to fess up and file, or your refund goes poof.

You could very well be leaving money on the table, said Laurel Ruhmann, an enrolled agent with H&R Block in Fairview Heights. (Enrolled agents have passed muster with the IRS and can represent people in tax disputes.)

The government makes a mint because of taxpayer laziness. In Missouri, the IRS is sitting on nearly $20 million owed to nearly 23,000 taxpayers who never filed. In Illinois, it owes nearly $39 million to 40,000 people.

There is no penalty for filing a late return if youre due a refund, said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen in a press release.

Of course, you wont know if you owe the IRS unless you fill out the tax forms.

If you owe taxes and dont file, Uncle Sam becomes Vinny the Loan Shark. The penalty for not filing at all is 5 percent of the unpaid taxes per month, up to a maximum of 25 percent, and interest on the unpaid amount.

WILL THE IRS NAB YOU?

Forgetting to file isnt a crime. But refusing to file with intent to cheat the government can land you in jail.

Of course, the IRS may never catch you. If you live purely in the all-cash economy, or launder your income through Panama, you might get away with not filing, if nobody squeals. (Swiss bankers have turned stool pigeon.)

The government gathers data on your income from employers, banks, investment firms, pensions and other institutions that pay you money. If you did freelance work for a business, the business is supposed to report your pay to the IRS even if you werent an employee.

The IRS takes that data and goes looking for a tax return to match it to. If theres no form filed, theyll send you a letter. Its best not to ignore the letter. If you do, the IRS will figure a tax bill for you. Since the IRS doesnt know your deductions, the bill will probably be more than you really owe.

The IRS uses the U.S. mail to contact taxpayers. It almost never phones a taxpayer. A phone call from someone claiming to be an IRS agent and demanding money is a scam.

THE LAZY MANS EXTENSION

Procrastinators everywhere can get a six-month extension on the deadline by filing IRS form 4868  Application for Automatic Extension for Time to File. That stretches the filing deadline to October. You can find it at IRS.gov.

The upside for the lazy: The form is only nine lines long. The downside: Its an extension for filing, not for paying. Youll still have to estimate the taxes due. If you owe, you still must pay by April 18, extension or not, or face a penalty.

There are a lot of procrastinators around. About one-third of Missouri and Illinois residents still hadnt filed their taxes by March 25. The IRS expects that 181,000 people will request an extension in Missouri, the State of Ennui.

A federal extension automatically grants you a Missouri state income tax extension. Just include the federal extension form when you file. But if you owe the state, you still have to pay by April 18 and file form MO-60 to avoid penalties.

Illinois also grants an automatic six-month filing extension. But people who owe the state must pay on time and file form IL-505-I  Automatic Extension Payment.

WHAT IF YOU CANT PAY?

File anyway, and pay what you can. The IRS will bill you for the rest. It charges interest per month on unpaid balances.

You can set up an installment payment plan online at IRS.gov, or by calling 1-800-829-1040. The IRS wont take any nasty collection actions  such as filing liens on property  as long as a payment plan is in effect.

Missouri and Illinois also offer installment plans.

IS IT TOO LATE TO CUT MY BILL?

Maybe not. Contributions to Individual Retirement Accounts are deductible under certain circumstances. You can make a contribution for last year up to April 18. (For details, read "Last chance for 2015 tax deductions")

The IRS will answer simple tax questions on the phone, but its tough to get through to someone. Theyll also answer in person at taxpayer assistance centers in Chesterfield, St. Louis and Fairview Heights. For an appointment, call 1-844-545-5640.
William R. Schonauer figures he lost more than $18,000 because he answered a phone call from Smart Business Pros. Alberta Erickson gave up about $21,000. Jim McGann is out at least $5,895, and possibly much more.

Phillip Blanchfield says he paid $800, and was thinking about sending thousands of dollars more to Smart Business Pros. Instead, the Wisconsin man checked on the Internet and found a warning from the St. Louis Better Business Bureau.

Oh, my God! he said.

The warning, posted March 31, advised extreme caution, in dealing with Smart Business Pros, also known as Smart Business Professionals, a company whose listed address is a mailbox in a UPS store in Warson Woods.

This column contains a lesson for consumers. The work-at-home business is filled with schemes that leave people poorer. Be very wary of any company that promises rich payouts in the future but wants your money up front.

The BBB says that Smart Business Pros appears to be at the center of a widespread investment and credit card processing scheme.

The BBB has been gathering complaints about the firm from around the country. The complainants, who are generally old or disabled, tell a similar story. They were interested in making money from home. Some had filled out forms on work-at-home offer websites.

They got a call early this year from someone identifying himself as representing Smart Business Pros. If they bit, they found themselves entangled deeper with a web of companies  purportedly from Missouri and California  promising big rewards if the recipients would make big upfront investments.

Their money went out, the consumers say, but no payoff arrived.

Schonauers story seems typical. He is 72, a retired sales manager for a telecom company, living in Virginia Beach, Va.

The phone call came in January. The caller offered to make him an agent selling credit card terminals to small businesses at rates below the competition.

The company would also be offering loans to people whom banks had rejected.

Schonauer wouldnt have to do a lot of work. Hed just place ads using a free ad website, and Smart Business Pros would do the real selling.

But Schonauer would have to pay $895 for a business license. Hed also buy leads  names of businesses needing loans or terminals. When the company made a sale, Schonauer would get a commission. Sign up, the pitch went, and Schonauer could be earning $5,000 a month.

I thought this really sounded like a good thing to get into. There was no high-pressure selling. They would take the product to people who were interested in it, Schonauer said.

By March, Schonauer said, he had paid $8,000 for leads, plus another $4,500 for a business setup and a business plan.

Then came a call from Cash Box SEO of California. The caller said he was the source of the leads and offered to work directly with Schonauer.

Out went $6,000 more for leads and a marketing plan.

Hed been getting regular calls from the firms, but in April they stopped. Calls I made either went to a voice mailbox, a number that was no longer in service or a busy signal. His emails went unanswered, he said.

Im surprised I got bit on this. It seemed like a very legitimate thing, said Schonauer. He says hes never received a dime from the business.

Alberta Erickson, 74, is a widow in Door County, Wis. She got a similar call last winter, and ended up paying $21,000 for leads and licensing to Smart Business Pros, Cash Box and Capital Marketing Pros, another California company.

I dont know why I went along with this, Erickson said. The only thing I can think of is that I wasnt thinking clearly.

Then she heard of the BBB warning. It was a very traumatic time. I was just sick, she said.

Confusing matters is that the Internet has two Smart Business Pros websites. There was smartbusinessprofessionals.com, which had a domain registered to Smart Business Pros at the Warson Woods address. That website was apparently taken off the Internet sometime after March. There is also smartbusinesspros.net, which has a domain registered in Washington state.

Some people who dealt with the Washington website say they were given the address in Warson Woods.

Jim McGann, 69, a retired Air Force colonel from Houghton, La., had an account at the smartbusinesspros.net website. He could log on and see the thousands of leads he bought, purportedly for people who want loans. Some have notations such as in underwriting. But he hasnt seen a dollar of profit on the roughly $20,000 he put on his credit cards since March.

Of that, $895 went to Smart Business Pros in Warson Woods, according to documents McGann supplied, with the rest paid for leads to Capital Marketing Pros and Cash Box SEO. Those companies have different California addresses, but the same phone number on documents.

The Post-Dispatch tried to contact all of these companies, using phone numbers on websites and documents, numbers provided by customers and through email. We found numbers disconnected, numbers repeatedly busy and numbers answered by voice mail. Voice messages and emails drew no response.

It is difficult to know who is behind Smart Business Pros. The company does not appear to be registered with the state. Employees at the UPS store wouldnt say who rented the mailbox, citing confidentiality.

In its March warning, the BBB said the companies seem to be trying to hide their location and ownership.

Bill Smith, an investigator with the St. Louis BBB, tried to track down the owner of the Warson Woods operation. In March, he used a Web registry tracking service to check the Internet registry of smartbusinessprofessionals.com. He found it registered to a Philip Hale.

Smith believes he linked that Hale to a man of the same name in the St. Louis real estate business. But when confronted, Smith says the man denied any connection with Smart Business Pros.

I dont know who they are, the BBB quoted him as saying. I have no clue.

The registration was changed shortly after to remove the Hale name, Smith said.

The Post-Dispatch has tried repeatedly to reach that man through phone, email and a visit to a South County home associated with him. There was no response.

Smart Business Pros customers, meanwhile, are contesting charges on their credit cards, claiming they were victims of deception. That may work. Then again, one woman in West Virginia said she wired her payment to a bank account in Phoenix.

Erickson says the charges have disappeared from her credit card bill. McGann says $14,000 of his charges have also disappeared.

But those decisions are sometimes reversed. In some cases, including McGanns, the companies had customers sign authorizations for credit card charges, and some signed complex service contracts.
One of lifes puzzles involves why very smart people do very dumb stuff. In recent years, theyve been putting lots of dumb stuff in email.

Hackers, probably North Korean, supplied the most recent evidence with their exposure of Sony Pictures. There was movie producer Scott Rudin calling Angelina Jolie a minimally talented spoiled brat in an email. There was Rudin and another top executive speculating on the black-oriented movies that President Barack Obama might watch. Should I ask him if he liked DJANGO? writes Amy Pascal, the companys co-chair.

Email may have altered the course of the nation. A top aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie used email to help arrange hellacious traffic jams in a suburb near the George Washington Bridge in 2013. The towns mayor had refused to endorse Christies re-election.

Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee, the aide wrote, splattering the governor with scandal.

If Christie doesnt make it to the White House, email may be a big reason.

So, why do smart people write in emails things that they would only whisper before the Internet was born?

Have they never heard of hackers? Or lawyers with subpoenas? Dont they know that most emails never really die? They lurk like zombies in cyberspace, ready to leap up and embarrass people.

Lets look at just how private email really is.

The answer is murky, says Neil Richards, a Washington University law professor and author of the new book Intellectual Privacy: Rethinking Civil Liberties in the Digital Age.

Its really pretty complicated, Richards says. You cant say that email is private or that its not private.

If youre at your work computer, your employer is free to snoop on your emails. Employers can usually read away without breaking the law. Remember that when you want to riff on the weird tie the boss is wearing.

Lots of companies put notice of their right to snoop in the company handbook. Employees often have to sign such disclosures, notes Matt Bodie, a law professor at St. Louis University and an expert in employment law.

The law gets a little fuzzier if youre using the office computer to access your personal email account, but its best to assume that the boss can read along with you. Employers can also check the contents of the company-owned laptop that you use at home.

Theres more protection if youre using your own email account from your own computer.

The law generally says that emails should be private, says Hanni Fakhoury, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which lobbies on Internet freedom issues. We prosecute people that break into peoples emails, he notes.

But consumers sign away some privacy when they accept the terms of service from email providers. Software at Google, for instance, scans emails for hints on what advertising it should send the writer. It does the same with Google searches and other consumer information.

Looking for a hemorrhoid cure? The big computer in the cloud knows all about it.

Uncle Sam and the local prosecutor may also want to take a gander at your electronic musings. Generally, the government needs a search warrant, signed by a judge, to see email thats less than 180 days old. Beyond that, it can snoop with only a subpoena.

Of course, were not quite sure what the National Security Agency is up to. It has legal carte blanche to snatch up the emails of foreigners abroad, and some American traffic apparently gets caught in the net. Its also been busy grabbing contact and buddy lists.

Big email providers  Yahoo, Google and Microsoft  are encrypting consumer email to frustrate the spies.

Should you get entangled in a lawsuit, your emails can also be summoned up to rat you out.

Wall Street is an email blizzard, and federal regulators delight in skewering investment bankers, traders and analysts with their own words in cases of insider trading and customer abuse.

Then there are the hackers. The average Joe and Jane dont have to worry about North Koreans. But how about your angry ex, or your archrival for that promotion? Better hide your password.

Given all that, why do we write emails as if we were gossiping over the back fence?

Its because people think it is going to be private, Fakhoury says. And its easy: You can send a five-word email in 10 seconds.

So, along with texts and tweets, email is seen as a form of conversation, rather than a permanent record.

Carelessness is your enemy, Richards says. How many employees have sent snarky remarks that sail companywide when they hit reply all by mistake?

Fakourys advice. Proofread before you send, and understand that email is not as private as you think.

I am not immune from email tomfoolery. Last year, I wrote in an email suggesting that the government save money by terminating Medicare at age 80 and replacing it with free medical marijuana. Wed save a bundle and the old folks would die happy, I wrote.

I called for mandatory unpaid street-sweeping duty for all retirees: It would keep them fit, reduce Medicare costs, and we could fire the paid street sweepers.

I was only kidding. Heck, Im 63! I was ribbing a retired friend who complains about government spending while collecting Social Security and Medicare.

But what if that email got out? I think Ill change my password.
When people think of retirement savings, they dont think about their company health insurance plan. Maybe they should.

For some people  but not others  a buck placed in a health savings account will produce more bang at retirement than money in an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan. That can be true even when the employer matches your 401(k) contributions.

So says Greg Geisler, associate professor of accounting at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Hes done the math on HSAs, and the results often surprise people.

They say, Gee, these things are way better than any other kind of retirement account, says Geisler. Again, thats for some people.

Credit the lovely tax treatment given HSAs, Geisler says. Money isnt taxed on the way in, or the way out, as long as its used for medical expenses. That gives it a leg up on retirement savings plans.

Thats the good part. Heres the bad: To open an HSA, you have to have a high-deductible health insurance plan, and thats certainly not for everybody. The deductible must be at least $1,300 for an individual and $2,600 per family. Many companies have even higher deductibles.

Out-of-pocket maximums  the most a family must pay for care in a year  can be gigantic. The legal limit is $6,500 for an individual and $13,100 for a family.

So, high-deductible plans with HSAs are best for people who stay healthy, and people who could pay the maximum out-of-pocket if hit by a truck. For those who stay healthy, the money in an HSA stays put and grows until retirement. Sick people spend it to pay those big deductibles.

If youre running to the doctor frequently, better pick a lower-deductible plan, even though youll pay a higher monthly premium. Ditto if youre living paycheck to paycheck and cant afford to fund a health savings account.

HSAs have a particularly sweet tax treatment. Not only do savers avoid income taxes on contributions, they also avoid the 7.6 percent Medicare and Social Security payroll tax.

Savers who use 401(k)s skip only income taxes as the money goes in. At retirement, 401(k) savers pay income taxes on the money they withdraw.

HSA savers will pay taxes if they use the money for anything besides health care, plus a 20 percent penalty if theyre under age 65. But they owe the government nothing on money used for medical stuff.

You will probably need lots of money for medicine when retired. Fidelity Investments estimates that a retired couple will spend $245,000 on Medicare premiums and things Medicare doesnt cover before they die.

You can use HSA money to pay the premiums on Medicare hospital, doctor and drug coverage. You can use it for deductibles and other expenses that Medicare doesnt cover, and for long-term care insurance, all without paying taxes. But you cant use an HSA to pay for private Medigap insurance, without paying taxes on the money.

Savers in a traditional IRA may or may not get to deduct their contributions going in, but theyll pay taxes when they withdraw the money at retirement. Roth IRA savers pay taxes on the way in, but withdrawals at retirement are tax-free.

The free-in, free-out benefit gives HSAs the edge in most cases, says Geisler. In fact, it often holds up even considering that employers contribute to workers 401(k) plans. Often, but not always.

It works best for workers in higher tax brackets and for workers with stingy bosses who contribute little to worker 401(k) accounts. (See accompanying fact box.)

Sometimes, the best strategy involves putting enough money in a 401(k) to get the complete company match, then pushing other savings toward the HSA, says Geisler.

To work out the numbers, Geisler had to make certain assumptions, and those wont fit all savers. He assumed that the money stayed in the HSA until retirement, instead of being spent on illness.

He also assumed that the HSA saver got the same return on investment as in a 401(k) or IRA. Thats not always possible. Some companies offer investment options for an HSA that are similar to a 401(k). But others dont.

Lots of times, its a savings account with a very low rate of interest, says Geisler.

Contribution limits are lower for HSAs than with retirement plans. The HSA limit is $3,350 for an employee-only plan and $6,750 for a family. People over 55 can save an extra $1,000.

People with IRAs and 401(k)s can pull money out without a penalty when they turn 59 and a half, although they still must pay taxes. The penalty-free age for nonmedical expenses is 65 for HSAs. Theres never a penalty for medical expenses.

HSAs are different from flexible spending accounts, which are tax-free accounts offered through employers to fund medical, child care and other expenses. For one thing, money in an HSA can be carried over from year to year without penalty or expiration.

Of course, people who get no health coverage at work can buy a high-deductible health plan and open their own HSA.
The teen opens the fat envelope and says, Hooray, I got in!

Mom and Dad then look at the financial aid letter, smack their foreheads and say, Were going to die broke.

College acceptance letters are hitting mailboxes now, and lots of families are facing a choice.

Do they send their young darling to Fancy U., with its highly selective admissions policy, fine reputation and enormous price tag? Or, do they ship the kid off to Cheapo State, which admits the Great Unwashed, has an OK reputation, but is much more affordable?

Along come three economists with an answer. If the kid is headed for science, technology, engineering or math, Cheapo State will do just fine. For students majoring in business, social sciences or humanities, Fancy U. leads to a higher salary in the job market.

Whether that extra salary is worth a prestige schools cost depends on the price.

Economists Michael Hilmer of San Diego State and Eric Eide and Mark Showalter of Brigham Young University examined data on pay 10 years after graduation for 7,300 graduates. They looked at the students majors and tried to adjust for College Board score, race and other factors. They divided the schools into three bands by selectivity of admissions  top, middle and bottom.

The results, published last month, surprised the authors. They found that grads from upper-ranked schools generally made more than lower-ranked ones. But the differences varied widely by major, and for some majors, there wasnt much difference at all.

They found no significant difference in earnings among science grads at top, middle or bottom schools. There was just a little difference among engineering graduates. In fact, bottom-ranked grads actually did a little better than engineers from middle-ranked schools.

The differences in earnings were bigger in the less math-heavy majors. For education, humanities and social science majors, school prestige translated into higher pay. The biggest differences were for business majors, where grads of highly selective schools made 12 percent more than grads of mid-tier schools, and 18 percent more than lower-tier grads.

Top-tier social science grads made 11 percent more than mid-tier peers and 14 percent more than lower-tier grads. Education majors from highly selective schools had a 6 percent pay advantage over mid-tier and 9 percent over lower tier. Top and mid-tier humanities grads earned about the same, although both made more than the lower tier.

The authors can only speculate about why this is. It may be that science and engineering fields have a set body of skills to master, and employers dont care where students get them.

In the softer majors, students may actually learn more at a selective school, making them better employees. They may find it easier to get into grad school. School prestige and an old-boy alumni network may get them better jobs.

The economists figures are kind of old. They looked at people who graduated in 1993, and what they were earning in 2003. We dont know if a study today would produce the same results.

Still, the professors give us something to think about. Student debt subtracts from paychecks after graduation, and lesser schools may offer big scholarships to lure smart kids. A no-name school may offer the better deal, especially for the techie majors, but its not an easy call.

The federal government offers newer pay data at collegescorecard.ed.gov. For instance, you can find that Washington University grads average $62,300 in salary 10 years after graduation. University of Missouri-St. Louis grads earn $40,400, and Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville grads earn $39,800.

(College Scorecard also provides school-by-school average cost figures, including financial aid, which is a big help in winnowing down where to apply.)

Unfortunately, the feds dont report salary figures by majors for the schools, and majors differ a lot in payoff. The choice of major is probably more important than the choice of school.

You can get an idea of what majors pay at Payscale.com. For instance, the early career pay of a mechanical engineer is $66,000, and $65,000 for a computer science grad. For a teacher, its just $35,000. Obviously, would-be teachers who cant get big scholarships at prestige schools should head for Cheapo State.

The Princeton Review tries to figure return on a college investment in the book Colleges that Pay You Back. It figures in not just cost and grads pay but also soft measures, such as high job meaning among grads. For instance, students aiming for statistics or management information systems would get a good deal at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, says the book. An applied math or molecular biology major should check out Washington University. Would-be actuaries should try the University of Illinois.

Robert Franek, the books co-author, thinks school shoppers should ask how the school will help them find a job. Do they place a lot of students in internships? What percent have jobs by graduation day?

Students and parents have become much more pragmatic and less fearful of asking about return on investment, said Franek, a former admissions officer at Wagner College in New York City.

Colleges have picked up on that, and they now talk about internships and job placement as part of their admissions pitch. St. Louis University is incredibly good at talking about what youre going to be doing outside the classroom, Franek said.
To get an idea of what a big quake on the New Madrid fault might be like, we can look to a description left by a witness to the last one.

In 1811, Eliza Bryan was living in New Madrid. At 2 a.m. on a December morning, she was jolted awake by a terrifying shaking and saw chaos.

The screams of the affrighted inhabitants running to and fro, not knowing where to go, or what to do  the cries of the fowls and beasts of every species  the cracking of trees falling and the roaring of the Mississippi ... formed a scene truly horrible, she wrote in a letter in 1816.

There was a very awful noise, resembling loud but distant thunder, but more hoarse and vibrating, which was followed in a few minutes by the complete saturation of the atmosphere with sulphurous vapor, causing total darkness.

It was the first of four shocks over the next two months. She saw land visibly waving like a gentle sea and fissures open in the earth spewing sand and water into the air. The remnants of those sand boils still mark the area.

During the last shock in February, the Mississippi River formed a crushing wave.

At first, the Mississippi seemed to recede from its banks, and its waters gathering up like a mountain, leaving for the moment many boats, which were here on their way to New Orleans, on bare sand, in which time the poor sailors made their escape from them, she wrote.

Then the river came roaring back as a steep wave 15 to 20 feet high, sweeping the boats nearly a quarter mile up a creek.

The river falling immediately, as rapid as it had risen, receded in its banks again with such violence, that it took with it whole groves of young cotton-wood trees, which ledged its border, she wrote.

The river was literally covered with the wrecks of boats and tis said that one was wrecked in which there was a lady and six children, all of whom were lost, she wrote.

She thought her own village sank perhaps 15 feet, while inland lakes dried up. All the shaking left the people fearful. They abandoned their houses and camped in shacks made of boards on a hilltop for months.
Its time for income tax filing again. Heres some information that may help:

PROCRASTINATORS, CHEER UP

The big news on taxes this year involves filing deadlines. Theyve moved back, and for much of the St. Louis area, theyve moved a lot.

For most of the country, federal income taxes are due on April 18, a Monday. Thats because Emancipation Day, a holiday in Washington, will be observed this year on Friday, April 15.

But around St. Louis, most people can have a longer reprieve if they want it.

Thats due to the deluge of rain that struck the region after Christmas, and floods that followed.

The IRS has extended the filing deadline to May 16 for Missouri weather victims and all workers assisting the relief activities who are affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization.

But the IRS has no way of differentiating flood victims and aid workers from the rest of the population. So, in effect, it has included everyone with an address in the affected counties in the filing extension. They consider you affected if youre in there, said Melody Green, IRS stakeholder liaison.

Those counties, all in Missouri, include about half the people in the metro area. Included is St. Louis County, but not the city. Also included are St. Charles, Jefferson, Franklin, Lincoln, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve and Gasconade counties in the St. Louis region. Elsewhere, it includes Barry, Barton, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Cole, Crawford, Greene, Hickory, Jasper, Laclede, Lawrence, Maries, McDonald, Morgan, Newton, Osage, Phelps, Polk, Pulaski, Scott, Stone, Taney, Texas, Webster and Wright counties.

Some people who live outside those counties may also qualify, Green said. For instance, a small business in another county might use an accountant who lost records in the flood.

Such people will have to let the IRS know why, if they file late. If they file paper returns, they can write Missouri flooding on the return. Most tax preparation software provides a place to report unusual circumstances or disaster losses, and some programs may note the Missouri filing extension.

Under the IRS disaster policy, flood victims can write off their losses on their 2015 returns, even if they suffered them in January. That provides relief in the form of a bigger refund this year.

Taxpayers have to complete their federal forms before filing their Missouri state income taxes. So, the state has mimicked the feds in extending the deadline to May 16 for state income taxes in the affected counties.

FRAUD ALERT

But waiting could be a bad idea  especially for taxpayers expecting a refund. Legions of crooks have been filing returns using the names and Social Security numbers of real taxpayers. The IRS assumes that the first return received is the real one and will reject the second.

Victims have to fill out a form and file a paper return. Getting a refund usually takes several months.

For the 2013 tax year, the last data available, fraudsters filed 3 million returns, and the IRS paid out more than $5 billion to crooks. States get hoodwinked as well. Missouri said it identified $85 million in fraudulent refund filings last year.

To fight that, Missouri is mailing paper checks to certain taxpayers who had wanted direct deposits of their refunds. All first-time filers, amounting to about 5 percent of all filers, will get the paper check treatment, according to the Missouri Department of Revenue.

Missouri is also offering taxpayers the chance to include their drivers license number on their tax returns as an additional check on fraud. Returns without drivers license numbers will not be rejected.

WHERES MY REFUND?

The IRS says that nine out of 10 people who file electronically will get refunds in three weeks or less. With a paper return, it takes four to six weeks.

In Missouri, the Revenue Department says it provides refunds about a week after filing, although the wait is likely to grow longer near the filing deadline.

Illinois is delaying refunds until March to provide extra time to screen out fraud. Otherwise, filers should expect refunds in two or three weeks. The decision had nothing to do with states budget crisis, a Revenue Department spokesman said.

The average charge is $159 to prepare a federal and state return with no itemized deductions, according to the 2015 figures from the National Society of Accountants. The bite jumps to $273 for itemizers and to $447 with business income.

The IRS suggests being careful in picking a preparer. Choose one thats open all year, rather than one that disappears after April. Avoid services that promise a big refund or that prepare tax forms using a pay stub instead of a W-2 form.

Some services subtract their fees from the refund, which means depositing the refund in the prep services bank account. The IRS says its safer to have the refund sent to the taxpayers own account.

GETTING TAXES DONE FREE

If you make $54,000 or less, you can have your taxes done for free by a trained volunteer at more than 50 sites around St. Louis. The service is also available to people over 60 years old, the disabled and people with limited English ability.

If you have a relatively simple return, and you make somewhat more than $54,000, were not going to turn you away, said Russ Signorino, who runs the Gateway EITC free tax prep program in St. Louis.

You can find a list at IRS.gov. Click on Get free tax preparation help. You can also dial 211, the United Ways assistance line.

DIY WITH TAX SOFTWARE

Good tax preparation software is like having Uncle Joe the accountant haunt your computer. It ask you questions. You enter the data it asks for and  poof!  your taxes are done. Then it transmits the return electronically to the state and IRS.

The good news is that lots of people can do that for free. (See the next section.)

Those who must pay can buy a disk or download software from a vendor, or you can do your taxes online. Downloading lets you do multiple returns, but the price is somewhat higher.

TurboTax is king of the hill among tax software, although H&R Block is a firm contender. There is plenty of other competition. Other tax prep software programs with a nod from the IRS include TaxSlayer, TaxAct, OLT.com, 1040.com, 1040now.net.

For a fairly simple return  wages, interest, standard or itemized deductions  any of those will work. TurboTax throws in bells and whistles in the form of tax advice, explanations and live answers to questions.

TurboTax threw investors a curve last year when it took the capital gains section out of its Deluxe edition, requiring investors to buy Premier. This year, the capital gains section is back in the disk and download version of TurboTax Deluxe. But online users with gains and losses must use Premier.

Prices vary pretty widely. A spot check for online state and federal tax prep for a return with capital gains and itemized deductions showed prices from $28 at TaxSlayer to $93 at TurboTax.

FREE ONLINE PREP

The IRS Free File Alliance offers free online tax preparation through software programs for people with income under $62,000. The United Way offers a totally free service for federal and state returns at myfreetaxes.com. It uses H&R Block software.

You can find other services at IRS.gov. Click File your tax return, and then Free File. Although the federal return is free, some companies listed will charge for filing a state return.

Missouri has deals with five tax software companies that will allow free federal and state filing, but eligibility differs by company. For instance, H&R Block offers the service free if income is $62,000 or less, and age is between 17 and 50. Online Taxes is free with income between $13,000 and $60,000, regardless of age.

To get those deals, taxpayers must enter through the states Internet portal at dor.mo.gov/personal/individual/vendors.php#freeonline.

In Illinois, taxpayers who have already finished their federal return can file state income taxes through the states website at mytax.illinois.gov.

SAVE THAT REFUND?

Taxpayers can direct all or part of their federal refund into a MyRA. Thats a tax-deferred retirement account similar to an Individual Retirement Account.

The MyRA is designed for people who dont have a retirement plan at work. The money grows untaxed in a government-guaranteed account until it hits $15,000 and transfers into an Individual Retirement Account. The guaranteed account is now earning a little over 2 percent. People can set up a MyRA account at myra.gov.

Missouri taxpayers can direct part of their state refund into a the states college savings account, called MOST. But a MOST account must be set up beforehand at missourimost.org.

HEALTH INSURANCE

The penalty for not having a health insurance policy in 2015 is 2 percent of household income or $325 per person, whichever is greater. So, someone with $50,000 in income would pay $1,000. The tax penalty will rise to 2.5 percent or $695 this tax year. People too poor to afford coverage are exempt.

People with health insurance must simply check a box on the tax form.

The good news is that most people have gotten the message. A significant majority of our clients have health insurance now, compared to what we were getting a few years ago, says Signorino, whose group serves many low-income clients.

In 2012, before the requirement for health insurance kicked in, 69 percent of Signorinos clients had coverage. Last year it was up to 83 percent.
The message on my home answering machine Tuesday made me gulp.

Hello. We have been trying to reach you. This call is officially a final notice from IRS, Internal Revenue Services. The reason for this call is to inform you that the IRS is filing a lawsuit against you. To get more information about this file, please call immediately, said the message. It gave a phone number.

Gee, I thought, what have I done to tick off the IRS? I didnt claim the dog as a dependent this year.

So I called the number on Wednesday. The area code was 206, which I thought was a little funny. 206 is in Washington state. Isnt the IRS in Washington, D.C.?

Lots of times the phone was busy. Other times it rang and rang until I got tired of listening.

My wife, who is a very smart cookie, went on the Internet and found a warning from the IRS about phone scams from people pretending to be IRS agents. The IRS has seen a surge of these phone scams in recent months as scam artists threaten police arrest, deportation, license revocation and other things, the IRS was warning.

But woman on the phone message sounded so sincere. And so serious!

Finally, the phone was answered Thursday morning. Internal Revenue, said a guy with a foreign accent. I explained that they had called and threatened to sue me.

That is correct, he said. You paid, but not the full amount. You owe $985.20.

He didnt ask my name or address. I was calling from my company cellphone, which isnt linked to my home address.

He wanted money today. If you are not able to make your payment, we are going to cancel your drivers license and your Social Security number. Also, the local sheriff will be on your doorstep this afternoon.

Yikes! I thought about begging for mercy, but he didnt seem like a warm and fuzzy guy.

You dont sound like an American. Where are you from? I asked.

I am Russian, he said.

But you work for the IRS? Yes.

That made me feel better. Nice folks, those Russians. Ever hear of a scam coming from Russia?

Do you have $900? he asked.

I have it in the bank, I guess, I said. I can mail you a check. Can you give me the address?

You cannot pay by check or credit card, he said. I had to go straight to the bank and get cash. Once I had cash in hand, hed give me further instructions. And just what might they be? Id be sent to a supermarket, where he would give me instructions for an electronic funds transfer.

I was told not to hang up the phone or put him on hold. It would take 20 minutes to get to the bank, but hed stay on the line. If you cant follow the conditions, you have to go to the courthouse.

At this point, I decided to interview this crook for the Post-Dispatch. Listen, I said. Im a reporter for the Post-Dispatch in St. Louis. I know this is a scam.

The line went dead.

Scams by phony IRS agents are particularly ripe at tax time. Sometimes they demand money. At other times, they demand your Social Security number and other personal information used for identity theft, or trick you into revealing your bank account or credit card information.

Theyre pretty slick. Sometimes theyll know the last four digits of your Social Security number from a hack. Theyll use those to get you to trust them and fill in the rest.

The IRS knows of 3,000 victims who lost $14 million to scammers from October 2013 to January. There are probably more. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which solicits complaints about scams, received 290,000 contacts from taxpayers.

Last year saw a rash of scams aimed at Bosnian immigrants in St. Louis, says IRS spokesman Michael Devine. Theyre afraid of the IRS. They basically get bullied into giving up money or information, he said.

Some crooks spoof caller ID to mimic the real IRS number, so you cant trust caller ID.

If youre targeted, remember this:

The IRS hardly ever calls taxpayers. If someone calls unexpectedly claiming to be from the IRS with aggressive threats if you dont pay immediately, its a scam artist calling, said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.

If you really owe money, youll get a letter.

The IRS will never call to demand an immediate payment, or demand that you pay in a certain way. It wont ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone. Any request involving a prepaid debit card is a scam.

The IRS will not threaten to have you arrested for not paying. It doesnt send unsolicited email, text messages or use social media to discuss your personal taxes.

If you think you might actually owe taxes, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. You can report a scam to the Treasury Department at 1-800-366-4484 or at tigta.gov.

The scammers werent done with me. Later Thursday I got a call on my cellphone. It was another fellow with an accent claiming to be Kevin OBrien from the IRS.

He knew something about the previous call, but apparently not that I was a reporter.

Again, he wanted me to go to the bank and get cash. Then Id be sent to a Home Depot where I would buy a voucher for the electronic federal tax payment system.

Then an IRS agent would come to my house to pick it up.

Hed stay on the phone while I did all this. OK, Im walking to the bank, I said. I put the phone in a desk drawer and called the police, who were interested in meeting the messenger.

When I got back to the cellphone, hed hung up. I hope he calls back.
Ron Bommarito was a happy retiree until last week. Then, like more than 100,000 other retired Teamsters, he got a letter that blew his financial future to bits.

Bommarito is 68 and lives in St. Peters. He retired after 32 years as a truck driver and started collecting his Teamsters union pension.

The letter came from the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund. It read: Under Central States proposed pension rescue plan, effective July 1, 2016, your monthly benefit is proposed to be reduced from $3,200 to $1,600.

His pension would be cut in half.

I was distraught when I found out about it. I couldnt really talk about it, he said. Theres nothing I can do. Im disabled. I wont be able to work.

More than 200,000 retired Teamsters get pensions from the deeply troubled fund, and about 115,000 are getting such letters. Cuts of 40 to 70 percent are common.

Their fate is a warning for millions of others hoping to retire on money from multi-employer pension plans. Their pensions may not be as safe as they seem. Some state and local government pensions are also shaky, as pensioners in Detroit can testify.

The Central States Pension fund  run jointly by employers and the union  says it is slowly going broke. Its leaders say its better to cut retirees now than see the entire fund go under in five to 10 years, with no money to pay anyone.

Many Teamsters who arent yet retired will also see their benefits trimmed by an average of 14 percent.

Retirees feel betrayed.

Were the guys who worked for a living, said Joe Dorough, 65, a retired trucker from Dardenne Prairie.

You can work until youre our age and then they just jerk the rug out from under you, said Dorough, who notes that leaders of the Teamsters are not having their pay cut.

These people have no conscience, said Glenn Zichler, 60, of Harvester, who retired disabled after 30 years driving trucks, mainly for Entenmanns bakery. Even surviving spouses will take cuts, he notes.

Zichlers pension would be cut in half to $1,400 a month.

Their case contains a lesson about the current attitude in Washington. In an economic pinch, Congress and the White House will bail out banks and auto companies. But when it comes to workers pensions today, its let them eat cuts.

Last December, Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed a bill allowing the cuts now threatening Teamster pensioners.

Pensions used to be considered very safe, and most still are. Until this year, it was illegal for a pension plan to cut benefits to people who had already retired. Workers were assured that a federal agency, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, backed pensions.

Now theyre seeing the holes in those assurances.

The truth is that some pensions are safer than others, and Bommaritos is one of the shakiest.

The PBGC provides a limited guarantee for private defined-benefit pensions  the old-fashioned kind that promise a check every month for life. There is no guarantee for defined-contribution plans, such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s, now the dominant form of retirement saving. Retirees can spend them down to zero and get no help from Uncle Sam.

There is no federal guaranty for state and local government pensions. Detroit municipal workers learned that the hard way. Their pensions were cut 4.5 percent as part of the citys bankruptcy, and many ended up owing the city money for excess interest. Illinois runs some of the most underfunded pensions in the nation, giving its workers reason for worry.

The PBGC runs two guaranty funds for old-fashioned pensions. One is for single-employer pensions  the kind still run by many old-line companies. If such a company goes broke with an underfunded pension, the PBGC will back a workers pension up to $60,136 per year.

But the Teamsters run multi-employer pension plans. When multi-employer plan fail, the PBGC guarantees such pensioners a maximum of only $12,870 per year for people with 30 years service, down to $4,290 for those with 10 years or less.

The agencys backup fund for multi-employer pensions is in much worse shape than its fund for single-employer ones.

Multi-employer pensions usually stem from union contracts. Many employers and union employees pay into a single pension fund. Management and union officials sit on the pension board.

Multi-employer pensions are common in trucking, construction mining and pop up in other industries too, such as supermarkets. Bakers at Hostess Brands were in a multi-employer union that became an issue in the Hostess bankruptcy.

Trouble hits when employers go broke and stop contributing to the fund, after their employees vest in the pensions.

Hundreds of employers, including some giants of the trucking industry, have left the fund, gone bankrupt or are out of business, said Central States Executive Director Thomas Nyhan in his recent letter to pensioners. We simply cant stay afloat if we continue to pay $3.46 in pension benefits for every $1 paid in from contributing employers.

The fate of multi-employer pensions set off alarm bells at the PBGC. About 10 million Americans are in such pension funds and 1 million are in funds in trouble. The government agency projected a $42 billion long-term shortfall in its fund for multi-employer pensions, and it has only $1.7 billion in its multi-employer insurance fund.

NO APPETITE FOR BAILOUT

Optimists have always thought that, if the PBGC got in trouble, Congress would step in with a bailout rather than risk the wrath of the gray-haired set.Nyhan says he tried. In 2010, when Democrats controlled both houses and the financial bailouts were in full swing, he went begging on Capitol Hill.We were told in no uncertain terms that there would be no bailout, said Nyhan in an interview.

Retirees think they deserve government help.

They bailed out Wall Street. They bailed out the car companies. They bailed out Afghanistan, but nothing for the people who built this country, Zichler said. We raised families believing that if we did the right thing wed be OK.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic presidential candidate from Vermont, has a bill that would bail out multi-employer pensions, financed by closing two tax breaks used mainly by the wealthy and heirs to multi-millionaires. The bill is in committee.

Congress did take action late last year. It passed the Multi-Employer Pension Reform Act, which allowed very troubled pension plans to make the kind of cuts Central States proposes in order to avoid failing.

Pension plan members will get to vote on the plan. If they reject it, however, the Treasury Department can override their rejection.

Current projections say that the Central States Fund can pay its pensions until 2026, and retirees point out that lots can happen before then.

But Nyhan doesnt think he has that long. If the plan is rejected, working Teamsters and their employers will see the writing in the wall. They wont keep paying into a fund thats bound to go broke. If that happens, the fund might go broke in about five years, says Nyhan.

The proposed cuts would fall unevenly. Retirees whose employers went out of business would take the deepest cuts  seeing their pensions reduced to a maximum at $14,157 for workers of 30 years service or more. Retirees older than 80 would see no cuts.

PBGC officials say the reform law gave them three years of breathing room on their multi-employer insurance fund. It is more likely than not that the programs assets will be depleted in 2025, compared with 2022 in last years report, and the risk of insolvency grows rapidly thereafter, the agency said last month.

The insurance fund for single-employer plans covers 31 million people. It is in much better shape and improving. It is highly unlikely to run out of funds in the next 10 years, the PBGC reported. Still, the PBGCs projections show a long-term deficit, meaning that it may eventually go broke.

The Central States fund has a shady history  which its retirees have not forgotten.

Back in the 1970s, the fund was nicknamed the Mobs Bank, known for making loans to Las Vegas casinos, at a time when Teamster leadership was tied to organized crime. The union underwent 25 years of strict federal supervision, which ended earlier this year.

Retirees facing cuts are pondering a cheaper lifestyle. Those over 62 can get Social Security. Some of their spouses work. But they had planned their finances around a full pension. Many still have car and house payments.

Rich Mitchell retired five years ago after 30 years driving trucks. I didnt know I was going to get kicked in the teeth, he said. His $2,692 monthly pension would be cut to $1,251.

After the house payment, there wont be much left, said Mitchell, who used to haul bottles and cans from the Anheuser-Busch brewery, among other jobs. His wife is putting off her plans to retire, and Mitchell is thinking of looking for a job.

Not many people want to hire 60-year-old guys, he said.
A prominent Missouri Democrat chided President Barack Obama on Wednesday over the president's plan to tax the earnings on college savings accounts.

I do not believe raising taxes on families saving for college is the right way to go, said Missouri State Treasurer Clint Zweifel, who runs the state's college savings plan, called MOST.

At issue are so-called 529 college savings plans run by the states. Savers  often parents and grandparents  contribute to the plans and their investment earnings are never taxed if used for higher education.

Obama's plan would reduce that tax break. The investments could grow without being taxed year by year. But the earnings would be taxed when used.

Administration officials complain that most of the tax benefit is going to people who earn over $150,000 a year. They would use the extra tax collections to fund other increases in college aid, including free tuition for two years of community college. Also, low-income people who owe no income taxes could receive a $1,500 refund under the American Opportunity Tax Credit for college expenses, up from $1,000 now.

Zweifel wants college savings plans left alone.

There is no question we should ease the burden on the middle class, but we should not do so at the expense of their higher education savings, he said in a press release.
My daughter handed her credit card to the cashier at the Galleria in Richmond Heights. The cashier didnt swipe the card. She dipped it.

She stuck the end of the card into a slot in the machine, and left it there.

Chip technology, a security feature for credit cards, is rolling out in St. Louis. Soon well all be dipping more and swiping less.

Banks are mailing out millions of new credit and debit cards with an embedded chip. The chip looks like a rectangle with squiggles near one edge of the card.

By the years end, 65 percent of cards in use will have chips, rising to 95 percent by 2017, says Carolyn Balfany, senior vice president at MasterCards technology center in St. Charles County.

Dipping  the card industrys term  means sticking the end with the chip into a slot, chip-side up. The customer leaves it there until the transaction finishes  which will cause some confusion at first.

Its the beginning of a multiyear transition in which the magnetic strip may disappear from the backs of credit cards. That strip is vulnerable to thieves, who copy the coding to manufacture phony cards.

The new chips are nearly impossible to forge, bankers say.

Many retailers are busy installing chip-reading card terminals. Aite Group, a financial research and consulting firm, expects that 59 percent of card terminals will take chip cards this year, rising to 90 percent by 2017.

The big dogs of retailing will get them this year, while the mom-and-pops will be slower to adapt. Thats because new terminals cost money  a problem for mom-and-pops. The whole transition is likely to cost $8.65 billion.

The new chip cards will still have magnetic strips, so you can use them in non-chip card terminals. But if you try to swipe a chip card in a chip-enabled machine, the machine will tell you to dip it instead.

The chip system is called EMV, for Europay, Mastercard and Visa, the groups that developed it.

So, why put America through the hassle of learning a new way to pay?

Its for our own good, says the banking industry. Oh, and it will save the banks billions in fraud losses.

Lots of people in St. Louis  including me  have found fraudulent charges on credit cards after hacks at Target, Schnucks and a passel of other stores. Thieves also use skimmers  card readers deployed by crooked clerks, or placed over the card slots on gasoline pumps, ATMs or vending machines. They use the stolen data to print up phony cards, duplicating the magnetic strips.

Those phony cards are responsible for 41 percent of credit card fraud, says Doug Johnson, vice president for payments and cyber security policy at the American Bankers Association.

The chips on the new credit cards are nearly impossible to crack. They send a unique code that differs with every transaction and its encrypted. So stealing the data wont help the thief.

The EMV terminals will reject a phony card with a magnetic strip if the real card is supposed to have a chip.

Debit card users will have to enter a PIN in the new card terminals. Credit card users generally wont, and there lies a sore spot.

In Europe, where chips have been used for years, credit card users have to punch in a PIN at the cashier. That stops thieves from using cards lifted from peoples purses or gym lockers.

Such stolen cards account for 16 percent of card fraud. But most American banks wont require PINs for credit card transactions. Mainly, thats to avoid the cost of rejiggering the system.

Banks may be waiting for new technology, notes Balfany. Apple Pay, for instance, uses fingerprints and other high-tech systems are on the way.

Bankers also worry that well forget our PINs, says John Ganotis, founder of Credit Card Insider, a card-shopping and information website.

I guess they think were dumber than the French.

Wal-Mart, the nations biggest retailer, isnt happy about that.

The fact that we didnt go to PIN is such a joke, Mike Cook, Wal-Marts assistant treasurer said in April, as quoted by CNN. If you look at the Target and Home Depot breaches ... not a single PIN debit card needed to be reissued in those breaches. The card number was worthless to the individual thief and fraudsters, because they didnt know the PIN.

Heeding that criticism, a few banks are indeed issuing PINs for credit cards, or giving customers the choice of using one. People traveling abroad can ask their credit card company for a PIN.

None of this will solve card-not-present fraud, where the purchase is made online or over the phone. That accounts for 42 percent of the losses.

The chip card rollout will be uneven. It depends on a big stick being wielded by the credit card industry.

Consumers almost never have to pay for fraudulent charges on their cards, although they endure a hassle getting the charges removed. Until now, retailers usually got a pass, too. They generally werent held responsible when a crook used a phony card at the store. The card-issuing bank usually ate the loss.

But starting in October, stores that arent chip-ready will often have to eat the loss. Its to the benefit of retail stores to switch over, said Ganotis.

That explains why the big retailers are complying with EMV  thats where the big fraud happens. The local dry cleaner, by contrast, isnt usually a target, says Balfany.

Gas stations get a temporary reprieve. Gasoline pumps wont have to be chip friendly until 2017.
Ten years after entering Washington University, former students are earning a median salary of $62,300 a year.

Thats a good thing to know if youre shopping for a college.

Former students at the University of Missouri-Columbia earn a median of $46,000. At the St. Louis campus, its $40,400. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, its $56,000.

So says Uncle Sam, and he has their tax filings.

That and a lot of other useful stuff is in the new version of the federal governments College Scorecard, available at collegescorecard.ed.gov.

The data have some problems  more on that later  but anyone looking for a college or trade school will find the scorecard very useful. Youll get a rough idea of what youll actually pay at a particular school, after financial aid, and the debt youll take on. You can sort the schools delivering good value from schools that soak their students for cash and dump them out semi-educated.

For instance, the average annual price is $33,484 per year for a four-year Washington University degree, after financial aid. (Low- and middle-income students may get it cheaper.) The price tag is about $16,940 at Mizzou and $18,798 at the University of Illinois.

Put that cost together with salary and other data, and you start to see if youll get your moneys worth.

At some schools, the value is questionable. At Stevens Institute of Business and Arts in St. Louis, students pay $19,259 per year to earn $26,200 after leaving  just slightly above the $25,000 average for high school grads.

For another gauge of real-life payoff, look at the percent of students paying down their student loans. Nationally, two-thirds of graduates with loans have made at least one payment reducing the principal within the last three years. At the University of Missouri-St. Louis its a healthy 78 percent. At Maryville University, its 84 percent. But at Harris-Stowe State University, its 26 percent, and 46 percent at Stevens.

If you cant pay down your loans, you didnt get value for your tuition.

Forty-four percent of students who begin college never graduate. Some are left with student debt, but without the nice bump in income that comes with a degree.

So look at graduation rates to see how well a school moves students toward success. At St. Louis University, for instance, 70 percent graduate within six years of starting. At Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, its 51 percent.

Those comparisons can be a little unfair to commuter schools, like SIUE and UMSL (graduation rate 46 percent), where lots of working people go part time and take more than six years to finish.

That gets us to some other problems with the scorecard.

The median salary figure includes stay-at-home parents, the disabled and unemployed. The median salary for college graduates with jobs would be higher.

The 10-year pay calculation is based on people who started college, so dropouts are included. Still, 10 years is plenty of time for part-timers to graduate, and a school with a lot of underpaid dropouts isnt getting the job done. The salary figure isnt broken down by major.

Thats a big flaw, says Kal Chany, author of the Princeton Reviews Paying for College Without Going Broke.

Engineers make lots more than teachers. So, heavy engineering and science schools will look better than other colleges, he notes.

In fact, the Missouri University of Science and Technology  the states engineering college in Rolla  has the highest 10-year salary in the region at $65,500.

The salary calculation also includes only students who applied for a student loan or other financial aid while in college. Rich kids are left out.

How should parents and students use the scorecard?

Carefully, Chany says. Schools that show high salaries and low costs are also generally very hard to get admitted to, he notes. Thats an argument for parental whip-cracking over students in high school.

The scorecard also doesnt solve the issue of whether a high-cost, high-prestige school really delivers extra value, even if its graduates make more money on average. Would a kid smart enough to get into Washington University do just as well in life if he went to UMSL on the cheap?

The scorecard gives typical out-of-pocket costs for students at different income levels. But you if have a 30 ACT, or play a mean fiddle, a school may give you a better deal.

The scorecard tells you nothing about campus culture, or the quality of teaching in a given major. A great school for finance may be rotten for a poet.

So, the scorecard is a way to screen out schools that dont get the job done for students, or charge too much for middling results. The scorecard wont show you where to go. It will show you where not to.

It might also swing some close decisions between similar schools.

The Obama administration gave up on its plan to actually rank colleges for quality, after hearing howls from the ivory towers. Thats a shame, because organizations such as U.S. News will rank them anyway, and parents pay attention.

The government, with all its data, could do a better job.
About 110 miles south of St. Louis sits the potential for the biggest natural calamity in American history.

So says Swiss Re, the international insurance giant, in a new report on the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

A series of big shakes  of the sort last seen in 1811 and 1812  would cause about $300 billion in damage, Swiss Re says. The cost would be double the damage from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005.

Houses  especially brick ones  would collapse. Buildings would sink sideways into liquefying earth. Bridges might tumble into the rivers. The route of the Mississippi River could change  as it did in the last big quake.

People would die, perhaps by the thousands. Being mainly a property reinsurer, Swiss Re didnt estimate the human toll.

Despite the distance, geology puts metro St. Louis well within the damage zone. Losses in St. Louis would be in the tens of billions, says Iain Bailey, the Swiss Re earthquake specialist who wrote the report.

St. Louis is way up there on the places to be concerned about, Bailey said.

Quakes east of the Rockies carry much farther than quakes in California. People in New York City were awakened by the New Madrid quakes.

Only 40 percent of the private loss would be covered by insurance. The result might be mass abandonment of ruins by people who cant afford to rebuild, says Swiss Re.

Like New Orleans after Katrina, St. Louis might depopulate.

That, says Missouri Insurance Commissioner John Huff, keeps him awake at night. The percent of Missouri property covered by earthquake insurance has been dropping.

Weve seen a dramatic shift in the past 15 years, Huff said.

In St. Louis County, 60 percent of homes are covered for earthquake, down from 75 percent in 2000. In St. Louis city, its 32 percent, down from 46 percent.

The situation is worse in the southeastern Missouri counties around New Madrid. Only 20 percent of homes are covered, down from 60 percent in 2000.

Insurance companies have been dropping coverage, and those that remain in the business are raising prices.

All the metrics have been going in the wrong direction, Huff said.

In counties around New Madrid, premiums rose 500 percent between 2000 and 2014, state insurance officials report.

Standard homeowners insurance doesnt cover earthquakes. Those wanting coverage buy a special rider. You have to ask for it. If your insurance company doesnt offer such riders, they probably wont advertise the fact. That said, coverage is still fairly cheap. The average price paid in St. Louis County is $177 per year, and $117 in St. Charles County.

Part of the reluctance to buy coverage may stem from the giant deductibles, which have been getting bigger. Those deductibles are usually 15 to 20 percent of the insured value of the house. A homeowner with a $200,000 house and a 15 percent earthquake deductible would pay the first $30,000 in repair bills before insurance kicks in.

Some homeowners think the federal government will bail them out in a major disaster. Dont count on it, says Huff.

But perhaps the biggest reason is that people think earthquake risk is small. After all, its been 203 years since the last big one.

Seismologists werent around in 1812, but the best guess is that the biggest quakes then were over 7.0 on the Richter scale. Swiss Re puts the chance of such a quake at 10 percent over the next 50 years.

Chances of a magnitude 6.5  also a destructive quake  are at 25 to 40 percent, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

But heres the thing. Local geology is such that quakes, if they come, are more likely to come in bunches.

Two centuries ago, the area saw at least four major quakes over 54 days. There was a big one at 2 a.m. on Dec. 16, 1811, followed by a very large aftershock at 7 a.m. The other big quakes came on Jan. 23 and on Feb. 7, 1812.

The early settlers lost faith in the earth they stood on and camped outside on hilltops for months.

Today, people here might pack up and leave, says Andy Castaldi, senior vice president for catastrophe and perils at Swiss Re. After the first quake, theyd know that more were likely. Its as if you knew there might be three Katrinas ahead, but you dont know when, he said.

A basic principal of personal finance is this: Buy insurance for things that are unlikely but would ruin you if they happened. Earthquakes, like house fires, fall in that category.

Huffs department counts 12 companies still offering quake coverage in St. Louis as of April. Not all companies will insure all houses, and some charge more for living behind brick. Theres a bias against masonry homes, said Huff.
Oil prices in the United States plunged to six-year lows last week, leading us to wonder if we might be headed back toward those few, marvelous days of January when a gallon of unleaded gasoline averaged as low as $1.67 in St. Louis.

It may happen. Crude oil prices are the biggest single influence on prices at the pump  making up two-thirds of the cost of a gallon of gas. But while oil prices have dipped, other forces may be pushing up on gasoline in St. Louis.

Pump prices averaged $2.46 on Friday in the Missouri portion of the metro area. Thats actually up 23 cents from a week earlier, according to AAA. (Illinois prices run about 14 cents higher due to taxes.)

America is filling up with oil. The country is pumping crude faster than we are refining it, and its illegal to export crude. The main mid-America storage hub in Cushing, Okla., may be completely full of oil by mid-May, and thats never happened before.

So, the price of American crude has been trending down for the past month, and theres worry that prices might crash if storage tanks actually fill up.

A barrel of benchmark West Texas Intermediate sold for $45.72 on Friday, up slightly from mid-week, when it hit lowest level since the Great Recession in 2009. Fridays prices were even with prices during our cheap-gas January.

But heres the thing: WTI isnt what moves the price of gasoline in America. As the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) noted in a study last fall, the U.S. pump price tends to follow the price of Brent crude, the main international benchmark.

The price of Brent has also fallen over the past month  down to $55 per barrel as of Friday  but it isnt at the $46 level hit in January.

Gasoline follows the foreign benchmark because it trades globally. Unlike U.S. crude, U.S. refiners can export gasoline  and they do. So, the gasoline price is set in the world market, where Brent is the main influence.

The benefit of bargain-priced U.S. oil is going mainly to American refiners, who can buy WTI crude cheap and sell gasoline dear around the world.

The good news for Americans is that the oil glut is worldwide, although its more severe in the U.S., so world prices are trending down too. Every $1 slide in the price of a barrel of Brent lowers gasoline prices by about 2.4 cents per gallon, according to the EIA.

In St. Louis, we benefit from good pipelines from the Gulf Coast, where most of our gasoline is refined, as well as proximity to the Wood River refinery. Ease of transport helps keep the St. Louis price down, compared with the East and West coasts.

But other factors press against a quick return to the cheap gas of January. Refiners are beginning their switch-over to summer blend gasoline, which can cause disruption, notes Mike Right, vice president at AAA. As weather warms, vacationers take to the road, putting upward pressure on prices. St. Louis usually sees its highest gas prices in May, Right says.

Then theres this odd factor: St. Louis is a weird place, says Ron Leon, executive director of the Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association.

He doesnt mean our taste in ravioli  its our weird gas. We use a special blend of gasoline to meet pollution requirements, and the price sometimes gets out of whack with the main national blends.

On the positive side, the nation has moved past refinery holdups caused by recent labor problems and accidents.

Ultimately, the price at the pump depends on the pumps owner. Gas stations raise prices quickly when the wholesale price rises. They know theyll have to pay more for their next tanker load.

But they are slower to lower it when the wholesale cost drops, notes Bill OGrady, chief market strategist at Confluence Investment Management in Webster Groves. Instead, station owners stare across the street at each other, waiting for the other guy to lower first and cut their profits.

The shale oil boom in America caused worldwide prices to tumble over the past year. That boom is still going despite the lower prices.

The EIA said this month that the U.S. would pump 9.3 million barrels of oil per day this year, 9.5 million next year and 9.6 million in 2017. That would be the most since 1970.

Roughnecks are drilling a lot fewer new wells since the price dropped. But OGrady, who has tracked the oil markets for three decades, thinks the canceled wells were marginal bets. The best wells will still be drilled, keeping production up.

The EIA thinks todays low gas prices wont last. The agency sees world oil demand rising slowly over the next two years, gradually eating up the extra supply and leading to higher prices. It forecasts national gasoline prices averaging $2.39 this year and rising to $2.70 next year as the price of oil recovers to about $70 per barrel.

OGrady, by contrast, thinks cheap gas may be here to stay.

The U.S. used 4 percent less gasoline last year than in 2007 as Americans switched to more efficient cars. OGrady thinks the rest of the world will head in the same direction as developing nations fight pollution and gain efficiency.

We may have seen the highest oil demand were going to see, he says.

Meanwhile, a nuclear deal with Iran would lift sanctions and put more oil on the market.

Saudi Arabia sees that, OGrady says. Thats why theyre not playing their traditional game as swing producer  cutting production to raise the world price.

That would be a losing game for the Saudis if world demand stagnates and other countries keep pumping lots of oil. Instead, the Saudis want to sell at todays price, for fear that it will be lower in years to come.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is expanding its refining capacity, which should put more gasoline on the market and ease the American oil glut.

If the U.S. wants cheaper gas, it can end the ban on crude oil exports, OGrady says. That extra oil would drive down the Brent price, probably just a little, translating into a slightly lower pump price.
This is the best year for St. Louis residential real estate since the housing bubble burst.

Home sales through July of this year are up by double digits across the region  and up 21 percent in St. Charles County. New home construction is up 15 percent across the region.

Prices are rising, too, but at much slower pace.

Most counties are recording sales numbers last seen in the middle of the last decade, just before sales and prices went bust.

Strong sales in spring continued into the summer in most of the region.

The number of homes sold in the month of July alone was up 20 percent from July 2014 in the Missouri portion of the St. Louis area, according to figures from Berkshire Hathaway Alliance Realtors. Sales in the Metro East actually fell about 2 percent in July, according to the Greater Gateway Association of Realtors.

Although sales of existing homes are back to the pre-crash era, home values are not. Zillow, the real estate website, puts the median value of a St. Louis area home at $135,200 as of June, far from the $158,000 high of 2007, a 7 percent gap. The Federal Housing Finance Agency says that prices here last winter were still 14 percent below their peak.

Still, the trend is up. Zillow says home values in the St. Louis area rose 5.1 percent over the year ending in June. CoreLogic, a real estate data service, is bit more conservative. It says prices are up by 2.9 percent.

Trends in home values are hard to measure, because properties differ widely and prices can vary by the block. Groups such as Zillow and CoreLogic use statistical methods to adjust for that, and those methods differ.

Price increases are modest because both buyers and bankers were burned in the great bust that began 2007, and they remember it. Buyers refuse to bid up prices as they did in the go-go years, said Realtor Dennis Norman of More Realtors.

A jump in sales doesnt mean that people are foolish. Theyre very educated, he said.

Nick Palank and Kali Steiner saw the market from both sides, buying and selling, this summer.

Steiner sold her St. Charles condo in less than a month. A single dad came through and really liked the place, Palank said. He bid a couple of thousand under the asking price, and it was sold.

They looked for a month with a Berkshire Hathaway agent before finding the perfect, move-in-ready house in St. Charles, a three-bedroom home with a two-car garage and a yard for their two dogs.

The couple felt pressure to bid quickly. My girlfriend said wed better put an offer on this today. Wed better get it before someone else does. We offered pretty much the asking price. They closed last month.

Realtors measure demand in part by the number of days it takes to sell a house. In St. Louis County, the average is down to 48, from 67 last year and 94 in 2011.

In St. Louis County, the longest wait is in the area of McCluer South High School on the Ferguson border, near the recent troubles, at 97 days. The lowest is a 28 near Rockwood Summit.

Houses in the city of St. Louis spent 55 days on the market. The number was 48 in St. Charles County and 65 days in Jefferson County.

At the current selling pace, there is a 2.5-month supply of homes on the market in the area, said Norm Polsky of Coldwell Banker Premier Realty. That makes it a strong sellers market. A six-month supply is considered balanced, with no advantage to buyer or seller.

Laura and Roger Seiler discovered that when they went house shopping in the Lindbergh School District.

It was not easy to find what we wanted. It was as if everybody was looking for houses at the same time. They bid and lost on a couple of homes.

Then they heard through friends about a home that was just about to hit the market  a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath house in Grantwood Village. Real estate agent Fran Rice made contact. The Seilers offered the $250,000 asking price and bought the house.

As always, sales vary widely by location. St. Charles County has the strongest market, with sales for the year through July up 21 percent to 3,385, its fastest pace in that seven-month period for at least 11 years

St. Louis County saw an 11 percent increase, its best sales growth since 2007. St. Louis saw a 12 percent rise, while sales grew 14 percent in Jefferson County, 10 percent in Madison County and 16 percent in St. Clair County.

Differences can be hard to explain town by town. For instance, sales are up 25 percent this year in the Parkway North area, but only 3 percent in Parkway South, according to figures from Berkshire Hathaway Alliance realtors.

They rose 22 percent in Hazelwood West, but only 2 percent in Hazelwood Central. Sales are down 10 percent in Ladue, the regions wealthiest district, but down only 6 percent in McCluer South, near the protests. (The real estate industry divides the region by school district, and sometimes by high school sending district.)

Meanwhile, homebuilders are busy shopping for land for new developments.

The prime targets seem to be infill locations, said Mark McNulty, vice president at CBRE commercial realty company in Clayton. That means open fields in areas near shopping and work. His firm last month sold 88 acres in the city of St. Charles to be used for 251 homes and 180 apartments.
After nearly four months of negotiations, St. Louis University Hospital employees, represented by SEIU, approved a three-year contract.

The 629 workers represented by SEIU will receive a 2.5 percent raise every year through 2018, according to Kaitlin DeCero, spokeswoman for SEIU.

SEIU does not represent the nurses at St. Louis University Hospital, which is now owned by Creve Coeur-based SSM Health. The nurses are represented by an affiliate of National Nurses United and are currently in negotiations for their own contract.

More than 100 union members will see their pay increase beyond the across-the-board raises. The minimum pay for about 18 job titles will increase, and those whose pay fell behind new hires with the same position will see their pay increase to make up for the difference.

Expectant and new mothers will have access to quiet rooms for breastfeeding, and there will be increases in funding for retirement accounts. There also will be "protected and guaranteed" tuition remission to St. Louis University.

"Our goal throughout negotiations has been to reach a mutually beneficial agreement that ensures continued exceptional care and service at Saint Louis University Hospital  and we believe our new SEIU contract achieves that," according to an email statement from SSM officials.

About 78 percent of the 629 members voted in favor of the contract, DeCero said.
While concerns about food safety and animal welfare dominate discussions about the perils of the modern food system, there's a downside that many might find just as troubling: the often inhumane conditions people who work in the industry face.

A new report by Oxfam America, an arm of the international anti-poverty and injustice group, alleges that poultry industry workers are "routinely denied breaks to use the bathroom" in order to optimize the speed of production. In some cases, according to the group, the reality is so oppressive that workers "urinate and defecate while standing on the line" and "wear diapers to work." In others, employees say they avoid drinking liquids for long periods and endure considerable pain in order to keep their jobs.

The findings are the result of hundreds of interviews with line workers from some of the largest poultry processing companies in the United States, including Tyson Foods, Pilgrim's, and Perdue. And they bring the current state of the poultry industry into serious question. Competitive forces, they suggest, are driving poultry processors to produce as much meat as possible, as fast as possible, leading companies to mistreat their workers, even if unknowingly.

Today, poultry processing plants are allowed to funnel chickens through their assembly lines at a rate of 140 birds per minute, a rate which the industry recently lobbied to increase by another 35 birds per minute. The speed has been great for business, but for those working on the line, it has made for extremely taxing shifts. Just ask Debbie Berkowitz, a senior fellow at the National Employment Law Project who used to work with the government agency that oversaw industry practices. On Wednesday, she published a piece in response to the new report. This is how she described the conditions:

"In my work at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, I witnessed the dangers: poultry workers stand shoulder to shoulder on both sides of long conveyor belts, most using scissors or knives, in cold, damp, loud conditions, making the same forceful movements thousands upon thousands of times a day, as they skin, pull, cut, debone and pack the chickens. The typical plant processes 180,000 birds a day. A typical worker handles 40 birds a minute."

By law, companies are required to grant their employees access to bathrooms. A set of standards, written by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1998, makes clear that facilities must be available to employees upon need. In response, the industry has instituted a system, whereby extra workers are available to swap in in the case someone has to leave the line to use the restroom, a system which the government supports so long as "there are sufficient relief workers to assure that employees need not wait an unreasonably long time to use the bathroom."

But the system is either flawed or being eschewed by supervisors, according to Oxfam. Workers reported waiting for more than an hour for someone to swap in, if anyone came at all. Many of them said they were forced to urinate or defecate where they stood or leave the line without permission, because no help arrived. At some plants, workers have come to expect no relief, leading them to take embarrassing measures to withstand the conditions.

"I had to wear Pampers. I and many, many others had to wear Pampers," one worker told Oxfam, an admission the organization found to be surprisingly common.

The industry has responded with both concern and denial. Oxfam says it reached out to all of the companies mentioned in the report, but only heard back from two: Tyson Foods and Perdue. Both said they don't tolerate the sort of practices mentioned in the report, and cited steps they have taken to make sure working conditions at their processing plants are safe and humane. But only one, Tyson, acknowledged the possibility that there were slip-ups happening under their watch.

Gary Mickelson, the senior director of public relations for Tyson Foods, expressed consternation in a follow up email about the report. "We're concerned about these anonymous claims and while we currently have no evidence they're true, are checking to make sure our position on restroom breaks is being followed and our Team Members' needs are being met."

Mickelson said he has met with officials of Oxfam America in the past to talk about their concerns. "We've told them that while we believe we're a caring, responsible company, we're always willing to consider ways we can do better," he said in an email. "We do not tolerate the refusal of requests to use the restroom."

Perdue, on the other hand, didn't leave open the possibility that its workers were being subjected to the conditions cited in the report. Julie DeYoung, a company spokesperson, said an internal revenue failed to corroborate Oxfam's findings, citing the company's policy, which allows line workers to take two 30-minute bathroom breaks over the course of an eight hour shift.

"If a department is short-staffed that day, there may be times it is difficult to provide immediate coverage," DeYoung said in an email. "If an associate has a health or other reason why they need more frequent restroom breaks, they can visit the onsite Wellness Center for support services or talk with Human Resources to request an accommodation for their condition."

The concerns raised in the Oxfam report are the latest in a string of evidence that suggests those who work to ensure that chicken is both widely and cheaply available endure harsh treatment and face grueling conditions. A 2013 report by the Southern Poverty Law Center found that nearly 80 percent of 266 workers surveyed in Alabama said they were not allowed to use the bathroom when they needed to. Another report, published just last month, found that 86 percent of workers surveyed in Minnesota said they received fewer than two bathroom breaks each week.

Asked whether video footage, which is often available in plants, might help to show whether workers were actually being allowed to leave the line to use the bathroom, Mickelson, the Tyson spokesperson, said such monitoring is available in some parts of the company's plants. DeYoung, the Perdue spokesperson, didn't respond to the question.
A cheese lover on Twitter expressed less than complete satisfaction with the Quesalupa, Taco Bell's newest and cheesiest menu item. The company's social-media team was on it.

"Dear @tacobell, Why can't the quesalupa be as cheesy as your commercials? Sincerely, A customer who would marry cheese," the tweet read.

The tweet popped up on one of the dozen wall-hung screens that employees monitor in the "Fishbowl" at Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine, Calif.

Matt Prince swooped in. As head of the 15-person "newsroom" team, it's his job to defend and protect what Taco Bell calls The Cheese Pull  the taffy-like web of pepper jack created by pulling apart a Quesalupa. A snag like the one described in the tweet might trigger an email to one of the 6,500 Taco Bell restaurants, reminding staff not to overcook the tortilla or allow the shells to lie around too long after they've been fried in canola oil.

Taco Bell spent two years perfecting the technique after a decade of noodling with "the cheese-pully thing," said Liz Matthews, chief food innovation and beverage officer, and it's betting its future on plenty of cheesy elasticity for maximum customer goo.

"It's got to have an amazing, delicious cheese pull in every bite," Matthews said in an interview in the company's international test kitchen this month.

It's hard to overstate the importance of The Cheese Pull to Taco Bell and its parent company, Yum Brands Inc., which has a $33 billion market value and more than $13 billion in revenue last year. With Yum planning to spin off its China unit and growth otherwise slowing at Taco Bell's siblings, KFC and Pizza Hut, it's come down to this: The near-term performance of Yum depends on Taco Bell, and the performance of Taco Bell rests on The Cheese Pull.

"The strongest brand in the portfolio is clearly Taco Bell," Yum Chief Executive Officer Greg Creed said last month. Yum plans to open the first Taco Bell this year in China, where KFC growth slowed after a supplier scandal in 2014. There's talk of taking Taco Bell to Australia, too.

Sales at established Taco Bell locations jumped 5 percent last year, compared with growth of 1 percent at Pizza Hut and 3 percent for KFC. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.'s recent sales troubles, caused by E. coli and norovirus outbreaks, give the brand an opportunity to attract more fast-foodies.

Taco Bell, founded by Glen Bell in 1962, made its name introducing Americans to quasi-Mexican fare, such as the Bell Beefer and Enchirito. The Gordita came along in 1998, begetting the Chalupa shortly after that. The Quesalupa  a quesadilla-Chalupa mashup  is the latest generation born in the test kitchen.

The Quesalupa rolled out with accompanying fanfare on Feb. 8 after a 36-store test in Toledo, Ohio. The company said it persuaded Americans to order 71,000 of the $2.99 tacos with cheese-filled shells without even disclosing what they were  they called it a "blind preorder." The advertising campaign was Taco Bell's most expensive ever, and it included a 30-second TV spot that ran during the Feb. 7 Super Bowl, claiming the Quesalupa would be bigger than man-buns, drones, aliens and James Harden's beard, among other things.

The commercial, airing during the priciest TV time of the year, cost an estimated $5 million just to broadcast, according to Andrew Alvarez, an analyst at research firm IBISWorld. The star of the ad was The Cheese Pull.

Getting The Pull exactly right isn't easy. If the shell isn't fried the proper 90 seconds or if it sits for more than 15 minutes after cooking, the cheese hardens and won't be melty enough for a proper stringy bridge between separated pieces. The item was at least partly inspired by stuffed-crust pizzas. Matthews said Taco Bell aims to take advantage of Americans' expanding love affair with cheese.

"People stopped seeing cheese as an ingredient  cheese really became the center of the plate and a big deal," Matthews said.

Americans ate about 34.2 pounds per person in 2014, 9.4 percent more than a decade earlier, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Quesalupa calorie counts: chicken and steak, 440; beef, 460; breakfast sausage, 590.

Ironically, Taco Bell said it's close to fulfilling its goal for a healthier menu by removing preservatives and fake flavors from 95 percent of its menu. It's also quietly pushing its lower-calorie Fresco menu, which substitutes pico de gallo for guacamole, sour cream, cheese and any mayonnaise-based sauces.

In a 2015 survey by Nation's Restaurant News and WD Partners, Taco Bell ranked last for food quality among limited-service Mexican restaurants, coming in after Del Taco Restaurants and Taco John's as well as fast-casual rivals Chipotle and Qdoba. It also had the lowest cleanliness and service scores.

Where it didn't come in dead last: value and craveability  industry-speak for fatty, salty, sugary food.

"I don't think Taco Bell is going to Chipotle-style food," said Peter Saleh, an analyst at BTIG in New York. "The core of what Taco Bell does has to continue to be value, new product news and interesting new items."

Back in the Fishbowl, Prince keeps his eyes on the Twitter screen.

The room looks like a 20-something's dream, with cushy couches and chairs, pop art on the wall and even a cooler stocked with Heineken. Perfect for a key Taco Bell customer  the 25-year-old dude-bro, hankering for a late-night Cheese Pull.

"When you're 16, you want to be 25, and when you're 60, you want to be 25," Prince said. "No matter how old you are, you want to be 25."

More Quesalupa tweets came across the screen. Prince was watching.
Golden Road Brewing, the largest craft brewery in Los Angeles County, is being acquired by Anheuser-Busch.

Golden Road Brewing will join A-Bs high-end business unit that includes other craft brewers acquired across the country: Goose Island Beer Co., Blue Point Brewing, 10 Barrel Brewing and Elysian Brewing. Last month, A-B announced its Goose Island subsidiary was acquiring a majority stake in Michigan-based Virtue Cider.

A-Bs acquisition of Golden Road is set to close by the end of the year, and financial details were not disclosed.

Founded in 2011, Golden Roads brands include Point the Way IPA, Wolf Among Weeds IPA, Golden Road Hefeweizen and 329 Days of Sun Lager.

Golden Road produced 30,000 barrels last year, and its co-founder and President Meg Gill said the brewer, which employs 167 people, will sell 45,000 barrels of beer this year.

By comparison, St. Louis largest craft brewer that makes Schlafly beer, The St. Louis Brewery, produced 60,000 barrels last year.

We offer hop-forward, dry beers that lead your palate wanting more, Gill told the Post-Dispatch.

Golden Road plans to remain focused on its current distribution in California, Arizona and Las Vegas, but could expand to other states under A-Bs ownership. As demand grows, hopefully well look at what other states and countries look like, she said.

St. Louis-based A-B, the U.S. subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, said the sale includes Golden Roads brewery, a pub in Los Angeles and a tasting room. Golden Road is adding a new tasting room this year, and a second production brewery and pub in Anaheim in late 2016.

Andy Goeler, A-Bs CEO of craft division, said Golden Road has created a passionate beer culture in its four years in operation. A-B continues to evaluate other craft brewery acquisition opportunities, he said.

In addition to Budweiser and Bud Light, theres a lot of demand for local beers and varieties of styles within those local beers, Goeler said. Were always looking for other phenomenal companies to partner with to add to the portfolio.
After the August protests and riot, St. Louis development consultant Ken Nuernberger was visited by a New York real estate investor.

Hed watched the news about Ferguson, and wanted to see all the damage. He thought that it was like half of Brooklyn had burned down, Nuernberger said.

So Nuernberger drove him up West Florissant Avenue, past a mile and a half of boarded-up storefronts and the burned-out QuikTrip.

This is it? he asked.

Yes, Nuernberger said. Thats all.

The first round of protests, looting and burning  televised worldwide  left outsiders with an exaggerated image of St. Louis as a scene of turmoil and destruction.

Then came the Thanksgiving week eruption, which spread to South Florissant Road in Ferguson and South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis, and the world again viewed the region through tear gas and flames. Images of angry protesters, looters, riot police, soldiers, burning buildings and police cars in flames hit front pages and led newscasts around the world.

What must they think of us now?

That question is troubling St. Louis business leaders and economic development officials. Will outsiders understand that the riot zones were small corners of a big metro area? Could the regions damaged image scare away business and cost jobs?

Local experts think it might, spreading the economic pain beyond Ferguson and Dellwood to the broader metro area.

The image goes way beyond the reality, said Denny Coleman, CEO of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, the business promotion arm of St. Louis and St. Louis County.

But image counts. Ed Bryant, CEO of the St. Louis Minority Business Council, says hes trying to sell his sister in New York on the idea of moving to St. Louis. Clashes between police and protesters spoil the sale.

She says the city is not as progressive as Ive been telling her, he said.

It also makes it tougher to drum up business for minority employers here. Its depressing, Bryant said.

The early economic statistics, from before the latest violence, paint a mixed picture.

The metro area job count fell by 1,600 in August, the month of the first protests and looting, and another 1,600 in September before gaining back 700 in October, the last month available through the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By contrast, the nation gained jobs through all that period.

But the local job decline is barely noticeable in a metro area with 1.336 million jobs, and the statistics dont tell the cause. The region still had 19,000 more jobs than in October of last year.

Surprisingly, the turmoil didnt seem to scare many businesspeople or conventioneers away. Hotel occupancy in the metro area actually improved when compared to the same months a year ago. Hotel stays rose by 2.4 percent in September and 5.8 percent in October, according to the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission.

The numbers may have been boosted somewhat by the Ferguson October protests which drew demonstrators from elsewhere, and the international media swarm that covered it.

Home sales in St. Louis County are down 7 percent from August through November, compared to the same period last year, according to figures from MORE Realtors.

But its hard to pin that decline on the unrest, because the sales slide began a year ago. The drop has been deeper in north St. Louis County, down 19 percent, and in Ferguson, down 31 percent since August.

CONCERN FOR THE UNKNOWN

No big employer has canceled a project because of the riots and protests, economic development officials say. So far, all the projects that were in the pipeline, and scheduled to close, have done so, said Coleman.

In October, Boeing announced plans to make parts for its 777X airliner at its North County plant, leading to 700 new jobs. SKF, maker of industrial lubricants, announced plans to move from St. Louis to a new plant at the NorthPark industrial area, part of which is in Ferguson, adding 73 jobs.

Centene said it would put an application processing center in Ferguson, providing up to 200 jobs. The company said it deliberately picked Ferguson after the first protests and looting.

Kaiima Bio-Agritech, an Israeli agriculture company, said it would open an office in St. Louis, drawn by the regions farms and agriculture science resources.

But Coleman worries about the future.

What are the projects that we wont even hear of? Will site selectors avoid putting St. Louis on their finalist list because of the turmoil? Coleman asked. Its more a concern for the unknown.

James Renzas looks for new sites for technology businesses. I try to push St. Louis for technology companies, he said. Your location is affordable, and you have access to university grads, he said.

But racial tension is a black eye. Tech companies draw employees from around the world, and tolerance for diversity is a high priority, said Renzas, a principal with RSH Group in California.

Perception is holding you back, he said. Its hard to get companies over that hump.

The reaction depends on the type of company. For manufacturing, the benefits of St. Louis are undeniable. I wouldnt see (rioting) as much of a factor, said Dennis McAndrew, a site consultant at Silverlode Consulting in Cleveland.

The turmoil would be more troubling for a corporate headquarters or a research lab. Their location is part of their brand identity, which makes the image of the town important.

They also dont like to seen as taking chances by living near unrest. They react very strongly to risk, he said.

McAndrew thinks reaction to the trouble should be short-lived. We have clients that are looking at New Orleans. There was a lot of crime and looting after (Hurricane Katrina), and its been forgotten, he said.

The St. Louis convention and tourist business might be the most vulnerable, because visitors can easily pick somewhere else to go. But that business hasnt suffered.

Hotels saw revenue per room rise by 9 percent in September and 10 percent in October, compared to last year, due to more occupancy and higher prices. Hospitality is a seasonal business, so results from one month are best compared to the same month last year.

Conventions and big meetings  from the likes of the United Pentecostal Church, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Stifel Financial  went off without trouble.

We had a pretty strong convention calendar this fall, said Kitty Ratcliffe, president of the Convention and Visitors Commission.

However, shes concerned by a sharp drop in advance bookings negotiated in November  down to 5,100 room nights from the 23,000 booked the same month last year. It certainly is the first red flag, Ratcliffe said.

Only one group  a convention of writers  cited the unrest as a factor in deciding to pick another city, Ratcliffe said. I dont think its had a significant impact to date, but with the sustained media focus, it is beginning to be part of the conversation, she said.

The University of Missouri-St. Louis may be feeling a little of that pain right now. The campus is 1.5 miles from the Ferguson police station.

In August, before the protests, the university was expecting a 4 percent rise in enrollment. Then 300 students who had planned to come changed their minds, said university spokesman Bob Samples.

Most were from out of town, including some athletes, and from other countries. To them, it seemed that all St. Louis was in crisis. St. Louis just wasnt a safe place  thats what they heard, he said. The university ended up with an enrollment increase of 1.5 percent.

Howard Wall, professor of economics at Lindenwood University, says its too early for the damage to show up in local statistics. Im worried about the longer term, he said.

He thinks the hurt will spread beyond Ferguson but will be concentrated in North County. Many small businesses in North County live on the margin between profit and loss, he said. Even a small loss of customers, 1 or 2 percent would put them out of business and their employees out of jobs.

Recruiting businesses from out of town is just icing on the cake of regional economic growth, Wall noted. The real power comes from businesses already here or starting here. When they succeed, they create jobs.

After a while, there will be fewer businesses, he said. North County is a suburban ghetto in some parts, and it has the same urban problems.

Wall, a former Federal Reserve economist who studies St. Louis, said the recent troubles will quicken the slow decline of North County. Ferguson was actually a bright spot, with a nice little downtown, he said.

Before the August eruption, North County home prices were just beginning to recover following seven years of decline. Wall thinks the Ferguson turmoil will derail that.

His prediction is in line with studies done of earlier riots elsewhere.

GOING FORWARD

The economic pain tends to be worse in the riot zone, and fades with distance within the metro area, said William Collins, a Vanderbilt University economic historian who studied the aftermath of the 1960s race riots.

In Cleveland, for instance, Collins and a fellow researcher found a stark and lasting difference in housing prices between Hough, the center of the riot, and neighborhoods just three miles away. In this case, the areas closest to the riots did not bounce back in the riots aftermath. Rather, the shock appears to have had a long-lasting, negative impact, they concluded.

He found that employment and real estate values suffered at least through 1980 in cities with riots. Male employment also suffered, and the aftermath hit blacks harder than whites.

St. Louis might have been better off if Ferguson were hit by a tornado, again. (The city sustained damage from one in 2011.) Thats because big natural disasters bring an outpouring of charity and government help for rebuilding. Riots dont, noted Robert Baade, an economist who studied the aftermath of the 1992 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles.

Things werent rebuilt right away, he said. Its just so much more difficult to address man-made disasters where there are so many emotional scars.

After a tornado, people rush to help. After a riot, they argue over blame and what to do.

Theres much more confusion, more indecision, said Baade, a professor at Lake Forest College near Chicago. The result is that rebuilding comes more slowly.

The law governing federal disaster designations has no provision for riots. In Ferguson, help comes from money donated by St. Louis businesses, along with cheap loans from the Small Business Administration and a fund created by St. Louis banks and local and state agencies.

Other observers are more optimistic. I anticipate things will get back to normal, said Jeff Eisenberg, a commercial real estate broker in North County.

Normal would be a big relief for Eisenberg. He owned a building that rioters burned in Ferguson. There are just three walls left, he said.

He doesnt know whether his tenant, Family Dollar, will return, but he sees a decent future for businesses in North County. The area is filled with blue-collar people who need to shop, see doctors and fix their cars.

Im not going to walk away. Its too good a market, he said. Im concerned that people who are not familiar with these markets are passing judgment on it.

Ferguson reignited the issue of police behavior in black communities, and demonstrations have spread nationwide.

As the Ferguson discussion gets nationalized, that somewhat tempers the negative impact on St. Louis, said Dennis Lower, president and CEO of Cortex, the high-tech business district in the Central West End. It wont be people from outside looking at Ferguson, but at their own communities.

Companies often respond to a public relations problem with an image advertising campaign. Thats not in the cards for St. Louis  at least not yet.

It would be a waste of money, said Joe Reagan, president and CEO of the St. Louis Regional Chamber, the areas main business group.

St. Louis convention officials have cut back on advertising aimed at tourists and Christmas shoppers, although theyre still aiming ads at the convention business.

First, St. Louis must start solving the problems exposed by the unrest, said Reagan. Then the region will have a story to tell in an image campaign.

That means improving the schools, and a police system that is not working the way it should in all neighborhoods, he said. There are serious reforms needed in municipal courts, he said, and fragmented local governments are making leadership difficult.

The world is not condemning St. Louis for what happened. The world will judge us on what we do going forward, Reagan said.
Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., China's second-largest steelmaker, urged a U.S. trade agency to reject a complaint filed by U.S. Steel Corp. to block imports from the Asian nation.

"Never before has a single company sought to use this agency to erect what would be a total blockade of steel trade from an entire country," Baosteel's American unit said in a May 11 filing with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington.

Baosteel's submission was one of more than a dozen filed either in favor or against U.S. Steel's complaint. The complaint pits steel makers against some U.S. packaging companies who say they can't get the products they need from domestic suppliers.

The American company filed the complaint on April 26, claiming that Chinese steel products are being made using stolen technology obtained by government hackers, and accusing the Chinese companies of anti-competitive pricing and sending shipments through intermediaries to skirt U.S. restrictions.

Baosteel said that those types of allegations, even if true, should be addressed between trade officials of the two countries, not through a process that's usually used for patent-infringement cases. It said a victory for U.S. Steel "would have profound and long-lasting adverse effects" on economic relations between the U.S. and China.

Hunan Valin Steel Co., another Chinese manufacturer named in the case, said U.S. Steel's actions are "not a campaign against individual private entities but a campaign against the Chinese government itself."

Some of Baosteel's customers and distributors, including Ball Metal Food Container, Coastal Pipe USA, and the Allstate Can Corp., also asked the ITC not to institute an investigation of the complaint.

"If new products developed by Baosteel are blocked for importation into the United States, it will cause harm to our economy and to the public health and safety of the public, as these products are not being developed by the domestic tin plate producers," Allstate Can wrote.

U.S. Steel's complaint has the backing of other U.S. steel producers and the industry's workers. The largest U.S. steelworkers' union said membership is in decline and more than 13,500 members are on layoff.

"The future viability of the domestic steel producing sector is at risk because of continuing unfair and predatory practices such as those alleged in the complaint," the United Steelworkers wrote to the agency.

The case filed by U.S. Steel focuses on advanced high-strength material used in the automotive industry, which requires light, flexible steel that's corrosion resistant and "able to take a flawless paint finish." U.S. Steel said it plans to expand into the markets for agriculture and heavy machinery, and has spent millions of dollars in research over a decade, according to the complaint.

Some of the companies that buy Chinese steel say they do so because their needs aren't met by U.S. producers.

Allstate, which makes products such as decorative cookie tins, said that neither U.S. Steel nor ArcelorMittal wanted to work with such a small customer, and Bway Corp., which makes containers such as paint cans, said U.S. manufacturing is concentrated among a few companies with "no known plans to increase investment to improve performance or innovate" in tin mill products.

The American Iron and Steel Institute countered that the domestic steel industry has "substantial available unused capacity" to meet the needs of companies now buying from China.

An import ban on the Chinese steel would allow domestic producers "to increase production and employment in the steel industry in the United States, and would encourage additional investment in the domestic steel industry," the institute wrote.

Senator Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat, urged the agency to "move forward in this case" and "apply the law to its fullest to ensure competitors are playing by the same rules and cheaters can't profit."
A group of Oregon consumers is suing Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller, seeking to block the pending $108 billion merger of the worlds largest brewers.

The lawsuit, DeHoog et al vs. Anheuser-Busch InBev, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, alleges that A-B InBevs acquisition of London-based SABMiller will lessen competition in the U.S. in violation of federal antitrust laws.

The consumers allege in the lawsuit that A-B InBevs acquisition of SABMiller will cause competitive harm to U.S. beer consumers by further enhancing ABIs ability to unilaterally raise the prices of the SAB and other brands it will own post-acquisition, and diminish ABIs incentive to innovate with respect to new brands, products, and packaging.

A-B InBevs purchase of SABMiller is slated to close in the second half of 2016. To alleviate antitrust concerns in the U.S., A-B InBev said last month that SABMiller would sell its stake in U.S. beer joint venture MillerCoors to partner Molson-Coors, so Miller brands wouldnt be owned by the same company as Bud Light and Budweiser in the U.S.

Christopher Cauble, an attorney representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said A-B InBev would still be too powerful after the merger finalized, and its size would negatively affect beer choices, quality and price.

Consumers would be substantially affected, Cauble said in a phone interview. They would have major market domination.

A-B InBevs vice president of legal and corporate affairs, John Blood, said the allegations in the lawsuit were without merit.

The U.S. beer market has never been more competitive, with strong growth from craft brewers, and nothing in this transaction will change that fact, Blood said in an email to the Post-Dispatch. Instead, this transaction provides a compelling opportunity to extend the reach of A-B InBevs iconic American brands, such as Budweiser, to markets outside of the United States.
Will a little money, socked away in a poor childs college savings account, lead to big returns later on?

St. Louis is going to find out, although it may take years to tell.

St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones this month began putting $50 aside in college savings for each of 3,500 kindergartners enrolled in city public and charter schools this year. The money comes from parking meters and parking fines.

In the high-poverty Normandy School District, a larger experiment has been underway for four years. Each kindergarten parent is offered a $500 account in their childs name in Missouris state college savings program. Its funded by charity grants to Beyond Housing, a private social welfare group.

A $500 gift is unlikely to cover much of the cost of college, even with 13 years of compounding returns. Rather, the sponsors want to plant hope.

Were conveying to children and families that college is a real possibility  so lets get saving for it, said Chris Krehmeyer, Beyond Housings president. He wants low-income parents to start socking away for college.

The same sort of thing is being tried elsewhere. In Maine, every newborn gets a $500 college savings account funded by the Harold Alfond Foundation, the legacy of a shoe magnate. The treasurer of San Francisco is putting $50 in an account for every kindergartner, with a $50 bonus for low income children.

Does it work? Early evidence indicates that it helps  a little  in getting families to save for college. It also makes parents happy.

Its a blessing, said Tu Wonna Darden of Hanley Hills. Five-year-old Jaelah now has $500 saved for college, courtesy of Beyond Housing. It makes a big difference. It lets us know that shes already started saving, and she cant go anywhere but up.

Perhaps the best test of the theory was conducted by researchers at Washington University and St. Louis University, along with the state of Oklahoma.

Eight years ago, 1,350 randomly picked Oklahoma infants were given $1,000 college savings accounts. Parents were told that the state would double any contributions parents made, up to a limit, and urged them to start saving for college.

A nearly equal number of children were given nothing, and researchers followed both groups for four years. Of families given money, 17 percent added to college savings using their own money. Of the control group, 1 percent did so.

Researchers also found a psychological effect. The accounts made parents feel a little better, both about themselves and their childs future.

Interviews with parents show that the Oklahoma accounts helped poor parents believe that college is attainable, said Michael Sherraden, professor and director of Washington Universitys Center for Social Development.

It also lifted the families spirits. The mother has a little higher expectations for her childrens education, Sherraden said.

The differences between the account parents and the control group were not huge, but the account parents did feel better about their lives, Sherraden said.

They were also a little gentler on their children. There were a little bit less harsh punishment behaviors, he said.

Those children showed better social skills, such as the ability to play with others. The improvements in behavior about equaled the results from Head Start, the preschool program for low-income children.

We found that the lowest income, most disadvantaged kids have stronger positive outcomes, Sherraden said.

Is the improvement enough to justify a $1,000 investment? Its a lot less expensive than other early-childhood interventions, Sherraden said. The evidence we see suggests that this should be public policy.

Other research shows, not surprisingly, that kids with money set aside for college are much more likely to actually go than kids without savings. But that raises a chicken-and-egg question. Does the presence of money prompt a young person to go to college? Or is it the ambition for college that prompts parents and students to save?

Tu Wonna Darden and her husband, Frederick, had ambitions for their children long before Beyond Housing made its gift.

She cleans a hotel on the night shift. Frederick is a bus driver. With seven children, saving is tough. So they urge their children to be brainiacs, getting grades good enough to merit scholarships.

That seems to be working so far. Of the four children old enough for college, three attended.

When you do your job right as a parent, and make sure they do right and help them, its not rough at all, she said. You have to be involved in their life  where theyre going, when theyre coming back.

The city treasurer is dangling carrots designed to get parents to add to their accounts. City kids will get $1 added for every week of perfect attendance during the first year. Treasurer Jones will add another $50 if a parent takes a free financial education course, either in person or online.

The program was approved by the Board of Alderman. The Missouri constitution forbids governments from simply giving taxpayers money to individuals, but treasurers officials point to an exception for education grants.

Jones is hoping to add additional incentives for todays kindergartners as they get older. Shes landed $50,000 in contributions so far from Emerson, the Deaconess Foundation and the Regional Business Council.

The money will be kept at the treasurers office until the children are ready for college and wont earn interest. The city doesnt have students Social Security numbers, which prevents interest payments. Once an account reaches $500, the treasurers office will encourage the parent to move it to an interest-paying college savings account.

In the Normandy School District, Beyond Housing asks for Social Security numbers as part of the kindergarten registration process. That lets it open investment and interest-paying accounts with Missouri Saving for Tuition, the states tax-protected college savings plan.

Beyond Housing steps in again when students reach Normandy High School. Students willing to save for college have their savings tripled. They save $1 and we match it with $3, Krehmeyer said.

The first students in the program just graduated from college, and Shatera Davis was one of them. They told us that if we were serious about going to college, they could help us save money, she said.

Davis mother is a counselor and social worker, and her father works for a trash collector. Both were determined to send their children to college, although they couldnt afford to pay for it.

Davis started working in a movie theater in her junior year of high school, putting $20 per paycheck away for college. She landed a $500 scholarship, and had it tripled when she placed it in her account. She had $3,000 by her senior year.

It gave me a goal to aspire to. Im raising all this money, and I want to do something with it, she said.

That, a loan and a big scholarship put her through the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She graduated this year and is working as a college adviser at Roosevelt High School in St. Louis.
The Consumer Federation of America has accused Allstate of charging its loyal customers more for auto insurance than consumers who shopped for coverage.

Allstate said the federation is wrong.

The consumer advocacy group, in a news release sent Tuesday, claimed that Allstate is unfairly increasing premiums for thousands of Missouris good drivers.

The federation said Allstate bases its rates in part on marketplace characteristics, including a estimate of how likely a particular customer is to switch companies if rates go up. Insurers can often tell if a customer is shopping among competitors if the customer uses an online insurance shopping service.

Here in Missouri, Allstate charges different prices to people of the same risk but who have different shopping habits, raising the rate if a person shops less, such as a loyal customer, said J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance at the federation and a former Texas Insurance Commissioner. Charging different rates to persons of the same risk is unfair discrimination and illegal in Missouri.

The consumer group wrote to Missouri Insurance Commissioner John Huff requesting that he reject Allstates auto insurance rates. The commissioner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Allstate said its behaving legally.

The Consumer Federation of Americas allegations of illegal pricing methods continue to be wrong and misinformed. Our prices are legal and actuarially sound, the company said in an emailed statement.

Our rating plans have been and continue to be risk-based, using traditional variables such as driving safety record, garaging location, and type of vehicle. Marketplace considerations, as part of risk-based pricing, are used appropriately, and we are open and transparent with regulators in all aspects of our pricing.

The federation said it first discovered Allstates practice in a filing with Wisconsin insurance regulators, and later learned that the company was doing the same thing in Missouri and other states.
Bud Light blew it with #UpForWhatever, the campaign that called Americas most popular brew the perfect beer for removing no from your vocabulary for the night. Critics lambasted it as tone-deaf to issues of sexual assault.

Now Anheuser-Busch InBev is setting out to win back women with a Super Bowl ad campaign built around the idea that coming together over a frosty Bud Light can help solve the worlds problems, including unequal pay. And MillerCoors, A-B InBevs biggest U.S. competitor, says attracting more women is key to regaining the 10 percent share of the market that beer has lost to wine and hard liquor over the last decade. Together the two brewers sell 72 percent of the beer in the United States.

Objectification of women is going away, said Jorn Socquet, A-B InBevs vice president of marketing for the United States.

We think the time is right, said Britt Dougherty, senior marketing insights director for MillerCoors. Were going through a feminization of culture.

Making beer more gender friendly could add about 5 million barrels over the next five years to the industrys annual U.S. sales of 206 million barrels, she said, and boost revenue for a soon-to-be-reconfigured industry. A-B InBev is planning to buy London-based SABMiller, while SABMiller has announced its selling its stake in MillerCoors to Molson Coors Brewing Co., based in Denver and Montreal.

Years of ads portraying women as nearly naked boy toys have helped cap womens beer consumption at around a quarter of U.S. sales. Wooing women with new messages will be difficult, said Allen Adamson, former chairman of branding firm Landor Associates. Its been an age-old challenge to try to get women to drink beer, so its a tough road to plow, Adamson said. After years of being very sexist and very male-focused, now to say, Forget all that! Its going to take them time to dig themselves out of this corner theyve painted themselves into.

The #UpForWhatever campaign, which drew boos from critics including John Oliver of HBOs Last Week Tonight, was grounded in substantial insights about millennials desire for spontaneous fun, and designed to be gender neutral, Socquet said. However, the work itself was overly focused on living for today, not for tomorrow, and did not achieve the expected performance amongst all target audiences.

Socquet said he hopes to capture more women with sweet drinks and colorful packaging.

Hence the Bud Light Lime-A-Rita, a canned faux cocktail that puts Americas No. 1 beer in a concoction that mimics margaritas three ingredients  tequila, Cointreau (or triple sec) and lime juice.

Its damn complex to make a margarita  you have to buy all the ingredients, it takes a lot of time, youre not an expert in doing so, Socquet said. So its a nice smartcut to get a Lime-A-Rita, a tasty product, in a can, eight ounces, in the right size. So sometimes we innovate to really go after women.

Sales of Bud Light Lime-A-Ritas seven flavors are down sharply this year, according to Beer Marketers Insights.

Dougherty said flavor doesnt matter as much, to women or men, as how beer can be a reason to hang out. Were sort of realizing that actually its not that women dont like beer, its that we just need to make sure were providing the societal benefit, she said. Theres societal value for men to learn to like beer because they hang out with their buddies, its how they bond.

Even so, MillerCoors has scheduled a January launch of Henrys Hard Sodas (orange and ginger ale) to join Redds Apple Ale, fruit-flavored shandies and gluten-free beer as more female-friendly products.

The ultimate goal is to increase sales, Socquet said. An ad campaign can be gender-inclusive, and even bring lumps to jaded TV viewers throats, but if it doesnt move beer, it hasnt done its job.

Weve done the puppy commercials on the Super Bowl for the last three years and everybody loves them, he said. They have zero impact on beer sales. Those ads I wouldnt air again because they dont sell beer.
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.
LOUISVILLE, Ky.  The spirits company behind Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey is taking a deeper plunge into Kentucky bourbon.

Brown-Forman Corp. said Monday that Coopers' Craft will be its first new bourbon brand in 20 years. The roll-out for the premium whiskey will come this summer in eight southeastern states, with plans to expand distribution once supplies increase, company executives said.

Brown-Forman master distiller Chris Morris, whose production team spent more than a decade creating Coopers' Craft, said "the time for a new style of bourbon has arrived."

Louisville-based Brown-Forman's flagship brand is Jack Daniel's and its extensive spirits lineup includes Woodford Reserve and Old Forester bourbons.

Coopers' Craft whiskey will age four to six years before bottling, the company said.

It's bottled at 82.2 proof, lower than Woodford Reserve and Old Forester, making it a prime "entry-level whiskey" for people unfamiliar with bourbon, said Doug Petry, co-owner and beverage director at RYE, a Louisville restaurant.

The new brand's name is meant as a tribute to the craft of barrel making and the importance of wood in creating bourbon, the company said. Bourbon matures in charred, oak barrels, resulting in its amber color and distinctive taste.

Its initial rollout will be in Kentucky, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida. The whiskey is produced at the Brown-Forman distillery in Shively, southwest of downtown Louisville.

The company's newest brand introduction comes amid continued strong sales for whiskey.

Combined U.S. revenues for bourbon, Tennessee whiskey and rye whiskey shot up 7.8 percent to $2.9 billion in 2015, up $210 million from the prior year, according to the Distilled Spirits Council. Domestic volume rose 5.2 percent last year to 20.4 million cases, it said.

Kentucky distilleries produce about 95 percent of the world's bourbon supply, according to the Kentucky Distillers' Association.

The state's bourbon sector is in the midst of a $1.3 billion investment boom that could grow as demand increases, it said. The expansion includes new and expanded distilleries, warehouses, bottling operations and tourism centers.

Brown-Forman is building a new distillery in downtown Louisville to produce Old Forester, the company's founding brand.
NEW YORK  Brooklyn Brewery, the craft beer maker operating from New York Citys most populous borough, resisted taking money from investment firms for almost three decades, according to founder Steve Hindy. Now the brewer of Brooklyn Lager is having second thoughts.

Hindy, who sold control of the brewery three years ago to one of his early backers, the wealthy Ottaway family, said the company needs capital to expand its business and meet rising demand for its beer. So its considering selling some equity with the help of investment banks, becoming one of more than a dozen U.S. craft brewery companies thinking about accessing the deep pockets of institutional investors.

We want to stay independent, said Hindy, 66. But we are looking at building a very large brewery in New York City, which will probably cost in the neighborhood of $150 million.

The craft beer industry is booming, buoyed by deregulation and the increased buying power of its largely millennial customer base. The $19.6 billion U.S. craft beer market grew by about 18 percent in barrel volume in 2014, according to the Brewers Association. By contrast, the U.S. beer industry as a whole saw volumes rise by only by 0.5 percent in 2014.

These are fascinating times in U.S. craft beer, and like many of our brethren, we talk to many different people who are interested in participating in this dynamic business, said Robin Ottaway, president of Brooklyn Brewery, who said the new brewery will likely be in Staten Island.

The list of those vying to participate in the business includes private equity firms, family investors and large alcohol brands. Some of these investors are hoping it will include the public market as well.

INVESTOR GOLD RUSH

Investors interest has already become apparent in some of the prices paid for entry. When Oskar Blues Brewery, the Longmont, Colo.-based maker of Dales Pale Ale, was sold to an affiliate of investment firm Fireman Capital earlier this year, it was valued at as much as 20 times its 12-month earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). By comparison, beer conglomerates Anheuser-Busch InBev SA and Heineken NV trade at 13.4 times and 12.5 times EBITDA over the last 12 months, respectively.Anyone who does want to sell, should be selling right now, said Hindy, who retains common stock in Brooklyn Brewery. Valuations are out of this world.

Brewers are seeking outside investment as the burgeoning craft beer market heralds an expensive fight for shelf space. To compete, brewers have to invest in new production facilities, distribution systems and styles of beer. A lot of craft brewers are capacity constrained, selling every drop they can make, said Andy Goeler, CEO of craft for Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Some of the craft brewers exploring selling part of themselves, in private placements or initial public offerings, include Lagunitas Brewing Company of Petaluma, Calif., Ballast Point Brewing Company in San Diego and SweetWater Brewing Company in Atlanta, according to sources who asked not to be identified because these plans are confidential. Each of them is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Representatives for these companies declined to comment.

Still, these investments are not without risk, and it is not clear what the marriage of institutional money and independent brewer will bring. The money guys make money and thats a whole different way of looking at the world, said Hindy. We make beer and the money follows.

IMAGE RISK

Craft beer is defined by the Brewers Association as beer that comes from a company that produces fewer than 6 million barrels a year. Hindy, whose Brooklyn Brewery shipped about 252,000 barrels last year, says the definition of craft beer is in the glass of the drinker. Anheuser-Busch InBev, maker of Budweiser and Stella Artois, has made a string of craft beer company acquisitions in the last 18 months that include Blue Point Brewing, Elysian Brewing and 10 Barrel Brewing. Constellation Brands, the distributor of Corona Extra beer in the U.S., said this week that it was creating a ventures arm to invest in new and distinctive concepts in alcoholic beverages, which may include craft beer.While the craft brewers stand to benefit from the access to equipment, raw materials and the bigger distribution network of their larger peers, such deals also pose significant reputational risk to their independent brands.

When Anheuser-Busch InBev bought 10 Barrel Brewing last year, for example, the deal triggered a social media backlash that included threats of a boycott and angry Facebook posts.

Naturally there was a push back from the local community, Goeler said. Still, he said customers returned when it realized the acquisition would not lead to changes in cost or quality.

An Anheuser-Busch InBev spokesman declined to comment on 10 Barrels performance since its acquisition. A source that was not authorized to publicly discuss financial details said 10 Barrel has seen revenue grow 20 percent since the acquisition.

Private equity firms have also historically posed risks to the image of craft brewers as community-oriented companies that value their product above profit. Craft brewer owners have sought to address these concerns by offering only minority stakes, allowing founders to keep control of the companies.

An IPO is seen by many craft brewing companies as less dilutive to their brand. But companies have to reach a certain size to float in the stock market, and some of them opt for a private investment as a bridge to an IPO. Industry sources said that a $500 million valuation is a rough threshold appropriate for a listing.
There's nothing plain about the vanilla market.

The price of the bean used to flavor everything from ice cream and chocolate to cola and pastries more than tripled in the past year as output slipped and quality suffered. That should have been a boon for top producer Madagascar, the island nation off Africa's southeast coast. Instead, the government is imposing measures to improve supply and quality to protect its market share.

Vanilla demand is growing, particularly in developing countries, as Nestle and Whole Foods Market are using more natural flavors in food products. But a prolonged price slump led to smaller global harvests. And in Madagascar, which supplies half the world's beans, farmers took short-cuts in the process used to create the aromatic qualities prized by consumers.

"The branding of Madagascar vanilla in the international market is threatened," Commerce Minister Henri Rabesahala said in a telephone interview from the capital, Antannaarivo.

In recent years, after a decade of low vanilla prices, production declined in places like China, Indonesia and Uganda as farmers switched to other crops and inventories shrank, data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization show. Madagascar remained a low-cost supplier because the labor-intensive harvesting and curing of vanilla remained mostly profitable with workers paid $1.50 a day, compared with $10 elsewhere, according to Cook Flavoring Co., a U.S. processor that buys from several countries.

As prices improved, growers in Madagascar started harvesting more pods sooner than normal and packaging them in vacuum-sealed containers rather than curing and drying them. This was partly to avoid theft, but also to capitalize on the rally. The packaging gave wholesalers the flexibility to wait for higher prices as global supply shrank. But because the beans were so immature, they hadn't fully developed the compound  vanillin  responsible for all the flavor and aroma. It was almost like picking wine grapes before their time.

Compounding the problem was money-laundering linked to illegal exports of rosewood, according to the government. The red-hued timber is prized by manufacturers of luxury furniture and musical instruments, mostly in China. Since the government banned unlicensed logging in 2010, traffickers have used their illegal proceeds to buy green vanilla from local farmers that can be sold legally to generate dollar income, according to Rabesahala. Most didn't care that they were buying immature, vacuum-packed beans.

With a smaller Madagascar crop last year and fewer good-quality beans, prices surged in the U.S., the world's biggest buyer, where vanilla ice cream remains the most-popular flavor. Higher-end vanilla fetches $250 a kilogram  if you can find it  compared with $80 a year earlier and $20 as recently as 2012, according to Cook Flavoring, which gets 80 percent of its supply from Madagascar. Even lower-grade beans sell for $210, up from $60 a year earlier.

Dairies and bakeries are balking at the increases, and some are switching from pure-vanilla extracts and powders to cheaper alternatives, like synthetics, and products blended with lower-grade beans or those made with natural ingredients that mimic the flavor of vanillin, said Josephine Lochhead, president of Cook Flavoring, which her grandfather founded in 1918.

"There's a limit to what people will pay for natural vanilla and we're nearing that point," Lochhead said by telephone from Paso Robles, California.

Higher prices also pose a risk for Madagascar, which got $280 million in foreign-exchange earnings from vanilla in 2014, second only to nickel mining, which generated $1.47 billion, according to central bank data. Competing growers like Indonesia, China and Uganda may expand output and gain market share.

"In India, for example, the last couple of years, they've been planting like crazy," said David van der Walde, director of Montreal, Canada-based vanilla distributor Aust & Hachmann (Canada) Ltd.

To discourage lower-grade beans, Madagascar agreed this month to block exports of immature green vanilla, imposed a ban on vacuum-packed pods and increased the power of local security organizations to act against transgressors. In recent weeks, the government burned hundreds of kilograms of seized green vanilla, Rabesahala said.

Vanilla didn't originate in Madagascar. The Aztecs were the first to cultivate it in what is now Mexico, where vanilla was mixed with cocoa to make chocolate eaten mostly by aristocrats. Early Spanish explorers initially thought it was a perfume  a use that continues today  and began exporting it to Europe. The plant would only grow in Mexico because its pollination was dependent on a type of bee unique to the country.

That changed in the 19th century when a manual pollinating technique was developed for the vine-like orchid. But it remained labor intensive because the flowers only bloom for a one day per season, requiring workers to tramp through the jungle looking for blossoms.

High prices may not last. With the rally in its fourth year, more production is on the way, and Madagascar will harvest a bigger crop this year than last, in keeping with the plant's biennial cycle, said Lochhead at the Cook Flavoring. In 2002, prices fell from more than $500 to $15 in just a few months, once it became clear supplies were increasing, she said.

This year's harvest in Madagascar, which begins in July, probably will rise to about 2,000 tons from about 1,200 to 1,600 tons in 2015, according to Rabesahala, the commerce minister.

The country's National Vanilla Platform, a government and industry body created in December, is preparing an inventory of an estimated 100,000 growers, as well as collectors and exporters, as it prepares to ensure the quality of the crop when it reaches the world market later this year.

"We are very serious about this," Rabesahala said. "We're not joking. We don't want to to jeopardize the next campaign."
Billy Busch is expanding Kraftig beer to several new markets in Missouri, including Kansas City and Kirksville.

The expansion set to begin next week will fill out distribution statewide in Missouri, and add another Illinois market, Busch told the Post-Dispatch. Last year, Kraftig expanded sales to Texas, Rolla and Springfield, Mo.

Beginning next week, Kraftig will expand sales to Kansas City, Hannibal, St. Joseph and Kirksville, Mo., and Quincy, Ill.

The brewer tapped several wholesalers to handle the distribution: Kansas City-based Central States Beverage Co.; Quincy-based Mississippi Belle Distributing Co.; Hannibal-based Mark Twain Distributing; Kirksville-based Lloyd Distributing Co.; and St. Joseph-based OMalley Beverage.

Were rounding out the state, Busch said of Missouri. Its our biggest expansion in the state since we started.

Since founding the William K Busch Brewing Co. 2011, the maker of Kraftig lager and Kraftig light beer grew production to 13,000 barrels in 2015, a 17 increase in Missouri versus 2014, and a 9 percent increase in the St. Louis area. The growth in Missouri came as overall beer sales in fiscal 2015 dropped 3 percent.

Our goal is to hit 17,000 barrels this year, Busch said. Its our goal to be a national brand someday.

By comparison, the St. Louis Brewery, maker of Schlafly Beer and St. Louis largest craft brewer, produced just under 60,000 barrels in 2015.

Since Kraftig launched, the number of breweries locally and nationally has grown substantially, making it more difficult for regional brewers to expand distribution nationally, said Eric Shepard, vice president and executive editor of industry publication Beer Marketers Insights.

There were 4,144 breweries in the U.S. as of the end of November, according to the Brewers Association trade group, topping a record set in the 1870s.

In 2011, the sky was the limit, Shepard said of smaller brewers seeking a nationwide footprint. In the last two years, theres so much competition and so many more players, the idea of going national has gotten riskier.

Another challenge brewers face is consumers increasingly turning to local options, according to Shepard.

Local is more of a cachet now than it was in 2011, he said. Building a local following and expanding in your own state or region is a safer model because of increasing competition.

Busch remains bullish on Kraftigs growth potential despite an increasing number of beers consumers have to choose from.

Kraftig stands apart from craft beer and other lagers, he says, by adhering to Reinheitsgebot, the German beer purity law that restricts ingredients to water, barley, yeast and hops.

Busch is the great-grandson of Anheuser-Busch founder Adolphus Busch, but he never worked at A-B. Billy Busch says he founded Brentwood-based William K Busch Brewing to create another chapter in the familys brewing history following the 2008 sale of St. Louis-based A-B to InBev.

Kraftig is currently produced at the City Brewing Co. in La Crosse, Wis., and Busch said he continues to scout for property in the St. Louis region to build his own brewery.

Busch is seeking to take full ownership of the family-owned Grants Farm animal park in south St. Louis County to keep it in the Busch family and build a small brewery for production of draft beer on a portion of the land, he said. If he buys the Grants Farm property, Billy Busch said hed still pursue building a larger Kraftig brewery elsewhere in St. Louis.

Our goal is to build a brewery here in the next several years, Billy Busch said. If Im fortunate enough to buy Grants Farm, we would build a small brewery there for our draft needs. We dont want to hurt the character and integrity of Grants Farm.

However, four Busch family members oppose the sale to Billy Busch and instead are pursuing a sale of 198 acres of Grants Farm land to the St. Louis Zoo.

Those Busch heirs who oppose the land sale to Billy Busch filed a lawsuit last year, and a hearing in the case in St. Louis Circuit Court is set for March 28.
WASHINGTON  A federal agency on Monday released final rules explaining how employers can offer workers financial incentives to participate in wellness programs without violating federal laws protecting the confidentiality of medical information.

The move from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was meant to clear up confusion over the way two federal laws protecting employees' medical privacy apply to the popular programs, which are designed to control medical spending by reducing obesity, smoking and other risk factors.

The rules, which were first proposed in November, mark a compromise with U.S. businesses that opposed the EEOC's previous stance that providing incentives to join voluntary wellness programs rendered them involuntary, and thus illegal.

About 98 percent of U.S. companies with 200 or more workers, and 73 percent of smaller firms, offered wellness programs in 2014, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Wellness programs are generally managed by outside companies in what has become an $8 billion-a-year industry, research firm IBISWorld reported last year.

The 2010 Affordable Care Act allowed U.S. employers to increase the rewards they offer to employees who participate in wellness programs. But in a series of 2013 lawsuits against companies, including Honeywell International Inc., the EEOC said a request for medical information related to any program offering incentives violated the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.

On Monday, the EEOC brought its rules into line with other federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, saying companies could offer employees and their spouses incentives worth up to 30 percent of their out-of-pocket health insurance costs without violating the laws.

Incentives can include discounts on health insurance premiums, cash, prizes or paid time off from work. Some health and workers' rights groups say the rules, which take effect next year, penalize employees who decline to join wellness programs and hand over private medical information.

The EEOC's 2013 lawsuits riled the business community and prompted some companies to threaten to pull their support for the ACA as it came under attack from Republicans.

A federal judge in Minnesota in 2014 dismissed the case against Honeywell, in part because the EEOC had not issued guidance to employers on how to structure wellness programs lawfully.
St. Louis has the dubious distinction of having the third-highest rate of identity theft among major metropolitan areas in 2014, the Federal Trade Commission says in a recent report.

A very large percent of those cases involved thieves filing false income tax returns to claim a victims refund, C. Steven Baker, director of the FTCs Midwest region, told the Post-Dispatch Tuesday.

The FTC reported 5,724 complaints of ID theft in 2014 in St. Louis. That is a rate of 204 per 100,000 population.

Among the nations 50 metro areas with high rates of ID theft, only Seattle and Miami fared worse than St. Louis, with Miami reporting a rate of 316 per 100,000.

Besides tax refund fraud, the crime count also includes false credit cards and other accounts taken out in a victims name.

St. Louis wasnt on the top 50 list in 2013, and it was unclear why the region became a hub for ID theft last year.

Baker said the complaint rate remains heavy in 2015, as well.

There is still lots and lots of computer tax ID fraud in St. Louis, he said.

To measure fraud, the FTC gathers data from its own complaint files, from the FBI, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and from states and local police.

Refund fraud has grown rapidly in recent years.

Thieves obtain names, Social Security numbers and other personal information, often by hacking into company computer systems, or by luring victims into revealing the data through phone scams or email phishing expeditions.

Sometimes they simply burglarize doctor offices and walk off with their computers.

Such data is sold on a black market to identity thieves. The thieves then file false income tax returns electronically. They sometimes direct the electronic refunds into prepaid debit cards, and sometimes intercept refund checks mailed to private homes.

Baker said he didnt know how the thieves got information on so many St. Louis victims. The IRS wouldnt comment on that subject.

Last month, two 25-year-old Florida men were sentenced to federal prison and ordered to repay $493,000 for running an ID theft ring with a St. Louis connection.

Terrell Langston was sentenced to six years and Montrail Austin to two years. Federal prosecutors in St. Louis said they used other people to collect the refunds at addresses in Missouri and Florida.

The case was broken when St. Louis police stopped a driver on a traffic offense and found debit cards in various names in the car.
BOUGHTON UNDER BLEAN, England  Fans of craft beers could soon face higher bar bills as small, independent brewers face a potentially serious shortage of a vital ingredient: hops.

Last summer's hot and dry weather blighted the European hop harvest and strong demand for increasingly popular craft beers, which use a lot of hops, is putting small brewers' profit margins under pressure and forcing them to raise their prices.

Prices of some hop varieties have risen by up to 50 percent, industry sources say, while industry insiders say others are up to five times more expensive or simply not available.

On his farm in Kent, not far from London, Tony Redsell has been growing hops since 1948 and some of the varieties he cultivates, strung along yarns supported by rows of high poles in traditional fashion, are more than 200 years old.

He sells most of his hops under contract to small brewers in the United States and his prices have risen by 20 percent in the past three years. Last year the German crop was well down and American growers could not make up the difference, suggesting prices will go up again.

"The growth of craft brewing in the United States has boosted demand for English varieties," Redsell told Reuters.

"It's a good time to be hop farmer."

Most brewers have contracts with hop growers that protect them from sudden price surges, but future supply is at risk. The scarcity may also get worse as multinationals such as Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller buy up craft brands and ramp up their production.

"It's tough for brewers, especially brewers that don't have hop contracts or who were a little late to the contracting game," said Bill Manley, small batch product manager at Californian craft pioneer Sierra Nevada.

If you underestimate sales and need more hops, as can happen if a beer suddenly gets popular, he said "you have to go around and knock on doors like a neighbour trying to borrow a cup of sugar."

Along with water, malt and yeast, hops are one of the main ingredients of beer. Germany and the United States are the two dominant hop growers, each accounting for one-third of world production.

But Germany's harvest shrunk by 27 percent last summer, according to the International Hop Growers' Convention. There were also sharp declines in other European producers such as the Czech Republic and Slovenia.

"There has been a considerable tightening of supplies on the European hop market after the major reduction in the 2015 harvest with a sharp increase in prices," said Stephan Barth of German-based global hop merchant the Barth Haas Group.

"Europe will need at least an average harvest in 2016 otherwise we could see serious supply shortages," he added.

Barth said some hop prices had already shot up by 35 to 50 percent depending on type since last summer.

HOP HEAVY

Craft beers are produced by small, independent brewers using traditional methods. Popular styles such as India Pale Ale can use six times the volume of hops used in the conventional lagers from which they have taken market share.

Rabobank analysts Ciska van den Berg and Francois Sonneville forecast an increase in global beer consumption of around 1 percent in 2016 as drinkers continue to trade up to craft beers.

Craft beer accounts for one pint in eight in the United States and is becoming more popular elsewhere, according to Bart Watson, chief economist with the U.S. Brewers Association.

"We're seeing small and independent brewers spring up in a variety of locations across the globe. Europe, particularly northern Europe, is one area," Watson said.

Rabobank said craft beer had become "a worldwide phenomenon" and would ensure strong demand for hops this year.

The world's big brewers, producers of lagers like Budweiser, Miller Lite, Heineken and Coors, do use hops but in smaller amounts than in than craft beers. That may be changing though, as they have been jumping on the craft beer bandwagon by buying small brewers or developing their own craft-like brews.

A-B InBev "has a policy of long-term contracts and sufficient physical inventories in place to protect against the current shortage for our brewing operations," a spokeswoman said.

The company, known for Budweiser and Stella Artois, also owns craft beers including Goose Island, Blue Point and Four Peaks in the United States and Camden Town in Britain.

Compared to independent brewers, A-B Inbev will have much more clout when it comes to buying hops, potentially further reducing supply for small players.

Evin O'Riordain, founder of South London's Kernel Brewery, whose beers include six hop-heavy pale ales, called this "a worry on the horizon" but expressed hope that higher prices would encourage more farmers to grow hops.

"If a hop farmer can get a better living out of growing good quality hops, then I think that's positive," he said.

Hops often range in price from about $3 per pound to about $25 per pound, but extreme demand can push prices much higher.

HOP SWAPS

Hops fall into two main categories, alpha, which give beer its bitterness, and aroma, which enhance smell and flavor. Aroma hops are currently either not available or in very tight supply, but ways have been found to help brewers.

"By shifting inventories from well stocked breweries to those in need, the hop merchants have been able to balance the market," Barth said.

Sierra Nevada, which helped launch the American craft beer movement with its flagship Pale Ale in 1980, said that given the perishability of hops, brewers will often transfer them to other beer outfits if they have more than they need.

"Sometimes we'll trade, like 60 empty bourbon barrels for 500 pounds of hops or something like that," Manley said.

Small brewers are also making beers that use fewer hops while still retaining their flavour, or substituting less popular but cheaper varieties.

Rabobank said high prices would bring an increase in plantings but since it takes three years for a new hop field to reach full yield hop prices will rise further this year.

This will not affect mainstream brews, where hops make up at most 2 percent of the price, Barth said. "But craft beers have a higher proportion of hops and so an impact on prices may be seen," he said.

Hops grow fast and this leaves them open to disease. On his farm at Boughton under Blean in east Kent, Tony Redsell is keeping a close watch on his increasingly valuable fields.

"Virtually every day of the week during May, June, July and August, I will be walking the hop trees," he said.
NEW YORK  McDonald's is testing bigger and smaller versions of its Big Mac as the world's biggest hamburger chain pushes to revive its business.

The company says it's testing a "Grand Mac" and "Mac Jr." in the central Ohio and the Dallas areas, and will see how they do before deciding on a national rollout.

The Grand Mac is made with two one-sixth-pound beef patties, which may be a way for the company to make its famous burger more substantial as burger competitors have made the regular Big Mac seem skimpy to some. It will sell for $4.89.

The Mac Jr. is basically a single-layer Big Mac, and McDonald's says it's "easier to eat on the go." That will sell for between $2.39 and $2.59.

McDonald's Corp. has been fighting to turn around its business after seeing customer visits decline in recent years. The Oak Brook, Illinois, company has said it needs to move faster to keep up with changing tastes.

Last week, the company held its biannual convention with franchisees in Florida to discuss plans to refresh the business.

The test was first reported in Columbus Business First.
BUENOS AIRES  Monsanto Co. said on Tuesday it would suspend future soybean technologies in Argentina, a move that could limit output of the countrys main cash crop, after a disagreement with the government over inspections of genetically modified soybeans.

The dispute blew up after Monsanto asked Argentine exporters to inspect soybean shipments to ensure farmers are paying royalties for using the companys products. The Argentine government told the worlds largest seed company that such inspections must first be approved by the government.

Argentina, the worlds No. 1 exporter of soymeal livestock feed, relies heavily on Monsantos genetic technology to produce soybeans.

The Creve Coeur-based company issued a statement saying it was disappointed that talks with the Argentine government had not yielded an agreement on the inspection issue.

The company plans to take measures to protect its current assets and will suspend launching any future soybean technologies in the country, Monsanto said in the statement.

Monsanto officials in Argentina declined to comment further.

A spokeswoman for the Argentine agriculture ministry said the countrys rules regarding soybean inspections were designed to guarantee free trade and property rights.

If they (Monsanto) feel threatened, thats their prerogative, she said.

Farmers in the South American country have urged the government to resist any attempt by private companies to inspect cargoes as a way of monitoring royalty payments.

Argentina last month issued a decree saying the government must authorize any grain inspection, dealing a blow to Monsantos push for exporters to check cargoes.

For a year, Monsanto has pressured shipping companies to notify it when crops grown with its technology are slated for export without documentation showing royalties had been paid.
Dutch brewing company Heineken NV has bought a 50 percent stake in U.S.-based beer maker Lagunitas Brewing Co. to expand into the craft beer industry.

Lagunitas, whose brands include the popular India pale ale Lagunitas IPA and pale wheat ale Little Sumpin' Sumpin', is one of the best-known and fastest-growing craft beer makers in the United States.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Dealmaking in the craft brewing sector has increased as companies seek to capture the frothy valuations that have accompanied the industry's boom.

In 2014, barrel volumes in the $19.6 billion craft beer industry rose 18 percent, according to the Brewers Association. By comparison, Lagunitas' barrel volumes jumped 50 percent in the same year.

Earlier this year, California craft brewery Firestone Walker Brewing Company announced its merger with Flemish-family owned brewery Duvel Moortgat.

Private equity firm Fireman Capital Partners purchased a majority stake in Oskar Blues Brewery, maker of Dale's Pale Ale, in May.

Last year, Pabst Brewing company was acquired by Blue Ribbon Intermediate Holdings, a partnership between beer entrepreneur Eugene Kashper and private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners.

Heineken said Lagunitas will continue to be led by Tony Magee, its founder and executive chairman, and operate as an independent entity.
NEW YORK  Johnson & Johnson will keep aruging in court that its talc-based powders are safe, an outside lawyer who has defended the company in lawsuits said, even after losing two multimillion-dollar verdicts to plaintiffs who alleged that J&J Baby Powder and Shower to Shower caused ovarian cancer.

Gene Williams blamed those verdicts on confusion created by plaintiffs' lawyers at the trial. The Houston-based lawyer insisted in a recent interview that there "is no proven linkage between talc and ovarian cancer, and the vast majority of scientific and regulatory bodies, who have reviewed the same studies the plaintiffs point to, do not accept the premise."

Two talc lawsuits are scheduled for trial this fall, one in Missouri and one in New Jersey. At least 1,400 cases have been filed over the issue, mostly in Missouri, where state court rules are seen as friendly to plaintiffs.

Three cases on the issue have gone to trial in which plaintiffs pointed to studies dating back three decades, saying they show talc use on the genitals can raise women's ovarian cancer risk between 30 and 60 percent. J&J said subsequent larger, more comprehensive studies found no conclusive link between the product and cancer.

"The science supporting the safety of talc has gotten stronger and stronger," Williams said.

In February, a jury in St. Louis Circuit Court awarded $72 million to a woman who claimed she developed ovarian cancer from using J&J's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products for feminine hygiene. Another jury, before the same St. Louis judge, returned a $55 million award in a similar case. J&J has said it will appeal both awards.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals acquired Shower to Shower from J&J by in 2012.

An earlier trial in South Dakota ended in 2013 with the jury finding J&J had been negligent but declining to award damages.

Neither side appealed the South Dakota case.

Following the Ristesund verdict, plaintiffs' lawyer Jere Beasely, whose firm Beasley Allen has been one of the most active in filing talc lawsuits, issued a statement calling for J&J to establish a compensation fund to settle the remaining talc cases.

Asked whether J&J would consider settling, company spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said it was preparing for the upcoming trials this fall.

Williams, a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, has represented J&J in all three talc lawsuits that have gone to trial. He mainly defends medical drug and device companies, including Eli Lilly and Co. and Bristol Myers Squibb.
Dick Leinenkugel has logged countless hours in Texas and Southern California lately, spreading the gospel of shandies in locales with abundant sunshine and underdeveloped craft beer markets.

"I think we're poised for a very big year," said Leinenkugel, 58, president of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company.

As the craft beer industry continues to boom, Chicago-based MillerCoors  purveyor of mainstream beers like Miller Lite and Coors Light  is responding by doubling down on Blue Moon and Leinenkugel, the two top sellers in its Tenth and Blake craft and imports division. Beginning next month, quirky television commercials will attempt to introduce consumers throughout the U.S. to Leinenkugel: "German-style beer crafted with the spirit of Wisconsin."

Meanwhile, Blue Moon Brewing Co., best known for its Belgian White ale, is unleashing its own promotional barrage, including its first new packaging in more than 20 years, an ad campaign, and, this summer, the opening of a brewery in Denver's burgeoning craft beer scene in the River North art district.

It's all about staying relevant in an increasingly competitive craft beer landscape, said Ashley Selman, MillerCoors vice president of marketing. "We just need to keep introducing ourselves and to make ourselves accessible."

Last summer, millennials in consumer focus groups informed MillerCoors that the Blue Moon packaging was "dark, lonely and weirdly mystical," Selman said.

The new look is brighter and cleaner than the old, and intended to better represent the experience of having a Blue Moon Belgian White in a glass at a bar, typically garnished with an orange slice, she said.

With Leinenkugel, the challenge is to grow its following beyond the Great Lakes. One of the new commercials features a multiracial group of 20- and 30-somethings  each with an instrument  camping on the banks of a river and drinking Summer Shandy. A moose swims by as they slowly groove into a shuffling, old-timey rendition of Boston's "More Than a Feeling."

"If you're from Illinois or Wisconsin, you know Leinenkugel," Selman said. "Other parts of the country still don't know us that well."

Whether Blue Moon and Leinenkugel are craft-brewed is a matter of some dispute.

From the MillerCoors perspective, Blue Moon is the top-selling craft beer in the U.S. by volume, citing data from the Chicago-based market research firm IRI, and Leinenkugel is a craft brewery dating back to 1867.

But the Brewers Association, the trade group representing the vast majority of craft brewers in the U.S., defines craft breweries as being small, independent and traditional. Neither Blue Moon nor Leinenkugel fits the criteria to be considered a craft brewer, said Julia Herz, spokeswoman for the association.

Blue Moon Belgian White is seen by many to be a "gateway" beer to craft, but its corporate ownership has long rankled some in the craft beer community. The Miller Brewing Co. acquired Leinenkugel in 1988.

"You've got the big brewers trying to act like the small and it remains to be seen whether the marketplace will support that," Herz said on MillerCoors' recent efforts with Blue Moon and Leinenkugel.

MillerCoors' Selman called the definition of craft "a moving target."

"Does it matter whether some people call (Blue Moon) craft or some people don't?" Selman said. "Not really. Ultimately, consumers decide whether they like our beer or not."

What can't be argued is that the beer landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. In 1995, when Blue Moon was first brewed as the Belly Slide Belgian Wit in the tiny Sandlot brewery at Coors Field, there were 794 craft breweries in the U.S., according to Brewers Association data.

Now, there are more than 4,200.

Last year, the volume of beer produced by craft brewers increased by 13 percent, according to the association.

As craft beer and Mexican imports have cut into market share of domestic mainstream beers, large beer companies have fought back on several fronts, such as acquiring craft breweries, revamping marketing on legacy beers, and creating line extensions or new products.

MillerCoors has done all of the above, including buying the San Diego-based craft brewery Saint Archer Brewing Co. last year. But for now, the focus in the Tenth and Blake division is on growing sales for Blue Moon and Leinenkugel, Selman said.

Last year, the Blue Moon family of beers  which includes a White IPA, Cinnamon Horchata Ale and the Harvest Pumpkin Ale, among other styles  made about $166 million in grocery store sales, an increase of 5.6 percent from the previous year, according to IRI data for the year ended Dec. 27.

The Belgian White still represents the bulk of Blue Moon sales  about $113 million in supermarket sales last year, an increase of 9.6 percent from the previous year, according to the IRI data.

But over the past five years, the IRI data show that the growth of Blue Moon sales has slowed, particularly for seasonal and variety pack beers. The growth of the craft beer industry has "contributed to the challenges that Blue Moon has faced," said Dan Wandel, principal of beverage alcohol client insights at IRI.

Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy is the top selling shandy in the U.S., according to IRI data, despite facing similar competitive challenges. As beer drinkers increasingly open their minds to flavored beers, Wandel said, the Grapefruit Shandy in particular "has been able to capitalize on this trend."

Both Blue Moon and Leinenkugel tend to appeal to more affluent consumers and younger drinkers, particularly millennials, according to Nielsen data.

When Dick Leinenkugel got involved in the family business in 1987, the Chippewa Falls-based brewery only produced four types of beer, he said. Shandies were introduced in 2007 and now represent about 70 percent of Leinenkugel sales, he said.

"There's no question we've grown because of people growing interested in trying new styles of beer," he said.

Still, Leinenkugel said the national push won't mean the local market will be neglected.

"We're not going to forget who brought us to the dance," he said.
St. Louis, like the rest of the United States, still bears scars from the Great Recession, which ended more than five years ago. Unlike much of the nation, healing here has been slow and uneven.

The evidence shows up in the regions job statistics, among other places. Over the past year, the number of jobs increased by 2.3 percent across the nation. In the St. Louis area, the number of jobs increased by 1.3 percent.

Since 2009, the year the recession ended, the number of jobs in the nation has increased by 8 percent. In metro St. Louis, it is 3.6 percent.

By last May, the nation had caught up on all the jobs lost in the recession and added more. As of December, St. Louis was still 35,000 jobs short of its peak in early 2008.

In fact, St. Louis ranks 45th out of 50 large metro areas in job growth from 2010 to 2013, according to an analysis from the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, the regions planning arm.

Economic production is growing more slowly here as well. The value of all things produced in St. Louis grew 10 percent from the recessions depth in 2009 to 2013, the last estimate available from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Production in all metro areas in the U.S. grew 16 percent.

The regions economy is seeing signs of recovery, but it trails the rest of America. People who study such things are uncertain why.

Weak population growth may explain much of it. So do cutbacks in government jobs and sluggishness in areas that had been a regional strength, such as education and health care. Manufacturing has seen no growth for four years.

For local job hunters, the slow recovery has been frustrating.

John Hild, 58, who had a long career as a financial analyst, saw his days of full-time employment end with a layoff in 2012.

Since then, hes been part of the contingent workforce  picking up temporary jobs in finance to pay the bills. Most come with no benefits and no vacation. Its not that easy, he said. You always wonder when the next job is coming. You have to be constantly networking.

Hild, of Florissant, thinks his age is his enemy. More than 100 job applications brought few interviews. It doesnt feel good, he said.

TWO RECESSIONS

People think of St. Louis as a big-shouldered brewer of beer and maker of missiles and fighter planes. But a few big industries dont call the tune here. St. Louis runs on thousands of businesses, big and little.

That complexity makes it hard to analyze why the recovery from recession behaved differently here.

St. Louis actually had two recessions, while the nation had just one, according to Bill Rogers, who watches the regional economy from his perch as an economics professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

We shared the big one with the nation in December 2007 through June 2009. Then St. Louis had its own minirecession around 2012, Rogers said.

That shows up in the regions job count. St. Louis lost jobs apace with the nation during the Great Recession, and recovered jobs at the same rate from 2009 to 2011. Then the nation kept adding jobs, while jobs in St. Louis actually fell during mid-2012. When job growth resumed here, it was at a slower pace than the nation.

Our case of the slows extends to population trends. Population has been virtually stagnant here since the recession year of 2009. The nation gained 2.7 percent during that time, according to the Census.

At the end of the day, its people and how productive they are, said Kevin Kliesen, economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Its hard to gain jobs when you have a labor force that is not growing.

Even when we are growing, we dont grow fast. Between 1993 and 2013, the area population grew by 6.7 percent, while the nation grew by 21 percent, according to the Census.

Blame the weather. For the past 100 years, the best predictor of urban growth has been January temperature, and thats still the case. You just have a general move down south, Rogers said.

Thats reflected in the regions migration statistics. Between 2010 and 2013, 30,000 more people moved out of St. Louis than moved in.

Of course, the story is more complicated than a preference for warm winters, beaches or mountains, none of which St. Louis offers.

Economic growth can be self-perpetuating. A region with lots of open jobs attracts newcomers. They spend their paychecks in local stores, car repair shops and other businesses, creating more jobs and more production, which attracts more newcomers. So, growing areas tend to keep growing.

Meanwhile, St. Louis doesnt draw many immigrants  12,500 in those years. The foreign-born make up 4 percent of St. Louis, compared to 13 percent nationally.

Slow growth shows up in the production statistics. From 2001 to 2013, St. Louis averaged growth of 0.6 percent per year in the value of goods and services produced. The rate was 1.7 percent for other metro areas, according to figures from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

The silver lining lies in the unemployment rate. The number of people working or looking for work declined by about 1 percent from 2010 to 2014, notes John Posey, director of research at East-West Gateway. Stagnant population explains part of that, along with baby boomer retirements and perhaps discouragement among jobless workers.

But slightly more jobs among slightly fewer workers translates into a falling unemployment rate. As of December, 5.9 percent of St. Louis workers were out of a job, compared to 5.6 percent nationally. The local rate is down from a high of 10.4 percent in late 2009.

The number of jobless people looking for work is down 14,000 in the past year, to 79,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Among the unemployed, some groups suffer more than others. The jobless rate for St. Louis-area black residents was 8.6 percent, compared to 5.7 percent for whites in 2013, the last year for which a racial breakdown was available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Joblessness also runs higher for youths. It was 24 percent for St. Louis blacks ages 20 to 24 in 2013, and 10 percent for whites at that age, according to the Census.

Montaz Jones, 36, of Normandy, has spent much of his life bouncing between temporary gigs in St. Louis warehouses, loading trucks and lifting boxes. When one job ended, hed go hunting for another. The jobs paid $8.25 to $10 an hour  not enough for a man with two children to help support.

They were laying me off, and I needed something permanent, he said. I wasnt going nowhere.

Now hes finishing eight weeks training in construction at the Met Center, the regional job training center in Wellston. Construction is picking up again in St. Louis, and Jones is hopeful.

Im thinking in the next few years I could be making $15 or $20 an hour. Its beautiful. I can see it now, he said.

WHERE THE JOBS ARE

The St. Louis economy is like the nation in miniature. The distribution of occupations here pretty much matches America, with a few exceptions.

Education, hospitals, brewing, data processing, securities brokerages, aircraft manufacturing and gambling play a somewhat bigger role in employment here. So does management of companies, reflecting St. Louis status as home to divisional and corporate headquarters. Amusements, gambling and recreation is also a little larger here, perhaps due to six casinos and Six Flags.

But the extra jobs in those industries make up a small part of the total jobs picture. Mainly, we look like America.

Still, a stall-out in health care and education helps explain St. Louis sluggish performance since the recession. Together, they provide 14 percent of the regions jobs, and theyd been growth engines in prior years.

In fact, if health and education had continued their pre-2011 growth rate, they would have filled in four-fifths of the remaining jobs missing since 2009.

Health care employment here actually grew during the Great Recession. There are two reasons  capital was cheap and the expected demand for health services was strong, said Dave Dillon, spokesman for the Missouri Hospital Association.

Then, surprisingly, it flat-lined in 2012 and hasnt gained much since.

There are several reasons. Some of it was pressure from Medicare, which began changing the way it pays hospitals and penalizing those with poor performance. The trend toward rising deductibles and copays made people with health insurance postpone care.

The Affordable Care Act cheered the health business when it passed in 2010. Its promise of near-universal coverage meant fewer bad debts for doctors and hospitals. The Missouri Legislature changed that calculus when it refused to expand Medicaid, sticking hospitals with the cost of caring for poor people in emergency rooms.

Education jobs held steady in the recession, and started to grow afterward. Then the teaching business ran out of steam in 2012. It lost jobs and then held steady with no real growth for two years.

People who want small government are getting it in St. Louis. The government job count is down 1 percent in the past year and 3 percent since the recession, mainly due to cuts in state and local government. The sector makes up 12 percent of the regions jobs.

Manufacturing, which provides 8 percent of local employment, has grown hardly at all since the recession ended, and it still is 24,000 jobs short of its pre-recession peak.

We are still feeling the effect of both Chrysler plants closing. That gave us a much deeper hole to climb out of than the rest of the nation, said Denny Coleman, the soon-to-retire head of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, the joint city-county effort to increase jobs here.

Chrysler closing its last Fenton plant in 2009 followed the closing of the Ford assembly plant in Hazelwood in 2006, and both had repercussions among local parts suppliers.

But Coleman notes expansion plans at several local companies that arent yet showing up in the job count.

General Motors is adding a third shift at its Wentzville plant, growing from 2,600 to 3,350 workers. Boeing, the regions biggest manufacturing employer, plans to hire 700 over the next few years to build parts for the 777X commercial airliner. Monsanto is expanding its Chesterfield Research Center, adding 675 jobs over three years, and World Wide Technologies is also planning growth.

What were seeing out of major corporations is very high paying jobs with significant multiplier effects. Those jobs have been announced, but are not being filled yet, he said. That will eventually get us pretty good numbers.

With health and education in a rut, finance has emerged as St. Louis major employment strong point. The region is home to the biggest concentration of investment brokerages west of Manhattan. St. Charles County hosts the electronic backbone of MasterCards worldwide system and giant Citicorps mortgage operation. Downtown and Clayton serve as regional headquarters for major banks, and one of the worlds major reinsurance companies has a brand new headquarters in Chesterfield.

Finance employment here is up 14 percent in five years, and 2.5 percent in the past year. Its 90,000 employees account for 7 percent of the regions jobs.

Finance tends to pay well, and thats important if St. Louis is to gain momentum, says Kurt Rankin, a PNC economist who issued a report on St. Louis last week. Highly paid workers support other jobs as they spend their paychecks.

The St. Louis housing market suffered less than the rest of the nation in the Great Recession. It also began its recovery later, and construction jobs finally appear to be growing. As of December, a slow month for construction, the job count was up 8 percent from the year before, although its still far below pre-recession levels.

Thats good news for a long-suffering group of workers.

God has to want me in this job, said Stanley Matulewic of the post he landed in September after four years of looking. Im tickled to death.

Matulewic, a civil engineer, was laid off from his job at a construction firm in 2011. He was 61.

I vigorously looked for work, he said, but construction was dead.

He ended up with a part-time job driving vans for $12 an hour. Then he found a temporary job walking around an old industrial site with a Geiger counter.

He spent too much time sitting at home. My wife married me for better or for worse, but not for lunch every day, he said.

Along the way, hed kept up with a colleague from his old company. Id send him emailed jokes, he said.

Then last year, the Austin Company set up a St. Louis office to handle health care construction jobs, which was Matulewics old specialty. His old colleague was doing the hiring, and called Matulewic.

He thinks he found one of the odder ways to land work. Nobody ever told me to send email jokes to a recruiter, he said.

NO EASY FIXES

St. Louis isnt the only city experiencing a slow jobs recovery. The St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank monitors the economy in a swath of the lower Midwest and South. Cities such as Memphis, Tenn., and Little Rock, Ark., are in the same slow boat as St. Louis, says Kliesen, although Louisville, Ky., is doing slightly better.

By contrast, some smaller cities are more vibrant, he says. Some of that growth can be linked to big universities in towns such as Columbia, Mo., and Fayetteville, Ark. But growth is also strong in places such as Springfield, Mo., and Evansville, Ind.

Rankin, the PNC economist, thinks the area job market will improve somewhat this year but St. Louis will still lag the nation. Unfortunately, this will remain the case in the coming year, he wrote.

Meanwhile, theres no easy way to rev up the local jobs machine. Things government can do  such as improve education, roads and public safety  cost money and take years to show results.

Colemans group and the World Trade Center launched the Mosaic Project to lure more immigrants to St. Louis.

Direct government incentives  such as the $229 million the state dangled in front of Boeing in hopes of landing thousands of aircraft jobs  spark endless debate over whether the region gains value for the money.

Hope may lie in a growing entrepreneurial sector here, said Kliesen, the Fed economist. Google and Microsoft started as small companies, then grew into behemoths. The more startups start up in St. Louis, the better chance the region has of growing its own big employers.

That makes the regions universities important as discovery generators, as are business-nurturing projects such as Cortex and T-Rex. Its getting some traction here, and thats good, said Kliesen.

That, too, will take time. I dont see anything in the near future that would cause St. Louis to really take off, said Rogers.
Washington University's Olin School of Business has hired Mark Taylor as dean.

Taylor, dean of Warwick Business School and professor of international finance at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, assumes the role Dec. 1.

Taylor is a graduate of Oxford University and received a masters degree and a doctorate in economics and finance from Birkbeck College from the University of London. He also has an an MBA in higher education management from University College London and a masters degree in English literature from Liverpool University.

He is well qualified not only as a scholar, but also as a practitioner in global business and finance," Chancellor Mark Wrighton said of Taylor in a statement. "I have no doubt he will strengthen Olins presence and reputation in the domestic and international arenas."

Taylor succeeds dean Mahendra Gupta, who is stepping down in June to return to teaching. In the interim, Kurt Dirks, Olin's senior associate dean and the Bank of America Professor of Managerial Leadership, will serve as Olin's dean from July 1 until Nov. 30.
Security was tight as mourners packed a Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall on Sunday evening for a memorial for megastar Prince, who worshipped there before he died last month.

Traffic cones lined the streets in front of the church in the Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka, and media and fans were kept well back from the invitation-only event. City spokeswoman Kari Spreeman said last week that police were preparing for up to 500 people, including up to 50 high-profile guests.

Some people who weren't able to get inside before the church filled up were able to obtain programs, which they shared with reporters outside.
MIAMI  Rocker Lenny Kravitzs photo exhibit was never meant to turn out the way it did.

While shooting photos on his days off from touring, Kravitz set out hoping to capture soulful photographs and people in their everyday environments. But each time he stepped out with his camera, fans followed and paparazzi flocked.

It started out being a real nuisance because I wanted to shoot. I wanted time to do my thing and be anonymous, Kravitz told The Associated Press during a personal tour of his exhibit Wednesday. The black and white collection titled Flash runs through Sunday as part of Art Basel Miami Beach.

He blames the social media craze for people forgetting basic manners and respect for one another.

Its really weird that people feel they have a right to invade your space in any kind of way.

After several frustrating encounters, the rocker turned the camera on the crowds and started clicking  almost a joke at first. But then something changed.

Life and art is about accepting and taking what youre organically given ... this is what life is bringing me at this moment, dont be pissed off about it.

As he developed the photos, he found himself no longer categorizing the people, but sensing their individual stories in their eyes, expressions and moods.

I just began to really look into the people and found curiosity, happiness, pain, intrigue ... frustration, love, everything, just people, human emotions.

Kravitz is among dozens of celebs, including Hilary Swank, Sylvester Stallone, Eva Longoria and Katie Holmes, who are in town for the prestigious art fair, which is an extension of the annual contemporary art fair in Basel, Switzerland.

Kravitz, who has lived in Miami on and off for decades, said the exhibit also speaks to the cultures obsession with documenting everything from food to nail art, yet often dont realize the human connections theyre giving up in return.

It shows me how lonely and empty and hurt and unloved people feel, he said, looking every bit a rock star in a suede leopard jacket, blue paisley button down and characteristic sunglasses.

Sometimes people will say to me, Can I have a picture? And Ill say, Look, I cant right now, but Ill say, Its so nice to meet you and Ill take my glasses off and look them in the eye ... and Ill give them a hug and theyll say, No, no, no, I want the picture... and Im like, We just had a moment.
Carnegie Hall has just released its 2016-2017 season announcement, and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is heading back to New York next year. (This year, they went to California instead, where their four-city, five-concert tour is just starting.)

The SLSO will be part of a celebration of composer John Adams' career, with a performance of "The Gospel According to the Other Mary" performed in concert. Music director David Robertson will conduct a concert version of the falsetto-heavy (the score calls for three solo countertenors, along with two mezzo-sopranos, a tenor, and chorus) composition on Friday, March 31.

The cast includes mezzos Kelley O'Connor and Michaela Martens, tenor Jay Hunter Morris, and countertenors Daniel Bubeck, Brian Cummings and Nathan Medley.
This year is sure to bring another round of exciting movies, engaging jazz concerts and entrancing dance performances. Some of the highlights:

FILM

Release dates are subject to change.

 Leonardo DiCaprio gets another shot at an Oscar with The Revenant (Friday).

 Charlie Kaufman shares directing duties with St. Louis native Duke Johnson for the animated film Anomalisa (Jan. 15).

 The Coen Brothers return with a period Hollywood comedy, Hail Caesar (Feb. 5).

 Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson reteam for the fashion spoof Zoolander 2 (Feb. 12).

 Lawless director John Hillcoat explores Kate Winslets dark side in Triple 9 (Feb. 26).

 Take Shelter director Jeff Nichols reunites with Michael Shannon for a Midnight Special (March 18).

 Ben Affleck replaces Christian Bale as the Dark Knight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (March 25).

 Captain America and Iron Man have a difference of opinion in Captain America: Civil War (May 6).

 Oscar Isaac is the bad guy in X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27).

 Daniel Radcliffe brings his brand of magic to the caper sequel Now You See Me 2 (June 10).

 Finding Nemo gets a long-awaited sequel: Finding Dory (June 17).

 Will Smith is not part of the cast of Independence Day: Resurgence (June 24)  lets hope thats not some sort of omen.

JAZZ

 The Bad Plus, one of the most imaginative trios in jazz, makes its annual pilgrimage to the Jazz at the Bistro series. If you think you dont like jazz, this group is likely to change your mind. (Wednesday through Jan. 9 at Ferring Jazz Bistro, 3536 Washington Boulevard, $10-$40. jazzstl.org)

 Billy Childs, a distinctively brilliant pianist, is touring in support of his well-regarded album of Laura Nyro tunes. The concert at the Sheldon Concert Hall promises to be well worth checking out. (Jan. 30 at the Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Boulevard, $15-$40. 314-534-1111; MetroTix.com)

 Gregory Porter, who will be co-presented by Jazz St. Louis, has emerged as one of the few jazz vocalists who can take the music to new and exciting places. (Feb. 6 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, $20-$49. 314-516-4949; touhill.org)

 Branford Marsalis is not only a terrific saxophonist but also a forward-thinking composer whose quartet is first-rate. And the Bistro should be just the venue in which to hear him. (Feb. 8-10 at Ferring Jazz Bistro, 3536 Washington Boulevard, $10-$45. jazzstl.org)

 Tyshawn Sorey has made a name for himself as a drummer and composer with a fresh and vibrant take on jazz. Hell lead his Alloy Trio in a New Music Circle presentation. (April 16 at the Stage at KDHX, 3524 Washington Boulevard, $10-$20. newmusiccircle.org)

DANCE

 The Big Muddy Dance Company returns to an unlikely venue  the Pageant  with a program called Mud Tracks. (Jan. 22-23 at the Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $22-$25. 1-800-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com)

 MOMIX, which has earned a devoted following for its surrealist performances, is likely to dazzle audiences with this Dance St. Louis presentation of Alchemia. (Jan. 29-30 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, $30-$50. 314-516-4949; touhill.org)

 St. Louis Ballet sets its sights on the Valentines Day crowd with a romantically themed program: In It for Love. (Feb. 13-14 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, University of Missouri- St. Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, $22-$51. 314-516-4949; touhill.org)

 New Dance Horizons, which Dance St. Louis usually presents in the fall, will feature works by African-American choreographers, performed by local companies. (Feb. 26-27 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, $20. 314-516-4949; touhill.org)
In 1970, Donny Hathaway released his first single, The Ghetto. Rolling Stone hailed the him as a major new force in soul music. At the dawn of the decade, the performer and songwriter from St. Louis seemed to be at the dawn of his own brilliant career.

But Hathaway also had paranoid schizophrenia. In 1979, when he fell to to his death in New York, it was ruled a suicide. He was 33 years old.

His illness, as much as his music, drew actor Kelvin Roston Jr. to Hathaway's story. We tend not to talk about mental illness, especially in our community. There's a stigma, said Roston, author of and sole performer in Twisted Melodies. It opens this week at the Black Rep. It would have been easier to talk about if he'd had cancer. But we have to talk about this.

When Twisted Melodies debuted at Chicago's Congo Square Theatre last year, Roston had no idea how audiences would react. The whole point was to open up a conversation about mental illness, he explained. And we really did! It still boggles my mind.

Twisted Melodies turned out to be so popular that the whole production was revived. Most performances included post-show discussions coordinated with the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Now, the Chicago chapter of NAMI is about to give Roston its Light in the Darkness award, honoring him for the play and his efforts to break the silence.

The St. Louis production will also include talk-backs  the Black Rep is partnering with NAMI and other agencies for this production. No doubt there will be more discussions down the road, when Twisted Melodies opens in Baltimore.

Roston, who researched Hathaway extensively for the play, thinks he was probably ill even as a student at Vashon High, when he took multiple showers a day and wore his coat all the time. Still, he did so well in school that he won a scholarship to Howard, where he met both his wife, Eulaulah, and his frequent partner in music, Roberta Flack. (Among their songs: The Closer I Get to You and Where Is the Love?)

But as time went on, Hathaway's health deteriorated. Sometimes he watched static on TV (he saw patterns in it) or listened to blank tapes. Maybe he thought he heard something, or maybe he just liked the silence.

Roston, who dismisses the argument that Hathaway was pushed, doesn't even think the manner of Hathaway's was particularly shocking.

He was often seen hanging out of a window, screaming and yelling, said the actor, who moved from St. Louis to Chicago about nine years ago. When he was unmedicated, he was unbearable to be around. But when he took medicine  medicine in the 1970s, not today  the side effects were unbearable for him.

I don't know if he jumped on purpose or not. But I believe he wanted a way to quiet everything inside.

To some extent, Hathaway was cut off from friends and family by then, isolated and stigmatized by mental illness. That spoke to Roston, who has been aware of that stigma since his childhood in Wellston. His mother was diagnosed with a different mental illness, bipolar disorder.

Today Roston is a professional actor who works all the time (he's currently booked a year out, rare in the theater world). In June, he and his fiancee, actress Alexis J. Rogers, will celebrate their wedding (a theater wedding, he says, at Chicago's Black Ensemble Theater). He might have chosen to put troubling family issues behind him, But Hathaway's story has been on Roston's mind a long time  almost as long as he's loved performing.

Roston's grandfather  the late Pastor Roosevelt Bibbs, a man Roston calls the backbone of our family  turned Roston and his younger brother and sister into a singing trio. They performed at church events too small for the whole choir. There were plays in church, too, particularly exciting because, as an actor, Roston could sit in the important chair usually reserved for his grandfather.

Going straight through Catholic schools, he got involved in theater at Cardinal Ritter College Prep; soon, he drew his fellow-student and cousin Ronald Conner into the theater program, too. In the years since, both have become stalwarts of the Black Rep, often playing leading roles.

There was a gap, though. After college, Roston took a job in airline reservations. But when Conner told him he belonged with him, at the Black Rep, Roston listened. I quit my job to be a production assistant there, he said. I thought, this might be the only time that window opens, the window to what I really love  the arts.

He first thought about a play based on Donny Hathaway when the Black Rep's founder and producing director, Ron Himes, urged all the young interns and staffers to create one-person shows. Roston thought of Hathaway immediately, but the idea slowly simmered for years until he. At Congo, he talked it over with the artistic director, Sam Roberson, emphasizing his concern about stigma. He told me that was the point, said Roston, who began revising and rewriting the play for its Chicago debut.

A one-person show presents a special kind of challenge, of course. There's no one around to help if you run into trouble; the show's energy depends on you. Roston thinks he may continue to write for the stage, as well as to act. But if I write another one-man show, he said, it will be for somebody else.

"Twisted Melodies"

When  Previews Wednesday and Thursday; opening Friday and running through May 1

Where  Washington University's Edison Theatre

How much 
New Dance Horizons, a showcase for collaborations between local companies and nationally known choreographers, has previously been a highlight of the fall arts season. But for its fourth edition, the annual event conceived by Dance St. Louis is dedicated not only to world premieres, but also to celebrating African-American artists with St. Louis connections.

With that in mind, three prominent black choreographers were commissioned to create new work: Bebe Miller, for MADCO; Robert Moses, for the Big Muddy Dance Company; and Dianne McIntyre, for an ensemble put together especially for the production. New Dance Horizons IV will be presented next weekend at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center.

The event was originally planned for its usual fall slot, but because of scheduling issues just happened to land in Black History Month, said Michael Uthoff, artistic and executive director of Dance St. Louis. The choreographers are artists whom I have great respect for, and whose work I admire. Their different approaches to the art of dance should be in keeping with the kind of variety that has distinguished New Dance Horizons in the past.

Miller, whose work the New York Times has described as infused with a spirit that clings to the audience even after she and her dancers have left the stage, has created a piece inspired by legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, who was born in Alton and grew up in East St. Louis.

I did get to meet him once, at an event in New York City, said Miller, a Brooklyn native, who is now based in Columbus, Ohio. Just his presence, of really kind of forging ahead and trying to find a new aesthetic in music and sound, I can relate to. Her piece, Lineup Lowdown, is set to three selections from the vast Davis discography  including Blue in Green from the classic Kind of Blue album  which will be performed by a live band.

Working with MADCO, Miller said, has been a successful experiment in give and take.

I cant not do what I do, she said with a laugh. Theyre not going to become different dancers, and Im not going to become a different choreographer. But were all working to the depth of our aesthetic.

Moses is founder of the San Francisco Bay Area-based company Robert Moses Kin and has been hailed as a choreographic innovator. His contribution to New Dance Horizons honors not a particular artist but rather St. Louis rich African-American heritage.

Its about the rich, and deep, and wide culture and history thats there, Moses said. He called his experience with the Big Muddy a fantastic trip the whole way. The process included talking with the dancers to gain insight into their lives, the better to delve into the deep end of making a dance.

You jump into the deep end, but you dont want to work with strangers in the deep end, he said.

Whereas Miller and Moses had the advantage of collaborating with existing ensembles, McIntyre faced the challenge of assembling an ad hoc company.

Uthoff said he thought she would be the perfect choreographer to work with an ensemble that would feature three former principal dancers with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as soloists: Antonio and Kirven Douthit-Boyd, co-artistic directors at COCA, and Alicia Graf Mack, who is on the faculty of Webster University.

We decided, as crazy as it was, to have auditions and bring talented people in, Uthoff said. And with Alicia and Antonio and Kirven agreeing to be part of it, we had a nucleus that was second to none.

McIntyres piece, When We Come to It, is in tribute to the late St. Louis-born writer Maya Angelou and takes its title from a line in her poem, A Brave and Startling Truth. The choreographer is perhaps best known for her company, Sounds in Motion, which was active in the 1970s and 80s.

McIntyre has also choreographed for film and television, including the PBS version of for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf, the iconic theater piece by poet-playwright and former St. Louisan Ntozake Shange.

McIntyre said she was pleased with the quality of the performers who turned out to audition last year. Selecting just eight of them was pretty tough, because I had grown pretty close with all of the people. So it was hard to let some of them go.

But considering the artistic gifts of the Ailey veterans, McIntyre said, settling for less than the best wasnt an option.

I knew that whoever the dancers were going to be in this particular piece, they had to be very strong, she said. Not just that they could connect with my style  they had to be confident, and have charisma. Because they were going to be on the stage with people who have staked their lives on dance.

New Dance Horizons IV: A Celebration Inspired by St. Louis Legendary Black Artists

When: 8 p.m. Friday and 2 and 8 p.m. Feb. 27

Where: Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road

How much: $20
Michael Uthoff has retired as executive director of Dance St. Louis, the organization announced Saturday.

Uthoff, 72, will remain in his other position as artistic director through the end of the 2015-2016 season. After that, he will continue with Dance St. Louis in an advisory capacity. He joined the organization in 2006, succeeding executive director Sally Brayley Bliss.

I am truly, truly thankful for having 10 years to do things that I hadnt done, Uthoff said, adding that relinquishing his posts doesnt mean Ive retired from life. And Im not retiring from my love for dance at all. A native of Chile, he is also a choreographer and a former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet.

The upcoming Dance St. Louis season, starting in the fall, is pretty much what I had suggested it should be, Uthoff said.

In a statement, Jennifer Davis, board president of Dance St. Louis, praised Uthoff for his leadership.

Michaels innovation brought great creative energy to Dance St. Louis during the past 10 years, she said. That approach, she added, helped generate a new awareness and passion for high-quality dance, with both local companies and audiences who have enjoyed Dance St. Louis presentations from around the world.

The board has appointed Janet Brown as interim executive director. Brown has been the organizations operations and education director since 2006.

We look forward to a seamless transition working with Janet Brown, as we continue to celebrate our 50th season, and prepare for the next 50 years of Dance St. Louis, Davis said in the statement.

During his time as artistic and executive director, Uthoff created two annual events: the Spring to Dance Festival, held during the Memorial Day weekend and featuring 30 prominent dance companies, and New Dance Horizons, a showcase in which local companies and nationally known choreographers premiere new work.
Korea's air quality ranks close to the bottom among 180 countries.

The country scored a mere 45.51 out of a maximum 100 points in terms of air quality to rank 173rd in the Environmental Performance Index by Yale and Columbia universities announced Monday.

When it comes to air quality indoors, Korea ranked at the top, but it fell to 174th in terms of ultra-fine dust pollution and at the bottom of the list along with the Netherlands and Belgium for nitrogen dioxide pollution.

China ranked last but has made much more dramatic headlines for its barely breathable air.
LOS ANGELES  Fresh off his career-defining role as prosecutor Christopher Darden in FXs acclaimed limited series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, St. Louis native Sterling K. Brown is revisiting an old friend.

Half a mile from Los Angeles Superior Court, where O.J. Simpson was tried on two counts of murder for the 1994 deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and waiter Ronald Lyle Goldman, Brown can be seen onstage at the Mark Taper Forum in the Suzan-Lori Parks play Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3).

The dramedy explores the work and personal lives of Civil War-era slaves. Brown stars as Hero, a slave who must choose whether to join his master fighting for the Confederacy in exchange for his freedom. He will appear in the production through Sunday. (The production continues without him until May 15.)

Brown originated the role at New Yorks Public Theater in 2014. We spoke to the actor about returning to the character and seeing the parallels between Hero and Darden.

Q  Did the decision to come back happen pre-O.J. or post-O.J.?

A  Post, I believe, because we finished shooting in October of 2015, and it was after we were done shooting the show that they knew it was going to be scheduled at the Taper.

Q  When you started rehearsals, was everyone talking about People v. O.J. Simpson?

A  A few people. Some of the cast was watching, some of the cast was not. They may or may not have FX in their apartment complex, so a lot of them were watching on their computers. But everybody was very complimentary and very sweet. I tried not to bring it up too much because I was focused on the task at hand. They said positive things, by and large  you never get tired of hearing positivity.

Q  With so much happening for you right now, why did you decide to continue with Father Comes Home From the Wars?

A  When the play first came to me, Id been a fan of the casting directors at the Public Theater in New York for a long time  Heidi Griffiths and Jordan Thaler. They were always interested in me coming back to do a particular project. Suzan-Lori (Parks) wrote this play so many years ago, and as it was moving toward production, they were like, We think Sterling Brown should be a part of this. And so I was honored that they considered me in the first place.

And Suzan-Lori Parks wrote a play that was one of the theatrical highlights of my life  going to see Topdog/Underdog, with Don Cheadle and Jeffrey Wright. It blew me away. And it won the Pulitzer Prize, deservedly so. The fact that (Suzan-Lori Parks) asked me to be a part of something that she was creating, it wasnt a very hard sell. So the opportunity to come back to it, in my hometown, where I dont have to uproot myself from my family for several months and I get to still be a father and a husband  although, if you ask my wife, she may tell you differently because it does take up a lot of time. But the opportunity to do theater, which is how I first came into this business in the first place, and be home at the same time, was too good to pass up.

Q  What initially spoke to you about this play?

A  The play is set in the Civil War on a plantation in West Texas. And even though its set in that time, its not supposed to be a period piece. As you can see, some of the costume design elements throw things very jarringly into the present day. Even the vernacular gives you some phrases like true dat.

I think Suzan-Lori set out to create a piece of theater that didnt leave people thinking, Wow, what a shame slavery was, glad we got over that. Its still an institution that affects the way in which we live our lives, even today. I think in regards to Hero and Homer, in particular, they are these two slaves that are both left with scars  one in a physical manifestation, and the other in a psychological manifestation. No one escaped from it unscathed.

But at the end of the day, when Hero says, These are my hands now, what hes trying to say is: Slavery is real, slavery has done a number on me, but at the end of the day, I have to take responsibility for my own actions. And own myself. The act of owning oneself, recognizing that he is his own man, he decides to bury the boss master, and now he can start his life anew. And thats such an interesting place to be in, for me.

And its interesting. As a kid growing up in St. Louis, Mo., I lived in a predominantly black neighborhood. Any time people talked about slavery, it was always something like, If I was a slave, I wouldnt have been putting up with that. I would have been out in a heartbeat. And its like, sure, its a very easy thing to say. But when actually faced with the realities of that institution, we can only speculate. Suzan-Lori gives us a vast diorama of the different perspectives of how to navigate that institution: to flee, to stay, or this very indecent proposal that the master brings to Heros table, which is to go and fight with the Confederacy with the hopes of gaining your freedom when the war is over.

Q  Theres a moment in the play where its said, The worth of a colored man once hes made free is less than his worth when hes a slave.

A  In that whole section of Part 2, you can tell that Hero is really struggling with the concept of freedom. When the paradigm that he has known for the entirety of his lifetime is slavery, how does one imagine something outside of the paradigm? You have to be worth something, right? Its not quite landing the idea that, no, you own yourself. That, in it of itself, is a very scary proposition because theres something about being someones property, being something of worth or value, that keeps you safe from the rest of society. When you know you no longer belong to someone in that way, whats to keep anyone from doing to you what they wish to do?

And so the resonance that has for me, in particular, being from St. Louis and doing this play in N.Y.C.  the incident with Mike Brown had transpired in Ferguson. The failure to indict happened while we were performing the show. And it was just heart-wrenching on a personal level for me. I go back to this statement from Watchmen: Who watches the Watchmen? The people who are supposed to protect and serve us. And particularly coming off the O.J. Simpson project.

There is a reason that many African-Americans have a healthy mistrust for law enforcement. We dont always feel protected or served by that particular institution.

So theres something frightening that comes with freedom. And there was something very frightening for a lot of slaves once they were free and were going through Reconstruction. It was like, what do you do now? There was nothing set up. Most people wound up sharecropping and staying on the land where they had once been slaves. So, yeah, that night when the lack of indictment transpired in the Mike Brown case, people were just crying. But we had this play that gave us sort of a mouthpiece to express what we couldnt necessarily express on our own. At the end of the show we decided as a cast that we would put our hands up in hands up, dont shoot posture and it was such a powerful moment that Suzan-Lori decided that she wanted to incorporate it into the play itself. So when Hero says, I belong to the boss master, he puts his hands up, as if to say, Dont shoot me. Im just going about my business.

Q  There is this parallel between Hero and Darden in that theyre both sort of viewed as traitors by their communities.

A  Thats interesting. They are definitely two individuals that dont have the most popular standing with regards to how they should navigate their personal lives.

Hero puts a lot of stock in the masters word because he tries to be a man of his word himself, even though he falls short.  He himself is the closest to the master, and Suzan-Lori is very much saying, you cant help, to a certain degree, to become akin to the people whom you spend the most time with. And at the end of the play, its almost like youve seen three different Heros. You see Hero, the alpha male, at the beginning of the play; a very subservient Hero in Part 2; and by the end you see a man who has literally changed by virtue of war, by virtue of exposure to the master.

And then Darden, being in a very particular crossroads  being a prominent black member of the prosecution at a time when black America was very much on the side of the defense in the O.J. Simpson trial  that was interesting because I heard that a few named actors had passed on the role because of how unpopular he was.

And so its interesting for me to try to get into the skin of both of these individuals because you cant judge someone and play them at the same time. You have to have some real compassion and empathy for them. And you dont necessarily have to like them or love them, but you have to understand their perspective. And you have to be able to communicate their perspective without bias, as strongly as you can. I think thats what attracted me to these characters who can seem very problematic.
Its not hard to appreciate how my colleague and friend Aisha Sultan reacted to Disgraced. There are few Pakistani-American plays to begin with, none so acclaimed as Ayad Akhtars Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Disgraced.

Of course she wanted to admire it. That only adds to disappointments sting.

I come from a different minority group, however, one that has weathered years of battles in the ethnic-theater arena.

Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and Fagin  softened considerably for the musical Oliver! but still based on the anti-Semitic caricature Dickens sketched in Oliver Twist  were created by writers who probably knew few, if any, actual Jews. That makes it easier to take.

Today, Jewish Americans tell their own stories, on stage, in film and in fiction. The Jewish-American theatrical ouevre, entering its second century, includes masterpieces by such authors Arthur Miller, Clifford Odets and Tony Kushner.

It also includes plenty of tear-jerkers and schlock comedies, plays that earn easy laughs with sprinkling of Yiddish words and such stereotypical characters as the overbearing mama. In the past, some scholars even divided American theater, like Gaul, into three parts: Irish, Southern and Jewish (aka ONeill, Williams and Miller).

Many plays about Jewish life by Jewish-American writers have managed to strike Jewish-American theatergoers as simultaneously honest and warm. The best example is probably Neil Simons trilogy: Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues and Lost in Yonkers. (Incidentally, Lost in Yonkers won the Pulitzer, too.)

But before we assume that self-production solves the problem, lets pause to consider a hit 1964 musical: What Makes Sammy Run? Its title character claws his way from the Lower East Side to wealth and power in Hollywood, scheming and cheating and back-stabbing his way to the top.

A repellant character, no doubt. Worse, however, is the way that Sammys many failings accorded precisely with anti-Semitic conventions: Jews are greedy, Jews are dishonest, Jews are out only for themselves.

The musical is based on a 1941 novel by Budd Schulberg, inspired by the life of his own father. (Theres a legacy for you.) Movie producer Sam Goldwyn supposedly offered to pay Schulberg NOT to publish Sammy, which he thought would encourage anti-Semitism. Years later, Schulberg explained that he deliberately made most of Sammys victims Jewish, too, to show that a single ethnic group includes all kinds of people.

In 1969, novelist Philip Roth faced a similar reaction to Portnoys Complaint. Portnoys Complaint was never made into a musical (and, lets hope, never will be) but its hero, Alexander Portnoy, did make it onto the big screen in 1972. Alex, a lawyer who serves the poor, is not a greedy man, but his obsession with Gentile women gives his story plenty of material to stoke anti-Semitic tropes.

When the novel was published, the Jewish press was up in arms. So were many ordinary Jewish Americans, disgusted by Roths depiction of sex and of Jewish family life. (Sophie Portnoy may be the ultimate overbearing mama.) One rabbi suggested that it would have been all right had Roth published his novel only in Hebrew. This is a marginally more sophisticated version of Sam Goldwyns suggestion: Say what you please to us, but dont tell them.

But Schulberg didnt take the money, and Roth continued to publish in English. Why? Because they are writers, not PR reps for their people. The PR rep has to please his client; the writer, like any artist, ultimately answers only to himself or herself.
The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis will debut with a variety of celebratory events, including an exhibit of Al Hirschfelds famed Broadway cartoons of Williams plays and a conversation with actress Olympia Dukakis, who has played many Williams roles.

The festival will run May 11-15 at a variety of locations in Grand Center and the Central West End  areas the playwright certainly knew during his youth in St. Louis.

Carrie Houk, executive artistic director of the festival, said it will include many types of events: plays in traditional and unusual locations, panel discussions, visual arts, even a Stella Shouting contest in Strauss Park.

Houk introduced the prospect of a Williams festival when she produced Stairs to the Roof  an early, rarely staged Williams play  at the Boo Cat Club in 2014. Describing Williams as Americas greatest playwright and poet, she said she hopes that over time, the festival will grow into a major destination event.

Several cities already present an annual Williams festival. But it is time that Williams is honored with a festival in the town where he (spent) his most impressionable years, said Ken Kranzberg, chair of the Grand Center board.

Grand Center is where the festival will kick off on May 11, with an unveiling of the Hirschfeld exhibit, Broadway Poet, at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Like Williams, Hirschfeld grew up in St. Louis, then went on to New York, where his cartoons of Broadway shows and personalities were treasured by people in the theater and fans alike. More than 20 of his drawings of Williams productions will be on view.

Oscar winner Dukakis will discuss Williams and his characters, many of whom she has portrayed, in a conversation with Williams authority David Kaplan on May 12. In fact, her professional career began with a performance as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire in summer stock in Maine.

Since then, shes played Maxine in Night of the Iguana, Serafina in The Rose Tattoo (four times), Amanda in The Glass Menagerie and Flora Goforth in The Milk Train Doesnt Stop Here Anymore on Broadway. Kaplan is curator and co-founder of the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival.

Other events

Drama: Upstream Theatre will stage an African-American production of The Glass Menagerie, starring Linda Kennedy and J. Samuel Davis as Amanda and Tom Wingfield, directed by Philip Boehm. Actor Jeremy Lawrence stars in the one-man show Whats Next on the Agenda, Mr. Williams.

The Two Character Play, from the Midnight Company and Tennessee Williams/The Soul of a Poet, selections of readings from Williams works by popular St. Louis actors, will be presented with music by Henry Palkes. Both programs will be at the Learning Center  a Theodore Link building that, in early days, was home to the Wednesday Club. The Mummers, a troupe that once performed a very early Williams script, played shows there. Kaplan and writer/director Brian Hohlfeld will direct the St. Louis Rooming House Plays, a series of five short Williams plays, in the historic Stockton House.

Film: There will be showings of Williams films throughout the festival.

Visual arts: Besides the Hirschfeld exhibit, there will be an exhibit of Ride Hamiltons photos of New Orleans, a city Williams loved.

Educational programs: Augustin J. Correro, co-artistic director of the Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans, will present a fact-filled program, Tennessee Williams 101. Correro, Thomas Keith of the Provincetown and New Orleans Williams festivals and Washington University Professor Henry Schvey will discuss Tennessee Williams: The St. Louis Years. Kaplan will lead a discussion on The Glass Menagerie & The Two Character Play: Same and Different.

Completely different: Francesca Williams, the playwrights niece, will read aloud from her familys correspondence in Ensemble: The Williams Family Letters. A bus tour will take participants through the St. Louis that Williams knew.

A Beatnik Jam, reflecting another side of Williams era, will include ... well, who can say? And anyone who dreams of playing Stanley Kowalski can give it a try at the Stella Shouting Contest in Strauss Park.
Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice is the perfect story.

In Elizabeth Bennet, it has a strong, sympathetic, intelligent heroine, with a quick wit that usually serves her well but sometimes gets her into trouble. In Fitzwilliam Darcy, we have a satisfying hero, a handsome introvert of plentiful intelligence whose nobility of spirit is not immediately evident to Elizabeth or the reader, but which comes through when it counts. In the host of secondary characters and subplots, we have Austens incisively drawn portraits and plenty of diversion.

The comedy of manners has been put down by some for what they see as its formulaic romance-novel plot line: The couple start off on the wrong foot, enjoy a period of mutual hostility and then realize that their love is strong and true. Whats not as widely recognized is that Austen invented the formula in the first place, and her comic take on it is eternally fresh.

Although set firmly in its place and time, Englands County of Hertfordshire during the Napoleonic Wars (not that youd ever know there was a major war going on from Austens novels), the story has a timelessness that transcends the centuries. The details of their daily lives differ vastly from ours, but the humanity of these characters and their pursuit of love and happiness remain the same.

Its easy to identify with Lizzy Bennet. Shes bright, warm, aggressively verbal, quick to judge and sometimes slow to reconsider those judgments. Like most of us, she makes some serious missteps in romance. Unlike many of us, she gets a second chance at her soulmate.

Although her situation demands that she marry or be condemned to a life as a spinster in her parents home or a wedded sisters household, Lizzy is a strong woman. No doormat, she spurns the odious Mr. Collins, where a more pragmatic woman  specifically, her friend Charlotte Lucas  would grab the financial security contained in his offer of marriage. Lizzy has both sense and sensibility; shes practical, but she requires a husband whom she can genuinely love, a true companion in every sense.

No wonder the 1813 book has been the launching pad for a score of spinoffs and adaptations, books and movies and television series, from Pamela Aidens Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy of novels, which tells the story from Darcys point of view, to assorted television miniseries, to Bridget Joness Diary to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Now comes Eligible, St. Louis-based author Curtis Sittenfelds contemporary take on the tale. Set in Cincinnati in the present, it uses Austens original as a starting point.

Deborah Yaffe, author of Among the Janeites, about Jane Austen devotees, says that most Austen fan fiction falls into one of two categories. Some is written by people who wish that Austen had written more books, and who want to relive the emotions they felt reading Pride and Prejudice or another of her tales.

The other category, she says, is by authors who give the familiar Austen characters new qualities or characteristics: Darcy might have an affair with Bingley, or the women might have contemporary feminist viewpoints.

Some of this is not bad, Yaffe says. Ive read some extremely entertaining Jane Austen fan fic.

When it comes down to it, though, the best version is still Austens original: witty, well-written, humane.

Heres a quick guide to a sampling of

Pride and Prejudice adaptations and knockoffs

Pride and Prejudice  1980 miniseries  The five-part BBC miniseries is on the slow side, but it has its charms. Chief among them are Elizabeth Garvies Elizabeth and the Darcy of David Rintoul.An Assembly Such as This

2003 novel  The first of Pamela Aidens Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy, this amusing novel gives us the story of Pride and Prejudice from Darcys point of view.

Bridget Joness Diary  1997 book; 2001 movie  This isnt strictly speaking an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, but its certainly inspired by Austen; author Helen Fielding cheerfully admits to having stolen the plot. Renee Zellweger is the quasi-Lizzy, Bridget; Firth, as Mark Darcy, got his first comic role. Hugh Grant is Bridgets Wickham-esque boss.

Pride & Prejudice  2005 movie  Keira Knightley is a strong Lizzy Bennet, in a cast that includes Rosamund Pike as Jane and Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet. Not surprisingly, much has been cut for movie time constraints; with the films budget, though, one would think they could afford to make sure that the Bennet girls are all wearing bonnets when they venture out.

Adaptations we loved





In an informal sampling of the Post-Dispatch features department, respondents were almost unanimous in their favorite adaptation:

Food writer Daniel Neman: The Jennifer Ehle/Colin Firth BBC miniseries. With a running time of six hours, it could tell almost the entire story  and at the leisurely pace the book demands. It had great production values and impeccable acting, plus a letter-perfect script that absolutely captured the amused tone of the book. Ehle may have been a bit too old to play Elizabeth (she was 25), but she was still a lot younger than Greer Garson, who was 36 and looked it.

TV critic Gail Pennington: Jennifer Ehle was Lizzy in the 1995 BBC miniseries. Thats the one in which Colin Firth, as Mr. Darcy, plunges into a lake and emerges in a wet shirt, so theres a chance some people dont even remember her. Darcy, of course, is the quintessential cold fish, but Firth makes us more inclined than usual to think hes merely misunderstood. Recently, though, TV brought us an even more adorable spin on the character. In the Hallmark movie Unleashing Mr. Darcy, Darcy is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Book editor Jane Henderson: My admiration for the 2005 TV production depends not so much on Firth but on the fine performance of Ehle. Still, Ive watched the Knightley movie a couple of times (Knightley is probably too beautiful and modern for Lizzy, but what a problem to have). I also enjoyed Bridget Joness Diary. And when the next serious adaptation comes along, Ill watch it too!

Theater critic Judith Newmark: Garsons defining screen characteristic  apart from her chisel-cheekboned beauty and authentic accent  was her air of self-possession. This is exactly what Elizabeth needs to distinguish her from dozens of other heroines in bonnets, and what makes Garsons performance in the 1940 movie version sizzle with intelligence and style. Of course, it doesnt hurt that Garsons Mr. Darcy was one of the screens all-time-great brooders, Laurence Olivier.
St. Louis has a rich and influential tradition of improvised music, notably the sounds created by the Black Artists Group in the late 60s and early 70s. Closely associated with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in Chicago, BAG took a progressive approach to jazz that helped to expand its boundaries beyond the bop paradigm.

Proceeding in that musical spirit is the STL Free Jazz Collective, which will take the stage Tuesday at the Sheldon Concert Hall as part of the Notes from Home series. The ensemble includes Jim Hegarty on piano and electronics, Jay Dubz on alto saxophone, Baba Mike Nelson on trumpet and shells, Paul Steinbeck on electric bass, Gary Sykes on drums and percussion, and Michael Castro reciting poetry.

Its free music  we dont have any scores, we dont compose, Hegarty says of the group, which released the album Live at Tavern of Fine Arts last spring.

Aside from Castros poems, he says, nothing is predetermined: Other than that, all of the music is just made in the moment. I think of it as being very democratic, in that were all making this music spontaneously and equally.

The idea behind the cooperative ensemble is to have music express something about unity and brotherhood in St. Louis, Hegarty says.

Building bridges through music has been a longstanding concern for the pianist, whose multimedia opera about nonviolence, The Soul of the Rock, was presented in New York in 1997 with support from an NEA grant.

That was the first time I really understood that music had a message that could really connect with people, Hegarty says.

The collective has been performing since March.

Part of why I put together this group is, these are people Ive played with that I thought brought a real mix of backgrounds and artistic perspectives, he says. Weve been playing at the Tavern of Fine Arts pretty regularly, but this will be our first time at the Sheldon.

Hegarty says hes particularly heartened by the diversity of the groups audience. In addition to being attracted to the music, a lot of people are into it because of the poetry, or the background of the players, he says.

STL Free Jazz Collective is well aware that its music is in keeping with a tradition, Hegarty says.

Id like to think that its in the heritage of BAG, he says. But I want us to prove that  I dont want to just claim it.
Lauren Gunderson, whose play I and You opens the 2015-16 Studio season at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, is one of the most prolific young voices in American theater today. At 33, shes the author of nearly 20 plays; many have been performed across the country.

And most of them fall into one of two categories: plays that deal with science, and plays that deal with Shakespeare.

The first group includes Silent Sky, about pioneering astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, and Ada and the Memory Engine, about Lord Byrons daughter, the 19th-century mathematician Ada Lovelace. Gunderson loves to tell stories of scientists, particularly of women in science. She is quick to say, however, that shes never been one of them.

Apart from a few weeks in college when she majored in physics (it didnt take), Gunderson instead considers herself an advocate for science.

But I married the real thing, she says.

Her husband, noted virologist Nathan Wolfe, is founder and director of Global Viral, which monitors the transmission of disease from animals to humans in an effort to halt their spread. Wolfes work, which has taken him from sub-Saharan Africa to Southeast Asia to San Francisco (where the couple live with their baby boy), might excite anyones imagination  especially Gundersons.

Ive always been a fan of stories of scientists and of the dramatic stories of how discovery happens, she says.

Other stories  those of William Shakespeare  have also inspired her work. Exit, Pursued by a Bear, a comedy set in Georgia, draws on The Winters Tale; another, Toil and Trouble, has been described as an uber capitalist hipster Macbeth. The two big themes, science and Shakespeare, come together in We Are Denmark, in which the ground- (or cosmos-) breaking astronomer Tycho Brahe goes to school with his fictional contemporary, Prince Hamlet.

But I and You  which brought Gunderson the 2014 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award  fits neither category neatly. Yes, it touches on one branch of science: medicine. But its a story of the mind and soul as much as of the body.

I and You has just two characters, a pair of high school students. Anthony, a smart, popular athlete, shows up at Carolines house to complete a homework assignment with her. Caroline, whos very ill, has been unable to attend school for some time.

From the first, Anthony is clearly a friendly, generous young man. Caroline, defiantly anti-social (or maybe just out of practice), is determined to resist his charm. But the assignment deals with Walt Whitmans Leaves of Grass. Whatever walls Anthony cant break down, great poetry can. Gradually their relationship shifts, warms  and ultimately takes a turn that neither could have predicted.

Gunderson was an Atlanta high school student, just about her characters age, when she entered, and won, a playwriting contest that changed her direction. Before that, like many girls, she thought she wanted to be an actress; afterward, almost all she wanted to do was write.

That impulse has guided her through college at Emory University, graduate school at New York University and a host of productions. Her only method, she says, is to write a lot.

I was lucky, because I always knew what I wanted to do, she says. I used to think somebody was going to tell me to stop, but nobody ever did. And right now, as usual, I have a lot of projects.

Im working on one play that the Denver Center for the Performing Arts commissioned, a play about Shakespeares friends. After he died, they put together the First Folio. Theyre why we have Shakespeare. Its a play about things that are gone but not lost. Thats what all my plays are about.
The hero in Highly Illogical Behavior has a small world. Since he stopped going to school, Solomon doesnt leave his house. He usually doesnt even venture into the backyard.

Its only John Corey Whaleys third book for young adult readers, but the author is already a hit, a guy who can figure out how to make fascinating the world of a friendless, agoraphobic teen who is obsessed with Star Trek and strategy games.

One way is to bring in two other teens, Lisa and Clark. Unknown to Solomon, Lisa is using his situation as the subject of an essay for her college application. She thinks if she can cure his agoraphobia, shell get a scholarship to a good school of psychology.

Lisa knows it wont be easy, especially pretending to be his friend instead of his counselor, but she knew hed thank her in the end, secret or no secret, Whaley writes.

Of course, readers have their doubts.

Whaley will be in St. Peters next week to discuss Highly Illogical Behavior. His first book, Where Things Come Back, won the Printz Award in 2012. His second, Noggin, was a National Book Award finalist in 2014.

I tend to write about outliers, outsiders, I guess says Whaley, 32, who lives in Southern California. I grew up in a really small town in Louisiana, and I always felt like I was misplaced there.

As a teacher in Louisiana, Whaley wrote his first novel, but it took him four years to find an agent, who quickly sold the manuscript.

Whaley (who goes by Corey but thought using his full name seemed more literary) quit teaching. After several years of facing classrooms of middle school and high school students, talking about books to strangers isnt too hard.

But he has struggled with severe anxiety, which led to his new book.

I started realizing how much I misunderstood about mental illness ... and the strange way we talk and dont talk about it.

For Solomon, staying at home, avoiding public places, is his way of dealing with anxiety. His worried parents dont push him, figuring its better for him to be happy at home.

Its OK not to be cured, the novel conveys.

Although Whaleys own anxiety disorder is treated with medication, he says he is never going to be cured.

Being able to write about contemporary and personal issues makes Whaley really appreciate the young adult audience  and his peers.

What I love about the young adult community is talking about things in our society that we want to change.

Young adult authors have a unique opportunity to enlighten readers and help them change  or stay the same, Whaley says. Theres no subject off-limits for these writers.

Were not living in a world where teenagers arent thinking about these things.

On Sunday, a reviewer for the New York Times wrote: At a time when young adult literature is actively picking away at the stigma of mental illness, Whaley carves off a healthy chunk with style, sensitivity and humor.

But hes not trying only to teach a lesson. Even with a serious subject, he introduces typical teen concerns: love, sexual orientation, friendship, school.

So it all works, Whaley makes it personal: Ultimately I hope thats what makes my books personal to my readers.
Sometimes it takes a man to bring attention to gender inequality.

Artist Daniel Clowes (Ghost World) and his publisher, Georgetown, Wash.,-based Fantagraphics, unleashed a storm of media attention this month when they announced Clowes would be withdrawing his name as nominee for the prestigious Grand Prix dAngouleme, an honor bestowed on a comic creator for body of work or for achievement in the evolution of comics.

No women are on the list of 30 nominees.

I support the boycott of Angouleme and am withdrawing my name from any consideration for what is now a totally meaningless honor, the Oscar-nominated Clowes, who lives in Oakland, Calif., posted on Fantagraphics website. What a ridiculous, embarrassing debacle.

The boycott is led by the Women In Comics Collective Against Sexism. The group posted on its website that the award has financial implications: The media covers the Grand Prix winner extensively, and the distinction makes a huge impact in the bookstore, to the benefit of booksellers, publishers and the award-winning author.

American comics creator Jessica Abel posted the news of the boycott on her Facebook page, and the news spread. Abel, who with her husband, comic artist Matt Madden, is an artist-in-residence at La Maison des Auteurs in Angouleme, France, contacted Eric Reynolds, the associate publisher of Fantagraphics, asking if hed tell Clowes and the other Fantagraphics artists nominated, Chris Ware and Charles Burns.

It really was a no-brainer, Reynolds said. It dont think it was a terribly courageous decision as it was a moral and ethical one.

The Grand Prix winner serves as president of the Angouleme festival for a year following the announcement. Only one woman in the fests 43-year history has been selected: Florence Cestac, a French artist, in 2000. Only a handful of women have been nominated, among them, French-Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi, best known for the Persepolis series.

This is one of those things you know you are on the right side of history. Artists are not going to look less bold in the future. Their [the committees] original decision to not put anyone on the list is more absurd, Reynolds said.

But, he said, Even us at Fantagraphics one of the more progressive publishers, employing many female staff and females artist, theres still an imbalance. No doubt about it.

G. Willow Wilson, a Seattle-based Marvel comic book artist whose anthology Ms. Marvel has appeared on The New York Times best-seller list for graphic novels, said, A lot of these issues, the problem comes from apathy and oversight.

She applauded Clowes for drawing attention to the issue. He took a big risk and I admire him for that, she said.

After Clowes announcement, he was joined by fellow nominees Ware, Burns, Michael Bendi and others, bringing the total to 10.

Franck Bondoux, executive officer of the Angouleme International Comics Festival, which awards the honor, told the Le Monde newspaper, Unfortunately, there are few women in the history of comics. Its a reality. If you go to the Louvre, you will also find quite few female artists.

Though festival organizers announced that they would add some women to the list for consideration, they posted on the contest website that It is objectively faster to count the female creators (almost on the fingers of one hand) than the males.

Later, the festival said on Facebook that people on the voting committee could write in their pick for winner.

Sabrina Taylor, a co-founder of Seattle Ladies Comic Book Club, a group of about 50 comic fans and artists, said, Its hard not to take it as almost fear. From what I see all the time in social movement when people refuse to acknowledge a group or give a place at the table, its a fear of losing power. The comic book industry definitely suffers from that.

Both Reynolds and Taylor found Bondouxs comments laughable, pointing out numerous artists that could be considered such as Wilson and Kelly Sue DeConnick, who also creates comics for Marvel, and French social satirist Claire Bretecher.

The award organizers arent entirely without admiration for female artists. Wilsons Ms. Marvel was chosen as an official selection for the Angouleme festival this year.
The film "The Wailing," directed by Na Hong-jin has attracted more than 2.3 million viewers in just five days since its release, according to the Korean Film Council.

At this pace it could be the first film of the year to attract over 10 million spectators.

The thriller was produced and distributed by major Hollywood studio Fox International Productions and was invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival which is currently under way.

The film revolves around a village that experiences a string of mysterious murders after a stranger arrives there.
For Peggy Kornfein, former book fair chairwoman and current volunteer, the best day of the Greater St. Louis Book Fair is the last, when more than 80 nonprofits will arrive with trucks and U-Hauls to take away any remaining books.

It ranges from small-town libraries with very limited budgets to the prison system in Missouri. ... The USO has come for books; schoolteachers will come and get books for their libraries, Kornfein says. And thats my favorite day at the fair, watching people take books who are just so happy and thrilled to have them for whatever organization needs them.

It is hard to imagine there being much left after the weekend-long event, but with more than 1 million items featured at the 67th annual fair, most buyers can count on leaving with a treasure of their own.

Indeed, Kornfein says the volume and variety of items allows for spectacular moments.

Seeing people find a treasure, or find a book that an adult read as a child that they can share with their children or grandchildren ... just watching people who love books. Thats what I enjoy the most, Kornfein says.

The fair collects donations year-round, mostly from private residences in the St. Louis area. Fortunately, the St. Louis public is generous with donations, as evidenced by the diversity of items in this years rare-book collection.

The 125 rare books include a host of collector-quality, signed first-edition horror books and a few books on British and American philately, including Prouds Postal Histories of British Colonies by Edward B. Proud.

Also of note is a signed, first-edition copy of Cider House Rules by John Irving and a signed 20th-anniversary edition of Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice.

Most books range from $1 to $6; items in the rare-book case are priced $25 and up. All proceeds go to local literacy-related organizations.

The book fair will not, however, designate which organizations will receive grants until after the fairs conclusion.

Kornfein says that past proceeds have gone to, among other charities, Ready Readers, Parents as Teachers-Normandy and University Citys Childrens Center.

Theyre all programs that either provide tutoring for poor students or provide books for students, Kornfein says.
NEW YORK  A novelist who recently posted an open letter saying the gang rape her character endured in the best-selling Luckiest Girl Alive was based on her own experience in high school said on Wednesday that the past few days have been a whirlwind.

The 32-year-old Jessica Knoll, beginning a tour to promote the books paperback release, told about 50 friends and fans at a Barnes & Noble bookshop that the response to her essay had been intense and overwhelmingly positive. (She will be at the St. Louis County Library on April 20.)

She said the situation brought to mind a quote by W.H. Auden, Art is born of humiliation.

This book was born of my humiliation, she told the audience. This book is my pain, and this book is my power, after years of powerlessness.

Luckiest Girl Alive was published last year and caught the attention not just of the general public but of Reese Witherspoon, who is producing a planned film adaptation, with Knoll writing the screenplay.

Parallels between Knolls life and the heroine of her novel, Ani FaNelli (or TifAni FaNelli), were clear from the start. Both grew up in the suburbs, attended private school in Philadelphia and worked in magazines (Knoll is a former editor at Cosmopolitan).

But Knoll had long kept a crucial connection secret, acknowledging that she had dodged questions about Anis rape, questions raised in part by the books dedication: To all the TifAni FaNellis of the world, I know.

Ive been running and Ive been ducking and Ive been dodging because Im scared, Knoll wrote March 29 in an essay titled What I Know, which appeared on LennyLetter.com, a website co-managed by Lena Dunham. (Publisher Random House also announced Wednesday that Dunham and Jenni Konner would oversee their own publishing imprint called Lenny.)

On the Lenny website, Knoll wrote details about how she lost consciousness at a party and woke up to the pain of being raped. Later, she says:

I know I visited a clinic to get the morning-after pill. I know I was 15 years old and aching for guidance and protection, for someone to release the mute button on my voice. The doctor, a woman, listened to me describe the events of the evening, 65 hours prior  just made it!  and I know that when I asked if what had happened to me was rape she told me she wasnt qualified to answer that question.

I know my classmates called me a slut. (Plus a teacher, a cruel wisp of a woman, whom I have just described using the appositive in a nod to how she chose to explain the grammatical tool to the class: For example, Jessica, a cheap mallrat.)

Knoll was greeted warmly Wednesday and read a brief passage from the novel about Anis determination to leave high school behind. To the authors surprise and relief, she received few questions about her essay. Audience members asked instead about her favorite authors (Gillian Flynn, Donna Tartt, Flannery OConnor), her writing process and her work on the screenplay.

I do want to talk about the essay, but I dont want it to drown out the book, she said after the reading. I think it was a good balance tonight.

One attendee, Elizabeth Blanchard, said that she had bought Luckiest Girl Alive when it first came out and that Knolls essay intensified her feelings about it.
SUNDAY

Claire McCaskill  Missouri senator discusses memoir Plenty Ladylike at 2 p.m. at Kirkwood Public Library, 140 East Jefferson Avenue. Free. 314-821-5770.

MONDAY

Lynn Cullen  Novelist discusses Twains End at 7 p.m. at Left Bank Books, 399 North Euclid Avenue. Free. 314-367-6731.

John Joseph Ryan  Novelist signs A Bullet Apiece at 7 p.m. at The Book House, 7352 Manchester Road. Free. 314-968-4491.

River Styx  Poets Albert Goldbarth and Dana Levin read from their work at 7:30 p.m. at Tavern of Fine Arts, 313 Belt Avenue. $5. riverstyx.org

TUESDAY

Robbie Montgomery  Author of Sweetie Pies Cookbook talks about her book at Sweetie Pies Upper Crust, Banquet Room, 3643 Delmar Boulevard. Free, but reservations required. left-bank.com

WEDNESDAY

Dorothy Payne & Michael Castro  Poets read for Black Lives Matter at 7 p.m. at Left Bank Books, address above. Free.

THURSDAY

Ben Bernanke  Former chairman of the Federal Reserve discusses The Courage to Act at JCC Staenberg Family Complex, Arts and Education Building, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. $50, or free with Jewish Book Festival Premiere Pass. brownpapertickets.com.

Edward L. Morris  Lindenwood professor discusses Wall Streeters: The Creators and Corrupters of American Finance at 7 p.m. at Left Bank Books, address above. Free.

James Merrill Symposium  Two-day event on poet Merrill, with keynote address by Langdon Hammer, author of James Merrill: Life and Art, at 5 p.m. at Olin Womens Building, Formal Lounge. Free. Symposium continues Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. merrillsymposium.eventzilla.net

SATURDAY
This month, a former president made headlines with comments how another former president  his own son  had been poorly served by advisers.

That was George H.W. Bush, the 41st president, speaking of Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, who were defense secretary and vice president, respectively, to 43rd president George W. Bush.

The comments came from Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, by historian Jon Meacham (published by Random House, 836 pages, $35).

Meacham knew his book would be released into a hyper-partisan environment, and the pre-publication release of those comments created a big-time book buzz.

My hope is that people will read the book in the spirit in which was written, Meacham said a few days before that firestorm.

This is about the 41st president, about George H.W. Bush. Its not about George W. Bush and its not about Jeb Bush.

Meacham had resolved to produce a book with as much personal detail as possible about a president not known for being garrulous.

He has this image of being out of touch, buttoned-down and emotionally distant, Meacham said. But he was forthcoming. We are not going to have another president who fought in World War II and had the life experiences he had.

Meacham, who received a Pulitzer Prize for his 2008 biography of Andrew Jackson, enjoyed access to Bush over several years, interviewing him as well as reviewing his White House diaries.

What you get from these diary entries is the remarkable sense that you are experiencing history as he experienced it, Meacham said. You feel the pressures of the Gulf War and you feel him worrying about (former Soviet Union President Mikhail) Gorbachev and bringing of the Cold War to a safe end.

You hear it, you are there. A lot of times you have to guess what presidents are thinking, but these diaries allow you to know.

Bush also discussed the traumatic events of September 1944, when the 20-year-old U.S. Navy torpedo bomber pilot had to abandon his aircraft after it was disabled by anti-aircraft fire. Bush and two crewmen had been charged with destroying a Japanese radio installation on the Pacific island of Chichi Jima.

Although Bush survived in a life raft before being rescued by a U.S. submarine, the two crewmen did not.

Japanese officers on Chichi Jima later were found guilty of atrocities involving captured American airmen whose numbers conceivably could have included Bush.

Bush didnt dodge the topic, Meacham said.

He cried on a number of occasions during our interviews, whether it was about the two crewmen who died on that mission or about the (1953) loss of his daughter (Robin) to leukemia.

The perspective of Bushs administration, meanwhile, looks better all the time, Meacham said.

He was attacked for raising some taxes in 1990. Bill Clinton will tell you today how that set up the prosperity of the 1990s, which everyone now wants to have back.

We miss a president who believed in Washington working, and who believed in the virtues of compromise, which is now almost a dirty word.

JON MEACHAM

When  7 p.m. Thursday

Where  Spencer Road library branch, 427 Spencer Road, St. Peters

How much  $39-$44; includes one book and one-two tickets
Alongside a generation of American children, William Anderson grew up reading the Little House on the Prairie books. Laura Ingalls Wilders stories of her familys homesteads, Pas cabin building and fiddle playing, and Mas cooking and caretaking, captivated the young Anderson.

When he was in the third grade, a set of classroom activities based on the popular childrens novels sealed Andersons fate.

We built a teepee, we churned butter and made cornbread, we did murals on the classroom wall, we did map studies of the tracks that the Ingalls and Wilder families made across the heartland of America, says Anderson, 62. I would say that experience in third grade made an imprint on my whole life as a teacher/author/historian.

Throughout his childhood, Anderson wrote letters to Wilder museums, voraciously read from the World Book Encyclopedia and even convinced his parents to take him to the home in Mansfield, Mo. Wilder lived in the Mansfield area from 1894 until her death in 1957. (Anderson, who lives in Michigan, now serves on the board for the Mansfield historic site.)

As a young adult, he took a summer job at the Wilder historic site in South Dakota. Since then, he has penned several books and biographies about the family.

His latest, The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder, offers yet another perspective into Wilders motivation for writing the Little House series. Anderson will discuss and sign copies of the book Thursday at Left Bank Books.

She saw in her own life just a huge transition from rural early America to modern-day America, and she felt that children should know exactly what it was that made America what it became, he says. I think she was very much the same person that people admire and love from her books, from her early life right up to the end there at the time of her death.

Appreciative of Wilders effect on his own life, Anderson says the collection of letters also reveals the extent to which Wilder cared about her young fans.

She told her editor that (she couldnt) bear to disappoint a child and not answer their letters. And some of them wrote back, and then they developed correspondences with her, too. So she to me represents the best of the pioneer era and a real stalwart American values person.

In 1935, in response to a letter from a teacher and her students in Iowa, Wilder answered some questions and told them what stories they would see next:

After you read Little House on the Prairie, I hope to have another book ready for you. I think I shall call it On the Banks of Plum Creek. Would you like that? I am sure you will like Little House on the Prairie, which will be published early next fall. I am sorry it will not be so large as Farmer Boy.

Aside from delving into Wilders life, Anderson takes time to address the controversy regarding Rose Wilder Lanes contributions to the writing of her mothers Little House novels. He acknowledges the rumors of such ghost writing by Lane, Wilders only surviving child, but maintains that the reality is far from nefarious.

I always call the Laura/Rose connection in the making of the Little House books a collaboration because the stories were all Lauras, Anderson says. She would write in her line-school tablets in pencil her first draft of whatever book she was working on, and her daughter Rose would take time out of her high-paced career to discuss these drafts with her mother, or if they werent living in close proximity, they corresponded. That correspondence that still exists has given biographers and scholars a good idea of the Laura/Rose collaboration.

Anderson credits Lane  and her connections with editors and agents  with getting the books published. Rose was significant in the making of these books, but she certainly didnt ghost write them, he says.
Middle school students spend more time studying outside the classroom than high school students even though they face no immediate prospect of university entrance exams.

The main reason seems to be that middle schools have more or less given up on their task of educating pupils since they know that many of them get their education from crammers anyway.

The Population Association of Korea surveyed 6,408 elementary, middle and high school students in 2014 to gauge how long they spend studying and where.
These days, a stroll through your favorite craft-beer shop in search of something new to try can be a bewildering experience. Here is the American brewer meticulously re-creating the obscure and salt-tinged German style called gose. There is the restless Danish wunderkind spiking an imperial oatmeal stout with coffee brewed from beans that have passed through the digestive tract of an animal generously described as an oversize weasel-cat.

Where to begin? And how could anyone even attempt to summarize such a vast and still-expanding universe in a book ambitiously titled The Beer Bible?

Jeff Alworth, author of the new, 600-plus-page tome that bears this name, chuckles. Receiving the Beer Bible assignment from Workman Publishing was, he says, one of those dog-catching-the-car things. There is so much information to make digestible.

Alworth met the challenge. The Beer Bible isnt a pedantic encyclopedia, but a book that you can (and should) read from cover to cover. It moves confidently through brewing history  the section on the rise, fall and return of porters, and the difference between this style and stouts, is especially good  but doesnt bury the reader in arcane detail.

Whats the difference between bitter and pale ale? Alworth writes in one particularly illustrative passage. Cascade hops. The answer is actually more complicated, but as shorthand goes, you could do worse.

Nobody cares about that stuff, he says of his approach to hair-splitting. You want to have a clear sense of what these things are.

Alworths overall theory of beer drinking is, he says, We like what we like. Whenever you get into the subjective quality of anything  art, wine, music or beer  theres going to be someone whos going to say your aesthetic choice is wrong. I dont think theres any place for that in beer. We like what we like.

In the book, Alworth encourages readers, Dont be afraid to call a beer bad. He also avoids the craft-good, macrobrewery-bad dichotomy. He visits the Anheuser-Busch brewery here in St. Louis and marvels at the process. In a sidebar he celebrates, of all things, Blue Moon Belgian White. (This, he writes, might not be regarded as the nations best white beer, but it is better than a number of mediocre craft-brewed attempts.)

Alworths research allowed him to take the temperature of the global brewing scene. He found excitement for beer in the United Kingdom and Italy, while brewers in Germany were, he says, the least hopeful about the future. People (there) are drinking less and less beer.

As for the United States, Alworth doesnt believe the ever-growing craft-beer market is a bubble approaching a pop. When people think about craft brewing and bubbles, what they fear is the end of an unprecedented period of growth. The math is not going to support this perpetual growth. That doesnt mean youre in a bubble.

Alworths research trip to St. Louis to visit the Anheuser-Busch Brewery also included stops at Schlafly, Perennial Artisan Ales and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., where he will appear on Wednesday at 7 p.m. to speak and sign books. Alworths goal for his return to town is one with which many local beer aficionados can sympathize: a chance to try one of Side Project Brewings rare releases.

When 7 p.m. Wednesday  Where Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. Grove Brewery and Bier Hall, 4465 Manchester Avenue  How much Free  More info 314-222-0143
This weekend in St. Louis, dozens of developers, designers and entrepreneurs will build mobile apps in a beer-inspired 'hackathon' sponsored by Anheuser-Busch.

Coding begins at 11 a.m. on May 16 and ends at 12:30 p.m. on May 17. Up to 100 participants will compete on teams, creating apps that promote the country's top selling beer brand, Bud Light. Developers will be tasked with building an interactive platform or portal that "creates a new and interesting way to connect with millennials and sustains engagement," A-B said.

The inaugural event will be held at a Central West End coworking space, CIC Startups, at 4240 Duncan Ave.

Some spots remain available for those aged 21 and over, and entry to the free event is open to the public. The website for more information is abhackathon.com.

"Beer is involved, obviously," A-B says on its website touting the event.

St. Louis is the U.S. headquarters for A-B InBev, whose brands include Budweiser, Stella Artois and Shock Top.

St. Louis' status as a hub for emerging tech talent prompted the brewer to hold the event here, executives said.

"We're optimistic we're going to get some tech that at the very least we can work with as a team to enhance," Terry Hemken, A-B's senior director of analytics and innovation told the Post-Dispatch. "Our company right now is mobile first. We know that consumers are using their phone for things like Yelp and reservations. We know we want to be in the digital environment."

Teams will compete for prizes, including tickets to St. Louis music festival LouFest in September. The grand prize includes transportation, lodging and tickets to Bud Light's Whatever, USA, event in Catalina Island, Calif., later this month.
Last year, Mike Rami and Jake Hafner wanted to try something different. They both wanted to open microbreweries in St. Louis.

Rami, then 40, had been in banking for 17 years. Hafner, then 35, had recently sold his low-key Lafayette Square bar after eight years "of standing in one room every day," he jokes.

Today, Rami's Six Row Brewing Co., open since December at Forest Park and Spring avenues, is already selling its kegged beers to about 30 restaurants and bars in Missouri and Illinois. Rami talks eagerly about the next steps: expanding brewing capacity and adding bottling equipment.

"It feels good to know we've accomplished what we set out to do, which was make beer that we like to drink and hope that other people like it, too," he says.

Head brewer Evan Hiatt, one of Rami's five partners in Six Row (hence the name), keeps about eight styles, including seasonal specials, on tap at the brewery's smokefree bar, which hosts popular cask nights. Rami and Hiatt say they're planning to ramp up food offerings to include entree salads and hot sandwiches.

And Hafner, the former owner of 33 Wine Shop and Tasting Bar, last week announced his plans to open the Civil Life Brewing Co. in the Tower Grove South-Grand Oak Hill neighborhood.

Hafner says that by April, he hopes to be brewing up to six styles for local distribution and at an on-site tasting room.

And this just in: Another new brewery is coming to the city.

Two former Anheuser-Busch employees on Monday said they will open Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. in the 3200 block of Washington Boulevard in Midtown Alley by the end of the year. It, too, will seek to make bottled and kegged beer for bars, restaurants and its own tasting room.

The keystone to all three breweries' business models: Make great beer.

Hiatt is already doing it at Six Row. His Extra Pale Ale and Extra Special Bitter are standouts, as is the newly unveiled Double India Pale Ale, a piney, citrusy hop bomb with a big, malty core (see Evan's Pick for more info). Local hopheads should be lining up for this now that the extraordinary Schlafly AIPA special release is gone until next year.

Although Hafner and his two-person brewing staff haven't decided on specific styles, they will aim for a mix of flavorful, year-round session beers and higher-alcohol seasonals.

"The most important thing to us is making a great product," Hafner says. "I grew up here and have always felt a connection with St. Louis that I hope has given me a good handle on what the market needs."

David Wolfe and Florian Kuplent, Urban Chestnut's co-founders, say their beers will fall into two categories: Reverence and Revolution. The Reverence series will pay homage to the traditional European styles that the German-born Kuplent first learned to brew; the Revolution series will be a nod to the more daring styles cooked up by American craft brewers.

Kuplent, in his role as an A-B brewer for the past eight years, helped create Michelob's line of craft beers.

"Florian and I hope to contribute to the already vibrant local craft beer culture," says Wolfe, a St. Louis native and longtime beer marketer. "It is a great time for beer in St. Louis."

With one new brewery flying high and two others about to take off, I'd say Wolfe is right.

A midyear report issued this month by the Colorado-based Brewers Association indicates that it's a great time for beer throughout America. The number of U.S. breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs is up to 1,625  the most since before Prohibition  thanks in part to the microbrewery sector, which has steadily grown from 447 in 2008 to more than 510 today.

"There is a movement by beer lovers to the innovative and flavorful beers created by America's small and independent craft brewers," says Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. "More people are starting to think of craft-brewed beer first when they buy in restaurants, bars and stores."
Main Street Brewing Co. in the Metro East is slated to begin canning beer under the 4204 brand this week and plans to expand distribution to Missouri.

The craft brewer that produces beer at its Belleville restaurant and brewery at 4204 W. Main Street said the canning line will begin running Thursday, Nov. 5.

Main Street's Belleville location opened in May 2014. The canning line is located in a former Dairy Queen next to its brewery that the company purchased.

Main Street is on track to produce 1,000 beer barrels in 2015 and has the capacity to produce 6,500 barrels annually, said spokesperson Rebecca Wuest. The company recently signed a distribution agreement to expand sales to Missouri and is waiting approval from the state, she said.

Main Street Brewing will begin with canning five styles of beer: Blonde Juele, Pecan Brown Ale, 2-Hop IPA, Common Ride, Dunkelweizen, in addition to a limited run of Oktoberfest.

The canned beer will initially be sold at restaurants at bars where its draft beer is sold but ultimately will be expanded to more retail locations. "We plan on expanding into grocery stores as soon as possible," Wuest said.

Main Street Brewing also has a restaurant at 180 E Center Dr. in Alton that opened earlier this year.
The St. Louis home brewer who won an Anheuser-Busch contest in August will have his beer on tap at the Budweiser Brew House at Ballpark Village Tuesday.

Dr. Jeff Michalski of Ladue submitted the winning recipe for an Extra Special Bitter (ESB) style beer in the annual contest. Michalski, a radiation oncologist at the Siteman Cancer Center, visited the brewery in September to watch the brewing process at A-B's research pilot brewery.

Michalski's beer will be available to the public Tuesday, Dec. 1 beginning at 6 p.m. Proceeds from the $15 ticket for the event, which includes appetizers, benefit Siteman Cancer Center.
PORTLAND, Maine  In a nondescript industrial park, beer geeks line up several times a week outside Bissell Brothers to get the latest batch of fresh beer  much like foodies seeking the freshest baguettes, pomegranates or kale.

Jeremy Ritz didn't get the beer he wanted on a recent day because it was sold out. So he decided to buy some rye ale instead.

"To me it's huge that I get talk to the guy who's brewing my beer," the middle school teacher said. "I love that."

Bissell Brothers intends to make 3,200 barrels of beer this year. That's tiny compared to the big craft breweries, which are stretching the meaning of "craft" under Brewers Association guidelines that allow them to retain the claim at up to 6 million barrels.

While Boston Beer Co., Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and other large craft brewers continue to gain market share, the number of small breweries including "nanobreweries" at the other end of the spectrum is exploding, providing adventurous offerings to a new generation of beer drinkers who increasingly place a premium on locally produced beer.

"The craft beer revolution that is taking place right now is in large part of consumer's desire to be connected with the things they're eating, the things they're drinking, the things they're wearing," said Dan Kleban from Maine Beer Co. in Freeport, which has grown over six years from a one-barrel nanobrewery to producing more than 9,000 barrels this year. "Customers are willing to pay a premium to have that kind of connection."

The modern craft brewery movement started on the West Coast in the 1970s. New England became the epicenter of the second wave, led by Boston Beer Co., maker of Samuel Adams, and Harpoon Brewing Co. Along the way, the amber lagers, brown ales and dark stouts have transformed from a novelty to a big business as a new generation became accustomed to sampling different styles of beer.

These days, Western brewers like Sierra Nevada, New Belgium and Greenflash are opening breweries closer to East Coast customers, and communities are competing with tax incentives to lure the businesses. Colleges are offering programs geared toward beermaking entrepreneurs.

Last year, 615 new breweries opened across the United States, bringing the total number, including the largest and the smallest, to 3,418, according to Brewers Association, the Colorado-based trade group representing craft brewers. That's a level approaching the peak of 4,131 breweries in 1873, an era when lack of refrigeration and slow transportation necessitated local production of suds.

These days, craft brewers make about one in nine beers consumed in the U.S.; the industry has an aggressive goal of doubling that within five years, Brewers Association said.

"This is not a fad. This is slow, steady, stable growth," said Julia Herz, craft program director at the Brewers Association.

Meanwhile, nimble nanobreweries and other pint-size beer makers are staying small and pushing the boundaries with hopped-up American ales, sour German Gose beers, oak-aged sipping beers and boundary-pushing flavors. Portland's Rising Tide offers a beer made with coriander and local seawater that the brewery says adds "a tart and mineral character."

Peter Bissell, co-founder of Bissell Brothers, said small breweries are poised to adapt quickly to market changes.

"The bigger the ship, the harder it is to turn. You have to be small enough to remain fluid to adapt to change in the industry," said Bissell, whose brewery is growing but remains "always fresh, always local."

These days, there are more than 60 breweries in Maine, a state with a population of just 1.3 million. And yet most of those breweries are thriving.

Kleban, who started Maine Beer Co. with his brother, said the beer industry is returning to its local roots, with customers who want to know what they're putting in their bodies. Part of the challenge, he said, is to keep local brewies happy while resisting the urge to grow too fast to meet demand.

"You're kind of in a Catch-22. People want you to grow, grow, grow, grow, grow. But they also don't want you to be the big guy, because then you're not the small guy  you're the sellout," Kleban said. "So you're sort of damned if you do and damned if you don't in a lot of ways."

The nation's largest beer makers, Anheuser Busch and MillerCoors, meanwhile, are buying up smaller breweries. MillerCoors owns Colorado-based Blue Moon. Anheuser Busch started Shock Top years ago and purchased Chicago-based Goose Island Brewing Co.

Anheuser Busch acknowledged the growth of microbrews by declaring itself a "macro brew" in a Super Bowl TV ad.

"The big guys are scared of the little guys," said Amy Fowler of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, while buying some Bissell Brothers to take on a trip to Belgium. "They're recognizing that there's a threat."
When Andy Hille was first falling in love with the craft-beer scene, he lived on Rockwell Avenue in Chicago, and he and his friends jokingly called their home brew the Club Rockwell Beer Company.

This fall, Hille's joke will become a reality in his native St. Louis.

Hille, currently a brewer at Perennial Artisan Ales, has announced plans to open Rockwell Beer Company, a 15-barrel production facility with a 2000-square-foot tasting room and a retail store. Rockwell's beer will be available mainly on tap in its tasting room and in 500-milliliter bottles and 16-ounce cans sold in its retail store.

Hille tells Hip Hops that Rockwell will strike a balance between the sort of experimental beers for which Perennial has become renowned and classic styles.

"We want to make a really solid pilsner and have a good oatmeal stout," Hille says. "Our goal is to find something for everyone."

Hille, who has been with Perennial for three and a half years, will continue to work there through this summer's St. Louis Craft Beer Week. Perennial owners Phil and Emily Wymore have been "incredibly supportive" of his plans, he says.

Of St. Louis' craft-beer scene in general, Hille says, "There's so much opportunity still. No one's even stepping on anyone's toes in terms of styles."

The brewery's exact location is not yet final, but Hille has targeted the Vandeventer Avenue corridor in Forest Park Southeast. Hille believes that this stretch near the new Ikea and the booming Grove is ripe for transformation.

"Our goal is to be an example of what can happen for that neighborhood and to be a catalyst for that kind of development," Hille says.
Billy Busch's Kraftig beer is expanding to the Lone Star State.

The William K Busch Brewing Co., based in Brentwood, said sales of its Kraftig lager and Kraftig light beer begin this week in Southern Texas. Before this expansion, the beer was only sold in Missouri and Illinois.

The brewer was founded in 2011 by Billy Busch, a descendant of Anheuser-Busch founder Adolphus Busch. Billy Busch, William K Busch Brewing's president and CEO, never worked at A-B, but says he developed Kraftig to create a second chapter in the family's brewing history following the 2008 sale of St. Louis-based A-B to InBev.

Busch doesn't consider Kraftig craft beer, but instead said he considers its competition mainstream beers, such as Budweiser and Miller Lite. Kraftig, the German word for strength, is brewed in accordance with Germany's beer purity law, Reinheitsgebot, which limits ingredients to water, barley yeast and hops.

Expanding to Texas, the country's second largest state for beer consumption behind California, has the potential to grow William K Busch Brewing Co.'s production five times its current size, Busch told the Post-Dispatch. In 2014, the brewer produced 10,500 barrels, a 14 percent increase over 2013, and it's on track to produce 13,000 barrels this year, Busch said.

Kraftig doesn't have its own brewery and is currently produced at the City Brewing Co. in La Crosse, Wis. William K Busch Brewing leases space at the Wisconsin brewery and its brewing is overseen by brewmaster.

William K Busch Brewing Co. is looking for space in the St. Louis region to one day build its own brewery, but plans to continue brewing in Wisconsin for now, Busch said.

"The great thing about Texas is it has the opportunity to get us to the next level and help us build a brewery," Busch said. "It's moving us into that direction of being a national brand someday."
But the materials immediately came under fire and the ministry hastily produced another version in September of last year. This is now proving little better. Supplementary materials on the website also highlight stereotypical and chauvinistic views, portraying men as pushy dominators and women as harassed wallflowers.

The ministry spent a staggering W600 million on a standard sex education manual that was only published in March last year, 15 years into the 21st century (US$1=W1,178).

They perpetuate such chestnuts as that men are excited by seeing women without their clothes on whereas women are aroused by "mood," and that girls should avoid "provocative" clothing. The sex education materials can be found on a health website for youngsters run by the Education Ministry.

Critics accuse official sex education materials of perpetuating chauvinism and medieval attitudes to women and their sexuality.

One sex educator said, "The gender differences are based on outdated notions that men are driven by hormones, while women are emotional and weak. Of course differences exist between individuals, but this black and white view is nonsense."

Some materials are merely unrealistic, calling for abstinence until marriage in adulthood -- an absurd notion now that the average age of marriage for Korean men is 33 and of women 31.

Kim Dae-yoo, professor of education at Kyonggi University, said, "Sex-ed materials that overemphasize abstinence are not realistic. As the barriers of sexual roles of men and women are becoming less distinct, schools need to come up with more realistic guidelines."

Experts say the flaws stem from ignorance of changing realities at school. The six co-authors of the ministry's materials are all university professors no longer in the first flower of their youth, and not a single school teacher or youth sex educator took part.

Bureaucracy is also to blame. Content related to sexual issues involving teens is in theory handled by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, but the Education Ministry publishes sex education texts. A Gender Equality Ministry official said, "When the Education Ministry was creating the manual, there was no request for cooperation or advice."

Under fire the Education Ministry has now promised to come out with a set of proposed revisions this summer and this time consult the Gender Equality Ministry and women's rights groups first.
Six Mile Bridge takes its name from a village in Ireland, and its origins stretch some 8,500 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Town, South Africa, but the story of this new Maryland Heights craft brewery truly begins with nothing more remarkable than a bottle of Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale.

Cape Town native Ryan Sherring remembers that beer, which he drank on a visit to Chicago in 2012, as an epiphany.

If I cant get this (in South Africa), he says he thought at the time, I can make it back home.

Sherrings interest in homebrewing eventually led him to found 021 Brewing Co. in Cape Town. His wife, Lindsay, handled 021s marketing in addition to her full-time marketing job. A St. Louis native, she first met Ryan while studying abroad in Cape Town in 2008 and then moved there two years later.

Lindsay shares Ryans passion for beer, but she says there was also a practical reason that their personal lives and careers converged: He was brewing in my kitchen!

After five years in South Africa, the couple decided to move to St. Louis to be closer to Lindsays family. This meant entering a vastly different craft-beer scene.

Craft beer in South Africa, Ryan says, is not so mature. Its up-and-coming. In further contrast to the United States, where camaraderie among brewers is the norm, Ryan describes the market there as cutthroat.

A far more welcoming craft-beer community awaited the Sherrings in St. Louis, but so did one several years beyond up-and-coming into a full-fledged boom. (In Maryland Heights alone this year, Six Mile Bridge and another new brewery, Standard Brewing Co., have debuted, and OFallon Brewery has opened its new brewery and tap room.)

The Sherrings decided to focus their opening lineup on three beers: a session IPA, a Bavarian hefeweizen and an Irish red ale. If not technically session beers, all three are relatively easygoing at 5 percent, 5.2 percent and 5.5 percent ABV respectively.

Were not hiding behind high ABV or very hoppy beers, Ryan says. If we make a mistake, youll know about it.

The session IPA features three hops in the boil  Chinook, Centennial and Cascade  and is then dry-hopped with more Cascade. Though undeniably hoppy, with the familiar citrus and resin notes, to my taste, at least, its definite malt character gives it more body than most session IPAs.

For the Bavarian hefeweizen, Ryan aimed for a truly German character. He used noble hops and grain imported from Germany. The flavor evokes the classic flavors of banana and clove. The Irish red ale, a favorite of Ryans from his brewing in South Africa, is a smooth, rich beer with a hint of honey sweetness.

For the time being, the Sherrings ambitions are modest. The tasting room, which opened in August, is open only Thursday through Saturday. The brewery itself, located behind the tasting room in a Maryland Heights commercial strip, currently runs on a 15-barrel brewing system and two 30-barrel fermenters  though the plumbing is already in place to add additional fermenters.

First, though, the Sherrings want to build a community. That decision played into the selection of the location (Maryland Heights, Ryan notes, is 20 minutes from a lot of places) as well as the name. The Irish village Six Mile Bridge is famous as a place six miles equidistant from two other towns  a place where people came together.

We want to operate as a family, Lindsay says.

Where Six Mile Bridge, 11841 Dorsett Road, Maryland Heights  More info 314-942-2211; sixmilebridgebeer.com  Hours 5-11 p.m. Thursday-Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday
In response to Anheuser-Busch's move to temporarily rebrand its flagship Budweiser brand with the name "America," a small Michigan craft brewer unveiled a new brew this week with the name "Murica."

Execs with tiny Saugatuck Brewing  which produces about 15,000 barrels per year, according to press reports  said the move was intended to "make people laugh," and apparently garner some publicity.

In a post on Facebook, the craft brewer said, in part: "We're here to make beer named after America great again. ... Unlike other 'America' beers, our brewery is completely American owned. What does it taste like, you ask? Freedom. It tastes like Freedom."

The word "Murica" is used to make fun of how some people pronounce "America," and appears frequently in social media.

"Murica" beer won't be among them, though. There are no plans to actually make and sell the brand.

"This is a joke," a brewery exec told MLive.com, a news website operated by Booth Newspapers.

Although Anheuser-Busch's move was widely panned, presidential candidate Donald Trump took credit for the decision.
In the two years since Perennial Artisan Ales head brewer Cory King launched Side Project Brewing, his barrel-aged creations have ranked among the most acclaimed and, due to their limited releases, sought-after craft beers in the country. During that time, Side Project has lived up to its name, operating out of Perennial's south-city facility.

That will soon change, however. As 40 South News first reported, King has targeted 7458 Manchester Road in Maplewood as a permanent home for Side Project Brewery. The location is just around the corner from the Side Project Cellar, the bar that King and his wife, Karen, opened in November 2014.

The Kings have declined to answer media questions about the new brewery, saying it is "too early" to do so. However, they did issue a statement.

According to the statement, "A new space in Maplewood would allow Side Project to moderately increase production and availability of their oak-aged beers and provide a brewery experience for those interested in visiting and seeing the Side Project processes."

The Side Project Cellar will remain at its current location.
If you dont know Alton very well, the name the Old Bakery Beer Co. might conjure an image of a quaint storefront tucked into a side street of this riverfront town. In the back, in the narrow space where a second- or third-generation baker once turned out breads and cakes and pastries, a couple of brewers craft lagers and ales one painstaking batch at a time.

This is emphatically not the case.

The Old Bakery Beer Co. opened in January in the former Colonial Baking building, a sprawling facility across the street from the waterfront Liberty Bank Alton Amphitheater. To reach the dining room from the front door, you first walk past the brewery floor, which looks as if it could contain a high school gym (with room to spare), and then through a sort of lobby, which looks as if it could contain an entire dining room (with room to spare). A sign helpfully informs you that youre almost there.

When you do finally reach the dining room, you immediately stop calling it a dining room and instead think of it as a beer hall, a vast, high-ceilinged space with numerous tables and, along the back wall, a long bar.

Yet once you glance over Old Bakerys intriguing beer list and modest menu, you might imagine yourself back inside that quaint storefront. Its size notwithstanding, this is no assemble-from-a-kit brewpub. Married owners Lauren Pattan and James Rogalsky, both Alton natives and both veterans of Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., didnt set out to open a brewery this big. They looked at several locations in Alton and elsewhere before Rogalskys family suggested the Colonial Baking building.

The beer list currently offers 17 different styles, from the named-with-a-wink Yellow Beer (a pilsner) to Gentle Giant, a double IPA named for Altons most famous native, the nearly 9-foot-tall Robert Wadlow. Most of the beers are smooth British-influenced or hoppy, thoroughly American ales in the 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent ABV range. I especially liked the English Breakfast Beer, which gilds a classic British brown ale with a slight sweetness from honey and floral notes from tea, and also the India brown ale, which balances the classic citrus and resin hop notes of an IPA with a pleasantly mellow roastiness.

Not for everyone, but worth trying for the curious, is the Single-Source Coffee Lager. This doses a black lager with cold-brew coffee made from single-source Guatemalan beans from Edwardsvilles Goshen Coffee. I love the complex roasted sweetness of a good coffee stout, and Old Bakerys beer delivers that, but with a much lighter body ideal for warm weather.

(For now, you can only find Old Bakerys beers in the Metro East, at the brewery itself or on tap in some three dozen restaurants. Pattan says they hope to expand distribution to Missouri by this fall.)

Pattan describes Old Bakerys food menu as the product of a relatively informal process overseen by herself and kitchen manager Matt Cooper. As is practically mandatory at this point, the menu declares its affection for seasonal dishes and locally sourced ingredients, though it doesnt burden diners with long lists of producers.

The standout dishes tweak classic pub and bar-and-grill fare. The BLT ($8) substitutes a tart tomato jam for the usual tomato slices, and it and a garlic-spiked mayonnaise are smart accents for the thick, crisp bacon and its bed of mixed greens. The queso ($6), a starter, is coat-the-back-of-a-spoon thick and very rich. Think of it as more like a spicy rarebit sauce than a conventional queso. The jalapeno appetizer ($6) brings three halved and seeded chiles topped with a blend of bacon and cream and cheddar cheeses. Its an unbattered, unfried jalapeno popper, and without the batter and oil, you can actually taste the chile and its toppings.

Brewpubs rarely earn acclaim for their salads, but my favorite dish at Old Bakery might have been watermelon tossed with arugula, feta and mint in a balsamic vinaigrette ($4 for a small, $9 for a large), a lovely summer mix of sweet and salty, peppery and verdant. Most main dishes succeed by sticking to tried-and-true formulas: a reuben ($9) thick with corned beef, plump beer brats ($8) with sauerkraut and stone-ground mustard, Italian cold cuts ($9) with provolone, onion and banana peppers. After 4 p.m., the kitchen serves a smoked half-chicken and a smoked pork steak. I tried the latter ($10), and while I liked the spicy dry rub, the very thin cut was chewy at best and tough around the edges.

If the food here isnt quite so compelling as the beer, thats no great fault. Old Bakery has already done a fine job striking a balance between being a broadly appealing neighborhood brewpub for Alton and offering something a little different to entice beer drinkers from elsewhere. And, as youll understand as you catch your breath after the trek from the dining room back to the parking lot, Old Bakery still has plenty of room in which to grow.

Where The Old Bakery Beer Co., 400 Landmarks Boulevard, Alton  Two stars out of four  More info 618-463-1470; oldbakerybeer.com  Menu Sandwiches, snacks and more than a dozen craft-beer styles  Hours Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday

 Fair  Good  Excellent  Extraordinary
A new year is on the horizon, which means new music from some top country artists.

In January, the Randy Rogers Band has a new album dropping. So do the Brothers Osborne.

We also know Keith Urban, Jake Owens, Ronnie Dunn, Randy Houser and the Band Perry have new music coming.

And while there's no date announced, it's been a while for Miranda Lambert. Her last album, the highly acclaimed "Platinum" came out in April 2014. And she said she's been writing a lot since her divorce from Blake Shelton.

Florida Georgia Line promises new music; their fans will love it even if no one else does.

It's going to be tough to top some of the great albums that came along in 2015. From "The Traveller" to "The Blade" and "Pageant Material" and "The Turnpike Troubadours," it's been a good year for country music. ("Pain Killer" is not on the list only because it came out late in 2014.) Don't let the bro-county sounds get you down - there's still real music out there to hear and see.

If you're looking for some solid country music to add to your collection, Rolling Stone has its top 50 country albums of 2015.

Don't try to guess the country Grammys

Anyone who understands how Grammy voters vote, give me a shout. But until that mystery is solved, we can all agree it was a good year for country music, as proven by the fact that one of country's best albums is up for album of the year. The nominations were announced Monday.

That would be Chris Stapleton's "Traveller." He swept all three of the Country Music Association awards he was up for - male vocalist, new artist and album of the year. This album is huge.

He's also in the running for country album of the year, along with "Pageant Material" by Kacey Musgraves; "The Blade" by Ashley Monroe; "Montevallo" by Sam Hunt; and "Pain Killer" by Little Big Town.

All five are in my music library. Two are on my "go-to" list that I can play time and again and not get tired of hearing. That would be "Traveller" and "Pain Killer."

It should be tough for Grammy voters to not recognize Stapleton, but Grammy voters are weird. They've made some unexpected, we'll say, choices in years past, giving top country album honors to Lady Antebellum's "Own the Night," and Loretta Lynn's "Van Lear Rose."

Whatever, Grammys. Just try to get it right this year.

50 hours of great music

In a 50-hour span, I got to hear live country music at its best. Last Thursday night, it was Cam, the Brothers Osborne and Big and Rich at the Pageant. Two nights later, we headed north to Springfield, Ill., for the Turnpike Troubadours at Boondocks.

Yup, the owners of the Nos. 4, 10 and 17 song in country music all at the same venue, giving fans way more than their money's worth ($10 got you in the door). And if you aren't sure, Cam's at No. 4 with "Burning House;" Brothers Osborne at No. 10 with "Stay a Little Longer" and Big and Rich are at No. 17 with "Run Away With You."
Love & Hip Hop Hollywood reality star and rapper Miles Brock will host the soft opening of Traxx (8658 S. Broadway) nightclub on April 30.

The event is billed as Boy Toy Saturdays.

Doors open at 9 p.m.

Tickets are $10-$15 with VIP available.

Get more information at 314-810-8658.

Brock was featured on the latest season of the show with a storyline that documented he and his boyfriend at the time Milan Christopher as well as his coming out to his family members.
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Gail Pennington Gail Pennington is the television critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Gail Pennington 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

"Containment," 9 p.m. Tuesdays on the CW

Two and a half stars (out of four)

When most of us watch The Walking Dead or a movie like 28 Days Later, we dont actually worry about catching a zombie plague. The Strain doesnt make us fear a vampire virus.

But in the real world, Ebola may be rearing its head again, and were told that mosquito-borne Zika is even scarier than previously thought. Who knows what new catastrophic contagion could be right around the corner?

That makes Containment, arriving tonight (Tuesday, April 19) on the CW, horror drama of a particularly personal kind. Divorcing ourselves from the idea that the next big disease outbreak could hit home proves difficult, especially as Containment finds it striking and quickly crippling Atlanta, a large city not that different in some ways from St. Louis.

People die gruesomely in Containment, adapted from a Belgian series by Julie Plec, co-creator of The Vampire Diaries. The action starts well into the outbreak, then flashes back to brief, happier days when people could still shake hands and a sneeze didnt mean quick progression to bleeding from the eyes and nose, collapse and agonizing death.

Those in jeopardy include the obligatory busload of schoolchildren, a young pregnant woman, an immigrant family from Syria, and doctors and nurses at the hospital treating the first victims.

The government steps in to help, but the only solution is ordering containment, closing a chunk of Atlanta off from the rest of the city to stop the spread of the quick-incubating disease. Only 48 hours, the people in the quarantine zone are told. I know its an inconvenience, but trust me, it will be worth it, police insist. As if.

The point, Plec says, is to examine human behavior in the wake of a crisis, not simply to scare us.

The stuff I like to do is always grounded in really simple but honest and deep themes of love and family and friendship, Plec said when the CW introduced the series to TV critics meeting in Los Angeles.

To be able to drop that into an environment thats extremely chaotic and terrifying, its just its a different way of exploring a genre. Its a horror genre where the monster is an illness, is a virus.

While she was writing, life echoed art.

About the time I was finishing my first draft, the Ebola outbreak happened, and suddenly, it was exactly the cultural conversation, she says. You are seeing what you are trying to portray as what could happen in a very real-world situation, and then you turn on the news, and its happening in the real world.

At that point, she says, You feel this obligation to not aggrandize it and not exploit it, avoiding an icky, ripped-from-the-headlines (treatment), which of course is never the intention.

Icky, though, Containment certainly is. In just the first two episodes, there is enough blood and body fluid to make the strongest stomach turn.

Writers worked really hard to be grounded in medical realities, executive producer Chris Ord says. We had a representative from the CDC helping us with questions of this would happen or not happen. By putting in those rules ... you dont have to rely on supernatural or anything like that.

Containment adheres closely to real-life disease protocols, Plec says.

We talked to the Georgia Department of Public Health (and) were schooled very quickly in the hierarchy of how things need to happen, that it begins at a local level before it becomes the state, that the CDC doesnt immediately come in. They come in later to take jurisdiction.

Politics is always in play, Plec says.

Theres a lot of ways to ruffle feathers and to get people very upset if you make assumptions. I said, Well, when does the World Health Organization come in? They were like, Thats the worst question you could have ever asked us. We are offended deeply. So its a whole world of politics and hierarchy.

On set, actors learned they were infected when they showed up for the day, the producers said.

The makeup department essentially created, like, five stages of the disease, different looks for all five stages, Ord says. We as writers could say, This person is going to be at Stage 2 or Stage 4, or They are about to die at Stage 5. Having that structure in place made everything stay consistent and really adhere to how the disease would affect people.

The graphic symptoms also make Containment as chilling for viewers as any recent series, and those with sensitive constitutions may well find it too graphic.

Filming even left the cast shaken.

Sneezes are, like, a fear, says Kristen Gutoskie, who plays teacher Katie Frank, quarantined along with her whole class, including her young son. I was on the plane, reading a pilot on the way to Atlanta, and this guy kept sneezing beside me. And I just I could not sit still.

Even on set, When someone off camera sneezed, we just panicked, says George Young, who plays a doctor. I think a lot of people who watch this show will start to think of those day-to-day things, actually question those day-to-day things, shaking hands.

And avoid airports. Airports, Plec says, are the worst.

Executive producer Matt Corman says he can no longer take disease concerns lightly.

Often, when you have a medical fear and you talk to a professional, they say, Well, thats unfounded. People read the Internet too much. But in talking to the infectious disease specialists and the epidemiologists, they said, This absolutely could happen. Its something we are very nervous about, and the possibility of an Ebola-type outbreak sort of leaping over to America is something that keeps us up at night all the time. So Ive definitely bought some more Purell.

But the intent of Containment, Plec says, is to make viewers both contemplate how Americans react to a crisis and also ponder their own potential response.

My goal is that (the audience) will recognize the scripted drama component of the show, but also ask themselves the question that we asked ourselves when we made it, which is What would I do if this happened to me? ... What would I do if my loved one was infected? What would I do if I was stuck on the wrong side of that wall?

Its actually a very stimulating exercise to be able to sit around and discuss.

Containment may even prove to be a public service, says Claudia Black, who plays the government official trying to enforce the quarantine.

Weve heard from the showrunners from the original series (in Belgium) that its actually helping the public, she says. They are a very virus-prepared city now.

What "Containment"  When 9 p.m. Tuesday  Where The CW  More info cwtv.com/containment
This week brings two new comedy half-hours headlined by women, a dramedy about rock music with impressive credentials, an Adele special, and the return of "The Walking Dead." Not enough? Here's more.

"Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," 9:30 p.m. Monday on TBS

The longtime "Daily Show" correspondent gets a weekly news-comedy half-hour. The premiere will be simulcast on other Turner networks including TNT and truTV.

"Not Safe w/ Nikki Glaser," 9:30 p.m. Tuesday on Comedy Central

Kirkwood High graduate Glaser is host of a new weekly comedy half-hour focusing on sex and relationships. Glaser gets a lead-in from the return of "Tosh.0" (9 p.m.)

"Those Who Can't," 9:30 p.m. Thursday on truTV

TruTV's first scripted series is this TV-MA comedy that "follows trouble-making teachers as they struggle to survive each day on their own terms."

"Adele: Live in London," 9 p.m. Sunday on BBC America

Graham Norton is host of a special featuring Adele performing classics plus new tracks from "25." Also promised: Her first TV performance of Skyfall since last year's Oscars.

"All-Star Academy," 9 p.m. Sunday on Food

Home cooks billed as America's best are mentored by Alex Guarnaschelli, Robert Irvine, Curtis Stone and Andrew Zimmern in Season 2 of the competition.

"Vinyl," 8 p.m. Sunday on HBO

Bobby Cannavale is a record executive in 1970s New York in a new musical dramedy from executive producers Terence Winter, Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger. The big ensemble cast also includes Ray Romano and Olivia Wilde.

"The Walking Dead," 8 p.m. Sunday on AMC

Season 6 picks up with an extreme zombie emergency in Alexandria. "Talking Dead" returns at 9 p.m. Also back this week are "The Amazing Race" (7 p.m. Sunday on CBS) and "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver" (10 p.m. Sunday on HBO).
Nonagenarian Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho was admitted to Seoul National University Hospital on Monday for a checkup of his mental faculties. The results will determine whether he needs a legal guardian.

The founder is embroiled in a messy power struggle between his two sons which began last summer.

Last December, his younger sister Shin Jung-sook asked a court to appoint a legal guardian, saying he has senile dementia.

Shin's first son Dong-joo, the chairman of SDJ Corporation, has claimed that his father named him as the legitimate successor, but the boards and management of the vast Japanese-Korean conglomerate have sided with his other son Dong-bin.

The tests will take about two weeks, and the results are expected in June.
In an unusually light week for TV, you might have time to catch up on the DVR. It could also be a good week to see some movies to be ready for Sunday night's Oscars. Here's more.

"Becoming Mike Nichols," 7 p.m. Monday on HBO

A documentary profiles the prolific director of "The Graduate," "Working Girl" and dozens more movies, and features his last filmed interview. Nichols died in February 2014 at 83.

"MTV Suspect," 10 p.m. Wednesday on MTV

In a new series from the producers of "Catfish" (which returns with new episodes at 9 p.m.), Nev Schulman and co-host iO Tillett Wright investigate people's suspicions, from "secret identities, hidden addictions, to a host of other dishonestie." The hope: "bringing resolution to concerned truth-seekers who have nowhere else to turn."

"Prey," 9 p.m. Thursday on BBC America

Two crime stories of three parts each make up this six-episode British thriller. First up, a detective (John Simm) suspected of murder goes on the run to try to clear his name.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny," Friday on Netflix

The sequel to martial arts classic "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" makes its U.S. debut simultaneously on Netflix and in some IMAX theaters.

"Fuller House," Friday on Netflix

A sequel series to the 198795 sitcom finds widowed D.J. Tanner-Fuller (Candace Cameron Bure), a veterinarian, asking sister Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and BFF Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber) to movie in and help with her three sons.

"Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards," 9 p.m. Saturday on OWN

Tracee Ellis Ross and Debbie Allen are honored, and Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes and others make appearances, at the ninth annual awards.

"88th Annual Academy Awards," Sunday on ABC

Chris Rock is host for this year's Oscars, with red carpet coverage beginning at 5 p.m. on E! and 6 p.m. on ABC. The ceremony start time is 7:30.
Rob Delaney was ready for the question. People who recognize him from Catastrophe, returning for a second season Friday on Amazon, typically say exactly what I said when I interrupted Delaneys breakfast at a Los Angeles hotel in January.

Cant you make more episodes?

The short answer is no; no, they cant.

Delaney and Sharon Horgan created Catastrophe two years ago for Britains Channel 4; they also write every word, and they star as Rob and Sharon, virtual strangers brought together in Season 1 by an accidental pregnancy after a weekend fling.

When Amazon introduced Catastrophe to the United States in June, it quickly became both a critical darling and a favorite of subscribers who devoured the six episodes.

Six episodes. Only six! And now, only six more.

Its just a spine-crushing amount of work, Delaney said during an Amazon panel when asked about writing the show.

Its just two of us, Horgan echoed. It takes a long time to write.

Many half-hour comedies have a team with dozens of writers, not just two.

The pluses are, we can look at each other like with laser sharp-focus and see if the other person is laughing or not laughing, he said. So theres nowhere to hide.

On the other hand, Theres nobody to share the blame with.

Writing the show themselves is necessary, no matter how hard it is, Delaney and Horgan say.

Because its so specific to us and our personal experience, it would feel a bit disingenuous to take other peoples stories, as real or as true as they might be, Horgan said. We can be very honest with the audience, and we can feel a comfort about what we are saying because we know that it comes from a place of honesty and truth.

Delaney, an actor and comedian from Boston who now lives in London with his wife and three kids, may be best known outside of Catastrophe for his scathing humor on Twitter. He is a recovered alcoholic who has been sober since 2002, a storyline that he wrote into the show.

Horgan, who is Irish, co-wrote the British comedy Pulling and is currently writing HBOs Divorce, marking Sarah Jessica Parkers return to TV. She is married, with two daughters.

We have over 20 years of marriage between the two of us to our respective spouses, Delaney said, explaining that the original concept of the series was to show the horror of a marriage in progress.

Season 1, in which the two meet and prepare for the arrival of their child, functioned as a prelude to this season, which is about a marriage that works almost in spite of itself. Rob and Sharon love each other, are committed, and sometimes want to kill each other.

Catastrophe is as poignant as it is hilarious, and always, beneath the humor, are veins of anger and pain.

We never try and dial back the pain, Horgan said. We never look at an episode after weve written it and go, Oh, theres too much pain in this one. We probably would try and put a bit more back in.

Pain, Delaney said, is so critical. Its such a critical ingredient, because it makes the love shine brighter.

Returning after a time jump, Catastrophe finds Sharon, no longer working, trying to make mommy friends and Rob reeling from temptation at the office. Carrie Fisher is back, this time not just on the phone, as Robs eccentric mother. A romantic trip to Paris is fraught with language difficulties and an inappropriate masseur.

I love this show so much, I wish I could marry Sharon and Rob, Amazon Studios comedy boss Joe Lewis said before the Catastrophe panel.

Weve all been in relationships, and we are all sensitive to false portrayals of them, he said. As relationship shows are a cornerstone of TV itself, it becomes even harder to make something that stands out and feels new and different, yet that is exactly what Catastrophe has done.

Horgan and Delaney, though, admit they had one concern about Season 2.

We were worried that there wasnt enough sex in it, Horgan said.

And then we watched it, Delaney said.

And then we watched it, Horgan continued, and we were, like, Oh, no. I think weve maybe put too much sex in it because people that have been married that long dont have that much sex.

Viewers will have to judge, if they can stop laughing long enough.

What Catastrophe  When Season 2 streaming April 8  Where Amazon  More info amazon.com/catastrophe
The Easter Rising of 1916 lasted only six days, but it left scars on Dublin.

The General Post Office on OConnell Street still has pockmarks from bullets on its facade, the only part of the building that wasnt destroyed by fire after Irish nationalists made it their headquarters in demanding independence from Great Britain.

Like everything about Irish political history, the story of the Easter Rising is complicated and controversial. Today, some still consider the Rising a futile gesture that left hundreds dead, thousands wounded and central Dublin in shambles, while others credit it as the pivotal event leading to home rule for Ireland.

The PBS documentary 1916: The Irish Rebellion, repeated recently to mark the 100th anniversary of the Rising, did its best to explain the factors that led about 1,200 Irish republicans to take over key locations in central Dublin on Easter Monday and declare independence from Great Britain.

Rebellion, airing Sunday through Tuesday on the Sundance Channel, takes a docudrama approach, heavy on the drama. The miniseries, a co-production with Irelands RTE One, features largely fictional characters and personalizes the story, starting so gently that we might be watching a costume drama on Masterpiece.

Women are the central, and sympathetic, players here. (Hundreds of members of the all-female Irishwomens Council joined in the Rising.)

Three introduced early take varied positions in the rebellion.

 The most militant is Frances OFlaherty (Ruth Bradley), a teacher at an Irish language school and advocate of an Irish cultural revival. Shes an active and often uniformed combatant and says when confronted: Yes, Im a lassie. And Im a soldier.

 Elizabeth Lizzy Butler (Charlie Murphy) is a medical student and supporter of the Irish Citizen Army, but at home, she is being pressured into marriage with a member of Parliament she doesnt love and disagrees with politically.

Her mother, Dolly (Michelle Fairley of Game of Thrones), tells Lizzy, A good marriage is the only way for a woman to secure a future.

But Lizzy works with the nationalists, agreeing with them that England has treated Ireland shamefully, creating the worst slums in Europe, and the rich (including her own father) have been just as bad.

 And then theres May Lacy (Sarah Greene), receptionist for Undersecretary Charles Hammond (Tom Turner) at Dublin Castle, the English headquarters in Dublin. On the side, she steals documents allowing the Citizen Army to plot their strategy.

But May is also Charles lover. And awkwardly, no sooner has his wife, Vanessa (Perdita Weeks), appeared than May learns she is pregnant.

If this sounds merely soapy, know that by the third hour, the English are executing rebels via firing squad, shops are being looted, innocent urchins are shot down and battle lines have been drawn between lovers and families.

That includes brothers Arthur and Jimmy Mahon (Barry Ward and Brian Gleeson). Arthur is a soldier, fighting with the British in World War I. Jimmy is a leader of the Citizen Army, boldly publishing declarations of independence and earning Lizzys affection.

Rebellion was not a hit in Ireland, where it was criticized for historical inaccuracies. Americans are much less likely to grasp the nuances of who shot whom where in 1916 Dublin.

But U.S. audiences may still struggle with Rebellion for two reasons. First, the action is so choppy, jumping around between characters (some of whom look quite a bit alike) and locations, that it can be hard to follow. Its also probably two hours too long.

And second, theres the problem of the accents. We may be used to English voices, but these Irish are impassioned mumblers. Even when they arent running and shooting, they sometimes need subtitles.

Luckily, our TV sets have closed-captioning. Word of advice: Turn it on.

What Rebellion  Three stars out of four  When 7 p.m. April 24; 8 p.m. April 26-26  Where Sundance  More info sundance.tv/series/rebellion
What is "The New Yorker Presents," debuting today (Tuesday, Feb. 16) on Amazon Prime Instant Video?

It's pretty much the magazine in video form, producer Alex Gibney says. Sort of. In general.

Confused TV critics wanted to know more when Amazon introduced the series during TCA, the Television Critics Association winter press tour, last month in Los Angeles.

(The first question: "I didnt understand, even from the promo there. Some of these things will be real documentaries, but some of the things will not be documentaries? Some of the things will be fictionalized versions of short stories that were in the New Yorker?)

Yes and yes. Plus humor pieces, and even cartoons.

Gibney, a documentarian whose work includes "Going Clear," about Scientology, explained:

"The idea is that it celebrates the eclecticism of the magazine itself, and so while the focus is nonfiction, nevertheless, we embrace the humor, whether it be in the cartoons or in some of the shorter humor pieces. We are transforming some of the fiction pieces into into dramatic pieces in video, and also doing documentaries that are inspired by or come directly out of some of the nonfiction pieces" in the magazine.

Maybe the best thing to do is watch, if you're so inclined. The first two episodes of "The New Yorker Presents" are up now, with two more arriving weekly over five weeks, for a total of 10.
When the news broke in November that host Christopher Kimball was leaving Americas Test Kitchen after 16 seasons, fans were worried.

Would producers of the show, the most popular cooking series on public television with more than 2 million viewers a week, take this as a chance to reinvent it? Would the new host be, say, a Real Housewife, or a retired member of some boy band turned amateur chef?

You could almost hear the loud sighs of relief this month when the show announced two new co-hosts who are familiar indeed. Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison, both original cast members, take over for Season 17, which begins shooting in May for a January premiere. (Kimballs last season is now airing on Channel 9.)

Kimball and Lancaster were already scheduled to be in St. Louis this week for two appearances at the Central Library downtown. In between the afternoon and evening sessions, Lancaster stopped by to chat about anything and everything, including her new role and what fans can expect.

When it happened, when we found out Chris was leaving, I was very sad, she said. Chris is my friend, and he has been for a long time. What people who watch the show might not know is that Chris is exactly as you see him, only he has this great, dry sense of humor that might not come out on television. But he is also so exacting. The whole idea of Test Kitchen came from him; it wouldnt exist without him.

With fans feeling unsettled, bosses at Americas Test Kitchen, the umbrella company for the TV series and more, quickly started doing test shows for focus groups. Some featured Lancaster as host; others starred Davison.

The focus groups let them know they wanted to see Lancaster and Davison together, and that they didnt want either to stop cooking.

So we wont, Lancaster said. The way episodes begin will have Julia and me discussing the recipe, so thats different. It will also be different that were on camera together, which we never have been.

Then one or the other will be joined by a test cook, including most of those who are with the show now, and possibly some additions. Other times, the co-hosts themselves will cook. All the current segments, including the Tasting Lab and the Equipment Corner, will continue, Lancaster said.

Viewers got to know Kimball, but Lancaster and Davison remain something of a mystery. Lancaster was born in Charleston, W.Va., and attended Ohio State University. She and her Scottish husband, Stephen, a chef, live in Marblehead, Mass., with their two sons, Tom, 14, and James, 8, plus a Newfoundland, George. (The son of two cooks, Tom is an adventurous eater; James, however, subsists on grape jelly sandwiches, his mother said, shaking her head.)

Americas Test Kitchen is shot at a custom studio outside Boston, with a full season of 26 episodes completed in three weeks. Companion series Cooks Country inhabits a 200-year-old farmhouse in Vermont.

For each seasons two-week shoot, We all move up there, equipment and food supplies and all, Lancaster said. We look like the Beverly Hillbillies. But its such fun; its really like summer camp.

The future of Cooks Country hasnt yet been determined, but theres a chance it might relocate to somewhere less remote, Lancaster said. That would be more convenient, as long as we could keep the same feel.

A frequent question is the difference between the two shows. Americas Test Kitchen sets out to create recipes that work, while the homier Cooks Country looks at history as told through food, Lancaster said. With the same teams, though, the two shows may be almost indistinguishable to viewers.

Thats also true of good friends Lancaster and Davison, who are blond and roughly the same age.

Once a woman rushed up to me and told me how much she loved me and how much she enjoyed me on that show, Lancaster said. Then she added, But I cant stand that Bridget. Hoping the woman might just be confused, Lancaster said, The one with the ponytail? Yes, that one.

Im just happy people watch, Lancaster said. Sometimes I think, 16 seasons, that is crazy. How can I be so lucky? How can they pay me to have so much fun?
Stephen Kings 2011 time-travel thriller 11.22.63 is a massive modern epic. In hardback, it weighs 3 pounds. As an audiobook, it runs just under 31 hours.

Clearly, the idea of adapting it was daunting. Beyond length, 11.22.63, in which a Maine schoolteacher uses a portal in a diner pantry to reach 1960 and try to save President John F. Kennedy, is a book about which a lot of readers are extremely passionate.

One of those passionate readers, fortunately, is Bridget Carpenter, who adapted 11.22.63 for Hulu. The eight-part drama begins streaming Monday, Presidents Day, with one episode arriving each week, TV (rather than streaming service) style.

Carpenter had read the book with pleasure before J.J. Abrams called to talk about bringing it to the small screen.

After she jumped at the offer, she was faced with the challenge of trimming Kings story down to manageable size. That wasnt as hard as you might think, she insists.

I had just loved the book, and I remembered very, very well how I felt reading the book, Carpenter said when Hulu introduced 11.22.63 to TV critics meeting last month in Los Angeles. Everything that made me feel the way I felt, which was thrilled and romantic and excited, we kept in. And then we cut the rest. Its easy.

Once cast, the stars flew through the book as well.

James Franco plays the hero, Jake Epping, a reluctant time traveler who soon becomes invested in his mission, and in his new life in the 1960s.

I read it pretty fast, Franco says. I just loved it so much.

Franco himself had tried to option the book from King, only to be told (as he recalls), Yeah, sorry, J.J. Abrams is doing it.

And then, not long after that, I got an email from J.J. asking if I wanted to be in it.

Chris Cooper, who plays Jakes mentor, diner owner Al Templeton, considered reading the book a necessity.

Theres a background to the man, and hes a veteran, Cooper says. Hes of that age where he experienced as a young boy the assassination of Kennedy. Theres a lot of history that needs to be imparted, since there are a whole bunch of people now who are unfamiliar with the Kennedy assassination, and questions are still being raised.

Plus, he says, Its just a great read.

Abrams had read the book before King (famously a fan of Abrams Lost) called to see if he would be interested in producing it, he says. We knew we had something that was incredibly special. This was a book that I loved.

Abrams team took the project to a number of different places, and had some offers, he recalls. But Hulus enthusiasm was clear and it matched ours.

To Abrams, whose mega-watt credits include directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens, believes 11.22.63 fits his theory that great stories work where they pose questions that make you lean in, that make you want to know what comes next.

King, with the book, and Carpenter, with the adaptation, have both told stories that are so incredibly compelling and grab you by the heart and grab you by the throat and just drag you through this thing, Abrams says.

He adds, Bridget was very modest earlier in her response. (Adapting the book) wasnt in any way easy.

Director Jonathan Demme had worked at length on a movie adaptation before giving up, Abrams notes. The story, with so many characters and threads, would probably have been impossible to condense into two on-screen hours.

Even getting it down to eight meant that Carpenter had to make many tweaks, tightening up the time element and cutting some characters entirely, while adding at least one as a bridge to the action that, in the book, often featured Jake solo.

Neither of us wanted to do a voice over, Carpenter says, speaking for Abrams. The book is such an incredible internal experience of Jake walking through this, and because its a book, you get to hear everything thats going on in his mind. But we didnt want to do that.

Abrams suggested a sidekick. He needs somebody with him so it can be dramatic, so it isnt a character staring at things hard all the time, and then maybe youre hearing him think.

The solution was to take a minor character and reinvent him to ride shotgun, so to speak, with Jake. That character is Bill Turcotte, played by George MacKay. The big cast also includes Josh Duhamel and T.R. Knight, with Daniel Webber as Lee Harvey Oswald, Lucy Fry as his wife, Marina, and Cherry Jones as Lees mother, Marguerite.

Without getting too specific, I dont know how to characterize the changes, whether theyre small or large, Carpenter says.

In any case, I think the people who have read and love the book will be very satisfied, she says. And I think if you didnt read the book, youre going to be able to experience this dramatically, fantastically.

Notes Abrams: Whats so cool, too, was that Stephen King responded so positively to some of these ideas. I was unsure if he was going to embrace some of these, I think, significant adjustments. But they were necessary and he saw that.{&rule}11.22.63

When  Monday

Where  Hulu

More info  Hulu.com. Hulu streams TV and movies, including current, recent and classic network and cable series. It became the home of The Mindy Project after the Mindy Kaling comedy was canceled by NBC. Hulu costs $7.99 a month, with a commercial-free option for $11.99.
'The Catch,' 9 p.m. Thursdays on ABC

One and a half stars (out of four)

This hasn't been a good week for new network drama series. You might expect as much, in March, and in fact "Heartbeat" (reviewed here) is probably at this point just a throwaway for NBC.

But "The Catch," arriving Thursday night on ABC, bears the stamp of Shonda Rhimes, who rules Thursdays on the network from "Grey's Anatomy" through "Scandal" through "How To Get Away With Murder."

"Murder," already renewed for fall, ended its season last week, and its replacement is "The Catch," an ill-fated caper drama from Rhimes' Shondaland, but not Rhimes herself.

That shows, even though Rhimes stepped in to help when the first pilot of "The Catch," adapted by Jennifer Schuur from a novel by Kate Atkinson, turned out to be an embarrassing bore.

The rehabbed "Catch" is still embarrassing, wasting star Mireille Enos ("The Killing") and newly installed Peter Krause ("Parenthood").

Viewers meet Enos' Alice Vaughn, a private detective, at the top of her game, tricking an art thief without wrinkling her glamorous evening gown. (This Enos will be a bit of a shock for "Killing" fans. She even smiles.)

Alice is happily engaged to Christopher (Krause), who proposed on an Alp and is about to whisk her away to marital bliss. There's even a wedding cake tasting in the office  adorable.

Meanwhile, though, Alice needs to nab one "Mr. X," a mysterious crook with a capital "C." If you don't know where this is going, you aren't trying, and you certainly haven't seen the trailers.

Everything about "The Catch" is annoying, from the basic premise to the impossible twists to especially (somehow, especially) the insistent soundtrack that is supposed to whip us into a froth of excitement.

I could keep explaining how "The Catch" moves along, as Alice tracks Christopher, whose real name is Ben, and his accomplice-lover, Margot (Sonya Walger). And how Ben might have had actual feelings for Alice after all. And how she still has to try to catch him, only to miss by a hair. And how Ben fleeces people too dumb to live in the actual world.

Somehow, viewers are expect to buy into all this, even though a shred of logic means the show would be over before it starts.

Worst of all, possibly, although it's hard to sort out a worst here, is that "The Catch" is a dead fish. Spare yourself; throw it back.
Eight strangers are ferried to an island off Englands Devon coast for a house party in a lonely mansion. Unsure why they have been invited and dubious about their new companions, they dont rush to get attached.

Neither should you. As you might have suspected, this is the setup for a new BBC dramatization of And Then There Were None, the classic Agatha Christie mystery from 1939, airing Sunday and Monday on Lifetime.

Sometimes titled Ten Little Indians, And Then There Were None is listed as the best-selling mystery novel to date. It has been adapted for the stage, once by Christie herself, who gave it a less-dark ending than the books. It has been made into several movies and produced for television, with various different endings and altered locales.

The concept itself, in which people are picked off, one by one, by a mysterious killer, has been widely borrowed; CSI creator Anthony Zuiker even brought it to television as a reality-competition show called Whodunnit?

But this new And Then There Were None is what purists have been waiting for. Although it isnt a line-for-line adaptation, it is almost excruciatingly faithful to the tone of Christies book, building tension as skillfully as the author did.

The cast is full of distinguished actors. Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) is elderly Judge Wargrave. Maeve Dermody (Rake, Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries) is school games mistress Vera Claythorne. Sam Neill is starchy Gen. MacArthur, Toby Stephens (Black Sails, Inspector Lewis) is bad-tempered Dr. Armstrong, and Miranda Richardson (Parades End) is the devout do-gooder Miss Emily Brent.

Americans are also likely to recognize Anna Maxwell-Martin (The Bletchley Circle, The Frankenstein Chronicles) as downtrodden cook Mrs. Rogers. And thats Aidan Turner, Poldark himself, as mercenary Philip Lombard.

Respectably bland as most seem, each has a dark past, it turns out. Someone knew, and thats why each was invited by a host whose name almost anagrams to unknown.

A nursery rhyme, conspicuously posted in each room, reveals the plot. Ten little soldier boys fall victim to bad luck, one at a time, and the guests eventually realize that they will die in the ways (choked, chopped up, etc.) detailed in the rhyme.

And Then There Were None, though, takes its time even getting to that revelation, giving us time to enjoy the gorgeous scenery and lush photography. The miniseries, which aired over three nights in Great Britain last December, lets the tension build ever so slowly.

Soon, everything seems ominous: the gloom, the fog, the brewing of tea. Thunder and lightning mark the realization that the killer must be one of them, and that there is no way off the island. (Its one by one, and in a particular way, Vera snaps at one point. Havent you been paying attention?)

In the beginning, as viewers, we may think some of our favorites are innocent. Not so. Writer Sarah Phelps (The Crimson Field) and director Craig Viveiros reveal the crimes of which the house guests are accused in vivid flashbacks. If we still root for any of them, it will only be because their evil deeds stalk them as relentlessly as the killer does.

Fans of mysteries have as diverse taste as fans of any other genre. And the range is wide, from true crime and police procedurals to hardboiled detectives and dark tales of serial killers.

The British mystery, often set in a cozy, conventional town where a horrific event reveals many secrets, is almost a genre unto itself. Christie did a lot to establish it with her Miss Marple novels, which became a standby of British TV, and American, too. Many actresses played the crime-solving lady, most recently Julia McKenzie until 2013.

Of course, Christie also created Hercule Poirot, the fussy Belgian detective played so memorably by David Suchet until three years ago. Like Miss Marple, Poirot depends on his mind, and his hunches about people, to put a finger on the culprit.

The Marples and Poirots have all been done, British critics mused wistfully when the BBC rolled out And Then There Were None. Thats not to say any of the former might not resurface; it has certainly happened in the past.

But And Then There Were None is a different Christie, not cozy at all, and unsparing both in her depiction of the characters and in the story they inhabit.

Even though it was written in 1939, as a serialized newspaper story, it feels modern in its moral complexities. Fans of British mysteries, cozy or edgy, wont want to miss it.{&rule}And Then There Were None

Three stars (out of four)

When  7 p.m. Sunday and 8 p.m. Monday

Where  Lifetime

More info  mylifetime.com/movies/and-then-there-were-none
Gail Pennington Gail Pennington is the television critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Gail Pennington 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

'Damien,' 9 p.m. Mondays on A&E  One and a half stars (out of four)

In the 1976 horror movie "The Omen," little Damien Thorne destroyed nannies, priests and parents (poor Gregory Peck and Lee Remick), leaving a bloody trail behind him.

Against all odds, Damien grew up normal, we're told in "Damien," a new horror series arriving tonight (Monday, March 7) on A&E.

He's a war photographer, about to turn 30, and he doesn't remember anything about his history, including the fact that he's the Antichrist, the beast of the biblical book of Revelation, the false messiah whose arrival signals the destruction of the world

But 30 is a pivotal year for Thorne, played by Bradley James. Working in Damascus, Syria, during an outbreak of violence, he encounters an old woman who tells him, "Damien, it's all for you." (Flashback to a clip from the movie in which his nanny told him the same thing before throwing herself out a window.)

Thorne is puzzled, even more so after another mysterious woman (Barbara Hershey) delivers a lot of mumbo-jumbo: "It's a whole new world; the seals have been broken, the trumpet blown."

It's downhill from there for those around Thorne, who are beset with omens of the apocalypse. Unfortunately, the premiere is more depressing than scary, often feeling as if we're being sucked slowly into quicksand. (That's in the plot, too.) Despite coming from Glen Mazzara of "The Walking Dead," "Damien" is just dreary.

Muddled and murky, with cryptic proclamations and quasi-religious references, "Damien" is most likely to intrigue fans of "The Omen." Others of us might wish we could watch "Damien Thorne, War Photographer," a potentially more interesting series.
Finland tightened restrictions on giving residence permits to asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia on Tuesday, saying it was now largely safe for them to return to their war-torn homes.

Authorities in Helsinki, where anti-immigration political groups have been on the rise, said security had improved to such an extent that refugees would generally not be at risk in any parts of the three countries, despite the running conflicts.

There was no immediate reaction from refugee agencies. But the statement by the Finnish Immigration Service came in the face of a string of international assessments of the scale of the ongoing bloodshed and refugee crisis.

"It will be more difficult for applicants from these countries to be granted a residence permit," the immigration service said in a statement.

"It is currently possible for asylum seekers to return to all areas in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia without the ongoing armed conflicts as such presenting a danger to them only because they are staying in the country."
Richard Roper is the worst man in the world, one of his victims says with little exaggeration. He sells destruction, pain, death, and he laughs.

Roper, played by Hugh Laurie (House) in AMCs suspenseful, sexy miniseries The Night Manager, is an arms merchant, selling devastating weapons and chemicals to anyone who can pay. No one can stop him, except maybe Jonathan Pine, the sharply dressed and self-effacing night manager at a hotel in Cairo.

The 2011 Arab Spring riots are roiling the streets of Cairo when Roper checks in with his entourage. A beautiful woman is attracted to Pine, and why wouldnt she be? Hes played by Tom Hiddleston, one of todays most interesting and, OK, wildly attractive actors.

Hiddleston moves seamlessly from Shakespeare (The Hollow Crown on PBS) to Marvel movies (hes Loki) to the current I Saw the Light, as Hank Williams. Here, the actor sometimes mentioned as the possible next James Bond is very much in that element, playing a quiet loner with altruistic impulses to do right.

That resolve puts Pine in firm opposition to the amoral Roper, but Pines tips to Britains Secret Intelligence Service hit roadblocks. Viewers next meet him four years later, having relocated from Cairo to Zermatt, Switzerland, at a hotel in the shadow of the Matterhorn.

Again, hes living quietly. Again, Roper checks in, this time with an American mistress, Jed (gorgeous Elizabeth Debicki). Again, Pine cant resist trying to gather evidence against him.

British agent Angela Burr (Olivia Colman of Broadchurch) has made nailing Roper her lifes mission. She recruits Pine in what seems like an impossibly complicated plan that plays out through six episodes, as the action moves to Mallorca, Spain, and our hero gets in deeper, at increasing cost and with more of the emotional involvement he had tried to avoid.

Made for the BBC, The Night Manager was adapted by David Farr from the John LeCarre novel, with LeCarres blessing; the author, 84, even has a scene with Hiddleston. Susanne Bier directed with a sharp eye for juxtaposing bright beauty (the scenery is some of the most breathtaking youll ever see on screen) with soul-deep ugliness.

Each weekly episode of The Night Manager will feel too short. But the pleasure is so great that we should probably thank AMC for letting it stretch out over six weeks.

The Night Manager

Four stars out of four When  9 p.m. Tuesdays Where  AMC More info  amc.com
When HBO ordered Confirmation, a docudrama that revisits the contentious hearings over the 1991 appointment of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, the premium cable network couldnt have anticipated just how timely the movie would turn out to be.

Since filming started last June, the death of Justice Antonin Scalia has opened a seat on the high court, with immediate controversy over his possible replacement. At the same time, FXs riveting The People v. O.J. Simpson proved that a rehash of recent history can grab TV viewers, even if we know the end of the story, as long as that story is told well.

Confirmation, premiering Saturday, is neither as juicy nor as satisfyingly told as the FX miniseries. With a running time of under two hours, it has no room for the detail or nuance, let alone the humor, that made The People v. O.J. so addictive.

But Confirmation succeeds in making us re-examine attitudes from the vantage point of a quarter century, and also in reminding us that politics is an ugly business.

Kerry Washington (Scandal) is an executive producer and stars as Hill, a professor at the University of Oklahoma who had worked with Thomas (Wendell Pierce) 10 years earlier. When called to testify, she recalled instances of alleged sexual harassment, including (in possibly the most famous) that he had once pointed out a pubic hair on his Coke can.

The hearings put the issue of sexual harassment front and center on the map, HBOs Len Amato says. There were many dynamics at work during those judiciary hearings, but the end result was empowerment for all, male or female, who would never again feel the burden of negative consequences of sexual harassment.

Thats clearly overstating how much change the hearings wrought.

But Washington, who was 14 years old at the time, believes the hearings started an important cultural shift in ideas about appropriate language and workplace behavior as well as victims rights.

Im really inspired by the difference that a person can make in Washington, she said when HBO introduced the movie to TV critics meeting in Los Angeles, adding that the hearings also changed how we think about women, how we think about race, how we think about power. With their 50 million viewers, the hearings really transformed even the way we consume news, Washington said.

A movie built on controversy is certain to be controversial itself, especially in todays wildly divided political landscape. Months ago, after seeing a script, former Missouri Sen. John C. Danforth (played by Bill Irwin) and Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson (Peter McRobbie) protested in advance, with Simpson calling the movie seriously distorted.

Danforth complained to Post-Dispatch metro columnist Tony Messenger that the movie mixed fact and fiction and portrayed him unfairly. Im OK being the villain, if the reason is truthful, Danforth was quoted as saying. The script that they sent me is just totally wrong.

Danforth, who championed his friend Thomas to the extent of bashing Hill to the media, wont feel alone in being portrayed as a villain. Confirmation paints the entire Senate Judiciary Committee, headed by then-Sen. Joe Biden (Greg Kinnear), in negative ways ranging from deliberately mean-spirited to merely inept.

Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich), who wrote the script for Confirmation, says the hearings were a very painful and traumatic experience for almost everyone involved, so everybody wrote about it. I have a massive shelf of books about it. I did a ton of research, and there is definitely a Rashomon element to that, which has just made it more fascinating.

Director Rick Famuyiwa (Talk to Me, Dope) adds that context is important. The weight of the confirmation process, it brings out emotion. It brings out humanity. It brings out all sorts of things in people, especially when it was as hotly contested as this one was.

Did Hill tell the truth? Did Thomas? The question is as undetermined at the end of Confirmation as it was in 1991.

One of the things that we learned that was most exciting was when you start to tell this story and you pull back the curtain, the story is way more complicated than just he said, she said, Washington believes.

A goal in making the movie was to continue the conversation, she says. Some of those issues have evolved enormously, are still rearing their head in terms of gender and in terms of race.

What Confirmation  Three stars out of four  When 7 p.m. April 16  Where HBO  More info hbo.com/movies/confirmation
Leading up to Sunday night's 88th Academy Awards, one big question was how host Chris Rock would address complaints that the Oscars were, once again, "so white."

The answer came quickly, in a Rock monologue that was fast, furious and funny, managing at times to mock both sides but concluding, "You're damn right, Hollywood is racist."

After introductory clips from seemingly all the year's movies, Rock, wearing a white dinner jacket, strolled onto the stage at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood and commented that he had "counted at least 15 black people in that montage."

Welcome, he said, to the Oscars, "Otherwise known as the white People's Choice Awards." If hosts were nominated, he said, "you realize ... I wouldn't get this job. Y'all be watching Neil Patrick Harris right now."

Hosting was challenging this year, Rock said, "because you have no black nominees. And the people are like, 'Chris, you should boycott. You should quit.'" (He mused: "How come it's only unemployed people that tell you to quit something?")

As protests grew, "I thought about quitting," Rock said. "I thought about it real hard. And then I realized, they're going to have the Oscars anyway. They're not going to cancel the Oscars because I quit. And the last thing I need is to lose another job to Kevin Hart." The line got a big laugh from Hart, in the audience.

Why, Rock wondered, "are we protesting this Oscars? It's the 88th Academy Awards. Which means this whole 'no black nominee' thing has happened at least 71 other times. You've got to figure it happened in the '50s, in the '60s. In the '60s, one of those years, Sidney (Poitier) didn't put out a movie. And black people did not protest."

Why? Because, Rock said, in his hardest-hitting and potentially most controversial comments of the night, "We had real things to protest at the time. You know? Too busy being raped and lynched to care about who won best cinematographer. When your grandmother's swinging from a tree, it's really hard to care about best documentary foreign short."

After taking a swing at Jada Pinkett Smith for saying she would boycott ("Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rhianna's panties. I wasn't invited"), Rock promised that, "this year, things are going to be a little different at the Oscars. This year, the 'in memoriam' package is just going to be black people who were shot by the cops on the way to the movies."

He also suggested that if the Oscars wanted black nominees every year, "Just have black categories. You already do it with men and women. Think about it. There's no real reason for there to be a man and woman category in acting. Come on! It's not track and field. You don't have to separate them. Robert De Niro never said, I'd better slow this acting down so Meryl Streep can catch up."

He suggested categories like "best black friend. The winner for the 18th year in a row is Wanda Sykes."

Rock concluded that "we want opportunity. We want black actors to get the same opportunities as white actors. Not just once. Leo gets a great part every year. All you guys get great parts all the time. But what about Jamie Foxx? Jamie was so good in 'Ray' that they went to the hospital and unplugged the real 'Ray Charles.' We don't need two of these."

After a half-hour in which awards were handed out in the order that "tracks the filmmaking process itself," starting with writing and back-loading the most interesting awards to the end, Rock returned with a taped piece that again addressed the lack of racial diversity in both the Oscars and in movies themselves.

"If you're a black actor, just getting to be in a movie is a struggle," he said. "Let's take a look."

In a highlight of the bit, Whoopi Goldberg mopped in the background in a scene from "Joy," with Jennifer Lawrence. "Someday they'll make a movie about a skinny white girl who invents a mop," Goldberg said. "Black girl would have to cure cancer before they even give her a TV movie."

In "The Danish Girl," Tracy Morgan ate a Danish pastry; in "The Martian," NASA was reluctant to spend to bring a black astronaut home.

Likely confusing many in the audience, the piece ended with Rock introducing Stacey Dash as "the new director of our minority outreach program." It wasn't clear whether Dash, the black conservative who has called for an end to Black History Month, was the butt of a joke or was a knowing participant, a question that was debated intently on Twitter.

Throughout the show, Rock was more present than many hosts, even appearing in the audience to sell his kids' Girl Scout cookies (but ignoring proffered cash from Steven Spielberg). At the 2-hour mark, another taped bit interviewed black people on the street about the lack of black nominees. Most turned out not to have seen many of the nominated movies.

Otherwise, this Academy Awards show was typically bloated with filler and silliness, although presenters' banter seemed marginally smarter than usual. The announced decision to run thank-yous as a crawl at the bottom of the screen rather than having them delivered on stage failed to work out, with some winners repeating their thanks and others simply plunging ahead with their speeches, with no text.

Even here, though, there were highlights. Pete Docter, whose "Inside Out" won as best animated film, said in his crawl that, yes, his kids could get a dog.
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village.

The reception came more than four decades late, but for Jim Volmert it was worth the wait. Like many of his Vietnam comrades, Volmert didn't have a warm welcome back to the states. As he arrived at Lambert International Airport still in his uniform, he was called things such as, "Baby Killer."

Still, the frosty welcome home didn't dampen Volmert's pride in serving his country. Every Wednesday, Volmert meets with his fellow veterans for a coffee talk meeting in Troy, MO. A couple of years ago, representatives from the Honor Flight Program came to the meeting and asked the veterans to apply for the program.

Honor Flights bring veterans to Washington D.C. for a reception and tours of the various war monuments. Volmert was selected to go in 2015. "I didn't hear from them for six to eight months, so I really didn't think I was going to make it," Volmert said. "I was very surprised, especially at the reception, everywhere we went, they treated you like a hero."

One emotional part of the trip was visiting the Vietnam Memorial. Volmert found and traced the names of two of his friends  James Taylor and Frederick Schmitt  among the 58,000 names of soldiers who didn't make it home. "On the fl ight home they mentioned that we would be getting letters and most of the honor flight participants received several letters," Volmert said. "I was fortunate enough to receive 42 letters from family, friends and relatives. That was very, very emotional."

Pictures from the trip, as well as other memories from Volmert's service, have been placed in a well-crafted scrapbook by Volmert's wife, Marilyn. There are pictures of Volmert next to the 105 millimeter howitzer that he helped operate, the traces of Taylor and Schmitt's names and some of the letters Volmert received from friends and family on the way home from that honor flight. In the middle of the scrapbook is a certificate awarding Volmert the Bronze Star for his bravery during the Battle of Fire Support Base Oran.

Volmert was in the First Infantry Division, Second Battalion, 33rd Battery. The North Vietnamese wanted Oran, near the Michelin Rubber Plantation, because it was protecting Saigon and it blocked their access to Cambodia. At about 3 p.m. on Feb. 1, 1969, Volmert's Infantry was attacked by the North Vietnamese. They were outnumbered fi e to one. "I was praying and I really didn't think I was going to make it through that," Volmert said. "As they were coming over the wall attacking us, we were so outnumbered I didn't think we had a chance. Luckily, other support artillery and anti-personnel helicopters assisted us during the attack."

There were five 105mm howitzers at Oran placed in a star formation to cover all sides. The cannons could fi re at a distance of seven miles, but during the attack the cannons were calibrated in direct fi re mode, which meant they were pointed directly at the enemy. "We were using the beehive rounds and killing them as they were trying to come over the wire," Volmert said. "And the number of enemy that was dying was so intense that they were throwing their comrades on top of the sand bag and barbed wire wall to climb over to get to us." Beehive rounds are a special shell that when shot out of the cannon exploded into thousands of pieces of shrapnel designed to take out dozens of the enemy with one shot.

The first wave of the battle raged until well after midnight. It started back up again around 3 a.m. the next morning and lasted several more hours before the North Vietnamese retreated. During the battle, Taylor was hit in the face by a rocket propelled grenade, killing him instantly. Volmert remembers an incident with Taylor a couple of days before. Morale was getting low for Volmert's men, so he arranged for a shipment of what he simply referred to as a "case of cold beverages" to be brought to them, which was strictly forbidden while soldiers were in the fi eld. Taylor, Volmert's superior, found out about it and confronted Volmert about it. "He said, 'you know, you could be court marshaled for this,'" Volmert said. "I said, 'yes, but morale was low and I thought they needed a boost.' He said, 'The only problem is you didn't offer me one.' So I did." That was the last "cold beverage" Taylor would have.

Volmert received the Bronze Star for his bravery during the Fire Support Base Oran siege. Volmert's efforts were directly responsible for forcing the enemy to retreat and that his outstanding display of "aggressiveness, devotion to duty, and personal bravery is in keeping with the fi nest traditions of military service," according to a letter written by Col. Archie R. Hyle. "I had no idea that I was going to receive a Bronze Star," Volmert said. "I was also offered the Purple Heart. I had some shrapnel injuries, but I refused to take that because I figured that should go to the real heroes and that's the ones who didn't make it through, the ones on the wall. The Bronze Star, I couldn't refuse."

Volmert, 73, will celebrate his 40th wedding anniversary with Marilyn in September. They have six children, eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren. He owned and operated a car dealership in Troy until he sold it and retired in 2005. Volmert is still active in his church, Sacred Heart in Troy. His father, Edward, served in World War II and his son, Todd, served in Desert Storm. While he is proud of his family's service, it's one tradition he wouldn't mind doing away with.

"I hope and pray that none of my grandchildren have to serve in a war," Volmert said.
Field trips were some of the best parts of being in school  taking little breaks away from the daily grind to explore something or somewhere outside of your everyday experiences. Google Arts and Culture aims to capture a little bit of that magic with an app that lets you explore paintings and other artifacts up close, as well as find out more about the artists and museums around the world. Plus, theres no shushing or scolding about getting too close to the exhibits.
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village. CLICK HERE to make a nomination.

William Gilbert Ledbetter has seen and experienced a lot in his 102 years, but serving his country in World War II is No. 1 on the list. "When I look back on it, it's the highest watermark of my life," Ledbetter said.

Ledbetter served as a cook in the Merchant Marines from 1942 to 1946. "I was working in a defense plant and the draft board sent for me," Ledbetter said. "I got down there and they wanted to put me in the infantry and I didn't like that and one of them sided with me and told me about the Merchant Marines. They said join the Merchant Marines that way you'd be home every month or two. And I liked that."

What the draft board didn't tell Ledbetter was the danger. The Merchant Marines suffered the highest casualty rate in WWII, with one in 26 dying according to www.usmm.org. The next closest branch is the Marines at one in 34, followed by the Army at one in 48. The average casualty rate for WWII was one in 56.

Ledbetter remembers one harrowing trip through the Strait of Gibraltar. "We were coming home on the last trip and we were convoying six following each other," Ledbetter said. "We got about two miles out and the ship next to us got hit by a torpedo. He didn't sink, he just turned back around."

The danger was constant, but the sailors didn't dwell on it. "We never knew it," Ledbetter said. "You might not know. They'd shoot a torpedo at you and it'd miss you and you'd never know. "We didn't even discuss it. We just knew it was there."

The United States' success in WWII hinged on merchant shipping. The Merchant Marines delivered troops, ammunition, food, tanks, winter supplies, bombs, airplanes, fuel, raw materials  anything needed for the war effort. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and other military leaders praised the Merchant Marines, calling them "The Fourth Arm of Defense."

Despite that praise, and the bravery displayed by the sailors, the Merchant Marines have never gotten the official recognition they deserved.

Since the Merchant Marines are the civilian-run cargo arm of the U.S. war machine, there were no welcome home parades or medals for the soldiers. It wasn't until a chance phone conversation with a fellow Merchant Marine in California that Ledbetter found out he was eligible to receive the medals he earned. Last year, after petitioning the Department of Defense, Ledbetter received the Victory Medal, the European Campaign Medal, the Mediterranean Campaign Medal, the Pacific Campaign Medal and the Maritime Honor Medal. "It was a mixed bag of emotions," said Ledbetter's son Stephen. "I was very proud that he got them, but my other thought was if that guy in California had never asked if he got his medals, then he might not have ever received them."

Though the recognition was delayed, Ledbetter wouldn't change his experiences for anything. "There's an old saying, an army travels on its stomach," Ledbetter said. "All the years I was a cook and baker and I never got any criticism."

Ledbetter still proudly wears his Merchant Marines cap every day. That hat has gotten him plenty of attention from the ladies. "Women when they saw that hat would grab me and kiss me and tell me they were thankful I was serving the country," Ledbetter said.

After the war, Ledbetter had a farm in the St. Charles, Mo., area. He worked the land until hurting his leg in a farming accident. Ledbetter then began working for the U.S. Postal Service, mainly as a mail sorter downtown. He lived in Webster Groves until he retired in 1979. He then returned to his native southern Illinois and lives in Harrisburg. He is one of the oldest veterans in southern Illinois and is the oldest alumnus of Harrisburg High School.

Ledbetter is still very active. He goes to Golden Circle, a senior day care, everyday where he eats lunch and talks and sings with friends  many of whom also served in the military. "I was in Korea and somehow I got acquainted with an American soldier over there and I was eating at Golden Circle one day and he came by my table and we did some diddy like, "When the Saints Came Marching In," or something like that," Ledbetter said.

He got a special surprise thanks to his granddaughter for his 102th birthday last November. "His granddaughter got on Facebook and told her Facebook friends that her grandpa was getting ready to turn 102 and to pass it on," Cindy Ledbetter said. "And somebody knew somebody who knew somebody and he got four cards from the other side of the world. He got 103 cards total."

"Everyone thanked me for being in the war," Ledbetter said. "I appreciated that."

Ledbetter is a history buff and a huge Cardinals fan. He watches almost every game on television. "When we lived in St. Louis, we lived right on a bus line," Ledbetter said. "I could get on and that bus would be down at the ballpark in 10 minutes and I went a lot of times." Ledbetter is also known as a Bible expert and he reads it daily. His favorite verse is Hebrews 4:15, which reads, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we areyet he did not sin." (NIV)

Ledbetter continues to be an inspiration to everyone he touches. "If I could grow up to be half the man my father is, I'd consider myself a success," Stephen Ledbetter said. "My dad talked the talk and walked the walk all my life. He's the epitome of what being a man is all about."
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village. CLICK HERE to make a nomination.

Harold Loberg could have had a front row seat for the D-Day invasion during World War II. But then his captain gave him an offer he couldn't refuse. "The captain said, 'half of you can go ashore if you want and help the English and the Canadians push the Germans back,'" Loberg said. "There were guns all over the beach. Germans were dead, lying on the beach and we picked up guns and helped the English for about eight hours."

Loberg and his Navy shipmates were stationed on LST-527. The ship made 86 trips across the English Channel delivering troops, wounded, prisoners, tanks and other supplied throughout WWII. Suddenly, though, they were in the middle of the biggest invasion in history. Loberg said grabbing a gun off of one of the hundreds of dead German soldiers on the beach was miserable. "We weren't really trained for that," Loberg said. "But they needed us on the shore. They needed all the sailors they could get."

Loberg's ship, which delivered English and Canadian troops to the Normandy invasion, was stuck in place due to the low tide. The captain told his sailors they could help for eight hours, but get back by then because then the tide would be up and the ship could leave.

Loberg remembers pushing the Germans past Caen, France, before retreating back to the boat. "President (Dwight) Eisenhower was a wonderful guy," Loberg said. "He sent Air Force and Paratroopers behind the Germans and we went in infront of them and the Germans didn't know what to do. A lot of them just threw down their guns and just surrendered and came back with us. They didn't even fight. They just all had white flags and came down to the ship. They wanted to get out of the war I think. They came right on our tank deck. I think they knew they were in trouble."

Loberg, now 90, knew the D-Day Invasion was going to be huge. He said there were hundreds of ships going to various beaches around Normandy. "When you go to war, you just hope that you're one of the 50 percent that come back home and you don't really worry too much about how tough it is or what's going on," Loberg said. "You just try to stay alive. Everybody I know on my ship felt the same way. If I make it, I make it. If I don't, I don't. We all came back, but for one guy. He threw some stuff over the side of the ship and it blew back in his face and it blinded him. He's the only one who didn't come back on our ship. The rest of us did."

While some of the memories of that day were hard, he had many other pleasant memories of his time overseas. "Our main base was Falmouth in England and a guy over there had a pub and he made our ship a special room," Loberg said. "His daughter sang for us and his wife was the cashier and he was the bartender. Every time we'd get leave, we'd have six days and four off. And he'd have a bottle of scotch for us."

There was another time when Loberg was on leave walking through London. He passed a movie theater and saw on the marquee that the theater was showing a brand new movie called, "Meet Me in St. Louis." The Cape Girardeau, Mo., native couldn't resist buying a ticket. "Anyhow, I went in there and sat down by a lady and introduced myself and we got to talking and watched the movie," Loberg said. "After the movie, she asked, 'Is that really St. Louis?' I said, 'Yeah, that's where I'm from!' She said, 'I love that.' She said, 'When my husband gets back from Africa,' he was in the army, 'I'm going to make him take me over there.'"

Loberg and the woman spent the rest of the day in the movie theater watching "Meet Me in St. Louis" over and over again. "The English people were so nice to us Americans," Loberg said. "That was an experience I'll never forget though, that lady in that movie. For ten hours, I watched that movie." Loberg originally wanted to go into the Army when he was drafted. "I went to the Army and interviewed and the Army told me if I want to sleep in the sleet and the snow and slush and eat K-rations, come to the Army, but we need Navy people now. Why don't you go down and talk to the Navy? You'll have a warm place to sleep and a dry place as long you can keep the ship under you."

Following his honorable discharge, Loberg went into business with his brother Lloyd, who served in the Army during WWII. They started building brick houses, employing all veterans, in Cape Girardeau. After a bigger builder cut off their supplies, the brothers sold vacuum sweepers and hearing aids. The brothers and their father also sold electronic cash registers from St. Louis to Memphis.

Walk into Loberg's living room and there is a corner devoted to his service time. There are various awards, pictures of his late wife, his brother and his two sons  both of which served, one in the Air Force and the other in the Army. There are also three books Loberg has put together filled with his service documents and other mementos. Above the couch is a framed piece of artwork made by Loberg's grand-daughter commemorating his service. "If you've been in the military five years, the military will make you," Loberg said. "You'll learn how to survive and how to live and how to do things that you never would have learned if you didn't go into the military. I never had trouble doing anything when I got out of the service, because you just learn how to do things."
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village.

Scott VanGennips courtship and marriage to his wife Lindsay is like something out of a Hollywood movie script.

Lindsays sorority at Southeast Missouri State University decided to adopt a solider deployed overseas as a pen pal. Out of more than 500 people in his battalion, only Scott and another soldier were selected as pen pals. We got back after a two month mission and had a pile of mail, a lot of it from schools and churches in the area, saying thanks, VanGennip said. I got this one letter with a picture of two girls in it. Im like, oh wow, theyre cute and Im hoping it was the one on the right and it just so happened that it was my wife on the right.

She wrote me this three page letter saying you dont know who I am, I dont know who you are. My Sorority decided to adopt solider and you just happened to be one of them.

The two started exchanging letters and emails, with Lindsay writing most every day. Im a low key person, shes way out of my league, but what the heck, give it a shot, VanGennip said. So I got her number.

He asked Lindsay out to dinner to thank her for the letters and messages when he got home. They were married a couple of years later. Every person she tells that too are like, Oh you should write Oprah, and Im like I dont want to go on Oprah, Scott VanGennip said. Its kind of a unique story.

While his meeting Lindsay was fairytale, the rest of Scott VanGennips life before meeting her leaned more toward nightmare.

VanGennips mother died from lung cancer when he was 16. She was just 38. Two years later, his father took his own life leaving VanGennip, his older sister and younger brother on their own. Scott and his sister Jodi, who was a year older, went to live with his aunt and uncle. His brother Darren, who was 10, lived with their grandparents. Luckily they lived in Leopold, Mo., a town of 65 people in southeastern Missouri. They lived a mile and a half away from each other and saw each other every day at school.

Jodi went into the service after high school. Seeing his sister graduate from basic training, as well as getting help to pay for college, helped solidify Scotts decision to join the Missouri National Guard. VanGennip was eventually deployed to southern Iraq at a time when most of the action had moved north.

When I got there I was 20 years old and you watch all these war movies in preparation, you kind of believe what you see on T.V., but I was doing a maintenance job from 8-to-5, working on trucks that broke down that engineers used to build and repair roads, VanGennip said. I was like this is nothing like on TV, wheres the action?

When an opportunity to head to northern Iraq to be maintenance support to B Company, a platoon of 20 guys out of Perryville, Mo., VanGennip jumped at it. They were in charge of disposing caches of bombs that Saddam Huessein had stored or were left from Desert Storm. VanGennip was accepted as a full member of B Company. When he wasnt fixing broken trucks, he acted as a gunner on the convoys. They even let him set off a 225,000-pound explosion.

B Company also provided security for civilian contractors, who were easy targets for insurgents because they always drove white Ford F-150s. VanGennip was pressed into combat duty after the group was attacked in an Iraqi town. At the time, they were hauling 12,000 pounds of explosives on their way to a work site. We actually got small arms fire and seven RPGs, which are rocket propelled grenades, VanGennip said. They tried to hit the front of the convoy and they tried to hit the big truck too, which they didnt know we had explosives and if they would have hit that, it would have been a bad deal.

VanGennip and the other gunner immediately sprung to action. Within 30 seconds, three insurgents were dead and 11 more wounded. We didnt get touched, not a single bullet hole in our trucks, nobody got touched, VanGennip said. It was a miracle to be honest with you because there was a lot of stuff going on.

VanGennip returned home, finished up college and was doing construction. His younger brother moved in with him during his senior year of high school. Sometimes it was a struggle to make ends meet, but VanGennip is appreciative of the support he got from his family and friends. Rent was cheap and there was always somebody checking on him. That small town aspect you cant express enough gratitude, VanGennip said. You think back and you dont know how youd have done it without them.

Scott and Lindsay have three boys, ages 3, 2, and 10 months. They live in OFallon, Ill. VanGennip, 32, graduated Southeast Missouri State with a major in health and human performance and a minor in marketing. He works for Cardinal Health.
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village. CLICK HERE to make a nomination.

It was Sept. 11, 2001, and R. "Dan" Boone knew something big was happening. Boone was working as a surveyor for an archaeology group and the GPS was shut off. "I knew that was big if the satellites were turned off," Boone said.

Like most Americans, it took him a while to process the events of the 9-11 terror attacks. But as the months rolled by and Boone looked at his young daughter and nieces and nephews, it became clear that he had to do something. The Army veteran, who served in Grenada, had to go back, so he re-enlisted that following January.

"I felt like we had to do something or it was going to affect their lives in the near future," Boone said. "I didn't want to be someone who sat by and said 'I thought about doing that' or 'I could have done something, but didn't' so I decided to do something about it."

Boone joined the Navy the second time around. He became an officer and was deployed seven times to Iraq and Afghanistan during the height of the fighting. Leaving his young daughter, she was 3 year old when he re-enlisted, was the toughest part, but having a strong wife made it easier.

"My wife's very capable and she can take care of you and me and several other people," Boone said. "I did feel guilty about missing so much of my daughter's life, but I tried to reconcile that with the fact I was doing something that would hopefully help her have a better life in the future."

During one of his deployments, Boone was stationed at an air base in Herat, in northwest Afghanistan. Most of the American contingent there received care packages. Boone said inevitably there were some items in the packages the soldiers didn't want or couldn't use. Instead of throwing them away, the items would be put in boxes and would be given to the nomadic tribes outside of the base. "They had nothing and were almost starving," Boone said.

One day, Boone saw a little Afghan girl running without shoes among the rock and thorns. The sight made Boone think of his own daughter, who was growing fast back home and had a growing collection of gently-used shoes that were simply too small for her. He thought that maybe he could get his wife to send the shoes to him so he could give them to the needy girls around the base.

"So my wife told her friends and sisters and pretty soon we stared getting box after box of shoes and combs and stuffed animals and dental floss and just tons of stuff," Boone said. They received so many donations that they knew as a practical matter that they couldn't give it to the nomadic tribes, because they wouldn't be able to use most of it. Instead, Boone and his fellow soldiers found out where the Herat orphanage was.

"We went up there one day just kind of unannounced, because that's the best way to do that kind of thing over there," Boone said. "We just went up there and talked to the headmaster of the orphanage." Basically what we wanted to do was give every little girl there a pair of shoes, a comb and a tooth brush. And we had notebooks and markers and pencils and stuffed animals.

"They all got in a line and we gave them all we had and what was left we gave to the little boys. But we really wanted to focus on the girls, because they have such a tough life over there." We had a good truck load of shoes and candy and just everything you could think of and we just kind of handed it out until it was all gone and we got out of there as fast as we could."

It was a one-time trip, for practical reasons. "The town is about 20 kilometers, maybe 15 kilometers, away from the air base," Boone said. "We didn't go back because you don't want to travel the same route twice if you can avoid it." The mission provided a morale-boost.

"I do know that when we left that place, everybody was kind of quiet and we were just driving down the road and someone got on the radio and said, 'that's the best I've ever felt after going to a compound in Afghanistan,'" Boone said. "It was a really positive feeling. It may not have helped them so much, but it really helped us. It made us feel a lot better about things, because a lot of those guys had been in places where it wasn't so nice to go to a compound."

Boone joined the Army in 1980 after graduating from Effingham High School. His father was a professional soldier, who was a combat infantry man in Vietnam. Boone realized a personal goal by serving in the same unit as his father. Part of a military family, Boone's younger brothers are both active in the Army and have also served numerous tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. "They've put a lot more on the line than I have," Boone said.

After his initial service time was up, he went to college and started a career as a research associate at the University of Illinois and worked as a surveyor on archaeology digs until 9-11 happened.

Boone, now 55, is still in the Navy reserves and currently works full-time as a civil servant for the government.

"The skills I learned in the army and being in the airborne infantry unit and being tough, learning how to take care of yourself ...a lot of it actually helped me in my career too," Boone said. "Just having that ability to overcome the mental letdowns and stuff, not really adversity, but the ability to face a situation and figure out a way to get out of it has helped me my whole life actually."
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village. CLICK HERE to make a nomination.

Paul "Bud" Haedike will never forget what came in the mail on his 18th birthday  a draft card.

It was May 30, 1943, and the United States was in the middle of World War II. But even though has was on the fast track into military service, Haedike didn't find his spot in the Air Force right away. "When I got up to the draft board and I have my draft notice and it says be on time and I got there in line," Haedike said. "They had rubber stamps and they stamped my hand 'Navy' and I said, 'No, come on man, not Navy.' I said, 'I'm not afraid of water. I love to swim, I don't want to go on a boat.' "He said, 'Come on, you've got to move on.' I said please. And he took another stamp and stamped 'Army.'"

Haedike reported to Camp Grant in Illinois that July. Once there, they asked if any of the Army recruits wanted to go into the Air Force. Haedike didn't hesitate. "As an 18-year-old kid, I wanted to be a P-38 lighting pilot," Haedike said. "Kids have no idea what war was until you get in it. But when I went in, they needed Bomber crew members and that's the way it was and probably if I would have become a fighter pilot, I might not be here today."

After extensive training, which included basic training at Jefferson Barracks, he found himself in the nose of a B-17 as part of the 730th Bomb Squadron in the 452nd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force out of Deopham Green, Norfolk, England.

Haedike and his crew on their B-17 got a baptism by fire on their first bombing mission to Hamm, Germany. Their position in the formation was called 'Tail End Charlie.' As the newbie, it was the worst and most dangerous position because they were flying low and were the last of the formation over the target. "It was kind of like in life, you've kind of got to earn your way," Haedike said. "Not that any position was good, but when the Germans fired their 88 millimeter cannons, they could fire up to 25,000 feet." The flak from the cannons was intense. Flak was a bomber pilot's biggest enemy in WWII. The huge shells would explode into hundreds of pieces and were accurate.

A direct hit meant almost certain death to the plane's crew. "My position was up in the Plexiglass nose and I saw the (first) engine smoking and on fire and then another one got hit," Haedike said. "And a B-17 isn't made stay up on one or two engines."

Hamm's location near the Rhine River proved to be fortunate for Haedike and his mates. Instead of abandoning the damaged plane and risk being taken prisoner, they were able to guide the B-17 to nearby Belgium, which was Allied territory. "We didn't go straight down like a plane that was out of control," Haedike said. "We went down on an angle and we thought we could make it across enemy lines. We did not want to become prisoners of war. We were very fortunate." That harrowing experience was the first of 23 combat missions Haedike flew in WWII. He and his crew bombed every major city in Germany including Frankfurt and Berlin.

If the German flak wasn't bad enough, bombers were also subject to midair collisions in England's notorious fog. The temperatures were also minus-60 degrees outside the plane and between minus-20 and minus-30 degrees inside. Pilots wore electric suits to keep them warm and anoxia, death by lack of oxygen, was a constant threat. "One of my jobs was to run an oxygen check every five minutes, because if a fellow's oxygen got hit, he would be brain dead in about five minutes from lack of oxygen," Haedike said.

The 8th Air Force suffered the highest casualty rate in WWII. Famous journalist Andy Rooney once said the 8th Air Force lost more men than the Marines did in the Pacific. Haedike said the average number of missions for an Air Force member during the war was between six and eight. He flew 26. The most rewarding missions were his last three. They were food drops to Holland, who were starving after the Germans bombed the dikes and flooded the land as they retreated.

Haedike earned the European Theater medal and three clusters, the Air Medal and three clusters, the Presidential Citation and the French Legion of Honor medal. His service over, Haedike returned home to his native Chicago. His sister set him up on a date with a friend named Muriel. The two will celebrate their 69th Anniversary in June.

Haedike became a regional sales manager for SC Johnson. He and Muriel moved to Florida when he retired in 1998, but moved to St. Louis in 2004 to be closer to their kids, 20 grandkids and soon to be 20 great grandkids. The 90-year-old Haedike still speaks to junior high and high school students about WWII and the 8th Air Force. He still has his fl ight gear and lets the students put it on. And he always finishes his lesson with a simple request. "I say, 'Will you say a prayer of thanks to God for those 28,000 guys who gave their life so that you guys have the kind of life you've got today?'" Haedike said. "And then they're not smiling and they shake their heads (yes). In other words, war is not fun and sometimes we take the things that we have for granted too much."
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village.

Harry "Butch" Nichols will never forget the first impression he had of Vietnam. Nichols was assigned to the Army's First Cavalry Division after being drafted. Following training, he left San Francisco on a four-engine prop plane. "It was a 21-hour flight with a stopover in Wake island to refuel," Nichols said. "I've never been in a plane so long in my life. All I could hear was the roar of those props. I'll never forget for as long as I live, the pilot got on the radio and this was a civilian plane and he said, 'All you soldiers look over to the right side of the plane,' and we all squeezed into the little portals and he cocked the plane to the right side. All you could see was rockets and bullets. He said, 'Welcome to your new home.' That's when you say, 'What in the hell am I doing here?'"

The First Cavalry was an air mobile unit, meaning they got to fly in helicopters for any long moves and usually hot meals, a couple of beers and cigarettes were flown in every night. Nichols was assigned to Charlie Company, which was sent out on a sixweek mission and they were dropped in the middle of the jungle.

The usual assignments would include village sweeps, investigating gunfire and helping out other companies or platoons. As the new guy, Nichols ran the point at first checking for traps and hacking through the jungle with a machete. "I was in five or six real battles, where there was nothing but digging in and gunfire for two to three hours," Nichols said. "Going into jungle at first, [you] thought you were just on a hike, but when first bullet goes over your head, you get the point then."

Things changed for Nichols on March 21, 1967. His unit got a call at 4:30 in the morning to grab their ammo belts and hand grenades only. "Usually we took all our gear, but when that call came in we knew that there was trouble," Nichols said. The First Infantry was under attack and Nichols' unit was one of six called into help. They loaded into seven helicopters with machine guns on both doors. Nichols was in the lead copter and he could hear the gun fire as they got closer. On the first attempt to land, the pilot pulled up as soon as the bullets hit the windows. On the second attempt, Nichols and the rest of his crew were out the door as soon as the copter hit the ground.

The unit was told to go over to a dyke to get organized. "They say you never hear the one that hits you," Nichols said. "I never heard any explosion. Next thing I know, I'm four feet up in the air and hit the ground." One of his fellow soldiers had set off a booby trap grenade. Nichols was on top of the dyke, so he took the big fragments of the grenade in his legs and chest. "I start crawling trying to get my rifle," Nichols said. "Our medic hit me with morphine and told me to lay still we've got you. Five minutes later, the first infantry medic runs by - he hits me with morphine so I was feeling no pain. I'm in la la land for the next 25 minutes until the gunfire went down."

Nichols' squad leader called in a Medivac copter to get Nichols and the soldier who set off the grenade out. But the gunfire picked up by the time the Medivac copter arrived and the pilot refused to land. At that point another copter pilot radioed in and said he was coming in to get the injured. "It was one of our choppers," Nichols said. "He dove right in and took us to a hospital. I'm not taking anything from the Medivac, they were just doing what they were told. But I think it was pretty neat that one of our guys risked his life to help us."

Nichols was flown to a field hospital in Vietnam. He had a broken left leg, shrapnel in his right leg and a piece of shrapnel two and a half inches in diameter that was pushing on the walls of his heart. Doctors said he was lucky the shrapnel broke three ribs going in, which slowed it down before it reached the heart. While he would recover from those injuries, his ordeal was just beginning. The doctors at the field hospital forgot to give Nichols medication to prevent Malaria and he was diagnosed with the disease two weeks later after being flown to an army hospital in Yokohama, Japan. Nichols had an allergic reaction to the medicine for Malaria, which killed all of his white blood cells. He couldn't shave for fear he would bleed to death and visitors had to wear masks. His condition was so serious, that his wife and mother were flown to Japan to see him because they thought he might die.

Nichols was eventually flown to another army hospital in Fort Campbell, KY, and after nine months he was finally released in December of 1967. After his army days, Nichols went back home to Athens, IL, and had a career in the fertilizer industry. He currently works at an auto collision repair center in Springfield, IL.

Nichols, 68, celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary with his high school sweetheart Wanda on Jan. 2. They have two children, two grandchildren, two step grandchildren and a great-grandchild on the way. Nichols considers it an honor to have served his country. "That was instilled in me by my parents and living in a small town there was pride in America, pride in the flag," Nichols said.
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village. CLICK HERE to make a nomination.

Service has always been Daniel Page's trademark. Page was a Boy Scout and became an Eagle Scout at 13 years and 10 months. "I don't know how you would check this, but as far as I know to this day I'm still the youngest Eagle Scout in the St. Louis Area Council as far as getting everything accomplished," Page said. "I got my Eagle Scout on Mothers' Day in May of 1979." So joining the Army was a natural fit. After graduating from Hazelwood West, Page originally joined the Army for college money, but turned it into a 22-year career. During his career spent mostly as a military policeman, Page was deployed to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan and he helped send a platoon to the Pentagon right after 9-11.

Page, now 50, was being trained as a recruiter and was actually in recruiting school on 9-11. He remembers watching the attacks live on television. "We stopped what we were doing to watch the news and watched the planes hit the towers," Page said. "It was time to pack the bags and it was time to find Osama Bin Laden. You can't come to our home territory and make that devastation."

After the attacks, Page led troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Page, then 38, was leading soldiers with ages from 18 to 24. Old enough to be their father, Page looked after them like his own kids. "My claim to fame for my whole military police company is that we lost soldiers to wounded, but we never had a soldier killed in our military police company in a year, out of 180 people," Page said.

Page said his only goal everyday was to make sure all of his troops made it back. Training and leadership took care of the rest. "The only thing we weren't ready for was, about three-fourths of the way through I guess is when the IEDs (improvised explosive devices) started in Iraq and we weren't ready for that," Page said. "When initial battle ended we didn't' know the enemy. Our enemy looked like my neighbor here in the United States. They didn't have any uniforms anymore. So it went from a conventional to an unconventional battle."

The toughest part was the constant, split second, life or death decisions Page had to make. For example, if an Iraqi man had a gun and a shovel the chances are he was going to plant a bomb. Page and his fellow MPs had to make a decision whether to shoot him or not. "He's got a gun, it's not pointed at you, but is it going to be a threat down the road? You don't know," Page said.

One night, they were guarding a route where a tank had been blown up and Page and his fellow MPs were trying to secure the route and the town to figure out where the IED came from. About 2 a.m., a truck approached the group that consisted of two Humvees and a tank and turned off its headlights. "We're in the middle of nowhere Iraq and there's no streetlights like there are here in the United States and you've got to make that decision," Page said. "He turned off his lights, you hear the engine rev up and I have no idea what's in the truck so I told my gunners on top of the truck, 'shoot to kill.' "What's in the truck? Is there a bomb in the truck? Are you going to run your truck into my tanks and the next thing I know I have 15 to 16 soldiers dead? Is my decision on his life worth the 15 soldiers that I'm with to see if he's going to be friendly or not?"

While his duties in Bosnia were completely different since it was a peace keeping mission, Page still had some close calls. One time a Bosnian man came running up to Page with a live mortar he found. Page had to tell him to set it down and called the Explosive Ordinance Division to blow it up.

Retiring from the Army and adjusting to civilian life wasn't the easiest thing. The nuances of military and civilian communication were different, and there are still combat reactions the will never go away. Page remembers going to a Cardinals game in 2008 and he and his friends left Busch Stadium early, because the Cardinals were getting blown out. "Apparently someone hit a home run and the fireworks go off and there's Daniel Page on ground and I hear comments like, 'what the heck is wrong with this guy?'" Page said. "It happens."

Page became a cook after his Army career and is now in restaurant management. "I loved to cook growing up," Page said. "I have pictures of me standing on a stool next to my mom on stove in the kitchen trying to help. Until culinary school, I thought I knew how to cook. I love going to the grocery store. Just give me a protein, I'll make the vegetables for you and its dinner time."

Page is an active member of the VFW 5077 in O'Fallon, MO, and has served several leadership roles within the organization.

He proudly flies his Retired Army Flag underneath the U.S. Flag at his home. "It's 22 years of my life," Page said. "I defended my country. To me it was just a job. It's the job I chose. We all chose our own jobs. It's the job I chose for awhile and I loved it."
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village.

Jacob Curtis had an unusual start to what has been an extraordinary career in the Air Force Reserves. Coming from a military family, both parents served, his plan was to go into the National Guard out of high school. He would do his one weekend a month and two weeks each summer to get his college paid for. He graduated from O'Fallon High early, in December 2001. Curtis was scheduled to swear in on Sept. 15, 2001 and participate in the guard's student flight to get him ready for basic training.

Then, Sept. 11 happened. In the aftermath, Curtis didn't hear from his recruiter. His dad finally tracked him down and the recruiter, Sgt. Curtis Thompson, had been pressed into logistics duty and had been working long hours due to the attacks.

Thompson called Curtis and told him enlistments had been put on hold, but was encouraged by his enthusiasm. "He said 'I'm very happy you still want to enlist, because with everything that's happened we've had over 50 percent of the people cancel their enlistment,'" Curtis said. "Which made me sad because I feel that that's the time that people would want to step up and help."

Thompson agreed to come by Curtis's house after work to swear him in. When he arrived, an American Flag flew in front of the Curtis home. Curtis's dad, a retired Air Force Officer, did the oath of enlistment. "I swore into the Air National Guard at that point," Curtis said. "Not a lot of people get sworn in on their front yard by their dad. It was kind of neat."

Curtis enlisted in the security forces, the Air Force version of military police. He reported to the 126th Air Refueling Wing at Scott Air Force Base after completing basic training. His first deployment came in 2006 and he spent four months on an island in the Indian Ocean guarding nuclear aircrafts.

Curtis volunteered for the next deployment to Iraq. "My philosophy is, if I don't go then somebody else has to go and I don't want to put another person in that position," Curtis said. The deployment moved up his wedding date with his bride, Melanie. What he didn't know is that it was an ILO mission, meaning in lieu of. The Army was so short-staffed that they needed security help at a Forward Operating Base internment camp, where various al-Qaeda fighters were held. Curtis patrolled in Humvees and worked in a tower for seven months.

After his return, Curtis eventually was hired for a full-time position with the 126th Air Refueling Wing. "We are the minute men, civilian soldiers ready to go at any time," Curtis said. "Being a part of that legacy, but being able to wear the uniform every day is one of the most fulfilling things I can have."

Curtis was able to earn his bachelor's in Business Administration from McKendree and a Criminal Justice degree from the Community College of the Air Force before being deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. He was assigned to Bagram Airfield, which was attacked by insurgents on Sept. 10, 2011. They took over 15 rockets in an 8-hour period. The first rocket flew right over his sector. "It was the loudest whistle I've ever heard," Curtis said.

The rocket hit a building that was the entry point for all of the nationals who were contractors that worked at the airfield. Two nationals and an interpreter were killed instantly. Curtis made his way into the building and found a contractor named Morkazza mumbling and crying in his native Bhari. "I think he's just stunned so let's get him out of there," Curtis said. "I shuffled him to get him to move and he starts screaming and I look down and I notice blood just soaking his pants leg."

Curtis and a fellow sergeant got a tourniquet wrapped around the leg. After cutting away Morkazza's pant leg, they realized he had a compound fracture that had severed his femoral artery and it was spurting blood. "You could see the paleness kicking in and he's definitely going into shock," Curtis said. Curtis applied pressure to the wound. Luckily, EMT's arrived shortly thereafter and got Morkazza to the hospital.

They found out later that he survived after being revived twice in the ambulance. "Without that tourniquet and bandage, he definitely would have bled out and died for sure," Curtis said. "But since all of us collectively worked together, we were able to save his life."

Curtis was recognized by the 126th as the NCO of the Year for the entire wing. He was then named Outstanding NCO of the Year for Illinois in 2012. That put him in a pool of 54 candidates from each state and various territories for NCO of the Year for the entire National Guard. Curtis became the first person from Illinois to win that honor.

Curtis and his wife were flown to Washington D.C. where they went on numerous tours and had a one hour lunch with the director of the National Guard. Curtis was recognized on the U.S. House floor by Congressman Jerry Costello. "It's not one individual that does any of this, it's always the group, it's the team 100 percent," Curtis said. "And I could not do or be where I needed to be without somebody else being where they needed to be at the same time."

He just celebrated his 9-year anniversary with Melanie and they have 14-month-old twins, a boy and a girl. Curtis, 36, was just promoted to Master Sergeant and is currently working with the 126th Communications Squadron. His military career certainly didn't go as planned, but he wouldn't change a second of it. "I was able to meet people that I never thought I would know," Curtis said. "The 126th Security Forces Squad shaped who I am without a doubt, same with my parents."
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village. CLICK HERE to make a nomination.

Nathan Reddick has never been one to take the easy way out. When an Army recruiter was in the St. Charles High cafeteria during his senior year, Reddick didn't hesitate to sign up. He had the same reaction when he was offered the chance to become an elite Army Ranger. "While at AIT (Advanced Individual Training) they took all males in the class brought them into a room and two very decorated Army Rangers in their black berets got up in front of the group and said, 'A regiment tells me we need some of you pukes. If it was up to me we wouldn't have any of you,'" Reddick said.

Reddick, who specialized in communications, didn't fit the typical Ranger profile. Communications was considered a soft skill, but the Army wanted to integrate those skills in the Rangers. Reddick went into the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP), an intense eight week program designed to weed out the weak. "You're basically getting smoked the entire time as well as doing some technical things," Reddick said. "Basically they want to know are you going to quit or are you a good investment for them?"

After RIP, Reddick was assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion at Fort Lewis, Wash. He was there six months before earning a slot in Ranger school. "It's all merit based," Reddick said. "They send you to another portion Army if [you] don't hack it."

Reddick began Ranger school, a 62-day considered to be the Army's premier leadership course, in February 2001. He made it through the first two phases without an issue, but Reddick's lean build took a toll. Reddick had only five percent body fat when he went into Ranger school. He lost 20 pounds during the first two phases through a combination of intensive training and meal rationing. "Training like that is meant to be harder than what they anticipate you're going to experience in combat," Reddick said. "They are training you to be a leader in combat. Once you are in a real world combat situation, it's like, 'I've been through worse than this in Ranger school,' so you're going to be the one to step up."

In the mountain phase, Reddick got a minor case of frost bite in his hands, but kept going. He was four days away from graduation when the weight loss caught up to him. Reddick was acting as a squad leader at the end of an eight mile road march when his body started shutting down. His speech was slurred and everything was in slow motion. Reddick was taken to a medic who discovered his heartbeat was 32 beats per minute, when it should have been between 170 and 180. Reddick's graduation got pushed back by a couple of weeks. Since they didn't have a diagnosis for his condition, the Army named frost bite as the official reason. Reddick graduated from Ranger school in May 2001 and got married to his high school sweetheart in August 2001. Immediately after the ceremony, Reddick was sent to Germany for five weeks.

Reddick had just completed a Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT) exercise and was eating dinner when news of the Sept. 11 attack was broadcast on the radio. "Everyone was just silent," Reddick said. "You could hear a pen drop. Then my commanding officer stands up and gives this Patton-esque speech with a lot more expletives. 'This is why we're here. We're training now so we can go kill those blankety blanks and that's what we're going to do.'"

A year later, Reddick was putting those skills to work in Afghanistan, going after high value targets. One time, Reddick and his unit were in a safe house when insurgents started shooting 107 millimeter rockets at the building, left over from the Soviet-Afghan war. Luckily, the rockets weren't accurate and missed their target. "There's lots of propaganda that goes around from the Taliban on what we were doing there," Reddick said. "One of the things they said was the Rangers were given special sunglasses that they have to wear and those sunglasses have special powers that can see through their women's clothing. So we would have to take our sunglasses off when we talked to locals out of respect."

Reddick served another term in Iraq. He and his unit actually lived and ran missions out of an abandoned terminal in the Baghdad International Airport. In Iraq, a couple of Rangers wanted to get baptized so they decided to go to one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces and perform the ceremony in the pool. "When we showed up it was like a scene out of M.A.S.H.," Reddick said. "Here we are dirty, stinky, unbathed, eating packaged food, and we see this leg unit that had been there for months. They are swimming in the pool, wearing flip flops and they hired a local to roast goat and they're drinking local beer. Right before we left we were offered to eat goat. I was like I don't care if this makes me sick for a week; I'm going to try it."

After leaving the service, Reddick got his degree from Washington University and enrolled into Covenant Theological Seminary. But halfway through seminary, Reddick decided to use his I.T. skills to get a job to support his wife and growing family. He has been married to his wife, Carri, for 14 years and they have three kids.

Reddick currently works for Laclede Gas, but uses his seminary background while serving as an elder in his church. His faith is central to his life and got him through tough times as a Ranger. "I don't know how men who don't have faith make it through stuff like that, because they have nothing to cling to," Reddick said. "You have to have something to cling to."
"Stories of Honor" coordinated by H.E.R.O.E.S. Care on behalf of St. Louis Regional Alliance for the Troops. Select stories are chosen by a board of appointees. Each selectee is recognized with a plaque, a prize pack and night of honor at Ballpark Village. CLICK HERE to make a nomination.

Ted Liebig Sr. got to live out the dream of many an adolescent male. He got to be James Bond. Liebig was a member of the Ravens, a clandestine operation made up of elite Air Force fighter pilots launched in 1966 during the height of the Vietnam War.

The Ravens lived in Laos, wore civilian clothes and had cover stories. If anybody asked, Liebig was a consultant for navigable waterways. In reality, he and his Raven counterparts flew mission after mission supporting ground forces and working with CIA along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which was a network of roads used to transport personnel and supplies between North and South Vietnam.

Liebig was personally recruited after 10 months in Vietnam. He fi t the profile. He was single, fearless and had already flown almost 300 missions as a Forward Air Controller (FAC). Since the jungle was so dense and fighter pilots flew so high, it was hard for them to hit their targets. FACs flew low and slow and fi red smoke bombs at the targets ahead of the fighters to give the fighters a target. "I remember I landed one day and there was a Colonel on the taxi," Liebig said. "It was a guy with a white shirt and tie and sunglasses who didn't look like he belonged on the front line. When I landed, the Colonel asked me, 'Lieutenant, how would you like to be James Bond?' And I was like, where do I sign?"

Liebig flew into Thailand, where he surrendered his uniforms, dog tags and Geneva Convention card. A tailor made civilian clothes for him. "You just kind of disappeared," Liebig said. Danger was a constant companion to the Ravens, who sustained the highest casualty rate among any flying organization during the Vietnam War. A combination of accurate anti-aircraft ground fire and mechanical issues made every mission difficult.

Liebig had many close calls, but none closer than his mission on Nov. 3, 1970. Several days before, three teams  Black Man, Orange Man and Red Man  went up the Ho Chi Minh Trail to raise the Laos flag in a town called Muong Phine. "When I was briefed on the mission that we were going to take, I was initially very skeptical," Liebig said.

The teams, with about 65 men each, easily reached Muong Phine. Too easily for Liebig's comfort. Emboldened by the team's success and despite Liebig's concerns, the teams were directed to march further up the trail to raise another flag in Xepone.

As Liebig feared, the teams suddenly found themselves surrounded by more than 1000 North Vietnam Army soldiers. "That's when all hell broke loose," Liebig said. With almost three dozen wounded, the teams couldn't retreat or push forward effectively. Liebig and the Ravens were called to lead the extraction of the wounded.

The first extraction attempt took place on Nov. 3. Liebig was hit with round after round from the ground. His VHF radio was shot out, but he still continued to work U.S. Air Force airstrikes. After leading several unsuccessful attempts that day and landing a plane with virtually no oil, Liebig vowed to return the next day. "I told the Orange leader, 'I'll be back tomorrow and we'll get you guys out,' Liebig said. "I'll never forget it, he said '(Raven 32), tomorrow we'll all be dead.' I'll never forget that. It was like, 'oh my God,' but there was nothing you could do at night."

Extraction attempts the next day were also unsuccessful and by Nov. 5, Black Man was in the worst position on a hill backing to a cliff. Liebig and another pilot launched smoke rockets, allowing Air America to come over the cliff and perform the extraction of the wounded.

Liebig earned a Silver Star for his valor on Nov. 3. After that, Liebig became a marked man. The enemy knew who he was and they wanted revenge. One night, Liebig's interpreter got the keys to his jeep because he had picked up a girl. The jeep blew up, killing the interpreter. "To this day, I obviously feel horrible about that," Liebig said.

Unsuccessful, the order to kill Liebig got upgraded. He found out about the upgrade while watching the movie, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. "I said, how do you upgrade an order to kill a guy?," Liebig said. "And they said because they decided they want a snatch, they want you alive. Spending time in their company would not have been a pleasant experience. The attache decided I should leave Laos right away."

Liebig graduated from Chaminade and earned a degree in American Studies from Colgate before serving in Vietnam. He was inspired to become a fighter pilot in the Air Force by his father, who was shot down in World War II and spent two and a half years in a Prisoner of War camp.

Liebig, 69, is currently the President of Stonetrends LLC, a manufacturer of countertops made out of Cambria quartz. He sees a lot of the values he gained in the military with Stonetrends' partnership with Cambria. "They are committed to what they do, they do it with determination and do it with integrity," Liebig said.
Caring folks are finding roadblocks when they try to join "Give STL Day," a 24-hour online fundraising effort.

The problem is that the computer operating the fund drive has been, for the most part, down since 10 a.m.

"There are more than 50 community foundations using this platform" across the U.S. for the fund drive, said Margaret Welch of the St. Louis Community Foundation.

"As far as what the problem is  whether it's more traffic or more foundations  I just don't know," Welch said. She said the platform is operated by Kimbia, a Texas software company.

But Welch said her people have "gone old-school."

"With the help of our partners, KSDK (Channel 5), we've set up a phone bank and are taking (donations) by phone," Welch said.

The number is 314-969-8655.

Welch said some donors are getting through on the website, but she urged those who have problems to avail themselves of the phone number.

"And we're also going to keep the phone lines open Wednesday, from 6 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.," Welch said. "What will be the situation with the website is still undetermined."

The St. Louis Community Foundation acts as the region's clearinghouse for this event.

By 2 p.m. today, it had accepted more than $600,000 on behalf of charities in St. Louis city and 14 surrounding counties, Welch said, adding that more than 900 charities signed up to be participants.

Last year, the fundraising day garnered about $2.1 million; the year before, it brought in about $1.1 million, she said.
The annual trek along the Mississippi River bluffs to watch bald eagles has been popular for years.

But few choose to pursue raptors to the same heights as Mike Vaughan, who has since 1990 watched over nesting couples of peregrine falcons.

On the upper floors of downtown St. Louis.

Its exciting to see birds that once were endangered to no longer be endangered, said Vaughan, keeper of a falcon aerie on the old One Bell Center at 909 Chestnut Street.

He has been screeched at countless times by protective mother falcons, even once being knocked to the ground and raked with talons.

Hes picked young birds up off the sidewalk more times than he can remember, and has unloaded more, lets call it guano, than he can forget.

Vaughan lives in St. Charles with Jan Vaughan, his wife of 47 years. He was born in Iberia, Mo., in the Ozarks and moved to St. Louis early on. But he returned on many weekends to a family farm in Osage County.

I grew up enjoying Missouri wildlife in general, he said. But the bird thing started with eagles, around 1980.

Vaughan took an eagle-watching tour along the Mississippi and his interest was snared.

We went on all kinds of eagle trips, up to Winfield and Alton, and then up to Louisiana, on both sides of the river, he said.

The falcons landed in 1986, while Vaughan was assistant building manager at One Bell, the high-rise headquarters of Southwestern Bell Inc.

It was a new building and we were very proud of it, and competitive with other buildings around downtown, Vaughan said.

So when I heard that Pet Milk was taking part in a falcon program through the World Bird Sanctuary, I signed us up. Pet started in 85, we started in 86.

Vaughan gives the eagles share of credit to Walter C. Crawford Jr., the sanctuarys founder who died in July.

Walter took care of everything and was just an amazing guy, Vaughan said, adding that the sanctuary is the reason this all works. What I do is nothing more than what hundreds of others do to help.

Some at Southwestern Bell flapped at the idea.

One of the company lawyers was saying he was worried that a falcon might kill a bird and then that bird would fall on someone and ruin their sex life, or something like that, Vaughan said.

But then Zane Barnes, the chairman, just said (guano) and signed off on it.

So for four years, Vaughan and sanctuary workers would release falcons from the 43rd floor. That was it: release, but no return.

Then in 1990, a couple of falcons  released from Anheuser-Busch by the sanctuarys expanding falcon project  showed up at One Bell to use a nest outside the 35th-floor office of executive vice president Ann Goddard.

Ann was a big backer of the project, Vaughan said. He noted her importance when another company honcho wanted to stop helping the sanctuary.

Ann said, Just send the requests directly to me from now on. Ill handle it, Vaughan said. And she did.

Vaughan said the employees in the building, about 3,500 at its peak, were thrilled by it all. We took pride in it.

And most every year since that first couple, a pair has returned; this years pair is nesting on the 42rd floor, outside of the unused corporate boardroom in the now mostly vacant structure.

Vaughan said four or five different couples have used the nest. They mate for life and will return to the same place, until they dont.

The mother usually lays two or three eggs, he said. About half will hatch; about two of three that hatch will reach adult stage.

Vaughan is unsure if this years couple is the same as last. The female has a band on her leg. But right now shes on the eggs, and I cant see her legs.

And yes, Vaughan feels a bit patriarchal about his flock.

Cant tell you how many times someone, somewhere in the city would call and say a falcon was on the sidewalk outside their building. So Id go over with a pair of welders gloves and pick them up and bring them home.

Then he laughed and said with a begrudgingly amused, slightly parental tone:

One of the problems with them is that they learn how to fly before they learn how to land.
You cant keep a good ceiling down.

When famed sculptor Isamu Noguchi was called in 1946 by architect Harris Armstrong to create a panel for the lobby of the Magic Chef offices in south St. Louis, no one knew the entire building would be turned into storage bins and a drop ceiling would hide the masters work.

But after more than 35 years of literal obscurity, Noguchis notable example of midcentury modern art will soon be accessible to the art lover, or at least to art lovers doing rental business.

Steve Langford is president of U-Haul Co. of St. Louis, which bought the then-vacant building at 1641 South Kingshighway in 1977. He said renovation work in the lobby has just begun.

Were expanding the retail space and we need to redo the heating and ventilation and take out old ductwork. And to do that, we have to take down the old (drop) ceiling. So why not expose the classic ceiling? said Langford, who said the project should be done by June.

Magic Chef traces its roots to the 1880s, when John Ringen, George Kahle and brothers Charles and Louis Stockstrom started what became American Stove Co. in 1901. (Note: It is Charles Stockstroms house on Russell Boulevard that is known as the Magic Chef Mansion.)

The company began selling its stoves under the trade name Magic Chef in 1929, but did not change the company name until 1951.

But in the 1950s, the company closed its St. Louis plants and then sold the company in 1958. When U-Haul purchased the office building, it had sat vacant for at least 10 years.

Langford said the exterior was sheathed in brick and the interior was modernized with lower ceilings and divided into storage bins.

Obviously, thats not how we would do it if that was happening today, he said. But thats how things were done in 1977.

And what better time to raise further the awareness of midcentury modern art, which has been given a tall pedestal in St. Louis with the 50th anniversary of the Gateway Arch?

Designed by Eero Saarinen, whose family was crucial in the develop of the artistic style, the Archs no-frills grandeur and stark geometric presence help define the art form that thrived from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Coincidentally, one of the finalists in the Arch design competition was Armstrong, who is arguably St. Louis most accomplished modernist architect. His Shanley Building in Clayton (1935) was awarded a silver medal in an international exposition; and the Magic Chef building received national press coverage. The Ethical Society in Ladue (1964) is his most familiar local work.

The Arch anniversary also underscores the current St. Louis Art Museum exhibition, St. Louis Modern, which pays tribute to many artists, including both Armstrong and Noguchi for their Magic Chef work and other contributions.

David Conradsen and Genevieve Cortinovis, who curated the exhibit, are pleased U-Haul will reveal Noguchis ceiling.

Its nice to have an enlightened CEO at U-Haul, to enter into this restoration, Conradsen said, noting that Armstrong also designed a home in Sunset Hills for Magic Chef chief Arthur Stockstrom in 1949.

Cortinovis said the Magic Chef ceiling is one of three panels Noguchi created as lunars, with the moonscape feel inspired in part by Noguchis time in 1942 at a Japanese internment camp in Arizona. The others were a ceiling at the Time-Life Building in New York and a wall for the S.S. Argentina ocean liner.

This is the only surviving of the three, Cortinovis said.
Given that its graduating class was composed of 68 young women, it runs against odds that Villa Duchesne would send two of those seniors to the United States Military Academy at West Point.

But they did.

Mary Clare Cassidy and Hannah Deines have both chosen the Army's academy, which is celebrating its 40th year of admitting women and now has a female attendance of about 17 percent.

Cassidy is the daughter of Patrick and Dawn Cassidy of St. Peters. She plans to major in computer science and hopes to pursue a career in the U.S. Army Cyber Command.

Deines is the daughter of Tim and Megan Deines of St. Charles. An all-state athlete in cross country and track, she will compete in cross country in college.
Two STL men  the Rev. Jack Costello and David Laughlin  have been named as "outstanding Catholic educators" in the United States.

On Tuesday, the National Catholic Education Association will honor them, and 30 others, at an awards dinner in San Diego.

Costello, a monsignor, has been the pastor at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Kirkwood since 2005. He was ordained in 1972.

Laughlin has been president of St. Louis University High School since 2005 and has been involved in Jesuit education for 25 years.

The award is given annually to deserving Catholic teachers, principals, presidents, pastors, superintendents, school boards and home school associations.
Variety the Childrens Charity of St. Louis has named Ken Kranzberg and Judy Jones as its Man and Woman of the Year.

The honor is awarded annually to a man and woman who have played a continuing active role in improving the St. Louis area. The pair will be honored at a dinner on April 16 at Peabody Opera House.

Jones and her husband, Dennis Jones, contributed the lead gift to the St. Louis Zoo's new polar bear home. She also has worked on behalf of Our Ladies Inn, Junior Achievement and an inclusive playground in Forest Park.

Kranzberg serves on numerous boards, including those of the Grand Center, Laumeier Sculpture Park, the Missouri Historical Society, the Anti-Defamation League, Dance St. Louis and the Jewish Federation.
The St. Louis Zoo is getting some national media, courtesy of National Geographic and thanks to some of its tenants.

For the April issue of the nature magazine, the zoo's Brazilian porcupine, Piper, will be featured on some covers for a story about endangered species. (There will be 10 different covers published for the edition, each featuring a different threatened animal.)

Piper lives at the Emerson Childrens Zoo, where she sometimes stars in summer stock, showcasing natural behaviors of exotic and domestic animals.

Then inside the magazine, pages 76-77, the Fennec foxes that live at our zoo also will be featured.

The magazine hits newsstands March 29.

The photos were taken by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore, who is attempting to document about 12,000 species of animals. He was here in October.
The latest issue of "Catholic St. Louis" magazine carries a feature highlighting 12 local men who rose to powerful positions in the church.

One of the men is Bishop Robert Finn  the former bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph who was convicted in 2012 of failing to report a priest suspected of sex abuse. The magazine feature makes no mention of his conviction.

A Vatican investigation showed that Finn waited six months before telling police about the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, whose computer held lewd photos of girls taken in and near churches where he worked.

Ratigan was eventually sentenced to 50 years in prison for child pornography. Finn later resigned from his position in Kansas City.

The inclusion of Finn drew fire from St. Louisan David Clohessy, director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

Clohessy said St. Louis Archbishop Robert J. Carlson should apologize for Finn being included in the article.

"Finn is a criminal," Clohessy said. "Pretending otherwise rubs even more salt into the already deep and still fresh wounds" of those affected by the Kansas City case.

The feature contains small photos of the local priests and follows the same format for information: Name, highest position reached, ordination date, grade school and high school.

The copy notes that Finn is a former bishop of the Kansas City diocese, ordained in 1979, and attended All Souls school in Overland and St. Louis Preparatory Seminary North.

Teak Phillips, editor of the magazine and newspaper, said the abuse situation with Finn was discussed as the story was being compiled.

"To exclude him would not have been truthful," Phillips said. "We included him because he is still a bishop and he's from St. Louis."

Clohessy also criticized the church for allowing Finn to remain a bishop, saying "those who endanger kids, hide predators, stonewall prosecutors (and) deceive parishioners are almost never defrocked, demoted, disciplined or even denounced by their Catholic colleagues or supervisors."

Phillips noted that news coverage of Finn's resignation and legal troubles were covered in the St. Louis Review. "We just didn't get into the CVs of these men" for this feature.

Phillips said he understood "some readers could take exception to that list," and said he had received one email of complaint as of Tuesday.

The magazine is published six times a year by the Archdiocese of St. Louis. It is included in deliveries of the St. Louis Review, the archdiocese's newspaper.
Record-breaking astronaut Scott Kelly was in St. Louis on Wednesday, speaking to about 1,500 people at the Gateway to Innovation Conference at America' Center.

Now retired from the Navy, Kelly is a veteran of two Space Shuttle and three International Space Station missions. His last ISS stay, 340 days, gave him 382 total days in space, the most ever for any American.

Kelly picked up numerous followers on Twitter during those missions, regularly posting photos and pithy comments from space.

On Tuesday, Kelly gave STL a rib poke when he reposted a photo he took from space In October 2015 of downtown St. Louis and wrote:

Kelly closed the daylong event with a question-and-answer session moderated by Patrick Murphy, programming vice president at KETC (Channel 9).

At the conference, Panera Bread Co. senior vice president John Meister was honored as the "technology leader of the year."
After an extended day of business, charity drive "Give STL Day" has closed Wednesday afternoon  after balky technology stymied its online fundraising on Tuesday.

No idea yet as to how much money, if any, the glitch ultimately cost local charities.

"We don't have a sense at this time of what the impact will be on the (amount of) money donated," said Margaret Welch, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis Community Foundation.

At drive's end, the foundation website was reporting that slightly less than $1.3 million had been raised. Last year, the day garnered $2.1 million; in inaugural year 2014, about $1.1 million, Welch said.

Welch said the final tally at the website should be about $1.6 million. She said two other amounts will be added: money that non-profits took in through their sites after the computer went awry; and matching funds that some non-profits had arranged.

Welch said the totals she cited from previous years also included those additional funds.

The foundation acted as the clearinghouse for the charity effort in St. Louis, which was one of about 50 communities across the U.S. that used a special day to raise money.

About 900 charities from St. Louis city and at least 14 surrounding counties signed up to participate.

The problem surfaced about 10 a.m. Tuesday, when potential donors could not complete the online form. Reliable service did not resume until later Tuesday night.

Welch said the foundations used a computer platform provided by Kimbia, a Texas software company.

Online, a company statement said, "We are sorry" and described the drive as a "passion project."

It also stated that security issues had been ruled out: "There has been no security breach and all transactions have and are still being securely being processed."
A Jefferson City woman who was brutally attacked in 1990 was lauded Tuesday by U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch for helping crime victims.

Kim Case received the "Special Courage Award" from Lynch at the National Crime Victims Rights Service Awards held in Washington.

The annual ceremony recognizes those across the U.S. leading efforts to advance victim services and rights.

In June 1990, Case was kidnapped from her driveway and then sexually assaulted by four men. She managed to escape when the man who was left behind to kill her fell asleep.

Case has worked to ensure victims' rights. She is the advocate case manager for the Missouri Sheriffs Association and was active in the successful campaign to pass the Victims Rights Constitutional Amendment in Missouri.
More legal papers have been dropped at the doorstep of former St. Louis Mayor Freeman R. Bosley Jr.

Bosley  who has been trying to get back his suspended law license  was sued earlier this week for legal malpractice, the second time such a suit has been filed against him in less than three years.

In the suit filed Monday in St. Louis Circuit Court, Eugene Willingham claims that Bosley failed to adequately represent him in an Illinois workers' compensation case.

Specifically, Willingham claims Bosley did not show up for a required court date and did not file the appropriate motions, causing the courts to dismiss Willingham's claim in December 2014. He seeks damages of at least $25,000.

Bosley could not be reached for comment. Willingham's attorney, Ben Sansone, declined to comment.

Recent legal entanglements involving Bosley include:

 March 2016: The Missouri Department of Revenue filed tax liens against Bosley, claiming he owes $3,159 in individual income taxes, mostly from 2012 through 2014.

 September 2013: The Missouri Supreme Court started disciplinary proceedings against Bosley. In February 2014, the court suspended Bosley's license indefinitely after he admitted that he combined personal funds with clients funds and used trust-account money to pay personal bills.

This past February, Bosley petitioned the high court to reinstate his law license. His petition still is pending.

 April 2013: A legal malpractice suit filed by Dwayne Reid, a University City maintenance worker, alleged that Bosley and his firm, Bosley & Associates, missed the deadline for filing a Missouri workers compensation claim. The case was dismissed in November 2015 after defendants paid $10,000, court records indicate.

Bosley was elected mayor in 1993, then went into private law practice after he lost a 1997 re-election bid to former St. Louis Police Chief Clarence Harmon.
The match everyone wanted has drawn to a close.

Blues star winger Vladimir Tarasenko  on a path to the cover of EA Sports' "NHL17" video game  had been facing off against Dallas Stars hotshot Jamie Benn in the semifinals of fan voting.

Voting ends at 2 p.m. today; the winners of the second-round matches will be announced Tuesday and voting on the finals round begins at 11 a.m.

Votes can be cast on the NHL.com website, or on Twitter by using #NHL17Tarasenko as a hashtag.

Conveniently, the Blues and Stars are locked in a second-round battle in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with Game 6 set to go off at 7 p.m. Monday. The Blues lead the series, 3-2.

In the first round of the video-game cover balloting, Tarasenko defeated Victor Hedman of Tampa Bay in the first round of the eight-player field. Benn outpolled Aleksander Barkov of Florida.

In the other semifinal, Connor McDavid of Edmonton faced Joe Pavelski of San Jose. The winner of that matchup will face the Tarasenko-Benn victor.
Hats off to Macy's  The department store will feature local hat designer Dianne Isbell from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Chesterfield Mall Saturday (March 26). Stop by to shop her latest hat and fascinator styles. Bring your dress or outfit for Easter, the Kentucky Derby, or the Forest Park Forever Hat Luncheon -- or buy a new outfit there -- and match or put in an order for a custom-design. Visit hatsbydianne.com for a preview or to arrange an in-person consultation.

Haute Hip-Hop exhibit EXTENDED  If you missed the exuberant opening party including a showing by Ferguson artist Jermaine Clark, there's still time and don't miss the closing party from 5 to 8 p.m. March 25 at Projects+Gallery, 4733 McPherson Avenue. Much like the well-attended and fashionable opening, the closing will feature local hip-hop music artists, including Bates and fellow female emcees from St. Louis' own Femcee Nation Organization and DJ Agile One, will spin throughout the evening. The event coincides with the openings of neighboring shows at Duane Reed Gallery and Philip Slein Gallery. No RSVP required. Free to the public.

NOTE: Projects+Gallery will be hosting a panel discussion on hip-hop and its influence on contemporary art, fashion, and culture from 3 to 4 p.m. March 26. Moderated by Adrienne Davis, longtime art collector, professor of law, and vice provost at Washington University, the discussion will include gallery owner Susan Barrett, founder and president of Barrett Barrera Projects and John Harrington, co-founder of Paint Louis, Slumfest and Beats 4 Eats. No RSVP required. Free to the public.

Style and Fashion Extravaganza  The Salvation Army Womens Auxiliary of St. Louis will hold its annual fundraiser at noon on April 1 at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac. The Spring Fashion Show and Luncheon features five local designers and items from Dillards at St. Louis Galleria. Doors will open for silent auction and seating at 11 a.m. Auction items include tickets to The Muny, an overnight stay at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac, a 32-inch flat screen TV, designer purses, and a variety of gift cards. Tickets are $55 and the amount over $30 is tax deductible. The fashion show helps raise money for The Salvation Armys service programs. For more information about the show visit stlsalvationarmy.org. For more information or to make a purchase by phone, call Kathy Poston at 314-646-3039.

Dark Matter  Artists Terrence Boyd and Amanda McCavour will present their work from April 1 to May 8 at Craft Alliance, 6640 Delmar Boulevard, with an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. April 1. McCavour states: In my work, I use a sewing machine to create thread drawings and installations by sewing into a fabric that dissolves in water. This fabric makes it possible for me to build up the thread by sewing repeatedly into my drawn images so that when the fabric is dissolved, the image can hold together without a base." For more on the exhibition visit craftalliance.org.

Fashion Fund First Fridays  The Vault by Women's Closet Exchange is hosting three in-store fundraisers for the St. Louis Fashion Fund to further its mission to support and expand the fashion industry in the city. The famous resale shop will donate all of the profits from April 1 and May 6. Buyers will be on staff from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to purchase items that meet the shops selective criteria. Customers selling items can be paid immediately (no waiting period) or donate their check to the fund. The Vault is located at 2325 South Brentwood Boulevard, womensclosetexchange.net.

Four Seasons of Fashion  A benefit for the St. Louis Symphony featuring Cameron Silver, renowned fashion director, reality TV star and founder of Los Angeles premier vintage boutique, Decades. Silver will coordinate a runway presentation of classic couture from Versace, Christian Dior, YSL and more. And the procession will be beautifully interwoven with a chamber performance of Vivaldis The Four Seasons, led by Concertmaster David Halen with St. Louis Symphony musicians. Doors open for a silent auction and cocktails at 6:30 p.m. and the performance takes place from 7 to 8:30 p.m., April 4 at Powell Hall, 718 North Grand Boulevard. A fashion viewing and champagne reception will follow from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets $125. Visit stlsymphony.org or call 314-534-1700 for details.

Runway Lights Fashion Show  This years fashionable fundraiser for Variety the Childrens Charity of St. Louis will features the red carpet designs of Carmen Marc Valvo. This American designer is well-known for his evening wear and high-end cocktail attire. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. and the show begins at noon on April 9 at Union Station, 1820 Market Street. Tickets $100 to $150 at varietystl.org or call 314-720-7700.

Travel Seminar  Passport Luggage is hosting a series of seminars to offer shoppers expert tips of the ideal carry-on bag, travel safety, comfort while traveling and maximizing packing while minimizing weight. The seminars are 2 p.m. April 23, May 21 and June 18 at Passport Luggage, 2404 Saint Louis Galleria. The April 23 seminar will feature Angel Castellanos, a blogger, packing expert and world traveler who has visited 45 countries on 4 continents. He is doing two seminars that day: one at the Plaza Frontenac location at 10 a.m. and the second at the Galleria store. For more information on times or to RSVP (though not required), 314-726-1313 or galleria@landmarkluggage.com.

UPCOMING GALAS

St. Louis Ballet is hosting it's 2016 Spring Gala known as the Swan Ball beginning at 6 p.m., March 5 at the Contemporary Art Museum. The event will honor Gen Horiuchi and his 15th anniversary season as executive and artistic director of the St. Louis Ballet. There will be a short performance excerpt at 7 p.m. followed by dinner and dancing. Black and white evening attire suggested (features optional). Tickets $250 at stlouisballet.org or 636-537-1988.

Makers Ball will once again celebrate artisans, i.e. the makers, and the power of craft. The Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design celebration takes place April 30 at the Palladium St. Louis, 1400 Park Place. $250-$500. Purchase tickets at craftalliance.org. For more information, contact Megan Eyssell at 314-425-1177 x.333 or megan.eyssell@craftalliance.org.

The Center for Women in Transition is an organization dedicated to supporting women in the criminal justice system in making a successful transition to their families and communities through practicing and promoting restorative justice. The group's annual gala and auction, Beautiful Transformations, takes place 6 to 10 p.m., Saturday, April 23 at the Grand Hall on Chouteau at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall, 2319 Chouteau Avenue. $125, early bird tickets available online until March 23 at cwitstl.org/beautifultransformations. For more information contact Carrie Coats at 314-771-5207 or carriecoats@cwitstl.org.
Travel Seminar  Passport Luggage is hosting four seminars to offer shoppers expert tips of the ideal carry-on bag, travel safety, comfort while traveling and maximizing packing while minimizing weight. The seminars are March 19, April 23, May 21 and June 18 at Passport Luggage, 2404 Saint Louis Galleria. For more information on times or to RSVP (though not required), 314-726-1313 or galleria@landmarkluggage.com.

Haute Hip-Hop exhibit EXTENDED  If you missed the exuberant opening party including a showing by Ferguson artist Jermaine Clark, there's still time and don't miss the closing party from 5 to 8 p.m. March 25 at Projects+Gallery, 4733 McPherson Avenue. Much like the well-attended and fashionable opening, the closing will feature local hip-hop music artists, including Bates and fellow female emcees from St. Louis' own Femcee Nation Organization and DJ Agile One, will spin throughout the evening. The event coincides with the openings of neighboring shows at Duane Reed Gallery and Philip Slein Gallery. No RSVP required. Free to the public.

Style and Fashion Extravaganza  The Salvation Army Womens Auxiliary of St. Louis will hold its annual fundraiser at noon on April 1 at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac. The Spring Fashion Show and Luncheon features five local designers and items from Dillards at St. Louis Galleria. Doors will open for silent auction and seating at 11 a.m. Auction items include tickets to The Muny, an overnight stay at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac, a 32-inch flat screen TV, designer purses, and a variety of gift cards. Tickets are $55 and the amount over $30 is tax deductible. The fashion show helps raise money for The Salvation Armys service programs. For more information about the show visit stlsalvationarmy.org. For more information or to make a purchase by phone, call Kathy Poston at 314-646-3039.

Fashion Fund First Fridays  The Vault by Women's Closet Exchange is hosting three in-store fundraisers for the St. Louis Fashion Fund to further its mission to support and expand the fashion industry in the city. The famous resale shop will donate all of the profits from April 1 and May 6. Buyers will be on staff from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to purchase items that meet the shops selective criteria. Customers selling items can be paid immediately (no waiting period) or donate their check to the fund. The Vault is located at 2325 South Brentwood Boulevard, womensclosetexchange.net.

Four Seasons of Fashion  A benefit for the St. Louis Symphony featuring Cameron Silver, renowned fashion director, reality TV star and founder of Los Angeles premier vintage boutique, Decades. Silver will coordinate a runway presentation of classic couture from Versace, Christian Dior, YSL and more. And the procession will be beautifully interwoven with a chamber performance of Vivaldis The Four Seasons, led by Concertmaster David Halen with St. Louis Symphony musicians. Doors open for a silent auction and cocktails at 6:30 p.m. and the performance takes place from 7 to 8:30 p.m., April 4 at Powell Hall, 718 North Grand Boulevard. A fashion viewing and champagne reception will follow from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets $125. Visit stlsymphony.org or call 314-534-1700 for details.

Runway Lights Fashion Show  This years fashionable fundraiser for Variety the Childrens Charity of St. Louis will features the red carpet designs of Carmen Marc Valvo. This American designer is well-known for his evening wear and high-end cocktail attire. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. and the show begins at noon on April 9 at Union Station, 1820 Market Street. Tickets $100 to $150 at varietystl.org or call 314-720-7700.

UPCOMING GALAS

St. Louis Ballet is hosting it's 2016 Spring Gala known as the Swan Ball beginning at 6 p.m., March 5 at the Contemporary Art Museum. The event will honor Gen Horiuchi and his 15th anniversary season as executive and artistic director of the St. Louis Ballet. There will be a short performance excerpt at 7 p.m. followed by dinner and dancing. Black and white evening attire suggested (features optional). Tickets $250 at stlouisballet.org or 636-537-1988.

Makers Ball will once again celebrate artisans, i.e. the makers, and the power of craft. The Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design celebration takes place April 30 at the Palladium St. Louis, 1400 Park Place. $250-$500. Purchase tickets at craftalliance.org. For more information, contact Megan Eyssell at 314-425-1177 x.333 or megan.eyssell@craftalliance.org.

The Center for Women in Transition is an organization dedicated to supporting women in the criminal justice system in making a successful transition to their families and communities through practicing and promoting restorative justice. The group's annual gala and auction, Beautiful Transformations, takes place 6 to 10 p.m., Saturday, April 23 at the Grand Hall on Chouteau at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall, 2319 Chouteau Avenue. $125, early bird tickets available online until March 23 at cwitstl.org/beautifultransformations. For more information contact Carrie Coats at 314-771-5207 or carriecoats@cwitstl.org.
PK Paper Art

Co-owner/designer  Jennifer Clancy

Age  43

Home  Columbia, Ill.

Family  Mom and business partner Karen Nosovitch of Jefferson City; husband Sean Clancy of 16 years; daughters, Summer, 8, and Ally, 9; son Riley, 12; a golden retriever, Ginger; and chihuahua, Reese.

What they make  Paper flower backdrops used for wedding shoots, photo booths and formal room decor; as well as bundles of individual paper flowers to display on walls, hang from ceilings or otherwise adorn a room. They do most of their business making backdrops for wedding ceremonies, but spend a good deal of time also making individual flowers and garlands for nursery room walls.

How to buy  Visit their website at pkpaperart.com. Flowers start at $8 or you can get a bundle of seven various sizes for $75. A backdrop thats about 8-by-8-feet can be rented for $650 including installation and delivery. The largest project was a 20-by-20-foot backdrop that cost $4,000 to rent. PK Paper Art will be at the Unveiled Bridal Show, noon to 3 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Ritz-Carlton, 100 Carondelet Plaza ($25 admission).

Crafts project  Jennifer Clancys mom, Karen Nosovitch, was teaching her children to make flowers with paper one day as a fun activity. My mom was always learning to make something new when I was growing up, Clancy said. She just learned on the Internet one day and taught herself. Clancy loved the look for the paper flowers and asked her mom to make a backdrop for their upcoming Christian Music Festival in Columbia. Clancy and her husband have coordinated the event for years. Its a unity concert bringing a group of unaffiliated churches together in praise and worship by featuring different bands.

A successful debut  Nosovitch, the overachieving novice paper artist, showed up with a 6-by-8-foot backdrop. Thats just what she does, Clancy said. She asked what can I do to help and thats what she did. The response was better than any commercial advertisement. People marveled at the backdrop and repeatedly suggested that they go into business. They started tentatively part time, and its turned into a full-time job for Clancy (she left her previous job as a bookkeeper and now uses those skills for their business). They rent and sell and help with events in- and out-of-state. A recent job had Clancy shipping their 8-by-8-foot backdrop to St. Petersburg, Fla., and taking a barrage of flowers with her to set up scenes during a dinner cruise and later at the wedding reception.

Paper perfect  They dont wilt, and we can spray them to waterproof (the flowers), Clancy said. And some have asked if we could do something more permanent, so we are experimenting with that. Can you imagine a sky on a ceiling with clouds and then 3-D flowers?

Better than real?  Well, real flowers are a lot more expensive, especially for the size, and these are definitely cheaper and more whimsical, and they can be reused. She said that they use coffee filters for some and cardboard for others to make them look more or less realistic. And the novelty means that the flowers are sure to be a focal point and topic of conversation.
Beltshazzar Jewels

Designer  Theresa Wangia

Age  48

Family  Husband Micah Wangia; twins Anna and Luka, 7; son Judah, 10 and daughters Sifa, 12 and Ashley, 31

Home  St. Louis

What she makes  Distinctive jewelry from leather, raw stones, mixed chains, bone and beads that looks tribal and nomadic yet arresting and modern.

Where to buy  Youll find her earrings, bracelets, necklaces and leather goods at beltshazzarjewels.com, ranging in price from $40 to $490, with a few specialty items for around $1,500. They are also available at the Heirloom Room, 2116 Cherokee Street, and Byrd Designer Consignment Boutique, 8825 Ladue Road. You can message her through the site for a list of upcoming trunk shows and festivals on her list.

About the maker  Theresa Wangia, a former model, says that she has always been fascinated by jewelry and was heavily influenced by Native American jewelry, art and crafts as well as the accessories from her 70s roots.

Global influences  Wangia traveled and lived in Europe during her modeling career and then later went to Africa to visit her husbands Kenyan family, and she says that all those adventures have influenced her aesthetic. Her first collection included an accumulation of treasures from Jordan, Greece and other stops along the way. Before she returned home to St. Louis, she apprenticed for a year with a jewelry designer in London. Its hard to see all the beautiful things and places the earth has to offer without being affected by them, Wangia said. My aesthetic definitely has a global culture feel to it.

Destined to design  Wangia started doing jewelry for herself and says that wherever I went people were just drawn to it. It was just not something theyd seen around. You werent going to find it in a magazine. But she said that she never imagined that this would become her profession.

Nomadic Voyage  Thats the name of her current collection and she said that the jewelry is inspired by how people evolve in life, even if they never leave home  although she definitely advises you to travel. But I wanted to create something through the eyes of a traveler but appealing to anyone who wants to embody that spirit. She called her pieces timeless, rather than trendy, and for people who appreciate fine art and museum galas, but also love a music festival.

Cultures have always mixed for her  Its no wonder Wangia was drawn to all the regions and cultural influences of the world once you know her heritage. Because of her light complexion and natural full curly hair she is often mistaken for just about every heritage there is.

Most people think Im Brazilian, she says, but to answer the question, her dad is African-American, Native American and European and her mother is of German, English, Scottish and Irish heritage. Her parents met here in St. Louis at their Webster High School graduation ceremony. They didnt know each other, but their last names fatefully had them sitting side-by-side. At the time, her parents couldnt marry legally because of their racial differences (two months after their wedding in Illinois it became legal nationwide, although it was still unenthusiastically tolerated socially), but Wangia said that her father always taught her to celebrate differences not fear them.

OK, about that name  Its Beltshazzar (belt-sha-zar). She tweaked the spelling of a Persian word from biblical times. It has a variety of interpretations but is most readily translated as hidden treasure.

She considered changing it and has had business consultants harangue her over the difficult choice to market a product in a word that most people struggle to pronounce. I thought about it and thought about it and thought about it, but in the end, it just didnt feel right to change it, Wangia said. She says that the nomadic adventurous spirit embodied in her jewelry is also something she wants to spark in her customer. So even if they cant pronounce it, she hopes theyll be motivated to seek her out.
Lauren Michelle Tracy

Age  36

Home  St. Louis, but from Cape Girardeau, Mo.

What she makes  Indigo batik textile designs on silk scarves, pillows and clothing.

How to buy  Shop select items from her collection at Union Studio, 1605 Tower Grove Avenue; call 503-475-1179 to arrange a visit to Tracys studio at Historic Lemp Brewery or visit her website at laurenmichelletracy.com

Artistic rebellion  I didnt want to go to college. Not at all. So I applied to one college, Savannah College of Art and Design. It was there or nowhere, Tracy said with a little laugh. I was attracted to the weather, and my parents said I could go if I majored in architecture. Tracy agreed, but after one architecture class she devoted her study to art classes in sculpture and textiles. Later my parents were like, Whats fibers? Tracy said with a louder laugh as she explained her degree in fiber arts with a minor in sculpture. Shed always loved the interplay of design and textiles. In high school she taught herself to sew patchwork dresses, and in college she says, I just kind of fell in love with the idea of designing my own fabric.

Therapeutic detour  After she earned her bachelors of fine arts degree in sculpture, she went to graduate school at Marylhurst University in Portland. I never envisioned myself in graduate school, so its hard to believe that I did it, but I loved Portland so much, Tracy said. It felt like for the first time I was home. I just felt like I fit in, but then I also really got this feeling of being kind of on an island  isolated. She said she didnt like being so far away from her family. Eventually, she worked her way back and landed in St. Louis. She was working as an art therapist after graduate school and accidentally ended up specializing in treating people suffering from eating disorders. One job at a treatment center led to the next. It was really, really, really intense.

Accepting resistance  Tracy creates her batik prints by pouring wax from special copper pots with different sized spouts onto fabric to create design lines, then the cloth is dyed a shade of indigo (her signature color). The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original fabric color. After the tricky wax removal process, the waxing and dyeing can then be repeated. The biggest thing to learn is to just go in and go for it, Tracy said.

Batik philosophy  Its intimidating to hold a steamy container of wax and begin dripping it onto pure silk, but if you hesitate, a big blob will come out or the line is shaky. Thats why if I do batik all day I wouldnt do coffee because that little bit of variance would show up in my line work, so I feel like everything I create is a direct extension of whatever is going on with me that day. Its a real honesty, you know. This is my hand, this is the wax and this is the line and you have to accept not always being in control of what happens. Its a rush and then you just have to go with it. You have to go with the mistakes too and not get super aggravated if it doesnt look exactly like you wanted it to. Sometimes you end up with something thats better than you would have planned and sometimes (laugh) ... you know its kind of an important lesson, and that has crept over into other aspects of my life, too. Just going with it.

Study vacation  Tracy is flying to Jakarta and Bali in the coming weeks to visit a friend and then spend a month exploring Indonesia. Im really looking forward to the fabric part. Im just going to kind of go with it and see if I can work with someone whos a batik master. She said that shes also packing an extra empty bag to reserve just for purchases. Im expecting to find stuff that Ill be bringing back and taking pictures and having experiences and soaking it all up, she said.
Nasheli Juliana

Designer  Nasheli Juliana Ortiz Gonzalez

Age  33

Family  Husband, Emilio, married 9 years; children Diego, 10; Sebastian, 8; Ysabela, 5; pets Camilla (dog) and Frida (cat)

Home  Shrewsbury

What she makes  Minimalist, structured and conceptual clothing sold online and through custom orders. Tops start around $75 and her most avant-garde dresses can cost as much as $3,000 at nashelijuliana.com

Diamond inspiration  My inspiration for fall is diamonds because I like the look of its architecture. I also miss my friends from Puerto Rico, New York, Italy, Dominican Republic and Savannah where I finished my masters degree, she said. And her friends are like diamonds. They are invaluable, and they are strong. All the process of the diamonds from charcoal to this beautiful stone that remind us that always something good (can come) from the ugliest places, the same backwards. She said her friends are always there even in the darkness points and her friends bring light. As a Buddhist, she says, light is very important.

Power jackets  I love a lot of jackets, which is funny because Im from Puerto Rico and we dont need a lot of jackets in Puerto Rico. But Ive always loved jackets for women because I think its a power statement, you know.

Conflicting colors  I design with a lot of grays, whites and black because I think its a psychological thing. A rebellion. Because in Puerto Rico, its all very colorful, so its counterculture, but Im very conscious of design and I dont want the color to distract from the design. Yet, Ortiz, who was wearing red polka dot eye wear at the time, admits, Im always dressed really colorfully, so its even the opposite of me, my clothes. I dont design clothes for me.

No detail unfinished  You can wear my clothes inside out, I finish details. Its very important for me, because Im a professor and I cant say something (to students that) I dont do. Ive been teaching for almost 10 years, said Ortiz who earned a bachelors degree and started teaching design in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, and then left to earn a masters in fashion design at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Shes also worked as a designer and production assistant in the Dominican Republic, Italy and New York. She worked with many menswear designers including Emilio Zegna, which led to her love of fine tailoring.

Loved it but left  One of my reasons for leaving Puerto Rico was because my style was not well comprehended there. She said that designers who created pageant-style dresses with glitter and ruffles did very well, but she couldnt to it. Theres a lot of corsets and very good tailoring and construction, but the design is lacking a little on the subtlety. I wanted to do something more innovative and with a silhouette that was not just a mermaid (style).

Midwest advantage  She said that she misses New York, but shes found something invaluable here in St. Louis  time to think. She is an assistant professor with Lindenwood Universitys fashion design program, but previously lived in New York with seemingly more opportunities to grow and produce her line. But St. Louis gave me the opportunity of do what I loved and to stop and think about it and develop my conceptual side and make intelligent fashion. St. Louis is very human, and its vulnerable, and that is a gift that New York loses in the fast-paced, strong forward (constantly moving) lifestyle.

Slow start  I had meningitis as a kid, and I was in a coma for a month. After that I stopped talking and walking. She was 2 years old. By the time she was 4 years old, mom put me in music, opera, ballet and painting, to help my motor skills. I had only one eye working, so my mom decide to cover my good eye to force the bad one, to improve. It worked! But, in the process I was always falling and hitting everything. She said it was a long process of healing and she used orthopedic shoes until she was 13 years old. Talking was a long process ... I remember going to therapy until I was 12.

Mom made me do it  My mom got me to go into fashion design. She forced me to do it, Ortiz explains. I wanted to study architecture. But Ortiz said that her mother knew that she was artistic and imaginative because of the Barbie clothes she started making at the age of 8. And apparently mom really preferred having a fashion designer in the family. Im glad she forced me into it but theres a reason my designs are so architectural and structured.

Careful what you wish for  Mom loves her artistry, but Ortiz jokes that she doesnt get my designs. The designs are about minimalism and she respects it, but Puerto Rico fashion designers are not about minimal anything. So have you made anything for your mom? Umm ... no, not yet. Shes always asking. Oh no, I guess I should, right.
The St. Louis Fashion Fund is out to make a name for itself and the city by launching a business incubator, education center, manufacturing hub and budding center of international fashion design.

The project doesnt suffer from a lack of ambition.

The fund announced that it signed a letter of intent to lease its 7,500-square-foot future home in the Art Loft building on Washington Avenue during a sold-out gala held in conjunction with St. Louis Fashion Week at Union Station on Wednesday. The fashion week runway show attracted 1,200 attendees, and the gala hosted 430 guests sitting in seats that cost $500 to $1,000.

Before the gala, the fund raised more than $500,000 in pledges toward its $2 million goal and officially launched its Campaign for Fashion to raise the rest. The results have not been tallied from a live auction and donor cards at the event, but organizers say they expect to exceed their goal in the coming months.

If you didnt leave last night with a sense of the power and excitement and possibility of this project, then you need to check your pulse, said Tania Beasley-Jolly, who chairs the St. Louis Fashion Fund and works as the marketing director for Saks Fifth Avenue in Plaza Frontenac.

The fund oversaw St. Louis Fashion Weeks emerging designer contest, sponsored by Caleres, formerly Brown Shoe Co., and presented winning designer Katharine Polk of Houghton with a $25,000 cash prize after she and four other New York-based designers faced off at the St. Louis runway presentation. Five jurors for the competition were also from New York, an impressive whos who of well-known fashion industry influencers, with one exception, the Post-Dispatch fashion editor.

The surprising New York-centric fashion scene here can be attributed to a number of factors.

The St. Louis Fashion Fund has 42 members whove all made contributions to the project. The members include St. Louis natives and transplants, but the common thread is that they all belong to a cosmopolitan socialite set, many of whom have lived or resided in New York at one time or another.

St. Louis Fashion Week co-founder Elizabeth Tucker has become the friend and mentee of Fern Mallis, who is widely credited with creating the institution known as New York Fashion Week. Mallis, who regularly recruits fashion industry friends to come for St. Louis Fashion Week, returned to St. Louis for the third time to head the panel of judges selecting the emerging designer prize.

The fashion fund also presented an award to first-time St. Louis visitor Iris Apfel, 94, a style icon and subject of a recent award-winning documentary called Iris. Mayor Francis Slay presented her with a proclamation naming the occasion Iris Apfel Day.

Paul Dillinger, a vice president with Levi Strauss & Co., a Washington University graduate and booster, also received an award, and a posthumous lifetime achievement award was presented to the family of Washington Universitys longtime head of the fashion design program, Jeigh Singleton.

Beasley-Jolly addressed the most-common concern about the project: Why is St. Louis giving its money to a pool of New York designers? Yes, this is an important one to clear up, Beasley-Jolly said.

First, only one of the New York designers competing for the award was actually from New York. Polk is from California and only moved to New York because she wanted to be closer to a viable garment district. And finalist Jordana Warmflash is from New York but earned her fashion design degree in St. Louis at Washington University.

Were not supporting New York designers; were supporting designers, Beasley-Jolly said.

And Susan Sherman, whos in charge of the fashion funds capital campaign, explained that this award program and outreach effort is connecting St. Louis with ambassadors who now champion the efforts of the city.

Both Polk and last years winner Daniella Kallmeyer are already planning return trips, and everyone who comes will touch others in the industry, and that will in turn magnify awareness and interest.

So when the fashion fund opens its incubator with space for six designers-in-residence, the pool of talent vying to move to the city could be overwhelming.

One of this seasons jurors, Tomoko Ogura, the senior fashion director of Barneys New York, visited Emily Koplar of Wai Mings studio while she was in town.

There are New York designers that would kill to have Tomoko come to their studios. Are you kidding me? Sherman said. And she paid a personal visit to the studio of a St. Louis designer. Thats huge, and the visit was good, and thats a relationship that you dont know where it could lead.

Gary Wassner, a veteran fashion industry financier, attended St. Louis Fashion Week at the request of Mallis last year as a judge for the emerging designer competition. He returned this year and said hes excited to come again next year. He spoke passionately at the gala and has been meeting with local fashion fund supporters to develop a game plan for how St. Louis can revive its history as a successful garment district.

He said it wouldnt just be a boon to the city but a boon to Americas great history as country that produces and not just consumes.

I absolutely think its possible (to redevelop the garment district here). Its basic capitalism and basic economics, Wassner said.
Benton Park Prints

Designer/owner  Daniel Jones

Age  32

Home  Lindenwood Park

Family  Kristen, married in September; two cats, Spooky and Mr. Waffles (dubbed head of shipping because he sleeps on printer); a golden retriever, Lilly

What he makes  Typography prints and city skyline silhouettes for home decor, but he comes from a T-shirt-making background. I planned to make more T-shirts out of the prints, but everything else takes up so much more of my time.

Where to buy  Check out the online shop, etsy.com/shop/BentonParkPrints; or visit Local Lucys, 18 East Main Street, Belleville; and some T-shirts and prints are available at the Missouri History Museum gift shop. Prices range from $14 to $80 for 8-by-10-inch to giant poster prints, respectively.

Powered by bacon  Jones, an Illinois State University graduate, has been doing web design work for nearly a decade. Hes worked with local small businesses, music bands and corporate sites, but one day I was like, I need to start doing something fun, and I just wanted to do it for myself. So I started with bacon prints in 2012. And apparently, he tapped an untapped bacon print demand. It was featured in national magazines, Within two months, the Food Network asked if they could use them, and it just took off like crazy. He sold a few hundred prints. One of the prints proclaims Bacon is duct tape for the kitchen and another features images of a chicken, cow and pig with the words Wings, Steak, Bacon. Jones still produces more than a dozen bacon-themed prints.

Didnt I see that?  Since the bacon-print bonanza, some other prints have been licensed by a company doing props for television shows in Canada, a cooking show in Europe, as well as the Barnes and Noble bookstores where you might find a simple print of a vinyl record on the wall near the music collection.

Australians prefer beer  Jones said that before shipping charges changed, he sent a lot of his beer and food prints to Australia. His prints have gone to 40 countries, but Australians really preferred the beer prints, he said. It did seem a little weird, I mean, youd think thered be a few closer printers between here and Australia, but its so easy to order online, and I guess they liked my prints. A lot of my prints for kitchen items like spoons, knives and forks go overseas.

No delusions of grandeur  Honestly, I didnt know if anyone would buy a print, but I really like making them, so Im grateful. When I started, Id make four or five designs a day and then wonder if anyone would buy them. He said that if items dont sell after a few months, he removes them from his shop. Its still a guessing game. I mean, some prints that Im sure will sell just dont and others that Im convinced will be a dud are popular. Hes currently sitting on a stack of prints of winter snow prints with a holiday greeting that he made three years ago. He sold one.

You should make   When youre in the business of making pithy prints and posters for home decor, your friends and loved ones will inundate you with suggestions. His wife persuaded him to make a print called Home is where the pants arent with an image of pants (presumably, recently vacated) on the print. I thought no one is going to buy that, and its been one of the more successful prints, he said with a little lament that he has to endure a fair amount of I told you so. His mom and dad are frequent idea contributors as well with varying degrees of viability. Dad suggested a bathroom print of how to properly hang toilet paper. His brother suggested a popular print, Im MO and youre OK, but oddly everyone who bought it is in Oklahoma, not Missouri.

Just ask  The beauty of having his own business and having a small shop to tinker in himself is that customizations are a specialty. He can print a neighborhood map, cityscape, state grid or U.S. map with a heart over a treasured location. He can add names and dates. Request your favorite cityscape or destination and Jones will compose it. Have a suggestion for a print that you think is brilliant, and hell bring it to life. And all of the designs can be rendered on T-shirts, just ask. Prints are also available in 40 colors and six sizes.
As masstige beauty product prices continue climbing steadily toward the three-digit range, theres a lot of pomp and circumstance to justify high percentage increases. A common technique is to include a laundry list of anti-ingredients. Instead of prominently promoting a products actual ingredients, a box might proclaim: NO parabens, NO sulfates, NO fragrance, NO colorants, NO alcohol, NO preservatives, NO animal products, NO mineral oil or NO petrochemicals.

The implicit conclusion is that everything on the no list must be bad and therefore the product is full of goodness.

Some of the nos are philosophical (animal products). Some of the nos are superfluous and therefore suspect (fragrance). Some of the nos are dubious by their absence (preservatives). But none of them is conclusively bad, except perhaps animal testing (which is, however, common in medical testing and different than containing animal products).

Still, there are thousands upon thousands of products that contain said no ingredients, and theres rarely a recall of a beauty product from a national beauty brand. Just check fda.gov/recalls.

Even a new federal law signed in December banning microbeads in facial scrubs, cleansers and other grooming products didnt include a recall. The ban was instigated by environmental not health concerns, and brands still have until 2018 to remove microbead products from store shelves.

So youre left to your own human testing and intuition. Very scientific-looking evidence exists to deride a plethora of common everyday ingredients, even as foreign or new-to-us ingredients continue being developed or redesigned.

Products ultimately strive to introduce new lab discoveries, highly refined natural substances, rare exotic flowers and herb essences and all manner of magic potions in order to justify new price highs.

Target now sells a $75 radiance revealing fluid, Walgreens sells a $95 neck firming treatment and Walmart offers a $40 eye makeup remover. You can also get products in the same categories for around $10 at those places, but shoppers looking to experiment are continually being enticed to spend just a bit more. And when the top potions costs more than $50, suddenly shoppers wonder if the $8 cream is too cheap to be any good.

It can be really confusing to look at two products side-by-side, separated by a steep price difference and not feel that youre cheating yourself.

So just to put things into perspective, we decided to take a look at a simple humble product that gets a lot of criticism yet remains a top dermatologist-recommended staple.

Petroleum jelly.

You can buy it for less than $1 an ounce, so it beats out almost any beauty potion. You can also buy it anywhere from Dollar Stores and gas stations mini-marts to masstige havens like Bed Bath and Beyond and grocery stores.

The gold standard is Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, but generics abound.

The product has been around since 1865 with relatively few improvements on the 100 percent petroleum jelly, one ingredient, original formula. Refinement of the product and industrialization have surely had great impact on purity, but the cheap lowly residue found in oil rigs still proudly claims to heal and protect dry, chapped or bruised skin and to reduce the appearance of fine lines.

Proponents of natural skin care products say that there are too many healthy alternatives to petroleum for us to settle for oil rig cast-offs. Various oils such as coconut, pomegranate and tamanu contain nutrients that can arguably better speed healing and provide protection, but even oils are processed. Such oils are also much more expensive.

Dermatologists love petrolatum because despite its origins, it contains no irritants (essential oils cant say the same) and petrolatum continues to lay claim to being hypoallergenic and noncomedogenic, even though thats still difficult for many nonusers to believe.

Its thick, unctuous and greasy and every impulse says that its going to clog your pores and sprout a field of pimples. But science says that assumption is incorrect. Noncomedogenic means a product will not clog pores.

However, for every naysayer who screams that goop discovered at an oil refinery doesnt belong on human skin, theres a rational medical expert quietly stating that petroleum jelly might be one of the safest and most well-tested beauty products in history. The results are irrefutable. Its a great skin protectant recommended for delicate skin on babies and the fragile epidermis of the elderly.

The only serious argument it loses (and this is a not-so-inconsequential one) is the ecological debate about the fact that crude oil itself is unsustainable and damaging to the environment, making petroleum jelly guilty by association.

But that doesnt make it bad for your skin no matter how many DIY beauty bloggers object. So if youre opposed to the politics of petroleum jelly, then you should shop with your conscience, but if youre worried that its ineffective or counterproductive to skin health, well, well let you hear from a professional. We asked Dr. Jeffrey Benabio, the physician director of Healthcare Transformation Group at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, to address some of the most common queries, complaints and arguments against petroleum jelly (which is further distilled into mineral oil or lumped under the moniker of petrochemical).

He provided the simple assertions that youll hear from most doctors and dermatologists who continue to highly recommend petroleum jelly to patients.

Is the fact that petroleum jelly is a crude oil byproduct irrelevant?

Benabio: Yes. Crude oil sounds like it would be harmful to your skin, but petroleum jelly is derived and treated such that it is perfectly safe.

Its refined into a skin care product, but why arent products that occur naturally, like beeswax, cocoa butter or coconut oil preferable?

Benabio: It is easy to see how people make the mistake that natural means it is better. Lots of natural products are in fact harmful. Lots of unnatural products are safe. In fact, the vast majority of products that are safest and most effective are in fact manufactured. Even natural products like coconut oil are usually treated to be converted into skin care products.

Some argue that petroleum jelly isnt refined enough (especially off-brands) and note that components like hydrocarbons can be harmful. Does this argument hold any weight?

Benabio: No, not that Im aware. If readers have any concern, then they should use a known, branded product such as Vaseline, which has no harmful ingredients.

Is it a misconception that petroleum jelly smothers your pores and causes blockages that lock in residue and bacteria and makes it difficult for the skin to breathe?

Benabio: Good questions. Vaseline in particular has been shown to be noncomedogenic. This means it has been shown to not clog pores. It does not lock in bacteria or prevent skin from breathing (there is no such thing as skin breathing). Petrolatum is greasy and oily, which is why some people might reach this conclusion. It works very well to lock moisture in our skin, keeping it healthy and hydrated. Thats the primary reason for using it.

Some go to the extreme of saying that it cant be safe to put anything on your body that you wouldnt want to ingest, obviously that would take a lot of great products off the shelves, what would you say to that?

Benabio: It is a myth. Its easy to see why people might come to that conclusion; however, applying things to you skin is completely different than ingesting them. Only very specific products (like hormone patches) have any appreciable absorption through our skin. The vast majority of products applied to your skin, stay only on your skin. This is exactly what skin is designed to do, keep things out! By this argument, you would never wear sunscreen. Youd also never use soap or hair products or go for a swim, etc.

Ive also heard that applying it to lips is addictive and causes more problems than it solves.

Benabio: There is nothing about petroleum jelly that would be addictive or cause people to lick or eat the product. I have heard of this with flavored lip balms but not unflavored. I do not know of any real harm in either case. I wouldnt encourage people to lick it off or eat it any more than any lip product or toothpaste for that matter.
With an epidemic of obesity spreading insidiously across this country, most colleges have moved toward low-fat, low-calorie offerings in their dining halls.

But where these other schools zig, Lindenwood University zags. Next year, the St. Charles campus will offer fast-food options from Qdoba and Chick-fil-A, plus Caribou Coffee.

But perhaps there is a very good reason for the shift.

The food has sucked for a long time, said Eva, a student who, like the other students I talked to, did not want to give her last name.

College students have complained about their food for as long as there have been colleges. And students. And food.

So a complaint is to be expected. And then a student named Anna showed me her plate, which she had pushed to the side.

On it was a sickly gray disc with random spots of brown, a weird hunk of pressed reddish meat that resembled an early, rejected prototype of the insides of a McRib sandwich and a corn-on-the-cob that looked like it was frozen and reheated until it took on the approximate texture and taste of a memory-foam mattress.

The vegetable patty, for that is what the gray disc was meant to be, had two small bites taken out of it; the boneless rib and corn were apparently untouched. Anna had, however, eaten all of her rice.

And she said a friends chicken once was raw on the inside. He posted a picture of it to an online message board, but the university took it down, she said.

But it could be worse. In fact, according to the students I talked to, it has been worse. They noted a marked improvement in the quality of food over the last few years. Still, it is no wonder that the students are looking forward to a couple of nationally known fast-food chains on campus next year.

It is fast food, and it could be junk food, but if you have the culture and the knowledge of how to pick, you can make healthy choices, Eva said. And there is the rub.

A chicken sandwich, small order of waffle fries and a medium Coke from Chick-fil-A will sock you with 920 calories. Even so, that is less than a standard chicken burrito with brown rice and pinto beans from Qdoba, which tips the scales at more than 1,000 calories.

Then again, these are college students; they have the metabolism of chipmunks. They can probably eat pizza every day and not gain an ounce, and some of them try to do just that. A little junk food in moderation is not going to harm them, as long as they dont make a habit of it.

Changes will be made at both dining facilities on the well-manicured campus. The Spellmann Center, which the students I talked to agreed is currently home to the worst food, will be the site of the fast-food outlets plus a couple of in-house options. The more-respected Evans Commons will continue to offer several stations (Italian food, Mexican food, salad bar, etc.) but will offer all-you-can-eat portions and a rotation of selections that changes weekly at each station.

The food service program is run by Pedestal Foods, a Ballwin-based food provider originally founded by a Lindenwood alumnus. Pedestal is responsible for bringing in the fast-food outlets, and chief operating officer Jennifer Dodd said the change was determined after extensive surveying of the students.

Out of a list of a dozen or more options, the students said they wanted Chick-fil-A and Qdoba. There are many other fast food joints near campus, though reaching a few of them requires crossing the busy and dangerous street known variously as First Capitol Drive and North Kingshighway Street. Safety was one of the schools priorities in announcing the changes, Dodd said.

The other was money. The school, which is home to the John W. Hammond Institute for Free Enterprise, was tired of seeing students dollars being spent for food off campus. Every year, about $4 million to $6 million is spent by students to eat at other restaurants, and the school wanted to recapture some of that, she said.

As for the students, they are excited about the changes. The dining-hall food should improve, and Qdoba and Chick-fil-A arent any more unhealthful than other fast-food joints.
At the dawn of the 1940s, much of the world was already at war. Less than two years later, the United States would be drawn into the conflict.

But by the end of the decade, the U.S. was again at peace  for a few more months, at least  and was well on its way to prosperity.

For cooks at home, the change was dramatic. With World War II came rationing; no longer could people buy unlimited amounts of meat, sugar or coffee (or, for that matter, gasoline, rubber, shoes or even typewriters). It was all needed by our boys  and occasionally gals, in certain positions  overseas.

Cooking oils and other fats, too, were rationed. They were used to make glycerin, which was used to make bombs.

Cookbooks of the era often included a wartime supplement, which explained how to make do with limited amounts or the lessened quality of rationed items.

Americas Cook Book, published in 1943 by the New York Herald Tribune Home Institute, suggested replacing sugar with liquid sweeteners such as maple syrup or honey. It also recommended skimming the fat from soup and refrigerating it in small jars for up to a week.

But even with common-sense suggestions  get protein from eggs, milk and cheese instead of meat  the recipes in the wartime supplement could get kind of scary. The supplement in Americas Cook Book includes recipes for Dutch turkey (made from tripe, sausage, poultry seasoning and potatoes), sour veal hearts, stuffed bologna and lima bean casserole with salami.

It has a recipe for venison roast that looks good, but for the purposes of this article I am going to look at recipes from the regular part of the cookbooks, not the wartime supplements.

Even so, the food of the 1940s looks less familiar than you might expect. Curry powder was an exotic item that was added to many dishes that it probably should not be added to. All sorts of animal innards were popular, from brains to kidneys, and we had not yet shaken off our obsession with dishes that were jellied or molded. Ketchup was used as a prime flavoring ingredient, and so were pimientos. And cookbook authors liked making combinations that strike the modern palate as kind of gross.

How gross? One dish, called delicious combination without apparent irony, slopped together apples, canned peas, carrots, celery, pineapple and diced bananas along with some mayonnaise and whipping cream, served it on a platter slathered with more mayonnaise and garnished it with a ring of maraschino cherries.

Think about that for a second: Canned peas. Maraschino cherries. Mayonnaise. In the same dish.

Fortunately, there were also plenty of other combinations in the decade that truly were delicious. I began with an entree, Chicken With Almonds, that is reminiscent of Chicken a la King or perhaps the interior of a chicken pot pie.

Leftover chicken is simmered in a rich white sauce studded with raisins and slivered almonds. The original recipe calls for the almonds to be minced, which would spread their flavor more evenly throughout the sauce, but I liked the idea of a flavorfully nutty crunch every bite or two.

Almost inevitably, it is served on toast, which soaks up the creamy sauce. You could also use rice, but toast somehow seems more fitting for the 1940s.

My next dish was a classic dessert, Chocolate Cream Pie. Here is a perfect midcentury treat, and it was endorsed by the best source  my wifes mother. For this story, I searched through her old cookbooks from the 40s, and the chocolate cream pie recipe is one of many that had her handwritten notes on how to make it.

Here is a pie that really ought to come back into vogue. The chocolate cream filling is silken on your tongue, and the meringue topping proves to be its perfect decadent match. The sumptuous, luxuriant taste and textures are so stunning that you may be surprised at how relatively unterrible it is for you. It uses milk instead of cream, and only two ounces of chocolate.

Its not the healthiest thing youll ever eat, but it could be worse.

For a dish that would make a lovely brunch, I made Luncheon Cheese and Eggs  which is much better than its name. Most of the 1940s cookbooks that I looked at have a recipe for eggs poached in cream. It must have been a popular dish of the time, and now that I have made it I can see why.

Its hard to beat the sheer elegance of the concept. Gently cooking your eggs in cream  I used half-and-half  allows them to become more, well, creamy. And this version adds a touch of shredded cheese to the sauce, making it a fabulous accompaniment to the eggs.

Finally, I made a 1940s vegetable, Panned Curried Cabbage. They were trying curry powder on everything those days, and cabbage has long been a particularly good pairing for it.

This version is straightforward. You saute shredded cabbage in fat (I used butter) with curry powder, garlic and salt. I added an optional cup of canned, diced tomatoes a couple of minutes before the cabbage was fully cooked, and that was it.
As temps start to feel more summerlike, the drink in your glass better be thirst-quenching and refreshing, and a fizz delivers on both accounts.

Classically speaking, a fizz is spirit, citrus, sugar and soda water, says Michael McCollum, head bartender at recently opened Bastion in Nashville, Tenn. The Jerry Thomas Bartenders Guide, circa 1892, featured a number of fizz variations, he says. You can turn it into a silver fizz with the addition of an egg white, or a golden fizz with the addition of an egg yolk, but as long as it has those four elements in it ... its a fizz.

Fizzes have the premeal appeal of aperitif wines, says Gene Zimmerman, proprietor of the Courtesy, an early entry in Orlando, Fla.s craft cocktail scene. (It has) bubbles or bounce to it, theres an acidity to it, so it wakes up your taste buds. It kind of makes you salivate.

McCollums basic fizz recipe is 2 parts spirit,  part citrus juice and  part simple syrup, shaken and topped with soda. For a more velvety variation, he uses rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar dissolved in 1 part water, versus the 1-to-1 ratio of simple syrup) and tweaks the recipe to 1 part citrus juice and  part rich syrup. Youre not just sweetening the booze to make it palatable; youre also increasing the viscosity, McCollum says.

At the Duck Inn in Chicagos Bridgeport neighborhood, senior executive bar director Brandon Phillips serves his variation on a sloe gin fizz, called the Sloe(r) Gin(ier) Fizz, in a highball glass, no ice or straw. If youre drinking through a straw, then youre drinking from the bottom of the glass, he says. Youre losing all that egg white  and texturally, youre only getting half the experience.

Once youve mastered the basic fizz, you can use it as a framework for variations with flavored soda or syrup. I dig anything that sort of creates aromatics, Zimmerman says. You have bubbles in the cocktail; thats lifting not only the flavors, but its lifting the aromatics. If you have lavender or vanilla or any sort of citrus or tropical fruit vibe going on, it just sort of jumps out of the glass at you.

For warm-weather entertaining, Phillips suggests adding a tropical-leaning liqueur such as Giffard banana liqueur or Kalani, a rum-based coconut liqueur. Add three-quarters of an ounce or switch out the base spirit  and all of a sudden you have this big, tropically coconut fizz, he says.

McCollums rule of thumb is to match white spirits (gin, tequila, rum) with lime juice and brown spirits (brandy, whiskey) with lemon, but almost any flavor jives with the forgiving fizz. Take, for instance, Phillips Hackney Handshake, a fizz-style drink that won first place at the 2015 Beefeater MIXLDN competition in London. It features manzanilla sherry and what Phillips calls movie night syrup, made with sencha green tea, dried green apples and buttered popcorn. Almost think like a buttered popcorn Jelly Belly, Phillips says.

Fizz-making tips

 Shake and strain your spirit, citrus and sweetener, and top off with about 2 ounces soda to fill your glass. Never put a carbonated mixer directly in your shaker or youll end up with a fizzier mess than you bargained for, McCollum says.

 If you include egg white (one per drink), do a dry shake first (no ice) to incorporate it before adding ice and shaking again, Phillips says.
Kalen McAllister, an inveterate home baker, turned her hobby into the nonprofit Laughing Bear Bakery last summer. Shes a Buddhist priest, a retired prison chaplain, a landscaper, an inventive thinker and a person who cares deeply for the welfare of all people. She leveraged her skills as a talented home baker to provide jobs for ex-offenders who have served their time and returned to the community.

Kalen, why do you bake? I cant cook at all, but I love to bake. My background in college was chemistry, and baking to me is a science. Plus, when you bake something, give it to a person and you see them smile  what a reward. My monastery, Ryumonji, which is located in Iowa, holds a pie sale every year to raise money. A friend gave me a chocolate bourbon pecan pie, which sold for $125. I got the recipe, adapted it, and every fall I make a hundred of these pies, three pies a night, in my kitchen. I learned people love pies. The sales benefited my monastery. When I became a prison chaplain at Farmington, I baked pies on Christmas Eve for the officers of the prison houses. Id make 33 pies so they would have something special that night.

You recently founded Laughing Bear Bakery. Why was that? When guys were about to be released they would come to me visibly shaken. They leave prison with a bus ticket to the place where their crime was committed  they might not even know anyone there. Right away they need two things  a home and a job. When I retired from the prison, that haunted me. How could I help? Last summer I met Joe Noelker when I was landscaping his backyard. His background was with Anheuser-Busch, as counsel for the Earthgrains Baking division. We started talking, and I asked Do you want to start a bakery with me? That was the beginning. Joe is now the chair of our board.

How did you develop the recipes you use today? Friends gave me their favorite recipes. I even got recipes from some of the prisoners. First I test and tweak the recipes at home. I have a group of knowledgeable friends who taste and advise me. Im a diabetic, so I cant eat what I bake. I know weve got a winner, like our recent lemon buttermilk pie, when I see the tasters eyes roll back in their heads. Then we add it to the Laughing Bear Bakery list.

Your list of baked goods runs the gamut from cookies to granola to extra-special caramel popcorn and you always have pies. How do people find Laughing Bear items? We have a website with a list of current and retired offerings. People can order by phone or through the website. Joe Noelker and I deliver locally, and we ship some things. We have seasonal specialties. The St. Joes French silk pie, named in honor of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, one of our donors, will be our Mothers Day special. We sell at the City Greens Market in the Grove now. Eventually, we hope to be in more stores. We have sold at farmers markets, and we hope to do that this summer.

Kalen McAllister

Age  64

Occupation  Retired Buddhist prison chaplain; independent landscaper and director of Laughing Bear Bakery
In the weather-beaten Mayan ruins of Tulum on the eastern coast of Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula, theres a centuries-old structure referred to as The Temple of the Descending God. On the walls of this crumbling building are barely discernible carvings of a figure turned upside down, as though diving. Its believed by some that this is a picture of the honey bee god, Ah-Muzen-Cab, dipping into a flower for some nectar.

The Maya frequently imagined that valued consumables in the natural world  such as water, corn and honey  were under the control of specific deities. Honey was a source of sweetness, especially treasured in a culture that didnt have sugar cane or sugar beets. Honeys sugar content enabled it to be converted into an even more valuable commodity: booze.

The fermentation of honey was practiced by ancient peoples all over the world. The mead that Beowulf and his Anglo-Saxon warriors drank was made of honey, and the ancient Maya of Central America also prepared beer using a recipe of honey, with corn and chilies.

Henry Bruman, in his 1930 book Alcohol in Ancient Mexico, reported upon the widespread consumption of Mexican beverages created from fermented honey.

During the fermentation process of such beverages, alkaloid-bearing ingredients  including hallucinogenic peyote  were sometimes added, making for a potentially psychotropic sip.

In gift shops throughout Yucatan are displays of xtabentun (ish-tah-been-tune), advertised as liquor of the Maya. Made only in this region, xtabentun is honey beer to which anise and distilled spirits are usually added.

The name xtabentun is derived from the legend of a woman named Xtabey, a virtuous courtesan, who gave her love freely and cared for the needy. When she died and was buried, sweet flowers  called xtabentun  grew all about her tomb; these small white flowers are sometimes represented on labels of the bottled liquor.

Xtabentun may be taken straight or on the rocks. Some like to mix the liquor with coffee to make Mayan coffee or with tequila and lime to make a Mayan margarita.
Q  My husband and I had the most delicious Reuben Soup at the Three Families in St. Peters.  Janet Blair, Wildwood

A  When retired firefighter Wayne Sanders opened a restaurant in 2012, he kept it in the family: all three families, to be exact. There are six of us here, he says of the family members who run the bright, open casual restaurant near St. Peters City Centre Park. My wife, Sara, and I plus our twin daughters and their husbands. Those are the three families.

Sanders says that the restaurant is especially known for hospitality, often expressed in fun restaurant experiences. Theres a monthly chefs challenge (vote for your favorite of two versions of the same dish), a monthly passport dinner (featuring authentic dishes from around the world; this month: Bosnia), even themed Sunday brunches (think Santa and the Easter bunny, also hit movies like Frozen; next up is a super hero brunch with Spider-Man and Wonder Woman).

Still, best-sellers include meaty crab cakes with dabs of spicy Mississippi Comeback Sauce and seared scallops as surf n turf or over pasta tossed in alfredo sauce.

Sara Sanders and the Sanders daughters create the dessert tray, a tempting collection of cake, cobbler, creme brulee and more. Last year, they baked 43 different desserts for the restaurant and special orders. We make sure theres something chocolate, something fruit, something citrus and something cream, Sara Sanders says.

Each day, the Three Families menu includes a different soup, plus Italian Wedding Soup. Theres no set soup rotation, but this week only, Reuben Soup will be the soup of the day through Saturday. Son-in-law and head chef Michael Hollander says that to re-create the restaurants Reuben Soup, gently saute the onion and celery. Leave a little crunch, he recommends.

The Three Families Restaurant

4899 Mexico Road, St. Peters

636-244-4326
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.
Missouri Saving for Tuition, the states college savings plan, will have lower fees and more investment options under a new contract with the plans administrator, state Treasurer Clint Zweifel announced Wednesday.

The state is also ending the adviser portion of the plan, which was sold by investment brokers in exchange for fees paid by the plans investors.

The 15,300 adviser accounts, worth $227 million, will be rolled into funds in the lower-cost direct option. Thats the option investors can buy on their own, without a brokers advice.

The result will be an 80 percent cut in the fees paid by investors in the adviser option. Investors in the direct option will see a 28 percent fee cut under the new contract, Zweifel said.

The plan, nicknamed MOST, allows people to save for college while avoiding taxes.

MOST will add five mutual funds managed by Dimensional Fund Advisors to its current list of 15 Vanguard stock and bond funds.

The state signed MOSTs current management firm, Ascensus College Savings, to another five-year contract. Zweifel said the fee reduction puts MOST among the 10 lowest-cost plans in the nation.

Investors pay Ascensuss fees through an expense charge on their investments. As a result, the expenses paid in MOST are sometimes higher than those an investor would pay for the same mutual funds outside a tax-protected plan.

For instance, MOST investors are paying 0.32 percent for investments in the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund. The new contract will cut that to 0.23 percent. But investors buying directly from Vanguard pay 0.17 percent for that fund, or 0.05 percent if they invest more than $10,000.

Because MOST is a 529 college savings plan, investors in the plan get a tax benefit. Earnings on the money are never taxed if used for higher education. And Missouri taxpayers can deduct contributions in any states 529 plan from their Missouri income taxes within limits.

MOST was founded without an adviser option. That brought demands from the brokerage industry, which wanted to make a profit by providing advice for college savers, and MOST added an option that compensates brokers.

Ending the adviser part of the plan raises the possibility that brokers will stop selling MOST and put their clients in another states college plan that pays brokers.

But Zweifel noted that more brokers are moving to a system in which they charge an investor a percentage of all assets they manage, rather than taking commissions on each trade or fees collected from mutual fund companies.

We think there will be more advisers wanting to use our direct plan, he said.

MOST savers generally dont use advisers. MOST has 138,000 direct-paid accounts with $2.3 billion in assets.

Dimensional Fund Advisors, known as DFA, is a well-known mutual fund and investment management company handling about $388 billion in investments.

It was co-founded by Rex Sinquefield, a prominent contributor to Missouri politicians and conservative causes. He retired from Dimensional as co-chairman in 2005 and left its board in 2013, after his politics put Dimensional on a teachers union blacklist.

Zweifel said the Sinquefield connection played no part in the decision to add DFA funds.

I have had no conversation with him about it, he said.

State records show no direct contributions from Sinquefield to Zweifels campaign in recent years.
Illinois Trooper Matt Mitchell received probation last week after pleading guilty to two counts each of reckless homicide and aggravated reckless driving for causing an accident that killed two teenage girls and seriously injured two other people.

Investigators said he was going 126 mph while responding to an accident. The dispatcher had already reported that other first-responders were at the scene. Mitchell was talking on his cell phone moments before the accident. And e-mailing from the car computer.

And he was allowed to plead guilty and get probation?

I thought that was crazy  until I heard defense attorney John O'Gara deliver his closing argument.

Technically, there was no closing argument because there was no trial. But O'Gara spoke to a criminal law class at SIU Edwardsville on Monday night, and one of the topics he touched on was his defense of Mitchell.

He started by talking about the visceral reaction people have had to this case. I can understand that, he said. Two beautiful young girls were killed in an accident caused by a police officer. We expect more of a police officer.

Yes, we do, I thought. We give police officers so much authority, so much power. We expect them to exercise judgment.

I've got a question for you, O'Gara continued. How fast would you want an officer to go if one of your loved ones were trapped in a car and needed to be extricated? What if an intruder were in your house attacking your mother, or your daughter? Would you want the officer to go 50 mph? Or 75 mph? Or 125 mph? If seconds counted, how fast would you want him to go?

That's easy, I thought to myself. I'd want him to go as fast as he could safely. Mitchell was going too fast. Besides, that accident had been cleared already.

O'Gara said he would have brought other state troopers to court to testify that they often exceed 100 mph on the interstates. If they have to get somewhere in a hurry, they try to get there in a hurry, he said.

And while the state could prove that the dispatcher had said other responders were at the scene, how could the state prove that Mitchell had understood that part of the message?

Of course, Mitchell's phone call was troubling. Awful judgment. E-mailing to get directions to the accident while traveling at a high rate of speed was more bad judgment.

But O'Gara made the point that bad judgment is easy to recognize in retrospect. Not so easy in the heat of the moment. He said he had researched several cases in which police officers responding to calls had been in terrible wrecks. He said none of those cases resulted in a criminal conviction.

I looked out at the students. They would have made a tough jury. They were bright and engaged, and not much older than the two girls who were killed. They had come of age during "Law and Order," not "Perry Mason," so presumably prosecutors, and not defense attorneys, were their heroes. Still, they were listening attentively to O'Gara.

Bad judgment, he said. Trying too hard. At what point does that become criminal? He said he wasn't suggesting that bad judgment go unpunished. A case like this belongs in civil court, he said.

I am not doing justice to his arguments. He's an effective speaker. Earnest, unassuming and a little rumpled, he paced back and forth in front of the students. He gestured with his hands.

Admittedly, O'Gara had the stage to himself on this evening. In court, he would have been up against Jim Piper, who has successfully prosecuted some tough cases.

Speaking of prosecutors, Eric Rhein, who teaches the class, is one. I first met him when he prosecuted Michael Hoare, a lawyer from St. Louis who got drunk one night in 1993 and ended up driving his BMW the wrong way down I-255. He smashed into a Ford Maverick driven by 17-year-old Joshua Roedersheimer, who was killed.

Hoare was convicted of aggravated reckless homicide and sentenced to six months in the county jail. He now practices law in Washington, D.C.

In some ways, Mitchell's deal resulted in a more severe sentence. He's a felon. He'll never work as a cop again. Maybe that's the most important thing.

As long as the family of the victims was all right with the plea bargain, maybe St. Clair County State's Attorney Robert Haida made the right decision in not rolling the dice.

It would not have been as easy a case as it first appeared.
Wednesday morning, in a courtroom high atop the city in the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse and 27 floors removed from the reality of the street, a three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals listened to lawyers argue about whether InBev ought to be allowed to buy Anheuser-Busch.

Wait a minute, I thought. This is already a done deal. The Clydesdales are charging two grand for an appearance. The Busch family is in exile. The new big shots speak Portuguese. Most importantly, the shareholders have their money.

Still, the courtroom was nearly filled with men and women in business suits, and all of them were seemingly paying close attention to the arguments.

I like lost causes as well as the next guy, but really, how do you unring this bell? It's as if Cardinals fans were to go to court to argue that umpire Don Denkinger got the call wrong in the sixth game of the 1985 World Series when he ruled that the lead-off hitter in the ninth inning was safe at first. What would the court do? Get the 1985 Cardinals and Royals together again to replay the ninth inning?

One of the judges seemed to share my befuddlement. Judge Myron H. Bright mused aloud  as appellate judges so often do  that because InBev had already bought Anheuser-Busch, there would be a problem, would there not, if the court were to find that InBev ought not be allowed to buy Anheuser-Busch? What would the remedy be?

"Divestiture," said attorney Joseph M. Alioto Jr.

That would mean that InBev would be required to divest itself of Anheuser-Busch.

"I'm puzzled," said Bright. It takes a bit to get him puzzled. He has been hearing cases with the 8th Circuit for 41 years and eight months. He wondered aloud how divestiture would take place, and who would supervise it. "It's mind-boggling," he said.

The next lawyer approached the lectern. His name is Peter Moll, and he thought that InBev should be allowed to buy Anheuser-Busch. He made some legal point I could not follow about "perceived potential competition."

Actually, Wednesday's arguments had to do with a lawsuit filed in federal court in September 2008 at a time when the sale was imminent. The lawsuit sought to stop the sale on antitrust grounds. The sale went through in November of that year, but the lawsuit clunked along, anyway. Ultimately, it was dismissed. Wednesday was an appeal of that dismissal.

Moll is a high-priced guy from Washington. Court papers say that the local law firm working with him is Dowd-Bennett. Ed Dowd Jr. is a former U.S. attorney. James F. Bennett was one of the lead attorneys on the winning side when Metro unsuccessfully sued the designers and construction managers who built the light-rail extension. In other words, top guys.

Well, sure. InBev has deep pockets.

What about the lawyers on the other side? Alioto is no small potatoes. His grandfather was Joseph L. Alioto, longtime mayor of San Francisco, and his father, Joseph M. Alioto, is a nationally known antitrust attorney. Several other out-of-town law firms are also listed in court papers. Who's paying them?

"I'm on my own coin," Alioto told me. "If we win, the court can order the other side to pay our legal fees."

Under that theory, the plaintiffs' lawyers are gambling that the court eventually will order InBev to divest itself of Anheuser-Busch. Does that seem realistic?

By the way, Alioto's local counsel is Ted Schwartz. He has been practicing law longer than Bright has been on the bench. He is considered a very sharp fellow. He used to be known for the full-length mink coats he'd wear to court in the winter. He drives a Rolls-Royce. You don't get those things by betting on inside straights. I asked Schwartz if this was really about getting a settlement from InBev.

After all, if the plaintiffs lose the appeal, they can ask for a hearing in front of the entire 8th Circuit, and if that fails, they still have the U.S. Supreme Court.

"This is Joe's case," Schwartz said.

I called Alioto. He explained that this case is really about helping consumers. He said that if InBev were required to come into the market as a competitor, it would create competition and consumers would not only get lower prices, they'd probably get better beer.

I asked if he were interested in a settlement. He said he did not want to talk about a settlement. "My focus is prevailing on the merits of the case," he said.

I asked if he is a beer drinker. Yes, he said. What kind? Anchor Steam, he said. No, Bud, he said. I drink Bud.
Sometimes there are discordant notes in the news. Stories that might make sense by themselves make no sense when paired with another story.

For instance, there was a news item this month about St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley writing a letter to Bridgeton Mayor Conrad Bowers in which Dooley urged Bowers to reject a plan to give $7.2 million in tax concessions to Walmart.

Less than a week later, there was a story about the St. Louis County Council granting Panera Bread $130,000 in tax abatements to help the company move its headquarters from Richmond Heights to Sunset Hills. There was no mention of Dooley opposing this tax break.

If you oppose giving a tax break to Walmart, why wouldn't you oppose one for Panera?

It might seem especially easy to be against Walmart. In order to sell things, Walmart needs a store. It makes no sense for the taxpayers to subsidize a store for one of the world's most successful companies.

But Panera is not exactly struggling. Despite the recession, revenue was up 4 percent last year to $1.35 billion. Yet, the County Council voted in favor of a tax abatement with no apparent objection from the county executive.

As I said, there is something jarring about those two stories viewed side by side.

But things get more jarring if you take those two stories and put them next to any of the recent stories about budget cuts.

States are broke. Cities are broke. Counties are broke. Budgets are being slashed. Worthwhile programs are being cut. Education, the lifeline to the future, has not been spared.

Meanwhile, we're giving tax breaks to successful companies. And for what?

Last November, St. Louis announced that the city was providing a $300,000 loan to the law firm Lewis, Rice & Fingersh so it could move two blocks  from one privately owned building to another. The second building also received about $15 million in various tax credits and loans.

Try to forget for the moment the inherent unfairness of the city providing financial help for one privately owned building to recruit a tenant from another privately owned building. Instead, ask yourself why the city ought to be providing financial help to a successful law firm.

Another law firm, Thompson Coburn, got $700,000 in tax incentives to remain downtown.

Then there's Centene, a hugely successful company. It could afford to expand on its own, but it was the object of a bidding war. St. Louis wanted it for its Ballpark Village, another incentive-laden project. Clayton wanted it. Clayton won the bidding war by offering a 50 percent tax abatement for real and personal property taxes for up to $22 million, a sales tax exemption on construction materials and a sales tax exemption on personal property. In addition, Centene received $8 million from the state and roadwork contributions from St. Louis County.

There are two things wrong with all of this. First, all of these incentives lead people to do projects they would not otherwise do.

For instance, let me take you to a front-page story from October 2007. The story was about three big projects downtown. These projects were supposed to reverse the decline of downtown. Together, the projects called for more than $330 million in public money.

One was Ballpark Village. The second was the new headquarters for Centene. The third was a plan to revive the St. Louis Centre mall site.

Two and a half years later, Ballpark Village is a softball field, and that's an upgrade from a mud hole. The Centene headquarters is going up in Clayton. St. Louis Centre remains dilapidated. Its developer went bankrupt.

But the big thing wrong with all of these abatements and incentives is the shifting of responsibility. In the old days, if a merchant wanted to build a store, he built the store. If a company wanted to move from one location to another, it paid for the move.

Furthermore, businesses paid taxes. Small businesses still do.

But some of the biggest and most successful ones don't pay their share anymore.

Meanwhile, programs are being slashed. This newspaper recently published a story about plans to close the emergency room at Metropolitan St. Louis Psychiatric Center and the Southeast Missouri Mental Health Center in Farmington. Those two hospitals had 4,634 emergency room visits last year. There will be no place for these people to go, said a social worker.

Put that story next to the one about the $7.2 million in tax breaks for one Walmart Supercenter. Try to make sense of it.
Let's update some recent columns.

In February, I wrote about a problem Jen Dotson was having with her insurance company. She had been in an auto accident in the summer of 2004. The accident left her in pain. In May of 2007, she had surgery to remove a rib. In February of 2008, she had surgery on a nerve in her arm. Both surgeries were performed at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and were covered by Aetna, which is the insurance her husband has through work.

On the advice of doctors at Barnes-Jewish, Dotson went to a neurosurgeon in Peoria, Ill. In January 2009, he implanted a spinal cord stimulator, a device that delivers electrical impulses to specific nerves and blocks pain signals from reaching the brain.

The procedure was successful. For the first time since the accident, Dotson felt normal.

Then the neurosurgeon informed Dotson that Aetna was refusing to pay and that Dotson was on the hook for more than $100,000.

She was pain-free but facing bankruptcy.

Her situation seemed particularly galling because both the surgeon and the hospital had contacted the insurance company before the surgery to obtain precertification, but were told that precertification was not necessary.

After denying the claim, the insurance company said the surgeon and the hospital should have asked about a predetermination of coverage rather than precertification.

Aetna turned down an appeal because the surgeon had not filed it within 60 days of the decision not to cover the procedure.

However, Aetna's Executive Resolutions Team decided to submit the case to a panel of independent physicians. The panel sided with Dotson and in late March, the company notified Dotson that it would pay for the surgery.

In March, I wrote about a Missouri Department of Corrections program to place shelter dogs in prisons. The idea is that inmates can train unruly dogs and the dogs will then be more likely to be adopted. All food and materials have been donated by private sources.

I was at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center in Pacific when five dogs were brought to the prison in February. Jim Sullivan was one of the inmate trainers. He was assigned a black dog named Gucci. Sullivan later wrote me a letter.

"Shortly after getting the dogs, I was walking the track with Gucci. An older gentleman walked up to me and asked if he could pet my dog. I said, "Sure. Go ahead." He knelt down and was petting him for a very long time. Gucci was enjoying every minute of it, and his tail was wagging as fast as possible to show it. But the part of the story that really hit me in the heart was not how happy Gucci was, but the smile on the face of the guy petting the dog. He had tears in his eyes. He proceeded to tell me that he had not petted a dog in 22 years and he did not remember them being so soft. I could not think of an appropriate response. I finally told him that I would be on the track with Gucci every afternoon, and he could pet him any time we were out there. So the guy has made it a point to be out there every single day, and him and Gucci are best buddies."

Gucci and the other dogs graduated a week ago. Warden Jennifer Sachse told me that three of the dogs, including Gucci, have been adopted, and an adoption is pending for a fourth. She said the prison expects a new batch of dogs in May.

Going from dogs to moose, I wrote a column about Bruce Kurt. He used to wear antlers to court to show his disdain for the legal system. He was most often in trouble for driving without license plates. He contended he needed no license plates because the first Congress in 1789 had declared that all citizens be allowed "unhampered use of all navigable waters and all common law highways." He also didn't need a drivers license because his reading of the Missouri Revised Statutes mandates drivers licenses only for people involved in commerce.

I wrote that his arguments reminded me a bit of the rhetoric that comes from some Tea Party people.

Kurt read that column and called. We had lunch. He said he had little in common with the Tea Party people because they vote. If you vote, you are acknowledging the legitimacy of the system. Which he does not.

Finally, I wrote about a friend who has decided he does not want to outlive his term insurance, which has several years left to run. Consequently, he is eating cheeseburgers for lunch and then ice cream for dessert.

Several readers said they understood his thinking, but many readers were disturbed by the column. I told my friend that some people said he needed professional help. He said, "I think I'll have a root beer float instead."
The debate over Senate Joint Resolution 39 in the Missouri Legislature has been emblematic of the state of political discussion in America today.

Supporters of the proposal, which would make it legal for certain businesses to discriminate against gay people if they had a religious opposition to same-sex marriage, say they are standing up for religious freedom. If youre against the bill, they say, you are attacking Christians.

Opponents of the resolution (and I am one) point out that same-sex marriage is the law of the land and that allowing discrimination by certain businesses opens a constitutional Pandoras box. We sometimes use words like hateful to describe the motivations of those on the other side.

There is very little middle ground.

But a group of law professors may have cut through the noise.

Thirteen law professors with expertise in constitutional law, religious freedom and civil rights sent a 10-page memo to Missouri House Democrats that carefully, and with nuanced language, explains how SJR 39 tilts the existing balance between constitutional rights too far in one direction. The Democrats, including the Houses only openly gay member, St. Louis attorney Mike Colona, shared the legal analysis with their Republican colleagues. Enough of them on the House committee considering SJR 39 were influenced by the arguments that a vote on the resolution was delayed.

The memo doesnt question the motivations of the Republicans who are pushing SJR 39; it doesnt talk about potential devastating economic consequences as a result of business boycotts. Instead, it asks them to consider the Constitution that so many members of the GOP suggest is their guiding document.

In the name of promoting religious diversity and freedom of conscience, SJR 39 disrupts the careful balance set forth in the U.S. Constitution, a balance between private religious practice, nonendorsement of religion by the state, and other fundamental rights such as rights to equality and liberty, wrote the professors, who hail from Washington University, St. Louis University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Columbia University.

It substantially oversteps the limitations on state action set out by the Establishment Clause by privileging religious believers and immunizing them from compliance with laws generally applicable to all other citizens of the state.

SJR 39, the professors said, essentially creates an immunity from liability and a license to discriminate in the name of religion.

The challenge with constitutional issues is that they are always a balancing act.

No constitutional rights are absolute. The old saying Your right to swing your arms ends where the other mans nose begins, comes to mind.

Missouri clergy already have rock-solid First Amendment protections in place, the law professors argue. But extending such protections to certain private businesses using overly broad language disrespects the intent of the balance struck by the Founding Fathers.

By exempting certain religious entities and believers from an obligation to treat all Missourians equally, SJR 39 sacrifices the equality rights of many in order to accommodate the religious preferences of a few, the professors write.

Its not red-meat language meant to incite the right or the left. Its a simple request to get lawmakers to pay attention to the document that is supposed to guide their actions.

In Missouri, that can be a challenge.

Here, a comparison to Senate Bill 672 in 2014 is helpful. That bill had nothing to do with gay rights or religious freedom. It was one of those Christmas tree bills that got loaded up with all sorts of unrelated measures toward the end of session. This happens as legislative leaders are making deals. They need House member X to vote for their legislation, so they promise to attach Xs favored bill to the omnibus crime bill, whether its related or not. Nobodys going to vote against the crime bill on the last day, even if they havent read it.

But its plainly unconstitutional. Missouris Supreme Court has ruled consistently that a bill should cover a single subject.

Conservative activist Ron Calzone sued to declare SB 672 unconstitutional, and he won. Heres why it matters.

In the case, ex-state Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, a former judge, testified that his colleagues in the Legislature often showed a general disregard for constitutional limitations on the powers of the General Assembly.

Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green (a Republican) found Kellys uncontroverted testimony to be relevant and credible.

In the hyperpartisanship that exists today, both sides of the debate wave the Constitution as their flag and accuse the other side of trampling on the sacred document. Balance is an afterthought.

If it were up to me, SJR 39 would end up in the trash bin of bad ideas.

But for those who believe the proposal has intrinsic value, they should at least send it back to the drawing board and draft it in a way that respects the state constitution it seeks to change.
Kathy Haake sat on a short brick wall in the Chesterfield Amphitheater and relaxed after her 5K walk. The 61-year-old retired teacher joined about 800 other volunteer walkers on a sun-splashed Saturday in mid-April to raise money for lung cancer research.

Her motivation can be found on the buttons on her bright orange shirt.

My daughter is my hero, reads one. Forever 21, reads another, this one with a smiling picture of Allison Haake before she died from lung cancer in January 2007.

When she was diagnosed just a couple of months earlier, the first question from the doctors was a predictable one:

Do you smoke?

Allison, who was in college in Chicago at the time after graduating from Pattonville High School in 2003, was not a smoker. She didnt spend much time around second-hand smoke. Her cancer had nothing to do with tobacco.

But just like the version of lung cancer that hits smokers, hers was nasty and moved fast.

This is why the Haakes walk.

Kathy, and her husband Joe, also 61, first joined a walk for a cancer organization two years after their daughter died. But soon they found out that none of the money they raised that year went to lung cancer research.

Lung cancer is the biggest killer of all the cancers. It kills twice as many women as breast cancer does, for instance. And yet, compared to other cancers, it lags in research funding.

Heres how a New York Times analysis in 2008 explained how national cancer research dollars are divvied up:

The big loser in the cancer funding race is lung cancer. It is the biggest cancer killer in the country, yet on a per-death basis receives the least (National Cancer Institute) funding among major cancers. In 2006, the NCI spent $1,518 for each new case of lung cancer and $1,630 for each lung cancer death, according to data from the institute and the American Cancer Society.

Thats not to say there isnt a lot of money spent on lung cancer research  $285 million in 2013 by the National Cancer Institute  but that based on how many people have it, and how many people it kills, it fails in comparison to other cancers.

Part of that is that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Organizations fighting to cure breast cancer, for instance, have developed tremendous national followings and that helps encourage more research funding.

Thats why the Lung Cancer Connection formed in St. Louis in 2009.

The Haakes, who live in St. Charles, have participated in every one of the organizations fundraising walks, starting at Creve Coeur Lake and following it as it grew to Chesterfield. This year, Team Allison had about 56 members hoping to raise about $4,000. The walk itself had a goal of $80,000.

When Allison died, Joe, who is an environmental scientist at Boeing, was haunted by a simple question.

Why did she get lung cancer?

He started researching everything he could and found that the answers continue to elude scientists. Certain forms of lung cancer can hit young, healthy people who dont smoke, and nobody particularly knows why.

This is the reality of many cancers. Some have clearly identifiable causes  smoking, drinking, the human pappillomavirus, environmental causes such as asbestos or coal dust. Others appear out of nowhere, with no explanation, and add nagging questions to the anxiety and fear that comes with any cancer diagnosis.

The Haakes and their fellow walkers hope that in doing their part to bring attention to lung cancer, they can get some donors to see beyond smoking and see the smiling face of a college student who wanted to be a teacher like her mom.

The first question when you hear that somebody has lung cancer should not be did you smoke? Kathy says. She points to the button with the picture of her daughters blonde-streaked hair and radiant smile. This is the face of lung cancer.
Tuesdays municipal elections across Missouri are being conducted in an ethics-free zone.

That is to say that the body that is supposed to monitor candidates spending and actions to make sure they dont run afoul of the law is unable to do its job.

Its been that way since March 15 when the terms of three members of the Missouri Ethics Commission ended. The ethics commission is unique among boards and commissions in the state in that commissioners cant serve beyond their term. There are six commissioners on the Missouri Ethics Commission and by law, four of them are needed to hold meetings and take action.

With only three members, it cant do its job.

In a state such as Missouri, where there are few ethics laws anyway, and where the Missouri Legislature seems unwilling to pass tougher laws to police itself, that may not seem like a big deal. But this is what it means:

Nobody is watching how campaign money is being spent before Tuesdays elections. Well, actually, people are watching, but those who might think they have seen wrongdoing have no place to turn.

To the extent there are any cases that come under a specific deadline, those cases would essentially go away, said James Klahr, executive director of the ethics commission.

People who call the commission inquiring about filing a complaint regarding the April 5 election are being told not to bother. Theres nothing the commission can do.

Think the school board crossed the line in supporting a bond issue increase? Or the council member running for re-election is stealing somebody elses signs? Want the state to follow the money going to questionable committees or find out what happened to those reports that arent filed on time? Or what about the $2 million Rex Sinquefield is spending to defeat the earnings taxes in St. Louis and Kansas City? Want the ethics police to watch for shenanigans?

Too bad.

So who is to blame for this anomaly?

Much of the blame must fall to Gov. Jay Nixon. The governor appoints commissioners to the ethics commission, and Nixon didnt nominate any replacements for the outgoing commissioners until March 14, the day before three members terms expired. Even if the Senate were in the mood to act quickly, there would have been a lapse in the ethics commissions ability to do its job.

As it happened, the Senate went on spring break shortly after Nixon appointed two people to the commission. The nominees will need approval of the gubernatorial appointments committee and then the full Senate. Senate president pro tem Ron Richard, R-Joplin, is the chairman of the appointments committee and he hasnt scheduled the proposed ethics commissioners for a vote. The earliest that could happen would come too late to hear any complaints about the April 5 election.

Were hopeful that the Senate will act on the two pending nominations expeditiously, said Nixon spokesman Scott Holste.

A spokesman for Richard said that once he became aware of the lack of a quorum on the ethics commission, he made it clear that Nixons appointees would be moved through the Senate confirmation process quickly.

Of course, Richard alone cant guarantee that will happen.

This isnt the first time this has happened.

In 2006, when Gov. Matt Blunt was in charge, the ethics commission lost a quorum this same time of year, jeopardizing the ability to file and hear complaints on the April municipal elections then.

The lack of a quorum also means that if any candidate fails to file a personal financial disclosure as required by law  the penalty is being knocked off the ballot  he or she gets a pass.

The ethics commission is not open for business.

There is a certain poetry to this happening, this year in particular.

In response to the moral failings of some of its members, and embarrassing coverage about lawmakers taking advantage of freebies from lobbyists, Speaker of the House Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, promised swift action on ethics legislation this year. The House, indeed, passed a few bills. One of them would stop future lawmakers from maintaining campaign accounts after they leave office, and from putting money in those campaign accounts into high-interest investments, as former speaker-turned-lobbyist Steve Tilley has done. Its a good idea. But in perfect Missouri Legislative form: It is written in such a way that is has zero effect on the one guy  Tilley  who inspired it. The House passed a cooling off period before lawmakers could become lobbyists, as Congress has. The Senate killed it.

Neither body even considered addressing the real ethical scourge in the state: unlimited campaign donations with no transparency requirements.

So, the ethics bills languish in the Senate, and even if they move, their effect will be minimal.

Missouri remains the Wild, Wild West of ethics laws in the country, the only state in the nation with this unholy triumvirate: no limit on gifts between lobbyists and lawmakers, no waiting period for lawmakers to become lobbyists, and no limit on the amount of money individuals or corporations can give to people running for office.

Now its also, quite possibly, the only state in the nation with an ethics commission unable to do its job.
Every summer St. Louis business leaders gather for an event put on by St. Louis Community College to hear a report about the state of the local workforce.

The report contains important statistical analysis that policymakers use to devise strategies to recruit and grow companies. Where are the gaps in finding workers? Is higher education doing its job? What do employers need?

This year when the report is presented there will be a surprise at the end.

Stamped on the back will be this phrase:

Made in Kansas.

In April, the community college awarded the annual bid to produce the workforce report, which is gathered through a painstaking effort of calling and interviewing hundreds of business leaders with a detailed questionnaire and then analyzing and tabulating the results. Traditionally, the work has gone to a St. Louis company.

This year, St. Louis Community College awarded the workforce report bid to the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan.

That decision didnt go over too well with Mark Vogel, the senior partner at Avant Marketing Group, the St. Louis company that produced the report last year.

After being notified that a Kansas nonprofit won the bid over a St. Louis firm (two of them bid on the job, as did another Missouri company), Vogel fired off a letter to the community college outlining his outrage.

What is most frustrating and disturbing is that STLCC is encouraging out-of-region investment by rewarding this project to an out-of-state organization, Vogel wrote. Though I am sure the Docking Institute is highly qualified for this project, by selecting them, you are taking important investment dollars out of region  only to benefit the Institute and employment in the state of Kansas.

Avant won the bid for the 2015 workforce report for a cost of $38,000. The year before, the bid went to a different St. Louis company, Stakeholder Insights, at a cost of $31,700.

Vogel says the work actually cost much more than he bid, but his company did the work for less than cost because its an important study and its a good investment in the community.

When you contract an out-of-state vendor, none of those project dollars return to the St. Louis market, Vogel wrote. When you contract within St. Louis, those dollars are used to pay St. Louis workers, and those dollars remain in our market. It can be viewed as much of an investment in the local economy as much as a projected cost.

This year, the community college reduced the scope of the bid, requiring only 750 phone surveys instead of the 1,200 from the 2015 report. It listed its budget as $38,000, the same as what was paid to Avant last year. Avant bid exactly that price. Stakeholder bid $37,500.

Several out-of-state companies bid less. Dockings bid, at $30,084, was the lowest among qualifying bids.

We had a competitive process, said Kedra Tolson, the coordinator of marketing and communications for St. Louis Community College. We were looking for a good, solid price, and it was a good bid.

Tolson said there was no requirement in the process that required a local company to be chosen or even scored higher. She said the community college rarely imposes such a requirement in its bidding.

Vogel believes thats a mistake, especially for a project that is so important to the St. Louis business community.

There should have been some forethought when they released the request for proposal to restrict it, Vogel said in an interview. I would prefer one of our competitors in town get the business rather than somebody in Kansas. That money will never come back to the market.

Each year the workforce report has been produced, one of the leading issues raised by employers is the shortage of skilled workers.

Thats one reason why local civic leaders have stepped up support for increased investment in higher education and workforce training initiatives, including those at St. Louis Community College.

The investment in education is expected to lead to a payoff so that local businesses can find workers locally, improving the opportunities for the region to grow economically.

When it comes to producing the sort of work that goes into the workforce report, however, there is no shortage of St. Louis skilled labor.

St. Louis Community College just chose not to hire it.
Weighed down by debt used to make the purchase, squeezed by low shale gas prices and faced with declining coal use in a more climate-conscious world, St. Louis-based Peabody declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week. (Credit: Peabody Energy)

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

Its not likely that the Oregon case of Kelsey Cascade Rose Juliana, et al v. the United States of America had anything to do with St. Louis-based Peabody Energys filing for bankruptcy.

But the timing, and a unique St. Louis connection, are worthy of notice.

It was no surprise when the St. Louis coal giant sought Chapter 11 protection on April 13. Coal stocks have been diving for years, mostly due to the sustained cheaper costs of natural gas, but also because of increased regulatory costs as the governments of the world finally take at least initial steps toward recognizing the need to address climate change.

Thats where Kelsey Cascade Rose Juliana comes in. Juliana is a 19-year-old resident of Eugene, Ore. Shes a committed enough environmentalist that in 2014 she walked 1,600 miles from Nebraska to Washington in the Great March for Climate Action to raise awareness of climate change.

Last September, Juliana and 20 other young people from all over the country sued the government, claiming that by ignoring climate change for decades, the U.S. has robbed the next generation of their constitutional rights to life, liberty and property.

In detailed pleadings, the plaintiffs, which include renowned climate scientist James Hansen (and his granddaughter) argue that the government has known of the dangers of rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere as far back as 1899 and yet has basically stood aside as the powerful fossil fuel industry had its way.

The present level of CO2 and its warming, both realized and latent, are already in the zone of danger, they argue. Defendants have acted with deliberate indifference to the peril they knowingly created. As a result, Defendants have infringed on Plaintiffs fundamental constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property. Defendants acts also discriminate against these young citizens, who will disproportionately experience the destabilized climate system in our country.

From a political standpoint, its a compelling case.

Politicians love to make hay by arguing that their positions are taken on behalf of future generations.

Now, the next generation is taking matters into its own hands, trying to force a reluctant government to recognize that reversing climate change by developing and enforcing more stringent environmental regulations is a constitutional mandate.

The thought of the next generations suing this one over its failings is a scary one if youre a parent. Imagine having to defend every mistake you made in raising your children in a court of law, with your children on one side represented by high-powered attorneys.

My youngest daughter, for instance, loves to tell the story about the time I left her at church. (I plead the Fifth.) Each of my six children can recount a time or two when I inadvertently taught them to string four-letter words together in a sentence while standing on a ladder trying to attach the darn Christmas lights to the gutter.

Famed St. Louis defense attorney Scott Rosenblum couldnt get me out of such a case.

The fact that Im even thinking of Rosenblum sort of makes the point. Hes the guy you hire when you know youre guilty but seek a Hail Mary.

And thats what the climate change lawsuit probably is.

Except for this: On April 8, a judge ruled that the case can go forward.

That judge, Oregon federal district court magistrate Thomas Coffin, was raised in St. Louis, home of the nations coal industry.

Again, maybe its a coincidence.

Coffin, a 1963 graduate of St. Louis University High School, declined through a spokesman to talk about the case. But in his 24-page order he made it clear that the arguments put forth by the next generation in this unprecedented lawsuit deserve an airing.

When combined with the EPAs duty to protect the public health from airborne pollutants and the governments public trust duties deeply ingrained in this countrys history, the allegations in the complaint state  a substantive due process claim, Coffin wrote.

The ruling came shortly after the judge had retired, though he has been recalled to the bench and is still hearing cases.

Perhaps Coffin was thinking of his own grandchildren and their legacy.

Or maybe, like most of the nation not directly making their living off of the fossil fuel industry, the judge realized that our nation had simply been ignoring climate change for too long.

Who better to make the case that our generation has failed than the children who will inherit the earth we leave them?
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.
If you spent any time walking West Florissant Avenue, or, heck, even watching cable television, in the late summer or early fall of 2014, then you remember the man in the blue vest.

His name is DeRay Mckesson, and these days, hes running for mayor of Baltimore.

About 19 months ago Mckesson came to St. Louis armed only with his mind and a phone and soon became a Twitter sensation, helping to turn #Ferguson into the top trending hashtag among social causes in Twitters first 10 years.

Now hes part of an important transition in the new civil rights movement identified in some circles as Black Lives Matter. Its a move from protest to action, where those who have been oppressed by a political system that works against them try to assert their influence from inside the system.

So many of the changes that will affect peoples lives occur at the city level, Mckesson told me in a phone conversation recently. Thats one of the reasons why he decided to run for mayor in the city where Freddie Gray died, which is also where Mckesson grew up. But the move from activism isnt an either-or situation, he says. Its important that people push from the outside and impact change from the inside, Mckesson says. Both are necessary.

Never was that more clear than in the recent negotiations over the consent decree between the city of Ferguson and the U.S. Department of Justice.

On March 15, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III shook hands with Michael Brown Sr., after the city signed the consent decree that calls for massive changes in how the north St. Louis County municipality operates its police department and court system. Brown is the father of Michael Brown, whose shooting death at the hands of a white police officer in Ferguson started the unrest that brought Mckesson and other activists to St. Louis.

The handshake should have taken place in February, but politics got in the way.

As Post-Dispatch reporter Stephen Deere meticulously outlined in a story March 20, the council was split along racial lines as to whether to sign the decree when it was first presented in February. White council members were against it. Black council members were for it. So the council tried to find a midway point and refused to agree to the decree, sending it back and asking for changes. Then, in an act that would have significant consequences, black council members were successful in getting another African-American, Laverne Mitchom, to fill an open seat on the council. For the first time, the citys majority black population had a council that looked like them.

Local African-American residents and other advocates for change were outraged that the council hadnt accepted the decree. So was the Department of Justice, which immediately sued.

Outside pressure built, and with a 4-3 majority, the council had new leverage to adopt the decree.

On March 15, thats what happened. It took the combination of activism and inside politics to make it happen.

Other signs of such activism turning to political action are showing up across the country.

In Chicago, where several high-profile police killings have riled the city, the prosecutor who was blamed for dragging her feet in filing charges against the police officer who shot 17-year-old Laquan McDonald lost her primary race. Same with the prosecutor in Cleveland who didnt file charges against the officers who killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice.

Producing political results shows a maturing of a nascent civil rights movement that Mckesson says is still in its infancy.

So much of what weve done in the past 19 months is just tell the truth in public, he says.

Like the Ferguson Commissions early raucousness, a lot of the communication has been simply about raising awareness, so that people of all races and creeds and backgrounds can see what daily life is like for people who truly are being oppressed by a system that is stacked against them.

I think the movement is still young, Mckesson says. Will it be able to grow as people grow? Can the movement build coalitions?

Nine years separate Rosa Parks famous act of defiance by simply sitting on a bus in Montgomery, Ala., and the eventual passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

For some, the passage of that law, and the Voting Rights Act the next year, signaled an end to the Civil Rights Movement. But the subsequent gutting of that voting rights law by the Supreme Court has led to a series of states passing restrictive voter identification bills that target primarily people of color. Just last week, Hispanics in Phoenix faced massively long lines in an attempt to vote. That wouldnt have happened before the court took away federal protections that had been in place since the 60s.

This week the Missouri Legislature is expected to take up its own version of a voter identification bill, despite previous attempts that have been found unconstitutional by the Missouri Supreme Court. If passed, the law would put obstacles in place for about 220,000 existing Missouri voters, many of them people of color or the elderly or disabled.

As Mckesson is fond of typing on Twitter:

The movement lives.
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

For Peter Van Pelt and many Europeans like him, honoring fallen American soldiers who died on foreign soil while defeating Hitlers Third Reich is a lifelong quest.

It is important for us Europeans to honor those people who gave their lives in the Second World War for our freedom, says Van Pelt, who lives in a small town near Antwerp, Belgium.

Honoring such veterans has become personal for Van Pelt the past few years.

It started in 2013, when he found the long lost dog tags of Frank H. Norton Jr., an American G.I., who was killed in action Jan. 6, 1945, in Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge.

Van Pelt wanted to get the dog tags back to Nortons family. After about a month of phone calls and emails, he found relatives of Nortons in Georgia and made arrangements for them to receive the fallen soldiers belongings.

Van Pelt wrote a Facebook post about his quest, and it was that item that eventually led Diana Wijnsma to me. Earlier this year, Wijnsmas boyfriend, Wietze Jorritsma, and his father, found the dog tags of fallen American soldier Pfc. Harlan L. Herrscher.

Like Van Pelt, Jorritsma enjoys searching for treasure with a metal detector during his spare time. In both Nortons case and Herrschers, it was this hobby that led to their dog tags being found.

Herrscher grew up in the Bevo Mill neighborhood of St. Louis, where he and his cousins all graduated from Cleveland High School. His parents are deceased and he has no brothers or sisters. Herrscher survived the Battle of the Bulge, but died April 15, 1945, from wounds suffered when a booby-trapped German Luger went off. He is buried at Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.

When Wijnsma and Jorritsma struggled to find any information about Herrschers relatives, they came across Van Pelts Facebook post. The Belgian put them in touch with a U.S. history professor in Australia, Peter Schrijvers, who wrote The Margraten Boys, a book about how the people of the Netherlands take such pride in the American cemetery they oversee.

Scrijvers emailed the Post-Dispatch and I tracked down Herrschers cousins, Rick and Bart, who both live in Texas. Within a couple of weeks, the dog tags had been returned.

Harlans parents and Rick and Barts parents shared a house on Beethoven Avenue when the boys were young.

After I wrote about Herrscher, Van Pelt emailed me and asked if I would send him a photo of the young soldier from St. Louis.

The photo came from the Carondelet Historical Society, which has framed photos of veterans from the area lining its walls. On May 3, Van Pelt put the photo to good use.

He went back to Margraten and attached it to a stand next to Herrschers grave. It was part of a program the cemetery started a year ago called The Faces of Margraten. The goal is to attach as many photos as possible to the grave sites of the more than 10,000 American soldiers buried there.

Each name, a face, Van Pelt said. Thats the idea behind it.

So far, in the first two years of the program, about 4,000 photos of the fallen have been found.

Van Pelt visits the cemetery several times a year, but this time was special, he said.

It was, he said, an emotional visit to Harlans grave and that of his brothers in arms who will be forever in our minds.

The visit brought Harlan Herschers story full circle.

His dog tags were returned from the Netherlands to his family, and his photo now adorns the overseas grave that is visited by thousands a year.

One of the reasons the Margraten cemetery is such a treasure is because families from the Netherlands, and other neighbors like Van Pelt, adopt individual grave sites and visit each year to take care of them as though the soldier had been a member of their own family.

Harlan Herrscher grew up in a blue-collar south St. Louis family. He joined the Army at 18 and went to war, earning a Purple Heart before he gave his life for a cause larger than himself.

His adopted family honors his humble beginning by keeping Herrschers story alive.
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

It didnt take dead bodies piling up outside the offices of Criminal Justice Ministry for the caseworkers there to know St. Louis had a heroin problem.

But the bodies, riddled with bullets, they did pile up.

Two were dumped in the alley east of CJMs offices on Park Avenue. Two others were shot in a car just a block to the east. Yet another man was shot and killed in his car at the intersection of Tucker Boulevard and Chouteau Avenue.

The common denominator was heroin.

Theres a turf war going on, says Eric Schultz, who is a caseworker at CJM and helps men leaving prison find a place to rent. For Schultz, and his co-workers, its nothing new.

All of them have struggled with their own drug demons. Most have been to prison. Schultz was a CJM client before he was an employee. These are men who have seen the scourge of heroin up close.

Schultz lost a girlfriend and one of his best friends to heroin overdoses. Aaron Laxton lost a nephew and a niece. And David Bollinger, who helps men who have served out their prison sentences get reintegrated into society?

Ive lost everybody I grew up with, he says. On March 12 last year, he buried his brother.

So pardon the fact that they see the current wave of publicity over heroin addiction and death as an opportunity.

The heroin epidemic in St. Louis is at a tipping point, says Laxton, the director of client services at CJM. All the right people are starting to die.

What he means  and it would sound crass if not for the fact that these men cared about heroin addiction when it was only killing blacks in the city  is this:

When white people from West County are starting to die, people start to care.

Laxton is hoping to take advantage of the increased focus on the heroin problem.

Through a $60,000 grant through AIDS United, hes working to raise support for the idea of legalizing a needle exchange program in St. Louis. Most users of heroin, if they stay alive long enough, gravitate toward taking the drug intravenously, often through a syringe. Once a junkie has a syringe, he or she tends to hold on to it, Laxton says, increasing the opportunity for the transmission of HIV and hepatitis.

The idea of a needle-exchange program is not just to get rid of the dirty rigs to reduce the transmission of various other diseases, but also to introduce drug addicts to treatment. Once they come in to get a clean syringe, whether at CJM or some other organization, there is an opportunity for interaction with a caseworker who might help direct the addict to treatment.

Various federal studies have shown needle exchange programs reduce the transmission of disease and do not increase drug use.

But the politics of passing such a law is tough because, at its core, it treats the disease and ignores the violation of law.

This year, state Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, filed a bill that would legalize needle exchange in Missouri. Under current law, possession of a syringe, even if its clean, could be charged as a possession of drug paraphernalia violation. The bill hasnt had a hearing and wont pass this year.

Its a start, Laxton says.

The best science tells us that needle exchange programs actually reduce drug use because you engage people in care, he says.

Theres also the cost benefit. In 2012, taxpayers spent more than $25 million in Medicare and Medicaid costs for HIV and hepatitis hospital charges that were a result of drug use. Eventually, budget-crimping lawmakers might be moved by the opportunity to save money.

The needle-exchange idea is hardly a panacea to the heroin epidemic. Its just one of many tools that those people working in the trenches want to have at their disposal.

Others include more widespread access to Narcan, which can reverse the effect of heroin and save lives. Its now being carried by more and more law enforcement officials in the St. Louis region.

Rehder is also pushing a bill that would end Missouris status as the only state in the nation without a prescription drug monitoring program, which would seek to limit doctor-shopping for opioids, often an entryway into heroin use. Laxton also wants to see strengthened Samaritan laws, to encourage those who experience a friends overdose to call for help without fear of reprisal.

Nobody does heroin alone, Laxton says.

The men who help ex-cons at CJM know theyll continue to deal with drug addiction up close because of their clientele. But thats not their only concern. They see the spread of the drug, and the increase in violence, and they believe now is the time to deal with some of the root causes.

Its in the schools. Its at the parties. Its cheap, says Bollinger. Its the new gateway drug.
On Jan. 9, 2014, Gen. Stephen Danner issued a memo that in retrospect seems like a cruel joke.

SUBJECT: Right of Civilian Employees to Present Complaints or Request Assistance from the Inspector General, it read. Danner, the adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard, sent the memo to all civilian employees of the Guard.

Just a couple of weeks later, one of those civilian employees, a video producer named Michael Sandknop, would do exactly what the memo said he could do. Sandknop, a retired Army reservist who served in Iraq, was hired to produce a television show about the Missouri Guard. He felt he was being stifled by his immediate supervisor, that regulations werent being followed, that he wasnt provided the tools for the job, that he was being set up to fail.

On Jan. 27, he complained to the inspector general, just as Danner said he could.

All civilian employees have the right to present complaints or requests for assistance to the Inspector General, Danner wrote. Heres the key passage: Department of the Army personnel are prohibited from taking any action that restricts you from filing a complaint, seeking assistance, or cooperating with the Inspector General. These same individuals are prohibited from taking any disciplinary or adverse action against you for filing a complaint 

On Jan. 31, Sandknop was fired from the Guard. More than two years later, the unemployed Arnold man is still waging war against the government he served that left him out in the cold.

And hes winning.

On April 11, Glenn Fine, the acting inspector general of the Department of Defense, reopened a federal investigation into Sandknops firing. In a letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Fine admitted that Sandknops circumstances appear to be a classic case of a whistleblower being retaliated against by people in power.

I agree that we should have conducted an investigation into the whistleblowers complaint, Fine wrote. Grassley, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and McCaskill, who has been key to pushing stronger protections for whistleblowers, wrote to Fine in February, after I had twice written about Sandknops plight. They asked him to look into Sandknops case again, and Fine admitted that the inspector generals office had erred in previously saying the case wasnt worthy of full federal whistleblower investigation.

The frustrating thing for Sandknop is that for most of the past two years, he has had a partial document from the National Guard Bureau that tells him that his complaints were validated, and that he should not have been fired. He has waited more than 680 days for a response to his Freedom of Information Act request to see the investigation into his complaint. He still doesnt have it.

But now he has at least the satisfaction that the Senate Judiciary Committee not only succeeded in getting his investigation reopened, but the inspector general also said he would order his staff to institute a more expansive approach to evaluating disclosures by contract employee whistleblowers and personnel actions alleged to have been taken against them in reprisal.

Sadly, Sandknop is not alone.

In 2014 and 2015, there were 295 complaints made to the Army inspector general by civilian employee whistleblowers. Only one was substantiated.

As Grassley and McCaskill pointed out Friday in a joint statement, It is rare for an Office of Inspector General to admit mishandling a case, and Acting Inspector General Glenn Fine deserves credit for doing his job right. Government contractors can be mistreated just like full-time employees can be mistreated. Like regular employees they deserve fair treatment free from reprisal for whistleblowing, as the law allows.

On Jan. 4, 2014, Danner knew that the federal whistleblower law protected his civilian contract employees. But when he had a chance to stand up for what is right, he apparently turned his back on his own words.

Danner could call Sandknop today, apologize and make good on the Missouri Guards failures. Or he can sit back and wait for the Department of Defense to air the states dirty laundry before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
CHICAGO  Authorities say two people were found fatally shot inside an SUV on a Chicago area highway.

Illinois State Police released a statement Sunday saying the shooting occurred around 4 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Interstate 90 on the northwest side.

Police say a silver Chevrolet Tahoe stopped in a lane and a male driver and a female passenger were found inside. They were found unresponsive and with gunshot wounds to the head.

They were identified as 43-year-old Eric Taylor and 36-year-old Camille Cooley, both of Waukegan.

Police say a black semi-automatic weapon was found on the driver's side floor.

All local lanes of I-90 were shut down for the investigation. Authorities did not immediately have other information.

WLS-TV reports it's the 18th Chicago area expressway shooting this year.
FERGUSON  The private lawyers acting as prosecutors for Ferguson have lost two more protest cases tried in St. Louis County Circuit Court, and this time, they were defeated by second-year St. Louis University law students.

In April, Ferguson prosecutors tried five cases involving failure-to-comply charges in St. Louis County Circuit Court. Three rulings were announced last week.

On Tuesday, Associate Circuit Judge Joseph S. Dueker found two defendants not guilty. The city of Ferguson  represented by Stephanie Karr, who also serves as city attorney, and her colleague J. Patrick Chassaing  has now lost all five of these cases.

In all, three defendants were found not guilty and the judge granted two motions for judgment of acquittals, meaning that the judge found the evidence so weak the defendants guilt could not be considered.

For April, the citys prosecutors  from the law firm Curtis, Heinz, Garrett and OKeefe  billed Ferguson for $11,251. That brings the total amount of their invoices to more than $40,000 this year. Their bills for all of 2015 were about $60,000 and for 2014 were about $30,000.

The rising fees come from trials of people arrested during the protests of 2014 following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. The defendants have been charged with failure to comply  a charge the U.S. Justice Department has said Ferguson police often abuse.

Tuesdays not-guilty verdicts came in the cases of Michael Powers and Meghan Flannery. Both were convicted in Ferguson Municipal Court on failure-to-comply charges and appealed. They agreed to be tried to together. Powers is the legislative director for St. Louis Aldermanic President Lewis Reed. Flannery is an employee at St. Louis Alderman Antonio Frenchs North Campus education center.

On Aug. 14, 2014, the two were waiting outside the Ferguson Police Department for French to be released from jail. Confrontations erupted between protesters and police, and Powers and Flannery were taken into custody.

Ferguson prosecutors argued that Flannery and Powers ignored police orders to leave the area.

During the trial, the pair were represented by Mark Timmerman, 24, and Katherine Landfried, 29, under the direction of John Ammann, supervisor of the St. Louis University Litigation Clinic. A Missouri Supreme Court rule allows law school students who have completed half their hours to represent defendants in court under the direction of a licensed attorney.

Landfried and Timmerman contended that the orders were given to protesters farther up the street. It wasnt clear that the officers orders applied to their clients, who were not at the time participating in the protests.

Its been a very stressful and infuriating process, Powers said. He said he rejected a plea offer to have his charge amended to littering, because as a public servant, he did not want that on his record.

In the aftermath of the unrest, the Justice Department issued a report accusing Fergusons police department and municipal court of numerous constitutional violations and for her role singled out Karr.

Karr and Chassaing, however, have continued to prosecute failure-to-comply cases, even in instances the Justice Department cited as constitutional infringements, as detailed in a Post-Dispatch story.

This month, the city made a move to prevent Karr and others at her firm from acting as prosecutors for the city, publishing an advertisement for a new prosecutor on May 3.

Karr will remain city attorney, a position she has held since 2004.

City officials said they recognize that having the same person as both city attorney and prosecutor could appear as a conflict of interest.

While the search for a replacement is underway, Karr and other Curtis, Heinz lawyers continue to prosecute failure-to-comply cases.

Two are scheduled for trial this week.

City Manager DeCarlon Seewood has said it would be unethical for him to tell Karr how to handle the cases, as she is supposed to operate free from political influence.

Heather Robinett, who was elected to the Ferguson City Council in April, said she couldnt comment on any cases because she doesnt know specifics. But she said Tuesday that she wants limits on the citys payments to prosecutors.

As things stand, prosecutors in Ferguson have no cap on the hours for which they can bill.

Financially, there does need to be parameters set, Robinett said.
UPDATED at 5:30 p.m. with clarified statement from Chief Sam Dotson.

ST. LOUIS  A former St. Louis police officer has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the on-duty shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith  an incident that led to one of the largest wrongful-death settlements stemming from a police shooting in the citys history, the Post-Dispatch has learned.

Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyces office on Monday charged Jason Stockley, 35, of Houston. St. Louis police and U.S. marshals arrested Stockley on Monday at his home in the 6300 block of Chevy Chase Drive in Houston.

St. Louis Circuit Judge Michael Mullen ordered Stockley held without bail. He is in custody in Harris County, Texas.

Im disappointed because I know what fine public servants the vast majority of police officers are, and this kind of conduct on the part of this former officer doesnt reflect the excellent work I see from them every day, Joyce said. So its disappointing in that regard, but its important that people understand that if you commit a crime, and we have the evidence to prove it, it doesnt matter to us what you do for a living. Our job is to hold people accountable if we have the evidence. And in this case, we do.

Dotson said Joyce's decision to charge Stockley was the "culmination of years of investigative work," in a prepared statement he issued Tuesday.

The department spent countless hours on this case, all in an effort to ascertain the true facts of what occurred on December 20, 2011," he said. "I hold my officers to the highest standards. Stockleys actions were in no way representative of the dedicated service of the men and women who serve on this department."

Dotson defined those actions as violations of the department's pursuit policy and using an unauthorized personally-owned AK47 on duty.

Stockley shot Smith, 24, in December 2011 after a suspected drug transaction and high-speed chase. State and federal prosecutors had filed no charges.

After shooting at Smiths car, Stockley and his partner, Officer Brian Bianchi, chased the victim at speeds over 80 mph. While in pursuit, the police SUV crashed, backed up and continued following Smiths vehicle.

During the chase, Stockley says, going to kill this (expletive deleted), dont you know it, according to court documents filed Monday. As Smiths car was slowing to a stop, Stockley tells Bianchi to hit him right now, at which point the driver slams the police SUV into Smiths car. Court documents did not disclose the source of the quotes.

Stockley then approached Smiths car on the drivers side and shot five times into the car, striking Smith with each shot. A gun was recovered from the victims car, but lab analysis revealed the presence of only Stockleys DNA, according to the documents.

Wrongful death

In 2013, the Board of Police Commissioners settled a federal wrongful-death lawsuit for $900,000 in connection with the shooting, according to information obtained by the Post-Dispatch.

The suit was filed on behalf of Smiths daughter, Autumn B. Smith, then 1 year old. A confidentiality agreement prevented attorney Albert Watkins from confirming the amount, but he said, Id be hard-pressed to find any other verdict or settlement that gave rise to a higher payout.

The murder charge follows a public call by activists in late April demanding that Stockley, who is white, be charged with the murder of Smith, who is black. The Post-Dispatch and activists filed requests under Missouris Sunshine Law seeking documents, video and audio evidence associated with the case.

Investigative materials regarding the shooting have been sealed under a protective order that city and state attorneys sought in 2012 as part of the settlement of the civil suit. The Post-Dispatch filed a motion in federal court Thursday to have the protective order lifted. Watkins agreed, but Attorney General Chris Kosters office, who represented the police board and Stockley in the case, has not responded.

The police board, which is now represented by the city due to a law change, said it would not oppose the Post-Dispatchs request.

Police said the events unfolded when Stockley and his partner, Bianchi, spotted Smith in a suspected drug transaction in a Churchs Chicken parking lot at Thekla Avenue and Riverview Boulevard. As the officers approached Smiths vehicle, Stockley carried his personal AK-47  a violation of department policy that forbids officers from carrying their own weapons.

Police have said that Smith allegedly reached for something inside his car and Stockley fired his department-issued Beretta when Smith drove toward the officers. No one was wounded at that point.

The pursuit began, and it ended in a crash about a mile away. Stockley said Smith reached for something, and Stockley shot him in the car. In addition to the revolver found in Smiths vehicle, police said they also found heroin.

Prosecutors pass

The shooting occurred under Chief Dan Isoms administration, and while the police department was under the states control. In 2012, Joyce said, the police department sent its investigation into Smiths shooting to her office for an informal review after U.S. Attorney Richard Callahans office declined to prosecute the case.

Isom also put Stockley on desk duty.

Callahan said that his office reviewed the case from January through

October 2012 with an FBI investigation that included some grand jury matters.

He said he then forwarded the case to the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division for a review and has not received a response.

Meanwhile, Sam Dotson became police chief. He ordered a $5,500 forensic analysis of the in-car video and audio, which became part of the investigation. While awaiting a response from the Justice Department, Dotson suspended Stockley for 30 days. Stockley resigned Aug. 16, 2013.

As of Monday, local authorities still were awaiting word from the Justice Department.

Dena Iverson, a Justice Department spokeswoman, wrote in a statement Monday, The matter remains open, and the department declines to comment further.

Activists were critical of the Justice Department during their news conference in April.

The Department of Justice has had the information on this and has not moved, the Rev. Phillip Duvall said.

Neither had Joyces office, until recently.

Dotson said he had conversations with Joyce regarding the case shortly after he became chief in 2013. Dotson declined to comment further, citing a pending investigation.

Duvall lauded Joyce in a statement Monday and said activists still want the Justice Department to look more closely at the case.

Joyce said in an interview Monday that Isoms administration never formally presented her office with the case, and that Callahans office called her prosecutors to informally review the case at the end of 2012.

The video alone is not sufficient for charges, but its very concerning, Joyce said, adding that she would not release the evidence because of the pending case.

As troubling as this case was, there was not sufficient evidence to file charges at that time, she said.

One of the first cases Joyce prosecuted was a second-degree murder charge against a former city police officer for the 1999 beating death of a burglary suspect on the roof of a pawnshop. A jury acquitted the officer, Robert Dodson.

The conviction rate on these cases nationally is 10 percent, and very rarely are they charged because of how laws are set up, and its rare to get a guilty verdict, Joyce said.

She said she had not personally seen the video until about three weeks ago, and was also unaware, until then, that forensic scientists found only Stockleys DNA on the gun recovered from Smiths car.

I feel like this case has gone as fast as it could have, Joyce said.

She said new protocols instituted by Dotson should ensure that such delays wont play out in future police shootings because the departments Force Investigation Unit consults directly with her office on every shooting.

She declined to comment on whether Stockleys partner, Bianchi, would face any charges. His attorney could not be reached for comment.

Jason Stockley

Stockley graduated from Althoff Catholic High School in Belleville in 1998, and went on to West Point. He then went on to be awarded an Army Bronze Star in combat in Iraq. He joined the police department in 2007.

An online resume shows he last worked as a regional project manager for TH Hill Associates. In that role, he worked to reduce non-productive time associated with oil drilling operations in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

The company confirmed his employment ended Jan. 7 of this year but would not say whether he resigned or was fired.

St. Louis Police Officers Association Business Manager Jeff Roorda referred questions to Stockleys attorney, Neil Bruntrager, who could not be reached for comment.

Anthony Lamar Smith

Smiths childhood history is unclear. Activist Anthony Shahid shielded Smiths mother, Annie Smith, from interviews during the press conference in April, saying she was too emotionally distraught to talk to a reporter.

He said she believed Stockley had been in jail. Its not clear why she believed that. When she found out Stockley wasnt in jail, she asked Shahid for help, he said.

Court records show Smith had a history of unlawful use of a weapon, stealing, drug possession and driving with a revoked license. He was on probation at the time of his death for a stealing case stemming from an incident in Ferguson in 2010.

An autopsy report obtained by the Post-Dispatch showed Smith had marijuana in his system at the time of his death and had been shot multiple times.

Stockleys father, Jerry Stockley Sr., who lives in Metro East, said in a phone interview that his son graduated from Althoff, where he was a standout wrestler and football player. He said he was proud when he attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and that he served a 15-month tour in Iraq with the Army.

He didnt do this, said Jerry Stockley. He is a police officer. He stopped a criminal who challenged the law and lost. He was guilty. They cleared him last time, so why go back?

He attributed the sudden charges against his son to a change in the country, which is frightening.

Hes a very bright young man, a very, very good boy, Jerry Stockley said. I never had an ounce of trouble out of either (Jason Stockley or his older brother, Jerry Jr.). He did what was right and respects the law.

Joel Currier and Robert Patrick of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
LONEDELL  A woman is dead after the SUV she was riding in veered off Highway N and crashed Saturday afternoon, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Brandy King, 29 of St. Clair, was pronounced dead at the scene. Four children and the driver, a 69-year-old woman, were injured in the crash.

The children were taken to St. Louis Children's Hospital. John King, 8, and Jaden Ray, 11, were seriously injured. Joseph and Joselyn King, ages 6 and 4, suffered minor injuries.

The driver, Barbara Norden, was also seriously injured and was taken to Mercy Hospital St. Louis.

The 2004 Toyota Highlander was heading south about a half mile from Highway 30 in Franklin County when it left the road about 3 p.m., went airborne and struck several trees, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol.

The accident report does not say what caused the vehicle to leave the road.

Brandy King and several of the children were not buckled in or in child safety seats, the patrol said.
GRANITE CITY  At least 300 students and staff were evacuated from the campus of the Southwestern Illinois College campus at 4950 Maryville Road after lightning struck the roof of the library.

Fire erupted from the roof of the building at the Sam Wolf Granite City campus Thursday about 10:10 a.m., according to Nancy Levault, campus executive director.

The Granite City Fire Department was called and the building was evacuated, she said. The fire was contained to the roof area near the library and was contained within 35 minutes of its discovery, Levault said.

"All of the students were safe," she said.

Levault said the campus would reopen at 3 p.m. and evening classes will be held.
A former airman at Scott Air Force Base pleaded guilty Monday to possession of child pornography after federal authorities found thousands of images of children on a hard drive he owned.

Many of the files possessed by Ronald W. McNair Jr., 25, were pornographic images of prepubescent children, authorities said. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison an a fine of up to $250,000.

The investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children got three tips from Microsoft saying McNair had uploaded images of suspected child pornography to a Microsoft file hosting service in March and April 2014, according to federal prosecutors.

The uploads were traced to McNair, who was stationed at Scott but lived in Belleville.

The Department of Homeland Security got a warrant to search McNair's home and found an external hard drive that contained 4,522 images and 144 videos of child pornography, prosecutors said.

Belleville police and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations also participated in the investigation.

McNair was scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 6 at the federal courthouse in Benton, Ill.
ST. LOUIS  St. Louis County has agreed to pay $75,000 and have staff undergo mandatory training to settle a lawsuit filed by four journalists who alleged police abuses during the 2014 Ferguson protests.

Attorneys for both sides announced the settlement last week with a joint statement but said that the documents were confidential.

Under Missouri law, public bodies can enter into confidential settlements but must yield to open records laws. The county provided a copy of the documents to the Post-Dispatch Monday afternoon.

In an emailed response after the settlement was released, Ryan Devereaux, a reporter with the Intercept/First Look Media, wrote that the journalists pursued the lawsuit in hopes of improving interactions between the police and the press. We believe it is crucial to ensure that reporters in the field are able to do their jobs  including and especially in situations such as the protests in Ferguson  and we are hopeful that these changes will mark a step in that direction.

The original lawsuit, filed in federal court in St. Louis in March 2015, claimed that the journalists were falsely arrested, held without probable cause and subjected to false imprisonment and battery.

In the settlement, St. Louis County and Police Chief Jon Belmar dispute those claims and do not admit any fault.

The settlement does say that within 45 days of the settlements effective date, police will adopt new general orders covering media access and the recording of police activity, and provide mandatory training on the policies.

A policy governing recording of police activity is new, a spokesman said Monday. The public information and news policy contains significant additions or revisions.

The news media policy says that the police are committed to working cooperatively with the media to keep the public informed and will cooperate by not interfering or allowing others to interfere with media personnel acting in their news gathering capacity.

The policy cautions that the department must also ensure that release of information will not interfere with the rights of victims, hinder an investigation or impair a defendants right to a fair trial.

The policy says that the media wont be excluded from areas accessible to the public, and police employees shall not intentionally obstruct or prevent filming. Reporters wont be arrested or threatened with arrest for being on private property during a newsworthy event unless the property owner bars the media.

The policy on recording police activity says that all members of the public have an unambiguous First Amendment right to record officers in public places, as long as their actions do not interfere with the officers duties or the safety of officers or others. Officers should assume that they are being recorded at all times when on duty in a public space.

Police may not threaten, intimidate or otherwise discourage or interfere with the recording of police activities, subject to legitimate and legal restrictions, the policy says.

Those recording police cant block pedestrian or vehicle traffic or the movement of emergency equipment and personnel.

Police cant seize recording devices or force someone to show the recordings that theyve made, the policy says, unless they contain evidence of a crime and police believe those recordings are about to be destroyed.

The other journalists involved in the suit were Ansgar Graw, senior U.S. political correspondent for Die Welt and Welt am Sonntag; Frank Herrmann, the U.S. correspondent for a group of German regional papers; and freelancer Lukas Hermsmeier.

The $75,000 total also includes legal costs and attorneys fees, the settlement says.
ST. LOUIS  The portion of a federal lawsuit that claims St. Louis County police beat and falsely arrested Ferguson protesters and committed other constitutional violations should be tossed out of court because the plaintiffs claims are contradicted by videos and their own depositions, lawyers for police said Friday.

In the original $41.5 million lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in August 2014 and amended in October with the addition of more plaintiffs, 11 people said that the actions of police were unconstitutional. The suit also named St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar and then-Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson, as well as Ferguson and St. Louis County.

The arrests were among hundreds that occurred during the height of the protests that followed the fatal shooting Aug. 9 of Michael Brown, 18, by then-Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson.

In the motion for summary judgment, lawyers for St. Louis County say that several defendants had no contact with county officers or were legally arrested without unreasonable force. Others, they say, falsely described their arrests and then either admitted those falsehoods in depositions or were contradicted by video evidence.

Malik Shabazz, one of the lawyers representing the protesters, said in an email Saturday that We stand behind all claims currently filed against all Defendants in this important case. Shabazz said his responses to the police motions will be filed starting May 20.

The St. Louis County lawyers could not be reached for comment Saturday.

Peter Dunne, a lawyer representing Ferguson, Jackson and current and former officers in Ferguson and Maryland Heights, wrote in an emailed response to questions, Very little of whats been alleged is supported by the evidence. Dunne and colleagues made a similar motion for summary judgment last month.

At a press conference announcing the original suit, Tracey White, then 38, said that she and her 17-year-old son were arrested at the Ferguson McDonalds after attending a Peace and Love Rally.

White said that rifle-toting police rushed into the building and arrested the pair, throwing her to the ground. She compared it at the time to something out of a movie. It was so horrifying.

In a Sept. 29 deposition, however, White was confronted with video taken by a St. Charles County paramedics camera, that showed her being arrested at least a block away by St. Charles County SWAT officers.

White and her son were arrested without force, and only after they refused to leave the street, Fridays motion says.

White said during the deposition that she had not read various versions of the lawsuit before they were filed. She could not be reached for comment Saturday.

Dwayne A. Matthews Jr. claimed a gruesome beating by police and said that police had tried to drown him for several seconds, picked him up and slammed him into the pavement, took turns punching him and scraping his face on the pavement, then pepper-sprayed him, the motion says.

Videos and testimony by officers show that he walked into a cloud of tear gas and smoke and toward police, and continued after being hit with bean-bag rounds. Matthews fell into a culvert and hit his head, the filing says. Another video captures him being lifted out of the culvert and turned over to St. Charles County SWAT officers with no beating, the filing says. He could not be reached for comment.

Because the St. Louis County officers did not commit constitutional torts or state torts and are entitled to summary judgment and are also entitled by official immunity, Belmar and the county should also be dismissed from the suit, the filing says.
EAST ST. LOUIS  A man from Park Hills, Mo., admitted in federal court here Friday that he coerced a 15-year-old girl from Madison with promises of a modeling career into prostituting herself in three states.

Marcus Dewayne Thompson, 28, pleaded guilty of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a child by force, fraud, or coercion and sex trafficking of a child by force, fraud, or coercion.

His wife, Robin Thompson, 25, pleaded guilty Thursday to the conspiracy charge.

In early June of 2015, Marcus Thompson persuaded the girl to accompany him with promises of helping her get modeling work, according to his plea. He took her to Farmington, Mo., where he picked up his wife. Marcus Thompson told his wife that he was going to make money by posting the teen on Backpage.cm.

The couple did, according to their plea agreements, posting explicit pictures of the girl online, and arranging sex acts with men in Florida, Georgia and Louisiana. Marcus Thompson also stole a camper in which the group lived.

Robin Thompson negotiated prices, helped get hotel rooms, provided condoms for the teen and kept records of the transactions. She also told the teen that she would harm her if she tried to escape or talk to authorities.

Robin Thompson admitted prostituting two other women online. Her husbands plea made no mention of that.

At his sentencing, set for Sept. 29, Marcus Thompson faces 27 to nearly 34 years in prison. He has prior state felony convictions, for stealing cars, he told U.S. District Judge Michael Reagan in court Friday. Asked by Reagan how far hed gone in school, Thompson replied, I think 10th grade.

Robin Thompson faces roughly 18 to 22 years in prison when she is sentenced Sept. 15. Her photo was not available.

Thompsons lawyer, Ethan Skaggs, declined to comment after the hearing, as did Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Kapsak.

The investigation began in early July, when a 15-year-old girl at Cardinal Glennon Childrens Hospital in St. Louis told authorities about what had happened.

Investigators then subpoenaed Backpage.cm and found that the Thompsons cellphone was used to place ads in Orlando and Pensacola in Florida, as well as Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn., and Dallas in June and early July of 2015, Special Agent Eric Ruhe wrote in a court affidavit.

Police found a ledger listing customer information, prices and sex acts in Marcus Thompsons truck in August after the couple was pulled over by a Ste. Genevieve, Mo., police officer.

At the time of his arrest on the federal charges, Marcus Thompson said that hed just started work with a produce company in Missouri and had 3-year-old twins.

Robin Thompson was working for a nursing home. The couple also had an 8-month-old at the time, court records show.
EAST ST. LOUIS  A prison inmate who has turned a long-term grudge against authorities into two separate prison sentences has been found guilty of assaulting a deputy U.S. marshal, prosecutors said Friday.

William J. Mabie, now 55, had been brought to U.S. District Court in East St. Louis for a hearing on another case and was in the custody of the U.S. Marshals on March 12, 2015, when he spat on and rushed at a deputy, court documents say.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on the charge of assault on a federal officer June 9.

Mabie is currently scheduled to be released from federal prison in 2028 after being convicted of federal offenses in both Missouri and Illinois.

He was sentenced to more than seven years in prison in federal court in St. Louis in 2010 for mailing threats to the mother of his former boss and two prosecutors.

In 2015, he was sentenced in federal court in East St. Louis to 15 more years after being convicted of three counts of mailing a threatening communication. Mabie had sent two letters to the wife of a St. Louis police lieutenant and one to Bond County Sheriff Jeffrey Brown.

Mabie's ire has its roots in a 2007 theft. Mabie, who worked in auto body and repair and lived in Festus, felt that police did not adequately investigate the theft of what he claimed was tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools.

My office will always take swift and decisive action to deter those who think they can prey on our men and women in law enforcement," said Acting U.S. Attorney James Porter in a statement. "This verdict was especially pleasing as it occurred during National Police Week, a time when all of us should take a moment to reflect and thank the men and women of law enforcement for the tremendous job they do of keeping us all safe.
UPDATED: Millsapp was sentenced June 30, 2016, to 20 years in prison.

ST. LOUIS  A man accused of planning an armed robbery a year ago that turned into a deadly shootout at a used car dealership in the Baden neighborhood was found guilty Friday after a four-day trial.

The jury found Albert T. Millsapp, who turned 30 on Friday, guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and marijuana possession but not guilty of two counts of armed criminal action. Sentencing will be June 30.

Police said Perry L. Cal Jr., 23, carried two guns when he took cash and a wallet from the manager of Rebel Motors, 730 Doddridge Street, about 2:30 p.m. May 14, 2015. Officials said the manager, Cedric Royston, 51, gave chase, picked up a gun Cal dropped and fatally wounded Cal in an exchange of shots. The killing was ruled justified.

Prosecutors said that Millsapp was legally responsible for the death because it occurred during a felony in which he participated.

They said he was the getaway driver and helped plan the crime. Their case relied heavily on the testimony of Patricia Blake, a friend of Cals, who said she rode with them before the robbery and heard Millsapp tell Cal, You can hit that. Its just an old man. They dont have a gun.

Blake told jurors Millsapp knew the place because he had bought tires there.

Millsapp testified that he was driving Cal, his cousin, to work and let him out near a bus station not far from Rebel Motors. He said they never discussed a robbery, and that he did not know Cal was armed or why he got out before reaching the bus stop.

The defendant said he pulled into a parking lot near the dealership to put transmission fluid into his Chevrolet Trailblazer and heard gunfire nearby. He claimed he found Cal bleeding in a nearby alley and saw the manager walk up without a gun in his hand and take cash and a wallet from Cals pocket.

Millsapp, who lived in Milwaukee but frequently visited a girlfriend and children here, put Cal in the back seat of his SUV and drove off, he said. Millsapp said he let Blake out a few blocks away and then dumped Cals body at the side of Prigge Road, near Millsapps girlfriends home in north St. Louis County.

He said he considered going to Christian Hospital but didnt know the area. He said he dumped out his cousin because he didnt want to scare his five children by arriving at their home with a dead body in the car.

I was, like, panicked a little bit because I knew he was gone, Millsapp told the jurors.

Millsapp called 911 when he got home, met police at the scene and was arrested. Police said he had marijuana in his pocket.

Cal, who lived in the 6300 block of Windham Avenue, had been shot once in the back.

Millsapps criminal history includes cocaine possession and distribution and resisting arrest in Milwaukee, prosecutor Rachel Schwarzlose said in court.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  A teacher at the private Principia Christian Science school was dismissed after she reported that another employee was sexually assaulting her teenage daughter, who was a student there at the time, according to a suit filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court.

The employee, Zachary Retzlaff, 33, was charged last year with one count of statutory rape. That case is pending.

The Post-Dispatch is not naming the plaintiff in the civil lawsuit because it would identify the daughter, who is the alleged crime victim.

The suit, filed last week, said the woman was a teacher at the school, at 13201 Clayton Road in Town and Country, from August 2007 to July 31, 2015.

Her daughter had been enrolled at the school since she started as a teacher, and lived with her parents on the Principia campus. The woman now lives in Arizona, the suit says.

When the daughter was 16, the suit says, Retzlaff began assaulting the girl. He was the director of telecommunications at the school, and also had family connections there: He was the nephew-in-law of the dean of admissions, a former trustee and two computer information department employees, the suit said.

Retzlaff repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl from July 2014 to May 2015, and the girls mother discovered the relationship between the two in May 2015, when she was chaperoning a class trip to New Hampshire and Boston, the suit says. She returned to St. Louis the next day and escorted her daughter to the police to report the conduct three days after that.

Retzlaff was indicted by a grand jury on July 22. Two days later, the woman was told that she was terminated as of July 31 and that the school had eliminated her position. Her contract was supposed to end in June 2016.

The woman alleges she was fired in retaliation for reporting Retzlaff. Shes seeking lost wages and other damages.

Another civil lawsuit filed against the school by the daughters parents in the daughters name has been dropped because the daughter has since turned 18 and it was filed over her objections.

The suit said that the daughter had run away and wanted to marry Retzlaff, and had sought a legal order of protection against her parents.

The earlier suit also said Rezlaff sexually assaulted the student more than 40 times on or around the campus, choked her as part of sex play and held group sex parties with students. The suit said the schools only response when they found out was to verbally warn Retzlaff to knock it off and cut it out. Principia denied those claims.

A representative said the school would not have a comment on the latest suit until Tuesday.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  Illinois superintendents warned of school closures and staff layoffs Tuesday as they implored state lawmakers to pass a budget to give them certainty for the fall when the new academic year begins.

The challenge facing superintendents is that the epic partisan gridlock that has left the state without a budget for 11 months is spilling over into education, with ideological differences over how to proceed with funding.

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is asking lawmakers for $55 million more to fully fund the general state aid to schools instead of prorating it like it's been done the past seven years to balance the books. Senate Democrats, meanwhile, say that while more money is good, the state's complicated, 20-year-old school funding formula must be overhauled now so it's fairer to property-tax poor districts.

But superintendents from districts including Kankakee, Moline, and Streator expressed worry Tuesday that there's no agreement for next year yet. They say they'll have to deplete their reserves to open this fall and that some might not make it all year.

Jack Bambrick, the interim superintendent of Rockridge Community Unit School District #300 in Taylor Ridge, said they have reserves to get them through 134 days.

"That's not a full school year. We can open our doors next year," he said, but added, "I don't know how long we'll be able to stay open. That's not a threat."

John Pearson, the superintendent of East Alton-Wood River Community High School District 14, said the only way to balance their budget after years of cuts would be to lay off 40 percent of the staff.

The superintendents said they favored Rauner's idea of adding more funding to schools without a formula change and some of the Democratic state lawmakers who represent them agreed.

"Let's give these men and women here that run our schools that have the responsibility of educating our youth, let's give them some certainty right now moving forward," said Rep. Dan Beiser, a Democrat from Alton.

Education funding is the only portion of the budget for the current year that Rauner signed, meaning schools have largely been spared the consequences of the budget impasse.

Sen. Andy Manar, a Democrat from Bunker Hill sponsoring the formula change, said his plan would ensure that school districts see no cuts over the next four years with a $400 million investment from the state.

His plan would gradually change districts' reliance on property taxes and take local wealth into account when distributing funds. Over time, the state would shift more of its financial support toward needier districts.

Without his formula change, Manar said poorer districts would continue to suffer and "this system is going to continue to erode."

The total budget for schools is expected to be about $10 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

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Find Ivan Moreno on Twitter: http://twitter.com/IvanJourno
BELLEFONTAINE NEIGHBORS  Two men with big arms and sweat-stained shirts wheeled the piano into the living room of Yvette Martins home on Norchester Drive.

She had cleared a space along the far wall, where a console table used to sit.

The piano was barely recognizable, its appearance greatly enhanced from just a few weeks earlier. The 65-year-old piano had fallen on hard times. Its future did not look promising.

But on this warm Saturday in February, it emerged from under moving blankets looking like new.

And the pianos sound?

Mellow and warm, said Royce, Martins 16-year-old son, as he played Scott Joplins Elite Syncopations.

His mother sat on the couch, shaking her head.

From nothing to this, Yvette Martin said of her sons playing, which started just under two years ago. I cant even explain it. Its such an amazing story to me.

The piano that had seemed headed for the landfill 18 months ago was now in the hands of a promising young musician who wanted to advance what his teachers have called through-the-roof talent. But buying a piano was out of reach for the Martins.

I really want to play, Royce told his mom time and again.

OK, Royce, but we dont have that kind of money for that. We just dont have that money. If God wants you to have it, it will happen for you.

In need of attention

The Janssen console piano, built in 1950, sat in the Granite City home of Suzanne and Michael Halbrook for about 12 years. It was given to them by a friend who knew that Michael was music director at his church and thought it could be of value to him.

The Halbrooks didnt want to turn away a free piano, but as soon as they got it they realized it was in need of some attention.

The keys didnt work that great; it wasnt tuned the best, Suzanne Halbrook said. It did its job when it had to, but it was not the best.

Less than a year ago, the Halbrooks got a digital piano, leaving the fate of the old Janssen uncertain, especially with their musically inclined sons, 10 and 8, more interested in the flute and violin.

Michael Halbrook used to work at Rodgers Townsend, an advertising agency in downtown St. Louis. He knew that agency co-founder Tom Townsend had started a program pairing unwanted pianos with those who would like one but for whom the cost was out of reach.

The Halbrook piano made its way into the Pianos for People program in October 2014. It was in such poor shape that it was relegated to a back room often referred to as the morgue.

I could do that

The desire to play piano erupted in Royce Martin.

In March 2014, the teen was watching music videos with his sister. John Legend was at the piano playing his hit All of Me.

I could do that, Royce told his sister, Rachelle.

Rachelle, now 17, had an electric keyboard she requested for Christmas, but I didnt connect at all, she said. Royce began pecking. It wasnt providing the sound that Legend made in the piano-centric ballad that has become a wedding staple.

But it didnt stop Royce from trying.

Royce attends Grand Center Arts Academy, a charter school in midtown St. Louis that draws youths with interest in visual and performing arts. The sophomore lives during the week with relatives in the city, allowing him to attend the school.

At the academy, across the street from Powell Hall, home to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Royce was playing percussion instruments in band but asked if he could start playing piano. Soon, he was coming into school on Mondays playing songs he had memorized from the radio over the weekend.

He watched YouTube videos focusing on the hand movements of piano players. He began writing his own music.

When he practices, it is for hours at a time, said Damen Martin, Royces orchestra teacher and no relation to the teen. Any time I walk down the hall and I hear the piano and its substantially good, I say: Its either Royce or a teacher. He is one of the few students here who has a real gift. Prodigy status.

Change in priorities

The nonprofit Pianos for People, on Cherokee Street, was formed in December 2012 to honor another young talent.

Two years earlier, Alex Townsend, a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, was killed in a car crash. He was 21. His father, Tom Townsend, who had built one of the areas largest advertising agencies, saw what can happen when a teen who never quite fit in was allowed to express himself in imaginative ways.

Alex was like a lot of young, creative kids who have years in middle school and high school where they are the round peg in the square hole, Townsend said. Not being an athlete and not being a straight-A student, his world was creating things.

Alex, who was studying graphic design, played piano and drums. His father co-founded Pianos for People with Patricia Eastman, Alexs piano teacher when he was a boy.

Creating a program like Pianos for People was something Townsend, a blues and jazz pianist, had long wanted to do, but my advertising career had me very, very busy.

When Alex died, priorities changed. Townsend took time away from the advertising agency to teach at Savannah College. He started an annual arts and music festival in Savannah in honor of his son. Saturday marked the sixth year.

Townsend looked more deeply at a way to match unwanted pianos with those who could not afford them.

You dont follow an event like that without some change in your life, said Townsend, who left the agency in June 2014. I said, Im going to do that piano thing Ive always wanted to do and started looking for others who might have interest.

2,000 working parts

A charity centered around used pianos is rife with potential problems. For starters, it involves a massive instrument, difficult to move.

Townsend needed someone familiar with pianos to help with pickup and delivery.

He called Jackson Pianos in the Central West End. Owner Joe Jackson said he was happy to help with the heavy lifting but stressed that the donated pianos would need some work.

A piano is huge and incredibly complex, with more than 2,000 working parts, Jackson said. Piano repairs can cost several hundred dollars. Giving a free piano to a family with limited means without refurbishing it first is just passing trash along, he said. Its a recipe for failure.

Jackson said he would assist with repairs, as well. Jackson Pianos does the work at a reduced cost as its contribution to Pianos for People.

At his shop, Jackson maintains a kind of hierarchy, based on the condition of pianos. Those in bad shape tend to fall to the bottom of the donation list.

We keep some instruments around like organ donors and harvest pieces from them, he said. These pianos are kept in a cluttered, windowless room in the back of the shop, a place Jackson refers to as the morgue.

The old Janssen donated by the Halbrooks landed there. It was saved from being picked apart but sat neglected for more than a year as Jackson focused on other donated pianos that needed less attention.

This month, Jackson turned the light on in the morgue.

It was time for the old Janssen to shine.

He installed a new base bridge. The hammers were reshaped, the action recalibrated and the pitch of the harp corrected. And after a good cleaning and a tuning, it was ready for its budding prodigy.

Free lessons

Pianos for People has now donated about 150 pianos. Delivery has slowed in the past year to about two a month from one a week, so the nonprofit could shift some of its expenses toward offering free piano lessons.

Since the fall of 2014, classes have been offered to all ages in a renovated storefront on Cherokee. Like the piano donation program, eligibility for lessons is based on household income.

With an annual budget of $130,000, Townsend said Pianos for People could not keep up the renovation and delivery pace while starting a piano lessons program. As a result, the nonprofit has put a temporary hold on accepting pianos.

The classes offered to about 80 people of all ages are a natural progression of the nonprofits mission, Townsend said. If kids have a piano but no access to lessons, the instrument likely will become little more than another piece of furniture.

A piano from the program landing in the hands of someone like Royce is just what Townsend intended.

A lot of what this is about is getting music as an option in front of young people before they find themselves without something that feels good to believe in.

A beautiful journey

Royce says he cant stop thinking about music. It keeps him awake at night, and it has recently been a challenge to concentrate on his schooling. But there is so much music to learn, and to create, he said in his defense.

He loves classical, especially Beethoven, and has recently been listening to Benny Goodman and jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. He also admires the construction of classic rock songs. To make his point, he begins playing Hotel California by the Eagles on a piano in the lobby of his school, his floppy hair trying to find the rhythm.

My mom wishes Id play more gospel, but gospel and classical dont mix, he says with a slight smile. He is proud of how far he has come and cant wait to see where more practice takes him.

I wish I had more time. If I can learn this much in two years, imagine where Ill be in five years, Royce said. After a beat, he begins to play an original composition.

Its called A Beautiful Journey.

Royces mom cant believe his passion.

All he wants to do is play. He tells me: Mom, Im going to be the next Beethoven. I tell him: If you have the mindset, you will be.

It was Damen Martin, Royces orchestra teacher, who found out about Pianos for People and encouraged Royce and his mother to apply. He has seen the talent unfold. Now, with a piano in his home, Royce has created anticipation in those watching him blossom.

This piano is going to change his life.
A controversial Missouri ban on a rating system commonly used by many states to evaluate and improve child care quality is expected to be lifted.

Its a move proponents say will pave the way for the state to compete for millions of dollars of federal grants for early childhood education, while giving parents a set of point-scale ratings on how well day cares are performing.

Lawmakers Thursday overwhelmingly gave final approval to a bill that would remove the restriction on the use of a quality rating system  known as QRS  as well as create a voluntary three-year pilot program that uses it.

The bill needs the signature of Gov. Jay Nixon, but advocates say they are confident he will approve it because they say its lack has interfered with efforts to improve early childhood education.

The ban has been in place since 2012 when then-Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, condemned QRS as a liberal encroachment on child rearing and successfully lobbied to outlaw it.

She was part of a group of conservative Republicans who lashed out when they learned state education officials were applying for a federal grant that required the state to also employ a quality rating system.

In the aftermath, Missouri stood out as the only state in the nation to outlaw the increasingly common quality standards, which are required by states seeking certain federal grants. Elsewhere, states have adopted the ratings through administrative action, without passing new laws.

A spokesman with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said Friday the QRS prohibition has put the state at a competitive disadvantage for federal funding.

In 2014, for example, the state missed out on a chance to compete for a $63.8 million preschool development grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Judy Dungan, policy director of the Missouri Childrens Leadership Council, said it was clear from the overwhelming vote of approval that lawmakers understand the need for QRS.

As I talked to people, particularly moms, around the capital, they told me again and again theyd been forced to rely on social media like Yelp to make decisions about their childrens child-care providers, and nobody is comfortable with that, she said

At points during the legislative debate, several lawmakers in favor of the ratings alluded to Mission Readiness, an organization of high-ranking current and former military commanders. The group lobbies for quality early childhood education to remedy a lack of able candidates for military service. Studies suggest 70 percent of adults ages 17 to 24 cannot qualify for service because they are poorly educated, overweight or have a serious criminal record.

I think with what weve learned about the development of very young childrens brains over the past few years, and what we know about the impact of early childhood education on the future of young children, everybody understands that striving for quality in early childhood education is supremely important, Dungan said.

Quality rating systems typically score individual child cares on a scale of 1 to 5 to gauge overall quality based on factors like staff qualifications, instructional quality, professional development and health and safety standards.

Proponents say the rankings help parents make better consumer choices. Early childhood providers with higher rankings and those that show efforts to improve their quality generally qualify for greater state and federal funding  including greater rates of reimbursement for child care subsidies.

It would be up to Missouri to decide how to structure the rating system, and whether and how financial incentives would be used.

Under the measure, the QRS pilot program would be developed through Missouri Head Start Collaboration Office and the Departments of Health and Senior Services, Mental Health and Social Services.

Criticism of the system has come from two fronts.

Cunningham and other conservatives said it imposed liberal values on child rearing, and lawmakers  not bureaucrats  should have the final say on whether such a system is put in place. Others, particularly providers who care for low-income children, said the rankings unfairly benefit child cares in wealthier areas with more resources.

However, proponents said child cares in lower income areas that actively participate in the program would likely qualify for more funding to help them improve facilities, training and ultimately their rankings.

The bill is SB638 and was first championed by Rep. Donna Pfautsch, R-Harrisonville, and Sen. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg.
JEFFERSON CITY  With a legislative last call looming in two weeks, the Missouri House handed big beer companies a victory Thursday.

Under legislation now heading back to the Senate for further debate, breweries would be able to lease coolers to retailers as a way to promote their brands.

Opponents said the change in law is a way for companies like Anheuser-Busch InBev to gain market share lost to the growth of smaller, craft brewers.

The measure, which moved out of the chamber on a 103-38 vote, is part of a sweeping package of changes to Missouri alcohol laws. Other provisions include the legalization of self-serve beer at restaurants and changes that will make it easier to buy large containers of beer  known as growlers  at convenience stores.

The cooler issue, however, dominated the debate.

Supporters say retailers could load the portable coolers with any kind beer. Opponents say it is doubtful a retailer would stock, for example, a Budweiser-labeled cooler with craft brews.

Im really concerned about big guy, little guy  David and Goliath, you know, said Rep. Keith Frederick, R-Rolla. This really is not a level playing field.

This is a horrible bill, added Rep. Keith English, an independent from Florissant. The small businesses are the backbone of our state.

Rep. Robert Cornejo, R-St. Peters, who sponsored the measure, said the legislation requires lawmakers to revisit the issue in three years, meaning if it is not working, the law can be revised.

This is one small change to our current liquor laws to allow economic freedom, Cornejo said.

Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, said the proposal would help store owners.

This allows the retailer so many more options to move his product, said Shaul.

Its unclear whether the measure is on a fast track for passage in the Senate. A similar proposal barely squeaked out of the chamber earlier this year. And, if the Senate alters any of the House-approved language, the differences would have to be hashed out between negotiators in both chambers before the final day of the legislative session on May 13.

In the end, much of the debate Thursday centered on which beer companies had the ear of lawmakers.

This will do great things for my community, said Penny Hubbard, D-St. Louis, who has the Budweiser plant in her district.

By contrast, Rep. John McCaherty, R-High Ridge, said craft brewers are worried.

Some of our small brewers are afraid. They are afraid the big boys are going to come in and put them out of business, he said.

The legislation is Senate Bill 994.
WASHINGTON  The Senate took another step Tuesday to responding to the Zika virus threat by pushing a $1.1 billion spending plan put together by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., over a procedural hurdle.

Some senators say the amount wont be enough to meet a threat they say has grown as warm weather moves north from the southern states, carrying with it the mosquitoes that can transmit the disease.

With simultaneous legislation also moving through the House, Congress is getting closer to answering President Barack Obama's escalating calls for money to eradicate mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus, develop a vaccine and help care for people who get it. The Zika virus is not especially deadly for most people, but it is dangerous for pregnant women because it causes the brain defect microcephaly in babies born to infected mothers, and other birth defects.

The Senate Tuesday turned down Obamas $1.9 billion anti-Zika funding request. Blunt said the administration did not provide enough details on how all the money would be spent, and senators are confident that the new appropriation, coupled with almost $600 million already diverted from money appropriated to fight Ebola, would suffice.

If the administration had been a little more transparent at first, maybe we could have reached this agreement earlier, Blunt said in floor debate.

Then, in a 68-29 procedural vote, the Senate agreed to move along an amendment to a housing bill the $1.1 billion Zika plan forged by Blunt and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. Debate and a vote on final passage was not immediately scheduled.

Southern senators pleaded for more, saying that counties in their states are running out of money to kill mosquitoes, and warning that the virus could spread faster without a more aggressive federal response.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said that Brazil, which hosts the Olympics this summer, is covered over with Zika infection and infestation.

He warned travel to and from there provides huge challenges, especially after the recent discovery that people infected by mosquitoes can transmit the disease sexually.

We are going to have to face the music with greater federal spending later, Nelson predicted.

But Blunt said the $1.1 billion bipartisan deal came from appropriators who took the necessary time to understand the funding needs to protect all Americans, including tax-paying Americans.
JEFFERSON CITY  After one last filibuster in the Missouri Senate Thursday night, lawmakers returned to the Capitol Friday to push through lingering priorities before the Legislature adjourned for the year at 6 p.m.

What became the focal point of the final day was a sweeping plan to loosen the states gun laws.

The proposal would allow adults without a permit to carry a concealed weapon anyplace where concealed carry is not forbidden. The proposal also would expand the states castle doctrine allowing homeowners to defend homes with firearms to include home guests and baby sitters.

In addition, the measure institutes a stand-your-ground right, allowing people to use deadly force in public places if they believe that a reasonable threat exists.

The measure now heads to Gov. Jay Nixon. Nixon, a Democrat, wouldnt say at a Friday news conference what he would do. It moved out of both chambers with enough votes to override a veto of the governor  24-8 in the Senate and 114-36 in the House.

Im just going to have to look at it, he told reporters.

Democrats on the floor of the House and Senate blasted stand your ground, saying it would embolden trigger-happy gun owners and lead to more shootings.

Sen. Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, said a heavily armed Missouri would take the state back to the 1800s.

What kind of world do we want to live in? Holsman said. Isnt it our job to make our citizens safe?

This law is a shoot first, ask questions later, added Sen. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, who was among the eight Democrats in the Senate who opposed the expansion.

Republicans dismissed the charges as hype.

If somebody doesnt like it, they take it to this absurd extreme and then they try to get out there in the media with it, said state Sen. Kurt Schaefer of Columbia, a main backer of the legislation, told reporters. I think all it does is make Missourians safer. I think it gives people their Second Amendment right to protect themselves and their families.

If youre going to attack somebody youve got to pay the consequences, said Republican Rep. Galen Higdon of St. Joseph.

Another measure that was sent to the governors desk would change Missouris police use-of-force rules to become in line with federal case law. If Nixon signs the bill, police would only be able to use deadly force if the officer believes a person poses a serious threat to others.

The Legislature also approved a bill that would exempt yoga and fitness classes from sales taxes, and another measure restricting how cities can hand out lucrative tax-increment financing benefits to developers.

Across the St. Louis region, billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies have gone to private enterprise and I believe thats wrong, said Rep. Andrew Koenig, R-Winchester. This doesnt get rid of TIF but kind of puts TIF back in its place in certain situations.

Though many priorities reached the finish line, some fell victim to the mandatory 6 p.m. adjournment time. A proposal that would set up a statewide regulatory framework for ride-share companies such as Uber and Lyft died under the threat of filibuster in the Senate.

It is unfortunate the Senate has stifled innovation and consumer choice by stalling a bill that already passed through the House and Conference Committee, said Alexandra LaManna, spokeswoman for Lyft. As it stands, Lyft is unable to return to Missouri.

Two other high-profile proposals that gained some traction early in the legislative session fizzled: a plan to start a prescription drug monitoring database in Missouri died in the Senate and a proposal to boost the states gas tax languished in the House.

Two abortion-related bills that grabbed headlines didnt make it across the finish line, either. One wouldve banned donation of fetal tissue and the other wouldve required two-parent notification when a minor seeks and abortion.

For this year, womens reproductive rights were not attacked in terms of legislation making it to the governors desk, said Rep. Stacey Newman, D-Richmond Heights.

Just because one particular year a particular piece of pro-life legislation doesnt move across the finish line doesnt mean lifes not important to us, said Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City.

Kurt Erickson and Mark Schlinkmann of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report, which contains material from the Associated Press.
WASHINGTON  The Social Security Administration has taken away the benefits of about 70 police officers at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport after determining they are not eligible due to an agreement the state of Missouri signed 65 years ago.

Sen. Claire McCaskill says the agency is misreading the agreement, but a Social Security spokesman said that the agency determined that the airport officers are St. Louis police as defined by the agreement, and that the state of Missouri never requested Social Security coverage for this position.

The airport security workers will be refunded the amount of money they have paid into the system through the years, according to an aide for McCaskill, D-Mo. But because they have been defined as St. Louis police officers by the Social Security Administration, they will also be ineligible for Social Security, and they face a murky fix on how to make up the loss of benefits.

McCaskill, in a letter Tuesday to Acting Commissioner of Social Security Carolyn Colvin, said that she believed the benefits were removed because of an incorrect reading of a 218 agreement that Missouri and the Social Security Administration signed in 1951.

That agreement defined which local government workers would be covered under Social Security, and which would receive retirement benefits from Missouri. It was signed before airport security was necessary, a spokesman for McCaskill said.

Transitioning the Lambert workers to the city retirement system would be difficult and costly, especially for older workers who had been paying into and counting on Social Security, McCaskill spokesman John LaBombard said.

This is a very narrow fight, specific to Missouri and those workers, he said.

St. Louis officials were notified last year that the workers were ineligible for Social Security. In a meeting in February, city officials were unable to convince Social Security Administration officials they were wrong about the 1951 agreement, and a final determination was handed down.

It must come as a shock to these 70 Missourians that despite their years of payroll contributions to the program, they will be ineligible from receiving the protections they believed they were entitled when paying into the system, McCaskill wrote to Colvin.

Despite the fact that the agency would refund contributions made by the workers to the Social Security trust fund, this is a broken promise to individuals who have spent their career paying into the Social Security system through payroll taxes and were provided assurances that Social Security benefits would be there for them in retirement or long-term disability, McCaskills letter said.

William BJ Jarrett, a spokesman for the Social Security Administration, said the agency had received McCaskills letter and that it will provide her with a response shortly.

Section 218 of the of the Social Security Act permits states to request Social Security coverage for state and local government employees, Jarrett told the Post-Dispatch.

A state requests coverage for positions, not individuals. To determine whether the airport police officer position receives coverage, we examined the information provided by the state of Missouri within the framework of the Social Security Act, agency regulations, and the states Section 218 Agreement.

We found that the airport police officer position is not covered because the state never requested Social Security coverage for this position.

Jarrett said the administration offered the city two options: Requesting a refund of Social Security taxes paid in error or pursuing Social Security coverage for the officers by amending the 1951 agreement.

Attempts to reach St. Louis City Counselor Michael Garvin were unsuccessful.

LaBombard said there is no appeals process, and no federal legislative redress. He said Social Security officials suggested that St. Louis seek a remedy from the Missouri Legislature.
California has a problem: Fifty-two percent of its managers in the state workforce could decide in the next five years that theyre tired of working, grab their retirement packages and go. Their departure would create a serious brain drain for the state, which has the largest number of state employees in the country  220,000.

So Jeff Douglas, Californias chief of workforce development, is trying different tactics to keep senior workers on the job: offering a flexible work schedule, promoting work-life balance and creating the first government-wide employee management survey to assess the needs of workers. The idea is to find out who is leaving  and why.

Douglas knows that efforts to keep senior workers  especially managers, specialists, and highly educated and knowledgeable employees  on the job are at best stopgap measures. Eventually, the state will have to shore up its talent reserves as baby boomers age out of the state workforce. Because people can walk right now, we have to be ready if they do, he said.

Like California, nearly every state and locality faces the imminent departure of retirement-eligible employees. Anywhere from 30 percent to 40 percent of state workers are eligible for retirement, said Leslie Scott, executive director of the National Association of State Personnel Executives.

Finding replacements wont be easy. State employees are more educated than the rest of the nations workforce, including federal and local government employees, according to the Congressional Research Service.

So state personnel executives are experimenting with a variety of approaches to hang on to experience, including job-sharing and telecommuting, delayed retirement programs that pay lump sums to would-be retirees to keep working, training and development, and reward and recognition programs. They also are stepping up recruiting efforts to attract older employees who work in the private sector.

The idea, Douglas said, is to create a work environment where you can stay longer and work longer.

RETENTION EFFORTS

In Tennessee, where 32 percent of the state workforce is eligible for retirement, state workers can take advantage of the temporary employment option. The program allows retirees to work for up to 120 days during a 12-month period. This way, the state can recruit high-performing retirees to assist with special projects, said Rebecca Hunter, the states commissioner of human resources.

In Ohio, state workers in the Office of Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities are allowed to schedule their work hours as they see fit, as long as they work somewhere between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

In Colorado, where 20 percent of the workforce in the states information technology division is eligible for retirement, the agency encourages retirement-age professionals to work with younger workers to ensure that knowledge is passed down to the next generation.

This is particularly important when it comes to dealing with older, legacy technology and other specialized fields, said Karen Wilcox, director of human resources in the Colorado governors information technology office. Knowledge loss is the most critical issue, Wilcox said.

In Virginia, where a quarter of state employees will be eligible to retire in the next five years, state human resources executives use intense data to predict who will be retiring and what is pushing them out, said Sara Redding Wilson, Virginias director of human resources.

Only a small fraction is going, and we know why, Redding Wilson said. Armed with data, she said, the state can tailor its retention efforts  while finding ways to recruit the next wave of talent.

The areas with the highest turnover rates are in corrections, juvenile justice and behavioral health, Redding Wilson said, fields with less flexibility in scheduling and that dont pay as much.

Some states, such as Alabama and Arizona, and some localities, such as Los Angeles, Pinellas County, Florida, and St. Louis, let potential retirees take advantage of the Deferred Retirement Option Program, known as DROP. It works this way: public workers  such as police officers  who reach retirement age commit to continuing to work for a fixed period. They go on collecting their regular paycheck. And when they retire, they are paid a lump sum bonus of as much as 90 percent of the salaries they earned while continuing to work.

DROP programs can be an attractive incentive to keep talented employees on the job longer, while reducing costs for recruiting and training new employees, said Angela Curl, assistant professor of family studies and social work at Miami University in Ohio.

But not all states have kept them going. In 2001, Missouri implemented a similar program, called BackDROP, which offered state workers more flexibility in the start and stop dates. (Roughly a quarter of Missouris state employees are eligible to retire this year.)

In a 2014 report, Missouri state employees said that the BackDROP program had been an incentive for them to stay on the job. Some used the money to pay off debt, while others put it in savings for their children to inherit, something that they cannot do with traditional pension plans, Curl said.

But in 2010, legislators amended the program. Employees hired after Dec. 31, 2010, arent eligible to participate.

AGING OUT

Public sector employees skew older than private workers. In 2013, 52 percent of full-time federal, state and local public employees were between ages 45 and 64, compared to 42 percent of full-time private sector workers, according to the Congressional Research Service.

And states and local governments have already seen their workforces shrink in the past decade, thanks to budget cuts enacted during the Great Recession, according to the Center for State and Local Government Excellence.

State agencies also cut back on training and development programs, Scott, of the personnel executives group, said. As a result, younger employees arent prepared to step in to key management positions, she said. Meanwhile, many state workers  those who werent laid off in the midst of cutbacks  postponed retirement.

But that wont last long. As the economy continues to improve, more state workers are expected to retire, Scott said. And the remaining talent pool for top managers is much smaller. During the recession, many layoffs happened at the middle-manager level, she said.

The retirement wave will hit all sectors of government, from teachers to nurses to law enforcement. But finance, engineering and management, along with information technology, are areas that could see the biggest losses, according to Elizabeth Kellar, the centers CEO.

Its a huge issue, Kellar said. To maintain a strong workforce, she said, states need to focus on recruiting and retaining good people, develop talent through training, offer competitive compensation and have a succession plan for passing on duties to younger workers.

At the same time, states must adjust to the characteristics of a new generation of workers, who are more likely to hop from job to job, and between the private and public sectors.

LOSING 3,000 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

In Maine, where roughly a quarter of the states IT workforce is eligible for retirement in the next two years, about 3,000 years of experience is going to be walking out the door, said Jim Smith, Maines chief information officer.

Its going to be transformational. Were going to need to do something radical to address this change.

His agency has been focusing on how to keep seasoned employees on the job while attracting new talent.

But the state isnt just focused on hiring young workers. Its also recruiting professionals whove spent their careers in the private sector and dont mind taking a pay cut to work in civil service.

Stateline is an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts
WASHINGTON  Illinois members of Congress continue to fight the location of a new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency complex in St. Louis, with Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, suggesting that Congress could refuse to appropriate money for it.

A Senate defense spending bill sets aside $801,000 toward acquiring land in north St. Louis, and $72 million to plan and design the $1.75 billion facility, which would replace the current, aging one in St. Louis.

But the House Appropriations Committee has tentatively zeroed out money for acquisition and cut the planning funds to $36 million, meaning that the Senate and House must negotiate final numbers on the projects initial phases. That process could take months, and is likely to last beyond the June 2 date that NGA Director Robert Cardillo says he will announce a final decision on the NGA site.

Illinois members of Congress want the NGA to go against its initial recommendation and build the new facility near Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County. They have argued that the environmental assessment report backing the St. Louis site is flawed. They also say the facility would be safer and more integrated into national military and intelligence communications networks if located near the Illinois air base.

Bost and Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Reps. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, and Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, met Thursday with Cardillo to reiterate their arguments. Bost said Cardillo turned down his request to extend the public comment period on the decision, which Cardillo has already done once.

David Berczek, a spokesman for Cardillo, said that the director felt it was a constructive engagement that helped him to continue to think through the process leading to his issuance of a record of decision in early June.

Missouri members of Congress have made dual national defense and local economic benefit arguments for the St. Louis site, saying it is important for the federal government to keep the high-tech facility in an urban area, with all its amenities, while boosting the St. Louis economy in an area of the city that needs it.

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., told reporters this week that he saw no roadblocks to the St. Louis site, and a member of his staff pointed out that the Houses defense budget blueprint cut the new site funding before Cardillo announced its tentative location in April. Blunts staff attributed the Houses lower funding levels to displeasure among House appropriators over how much information about the new site NGA officials were providing.

Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, said that there is nothing in the tentative House funding proposal that will sidetrack the project from going ahead in St. Louis, and that she has been working with House appropriators, whom her staff describers as supportive of the NGA relocation, to make sure the proper levels of funding are available. Part of the problem, a Wagner spokeswoman said, is that the NGA has not yet provided House appropriators with a full cost estimate.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said Friday she would be surprised if the Illinois opponents prevail.

I believe that the agency is confident in their decision, McCaskill said. I do not think that anything has come up that would change their decision, and I would be bitterly disappointed that, after a thorough process, that the member of a congressional delegation that didnt prevail is going to say we will just stop it altogether if we cant win. .... I would be surprised if you would see that level of irresponsibility exhibited in the Senate.

But Bost has written the Corps of Engineers inspector general asking for an investigation into how NGA arrived at the St. Louis site for the new facility. That process could take time and may not even come to fruition, and its unclear if it would have any effect on the final site.

Without naming names, Bost said he believed there has been political pressure to locate the new facility in St. Louis. Members of the Missouri delegation have publicly disclosed their lobbying efforts with the Obama White House, but they have maintained that the national security argument for St. Louis was a powerful one.

Illinois delegation members have raised concerns that the St. Louis site does not provide big enough buffer zones against possible attacks. Bost said an Army Corps of Engineers official in the meeting with Cardillo on Thursday suggested that the facility may have to go subterranean  underground  to meet government safety requirements.

NGA spokesman Berczek said that building below ground has not been part of the master planning for any of the four sites considered for the new facility.

Bost, whose district includes the site near Scott, said he told Cardillo that he was left with no other choice than to continue to fight the St. Louis location, including using the governments purse strings to stop or slow planning and land acquisition.

These are things if you dont have the money you cant do. Bost said.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who previously directed the NGA, told the Post-Dispatch recently that federal intelligence officials anticipated a cross-border battle on the location of the new facility.

Obviously I knew from the get-go that one delegation or the other was going to be unhappy about this decision-making process, Clapper said. But he also said he had no basis for countermanding Cardillos decision.
WASHINGTON  Congress has passed and sent to President Obama a bill allowing members of Congress to provide flags flown over the Capitol to survivors of firefighters, police officers or other public safety officers who died in the line of duty.

It was sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. It passed the Senate in April and was approved by voice vote in the House on Tuesday. It will become law when signed by the president. Rep. Peter King,. R-N.Y., has worked for several years on its passage.

The legislation passed in a week in which people from around the country are in Washington for National Police Week and Peace Office Memorial Day on Sunday. Fallen law enforcement officers will be honored Friday night at the 28th annual candlelight vigil by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund on Friday.

In Missouri, we lost nine first responders in the line of duty last year, Blunt said. We pray for their families and mourn their loss in our communities. These men and women dedicated their lives to the safety and well-being of others. Their courage and sacrifice exemplify our nations highest ideals, and it is only right that we honor them with a flag flown over the United States Capitol.
Firing up an ancient art

From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-05-17 09:21

Japanese artist Kyosuke Hayashi's passion for jian zhan pottery has set him on a journey of exploration to create a new type of chinaware. His creations are now in the collections of the Palace Museum in Beijing and the British Museum in London. Photos by Cai Hong/China Daily

Japanese craftsman re-creates a rare style of Song Dynasty porcelain that has been long lost in China. Cai Hong reports in Tokyo.

In 2007, the Japanese ceramic artist Kyosuke Hayashi brought his reproduction of rare chinaware to Beijing for an exhibition. His Chinese counterparts greatly admired the replica but were also a little bit embarrassed as no one in the country could re-create it.

The rare piece Hayashi reproduced is jian zhan, which literally means tea bowls fired in kilns. The craft originated in Southeast China's Fujian province during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

China's ceramic experts commended Hayashi's reproduction for achieving a similar scale of beauty to the jian zhan ware the Song masters achieved.

"It is amazing that the potters 800 years ago had a very good command of the technique," says Hayashi, adding that ceramic-making methods reached their pinnacle in the Song Dynasty.

Hayashi's creations, referred to as yohen tenmoku in Japanese, with yohen literally meaning "changed by the fire/flame", are now in the collections of the Palace Museum in Beijing and the British Museum in London.

Born in 1962 in Toki, central Japan's Gifu prefectureone of the country's major ceramic producersHayashi has won many awards for his pottery and ceramic works in Japan.

The jian zhan have patterns of starburst sparkles embedded in a black glaze. Within each star is a navy blue color of glistening mother-of-pearla shiny substance that forms the inside of certain mollusk shells.

One of Japanese artist Kyosuke Hayashi's creations

When observers gaze long enough at the surface, it appears to resemble an expanse of stars drifting across the heavens on a summer's night.

People from the Song Dynasty had a reason for tea bowls of this type. They would grind compressed tea into a fine powder with a stone mill, and then whisk it into froth in bowls. The best teas were judged by the purity and whiteness of their froth.

Jian zhan tea bowls were ideal for appreciating the light frothy foam. The bowls had deep blacks and reds with flecks of goldthe perfect contrast to the white and green of the tea, making the tea seem even more pure.

Another method used was oil-spot glazing, one of the most difficult glazing techniques. It required precision in the application, the firing conditions and the cooling process.

Oil spots occur when there is an excess of iron oxide, which is allowed to cool slowly and form radiant spots on the surface.

In the 13th century, jian zhan ware was introduced to Japan by its Buddhist monks returning from their studies in China.

Japan's Ashikaga shoguns (1336-1573), both warriors and avid tea practitioners, promoted the use of the Chinese-made tea bowls in chado, or the Japanese tea ceremony. Since then, yohen tenmoku tea bowls have held a revered position in the history and development of chado.

The Song Dynasty came to an abrupt end in the wake of the Mongol nomads, and with it, powdered tea gave way to tea leaves. The secrets of jian zhan glazing and firing techniques were lost.

In contrast, Japan continued the tradition of the Song Dynasty. With their source of yohen tenmoku bowls cut off, they created replicas.

China has excavated many fragments of jian zhan ware but not a single complete piece. The only four remaining complete examples of the chinaware fired in the Song Dynasty exist in Japan.

One of Japanese artist Kyosuke Hayashi's creations

Three of them are designated as National Treasures of Japan, kept in the Seikado Bunko Art Museum in Tokyo, the Fujita Art Museum in Osaka and the Ryuukouin Subtemple of the Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto. The fourth is in the Miho Museum outside of Kyoto, and the piece's existence was not widely known until fairly recently.

Up to the 1990s, it was widely believed that the techniques and quality of the Song Dynasty could not be replicated.

To learn more about the tradition and techniques of Song ceramic artisans, Hayashi traveled to Fujian to look for relics of yohen tenmoku before their glaze was changed by kiln firing.

He was lucky to find one that was exactly what he wanted.

"It was helpful in my study on replicating the yohen tenmoku ceramics," says Hayashi.

Scientists have discovered that items of jian zhan or yohen tenmoku contain a unique and incredibly difficult-to-produce crystalline formation known as epsilon-phase iron oxide.

Coincidentally, the jian zhan pieces with the highest count of this formation are also some of the most coveted for their beautiful silvery appearance.

It is believed that there was no way to control the finished product in the massive wood-burning kilns in the Song Dynasty. Because the adjustment of the fire in the kilns was left to chance when the bowls were made, their final appearance was impossible to predict.

One of Japanese artist Kyosuke Hayashi's creations

Thanks to modern technology, things are easier now.

Hayashi works with modern techniques to re-create the yohen tenmoku ware. He uses an electric kiln to get better control of firing and more consistent results.

"If I fire numerous wares in my kiln, I apply some kind of special material to one of them and (it inevitably) turns out to be a yohen tenmoku," the Japanese artisan says.

"But I want to reproduce the yohen tenmoku ceramics in 'Hayashi's style'," he says.

Now the biggest challenge for him is the weather, as different conditions can influence the flow of smoke coming out of the kiln and, as a result, the bowls.

Jian zhan or yohen tenmoku bowls are still considered among the most perfectly realized objects devoted to the beauty and culture of tea.

"It would be no exaggeration to say that yohen tenmoku ware are the epitome of the ceramic style of the world," Hayashi says.

His passion for the pottery set him on a journey of exploration that continues to this day. His long-term goal is to create a new type of yohen tenmoku.

"When I look at the replicas coming from my kiln, I always think that better ones are on the way tomorrow," says Hayashi. "I enjoy the firing process more than the wares."

Contact the writer at caihong@chinadaily.com.cn
How St. Louis-area members of Congress voted in the week of May 9-13.

House

Painkiller, heroin crisis  The House on May 12 voted, 413-5, to authorize a $515 million budget through fiscal 2021 for grants to help communities address a national epidemic in which addiction to prescribed painkillers often leads to heroin dependency and overdose deaths. A yes vote was to pass HR 5046.

Yes  William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis; Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, Ill.; Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin; Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, Ill.; Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, Mo.; John Shimkus, R-Collinsville; Jason Smith, R-Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Drug theft at hospitals  The House on May 12 refused, 190-225, to allow funding in HR 5046 (above) to be directed at efforts to stem employee thievery of prescription painkillers at hospitals, clinics and distribution centers. A yes vote backed the amendment over arguments it would duplicate Drug Enforcement Administration actions.

Yes  Clay.

No  Shimkus, Bost, Wagner, Davis, Smith, Luetkemeyer.

Senate

2017 energy, water budget  The Senate on May 12 approved, 90-8, a $37.5 billion energy and water budget for fiscal 2017. A yes vote was to pass HR 2028, which would appropriate $12.9 billion for ensuring the safety of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, $11.2 billion for energy programs and $6 billion for Army Corps of Engineers water projects.

Yes  Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Mark Kirk, R-Ill.; Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.; Roy Blunt,R-Mo.

Iran nuclear deal  The Senate on May 11 failed, 57-42, to reach the 60 votes it needed for mounting an assault on a newly implemented international deal for dismantling Irans nuclear arms program. A yes vote was to deny funding in HR 2028 (above) for American purchases of chemically altered heavy water from Irans nuclear inventory.

Yes  Blunt, Kirk.

No  McCaskill, Durbin.

Fish and Wildlife, water projects The Senate on May 11 defeated, 39-60, an amendment to HR 2028 (above) that would expand U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service influence over Army Corps of Engineers water projects. A yes vote was to boost the services authority to protect fish and wildlife populations in the midst of dredging and construction.

Yes  Durbin.

No  Blunt, Kirk, McCaskill.

Key Votes Ahead

In the week of May 16, the Senate will debate the 2017 transportation and housing budgets. The House schedule was to be announced.

The votes and descriptions are compiled by Voterama in Congress, a legislative tracking organization.
WASHINGTON  The endorsement lists are growing in Missouri's U.S. Senate race.

Incumbent Sen. Roy Blunt. R-Mo., last week highlighted his endorsement from the Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters with a three-event tour around the state. Blunts opponent, Democratic Secretary of State Jason Kander has locked up many of the state and local unions in the state, and many nationally.

The fire fighters endorsement is notable because, as Blunts campaign points out, the group does not have a history of backing Republicans, and in 2010 backed Blunts opponent, Robin Carnahan.

Other than this, the endorsement spheres have lined up as they do traditionally, with labor unions generally supporting Kander and pro-business groups generally supporting Blunt.

The Democrat Kanders endorsement list, as supplied Monday by his campaign:

 International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers

 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

 International Brotherhood of Teamsters

 Laborers International Union of North America

 Office and Professional Employees International Union

 The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades

 United Transportation Union

 United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing, Pipefitting and Sprinkler Fitting Industry

 United Food and Commercial Workers International Union

 United Auto Workers Union

 Amalgamated Transit Union

 International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers

 Missouri AFL-CIO

 Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council

 MO/KS SEIU State Council

 Heat & Frost Insulator's and Allied Workers Local #1

And these firefighter union locals:

 Greater Kansas City, Local 42

 Smithville, Local 4945

 Kansas City, Local 3808

 St. Joseph, Local 77

 Cass County, Local 3112

Blunts latest endorsement list, as supplied Monday by his campaign:

 Missouri Corn Growers

 Missouri Soybean Association

 Missouri Cattlemen

 Missouri Dairy Association

 Missouri Pork Producers

 Eagle Forum

 Missouri Farm Bureau FARM-PAC

 U.S. Chamber of Commerce

 Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters.

ON THE WEB:

BY THE NUMBERS:

1,054,160  Votes Roy Blunt received in his last statewide race in Missouri, in 2010

1,298.022  Votes Jason Kadner received in his last statewide race in Missouri, in 2012. (Note: Voter turnout is generally higher in presidential election years such as 2012, versus non-presidential years like 2010)

THEY SAID IT: Its not hard to see a `time for a change' message resonating against Blunts resume', but Democrats have to prove they can win a federal statewide race in Missouri without extraordinary circumstances (specifically, Todd Akin)." Recent analysis by the Rothenberg-Gonzales Political Report, a non-partisan publication that covers federal elections.
Chuck Raasch Chuck Raasch is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Chuck Raasch 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

WASHINGTON  All the many players were there.

Inside the Ronald Reagan Conference Center, behind a line of yellow police tape, a handful of United States senators, including Missouris Roy Blunt, were meeting Thursday with that lightning rod of a likely Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

Fresh off a meeting minutes before and eight blocks away with House Speaker Paul Ryan, where a similar tableau of protest and protection had unfurled, Trump arrived near high noon in a squadron of four black Suburbans.

The tank-like vehicles disappeared into a subterranean driveway under the headquarters of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, an organization that has raised $55 million to elect Republican senators. Led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, senators  driven from offices three blocks away on Capitol Hill  came and went through a side door.

It was another act of Trump Theater in D.C., one that ended with Ryan declaring himself encouraged but not ready to endorse. Cable networks covered it live and perpetually on a level once reserved for events such as Reagan-Gorbachev nuclear detente summits or the beginnings or endings of wars.

But this is Trump-mania, and no act is too small  not even an image of the billionaires jet plane sitting on the tarmac at Reagan National Airport. CNN interrupted an interview with a Trump surrogate who is on the network as much as some of its correspondents with the breaking news of a Trump tweet.

Great Day in DC, it said, which is also what your average D.C. tourist might have tweeted to friends back home at that very moment.

Parsing that tweet, and dissecting Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebuss declaration that the Ryan-Trump meeting had been cooperative and positive, kept the live cable theater going for several more hours.

At fortress NRSC, a phalanx of big men in dark suits and stern looks assembled out front, earpieces in right ears, Secret Service pins on left lapels. Eight metro police officers stood at ease in front of them, and police cars guarded the intersections where cable satellite trucks also loomed.

This is a familiar post-9/11 Washington formation, human barriers to the stand-and-wait, stand-and-chant crowds co-mingling on the perimeter.

Across the street, that stand-and-wait crowd of journalists marked its forward territory with a bank of a dozen television cameras. Famous faces talked through a couple of the cameras to voices in far-away studios. A couple dozen other reporters and photographers milled, hoping for a furtive photo opportunity or shouted quote, although they had been told there would be no press availability of any of the participants, including Blunt, after the meeting.

Still, you never know when news breaks out and all this standing in front of a building pays off.

Behind the journalists, a smattering of protestors  as many as 50 in the stand-and-chant crowd at one point  held up professionally printed anti-Trump signs. Cameras clicked and rolled. Sometimes led by members of Code Pink, the anti-war group that often disrupts congressional hearings, they chanted slogans such as racist, sexist, not okay  Donald Trump, go away and this is what democracy looks like.

Well, scripted democracy, anyway.

Joining in the anti-Trump chants was Brad Woodhouse, a professional Democrat and self-described campaign surrogate for President Barack Obama. He is president and CEO of Americans United for Change, a deep-pockets liberal group that has been involved in fights ranging from then-President George W. Bushs Social Security reform; to the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare; to Obamas current nominee for the Supreme Court, whose confirmation is being held up by the very senators across the street.

Woodhouse has also headed up Correct the Record, a pro-Hillary Clinton group that is paying pro-Clinton users of Facebook and other online sites $1 million to counterattack anti-Clinton posters on social media. Woodhouse is a frequent talking head on some of the same networks whose cameras were lined up a few feet away.

Fifty minutes passed with no sign of a breakup of the private assemblage. Most of the protestors melted away, some heading for lunch at a nearby row of restaurants. Two young people, professional dog walkers on what looked like a daily route, momentarily occupied the space, then moved on, bewildered looks on their faces.

An elderly tourist barked: Wheres the pro-Trump rally?

Suddenly, movement!

The four Suburbans exited, Trump behind the tinted glass of one. An officer pulled down the police tape. The men in black were gone.

Only the cameras remained.
EAST ST. LOUIS  David Mitchell Carter, 50, of Olney, Ill., has been sentenced in federal court here to six months in prison for accepting Social Security disability payments while also holding a job.

Afterward, Carter must stay confined to his home for six months and repay $77,535 to the Social Security Administration, according to his sentence Tuesday in U.S. District Court. The home confinement is the first part of three years of supervised release.

Carter pleaded guilty on Jan. 7 of theft of government funds. The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney James Porter said in a statement that Carter fraudulently accepted disability payments for six years beginning in January 2008 by concealing his employment. The job he held was not listed in court documents.
CARLINVILLE  Two people were injured in an explosion that destroyed a home shortly after a digging crew severed an underground natural gas line Wednesday, authorities said.

Carlinville Mayor Deanna Demuzio said the two people were taken to a hospital in Springfield, where their injuries were not considered critical.

The explosion occurred about 10:40 a.m. in the 400 block of North West Street, an area of generally small frame homes.

The Illinois State Police reported that a crew digging for a municipal water main hit the gas line.

Ameren Illinois crews responded but could not shut off the gas service before the explosion occurred, state police said. Utility workers shut off service to the area, and local authorities evacuated nearby residents.

Several area departments assisted the Carlinville Fire Department in responding, the spokesman said.

Carlinville, in Macoupin County, is about 60 miles northeast of St. Louis.
EAST ST. LOUIS  A man from North Carolina who travels for work on car-sales promotions was found shot to death early Tuesday in the Edgemont neighborhood.

The body of Anthony Bush, 47, of Charlotte, was found in the 700 block of North 85th Street about 4:50 a.m., said Illinois State Police Sgt. Matt Weller. He said East St. Louis police arrived after receiving a call about a shooting.

Bush suffered a single gunshot wound. His body was near the street on a lawn.

Weller said police didn't know why Bush was on 85th Street and had no suspects. He said Bush was in the St. Louis area working for a company that puts on auto-sales events in many locations.
PEORIA, Ill.  A federal judge in Peoria has approved a settlement between the Illinois state prison system and lawyers for 11,000 mentally ill prisoners who alleged that inadequate treatment amounted to "cruel and unusual punishment."

The agreement in a 2007 class-action lawsuit calls for the Illinois Department of Corrections to build four new treatment units at the Logan, Pontiac and Dixon prisons as well as in Joliet.

Those new unites will cost $40 million. Hiring new staff members as part of the settlement is expected to cost another $40 million a year.

A tentative agreement in the case was reached in late December. U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm signed off on the settlement Friday, calling the state's plans "fair and reasonable."
Representatives from three federal agencies did not attend a community meeting Monday night about the West Lake Landfill, citing concerns about online threats.

The online comments were made after a Post-Dispatch article on Sunday said concerns about radiation at the Bridgeton landfill and Coldwater Creek could be overblown, according to experts.

EPA spokesman Curtis Carey said the threats, which have been deleted, were made by one person on the West Lake Landfill Facebook group.

According to the EPA, the comments included: "Let's put these murderers and bribe-takers in the ground."

EPA, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers all canceled their plans to send representatives to the West Lake Landfill Community Advisory Group's meeting. The volunteer-run group holds these meetings about once a month so residents can ask the agencies questions about the landfill's remaining contamination.

"When they saw the threat, all three agencies said that's not acceptable. It's too great a risk," Carey said.

The EPA declined to reveal the identity of the person who made the threats, but said this person "has repeatedly spoken about violence" to the three agencies.

The EPA filed a complaint with its Office of Inspector General, which makes reports of such complaints to local law enforcement. Carey said that would likely be the Kirkwood police, in this case.

Carey said the EPA hopes to continue attending meetings in the future. "We're hoping that this is an aberration," he said.

Dawn Chapman, the West Lake Landfill Facebook group's moderator, wrote on the page at 6:30 p.m. Monday: "OK guy's, no threatening remarks are allowed on this page. If threats are made you will be removed immediately. Thank you, the admins."
UPDATED at 8:40 a.m. with order lifted.

CHESTERFIELD  A boil order has been lifted in West County.

Brian Russell, a spokesman for Missouri American Water, said the boil order was lifted at 7:45 a.m. Monday.

Residents in parts of Chesterfield and Ballwin had been asked on Sunday to boil their water before drinking. Police said the order mainly affected the areas near Schoettler, Clayton, and Baxter roads.

Russell said the problem started Saturday when the company's central plant lost power, which meant insufficient pressure could allow bacteria to grow. However, Russell said tests revealed the water was safe to drink.
EAST ALTON  Bryce, age 2, joyfully swooshed cooking-pot lids across the kitchen table. Little brother Brody, 1, wiggled in his fathers left arm.

I have a lot to live for, said Ty Bechel.

Its an ordinary declaration of contentment and purpose for a young, harried father of four  the boys and their big sisters, Allie, 5, and Dorie, 10. And it is a long way from his opiate-addled torment of only four years ago.

Bechel is a recovering heroin addict. He descended from pain-pill abuse to heroin, landed in jail and almost lost his family.

I am not unique, he said. This can happen to anybody.

That is the warning in the one-act play and an autobiography that Bechel has written since the days of his lurching, sometimes backsliding road to sobriety. He has founded a nonprofit group, Amare, to help other addicts. He speaks to local organizations such as the Wood River Rotary Club, which he addressed on Monday.

He said he has been clean since Aug. 19, 2012. Vouching for him are no less than Madison County court officials in Edwardsville who witnessed his tailspin and resolve to save himself.

Bechel is grateful that Christina Hebblethwaite, his fiancee and mother of their children, never permanently gave up on him, and is not sure why she didnt. These days, he writes fiction and cares for the kids in their split-level home while she works as a nurse. They have set a date in October to finally get married.

Said Hebblethwaite, There were very bad times  stealing, jail. But I had a gut feeling to stick with him. You dont see too many survivors in this kind of thing.

Madison County Coroner Stephen P. Nonn can attest to that. Nonn said heroin-induced deaths in the county jumped to 43 last year after having hovered around two dozen in each of the three previous years. Most of the dead were white males from their mid-20s to their 40s. Bechel, a white male, is 34.

Mirroring the national epidemic of cheap heroin and resulting carnage, deaths in the county began rising in 2009, when Nonns office reported seven due to heroin overdoses. In St. Louis County, there were 30 such deaths in 2007, rising to 113 in 2014, ninety-nine in 2015 and 10 already this year.

Nationally, 10,574 people died of heroin abuse in 2014, up 26 percent in one year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency said prior misuse of prescription pain medications is the strongest risk factor and that high-purity, inexpensive heroin often is easier to find on the streets than painkillers.

For all those reasons, Nonn is enthusiastic about Bechels play, which debuted on stage in Granite City in March and is set for a second showing on April 30 at Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey. Nonn plans to speak before the performance.

Ill be a part of anything that is shouting out about the problem we have, he said. This is all part of educating the public.

The play, If I Never Wake Up, is the tale of a teenage girl named Aurora who slides from marijuana to pain pills to heroin, a trail similar to Bechels own. The source of the drugs  the villain  is Auroras best friends boyfriend. The connection is disarmingly mundane, as it usually is in real life, Bechel said.

His autobiography, Heroin Rising: A Tale of True Terror, includes two chilling sentences that speak to the frightening lure of heroin and daunting challenge of escape. Of his first heroin rush, he writes, An opiate orgasm was released that day. I would spend the next coming months chasing it to the ends of the Earth.

He calls addiction a slow and painful death, like being stabbed by many different knives.

He self-published the 123-page story in paperback book form and sold 44 during a signing event on Tuesday. Last year, he and Hebblethwaite founded their charity, Amare, using the Italian word for love, and recently organized a food drive.

They grew up in the Wood River-East Alton area and met in 2002. Bechel was working at a cellphone store and drifting into pain pills when Hebblethwaite became pregnant. Theirs was a rocky tale of breakups and reconciliations. His low point was when he stole his brothers hunting bow and pawned it.

Thats the mentality of an addict, he said in an interview. Ill get it back out of pawn. Ill figure out something.

He went through Madison County Drug Court and rehabilitation centers. He praised Judge Kyle Napp and probation officer Phillip White for telling him hard truths he needed to hear and giving him a chance to succeed.

They return the compliment. Napp said Bechels turnabout gives hope to me and everyone in the drug court that what we are doing matters. White called him one of our success stories. As far as I can tell, he is walking the walk. He is putting a lot of action and effort into positive things, like the play and the book.

White said most of the addicts who land in drug court will relapse afterward, at least once. I dont think the public realizes how hard this is, and how bad the heroin situation is, said White, now a drug court supervisor. Truth is, it is out of control.

Brent Cummins, director of adult addiction treatment at Chestnut Health Systems in the Metro East, which works with the Madison County drug court, said new medications and a growing public understanding of drug abuse as a chronic health issue are helping to treat addicts. But heroins power to change brain chemistry makes it a daunting challenge.

The cravings are too much for some people, Cummins said.

He said he plans to attend Bechels production in Godfrey. Anything that raises awareness in the community is good, he said.

Thats what Bechel wants to hear. In all the stark detail, he offers his story both to reveal the depths and offer hope to people like himself.

I dont struggle with it every day anymore, he said. When you finally figure out that you dont have to live like that, and that you can achieve something, it begins to get easier.

The play begins at 7:30 p.m. April 30 in the Olin Theater at the Lewis & Clark campus. Tickets are $5. For information, see www.amarenfp.org or call Bechel at 618-780-4843.
ST. LOUIS  Lure nightclub has announced plans to shut its doors for good after a farewell party Saturday night.

Owners of the club on Washington Avenue downtown appealed a ruling last month by a judge to revoke Lure's liquor license after finding evidence of excessive noise, fighting, loitering and other nuisances.

Club owners said after the Sept. 20 ruling that they were being unfairly targeted and would prevail on appeal. But according to advertisements and confirmation from an employee at the club Thursday, the final night for the club will be Saturday. The license revocation was to take effect Sunday, although during the appeal process, the nightclub's liquor license remains valid.

Club owners said violence outside the club was not related to Lure and the neighborhood, and that city leaders wanted Lure gone because it caters to African-Americans  something the city strongly denies.

The appeal of municipal Judge Margaret Walsh's ruling could take a few months, said a spokesman for Mayor Francis Slay. The case is now before Circuit Judge Robert Dierker, who will review the hearing of the city's excise commission, which Walsh presided over.

A Thursday night event was promoted as a "Farewell to Lure Bash," with women getting in for free and drinking for $1 until midnight. The club also will be open tonight and Saturday night, employees said Thursday.

A city spokesman said if the club reopened under another name during the appeal process, as has been speculated, club owners could do so. But they would have to contact the city's excise division, which handles liquor licenses, to make the name change. That had not happened as of Thursday.

Neither the owners of Lure nor their attorneys could be reached for comment.
NEW YORK  Fliers who don't have the latest driver's licenses, including those issued by Missouri and Illinois, will have a two-year reprieve before their IDs are rejected at airport security checkpoints.

Many travelers had been worried that the Transportation Security Administration would penalize them because of a federal law requiring newer, more-stringent IDs at the start of this year.

But late Friday afternoon, the Department of Homeland Security said passengers could continue using their current IDs until Jan. 22, 2018. Some would have until Oct. 1, 2020.

After those dates, passengers without the proper driver's licenses would have to use other federally-approved forms of ID such as a passport.

The Real ID Act, approved by Congress in 2005, set minimum standards for licenses in response to security concerns following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Enforcement of those requirements has repeatedly been delayed.

For a license to be compliant with the Real ID Act, the state issuing it must, for example, incorporate anti-counterfeit technology into the card, verify the applicant's identity and conduct background checks for employees involved in issuing driver's licenses.

Currently, 23 states and U.S. territories have complied with the act and 27 states and territories have been granted an extension. Five states  Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, Missouri and Washington  and American Samoa have not complied and have not been granted an extension.

Those states oppose requirements in the law that include storing images of documents that driver's license applicants present as proof of their identity, such as birth certificates. State officials say that information could be breached and could be used to track law-abiding U.S. citizens.

They also oppose the U.S. government unilaterally setting standards in an area traditionally handled by the states.
An 18-year-old high school senior who uses math to make art has graduated from Rubiks Cubes to crayons.

Last fall, Connor Wright used 5,980 Rubiks cubes to create a mural of Stan Musial at Ballpark Village.

The Magic House called soon after, asking Wright to create its own mural.

This time, Wright is creating a 30-foot-long, 2.5-ton mosaic of the St. Louis riverfront skyline using 300,000 crayons, 132 boxes and 500 tubes of glue  all in three months.

The crayons are being stacked and glued on top of each other, with their flat ends making the pixels of a picture that portrays the St. Louis riverfront.

Wright figured out the design in two months, crafting a crayon-by-crayon map using his own algorithm and eye for art, which he has developed since he was young.

In four days, Wright and Magic House staff sorted thousands of crayons into baggies by color, so that each of the 132 boxes that will make up the mural had bags for the exact number of crayons it needed.

Then the Magic House staff shipped 90 of those boxes to schools and nonprofits around the St. Louis area for children to complete themselves, by gluing the crayons following grids Wright provided.

More than 1,000 children can say they had a part in making the mosaic happen. Wrights family and friends are helping him make the rest, and the final product will be unveiled Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, the Magic House is thrilled with Wright and more than happy to foot the $25,000 bill for the materials.

Crayons make for an ideal mosaic material, Wright said, because theyre consistent in size and offer a lot of colors to work with  Wright is using 77, compared to five Rubiks Cube colors on the Musial mural.

Priory senior twists nearly 6,000 Rubik's Cubes into mural of Stan Musial Enormous mural dedicated to the Cardinal Hall of Famer is made wholly out of 53,820 colored squares on the faces of 5,980 Rubik's Cubes.

A crayons flat end is smaller than a square panel on a Rubiks Cube, which lets Wright create a mural that has more pixels, increasing the resolution and making the picture look more realistic.

This type of art is called pointillism, a post-Impressionistic style that originated in the late 1800s and uses individual dots of color to form a picture.

Wright knew back in third grade that he would use math to make art. Hes emailed and Skyped artists in New York and Germany to learn how.

Math makes art precise and less arbitrary for him, he said. It helps him know exactly what he has to do to finish an art piece.

I could combine the exactitude of math and the freedom of art to use both the left and right sides of my brain, he said.

Wright wears black boat shoes with no socks, a navy Ralph Lauren long-sleeve polo shirt and pink and white cotton shorts. Hes a bundle of activity and philanthropy, a senior high school student who is still waiting to hear where he will study next year.

Hes worked every day at the Magic House for two weeks, including weekends, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., forgoing classes with his teachers support.

He wont accept a dime for his work and is donating what would have been his commission to the Magic House, which in turn will give 5,000 underprivileged kids a free night at the museum.

Wright has a resume he could boast about, but doesnt.

There are the collections of books he donated last summer to four schools in East St. Louis. He also happens to be the student council president at St. Louis Priory School, chief photographer for his school paper, a member of mock trial and an Eagle Scout.

When his mother listens to him list his achievements, she rests her chin on the heel of her hand and says nothing. None of this is new to her anymore.

He deflects praise with an embarrassed laugh. He says hello, not hi, to every Magic House employee who walks by him in the museum.

He said he did so many of these projects because of the people hes met on the streets of St. Louis, where hes taken Humans of New York-style portraits for yet another project he started at his high school newspaper.

Some of them came from circumstances very different from his. Older people who said they dont believe in going to college, maybe simply because they know they could never afford it, were talking to a teenager from Town and Country for whom college isnt a question of when, but where.

He loves math and art, but this gap in educational opportunities is the very issue he wants to study and solve in college and after. This mural is one way for him to do that.

I realized that this was not just a lack of resources at school, he said. I wanted to get started on that mission in St. Louis and America.

What it takes to make a 30-foot crayon mural

 300,000 crayons in 77 colors

 132 wooden boxes

 165 strips to fill in the gaps

 500 9-ounce glue tubes

The materials cost a total of $25,000 and weigh 2.5 tons.

The mural will be unveiled on Thursday at 9 a.m. at the Magic House.
CHESTERFIELD  The Chesterfield City Council on Monday approved a contract with the Novak Consulting Group to conduct a search for a new city administrator.

The Cincinnati-based firm will be paid up to $24,900 and have a deadline of no later than the week of Aug. 15.

The search will include vetting an internal candidate  Director of Public Services Mike Geisel, currently acting (along with Police Chief Ray Johnson) as interim co-city administrator  and conducting an external national search for prospective candidates. The city is replacing Mike Herring, who retired on March 31 after serving the city for all of its 28 years.

Novak was selected out of eight proposals received by the city, officials said.

We havent had a new city administrator in 28 years, and we need to do our homework so a good choice is made, Mayor Bob Nation said.

Interim City Attorney Christopher Graville said the selection process would be clear and transparent, with Geisel never having reviewed any contract proposal.

In other business Monday, the council approved a contract of up to $1.95 million with Volk Construction to build the Veterans Honor Park at Central Park.

The honor park will include a central monumental stone and concrete fountain, as well as benches, paving and walkways, signage, flagpoles, lighting and landscaping.

Almost $560,000 has been contributed through private fundraising efforts, with the city providing matching funds  including $693,000 from general fund reserves  and obtaining a $525,000 grant from the St. Louis County Municipal Parks Commission this year.

A groundbreaking event for the facility is set for 6 p.m. June 1 at 631 Veterans Place Drive, adjacent to the south entrance of the Chesterfield Amphitheater. The project is estimated to be finished by early spring of 2017.

Lee Wall, a resident who has helped spearhead the project along with resident Jan Misuraca, said plans are for educational curriculum using the honor park to be made available to area students. The site also will be used to make presentations of awards to area veterans, he said.
UPDATED at 11 a.m. Thursday with latest on power outages, Normandy High School classes canceled and small tornado confirmed near Sullivan

A third wave of thunderstorms pushed through the metro area Thursday morning, flooding some streets.

The heaviest storms, which hit Wednesday afternoon, brought large hail and high winds, downing trees and damaging cars and a few homes. The second wave of storms, with lightning and additional hail, hit the area Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service expects Thursday's storms to move to the east by midday. As of 10 a.m., rainfall of 1.5 inches was recorded at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport from noon Wednesday through Thursday morning.

The forecast for Friday is for sunshine and a high of 77 but with a chance for another round of heavy storms in the afternoon and evening.

The weekend forecast called for highs in the 60s both Saturday and Sunday.

A Weather Service survey team confirmed that a small tornado touched down about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in Crawford County, Mo., south of Sullivan, Mo. The team rated it as an EF-1, the second-lowest category, with winds from 85 p.m. to 110 mph. No one was hurt.

Classes at Normandy High School were canceled Thursday because of a power outage, the school reported on its website.

Ameren reported as many as 36,000 customers without power Wednesday afternoon. As of 10:30 a.m. Thursday, about 9,500 were without power, mainly in west and north St. Louis County. The heaviest concentrations were in the Ferguson and Spanish Lake areas.

By Thursday morning, fewer than 100 customers in Illinois were without power.

During the big storm Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service says it had official reports of hail as large as four inches in diameter in Cottleville about 1 p.m. Neighborhoods in western St. Charles city reported three-inch hail.

Jim Kramper, a meteorologist at the Weather Service office in Weldon Spring, said the largest hail generally fell along a line from Cottleville and Weldon Spring into St. Charles. Kramper said 3.5-inch hail hit the weather office.

He said the Weather Service received numerous reports of damage to vehicles. Lambert-St. Louis International Airport reported .8 inch of rain in that storm.

Colene McEntee, spokeswoman for the St. Charles County Emergency Management Agency, said two of those locations were the Camelot subdivision in Weldon Spring and CitiMortgage in O'Fallon. No one was injured, police said.

On Wednesday night, officials in Washington County, Mo., reported multiple swift-water rescues in the northern part of the county by 9 p.m. No one was seriously injured.

Hail of 1.25 inches was reported in Festus during that storm, which was heaviest to the south of St. Louis.

During the storm Wednesday afternoon, reports of hail of one inch or less were widespread through the area, as well as of damaging winds. There was hail of 1.75 inch in University City. On the Illinois side, hail of 1/2 to one inch was reported in Millstadt and New Athens. Wind of 76 mph was reported in New Baden.

There were also reports of large trees down.

A large tree fell and damaged three houses in the 6900 block of Dale Avenue east of McCausland Avenue, where another fallen tree blocked traffic. Firefighters rescued the pet dog of the family whose home was most damaged on Dale.

"The rear of that house was pretty much ripped off, and firefighters heard the dog whimpering in a back room," said fire Capt. Garon Mosby. "They pulled away debris and got it loose."

Mosby said no one was injured.

Ferguson also reported large trees down, temporarily blocking streets.
FORT BRAGG, N.C.  Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who walked off his combat outpost in Afghanistan and spent five years in captivity, will be court-martialed under a new commander-in-chief.

A military judge decided Tuesday to delay Bergdahl's trial from August until February to provide time for resolving disputes over the defense team's access to classified documents.

Bergdahl, now 30, sat attentively in his dress blue formal uniform, his infantry cord looped under the epaulet on his right shoulder, during the brief hearing. The soldier from Hailey, Idaho, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The latter charge is relatively rare and carries the potential of life in prison.

A February start would mean the court-martial could make headlines only weeks after the new commander-in-chief is sworn in as president.

Given the shape of the campaign so far, that will likely mean either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be in charge of the military.

Bergdahl's defense says the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has already damaged his chances for a fair trial by calling him a "dirty, rotten traitor," who "should have been executed."

The judge, Col. Jeffrey Nance, also ruled that media organizations could hire a stenographer to capture courtroom discussions during the trial, and he gave Army prosecutors one week to provide reporters covering the case with online access to court documents.

The judge postponed deciding a dispute that could influence how much punishment Bergdahl could face if convicted.

The Army's primary investigating officer last year recommended against Bergdahl facing jail time, saying there is no evidence that any service members were killed or wounded searching for him in Afghanistan. A preliminary hearing officer recommended against a bad-conduct discharge.

But those recommendations were scrapped in December by the general overseeing the case. Gen. Robert Abrams, who leads the Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, instead sided with an Army lawyer's recommendation for a general court-martial.

Bergdahl's defense lawyers contend that the Army lawyer's advice to Abrams was so incomplete that it misled the four-star general. Nance did not explain why he opted against taking up the issue Tuesday.

Bergdahl was quickly captured after walking off his combat post in Afghanistan in 2009, and held as a prisoner by the Taliban and its allies until President Barack Obama exchanged five Guantanamo Bay detainees for his safe return, saying the U.S. "does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind."

Obama's decision was harshly criticized. Some members of Congress said it jeopardized national security. Trump has targeted Bergdahl for scorn dozens of times on the campaign trail, saying among other things that he should have been thrown from a plane.

The defense's complaints about Trump have no bearing on the case right now, according to Rachel VanLandingham, a former Air Force lawyer who teaches at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. But if he is elected in November and keeps up his harsh comments, the defense could more effectively argue that a President Trump is unfairly pressuring Army brass for a conviction, she said.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials have been notified that threats against Bergdahl continue.

"Given the many incendiary comments that have been broadcast and otherwise disseminated about Sgt. Bergdahl, his immediate commander at Fort Sam Houston has taken measures to ensure his physical safety when leaving the installation," his attorneys wrote in February.

A spokesman at the Texas post declined to describe these measures, citing security considerations. But as "a group of soldiers, battle buddies, we all look out for each other," Sgt. Maj. Matt Howard said.

Bergdahl can come and go the same as any other soldier from Fort Sam Houston, where he works a desk job in a headquarters unit, handling "a lot of administrative work that needs to be done. Paperwork, moving stuff from place to place, things like that," Howard said.

___

Follow Emery P. Dalesio at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/emery-p-dalesio .
Kevin Horrigan Kevin Horrigan is the deputy editorial page editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Kevin Horrigan 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

In fall 2011, when Occupy St. Louis was encamped at Kiener Plaza downtown, I went looking for one of the groups leaders. This was not easy, since Occupy shunned hierarchical leadership models and referred most decisions to general assemblies that went on for hours even when the issue was the location of porta-potties.

Eventually a young woman agreed to talk with me. I asked what they were doing in Kiener Plaza. The people they were upset with (vaguely, the 1 percent) mostly lived in Ladue. Shouldnt you be occupying someplace like the Bogey Club? I asked. The young woman walked away, muttering something about dopes in the mainstream media.

This is the trouble with protest movements today. Theyre targeting the wrong people. The angry, under-employed legions of Donald Trumps supporters and the angry, under-employed legions of anti-Trump activists have more in common than they realize. Yes, theyve been screwed, but not by each other.

Fortunately, if they can bring themselves to read a book, theres a new one available thats like a primer to who and what did the screwing. Its called Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It.

Full disclosure: Back in the day, Nicholas G. Penniman IV was a top executive at the Post-Dispatch. I knew him to say hi. His son, Nick, whom Ive never met, is the co-author, with Wendell Potter, of Nation on the Take. Both men are former journalists who now work for public interest groups.

They are doing Gods work. The reason America cant do anything about the problems that Occupy, the Trumpsters and the anti-Trumpsters are outraged about is that big money has corrupted the democratic process. Trump, whatever his other wacko positions, is right about this one: Most Republicans and a whole lot of Democrats, at every level of government, are deeply in big moneys pocket.

Penniman and Potter explain how this happened. They give you the court cases. They name names. They follow the money. They offer prescriptions for reform. If, like me, you are so obsessed with this issue that your co-workers and family roll their eyes when you start to talk, you wont learn much that is new. If youre just generally ticked off and think that somehow wearing the right T-shirt will bring social justice or Make America Great Again, you should read this book.

In 1896, at the height of what Mark Twain dubbed the Gilded Age, Sen. Mark Hanna of Ohio got Republican William McKinley elected president. Hanna explained:

There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money, and I cant remember what the second one is.

In todays second Gilded Age, thats more true than ever. Potter and Penniman write that in 2013, newly elected House Democrats were given a model schedule to help them organize their time. It included four hours of call time and one hour of strategic outreach time. Every day, members of the peoples House have to spend five hours raising money.

And who are they getting it from? Joe Sixpack, whos not paying attention? People who can write a $25 check?

There is no poor peoples political action committee, Kansas Republican Sen. Bob Dole once observed.

They get it from banks and businesses, from lobbyists for banks and businesses. Democrats get it from unions, though business groups outspend unions by 15-to-1. The destruction of unions has been a key goal for Republicans for decades. Unions, of course, objected to the various free-trade agreements passed with Democratic and Republican support, the same free-trade agreements that supporters of both Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders are angry about.

Potter and Penniman trace the money that worked against the working class. That includes the pharmaceutical lobbys successful effort during the George W. Bush administration to keep Medicare from negotiating drug prices. Big Pharma helped pass President Obamas Affordable Care Act because it got protection there, too.

You buy drugs, you pay more because money talked.

The authors trace the money in the bank bailout in 2008 and the successful effort by the financial industry to make mortgage debt exempt during bankruptcy filings. They discuss the tax loopholes that cost the country $1 trillion a year, thus placing more of the burden on the middle class.

This book will make you mad, but youre probably already mad, so it will make you mad and informed. It could cause you to vote against incumbents in every office up for election. A few reformers would get hurt, but theyd be collateral damage in what would, overall, be progress.

To change things, Penniman and Potter suggest, everyone will have to get involved. Everyone will have to know where the money is coming from. All sides would play by the same rules and everyone would be held accountable.

Hats and T-shirts wont help. If you want justice, if you want your country back, thats what its going to take.
Most of us probably grew up having fairy tales read to us as we drifted off to sleep. But how many times have you thought back and realized just how, well, grim some of them are? Did any of them ever make your rest a little bit uneasy? Have you ever wondered what those same fairy tales might sound like if the hapless Red Riding Hoods, Hansels and Gretels had been taught about gun safety and how to use firearms?

 NRA Family

Jan. 14, 2016

Well, duh. Who hasnt?

All those fairy tales, all those years. All those fierce, talking animals. All those witches and trolls. All those helpless little kids. Who hasnt thought: Get yourself strapped, kid.

Now, thanks to the editors of NRA Family, one of the many fine publications of the National Rifle Association, you can read revised versions of some of your favorite fairy tales to your kids. In the NRAs tales, the kids are law-abiding gun owners. The outcomes are different.

For example, in the NRAs version of Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf doesnt mess with Red Riding Hood because shes carrying a rifle along with the goodies shes taking to grandmas house. Nor does the wolf eat grandma and hop into her bed, because granny has a shotgun.

Perfect. If theres any group that knows about fairy tales, its the NRA. The big one is that guns will be used responsibly, for hunting, and perhaps for self-defense against a world thats full of people who want to harm you, i.e., criminals, terrorists and gun-depriving Obama-lovers. The fundamental NRA fairy tale is that gun owners will always be prepared, well-trained and act heroically when danger pops up.

True story: Not long ago, I overheard a gentleman from a small town in southern Illinois, a retired doctor, say he would never give up his AR-15 assault rifle because of the possibility that Islamic State paratroopers might invade his town. His fairy tale was that Islamic State will develop airlift capabilities and do an airdrop into rural Illinois and he will fight them off.

Fairy tales involving guns are far more likely to read like this:

There was was an old woman who lived in a shoe, who had so many children she didnt know what to do. For protection, she owned a pink Lady Smith .38 Special that she kept in a drawer. One day, the 4-year-old found it. Now theres more room in the shoe.

One day the three little pigs were sitting around drinking beer and tequila shots and arguing about building materials. The first pig favored straw, the second favored sticks and the third pig favored brick. He told his brothers they were lazy.

The first pig threw back his tequila and went out to his pickup truck. He came back carrying a Glock 17. The third pig was a little drunk and was slow on the draw. His brother shot him. Authorities arrested the first pig and charged him with swineslaughter in the first degree. The second pig noticed a fine brick barbecue pit at his late brothers house and grilled up some pork steaks.

Once upon a time, Jacks mother told him to take the cow into town and sell it. On the way, nature called. Jack stopped at a gas station, where he traded the cow for a handful of beans and the key to the restroom. His mother was disgusted and threw the beans out the window. A giant beanstalk grew into the sky.

Jack climbed the beanstalk. He spotted a goose laying golden eggs. He grabbed the goose and headed for the beanstalk. A giant caught him and ate him. You see, Jack had left his gun in the toilet stall at the gas station.

Once there was an old miser whose golden-haired daughter could magically weave straw into guns. His house looked like an armory.

He took his daughter to a gun show to make some cash. While they were gone, some kids pulled up to his house in a pickup theyd stolen from a pig. They used a tow-chain to pull the bars off a window. They ripped him off and sold the guns on the streets to criminals for $300 each. His daughter, upset that all her weaving had been for naught, left in a huff.

Once upon a time there were three bears. A papa bear, a mama bear and a baby bear. One day they left their porridge cooling in the kitchen while they went for a walk. While they were gone, the misers daughter, Goldilocks, walked into their kitchen and ate the baby bears porridge. Then she sacked out in the baby bears bed.

When the bears returned and saw what had happened, the papa bear was infuriated. He was packing. He pulled out his gun and shot Goldilocks as she slept.

Papa Bear was arrested, but he got off by invoking the Castle Doctrine. Also he claimed the Second Amendment protected the right to arm bears.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  Outside the tomb of Abraham Lincoln one fine morning last week, a couple of guys wearing orange hoodies identifying them as inmates of the Illinois Department of Corrections were running yellow rototillers through flower beds. The engine noise was loud enough to be heard deep within the ornate tomb.

This was approximately 36 hours after Donald Trump won Indianas Republican primary, causing his two remaining rivals to withdraw and thus becoming the political heir of one of the partys founders. Id come to see if I could hear Lincoln spinning in his grave. I may have, but since his remains lie in a concrete vault 10 feet below the massive granite cenotaph bearing his name, the spinning sound might have been the rototillers.

Lincolns tomb is almost Trumpian in its design, full of marble and statuary and shiny brass, topped by a granite terrace and more statuary, over which looms a 117-foot obelisk. It does not bespeak a poor, rawboned kid from the Midwest. It is the kind of tomb a billionaire real estate man with a taste for the garish might see as only slightly understated.

I was drawn here, to the gravesite of the greatest Republican of them all, after reading a series of dire predictions for the Republican Party now that Trump is its presumptive standard-bearer.

The Atlantic reported, As Trumps hostile takeover of the party drew to a close, many of its leaders, particularly members of the conservative intelligentsia, were in revolt. George Will had denounced collaborationists who sided with Trump, branding them ineligible to participate in the partys reconstruction. David Brooks had proclaimed a Joe McCarthy moment, adding, People will be judged by where they stood at this time.

William Kristols Weekly Standard has coined the term Vichy Republicans for any member of the GOP establishment who stands with Trump.

The National Review, the Ur-journal of modern conservatism, was moved to say, Donald Trump is an unapologetic vulgarian who hates George W. Bush and loves the Obamacare mandate. And yet, despite his heterodox views, he has risen unimpeded to the summit of Republican politics, prompting some conservatives to wonder whether the GOP embodied by Ronald Reagan is dead.

Yeah, probably. If theyre lucky. Parties generally change by evolution, not revolution. The party of Abraham Lincoln was not the party of Ronald Reagan and surely not the party of Donald Trump. The sort of drastic change heralded by Trump has happened only once before, when William McKinley was assassinated and his vice president, Theodore Roosevelt, moved into the White House.

Roosevelts progressivism was a nightmare for the Gilded Age plutocrats, who quickly put the party back on course under William Howard Taft, and cemented it with Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover. Coolidge sounded its theme: The chief business of the American people is business.

After the Depression and World War II, the GOP had something of an identity crisis. Dwight Eisenhower bailed them out. After being courted by both parties, he decided he was a Republican. Richard Nixons Southern Strategy created a leg for the GOP base among Deep South conservatives unhappy with Lyndon Johnsons treachery on racial issues.

It fell to Reagan to create the alliance of social conservatives, economic conservatives and defense hawks that defined the pre-Trump GOP. The partys failure was believing it would be good for all time zones forever, that in a changing America, a base dependent on white males could forever be duped by rigged economic policies that exploit them and, that as patriotic as they are, theyd always be willing to send their children off to die in fruitless foreign wars.

Trump went out into this America and harvested its discontent. He was famous and rich, so he must be smart! He had easy answers for everything. He was rude, he was vulgar and he didnt take crap off anyone.

Within Lincolns tomb, I asked what he thought of Donald Trump. I dont believe in communing with the dead, but I gave it a try. Nope.

He died 151 years ago. Nations continually remake themselves at a cellular level, just like people. I think he would be vastly amused at what we call hardship. I think he would regret that some of the promises he made on our behalf have not yet been fulfilled.

I do think that some of the things he said apply today. Consider: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

And this: At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.
The first flash came at 8:15 on a Monday morning. Eyewitnesses remember it as a bolt of soundless light as if the sun had somehow touched down to the Earth.

And suddenly, Hiroshima was gone.

The second flash came that Thursday morning at 11:02. Eyewitnesses recall two thumps  possibly the sound bouncing off the mountains that cradled the city  and a flash of bluish light.

And Nagasaki was decimated.

Japan surrendered the following Wednesday, ending the Second World War.

Last week, when it was announced Barack Obama will become the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, everyone from Salon to the National Review raised two important questions:

Will the president apologize for what America did 71 years ago this August? Should he?

The White House says the answer to the first question is No. For whatever its worth, the answer to the second is, too.

It is a measure of the deep emotion this subject still stirs that that will be a controversial and divisive opinion. Many good and moral people will find it abhorrent. Of course, the opposite opinion would also have been controversial and divisive and would have appalled other people, equally good, equally moral.

In the end, then, one can only answer to conscience, and this particular conscience is disinclined to second guess the long-ago president and military commanders who felt the bombs might obviate the need to invade the Japanese home islands at a ruinous cost in American lives. Remember that the Japanese, inebriated by the bushido warrior code under which surrender equals shame and dishonor, had refused to capitulate, though defeat had long been a foregone conclusion.

Indeed, even after Hiroshima was leveled, it still took that nation nine days to give up.

That said, there is a more visceral reason the answer to the second question must be No: Any other answer would defame Americans who endured unimaginable cruelty at Japanese hands.

Should America apologize?

Ask Ray Hap Halloran, a B-29 navigator from Cincinnati who was beaten, stoned, starved, stripped naked and displayed in a cage at the Tokyo Zoo.

Ask Lester Tenney, a tanker from Chicago whose sleep was forever raddled with nightmares of a twitching, headless corpse  a man he saw decapitated in the death march on Bataan.

And by all means, ask Forrest Knox, a sergeant from Janesville, Wis. He was trapped with 500 other prisoners in the hold of a Japanese freighter where the heat topped 120 degrees and there was barely any water. Some of the men broke out in gibbering, howling fits of madness, prompting a Japanese threat to close off the hatch through which their meager air came if there was not silence.

The maddened men could not be reasoned with. So American men killed American men. Knox saw this. And participated. And for years afterward, he was haunted by dead men walking the streets of Janesville.

Should America apologize? No.

This was not slavery. This was not the Trail of Tears. This was not the incarceration of Japanese Americans. This was not, in other words, a case of the nation committing human-rights crimes against innocent peoples.

No, this was war, a fight for survival against a ruthless aggressor nation. Japan committed unspeakable atrocities. America did the same. Such is the nature of war. Seven decades later, the idea of an apology feels like moral impotence, a happy face Band-Aid that denies the awful immensity of it all.

There are two words that should be spoken, in fact, reverently whispered, with regard to Hiroshima and they are not Im sorry. No, the only words that matter are this promise and prayer:

Never again.

Leonard Pitts Jr.

Copyright The Miami Herald

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC
The Missouri Legislatures 2016 session was chock-full of items clearly designed for elected officials to wave on the campaign stump and claim they stood up for what voters want. In other words, election-year politics weighed heavily. In many cases, bills collapsed under the weight of their own illogic and insensitivity, while others sailed through. Below, we offer our grades of major bills that dominated this newspapers attention during the session. Our overall grade: D+.

Ethics reform

D  New House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, opened the session in January vowing to pass a full slate of ethics reforms. He got the House to comply; the Senate was less interested. What passed was a better-than-nothing six-month waiting period before a lawmaker can cash in by becoming a lobbyist. Lawmakers can't serve as political consultants any more. But they can still accept unlimited gifts from lobbyists. And the most vital reform of all  limiting campaign contributions  never got a sniff.

Prescription painkiller registry

F  Missouri is the only state in the country without a prescription drug registry to help doctors and pharmacies fight the growing opioid-addiction epidemic. The Legislature ignored the dangers and rejected a registry bill, House Bill 1892. Addicts will continue to be able to doctor shop for prescriptions that feed their habits. Since opioid addicts are the biggest contributor to heroin trafficking, expect Missouri crime rates to continue their upward climb.

K-12 education funding

D  In a singularly dishonest move, the Legislature went far out of its way to make the gap in school funding disappear  not by adding the $425 million needed to bring K-12 spending up to what the Legislature's own formula says is adequate, but by declaring that the gap no longer exists. Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed SB 586, and the Legislature overrode his veto. It won't make schools any worse, but it sure won't make them  or Missouri's future  any better.

Gasoline tax

F  Missouri's roads and bridges are in terrible shape. At 17 cents per gallon, the state's motor fuel tax is the lowest in the nation. With the worldwide oil glut holding gasoline prices down, the timing was ideal to ask voters for a tax increase of 5.9 cents a gallon. Too bad. Though SB 623 passed the Senate, the House never gave it a vote. The reflexive anti-tax sentiment defies common sense. Legislators know that better roads are vital for safety and economic development.

Abortion Rights

C  Legislators tried hard to further restrict women's constitutional rights to abortions but ultimately failed. House Joint Resolution 98 would have amended the state constitution to grant personhood to unborn children. Bills attempting to further restrict the use of fetal tissue for research also failed, as did HB 1370, requiring two-parent consent for a minor to receive an abortion. The $27 billion state budget that lawmakers approved includes the defunding of Planned Parenthood by giving up $8 million in federal funds for the health care organization. Nixon has said he wants to find alternative funding sources for the 13 Planned Parenthood clinics around the state.

Utility rates

B  Ameren Missouri and the state's two other investor-owned electric utilities will have to put up with full Public Service Commission regulation for at least another year. Despite intense industry lobbying, legislators didn't let SB 1028 come to a vote in either house. The bill effectively would have tied rate increases to performance measures, reducing PSC rate-setting oversight. Our biggest concern was that this bill made it to the floor without proper vetting in committee. If it comes back next year, as we expect, the bill must receive the full and complete hearing process it didn't get this session.

Voter ID

D  Lawmakers passed a referendum, which probably will appear on the November ballot, to require Missouri voters either to show a photo ID or sign a statement confirming their identity and providing non-photo identification. In our book, nothing good comes from measures that restrict voter access to the polls or makes it harder to participate in democracy. This bill was a compromise by Republican legislators who wanted a strict voter-ID law passed, which they claim would fight voter fraud. A solution in search of a statistically nonexistent problem.

Zoo tax

A  Legislators did not approve a proposal for the St. Louis Zoo to ask voters in St. Louis city and Franklin, St. Charles, Jefferson and St. Louis counties to approve a one-eighth of a cent sales tax to generate revenue to pay for the zoo's operations and expansion. Zoo leaders did not provide a convincing case about their funding needs and circumvented vetting of their plan through the routine committee-hearing process.

Juvenile sentencing guidelines

C  By approving Senate Bill 590, the Legislature brings Missouri in line with federal court guidelines for juveniles convicted of first-degree murder. Previously, offenders under age 18 could be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole or probation eligibility  provisions that the Supreme Court has struck down as unconstitutional. The new sentencing guidelines, which include parole eligibility after 50 years' imprisonment for 16- and 17-year-olds and 35 years for kids under 16, remain way too harsh. But this is an improvement.

Stand your ground gun laws

D  Missouris gun laws dont need to be loosened any more than they already have been. With Senate Bill 656, the Legislature bowed to special-interest lobbying and approved a permitless-carry Constitutional carry provision. It also extends castle doctrine definitions to include not only householders protecting their property but anyone who is lawfully present on someone elses property and confronting someone perceived to pose a threat. The National Rifle Association might be thrilled, but we believe the bill was unnecessary and will ensure the presence of more guns and gun casualties around the state.

Police body cameras

D  The Legislature opted against Senate Bill 628, requiring cities of 100,000 or more population to equip their police officers with body cameras. We remain convinced that video recordings of encounters with members of the public would do more to protect police than harm them when accusations of abuse surface. The measure would have helped provide a visual record to protect members of the public from abusive police practices but also would have given officers a strong point of defense when they believe their conduct was correct. Lawmakers also voted to restrict public access to some police videos, which makes for even less accountability and transparency.
A federal judges ruling on operations at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, Mo., is a warning to conservative lawmakers to stop trying to circumvent the Supreme Court with a succession of laws aimed at whittling away a womens ability to exercise her constitutionally protected abortion rights.

Judge Nanette Laughreys ruling on Wednesday allows Planned Parenthood in Columbia to keep its abortion license. It also rebukes Missouri legislators for putting political pressure on the Department of Health and Senior Services to treat the clinic more harshly than other ambulatory surgical centers.

A Texas abortion case before the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to ultimately decide how such clinics are constructed and managed. The court presumably will answer critical questions about how far states can go to regulate abortions and will establish clear principles.

Abortion is highly regulated in Missouri and, as Laughrey noted in her ruling, restrictive efforts by conservative lawmakers were about politics, not womens health. Expressing phony concerns about wanting to ensure the safety of women at abortions clinics didnt pass muster with Laughrey, and it shouldnt with voters, either.

Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, the Senate Appropriations chairman and a candidate for state attorney general, apparently scared the state health department into believing the agencys budget would be cut if regulators didnt clamp down on the clinic. State health regulator John Langston suggested that in a deposition.

Schaefer also heads a committee investigating Planned Parenthood. As appropriations chairman, he has significant control over the flow of money to state agencies, including the University of Missouri. Schaefer is currently under investigation by the Missouri Ethics Commission for allegedly misusing his office to pressure the university on its employee leave policies in an effort to block law professor Josh Hawley from entering the race for attorney general.

In the Planned Parenthood case, Schaefer got the UM health care system to revoke privileges for the doctor who provided medication abortions at the Columbia clinic, complaining that it constituted using tax funds for abortion. State law requires such doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

Although abortions are not being performed at the Columbia clinic, Planned Parenthood fought to keep its license because of the time and expense required to get a new one.

The reproductive-health advocacy Guttmacher Institute says that, since the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973 establishing abortion as a constitutional right, states have passed 1,074 abortion restrictions. More than a quarter of those have been approved in the last five years.

Meanwhile, its up to judges like Laughrey to determine whether the scaling back of reproductive rights places an undue burden on women seeking abortions. The constant legislative maneuvering does more to endanger women than improve their health, which is why this farce must stop.
Litigation filed last month by St. Louis Public Schools seeking $42 million in reimbursements for desegregation funding offers a convincing and probably winnable legal argument about how the district has been short-changed for years. But that doesnt make the litigation right.

The SLPS Special Administrative Board and local chapter of the NAACP filed the motion in U.S. District Court last month seeking repayment of federal desegregation funds that the state currently divides among the school district and 35 local charter schools.

The funds, generated from sales taxes, were the outcome of a 1999 court settlement to resolve a long-running battle over school segregation. Charter schools, which are public schools, were not yet in the picture here in 1999, which is why SLPS argues that the funds were never supposed to be diverted to them. They receive nearly $9 million a year from the desegregation tax.

Its a complicated and controversial case. The impact could be life-changing for many parents and students, and profound for the citys ability to attract new residents.

If forced to repay desegregation funds, charter schools could be forced into bankruptcy and closure. Vast school-choice options would end. Parents in the charter-school community are voicing well-founded concerns, and many are contemplating moving outside the city if their schools have to close.

What is the SLPS plan to absorb thousands of additional students if their charter schools close? How does SLPS propose to match the excellent school-choice options now available? Some parents argue that these options are what keep families of diverse races in the city and are advancing the integration goal.

This editorial board asked members of the SLPS Special Administrative Board to explain their motives and assess the litigations potential effects. They declined comment or elaboration, citing the fact that its in litigation.

Thats a flimsy excuse. People file high-profile lawsuits all the time and then speak publicly about why. Theres no gag order here. Nothing prevents school officials from explaining themselves other than their strange, self-imposed vow of silence.

A fuller explanation is required because SLPS is a taxpayer-funded entity, and taxpayers  including those whose children attend charter schools  have every right to know why litigation is going forward in their name.

Were doubly troubled by the timing. SLPS waited to file the motion until just after voters approved a school bond package on April 5, which will generate about $27.8 million in additional revenue.

Superintendent Kelvin Adams has told local clergy members privately that SLPS has no intention to push charter schools into bankruptcy. But the effect of this lawsuit could well accomplish that.

If Adams feels he has the latitude to speak to clergy members, certainly he owes the same level of openness to the people of St. Louis who pay his salary.
A lack of revenue is among the enormous challenges facing historically black colleges around the country, but inadequate finances is no excuse for the kinds of lapses evident at Harris-Stowe State University.

The midtown universitys failure to have working emergency-call stations is inexcusable. And, although we believe ex-offenders deserve a second chance, the failure to provide proper oversight in hiring felon Tammy Kimbrough as human resources director suggests a severe level of laxity.

University President Dwaun Warmack needs to account for hiring Kimbrough and other administrative gaffes reported Sunday by the Post-Dispatchs Koran Addo and Jeremy Kohler.

One of the more serious problems is allowing public-safety operations to be commanded by Ricky Perry, a former East St. Louis police officer who resigned from the force after showing up drunk to a burglary call. Perry was a defendant in eight police brutality cases during his career in Illinois.

Warmack, 39, is the third president to run Harris-Stowe since 2011, following Henry Givens Jr.s resignation after more than 30 years.

Equally troubling is the schools pattern of low academic performance, which predates Warmacks arrival. Its 10 percent graduation rate is among the lowest in the country. Starting salaries for graduates are $20,000 lower than the national average.

Warmack should make his first priority raising achievement. Even with money on the line, in the form of competition for part of $33 million from a performance funding bill passed by state lawmakers, Harris-Stowe has been slow to address the challenge.

Theres nothing wrong with helping ex-offenders get their lives back on track, but Warmack went too far hiring and then protecting Kimbrough in a job where she would be charged with sensitive tasks such as hiring, firing and payroll. Her convictions were for mail fraud, theft and embezzlement. Warmack said he didnt know of Kimbroughs two prison stints, noting she had passed background checks and had a recommendation from a previous employer.

Its debatable whether Warmack erred in keeping her on staff, although no longer overseeing payroll. Employees have a responsibility to be forthcoming about criminal histories before taking on sensitive jobs. She left her position in December, and a university website lists her as being on disability leave.

Warmack remains optimistic about the schools growth potential. He is working to add the first graduate degree programs, teaming up with St. Louis University and Washington University to offer dual degree programs and forming partnerships in the community. He secured a $500,000 gift from Emerson last year for scholarships.

These are good signs for a university that is among the most accessible higher-education options for students in St. Louis.

Warmack must ensure the school campus is safe for students, and that their interests always come first. Harris-Stowe is a university, not a social services agency.
Boat Race for BackStoppers

A trivia night to benefit the Boat Race for BackStoppers event will be Jan. 28 at the Professional Firefighters of Eastern Missouri Hall & Banquet Center, 115 McMenamy in St. Peters. Doors open at 6 p.m.; trivia begins at 7 p.m.

Cost is $25 per person. To register, call 636-356-HITS.

Vision Leadership

Vision St. Charles County Leadership will host a trivia night Jan. 29 at the St. Charles American Legion Hall, 2500 Raymond Drive. Trivia starts at 7 p.m.

Cost is $200 per team of 10 or $20 per person. Includes beer and soda. Cash bar available. No outside alcohol. Round sponsorships are available for $50. There will be a bonus round, a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction. The top team will win $400.

Proceeds provide scholarships to future participants in the Vision St. Charles County Leadership program.

For more information, call Christa Montgomery at 314-448-0403. Make checks payable to Vision St. Charles County Leadership and mail to P.O. Box 1104, St. Peters, MO 63376 or pay with credit card at www.visionleadership.org; click the donate button to pay.

SSM St. Joseph Auxiliary

SSM St. Joseph Auxiliary will host a trivia night at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at St. Peter Parish, 324 S. Third St. in St. Charles.

Cost is $160 for a table of eight. Prizes are $560 for first, $320 for second and $160 for third. Prizes also will go to the best decorated table and raffle winners.

For more information, call Barb Hutchison at 636-947-5466.

Therapeutic Horsemanship

A trivia night to benefit Therapeutic Horsemanship will be Feb. 11 at the Pezold Banquet Center at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 5701 Highway N in Cottleville. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; trivia begins at 7 p.m.

Cost is $200 for a table of eight or $25 per person. Includes beer, soda, water, popcorn and peanuts. Must be 21 to play. Outside snacks welcome. Cash prizes. Event will include raffle baskets, 50/50 raffles, heads/tails game and more.

Registration deadline is Feb. 4. Sponsorships available. To become a sponsor or to register, call 636-332-4940.

F.A.C.T.

F.A.C.T. (Family Advocacy & Community Training) will host its 2nd Annual Trivia Night from 7-11 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Lions Club of Harvester, 4835 Central School Road in St. Charles County. The theme will be "Through the Decades."

Cost is $20 per person or $160 per table of eight. Includes beer, soda, prizes for first and last place teams. Outside food and liquor welcome.

To register, visit www.factmo.org. Registration deadline is Feb. 13. Tickets will not be sold at the door. Or RSVP to Heather Lytle at 636-949-2425, ext. 256, or email to hlytle@factmo.org.

Community Living

Community Living will host its annual trivia night Feb. 19 at the Dyer Memorial Center at St. Charles Borromeo, 534 N. Fifth St. Doors open at 6 p.m.; trivia begins at 7 p.m.

Cost is $200 for a table of 10 or $20 per person. Includes beer and soda. Outside food and beverages welcome; no hard liquor. There will be a 50/50 and balloon raffle, mulligans and a silent auction. Sponsorships are available.

Proceeds will benefit Community Living's programs and services for people with disabilities in St. Charles County.

To register for the event or for more information, call 636-970-2800.

FZS Band Boosters

The Fort Zumwalt South Band Boosters 4th annual trivia contest will be Feb. 25 at the Trigg Banquet Center, 300 O'Fallon Plaza in O'Fallon. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; trivia begins at 7 p.m.

Cost is $160 for a table of eight. Includes soda, beer, snacks, 50/50 drawings, basket raffle, dead or alive, heads or tails, and a cash prize for the first place table. Outside snacks welcome. No outside alcohol. Wine and mixed drinks will be available for purchase.

To make reservations, contact Kathy Smith at 636-240-0230 or smithco35@charter.net.

United Services

United Services Early Childhood Center will host a Radical Decades Trivia Night on Feb. 26 at the Dyer Memorial Center at St. Charles Borromeo, 534 N. Fifth St. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; trivia begins at 7 p.m.

Cost is $160 for a table of eight or $20 per person. Includes refreshments and light snack.

For more information, visit www.unitedsrvcs.org or contact Melanie Wetter at 636-926-7200 or mwetter@unitedsrvcs.org.

Cottleville firefighters outreach

Cottleville Firefighters Community Outreach will host a "We Love the '80s" trivia night March 25 at the Lions Club of Harvester, 4835 Central School Road in St. Charles County. Doors open at 6 p.m.; trivia begins at 7 p.m.

Cost is $20 per person or $160 per table of eight. Includes beer, soda, setups, prizes, raffles and drawings. Outside food and liquor welcome.

To register, visit www.cottlevilleswing.com or mail checks to CFCO Trivia Night, 1385 Motherhead Road, St. Charles, MO 63304.

For more information, call Skip Stephens at 314-803-0308 or Cathy Elsea at 636-290-5262.

All proceeds will benefit CFCO and will be allocated toward the purchase and installation of the Liberty Swing.

Is your group organizing a trivia night, or another event, in St. Charles County or Warren County? E-mail the information to the Journal at goodnews@yourjournal.com.
After finishing up the Latin American portion of their Connect: Don't Give Up tour, OMEGA X is now playing shows in the United States. This segment of their tour includes an Oct. 10 concert at Chicagos Concord Music Hall, as well as dates in Dallas and Los Angeles. Im still in awe of the great passion and amazing support by Latin American fans, said Jehyun, one of the South Korean groups 11 members. Im truly thankful for them enjoying our concerts as passionately as we do! The entire group participated in this interview from Bogota, Colombia. For more information about OMEGA Xs tour, check for their updates on Twitter.
Claustrophobia aside, who wouldnt be a bit anxious standing in a cave at the bottom of an active volcano? I looked warily at a device that was tracking carbon dioxide levels, set to alert us if they became dangerously high (and quietly hoped Id get an excuse to scurry up the 183 spiral stairs to fresh air). Nearby, a mud fumarole bubbled and boiled at nearly 180 degrees, filling the air with a pungent sulfurous odor.

Yet, incongruously, this potentially lethal landscape shared space with an immense lake full of crystal-clear, and refreshingly cold, drinkable water. (In fact, before the stone stairwell tower was built, in the early 20th century, the locals would use ropes to lower themselves down to access this water for their cattle.) More than 160 feet overhead, two openings in the vaulted ceiling allowed light to pour into the basaltic lava cave. I was standing in Europes largest volcanic dome, referred to as the Sulfur Cave, or Furna do Enxofre  one of many reminders that Graciosa, like the other eight islands that compose the Azores archipelago, had a turbulent birth.

Set in the middle of the Atlantic, almost 1,000 miles from any shore, these nine islands that are an autonomous region of Portugal retain a lost-in-time quality. The archipelago is an unspoiled Eden of black-sand beaches, gushing waterfalls, hydrangea-rimmed roads, aquamarine lakes and Old World hamlets. Craters, geysers and thermal waters are just some of the many features that remind visitors of this archipelagos dramatic volcanic origins. Yet, for the most part, despite direct four-hour flights from Boston and new EasyJet and Ryanair routes from Lisbon and London, respectively, the word hasnt gotten out about how accessible this exotic paradise is.

Ive been traveling to the Azores for years, returning time and again, scoping out each islands distinct character. On grand Sao Miguel, I dug into a hearty stew that was cooked underground in the volcanic heat saturating the lakefront ground in Furnas. Picos signature sight is a perpetually snow-covered and climbable mountain peak, but I chose instead to prowl its vineyards, which grow in a stark landscape of lava-stone corrals that protect the grapes from salt and wind. Cheesemaking is renowned on Sao Jorge, where I meandered down lush trails that plunge into secluded, fertile seaside plains backed by soaring cliffs. Deeply rooted in a seafaring tradition, Faial is home to a buried town, where I saw roofs peek out above their ash-and-lava encasement, frozen in time thanks to a year-long underwater volcanic eruption in the 1950s. And on Terceira, I sunbathed in the town of Biscoitos, whose seaside resembles a moonscape with great expanse of natural pools carved out of black lava stone. Most recently, I explored the two least visited islands, Graciosa and Santa Maria, both of which epitomize the quintessential Azorean features: fantastic volcanic geology and untamed natural beauty.

Flying into Graciosa, I gazed out of the window to spy Pico Mountain rising above the swirling clouds like the cherry atop an ice cream sundae. When Graciosa appeared on the horizon, it was a dark, rocky coast jutting out into the rough seas with a black-and-white-banded lighthouse, Farol da Ponte da Barca, standing sentinel on a clifftop. Once on the ground, I relaxed easily into the pastoral setting, spying on a small flock of goats that wandered onto my hotels property to chomp on the landscaped foliage. This tranquility, however, belies the islands turbulent past.

Nearly everywhere on Graciosa, there are abundant reminders that the island emerged from the Earths fiery core. One day, my guide, Lizete, and I spotted three fishermen standing on the shore of Porto Afonso, throwing their lines into the tumbling surf, hoping to snag kingfish, abrotea (hake), black veja (parrotfish), chicharro (horse mackerel) or sargo (porkfish). But I was more interested in the stunningly beautiful cliffs that rose behind them, curiously striped with many-hued bands. Seeing my fascination, Lizete explained, The variety of colors  yellow, red and black  each represent different sorts of volcanic eruptions over the centuries: basalt, red and black scorias, ashes and volcanic sands.

The islands most iconic feature, the Caldeira da Graciosa, resulted from the collapse of a volcanic cone 12,000 years ago. Before embarking on a one-hour walk around this vast summit depression, Lizete and I stopped along the crater rim at a cave that is said to resemble the shape of an oven, hence the name Furna (oven) da Maria Encantada. The way one version of the story goes, Maria, a married woman who lived here, regularly baked bread, handing it out to the underprivileged. One day, her elderly husband urged her to flee the area with him because hed dreamt of an imminent volcanic eruption. But Maria opted to stay behind to meet her young paramour  and the volcano erupted, killing them both. After contemplating this melancholy story, we walked up a steep path through a landscape lush with bay leaf, heather and other foliage to prowl through a lava tube  a cylindrical tunnel created when flowing lava cooled on the outside, and the molten lava within drained out.

After exiting the tube, our view opened up to the base of the caldera, some 900 feet below us. It was completely unlike anything I had expected from a volcanic crater. This once-arid expanse is now coated with such bright-green verdancy that it reminded me of Ireland. Rising up on all sides, steep slopes burgeoned with Japanese cedar, acacia and wild pine. (Even more incongruous was our later stop: the Sulfur Cave, with its steamy fumaroles.)

The Caldeira walk attracts botanical and ornithological enthusiasts, like myself. Above Graciosa and the ocean, this walk has a stillness and beauty, a sense of relaxation just interrupted by the songs of the birds, Lizete gushed. The air was alive with the twittering and chirping of starlings, quail, sparrows and other species. And, because it was summer, the route was adorned with clusters of blue and pink hydrangea blossoms, as well as fragrant white ginger and the purple blooms of African lilies. From this height, the islands quaint beauty came into panoramic relief, from the village of St. Matthew  with its pearly white chapel, Our Lady of Health, perched on a lone hill  to Carapacho, a town of whitewashed buildings roofed with terra-cotta tiles thats famous for its thermal pools.

A short flight brought me to the sleepy isle of Santa Maria, the warmest of the Azorean islands, nicknamed the Sunny Island. Its blessed with golden, sandy beaches formed by the erosion of sedimentary rock, unlike the black seaside expanses found on the other eight islands. Approaching by air, you see topography that appears almost schizophrenic. While the east is blanketed with a dense tangle of vegetation and ridged with rolling hills and foliage-covered peaks, the west is flat and arid.

I landed after dark in the capital of Vila do Porto, a 15th-century hilltop village and the oldest in the Azores, and met Laurinda, my friend who owns the Casa do Norte, a charming rural accommodation on the east end of the island. With just enough time to grab dinner in town at Garrouchada before the kitchen closed, she suggested I order telha de marisco, a dish in which clams, mussels and shrimp are grilled on and served atop a terra-cotta tile. We found ourselves sitting at a table adjacent to the mayor, who was dining with a dozen colleagues and friends. This intimate island is the epitome of six degrees of separation, and after Laurinda greeted him, he generously offered some of his grilled cherne (Atlantic wreckfish) to tide us over until our meal arrived.

Over the next few days, we drove the narrow, winding and foliage-canopied roads, past cows grazing on terraced slopes of green and tiny ribbons of tumbling water. As we passed through the islands five towns, Laurinda told me that, traditionally, each town has a predominant color painted around its doors and windows. For example, in Sao Pedro, a once wealthy district, the color is yellow, representing gold; Almagreira has windows of red trim to signify the fertility of the land; and cobalt blue was chosen for Santa Barbaras windows because it was an inexpensive color for such a poor, rural parish.

Because Santa Maria is noted for its biodiversity, one morning we visited the Environmental Center in Vila do Porto to see the private collection of Dalberto Pombo, a self-educated local who pioneered the study of the islands geology, ecology, marine biology and entomology. He discovered dozens of new insect species, five with the scientific name pomboi in his honor, Laurinda said. Once covered by the sea, Santa Maria is the only Azorean island with fossils, and many are displayed here, including sea urchins, sea snails and tiny crustaceans.

Though many travelers skip visiting Santa Maria, I had to agree with Laurinda, who compared it to a box full of wonderful surprises. Thats something that can also be said about Graciosa  or, for that matter, any one of the other Azorean islands.

IF YOU GO

Where to stay

 Graciosa Hotel, Porto da Barra, Santa Cruz da Graciosa, Graciosa; facebook.com/Graciosa-Hotel-193740817333598/timeline/: A minimalist pastiche of glass and steel with close views of the sea. Rooms from $90.

 Casas Acorianas: casasacorianas.com: A rural tourism website listing rental accommodations throughout the Azores in a wide range of prices and styles, including Casa do Norte on Santa Maria.

What to do

 Sulfur Cave (Furna do Enxofre), Centro de Visitantes da Furna do Enxofre, Caldeira da Graciosa, 9880-205 Santa Cruz da Graciosa; 011-351-295-714-009. Winter hours: Tuesday-Saturday 2 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Summer hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Adult admission: $4.

Termas do Carapacho (thermal spa), Rua Dr. Manuel de Menezes, Carapacho, Graciosa; 011-351-295-714-212; facebook.com/Termas-do-Carapacho-168144069892224/timeline/: Open Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $1.
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas  Looking for a low-key winter getaway or quiet spring break destination? Grand Bahama may be your place.

Its one of the main islands of the Gulf Stream-warmed Bahamas archipelago of 700 islands, cays and inlets sprawling across the waters off southeastern Florida. Our February trip saw temperatures locked between 70 and 80 degrees, with an occasional spurt of rain at night.

At restaurants, it wasnt unusual for the three of us  my wife, brother-in-law and me  to be the only ones there, although some places buzzed with activity. With the exchange at 1:1 U.S. dollar to a Bahamian dollar, the prices all seemed reasonable, and the practice of factoring tips into the bill made transactions even simpler.

Beaches in many areas were quiet, with an occasional trickling of cruise ship passengers now and again making their way across the glistening sand, wading out to reefs and checking out ships dotting the horizon. This was the case at Gold Rock Beach at Lucayan National Park, which at $5 per head is a dont-miss stop just a few miles east of Freeport along the Grand Bahama Highway.

Tour companies and taxis make trips to the park, which features trails to an underwater cave system where pre-Columbian artifacts have been discovered. Another part of the park (be careful crossing the highway) offers trails whose meandering boardwalks lead through a mangrove ecosystem featuring saltwater fish, waterfowl and wading birds.

Tour companies also offer activities including kayak trips through a mangrove forest, sightseeing by bike or Jeep, all-terrain vehicle rides, snorkeling and birding. For the more adventurous, theres parasailing and even (gasp!) shark feeding dives.

We spent a week in a rented house in Freeports Xanadu Beach area, noted for the 13-story resort once owned and inhabited by Howard Hughes and haunted by Hollywood jet setters. Now the high-rise stands eerily silent, its once-vibrant surroundings looking desolate as we looked on from the quiet white-sand beach. Same at Freeports International Bazaar, a marketplace of shops and boutiques  now mostly abandoned, shuttered, silent. Under the shade of a palm tree near its main gate, a checkers board, pieces still set on squares, lay untouched as if waiting for the next move.

But we found our bliss at Albertha Coopers restaurant. Its a bit out of the way, but worth the expedition.

At the far eastern end of the island in McLeans Town, a seaside village known for its annual conch-cracking contest, we happened upon Coopers tidy little drive-up restaurant. There was no menu to be seen, but she gladly obliged us with her specials for the day. I chose the fried conch plate. Asked where the conch was caught, she pointed to the turquoise cove a few hundred yards to our backs.

Right there, she said with a smile.

The conch came with a helping of rice-and-beans and coleslaw. My wife chose three lobster tails with sides, and her brother chose the ribs plate. Add a couple of beers and a rum and Coke for drinks, $52 total for our feast for three.

On another outing, we drove to the west side for a day of snorkeling and relaxing at Paradise Cove, a friendly and informal resort near Dead Mans Reef, 15 miles from Freeport.

Getting around the island was easy, though driving itself is a bit of a challenge: You drive on the left side of the road, but many cars also have steering wheels on the left  different from both the U.S. and British systems.

Of course Grand Bahama is but one of the islands in the Bahamian chain. Nearby Paradise Island and Nassau (the Bahamian capital on New Providence island), offer more night life. Atlantis, with its more than 2,300 rooms, casino, water park and what it calls the worlds largest open-air marine habitat, is also a major draw for visitors.

Eleuthera and Harbor Island offer quieter settings in an atmosphere that retains trappings of the British loyalists who settled there centuries ago. Eleuthera, where fishing and pineapple farming are king, boasts well-developed resorts, pink sand beaches, rocky bluffs and large coral reefs.

IF YOU GO

Numerous flight options to Freeport, including frequent service from South Florida airports, plus ferry service from Fort Lauderdale for the four-hour trip to Grand Bahama. Planes and boats connect Freeport and Nassau.
Clickety-clack, clickety-clack, clickety-clack. Woo! Woo!  Thank goodness for Amtrak.  In a day of long lines for check-in at the airport, that dreaded middle seat and threat of economy class syndrome (deep vein thrombosis), Amtrak gives you a civilized way to travel  with room to stretch your legs. Plus, you wont have to clamber over sleeping bodies to get to a claustrophobic restroom. And get this  many trains have free Wi-Fi.

Snacks are a short walk away. Sure, the selections may be uninspiring  the dining car on long distance trips is another story  it beats 0.75 ounces of peanuts in a tiny bag.

And did we mention, kids travel for half price? Note to parents/grandparents: Amtrak is a very affordable and exciting excursion for kids  even if its just a hop from Kirkwood to downtown.

If youre going a few hundred miles, when you factor in travel time to the airport, time for body scans and time spent waiting in long lines, total time to get there might not be significantly longer than by plane. And if you have the time for a cross-country train trip, well thats an adventure in itself.

Im a train nut and have ridden Amtrak many times within Missouri, to Chicago and Michigan and even long distance from California and the East Coast. Its a relaxing way to go. The clickety-clack of metal on metal and gentle sway of the train can mesmerize as you watch the world float by at ground level.

If Amtrak sometimes seems like a well-kept secret, rail travel in Missouri may be the best kept secret of all.

Thanks to the state-subsidized Missouri River Runner running twice a day between St. Louis and Kansas City, its possible to explore Missouris capital, connect with Missouris wine land, visit Missouris two largest cities and delightful small towns in between  without ever getting in your car.

You can catch the River Runner in St. Louis or Kirkwood to Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Warrensburg, Lees Summit, Independence and Kansas City. That opens many possibilities for day trips or short car-less vacations.

Heres a sampling of what you can do at five stops on the River Runner (Remember, hours may be limited in winter and some attractions are seasonal):

Washington: The Amtrak station sits in the middle of downtown across the street from Marquarts Landing, a popular restaurant.

Frequently we have people take the train here from Kirkwood or St. Louis, go shopping in our downtown and then ride the train home in the evening, Lauren Ficklin, project coordinator with Downtown Washington Inc., said. We also have a variety of events Downtown Washington sponsors that some people schedule their trips around.

A block and a half from the train station youll find the Missouri River, with a park and a three-and-a-half mile walking trail.

Hermann: An hour and a half from St. Louis via Amtrak, the picturesque river town of Hermann, in Missouris Rhineland, makes a great day trip.

Within walking distance of the train station: Lodging, a winery, a brewery and lots of shops, says Elias McDonald, Hermanns director of economic development and tourism.

Though there are no car rentals in Hermann  the nearest is in Washington, 28 miles away  the Hermann Trolley Co. and Hermann Rhine Valley Transportation make car-less visits possible.

For $15 a day the trolley picks you up at the Amtrak station and takes you to various places including your accommodations, a half-dozen wineries, restaurants and antiques malls on the trolleys 16-mile route.

The morning train arrives in Hermann at 10:49 a.m. The evening train leaves at 7:45 p.m. That gives them (passengers) one heck of a long day to have lunch and even dinner here in our little town and enjoy all the wineries without driving, says owner Kevin Sanderlin.

Hermann Rhine Valley Transportation operates a taxi in town ($5 per person) and a limo service to the area wineries ($25 per person for a customizable all-day tour to area wineries; four-person minimum). Both operate year-round, says owner Gary Prindiville.

Jefferson City: When my children were young, one of our best day trips was to Jefferson City via Amtrak. An early train got us there mid-morning giving us the rest of the day to explore the area. Theres plenty to see and do within walking distance of the station starting with Jefferson Landing State Historic Site.

Visitors can also tour the Missouri State Capitol, Governors Mansion and Missouri Supreme Court or check out the Missouri Archives. All are free.

Since our day trip years ago, Jeff City added a popular new attraction  the Missouri State Penitentiary.

Downtown is filled with shops, restaurants and bike racks so you can bike and shop, says Katherine Reed, CVB communications manager. There are tons of fountains and outdoor monuments including the Lewis and Clark monument and Veterans Plaza downtown, she adds.

Weather permitting, cross the pedestrian/bike bridge over the Missouri River into north Jefferson City where parks abound.

For longer stays, the Capitol Plaza Hotel is downtown, and Cliff Manor Bed and Breakfast is nearby overlooking the river. Getting to Doubletree or Baymont requires more of a hike. Visitors may want to take a cab, Reed adds.

Bring your bike or rent one from Red Wheel Bike Shop on Main Street, grab some caffeine at the Three Story Coffee and set off to explore the city or hit the Katy Trail across the street. Return for dinner at Patty Malones, an Irish pub across from the bike shop.

Of course, theres Central Dairy (for delicious ice cream treats), Reed says. You cant come to Jeff City and not go to Central Dairy. Thats even popular when its cold outside.

Independence: Independence is beyond day-trip territory so youll need accommodations. The city has bus service but no bus stops at the train station. A car rental company will pick you up at the station or, if you stay at a bed-and-breakfast on Independence Square, contract with Pioneer Trails Adventures to meet you with a cart drawn by Missouri Mules. Owner Ralph Goldsmith will drop you off at your accommodations when your party purchases a city limits or full city tour ($60 minimum). Tour topics include the Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails, the Civil War and the James Brothers.

The Square, with Clinton Drug Store where President Harry Truman once worked, is about a mile from the Amtrak station, Frank Buhro, convention services manager for Independence, says. Around the corner is the 1859 Old Jail and Marshals Home Museum and Truman Home Visitors Center, where you can see a video on Truman and buy tour tickets for the Truman Home four blocks away.

Also in Independence: The Bingham Waggoner Estate, National Frontier Trails Museum and the Mormons Independence Visitors Center.

Kansas City: Almost five hours from St. Louis by train, Kansas City is too far for a day trip. Thats OK because theres so much to do youll need a long weekend or an entire vacation there. The cool thing is its easy to see many attractions without a car  especially if you stay at the Westin or the Sheraton, both across the street from Crown Center, which also houses the Amtrak station.

Families wanting to do the attractions in Crown Center wouldnt need a car, Tony Alexander, communications manager the Kansas City CVB, says. Youre literally just steps away from everything.

In Crown Center are the Hallmark Visitors Center, Kaleidoscope, Legoland, Sea Life aquarium and Crown Center shops.

But it gets better. Once Kansas Citys new streetcar line begins running in May, visitors can take it from Crown Center to River Market, with City Market, a large farmers market, and the Steamship Arabia Museum with artifacts from a steamboat that sunk nearby in 1856 and was recovered in 1987.

Up the hill from Crown Center is the National World War I Museum, but visitors may opt for a cab or bus, Alexander warns. Its a steep hill, she says.

AMTRAK PRICING

Amtrak fares fluctuate just as airline fares do. Go at a less popular time, and fares are particularly affordable. We found a one-way ticket in April from St. Louis to Kansas City for as low as $30. Watch for Amtrak discounts  15 percent for ages 62 and older and 10 percent for AAA members (with three-day advanced purchase) and college students (15 percent off Missouri River Runner trips) on most adult rail fares.

Amtrak also has a rewards program similar to the airlines frequent flier programs and a credit card that earns you points.

ON-TIME PERFORMANCE

Although I have an uncanny knack for choosing trains that run late  often quite late  Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says the Missouri River Runner was 86.3 percent on time or early for last year.

AMTRAK AND BIKES

Several Missouri River Runner towns access the Katy Trail. For $10 bikers can take their bikes on the River Runner. A bike also makes for a handy way to get around wherever you visit.
Travel site arranges hotel room-sharing

Short-term rental sites such as Airbnb can save you a few bucks on your lodging costs, but now a Seattle marketing producer has created an online company that may cut your hotel bills in half.

The catch? You have to share your hotel room with a stranger.

Bryon Shannon, who founded the Winston Club in November, said he created the website so that travelers who are visiting the same town can split the cost of a hotel room. Joining the club is free, and you get to accept or reject the roommate that the club chooses for you, based on biographical information provided by club members.

Winston Club makes its money by collecting a share of the room charge just as other hotel booking sites do. So far, the club has agreements to operate in hotels in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, Ore. Shannon declined to say how many travelers have used the Winston Club so far.

Although saving money is the primary goal of club members, Shannon said, many members join to make friends or meet travel companions.

 Los Angeles Times

Airline tarmac rule leads to more delays, study says

One of the nations toughest passenger rights laws  a rule that fines airlines for stranding fliers on an airport tarmac  may actually increase passenger delays instead of reducing them.

That is the conclusion of a new study by professors from Dartmouth College and MIT. The good news, according to the study, is that the 2010 law can be modified to reduce passenger delays.

The focus of the study is the so-called tarmac delay rule, which gives the U.S. Department of Transportation the authority to fine airlines up to $27,500 for each passenger on a domestic flight who is stranded on an airport tarmac for more than three hours. The time limit is increased to four hours for international flights.

The rule was adopted after blizzards on the East Coast in 2006 and 2007 left passengers stranded on planes for up to 11 hours.

But the new peer-reviewed study, which used algorithms to analyze airline flight data, concludes that airlines are now more likely to cancel flights that are delayed to avoid being fined by the Department of Transportation, thus creating more passenger delays.

For every minute the rule saves passengers from being stuck on a tarmac, passengers are delayed three minutes on average because they have to book new flights to get to their final destinations after their original flights are canceled, according to the study.

There is no surprise that sometimes when you try to do something good you have these negative effects, said Vikrant Vaze, a co-author of the study and an assistant professor at Dartmouths Thayer School of Engineering.

Previous studies have concluded that flight cancellations are more likely because of the tarmac rule, but the Dartmouth-MIT study says it is the first study to analyze the actual effect on passengers.

The study concluded that passenger delays can be reduced if the tarmac rule is modified to increase the tarmac time limit to 3 hours and if the law applies only to flights scheduled to depart before 5 p.m., when passengers have more options to rebook.Kate Hanni, a passenger-rights advocate who helped push for adoption of the tarmac rule, rejects the findings of the Dartmouth-MIT study, saying she believes that the universities are biased and accept funding from airlines.

She blames the passenger delays on airlines that schedule more flights per day than can be accommodated by the airports.

Vaze said the study was funded by a research branch of the Federal Aviation Administration and was not funded in any part by any airline, major or otherwise.

 Los Angeles Times

Kentucky park offering tours to see sandhill cranes

LUCAS, Ky.  Barren River Lake State Resort Park is offering tours for people wanting to get a look at sandhill cranes as they migrate home to the north.

The park is offering tours during two weekends for guests to learn more about the birds.

State parks officials say tours will be held Jan. 29-30 and Feb. 5-6 in 2016.

Each year, thousands of sandhill cranes make Barren River Lake a stop as they gather in huge numbers to migrate. The lakes exposed mud flats in winter provide the birds with a spot to rest and socialize as they settle in for the night. Ample farmlands and wet meadows offer plenty of food.

Sandhill cranes are tall, gray birds reaching heights up to 4 feet, with wingspans of 6 to 7 feet.
PARIS  Swapping burgers for lobster souffle and rusty welding for a state-of-the-art canopy roof, Paris mayor this month unveiled a $1 billion revamp of the citys dilapidated main shopping and transport complex, Les Halles.

Paris authorities view the building project  which made central Paris a construction site pockmarked with cranes for seven years  as an opportunity to gentrify the 70s complex that was often voted among the citys the biggest eyesores by disgruntled Paris residents, and also attract a share of the millions of tourists who visit the city every year.

The previous incarnation of Les Halles became associated more with the myriad gangs of youths who traveled in on regional trains from the less-affluent suburbs to hang out there than it was for its rich past  as the gilded food market and shelter the French king would use to impress merchants in the 12th century and the culinary heart of the city that 19th-century novelist Emile Zola famously called the belly of Paris.

Today, a giant, green high-tech glass-and-metal undulating canopy roof designed by architects Patrick Berger and Jacques Anziutti sparkles in the spring sunshine.

And 35 new stores and restaurants hope to restore the site its culinary and cultural prowess, including a posh brasserie by Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse and a literary eatery designed by Philippe Starck with the slogan Feed Your Mind.

But not everyone is convinced that the attempted gentrification of Paris main artery to the poorer regional suburbs will work.

I think its a bit patronizing, said Paris resident Alice Betout, 31. It feels a bit like Paris is trying to give culture to the masses, so to speak. When young people come here from the suburbs on the train they just want to hang out. What are they going to do with a literary cafe, foie gras and garlic snails?

For others more amenable to the new structure, it still seems like an expensive gamble.

This is a working-class place ... and so the shops which are here ... were conceived to do cheap business, said 71-year-old pensioner Jacques Merlino, nostalgic about the old Les Halles, a market he remembers from before it was torn down in the 70s.

Ducasse, Starck and all that are in opposition to that (profile). So will this become chic, with a working-class edge? he asked. History will answer this question.

The new canopy is a stark contrast to its predecessor  a hangout so engrained in youth and urban culture that Les Halles is even cited in French rap songs.

But Ducasse  whose restaurants include Londons Dorchester and Paris Plaza Athenee hotels, where dinner can cost $500-$1,000  says the new brasserie, Champeaux, is not out of touch with its surroundings.

He believes it will be popular with those who frequent Les Halles, since the brasserie prices remain surprisingly affordable. Some have called it democratic gastronomy.

What we do can never be disconnected to the economic reality of where you are. Its a young and busy place with a big traffic of  Id say  the working-class chic, said the chef as he admired his restaurants view onto the magnificent 16th-century Saint Eustache church.

A deviled egg will set you back 6 euros ($6.70), a hand-cut steak tartare 20 euros ($22.50) and lobster souffle a mere 22 euros ($24.80).

We want any customer to be able to come into Champeaux and ... dine, have a drink, nourish himself. You can also spend more! But its an important access key, he added.

Ducasse said that Champeaux was named after a restaurant that used to occupy the historic grounds in the 19th century, which was pulled down at the advent of World War I.

Opposite, the high-tech eatery Za has more bookish ambitions.

Designed by Starck, diners come in and order organic delights, with the aid of an iPhone application, that are delivered to the customer on a conveyor belt to the table.

Zas owners struck a deal with three French publishing houses to print out books while clients dine, thanks to a huge printing press at the side of the cafe.

Any book  maybe Zolas 1873 novel The Belly of Paris or George Orwells Down and Out in Paris and London  can be printed off in less than 10 minutes, to be collected as the diner leaves the restaurant.

It was a slightly mad idea we had to create this combination of quick, chic and hipster because we dont know if it will work yet, said Za owner Philippe Amzalak, who said that the rise in real estate prices in the surrounding areas might attract clientele with more spending power.

The areas around have evolved a lot ... (but) its a mix and a gamble at the same time to see if the upgrade renovation will work, he added.

A waitress at Za, 23-year-old Juliana Abessole, who comes to work from the suburbs on an RER suburban train and used to hang out in Les Halles, said that the literary cafe attracts a completely different profile of person to the mall than shes used to seeing.

When you work in the suburbs you wont see the same people as here. The people are classier, and have another standard of living than us, she said.
GULF SHORES, Ala.  Officials say an immediate ban on alcohol has been placed on public beaches in the Gulf Shores corporate limits.

The decision was made Friday during a special session of the Gulf Shores City Council. The ban is effective immediately until April 17.

Gulf Shores spokesman Grant Brown says no alcohol should be consumed between the dunes and waterline.

Mayor Robert Craft said during the meeting that the reasoning behind the ban is to keep a safe environment in the Gulf Shores during spring break. Craft says there has been an increase in students at the beach in recent years.

The city says anyone in violation of the new ordinance is subject to a fine up to $500 or up to six months in jail.

Police in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have broken up crowds of over 1,000, arrested dozens for underage drinking and stepped up DUI patrols.

"We pride ourselves of being a family destination," Craft said "This activity does not lend support to that."

Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon also is considering similar action: "If we can't keep it under control, we will ban alcohol on the beach during Spring Break. I don't think my council has a problem with that."

Kennon, however, emphasized that the present scene on Alabama beaches is in no way comparable with the throbbing spring break at Panama City Beach.

Kennon said his beach is populated with more families right now than college students. "We're not Panama City and we're making a statement that we won't become a Panama City," he said. "If we have to eliminate alcohol on the beach, that's what we'll do."

The booze ban comes amid social media buzz that includes photos posted on a Facebook page showing garbage strewn on Gulf Shores' beaches and gatherings of college students moving about. Craft said such social media efforts have helped guide police into areas where unruly behavior is occurring.

"Our Police Department is monitoring it every minute," he said. "We've been able to monitor and react."

Craft said the city's police and local officials have been keenly alert to Spring Breach 2016 because of events in Panama City Beach last year and concerns that the alcohol ban there would drive revelers elsewhere.

As of early Wednesday, Gulf Shores police were holding 112 spring breakers in jail, Craft said. The city's police station lockup has only 23 beds, so police were keeping some of the prisoners in hallways and other restricted areas, and transporting some to Foley's city jail.

"If they are intoxicated, we can't let them go unless they sober up," he said.

City public works crews are also working extra hours this year to ensure the beaches are quickly cleaned.

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are popular destinations for St. Louis spring breakers.

Students from Texas A&M, the University of Tennessee, the University of Alabama and Auburn University have been visible on beaches this week, and LSU students are expected next week.
Now that the dust has settled after Round 1 of the fight for the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, air travelers are wondering: Whats in it for us?

Not much, unfortunately. The current legislation to fund the FAA, widely believed to be the best chance in years to improve air travel, was recently approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It now goes to the Senate, which is unlikely to pass the bill in its current form because it privatizes air traffic control.

The FAA bill includes some provisions that would benefit consumers, such as a rule that requires airlines to refund fees for delayed baggage and an extension of the Transportation Departments respected Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection. But two contentious consumer issues will be on representatives plates as they consider how to fund the FAA in coming weeks. And the bigger question of what Congress should be doing for air travelers looms large in this election year. Almost no one thinks their representatives are doing enough.

One of the passenger issues is seat size. An amendment called the Seat Egress in Air Travel (SEAT) Act, which was proposed by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), failed in committee. The act would have established minimums for seat size and pitch (the distance between rows) in the interests of protecting passenger safety and health.

Cohen argued that seat sizes should be regulated because the average distance between rows of seats has dropped from 35 inches before airline deregulation in the 1970s to about 31 inches today. The average width of an airline seat has also shrunk, from 18 inches to about 16, he says.

The airline industry vehemently opposed the amendment. We believe that the government should not regulate, but instead market forces, which reflect consumer decisions, and competition should determine what is offered, says Jean Medina, a spokeswoman for Airlines for America, a trade group for airlines.

Equally vehement were consumer advocates, who favored a minimum seat size rule. Current seats are not just uncomfortable but pose safety and health risks, says Paul Hudson, president of FlyersRights.org, a group that represents air travelers. Hes pushing the FAA to set a moratorium on further shrinkage until standards are set.

Cohen plans to introduce the amendment again when the bill comes to the floor of the House. Observers also say its likely that the companion bill in the Senate will contain language requiring the Transportation Department to set minimum seat room standards, which would have to be reconciled with the House bill in committee.

The second issue: fare disclosure. An airline-supported amendment, introduced late during the bills markup session by Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), would allow an airline to prominently quote a fare without taxes and other mandatory fees.

The amendment, called the Transparent Airfares Act, would reverse the Transportation Departments popular full-fare advertising rule, which requires airlines to quote the entire fare but permits them to break down the taxes and fees less prominently.

Allowing airlines to advertise their fares minus taxes and fees could leave air travelers with an initial impression that ticket prices are more than 20 percent lower than they really are. By some informal estimates, doing so would translate into an additional $1 billion in annual revenue to the domestic airline industry.

Airlines lobbied the House to pass the same measure two years ago, but the legislation failed to gain traction in the Senate. The amendments fate is likely to be identical this time. Already, one key senator, Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), has vowed to block the measure, denouncing it as allowing a powerful special interest to cheat customers.

The only reason that airlines want this rule is so that they can mislead and deceive passengers into thinking the price of flying is lower, says Charles Leocha, president of Travelers United, a consumer group that represents air travelers. (Disclosure: I co-founded Travelers United, but I am no longer actively involved in the group.)

Of course, the seat space and fare questions are tied to the FAA bill, whose destiny is less certain. The legislation spends the bulk of its 273 pages attempting to privatize air traffic control, an issue that could be a non-starter even for the current legislature. Observers expect Congress to delay the bill by weeks or months, which means efforts to roll back disclosure laws on airfares and to set minimum airline seat standards could be held hostage to this Washington drama.

All of the air travel politicking raises bigger questions for travelers, who have long suspected that Congress is in the airline industrys pocket. For consumers, its difficult to understand that their representatives could spend so much time arguing over privatizing air traffic control while marginalizing the needs of their own constituents. They wonder if Congress will ever try to protect air travelers or just continue passing laws that favor airlines.

The answer is a little complicated. Congress acts  or threatens to act  when public sentiment overwhelmingly favors consumer protections. For example, after well-publicized tarmac delays 17 years ago, congressional action to clamp down on airlines seemed all but certain. To avert more regulations, domestic airlines voluntarily agreed to adopt customer-service plans. A decade ago, after another series of highly publicized aircraft delays on the taxiway, airlines couldnt avoid regulation, leading to the current tarmac-delay rules.

On this particular bill, and on the two consumer issues attached to it, voters have a little more leverage than usual. After all, its an election year. They can contact their representative. Sadly for passengers, the SEAT Act failed on a largely party-line vote, and the Transparent Airfares Act passed unanimously.
Kendra Thornton is an unlikely candidate for government aid, but when Frontier Airlines recently denied her a seat on a flight from Chicago to Denver, thats exactly what she got.

Thornton and her three young children were headed to a ranch vacation in Missoula, Mont. When they tried to check in for their flight at Chicagos OHare airport, an airline representative informed her family that theyd forfeited their seats.

Frontier said theyd tried to contact us through our travel agency to tell us our first flight was oversold, she says. When they didnt hear back, they canceled our seats.

Thornton, who runs a Chicago travel agency and is a regularly featured expert on travel appearing on local TV, says shes certain the airline had her email address. She had to pay an extra $2,400 to fly to Montana on another airline. Frontier refunded the unused tickets, but nothing more.

Thats not how its supposed to work. Thornton and her kids should have been offered 400 percent of their one-way fare, up to a $1,350 maximum per passenger, for being denied boarding. And its a little-known fact that the Department of Transportations Aviation Consumer Protection Division helps consumers such as her.

For years, the Transportation Department relied on big fines to deter violations of federal law by airlines. Under the current leadership, however, the emphasis seems to be shifting to advocacy for individuals.

The agency received 15,770 consumer complaints and responded to 2,009 information requests from members of the public during the first nine months of this year. Yet it has issued fewer fines. So far in 2015, it has only 14 consent orders assessing $2.4 million in civil penalties to its credit, compared with 23 consent orders and $2.6 million in penalties from last year.

That puts the agency on track to perform the fewest enforcements and assess the lowest amount of penalties in seven years. But as far as the agency is concerned, it is responding to increasing dissatisfaction from air travelers by helping them one-on-one.

Airline passengers have a right to be treated fairly, and the department is committed to using all the tools at its disposal to ensure that this happens, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told me. We will continue to work with airlines to make air travel more convenient and hassle-free for consumers.

This years crop of consent orders does contain some precedent-setting punishments.

This year, the government fined Southwest Airlines a record $1.6 million for violating federal rules involving lengthy tarmac delays. The DOT alleged that Southwest failed to offer passengers on 16 aircraft delayed at Chicagos Midway International Airport an opportunity to deplane within three hours of arrival and didnt have sufficient staff available to implement its tarmac delay contingency plan, which is required under federal law.

The DOT slapped Hawaiian Airlines with a smaller but significant fine for shorting customers on compensation for mishandled baggage and violating its full-fare advertising rules. The agency levied a $160,000 fine after learning that Hawaiian had a policy limiting reimbursement for damages associated with delayed baggage to $30 a day for a maximum of three days  far less than the $3,500 minimum level required by federal law.

It also dinged Hawaiian for a promotion with its co-branded credit card that offered a one-time 50 percent round-trip companion travel discount for flights between North America and Hawaii if consumers signed up for the card. Customers were shown a higher fare when they attempted to apply the 50 percent discount, the department alleged.

The agency also investigated a record number of civil rights cases this year  it declined to say how many  and is pursuing enforcement action in a number of them, which it expects to conclude next year.

Of note is the departments investigation of a complaint by an Israeli citizen that found Kuwait Airways subjected him to unreasonable discrimination by refusing to sell him a ticket on a Kuwait Airways flight from New York to London on the basis of his citizenship. The DOT has ordered the airline to stop its unlawful conduct and threatened to pursue administrative or judicial action if the airline continues to refuse to comply.

When Thornton asked me to help her recover the $2,400 ticket from Frontier, I recommended she first try contacting the DOT. (You can do it online at airconsumer.dot.gov or by phone at 202-366-2220.) Her case was a clear-cut violation of federal law, so I wanted to give the agency a crack at it first.

Within hours, Thornton had a response from Doug Davis, an aviation analyst in the Aviation Consumer Protection Divisions Office of the General Counsel. Davis shared her case with Frontier. Within a week, the airline promised to refund her for the additional tickets she had to purchase.

A check arrived a few days later. Thornton says shes thankful to Frontier for doing the right thing and glad to put the experience behind her. But, she admits, she didnt know the DOT could help her.
If youve ever found a bargain on a hotel only to discover a few clicks later that the property charged a nonnegotiable resort fee, youre not alone. Last year, 744 properties in the United States added these fees to their guests final bills, an astonishing 25 percent increase from 2014.

Thats the bad news. The good news? The harder the hotel industry pushes these unwelcome fees on consumers, the closer the government comes to banning them.

A coalition of consumer advocates, including the National Consumers League and Travelers United, is ratcheting up pressure on lawmakers to eliminate these controversial surcharges, which cover features such as wireless Internet access and towels at the hotel gym.

The coalitions latest target: state governments. Late last year, the organizations made their pitch to a group of state attorneys general. Resort fees, they say, deceive customers, angering them and putting honest competitors at a disadvantage.

Public sentiment is on their side, they say. A national poll of registered voters released in late 2015 found that 80 percent said hotels and resorts should be required to include mandatory resort fees in the daily room rate, which would allow customers to comparison-shop before they book a room. More than 20 percent of respondents said that in the past year, theyd been charged a mandatory fee in addition to the room rate and tax.

The average resort fee is $17.30 per night, up about 5 percent from a year ago, according to ResortFeeChecker.com, a site that tracks resort fees. Fees at high-end hotels are growing the fastest. A year ago, only 90 hotels charged a resort fee of $30 or more. That number has mushroomed to 142 hotels. All told, U.S. hotel guests paid an estimated $2.7 billion in resort fees last year.

It seems like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, says Randy Greencorn, ResortFeeChecker.coms publisher.

Travelers are apoplectic.

I absolutely loathe them, says Michelle Roberts, a travel agent from Atlanta. Its like double paying.

Roberts, like other hotel guests, was so upset when she discovered a resort fee on her hotel bill that she balked at paying it  and the hotel removed it. But that was years ago, and the practice has become so common that fighting it is futile.

The problem with resort fees is that they are revealed so late in the booking process. At best, theyre disclosed after the initial rate quote but before you push the buy button. At worst, theyre revealed at checkout, when theyre added to your final bill.

Resort fees make rooms appear less costly when being purchased and compared to other similar hotels online, explains Glenn Haussman, editor in chief of the hotel trade publication Hotel Interactive. Hotel revenue managers realize that all things being equal, people will pick the cheapest price without first mentally adding in that a specific hotel may tack on an extra $25 a night.

Lets say you have two hotels  one with rooms for $260 a night with no resort fee and the other with rooms at $245 a night with a required $20 per night resort fee. Guess which one will sell more rooms? Thats right, the one offering the lower initial price but with the higher overall rate.

Some hotel managers admit that the temptation to add these fees is enormous, especially because theyre legal. As Jim Smith, innkeeper at the Wine Country Inn in St. Helena, Calif., explains, they add money to the room rates that is noncommissionable to online travel agents such as Expedia and Hotels.com. In other words, the hotels dont have to pay them a cut of the fee. But, he adds, that doesnt make them right.

I certainly dont like paying resort fees when I travel, Smith says, so why would I want to charge my guests these silly fees?

Some bigger hotels also dont see a future in resort fees. The new Four Seasons Resort Orlando, located in an epicenter of resort fees, decided not to charge them in order to set itself apart from the competition.

Some guests might book at a resort with a lower nightly rate, only to realize at checkout that theyve been charged a daily resort fee, a fee for their pool umbrella, plus the hourly fees for the kids club, resort spokeswoman Dana Berry says. When you add it all up, it would have been less or equal to staying at a Four Seasons, where they would have probably had a much better experience.

There is a growing realization that resort fees, at least as they are now charged, are unfair and deceptive. They would not be tolerated in almost any other business, so why are hotels allowed to get away with them? Even some hotel employees know that their guests are on to them.

Consider what happened to Allan Jordan, a consultant and corporate traveler based in Roslyn, N.Y., who found an $89 rate at a casino hotel in Mount Pocono, Pa., but soon discovered that the rate didnt include a $15 resort fee. He phoned the property to find out what the fee covered.

It covers our free Internet, free in-room coffee and valet parking for the hotel guests, a reservations agent answered.

If you charge $15, Jordan replied, it isnt free.
It started with a proposed law to set minimum seat sizes on planes. Then a senator took on hotel resort fees, and another put airline surcharges in his crosshairs. And then the Senate released one of the most passenger-friendly Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bills in a generation.

An unprecedented number of pro-consumer laws have been introduced in Congress in the past month, giving travelers hope that their next trip could be better than the last  smoother, more comfortable and with fewer surprise fees.

Call it a Travel Rights Spring. But will it last?

The reason for this legislation is obvious to anyone who travels. For decades, travelers  particularly airline passengers  have complained about shrinking seat sizes and rising fees. It wasnt a question of whether Washington would intervene, but when.

The airlines quest for ever more revenue has gone way too far, says Richard Orr, a frequent traveler who works for a sporting goods chain in St. Charles. Like other travelers, hes been surprised at the rapid-fire introduction of these proposed laws in February and March.

Congress is finally taking concrete action, he adds.

And how.

The prelude to Travel Rights Spring was the House version of the FAA reauthorization bill, which contained a number of unexpected consumer provisions. Among them: a requirement to notify passengers of their consumer rights, the extension of the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection and a requirement that airlines refund baggage fees for luggage delayed more than 24 hours on domestic flights.

But Congress was just getting warmed up. A few days later, Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., introduced the Seat Egress in Air Travel (SEAT) Act, which would have established a minimum seat size and a minimum distance between rows of seats for the safety and health of passengers. Although it failed as an amendment to the FAA reauthorization, it remains a stand-alone bill.

Then the Senate took up the issue of minimum seat size when Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., announced plans to add an amendment similar to the SEAT Act to the Senate version of the FAA funding bill.

Congress doesnt want to help only airline passengers. In late February, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., introduced the Truth in Hotel Advertising Act of 2016, a law that would prohibit hotels from advertising a room rate that doesnt include all mandatory fees. If passed, the law would effectively kill resort fees added to your bill after the initial price quote. Hotel guests are furious about these surcharges, which they say are unfair and deceptive.

Next, two Senate Democrats introduced the Forbid Airlines From Imposing Ridiculous Fees Act of 2016, or the FAIR Fees Act, which would prohibit air carriers from imposing fees that are not reasonable and proportional to the costs incurred by the air carriers.

This measure will ground the soaring, gouging fees that contribute to airlines record profits and passengers rising pain, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who co-sponsored the FAIR Fees Act.

But the biggest surprise came when the Senate introduced its version of the FAA bill, which contains numerous pro-consumer provisions, including better fee disclosure by airlines, automatic refunds for fees and a review of how airlines reveal information on their decisions to delay or cancel flights, which may fully or only partially be the result of weather-related factors. These clauses sent shock waves through the aviation community, which believed a Republican-controlled Senate wouldnt interfere with a deregulated airline industry.

Jean Medina, a spokeswoman for Airlines for America, an airline trade group, described the legislative proposals to regulate airline fees and seat size as laws cloaked under consumer protection that will actually harm customers who would end up paying more to fly than they do today.

These efforts are a misguided attempt at re-regulation of an industry that has been deregulated  to the consumer benefit  since 1978, she says.

Consumers beg to differ.

Air travel has become so miserable, says Willa Kubasta, a retired medical assistant and office manager from Renton, Wash. Id rather spend more and have the privilege of being treated humanely and not like the lowest class of citizen.
Kathryn Frieze just wanted her money back.

She had paid the airline Iberia $176 for an extra legroom seat on a flight from Chicago to Madrid, but the airline rescheduled her flight, dropping her upgraded economy-class seat. Her repeated attempts to reach the airline proved futile.

Im getting the runaround, says Frieze, a retired French teacher from Wichita, Kan.

Frieze suspects the impasse is due in part to the 4,700 miles separating Kansas and Madrid, where Iberia is based. And she may be right. Resolving a consumer problem in travel is enough of a challenge when youre in the same time zone and separated by a state or two. But once you cross the border, problems are even harder to fix  sometimes even impossible.

Frieze didnt stay stuck for long. It turns out there was some initial confusion between Iberia and its code share partner, American Airlines, over which company should issue the refund for the ticket. Her original ticket had been booked through American, which operated her first flight.

I contacted American and it confirmed that Iberia would have to issue the refund. I passed Friezes request along to Iberia, and she received her money back  eight long months after first making the request.

What happened?

Iberia claims it lost her correspondence, which included emails and letters. So, sending another query might have shaken a refund loose. (Try to unearth the operative email address. The best one for contacting this particular airline is atencionalcliente@iberia.es.)

Taking your complaint to a higher level is a strategy that works well when youre dealing with a problem overseas, says Elizabeth Megan, a tour operator in Boston. Based on my experience, thats the best way to get their attention, she says.

Emailing instead of phoning helps, too, and not only because having a paper trail of any interactions can help you later. When youre dealing with a foreign language, the employees on the other end may need to run your correspondence through translation software to determine what youre saying. Or you may have to.

Companies do more than use their distance as an excuse to deny a refund. They sometimes charge you extra, and they may do so arbitrarily. Consider the problem of traffic fines received by car rental customers.

Michael Blank, a retired pharmaceutical executive from Philadelphia, was hit with two 45-euro tickets after he visited France this summer. The tickets had been generated by a speed camera and sent electronically to his rental company, Europcar, which added two 30-euro administrative charges. A rental company representative explained that the additional fees covered the cost of passing the ticket from the authorities to the driver.

The rental was reasonably priced, but with the added 150 euro for the two tickets, it turned out to be anything but reasonable, Blank says.

Theres a sense among travelers such as Blank that companies are taking advantage of the distance and language barrier to stick customers with additional fees. Those suspicions may be valid, at least partially. Often, car rental companies send bills or repair records in languages other than English, which can create the impression that theres no room to negotiate. But its also true that many of these fines would apply to all customers regardless of nationality.

Many travelers take their grievances to social media, waging shame campaigns on Twitter or Facebook. But companies based outside the United States dont respond the same way American travel companies do. Theyre more likely to brush off the digital demands of their customers in the States  assuming they even have a significant social media presence.

Perhaps the best advice is not to wait until you get home. The ideal time to resolve a travel problem is while youre still on the ground, says Matthew Storm, the director of innovation and solutions at NICE Systems, which helps large organizations monitor and improve their customer service. Storm recommends researching local customer-service phone numbers for your vendors prior to traveling. Keep local and international numbers with you during your trip, and it will save you the time finding them in the event of an emergency, he says.
Every Thursday I write about a trip I'd love to go on, if only I had the time or money to go.

It's about that time of year that many of us start thinking about spring break and beaches.

The CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa in Mexico has a new Chasing the Sunset Package that is perfect for this time of year.

The Chasing the Sunset Package includes:

 Accommodations with private balcony

 Guacamole presentation for two at leisure during stay

 Two complimentary drinks per stay (choice of local beer or margarita)

 One hour of paddle board or kayak usage per stay

 Daily spa credit of $25 USD per person per day

Rates start at $208 per night. This package must be booked by March 15 and is valid for travel through April 30, with a two-night minimum. Promo Code: P50. For more information or to book, visit puertovallartamarriott.com.

From the email:
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.
One of the AW-189 helicopters

A COMPANY that is part of the Stratford-upon-Avon-based Rigby Group has been handed a ten-year, 180million contract with the British military forces in the Falkland Islands.

British International Helicopters (BIH) has launched the Falkland Islands Search and Rescue service for Ministry of Defence, providing vital air support services.

It will undertake a range of assignments including around the clock, all-weather search and rescue, helicopter emergency services, rescue hoist operations, and passenger and cargo transfers.

Two new AW-189 helicopters, customised by Finmeccanica, were sourced to meet the requirements set out by the UK Ministry of Defence for the search and rescue operation, and will be deployed alongside BIHs existing Sikorsky S-61N support craft.

BIHs Falklands team is providing a full range of flight operations, maintenance, logistics and facilities support from the MODs military base at Mount Pleasant in partnership with USA-based AAR Airlift Group and Air Rescue Systems (ARS).

Sir Peter Rigby, founder of BIHs owner the Rigby Group, said: This is a proud moment for British International Helicopters. The Falkland Islands assignment is a challenging one, demanding the very best from both craft and crew, and there are not many operators with the capabilities required to deliver it.

That our crews should be the ones selected to fly alongside and meet the exacting standards of the Royal Air Force is testament not only to their skill, but also to BIHs reputation as a trusted military and commercial partner.
Radian Group Inc. (NYSE: RDN) today announced that Chief Executive Officer S.A. Ibrahim, 64, informed the companys Board of Directors of his intention to retire at the end of his contract in December 2017. In keeping with Radians succession planning process, the Board has appointed a special committee to commence a search for his successor. The committee has employed the assistance of Spencer Stuart, a leading executive recruitment firm, and will take into consideration internal as well as external candidates.

Ibrahim has served as CEO of Radian since May 2005. Within four years of joining Radian as CEO, Ibrahim was tasked with navigating the company through unprecedented instability in the U.S. housing markets, emerging competitive forces and increasingly austere regulatory regimes. Under Ibrahims prudent leadership and strategic direction, Radian has written more than $200 billion of high-quality new mortgage insurance business, simplified and strengthened its capital structure, eliminated its exposure to financial guaranty credit risk with the sale of Radian Asset Assurance, and expanded its reach within the broader mortgage finance market.

With S.A. at the helm over the past 11 years, Radian has emerged from one of our countrys deepest financial crises newly invigorated and focused, while achieving a leadership position in the private mortgage insurance industry, commented Herb Wender, Chairman of the Board. S.A. has been an inspirational leader to Radian's employees while always staying focused on creating value for our stockholders. His leadership skills will be difficult to replace.

Mr. Ibrahim joined Radian from GreenPoint Financial Corp., where he served as chief executive officer for six years. Earlier, Ibrahim spent nine years at Chemical Bank, where he rose to the position of CEO of the mortgage unit. In between, he served as an international trouble shooter for American Express travel-related services company, where he headed reengineering on four continents.

Im looking forward to my remaining tenure at Radian. My time here has been among the most rewarding of my career, and I believe the company is better positioned today to drive long-term value than ever before, said Ibrahim. I remain focused on realizing the benefits of our strategies for growing our core mortgage insurance business and on diversifying our revenues through mortgage and real estate services. The deliberate and thoughtful process that we are applying to succession planning will ensure that we maintain our current momentum, while allowing for a seamless transition for our executive team and my successor.
Western Refining Logistics, LP (NYSE: WNRL) announced the pricing of a registered underwritten public offering of 3,750,000 common units representing limited partner interests, at a public offering price of $21.73 per common unit. The total gross proceeds (before the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses) will be approximately $81 million. In connection with the offering, WNRL granted the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 562,500 common units. The offering is expected to close on May 20, 2016, subject to certain closing conditions.

WNRL plans to use the proceeds from this offering to repay borrowings outstanding under its revolving credit facility. WNRL may reborrow any amounts repaid under its revolving credit facility for general partnership purposes, which may include, among other things, funding working capital, capital expenditures or acquisitions from Western Refining, Inc. (Western) or third parties. Assuming the successful completion of Westerns pending acquisition of Northern Tier Energy LP (Northern Tier), future acquisitions from Western may include pipeline and logistics assets currently owned by Northern Tier.

The common units are being offered and will be sold pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement that was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such states. The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus and related prospectus supplement meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Barclays is acting as the sole book-running manager for the offering. A copy of the prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov or by sending a request to:

Barclays Capital Inc.c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions1155 Long Island AvenueEdgewood, NY 11717Telephone: (888) 603-5847[email protected]
By Lawrence Delevingne

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Trading magnate Steven Schonfeld is backing a new hedge fund firm with at least $100 million, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors, which mostly manages Schonfeld's personal fortune, is set to partner with Lucha Capital Management, a nascent San Francisco-based investment shop led by Marcelo Desio.

Lucha plans to launch in July or August and will take invest primarily in the stocks of U.S. technology, media, telecommunication and business service companies, according to one of the sources. Schonfeld's funding commitment is for at least three years and its investment could grow depending on performance, said the sources, who requested anonymity because the information is private.

The fund will buy some stocks while taking short positions in others, a strategy that yields profits if the stock price falls.

Schonfeld managed $4.02 billion as of Jan. 1, according to its most recent public filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm recently allowed employees and some outsiders to invest alongside the founder.

Schonfeld uses about 40 small investment teams, a so-called multi-manager strategy. Some are based in Schonfelds New York-area offices or externally, like Lucha. The teams invest using three main styles: "quantitative" computer algorithms, traditional human stock-picking, and shorter-term trading. Schonfeld has hired at least five portfolio managers this year, according to one of the people.

Desio, Lucha's portfolio manager, will be joined by co-founder and senior analyst Bill Dauphinais. Both most recently worked at another hedge fund firm, Crosslink Capital.

(Reporting by Lawrence Delevingne; Editing by David Gregorio)
New York, New York (PRWEB) May 16, 2016

For the second year in a row, Mercy Ships, a global organization committed to providing the world's impoverished with free, basic healthcare and life-changing medical surgeries, will benefit as charity partner of the American Apparel & Footwear Association. A portion of the proceeds from the [American Image Awards event in New York on May 24 will help support the efforts of Mercy Ships to provide direct patient care and strengthen healthcare systems in Africa.

"AAFA is a leader of positive change for the apparel and footwear industry and is a natural partner in our work to make a lasting, transformational difference in developing nations in Africa," said Don Stephens, President and Founder of Mercy Ships. "We are grateful for the support of AAFA and look forward to a wonderful American Image Awards event this year."

The world's largest private hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, has been docked in Toamasina, Madagascar, for most of the past two years. In addition to meeting immediate medical needs, Mercy Ships has focused on helping local medical professionals care for patients after the hospital ship departs. Volunteers onboard have provided more than 2800 free specialized surgeries, trained 1791 healthcare workers in capacity-building medical courses and mentored 137 medical professionals. Participants included Malagasy surgeons, nurses, nurse anesthetists and others.

"For the second consecutive year, AAFA is honored to have Mercy Ships as its charity partner for the American Image Awards. We are pleased to continue creating broad and global awareness of Mercy Ships throughout the fashion industry," said Rick Helfenbein, AAFA President and CEO. "We hope to make this our most memorable benefit and raise awareness of the importance of the mission of Mercy Ships."

For more information about the AAFA Image Awards, please go to: http://www.mercyships.org/americanimageaward.

###

ABOUT MERCY SHIPS:

Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to deliver free, world-class healthcare services, capacity building and sustainable development to those without access in the developing world. Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships has worked in more than 70 countries providing services valued at more than $1.2 billion, treating more than 2.54 million direct beneficiaries. Each year Mercy Ships has more than 1,600 volunteers from 45 nations. Professionals including surgeons, dentists, nurses, healthcare trainers, teachers, cooks, seamen, engineers, and agriculturalists donate their time and skills to the effort. Mercy Ships seeks to transform individuals and serve nations one at a time. For more information click on http://www.mercyships.org

For More Information Contact:

For USA: Pauline Rick

US Public Relations Coordinator

Mercy Ships

Office Tel: (903) 939-7000

Mob: (972) 922-5442

Email: us.media(at)mercyships(dot)org

For Int'l: Diane Rickard

International Media Manager

Mercy Ships

Diane.rickard(at)mercyships(dot)org

http://www.mercyships.org

About AAFA:

Representing more than 1,000 world famous name brands, the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) is the trusted public policy and political voice of the apparel and footwear industry, its management and shareholders, its four million U.S. workers, and its contribution of $361 billion in annual U.S. retail sales. AAFA stands at the forefront as a leader of positive change for the apparel and footwear industry and delivers a unified voice on key legislative and regulatory issues. AAFA's comprehensive work ensures the continued success and growth of the apparel and footwear industry, its suppliers, and its customers. Learn how AAFA wears our mission at http://www.wewear.org

Hi-res photos and general Mercy Ships B-Roll video footage are available upon request.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016_05_19_AAFA/American_Image_Awards/prweb13406131.htm
WASHINGTON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lawmakers, academics and industry leaders convened on Capitol Hill to discuss needs, challenges and opportunities for U.S. infrastructure and the need to develop a comprehensive and sustainable vision for the coming decades.

Infrastructure Week Co-Chair Rep. Garrett Graves (R-La.), Kansas City Mayor Sly James and industry leaders shared their thoughts on how to reframe public perception and chart the course for the future of America's infrastructure.

Kennametal CEO Ron De Feo delivered the keynote remarks, which featured a preview of a Northwestern University study on the future needs of U.S. transportation infrastructure. The study was commissioned by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

"AEM is proud to be part of this diverse and committed group of stakeholders focused on elevating the issue of U.S. infrastructure both here in Washington, D.C. and across the country," said De Feo, who serves as chairman of AEM's Infrastructure Vision 2050 Task Force. "It is critically important for our industry to bring together different stakeholders and perspectives to advance a concerted, unified effort toward developing an aspirational vision for America's infrastructure."

"How our infrastructure systems perform impacts every single person in our country, and I'm grateful to be a part of this important discussion about how we can make smarter infrastructure policies and investments today to ensure America's productivity and competiveness tomorrow," said Graves. "The federal government is too often reactive  thinking in terms of yesterday's problems  and fails to adapt with the advancements happening around it. Efforts like these are critical to reshaping the way we approach infrastructure spending and to moving us toward future infrastructure systems that are smarter, more efficient and reliable."

"As one of the U.S. Department of Transportation's 'Smart Cities' finalists, we've sought in Kansas City to adopt a forward-looking approach to our infrastructure," said Mayor James. "I appreciate AEM providing a platform for us to share the Kansas City story with members of Congress and manufacturing leaders so that we can all better partner together to achieve a shared future infrastructure vision."

The Capitol Hill discussion is one of two events organized by AEM as part of Infrastructure Week 2016. On Monday, May 23, AEM will host a symposium in Evanston, Ill. to unveil the findings of the new study prepared by the Northwestern University Transportation Center.

The events are part of AEM's broader Infrastructure Vision 2050 initiative, which seeks to elevate the national discussion about the future of infrastructure and ensure that equipment manufacturers are positioned to help the world build its next wave of infrastructure.

The Infrastructure Vision 2050 initiative also features a crowdsourced, incentivized competition to generate new ideas about U.S. infrastructure from a grassroots community of problem-solvers. To learn more about the competition, click here. Winners of the crowdsourced competition will be announced at AEM's flagship trade show, CONEXPO-CON/AGG, in March 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

About the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) - www.aem.org

AEM is the North American-based international trade group providing innovative business development resources to advance the off-road equipment manufacturing industry in the global marketplace. AEM membership comprises more than 850 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors worldwide. AEM is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with offices in the world capitals of Washington, D.C.; Ottawa, Canada; and Beijing, China.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150811/257537LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aem-hosts-capitol-hill-event-on-the-future-of-infrastructure-300270062.html

SOURCE Association of Equipment Manufacturers
PRINCETON, N.J., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, developer of medications for opioid addiction and other chronic neurological diseases, will proceed with plans to develop a manufacturing and research facility in Durham County, North Carolina, despite the enactment of HB2, the controversial law that overturns local ordinances to prohibit discrimination against the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community. Braeburn's decision to move forward with its $19.9 million investment is expected to create at least 52 jobs in the area.

According to a recent poll, there is minimal support for HB2 among North Carolina voters and most voters believe it is having a negative impact on the economy. Durham County's strong record on non-discrimination against the LGBT community, including the Durham Chamber of Commerce's public statement against HB2, proves that advocacy for civil rights is highly valued in the County.

"Diversity and non-discrimination are core to the identity of Braeburn Pharmaceuticals and we consider our own organization's diverse make-up to be a competitive advantage," said Behshad Sheldon, President and CEO of Braeburn. "We proudly stand with the growing list of national and local businesses who have spoken out against the injustice of HB2 and in favor of LGBT rights. We seriously considered moving our manufacturing facility to another state to send a clear message about the depth of our commitment. Ultimately, however, we concluded that abandoning Braeburn's job creation plans in Durham County would unfairly penalize a community that shares Braeburn's commitment to equality."

In a recent meeting between Sheldon and North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, who shares the view that HB2 is unjust and needs to be overturned, the Attorney General argued that Braeburn could help more by advocating from within North Carolina than by protesting through departure. In addition, Braeburn is encouraged by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit filed on May 9, 2016 in North Carolina federal court seeking a determination that HB2 violates federal non-discrimination law and the Obama administration's guidelines issued to public schools on May 13, 2016.

As North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory explained in a recent meeting with Sheldon in which he also encouraged Braeburn to stay in North Carolina, it now appears that federal courts will move swiftly to rule on the legality of HB2, which means that the issues presented by HB2 are now national in scope rather than unique to North Carolina. Braeburn expects that the DOJ will ultimately prevail and that eventually all states will be prohibited from enacting and enforcing laws like HB2.

"Braeburn is committed to leading by example. We will build an inclusive workforce in Durham that respects the rights and dignity of all of our employees as well as the surrounding community," said Sheldon. "We will also advocate for progressive public policy, do our part to help overturn HB2, and support those who share our commitments to diversity and non-discrimination. Battling stigma is central to our mission as we develop medicines for people with opioid addiction, we cannot and will not support stigmatization of any member of our society."

About the Durham Manufacturing FacilityBraeburn's manufacturing and research facility will be responsible for manufacturing finished product for all of Braeburn's pipeline products, including clinical and commercial supply. The 33,940 square-foot facility, which is projected to be operational in early 2017, is located in Morrisville, North Carolina. The quality of talent in Research Triangle Park and a strong pharmaceutical presence is the reason Braeburn selected this location for its facility. Braeburn will employ highly-skilled bio-manufacturing workers as well as research and development specialists. Compensation will vary but is expected to average $75,769 annually, well above the county average of $66,913.

About Braeburn PharmaceuticalsBraeburn Pharmaceuticals, an Apple Tree Partners company, is a pill-free pharmaceutical company delivering precision medicine in neuroscience. Long-acting therapeutic treatment options can be essential to improving patient outcomes and facilitating recovery in chronic, neurological and psychiatric conditions, which are often complicated by stigma and present significant public health challenges. Braeburn's investigational product pipeline consists of long-acting implantable and injectable therapies for opioid addiction, pain and schizophrenia. Candidates include: Probuphine, a six-month buprenorphine implant for treatment of opioid addiction; CAM2038, weekly and monthly subcutaneous injection depot formulations of buprenorphine for treatment of opioid addiction and pain; a risperidone six-month implant for treatment of schizophrenia; and a novel molecule, ATI-9242, for treatment of schizophrenia. More information on Braeburn, can be found at www.braeburnpharmaceuticals.com.

Media: Sherry Feldberg or Rachel Gross MSLGROUP Boston 781-684-0770 [email protected]

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To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/braeburn-pharmaceuticals-announces-decision-to-continue-with-north-carolina-manufacturing-facility-plans-300269486.html

SOURCE Braeburn Pharmaceuticals
CRANBURY, N.J., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Visionet Systems, Inc., a leading provider of technology-led Omni-channel solutions is pleased to announce that David Nocero has joined Visionet Systems, Inc. as Vice President  Global Supply Chain and Warehouse Management System (WMS). David has an extensive career spanning over 20 years as architect and lead for global transformation teams with various renowned clients.

"I am excited to be part of the Visionet global paradigm. Visionet has been building technology-based solutions and services for the mortgage, title, apparel, footwear and consumer package goods industries for the past two decades. Visionet Systems offers Omni-channel solutions and services for what businesses require in terms of transformation, reducing costs, time, and scope," said David Nocero, Vice President - Global Supply Chain & WMS.

David has been the business and technical leader on many EDI, PLM, ECOM, ERP, WMS and POS Global Supply Chain implementations over his tenure. He has been responsible for all business and technical matters related to design, development, deployment and sustainment of 30 companies, which included Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Catherine Malandrino, Sean John, Steve Madden, Kim Seybert, Nest Fragrances and many more. He has led large teams, which have built a number of PLM and portions of ERP from development to execution. David has been the team lead on global transformations that have extended from Asia, Europe, and the United States.

In his new role, David will be responsible for building Visionet's Supply Chain & WMS and designing collaborative transformation approaches that optimize architecture across the customer business requirements, business constraints, and current state technology platforms.

"We are confident that David will accelerate growth and increase revenues in our Global Retail Practice. With his deep expertise and in-depth experience in the Global Supply Chain Management, David is a valuable asset for Visionet in his new role," said George N. Bacon, Chief Operating Officer.

About Visionet Systems, Inc.

Cranbury, NJ-based - Visionet Systems, Inc. is a full-service technology, consulting and business process outsourcing (BPO) company. Visionet delivers software solutions, services, and technology-led BPO products. These products are built on the best-of-breed philosophy to help its customers by increasing business agility, drive down costs, and reduce risks. Over the years, Visionet has engineered high performing and cost-effective solutions for its customers across diverse industries including banking, retail, insurance, distribution, and manufacturing, while building deep competencies in the mortgage Industry. Visionet is focused on delivering value and exceeding customer expectations. For more information, visit online at www.visionetsystems.com

Contact Details: Marlo J. Bodinizzo 609.452.0700 X 1150 Visionet Systems Email

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/david-nocero-joins-visionet-systems-inc-300269286.html

SOURCE Visionet Systems, Inc.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/16/16 -- Dynasty Metals & Mining Inc. ("Dynasty" or the "Company") (TSX: DMM)(OTCQX: DMMIF) announces that it has released its unaudited consolidated financial statements for t three months ended March 31, 2016 (the "Financial Statements"). The selected financial information presented herein is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the Financial Statements and the related notes thereto and the Company's management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A"), which are available on the Company's website (www.dynastymining.com) and on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

All dollar amounts in United States dollars unless otherwise stated.

Q1 2016 Highlights:

-- Dynasty Goldfield project partnership with Green Oil, S.A. for development of open pit resources -- Zaruma project agreement for sale of non-resource-bearing mining concessions

Corporate Update

Zaruma Project

At the beginning of the first quarter of 2016, mining ramped up slowly following the holiday break. Midway through the quarter, labour relations with mine workers began to deteriorate resulting in intermittent work slow-downs and stoppages to the end of the quarter and into the second quarter. At the deeper levels of the Cabo de Hornos decline, which was extended during the past 18 months, the decision was made to develop existing significant resources that have been made available by the current decline. Some areas of these resources are accessible and others will be accessible by dewatering.

Despite the worker stoppage at the start of the second quarter, Dynasty was able to move several small, lower grade underground ore stockpiles to the Zaruma mill for processing. The mine and mill sites have been secure during the work stoppage and there has been no damage to property or equipment. Dynasty continues to focus on resolving issues with its labour force and has been working with government labour experts to come to a solution equitable to all parties. Dynasty is also considering supplementing its existing underground labour force with contract miners to increase tonnage from the mine, once current labour issues are settled.

The labour situation will impact production estimates for the second quarter of 2016, however, the Company is exploring other opportunities to increase cash flow to mitigate impact of work stoppage, including, but not limited to, the sale of non-core assets, such as mining claims that do not contain mineral resources. In this regard, the Company entered into an agreement in the first quarter of 2016 for the sale of two non-resource mining concessions that are part of the Zaruma Project, for aggregate net proceeds of $600,000. To-date, $300,000 of the purchase price has been paid to the Company and the completion of the agreement is subject to final approval of the Ministry of Mines. Net proceeds from the sale of such non-core concessions are to be used for working capital purposes as well as payment of outstanding indebtedness to the Government of Ecuador and suppliers.

As a result of both the labour issues and reworking of the mine plan, tonnage mined during the first quarter of 2016 decreased significantly (by 12,407 tonnes) compared to the previous quarter. Grade of material mined also continued to be lower than plan due to the mixing of lower grade development material with limited resource grade and a certain amount of the mineralized material being mined outside the defined mineral resource.

With reduced tonnage mined in the first quarter of 2016, the Zaruma mill ran at a significantly reduced capacity. Due to high fixed costs at the Zaruma mill, running lower tonnage causes a significant increase in the all in cash cost per ounce. Subsequent to March 31, 2016, Dynasty entered into an agreement with Green Oil S.A. ("Green Oil") whereby additional mineralized material may be sourced at the Dynasty Goldfield project and added to the Zaruma tonnage processed that the Zaruma mill. The additional tonnage would result in a decrease in the overall cash cost to process each ounce, irrespective of origin of mineralized material.

Zaruma Gold Project Operating Results

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three months ended ------------------------------------------------------------ March 31, December 31, September 30, June 30, March 31, 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gold Revenue $3,261,235 $ 6,306,494 $ 6,143,017 $4,220,239 $3,428,947 Gold sales (ounces) 2,785 5,634 5,447 3,507 2,777 Average realized price per ounce $ 1,171 $ 1,119 $ 1,128 $ 1,203 $ 1,235 Mined material milled (tonnes) 19,399 32,167 33,584 17,574 24,344 Average grade (grams/tonne) 3.97 4.37 6.28 6.13 6.17 Average recovery (%) 89.7 91.4 92.6 93.8 92.8 Gold production (ounces) 2,221 4,133 6,285 3,245 4,481 Cash costs ($/oz Au)(a,b) $ 1,847 $ 1,596 $ 859 $ 1,680 $ 1,484 Cash costs ($/tonne Au)(a,b) $ 211 $ 205 $ 161 $ 310 $ 273 All-in sustaining cash cost ($/oz Au)(a,b) $ 2,441 $ 2,147 $ 1,171 $ 2,269 $ 1,880 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. Net of by-product credits. b. Non-GAAP measure. For the disclosure of the manner in which these measures are calculated and reconciliation to operating expenditures refer to the "Non-GAAP Measures" section of the Company's MD&A available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

During the three months ended March 31, 2016 the company produced 2,221 ounces of gold from processing 19,399 tonnes of material with an average grade of 3.97 grams per tonne of gold ("g/t Au") compared to the three months ended March 31, 2015 when the company produced 4,481 ounces of gold from processing 24,344 tonnes of material with an average grade of 6.17 g/t Au.

Dynasty Goldfield Project

In the company's efforts to pursue strategic alternatives to advance its other key projects, subsequent to the end of the first quarter, Dynasty announced that it has entered into a definitive three-year agreement with Green Oil in respect of its Dynasty Goldfield project. Green Oil will act as contractor for the development of specific mining concessions. To-date, Green Oil has advanced the Company $170,000 of its $500,000 unsecured loan commitment, which will enhance the Company's liquidity while preliminary development work under the agreement is completed.

Under the terms of this agreement, Green Oil will focus on surface excavation of mineralized material on three of Dynasty's mining concessions within the Dynasty Goldfield Project, each of which is fully permitted and qualified under Ecuador's special regime for small scale mining. The designation of 'small scale' allows for the open pit mining of up to 1,000 tonnes per concession per day. Within two months of commencement of mining activities, Green Oil must excavate a minimum of 400 tonnes per day and 750 tonnes per day by the beginning of the third month. Green Oil has the right to mine open pitable surface material only and Dynasty retains the right to explore and develop any and all underground mineralization on these three concessions. Dynasty retains all rights to mineralized material developed underground within or beyond the three year term of this agreement.

This project has a mineral resource of approximately 1.1 million ounces of gold in the measured and indicated categories contained in nearly 7 million tonnes. Mineralization breaches the surface so beginning with a number of small to medium sized open pits is a prudent and efficient method to begin working this project. Green Oil has both the earth moving expertise as well as the appropriate equipment required to allow this project to begin generating cash, which may be used for future expansion and working capital.

Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources

As at March 31, 2016 the Company had cash resources of $0.2 million and a working capital deficit (current assets less current liabilities) of $13.4 million compared to cash resources of $0.45 million and a working capital deficit of $8.7 million as at December 31, 2015.

As at March 31, 2016 and the date of this report the Company's accounts payable includes some balances which are significantly overdue, including approximately $3.8 million in aggregate of income taxes, royalties, sales taxes and other withholding taxes owed to the Ecuador Government with which the Company is currently negotiating to defer these amounts. These negotiations are ongoing and there is no assurance they will be successful.

Continuing operations are dependent upon the Company being able to successfully negotiate the deferral of taxation amounts owed to the Ecuador government and the Company's ability in the future to mitigate the risks and overcome the challenges generally associated with comparable development and early stage production enterprises, most significantly, it must either generate sufficient cash flow from the sale of precious metals in the future or secure additional working capital as required, none of which can be assured.

More specifically, the operational improvement of the Zaruma Project, the ability to mine the Dynasty Goldfield Project to feed the Zaruma mill, the availability of financing through debt, equity or the profitable sale of assets and the level of funding by potential business partners will determine the Company's working capital requirements over the next 12 months. The Company's ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on its ability to obtain additional funding, the success of which cannot be assured. These conditions and events cast significant doubt on the assumption that the company may continue to be a going concern.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the For the Three Months Three Months Ended Ended March 31, 2016 March 31, 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPERATING REVENUES $ 3,533,292 $ 3,726,236 -------------------------------- OPERATING COSTS Mining and processing 4,853,698 5,599,126 Exploration and Evaluation 72,059 - Royalties 159,996 154,646 Depreciation and depletion 886,324 910,200 -------------------------------- 5,972,077 6,663,972 -------------------------------- (LOSS) FROM MINE OPERATIONS (2,438,785) (2,937,736) EXPENSES Corporate administration 766,585 1,128,842 Stock-based compensation 13,812 17,551 -------------------------------- 780,397 1,146,393 -------------------------------- LOSS FROM OPERATIONS (3,219,182) (4,084,129) OTHER EXPENSES (INCOME) Finance expense 248,705 - Foreign exchange income (21,495) - -------------------------------- 227,210 - -------------------------------- LOSS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS FOR THE PERIOD $ (3,446,392) $ (4,084,129) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- BASIC AND DILUTED LOSS PER SHARE $ (0.08) $ (0.10) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF SHARES OUTSTANDING 46,706,968 42,461,083 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

CFO and Corporate Secretary appointment

The Company also wishes to announce that effective May 13, 2016, Mr. Ruben Gellibert has been promoted from Interim Chief Financial Officer to the position of Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Gellibert also, effective May 13, 2016, has been appointed as Corporate Secretary of the Corporation.

About Dynasty Metals & Mining

Dynasty Metals & Mining Inc. is a Canadian based mining company involved in the exploration and development of mineral properties in Ecuador.

The Company is currently focused on developing its Zaruma Gold Project, at which the Company is engaged in intermittent production. The Company also has the following non-producing assets: the Jerusalem Project and Dynasty Goldfield Project.

Brian Speechly, a Fellow of AusIMM (Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy), a director of the Company and a "qualified person" within the definition of that term in the National Instrument 43-101, has supervised the preparation of and has verified the technical information contained in this news release.

For further information please visit the Company's website at www.dynastymining.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains statements which are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking information" which are prospective in nature. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "projects", "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", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such information in this news release includes, without limitation, statements regarding Dynasty's future plans and expectations relating to the Zaruma mine development and mineral extraction, the impact of the labour stoppage at the Zaruna mine, the development of certain concessions at the Dynasty Goldfield Project and the sale of the Company's two non-resource mining concessions and the use of the proceeds derived therefrom. Forward-looking information is not based on historical facts, but rather on then current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the industry and markets in which the Company operates, including assumptions relating to the Company's ability to continue production at the Zaruma mine despite the labour stoppage, that the Company will be able to continue its progress as currently planned and will not have to make additional changes to the mine plan, that the agreement with Green Oil will result in the extraction of sufficient tonnage from the Dynasty Goldfield Project, that the Company will continue to sell processed gold and silver at levels that allow it to fund the continued development of its mining projects and sustain its operations, that the Company will have access to capital if required, that all necessary approvals and arrangements will be obtained, renewed and/or finalized in a satisfactory manner in order to continue developing the Company's projects, and that the Company's equipment will operate at expected levels. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause Dynasty's actual results, revenues, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results,

performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Important risks that could cause Dynasty's actual results, revenues, performance or achievements to differ materially from Dynasty's expectations include, among other things: (i) risks related to the labour stoppage and the ability of the Company to obtain contract miners, if required, (ii) risks related to the uncertainty of the Company's ability to successfully negotiate the deferral of taxation amounts owned the Ecuadorian government,(iii) that the Company will be able to generate sufficient cash flow to continue as a going concern, (iv) risks related to the Company obtaining approval from the Ministry of Mines for the sale of two non-resource mining concessions (v) risks related to prior mining activity at its mines and declines, (vi) uncertainties relating to mineral resource estimates (vii) risks related to availability of capital on satisfactory terms, (viii) risks related to Dynasty's lack of history in producing metals from Dynasty's mineral exploration properties and its ability to successfully establish mining operations or profitably produce precious metals; (ix) changes in the market prices of gold, silver, and other minerals, which, in the past, have fluctuated widely and which could affect the profitability of Dynasty's operations and financial condition; (x) risks related to governmental regulations, including taxation statutes; (xi) risks related to Dynasty's primary properties being located in Ecuador, including political, economic, and regulatory instability and other risks found in Dynasty's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2015 which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Other than in accordance with its legal or regulatory obligations, Dynasty is not under any obligation and Dynasty expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts: Naomi Nemeth Investor Relations Toronto Office: 1 416 366 3881 Toll Free: 1 888-735-3881 (North America only) [email protected] Twitter: @DynastyMining

Source: Dynasty Metals & Mining Inc.
TOKYO and SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Geodesic Capital, an independent growth stage venture capital firm investing in U.S.-based consumer and enterprise technology companies, today announced the close of its first fund, Geodesic Capital Fund I, totaling $335 million.

Geodesic Capital was founded by former U.S. Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos who was previously CEO of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the leading law firm in the United States in the representation of technology, life sciences and emerging growth companies. Joining Roos as Founders are Ashvin Bachireddy, previously a growth stage partner at Andreessen Horowitz, who was actively involved in the firm's investments in Facebook, Twitter, Box, Airbnb and Github, and Japanese trading and investment company Mitsubishi Corporation, which is also the anchor investor.

Roos, Founding Partner of Geodesic Capital commented, "During my time as Ambassador, I traveled all over Japan talking about the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship to Japan's economy. After returning to Silicon Valley, I found this to be the most deeply disruptive and innovative period in technology I have seen in my career and came to believe that Japan needed a much greater presence here. At the same time I saw a surging interest in Japan among the very best technology companies in the U.S. By launching Geodesic Capital, we seek to establish a bridge between Silicon Valley, Japan and Asia that will help the world's most transformative technology companies enter these high potential markets, and also help Japan's most iconic companies establish a window into Silicon Valley innovation."

"Disruptive technologies are changing everything about the way we live and the way we do business. Geodesic Capital was founded to be the preferred funding partner for growth stage technology companies," added Bachireddy, Founding Partner at Geodesic Capital. "The best entrepreneurs are focused on building a global business. The network and experience of our team will help our portfolio companies access Japan and Asia, the world's largest and fastest growing market," he continued.

Geodesic Capital also announced that Nate Mitchell, formerly of Vulcan Capital and Index Ventures, joined as a Partner. Mitchell has been closely involved in many leading technology investments such as Uber, Alibaba, RPX, Magic Leap, Zuora, Mimecast, Etsy and Flipkart. James Kondo, who previously served as Chairman of Twitter Japan, Managing Director of East Asia at Twitter, and Special Advisor in the Cabinet Office of the Japanese Government, also joined the firm as a Senior Advisor. Both will be based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Finally, Geodesic Capital announced the opening of Geodesic Japan GK, led by Marcus Otsuji, who was most recently a senior executive at Apple Japan and previously was Country Manager at Omniture Japan. Geodesic Japan GK will provide Japan market entry and growth support for Geodesic Capital portfolio companies in Japan. In addition, Mitsubishi Corporation will assist Geodesic Japan GK in supporting portfolio companies entering the Japanese market.

Geodesic Capital Fund I has already made a number of investments, including:

Tanium , a software product that gives the world's largest enterprises and government organizations the unique power to secure, control and manage millions of endpoints across enterprises within seconds;

, a software product that gives the world's largest enterprises and government organizations the unique power to secure, control and manage millions of endpoints across enterprises within seconds; Instart Logic , the world's first end-point aware application delivery solution that makes applications fast, secure and easy to operate;

, the world's first end-point aware application delivery solution that makes applications fast, secure and easy to operate; 21 Inc., 21 sells the 21 Bitcoin Computer, the first computer with native hardware and software support for the Bitcoin protocol.

In addition to Mitsubishi Corporation, other investors in Geodesic Capital Fund I include Limited Partners; Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance Inc., Nikon Corporation, Development Bank of Japan Inc. and The Toho Bank, Ltd.

About Geodesic Capital Geodesic Capital supports U.S.-based entrepreneurs building transformative growth stage technology companies. It was founded by former U.S. Ambassador to Japan and former CEO of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, John V. Roos and Ashvin Bachireddy, previously a growth stage partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Geodesic Capital helps its portfolio companies expand globally into key markets in Asia, starting with Japan, by assisting them in finding employees, customers, partners and developing go-to-market strategies. For more information, please visit www.geodesiccap.com.

Media contact Michael Celiceo SparkPR for Geodesic [email protected] 415.704.8266

Geodesic Capital Founding Partner Biographies

Ambassador John V. Roos, Founding Partner, Geodesic Capital

John V. Roos served as United States Ambassador to Japan from August 2009 - August 2013. On Aug. 6, 2010 he became the first sitting U.S. Ambassador ever to attend the commemoration ceremony of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima.

Ambassador Roos' service in Tokyo coincided with the devastating 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis on March 11, 2011 when he led the American effort on the ground in support of Japan's response to the disaster. In October 2011, citing his tireless and effective leadership during and after the disasters, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton awarded Ambassador Roos the prestigious Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service. On September 22, 2014, Ambassador Roos was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus citing his "relentless efforts to forge a deeper bilateral security relationship between Japan and the United States," and his "dynamic and steadfast leadership during Operation Tomodachi," the U.S. military's humanitarian response mission.

Ambassador Roos also led the creation of the TOMODACHI Initiative that followed U.S. disaster relief efforts. TOMODACHI is a public-private partnership between the United States Government and the U.S.-Japan Council, a Washington, DC-based non-profit organization. It is designed to invest in Japan's next generation of leaders and connect them to the United States.

Ambassador Roos is a Senior Advisor at Centerview Partners, a leading global, independent investment banking firm. Ambassador Roos is a member of the Board of Directors at Salesforce.com and at Sony Corporation and a member of the Global Advisory Board of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.

Previously, Ambassador Roos served as Chief Executive Officer and Senior Partner at Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich, & Rosati.

Ambassador Roos is a graduate with honors and distinction from Stanford University and from Stanford Law School where he was Order of the Coif.

Ashvin Bachireddy, Founding Partner, Geodesic Capital

Ashvin Bachireddy has over 14 years of venture capital and technology experience.

Prior to Geodesic Capital, Mr. Bachireddy was the Head of Growth Stage Investing at Andreessen Horowitz. He was actively involved with Andreessen Horowitz's investments in Facebook, Twitter, Box, Airbnb and Github.

Prior to Andreessen Horowitz, Mr. Bachireddy was a venture capital investor at Lightspeed Venture Partners, 3i Group and JMI Equity where he was involved with investments at all stages spanning broadly across technology.

Mr. Bachireddy has also performed corporate strategy, operational and business development work as Chief of Staff to the CEO at Coremetrics, a leading web analytics provider. Earlier in his career he was in the investment banking division at Montgomery & Co. and Salomon Smith Barney.

Mr. Bachireddy received a B.S. in Management Science from the University of California at San Diego.

Mitsubishi Corporation, Founding Partner

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates businesses across virtually every industry including industrial finance, energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, foods, and environmental business. MC's current activities are expanding far beyond its traditional trading operations as its diverse business ranges from natural resources development to investment in retail business, infrastructure, financial products and manufacturing of industrial goods.

With over 200 Offices & Subsidiaries in approximately 90 countries worldwide and a network of over 600 group companies, MC employs a multinational workforce of over 65,000 people.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/geodesic-capital-launches-a-335-million-growth-fund-to-bridge-silicon-valley-japan-and-asia-300270000.html

SOURCE Geodesic Capital
WOBURN, Mass., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Joan K. Norton, who leads Joan K. Norton & Associates, an independent wealth management firm, today announced that she recently made a significant monetary donation to the Malden, Mass., Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary (DAVA) Unit 85, which partners with the national Disabled American Veterans (DAV) parent organization to offer a range of vital assistance and support services to local military veterans and their families.

Ms. Norton's grant was key in helping the DAVA Unit 85 modernize and upgrade its events hall, which is used to host a variety of community meetings and other special occasions, and represents an important revenue source for the organization, enabling the group to better fulfill its core mission of empowering veterans and helping them to lead high-quality lives. The unit serves approximately 200 members who live in Malden as well as other surrounding towns.

Commenting on the renovation of the DAVA Unit 85 events hall, Ms. Norton said, "As a local independent business owner and proud member of this community for decades, I am humbled by the support I have received over the years by area residents, and well aware of how important it is to be a good neighbor and give back. That's why I was delighted to offer support to the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary Unit 85. I am appreciative every day of the noble sacrifice that each one of our veterans has made to keep this country safe, secure and free. The very least we can do is to support the organizations that offer these American heroes and their families the greatest possible dignity and respect. Hopefully, my donation will play a small part to further this effort in our own backyard."

Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary Unit 85 Commander Nancy Hoey said, "On behalf of our DAV unit, I would like to express my gratitude to Joan for her generous donation. With a newly invigorated events hall, we'll not only be able to increase the level of support we currently provide our current members and their families, but hopefully be able to engage in outreach efforts to other military veterans in the area who have also earned the right to have their service to our country justly honored."

About Joan K. Norton & AssociatesFor nearly three decades, Joan K. Norton & Associates have been assisting clients in navigating today's complex financial markets and the myriad of financial products and services available for investors. Under Joan's leadership, the firm works closely with each client to meet their specific financial goals. While focusing on managing investment risk, the firm assists clients with accumulating and preserving savings for retirement and providing financial security for their family's future.

About Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary Since 1922 the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary (DAVA) has partnered with the DAV parent organization in their mission of service to disabled veterans and their families. That relationship has continued to flourish and the blended organizations have achieved many victories in their quest to improve the quality of life our veterans rightly deserve.

With nearly a quarter-million members, the DAVA programs are far-reaching and the personal rewards fulfilling. Our members are diverse in their interests which is what has made the DAVA so successful.

Our programs include Americanism, Community Service, Junior Activities, Legislative, and VA Voluntary Services. Foremost in our hearts is the goal of assuring benefit entitlement and compassion for our disabled veterans.

About Disabled American VeteransDAV is a nonprofit charity that provides a lifetime of support for veterans of all generations and their families, helping more than 1 million veterans in positive, life-changing ways each year. The organization provides more than 700,000 rides for veterans attending medical appointments and assists veterans with more than 300,000 benefit claims annually. In 2015, DAV helped attain more than $4 billion in new and retroactive benefits to care for themselves and for veterans, their families and survivors.

DAV is also a leader in connecting veterans with meaningful employment, hosting job fairs and providing resources to ensure they have the opportunity to participate in the American Dream their sacrifices have made possible.

With almost 1,300 chapters and nearly 1.3 million members across the country, DAV empowers our nation's heroes and their families by helping to provide the resources they need and ensuring our nation keep the promises made to them.

Joan K. Norton & Associates Media ContactsJoseph Kuo / Matthew GriffesHaven Tower Group424 652 6520 ext 101 or ext 103[email protected] or [email protected]

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SOURCE Joan K. Norton & Associates
GREENBELT, Md., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has awarded a sole source contract to Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation of Boulder, Colorado, for the Thermal Infrared Sensor-2 (TIRS-2) instrument Cryocooler for Landsat 9.

This a cost-plus fixed-fee contract in the amount of $18,249,103 million with a deliverable date of February 3, 2018. This action definitizes a letter contract that was issued on Feb 4, 2016.

Under this contract, Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation will design, fabricate, assemble, test and deliver a cryocooler with two stages of cooling. The first stage shall cool a layer of thermal shielding and the second stage shall cool the focal plane assembly. The Contractor shall also deliver a Flight Model and a Flight Spare Model of the Thermo-Mechanical Unit, a Flight Model and an Engineering Model of the Cryocooler Electronics, and a Flight Model and Engineering Model of the Redundant Switch Electronics, along with associated Ground Support Equipment.

The objective of the Landsat 9 mission is to extend the ability to detect and quantitatively characterize changes on the global land surface at a scale where natural and human-induced causes of change can be detected and differentiated. Once operational, data acquisition, reporting, operations, and archivals will be accomplished at the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where the current data is managed.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:http://www.nasa.gov

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SOURCE NASA
SYRACUSE, N.Y., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Just when you thought you'd seen it all at the famed Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR driver Tony Stewart joined fellow driver Danica Patrick's Turbocharged Tooth Fairy Squad to surprise a race fan with a brand new Chevrolet Camaro and whisk him away in a helicopter. Their destination? A nearby Aspen Dental practice.

The effort in Talladega kicked off a new campaign from Aspen Dental that asks Americans, "What would it take to get you to go to the dentist?"

Over the course of two days at Talladega Superspeedway, Stewart and the Turbocharged Tooth Fairy Squad surprised lucky fans to give them the encouragement they needed to get to the dentist. In addition to the Camaro, elated fans walked away with surprises like a new fishing boat, ATV, a cruise and a big screen TV. Their reactions ran the gamut of emotions, from shrieks of delight to tears of joy.

Tony's interaction with racing fans and their over-the-top reactions to an unexpected visit from the Tooth Fairy can be viewed here.

"Let's face it -- people don't typically like visiting the dentist, so it's rarely at the top of anyone's 'to do' list," said Mark Censoprano, chief marketing officer at Aspen Dental Management, Inc. "This new campaign is designed to not only let patients know that we understand the barriers they face, but also signal that dentists and teams at Aspen Dental practices are willing to do whatever it takes to make dentistry easier."

Added Stewart, who spent hours roaming the grounds at Talladega Superspeedway with the Turbocharged Tooth Fairy Squad, "Playing 'Tony the Tooth Fairy' was an absolute blast. The folks at Aspen Dental have been great partners to Stewart Haas Racing for five years now, and I genuinely enjoyed spending the day with fans and making their wishes come true, right down to joining them for helicopter rides."

Patients Urged to Share their Own "What Would it Take?" WishesNow people nationwide have a chance to get in on the action.

Beginning today, patients can share their own What Would It Take? wishes via a Facebook comment here or on their own social media profiles using the hashtag #AspenGetsIt. Some of those wishes  no matter how big or small -- will be selected and fulfilled throughout 2016. Additional information can be found here.

This campaign is the latest effort from Aspen Dental branded practices to shine a light on the importance of oral health. As one of the largest networks of independently owned and operated dental practices in the United States, Aspen Dental practices are dedicated to making dentistry easier for patients.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/1OCZNza.

About Aspen Dental PracticesDentists and staff at Aspen Dental practices believe everyone has the right to quality, affordable oral health care. As one of the largest and fastest-growing networks of independent dental care providers in the U.S., local Aspen Dental practices  more than 550 of them across 33 states  offer patients a safe, welcoming and judgment-free environment to address their dental challenges. Every Aspen Dental-branded practice offers a full range of dental and denture services  including comprehensive exams, cleanings, extractions, fillings, periodontal treatment, whitening, oral surgery, crown and bridge work  allowing patients to have the peace of mind that they are taken care of and protected, so they can focus on getting the healthy mouths they deserve. In 2015, Aspen Dental-branded practices recorded more than 3.7 million patient visits and welcomed nearly 785,000 new patients.

About Aspen Dental Management Inc. Aspen Dental Management Inc. (ADMI) is a dental support organization that provides non-clinical business support services to independently owned and operated Aspen Dental practices in 33 states. This can include services and recommendations related to finding the right location, leasing, IT services, accounting and marketing. This model leaves independent, licensed practitioners free to concentrate on patient care. For more information about the relationship between Aspen Dental Management, Inc. and the branded dental practices click here.

To learn more about Aspen Dental-branded practices and services, preview the patient experience, get answers to general treatment questions, find a location, and schedule appointments, visit www.aspendental.com. To learn more about careers at ADMI and Aspen Dental practices, visit http://aspendentaljobs.com.

About Stewart-Haas RacingStewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team co-owned by three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation  the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The team fields four entries in the elite Sprint Cup Series  the No. 14 Chevrolet for Stewart, the No. 10 Chevrolet for Danica Patrick, the No. 4 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick and the No. 41 Chevrolet for Kurt Busch. Based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, Stewart-Haas Racing operates out of a 200,000-square-foot facility with approximately 280 employees. For more information, please visit us on the Web at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcngand on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

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SOURCE Aspen Dental
SALABERRY-DE-VALLEYFIELD, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 05/16/16 -- Noranda Income Fund (TSX: NIF.UN) (the "Fund") today reported its financial results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016. All amounts are in Canadian currency unless otherwise stated.

2016 First Quarter Highlights

-- Adjusted Net Revenues(1) were $66.3 million, down from $67.5 million. -- Earnings before income taxes (EBT) were $4.4 million, down from $15.4 million. -- Zinc metal production was 67,627 tonnes, flat from 67,804 tonnes. -- Zinc metal sales increased 38% from Q1 2015 to 72,639 tonnes, helping to offset the impact of lower zinc premiums, lower copper prices and lower sulphuric acid prices. -- Zinc premiums revenue was $15.7 million, up from $14.5 million for Q1 2015 primarily as a result of higher sales volumes. -- By-product sales were $6.3 million, down from $7.6 million. -- Cash provided by operating activities was $69.4 million, primarily due to the $60.2 million decrease in working capital. -- Extended its asset-based revolving credit facility to April 3, 2017. -- Declared monthly cash distributions from January to April 2016 of $0.04167 per Priority Unit. -- Glencore Canada committed to provide zinc concentrate throughout 2017. -- Declared monthly cash distribution for the month of May 2016 of $0.025 per Priority Unit. (1) Adjusted Net Revenues is calculated as revenues less raw material purchase costs ("Net Revenues") excluding unrealized concentrate settlement adjustments and after foreign exchange gain/loss and derivative financial instruments gain/loss.

"Although soft market conditions had a major impact on our first quarter results, our performance in Q1 was consistent with our strategy of preparing for the transition to market terms in 2017 after the expiry of the initial term of the Fund's Supply and Processing Agreement with Glencore Canada," said Eva Carissimi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Electrolytic Zinc Limited, the Fund's Manager. "Through our focus on increasing productivity, lowering unit operating costs and better managing our inventory levels, we generated cash flow of $69.4 million, strengthened our balance sheet by reducing our debt by $64.6 million, and lowered our energy costs by $0.3 million. These developments are encouraging signs of progress."

First Quarter 2016 Financial and Operating Results

The Fund reported earnings before income taxes (EBT) of $4.4 million, down from $15.4 million in Q1 2015. The decrease was largely due to the year-over-year declines in zinc premiums and by-product prices and the impact of inventory margin during the quarter. These impacts were partially offset by higher sales volumes and a weaker average Canadian dollar compared to the US dollar. In Q1 2016, realized zinc prices were US$0.83 per pound and zinc premiums were US$0.07 per pound. These compare to US$1.04 and US$0.10, respectively, for Q1 2015. The impact of lower zinc premiums was partially offset by a 38% increase in zinc metal sales, which was drawn from Q1 production and existing inventory.

Through its Processing Facility, the Fund produces refined zinc metal and various by-products from zinc concentrate purchased from mining operations and sells refined zinc products to customers in the open market. The Fund earns a processing fee for transforming zinc concentrate into zinc metal and it earns additional revenue from premiums, by- product revenues and metal gains.

Production costs before changes in inventory were $47.3 million for Q1 2016, up $1.2 million from $46.1 million for Q1 2015. The increase was largely due to higher supply costs, which were primarily denominated in US currency. Higher maintenance costs stemming from efforts to improve plant and equipment efficiency also contributed to increased production costs. Energy cost reductions of $0.3 million partially offset the production cost increases.

Cash provided by operating activities in the three months ended March 31, 2016 was $69.4 million. In the same period of 2015, cash used in operating activities was $28.3 million. This turnaround this quarter was primarily the result of a positive $60.2 million decrease in non-cash working capital resulting from a decrease in inventories, a reduction in accounts receivable and an increase in accounts payable.

The Fund declared cash distributions of $4.7 million in Q1 2016, consistent with the comparative period for 2015.

As at March 31, 2016, the Fund's debt was $28.3 million (net of deferred financing fees), down from $92.8 million at the end of December 2015. The Fund's debt decreased as a result of the decrease in non-cash working capital during the period. As at March 31, 2016 the Fund's cash position was $2.7 million, up from $1.9 million as at December 31, 2015.

Outlook for the Fund

"As a result of our first quarter performance and our current outlook for market conditions, we re-affirm our expectations for 2016 production and sales of zinc metal to be between 265,000 to 275,000 tonnes," said Ms. Carissimi.

The Board of Trustees of the Noranda Operating Trust (the "Board") continues to work on a long-term strategy for the Fund.

The main challenges facing the Fund are (a) the continued supply of zinc concentrate and (b) the ability for the Processing Facility to continue to operate profitably after the expiry of the initial term of the Supply and Processing Agreement (the "Agreement") between the Noranda Income Limited Partnership ("Partnership") and Glencore Canada Corporation ("Glencore Canada") on May 2, 2017.

Discussions with third parties are complex given the Fund's structure, including without limitation that the Agreement and other contractual arrangements with Glencore Canada and its affiliates automatically renew with Glencore Canada for successive periods of five years unless Glencore Canada provides the Fund with written notice to the contrary at least 180 days prior to the expiry of the applicable term (by November 2016). To date, Glencore has not confirmed its intentions in this regard.

The Independent Committee is mindful of the potential negative impact that receipt of a termination notice as late as November 2016 would have on the affairs of the Fund. As a result, the Independent Committee is seeking to negotiate an amended and restated agreement with Glencore Canada in a manner that would incentivize Glencore Canada to declare its intentions in a timeframe that would not expose the Fund to enhanced commercial risks in securing zinc supply.

In order to mitigate the potential negative impact of a termination notice, and the fact that there can be no assurance at this juncture as to the Fund's ability to conclude a new or amended agreement before the November 2016 deadline, the Independent Committee has been actively working to ensure a continuous supply of zinc concentrate to the processing facility beyond the potential expiry date of May 2, 2017.

Negotiations with Glencore Canada

Since April 2014, the Fund (through the Independent Committee and its advisors) has been in discussions with Glencore Canada regarding the supply of zinc concentrate following expiry of the Agreement on May 2, 2017.

Representatives from the Fund met with representatives of Glencore Canada on multiple occasions between April 2014 and January 2016 in order to negotiate and agree upon the terms of an amended and restated Agreement.

Also, during the fall of 2015, the Independent Committee mandated its industry advisors to contact third party zinc concentrate suppliers and finished product purchasers to assess the availability of zinc concentrate supply to the Processing Facility following May 2017. The results of the market canvass have been useful to the Independent Committee in establishing what constitutes market terms in the context of ongoing negotiations with Glencore Canada.

At a Board of Trustees meeting in January 2016, the Independent Committee reported that there remained a number of unresolved material items to conclude an amended Agreement with Glencore Canada, and that the likelihood of reaching a satisfactory outcome in time to meet the deadline imposed by the termination date of the Agreement was uncertain. The Fund and Glencore Canada agreed to continue the negotiations until March 25, 2016 but negotiations have continued beyond this date with a view to reaching an agreement as soon as possible.

The Independent Committee remains hopeful that the parties will reach an agreement based on the best terms and conditions available in the market and the Fund's advisors are working diligently to bridge the gap between the parties. However, the Fund is not in a position to ascertain whether a satisfactory agreement will result from its discussions with Glencore Canada and there can be no assurance that the Fund will be successful in this regard.

Concurrently with ongoing negotiations regarding an amended Agreement, the Fund has secured Glencore Canada's commitment to provide a comprehensive feed plan for the Processing Facility for the entire 2017 calendar year. This commitment should ensure adequate uninterrupted supply of concentrate to December 2017, giving the Fund additional time to secure zinc concentrate beyond that date. The commitment for the period from May 2, 2017 to December 31, 2017 will be on the basis of market terms, which have not yet been agreed but are expected to represent a significant change from the stable processing fee the Fund has benefited from since its inception. As a result of this change in pricing and as discussed below, the Fund's financial results could differ materially in the later part of 2017 and beyond.

The Independent Committee is being assisted in its work by industry consultants, Steve Hayes and Andrew Roebuck, whom the Independent Committee has retained to advise it with regards to the zinc concentrate market. In May 2014, TD Securities was engaged as financial advisor to the independent trustees.

Consequences of Market Terms

Regardless of whether or not Glencore Canada renews the Agreement, after May 2, 2017, the Fund will be required to purchase zinc concentrate at market terms, instead of the current fixed processing fee. This position represents a significant change from the stable processing fee which has advantaged the Fund since its inception in 2002. The

Fund's results under market terms will be subject to more volatility than under the current Agreement. The Fund's results will be impacted by market treatment charges which fluctuate, as well as greater sensitivity to zinc price and the Canadian/US exchange rate resulting in more variable operating results.

It is generally expected that the zinc concentrate market will tighten in the next few years, as a result of several large mines closing in 2015, announced zinc mine production cutbacks for 2016 as well as the expected global demand for zinc concentrate. If the zinc concentrate market does tighten, purchase conditions will be less favorable for the Processing Facility and other Western custom zinc smelters. In particular, it will likely be more challenging to source zinc concentrates in the Fund's required quantities and qualities and at an economic price.

Even if zinc concentrate is available after the expiry of the initial term of the Agreement on May 2, 2017, the Fund's financial results could differ materially from those achieved under the Agreement, which provides stable treatment charges for concentrate. There has been an industry trend whereby more concentrate is being purchased on spot terms(2) which have recently and historically been below benchmark terms(3). Therefore, it may be difficult for the Processing Facility to achieve financial results similar to those achieved under the Agreement.

( 2)Spot treatment charges refer to the price paid by smelters for prompt purchase of zinc concentrate. Source: Wood Mackenzie (3) Benchmark treatment charges are negotiated annually between major miners and smelters. Source: Wood Mackenzie

Distributions

As a result of the above, the Board has evaluated its distribution policy. In determining whether there shall be a distribution and the level thereof, the Board periodically reviews the Fund's financial performance, business environment and prospects, and determines the appropriate levels of reserves. The Board also continues to evaluate on a monthly basis the expected future cash flows of the Fund as well as the reserves that may be required in the future. When not restricted, and as may be considered appropriate, the Fund's policy is to make monthly distributions to Unitholders.

In addition, the Board is evaluating the expected future cash flows in a variety of potential scenarios, as well as required reserves under those scenarios. Given the uncertainty of future pricing and market conditions for zinc concentrate, and the reduced profitability and prospects of the Fund, the Board has declared a distribution for the month of May of $0.025 per Priority Unit, as compared to $0.04167 per Priority Unit for the month of April. The distribution is payable on June 27, 2016 to Priority Unitholders of record as at the close of business on May 31, 2016. There is no assurance that distributions will continue in future, nor is there any assurance that, if they do continue, the level or frequency of such distributions will not vary.

First Quarter 2016 Results Conference Call:

The Fund will hold a conference call to discuss its Q1 2016 results tomorrow, May 17 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. Eva Carissimi, President and CEO, and Michael Boone, CFO, of Noranda Income Fund's manager, will host the call.

When: May 17, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. E.T Dial in number: 647-788-4919 or Toll-free North American number: 1-877-291-4570

To access the webcast and view the slide presentation from the Noranda Income Fund website: http://www.norandaincomefund.com/investor/conference.html or click on this link: http://www.gowebcasting.com/7541.

Conference Call Replay: Dial in number: 416-621-4642 or Toll-free North American number: 1-800-585-8367

The conference ID is 3433172 and you will be prompted for your name and company. The recording will be available until midnight on May 31, 2016.

A full version of the first quarter 2016 Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) and unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements will be posted on http://www.sedar.com and on the Fund's website at http://www.norandaincomefund.com/investor/financials.html later today.

Readers should be advised that the summarized communication presented in this press release is limited in its disclosure. It is not a suitable source of information for readers who are unfamiliar with the Fund, and it is not in any way a substitute for reading the Consolidated Financial Statements and MD&A because a reader relying on this summary alone might overlook decision critical information.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information and statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual events, results or performance to be materially different from any future events, results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, and as a result, the Fund cannot guarantee that any forward- looking statements or information will materialize.

Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the effect of general business and economic conditions, the Fund's ability to operate at normal production levels, the Fund's capital expenditure requirements and other general risks and uncertainties set out in the Fund's continuous disclosure documents on available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on, among other things, management's current estimates, expectations, assumptions, plans and intentions, which management believes are reasonable as of the current date, and which are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Except as required by law, the Fund does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements or information, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the Fund or on the Fund's behalf.

Noranda Income Fund is an income trust whose units trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "NIF.UN". Noranda Income Fund owns the electrolytic zinc processing facility and ancillary assets (the "Processing Facility") located in Salaberry de-Valleyfield, Quebec. The Processing Facility is the second-largest zinc processing facility in North America and the largest zinc processing facility in eastern North America, where the majority of zinc customers are located. It produces refined zinc metal and various by-products from sourced zinc concentrates. The Processing Facility is operated and managed by Canadian Electrolytic Zinc Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Glencore Canada Corporation.

Except where otherwise indicated, all amounts in this press release are expressed in Canadian dollars.

Further information about Noranda Income Fund can be found at www.norandaincomefund.com

Key Performance Drivers

The following table provides a summary of the performance of the Fund's key drivers:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three months ended March 31 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zinc concentrate processed (tonnes) 135,727 125,369 Zinc secondary feed processed (tonnes) 1,237 4,910 Zinc grade (%) 51.6 53.5 Zinc recovery (%) 97.5 97.0 Zinc metal production (tonnes) 67,627 67,804 Zinc metal sales (tonnes) 72,639 52,497 Processing fee (cents/pound) 41.0 40.5 Realized zinc price (US$/pound) 0.83 1.04 Average LME zinc price (US$/pound) 0.76 0.94 By-product revenues ($ millions) 6.3 7.6 Copper in cake production (tonnes) 702 625 Copper in cake sales (tonnes) 796 605 Sulphuric acid production (tonnes) 111,925 99,100 Sulphuric acid sales (tonnes) 105,978 91,827 Average LME copper price (US$/pound) 2.12 2.64 Sulphuric acid netback (US$/tonne) 28 52 Average US/Cdn. exchange rate 1.37 1.24 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i) 1 tonne = 2,204.62 pounds

SELECTED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING INFORMATION

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three months ended March 31, ($ thousands) 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Statements of Comprehensive Income Information Revenues 172,581 160,471 Raw material purchase costs 112,541 77,145 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenues less raw material purchase costs 60,040 83,326 Other expenses: Production 49,510 35,703 Selling and administration 6,264 5,836 Foreign currency (gain) loss (13,452) 14,014 Derivative financial instruments loss 4,188 2,649 Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 7,580 6,499 Rehabiliation expense 590 2,004 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Earnings before finance costs and income taxes 5,360 16,621 Finance costs, net 1,000 1,266 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Earnings before income taxes 4,360 15,355 Current and deferred income tax expense 473 3,315 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Earnings attributable to Unitholders and Non- controlling interest 3,887 12,040 Distributions to Unitholders 4,687 4,687 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Decrease) Increase in net assets attributable to Unitholders and Non-controlling interest (800) 7,353 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other comprehensive loss (3,955) (1,325) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comprehensive (loss) income (4,755) 6,028 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 31, December 31, Statements of Financial Position Information 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash 2,717 1,878 Inventories 143,803 171,086 Accounts receivable 73,567 87,909 Income taxes receivable 2,576 - Property, plant and equipment 207,735 211,542 Total assets 437,733 480,331 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 81,662 59,669 Income taxes payable - 2,443 Total bank and other loans 28,278 92,836 Total liabilities excluding net assets attributable to unitholders 162,954 200,797 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three months ended March 31, Statements of Cash Flows Information 2016 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash provided by operating activities before cash distributions and net change in non-cash working capital items 13,910 18,377 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash distributions (4,687) (4,687) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net change in non-cash working capital items 60,195 (42,030) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash provided by (used in) operating activities 69,418 (28,340) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash used in investing activities (3,916) (4,568) Cash (used in) provided by financing activities (64,663) 34,297 Net increase in cash 839 1,389 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash distributions declared per Priority Unit 0.12501 0.12501 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contacts: Michael Boone Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Canadian Electrolytic Zinc Limited, Noranda Income Fund's Manager 416-775-1561 [email protected]

Source: Noranda Income Fund
Armenian artillery is seen near Nagorno-Karabakh's town of Martuni, April 8, 2016. REUTERS/Staff

BAKU (Reuters) - An Azeri soldier was killed near the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region on Tuesday as a result of a ceasefire violation, Azerbaijan's defense ministry said.

Nagorno-Karabakh said earlier that one of its soldiers had been killed by shooting from Azerbaijan after midnight, roughly at the time when the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed in Vienna on the need for a ceasefire and a peaceful settlement to the conflict in the rebel region.

(Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Katya Golubkova)
By Rosalba O'Brien

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Former student leader and popular Chilean lawmaker Giorgio Jackson is starting a left-wing party that he hopes will mobilize disillusioned voters and herald a shake-up in a political system that has hardly changed in decades.

The party, Revolucion Democratica or Democratic Revolution said it officially registered with the electoral service on Monday after gathering the necessary 10,000 signatures.

At only 29, Jackson is constitutionally too young to run for the presidency at the next election in 2017, but his new party reflects a changing political environment in the world's top copper exporter.

An electoral reform passed last year should make it easier for smaller parties like his to thrive, breaking up the dominance of the two main political coalitions at a time when disillusionment is high.

Jackson was among student activists who led a movement during the former center-right government of Sebastian Pinera demanding reforms to Chile's highly privatized education system.

Several ex-student leaders entered Congress in the 2013 elections, including the movement's figurehead, Camila Vallejo. She joined the Communist Party, a part of President Michelle Bachelet's broad left-leaning Nueva Mayoria coalition that pledged to address education as a priority.

Jackson, though, joined the lower house of Congress as an independent lawmaker and has regularly criticized the government and political class as corruption scandals, a slow pace of reforms and a weak economy have driven down Bachelet's once sky-high approval ratings. The right-wing opposition has fared even worse.

But Jackson's ability to channel voter dissatisfaction has earned him the highest approval ratings of any politician. A poll by CEP last November showed 44 percent of respondents seeing him in a positive light.

"In a moment where the political system is questioned, this (poll popularity) is a very valuable asset," said London School of Economics political analyst Kenneth Bunker. The party "will be an oasis in a desert of what people sense as a corrupt party landscape."

Democratic Revolution says it wants to fight for greater equality in Chile, which still suffers deep-seated inequality despite being one of Latin America's most stable economies.

However, persuading disillusioned Chileans to join the new party had been difficult, Jackson said.

"The first barrier was to persuade people who have been convinced for many years that politics is something to fear ... to join an alternative," he told Cooperativa radio.

"If not, we are accepting it will be the same choice as always."

(Reporting by Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
A logo is seen at the entrance of the Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone in Rayong province, east of Bangkok, Thailand, April 7, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom

By Orathai Sriring and Satawasin Staporncharnchai

RAYONG, Thailand (Reuters) - Everywhere you look on Thailand's Amata industrial estate in Rayong you see signs in Chinese. It's a similar story just along the coast in the tourist resort of Pattaya, where Mandarin is increasingly visible alongside English and Russian.

As China's economy slows, its investors are looking abroad for growth and Thailand, home to one of the world's largest ethnic Chinese minorities and a gateway to Southeast Asia's 600 million consumers, is a hot investment destination in everything from industry to condominiums.

"Thailand is usually the first stop for Chinese tourists and investors," said Xu Gen Luo, who runs the Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone, about 200 km (120 miles) south east of Bangkok. Dozens of new Chinese-owned solar, rubber and industrial manufacturing plants have opened in the zone since 2012.

"Thailand's investment environment, especially its investment promotion policies, are among the best worldwide," he said, adding that labor costs were higher in China.

Since a May 2014 coup, Thailand and China have drawn closer diplomatically and militarily as the ruling generals seek to counterbalance the country's cooling ties with Washington.

Chinese investors have found a warm welcome in an economy that has seen investment crimped by a decade of political turmoil, and where the junta has struggled to revive exports and domestic demand in the two years since seizing power.

Investment pledges from China jumped fivefold in the first quarter from a year earlier to 5.7 billion baht ($163 million), from just 1.1 billion baht, giving China the third largest investment slate during the period as Chinese firms raced to meet a tax break deadline and U.S. investors held back.

That was still some way behind Japan, which pledged 15.6 billion baht. Japan and China jostle for influence in Southeast Asia and Tokyo has long been Thailand's largest investor, with several large car plants accounting for much of the investment.

"LOST IN THAILAND"

But Chinese investment is growing strongly, in part due to Beijing's policy of encouraging manufacturers to shift production abroad to deal with industrial overcapacity at home.

"What we've seen so far in Chinese investment into Thailand is small compared to what's coming," said Joe Horn-Phathanothai, chief executive of Strategy613, a strategic advisor focused on Chinese and Thai corporate investments.

"Hand-in-hand with the slowdown in China we'll see an increase in the number of deals the Chinese do abroad."

Last year China was the fourth biggest foreign investor in Thailand, behind Japan, the United States and Singapore.

Tourist numbers have also jumped, helped by the huge success in China of the 2012 slapstick comedy "Lost in Thailand". About 7.9 million Chinese visited the "Land of Smiles" last year, up 71 percent from 2014, when unrest in Bangkok that preceded the coup scared tourists away, and Thailand expects more this year.

There has been no slowdown in the number of tourists due to the economic deceleration in China, helped by the growth of budget airlines, tour operators say.

"Our products are relatively cheap. We have good food and culture and no political problems with their government, unlike Japan and Taiwan," Ronnarong Chewinsiriamnuai, president of the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association.

Thailand is expecting a record 33 million tourists in 2016, with China providing the bulk of the increase from the record set in 2015 of just below 30 million.

"ONE BELT, ONE ROAD"

Xu expects the number of Chinese firms at his park - jointly developed by China's Holley Group and Thai industrial estate developer Amata Corp - to increase to about 100 this year, from 75 currently, and to 500 in the next five years.

In March, China's Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL), the world's No. 1 solar panel maker, opened a manufacturing facility there.

Moving to Thailand can also help companies in industries such as solar and chemicals sidestep anti-dumping measures, industry experts said.

"China is facing trade barriers from many countries, particularly on solar, so many Chinese firms are coming to invest in Thailand," said Visnu Limwibul, chairman of a Thai electronics and telecommunications industry group.

State-owned Gang Yan Diamond Tools (Thailand), which makes precision manufacturing blades, followed Beijing's "One Belt, One Road" policy to rebuild ancient Silk Road trade links with Asia and Europe and set up in Thailand in 2014.

"When we first came, we were concerned about the political situation and social instability. We are still concerned now," said board chairman Zhao Gang, but added the strength of the Chinese business community in Thailand helped overcome those concerns.

China and Thailand are discussing cooperation on the Thai section of a rail project under the "One Belt, One Road" plan that would eventually connect Kunming in southwest China with Singapore, but have to date failed to agree on terms.

As the expatriate Chinese community grows and more Chinese look for holiday homes in Thailand, real estate investment is on the rise.

Bundit Sirithunyhong runs the Suttangrak Group, which has just joined with Chinese firms to develop housing projects worth 5 billion baht ($140 million) to sell as time-shares to Chinese buyers.

"I think they are not just investing in real estate, but starting to use Thailand as a base for business in Southeast Asia," he said. "Here they can stay and work as their second homes. It's a step further in business expansion."

(Additional reporting by Pairat Temphairojana, Jutarat Skulpichetrat and Simon Webb in BANGKOK and Kevin Yao in BEIJING; Editing by Simon Webb and Alex Richardson)
Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam speaks during the opening of the annual Arab Economic Forum in Beirut, Lebanon, May 12, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

By Lisa Barrington

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Lebanese prime minister sought to ease concerns about a new U.S. law targeting Hezbollah's finances in comments published on Monday, after the group attacked the central bank for agreeing to measures it depicts as part of a war against it.

The U.S. Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act (HIFPA) passed in December threatens sanctions against anyone who finances Hezbollah in a significant way.

It has ignited an unprecedented dispute between Lebanon's most powerful group - the heavily armed Hezbollah - and a central bank widely seen as a pillar of the otherwise weak and dysfunctional Lebanese state.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam, in comments reported in As-Safir newspaper, warned against using the issue for political grandstanding.

"We are dealing with it with the finance minister and the (central bank) governor, and matters are still under control," he said.

Hezbollah MPs last week said the law was paving the way for "a local war of elimination" launched with the help of the Lebanese central bank and a number of other banks. It urged the central bank governor to review a recent circular to banks detailing regulations about who can be sanctioned.

The MPs said the law would push the country "towards bankruptcy because of a wide rift" that would emerge between Lebanese and the banks - a suggestion that many Lebanese would stop dealing with the banks for fear of being sanctioned.

Hezbollah, whose fighters played a major role in forcing Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon in 2000, enjoys strong support in the Lebanese Shi'ite community. Its members include government ministers, MPs, and local councillors.

Lebanon's banking sector accounts for around 6 percent of gross domestic product.

Since 2001, the United States has put more than 100 individuals and entities affiliated with Hezbollah on sanctions lists under existing anti-terrorism funding legislation, but this new law is aimed at Hezbollah specifically.

Iran-backed Hezbollah, classified as a terrorist group by the United States, wields enormous political influence in Lebanon and its powerful military wing is playing a major role in the Syrian conflict.

U.S. SAYS TO PROTECT LEBANESE ECONOMY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

Central Bank governor Riad Salameh recently used an interview on a flagship current affairs program to assure citizens the regulations protect them from having bank accounts arbitrarily blocked or closed.

The United States has a list of people sanctioned for terrorism. A Lebanese bank or company doing business with one will not be able to do deal with any U.S. financial institution because that institution could be fined for non-compliance.

While in theory a Lebanese bank could carry on working with these individuals and just accept that it cannot have a relationship with international banks, Salameh said this would not be an option and all banks must comply.

The Association of Banks in Lebanon said there are Lebanese banks in 33 countries and the regulations are necessary to keep Lebanon part of the global banking system.

"While we will remain vigilant in our efforts to isolate Hezbollah from the international financial system, we will do so in a manner that protects, as much as possible, the Lebanese economy and financial system, and that does not target innocent people," the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said in written answers to questions from Reuters.

(Editing by Tom Perry; editing by Ralph Boulton)
(Reuters) - Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), a developer of mobile payment technology whose strategy has been thrown into question by big retailers developing their own mobile wallets, said on Monday that it was postponing the nationwide rollout of its service and had cut 30 jobs.

MCX Chief Executive Officer Brian Mooney said in a statement the consortium of retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT) and Target Corp (NYSE: TGT), would focus on partnering with banks and other businesses after scrapping the planned retail launch.

The postponement comes the same day that Wal-Mart launched its own mobile payment system, first unveiled late last year, in nearly 600 stores in Texas and Arkansas. Target Corp is also developing its own mobile wallet, sources have told Reuters.

The service, CurrentC, lets shoppers pay for items with their mobile phones and pulls up a scannable code to initiate transactions. It has been in development for three years and recently started a pilot in stores in Columbus, Ohio.

With the backing of many of the largest U.S. retailers, CurrentC had been seen as a rival to Apple Inc's Apple Pay and one of several promising entrants in the crowded mobile payments space. But the recent rollout of Walmart Pay and the moves of Target and others have raised questions about its strategy of focusing on the retail industry.

In October MCX signed a deal with JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) to accept payment through the bank's technology.

Utilizing unique feedback from the marketplace and our Columbus pilot, MCX has made a decision to concentrate more heavily in the immediate term on other aspects of our business, including working with financial institutions," Mooney said in the statement.

(Reporting by Nathan Layne in Chicago; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Alan Crosby)
By Scott Malone

BOSTON (Reuters) - The occupation of a Massachusetts Roman Catholic church to prevent its closure will end now that the Supreme Court has declined to hear the case brought by people who have held their ground for 12 years, the Friends of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini said on Monday.

"We made this deal with the lower courts that we would vacate the premises within 14 days of the Supreme Court decision," said Jon Rogers, a leader of the Friends' group. "From the very beginning we have promised to exhaust every avenue of appeal available to us and we have now done that."

The occupation dates back to the early days of the U.S. clergy sex abuse scandal when the Archdiocese of Boston decided to close and sell some 70 churches to cover its legal costs.

Rogers said the parishioners would hold a farewell celebration at the church in Scituate, about 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Boston, on Sunday, May 29, and end their occupation.

Working in shifts since 2004, the group of about 100 people have maintained a constant presence in St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church, which was built in the 1960s.

Initially, it was one of more than a dozen Boston-area Catholic churches occupied by parishioners, but the other groups either lost in the courts or abandoned their efforts.

They have held regular prayer services, but without the involvement of a priest the church did not offer Masses.

The parishioners contended that since their donations had paid for the church to be built, they were entitled to a say in its closing. The church is on 30 acres (12 hectares) of waterfront land.

Lower courts repeatedly rejected their reasoning and last year a state court ruled that the group was trespassing.

Terrence Donilon, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said in an e-mail that the church was pleased with the court's decision.

Rogers said that after leaving the church, his group would gather in a new location and attempt to reach out to former Catholics who have drifted away from the church since the clergy sex abuse scandal surfaced in 2002.

"Although it is bittersweet that our spiritual home will be destroyed, we are excited about filling the void that has been left," Rogers said in a telephone interview.

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori of Fuerza Popular (Popular Force) gives a speech during a meeting with local leaders in San Juan de Lurigancho in Lima, Peru, May 10, 2016. REUTERS/Mariana Bazo

LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori said on Monday a report linking her and a senior aide to money laundering was "dirty" politics and an attempt to smear her three weeks before a closely-fought election.

The report broadcast on America Television on Sunday night featured comments from a man who was identified as a pilot and informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), who said the agency was investigating audio he recorded in 2013.

In the audio, he said, the secretary general of Fujimori's Fuerza Popular party, Joaquin Ramirez, stated he had laundered $15 million for her during a previous political campaign.

The report said it had verified with the DEA that the agency was investigating Ramirez.

The U.S. anti-drugs agency said in a short statement on Monday "Keiko Fujimori is not currently, nor has been previously, under investigation by DEA." The DEA declined to confirm or deny any further allegations contained in the television report.

Fujimori said she would ask the U.S. agency about the report but categorically denied she had given money to Ramirez.

"Of course we will formally ask the DEA's opinion, if there really is such an investigation," Fujimori told local TV in Cusco, where she was campaigning ahead of the June 5 vote.

"I have to be suspicious about this accusation...I think it's part of a dirty war."

Property businessman Ramirez also denied the allegations, saying that he had met the supposed informant some years ago over a failed plane purchase deal.

"It is being used politically to damage Keiko Fujimori's campaign," he told America Television in a telephone interview following the Sunday night report.

Neither Fujimori nor Ramirez were immediately available for further comment.

Most recent polls indicate that the daughter of disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori and her rival, centrist technocrat Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, are running neck and neck ahead of the June 5 run-off election.

Although Fujimori easily won the first round of the election in April, she faces stiff opposition from Peruvians who say she is too closely associated with her father.

Alberto Fujimori is serving a 25-year sentence for human rights abuses and corruption committed during his 1990-2000 government.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima, Additional reporting by Julia Harte in Washington,; Writing by Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Andrew Hay)
An Azeri serviceman aims his weapon at the frontline with the self-defense army of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, April 29, 2016. REUTERS/Zulfiya Safkhanova

VIENNA (Reuters) - The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed in a meeting in Vienna on Monday on the need for a full ceasefire to be observed in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, the RIA news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.

The two men also agreed they would fix the time and place of their next meeting in June and that the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) would draw up a plan to investigate ceasefire violations in Nagorno-Karabakh, Lavrov said.

The Vienna meeting was the first between Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev since a dramatic flare-up in violence between Armenian-backed separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri forces last month which killed dozens of people and pushed relations to a multi-year low.

The existing ceasefire may have stopped the short conflict becoming an all-out war a month ago, but gunfire and shelling still echo nightly, residents say, and people are still being killed.

Lavrov said he sensed there was now a desire on both sides for a compromise and that Russia was ready to do what it could to broker a more satisfactory deal. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was also involved in the talks.

Sargsyan's office confirmed the details in a statement, saying a deal had been struck to step up monitoring of the existing ceasefire, to look at beefing up the OSCE team, and to take steps toward resuming talks on finding a more permanent solution.

(Reporting by Polina Devitt in Moscow and Hasmik Mkrtchyan in Yerevan; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
Shell branding is seen at a petrol station in west London, January 29, 2015. REUTERS/Toby Melville

By Ron Bousso

LONDON (Reuters) - Two investor advisory firms have recommended Royal Dutch Shell shareholders oppose the CEO's 2015 remuneration, in the latest sign of rising discontent over pay amid falling oil prices.

Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden's 2015 remuneration fell 8 percent to 5.135 million euros ($5.63 million) last year, when the company's revenue dropped sharply due to low oil prices.

Proxy adviser Glass Lewis said in a report it remains "concerned by the disconnect between bonus payouts and financial performance, and the bonus scheme structure more generally".

In a separate report, adviser PIRC said "the ratio of CEO pay compared to average employee pay is 37:1, which is unacceptable".

Both firms recommended shareholders oppose the remuneration packages in a vote at Shell's annual general meeting in The Hague next week.

A Shell spokesman said Shell's executive compensation "reflects delivery of our strategy, measured by both short-term and long-term targets. There is a clear alignment between the company's performance and our compensation policies".

Shareholders have become increasingly vocal over executive salaries and bonuses amid slumping earnings and lower commodity prices.

Last month, BP's (NYSE: BP) shareholders voted against Chief Executive Bob Dudley's $20 million pay deal for 2015, a rare investor revolt for such a major company, after it recorded a record annual loss.

Van Beurden's total 2015 package, including pension and tax equalization, was 5.576 million euros, down from 24.198 million euros in the previous year, mainly due to a significant fall in van Beurden's pension which was positively affected in 2014 by promotion to chief executive.

In April last year, Shell launched a bid for smaller rival BG Group which it completed in February this year for $54 billion.

(Reporting by Ron Bousso; editing by Susan Thomas)
Suspects of last year's Bangkok blast Bilal Mohammed (front) (also known as Adem Karadag) and Yusufu Mieraili are escorted by prison officers as they arrive at the military court in Bangkok, Thailand, April 20, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom

By Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Jutarat Skulpichetrat

BANGKOK (Reuters) - One of two ethnic Uighur Muslims from China accused of involvement in a deadly bombing in Thailand last year broke down and complained of mistreatment on Tuesday as he appeared in court.

Twenty people were killed and more than 120 injured in the bombing on Aug. 17 at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok when it was thronged with tourists. Five of the dead were from China and two from Hong Kong.

No group claimed responsibility.

Analysts, diplomats and even some officials suspected the attack was linked to sympathizers of the Uighur Muslim minority in western China angered by the Thai junta's deportation of more than 100 Uighurs to China the previous month.

But Thai police ruled out "terrorism" as a motive and said the perpetrators were members of a network that trafficked Uighurs and launched the attack in anger at a Thai crackdown on the trade.

Police have arrested two suspects, Yusufu Mieraili and Adem Karadag, both of whom are Uighurs, and have issued arrest warrants for 15 other people, eight of whom are thought to be either Turkish or in Turkey, according to warrants and police statements.

Karadag and Mieraili have denied all charges against them.

"I'm not an animal," a shaven, shackled and barefoot Karadag told reporters, as two guards led him into a military court.

"I'm human, I'm human."

Inside the court, the tearful Karadag lifted his shirt, pointed to bruises and said through an interpreter that he had been beaten twice this month in custody, a Reuters witness said.

The judge said he would investigate and would consider a request by Karadag's lawyer for a transfer.

Karadag's lawyer, Schoochart Kanpai, said earlier his client had been tortured into confessing.

A stony-faced Mieraili appealed for help.

"We're innocent, help us, help us, where are the human rights?" Mieraili said as he emerged from a prison van outside the court.

Lawyers said more than 250 witnesses could be called for the prosecution and defense. Schoochart said he hoped the trial would be over by the end of 2016, but it could drag on a year longer.

Police say Karadag was caught on CCTV footage at the shrine, sitting on a bench and slipping off a bulky backpack before walking away, just before the blast.

Most Uighurs, who speak a Turkic language, live in China's violence-plagued Xinjiang region. Exiles and human rights groups say Uighurs chafe under government policies that restrict their culture and religion.

China denies this and blames Islamists for rising violence.

(Additional reporting by Pairat Temphairojana; Writing by Simon Webb; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Robert Birsel)
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person * OLIVER KATHERINE (Last) (First) (Middle) 100 EAST RIDGE ROAD (Street) RIDGEFIELD CT 06877 (City) (State) (Zip)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol

Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. [ CHEF ]












UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549





FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported) May 17, 2016





WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as Specified in Charter)





Delaware 1-3932 38-1490038 (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) (Commission File Number) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) 2000 North M-63, Benton Harbor, Michigan 49022-2692 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrants telephone number, including area code (269) 923-5000

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities At (17 CFR 230.425)  Soliciting material pursuant to rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

























Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

On May 17, 2016, Whirlpool Corporation (the Company) entered into a Third Amended and Restated Long-Term Credit Agreement (the Amended Long-Term Facility) by and among the Company, certain other borrowers, the lenders referred to therein, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as Administrative Agent, and Citibank, N.A., as Syndication Agent. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., BNP Paribas Securities Corp., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. acted as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Bookrunners for the Amended Long-Term Facility. The Amended Long-Term Facility provides aggregate borrowing capacity of $2.5 billion, which combines amounts previously available under the Companys Original Long-Term Facility and Terminated 364-Day Facility (each as defined below).

In connection with entering into the Amended Long-Term Facility, and on the same date, the Company terminated its existing Amended and Restated Short-Term Credit Agreement by and among the Company, certain other borrowers, the lenders referred to therein, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as Administrative Agent and BNP Paribas and Citibank, N.A. as Syndication Agents (the Terminated 364-Day Facility), which provided aggregate borrowing capacity of $500 million.

The Amended Long-Term Facility has a maturity date of May 17, 2021, aggregate borrowing capacity of $2.5 billion and amends and restates in its entirety the Companys existing Second Amended and Restated Long-Term Credit Agreement, dated as of September 26, 2014 (the Original Long-Term Facility), and replaces aggregate borrowing capacity available under the Terminated 364-Day Facility.

Collectively, the $2.5 billion Amended Long-Term Facility, a 250 million European facility added in July 2015, and committed credit facilities in Brazil which support the Companys Latin American operations and provide borrowings up to 1.0 billion Brazilian reais (approximately $281 million at March 31, 2016 and $256 million at December 31, 2015) provide the Company with total committed credit facilities of approximately $3.0 billion (the Facilities). This amount is unchanged from committed credit facility amounts available as of December 31, 2015. The Facilities are geographically diverse and reflect the Companys growing global operations. The Company believes these Facilities are sufficient to support its global operations.

The interest and fee rates payable with respect to the Amended Long-Term Facility based on the Companys current debt rating are as follows: (1) the spread over LIBOR is 1.125%; (2) the spread over prime is 0.125%; and (3) the unused commitment fee is 0.125%, as of the date hereof.

The Amended Long-Term Facility contains customary covenants and warranties including, among other things, a debt to capitalization ratio of less than or equal to 0.60 to 1.00 as of the last day of each fiscal quarter, and a rolling twelve month interest coverage ratio required to be greater than or equal to 3.0 to 1.0 for each fiscal quarter. In addition, the covenants limit the Companys ability to (or to permit any subsidiaries to), subject to various exceptions and limitations: (i) merge with other companies; (ii) create liens on its property; (iii) incur debt or off-balance sheet obligations at the subsidiary level; (iv) enter into transactions with affiliates, except on an arms-length basis; (v) enter into agreements restricting the payment of subsidiary dividends or restricting the making of loans or repayment of debt by subsidiaries to the Company or other subsidiaries; and (vi) enter into agreements restricting the creation of liens on its assets.

Many of the lenders have in the past performed, and may in the future from time to time perform, investment banking, financial advisory, lending and/or commercial banking services, or other services for Whirlpool Corporation and its subsidiaries, for which they have received, and may in the future receive, customary compensation and expense reimbursement.

The description of the Amended Long-Term Facility in this Current Report on Form 8-K is qualified in its entirety by reference to the complete text of the Amended Long-Term Facility, a copy of which will be filed as an exhibit to the Companys quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016.





Item 1.02. Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement.

The information regarding the Terminated 364-Day Facility provided under Item 1.01 above is hereby incorporated by reference.

Item 2.03. Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

The information regarding the Companys entry into the Amended Long-Term Facility provided under Item 1.01 above is hereby incorporated by reference.

























CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this Current Report relating to the Companys beliefs regarding the sufficiency of its existing credit facilities constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. These statements reflect managements current expectations regarding future events and speak only as of the date of this Current Report. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not, or the times at or by which, events will occur. Actual performance may differ materially from that expressed or implied in such statements. These statements rely on assumptions which may or may not be realized. Reference should be made to the factors discussed under Risk Factors set forth in Whirlpools periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.





















SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.





Date: May 17, 2016 WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION By: /s/ BRIDGET K. QUINN Name: Bridget K. Quinn Title: Corporate Secretary and Group Counsel












Former All Black Marc Ellis has been called arrogant by a woman who tore down his driveway wall and dumped it on his property.

The long running dispute between the sports personality and his Waiheke Island neighbour Briar Ross has been the subject of a day-long trial before Judge Simon Maude.

Ross is accused of digging up Ellis' freshly built stonewall driveway because she believed he shouldn't have been allowed to build on their shared land.

GEORGE GARDNER/FAIRFAX NZ Briar Ross and the pile of dirt she left over Marc Ellis' drive

Ross has pleaded not guilty to wilful damage and is representing herself.

Giving evidence at the Auckland District Court, Ross said she had tried everything she could to reach a resolution with Ellis about the offending driveway before deciding to tear it down.

READ MORE:

* Marc Ellis' driveway: Briar Ross stands firm

* Marc Ellis' driveway dispute continues

* Marc Ellis Waiheke driveway stoush blown out of proportion: defence

"I believe at all times I had the right to remove the driveway as it breached the land convenant," Ross said, reading a statement in her defence.

"I had tried everything I possibly could to resolve this dispute from the time I found out he was intending to not use his existing sealed driveway that he shares with two other people, but to make his own private driveway.

"I feel Mr Ellis must take responsibility for his actions and the situation.. if he'd had the courtesy to talk to me, and go through the due process of having a meeting, we might not be here today. I feel he must take responsibility for his arrogant attitude."

The dispute began after Ellis purchased the 1.5ha property at the exclusive gated community of Matiatia Estate in 2014 and began building a holiday home on it.

Although Ellis had access to two neighbours' driveways, he thought it was more appropriate to build his own considering the building works taking place at his estate, he told the court.

"My preference was to do the neighbourly thing," he said, and gained approval from Auckland Council to begin the build.

All of his neighbours except for Ross gave him their blessing although council didn't require their permission, he said.

Ross admitted that after attempts to contact Ellis about the driveway, to no avail, she reacted by hiring an earthmover to tear down the stonewall and putting the remnants on the remainder of Ellis' driveway.

"The inside of my boundary had been dug up and dumped," Ellis told the court, describing it as "disruptive".

Building works on the home had to pause so he could clean up the mess, he said.

"We asked Ms Ross to remove (the rubble) and she wouldn't so we had to pay to have it removed so work could continue. Clearly there is disruption when you're building a house and there's no driveway to use."

Shown a photo of the rubble over the driveway he remarked: "It's worse than I remember it."

He said because of Ross' "attitude" he wanted to keep his distance from her.

"I didn't seek your permission because I was granted council consent. I didn't want to get into a convoluted discussion with you because of your attitude," he said.

"My personal opinion was that this was a matter for (Ross) to take up with Auckland Council who granted the consent."

Ross said no mention of damage had been made to her after the wall was torn down, and she disputed that the driveway's destruction had caused holes in Ellis' land.

"If the digger driver caused damage, he was never informed. I was never informed. No quotes to get it repaired were sought or discussed," Ross said.

"The only place I could put the soil, which I believed belonged to Mr Ellis, was to return it to his property. If i put it on the (shared land) I'd be in trouble, if I put it on mine I'd get charged with theft."

Police prosecutor Fiona Culliney told the court that regardless of the land permissions, the issue was the damage.

"For the purposes of this case, it's not relevant to any great degree who was entitled to do what on that joint land because that's a matter that should be rightly left to the civil jurisdiction," she said.

The trial is expected to finish on Tuesday.
'Dee' and 'Chris' call a late model people mover van home. They get frequently moved on from spots like Auckland waterfront's Tank Farm.

Married Auckland couple 'Chris' and 'Dee' aren't celebrating their latest anniversary.

The couple are going on one year homeless and laugh bitterly when asked about seeking help from Work and Income New Zealand - as Prime Minister John Key suggested to homeless people.

Key sparked a debate about homelessness on Monday after advising those who were living in cars and garages to seek help form Work and Income New Zealand.

For nearly a year Chris and Dee have made a late model Nissan people mover van their home because they say they cannot afford a place to live.

READ MORE:

* John Key: homeless can ask for help

* Auckland homeless double

* Rising rent stress

* Auckland median rents break $500

In their fifties, the couple, who don't want to use their real names, said they had given up on trying to deal with welfare agencies.

The last time they tried about June last year, they were "fobbed-off" by Housing New Zealand, Dee said.

Having checked the couple's credit rating, Housing New Zealand told them to "go private" to get housing, she said.

But Chris is on an invalids benefit and Dee is his full time carer. They say the benefit has become inadequate to cover rental housing in Auckland's overheated property market.

A "kind old man" living in Mt Roskill offered to put them up but his house is "uninhabitable", Dee said.

Living parked up on Auckland waterfront's Hamer St, their van's spotless interior is filled by a varnished wooden box frame double bed.

Dee and Chris may be technically homeless, but the tidily dressed couple put a brave face on.

"We're actually not homeless because home is where the heart is," Dee said.

For a time the couple were using shower and bathroom facilities at nearby private facilities, but eventually Auckland Council staff and police moved them on.

"We've been trespassed as far away as Mission Bay," she said.

Tears well in Dee's eyes as she talks of the last year. She said it was the wind making her cry.

"We've learnt to adjust, but we feel very sorry for other people, it's terrible what's happening around here, this homelessness."

Chris interjects: "People can't afford to live in their own homes anymore, they're living off scraps," low wages aren't keeping up with rents, he said.

Dee and Chris estimate there's at least another 50 people calling the streets around Tank Farm, on Auckland's waterfront, home.

"I cope very well, my husband doesn't," she said.

Chris suffers from borderline personality disorder and a range of physical ailments including fibromyalgia, a rheumatoid illness, which means Dee is "pretty much" his full-time caregiver.

They are "good people" they insist, but Dee admits at one meeting with Housing New Zealand staff, the staff said they felt "unsafe" around the pair.

Their problems getting Auckland accommodation go back at least eight years and government agency help has remained inadequate.

"How did we end up like this? [In 2008] we had a warehouse [to live in] in Glenfield, then we lived out west for two and half years in a stable rental property."

A landlord at their last Auckland home after the west Auckland rental was the start of their undoing, Dee said.

Behind just one week's rent, Dee said the couple were evicted from their residence.

"Chris and I were quite frankly sick of being shipped around by these greedy landlords."

They gave up on unaffordable Auckland in disgust and moved to Cambridge in the Waikato so Dee could help a troubled grandchild.

Coming back to Auckland in June 2015, they couldn't find a home and tried Housing New Zealand again but were fobbed-off yet again, Dee said.

A Housing New Zealand spokeswoman said she could not comment on the couple's specific case, but said HNZ did not check credit ratings.

"That is not correct as (mentioned above) we don't assess eligibility. This is undertaken by WINZ. The experience the couple refer to will be their experience with WINZ."

The spokeswoman said to get access for social housing (be it Housing NZ or other social housing providers like Tamaki Housing) people have to go to WINZ.

"It is via WINZ that a needs assessment will be undertaken to determine if an applicant is eligible. If they are eligible then WINZ places them on the social housing register. Once on the register social housing providers get visibility of the applicant and can then offer them a house."

Ministry of Social Development social housing deputy chief executive Carl Crafar encouraged the couple, or anyone with a serious housing need, to seek out WINZ and see what help was available.

"Supporting people into sustainable rentals or social housing is the best way to prevent the need for emergency housing, however help is available for people requiring immediate help, including those living in cars and garages."

He said any application would consider a person's full circumstances, looking at their current accommodation and any barriers they have to sustaining long-term suitable housing.

As dusk settles on Hamer St, Chris and Dee hop in their van and leave, destination unknown.

*Comments have now closed on this story*
Fonterra's farmer-owners have forced a significant rethink by the architects of a governance and representation reform package for the big dairy company.

The proposal, released to the NZX and farmers on Tuesday and scheduled to be voted on by farmer-shareholders on June 10, now recommends a board made up of seven farmer-directors and four independent directors, instead of the six farmer-directors proposed last month. It brings forward a formal review of the farmer council to this year, not next, and strengthens the scope of this review.

A second farmer council observer has been added to a proposed nominations committee for directors but the board-council review group is sticking with its earlier recommendation that farmers choose director candidates nominated by a selection process which will replace the current single transferable voting system for farmer directors.

There will be an equal number of independent and farmer directors on the proposed nominations committee, and a 75 per cent majority will be required for decision-making.

The revised proposal provides for farmers to meet and question nominated director candidates before they are asked to vote for them.



Fonterra currently has 13 directors - nine farmer-elected and four appointed from the business sector.

Cambridge shareholder Garry Reymer said the proposal for the June vote was "absolutely" better than the first one presented to farmers, but some of the changes were "tokenism". The council review was still too late coming, he said. It should have been done at the same time as the scrutiny of governance.

Reymer was concerned that replacing the direct voting system for farmer directors with a yes" or "no" to directors recommended by the council and the board will only widen a current disconnect between the company and its farmers.

An independent selection and nomination process for directors, moving through to ratification by the council and the board, has been promoted by the review architects as a way of taking the politics out of farmer-director elections, something farmers called for.

But Reymer said by sticking with the recommendation that nominated candidates from this process had to approved by the board, the perception remained that the board would "meddle".

"With just one small change, having the council present nominated directors (for vote) at the agm, and not going back to the board, a whole lot of perceptions could have been changed."

Dropping the board from the final ratification stage would have strengthened the perception of the council's strength in representing the interests of farmers and avoided the perception of the board being an old boys club, Reymer said.

Fonterra's listed unit price was relatively unchanged at $5.79 suggesting market investors did not see the reform proposal as a crucial development, said Craigs Investment Partners head of private wealth research, Mark Lister.

Fewer directors was "probably a positive" for the company's costs and large boards did not necessarily drive better outcomes, he said.

However Fonterra's governance had been of concern to the market for some time, and probably would be in the future because the company had two masters - its farmer-owners and sharemarket investors in units in farmer shares, Lister said.

"But this doesn't mean it's a bad investment or will perform poorly, in fact people who have invested in Fonterra (units) will be more than happy with its performance ... and its earnings rebound. It's just a bit of an oddball company compared to others."

The governance review was spurred by two former directors, Greg Gent and Colin Armer, who last year campaigned for Fonterra's board to be cut to nine directors - six farmer and three appointed - citing "serious" milk supply loss to competitors and an unacceptable level of commercial performance.

At the annual meeting in November they failed to get the 75 per cent shareholder support needed to change Fonterra's constitution accordingly, but a 54 per cent vote for their change remit sent a strong message to the board that a governance review was overdue.

The board and farmer council voted against the Gent-Armer remit on the grounds that a review was already under way and a proposal would be out to shareholders early this year. This came as news to many shareholders.

Armer declined to comment on the revised proposal. But he and Gent said in a submission on the preliminary reform proposal last month that shareholder wishes were being treated with "arrogance" because 54 per cent of farmers had voted last year for a much smaller board than was being suggested.

"Eleven directors is simply too many. There is much empirical evidence that groups in single digit numbers work better and are way more efficient," they said.

They also claimed the proposal threatened farmer control of the co-operative, effectively giving the reins to the chairman and appointed directors.
Wellington dessert nirvana Strawberry Fare will close at the end of May.

Strawberry Fare  the capital's sultan of sweet  is set to close after decades in the dessert business.

Since 1992 the restaurant has catered to the sweet teeth of Wellington diners out of a remodelled former funeral parlour on Kent Terrace.

It had become something of an institution, as well-known for its art deco decor as for its array of sweet treats, and often employed ballerinas from the nearby New Zealand School of Dance.

"We do have a crazy tradition of employing dance students, they're such hard-working and great people to employ," owner Katy Pearce said.

READ MORE: Ladies of Wellington: Strawberry Fare

Pearce said she was blown away to the online response from customers responding to the news, which was announced on Facebook on Tuesday.

The restaurant could not take any more bookings, but takeaways could still be ordered.

The decision was not down to waning popularity and was not made lightly, she said.

The building was in need of repairs and husband David Pearce was focusing on his One Red Dog restaurant in Wellington and Peppermill Cafe in Porirua.

Spending more time with the couple's three children was also a factor.

"It's the hardest decision we've had to make but mama needs a break," Pearce said.

The restaurant has long been a venue for celebrating romantic liaisons and family occasions, and has also been the spark to romance among staff, including the Pearces who met as students when he was a dishwasher and she a waitress.

Signature desserts included Chocolate Madness and the Jaffa Tower, and Pearce said she had not ruled out the possibility of opening another dessert restaurant in the future.

Strawberry Fare will open for the last time on May 29.
A young woman whose badly burnt body was found on a rural Canterbury road has been named as Renee Larissa Duckmanton.

Police are investigating whether the Christchurch 22-year-old's killing was linked to the sex industry, but have made no arrests. They formally identified her after an autopsy on Tuesday.

A member of the public found her body after spotting a scrub fire on Main Rakaia Rd, about 500 metres from State Highway 1, shortly before 7.40pm on Sunday. Detectives were trying to trace her last movements.

SUPPLIED Homicide victim: Renee Duckmanton.

Her family said news of her death "hasn't hit us yet  but we are together and that's the best we can do is stick together".

READ MORE: Body found near Rakaia

Sixty kilometres away, police cordoned off a Housing New Zealand home in Kowhai Tce, St Martins, where Duckmanton previously lived with her mother, Tracy.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ A property in Kowhai Tce, Christchurch, has been cordoned off by police investigating the suspicious death of Renee Duckmanton.

The Bowenvale Ave, Cashmere, property where she lived at the time of her death was also being searched.

Police had been tight-lipped about the case, but held a media conference on Tuesday night where Detective Inspector Darryl Sweeney said:

- Duckmanton was a sex worker and police were investigating if her killing was related to the sex industry.

DEAN KOZANIC/FAIRFAX NZ Police examine the scene where Renee Duckmanton's body was found on Main Rakaia Rd.

- Her body had "extensive burns from a fire, which had been lit", but police would not discuss the cause of her death yet.

- She was last seen alive over the weekend. Sweeney appealed for any of her friends who saw her to contact police.

- A light-coloured car seen in the area at the time was of interest. Police wanted to talk to the car's occupants.

- No arrests had been made.

- When asked about how she died, Sweeney said: "Clearly there was a fire, which does form part of the circumstances ... She has died an unlawful death".

- The inquiry team had "looked into" the theft of two red 20 litre containers of petrol from a shipping container on a Main Rakaia Rd dairy farm.

- Police no longer believed her killing was linked to several suspicious fires at the Selwyn River hours earlier, which were being investigated separately.

Duckmanton was a "vibrant young lady" who was "much loved" by her family, Sweeney said.

The homicide inquiry team was making "steady progress" and would work "around the clock" until the crime was solved, he said.

Main Rakaia Rd had reopened. Sweeney thanked residents for their patience and the public for providing information.

"If you know Renee, if you've seen her over the weekend, we'd very much like to hear from you."

Sweeney would not discuss the autopsy results.

VICTIM 'TRUSTED ANYONE'

Duckmanton's family and friends were struggling to come to grips with her death.

"She was a lovely girl, easy going, trusted anyone," a family member, who did not want be named, said.

Family members were informed she had died on Monday night.

Another relative described her as "very bubbly".

Sweeney earlier confirmed the St Martins property was linked to the investigation into Duckmanton's death. It remained taped off.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she had not seen the occupants for several days.

Forensic specialists and investigators were expected to stay at the Rakaia scene for several days.

RAKAIA RESIDENTS 'UNSETTLED'

On Monday, Rakaia residents spoke of feeling "unsettled" by the fact a body had been found in the area.

A local farmer, who only wanted to be known as Jori, said he understood the body was found "near the roadside just on my tree line".

Dairy farmer Michael Norton said thieves broke into a shipping container at his property on Main Rakaia Rd overnight Saturday and stole two red 20 litre containers of petrol.

"It wasn't a huge amount, but I just thought it was a bit weird . . . It made me wonder with all the fires and all the rest of it."

He reported the theft to police.

* Previous reports saying Renee Duckmanton currently lived at the Kowhai St property were incorrect.
A 21-year-old man's decision to take the potent psychedelic drug NBOMe nearly cost him his life.

A former university student who spent more than a week in a coma after taking the potent psychedelic drug NBOMe had to learn to eat and walk again.

The 21-year-old man, who would only give his name as Michael, has spoken publicly for the first time about the experience that nearly ended his life last year to warn others about the dangers of taking psychoactive substances.

Michael's father spent many hours in Christchurch Hospital wondering whether his son would ever wake up and did not believe the penalty for supplying drugs like NBOMe, also known as "N-Bomb", was tough enough.

SUPPLIED A 21-year-old man lies in a coma at Christchurch Hospital after taking the potent psychedelic drug NBOMe last year.

Michael was with a friend in a forest near the Ashley River, north of Christchurch, last year, when he took the synthetic drug, which mimics lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).

READ MORE:

* Father 'shocked' by son's N-Bomb drug use

* N-bomb drug lands man in intensive care

* Drink spiked with 'N-bomb': Terrifying two-day trip

Within seconds he was convulsing and had become incoherent.

NBOMe is a powerful psychedelic drug that has been linked to deaths overseas.

"The last thing I remember was having a full out-of-body experience like I left my body and . . . I felt like there was some other force putting me on the scales deciding whether I should live or die," he said this week.

Michael was flown to Christchurch Hospital where he spent at least 10 days in a coma. During that time his kidneys shut down and his life hung in the balance. His friends and family wept at his bedside.

"It kind of shattered my world," Michael's father said.

"The biggest thing was walking into the room when he finally did recover consciousness and seeing . . . his eyes light up and . . . [hearing] the words 'I love you Dad'. I'll never forget that."

Michael said he had to learn to eat and walk again after he was discharged from hospital.

Physically and mentally he had recovered from the ordeal but his immune system was still weak and he often got sick.

Michael said he had not taken recreational drugs since and likely never would ever again.

"I still see a lot of people . . . taking these drugs even though they've seen what I've been through. It's very frustrating knowing it's so easy . . . for the same thing to happen [to someone else]. They say they know what they're putting in their body, but really they don't," he said.

"[Psychoactive substances] are not something that should be messed with."

Michael said he could not remember how he sourced the NBOMe, because the experience had erased that part of his memory. However, he thought he was buying another hallucinogenic psychoactive substance called DMT.

"The people are just selling them [drugs] to get a quick buck and not realising the effects they can have," he said.

Police arrested Jacob Douglas Wanhalla, from Kainga, in connection with the drugs Michael took last year.

Wanhalla later admitted selling a psychoactive substance and was sentenced to community work and supervision.

Michael's father said the penalty for supplying unapproved psychoactive substances (a maximum of two years imprisonment) needed to be harsher to deter dealers.

"I would encourage people to talk to their kids about them [the drugs] and if at all possible explain the effects and the possible outcome. It's terrible stuff. Try and keep your kids safe."

New Zealand Drug Foundation chief executive Ross Bell said the country's black market was "swamped" by unknown and "probably very dangerous" substances that were being sold as drugs like cannabis, LSD and ecstasy.

Harsher penalties had not stopped New Zealand's drug problem previously, Bell said. He believed users needed to be supplied with better information about new drugs on the black market.

Officials have previously said NBOMe should be treated like LSD  a class A controlled drug along with heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine (P)

Work was under way to have it reclassified under the Misuse of Drugs Act, they said.

Last week, police in Christchurch seized many kilograms of synthetic cannabis worth potentially millions of dollars.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jason Stewart said the investigation, which had interrupted a major South Island supply chain, was ongoing.

WHAT IS NBOME?

NBOMe is a potent series of synthetic hallucinogenic drugs that have been linked to deaths overseas.

The most common substances in the group are 25I-NBOMe, 25B-NBOMe and 25C-NBOMe.

They are often sold in blotter tabs by drug dealers as LSD because its effects are very similar. They can also be sold in capsules, tablets or bags of powder.

NBOMe emerged in New Zealand in 2012.
New $20, $50 and $100 notes are in circulation in New Zealand.

Reserve Bank head of currency, property and security, Steve Gordon believes the release of the remaining Brighter Money Series 7 notes is a significant milestone for the project to upgrade New Zealands banknotes to make them more secure.
Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew has today announced that social enterprise and community sector leadership organisations can now apply for grants under the Community Leadership Fund  Hapori Whakatipu.

The new contestable fund provides up to $500,000 annually to support the development of community sector leadership and social enterprise.

Increasing the sustainability and resilience of the Community and Voluntary sector as a whole will help strengthen New Zealand communities, says Mrs Goodhew.

The priorities of the fund are to support collaboration and connection across social enterprise, volunteering, and community led-development. The fund complements other grants available for operational and project costs for individual community organisations.

This is an exciting new era for community funding. With this fund we are supporting organisations that will provide guidance and support to smaller organisations across the country, Mrs Goodhew says.

Applications for the Community Leadership Fund - Hapori Whakatipu open today and run until June 15.

More information and resources, including funding criteria, are available at www.communitymatters.govt.nz.

Source: Office of Jo Goodhew.
Created to mark Vespas 70th anniversary, the Vespa Primavera 50 2T has been given Colettes signature touch with a gleaming white body and cobalt blue details including a blue seat.

The scooter features a single cylinder, 2-stroke Hi-PER2 engine including both electric and kick start mechanisms.

The steel body is hand painted and features a flat floorboard and a modern air-cooling system.

Vespa and Colette have created only one of these custom scooters and it is priced at $3,641.

The special model was on display in Colettes store window on May 9.

Vespa has also created limited editions of their Settantesimo PX, Primavera and GTS as part of its commemorative celebrations this year.

Designed by Corradino DAscanio, an aeronautical engineer and inventor, Vespa scooters were first rolled out from the factory of Piaggo, the brand owners,, in Pontedera in Italy in 1946.

To date, more than 18 million Vespas have been sold worldwide, with nearly 150 versions and variants of the original 1946 model.
IMG_0453.JPG

Deputy Attorney General Peri Kadanoff stands next photos of the 72 people arrested during Operation Smackdown -- a drug-trafficking bust in Central New York. Kadanoff discussed the operation and pointed to a table filled with evidence Tuesday afternoon during a news conference in Syracuse.

(Samantha House)

New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico speaks during a news conference Tuesday in Syracuse about Operation Smackdown.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A drug-trafficking bust in Central New York ended with the arrests of 72 people, officials say.

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office, along with state and local police, announced the bust Tuesday afternoon after arresting 63 of the people indicted for trafficking drugs in the Syracuse area. Police are searching for the remaining defendants.

Dubbed Operation Smackdown, the 11-month investigation targeted two "major" organizations that ferried heroin and other drugs from New York City to CNY, said New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D'Amico.

"Our goal is to disrupt the supply chain...and get these drugs out of our neighborhoods," he said.

Over 2 ounces of bulk heroin, 10,750 individual doses of heroin, over 1 pound of cocaine and dozens of prescription pills were found, said Deputy Attorney General Peri Kadanoff. Police also seized nine guns, a stun gun disguised as a flashlight and about $40,000 worth of cash, she said.

The first organization -- comprised of at least 37 people and headed by three men and a woman -- mostly targeted the South Side of Syracuse, said Deputy Attorney General Peri Kadanoff. The second organization sold cocaine in the suburbs of Onondaga and Oswego counties, she said.

The South Side drug ring was run by Reinaldo Santos, of Syracuse; Julio Santos, of Camillus; Angel Diaz Vega, of Syracuse; and Magen M. Solano, of Syracuse; Kadanoff said. Of the two operations busted this week, she said the South Side ring had a bigger drug dealing operation.

Reinaldo Santos, Julio Santos and Solano were charged with operating as a major trafficker -- a crime Kadanoff said can be punishable by life in prison.

The suburban drug ring was led by James Harris and Henry Aguayo, both of Syracuse, Kadanoff said. Investigators believe the organization was made up of 35 dealers.

Kadanoff said the Attorney General's Office teamed up with the Syracuse Police Department, state police and other organizations to stem the supply of drugs the two organizations were funneling into the region. To do that, she said they targeted drug dealers.

"These people are not drug-end users," she said of the defendants. "Every one of these people is alleged to be a drug dealer."

Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler said the bust has already disrupted drugs sales on every side of the city. He pointed out that guns -- which he said are used by drugs organizations -- were also taken off Syracuse's streets.

Investigators are still seeking to determine where the organizations got the drugs from.

Dozens of the defendants arrested in the bust were arraigned Tuesday morning in Syracuse City Court.

Four indictments lodged 227 crimes, including criminal sale of a controlled substance and conspiracy, against the 72 defendants:

Julio Santos, Camillus Reinaldo Santos, of Syracuse Magen Solano, of Syracuse Henry Aguayo, of Syracuse Zezell Monique Beyene Aguayo, of Liverpool Jorge Alvarado, of Syracuse Wendi Burke, of Cicero Charles Buske, of Oswego Tristan Fontanez Cirino, of Syracuse Ashley Corsette, of Liverpool Jerry Craw, of Fayetteville Eddy Cuello, of Syracuse Daniel P. Doherty, of Camillus Joseph Donahue, of Minoa Douglas Elford, of Canastota Daniel Emond, of East Syracuse Francisco Flores, of Syracuse John Foley, of Pulaski Elliot Freelon, of Syracuse Catherine Fuoco, of Central Square Timothy Galarneau, of Brewerton Adam Gilkey, of Minoa Ronald Hall, of Cicero Brent Harrington, of Central Square James Harris, of Syracuse Alfred Hoffman, of Syracuse Thomas Holmquist, of Hastings Brian Honors, of Minoa Steven Hoyt, of Kirkville Lamyke Kelly, of Syracuse Joshua Kingsley, of East Syracuse George Klapan, of Pulaski Jacquelin Lando, also known as Jacquelin Showers, of Oswego Julie Long, of Kirkville Denise Mahoney, of Minoa Diana Maldonado, of Syracuse Kevin Maldonado, of Syracuse Yvette Maldonado, of Syracuse Antonio Martinez, of Syracuse Alasha Messier, of Syracuse, New York Irma Diaz Ortiz, of Syracuse Dina Peck, of Kirkville Clayton Pieropan, of Clay Michael Piraino, of Central Square Carlos Quinones, of Syracuse Johan Quinones, of Syracuse Michael Ramos, of Syracuse Lori Raum, of Bridgeport Lorrie Redington, of Tully David Revette, of Central Square Luis Rivera, of Syracuse Miguel Cruz Rivera, of Syracuse Jose Lopez Robles, of Syracuse Magaley Roman, of Syracuse Gilsandro Rosado, of Syracuse Mario Russo, of Syracuse Jose Delgado Santana, of Syracuse Jaime Santos, of Syracuse Wilfredo Santos, of Syracuse Susan Vertichio Schmidt, of Liverpool Toshiro Scott, of Syracuse Daniel Smith, of Central Square Kyshaun Smith, also known as Kyshaun Williams, of Syracuse Anthony Sparks, of Syracuse Mark Spratt, of Kirkville Cynthia Thompson, of Solvay Jean Torres, of Syracuse Luis Undaneta, of Syracuse Angel Diaz Vega, of Syracuse Luis Cirino Vega, of Syracuse Hilary Washo, of East Syracuse Joseph Wells, of Minoa

The ages, full addresses and mugshots of the defendants were not immediately available.

In a statement released after the news conference, Schneiderman said members of the Oswego County Drugs Task Force, Onondaga County Sheriff's Office, Onondaga County District Attorney's Office, Onondaga County Probation Department, Cortland County Sheriff's Department, New York State Parole, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Solvay Police Department and Syracuse University Police also participated in the investigation.

"Operation Smackdown is a significant attack against the heroin epidemic that continues to plague Central New York," Schneiderman said. "I will not tolerate those who sell death in our neighborhoods."
EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A benefit will be held next month for the families of the six people who died in a house fire on the North Side of Syracuse.

The benefit for the families of the 212 Martin Street fire victims will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on June 5 at the firemen's field in East Syracuse. The field is located at 600 Hartwell Ave.

Killed in the fire were Kevin Anderton Jr., 13, Cassie Anderton, 7, Lawrence Anderton, 12, Jacob Anderton, 10, Gordon Anderton, 34, and William Yager, 33,

The benefit is sponsored by Sun Chevrolet Inc., a Central New York car dealership.

Todd Caputo, president of SUN and the self-dubbed "Used Car King," has offered to donate up to $20,000 -- promising to give 50 cents for every dollar donated by the community, said Ila Young, a Sun employee and family member of the Martin Street victims.

The benefit will have a bounce house, face painting, food and drinks, music and raffles. T-shirts and wristbands will also be sold.

Tickets cost $5 in advance and $10 the day of the benefit. To buy tickets, call Young at (315) 350-9957 or email MartinStreetFireVictimsBenefit@gmail.com. Young said donations can also be dropped off at any Sun location or sent to Kevin Anderton, P.O. Box 75, Chittenango, NY 13037.

Calling hours will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Thomas J. Pirro Funeral Home in North Syracuse. The victims' funerals will be private.
Chester Thompson

Syracuse, NY -- A former Syracuse police officer "may be delusional" for thinking that women he met on-duty wanted to have sex with him, a lawyer said today.

Officer Chester Thompson was fired after admitting he had sex on the job with two civilians on four occasions from June 2013 to February 2015. He was not charged with a sex crime after prosecutors said there was no proof the victims resisted or that there was physical force.

But Thompson is facing a $7 million lawsuit after one of his victims, Maleatra Montanez, said what he did amounted to rape. Her lawsuit cites his position of authority, including his badge and gun. And prosecutors have said that she probably did feel intimidated.

Her lawyer today said the second, unnamed victim also was forced into sex by Thompson. That victim has not spoken publicly about what happened to her on three separate occasions. She is referred to only as "Jane Doe" in the lawsuit.

Lawyer Edward Sivin, of New York City, described a similarity between Montanez's encounter with Thompson and those described by "Jane Doe."

In both cases, Thompson arrived to handle a complaint at the victims' residences. In both cases, he acted aggressive sexually before demanding and receiving sex, the lawyer said.

Afterward, Thompson suddenly turned friendly. In the unnamed woman's case, he handed her a note with his phone number on it, Sivin said.

In Montanez's case, he continued investigating her original complaint (a missing child) almost as though the sex had never happened, Sivin said. Thompson gave Montanez a number to call to follow up.

He "may be delusional" that these women wanted to have sex with him, Sivin said. Thompson may not truly realize the "extent of his barbarity."

Sivin said he's continuing to look into whether any other women were victimized by Thompson. The lawsuit was filed last week and remains in its beginning stages.

Thompson's story, originally reported by syracuse.com, was picked up by the New York Daily News, which today published a column blasting the officer's conduct.
Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence speaks on stage at the 27th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Waldorf Astoria on Saturday, May 14, 2016, in New York.

(Charles Sykes | Invision | AP)

"The Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence praised Syracuse native Robert De Niro Sr. at the 27th annual GLAAD Media Awards over the weekend.

The actress was on hand to present the late artist's son, actor Robert De Niro, with the Excellence in Media Award for his recent documentary, "Remembering the Artist: Robert De Niro Sr." The HBO film explored De Niro Sr.'s early childhood in Central New York and his private conflicts trying to hide his homosexuality before coming out as openly gay much later in life.

Actor Robert De Niro, left, appears in photo with his father, a Syracuse native, from the 2014 documentary "Remembering The Artist: Robert De Niro Sr."

"As many of you may know, Bob was deeply touched by his father, a wildly talented abstract expressionist painter, the late Robert De Niro Senior, whose namesake Bob carries with him in his life and with his own artistry," Lawrence said Saturday.

"Robert De Niro Sr. was a gay man who struggled with self-acceptance at a time when organizations like GLAAD were not around...

Honoree Robert De Niro accepts his award from Jennifer Lawrence at the 27th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Waldorf Astoria on Saturday, May 14, 2016, in New York.

"Around the time this film premiered, Bob said something that really resonated with me. He voiced the hope that this documentary would allow his children to fully understand the urgency of the present. He said, 'I want them to stop and take a moment and realize that you sometimes have to do things now, instead of later, because later may be twenty years from now and that's too late.'"

Lawrence also kept the ceremony light-hearted with a few jokes about the 72-year-old actor-filmmaker, according to E! News.

"GLAAD and Bob have a lot in common. They're both gay," she said. "Just kidding. I was told by five different people to cut that and I was like, 'Hell no.'"

"Bob has asked me to present him with GLAAD's Excellence in Media Award because, in his words, I am like a daughter to him. And that transpires to our once-a-week drinks at the Greenwich Hotel where I ask him advice on absolutely everything. And also when he gets drunk and pinches my cheek and says, 'You remind me of my little Helen.' Who's 4."

De Niro, who co-starred in "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Joy" with Lawrence, threw his own quips during the ceremony honoring media for inclusive representations of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.

"If I were a lesbian, I'd be all over you," he said to the 25-year-old actress, before turning to the audience. "She's a good friend--a respectful, loving friend. She didn't hesitate to be here tonight for me and for GLAAD--after I threatened her."

The "Raging Bull" star's father was born in Syracuse in 1922, studying art at the Syracuse Museum from ages 11 to 15. He left the Salt City in his late teens to study under abstract painters Josef Albers and Hans Hofmann. In Hoffman's Provincetown, Mass. school he met fellow artist Virginia Admiral and married her in 1942. Their only child, "Bobby" De Niro, was born a year later in New York City.

"To me, he was always a great artist," De Niro told Out magazine last year. "He probably was [conflicted about his sexuality] being from that generation, especially from a small town upstate. I was not aware, much, of it. I wish we had spoken about it much more."

Family footage and photographs of both the artist and his actor son appeared in the short film. At one point, a young Robert De Niro is seen in a black-and-white picture wearing a Syracuse t-shirt.

A young Robert De Niro wearing a #Syracuse shirt in documentary about his father on HBO right now: pic.twitter.com/foelKAXDxC  Geoff Herbert (@deafgeoff) June 10, 2014

A tearful De Niro admitted his biggest regret was not being there for his father in his later years, when his health was in decline. De Niro, Sr. died in 1993 on his 71st birthday from prostate cancer.

The actor said he hoped to make up for it with "Remembering the Artist" and by keeping his father's studio in New York City, continuing to share his colorful works with the world.
Mammootty's Rorschach hits all the right notes, except in the end | Movie Review
Andy Kauffman, a concrete finisher with Richmond, Va.-based Dream Krete, polishes the floor inside the future Wawa convenience store Monday in Stuart. The company is interested in expanding its locations across the Treasure Coast. (LEAH VOSS/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS)

By Kelly Tyko of TCPalm

We're getting closer to having our first Wawa hoagies, soft pretzels and coffee without leaving the Treasure Coast.

Later this summer or in early fall, the popular Pennsylvania-based chain will open the region's first Wawa gas station and convenience store in Stuart at the southeast corner of Kanner Highway and Monterey Road.

A location in Indian River County at the southeast corner of U.S. 1 and 12th Street also is projected to open this year, Wawa spokeswoman Lori Bruce said.

A Port St. Lucie Wawa at the southwest corner of Tradition and Village parkways and a second Indian River County location at the northwest corner of State Road 60 and 90th Avenue, are both expected to open in early 2017, Bruce said.

MORE | Scroll down to watch a video of FLORIDA TODAY reporters explain how to get to the first Brevard location of Wawa.

While we have to wait a few months for our first local Wawa's grand opening, if you're willing to venture north to Brevard County there soon will be two options.

"We are really looking forward to opening on the east coast with our first stores in Brevard," Bruce said.

FIRST EAST COAST STORES

The chain, which also has locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, opened its first Florida location in Orlando in mid-2012.

Brevard's first Wawa, the state's 87th, opens Thursday at 5605 N. Wickham Road in Palm Shores at the corner of the Pineda Causeway Extension. The Wawa is 45 miles from Vero Beach Outlets and 10 miles from the Melbourne Square mall.

The second Brevard Wawa opens May 26 at 3175 W. New Haven Ave. in West Melbourne about two miles away from the Melbourne mall and a 36-mile drive from the Vero outlet mall.

Wawa officials have said the company's goal is to operate 300 locations in the state in the next 15 years, including 14 to 15 locations on the Treasure Coast, with six to seven locations in St. Lucie County and about four in Indian River and Martin counties.

Palm Beach County could get its first Wawa station in 2017.

WHY THE FUSS?

The gas station chain, which has a cult-like following, has had customers get married in its stores, plan trips based on store locations and even get Wawa tattoos.

Until I went to a Wawa in Orlando last spring, I didn't understand what the fuss was about.

Beyond the fuel pumps, Wawa's upscale convenience store offers everything from made-to-order sandwiches, lobster bisque, mashed potatoes and already-prepared meals like kale and quinoa salad.

And lots of coffee.

Wawa also is well-known for its soft, fresh-baked pretzels  some which come stuffed with sweet cream cheese, cheddar cheese and jalapeno cheese  sold at the cash registers.

No, I'm not planning on getting a tattoo, but I can't wait for Wawa to arrive on the Treasure Coast.

All About Wawa

Free ATMS: Wawa doesn't charge for cash withdrawals. There also are no added fees for using credit cards.

Coffee: Wawa brews more than 195 million cups of coffee each year using its own special blends and a variety of flavors. Other beverages include iced and hot lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, chai tea, frozen cappuccinos and smoothies.

Hoagies and food: Hoagies are the most popular food item and Wawa makes more than 80 million built-to-order hoagies each year, with specialties that include meatball and cheesesteak. Wawa also has soups, sides, salads, wraps and ready-to-go foods.

Touch-screen ordering: You place your customized sandwich order on a touch-screen menu at the deli counter.

Low gas prices: Wawa fans say prices tend to be lower than competing gas stations and Wawa's typically have low promotional prices during the grand opening.

Freebies: During grand opening celebrations, Wawa stores offer 10 days of free coffee.

Brevard Grand Openings

Palm Shores Wawa

Address: 5605 N. Wickham Road, at the corner of the Pineda Causeway Extension

Estimated travel: 10 miles from Melbourne Square mall, about a 21-minute drive, depending on traffic; 45 miles from Vero Beach Outlets, about 43 minutes away; 80 miles from Treasure Coast Square mall in Jensen Beach or about 83 minutes away.

Grand opening, May 19: Doors open at 8 a.m. and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be at 10 a.m.



West Melbourne Wawa

Address: 3175 W. New Haven Ave., just west of Minton Road

Grand opening, May 26: Doors open at 8 a.m. and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be at 10 a.m.

Estimated travel: Two miles from Melbourne Square mall, about a six-minute drive, depending on traffic; 36 miles from Vero Beach Outlets, about 36 minutes away; 72 miles from Treasure Coast Square mall in Jensen Beach or about 76 minutes away.

FLORIDA TODAY reporters explain how to get to the first Brevard locaton of Wawa:
Crist, DeSantis spar before a rowdy Fort Pierce crowd at Florida's only gubernatorial debate

Abortion, education, immigration and the economy were among the issues taking center-stage in Monday night's faceoff.
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By News Release

Martin County

Stuart Sailfish Regatta Ernest Lyons Bridge closure

On Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22, the American Power Boat Association will host the Stuart Sailfish Regatta. The Ernest Lyons Bridge - SR-A1A (Ocean Blvd.) will be closed between N.E. Sewall's Point Road and N.E. MacArthur Boulevard beginning at 6 p.m. on May 20 and will reopen at 11 p.m. on May 22.

Motorists and pedestrians are encouraged to exercise caution and and to expect delays through this area..
Indian River County District 3 School Board candidates Stephen Sczurek (left), Doug Wight (center) and Laura Zorc. (FILE PHOTOS)

There hasn't been an opportunity to vote for a School Board member in Indian River County's District 3 in eight years. That's when accountant Matt McCain trounced two opponents to represent the southwestern-most part of the county.

McCain, who ran unopposed in 2012, is leaving the board. So far, three Vero Beach candidates have announced they're running. The winner will have his or her hands full with challenges facing the district, from disagreements with the NAACP, ACLU and charter schools to the district's goal to get 90 percent of third-graders reading on grade level by 2018.

I saw two of the announced candidates speak recently at a forum hosted by the Republican Men's Club. The third, Stephen Sczurek, is the sole Democrat in the officially nonpartisan race  the only Democrat I've found running for a paid political position in the county. He was not invited to the GOP club meeting because of his party affiliation.

As of Tuesday, Sczurek, 60, a sales associate, was the only candidate to start our questionnaire at TCPalmAskTheCandidates.com. It allows candidates to provide biographical information and answer questions from journalists and readers.

I met Sczurek recently at a candidate meeting and liked him. He, like Doug Wight, the latest candidate to enter the race, seems like a nice, well-educated gentleman. Sczurek, who received a law degree in 2002 from Quinnipiac University, and Wight, 65, a retired Indian River County middle school history and social studies teacher with a master's degree, are new to politics.

Contrast that with Laura Zorc, 44, a member of the Indian River County Republican Executive Committee since 2012. She has participated in several political campaigns, most recently in Iowa with presidential candidate Ted Cruz. Her husband is county Commissioner Tim Zorc, who is seeking a second term.

Zorc's politics are connected to her current passion, education. She's been heavily involved in the parent-teacher association at her children's Imagine Charter School and is president of the County Council of PTAs. Politically, she has opposed Common Core education standards, starting a statewide group to fight it. She was named to the statewide Keep Florida Learning Committee, among 11 members appointed by Gov. Rick Scott and Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart.

She's come a long way from when she met her husband as a single mother in the Atlanta area working as an operations manager for Gem Shopping TV.

At the recent forum, Zorc and Wight answered questions about charter school funding.

Wight, who said he believes in competition, said local charters  public schools run by independent boards  are not getting their fair share of locally voter-approved tax money.

Zorc was more specific.

"It's our responsibility as School Board members to treat all of our students across the district fairly," she said, claiming Imagine schools get $1,200 less per child from the district than traditional schools.

"I think it's very unfair," she said, adding that if the county does not have a referendum to equalize funding before she's elected, she'd provide a third vote to do so.

In his questionnaire response, Sczurek seemed lukewarm to charters.

"I believe that schools should not be competitive, but complementary," he wrote. "Considering the current revenue picture, this might not be the time for providing revenue to charter schools."

Given their recent, active experiences as teacher and parent, Wight and Zorc seem closest to woes they say have caused test scores and graduation rates to go down.

Wight, who only recently got into the race, blamed increases in bureaucracy and lack of support for teachers by administrators. Zorc said teachers need more training. Sczurek wants better communication between the board, administrators and teachers.

There will be a lot more to come out about these candidates before the Aug. 30 primary. More people may run; the deadline to qualify is noon June 24.

So far this is the undercard among two School Board races: Zorc has raised almost 98 percent of the almost $7,000 donated in the campaign. Compare that to more than $42,000 in an open race for District 5 between Tiffany Justice and John Kim.

Based on what I've seen so far, Zorc is the most effective, on-target communicator in the race. Like Wight, she possesses conservative values that may play well in the county. Will he, Sczurek or a new candidate be able to able to overcome her early advantage?
By Staff Report

STORM IMPACTS

Cancellations and postponements

At 9:20 p.m., officials said school also will be canceled for the day, Wednesday, May 18, at Rosewood Magnet School because of the severe flood conditions in the area around the school campus. District staff determined that the conditions could pose a potential hazard during student drop off and pick up.

Classes at Vero Beach High School and the Freshman Learning Center have been canceled for Wednesday due to water damage in the schools. All other schools in Indian River County will be open at their regularly scheduled times.

Tonight's game between the St. Lucie Mets and Clearwater Threshers at Tradition Field game has been postponed due to inclement weather. A doubleheader has been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Martin County at Sebastian River high school spring football game schedule for Thursday has been rescheduled for Monday.

Port St. Lucie's High School graduation, originally scheduled for Tuesday night, has been rescheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Adams Arena.

All after-school activities have been canceled for Tuesday night in St. Lucie County. Vero Beach City Council has canceled tonight's meeting. It has been rescheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Wednesday's Tomorrow's Business at Breakfast in the Heritage Center in Vero Beach has been postponed due to water in the building. Closed: 17th Street, in both directions between Indian River Boulevard and U.S. 1.

Closed: Eastbound State Road 60 between 20th Avenue and 19th Avenue.

Closed: Westbound & eastbound S.R. 60 between Indian River Boulevard and U.S. 1. Al's Family Farms Citrus fruit packaging warehouses have sustained roof damage on Kings Highway and Angle Road because of heavy winds, St. Lucie County Government spokesman Erick Gill said.

Power lines and trees are down near the 8100 to 8300 blocks of Fort Pierce Boulevard in Lakewood Park in St. Lucie County, St. Lucie County Fire District spokeswoman Catherine Chaney said

Four trailers are on their side because of heavy winds at a mobile home park in Road Runner Park in Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County Fire District spokeswoman Catherine Chaney said. 4451 St. Lucie Blvd, Fort Pierce, a tree hit by lightning caused the fire.

Southwest Loquat Road and southwest General Patton Terrace, Port St. Lucie, it's unclear what started the fire.

Ridge Haven Road and U.S. 1, Fort Pierce, it's unclear what caused the fire. Entrance into Laurelwood is seeing more than a foot of water.

Sixth Avenue Southwest and 17th Lane Southwest

All roads leading into the Vero Highlands

17th Street from U.S. 1 to 10th Ave.

14th Ave. from 21st Street to 26th Street

SR 60 in the area of 33rd Avenue

26th Street from U.S. 1 to 58th Avenue

8:59 p.m.: Streets are flooded near 4th Street and U.S. 1 in Vero Beach, Indian River County Sheriff's Office spokesman Eric Flowers said.

Flowers said flooding in this area has been building all afternoon.

"Small cars shouldn't be going through there," Flowers said. "You're not going to make it."

Woodlawn Manor Mobile Home Park is just south of the area.

8:02 p.m.: The following state roads still are closed in Indian River County because of flooding:

7:29 p.m.: Indian River County Sheriff's officials say a lot of flooding remains in a number of residential areas throughout the county.

7:34 p.m.: Robert Baltodano, regional communications manager for Red Cross South Florida Region, said Red Cross is assisting families who have been displaced from their homes because of heavy winds:

Families across three homes in Fort Pierce, two at Lakewood Park and one at Road Runner Travel Resort, have been displaced because of heavy winds.

The Lakewood Park homes are single-family homes in the 8200 block of Fort Pierce Boulevard. The Road Runner Travel Resort, 5500 St. Lucie Blvd, is an RV park.

Red Cross is giving financial assistance to the families and having two shelters on standby.

"The basic step is to make sure they have what they need to sustain themselves," Baltodano said. "Anyone interested in learning how to prepare for a disaster should visit redcross.org/prepare.

6:30 p.m.: During a break in the rains Tuesday evening, Ginger Phillips, 52, stood outside her travel trailer in the Road Runner Travel Resort that was flipped on its side. She was in a neighbors mobile home with her dog and another dog when the storm went through.

My cats are missing, Phillips said. Theyre in there digging for them but were not finding them.

Phillips said her cats -- PP, Nathan, Kee and Lucie  were in her home during the storm. She said her lock was acting up and she got locked out. A locksmith was on the way.

Theyre my babies, she said of the cats. Theyre my everything.

She said everything she owns is in the mobile home, and that the storm sounded like a train.

6:21 p.m.: Leslie Greffe, 67, and her dog Hershey were in the bathroom of her St. Lucie County travel trailer when the wind struck. She said she thought it would be like Dorothy and Toto.

"I was sadly lucky because I feel bad for them, she said. Theyd only been in that for a year; it was only their first season in it.

Greffe, the resorts activity director, had been going to the travel resort for three years and said shed never seen anything like it. She also said it had been a long time since something like this happened at the park.

There was a lot of wind damage, she said. I cant believe the satellite dish is still standing up.

Her next door neighbors travel trailer had gotten knocked down during the storm, she said, but she had been lucky.

I was sadly lucky because I feel bad for them, she said. Theyd only been in that for a year; it was only their first season in it.

6:02 p.m.: Damage from a possible tornado reported in St. Lucie County includes:

5:48 p.m.: Martin Luther King Boulevard near Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute is flooded.

6:00 pm | Strong storms #StLucie Co, includes #PSL, #FortPierce. Gust to 50 mph & funnel clouds possible. Move indoors if storms approach!  NWS Melbourne (@NWSMelbourne) May 17, 2016

5:44 p.m.: A flood warning has been issued for St. Lucie County until 7:45 p.m. Up to 6 inches of rain has already fallen over parts of St. Lucie County. Additional heavy rain is moving into the area from the west.

Some locations that will experience flooding include: Port St. Lucie, Walton, Fort Pierce and White City.

An additional rainfall amount of 1 to 2 inches are possible.

5:23 p.m.: As of 4 p.m., the Vero Beach Airport recorded 7.78 inches of rain.

4:55 p.m.: Heavy rain is reported in Fort Pierce along Edwards Road, 25th Street and Virginia Avenue, where traffic is slow due to the rain, but theres very little flooding.

4:45 p.m.: Four trailers were reported to be on their sides, but no people were injured, at about 3:20 p.m., when a possible tornado may have blown through the Lakewood Park, according to Catherine Chaney, fire rescue spokeswoman.

The trailers are inside the Road Runner mobile home park in the 5500 block of St. Lucie Boulevard west of St. Lucie International Airport. A porch collapsed at a home on Bennett Drive.

Additional debris in the Lakewood Park area may also be the result of possible tornado activity, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. No injuries have been reported.

4:55 p.m.: Tonight's St. Lucie Mets game has been postponed due to inclement weather. A doubleheader has been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

3:28 p.m.: Heavy winds may be to blame for a plane that flipped over at the St. Lucie County Airport, according to Erick Gill, St. Lucie County spokesman. Nobody was injured when the plane flipped while on the runway.

4:13 p.m.: A flood warning has been issued for southeastern Indian River Cunty until 7:15 p.m. Radar indicated heavy rain will continue to cause flooding. Four to 6 inches of rain has already fallen.

Some locations that will experience flooding include: Vero Beach, Indian River Shores, Vero Beach south, Gifford and Winter Beach.

Additional rainfall of 1 to 3 inches are possible.

4:48 p.m.: Water got into the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce, 1300 block of 21st Avenue. Water on the road was so high that one motorist drove onto the grass between the shuffleboard courts and chamber building to get through, according to Penny Chandler, president of the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce.

The Heritage Center also saw water in the building, prompting the chamber to postpone Wednesday's Tomorrow's Business at Breakfast.

4:30 p.m.: Port St. Lucie's High School graduation, originally scheduled for Tuesday night, has been rescheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday.

4:24 p.m.: Vero Beach City Council has canceled tonight's meeting. It has been rescheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

4:15 p.m.: Routes have been resumed for bus students in St. Lucie County.

4 p.m.: The tornado warning delayed St. Edwards School scheduled 3:30 p.m. student release.

3:50 p.m.: Parking lot around the Chamber of Commerce in Indian River County is seeing water up to the top of the tires.

3:44 p.m.: Emergency personnel are en route to a report of two vehicles -- with people trapped inside -- in a ditch in the 2200 block of Blue Heron Lane.

3:38 p.m.: Another tornado may have touched down in a mobile home park in Road Runner Park in Fort Pierce, according to St. Lucie County Fire District spokeswoman Catherine Chaney said.

3:33 p.m.: St. Lucie Public Schools are staging buses en route with students to the nearest school site to move them into safe and secure environments. Transport will resume once the tornado warning has been lifted for our area.

All outdoor after-school activities have been canceled for Tuesday night, with the exception of the Port St. Lucie High School graduation scheduled for 7 p.m. at Adams Arena.

3:25 p.m.: St. Lucie County Fire District reported a possible tornado near the 8100 to 8300 block of Fort Pierce Boulevard in Lakewood Park in St. Lucie County.

3:20 p.m.: St. Lucie County Fire District spokeswoman Catherine Chaney said fire rescue units are at the scene of three different brush fires:

There are no reports of injuries, damage or flooding, Chaney said. It's still unclear how two of the fires started.

2:59 p.m.: A tornado warning was issued for northeast St. Lucie County and southeast Indian River County until 3:30 p.m. At 2:58 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Lakewood Park. It's moving east at 5 p.m. The storm is expected to be near Fort Pierce, the Fort Pierce Inlet and Queens Cove about 3:30 p.m.

3:10 p.m.: Roads reported to be flooded in Indian River County:

2:43 p.m.: Flood warning issued for southeast Indian River County until 4:15 p.m. At 2:41 p.m., radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain. Up to 3 inches of rain has already fallen.

Some locations that will experience flooding includes: Vero Beach, Indian River SHores, south Vero Beach, Gifford and Winter Beach.

An additional 1 to 2 inches of rain are possible.

2:41 p.m.: A tornado warning has been issued for southeast Indian River County until 3:15 p.m. A severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Vero Beach Highlands in south Indian River County. It's moving northeast at 10 mph.

2:40 p.m.: An abandoned structure is on fire in the 1900 block of Roseland Road.

2:37 p.m.: Several accidents being reported on I-95.

1:52 p.m.: FP&L reports several power outages in Sebastian, Vero Lake Estates.

1:47 pm |Storms with strong gusts to 50 mph in #VeroBeach, moving to the northeast. Also, deadly lightning, heavy downpours, so move inside.  NWS Melbourne (@NWSMelbourne) May 17, 2016

1:40 p.m.: Storms are starting to move into St. Lucie County. More storms are expected, moving in from the west, according to meteorologists.

1:37 p.m.: Traffic lights reported out along County Road 512 from I-95 to Sebastian, according to emergency dispatchers.

1:30 p.m.: Lightning is causing some brush fires and also hit a house in Indian River County as storms move in, according to law enforcement officials. Several accidents also have been reported.

ADVISORIES

12:35 p.m.: Today rainstorms are getting a slow start but should arrive by late afternoon and early evening on the Treasure Coast, according to the National Weather Service, Melbourne.

5:38 a.m.: Widespread showers and scattered thunderstorms will develop across central Florida today and move east-northeast through the evening.

Any thunderstorms that develop will have the capability of producing strong wind gusts up to 50 mph, as well as frequent cloud-to-ground lightning, especially as storms approach the coast.

High moisture will remain over Florida through the weekend as a frontal trough pushes into the deep south, stalls and then gradually dissipates.

This will allow scattered to numerous showers and lightning storms to develop across central Florida, mainly during the afternoon and early evening hours.

TODAY'S FORECAST

Keep an eye on conditions with our live weather radar.

Showers and storms will move north from the Lake Okeechobee region northward across the Treasure coast and toward Osceola and southern Brevard counties into mid day. Some of the stronger storms may contain locally heavy rainfall amounts to one to two inches, gusty winds to 40 mph and cloud to ground lightning strikes. Additional showers and storms will affect the remainder of the east Central Florida into the afternoon.

There's a chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. High will be near 86. South southeast wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.

Tonight, showers are likely with a possible thunderstorm before 2 a.m., then a slight chance of showers.

It'll be cloudy, with a low around 72. South southeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Sunrise will be at 6:30 a.m. Sunset will be at 8:04 p.m.

EXTENDED FORECAST

Source: National Weather Service

Wednesday: A slight chance of showers, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m., then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.

Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Light north northeast wind becoming east 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Thursday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. East southeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Friday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. East southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. East southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. South southwest wind around 10 mph.

Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Southwest wind around 10 mph.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. West wind around 5 mph becoming north in the afternoon.

TODAY'S TIDE FORECAST

Source: National Weather Service

Sebastian Inlet Bridge

High tides: 5:30 a.m. and 6:05 p.m.

Low tides: 11:53 a.m. Tuesday and 12:18 a.m. Wednesday

Fort Pierce Inlet, South Jetty

High tides: 5:47 a.m. and 6:22 p.m.

Low tides: 11:59 a.m. Tuesday and 12:24 a.m. Wednesday

MARINE FORECAST

Source: National Weather Service

5:38 a.m.: Widespread showers and scattered thunderstorms will develop across central Florida toay and move east-northeast through the evening.

Any thunderstorms that develop will have the capability of producing wind gusts over 34 knots, as well as frequent lightning, especially as sotrms move offshore.
It's balloting season, and the desperate struggle for the nicest rooms has begun.

Like many students, I am caught in the clutches of uncertainty, desperately dangling in hesitation before what feels like the most important decision I have ever had to make: where to live for final year. As a year-abroad student who has met a significant other during this time away (and has somehow inspired them to contemplate emigration to the strange confines of Cambridge) this decision weighs even more heavily.

Since college does not have accommodation for couples, I'm faced with a choice between resting within its cosy confines as a self-sufficient individual, or venturing out into a house for unlimited cuddles in prolongation of the Parisian dream. There are all sorts of considerations to take into account when choosing: the price of accommodation is only the starting point. The idea of slipping from the security of the porters, whose souls were placed upon this beautiful earth for the sole purpose of solving any student problem, is actually quite scary. My trust in them was sealed when I was stranded without a single friend back in freshers' week after the pub crawl had left without me: one of the porters actually insisted on driving me to the door of Revs to join the party. This trust has been reinforced through their genuine care and concern in response to a wasp infestation, punctured bike tyres, exam stress, jammed cupboards and indecision over which Chinese takeaway to choose.

The first and foremost concern, though, is where friends are living. In all honesty, I doubt I could have survived Cambridge without my college next-door neighbour, who has become my very best friend. We have scraped through supervisions together  those awkward silences when neither of us know how to answer  hungover, and hurridly helping each other finish supervision work. We supply each other with a shoulder to cry on in the sweaty depths of Cindies, and someone to share a tin of baked beans with when the pressure gets too much. I fear that final year will chisel us down even further, and we'll regress to a child-like state with the mental capacity to contemplate one consideration only: finals.

Because of this, I can't help but admit that a college room is the most appealing option for me: surely the college system was invented for a reason. The promise of a healthy plate of hot food prepared in the great hall, a clean, hoovered bedroom with bins changed and crumbs swept from sight (especially from the cookies in my pigeonhole when stress really mounts) is too much to refuse.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg last week announced that the company would investigate allegations that its Trending Topics feature had an anticonservative bias.

We have found no evidence that this report is true, he said, referring to a news report earlier this month that kicked off the storm. If we find anything against our principles, you have my commitment that we will take additional steps to address it.

The company stands for giving everyone a voice, Zuckerberg said. We are one global community where anyone can share anything  from a loving photo of a mother and her baby to intellectual analysis of political events.

It is conducting a full investigation to ensure our teams upheld the integrity of Trending Topics, he asserted, adding that he would hold discussions with leading conservatives and people from across the political spectrum on the allegations.

Accusations of Bias

Gizmodo spoke to five former curators of Trending Topics, who selected trending news from a list topics provided by Facebooks algorithm and picked which news sites each selected topic linked to.

The curators reportedly were told to select articles from a list of preferred media outlets. They regularly would avoid certain sites, such as The Blaze and Breitbart, although they were not explicitly instructed to do so.

They could deactivate or blacklist trending topics, according to the report.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, wrote to Zuckerberg, demanding that Facebook answer these serious allegations and hold those responsible to account if there has been political bias in the dissemination of trending news.

Doesnt every person, company and news agency have a bias? asked Jim McGregor, a principal analyst at Tirias Research. Hell, yes.

Editors must make choices on what news to cover, and that goes for anyone covering the news, he told TechNewsWorld. Unfortunately that leads to coverage according to personal biases, the agencys biases and the push for clicks. So, is Facebook guilty of anything that other press agencies arent guilty of? Probably not.

No Voice for Everyone

Facebook previously has pledged to remove anti-immigrant posts from its pages in Germany.

Further, Zed Books Facebook page had been removed following a series of posts on books by Ece Temelkuran, a Turkish journalist critical of her countrys government, it said.

Touchy Subject

Censoring Web posts and Facebooks is a delicate topic, McGregor said. What should and should not be considered free speech, whats appropriate, and whether governments should get a say in content on the Internet are all touchy subjects subject to local and regional ethical standards.

Even if Facebook absolutely was unbiased, folks who disagree with something on, or left off, of Facebook would conclude its biased, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

Arguing that Facebook is a business and therefore cant afford to antagonize governments of various countries, or, in the case of Germany, is working for the greater good by suppressing hate speech wont do them any real good because the folks they likely need to convince will have made up their minds and the core goal is to manipulate Facebook, he told TechNewsWorld.

All About Engagement

I dont think Facebook will lose advertising dollars over this, said Zhaowen Wu, an analyst at Strategy Analytics.

Facebook cares about engagement, and biases aside, they will continue to drive their internal metrics towards greater engagement numbers, she told TechNewsWorld.

The company could effectively lose half their audience if one side or the other came to believe [it] was actively biased, and it might be sanctioned or blocked in a number of countries, Enderle noted. It also could be hurt financially if the brands that advertise feel Facebooks problems will damage their image  and weve seen that boycotts can have a huge impact on advertisers.

Its best option, he said, is to get credible conservative influencers to back up their claims and hope the left doesnt suddenly start screaming bias as well.
Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are facing legal troubles in France, where three organizations are planning legal action against the internet giants for failing to comply with French law by not removing hate speech from their respective sites.

France's largest anti-racism group, SOS Racisme, along with the French Jewish student union (UEJF) and gay rights movement SOS Homophobie, said that out of the 586 offensive videos, tweets, and comments they found during the month-long survey, only a small percentage was taken down.

French law states that websites must remove any racist, homophobic, or anti-Semitic material and inform the authorities. The groups' alerted the companies to the offensive content, but only a fraction of it was deleted. Facebook had the most positive response, erasing 53 out of 156 comments or messages, YouTube took down 16 out of 225 items, and Twitter removed just 8 out of the 205 Tweets that the group highlighted.

"In light of YouTube, Twitter and Facebook's profits and how little taxes they pay, their refusal to invest in the fight against hate is unacceptable," said UEJF president Sacha Reingewirtz in a statement.

French regulations state that digital providers must "suppress obviously illegal content within a reasonable time, and to notify it to public prosecutors." The groups' lawsuit is based on the fact that Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have seemingly failed to adhere to this law.

Dominique Sopo, president of SOS Racisme, pointed out that Facebook was quick to take down content that it considers pornographic but rarely moves as fast to delete hate speech.

"This makes us question whether Facebook, which is modeled on an American vision of society, is willing to conform to the standards of the French community and legal system," said Sopo. "These platforms seem more shocked by bare breasts, which are promptly censored, than by hate speech content against individuals or groups."

Many European countries have similar laws to France that ban this type of offensive material; in December, Facebook, Google, and Twitter agreed to delete hate speech from their respective platforms in Germany.
While facial recognition technology has a number of positive uses, such as finding missing people, an alternative form of ID, and even tagging friends on Facebook, it does have worrying implications when it comes to privacy.

In Russia, a new face recognition app is becoming so popular that it could result in the end of public anonymity, according to a report in The Guardian.

FindFace, which launched two months ago, lets users take a photo of a crowd and work out individuals' identities with 70 percent reliability. It does this by using image recognition technology to compare faces against profile pictures on Vkontakte, a Facebook-style social media site that has 200 million users.

The app already boasts 500,000 users and has performed nearly 3 million searches. Though currently limited to Russia, the app's creators, Artem Kukharenko and Alexander Kabakov, imagine a world where the app is used by everyone to examine strangers' social network profiles just by taking a photo of them on the street.

Kabakov has suggested that the app could have applications when it comes to 'dating'. "If you see someone you like, you can photograph them, find their identity, and then send them a friend request," he said. "It also looks for similar people. So you could just upload a photo of a movie star you like, or your ex, and then find 10 girls who look similar to her and send them messages." It sounds like creepy stalkers everywhere will soon have a reason to rejoice.

Other than tracking down Scarlett Johansson lookalikes and harassing random women you find attractive, the app's already found other uses. The creators are about to sign a deal with the Moscow city government to implement the technology into 150,000 CCTV cameras. Should a crime be committed, the faces of everyone in the area will be checked against photos from various records, including social media sites, to determine if they're a possible suspect.

FindFace's Orwellian nightmare scenario is already rearing its head. Recently, the app was used to find the profiles of Russian sex workers and porn actresses so trolls could harass them and send messages to their friends and families. And the fact it's so popular in Russia, a country not known for respecting the privacy rights of its citizens, is a big concern.

Kabakov also envisions the technology being used in the retail sector. He talks about a shop CCTV camera capturing a person looking at a product, such as a laptop, and then the retailer identifying the individual and bombarding them with adverts for laptops - probably until they go out and buy one.

As for the big question of whether the app can access Facebook's image database: no, it can't. Not right now, at least. The creators say the US site stores photos in a way that is harder to access than Vkontakte, so lets hope things stay this way.

In addressing people's privacy fears, Kabakov goes with the 'it's just the way things are, so get used to it' argument: "In today's world we are surrounded by gadgets. Our phones, televisions, fridges, everything around us is sending real-time information about us. Already we have full data on people's movements, their interests and so on. A person should understand that in the modern world he is under the spotlight of technology. You just have to live with that."

To discover more about FindFace, check out the video below, which somehow manages to be as sinister as the app itself.
NASA has released a video clip of a 450-year-old supernova remnant that has been continuously expanding for the past 15 years.

The supernova remnant was first discovered by Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in 1572. He was charting stars located in the Cassiopeia constellation when he noticed one that he hadn't observed before.

Brahe studied the newly discovered celestial object every night, giving it the nickname "de nova stella" or new star. The star remained visible during evenings for close to two years and was even said to be as bright as Venus.

Present-day astronomers have continued to observe the debris from the Tycho supernova remnant using data collected through various space telescopes, including the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico and the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), which was launched by NASA in 1999.

The researchers discovered that the massive explosion was created following the death of a white dwarf star in this area of space. The event is now considered a part of a class of supernovas known as Type Ia, which scientists use to monitor how the universe expands.

Using observations made through the CXO between 2000 and 2015, NASA scientists were able to produce a video of the Tycho supernova remnant's evolution in X-ray throughout the years. The clip shows how the remnant continues to expand from the time of explosion, which occurred 450 years ago, until today as seen from the Earth some 10,000 light-years away.

The American space agency was also able to produce another clip using three images that were developed by combining the CXO's X-ray data with 30 years' worth of radio wave observations made by the VLA. Researchers have made use of X-ray and radio wave data sets in order to find out more about the white dwarf star's supernova and its resulting remnant.

A study regarding the X-ray and radio wave observations of the Tycho supernova remnant's expansion is featured in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. It was conducted as a joint effort between researchers from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, Towson University and the University of North Florida.

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A young female beaked whale that was washed up on an Australian beach in February had features that suggest a possible evolutionary throwback.

Scientists discover two mysterious, additional teeth - something that experts have never seen before.

The Discovery

The young whale was found on Waitpinga Beach, close to Victor Harbor in Australia. An expert group from Adelaide's South Australian Museum came in to get the animal and perform investigations.

"It was a very windy day when we went down there, and we were walking into driving rain and we could see that it was a beaked whale," said senior research scientist Catherine Kemper.

While the team was in the process of dissection and after they measured body parts and took photos, they took a closer look at the jaws, the most unique parts of the beaked whale.

Teeth Discovery: A First

Kemper recalled how the jaws looked very odd and that the teeth were something that she had not seen before.

Normally, the teeth of female whales do not appear above the jawline. However, for this particular juvenile female whale, there was a pair of pointy, small teeth. Upon seeing these, Kemper could not help but question if the discovery was really something new.

Clarifying Facts, Improving Monitoring Processes

When the carcass of the whale was sent back to the museum, scientists were able to look more closely at the skull. They also cleaned up the remains using bacteria in basins of warm water.

When collections manager David Stemmer pulled out one of the teeth, he was surprised to find that there was a larger tooth underneath.

Even if this is not the first time that a species like this was discovered, it is still exciting because it is rare and is actually only the third one to be found in South Australia.

The group also called on researchers from the Smithsonian Institute in America to aid in the investigations. However, they were not able to solve the puzzle of the teeth.

Despite the lack of confirmed information, the teeth were not recognized as a disfigurement, but rather a possible evolutionary throwback.

Beaked whales usually settle in deep ocean waters and when humans discover them, they are usually already dead. The discovery may then pave the way for a deeper understanding of beaked whales as well as aid in the monitoring and conservation of the species.

Photo: Ryan Somma | Flickr

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Australia is still recovering from the massive coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef, however, its ecosystem gets another blow  the Mangrove population in Queensland is dying.

Scientists are yet to establish an explanation of what could have caused it, but they are certain that the damage covers a large area.

The hot climate coinciding with the dry period of Northern Australia could have triggered the widespread deaths, because there is no other major event, such as cyclone, tsunami or oil spill in the area that could have resulted in such destruction of the mangrove ecosystem, said Norm Duke, a professor from James Cook University and a spokesman for the Australian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network (AMSN).

Ecosystem At Risk

Mangroves are crucial because they minimize the erosion of shorelines and prevent sediment from going offshore, thus, filtering the inland water before it enters the sea. Without the mangroves, coastal ecosystem like seagrass and corals could vanish as well.

These mangroves also serve as fish sanctuaries. Fishermen have already reported about meager catches along with the diminishing mangrove ecosystem.

Because of their extensive root network, mangroves can store and trap carbon five times more than the normal forest. When they are lost, Duke explained, the carbon would be released into the atmosphere and might intensify global warming.

Close Monitoring Needed

AMSN officials cannot closely monitor such an expansive damaged area because they do not have the funding to do so. They only rely on information from the locals and imaging from Google Earth.

Australia has 7 percent of the world's mangrove population, and Duke fears that if the numbers continue to decline, the ecosystem will be significantly disrupted.

"Once the trees have died, they can only grow back from seedling which may take 20 to 30 years before you get a functioning forest again," said Duke.

Initial observations of the mangrove dieback were presented during the AMSN Conference. Duke said that monitoring efforts should be carried out to establish a baseline condition of the shorelines.

The mangroves in the Indo-Pacific are also being threatened to become extinct by 2070 because of rising sea levels.

While scientists are still figuring out the exact cause of the mangrove deaths, it seems that climate change could be the one to blame.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Supermarket chain Hy-Vee is voluntarily recalling frozen rice food items due to listeria fears in the United States. No illnesses linked to the recall have been reported so far.

The recall for Hy-Vee's frozen Vegetable Fried Rice and Chicken Fried Rice has been issued in eight states, including Wisconsin, Nebraska, South Dakota, Missouri, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas and Iowa.

The company has decided to pull out the two items from its stores nationwide to increase the effectivity of its cautionary measures.

The Hy-Vee Vegetable Fried Rice products were sold in 1-pound bags with Universal Product Code (UPC) number 000007545012530 and has a use-by date of Nov. 5, 2017, or earlier.

On the other hand, the Hy-Vee Chicken Fried Rice products were sold in 20-ounce bags. It has the same use-by date, while the UPC number is 0075450125290. These two products were sold between July 24, 2014 and May 12, 2016.

Hy-Vee supplier Ajinomoto Windsor discovered the potential listeria contamination and announced the product recall on May 7.

Both companies have assured that no other Hy-Vee and Ajinomoto Windsor products are affected by the current recall. They urge customers who bought the products to discard them immediately or return the items to the store where they were purchased.

What Is Listeria?

A listeria infection is caused by listeria monocytogenes, which can cause severe, and in some cases, fatal infections in people who have compromised immune systems.

Senior adults, young children and pregnant women are often at the highest risk of listeria infection. In some cases, it can cause stillbirths and miscarriages.

Symptoms of listeria infection include severe headaches, nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain and high fever.

Frozen Vegetable Listeria Outbreak

Since March, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and local governments for the multi-state listeria outbreak in frozen vegetables.

Eight hospitalizations since Sept. 13, 2013 have been linked to the case. Among these eight people, two patients died, however, reports showed that listeria infection was not the cause of death.

Laboratory reports have traced the listeria outbreak to the frozen vegetable food items manufactured by CRF Frozen Foods. On April 23 the company recalled 11 food items that may have been compromised.

On May 2, CRF Frozen Foods expanded the recall and included all of its frozen fruits and vegetable products, including the organic ones, that were manufactured in its Washington plant.

The frozen vegetable listeria outbreak is an ongoing case and more information will be released once they become available.

Photo: Danny Bollinger | Flickr

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Prom night is one of the most memorable moments in the life of a high school student. Aniya Wolf is not likely to forget hers because her school had her thrown out for wearing a suit.

Like any other student at Bishop McDevitt High School, Wolf was excited for prom. She feels every bit of a girl but she's not fond of wearing girly clothes. This was not an issue with her family and wasn't as well for the school until prom rolled around.

Throughout her stay in the school, Wolf had been allowed to wear a shirt and pants as her uniform but was suddenly told she had to wear a dress to prom like all the other girls. Her mother called the school about the last-minute change, saying it was unfair, especially since they had already bought a suit for Aniya.

As she had been looking forward to the event, Wolf went anyway, despite the matter with the dress code.

"I think my experience shouldn't be any different than anyone else's because of something I was born with," said Wolf.

But when she got there, a school official accosted her, taking her by the arm and saying that the police will be called on her so Wolf left.

Though she conceded to the dress code set by Bishop McDevitt, Wolf still countered that she was actually dressed modestly compared to what a lot of the other girls were wearing during prom night.

Wolf has never had a problem with discrimination because the other students made her feel accepted but how the school officials treated her is a different thing altogether.

After her story made the news, Wolf has received a lot of support, including an offer to guest in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia from Rob McElhenney, the show's co-creator and star. She's very much on-board with the idea, saying she'd love to help out in the FX Networks series.

Aniya, I love your suit. Would u like to wear it on Sunny? https://t.co/jn01iLrZVe via abc27News  Rob McElhenney (@RMcElhenney) May 12, 2016

You are kidding right?? https://t.co/Vbn8GHJbTA  Aniya Wolf (@AniyaWolf) May 12, 2016

@AniyaWolf @abc27News I am not. We'll be in Philly the last week of June. We need a little extra style and class. Can you help us?  Rob McElhenney (@RMcElhenney) May 12, 2016

Additionally, Breakthrough U.S. has reached out to her,telling Wolf the human rights organization would love for the student to be part of their initiative, The G Word.

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Should your doctor ask or counsel you about gun safety and other firearm-related issues? A new report affirms that it is legal for them to do so.

In an effort to prevent firearm-related injuries in the United States, a team of doctors from University of California, Davis, University of Colorado, and Brown University conducted a review of literature that focused on the barriers commonly cited when it comes to preventive medicine of these types of injuries.

In the new report, researchers highlighted the fact that gun safety and firearm-related injuries should be considered as a public health concern. What's more, if physicians have not talked to patients about the topic, it is highly recommended that they do.

Dr. Megan Ranney of Brown University, one of the authors of the study, said asking about access to firearms is just like asking about alcohol use, car seats, smoking, or sexual behavior.

Ranney and her colleagues' study follows a call to action released by leaders of eight medical groups in cooperation with the American Bar Association, which suggested that doctors ask patients about firearms during routine care visits or as part of a risk assessment.

What stops physicians from asking the right questions is the fact that some of them believe it is illegal to do so, said Professor Garen Wintemute of UC Davis. However, there is no state or federal statute that bans them from doing it, especially when the information is relevant to the health of patients.

"Even Florida, which is thought to have such a prohibition, actually relies on the health care professional's judgment," said Wintemute.

In the U.S., firearm-related injury is one of the major drivers of premature death. Statistics show that as of 2012, the life expectancy of residents in the country is at 78.7 years, compared to that in France and UK which was 82.6 years and 81.5 years respectively.

Although gun-related injury, car accidents, and drug overdoses only account to 4 percent of overall deaths in the U.S., experts said they largely contribute to the low longevity.

With that, Ranney and her colleagues described the settings in which it was best to discuss gun safety:

1. When there is an immediate risk where a patient will hurt somebody or themselves;

2. When there are risk factors of violence -- physical abuse, domestic abuse, drug abuse, serious mental illness, etc. -- at home;

3. When patients are part of a demographic group at high risk for violence to somebody else or themselves;

4. When patients have a history of violence, mental disorders, and other factors that might impair judgment;

5. When patients have expressed homicidal or suicidal ideas or intent;

6. When there are kids or adolescents at home.

Researchers said it is critical that the attitude toward the issue is not prescriptive. Doctors should make sure that patients are open to firearm safety counseling by focusing on their wellbeing and safety, especially when children are involved.

Providing education to patients, as well as an extensive list of information and resources for patients on gun safety, firearms and suicide, and safe storage, are all crucial.

Meanwhile, the team's report is published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Photo: Ray Dehler | Flickr

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Google-owned Waze is uber-serious about cultivating its own carpooling network. With the pilot light lit in Israel already, Waze has expanded its ride-sharing network to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Known as Waze Carpool, the service has been expanded to a limited number of Bay Area employers and their commuting employees. Waze Carpool covers two apps, with driver tools built into the core Waze app and rider utilities offered in Waze Rider.

It's by invite only and acceptance into the program requires registration with a corporate email address, though those hopeful their employers will be included soon can register to receive notifications about Waze Carpool's expansion.

Waze is touting a number of benefits to its carpooling service, some of which include an overall decrease in congestion around campuses during peak hours and a lower strain on available parking spaces. This "automated and sustainable transportation solution" also offers companies "a relaxed opportunity for coworkers to socialize and network."

To match up commuters, Waze Carpool analyzes users' work and home addresses to find commuters with similar routes.

"Thanks to Waze advanced mapping capabilities, the platform connects carpool partners from the same local community, making it easy to carpool with neighbors and colleagues you know or haven't met yet," says Waze.

As this is definitely a pilot program, there's still some flesh missing from the bones of Waze Carpool. Beyond being limited to the Silicon Valley corridor, the service will only be available during morning and evening commutes, and Waze will only match one driver to one rider.

Waze is recommending that users of the carpool service request rides a day in advance in order to maximize their chances of finding a matching motorist. Waze with tools for drivers is available now on Android and is scheduled to arrive soon on iOS. Meanwhile, Waze Rider is available now on both iOS and Android.

Waze's carpool pilot was started last year when the company launched RideWith in Tel Aviv, Israel before rebranding it to Waze Rider.

With Google on the leading edge of the driverless car industry, a ride-sharing network like Waze Carpool offers the company the foundation for one day facilitating the ride hailing of its autonomous vehicles. And going by some of Apple's latest moves, Google isn't the only tech company that would like to link its driverless car ambitions to a ride-hailing network.

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Chrome, YouTube and Search are all available in the same space. That space is Spaces, Google's latest effort in the social networking sector.

Google hasn't gone into detail about the reach and number of users its Google+ platform has attracted. Through surveys and inferences made from the entire market, however, analysts and their research firms have pegged Google+ as being clearly out of the top three social networks  spots already occupied by Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

About a year ago, Stone Temple Consulting released a study that concluded that about 1 percent of Google's 2.2 billion users actively use Google+.

Google's reluctance to detail Google+'s user base only supports notions that the social network remains outside looking in. But with high-profile hirings and now the introduction of a new social network, Google doesn't appear to be giving up on creating social spaces online.

"We wanted to build a better group sharing experience, so we made a new app called Spaces that lets people get people together instantly to share around any topic," Google says of its newest social network. "With Spaces, it's simple to find and share articles, videos and images without leaving the app, since Google Search, YouTube and Chrome come built in."

Users of Spaces can invite friends from other social networks via email, phone call, house calls or "whatever way you like."

Google's integration of Search into Spaces allows users to browse for conversations or to share content to ones that already exist. And it takes just one tap to create a new Space for just about anything.

Spaces is available now for iOS, Android and desktop. And for Gmail users, Spaces is also available via mobile Web.

Though it may be hard to see the hook for Spaces right now, considering all of the network's functionality can be found elsewhere, Google is going to be "experimenting" with the social network during its annual developers conference this week in San Francisco.

"We've created a space for each session so that developers can connect with each other and Googlers around topics at I/O, and we've got a few surprises too," Google says.

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Disney's ever expanding universe has arrived at a new dimension with the release of the Disney Movies VR app on Steam.

The Disney Movies VR app is described as a "fully immersive Disney experience," where users will be able to visit themed worlds including those created by Marvel and Lucasfilm. Users will be able to interact with characters in scenes from several Disney movies, which for now include The Jungle Book, Captain America: Civil War and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Disney Movies VR is compatible with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, and can be downloaded for free.

The app was launched without much fanfare on May 17, with the accompanying video on the app's Steam page showing a fireworks display in front of Cinderella's castle in Disneyland; interaction with characters from The Jungle Book; and scenes of flying through Jakku as featured in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and standing by as a helicarrier flies over the Avengers Tower.

The idea of the Disney Movies VR app sounds like a great one, but early reviews have been mixed.

Comments made by Redditors reveal that the app is mostly made up of 360-degree videos, which are not as immersive as actual virtual content, but certain reviews on the Steam page claim to have found the user interface of the app as a positive experience.

The big news that comes with the launch of the Disney Movies VR app is that big-name media companies such as Disney could finally be taking the plunge into virtual reality, which means high-quality content could be coming in the near future.

Star Wars fans may find the Disney Movies VR app disappointing, but a better virtual reality experience could be on its way. In March, Industrial Light & Magic teased Trials on Tatooine, where players will take on the role of a young Kylo Ren as they wield lightsabers and marvel at the Millennium Falcon.

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It's every flyer's nightmare when arriving at the airport: the hours-long Transport Security Administration (TSA) lines that often cause many passengers to miss their flights and become stranded even if they arrive well before the recommended three hours before departure time.

The TSA recently announced that it would hire more personnel and set up a PreCheck program to help alleviate the problem, after yet another incident where hundreds of passengers had to stay overnight at the Chicago O'Hare airport.

Many are saying they've had enough.

Also, some airports, like Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, have been threatening to replace the TSA with private security companies, in frustration over the long lines passengers have to endure.

In response to growing customer complaints, the TSA has announced plans to hire at least 768 new security officers in time for the traveler surge in summer, and it also plans to offer overtime pay to existing officers to help get lines moving more quickly.

Reportedly, the TSA is also requesting help from airlines to reduce the size of allowable carry-on baggage and reduce the non-security work currently being performed by TSA personnel, such as moving X-ray machine bins and trays.

"We are asking the American people to be patient while we bring on the added resources as quickly as possible to alleviate the wait times," said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who oversees the TSA.

However, the workers' union that represents the TSA officers said that the TSA will need to hire at least 6,000 more officers if it truly wants to make a dent in the problem.

In the meantime, travelers and frequent flyers are being urged to sign up for TSA's PreCheck program or other trusted traveler programs such as Global Entry of the Customs and Border Protection Patrol to expedite their security screening process at airports and other U.S. borders.

However, one whistle-blower blamed the TSA's mismanagement of resources and even the abuse of the PreCheck program itself - not the lack of staff - for such long queues at airports.

Drew Rhoades is the assistant federal security director for mission support in Minneapolis who has testified before Congress over concerns of security breaches within the TSA.

"We were allowing unvetted passengers to take advantage of expedited screening," said Rhoades.

On YouTube, a video can clearly show TSA personnel using iPads to randomly select passengers to go through the expedited PreCheck line, whether they were properly screened or not.

Another employee also shared a similar observation.

"TSA is handing out PreCheck status like Halloween candy in an effort to expedite passengers as quickly as possible despite self-admitted security gaps that are being created by the process," said Becky Roering, an assistant federal security director.

PreCheck is a nearly 4-year-old program that the TSA hopes would get at least 25 million flyers enrolled by 2019. However, only 7.25 million people have opted to join the program thus far.

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AT&T is adopting a new roaming scheme that offers free voice and data roaming in Canada and Mexico starting on May 20, but it doesn't apply to all customers.

The new treats are available only to select AT&T subscribers. More specifically, only some postpaid customers will be able to benefit from the free roaming upgrade, as follows.

Customers of AT&T Mobile Share Value plans with a quota of at least 15 GB of data per month will get free voice, text and data roaming in Mexico. Enterprise customers, meanwhile, will get the free roaming feature if they are on Mobile Select plans amounting to at least $20 per month.

AT&T subscribers on the carrier's new unlimited data plan, which is only for DirecTV and U-Verse customers, will get to enjoy free voice, text and data roaming in both Mexico and Canada.

"We know our customers want the same experience abroad they're used to domestically. And only AT&T can deliver the premier LTE experience they want," says AT&T's Chief Marketing Officer, David Christopher.

According to Christopher, roughly 20 percent of AT&T postpaid customers take trips to Canada or Mexico annually. Moreover, AT&T wants to boost 4G LTE coverage to 100 million people in Mexico by the end of 2018.

To activate the new roaming upgrade, customers on AT&T Unlimited Plans will have to add the AT&T Roam North America feature separately to each smartphone, and the Roam North America Data feature to each tablet. Adding these involves no extra cost. Customers can add the features through myAT&T, online on the carrier's website, or by calling AT&T.

AT&T also tweaked its prepaid GoPhone offer back in February 2015, throwing in 4 GB of data and free calls to Mexico for $60 per month.

With the new roaming scheme, it's worth pointing out that AT&T is also taking some measures to prevent abuse. On this note, the carrier says it may limit the feature if roaming usage reaches more than half of the total usage for two months in a row.

It's still a good deal and should make some subscribers happier with their service. At the same time, AT&T's roaming upgrade for select subscribers doesn't really rise up to T-Mobile's Mobile Without Borders, which offers free voice, text and LTE data to most of its postpaid customers.

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On May 16, Raspberry Pi Founder Eben Upton announced that the company would be launching a camera connector for Raspberry Pi Zero, which debuted back in November 2015. Upton specified that the company discovered that the same fine-pitch FPC connector that is used on its Compute Module Development Kit fits perfectly onto the right side of the Zero's board.

To connect a camera to Zero, Raspberry Pi is offering a custom six-inch adapter cable. This will allow for the conversion of the fine-pitch connector format to the coarser pitch utilized by the camera board.

Though some may feel like the camera connector was delayed for a bit too long, Upton notes that the organization has been swamped since the launch of Zero.

"We immediately sold every copy of MagPi issue 40 and every Zero in stock at our distributors; and every time a new batch of Zeros came through from the factory they'd sell out in minutes," he wrote on the Raspberry Pi blog. "To complicate matters, Zero then had to compete for factory space with Raspberry Pi 3, which was ramping for launch at the end of February."

Today, there are approximately 30,000 Zeros out there in the world, according to Upton. Additionally, he says the organization will continue producing more Zeros  in the thousands  until all of the demand is met.

The camera connector itself looks like two small microchips and a yellow ribbon. The company has since posted images of the connector on its Twitter account.

Raspberry Pi Zero, developed in Wales, debuted at a price of $5, which may be partially responsible for the high demand. It includes a Broadcom BCM2835 application processor, 512 MB of SD RAM, and a microSD card slot. It also features a mini-HDMI socket for video output. Out of all of the Raspberry Pi models, it has the smallest form size at 65 mm by 30 mm by 5 mm. In honor of its launch, the December 2015 edition of The MagPi included a free Raspberry Pi Zero.

Since Raspberry Pi began marketing its "mini computers" back in 2012, millions of people have been utilizing the device to learn more about programming at an affordable price.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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.
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2011) has a seven-point lead over President Jair Bolsonaro ahead of the October 30 runoff, according to a poll released Monday by... | Read More
Thailand on Saturday unveiled plans for film and TV production incentives during an event held in Cannes.

Thailand will offer a 15 percent cash rebate on all in-country production spending beginning in 2017. Every production with a local spend over $1.5 million (50 million baht) will automatically get the 15 percent rebate.

The total can rise to up to 20 percent

Beyond the 15 percent, an additional 3 percent is available if a project hires a Thai actor or actress for the lead role or key Thai production staff. Another 2 percent is available for movies deemed to promote Thai tourism.

We already had a very good reputation for having some of the best crews and locations in the region, Kobkarn told THR

General Tanasak Patimapragorn, the countrys deputy prime minister and chairman of the National Film and Video Committee, and Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Thailands minister of tourism and sports, unveiled the incentives, which industry insiders in the country had been hoping for and anticipating for years.

We are confident that this incentive will make Thailand even more competitive. We hope it will help us attract not just more productions, but also higher quality films.

Thailands natural environment and lively urban scenes make it popular with overseas filmmakers, and the big success of Chinese movie Lost in Thailand in 2013 resulted in a huge rise in the number of Chinese tourists to the country.

Big productions shot in the country in recent years include The Hangover Part II, The Beach, The Impossible and No Escape

Source: Cannes: Thailand Unveils Production Incentives of up to 20 Percent  Hollywood Reporter
Feeling uninspired in the kitchen? Tokyo-based chef Nihonbashi Yukari has a great piece of advice for you: try reinventing popular dishes with whatever ingredients that you love.

The 44-year-old chef, the winner of Iron Chef Japan 2002 and the owner of a worldwide-known restaurant in Tokyo, visited Ho Chi Minh City earlier this month to run a culinary seminar.

To the surprise of the guests, he created a mouth-watering menu within a short period of time combining both Japanese and Vietnamese ingredients and cooking styles.

Yukari encouraged Vietnamese home cooks and chefs to play with what they can find in local markets. I hope that there will be a new trend of localizing Japanese dishes in the city, he said. For example, the water spinach, which is popular in Vietnam, can be made into a flavorful Japanese cold soup." Try a new ingredient for a traditional recipe, and you will create a Japanese dish of your own. He added that Japanese cuisine is known for its simple yet distinct taste and can be adapted very well using local ingredients. He added that Japanese cuisine is known for its simple yet distinct taste and can be adapted very well using local ingredients.
In a move that may have some investors think twice about the prospects of the Vietnamese market, Malaysian department store operator Parkson on Monday closed a shopping mall in Ho Chi Minh City after five years of operation.

Thuy Duong Company, which manages the center, located in District 7s Phu My Hung urban area, told local media that it had notified tenants of the shutdown earlier.

The company did not give any reason for the closure, just saying this decision will not affect other Parkson shopping centers in Vietnam.

Industry insiders, meanwhile, say Parkson Paragons shutdown is not a surprise given that it has failed to attract customers for years.

Parkson Paragon was launched in April 2011 after Parkson took over the 19,000-square meter shopping mall from Kim Cuong Company and invested US$5 million renovating it.

While it is at the heart of a fast growing residential area, with a relatively large expat community, the mall appeared to face a tough competition.

Crescent Mall, developed by Phu My Hung Corp and opened in 2011, is just across the street while the new and shiny SC VivoCity, a joint venture between Singapore's Mapletree and Saigon Co.op is also a short ride away.

In January 2015, Parkson pulled out of the Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower, saying the mall here had not met its revenue target since opening in 2011.

The Malaysia company now has eight shopping centers in Vietnam, including five in Ho Chi Minh City alone.
Malaysian retailer Parkson has taken over the management of Saigon Paragon, a high-end department store in Ho Chi Minh City's District 7 that closed last year for lack of business.

The shopping mall reopened on Saturday, after a closure of more than three months. A Saigon Economic Times report said Parkson will manage the mall for 19 years, replacing Vietnam's Paragon Corp.

Tham Tuck Choy, general director of Parkson, said his company has invested US$5 million in redesigning the department store. Saigon Paragon now has more than 130 stores of both international and local brands, he said.

Choy said the company has been eying District 7 for a long time. The district, where the urban area Phu My Hung is located, has many affluent families and foreigners and they are the target customers of Saigon Paragon, he said.

Paragon Corp., in an unexpected move, shut down the mall last October. The company said at the time that it wanted to hire Parkson to manage the mall "more professionally."
Rosneft and PetroVietnam sign an agreement on cooperation in the presence of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Moscow on May 16, 2016. Photo credit: Rosneft

Rosneft and PetroVietnam, the national petroleum companies of Russia and Vietnam, on Monday signed a cooperation agreement in the presence of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Moscow.

The deal provides for the expansion of cooperation between Russia, Vietnam and third countries in hydrocarbon exploration and production, processing, commerce and logistics, as well as staff training, Rosneft said Monday in a statement on its website.

Under the pact, the two sides will consider potential options for joint projects, define the basic terms of cooperation and establish working groups for each of the cooperation field, according to the statement.

Igor Sechin, chairman of Rosneft, said in a statement that the new stage of cooperation will help his firm get a new channel of marketing hydrocarbons in the Asia-Pacific market.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) talks with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow on May 16, 2016. Photo: VNA . Currently, Rosneft and PetroVietnam are cooperating under a production sharing agreement on gas and condensate production and exploration at a block located 370 kilometers off Vietnams coast in the Nam Con Son basin.

The two companies also have stakes in the Nam Con Son pipeline, which will transport gas and condensate from the Nam Con Son offshore basin to an onshore power generation facility.
Vinamilk products are displayed for sale at a Vinamilk shop in Hanoi, Vietnam May 16, 2016.

The board of Vietnamese dairy firm Vinamilk has decided to remove its 49 percent foreign ownership cap, an official said on Monday, paving the way for an expected flood of interest from overseas investors in a company valued at $7.85 billion.

No timeframe has yet been agreed on when the current limit will be removed and shareholder voting is not required for it to go ahead, Vinamilk investor relations manager Tran Chi Son said.

"That's the intention of the board of directors," Son said when asked to confirm details of a note about the decision to remove the cap sent to shareholders and seen by Reuters.

Vinamilk, or Vietnam Dairy Products JSC, has long been the country's most sought after firm among foreign investors due to its strong prospects and expansion plans. Vinamilk's share value has grown 18 times since it first listed in 2006 to 146,000 dong ($6.54) as of Monday's close.

Foreign investors have been frustrated by Vietnam's lack of progress toward liberalizing equities following a surprise announcement last year that it would dismantle foreign ownership limits in many sectors, one of the communist country's boldest economic reforms yet.

"This is the most significant single development in the Vietnam market for close to 10 years and we expect a very positive reaction," PXP Vietnam Asset Management head Kevin Snowball said in a note to clients.

Vinamilk earlier this year dropped or adjusted some business lines that remain subject to foreign limits in a move analysts said was designed to prepare for the share cap removal.

The decision to open up Vinamilk is made more significant by the planned divestment of the government's 45 percent stake, held by the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) and worth $3.5 billion.

SCIC has given no timeframe for the planned sale.

The largest foreign shareholder at present is F&N Dairy Investment, part of conglomerate Fraser and Neave, with 11 percent. The firm is controlled by Thai beer tycoon Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, who has been making big inroads into Vietnam via his conglomerate Thai Charoen Corp.

Vinamilk's net income grew 28 percent last year to 7.77 trillion dong ($348 million). Its first-quarter net profit in 2016 jumped 38.5 percent from the same period last year.

"We are very positive on the performance of the business, the earning growth is tremendous," said Andy Ho, managing director of VinaCapital, Vietnam's biggest fund and a shareholder in Vinamilk.

"The key is when will this (lifting of the cap) will happen ... hopefully very soon."
There were 38,882 Vietnamese students in Japan as of May last year, an increase of 47.1 percent from the year before, Vietnam News Agency reported Wednesday, citing figures released by a Japanese educational organization.

It was higher than the 29,000 studying in the US, which had been Vietnamese students' top destination until March, according to an official at the Vietnamese embassy in Tokyo.

Vietnam is now Japan's second biggest source of students after China, which had 94,111 students, a number that remained unchanged since 2014.

As more and more Japanese businesses are entering Vietnam, Vietnamese interest in Japan is increasing accordingly, a Japanese educational official told the news agency.

The increased interest is also reflected in the fact that several elementary schools in Vietnam have started teaching Japanese, according to the official.

More than 110,000 Vietnamese students study in 47 countries around the world, spending an estimated US$3 billion a year, according to figures released at the end of last year by an education and training working group of the Vietnam Business Forum.
The US government-funded Fulbright University Vietnam has secured the final license for its operation, officially becoming the country's first private non-profit university.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam signed the license for the Ho Chi Minh City-based school on Monday, the government's office has reported.

First announced in 2013, the school project is estimated to cost around US$70 million, of which 28.5 percent is funded by the US government.

The Cambridge-headquartered Trust for University Innovation (TUIV) in Vietnam, which executes the project in cooperation with the US Department of State, is expected to raise funds from Vietnamese and US sponsors.

According to the plans, the school will open at the end of this year, providing programs in public policy and administration besides science and technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine.

The school is expected to promote academic freedom in Vietnam and help train the next generation of leaders and scientists.
Ho Chi Minh City's Party chief Dinh La Thang (R) talks to US ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius in HCMC on April 14, 2016. Photo: Thuan Thang/Tuoi Tre

Ho Chi Minh Citys Party secretary wants more US investors to come and do business in the city and top the list of foreign investors, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

Dinh La Thang said during a meeting with US ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius Thursday that the US is currently not the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam or HCMC.

Given the broadening and deepening bilateral partnership, I wish the ambassador will persuade more US businesses to come to HCMC.

Osius said he was asked recently by many people about his recent meeting with Thang and the business community in HCMC, and he told them he was impressed with Thangs pledge to create a transparent business environment.

He hoped that a planned visit by President Barack Obama to Vietnam would bring more opportunities for bilateral cooperation, particularly since they have signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Thang also said he hoped the visit would strengthen the comprehensive partnership between the two countries, and suggested that the US should continue to help Vietnam in some areas like infrastructure and climate change, and soon recognize Vietnam as a full market economy.

He singled out the planned Fulbright University Vietnam as a key component of the bilateral partnership, saying he hoped the project would help HCMC train world-class human resources.
Malaysia has arrested three suspects in connection with the investigation into a bomb blast in central Bangkok last month that killed 20 people, police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said on Monday.

Two Malaysians and a Pakistani national were arrested and were assisting with the investigation, Khalid told reporters.

"We believe the suspects can help in the investigation... our arrest was made to assist the Thai police in the Thai bombing investigation," he said. "Malaysian and Thai police are working closely in cooperation."

No group has claimed responsibility for the Aug. 17 attack at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, which killed 20 people, including 14 foreign tourists, among them seven from Hong Kong and mainland China.

Thai police have been heavily criticized over the investigation and over statements from top officials about possible perpetrators, motives and information extracted from suspects which have been contradictory, speculative and often cryptic.

Khalid said the Pakistani suspect is male while one of the local suspects is female and the other is male. He said there were no plans to move the suspects to Thailand yet.

Khalid also said Malaysian police were unsure if the main suspect was in Malaysia. The Thai investigation unearthed a lead earlier this month that suspected bomber may have crossed Thailand's southern border into Malaysia.
Thai police stand guard as people pray during a crime re-enactment near the bomb site at Erawan shrine in central Bangkok, Thailand, September 9, 2015.

The suspected mastermind of last month's deadly bomb attack in Thailand left Bangladesh 12 days ago, and efforts in Malaysia to track the man suspected of planting the explosives have been unsuccessful, Thai police said on Friday.

No group has claimed responsibility for the Aug. 17 attack at a Hindu shrine in Bangkok, which killed 20 people, including 14 foreign tourists, among them seven from Hong Kong and mainland China.

The man investigators believe organised the plot and fled on the eve of the blast spent two weeks in Bangladesh before flying out of Dhaka on Aug. 30. He had stated in an exit document his final destination was Beijing, via New Delhi, police said.

"He recorded on his departure card that he would transit in Delhi to go to China," police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri said.

"In the end he didn't go to China. He went somewhere else."

Prawut did not say where the man police are referring to by his alias "Izan" had gone. He said he received the information from Bangladesh's ambassador in Bangkok.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said he was not aware if the suspect had flown to China.

Thai police have ruled out international militants as responsible for the attack but have not said why nor what they believe the motive was.

Their investigation had expanded to Malaysia, police said, following a lead that a yellow-shirted man caught on a security camera leaving the bomb at the Erawan Shrine may have crossed Thailand's southern border.

Suchart Teerasawat, a police inspector general, told Reuters he was in Malaysia last week but had found nothing.

Police also said they were following a money trail that connected bank transfers to the purchase of bomb materials.

"We have evidence of the shops where this was spent and what was bought," Seehanat Prayoonrat, secretary-general of Anti Money Laundering Office, told reporters. He said details were being withheld so not to endanger inquiries.

The investigation gained momentum with information from one of two detained suspects, who was arrested with a Chinese passport bearing the name Yusufu Mieraili.

He admitted to giving a bag containing the device to the bomber and said another man, Abu Dustar Abdulrahman, alias Izan, had given orders to the plotters.

Thai visas were issued in Kuala Lumpur to both men, according to a diplomatic source, using Chinese passports with names Abu Dustar Abdulrahman and Yusufu Mieraili, in October 2014 and February 2015 respectively.

The use of Chinese passports, at least one of which stated Xinjiang as a birthplace, adds fuel to speculation the bombing may have been revenge by sympathisers of Turkic-speaking Uighur Muslims. Uighurs are from the Xinjiang region.

Thailand was widely condemned in July for forcibly repatriating 109 Uighurs to China, where they say they are persecuted, an accusation Beijing rejects.
A photo provided by th epolice shows heroin and weapons seized from 30-year-old Tran Duc Duy in January 2015

Police in Hanoi on Monday proposed charges against 23 alleged members of a drug ring that illegally trafficked 445 kilograms of heroin within Vietnam.

Tran Duc Duy, 30, a key member of the ring, was caught in January last year carrying 31 kilograms of heroin in his truck in the northern province of Hoa Binh.

Duy fired his gun at the police officers but failing to flee the scene, authorities said.

Police then arrested 22 other traffickers and dealers of the ring, which allegedly had been run by Nguyen Thanh Tuan for years.
The Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe is considered an outstanding example of Ho Chi Minh Citys good urban development, with the once heavily polluted canal cleaned up a few years ago with World Bank funding.

But if one looks at the bigger picture, it is not quite a success since waste and sewage produced by more than 1.2 million people living along the more than eight-kilometer canal is instead dumped into the Saigon River.

The people discharge an average of 230,000 cubic meters of sewage every day, which will then be released to the Saigon River, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

This has happened since July 2012, and on occasions the discharge is as much as 550,000 cubic meters.

City officials claim the wastewater is not going to worsen the quality of the Saigon River.

But an expert from the citys Water and Environment Association revealed anonymously to Tuoi Tre newspaper that many urban planning experts had disagreed from the beginning with the plan of diverting sewage from the canal into the Saigon River.

The river is the main source of water for the city, and the extra sewage can affect the quality of the water people use every day to cook and drink, the expert said.

Pending treatment plant

The cleanup project involves a second stage in which the wastewater is to be treated, but it has not been carried out yet.

Managers of the canal clean-up project blame the city government for the delay, saying it switched the wastewater treatment program between various agencies and only approved the final plan in October 2014.

A pipe system will be installed to carry the sewage from the Saigon River to a treatment plant to be built in District 2, all at a cost of US$524 million, which will include a $450-million loan from the World Bank.

Vuong Hai Long, chief manager of the canal cleanup project, said work on the treatment plant is expected to start in the first quarter next year and finish in 2021, when it can treat 480,000 cubic meters of sewage daily.

The first stage of the project was funded by $248 million worth of zero-interest loans from the World Bank and $68 million from the citys coffers.
The bedroom where Nguyen Hai Liem allegedly killed his wife on Friday. Photo credit: Vietnamnet.

Police in central Vietnam said a man, who was saved after trying to kill himself, is the prime suspect in the violent deaths of his wife and her father, local media reported.

Nguyen Hai Liem, 48, is being treated at a hospital in Binh Thuan Province after the suicide attempt on Friday.

Police said he allegedly stabbed his wife, Do Thi Thu Suong, several times at around 1 a.m after he caught her in the bedroom with another man.

Suong, 44, died instantly while the man who was with her managed to run away.

Her father, Do Van Son, who lived next door, heard her scream and came over to check.

Liem stabbed the 63-year-old man several times, who died soon later, police said.

They said Liem then stabbed himself in the chest.

He was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.

Police said they are watching him closely.
A protected sea turtle has been rescued from a man who had bought it illegally in Quang Ninh Province and will be returned to nature, police said.

Traffic police officers seized the turtle weighing around 40 kilograms from a car last Friday. The driver said he had bought it that morning for VND15 million (US$670) from a man who advertised it on a local highway.

According to the police, the seller caught the turtle in his fish farm and wanted to sell it to someone who would keep it as a pet and not kill it for meat.

The police have consulted experts from Education for Nature-Vietnam to confirm the animal is a protected olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).

The species is described as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with its population threatened by various factors like becoming fishing by-catch, commercial use of its eggs and coastal developments that damage its nesting beaches.
Retailers scrambling to move cardboard boxes as they are forced out of the Parkson Landmark Tower in Hanoi on January 3, 2015. Photo: Le Quan

Shopping mall investor Parkson pulled out of the tallest building in the country over the New Year holiday after giving its retailers one day to move.

A retailer renting a booth at Parkson mall in the Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower said Parkson notified them about the shutdown in an email sent on January 2.

The email said retailers had until the end of Sunday (January 4) to move out.

The following day, Parkson announced they'd have to get out on Saturday night.

Nguyen Van Trung, who works in a basement restaurant, said they received the final notice on Saturday, and before they could figure out what to do, the building's security staff closed all the doors and locked many retailers and customers in the basement.

The guards said they were just following orders, Trung said.

They only opened one door to allow customers to leave after a long argument.

Prior to the shutdown, Tung Chee Sung, the general director of Parkson Hanoi, released a statement addressed to his customers announcing that the Parkson Landmark hadn't met its daily revenue target once since opening in 2011.

In the statement, Sung acknowledged that Parkson's tenants had also suffered losses.

Many retailers said that since business has always been bleak, Parkson had plenty of time to offer advanced notice of the shutdown.

Several retailers complained that their contracts are still valid.

One food store owner said she still has another year, while another vendor just paid the firm a VND400 million advance on his rent.

The retailers said they were angry at the way Parkson handled the situation, and that they plan to sue if the investor doesn't pay the money it owes.

Retailers were still moving cardboard boxes out of the building on Sunday evening.

A Thanh Nien reporter made various attempts to contact representatives from the Keangnam Landmark building, but failed to get comment.

Nguyen Van Hai, the Party secretary of Nam Tu Liem District, said he wasn't informed of the shutdown since the building is directly managed by the municipal government of Hanoi.

But Hai said they had organized security measures to keep the peace in the interim.

Keangnam Vina, a unit of South Koreas Keangnam Enterprises Ltd., built Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower at 346 meters (1,135 feet), making it the tallest in Vietnam.
The Hanoi police are looking for a man who let his dog ride his motorbike on the street after a video of the incident was uploaded online.

The film shows the man with his dog in front letting go of the handlebars while his dog has its paws on them.

This goes on for around half a minute as he keeps telling the dog Good!

Many viewers have slammed the man for being reckless for putting himself and other people on the street in danger.

Traffic police officers called the act extremely dangerous.

Nguyen Van Quy, a Hanoi traffic police officer, said: The act must deserves harsh criticism and punishment.

He said if arrested the man would be fined VND5-7 million (US$230-320), the designated penalty for releasing both hands while driving a motorbike.

The officer said he would also lose his drivers license for two months and his motorbike for a week.

Besides, the man was not wearing a crash helmet, which attracts another VND200,000 (nearly $10) fine.

Lawyers said he would bear criminal responsibility if he killed or injured someone.
Vietnamese aviation authorities have fined an airline passenger for damaging a life vest on a flight, news website VnExpress reported.

Nguyen Van Nam, 48, of Hanoi was ordered to pay VND4 million (US$180) by the Northern Airports Authority.

The incident happened onboard a Vietjet Air flight from Buon Ma Thuot to Hanoi in April. Nam reportedly pulled the life vest from his seat and tore it off while crew members were performing pre-flight safety demonstration.
Ly Van Chien, 57, stands trial in Soc Trang Province on May 16, 2016. Photo: Tran Thanh Phong

A court in the southern province of Soc Trang on Monday handed down a 17-year prison sentence to a 57-year-old man for killing his wife during a compulsory counseling session in January.

Ly Van Chien was convicted of murder for fatally stabbing his wife Nguyen Bich Hop, 50.

According to the indictment, Hop had filed for divorce at a district court.

On January 15, 2016, the couple was invited to the court for a counseling session, a required step where court officials try to help people reconcile and save their marriage before ruling on their divorce request.

Chien reportedly pulled out a knife and stabbed his wife several times after the counseling failed to change his wife's mind.

A female judge attempted to stop him to no avail. Others rushed in to restrain him.

Hop was rushed to hospital but she had died to loss of blood.

It is unclear how the man managed to bring the knife into the session.
Nguyen Trung Hau stands trial in Ho Chi Minh City on May 16, 2016. Photo credit: Tuyet Mai/Tuoi Tre

A court in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday sentenced a 32-year-old US citizen to seven years in prison for attempting to kill a man after a traffic collision last year.

Nguyen Trung Hau, 32, received a "lenient sentence" because he had confessed to the crime and compensated the victim.

Hau also had a clean record and the victim also withdrew the criminal case against him, the panel of judges said.

Prosecutors said Hau was driving his wife on Nguyen Phuc Nguyen Street near Saigon Railway Station in District 3 on July 14, when his motorbike collided with the motorbike of Nguyen Dang Long, 20. The latter was reportedly running a red light, leading to the collision.

Nobody was hurt but their quarrel led to a fight before Long ran away.

The couple encountered Long, who was walking at a nearby section. Hau stopped in front of Long and the latter suddenly punched to Hau's left eye. The driver pulled out a jack-knife and stabbed in Long's left hip.

Long was rushed to hospital. He has recovered.

During the trial, prosecutors had proposed prison terms of 12-14 years against Hau.

Hau's lawyer said his client should have been charged with deliberately injuring others, instead of murder. Vietnam does not differentiate between attempted murder and murder, focusing on the intent.

.Hau now has two weeks to appeal the verdict.
Authorities are trying to identify a young male driver who appeared in a video riding a motorbike with his feet while using a phone.

The short video, which has become viral recently, was apparently filmed from another vehicle alongside.

The man in his late teen to early 20s did not wear a crash helmet. It is unclear who was on the phone, but he could be heard saying "I'm coming home, mom. I'm driving very safe."



He also turned his head around after a truck approaching from behind and honking.

Local media have reported many cases of young men performing dangerous stunts on Vietnamese streets. Many of them were fined after being identified by traffic police.

Last week, Bac Ninh police fined a 21-year-old man VND7.3 million (US$326) in a similar case.

Do Van Hieu's violations include driving on one wheel, not wearing a helmet, no bike registration and no driving license.
Chinese tourist cars will be allowed to travel to and stay in Mong Cai Town in Vietnam's northern province of Quang Ninh for three days but the trip has to be organized by a designated Vietnamese company, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Hong Gai Tourism and Services JSC is currently the sole company that can organize such trips, local media reported, citing the ministry.

The company must have a car to lead the group when they travel within the town. It can only take one group of tourists in at a time.

Traffic violations will be handled in accordance with Vietnams Traffic Law and relevant international agreements.

The details were announced after Quang Ninh Province in January obtained the governments approval for its plan to receive tourist cars of up to nine seats from Dongxing City in Chinas Guangxi Province. The plan will be implemented on a trial basis in the first year.
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a speech to the Cuban people in the Gran Teatro de la Habana Alicia Alonso in Havana, March 22, 2016. Photo: Reuters/Carlos Barria

Cuba and the United States aim to reach new agreements on cooperation in law enforcement, health and agriculture over the coming months, a senior Cuban official said on Monday, as part of the former Cold War foes' drive to normalize ties.

The Communist-ruled island and its northern neighbor reestablished diplomatic relations a year ago after decades of hostility and have since signed deals on the environment, postal services and direct flights.

A bilateral commission met on Monday in Havana to establish a roadmap for talks over the rest of this year, which would include more high-ranking official visits, said Josefina Vidal, head of the Cuban delegation.

In March, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president in 88 years to visit Cuba.

"The agenda is quite ambitious," Vidal told a news conference, adding that talks about intellectual property rights were also in the cards.

The two sides had discussed holding dialogues on human rights and claims, the U.S. embassy in Cuba said in a statement.

They already outlined their respective claims late last year, with the U.S. seeking upwards of $10 billion in compensation for nationalized properties and Cuba demanding at least $121 billion in reparations for the U.S. trade embargo and other acts it described as aggression.

"The United States looks forward to holding these meetings in the near future," the embassy said. "Tomorrow (we) will discuss specific steps related to bilateral security during the law enforcement dialogue."

Vidal, who is the Cuban Foreign Ministry's chief of U.S. affairs, said the island was hopeful that whomever became next the U.S. president would continue to deepen the detente. The United States will hold a general election on Nov.8.

"When you look at the polls, the majority of the American population and the Cuban American community are in favor of the normalization of relations," she said. "So I expect their opinion will be taken into account."
Pope Francis celebrates a mass of Pentecost in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican May 15, 2016.

Pope Francis criticized Western powers for trying to export their own brand of democracy to countries such as Iraq and Libya without respecting indigenous political cultures, according to an interview published on Monday.

Speaking to France's Roman Catholic newspaper, La Croix, Francis also said Europe should better integrate migrants and praised the election of the new Muslim mayor of London as an example of where this had been successful.

"Faced with current Islamist terrorism, we should question the way a model of democracy that was too Western was exported to countries where there was a strong power, as in Iraq, or Libya, where there was a tribal structure," he said.

"We cannot advance without taking these cultures into account," the pope said.

"As a Libyan said recently, 'We used to have one Gaddafi, now we have fifty", Francis said in reference to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who was deposed and killed in 2011.

Francis has frequently attacked what he calls "cultural colonialism", in which Western countries seek to impose their values on developing ones in return for financial aid.

The pope said that "ghettoising" migrants was not only wrong but was also misguided in the fight against terrorism.

He cited the militant attacks in Brussels in March when three suicide bombers killed 32 people, in which "the terrorists were Belgians, children of migrants, but they came from a ghetto".

By contrast, the pope praised this month's election of Sadiq Khan as the first Muslim mayor of London.

"In London, the new mayor was sworn in in a cathedral and will probably be received by the queen. This shows the importance for Europe to regain its ability to integrate," Francis said.

Ten days ago, the pope lambasted Europe over what he sees as its inadequate response to the influx of migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle-East and Africa.
Still image taken from video shows Adem Karadag, also known as Bilal Mohammed, a suspect in last year's Bangkok blast, shouting as he is escorted to court in Bangkok, Thailand, May 17, 2016. Photo: Reuters TV via Reuters

One of two ethnic Uighur Muslims from China accused of involvement in a deadly bombing at a Bangkok shrine last year broke down in front of cameras on Tuesday as he made his way into court.

Twenty people were killed and more than 120 injured in the bombing on Aug. 17 at the Erawan Shrine, thronged by visitors to the Thai capital. Five of those who died were from China and two from Hong Kong.

Analysts, diplomats and even some officials suspected the attack was linked to sympathizers of the Uighur minority in western China angered by the Thai junta's deportation of more than 100 Uighurs to China the previous month.

But Thai police said the perpetrators were members of a network that trafficked Uighur Muslims and launched the attack in anger at Thailand's crackdown on the trade.

"I'm not an animal," the shaven, shackled and barefoot Adem Karadag told a crowd of waiting reporters on Tuesday, as two guards led him into a military court in Bangkok's old town. "I'm human, I'm human."

He and fellow suspect Yusufu Mieraili, who were in court for a review of witnesses, have denied all the charges against them.

"We're innocent, help us, help us, where are the human rights?" said a stony-faced Mieraili, as he emerged from a police car outside the court.

Lawyers said more than 250 witnesses could be called for the prosecution and defense. Karadag's lawyer, Schoochart Kanpai, said he hoped the trial would be over by the end of 2016, but that it could drag on a year longer.

Police say Karadag was caught on CCTV footage at the shrine, sitting on a bench and slipping off a bulky backpack before walking away, just before the blast.

Most Uighurs, who speak a Turkic language, live in China's violence-plagued Xinjiang region. Exiles and human rights groups say Uighurs chafe under government policies that restrict their culture and religion.

China denies this and blames Islamist militants for the rising violence.

Thai police have issued arrest warrants for 15 other people, eight of whom are thought to be either Turkish or in Turkey, according to the warrants and police statements.

Some Turks see themselves as sharing cultural and religious bonds with their Uighur "brothers".
People gather at the site of a suicide bomb attack in a marketplace in Baghdad's al-Shaab district, Iraq May 17, 2016. Photo: Reuters/Wissm al-Okili

Three bombings killed at least 63 people and wounded more than 100 in Baghdad on Tuesday, police and medical sources said, extending the deadliest spate of attacks in the Iraqi capital so far this year.

A suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State in a marketplace in the northern, mainly Shi'ite Muslim district of al-Shaab killed 38 people and wounded over 70, while a car bomb in nearby Shi'ite Sadr City left at least 19 more dead and 17 wounded.

Another car bomb, in the mixed Shi'ite-Sunni southern neighborhood of al-Rasheed, killed six and wounded 21, the sources said, in what a military spokesman described as a suicide attack.

Security has improved somewhat in Baghdad in recent years, even as the Sunni militant Islamic State (IS) seized swathes of the country almost up to the outskirts of the capital.

But attacks claimed by IS in and around the city last week killed more than 100 people, sparking anger in the streets over the government's failure to ensure security.

There are fears that Baghdad could relapse into the bloodletting of a decade ago when sectarian-motivated suicide bombings killed scores of people every week.

That has cranked up pressure on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to resolve a political crisis or risk losing control of parts of Baghdad even as the military wages a counter-offensive against Islamic State in Iraq's north and west with the help of a U.S.-led coalition.

Abadi has said the crisis, sparked by his attempt to reshuffle the cabinet in an anti-corruption bid, is hampering the fight against Islamic State and creating space for more insurgent attacks on the civilian population.

A spokesman for the Baghdad Operations Command told state television the attacker in the al-Shaab neighborhood had detonated an explosives-filled vest in coordination with a planted bomb. Initial investigations revealed that the bomber was a woman, he said.

Islamic State said in a statement distributed online by supporters that one of its fighters had targeted Shi'ite militiamen with hand grenades and a suicide vest. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the other two bombings.
Flowers of War, its movers and shakers explain, is a three-year project to uncover, perform, discuss and celebrate the music and art that creative men used to cope with the horror of World War I and to mark their experiences. Over the next three years, nine concerts of recently discovered music, diaries, poetry and art will be performed in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and France. Tuesday's concert, Life, Death and Transcendence, examined the music and the memories of the battle of Verdun in 1916.

Another feature of Tuesday's event at the National Gallery was Jacqueline Dwyer reading from the battlefield diary (Verdun, 1916) of her father, French soldier Jacques Playoust. We were privileged to talk to her in Canberra (she is in her 90s and lives in Sydney) on Tuesday. More of that interview in a moment.

One of Franz Marc's trademark blue horses. It distressed the painter enormously to witness all the horses in battle at Verdun, where he was killed in 1916. Credit:Franz Marc

Gorgeous and welcome as blue horses always are, we do need an excuse to invite them on to the rolling expanse of this newspaper column. And our excuse is that Marc's work was one feature of Tuesday night's first of the nine Flowers of War concerts/symposiums.

All sorts of animals gambol and graze across the broad and welcoming paddock of this column. But today we welcome (pictured) our first ever blue horse. It is by the German expressionist painter Franz Marc (18801916).

Tuesday's occasion included a dramatic slide show based on the WWI sketches of the artist Marc, killed at Verdun in 1916. These sketches, discovered and arranged by Canberra musician and music-event wizard Chris Latham, were being shown for the first time.

The blue horses that Marc specialised in painting (had he ever portrayed Phar Lap we can be sure he would have rendered the famously red horse a fetching sky blue) were to him symbols of innocence and peace. It distressed him enormously to witness all the horses in battle at Verdun.

In conversation Jacqueline Dwyer explained that her father Jacques was just five when, in 1889, he moved to Melbourne from France. He was educated in Australian schools and so was substantially Australian when war broke out.

"But then when [in 1914] the German invasions began in Europe all these young men of French origin everywhere in the world were mobilised for the French army. They were all French citizens even though some had been born in Australia. So French citizens from all over the world were sent to the western front. He got the first available boat from Australia, at his own expense, in 1914. It took them three months to get there and then the French army said, 'Where were you?' He was almost taken for a deserter because he'd taken so long to get there.

"And so he found himself in 1916 sent to fight at Verdun where the Germans were coming in with great big artillery, all bombarding this tiny little area. He kept a diary there. I've often wondered why. Was it for company? Or was it simply to martial his thoughts? It's a tiny little volume. And [for he was a telephonist] it had the morse code and signals in the back. Sometimes he went over the top into no man's land to mend the wires."
John Kennedy's '68 Comeback Special: Friday, May 20, 8pm. The Polish White Eagle Club, 38 David Street, Turner. Sons of Sun: Saturday, May 21, at 8pm. The Polish White Eagle Club. Written by Kieran Carroll from an original idea by John Kennedy. Directed by Louise Fischer. Originating Director: Neil Gooding. Queries: Nigel McRae 0401 084 773. Matt Charleston as Sam Phillips in Sons of Sun. Credit:Dusk Devi Vision. John F. Kennedy was not named after the former US president. He moved to Australia from Liverpool, England, in 1965 at the age of seven with his family, two years after the other JFK was assassinated. And his middle name is Francis, a saint's name chosen at his confirmation. But at least he avoided the tragedies that befell the US Kennedy clan, and although this JFK missed seeing a lot of the swinging '60s first-hand in Britain because of the family migration ("My dad hated the cold") he did pick up his parents' love of music and he became a musician himself, part of Sydney's independent music scene. He's coming to Canberra for two different performances. One he bills as John Kennedy's '68 Comeback Special, partly in homage to Elvis Presley  and partly, he says, "it's my 68th comeback. And it's special."

Musician John Kennedy will perform two shows in Canberra. Credit:act\ron.cerabona Kennedy's own music, though, has been described as being more like that of a different Elvis, Elvis Costello, than that of the King, and newcomers as well as fans will be able to listen for themselves on Friday night at the Polish White Eagle Club when he and his band will perform his songs, for which he coined the term "urban and western" back in the 1980s. He'll be playing with drummer Peter Timmerman, former Pop Mechanic Paul Scott on bass; Murray Cook  yes, the former Red Wiggle  on lead guitar. Kennedy says that in addition to his own music he does "love the classics" and it's this that stimulated him to conceive and commission the script for a show he and Cook are co-producing. Sons of Sun is a rock musical, written by Kieran Carroll, about Sam Phillips, his Memphis Recording Service which became record label Sun Records, and the artists who recorded there, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. They moved on to major labels and bigger careers, but it was Phillips who recognised their talents and gave them their start. Phillips was a music lover from the South who didn't inherit the prejudices of the era and recorded a lot of African-American blues and rhythm-and-blues artists like Ike Turner, BB King and Howlin' Wolf and their music before taking on white musicians in a variety of genres. The big names tended to leave him for bigger labels and greater fortunes, but they got their start with him, showing Phillips' eye and ear for talent. It all began, Kennedy says, when he was asked a few years ago to do covers of Orbison songs, which turned into a two-volume recording project, Sons of Sun, covering artists who got their start at Sun Records.
Older Canberrans waited a combined 120 years in hospital before being admitted into nursing homes, ACT Government data from the past decade has revealed.

As the ACT's older population is tipped to triple in the next 40 years, a report into the health and wellbeing of older people in the ACT revealed those waiting for a place in residential aged care facilities were stuck in Canberra hospitals for 43,989 days in the decade to 2012-2013.

Canberrans were stuck waiting for a place in ACT residential aged care facilities in Canberra hospitals for 43,989 days in the decade to 2012-2013. Credit:Virginia Starr

Council on the Ageing ACT executive director Jenny Mobbs said undersupply and expense were an issue in Canberra's aged care sector.

"Residential aged care in Canberra is a challenging situation. It comes at a cost," Ms Mobbs said.
A roundtable of community housing leaders in Canberra on Wednesday backed a call for the appointment of a federal housing minister with the powers and the funding to address the housing crisis.

With 206,000 households on social housing waiting lists, 105,000 people designated homeless at the time of the last census, 61 per cent of people entering public housing being homeless at the time they received a place and 40 per cent of people receiving rental assistance still paying more than 30 per cent of their income on rent, urgent action was needed, the gathering was told.

Professor David Adamson, public housing advocate. David Adamson.jpg Credit:david.ellery@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Delegates to the National Housing Strategy symposium, who included representatives of Compass Housing, Access Housing, St Vincent de Paul, the Community Housing Registry Association and Foundation Housing, said while federal Labor governments usually had housing ministers, federal Coalition governments usually did not.

Recent Labor ministers, including Tania Plibersek, had made little headway on homelessness, public housing and the broader issue of housing affordability because they were not given the tools for the job.
A man attacked an ACTION bus driver at a bus stop in Canberra's north last Wednesday afternoon, ACT police will allege.

Police are calling for witnesses to the assault, which took place about 3pm at a bus stop on Galmarra Street in Ngunnawal.

The driver of a silver Hilux Ute stopped his vehicle in front of the bus and allegedly bashed its driver.

The bus driver later received medical treatment for their injuries.
The ACT Opposition has called on Auditor-General Maxine Cooper to launch an urgent inquiry into the government's management of emergency department data.

The request was made after the government confirmed misleading data on median wait times would be corrected with quarterly reports reissued with notifications later this week.

Opposition leader Jeremy Hanson said the Liberals were putting schools ahead of a tram. Credit:Matt Bedford

ACT Health Minister Simon Corbell said he was "very disappointed" by the errors that he described as isolated, unintentional and administrative in nature.

Median wait times at emergency departments during July-December 2013 have been repeatedly changed by ACT Health in recent years.
Richmond young gun Daniel Rioli is flying to the Northern Territory to spend time with an ill family member and may not play against Fremantle this weekend.

Daniel's uncle, Hawthorn star Cyril, missed his own team's win over Fremantle at the weekend for the same reason, although one of his Hawks teammates on Tuesday said the premiership player would probably play this weekend.

Meeting of Riolis: Daniel Rioli of the Tigers and Cyril Rioli of the Hawks. Credit:AFL Media/Getty Images

Richmond released a statement on Tuesday saying Rioli would be interstate for a short period of time and was likely to be able to play in the Saturday night match in Perth.
The corporate watchdog has laid criminal charges against a former Commonwealth Bank financial planner, alleging he forged customers' signatures on application forms and other documents.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission brought one rolled-up charge against Ricky David Gillespie, who was a senior financial planner at CBA's branch in Broadbeach, on the Gold Coast.

ASIC has laid charges against a former CBA planner. Credit:Michael Clayton-Jones

ASIC accuses Mr Gillespie of forging a number of customers' signatures on 31 documents between January 2007 and June 2009, including on applications for financial products and on internal documents.
Cabcharge has exposed customers to the risk of a breach of their personal data by leaving a database unsecured online.

The taxi booking-and-payment company, which boasts of "accounts ranging from large corporations and government bodies to small businesses and individuals" is now in the process of notifying more than 3400 Cabcharge Fastcard holders after information left on a database of stored transactions was found online without any security.

As many as 3443 active Cabcharge Fastcard accounts were affected. Credit:Louie Douvis

The Cabcharge Taxi Management System includes "copies of partial credit card numbers, drop off location, pick up location, as well as client and driver identifier information including names," according to US-based cyber vulnerability research company, Risk Based Security, which discovered the fault.

Cabcharge chief executive Andrew Skelton said, in a statement, that "most of the information was old and contained inactive Cabcharge Fastcard numbers and expiry dates."
BlackRock Inc's Laurence Fink, who oversees the world's largest money manager with $US4.7 trillion of client assets, said "we all have to be worried" about China's mounting debt amid slowing growth, even as he remains bullish on the nation in the long term.

"You can't grow at 6 per cent and have your balance sheets grow faster," Mr Fink said on the sidelines of a forum in Hong Kong on Tuesday. "In the future, I would prefer seeing the economy growing 6 per cent with some form of deleveraging," he said.

"They need to be more aggressive in their reforms,'' Laurence Fink says. "However, I'm relatively bullish on China." Credit:Bloomberg

China, whose surprise August yuan devaluation sent shock waves worldwide, is dividing the biggest names in finance more than any other market. While Mr Fink said in April that investors would regret not betting on China this year because government stimulus may result in higher economic growth than many expect, billionaire investor George Soros said last month that the nation's debt-fuelled economy resembles the US in 2007 and 2008, at the onset of the global financial crisis.

At the forum in Hong Kong, Mr Fink said he was very impressed with China's leaders, especially with respect to how they've sought to transform the manufacturing and export-oriented economy into one that's domestic and services-oriented. It took some developed economies 50 years to manage that, and several recessions during the process, Mr Fink said.
For many years, the vast Chinese market - more than 1 billion consumers in a fast-growing economy - sent thrills of excitement up the spines of corporate managers throughout the developed world. Who cares about the stagnation in Europe and Japan, when China has many more people than all of those markets combined? Even as rising labour and energy costs reduced China's advantage as a low-cost production site, the dazzling lure of the Chinese consumer pushed many multinationals to locate offices and factories in the country.

Recently, however, the company has discovered that even the best-behaved of Western multinationals may not be able to hold the government's favour for long. The Chinese government just shut down two of Apple's key service products, the iBooks Store and iTunes Movies . It has also denied Apple the right to trademark the name "iPhone", allowing other companies to use the name for their own, non-Apple-related products . Meanwhile, Apple's outperformance in China may be coming to an end, as revenue in the Greater China area plunges and consumers turn to domestic manufacturers.

For a long time, it looked as if Apple had found the key to unlock the Chinese market. A world-famous brand, extensive factories in China and cooperation with the government's demands led to booming sales of iPhones and other Apple products.

Unfortunately, that promise turned out to be a mirage for many companies. If the Chinese government ever had any intention to step back and let foreign companies compete with domestic ones on a level playing field, it certainly now looks like it has changed its mind. Not long after multinationals showed up in China, they were made to hand over much of their technology to native competitors (almost all of which are directly or indirectly owned by the Chinese government). This was happening as early as 2006, as the Harvard Business Review reported:

"Since 2006, the Chinese government has been implementing new policies that seek to appropriate technology from foreign multinationals in several technology-based industries, such as air transportation, power generation, high-speed rail, information technology, and now possibly electric automobiles. These rules limit investment by foreign companies as well as their access to China's markets, stipulate a high degree of local content in equipment produced in the country, and force the transfer of proprietary technologies from foreign companies to their joint ventures with China's state-owned enterprises. The new regulations are complex and ever changing. They put CEOs in a terrible bind: they can either comply with the rules and share their technologies with Chinese competitors-or refuse and miss out on the world's fastest-growing market."

Proprietary technology is the most valuable asset owned by many multinationals. So China truly offered a lose-lose choice for these companies - either they could miss out on the Chinese market in the short term, or give away technologies that would allow Chinese competitors to challenge them all over the world in the medium term. Of course, given China's high rate of industrial espionage, the penalty for operating in China was even higher than official government policy would suggest.

Multinational companies often think very short term, so perhaps it isn't surprising that many chose to make the devil's bargain. Now the bill is coming due, as China's government promotes its own national champions, many of which are now equipped with pirated foreign technology. Meanwhile, multinationals' China operations have become less and less profitable as domestic competition has intensified. The Chinese government, of course, has aided this process by systematically discriminating against foreign companies, enforcing laws and regulations with regards to multinationals while looking the other way when a domestic company commits a violation.

There are signs that some multinationals have had enough. Many are closing offices and factories in China, as costs rise and the government shuts foreigners out of the domestic market. Some recent examples include Microsoft, Adobe, Panasonic, Yahoo and Adidas. Between this and the effects of China's general economic slowdown, foreign direct investment into the country - while volatile - has declined in the past few years.
Pacific Services' co-owner Troy Rugless said JLL's involvement helped Evolve FM to be "10-15 years ahead" in providing a full-service property management company.

Evolve FM has been awarded a three-year facility and property management services contract with federal government department, Indigenous Business Australia, looking after the department's portfolio of 15 properties across Australia.

Melbourne skyline from Docklands along the Yarra. Credit:Leigh Henningham

Pacific Services Group Holdings and JLL jointly set up Evolve FM, the only Indigenous majority-owned full-service facilities management company in Australia.

An Australian Indigenous-owned company has set up a joint property management venture with global commercial property services firm JLL winning a three-year government contract.

Evolve will provide Indigenous Business Australia with strategic portfolio management, transaction management, lease administration, end-to-end procurement services, contract management, and project and maintenance management services, he said.

Evolve will use Indigenous businesses where possible to deliver the services.

The Australian government's Indigenous procurement policy introduced last year requires 0.5 per cent of external expenditure by government departments to go to Indigenous businesses, increasing incrementally to 3 per cent by 2020

Indigenous business are also covered by an exemption in the Commonwealth procurement rules, introduced in 2011, where they must demonstrate value for money but can be exempted from public tenders.
A popular brand of tinned tomatoes has been pulled from supermarket shelves because they could explode while being opened. SPC Ardmona has recalled a single batch of 400 gram Peeled Vine Ripened Tomatoes and says they could be hazardous. "Due to increased pressure in the can caused by a breakdown in the can lining integrity, these food products may cause injury when opening," SPC said in a statement.

The Australian-grown tomatoes have been sold in Coles, Woolworths and independent supermarkets and have the code TOM W/P 428580 007CM on the tin's base. SPC said the issue applied only to the packaging in one batch and there was no food-safety risk related to the product. "No other Ardmona products, or any other SPC products, are affected," a company spokeswoman said. Customers should dispose of the products and contact SPC on 1800 805 168. The recall is a set-back for the Shepparton-based company, which enjoyed a long fought for victory in February when the federal government announced anti-dumping measures would apply to two large Italian tinned tomato importers.
Nothing about Canberra's putative light rail network  not its necessity, its construction and operating costs, nor its long-term infrastructure value to the city  has been uncontentious. It was entirely fitting, then, that Tuesday's contract-signing between the ACT Government and the Canberra Metro consortium should be overshadowed by a quarrel about construction labour costs involving on the one hand the Master Builders Association and and on the other, UnionsACT (with the backing from Capital Metro Minister Simon Corbell).

The MBA, which believes the $698 million cost estimate has been significantly inflated as the result of a memorandum of understanding between Unions ACT and the ACT government on procurement had wanted the contract-signing delayed until "governance matters" were examined more thoroughly. Mr Corbell rejected the claim, however, saying there was "no movement to the cost of this project as result of the employment arrangements between Canberra Metro and the [Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy] Union".

Unions ACT secretary Alex White was blunter, describing the MBA's call for a delay as "completely mad and highly inappropriate" and accusing subcontractors of wanting to "take the cream off the top" while paying construction workers less for "back-breaking work in dangerous conditions".

It's believed the MOU (described in its introduction as an "agreement to ensure ACT government procurement activity includes fair consideration of the rights of workers) was rejected by the consortium as being in conflict with federal workplace laws. The release on Tuesday of a Unions ACT media release headed "Unions welcome signing of light rail contracts" suggests that if the agreement was indeed absent during contract negotiations, it was there very much in spirit.
A "whole new style of Aboriginal writing" is on the rise along with a growing Aboriginal readership, says Bruce Pascoe, whose ground-breaking history of pre-colonial agriculture, Dark Emu, was named book of the year in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards on Monday night.

Pascoe, 68, also shared the new biennial $30,000 Indigenous Writer's Prize with Ellen van Neerven, 25, for Heat and Light  "a work of fiction by a born novelist," said the judges.

Author Bruce Pascoe, winner of the book of the year and co-winner of the Indigenous Writer's Prize in the 2016 NSW Premier's Literary Awards Credit:Lyn Harwood

"It's fantastic," Pascoe says, looking at the six shortlisted books of fiction, poetry, memoir and history. "We couldn't have had a shortlist like that 15 years ago. It's part of the evolution of the community; there are more people with a good education.

"Aboriginal people have always been storytellers, so it's a natural thing to do," he says of the decision to separate Indigenous writing from the Multicultural NSW Award, which went to Good Muslim Boy by Osamah Sami.
Toy sales. That's all it took for Marvel to erase one of the main characters from its Iron Man franchise.

The comic book giant was reportedly so concerned about how fans would react to a female villain that they forced Iron Man 3 director Shane Black to re-write the role as a man.

Black told Uproxx he had "an inkling" there was a problem after he wrote an early draft for the 2013 film in which corrupt scientist Aldrich Killian was originally a woman.
It's not yet day 10 of the campaign, and Malcolm Turnbull has played the asylum-seeker card with all the deftness and subtlety of a Tony Abbott shirtfront.

Until now, Mr Turnbull has been content to let Peter Dutton do the dirty work, serving up his daily tally of the number of Labor MPs who have ever expressed the slightest discomfort with any elements of Coalition (or Labor) border protection policy.

Now, with a Border Force patrol boat to provide the photo opportunity, Mr Turnbull has stepped up to declare that Labor doesn't have the courage, or the will, or the conviction to stop the boats.
A Donald Trump presidency would be "very difficult" for Australia, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has warned while suggesting Americans should instead vote for Hillary Clinton.

Campaigning in Adelaide, Mr Shorten batted away concerns about Australian political interference in the US presidential election and said Labor would work with Barack Obama's successor, regardless of which party wins the White House in November.

"Whoever Americans elect we'll deal with, but there's no doubt in my mind that Trump would be very difficult... to deal with, but Australia, we will stick to the American alliance full stop," Mr Shorten said

"In terms of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, I have to say that if I was in America I would be voting for Hillary Clinton."
Bill Shorten got a lot more than he bargained for in a street walk in Adelaide's CBD on Tuesday.

The Opposition Leader surprised lunchtime shoppers and school children as he visited local businesses with Premier Jay Weatherill on Tuesday.

With 46 days to go until polling day, Mr Shorten was in town to campaign in marginal seats and talk up Labor's $500 million funding promise to support pre-construction work on a new tram network connecting the city to the suburbs,
DARWIN. As far as campaign stunts go, it doesn't get more blatantly political than a visit to an Australian Border Force patrol boat.

But reporters arriving to the carefully staged event on Tuesday were warned not to photograph Malcolm Turnbull alongside the Border Force's logo, which proudly adorned the Cape Jervis docked in Darwin.

The Border Force was keen to avoid being politicised, the PM's staffers explained, even as cameras were being assembled right behind them for a press conference.
"Illiterate and innumerate" refugees would take Australian jobs or "languish" on the dole and use free health services provided by Medicare, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has said, in remarks Labor has condemned as "deeply offensive".

Mr Dutton was responding to criticisms by conservative Sky News presenter Paul Murray when he made the comments about a Greens idea to boost the refugee intake to 50,000.

"They won't be numerate or literate in their own language, let alone English," Mr Dutton said.
The ABC will make an imminent announcement on the closure of its fact-checking unit, just three years after it was created as a bold experiment in holding politicians and other public figures to account.

Fairfax Media understands senior staff in the ABC's News division were scheduled to be briefed on the decision on Tuesday afternoon before an official announcement on Wednesday.

It is understood the ABC plans to absorb some Fact Check staff into the broadcaster's Interactive Digital Storytelling Unit, based in Brisbane. While the ABC may use some form of fact checking for statements in future election campaigns, the standalone unit will be disbanded.
After chatting about his character Magneto in X Men: Apocalypse with Fairfax Media at its Sydney premiere on Monday night, Fassbender was not down with killing two birds with one stone, and promoting two of his upcoming movies at once.

The notoriously private Irish star shot down a question on that very notion despite talk being excitedly rife on the subject with the release of the movie's official trailer this week.

It has been reported that Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander's upcoming movie The Light Between Oceans is where their love ignited, but it's not a good idea to ask the actor about that.

Dropping his toothy grin, and reaching out and giving this reporter a light and unexpected smack on the right shoulder, he replied, "nice talking to you", before turning on his heels and heading off in the direction of the next waiting reporter.

It has been reported that Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander's upcoming movie The Light Between Oceans is where their love ignited, but it's not a good idea to ask the actor about that. Credit:The Light Between Oceans

It's unsure how the London-based Kerryman, 39, will get around chatting about his relationship with Vikander, 27, when it comes time to do the press run for The Light Between Oceans later this year, but it could be suggested to him that next time a completely appropriate "no comment" would suffice.

Fassbender and his Oscar award-winning girlfriend are said to have hit it off on the set of the movie in Stanley, a quiet seaside town in north-west Tasmania, in 2014. They have remained together ever since and usually stay low-key, but they did give their fans a glimpse into their romance with a kiss at the Academy Awards earlier this year.

He said fans should see X-Men: Apocalypse as it was a "theme and franchise that strikes people all over the world".
The museum pays tribute to the integral part poultry played for early settlers. "We have a whole wing on pigeons in the war and how pigeons and birds were used in conflict and war. "Every year we have an Australian flag day where we do a presentation day for the pigeons and their handlers." FCAQI dedicated a memorial to Pigeons in Warfare at the Queensland Poultry and Bird Museum at Caboolture Credit:Qld Poultry and Bird Museum/Face Ms Simons said a lot of the collection had been donated and she said she was always excited to try and find the story behind each artifact.

"We have on display some old pigeon rings from racing pigeons that were racing around Queensland in 1890s," she said. "We got them out of a hawk's nest after someone had hacked down a tree. "We have an item on display that is a case of stuffed birds and that was donated to the museum by a local member and I did some history on it and found the birds in the case were collected in the local area in the 1890s, it had never been outside the family. "I get the most enjoyment out of it, I see the history that is there and I like investigating the history and research it and find stories behind the artifacts that we have on display. "It is interesting to research all that information and find how different things are to the way they were back then."

Mrs Simons said the personal nature of the museum meant anyone who came through could relate to the objects on display. "It is really good to find the story and attach it to whatever it is that is there, it makes it more of a personal situation," she said. "People can think, 'Oh, I know that person, he was my uncle so-and-so'. "It is interesting when people come up to you and say 'We know that person' or 'My grandma had that', it becomes a personal story. "Our little museum has lots of things from old grandpa's shed and on the farm when they were little."

The museum is not for profit and runs off the "smell of an oil rag", Mrs Simons said. "We run on volunteers so there is hardly any money anywhere really," she said. "We have had a couple of grants now, we have put a new roof on the building, we have insulation in the building, when we first opened we didn't have any money to do that. "We buy new displays and artifacts when we can." It is museums like the Queensland Poultry and Bird Museum that form the backbone of Queensland's rich history, Queensland Museum CEO and Director Professor Suzanne Miller said as part of International Museum Day on Wednesday.

"It is incredibly important that items are held in the community because they are keeping the places of heritage and history alive," Ms Miller said. "The challenge is sustainability and they rely on volunteers, a few people who are extremely passionate about the items." Queensland Museum is Australia's most visited museum with 14 million items that tell of Queensland's rich history and, while it is 154 years old, it still has a contemporary grasp on life Ms Miller said. "In some ways it is fundamentally based on the collections and we have lots of items and storytelling, that hasn't changed, but the way in which we tell the stories has," Ms Miller said. "We have a cooperation with our communities to tell the stories they would want to hear rather than what we think everyone should hear.
The Queensland government needs to abandon "redundant" crackdowns on Uber and get Wicked Campers vans off our roads, the state's peak motoring body says.

RACQ executive general manager of advocacy Paul Turner said it was time to take a stand after hearing RACQ members had made complaints to the Advertising Standards Bureau about derogatory Wicked Campers vans but nothing had changed.

"There is a loophole where when it comes to the ASB they can't force compliance, so we thought now it is time for the Queensland government, particularly the Attorney-General's department, to step up and take action," he said.

"The ASB have guidelines in place. There are legally defined and ethically understood guidelines in this space and other mediums have to operate in those guidelines.
Forget the overpriced food and exorbitant parking, Telstra is the one who really screws you at the airport.

With all the progress that's been made on global roaming fees over the last few years it's easy to forget how badly Telstra still stings its customers if they want to use their phone number while travelling overseas. For a while Telstra dropped its global roaming fees from horrendous to just plain terrible, but that didn't last too long and it hiked up the prices again just before Christmas.

Before leaving the country it's important to check whether your telco intends to take you for a ride with hefty global roaming charges. Credit:James Davies

I didn't travel to Las Vegas' Consumer Electronics Show in January, so this week's trip to California for the Google I/O developer conference is my first journey to the US this year. Forgetting about the price hike I rang Telstra from the airport to arrange global roaming, expecting to pay $70 for the week, but instead I was slugged $105. With no time to make other arrangements I be grudgingly handed over my money, but I intend to be better prepared next time. In the past I've messed around with global travel SIM cards or buying a cheap SIM at my destination, but when Telstra dropped its US roaming rate to $70 for 7 days  including voice, texts and data  I decided that changing phone numbers was more trouble than it's worth.

When you swap the SIM card in an iPhone it takes iMessage about 24 hours to catch up. There's also the hassle of telling everyone your new number and getting your texts and voicemail messages from your Australian number, plus you need to find a local phone shop to buy a SIM card.
Police believe an alleged drug trafficker was caught having coded conversations with a former policeman about obtaining $1.5 million each for supplying ice.

Osama Elsayed, of Caroline Springs, was granted bail in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday after he was arrested in recent raids that targeted a syndicate allegedly involving a former Victorian policeman.

A man is arrested during raids in Melbourne last week that targeted a drug syndicate. Credit:Jason South

Mr Elsayed, 26, is facing six charges, including trafficking a commercial quantity of the drug ice.

Detective Senior Constable Emma Hayes told the court Mr Elsayed helped David Lister, who resigned from the force in January, to traffic almost half-a-kilogram of ice to Queensland on April 3.
Two of the fake Brett Whiteley paintings at the centre of Australia's biggest art fraud were not being used as a coffee table by police, a court has heard.

Barrister Trevor Wraight, QC, asked Supreme Court Justice Michael Croucher on Tuesday what had happened to the paintings - Blue Lavender Bay and Orange Lavender Bay - after a jury found they had been created and sold by Melbourne art dealer Peter Gant and art conservator Mohamed Aman Siddique.

Art dealer Peter Gant has been found guilty of selling fake Brett Whiteley paintings. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The Blue Lavender Bay painting was sold for $2.5 million to Sydney Swans chairman Andrew Pridham in 2007 and the Orange Lavender Bay sold for $1.1 million to Sydney luxury car dealer Steven Nasteski in 2009.

A third fake painting, Through the Window, was offered for sale by Gant for $950,000.
Detectives are appealing for the public's help to find a missing 12-year-old from Melbourne's inner west.

Piovia Blake was last seen at a home in Lindenow Street in Maidstone about 6pm on Sunday 15 May.

Missing: Piovia Blake.

Police and the boy's family hold concerns for his welfare and have released a photograph in the hope that someone may be able to help find him.

He is 165cm tall, has an olive complexion and medium length black hair.



He is also often around La Trobe and Gordon Streets in Footscray.



Anyone who sees him is urged to contact the Footscray Police Station on 8398 9800.
A 31-year-old man who allegedly broke into a young woman's home in Clayton and sexually assaulted her has been charged.

Detectives from the sexual crimes squad have been told the woman woke to see an unknown male in her room just after 5am on Saturday, April 9.

The man allegedly made threats and demanded cash before sexually assaulting the 19-year-old woman.

The man allegedly made threats and demanded cash before sexually assaulting the 19-year-old woman.

A Noble Park man has been charged with aggravated burglary, rape, assault and theft-related offences.



He appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates Court and has been remanded in custody to 5 August.
It may be that nothing can stop Toto's soft-rock track Rosanna getting stuck in our heads whenever we hear it, but at least our trains will no longer get stuck because of a fault on the single track south of Rosanna station.

Preliminary work to duplicate the bottleneck between Rosanna and Heidelberg, which plays havoc with the Hurstbridge line timetable and even with South Morang services, began today.

Residents of this sleepy pocket of Melbourne's north-east will have to live with some disruption and construction noise between later this year when work begins in earnest and 2019 when it's done, but will have a more reliable rail service afterwards.

The single track corridor is narrow, with houses on either side, but Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said when announcing the start of geotechnical drilling works beside the line that it could be duplicated without any property acquisition.
It's all over. The world's biggest plane has finally left WA, taking off from Perth Airport on Tuesday morning.

Hundreds braved the cold to get a final glimpse of the Ukraine-built Antonov An-225 Mriya as the massive aircraft took to the skies just after 6am.

Aviation enthusiast John was in the packed viewing area at the airport just as the monster was "cranking up its six engines".

"Can you hear it in the background?" an excited John told Radio 6PR down the phone, at which point Breakfast host Steve Mills said it sounded like someone drinking a choc milk.
The defence team for a man accused of the sexual assault of a teenage girl in Mandurah will argue the accused's alleged victim had been "smitten", and made up claims after her "crush" was not reciprocated.

Shaun David Fairfield is on trial in the Perth District Court this week after pleading not guilty to five counts of indecent dealing and two counts of sexual penetration of a 15-year-old girl.

A freeway taxi ride was at the heart of a confrontation between two men. Credit:Mandurah Mail

The charges relate to alleged incidents involving a patient at Peel Health Campus where Mr Fairfield was employed as a security guard in 2014.

On Monday the court heard Mr Fairfield was working the night shift at the hospital on May 16/17, 2014, when he took the girl, who was a psychiatric patient, outside for "fresh air".
Perth quintuplets mum Kim Tucci has revealed the staggering amount of nappies she churns through in a 24-hour period in a funny new video.

In January, Ms Tucci, 26, gave birth to five babies at King Edward Memorial Hospital, which saw the mum-of-three become a mum-of-eight.

Since the birth of her children Keith and his four sisters Tiffany, Penelope, Allie and Beatrix - Ms Tucci often pens the struggles and joys of having five newborns on her Facebook page Surprised by Five.

The video on her Facebook page show a nappy basket being filled with about 40 nappies, the amount she says she needs to keep her five newborns dry and happy for just one day.
There was a shock twist at Tuesday night's City of Perth council meeting - with a no-confidence motion carried against deputy mayor James Limnios, the very man who had been tipped to move one against embattled Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi.

After the meeting, Cr Limnios said he had absolutely no plans to resign and that the motion against him was merely designed to deflect attention from Ms Scaffidi's ongoing issues.

Cr Limnios refused to sign the document. Credit:www.sbs.com.au

Cr Limnios went public last week, saying he could no longer support Ms Scaffidi after the Department of Local Government referred her to the State Administrative Tribunal over more than 40 findings of travel reporting breaches.

But instead of a forecast no-confidence motion against Ms Scaffidi, an often emotional meeting instead featured one raised by Scaffidi ally Janet Davidson against Cr Limnios.
An Australian expert working for a land mine clearance charity has been killed in northern Iraq while trying to defuse a bomb planted by Islamic State militants, his colleagues say.

The man was killed yesterday while working for the non-profit Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) in the Daquq area, around 200km north of Baghdad.

Islamic State were driven out of Daquq last year but left behind hundreds of improvised explosive devices.

FSD program manager Alex Van Roy says the unnamed Australian was killed instantly when the bomb containing up to seven kilograms of explosives blew up.
Jakarta: A Melbourne firefighter has been killed in a scooter accident in Bali.

Bali traffic police said Adrian L. Newton, 42, was on his way from the popular tourist spot of Kuta to Sanur when his scooter hit the back of a rubbish truck as it was attempting to do a U-turn.

Motorbikes and scooters for rent in Seminyak, Bali. Credit:Antwerpen/CC

Denpasar Traffic Police Chief Nyoman Nuryana said Mr Newton, who had been wearing a helmet, suffered open wounds to his cheek, chin and forehead, and died at the scene.

The accident occurred at 4.30am on Tuesday morning local time.
Speculation has swirled as to what role Mr Clinton would play in his wife's administration, and while she had said he would not confine himself to decorating and social planning, she had not previously offered specifics.

The former secretary of state told voters that she would task Bill Clinton, America's 42nd president, with "revitalising the economy".

Washington: Hillary Clinton has already named one of her top economic advisers should she take the White House - her husband.

After months of praising his stewardship of the US economy during the prosperous years of the 1990s on the campaign trail, Mrs Clinton told supporters in Kentucky that the First Gentleman would be dispatched to struggling areas of the country as a sort of economic envoy.

Donald Trump has sought to tie a weaker economy with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's policies. Credit:AP

"I'm going to put him in charge of revitalising the economy because you know, he knows how to do it," she said. "And especially in places like coal country and inner cities and other parts of our country that have been really left out."

Dissatisfaction has grown in recent years among middle and working class voters, who feel they are being left behind by an economy in which incomes are rising rapidly, but only for those at the top.

Many have backed Bernie Sanders in the primary election campaign, seeing the former First Lady as part of the elite that protects its own interests at their expense.
The average of Clinton polling in a general election in blue and Trump in red. Credit:Real Clear Politics Clinton rightly describes Trump as 'a loose cannon,' but she is struggling to win the support of young women; she can't shake a widely held belief that she is untrustworthy; voters complain that she lacks authenticity; and since the start of the primary season, her unlikeability has risen  though not to the same level as Trump's. Hillary Clinton Credit:Bloomberg It's a devilish game that Trump plays. If not American, then the Clinton family are as good as Democratic royalty; to get to Hillary, Trump will have to pass her stoutest defender, Bill; and whenever Bill's human failings have been used against her in the past, she has ridden a wave of public sympathy. By her own admission, Clinton is not a good campaigner. She comes across as scripted, not spontaneous; thin-skinned, less ready to roll with the punches. There's a sense that in always being ready to avoid a Trump provocation, she has imposed a delay in her response to everything, to ensure that she doesn't walk into a trap.

Very vocal: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Credit:AP According to The Washington Post, her supporters worry about a series of issues likely to be exploited by Trump  she's not popular with white men; and the Benghazi attack in which four Americans were killed in 2012, her muscular support for the intervention in Libya and her use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State in the first Obama administration. Invoking images of Trump's manic energy, a Clinton family supporter was quoted in seeming frustration: "I mean, we can't give her an injection to make her an energetic candidate." Secret Service Agents surround Donald Trump in response to an incident during a campaign event in Dayton, Ohio. Credit:Bloomberg In terms of the strategy telegraphed by Trump, Clinton does not come to the fight unarmed  allies boast of a capacity to be at her political best when she's fighting and at her most sympathetic when she comes across as either vulnerable or a victim.

Trump lines, like 'she was an unbelievably nasty, mean enabler, and what she did to a lot of these women is disgraceful,' on Clinton's response to her husband's treatment of women with whom he had affairs, play well at his rallies  how they will be perceived in the general electorate remains to be seen. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton mimics the voice of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as she speaks in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Credit:AP Trump has his own record as a misogynist. He defends some of his worst excesses while chatting on the Howard Stern Show, thus: "I never anticipated running for public office or being a politician, so I could have fun with Howard on the radio and everyone would love it  people do love it," he told a reporter, with more than a hint that he too loves it. Trump still goes after Bill Clinton as 'the biggest abuser of women, as a politician, in the history of this country.' And if Trump didn't have an opening for this line of attack previously, arguable Candidate Clinton has given him one with her public references to Bill Clinton holding high-profile posts in her White House. Trump left nothing to the imagination when he outlined his strategy to get under the Clintons' skin during the campaign in an interview with The New York Times  he'd be using the husband's infidelities and the wife's roles in his defence while under attack over his affairs; the Benghazi attack; and anything that plays to his 'Crooked Hillary' theme,' from her 1970s cattle futures trades to the FBI's on-going investigation of her private email server.

In the belief that it was his psychological warfare that saw off his Republican opponents for the presidential nomination, Trump is plotting to deploy the same tactics to bring down the Clintons  and, yes, he does see them as two for the price of one. The objective is to increase the Clinton negative poll ratings; to provoke them into campaign errors; and, at the same time, fire the only shot that might unify the fractured GOP  a full, frontal assault on the Clintons who are so-hated by Republicans. Trump has been warned this all might backfire. When he spoke to The New York Times, he was reminded of how Hillary Clinton has soared in the wake of the Lewinsky affair, the investigation of her husband and the subsequent impeachment hearings.
Washington: The seeming inevitability of a showdown between America and its fabulously wealthy but disgruntled ally Saudi Arabia firmed on Tuesday, when the US Senate voted unanimously to allow victim families to sue the kingdom for any part it might have had in the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

Previously the preserve of the White House and the House of Saud, the relationship between Washington and Riyadh is becoming increasingly mired in the American political and legal processes.

President Barack Obama lobbied against the 9/11 bill and is threatening to veto it; and in the event that he fails, the Saudis are threatening to sell $US750 billion ($1.025 trillion) in US Treasury securities and other assets, to protect them from the kind of US court-ordered freeze for which Riyadh customarily sits back, and takes pleasure in seeing inflicted on its neighbour, Iran.

The Senate bill now goes to the House, where it also is expected to pass and then to Mr Obama's desk for his signature. In the event that he refuses, Mr Obama will find himself in a standoff with the 9/11 families, one of the country's most powerful lobbies, at the same time as he confronts a Congress that, given Tuesday's Senate vote, likely could muster the two-thirds majority that is needed to override his veto.
Washington: Diplomats from 25 countries, including the United States, are prepared to help train and arm forces from the new unity government in Libya to help it fight Islamic State.

The forces would also help stem the smuggling flow of migrants to Europe.

African illegal migrants receive medical assistance after being rescued by coastal guards on a port in Tripoli, Libya, last month. Credit:AP

Speaking in Vienna after a high level crisis meeting known as Libya talks, Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States and other major nations would back the Libyan government's attempt to win an exemption from a United Nations arms embargo.

Mr Kerry said it was "imperative" for the international community to support the 6-week-old government in Tripoli, which he called "the only legitimate one in Libya and which must now start to work".
HARRISBURG, Pa., May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania State Police announced an increase in driving under the influence (DUI) arrest totals for 2015. Troopers were responsible for 18,801 DUI arrests, which marks a 6.2 percent increase in the totals from 2014.

Nearly one-fourth, or 4,431, of these DUI arrests were for driving while impaired on drugs. This number represents an increase of 43 percent compared to the total number of DUI-drug arrests made in 2014. In addition to these arrest totals, department members investigated 4,492 DUI-related crashes.

"One of the main goals of the Pennsylvania State Police is to work diligently to keep Pennsylvania's roadways safe," said State Police Commissioner Tyree C. Blocker. "Getting impaired drivers off the roads before they injure themselves or others goes a long way toward achieving that goal."

The statistics cover only those arrests and crashes investigated by state police and do not include statistics from other law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania.

In addition to the work of enforcing DUI laws, troopers remain proactive in educating the public on alcohol awareness and the consequences of driving impaired. In 2015, state police members conducted over 3,000 driver education presentations, many of which dealt with the dangers and consequences of impaired driving. These presentations are conducted, upon request, for schools, community groups and businesses. To arrange a similar presentation, contact your local state police barracks or visit www.psp.pa.gov.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tpr. Adam Reed, 717-783-5556

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pennsylvania-state-police-announce-increase-in-dui-arrests-for-2015-300269071.html

SOURCE Pennsylvania State Police

RELATED LINKShttp://www.psp.pa.gov
DEARBORN, Mich., May 16, 2016 -- FordDirect Chairman of the Board, and dealer principal of Steamboat Motors Bill Keith today announced the appointment of Mike Jurecki of RouteOne as Chief Executive Officer, effective June 6.

"We're excited to welcome Mike to FordDirect," Keith said. "The board is confident his expertise and strategic vision will help FordDirect continue to innovate, grow and meet our goal of helping Ford and Lincoln dealers sell and service more cars and trucks."

Jurecki has a strong background in working with both dealers and OEMs in the automotive and digital space. He has served as RouteOne's CEO since March 2002. Prior to joining RouteOne, Jurecki spent more than 20 years with Ford Credit where he served as the director of operations for Ford Credit's Capital Efficiency unit, worked for Ford Credit in the United Kingdom as the general manager of its Customer Service Center and as the manager of World Wide Trade Financing. He also spent many years in a number of field positions across the country, ranging from assistant customer service representative to branch manager of Ford Credit's largest U.S. branch operation.

He received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Eastern Michigan University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Detroit and Canisius College.

Valerie Fuller, Chief Operating Officer and interim CEO will continue in her role until June 6, at which time she will remain as COO.

About FordDirect

FordDirect is a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its franchised dealers to create a comprehensive Web presence for dealers and provide digital marketing and advertising services that help dealers sell more cars and trucks. FordDirect provides dealers new and pre-owned digital marketing and advertising services, call tracking, lead management solutions, dealer websites, search optimization and marketing, database marketing, marketing services for regional dealer advertising groups and other digital services. FordDirect is headquartered in Dearborn, Mich.
MINNETONKA, Minn., May 17, 2016 -- Savvy commercial air travelers are discovering they can add new zest to their step after a stuffy and exhausting plane ride. Oxygen Plus (O+)  the unique, portable, energy product designed for frequent flyers and other wellness-minded individuals  is helping entrepreneurs and business people quickly refresh and revitalize with a few deep breaths of its 95% pure recreational oxygen products.

Sleek and easy to carry in a briefcase or purse, Oxygen Plus is elevating the businessperson's travel experience by offering a natural, side-effect-free way to stay alert and enhance one's focus and mental clarity. When traveling by commercial aircraft, the body's oxygen levels can drop as much as 10 percent, compromising the ability to perform even the simplest mental tasks. Oxygen Plus helps restore the body's oxygen levels to normal, healthy levels, combating the most common symptoms of frequent air travel, including fatigue, mental fogginess and physical exhaustion.

"I always try to stay in hotels that carry Oxygen Plus  in their mini bar or the gift shop," said Jack Brewer, CEO of The Brewer Group Companies. "I have found that it helps me relax and unwind, think more clearly, and revive my energy in a way that caffeine and other energy supplements cannot. When I have O+ on a business trip, I almost feel like I didn't fly at all, which gives me a competitive advantage every time I travel."

While TSA does not allow airplane passengers to pack recreational canned oxygen in carry-on or checked luggage, Oxygen Plus's portable, recreational oxygen products are available for purchase at some of the most prestigious luxury and boutique hotels in the world. O+'s distinguished retailers include several prominent Starwood, Four Seasons, Marriott, Fairmont, The Ritz-Carlton hotels, and is a long-time staple at the Hyatt Regency Denver and Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, Utah. Oxygen Plus can also ship to one's hotel or final destination. For a limited time, travelers can get free shipping on orders sent to a post-airport destination when purchased with a promotional code (TRAVELO2) on oxygenplus.com.

"O+ is proud to be a featured brand product of the W Hotels since the inception of our company," said Christine Warren, Founder and President of Oxygen Plus. "Active, wellness-minded people want our O+ oxygen when they're on the go because it's chic, healthy, contains no caffeine or sugar, and doesn't have any side effects. As a frequent business and international traveler, I'm amazed at how commercial flights can zap my energy, and how Oxygen Plus quickly brings me back."

Providing enriched oxygen to wellness-minded individuals worldwide, Oxygen Plus's revitalizing pure oxygen is considered the "Evian of the air industry." Oxygen Plus is available in a variety of product flavors and sizes. Elevate your IQ: http://www.oxygenplus.com.
PORTLAND, Ore., May 17, 2016 -- Clean Edge, Inc. today released its seventh annual U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index, which tracks and ranks the clean-energy and clean-tech activities of all 50 states and the 50 largest metro areas in the U.S. The 2016 edition comes at a time of notable acceleration in the nation's transition to a clean-energy economy. This year's Top 10 states are California, Massachusetts, Vermont, Oregon, New York, Colorado, Illinois, Connecticut, Washington, and Hawaii. The Top 10 metros are San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Portland, OR, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle, Austin, and Chicago. A free downloadable summary report is available at www.cleanedge.com.

The transition to a clean-energy economy over the past seven years is remarkable, with 14 states now exceeding 10% in-state generation from non-hydro renewables (up from just one state in 2010). The top three states (Iowa, South Dakota, and Kansas) are at 31%, 25%, and 24% respectively.

"This shift represents both the maturation of the clean-energy sector and a deployment landscape that transcends politics," says Clean Edge managing director Ron Pernick. "Among the Top 10 states for utility-scale clean-electricity generation in our 2016 Index, half were red states during the last presidential election (Idaho, Kansas, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota) and half were blue states (California, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, and Vermont)."

Sponsors of the 2016 U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index include lead partner Wells Fargo and supporting partners Cleantech San Diego, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, New York Economic Development Corporation, Portland Development Commission, Sierra Club, and the World Resources Institute. Data partners include Cleantech Group, EQ Research, Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C., and IHS Automotive.

Clean Edge, Inc., founded in 2000, is the world's first research and advisory firm devoted to the clean-tech sector. The company benchmarks and tracks the clean-energy economy by delivering stock indexes, utility and consumer surveys, and regional (state and metro) leadership tracking. To keep abreast of the latest clean-energy trends, or for more information on the company, visit www.cleanedge.com

Editorial Note: The full press release is available for download at: http://cleanedge.com/sites/default/files/CTLI2016PRv.Final_0.pdf

Media Contact:

Sabrina Gonzales

gonzales@cleanedge.com

305-926-3122

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-massachusetts-vermont-oregon-and-new-york-top-the-nation-in-clean-energy-leadership-300269694.html

SOURCE Clean Edge, Inc.

RELATED LINKShttp://www.cleanedge.com
Canadians Who Drive High On Marijuana Believe They Can Do So Safely Eh

AURORA, ON, May 17, 2016 /CNW/ - As federal politicians consider how to make good on Prime Minister Trudeau's promise to legalize marijuana, it is clear that Canadians are concerned about how this will impact safety on our roads.

A new State Farm survey released today found that more than 60 per cent of respondents believe the legal system is unprepared to deal with people who drive under the influence of marijuana. And, close to the same number think there will be an increase in impaired driving if and when marijuana becomes legal.

While most Canadians agree that drinking and driving is dangerous, surprisingly, one out of four survey respondents don't believe or don't know that smoking marijuana and driving can be as bad. However, 80 per cent of Canadians believe that marijuana impaired drivers should face legal ramifications for driving while high.

"At a time when legislators and advisors are considering how to legalize marijuana it is clear that Canadians have questions and are concerned about an increase in impaired driving." says John Bordignon, Media Relations, State Farm. "We know marijuana impairs judgement and reaction time, so any move to legalize it has to be matched with safeguards to discourage drivers from getting behind the wheel while they are influenced by it. Keeping our roads and streets safe must be a clear priority."

Marijuana impaired driving

How prevalent is marijuana impaired driving on our streets? It might be comforting to hear that almost nine out of 10 respondents say they have never driven under the influence of marijuana. However, some that do drive high, believe it is harmless. Forty-four per cent say it doesn't impact their ability to drive safely, an additional 14 per cent are unsure.

Additionally, nine out of 10 respondents feel that younger drivers, aged 16-34, are the most likely to drive under the influence of marijuana.

According to research by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (tirf.ca) here is a breakdown, by age group, of fatally injured drivers whose blood tested positive for marijuana in 2012:

28.5% - 16 to 34

21.1% - 35 to 49

10.6% - 50 to 64

1.3% - 65 and over

When asked what would make them stop driving high, 20 per cent of survey respondents say that there is nothing that would make them stop driving while under the influence, four out of 10 think that stiffer penalties would deter them followed by more public awareness. That said, more than 50 per cent don't think that police have the tools and resources necessary to identify marijuana impaired drivers.

Prescription and over-the-counter drugs

The survey surprisingly uncovered that about 25 per cent of respondents admit they ignore prescription or over-the-counter drug labels that recommend not driving while on the medication all or some of the time. Still, nine out of 10 respondents indicated that they do not drive while on a prescription or an over-the-counter drug that recommends against driving.

Similar to marijuana, 61 per cent of Canadians think prescription drug-impaired driving is a problem for younger drivers aged 16 to 34.

Additional Resources

This is the first of three news releases State Farm will distribute in 2016 revealing survey results and the opinions of Canadians about their driving habits and road safety.

State Farm also took to the streets to ask Canadians their thoughts about marijuana impaired driving. To see what they had to say, please see above videos. For specific reactions in Toronto, Saint John, Ottawa and Calgary, please contact ginger.shewell@mediaprofile.com.

To find out more about how State Farm works to improve road safety in Canada, please visit https://www.statefarm.ca/about-us/community/safety-awareness/auto-safety

About the Survey

The online survey, conducted in March, 2016, polled 3,000 respondents of driving age across Canada.

About State Farm:

In January 2015, State Farm's Canadian operations were purchased by Desjardins Group, the leading cooperative financial group in Canada and among the three largest P&C insurance providers in Canada. With its 500 dedicated agents and 1700 employees, the State Farm division provides insurance and financial services products including mutual funds, life insurance, vehicle loans, critical illness, disability, home and auto insurance to customers in Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick. For more information, visit www.statefarm.ca, join us on Facebook  www.facebook.com/statefarmcanada , or follow us on Twitter  www.twitter.com/statefarmcanada

State Farm and related trademarks and logos are registered trademarks owned by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, used under licence by Certas Home and Auto Insurance Company and certain of its affiliates.

Copyright 2016, Certas Home and Auto Insurance Company.

For more media materials please visit: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7835851-state-farm-marijuana/
NORTHBROOK, Ill., May 17, 2016 -- With a continued focus on improving the customer experience by introducing innovative products and services, Allstate has teamed up with Openbay, an online marketplace for non-collision auto-repair and maintenance services, to help consumers with a faster and more efficient way to service their vehicles. The service is now available via Allstate.com, the Allstate Mobile app's 'My Rides' section, and the Drivewise app. Consumers have access to a national network of service centers, including dealerships participating in the Allstate Dealer Agency program, to schedule anything from an engine overhaul, to a new set of tires, to an oil change.

Allstate provides value at every stage of vehicle ownership, from purchasing the vehicle to insuring it. Now together with Openbay, Allstate is offering the information consumers need to make vehicle repair and maintenance decisions by providing multiple quotes from local service centers, including dealerships, and information to make their selection based on distance, customer reviews, pricing, and warranties. Openbay also maintains digital service records for future access and sends customers reminders of manufacturer-recommended service intervals.

"Well maintained vehicles make the road safer for everyone. Consumers consistently indicate that identifying a quality auto-repair facility is a major pain point, which may serve as a deterrent to regular maintenance and repairs. Integrating with Openbay enables Allstate to ease the burden of comparing and booking vehicle service," said Gary Hallgren, Allstate Connected Car President. "This is another example of services we're delivering that go beyond what people might expect to receive from an insurance company. Through our mobile apps, customers can also access helpful resources such as information on vehicle recalls, where to find low gas prices in the area and parking reminders."

"A massive and growing market of older vehicles continues to dominate U.S. roadways. Quality parts, quality service, and a willingness by the consumer to invest in repair and maintenance services are all playing a key role in this trend," said Rob Infantino, founder and CEO of Openbay. "Consumers realize that regular maintenance and timely repairs will extend the life of their vehicles. Allstate and Openbay are helping consumers along this path by connecting them with local automotive services centers."

Openbay is an online marketplace transforming the auto-repair experience for consumers, and the way that service providers acquire and service customers. Openbay is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, is privately held and its investors include GV (formerly Google Ventures), a16z seed, Boston Seed Capital, Stage 1 Ventures and several individual investors.
Should Britain Ban Wearing Niqab And Burka While Driving?

Safety debate over whether Muslim women wearing religious garb can see clearly

Yorkshire UK May 17, 2016; The wearing of religious head coverings behind the wheel need not be made illegal, despite calls from some quarters to ban wearing the burka and niqab while driving.

That's the considered response from a national car leasing company which says that common sense should prevail in this argument which right-wing and anti-immigration groups have made more emotive than it needs to be.

According to Yorkshire based Flexed.co.uk , sufficient motoring law already exists to cover the issue, and that leaves it down to the police to make the correct judgement calls on a case-by-case basis.

"The charge of 'Driving without due care and attention' covers a wide spectrum of sins," says Flexed.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall, "and this can easily be applied for wearing clothing related to any religious group."

"Let's make it clear; this isn't about what believers in a certain religion wear behind the wheel. Anybody wearing a face covering can fall foul of the law."

What's the issue?

A 2013 YouGov poll found a majority of people in favour of banning the burka altogether in the UK. Flexed expects that the position has not changed much in the two-and-a-half years since the poll was conducted.

Petitions regularly appear on the Government petitions website calling for a ban on clothing related to the hijab while driving, which often raise several hundred signatures.

The issue is a frequent dog whistle for right-wing groups





"There's often a misunderstanding as to what the hijab actually is," Hall explains, "And it can mean for observant Muslim women anything from a simple head scarf, to the all-encompassing burka."

The problem lies in that the general public, who appear to be largely in favor of a ban - not realizing that there is a difference, and that not all head coverings are a "burka".

Flexed.co.uk found from its own investigations that women driving in a full burka is very rare indeed.

In fact, a woman who wears a burka in public would almost certainly come from a more strictly observant family that would not allow an unaccompanied woman to drive a car.

Although there are isolated reports of burka-clad drivers in some areas, it's extremely rare in the United Kingdom, and there's little chance of most drivers ever encountering such a sight, Flexed.co.uk says. "Even when I worked in the Middle East, I never once saw it."

"The niqab is a different conversation altogether, and we're convinced that it's a non-issue," says Flexed.co.uk's Mark Hall.

The BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary Muslim Driving School, which followed the lives of three women working as driving instructors, proved that driving while wearing the niqab is perfectly safe. The programme included one instructor in Blackburn who wore a full face veil, and showed herself to be an extremely competent driver.

"As long as eyesight isn't obstructed, there's no reason why the veil can't be worn behind the wheel," says Hall.

"There's no such argument for motorcycle riders, and their helmets offer far less peripheral vision than a simple cloth veil," he argues.

Flexed.co.uk is of the opinion that if the police and government thought otherwise, wearing the veil while driving would have been made illegal long ago.

"The Crown Prosecution Service would have tried a test case to prove the issue one way or another, but as they haven't it's clear that government legal departments think that it is perfectly safe."

Hall says that objections to the veil in modern society are purely down to prejudice among a public that is no longer scared to voice its fears.

"People are scared of the unfamiliar, and to see a veiled driver rings alarm bells in some people."

He's got this advice: "Calm down. It's perfectly legal and perfectly safe. Everybody has a right to drive, whatever their background, whatever their religion."
The Three Life-Saving Questions That New Car Buyers Must Ask











 Choosing a car that has the full range of safety features as standard will ensure optimum protection and help reduce the number of crashes and deaths on UK roads

 Autonomous Emergency Braking leads the way as a must-have feature on any new car

 Carmakers and dealers should be making it easier for consumers to understand what advanced driver assistance systems do and why they are important  as well as being absolutely clear about which cars have the highest standard safety specification

Four major automotive names will join forces at the London Motor Show as part of the Global NCAP #STOPTHECRASH partnership to ensure that consumers considering buying a new car know the life-saving questions they must ask their dealer before making their choice, namely:

1. What Euro NCAP test rating does this car have?

2. Is Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) fitted to this car  and is it standard?

3. What else should I do to maximise the safety protection offered by this car?

By providing visitors to the show with these three key questions the partnership consisting of Thatcham Research, Bosch, Continental and ZF TRW hope to help reduce the annual UK toll of 100,000 rear end crashes and to make certain that consumers ensure the highest level of safety on their next car. The evidence in favour of AEB is unequivocal. A report released by Euro NCAP in 2015 found that Autonomous Braking systems were responsible for a 38 per cent reduction in real-world rear-end crashes. Despite these statistics  and the fact that vehicle manufacturers have made good progress in making the technology available  AEB is currently only standard fit on 17% of new cars currently on sale in the UK.

Autonomous Emergency Braking as standard should be the number one priority for anyone choosing a new car, stated David Ward, Secretary-General of the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP). The technology is already available in one form or another from almost every car manufacturer and in the absence of legislation to make it mandatory, we are encouraging consumers to use their power of choice to ensure that every new car coming onto the road has this life-saving feature fitted.

Demonstrations showing the safety advantage provided by Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) will run throughout the show and visitors to the #STOPTHECRASH stand will be able to check which new cars have AEB as standard using an online resource that is hosted on the Thatcham Research website this is regularly updated to reflect improvements in safety specification.

Tyres: the only point of contact between vehicles and the road

Tyre safety will also be highlighted, with representatives from Continental on hand to demonstrate the effect that low tread depth can have. The UK legal limit for tread depth is 1.6mm, yet tests show tyres only perform at 55% efficiency with this amount of wear. Continental recommends replacing tyres when tread depth reaches 3mm as a responsible compromise between safety, economics and driver confidence, and is focused on educating drivers on the reasons why this is important: research* indicates that 40 per cent of drivers have never checked the tread of their tyres, choosing instead to wait for a service, while 20 per cent admit that they do not even know how to carry out a tyre check.

Research shows that three quarters of all collisions occur at speeds under 20 mph, commented David Ward. Even the most basic AEB system in conjunction with sensible tyre safety could prevent the vast majority of these incidents.

Helping Consumers to Understand Safety Features and Make the Right Choices

A recent survey** indicated that drivers are more likely to pay extra for satellite navigation and digital radio than they are to invest in safety features, a situation that #STOPTHECRASH believes has to change as a part of the move towards higher standards of road safety.

Less than half of consumers are ticking the option box on safety features, which means a significant opportunity to save lives is being missed, said Ward. While the simplest way to increase uptake of safety technologies such as AEB is to make them standard on all new cars, better and more widely available information about how they work and the benefits they provide is the key to changing drivers attitudes and we believe that vehicle manufacturers and automotive retailers have a vital shared role to play in this respect.

Editor Notes

*Survey by Continental Tyres

**Survey of 981 motorists carried out for Intelligence Report; research carried out Feb  March 2016

ABOUT #STOPTHECRASH

Led by Global NCAP #STOPTHECRASH is a multi-stakeholder partnership which brings together the expertise, experience and resources of its public, private and civil society membership. All are united in their shared commitment to promote advanced vehicle safety technologies in support of the UNs Global Goals and the Decade of Action for Road Safety.



ABOUT GLOBAL NCAP

Global NCAP is an independent UK registered charity serving as the global platform for New Car Assessment Programmes worldwide. Global NCAP has consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC), is a member of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, and supports the UN Global Goals and Decade of Action for Road Safety.



ABOUT THATCHAM RESERACH

As the UKs only Euro NCAP accredited research centre and crash facility, Thatcham provide an important role in ensuring high standards in vehicle safety, security and crash repair on behalf of UK insurers. Thatcham are considered a worldwide centre of excellence in the testing and evaluation of active safety systems and autonomous driving technology.



ABOUT BOSCH

Mobility Solutions is the largest Bosch Group business sector. In 2014, its sales came to 33.3 billion euros, or 68 percent of total group sales. This makes the Bosch Group one of the leading automotive suppliers. The Mobility Solutions business sector combines the groups expertise in three mobility domains  automation, electrification, and connectivity  and offers its customers integrated mobility solutions.



ABOUT CONTINENTAL TYRES

Continental Tyres in the UK and Ireland is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Continental Corporation. With preliminary sales of approximately 39.2 billion in 2015, Continental develops intelligent technologies for transporting people and their goods. As a reliable partner, the international automotive supplier, tyre manufacturer, and industrial partner provides sustainable, safe, comfortable, individual, and affordable solutions. With its five divisions, Chassis & Safety, Interior, Powertrain, Tyre, and ContiTech. Continental employs approximately 208,000 people in 53 countries.



ABOUT ZF TRW

ZF TRW is a global leader in driveline and chassis technology as well as active and passive safety technology. It is one of the worlds top three largest suppliers with annual sales exceeding 30 billion and more than 134,000 employees in over 230 locations in 40 countries.


Category: Global NCAP News

The latest Indian crash test results from Global NCAP released today (17) in Delhi continue to disappoint with all five models rated as zero star. The Renault Kwid, Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Maruti Suzuki Eeco, Mahindra Scorpio and Hyundai Eon all showed low levels of adult occupant protection.

The Renault Kwid was tested in three versions, including one with airbags, but each was rated as zero star for adult safety (see Editors Note).

Commenting on the latest crash test results, David Ward, Secretary General of Global NCAP said,

The latest SaferCarsforIndia results show how important it is for cars to have a body shell that can remain stable in a crash. This is an absolutely crucial pre-requisite for occupant safety together with fitment at least of front air bags. It is very surprising that a manufacturer like Renault introduced the Kwid initially lacking this essential feature. Global NCAP strongly believes that no manufacturer anywhere in the world should be developing new models that are so clearly sub-standard. Car makers must ensure that their new models pass the UNs minimum crash test regulations, and support use of an airbag.

We welcome Renaults efforts to correct this and we look forward to testing another improved version with airbags. Renault has a strong record of achievement in safety in Europe and it should offer the same commitment to its customers in India.

Speaking during the Indian Automobile Safety Conference hosted by IRTE in Faridabad, Ward continued,

The results highlight the importance of the Indian Governments decision to mandate front and side impact crash tests from October 2017. Legislative action is needed to ensure that the minimum levels of occupant protection recommended by the United Nations are guaranteed for Indian consumers. But manufacturers dont have to wait for legislation and we urge them to act to eliminate all zero star cars from production as soon as possible.

Global NCAP also welcomes the forthcoming launch of a Bharat New Car Assessment Programme which can help build a market for safer cars in India.

Renault Kwid

Global NCAP tested the standard version of the Kwid without airbags. It scored zero stars in adult occupant protection and two stars in child occupant protection. The collapse of the structure in the passenger compartment and the lack of airbags explained the poor result.

Following safety improvements Renault proposed that Global NCAP test an updated evolution of the Kwid in production from early April 2016. The car was tested with and without an airbag.

The new Kwid without an airbag scored zero stars in the adult occupant protection and two stars in child occupant protection. The structure did not collapse however it was rated as unstable and that it could not withstand further loadings. It was possible to see the structural reinforcements implemented in this version of the Kwid but when Global NCAP checked the left (passenger) side, there were no reinforcements. The structure was reinforced only on the driver side.

The new Kwid with the addition of driver airbag was also tested. This version also scored zero stars in the adult occupant protection and two stars in child occupant protection. The structure was the same as the new KWID without airbags but a high compression in the dummy chest area explains the low score.

Renault has confirmed that they will implement further improvements to the KWID and Global NCAP will test these new evolutions in forthcoming crash tests.

KWID (I) NO AIRBAGS







KWID (III) NO AIRBAGS







KWID (III) WITH DRIVER AIRBAG







Mahindra Scorpio

Mahindra Scorpio scored zero stars in the adult occupant protection and two stars in child occupant protection. The collapse of the structure combined with the lack of airbags explains the score for the adult occupants protection which means that there is high probability of life threatening injuries for at least one of the adult passengers.







Suzuki Maruti Eeco

The non airbag Eeco scored zero stars in the adult occupant protection and one star in child occupant protection. The collapse of the structure in the passenger compartment and the lack of airbags explained the poor result in adult occupant protection. This model does not offer optional airbags. Considering the structural collapse airbags are not likely to help avoid life threatening injuries to the driver.







Hyundai Eon

The Hyundai Eon is offered in the standard version without airbags. It scored zero stars in the adult occupant protection and two stars in child occupant protection. The unstable structure in the passenger compartment and the lack of airbags explained the poor result in adult occupant protection.







Suzuki Maruti Celerio

The non airbag Maruti Suzuki Celerio scored zero stars in adult occupant protection and one star in child occupant protection. The lack of airbags explained the poor result in adult occupant protection.

The low score in child occupant protection is explained by the high values recorded in the 3 year old child dummy as well as its forward excursion beyond the accepted limits.







EDITORS NOTE:

As a result of Global NCAPs SaferCarsforIndia crash testing Renault has sought to improve the safety performance of the Kwid. Four versions of the Kwid have been produced with different safety features, with the fourth only recently released and yet to be tested by Global NCAP.

Despite the safety improvements Renault has sought to introduce all of the versions tested to date have been rated as zero star for adult protection.

The different versions of the Kwid are summarised below:

Kwid (I) tested without airbags

achieved zero stars for adult protection

18,091 units produced

(until VIN No. VIN MEEBBA005G1323780)

Kwid (II) not tested

Estimated 25,000 units produced from January 2016

(from VIN No. VIN MEEBBA005G1323781)

Kwid (III) tested with driver airbag and without airbags

both versions achieved zero stars for adult protection

5,000 units produced from April 2nd, 2106

(from VIN No. VIN MEEBBA005G4350297)

Kwid (IV) yet to be tested by Global NCAP

produced from May 9th 2016

(from VIN No. MEEBBA008G5362695)




PHOENIX

May 17, 2016

$6,800

-- Elio Motors, Inc. the startup vehicle manufacturer planning to launch a three-wheeled vehicle that will get up to 84 mpg with a targeted base price of, today announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent with Linamar Corp, one of the auto industry's leading powertrain development and production companies.

Under the agreement, Linamar will partner with Elio for the manufacturing of the Elio motors for Elio, as well as for engines for global use in the automotive, marine and industrial sectors outside of the US. The powerful, highly fuel-efficient 0.9-liter, 3-cylinder engine, which Elio Motors developed with partner IAV, could have applications far beyond the company's initial vehicle. The engine is expected to achieve up to 84 mpg, yet still reach speeds of more than 100 mph.

"Elio Motors has developed an engine with a rare blend of power and fuel efficiency that could have significant market potential beyond powering the Elio," said Elio Motors founder and CEO Paul Elio. "Linamar will use its global presence and access to international manufacturers in automotive, marine and industrial markets to identify other uses for our engine and open up potential additional revenue for our company."

Linamar also will be a component and sub-system supplier for Elio Motors' other driveline and chassis systems in North America. They will collaborate with Elio Motors to create engine manufacturing capabilities at the Elio Motors' assembly plant in Louisiana to support the high-volume production of the Elio engine.

"We are excited about partnering with Elio on this important engine project, " said Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of Linamar. "Not only does this give us great penetration into ultra-high mileage vehicles, it also gives us a chance to sell this highly efficient engine to a variety of markets and customers."

"Elio Motors is the first startup vehicle manufacturer to develop its own internal combustion engine in the automotive industry in more than 60 years," said Gino Raffin, Vice President of Manufacturing of Elio Motors. "We're looking forward to working with Linamar to manufacture the engine in our Shreveport facility as we move it toward commercial production."

About Elio Motors

Founded by car enthusiast Paul Elio in 2009, Elio Motors Inc. represents a revolutionary approach to manufacturing an ultra-high-mileage vehicle. The three-wheeled Elio is engineered to attain a highway mileage rating of up to 84 mpg, while providing the comfort of amenities such as power windows, power door lock and air conditioning, accompanied by the safety of multiple air bags and an aerodynamic, enclosed vehicle body. Elio's first manufacturing site will be in Shreveport, Louisiana.

About Linamar Corporation

Linamar Corporation (TSX: LNR) is a diversified global manufacturing company of highly engineered products powering vehicles, motion, work and lives. The Company is made up of 2 operating segments  the Powertrain/Driveline segment and the Industrial segment, which are further divided into 4 operating groups  Machining & Assembly, Light Metal Casting, Forging and Skyjack, all world leaders in the design, development and production of highly engineered products. The Company's Machining and Assembly, Casting and Forging operating groups focus on precision metallic components, modules and systems for engine, transmission, driveline and body systems designed for global vehicle and industrial markets. The Company's Skyjack operating group is noted for its innovative, high quality mobile industrial equipment, notably its class-leading aerial work platforms and telehandlers. With more than 24,000 employees in 57 manufacturing locations, 6 R&D centers and 21 sales offices in 17 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia, Linamar generated sales of $5.2 billion in 2015. For more information about Linamar Corporation and its industry leading products and services, visit www.linamar.com or follow us on Twitter at @LinamarCorp.
SUNRIDER FOR JEEP HARDTOP

SEE ALSO: Totally Jeep

Product Launch Sets New Company Sales Records

LOUISVILLE, Colo., May 17, 2016; Bestop, the nation's leading manufacturer of Jeep soft tops and accessories, announced in April the launch of the SUNRIDER FOR HARDTOP. The patented SUNRIDER FOR HARDTOP (U.S. Patent No. 9,139,073, plus other patents pending) replaces the Freedom Panels on Jeep Wrangler factory hardtops with an all-purpose, all-weather, year-round convertible top that flips back easily for an open-air experience.

Bestop, the nation's leading manufacturer of Jeep soft tops and accessories, today announced the launch of the SUNRIDER(TM) FOR HARDTOP. The SUNRIDER(TM) FOR HARDTOP replaces the Freedom Panels on Jeep Wrangler factory hardtops with an all-purpose, all-weather, year-round soft top that flips back easily for an open-air experience.

Today, barely three weeks after the SUNRIDER FOR HARDTOP became available to consumers, Bestop announced that it would triple production to meet heightened demand.

"The SUNRIDER FOR HARDTOP is the first and only product that provides Jeep hard top owners instant access to an open-air driving experience without leaving the front seat of their Jeep," says John Larson, Bestop CEO. "Early consumer excitement was unlike anything that we have ever seen at Bestop."

That excitement surrounding the SUNRIDER FOR HARDTOP continues to bubble on popular Jeep forums, social media and on Bestop distributor partner websites:

"I will never go back to factory Freedom Panels. Best new Jeep accessory in years."

"Bestop Sunrider for Hardtop changed my whole philosophy on the hardtop. I have open-air freedom whenever I want."

"We do not have to store the bulky Freedom tops when traveling and if rain clouds appear, the top can be completely closed in 10 seconds."

"No leaks and we have been in rain and even had about 6" of snow on the top after a night in Wyoming for Easter."

"I liked my Jeep before the Sunrider. Now it's a passionate love affair."

"I found the first negative thing about the Sunrider  sunburn in early April."

The unprecedented success of the SUNRIDER FOR HARDTOP launch contributed to a record-setting first quarter for Bestop and the company's retail partners.

Larson adds, "I'm really proud of how our entire organization made this happen  it was a large, dedicated Bestop team that pulled together to design, develop and launch the SUNRIDER FOR HARDTOP this season."

About Bestop Born in the outdoor mecca of Boulder, Colorado, Bestop (pronounced "Best-Top") got its start in 1954 with a few custom Jeep tops sewn together in a small upholstery shop. From those bootstrap, do-it-yourself early days, Bestop, Inc. has grown into the world's largest manufacturer of soft tops and accessories for Jeep vehicles, and the sole supplier of factory soft tops on all Jeep Wranglers since 1986. Now sixty-two years young, Bestop has maintained its commitment to providing the highest quality and durability to the consumer  and is still based in Colorado, where employees have access to the ultimate product test lab: the Rocky Mountains.
He spent nearly three decades in prison. Known the world over as a freedom fighter and an ambassador of social justice, today Nelson Mandela is an icon whose death in 2013 at age 95 sparked mourning around the globe.

President Barack Obama and a high-profile official delegation that included former presidents Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton attended the memorial service, televised everywhere on the planet. Butif a former State Department official and reported Central Intelligence Agency operative can be believedthe U.S. government aided in Mandelas 1962 capture and thus bears some responsibility for the 27 years he spent in jail.

Donald Rickard, who died in March, alleges that U.S. intelligence had a direct hand in Mandelas apprehension. In fact, the former U.S. vice-consul in Durban, who was reportedly employed by the CIA until 1978, said he was the spy who tipped South African authorities to Mandelas whereabouts en route between Durban and Johannesburg.

I found out when he was coming down and how he was coming, Rickard reportedly told a British filmmaker. Thats where I was involved and thats where Mandela was caught.

In those days, the man affectionately called Madiba was an anti-apartheid revolutionary deep in the throes of a resistance campaign against the South African government. This was at the height of the Cold War, and many in the U.S. foreign intelligence community also believed Mandela was cooperating with and receiving support from the Soviet Union.

Complicating matters further, the U.S. also was grappling with its own civil rights movement and the fight to destroy segregationist Jim Crow laws. A year after Mandela was jailed, Martin Luther King Jr. was leading the March on Washington, and was put under surveillance by J. Edgar Hoovers FBI.

For his part, Mandela never publicly blamed the U.S. for his imprisonment. In his autobiography, he says the arrest was a result of his own mistakes. I cannot lay my capture at [the CIAs door], he wrote in The Long Walk to Freedom.

This isnt the first time the explosive allegation has come to light. A report by the Cox News Service in 1990, after Mandelas release, appears to bolster Rickards claims, although it is possible he was one of the sources.

In the Cox report, a former U.S. official now retired called the American role in the affair one of the most shameful, utterly horrid incidents in what Cox called the Cold War struggle between Moscow and Washington for influence in the Third World.

The Cox report cited Gerard Ludi, a retired South African intelligence officer, saying the CIA placed an undercover agent inside the African National Congress (ANC). The morning after a secret dinner party with other congress members in Durban, Mr. Mandela, dressed as a chauffeur, ran into a roadblock. He was immediately recognized and arrested, Cox wrote.

According to a follow-up report in The New York Times, Because of concern over the propriety of the CIAs actions in the Mandela case, higher authorities required that the State Department approve any similar operations in the future. The report said the State Department refused on at least three occasions to allow the agency to provide South African officials with information about other dissidents.

Higher authority, in CIA parlance, is a widely accepted euphemism for the president.

However, investigative journalist Jim DiEugenio contends that John F. Kennedy, who was president at the time, exhibited extraordinary support for Third World leaders like Mandela, despite hostility among most U.S. military and intelligence officials.

What is clear is that Kennedy was a proponent of nationalism, DiEugenio wrote for Consortium News, the belief that native peoples living in areas emerging from colonialism and imperialism should have control of their own natural resources.

Whether the future South African president was privately regarded with suspicion by the Kennedy White House is not known, but it had long been rumored that Mandela was working for both sides, a former intelligence official told The Daily Beast and that information surely made its way to the halls of the West Wing and into the Oval Office.

Mandela, who was freed from Robben Island in 1990 and later elected president in his nations first free and fair election, was completely under the control of the Soviet Union, Rickard reportedly told British film director John Irving.

Irving traveled to the U.S. to interview Rickard in the months before he died.

Rickard, who appeared to have had no regrets about Mandelas jailing or his personal involvement, never stopped believing that he was serving American interests.

He could have incited a war in South Africa, the United States would have to get involved, grudgingly, and things could have gone to hell, Rickard says in Mandelas Gun, which is set for screening at the Cannes Film Festival this week. We were teetering on the brink here and it had to be stopped, which meant Mandela had to be stopped. And I put a stop to it, he said, proudly.

Mandelawho shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 with former South African President Frederik Willem de Klerkremained on the U.S. terrorism watch list as late as 2008.

What an indignity, Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) said as he pressed a bill to remove Mandela and other African National Congress leaders from that list. The now-former congressman, who was chairman of the House International Relations Committee at the time, said, The ANC set an important example: It successfully made the change from armed struggle to peace. We should celebrate the transformation.

At the time of the arrest on August 5, 1962, according to the 1990 Cox News Service story, the CIA was active inside South Africa. The U.S. believed that a successful nationalist movement threatened their otherwise friendly ties with the South African government. Administration officials were said to fear the de-stabilization of other African states should the movement expand beyond South African borders.

Reached by The Daily Beast , an unnamed ranking U.S. State Department official confirmed the CIA was deeply involved in Mandelas arrest.

But, involvement with South African intelligence may not have ended in 1962 or even after Mandela was freed, according to the ruling ANC party. We always knew there was always collaboration between some Western countries and the apartheid regime," ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said.

Kodwa told a reporter, They never stopped operating here. It is still happening now. The CIA is still collaborating with those who want regime change.

We have recently observed that there are efforts to undermine the democratically elected ANC government, he continued.

The CIAs communication office declined formal comment, but a State Department spokesperson for the Bureau of African Affairs released a statement to The Daily Beast, saying, We have no information about the claims made in these media reports. Claims that we seek to undermine South African democracy run contrary to the spirit of the proud and longstanding relationship we have with South Africa.

The spokesperson also called the country a strategic partner and a friend of the United States.

With additional reporting by Shane Harris in Washington, D.C.
Hes cheated on his wives, called Mexicans rapists, derided female employees for their bodies, and questioned Ted Cruzs faith (I dont know a lot of Christians coming out of Cuba!).

But Republican leaders have come up with a novel spin to convince Christian conservatives not to be all judgy about Donald Trump. In the RNCs kinder, gentler world, judging Trump for the terrible things he has said and done would be the unchristian thing to do.

That was the head-scratching argument coming from RNC chairman Reince Priebus and past White House hopeful Ben Carson on Sunday as they responded to a New York Times story that detailed Trumps often ugly encounters with women in his personal and professional lives.

As a Christian, what I do is not judge everybody, Carson told Fox & Friends when asked if he is comfortable with the way Trump treats women. And that seems to be something that a lot of people have got into. Im better than you are. Give me a break. Lets just stop for a moment. And Im talking to conservatives.

Carson dismissed conservatives very real misgivings about Trumps character as irrelevant. Its Trump as a president that counts, he said. What we need to be talking about are your children and your grandchildrens future.

Priebus had a similar Christians-chill-out message on ABCs This Week when he was asked to respond to the Times piece.

I think there are things from many years ago and I think that, you know, as Christians, judging each other, I think, is problematic, Priebus said. I think its when people live in glass houses and throw stones is when people get in trouble.

Priebuss live-and-let-live standard will come as welcome news to Bill and Hillary Clinton, whom Republicans are reportedly planning to attack for everything from Bills past intern escapades to Hillarys wayward cattle futures investments.

The ethical hall pass for Trump is also a notable change for a party that has long relied on evangelicals to win elections and is currently pushing a pledge on its website for religious conservatives promising to vote their values on Election Day.

The conflict is at the heart of an ongoing struggle among Christian conservatives as they come to grips with the fact that the Republican Party, which is supposed to champion Christian values, has chosen as its nominee for president a man who appears to have none.

In January, Erick Erickson wrote a blistering critique of evangelical pastors supporting Trump, only to get an earful from many who scolded him for passing judgement on the brash New Yorker. Erickson responded in kind with a column headlined simply, Yes, Christian, you are supposed to judge Donald Trump. In it, Erickson argued that not only are Christians permitted to openly examine Trumps past conduct, it is their obligation as people of faith to do so.

But like Carson and Priebus, Liberty University president (and Trump supporter) Jerry Falwell, Jr. has dismissed the idea that Trump should be held up to any special standard, declaring in March that since politicians never keep their promises anyway, evangelicals should just pick whoever looks like a strong leader and skip the rest. Were not voting for pastor-in-chief, Falwell said.

The judge-not argument coming from Priebus, Falwell, and other Republicans deeply troubles Mike Gonzalez, a pastor in South Carolina who supported Cruz for president.

As far as Judge not lest you be judged, theyre taking that scripture out of context, Gonzalez said of Carson and Priebus. Christians are to judge every day. We are to judge our words. We are to judge our actions. Even Jesus said, Let me know you by your fruits. How are you going to know if a prophet is telling the truth or not? Watch his life, watch what he does.

Gonzalez said Trumps ever-changing policies bothered him, but he found the billionaires past insults of women, the press, and Cruz and his family to be even worse. The pastor said he worries about children growing up in a world like Trumps, where words and actions have no consequences.

Its just not what I think the president of the United States should live out, Gonzalez said of Trumps behavior. Its not that I wont forgive you, but will I support you? No way.

On a broader scale, Gonzalez said something that should worry Priebus deeplythat Christians should pass judgment not just on Trump but on the Republican Party itself.

Im not just going to support whoever the GOP has because Im supposed to, Gonzalez said. I dont have to do that and I think its past time that we say, Were not going to do this anymore.
The alleged altercation that occurred between actor Wendell Pierce and a small group of visitors at an Atlanta hotela confrontation that reportedly began as a political disagreement over Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton was more violent and crazier than initially reported, according to a witness who opened up to The Daily Beast on Monday evening.

We were thinking, What were we gonna do if he got into the room? said a person present during the incident, and who asked to remain anonymous due to unwanted media attention.

Pierce, best known for playing Detective William Bunk Moreland from HBOs hit TV series The Wire, was arrested around 4 a.m. on Saturday at Atlantas midtown Loews Hotel after a fight broke out, supposedly over politics. (Pierce was arrested on simple battery and booked before being released on $1,000 bail.) According to the Atlanta Police Department report, both parties began a conversation about politics which got Mr. Pierce upset. Pierce, a staunch Hillary Clinton supporter, was apparently infuriated when he learned he was talking to Bernie Sanders fans. The big fight did not begin at the hotel bar, but on the 23rd floor, after Pierce allegedly followed the three Sanders fans back to their room.

The source, who was staying with the three involved in the altercation, said he was asleep in the hotel room when suddenly around 3:30 a.m. he heard yelling and banging at the door. By the time he had gotten up, the other hotel guestsincluding Maggie Elena Baca, who has been identified as the alleged victimhad burst into the room, frantically trying to keep the door shut.

I went to the door, and Maggie, and her boyfriend, and her cousin had just come in, the source recounted. Her cousin is leaning her back against the door and feet against the wall trying to keep the door closed, and the boyfriend is trying to get Mr. Pierces hands off his girlfriend He was trying to force his way into the room, and had a handful of Maggies hair, and yanking on the hair, and swinging his arm around.

According to the eyewitness, Pierces arm and one of his legs were visible in the hotel room, with the door pressed against them. The source says he tried to help get Baca out of harms way, and that he tried to run to his phone to call for help.

Meanwhile, a woman who had accompanied Pierce was screaming from the 23rd-floor hallway.

She was [on the other side of the door repeatedly] shouting, Wendell, stop it, Wendell, stop it, the source said.

Wendell then loudly claimed that theyre pulling me in, but nobody in the room was tugging on him, according to the source.

Finally, Baca and her friends relented for a moment, so they could open the door slightly, hoping that Pierce would back away and leave. Then the alleged assault continued, the guest said.

He then charged the door, again, the source said. He then kept swinging, and hit [Maggie] a couple times, fairly hard, on the side of her head and on top of her head. He never got fully in the room. But it was then that Maggies boyfriend shouted, Im gonna get a knife.

At that moment, the actor/political activist stopped, and pulled his arm out from the doorway, the guest said. The confused and startled group of four were then able to close the door. The friends called security, who contacted the police. Baca subsequently informed the cops that she wished to press charges.

The source who was present during Pierces alleged siege of the hotel room characterized the whole affair as both crazy and scary.

None of us knew [initially] that he was famous, he said. Maggie is pretty overwhelmed by the amount of attention this is getting. They told me he was talking politics [with them earlier] and telling them they should vote for Hillary. They told him they were voting for Bernie and they didnt agree with Hillary, and then he started pushing them They went back upstairs to avoid getting in a confrontation with a guy much larger than them.

The source is now back home after the unexpectedly chaotic weekend, away from Atlanta, Georgia. The group is still trying to process everything that happened.

We are as confused about it as everyone else, he said. It was crazy. And as soon as we found out he was a celebrity who was well connected politically , it was every crazier This all seemed like some random person; we wouldnt expect it to turn out to be a celebrity whos not known for doing stuff like this.

The eyewitness mentioned that he had seen the actor in films and TV, including The Wire: I watched him on The Wire ... I liked his character on The Wire.

Accounts of the incident that came to light on Monday diverged from the reporting and narrative from over the weekend.

The incident did not rise to anything significant so no special notification was made, said Atlanta police spokesman Donald Hannah in a statement. It was treated like any other arrest a patrol officer conducts.

Sources contacted on Sunday by The Daily Beast had said that Baca had stepped into an altercation already under way between her boyfriend and the actor. There was no mention of what allegedly took place at the hotel room.

Pierce did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Daily Beast.
The list of celebrities lining up to bash Donald Trump grows longer by the day.

George Clooneys called him a xenophobic fascist, Tom Hanks said his presidency is less likely than the arrival of spacecrafts full of dinosaurs, and Miley Cyrus said shell leave the country if Donald Trump wins the top job. Jennifer Lawrence recently admitted on The Graham Norton Show that she was desperate to run into Trump at an event so she could make a video of her flipping the former Celebrity Apprentice host off and yelling, Hey, Trump! Fuck you!

Now Angelina Jolie has slammed the presumptive Republican nominee, saying his controversial comments about banning Muslims from entering America go against the inclusive ethos on which the country is built.

Jolie, who is Special Envoy to the High Commissioner at the UN Refugee Agencyworking on diplomatic solutions to help those displaced by war, famine, and natural disastersgave an impassioned plea for refugees at a BBC event in London yesterday.

The Oscar-winning actress turned humanitarian was talking to BBC reporter Mishal Husain about the migration crisis and its effect on the world, as part of BBCs World On The Move Day.

She closed her eyes and shook her head in disapproval when someone asked her what she thought of Trumps stance on Muslims, a CNN reporter who was at the event said.

To me, America is built on people from around the world coming together for freedoms, especially freedom of religion. So its hard to hear this is coming from someone who is pressing to be an American president, Jolie, 40, said.

Jolie spoke about the refugee crisis for 17 minutes on Monday, expressing her concern that the support system is breaking down.

Over 60 million people are displaced todaymore than any time in the last 70 years. That is one in every 122 people, she said.

This tells us something deeply worrying about the peace and security of our world. It says that for all other advances this type of human insecurity is growing faster than our ability to prevent or reverse it.

Its not just celebs who have taken exception to Trumps call for a blanket shutdown on Muslims entering the country.

Trumps comments, from which he has shown little sign of retreating, were described by newly elected London Mayor Sadiq Khan as ignorant, while U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron described them as stupid, divisive, and wrong.
If Republicans want to grow their support with black voters in 2016, they might want to start internally.

Over the past few months, all the D.C. members of its black outreach team quit. And the committee only hired one person, a Republican communications consultant who is only committed through November, to take their place.

Black Republican leaders are miffed, and say the RNC hasnt delivered on its commitment to invest in outreach to black voters.

Some say its part of a decades-long pattern in the GOPs party leadership: lose races, promise to court black voters, not follow up on those promises, and lose races some more.

After getting walloped in the 2012 general election, the RNC commissioned a studycalled the Growth and Opportunity Project and promptly nicknamed the RNC autopsyto investigate how the party could do better with sectors of the population where it underperformed. One focus of the report was black voters.

[T]he Republican Party must be committed to building a lasting relationship within the African American community year-round, based on mutual respect and with a spirit of caring, the report read.

In the time since then, the RNC built a small team of full-time black outreach staffers. But over the past few months, four high-level African-American staffers have leftthree from the black outreach team and a fourth from the communications shop.

None of the staffers who resigned provided on-the-record comment about their decisions to move on. Turnover at party campaign committees is common, and losing four staffers isnt inherently shocking.

That said, the exodus raised eyebrows because the staffers werent replaced; instead, the RNC brought on Telly Lovelace, who has said he will leave the committee after the election.

Leading black conservatives who spoke with The Daily Beast had nothing but good things to say about Lovelacebut added that hes being expected to do the work of large team.

But the committees failure to re-staff its outreach team hasnt inspired much confidence that the party as a whole will invest in courting black voters.

Orlando Watson and Raffi Williams are two fine gentlemen, said Ron Christie, a board member of the American Conservative Union, of two African-American staffers who recently left the RNC. The fact that both of them are gone and that they were hired in the wake of recognition that we need to do better as a party is somewhat troubling to me.

It does concern me, he added.

Henry Childs, the president of the Black Republican Auxiliary for the Texas Republican Party, said he found the RNCs shrinking black outreach staff deeply unfortunate.

I was very disappointed in the execution on the black outreach, he said. I always look at the money. Youll know when a campaign or a party is interested when they spend money on an effort, so I look at money and staffers, and as far as Im concerned, they didnt invest enough money and they did not hire enough staffers to get the job done.

Its cyclical that you hear that, he added. Theyre going to do something different, theyre going to try to talk to blacks, women, young people. Every time we lose an election, we talk about what were going to do differently, then we dont do it.

And he doesnt take heart from the fact that theres one person doing full-time black outreach from RNC headquarters in D.C.

Its laughable, he said. It really is laughable. It is laughable.

Childs said a serious black outreach effort would require at least one RNC staffer work on it full-time in each state.

Lovelace said the RNC has seven full-time black outreach staffers operating in different battleground states, including two in Ohio. And he said he is working to develop relationships between the RNC and media outlets with predominantly black audiences.

Theres a whole demographic there that is kind of untapped, and we need to start going after their audience, he said.

And he said the loss of the staffers didnt mean the RNC had given up on the black vote.

This is Chairman Priebuss agenda, and Chairman Priebus is still here and were pushing forward, he said.

Kirsten Kukowski, the communications director for the RNC, said the committee is working to direct convention funds to minority-owned businesses. The convention is in Cleveland, and 2010 census data shows that more than half of the citys residents are black.

One of the events official florists is a minority-owned business, she noted, and said the RNC is trying to highlight minority-owned small businesses as it does publicity for the event.

That said, Sean Jackson, who heads the Black Republican Caucus of Florida, shared Childss concerns that the RNCs tiny black outreach indicated it wasnt making the necessary investments to reach out to black voters.

The RNC does not have a vested interest in black America, he said.

I dont say that in a malicious or degrading or vindictive manner, I dont mean that at all, he added. It has been part of the normnormal culture for so many years, of not engaging the black community, that that engagement continues to remain nonexist.

Until the RNC is willing to make a number of hires and invest serious finances in reaching out to black voters, he added, nobody should take their overtures to the contrary seriously.

Black outreach takes money just like outreach for any other community does, Jackson said, and of all of the funds and resources that are spent by the RNC, very few to minimal to nothing is spent in the black community.

Nobody expects Republicans to do particularly well with black voters. But several gubernatorial candidates cracked double digits with them in 2014, including Chris Christie and John Kasich. George W. Bush won 11 percent of the black vote in 2004, 2 percentage points better than he did in 2000. Mitt Romney, meanwhile, only won 6 percent of black votes in 2012. Ohio and Florida, both must-win swing states in presidential years, have sizable black populations, and increasing their support for Republicans by small margins could have an outsize impact.

Crystal Wright, a conservative communications consultant who worked with the RNC during 2012 to build a website to reach out to black voters (a project the committee eventually scuttled), said she thinks the committees outreach efforts have never been serious.

People go over there, theyre used as props, and the RNCtheyre not committed to any kind of outreach, she said, referring to African-American staffers. Trump and Paul Ryan are doing more to talk with black voters than the RNC ever will, in my opinion.

Theres just no seriousness coming out of the RNC to grow the Republican Party tent beyond white voters, she added.

But Leah Wright Rigueur, a public policy professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government who studies the relationship between African-American voters and the GOP, said the party has a long-term habit of planning to reach out to black voters and then not following through. The fact that Lovelace is on his own at RNC headquarters, she added, indicates that things may not have changed in a substantial way.

The task in front of him is monumental, she said. There is absolutely no way that one person can do it.

In almost every presidential election since 1964, Republicans know what they have to do in order to get black voters but they are unwilling to do it, she added.

As presidential elections near, she added, the party shifts its focus from outreach to African Americans and other people of color to increasing turnout among its white rural and suburban base voters.

The idea of either continuing that outreach or doing very strong targeted outreach is cast aside because their fear is that it will alienate the base of the party, the people who consistently vote, she said.

In 2012, for instance, then-vice presidential contender Paul Ryan wanted to campaign in inner cities, pitching predominantly black communities on conservative policies. But the Romney team vetoed his ideaand went on to do abysmally with black voters.

Every time Republicans promise to reach out to black voters but fail to follow through, Rigueur added, it makes their next effort event harder.

While Republican politicians may not remember, minority voters do remember, she said. They say, This is just like last time.
A nanny is accused of using the children she was watching to rob a bank in order to pay for previous crimes.

Rachel Einspahr of Greely, Colorado was already facing charges on 30 counts of forgery, identity theft, and felony theft when police say she drove a white SUV up to a drive-through tellers window at Colorado East Bank & Trust in Severance on Friday. Einspahr, 28, allegedly slipped the teller a note that said, Do not sound alarm. The man in the very back wants $100s and $50s no dye packs or trackers he has a gun on my kids.

Einspahr told a detective she needed the money to pay $15,000 up front as part of her restitution/plea deal, according to an affidavit filed by police in court. (She also faces identity theft charges in another city.)

Einspahr allegedly wrote company checks to herself while she worked as an office manager for two local businesses, the Greeley Tribune reports. She allegedly stole $11,561 from Benchmark Custom Homes and $21,385 from the Greeley Guest House between August 2014 and January 2015. Einspahr used the money in part to pay off a dental bills and a collection agency, the Tribune reports.

Reached by phone, the corporate office said the two companies are connected and they have no comment at this time.

When police responded to the robbery call, they didnt see a gunman on security footagebut they did see Einspahrs vehicle and tracked it back to her house. Thats where she was watching a 7-year-old and an 20-month-old during her stunt at the bank, according to the affidavit. As a result, Einspahr has been charged with two counts of child abuse as well.

Police interviewed the older child, confirmed theyd driven through the bank drive-through earlier that day, the affidavit said. There was no man in the car, the child said.

Police say she eventually confessed to planning and carrying out the robbery, after first taking the children to a gas station to buy them candy. Einspahr is expected in court as early as Wednesday.
By Dave Levinthal / Center for Public Integrity

In October 2014, then-Federal Election Commission Vice Chairwoman Ann Ravel did what she often does: speak her mind about political campaign issues.

A re-examination of the Commissions approach to the Internet and other emerging technologies is long overdue, Ravel, a Democrat, wrote in lamenting a deadlocked commission vote over whether an Ohio-based business group must include disclaimers on political ads it posted for free on YouTube.com.

But Ravels statementjust finding it on the FECs website in no small featdidnt disappear into the Internets bowels as bureaucratic missives often do.

Instead, in a sign of how toxic American politics have become, it spawned unbridled ugliness, including death threats that have drawn the attention of law enforcement. What appears to have initially prompted the torrent of messages targeting Ravel: an Oct. 25, 2014, banner headline on the Drudge Report: DEMS ON FEC MOVE TO REGULATE DRUDGE.

Die, fascist, die! one anonymous person wrote to Ravel in an email reviewed by the Center for Public Integrity.

Hope you have a heart attack, read another email.

Go fall down about ten flights of stairs, yet another person wrote.

Other threats, while less overt, are equally disquieting.

Best to be careful what you ask for. You will more than likely find the Nazi scenario showing its ugly head, one wrote to Ravel, who is Jewish.

Keep it up, and the pitchforks will come out and then you and your ilk will have no place to hide and the People will have their justice, promised another.

Ravels recent vote to sanction conservative filmmaker Joel Gilbert for alleged violations of federal election lawsthe FEC deadlocked on the matter  have prompted a new round of hate mailers to, in recent weeks, call her a communist c-sucking b and wish her the worst for you and yours.

Heil Hitler is how one writer last month concluded a screed emailed to Ravel at her FEC email account.

Such vitriol and vulgarity, while commonplace for high-profile politicians such as Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, were previously unknown to federal election regulators who many congressional representativesto say nothing of average Americanscouldnt identify by name or face.

While FEC commissioners of late often clash along ideological lines and bicker among themselves, several current and former FEC commissioners interviewed said theyve never once experienced hate-filled communications of the sort Ravel has received.

I dont recall a debate ever going off the rails into personal attacks  this is extremely harsh rhetoric and incredibly inflammatory stuff, said Michael Toner, a Republican FEC commissioner who served from 2002 to 2007 and presided over the commission as chairman during 2006, when the six-member body last overhauled regulations addressing political communications on the Internet.

It reflects a coarsening of the thinking process for some peoplelack of a filter, lack of civility, said Scott Thomas, a Democratic FEC commissioner from 1986 to 2006 and three-time chairman. A lot of people now seem to be going off the edge.

Law enforcement is taking the threats against Ravel seriously.

In late 2014, Edward Holder, the FECs acting deputy staff director for management and administration, contacted the Federal Protective Service in response to threats against Ravel.

The service, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that protects federal facilities, then interviewed Ravel, FEC spokeswoman Judith Ingram confirmed. Ravel also confirmed she received extra security protection during a public forum in 2015.

The Federal Protective Service doesnt comment on possible threats against government officials, said spokesman Scott McConnell in declining to answer questions. Its unclear whether the service is actively investigating the most recent messages Ravel received.

The October 2014 headline the Drudge Report splashed across its site linked to a Washington Examiner article that reported on Ravels comments about the FEC revisiting Internet regulations. (Editors at the Drudge Report did not respond to requests for comment.)

The story also quotes then-FEC Chairman Lee Goodman, a Republican who warned that Ravels interest in stronger Internet regulations could lead to bloggers and politically active news outlets facing new rules.

I told you this was coming, Goodman said.

Goodman underscored his concerns about Internet regulation days afterward during a pair of Fox News interviews.

I cant imagine a regulatory regime reaching deep into the Internet, he told host Tucker Carlson.

Its really a specter of a government review board  the government needs to know when to leave well enough alone, he later told host Steve Doocy.

Ravel, who in 2015 followed Goodman as FEC chairman, told the Center for Public Integrity that she believes Goodmans comments contributed to the threats against her.

He was arguing that I was trying to squelch free speechI wasntand it put me in an awkward position, said Ravel, who since joining the FEC in late 2013 has routinely advocated for stronger election rules and enforcement and sometimes antagonized her Republican colleagues whom shes accused of failing to enforce certain election laws.

I feel very strongly about the First Amendment and the rights of the press, Ravel said. My point is that the Internet has advanced greatly since 2006, and the FECs rules about it are, potentially, obsolete. Our role is to talk about them.

Goodmans office said the commissioner wasnt available to be interviewed. But Goodman emailed a statement disavowing threats against her.

Unfortunately, too many people believe that the way to counter speech with which they disagree is to censor or threaten the speaker, Goodman wrote. The appropriate way to challenge an idea one disagrees with is to debate the idea on the merits. Commissioner Ravels formidable voice on regulatory issues should not be diminished by inappropriate threats or censorship.

Current FEC Chairman Matthew Petersen, a Republican, called for civility, saying there is no place in these debates for threats of violence or things of that nature.

The messages Ravel has received, Petersen added, are beyond the pale.

Democratic Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, who acknowledged receiving a few strongly worded emails of her own in recent months, declined to otherwise comment. Commissioners Steven Walther, an independent, also declined to comment, while Caroline Hunter, a Republican, did not return interview requests.

The 2006 Internet communication regulations the FEC approved in a unanimous vote left most online political messaging unregulated. Only paid political ads published online became subject to similar rules governing traditional political messages, such as those that appear on television or radio.

Since then, the FEC has generally addressed digital and Internet political communications and transactions on a case-by-case basis.

In 2010, for example, Google asked the FEC whether it could sell AdWords text ad space to political candidates and committees without requiring them to include disclaimers. The commission, in a 4-2 vote, determined that Google could generally avoid running disclaimers.

Then in 2011, Facebook asked the FEC to confirm that its small, character-limited ads about politics are exempt from federal rules requiring disclaimers. In a 3-3 vote, the commission deadlocked on the matter.

The FEC has also grappled with cases ranging from political donations made via text message to whether candidates and committees may accept contributions in the form of digital currency, such as Bitcoin.

If the FEC addresses the Internet in any fashion this election year, expect it to be along these narrow lines.

Petersen, the FEC chairman, says he highly doubts the FEC will reopen the lengthy Internet-related rulemaking process it undertook a decade ago. He predicted the commission would take a much lighter touch this year that focuses on providing clarity, coherence and guidance on discreet issues brought before the commission.

There may also be renewed appetite on the FEC to eliminate from its regulations references to obsolete technologyyes, mentions of telegrams, typewriters and magnetic diskettes are still foundand otherwise update rules to reflect how campaigns do business in 2016, Petersen said.

Ravel, of course, prefers a more aggressive approach to regulating online politickingan approach the body isnt likely to take anytime soon.

So is serving on the FEC even worth it anymore to Ravel, who President Barack Obama nominated three years ago next month?

Beyond the threats shes received, Ravel isnt shy about her frustrations with agency gridlock, even appearing on The Daily Show in November to colorfully question whether the FEC still serves a purpose.

Ravel also maintains a home in California, shuttling back and forth from Washington, D.C., to visit her family in a commute she hardly enjoys.

In December, when asked by the Center for Public Integrity, Ravel revealed that the White House has seemingly taken little interest in her tenure at the FEC, saying she had never met with the president and had almost no contact with the White House. At the time, Ravel would only say that its possible shed continue serving through the 2016 election.

Whether on purpose or by coincidence, White House almost immediately started paying Ravel more attention.

Visitor logs show Ravel traveled to the White House on Jan. 20, according to a review of White House visitor logs.

Ravel then met with Obama himself on Jan. 28 in the White Houses West Wing. Stacy Koo, the Presidential Personnel Office chief of staff, also attended the meeting, according to a visitor log entry.

Both Ravel and the White House confirmed the meeting but declined to discuss it.

The President is pleased with Commissioner Ravels performance as an FEC commissioner, the White House said in a statement.

Asked again how long she planned to stay at the FEC, Ravel said she will stay as long as I feel I can contribute.

In the meantime, she said she will attempt to take any additional threats in strideas much as one can.

These are an attempt to be intimidating, to make me either not speak out or to make me stop doing my job, Ravel said. Its creepy, a little worrisome. Im just going to keep doing my work.

This story is from the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative media organization in Washington, D.C. Read more of its investigations on the influence of money in politics or follow it on Twitter.
Former Florida senator Bob Graham caused a stir when he used the term aggressive deception to describe the FBIs treatment of 28 pages from a 2003 congressional inquiry into the 9/11 attacks.

The word choice was intentional, the co-chair of the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks told The Daily Beast, because to Graham, what the FBI did was worse than the conventional Washington cover-up.

Cover-up is a fairly passive action. You put something away and keep it out of the vision of other people who might wish to see it, Graham explained. Aggressive deception is where you try to change the narrative in an untruthful way, and then you keep the material that would provide the truth away from the people. So the only thing they see and are exposed to is the false narrative.

Its an explosive charge, a hairs breadth away from calling the highest law enforcement officials liars, but when Graham lays out the sequence of events that brought hima former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee to level such a broadside, his ire is understandable.

The last few years have pitted him against not only the FBI but also a range of government agencies and officials determined to keep under wraps information about Saudi involvement in the 9/11 attacks, which he believes the public has the right to know.

For Graham, getting this information to the public has been a lonely crusadeuntil recently. He finally succeeded, after months of trying, in getting an appointment scheduled for today with Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who is overseeing the administrations review of the 28 pages with an eye to releasing them.

Former Navy Secretary John Lehman, a member of the 9/11 Commission, told The Guardian that there is clear evidence that Saudis working for the Saudi government aided the hijackers, joining other Commission members calling for the publics right to know.

After a 60 Minutes segment aired last month on the 28 pages, the White House called to tell Graham the decision would be made soon. When he pressed for a firmer deadline, he was told one to two months.

Graham, who keeps meticulous diaries that account for his time, concluded, That brings us to the second week of June.

Still, he cautions the time line is not a guarantee of release, but rather a decision on whether or not to release the pages. Some of the 28-page chapter was not classified, but it was redacted, and he had it in front of him when we talked on the phone.

Page 395, part 4, Finding, Discussion and Narrative regarding Certain Sensitive National Security Matters, he read. Page 395 is the first page of that chapter, and after that with few exceptions there is blank page after blank page, he said. One statement that appears on page 395 says it is possible that these kinds of connections between 9/11 and foreign sources could suggest as written in a CIA memorandum INCONTROVERTIBLE EVIDENCE (emphasis is Grahams) that there is support for these terrorists and then it is redacted.

I happen to know what the balance of that section is but I cant tell you, he says. If the 28 pages come back with that kind of redaction, their value will be reduced.

Almost a decade after putting the investigation to bed, Graham got pulled back into the 9/11 probe in 2011 when writers researching a book on the 10th anniversary of the attacks discovered that a well-off Saudi family living in a gated community in Sarasota, Florida, had contact with three of the four 9/11 pilots, including Mohammad Atta.

As The Daily Beasts Shane Harris detailed, the information was uncovered when neighbors recognized the hijackers from their photos as frequent visitors and told law enforcement.

FBI found direct ties between 9/11 hijackers and Saudis living in Florida: Congress kept in dark, read the headline in a September 2011 Florida Bulldog piece that ran in The Miami Herald.

The FBI field office in Tampa quickly refuted the story, claiming that a six-month investigation had found no relationship between the hijackers and the family, and that all documents had been turned over to the 9/11 Commission and the JICI (Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities) before and after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

That was the inquiry Graham chaired, and he couldnt recall getting any information about Saudi involvement in Sarasota. He called Porter Goss, his co-chair at the JICI, who had been a CIA agent and later director, So he knows the territory, Graham said. Goss didnt recall any such info and neither did Lee Hamilton and Tom Kean, who co-chaired the 9/11 Commission and said they turned over all documents to the National Archives.

Graham had a search done of the Archives and the Sarasota information was not there. He called the security officer for the Intelligence Committee and was told he needed dates and file numbers for a search. He called the FBI in Tampa to make the request, and about a month later, in October 2011 after the Miami Herald story had run, Graham checked in with the security official in Congress. A civil service employee, not a political appointee, he showed Graham the two files that had belatedly arrived from Tampa FBI, one from early in the investigation, and the other at its end.

The reports directly contradicted what the FBI had said publicly. The agent in charge wrote (in the first report) that the investigation was NOT (Grahams emphasis) completed and he suggested lines of several inquiries, Graham recounted. In the second file, he also wrote in very declarative language there was contact between the Saudis and three hijackers.

Soon after reading those files, Graham and his wife flew into Dulles Airport for Thanksgiving with a daughter who lives in Virginia.

To their surprise, two FBI agents met the couple at the gate and guided them to where a third higher up agent was waiting to speak to Graham.

At first, Graham said, he was encouraged as he was escorted to the FBIs office at the airport, thinking maybe there had been a breakthrough. The FBI placed his wife, Adele, in a room by herself. When she asked for something to read, they gave her an FBI Training Manual.

Then Deputy Director Sean Joyce, accompanied by a young female agent and a middle-aged Justice Department attorney, told me basically everything about 911 was known and I was wasting my time and I should get a life, recounts Graham.

Having just read those contradictory FBI files from the Tampa office, Graham pushed back, only to be told the FBI had other information that put what I had read in a broader context and would lead to a different conclusion.

Fair enough, Graham said. Can I see this information? Joyce asked the young female agent to get the materials that provided the context, and a date was set for after Thanksgiving to meet in the FBIs downtown Washington office.

Graham arrived at the agreed upon time but when Joyce came in, he said the meeting adjourned. He also told Graham to stop calling the Tampa agent who had authored the memos, and who had been transferred to Honolulu.

And that was the end of that, says Graham. The meeting ended before it began.

Not everyone is shocked that the FBI is not truthful, Graham says with wry humor, and he credits investigative reporter Dan Christensen, founder of the Florida Bulldog (www.floridabulldog.org), with filing a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request to get the FBI files. The FBI resisted, claiming the files were protected under a privacy exemption.

The three hijackers are dead, and the family is back in Saudi Arabia. Whose privacy are we talking about? Graham exclaims, incredulous.

The judge rejected that motion along with another equally unbelievable claim that the FBI didnt have any documents to disclose after a six-month investigation. Finally, in July 2014, the FBI turned over 80,000 pages and, as The Daily Beast reported last week, a federal judge is poring over them to determine which ones warrant public release.

The FBI declined to comment when asked by The Daily Beast to respond to Grahams charge of aggressive deception.

National security is the reason to de-classify the 28 pages, says Graham. I think the country is paying a real price for withholding this information, emboldening them [the Saudis] to be the primary financiers of terrorists and the primary recruiters of terrorists through their madrassas, and this failure to hold them to account has been extremely damaging, says Graham.

Whatever the decision on the 28 pages, it comes after a years long odyssey that in Grahams view comes from the top and reflects a clear directive that had gone out from the White House to avoid embarrassing the Saudis because the CIA, FBI, Department of Justice, Department of Treasury, Department of State, all these agencies wouldnt be playing off the same sheet of music if the composer didnt want it, and the composer lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

CIA Director John Brennan recently said he was puzzled by the remarks of Graham and others because all the 9/11 leads were investigated and there was no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution, or Saudi officials individually, had provided financial support to Al Qaeda.

Five 9/11 widows issued a statement that if Director Brennan is so sure that the 28 pages have only disjointed information, then why is he fighting so hard to have them kept classified and away from the American public? What is he so worried about? Especially if, according to him, releasing the 28 pages will exonerate the Saudis.

Unlike his predecessor, President Obama has no personal ties with the Saudi royal family, lessening the potential for embarrassment, but there are policy implications to anything that roils a key relationship in the Middle East.

The irony of this is the Saudis themselves say they want the 28 pages released, says Graham. Whether thats a genuine feeling or a cover, I dont know. But we cant say we cant do it because the Saudis dont want it.

With the potential for release next month, or certainly by the end of the Obama administration, answers to one of Washingtons most puzzling mysteries could finally come to light.

Updated 5/17, 1:30pm a previous version referred to the document as an FBI memorandum, and has been corrected to be a CIA memorandum. We regret the error.
The Elizabeth Warren veep talk heated up last week. Warren went on an anti-Trump Twitter tear that could reasonably be viewed as a kind of audition for the role of veep-candidate attack dog. HuffPos Sam Stein wrote last Thursday that some Hillary Clinton campaign folks took note of the senators ability to rile the real estate tycoon. Pivoting off that piece, Slates Michelle Goldberg endorsed a Clinton-Warren ticket last Friday.

I have some thoughts of my own on this, having first speculated about a Clinton-Warren ticket way back in March 2015. I see obvious upsidesand equally obvious potential downsides. So lets just separate this column out into five parts and fly briskly through them.

Part Number One: Forget the old saw about the vice presidency being useless. The standard old saying is from an FDR vice president who said the office wasnt worth a bucket of warm spit, although he probably actually said shit, which Im allowed to say in The Daily Beast in such a context, so Ill say it.

It was true then, but it aint true now and hasnt been for 20 years. Today the presidency is a huge, sprawling corporation. The POTUS is the CEO. But the vice president is like the COOnot the boss, but with plenty of power. Al Gore and Joe Biden have both had broad issue portfolios of their own and were involved in every single truly important decision in their administrations that I know of. And as for Dick Cheney, well, I dont think anyone doubts his influence.

So, to all these liberals who howl, No, Elizabeth, stay in the Senate, you have much more power there!maybe. But if she and Clinton were able to work out clearly understood lines of authority and Warren operated deftly within them, shed have far more power as vice president. Not even close.

Part Number Two: Why Clinton-Warren could be a dream ticket. Easy: Because it would unify the party and galvanize liberals. My guess? The day Clinton names Warren, she gets a five-point bounce that never goes away.

Also: Its gutsy. Gutsy is a quality for which Clinton is not known. Its outside-the-box-y, like Bill Clinton choosing Gore. Two womenwhat an eff-you to the over-testosteroned little man-boy on the other side. It would draw such stark contrasts.

But heres more. Sam Stein, in the piece linked to above, spoke with Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducted some focus groups of independents and Republicans in Colorado last year. They didnt know a lot about Warren, but what they said was enthusiastic. I could totally see this, maybe not with Republicans, but with independentsif youre a middle- or working-class person with bills to pay and worries about how to meet them, shes talking to you. So Warren may have appeal beyond liberals that the Beltway will never recognize.

Part Number Three: Why a Clinton-Warren ticket could be trouble. First of all, this two-women business. It would energize a thunderous womens vote. But how many men who might otherwise vote for a Clinton-Generic Democratic Male ticket would be lost? Its hard to say. I tend to think not as many as the number of women whod be gained, but my female pundit friends tell me that latent sexism even among men who consider themselves to be relatively enlightened should not be sold short, and I reckon they know more about this topic than I do.

Another problem: While Warren may have surprising appeal among moderate voters, one place Im quite confident she does not possess surprising appeal is in the business-corporate world. Lots of these people are horrified by Trump; as I wrote recently, Clinton could pick a number of them off. But thats not likely to happen if she selects Warren. In fact, it could move those types very firmly into Trumps corner. Of course, they were firmly in Mitt Romneys corner, and it didnt do him much good.

Part Number Four: Why a Clinton-Warren governing team could work great. Warren would open the bidding on such a ticket by saying, Im not going to be window dressing here. I have a national constituency that expects certain things of me, and I will join you only if you commit to doing several of those things.

Like? No, not break up the big banks. Clinton wont go beyond what shes said there (which is actually reasonably aggressive, though not by Warren-Sanders standards). However: a say over key appointments, from Treasury secretary to positions like head of the Consumer Products Safety Commission to members of the Federal Election Commission on down to positions that never make the news but whose occupants make decisions every day that affect thousands of people. And a big project of her own to oversee, like the home-mortgage refinancing plan.

Im sure Warren would want morea say in all major economic decisions. Which of course she should have. Butonly a say. If the president concludes against the veeps advice, the veep still has to be a team player about it. They will inevitably come to loggerheads at this point or that, and the media will eat it up because, you know, cat-fight, etc.; so the two of them will need to be particularly mature people about this.

Part Number Five: Why a Clinton-Warren governing team could be a disaster. Because, like, the two of them wont be able to be particularly mature adults about this.

Id say on balance more plusses than minuses. But I think I know how Clinton thinks. The first thing shes going to think is the responsible thing, i.e., would I be comfortable making this person the president should something happen to me? And because of Warrens near-complete lack of interest in foreign policy, Clinton may well answer that question no.

So my current guess? This wont happen. Which is too bad. Itd be reaalllly interesting to see how our country would handle this reality. And to see how unhinged it could make Trump. Picture that, will you
The family reunion for the owners of the Jelly Belly Candy Company quickly turned tragic with one of the worlds most recent deaths by a World War II-era tank.

Candy is the day job of Herman Rowland Sr., chair of the board at the Jelly Belly Candy Company. But the jelly-bean mogul has made a passion project of restoring old military vehicles at the American Armory Museum, aka the Tank Barn, his personal showroom in Fairfield, California.

It was at the Tank Barn that Dwayne Brasherhusband to Rowlands daughter, Jelly Belly CEO Lisa Brasherran over a man named Kevin Wright with a tank last August, orphaning his two daughters, Wrights family says in a new lawsuit. The suit, filed on May 11 in a California Superior Court, accuses Rowland and Brasher of negligence resulting in wrongful death, one that deprived the Wrights of a family provider.

Brasher, Rowland, and Jelly Belly did not answer requests for comment by press time.

Tanks are difficult to drive especially without experience. And operating a World War II-era 1944 M5 tank is presumably even more difficult.

Defendants had a duty to train and supervise the persons operating the M5 tank and to lend their World War II vehicles only to individuals with sufficient knowledge to drive them so as to ensure they would be operated safely, the lawsuit claims.

But Brasher, Rowlands son-in-law, had no tank training, the suit alleges. To compensate for his lack of experience, Brasher allegedly asked Wrighta contractor employed to help maintain and move the Tank Barns vehiclesto hop aboard the antique war rig.

Said defendants had a further duty to ensure that the vehicles had proper safety features such as seat belts and hand rails which could be used by passengers to ensure their safety during use, the suit reads.

Rowland was in the process of modifying one of his antique tanks to fire Jelly Belly candies, according to Fairfield, Californias Daily Republic newspaper. He had already reconfigured a cannon to shoot bags of jelly beans, as The Wall Street Journal reported in 2014.

But despite his penchant for sweet upgrades, the Jelly Belly chair had allegedly neglected to add safety features to his tanks. Yeah, there are no seat belts, Peter Alfert, a lawyer representing Wrights father and two daughters, told The Daily Beast.

On that fateful day, Wright took a seat facing backwards next to Brashera position that allegedly prevented him from seeing upcoming bumps in the road. Alfert says this seating arrangement should have been a red flag for Brasher. An operator of a vehicle shouldnt drive it if anyones in a dangerous position on it, Alfert said.

That didnt stop the pair from setting out from the Tank Barn and piloting the retired weapon down a path and over a low embankment installed for the express purpose of creating an obstacle for vehicles such as the tank to navigate while being driven on the Premises, the lawsuit alleges.

During the joyride, Wright was thrown from the tank, run over by the vehicles right track, and killed.

Immediately after the incident, the Rowland family announced that it was seeking intensive counseling for anyone who witnessed Wrights death, the LA Times reported . But three members of Wrights family say they are still keenly suffering the loss.

Wright was the only surviving parent to his two daughters, ages 22 and 24, their mother having died in 2009. While both young women were financially independent of Wright at the time of his death, the pair are suing for their fathers funeral costs and loss of care. Wrights father, George, meanwhile, depended on Wrights income, according to the lawsuit.

George is 80 years old, and he was dependent on [Wright]. They lived together and the adult son took care of his father, Alfert said. Theres an economic component where the father now has to go out into the marketplace and pay for someone to provide services his son had previously provided.

This is the first reported incident at Rowlands Tank Barn, where the Jelly Belly don once told The Wall Street Journal that he plans to take customers out for rides. But its hardly the first time a World War II tank has been involved in a fatal accident in the 21st century. Two Oregon residents were killed in October when they drove a vintage tank to a firing range, where it exploded.

Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, Rowland told the LA Times in August. We will do everything in our power to help them get through this enormous loss... Many of my family members have been inconsolable since the accident. There are no words to describe the grief we are experiencing.
In a lifetime of devoted service to the nation, the Queen has attended tens of thousands of hugely emotional events, and her remarkable stoicism in the face of high passion has often been remarked on.

Sometimes, Her Majestys insistence on maintaining a dignified front at even the most strained of momentssuch as the death of Princess Dianahas been incorrectly interpreted as revealing a certain coldness in her character.

Those who know her well speak of a warm and emotionally connected woman.

In public, however, she simply believes it is important to comport herself with a stately bearing at all timesand this generally means no public displays of emotion. She doesnt really even do smiles, because then if she didnt smile at her next engagement what would people think?

Today, however, for an instant, the regal facade of duty and reserve cracked. At the unveiling of a memorial to soldiers killed in service, a single tear was distinctly observed to roll down the royal cheek, before being hastily brushed away by a gloved finger.

The rare display of royal emotion came as the monarch joined wounded veterans and serving personnel from the Duke of Lancasters Regiment for a moving ceremony in the spring sunshine at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

The names of 32 men from the regiment who have died since its formation 10 years ago are inscribed on the monument.

The Telegraph reports that the tear was observed to make its way down her cheek just after the Queen had laid a wreath bearing the message: In memory of the glorious dead. Elizabeth R.

There has long been a popular myth that the Queen has only ever shed tears in public once (before today)when, in 1997, she said farewell to the royal yacht, Britannia, after the newly elected Labour government refused to sanction paying for a replacement.

She did cry visibly on that occasion, and that has been unfairly used to paint her as someone who cared more about a boat than she does about her family because she failed to emote adequately at the funerals of family members, including that of her mother and her sister Margaret.

In fact, she has, despite her best efforts to maintain a stiff upper lip, wept in public several times during her reign, mostly at war memorial services.

As a young woman growing up during the Second World War, Elizabeth is known to take profoundly seriously her responsibilities as titular head of the armed forces.

Maybe, as she enters her 91st year, the Queen is allowing more of her personality to come through in public.
If you are transgender, determining which bathroom you are legally allowed to use in North Carolina is complicated. The answer depends on your birth certificate gender marker, which, in turn, depends on where you were born and whether or not youve had sex reassignment surgery (SRS).

But while litigation flies back and forth between the White House and the Tar Heel State over the now-notorious anti-LGBT law HB 2, a new lawsuit filed last week in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania could have significant implications not just for bathroom bills, but for transgender rights nationwide.

On May 13, the Philadelphia-based nonprofit Trans-Help filed a suit on behalf of two anonymous transgender plaintiffs, John Doe and Jane Doe, demanding that the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records allow them to receive new birth certificates without having to undergo SRS.

The suit alleges that gender dysphoria, a psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM-5 that many transgender people receive, should be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and that, therefore, requiring SRS to issue a new birth certificate is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause.

It will provide security and protection for trans people born in Pennsylvania who choose to change their birth certificate because the law will recognize them for who they really were born asas who they really are, attorney Julie Chovanes from Trans-Help told The Daily Beast of the suits possible consequences. So its the right thing to do.

Chavones is one of two attorneys representing the two Does. A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Health told The Daily Beast that they are reviewing the case but cannot comment on pending litigation as a matter of policy.

Like the majority of U.S. states, Pennsylvania requires SRS to issue a new birth certificate to a transgender person or to amend an existing one. A small but growing number of states, along with the District of Columbia, reissue birth certificates without requiring proof of SRS. A handful of statesTennessee, Idaho, Kansas and, in some cases, Ohiowill not adjust birth certificates for trans people even if they have had SRS.

Among the many aspects of life that birth certificates affectsuch as background checks and marriage license applicationsthey now determine where transgender people are allowed to pee in North Carolina.

Under HB 2, the state restricts public restroom use by birth certificate, which means that transgender people at the same stage of transition may be required to use different restrooms depending on their birthplace.

For instance, a transgender woman born in Washington can legally use a North Carolina ladies room without SRS provided she obtained a new birth certificate with a doctors note. A transgender woman born in Pennsylvania who has not had SRS could not legally accompany her.

Trans-Helps suit applies inventive but not completely unprecedented legal reasoning to this vexing problem. Chovanes believes it is the first lawsuit of its kind to apply the ADA to birth certificate law.

The ADA, passed in 1990, explicitly excludes transsexualism and gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments from being treated as disabilities.

As Saranac Hale Spencer wrote for The Legal Intelligencer last year, these exclusions were originally intended to prevent the ADA from being used to protect immorality. The other exclusions, for example, are pedophilia, exhibitionism, voyeurism.

But medical consensus on transgender issues looks very different in 2016 than it did in 1990. Now, virtually every major medical professional association has issued statements supporting transgender health care. And last January, as Spencer reported for the Intelligencer, Kate Lynne Blatt became the first transgender person to explicitly challenge the constitutionality of the ADAs transgender exclusions after being fired from the outdoor retailer Cabelas. Her case is still pending.

At the core of the Trans-Help suit is the argument that gender dysphoria should qualify as a disability in spite of the stated exclusions in the ADA.

The ADA currently defines disability broadly as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of [an] individual. As the ADA National Network notes, it is used as a legal term rather than a medical one.

Trans-Helps suit alleges that because gender dysphoria causes emotional and mental distress and impacts life activities such as interacting with others, reproducing, and social and occupational functioning, it can be considered a disabilitylegally speaking, at least.

Following that logic, the suit goes on to claim that denying birth certificate gender changes to transgender people who have not had SRS would be unlawful discrimination against a subgroup, especially in light of the many obstacles to obtaining the surgery.

SRS is expensive, often excluded from private health insurance plans, and potentially risky for those with other medical conditions. Medical associations do affirm SRS as medically necessary for many people who experience gender dysphoria, but some transgender people find it unnecessary for their particular course of treatment.

Recognition of these obstacles has driven substantial federal-level change on transgender policy. Since 2010, transgender people have been able to update gender markers on their passports without surgery. In 2013, the Social Security Administration adopted a matching policy.

But now, under HB 2 and a nationwide wave of anti-transgender legislation, an updated birth certificate has become more important than ever for transgender people. It is, as Chovanes told The Daily Beast, permission to pee in at least one state.

Until new legislation is passed or court decisions get handed down, that document is determined by a messy and confusing patchwork of state laws that could take years to iron out.
ROME  Stealing an expensive Rolex off the corpse of a foe is just the type of thing one might envision Tony Soprano ordering one of his petty thugs to carry out. Instead, James Gandolfini, the actor who played Soprano in the popular Mafia series The Sopranos, was the apparent victim of a similar postmortem robbery.

On June 19, 2013, a few minutes after Gandolfinis 13-year-old son alerted the reception desk at Romes Boscolo Exedera Hotel that his father had collapsed on the bathroom floor of their top-floor suite, a paramedic apparently swiped the timepiece from the dying actor.

The paramedic, Claudio Bevilacqua, who was also the driver of one of two ambulances that responded to the scene, was called to trial in Rome this week on charges of aggravated robbery of Gandolfinis $3,000 Rolex Submariner, which he allegedly stole while taking the pulse of the dying superstar. According to police reports, efforts to resuscitate Gandolfini were well underway when the theft allegedly occurred.

Gandolfini, 51, suffered a massive heart attack while in the master bathroom of the suite he shared with his son as they waited for the arrival of wife Deborah Lin, who was set to join them on an Italian holiday before the actor was scheduled to be a keynote speaker at the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily.

Gandolfini was still alive when he was taken to the Policlinico Umberto I hospital in Rome, but died shortly after arrival. Bevilacqua is not being charged with medical malpractice and is not believed to have impeded efforts to save the dying star.

Members of Gandolfinis family noted that the watch was missing and reported it to authorities and to their insurance company. An Italian police investigation into the alleged theft included surveillance-camera footage from the hotel corridor and testimony from two hotel security personnel, who told investigators that Gandolfini was not wearing the watch when he was removed from the luxury hotel. One of the security guards who arrived first in Gandolfinis room noted that the actor was wearing his expensive timepiece before paramedics arrived.

One of the security guards told police that he overheard the paramedics discussing Gandolfinis watch, according to La Repubblica newspaper. He no longer has his watch on his wrist, one paramedic said to Bevilacqua, according to the security guard. Bevilacqua reportedly responded, Now lets try to save his life, then someone can worry about the theft.

Bevilacqua did not appear in court this week and his lawyers did not enter any plea of guilt or innocence. The opening hearing was adjourned and the trial will begin in November. Bevilacqua faces a hefty fine and as much as five years in prison if convicted.
This little gem combines my love of grilling with my endless search for new summer vegetarian entrees. Turns out that eggplant parmigiana, that staple of Italian cuisine, is a wonderful candidate for the grill, cooking up quickly and cleanly. And  bonus!  grilling this dish not only requires less oil than the traditional recipe, it ends up imparting a smokiness it could never claim before.

These days you can buy eggplants in any size, but for this recipe you want one of those big old-fashioned massive beauties. At the supermarket, make sure that your eggplant's skin is smooth and its flesh is firm. That's how you'll know it's fresh. An eggplant with bruised skin and soft flesh is an older eggplant, and probably bitter, too.

You want to cut the eggplant into sturdy rounds about 3/4 inch thick. This allows each slice to hold its shape during the cooking process. A thinner slice would buckle under the weight of the tomatoes and the crumbs. The slices also are salted, which deeply seasons the eggplant and eliminates excess water, amping up the taste. The slices are grilled over direct heat so they pick up some of that lovely char. Once the other ingredients are added, you finish the cooking using indirect heat.

Traditional eggplant parmigiana calls for tomato sauce, but here I went with fresh tomatoes to give the dish a fresher, more summery taste. Like the eggplant, the tomatoes are pre-salted to make them less watery and more deeply flavored.

Now, how to add the Parmesan to this grilled eggplant parmigiana? In the traditional recipe, the cheese is sprinkled onto the layered ingredients. But in this recipe there are no layers. Sometimes, however, the traditional recipe is breaded, and that opened up a door. I figured I could swap in panko crumbs for the breading, then add the Parmesan to the panko. Done!

To finish the dish, I topped off my eggplant slices with mozzarella and fresh basil.

Serving up traditional eggplant parmigiana requires digging each portion out of a casserole, which can be messy. Here, the presentation is nice and neat. And this time they get to eat the cold weather favorite in the backyard during the summer.

___

GRILLED EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

Start to finish: 1 hour

Servings: 4

1 large eggplant (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds)

Kosher salt

3/4 pound plum or small round tomatoes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing on the eggplant

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 1/2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated

Fresh basil, shredded, to garnish

Peel the eggplant, then slice it crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick rounds. Salt both sides of each slice, then set the slices aside for 45 minutes. Slice the tomatoes crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick rounds. Salt both sides of each slice and transfer the slices to a rack to drain until the eggplant is ready.

Prepare a grill for medium heat, direct and indirect cooking. For a charcoal grill, this means banking the hot coals to one side of the grill. For a gas grill, this means turning off one or more burners to create a cooler side.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium-low, combine the 2 tablespoons of oil and garlic. Cook, stirring, until quite fragrant. Add the red pepper flakes, if using, and panko. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the crumbs turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the Parmesan cheese, then set aside.

Pat the eggplant slices dry and brush one side of each slice with olive oil. Add to the grill and cook over the hotter side until the slices are nicely browned on the bottoms, 5 to 6 minutes. Brush the top sides with more oil, turn the slices over and grill until browned on the second side, about another 5 minutes. While the eggplant is grilling, pat dry the tomato slices.

Transfer the eggplant slices to the cooler side of the grill, then top each slice with enough tomato slices to just cover the top. Top the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the panko mixture, then divide the cheese evenly among the slices. Cover the grill and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the mozzarella is melted. Transfer 2 slices to each of 4 plates and top each portion with some of the basil.

Nutrition information per serving: 320 calories; 160 calories from fat (50 percent of total calories); 18 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 30 mg cholesterol; 1000 mg sodium; 24 g carbohydrate; 6 g fiber; 8 g sugar; 17 g protein.
Parts of the Middle East and North Africa could become unbearably hot if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

New research predicts that, by mid-century, summer temperatures will stay above 30C at night and could rise to 46C during the day.

By the end of the century, maximum temperatures could reach 50C, and this could happen more often. Instead of 16 days of extreme heat, there could be 80 days.

"In future, the climate in large parts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) could change in such a manner that the very existence of its inhabitants is in jeopardy", says Jos Lelieveld, director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany.

He and colleagues report in the journal Climatic Change that they used computer models to explore changes in temperature patterns in the MENA region in the 21st century. Global warming happens unevenly, and many regions are experiencing warmer winters - with earlier growing seasons - but not necessarily many more extremes in summer heat.

200 'unusually hot' days a year by 2100?



But the pattern around the Eastern Mediterranean and in the landscapes of Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco is one of increasing summer heat.

Between 1986 and 2005, the average number of 'very hot' days was 16. By mid-century, this could reach 80 days a year. By the end of the century, even if greenhouse gas emissions decline after 2040, the number of sweltering days could soar to 118.

"If mankind continues to release carbon dioxide as it does now, people living in the Middle East and North Africa will have to expect about 200 unusually hot days [per year], according to the model projections", says Panos Hadjinicolaou, associate professor at the Cyprus Institute and a co-author of the report.

Prof Lelieveld and another co-author from the Cyprus Institute took part in a study of changing atmospheric conditions, to see what aerosol concentrations in the atmosphere could tell climate science about soil moisture trends in the region's arid landscapes.

They report in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics that as soils have dried, dust emissions have increased - by 70% over Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria since the beginning of this century.

Climate researchers have repeatedly warned that extremes of heat will become the 'new normal' at most latitudes. However, those countries that already experience the most relentless summer heat could become increasingly unhealthy and unstable.
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By Erin Schmitt of The Gleaner

Tasked with cutting millions in expenditures, the Henderson County Board of Education met its target.

The board unanimously approved the 2016-17 tentative budget during its Monday night meeting. The school board will pass the working budget in September.

Earlier this spring, Henderson County Schools set out to slice expenditures by $4.7 million before the end of May to balance the budget. The target reduction was met by releasing assigned funds, reducing staff positions through a state staffing formula, reducing the discretionary contingency funds and making cuts to several district programs.

The district cut 11 1/2 positions for a total of $460,000 in savings. In the special education program, 9 1/2 teacher jobs and 10 program assistants were eliminated for a total of $725,460.

"I think the things to remember the most is that those reductions were made by looking at students first, looking at our programs and finding ways to be the most efficient," said Superintendent Marganna Stanley.

Other reductions included: restructuring the CTE program for $230,776; reducing the program assistants that were hired for one year only for the preschool for $94,124; restructuring the Central Academy alternative program for $281,022; allocating a portion of instructional assistant for the English Language Learner program and not hiring a retiring teacher for $53,735; reducing one teacher in the gifted program for $53,998; restructuring the Central Office for a savings of $91,322.

The grand total of reductions is $4,698,900.

The board also approved releasing assigned funds, specifically for HVAC repairs and assigned roof repairs, for a total of $1,179,000. Revenue from the nickel initiative can be used to cover emergency renovations, said Stanley.

A "nickel tax" was approved through public referendum in November. A nickel tax generates revenue that is restricted to construction or renovation projects.

"The nickel tax is allowing us to take some of this money that we have been saving for a rainy day and use it for programs so we're not losing more teachers than we already are," said Board Member Sally Sugg.

The general fund contingency will be $4,356,805 or 6.02 percent.

The beginning balance is budgeted at $7,421,688, which is a decrease of $4,190,573 from the draft budget passed in January.

This budget is based on a SEEK Guaranteed Base per pupil forecast amount of $3,981, which is the same amount as projected in the draft budget.

This budget includes rank and step increases currently in the salary schedule at a projected cost of $544,131.

A total of $69,733 has been set aside in the general fund for textbooks. School officials anticipate that the state will fund an additional $182,739 for instructional resources.

The budget assumes the continuation of several key initiatives such as full day kindergarten, curriculum specialists, Henderson County Central Academy and MAP testing or its replacement. Superintendent Marganna Stanley applauded the board for keeping these programs funded.

The budget doesn't include money for the KETS match or continuing the TB21 technology grant, which has been used to increase the amount of devices throughout classrooms in the district.

What is included in the budget is $25,604 for the second installment of six for the KSBIT settlement, which is money school systems across the state were hit up for after the Kentucky School Boards Insurance Trust became defunct.

Spottsville project: The board approved the paperwork a geothermal well field that's part of the construction process for the new Spottsville Elementary, This part of the project will cost of $1,239,850.

Roofing project: The board also approved a change order for a miscellaneous roofing project. With the change order, the board will save 22,574.97.

School health index: The school health index self assessment is an online self assessment tool that schools can use to improve their health and safely policies and programs. The Henderson district rated thusly in several categories: school health safety/policies environment, 84.9 percent; health education, 83.2 percent; physical education/physical activity programs, 83.9 percent; nutrition services, 81.8 percent; heath services, 86.9 percent; counseling, psychology and social services, 87.7 percent; health promotion for staff, 80.6 percent; family and community involvement, 75.9 percent.

Early childhood: Thelma B. Johnson Early Learning Center Principal Aleisha Sheridan told the board there has been a 43 percent increase in preschool enrollment since the school opened in 2012.

Board attorney: First reading of a policy that outlines the powers and duties of the board attorney was heard and approved by the board.Under the policy, the board may employee an attorney for two years to advise and represent it in legal matters.
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By Tom Lovett of The Gleaner

The cool wet weather may have kept many people home, but 17-year-old Kendra Kostbade of Henderson turned up with her parents Tuesday at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church to cast her first ballot.

Kostbade will turn 18 in July, which made her eligible to vote in Tuesday's primary.

"It was easier than I thought it would be," she said after casting her ballot.

Her mother, Laura Kostbade, said Kendra, who is home-schooled, has taken part in an organization called Teen Pact in which she has traveled to Kentucky's Statehouse to learn about how government operates.

"They have mock elections, so I kind knew what was going on," Kendra Kostbade said. "They also teach you how to campaign, so if you ever want to run (for office) you'll know how. I doubt I'll ever want to run, but at least I know how to vote."

Kendra Kostbade said she likes to be well-informed about candidates, but hasn't had as much time as she would have liked to prepare for this election.

"I've been busy with senior stuff, she said, "so I haven't really had time to look into all the different people running. Mom and Dad kind of helped with that."

"We swayed her vote," her father, John Kostbade, said with a laugh.

"We weren't real up on the commissioners, but the other guys, we kind knew what to do," said John Kostbade.

Kendra Kostbade said she'll be back to vote in the fall.

"I'll be better informed at that point."
Greater Burlington leaders hope for more hotel, housing construction

Burlington and West Burlington leaders shared opportunities for growth and quality of life improvements in their respective cities.
STAMFORD-A Norwalk man was charged with allegedly keeping a $20,000 deposit he was given by a Stamford man to purchase a high-end Mercedes Benz station wagon.

Police charged Chaim Tornheim, 51, of Taylor Avenue with first-degree larceny and was released after making a $20,000 cash court appearance bond.

According to Tornheims arrest affidavit, a 39-year-old Atlantic Street man came to police headquarters in April complaining that a man had stolen his money.

The man said he was looking around for a $50,000 to $60,000 Mercedes G55 station wagon and went to Tornheim, because he specializes in looking for those types of cars.

In September he gave Tornheim the deposit and obtained a written receipt for his money, but the car never came.

Tornheim explained to police that he bought the car in California, but it was wrecked in Illinois while being transported to Connecticut, his affidavit said. But Tornheim said he could not remember the name of the company that transported the car and was unsure of who the car dealer was in California.

Tornheim, who says his real business is in real estate

flipping houses acknowledged that he received the money from the Stamford man.

He told investigators that the problem was really only civil one and they shouldnt bother themselves over it. But it was explained that if he took money for a service he did not provide or refuses to pay the money back, it was in fact a crime.

He acknowledged to being in some IRS trouble and when the insurance check came in for the wrecked Mercedes, the government froze his accounts and he was unable to do anything about getting the Stamford mans money back.

But Tornheim did not provide investigators with any receipts, insurance statement or paperwork, with information on the Mercedes. Police say Tornheim offered to pay the man $2,500 in cash and give him an old Mercedes Benz that he could sell, but the other man refused the offer, saying he wanted all of his money back.

jnickerson@scni.com;
NORWALK  A Norwalk woman was charged with assault and risk of injury to a minor following allegations that she physically assaulted her husband while holding their infant child.

Police were dispatched to 4 Hill St. at approximately 3:20 a.m. Sunday on a report from a male complainant about a domestic disturbance.
NORWALK -- Noting that 60,000 Connecticut children have been exposed to the toxin lead -- and that more than 2,000 have levels high enough that they are lead-poisoned -- U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Elizabeth Esty unveiled a bill Monday to help homeowners make their homes safer and better protect children.

"We cannot kick the can down the road and hope the problem goes away. It will not," said DeLauro, a Democrat who represents the 3rd Congressional District.

In an April 30 story, The Hour reported that figures from the state Department of Public Health show that tens of thousands of children are being regularly exposed to lead paint and lead dust -- and that tens of thousands of children are not being properly tested for exposure to the toxin.

Damage caused by lead, which can include cognitive, hearing and neurological deficits, among others, is irreversible.

In Norwalk, 66 Norwalk children are considered active lead poisoning cases, a problem that's only getting worse despite efforts by the city Health Department to intervene with its Lead Poisoning Prevention and Control Program, run by Nora Llach.

That makes Norwalk fifth in the state for active lead poisoning cases, only behind Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven and Bridgeport, which in 2013 had 402 active cases, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health's most recent available data.

The Congresswomen's legislation -- the Healthy Homes Tax Credit Act -- would give a $5,000 tax credit to homeowners for lead paint and dust abatement, as well as for asbestos and radon, and remove lead-lined plumbing. The bill is a companion to one introduced earlier this year by U. S. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

DeLauro and Esty, the latter who represents the 5th Congressional District, pointed out Monday in New Haven that hundreds of thousands of homes across the state were built before the federal government banned lead paint in 1978.

The walls and ceilings of older homes were often just painted over, which doesn't prevent the undercover of toxic paint from eventually chipping off and falling onto the floor; even more dangerous is lead-paint dust, created when windows and doors are opened and shut over the years, grinding down the paint to dust, which can be easily ingested or absorbed by crawling babies and toddlers.

Because of the age of the state's housing stock, the federal government considers Connecticut to have one of the highest lead-poisoning risks in the country.

Although children who live in older, poorer urban areas are most at risk for lead poisoning, DPH numbers show that children have been exposed in West Hartford, East Hartford, New Britain, Stratford, Hamden, Middletown, and many other communities statewide.

The crisis in Flint, Mich., has shone a light on lead-poisoning linked to water, DeLauro said.

In Norwalk, the problem doesn't come from water. Health department officials said all cases in this area are caused primarily by lead dust from paint in older homes that haven't been appropriately maintained.

DeLauro added, "No community should ever endure what Flint has endured. Every single person in this country deserves to come home to a place where they feel secure, where they do not worry about their health being at risk, where they do not feel afraid."

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org).
NORWALK  At a time when public institutions in Connecticut struggle to receive state funding, federal grants become ever more valuable.

So it was a pretty big deal when the U.S. Department of Education announced that Norwalk Community College was selected along with 43 other colleges across the nation to participate in the federal Dual Enrollment Pell Experiment.

"We're absolutely thrilled," said NCC President David Levinson.

The experiment allows qualifying high school students taking college credit courses to access federal Pell grants.

In Norwalk, at least 19 high school students are taking classes at Norwalk Community College for free, and 33 more will be doing so this summer, according to the Norwalk Early College Academy, or NECA, director Karen Amaker. NECA, a partnership between local high schools and NCC, has been offering college courses to local high school students free of charge for the past two years.

Though the students have been able to take these NCC courses for free thus far, Levinson said this grant will ease the financial burden of the college so it can continue offering these courses free of charge.

"The success of NECA and other NCC high school partnerships demonstrates that students excel with dual enrollment options. Providing financial aid for college level courses will open the door to college success and a promising future," said Levinson in a statement.

The three-year experiment, said U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr., is based on the theory that those who take college-credit courses in high school are better prepared to attend an institute of higher learning upon graduation -- especially for those who are first generation or come from low-income households.

"We already know from the field that dual-enrollment programs are powerful ways to introduce rigorous coursework to students and show them they are smart and prepared enough to enter higher education," said U.S. Under Secretary Ted Mitchell.

Expanding access to Pell grants -- a federal grant already given to low-income university students -- would expose more students to the college experience at an earlier age.

"(Right now) many students of lower income backgrounds won't have the opportunity to take the course that will help them get through college," said King.A study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that less than 10 percent of children born at 25 percent or below average household incomes attain a bachelor's by age 25.

With this experiment in place, the U.S Department of Education estimates 10,000 high school students will be able to access $20 million in aid for the upcoming school year.

The grants will be made available to students who are currently participating in a dual-enrollment program like NECA, as well as new students. About 80 percent of the selected colleges are community colleges.

"We're also interested in whether the availability of Pell dollars makes it more likely that low-income students will enroll in dual enrollment programs," said King.

The 44 colleges were picked because of the quality of their pre-existing dual enrollment programs, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

"We're very excited," said Levinson. "To be able to do this is going to be a game-changer for us. Right now we're working on a tight budget and now that high school students can get financial aid, well, it's a wonderful opportunity for all."

Sfoster-Frau@CTPost.com; @SilviaElenaFF
NORWALK  The Center for Global Studies, a magnet school situated in Brien McMahon High School, has requested funding for its out-of-district students after 22 years of relying on district and state funds alone.

It was a last case scenario for us, said Julie Parham, director of the center.

Parham sent a letter to Bridgeport earlier this month alerting the district to the centers intention to charge its students, originally hoping to receive the funding for the start of the school year this fall.

However, the state law that allows districts to request funding of its magnet students from the school board and the Commissioner of Education, recently underwent a revision that requires a years notice to the school it intends to charge.

Inter-district magnet schools can get funded three ways: by the state, by their district and/or by charging other districts for the students they educate.

Parham said the 2010 state freeze of magnet school grants combined with a prospective 5 to 6 percent budget cut for magnet schools across the state this year has her worried about funding the centers students in the future.

The district is really working with us to make sure that we are financially stable, so right now were fine. Were really looking to the future to off-set the cost of rising salaries and benefits, she said.

The state cuts are affecting magnet schools statewide, and Parham said she wouldnt be surprised if the few inter-district magnet schools that dont charge tuition to other districts now, start charging soon.

Were all in the same boat, she said.

Parhams request to the commissioner includes charging districts $3,000 per pupil  not even a quarter of the cost of tuition for the average Norwalk student. The majority of out-of-district students at the center come from Bridgeport; those 70 students would cost Bridgeport $210,000.

Marlene Siegel, chief financial officer for Bridgeport schools, said the school boards finance committee is working to make $240 million worth of anticipated expenses somehow fit into the $227 million operating budget it expects to receive from the state and city for the coming fiscal year.

Even if a student is attending an out-of-district magnet school, districts still get state funding for educating that student. This year, Bridgeport gets $7,085 for each out-of-district student and $3,000 additional for each in-district student.

Parham said she understands her request is not exactly the best news for Bridgeport, but she also must prioritize the students at her schools.

From one point of view, they are receiving money for students that theyre not educating, she said. But at the same time, Bridgeport is a large district and they have a budget theyre trying really hard to balance just like we all are, and its not easy to send money away like that.

Parham said she wasnt aware of other inter-district magnet schools charging the Norwalk district for educating Norwalk students.

This is all just making long-term financial planning for the school, and if we do it right, the students will never know were doing it, she said.

Parham invited the superintendents and/or their representatives of 14 nearby school districts to discuss the changes in funding during the centers upcoming student governance council meeting.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at 2:20 p.m. on May 24 at the Center for Global Studies community room in Brien McMahon High School.
NORWALK  With layoffs planned for four of 16 judicial marshals as part of state budget cuts, the mood Monday was somber among the uniformed court officers at Norwalk Superior Court.

The layoffs take effect at the end of the business day on June 23. The marshals were notified of the layoffs at the Norwalk courthouse on May 11.

Representatives were sent to serve the four people here last Wednesday, said one law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity. One of the people laid off has a 1-year-old baby, another is a single parent with a 9-year-old, another one was planning to buy a house, and the fourth lives with his parents  so he might be luckier in that way, but this is still his career. Its very sad.

The official said that the reduction in staff will slow things down at the courthouse.

The duties of the marshals are to provide care and custody for the inmates to keep them from hurting themselves or someone else, to protect the safety and security of judicial staff, and to monitor metal detectors, he said. For one thing, having fewer marshals will reduce how quickly things get done.

The official pointed to one example of that in terms of bringing incarcerated defendants from basement lockup to face the judge: It takes more than two marshals to bring someone up  some have the strength of four men and can be very dangerous. One of the main concerns is to make sure that no one can get at the judge  instead of bringing inmates up together we will have to bring them up one at a time. That will slow things down.

The Judicial Branch began a second round of layoffs on Thursday, May 5.

It is important to note that layoffs are seniority based per union contract, so some locations may be disproportionately affected. In response, the Branch over the coming weeks will exercise its right under the contracts to transfer staff to locations that need additional coverage, according to an email from Connecticut Judicial Branch spokesperson Rhonda Stearley-Hebert.

The total number of layoff notices issued totals 239, with 126 issued last month plus the most recent 113.

Stearley-Hebert cautioned that the figure of 239 does not represent a final number.

The total number of layoffs will be determined following a review of the Judicial Branchs FY 17 budget, which the Senate and House approved last week, she said in her email. The Branch also anticipates the closure and consolidation of courthouses as a result of the FY 17 budget. No decisions have been made, and we are not commenting at this point regarding specific locations.

At present, there are 16 judicial marshals, including two supervisors, at the Norwalk courthouse. After the layoffs in late June, that number will drop to 12.

Over the coming weeks, we will determine where there will be gaps and how to address them, Stearley-Hebert said.

Overall, Norwalk Superior Court employs 40 people, including two judges, one judge trial referee, five administrative assistants, a caseflow coordinator, an interpreter, three court planners and three court monitors.

Staff Writer Robert Koch contributed to this story.
Norwalks third-place tie in the state for the highest number of police traffic stops of racial minorities is a disturbing distinction.

The Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project analyzed nearly 600,000 traffic stops made by police from October 2014 to September 2015 and found that Norwalk, five other municipalities and one State Police troop had high percentages of minorities pulled over compared to the population.

In Norwalk, 42 percent of the traffic stops were of blacks and Hispanics. Only Bloomfield, at 67 percent, and Wethersfield, at 47 percent, were higher. State Police Troop H tied Norwalk.

This is serious. But does the in-depth statistical study point to racial profiling by police? Not necessarily. As Norwalk Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik noted, the results can be affected by a variety of factors.

The department is working cooperatively with the researchers to provide more information, such as the location of the traffic stops, to determine whether a pattern exists.

Some municipalities have argued that a large number of out-of-town drivers on major thoroughfares also can skew the percentages.

The researchers themselves, in the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, caution that the racial and ethnic disparities do not prove profiling. But the trends certainly warrant closer examination.

It is illegal to target minorities, it is illegal to stop, detain or search because of race. The statewide finding that more stops of minorities occurred during daylight than in darkness, when race is harder to notice, raises questions that must be addressed. In Norwalk, blacks are 15 percent of the population, but comprised 22 percent of the traffic stops.

Norwalk is one of 10 police departments that will be closely monitored this year.

The project to examine the conditions for racial profiling took on urgency four years ago after four East Haven police officers, after a federal investigation, were charged with targeting Hispanics. The report released Thursday reflects the second full year of the study based on information submitted by the police departments.

This should not become a scorecard  it is more nuanced  but the question of racial profiling should be on the mind of every police officer every time a decision is made to stop a vehicle and issue a ticket.

Good community relations are based on trust, and the Norwalk Police Departments apparent seriousness in addressing the seeming disparity in traffic stops can only strengthen relationships with the citys citizens.
Edwardsville Seniors will be heading to the St. Louis Muny Opera this summer. The city's Parks and Recreation Department is planning a trip to the Muny in Forest Park on Tuesday, June 14, to see "The Wizard of Oz," with dinner before the show at the Culver Pavilion and a backstage tour.

The trip is offered as part of the Edwardsville Senior Citizens - A Perfect Experience (ESCAPE) program.

We went to the Muny last year, but the show was rained out, said Assistant Recreation Coordinator Hayley Verheyen. We still got to go on the tour and have dinner. The tour was modified because of the rain, but Verheyen said they should be able to go on the stage.

The tours are only offered to groups of 15 or more. Visitors will see where stage sets are designed, built and stored. They will also learn about the history of the Muny and end the tour by going onto the stage.

The Culver Pavilion, where the group will eat dinner, is at the Muny. Its a really nice buffet, Verheyen said. They often do a theme for the play. They have food that kind of goes along with it. For The Wizard of Oz, the buffet will include chilled strawberry soup, seared pork tenderloin filets, beef tenderloin kebabs, and squash ravioli with side dishes.

There is always a salad bar with pasta salad, cheese and crackers, and assorted desserts, Verheyen said. There is also a full bar.

The fee for the trip is $80 and includes transportation, the backstage tour, dinner and a ticket to the show. The show will start at 8:15 and the ESCAPE tickets are in front of Terrace B.

Reservations are being taken until Wednesday, May 25. To reserve a spot, call 692-7538. Payment can be sent to the Edwardsville Parks Department, 118 Hillsboro Ave, Edwardsville, IL 62025. Make checks payable to the Edwardsville Parks Department.

The tour bus will leave from the parking lot of Eden United Church of Christ at 1003 Main St. in Edwardsville at 5:30 p.m. and will return at approximately 11:45 p.m.

In other senior news, Verheyen said that there are still spots open for Coffee and a Movie on May 18 at the Wildey Theatre. The movie is Funny Face starring Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire and Kay Thompson. 222 Artisan Bakery is catering with mini pastries and coffee. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and the movie starts at 10. Tickets are $5 in advance or $7 at the door. To make reservations, call the Parks Department at 692-7538.
A new position has been created in the Glen Carbon Police Department to assist Administrative Lieutenant Mark Foley.

Police Chief Todd Link, presenting his case to the Glen Carbon Board, said the new position would provide frontline supervision for members of his staff.

On the patrol side Lt. (Wayne) White supervises 14 people, but has five patrol sergeants available to assist him as frontline supervisors, Link said. Lt. Foley supervises the same amount of the people, but he is a police officer and the fact that he has no prior, first-hand experience in many of the functional areas he supervises makes his job more difficult.

Link said Foley oversees records management and dispatchers and he has the responsibility to make performance evaluations on his staff.

He isnt in the position to determine whats good performance and whats not good performance of people doing jobs hes never done, Link said.

Under Links plan dispatcher Coleen Schaller would be promoted to the position of Support Services Supervisor.

Link said her position would have a variety of tasks to support he and Foley in the administration of the department.

This would be a position that acts as a front-line supervisor, he said. She would be responsible for training and performance evaluation of non-sworn staff, do statistical analysis and reporting, scheduling and serve as administrative assistant to the chief of police.

Link said the position would be an exempt position, meaning a union would not represent the position.

Mayor Rob Jackstadt questioned if the position qualifies as a truly exempt position.

Link responded, saying due to the performance evaluation tasks and the confidentiality aspect of the position, he is confident the position should be exempt.

More than anything else that has to do with this position, the fact that this position provides administrative assistance to me requires confidentiality, he said. If I had a person working within the union in that position it would destroy the confidentiality.

Village Administrator Jamie Bowden said during the creation of the position, village staff had consulted with a labor attorney on the matter.

Link said they will hire a replacement dispatcher to replace Schaller.

We will not diminish the collective bargaining unit with the dispatchers, he said. Right now there are four and when we hire a new dispatcher they will have the same amount as they currently do.

Trustee Brooke Harmony, who is the chair of the Public Services Committee, said the topic of exempt versus union was discussed in committee.

I think everyone who worked on this did due diligence checking labor laws and consulting with labor attorneys and everything is cohesive, she said. Coleen is a great choice for this position. Its going to help and be a good addition.

Link agreed saying the position has a lot of responsibility and he believes they have made the proper choice of the person for the job and it will work out very well.

The proposed compensation for the new position for 2016 is $57,000 per year.

The board unanimously approved the creation of the new position.
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Linkedin Gunilla Olsson (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

Children in Indonesia can experience vastly different realities.



Imagine a Jakarta boy named Budi, just born in the Bantar Gebang slum. With a healthy start in life, he could reach age 5 in 2020 and be a successful high school student by 2030. Grace, a young girl from rural Papua would be turning 13 today and coming of age with a high school diploma in 2020. She could head a green technology start-up by 2030 on her way to becoming one of the leaders of her country.



This can be the future of a growing number of children in a prosperous 2030 high-income Indonesia. This reality can endow Indonesia with its future teachers, entrepreneurs, doctors, social workers, engineers, CEOs and religious leaders.



Both born to poor parents, they actually may have low chances of evading poverty. Today, 14 million Indonesian children live under the national poverty line of around Rp 10,000 ( 75 US cents ) per day and some 48 million live with less than Rp 20,000 per day limiting their opportunities of becoming healthy, educated, happy and successful citizens.



Budi faces a one in 25 chance of dying before age 5, and a one in three chance of becoming stunted which will affect his brain capacity, future skills and earning prospects. Grace has a 1 in 6 change of being married before age 18 to then drop out of school and become a child bride and mother.



Both childrens exposure to poverty, malnutrition, poor health, low quality education, and violence have costs to their bodies, brains, and to Indonesias economy now, and in the future.



These costs are staggering. An estimated 2 to 3 percent of the East Asia and Pacific regions GDP is lost every year to violence against children and 1.7 percent of GDP to child marriage in Indonesia, according to the latest research by UNICEF and academic experts. In a context of increasing inequalities, all these drivers also increase the risks of disenfranchisement and social detachment that could threaten the stability of the Indonesian society. But these numbers can be turned around. It is proven that placing children front and center is a smart investment in a countrys economic growth, which yields high rates of return.



The government has forged a new pathway to prosperity by integrating the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) in the National Medium-Term Strategic Plan 2015-2019.

Sustainable development begins with children(UNICEF Indonesia/*)

This plan invokes the new international goals for the people and the planet  that all countries have pledged to achieve by 2030. The government is now working to draft a new presidential decree outlining steps to localize these promises, including critical indicators for measuring success.



Opportunities to implement such a decree with real budgetary allocations exist, for example through the village funds. These are managed by the Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministry. Platforms to engage civil society, academia and the private sector are being put in place to monitor accountability and progress to achieve the SDGs.



Children must be at the heart of these bold reforms. Age and gender disaggregated data should be routinely collected on each of the SDG indicators, for example. Childrens views must be solicited in reporting against targets through participatory mechanisms. And no indicator can be forgotten.



At least 50 of the SDG indicators directly impact on children and they must be reflected in national and local planning in their entirety.



There must be no poverty, no child out of school and no family without clean water or quality health services. When the world takes stock of progress towards the SDGs in 2030, Indonesias advances will be significant. With the growth of its population and its economy, Indonesias progress will also move the needle regionally and globally.



Equipped with an ambitious roadmap for children, Indonesias footprint will matter even more for global progress towards the international goals. It could position Indonesia as the global powerhouse for change China was for the Millennium Development Goals. Budi, Grace and millions of children depend on it.

***

The writer is Representative of UN Childrens Emergency Fund ( UNICEF ) Indonesia.

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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 Mohammad Nuryazidi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

It has been more than two years since Bank Indonesia ( BI ) handed over microprudential supervision to the Financial Services Authority ( OJK ) in early 2014. This transfer has structurally changed the financial sector in Indonesia. There are three key institutions that now play an important role in maintaining the stability of the financial system, namely BI, the OJK and the Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corporation ( LPS ).



Interaction between macroprudential policies represented by BI and microprudential policy represented by the OJK has been continuously developed in order to establish a good collaboration. Furthermore, the LPS has played an important role in insuring depositors funds and actively participates in maintaining the stability of the financial system.



However, the role of each authority is not legally clear, especially in the stage of crisis. The Bank Century case has traumatized decisionmakers in taking action when they deal with a crisis condition.



On April 15, President Joko Jokowi Widodo ratified Law No. 9 2016 on prevention and resolution of financial system crises. This act provides a strong legal framework and rules of game for the key institutions in preventing and handling financial system crisis. This act mandates the formation of the Financial System Stability Committee ( KSSK ) in order to prevent and to deal with financial system crises.



This committee comprises the finance minister as coordinator and the governor of BI, the chair of the OJK and the chair of the LPS as members. In this committee the LPS chair does not have a voting right in order to prevent conflict of interest. One of the key roles of the KSSK is to assess the stability of the financial system and to provide recommendations to the president in determining the status of the Indonesian financial system, whether in crisis or normal conditions.



Recalling the Bank Century case in 2008, there is a controversy regarding the concept of systemically important banks. This act is one of attempts to reduce the controversy of the concept by determining such banks regularly once every six months.



As a consequence of being classified as a systemically important bank, each bank has to provide additional regulatory capital and liquidity requirements.



As such, if the financial system faces a crisis, there are no debates as to whether a bank can be classified as a systemically important bank or not because the list already exists.



In case the systemically important bank deals with a liquidity problem, it can propose a short-term liquidity loan from the central bank. A short-term liquidity loan proposal has to come with liquid and high-quality collateral. If the bank does not have sufficient collateral, it can use its credit as the collateral for the central banks short-term loan.



In case the systematically important bank deals with a solvability problem, the OJK collaborates with the LPS for preparing a treatment for the banks solvability problem. If the banks problem worsens, the KSSK will determine a resolution for the bank. The KSSK could advise the LPS to take over the systemically important bank with the solvability problem.



The treatment of the banks solvability problem taken by LPS may include the purchase of assets and acquisition, in which the systemically important banks assets and liabilities are sold to other banks. The LPS may also establish a bridge bank for purchasing the assets and liabilities of the systemically important bank.



Subsequently, the LPS asks the OJK to revoke the operating license of the bank, followed by the bank liquidation process.



It is important to note that all of the costs for treatment of the systemically important bank with the solvability problem are borne by the LPS. In case the liquidation process ends up with a negative balance, it will be accounted as the LPS loss.



Conversely, if it ends up with a positive balance, it will be accounted as the LPS profit. Therefore, the issue of state losses such as in the Bank Century case can be eliminated. The cost for the liquidation process is from the LPS funds, which originate from regularly premium payments from all banks in the industry.



This law also ensures immunity and legal protection for the decisionmakers in the prevention and handling of a financial system crisis. Unless there is an abuse of authority, neither members of the KSSK, nor secretariat members of the KSSK, nor employees of the Finance Ministry, BI, the OJK or the LPS can be prosecuted, either in civil or criminal actions. In case they face lawsuits related to their duties, they will receive legal assistance from the institution they represent, or that assigned them. This is an incentive for policymakers to take bold decisions in crisis prevention and resolution.



Indeed, this law should be greatly welcomed. However there is still room for improvement. The methodology in determining a systemically important bank, the mechanism in short-term loans, the liquidation process and the good governance of the process of prevention and handling of the financial crisis still should be continuously monitored by the public.

***

The writer is an economist at the department of macroprudential policy, Bank Indonesia. The views expressed are his own.

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Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

To celebrate National Book Day, which falls on May 17, heres our picks of Indonesian books (also available in English) that you should add to your reading listif you haven't already.

Before Dawn: The Poetry of Sapardi Djoko Damono (2005)

Author: Sapardi Djoko Damono

Translated by John H. McGlynn, this book contains poetry written by Sapardi Djoko Damono, one of Indonesias most renowned poets. It contains 30 more poems than Before Dawn  Suddenly the Night, which was released in 1987.

Some of the most popular poems in the 2005's book are Rain of June and I Want, with the latter being commonly quoted by and even put to music by fans.

Man Tiger (Lelaki Harimau) (2004)

Author: Eka Kurniawan

The book, which recently named a nominee for the prestigious Man Booker International Prize, follows Margio, a youngster from a rural area in Indonesia, who decides to kill a man. This leaves the whole village confused as Margio doesnt seem like a person who could actually harm anyone. The worst crime he has ever committed is stealing a chicken, which was regarded as something that happened out of spite.

(Read also: Eka launches new novel after entering Man Booker list)

But, Margio really did kill the man, moreover in a brutal way. When asked why he did it, he answered, It wasnt me. Theres a tiger in me.

The Land of Five Towers (Negeri 5 Menara) (2009)

Author: Fuadi

Alif was a country boy from Maninjau in Padang, West Sumatra. Even though he dreamed to be another BJ Habibie, the country's former president, circumstances led him to enroll at Pondok Madani, an Islamic boarding school in East Java.

Although disappointed at first, he learns the words man jadda wa jadda during his time there, which translates into He who works hard must be successful in Arabic, and later finds his life changed because of it.

Winter Dreams (2011)

Author: Maggie Tiojakin

Nicky F. Rompa went to Boston, Massachusetts, to have a new life. During his stay, his new family, lover and his bossapparently everyone around himteaches him new lessons about living in a multicultural society.

Not only does he have to learn more about himself through it, he also embarks on a journey that will last throughout his life.

An Anthology of Feelings (Antologi Rasa) (2011)

Author: Ika Natassa

In the setting of a modern city life, Keara, Ruly and Harris are friends. What differentiates them from being just friends are the feelings they have for each other as well as the fact that they have to see the one they love loving another person.

9 Summers 10 Autumns (2011)

Author: Iwan Setyawan

From the Apple Town of Indonesia to the Big Apple. With great effort and education, a country boy from Malang, East Java, manages to climb his way up to New York, US.

(Read also: Here's what to read in your feminist book club)

Although he is finally able to lead a better life, it didnt erase the struggle and pain within him. At one point, he looks back on his life, looking for the love his family has always had for himthe thing that eventually saves him.

The Rainbow Troops: A Novel (Laskar Pelangi) (2005)

Author: Andrea Hirata

Ikal and his friends, the Rainbow Troops, are children of Belitung, an island off the Sumatran shore. Being in the poorest social class, they struggle to receive a proper education.

Even when their school is on the verge of closing, they dont give up and, at an event, prove to everyone that they are no less talented than the students from PN, the school of the wealthy people of the land.

This Earth of Mankind (Bumi Manusia) (1980)

Author: Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1980)

The story takes place at the end of the Dutch colonial era in Indonesia. Minke is a Javanese minor royal who is able to attend Hoeger Burger School. He is a talented writer, but hated by many for simply being a native.

One day, he meets Nyai Ontosoroh, the concubine to Dutchman Herman Mellema. He then falls in love with Annelies, the couple's daughter, and eventually marries her in an Islamic wedding. However, this marriage is unacceptable in the eyes of Dutch law because it was carried out without the consent of Annelies legal guardian.

Max Havelaar (1860)

Author: Multatuli

Edward Douwes Dekker, a worker of the Dutch East Indies who lived in Indonesia during the Dutch colonial period, wrote a book to protest colonialism under the name of Multatuli.

(Read also: 6 book-to-movie adaptations to watch this year)

In the book, he creates a character named Batavus Droogstoppel, a stingy coffee merchant who symbolizes the Dutch colonials and how they treated Indonesian people at the time.

Sitti Nurbaya: A Love Unrealized (Sitti Nurbaya: Kasih Tak Sampai) (1922)

Author: Marah Roesli

Written in 1922, Sitti Nurbaya explores themes of colonialism and forced marriage that was a common practice during that time. The story revolves around Sitti Nurbaya and Samsulbahri, two childhood friends who love each other but are separated because circumstances force Sitti into marrying Datuk Meringgih, a rich but shady trader.

Sitti is eventually killed by Datuk. Years later, when Datuk protests against the Dutch, Samsu who works as a Dutch soldier, kills him and later dies as well. The story is often said as having a similar pattern with Romeo and Juliet or Butterfly Lovers.

Harimau! Harimau! (1975)

Author: Mochtar Lubis

Seven dammar collectors venture into the forests of Sumatra, led by a dukun (traditional spiritual leader) named Wak Katok. Inside the forest, they are ambushed by a tiger. All but one of them is killed. The remaining survivor decides to hunt the tiger to make it out from the forest, which leads them to discover the faults of Wak.

This story is described as a symbol of protest by the author against the Indonesian people whom he regard as blindly following the first Indonesian president, Sukarno.

Anxiety Myths (Mitos-mitos Kecemasan) (1985)

Author: Afrizal Malna

Anxiety Myths contains poetry by Afrizal Malna, a poet as well as theatrical text writer whose works have been used in Indonesia and other countries.

He mostly uses the themes of modern, urban city life and everything that it entails. He also connects objects in his work, creating a distinct writing style. (kes)
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Linkedin Asmara Wreksono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

Bags have been an important part of women's look as they are seen as status symbol, or even investment.

Among the seemingly never-ending interest in international branded goods, Indonesian young designers are beginning to get noticed for their amazing work in the bags department.

Here are six of the up-and-coming local bag designers that we adore.

Doxology

Instagram: @doxologygoods

Heavily inspired by the clean cut look of Scandinavian style design, Doxology lives up to its names meaning, praise, as it deserves all the praise it can get.

I personally like Scandinavian style, because its simple, clean and looks elegant. Thats what Doxology bags are, Chung Yi, founder of the brand, said.

Doxology uses PU Leather due to the synthetic materials high quality, durability and affordability. Its currently available at online retailers such as bobobobo.com and Berrybenka.com.

For prices between Rp 100,000 (US$7.52) and Rp 600,000, we say its elegance on a bargain.

s.rw

Instagram: @s.rw

Lovers of all things quirky should never be singled out when it comes to fashion; therefore Bandung-based s.rw is ready to complement any look with its famous Furball bags.

The spherical all-leather bag has been around for a while but only regained its momentum when actress Dian Sastrowardoyo toted it around in the hit movie Ada Apa Dengan Cinta 2 as well as in her daily Snapchat shots.

(Read also: 5 local lipstick brands to try)

Ranging from Rp 700,000 to Rp 2.5 million, think of it as a trendy investment and generous support for the local fashion brand.

Sanoesa

Instagram: @sanoesa

Kicking off the business in June 2014, Sanoesa has turned worthless teak and rosewood waste into gorgeous wooden bags and accessories.

With three major business sections: fashion, lifestyle and kitchenware, wed say theres more to Sanoesa than just bags. However, co-founder Nathanael Christian admitted that the brand's main attraction to buyers was still its Tas Kajoe (wooden bag) -- which we adore.

Prepare to shell out Rp 350,000 to Rp 4.5 million for Sanoesas fashion products, Rp 100,000 to Rp 500,000 for lifestyle goods and Rp 50,000 to Rp 400,000 for kitchenware.

Kaynn

Instagram: @meytanayu

With leather as the main material for its product, Kaynn has garnered attention from the fashion crowd. If youre into classic and timeless design but still want to get the quirks, Kaynns classy origami bag is the answer.

Mostly inspired by Japanese leather goods, Kaynn features simplicity, cleanliness and details in its designs. Kaynn founder Meyta said that the most-wanted products were the large basic-shaped bags for daily use.

(Read also: Indonesian designer featured at Singapore furniture fair)

Kaynns bags are sold within a price range of Rp 800,000 - Rp 2 million, while sandals range from Rp 450,000 - Rp 550,000 and smaller accessories like wallets sell for Rp 250,000 - Rp 400,000. The brand also provides warranty and after-sales service for its products.

Byo

Instagram: @b_y_o_

Although officially starting the business in March 2010, Tommy Ambiyo Tedji has experimented with many materials since 2009. Byo, the brand, has used PVC and latex in early 2010.

Come 2011, Byo started using other materials like tyvek and leather, Our choice of material is really about what image we want to portray for a certain collection. We can change materials in the future, said the Bandung Institute of Technology graduate.

Byos Machina clutch from the brands newest collection sits among the favorite of all. To get the collection, head on to b-yo.com or bobobobo.com, with a budget range of Rp 895,000 to Rp 2.99 million.

Mannequin Plastic

Instagram: @mannequinplastic

If youre about playful accessories and apparel, Mannequin Plastic is for you. Using multiple materials at once like faux leather, resin and acrylic, the Bandung brand caters to those who are confident enough to flaunt the quirky items in daily life.

The brands newest collection, Yume no Machine or Dream Machine, features robotic figures and is inspired by crafty Japanese clothes. Our favorite is the Lunch Like Human Salmon Bag and Shrimp Salmon Long Tee.

Mannequin Plastics apparel collection ranges in price from Rp 125,000 - Rp 400,000, while its bags and accessories sell for Rp 80,000 - Rp 500,000.
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Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 16 2016

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) may halt its probe into the Sumber Waras graft case, which has implicated Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, ahead of the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election.

The antigraft body is considering a halt to proceedings after receiving advice from experts on whether the Jakarta administrations decision in 2014 to buy a plot of land worth Rp 775.69 billion (US$58.16 million) from the Sumber Waras Hospital constituted an act of corruption.

The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) said it discovered possible state losses amounting to Rp 191 billion from the purchase due to overpricing.

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Linkedin Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post)  Mon, May 16 2016

Indonesias largest lender by assets Bank Mandiri saw its net profits plunge by 26 percent in the first quarter of this year as loan growth contracted amid soaring bad loans.



The state bank announced on Sunday consolidated net profits of Rp 3.8 trillion (US$284.9 million) in the January-March period this year, from Rp 5.13 trillion booked in the same period last year.



The decline was caused by a 3.88 percent drop in lending to Rp 564.7 trillion year-on-year (yoy) as well as an increase in bad loans amid the domestic economic slowdown, which forced the bank to increase its provision expenses.



Gross non-performing loans (NPLs) rose to 2.89 percent in the first quarter, from 1.81 percent yoy.



To strengthen the solidity and structure of productive assets, we have allocated provisions, said Kartika Tiko Wirjoatmodjo, president director of Bank Mandiri, which announced the earnings after the April 30 deadline set by the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX).



In order to anticipate risks and maintain sustainable growth, he said, Mandiri had established a special asset management unit that would resolve bad loans quickly with more focus.



Well also rearrange and monitor our loan portfolio management based on sector, segment as well as geography in a more disciplined way, Tiko said.



The banks management had said previously that it aimed for loan growth of between 12 and 14 percent this year as it continued to see risks from ongoing economic challenges.



Indonesias economic growth reached 4.92 percent yoy in the first quarter of this year, lower than estimates, with the government aiming to grow the economy by 5.3 percent this year.



The government has launched economic stimulus packages that include cutting red tape to attract investments and stoke growth in Southeast Asias largest economy.



Bank lending data has also not been encouraging, with February loan growth slowing to the weakest level since 2009 at 8.2 percent yoy, versus the financial authorities target of 12 to 14 percent by the end of the year.



Despite the gloomy readings and weak economic conditions, Bank Mandiri remains upbeat about the outlook for its business, backed by the fact that operating profits remained intact, growing 15.9 percent to 9.7 trillion yoy thanks to higher net interest income and fee-based income.



Net interest income grew 19.1 percent to Rp 13 trillion yoy and fee-based income increased by 8 percent to Rp 4.2 trillion.



We are grateful for this achievement because it proves that Bank Mandiri can continue to manage the productivity of its assets, liabilities and transaction business well despite the challenges of the international and domestic economic slowdown, Tiko said in the statement.



JP/ Grace D. Amianti

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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has questioned the two-and-a-half year prison sentence issued by West Jakarta District Court judges to a Transjakarta bus driver who hit motorcycle riders traveling in special bus lanes.

Ahok urged bus operator PT Bianglala Metropolitan (BMP) to file an appeal for Bima Pringgas Suara, the driver.

"I hope the judges will understand that bus drivers can't be found guilty if they hit anyone who enters into a busway. If the Supreme Court decides in this way, it will set a precedent for the future," Ahok told journalists on Monday.

The judges declared Bima guilty and sentenced him to prison following the accident involving a motorist passing the bus lane near the Jakarta Kota Station in West Jakarta in November last year. The accident killed Siauw Njuk Siu, 63, who was traveling as a passenger on the motorcycle. Siauw fell from the motorcycle driven Hendri Setiawan, 34, and was hit by the bus.

There are no traffic laws regulating busways, Ahok said, despite the fact that busways are set aside for Transjakarta buses only.

Meanwhile, BMP director Ibnu said the company had not yet decided to file an appeal.

Separately, Transportation Agency head Andri Yansyah also urged the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry's road construction and maintenance section, Bina Marga, to install movable concrete barriers in 12 Transjakarta corridors across the capital. The installation of the barriers could stop vehicles from entering the lanes and prevent similar such accidents from taking place in the future, he said. (rin)
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Linkedin Josh Funk (Associated Press) Omaha, Nebraska  Tue, May 17, 2016

Investors might question Warren Buffett's long-standing aversion to tech stocks after his Berkshire Hathaway bought 9.8 million shares of Apple.

Buffett has always avoided technology companies because he said it was too hard to pick which ones would prevail long term, although he made an exception to that rule to buy a major IBM stake in 2011.

The stake comes with the company's shares under considerable pressure. Billions in value have been wiped from the books since Apple reported a sizable drop in iPhone sales in late April.

Shares, down 15 percent over the past month, jumped nearly 4 percent Monday.

Buffett was also reported to be considering joining a bid to acquire Yahoo. But Buffett told CNBC Monday he would only act as a potential financing partner for Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert's bid.

Buffett didn't immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press early Monday.

Buffett is known for investing in comparatively boring companies when he understands the industry well, such as Geico insurance, Wells Fargo, Coca-Cola, American Express and See's Candy. Buffett avoids investing in areas outside his expertise.

When Buffett is asked about technology investments, he usually explains his position in terms of candy and soda. Buffett says he thinks it's too hard to determine what tech companies will be worth in the future because their businesses evolve so quickly, but he's certain Snickers candy bars and Coca-Cola will remain popular decades from now.

"Whenever you get a truly extraordinary business, they're the hardest ones to value," Buffett said last year on CNBC. "It's much easier for me to figure out what Coca-Cola is worth than Google or Facebook or you name it."

Berkshire revealed the new Apple investment Monday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission detailing a number of changes to its $129 billion portfolio.

But the filing didn't disclose who made the Apple investment. Besides Buffett, Berkshire has two other investment managers, who each handle about $9 billion.

Buffett has said that his investments tend to be the larger ones in the portfolio. He says investments of less than $1 billion are likely to be the work of Ted Weschler or Todd Combs. The Apple stake was worth about $900 million on Monday.

George Morgan, who teaches finance at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said the size of the Apple investment makes it unlikely to be Buffett's who focuses on finding acquisitions to spend $20 billion or $30 billion on.

"My guess is he spends 90 percent of his days looking for whole companies to buy," said Morgan, who is a former investment adviser.

Berkshire also added 198,853 IBM shares during the quarter to give it 81.2 million shares. Buffett has stuck with IBM even though it continues to sell for less than the roughly $170 a share he paid for most of the shares.

When Buffett bought IBM stock in 2011, he said he viewed it more as a service business that customers were unlikely to drop than a tech business dependent on selling computer hardware cheaply. IBM focuses more on software and technology services these days.

Besides investments, Berkshire owns more than 90 companies in a variety of industries, including insurance, utilities, BNSF railroad, furniture and jewelry.
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Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar  Tue, May 17 2016

Already one of the worlds most popular tourist spots, Bali is now aiming one step further to become a prominent medical tourism destination.

In doing so, the Bali provincial administration is now constructing a new hospital that will be equipped with world-class facilities in Sanur. The administration has provided Rp 199 billion (US$14.95 million) of its annual budget for the hospitals construction.

Bali Health Agency head I Wayan Suarjaya said construction of the hospital had begun last year and was targeted for completion this year. The new Bali Mandara Hospital is being built on a 2.95-hectare plot of land in Sanur and will be able to accommodate 176 inpatients.

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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

The Bekasi city administration on Tuesday handed over five hectares of land in Jatimurni, Pondok Melati district, to the Jakarta city administration.

The handover was carried out based on Home Affairs regulation from 2015 concerning the borderline of Jakarta districts and Bekasi, West Java. The land is to fall under the management of the East Jakarta administration.

Based on a close study and field monitoring, the Bekasi city administration believes that the vacant five-hectare land is actually owned by Jakarta. Therefore, we decided to return the land to Jakarta, said Bekasi mayor Rahmat Effendi at Jakarta City Hall on Tuesday.

The handover was followed by the revocation of taxable value of property (NJOP) for 35 taxable objects in Bekasi. The NJOP will be decided by the East Jakarta administration, he added.

Meanwhile, Jakarta governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama said on Tuesday that his administration would develop a water reservoir on the land to mitigate flooding in both Jakarta and Bekasi.

Mayor Rahmat believes the completion of the flood mitigation project should help mitigate flooding in the rainy season. Our city will benefit from the reservoir construction, Rahmat said.

Ahok said that his administration had cooperated with the administration of the neighboring city, citing that his administration had disbursed Rp 400 billion (US$30 million) to the Bekasi city administration this year. (bbn)
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Linkedin Lee Seok Hwai (The Straits Times/ANN)  Tue, May 17, 2016

China has urged the US to abide by the "one China" principle ahead of the transfer of power from China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou to pro-independence Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan later this week.

Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will take over the reins on May 20, ending eight years of rule by Ma and his Kuomintang during which cross-strait ties, especially in trade and tourism, improved dramatically.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his US counterpart John Kerry on Monday that China hopes the United States will abide by the "one-China" policy, the three China-US joint communiques that form the bedrock of bilateral ties, and properly handle the Taiwan issue, Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang was speaking during a phone conversation with Mr Kerry at the latter's invitation, Xinhua reported.

Kerry said the United States attaches great importance to its relations with China, the report said.

Washington has not changed and will not change its stance on the Taiwan issue, and does not support Taiwan independence in any forms, he said.

Wang's reminder was just one of many moves seen as being designed to keep a post-Ma Taiwan in check.

Tsai, whose party platform calls for formal independence for Taiwan, has not publicly accepted the 1992 consensus, a tacit agreement between Beijing and Taipei in 1992 that there is one China, with each side having its own interpretation of what this means.

She won Taiwan's elections in January by a landslide largely on the back of young Taiwanese's frustration with the island's stagnant economy and perceived lack of an independent identity under China shadow.

The US switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979 but is bound under its Taiwan Relations Act to defend the island if it is attacked.

Wang and Kerry also spoke about the Syrian civil war during their phone call, Xinhua said. Wang said China supports US-led efforts towards a comprehensive ceasefire in the war-stricken country and will continue to play a "constructive role" in the crisis.
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Linkedin Anggi M. Lubis (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17 2016

Regional civil society groups have called on Indonesia and Singapore to halt the executions of 16 people, arguing that the death penalty is an aberration of ASEANs commitment to human rights.

Twenty four rights organization, mainly based in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia  as well as organizations from Japan and China  issued a joint statement on Monday condemning the planned execution of Malaysian Kho Jabing in Singapore and the executions of 15 drug convicts in Indonesia.

Indonesias Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, the Institute of Policy Research and Advocacy and the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform are among the undersigned to the statement.

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Linkedin Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17 2016

A coalition of human rights groups made an urgent call to President Joko Jokowi Widodo to end capital punishment on Monday after it was revealed that the government was preparing its first batch of executions for this year.

Although Jokowi is currently overseas on a working visit to South Korea, this did not stop the coalition from visiting the state palace to remind the government of potential miscarriages of justice in the impending executions of death-row inmates on Nusakambangan Island in Central Java.

The central government has remained silent on the upcoming executions despite apparent preparations on the island, in a move many see as trying to avoid animosity from the international community.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17 2016

Mornings are always a rush for Adelia Prabawati as she tries to arrive on time at her office on Jl. Gajah Mada, Central Jakarta, from her house in Karawaci, Tangerang, Banten.

I have to take the train that departs at 7:15 a.m. so that I can arrive before 8:30 a.m. at my office, she told The Jakarta Post on Monday at Tangerang train station, on her way home.

She was among several passengers at the station that had to queue for approximately 15 minutes before being able to buy a ticket at the electronic ticketing machine.

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Linkedin Erika Anindita Dewi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

Despite the potential the Golkar Party has because of its stance on the government, the party needs to be cautious in the run up to the 2019 general election after controversial Golkar politician Setya Novanto was elected the partys chairman, experts have said.

As the infamous Setya took Golkar's chairmanship baton from his predecessor, Aburizal Bakrie, early Tuesday in Bali, the countrys second-largest party will be at a disadvantage in facing the elections, said senior researcher F S Swantoro from Para Syndicate think tank.

"Golkar's outlook for 2019 is bleak as the public recognizes that Setya is no good, Swantoro told thejakartapost.com, adding that Setya had three years to improve his image to face the election.

The public, however, is unlikely to forget the various cases in which Setya has been implicated, he said. The latest case was Setya's alleged involvement in an attempt to seal a backroom deal with the US-based giant mining PT Freeport Indonesia.

The public won't buy him," Swantoro said on Tuesday.

Golkar vowed at a Golkar leaders meeting in January to support the Joko "Jokowi" Widodo administration.

Setya reaffirmed the stance on Tuesday.

Golkar's relations with the government have improved, Swantoro said, because the party had a debt of gratitude that did not enable it to be a strong opposition.

The party is expected to help maintain political stability, said Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) senior political analyst J. Kristiadi.

Golkar has 14.75 percent of House of Representatives seats, where it represented by 91 lawmakers. The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which gained the most votes in 2014 election, is represented by 109 lawmakers.

"Golkar must be able to create both stable and effective governance, which delivers the right policies for the people," Kristiadi.

He emphasized that Golkar should not prioritize individual interests or create policies that are detrimental to the people.

"Golkar must return to its roots; that party should be handled by its raison d'etre. A party is established because it wants to be a pillar of democracy," Kristiadi said.

Setya started his political career in the lower rungs of the party, which was the late dictator Soehartos political vehicle. However, Setya climbed his way to the top until he was appointed Golkar treasurer.

The lawmaker, who sided with Aburizal when his chairmanship was challenged, was appointed House speaker for 2014 to 2019. He came in the spotlight after a recording of a conversation between him, businessman Riza Chalid and former US-based mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin was made public.

In the conversation, Riza and Setya were suspected to have misused Jokowi's names when allegedly trying to make a backroom deal. The scandal rocked the House and its ethics council declared Setya guilty of misconduct, leading to his resignation from the speaker position in 2015. He was then appointed to lead the Golkar faction at the House.

During Golkars extraordinary national meeting, businessman Setya was recorded as the richest candidate, with Rp114.77 billion and U$49,150 in assets. (dan)
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Linkedin Slamet Susanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Tue, May 17 2016

The death toll from the consumption of bootleg liquor in two districts in Bantul regency, Yogyakarta, rose to 13 as of Sunday afternoon, and the number could increase as others are in critical condition.

Local police are gathering data regarding the many fatalities and sick victims because they were treated at different hospitals.

Because of the limited number of police officers in Sewon and Banguntapan  the two districts  the case has been handed over to the Yogyakarta Police.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17 2016

JAKARTA: The Indonesia government should prioritize the use of information, communication and technology (ICT) to accelerate efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to an expert.

Head of UN Sustainable Development Solutions (UN SDSN) Jeffrey Sachs says that deeper utilization of ICT would further transform development in Indonesia, and is pivotal for country getting the country in step with the SDGs.

ICT is the most powerful method for improving development [in Indonesia], if the government has the capacity to cooperate with it, he said during a seminar on Monday.

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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama on Tuesday criticized the prohibition of books on communism and the raids against various left-wing-related activities carried out in a number of regions across the country.

Indonesia, he said, should be concerned about extreme right-ideology and its aim to change the Pancasila ideology.

"Don't you think that right-wing extremism is dangerous too? People who scream to change Pancasila ideology should be arrested," Ahok said at the City Hall on Tuesday.

He expressed concerns regarding the use of race and religion by those trying to discredit him. By raising such sentiment, those people have tried to change the country's ideology, he said.

In Yogyakarta and Surabaya, people are reported to have carried out raids looking for books on communism. Indonesia's national library also supports the prohibition of books with communism content, as reported by tempo.co on Monday.

Security officers do need to up hold the law if there are people who forcefully spread communist ideology through propaganda intended to change Pancasila, he agreed.

However, if they just read such a book without trying to change the Pancasila ideology as a democratic country, Indonesia should not prohibit the distribution of "left-books," he added. (bbn)
Citizens line up to register their family for the Mudik Gratis program, a free homebound program initiated by the Transportation Ministry, outside the Kebayoran Baru Market, South Jakarta, on Monday. Through the program, registered families will be able to travel home by train with their motorbike to several destinations across Java. Registration is open until May 21.(JP/Seto Wardhana)(JP/Seto Wardhana)
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Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17 2016

Despite booking another trade surplus for the month of April, Indonesia saw an overall year-on-year decline in exports, including in energy, mining and manufacturing, mainly due to plunging commodity prices.



According to data released by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) on Monday, Southeast Asias biggest economy posted a US$667 million trade surplus in April, slightly higher than Marchs figure of $508 million.



However, the data revealed that April saw 12.65 percent drop in exports year-on-year (yoy), to $11.45 billion, which is also a 3 percent decline from the previous month. In total, the country saw a 39.3 percent drop in oil and gas exports for January-April yoy, this year exporting $4.3 billion so far.



BPS deputy head of distribution and statistics Sasmito Hadi Wibowo said the drop in exports was largely due to declining oil and gas exports, which he said was caused by declining energy prices in the global market.



The value of oil and gas exports also declined 39 percent yoy to $886 million in April, down 28.44 percent from the previous month  the lowest monthly drop in oil and gas exports this year.



Sasmito, however, insists that the sharp decline in oil and gas exports is seasonal, and will soon improve.



The drop corresponds to declining [oil and gas] prices, he said in a press briefing.



The mining sector also saw a 27.23 percent drop in exports yoy in April to $1.6 billion. Similarly, exports in the agriculture sector also plunged 27 percent yoy last month, to $289 million, while the manufacturing industry saw a smaller drop of 5.8 percent yoy.



Furthermore, total imports from January to April dropped 13.44 percent yoy. Imports on capital goods dropped 17 percent and on raw and auxiliary goods 15.38 percent. Consumer goods imports rose 16.42 percent.



In total, the country has seen a $2.3 billion trade surplus from January to April, down by 13.63 percent compared to the same period last year.



Samuel Sekuritas economist Lana Soelistianingsih said despite the trade surplus, the figures were not looking good for Indonesia. In terms of exports, she said, there were declining demands from the countrys trade partners, whether seasonal or due to the prolonged effects of the economic slowdown.



However, Lana said she was concerned by the low raw materials and auxiliary goods imports, which are used by the industrial sector.



Importing raw materials reflects economic activity for the following three months [...] this means that business in several sectors is still weak, Lana told The Jakarta Post over the phone.



There were high expectations for April because of improving figures in March, she said, but the countrys performance had been below expectations. Lana predicted flat trade numbers for the upcoming months, as trends caused by the economic slowdown were seemingly here to stay.

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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Nusa Dua, Bali  Tue, May 17 2016

Hours before the Golkar Party kicked off voting to select a new chairman on late Monday evening, supporters of Setya Novanto held a media conference thanking all those who have contributed to placing Setya as the top contender for the partys top leadership.

Meanwhile, Bambang Soesatyo, a campaign team member of Setyas main rival Ade Komarudin, released a statement via text message: There is no need to be anxious. We remain optimistic. Akom [Ade Komarudin] will win if there is no intervention involved.

The opposing moods among the two leading camps came about after earlier in the day 16 of the total 34 leaders of Golkars provincial branches, who have the voting rights, openly declared their support for Setya Novanto during a session that heard a general performance overview on the partys outgoing chairman, Aburizal Bakrie.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17 2016

Consumers might need to dig deeper into their pockets to buy bottled mineral water, snacks, chocolate, and many other food and beverage products should the government move ahead with its plan to impose excise on plastic packaging later this year.



Last month, the Finance Ministry announced a plan to impose excise on all products using plastic packaging in a move to help jack up state revenue.



The ministry said it was still calculating the amount of the proposed excise duty, but it suggested that it would not exceed Rp 200 (15 US cents) per item.



The government is targeting to collect Rp 146.6 trillion from excise duty this year. However, as of the first quarter, realization only stood at Rp 7.9 trillion, or 5.4 percent from its target, the ministrys data shows.



The ministry also argued that the new excise policy would help Indonesia reduce its massive plastic consumption.



Our main focus [in imposing the excise] is to protect the environment, Finance Ministrys customs and excise policy head Nasrudin Djoko Surjono said recently, adding that the government would include the planned policy in the revised state budget draft submission to the House of Representatives at the end of this month.



Data from the Environment and Forestry Ministry shows that people consume up to 9.8 billion plastic bags every year in Indonesia, with 95 percent of those being made with plastics that take considerable time to break down naturally.



In February last year, the ministry issued a circular stating that retailers should start moving away from using plastic bags. Since earlier this year, a number of retailers have been charging customers Rp 200 for each plastic bag they give out.



Responding to the governments plan to impose excise duty on plastic packaging, 16 business associations have expressed their opposition to the plan, arguing that it would harm end-users.



The proposed policy, in the end, will affect consumers as retailers will put the burden of the excise

duty onto them by increasing prices, Edi Rifai, the deputy chairman of Indonesian Olefin, Aromatic and Plastic Industry Association (Inaplas), told The Jakarta Post over the phone.



He added if the governments main goal was to protect the environment from plastic waste, it should think about implementing a good waste management system rather than imposing excise.



Center for Indonesian Taxation Analysis (CITA) executive director Yustinus Prastowo expressed a similar concern. He also criticized the government for using excise policy to increase revenue instead of controlling the distribution of certain goods deemed harmful to society, like tobacco and alcohol.



The proposed policy, he said, suggested the government wanted people to increase its consumption of plastics in order to generate more revenue.



The logic and orientation of the excise [policy] is wrong as it doesnt reflect the natural objective of such a policy, he said.



Sara, a 32-year-old school teacher in Jakarta, also expressed her objection to the plan.



The price of food and beverages is already expensive, its not fair if we need to pay more, she said. (win)

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17 2016

Around 800 people have been displaced in Krukut, West Jakarta, after a fire destroyed more than 100 houses on Monday.

Hardisiswan, head of the West Jakarta Fire Agency, said Monday that the fire, which was allegedly caused by a short circuit in one of the houses, was extinguished after his side deployed 26 fire trucks to the scene.

There were no fatalities in the incident but the fire caused billions of rupiah in losses, Hardisiwan said as quoted by beritajakarta.com.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17 2016

Two men accused of robbing a motorist of his smartphone in West Jakarta on Monday met bad luck after the alleged victim went after them in his car.

The alleged victim, who was driving alone on Jl. Mangga Dua Raya, on Monday morning, was reportedly approached by the two men  identified as Dimas and Andi Pratama  who pretended to ask for directions.

The alleged victim claims to have stopped his car to assist the two men, only to be held at knifepoint while demanding that he hand over his smartphone.

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Linkedin Markus Makur (The Jakarta Post) Flores, NTT  Tue, May 17 2016

The widespread hunting of birds in Flores has left many bird species, some endemic to the area, on the verge of extinction. Local bird species are mostly found in the Ndora-Aegela forest, a vital water catchment area and their main habitat. The forest around Ulupulu village, in Nagekeo regency, East Nusa Tenggara, is a vital habitat and requires protection. Among others, the green pigeon, locally known as punai, has long been considered a favored catch among local residents for the dual purpose of consumption and trade. Locals also poach eagles and crows.

On March 14, Samuel Rabenak, of the Burung Indonesia conservation group, visited the area and reported that several Flores pigeon species were at risk of extinction.

Burung Indonesia members are conducting a study in the forest for the purpose of environmental protection and public awareness. Residents must not poach birds in the forest, Rabenak told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

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Linkedin Kelvin Chan (Associated Press) Hong Kong  Tue, May 17, 2016

Hong Kong authorities rolled out a massive security operation on Tuesday as they braced for protests during a top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous city, where tensions are rising over Chinese rule.

Thousands of police officers were deployed as Zhang Dejiang, China's third-highest-ranking Communist Party official, began his three-day "inspection visit" to the former British colony. Zhang, chairman of the National People's Congress, China's ceremonial parliament, is the most senior Chinese official to visit Hong Kong since then-President Hu Jintao came in 2012.

The stepped-up security, including officers keeping watch on a mountain peak far from the city center, reflects official unease about possible disruptions as Hong Kong's political atmosphere grows increasingly turbulent.

Discontent over Beijing's tightening grip on Hong Kong has risen since pro-democracy street protests rocked the Asian financial hub in late 2014, and calls for independence from radical political groups have become commonplace.

After arriving at the airport, Zhang, who's also the Chinese official in charge of Hong Kong affairs, touched on the city's fraying ties with the mainland, saying he would listen to "suggestions and requests from various sectors of society on ... the development of the country and Hong Kong."

Zhang is scheduled to deliver a speech at a business conference Wednesday morning. He's also expected to hold a rare meeting with four pro-democracy lawmakers, who said they would urge him to get rid of the city's unpopular Beijing-backed leader, Leung Chun-ying, and revive political reform efforts.

Around 6,000 police officers are on duty for Zhang's visit, the South China Morning Post reported. Officers were even dispatched to the summit of Lion Rock, one of Hong Kong's tallest peaks, the Apple Daily newspaper said. However, they failed to prevent activists from unfurling a pro-democracy banner lower down the mountainside.

Police set up hundreds of plastic water-filled safety barriers on the streets surrounding the downtown convention center where Zhang will speak and the hotel next door where he's staying.

In another sign of official nervousness over the visit, authorities glued together sidewalk paving stones to prevent them from being ripped up and hurled by protesters. Pavers were thrown during a February riot involving a pro-independence group that left 90 people injured.

Police in the neighboring mainland city of Shenzhen arrested a Hong Kong man involved in a plot to use a drone to disrupt Zhang's visit, China's official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.
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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

Indonesia is to cooperate with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group in financing several infrastructure programs, one of which concerns the improvement of slum areas.

Both parties will sign a member country partnership strategy (MCPS) 2016-2020, covering slum area improvement worth US$365 million, electricity transmission worth $350 million and the improvement of four universities and Islamic higher education facilities worth $176.5 million.

"The IDB Group will support Indonesian infrastructure development. The MCPS 2016-2020 will focus on social and physical infrastructure," Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said on the sidelines of an IDB Group annual meeting at the Jakarta Convention Center on Monday.

IDB Group president Ahmad Mohamed Ali stated that the bank was committed to supporting the government in dealing with challenges in infrastructure, poverty alleviation and capacity building.

"IDB and the Indonesian government have also cooperated to enhance Indonesia's financial system," Ali said, adding that Indonesia contributed to the IDB's technical cooperation mechanism through its Reverse Linkage Program.

He further said the IDB provided technical assistance to support Islamic finance, both in member and non-member countries.

"In 2015, IDB launched 36 technical assistance programs in seven member countries and 29 non-member countries. Ten of the programs aim to provide emergency assistance to seven member countries and three non-member countries worth US$6 million," he said.

IDB chief economist Savas Alpay added that the bank had been providing loans and grants to speed up socioeconomic development in member countries. According to its 2015 Annual Report, the IDB approved $12.1 billion net loans and grants, up by 13 percent year-on-year. (ags)
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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

Indonesia has invited South Korea to help accelerate industrialization in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

In a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye during a working visit to Seoul on Monday, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo lauded ongoing South Korean investment despite an apparent decline in trade between the two countries.

In 2015, the value of Korean investment in Indonesia stood at US$1.21 billion, compared to $1.12 billion in 2014.

"Banking on the prospects of welcoming South Korean investment to the industrial sector, Indonesia intends to make South Korea a partner to accelerate industrialization in Indonesia," President Jokowi said.

Steel was among the focus sectors for Indonesia, Jokowi said, adding that the country expected to reduce its steel imports by developing its own domestic steel industry.

Hence, he welcomed steel firm POSCO's decision to expand its plant in Indonesia, working together with Krakatau Steel, in order to produce 10 million tons of steel.

"I believe POSCO's expansion plan will run smoothly and encourage the establishment of an integrated steel industry from upstream to downstream," Jokowi said.

In the creative industry, he invited South Korea to cooperate in capacity building, technical and technological assistance, cobranding and coproduction programs in a bid to realize his vision of making Indonesia the biggest digital economy in the region with a projected e-commerce transaction value of $130 billion through the creation of 1,000 technology-based entrepreneurs by 2020.

During the working visit, the two countries also signed an agreement on maritime sectors, especially illegal fishing and fisheries processing.

Indonesia and Korea saw a decline in trade value to $16.7 billion last year, down from $ 22.47 billion in 2014.

"We should maintain our efforts to increase trade [with South Korea], said Jokowi, adding that efforts included reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers.

This year, the Indonesia-South Korea relationship celebrates 10 years since the signing of the Joint Strategic Partnership to promote Friendship and Cooperation in the 21st Century on Dec. 4, 2006.

President Jokowis visit to South Korea aims to show Indonesias commitment to improving bilateral relations.

During the meeting, President Park expressed her intention to increase investment in infrastructure, including in the maritime sector. (dmr)
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

Indonesia needs to improve efforts at both government and community levels in eradicating avian influenza to be free of the disease by its 2020 target, experts have said.



Around 40 percent of poultry products sampled at traditional markets in Greater Jakarta showed high levels of bird flu contamination, James McGrane, the team leader of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) Indonesia, said on Monday.



The organization, which conducts joint monitoring with the government under the Live Bird Market (LBM) surveillance framework, found that most outbreaks occurred during transportation within the market chain.



"The government will have to invest more over the next four years if further progress is to be made on the eradication of the disease by the target of 2020," McGrane said.



Indonesia needs to focus on greater outreach and technical advice for poultry farmers while also continuing to monitor the circulation of the virus. Furthermore, the government needs to ensure that locally produced vaccines are well matched and give good protection, he added.



The implementation of biosecurity in the market chain as well as on poultry farms, which separates areas into three zones  dirty, intermediate and clean  has proven successful in keeping avian influenza out of farms.



"[A] combination of good vaccination and improved farm biosecurity can assist poultry farmers to protect their flocks and to maintain their profits and the profitability of their farms," McGrane said.



The center will continue to work together with the government as a new USAID-supported program has recently been implemented to assist in addressing the issue.



Aside from bird flu, the latest program called Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT-2) will focus on the investigation and detection of other disease threats that may emerge in the wildlife, livestock and human interface across the nation in the next four years, McGrane said.



The Agriculture Ministry's director of animal health services I Ketut Diarmita said the government realized that it needed an extreme change of strategy in order to be free of bird flu by 2020.



He noted that farmers' awareness of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) threat had reduced in recent years, leading to negligence in maintenance.



Knowledge of improved poultry husbandry was also still low in backyard and commercial poultry farms, he said. The ministry acknowledged the low awareness of correct and effective vaccination practices and implementing adequate farm biosecurity.



"There needs to be consistency and an approach with a focus of eradication systematically per region," Diarmita said.



However, the government cannot afford to conduct mass depopulation in poultry farms as complete monetary compensation to farmers cannot be determined.



Recent data showed an unexpected increase in poultry infected by the HPAI subtype H5N1 in Indonesia, with 148 cases detected in the first four months of 2016, a rise from 123 cases throughout the whole of 2015.



The increased rate is due to inadequate vaccination of poultry flocks, which is exacerbated by extreme weather changes that decreases poultry's resistance to disease, Diarmita said. (rin)
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Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post)  Tue, May 17 2016

Global partnership: Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro (right) and Islamic Development Bank (IDB) president and chairman of the board of executive directors Ahmad Mohamed Ali (left) visit the ministrys show booth at an exhibition held on the sidelines of the IDBs annual meeting in Jakarta on Monday. (JP/DON)



The emergence of impact investment after the 2008 global financial crisis is still fresh in the mind of

Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro.



Impact investment refers to investment that intends to generate a social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. It was a tool that helped rebuild economies and societies after the global crisis.



Minister Bambang is of the view that many aspects in the cause of impact investment are also covered by Islamic finance.



I believe Islamic finance has a significant role to play as it provides transparent and equitable transactions among parties, the academic-cum-bureaucrat said on Monday while delivering his opening remarks during a discussion held as part of the Islamic Development Banks (IDB) 41st Annual Meeting in Jakarta.



Financial Services Authority (OJK) chairman Muliaman D. Hadad, also present at the event, expressed a similar view, saying that a growing Islamic finance sector would help the government boost impact investment in the country.



Despite containing the worlds largest Muslim population, Indonesia has struggled to boost its sharia finance industry. Data from the OJK shows that the industry accounted for just 4.87 percent of the countrys financial sector last year, down a fraction from the 4.89 percent recorded in 2014.



This year, the OJK aims to see that figure increase to 5 percent.



The sharia financial industry is growing, but as conventional finance is also growing, the market share between the two has seen no change, Muliaman said.



However, Indonesia, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, are among the worlds top three countries with the potential to develop their Islamic finance sector, he said, citing the 2015 Islamic Growth Markets Investment Report.



Meanwhile, IDB President Ahmad Mohamed Ali said Islamic finance could also focus on real economic sectors to support sustainable growth. Islamic finance and impact investment had similar principles, which stressed social and moral values.



In the last decade, the IDB Group played a pioneering role in improving development in developing countries, he said. The group developed various forms of Islamic finance to help the development of infrastructure, energy and housing.



The IDBs financial support is needed to support Indonesias massive infrastructure projects scheduled for the next few years, Minister Bambang said. The government and the banks officials, he said, were preparing a member-country partnership strategy (MCPS) for the next four years. They are scheduled to sign the MCPS on Tuesday evening.



The MCPS is an agreement between the government and the IDB on projects that will receive financial assistance from the bank.



The cooperation, Bambang said, would focus on physical and social infrastructure, inclusive Islamic finance and business development.



Among the projects that will receive assistance from the IDB are slump-area revitalization projects, in which the IDB will co-finance the projects with the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.



The assistance is estimated to be worth US$365 million. Furthermore, the IDB will support the development of four Islamic universities and higher education institutions with $176.5 million, and the development of an electricity network and transmission lines worth $330 million.



JP/ Prima Wirayani

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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

As an alternative type of funding, Islamic finance provides a stable environment and less burdensome debt compared to conventional funds in terms of financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

According to Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs, all countries must make balanced investments in the SDGs, putting infrastructure as the first priority along with investments in education, health and renewable energy. Thus, there would be a bigger need for funding, including debt financing.

With a target to be achieved by 2030, the SDGs are an ambitious pact to end poverty and hunger, improve health and education, as well as combat climate change. As the SDG deadline nears, developing countries would be likely to take out more debt, according to Sachs.

"There are countries who could afford the infrastructure and still need more to develop education and health. If they need to borrow to fulfill that, let them borrow," Sachs said during the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) annual meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday.

As a Keynesian, he expressed his belief that long-term economic growth was triggered by increasing the pace of investment as well as national savings. If the governments income and public savings were not adequate, more loans were fine as long as they were well spent, he added.

Amid increasing worry over the risk of piling debts, Jeffrey saw Islamic finance as an alternative to offset the risk on the balance sheet. The risk-sharing scheme applied in the system is more like equity-based financing rather than debt.

"Islamic finance for SDGs is a wonderful contribution. It might be a key [so] that we could have more financing without engaging in more debt. The Wall Street crisis is the crisis of too much debt, too much short-term debt. It is a very exciting idea and we should discuss it together," he said.

Similarly, IDB chief economist Savas Alpay said the Islamic economy could bring stability as it bound the finance and real sectors more closely, with more transparency in risk sharing.

Islamic social contributions such as zakat (alms), shadaqa (charity) and wakaf (donations) could also act as a pioneering form of aid to make low-income populations bankable, in line with financial inclusion programs that can increase national savings, he said.

"These are two keys, most of our population is unbanked so they cannot take a part in economic production. We have to make sure that everybody has access to this. Second, if you look at the global crisis, Islamic finance gives the financial and real sectors a transparent and close connection and offers more potential to keep our economies away from crisis," he said.

Despite the small share of less than 10 percent in most IDB member countries, Islamic financing is on the rise as more governments begin to utilize the instruments, especially sukuk. However, more private participation is needed and individual investors must be aware of the sharing concepts.

"We have to make sure with the customers that they are ready for this kind of profit-loss sharing idea. In fact, Malaysia recently started an investment account platform where the depositors are now taking action beforehand, either they are investing in normal deposits or investment account deposits," he said. (ags)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

The Jakarta administration has granted Rp 576 billion (US$43.36 million) to the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) and Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) to carry out preparations ahead of the capital's gubernatorial election scheduled for February.

The city administration granted Rp 478 billion to the KPUD, double 2012's funding of Rp 258 billion, and Rp 98 billion to Bawaslu as stated in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the city administration, Jakarta KPUD and Bawaslu during an event at City Hall on Monday.

The figure aimed to help the two bodies carry out preparations, implementation, promotion and supervision for the elections slated for Feb. 15, 2017.

The increased budget aimed to pay 144,000 field officers and to manage rising voter numbers for next year as predicted by the KPUD, chairman Sumarno said on Monday. Field officers individually verify documents from supporters of independent candidates. The number of officers would increase if needed.

Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama said he expected the money to be used transparently by the KPUD and Bawaslu.

The most important thing is that everything must be transparent, especially the supervision after the voting. We also invited Bawaslu to use our Jakarta Smart City program for help, Ahok told journalists after the MoU signing.

As the capital city's election is expected to be in the spotlight, Ahok believed the KPUD would carry out its duties professionally. It would be hard for any party to cheat, he said.

The KPUD will start the process by accepting support for independent candidates from Aug. 3 to 7. The verification process will continue for two weeks afterwards.

Moreover, Sumarno explained that on Sept. 19, the KPUD would open registration for candidates from political parties.

The campaign will kick off on Oct. 4 and will run until three days before the election date, Sumarno said.

Only Ahok and his running mate, civil servant Heru Budi Hartono, have declared their candidacy as independent candidates so far. Political parties have begun to promote potential candidates but no names have been declared yet. (rin)
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Linkedin Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post) Seoul  Tue, May 17, 2016

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo promoted his trademark blusukan (impromptu visit) style of diplomacy at a leadership forum in Seoul on Tuesday.

Jokowi told the audience of the 7th Asian Leadership Conference (ALC)  which was held by major South Korean media outlet Chosun Ilbo  that he solved most of his challenges as a government official by making blusukan.

"I walked and walked and walked when I was the mayor of Solo [in Central Java]," he said, adding that the visits enabled him to have heart-to-heart conversations with the people and to commence long-delayed projects.The blusukan continued when he was elected governor of Jakarta in 2012 and then President in 2014.

"But now I don't walk. I fly," he said, sparking laughter among the audience, which included South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Iranian Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar, former US president George W. Bush and former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Jokowi applauded this year's ALC theme of "Asia Tomorrow: Innovation 4.0". He acknowledged that innovation played a crucial part in world dynamics, but warned that such a focus could create wider inequality gaps between winners and losers.

"It can lead to extremism and radicalism."

He came full circle in his remarks by calling on leaders to walk together with the people while at the same time supporting innovation. (dmr)
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Linkedin thejakartapost.com (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

The youth wing of Indonesia's second biggest Muslim group, Muhammadiyah, will report the police's antiterror unit Densus 88 to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for the alleged bribery of the family of dead terror suspect Siyono.

Muhammadiyah, which has about 30 million members across the country, said Rp 100 million (US$7,619) given by Densus 88 to Siyono's family was considered grounds for a graft case.

"Through the central board, we will report it to the KPK as the gift is potentially a case of graft," Muhammadiyah's Central Java youth wing chairman Zainuddin Ahpandi said as quoted by kompas.com on Monday.

The organization's Humanitarian Defense Team (TPK) will work on Siyono's case, accusing female members of Densus 88 of attempting to impede both law enforcement and an independent autopsy on the suspected terrorist's body by giving money to the family.

The Rp 100 million was divided into two packages, each containing Rp 50 million in Rp 100,000 bills. The women gave the first package to Siyono's wife, Suratmi, saying it was to help raise her five children. The second package was given to Siyono's brother, Wagiyono, to help with burial costs.

According to data from the TPK, the officers also told Siyono's family to just let go of his death, tempo.co has reported.

The money, contained in two thick envelopes, was handed over by the family to Muhammadiyah and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) when they reported Siyono's alleged torture while in Densus 88 custody. The money was revealed during a press conference at Komnas HAM's office in mid-April.

The TPK and Siyono's family lawyer Trisno Raharjo said Suratmi and her family had filed a report on Sunday with the Klaten Police in Central Java, containing numerous allegations, including attempted bribery and murder. However, the police only received a report on alleged violence leading to Siyono's death.

Two other reports would be processed later, Trisno said, including one on the alleged filing of false autopsy results by a police doctor.

Muhammadiyah's youth wing is committed to assisting Siyono's family in seeking justice and following correct procedures. If the efforts failed, they would report the case to an international court, said Zainuddin.

Meanwhile, Klaten Police chief Adj. Sr. Com. Faizal said the police had received the report from Siyono's family and the force had coordinated with the general crimes and intelligence directorate of the police's criminal investigations agency and with the Central Java Police chief. (afr/dan)
A child (right) chats with an elderly person during the elementary school equivalent national examination at SDN 01 Bendungan Hilir in Jakarta on Monday. The exam gives citizens, including middle-aged people, the chance to make up for early deprivations in access to education.(JP/Seto Wardhana)(right) chats with an elderly person during the elementary school equivalent national examination at SDN 01 Bendungan Hilir in Jakarta on Monday. The exam gives citizens, including middle-aged people, the chance to make up for early deprivations in access to education.(JP/Seto Wardhana)
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Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17 2016

Regulations surrounding the construction of pedestrian bridges and the height limit for container trucks are in the spotlight following the collapse of a footbridge across Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) toll road in South Tangerang.

PT Nusantara Infrastructure, the holding company of PT Bintaro Serpong Damai that built the footbridge, insists that before the incident the bridge was in good condition and emphasized that its construction had met all construction standards.

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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

The relatives of three out of four people who died in a hyperbaric chamber explosion at Jakartas Navy hospital in early March plan to sue the hospital for negligence.

They claim that the chamber was not being operated according to standard operating procedures (SOP), resulting in the explosion that killed (ret.) Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira, medical doctor Dimas, Edi Suwandi and Sulistyo.

Relatives of Sulistyo, former chairman of the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI), are not among those who will sue the hospital.

Susilowati Muchtar, wife of Edi and mother of Dimas as well as Tri Murni, the wife of Abubakar, are seeking legal justice for the deaths of their relatives. "I will take this case to court through criminal or civil procedures," Susilowati told journalists at a press conference on Tuesday.

Susilowati also criticized the hospital for its evacuation procedures. The relatives also accused of the operator and nurse of not taking metal materials off the patients before the start of the therapy as metal may have triggered the explosion of the chamber.

It has also been claimed that the hospital had not provided the relatives with the results of an investigation into the incident, Susilowati added.

Lawyers of the relatives said that apart from suing the hospital, their clients had also sought support from other institutions.

They reported the case to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on claims of a lack of transparency in the investigation of the explosion on May 5. The relatives also visited the Indonesian Medical Disciplinary Honorary Assembly (MKDKI) to request that the institution carry out an investigation into the case on Tuesday.

"We have delivered formal complaints to the MKDKI, as the government has ignored this case. We believe that there was malpractice and an ethics breach in this case," lawyer of the relatives of the victims, Firman Wijaya, said at the MKDKI on Tuesday.

The MKDKI has promised to follow up on this case. (bbn)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

Indonesia must launch persistent renewable energy policies that can weather waves of government change as a shift in the energy mix will take up to 40 years to succeed, Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs has said.

As the fourth-biggest coal producer in the world, Indonesia is still dependent on the commodity. The country could decarbonize its energy system given its range of other options, but decarbonization would take decades to succeed, Sachs said.

Therefore, the government must show a lifelong commitment to building renewable energy, which must also be continued by the next administration.

"I believe Indonesia and the US and other countries should create a kind of energy regulatory authority that takes a long-term view and provides consistency across the governments. Whatever this government gets started, the next government has to continue, and so do the next governments," Sachs told thejakartapost.com on Tuesday in Jakarta.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said said recently that the government aimed for 5,000 megawatts (MW) of its 35,000 MW program to be powered by solar cells, and another 2,000 MW by geothermal.

Sachs said the potential for renewable energy in Indonesia could be bigger than that, including the option to use nuclear power.

"There are a lot of renewable energy potentials in this country. Clearly you have solar power, wind power, more geothermal power, and there is nuclear power for consideration as well. All of those powers should be part of a comprehensive energy strategy that is compatible with the reality of climate change," he said. (ags)
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Linkedin Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post) Seoul  Tue, May 17 2016

North Koreas nuclear weapons program was discussed at a bilateral meeting between Indonesia and South Korea on Monday, as the two countries called on North Korea to halt its nuclear ambitions and comply with a United Nations resolution.

In a joint press conference after the bilateral meeting, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said he and President Joko Jokowi Widodo had agreed to strengthen their partnership to maintain world peace and security.

She was quick to point to nuclear testing activities carried out by North Korea as a threat to security in the Korean Peninsula.

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Linkedin thejakartapost.com (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

Controversial senior politician and Golkar Party lawmaker Setya Novanto gained the most votes at an extraordinary national meeting of the party in the early hours of Tuesday, handing him the leader's post for the veteran party.

In the first stage of the closed-door vote, Setya and his main rival, House of Representatives Speaker Ade Komarudin, garnered the most votes among eight candidates, with 277 and 173 votes respectively.

However, in the second round between the final two candidates, Ade decided to step down and support Setya instead.

Therefore, the party plenary lead by Nurdin Halid declared Setya the new Golkar chairman for the 2014 to 2019 period.

Ade said he made the decision to step down from his candidacy after a discussion with the party's former chairman Aburizal Bakrie, who had thrown his support behind Ade.

"I am younger than Novanto so it is better for me to step down. I still have other opportunities in the future," Ade said as quoted by news portal kompas.com.

Setya welcomed his victory gladly and thanked the party's senior members for supporting him. He also acknowledged Ade for stepping down and making way for his victory after only one round of voting, something he considered "extraordinary", Setya said as quoted by kompas.com.

"I will take [the position] and its responsibility for the sake of our country," the former House speaker said during a televised interview on TVOne on Tuesday.

Setya also vowed that Golkar would support President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla's administration. Prior to the vote, the party declared it would support the government and exit the Red-and-White Coalition led by the Gerindra Party.

Setya started his political career at the bottom of the party that was closely tied to the late dictator Soeharto. However, he made his way to the top until he was appointed Golkar treasurer.

The lawmaker, who was part of Aburizal's side during the party's dual leadership issues, was also appointed House speaker for the period of 2014 to 2019. His name entered the spotlight after a recording went public of a conversation between him, businessman Riza Chalid and former US-based mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin.

In the conversation, reportedly regarding a backroom deal with the company, Riza and Setya were suspected to have misused Jokowi and Kalla's names. The scandal rocked the House and its ethics council declared Setya guilty of misconduct, leading to his resignation from the speaker position in 2015. He then moved to lead the Golkar faction at the House.

In the Golkar extraordinary national meeting, businessman Setya was recorded as the richest candidate, with Rp 114.77 billion and U$49,150. (rin)
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Linkedin Kusumasari Ayuningtyas (The Jakarta Post) Klaten  Tue, May 17 2016

Two months after the suspicious death of terrorist suspect Siyono, his wife Suratmi reported two Densus 88 counterterrorism squad members to the Klaten Police in Central Java.

Filing the report on Sunday, Suratmi was accompanied by her in-laws and lawyer Trisno Raharjo from the Muhammadiyah humanity advocate team.

Trisno said the two agents were reported for allegedly killing or torturing Siyono to death.

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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Guangzhou  Tue, May 17, 2016

Young Indonesian and Chinese students think fan bases and social media platforms may be the key to improving future ties.

During a discussion titled "Youth Dream Under Global Context: How Young People Can Advance Social Progress" at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in the city of Guangzhong, Guangdong, China, graduate student Jeremy Jiang said increased people-to-people meetings between Indonesian and Chinese youth was essential to build mutual trust.

University of Indonesia (UI) student Langit Rinesti agreed and added that such meetings must be based on mutual interests.

"Not just general people-to-people exchange; we need to make it specific. So agriculture students should meet with agriculture students," the communications major said on Tuesday.

"The best example of this is fan bases. For example, if you like a specific K-Pop group, you don't care what planet the other [fan] is from, you'll both say that you love this [group] and support them."

Indonesia has been seeking stronger social and economic ties with China, following decades of uneasy relations. Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) recently established a China Desk in the hope of smoothing communications and gaining US$30 billion from the neighboring country.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Bilhaqi, an international relations student from UI, suggested the establishment of a joint social media platform where Indonesian and Chinese youths could communicate and exchange ideas.

Both China and Indonesia's dense populations have high numbers of internet users, with 649 million and 73 million respectively, which contributes to a large number of social media users.

However, the establishment of a new social media platform would be essential as several popular social media platforms in Indonesia, such as Facebook and Instagram, are blocked by the Chinese government, leading to the use of alternatives such as Weibo.

"We can use the internet, we can make a new platform to establish a new forum for connectivity on social media," Bilhaqi said.

"My lecturer said you will gain better communication [skills] if you meet more [people], so we need to meet more."

Fifteen Indonesian university students traveled to Guangdong University of Foreign Studies as part a "Write to China" essay-writing competition organized by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) and China's Foreign Ministry. (dmr)
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Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Palu  Tue, May 17 2016

Personnel of the Operation Tinombala task force and suspected members of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terrorist group have engaged in a shoot-out on Sunday at around 2:20 p.m. local time in a mountainous region of South Poso Pesisir district, Poso, Central Sulawesi.

Task force spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Hari Suprapto on Monday said the firefight broke out when Operation Tinombala troops were patrolling the Uwe Mayea area. The troops suddenly saw a group of armed men walking down a hill to the Saatu river.

According to Hari, the troops opened fire at the unidentified gunmen, who then returned fire.

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Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Palu, Central Sulawesi  Tue, May 17, 2016

Two members of the Santoso-led terrorist group East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) were killed during a shoot-out with the Operation Tinombala task force on Sunday in South Poso Pesisir district, Poso regency, Central Sulawesi.



Operation Tinombala spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Hari Suprapto said the terrorists were found dead at 3:43 p.m. following a two-hour shoot-out at Mount Uwe Mayea, South Poso Pesisir.



The dead bodies would be transported by helicopter from the mountainous area to Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Palu for identification, Hari said.



"We cannot publish their names for now, pending the identification," Hari said on Monday.



Earlier on Sunday, the task force, which was patrolling in the Uwe Mayea area, spotted a group armed with rifles walking downhill to the Saatu River. They started to shoot at the group and the militants shot back, resulting in an exchange of fire.



The shoot-out ended when the militants stopped shooting at the troops from their location in the hills. The task force immediately secured the area, which led to the discovery of the two fatalities and four bags containing supplies, Hari said.



While some of the troops swept the area, the others followed the remaining MIT members who had fled to the south and west. The troops continued pursuing the militants until late on Sunday night, Hari said.



Separately, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti confirmed that the militants belonged to the Santoso group.

With the deaths of two more terrorist suspects, Santoso's group has further weakened, Badrodin said.



"They are now down to 23 to 22 [members]," Badrodin said as quoted by kompas.com.



Officials have been intensifying the hunt for the MIT in recent weeks, with an additional 700 police and military personnel deployed to apprehend the group led by the so-called commander of the Islamic State (IS) movement in Indonesia. (afr/dmr)
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Linkedin Michael Astor (Associated Press) United Nations  Tue, May 17, 2016

Former British Prime Minster Gordon Brown on Monday announced the creation of the United Nations' first humanitarian fund for the education of refugee children.

Acting in his role as UN special envoy for global education, Brown said the fund hopes to reach many of the estimated 20 million school-age refugees and displaced persons around the globe who are being denied an education as part of "the largest population of displaced girls and boy since 1945."

Brown said the number of children who are missing out on schooling due to displacement is becoming a global crisis that will haunt the world for generations.

"When we ask ourselves what breaks the lives of once thriving young children, it's not just the Mediterranean wave that submerges the life vest and it's not just the food convoy that does not arrive in Syria, it's also the absence of hope  the soul crushing certainty that there is nothing to plan or prepare for, not even a place in school," Brown said, speaking by telephone to reporters at the UN

The initiative, entitled "Education Cannot Wait," will be formally launched at next week's World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul and seeks to raise $3.85 billion from some 100 donors in the public and private sectors over the next five years.

The initiative, which has been in the works for three years, was inspired by the refugee crisis in Syria, but funds will be available for refugees around the globe.

Brown said that the vast majority of people fleeing the war in Syria remain in the region and if parents believed their children could get an education there, they would be more likely to stay in place, rather than undertake the risky passage to Europe.

"We must meet our responsibilities to those people who are in Europe, who are refugees and asylum seekers, but we must at the same time recognize the biggest problem and the biggest number of people who need help, particularly children who need help, are in the region themselves. And if we do not act they will become victims of child labor, child trafficking and child marriage and they will be a discontented generation of young people, a lost generation," Brown said.
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

US Ambassador to Indonesia Robert O. Blake Jr. on Tuesday introduced one of two newly installed PM 2.5 Air Quality Meters (AQMs) to the press at the US Housing Complex in Central Jakarta.

The AQMs will be used to specifically measure fine particulates, smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, as WHO says these particularly affect health, the ambassador added. The second meter has been installed at the warehouse in South Jakarta.

"60 percent of the population of Jakarta suffer from air pollution related health side-effects," Blake said, in reference to data from a study conducted by Indonesia's Environment and Forestry Ministry in collaboration with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2013.

In addition to close cooperation with the ministry, the EPA also works at the city level in collaboration with the city administration on a program called "Breathe Easy Jakarta", he continued.

"And through that program we provide training, we provide various kinds of analysis and research, all of which is designed to better understand and provide effective control of air pollution here in Jakarta," Blake said.

The measurement data is accessible and can be monitored in real time on the US embassy website online, through a link provided to the EPA worldwide data. Similar monitoring projects are also implemented in 24 embassies around the world, including Vietnam, China, Mongolia and Kosovo, said Blake.

Environment and Forestry Ministry's air pollution control director Dasrul Chaniago said there are also 14 similar government-owned tools around Jakarta. Five of the monitors provide real-time feed while nine others are manual, he continued, adding that they monitor PM 10, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone and carbon monoxide.

"Data from the past three years have shown that air quality in Jakarta is improving," Dasrul said.

The ministry's data categorization of air quality levels indicates that "healthy" days have consistently risen between 2013 to 2015, recording 4, 12 and 43 days consecutively each year.

Meanwhile, "unhealthy" days have conversely reduced, with record showing 181, 90 and 64 consecutively.

When compared to other cities throughout the world monitored by the EPA using the same PM 2.5 monitoring system, Dasrul cited data that he obtained on April 29 which puts Central Jakarta at number 72 and South Jakarta at 77. New Delhi sits at number 222, Hanoi at 159 and Bangladesh at 152, he continued.

Dasrul said the government will continue to improve air quality, including steps such as improving emissions standards. He referred to the government's recently lodged ministerial regulation of Euro 4, a rise from the current Euro 2 emission standard, which is yet to be signed.

Dasrul said the emission standard improvement is hoped to make a better impact on air quality since studies have shown that the biggest contributor to air pollution is motorized vehicles.

If the regulation is implemented this year, it will take effect in two years, forcing all vehicles produced from 2018 onward to abide by Euro 4. While vehicles currently produced to Euro 2 standards can continue until 2020. (bbn)
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Linkedin Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir (The Jakarta Post) Melbourne  Tue, May 17 2016

There are still too few social scientists in Indonesia contributing to knowledge production at the global level. Compared to its neighboring countries, there is a huge difference in the number of international publications.

Based on the Scimago Journal Rank 2014, Indonesian social scientists produced only 488 documents in 2014, far below Malaysia (2,056), Singapore (1,160) and Thailand (585). This is in accordance with the fact that most academic works about Indonesia are written by foreign scholars who are spread throughout the world in many Asian research centers such as in Australia, the US, Japan, the Netherlands and Canada. It seems that we cannot explain ourselves since other people do that for us.

In line with the low number of international scientific publications, academics and social science researchers in Indonesia are much more easily tempted by the instant popularity gained from the mass media.

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Linkedin George Barber (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17 2016

The above-titled article was published in The Jakarta Post on May 9. In the article, it is quoted that the failure to find a winning bidder for all of the eight oil and gas blocks put up for tender last year stemmed from weak oil prices and the terms and conditions that are offered by the government.

Several parties have suggested that if investors are to be enticed, the terms of contracts have to be changed. There is very little that can be done about the prices.

It is well known that Indonesia has a huge potential for resources in all categories, which include oil, gas, geothermal, coal-bed methane, minerals etc.

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Linkedin George Jahn and Matthew Lee (Associated Press) Vienna  Tue, May 17, 2016

World and regional powers agreed Tuesday to try and turn Syria's shaky pause in fighting into a comprehensive cease-fire as a step toward ending the five-year war that left hundreds of thousands dead and fueled the rise of Islamic extremists.

Outlining other results, US Secretary of State John Kerry said participants set a June 1 deadline for the resumption of humanitarian aid to areas cut off from the outside world.

If land routes remain blocked, food aid will be air dropped and international pressure will be increased on those preventing such relief from getting through, he said. Such pressure will also be applied to stop indiscriminate use of force by the Syrian military, Kerry added, without specifying what pressure the powers could apply.

But beyond such pledges the meeting did not devise any concrete ways to resolve the main problem standing in the way of peace  factional divisions. Without that, progress in ending the violence and reducing Syria's human misery can only be marginal and temporary.

Kerry said as much to reporters, declaring that to end the conflict "a variety of competing interests are going to have to be reconciled.

"Those involved in this conflict with competing agendas are going to have to prioritize peace," he said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke of "difficult, in part controversial" talks. That, he said, is normal "when 20 nations with very different experiences and a different view of Syria sit at one table."

One key division continues to be the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Moscow opposes any attempt to forge a peace settlement that is conditional on his removal. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said his country's support of the Syrian government did not constitute backing for Assad.

Instead, he said Russia supports "the fight against terrorism, and we don't see a better alternative to doing that than the Syrian army."

Going into the talks, Steinmeier repeated the position held by the West and the Saudi-backed opposition that an agreement should outline steps leading to the end of the Syrian leader's rule.

"This is necessary because there can be no lasting future for this country with Assad," he told reporters. "This is why we must start negotiations here in Vienna ... about what a transition government could look like."

Kerry did not directly repeat Steinmeier's demand, saying only that "without a negotiated solution, Assad and his supporters will never end the war."

And he questioned suggestions that Assad was immune from international pressure to agree to a settlement, implying that unspecified other means could be applied if the Syrian leader remains obstinate.

If Assad "has reached a conclusion that there is no Plan B, he has done so without any foundation whatsoever, and it's very dangerous, dangerous," Kerry said.

In a nod to Moscow, Assad's key international backer, Kerry said Russia "has made it very clear" that Assad has signed on to commitments that include participation in peace talks, constitutional change and elections.

"But he has yet to live up to the first one, which is to participate fully in the Geneva talks on a political transition," he said.

The diplomats at the talks also called on all parties to dissociate themselves from the Islamic State and the al-Qaida affiliate, known as the Nusra Front, Kerry said.

Those comments reflect international concerns about attempts by Islamic radicals to form alliances with Syrian rebels, a worry Lavrov said all participants at the talks share.

"In particular, we have the problem of al-Nusra," he said. "It is changing, it makes alliances with groups in the cessation of hostilities."

The talks, which included foreign ministers or other senior officials from more than 20 countries and organizations, were convened after discussions meant to reduce differences between rival factions sputtered last month in Geneva as fighting flared.

The current effort to end the five-year Syria conflict was largely spearheaded by Kerry and Lavrov, backed by major global and regional powers that formed the International Syria Support Group.

A truce brokered by the US and Russia sharply reduced violence in March, but that truce has been steadily eroding. The Vienna conference was called after UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura appealed last month to Washington and Moscow to directly intervene in putting the Syria dialogue back on track.

The Geneva talks foundered after the Western- and Saudi-backed opposition suspended formal participation in the indirect talks with Assad's envoys to protest alleged government cease-fire violations, a drop in humanitarian aid deliveries and no progress in winning the release of detainees in Syria.
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Linkedin Victoria Brown (The Star/ANN) Petaling Jaya, Malaysia  Tue, May 17, 2016

Bersih 2.0 will fight for institutional reforms that include immigration control following the barring of its chairman from leaving Malaysia.

Its chairman Maria Chin Abdullah was barred from leaving the country on Sunday as she was on her way to receive a human rights award in South Korea.

A statement by the group of 46 civil society organizations said the travel ban is a sign of the Government recognizing the strength of Bersih 2.0.

It said that not only has Bersih 2.0 given "vibrancy to electoral reform and made it a national agenda for change with its eight demands", it is now fighting for institutional reforms to establish a "healthy multiparty democracy".

Citing Chin's travel ban and Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem's barring of politicians and activists from entering Sarawak, the group called upon Malaysians to stand up to these practices.

Some of the civil society organizations in the group include Akademi Belia, All Women's Action Society (Awam), Federation of Malaysian Indian Organisation (Prima), Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF), Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH), Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower), Sabah Womens Action Resource Group (Sawo), Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS), Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM), Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham), Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) and Women's Centre for Change, Penang (WCC).
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Linkedin Jim Gomez (Associated Press) Manila  Tue, May 17, 2016

Nine years ago Father Amado Picardal helped bury a teenager from a slum family who was gunned down by motorcycle-riding assassins in the southern Philippine city of Davao. The death was among hundreds in the large port city blamed on an anti-crime purge some believed was secretly run by its mayor, Rodrigo Duterte.

Memories of that violence flashed back in the Roman Catholic priest's mind when the tough-talking mayor triumphed in last week's presidential election on a pledge to replicate his Davao crime-busting style in the rest of the Philippines.

"I felt sad and depressed," Picardal said of Duterte's rise.

A Duterte presidency is "very frightening," he said in an interview, adding that human rights groups will need to keep a close watch and document any violations, especially extrajudicial killings, in the next six years under Duterte's presidency.

From his 22 years as mayor to the presidential campaign trail, Duterte has never minced words about his deadly objective for criminals. But he has generally denied the existence of death squads in his city.

However, investigations by the Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines, a senior UN official, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and a group led by Picardal that opposed summary executions have concluded otherwise.

Clarita Alia, a vegetable vendor and the mother of the young man that Picardal helped bury in Davao in 2007, said she is willing to testify if a case against Duterte goes to court. Three other sons of hers who were suspected of crimes she said they did not commit were also killed by motorcycle-riding hitmen.

Duterte's bold campaign pledge to end crime and corruption within six months, his iron-fisted approach to law and order, and his public threat to kill all criminals helped catapult the longtime mayor into the presidency. But his tough anti-crime reputation may now haunt him as he comes under a national and international spotlight and tries to achieve his promise.

A former prosecutor who experienced the legal complexities of battling criminals, Duterte was first elected mayor in 1988. Nicknamed "Duterte Harry" after the Clint Eastwood character with little regard for rules, he served as hundreds of suspected criminals, drug dealers and addicts were gunned down or fatally stabbed in a wave of brazen attacks by motorcycle-riding gunmen dubbed by the media as the "Davao Death Squads," or the DDS.

On the final day of campaigning 10 days ago, he made clear he would continue to employ his hard-line approach to crime as president.

"All of you who are into drugs, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you," Duterte told a huge crowd in Manila. "I have no patience, I have no middle ground, either you kill me or I will kill you idiots."

But he has denied any role in gangland-style killings, at one point blaming warring gangs for the violence.

Investigators say they have found no hard evidence of a direct role by Duterte in the vigilante-style killings, saying not one witness has come forward to testify against him, possibly for fear of reprisals.

In a report, the Commission on Human Rights said 206 people, mostly suspected criminals and including 19 minors, were slain in shootings and stabbings attributed to the death squads from 2005 to 2009 alone, adding that there were witnesses to at least 94 of the killings.

"Nobody wanted to testify," said Loretta Ann Rosales, who headed the commission at the time. "There was a measure of fear. We can't prove his criminal liability because nobody would say that he ordered the killings."

Phelim Kine of the US-based group Human Rights Watch said it found no hard evidence of any direct role by Duterte in 28 death-squad killings, mostly from 2007 to 2008, that it investigated.

"What is unquestionable is that we found evidence that Davao city officials and police were directly involved and that evidence merits a thorough investigation by the Philippine authorities," Kine said, adding that his group wasn't aware if the government had acted on the findings.

In its 2009 report, Human Rights Watch said many of the killers were former Marxist rebel hitmen or targeted criminals who turned into DDS gunmen to avoid death. It said they were armed with .45 caliber pistols and paid to carry out the executions by their "boss."

The boss "provides members of a death squad team with as little as the name of the target, and sometimes an address and a photograph. Police stations are then notified to ensure that police officers are slow to respond, enabling the death squad members to escape," the human rights group said.

"The motive appears to be simple expedience: courts are viewed as slow or inept. The murder of criminal suspects is seen as easier and faster than proper law enforcement," it said.

Philip Alston, then the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions who looked into the Davao violence, said in a 2008 report that it would be a "polite euphemism" to describe the killers as "vigilantes" given the "shocking predictability" with which they killed their victims, adding many of them didn't even wear masks.

"One fact points very strongly to the officially sanctioned character of these killings: No one involved covers his face. The men who warn mothers that their children will be the next to die unless they make themselves scarce turn up on doorsteps undisguised," Alston said.

Rosales said the Philippine human rights commission asked the Ombudsman, which prosecutes officials for wrongdoing, to investigate Duterte in 2012 for possible administrative liability "for his inaction in the face of evidence of numerous killings committed in Davao City and his toleration of the commission of those offenses."

Her commission cited the country's constitution, local laws and international conventions that bind the Philippine government and its officials to protect human rights and effectively investigate and prosecute violators.

That attempt failed, however, when Duterte was let off by a Philippine legal doctrine that absolves newly elected officials from administrative liabilities they may have committed in past terms, Rosales said. Duterte was reelected mayor in 2013.

The Supreme Court struck down that doctrine last year due to complaints that it had blocked the prosecution of officials accused of wrongdoing and corruption.

Although Duterte was cleared, 21 high-ranking police officials who were not covered by the doctrine were found guilty of "simple neglect of duty" by the Ombudsman in 2012 for failing to stop death squad assaults in their areas that killed 720 people from 2005 to 2008.

Each officer was fined the equivalent of one month of salary, according to the Ombudsman's office.

Despite his brash campaign rhetoric, Duterte will find it hard to bring his Davao crime-fighting style to the rest of the country because of the oversight of Congress, the judiciary and other agencies that check abuses. The world will be watching too, said Picardal, who was assigned to Davao for many years until he moved to Manila in 2011.

"There are checks and balances," he said. "The eyes of the nation and the world are on him."

The 61-year-old priest said he understands that the nearly 16 million Filipinos who voted for Duterte for president have a legitimate yearning for change because of their exasperation over crime and corruption. Some may not even be aware that the killings in Davao were real and not just Duterte's bluster, he said.

But for those who were aware and glossed over the deadly violence that blighted Davao, Picardal said he hopes they will examine their conscience and not yield to desperation.

"What I'm afraid of is that we'll become a nation where a lot of people have lost a sense of right and wrong," he said.
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Linkedin (Vientiane Times/ANN)  Tue, May 17, 2016

The Lao and Vietnamese prime ministers have agreed to further the implementation of a joint agreement reached by the Lao and Vietnamese politburos and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the 38th meeting of the Joint-Governmental Commissions on Bilateral Cooperation (JC).

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the agreement in Hanoi on Sunday during a visit by the head of the Lao government to Vietnam.

Thongloun, his wife and a Lao delegation are visiting Vietnam from May 15 to 17.

According to the Lao News Agency, the two countries intend to tighten cooperation between their border provinces with the aim of preventing subversive and undesirable conduct, and enhance cooperation in education, cultural-social matters, and foreign affairs.

At the 38th meeting of the JC convened in Vientiane last December, the two sides agreed upon the direction of bilateral cooperation for 2016-2020, and the cooperation plan for next year, as well as technical approval of the Anouvong Secondary Friendship School in Xaysomboun province, with the Lao government to implement the project.

An MoU between the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and Vietnam's Social Insurance Department, a loan agreement and an insurance agreement for the Nam Mo 2 hydropower development plan, and amendments to the lead and zinc survey agreement relating to Nonghed district, Xieng Khuang province, and Huaphan province, were also completed.

At their meeting on Sunday, the two prime ministers discussed next year's celebration of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the two nations.

Cooperation within the Mekong framework, regional and international cooperation, and regional and international issues of mutual interest were also on the agenda.

Thongloun's visit to Vietnam was his first to a foreign country since he was elected Prime Minister.

During the visit, Thongloun paid a courtesy visit to the Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, who praised and said he highly valued Thongloun's election as the head of the Lao government. This reflected the trust placed in him by the Lao leaders and multiethnic people.

Thongloun and his delegation also paid a courtesy visit to Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, met the President of the National Assembly of Vietnam Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and received a courtesy visit from the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association.

He also met former President Truong Tan Sang, former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Party Committee Le Thanh Hai.
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Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, May 17, 2016

Weve had a win! said Simone Cariss following news that her daughter, a grade-one student named Asha, would be allowed to wear pants for her uniform at a Catholic school in Melbourne, Australia.

Cariss created an online petition demanding gender equality in school uniforms at Our Lady of the Nativity Primary School.

Cariss' anger was sparked when the school rejected Ashas request to wear pants as part of the winter uniform. As with most schools, girls wear skirts while boys wear pants. At Ashas school, girls are allowed to wear pants but only during sport uniform days. Apart from that, they have to wear tunics in winter and dresses during the summer.

In the petition, Cariss said wearing pants helped her daughter to be more active at school. By contrast, wearing skirts will limit the freedom of girls who like to run, climb, ride bikes and engage in other outdoor activities. Asha often asked why she could not wear pants like boys.

Because youre a girl is not something I am prepared to say to my 6-year-old daughter, wrote Cariss. I have raised her to believe she can do and conquer anything, regardless of her gender, and that she can like what she wants to like and not what gender stereotypes dictate she should like.

My daughters school does not have a school board or council to take our concerns to, Cariss added. The alternative is to make an anti-discrimination claim against the school.

The petition has been signed by more than 15,000 supporters. The hashtag #girlswearpantstoo has also spread throughout social media.

(Read also: Puerto Rico relaxes school uniform rules for LGBT students)

According to the latest update, Cariss celebrated her victory by saying that a school uniform review committee would be established at her daughter's school. Also, Asha has been allowed to wear pants to school.

"There should be a choice for girls to wear pants at all schools," said Cariss as quoted by Mashable, adding that it was necessary for schools to be as gender neutral as possible. (kes)
Louisiana is made up of a blend of cultures that have come together to create a youthful and lively state. Its largest city and most popular tourist destination, New Orleans, has rebuilt itself in the past ten years post-Hurricane Katrina as a city that is both modern and rich in historical roots.

Louisiana is a hip vacation spot for anyone interested in music, food, or history.

The states mix of cultures and languages come from the influences of French and Spanish settlers who colonised it, as well as Native American tribes in the area and African slave labourers who came with the settlers. Today, that blend is reflected in the food, architecture and languages; some long-standing Louisiana families speak Creole French, a blend of French and African terms.

Louisiana is also noteworthy for its natural attractions. Settled on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, southern Louisiana is made up of swamplands and marshes. The French-English term bayou is used to describe many of the swampy areas of the state that are home to alligators, crawfish, and herons.

Where to go

Louisianas biggest attraction is the city of New Orleans, which is an absolute must-see for anyone who wants a taste of what the state has to offer. While New Orleans would stand on its own as a hub for music and food, it is truly an incredible city especially considering around 80% of it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

New Orleans has come back stronger than ever  today, it has 600 more restaurants than it did in 2005, three more non-stop flights out of Louis Armstrong International Airport than it did in 2005, and 25% more festivals attended in 2014 than in 2010. New Orleans is not only back on-track since Katrina; its actually arguably better now than it was pre-tragedy. With this progress, Louisiana has also seen a rebirth in the spirit of volunteerism and a focus on family and friendship.

New Orleans French Quarter will take you back to 19th-century living, as most of its historical buildings were built in or before the early 1800s. The area received relatively mild damage during Hurricane Katrina, meaning its history was thankfully preserved. Bourbon Street, the French Quarters most popular attraction, offers bars, clubs, and taverns for travellers looking for a fun night out.

Baton Rouge, Louisianas capital, is home to the Old Louisiana State Capitol, a castle-like structure that is now known as the Museum of Political History. The Louisiana State Capitol  the new version of this building  is located downtown and is the tallest capitol building in the United States.

In addition to being known for its rich history and politics, Baton Rouge is a state-wide hotspot for young people as it is home to Louisiana State University. Between it and several other universities in the area, college students make up 20% of the citys population.

What to do

Eat a beignet

Stop by Cafe du Monde in New Orleans to try some of these doughy sweets  they are definitely worth the wait in the queue. A famous staple of Creole cuisine and similar to doughnuts, theyre served with mountains of powdered sugar on top. Beignets make the perfect dessert to many other classic New Orleans meals you should definitely also sample while touring the city  gumbo, jambalaya and red beans and rice are all staples available at a number of restaurants.

Get a taste of Mardi Gras  even if its not February

New Orleans celebration of the pre-Lenten feast is unlike any other. New Orleans population more than doubles in the time leading up to the big event; people wear elaborate costumes, masks, and beads, and giant floats are ridden through town on parade. Travelling after February, when all this takes place? No worries  go to Mardi Gras World and see all the floats and props for the event on display.

Explore the National WWII Museum

An immersive and unique historical experience, the WWII Museum is made up of three different buildings full of photographs, films, and artefacts from the war. A capital campaign has led to the planned expansion of the museum, so future visitors will have the opportunity to see more than ever before. Prepare to feel emotional.

Get ready to celebrate

Interested in travelling in 2018? Good  this is the year New Orleans turns 300. Considering the citys reputation for throwing a great party, its safe to assume its own birthday celebration will be no different. Plans are already well underway  the group 2018Nola has started a website and social media campaigns with plans for the big event.

Go on a swamp tour

Get out of the city and see Louisiana in its natural state. Head out to Lafayette, home of Cajun Country Swamp Tours, to see Louisiana wildlife in its natural stat

e. The boat tours are environmentally friendly and safe for both animals and people  so you may be closer than ever to alligators, but youll be in good hands.

Visit a plantation

Also outside of New Orleans, around 12 miles from its airport, you can visit the oldest documented plantation home in the lower Mississippi Valley, Destrehan Plantation. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the plantation was known for producing sugarcane and indigo and is noteworthy for its French Colonial style. It was featured in the Academy Award Best Picture 12 Years a Slave and other movies.
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Murder suspect arrested over Udon Thani bones

UDON THANI: The investigation into the piles of human bones found in a forest in Udon Thani has taken a big step forward with the arrest of a man for the murder of a woman whose remains were found in the same area.

homicidedeathpolice

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 17 May 2016, 09:20AM

Murder suspect Boonna Thong-ngam sits in front of police officers and answers questions during a media briefing at the provincial police office in Muang district in Udon Thani yesterday (May 16). Photo: Yutthapong Kamnodnae

Boonna Thong-ngam is the first suspect arrested since 23 piles of burned human bones were found in a forest in Ban Phue district in Udon Thani beginning on April 21 this year.

Mr Boonna was captured at his home in Ban Phue district in Udon Thani and charged with murdering Bang-orn Thong-on. Police did not say when the 57-year-old man was arrested. He was taken to a media briefing at the provincial police office in Muang district yesterday (May 16).

An arrest warrant has also been obtained for former policeman Pramote Buppasri in the same case, deputy police chief Gen Chalermkiat Sriworakhan said.

Pramote, who was formerly stationed at Ban Phue police station, is serving life imprisonment at Khlong Phai prison in Nakhon Ratchasima after being convicted in another murder case.

Mr Boonna admitted that he and former Sr Sgt Maj Pramote killed Bang-orn and took her body into the forest in Pramotes pickup truck, where she was burned in a pyre of three rubber tyres, according to police.

Mr Boonna told reporters that the murder stemmed from a dispute over money between Bang-orn and Pramote. The victim refused to lend money to the former policeman. The two took her cash and gold ornaments after the murder, and he was given B14,000 in cash by Pramote, he said.

The suspect did not say when the killing occurred.

Bang-orn, 52, a reputed loan shark, was last seen at her house on June 4, 2014. Her charred remains were found on June 8 in the same year in the forest. But police at the time did not have evidence to find the murderers.

Since the additional piles of human bones were found, 41 people have contacted investigators reporting missing people. Police have taken DNA samples from them for testing against samples from the bones.

Gen Chalermkiat said 28 samples tested so far by the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Police General Hospital did not match any of the bones. Another 13 samples would be sent for comparison soon, he added.

Maj Gen Kajornsak Pansakhon, the deputy commander of the Provincial Police Region 4, hoped for coopertion from Sr Sgt Maj Pramote with police to shed light on other human bones found in the area.

Read original story here.
Phuket fruit farmer shot dead

PHUKET: Police are currently investigating the suspected murder of a Phuket fruit farmer who was found shot on a fruit farm on Nakkerd Hill yesterday evening (May 16).

homicidedeathpolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 17 May 2016, 10:36AM

Rescue workers tend to the body of Mr Pongsak Saejo, 46. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Maj Patcharee Wongboon from Wichit Police received a call at 7:10pm from Mr Suwuth Saejo, 38, stating that he had discovered the body of his brother, Pongsak Saejo, 46, at his fruit farm off of 200 Pi Rd in Wichit.

It was reported that Mr Pongsak had sustained a gunshot wound to his neck.

Wichit police chief Col Kittipong Klaikaew led his team of officers and Kusoldharm rescue workers to the fruit farm located about one kilometre off 200 Pi Rd.

Upon arrival, the team were led by Mr Suwuth to the body of Mr Pongsak which was lying on the ground in the pool of blood. Mr Pongsak was still holding a machete in his right hand.

Col Kittipong said, There was a single bullet wound on Mr Pongsaks neck. We found signs of struggle or fight at the scene.

Mr Pongsaks body was taken to Vachira Hospital for doctors to confirm the cause of death, he said.

Col Kittipong went on to explain that he was told that on the evening of May 16, Mr Pongsak had left home to tend to his farm as usual. However, when he failed to return home his family became concerned so his brother, Mr Suwuth, went to look for him and found his body at the farm.

There are many theories behind what may have sparked the shooting.

We believe that the suspect/s knew Mr Pongsak was at his farm and ambushed him. It could have been a business deal that had gone wrong, or Mr Pongsak may have caught people trying to steal his fruit which could have led to fight, he said.

Whatever the case may be, we are investigating and will bring the suspect/s in, Col Kittipong added.
Police refuse murder charges in disabled breadman killing

BANGKOK: City police insist existing evidence does not support pressing charges of premeditated murder against seven suspects in the killing of a disabled bread delivery man in the Lat Phrao area.

deathhomicideviolencepolice

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 17 May 2016, 08:55AM

Relatives, friends and witnesses to the killing of Somkiat Sichan, a disabled bread delivery man, hold placards outside the Royal Thai Police Office after they submitted a letter to national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda yesterday (May 16), asking for justice in the case involving a teen gang with connections. Photo: Pattanapong Hirunard

Metropolitan Police Bureau acting commander Lt Gen Sanit Mahathavorn said police will press murder charges against the suspects only if there is sufficient evidence, not based on social pressure.

The city police acting chief made the comment after Anantachai Chaidet, the lawyer representing the family of Somkiat Sichan, 36, who was killed in a deadly brawl with a group of teenagers on May 1, together with his family members, appeared yesterday (May 16) at the Royal Thai Police headquarters. They submitted a letter to national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda asking for justice for the victims family.

The lawyer and the victims family demanded Gen Chakthip pressure Chokechai investigators to press charges of premeditated murder (first degree murder) against the suspects.

They also asked police to handle the case fairly as four of the suspects are the sons of police officers.

The lawyer said he submitted footage from surveillance cameras at the scene as evidence for the proposed charges.

However, Lt Gen Sanit said the seven suspects, including the latest suspect who is the girlfriend of one of the other suspects in the case, were now being charged with homicide (second degree murder).

While he said the evidence at hand is not enough for pressing charges of premeditated murder, Lt Gen Sanit assured investigations are still ongoing and if the evidence allows it, police will charge the suspects more severely.

Lt Gen Sanit said a premeditated murder charge needs clear evidence that a suspect had prepared for a murder in advance. He said in this particular case, although some suspects made phone calls to get more help while the brawl was taking place and the newcomers came with weapons, there needs to be evidence that proves they had planned to kill the victim before arriving at the scene.

But all the suspects insisted they came to the scene to help their friends in the brawl and carried weapons to protect themselves, not to kill the disabled man, said Lt Gen Sanit.

He said premeditated murder is the most serious charge and comes with the death penalty while homicide, which has execution as the maximum penalty, can have lighter sentences ranging from 15 years in prison to life imprisonment.

If an investigator files an exaggerated charge against a suspect without solid grounds, the officer would also face charges for causing others to be unfairly punished, he added.

The pressure on the police came after a group of people launched a campaign at the weekend for police to file more serious charges against the suspects.

The campaign, which was conducted online, has received strong support from netizens. Most believe one reason behind polices hesitation to press more severe charges is that four of the suspects are police officers sons.

On May 1, Somkiat, was stabbed to death in a brawl with six young men on Soi Chokechai Si in the Lat Phrao area. One of the suspects was also injured in the brawl.

Read original story here.
Noem campaign accuses Smith campaign of campaign finance violation

Gov. Kristi Noem's campaign has accused Rep. Jamie Smith's campaign of violating campaign finance laws after the recent report released Monday.
It's our annual Labour Weekend tradition ...The Sound 'Hall Of Fame' Countdown... Where we honor the greatest 500 songs of all time as voted by you.
S. Korea's new COVID-19 infections bounce back to over 40,000 amid resurgence woes South Korea's new COVID-19 cases sharply bounced back to over 40,000 Tuesday, sharply rebounding after showing a gradual decline in the past week. The country reported 43,759 n...
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a news conference in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday May 17, 2016. (Leonhard Foeger/Pool Photo vua AP)
Union Minister Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday released the draft of National Policy for Women, which seeks to address emerging challenges confronting women. It features provisions for protection of women against cyber crime, security to surrogate mothers and bringing gender sensitivity in family planning policies.

The policy provides a road map for dealing with women's issues for next 15-20 years and will replace the earlier policy of 2001.

The new policy will enable the government to recognise single women"divorced, widowed and unmarried women"as independent entities.

Noting the last national policy on women was formulated was in 2001, Gandhi said: "This policy has come after 15 years... The attitude of women towards themselves has changed.

"Fifteen years ago, women were happy to get what they were given. Now we demand... and our demands are more defined."

The draft policy says maternal and pre-natal mortality remains a key priority, but also focuses on issues like "gender transformative health strategy", which recognises women's reproductive rights with a shift. The draft, as an example, cited shifting the focus of family planning from female sterilisation to male sterilisation.

It also calls for ushering in changes in the societal attitude towards women and usher in behavioural changes involving men and boys and institutions of family and women's organisations.

The policy also suggests that childcare, dependant care and paid leave facilities be made available to not just women, but also to men.

The priority areas laid down by the policy include health, food security and nutrition, education, economy, governance and decision making, violence against women and climate change.

"This policy is coming after 15 years. In these years, many things have changed and the most important of them is women's attitude towards challenges. The most important part of the policy is that it shifted from 'just welfare' to 'welfare with heavy dose of rights' in it which is reflective of change in women's attitude," Gandhi said.

The policy is expected to focus on increasing trends of crime against women, including rape, trafficking and dowry, along with the expansion of new work opportunities for career women. "The draft has been made in consultation with a lot of women, lawyers, journalists, bureaucrats and non-working women to see what we can do in terms of defining government action in the next 15-20 years," the minister said.

In education sector, priority will be accorded to increased enrolment and retention of adolescent girls in schools through provision of gender-friendly facilities like functional girls' toilets and higher recruitment of women teachers.

"We have already achieved enrollment but have to focus on girls dropout rates and their higher education. Employment based education and gender sensitivity at the school level is also to be focused upon," a ministry official said.

In order to achieve higher participation of women in governance and decision making, the policy talks about establishing mechanism to promote women's presence in all the three branches of the government including the legislature, judiciary and executive.

The draft also seeks to address six emerging issues of women, including review of "personal and customary laws" and calls for a comprehensive solution through restructuring of policies and ensuring equal rights.

"Given the plurality of the personal laws, a review is required of the personal and customary laws in accordance with the Constitutional provisions. This will enable equitable and inclusive and just entitlements for women," the policy says.

It suggests developing protective measures for dealing with increasing incidents of cyber crime against women.

"With technology advancements, there has been incidences of fraud, misuse of information uploaded on the cyberspace and hence there is a need for developing protecting measures for citizens keeping in view that the victims of such frauds are largely women," the policy added.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Dr. Dore Gold spoke with the Norwegian Ambassador Jon Hanssen-Bauer in order to express Israels appreciation with the decision taken by Norways Foreign Minister Brge Bren regarding Norways financial contribution to the Palestinian Authority.

Norway has made clear that under no circumstances would it contribute funds that would be transferred to support convicted terrorists and their families.

DG Gold stated that Israel supports aid to the Palestinian Authority as long as such aid does not incentivize terrorism. It is outrageous that killing Israelis has become a source of income for many in the PA. This completely contradicts what peace is all about. These payments incentivize terrorism and must be stopped, Gold said.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo: GPO/Mark Neiman)
The Chief Rabbinate of Israel Kashrus Fraud Unit headed by Rabbi Rafi Yochai released an alert pertaining to electric flour sifters.

Of late inspectors have learned that some of the electric sifters being sold in Israel may not comply with halachic standards and making things worse, they claim to be approved by recognized by a recognized kashrus while the latter insist they do not give supervision to the product.

Attacked at two examples.

A letter from Rabbi Yosef Efrati Shlita states the electric sifter sold with his stamp of approval under the Gold Line label is not approved by him and uses a sifter with holes that are halachically too large to sift the flour.

The second product, under the Selmor name, was tested and found to be unacceptable, not meeting minimum halachic standards. The box shows approval from the Zomet Institute.

Testing showed that as designed, some of the flour is passed through the unit without being sifted at all.

When contacted, Zomet explained all items approved by the institute without exception appear on their website. YWN-ISRAEL did not find the Selmor sifter among those products on either the Hebrew or English websites.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
A number of religious female students attending Hebrew University in Jerusalem asked administration officials to place a mechitzah at the schools law department prom. It is noted that this was never done in the past but they feel the mechitzah simply permits maintaining modesty standards during the dance.

A student in the political science department told the dati leumi Kippa website this is an annual event. The justice department has a prom annually, a fancy ball like in the USA. It is a formal event planned by both students and faculty. A number of female students requested a mechitzah last year but they didnt wish to create a fuss so did not file a formal request. This year however they said they would vote on it among the participants in the law department.

The movement to block the mechitzah is already underway via Facebook. One student explains separate dancing is offensive to her.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The following is via WCBSTV:

NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton says hes not going anywhere after two major police unions spoke out against him amid an ongoing police corruption investigation.

Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, says its time that Bratton be held accountable and is calling on him to resign from his command.

Bratton spoke exclusively to WCBS 880s Rich Lamb Monday, saying he doesnt fully understand Mullins motivations. He pointed to a published report that Mullins supposedly wanted to be commissioner himself.

I couldnt quite understand that. Sgt. Mullins or Crazy Eddie as hes known to us in the department Im not sure if theres that motivation that Ed actually thinks he might be the next police commissioner and that might be the potential motivation for trying to grease my exit from the department earlier than I intend to go. So youll have to ask Ed about his intentions, he said.

Bratton said whatever the motivations are, he doesnt plan on leaving.

Im not going anywhere, so you might have to wait a while, Bratton told Lamb.

Mullins said the practice of receiving gifts goes all the way up the chain of command, with the privately-funded New York City Police Foundation paying for Brattons personal membership to the Harvard Club.

How is it that a benefit of membership to the Harvard Club, which is a little over $3,000 a year, is OK to accept? Mullins said.

Mullins and Patrolmens Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch also believe its not a level playing field when it comes to accountability and discipline within the NYPD and they are asking for change.

For decades weve had what we call white shirt immunity where the top brass have different rules than rank-and-file police officers, Lynch said. If youve done something wrong, a fair investigation, a fair punishment regardless of your rank.

Mullins said the upper echelon has become political and a boys club,

READ MORE: WCBSTV
While there is anger in the chareidi community over the play Fleischer which is brazenly anti-chareidi, no one is calling to shut it down, defending the theaters freedom of speech rights.

Some of the references made about chareidim in the original script include bad animals and they only understand force, however, when approached to come to the defense of the chareidi tzibur, Minister of Culture & Sport Miri Regev feels the play must be permitted under freedom of speech.

Other lines in the play includes If I wasnt born Jewish, I would be a major anti-Semite, and They are not humans, they are animals, They want a Sanhedrin, not a parliament  they want a state run by halacha and a black coat in the middle of August  it stinks!

One shouldnt forget the line The blacks  look at them, like in the shteitel. For this we built a state? Even wild animals have a neshama but not them.

Channel 10 chareidi affairs correspondent Avishai Ben-Chaim reports on Fleischer, citing the obvious anti-chareidi bias.

Regevs office adds under the law, the ministry may not interfere with the institutions it funds but it may turn to the Finance Ministry to complain if the content is illegal, such as insulting the national flag, incitement to violence and the like as per Paragraph 3b under the budgeting law, but this is not the case here. As such, because there is no law-breaking, the Ministry of Sport & Culture explains it cannot intervene as the theater is entitled to exercise freedom of speech.

Habima is quoted telling Kikar Shabbos News that the theater seeks to bring issued at the center of social conflict, explaining the role of the national theater is to air performances exhibiting the realities of where we live towards stimulating public debate and dialogue between various factions in Israeli society. Fleischer deals with the chareidim and secular Jews and portrays the dramas that divide between these streams.

It appears some of the quotes mentioned above, reported by Channel 10, have been omitted from the actual show in the editing process while some are explained to be dramatic content important to understand the overall context

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
MK (Shas) Yigal Guetta on Monday evening expressed criticism against Minister of Culture & Sport Miri Regev for her backing of the controversial play Fleischer playing at Habima Theater. Guetta feels that Regevs backing of the play is a slap in the face to the chareidi tzibur, which is clearly targeted in a distasteful fashion in the play.

Guetta ignores comments by Regev, who explained her ministry cannot interfere under law for as long as Habima has not broken the law, which it has not. He prefers to explain that at present, a cabinet minister should be pushing ahavas chinam and not back incitement against the entire chareidi population.

Guetta explains that what really pains him is that Regev lends legitimacy to the harsh insults in the Habima performance, funded by her ministry. He reminded her that not a long time ago Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Golan came under a hail of fire for making a controversial comment pertaining to the Holocaust and today, in the case of the entire tzibur in Israel, no one is bothered. Guetta continues, reminding Regev that about a year ago a non-religious actor attacked Likud voters, who he labeled A herd of animals. He questioned if the nation is going to continue funding such performances, calling on Regev to address the harsh content of Fleischer as she should.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The ISA (Israel Security Agency  Shin Bet) on Monday, 8 Iyar announced the arrest of Salim Jamal Hassan Naaman, 39, in the beginning of April. Naaman, a resident of Gaza, was arrested by the Israel Navy as his vessel exceeded the permitted Gaza fishing zone.

Interrogators learned that he was involved in smuggling over a prolonged period of time, bringing prohibited goods into Gaza via the sea, including weapons and other items intended for Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist organizations. Among the items he smuggled are ingredients used to manufacture rockets such a liquid fiberglass.

ISA interrogators also learned that the suspect has information pertaining to Hamas operations in Gaza and Egypt as well as explaining how he ran his marine smuggling operation.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Just two weeks to go until the massive J-Biz Expo and Business Conference, and the network has expanded significantly.

Following a series of negotiations, the Jewish Community Centers partnered with J-Biz organizers to help members of their respective communities.

Under the terms of this partnership, community businesses that are new, or in the transitioning stage, can enjoy a significant discount off the standard exhibition rates.

Our goal is to help businesses at all levels stand alongside established, prestigious businesses and network with the broader business world, explains Duvi Honig, founder and director of J-Biz. I would like to thank the JCC for joining us in helping all entrepreneurs take advantage of this platform and see greater success than they ever dreamed of, bezras Hashem.

Businesses in communities with a local JCC branch can contact the branch office to see if they qualify. Businesses or organizations in communities without a JCC branch who wish to take advantage of this special offer can contact J-Biz at [email protected].

J-Biz Expo and Business Conference will take place on June 1st at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center. For general information and reservation, visit www.jbizexpo.com.
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Over 40 leading members of the Rabbinical Congress for Peace (RCP) convened at an emergency conference in Jerusalem Sunday 7 Iyar to deliberate the incessant terror wave in Israel and in order to protest the intention to renew negotiations with the Palestinians. The event was hosted in the Givat Pinchas Beis Medrash of the Bostoner Rebbe of Jerusalem Shlita.

The Chairman of the conference Rabbi Avrohom Shreiber who served as the Rabbi of Kfar Darom and personally lived through the expulsion from his house in Gush Katif. The conference was opened with the recitation of Tehillim by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, son of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef ZTL who was leading member of the RCP.

He was followed by a member of the Supreme Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, a contemporary leading Halachic authority. He warned against further withdrawals, weve seen what happened in Gaza and we dare not repeat the same mistake again, he said.

Rabbi Zev Dov Slonim, a rabbi in central Jerusalem said today there is no need for explanations everyone sees what kind of instability and terror withdrawals bring. This is precisely what the Jewish Code of Law warned against in the laws of Shabbos, Perek 329.

Rabbi Yirmiyahu Cohen, a leading rabbinical figure in Paris said that the dangerous situation in which Israel finds itself in recent years as a result of withdrawals can be classified as living in a time of war. In a time of war, he said, killing the enemy and terrorist takes precedence over ethics.

We must protest against the continuous warped verdicts issued by the Bagatz (High Court of Justice) which cannot differentiate between a Jewish soldier who protects his nation and country and an enemy, a terrorist who wants to kill you. We must bring to public attention what the Torah has to say about this. The Torah is the absolute truth and most ethical code of laws which leads to a true peace, said Rabbi Cohen.

Rabbi Yitzchak Y. Yeruslowsi, the head of the Chabad Rabbinical Court and Rabbi of Nachlas Har Chabad in Kiryat Malachi spoke in great pain about the lack of security in Israel. Nowadays no one is safe anywhere here and it is forbidden to acquiesce to such a situation. I am convinced that if the current policies of the government would change we would see an improvement in the situation, he said.

Rabbi Issar Klonsky, Chief Rabbi of Givat Mordechai in Jerusalem spoke of what he called the hypocrisy of the media and courts of justice in Israel.

Are you really concerned about protecting human rights and not to harm innocent civilians? It is precisely your actions and verdicts that have caused bloodshed of innocent men, women and children! Its hypocrisy and cruelty! Is there anything more ethical and merciful than our Torah? And if our Torah determines that if one comes to kill you that you should kill him first, it is because this is the true way to protect human rights and the lives of innocent civilians. We have to be concerned about our rights and lives and not the lives and rights of the enemy. Rabbi Klonsky said.

He was followed by the Bostoner Rebbe of Jerusalem Rabbi Meir Horowitz Shlita, who hosted the conference and praised the unity displayed by the various rabbis from different circles who came to protest the breach in the integrity of the Land of Israel.

He said that Jerusalem as well as all cities in Israel today have the halachic classification of border towns where one is obligated to kill a terrorist even on Shabbat.

Rabbi Joseph Gerlitzky, Rabbi of Central Tel Aviv and Chairman of the RCP said that as long as the government will not stop the withdrawals and express regret over its weakness and over all the withdrawals as a result of Oslo and the disengagement, it will never be able wipe out the terror waves.

The motivation that every Arab terrorist has to kill Jews is a result of the governments policies in the past 25 years. The terrorist sees that every time he kills someone and then make demands, Israel concedes and submits. Or the foolish statements made by senior security officials that condemn soldiers for killing terrorists, all this propels the enemy to spill more Jewish blood.

Rabbi Avrohom S. Lewin, Executive Director of the RCP voiced concern over the possibility of the Labor Party joining the government whose sole purpose is to accelerate negotiations with the enemy on further withdrawals.

He reiterated what the Lubavitcher Rebbe told Rabbi Simcha Elberg, the chairman of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of USA and Canada in 1978 a few weeks after the Peace Now movement was founded. The Rebbe told Rabbi Elberg:

With regard to Jews who go ahead and found a movement whose entire goal is the surrender of the territories, it is said, Those who ruin and destroy you will emerge from your own ranks. They are much worse than the Meraglim. Those spies did whatever they did only among the Children of Israel, in order to weaken them. They wanted only that they should remain in the wilderness. This new movement, by contrast, will also operate among the nations of the world, explaining that the Jews ought to surrender the Holy Land. Its spokesmen will speak to the detriment of the Holy Land both at home and abroad. They are thus extremely dangerous, and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis should counter that by an information campaign that will rouse every influential individual to take energetic action.

If action is not taken in time, this movement will cause Israel woeful and unprecedented misfortunes. All the relevant rabbis and communal organizations should recognize how great is their responsibility. For if this movement is not confronted by an information battle, it will soon prove to be a root whose fruit is bitter venom, and all the sages of the Jewish people will never be able to undo its far-reaching damage.

Rabbi Lewin concluded: unfortunately this prediction materialized right before our very eyes. The Labor Party is Peace Now and therefore everything must be done to prevent it from being part of the present government which is very weak on its own.

Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Shlita called on the defense minister and the COS as well as other senior security officials to instruct soldiers not to hesitate in shooting and killing a terrorist. Quoting the Biblical verse he who is fearful and fainthearted, let him return to his home, Rabbi Eliyahu said if you cant stand the heat then resign.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continues to portray himself as Mr. Security, a hard-liner, but in fact, his actions are not in line with his promises. During several recent policy statements in which he exhibited a hard-hand policy in response to Arab terror attacks, PM Netanyahu promised the bodies of slain terrorists would not be handed back to families for burial. However, despite the grandiose statements, his administration is doing just that, returning the bodies of terrorists for heroes burial.

The bodies of two terrorists were returned to their respective families during the night. They terrorists were involved in stabbing attacks against security forces.

Muataz Awsat, 16, was killed after attempting to stab a border policeman in the Armon HaNatziv neighborhood of the capital in October 2015. The body of the Jerusalem terrorist was returned to the family, residents of Jabil Mukhaber.

The body of 50-year-old Fadwa Abu Tir of Umm Taba (Jerusalem) was also returned to her family. In march 2016 she too tried stabbing a border police in Jerusalems Old City but she was shot dead before she could harm them.

In line with the agreement made for their return, the families during the night (Monday to Tuesday) of 9 Iyar buried their loved ones in a quiet ceremony. Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan has stated this would be the precondition for the release of any body, that the funeral is quiet and without the fanfare given to slain terrorists in major PA (Palestinian Authority) burials.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

It is a quandary that many non-observant Jewish families face: For one reason or another, the couple cannot have a child of their very own. As a consequence, they would like to adopt. They may have frum relatives, and they are very proud of being Jewish.

Can they adopt a gentile child and convert him or her through a kosher Orthodox Beis Din?



THE TALMUDIC STATEMENT

There is a well-known expression found in the Talmud (Kesuvos 11a): Ger kattan, matbilin oso al daas beis dina non-Jewish minor may be immersed for conversion on the authority of beis din. The Gemara asks what this particular ruling comes to teach us. The answer is that being Jewish is considered a positive thing, and, according to Jewish law, one may accept a positive thing for another person when he or she is not present. The principle is termed, zachin leadam shelo befanav.

As an illustration, if Ed McMahon from the American Family Publishing sweepstakes were to knock on your door while you were not home, the halachah would allow your neighbor to accept the $250,000 check on your behalf and then give it to you when you get home. Why? It is because the entire affair is a very positive development on your behalf.

Conversely, if a NYPD officer followed you home after you had committed a traffic infraction, knocked on your door, and tried giving your mother a ticket for what you did, she cannot accept it for youthe Talmud tells us, ein chavin leadam shelo befanav  one cannot incur something negative for another on his behalf when he is not present.

So what do Ed McMahon and the NYPD police officer have to do with the conversion of an adopted child? Everything. The issue is whether beis din may accept Judaism on behalf of a child, who, when raised in a non-observant environment will (by all odds) not be observant himself, and will consequently incur all sorts of violations for not keeping Shabbos, kosher, putting on tefillin, et cetera?

A number of years ago, Rabbi Reuven Bulka from Canada wrote a book entitled, The Coming Cataclysm where he mentions Rav Moshe Feinsteins position that when beis din went ahead and did perform such a conversion, it is possibly valid ex post facto. How so? Rav Feinsteins explanation is that it still might be a zchus (merit) to be considered for one to be part of the Jewish People, notwithstanding that he is in violation of various laws and codes.

To further understand this position, consider the following analogy: Imagine that, unbeknownst to you, a friend of yours had surreptitiously enrolled you in Harvard University. A year later, the friend informs you that you were enrolledand that you have failed all of your courses. Your Harvard GPA is a perfect 0.0. Are you happy that your friend did it? Well, at least you can say, Sure, I went to Harvard!

Not everyone, of course, is in agreement with this position. Dayan Fisher, ztl, of the Eida HaChareidis in Jerusalem, flatly disagreed with this position (Even Yisrael, Vol. 8 Siman 1) and ruled that the child would be clearly considered non-Jewish, notwithstanding his certificate from a beis din.

There are numerous other responsa which concur with this position (Mateh Levi, Vol. II, No. 55; Zecher Yitzchak, siman 2, Minchas Yitzchak Vol. III No. 99 and Vol. X No. 105).

AGREE TO ENROLL IN A YESHIVA

But what about a case where the parents pledge to enroll the child in a yeshiva? Here is where the issues can become a bit sticky. Some people are of the opinion that this pledge increases the odds of the childs becoming observant, and the conversion may no longer be considered a chov (detriment).

It is important to present each case to a renowned halachic authority and to fully document everything. When such a conversion is performed, everything must be done under the auspices of a prominent and reliable beis din and authority.



IS IT BIBLICAL OR RABBINIC?

One might ask where the entire concept of immersing a non-Jewish child for conversion comes from: Is it a Biblical law or a rabbinic law? It seems that Tosefos (Kesuvos 11a, s.v. Matbilin) believes that it is entirely of rabbinic origin, since a child cannot be zocheh (accrue anything of value) according to Biblical law. The fact that according to halachah a child can marry a Jewish woman is on account of the authority that the Torah granted the rabbis to actively uproot a Torah concept under certain circumstances. However, Tosefos in Sanhedrin (68b) seems to indicate that the concept is in accordance with strict Biblical law and is not considered a rabbinic invention.

THE CHILD CAN DECIDE



Another well-known concept (see S.A. Y.D. 363:7) in regard to the conversion of children is the notion that when the child becomes of age, he or she can decide against the conversion, and the conversion is retroactively no longer valid. However, if upon learning the halachah the young man or woman still observes Judaism after having attained the age of bar/bas mitzvaheven if only for an hourhe or she is then considered completely Jewish, and the conversion can no longer become retroactively invalid. But if as an adult the child convert learns this halachah and immediately decides not to remain Jewish, the entire conversion process must be repeated if at some later point he wishes to return to Judaism.

If the ger kattan did not find out about the opting out option until much later, then the option is extended indefinitely. In light of this halachah, the question arises as to how a rabbi can ever perform a marriage ceremony where the groom or the bride may have been an adopted child and is unaware of the opting out option. There is a possibility that the wedding berachah would be a berachah levatala. This issue is addressed in the responsa, and the conclusion is that there is a halachically safe assumption that an adult married person will not be opting out so quickly.

At this point, however, there is no rabbinic infrastructure for a formal procedure to ensure that the ger kattan is informed of the opting out option and his or her decision is documented.

As an aside, Rav Ovadiah Yosef, ztl once stated in his shiur (given in the Yazdi Shul in Jerusalem) that there is a mitzvah to love geirim more than a regular member of Klal Yisrael. He bases this on the fact that there is a mitzvah to love a ger in addition to the mitzvah to love your fellow Jew. Prior to Chacham Ovadiahs statement, most people understood this additional mitzvah as an extra merit and commandment to love a ger, but not that the measure of love we show toward a ger is any greater than that of other Jews. (This seems to be the Rambams position in Sefer HaMitzvos.)

One last thought. A number of years ago, Rabbi Berish Ganze, the former dean of the Hebrew Academy of Suffolk County informed this author of a ruling he had received from Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky ztl. He stated that in a case where the father of a young lady was Jewish but the mother was not, it is an inyan to try to arrange for a giur and accept the child in a Yeshiva on account of the strong possibility that the child will marry Jewish in the future without the giur. As in all cases of halacha, one should seek guidance from a Rav and Moreh Horaah.

The author can be reached at yair[email protected]
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Large Turnout at Breakfast Conference at Home of Rabbi Lieff on May 15th Turns to Restoring 23,000 Graves Calling Har Hazeisim a Jewish treasure that must be returned to its original glory  hashovas aveida, Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, the Novominsker Rebbe and Rosh Agudas Yisroel, praised the activists who took the initiative to preserve Har Hazeisim. It properly belonged to the Israeli government all these years but perhaps we were given a chance to participate in this zchus, the Rebbe noted. He assured the large turnout that anyone who is involved in securing and preserving Har Hazeisim will be rewarded in this world and the world to come. The occasion was the 3rd annual breakfast meeting hosted by Harav Moshe Tuvia Lieff, the Rav of Agudas Yisroel, Bais Binyomin to support the efforts of the International Committee for the Preservation of Har Hazeisim (ICPHH). Rabbi Lieff in his eloquent message said that the Arabs uprooted 65,000 graves to build not only hotels and roads, but villages that surround Har Hazeisim and are built on top of graves. He added: Instead of burying these holy tzaddikim and leaders of our people, they bulldozed the bodies just as the Nazis had done.

Malcolm Hoenlein, Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and a key member of the ICPHH, said that the desecration and abuse of Har Hazeisim is nothing short of an attempt to deny us our past for they know that to deny us our past is also to rob us of our future. He criticized a recent resolution of UNESCO denying the Jewish claim to such holy sites as the kosel hamaravi as well as to intimate that Jews planted fake graves on Har Hazeisim.

Menachem Lubinsky, co-chair of the ICPHH, told the crowd that Har Hazeisim is safe. He reported on increased security with added patrols by police and border patrol units, the effectiveness of the cameras, the imminent installation of a wall, new tougher laws, and a far more serious approach by government to preserving the 3,000-year old cemetery with its 150,000 neshomos dating back to the Neviim  Zecharia Malachi and Chagai as well as Chulda. He praised a recent cabinet decision to significantly step up the security of East Yerushalayim including the hiring of some 4,000 police officers, with at least 1,500 being assigned to East Yerushalayim and Har Hazeisim.

Lubinsky also revealed that the ICPHH is joining the government in building a $10 million Visitors Center and shul to encourage Jews to visit the historic international cemetery of the Jewish people. In the past year, more than 350,000 Jews visited the gravesite of the tomb of the saintly Orach Chaim where access has been fixed up. A delegation of 150 participants to the annual Yarchei Kallah of Agudath Israel of America also toured the historic cemetery in January. This past Pesach, nearly 4,000 Jews participated in an aliyas haregel event jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, under Minister Miri Regev, the Municipality of Jerusalem, and the ICPHH. The ICPHH plans to mobilize world Jewry in restoring the 23,000 graves that remain destroyed since the Jordanian occupation.

The gathering attracted many leading rabbonim from Flatbush, Boro Park and other communities. The rabbonim were urged to organize efforts in their shuls to adopt some of the luminaries that are amongst the 23,000 graves to be restored. A special video presentation prepared for the event vividly described the accomplishments of the ICPHH but also pointed out the dangers that still loom ahead, which will require constant village by the Committee. The ICPHH noted that there were more than 300 incidents on and around Har Hazeisim in April 2015 but only a handful this April with no grave desecrations.

Avrohom Lubinsky, founder and chairman of the ICPHH said: The large turnout by Jews of all backgrounds including leading rabbonim clearly demonstrates just how important this cause is to every Jew. He had particular praise for Rabbi Lieff who despite being a leading rav in the community opens his home for this cause.

Harav Moshe Tuvia Lieff, Rav of Agudas Yisroel, speaking at Breakfast he hosted on behalf of the international Committee for the Preservation of Har Hazeisim (ICPHH). L to r is Harav Yosef Frankel, Vyelipoler Rav, Harav Aharon Kahn, Harav Ezra Rodkin and Harav Yaakov Perlow, the Novominsker Rebbe, who addressed the gathering.

Malcolm Hoenlein, Vice Chairman of the presidents Conference addressing Breakfast Meeting at the home of Harav Moshe Tuvia Lieff on behalf of the International Committee for the Preservation of Har Hazeisim (ICPHH) l- r, Harav Yisroel Reisman, Harav Aharon Kahn, Harav Ezra Rodkin and Harav Lieff.
ITALIAN JOBS Two Italian banks are axing 1,800 jobs as fears grow for the nations creaking financial system.

The cutbacks were announced as part of a merger between Banco Popolare and Banca Popolare di Milano.

And around 14 per cent of the pairs branch network will be closed in a bid to make an 860million profit in 2019.

Their shares have respectively lost 63 per cent and 40 per cent of their value so far this year.

AIRPORT DEPARTURE Heathrow has appointed a stand-in finance director after Michael Uzielli announced last month that he plans to leave.

Javier Echave, who has been with the airport since 2008 and is currently the finance chief for operations and performance, will become the top bean counter while the search for a permanent replacement is under way.

PUBS OVERHAUL Britains largest pub company Enterprise Inns has posted flat profits but said its plans to overhaul its business model are on track.

The firm posted profits of 57million for the six months to the end of March, unchanged from the same period last year.

Enterprise will be affected by new laws ending contracts requiring publicans to buy beer from their landlords, and thus is in the process of off-loading its tenanted businesses.

Shares rose 2.2 per cent, or 2p, to 91.8p.

GOOD LOOKERS A boom in the number of customers searching online for used cars helped Lookers post upbeat first quarter sales.

Shares in the car dealership firm rose 6 per cent or 7.8p to 139.5p as full-year profit is set to be in line with expectations. Earnings rose 5 per cent for new cars and 7 per cent for used.

Chief executive Andy Bruce said: The group has made a good start to the year with positive results for the first quarter from both the motor and parts divisions.

POSTS AXED The Post Office is to cut 600 jobs in its cash-handling arm, as unions warned it could be destroyed by a Government cost-cutting drive.

It comes on top of 500 front-line roles slashed in branches this year, according to the Communication Workers Union. CWU general secretary Dave Ward said the organisation was in crisis and heading for ruin.

SHELLING OUT Shareholders have been urged to vote against fat cat pay at Royal Dutch Shell. The oil companys chief executive Ben van Beurden pocketed 4m last year.

This was a significant cut from the 19.5million he was paid in 2014, as rocky energy markets saw annual profits plummet from 19.6billion to 1.4billion.

But campaign group Pirc said the boss still earned 37 times what was given to the average employee.
Tripped up: Strictly star Anya Garnis

When Strictly Come Dancing star Anya Garnis found the perfect home to buy with her boyfriend, she was thrilled.

The 34-year-old dancer from Russia and her British partner put an offer on their dream two-bedroom London flat, confident that their finances were in order and their mortgage application would be approved immediately.

But Anya  who reached the semi-finals of the show in 2013 with Casualty star Patrick Robinson  was horrified when the application was rejected because of a marker on boyfriend Sunna Van Kampen's credit history. Suddenly their plans to buy lay in ruins.

Unbeknown to Sunna, a mistake by his energy supplier, npower, in setting up his direct debits meant he had not been paying for the gas element of his dual fuel bill for nearly a year.

As soon as he realised, the 28-year-old alerted npower and paid the 120 he owed.

But despite the error being no fault of his own, the energy company placed a 'black mark' on his file, causing his credit rating to plunge from 'excellent' to 'poor' overnight.

This was enough for their application to be thrown out by a mortgage broker, who warned that other lenders were likely to reject them and cause even more damage to their credit rating.

Despite repeated calls to npower, which has admitted responsibility for the error, Sunna's account was only cleared after Money Mail intervened.

The couple had been told it would take at least six weeks before the firm would even consider removing the marker  during which time their house purchase would have fallen through.

Anya says: 'We had found our first home together and it was perfect. To think that it could all be lost because of something so little that wasn't even our mistake. We just hope this doesn't happen to anyone else.'

The couple's story offers a window into the terrifying world of digital credit checks.

Companies such as Experian and Equifax compile enormous files on every person in Britain, showing reams of detail about your financial life including your credit cards, bank balance, address and mortgage.

They get this data directly from financial firms.

They then share it with banks, building societies, phone companies and other firms before they issue loans or allow you to open an account that could go into debt.

The credit report is supposed to show whether you're a reliable borrower. But as Anya and Sunna found, it's astonishingly simple for rogue credit markers to creep onto your report without you having an inkling.

Minor debts which have been forgotten about, accounts which failed to close correctly, or administration errors with billing or direct debits can trigger a black flag, which is placed on a customer's credit file. This can scupper their chances of getting a mortgage or loan.

Moves: Anya reached the semi-finals of the show in 2013 with Casualty star Patrick Robinson

Andrew Montlake, of mortgage broker Coreco, says even a few pounds outstanding on an old bill for a closed account could affect a customer's ability to buy a house for up to six years  when markers are removed.

He adds: 'It is something that happens more often than people expect, as there are so many things that can affect a credit rating these days, such as mobile phone bills or store cards people forget they have 10 outstanding on.

'Usually it is a really small amount they can pay off easily  they just don't realise it is there.

'There are also increasing amounts of fraud. Clients can have credit issues they don't even know about because someone is posing as them.'

And, as Anya and Sunna found, getting a marker removed  even when you can prove it's a mistake  is no easy task.

Anya splits her time between the UK and U.S., where she has starred in So You Think You Can Dance? and Dancing With The Stars (the U.S. equivalent of Strictly), but wanted to set up a London base with her partner.

The couple, who met through a mutual friend and have been together for 18 months, had their hearts set on a 600,000, two-bed flat with beautifully restored period features.

Sunna did not realise there was a problem because npower was taking 150 a month out of his account. But it later transpired this was only for the electric element of his bill, which was so high because his meter had been incorrectly installed.

'It's crazy to think that an energy company can just destroy your dreams for a home in an instant, all without even making a phone call or sending an email to let you know,' he says.

'Npower already had my phone number, my email address, my postal address and my bank details because I was paying them a direct debit every month.

'I cannot believe they did not contact me to raise concerns that the gas part of the bill hadn't been paid before putting the marker on my account, especially as I was clearly a reliable customer. It seems ridiculous that no one picked up the phone.'

Npower says it has apologised to Sunna, placed him on a 'more suitable tariff' and backdated this to July 2015 as a goodwill gesture. The credit marker was removed from his account last week  three months after his initial complaint.

A spokesman for the Financial Ombudsman says: 'Credit reports mostly operate away from people's day-to-day attention.

'It's understandable that many consumers don't know what's kept on it  and people often don't realise there's a problem until it's too late.'
Old paper licences were discontinued last year

Britain's DVLA has revealed it is working on a prototype digital driving licence (pictured) that can be carried in the Wallet app of Apple's iPhone

If you're forever mislaying your driving licence, help may be at hand.

Experts have begun to develop a version of the UK licence for smartphones, so you'll always have to to hand.

This means that in the future, you could keep it in the Apple Wallet app on your iPhone, for example.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) chief executive Oliver Morley showed off an image of a 'prototype' of the digital driving licence on Twiiter, where the licence appears as a 'pass' in the Apple Wallet.

Mr Morley said it would be used as an 'add-on' to the existing photocard and insisted that security is the DVLA's 'priority'.

However, there is no timeline for when the digital licence will be launched.

The paper part of the licence was abolished in June last year as part of the Government's drive to reduce unnecessary red tape.

However, the UK is not the only country to be exploring the idea of digital documents.

Iowa in the US is currently trialling the use of digital ID cards instead of physical papers.

Digitised British passports are also a new avenue being explored by developers.

Earlier this year De La Rue, the passport manufacturer, announced their plan to make it possible to store passports on smartphones.

This move would mean the end of carrying a jumble of paper documents and follows the introduction of electronic boarding passes.

Still in the development phase, De La Rue, is trying to find ways to make the digital passport secure enough to be accepted by governments - a problem faced by all forms of digital identification, including driving licences.

Australia and New Zealand made the first move in the lean towards cloud passports and has been in discussion about trialling them.

So here's a little prototype of something we're working on #drivinglicence pic.twitter.com/a5eItrdiNI  Oliver Morley (@omorley1) May 13, 2016

Experts have begun to develop a version of the UK licence for smartphones, so that you could one day keep the important document in the Apple Wallet app on your iPhone. A prototype is shown above
One of China\s most powerful officials lands in Hong Kong Tuesday in an attempt to build bridges in the divided city, but the trip has already stirred anger among opponents.

The three-day visit by Zhang Dejiang, who chairs China\s communist-controlled legislature, is the first by such a senior official in four years and comes as concerns grow in semi-autonomous Hong Kong that Beijing is tightening its grip.

While Zhang is ostensibly visiting to speak at an economic conference on Wednesday, the trip is widely seen as a bid to take the temperature in an increasingly febrile political climate which has fostered a fledgling independence movement, riling China.

As part of the trip, Zhang will meet with a group of veteran pro-democracy lawmakers Wednesday evening, a rare move observers say is designed to defuse frustrations.

"It is really time for him to meet with non-establishment legislators to hear our analysis of how Hong Kong ended up where we are today, and what are the ways forward," Civic Party lawmaker Alan Leong, who is part of the invited group, told AFP.

However, only four pro-democracy legislators will gather with Zhang and protest groups voiced anger they were being kept away from the venue where he will speak.

The harbourfront conference centre is barricaded off and demonstrators will be confined to designated areas out of sight.

"Zhang Dejiang is coming here to understand the situation in Hong Kong but now his eyesight will be completely blocked," said Sham Tsz-kit of Civil Human Rights Front.

Paving stones in the area have been glued down to prevent protesters using them as missiles.

That comes after demonstrators dug up and threw bricks during running battles with police in February.

Zhang\s visit is expected to help Beijing gauge whether unpopular city leader Leung Chun-ying should stand for another term  his current stint ends in March 2017.

Like all Hong Kong leaders, Leung was chosen by a 1,200-member committee stacked with Beijing loyalists.

Mass rallies in 2014 for fully free leadership elections failed to win political reform.

Since then, young campaigners have become increasingly frustrated with intransigence in Hong Kong and Beijing, with some now saying they will not stop at violence to force change.

Pro-democracy legislator Emily Lau, one of the group to meet Zhang, said she would portray Leung as a divisive force.

"I\m going to tell him (Zhang) that Hong Kong is facing the most difficult situation since the handover," she added.

Hong Kong is semi-autonomous since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997, with freedoms unseen on the mainland, but there are fears they are being stripped away.

Those concerns were exacerbated by the disappearance at the end of last year of five Hong Kong booksellers known for publishing salacious titles about China\s political leaders.

The five men resurfaced in the mainland and four are now under criminal investigation.

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.
Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune/TNS To build that taco, start with filling, then salsa, then finishing toppings, such as the cilantro and slivered almonds in our zucchini, chorizo and almond tacos.

SHARE Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune/TNS You can't have a great taco with a terrible tortilla. Although flour tortillas are more sturdy than corn, the superior flavor and fragrance of corn tortillas means you should choose them most of the time. Roasted tomatillo salsa is our go-to, because it's acidic and flavorful, and tomatillos are available year-round. Salsa isn't optional. Salsa separates tacos from wraps and other tepid creations. Roast tomatillos, garlic and chilies for our tomatillo salsa. Pre-fried U-shaped taco shells break easily, but a fried taco can be amazing. Try our potato-filled version, topped with fresh cabbage, queso fresco and tomatillo salsa.

By Nick Kindelsperger, Chicago Tribune (TNS)

Around age 25, I realized I loved tacos more than any other food. I'd like to believe that the innate glory of the taco revealed itself to me, like some kind of divine tortilla-wrapped vision, and that a couple of trips to Mexico broadened my horizons. But who really knows.

Eight years and a literal thousand nights of tacos later, I've come up with some helpful tricks to improve your taco game at home. Because all most people want is to eat better tacos more often, right?

First, a strict definition: tacos equals tortilla + filling + salsa. Any so-called taco missing one of these components is a fraud.

Tacos are temporal. Don't sit around and idly chat while hot tacos sit in front of you ready to be devoured. Eat them immediately.

Tacos taste better standing up. I don't know why.

Don't let inflexible ideas of authenticity get in the way of deliciousness.

OK, let's break this down:

TORTILLAS

Tortillas are the soul of the taco. You can't have a great taco with a terrible tortilla.

In a battle of sturdiness, flour tortillas beat corn tortillas every time. Use flour tortillas for larger, messier tacos.

The slight structural deficiency of corn tortillas pales in comparison to the superior flavor and fragrance they lend to each bite. I use corn tortillas 99 percent of the time.

Corn tortillas are simple to make at home, but frustratingly hard to master. Feel no shame in purchasing top-quality corn tortillas for most of your taco needs. Buy them the same day you plan to use them.

One of the main reasons I live in Chicago is the concentration of quality tortilla factories. (I am only partly joking.)

Warm corn tortillas until soft, supple and fragrant. Place tortillas in a heavy skillet set over medium-high until you notice steam wafting off. Flip and wait until you spot steam again. At this point, the tortilla should be very soft. If not, continue heating for a few more seconds. Wrap warmed tortillas in a towel when done, and let them hang out for a few minutes to further steam.

Heating tortillas on top of the grate over an open flame of a gas stove is also a great idea.

One tortilla is usually enough. Some saucier taco fillings will soak through one, thus requiring two, but there is nothing automatically better about doubling up. If anything, two tortillas make it harder to appreciate the filling.

FILLINGS

Free your mind of what constitutes a taco filling.

Veggie tacos are a thing, and they are exceptional. If I can advance one, ahem, opinion here, it is that vegetables make incredible taco fillings.

Great vegetables for tacos: zucchini, mushrooms, kale, squash blossoms, potatoes, Swiss chard, huitlacoche (a prized corn fungus), refried black beans, poblanos, butternut squash and pumpkin.

I love griddled steak tacos, too, but you can braise beef shoulder for barbacoa or cure round for cecina. Heck, you can eat tongue, intestines, brains and all kinds of other fun parts of the cow. And that's just one kind of animal!

Chorizo is the bacon of the taco world; it makes everything taste better, but it needs a partner. A taco with only chorizo is like a cake made entirely out of frosting.

Grilled fish tacos are almost always mushy. Fried fish tacos are great but messy to make on a weeknight. Don't forget about shrimp tacos.

Adding rice is almost always a terrible idea.

SALSA

Salsa isn't optional. Salsa separates tacos from wraps and other tepid creations.

Salsa requires chilies. Chilies bring excitement and vibrancy to our dull, drab lives.

Make roasted tomatillo salsa. I've got nothing against fresh pico de gallo (made with plump summer tomatoes, of course), but tomatillo salsa is what I usually make, because it's acidic and flavorful, and tomatillos are available year-round. (See recipe.)

The broiler and blender are your best salsa friends. If you want to go hard-core authentic, you could toast all the ingredients on a comal and then grind them by hand using a stone molcajete. Or you could replicate this process in one-tenth of the time by broiling the vegetables and then processing them in a blender.

You can combine salsa and the filling into one dish. If you braise chicken and tomatillos together (which you should), there's no need to waste time making a completely different salsa.

Guacamole counts as a salsa.

Most canned salsas suck. Rick Bayless' Frontera brand does not.

Hot sauce is different from salsa. Its main purpose is to add a final flash of intense heat, which is quite convenient if you're serving tacos to a group of people with varying levels of spice tolerance.

Quick and biased hot-sauce guide: Valencia > Cholula > El Yucateco > Tapatio > Tabasco

TACO CONSTRUCTION

Small tacos are usually better than large tacos. It's tempting to stuff each tortilla with as much as possible, but always consider proportion. You want to get a bite with all the components, which is hard if you can barely fold the tortilla over the mass of fillings and toppings. Better to make a slim and satisfying taco, and eat more of them.

Additional toppings are completely optional but can separate a good taco from an exceptional one.

Great toppings: pickled red onions, pickled jalapenos, shredded cabbage, radishes, queso fresco.

Boring toppings: lettuce, chopped tomatoes, pre-shredded "Mexican" cheese, canned black olives.

Chopped white onions and cilantro are great toppings but unnecessary if you've included both in your salsa.

Other taco thoughts

The problem with the pre-fried U-shaped shells  the kind made famous by Taco Bell and Old El Paso  is that when you bite in, the filling slides out the side too easily. Plus, they are usually structurally unsound, crumbling apart after one bite.

But fried tacos can be amazing. You just need to fry the tortilla with the filling already inside. Try fried potato tacos (see recipe).

Break any of these rules if you want. The goal is not to adhere strictly to these tips but simply to eat more tacos. Experiment. Cook. Repeat.

ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Makes: about 1 cup

Ingredients

8 ounces tomatillos, husked, rinsed

1-2 serrano chilies

2 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

Directions

Place tomatillos, serranos and garlic cloves on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cover garlic with an additional layer of foil. Place under a hot broiler and cook until tomatillos are blackened on top, about 6 minutes. Flip tomatillos and serranos; blacken on the other side, about 5 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven; allow everything to cool. Stem serranos and peel garlic. Transfer tomatillos, serranos garlic and salt to a blender. Process until almost smooth. Taste, and season with more salt if necessary. Transfer to a bowl; stir in cilantro and onion.

FRIED POTATO TACOS

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Makes: 12 tacos

Ingredients

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cubed into 1/2-inch pieces

1 teaspoon salt

12 corn tortillas

1 cup vegetable oil

- roasted tomatillo salsa, see recipe

1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 cup queso fresco

3 limes, quartered

Directions

1 Heat a medium saucepan of water over high heat until boiling. Add cubed potatoes; reduce heat to a strong simmer. Cook until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander. Transfer to a bowl, add salt and use a fork to mash until smooth.

2 Heat a large skillet over medium. Warm the tortillas for a few seconds on each side until pliable. Spoon 2 tablespoons of mashed potato into each tortilla. Fold each tortilla over, pressing firmly to close.

3 Heat the oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many tortillas as will fit in one layer, usually three. Cook until lightly browned on the bottom, 1-2 minutes; flip and brown on the other side, 1-2 minutes. Transfer tacos to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

4 Serve tacos topped with salsa, a handful of sliced cabbage, queso fresco and a wedge of lime.

ZUCCHINI, CHORIZO AND ALMOND TACOS

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Makes: 12 tacos

Ingredients

8 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo

1 large white onion, sliced

1 pound zucchini, ends trimmed, thinly sliced crosswise

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

- salt and pepper

1/2 cup slivered almonds

12 corn tortillas

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

3 limes, quartered

- roasted tomatillo salsa, see recipe

Directions

1 Add chorizo and onion to a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent and chorizo is starting to brown, 8-10 minutes. Add zucchini, garlic, cinnamon and cumin; stir well. Cook, stirring often, until zucchini softens, about 5 minutes. Taste, and season with salt, if necessary  usually about  teaspoon  and pepper to taste.

2 Meanwhile, toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

3 Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tortilla; warm until you notice steam rising off, 5-10 seconds. Flip and warm until very soft, another 10 seconds. Wrap in a towel and repeat with remaining tortillas.

4 Spoon some of the filling into the tortilla; top with a sprinkle of almonds, cilantro, a squeeze of lime and roasted tomatillo salsa.

Back in the day: Wichita Falls Santa Claus Frank Hayes
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By Times Record News

A woman who claims she was held at knife point by her boyfriend managed to get free and run to a Burkburnett police officer who was on a nearby traffic stop.

According to a probable cause affidavit:

Police were called to a service station on South Red River Expressway Saturday to check a disturbance. A woman had run into the store and said her boyfriend had attacked her with a knife. Then the woman ran from the store to where an officer was working a traffic stop.

The woman, 33, said her boyfriend, Patrick Phillip Morrison, 43, had forced her into a car at a home on Vaughn Road in Burkburnett and drove her across the Red River into Oklahoma, She said he held a knife on her and threatened to kill her. She tried to get out of the car once, but he cut her hand. They returned to the house on Vaughn Road and then went to the service station to get gas. There, Morrison looked at some messages on the woman's cellphone and became irate. That's when she ran into the store.

Police arrested Morrison. He is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated kidnapping, evading arrest, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and driving with fictitious plates.

His total bail was set at $210, 750 and he was in the Wichita County Jail Monday
Times Record News file photo The Wichita County Sprague Jail Annex and Vernon College Skills Center will be getting a new $825,000 liner to extend the building's roof another 20 years.

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By Claire Kowalick of the Times Record News

Wichita County Commissioners decided on a solution Monday to the aging Sprague Annex Jail roof. Working with their architects at Harper Perkins, the court chose a $825,000 fleeceBACK thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) that will be directly adhered to the current roof. This option includes a 115-millimeter surface to the Sprague and Vernon College Skills Training Center that are housed in an adjoining facility. A 20-year warranty is included with the product, which is said to be extremely durable, heat resistant and energy efficient.

During a scan of the roof area for water pooling under the insulation, Matt English, project manager with Harper Perkins said there are about 66 squares that will need to be cut out and refilled to fix the leakages. At about $150 per square, this $10,000 project, including another infrared scan by the chosen construction company, will be included in the scope of the work.

Dr. Dusty Johnson, Vernon College president, said he understands that as a resident of the building the college will probably be asked to foot part of the bill for this new roof overlay.

Johnson said the current operations and situation next to the jail works well for the college. While not finalized, the county is considering reclaiming the VRJC portion of the building for the jail expansion if they choose to construct it at the Sprague facility.

"I do not want the college to be paying $200,000 for a roof and then be asked to move out," Johnson told the court.

County Judge Woody Gossom told Johnson that if the situation arose, then the county would work out a deal where they would pay the college back a certain amount if they were asked to move out earlier than expected.

Harper Perkins said they will design a scope of work and the county can soon put the roof project out for bid.
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Malta

Arnoff Moving and Storage is planning to leave Albany's Nipper building for the former Racemark International building in suburban Malta.

The move will give Arnoff, which over its 92-year history has developed specialties in handling everything from semiconductor and laboratory equipment to fine art and antiques, more room to grow its business, said Dennis Brobston, president of the Saratoga Economic Development Corp.

SED has been working on the deal for two years.

Arnoff plans to sell its warehouse at 991 Broadway and three other parcels in Albany to developer Bill Barber, who will convert the warehouse to residential units.

The warehouse was once used by a distributor of RCA products, who in 1958 installed the 28-foot company mascot known as Nipper on the roof.

Racemark International, which produces floor mats for BMW, Porsche and other higher-end vehicles, moved its operations to Georgia in 2009.

The 70,000-square-foot building remained vacant until earlier this year, when Applied Materials, a supplier to the massive GlobalFoundries semiconductor plant nearby, leased 17,000 square feet.

Applied will remain in the building and Arnoff plans to add 20,000 square feet of space to expand it to 90,000 square feet.

Arnoff plans to purchase the Racemark building and 42 acres of land for $6.175 million, Brobston said. Investments in equipment and rehabilitation of the building and parking lot will boost the total project investment to about $11.6 million, Brobston said.

Arnoff is seeking about $1.1 million in property and sales tax benefits spread out over a 10-year period from the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency.

It plans to increase employment from 74 to 107 over a three-year period, with jobs paying $52,000 to $60,000 a year, Brobston said.

Arnoff plans some manufacturing of specialized, sensor-equipped containers at the new site, as well as pre-assembly and testing of semiconductor tools.

Arnoff, founded in 1924, is in its fifth generation of family ownership.

Mike Arnoff, a member of the fifth generation, said the company still has about four to six weeks of due diligence work ahead of it. But if all goes well, he'd like to be in the Racemark building by the end of the year.

And while he said the new site allows space to expand, "we're going to miss Nipper."

eanderson@timesunion.com  518-454-5323
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Gene Loparco of Colonie, an Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War, received Albany County Executive Dan McCoy's Citizen of the Month Award during a ceremony May 6 in Albany.

Loparco also received an annual Loyalty Award from the Robert L. Weininger Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Colonie for service to other veterans and the community.

The county honored Loparco for "his dedication and selflessness to people throughout the community."

"There is a time in your life when you care and want to do something for others, especially for veterans," he said after receiving the county award.

The Troy native attended Catholic Central High School in Lansingburgh before he moved to Camillus, Onondaga County. After he graduated from West Geneseo High School, Camillus, in 1963, he enlisted in the Air Force.

Loparco, 71, survived the Tet Offensive and other attacks on Tuy Hoa Air Base in South Vietnam in 1968. After Vietnam, he worked at various jobs until be began his state career in 1973. Loparco, who is retired, was an investigator for a number of agencies, including the state Insurance Department and the Comptroller's Office. From 1973 to 1991, he also operated his Weddings by Gene Photography business on weekends.

Loparco joined the Zaloga American Legion Post in 2012.

"This was the start of my journey to join organizations and doing what I do best  take photos," he said. "I am able to secure the (veterans) organizations' history of events. Also, I love to advertise the news of veterans' events. Educating the public, especially the youth of America is so important. They want to know and learn of their relatives' lives in the service. They want to know and learn of Old Glory (the American flag) and the history of the United States through the eyes of the veteran."

Loparco helped Tom Regan and National Grid volunteers establish the annual Please Remember Me project of placing 128 American Flags on utility poles along Router 9 from the Albany border through Route 155 in Colonie. Each flag represents 10 servicemen and servicewomen killed in action.

Loparco is either helping and or taking photographs at almost every veterans event or fundraiser in the Capital Region.

The Albany Business College graduate also is the photographer, historian and chaplain of the Robert Weininger Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in Colonie and the Tri-County Council of Vietnam Era Veterans. He is an associate member of the Schenectady Detachment of the Marine Corps League. He also became involved in those groups' community service and veterans projects.

Loparco is a volunteer photographer for Albany High School Junior Reserve Officer Training program; photographer, public relations and social media coordinator for the American-Italian Heritage Museum; photographer and Facebook coordinator for AMVETS Post 35, Rotterdam; photographer for Ancient Order of Hibernians, and photographer and historian for Zaloga American Legion Post.

He is the photographer for Blue Star Mothers events, for O'Brien and Schenectady City detachments of Marine Corps League, portraits photographer for Christian Brothers Academy, photographer at Gold Star Mothers events, Albany County Honor-A-Vet photographer, Four Chaplains Award photographer for the Albany Jewish War Veterans Post 105, Rensselaer County Honor-A-Deceased Veteran photographer, Honors Flights photographer, Albany parades photographer, and Shaker High School veterans events photographer,

The Bless Sacrament Church communicant is a lector, Holy Eucharist minister, usher, past president of Holy Names Society and cook.

He also does community service volunteer work as a member of the Sons of Italy, Rotterdam, the American-Italian Museum and the Rotterdam Elks Lodge. The former airman second-class often takes photos for the American Red Cross, Veterans Miracle Center, various Veterans Affairs programs, and Mater Christi School in Albany.

70-year member

Michael Sano, 89, of Rotterdam received a certificate in recognition of his 70 years of active membership in the American Legion.

The World War II veteran has been a member of the former Capital and the Zaloga American Legion posts for 70 years.

The Navy Seabee helped build aircraft runways at Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif., on Pacific Islands and Okinawa, Japan. He also served as a cook and land craft pilot before he was discharged.

After the war, the former first-class seaman worked at the Ward Baking Co. and other bakeries in Albany before retirement.

He enlisted in the Navy before he completed his senior year at Vincentian High School, Albany. After the war, he earned a general equivalency high diploma.

Sano is also a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in Rotterdam, the Rotterdam Elks Lodge, Schenectady Veterans of World War II and Navy Seabee Veterans Association. He is an associate member of the Schenectady City Department of Marine Corps League.

News of your troops and units can be sent to Duty Calls, Terry Brown, Times Union, Box 15000, Albany, NY 12212 or brownt@timesunion.com.
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Guilderland

When 23-year-old Justus Booze arrived to help a local tree-removal company on a quiet suburban street on May 4, he had no prior training and no background in the industry, his fiancee said.

He took the job expecting to be paid $65 in cash, money that would contribute to rent for the Schenectady apartment they shared with his fiancee's three children, ages 7, 8 and 11. He texted her that morning, quick notes to say "I love you," and "I miss you."

In the afternoon, Booze was dead, his body entangled in a wood chipper.

"I have no idea what happened and why it happened and what could have prevented it," said his fiancee, Kristen Hickey, 31. "But I do know he had no business next to that machine."

Few guidelines regulate tree removal in New York.

Operators that do not pay workers' compensation insurance can offer low prices to customers, who may not know if corners are cut, longtime owners of area tree removal companies and industry safety experts said in interviews after Booze's death.

Tony Watson, Booze's employer who owns Countryside Tree Care, does not have workers' compensation insurance coverage, according to Workers' Compensation Board spokesman Brian Keegan. The company's website says it is "fully insured."

Watson declined to comment on the events of May 4 or on his lack of workers' compensation insurance, citing the ongoing investigation of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Watson said that he is at every job site, "100 percent of the time." He operates the chipper for most jobs, he said, and in the remainder, another person who "knows everything about that chipper" runs the machine.

"It was a devastating and traumatic accident," Watson said.

Guilderland police said the investigation into Booze's death is ongoing.

Other employees were present, but Booze's death was not witnessed, Deputy Chief Curtis Cox said.

In addition, the company is not certified by the International Society for Arboriculture, a large trade association.

Though certification from trade groups like the ISA is not required to remove trees in New York, industry experts said certification shows professionalism and helps businesses keep up with new techniques. More than 1,000 arborists in New York hold ISA certification.

"It shows a basic level of interest in doing things safely and appropriately," New York State Arborists President Trevor Hall said. Hall's organization is a chapter of the ISA.

But paying workers' compensation insurance, said Mark Moeske, owner of Allmark Tree and Crane Service in Albany and a tree care industry association representative for the American National Standards Institute, is hugely important. Not providing this insurance, he said, is unsafe for employees, companies and homeowners, who may be held liable for accidents on their land.

Last year, 92 people died in the tree-care industry, according to the Tree Care Industry Association. Three deaths occurred from being caught in a chipper, and two other people were seriously injured by the machines.

Failure to pay workers' compensation is a problem in the industry, said Peter Gerstenberger, the TCIA's senior adviser for safety compliance and standards. "Unfortunately there's an underbelly of this industry where employers engage in this practice."

If a workers' compensation claim is filed against an uninsured employer, and the employer defaults, the claim is paid by the Uninsured Employers Fund of the Workers' Compensation Board, spokesman Keegan said. The fund consists of penalties collected from uninsured employers.

David Onderdonk, owner of Onderdonk's Tree Care in Schodack Landing, Rensselaer County, said it's tough to compete on price with companies who operate without workers' compensation.

"A lot of these small guys don't carry workers' comp  that's a big problem," said Onderdonk, who has removed trees around the Northeast for several decades. "I do, and I have to compete with these 'wood chucks,' we call them 'wood chucks,' these guys in pickup trucks."

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In 2014, every landscaping death in New York involved a self-employed worker or an employee of a company with fewer than 10 employees, according to the state Health Department. From 2011-16, two worker deaths in New York involved a wood chipper, including Booze's, the department said.

A small business in a high-risk industry like tree services is a dangerous combination, said Matt London, director of the NorthEast New York Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, a coalition of labor unions and public health officials.

"You have less resources and less ability to deal with the training that should be done," London said.

OSHA is investigating whether Countryside Tree Care violated workplace safety standards at the time of Booze's death. If the company is at fault, a spokesman said, citations and fines would follow.

OSHA recommends that employers should supervise new employees to make sure they operate wood chippers safely. Typically, employees feed branches into chipper chutes, and feed rollers at the end of the chute pull branches into rotating knives, OSHA said.

A friend who worked for Countryside Tree Care told Booze that Watson sought a few more workers, Hickey said. Booze did not own safety goggles or ear protection, Hickey said, and she did not know if he received the equipment on site.

Since Booze's death, an online crowdfunding page has raised more than $5,550 for the family's expenses. He was cremated and Hickey said she expects to hold a summer memorial. She does not plan on pursuing legal action. "It's not going to bring him back," Hickey said, adding that they planned to marry within weeks at a local city or town hall.

A fresh tattoo  "Justus," in looped cursive  is healing on her left hand's ring finger. Her 7-year-old daughter often sleeps in Booze's T-shirts on his side of the bed.

"He was just starting to blossom," Hickey said. "He was just starting to say, 'This is my family, I'm going to marry this woman, these are my kids.'"

Cathleen Crowley contributed. lellis@timesunion.com  518-454-5018  @lindsayaellis
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North Greenbush

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. may soon purchase the 217,000-square-foot Pitney Bowes Inc. building at 1 Global View in Rensselaer Technology Park.

The Rensselaer County Industrial Development Agency approved Regeneron's assumption of the lease agreement and payment in lieu of tax agreement previously connected to Pitney Bowes during the agency's meeting on Thursday.

The IDA also allowed the company to lease 63,247 square feet back to Pitney Bowes for a five-month term, with an option for Pitney Bowes to extend an additional two months.

Broker Peter Struzzi with Pyramid Brokerage did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The online listing for the building indicates that the space has two passenger and one freight elevator as well as a cafeteria on premises, and that it can be used for office and manufacturing space. The office has parking available for more than 650 cars.

Drug developer Regeneron has industrial operations in East Greenbush and is headquartered in Tarrytown, Westchester County.

The company added 310 employees to its East Greenbush manufacturing campus in 2015 and now employs more than 1,300.

Regeneron did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

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Pitney Bowes told employees on Monday that the company is "committed to working in the Capital Region." "Many locations at Pitney Bowes globally have successfully moved to other office space," according to the note, which was shared with the Times Union.

"We're very happy about Regeneron and their continued expansion," IDA Executive Director Robert Pasinella said Monday, noting the company's strong presence in the region.

lellis@timesunion.com  518-454-5018  @lindsayaellis
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Albany

The company behind a 22-unit affordable housing project in Arbor Hill is among nearly two-dozen firms mentioned in the federal subpoena served to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration in late April, according to a person with knowledge of the document.

The subpoena seeks information about Swan Street Lofts LP, which is the company behind the renovated apartments called Academy Lofts at The Barn that opened to residents in December 2013. The project, located at North Swan and Second streets at the site of the former St. Joseph's Academy, provides low-cost units for living and working residences for artists.

It is a project of the Albany Housing Authority, which hired Norstar Development, a company based in Ontario, Canada, that has significant operations in Buffalo and is led in the United States by Richard Higgins, a former state housing czar under Gov. Mario Cuomo.

Norstar helped secure financing for the project and was the general contractor, according to the executive director of the Albany Housing Authority, Steven Longo, who said his organization had not been subpoenaed or contacted by federal authorities.

Like Swan Street Lofts, Norstar is a company of interest in the federal subpoena, which asks about the actions of certain Executive Chamber officials on behalf of the listed companies. People and entities connected to Norstar have given Cuomo at least $157,000 in campaign donations since the beginning of 2010. Its efforts on this project were led by Lori Harris, who heads up the company's Albany efforts, and herself is a former state governmental housing official.

Many of the companies in U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's subpoena were clients of lobbyist Todd Howe, who is at the center of the probe. But Longo said Howe's name "to the best of my recollection never came up during this job."

No one has been charged or accused of any wrongdoing in the probe. Norstar declined to comment.

The project received help from several government sources. In the 2011 round of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's regional economic development council awards, the Albany Industrial Development Authority was granted $5.4 million in low-cost financing, and the Department of Homes and Community Renewal authorized $2.4 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Empire State Development provided $4.5 million in Restore NY grant funding, and $350,000 in local support through the Federal Home Loan Bank and Historic Tax Credits, according to a 2013 news release from Cuomo's office.

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The $4.5 million from the Restore NY grant program was a bump from what was originally intended for the project. Money for the rehab of buildings on and around Henry Johnson Boulevard was shifted after the projects didn't get off the ground, a move favored by Albany officials that eventually won the consent of Empire State Development Corp., the state's economic development agency.

A firm representing the Swan Street LLC in the deal was Cannon, Heyman and Weiss, an Albany law firm that puts together the financing for affordable housing projects through tax credits and incentives. The principals of Cannon, Heyman and Weiss and their firm have also been major donors to Cuomo, giving at least $125,000.

The Academy Lofts at the Barn project also includes 14,000-plus square feet of space for work studios, rehearsal suites, performance space, a digital media center, retail space and offices for the professional artist community, according to Cuomo's press release.

cbragg@timesunion.com  518-454-5303  @chrisbragg1
THE ISSUE:

State legislative leaders continue to balk at hearings into the Hoosick Falls water crisis.

THE STAKES:

A congressional panel may end up examining the state and federal response. Holding one another accountable is an important role for the legislative and executive branches of state government, but in the case of the contaminated public water supply in the village of Hoosick Falls, it seems leaders don't want to point fingers.

More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse

The Times Union has documented that the Health Department was well aware of the presence of dangerous levels of a chemical contaminate in the village drinking water months before the public was warned and bottled drinking water was provided for residents. Earlier this year, only after the glare of media attention on the plight of village residents, the state declared the suspected source of the pollution, the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics plant in the village a state Superfund site. The action cleared the way for the state resources needed to properly address the issue. But that designation came 17 months after a resident first reported that the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, was detected in the village's well system at levels exceeding those recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The delay was unacceptable.

Now, without any formal inquiry, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has evidently concluded the state departments of Health and of Environmental Conservation have handled the crisis correctly. He told the Times Union's Matthew Hamilton this week the state took proper action handling the Hoosick Falls situation. Individual members of the Assembly and of the state Senate have urged their leaders to conduct hearings into the water crisis. At least the Assembly leader said he is leaving the door open for future action.

PFOA is just one of a variety of industrial chemicals, considered to be carcinogenic that has been found in many former and existing manufacturing sites. It was recently detected near another plastics plant in the Town of Petersburgh, about a dozen miles from Hoosick Falls.

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How many other old industrial communities are facing similar water quality threats across New York? Is the state doing enough to identify problems? Does the state Legislature need to provide more resources to this essential effort?

These are just some of the questions that could be addressed at joint legislative hearings. Residents, independent experts and public officials could all speak openly about the response in Hoosick Falls. Knowing what was done well and what was done poorly would become the basis for developing a statewide action plan.

While state legislators sit on the sidelines, the U.S. Congress may now be doing an investigation of its own. U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, is seeking a congressional hearing of the state and federal response to the Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh cases.

That may be useful but the state shouldn't wait for a congressional probe to find the best ways to serve its own residents.
According to the State Environmental Quality Review Act, environmental impacts should be considered "equally with social and economic factors during discretionary decision-making."

In practice, SEQRA causes a great deal of uncertainty for businesses looking to invest in New York. That is because SEQRA sets no timetable for a decision. As a result, good projects can be held in limbo for years.

Crestwood's Finger Lakes LPG storage project is a perfect example  despite strong support from the state's technical experts, the project has been left waiting for a decision on state permits for nearly eight years.

Clear and transparent timetables are necessary to prevent businesses from abandoning our state due to this undue burden that SEQRA sometimes poses.

If we want to attract more businesses, we must reform SEQRA to clarify the standard for complete applications, heighten the standard for issues to be subject to administrative adjudication, and make adherence to state review timetables mandatory.

SEQRA must be implemented in a positive and responsible manner. Community involvement is important and is a fundamental part of the democracy we hold dear.

However, if companies looking to move to New York see Crestwood's project as evidence of the current regulatory environment they will have to navigate, you can't blame them for having second thoughts.

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Thankfully, New York state does have the ability to fix SEQRA and avoid many of these obstacles without limiting the opportunity for public input or harming the environment.

By holding ourselves to a higher standard of review and ensuring that our leaders are required to make timely decisions on projects, we can go a long way toward fixing New York's economy.

Darren Suarez is director of Government Affairs for The Business Council of New York State.
IFA National Dairy Chairman Sean OLeary today (Tuesday) called on Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to show greater urgency in implementing a state aid funded scheme to relieve dairy farmers cash flow pressures from superlevy and merchant credit, as some co-ops announce further milk price cuts for April. Mr OLeary was speaking as Minister Creed attended his first EU Farm Council meeting in Brussels.

Mr OLeary said that, as well as lobbying co-ops to share the pain and reduce costs, the National Dairy Committee had lobbied government as well as opposition TDs on state aided funded cash flow relief in the last couple of weeks, and found them very receptive.

I welcome Glanbia and Lakeland supporting their suppliers by holding their April milk price, and Lakeland offering a fixed milk price contract for the first time. Conversely, I was disappointed that Arrabawn and Aurivo cut their April milk price. I understand that markets are challenging, with only limited signs of improvements, and those unlikely to take hold for some time, but farmers simply cannot take any further pain, and every cut sinks them further into the red, damaging their families livelihoods but also the potential of the entire dairy sector, Mr OLeary said.

We know little can be done about the global dairy market slump, and the EU production management suggestions from some quarters simply dont stand up to scrutiny. However, the EUs recent permission to member states to exceptionally use state aid to provide short-term interest-free or low-cost loans can be used by the Minister to give dairy farmers a 1 to 2-year repayment suspension on their superlevy fines, their merchant credit debt, and any other cash flow demand on their farms, he said.

The average superlevy fine still outstanding is in the order of 10,000 per farm, while co-ops estimate the average outstanding merchant credit per dairy farm is around 30,000. These are hefty repayment demands for farmers to find over the coming peak months, with milk output value down dramatically due to low prices compounded by low spring constituents. Providing state aid funded short-term loans allowing a farmer owing both above to take a repayment break of up to two years would cost no more than 1,200 in state aid for the entire period  well within the permitted 15,000 annual maximum, he said.

I am clear that the long-term potential of the Irish dairy sector remains bright, but the short term could derail our best laid plans if we dont develop a strategy to support farmers cash flow for the coming months. Minister Creed has an opportunity to show his commitment to the dairy sector by delivering on a state aid allowance the EU Agriculture Council provided this year in recognition of the current exceptional pressure on farmers incomes, he concluded.
Preventing the Customer Support Scourge of 'Silent Switchers'

When it comes to customer support quality, many companies rely heavily on surveying their customers or keeping an eye on social media. After all, when customers are unhappy with your products or services, or the quality of customer support you provide, theyll tell you, right?

Not necessarily. While Americans may be more likely than others to voice their displeasure with a company, other customers  think the British and Canadians  may be what the customer support industry should be calling silent switchers. These are people who, unhappy with a customer experience, will simply abandon a company and go seek another.

A new report by Accenture (News - Alert) found that only one fifth of Canadians have posted a negative comment online after having a bad commercial experience, and only 49 per cent of Canadian consumers have switched a provider in the last year because of poor customer service, according to Chris Herhalt writing for CP24. Nearly three quarters  73 percent  of customers report they become frustrated when providers fail to offer convenient interaction methods.

Canadians are less likely to put up a fight, but they are less forgiving and harder to win back once they are gone, Accenture says.

While it helps to offer unhappy customers incentives to stay -- of Canadians who switched a service said they could have been retained if the company they were leaving made them some sort of offer of improvement  it helps even more to improve customer support channels across the board, so customers arent disappointed by service to begin with. This means evaluating your current customer journey and finding out where the biggest roadblocks are. It helps to test your own channels and systems to find the snags on your ownbefore your customers do.

One of the ways companies are losing customers is by focusing their investment dollars and efforts into digital, low-cost channels exclusively, without considering how those digital channels are blending with more traditional channels like voice. Yes, customers want easy self-service options. Yes, they are willing to try alternatives like Facebook (News - Alert) messenger or bots. But they also expect that these channels will be integrated with the higher cost live-help channels. Introducing a new bot and hoping that it will take care of all customer concerns is a big mistake.

Companies need to recognize that digital capabilities are just one facet of a great customer experience, according to Accenture. Profitability is not bound by a particular channel. It resides in the digital/physical blur. Successful companies own this high ground by optimizing their investments across channels, while simultaneously delivering the outcomes that their customers demand.

Accenture writes that organizations hoping to succeed will need to develop new skills in areas as diverse as analytics, channel integration, experience management and problem resolution. Hiring practices, skill-development models and incentive programs will need to change accordingly. With a great analytics strategy in place, companies can do more than simply keep customers: they can use the insight data analysis provides to make strategic changes that will improve customer choice  and the amount of money customers spend  to prepare for a successful future.

Edited by Stefania Viscusi
Is Telecommuting a Barrier to Job Success?

The merits of telecommuting  a practice Americans are increasingly growing to love  are regularly debated in the business media. For environmentally minded people, it saves gas and traffic congestion. For employers, it can save on infrastructure costs. For workers, it represents a way to work without turning ones life over to an employer.

Its been a particularly compelling model in the contact center. Schedule flexibility is critical for great customer support today, and nothing builds flexibility into a schedule like people who can pick up a headset at a moments notice and log in to begin working. Its also a great way to expand the eligible labor pool: great contact center agents arent easy to find, and if youre limited to commuting distance from a brick-and-mortar office, it becomes even more challenging.

So what are the cons to telecommuting? Some employers dont like the idea of paying workers they cant see. Though technology allows contact center managers to keep track of workers through performance management and workforce management solutions, and instant communications such as chat, some managers like to be able to see faces. Others believe that it hurts the social workplace when it comes to employee cohesion.

In a recent editorial for LinkedIn (News - Alert), former GE CEO Jack Welch writes that telecommuting could hurt career aspirations.

Telecommuting sends another message, one that says you value lifestyle flexibility over career growth, he wrote.

His argument is that while being at home may remove some day-to-day stress in workers lives, it robs them of the opportunity to show off their abilities to the people who may ultimately make the decisions about their future careers. It may affect their ability to climb the ladder to leadership.

The facts are, even in this age of ubiquitous technology and open-mindedness toward flexible work arrangements, working remote still comes with a cost: diminished face time, wrote Welch. Sure, that wont kill you in your early career. As long as youre an individual contributor with enough talent, you can do almost any job from homewrite code, analyze legal documents, design marketing materials, or sell financial services. The list goes on and on and gets longer every day.

There is evidence, however, that works today  particularly younger workers  arent looking to become ruler of their own fiefdoms. Theyre looking for work-life balance, and theyre finding it in telecommuting. Many people who accept contact center jobs arent doing it with a goal of becoming the VP of operations in the future. They simply want a career that will provide them with a salary while allowing them more time to care for their children, their house or their hobbies.

Will it ever work to make the entire contact center remote? There are companies that operate just in this way. Theyre probably not hiring workers who one day want to run their own companies. But its important to note that things have changed since Welchs day: remote working is becoming more collaborative, more visual and more inclusive. Companies today are building a new model of what it means to excel, and it wont necessarily involve dressing up in a suit and saying, Yes, sir after every sentence.

Edited by Stefania Viscusi
[May 17, 2016] AARP Tennessee Seeks Nominees for 2016 Andrus Award for Community Service

AARP Tennessee is now accepting nominations for its 2016 Andrus Award for Community Service, which honors 50+ state residents who are sharing their experience, talent, and skills to enrich the lives of their community members. "AARP Tennessee is excited to shine a light on 50+ residents who are using what they've learned to make a difference in the lives around them," said AARP Tennessee Interim State Director Shelley Courington. Nominations will be evaluated by AARP Tennessee based on how the volunteer's work has improved the community, supported AARP's vision and mission, and inspired other volunteers. The award recipient will be announced in early fall. AARP Tennessee Andrus Award for Community Service nominees must meet the following eligibility requirements: Nominee must be 50 years or older.

The achievements, accomplishments, or service on which the nomination is based must have been performed on a volunteer basis, without pay.

The achievements, accomplishments, or service on which the nomination is based must reflect AARP's vision and mission.

Couples or partners who perform service together are also eligible; however, teams are not eligible.

eligible. This is not a posthumous award. For more information, conact Michelle Wisner at AARP Tennessee at 615-726-5102. Application is online can be found here. The application deadline for the Andrus Award is June 3, 2016.



AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of nearly 38 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment and income security, retirement planning, affordable utilities and protection from financial abuse. We advocate for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members obtain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services. A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational information, AARP produces AARP The Magazine, the world's largest circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin; www.aarp.org; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP en Espanol, a Spanish-language website addressing the interests and needs of Hispanics. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. The AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at www.aarp.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517006246/en/

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[May 17, 2016] Nashville's KIPP Academy Charter School Principal Receives Prestigious Ryan Award

Laura Miguez Howarth, principal of KIPP Academy Nashville since 2011, today was named a recipient of the Ryan Award for exceptional leadership in closing the achievement gap in urban K-12 schools. The prestigious award includes a $25,000 honorarium and the opportunity to teach her successful methodologies at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517005318/en/ Nashville's KIPP Academy Principal Laura Miguez Howarth wins a 2016 Ryan Award. (Photo: Business Wire) Pat Ryan, Jr., founder of the Accelerate Institute which sponsors the award, presented Howarth with a $25,000 check in a surprise school assembly. "We created the Ryan Awards four years ago to recognize the leaders of the most successful transformational schools in the country," Ryan said. "We want to not only honor these individuals, but enlist them as role models to help current and future principals learn from their successes. Laura Miguez Howarth is the embodiment of excellent school leadership." The Ryan Awards are distributed through the Chicago-based Accelerate Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of high-impact urban school leaders who accelerate student achievement. Miguez Howarth was called to an assembly of the KIPP Academy student body that was actually a ruse to surprise her with the announcement. Miguez Howarth sad she was honored with the award, but acknowledged that "it's strong relationships between parents, kids and teachers that lead to fundamentally transformed outcomes. At KIPP, our student families are deeply engaged from the very beginning of our kids' work."



KIPP Academy serves a minority population of 360 students in grades 5-8 in the East Nashville area, offering a rigorous college preparatory program. Students become part of a college-going culture that teaches and reinforces the scholarly skills and habits needed for success in college and in life. Miguez Howarth began her teaching career there in 2008, was promoted to Dean of Students in 2010 and principal in 2011. Under her leadership, KIPP Academy was a SCORE Prize Finalist the last two years, a coveted recognition of the State Collaborative on Reforming Education. It also has been named a Tennessee Reward School for having achieved top five percent student growth in the state, and has been recognized by the Education Consumer Foundation for top K-8 student growth in Middle Tennessee.

KIPP Academy has consistently outperformed other schools in the state and city, according to testing results in the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program. In test data from the 2014-2015 school year, KIPP Academy students ranked at a 75.3 percent proficiency level in Math, compared to 52 percent for the state average and 47.4 percent for the Davidson County average. In English/Language Arts, KIPP scored 62 percent compared to 48.4 and 39.3 percent for the state and city, respectively. State Report Card data, as measured by the Tennessee Value-Added System, gave KIPP Academy grades of A in Achievement, B in Reading and A in Science, with straight As in the same subject areas for student growth, for the 2014-2015 school year. Miguez Howarth is the first of two Ryan Award winners to be announced this year. Winners are nominated by education leaders across the country. Criteria are: nominees must be K-12 principals for at least four years with a measurable record of consecutive student achievement growth. This fourth class of Ryan Awardees will be celebrated at the Accelerate Institute's annual Impact Dinner later this year in Chicago. The Accelerate Institute is dedicated to ensuring all children have the opportunity to achieve to their fullest potential. It identifies high performing, results-focused school leadership with a passion for closing the achievement gap in urban education. For further information on the Ryan Awards and the Accelerate Institute, visit: http://www.accelerateinstitute.org/programs/ryan-fellowship/ryan-award-nomination For further information about KIPP Academy Nashville, visit: http://kippnashville.org/schools-programs/kipp-academy-nashville/ View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517005318/en/

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[May 17, 2016] Technavio Announces Top Five Vendors in the Global Body Contouring Market from 2016 to 2020

Technavio has announced the top five leading vendors in their recent global body contouring market report. This research report also lists 26 other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period. Competitive vendor landscape The global body contouring market is highly diversified with the presence of many global and local players. The market is growing steadily due to growing awareness of body contouring procedures. This has provided an opportunity to device manufacturers worldwide and especially in the untapped APAC countries. In 2014, more than 20 million aesthetic procedures were performed worldwide. Brazil, Mexico, Germany, South Korea, France, Japan, Colombia, the UK, the US, and Spain had the highest number of body contouring procedures in 2014. "Companies that hold a major share in the market include Alma Lasers, Cynosure, Meridian, Syneron, and Valeant. Most companies focus on providing solutions that reduce the risk, cost, and recovery time associated with the procedures. They are adopting different techniques to cut costs and lessen the pain involved in the procedures while manufacturing devices," says Amber Chourasia, a lead analyst at Technavio for lab equipment research. The report states that APAC will be the fastest-growing market during the forecast period and has many companies spread across India, China, Japan, and South Korea that manufacture, market, and supply a broad range of body contouring devices for both invasive and non-invasive methods. In addition, many R&D facilities have been set up in the region, especially in China, which focus on developing energy-based devices. The increase in R&D facilities and manufacturing plants will drive the global body contouring market in the coming years. Request for sample report: http://goo.gl/bxkxSv Top five body contouring market vendors Alma Lasers The company designs, develops, manufactures, and markets a wide range of laser, light, RF, and ultrasound assisted solutions for the aesthetic and surgical markets. The company also provides multi-technology systems, thereby revolutionizing the existing treatment methods and serving the needs of both patients and practitioners across the world. The company offers its products in more than 60 countries to core physician customers such as dermatologists and plastic surgeons and to non-core physician customers. Alma Lasers established its presence in the global body contouring market through a wide array of technologies and treatment methods covering various aesthetic needs. It offers more than 100 tretment solutions.



Cynosure Cynosure was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts, US. The company develops, manufactures, and markets a wide range of aesthetic treatment systems for plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and other medical practitioners. The company also markets RF energy-sourced medical devices for precision surgical applications, such as facial plastic and general surgery; gynecology; ear, nose, and throat procedures; ophthalmology; oral and maxillofacial surgery; podiatry; and proctology.

Cynosure established its presence in the global body contouring market with its non-invasive and minimally invasive solutions that provide better results compared to liposuction and other surgically invasive procedures. Its key body contouring devices reduce fat through laser lipolysis. The company's Cellulaze system is the world's first FDA-cleared minimally-invasive aesthetic laser device for the treatment of cellulite. Meridian Meridian was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Anyang, South Korea. The company, along with its subsidiaries, is engaged in the design, manufacture, and sales of medical and aesthetic devices. It offers its products to healthcare professionals, hospitals, clinics, physicians, and wellness centers in South Korea, the US, Canada, China, and Japan, among others. Meridian established its presence in the global body contouring market through non-invasive and minimally invasive body contouring solutions such as LAPEX BCS Pro, and LAPEX DAVAN, which remove fat and reduce cellulite through laser lipolysis. These body contouring treatments provide positive results compared to traditional liposuction and other surgically invasive procedures. Syneron Medical Syneron Medical was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Yokneam Illit, Israel. The company, along with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, and markets aesthetic medical products primarily under the brand names Syneron, UltraShape, and Candela. As of March 2015, the company's patent portfolio consisted of 40 issued US patents and 189 issued international patents. Syneron Medical established its presence in the global body contouring market through its new technologies and continuous product development. Some of its key products include UltraShape Contour I V3, a non-invasive fat reduction for body contouring; VelaShape II & III, which have applications related to the appearance of cellulite, reduction of thigh circumference, and body contouring; and VelaSmooth Pro, which finds applications in cellulite reduction, thigh circumference reduction, and body contouring. Valeant The company develops, manufactures, and distributes a wide range of branded, generic pharmaceutical, OTC products, and medical devices. It specializes in dermatology, eye health, consumer health, and neurology areas. Valeant established its presence in the global body contouring market through a wide range of medical device systems for body contouring applications. The company's CeraVe is an OTC range of products with essential ceramides and other skin-nourishing and skin moisturizing ingredients. The company also specializes in researching lipolysis and new technologies for skin rejuvenation and tissue regeneration. Browse Related Reports: Aesthetic Laser and Energy Devices Market in the US 2016-2020

Global Laser Diode Market 2016-2020

Global Plastic Surgery Products Market 2016-2020 Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact [email protected] with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517005124/en/

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[May 17, 2016] Xirrus Wi-Fi & eir Deliver Wi-Fi Network to Dublin's Temple Street Children's University Hospital

Xirrus, the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks, has partnered with eir, Ireland's leading telecoms provider, to make free public Wi-Fi at Dublin's Temple Street Children's University Hospital, which cares for 145,000 children per year from all over Ireland on an in-patient and out-patient basis as reality. Prior to the installation, it was difficult to get internet access at the hospital. There was no Wi-Fi network on-site and only limited mobile coverage within the building. In order to address this issue, eir and Xirrus worked together to ensure patients and families could access the internet access in all public waiting areas throughout the hospital for the first time. The age and construction of the Victorian hospital building, which is almost 150 years old, meant that providing a Wi-Fi network was a considerable challenge. Xirrus needed to work within the specific safety guidelines set out by the Hospital and also be mindful of the historical status of the building when designing the network and installing the access points. Shane Buckley, CEO of Xirrus, said, "There can be no higher priority for Xirrus than to provide reliable & safe internet access to sick children and their parents in a hospital environment. We are thrlled to work with Temple Street Hospital and provide a service that can improve the quality of the patient's experience. Xirrus, in partnership with eir, had the combined experience, technical expertise and superior Wi-Fi solution to connect patients and their families to a fast, reliable and secure Wi-Fi network."



Dairin Hines, Head of ICT, Temple Street said, "We are absolutely delighted to be in a position to offer free, secure, high-speed Wi-Fi access to the thousands of families and children being treated at Temple Street every year and allowing them to stay connected with their lives beyond the hospital. The new Wi-Fi network has already been very well received since it went live at the beginning of January 2016 - and already used by over 10,000 people. We are entirely grateful for the support and expertise provided by eir Business and Xirrus Wi-Fi in finding a solution to make this possible in a building as old as Temple Street with its complex architecture". The eir Advantage Wi-Fi solution, provided in partnership with Xirrus, involves the installation of components such as a 200Mb ultrafast broadband connection and a content filtering solution. The network installation includes Advantage Wi-Fi cloud management and application control to ensure that the Hospital can simply manage network accessibility, as well as content filtering, security and controls.

Online Resources: Read more about Xirrus Wi-Fi Solutions Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook About Xirrus, Inc. Xirrus is the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks. Xirrus solutions perform under the most demanding circumstances, offering consistent "wired-like" performance with superior coverage and security. The Xirrus suite of Wi-Fi optimized solutions - high density access points, access points, cloud services, and wired switches - provide seamless connectivity and unified management across the network. Xirrus provides a vital strategic business and IT infrastructure advantage to industries that depend on wireless to operate business-critical applications. With tens of thousands of customer solutions deployed globally, Xirrus maintains operations and partnerships across the globe. Xirrus is a privately held company and is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA (News - Alert). For more information please visit: www.xirrus.com and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert):@Xirrus. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517005148/en/

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[May 16, 2016] LED Driver Market for Lighting, by Driving Method, Luminaire Type, Components, End User Application, and Geography - Global Forecasts to 2022

LONDON, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- "LED driver market for lighting expected to grow at a high CAGR of 26.3% between 2016 and 2022"

The LED driver market for lighting is expected to reach USD 24.98 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 26.3% between 2016 and 2022. High penetration of LED in lighting applications such as office complexes, retail outlets, street lights, and rapidly growing usage within the residential lighting applications for households due to increased focus on energy-efficient lighting are the major drivers for growth of the market.



"Outdoor & traffic lighting expected to lead the end-user application of the LED driver for lighting during the forecast period"

Outdoor & traffic lighting applications such as roadway lighting, street lighting, highway & tunnel lighting are the major adopters of the LED lighting. As local authorities all over the world are trying to reduce the energy consumption for economic and environmental purposes, LED lighting is slowly becoming their real choice.



"Asia-Pacific expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period"

Asia-Pacific is also estimated to grow at the highest rate in the overall market till 2022. Combination of multiple factors make Asia-Pacific the most dynamic region in LED driver market for lighting. Asia-Pacific has some of the fastest-growing emerging economies in the form of India and China; it also has technologically and economically advanced economies of Japan and South Korea. Furthermore, there are many countries within Asia-Pacific which are still seeing rapid urbanization; hence, the overall growth and demand for infrastructure is higher compred to Europe and North America. Since the global initiatives for carbon reductions depend largely on the regions, countries in the Asia-Pacific region have started bringing in regulations to increase the usage of LED lighting which is giving a major flip to growth of the market for LED lighting and consequently of the LED driver market for lighting.







In the process of determining and verifying the market size for several segments and subsegments of the LED driver market for lighting gathered through the secondary research, extensive primary interviews have been conducted with key people. Breakup of the profiles of primary participants is shown below:



- By Company Type: Tier 1  20%, Tier 2  45%, and Tier 3  35%

- By Designation: C-Level  35%, Director Level  25%, and Others  40%

- By Region: North America  45%, Europe  20%, APAC  30%, and RoW  5%





The geographic segmentation in the report covers four major regions of the world, namely, North America , Europe , APAC, and RoW. The report also profiles major players in the LED driver market for lighting. Some of the major players in this market are Osram GmbH ( Germany ), Harvard Engineering (U.K.), Texas Instruments (U.S.), Maxim Integrated (U.S.), Macroblock, Inc. ( Taiwan ), Atmel Corporation (U.S.), General Electric (U.S.), Cree, Inc. (U.S.), Rohm Semiconductors ( Japan ).



Reasons to Buy the Report:

This report caters to the needs of leading companies, industries, component manufacturers, and other related stakeholders in this market. Other parties that could benefit from the report include government bodies, environmental agencies, consulting firms, business development executives, C-level employees, and VPs. Our report would help analyze new opportunities and potential revenue sources and enhance the decision-making process for new business strategies. The quantitative and qualitative information in the report, along with our comprehensive analysis, would help a player to gain an edge in the market.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3816730/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

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Website: www.reportbuyer.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/led-driver-market-for-lighting-by-driving-method-luminaire-type-components-end-user-application-and-geography---global-forecasts-to-2022-300269510.html SOURCE ReportBuyer

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[May 16, 2016] McorpCX, Inc. Provides First Quarter 2016 Corporate Update

SAN FRANCISCO, May 16, 2016 /CNW/ - Customer experience solutions company McorpCX, Inc. (TSXV: MCX, OTCQB: MCCX) (the "Company") on May 13, 2016 provided a business update and reported financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2016. "We are pleased to report that McorpCX has had a great start to 2016, delivering against several key milestones as we continue to develop software tools for the many companies focused on better understanding - and radically improving - their customers' experience," said Michael Hinshaw, McorpCX President and CEO. "During Q1 2016, our primary areas of investment are in product development, and sales and marketing activities. We currently anticipate our investments in professional sales and development staff to continue in the near-term, supporting our transition to a software-first business. While we expect consulting will continue to be important to near-term revenue, we continue to expand our CX software offerings." concluded Mr. Hinshaw. First Quarter 2016 Corporate Highlights: Q1 2016 was a transitional quarter for the Company as it continued the process of migrating our business model from consulting services to a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription fee model.





As of March 31, 2016 , the Company had successfully delivered certain features and functionality of its Touchpoint Mapping  On-Demand software product to several clients.





, the Company had successfully delivered certain features and functionality of its Touchpoint Mapping On-Demand software product to several clients. The Company achieved a significant milestone during the quarter with the completion of a $2,745,000 private placement in connection with the listing of our shares on the TSX Venture Exchange.





private placement in connection with the listing of our shares on the TSX Venture Exchange. As a result of this financing and listing, the Company's cash position increased to $2.80 million as at March 31, 2016 . The Company plans to use its cash and working capital position in order to engage additional sales and marketing staff to secure material standalone sales commitments for its Touchpoint Mapping On-Demand software product.



"We appreciate that our investors continue to support our vision," stated Barry MacNeil, Company CFO. "The funds we received in the private placement give us the opportunity to execute on our business plan to increase sales and marketing efforts, while expanding development of the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions our clients are asking for." For a complete discussion of the Company's financial condition and operating results, please see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and our audited and unaudited financial statements and the accompanying notes in our Form 10-Q for the three month ending March 31, 2016 and our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR and with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR.

About McorpCX McorpCX is a leading customer experience services company delivering consulting and technology solutions to customer-centric organizations since 2002. Touchpoint Mapping - our signature product and approach to quantifying customer experience - has driven significant business results for some of the world's leading companies, automatically mapping the complex, cross-channel maze of touchpoints that drive customer experience. A pioneer in the fast-growing customer experience services and technology sector, our proprietary approach and cloud-based software deliver actionable data and on-demand "Voice-of-the-Customer" insights to dramatically improve customer experience, brand position, customer and employee satisfaction, loyalty and engagement for leaders in financial services, retail, technology, consumer products, and other industries. Visit the company online at http://mcorp.cx however, information on our website is not part of this press release. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States securities laws and applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include statements relating to the Company's business. Such statements involve assumptions relating to the Company's business, the ability of the Company to execute on its business plan, the competitive environment of the Company's products and services and the future pricing of the Company's products and services. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by these statements. Such factors include the following: general economic and business conditions, changes in demand for the Company's products and services, changes in the competitive environment and the introduction of competing software solutions by competitors, the Company's ability to complete any future required financing and the Company's dependence upon and availability of qualified personnel. Investors should refer to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for a more comprehensive discussion of the risks that are material to the Company and its business. In light of these and other uncertainties, the forward-looking statements included in this press release should not be regarded as a representation by the Company that its plans and objectives will be achieved. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements. 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. SOURCE McorpCX , Inc.

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[May 16, 2016] Coolpad Officially Unveils Coolpad Max with World's First Dual Space Feature

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- After weeks of speculation, Coolpad, a global smartphone brand with more than 20 years' experience, today officially launched the Coolpad Max smartphone globally. "Coolpad will continue to create sophisticated products that empower you to do more, and live more securely than ever," said Mr. Douglas Li, CEO of Coolpad Group. Coolpad Max comes with the World's First Dual Space feature, which enables users to separate their personal and professional life, without the need to use two different smartphones. With a Full Metal Unibody Chassis design and two color variations, including Gold and Rose Gold, Coolpad Max offers a premium design for global market, whilst allowing users to showcase their individual style. Sleek, stylish and a comfortable fit in the hand, Coolpad Max feels as good as it looks. There is a very thin dual-antenna line (.4mm, thinner than other smartphones, i.e. 2.0mm) on the chassis used on the smartphone. Coolpad Max features a 13 MP rear camera and f/2.0 lens armed with ISOCELL CMOS technology to bring lighter but less color inference.



In order to improve security for its users, Coolpad also added the latest fingerprint technology that can deliver convenience, security, and reliability on Coolpad Max. With the technology and capabilities, The Coolpad Max is specifically designed for people who do not want to carry two smartphones at the same time or have to mix their personal and professional lives their private lives.

About Coolpad

Coolpad, one of the top smartphone brands in China, was established by Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. ("Yulong Telecommunications"). Founded in April 1993, Yulong Telecommunications went IPO on the Hong Kong stock market HKEx in 2004 under the name China Wireless Technologies group (stock trade code: 2369), later changed to Coolpad Group. With 6 R&D facilities worldwide, the company continues to invest heavily in developing innovative cellular, wireless, and mobile technology products. Coolpad has become one of the top cellular device manufacturers in the world and recently was ranked 7th in largest smartphone OEM by IDC. Coolpad also was ranked 47th on the China top 100 Electronics & Info Enterprises list. Coolpad is committed to consistent future success, which we believe will come in the form of building a powerful global juggernaut out of their flagship Coolpad brand. Empowering everyone everywhere is Coolpad's vision ian the coming years.

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[May 16, 2016] SharkReach Announces Hiring Of CFO

HERMOSA BEACH, Calif., May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SharkReach, Inc. ("SharkReach" or the "Company") (OTC: SHRK) a millennial influence marketing company today announced that Mark J. Gustavson has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of SharkReach and its operating subsidiaries. Mr. Gustavson will add leadership and company building expertise during our funding and expansion period. SharkReach will continue to focus on several avenues for increasing sales and profitability while taking advantage of Shark's industry leading next generation in Digital and Influencer Marketing. Mark J. Gustavson

Chief Financial Officer Mark Gustavson has 17 years of business development, transactional, alliance management, finance, operational, company formation and IP experience with emerging technology companies. During his career he has acquired extensive experience integrating business disciplines in connection with emphasis in turn-around transactions. Mr. Gustavson has led and closed dozens of transactions with cumulative valuations in excess of $180MM in industry-transforming technology companies. Prior to SharkReach, Mr. Gustavson was President and co-founder of MedicuRx Corporation, a position he held from February 2013 to June 2015. While there, he was responsible for managing the company formation and transactional activities in collaboration with co-founder Dr. Joseph Rubinfeld for business development, finance, and research & alliance management. From July of 2012 through January of 2013, he was the President and CEO of ImCure Therapeutics, Inc. From June 2009 through November 2011, Mr. Gustavson served as Executive Vice President at EVP Colmen Group LLC. Mr. Gustavson was a Director of Valdor International Technologies, Inc. from December of 2012 to June of 2013.

In these various executive capacities he was responsible for all company transactions, ranging from acquisitions and strategic collaborations to ordinary course transactions, and engaged in strategic planning for business development, product development, and in-licensing activity and closing numerous business development collaborations. Mr. Gustavson served as Private Banker at Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. From April 1997 through February 1999 Mr. Gustavson was VP of Private Banking and was charged with co-launching the CNMI branch of the Pacific Regional Division during the bank's expansion period. Mr. Gustavson's further activities included Investment Strategist where his focus included introducing early stage technology companies to domestic investors. Sector specialties include: biotechnology, IP based banking, mobile payment systems, social media, mobile gaming applications and fiber optics. Mr. Gustavson received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science (minor in sociology, concentration in economics) from the University of Oregon in 1991. His most recent transaction was the recapitalization and 4.2MM source funding for social media company CloudTalk Corporation. He served as Director and Senior Advisor to Valdor International Technologies located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Abou SharkReach, Inc.



SharkReach, Inc. (OTC: SHRK). SharkReach is a Disruptive Millennial Media Company that combines the strength of an Influencer Owned Network with Proprietary Technology for creating, posting, managing and monitoring Branded Sharable Content. What sets SharkReach apart from other companies in the marketplace is that its influencers (both grass roots individuals and Celebrities) are also its shareholders and that its network has a larger market reach than the top 5 television networks combined!

20,000+ Influencers  with 500+ million Followers  with 200+ million Likes & Shares  produces an Aggregate Reach of 2.9 billion. SharkReach as one of the first companies in this space is the established leader in Influencer Marketing. It presently has the largest footprint, and plans to further enlarge its market share through various acquisitions. It has shown that is has the unique ability to reach the Gen Y and Millennial demographic. Millennials Demand exacting standards in the products and services that are essential to satisfying their social conscience and personal needs. They are the first of several generations to come that will veer away from traditional media. They do NOT watch television, and they do not trust brands and commercials. Their purchasing decisions are impacted by the individuals, friends, and celebrities that they follow on Social Media and YouTube. Its criteria for target acquisitions are companies are those that will bring: 1. Content Management; 2. Sentiment Tracking; 3. Large Client Lists; and 4. Proven Track Record of 2+ Years In The Influencer Marketing Space. Historically, and in this order, television, radio, magazine and newspaper advertising were the ways to reach clients. To reach more clients and to increase sales, Celebrity Endorsements were added to Brands to increase the effectiveness of these traditional media outlets. Sponsored Social Media Influencer Marketing, now sits atop the field! In a recent report of the most effective marketing ratings, Influencer Marketing, in absolute ratings, beat Celebrity Endorsements, Television, Radio, Magazine and Newspaper advertising. In the last year alone, Influencer Marketing has seen positive gains, significantly out-pacing all tested approaches in "Positive Momentum": Change in Marketer Regard vs. Year Ago Influencer Marketing -7/+65

Celeb Endorsements -12/+21

TV Ads -20/+12

Radio Ads -32/+11

Magazine Ads -36/+4

Newspaper Ads -56/+6 Our Tracking & Reporting platform and quantifying systems enable clients to select suitable Influencers and to track campaigns in ways they have not been available before. There are three main components: SharkRank: Influencer Ranking System and Influencer Marketplace. Allows clients to select suitable Influencers for their Campaign utilizing Shark Rank's proprietary influencer-ranking algorithm. SharkScore: Campaign Level Reporting Engine. Reporting engine that allows clients to log in and view the statistics of delivery of the campaign in real time calculating impressions, views, like and shares, carrying the reporting across all social media outlets and the web. SharkPulse: Campaign Effectiveness Monitoring & Brand Sentiment Reporting. SharkPulse Real-Time Reporting Dashboard allows our clients to view in real-time the activity of their campaigns through our proprietary dashboard across all social media networks ! It monitors brand sentiment across Social Media and the Web a first in influencer marketing. Ability to set up auto responders for Negative posts. Acts as an insurance policy for your brand allowing you to follow every conversation and respond. For more information on SharkReach, please visit the Company's website at www.SharkReach.com. To be added to the SharkReach investor email list, please email [email protected] with SHRK in the subject line. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements relate to future events, including our ability to raise capital, or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our public filings with the SEC are available from commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sharkreach-announces-hiring-of-cfo-300269604.html SOURCE SharkReach

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[May 17, 2016] First-ever Nation's Report Card for Technology and Engineering Literacy measures how eighth graders solve real-world problems using innovative scenario-based tasks on computers

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) produced the first-ever nationally representative assessment of technology and engineering literacy, using innovative, scenario-based tasks on computers to measure eighth graders' understanding of the use and effects of technology in their lives. On the assessment, also known as The Nation's Report Card, students interacted with multimedia tasks using an assortment of tools to solve practical problems. The Nation's Report Card: Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL) provides results on students' performance and related experiences both in and out of school. Forty-three percent of eighth-grade students performed at or above the Proficient level on questions that revealed skills in thinking through problems systematically, using technology and engineering information built into each task to arrive at the best solutions.

"We live in a world of rapid technological change, and our nation's continued prosperity rests on how we can use technology to innovate. Until now, there has been no way to assess this skill," said Terry Mazany, Chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees NAEP. "This assessment requires students to examine evidence, ask and answer challenging questions, and choose the right tools for the problem at hand. This is the exact kind of thinking that the modern world demands at home and in the workplace, no matter the career path." Questionnaires also asked students where and how they developed these technology and engineering skills. Fifty-two percent of students reported taking at least one course related to technology or engineering in school. Fifty-nine percent reported that they sometimes learned about various topics related to technology and society in school. And nearly two-thirds of eighth graders (63 percent) indicated that their family members most often taught them about building things, fixing things, or understanding how things work. Nineteen percent of students responded that they taught themselves, and 13 percent of students reported that they learned from their teachers.

The report, which uses scenario-based tasks along with traditional questions administered on computers, correlates these types of experiences with performance. Students who learned about technology- and society-related topics more frequently in school scored higher on average than those who did so less frequently. The same held true for students who learned about technology- and society-related topics more frequently outside of school. "The scores clearly show that when students have opportunities to engage with technology and engineering, they become fluent in the skills that prepare them for living and working in the modern world. But access to these opportunities from place to place is patchy," said Dr. Tonya Matthews, President and CEO of the Michigan Science Center. "That's a call for communities to create opportunities where needed, from schools to science centers to after-school programming." Students attending schools in suburban locations scored higher in TEL than their peers in town and city locations. Surprising to some, female white and female black students outperformed their male peers in TEL overall, while female Hispanic and female Asian students kept pace with, but did not exceed, their male peers. In addition, 25 percent of lower-income students (those eligible for the National School Lunch Program [NSLP]) scored at or above the Proficient level, compared to 59 percent of higher-income students (those not eligible for NSLP). For English language learners, only 5 percent scored at the Proficient level. Racial/ethnic differences were seen among percentages of students who scored at or above Proficient: 56 percent of White and Asian students, 45 percent of students with two or more races, 42 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native students, 30 percent of Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander students, 28 percent of Hispanic students, and 18 percent of Black students scored Proficient or above. An important design feature of the TEL assessment is its use of scenario-based tasks. These dynamic, computer-administered tasks set up realistic situations in which students were asked to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to solve problems. This type of assessment offers insight into whether and how students can apply concepts in a meaningful way. Below is an example of an interactive computer task students completed:







Evaluate and explain how to improve the habitat of a classroom iguana In the Iguana Home task, students helped troubleshoot and fix the habitat for a classroom iguana named Iggy. Students first learned about iguanas and their basic needs, then worked through the task to determine how best to improve Iggy's environment. Below are steps students had to take given different problems Iggy experienced, and questions they responded to in the various scenarios.



Steps Required: Evaluating the Cage Design: Students consider design solutions and make predictions for solving the problem of Iggy's cage being too cold. Further Evaluating the Cage Design: Students consider design solutions and make predictions for solving the problem of Iggy being awake and active at night. Testing the Cage Design and Evaluating Alternative Solutions: Students observe Iggy's behavior to determine whether the proposed cage design solutions solve Iggy's problem. Redesigning the Cage to Prevent Dehydration: Students select a cage design so that Iggy won't become dehydrated in his cage.

Questions Asked: Iggy is always hanging on to his heat lamp! He does not want to be anywhere else. Based on the iguana facts, what is the most likely reason Iggy is hanging on to his heat lamp? Based on your observation of Iggy's behavior, what fact about iguanas is related to Iggy's second problem (Iggy is awake and active at night?) Based on Iggy's behavior, does option 1 work to solve Iggy's cold home? One of your classmates has done some research about iguanas and is worried that Iggy may get dehydrated, meaning his body will not get enough moisture. Based on what you have learned in this task about iguanas, which of these two items is best at preventing Iggy from getting dehydrated?

To learn more about this and other scenario tasks, visit www.nationsreportcard.gov/tel_2014/#tasks. A nationally representative sample of approximately 21,500 eighth graders from over 800 public and private schools across the nation took the assessment in 2014. Student performance results are presented as NAEP achievement levels and average scale scores. Achievement levels are reported as the percentages of students performing at or above three performance levels (Basic, Proficient and Advanced). Basic denotes partial mastery; Proficient denotes solid academic performance; and Advanced represents superior work. Seven independent scales were developed for each of the three content areas (technology and society, design and systems, and information and communication technology), and for each of the three practices (understanding technological principles, developing solutions and achieving goals, and communicating and collaborating). Scale scores range from 0300. Explore the interactive TEL Report Card and TEL profile tool to compare student groups based on their performance and learning experiences with technology and engineering literacy, and watch explanatory videos to learn more about TEL. The National Assessment of Educational Progress is the largest nationally representative, continuing evaluation of the condition of education in the United States. It has served as a national yardstick of student achievement since 1969. Through The Nation's Report Card, NAEP informs the public about what American students know and can do in various subject areas and compares achievement among states, large urban districts and various student demographic groups.

The National Assessment Governing Board is an independent, nonpartisan board whose members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives and members of the general public. Congress created the 26-member Governing Board in 1988 to oversee and set policy for NAEP.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally authorized project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The National Center for Education Statistics, within the Institute of Education Sciences, administers NAEP. The Commissioner of Education Statistics is responsible by law for carrying out the NAEP project. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-ever-nations-report-card-for-technology-and-engineering-literacy-measures-how-eighth-graders-solve-real-world-problems-using-innovative-scenario-based-tasks-on-computers-300269587.html SOURCE National Assessment Governing Board

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[May 17, 2016] ReNew Power and Hareon Solar JV Commissions 72 MW Project in Andhra Pradesh

GURGAON, India, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A joint venture between ReNew Power, India's leading clean energy company, and Hareon Solar, one of China's largest solar energy companies, has commissioned a 72 MW project in Andhra Pradesh. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150519/10123113 )

The project, located across two districts of Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool and Prakasam - is expected to generate 115 million units of energy per year and is connected to 132/33kV Adoni substation and 132/33kV Cumbum substations, respectively. The project was part of competitive bidding conducted in November 2014 by two distribution utilities of Andhra Pradesh namely - Southern Power Distribution Company Limited of Andhra Pradesh (APSPDCL) and Eastern Power Distribution Company (APEPDCL). Out of the total selected 619 MW solar PV power projects, this JV enjoys the distinction of having its project amongst the first few to be commissioned. The power generated from this project will be sold under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with APSPDCL. The project was built using Hareon Solar's high efficiency multi-crystalline silicon solar modules. Sumant Sinha, Chairman and CEO, ReNew Power said, "Our association with Hareon Solar has worked extremely well since we inked the pact in July 2015. ReNew Power's extensive experience in executing projects in India has been matched by Hareon's high efficiency solar modules production. This has helped us fast-track the commissioning of this project. Both India and China are leading the way in solar energy revolution and this partnership will go a long way in setting new benchmarks for quality and efficiency." Jie Zhang, VP of Global Business Development at Hareon Solar said, "We are very impressed by the professional team of ReNew Power under the leadership of Mr. Sumant Sinha. Both companies share the same vision that quality is the soul of PV projects, and put tremendous focus on selecting top quality products and ensuring smooth project execution. Hareon Solar has invested in and commissioned more than 1,000 MW of PV projects across 7 countries, and has announced several long-term investments in India including PV power plants and high efficiency solar cell manufacturing. We look forward to a long-term partnership with ReNew Power, and are proud to make our small contribution to India's grand solar initiative."



Founded in 2011 by Sumant Sinha, ReNew Power has more than 2500 MW of commissioned and under-construction clean energy assets. Currently, it operates at 30 sites in 9 states (Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh) across the country. The company is backed by marquee investors like Goldman Sachs, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), Global Environment Fund and Asian Development Bank. In the last one year, ReNew Power has ramped up its solar energy portfolio. It recently signed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for four solar ground mounted projects with combined capacity of 286 MW in Telangana. Further, it has also won bids in Karnataka (180 MWs) and Jharkhand (522 MWs) for which the PPAs will be signed shortly.

Some of ReNew Power's notable achievements: ReNew Power is the best capitalized renewable energy company in the country. ReNew Power is the largest capital raiser in debt markets in the renewable energy IPP sector in the last four years with over Rs. 8,000 cr of debt sanctions. In September 2015 , ReNew Power installed and commissioned India's tallest wind tower. It is a lattice/tubular tower (hybrid tower) of 120m height, installed for the first time anywhere on-shore in the world. In September 2015 , ReNew Power launched the first-ever infrastructure bond issuance credit enhanced by IIFCL, rated AA+. First company to get a USD 250 Million line from OPIC to debt finance solar projects. All ReNew Power projects are UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) registered. Scheduling and Forecasting is being done for all ReNew projects through ReNew Power Information System which won the Skoch Smart Technology Award 2015. Currently commissioned ReNew power projects are mitigating 2.08 million tons of CO 2 emissions till date, and will mitigate more than 52 million tons of CO 2 emissions in their lifetime.

About ReNew Power Ventures Pvt. Ltd. ReNew Power Ventures Pvt. Ltd, an Independent Power Producer (IPP) company, is committed to leading change in the country's current energy portfolio by delivering cleaner and smarter energy choices and thereby reducing India's carbon footprint. ReNew Power's mission is to play a pivotal role in meeting India's growing energy needs in an efficient, sustainable and socially responsible manner. The company creates value through reliable and efficient generation of non-conventional power through innovation in solar and wind power solutions. ReNew Power has more than 2500 MW of commissioned and under-construction clean energy capacity across the states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. For more information please visit: http://www.renewpower.in. Follow ReNew Power on Twitter @ReNew_Power About Hareon Solar Technology Co. Ltd. Hareon Solar, headquartered in Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province, China, was established in 2004. The company is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol: 600401. Hareon Solar is one of China's largest crystalline silicon solar cell and module manufacturers. The company has about 1,600 MW per year of solar cell manufacturing capacity and about 1,200 MW per year of solar module manufacturing capacity across five manufacturing bases in China. In addition, Hareon Solar has invested in and commissioned more than 1,000 MW of PV projects worldwide. Hareon Solar has operations and subsidiaries in Australia, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa, and USA. For more information, visit http://www.hareonsolar.com Media Contact:

Tanushree Mukherjee

[email protected]

+91-9871357402

Executive, Corporate Communications

ReNew Power Ventures Pvt. Ltd.



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[May 17, 2016] Philips leads large scale eHealth initiative to deliver coordinated care for tens of thousands of chronic disease patients across Europe

- [email protected] program aims to include more than 75,000 patients in five European regions by 2019 - Large-scale data analysis aims to deliver EU-wide evidence-based recommendations for networked coordinated care and telehealth deployment - New initiative builds on successful ACT program and adds large scale economic analysis AMSTERDAM, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHIA) and a consortium of leading European healthcare regions, companies, universities and hospitals* today announced the start of the first large scale care coordination and telehealth program in the European Union to support tens of thousands of people living with chronic conditions. The three-year [email protected] program will collect and analyze the health outcome and economic impact data for large populations of chronic patients and elderly people to develop, test and consolidate 'best practice' care coordination and telehealth programs that can be replicable and successfully rolled out across the European Union. The program aims to reach more than 75,000 patients in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain and Denmark by 2019. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/367870

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140122/NE50581LOGO "Today, 70 percent of Europe's healthcare budget is spent on patients living with chronic conditions, largely a result of Europe's aging population and rapidly changing care needs," said Jeroen Tas, CEO Connected Care and Health Informatics, Philips. "Philips is committed to helping care providers and governments implement innovative, connected care delivery models that help improve patient self-management and care collaboration. The [email protected] program will provide the evidence needed to successfully deliver a seamless patient experience with better outcomes at lower cost." The five participating healthcare regions are all in the process of rolling out innovative care coordination and telehealth services. Within the [email protected] program, they will share an agreed and standardized data set including program outcomes such as the number of patients included, (re)hospitalizations, duration of hospitalizations and mortality rates. They will also assess economic impact factors such as cost per patient and the impact on hospitals income models. This data is to support the development of new and sustainable business models. Next to this patient satisfaction scores are measured and the degree to which connected technology empowers people and affects health outcomes. Th regions involved comprise Catalonia (Spain), which has developed programs to support nursing homes, reduce hospital re-admissions, manage complex cases and promote physical activity; Southern Denmark (Denmark), which is rolling out a telehealth program to deliver psychiatric treatment; Northern Ireland (UK), which has remote telemonitoring programs to support COPD and diabetes patients, and manage maternal obesity; Northern Netherlands (The Netherlands), with programs to provide specialist support for COPD, asthma and heart failure patients, and connect healthcare and community services for chronic disease patients; and the Basque Country (Spain), which is rolling out programs to support older people with complex health and social care needs, plus telehealth services for chronic heart failure patients.



"Telehealth and coordinated care services may offer the elderly and otherwise frail individuals the ability to maintain their independence for longer and enjoy a significantly better quality of life, but they also involve significant changes to the healthcare system and the recipients' ability to self-manage," said Professor Erik Buskens, Professor of Medical Technology Assessment at University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). "[email protected] will allow us to determine the most cost-effective ways of implementing those changes while also maximizing the benefits for Europe's ageing population." First findings available end of year

The [email protected] scientific consortium members comprise of University Medical Center Groningen (The Netherlands), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), City University London (UK), Universitatsklinikum Wurzburg/Klinikum der Bayerischen Julius-Maximilians-Universitat (Germany), University of Hull (UK), Kronikgune-Centre for Research Excellence in Chronicity (Basque Country, Spain), Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (Spain) and Philips. It is anticipated that the first preliminary findings will be available from the end of Q4, 2016.

[email protected] builds on the successful ACT program, a two-and-a-half year study (2013  2016) that looked into the results of European integrated care programs. Thousands of interviews were conducted with participating patients and care providers. These learnings on success factors are applied to significantly grow the [email protected] healthcare regions' coordination and telehealth programs. The program is part of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA), an initiative from the European Commission under its Innovation Union strategy, and aims to increase the average healthy lifespan by two years by 2020. eHealth Week 2016

Philips, a leader in care coordination and telehealth and a trusted partner for governments, healthcare authorities and hospitals throughout the world, will be showcasing its latest eHealth and coordinated care solutions at the upcoming eHealth Week, booth N21, Hall 2 (June 8  10, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam, The Netherlands). For updates on Philips' presence at eHealth Week, visit www.philips.nl/ehealthweek. For further information, please contact: Joost Maltha

Philips Communications Healthcare Informatics Solutions and Services

Tel. +31 6 10 55 8116

E-mail [email protected]

Twitter: @JoostMaltha *About ACT @Scale

The [email protected] consortium members include: Royal Philips

Osakidetza-Servicio Vasco De Salud

Asociacion Centro De Excelencia Internacional En Investigacion Sobre Cronicidad (Kronikgune)

Academisch Ziekenhuis Groningen * Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen

Odense University Hospital

Agencia De Qualitat I Avaluacio Sanitaries De Catalunya

Regional Agency for Public Health and Social Well-being

Aristotelio Panepistimio Thessalonikis * Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

City University London

Universitatsklinikum Wurzburg; Klinikum Der Bayerischen Julius-Maximilians-Universitat

University of Hull

Consorci Institut D'investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer 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 105,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

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[May 17, 2016]

NEF CyberLearning Announces $100 Million K-12 STEM Education Grants

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In order to level the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education divide in the nation's schools, National Education Foundation (NEF) CyberLearning, the national nonprofit leader in K-12 STEM education solutions, just announced a $100 million grant program for disadvantaged schools across the nation.

The goal of the program is to provide world-class STEM+ education solutions to 250 schools or school districts, to reach 100,000 students during the 2016-17 academic year. Eligible schools must have 35% or more students on free/reduced cost meals.

Grant awards are given on a first-come, first-served basis. Apply at www.cyberlearning.org.

NEF's partner, the acclaimed State University of New York (SUNY), sets up tailored STEM+ Academies in the selected schools with personalized learning, teacher stipends, student rewards, teacher professional development, and parent training. NEF-SUNY STEM+ Academy program has been very successful, with students advancing one grade level in a subject like math in just 20-30 larning hours  a remarkable achievement.







The total cost of the program is $1,450/student/year. NEF grant subsidizes 80% with a matching grant and provides funds to schools for motivational rewards, and stipends for students, teachers, and parents.

NEF provides annual cash awards to the best performing academies. This year's grand award of $10,000 goes to Lehighton, PA, where students advanced one grade level in 25 learning hours! Merit award winners are Canton, NY, Martins Ferry, OH, Sidney, NE, Steubenville, OH, and Warren County, PA.

Lehighton Superintendent JJ Cleaver states, "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 statewide."

NEF Chairman Dr. Appu Kuttan declares, "Our world-class STEM+ Academies across the nation will help students of disadvantaged schools improve their STEM+ skills, and better prepare them for college and the highly competitive jobs of the 21st-century global economy."

Through the STEM+, Adopt-A-School, and QZAB (www.qzab.org) grant initiatives, NEF has created the most cost-effective and high-quality STEM+ education solutions in the U.S.

NEF has STEM+ Academies in 20 states and several major cities. NEF's ultimate goal is to provide STEM+ education to students in most of the disadvantaged schools by 2020.

For information about NEF's grant programs, contact NEF at 703-823-9999 or visit www.cyberlearning.org.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nef-cyberlearning-announces-100-million-k-12-stem-education-grants-300269876.html

SOURCE National Education Foundation - CyberLearning
[May 17, 2016] Vencore Debuts Activity Based Intelligence Findings At GEOINT 2016

CHANTILLY, Va., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vencore, Inc. debuted its latest Activity Based Intelligence (ABI) findings at the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation GEOINT Symposium in Orlando, Florida yesterday. ABI is a problem-solving methodology that is helping the Intelligence Community streamline the processing and analysis of the vast amounts of intelligence data it collects every day. Interactive visualization techniques for spatial storytelling let analysts convey important relationships and correlate complex data holdings to better understand adversary activities and forecast intent. As part of an internal research and development project, Vencore is using its deep technical expertise in systems integration to gather and analyze open source data a a massive scale and increase the speed with which you can garner actionable intelligence.



"We are investing in developing the ABI analytic technique because we know the value it will bring to our customers, and believe our people can play a critical role in helping the world become a safer place," said Mac Curtis, president and chief executive officer of Vencore. "ABI is becoming increasingly valuable in the decision-making process for government agencies. As a front runner, Vencore offers unparalleled expertise to help implement an end-to-end solution, from analysis to action." As part of this project, Vencore is working with partner companies to monitor activities in Syria by tracking and analyzing unclassified, open-source data. Partner companies involved in the project include: Recorded Future, Praescient Analytics, East View Geospatial and Continental Mapping.

About Vencore Vencore is a proven provider of information solutions, engineering and analytics for the U.S. Government. With more than 40 years of experience working in the defense, civilian and intelligence communities, Vencore and its transformational applied research organization, Vencore Labs, design, develop and deliver high impact, mission-critical services and solutions to overcome its customers most complex problems. Vencore, the 2014 recipient of the Northern Virginia Technology Council's Tech Company of the Year Award, has 4,000 employees and is based in Chantilly, Va. For more information about Vencore and Vencore Labs, visit www.vencore.com and www.vencorelabs.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prn/20140723/129638 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vencore-debuts-activity-based-intelligence-findings-at-geoint-2016-300269713.html SOURCE Vencore, Inc.

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[May 17, 2016]

1.2mJ Single-Frequency Fiber Laser at 1 Micron Wavelength Now Available

TUCSON, Ariz., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AdValue Photonics is proud to offer a fiber laser with 1.2 mJ pulse energy and single-frequency narrow linewidth to our customers. This exciting new product has been manufactured, shipped, and is currently available. The addition of this pulsed single-frequency fiber laser provides powerful new capabilities for LIDAR, frequency conversion, mid-IR generation, and spectroscopy applications.

This laser operates in the 1 micron wavelength range, with a high pulse energy of 1.2 mJ at a pulse repetition rate (PRR) of 10 kHz in a single longitudinal mode (single frequency). Other characteristics include single transverse mode, high beam quality (M2 < 1.2), transform-limited pulse width and spectral linewidth, and compact packaging. The laser uns on standard AC 100-240 V (50/60 Hz) power.







AdValue Photonics representatives will be at the CLEO 2016 exhibit (booth #1425), in San Jose, California, USA to discuss this and other products available.

About AdValue Photonics:

AdValue Photonics is a leading manufacturer of innovative fiber lasers for the scientific, LIDAR, materials processing, and medical applications. Founded in 2007, with a reputation for delivering groundbreaking products based on its proprietary technology, the company utilizes its unique capabilities in specialty glasses and fibers to optimize the performance and reliability of its fiber lasers.

For more information, please visit: http://www.advaluephotonics.com

Contact:

Dr. Katherine Liu

Director of Marketing & Sales

+1 (520) 790-5468

[email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/12mj-single-frequency-fiber-laser-at-1-micron-wavelength-now-available-300268449.html

SOURCE AdValue Photonics
[May 17, 2016] AUPEO! Collaborates with The Economist for New Content Offering

BERLIN, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aupeo GmbH (Aupeo) announced today a new content collaboration with The Economist. This content collaboration will allow global consumers to stay informed on world affairs, finance, science, technology, media and social issues by listening to The Economist's diverse content offerings on both the OneConnectSM by Panasonic audio platform and Personal Radio by AUPEO! service. With this cooperation, Aupeo will also build a new on-demand finance channel to be available to drivers listening in the car. At the single touch of a button or by voice command, the latest and most applicable audio clip from The Economist will be played, thus eliminating the need for the driver to hop to another "app" or pick up a cell phone. "We are very pleased to announce this strategic relationship with The Economist. It is vital that the business and financial news the Personal Radio by AUPEO! service offers is accurate, up-to-date and has the highest quality reporting," said David Taylor, CEO, Aupeo GmbH. "With a quick push of a button or by voice command, drivers can get a professionally-produced and personally-relevant audio clip with the latest business news." "We are delighted to be collaborating with Panasonic on this new platform, which delivers the expertise of The Economist in a convenient format to listeners on the move," said Tom Standage, deputy editor of The Economist and head of digital strategy. "Our audio output helps busy people stay ahead of the news wherever they are and whatever they are doing." The addition of high quality, global business and finance news from The Economist will provide a greater range and depth of content and information to Aupeo's mobile Personal Radio by AUPEO! listeners, and added value for Aupeo's OEM customers who choose to offer their drivers worldwide easy access to the OneConnect platform. Content from The Economist wll be available immediately in more than 10 car brands, some in model years going back to 2011. These brands include BMW, Mini, Ford, Lincoln, Jaguar, Land Rover, Range Rover, VW, Skoda and Seat.



About Aupeo

Based in Berlin, Aupeo GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation of North America, provides connected service solutions for the automotive industry. Aupeo GmbH created the all-inclusive OneConnect by Panasonic, a B2B content delivery and brand marketing platform that seamlessly integrates in-vehicle audio experiences into any vehicle. These white label customizable experiences focus on enhancing the car company's brand relationship and after-sales monetization through tailored vehicle alerts and preferred brand notices integrated with on-board and off-board music, live news, sports, weather and traffic.



Aupeo GmbH was founded in 2008, the AUPEO! service launched in November the same year and was acquired by Panasonic Corp of North America in 2013. As a connected service solutions provider for the automotive industry, Aupeo GmbH works closely with Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, a leading global supplier of automotive infotainment systems and a division company of Panasonic Corporation of North America.

AUPEO! and Personal Radio by AUPEO! are the registered trademarks, and OneConnect is a servicemark, of Aupeo GmbH, all rights reserved. About Panasonic Corporation of North America

Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and solutions for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In Interbrand's 2014 annual "Best Global Green Brands" report, Panasonic ranked number five overall and the top electronics brand in the report. As part of continuing sustainability efforts, Panasonic Corporation of North America relocated its headquarters to a new facility, adjacent to Newark Penn Station in Newark, NJ. It is the first newly constructed office tower in Newark to earn both LEED Platinum and Gold certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council. Learn more about Panasonic at us.panasonic.com/news. Panasonic is the registered trademark of Panasonic Corporation. Any other trade and/or service marks used herein are the property of their respective owners. Connect with Panasonic:

Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Facebook, YouTube About The Economist

With a growing global circulation and a reputation for insightful analysis and perspective on every aspect of world events, The Economist is one of the most widely recognised and well-read current affairs publications. The paper covers politics, business, science and technology, and books and arts, concluding each week with the obituary. In addition to the web-only content such as blogs, debates and audio/video programmes available on the website, The Economist is available to download for reading on Android, Blackberry PlayBook, iPhone or iPad devices. The Economist Espresso, our daily briefing smartphone app, is also available for download via iTunes App Store or Google Play. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160513/367529LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aupeo-collaborates-with-the-economist-for-new-content-offering-300269306.html SOURCE Panasonic; Aupeo

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[May 17, 2016] Aupeo Expands Content Portfolio With Deutsche Welle

BERLIN, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aupeo GmbH (Aupeo) and Deutsche Welle (DW) today announce their alliance to expand the content portfolio offered by OneConnectSM by Panasonic platform and Personal Radio by AUPEO! service. Personal Radio by AUPEO! is an in-car infotainment service that allows consumers to listen to news, sports, weather, and their favorite music on their own personal, vehicle-friendly and intuitive audio mix. OneConnect by Panasonic, the platform that the Personal Radio by AUPEO! content service is built upon, features a new preferred brand-loyalty-enhancement service that allows car companies and other brands to directly communicate with drivers and provide them with relevant content and contextual information. Aupeo is pleased to team up with DW, Germany's international broadcaster, to enhance the listening experience for its users. Consumers worldwide will now be able to access German and English content covering everything from business, science and politics to culture and sports. "Integrating DW's content with the Personal Radio by AUPEO! experience provides our users with a wide and diverse selection of talk content that is relevant to their daily lives and personal interests. DW stands for high quality journalism and we are delighted to bring their content into our platform," said Armin Fendrich, managing director and chief revenue officer of Aupeo. "We are excited to have the opportunity to work with an innovative partner like Aupeo," says Petra Schneider, DW's Director of Distribution. "We are confident that this new partnership will help deliver our brand of infotainment to new audiences in North America."

About Aupeo

Based in Berlin, Apeo GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation of North America, provides connected service solutions for the automotive industry. Aupeo GmbH created the all-inclusive OneConnectSM by Panasonic, a B2B content delivery, analytics and brand marketing platform that seamlessly integrates in-vehicle audio experiences into any vehicle. These white label customizable experiences enhance the car company's brand relationship and after-sales monetization through tailored vehicle alerts and preferred brand notices integrated with on-board and off-board music live news, sports, weather and traffic. through tailored vehicle alerts and preferred brand notices integrated with on-board and off-board music, live news, sports, weather and traffic.



Aupeo GmbH was founded in 2008, the AUPEO! service launched in November the same year. Aupeo GmbH was acquired by Panasonic Corp of North America in 2013. As a connected service solutions provider for the automotive industry, Aupeo GmbH works closely with Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, a leading global supplier of automotive infotainment systems and a division company of Panasonic Corporation of North America. OneConnect and AUPEO! are the trade and/or service marks of Aupeo GmbH, all rights reserved. Panasonic is the registered trademark of Panasonic Corporation. Any other trade and/or service marks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

About Panasonic Corporation of North America

Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and solutions for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In Interbrand's 2014 annual "Best Global Green Brands" report, Panasonic ranked number five overall and the top electronics brand in the report. As part of continuing sustainability efforts, Panasonic Corporation of North America relocated its headquarters to a new facility, adjacent to Newark Penn Station in Newark, NJ. It is the first newly constructed office tower in Newark to earn both LEED Platinum and Gold certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council. Learn more about Panasonic at us.panasonic.com/news. Connect with Panasonic:

Twitter, Linkedin, Google Plus, Facebook, YouTube

About Deutsche Welle

Deutsche Welle (DW) is Germany's international broadcaster and a trusted source for reliable, news and information with content in 30 languages. The flagship channel DW provides analysis and insights to viewers around the globe, reporting on important issues in English 24/7. With continuous news reports, special features and talk shows covering everything from business, science and politics to culture and sports, DW brings people closer to what matters most  made in Germany, made for minds. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160513/367536LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aupeo-expands-content-portfolio-with-deutsche-welle-300269280.html SOURCE Aupeo; Panasonic

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[May 17, 2016] SocialFlow Sponsored Organic Content Offering, AttentionStream, Now Also Available On Twitter

NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SocialFlow, the leading social platform for media companies, is now bringing its unique ad product, AttentionStream, to Twitter. AttentionStream allows brands to sponsor a media company's top-performing editorial content, directly in the Twitter timeline. SocialFlow identifies publishers' highest performing editorial Tweets just as they begin to trend, then re-posts them with an appropriate advertiser sponsorship. When users click from these sponsored Tweets to the publisher's site to read the complete articles, they are met with a 100% share of voice ad experiences from the same advertiser. "Advertisers have long wanted to be associated with the best content--and media companies are the ones creating muchof the great content on social networks," said SocialFlow CEO Jim Anderson. "AttentionStream is a logical next step, as it allows select advertisers to associate with the very best trending content, in the moment, directly in consumers' social feeds."



SocialFlow is already running successful campaigns across many of the social platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for a wide range of major brands. AttentionStream campaigns have garnered performance metrics that dwarf the engagement benchmarks for paid social posts and display ads. SocialFlow delivers more than 80% of the social content created by the world's top 150 media companies and has approved several of the top 20 publishers for the AttentionStream program. "SocialFlow was one of the first Twitter Official Partners. AttentionStream's launch on Twitter clearly shows Twitter's continued commitment to the best possible user experience," said Anderson. "Enabling content creators to generate revenue through sponsorship of their content not only makes good business sense, it creates a highly effective ad experience."

For details on AttentionStream visit socialflow.com. About SocialFlow: SocialFlow is the leading social platform for media companies, enabling the world's most powerful publishers and brands to drive superior results with their earned, owned and paid media strategies. Through predictive data analytics, the company's SaaS suite accurately predicts which social media content will perform best, amplifies its distribution, and increases its audience engagement. Founded in 2009, New York-based SocialFlow holds the highest certifications for both organic and paid social media management with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google+. SocialFlow works with well-respected publishers like Time Inc., Conde Nast, The New York Times and The BBC, as well as top brands including Microsoft, Stuart Weitzman and Birchbox. SocialFlow Powers The Conversations That Matter. To learn more about SocialFlow, please visit us at http://www.socialflow.com. Video - https://youtu.be/8Is23ZCxmJw Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368295LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/socialflow-sponsored-organic-content-offering-attentionstream-now-also-available-on-twitter-300269984.html SOURCE SocialFlow

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[May 17, 2016] New Release of SAP HANA Enables Customers to Innovate at Enterprise Scale

ORLANDO, Fla., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced the latest release of the SAP HANA platform that delivers a broad range of enterprise reliability and data-center scale features, including new hybrid data management service in the cloud, an expanded maintenance strategy and a new offering for small and midsize enterprises (SMEs). This enables companies to embed cloud agility into their on-premise data management environment, provide greater stability for mission-critical workloads and help SMEs go digital with greater ease. This announcement was made at the 28th annual SAPPHIRE NOW conference. SAP HANA Platform: The Foundation for Live Business

The latest release of the SAP HANA platform helps customers get ahead of the market through innovation without compromising the solid foundation they depend on for running a digital business. Key new features include: Graph data processing: Allows organizations to visualize data connections to understand complex relationships between people, places and things. This helps companies address issues such as detecting fraud or uncover new business opportunities through greater market intelligence.

Allows organizations to visualize data connections to understand complex relationships between people, places and things. This helps companies address issues such as detecting fraud or uncover new business opportunities through greater market intelligence. Capture and replay: Helps IT capture live workloads and replay them on a target system. This enables IT to evaluate new features, assess upgrade options and measure impact before making changes to the live production system. As a result, administrators can explore technology innovation with less downtime and cost. The latest offering of SAP HANA also delivers an expanded maintenance lifecycle program. This gives IT organizations a choice between consistent maintenance of their SAP HANA software environment for up to three years or adopting the latest SAP HANA platform innovations twice a year. Visit here to see a complete list of the new SAP HANA platform enhancements. "The SAP HANA platform has successfully become a proven mainstay data management solution, supporting the full range of analytic and transactional software from SAP, both in the data center and in the cloud," said Carl Olofson, research vice president, Application Development and Deployment, IDC. "The latest release of SAP HANA and expanded maintenance program offer customers innovative features for powerful analytics and smarter, more cost-effective IT system management, and make it an attractive platform for an even wider variety of applications for engaging in the digital transformation of the enterprise. Enhancements like these ease that transformation, where future business growth opportunity is to be found." Expanding Cloud Agility to On-Premise Deployments

With the new SAP HANA platform release, SAP also announced an invitation-only beta program that helps strategic customers get direct hands-on access to hybrid data management services in the cloud. The hybrid model offers lower total cost of ownership (TCO) by requiring less hardware infrastructure and rapid integration across cloud and on-premise deployments. The first service available is capture and replay, enabling IT to treat the cloud as an extension of an on-premise environment. For more information on the program, visit here. "Our new beta program breaks down the traditional silos of on-premise and cloud, allowing customers to freely use both approaches for greater agility," said Daniel Schneiss, senior vice president and global head, SAP HANA Platform and Databases, SAP. "The true hybrid model allows organizations to test the impact of IT system change requireents in the cloud before committing the upgrades to an on-premise environment  ultimately promoting cost-effective IT management. We designed the program in close collaboration with our customers to shape the next wave of data management services in the cloud."



Greater Choice with New Edition of SAP HANA for the Midsize Market

SAP also released an advanced version of SAP HANA, Edge edition, at a low-entry price point for SMEs. The latest edition supports a 32 GB database and 128 GB of dynamic tiering, enabling IT personnel to manage data as it grows by moving from in-memory to lower-cost storage as needed. The new version is packaged with SAP Predictive Analytics software to help SMEs analyze business and predict future outcomes with greater ease. SAP HANA, Edge edition, is available to customers through indirect channels, creating a unique opportunity for partners to grow their businesses with SAP HANA and analytics solutions from SAP. Visit here for more information. SAP HANA Innovation Awards Showcase Customer Innovation

SAP unveiled the winners of the SAP HANA Innovation Award program for 2016 to recognize customers who are demonstrating true innovation using the SAP HANA platform to transform their business in today's digital economy. With over 100 entries from 36 countries across four categories covering analytics, digital transformation, business processes and next-generation apps, the final winners are: Mercy Health (analytics wizard), Vodafone (digital trailblazer), Lenovo (process simplifier) and Stanford Medical Center (next-generation apps).

Customers are choosing SAP HANA for innovation and process simplification as they experience significant change in their markets. "We're transforming our data center supply chain to smoothly integrate an acquired business, while fully leveraging the global scale, efficiency and agility of Lenovo's overall operations," said Qingtong Zhou, senior vice president and CIO, Lenovo. "We chose SAP HANA as the foundation for running critical business applications and integrating acquired product lines into our Lenovo plants in the United States, Mexico and China. SAP HANA has proven instrumental in our effort to simplify core processes, increase operational speed and reduce costs." Curtis Dudley, vice president of Performance Solutions, Mercy, said: "Few industries are undergoing more change than healthcare with new treatments, advanced equipment, enhanced health insurance and exploding costs. Our goal is to provide the best care to our patients, while controlling costs, by becoming a data-driven business. With SAP HANA and SAP BusinessObjects business intelligence (BI) solutions, we were able to rapidly analyze vast amounts of data to save US$9 million in supply costs and improve operating room block utilization by 12 percent, while improving the outcome of procedures and patient experience." Visit SAP HANA Innovation Award 2016 to discover other amazing stories, including the 12 finalists and 15 honorable mentions. For more information, visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews. SAPPHIRE NOW, May 17-19, 2016, Orlando, Florida, USA

The 28th annual SAPPHIRE NOW will bring more than 20,000 in-person and over 150,000 online participants together to engage in dialogue with peers and thought leaders around the globe. With nearly 1,000 C-level executives and 260 exhibitors, this real-time event connects attendees on a range of topics: future of work, digital core, digital supply networks, digital customer experiences, the Internet of Things. Whether on site or online, participants can gain insight into how SAP delivers on its strategy and helps organizations around the world Run Simple. Follow the event on Twitter at @SAPPHIRENOW. About SAP

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device  SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable approximately 310,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com. Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.  2016 SAP SE. All rights reserved. SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices. For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:

Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24

United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727) For more information, press only:

Susan Miller, SAP, +1 (610) 570-6845, [email protected], EDT

Scott Malinowski, SAP, +1 (617) 538-6297, [email protected], EDT

Hilmar Schepp, SAP, +49 6227 746799, [email protected], CET

SAP News Center press room; [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110126/AQ34470LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-release-of-sap-hana-enables-customers-to-innovate-at-enterprise-scale-300269742.html SOURCE SAP SE

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[May 17, 2016] US Navy uses Raytheon's SeaRAM to knock out complex targets in at-sea test

TUCSON, Ariz., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy completed a series of test shots using Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) SeaRAM anti-ship missile defense system, taking out several targets in a variety of scenarios that mimic today's most advanced threats to naval ships. The series of two shots included one in which two supersonic missiles were inbound simultaneously, flying in complex, evasive maneuvers. In both flights, SeaRAM detected, tracked and engaged the threats, and fired Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2 guided missiles which successfully inercepted the targets.



"SeaRAM achieved a new level of success today, intercepting targets under high-stress conditions," said Rick Nelson, vice president of Raytheon's Naval and Area Mission Defense product line. "The system demonstrated once again that it can provide the sophisticated protection warfighters need." The tests were conducted on the Navy's Self Defense Test Ship off the coast of Southern California.

About Close-in Defense Solutions Raytheon's Phalanx is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled radar and 20mm gun system that acquires, tracks and destroys enemy threats that have penetrated all other ship defense systems.

Intended to enlarge Phalanx's keep-out range against anti-ship missiles, rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems and other evolving threats, SeaRAM anti-ship missile defense systems use advanced Phalanx Block 1B sensors and replace the gun with an 11-round Rolling Airframe Missile guide. About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2015 sales of $23 billion and 61,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 94 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, capabilities in C5I (command, control, communications, computing, cyber and intelligence), sensing, effects and mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @Raytheon. Media Contact

Tara Wood

+1.520.794.7715 [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368306 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-navy-uses-raytheons-searam-to-knock-out-complex-targets-in-at-sea-test-300269788.html SOURCE Raytheon Company

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[May 17, 2016] Gov. John Bel Edwards, state leaders join CGI for IT center ribbon cutting in Lafayette, Louisiana

More than 250 local tech workers already on site of new $13.1 million facility Stock Market Symbols

GIB (NYSE)

GIB.A (TSX)

www.cgi.com/newsroom LAFAYETTE, LA, May 17, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) executives today were joined by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and a host of state and local leaders at a ribbon cutting celebration for the company's new $13.1 million onshore information technology (IT) services Center of Excellence in Lafayette, Louisiana. The 50,000-square-foot facility houses CGI's fourth U.S. onshore delivery center and is expected to create up to 400 high-quality IT jobs in southwest Louisiana by 2020. CGI currently employs more than 250 technology workers at the center and is recruiting to fill more than 50 open positions. Interested candidates may learn more at www.cgi.com/lafayette.

"This ribbon cutting would not have been possible without the shared commitment of CGI and its local partners in higher education, economic development, state and local governments and the Acadiana community," said Tim Hurlebaus, President, CGI Federal, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CGI, serving clients in the civilian, defense and intelligence sectors of the U.S. government. "Together, we envisioned a state-of-the art technology facility that would bring high-quality jobs to Lafayette and provide world-class service to CGI clients. Today, with that vision becoming a reality, we recognize the contributions of those who welcomed our business to this great community, and the CGI team members in Lafayette who are serving our clients across the country and around the world." "CGI's arrival in Louisiana has helped elevate our state's status as a leading destination for knowledge-based employers and the creative professionals who help them thrive," Gov. Edwards said. "While attracting one of the world's most successful information technology companies, we also are building research capacity in an exciting way for one of our leading highr education institutions, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. We're delighted that CGI is meeting with success in Louisiana and that our partnership, over the next decade, will triple the number of computer science undergraduate degrees awarded annually through UL Lafayette's School of Computing and Informatics."



CGI's onshore delivery model creates high-quality IT jobs in America. It is a core element of the company's business strategy to offer cost-effective IT services options to government and commercial clients. The company continually looks for locations offering access to a quality workforce, strong economics and partnerships with state and local government, academia and industry. With its continued growth and technology-savvy workforce, Lafayette was identified as a perfect partner for CGI, which selected the location after a nearly two-year, nationwide site-selection process. CGI also operates U.S. onshore delivery centers in Lebanon, VA, Troy, AL and Belton, TX. "By including onshore delivery options as part of our global delivery network, we not only underscore our commitment to client service, but also prove that building a national technology workforce in the U.S. is about more than recruiting workers in Silicon Valley and other urban technology centers," said Will LaBar, Vice President, CGI Federal. "We believe that young people in places like Lafayette should be able to live, raise families and pursue technology careers in their own communities. We are proud that our center in Lafayette is offering the opportunity for area students and workers to join the nation's technology workforce right here in southwestern Louisiana."

As an anchor tenant of the 143-acre Research Park of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, CGI's new state-of-the-art facility is expected to have an annual economic impact of $90 million over the next five years. The project also includes a state-funded, 10-year, $4.5 million higher education initiative led by University of Louisiana at Lafayette that will result in a tripling of the number of undergraduate degrees awarded annually by the University's School of Computing and Informatics. That growth is anticipated to place the university's computer science program among the top 25 in the U.S. for number of bachelor's degrees awarded in computer science each year. CGI is also establishing a research and technology innovation lab in Lafayette to advance cutting-edge technologies such as digital transformation, cloud computing, cybersecurity, future cities, big data and data visualization. This Innovation Center is open for business and will be used by both CGI and the University for technology demonstrations, client innovation sessions, and learning events. "As a leader in their industry, CGI both enhances and diversifies the landscape of our economy. In a very short period of time, they have already proven to be an active and engaged community partner," said Joel Robideaux, Mayor-President, Lafayette. CGI employees have also become active in the community. Over the past year, CGI has helped support Project Front Yard, partnered with the Bayou Vermilion Preservation Association to raise awareness about the Bayou, volunteered for United Way, supported middle/high school career fairs and events, and participated in organizations such as the Lafayette Downtown Development Authority and One Acadiana. About CGI

Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is the fifth largest independent information technology and business process services firm in the world. Approximately 65,000 professionals serve thousands of global clients from offices and delivery centers across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, leveraging a comprehensive portfolio of services including high-end business and IT consulting, systems integration, application development and maintenance, infrastructure management as well as 150 IP-based services and solutions. With annual revenue in excess of C$10 billion and an order backlog exceeding C$20 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Website: www.cgi.com. SOURCE CGI Group Inc.

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[May 17, 2016] Illuminate Education Awarded Michigan REMC SAVE Contract for Data Warehouse Solution

IRVINE, Calif., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Illuminate Education, a leading education company that creates tools educators can use to promote student and educator success, today announced that it has been selected as an awarded REMC vendor in the State of Michigan. Illuminate Education's Data and Assessment (DnA) solution was the only awarded data warehouse solution at the May REMC Association's Board meeting. "We are honored to have our data and assessment system awarded a contract by the REMC Association of Michigan," said Lane Rankin, Founder and CEO of Illuminate Education. "The over 300 districts that we currently work with in Michigan know how important it is to have a resource such as Illuminate DnA. This includes ISDs such as Wayne RESA, Calhoun ISD, Oakland Schools, Eastern UP ISD, and Ingham ISD to name just a few. Through the REMC Save Bid program we look forward to introducing DnA to even more districts in Michigan as districts consider solutions designed to promote student and educator success." Rankin and his team of educators have been committed to creating tools that promote student and educator success for some time. In 2002 they created ne of the first data and assessment platforms, Data Director. For the first time, this innovative system allowed teachers to use real time assessment data to identify areas that needed instructional focus. As the use of data became more prominent in school districts, it became clear schools needed a system for all their data. Student information systems, data and assessment management, and special education individual educational plans were all dependent on similar data. To meet this need, Rankin founded Illuminate Education in 2009 to encompass all of these functionalities in one platform.



To learn more, visit www.illuminateed.com for more information. About Illuminate Education

Illuminate Education is the leading provider of K-12 data and assessment solutions. Educators at over 13,000 schools nationwide use Illuminate's Education Intelligence Platform to improve student achievement. Teachers use the powerful assessment tools to see how their students are doing in real time. By bringing together all their student data, schools can garner insights through Illuminate's intuitive reporting. To learn more, visit http://illuminateed.com/.

About REMC SAVE

The REMC Statewide SAVE Project is provided as a service of the REMC Association of Michigan for all Michigan schools. The legislation that established REMCs (Michigan Compiled Laws Act 451 Section 380.671), and State Board of Education Rules, enable REMCs to bid on behalf of local school districts and also provide local school districts with the authority to purchase using REMC contracts. For more information about REMC SAVE visit www.remcbids.org. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/illuminate-education-awarded-michigan-remc-save-contract-for-data-warehouse-solution-300270278.html SOURCE Illuminate Education

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Maybe the gorgeous girl you're gaping at on Instagram was born with it, or maybe she has a Sony Xperia XA Ultra. The newly announced smartphone features a razor-sharp 16-megapixel front camera with what Sony calls "super low-light capabilities" aimed at taking great selfies under any circumstances. Little else about the phone's availability and price has been revealed, except that it will be available from July in select local markets.

The XA Ultra's 16-MP front cam not only comes with what Sony unabashedly describes as its "renowned low-light sensors," but also offers a smart selfie flash (which is presumably a method that lights up the phone's screen to brighten up a self-portrait). The front camera also boasts an optical image stabilizer, automatic timer and a Gesture Shutter. The latter lets you trigger a picture by raising a hand in your photo, which will start a countdown to let you get ready for your closeup.

MORE: See All Of Tom's Guide's Top Smartphone Picks

A 16-MP sensor offers a really high megapixel count in today's market, where most flagship phones have 5- or 8-MP front cameras. The XA Ultra's selfie shooter even beats most phones' rear cameras, which are generally about 12-MP sharp these days. Not to be outdone by its front-facing counterpart, the XA Ultra's rear cam packs a 21.5-MP rear sensor with hybrid autofocus, as well as quick launch and capture shortcuts.

Camera tech appears to be where Sony intends to differentiate its Xperia X line from the competition. The Xperia X, announced earlier this year at Mobile World Congress, offers what Sony calls predictive hybrid autofocus. The camera is designed to be able to tell where your selected subject will go in your frame, keeping it in focus. This worked well during our hands-on with the Xperia X

Sporting what the company calls an "infinity-feel borderless 6-inch curved glass display," the XA Ultra will be one of the largest midrange phones on the market when it arrives. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 6s Plus have 5.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens respectively. However, Sony offers a "mini screen" mode to make it easier to operate the XA Ultra with one hand. No word on the XA Ultra's display resolution yet, so we can't be sure how good media will look on the screen.

Despite the large panel, which should theoretically use more power, Sony claims the XA Ultra will last up to two days on a charge. The phone will also come with a Quick Charger UCH-12 that promises to deliver 5.5 hours of juice in just 10 minutes.

Sony also raves about the XA Ultra's bezel-less display and "razor thin design," but because I haven't actually seen the phone, all I can say is that the phone looks good based on the renders that Sony provided. We will be getting a closer look at the XA Ultra soon, so stay tuned for early impressions.

Whether the XA Ultra will be worth your time will depend on the phone's other specs, such as its performance, actual battery life and image quality. Stay tuned for a full review to find out how the Xperia XA Ultra stacks up to the competition.
VicoVR launched an Indiegogo campaign to help fund the production of the companys wireless body tracking device designed for mobile VR HMDs.

The VicoVR Sensor lets you use your whole body in VR, while wearing an inexpensive mobile VR HMD, such as Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR. The VicoVR sensor scans the room and maps your bodys movements by tracking up to 19 different body joints, for up to two people at once, and it uses a 3D vision processing unit (VPU) to calculate your positions before sending the data to your device.

The VicoVR sensor uses a Bluetooth signal to transmit the tracking data wirelessly to your phone (it's compatible with iOS and Android devices). The company is also offering a wireless hand controller that it said comes in handy when fighting zombies or playing ping pong.

We had a chance to see a developer version of the VicoVR sensor in action at CES this year. The hardware was working, but we noticed some latency between the players movement and what was shown on screen. We were told that it was the Bluetooth signal that was causing the delay. The crowdfunding page boasts accurate and responsive full body tracking, which is credited to the companys 3DiVi tracking software. VicoVR said it is constantly working to improve quality of our body tracking software, so perhaps there have been some big breakthroughs in the last five months.

In January, VicoVRs Business Development Director, Dmitry Morozov, told Toms Hardware that the sensor would retail for around $270, and that it would be available for $200 via a crowdfunding campaign, which proved to be not far from the mark: VicoVR is offering a few different packages, starting with the VicoVR Gaming Bundle for $219, which includes the sensor, a VicoVR VR HMD, the wireless controllers and a micro USB power supply.

You can also opt for the VicoVR Buddy pack, which gives you two controllers and HMDs. If the controller and HDM are of no interest to you, you can pick up just a sensor and power supply for $174. Two hundred dolalrs will buy you a sensor and a headset. VicoVR is also offering the controller for $35 and the HMD for $30.

VicoVR is seeking $75,000 so it can produce the sensors.

VicoVR expects to ship hardware to backers in November. Backers will also receive 10 games that have been specially designed for use with VicoVR, including Archery Range 3D, Moon Bird VR, Box Fighter, Ping Pong VR, and more.

Not to be overlooked by the higher-end HMDs like the Rift and Vive, consumers looking to get into VR have many lower-cost options to consider. You can choose a Google Cardboard viewer to get a taste of virtual reality for just a few dollars, for example.

Each option comes with its advantages and its disadvantages: The mobile solutions are cheap and portable, but they lack spatial and body tracking; and PC connected options offer advanced tracking, but leave you tethered to your computer. VicoVR offers a solution intended to combine the advantages of both approaches.

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Narara Music Festival holds a special place in the annals of Australian live music history. Its one of our homelands original mega-festivals, occupying the same space as events like the Sunbury Pop Festival.

Narara has a shorter tenure than Sunbury, only being held in 1983 and 1984, but the lineups were far from underwhelming, boasting the likes of INXS, Men At Work, Cold Chisel, and The Angels. And that was just the first year.

Narara, which it bears noting was not actually held in the Central Coast town of Narara but in the nearby town of Somersby, hasnt been held since 1984, but one intrepid Aussie promoter is looking to bring it back.

Adrian Buckley, whom you may remember as the bloke who questioned why triple j was providing support to monolithic festivals like Splendour In The Grass, is working to bring Narara Music Festival back for 2017.

Were stoked to announce we have exactly one year to put together our incarnation of Narara Music Festival at the beautiful Forest of Tranquility in Ourimbah on the Central Coast of NSW, Buckley writes on Facebook.

Theres much to do, many more announcements to come, but were going to put together a magical mix of Rock, Blues, & Psychedelia in an incredible setting. Indeed, Buckley insists the lineup will be just Rock & Blues.

We cant wait to hear reworkings of two original Narara songs from each of our 2017 bands and well update our Facebook page with more details regarding applications in the next few months, Buckley continues.

Buckley also promises fantastic licensed bar and quality food trucks for all kinds of tastes and an environment that aims to capture the essence of the old school festival. Oh, and you can leave your yoga mat at home.
NOW MORE THAN EVER KANSAS CITY IS COUNTING ON "MAYOR'S NIGHTS" TO HELP OFFER SAFE AND PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIES FOR LOCAL YOUNGSTERS!!!





Join us to officially kick off the summer of 2016! Register for Night Hoops, Night Kicks, Night Nets, plus get your Club KC Card! We'll have food and fun! Get info on this summer's activities plus a meet & greet w/ Mayor James! See you there!

LET'S NOT FORGET THAT ALMOST EVERY YEAR THE MAYOR'S NIGHTS FINALE ENDS IN SOME KIND OF TRAGIC DISTURBANCE!!!

At the end of the school year Kansas City is confronted with another season of violence and this time around national crime stats revealAccordingly . . .Here's a hopeful note about the campaign underway . .Credit where it's due . . .Thanks to this program and a. . . There were very few violent teen flash mobs on the Country Club Plaza . . . Instead, a great deal of the local trouble moved to the Downtown CBE . . . But that discussion is for another post.However . . .We hope things are different this year but the reality is that critics are begging the Mayor to. . . And their are fewer police and resources to manage this pizza party incentive intended to keep Kansas City youngsters peaceful.You decide . . .








LET'S NOT FORGET THAT AXIOM WAS 0-4 WITHOUT JEFF ROE IN THE LAST CITY HALL ELECTION CYCLE

This campaign season was filled with highs and lows for Kansas City's top ranking political consultant . . .A great deal of press from the New York Times on down revealed that this GOP power player could compete on the national stage . . .Then again, it wasn't all glamorous . . .Now, like all things, the campaign ends with Youtube and a threat to return . . .And while AXIOM is a growing biz with campaigns across the nation . . .Now, they compete in these races basically as a lark but politics will always be about winning as Donald Trump continues to show our nation.You decide . . .
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A Swedish firm is looking to launch the first initial public offering to raise capital for investments in Iran since international sanctions on Tehran were lifted.



But the precautions it takes to demonstrate that its dealings are legitimate show that the undertaking, even on this small scale, is time-consuming and costly.



Although global trade sanctions against Iran were lifted in January in return for Tehran curbing its nuclear programme, the United States still forbids its own nationals and firms to do business in Iran, and prohibits dealings with a list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) deemed to engage in undesirable or terrorist activity.



For those reasons, Pomegranate Investment AB, set up in Sweden in 2014, is entering the Iranian market cautiously.



Chief executive Florian Hellmich told Reuters on a visit to London on Monday that the firm, which has raised 80 million euros ($91 million) from European investors since 2014 in anticipation of sanctions easing, hopes to launch its IPO in Sweden within 12 months, for investments in Iran's consumer technology sector.



He declined to say how much it might raise, but US and Canadian citizens and corporations will be excluded from the offer.



To avoid any risk of infringing a ban on dollar payments to or from Iran passing through US financial institutions - one that still frightens European banks, some of which received heavy US penalties for doing business in Iran - all transactions are done in euros.



The main challenge for any international company, however, is vetting Iranian partners to ensure they are not on the US blacklist.



"We have learned to operate in a sanctions environment, which means we have had to engage in a high amount of KYC ("Know Your Customer"): legal due diligence of all our partners, including the banks we do business with," Hellmich said on a visit to London.



Many Iranian companies have beneficial owners who are not easily traceable, making it hard to be certain that investments will not end up, for instance, going into the wide-ranging business empire of the hardline Revolutionary Guards Corps, which the United States accuses of sponsoring terrorism.



"We have engaged an armada of lawyers who have been advising us in terms of disclaimers and due diligence. Again it comes back to the cost of doing business. It is time-consuming," Hellmich said.



"This is also where the opportunity is - everyone could have done the work we have done, but nobody has."



Hellmich, a veteran of emerging markets including Russia who was previously with the US-based investment bank Renaissance Capital, said Pomegranate was working with a "combination of Swedish banks and Swiss banks", but declined to be more specific.



"We found regional banks with no US exposure a lot more accommodating in how we do business," he said.



Around 50 percent of Pomegranate's shareholders are from Sweden, including the prominent investor Per Brilioth, and others come from Britain, Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe.



The firm has already taken minority stakes in Iranian companies including the Internet and e-commerce company Sarava.  Reuters
The IMF Middle East Center for Economics and Finance (CEF), jointly with the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), held a symposium that discussed the path to economic diversification in Kuwait and other GCC countries.



The symposium on The Path to Economic Diversification in Kuwait and other GCC Countries was hosted yesterday (May 16) at the Arab Funds Headquarters. The panel discussion was moderated by the CEFs director Dr Oussama Kanaan, and included Professor Ha-Joon Chang of Cambridge University, author of seminal work on the role of the state in economic development, and Dr Reda Cherif and Dr Fuad Hasanov, the leading IMF economists in the field of economic diversification.



Kanaan indicated that the symposium is the fourth in the series of events organized by the CEF jointly with the AFESD aimed at stimulating discussion on economic policies for Kuwait and other GCC countries to ensure durable development on the basis of a long-term strategy to reduce the dependence on oil.



He added that the adoption of a bold diversification strategy has become particularly important in the face of low oil prices, and a critical one to prevent a marked decline in GCC countries living standards.



The panel discussion brought to the fore the core ingredients of successful economic diversification strategies, including infrastructure and human capital investments conducive to private sector growth and the development of sophisticated non-oil export industries.



Dr Cherif and D. Hasanov started by putting into perspective the implications of the decline in oil prices from above $100 to about $40 per barrel today, which has made diversification such a pressing policy issue.



They noted that such a drastic and persistent decline is raising the spectre of a return of the oil slump of the 1980s-1990s. Citizens and policymakers from many oil-exporting nations still remember the ordeal their countries went through at that time.



The promise of easy and swift development brought by large oil revenues failed to materialize, resulting in unemployment, falling living standards, and heavy indebtedness in the 1980s and 1990s.



Dr Cherif and Dr Hasanov indicated that, to achieve diversification, oil exporters must change the prevailing economic model. Despite the complex choices involved, it is paramount for oil-dependent economies to become innovative economies, they said.



They will have to experiment and learn from the experiences of other countries on their path to diversification. In the past, countries such as Brazil, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore have made major strides in diversifying their economies, and their experiences carry important lessons for GCC countries today.



Professor Chang then discussed the key elements that characterized successful diversification strategies, and concluded with three main messages. First, diversification does not need to be related to economic activities that the country is already engaged inthe experience of several countries indicates that new activities are created that are often unrelated to a countrys traditional industries or its natural resource endowment.



Second, even when diversification is related to a countrys traditional industries, the challenge is to ensure that the products of that industry become increasingly sophisticated, at more advanced stages of manufacturing.



Third, diversification requires an industrial policy that is highly selective, taking into account the particular economic and social conditions of the country.



The floor was then open for discussion with the audience, whose interventions reflected a broad range of interests, including participants from the public sector, the banking and business community, academia and representatives from international and donor organizations.  TradeArabia News Service
Nogaholding, the business development arm of Bahrains National Oil and Gas Authority (Noga), hosted a dinner last evening to commemorate the successful signing of the $570 million murabaha finance facility.



The event was held under the patronage of Dr Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Energy and chairman of Nogaholding, and was attended by more than 40 representatives from the management of the participating banks as well as senior management of Nogaholding and was held at the Al Ghazal Ballroom, Ritz Carlton Hotel, Bahrain.



I would like to thank and congratulate all the lenders for their valuable support in bringing this facility to a successful conclusion, Dr Mirza said during the event.



Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, CEO of Nogaholding said: I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Dr Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Energy for gracing us at this event and greatly appreciate his continued support and guidance. At Nogaholding, our ongoing strategy is to invest and grow the oil and gas assets in the Kingdom of Bahrain and position the country as a key international player.



Furthermore, I would also like to thank the banks for attending this dinner to celebrate this important milestone in our corporate history.



The $570 million Murabaha facility was our first foray into the syndicated credit markets. Despite challenging market conditions, we received significant oversubscription which is a definite endorsement of the trust and confidence in Nogaholdings track record, financial position and growth prospects, of which we are proud, he added.



The ten local, regional and international banks which participated in Nogaholdings sharia-compliant finance facility include: Arab Banking Corporation (ABC), Ahli United Bank (AUB), Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP), Gulf International Bank (GIB), and National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), Kuwait Finance House (KFH), The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (MUFG), BNP Paribas, and HSBC.



Nogaholdings first syndicated debt facility carries a term of five years and will be used to meet general purpose financing requirements of the Group. Due to strong demand from participating banks, the facility size was increased by more than 60 per cent and the book significantly oversubscribed.  TradeArabia News Service
The Saudi government has expressed concern over the large numbers of work-related injuries in the construction sector across the kingdom, said a report.



The Ministry of Labour and Social Development has stressed upon the need for institutions to find the necessary measures and procedures to protect human resources from the risk of injuries caused by the work environment as well as by occupational hazards, reported Arab News.



The ministry said more inspections are being carried out at construction sites to check the occupational safety and health standards being implemented by private sector enterprises, stated the report.



Mohammed Al Faleh, assistant undersecretary for inspection and work environment improvement, said the inspectors had carried out field visits to a number of construction projects in Riyadh - especially at the Riyadh Metro and King Abdullah Financial District - as well as in Makkah and the Eastern Province,



Warning that the ministry would not tolerate any violation with regard to the workers' occupational safety and health, Al Faleh said the companies must strive to provide a safe working environment for the labourers.


The average residential rents in Oman's capital Muscat fell by 5.9 per cent during the first quarter of the year, said a report.



The decline was led by the villa market, leaving average monthly villa rents at just over RO1,004 ($2,595), down 14.1 per cent over the first quarter of 2015, according to international real estate consultancy, Cluttons.



Wide-ranging redundancy programmes in key sectors, with the oil and gas sector still shrinking, are having a direct impact on rental levels, it stated.



However, Cluttons pointed out that opportunities exist for landlords to secure income by offering prospective tenants additional incentives.



The landlords who are putting tenants first by offering realistic market rents in line with the current economic reality and increasing incentives such as free access to onsite and local facilities, will likely be the first to benefit once the market does pick up, stated the real estate expert in its 'Muscat Spring 2016 Property Market Outlook.'



Philip Paul, Cluttons head of country, Oman said: "We continue to see increased vacancy levels in stock that is perceived to be secondary, presenting landlords with a significant opportunity to take a long-term view and refurbish during these emerging void period."



"With average rents slipping across Muscat, tenants are now benefiting from choice although Cluttons advises that good quality property correctly priced is still being snapped up quickly. Tenants are focused on good quality accommodation, with well managed facilities and amenities. With that in mind, upgrading stock is certainly advantageous for landlords at this time," noted Paul.



Faisal Durrani, the head of research at Cluttons, said: "If the expected bottoming out of the market does not in fact materialise, then demand for rental accommodation will continue to decline over the next six to 12 months, putting further downward pressure on rents, particularly as core sectors such as oil and gas, continue to show signs of shrinking."



"With this in mind, it is our expectation that rents during 2016 are likely to fall by a further five to 10 per cent, on average, across Muscat. However, it is worth highlighting that better quality properties priced at the lower end of the budget spectrum, at between RO250 per month and RO500 per month, are likely to remain stable," he added.



Cluttons research shows that during the first quarter of 2016, transactional volumes across the sultanate were slightly lower than the same period in 2015, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).



The figures show that the traded value of property in this period decreased from RO1.322 billion in Q1 2015 to 0.922 billion in Q1 2016.



Paul said: "In the sales market, we have recorded price declines across the board, with buyers now watching for affordable options as the market comes in line with the new market reality."



"This decline reflects the squeeze on disposable household incomes across the region as the era of low oil prices beds in. Going forward, we expect this trend to persist, particularly as oil prices appear unlikely to stage a comeback in the near term," he cautioned.



"With the regions governments rushing to diversify income streams through the introduction of new fees and taxes and the dismantling of energy subsidies, household incomes in the GCC are expected to come under further pressure, with disposable incomes also likely to fall and Oman has not been immune to this," he added.



On the office sector, Cluttons said rents across most of Muscats main markets have remained steady for the ninth consecutive quarter despite strong headwinds to economic growth.



The only submarket that has shown movement in rents in the past 12 months is Shatti Al Qurum, where office rents have risen by six per cent to RO8.50 per sq m.



Durrani said, We are aware of instances where landlords have used the recent increase in the lease registration fee from three to five per cent as a way to support asking rents in the first year of tenancies; however going forward we expect to see significant concessions made in order to attract and more importantly, retain existing tenants."



According to him, well managed buildings may buck the trend, with rents likely to remain stable in popular schemes.



The report also highlights that in the retail market, after limited growth between 2005 and 2012, recent years have seen the introduction of a significant amount of new retail mall space in Muscat which has increased the supply of leasable space by approximately 75 per cent over the last three years alone.



According to Cluttons, the most notable malls introduced in this period are Muscat Grand Mall, Avenues Mall and Panorama Mall which are all located in Bausher. Despite the marked increase in retail mall space, occupancy levels have remained relatively stable at around 85 to 90 per cent.



"It is clear that the retail mall sector in Muscat is going through a period of rapid expansion and we expect that the significant growth will translate into an increasingly competitive market," observed Durrani.



"For retail mall owners, we expect the strengthening supply pipeline will prompt the need to carefully consider market positioning, tenant mix and rental values in order to maintain good occupancy levels, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Building Energy, a global IPP (independent power producer) in the renewable energy Industry, is participating in the first edition of The European House - Ambrosettis IranItaly Summit, taking place today (May 17) in Tehran, Iran.



The Italian company will be represented by Paolo Martini, chief strategy officer of Building Energy and CEO of Building Energy Gulf.



The 2016 Iran-Italy Summit, with the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Italian Trade Agency and the Italy-Iran Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and sponsored also by Building Energy, is an exclusive meeting of the most influential business leaders and policy makers from Italy and Iran.



The summit aims at becoming the annual event for the political and business elite of Iran and Italy, with the goal of strengthening economic, cultural and business interchange, and to deeply debate strategic opportunities in a bilateral and regional perspective.



Martini will take part in the summit with a speech focused on Building Energys approach to the Iranian renewable energy market, during the session Iran and Italy can cooperate to build up an efficient and competitive energy and power value chain.



We are participating to the Iran-Italy Summit because we think that Iran and Italy can cooperate to build up a competitive and efficient energy and power value chain, bringing up synergies and making the difference in the global scenario, said Martini.



With its wind and solar resources, the opportunities from sanctions removal and also considering the commitment from the government in terms of policy measures and investments, we can say that Irans potential for renewable energy is very interesting.



On the other hand, Italy could provide expertise, skills and solutions allowing Iran to take the most out of challenge. As a player of the renewable energy market, we wish that the two countries can partner together and act as regional pivot, playing a significant role in the respective reference areas and in several fields, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Oman Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund of the Government of Oman, has agreed to buy shares worth $50 million in the initial public offering (IPO) of BOC Aviation, the aircraft leasing unit of Bank of China, said a report.



BOC Aviation attracted investors including Boeing and the Chinese sovereign wealth fund (SWF) to buy shares in its $1.1 billion IPO in Hong Kong, added the Times of Oman report.



Spurred by strong economic growth in the past decade and rising incomes in the worlds two most-populous countries, China and India, Asia is on course to beat the US as the biggest plane-leasing market, according to Airbus Group and Boeing.



With this IPO, BOC Aviation will become the second dedicated Asian air lessor to go public after smaller competitor China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings made its debut in Hong Kong in July 2014.


Dubai Investments (DI), an investment conglomerate, has announced a joint venture with Abu Dhabi National Company for Building Materials (Bildco) for setting up a steel plant in Musaffah, Abu Dhabi, at a cost of Dh250 million ($68 million).



Dubai Investments wholly-owned subsidiary Dubai Investments Industries (DII) holds 51 per cent stake in the joint venture and the remaining is held by Bildco. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect was signed by Mohammed Al Raqbani, general manager of Dubai Investments Industries and Dr Nasser Saif Al Mansoori, board member of Bildco, in April.



The new plant, expected to go on stream by the end of 2017 at Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD) III in Musaffah, will produce 300,000 tonnes of reinforced steel bar per annum, once fully operational.



According to industry estimates, the steel sector in the UAE has witnessed a steady upswing over the past few years and is expected to grow by nearly five per cent in the next three to four years, thanks mainly to growing demand from the oil and gas and construction sector, with anticipated surge expected from the infrastructure developments for Expo 2020.



Khalid Bin Kalban, managing director and CEO of Dubai Investments, said: Dubai Investments joint venture for the Bildco steel plant is a major step forward to not only cater to the domestic demand for steel with the rampant construction across the UAE, but also capitalise on the surging market requirements for steel across the Middle East. Dubai Investments has a strong portfolio in the building materials domain and this joint venture with Bildco for the steel rebar is a strategic fit to further strengthen the companys leadership in the sector.



Saif Darwish Al Ketbi, chairman of Bildco, said: Since its inception, Abu Dhabi National Company for Building Materials has contributed significantly to the growth and building of infrastructure in the UAE, earning an unmatched reputation as an innovative company. Bildcos joint venture with Dubai Investments is aimed at creating new demand for steel across the UAE and region and is a significant milestone in its growth plans.



The construction sector is the biggest consumer of steel in the Middle East, accounting for an estimated 90 per cent of steel use. As a result, the market for steel rebar in the UAE and the GCC is expected to grow consistently in the next decade.  TradeArabia News Service
The C-Hotel is anchored off the Coral Bay resort.

Bahrains first floating hotel was officially opened yesterday (May 15) at the Coral Bay on the Al Fateh Corniche.

The five-star C Hotel is the culmination of several phases of expansion and improvements at the Coral Bay resort, which boasts a range of facilities including restaurants, a spa, beaches and water sports.

The hotel is floating, but anchored, allowing guests to feel they are on a cruise ship, but yet having the ability to enjoy the facilities on shore. An automatic gliding bridge connects the hotel to the Coral Bays luxury facilities.

The boutique hotel is part of the Hotel des Charmes group, which specialises in luxury boutique hotels around the world.

Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, chief executive officer of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), and several leading businessmen attended the event.

Shaikh Khaled praised the efforts of Akram Miknas, promoter of Seven Leisure Group and a leading media personality of the region, in bringing the unique idea into fruition.

He said the government had to amend existing laws to make way for the facility, which has been built to highest standards.

The hotel, which represents an investment of $4 million, has been built to highest specifications with superior materials and furnishings, said Miknas.

He thanked Shaikh Khaled for the support extended to the project by the government.

Miknas said the hotel, which is receiving guests for the last two months, offers 12 rooms and two suites. The basement level has eight rooms, while the top deck has four rooms and the Admiralty and Royal suites.

The hotel is currently experiencing an occupancy level of almost 80 per cent, he said.

The hotel guests can enjoy all the facilities and amenities of the Coral Bay resort.

The C Hotel was built from the locally well-known Al-Khaleejia house boat, following a three-year conversion work. The boat was redesigned with the help of Italian engineers and interior designers. -TradeArabia News Service
Oman's Ministry of Tourism is organising a three-day exhibition in Muscat City Center, Seeb, from May 19 to May 21, where hotels and travel partners will showcase exciting deals for this summer.



A total of 27 packages has been designed at highly competitive prices to attract locals and residents of the sultanate and encourage them to explore the various places of interest.



The three-day exhibition will be inaugurated by HH Sayyid Faisal Bin Turki Al Said, Director General of Marketing & Media, Oman Public Authority of Investment Promotion an Export Development (ITHRAA), in the presence of dignitaries from the Ministry of Tourism.



The partners who will showcase their offers at the three-day exhibition include Ooredoo, Oman Sail, Razan Travel, Oman Air Holidays, Elite Travel, in addition to the following hotels: Atana Musandam & Khasab, Masira Island Resort, Ras Al Jinz Turtle Resort, City Hotel Al Duqm, Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the Six Senses Spa at Al Bustan, Alila Jabal Akhdar, and Crowne Plaza (Muscat, Sohar, & Al Duqm), among others.



Speaking about the exhibition, Salim Adi Al Mamari, director general for Tourism Promotion in the Ministry of Tourism, said: The three-day Discover Omans Beauty exhibition has been planned especially for the citizens and residents so that they avail these packages and enjoy the unique tourist destinations and activities we have identified for the campaign. Through such promotions, we want to cement the link between the public and private sector, as it is important for both to work together to promote tourism in the country. We are thankful to our partners for their support and look forward to a successful season ahead.



The new packages offer an enormous variety of experiences for families, the luxury lovers, and adventure seekers at destinations varying from Omans unspoiled coastline to the dramatic Hajar mountains. The summer packages will give visitors the opportunity to experience everything from dolphin watching in Muscat to watching turtles hatching and laying their eggs in Ras Al Jinz near Sur. The packages also include mountain trips to Al Jabal Al Akhdar and Jabal Shams for hiking, exploring and abseiling, and cultural experiences.



The campaign also includes offers from leading three to five-star hotels to provide stays including breakfast at reduced rates. - TradeArabia News Service
Qatar Airways has implemented a new fleet management system called TOPS that allows the airline to optimally schedule aircraft and better manage flights, ultimately driving a more efficient and effective airline for its passengers.



TOPS, which stands for Total Operations System, integrates data from multiple sources and produces a holistic view of the airlines operation, from the global scale to the individual flight level, in order to anticipate and notify operations staff of any potential issue and provide solution options.



Specific tasks that can now be carried out due to this integration include, but are not limited to: tail assignment optimiser, whereby aircraft are assigned to specific lines of flying with respect to the operational needs of the route, based on the specific aircrafts capabilities; NOTAM manager, where Notice to Airmen are immediately communicated to the specific dispatchers and operations staff for more perfect situational awareness; and Flight Watch, which consolidates all flight data into a single graphical source for ease of tracking, communicating with and managing the airlines more than 500 daily flights to more than 150 destinations in six continents, said a statement.



Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: Qatar Airways started developing an all-encompassing tool for fleet management in 2014, knowing that our growth trajectory would require us to utilise technology in order to scale our ability to command and control the operation. We elected to develop the technology internally, taking advantage of our world-class IT team. Our system, called TOPS, has undergone a number of iterations, and today is second to none in its ability to serve the needs of our flight dispatchers, operations control staff and others.



TOPS Flight Watch, launched in 2015, offers operations personnel multiple filters, such as weather patterns, flight path routing, and restricted or prohibited air space so that the team of professionals in the airlines Integrated Operations Centre have near-perfect awareness of each airborne flight, and the ability to quickly communicate with the flight deck.



The airline is also developing a maintenance planning optimiser to help schedule around aircraft scheduled out of service time, which is expected to go live by the end of the year.



Qatar Airways chief operations officer, Captain Helmut Weixler, said: TOPS is a system designed by technology experts to assist airline professionals run the operation more efficiently and effectively. It is also a system designed to evolve with the airlines needs, including managing crew resources. This system has delivered far more benefits than we originally expected and we are sure that it will continue to add even more value to our airline operations going forward.



TOPS was developed in-house by Qatar Airways staff partnering with Wipro, a global IT services provider in a co-funded and co-development model that has proven successful in the past, said Srinivasan A T, Qatar Airways chief information officer. Our next iteration will incorporate crew management optimisation tools, which, when complete, will contribute to the total operations system we originally envisioned. We will not stop here and will continue to invest in the system to ensure that our airline operations, enabled by TOPS, always continue to be the best-in-class.



Qatar Airways and Wipro developed an advanced cargo management system, under the same innovative co-funded model, and released it last September. - TradeArabia News Service
Qatar Airways has added Armenia to its global route map, and commenced four times weekly service between Doha and Yerevan, connecting the country with more than 150 destinations worldwide.



The inaugural flight touched down in the early hours of yesterday (May 16) and was greeted by a traditional water salute. Qatar Airways chief commercial officer Dr Hugh Dunleavy and Armenias Ambassador to Qatar Gegham Gharibjanian, who travelled on board the flight, were greeted at the arrival gate by Yerevans Zvartnots International Airport deputy general manager Andranik Shkhyan.



Yerevan is the cultural, political and industrial capital of Armenia and offers visiting business and leisure passengers a rich and diverse experience. With a city backdrop of the snow-capped Caucasus mountain range and situated on the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is one of the world's oldest cities, and is sure to attract visitors from around the world on the new Qatar Airways service which places the city within easy reach, said a statement.



Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: We are delighted to commence service to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. As we expand our global network, it is crucial that we connect economically important and powerful regions such as Armenia to our worldwide route offering, in particular those travelling on our latest US route additions of Boston, Los Angeles and soon to be launched Atlanta. Business and leisure passengers from around the world can now connect seamlessly to Armenia through our home and hub, Hamad International Airport. - TradeArabia News Service
Long TSA lines have been becoming a problem in airports all over the United States. It seems that the long lines have been causing mismanagement in many airports all over the country.

For instance, Zachary Annen and his husband got to Chicago 'O Hare International Airport Sunday night three hours before they took their flight. However, even though they arrived early, their plans for a smooth sailing pre-departure process did not take place, as reported in CNN Edition.

The couple had to wait for more than two and a half hours at the Transportation Security Administration screening queue. Although they experienced this hassle, the two did got to the gate on time for their flight to Seattle with additional minutes to relax and take a deep breath to relieve anxiety, as shared by Annen.

To loosen the long lines at TSA counters in American airports, the TSA hires 768 security employees for the summer. Word has it these employees would be deployed to U.S. airports around mid-June. Jeh Johnson, a Department of Homeland Security secretary, announced this news just the previous week.

Word has it that security employees working for TSA have been offered overtime just so they can extend extra efforts in managing the lines in U.S. airports.

The TSA has also requested the airlines to be of assistance in the reduction of the size and the quantity of carry-on baggage of passengers. A passenger's video, though, has shown how frustrating it was to take a Thursday flight due to long lines at a Chicago airport, as reported in USA Today. This video has been in trending, in which it got 2.1 million views from the moment it was uploaded online.

The man who uploaded this video was Sean Hoffman. Hoffman told "The Chicago Tribune" in an interview that:

"I got to the end, (and) I was like, holy (expletive), people would probably like to see this."

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Travellers may think that travelling is just as easy as 1-2-3. However, they should take note that most of the time things do not turn out the way they want them to be. When visiting a foreign country, a lot of things can happen unexpectedly, regardless whether or not they are good or bad.

Travellers going on trips to other countries for the first time especially need to plan everything accordingly before they go on their vacations. Travellers also need to be prepared for the risks in store for them should they go on their vacations on their own.

The following are the travel myths that travellers need to keep in mind to stay away from if they do not want to waste their money:

1. Bring cash or checks to overseas destinations.

Travellers bringing cash or checks to overseas destinations is likely the safest way to go about an unknown city or town, as reported by Time. Travellers need to be cautious when bringing their debit or credit cards wherever they go, especially in countries where identity theft is most common. They need to be on high alert if someone gets too close to steal their personal identification numbers.

Benjamin Glaser, the features editor of Deal News offers this insight for travellers travelling overseas. He said:

"Your bank probably has domestic and international partners that allow you to use their ATMs for low or no fees."

Having said this, travellers can rest assure that they would not have to worry about being unable to withdraw money from their debit or credit card even when they are out of their home country.

But, at times, avoiding bringing credit or debit cards overseas is really just paranoia, as identity thieves do not really exist.

2. Lower price means lower quality.

Travelling to countries where things are cheaper does not always mean bad experiences. Travellers just need to select the areas where they would be travelling in these countries, as suggested by Review-Journal.

3. Not to reserve a room with free breakfast.

In the long run, travellers may just save money having free food daily in the morning, even if the hotel room was pricey. With appropriate calculations, travellers can book a room that enables them to enjoy breakfast daily and save money for food in the long run.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Angelina Jolie on Migrant Crisis: They Need Generosity. A-list actress and special envoy of the United Nations, Angelina Jolie-Pitt encouraged the international audience that the current migrant crisis needs utmost generosity not a "politics of fear".

In London, wife of Brad Pitt said in a speech that this is a duty for everyone. The alternative, she asserts, would result in chaos.

She has also expressed her opinion on the presumptive American presidential nominee Donald Trump's stand on Mexican immigrants. She criticized his stand on building a wall for the immigrants and the temporary banning of Muslims in the country.

Jolie-Pitt has said that people in EU are overcome by the "politics of fear" and "separation". She compares helping the migrants to open your house when your neighbor's house is on fire. "Strength lies in being unafraid," she adds.

As of now, United Nations is setting out a plan to re-settle about 10 percent of the refugees every year.

The conflict in Syria has driven out a lot of residents. The migrants are from Afghanistan, Albania, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria and Ukraine. 135,711 people are seeking asylum in the European Union.

All in all, there are about a million migrant applications. Germany is receiving a lot of applicants with about 476,000. Hungary has 177,130. Other countries with applicants are the UK, Poland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. Some of these countries set a quota as to how many of the migrants they are willing to accommodate.

It is noted that there is the difficulty for these countries to arrive at the borders. Some people are using overcrowded boats with fatal consequences.

As of now, Germany has granted 140,910 applications. Sweden has approved 32,215. Italy has approved 29,615. France lets 20,630 migrants in. Netherlands approved 16,450 applications. The UK has granted 13,905 migrant requests.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
The state department has just announced that Americans are at serious risk of travelling to north Korea. In the May 16 warning, the state department announced the concern.

"(The state department) strongly urges U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to North Korea due to serious risk of arrest and long-term detention," they said.

Word has it that 14 citizens have already been captured in detention in this communist country in the past 10 years. The statement released by the state department stated that the law enforcement of North Korea is where unfair harsh sentences come by. These sentences include punishment for actions that in the United States would not be even considered crimes, as reported in The Epoch Times.

One of the crimes North Korea considers as a crime is when one tampers with political slogans and signs placed by political leaders, or hence, the pictures of political leaders shown in public.

The latest travel warning issued for the Americans in relation to travel to North Korea comes just right after the November 20, 2015 travel warning. Two American citizens were convicted and imprisoned earlier this year, as reported in the same publication.

In March earlier this year, the highest court in North Korea handed down a conviction against Otto Warmbier for subversion. Warmbier was convicted of such crime right after he revealed that he previously stole a propaganda banner. Warmbier is a University of Virginia undergraduate.

Recent North Korea military tests and strict United Nations sanctions have even more severed the tensions between North Korea and democratic nations all over the world. A lawyer in Washington, Joshua Stanton, stated that he wished for the U.S. Congress to approve a bill this year in relation to managing the entry of U.S. citizens to North Korea with a good management system. Stanton drafted the recent American sanctions aimed against North Korea, as reported in The Wall Street Journal.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Tourism operators can now transact online in under 3 minutes thanks to Booking Boss Payments.



(TRAVPR.COM) AUSTRALIA - May 17th, 2016 -

Sydney, Australia: Tourism operators having to painstakingly wait for the approval of a payment gateway provider is now a thing of the past thanks to a new innovative tech being integrated into online booking system Booking Boss. On May 17 the Sydney based tech start-up will introduce Booking Boss Payments, powered by the Westpac funded fintech PromisePay, into their new auto sign-up offering.

Booking Boss CEO Renee Welsh says it means operators can sign-up and take bookings online in under two minutes, which is a first for the industry.

Payment gateways have always been a challenge, especially for tour, activity and attraction operators because the big banks lump these smaller, micro businesses into the same categories as hotels and airlines, she says.

Typically an operator might spend weeks completing the paperwork required, only to be rejected as theyre deemed a risk or just not a fit for their model. Its unrealistic and this happens at bank after bank. It can be an incredibly frustrating process.

If the operator cannot get a gateway they might then transact credit cards in an unsafe and non-compliant way.

Booking Boss Payments has essentially flipped the traditional gateway model on its head. Operators need to supply their company details and bank account and can begin instantly transacting on the Booking Boss platform.

With Booking Boss Payments, industry standard risk assessments are made on a per-transaction basis, rather than at the initial sign up stage - which is the usual procedure operators would experience when going to a traditional bank.

The new system is secure, reduces risk, combats fraud and is licensed and compliant - something some businesses completely overlook. But the best perks are the instant approval and the simple, user-friendly interface.

Under the Booking Boss model the 1.99% and 30 cents per transaction fee is paid by the customer, Mrs Welsh says its essentially a free platform to use.

I believe for our sector this option is going to open up so many more opportunities for smaller businesses who struggle to gain access to a secure gateway, she said.

The ability to take payments seamlessly without any hassle will transform a number of businesses.

Booking Boss Payments will launch alongside Booking Boss free 14-day free trial and auto sign-up offering on May 17.

For more information visit www.bookingboss.com/booking-boss-payments.

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Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, together with the national carrier SriLankan Airlines, is proud to present Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 from 2-7 June 2016; a mega destination event that brings together 60 of the worlds best travel bloggers to Sri Lanka in a global conference that will explore and evaluate the impact of travel blogging in the global tourism industry today.



(TRAVPR.COM) SRI LANKA - May 17th, 2016 - Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, together with the national carrier SriLankan Airlines, is proud to present Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 from 2-7 June 2016; a mega destination event that brings together 60 of the worlds best travel bloggers to Sri Lanka in a global conference that will explore and evaluate the impact of travel blogging in the global tourism industry today.

Krishan Balendra, President of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts commented Travel blogging is one of the most essential and undervalued components in marketing Sri Lankas tourism sector. It is in fact a necessary tool for the industry because the craft of travel writing and blogging encourages others to travel, more so than an advertisement or other forms of traditional media. It is also a far more personal way to reach audiences. Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 is the ideal platform for all travel and hospitality professionals to engage with top bloggers from around the world to be better involved in this digital revolution.

Blogging has also become a powerful tool in influencing consumer decisions and creating a strong appeal for any business or company in the current travel sphere. By the means of international exposure by sponsors and international media, Sri Lanka can greatly benefit from activities such as the Cinnamon TBCasia that garner mileage on online and digital space whilst reaching massive global audiences in a very short span of time.

The top travel bloggers visiting Sri Lanka will be hosted by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts on a pre-conference tour of the country, which will be followed by the full day conference on 7th June 2016. The tour is organized with four unique itineraries for the bloggers to explore all popular tourist locations in the island. Apart from hosting an incredible group of bloggers, Cinnamon TBCasia will also welcome many industry experts and social media gurus to speak at the conference. The eminent panel of speakers include Chuck Thompson Producer, CNN Digital; representative of NatGeo; Dr. Mathew Macdougall, Founder and CEO of Digital Jungle, expert in Chinese marketing & social media; Evo Terra- Digital Strategist; Ryan Bonicci, Marketing Director of the Hubspot APAC; Laurence Norah , Past President of Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA); Halona Padiachy, Director of International Partnerships at Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA); Jens Thraenhart, Founder - Dragon Trail; Henry Barchet, Radio Journalist; Dave & Deb, The Planet D, a top travel blog with the tremendous global reach.

Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 would not be possible without the support of SriLankan airlines; thereby, Chairman of SriLankan airlines, Ajith Dias stated, We are pleased to be flying in such a prestigious panel of speakers and travel bloggers into Sri Lanka, helping them engage with all that the island has to offer. The insights they will share with us during the conference will be invaluable to everyone in the tourism industry of Sri Lanka

This global event provides a golden opportunity for travel and hospitality industry professionals in Sri Lanka with the ideal platform to connect with award winning travel bloggers through a one day conference. The initiative will create a speed networking space for companies to meet and tie up with bloggers, helping businesses grow successfully at the pace of online media. The content rich event will consist of a variety of discussions which are designed to inspire and to provide key insights into a rapidly evolving tourism and hospitality industry: Developing corporate content and how Bloggers can help, The use of virtual 360 in the travel industry, Experiential storytelling: communicating experiences and authenticity in the digital world, to name a few. Refer www.tbcasia.com for registrations and further information.

Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts initiated Asias first ever travel blogger conference in 2014; followed by its success, Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 has evolved into a significant event with its novel element of an award ceremony. With all of the above in store Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 is a much awaited event amongst travel bloggers from around the world as well as travel and hospitality industry professionals.

Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 is presented by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and SriLankan airlines in association with the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA) and supported by event partners:

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), TravelClick, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, Four BGB, CVisit, Reap Digital and Mobitel

---ENDS---

For further information contact:

Pramukshi Kariyawasam-Assistant Manager, Public Relations at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts | Email: pramukshi@cinnamonhotels.com |Mobile: +94 71 86 22917

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The lpha electric bike, from Pragma Industries, is another attempt at using hydrogen as a battery in transportation, but it might only make sense for fleets.

Considering its abundance in the chemical makeup of the universe, hydrogen really seems like it ought to be more of a key player in the energy transition away from the much more finite fossil fuels. But alas, it's exceedingly more complex than that, because we can't just scoop up hydrogen as we can coal. If we could, perhaps we'd all be zooming around in hydrogen fuel cell electric cars right now, as many of the hydrogen boosters predicted not that long ago.

However, as Lloyd reminds us, hydrogen isn't really an energy source, it's a battery: "Thats because you can make it in two ways: steam-methane reformation, which means that it is a fossil fuel, and the source for 95 percent of hydrogen) or electrolysis of water, which makes it essentially a battery storing electric power."

If, and it's a big if, we could couple renewable energy with hydrogen production, and if (and it's another big if) we had the infrastructure in place for consumer hydrogen filling stations, and then had affordable fuel cell electric cars readily available, then hydrogen 'batteries' could play a bigger part in transportation. However, there are some indications that some of those moves are already being made, such as this zero-carbon hydrogen fueling station that generates hydrogen onsite with excess electricity from renewable energy sources, and then dispenses to consumers just like any other gas station. There are arguments to be made for its suitability as a clean 'fuel' and equally vocal arguments against it (read the comments here to get a glimpse into the deep divide between the two camps).

Resurgence of Interest in Fuel Cell Bikes

When it comes to adapting that same technology to electric bikes, by using fuel cells fed with hydrogen and air to produce electricity (plus water and a little heat) to charge the batteries, there seems to be a resurgence of interest. The last time we covered the topic was 7 years ago, but there have been advances made over the last few years, such as this one, from Germany's Linde Group (which is a major world supplier of industrial gases, including hydrogen).

More recently, Pragma Industries, a fuel cell company, released details about its own version of a fuel cell electric bicycle, with one of the major selling points being its ability to enable a long range and a quick refueling time, which might be a big plus for fleet or commercial use. However, there's still the sticky question about where the electricity to power the electrolysis unit to produce the hydrogen comes from in the first place. If it actually takes more electricity to produce the hydrogen from the grid than it would to just charge an electric bike battery directly, and if that grid is powered mostly by fossil fuel sources, it's most likely just more convenient for the rider than it is a better clean transport option.

Pragma Industries Alpha Electric Bike

The Pragma Industries lpha electric bike, which the company says is "The first commercially available electrically assisted bike with a fuel cell" and worthy of a category of its own (FC-Pedelec), integrates the company's fuel cell technology into an e-bike that has "an unrivalled range of 100km on a single charge." The lpha has a Brose 36V electric motor rated to 250W, which is fed by a "bridging" lithium-ion battery pack with 150 Wh of capacity, which in turn is charged by the onboard 150 W PEM fuel cell. The fuel cell runs off of a 2-liter compressed hydrogen gas cylinder, which can be refilled in about 2 minutes at a filling station made by Atawey, which Pragma contrasts with the several hour process of charging a conventional e-bike battery.

The company put out the following video about its hydrogen fuel cell bike this past summer (in French, but YouTube has a decent auto-translate subtitle option):

In addition to its boast of a long range and quick refueling time, Pragma Industries also lays claim to another benefit of its technology, which is its immunity to decreased performance in cold weather. It's true that low temperatures can affect battery performance, but it's not clear to what extent an average e-bike rider would actually be affected by either very low or very high temperatures.

"Whereas battery-powered Pedelecs are adversely affected by low temperatures, Alpha2.0 provides constant range and performances in every weather conditions. Equiped with a best-in-class H2 gauge, it accurately indicates the remaining energy to the user." - Pragma Industries

There isn't a whole lot of detailed information available about the lpha fuel cell electric bike, but the "Light mobility" page on the Pragma Industries website seems to indicate that the bike isn't targeted to individuals so much as it is to fleets:

Captive fleet operators, your battery management nightmares are over! lpha offers a complete electric solution while eliminating batteries logistics which can be highly time-consuming and costly.

Public services

Public services Territorial staff mobility

Corporate staff mobility

Last mile delivery

Tourists rental

Bike sharing programs

If you're interested in learning more, there's a great explanation of fuel cells on the Pragma Industries website, which may not turn you into a hydrogen economy booster if you're not already in that camp, but it does offer some insight into the science and potential applications for this technology.
There is something about the work of Maines GO Logic. They design and also build prefabs, Passivhaus and sometimes even prefab passivhaus. But most importantly, their designs are so simple and elegant. As I have noted about their other projects: it is often harder for an architect to make a simple design look beautiful; they have to rely on proportion and scale. It takes skill and a good eye.

 Trent Bell

Their latest, the Cousins River Residence, is another example of this. The 1600 square foot house is built from a modified stock plan, and designed to Passivhaus standards, which severely limit the amount of energy that can be consumed and the amount of air leakage permitted. Some of the specs:

Super insulated foundation (R35), wall (R50), and roof (R80) systems

High performance triple pane German windows (R8) with 50% solar heat gain

Heat recovery ventilation system with 88% efficiency

Airtight building shell with 0.5 air changes per hour (at 50 Pa)

 Trent Bell

The architects write: The Cousins River Residence demonstrates that high performance homes can take on a new form, embracing a contemporary aesthetic in a traditional New England landscape.

In Dezeen, they note also that this is a house the owners hope to stay in for a long time:

 Trent Bell
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A follow up to the wacky Three Miles North of Molkum (the jury is still out if that was a bona fide documentary or a mockumentary), writer-director Corinna McFarlane coaxes a stellar cast to star in The Silent Storm. But there's a reason why it's taken two years from its appearance at the 2014 London Film Festival and this week's release as gross overacting and questionable editing render it unconvincing.

A small craggy island off the coast of Scotland in the years following World War II is our setting for this romantic drama. Following the closure of the local mine, the island is sparsely populated with the last few pious residents looking to fiery minister Balor McNeill (Lewis) for guidance. He and downtrodden wife Aislin (Riseborough) have their problems though: they have recently lost a baby at birth and now have an unexpected guest in the shape of 'sinner' Fionn (Anderson), who is to stay in their house to learn the ways of righteousness. But his sudden appearance brings to the fore the simmering tensions within the shaky marriage

The Silent Storm stars off quite well. The heartache drives a wedge between the husband and wife, who keeps shelves of natural medicine (including magic mushrooms) hidden in the tool shed; one breakfast scene has the teary Balor, unable to get over the death of their child, watch his depressed wife shuffle about the kitchen. But if these tears hint at something below Balors blistering speeches and self-righteous sermons it never comes to fruition: Balor is Fiery Preacher 101 and the usually dependable Lewis doesnt attempt to rein him in; he wears a wild-eyed grimace throughout like hes trying to life a small house. The accents can wobble at times too. Kate Dickie can see where this is going and makes for the mainland very early on.

If that wasn't bad enough the film feels like it was hijacked by a mad editor, hell bent on ruining what film is left. The music is overwhelming and ill-suited to the scenes (some of it sounds like it was lifted from a 60s swords-and-sandals epic), the constant fade to black occur in the strangest of places and just as scenes are reaching a climax, while sequences don't mesh because of scenes dropped (one example has an incensed Balor bound upstairs to bellow at Fionn for having the temerity for taking a bath but when he barges in hes carrying Fionns banned books: when did he get them and how did he find them and what about the bath?).

Its not all bad. With a beautiful farmhouse perched on a cliff side, some of the scenery (mull apparently) is nice.
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 16

In a surprise checking, jail officials seized five more mobile phones which were found abandoned at various places on the Amritsar Central Jail premises.

The Cantonment police have registered a case of fraud under Section 420, IPC, and Section 42 of the Prisoners Act against unidentified persons, following a complaint submitted by the Jail Superintendent of Amritsar Central Jail.

According to the complaint, the jail staff confiscated three mobile phones of Samsung brand which were without SIM cards, a mobile phone without battery and an outdated mobile phone. This was the second surprise checking conducted by the jail authorities within a few days.

Earlier, the police seized a mobile phone from a prisoner, identified as Buta Singh.

The jail authorities were on their toes since the massive raid conducted by the city police along with district administration officials. During the raid, the police had recovered around 21 mobile phones from the premises, which not only alarmed the senior Punjab Police authorities, but also the government as the high- security Amritsar Central Jail houses notorious drug smugglers and peddlers, gangsters and foreigners, including Pakistani nationals. Following the raid, the state government suspended DSP, Amritsar jail, and the Patti sub-jail.

It has been learnt that senior police authorities had directed the jail officials to conduct surprise checking more often to curb the problem and usage of mobile phones.
This season of 'Love Is Blind' is shaping up to be absolute madness  here's what people are saying about it
Our Correspondent

Dera Bassi, May 16

With the aim of combating deadly disease dengue, hundreds of schoolchildren today participated in an awareness rally organised by the ATS Rotary Club in collaboration with the Health Department.

NK Sharma, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, flagged off the rally from the Civil Hospital, Dera Bassi. Children marched through streets and markets of the town with placards about the precautions that could be taken to prevent breeding of mosquitoes that spread diseases such as dengue and malaria. The day saw students and teachers of the school participating enthusiastically and joining hands against the terror of dengue.

Mohinder Singh, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Dera Bassi, acquainted the students and teachers with symptoms, preventive and remedial measures of dengue, thereby encouraging the students to spread awareness about the disease among the masses.

Prominent citizens, including Shiv Kumar, SDM, Dera Bassi, Bhupinder Saini, president, Municipal Council, and Neelam Bhardwaj, CMO, Mohali, were present on the occasion. The rally ended with the participants taking a vow to keep their surroundings clean and prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.
Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16

The week-long deadlock between the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and traders over the closure of two parking lots  Empire Store and Sahib Singh parking  in Sector 17 finally ended tonight when the MC gave in to the pressure mounted by the traders, councillors and opposition parties and opened these two lots.

With the opening of these two lots, members of the Congress and former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Harmohan Dhawan cancelled their hunger strike.

After several rounds of meetings between traders, Mayor Arun Sood, MC Commissioner B Purushartha, city BJP president Sanjay Tandon, the Joint Action Committee and the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal, the decision to open the parking lots with several riders was taken at 8 pm.

The traders thanked Mayor Arun Sood and city BJP president Sanjay Tandon for opening the parking lots and garlanded them. According to an agreement signed between members of the Traders Association, Sector 17, and MC Commissioner B Purushartha, the traders and their staff will park their vehicles at the new multilevel parking. Customers will be allowed to park their vehicles in these two lots, which will open only after 11.30 am.

Besides, it was also decided that the MC will close these two lots once 50 per cent work on a proposal for the rejuvenation of Sector 17 is completed.

Success has many fathers: Tandon

Success has many fathers while failure is an orphan. Everybody knows who worked hard to end the deadlock. I am thankful to the traders, party men, UT officials and the MC for deciding on the issue amicably.  Sanjay Tandon, City BJP Chief

As the traders appreciated the presentation of the MC to rejuvenate Sector 17, the civic body agreed to their demand for opening the parking lots.  Arun Sood, Mayor

We were fighting for the customers right. We are happy that we have succeeded in our fight. Alls well that ends well.  Neeraj Bajaj, President, Business Promotion Council, Sector 17

The decision to open the parking lots is a victory of the public, traders and democracy. The Congress will continue to fight against the dictatorial attitude of the Mayor. If the BJP tries to work against the public, the Congress will strongly oppose it.  Pardeep Chhabra, City Cong Chief

The decision is a victory of the traders unity and defeat of two individuals. I will continue to fight for the public and traders.  Harmohan Dhawan, former union minister and senior bjp leader

The decision once again proves that nobody is above the public. The Congress stood with the traders and will continue to fight for their rights.  Mukesh Bassi, Congress Councillor

The credit for opening these two lots goes to BJPs Chandigarh in-charge Prabhat Jha, eight BJP-SAD councillors and traders, who opposed the MCs decision to close the parking lots.  Davesh Moudgil, Senior Deputy Mayor
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 17

On the call given by THE State Sector Bank Employees Association (SSBEA) and All-India Bank Employees' Association held a protest in front of the State Bank of Patiala, Head Office, Patiala, and the zonal offices of the bank.

The employees were protesting against the adoption of resolution by THE Boards of all Associate Banks ie State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Travancore and State Bank of Mysore to merge with the State Bank of India by way of acquisition.

Demonstration will also be held tomorrow followed by one-day strike on May 20. Thereafter series of strike will be held on June 7 and July 28. On July 29, the strike has been declared by United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) against the banking reforms. Lalit Mohan Chadda, organising secretary, All-India SBOP Employees' Federation said, "The associate banks are performing better than SBI in many parameters and serving the needs of the people."
Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 16

Amid indications of growing turbulence in the Haryana Congress, 12 legislators have sought time from the party leadership to discuss what they describe as the negative attitude of state chief Ashok Tanwar.

The 12 MLAs, including seniors such as Kuldeep Sharma, Karan Dalal and Geeta Bhukkal, had earlier written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi for a meeting, but she was learnt to have directed them to party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

The MLAs were reportedly supposed to meet Rahul today, but the meeting was postponed because he was ill.

Last week, the MLAs, barring former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder SIngh Hooda, CLP leader Kiran Choudhry and Kaithal MLAs Randeep Surjewala, had again met Congress general secretary in charge of Haryana Shakeel Ahmad to raise concerns with him about the working of Tanwar.

A senior MLA today told The Tribune, The Haryana Congress president should not weaken the party MLAs. He should instead strengthen the party. We won the last elections against a massive tide and we deserve our space in the party.

The immediate cause of legislators concerns is Tanwars recent public statement against the induction of two former INLD MLAs  Ashok Kashyap and Bishal Lal Saini  into the Congress fold at the behest of Hooda.

The two recently joined the Congress at Hoodas Chandigarh house, provoking Tanwar to declare the induction as invalid because it had not been officially done. Tanwars objections came even as Shakeel Ahmad is learnt to have spoken to Hooda about joining of the two INLD leaders and cleared it.

The 12 MLAs, staunch Hooda loyalists, are asking the party leadership why two standards are being applied in relation to inductions into the party. Miffed, Haryana Congress leaders argue why Tanwar, who is red flagging the induction of two former INLD MLAs, is for his part openly encouraging those who worked against party nominees in the last Assembly elections.

A Congress MLA from Haryana says, Tanwar is promoting people who worked against senior leaders such as Kuldeep Sharma, Bhukkal and Jagbir Malik during the last elections. Why is he doing that? We want to raise these concerns before the high command. Also, we are repeatedly told that Tanwar has been installed by the high command. Well, we respect him, but the high command belongs equally to us and that is why we have sought time to meet Rahul Gandhi.

It has been further learnt that Jaiveer Singh, Congress Kharkhauda MLA, has written to Shakeel Ahmad complaining about Tanwar openly promoting his rival.
Srinagar, May 16

A veil-wearing girl, presented by an NGO as the one who was at the centre of Handwara protests last month, on Monday claimed that police had pressurised her to make a statement before a magistrate in which she exonerated an army man of molestation charges.

Addressing the media here, the girl demanded registration of a case against the police and anyone else found responsible for recording and circulating her video statement and for the wrongful confinement and hostile treatment from April 12 to May 12.

She made a statement, narrating what, according to her, had happened on April 12 and the subsequent developments. The media persons were discouraged from asking questions to her.

Handwara town and adjoining areas of Kupwara district of Kashmir had erupted last month after allegations that a 16-year-old girl had been molested by an army man.

In a video-recorded statement released by police later, the girl had said no soldier was involved in any molestation and had blamed a local boy for misbehaving with her.

Today, Khurram Parvez of NGO Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, organised a press conference here in which the veil-wearing girl made the allegations of pressure from the police.

The parents of the girl at the heart of the controversy were also present at the press meet.

In the morning of April 16, a policeman told me and my father that we have to give a statement as per his instructions before the court. He pressurised me to say that I was born in 1997 and also to stick to the statement in the recorded video, the girl claimed.

We were forced to sign on documents and our statements were forcibly recorded before a court, she alleged.

My statement and that of my father before the court was therefore not a voluntary statement. When I gave my statement before the court, my father was not allowed inside with me, she alleged.

The girl demanded registration of an FIR against the police for recording the video, circulating it and intimidating her and her family.

I demand an FIR be registered for a video that was recorded of me and then widely circulated in the public against my will. I and my family members were also kept in police detention against our will for one month and we were abused, intimidated and harassed by the police, she said.

About the incident that happened on April 12, the girl said that after leaving her school, I had to go to the (Handwara main) chowk as I had left my phones there at a shop named Information Hub as we were not allowed to take phones into the school.

The girl said after taking the phones, she went to a toilet located at the main chowk. Unfortunately, the toilets at my school had been shut and therefore I had no option but to visit the public toilet, she claimed.

I entered the toilet and at that point there was no one else inside. As I was exiting, an army soldier forcibly held my hand. I screamed and ran away from the bathroom area. He was in uniform and so there was no mistaking him to be a soldier, the girl alleged and demanded punishment to the soldier for his actions of sexual assault.

In the meanwhile, the girl said, a crowd gathered and she was taken to police station against her will.

The behaviour of the police personnel towards me as I arrived at the police station was of hostility. The police personnel were abusive and threatening. I narrated to three masked policemen what the Army soldier had done to me. They asked me not to tell anyone the real story as it would endanger my life and the lives of my family members, she claimed.

She alleged that when she resisted, one of them slapped her and told her to change her statement which I agreed to because of the pressure.

Later, SP (Superintendent of police Ghulam) Jeelani came after 20-25 minutes and asked what had happened? I told him what had happened and then he went out and returned with a mobile phone and recorded the statement, she alleged.

The statement that I gave on the video was what policemen had asked me to say. The SP took the video deceitfully. No one from my family was with me at that time, she claimed.

She added, I pleaded with him (the SP) to not to release the statement to media which he promised. But he made the statement public without my knowledge. How could he do so?

She charged that in order to save the Army, he put my honour at stake.

The girl claimed that she and her family were kept in police custody at different houses and their movements were controlled by the police.

We were under constant surveillance, and we were being intimidated, harassed and blackmailed by police, the girl said.  PTI
New Delhi, May 17

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Iran on May 2223 as India looks at stepping up engagement with the sanctions-free energy-rich nation.

India is looking at doubling oil imports from the Persian Gulf nation, which a few years back was its second-biggest oil supplier, as well as getting rights to develop a giant gas field.

Also on cards is a deal on developing the Chabahar port.

At the invitation of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Hassan Rouhani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Iran on May 22-23, 2016, the Ministry of External Affairs said announcing the visit.

During the visit, Modi will call on the Supreme Leader of Iran and will hold talks on a wide range of subjects of mutual interest with Rouhani.

Post-sanctions Iran has seen a flurry of diplomatic and business activity with leaders from China to Russia courting Tehran.

In the run-up to Modis visit, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had visited Tehran.

India and Iran share longstanding civilisational ties.

Iran is situated in Indias extended neighbourhood and the two countries have significant overlap in their economic and security space.

The visit of Prime Minister to Iran will seek to build on these commonalities by focussing on specific cooperation in regional connectivity and infrastructure, developing energy partnership, boosting bilateral trade, facilitating people-to-people interaction in various spheres and promoting peace and stability in the region, the MEA statement said.

The visit, it said, will provide thrust to expand bilateral cooperation and mutually benefit from new opportunities in the wake of lifting of secondary sanctions against Iran earlier this year.  PTI
Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 17

India and Pakistan today exchanged sharp words as India dismissed efforts to impose on the international community matters that India has always been open to address bilaterally.

The moot point in question is Indias proposed Geospatial Information Regulation Bill. According to the draft of the Bill, the government can impose a Rs 1 billion fine on anyone distributing a wrong map, besides sending the offender to jail.

Irked, Pakistans permanent representative in New York, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, has shot off a letter to the United Nations. Pakistan alleges Indias incorrect and legally untenable official map is in violation of Security Council resolutions as it displays the Pakistani side of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India.

We have urged the international community and the UN to fulfil their commitment to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by holding an independent and impartial plebiscite, she said.

The Pakistan Foreign Office said India intended to penalise individuals and organisations who depict J&K as a disputed territory.

India was dismissive of Pakistans actions. It said, The Bill is an entirely internal legislative matter of India since the whole of the state of J&K is an integral part of India.
Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 17

Sikh preacher Baba Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale was attacked by unidentified persons late in the evening near Barewal village. Bhupinder Singh Khasi Kalan, who was travelling with him in a Land Cruiser, was shot dead.

Dhadrianwales cavalcade was on its way to Isewal village when it was attacked. Eyewitnesses said 15 assailants, most of them baptised Sikhs, had erected a tent for chhabeel on Canal Road.

Read also: Religious preacher Dhadrianwale demands inquiry into attack on him

They stopped the cavalcade at 7.45 pm. They offered juice to the driver and asked him where Babaji was. One of them shot Bhupinder Singh in the neck as others started breaking car windows. Dhadrianwale said he ducked for cover as his driver speeded away.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Police officials said the attackers fired 50 shots. Dhadrianwales SUV was badly damaged. The tyres of our vehicles burst, we alighted and run toward the fields where some labourers gave us shelter, said Dhadrianwale. He denied he had blamed any group for the attack. I dont know who the attackers were. The police must trace them. Dhadrianwale had participated in protests against the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib.
Baghdad: A wave of bombings struck outdoor markets in Shia-dominated neighbourhoods of Baghdad on Tuesday killing at least 54 persons. IS claimed responsibility for the bombing, which took place in Baghdad's northeastern Shaab neighbourhood. It was followed by a suicide bomber who blew himself up as people gathered to help the victims of the first explosion. AP

N Korea names ex-nuclear envoy as foreign minister

Seoul: North Korea has named ex-nuclear envoy with broad experience in negotiating with rivals South Korea and the United States as its new foreign minister, according to a diplomatic letter from Pyongyang. North Korea's embassy in London informed the British government that former Vice Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has been appointed as the country's new top diplomat. AP
WASHINGTON, May 17

Hillary Clinton is under pressure to do well in Democratic nominating contests in Kentucky and Oregon on Tuesday so she can turn her attention to the general election and the mounting attacks on her being waged by Republican candidate Donald Trump.

The continued presence in the race of Bernie Sanders  who remains a long shot to upset Clinton and win the Democratic nomination  is prompting concerns among Clinton allies that he will damage her ability to take on Trump and hurt the Democrat in the fall.

But many supporters of Sanders are not worried about any ill effects of the US senator remaining in the race, arguing that Trump is such a flawed candidate that Clinton will easily dispatch with him if she faces him in the November 8 election.

"Either way we're going to get a Democratic president," Alisha Liedtke, 28, a Sanders supporter from Ellensburg, Washington.

In interviews with 14 voters who back the senator from Vermont, supporters said they are not concerned that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, might succeed US President Barack Obama because they do not believe the real estate mogul could win the general election.

They said Sanders should keep fighting until the Democratic National Convention in July, to push Clinton to the left and challenge her ties to Wall Street and support for free-trade deals.

Tough slog for Clinton

Allies of Clinton have held back from overt calls for Sanders to exit the race. Any moves by her campaign to try drive Sanders out could risk angering Democratic voters and end up backfiring.

So Clinton must continue her primary fight in Kentucky and Oregon, where analysts predict she will have a hard time winning. The Democratic race is unlikely to wrap up before California, New Jersey and several other states vote on June 7.

Oregon, with a heavily white, liberal population, politically resembles its northern neighbor Washington, which voted for Sanders. Oregon voters cast their ballots by mail, meaning voting there actually began in the last week of April.

After Sanders won both West Virginia and Indiana this month, analysts said he has a good chance of taking Kentucky. But Louisville and the western part of the state are more moderate politically, and Clinton spent Sunday and Monday campaigning there.

Sanders has insisted that he will stay in the presidential election until the Democratic convention on July 25-28, but Democratic strategist Jim Manley said Sanders should be careful he does not wind up helping Trump.

"I have no problem with Senator Sanders staying in until the end," said Manley, who supports Clinton. "If that's what he chooses to do, I just hope he plays it smart and doesn't give the Trump campaign any more ammunition than it already has to take on Hillary Clinton."

Some Democrats are concerned Trump could repeat any criticisms Sanders makes against Clinton. Clinton allies also fear that Sanders could so damage the former US secretary of state in the eyes of his supporters that they will choose not to vote in November if he is not on the ballot.

Sanders supporters played down this concern. Jeremy Schofield, 45, of Albuquerque, NM, said he would flip to Clinton if she were the nominee. He thinks the long primary process is helping, not hurting, the Democratic Party.

"I think it's important for him to continue to demonstrate that there is an awful lot of support for those policies," Schofield said of Sanders. "I'm not terribly concerned about Trump being elected."

Chanelle Hayes, 34, of Fort Mills, SC, said she wants Sanders to remain as a candidate, even if it helps Trump, whom she called a "racist" she could never support.

Hayes acknowledged that Sanders could lose the nomination and also said it was possible that a prolonged Democratic race would help Trump in the general election. But she said she backs Sanders because she thinks he is more honest than Clinton.  Reuters
China has condemned a decision by the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in a vote last week not to grant it the market economy status (MES). Beijing considers the MES its right under World Trade Organization (WTO), describing the MEPs decision as not constructive. The vote against sent an important message to China that unless it meets the obligations of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the EU will not support the MES. The resolution, which was passed last Thursday (12 May), has a non-legislative character and it was supported by 546 votes to 28. MEPs said that until Beijing fulfills the criteria, the EU must treat China in a non-standard way.

According to the non-standard methodology, Chinas costs and prices must be assessed whether they are market-based to ensure a level playing field for EU industry and defend EU jobs. The MEPs, however, say that Brussels must find a way to combine the non-standard methodology with its international obligations within the WTO, in particular with respect to Chinas WTO Accession Protocol, which defines how China should be treated after 11 December 2016. The EU Parliament now urged the Commission to come up with a proposal to deal with these imbalances and coordinate the EUs policy with that of other major stakeholders, such as G7 and G20 groups.

Many stakeholders including trade unions and business leaders have been worried about the potential consequences for jobs, EUs economic growth and the environment. Opponents of the granting of MES to China are concerned about the countrys production capacity and the resulting cut-price exports, which could have a variety of social, economic and environmental repercussions. However, China is at the same time the EUs second biggest trading partner with daily flows of more than 1 billion euros while the Chinese market is getting increasingly important for many European firms and their brands.
One way to use Lean in the shop is to look for ways to cut wasted time and movement by technicians. Photo: XPO Logistics

At King Countys Riyerson Base bus maintenance shop in Seattle, shop stock (the nuts and bolts and odds and ends that almost every maintenance job requires) was moved from the shop floor into the parts room. That seemingly small decision added a thousand miles of walking a year for techs  the distance from Seattle to Death Valley, or about 40 eight-hour working days per year for the shop as a whole.

Similarly, frequently-used gaskets and filters were 70 feet from the shop desk, while seldom-used engine mounts were only 15 feet away, according to King Countys blog at www.leaninkingcounty.com.

So recently, management started

redesigning the workspace to save time, effort, and frustration. They moved the shop stock onto the shop floor, slicing almost two-thirds off of that 1,000 miles of annual walking. And they moved the most-requested parts to the space nearest the receiving desk. Thats not only less walking, but less wait time for the technicians who need the parts to get their work done.

This is all part of the countys efforts to cut waste and improve efficiency in areas ranging from maintenance shops to the election process, through Lean tools.

Lean (and related waste-cutting and continuous improvement regimens such as Six Sigma and the hybrid Lean Six Sigma) can be intimidating because theres a lot of terminology and buzzwords, from kaizen to black belt. But they can provide valuable tools for the modern maintenance manager.

What is lean?

According to the Lean Enterprise Institute, the core idea behind Lean is to maximize customer value while minimizing waste. Simply, Lean means creating more value for customers with fewer resources.

The term was coined in the late 1980s to describe Toyotas business, which focused on the elimination of waste in all processes.

Another organizational improvement program thats often linked with Lean is Six Sigma. This was developed in the 80s by Motorola and stresses quality improvement. Both Lean and Six Sigma set forth processes and tools to find ways to put out the best product in the most efficient way possible, so youll also find programs for Lean Six Sigma that combine the two.

Lean emphasizes a philosophy where everyone in the operation is focused on continuous small improvements. Photo: Rolf Lockwood

While these programs may have gotten their start in manufacturing, they have spread to all types of businesses as well as government organizations. Finding their way into the truck maintenance shop, however, is fairly recent  although many savvy maintenance managers have been intuitively using some of these principles for years.

For instance, UPS in the early 2000s spent several months overhauling preventive maintenance of its 70,000 delivery vehicles. A team evaluated every aspect of the process, from oil changes to warranty tracking, and did intensive time and motion studies to optimize each step a technician takes while performing inspections.

Just as you use tools in the shop, the Lean methodology uses various tools to help identify and address the causes of waste. Photo: Rolf Lockwood

Lean in the shop

For Randy Obermeyer, Lean was a part of the company culture when he went to work as terminal manager for the private fleet for Batesville. He had to figure out how to apply the Lean principles used by the Indiana-based company to manufacture caskets to managing the shop.

With Lean, you could do a whole project just on one small step of the assembly process [on caskets] and trying to make that quicker and better, he explains. I finally realized you can apply the same thing to a PM, for example  how long does it take, and how long should it take? You basically try to map out all the steps it takes to do that PM and [figure out] how you can smooth those steps to take all the wasted motion out of it and reduce the time it takes.

In the end, he explains, Lean is just basically using data to help drive waste out of the business.

And as Brandon Uzarek, field engineer for Accuride Corp. says, What waste amounts to is money you can save by implementing a process and identifying where those wastes are.

For instance, he says, in a maintenance operation you might find waste in excess inventory, people waiting around for a job to do, tools not close to where they are used, rework, or doing the same job twice on the same truck because there arent good maintenance records.

One of the easy steps of Lean is to target what costs the most, why it happens, and how we can eliminate it, Uzarek says. Its a different way of thinking.

For example, when you get a flat tire, instead of simply fixing it, Lean tools help you identify the causes and ways to make tires last longer. (Uzarek is part of a TMC task force team working on a Recommended Practice on using Lean practices to manage tire and wheel programs.)

If you think about these principles in your everyday life, Obermeyer says, an example would be budgeting. When youre doing your banking and realize youre running short on funds every month, you start tracking where youre spending money and figure out where you can cut waste. The classic example you hear is someone actually adding up how much that daily Starbucks is costing and deciding to make coffee at home instead.

Making it simple

When you explain it like that, it makes sense. But Lean (and Six Sigma) involve a lot of tools and terminology that can be daunting.

A lot of people know about Lean, but they get confused on how to use those tools in this part of the industry, Obermeyer explains. By helping them understand how easy it is to use the tools, I think theyll get more willing to try to use these in their own business. I think its just overwhelming for a lot of people  its like another language, and theyre afraid to learn it.

Obermeyer is one of the people working with the American Trucking Associations Technology & Maintenance Council to try to do just that.

This years annual TMC meeting in Nashville included a session on using Lean tools in the shop.

For a long time, Lean has been strictly a manufacturing term and not something thats been done on the maintenance side of things, says Uzarak, who was involved in that session. With the support of Randy Obermeyer, weve been trying to introduce Lean tools to these individuals so they can take these tools into their shops and hopefully get results beneficial to their bottom line.

A different kind of tool

The TMC session looked at five Lean tools and walked the attendees through how they could be used in a shop.

Example of a Pareto chart, which helps you focus on the 20% of problems that are likely responsible for 80% of your costs. Graph: Wikimedia Commons

Pareto chart: A type of chart that contains both bars and a line graph. Individual values are represented in descending order by bars, and the cumulative total is represented by the line. Draw a horizontal dotted line at 80% from the y-axis to intersect the curve. Then draw a vertical dotted line from the point of intersection to the x-axis. The vertical dotted line separates the important causes (on the left) and trivial causes (on the right). This could help you understand whats causing tire failures, for instance. Under whats commonly called the Pareto rule or Pareto principle, the top 80% of your costs typically come from roughly 20% of your failures. You can focus on that 20% to get the greatest impact.

Example of a fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram, a Lean tool used to brainstorm potential causes of problems. Graph: ASO

Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram: This is a way to identify causes of problems. A team brainstorms possible causes within the categories of measurements, materials, man (personnel), methods, machines, and environment. Then one by one, you work to prove or disprove each. For instance, in the case of wiring problems, a cause under man would be a technician misdiagnosing the issue; under mechanical it might be loose connectors; methods might be poor procedures.

Run chart: Also known as a run-sequence plot, this is a graph that displays observed data in a time sequence. So you might track whether a problem is getting better or worse over time.

Check sheet: Also called a defect concentration diagram, this is a structured, prepared form for collecting and analyzing data. For instance, say youre having wiring problems. You could use a diagram of a truck and literally put checkmarks for each occurrence to figure out which connectors are giving you the most trouble.

Value stream map: This is a map where you write down your process and assign times, often using symbols, arrows, etc. to illustrate the process. For instance, when you change your oil, you might document what you do, and use the map to evaluate if each step is really necessary or if its taking more time than it should.

Another Lean tool, which wasnt part of the TMC presentation but which Obermeyer has used, is the swim lane chart. This is a type of flow chart  but it groups processes and decisions in lanes so you can see which person, group or sub-process is involved in each step. Parallel lines divide the chart into lanes.

This approach helped Obermeyer analyze processes such as the steps involved in changing a tire. You might be studying how long it takes to do this and realize that your technicians are wasting a lot of time and motion having to fetch shop tools or roll tires to a different location. So you may decide to either change where youre changing tires, or move your tools closer to where the tires are being changed.

This is all stuff people would do in their normal lives, but [Lean] defines it, gives it a process, Uzarek says. People have written books on Lean. At TMC wers trying to keep it simple. These tools are useful in everyday life; its a matter of identifying them and using them correctly.
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.
Actor Jeremy Kewley has been sentenced to 23 months prison after pleading guilty to 19 charges, including indecent acts with a child under 16, indecent assaults and making and possessing child pornography.

Kewley, who has long list of credits including Stingers, Janus, Underbelly and Blue Heelers, will also receive a three-year community corrections order and be on the sex offenders register for life.

Judge Duncan Allen described the assaults, filmed as audition scenes, as a shocking breach of trust.

The abuse between 1989 and 2011 upon boys aged 9-14, involved Kewley pressing himself against some boys, putting a hand on the groins of others and kissing some on the face. He also pulled some boys costumes tight to emphasise their genitals, while a video camera recorded everything.

The boys were told the physical contact was part of an audition for either a scene for a short film, or an advertisement. While the boys were being sexually exploited, their parents sat downstairs in Kewleys Brighton home, unaware what was happening.

The judge said he had left his child victims psychologically traumatised.

Many of your victims had an aspiration for a life in acting, he said. Their ambitions were dashed while they were boys as a result of your horrible conduct.

But he also described the offending at the lower end of the spectrum for sex-abuse offences, as the contact was non-penetrative, over clothing and fleeting. Outside the court victims families criticised the sentence.

Kewley, who also had a career as a warm-up man on shows such as The Footy Show, Young Talent Time and Marngrook Footy Show, has already served 49 days in custody.

Source: Fairfax
Foxtel Arts will screen 2015 UK reality series Guitar Star which searches the UK and Ireland for guitarists to perform at the Latitude music festival.

Guitar Star is on a mission to find extraordinary guitar talent of all ages and styles. They will jam, strum and pluck their way to victory for the chance to perform on the main stage at the UKs Latitude festival, and be crowned the Guitar Star. Guitar experts Nitin Sawhney, Helen Sanderson and Huey Morgan head up the audition rounds, where competing guitarists are tested on their ability to play in a style of their choice and demonstrate outstanding skill and ability, whether their jam is rock, classical, jazz or acoustic.

Thursdays from June 2 at 9.30pm on Foxtel Arts.
Tonight Dateline speaks to Turkish journalist Can Dundar about what he describes as an attack on freedom of speech.

He has recently been shot at, then sentenced to six years in prison for revealing state secrets.

Can Dundar is Editor in Chief of influential newspaper Cumhuriyet and a strong critic of the government.

We have a president that hates criticism, he says. He tries to give the idea that if you criticise me, you will be in jail. And the others keep their silence, thats the chilling effect.

Dateline is also able to get access to more of those fighting to speak out, including a TV executive already in prison and an outspoken former presenter facing a social media hate campaign.

Hoping Inshallah your body will be dismantled into tiny little pieces, Sedef Kabas reads in a tweet she received.

The former host and panel guest has over 200,000 twitter followers. The backlash followed a tweet she posted in 2013 about an investigation into corruption that implicated government ministers.

She was charged and faced 10 years in jail. Although acquitted, she wont be silenced.

There are hundreds of people being paid, getting salary, to write these posts, she says, believing theyre written by supporters of the presidents ruling AK Party. There is escalating crackdown on free press.

But the government denies that its targeting journalists and academics.

You can see that some are very critical of the government, some are pro-government maybe, MP Talip Kucukcan tells Geoff. I think this is the case in many countries.

So, no crackdown underway in your view? Geoff asks him. No, he replies.

President Erdogan has guided Turkey for 13 years, first as Prime Minister and now President.

Hes credited with many positive reforms including in the legal system, health and transport. Per capita income has nearly tripled. And hes vowed to protect his people from terror attacks by Islamic State and Kurdish militants.

Tayyip Erdogan is definitely not a hard man he is not hard towards the people, one of his supporters tells Dateline. He is very hard towards the guilty thats the reason these people love him.

Actor Levent Uzumcu is also loved by millions, but he says Erdogan is not among his fans. He believes he was sacked from the Istanbul City Theatre for criticising the countrys politics.

There are now almost no free media organisations that can freely produce a TV series or have control of the medium, he tells Geoff. Thats why we cant talk about anything being free in Turkey today.

So is Turkeys democracy on trial?

9.30pm tonight on SBS.
Outside Nine's Willoughby HQ with Adam Whittington's father David. pic.twitter.com/plK9kDQ0d1  Sam Buckingham-Jones (@SamEBJones) May 16, 2016

A small group of supporters for Adam Whittington, currently behind bars in Lebanon, staged a protest outside Nines Willoughby headquarters this morning.

The group is hoping Nine will assist in freeing the former Australian soldier with a deal similar to the one which secured the freedom of Tara Brown, Sally Faulkner and a 60 Minutes crew.

Adam wouldnt have got here if it wasnt for Channel Nines involvement, his father David Whittington told News Corp. As a father, Im dumbfounded at how they just walked away.

The truth will come out. Channel Nine denies any involvement, and yet they went in as a team.

There had been hopes Whittington would be freed on bail last Wednesday. His colleague Craig Michael and Lebanese fixer Mohammed Hamza also remain behind bars.

However, his lawyer Joe Karam said the process was ongoing and that the judge investigating the case was looking at new evidence.

A Facebook post quotes him as saying, I urge the various regulatory agencies to take a closer interest in Channel 9s payment to CARI and their involvement in this matter.

CARI is more than happy to assist any agency in their investigation into Channel 9.

A Nine spokeswoman said Whittington, who travelled to Lebanon on a UK passport, was being supported by British embassy officials in Lebanon and a local lawyer.

We are still engaged with our legal representatives in Lebanon as our matters are still before the courts and we are working with the authorities through that process, she said.

A Nine internal review into the saga is understood to have been delivered to CEO Hugh Marks for Board consideration.

A security guard asked protestors to keep off the driveway today.

https://twitter.com/KylieRobertson2/status/732333449160196096

https://twitter.com/KylieRobertson2/status/732333721127243776

Source: News Corp, Yahoo
China cuts its holding of US treasuries in March Updated: 2016-05-17 08:53 (Xinhua)

WASHINGTON -- China, the top buyer of US Treasury securities, cut its holding in March, the latest data from the US Treasury Department showed on Monday.

China reduced its holding of the treasuries by $7.7 billion to $1.2446 trillion in March, following an increase of $14.4 billion in February.

Japan, the second largest foreign holder of US treasuries, increased its holding by $4 billion to $1.1371 trillion in March.

In March, overall foreign holdings of US Treasury securities rose to $6.287 trillion from February' s $6.2362 trillion.
Photo by Wenbo Fan

Two University of Delaware professors in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), Kali Kniel and Kent Messer, are members of a multidisciplinary team that is dedicating itself to developing innovative, safe and sustainable ways to irrigate food crops in variable climates.

The CONSERVE team is led by Amy R. Sapkota of the University of Marylands School of Public Health, and received a $10 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), awarded over a four-year period, to support the CONSERVE Center of Excellence.

CONSERVE (for COordinating Nontraditional Sustainable watER Use in Variable ClimatEs) includes bioscientists, engineers, economists, social-behavioral scientists, law and policy experts, agricultural extension specialists, educational media developers, computer scientists, and public health experts.

CONSERVE team members from the University of Maryland College Park, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the University of Delaware, the University of Arizona and the USDA Agricultural Research Service will lead the study, determining the microbial, physical and chemical constituents of reused water to understand what is required to make the water acceptable and safe for irrigation.

The CONSERVE Center of Excellence links experts from the Mid-Atlantic and Southwest to identify the best nontraditional water sources and new water treatment technologies that farmers can safely use on food crops without compromising public health.

The center's focus will be on developing water reuse solutions to safely irrigate vegetable and fruit crops that are generally consumed raw, which therefore require the highest quality, contaminant-free water during the irrigation process.

Irrigation water

Kniels role in the project will focus on looking at the safety of non-traditional water sources for irrigation.

We hope to better define what is the right water and what makes water useable for irrigation so that growers dont have to rely on groundwater for safe irrigation water, said Kniel, professor of animal and food sciences.

Working with a team that includes Gordon Johnson, assistant professor of plant and soil sciences, Pei Chiu, professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Manan Sharma, a research microbiologist affiliated with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Kniel will look at brackish river and stream water in Delaware that growers in the state are interested in using, although these sources may not necessarily comply to the microbial water quality standards that will now be required through the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Kniel said this research will look to define and create a resource for the nation in terms of what is good microbiological quality.

We will also be able to use technologies to better utilize water thats there, surface water, to improve the use and improve the yield of the water thats available using either ozone or zerovalent iron filtration, said Kniel.

Chiu has been working on zerovalent filtration for quite some time and Kniel said that it has a lot of promise in the use of irrigation technology.

A zerovalent filtration system is a sand filter in which some of the sand is replaced with zerovalent iron (ZVI), a waste product of metal manufacturing. As water flows over the ZVI, its surface is oxidized and it can adsorb microorganisms, like viruses and bacteria.

Weve had great success showing removal of pathogenic bacteria and viruses from water using ZVI but it can also remove chemicals from water, so we think it will be a great tool for use with the CONSERVE project, said Kniel.

The research will have the potential to assist in areas that have tight regulations on what water can be used for irrigation but have been stricken with drought.

California already has very specific rules where they cant use surface water because of the risk of microbiological contamination to the crops. Growers on the East Coast do use surface water but now were hoping to make it safer, said Kniel, who added that surface water tends to be clean microbiologically except for after rain events or if animals are around.

The project will also have an education component with an open education resource being developed to house information for the public and consumers.

Well have K-12 information, information for secondary education and information for college students and college professors. There will be a variety of instructional content, including videos and animations, graphics, virtual labs, traveling labs. At the end its going to all be wrapped up into an e-book that people can read and take with them, said Kniel.

Adrienne Shearer, research associate in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences, is a large part of this project along with New Mexico State Universitys Media Productions and Learning Games Lab.

The team has plans to use a Creative Commons license and have flexible curriculum materials in order to market the materials to educators. Matthieu Plourde and Paul Hyde, from Academic Technology Services at UD, are providing their expertise to this part of the project.

We will hold teachers workshops to train and provide all this information in hopes of spreading the word to change behavior and thinking about agricultural water sources, said Kniel.

Understanding the consumer

Messer, Unidel Howard Cosgrove Chair for the Environment in the Department of Applied Economics and Statistics and director of the Center for Experimental and Applied Economics, said he is excited to work on the project because it is at the nexus of agriculture and the environment.

If we look at the next generation of food production, we need to understand where we can get the irrigation water from and how we do that in a sustainable way since food production inevitably involves water, he said. If we can find non-traditional ways  either through re-use water or brackish water  and do it in a safe way, that has a real opportunity to benefit consumers, farmers and the environment.

Increasingly, Messer said it has become apparent that science and technology can be brought into agriculture but if in the end the consumer is uncomfortable, that can stop a project entirely, no matter how promising it may be.

Early in the development stages, one needs to understand consumers and their likely response to these new technologies. That is where UDs Center for Experimental and Applied Economics comes in, said Messer. We study consumer behavior. We especially focus on circumstances where the best available science says a product is safe, but consumers remain wary.

Messer notes that to a certain extent, being wary of something new makes a great deal of sense from an evolutionary perspective. However, as we look towards new ways to sustainable use water for food production this aversion to new processes could be a significant obstacle.

Messer said it is hard to forecast what the consumer response will be to non-traditional sources of water for irrigation and his team will work with Cooperative Extension to evaluate how best they can communicate the results of food safety tests on this food.

Some food produced with some water sources might raise concerns amongst some consumers. For example, reused water thats been part of the sewer system at one point  even if its clean now  can raise a sense of disgust in consumers. Thus, we want to understand to what degree will consumers get concerned about recycled water being used in their food production? Does the response vary by the type of water or the type of product? For some products, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, we may need to ensure that the water is both physically and psychologically clean before consumers will accept this food, said Messer.

As damaging droughts occur, such as the current one in California, people may become more sensitive to their foods water footprint and begin seeking out food that uses less fresh water. In fact, in California there have been water shaming efforts to encourage people to avoid eating high water foods, such as almonds. Messer is interested to see if there is an opportunity to market products to alleviate these concerns about excessive water use.

Recently, at UDs Ag Day, Messer and his team evaluated whether consumers would actually pay more for food produced with recycled water. They evaluated the consumer response to strawberries, blueberries, spinach, and broccoli produced with and without recycled water.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the ability to reuse water, regardless of whether the intent is to augment water supplies or manage nutrients in treated effluent, has positive benefits that are also the key motivators for implementing reuse programs. These benefits include improved agricultural production; reduced energy consumption associated with production, treatment and distribution of water; and significant environmental benefits, such as reduced nutrient loads to receiving waters due to reuse of the treated wastewater.



Through the CONSERVE project, we have the opportunity to say, Heres some water friendly products. Would you be willing to pay more for them? If the answer is yes, then this might be a win for the consumers, the farmers, and the environment, said Messer.
Allison Karpyn, associate director of the Center for Education Research and Social Policy (CRESP) and associate professor of education and behavioral health and nutrition, is the most recent University of Delaware faculty member to be named a Fulbright Scholar.

Karpyn will spend time during the next two years traveling between the islands of Eleuthera and New Providence in the Bahamas to analyze the issue of food insecurity at a national level. It is exciting to help a nation where food security is a challenge get needed data," she said.

During her time abroad, Karpyn will work to establish a measure of food security and will aid grassroots movements to measure the impact of their efforts.

When I saw that there was a Fulbright hoping to tie together the issues of agriculture and health, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to apply, she said.

Karpyn had been remotely volunteering to support a small nonprofit foundation in the Bahamas, One Eleuthera, for several years.

According to her, food insecurity is a particularly critical issue for island nations like the Bahamas that do not grow or produce the majority of the food that is consumed. Obesity and hunger are two sides of the same coin. In a small island nation, there is less room to grow food, and less funding for heathy food marketing," Karpyn said. Food security and the importance of local food takes on a whole new meaning.

Food security, she said, means not only just having enough to eat, but also having the right kinds of food.

Karpyn, who will be affiliated with the University of the Bahamas, hopes to be able to adopt an interdisciplinary approach, connecting the dots between environmental change, commerce, agriculture, poverty and hunger to understand the overarching state of food insecurity on the island nation.

Of her future Fulbright experience, she said, I think this may create a really nice connection between our University and the nation of the Bahamas. Students could potentially become involved in some of the work, in island agriculture and food insecurity in the Caribbean.

She also noted that the award will create a doorway for UD to be able to share expertise in a new area of the world while inviting experts there to share information with the University.

In addition to her global research efforts, Karpyn also studies corner store programs in urban areas, in-store marketing approaches in supermarkets to encourage the purchasing of healthier foods, and other related subjects.

Her most recent research has been on the benefits that low income families receive at farmers markets and efforts to develop a partnership with the Brandywine Zoo to develop "Tastimals," zoo-animal characters designed to make healthy food more appealing to children.

"My interest in healthy food started at home as a child, but really advanced thanks to the Food Trust, a non-profit in Philadelphia," said Karpyn, who served as director of research and evaluation at the agency for over 11 years. "Their work really advanced my understanding of how to connect programs and research."

Karpyn is now an official member of the UD Fulbright Society, honoring members of the University community who have won the illustrious Fulbright award. Other inaugural members in 2016 include four undergraduate and graduate students who received Fulbrights this year.

About the Fulbright Initiative at the University of Delaware

The Fulbright Program annually provides 8,000 grants for research or teaching in one of over 140 countries throughout the world. Established by U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright in 1946, the program seeks to foster international partnership and cultural exchange by funding research and teaching opportunities worldwide.

More than 150 members of the University of Delaware community have received Fulbright Awards.

In addition, the University welcomes Fulbrighters from around the world for research and graduate study, with students hailing from Afghanistan, Colombia, Egypt, Iraq, Mexico, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey.

This summer, the University will welcome students from around the world for a week-long Fulbright Gateway Orientation administered by the Institute for Global Studies (IGS).

For more details on Fulbright at the University of Delaware, visit the IGS website or contact Lisa Chieffo, associate director for study abroad and UDs Fulbright Program adviser.
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz toured several laboratories at the University of Delaware during UD's first National Lab Day, applauded the state's support for innovative science, and suggested many opportunities for expanded collaboration with the Department of Energy's 17 national research laboratories.

His visit on May 13 drew more than 200 participants to Clayton Hall, including directors and top leadership from 10 of the nation's 17 national labs and scores of scientists, students and faculty members from area universities and colleges, and industry representatives.

Incoming UD President Dennis Assanis, who takes the reins on June 6, steered a keynote chat with Moniz and U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). A scientist and engineer by training, Assanis now is provost at Stony Brook University, which is a partner with the nearby Brookhaven National Laboratory.

With refreshing directness, Assanis addressed what he said was the "elephant in the room."

"Why is the University of Delaware and the state of Delaware hosting a National Lab Day when we don't even have a national lab?" Assanis asked Moniz.

The question comes at a most opportune time, it seems, and Moniz pointed out that the United States was among 20 Mission Innovation signatories at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, committing to doubling its budget for research and development of clean energy over the next five years from $6.4 billion in 2016 to $12.8 billion in 2021.

The Department of Energy is pursuing that initiative aggressively, with a proposal to build regional partnerships as a catalyst for public and private innovation.

"How regions are defined is still a little bit fluid," Moniz said with a smile. "It will be fewer than 50. We propose up to 10."

The argument for these new arrangements has broad appeal, he said, offering greater leverage for regional groups to address problems in ways that best fit them.

"Different regions have different skill sets, different interests, different needs, different opportunities," he said. "This area is particularly strong in catalysis and advanced chemistry. As we commit to a low-carbon future, a low-greenhouse-gas future, the solutions will look very different in different parts of our country. We believe it would be good policy  even though control freaks are not supposed to talk like this  to have some of that budget managed by regional nonprofits who will set an agenda determined by what they see as important."

"I love Secretary Moniz's concept of regional innovation," Assanis said. "And though Delaware is small, we always think big. I want to start using the concept of the 'Greater Delaware' area that includes Philadelphia and parts of Pennsylvania, south New Jersey, northern Maryland, a little of New York."

However such hubs are configured, Coons said they will succeed only if they have real investment by the private sector, real partnership with state government, and compelling areas of excellence to attract researchers "in the service of solving critical national problems," including non-proliferation, national security, fighting climate change or resolving health challenges.

"To the extent UD continues to do compelling, cutting-edge, basic and applied research and to the extent those overlap well with areas of interests and potential expansion by the national labs  that's the catalysis needed," said Coons, who has a background in chemistry. "I can help provide some of the reagents, in combination hopefully  with a polymer."

The human factor is critical, too, said Moniz, who was a nuclear physicist at MIT before he was nominated to President Barack Obama's cabinet in 2013.

"The real basis of getting collaboration is the human resource  faculty, and even more so the postdocs and students," Moniz said. "The more there is that strong excellent human resource and the opportunity to also have postdocs and students involved in the laboratory, that is a big plus for us and I think for the university."

Moniz and the national lab leadership saw a significant state consensus Friday, with Gov. Jack Markell, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Coons all in attendance.

"I don't know how this went from being a bipartisan issue to one that is now so political and partisan, but when you have an opportunity to simultaneously improve the economy and clean up the environment, all of us should be all over it," Markell said.

Coons said Delaware has demonstrated that investment in greenhouse-gas emissions can foster economic growth, and he sees many opportunities for research collaboration with industry partners here, including Dow, DuPont, Gore, Bloom and Ashland, to name a few.

"It is impressive to see state, government and educational leadership able to realize the importance of clean energy, articulate a vision and implement it," said Bobi Garrett, deputy director at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.

UDs energy leadership

Several speakers noted the University's leadership in energy research, with the Institute of Energy Conversion and its pioneering focus on solar energy, the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation, which focuses on developing catalysts as one of DOE's Energy Frontier Research Centers, and its pioneering role in vehicle-to-grid concepts.

UD also offers cutting-edge capacity in its new Nanofabrication Facility and the Delaware Biotechnology Institute.

Moniz said he was reminded  as he arrived at the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Railroad Station in Wilmington  that the vice president's "cancer moonshot" initiative will benefit greatly from high-performance computing and the big-data solutions that are in the department's wheelhouse.

"That is potentially one of the most novel answers to the cancer problem," he said.

"This is music to the ears of everyone in the room," Assanis said.

Collaborative efforts will be key to addressing growing challenges such as Alzheimer's disease, which is projected to cost the federal government $1 trillion by 2050, Coons said.

"That's the entire discretionary budget of the United States," he said.

Investing now in research will pay dividends on that and many other fronts.

"That's how America has solved problems in the past  by leading in research," Coons said.

DOEs mission

The department's mission extends far beyond energy policy to include protection of national security and the environment. Those challenges require extensive research and science-based solutions, which is why DOE is the nation's largest supporter of research in the physical sciences and why its laboratories have some of the most powerful instruments and technology in the world.

The 17 national laboratories include Ames (Iowa), Argonne (Illinois), Brookhaven (New York), Fermi Accelerator (Illinois), Idaho, Lawrence Berkeley (California), Lawrence Livermore (California), Los Alamos (New Mexico), National Energy Technology (West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Oregon), National Renewable Energy (Colorado), Oak Ridge (Tennessee), Pacific Northwest (Washington), Princeton (New Jersey), Plasma Physics, Sandia (California, New Mexico), Savannah River (South Carolina), SLAC National Accelerator (California), and the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Virginia).

Participants Friday heard from representatives of many of those labs, as well as industry leaders and researchers in cybersecurity, the energy grid, energy generation and storage.

Charlie Riordan, UD deputy provost for research and scholarship, urged all to make the most of the networking opportunities the day provided.

"The national lab doors have never been more open than they are today for collaboration and partnership," he said.

Gowri Sriramagiri, a doctoral candidate in engineering whose work focuses on silicon solar cells, took that advice and said the day was very useful to her.

"This was a great idea," she said. "It is useful to come face to face with those who actually fund us, and there is a lot of information here about companies that do research. Networking is always a foremost priority."

"It was nice to hear about developments in energy," said Christopher Kitson, a mechanical engineering major from Newark who is interested in aerospace and sustainable energy. "And it was very interesting to hear the incoming president say 'Can we get a national lab?'"

Dion Vlachos, director of the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation, said it was exciting to have Moniz tour his center at the Harker Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Lab.

It was more than just a walk-through, Vlachos said.

"He was engaged, asking questions and talking to the students," Vlachos said. "He's a nuclear physicist, but he was talking more like a chemist.... I think the students loved it."

Moniz also toured the Institute for Energy Conversion, which was into this kind of research before the Department of Energy existed.

"It was a great pleasure and honor to have him there," said William Shafarman, senior scientist at IEC. "We picked three labs to show him examples of what we do. He was clearly interested in talking to the students. It was exciting to have Assanis there, too. He was very positive, a can-do attitude. And Sen. Coons has been there before. We know him well. He has been a great supporter."

In addition to the University of Delaware, the event was sponsored by DuPont, Dow, Gore, the Optical Science Center for Applied Research at Delaware State University, Bloom Energy, and the American Chemical Society, Delaware Section.
Photo by David Barczak

Experts from across the United States gathered at the University of Delaware on Friday, May 13, to participate in National Lab Day.

The event included a series of panel discussions related to the overall theme Clean Energy: Challenges and Opportunities on topics including security, power generation, grid modernization and storage.

Following are reports from the panels:

Cyber and grid security

Electrification is the greatest engineering achievement of the 20th century, according to the National Academy of Engineering, said moderator Charlie Boncelet, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UD.

But ensuring a steady supply of electricity  safe from cyberattack  already is a big worry for the 21st century. Its no longer a matter of if, but when, cyberattackers will target Americas power grid, U.S. officials have said.

Its already happened to Ukraine. On Dec. 23, 2015, cyberattackers took down that nations grid, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of customers.

This sessions panelists highlighted challenges they face in todays cyber war, from the type of cybersecurity specialists needed, to new tools for fighting the battle.

Idaho National Laboratory (INL), which plays a key role in developing and testing U.S. grid security technology, is looking to universities for cyber specialists with electrical and computer engineering degrees, who also have a multidisciplinary focus, according to Rob Hovsapian, a research scientist and group leader there.

INL has several existing strategic university partnerships, and is in discussions with UD, which has been designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education. INL offers a 12-month doctoral program that gives students the opportunity to work on their doctoral research right in their labs.

The days of one lab or university on its own are gone, Hovsapian said, emphasizing that cybersecurity requires collaboration among national labs, universities and industry.

According to John McDonald, business development leader at GE Grid Solutions, the automated control systems for the energy industry, known as supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, were built without much thought about cybersecurity  until the attacks of 9/11.

That was a wake-up call, said McDonald, who has 42 years of experience in the electric utility industry. Since then, emphasis has been on every aspect of the system.

Prior to the mid-1990s, these SCADA systems were driven by serial communication with proprietary protocols, meaning that a systems vulnerability was only point to point, and a breaker couldnt be tripped to bring it down. Much more network communication is used today, however, so if someone can get into the network, they can access much more of the system.

McDonald said there are a lot of architectural tradeoffs in implementing cyber functionality, and consideration needs to be given to price-performance tradeoffs.

You have to put the business hat on, as well as the technical hat, he said.

In the future, managing the grid will actually mean managing a series of microgrids. The future grid also will be much more volatile as renewables grow, he said, describing a coastal California community with solar panels on rooftops that all went instantly from zero to 100 percent production, as a layer of marine fog burned off.

Alex Kent, senior research scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, said, We have a long way to go in traditional cybersecurity, and keyed on the three Ds to illustrate his point.

We can deny the adversary by building protections such as firewalls. We have a leg up there and can constrain the cyber components to do what we want, he said.

As for deter, anyone with a computer can be a hacker and the Internet has no boundaries. While people are put in jail for hacking in the U.S., thats not the case in many other countries.

Detect is the last piece. For all we do, people get into our systems, Kent said. I dont believe there is any system on the planet without some level of malicious activity.

New tools are coming online, though, to fight the cyber battle. PathScan, developed at Los Alamos, and now being commercialized with EY, builds statistical models to characterize the normal traffic flow between communicating computers. If the observed flows are unexpected in the context of the statistical models, it may mean a cyber attacker is moving through the network.

Energy generation

John Trout, research and development manager for DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions, opened the panel discussion by pointing to three drivers for solar energy: societal needs, government incentives and return for investors, and market needs. DuPonts PV program comprises basic science, lab testing, and an extensive field program for evaluation.

According to Trout, solar technology is witnessing tremendous growth, with 50 gigawatts  enough to power 8 million homes  installed in 2015 alone. Prices are decreasing while new architectures and other innovations are entering the market.

The main challenge for industry, Trout said, is continuing to bring costs down without sacrificing long-term quality and reliability.

Bobi Garrett, deputy director of lab operations at NREL, said that the use of all renewables is growing, with 130 gigawatts installed globally in 2015 at a cost of $286 billion.

However, these technologies dont all stand on their own without incentives, she said. We need them to achieve grid parity.

Important research efforts in solar include next-generation materials, improved reliability, and the establishment of standards and science-based methods to determine what drives degradation.

Wind technology has witnessed dramatic cost reductions over decades of research, and national labs played an important role in creating the first design codes and providing test facilities.

One innovation currently being explored is on-site manufacturing of turbines to eliminate the issues associated with transporting large blades to wind farms.

Bloom Energy vice president Arne Ballantine said that the future lies in distributed and personal power that is highly customizable, flexible, and adaptable to customer needs.

His companys modular and scalable fuel-cell technology works like a microgrid for facilities like eBays Pay Pal data center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Concepts in the new energy paradigm include mission-critical reliability, resiliency to threats, sustainability, and low-cost predictability.

Bob Lieberman, president of the Society for Optics and Electronics, concluded the panel discussion by reminding everyone that fossil fuels still account for about 80 percent of the market.

Fossil fuels are going to be with us for a while, he said. Its important to develop new technologies, but in the meantime theres a lot we can do to maximize efficiency and minimize effects on the environment.

Optical monitoring techniques can improve performance at every step along the fossil fuel chain, he said, including exploration, asset development, production, transmission, processing, storage, combustion, emission and sequestration.

The panel was moderated by Dion Vlachos, Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor and director of the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation at UD.

Modernizing the grid

Cory Budischak, chair of Delaware Technical Community Colleges energy technology program in New Castle County, moderated a discussion on the modernization of Americas power grid.

An electrical grid is an interconnected network for delivering electricity from suppliers to consumers and includes generating stations, transmission lines and distribution lines that connect individual customers.

Panel participants included Andrew Levitt, senior market strategist, PJM Interconnection; Tom King Jr., director of the sustainable electricity program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Marianne Walck, vice president, Sandia National Laboratory; and Chris Gould, senior vice president, corporate strategy and chief innovation and sustainability officer, Exelon.

Budischak said the grid represents places where significant challenges and opportunities regarding clean energy production exist.

The rapid expansion of renewable electricity generation and electric cars, and the shift from large centralized power plants to decentralized ones will really be the thing of the future, Budischak said.

Levitt noted that grid is about 100 years old, and has really seen some dramatic changes in the past decade that indicate progress toward the evolution of clean energy generation.

Weve seen hundreds of billions of dollars invested in pollution controls for power plants, tens of billions of dollars in new record efficiency gas-powered electrical generating plants, and the same invested in new solar and wind power plants, Levitt said. The result of all of this is that we have seen an astonishing decline in the emission of pollutants, including carbon emission rates that have declined more than 13 percent in the last 10 years.

The existing national power system has served us well, King said, but the 21st century needs a grid to match needs and expectations.

The important drivers are emerging threats, whether its Mother Nature or security issues, including cybersecurity,  King said. The other driver is clean energy generation.

Resilience in the wake of physical and cyber threats is a key component in taking the grid to the next level through modernization, Walck said.

We also have these clean energy goals, Walck said. Hawaii is calling for 100 percent renewable energy by 2035, and California, with a goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030.

Gould noted that the evolution of smaller, interconnected power distribution systems highlight a fundamental transformation in the energy system.

The customer is at the center of this transformation, Gould said. We need to take a customer-centric perspective on these trends, and to look at what is driving them.

Gould added that utilities must evolve to create a platform to realize customer expectations through physical, social media and digital means and the development of new business models.

Energy storage

Finding ways to store energy is a critical challenge in the nation's effort to build a sustainable energy environment.

A panel moderated by Noureddine Melikechi, vice president for research, innovation and economic development at Delaware State University and founding director of its Optical Science Center for Applied Research (OSCAR), spoke to advances in the science as well as continuing challenges.

Yushan Yan, associate dean for research and entrepreneurship and Distinguished Professor of Engineering in the University of Delaware's Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, talked about his research group's work on fuel cells and the need to reduce costs and improve durability to meet consumer expectations.

Toyota has a hydrogen-powered vehicle now  the Mirai  that refuels in three minutes and has a 400-mile range, he said. But it goes for about $57,000, is available only in California and there are few recharging stations.

His lab is working on ways to bring down costs and build efficiencies. And the challenge of storage exists in every energy environment.

"Even the traditional grid needs storage," Yan said. "It was built many, many years ago. You design to the highest capacity, based on peak demand. The demand was lower then, now consumption is going up and we have started seeing the limit of our grid. Do we rebuild the grid or put storage into the system?"

Horst Simon, deputy director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, said access to alternative energy remains a significant limitation. He said he test drove a hydrogen car for a few months, but found only three refueling stations in the San Francisco Bay area.

Simon also said standards are needed for testing and comparing the technologies.

Transportation may look much different in the future, he said. Instead of buying a car, you might buy a service. That could change a lot of dynamics.

Matt Weed, director of research and development for Open Photonics of Orlando, Florida, spoke about his work in "disruptive technology" and science policy advocacy, and especially his efforts to help those who develop effective new technologies connect with those who need them  getting past what is known as the "valley of death," where promising ideas die for lack of an outlet that can bring it scale.

Asked about the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells, Yan said they are 50-60 percent efficient now, higher than the average gasoline engine.

But efficiency is not the only number to consider, he said. Another benefit is the great reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

"With that environmental benefit, it makes sense to use hydrogen," he said.

He said battery-powered cars remain in an unsettled competition with fuel cells.

Fuel cells require no significant change in human behavior, Yan said, which reduces many customers' resistance to alternative energy sources. Refueling in three minutes' time is greatly preferable to a three- or four-hour charge.

But, he said, there are many challenges remaining on both sides. And he said there is too much uncertainty and too many assumptions to give the economic nod yet to hydrogen, battery or fossil-fueled vehicles.

"There is work in those areas," he said, "but at this point it is in flux."

Simon said everyone should know that the most energy efficient car is the old car you own.

"The energy it takes to build a new car is such a big consumption, expending more energy than you can save by any other measure," he said. "So drive your old car."

Although, Yan noted, the annual emissions check eventually will cause problems.
When the Emperor was Divine, a book by Julie Otsuka, has been selected as the University of Delawares 2016 First Year Common Reader program.

Through the program, selected works are read by UD first year students before arriving on campus for the fall semester in conjunction with other events.

The winner of the Asian American Literary Award and the American Library Association Alex Award, When the Emperor was Divine (Anchor, 2003), recounts a Japanese American familys experiences in an interment camp during World War II.

Their journey from free citizens of the community to virtual prisoners in the dusty Utah desert camp began in 1942, on a sunny day in Berkeley, California. After seeing a sign in a post office window, a woman returned to her house and matter-of-factly began to pack her familys possessions.

Like thousands of other Japanese Americans, they had been reclassified, virtually overnight, as enemy aliens and were being uprooted from their homes.

The book is described as a work of enormous power that makes a shameful episode of American history as immediate as todays headlines.

Otsuka also is the author of The Buddha in the Attic, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award and Frances Prix Femina Etranger, and was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Otsukas work has been translated into more than 20 languages and has sold over 600,000 copies. Her short story Diem Perdidi was included in 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories.

A recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship and and Arts and Letters Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Otsuka lives in New York City.

About the First Year Common Reader

The First Year Common Reader is a unique opportunity for students to engage in a meaningful conversation with fellow students and to begin to share in the intellectual life of the entire UD community.

The book is read before arriving on campus with speakers, films and other cultural events organized around the theme of the book throughout the first semester.

Previous common readers have included Equal Justice, by Bryan Stevenson; Thank You for Your Service, by David Finkel; My Beloved World, by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor; Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity, by Katherine Boo; and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot.

For more information on the Common Reader, visit the website.
Photo by Casey Impagliazzo

The University Student Centers (USC) hosted the 14th annual YoUDee Leadership Awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 11, in the Trabant University Centers Multipurpose Room in recognition of outstanding efforts on campus.

Awards presented at this years ceremony celebrated exemplary University of Delaware student leaders, groups and events, as well as a variety of achievements through the Bernie Coslar Award for Service and the Grossman Memorial Award for dedication to campus-wide co-curricular programming.

This year, USC staff also presented their business administrator, Shirley Becker, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Becker will retire in September after more than 40 years with the University Student Centers.

The 2016 YoUDee Award recipients are as follows:

Bernie Coslar Award: Capt. Vince Shipman and Lt. Bobby Simpson of University of Delaware Police

Grossman Award: Attalie Carnavali, 91.3FM WVUD, and Craig Levergood, Student Centers Programming Advisory Board (SCPAB)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Shirley Becker

Blue Hen Leadership Program Senior Awards: Daniel Auerbach and Erin Lynch

Blue Hen Leadership Program Model the Way Awards: Georgia Di Matteo, Mackenzie Perkett and Matthew Selba

Outstanding Greek Treasurer: Stevie Lynn Angiolillo, Alpha Phi, and Geneva Russel, Panhellenic Council

Outstanding RSO Treasurer: Nicolette Kothe, Alpha Phi Omega Co-Ed Service Fraternity

Outstanding RSO Adviser: Iris Busch, German Club

Outstanding Greek Adviser: Sharon Richardson, Alpha Xi Delta

Outstanding New RSO: Sew Baby Sew

Outstanding Website by a Greek Organization: Alpha Phi

Outstanding Use of Social Media by a Greek Organization: Delta Gamma

Outstanding Website by an RSO: SCPAB

Outstanding Use of Social Media by an RSO: Canine Companions for Independence

Outstanding Use of StUDent Central: 91.3FM WVUD

Best Marketing Photo from a Greek Organization: Alpha Phi Alpha

Best Group Photo from a Greek Organization: Alpha Phi

Best Candid Photo from an RSO: Canine Companions for Independence

Best Group Photo from an RSO: Delaware Dance Fever

Outstanding USC Event Services Associate: Megan Young

Outstanding USC Event Services Technician: Joey Lopes

Outstanding USC Event Services Building Manager: Rachel Boedeker

Outstanding USC Event Services Customer Service: Erik Spence

Greek CAP Performance, National Interfraternal Council: Sigma Phi Epsilon

Greek CAP Performance, Multicultural Greek Congress: Lambda Theta Alpha

Greek CAP Performance, National Panhellenic Council: Kappa Alpha Theta

Greek CAP Performance, Special Interest Greek Council: Alpha Kappa Psi

Outstanding Greek Chapter Leader: Dante Osbourne, Lambda Chi Alpha, and Megan Aidoo, Lambda Theta Alpha

Outstanding Greek Community Leader: Kimani DeShields-Williams, Delta Sigma Theta, and Margaret Mary Rilling, Kappa Alpha Theta

Outstanding RSO Lecture Program: Multicultural Greek Congress' "All We Do is Step, Stroll, Salute and Party?! What is a Black and Multicultural Greek Organization?"

Outstanding RSO Film Program: Men's Action Network's The Mask You Live In film and discussion panel

Outstanding RSO Speaker Program: SCPAB's Humans of New York event with Brandon Stanton

Outstanding RSO Cultural Program: Delaware African Student Association's 2015 Snapshot of Africa: Africa Unveiled

Outstanding RSO Social Justice Program: Harrington Theatre Arts Company's The Wild Party

Outstanding RSO Large Scale Concert: Cultural Programming Advisory Board's Spring Concert 2015

Outstanding RSO Small Scale Concert: Gospel Choir's Cafe Soul

Outstanding RSO Collaborative Program: MelUDees' DelAc A Cappella Festival

Outstanding RSO Political Program: Haven's Brian Sims event

UDance Award for Outstanding RSO Philanthropy Program: Alpha Phi Omega's Coffeehouse for Cool Kids

Outstanding Greek Educational Program: Alpha Gamma Rho's Farmland Screening and Panel Discussion

Outstanding Greek Philanthropy Program: Alpha Phi's Red Dress Gala

Outstanding Greek Social Justice Program: Delta Sigma Theta's Understanding the Unfamiliar: Refugee Resettlement

Outstanding RSO Achievement: Alpha Phi Omega

Outstanding RSO GPA Leader: Vinayak Rajendran, Assistive Medical Technologies

Outstanding RSO Leader: Emma Zuckerman, Synergy Fashion Group

Outstanding RSO Delawarean Leader: Seraphina Cromwell, Delaware African Student Association

More photos from the event can be found on the Student Events Facebook page.
The illegal armed groups continue to violate ceasefire in ATO area: 18 attacks were launched on ATO troops in eastern Ukraine in last day.

This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center.

"The situation in Donetsk suburbs remains tense. This night, the militants used grenade launchers and small arms to shell Ukrainian troops near Avdiyivka [18km north of Donetsk]. Our strongholds outside Marinka [35 km south-west of Donetsk] came under small arms fire," the report reads.

The Headquarters noted that the terrorists also used 120mm mortars to shell ATO troops near Novotroitske (32km south of Donetsk). The Ukrainian servicemen came under small arms and grenade launchers fire in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) as well.

In addition, the militants used small arms and heavy machine guns to fire at the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Trokhizbenka (33km north-west of Luhansk).

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Over the past 24 hours three rebels were injured and one was killed in action, Spokesman of the Administration of the President of Ukraine on the ATO Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk told journalists at a briefing, Ukrinform reports.

"The enemys casualties over the latest 24 hours period, one rebel was injured in action from the so-called 9th marines separate assault motorized rifle regiment, as well as one killed in action and two injured rebels from the so-called 100th separate motorized rifle brigade who were blown up by their own landmines outside the village of Maryinka," Motuzyanyk said. tl
No Ukrainian servicemen were killed, but five soldiers were wounded in ATO area in eastern Ukraine over the past day.

Spokesman for the Presidential Administration on the anti-terrorist operation, Colonel Oleksandr Motuzianyk, said this at a briefing in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"No Ukrainian servicemen were killed, but five soldiers were wounded as a result of the armed hostilities in ATO area," Motuzianyk said.

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Illegal armed groups present in eastern Ukraine have violated the ceasefire more than 6,000 times this year and shelled positions held by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

This was announced by Major General Bohdan Bondar, the Chief of the General Command Center - the Deputy Chief of the Joint Operational Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at a briefing on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Throughout 2016, the illegal armed groups of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk Regions have violated the ceasefire 6,179 times," Bondar said.

He also added that illegal armed groups had used banned weapons more than a thousand times.

"They used weapons, which should be removed at a certain distance in accordance with the Minsk agreements, on 1,377 occasions," Bondar added.

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China's new economy off to a good start Updated: 2016-05-17 10:34 (Xinhua)

BEIJING -- Recent figures have shown that the Chinese economy has generally seen stable growth with deepening supply-side structural reforms, an official from the National Bureau of Statistics said in an article published Monday in People's Daily.

Meanwhile, measures have been taken to expand total demand in the first four months of this year, contributing to economic indicators within expectations, Guo Tongxin said.

First, the consumption and the services sector have served as the main engine for economic growth, said Guo.

"The April data is further evidence that the national economy since the start of this year has grown mainly on domestic demand led by consumption, and that industrial growth is mainly supported by the services sector," Guo said.

That is a positive development of structural adjustments to the economy and industrial upgrading, he said, highlighting progress in such sectors as IT, environment, housing, tourism, culture, health and sports.

Final consumption has contributed a staggering 84.7 percent to economic growth in the first quarter of this year, up 22 percentage points from the same period last year, he said.

The value added of the services sector expanded 7.6 percent in the first quarter, 1.8 percentage points faster than the secondary sector, accounting for 56.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), or 19.4 percentage points higher than the secondary sector. Its contribution to economic growth reached 63.5 percent, 29.3 percentage points higher than the secondary sector, according to the expert.

Second, streamlining government administration and the recent introduction of a value-added tax has stimulated market vitality, contributing to early signs of positive results from supply-side structural reforms, Guo said.

Newly registered firms exceeded 1.57 million from January to April, up 27.5 percent from the same period last year, with about 80 percent of them in the services sector.

In addition, tax reductions since last year has lessened the tax burden on Chinese firms by more than 400 billion yuan, while the introduction of the value-added tax on May 1 is expected to cut another 500 billion yuan in tax this year.

Innovation is also playing a key role in China's new economy. New patent licensing has grown another 63 percent in the first four months of this year, following a 61.9 percent growth in 2015. Online retail sales have grown 25.6 percent, 15.3 percentage points faster than that of total retail sales of consumer goods.

On macroeconomic policies, Guo said the stability of macroeconomic policies despite downward pressure on the economy has ensured economic growth within a reasonable range. Higher fiscal expenditure coupled with tax reduction shows a more proactive fiscal policy, with government investment flowing more to public services and products, resources and environmental protection and new industries, he said.

Monetary policies have been moderate with M2 growth cooling down in April, he added, noting that in general, the growth of total money and credit supply and total social financing remains stable and normal.

Meanwhile, unemployment remains generally stable, the expert said.

Although unemployment has risen in some regions due to the economic slowdown and a reduction in excess capacity, the growth of the services sector and entrepreneurship has kept the unemployment rate stable, he said.

Rural-to-urban migrant workers reached nearly 168 million, up 2.9 percent from the same period last year, while the registered unemployment rate saw a slight decline at 4.04 percent by March, he said.

Finally, Guo said the 13th Five-Year Plan approved in March has played an important role in stabilizing and lifting market expectations. The Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) has entered an expansionary period in March and April for the first time since August, while the Producer Price Index (PPI) saw the first rise in years in March, a strong indicator of rising market confidence by firm managers.

The expert also cautioned that downward pressure would persist for the Chinese economy, given that the rise of the new economy cannot yet cover the decline in traditional sectors.

He suggested focusing on fixing structural supply-side problems in the economy, rather than seek short-term gains and losses.
Energy and Coal Industry Minister of Ukraine Ihor Nasalyk has supported the proposal of the United States to cooperate in preparation for 2016/2017 heating season.

This was discussed during the official meeting with William Bryan, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy, the government portal reports.

"According to opinion polls, electricity and heat provision is the most important issue for the citizens," Nasalyk said.

The Minister stressed the inalterability of the energy course: "The work is aimed at carrying out deep and systemic reforms." He pledged Ukrainian compliance with the IMF recommendations as well as the commitments in the energy sector made by the state to the international community.

The U.S. side welcomed the establishment of a uniform gas price. "It is a good signal for foreign donors, for everyone who wants to see real reforms in Ukraine," Bryan said.

The parties agreed to continue fruitful cooperation in the energy sector.

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A memorandum on creating a special trust fund for restoration of eastern Ukraine is expected to be signed in June.

This was announced by Pavlo Zhebrivsky, the Chairman of the Donetsk Regional Military-Civil State Administration, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"I think it will be created in June and the funds for restoration of the infrastructure will be transferred by the year-end," Zhebrivsky said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Donetsk Regional Military-Civil State Administration said in a commentary to an Ukrinform correspondent that the trust fund for restoration of eastern Ukraine will have a separate "window" for Donbas and "financial resources will go directly to the region through the UNDP."

Zhebrivsky hopes that the fund will have approximately USD 10 billion by 2017, mainly in loans and donor funds from the international financial institutions. According to him, in this case, the funds could be spent not only on restoration of the infrastructure, but on economy development as well, in particular, on creation of industrial parks.

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Published May 17, 2016

MONROE, La.  A retirement party in honor of Dr. Terry Jones, Dr. Edward Gene Eller and Mr. Gary Ratcliff was held at the University of Louisiana Monroe on Wednesday, May 11.

All three professors retire from the university after having served for decades in higher education.

Dr. Terry Jones, a native of Winn Parish, has served ULM for 25 years as a professor in the History program. He earned his Ph.D. in history from Texas A&M University. Jones has contributed greatly to the study of Civil War History in Louisiana. In 2014, he was awarded the Dr. Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr. Award by the Civil War Round Table of Central Louisiana, and since 2011, he has had 27 articles published as part of the New York Times online Disunion series.

According to Jones, his retirement is bittersweet. Im excited about having more time to hunt, fish, and travel but I can't help but wonder if I will be losing part of my identity, said Jones. I have been known as a ULM professor for a long time and it will be a bit strange not to have that connection any longer.

Dr. Edward Gene Eller has served ULM for 25 years as a professor in the English program. He received his Ph.D. in English from Southern Illinois University. At ULM, he has taught courses in World and American literature, composition and poetry. He served as a moderator for the Honors College Quiz Bowl, director of technology for his college and program, and was recognized as the Favorite Teacher by the Baptist Student Union.

I am looking forward to change my lifestyle. My wife Susan and I started together in the country and now are going back to the woods to live the life, chickens and all, said Eller.

Mr. Gary Ratcliff has taught in the ULM Art department for 40 years. He received his bachelors degree from Greenville College and his master of fine arts from East Texas State University. His work in ceramics was featured in an exhibition hosted by Northwestern State Universitys (NSU) Department of Fine and Graphic Art in 2014. For the last 40 years, he has taught all levels of pottery at ULM and actively participated in the Monroe community as a ceramics demonstrator and workshop performer.

I will miss the students and my coworkers, but I am excited to have a chance to set up my own pottery and focus on marketing of the ware I create, said Ratcliff.

According to Dr. Sandra Lemoine, Dean of the College of Arts, Education and Sciences, the retirement of Jones, Eller and Ratcliff should be seen as a celebration of their careers.

"These scholars have contributed much to ULM, our students, and our College. We are indeed sad to see them go, but we celebrate their long careers and the lasting impact they have made on our university.
Social responsibility: Chinese and MNCs are leading the way Updated: 2016-05-17 13:48 By Lu Jianzhong and Tong Zhao(China Daily)

In the face of an economic slowdown and increased pressure on profits, it would be easy to assume China's business leaders are putting environmental sustainability and social responsibility initiatives on the back burner. Far from it.

For China's local companies, State-owned enterprises and multinational corporations (MNCs), such efforts are accelerating. Many companies are moving from ad hoc social responsibility programs to more integrated approaches, keeping up with regulations and rapidly changing public expectations.

Since 2008, the vocabulary of social responsibility and sustainability has taken root in the popular consciousness. The public response to the Sichuan earthquake and the volunteer spirit created by the Beijing Olympics gave civic engagement and philanthropy momentum. Social media has broadened the conversation, leading to more scrutiny of the contract between business and society.

However, recent events have intensified doubts about whether government and business are doing enough. In December 2015, Beijing issued the first red alert for air pollution, resulting in school closures and restrictions on traffic and outdoor work. This led many to wonder if the country's attempts to balance economic growth and environmental concerns go far enough, and if companies are doing their part to solve quality-of-life issues.

In fact, the "new normal"  the theme of President Xi Jinping's policies during his first three years in office  emphasizes that the economic pressures facing the country require a deepening focus on sustainable development. Guo Peiyuan, General Manager of SynTao, a Chinese sustainability consultant and research group, says the government's current Five-Year Plan "puts a strong focus on innovation and the green economy. As such, MNCs need to embrace the 'new normal' by adjusting their China strategies. At their core, these strategies should aim to become more involved in Chinese society using environmental and social responsibility strategies as pillars for business, establishing trustworthy relationships with Chinese stakeholders."

Increasingly, both Chinese companies and foreign businesses operating in China are being held to higher standards. Recent laws, such as the Environmental Protection Law, have brought corporate responsibility to the regulatory forefront.

Market-based mechanisms are also strengthening. For example, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has increased expectations for environmental, social and governance reporting from "recommended" to "comply or explain." This move is widely seen as a step toward a compulsory reporting requirement. As a result, sustainability is moving higher on the agenda in boardrooms and companies are looking for ways to link corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies to business objectives.

Historically, MNCs have led the way on the implementation of integrated approaches to sustainability in China. Now, as the economic boom stabilizes and profits fall, there is added pressure on them to show how they are "giving back."

In MNC boardrooms, the question is not, "Should we show our commitment?" but rather, "How well are we showing that our commitment aligns with government priorities and social needs?" This conversation is growing, but there is still room to improve. While more MNCs are publishing China-focused corporate citizenship reports, less than 8 percent are translated into Chinese.

In Chinese companies, CSR programs still tend to be seen as an add-on, rather than central to value creation. But that is changing quickly. According to the China WTO Tribune, the number of CSR reports published in China rose from one to 898 in just 10 years (2001 to 2011).

"Good reputation and a strong brand are just as important as solid financial performance," says Zheng Dongshan, senior vice-president of China General Nuclear Power. "After the Fukushima accident in Japan, the public's suspicion and resistance toward nuclear power plants was unparalleled. It was vital to improve the openness, fairness and frequency of our disclosure mechanism."

In response, Zheng's company was among the first in China to establish a nuclear and radiation disclosure platform, to ensure the public received accurate and timely information. That also reduced the risk that inaccurate public information could harm the company's reputation.

A barrage of networks and forums, sponsored by advisory organizations such as Golden Bee and Collective Responsibility, have emerged to further increase awareness of environmental and CSR issues. Chambers of Commerce  important platforms for both multinational and Chinese companies to share information and best practices  have also put corporate responsibility high on their agenda, in response to members' needs.

In all this increased awareness, the key components of an integrated business program are beginning to emerge, linking core values, operations and a management system that addresses social needs.

Leaders in this space in China include companies such as Intel, General Electric, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, HSBC, China Mobile and Chinese appliance maker, Gree Electric. Many MNCs are now beginning to localize their CSR programs to align with China-specific issues and needs.

UK tea marketer Twinings is a good example. Young workers moving to cities created a labor shortage among China's rural tea farmers. Meanwhile, the remaining older farmers overused fertilizers and pesticides, resulting in environmental problems, soil degradation and reductions in quality.

To address this, Twinings focused on poverty alleviation efforts all along its supply chain. A key step has been training and education to highlight the relationship between nature, tea production, economic benefits and a more harmonious society. The move encourages more young people to become farmers and helps reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides. And as the tea quality improves, profits rise.

China is on the path to a more sustainable future as social responsibility becomes a pillar for the economy and the country as a whole. The government's 13th Five Year Plan outlines strategic priorities, including Made in China 2025, entrepreneurialism and the continued anti-corruption campaign. These are designed as a sophisticated and home-grown path toward sustainable growth.

Boards that can help China on that road, by demonstrating a real understanding of responsibility concerns and working with the government to implement localized programs, stand to succeed in the "new normal."

Brunswick Partner Lu Jianzhong heads the Shanghai office and leads the Business & Society practice in Asia. He advises on sustainable business strategy and corporate social responsibility. Tong Zhao is a Partner in Hong Kong and advises on corporate reputation, capital markets, M&A and crisis communications. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
Conference calls for females to be put at forefront of development Updated: 2016-05-17 17:45 By lifangchao(Contact the writer at @chinadaily.com.cn)

Conference calls for females to be put at forefront of development

By Yang Wanli

Heads of state and global leaders joined more than 5,000 advocates, experts and young people from 168 countries for the opening of Women Deliver Conference 2016 in Copenhagen, Denmark on Monday.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen and the countrys Crown Princess Mary urged action at the opening ceremony of the conference  the largest gathering on the health, rights and well-being of girls and women in over a decade.

We all share a common conviction  that girls and women are the key to building healthy, prosperous and sustainable societies and communities, said Crown Princess Mary. And the evidence is sound  when we invest in girls and women, society as a whole benefits.

The Women Deliver 2016 Conference is the first major gathering of girls and womens health and rights advocates since the adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals last year.

It is being organized by global advocacy group Women Deliver and brings together leaders from UN agencies, civil society, academia and the private sector.

The fight for equal gender opportunities is not just a womens fight or a fight for women. It is a fight for all of us  women and men. It is a fight for a better and more prosperous world, said Rasmussen.

To accelerate progress for girls and women, Women Deliver launched a new advocacy platform called Deliver for Good at the event. It aims to show how a focus on investments in girls and women can be transformative for global development.

It will drive action toward what we know is true: investing in girls and women unlocks untapped potential, and creates a ripple effect that benefits families, communities and entire nations, said Katja Iversen, CEO of Women Deliver. Now is the time to turn the conversation from if and why to how and now.

During the ongoing conference, which concludes on Thursday, attendees will discuss the latest trends, innovations and research to drive solutions for girls and women around the world. Each day of the conference will focus on ways to accelerate progress.

Girls and women have less access to resources and opportunities and are subjected to exploitation, violence and abuse. And because these global challenges are complex, demanding and interwoven  the solutions have to be connected as well, said Manisha Bharti, chief strategy officer of nonprofit human development organization FHI 360.

Its time we meaningfully engage girls and women as equal partners at all levels and stages of development to help ensure they have the decision-making power necessary to shape their societies and their own lives, she added.
Description

Should I always be Held Accountable?

Can One Life Be Taken to Save Another?

The Chai Center Offers Six Week Course to Analyze and Debate Complex

Legal and Ethical Decisions through Talmudic Discussions

Course Runs Every Tuesday, Beginning May 17, 7:30pm

First Class: Tuesday, May 17th 7:30pm

The Chai Center

501 Vanderbilt Parkway, Dix Hills, NY

RSVP 631 3518672 / mail@thechaicenter.com

COST: $25 for entire six weeks or $7.50 per class.

Dix Hills, NY  Rabbi Yackov Saacks, director of The Chai Center, is launching a new six week class, The Ruling is in Your Hands, beginning May 17 at 7:30pm, to tackle some of the most complex legal and ethical decisions to have ever been presented before Rabbinic courts. Take the position of the juror and judge, as the group analyzes, debates and discusses the intricacies of Talmudic discussion that has unfolded over the centuries.

Tuesday May 17 - Week 1: The Conjoined Twins Dilemma  Can one life be taken to save another? Siamese twins are born sharing one heart. Left alone it is impossible that they will both live, yet only one child can survive the surgery. To operate or not?

Tuesday, May 24 - Week 2: Criminal Agents  Can I be held responsible when acting on someone elses behalf? When I appoint an agent to oversee my charities, it is considered as if I have given charity. So, if I hire a hit man to eliminate my business rival, is it considered as if I have committed murder?

Tuesday, May 31 - Week 3: Fair Competition  When is it okay and when is it stealing? Competition is good for the market, as it keeps prices down and innovation up. Is there a point where competition is no longer fair, and is considered to be theft from my rivals?

Tuesday, June 7 - Week 4: Accidental Damages - Am I always held accountable?

You break  you pay! signs hang prominently in many stores. Am I really held accountable for damages that I cause by mistake?

Tuesday, June 14 - Week 5: Jail-Break  When should I take my one day out from jail? Youre given one day in the calendar to choose to spend outside jail. Do any days in the calendar take precedence over others?

Tuesday, June 21 - Week 6: Innocent Bystanders  To what extent must I go to save someone elses life? Preservation of life plays a key role in Jewish law. What exactly are my obligations towards saving the life of my fellow?

The Chai Center is one of New York's most unorthodox orthodox Synagogues- a popular center for Jews of all backgrounds and affiliations who wish to learn more about their Jewish roots. Located on 1 1/2 acres on Vanderbilt Parkway in Dix Hills, The Chai Center offers a wide variety of educational and spiritual opportunities, including Hebrew School, Preschool, Torah classes, Shabbaton dinners and an array of Jewish Holiday programs. Traditional Jewish values are brought to life in a joyous, non-judgmental atmosphere. Everyone is welcome at the Chai Center, regardless of one's level of Jewish observance.
Stanford University has been ranked as one of the top Ivy League schools in the US and has produced some notable alumni in Hollywood, technology and more.

Stanford University in California is highly regarded as one of the top Ivy League schools in the US. Its sprawling 8,000-acres college campus has produced numerous young startup millionaires and notable alumni in various fields of work, most especially in technology as most Silicon Valley hopefuls enroll there. So what makes Stanford University a cut above the rest?

Stanford University Has a Reputation of Giving Alumni an Almost Guaranteed Career After College

Stanford University is in the top 3 colleges in the US for the reason. The average SAT scores of students in the university amounts to 2215. This gives Stanford University a comfortable lead against Harvard University which also has 2260 SAT average score, Business Insider reported. As for the median starting salary, the outlet adds that students get no less than $60,000.

Furthermore, because of its strategic location, Stanford University remains to be the top choice among technology companies in Silicon Valley. Numerous big names in the tech industry once attended Stanford University, Tech Insider shared. Although some of them dropped out to pursue their careers, many of them became Stanford University notable alumni.

The outlet adds that Stanford University produced young startup millionaires as well. Some Stanford University notable alumni include Instagram founder Kevin Systrom, Lucas Duplan of Clinkle, Larry Page of Google, Marissa Mayer of Yahoo and Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel.

The value of the human experience. Stanford faculty launches the Humanities Core: https://t.co/yTCJfjcIkZ  Stanford Alumni (@StanfordAlumni) May 11, 2016



Top 5 Stanford University Notable Alumni

In addition to tech elites that Stanford University has produced, many who did not wish to pursue a career in technology were also notable in different fields, according to the Stanford Alumni Association. Some of Stanford University's notable alumni are household names including:

1. Sigourney Weaver - Actress

2. Tiger Woods - Athlete

3. Jeffrey Eugenides - Writer

4. Al Roth - Economist

5. Jennifer Azzi - Olympian
Looks like a good news for debt-ridden grads as many law schools are now offering loan assistance plans that are usually limited to grads in public sector jobs.

Given a choice between a law school with good scholarship and a school with an eminent loan assistance plan, Michael Kaercher decided to opt for the loan assistance plan provided after graduation. Kaercher, 30, graduated from Harvard Law School in 2010 and works at the IRS as an attorney adviser.

According to Kaercher if he joined a firm, he wouldn't miss the $100,000 in scholarship, however if he opted to go into the public sector and went to Harvard, he'd qualify for this program.

Although several law schools offer a loan assistance program to their graduates, it's mostly restricted to those in the public sector and has an income cap.

Harvard offers an extremely generous program based on their formula, says the fifth-year attorney who gets $8,849 in loan assistance every six months from Harvard in order to pay his $220,000 law school debt. In addition, they are not expected to work for a 501(c)(3) or anything similar to be qualified.

"You just have to not make that much money," the fifth-year attorney said.

Prospective and current law students as well as graduates should consider a law school's loan assistance program, specifically one with rising student debt among law school graduates.

Data submitted to U.S. News by 183 ranked institutions divulged that students from the class of 2015 who borrowed in order to pay for law school took out about $110,618 in loans. Over 100 law schools offer some type of loan assistance program to their graduates, according to a record accumulated by the American Bar Association.

Programs at law schools offer 2 options:

1) Low Income Protection Plan (LIPP)

2) Loan Assistance Repayment Program (LRAP)

LRAP is more common.

According to Lyssa Thaden, director of financial education at Access Group, it is obvious that top 20 schools have these programs. Access Group is a non-profit that supports affordable law school education.

Differences between a LIPP and an LRAP

Kenneth Lafler points out that LIPP works like a backend scholarship particularly because its benefits can probably be as big as many up-front merit scholarships. Lafler is assistant dean for student financial services at Harvard Law School.

LRAPs on the other hand are generally restricted to students entering public service.

LIPPs are available to borrowers on an income sliding scale that considers the size of debt as well as cost of living, according to experts. Ivy League law schools including Cornell University Law School and Yale Law School offer identical programs.

Law Schools Offering Loan Assistance

Many law schools started offering assistance program following the reaction from debt-strapped students who failed to find legal work easily. According to Thaden, this is also a way for law schools to show their commitment to the success of their students and alumni.
Dr. Rita Colwell, a renowned molecular microbiologist whose research revolve around global infectious diseases, health and water recently address the new grads of Notre Dame, sharing her story and letting them in on a secret of how they can change the world for better.

While addressing members of the Notre Dame graduate class of 2016 recently, Dr. Colwell was accompanied by students' family, friends, staff, and faculty, Dean Carlson, Provost Burish and Father Jenkins. She was participating in the 84th Graduate School commencement.

Dr. Colwell noted that despite having participated in several commencement ceremonies, she is always pleased to see the excitement, joy and pride of new graduates and their families. Noting that this marks the beginning of the next step in their careers, Dr. Colwell congratulated the graduates and their loved ones.

"This is a proud moment in all of your lives," she said.

Referring to Graduate School of the University Of Notre Dame and the students, Dr. Colwell said both have come far.

The Graduate School that started with just two Ph. D. and 14 master's degree programs when it was founded in 1932, has evolved to the impressive 26 doctoral, 11 masters as well as four professional master's programs - the one from which the students she was addressing were graduating that day.

Dr. Colwell noted that neither she nor the students are the same as they were when they entered Graduate School. Further adding that the world has changed as well, she pointed to events such as mass shootings in the U.S., typhoons, earthquakes, child abductions in Nigeria, Ebola and Zika outbreaks. Dr. Colwell said those years were difficult for the world.

However, there have been signs of hope as well - China landing on the moon, U.S. landing on Mars, renewed U.S.-Cuba relations and election of Pope Francis.



She noted that the new graduates are now stepping out into a wonderful world that needs them, but making a difference won't be an easy task as they'd face truly global challenges in their journey.

Talking about the world she emerged from, Dr. Colwell said being a graduate student back in the 60s was full of challenges, particularly because women in science were comparatively rare.

In fact, citing chemistry as an unsuitable career for women, her science teacher advised her not to opt for major in chemistry in college. But that wasn't all, Dr. Colwell said she was denied a graduate fellowship for the reason that it would be "wasted on a woman."

She kept going on despite all rejections and as a result, Dr. Colwell emerged as one of the first scientists to develop software to analyse bacteriological data and was the first to write a program that identified marine bacteria.

Dr. Colwell's success story didn't stop there.

Her computational tools that facilitate the study biology play an important role in establishing the field of bioinformatics, which is a crucial aspect of scientific research today. Back in 1998, she was appointed as director of the NSF by President Clinton.

Basically, she came a long way from the young lady who was denied her fellowship, reports Notre Dame News.

The objective behind sharing her story with the new graduates was simply to make them realize how far they can go with their passion, their Notre Dame education and the degrees they have earned.

With advancement in advances in molecular biology, mathematics, physics and fundamental chemistry human health and medicine have hugely benefited.

As a "world neighborhood" encompassing seven billion people, where most of them are underprivileged, even the poorest of the poor still maintains hope for the future.

Finally, Dr. Colwell reminded the new graduates to remember the lesson they learned at Notre Dame as one of those lesson could turn out to be the most enduring. However, this may take several years, and when they look back on their university days, Dr. Colwell said they will be surprised which lessons turned out to be most important.

She noted that the journey of learning and changing the world to become better is lifelong, and that journey requires them to be curious, studious, compassionate and also committed.

"Enjoy this day with all your heart and soul. You have earned it." Dr. Colwell concluded.

Colwell received a doctor of science honorary degree at the University of Notre Dame's 171st University Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 15.
University of Texas System is suggesting that there is hardly any undergraduate of the university who is burdened with school debt. According to university chancellor Bill McRaven, students across the UT have less than $21,000 worth of school debt, which is among the lowest figures recorded in the country.

A University of Texas System spokesperson said that the median cumulative debt for some University graduates was amounting to $20,755, which means half the number of graduates had less, while half had more. Spokesperson Jenny LaCoste-Caputo said that the figure presented by McRaven showed borrowing associated with room and board, tuition and fees, supplies, books, transportation allowance and other expenses. The numbers were based on the information gathered from the UT campuses over the years through 2012 to 2013, Politifact reported.

In addition to this, the numbers also indicate that a number of graduates are accumulating less debt, while others have more. Some students owe the institution $5,415 or less at the high-end while others owe $42,051 or more. LaCoste-Caputo believes that McRaven mentioned only the 12-year median in order to emphasize that it pays to be a UT graduate. Based on the UT System findings, the median annual income of graduates 10 following graduation is at $60,000.

Regardless of the McRaven's reason, the 12-year median presents a very broad time window. According to LaCoste-Caputo, the median debt for graduates of UT schools who applied for a loan specifically for the period 2012 to 2013 was $23,350, or 13 percent higher compared to the 12-year median, Dailymail UK reported.

However, the University of Texas' median debt numbers does not show every loan. According to LaCoste-Caputo, the median computations only consider the graduates who had been first-time students at the UT institution. Furthermore, it does not provide the figures of loans accumulated by students who transferred from other institutions like a community college.

Over the years, McRaven based the data on 43,900 bachelor's degree recipients, hence, failing to provide enough information for the 82,380 recipients who also borrowed money. The median figure that McRaven mentioned considers data for 35 percent of the student-borrowers to receive a UT degree in the period.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will require students to take minority culture class.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has had discussion over minority affair such as diversity and races on its campus. Thus, on May 2, the Campus Senate finally signed the vote to require students to attend three culture classes: one class on US culture, one class on non-US or minority culture. Before the change, students were only required to pick one among the three, as reported by Quad Cities.

The UI senate OKs on adding non-western minority culture class has been announced and the course will start in the fall 2018, based on a Champaign News-Gazette article. Students quickly respond the change with tweets of opinions. Some of them said that they agree on the change. For instance, Race and Ethnicity class will expand student's knowledge on the things they have never seen before.

Take a class on Race and Ethnicity, or culture, or a history class that focuses on a minority. Expand what you know, see what you never see.  Ashley Scurti (@AshleyScurti) May 4, 2016



This new program comes at a time when there have been racial issues in the UI campus. The Chicago Tribune reported some of minority affair incidents in the University of Illinois - one of them is the swastikas drawn on campus buildings. The supporters of the U. of I minority culture course said that there will be a holistic view instead of issues like anti-Muslim sentiment, religion, or sexual preference.

However many students argue that it will be complicated. Many faculties oppose the change because it is described as 'forcing students to delay graduation' just to fit in the culture course. They argue that it would be wiser to persuade than to require the students to take the classes. Moreover, these students are also worried about the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign tuition fees that might become costly.

In December 2015, the University of Iowa has applied similar program to their campus as Liberal Arts and Science students are obliged to take the course. The course requirement is said to enable students understand diversity.
While Texas is heading towards becoming the next state that allows licensed guns to be carried on campus, the University of Texas System deals with another issue, which is the banning of guns from faculty departments. According to reports, the board of regents' hesitation is due to concerns regarding the upholding of the right to carry arms while also ensuring that the new policy will not encourage violence in the campus.

According to Professor Lisa Moore, the university is a sacred place for learning, wherein professors must not be anxious about the way it should deal with a population that could be armed. Although UT students like Hayden Henry is in favor of allowing guns inside the campus, he also thinks that guns must be allowed in dorms and that professors must also be able to make their office a gun-free zone, Chron reported.

The hesitation on the campuses and at the board of regent's meeting across Texas come after "campus carry" was signed into law in June of 2015. The law requires the 14 public universities of the state to allow concealed guns in classrooms and campus buildings beginning August.

Soon, Texas will be joining Colorado, Arkansas, Kansas, Oregon, Idaho, Mississippi, Utah and Wisconsin. The Texas campus carry law also covers private universities and colleges like Baylor, Rice, Texas Christian and Southern Methodist, AJC reported.

Every public university may draft their own policies regarding campus carry prior to becoming effective this summer. They are allowed to establish gun-free zones on their campus provided that they have valid reasons. According to reports, the universities have given much consideration if they should permit handguns inside the classrooms, faculty offices, gyms, dorms, sporting events and laboratories.

Based on surveys, the universities will let licensed guns be carried in classrooms, except in sporting events. But according to some reports, the University of Texas at Austin is considering granting the professors the right to disallow handguns from their faculty offices.

Professor Charles Haywood of the Purdue University in Indiana said that an agreement on gun safety is the best revised policy. The professor proposed that the University must revise the policy to allow faculty and staff, and not the students to exercise the rights inside the campus.
The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the association of metabolic syndrome (MS) with measures of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) including prostate growth rate, prostate volume, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, and maximal flow rate. Medline, Cochrane CENTRAL, EMBASE, CBM, and Google Scholar databases were searched until March 23, 2015 using combinations of the keywords benign prostate hyperplasia/BPH, metabolic syndrome, total prostate volume, prostate growth rate, prostate specific antigen, International Prostate Symptom Score/IPSS, maximal flow rate. Cohort or case-control studies of patients with BPH and MS that reported quantitative outcomes were included. The pooled mean differences of the outcome measures were compared between patients with and without MS.A total of 158 potentially relevant studies were identified, and 8 were included in the meta-analysis. The 8 studies included in the meta-analysis contained a total of 3093 BPH patients, wherein 1241 had MS and 1852 did not have MS. BPH patients with MS had a significantly higher prostate growth rate (pooled mean difference = 0.67 mL/y, P < 0.001) and larger prostate volume (pooled mean difference = 6.8 mL, P = 0.010) than the BPH patients without MS. There was no significant difference in IPSS score (pooled mean difference = 1.58, P = 0.202) or maximal flow rate (pooled mean difference = -1.41 mL/s, P = .345) between BPH patients with and without MS. A borderline nonsignificant difference in PSA (pooled mean difference = 0.24 ng/mL, P = 0.056) was noted between BPH patients with and without MS.The results of this meta-analysis are consistent with literature indicating that BPH patients with MS have a higher prostate growth rate and larger prostate volume than those without MS; however, further study is necessary to determine the association of BPH and metabolic disorder elements and the potential risk of disease progression in BPH patients with MS.

Medicine. 2016 May [Epub]

Jian-Ye Wang, Yan-Yan Fu, De-Ying Kang

From the Department of Urology, Beijing Hospital, Ministry of Health (J-YW); MSD China, Medical Affairs Department, Beijing Office, Beijing (Y-YF); and Department of Evidence Based Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology (D-YK); West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu China (D-Y K).

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27175628
Having trouble viewing? View this mailing online. SUBSCRIBE TO THE FLAME HOTLINE DONATE TO FLAME FORWARD TO A FRIEND May 17, 2016 Arabs' Problem with Jews Is Not Complex: It's Simply That They Exist Dear Friend of FLAME: Officially, Arab nations and politicians, such as Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, complain about Jews because of what the state of Israel does in the Middle East, specifically its "occupation" of the Holy Land, all of which the Arabs claim exclusively as their own. Every now and then, however, these officials let slip their true attitudes about Jews, such as when Mahmoud Abbas was caught in an anti-Semitic rant in Arabic, saying that Jews mustn't be allowed to desecrate Muslim holy places in Jerusalem "with their filthy feet." Of course, Arab and Muslim anti-Semitism is rampant and well documented. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in 2014 conducted a survey of attitudes toward Jews in over 100 countries and developed an " anti-Semitism index ," which ranks national populations according to their beliefs in anti-Semitic stereotypes. While the ADL found anti-Semitism in all parts of the world, not surprisingly it was greatest in the overwhelmingly Arab-Muslim MENA countriesMiddle East and North Africa. For comparison, the average overall ADL Global 100 anti-Semitic index is 26%the percentage of respondents who believe that at least 6 of 11 negative Jewish stereotypes (e.g., "Jews have too much control over global affairs") are "probably true." In MENA countries, the index is nearly triple that 74% of the population harbors serious anti-Semitic attitudes. Of the 16 countries with the highest index scores of anti-Semitic viewsagain no shockall are in MENA countries. But the people who win first prize in bigotry , who have the world's highest anti-Semitism scores, are those in the West Bank and Gazawith a score of 93%. (Iraq comes in a close second, with a score of 92%.) Yet like most racists, anti-Semites find it more comfortable to hide behind rationalizations for why they hate. You'll get great insight into the Arab pathology of Jew-hatred in this week's FLAME Hotline featured article by Fred Maroun, a "left-leaning" Arab based in Canada, who lived in Lebanon from 1961-1964. I think you'll find Maroun's astoundingly candid analysis of Arabs' irrational positions on Jews and Israel both refreshing andif you think about the author's safetypotentially dangerous for his health. I believe that after reading this article you will have renewed hope that someday a true "moderate" Arab will arise, make peace with Israel and start building a constructive society. It may not happen in our lifetimes , but the change will happen with people like Fred Maroun. In addition, I hope you'll also review the P.S. immediately below, which describes FLAME's current hasbarah campaign to articulate concerns I believe you may share about possible unbridled immigration of Middle East Muslims to the United States. Best regards, Jim Sinkinson

Executive Vice President, Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME) P.S. The world was again shattered as Muslims terrorists attacked Brussels. One of the attackers is believed to have sneaked into Belgium with other Middle East immigrants after having been trained and indoctrinated by ISIS in Syria. It's because significant numbers of Muslims have beliefs that contradict American values that FLAME is now publishing a new position paper in media nationwide-which reveals research into these values and their potential danger to our society. I urge you to preview this outspoken hasbarah message today: "The Muslim Immigrant Question." This hard-hitting paid editorial appears in magazines and newspapers, including college newspapers, with a combined readership of some 10 million people. In addition, it has been sent to every member of the U.S. Congress and President Obama. If you agree that this kind of public relations effort on Israel's behalf is critical, I urge you to support us. Remember: FLAME's powerful ability to influence public opinion comes from individuals like you, one by one. I hope you'll consider giving a donation now, as you're ablewith $500, $250, $100, or even $18. (Remember, your donation to FLAME is tax deductible.) Now more than ever we need your support to ensure that the war on global Islamic terror gets the support it needsfrom the U.S. Congress, from President Obama, and from the American people. To donate online, just go to donate now. As of today, more than 15,000 Israel supporters receive the FLAME Hotline at no charge every week. If you're not yet a subscriber, won't you join us in receiving these timely updates, so you can more effectively tell the truth about Israel ? Just go to free subscription. The Arabs' Real Grievance against the Jews: They Exist by Fred Maroun, Gatestone Institute, May 7, 2016 As Arabs, we are very adept at demanding that our human rights be respected, at least when we live in liberal democracies such as in North America, Europe, and Israel. But what about when it comes to our respecting the human rights of others, particularly Jews? When we examine our attitude towards Jews, both historically and at present, we realize that it is centered on denying Jews the most fundamental human right, the right without which no other human right is relevant: the right to exist. The right to exist in the Middle East before 1948 Anti-Zionists often repeat the claim that before modern Israel, Jews were able to live in peace in the Middle East, and that it is the establishment of the State of Israel that created Arab hostility towards Jews. That is a lie. Before modern Israel, as the historian Martin Gilbert wrote, "Jews held the inferior status of dhimmi, which, despite giving them protection to worship according to their own faith, subjected them to many vexatious and humiliating restrictions in their daily lives." As another historian, G.E. von Grunebaum, wrote, Jews in the Middle East faced "a lengthy list of persecutions, arbitrary confiscations, attempted forced conversions, or pogroms." The right to exist as an independent state Zionism stemmed from the need for Jews to be masters of their own fate; no longer to be the victims of discrimination or massacres simply for being Jews. This project was accepted and formally recognized by the British, who had been granted a mandate over Palestine by the League of Nations. The Arab world, however, never accepted the recognition formulated by Britain in the Balfour Declaration of 1917, and it never accepted the partition plan approved by the United Nations in 1947, which recognized the right of the Jews to their own state. The Arab refusal to accept the Jewish state's right to exist, a right that carries more international legal weight than almost any other country's right to exist, resulted in several wars, starting with the war of independence in 1948-1949. The Arab world still does not today accept the concept of a Jewish state of any size or any shape. Even Egypt and Jordan, which signed peace agreements with Israel, do not accept that Israel is a Jewish state, and they continue to promote anti-Semitic hatred against Israel. The right to exist in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem In 2005, Israel evacuated all its troops and all Jewish inhabitants from Gaza, in the hope that this would bring peace at least on that front, and to allow the Gaza Strip, vacated by Jews, to be a flourishing Arab Riviera, or a second Singapore, and perhaps to serve as a model for the West Bank. The experiment failed miserably. This is a case where Jews willingly gave up their right to exist on a piece of land, but sadly the Palestinians of Gaza took it not as opportunity for peace, but as a sign that if you keep on shooting at Jews, they leaveso let's keep on shooting. There are many opinions among Zionists as to what to do about the West Bank. These opinions range from a total unilateral withdrawal as in Gaza, to a full annexation, with many options in between. At the moment, the status quo prevails, with no specific plans for the future. Everyone, however, despite the treacherous UNESCO's rewriting of history, knows that before that piece of land was called the West Bank, it was called Judea and Samaria for more than two thousand years. Everyone knows that Hebron contains the traditional burial site of the biblical Patriarchs and Matriarchs, within the Cave of the Patriarchs, and it is considered the second-holiest site in Judaism. Every reasonable person knows that Jews should unquestionably have the right to exist on that land, even if it is under Arab or Muslim jurisdiction. Yet everyone also knows that no Arab regime is capable or even willing to protect the safety of Jews living under its jurisdiction from the anti-Semitic hatred that emanates from the Arab world. East Jerusalem, which was carved away by the Kingdom of Jordan from the rest of Jerusalem during the war of independence, is part of Jerusalem, and contains the Temple Mount, the Jews' holiest site. The Old City in East Jerusalem was inhabited by Jews up until they were ethnically cleansed by Jordan in the war of 1948-1949. Although Israel has twice in the past, first under Prime Minister Ehud Barak then under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, offered East Jerusalem as part of a Palestinian state, that offer is not likely to be made again. Jews know that it would mean a new wave of ethnic cleansing, which would deny the Jewish right to exist on the piece of land where that right is more important than anywhere else. The right to exist in the Middle East now During Israel's War of Independence, Jews were ethnically cleansed from Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, and in the years that followed, they were ethnically cleansed from the rest of the Arab world. Today, Israel's enemies, many of them Arab, are challenging its right to exist, and therefore the right of Jews to exist, on two fronts: threats of nuclear annihilation and annihilation through demographic suffocation. Iran's Islamist regime has repeated several times its intention to destroy Israel using nuclear weapons. Just in case Iran is not "successful," the so-called "pro-Palestinian" movement, including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, has a different plan to destroy the Jewish state: a single state with the "return" of all the descendants of Palestinian refugees. The refusal of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his predecessor Yasser Arafat to accept any two-state solution presented to them is part of that plan. The right to exist elsewhere Anti-Zionists claim that Jews are imperialists in the Middle East, as were the British and the French, and like them, they should leave and go back to where they belong. This analogy is of course not true: Jews have an even longer history in the Middle East than do Muslims or Arabs. Do Jews belong in Europe, which tried only a few decades ago to kill every Jew, man, woman, or child? Do Jews belong in North America where until a few hundred years ago, there were no Europeans, only Indians? Saying that Jews "belong" in such places is not reality; it is just a convenient claim for anti-Zionists to make. The Jews will not give up As Arabs, we complain because Palestinians feel humiliated going through Israeli checkpoints. We complain because Israel is building in the West Bank without Palestinian permission, and we complain because Israel dares to defend itself against Palestinian terrorists. But how many of us have stopped to consider how this situation came to be? How many of us have the courage to admit that waging war after war against the Jews in order to deny them the right to exist, and refusing every reasonable solution to the conflict, has led to the current situation? Our message to Jews, throughout history and particularly when they had the temerity to want to govern themselves, has been clear: we cannot tolerate your very existence. Yet the Jews demand the right to exist and to exist as equals on the land where they have existed and belonged continuously for more than three thousand years. In addition, denying a people the right to exist is a crime of unimaginable proportions. We Arabs pretend that our lack of respect for the right of Jews to exist is not the cause of the conflict between the Jews and us. We would rather claim that the conflict is about "occupation" and "settlements". They see what radical Islamists are now doing to Christians and other minorities, who were also in the Middle East for thousands of years before the Muslim Prophet Mohammed was even born: Yazidis, Kurds, Christians, Copts, Assyrians, Arameans, and many others. Where are these indigenous people of Iraq, Syria and Egypt now? Are they living freely or are they being persecuted, run out of their own historical land, slaughtered by Islamists? Jews know that this is what would have happened to them if they did not have their own state. The real Arab grievance against the Jews is that they exist. We want the Jews either to disappear or be subservient to our whims, but the Jews refuse to bend to our bigotry, and they refuse to be swayed by our threats and our slander. Who in his right mind can blame them? HOME SUBSCRIBE DONATE PR FOR ISRAEL HOTLINE ARCHIVE ABOUT CONTACT US THIS MONTH'S AD APPEARED IN PUBLICATIONS REACHING 10 MILLION READERS IF YOU SUPPORT PUBLISHING FLAME'S BOLD PR MESSAGES, PLEASE HELP US!! FLAME is the only organization that defends Israel with paid editorial hasbarah messages placed in media nationwide every month: The dire threats from Iran, Hamas and Hizbollah, the injustice of BDS, Palestinian anti-Semitism and more. If you support a bold voice that tells the truth about Israel in American media, please donate now. FLAME'S WEEKLY HOTLINE E-NEWSLETTER FLAME's Hotline e-newsletter keeps you up to date on the most important pro-Israel advocacy issues and features our choice of the week's most informative and thought-provoking article on Israel and the Middle East. If you only subscribe to one pro-Israel news service, make it the FLAME Hotline.

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Published: May 17, 2016

UT Student Entrepreneur Invited to Attend Global Entrepreneurship Summit

Phil Michaels, a UT alumnus and CEO of the educational startup Tembo, has been selected as one of 100 entrepreneurs in the world to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2016.The summit, which is hosted by President Obama, will be held at Stanford University June 2224. The summit is intended to put innovative global entrepreneurs together with each other and with entrepreneurs from throughout the Silicon Valley and the United States in numerous workshops and hands-on sessions.Michaels graduated from UT in 2010 and received an MBA and Master of Science in marketing , also from UT, in 2015. His enterprise, Tembo, consists of four other UT students and alumni, and was a finalist for the 2015 Clinton Global Initiative Hult Prize. It provides high quality early childhood education to the slums of the world through mobile phones.Tembo is part of the accelerator and incubator programs at the John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship in the Sykes College of Business at UT. This program provides support and assistance to help founders grow their companies. The program is open to UT student companies as well as selected companies from the Tampa Bay region.Rebecca White, director of the Lowth Entrepreneurship Center and James W. Walter distinguished chair of entrepreneurship, said Michaels and the Tembo team represent a new wave of entrepreneurs who do well by doing good and who immerse themselves in the marketplace to better understand how to make such a difference.Their innovative educational platform is transforming early childhood education in Nigeria and beyond," White said.Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Rick Stengel said discussions at the summit will focus on "ideas that benefit society, not just trying to become the next Silicon Valley billionaire," Stengel said. It is an opportunity for "synergy" across different borders and countries and industries, he added.Last summer, more than 600 entrepreneurs from 120 countries attended the GES in Nairobi, Kenya. The State Department announced that it already has received some 4,500 applications from more than 150 countries for the 2016 summit.
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UW-Led Gaming and Robotics Project Helps Boost Student Math Scores

Rock Springs Junior High School students Annybella Alcerria-Hill and Lillian Jensen work on their project as part of a University of Wyoming-led program designed to boost students math scores. (Kait Quinton Photo)

When Jacqueline Leonard proposed a program that would introduce gaming and robotics into public school classes to help improve mathematics learning, the University of Wyoming College of Education professor hoped it would be a tool for students to become interested in college careers.

Three years later, the project has shown positive results among the original eight Wyoming schools that were introduced to the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program. The National Science Foundation (NSF) supported the three-year, $1.2 million grant.

The Visualization Basics: uGame-iCompute Project was designed to help teachers engage fifth- through ninth-graders in gaming and robotics to promote interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs.

UWs project has engaged elementary and middle school students in at least 24 Wyoming schools since the ITEST program was first introduced in 2013. Some school districts have participated in the program since year one of the three-year project, and nearly 900 students have participated during that time.

The eight original schools participating were Arapahoe Middle School, Laramie Junior High School, Powell Middle School, University Park Elementary School (Casper), UW Lab School, Wheatland Middle School, Worland Middle School and Wyoming Indian Middle School. Since then, seven and nine school districts, respectively, have joined the program in years two and three.

Robotics and game design were used as a hook to enhance childrens interest in STEM and STEM careers. We also were interested in developing computational thinking skills and the processes that we know students need to be successful in computer science and engineering, Leonard says. Finally, we wanted children to understand how mathematics, technology and communication are critical to 21st century careers.

Leonard, UW Science and Mathematics Teaching Center director, originally put together a multidisciplinary team from the UW colleges of Education, Engineering and Applied Science, and Arts and Sciences to research a question that has been part of her research agenda for several years: Can gaming and robotics be used to teach computational thinking skills to students in culturally sensitive ways?

I am so thankful for this program. What a great way to get students prepared for possible careers in their future. Many of the jobs that students will have after they graduate havent even been created yet, says Kait Quinton, who teaches seventh-grade math at Rock Springs Junior High School. This program helps to enhance students critical thinking skills in a way that is fun and interactive. They learn so quickly. It is incredible, because I feel like I teach them the foundation of robotics and game design, and they just take it and run. By the end, they are the ones teaching me.

During the multiphase project, team members first trained teachers to develop mathematical and scientific lessons that were culturally relevant to their students. Leonard and her supporters worked with the teachers to analyze the impact on students overall learning. The research team also worked with participants interested in becoming peer trainers to help extend the projects reach after the grant period ended.

Programs Positive Results

The data reveal that using intact classrooms at the middle school level and elementary students during after-school programs reduced student attrition and ensured broader participation of girls and underrepresented minority students, Leonard says.

Additionally, UW researchers have observed improved student development of computational thinking skills and problem-solving skills. Leonard says, early in the project, there was a learning curve that teachers and students had to overcome to learn the programming and software.

Overall, students learned how to make their own games, which involved formulating problems, abstraction, use of algorithms, logical thinking, analyzing and debugging, and generalizing and transfer of knowledge, Leonard says. They also learned to use 21st century skills as they worked in teams to solve problems and created products for self-enjoyment and competition.

Ty Ruby, who is a fourth- and fifth-grade special education instructor at North Evanston Elementary School, says the robotics and gaming program taught his students to work together on projects. He introduced the robotics class at Clark Elementary School.

I believe this is a great program for students. I was so impressed with how the students worked together. Their conversations about how to solve issues or problems they were having were the best, he says. This provides a safe environment for students to talk about ideas with programming and working together. The students reacted really well to the program. They were excited to come to school and work with their robots.

Robotics teams compete at local competitions, and gaming teams have taken field trips to the National Center for Atmospheric Research-Wyoming Supercomputing Center in Cheyenne. Teachers accepted into the program enrolled in continuing education courses, led after-school programs, and further developed instructional skills on how to incorporate cultural uniqueness into fun science and technology projects.

The NSF-sponsored grant has ended this semester, but Leonard says her research team has actually been granted a no-cost extension, meaning that the project will end during September 2017. Planning for the next phase of the program is underway, she adds.

We intend to go to more school districts and work with both elementary and middle school students, Leonard says. It has been a pleasure working with teachers and students in Wyoming. The excitement and energy observed in the classrooms and after-school clubs were infectious. The students loved the program and learned a great deal.

For more information about the program, visit the website at www.ugameicompute.com/ or contact Leonard at (307) 766-3776 or jleona12@uwyo.edu.
Sideshow Collectibles ships about 600 orders daily from its new 40,000-square-foot facility in Thousand Oaks.

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By Jenni Mintz

Gory, red and so real you can see his pores, the Terminator's head sits on a platform, half his face blown away to reveal the metal innards.

The eye on his good side glints and seems to meet your gaze. Across the room lurking in a mezzanine, a massive troll towers over the Terminator and other pop-culture icons, including life-sized R2-D2 and C-3PO.

This is not a nightmare. It's the lobby of Sideshow Collectibles, a Thousand Oaks company that produces statues and figurines of characters from movies and television shows. Sideshow's creations span several genres, including science fiction, fantasy, superhero and horror.

The figurines start at 12 inches, the size of a Barbie or G.I. Joe, but they are not toys, said Greg Anzalone, chief executive and president.

"These are not figures that are meant to be played with," he said. "These are, in our minds, art statements."

Plenty of people agree. They shell out hundreds and even thousands of dollars for a piece.

The company's Web site generates 6 million to 7 million page views a month. Eighty percent of products are sold online, with the company also distributing to about 700 brick-and-mortar retailers, including comic book stores and collector shops.

Commanding a global audience since its inception in 1994, Sideshow Collectibles releases approximately 150 new products a year. Products are shipped worldwide to about 30 countries. The company has created more than 1,400 products, with about 300 for sale on its Web site.

The best sellers are "Star Wars" characters, even though "you're talking about a film franchise that is 30 years old," Anzalone said.

The company's annual gross revenue ranges from $25 million to $30 million. Sideshow has grown solidly from modest beginnings, when a handful of artists worked out of a garage in Woodland Hills, generating annual revenue of $200,000.

The company's expansion has been marked by four moves in the past 10 years. Sideshow's most recent relocation last year  from Westlake Village to Thousand Oaks  doubled the company's space. It now operates in a custom-built 40,000-square-foot building on Conejo Spectrum Street, half office space and half warehouse.

A team of 65 employees, including artists and administrators, works to create prototypes. They ship an average of 600 packages a day.

Most customers are men in their 20s and 30s. Some scrape together $50 to buy a figure, while others buy nearly every item the company creates, Anzalone said.

David Stephan, an avid collector, hosts an unofficial Sideshow fan forum, Sideshow Freaks. He estimates that he has purchased more than 300 Sideshow items, mostly 12-inch models.

Too many roommates

To accommodate his growing collection, Stephan recently moved from his one-bedroom Los Angeles apartment to a two-bedroom town house in North Hollywood. His books are in boxes because he needs the bookshelves that line his walls to display his collectibles.

Stephan, vice president of acquisitions for Associated Television International, a TV production and distribution company, started collecting about eight years ago.

"I believe it was Sideshow's 12-inch Frankenstein that got me into it," he said. "I saw they were doing properties that were very close to my heart: Monty Python, Buffy and James Bond."

Sideshow Collectibles is a license-driven organization. It purchases a license from a studio for a film release, television show or film library.

Amalgamated Dynamics Inc., a Chatsworth studio that creates characters for movies such as "Spider-Man 3," has worked with Sideshow on past projects. It now is working with the company on several products based on the upcoming film, "Alien vs. Predator: Requiem." The studio is creating effects for the film.

"Sideshow is the premier provider for collectibles," said Alec Gillis, a designer and co-founder of the studio. "These aren't cheapy, undetailed little toys, they are technically art pieces."

It can take as long as two years to bring a product to the marketplace, including looking at screen shots, sending a completed prototype to Asia for mass production and receiving the product line at company headquarters.

"Ninety-five percent of what we do are low-run, limited editions that sell out prior to shipping," Anzalone said.

Sideshow makes figures in several sizes: 12 inches, 18 inches, 36 inches or "half scale," as well as life-size figures that are 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 feet tall.

Prices start at $50 for the 12-inch figures. Customers can expect to pay more for collectibles made from polystone, a stone powder and resin compound that is cast, assembled and painted, by hand. Such items range from $125 to $500.

On the high end, the company sells reproductions like the Endoskull from Terminator 2 for $5,000 to $6,000, and bronze statues for $4,000 to $5,000.

Molds are destroyed

As a limited-edition company, Sideshow numbers each of its products as they come off the production line. If it is determined a particular figure should be an edition size of 1,000, only 1,000 numbers will be produced. Then the mold is destroyed, Anzalone said.

Silicone molds, which take a day or two to produce, are ground to rubber pulp. Metal molds typically take a month to create and are melted down. This ensures that the company does not have capability to produce more if demand exceeds supply.

"We're comfortable with that process, because we're looking to increase the value of these products through their scarcity," Anzalone said. "Sideshow is a company that is very disciplined about not overproducing the products that it makes, nor expanding the edition size to a point of saturation."

Most of the company's customers are considered true collectors who aren't interested in turning a quick profit. They don't sell unless interest in the piece wanes, or, as in Lonnie Cummins' case, space becomes a problem.

Cummins has been a collector for 35 years, starting with comic books and trading cards when he was 12. The 48-year-old network administrator from Texas has an affinity toward Universal Studio monsters. He has life-sized busts of several, including Dracula, the Mummy and Frankenstein.

Cummins' has 300 to 400 pieces from Sideshow, and is running out of space to store and display them. He takes a couple of the monsters to his office, and rotates them every few months.

"The Monsters tend to scare everybody," Cummins said. "My boss has to actually approve what I choose to bring in, so I try to keep it tasteful."

Cummins has been purchasing from Sideshow for the past eight years.

"It's the first company that I found that actually treats their customers like they mean something," he said.

On the Net:

www.sideshowtoy.com
FILE PHOTO Justice Antonin Scalias death on Saturday could affect a Supreme Court case involving Thomas Aquinas College.

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By Jean Moore of the Ventura County Star

Thomas Aquinas College officials said Monday they are looking forward to discussing options for birth control coverage that honor their religious beliefs and allow the government to accomplish its goals.

The federal Affordable Care Act requires employers to offer health insurance that covers birth control services, including contraception, sterilization and medications such as the "morning after" pill.

The small Catholic college in Santa Paula, along with other plaintiffs, has filed a suit that went to the Supreme Court, saying they should not have to offer birth control coverage because it violates their religious beliefs.

On Monday, the Supreme Court returned the suit to the lower court of appeals, taking no position on the case. Instead, the court asked the two sides to continue pursuing a solution that would be less restrictive but meet the government's mandate.

"We're looking to see if both ends can be achieved, and it looks very possible for us," said Thomas Aquinas College spokeswoman Anne Forsyth.
TED BENSON JR./SPECIAL TO THE STAR Crews deal with the aftermath of a fire Wednesday evening in Leisure Village that left two people injured, one with smoke inhalation and one with burns.

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By John Scheibe of the Ventura County Star

A Camarillo couple remained hospitalized at the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills five days after a fire destroyed their Leisure Village home.

Danielle Miller, whose father, James Milton and his wife, Jo Ann, were home when the fire started Wednesday evening, were taken to the Grossman Burn Center, Miller said.

Jo Ann was listed in critical condition after her hair and clothes caught on fire, Miller said. She suffered second- and third-degree burns, officials said.

Miller's father, meanwhile, was in stable condition after suffering from smoke inhalation. Miller said her 68-year-old father would have to undergo knee surgery after injuring himself while getting out of the home through a window.

James Milton was asleep when his dog, Buddy, came into his bedroom to alert him of the fire shortly after 6:30 p.m., Miller said. Milton's wife, meanwhile, had been watching TV, Miller said.

"My father was disoriented from the thick smoke when he woke up," Miller said. A neighbor helped pull Milton out through a window.

Neighbors also helped Jo Ann out of the burning home, Miller said.

"Her hair and clothes were on fire," Miller noted.

Firefighters went into the home where the found the couple's dog, Buddy, unconscious under the bed.

Miller said firefighters performed CPR on the dog and gave him oxygen. The dog is a golden retriever and terrier mix, she said.

Medical bills for the dog alone are expected to be more than $6,000, Miller said, adding she has yet to learn how much the medical care for her father and his wife will be.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation this week, Miller said.

Miller has set up an online account to help pay for the care of the dog and her father and his wife at gofundme.com/miltonfamily.
FILE PHOTO

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By Tom Kisken of the Ventura County Star

A Thousand Oaks urologist ordered to stop treating patients due to an alleged medical probation violation faces the possibility of having his doctor's license revoked or suspended.

The Medical Board of California is being asked by its staff to revoke Dr. James Pero's probationary status. Regulators cited an April blood test they said showed Pero consumed alcohol.

Last year, Pero was placed on a five-year probation by the medical board with terms that include complete abstention from alcohol.

Pero, 54, was convicted in Ventura County Superior Court in April 2013 of a misdemeanor involving driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher. He also admitted to having a minor in the car.

According to the medical board records, Pero has convictions for driving under the influence in 2000 and 2002. He successfully completed a three-year medical board probation in 2008.

Pero did not return phone calls asking for comment. He has the right to ask for a hearing on the medical board action and contest allegations, said Susan Wolbarst, a public information officer for the state medical board.

If he doesn't ask for a hearing, his probation will be revoked, jeopardizing his license, she said.

Regulators ordered Pero to stop practicing in late April after saying a blood test showed alcohol consumption.

According to the medical board's allegations, Pero explained the blood test by saying green bottles of real beer were mixed in with similarly colored bottles of nonalcoholic beer at a backyard party. He later signed a statement saying he drank beer at the party, according to medical board officials.
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By Arlene Martinez, amartinez@vcstar.com

Agreeing it's the best way to improve the city and its schools, the Ventura City Council unanimously approved moving forward with a one-cent sales tax increase.

The money generated would be split between the city and the Ventura Unified School District, which must approve the joint measure before it gets on the November ballot.

The school board plans to have that discussion in special meeting Thursday morning at 7:30 at City Hall.

City Manager Mark Watkins said since he arrived in the city, he has been stressing the need for another source of reliable, consistent funding.

As the oldest city in the county, Ventura has significant infrastructure challenges, including deteriorating streets and sidewalks, he said. Surveys have shown residents want things that include coastline and river protections, rapid emergency response times, enough police and homeless services.

The district's buildings face the same challenges that come with being so old, and there are other needs like keeping up with technology, keeping class sizes down and other facilities' needs, Watkins said.

A joint tax makes sense, since the two agencies work so closely already, he said. "You don't have a great city without a great school district."

It's an economic driver too because often, businesses will go to a city based on its schools, he said.

If a majority of voters were to approve the tax in November, the city would get roughly 70 percent of the $21.8 million the tax would generate, with the district getting 30 percent, or $6.7 million.

If the district were to get its $59 annual parcel tax renewed, it would receive $2.6 million.

Part of the city's share would go toward opening up the school's parks to the public after-school and on the weekends. An oversight committee would ensure the spending was going to where the agencies plan for it to go.

Resident Carol Lindberg, the only public speaker, said she supported the joint measure because it would mean more park space. She appreciated the idea of an oversight committee.

Council member Mike Tracy said he had already begun hearing from residents weary of a tax. They say there are too many city employees and they earn too much, he said.

But the city has far fewer employees than several years ago, and the city has made "significant progress on the retirement issue," Tracy said.

Council member Carl Morehouse said Ventura has saved a substantial amount by not paying post-retirement health benefits for employees.

If the school board supports the joint measure, it will return to the council May 23 for a vote to place it on the November ballot.

The Ventura Transportation Commission, which is putting a half-cent sales tax increase on the November ballot for regional transportation projects, supports the parcel tax over the joint sales tax, fearing the competing measures could cancel each other out.
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Whenever there's a problem brewing and the federal government's chief response is to ask us to "be patient," you know it's time to start worrying.

Who can forget Michael Brown, the former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief, asking for patience after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Or President Obama asking for patience during the disastrous rollout of Obamacare enrollment in 2013.

The latest trust-us treatise came Friday from Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who asked fliers "to be patient" about increasingly long waits at airport security. It actually could be a double patience plea  relax because the government is working on a plan to speed things up, but in the meantime, bring a good book to the airport and chill out.

Now we don't mean to compare the hassle of a delayed flight to Disney World to the devastation of New Orleans or the benefits of health insurance. But air travel is economically important to many people and industries, and with the summer vacation period fast approaching, we're not sure "be patient" is gonna fly if things get worse.

The Associated Press reported Friday that security lines have topped 90 minutes at some airports. American Airlines reported holding at least five flights Friday morning at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport because of passengers stuck in security lines.

As usual, the problem is the Transportation Security Administration, tighter security procedures  and Congress. The government has cut the number of screeners by 10 percent over the past three years, partly because it thought the PreCheck fast-screening program would speed things up overall. But not enough people have enrolled in PreCheck to make much of a difference.

Congress last week agreed to give TSA $34 million for overtime and the hiring of an extra 768 screeners by June 15, but many say that's far from enough. The agency loses 100 screeners a week through attrition, and the president of the TSA officers' union suggested 6,000 more screeners are needed.

A survey by the travel site Orbitz shows 75 percent of Americans plan to travel this summer, a 7 percent increase over last summer, as low fuel costs keep airfares down. But "the mere perception of security hassles at U.S. airports" could affect those numbers, Roger Dow, president of the U.S. Travel Association, told the Los Angeles Times.

If you live in Ventura County, plan to fly this summer and couldn't score a flight out of the perennially easy Burbank Bob Hope Airport, chances are you'll be headed to Los Angeles International Airport, the seventh busiest airport in the world and third in the United States. As always, good luck with that.

LAX's security lines already can be excruciatingly slow. Its ongoing modernization construction can make bad traffic even worse. And beginning Sunday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reduced its hours at LAX, "to create staffing efficiencies and to improve operational issues," airport officials said they were told. We're not sure what that double-talk means, but if you arrive on an international flight before 11 a.m. or after 9 p.m. at Terminal 2, you now are bused to the Tom Bradley International Terminal for customs inspection.

An economic study released last month reported LAX in 2014 generated 620,610 jobs for Southern California, more than $126.6 billion in business revenues and $8.7 billion in federal taxes.

With numbers like that, you'd think customers would get a better shake from our federal government. In the meantime, however  just in case the patience plan fails  you might want to shell out $85 for the PreCheck or $100 for the Global Entry fast-screening programs.
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Re: Your story May 13, "Green light":

Your story about Christians hiding illegal immigrants sends the wrong message to our youth and to all American citizens.

America always has proclaimed that crime doesn't pay, yet blatantly Christian ministers plotted with foreign criminals to break American immigration laws and biblical laws. Am I the only one who sees this crime?

Also, how can all these lawbreakers be honored on the front page of our local newspaper and advertise a fundraiser for criminals?

Please explain this situation to law-abiding citizens who respect the law, and the men and women who enforce the laws.

Ray Holm, Thousand Oaks


On Friday, April 4, the 2nd Annual ACM Party for a Cause Festival, hosted by Outnumber Hunger, kicked off at The LINQ featuring headliner Rascal Flatts (Pictured: Danielle Bradbery and RaeLynn  Photo credit: Getty Images for ACM).

Photo credit: Getty Images for ACM.

The Outnumber Hunger Live! concert featured country hit-makers Florida Georgia Line, Justin Moore, Thomas Rhett, Cassadee Pope, Danielle Bradbery, and The Cadillac Three. Plus Will Hoge, Chase Rice and Charlie Worsham who performed on the Party Stage. The surprise guest of the evening was legendary rock musician Vince Neil who performed with Justin Moore on the Motley Crue hit Home Sweet Home.

Photo credit: Getty Images for ACM.

Fridays Outnumber Hunger Live! concert series benefitted Outnumber Hunger, an initiative from General Mills, Big Machine Label Group and Feeding America that helps fight hunger in local communities. To date, Outnumber Hunger has helped secure more than 25 million meals for Feeding Americas network of local food banks.

Photo credit: Getty Images for ACM.

The ACM Party for a Cause Festival will continue tonight with headliner Keith Urban. This event is part of The Week Vegas Goes Country leading up to the 49th Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 6, 2014 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

Photo credit: Getty Images for ACM.

For more information, visit www.ACMcountry.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter at @ACMawards for more immediate updates.

Photo credit: Getty Images for ACM.

Photo credit: Getty Images for ACM.

Photo credit: Getty Images for ACM.

Photo credit: Getty Images for ACM.

Photo credit: Getty Images for ACM.

Photo credit: Getty Images for ACM.

Photo credit: Getty Images for ACM.


On Monday afternoon, House of Blues headliner Carlos Santana and the team from House of Blues visited the Las Vegas Rescue Mission to serve the residents a soulful meal straight from the culinary team at House of Blues (Pictured: Carlos Santana  Photo:  Erik Kabik / www.ErikKabik.com).

Photo:  Erik Kabik / www.ErikKabik.com.

Santana and team also held a water drive and provided 8,400 bottles of water for the homeless community that Las Vegas Rescue Mission provides for each day.

Photo:  Erik Kabik / www.ErikKabik.com.

Additionally, the group donated more than 500 refillable pouches that the homeless can use to refill with water throughout the Vegas summer.

Photo:  Erik Kabik / www.ErikKabik.com.

Director of Program Services, John Fogal, took Santana on a tour through the Missions onsite dorms where they house around 120-150 residents that are working hard to get back to normal lives by getting help with addiction, education and job placement.

Photo:  Erik Kabik / www.ErikKabik.com.

Santana made the visit before getting back to the stage at House of Blues where his residency continues with shows throughout May, September and November.

Photo:  Erik Kabik / www.ErikKabik.com.
Local consumption in April alone reached 6.07 million tonnes, surging 17 per cent, compared to the same month last year. - VNA/VNS Photo Viet Y

According to the Department of Building Materials under the Ministry of Construction, the growth was due to the increase in construction activities during the current dry season. Cement consumption in the second quarter was expected to be higher than the first quarter, it added.

Local consumption in April alone reached 6.07 million tonnes, surging 17 per cent, compared to the same month last year.

Of the total, 2.4 million tonnes of cement were sold by the Viet Nam Cement Industry Corporation (VICEM), 31 per cent higher than its sales in the corresponding period in 2015, vietnamplus.vn reported.

In the first four months, 18.85 million tonnes of cement were sold in the domestic market, a year-on-year increase of 17.4 per cent. Meanwhile, cement exports remained stable with 5.15 million tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 0.4 million tonnes.

According to the department, thriving cement consumption in the second quarter was spurred by improvements in the real estate market. However, cement prices are still stable, it said.

The cement industry plans to produce 75 million tonnes to 77 million tonnes of cement this year.

The ministry predicted that the local cement industry would face difficulties in selling cement this year, especially in exports. Therefore, many cement projects have been taken out of the national plan of cement development for this year and beyond, and the nation would not have more cement production lines to operate this year, Cong Thuong (Industry and Trade) newspaper reported.

Nguyen Quang Cung, chairman of Viet Nam Cement Association, said the local market saw fierce competition among cement producers and the cement industry needed restructuring, as per conditions of the merger.

Many cement enterprises have merged with VICEM to increase their competitive ability. These include Ha Long, Song Da, Song Thao, and Holcim, in addition to Lafarge, Cung said.

To promote consumption of cement, avoid pressure from inventory and have selling solutions, Vicem requires its member companies to take full advantage after improving the distribution system, reviewing sales policies, increasing competitive ability, and seeking large export markets.

Le Thanh Long, general director of VICEM Hoang Thach, said his company has focussed on developing a brand, completing the system of major distributors and developing a system of shops with high standards to retain market share and expand further business.
A view of Dung Quat Oil Refinery. - Photo nld.com.vn

BSR said it has been facing difficulties in petrol consumption due to a sharp decrease of imported taxes when Viet Nam joined in free trade agreements, resulting in removing tax barriers.

Under the Free Trade Agreement (FTAs) with South Korea, which was signed in May 2015, Viet Nam reduced the import tariff on gasoline from South Korea to 10 per cent, from 20 per cent, effective December 20, 2015. However, products from Dung Quat are still subject to an import tax of 20 per cent, forcing a number of local businesses that bought petroleum from Dung Quat to choose other imported sources. Petrol traders such as Petrolimex, Saigon Petro, Thanh Me and Petimex have been rushing to import petrol from South Korea. For example, Petrolimex imported up to 20,000 tonnes to 30,000 tonnes of petrol from the country. In reality, petrol importers have reduced their consumption of Dung Quat's products. Last year, Petrolimex imported 90 per cent of petroleum from ASEAN. In December 2015, all of its petrol products were imported from the block.

Saigon Petro imported 62 per cent of the total while that of PVOil was 70 per cent to 80 per cent, and Mipeco was 83 per cent.

BSR said Dung Quat had to lower its selling price to compete with imported petrol products, making a huge dent in the business results this year. It forecast that its turnover would be reduced from 7 to 10 per cent this year.

The calculation of petroleum import tax based on weighted average of the tariffs, taking into account Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status and Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has also created a big difference between prices of Dung Quat's products and those from ASEAN, South Korea and China.

Specifically, petrol traders would have to pay import tax of 18.08 per cent when buying petroleum from Dung Quat, 10 per cent than that from countries which signed FTAs. Moreover, import tax for Dung Quat's products has been 1.92 per cent higher than retail tax.

BSR said it had to reduce the price of petrol by US$1 a barrel, and of diesel by $2.92 a barrel in the domestic market, to ensure customers' rights.

Accordingly, BSR asked the ministry to allow Dung Quat to calculate and decide the selling prices themselves. They would provide a suitable import tax without current tax support of 3 per cent to 7 per cent from the government.

In mid-2015, in a report sent to the government, PetroVietnam said the refinery suffered a big loss. In 2010, its loss was around VND3.2 trillion and in 2011 it was VND4.8 trillion. It continued reporting losses of VND6.4 trillion, VND6 trillion and VND7.13 trillion in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. Dung Quat has suffered loss of VND27.6 trillion in its commercial operations so far.
German businesses look to investment opportunities in HCM City. - VNS Photo

In a meeting with city leaders on Monday, Chairman of the German Business Association Jens Ruebbert said that Viet Nam is among leading destinations for foreign investors, including German enterprises.

With advanced expertise and experience, German businesses hoped to seize investment opportunities in Viet Nam, he said.

Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Le Thanh Liem said that Viet Nam-Germany relations have been consolidated in major fields like politics, economics, trade and education, emphasising that Germany is an important partner of Viet Nam.

HCM City wants to further cooperation with Germany in urban transport, healthcare and education, he added.

According to Vice Director of the municipal Department of Planning and Investment Le Thi Huynh Mai, the city's socio-economic development plan for 2016-17 was delivered to the German enterprises.

To help German businesses operate in the city, the Department also introduced measures to address difficulties for the businesses and improve the investment climate, including enhancing trade promotion and attracting investment in sectors that the city is focusing on.
A worker at Viet Nam Stanley Electric Co. Ltd., a joint-venture between Viet Nam and Japan, in Ha Noi. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc urged ministries to hasten the process of drafting decrees providing guidelines for investment and business activities. - VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam

The PM asked for the accelerated progress after the Government discussed the implementation of enterprise and investment laws late last month.

According to the Investment Law 2014, ministries, sectors and localities are not allowed to issue business conditions. The existing business conditions stipulated in circulars of ministries will become invalid as from July 1, 2016.

There is a need for decrees on business conditions to substitute for the circulars from that date.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment said there are thousands of such conditions stipulated in hundreds of existing circulars, meaning reviewing regulations will be a heavy job as ministries only have a little more than a month to complete the job.

Some ministries asked the Government to extend the time for drafting new decrees, but Phuc said they must be resolute in submitting the draft decrees by May 30.

"After this deadline, ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies who have not presented the draft decrees must take responsibility before the Government and the Prime Minister," he said.

According to Government portal chinhphu.vn, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is actively collecting opinions to draft a decree on agricultural business conditions, to replace all of its 37 circulars in this area.

The Ministry of Health is drafting a series of decrees on conditions for food production and trade, as well as advertisements and inspections. The Ministry of Transport is drawing up a decree on conditions for businesses dealing with ship crews and steerage training services.

Phuc also asked the Government Office and the Ministry of Justice to shorten the time in assessing the draft decrees when these documents are available.

While the PM is determined to ease business activities and strengthen market confidence, industry insiders said cutting business licencing procedures required by authorities at different levels remained the biggest challenge for the Government.

The business community expects drastic actions by ministries and sectors to support the PM's determination, they said.

The Government has also asked ministers and chairpersons of provincial and municipal people's committees to build action plans to improve the country's business environment and competitiveness for the third year in a row.

Phuc ordered officials to present their plans with a vision until 2020 by the end of this month to concretise Resolution No 19-2016/NQ-CP, which he signed late last month.

The resolution required officials to publicise administrative procedures, eliminate unsuitable business conditions and establish proper systems to deal with requests from people and businesses.

Civil servants who are irresponsible or cause trouble for people and businesses will be strictly dealt with, the resolution stated.

The Government expected the current number of businesses in Viet Nam to double to a million by 2020.
Photo source: Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti

The signing ceremony yesterday occurred in the framework of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs working visit to Russia during May 16-20.

According to the agreement, the two parties will implement mutual projects in hydrocarbon exploration, exploitation, and processing in Russia, Vietnam, and third countries. Besides, the two parties will increase co-operation in commerce, oil and gas services, and staff training.

The parties agreed to consider potential options for joint projects and define the basic terms of cooperation as well as establish a working group for each area of cooperation.

According to Igor Sechin, Rosnefts chairman of the management board, after successful co-operation in offshore hydrocarbon exploration and production between Rosneft and PetroVietnam, the Russian partner is interested in deepening co-operation in the petrochemical, as well as oil and gas services and training sectors, helping Rosneft to expand its operations to the Asia-Pacific region.

Nguyen Quoc Khanh, chairman of the Board of Directors of PetroVietnam, said that they stood ready to provide full support to Rosnefts plans in Vietnam and welcomed further developments of cooperation between two companies.

Rosneft and PetroVietnam currently operate a project of gas and condensate production and offshore exploration in Vietnam (Block 06.1), through the Russian partners subsidiary Rosneft Vietnam B.V. The project is based on a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) on two gas condensate fields-Lan Tay and Lan Do. The fields are located 370 kilometres off the coast in Nam Con Son basin, with a sea depth of up to 190 metres. Since the fields development started, about 50 billion cubic metres of gas was produced.

Rosneft and PetroVietnam also have stakes in Nam Con Son pipeline, which transports gas and condensate from Nam Con Son basins offshore blocks to an onshore power generation facility.
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) shakes hands with his Russia counterpart Dmitry Medvedev, Moscow, Russia, May 16, 2016. Photo: VGP

Meanwhile PM Phuc reiterated that Viet Nam always attaches importance to consolidating and enhancing the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia.

The two PMs expressed their satisfaction at the growing political trust between the two countries. They agreed to continue fostering the exchange of delegations at all levels, effectively maintaining the existing dialogue and consultation mechanisms, and doubling efforts to spur trade ties.

Both sides agreed to strengthen support for their oil and gas joint ventures to operate effectively in both countries and expand operations in third countries.

The two countries also vowed to continue close and effective national defense-security ties, especially in military technical cooperation while enhancing cooperation in other potential areas like science-technology, education-training, culture, tourism, labor and local-to-local cooperation.

PM Phuc conveyed thanks to the Russian leaders and authorities for creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese nationals to live and work in Russia.

Regarding multilateral aspect, the two sides agreed to continue close coordination at such forums like the UN, APEC, ASEM, and ASEAN

PM Phuc congratulated Russia for hosting the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit to mark the 20th anniversary of the relations between ASEAN and Russia.

The two PMs agreed that all disputes in the East Sea must be settled through peaceful measures on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

They called for full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

PM Phuc took the occasion to invited PM D. Medvedev to visit Viet Nam. The latter accepted the invitation with pleasure.

After the talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of eight cooperation agreements and co-chaired a press conference to announce the outcomes of their talks.
As some local gold traders still apply different measure in checking gold content, gold investors are of vulnerable situation.- Photo daidoanket.vn

Long estimated there were some 500 tonnes of gold held by local people, VGTA's website reported.

He said, "Many people possessing a large quantity of gold showed interest in gold investment, even in risky gold floors that are running illegally in the country."

Further, without an official trading floor, fake or low-quality gold also put gold investors in a vulnerable situation, Long said.

Though the Ministry of Science and Technology have issued a standard gold measure for the local market, many gold traders still apply different measures in their operations. Thus, the chairman said it was quite common for a gold product to contain 65 per cent gold content in Can Tho City, but 63 per cent in Binh Duong Province and only 61 per cent in HCM City, under the different measures used by gold buyers.

In addition, the ban on raw gold imports for non-licensed gold jewellery makers had forced these manufacturers to buy gold from the unofficial market, which contributed to gold smuggling in the country, Long said.

The chairman said, "Viet Nam needs a huge amount of capital for socio-economic development in the next few years, thus the establishment of a gold floor is essential to help mobilise gold resources from local people."

Long also said an official trading floor will ease gold smuggling across borders, and generate more taxes for the State budget. It will also help the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) supervise gold transactions in the market and help local gold manufacturers buy raw materials for production.

Six years ago, the National Finance Supervision Commission had proposed a similar plan to the government, according to which the gold floor was planned to operate in a similar manner to the stock exchanges in HCM City and Ha Noi. Investors could trade their gold with gold certificates from SBV-licensed companies.

Finance and banking expert Nguyen Tri Hieu said a national gold trading floor will bring transparency to the market and benefit all stakeholders.

Hieu said the SBV's policies have, so far, led to a stable gold market, adding that an official floor would help ease gold speculation.

Nguyen Ngoc Canh, director of the Foreign Exchange Management Department at SBV, said an establishment of this type was already included in the bank's strategic plans, however, it would be implemented step-by-step and at the right moment.

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, which monitors the quality of gold available in the market, inspections will be carried out at gold trading businesses between July and September.
She added that women should be facilitated to lead the implementation of disaster risk reduction priorities in the region as well as in each country and locality.



Roberta Clarke made the remark at the Regional Asia-Pacific Conference on Gender and Disaster Risk Reduction in Hanoi on May 16.



The event was attended by representatives from the Vietnamese Government, ministries and institutes, international organisations, and specialists from 22 countries.

Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said it is a fact in his country that women are the first persons to gear up their families for natural disasters, and also the first to bring the life of their communities back to normal.



Phat, who chairs Vietnams central steering committee for natural disaster prevention and control, called for all countries coordination to integrate gender perspectives into road maps for the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015  2030).



The Sendai Framework was adopted at the third UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan, on March 18, 2015. It says: A gender, age, disability and cultural perspective should be integrated in all policies and practices, and women and youth leadership should be promoted.



The Asia  Pacific nations are devising action plans on carrying out the Sendai Framework.



During the three-day conference, participants will discuss measures for enhancing gender equality and promoting womens leadership in priorities such as knowledge about disaster risks; strengthening disaster risk management; investing in response, recovery and adaptation during disaster risk reduction; and increasing preparations for effective response, recovery and rebuilding.



They will also mull over the connection between natural disasters and climate change, the role of climate change prevention in addressing challenges in disaster risk reduction and promoting gender equality through community-based disaster risk management.
An AFPTV image shows destruction at a camp for displaced people near the town of Sarmada in Syria's Idblib province, near the border with Turkey, following an air strike on May 5, 2016 (Photo: AFP)

VIENNA: Senior envoys from world and regional powers gathered once again in Vienna on Tuesday (May 17) in an effort to salvage stumbling efforts to halt Syria's civil war.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov - diplomacy's odd couple, at loggerheads over much else in the world - are chairing the meeting, which began shortly after 0700 GMT.

At the gathering, the 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) will renew its call for a nationwide ceasefire and immediate humanitarian access to besieged areas.

But headaches were likely to persist over the third plank of the plan - a call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime and the rebels to agree on a framework for a political transition.

US officials travelling with Kerry say Washington still insists Assad should go, with an Aug 1 deadline for settling on the framework under which he does so.

But the Syrian president, bolstered by military support from Russia and Iran, has shown no sign he is prepared to leave.

"There is no lasting future for Syria with Assad," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier as he arrived for the Vienna talks. "That's why we need to discuss, under the auspices of the UN, what a transition government could look like and put things on the right track," he added.

So far, UN-mediated peace talks in Geneva under international envoy Staffan de Mistura have made little headway and now even Washington's allies privately doubt the Aug 1 date will be met.

"The target for August is to have a framework in place, a framework agreed, for a political transition," a senior State Department official told reporters in Vienna ahead of the meeting.

"We're talking to the Russians, trying to get a better environment for the political negotiations," he said. "Particularly on the regime side."

The opposition coalition, the official said, had been more open about how they would like to see the deal negotiated but Assad's people - while publicly backing talks - have not engaged.

"The regime is just not there, and I think that's really the key to it," he said.

This is a key that can only be turned by Russia, if at all. Moscow, Assad's key foreign backer, supports the ISSG platform on paper but backs Syrian government forces on the ground.

'LONG WAY FROM THE FINISH LINE'

Russia nevertheless endorsed the UN Security Council resolution that enshrined the ISSG peace plan in international law - and Lavrov says he supports it.

"Today we're a long way from the finish line," he said on Monday, according to official Russian news agencies. "But if everything decided under the auspices of the ISSG and the UN Security Council is put in place honestly, then there's every chance the situation won't stay as it is."

The situation on the ground as it stands is dire.

Washington and Moscow chivvied the warring parties into a shaky ceasefire in late February, but pockets of violence remain.

A regime air strike in key battleground city Aleppo left at least three civilians dead early Tuesday, among them a mother and her young daughter, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Meanwhile, regime forces continue to blockade several rebel-held areas around Damascus, stopping all food and medical aid in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.

And militant groups the Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front, not party to the ceasefire or peace talks, still hold vast swathes of the country and carry out attacks.

In Bdama in Idlib province in the northwest, large swathes of which are held by Al-Nusra, regime strikes left eight civilians dead, including four women and three children.

Fighting has also broken out between Al-Nusra and other Islamist factions that chose to take part in the peace process, killing more than 300 fighters in recent weeks.

The Syrian war erupted in early 2011 after Assad's forces launched a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests, and has since claimed more than 270,000 lives.

Millions have been driven from their homes and a wave of refugees has joined a flow of migrants struggling to escape to Europe, causing a humanitarian and political crisis.

On the ground, US allies like Saudi Arabia and Turkey back some of the rebel factions, while Russia has dispatched war planes and advisers and Iran troops to back Assad.


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Up to 49 million people may be affected by the ongoing drought in southern Africa, a massive jump from previous estimates, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Tuesday in announcing the organization would step up relief efforts.

IFRC Secretary General Elhadj As Sy announced a $112 million, four-year initiative to address the crisis hammering the region. But he added that the emergency aid response was not enough, and that aid groups also would need to respond to issues of resilience and infrastructure. He said the effort also would focus on helping communities learn to better cope with future shocks.

The El Nino weather phenomenon that began last year has battered much of southern Africa with severe floods, followed by severe drought. It already has affected an estimated 31.6 million people.

That number may climb to even 49 million, Sy said.  There are a number of assessments going on, and this is the reason youll always hear these fluctuating numbers.

Sy just wrapped up a trip to some of the worst-affected drought zones in Malawi and Zimbabwe.

The father of five told VOA he was deeply moved by people experiencing the crisis  not just by their plight, he said, but by their resilience, optimism and desire for dignity.

He beamed with fatherly pride as he showed photos of himself with a little Zimbabwean girl who was clutching a bag of cookies and basking in the limelight of attention  a small spark of joy, he said, amid this crisis.

Sy spoke of the mother who insisted on using part of her meager funds to buy soap so her children could be presentable. And he spoke of the desperation  and determination  of a young man who spent more than an hour digging in a dried-out riverbed for less than a gallon of water.

The southern Africa drought plan is part of the One Billion Coalition for Resilience, an initiative designed to help at least 1 billion people around the world to cope with adversity by 2025. The IFRC-led plan is uniting governments, civic organizations and philanthropies to bolster individual and community capacity.
The military's case against Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl resumes with a pre-trial hearing Tuesday that could result in his court-martial being moved until after this fall's elections.

The government has proposed delaying the start of the trial to December so classified documents can be properly reviewed and prepared.

Given the shape of the presidential campaign, that could mean Bergdahl will face military justice after voters decide in November whether the incoming Commander-in-Chief will be either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.

Bergdahl's defense is already saying the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is damaging their client's chances for a fair trial by calling him a dirty, rotten traitor, who should have been executed.

The 30-year-old soldier faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The latter charge is relatively rare and carries the potential of life in prison.

Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, was quickly captured after walking off his combat post in Afghanistan in 2009. He was held as a prisoner of war for five years by the Taliban and its allies until President Barack Obama exchanged five Guantanamo Bay detainees for his safe return, saying the U.S. does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind.

Obama's decision was harshly criticized. Some members of Congress said it jeopardized national security. Trump has targeted Bergdahl for scorn dozens of times on the campaign trail, saying he should have been thrown from a plane.

The defense's complaints about Trump have no bearing on the case right now, according to Rachel VanLandingham, a former Air Force lawyer who teaches at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. But if he is elected in November and keeps up his harsh comments about Bergdahl, the defense could more effectively argue that a President Trump is pressuring Army brass for a conviction, she said.

The lack of evidence that any service members were killed or wounded searching for the missing soldier led the Army's primary investigating officer to recommend against jail time, and a preliminary hearing officer recommended against a bad-conduct discharge.

But those recommendations were scrapped in December by the general overseeing the case. Gen. Robert Abrams, who leads the Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, sided with an Army lawyer's recommendation for a general court-martial.

Both sides also may address Tuesday whether that Army lawyer's advice to Abrams was so incomplete that it misled the four-star general.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials have been notified that threats against Bergdahl continue, his attorneys said in a February court filing.

Given the many incendiary comments that have been broadcast and otherwise disseminated about Sgt. Bergdahl, his immediate commander at Fort Sam Houston has taken measures to ensure his physical safety when leaving the installation, they wrote.

A spokesman at the Texas post declined to describe these measures, citing security considerations. But as a group of soldiers, battle buddies, we all look out for each other, Sgt. Maj. Matt Howard said.

Bergdahl can come and go the same as any other soldier from Fort Sam Houston, where he works a desk job in a headquarters unit, handling a lot of administrative work that needs to be done. Paperwork, moving stuff from place to place, things like that, Howard said.
Maltese police say eight French tourists were injured when the balcony of a restaurant where they were dining collapsed.

The collapse occurred Monday evening in the popular St. Julian's Bay area. One of the tourists was critically hurt when she landed on seaside rocks two stories below the restaurant. Among the others, a man was seriously injured and the other six were slightly hurt.

An investigation has begun to determine why the balcony collapsed onto the balcony of a different restaurant below it. There were no diners in the lower restaurant.
The focus was how to combat Islamic State militants and halt their unnerving advance in Libya, just a short boat ride from southern Europe. But Western powers announcement Monday of their readiness to arm the struggling unity government in Tripoli has gone down badly with a rival government and its militia in the east of the fractious, chaotic country.

Supporters of General Khalifa Haftar  the muscle behind the opposition National Salvation Government  are scorning the Western powers decision to support a partial arms ban exemption for the United Nations-negotiated Government of National Accord (GNA).

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had encouraged aiding the GNA, led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, following a meeting Monday in Vienna with diplomats from 20 other Western countries.

"The international community should support the Serraj government, which is the only legitimate one in Libya, and which must now start to work," said Kerry, who presided over the meeting with his Italian counterpart, Paolo Gentiloni.

The United Nations had imposed an arms embargo in 2011 to stop strongman Moammar Gadhafi from securing weapons to quell the uprising against him. He was killed in October of that year.

Kerry argued that acceding to a GNA request for arms and training is imperative to help restore order to the country. The GNA is in Tripoli; the rival government is in Tobruk.

In a series of angry tweets, Haftar supporters condemned the West's readiness to lift the arms embargo and aid the GNA. The Al Hurra TV channel, on its Twitter account, called the move "foreign meddling in [Libyas] sovereign affairs."

Supporters, though, see nothing wrong with Egypt's or the United Arab Emirates' arming Haftar and his so-called Libyan National Army, made up of former militiamen and veterans from Gadhafis security forces.

Race to consolidate power

Analysts say Vienna may have set the stage for a race between Libyas regional rivals to capture Sirte, the coastal city that several thousand jihadists have controlled for almost a year.

Just days before the Vienna meeting, militiamen from the town of Misrata, which back the GNA, and Haftars fighters skirmished south of Sirte. Now theres an added incentive for Haftars forces to get to Sirte before arms start flowing to the GNA militia allies, some analysts warn.

Jason Pack of the consultancy Libya-Analysis said he feared loosening the arms embargo could fuel tensions rather than deter them, adding that an injection of weapons to the GNA is likely to amplify factional rivalries rather than help tamp them down.

The international communitys undeterred championing of the GNA seems increasingly out of step with Libyans sentiments, Pack said, noting growing public support for Haftar. The Gadhafi-era general and his forces have made gains in recent weeks against IS and other militants in Benghazi, Derna and Ajdabiya.

Stability elusive

Stabilizing Libya is an urgent goal for the West as it tries to combat IS more effectively and counter the smuggling of migrants to Europe.

The unity government, installed in March, was meant to be a first step in bringing order to a country that has known little since Gadhafis ouster. Western officials have placed hope in war fatigue, the allure of foreign aid and development money, and the growing threat of IS to build popular momentum for the unity government.

But in large parts of Libya, questions remain about the GNAs legitimacy.

UN deal unfulfilled

Under the U.N. negotiated deal, the GNA is meant to be sharing power with two rivals: the easts National Salvation Government, an arm of the House of Representatives (HoR); and the rump of the General National Congress, which refused to stand aside after Libyans voted for the HoR to replace it as the countrys legislature in 2014.

But the GNA has struggled to consolidate its position in the Libyan capital, let alone expand its authority to the rest of the country. It remains dependent on the support of powerful western militias, whose loyalty remains suspect and who may be biding their time to see how the unity government fares.

The HoR has failed to endorse the GNA, a move required under the U.N. deal. HoR President Ageela Saleh warned Monday his legislature wont approve the unity government unless ministers selected by al-Serraj attend a session in Tobruk, which they refuse to do, citing security concerns.

Hafed Al-Ghwell, a senior adviser with Oxford Analytica, a global risk advisory group, said big questions remain about the GNAs credibility.

Many people have been excluded, especially tribal and former Gadhafi officers as well as over a million Libyan exiles in Egypt and Tunisia, he said. He warned that by giving arms to the Tripoli-based GNA government, the West would essentially be taking sides in what in effect is a civil war.
The court-martial of U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl for alleged desertion has been postponed until February.

Bergdahl, 30, was to have been put on trial in August on charges of walking away from his post in Afghanistan in 2009. But a military judge at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, put off the trial for six months to give legal teams more time to prepare.

The Taliban quickly captured Bergdahl after he left his outpost. He was freed from captivity in 2014 as part of a prisoner swap involving inmates at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Bergdahl's lawyers say he walked away from his post to warn officers about problems in his unit. But the U.S. Army says that could have put his fellow soldiers in grave danger.

His defense team says it is upset at the postponement because they say the trial will now take place after a new president takes office. They say their case may have been poisoned by likely Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has called Bergdahl a "dirty rotten traitor" who should be executed.

Democrat Hillary Clinton, who leads in the delegate count in her party's presidential nominee selection process, has not publicly commented on the court-martial, but she defended the prisoner swap at the time.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter accused lawmakers of budget gimmickry that could undermine the militarys ability to respond to critical threats.

Carter aired his criticisms during a speech Tuesday at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition, held on the outskirts of Washington, threatening he would advise the president to veto the fiscal 2017 defense spending bill if certain provisions were not removed.

It raids war funds in a time of war, when we have men and women deployed in operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, Carter said.

The bulk of his anger was directed at the version of the bill being offered in the House of Representatives, which he said would underfund the countrys war-fighting efforts by $18 billion. He said the legislation would instead allocate the money to items we didnt request.

It undercuts stable planning and efficient use of taxpayer dollars, dispirits troops and their families, baffles friends and emboldens foes, Carter said.

Both the House and Senate versions of the bill call for overall military spending of $610 billion. But the version passed by the House Armed Services Committee would move $18 billion from the overseas contingency operations funds into the regular budget, to be used on equipment and manpower needs.

President Barack Obamas proposed defense budget for next year calls for $582.7 billion in spending. It also requests another $58.8 billion in overseas contingency operations funds to help fight terror in places like Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
A wave of bombings struck markets across the Iraqi capital Tuesday killing at least 68 people and injuring more than 100.

The deadliest attack occurred in the mainly Shiite district of al-Shaab area in northern Baghdad, where officials say a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a busy market. So-called Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack which left at least 34 people dead and wounded at least 70.

Another attack, a car bombing, hit the Rashid neighborhood in the southern part of the city killing at least six and injuring 22.

In Baghdad's Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, a suicide car bombing left at least 19 dead and more than 21 injured.

The Associated Press also reports a fourth attack at a restaurant in the northeast Habibiya neighborhood that left nine dead.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for those bombings.

During the past week, Islamic State has claimed a wave of attacks in and around Baghdad that have killed more than 100 people.

These latest attacks come on the heels of Iraqi ground forces achieving a number of key territorial victories against the Islamic State terrorist group in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has acknowledged that Islamic State group is seeking to take advantage of the country's political crisis over the pace of political reform and the overhaul of a quota-based governing system.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her sole rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, split two state nominating contests Tuesday, leaving her closer to clinching the nomination in three weeks.

Clinton edged Sanders in the coal-producing state of Kentucky by about 2,000 votes. It was a margin close enough that election officials said they would not yet declare an official winner, but Clinton claimed the victory, her first in May. Meanwhile, Sanders defeated her in the Pacific coastal state of Oregon.

With the outcome in the two states, Clinton, seeking to become the country's first female president, could clinch the nomination June 7, when six states vote. Democrats would then formally declare her the nominee at their national convention in July.

How delegates are awarded



Democrats award delegates to the national convention proportionally, based on the outcome of state-by-state voting. Sanders gained just four on her Tuesday. Overall, Clinton has 2,291 delegates of the 2,383 needed to claim the nomination to his 1,528.

Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who has attacked Clinton for her past support of U.S. trade deals and connections with Wall Street leaders, has acknowledged that he has only a narrow path to overtake her and claim the nomination. But he has vowed to stay in the race through the remaining state contests.

"Let me be as clear as I can be... We are in 'til the last ballot is cast," Sanders told a rally in California, the biggest state yet to vote in the lengthy campaign.

Going forward, Sanders would need to win about 85 percent of the remaining delegates to the national convention in order to surpass Clinton. He has won only one state by that margin so far, and that was in Vermont, his home state.

Sanders' supporters so far have resisted any move toward backing Clinton. They engaged in violent outbursts at a party convention in Nevada last weekend when they felt they were short-changed in the number of national convention delegates that had been awarded to Sanders to represent the western state.

June primaries



The Democrats have contests on June 4 in the Virgin Islands and June 5 in Puerto Rico. There are not enough delegates at stake in those contests for Clinton to clinch the nomination before the June 7 voting.

The Democratic nominee will face Republican candidate Donald Trump in the November general election to pick the successor to President Barack Obama when he leaves office in January after eight years in the White House.

Trump easily won Oregon's Republican primary Tuesday, with his remaining challengers dropping out of the party's nominating contest in early May. He has yet to officially clinch the party's nomination but also is likely to claim it on June 7.



Whoever wins the November election could appoint several new Surpeme Court justices over the next four years, if current, older justices retire or die. The nine-member court is already down to eight justices, with the death in February of Antonin Scalia.

Trump on Wednesday released a list of 11 potential justices he would consider to replace Scalia if he is elected. Obama has nominated a federal appellate judge, Merrick Garland, to fill the seat, but Republican opponents in the Senate have declined to consider the nomination and say that the next president should make the choice.

Trump called the 11 judges on his list "great conservative judges, great intellects, the people that you want."



An NBC News/Survey Monkey poll Tuesday showed Clinton with a narrow national edge over Trump, 48 to 45 percent, down from a five-point margin a week ago.

An average of several polls shows Clinton leading Trump by about six points, with Sanders doing even better with a 13-point advantage over Trump.
With snipers perched atop buildings and thousands of police deployed to maintain security, Zhang Dejiang, the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Hong Kong since pro-democracy protests in 2014, arrived Tuesday for a three-day visit to the port city.

Zhang said he was in Hong Kong to listen, see and speak, but even before his trip began, it was off to a rocky start. Two protests banners were unfurled and a handful of protesters arrested, despite efforts to stifle any expressions of dissent.

Hong Kong authorities have said the extensive counterterrorism security measures the city has put in place are necessary to ensure Zhangs safety and no stone has been left unturned in that effort. Literally. Local media have reported that sidewalk bricks have been glued securely so they could not be lobbed by protesters.

Police were also deployed atop Lion Rock, a peak that overlooks Hong Kong, in an apparent effort to keep activists from hanging banners there. During the 2014 pro-democracy protests, a large banner reading, I want real direct elections hung from the rock.

Activists managed to hang a banner nearby, on Beacon Hill, early Tuesday with the same message. Another was hung from the North Lantau Highway with the message, End One Party Rule. The banner was removed before Zhang passed by on his way from the airport.

Both banners were hung by the pro-democracy League of Social Democrats.

Protest leaders undeterred

Avery Ng Man-yuen, the chairman of the league, live-streamed his arrest on Facebook. While he was being taken away on suspicion of violating traffic laws, he said, Zhang Dejiang should stop being a coward and should go back to Beijing.



Other photos on social media showed Nathan Law, a former student leader of the Occupy Central movement and chairman of the newly formed political party, Demosisto, being taken down by police.

Law said protest zones that have been set up by police have made it impossible for demonstrators to even see Zhang, and violate Hong Kongs rights to have political demands heard and free expression. Law vowed to try to make his voice heard outside designated protest areas.

It is not clear how large the protests will be during Zhangs visit, and some analysts noted they will largely be symbolic as some activists are running for office in legislative elections in September.

Several protests are planned during Zhangs visits, but the designated areas are blocks away from his hotel and a conference center where he will speak at a forum on Chinas one belt, one road policy. Tall barricades also line the roads.

Upon his arrival in Hong Kong, Zhang was greeted by its increasingly unpopular chief executive CY Leung and other senior officials. China clearly wants the visit to be a success, but which voices he will listen to, and what he will see and hear are already in question.

"[I will listen to] suggestions and demands of all sectors of society on executing the principle of one country, two systems, self-governance, on allowing Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy, how to implement the Basic Law, and how the country and Hong Kong should develop," Zhang said.

Zhang is the chairman the Standing Committee of Chinas rubber-stamp National Peoples Congress, a rough equivalent of parliamentary speaker, and third-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of China's Communist Party.

A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 and the one country, two systems policy was set up to ensure that it continue to enjoy its free-wheeling capitalist economy, Western-style courts, and guarantees of freedom of speech and the press.



Given Chinas increasingly heavy-handed approach to the port city, however, there are growing concerns that those freedoms are at risk.

Future for democracy?

Beijings rejection of calls for the direct election of Hong Kongs chief executive - a policy decision in which Zhang played a key role - triggered the 2014 Occupy protests. More recently, the apparent abduction of booksellers in Hong Kong and elsewhere in Asia who published books critical of Chinas leadership has also had a chilling impact.

Additionally, the recent establishment of a pro-independence party in Hong Kong is helping make a once taboo topic more mainstream. Beijing has criticized the establishment of the party of what it calls an extremely small group, and some politicians in Hong Kong have echoed Chinas concerns, warning such ideas threaten the citys political and economic future.

While in Hong Kong, Zhang is scheduled to speak at a conference Wednesday on Chinas one belt, one road policy. It is a policy that Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, hopes will help further expand trade routes from Chinas western border through Central Asia to the Middle East and Europe, and by sea in what it calls a maritime belt through the South China Sea and on to Africa.

Zhang will also meet with lawmakers, including some from the pro-democracy camp and dine with Hong Kongs chief executive.
Ninety-five percent of lesbian, gay and other sexual and gender minorities in China hide their orientation because they fear discrimination and social abuse, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Discrimination against gay people and other sexual and gender minorities is not just restricted to education and the workplace but extends to official agencies and the judiciary, the U.N. body said after a major survey covering 30,000 people.

The report comes a week after a Chinese court rejected the first gender discrimination suit filed by a transgender person, identified as Mr. C, who complained he was fired from his job because of his self-identification. Mr. Cs employer told the labor court that the plaintiff's manner of dressing would negatively affect the firm.

Chinese censors recently removed a video about transgender people from the Internet, while Chinese filmmaker Zhang Wei complained he was finding it difficult to make China's first movie on the subject.

"Physical and emotional violence is still a reality, especially within the family," the UNDP report said. "Discrimination continues to cost LGBTI [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex] people jobs, lower their career prospects and their learning potential in schools. Sexual and gender minorities suffer from lower job stability and higher unemployment rates."

Government criticized

The U.N. body also was critical of the government. "China still lacks policies or laws that recognize sexual and gender minorities or protect them from discrimination and unfair treatment on the basis of their gender identity or sexual orientation," it said.

The Chinese Ministry of Justice recently told the United Nations that China does not view LGBTI as a mental disease or require compulsory treatment for LGBTI people. They will not be confined in mental hospitals either.

But the ministry acknowledged some problems. "Indeed, LGBTI people face some real challenges in terms of social acceptance, employment, education, health and family life," it admitted.

The UNDP found that gender diversity concerns are rarely covered in staff training and internal regulations of government offices and government-backed organizations.

Only about 5 percent of gender minorities disclose their sexual orientation outside their families. Even within the family, "no more than 15 percent have the courage to do so," the report said.

Response on social media

Chinese social media greeted Tuesdays release of the report with some calls for better treatment for LGBTI people and others questioning why the issue even comes up.

"Finally, attention is being paid to the living conditions of homosexuals!" said a social media commentator who goes by the user name seby1989.

One user on Sina Weibo, the country's most followed Twitter-like platform, called for a referendum on whether LGBTI people should have protection and support in China, and asked the United Nations to help organize it.

Another one, named MXAU, promised to promote the legalization of same-sex marriages."

Critical comments came from a user who said, "Chinese will only pretend. But all [people] don't want to see it," adding that legalizing gay marriage would be ridiculous.

In China, relatives often pressure LGBTI people to undergo electric shock "conversion therapies," under the mistaken belief that such treatment might make them "straight." Therapies also include painful and expensive surgeries or a series of injections that leave patients weak and disoriented.

"Family pressure and rejection can have more serious consequences, with some LGBTI people being forced into psychotherapy and sometimes even conversion therapy," UNDP said.

It said most gender minorities enter into heterosexual relationships, sometimes dubbed cooperation marriages."

Outlook improving

But there is hope for LGBTI people. Younger Chinese take a more liberal approach and largely accept the fact of gender diversity, the UNDP survey suggested.

"The younger the respondents, the higher the proportion of those opposed to the pathological view of homosexuality, stereotype-based prejudices, gender binary ideas and even HIV-related stigma," it said.

Among respondents to the survey, the highest proportion of those who said they would accept their own children as being LGBTI were young people.

"Overall, it is clear that generational change represents the greatest opportunity for social emancipation of sexual and gender minorities in China." the report said.
The U.S. Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would allow the survivors and relatives of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States to sue Saudi Arabia's government for damages.

Riyadh has denied any involvement in the attacks, the worst terrorism ever in the U.S., but 15 of the 19 airline hijackers who commandeered four passenger jets to carry out assaults in New York and Washington were later identified as Saudis.

The legislation, approved on a voice vote, would give victims' families the right to sue Saudi Arabia for damages for any role it played in the attack. Saudi Arabia, in return, has threatened to pull billions of dollars from the U.S. economy if the measure becomes law.

The legislation still must approved by the House of Representatives, and then signed by President Barack Obama.

The president has threatened to veto the measure if it clears the House, saying it would expose Americans overseas to legal risks.



After Senate passage of the legislation, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, "Given the concerns that we have expressed, it's difficult to imagine the president signing this legislation."

The measure is winding through Congress as Obama considers whether to make public 28 pages of classified material, contained in the official government investigation report of the attack, that touches on possible Saudi involvement.
Human rights concerns are growing over the deteriorating situation of tens of thousands of Tatars since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, considered part of Ukraine, two years ago.

Since April 2014, Crimean Tatars have been subjected to arbitrary searches, seizure of books and arrests. Allegations of ill-treatment have largely gone unaddressed by the de facto [Russian] authorities, said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Over the past two years, the U.N. human rights office has documented many cases of persecution of Crimean Tatars, including the intimidation, harassment and jailing of members of the Mejlis, the representative body of the Crimean Tatar minority community.

The U.N. agency has reported arbitrary arrests, such as those that occurred early last month when 35 men, mostly Crimean Tatars, were taken without due process to a police center and interrogated on alleged links with an extremist organization before being released.

The agency also has accused Russian-backed authorities of trampling the rights of freedom of expression, noting the shutdown of Crimean Tatar media outlets, such as last weeks reported blocking of Radio Free Europe/Radio Libertys Crimea news website.

History repeating itself

This growing pattern of abuse is playing out as a sinister backdrop to the May 18 anniversary of the 1944 deportation of some 200,000 Tatars from Crimea during World War II.

Colville told VOA the deteriorating situation of the Tatars in Crimea is particularly sad, I think, given the great difficulty there was in re-integrating them after more than 50 years in exile."

He said, There was an immense effort to resolve this huge historical injustice. So, it is very sad to see, to some extent, history repeating itself with the Crimean Tatars again being placed in a very, very difficult position.

Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin had more than three million people forcibly uprooted and rounded up between 1936 and 1952, including eight entire ethnic groups that were removed from their ancestral homelands.

Among them were some 200,000 Tatars, who were branded as traitors and collaborators. They were all deported  virtually all of them in the space of two days, on cattle trains, said Colville. Thousands died on the way to Central Asia. They were just dumped in various countries in Central Asia.

Rendered stateless

Most of the Tatars were sent to then Soviet Uzbekistan. They were stripped of all rights of citizenship and became stateless.

The U.N. refugee agency estimates at least 10 million people around the world have no nationality. UNHCR spokesman William Spindler said they have become stateless through no fault of their own.

It is a terrible situation to be in because it means you have no government that defends your interests, that protects your rights.

Spindler told VOA that stateless people have no documents. That means they cannot send their children to school, they cannot get married, they cannot travel or work legally.

Basically, all the things that we take for granted, even the exercise of your political rights to vote, are out of the question for stateless people because they do not have a state, a country, that they can call their own.

He said, This situation affects millions of people around the world. It has huge practical implications for people and it leaves them in a state of limbo.

Back in a state of limbo

In 1999, less than a decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Tatars were permitted to return to Crimea, their original homeland. With the help of the UNHCR, other organizations and political leaders, many of the Tatars had been able to acquire Ukrainian citizenship.

But, human rights spokesman Colville noted many Tatars fear that their status could, once again, change for the worse under Russian rule.

The Crimean Tatars are in some ways, not quite the same way  but they are living in a state of limbo again because they do not know what is going to happen. What has happened with regard to the Russian Federation and the Ukraine is not of their choosing, he said.

There are more and more arrests of Crimean Tatars. So, you know obviously they are very concerned that they are in an extremely vulnerable position and we are concerned they are in a very vulnerable position as well.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, has raised the issue of the Tatars with Russian officials. He is calling on the Russian Federation, which exercises de facto control over the territory of Crimea, to see to it that the rights of Tatars and other minority and indigenous peoples are respected. He also urged an end to the discrimination and harassment to which the groups are subjected.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi promised Israel on Tuesday warmer ties if it accepts efforts to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, urging Israeli leaders not to waste an opportunity to bring security and hope to a troubled region.

In an impromptu speech at an infrastructure conference in the southern city of Assiut, Sissi said his country was willing to mediate a reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions in an effort to pave the way toward a lasting peace accord with the Israelis.

"If we are able to solve the issue of our Palestinian brothers it will achieve warmer peace... I ask that the Israeli leadership allow this speech to be broadcast in Israeli one or two times as this is a genuine opportunity," Sissi said.

"I say to our Palestinian brothers, you must unite the different factions in order to achieve reconciliation and quickly. We as Egypt are prepared to take on this role. It is a real opportunity to find a long-awaited solution."

French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday an international conference due in late May in Paris to relaunch peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis had been postponed but would take place this summer.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told France's foreign minister on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a French initiative for an international conference to try to revive peace talks.

Egypt was the first of a handful of Arab countries to recognize Israel with a U.S.-sponsored peace accord in 1979, but Egyptian attitudes to their neighbor remain icy due to what many Arabs see as the continued Israeli occupation of land that is meant to form a Palestinian state.
Fourteen people from South Sudan will take part this year in the Young African Leaders Initiative, begun in 2010 by President Barack Obama.

The participants depart for Washington next month. They will travel to American University and other college campuses for a six-week program to learn business entrepreneurship, civic leadership or public management.

The 14 South Sudanese will join hundreds of others selected across Africa to participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, the flagship program of the African leaders initiative. The goal of the fellowship program is to empower young people through academic course work, leadership training and networking so they can help develop their own communities back home.

Chris Meade, public information officer at the U.S. Embassy in Juba, said the seven men and seven women were selected from 380 South Sudanese applicants.

This is actually the first time they are meeting each other ... and these 14 we selected are truly leaders in the field in NGO leadership, in business entrepreneurship, in public management, Meade said.

All participants are between 25 and 35 years old. None has been to the United States before.

Gaining expertise

Fellow Bena Mark, 30, who works as a physiologist at the University of Juba, said she hoped to interact with lecturers and others taking part in the program. She said she was looking forward to expanding her expertise as a young leader in public management.

I am working in a public university, so it is going to be vast," Mark said. She said she hoped to learn "more about leadership in different professions and in different institutions.

Maout Luise, 27, an advocate for the rights of disabled people, said he expected to acquire more civic leadership skills in order to improve his work in South Sudan.

I will get the necessary inspiration ... and I will also try to compare how the U.S. looks like and where South Sudan is," said Luise, who is education secretary at the South Sudan Association of the Visually Impaired. "But also I will come with motivation that what I am doing here in my country is right.
Tear gas briefly choked a Left Bank neighborhood and truckers blocked highways in Provence and Normandy in new tensions over a French labor bill Tuesday - but the president insisted that he won't abandon the contested reform.



France is facing a tense week of strikes and other union action against the bill, which has met fierce resistance in Parliament and in the streets.



A peaceful march Tuesday by union members through Paris was interrupted when masked protesters threw projectiles, and riot police responded with tear gas that rose up in the surrounding streets. A bus stop was scrawled with graffiti in English reading Tourist go home, refugees come. The march later resumed.



Truck drivers joined in the protests Tuesday, blocking roads around Marseille and the western cities of Nantes and Le Mans. They fear a drop in income because the bill cuts overtime pay.



Marseille union leader Laurent Casanova said the goal is to paralyze traffic... and block the economy. Truck driver John Bosco in Vitrolles, near Marseille, said the law could cut 1,000 to 1,500 euros ($1,130 to $1,700) from his annual income.



I will not back down on the bill, President Francois Hollande said Tuesday on Europe-1 radio, arguing that the new law is necessary to boost hiring and investment.



There are too many governments that have backed down, which is why I found the country in such a state in 2012, he said.

France's economy has stagnated for years after successive governments tried reforms but failed or ceded to street protests.



A crowd of protesters followed Hollande to a pharmaceutical laboratory he was visiting Tuesday, demanding the law be abandoned.

Protests against the bill have often turned violent. Hollande said those who come to protests just to break things would be punished, saying that 350 police officers have been injured in recent weeks and 60 people convicted.



Paris police banned some people from taking part in Tuesday's march through the capital, prompting some to file an emergency complaint for the alleged violation of their fundamental right to demonstrate.



Hollande insisted he supports the right to demonstrate despite a state of emergency still in place after last year's deadly extremist attacks in Paris.



That's part of freedom, he said.
An international conference focused on restarting the Israeli - Palestinian peace process originally set for May 30 in Paris is being postponed.

French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday the delay is because U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is not available on that date.

Hollande told French radio the talks will happen sometime this summer, and that without the initiative, attacks and settlement building will continue.

May 30 is a national holiday in the United States. State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday that Kerry is unavailable for a number of factors, including his already busy travel schedule this month.

US pledge

But Kirby said the U.S. remains interested in moving forward on a two-state solution and "listening to ideas on how to that."



Kerry pledged last month to continue working on the issue during the rest of President Barack Obama's term, which ends in January.

Israeli-Palestinian peace was a top priority for Kerry when he became secretary of state in early 2013. He got the two sides to talk for nine months, but the process broke down in April 2014 with no agreement.

Israel objected to a Palestinian unity government that brought together the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and the militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, while the Palestinians rejected continued settlement building on lands they want for a future state.

New wave of attacks



Months after the talks ended, a 50-day war in Gaza killed more than 2,100 people, most of them Palestinian civilians. During the past six months there has been a wave of Palestinian attacks that have killed at least 28 people, while Israeli forces have killed about 200 Palestinians, most of whom authorities say were carrying out attacks with guns or knives.

France is trying to revive the peace effort by first bringing together envoys from 20 countries, the U.N. and the European Union to set up an agenda for a second round that would involve the Israelis and Palestinians.

"We have no intention to substitute the Israelis or the Palestinians," French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Sunday when he met with both sides. "It's only them who can make peace, it's only them who can negotiate and nobody else in their place."

France impartiality questioned



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questioned France's impartiality, saying its support of a resolution from the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO "casts a shadow" on the fairness of a French-led peace meeting. That resolution, passed last month, repeatedly criticizes Israel for its actions and policies surrounding the al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem, as well as its blockade of Gaza. The document does not mention that Jews revere the holy site as the sacred Temple Mount.

Hollande expressed regret about the wording of the resolution in his Tuesday interview and said future texts will recognize the site's status among different religions.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu says the only path to peace is through direct negotiations without preconditions.

"Any other attempt just distances peace and gives Palestinians a means of evading dealing with the root of the conflict, which is not recognizing the State of Israel," he said.

Palestinian leaders have welcomed the French effort. Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said he hopes the international meeting can set up a peaceful settlement.

"We support the French peace initiative, including an international conference in order to break this deadlock," he said.
Indonesian officials say at least 17 people have been killed and 3 more remain missing following a flash flood near a popular tourist destination.

A group of 70 university students and their guides were visiting the Dua Warna Waterfall in North Sumatra when a surge of water came over one of the falls.

A rescue team is continuing the search for the missing.

"The search will be focused to three main streams of the river in the villages of Rambunan, Dere and Ujung Deleng. Those are around three kilometers far from the waterfall," Darwin Surbakti, head of a local police force, told reporters on Monday.

Flash floods are common during monsoon season in Indonesia, which most years ends in April.
May 17 marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. In the U.S., President Barack Obama said the country is committed to the principle that everyone must be treated fairly and with respect, but there is work to be done.

"In too many places, LGBT individuals grow up forced to conceal or deny who they truly are for fear of persecution, discrimination and violence," Obama said in a statement.

The president added that his administration has made "great strides," including marriage equality as a result of last year's landmark Supreme Court decision.

But LGBT people face challenges that some say have no place in America.

During an unrelated hearing Tuesday on the U.S. Senate floor, Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada took the opportunity to say he stands with the transgender community.

Reid condemned discrimination against the LGBT community and said North Carolina's controversial law is the kind of discriminatory action that has no place in the 21st century.

"Actions taken by the North Carolina legislature and governor are nothing short of state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals. Laws that are clearly and completely illegal," Reid said.

A legal battle intensified between the U.S. government and the state of North Carolina over its law that mandates transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding to their gender at birth, not the one to which they identify.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch called the 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 is suing the state of North Carolina over its so-called bathroom bill, saying it breaks federal anti-discrimination laws.

Around the globe

Meanwhile in Kosovo, a few hundred people held their first pride parade seeking acceptance and respect of their rights in the conservative society.

Participants marched under heavy police presence through downtown Pristina, and organizers said the rally was for "LGBT persons who could not be part of the march because they are surrounded by homophobia and transphobia in Kosovo."

Marchers carried banners that read "I am out, therefore I am," "Come out now, ask us how" and "Homophobia-free zone." Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci and the U.S. and British ambassadors to Kosovo also marched to voice support.

Human Rights Campaign (HRC), an advocate group that represents LGBT people from all around the world, reports that at least 75 countries still criminalize same-sex relationships while 10 countries punish same-sex conduct by death.

"HRC Global stands in solidarity with advocates everywhere against homophobia, transphobia, biphobia and all forms of hate facing the LGBTQ community," according to a statement.

In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced legislation to protect transgender people from hate speech and discrimination. The bill was to be officially unveiled Tuesday by Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.

Trudeau said in a speech at a Montreal event hosted by gay rights group Foundation Emergence that "despite all the obstacles we have overcome, the battles we have won, and the victories we have celebrated, we are still witnesses and, in some cases, victims of injustices."

"We must continue to demand true equality. We must carry on the legacy of those who fought for justice by being bold and ambitious in our actions," he said.

International Day Against Homophobia is celebrated in more than 120 countries each year. It was created in 2004 to draw political leaders' attention to the violence and discrimination that LGBT people face.
Iraq's security forces launched an operation to retake control of Ar-Rutbah, a town in western Anbar province that links Islamic State-controlled areas there with the Jordanian and Syrian borders.

"You can look on a map and see the significance of that part of Anbar province," U.S. Defense Department spokesman Peter Cook told reporters Monday. "If the Iraqi security forces were able to secure Rutbah, it would be a significant step forward in the fight against ISIL and a significant step in terms of being able to cut off that flow from the Jordanian border from west to east towards Baghdad."

Earlier this year, Islamic State lost control of a stretch of territory in eastern Syria and across the border near Sinjar, Iraq, interrupting what had been a line of control extending from Syria's Deir Ezzor province to Mosul and areas farther south in Iraq.

Losing the far western link around Rutbah would leave only the Qaim area, also in Anbar province, as a solid line of Islamic State control between Syria and Iraq. That stretch is vastly important for the militant group because it runs through its de facto capital in Raqqa, Syria, and connects to a border crossing with Turkey that can be used to bring in supplies and fighters.

Cook gave his latest assessment of the overall fight against the militant group Monday, saying it now has lost 45 percent of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and between 16 and 20 percent in Syria.

Islamic State swept through large areas of northern and western Iraq and eastern Syria in the middle of 2014, overwhelming Iraqi forces and taking advantage of the chaotic civil war in Syria to establish its self-declared Islamic caliphate. The severity of the offensive is clear from casualties suffered by Iraqi troops. In June 2014, 886 members of the Iraqi security forces were killed, compared to 196 the month before, according to U.N. data. More than 5,200 were killed last year and more than 1,500 have been killed so far in 2016.

Militia fighters and a U.S.-led coalition conducting airstrikes against the militants have been key in supporting Iraqi forces in operations to recapture areas such as Ramadi and Tikrit during the past year. In Syria, efforts have been concentrated along the country's northern border with Turkey, where Islamic State once controlled several hundred kilometers and multiple key crossings. Today, according to the Institute for the Study of War, Islamic State controls less than 100 kilometers along the border north of Aleppo.

In both Iraq and Syria, violence linked to the Islamic State group has killed thousands of people and created humanitarian emergencies, with people struggling to get access to food and healthcare. Many have fled their homes, either to other areas within the two countries or to Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and Europe. Those migrations have come with their own set of problems, with sometimes negative receptions from communities and governments struggling to provide basic services for increased populations.
A Palestinian boy the Israelis caught near the Gaza border last month turned out to be a treasure trove of deep intelligence about Hamas tunnels into Israel.

The boy, whom the Israel Security Agency identified only as a minor from Jabaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip, joined Hamas armed forces several years ago. His instructors prepared him for offensive operations as part of a concept that the next combat would be on Israeli territory, Israels security agency reported.

Some tunnels Hamas has been digging are supposed to penetrate Israel deep under the fences that surround the Gaza Strip. The boy knew the routes of tunnels that Hamas elite units were to use and the location of numerous tunnel shafts. The digging was so secret that workers were instructed to wash up and change their dusty clothes before leaving the tunnels.

But earlier this month the boy's revelations may have led to one of the most serious confrontations between Hamas and Israel since 2014.

Strategic weapon

The tunnels are an especially important weapon for Hamas because the Palestinians have no tanks, artillery, air force or navy.

In light of the balance of power, which shifted towards Israel, we had to be creative in finding innovative ways. The tunnels were one of our innovations, Hamas leader Khaled Mashal told Vanity Fair magazine in an article a few years ago.



Adnan Abu Amer, a dean at the Al Ummah University in Gaza, wrote in Al Monitor that he was shown a document distributed to Palestinian militants saying the tactic was to surprise the enemy and strike it a deadly blow that doesnt allow a chance for survival or escape or allow him a chance to confront and defend himself.

As Ismail Haniyeh, who heads the government in Gaza put it, thousands of fighters above ground and thousands of fighters underground have been preparing ... for the campaign to liberate Palestine, an Israel army report noted.

The Palestinians started digging tunnels in the 1990s from the then Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip to Egypt. Some tunnels were even used to smuggle cars and animals into Gaza. A few ended under fortified Israeli positions, which the Palestinians blew up.

After Israel withdrew from Gaza, Hamas used a tunnel to enter Israel and kidnap a soldier. In 2014 Hamas fighters penetrated an Israeli border post, killed five soldiers and made it back to the tunnel.

During the 2014 Operation Protective Edge Israel destroyed 34 cross-border tunnels, military spokeswoman Libby Weiss said.

Search leads to confrontation

Finding the tunnels was difficult because land-penetrating radar, microphones, and sensors were only effective against tunnels a few meters deep.

Not anymore, it seems. In the past month the Israelis discovered two cross-border tunnels, one 30 meters deep and the other 28.

How they do it is classified as "Top Secret", but Colonel Atay Shelah, who commanded the Engineering Corps Special Operations Unit, told Israel TV the system comprises intelligence, operational and technological elements.

There are several components, not just technology, he said.



The discovery led to skirmishes with Hamas because Israeli bulldozers, drilling and other equipment entered the Gaza Strip to destroy them. An Israel army spokesman, Peter Lerner, said the units were working within a 100 meter perimeter in accordance with understandings reached in 2014.

This area is a jumping ground for terrorist attacks, laying explosive charges and firing anti-tank missiles. We have to operate on both sides, Lerner told VOA.



But Hamas military arm, the Ezzeddeen al-Qassam Brigades, says the Israelis ventured more than 100 meters from the border into Gaza.

The Palestinians opened mortar fire, but Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said they were warning shots. Israel retaliated with air and tank attacks. The mutual shelling lasted four days and killed two people.

As tension mounted Egypt, Qatar, the United Nations and Turkey intervened, the Israelis withdrew and the shooting stopped, but it may be a temporary lull.

Searches for more tunnels along the 51 kilometer border are continuing and Yaalon served noticed if there will be a need to go back and enter the perimeter to find tunnels, we will enter."

They are violating our sovereignty (by digging tunnels into Israel) and they shouldnt come with complaints about our breach of sovereignty when we are busy looking for the tunnels, he stressed.
The U.S. trial of three Somali Americans accused of conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State group entered a second week Monday, with a key witness being cross-examined.

Abdullahi Yusuf, 20, who is cooperating with prosecutors, has been testifying against the three defendants in a Minneapolis courtroom. Defense lawyers on Monday grilled Yusuf, who at times appeared flustered. When asked about inconsistences in his story, Yusuf said he lied to U.S. agents during his initial interviews, but later told the truth.

Yusuf is a former friend of the defendants, who he says introduced him to radical Islam. Yusuf was arrested before boarding a plane that would take him to Syria and has pleaded guilty to providing material support -- essentially himself as a fighter -- to Islamic State.

The three defendants, Mohamed Farah, 22, Guled Omar, 21 and Abdirahman Daud 22, are accused of meeting numerous times from March 2014 to April 2015 to look for the best way to travel to Syria to join the terror group, but they all were stopped by law enforcement before they could board planes. The three have pleaded not guilty to the charges and could face the possibility of 15 years to life in prison for conspiring to commit murder outside the United States.

Fadumo Hussein, the mother of Guled Omar, spoke to VOA Somali in reaction to the trial of her son. I am feeling very tensed; its like someone who is standing on a broken glass or someone who has been bitten by an angry snake."

She accused the FBI of dividing the young men and turning them on each other. "They are using the young men to falsely testify on each other. The witness, Abdullahi Yusuf, was reading a false and fabricated statements given to him by FBI."

Sadiq Warfa, a Somali American activist, stressed to VOA Somali that the defendants are only a few individuals, and said the Somali American community is not on trial.

This is one of biggest terror trials going on in the country. We have to be careful, we have to wait. Let the process work itself. We have a jury system; the defense will make its case. I want to make very clear, the Somali American community is not on trial. These are a few individual young men and our legal system here is 'you are innocent til proven guilty.'"

The trail is expected to last about two more weeks.

Minneapolis, Minnesota's largest city, has a large Somali community, and U.S. authorities say the city is ripe for extremists looking for would-be terrorists. Since 2007, a dozen Somali Americans have left the state to join terrorist groups in Somalia, and in recent years in Syria.
A video produced by the PKK Kurdish rebel group appears to show a carefully executed ambush of a Turkish attack helicopter.

The authenticity of the video has not been confirmed. The army contends that the helicopter crashed because of technical reasons.

But retired Turkish brigadier Haldun Solmazturk said such an attack would have far reaching consequences.

"It is extremely significant from a military perspective," he said. "This fact would change tactics of the overall approach, the balance of power between PKK and Turkish army, and it would have an effect on the morale of the Turkish soldiers."

Adding to Turkish military concerns is the apparent failure of the helicopters defense system, said analyst Metehan Demir, a former Turkish military pilot.

"The downed helicopter was not alone during the operation," Demir said. "There was another helicopter just behind the helicopter, and this helicopter was not warned by the defense system that the missile was coming. This is also very strange, which means it looks like the system was very new used by the PKK, and there could be more similar missiles in the hands of the PKK."

Analysts said the missile used in the attack appeared to be Russian-made, but it remained unclear how the PKK obtained it and how many the group has.

Decades of combat

The PKK has been fighting the Turkish state for greater minority rights for more than three decades. Fighting resumed last year after a collapse in peace talks.

Solmazturk, who fought the PKK throughout the 1990s, said the helicopter downing would undermine the Turkish armys war against the rebels.

"In principle, it's a game-changer," he said. "Army operations are mainly based on tactical air support, and the only available air asset in the inventory of the Turkish army is attack helicopters. And even they are in very limited numbers. So the presence of anti-aircraft missiles would very adversely affect the Turkish army's anti-terror operations."

Analysts said the army relies mainly on eight or nine twin-engined Super Cobra helicopters, one of which was shot down, and may have 30 single-engine Cobras, which are nearly obsolete.

Analyst Demir said the army would now have to adopt riskier tactics.

"Turkey will divert its operations from air to land," he said, but the PKK has known the area "very well for many decades" and has planted explosive devices "even in the caves in the area. ... Therefore, Turkey has to be very careful on its ground operations."

Observers warned that the prospect of curtailed helicopter use would most likely spur the PKK to step up its operations, which will add to the pressures on the military that is fighting in the countryside and in costly street-to-street warfare in the predominantly Kurdish southeast.
Nigerian labor and civil society groups were still planning to go ahead with a strike Wednesday over a 70 percent increase in gasoline prices, despite a court-issued injunction that they not take such action.

Talks between the government; the Nigeria Labor Congress, which represents millions of workers; and the other union that previously threatened to strike, the Trade Union Congress, broke down late Tuesday. The TUC said it would not join the strike.

The government issued a statement in which it said the NLC's decision was regrettable in light of the court's decision. "Government, therefore, calls upon and advises all workers to respect the laws of the land and to desist from participating in an illegal strike action," said David Babachir Lawal, a government secretary.

The gas price increase was caused by the removal of a government subsidy. Ministers hoped the move would help tackle the worst economic crisis in decades in Africa's biggest oil producer, brought on by the fall in crude prices, and fund fuel imports needed because Nigeria's refineries have been neglected for years. Nigeria refines only enough crude to provide half its needs.

Government negotiator Adams Oshiomole said subsidizing fuel is bad policy. Even with population growing at only 3 percent per year, consumption has expanded so much that Nigeria is spending the equivalent of $6 billion a year on the subsidy, he said.

But Abiodun Aremu, secretary general of the labor and civil society coalition, said the government must pull back the price increase before an agreement can be reached.

A fall in oil prices has eaten into the foreign reserves of Nigeria, which relies on crude sales for around 70 percent of national income. The central bank has adopted a fixed exchange rate to protect further depletion of reserves.

On Tuesday, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said President Muhammadu Buhari had been "left with no choice" but to raise prices. "What can we do if we don't have foreign currency? We have to import fuel," he said.

Nigeria is even more cash-strapped now than it was in 2012 when the previous administration tried to remove the fuel subsidy. A nationwide strike and days of street protests forced the government to reconsider.
North Korea has appointed a career diplomat as its new foreign minister, according to a diplomatic letter sent to the British government.

Former Vice Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho served as North Korea's top negotiator in past nuclear disarmament talks, including rounds of talks with the United States in the 1990s. He also previously served as Pyongyang's ambassador to Britain.

Some analysts say that Ri Yong Ho's appointment may be an attempt to revive diplomacy between the isolated nation and the rest of the world, particularly after a nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch a month later sparked international outrage.

Ri may also be tasked with pleading his country's case to the United Nations, which has imposed strict sanctions on the country.

The note did not indicate what will happen to Ri's predecessor, Ri Su Yong, though South Korea's spy agency has said it believes he was promoted to vice chairman for international affairs of the ruling Workers' Party.
The head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) says stepped up international diplomacy is needed to prevent the situation in Ukraine from becoming an intractable conflict.

The risk of the frozen conflict remains, if there is no progress at the political level, Lamberto Zannier told VOA. The more this drags on, in a way, the more likelihood that solving the problems becomes more difficult instead.

The OSCE has deployed about 700 international observers to Ukraine, the majority to the country's east to monitor a shaky cease-fire between Kyiv and Russian-backed rebels.

April saw the most violations to the truce since August, while many heavy weapons that were previously at permanent storage sites and holding areas were reported missing and have turned up in use at the line of contact. The OSCE brokered a cease-fire over the Orthodox Easter holiday earlier this month, which briefly calmed the situation.

We see now a slowly increasing number of violations again, Zannier said. So we are trying to invest more in the political process and invest more in establishing a mechanism on the ground involving the Ukrainian and Russian military to help us de-escalate the situation.

He said that constant engagement has produced some progress, but it has not been sufficient to solve the issues on the ground.

Brexit

The OSCE chief also spoke of the need for European solidarity  on the migration and refugee crisis, fighting terrorism and in the face of a possible EU exit by Britain.

Zannier said if Britains June referendum leads to a Brexit it would be bad for Europe.

It will weaken Europe economically and also potentially in security terms, Zannier said. Its a very important player in Europe.

He discouraged undermining European institutions in difficult times, We need strong multi-lateral structures. The EU is, I would say, one of them.

He said he hopes British voters will recognize that risk. I hope they will stay in, he said.
Pakistan says it is sincerely making efforts to reach a negotiated end to the conflict in Afghanistan because doing so would address Islamabads own security concerns and encourage millions of Afghan refugees and migrants who have lived in Pakistan for decades to return to their country.

National Security Adviser Nasir Janjua made the remarks Tuesday, a day before senior Afghan, Pakistani, Chinese and American diplomats are scheduled to meet in Islamabad to explore ways to start peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban.

It will be the fifth meeting this year for the parties, known as the Quadrilateral Coordination Group, or QCG.

The four-nation group earlier finalized a road map to peace but has not persuaded the Taliban to join talks with the Afghan government.

Deep differences remain between Kabul and Islamabad on how to push the Taliban to the negotiating table.

These are trying times, challenging times. We are passing through it together. We have some differences, differences in our outlook. We are very sincerely trying to help out [in] the reconciliation. We are trying to play our role in bringing peace to Afghanistan and also to our restive areas. I am sure together we have a shared future, Janjua said.

The lack of progress on peace talks plus increased Taliban attacks are fueling tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where insurgent commanders are allegedly sheltering.



Waiting for a decision

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani repeated his demand last week that the time has come for Islamabad to deliver on its commitments.

All four (QCG) states committed to a road map and their obligations, particularly by the state of Pakistan. Those obligations are that if Taliban groups prove irreconcilable then there will be use of force. We are waiting for that decision, Ghani said.



Pakistani officials insist military action would require consensus among all QCG members and in Wednesdays talks, their delegation will re-emphasize the need to give the reconciliation process a fair chance and more time."

In background discussions, officials have told VOA they do not believe the process has come to the point where the Taliban should be declared irreconcilable and be dealt with militarily.

Bilateral relations deteriorated after last months Taliban suicide bomb-and-gun attack at the Afghan intelligence compound in Kabul in which nearly 70 people were killed and hundreds more wounded.

Afghan authorities blamed the Pakistan-based militant Haqqani network, which is fighting alongside the Taliban, for plotting the bloodshed.

Officials in Islamabad reject the charges as politically motivated and an attempt to divert attention from growing internal problems facing President Ghanis national unity government.

Since the deadly April 19 attack, six Taliban prisoners convicted of terrorism have been executed on Ghanis order and he has instructed security forces to intensify counterinsurgency operations across Afghanistan.

Rejecting vengeance mode

Pakistani officials say if they follow suit and use force against the Taliban insurgents on Pakistani soil, the country will lose ground in pushing the insurgents to the table for talks. They say the country cannot go into "vengeance mode" the way Afghanistan has done in response to one suicide attack.

The hardening of Kabul's stance, critics say, has further reduced chances for arranging reconciliation talks with the Islamist insurgency.



We mean to serve the purpose we want to bring them (the Taliban) to the table. We are making our efforts, a senior Pakistani official dealing with matters related to national security told VOA.

The absence of incentives for the Taliban to engage in peace talks, along with prevailing skepticism in Kabul about the future of Ghanis government, have all made it extremely difficult for Pakistan to persuade the insurgent group to come to the talks, the official said.

Analysts say that differences among Taliban leaders on whether to engage in talks with Kabul are also hampering efforts to bring the insurgent group to the table. They believe new Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor has opted for intensifying the insurgency instead to avoid fragmentation within the group.

The Taliban will be willing to sit down to talk when it has an incentive and it simply does not have an incentive right now, says Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

If it [the Taliban] were to be beaten back significantly in the battlefield and if it felt like they were on the defensive, then they will have reasons to come to the table; but I don't think we are at that point now, said Kugelman.

National Security Adviser Janjua says Pakistan has been seeking a dignified and honorable return of nearly 3 million Afghans living in the country.

With almost no international financial assistance, the displaced population is facing extremely difficult economic pressures, and localities where they live have also caused security issues for Pakistan, he noted.

More than everything else, it has earned us a bad name. People think that perhaps we are playing a double game. These are the refuges where [the] Taliban find their sanctuaries, Janjua said.
A Massachusetts man is recovering from the United States' first penis transplant, and doctors in Boston say they are "cautiously optimistic" he will make a full recovery.

Sixty-four-year old Thomas Manning lost his penis to cancer in 2012 and was given a new one last week thanks to an anonymous dead donor.

Manning said he wanted to go public about his surgery, which took 15 hours, to encourage others who may be ashamed or humiliated by the loss of a sex organ.

If all goes well, doctors say Manning will regain full urinary and sexual functions. They also say they want to ensure the operation is a success before they perform it on others, including wounded soldiers.

The world's first successful penis transplant was undertaken last year in South Africa.

It was tried in China about 10 years ago, but the patient asked doctors to remove the organ because he and his wife had psychological problems.

Manning's doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital said his psychological state will play a big role in his recovery.

"Emotionally, he's doing amazing," Dr. Curtis Cetrulo told a news conference Monday. "I'm really impressed with how he's handling things.  He wants to be whole again. He does not want to be in the shadows."

The Boston Herald reported that Cetrulo was among the lead surgeons on a team of more than 50.
Chechnya, one of the republics in Russias North Caucasus region, is increasingly separating itself from the countrys legal framework, human rights activists say.

Russian media reported last weekend that Chechen security forces had surrounded the village of Kenkhi in an effort to find one of its residents, Ramazan Dzhalaldinov, who in April had posted a video addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin accusing local authorities of embezzling funds and extorting bribes.

Last Thursday, unidentified persons in camouflage uniforms and masks burned down Dzhalaldinovs house. Dzhalaldinov has reportedly fled Chechnya for the neighboring republic of Dagestan after receiving anonymous death threats, and has been joined there by his wife and children.

Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov denied Dzhalaldinovs home was deliberately burned down, and Kadyrov's spokesman, Alvi Karimov, dismissed reports that Kenkhi had been blockaded as deliberate misinformation and outright lies.

However, allegations of lawlessness and violence on the part of the Chechen authorities are far from isolated. Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, a Caucasus expert with the International Crisis Group and member of the board of the Memorial human rights group, said Chechnya had moved outside of Russias legal space.

"It's simply carefully hidden, which misleads uninformed people," she told VOAs Russian service. An insane atmosphere of fear reigns in Chechnya. People are persecuted for any dissent. For delivering any impartial information to the outside world, they are subjected to the most severe reprisals, including eviction from their homes, torture, criminal cases [launched] under false pretenses, having narcotics planted on them and so forth."

Families penalized

In addition, the Chechen authorities are employing collective punishment, targeting not only individuals but also their closest relatives, she said.

"Therefore, information from the republic is extremely scarce," Sokiryanskaya said. Still, she said, reports of human rights abuses are increasing because Kadyrov is behaving more and more blatantly and openly, without any regard for the federal government.

Sokiryanskaya said the fact that Putin reappointed Kadyrov as Chechnyas governor in March has given the Chechen ruler a new carte blanche and convinced him that he still has the full support of the Kremlin."

Igor Kalyapin, the head of the Committee to Prevent Torture, a Russian NGO, told VOA that Chechnya separated itself from Russias legal framework long ago.

"It did not happen yesterday, so this in itself is not a great revelation, he said. The worst thing is that this trend is worsening every month, if not every day. It is becoming more and more noticeable.

According to Kalyapin, Chechnya has moved away from Russia in both the legal realm and in terms of administrative control. So while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has called for "an immediate law enforcement response to the burning down of Dzhalaldinovs house, Kalyapin said he strongly doubted an objective investigation was possible in Chechnya.

"I believe exactly the opposite," he said. I have no reason to believe that it is possible to conduct an unbiased investigation in the Chechen Republic. All of our work in Chechnya suggests that it is impossible. It used to be hard, and starting sometime in 2005 it became impossible.

Last March, during a visit to the Chechen capital, Grozny, Kalyapin was attacked by a group of unidentified assailants who punched and kicked him and pelted him with eggs, flour and an antiseptic liquid. Several weeks earlier, two of Kalyapins staffers and two Western journalists were hospitalized after a group of masked men armed with knives and clubs attacked them as they tried to enter Chechnya from the neighboring region of Ingushetia.
Ayub Khan sits crosslegged on the bamboo floor of his familys small shelter and gestures at a meter-high stack of simple pharmaceuticals, such as cough syrup and painkillers.

I set up a small pharmacy and paid a lot to get these medicines here, the Rohingya father of eight said. Before the violence we had three pharmacies in downtown Sittwe. We had a good life, but we lost everything. This business is not sufficient to support my family.

He said his family now suffers from a lack of livelihood opportunities here in Baw Du Pha Camp 1. At the barren site outside of the state capital Sittwe, some 4,800 Rohingya Muslims displaced by the 2012 clashes with Rakhine Buddhists live in cramped, run-down UN shelters.

Most depend on meager earnings from trishaw driving, hauling goods and fishing, while a few run small shops or work with aid organizations that are active here.

NLD, at first, offered hope to the Rohingya Muslims

Until last year, poverty, poor living conditions and restrictions on travel and government services motivated thousands of Rohingyasome 120,000 of whom live in campsto go on a perilous, often deadly, boat journey to Malaysia to find work.

Nowadays, only a few are going. The main reason is not the danger of the journey, its because the NLD (National League for Democracy) took power. Some people hope that the situation here will improve a little, said Ayub Khan, adding that departures also dropped because the Thai navy cracked down on the people smuggling boats. When the NLD won the elections, I also got more hope that we could get equal opportunities, he said.

His remarks represented some of the cautious optimism found among the Rohingya during interviews in Rakhine early last month after the National League for Democracy assumed office.

Recent NLD measures cause worry among the Rohingya

But these hopes have since been dashed by the controversy over the new governments request for the U.S. embassy to refrain from using the term Rohingya, and by a recent media report that the government had restarted a contentious citizenship verification process among the Rohingya.

UNHCRs (the United Nations refugee agency) Myanmar office spokesperson Kasita Rochanakorn confirmed the latter measure with VOA this week, saying, We have heard from the Myanmar Government that it is resuming the citizenship verification process. The UN Refugee Agency urged authorities to ensure that the process is voluntary and consultative, and results in tangible changes in the lives of those granted citizenship.

With these recent steps, the NLD government continues the stance of its military led predecessor, which rejected demands of the roughly one million stateless Muslims. Most say their families have lived in Rakhine for generations and they want to be recognized as citizens termed Rohingya. The previous government said many migrated illegally from Bangladesh in recent decades and it labelled them Bengalisa view that is being championed by a powerful nationalist Buddhist movement.

Kyaw Hla Aung, a Rohingya community leader from Thet Kel Pyin Village, said that the NLDs recent decisions had lowered spirits among Muslim communities. People are very sad now because the NLD did nothing for us yet and they have had no contact with us, the former lawyer and ex-political prisoner said.

A young Muslim man in Baw Du Pha Camp 1, who asked not be named, said by phone, People have heard that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi doesn't want to use the word Rohingyathey are now losing their hope for this new government and parliament.

Rohingya leaders said they were deeply concerned by the resumption of the citizenship verification based on the controversial 1982 Citizenship Law, which excludes any mention of the Rohingya.

Rohingya resist push for citizenship verification

Verification was last conducted in 2014 in remote areas of Rakhine, but stalled when Rohingya refused to cooperate as most could only register under the term Bengali. Those who did receive citizenship were reportedly forced to remain in camps and under restrictions.

Kyaw Hla Aung and several other sources in Rakhine said there has been no citizenship verification activities yet, but he warned these would strain relations with authorities. No one will accept thison the survey form there are all sorts of questions that imply we are foreigners, he said.

Recently, Arakan National Party lawmakers representing the Rakhine Buddhist community urged the NLD to resume the verification process, which they believe would see many stateless Muslims turned down for citizenship.

NLD dismissive concerning Rohingya

When contacted by VOA about the measure, senior NLD member Win Htein dismissed questions on Rakhine as stupid and said, Why do you only ask this question? We have 1,000 problems in our country. Several calls to party spokesman Zaw Myint Aung went unanswered.

David Mathieson, senior Myanmar researcher for Human Rights Watch, said in a reaction that the NLD leadership had been very weak on addressing Rakhine and lacked openness in their deliberations. He added the 1982 Citizenship Law should be overhauled as it was effectively drafted to exclude the Rohingya.

Tensions rise in Sittwe

In another development, Kyaw Hla Aung warned of rising tensions in recent days after the NLD-run Rakhine State government had responded positively to demands by Rakhine community leaders to tighten security and conduct a head count in Aung Mingalar, Sittwes only remaining Muslim quarter of around 4,200 residents.

Aung Win, a neighborhood resident, said, Before marketeers could come to our quarter several times per day, now authorities restrict them to only one timewe are facing great difficulty in getting food, vegetables and medicine. He added, Many Rohingya had optimism (because of the NLD government), but now the situation seems to be getting worse.

Ayub Khan, the camp resident, perhaps foresaw a lack of quick progress under the NLD when he warned in early April that the Rohingyas boat departures could resume. Even though the boat journey is so dangerous, we will leave again if the situation doesn't improve after the NLD takes power, he said.
The foreign ministers of Russia and Belarus say their governments will jointly develop a military response to the European deployments of a U.S.-designed missile shield that Moscow sees as a threat to global security.

Sergei Lavrov and his Belarusian counterpart, Uladzimer Makey, announced the decision to cooperate in countering the U.S. shield on Monday in Minsk. Neither official offered details.

Their meeting comes just days after NATO activated an $800 million missile defense site in southern Romania  a key component in a system that NATO and U.S. officials say is designed to counter ballistic missile threats from Iran. Further shield deployments in Poland are expected to be completed by 2020.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin scoffed at Western claims that the missile system is designed to fend off threats from Tehran. He cited the recent nuclear deal between Western powers and Iran to bolster his claim that the threat from Iran no longer exists, and that the West's real goal is to contain Russia's strategic deterrence capabilities.

U.S. officials have repeatedly rejected Moscow's claims, with State Department official Frank Rose saying last week that "nothing could be further from the truth."
Parts of Hong Kong have been shut down as part of a drastic security increase as the city prepares for a rare visit from one of China's top ranking officials.

Zhang Dejiang, who chairs China's communist-controlled legislature, is the first senior official to come to Hong Kong since the 2014 Occupy pro-democracy demonstrations. His visit is cited as evidence of Beijing's concern and support for the Asian financial hub, but local authorities are preparing for protests from residents opposed to China's tightening grip.

Zhang is officially visiting Hong Kong to speak at an economic conference Wednesday. He will also meet with a small group of pro-democracy legislators Wednesday evening. Protest groups have voiced anger at the exclusivity of this meeting. Zhang's visit is also expected to help Beijing gauge whether the city leader, Leung Chun-ying, should continue for another term after his post ends next March.

Thousands of police have been mobilized. Paving stones have been glued to the ground to prevent protestors from using them as missiles, inspired by protests in February during which demonstrators dug up and threw bricks.

"These young people have no idea that they could be putting Hong Kong on a potentially dangerous collision course with the motherland and bringing an unmitigated disaster," former top Hong Kong security official Regina Ip wrote in an editorial in the state-run China Daily.

Many young activists, however, continue to be increasingly vocal about Hong Kong's independence.

"[We] are facing a very great threat from China: Our culture, our language, our people...we are dying!" said Chan Ho-tin, head of the newly-formed National party which is expected to contest legislative elections in September.

Hong Kong is semi-autonomous since being handed back to China by Britain in 1997, with freedoms unseen on the mainland, but there are fears they are being stripped away.
In the 19th century Britons liked to boast that they oversaw an empire on which the sun never sets. But by the mid-twentieth century it did. Exhausted by war and facing rebellion and clamor for independence among its overseas possessions, Britain had to let go its colonies.

On June 23 the British referendum on European Union membership may well set in train the circumstances for what is left of the British empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to dwindle eventually to its residual core  England.

Outside England, pro-EU sentiment strong

Five sixths of the UK electorate is made up of English voters and if just a slim majority of the English decide next month to exit the EU it will almost certainly be against the overwhelming wishes of the Celts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who wish to remain in the European economic bloc.

Politicians across the political spectrum acknowledge such a result would spell trouble for the survival of the United Kingdom  that at least one of the Celtic nations would likely soon decide to break away. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned earlier this year in his first intervention on the EU referendum campaign that leaving the EU would trigger the break-up of the United Kingdom, arguing at the very least it would completely change the dynamic of Scottish independence.

Nationalist politicians north of the border, buoyed earlier this month by their third Scottish parliamentary election victory in a row, have warned that a UK exit from the EU thanks mainly to English votes will trigger yet another vote on Scottish independence, sooner or later. It would be one theyd expect to win.

In 2014 Scotland voted to remain part of the UK with just a 55 percent majority.

Second independence referendum possible in Scotland

The Scots favor remaining in the EU in overwhelming numbers  support has skyrocketed in the run-up to the referendum, from an average 64 percent in favor of staying in the European bloc to 76 per cent, according to a poll taken last week for Scotlands Daily Record newspaper.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish nationalist leader and Scotland's First Minister, has warned that demand for a second independence referendum would be unstoppable, if the Scots are taken out of the EU against their will.

Pro-European sentiment runs as high in Northern Ireland, where on average three-quarters of voters also favor retaining EU membership. It is one issue that unites many Catholics and Protestants. Like Scotland, there are strong economic reasons for the pro-EU sentiment.

Pro-EU sentiment strongest in Northern Ireland

Prominent Northern Ireland businessman Len OHagan warns leaving the EU would prompt a terrible mess on the island of Ireland requiring, 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. New legislation to cover a huge raft of laws covering everything from mobile roaming charges to working time directives and agreements with the Republic on electricity, security and a raft of other key partnerships.

Northern Ireland would lose economically more from leaving the EU than any other part of the UK. Sixty-one percent of goods exported form Northern Ireland go to the EU. And 87 percent of farm income in mostly rural Northern Ireland comes from EU subsidies.

Aside from the economic arguments, an exit from the EU risks undermining the ongoing peace process in Northern Ireland that ended decades-long civil conflict between pro-British Unionist Protestants and nationalist Catholics. EU funds have helped fund the peace.

The Republic of Ireland Taoiseach [Prime Minister] Enda Kenny has warned that Common membership of the EU project is part of the glue holding the peace process together. Intelligence sharing between Belfast and Dublin and cross-border policing would be disrupted by Brexit, he fears.

An exit from the EU could well see a dangerous revival of angry Catholic nationalist sentiment leading to a resurgence of terrorism and conflict, warn analysts.

No matter the outcome, Great Britain will change

Even in Wales, the least independence-minded of the UKs nations and where pro-EU sentiment is less pronounced than in Scotland and Northern Ireland, there could be trouble in the event of Brexit. Carwyn Jones, a former first minister of Wales, warned in March that Brexit would lead to a constitutional crisis in Wales with more calls for independence or at least for greater autonomy.

The UK cannot possibly continue in its present form, if England votes to leave and everyone else votes to stay, he told the Financial Times in a recent interview.

Not that the English seem much to care what their Celtic neighbors want  and that is adding to Celtic resentment. Alex Massie, Scotland Editor of The Spectator magazine, complains, There has been, in recent days, a flurry of articles claiming that, look, theres no need to worry about a British exit from the EU because it will have no negative consequences whatsoever.

Writing on his blog in The Spectator, he says the prevailing view among the English is that Britain is more important to Scotland than the EU. So you couldnt afford independence. Got it, Jock? But he warns, Support for the Union  the British Union, that is  has never been more provisional or contractual.

Whatever the result of the referendum on June 23  a British exit from the EU on the back of English votes or an electoral decision to remain thanks mainly to voters in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales  Britain may never be quite the same. Some observers say there will be ugly consequences either way.

If a majority of English voters endorse leaving the European Union, only to see their wishes overridden by the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish, relations between the various parts of the United Kingdom will likely further sour, too, prompting a re-thinking for many on the islands that make up Great Britain about what it means to be British.
The launch of Ukraine's new police patrol force last year sparked an internet craze of citizens posting selfies with newly recruited officers.

Their popularity stemmed not from their uniforms, body cameras and tablets, but the fact they did not demand bribes.

The most visibly successful reform to have emerged from the pro-European Maidan protests in 2014 is now under threat, serving and former law enforcement officials say, accusing vested interests of seeking to obstruct and discredit the force.

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, a lawyer by training who rose through patrol police ranks to become Chief of Staff of the National Police, quit in March, "exhausted" by the pushback against change, he told Reuters in his first media interview since.

The experience he described shows how fragile Ukraine's progress in transforming itself into a Western-facing free market democracy could prove to be.

The police reform, possibly for the first time in the former Soviet republic's history, "showed international partners that we in Ukraine are actually able to carry out some reforms," Vlasiuk said.

Before Maidan, police "would always do what the prosecutors say. Then it changed," he said. "The National Police positioned itself as a separate and equal law enforcement power. Prosecutors did not like it."

"We are seeing the prosecution service chasing patrol officers for wrongdoings. There is now a tension which is blocking the reform of the national police."

Deputy minister quits

In Ukraine, prosecutors have the power to launch investigations into public servants suspected of wrongdoing  a power which police officers say is being abused.

"When you are working within any public service in Ukraine, you have to be ready to deal with a lot of inspections, a lot of [expletive], a lot of irrelevant regulations," Vlasiuk said.

"And the prosecution is a controlling organ which can punish you for, in their opinion, improper actions," he said.

The General Prosecutor's office did not provide immediate comment when asked about the allegations.



The United States and European Union, which are helping to fund a $40 billion aid-for-reform program for Ukraine, have repeatedly called for a clean-up of the General Prosecutor's office, which they see as a key obstacle to fighting corruption.

Several high-profile reformers have been sacked from the government and prosecution service or resigned in frustration.

First Deputy Interior Minister Eka Zguladze has also quit, to take on an advisory role in the ministry. Her resignation statement on Wednesday gave no reason but contained a warning over the fate of reforms.

"I want to emphasize that these islands of success will drown in the ocean of corruption, nihilism, the bureaucracy, if we do not build bridges between them, creating a continent," she said. "And if in Ukraine we do not have the strength to go forward, the door, that we just opened, may close forever."

The system strikes back

With the help of U.S. money and training, and headed by a former Georgian minister, the new police force was set up as part of a root-and-branch reform to weed out endemic corruption.

The new patrol section was launched in July and incorporated into a revamped National Police force. The patrol officers seemed to be everything those dreaming of a new Ukraine after Maidan hoped: committed, trustworthy, less susceptible to bribes and not afraid to go after the rich and the powerful.

Drawn from all walks of life, they carried smart tablets as well as body cameras to make police work transparent. In a sign of changing times, Energy Minister Ihor Nasalik announced on Friday he'd been given a parking fine - and willingly paid.

Vlasiuk, 27, was part of a new generation of Young Turks entering public service after Maidan. He is in the process of setting up an NGO to provide legal assistance to officers and burnish the police's image nationally.

His former boss, Khatia Dekanoidze, a Georgian technocrat in charge of the National Police, described in a separate interview cases of vested interests undermining change.

An initiative to fire corrupt or incompetent officers by vetting them in a "reattestation" process has led to hundreds of lawsuits by sacked officers, some of whom got their jobs back.

Dekanoidze said judges were deliberately reinstating discredited officers for fear the judiciary could be next.

"This is a revenge of the old system, because the judiciary system, especially courts, they are part of the old system," Dekanoidze said.

There are other obstacles to reforms. The police budget is tight in a country at war with Russian-backed separatists and an economy that shrank by a tenth last year.

Keep calm and support police

An incident that has grown into a cause celebre for the police occurred on the night of Feb 7. A police car chased a speeding BMW through the streets of Kyiv, recorded on a black and white police camera in footage later broadcast on TV.



Starting with warning shots, three police officers fired a total of 34 bullets at the car during the course of a 40 minute chase, according to an Interior Ministry spokesman. Eventually, one of the bullets killed a 17-year-old passenger inside.

Prosecutors accused the officer of willful murder and abuse of authority; he is under house arrest while they investigate.

Police said the officer was trying to protect the public from a driver who was drunk. Their supporters protested in Kyiv holding banners saying "Keep Calm and Support Patrol Police" and the hashtag #savepolice appeared on Twitter.

Anton Gerashchenko, a lawmaker and member of the Interior Ministry council, said the case was an example of prosecutors seeking to show they remained in control by discrediting police.

Dekanoidze echoed that view. "Police reform is the only reform that is visible, that is a real reform for Ukrainians," she said. So when prosecutors went after those defending the lives of ordinary Ukrainians, "it looked like The Inquisition."

She added there were other cases when police had gone after illegal gambling rackets - only for prosecutors to open criminal cases against the officers.

A Western diplomat, who did not want to be identified by name, said the fight back by prosecutors showed reforms were starting to have a real impact.

"Prosecutors here are millionaires," the diplomat said. "They are powerful people who will fight to the very end to protect the resources vertical they created."

Much will hinge on the performance of the new General Prosecutor, Yuriy Lutsenko, a former interior minister whose appointment on Thursday raised eyebrows because he had no legal background.

Dekanoidze said she hopes prosecutors under Lutsenko will cooperate with the police. "Because... without a good and fair prosecution, police can't do anything."
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nulands surprise trip to Moscow is evidence of a new push for progress on implementing the peace deal for Ukraine signed last year in Belarus' capital, Minsk.

Nulands trip began Tuesday, just a day before the Trilateral Contact Group meets in Minsk to try to break a political deadlock over holding elections in Ukraines east, known as the Donbas, where Russia-backed rebels control large swathes of territory.

The State Department said Nuland would meet with senior Russian government officials to discuss the situation in eastern Ukraine and the next steps to implement the Minsk agreements.

The Minsk peace deal, signed in February 2015, managed to bring a halt to major battles between Ukrainian and Russian-backed troops, but has hit major hurdles regarding the regions status, the fate of rebel leaders, and holding legitimate elections.

Judging by the comments of the Russian and Ukrainian parties, they still hold the same positions as before despite all pressure put onto them, positions that are difficult to align if that's possible at all, says Victor Mironenko, head of the Center for Ukrainian Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Europe.

The U.S. is not a party to the contact group, made up of officials from Russia, Ukraine, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). But Washington is a key ally of the government in Kyiv since a 2014 popular uprising in Ukraine ousted a Russia-backed president.

The Kremlin responded to that uprising by annexing Ukraines Crimea and giving military support to rebels in Donbas, and relations with the West hit their lowest level since the Cold War.

Biggest Problem: Politics

Two years of war in eastern Ukraine has left over 9,000 people dead and left Donbass two rebel-controlled areas, the self-declared Donetsk and Lugansk "people's republics," mostly cut off from the world and dependent on Russia.

But while occasional clashes raise questions over the first step in the agreement, a cease-fire, analysts say the more challenging problem is negotiating the regions political future.

They are exhausted, first of all. And, there can be no military victory on the ground, says Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Center. In Ukraine, they understand very much that if they make an attempt to regain the lost territories of the separatist republics by military force, Russia will intervene."

Separatists probably have other goals: they would like very much to add to their republics the other territories of both regions  Lugansk and Donetsk, respectively, says Baunov. But, for (the) Russians, for Putin, for (the) Kremlin, it doesn't make any sense; it's too risky, it's too expensive to keep them, to defend them; there's no big support among the local population, even among the population that has pro-Russian sentiments."

The problem is not so much military as it is political, says Mironenko. The heart of the matter is that Russia has 'fallen out' of the all-European process. The impulse that had been given by perestroika turned out to be insufficient. Having 'fallen out,' it is pulling Ukraine in its wake."

Mironenko argues greater U.S. involvement might help. "With due respect to the efforts of Germany and France and taking into account the attitudes of Russia and Ukraine, the formats of the talks must be changed by increasing the number of participants, involving a more active participation of the USA and broadening understanding of ... European security," he says.

Donbas Elections  A Major Sticking Point

While the conflict simmers, negotiators have focused on trying to hammer out elections for eastern Ukraine so the region can be reintegrated, at least on the surface, with the rest of Ukraine.

But the Russia-backed rebels have dismissed allowing pro-Ukrainian political candidates to take part in elections in Donbas, leading many to conclude legitimate elections there are impossible.



Probably we will see Donbas elections, but ... they won't be elections (like) elections in any other Ukrainian region, says Baunov. It's just impossible to do on the ground. I can't imagine how the current Ukrainian political parties can be represented in Donbas."

Ukrainian officials have argued for armed OSCE election monitors, which Russia rejected.

With the present status quo, the elections do not look possible in my view, says Mironenko. But, even if Ukraine agrees to hold them under the pressure of the countries supporting it, it will put forward such conditions that Donetsk and Lugansk, supported by Russia, wouldn't accept."

Russia Wants Political Sway

Meanwhile, Russia has been pushing Ukraine to give the region broad autonomy and to amnesty rebel leaders, conditions Kyiv has resisted because of popular sentiment against what is seen as appeasement.

Critics say granting autonomy risks making the Donbas a client state of Russia and giving it perpetual leverage over Kyiv under a veil of political legitimacy.

Ukraine was not happy with the Minsk agreement from the beginning, notes Baunov. So, they actually feel that the Minsk agreement just formulates the conditions of the defeat of Ukraine in the war against separatists supported by Russia," he says. "And, they don't want to accept in their political system the regions governed by very dubious people."


The Cuban foreign ministry's head of U.S. affairs says the two countries have a "very ambitious" agenda for progressing their thaw in relations during U.S. President Barack Obama's final months in office.

Josefina Vidal said Monday after meeting with U.S. officials in Havana that the two sides are working toward cooperation on law enforcement, medicine and agriculture.

Those meetings continue Tuesday with Cuban-born U.S. Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and officials from Cuba's Interior Ministry discussing countering drug traffickers, cybercrime, counterterrorism and illegal migration.

The State Department said future sessions will involve human rights and settling financial claims.

The U.S. and Cuba re-established diplomatic relations last July after 54 years. The relationship took another major step forward with Obama's visit to Cuba in March.

Vidal said progress will be gradual, but that what is important is that normalization of relations has begun. She also expressed hope that the whoever wins the U.S. presidential election in November will continue furthering ties with Cuba.
The Obama administration is further easing financial sanctions on Myanmar to support the nation's political reforms and economic growth, and to facilitate U.S. trade with the country also known as Burma. The United States is continuing other measures, however, in an effort to thwart human rights abuses and military trade with North Korea.

Senior officials made the announcement Tuesday, ahead of Secretary of State John Kerrys visit Sunday to Naypyidaw.

Seven state-owned Myanmar enterprises and three state-owned banks are being removed from the blacklist, according to the amendments by the Treasury Department in consultation with the State Department.

Other regulatory amendments include a general license to authorize trade-related transactions and personal transactions related to Americans residing in Myanmar. Those changes are intended to facilitate trade and the movement of goods within Myanmar.

Military sanctions retained

The United States left in place sanctions on Myanmar's powerful military, because of its major economic interests.

It updated the so-called Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list, adding six companies to be barred from U.S. business dealings. The businesses are owned 50 percent or more by Steven Law, a tycoon accused of ties to the military, and the heroin trade through a corporation called Asia World.

"Our actions today demonstrate our strong support for this political and economic progress while continuing to pressure designated persons in Burma to change their behavior," Adam Szubin, acting undersecretary of treasure for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.

The remaining sanctions on individuals and entities primarily are targeted against those who obstruct political reforms, commit human rights abuses in Myanmar or propagate military trade with North Korea.

Former U.S. Chief of Mission in Myanmar Priscilla Clapp told VOA that while Washington is restructuring the remaining financial sanctions, individuals and entities should be targeted to promote better behavior.

"There is still a need for some form of sanctions against the military, and military elements in the economy because the military has too much control over the economy in the country," she said.

Kerry to visit

Kerry is scheduled to visit Myanmar on Sunday to meet with key leaders to signal U.S. support for the new democratically elected civilian-led government, according to the State Department.

Among seven state-owned enterprises removed from the blacklist are Myanmar Pearl Enterprise and Myanmar Gem Enterprise. But senior U.S. officials said a ban on the import of jadeite and rubies, one of Myanmar's most profitable industries, remains in place.

The U.S. actions announced Tuesday follow a landmark November election in which the party of long-time democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, won a one-sided victory, ending decades of military rule.

In a message to the U.S. Congress, President Barack Obama said Myanmar has made significant reforms since 2011, when it first formed a civilian government. He also said "concerns persist regarding continued obstacles to full civilian control of the government, the ongoing conflict and human rights abuses in the country, particularly in ethnic minority areas, and military trade with North Korea."

VOA's Ken Bredemeier contributed to this report.
The U.S. Senate approved $1.1 billion to combat the Zika virus  significantly less than the Obama administrations $1.9 billion request, but almost double the funding being considered in the House of Representatives.



Tuesdays 68-29 vote came after the Republican-led Senate voted down the White Houses full request, which was made in February as U.S. health officials warned that Zika could spread through large swaths of the nation.



The mosquito-borne virus can cause devastating birth defects and has been linked to a debilitating neurological disorder.



We need to better control mosquitos that carry the Zika virus. We need to raise awareness to make sure families are informed about this disease, and accelerate the development of a vaccine, said Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington State, who co-authored the bipartisan compromise bill.





For weeks, many Republicans insisted they needed more information on how funds would be spent. Some also demanded that other programs be cut to cover the costs of fighting Zika.



Lets deal with this threat in a fiscally-responsible way, said Senator John Cornyn of Texas. There is no reason to gratuitously add to the deficit and the debt.



Cornyn proposed an alternative of his own that would have siphoned funds from other disease-prevention appropriations to pay for the fight against Zika. Democrats banded together to defeat it, joined by Republican Marco Rubio.





Rubio represents Florida, the state thought to be at greatest immediate risk of a Zika outbreak. He warned that Congress would be held to account if lawmakers shortchange Zika funding and large numbers of Americans fall ill.



Why take the chance that you are going to have to go home in August and September and explain to millions of people across this country why you were low-balling our approach to it [Zika]? Rubio asked. Lets do this once. Lets get it right. Lets ensure that we are protecting our people. Lets deal with this now.



The Senate-approved Zika measure faces an uncertain fate in the House of Representatives, where majority-Republicans are considering a proposal to redirect $622 million previously appropriated to fight Ebola. Those funds would be merged with more than $500 million the Obama administration is already siphoning from Ebola programs.



"We're re-prioritizing existing funds to make sure that the Zika attack is fully funded, said Republican Congressman Steve Scalise.

Regardless of which chambers version ultimately reaches President Barack Obamas desk, the amount Congress approves to fight Zika will be far less than what the White House has requested.



Already, some Democrats are laying the rhetorical groundwork to blame Republicans if federal efforts to contain Zika prove insufficient.



The virus is coming, said Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. And if Republicans block Congress from protecting the people of this country, then Republicans must accept responsibility for the devastating consequences.



Republicans say such criticism is unfair, noting the Congress is taking action and that the true cost of what will be required to fight Zika is a matter of guesswork at present.
When he took off his turban and shaved his beard upon entering the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Captain Simratpal Singh thought he could not serve in the U.S. Army, while keeping articles of his Sikh religion.

The day of that difficult choice, the young cadet vowed he would find a way to come back to his faith.

"It was an excruciating experience and an excruciating decision to make, and the only way I could justify it then was that promise I made to myself. And to be honest with you, I wouldn't want any kid to have to go through that," Singh told VOA.

Singh went on to graduate from West Point and was commissioned in 2010. He became an Army Ranger and deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, receiving a Bronze Star for his service, all while adhering to the Army's grooming and appearance standards.

Then, during a Pentagon celebration marking the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi last year, he looked around the room and saw Sikh service members in uniform with turbans and beards; they had sought and won a waiver.

The now-captain applied for a religious accommodation, and this March it was granted. A decade after entering West Point, Singh has regrown his beard and proudly wears a turban.

"Ten years later, to have that promise fulfilled, to be true to myself, is a pretty extraordinary feeling," he said.

Fighting for change

The road to inclusion was not a short or easy one for Singh and three other U.S. soldiers who recently received temporary waivers, after filing legal claims against the U.S. Department of Defense.

The exemptions will be up for review and could be voided at any time.

Attorney Amandeep Sidhu with McDermott Will & Emery represented the four, along with co-counsel the Sikh Coalition and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

Sidhu says Sikh service members must display "proof of concept" to the Army that keeping their turban, beard and long hair has no effect on unit readiness, cohesion and morale, as well as health and safety standards.

"We felt we would take this in a slow and deliberate approach to prove the concept that, yes, Sikhs have served in the U.S. military, but we will prove it to you again," Sidhu noted. "And these guys will deploy to Afghanistan, and they will seal their gas masks and they will wear helmets and they will wear a camouflage turban when it's necessary to match their uniform."

Sidhu and co-counsel Eric Baxter push back at the Army's uniformity argument, noting how the U.S. military has become increasingly diverse and the onus for inclusion should rest on the Army and not the individual soldier.

"Whenever the Army has had to expand to include minorities, or women or others, you don't say, Let's see if this upsets the soldiers. You tell the other soldiers to get in line and respect all Americans and their willingness to serve," the Becket Fund's Baxter said.

History of military service

Sikhs with turbans and beards served in the American military for decades without issue, prior to grooming standards that went into effect in the 1980s.

"During World Wars I and II, 80,000 Sikh soldiers died serving alongside allied forces. Those 80,000 soldiers did not have to get an accommodation to serve. They died, they gave their blood, sweat and tears so that we can be free today," Major Kamal Kalsi said.

For Kalsi, it took 50 congressional signatures and 15,000 petitioners in a letter to the defense secretary to obtain an accommodation in 2009.

Facts About Sikhism Facts About Sikhism * World's fifth-largest religion, more than 25 million followers * Monotheistic, originated in Punjab, India, more than 500 years ago with Guru Nanak, first prophet. Nine gurus, "enlighteners," have followed. * Articles of faith include unshorn hair (kesh) to symbolize harmony with God, steel bracelet (kara), ceremonial dagger (kirpan), small comb (kanga) and undergarment shorts (kachera) * Turbans worn as commitment to faith * Belief in absolute equality, social welfare and fight against injustice as sacred duties  from Sikh Coalition, Reuters, Religion News Service

The emergency room physician notes the countless Sikhs who serve without restrictions in countries like Britain, India, Australia and Canada  where the defense minister, Harjit Sajjan, is Sikh and wears a turban.

Kalsi received a Bronze star for his service in Afghanistan's Helmand province in 2011 for treating dozens of fellow soldiers and civilians wounded in fighting.

"When a soldier came to me and they were shot and they were bleeding or an IED blew up and they had an amputated arm or leg and I had to take care of them, they never said, Hey what religion are you?'" Kalsi noted.

For his part, Singh says his peers and command have been nothing but supportive.

"I am another officer in the battalion and all they care about is how I am doing my job," Singh said.

Kalsi, Singh and other Sikh soldiers hope the temporary waivers slowly chip away at the current policy and eventually pave the way for permanent regulations allowing Sikh Americans to enlist without having to choose between their country and their faith.

"Our armed forces have always been at the forefront of creating change in society, and it only makes sense now that the military reflects the diversity of our nation," Singh said.

"I think we are a little bit closer to that, and hopefully we will keep making progress."
Secretary of State John Kerry is seeking to dispel the notion the U.S. has lost traction in its efforts to counter the Syrian regime because of Russian airstrikes that have been aimed at taking back territory from rebels .

The United States of America always has leverage, said Kerry in a Tuesday news conference following the multi-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting.

Kerry appeared slightly irritated by a question on whether the U.S. was losing the ability to exert pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime to fully comply with agreements  including full adherence to a cease-fire, support of talks on a political transition and allowing unrestricted access to besieged areas for humanitarian aid.

Kerry said if Assad had reached the conclusion there was no Plan B, then he had come to a conclusion that was totally without any foundation whatsoever.

He said the greatest leverage was the fact that Assad and his backers would never be able to end the war in Syria if they declined to negotiate a political settlement.

In the joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, Kerry spelled out measures the ISSG had agreed on to help reduce violence and spur the delivery of humanitarian aid.

He said the group agreed that if a party to the cease-fire persistently violated the truce, they could be excluded from the agreement.

Initial cease-fire



When the cessation of hostilities went into effect in February, it initially brought a dramatic drop in overall violence, but that progress has slowly eroded.

The U.S. and Russia are co-chairs of a cease-fire task force that has been monitoring violations.

Kerry also said beginning June 1, if relief workers were denied humanitarian access, the World Food Program would make arrangements to accelerate airdrops and regular flights into designated besieged areas. There have been complaints the Assad regime has blocked humanitarian access to some areas.

Also, the group urged all rebels to disassociate themselves from Islamic State and al-Nusra Front terrorists. Lavrov said there had been instances in which the terrorist groups had made alliances with groups that are part of the cease-fire.

Earlier, de Mistura indicated he would await the outcome and results of the ISSG meeting before moving to announce a date for the next round of political talks between the Syrian government and the opposition. He declined to do so on Tuesday, however, citing several factors, including the start of Ramadan in early June.

The U.N. has pushed the goal of finding a negotiated political settlement to the conflict that has left hundreds of thousands of people dead and millions more either as refugees or displaced within Syria.

One major sticking point is the fate of Assad, whom the U.S. and other Western powers want to step down. Assad and his ally Russia have resisted the idea.

The ISSG should keep pressing for a comprehensive political solution, said Perry Cammack, a Middle East analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"Make it clear that there is no give in the demand that Assad not be around at the end," he said.

Supporting Libya

Monday, the focus in Vienna was on Libya with world powers saying they will back the country's new government in its bid to lift a U.N. arms embargo. The move could help the government combat internal security threats and fight Islamic State. Kerry announced the decision following a multi-nation meeting chaired by the United States and Italy.

The internationally recognized Government of National Accord is facing challenges from rival factions and Islamic State-affiliated militants who have established a base in the central city of Sirte and have used that base to launch attacks in neighboring Tunisia.

In a joint news conference Monday, Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj described the situation in his country as "bad" in terms of security and the economy.

He urged world powers to provide additional training and equipment for Libyan forces, saying Libya's neighbors would not be "spared" if terrorism grows inside the country.

Stabilizing Nagorno-Karabakh

Another focal point Monday was a multi-national effort to help stabilize Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan that was the scene of intense fighting in April.

Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of violating a cease-fire.

Monday's sessions were the first time the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan had met since the flare-up.

The U.S., Russia and France serve as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, which has been working to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In a joint statement, they said the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed to finalize plans for an investigative mechanism within the OSCE "in the shortest time possible" and to meet again next month to work on resuming talks on a comprehensive settlement.

Kerry is on a two-week trip that includes stops in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. After a brief visit Wednesday to Cairo to discuss bilateral issues with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Kerry will travel to Brussels for a NATO ministerial meeting.
A U.S. federal investigation into last year's deadly train derailment in Philadelphia has concluded that the engineer was distracted, according to officials close to the investigation.

Officials say train engineer Brandon Bostian was distracted by radio conversations between trains and dispatchers about trains being hit by rocks, prior to the May 2015 crash that killed eight people and injured more than 200 others.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is expected to announce its findings at a public meeting Tuesday in Washington.

Bostian, who suffered a concussion in the crash, told investigators he has little memory of what occurred prior to the accident. Investigators say they found no evidence the engineer was using a cellphone, or alcohol or drugs.

The Amtrak passenger train was traveling from Washington to New York when it derailed along a curve of track in Philadelphia while traveling at more than 160 kilometers per hour, more than twice the speed limit.
The five-year-old war in Syria was the focus of diplomats Tuesday in Vienna where the 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) met to discuss stalled political talks, difficulties in maintaining a cease-fire deal and uneven U.N. results in delivering humanitarian aid.

The cease-fire, which went into effect at the end of February, brought a dramatic drop in overall violence in Syria, but that progress has slowly eroded.

Today is about creating the conditions to better comply with the cease-fire, said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, heading into talks. He said another goal would be improving conditions on the ground in Syria so that the opposition would be more inclined to participate in political talks.

The United States and Russia are trying to use their influence to convince competing sides to stand by the agreement as they also try to support peace talks that have so far made little progress.

Both countries are part of the ISSG. But while Russia has backed the Syrian regime, the U.S. has been supporting the moderate opposition.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Monday to discuss Syrias crisis. Russias Interfax news agency said a need to cut off terrorists supply routes between the Syrian-Turkish border was among issues discussed.

Syrian aid

The cease-fire was also meant to make it easier to get aid deliveries to Syrians who are badly in need of help, especially those in areas besieged by either rebels or government forces.

But the U.N. and humanitarian groups have reported attacks on convoys and thefts of supplies. Also, the Syrian regime has blocked humanitarian access to some besieged areas.

The U.N. has pushed the goal of finding a negotiated political settlement to the conflict that has left hundreds of thousands of people dead and millions more either as refugees or displaced within Syria. One major sticking point that remains as the ISSG holds its latest meeting is the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom the U.S. and other Western powers want to step down. Assad and his ally Russia have resisted the idea.

The ISSG should keep pressing for a comprehensive political solution, said Perry Cammack, a Middle East analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Make it clear that there is no give in the demand that Assad not be around at the end, he said.

U.N. Syria envoy Staff de Mistura has indicated he will await the results of Tuesday's talks before setting a date for the next round of proximity talks between the Syrian government and opposition.

Supporting Libya

Monday, the focus in Vienna was on Libya with world powers saying they will back the country's new government in its bid to lift a U.N. arms embargo. The move could help the government combat internal security threats and fight Islamic State.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced the decision following a multi-nation meeting chaired by the United States and Italy.

The United States and the international community stand ready, to provide humanitarian, economic and security support to the new Libyan government, Kerry said. But he said world powers are not talking about troops or boots on the ground" in Libya.

The internationally recognized Government of National Accord is facing challenges from rival factions and Islamic State-affiliated militants who have established a base in the central city of Sirte and have used that base to launch attacks in neighboring Tunisia.

In a joint news conference Monday, Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj described the situation in his country as bad in terms of the economy and security.

He urged world powers to provide additional training and equipment for Libyan forces, saying Libyas neighbors would not be spared if terrorism grows inside the country.

Libya has been grappling with the chaos that followed the 2011 ouster and killing of leader Moammar Gadhafi. World powers are hoping the Government of National Accord can unite the country.

Efforts to help stabilize Nagorno-Karabakh

Another focal point was a multi-national effort to help stabilize Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan that was the scene of intense fighting in April.

Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of violating a cease-fire. The flare-up was partly fueled by a worsening economic situation in Azerbaijan because of the fall of oil prices.

Mondays sessions were the first time the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan had met since the flare-up.

The U.S., Russia and France serve as co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, which has been working to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In a joint statement, they said the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed to finalize plans for an investigative mechanism within the OSCE in the shortest time possible and to meet again next month to work on resuming talks on a comprehensive settlement.

Kerry is on a two-week trip that includes stops in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. After a brief visit to Cairo on Wednesday to discuss bilateral issues with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, he will travel to Brussels for a NATO ministerial meeting.
Almost 20 Chitungwiza residents and dismissed council workers, who were arrested last week after clashing with the police, are expected to appear in court today.

Twenty Zimbabweans, mostly children and teens, will have free corrective surgery for cleft lip and palate, courtesy of a United States-based not-for-profit organization, Operation of Hope, which has brought a team of specialist surgeons and nurses for the first time to Bulawayo.

Some Zimbabweans say they are travelling long distances to access health care in clinics and hospitals, 36 years after the country attained independence from colonial rule.

This evening we will be featuring Mandela Washington fellow, Nobukhosi Ndlovu, an advocate for people living with hearing impairments.

Zimbabwean academics shine in South Africa as they take over an almost derelict farm and turn it into a highly productive entity.

And Zimbabweans say the government has to make prudent policy shifts to rescue the ailing economy, which the International Monetary Fund, says is facing serious problems such as liquidity constraints and lack of foreign direct investment.

Stay tuned for these stories and more coming up on Studio 7 at 7:30 pm on 9-0-9 Medium Wave and on the 4-9-3-0, 5-9-4-0 and 1-5-4-6-0 shortwave frequencies. We also broadcast on www.channelzim.net. Please check us out on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter.

This evening on Livetalk hosts of the Connection will be talking with listeners and experts about 39 year-old pastor Evan Mawarire of His Generation Church, who is urging all Zimbabweans to carry their flags as a symbol of patriotism, under the hash tag This Flag.

Participate by sending your messages on our WhatsApp number 001 202 465 0318. You can also post comments on this Facebook wall or send us your number so we can call you back.
For creative artist, Patrick Miller, the journey to the much-coveted Mandela Washington Fellowship was arduous and marked by two successive false starts.

He failed to make the cut in 2014, and his 2015 attempt was just as futile.

But Millers perseverance paid off this year when he won a place among 60 talented young Zimbabweans who will travel to the U.S. in June to pursue leadership studies in different fields.

Miller, who wears many hats as a content writer, performing artist, concept developer and artistic director, among others, runs an arts company called Project iThemba.

The artist uses his works to create awareness and cultivate leadership among the youths. But pursuing his passion was not without challenges; it took a little convincing for his family.

It was only until later in high school when I decided to follow my passion for the creative, but it took me two years after high school to get into a university that offered a performance degree, Miller says.

It took me two years to convince my family to allow me to follow my passion.

Many people started believing in his creativity and dreams when one of his plays was shown at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA).

After graduating with a degree in theatre arts from the University of Zimbabwe and activism training with Hivos in South Africa, Miller set out to inspire young people and raise awareness on crucial issues.

For me I had always been passionate about not only telling my story but telling other peoples stories in the hopes of creating and igniting positive change, Miller tells VOAs Studio 7.

And with that passion, a few resources and a resolve to fight the scourge of domestic violence, Project iThemba was launched in 2014.

Along with recognition from the International Theatre Institute, Miller has also co-founded and heads Zim All Access, a creative media service company, and serves as Art director for Vera, a Harare-based funky-jazz musician.

He is active in social engagement, working primarily with sexual minorities.

Miller will spend his time at Kansas State University Staley School of Leadership Studies in the state of Kansas studying civic leadership.

He will join 1,000 other young African youth from various countries for the 8-week program at different institutions of learning before going to Washington, D.C for a town hall with President Obama capping their fellowship.
Twenty people - mostly children and teens - will have free corrective surgery for cleft lip and cleft palate, courtesy of a United States-based not-for-profit organization which has brought a team of specialist surgeons and nurses for the first time to Bulawayo.

Nurse Marth Pamire, a volunteer with Operation of Hope, told Studio 7 that the organization has been bringing voluntary surgeons and nurses to perform free corrective surgery for cleft lip and palate in Harare since 2006.

The organization has brought the program to Bulawayo for the first time due to high demand. Surgery on some of the beneficiaries started at Mpilo Hospital on Monday and will end on Friday.

Pamire said nearly 70 prospective clients turned up for screening and the organization had to take about a third of the peoplebecause of limited time in performing the operations.

Five year-old Juliana, the daughter of Rambisai Jengwa from Chivi in Masvingo province, was among the first to have the corrective surgery.

Jengwa said she would never have been able to afford the surgery to correct her daughters cleft lip, adding that she is very grateful to have the operation conducted for free.

Tshiiwe Dzivas son, two-year old Kudakwashe Hove, who has a cleft lip and cleft palate, will also have corrective surgery.

Dziva, who lives in Zvishavane in the Midlands province, said she had tried to have the surgery performed on her son under the same program in Harare last year but failed because the team had left before she could get there.

Dziva is grateful that this is being done for free. It costs a minimum of $3,000 to have corrective surgery for cleft lip and cleft palate, and most Zimbabweans cannot afford to pay it.

Jennifer Mora Trubenbach, chief executive officer of Operation of Hope and leader of the 10-member team, said her organization operates in needy developing countries and also seeks to impart skills to local health personnel.

One child in every 850 is born with cleft lip and cleft palate, which is believed to be a hereditary condition. Although those with thecondition are normal, they often have speech defects and have problems eating which sometimes affects their growth if it is not corrected.

Operation of Hope is being supported by Rotary Club and a local company. It expects to be back in Zimbabwe again in September.
Some Zimbabweans say they normally travel long distances to access health care in clinics and hospitals despite constitutional provisions compeling the government to provide this basic right to its citizens.

The southern African nation is facing serious socio-economic problems, a situation that has resulted in various challenges in health institutions, including critical shortages of drugs and manpower like doctors and nurses.

Villagers in Mutoko communal lands, Mashonaland East province, are among millions of people with little access to health care.

Chapter Four, Subsection 75 of Zimbabwes constitution clearly stipulates that every citizen and permanent resident has the right to have access to basic health-care services, including reproductive health-care services.

It states that the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within the limits of the resources available to it, to achieve the progressive realization of the rights set out in this section.

However, contrary to this, most people in Zimbabwe, including Mutoko communal lands, have been struggling to access health care since independence from British rule in 1980.

Indications are that the health sector in the country is deteriorating at alarming rates with some hospitals having an unprecedented patient-doctor ratio of 1:12,000 compared to the 1:200 prescribed by the United Nations.

Mutoko villager, Tapfumaneyi Gubede, is among thousands of people in the district who have to travel long distances to get health care at Karanda Mission Hospital in Mt. Darwin.

This side there are no specialist doctors and all those who need to go into the theatre have to travel to hospitals like Parirenyatwa. Another problem is the failure to acquire drugs. People pay a $5 fee for cards at clinics but there are no drugs. The clinic just writes a prescription and you are supposed to purchase the drugs from a pharmacy. Most people die because they do not have money.

Another local resident, Phillip Muyengwa, says though the government constructed many clinics in rural areas just after independence in 1980, most of the structures are now white elephants due to lack of manpower and drugs.

Access to health is still a challenge here in Mutoko. Even though the right to health is enshrined in the constitution, we have realized that a lot of people are failing to access health facilities. We do not have specialist doctors and drugs. People that need specialist doctors have to travel to Karanda Mission Hospital to get health care.

For Maria Mashangwe, the health sector in the country is deteriorating instead of improving.

Access to health is really difficult. People are dying from curable diseases. Our clinics here do not even have stop pains like paracetamol. All they are giving now are prescriptions but we do not have money to buy the drugs at pharmacies. The rights in the constitution are only there on paper not for us rural folks.

In 1985, the World Health Organization declared that the Zimbabwean healthcare system was among the best in the developing world. However, indications are that most of the gains after independence have been reversed by lack of manpower and general poor management.

Health Minister David Parirenyatwa was not reachable for comment.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki recently lauded the efforts of five Zimbabwean academics, whove taken up farming in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

The original report by GroundUp, and retold by Reuters, highlighted the successful farming efforts of Zimbabweans Albert Zinhanga, Batsirai Magunje, Walter Khumalo, Masimba Paradza and Dr. Ignatious Matimati, in Malmesbury, despite having full time careers in other fields.

The five, all friends who grew up in rural Zimbabwe, reportedly came across the plot of land in Malmesbury, while shopping for an ox to buy and slaughter to share among themselves, and decided to ask the farms owner, Koos Hoffman, who consented.

While some elements of the original story concerning the nature of the discussion leading up to their starting to work the land, are under dispute, what is not in dispute is that Hoffman allowed the five friends to farm the land for one year for free, including access to the farming equipment. All they had to pay for was the electricity they used.

Zinhanga, a teacher of African languages at Cravenby High School in Parow, is quoted by GroundUP as saying that he was surprised by Hoffmans generosity because it is very rare for a white farmer to give a black farmer land for free, said he and his friends saw a lot of potential in the plot of land.

"The land was usable but it was not fertile, explained Zinhanga. So what we did if you look at the type of land that we have here -- it's a bit of sand soil, which does not have much nutrients, so you need to add value to the land so that you could farm it. And that's what basically we did we added value to the land -- the nutrients by putting chicken manure, cow dung manure trying to improve the soil, but the land was not useless."

The agricultural region located about 60 kilometers outside of Cape Town has a rich history of farming but has been experiencing drought spells over the last year, affecting output. But the farm utilizes ground water, which has helped irrigate the crops. The once empty plot is now abundant with crops such as tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetables.

But it is the maize crop, a staple here and in Zimbabwe, which was the most exciting for them to grow.

Batsirai Magunje, a physicist and material science engineer, said they hoped to extend the opportunity to local South Africans.

"We have plans to bring on board South Africans who are really willing to learn from us, so every window is open and there are no boundaries when you look at the future, there's no limit, we can refill the silos of South Africa."

Engineer Walter Chimanga-Khumalo said farming was a farming a calming escape from his high stress job.

"There is a huge difference, if I spend a day in the engineering sector, its stressing, its highly demanding, but when you come to the farming side of things, it's enjoyable, its stress relieving, we have a strong passion for farming. Just seeing crops growing just makes us happy."

Their farming expertise earned the new Zimbabwean farmers the 2016 small business of the year title, in the annual Zimbabwe Excellence Awards - a platform created to celebrate achievements of Zimbabweans living in South Africa.

The awards executive director, Julius Shamu, said the five deserved the award because of their bold move.

"If you are living in a certain city you have to make use of what is there, so these guys made a unique success story whereby they actually approached the owner of the land and asked him 'could we farm here'. They didn't say let us go back to Zimbabwe and ask for land in Zimbabwe, they are working here, their families are here, they need to provide for their families and they need to be recognized. What they are doing is not about -- 'can I go back to my country?' But 'can I contribute to the city where I am staying? Can I do something better for the city.

As the new farmers provide food for South Africans, back in their home country of Zimbabwe, extreme food shortages forced President Robert Mugabe to declare a state of disaster in most rural parts of the country severely hit by the drought.

Last year, South Africa recorded its lowest annual rainfall levels since comprehensive records began in 1904 as an El Nino-driven drought rips through the region, putting millions at risk of food shortage. Southern Africa's diverse agricultural sector, from grains to livestock, has been hit hard by the weather pattern.

El Nino, however, seems to have no impact on the five Zimbabwean farmers who are working to expand their crop production from three hectares to 15 hectares and grow more vegetables, which they supply to clients at the nearby Cape Town Epping Market.

The free deal is over now and the farmers now pay the land owner $80 a hectare to farm the land.
The quietest BookExpo in memory dissipated in a smattering of slow meetings and short autograph lines well before the closing time of 5 p.m., as the chosen few New York publishing staffers deemed worthy of Chicago hotel rooms and airfare caught their shuttles to OHare. BookExpo America, the countrys largest book fair, conducted a noble experiment, leaving New York for the first time since 2008 even as publishers grow less inclined to spend money on booths in an age of seamless communication. BEAs stated goal was to draw in more booksellers from the heartland. It worked, per officials, but at the cost of foot traffic from the East Coast. (Knopf touted a digital sampler in lieu of its anchor cocktail party; the show floor was 20 percent smaller than last years; houses ranging from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to tiny Bellevue Press sat this year out entirely.) But those who did venture to the Midwest discovered the benefits of a slower pace and more elbow room.

Meanwhile, free galleys continued to find their way into rolling suitcases, and bookseller excitement over prestigious fall novels was as high as its ever been. Its a very strong literary season, said Mitchell Kaplan, the owner of Miamis Books & Books, before rattling off his favorites.

Were restricting our annual list of top-ten galleys to fiction for two reasons: first, the strength of the 2016 lists, and second, the tendency of publishers to skip big nonfiction in an election year, when campaigns capture most of our fact-based attention.

The Girls, by Emma Cline (June 14, Random House, June 14)

Clines $2 million book deal got the industrys attention out of the gate; galleys displaying Clines ability to sustain a vivid and visceral style in the course of a long narrative are holding it right through publication. The focus  a Manson-type cult, female friendships, and sexual coming-of-age  is broad and scintillating enough to give sellers faith in its crossover potential.

The Nix, by Nathan Hill (Knopf, August 30)

There is an accidental topicality in Hills debut, about an estranged mother and son whose fates hinge on two mirror-image political events  the Democratic Convention of 1968 and the Republican Convention of 2004. But beyond that hook lies a high-risk, high-reward playfulness with structure and tone: comic set-pieces, digressions into myth, and formal larks that call to mind Jennifer Egans A Visit From the Goon Squad and John Irving at his strangest  which explains why Irving has praised The Nix effusively.

A Great Reckoning, by Louise Penny (Minotaur, August 30)

The Quebecoiss latest Chief Inspector Gamache procedural drew one of the longest signing lines at the fair  testimony to her growing reach beyond Canada, where theres already been a movie adaptation. It helped that Penny, a speaker at BEAs adult author breakfast, gave a very charming, funny, and moving talk about the inspectors inspiration, her hematologist husband, and his painful recent decline into dementia.

Here I Am, by Jonathan Safran Foer (FSG, September 6)

Its hard to say whether Foer has lived out exactly the kind of career youd have expected when Everything Is Illuminated made him a wunderkind. Its been 11 years since his last full-length novel. Here I Am is much longer and more personal than anything hes ever written, including the nonfiction Eating Animals. On the verge of 40, hes ready to be a wunderkind again.

Leave Me, by Gayle Forman (Algonquin, September 6)

There was a time (a couple of years ago) when authors dipped their toes into YA to tap into the genres growing audience. But its always been a two-way street (see Judy Blumes adult forays). Formans first adult novel transposes the preoccupations of her YA best sellers  travel, romantic crisis, dreams of escape  onto the life of a married mother in turmoil. Formans fans, aging along with her characters, clamored in droves for her signature in Chicago.

A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles (Viking, September 6)

Second novels are tricky terrain, but booksellers feel that Towles has mastered it. His debut, The Rules of Civility, was well liked for its polished gloss on somewhat familiar territory  shabby-chic New York on the cusp of World War II. Here his world both expands and shrinks into the jewel box of a luxury Moscow hotel, where Count Rostov lives under permanent house arrest in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution.

Jerusalem, by Alan Moore (Liveright, September 13)

Fanboys and fangirls have waited years to see if a rumored new book of insane proportions by the creator of Watchmen and V for Vendetta was going to pan out. It has, and it looks like a Thomas Pynchon joint, from the semi-reclusive authorial persona to the epic length, the wild mash-up of genres and ideas (a cross-temporal wormhole tucked among the housing projects of central England), and even a lengthy catalogue blurb so distinctive it could only have been written by the author.

The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday, September 13)

Not unlike Foer, Whitehead was hailed as a young genius (with The Intuitionist), then cooled his heels with voice-y experiments in nonfiction and genre. But as he explained at BEAs author breakfast, this is the book he knew hed write when he was mature enough: a magical-realist interpretation of the slave escape route, with an actual railroad and a surrealist set of states that render Americas multiplicity of utopias and dystopias. Readers are primed for tragicomic stories on race and America, and Whitehead is primed to receive them.

History of Wolves, by Emily Fridlund (Grove, January 17, 2017)

At BEAs hype-defining Buzz Panel, Fridlunds editor laid out the novels literary pedigree and the elements of its potential triumph: beautiful writing set in an eerie northern landscape; a fascinatingly unreliable narrator; a crime mystery plot revolving around child abuse; and the interplay of dark perversity and the light of love and hope. After dispensing with the big names, booksellers reached for Fridlund, this years great young hope of literary crime.

Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders (February 14, 2017)

Via collections like Pastoralia, Saunders has achieved a rare kind of fame for a short-story writer. His last book, Tenth of December, earned the lucrative Folio Prize, a cover story in the Times magazine, and a No. 2 slot on the best-seller list. Only last month, fans of his comic dystopian realism were astonished to learn that he had a novel in the works  wherein Lincoln mourns his young son in a space of Buddhist purgatory. A few short weeks later, there was the genial author himself, signing finished galleys.
Photo: IFC Films

The booing at the Cannes Film Festival can be brutal, and it spares no one, no matter how revered. Gus Van Sant once won the Palme dOr for Elephant, but he wasnt immune to jeers and whistles when his film Sea of Trees unspooled here last year. France had a homegrown hero in Michel Hazanavicius after he won an Oscar for The Artist, but when he returned to Cannes with his follow-up, The Search, the Gallic boos were particularly pronounced. And just two years after Nicolas Winding Refn won Cannes Best Director prize for Drive, he was hooted so badly for his film Only God Forgives that it powered an entire documentary on his post-Cannes turmoil.

Of course, it isnt hard to see a pattern emerging here: Not long after anointing master filmmakers, the French press takes particular delight in cutting them down to size. So perhaps it should have been no surprise that last night, when the new Olivier Assayas film Personal Shopper debuted at Cannes, the French boos were locked and loaded. After all, Assayas had a major hit here two years ago with Clouds of Sils Maria, which won its star Kristen Stewart a coveted Cesar award, making her the first American to earn the French equivalent of the Oscar. Personal Shopper doesnt just serve as a reteam of director and young muse, then, it also gives the French press an easy one-two punch: By booing it, both Assayas and Stewart could be taken down a seemingly necessary peg.



All that said, I was still surprised when Personal Shopper faded to white at its close and those masculine, accented boos began. This is no Cannes disaster: In fact, this mysterious, tantalizing film offers Stewart at her very best. Plenty of jokes have been made about the French elevating American performers like Jerry Lewis to icon status; perhaps when Personal Shopper opens stateside later this year, well have the chance to reclaim something of theirs.



In the film, Stewart plays Maureen, an American in Paris whos subsidizing her foreign stay by acting as a shopper and stylist of sorts for a demanding French actress. Maureen is lost and rootless, trying to get in touch with both herself  not easy when your waking hours are devoted to your bosss frivolous needs  and her dead brother. You see, Maureen is a part-time medium, and shes in Paris hoping for a supernatural sign from her sibling, who died there not long ago. All sorts of hauntings and visitations ensue as she tries to commune with the dead: In one scene, Maureen is attacked by a spirit in an old, squeaky house, and in another, bravura 20-minute sequence, a malevolent being lures her into a text-message game of cat and mouse that recalls the opening sequence of Scream. In a movie that makes good, fearsome use of the unknown, there may be nothing scarier than that text-bubble ellipsis that pops up on Maureens iPhone, indicating that her tormentor has one more unnerving thing to type.



Whats really striking about both of those sequences, other than their ruthless efficacy, is that Stewart holds the screen alone in them. Even when near-mute and given no scene partner, shes fascinating to watch, and Ive never seen her this vulnerable onscreen before. It takes a lot of guts to cast someone with Stewarts evident self-certainty as a woman this lost, but Assayass gamble pays off: Even when Stewart is costumed in the slouchy sweaters, polo shirts, and sneakers she tends to favor in her daily life, she still feels like a new woman.



Maybe it helps that Maureens struggle is one Stewart can relate to. I spend my days doing bullshit that doesnt interest me, and it keeps me from what does, the character complains at one point, and you could assume that Stewart came to a similar epiphany when she decided to chuck blockbuster product for more adventurous filmmaking. Not that the media has let her forget where she came from: At the films press conference today, one reporter expressed surprise that a Hollywood actress like Stewart would go nude twice in Personal Shopper, and several journalists brought up Twilight in the clumsiest of fashions. When she was asked, Which one is better, a vampire or a ghost? I thought of Maureen enduring an inane request from her boss, collecting herself, and moving on.



I dont doubt that Stewart and Assayas will handle the boos in the same fashion. When you come to Cannes, youre prepared for anything, Assayas said today, and while Stewart rightly noted that not everyone booed, she didnt seem too concerned with it anyway. The paces that Personal Shopper had put her through had left her stronger on the other side. I dont mean to sound too dramatic or actor-y in saying, Oh, it almost broke me, but I can do anything [now]. This movie made me feel like theres nothing I can put myself through that could make me not keep going.



Ive just never felt so good, she said, feeling so bad.
Politics, religion, racism, convincing yourself Donald Trump isnt a sentient umber toilet: Its all the same thing. Last night Samantha Bee and Full Frontal gave a spine-tingling history lesson on how the Christians of the religious right got hustled into the conservative voting bloc they are today. Boy, the looks on everyones faces when they get to heaven and Prince is there, going to second base with God. Thats going to make this all worth it.
Smith and Kang. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

South Korean writer and professor Han Kang and her British translator Deborah Smith have won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize for fiction, the English-translated equivalent of the Man Booker Prize, which was won last October by Marlon James. Kangs The Vegetarian, a three-part novel about a Korean wifes radical decision to go vegetarian and the increasingly bizarre and frightening effect it has on her life, beat out works by Elena Ferrante and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk. She becomes the first South Korean author to win the prestigious literary award.

While Kang has already enjoyed considerable success in South Korea  where she teaches creative writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts  The Vegetarian is her first novel to be translated into English. Smith, interestingly, had only been learning Korean for seven years before she translated Kangs novel. Kang and Smith will split the 50,000 award, which this year is going to a single book (as opposed to a body of work) for the first time in the awards history, following a merger with the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. This compact, exquisite and disturbing book will linger long in the minds, and maybe the dreams, of its readers. Deborah Smiths perfectly judged translation matches its uncanny blend of beauty and horror at every turn, Boyd Tonkin, chair of the 2016 judging panel, said, praising The Vegetarian.
This week, The Mindy Project delivers a particularly New Yorkfocused episode  obligatory Hamilton story line included  while also giving us a solid riff on romantic comedy. Let there be no doubt: This is what the show does best. (Danny who?)

To get our Hamilton fix, we begin with the Shulman and Associates Musical Theater Appreciation Society  that is, Mindy and Jeremy  dining after being kicked out of the insanely popular play because Mindy got up on stage to freestyle. (Oh, if only we could have seen this.) All the nonwhite people were doing it, she protests, missing that all the nonwhite people are in the cast. Im just relieved she has now finally seen at least part of Hamilton, given that she missed the entire thing already. Then again, Im not sure anyone deserves so many second chances.

In any case, someone else in the restaurant pays for Mindy and Jeremys meal  and it turns out to be Casey, the former cool priest turned shoe mogul whom Mindy almost married! Mic drop, as he says. Hes in New York to open a new Dope Feat store. Only two white people are allowed in the store at a time, he explains. Apparently thats legal. Casey asks Mindy to dinner, and it looks like we might have a rekindled romance on our hands.

The next morning, Mindy announces the development to the crew at Shulman, as she is wont to do. (Tamra: What about whats weird thats going on in our lives? I keep seeing the number 16 everywhere.) Even though nobody except Beverly thinks she should go on the date, Mindy concludes, Maybe I should give him another shot, like America did with Chris Brown and wars in Iraq.

So she does go to dinner, which allows us to see Mindy gnawing on a meat sword that Casey helpfully points out is meant to be shared by the whole restaurant. When you think about it, that seems even more disturbing. Anyway, Casey is moving back to New York from Los Angeles, and, furthermore, he confesses that he sees Mindy as the one that got away. He loves that she calls him on his crap. (Dont say bullsheezy, she rightfully advises. Its dumb.) He invites her to the party for his store opening. But then he does something pretty confusing: He tells her its not a date. His friends dont like her  theyre still mad that she broke his heart, kept the engagement ring, and sold it on eBay  so he doesnt think its a good idea for them to get back together.

At the office the next day, Mindys co-workers are not terribly shocked to learn that Caseys friends dont like her. You are one of the few private citizens whos been denounced by the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, Jeremy points out. Tamra, however, offers some advice: Mindy must win over Caseys friends. After all, when Tamra dated George Clooney, she had to hang out with Richard Kind. (This is the most random true fact ever: George Clooney and Richard Kind are good friends. Thank you, Mindy. And thank you, internet.)

Mindy develops one of her signature five-part plans to win over Caseys friends:

Laugh in a way that showcases her breasts. Talk sports and pretend shes seen Die Hard. Shots. Double shots. More double shots.

This seems to work on all of his friends except one, Marcus, who gets along much better with Jeremy than Mindy. He even offers to get Jeremy tickets to a play hes producing, James Buchanan, Bachelor President  one of BuzzFeeds top 28 gay musicals this spring.

Meanwhile, in a somewhat-related development, Jody is still dating the Virgin Ashley. And it turns out Ashley, with her blog Celibacy in the City, has edged out Tamras Shake Shack as the No. 1 lifestyle blog in New York City. Im surprised by how well Tamra takes this news: She seems more interested in reading about Jodys love life than taking Ashley down. Identities are disguised on the blog, but Colonel Suspenders is obviously Jody. He does kind of dress like the old narrator in a play who comes out and explains the town, she says. (Tamra is obviously the MVP of this episode.)

As a result, Tamra and Morgan try to get Jody to stop wearing suspenders and suits, even though the one hes currently wearing was owned by a juror from the Scopes Monkey Trial. They succeed, and he shows up for his next date with Ashley in a sleek, all-black outfit, including a pleather jacket and a T-shirt. Alas, as Celibacy in the City reports, he wont stop talking about his co-worker. So, as Ashley writes, Im demoting him from Colonel Suspenders to Major Crush. Nice Sex and the City pun work, though Tamra is a little confused: Shes overestimating our knowledge of Army rank. Tamra mistakenly thinks that Jodys work crush must be her, since it couldnt possibly be Mindy. (Yes, its Mindy.)

When Jody hears about Ashleys blog, he marches right over to confront her about it. But, she tells him, its all the truth: If I wanted to lie, Id go back to my old job predicting travel times at Google Maps. He realizes shes right  he does have feelings for Mindy.

Back at the shoe store, Mindy has finally won over Caseys friends, but now shes feeling guilty. (Good news for Jody!) She realizes she does not, in fact, want to date a guy with tattoos of a Minion dressed as Shrek, Pizza Rat, and Vote for Pedro. As she later says, I hate him. Hes so annoying. Hes like a Garbage Pail Kid. But when she and Jeremy go to see James Buchanan, Bachelor President, she realizes shes crushing on Marcus. (Bad news for Jody!)

This is liable to change, but Marcus is one of the best-dressed, most mature-seeming guys Mindy has ever dated. A week after she finally tried dating an Indian guy, he also makes for her first black love interest after many, many white boys. He asks her out, having warmed up to her now that she and Casey are finished for good. Of course, Jody also seems ready to confess his feelings for Mindy  until he hears about Marcus. Stay tuned for more love triangles.
Tig Notaro. Photo: Rich Polk/Getty Images

Dont be weirdwere all just people, Tig Notaro told a couple hundred fans at the end of her panel at BookCon, this weekends consumer book fair. Launched two years ago in an effort to channel Comic-Con euphoria toward dead trees and the publishers who love selling them, BookCon followed its trade appendage, BookExpo America, to Chicago this year. (Both return to their Javits Center home base in 2017.) The road trip entailed less than half as many fans (over one day instead of two), fewer TV stars, and an intense focus on the YA and fantasy fare that inspires wizard hats and teenage squeals. (Giant placards warned, Cosplay is Not Consent.) The panels were almost entirely targeted to teens, and not even Notaro, a low-key middle-aged comic, was spared their standard prelude: A hype man blasting techno and imploring the audience, some of them grownups, to wave their hands in the air.

Notaro flew in from L.A. to promote her memoir, Im Just a Person, an introspective elaboration on that time she turned the trifecta of her mothers death, her breakup, and a breast-cancer diagnosis into a career-making routine. (Shes in full remission). Notaros sets are firmly in the school of understated cringe, her crowd work (on pointed display at Saturdays event) kind by way of cruelty. At fist-pumping, fan-stroking BookCon, she wasnt just counterprogramming; she was antimatter. Then again, her second most famous routine, subject of a popular This American Life segment, revolved around being snubbed by eighties sensation Taylor Dayne. So her entrance music, Tell It To My Heart, was exactly right.

Notaro appeared and the onstage deejay cut the music. Why did you think I wanted you to turn that off? Notaro asked him. I thought theyd like to hear you talk, he said. Yeah, but thats not what Im here for. This went on for a while, to growing laughter. A few minutes later, Notaro interrupted her own opening bit to mock an audience member for laughing when she said shed only held a temp job for a week. Temp is short for temporary, she reminded her, before losing the storys thread. This is me having a meltdown in public, and its because of you. To be fair, my meltdown also looks like boredom, which its not.

Public humiliation was the through-line of the talk. Her interviewer, Nerdette podcast host Tricia Bobeda, asked an early question about bombing onstage. It rarely rattles me because a Ive been through worse in life. She eventually told three embarrassing anecdotes with relish. Notaro once did an entire set wearing a chocolate ice-cream moustache, which was still on when she looked in her mirror at night. It was a very, very, low, low point, she said. Shed also have killed to see it herself. At a bummer of a Florida gig, she was met with uncomprehending stares; forty minutes in, I just said, You guys, this is really funny. This club flew me across the country to silence. Im telling you things that I think are funny and you guys dont agree at all.

A fan brought up a Conan appearance during which she forgot her set for what felt like ages. Notaro said that was the day her girlfriend broke up with her, in the midst of her annus horribilis. Conans producer had offered to cut the painfully long pause. I said, I think you should leave it in. It would be really interesting to see, because we do have those moments.

Her stories were very much on brand: Im Just a Person. Notaro chose the title to mock celebrities false modestyand maybe also her own nouveau celebrity. Its a response to people thinking they know me or interrupting my dinner. She recalled fondly the one fan who got fandom right, while passing her on an airport walkway in North Carolina. Tig, whats up! he said, and then kept rolling without looking back. Near-daily I think about him, and I hope if I tell this story enough I can reach him somehow. We could be friends.

If that ever happens, hed best be prepared for the kind of tough love she doled out during the extensive Q&A. Leah from Wisconsin was instantly interrupted: I love that everyone tells me where theyre from. He told me to! Leah said, pointing to the usher. I know he did, Im not mad at you, said Tig. But I cant see your face. Ill never remember your name or where youre from, and thats the sad truth of it all.

Bob from Chicago asked her what three comics shed bring to a desert island. How did we get trapped? she asked. Well, said Bob, you were on a ship and the ship crashed, and you found some inflatable pinball machines

Sir, this is sheer insanity, said Notaro. Its true, Bob retorted. Thats what happened. Notaro relentedI love youand gamely answered. Theres Nick Offerman, who can build anything, I would bring Maria Bamford just because she blows my mind nonstop. And my friend Kyle Dunnigan, because hes just pure silliness.

Amanda from California asked if Taylor Dayne had reached out since This American Life. We have crossed paths, said Notaro. Again? Amanda asked. Yes! I dont know if you know how this works, you ask your question and then I answer it. Amanda nodded: Youre just a person. I am just a person and I just snapped at you, said Notaro. Dayne did in fact text her when she found out about Notaros breast cancer, telling her she could call anytime. Notaro considered doing so at 3 a.m. from a hospital bed, but thought better of it.

The last question came from Walt, a working man who boasted of a hilarious Tarzan yell. I would like to do that for you, he said. No thank you, Notaro saidthen changed her mind. Of course. Thats why Im here. Walts trill was decent, though lacking falsetto. What do you do, working man? Walt works in the shipping department of Vienna Beef, source of the classic Chicago dog. Thanks for doing what you do, sir.

Walt was immune to embarrassment; the questioner before him wasnt so fortunate. You mentioned that throughout your career there were moments when you tanked onstage, Anna from Chicago began. Yes, Anna, we went over this, said Notaro. Sorry, I basically checked out because I was so nervous, Anna said. You said that it doesnt affect you anymore. How are you able to do that?

Anna, I feel like you havent been listening. Anna, let me repeat myself. God, this is so embarrassing for you. Anna moped. I was completely checked out! I think Im gonna go.

Yeah, go sit down, said Notaro. Anna slunk back, blushing and smiling. Minutes later, the techno was back.
Jeopardy! kicked off its annual Power Players Week last night, in which well-known journalists and media intellectuals compete on the famed quiz show for the charities of their choice. Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd, conservative commentator S.E. Cupp, and novelist Jonathan Franzen competed on Mondays show, with Cupp proving victorious in the end after all three failed to correctly answer the Final Jeopardy question. However, Franzen (who called the experience a nightmare come true) was as charming and grumpy as ever, finishing in second place. Although Jeopardy! has yet to release clips from the taping  including Franzen missing a Shakespeare question and hiding under his booth in shame  heres a brief recap of what you missed.

Franzens charity was for birds, and yes, there was a category about birds, which he destroyed.

#JonathanFranzen is a passionate bird lover and has chosen to play for @ABCbirds1 during #2016PowerPlayers:https://t.co/h5UgwLFuMN  Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) May 16, 2016

Jonathan Franzen is on jeopardy right now and his charity is a BIRD CONSERVATORY  THRILLHO (@heyirony) May 16, 2016

I'm guessing that Jonathan Franzen agreed to participate in Jeopardy only if there would be a birding category  Luke Epplin (@LukeEpplin) May 16, 2016

Jonathan Franzen is on Jeopardy right now, and he's asking for all the bird-related questions because OF COURSE HE IS.  Kristen Evans (@paperalphabet) May 16, 2016

Jonathan Franzen ALL OVER this birds category on #Jeopardy. pic.twitter.com/TmjFfAoRmZ  Mary Kate Frank (@MaryKateFrank) May 16, 2016

Jonathan Franzen repping a bird conservatory as his charity on Jeopardy, wondering how many pro-bird thinkpieces I'll see tomorrow.  April Wolfe (@AWolfeful) May 17, 2016

And he gave a very Franzenian fun fact to start off the show.

I'm finally watching last night's Jeopardy and it's so iconic. Jonathan Franzen's fun fact is that he hates Twitter!  Daniel D'Addario (@DPD_) May 17, 2016

Alex Trebek to Jonathan Franzen: "You don't like to tweet. I'm against Twitter also." Anyway, Celebrity Jeopardy is off to a rockin' start.  brandon? (@brandonspears) May 16, 2016

Other big names  such as Anderson Cooper, Louis C.K., and Matthew Weiner  will be making appearances later this week.
A mixture of tears and laughter filled the new home of retired U.S. Army Master Sgt. Marc Seal on Monday afternoon as he walked into the China Spring house for the first time.

Ive just got to exhale and think that this is really happening. I have a home that is mine, and I can build memories with my kids and grandkids here, Seal said. I made it 3 feet into the door and I turned into a big, old sobbing baby.

The disabled veteran and Purple Heart recipient smiled as he saw the completed three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in the Lake Estates subdivision.

The nonprofit group Operation Finally Home recently finished the home as its 102nd mortgage-free home for wounded, ill or injured veterans, surviving spouses and their families.

I cannot think of a more deserving person than Marc, said Ruth Coffman, Operation Finally Home family matters coordinator. There have been nights where Marc has called because he has been so down, but there is no better guy to help give a new home to than this man.

Operation Finally Home worked in collaboration with Waco-based company Sorrells & Co. to build the home. Labor and other resources were pulled together by community partners, businesses and Baylor University students, who outfitted the house with fixtures, paint colors and furniture.

Seal, a father of five, joined the U.S. Army in 1990 and the Texas Army National Guard in 2001 and was deployed overseas four times. Injured on three of his four deployments, Seal suffered a traumatic brain injury and shoulder, neck and spine injuries, among others. He retired because of his injuries in 2014.

When you are medically retired out and since I didnt reach 20 years with the National Guard, I dont draw retirement, so I live on VA disability, Seal said. My income was basically cut in half, so when I am done with surgeries and completely rehabbed, I wont have a lot of disposable income.

Ronnie Lyles, Operation Finally Home project manager, and Steve Sorrells, CEO and president of Sorrells & Co., worked together since last years groundbreaking. While Seal said he was eager to see his home finished, the welcoming celebration was a large step in his road to recovery.

For everyone to do this for me, to live in a nice, safe, comfortable home while I rehabilitate, it is just amazing, he said. Because so many people did this for me, this is still mind-boggling to me, but I cannot say thank you enough.

Seal said he plans to move into his new home in the next few weeks and before undergoing surgery on his shoulder in June.
McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna should be disqualified from prosecuting cases arising from the Twin Peaks biker shootout because he overstepped his authority by commandeering the investigation, a Houston attorney said Tuesday.

There is a big difference between advising and commandeering, attorney Abigail Anastasio said.

Anastasio represents Ray Nelson, 42, president of the Hill County Cossacks and one of 154 bikers indicted in the May 17, 2015, shootout at Twin Peaks in Waco that left nine bikers dead and more than 20 wounded.

She filed a motion Tuesday in Wacos 54th State District Court seeking to disqualify Reyna and assistants Michael Jarrett and Mark Parker from prosecuting the Twin Peaks cases because she alleges they are potential witnesses because of the way Reyna inserted himself into the investigation on the evening of the shootout.

They started calling the shots, Anastasio alleged in a press conference after filing the motion. They were the ones who determined the course of the investigation, what steps to be taken next, without law enforcement having a significant role in that.

Reyna did not return messages Tuesday. Jarrett and Parker both declined comment on the motion.

No hearing date has been set for Judge Matt Johnson to consider the motion.

The motion alleges that Reyna arrived at the Waco Convention Center after the shootout and changed the scope of the investigation by insisting that everyone linked to the Cossacks, Bandidos or any of their support groups be arrested and charged with first-degree felony engaging in organized criminal activity.

Before Reyna and his assistants arrived, Waco police and other agencies had questioned, identified and processed a busload of bikers and released them from the Waco Convention Center. After Reyna arrived, the remaining bikers went to jail, the motion states.

This interview with the district attorneys office changed the scope and course of the investigation, the motion alleges. The decisions involved were made not by the law enforcement officers, but by the above prosecutors (and possibly others within that office). The affidavit supporting arrest was not written according to the facts noted by any individual officer, but by the district attorneys office.

Anastasio said she intends to call Reyna and possibly his assistants as witnesses because of their role in the case. That is why she is seeking their disqualification from prosecuting it.

During the course of this investigation, the district attorneys, while they do have a right to advise law enforcement as to how to proceed in a case, took over the investigation in this case and overstepped their bounds, she said.

Defense attorneys have a right to inquire as to the course of the investigation in a case. If the person directing the course of the investigation is the prosecuting attorney, then I have a right to ask that person about that.
Nine bikers lay dead or dying, their bodies sprawled on the grounds at Twin Peaks amid pools of blood and an arsenal of weapons.

Officers from multiple local and state jurisdictions converged on the chaotic scene one year ago, trying to process what had transpired, tending to more than 20 who were injured and attempting to restore order to what previously had been a quiet Sunday in Waco.

Busloads of bikers, most of whom had brought weapons of some sort with them to the May 17, 2015, regional meeting of the Texas Coalition of Clubs and Independents, were taken to the Waco Convention Center, where they were identified and interviewed by police.

Sgt. J.R. Price, head of the Waco Police Departments Special Crimes Unit, was directing what he thought at the time was a capital murder investigation. But thats when McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna arrived with two of his top assistants, Michael Jarrett and Mark Parker.

More than 60 bikers already had been processed, interviewed, photographed and sent home when Reyna put a halt to the interviews and called a meeting in one of the conference rooms. He also put a halt to anyone going anywhere but to jail.

Waco PDs ongoing investigation soon shifted its focus from capital murder charges to engaging in organized criminal activity charges, based on identical arrest affidavits prepared by Reynas office. Price told Reyna that he wasnt so sure about the new charges, reminding Reyna that his detectives already were in the middle of a capital murder investigation.

He questioned Reyna about what criteria he planned to use to support such a charge. Reyna said the Texas Department of Public Safety had classified biker groups Bandidos and Cossacks as criminal street gangs.

The DA ordered any members of those two groups or members of their support groups to be arrested on engaging in organized criminal activity charges.

Price notes in reports that he was aware of ongoing dust-ups across the state between Bandidos and Cossacks prior to the May 17 Twin Peaks shootout and says the DPS shared its intelligence with the department about the feud between the biker groups.

Reyna explained to Price that his justification for the charges was that both groups were designated by DPS intelligence as criminal street gangs, despite the Cossacks not being listed as one prior to the Twin Peaks incident.

Since the Twin Peaks shootout  a McLennan County law enforcement episode rivaled only by the 1993 Branch Davidian incident in terms of its scope, complexity and death toll  154 bikers have been indicted on first-degree felony charges that allege they were acting as members of a criminal street gang that day.

In all, 192 people were jailed in the May 17 incident, including 15 who later were named in sealed indictments because most were wounded and had not been arrested yet.

In the year since the shootout, attorneys for bikers have demanded examining hearings to challenge probable cause, filed motions alleging their rights to speedy trials have been violated, challenged a gag order entered into the case involving one Hewitt biker only, appealed bond amounts, negotiated lower bonds, and have filed at least one aborted claim to move one bikers case from McLennan County.

They claim authorities, including Reyna and Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton, the department spokesman, conspired to poison any potential jury pool with misinformation and exaggerations about bikers and the biker community.

Obviously, May 17 was a tragic event that occurred in our community. The wheels of justice may not turn as fast as some people may like them to, but this is not a TV movie. This is reality, Swanton said. The unfortunate part of this is it takes a while for things to occur. That is the nature of the justice system.

Having said that, as it does move forward, I think people will see that we have a police force in Waco that they should be very proud of. They have a criminal justice system they should be very proud of. The actions of our officers that day protected innocent civilians, and had they not taken the appropriate action that they did, the death toll could have been much worse and innocent civilians could have lost their lives.

Swanton declined to answer specific questions about the Twin Peaks incident, citing the gag order.

Bikers have challenged being labeled gangs and say the vast majority arrested are not so-called 1 percenters, or members of a criminal street gang, but hard working, law-abiding motorcycle enthusiasts who came to Waco that day to hear a legislative update about bikers rights.

At various hearings during the past year, prosecutors have painted all vest-wearing bikers as members of the Cossacks or Bandidos or one of their support groups who came to Waco armed to the teeth in a show of strength and solidarity with one particular side or the other.

Still reviewing evidence

While indictments are pending, prosecutors have said in hearings that they will not be ready to go to trial for possibly many months down the road because state and federal agencies still are reviewing DNA, cellphone evidence, ballistics and other forensic evidence gathered at the massive crime scene.

Reyna and Jarrett, Reynas first assistant district attorney, declined to be interviewed for this story, continuing Reynas two-year refusal to speak to the Tribune-Herald.

An attorney from Houston is set to file a motion Tuesday seeking to disqualify Reyna and his office from prosecuting the cases, saying his role the day of the shootout potentially could make him a witness in the case.

Reyna also has not spoken about the logistics of adding 154 new cases to the dockets of Wacos two primary felony courts, nor has he consulted in detail with the judges about how they would like the bikers cases to progress through the system.

No trial dates have been set and the district attorneys office has requested no civil hearings in the forfeiture of 27 vehicles seized from those reportedly involved in the shootout. Prosecutors filed notices in June that they intend to forfeit 17 motorcycles, eight pickup trucks and two SUVs, alleging the vehicles are contraband used in the commission of crimes.

The district attorneys office also has not presented evidence to a grand jury concerning the actions of the three Waco police officers who fired a total of 12 rounds at Twin Peaks that day.

Through the end of April, McLennan County has spent $64,609 on fees submitted in Twin Peaks cases by court-appointed attorneys. McLennan County also spent $25,522 in defense of a federal lawsuit filed by one of the bikers that was withdrawn but since refiled.

Another lawsuit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Travis County by Diego Obledo, the father of six children who said he lost his job as a real estate analyst for USAA in San Antonio as a result of his arrest and indictment.

The lawsuit names as defendants Waco Police Chief Brent Stroman, Reyna and police Officer Manuel Chavez, who served the identical arrest warrant affidavits, branded cookie-cutter by defense attorneys.

We have received these lawsuits and we are actively litigating them, said Waco City Attorney Jennifer Richie, declining additional comment.

According to the lawsuit, Obledo is a former member of the Texas Guard who was not wearing a vest or jacket and had nothing to identify him as a member of a motorcycle club because he was not a member of any club.

The suit says Obledo is a member of the Christian Motorcycle Association and was carrying the New Testament in his pocket. He came to Waco with friends who are in the Valerosos Motorcycle Club, the suit says.

The 34-page lawsuit alleges a variety of constitutional violations, including the right against unlawful arrest and unlawful search and seizure.

The lawsuit alleges that video evidence clearly shows that the vast majority of those present, including plaintiff, appeared surprised and confused upon hearing the initial gunfire, and further, clearly shows the vast majority of those present, including plaintiff, running away from the disturbance, not toward it. The video evidence clearly and unambiguously proves the complete lack of involvement in the disturbance of the vast majority present, including plaintiff, the lawsuit, filed by Dallas attorney Don Tittle, alleges.

Obledos lawsuit is the seventh federal suit filed in federal court in Travis County over the Twin Peaks incident, with more to follow, Tittle said.

Diego Objedo was not a member of a motorcycle club, Tittle said. He was not even a prospect of a motorcycle club. This theory of guilt by association is suspect at best. When you have a guy who is not a member of any motorcycle club, this truly is a gross violation of the guys rights. Not to mention he lost an $80,000-a-year job over this.

Waiving their rights

Many of the bikers have complained that their cases are languishing in the criminal justice system despite their attempts to go to trial immediately, even to the point of waiving their rights to full discovery in the case.

But the reality is that cases set in coming weeks on the trial dockets of the countys two criminal courts are from 2013 and 2014. It is not unusual for cases to take more than a year to reach trial.

Rob Kepple, executive director of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, said the expectation of some bikers and their attorneys to have already gone to trial is unrealistic.

It was a pretty unusual set of circumstances, he said. With so many people and so much action, I think it is unrealistic to think you could get those cases to trial in a year. That is pretty unrealistic. We have seen a lot of less-complicated cases take a lot more time to get to trial. I am not surprised that the state needs more time to put it together.

Kepple, a former prosecutor with 30 years experience, would not speculate about how he would have handled the situation had he been in the shoes of McLennan County officials, saying he cant recall one that is remotely similar.

I am not going to second-guess, largely because this is an extraordinary set of circumstances, he said. Trying to figure out how to handle this, everybody can say they would have done this, that or the other. But the reality is, from what I can tell, there was only a couple of people in the box that could make the call and it was an extraordinary situation. The last time I checked, no one else got killed the next day. Peace was maintained in what could have been a very dangerous circumstance.

But that hasnt kept defense attorneys, particularly Paul Looney, of Houston, from going on the offensive. He has sought early dismissals of the charges and pushed to be the first to go to trial with his client.

Looney said he thinks Reyna merely is baby-sitting the cases for federal authorities in San Antonio while they continue building cases against the Bandidos and Cossacks and name them in superseding indictments.

They physically cant try all of those folks in Waco, but I dont think they intend to, Looney said. I think they are waiting for the feds to have a superseding indictment and then hand them all over. It is common sense. State prosecutors have baby-sat people for the last 30 years waiting for the feds to get their indictments together.

That would explain why they dont care how many they arrested and explains why the only time they panic is when someone says, Give me a trial setting. It explains why they are not asking for additional prosecutors, why they are not asking for additional judges, even when there is free money from the state to pay for it. It would explain all the bizarre stuff they have been doing. They indicted them to keep them in the system so they would know where to find them at any given moment.

A federal grand jury in San Antonio indicted three national leaders of the Bandidos in January, charging them with racketeering and waging a deadly war on the Cossacks.

The indictment alleges three Bandido leaders sanctioned a three-year fight that included violent clashes with rival gangs and distribution of methamphetamine.
The maintenance and software agreement with McLennan Countys elections equipment vendor is nearing an end, and commissioners are looking at options after the company recently turned down a request for an opt-out clause.

County commissioners Monday also accepted a report from the Elections Commission after a tie vote at the May 3 meeting kept the report from entering the record.

Commissioners Will Jones and Kelly Snell abstained from the vote at the last meeting, stating they still had questions about the problems surrounding the botched March 1 joint primary election.

Jones said Monday his questions had been answered during executive session, when commissioners met with Elections Administrator Kathy Van Wolfe.

Snell, who again abstained, said after the meeting he still has a lot of unanswered questions.

I still dont understand why theres a change between early voting and Election-Day voting in the primary. Why is there a need to change anything? he said.

Snell said he also has requested that Van Wolfe present a written statement to the court detailing what went wrong in the primary election  during which some 600 voters were disenfranchised  and how she will address the matter in the future.

Jones said he had been waiting to personally hear from Van Wolfe. He said after the meeting he had a better grasp of the errors that occurred during the election that led to the voters being disenfranchised. Jones said he hoped that now, with proper planning and testing of equipment, those errors will not occur again.

County Judge Scott Felton, who chairs the elections commission, said Monday he may not have properly explained the groups report at the last meeting, causing the two commissioners to abstain. Felton said county commissioners were not voting to make the report their own, but to acknowledge that it was being entered into the record for historical purposes.

When youre reviewing any personnel issue, its important to have something in the file to go by that everyone understands, Felton said.

The report adopted by the Elections Commission  which oversees the elections administrator position  outlines expectations for Van Wolfe and states they will meet again later in the year to review how the November election went.

Several commissioners also expressed a desire for representatives from Hart InterCivic, the countys elections vendor, to address the court before the county moves forward with another contract.

Snell said the company had the audacity to ask for more money with the renewal of its contract after the problems during the March election.

My God, man, why would we want to do that? Snell said.

Voting centers

Hart InterCivic representatives have told county leaders they did not send a reminder to elections officials about the procedures needed for running a joint primary election using voting centers, which allow residents to vote at any polling place instead of just within their precinct.

Van Wolfe has said she had to learn about the changes from another county vendor. Hart InterCivic sent reminders to its customers in 2012 when several switched to countywide voting centers from precinct-specific polling locations.

This was the first joint primary election McLennan County has run using voting centers.

Snell said the county may have to at least enter another yearlong contract because their current service with Hart InterCivic runs until June 16.

Commissioners at the last meeting had requested county staff negotiate with Hart InterCivic for a new contract that included an opt-out clause in case the county purchases new election equipment.

Van Wolfe has told the court the decade-old equipment  which originally cost about $10 million  may not last longer than three to five more years, and it doesnt appear the company will continue making that particular brand.

County Administrator Dustin Chapman said Monday that Hart InterCivic would not agree to a three-year contract with an opt-out clause.

Snell said the company needs to give the court a better idea of how many more elections the equipment can handle.

Commissioner Ben Perry said he wished the company would be a little more responsible, considering the recent past.

Jones said he doesnt feel any loyalty to the company after what happened during the March election and the companys response.

Commissioners deferred a vote on the contract and will work to bring representatives from the company to the next meeting.

During the meeting, Commissioner Lester Gibson asked to allow former county employee Karen Hall to speak about the election calamity.

Van Wolfe fired Hall on March 28, saying Hall had run test ballots for early voting but not for Election Day, among other things, according to the termination letter, which the Tribune-Herald received in response to an open records request.

Commissioners debated whether it was appropriate to allow a former employee to speak during open session and if it would fall under personnel matters. They then left the decision to the countys attorneys, who decided Gibson needed to put Hall on the next courts meeting agenda, because the agenda did not specifically cite an opportunity for her to speak Monday.

Hall, who was the assistant elections administrator, has previously tried to speak before the Elections Commission and commissioners court. She repeatedly has said she is not interested in getting her position back and only wants to share insight into what led to the election errors.

Grant awarded

Also at the meeting, commissioners learned the county elections office received a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Servicess Help America Vote Act to help polling locations meet American With Disabilities Act requirements.

Chapman said the county was notified it was awarded $22,000 to go toward polling-place accessibility.

Several polling places failed to meet accessibility requirements, and the county is set to make those improvements in a settlement that was reached with the U.S. Department of Justice after the agency surveyed county property.
Cody Ledbetter wont know for a while whether he will go to prison or spend his life as a free man, a mechanic, a dad.

Either way, two things are certain. First, he will always carry the burden of seeing his stepfather and mentor killed at Wacos Twin Peaks restaurant on May 17, 2015.

Second, he is done with the world of motorcycle clubs.

Ledbetter, 27, never again wants the black-and-gold vest that marked him as a member of the Cossacks Motorcycle Club. He plans to sell his only bike, the Harley-Davidson owned by his stepfather, Daniel Diesel Boyett, who died in the parking lot brawl with the rival Bandidos gang.

Its over, Ledbetter said. After watching what it did to my dad. Ive got two kids under 3 years old. If that would have been me, I would have left (my wife) with that. Its something I cant do. I need to be here for my kids.

A year after the biker battle that left nine people dead at Twin Peaks, Ledbetter and other bikers arrested following the shootout are floating in legal limbo with no clear horizon.

No trial dates have been set for Ledbetter or any of the 154 bikers under indictment for engaging in organized criminal activity in an episode that left nine dead and more than 20 injured.

Through the indictments, prosecutors have asserted that all the bikers shared in the guilt of the slayings by gathering with the intention of doing violence  regardless of whether they threw a punch, pulled a trigger or ducked inside for safety.

Bikers of different clubs that normally couldnt be caught together in the same room have joined voices in condemning the mass cookie-cutter charges and subsequent identical indictments. Bikers here and around the country have held rallies decrying the arrests and prolonged jailing of some 190-plus bikers.

In the long wait for prosecutors and police to release detailed evidence against individual bikers, competing narratives have emerged about who started the violence that resulted in a hail of deadly gunfire.

Some bikers have floated theories that the entire incident was orchestrated by law enforcement or prosecutors as a crackdown against motorcycle clubs.

Steve Dozer Cochran, a leader of the Sons of the South Motorcycle Club in Waco and an official with the U.S. Defenders, said most bikers are conservative, law-and-order types, but the Twin Peaks incident has eroded their trust of police.

We dont feel locally that law enforcement is there to protect and serve, he said. We feel like theyre going to do whatever the hell they want.

177 didnt kill 9

For bikers awaiting their day in court, the delay has taken its toll on families, livelihoods and pocketbooks.

John Wilson, president of the McLennan County Cossacks, said his family has spent about $100,000 for bonds and legal representation for himself and his son, Jake, who were among the 177 people initially jailed in the Twin Peaks incident.

And thats just the beginning. He said the incarceration caused him to close his fledgling motorcycle shop, Legend Cycles, for two months. He said police still have not returned to him two of the familys motorcycles that were seized that day, worth an estimated $35,000.

Wilson said the incident required strong action by police, but the jailing of so many people with bonds set at $1 million each went too far.

The fact is 177 people didnt kill nine, he said. Everybody was charged with every murder, every assault, and charged for the people killed by law enforcement.

The most disturbing thing for me is that the local legal system is allowing 177 families to suffer for the crimes of half a dozen to a dozen people. . . . Thats 177 families whose children may not be able to go to college, whose breadwinners may have lost their jobs.

McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna has turned down all interview requests by the Tribune-Herald regarding the incident, and the Waco Police Department stopped discussing the case in late June 2015, citing a gag order in a court case involving a single defendant, Hewitt biker Matthew Clendennen.

Determining the true story of what happened at Twin Peaks may take a court trial, or a dozen.

Allies of the Bandidos and those sympathetic to the Cossacks give starkly different accounts of the events leading up to the shootout just after noon in front of a Sunday lunch crowd.

Bikers from around the region were set to converge at the restaurant for a regular meeting of a biker advocacy group known as the Confederation of Clubs and Independents at 1 p.m., but that meeting never happened.

What happened instead was a confrontation between two rival clubs  and their support groups  that had already seen several skirmishes around Texas in the past two years.

About 11:30 a.m., at least 58 Cossacks from around Texas started showing up along with bikers from support clubs such as the Scimitars. The Cossacks were not part of the biker rights organization, but whether their presence was intended to be hostile is a matter of debate.

Wilson said a statewide Cossack official had spoken with Bandidos leaders about smoothing over their differences with a meeting. He said Waco police had come to his shop and suggested a dialogue between the two clubs.

Law enforcement reports and a December 2015 indictment against Bandidos leaders have said the two motorcycle clubs were in a war, partly because the Cossacks had taken to wearing a Texas rocker patch on their vests, or cuts, without permission from the Bandidos, Texas dominant motorcycle club.

Wilson said he knew there were regional conflicts between the groups, but not an outright war, and his six-member chapter was not involved in any conflicts. He said Waco police visited his shop March 28, 2015, to warn him of possible Bandido attacks, but he never saw any problems.

Wilson said the Cossacks began wearing the Texas patch in July 2014 after an informal understanding with the Bandidos that the Cossacks had earned that right after about 45 years in Texas.

Wilson said he wouldnt have gone to the meeting if he thought it would turn violent.

I wasnt taking my son to a gang fight, I can assure you of that, he said. Nor would he have gone. Hes a young man with no criminal record and a father himself.

I knew there was a chance something could happen, because there was tension there, he said. Thats why I told people in the McLennan County chapter not to carry a gun. There wasnt a single member of our motorcycle club chapter that was armed. We said, Dont carry a gun in there in case somebody throws a punch  we dont want it to get out of hand. 

Cochran, the U.S. Defenders official who arrived for the COC&I meeting at Twin Peaks just after the shooting, said that account doesnt add up. Bandidos would never agree to meet in public with an adversary, and club-to-club business was against the rules at COC&I meetings.

Under no uncertain terms would any club entertain a meeting with another club at a COC meeting to resolve a problem, he said. That story is bulls---.

You dont take 90 people to a meeting to resolve a grievance. You take 90 people to a meeting to cause trouble.

He said such a peacemaking meeting would not happen at a crowded restaurant.

Youd do it at a private, out-of-the-way place where theres no law enforcement snooping in your damn business, he said.

Cochran said the conflict really started about 11:30 a.m. when a Cossack bumped into COC&I meeting organizer Sandra Lynch, a Mart resident. Lynchs attorney has corroborated that story.

In the Cossacks telling, the conflict started when a group of Bandidos arrived about 12:15 p.m. and blocked in the Cossacks bikes, then ran over a Cossack prospects foot.

According to police reports, several Cossacks pulled their weapons and ran to the parking lot as a verbal dispute escalated into a fistfight.

Police reports state that a Bandido threw the first punch, followed by a volley of gunfire from bikers and police, who had massed nearby in anticipation of trouble.

Ledbetter said he wasnt expecting trouble that day but expected truce talks.

He and Boyett rode in with a group of Cossacks from a meeting place near his home in Lacy Lakeview, but he was riding in a rental car, having totaled his motorcycle a few weeks before.

His arm was still in a sling, but he didnt bring his pain medicine because he expected he would be returning home soon, because he had a childs birthday to attend that afternoon.

When the conflict began, he said he followed his stepdad outside. Boyett, who was a Cossacks national officer not affiliated with the McLennan County chapter, had a concealed handgun holstered in his waistband but never drew it, Ledbetter said.

As a fistfight broke out, he recalls seeing a rival biker pull out a gun and shoot a Cossack in the head. Boyett dove for cover, but a man with a handgun stood over him and emptied two bullets into his head, according to Ledbetter.

At this point, I dont think much of it, he said. In the heat of the moment, I just thought I have to get inside.

He said he was caught up in a crush of people trying to get back into the restaurant but finally made it inside. A few minutes later, police led him and other bikers back outside in single file, with their hands over their heads. Thats when Ledbetter saw the man he called Dad lying on the pavement.

It was a horrific sight for me, he said. To this day, I can still describe images that are burned in my brain. There was blood coming out of his mouth. One of his eyeballs was puffed out. Part of his head was caved in where the bullet crushed the skull.

What probably hurt me the most was that I had to make the phone call to Mom, he said.

He said his mother at first held out hope that her husband would recover. I said, No, Mom, hes not going to be all right,  Ledbetter said. From what I see, hes gone.

Boyett had been in his life since Ledbetter was 13, when the burly diesel mechanic came home with the boys mom and never left. The two butted heads often, even as Ledbetter became an adult. But along the way, Boyett taught Ledbetter how to be a mechanic, and they spent hours taking cars apart and putting them back together.

In 2013, when Ledbetter was in a bad wreck, Boyett sent him a note that he never forgot: I know we have not always seen eye to eye but I could not ask for a better son, so hurry up and get better all ready. Love DAD.

When Boyett decided to become a Cossack prospect in January 2014, Ledbetter joined him as a way to spend time together, he said.

So, realizing that he wouldnt be able to attend his dads funeral was a low point to Ledbetters nightmare.

In the hours sitting in the Twin Peaks parking lot after the shooting, Ledbetter had begun to feel such pain from his previously injured arm that another biker trained as a paramedic succeeded in getting him taken to the emergency room at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, where deputies watched him.

He was transferred in a hospital gown to the Waco Convention Center, where he lay on the floor with nearly 200 other detainees, hands zip-tied. It took another 24 hours to get processed at the county jail, where he learned he would be held on a $1 million bond.

He sat in jail 17 days, until he was released on a lowered bond of $200,000, wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. During that time, he had little communication with his family, including his pregnant wife.

I was angry and depressed, he said. At the same time, it was still hard to process everything going on. I didnt cry. . . . On June 3, when I got out, thats when everything hit me.

And he soon rode to the cemetery in West to visit his dads grave.

I cried a little at the cemetery, but as far as breaking down that wall, I havent had time. Over the last year, its been tough for me. Where Id normally turn to for advice, I cant anymore.

His mother, Nina, said she has tried to convince Ledbetter to get professional help.

I told him he needs to talk to somebody and try to let it out, she said. The longer he holds it in, it scares me. . . . I dont know what to expect. Ive seen him angry.

There have been times after Danny died, hed get so mad and punch things because theres nothing he could do to see his dad. All I could do is grab him and hold him.

Ledbetter said he tries to focus on being the family breadwinner, and that means pushing the trauma out of his mind.

Im scared that if I break down, instead of being sad and mourning its going to make me angry, he said. Ive been known to do stupid things when Im angry. I dont want that. . . . Process what I went through, be in my shoes that day, watch your father executed and have an image burned in your brain what he looks like laying there dead. It will change who you are.
A year after a biker advocacy group tried to hold a meeting at the former Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, the organization says it is larger and more unified than before.

Ron Bone Blackett, Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents Region 1 chairman, said the May 17, 2015, shootout that left nine people dead and about two dozen others injured was an eye-opener in many ways for their organization.

But what happened that day did not deter the organization from continued efforts to improve legislation, stand up for bikers rights, and educate one another on community matters.

Blackett said the cases of those arrested following the shootout have been delayed as those involved with the McLennan County judicial system hope people forget about the melee and quit talking about injustices, whether real or perceived.

Were not forgetting. Were getting stronger, he said. Were going to continue fighting and help those get the justice they are supposed to get and that those at fault, whether patch or badge, be held accountable.

Blackett said in the past year when the confederation hosts events, meetings or charity rides they have had larger-than-ever turnouts  from new members to families and supporters  as more people rally behind the organization and its history of activism.

Blackett said the confederation has a good relationship with the Austin Police Department. He said it doesnt cause trouble, and it polices its own to make sure people arent doing anything stupid. Blackett said he enjoys the lifestyle, and while there are some rough edges to it, he is not running drugs and guns or otherwise causing problems. He said he celebrates the brotherhood and the lifestyle, learning from traditions that go along with it.

Blackett said there are thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts in Texas. Many of them wear patches, vote, and are fathers, mothers, sisters or brothers.

Blackett said the COC&I talks a lot about building relationships with local state representatives and researches potential candidates running for office. He said the COC&I works to educate the different clubs about voting rights and issues that affect them and their families.

We have more and more riders getting out from behind their damn computer and were getting out there, boots on the ground, and voting in groups for local officials, he said. I told them, Be loud and proud, wear your cut. Let the representatives see you in line voting, that were watching and that were law-abiding citizens, registered voters. 

Despite the deadly shootout before last years meeting, Blackett said the biker culture has changed since the old days of rough-and-tumble biker groups often operating outside of the law.

We dont have clubs that go out and have knife fights in the parking lot . . . as CNN labeled it, the biker brawl, he said. I know it happened a year ago, but thats a whole different weird situation. The COC basically is a platform where people from all walks of life can come together on common-ground subjects, such as safety.

Blackett said the COC&I has a great working relationship with the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Department of Public Safety and many other motorcycle safety organizations. The idea is to work with one another to find ways to save lives, like adding a curriculum to drivers education that teaches new drivers to watch for motorcycles.

Were not criminals. Were educated. Im a professional in my job. Im educated. Im a father of four kids, a husband, he said. With this confederation, I can tell you in the last 10 years of my life I have done more to selflessly help others in need than the rest of my life combined. Its because of the overall heart and passion behind it. People care about each other. They get along with each other. Stupid s--- doesnt take place.

The history of the justice and law enforcement system in Waco is not the best, he said, adding that no one expected what happened that day to occur.

As a result of the deadly shootout, more than 190 people have been arrested, 154 of whom have been indicted on first-degree felony engaging in organized criminal activity charges.

That was my meeting, he said.

Blackett said he was serving as vice chairman at the time the meeting was scheduled. He said he put the agenda for the day together, and we were trying to share the love by hosting the meeting in another part of Region 1.

Traffic caused Blackett to arrive at the scene after the shootings occurred.

I lucked out, he said.

After recognizing the environment, he said, he and a few other latecomers drove to a nearby gas station to find out what was going on. Police officers approached the group and they were told they had five minutes to get out of Waco or they would land behind bars, he said.

So we got out of there.

McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said he is trying to stay out of the matter to prevent jeopardizing any of the pending cases.

Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton declined comment. Waco police have regularly declined comment since July about any of the cases, citing a gag order that was imposed in just one of the cases regarding Hewitt biker Matthew Clendennen.

Waco Police Chief Brent Stroman did not return calls for comment.

Blackett said he has learned a lot since May 17, 2015, about the events that unfolded that day, much of which he said he wouldnt discuss for fear of jeopardizing anyones case. Blackett said the confederation does not want to do anything to stand in the way of justice.

The biggest challenge  and I mean no offense to you  the biggest challenge we have is the negative narrative that, law enforcement especially, is using the media to get out there, he said.

For the past year, the confederation has held fundraisers to help raise money for those arrested and the families affected. Clubs across the country continue to hold events to raise money, he said, citing a recent event in Iowa. Blackett said he is waiting for due process to take place, and he hopes those who broke the law that day are not able to hide behind immunity or hidden deals with law enforcement. Moving forward, he said, he hopes the focus shifts less on the incident itself and more on the civil rights side.

Are these peoples rights being violated? Have they gone through due process? Blackett said. (Law enforcement is) fishing in an empty pond and they are ruining lives, and now they have to save face.

Me personally, I wont spend a penny in Waco. I go through the area quite often but I will not stop. I dont know if you can write it or not, but f--- Waco.

Blackett said the confederation in a matter of minutes last May learned of the true aggressiveness and what he said is the corrupt behavior of certain law enforcement agencies.

Weve actually grown a lot stronger and a lot tighter. Thats not just here, thats everywhere, he said of the COC&I. Were more determined than ever to do whats right and do it the right way.
Fishing beef

I have been fishing Koehne Park for nearly 50 years. Its named for my best friends father, Judge Square Koehne. The only thing that has changed in the park is where the water meets the bank. There are no hazards along the shoreline that have not always been there. There is no one even working in the park. There is no work to do. The water level is simply higher than normal. All of the regular fishing spots are there, waiting to be fished. There is not even any equipment in the park. The only difference is, again, where the water meets the bank, as all lakes have. The cat-fishing is particularly good when water is at this level at Koehne.

The last time the lake flooded in 2006-07 I was allowed to walk in and fish all parks. I have paid an annual fee for park access to Airport, Speegleville and Reynolds Creek. Koehne, of course, is free. The lake belongs to the people of Waco and the U.S. Army Corps are the employees we have hired to keep the parks clean and safe. For this, I commend them.

But to arbitrarily close parks for corps convenience is not being a good steward. Access in 2006-07 only came when the person in charge admitted that the parks were closed as no funds could be derived from campers while the outlets were flooded. As Koehne is now, there is no reason for a good area that I and many others have paid for to be closed to bank fishermen, particularly someone like myself who leaves an area in pristine condition.

Again, I have paid for the right to fish a lake completely within the city limits of my hometown and would ask the corps to reconsider its position. There is no danger, there is no equipment to be concerned with and a gate attendant is still there (or should be).

M. Fallon, Waco

Sue em!

Does anyone in Waco or McLennan County believe the State of Texas might have some responsibility for the tragedy in West? If the state was remiss in enforcement or inspection due to a laissez-faire attitude or because (at least in some locales) businesses themselves can dictate what is safe, then perhaps the poor folks of West, who lost so much, should be entitled to a settlement from the State of Texas.

At the very least, sue in order to test whether state and federal agencies should or could have done more. If the case shows negligence, a settlement from the State of Texas might be due.

Gerald Lance Johannsen, Carlsbad, California

Whats in a name?

What happens to the contribution made by the Floyd Casey family  $5 million of the $8 million invested for renovations at the time [in 1988] and why it was renamed Floyd Casey Stadium  now that the stadium is gone? Will those funds contributed be reinvested in another investment which can honor the Casey family?

How will the family name continue to be honored now that the stadium is no more?

Greg Glasscock, Temple
A dream is deserving of nothing less than 110%. Its a simple line that Jason Capra, president and founder of Vintage Wings Inc., lives by. If youve not heard of Vintage Wings Inc. yet, that shouldnt really be a surprise, as theyve only been officially in existence for a few months. However, you should expect to hear much more about this up-and-coming warbird organization in the future. So who are these guys? The following piece should fill you in a little about their mission

Vintage Wings Inc. is the result of a lifelong dream held by Jason Capra. With a love of airplanes dating back to the age of 5, there wasnt a day in Jasons life where he wasnt thinking about airplanes. Unlike other aviation buffs at a young age, Jason wasnt all that interested in fast and thundering jets. His attention always favored the glamorous aircraft of the 1940s and 1950s. Starting with his first job as a 15-year old at the Washington County Airport in Pennsylvania, Jasons drive to one day own a vintage airplane began. Working throughout high school, Capra obtained all of his pilot ratings, except for the ATP, by the age of 19. Now at the age of 32, he has logged close to 10,000 flight hours, received his ATP, and is a captain for a US airline. But Jasons heart has always been with those vintage wings. His mentors group, The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation, has exposed Douglas to prop-liners since those early teenage years, and he has found himself falling more and more in love with these classic aircraft. To date, Jason has flown the DC-4, DC-3, PBY-5 Catalina, AT-6 Texan, and the legendary Piper Cub. Deciding finally that it was time to branch out on his own, Jason founded Vintage Wings Inc. on February 5th, 2016.

It is a guarantee that every surviving DC-3 has an amazing history. Any given variant probably had a distinguished career as a civilian transport or cargo hauler some time before or after the Second World War. It is arguably the most significant transport aircraft in history. General, and later President Dwight D. Eisenhower listed it as one of the four tools that won World War II. But Capra has had his eyes on one specific DC-3. His love affair with DC-3A/C-53 41-20095 began with a chance encounter two years ago and has evolved into something beyond easy description. It was the beginning of turning a dream into reality.

Vintage Wings Inc. Douglas C-53 Skytrooper was on the factory floor in Santa Monica, California when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December, 1941. and was accepted by the USAAC weeks later in January 1942. She was originally intended to fly for an airline as a DC-3A but, with the advent of war, the US Army Air Corps impressed her into service as a C-53 (the official designation for all DC-3As in military uniform). She was now a citizen-soldier like so many young Americans were about to become. The newly-minted cargo plane received the military serial number 41-20095 when the Army officially accepted her on January 29th, 1942. Her first destination was Bolling Field in Washington DC. The Army Air Corps assigned the C-53 to Ferry Command and on March 16th, 1942, based out of Presque Isle Field in Maine.

In July 1942, 41-20095 moved on to the North Atlantic Wing of Air Transport Command where she shuttled troops and VIPs to many operational theaters. The C-53 may have moved to the Pacific during its time with the ATC, as there is some evidence that she served as General Douglas MacArthurs personal transport for a two month stint. Stories handed down with the aircraft tie it to other American greats including General Jimmy Doolittle, Glenn Miller, and Eddie Rickenbacker, but we may never know for sure. The aircraft was last assigned to FEA, Cairo Division until May 12th, 1945.

After the war, its C-53 airline type configuration made the transport a valuable commodity in the post-war rebirth of the worldwide airline transport system. Danish Airlines bought her from the US War Assets Administration where she flew the name Gorm Viking on the famous Danish/SAS Flying Viking service. The airline operated her until their merger with SAS who sold the airplane on in 1952.

After her European airline career, the C-53 found herself headed back to the United States for conversion into a corporate DC-3. In October 1952, Rampo Foundry & Wheel Works of New York registered the aircraft as N9959F. From here she passed on to Air Carriers Corp., becoming N34D on the US civil registry.

In 1963, the aircraft made one of her most significant transitions, moving to Ohio where she became the governors official state transport. She served as Buckeye One from 1963 to 1983. The airplane participated in the opening of many General Aviation Airports in the state of Ohio. Governor Rhodes was a champion of aviation and the C-53 was his pride and joy. His Director of Aviation and DC-3 pilot, Norm Crabtree, is famously quoted as saying that the airport runway is the most important main street in any town. They recognized the value of General Aviation and their goal was to open an airport in every county in Ohio. After retirement, the C-53 flew to the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, where she sat until 1990.

Re-registered by Ohio University of Athens, Ohio as N34DF, the school bought the aircraft for her engines alone to keep their own DC-3 flying. Left engineless at Dayton, Ohio the aircraft faced an uncertain fate until Ken Joseph entered the picture. Ken bought engines for the airplane and had it brought to a condition in which the FAA issued a ferry permit so the airplane could fly to Beach City, Ohio. After its ferry flight in 1992, she again faced an uncertain fate. It was through pure chance while driving through the Ohio countryside in the summer of 2015 that Jason Capra stumbled across the C-53, now named Beach City Baby.

So why did Capra choose 41-20095? It was because the C-53 is representative of the men and women of the Greatest Generation and the rich legacy of the DC-3 in every way. A civilian drafted into service weeks after the US entered the war, it has served in multiple theaters under multiple commands and worked under legends of the era. After the war it went back to a peaceful job doing what it knew best, flying passengers in luxurious service. In its golden years the C-53 became a politician of sorts, and an ambassador of aviation spreading the word to children around the State of Ohio. Vintage Wings Inc. wants to continue that final educational mission, while paying homage to its entire career.

Their goal is to create a mobile living-history museum. While static display aircraft serve a distinct and valuable purpose, the drama associated with a flying example the sights, sounds and even the smells simply cannot be replicated within the dry confines of a museum building. The cabin and cockpit will become a classroom with learning modules illustrated using key points in the aircrafts distinct service that align with key points in aviation history. Guests will see the significance of its role as a C-53 in winning the war and as a DC-3A creating the model for the modern air transportation system. Flying into airshows, fly-ins and other aviation related events, the historic aircraft will offer more than just a silent and empty cabin. Its core goal is to inspire future generations by telling the amazing history of 41-20095 as only it can do.

Now it is our turn to write this amazing airplanes next chapter. With your help we can bring BEACH CITY BABY back to life. Dont let this beautiful piece of American aviation history fade away or again feel the threat of the scrappers torch. With your help we can put this C-53 back where she belongs, in the air. Beach City Babys next mission will be to fulfill her duty of education, history, and remembrance.
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China Pharma Holdings, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets generic and branded pharmaceutical, and biochemical products primarily to hospitals and private retailers in the People's Republic of China. The company offers products in the form of dry powder injectables, liquid injectables, tablets, capsules, and cephalosporin oral solutions. Its products include Cerebroprotein Hydroloysate injection to treat memory decline and attention deficit; Gastrodin injection for tiredness, loss of concentration, poor sleep, and traumatic syndromes of the brain; Propylgallate and Ozagrel Sodium to treat cerebral thrombosis, coronary heart disease, and after surgery complications; Alginic Sodium Diester injection for ischemic heart, cerebrovascular, and high lipoprotein blood diseases; Bumetanide injection to treat edema diseases; and Candesartan for hypertension. It also provides Roxithromycin dispersible tablets for pharyngitis and tonsillitis; Cefaclor dispersible tablets for tympanitis, lower respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infections, and skin/skin tissue infection; Cefalexin capsules for acute tonsillitis; Andrographolide for sore throat caused by upper respiratory tract infection; Clarithromycin granules and capsules; and Naproxen Sodium and PseudophedrineHydrochlorida sustained release tablets. In addition, the company offers Hepatocyte growth-promoting factor, Tiopronin, Compound Ammonium Glycyrrhetate S, and Omeparzole for the treatment of digestive diseases. Further, it provides Vitamin B6 injection; Granisetron Hydrochloride injection to treat nausea and vomiting caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy during the treatment of malignant tumors; Noni Enzyme, a food supplement; sanitizers; and masks. The company offers its products through distributors, as well as through its network of 16 sales offices and approximately 1,000 sales representatives. China Pharma Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is based in Haikou, the People's Republic of China.
Australia & New Zealand Banking Group will cut about 200 jobs from its local workforce in response to poor economic conditions, the bank says.

The bank advised staff of the redundancies on Tuesday morning, with the cuts mostly coming from its Melbourne office and targeting back-office workers in areas such as marketing and project management.

"The changes are in response to subdued economic conditions, low lending growth and the need to simplify our business and improve productivity," ANZ spokesman Stephen Ries said.

Mr Ries said workers would go through a "preference and selection" process in which they could apply for positions in scaled-down departments.
Clive Palmer has announced he will sue the administrators of Queensland Nickel for $1.2 billion, alleging they "lied" in their report and attempted to cover up "wrong doing".

The inveterate litigant announced that he and two of his companies would serve a statement of claim in the near future against FTI Consulting senior manager "John Park, his colleagues and FTI in respect of their administration of Queensland Nickel and the illegal diversion of the Queensland Nickel Joint Venture Funds and assets".

FTI Consulting vowed to "strenuously defend these allegations", saying Mr Palmer's claims are "completely without foundation".

Mr Palmer placed the Yabulu refinery in Townsville, run by Queensland Nickel, into voluntary administration in January, appointing FTI Consulting to oversee operations.
The federal government continues to push a sickness tax. If you are sick, you will pay more for being sick. No-one will be immune.

The decision by the Coalition to continue the freeze on Medicare rebates for general practitioners will have a huge impact on those who work at the front line. The vaccinators. The blood pressure takers. The mole and freckle checkers. The collectors of Pap smears. The very people you visit when you feel like hurting yourself or feel you can't go on.

But it will have an even bigger impact on you.

Every time you visit a GP, you will be forced to pay more so GPs can continue their excellent work. I'm sure you know, don't you, that you already pay for Medicare. In fact, the median income in Australia is $52,000 and anyone earning that, pays $780 towards Medicare. So, it's not as if you don't put in already.
The swelling tide of tourists to a Thai island has brought it to the brink of irreversible damage, say Thai officials. The tourists, in other words, are destroying what they came to see.

This week, the director general of Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said that Koh Tachai - an increasingly popular destination, especially for scuba divers - would not reopen after the incoming monsoon season.

Koh Tachai is the northernmost of the Similan Islands, in the Andaman Sea, which are known for their idyllic white sand beaches, crystalline waters and delicate coral reefs. The Similan Islands are often reached by boat from the giant tourist hub in Phuket.

During peak season, tour companies sell diving packages to tourists who come to the island and support a fledgling pop-up economy there. According to a Bangkok Post article, a university dean who spoke Sunday at a tourism fair organised by the government said 14 companies were still selling packages to Koh Tachai.
Previously sealed documents reveal the tobacco giant Philip Morris lost its case against Australia over plain packaging because the international tribunal considered it an "abuse of rights".

Philip Morris sued Australia under the provisions of an obscure Hong Kong Australia investment treaty in 2012 after British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco lost a challenge to the plain packaging legislation in the High Court.

Australia continues to face challenges to its plain packaging laws in the World Trade Organisation. Credit:Nic Walker

As had its competitors in the failed High Court challenge, the manufacturer of Marlboro and Longbeach cigarettes argued Australia had confiscated its trade marks, turning from "a manufacturer of branded products to a manufacturer of commoditised products".

Philip Morris wanted the tribunal to order Australia to withdraw the law or to award damages of at least $US4.2 billion plus compound interest at the Australian bank cash management rate dating back to the to the law's introduction.
Washington: When campaigning, reaching out to constituents through social media is crucial. And so is closing browser tabs for pornography websites when sharing screenshots.

This was the computer lesson learned on Monday by Mike Webb, who says he is launching an independent bid for Congress in Virginia's 8th District. Webb shared a screenshot posted to his Facebook page on Monday that included web browser tabs titled "LAYLA RIVERA TIGHT" and "IVONE SEXY AMATEUR." Layla Rivera is a professional pornographic actress; Ivone is, apparently, an amateur. Searches for these terms lead to pornographic videos, and the post has since been removed.

Mike Webb's screenshot. Credit:Washington Post

After being excoriated in comments - one which read "Too much multitasking!"-- and by Gawker, Webb, known for his conservative views and long Facebook posts, praised God for the misstep in a post titled "THANKS FOR THE TAB CHECK, RANGER BUDDIES!" Somehow, this was a coup.

"Lessons affirmed today include that we do expect our leaders to be examples of our highest ideals, but also, as we have seen for almost a year in non-traditional length posts, people are interested and motivated by truth and substance, not flash or even scandal," he wrote.
Under the sponsorship of CCF Japan, a national Workshop on the Harmonized System (HS), organized jointly by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the "Superintendencia de Administracion Tributaria - SAT", was held in Ciudad de Guatemala (Guatemala), from 10 to 12 May 2016. The Workshop was co-facilitated by Mr. Warner West Cisneros, from Nicaragua Customs, a newly WCO Accredited HS trainer. 35 Customs Officers from different areas of the Guatemala Customs Administration attended the Workshop.

The opening of the Workshop was officiated by Werner Ovalle, Deputy Director of the "Superintendencia de Administracion Tributaria - SAT" who emphasized the importance of the correct tariff classification of goods and encouraged the participants to take advantage of this high level workshop. Also present at the opening ceremony, Ms. Judy Marroquin, responsable of Human Ressources, also pointed out the importance of the Harmonized System (HS) for trade facilitation and for the modernization of Guatemala Customs.

During the Workshop a wide range of HS-related matters was addressed and the participants were thoroughly informed about classification infrastructure and the fundamental principles of the General Rules and practicalities of HS classification to ensure correct and uniform application of the Nomenclature. The latest classification decisions of the Harmonized System Committee were discussed by participants. An overview of the HS 2017 edition was also offered to participants. Special attention was also paid to Customs Laboratory matters and, in particular, to its role in the correct HS classification and in the protection of the society and the environnement. A detailed overview of the classification infrastructure in Guatemala was explained by the participants and the problems regarding the implementation of a Binding Tariff Information program in Guatemala was also analyzed.

In his closing address, Mr. Alejandro Gonzalez Portocarrero, Project Manager of SAT, thanked the WCO for its assistance in the modernization of the Customs Administration of Guatemala. He encouraged all participants to share the knowledge acquired during the Workshop and, again, emphasized the importance of the correct use and application of the HS.
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By Bill Hughes

May. 16, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY

By Bill Hughes May. 16, 2016 | 07:31 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Kentucky Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton visited the Paducah Area Technology on the campus of Paducah Tilghman High School Monday morning.



Hampton got to speak to students and instructors in "classrooms" for Automotive Maintenance, Collision Repair, Welding, and Cosmetology/Nail Technician. She was joined on the tour by Mayor Gayle Kaler and County Judge-Executive Bob Leeper.



The center offers several other hands-on courses and serves students from Paducah Tilghman, McCracken County, Graves County, Livingston Central, and St. Mary High Schools, as well as Community Christian Academy.



While visiting with Welding Instructor Brandon Wilber and his students Darrius Wesley and Andrea Thompson, Wilber pointed out that they are working to set up partnerships with local unions and industries to create work opportunities immediately out of high school. He said while some get degrees and amass student loan debt while struggling to find jobs, this type of career choice isn't discussed nearly as much.



Hampton agreed, saying, "We're not talking about the options, so I'm talking about the options. You guys are ahead of the curve."



After the tour, Hampton repeated that sentiment as she spoke to the students in a conference room, offering encouragement as they learn skills for future careers, and commenting on programs like these for students.



"College is great, but there are other options, too, and I just don't think we talk about those options enough. I was talking to the welders - welders are in demand - you're ahead of the curve, there. And then of course, Health Sciences are just growing, especially as we Baby Boomers age. So, I'm really excited to see these kinds of programs," Hampton said.



Kentucky's first black woman elected to statewide office took questions from the students, and told her story of rising from poverty in Detroit to working her way through college. That was followed by 7 years of service in the Air Force, then working for a box manufacturer, where she eventually became Plant Manager. She told students that they should pursue their dreams with persistence, continual learning, joy and no regrets - even if their path changes after a few years.



Hampton's visit to Paducah also included stops at the National Quilt Museum and the Peace Officers Memorial at the McCracken County Courthouse.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

May. 17, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 17, 2016 | 03:29 PM | PADUCAH, KY

A man who authorities describe as homeless has been arrested for allegedly breaking into the Paducah Easter Seals building and using the facility's shower twice over the last few days.



The Paducah Police Department says Aaron Record told officers that someone broke into the building between 5:00 pm Friday and 7:00 am Monday. Officers said a window was pried open, and that the intruder had used personal hygiene items and taken a shower.



Just after 8:00 pm Monday, officers reportedly found the same window open. They searched the building, and inside found 29-year-old Andre Lamar Morris. Officers said Morris had personal hygiene items stolen from the center in the previous break-in and a pocket knife they suspect he used to pry the window open.



Officers said Morris told them he broke in to get out of the weather, and to eat, read his Bible and take a nap.



Morris was booked into McCracken County Regional Jail.
By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 16, 2016 | 10:14 PM | BENTON, KY

A Gilbertsville man was arrested Saturday on DUI and drug charges.

According to the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, a deputy was dispatched to a report of a suspicious vehicle at the end of Salem Chapel Road South. When the deputy made contact with the driver, 31-year-old Matthew Hafner, he reportedly willingly gave up a pill bottle containing two bags of methamphetamine and a bag of marijuana.

During a search of the vehicle, the deputy located a metal spoon with white residue and an empty syringe. Hafner reportedly told the deputy that he had smoked meth earlier that day.

Hafner was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
By Rebecca Green, Eagle's Eye May. 17, 2016 | 10:59 AM | GRAVES COUNTY, KY

Graves County High School students left their daily schedule to participate in the schools seventh annual community service day Monday. That was six days after the May 10 tornado that resulted in damage along a 15-mile path from near Fancy Farm in western Graves County on into Marshall County.

Community Service Day is set aside each year for students to travel across the county to provide services for organizations and people in need in some way. The yearly event was instituted by past Graves High principal R.B Mays. This year the day was set into motion by interim assistant principal Adrienne Custer, who coordinated activities and oversaw services offered.

"Organizing over 1,300 students to their specific jobs is no easy feat, especially after a natural disaster, Custer commented. However, the goal is to allow students to experience what it is like to help others, no matter the circumstances."

Each year, Graves County students work throughout the city and county with various businesses and organizations. Several students worked at new locations this year to aid those affected by the tornado last Tuesday. For example, one group of students worked at the Graves County Expo Center to help distribute relief items to tornado victims. Graves High senior Zac Heath started working to coordinate those efforts the day after the destructive storm and supervised activities there Monday.

Graves County Judge-Executive Jesse Perry visited the distribution site when students were volunteering. "This has been a trying time for our community, he explained, but I'll tell you what, they've come together. I'm 35 years old and I've never seen anything like this!"

Meanwhile, other students aided the community through numerous other activities, including car washes, reading to the elderly, yard work and repairs.

Principal Matthew Madding said he appreciates the opportunity this annual event provides for students. He explained, "Many students go out into the community and find their niche, and I think that's very important."

A special addition this year was coverage from Madelynn Coldiron, a writer-photographer with the Kentucky School Boards Association. Her article will appear in an upcoming edition of the KSBA magazine called The Kentucky School Advocate. Coldiron said she was impressed with the breadth and depth of the project, as she toured a range of sites. They included the Expo Center, a nursing home, Purchase Players and Mayfield Community Theater, and Youngbloods RV Center, which suffered tornado damage.
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By The Associated Press

May. 17, 2016 | LOUISVILLE, KY

By The Associated Press May. 17, 2016 | 01:52 PM | LOUISVILLE, KY

Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul says it's basically the "patriotic duty'' of Kentuckians to vote against Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton because of her comments about coal.



Paul's comments Tuesday are more evidence that Kentucky Republicans plan to use Clinton's coal-related remarks against Democratic candidates this fall.



Paul, who is seeking the nomination for a second Senate term in Tuesday's primary election, says it's wrong for government to single out an industry and punish it.



During a March appearance on CNN, Clinton was asked how her policies would benefit poor white people in Southern states. She talked about setting aside billions to protect health benefits for coal miners and their families. But in the soundbite Republicans pounced on, she said "we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.''



Clinton has called the comment a "misstatement.''
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/05/2016 (2352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HALIFAX  A Halifax-area mother whose 21-year-old daughter took her own life earlier this year expressed her frustration in the provincial legislature Tuesday, saying the mental health system prevented the young woman from getting enough help in her struggle with depression.

Carolyn Fox said her experience with her daughter Cayley, who died Jan. 22, showed there arent enough treatment options and supports for young people in the health system.

She said her daughter, a varsity rugby player, was in her final year of a science degree at Saint Marys University when her life underwent a drastic change.

Carolyn Fox addresses a news conference at the Nova Scotia legislature in Halifax on Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Fox's daughter Cayley passed away earlier in the year due to her mental illness. The opposition Progressive Conservatives plan to introduce Cayley's Law in the legislature with the hope of changing the Youth Secretariat Act to provide greater assistance to people suffering from mental health issues. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Fox said she had no idea about mental health problems that saw her daughter taken to hospital on three occasions last year, until she received a call from Cayleys roommate. She said because of privacy laws she received no official notification.

She was released each time within a few hours, said Fox. No red flags as to say this girl had been here (in hospital) three times, released and told she was fine.

Fox said the situation isnt acceptable because parents of young adults need to know in order to help or get help.

Fox appeared at the legislature in support of legislation proposed by the Opposition Progressive Conservatives. The Tory amendments to the Youth Secretariat Act would require the secretariat to establish a committee to focus on youth mental health issues and support systems.

Premier Stephen McNeil said he needed time to examine the bill, but he expressed sympathy with Foxs complaints about the restraints involved with the privacy law.

McNeil said while a tricky issue, his government would begin an immediate examination of the law to see if it results in unintended consequences in certain instances.

We need to be able to have some flexibility so we have to look at it, but there are a whole host of issues associated with that and not the least of which is breaching someones privacy, McNeil said.

He said the effort would have to involve several departments including health, justice and education.

Fox was clear that although her daughter thought the treatment she received was helpful, she also thought there wasnt enough assistance.

Fox said she believes there needs to be more resources in schools and for the people who work with children, including teachers. She also said hospitals should offer full assessments for patients who have been taken there by ambulance or by loved ones.

A lot of people have reached out to me over the past three or four months, said Fox. They have come to me with their stories that it (mental health) is not being taken seriously enough.

Health Minister Leo Glavine said while there are some strong programs for youth administered through the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, more can be done.

Glavine said there is also help in schools across the province through the SchoolsPlus program which provides supports to children and families considered at risk by providing or finding services such as counselling.

But he admitted there are difficulties when young people make the transition from teen to young adult.

It is a very difficult circumstance for many and its one that I know we have to do a better job on, said Glavine.

The province currently has a budget of $274 million dollars to address mental health needs, $30.2 million of which is devoted to the IWK.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 16/05/2016 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SASKATOON  Doctors will test 70 people, including 64 students, after a case of tuberculosis showed up at a Saskatoon elementary school.

Six teachers are among those who will also be tested after the case was confirmed at James L. Alexander School in the citys public system.

Dr. Johnmark Opondo, the citys deputy medical health officer, says parents were informed of the case last Wednesday but no information about the patient has been released.

The testing will be done between May 31 and June 2 at the school.

Opondo says the chances of the disease spreading are very low

Tuberculosis is an airborne illness that can spread through coughing or sneezing, but Opondo notes that TB strains in Canada are not the type which are immune to antibiotics. (CJWW)
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 16/05/2016 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipegger Lee Meagher is working her way up Canadas list of top female entrepreneurs.

Two years ago, the founder of Scootaround Personal Transportation Solutions placed 50th on the Canadas Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs list. The list is compiled annually by PROFIT andCanadian Business magazines, and bills itself as Canadas largest celebration of achievement by women business owners.

This year, she threw her hat in the ring again and landed in the 39th spot, with company revenues of between $5 million and $10 million in its last fiscal year, and 83 per cent revenue growth over the last three years.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Lee Meagher, founder of Scootaround, which supplies mobility equipment  things like scooters, wheelchairs, and walkers  at 1,500 locations around the world, has been named to Canadas Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs list for 2016.

So Im movin on up, just like the Jeffersons, Meagher said Monday, referring to a popular sitcom from the 1970s and 1980s.

Meagher is one of two Manitobans named to this years list. The other is Jan Regehr, owner and founder of Pineridge Hollow, a successful restaurant/retail/catering business near Oakbank. Unbeknown to Regehr, her husband entered her name and she snagged the 84th spot, with company revenues of nearly $5 million and 39 per cent growth over the last three years.

Being a first-time winner, Regehr said she doesnt know what impact being named to this years list might have on her business. And Meagher said because most of her companys clients are in the United States, its also hard to gauge the impact it has on her business.

But she noted making the 2014 list was a big morale booster for her employees, so if thats all it ever does, thats still great because it really does speak to a team effort.

Scootaround, which Meagher launched in 1997, supplies scooters, wheelchairs, walkers and other types of mobility equipment to travellers on vacation or attending conferences, conventions or a host of other big events in Canada and the United States, including this years Super Bowl and the Republican and Democrat national leadership conventions.

With a network of more than 1,500 locations throughout North America, Scootaround also has contracts to supply mobility products and/or repairs with most of the major U.S. convention centres, most of the worlds major airlines, and many of the worlds major cruise ship operators.

Anywhere where there is a gathering of people, generally its our equipment that goes in to service the mobility-impaired, she explained.

While the United States accounts for 98 per cent of Scootarounds business, Meagher said she has no plans to move the companys headquarters, which has a staff of 46, south of the border.

This is where I live. I love this city, she said. And I dont think we have to (move), because most of what we do is virtual, anyway.

Although Regehrs business is strictly locally based, its also seen its share of growth over the years. She started out in 1992 with a small gift shop, and over the years has added a full-service restaurant, a clothing boutique, a furniture store and a special events and catering division that hosts and caters weddings and other special events.

SUPPLIED PHOTO Jan Regehr

Because her plan from the outset was to create a village-like retail destination, Regehr said shes also like to add an inn and spa. But first she has to acquire some more land in the area, which is proving to be a bigger challenge than she anticipated.

She said while some initially questioned the wisdom of starting a new business outside of Winnipeg, Regehr believes the location  on the southern edge of Birds Hill Park  has worked in her favour.

Its an excuse for a drive in the country, she said, noting about 80 per cent of her customers come from Winnipeg.

She also noted land is also more affordable outside the city.

So it has allowed us to do something unique, that isnt out there, she said.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/05/2016 (2352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY  Plans to quickly restart oilsands production in northern Alberta were turned upside down Tuesday after the Fort McMurray wildfire erupted with renewed vengeance, forcing thousands of workers to scramble to safety.

Oilsands miners had been gradually returning staff to the area to begin the process of resuming production at facilities undamaged by fire but shut down because of the threat.

However, a change in wind direction sent the rapidly moving blaze north toward oilsands projects Monday afternoon, forcing the evacuation of about 8,000 workers from more than a dozen work camps, according to provincial officials.

Brion Energy, a company owned by Chinese giant PetroChina, said it evacuated 106 people from two work camps at the construction site of its MacKay River thermal oilsands project.

The company had reduced its workforce from about 400 to 32 as a precautionary measure about two weeks ago but it began bringing them back in the past week as the fire moved farther away, said Brion spokeswoman Kristi Baron.

Baron said the fires change of direction came as a surprise and will likely delay first production.

We were nearing mechanical completion and aiming for first steam in the fall  until the fire, she said.

We expect the fire to have some kind of impact on project timing but at this point its kind of hard to know.

Syncrude Canada said more than 200 of its workers who were part of a team that was supposed to restart production were moved twice on Monday  first from a work camp to its Mildred Lake mine north of Fort McMurray, then by bus to Edmonton when the evacuation order was extended.

About 100 employees were left to maintain and stabilize operations at Mildred Lake and Syncrudes Aurora mine site 35 kilometres farther north, said spokesman Will Gibson.

Suncor Energy said Monday night it was moving personnel from work camps and its base plant to other camps farther north, adding that it had started a staged and orderly shutdown of base plant operations.

On Tuesday, the company also evacuated its Firebag and MacKay River thermal project sites as winds pushed the fire closer.

We have enhanced fire protection and mitigation around all of our facilities and we do have experienced industrial firefighters on site, said spokeswoman Sneh Seetal.

In Ottawa, Natural Resource Minister Jim Carr said hed speak again with oil company representatives in the next day or two but had no update on what the changing fire conditions implied for the resumption of production.

Its important that the production come back on line and they were in good shape until these blazes began to reform, Carr said. Were watching it very carefully.

He said the industry has not asked for federal assistance.

Premier Rachel Notley said the oilsands companies know best when to restart their operations and the province will work with them to ensure that is done safely.

She said its too early for the provincial government to adjust its budget in light of reduced oilsands royalties.

I think you have to have actual numbers in order to rewrite your fiscal plan, so thats what were going to do, is wait till we have those.

Earlier Tuesday, the Conference Board of Canada released a study on the anticipated economic impact of the fire, though that was before the change in the fires direction and based on the presumption that production would be back up by the end of the month.

The report estimated average oilsands output would fall by 1.2 million barrels of oil a day for two weeks, translating into $985 million in lost gross domestic product.

As far as I understand, most of the evacuations have been preventative, so its still possible we will see production ramp up as expected, said Pedro Antunes, deputy chief economist with the conference board.

The board expects rebuilding efforts to add roughly $1.3 billion in real GDP to Albertas economy next year and construction in the region is expected to be higher than normal in 2018 and possibly 2019.

The economic issue identified by the board is big and it is serious, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said.

It will clearly have a dampening effect on the economy, he said, though he added it is premature to calculate the fiscal impact on the federal budget.

Follow @HealingSlowly on Twitter.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version had a dated figure for the number of workers evacuated from work camps.
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This article was published 17/05/2016 (2352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO  Ontario is tightening the rules on political fundraising with legislation that would ban corporate and union donations and reduce the amount individuals can contribute to parties.

The bill would also impose contribution and spending limits for the first time on leadership contests and candidate nominations, and create new spending limits on so-called third party advertising before and during election periods.

Individuals would be able to contribute a total of $7,750 to each party and its candidates and riding associations in an election year, or about $6,200 in non-election years.

Current political donation limits in Ontario are $9,975 for a political party, $6,650 to the candidates of a party, and $6,650 to the constituency associations of a party, but the rules often allow multiple contributions.

The Liberals want a new advertising spending limit of $1 million on parties for the six months before a scheduled election, but there are no new overall spending limits proposed for political parties during campaigns or afterwards.

This bill would serve as a starting point for discussion, said government house leader Yasir Naqvi.

The legislation will get four weeks of public hearings by a committee this summer and a second round of consultations after second reading in September.

Taking this step will give committee members the ability to examine the scope and the principle of the bill, said Naqvi. They will have the opportunity to change it and shape it based on what they hear in their consultations.

Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown supports most of the changes, but warned companies and unions could skirt the new rules by dedicating groups of employees or members to help a political party.

My worry is that theyve left loopholes in this bill intentionally, he said. The Liberals are obviously looking at loopholes that benefit them.

Both Brown and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath complained that campaign financing was too important an issue to be dictated by just the governing Liberals.

Unfortunately the Liberals drafted this stuff in a back room without input from anybody, said Horwath. There should be an open and democratic process to change the way that we finance elections and political parties in this province.

The independent citizen advocacy group Democracy Watch said individual donation limits are too high to stop the unethical influence of wealthy interests.

The proposed annual individual political donation limit of $7,750 to each party is clearly undemocratic because it is many times higher than an average voter can afford, said Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch.

Such a high donation limit will allow wealthy individuals to continue to use money as an unethical way to influence politicians.

The government also proposed that taxpayers give each party a $2.26 per vote subsidy each year to offset the lost donations from companies and unions, which would be reviewed after five years to see if its still necessary.

Democracy is not free, Naqvi said.

Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner said the per vote subsidies will cost about $10.9 million a year, less than the $13 million the province currently spends to provide tax rebates for political contributions.

The tax credits are a pay-to-play system and were advocating for a vote to play system because that would be more democratic and fair, said Schreiner.

If you want public policy developed in the public interest then the public should fund political parties.

The federal government eventually phased out the per voter subsidies that it introduced after banning corporate and union donations 10 years ago.

The rule changes come as the Liberals fend off allegations they sold access to cabinet ministers at expensive fundraising dinners and receptions.

Premier Kathleen Wynne has cancelled all her private fundraising events and those of Liberal cabinet ministers, and said they would no longer solicit donations from companies looking to do business with their respective ministries.

The proposed new regulations for third party advertising include a spending limit of $100,000 in an election period, including a limit of $4,000 per riding. Third parties would face a spending limit of $600,000 in the six months before a general election is called, including a limit of $24,000 per riding.

Ontarios current rules require third parties to register and report their advertising expenditures during elections, but there are no limits on what they can spend.

A number of unions had joined together in the past few Ontario elections under the banner of Working Families, and outspent the political parties in each campaign with attack ads targeting the Progressive Conservatives.

The government wants the new political fundraising rules in effect before the next election in June 2018.
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This article was published 17/05/2016 (2352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HALIFAX  It is an arrest photo like few others: A muscular man in colourful swim trunks, his bare chest covered in sand, his hands apparently restrained behind his back.

The photo, released by Venezuelan authorities Tuesday, announced the arrest of a Nova Scotia man wanted for second-degree murder in a 2011 death in the Halifax area.

Police say former mixed martial arts fighter Steve Skinner of Cole Harbour, N.S., was taken into custody without incident Sunday on a Margarita Island beach.

Steven Douglas Skinner is shown after being arrested in Playa El Yaque, on Margarita Island in Venezuela, in this recent police handout photo posted on Twitter by Cuerpo de Investigaciones Cientificas, Penales y Criminalisticas (CICPC) director Douglas Rico. RCMP are working to extradite a Nova Scotia man wanted for second-degree murder back to Canada following his arrest in South America. The Mounties issued an international arrest warrant for Steve Skinner following the death of 20-year-old Stacey Adams at a home in Lake Echo in 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - CICPC **MANDATORY CREDIT**

Nova Scotia RCMP, who confirmed the arrest, had issued an international warrant for Skinner, 43, following the April, 2011 death of 20-year-old Stacey Adams at a home in Lake Echo.

Both the RCMP and Adams family thanked Venezuelan authorities.

Words cannot describe the emotions the family has at this time, Kendelle Blois wrote on the Justice for Stacey Adams Facebook page. We have anticipated this day for five long years and today the promise that was made by Staceys mother Gloria has been fulfilled and we as a family will take it one day at a time from here.

In her own brief post Tuesday, Adams mother said she had made a promise to her son, and now that promise has been fulfilled. Never underestimate a mothers promise to her son.

At the time the warrant was released, RCMP dismissed rumours that Skinner was either dead or in Mexico.

Skinner, who fought as a light-heavyweight at 205 pounds, had a 3-2 professional record, according to MMA website Sherdog.com.

He lost his first pro fight to Shawn Marchand at the Extreme Cage Combat ECC 2  Collision Course card in Moncton in June 2006.

Skinner, who trained in Toronto and Gatineau, Que., won his next three fights before losing to Chris Johnson in the main event of the Elite 1  Wild Card show in Moncton four years later.

The photo released by Venezuelan authorities shows Skinner staring intently ahead, his arms covered in tattoos, and a tattoo of a crucifix necklace around his neck.

Police say they are working to extradite Skinner back to Canada.
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This article was published 17/05/2016 (2352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  The president of the University of Winnipeg was one of three people appointed Tuesday to a panel to consult with indigenous communities and the general public and advise the government whether to proceed with an expanded oil pipeline in British Columbia.

Annette Trimbee will spend time from June to September holding consultations in communities affected by the proposed expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, which carries crude oil from the Alberta oilsands to the west coast of British Columbia.

She will be joined by Kim Baird, the former chief of the Tsawwassen First Nation, and former Yukon Premier Tony Penikett. The three will provide a report based on their findings to Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr in November.

Wayne Glowacki/Winnipeg Free Press Dr. Annette Trimbee, president of the University of Winnipeg.

Carr told the Free Press Tuesday Trimbee was a great choice for the panel, as a former deputy minister of finance from Alberta, who spent several months in the last year reviewing Albertas oil and gas royalty system.

In a statement, Trimbee said she will fulfil her obligations to the pipeline panel without interrupting her duties at the university. She intends to donate the payments she receives for participating in the panel to the University of Winnipegs experiential learning programs.

Carr announced the three-person panel just days before he is expected to receive the recommendations from the National Energy Board on the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion proposal, which would more than double the amount of crude it carries each day.

They are to review the situation and add further consultations, particularly with indigenous Canadians to see what the NEB might have missed, Carr said. We havent had all kinds of confidence in regulatory processes in Canada. We want to ensure Canadians who want to have their say will have.

Carr said this isnt a stalling tactic for his government nor an olive branch to opponents of the project or indigenous communities in the region. Rather it is a recognition of our moral and constitutional responsibilities to meaningfully consult indigenous peoples, he said.

Cabinet is to decide before Christmas whether to approve the Kinder Morgan expansion.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 16/05/2016 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Reaction to Mondays throne speech was as predictable as the throne speech itself.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mel Klassen, vice president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities after the reading of the Throne Speech in the Manitoba Legislature Monday. No surprises, nothing out of left field, no one who should have liked it didnt, no one who anticipated the throne speech with fear and loathing was suddenly doing cartwheels and proclaiming Bravo!

In former premier Greg Selingers own words after the speech, It was very brief and nothing we hadnt heard already.

Heres a look at the predictable reaction and complaints of what was left out.

The predictable

It was definitely not a shocker  business applauded every word.

Its hard for us to find things we didnt like in it, said Chuck Davidson, president and CEO of the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce.

The business community is already providing names to the Pallister government of people who could serve on its various advisory bodies and task forces.

Were in the process of providing them some suggestions of individuals, Davidson said. Theyre going to want to make sure they have the right people at the table.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Former Premier Greg Selinger after the reading of the Throne Speech in the Manitoba Legislature Monday. The Association of Manitoba Municipalities is eager to help its new BFF: We can help the municipalities understand what the government is trying to do, generously offered Mel Klassen, mayor of Altona and AMM vice-president.

As a Conservative who spoke highly of Pallisters fair say pledge during the campaign, Mayor Brian Bowman unsurprisingly spoke glowingly of the throne speech. The speech didnt mention any specific Winnipeg projects, but Bowman celebrated how it outlined how municipalities with a fair say on infrastructure investments. The speech made no mention of giving Winnipeg its fair share of the PST, a pledge Bowman campaigned on in 2014.

Many of the themes were ones weve been working on at city hall, I think theres going to be lots of room for collaboration with Manitobas new government  I have to say this was a good throne speech for Winnipeg, Bowman said.

We have more work to do (with fair share), but fair say, lets respect that there is only one taxpayer and what we are hearing today is following through on a commitment was made during the campaign.

The municipalities like to hear about partnerships and calling their own shots on infrastructure spending, said Klassen. They used part of our campaign material, Fair Share, Fair Say, he pointed out.

Red River College president Paul Vogt ventured that when Pallister says he wants the business community to advise him, RRC sees itself as part of that community.

We see ourselves that way, said Vogt, citing as an example of his schools bona fides, We work hand in glove with the aerospace industry.

Meanwhile, said Vogt, The most reassuring thing was that, prior to the throne speech, we heard that (NDP operating grants promises) funding would be retained for this year.

The missing

The three Manitoba Liberal caucus members marched out of the throne speech with a litany of complaints about what was missing from the throne speech. Each took a turn, with former Liberal leader Jon Gerrard (River Heights) noting there was no mention of supporting science or technology endeavours. Furthermore he noted, there was nothing mentioned about the future of Lake Winnipeg or the implementation of a surface water management strategy.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky after the reading of the Throne Speech in the Manitoba Legislature Monday. There was no mention of the east side road authority, which Pallister has pledged to amalgamate, or the suicide epidemic occurring on some reserves, lamented Liberal MLA Judy Klassen (Kewatinook). Liberal MLA Cindy Lamoureux (Burrows) added the speech doesnt say anything specific about immigration.

Interim NDP leader Flor Marcelino was heartbroken over sectors she said the speech ignored. This included persons with disabilities, newcomers to Canada and missing and murdered indigenous women.

No mention of reconciliation, no mention of University College of the North, we would like to see all those in the coming days. We would like a wholesome discussion on those, Marcelino said.

Post-secondary students who want a free university education in an ideal world hadnt expected much, heard the same. There was no commitment to how the government would handle the tuition cap or operating grants beyond this year.

Its not a big surprise, said Michael Barkman, Manitoba chairman of the Canadian Federation of Students, who said more scholarships and bursaries are a step forward, but cautioned that the system cant rely on the private sector for donations.

If greater financial aid is a prelude to the Conservatives taking the cap off tuition increase, If it does come up, its something well fight against, said Barkman.

Pat Wege clung to a vague promise of providing the best possible care to families, seniors, children and patients, somehow covered child care.

I guess that includes child care  the words arent actually there, said Wege, executive director of the Manitoba Child Care Association.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman after the reading of the Throne Speech in the Manitoba Legislature Monday. The president of the union representing 14,000 provincial public servants said she had hoped to hear a definition of frontline services. Manitoba Government and General Employees Union (MGEU) president Michelle Gawronsky said shes been told that means people who deliver services, Pallister has repeatedly said hell protect frontline workers.

But, she asked rhetorically, Can you define what your definition of a frontline worker is?

kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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This article was published 17/05/2016 (2352 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Robert-Falcon Ouellettes appeal for an official date on the calendar to commemorate the Indian Residential School experience is a worthy cause. The Winnipeg MP, the son and grandson of residential school survivors, suggests that date be June 2, the day the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its recommendations last year. The Trudeau government should waste no time in passing the Winnipeg MPs private members bill.

But that commemoration should be backstopped by another job, as yet unfinished. Many sites of former residential schools have not been officially marked and a lot of them are in danger of falling into disrepair, crumbling and disappearing. Out of sight, out of mind. That cannot be allowed to happen.

These schools, and the sites where they sat, are part of Canadas history. They are powerfully symbolic places in the painful legacy left by the racist policy, which led to some 150,000 children being forcibly uprooted from their families and communities, and placed in residences under the watch of churches. The TRC has documented the toll that the schools had on the former students.

SUPPLIED A bronze-cast hoop and stick designed by seven indigenous artists to commemorate each of the 139 Indian Residential Schools.

Its a toll that hasnt ended, with multi-generational fallout, but as the commissions 94 recommendations made clear, its time now to educate, heal and reconcile the nation to its past. For that to happen, Canadians need to recognize what occurred, why and what must be done to repair the damage to indigenous people and their relationship with non-aboriginal citizens. Canadas got some hard hauling ahead.

Setting aside one day on the calendar to reflect on this history is the least the country can do.

There is a also compelling need to find the hundreds of missing Indian Residential School children  those who disappeared from the schools as runaways or by other means, and those who died and were buried anywhere but in their home communities. The records are woefully incomplete, but the TRCs research concluded that of at least 3,200 students who died, almost one-third never had their names recorded by the federal government or the schools.

Many cemeteries kept by the religious organizations that ran the schools were found by the TRC to be abandoned or in disuse, and some have disappeared. There have been reports of excavations, or degradation of river banks, exposing the remains of students. This is work for researchers, perhaps through the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, because the missing children deserve names and those who were buried must be given graves that are respectfully marked.

The same applies to the schools. Many of the buildings are part of the living history of communities where they were built. Some of the buildings have been razed, the sites overgrown. Others are in use, reborn to other purposes, yet people walk by them daily with no inkling of their significance. A national project two years ago to mark the sites saw heavy bronze hoops and sticks, engraved with child-like icons, cast for all 139 schools listed in the official IRS court settlement. The ring was designed by indigenous artists, and was intended to be used by groups of survivors and the communities to memorialize the schools. Seventy-nine hoops found their way to or near school sites, but 42 were sent to be held by interested groups and 18 remain, unclaimed, at the Ontario foundry where they were cast.

Winnipegs Assiniboia Residential School on Academy Road has no marker, either at the school or on the street, to indicate the buildings past. More difficult is the task of commemorating sites where schools have been torn down or where they are in private hands, such as the Birtle school.

Marking the schools appropriately will take the efforts of the communities and survivors. But this is the essence of commemoration work. Make the mark, so Canadians many years from now can stop, ask why, and then remember, too.
Lois and Dave Haase started Restored Blessings with an empty building and a big mission.

Five years later, Lois is in awe of just how many blessings they have seen.

Its a miracle, Lois said.

She paused, overwhelmed with the tears forming in her eyes.

I remember I used to think that if we did $50 a day, that was awesome, Lois said. Its blossomed.

Amidst towers of boxes and packed shelves of donated items, Restored Blessings celebrates its fifth anniversary this week. The re-sale shop opened with a simple mission: providing tuition aid to students at St. Martins Lutheran School and Hope Lutheran School.

The shop now has about 35-40 volunteers every week, each representing a different student. Workers must now walk, gingerly, Lois laughed, as to not topple any stacks of items over.

According to Lois, the shops mission of helping people through ministry relies on its dedicated volunteers, comprised of retired people who simply want to give back and get out of the house.

Sisters Rita Riedemann and Dureen Heim spend their days of volunteering sorting through clothes and tagging them with prices, chatting the day away. When Heim is gone for a few months in the winter every year, its quieter in the back, Lois laughed.

But that is only because the volunteers know they are missing someone.

Its like a little family, Heim said.

Besides purchasing items, even shoppers, such as recent retiree Linda Horner, join in on the sorting fun.

A past shopper at the store, Horner used to tell Lois she was going to work at the shop someday after retirement. Horner said she retired on Dec. 31, and according to Lois, she was as the front door Jan. 2, ready to work.

I just love decorating and its all selling and goes to a good cause, Horner said. I just love doing it.

Horner now works at the shop four to five times a week.

And these stories are just a glimpse at the stories dozens upon dozens of other retirees the shop has had work there. Lois said she often receives letters from people, thanking her for helping them serve others and meet other retirees.

Sometimes their little family grows to include sentence-to-service inmates  non-violent offenders who have been sentenced to work on improvement projects in their community, often in conjunction with jail time.

Lois will gather about five sentence-to-service inmates to help her clean-out houses where someone is moving out, such as leaving to go to a nursing home. The inmates will help her and other volunteers clean and sort the items in the home for donation.

Once their sentence is over, Lois said she maintains the relationship with the inmates, many of them returning to her, saying Hi, Ma!

The shop makes a grand profit of $0 every year, donating everything to the schools. Even with all the hard work it takes, Lois said, she would not have it any other way.

While the money plays an important role for the schools the shop serves, for Lois, the mission of the shop is more than money.

We wanted to be ministry, Lois said. Thats what its all about: giving back.

Its about giving back, and if that means becoming ma to some inmates, providing retirees with a place to work and supporting Christian education, then she knows she would be happy to do it for another five years, God-willing, of course.
Authorities say a man and woman who lived on a farm south of Loganville left their animals to die after they split up last year.

On Monday, the Sauk County District Attorneys Office charged 27-year-old Bradley J. Kruse and 22-year-old Ashley N. Grage with 14 counts each of felony mistreatment of animals causing death.

According to the criminal complaint, Grage and Kruse split up in February 2015, and Grage returned to the farm about a month later to pick up some of her possessions.

Thats when she said she noticed many dead chickens, pigs, and rabbits on the property, which is located near the intersection of State Highway 23 and County Road W. Grage reported the matter to the Sauk County Sheriffs Department.

A deputy went to the farm the same day in an attempt to make contact with its owner, Kruse, and noticed a green cart near the barn that was full of dead pigs and rabbits. The deputy reported that a dead pig was hanging inside the barn.

Authorities later obtained a warrant to search the farm and found scores of dead animals. They tallied several hundred dead chickens, about 40 dead pigs and piglets, and several dozen dead rabbits.

Due to many other animals found in severe states of decomposition, it is likely the final tally in full can only be an estimate, the complaint states.

Grage told investigators that she had purchased 500 chickens in Lancaster at the beginning of February. But when she moved out, she said, Kruse paid her $1,000 for the birds. She said there was a written agreement to document the transaction.

Authorities searched the property the day after the dead animals were reported, and interviewed Kruse while at the farm. He allegedly told investigators that the $1,000 he paid Grage was for debts incurred during their relationship, and the chickens were never specifically mentioned in the agreement they drew up.

Kruse allegedly told investigators that after Grage left, he moved to a new farm near Hillpoint and took 50 to 60 of the remaining chickens with him. The dead chickens were Grages responsibility, Kruse said.

According to the complaint, Kruse said the rabbits were a 50/50 venture between he and Grage, and that they began to die in November for unknown reasons. He said there was plenty of food for the chickens on the farm, but cold weather and a freezing water source made it difficult to keep them alive.

Kruse said it was a constant battle to keep the pipes from freezing during the winter, making it difficult to water the animals at times, the complaint states.

Authorities say Kruse agreed to dispose of the animals under the supervision of a deputy. A judge has authorized arrest warrants for Kruse and Grage.
Suspicious  Sunday at 8:25 p.m., a woman reported that a 32-year-old man was walking back and forth in front of Coyote Gas and Liquor, 1300 N. Spring St., and acting oddly. The man was later taken to Beaver Dam Community Hospital, 707 S. University Ave.

Fight  Sunday at 9:30 p.m., an officer came by a fight in progress in the 500 block of Madison Street. A 40-year-old man was cited with municipal disorderly conduct.

Accident  Monday at 9:14 a.m., there was a two-vehicle accident near the intersection of highways D and 151.

Theft  Monday at 12:33 p.m., a man from the 100 block of Lake Crest Drive came into Beaver Dam Community Hospital, 707 S. University Ave., asking for medication.

Fire  Monday at 12:39 p.m., someone reported a fire in the 400 block of South Lincoln Avenue.

Hit and run  Monday at 3:19 p.m., a 56-year-old woman saw a vehicle strike another vehicle near Beaver Dam High School, 500 Gould St.

Disorderly conduct  Monday at 9:43 p.m., someone told police she/he heard yelling and screaming coming from Patrick Parker Conley Skateboard/BMX Park.

Hit and run  Monday at 9:49 p.m., a 21-year-old woman reported that another vehicle struck her vehicle in front of the ER entrance at Beaver Dam Community Hospital, 707 S. University Ave.

Disorderly conduct  Monday at 11:23 p.m., a 15-year-old boy and two 16-year-old boys were cited with curfew violations and the 15-year-old boy and one 16-year-old boy were cited with disorderly conduct in the 1700 block of North Spring Street.

Disorderly conduct  Tuesday at 12:08 a.m., a 22-year-old man told police that a 21-year-old woman in the 100 block of Knaup Drive attacked him and his 24-year-old girlfriend.

The argument was verbal only and everyone was separated and warned for disorderly conduct.

Disorderly conduct  Tuesday at 12:42 a.m., someone reported a fight involving a man and a woman in the 100 block of Washington Street.
The Beaver Dam Scholarship Foundation recently gave away more than $1,865,000 to 28 outstanding high school students to assist funding their college education. This years event celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Beaver Dam Scholarship Foundation, and was held May 11 at Beaver Dam Country Club. The foundation thanks the following for generously sponsoring the dinner; The Duane and Kathleen Foulkes Family Foundation, Beaver Dam Country Club, Beaver Dam Unified School District, The Hicks Foundation/JP Morgan Chase, the Peter J. Seippel Foundation and Cornerstone Funeral & Cremation Services Inc.

We appreciate Recheks Food Pride for donating the cake celebrating our 25th anniversary; Nancy Zieman Productions, LLC for providing the beautiful flowers that graced the tables and were given to each of the students; Judy Hein for designing the award certificates for the winners; and Jan Richardson for the wonderful decorations and clever pinatas.

We would like to acknowledge the Rev. Mark Wetzel from Peace Lutheran Church, who provided us with a welcoming and inspiring invocation and our master of ceremonies for the evening, and Melissa Gehring, associate principal at Beaver Dam High School, who handled our technical difficulties like the professional she is. Thanks also to Steve Vessey, BDUSD superintendent and Chris Connaughty, BDSF board president, who presented the awards.

Our guest speaker for the evening was Kate Klavekoske-Meyer, community services coordinator for Green Lake County, and a 1994 BDSF award winner. Kate gave an enthusiastic and humor-filled presentation entitled, The Choice is Yours to Make, in which she noted that the students can never expect the future to be boring, and encouraged the students to always choose excitement rather than taking the safe route in life. It was a warm and wonderful message for them to take into the future.

Special thanks to Brenda Meyer, who prepared and compiled all the mailings and responses, prepared name tags for the event, and helped out in numerous ways. Board members provided a welcome at the door and ensured that everyone knew where to be during the event. The entire evening was a collaborative effort giving the students the opportunity to enjoy an entertaining meal and well-deserved recognition for their accomplishments.

The Beaver Dam Scholarship Foundation was created as a tax-exempt charity in 1991 and is mainly funded by local donations. Over the past 25 years, the foundation has provided more than 595 scholarships to local students, which represents a huge investment in all our futures.

Businesses, class reunion committees, estates or anyone wishing to contribute to the scholarship fund may send donations directly to Beaver Dam Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 98, Beaver Dam WI 53916-0098. Any questions regarding donations can be directed to Nate Dassler at 920-296-7495.

Roxie Miller, BDSF banquet chair
Central Wisconsin Community Action Councils (CWCAC) branch in Mauston moved recently and more exciting changes could be coming soon.

CWCAC, with its headquarters in Wisconsin Dells, serves six counties across central Wisconsin, working to help low income families. The Mauston office shared a building with the local food pantry at 1 Kennedy Street, but with the pantry expanding its operations, CWCAC relocated to 534B La Crosse Street in March. The Mauston branch also provides energy assistance to Juneau County residents.

Its nice, I like it here, said Case Manager Bonnie Stillson-Mullikin. This building was vacant and it worked for us because we have to follow strict guidelines from the state and this building fits our needs well.

The energy assistance program is sub-contracted through the Juneau County Health and Human Services Department, along with CWCAC. Despite the relocation, Stillson-Mullikin said there will be no changes in the program.

People have this fear that we are going to run out of money and thats not the case. Our program runs from October 1-May 15, that is our heating season and then we do crisis help throughout the summer, Stillson-Mullikin said.

The organization also provides heating assistance to veterans through various programs. The program also helps weatherize homes to prepare for colder months and cut down on heating costs. For energy assistance, CWCAC serves about 1,500-2,000 Juneau County households each year.

Its for the low income and middle class people and it really does benefit people, especially those with set incomes, those are the ones we really like to target, Stillson-Mullikin said. Especially seniors and homebound people.

CWCAC could be moving again, but to a permanent location. Stillson-Mullikin said the non-profit organization is looking into building low income housing apartments in Mauston, which would include a home office for the energy assistance program. The new apartments could be completed in 2018.

We have purchased two lots out by Herriot Drive as youre driving out of town. They are going to be building an apartment complex with five or six units for low income families, Stillson-Mullikin said. They will feature garages and each apartment will be one to two bedrooms. Nothing is set in stone yet. We should be here (at the La Crosse Street location) at least two years because thats how long our contract is.

The revenue generated from the apartments should help supplement costs for the new CWCAC location. CWCAC has already built housing in Necedah and Adams.

The energy assistance program begins taking applications in September for the heating season. For more information on CWCAC and the Juneau County energy assistance program, call Stillson-Mullikin at 608-847-5988 or email her at bonniem@cwcac.org.
ENDEAVOR -- An investigation that will begin this week regarding the U.S. Department of Labors oversight of the Central States Pension Fund could ultimately determine why the fund is facing insolvency, Protect Pensions members reported Monday.

Central States recovery plan that in July would have cut pensions by up to 70 percent for 400,000 participants, including 25,000 in Wisconsin, was rejected last week by the U.S. Treasury Department, a decision that marked a small victory for opponents to the cuts, Bernie Anderson of the Milwaukee chapter said.

The next steps for Protect Pensions, which met Saturday in Endeavor, include working to eliminate the Multi-employer Pension Reform Act of 2014 that did away with pension guarantees and finding a financial solution that isnt even uglier than the rejected recovery plan for Central States.

The Government Accountability Boards investigation into the Department of Labors 34 years of oversight of Central States will sharpen Protect Pensions efforts, Anderson said, though a timetable for the investigative process is not known. Protect Pensions members since March have received updates from the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who serves on the Senate's Finance and Judiciary committees.

No one has ever gone back and looked at the Department of Labor's oversight since 1982. Its hard to believe, said Anderson, who spoke at Saturdays meeting in Endeavor along with Milwaukee chapters Bob Amsden and State Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison.

During the Great Recession, Central States lost $12 billion in 18 months from 2008 to 2009 -- more than 40 percent of its funds that had previously amounted to about $28 billion, Anderson said.

Im not sure what caused that big of a loss, but we want to see what the investigation shows, Anderson said, noting pension funds are supposed to stick to low- and moderate-risk investments. When you lose that much (money), you were probably involved in a lot of high-risk investments. Were hoping the investigation shows what those high risks were.

Investment firms in the U.S. that have been since ordered to pay billions of dollars in fines for worrying about themselves and not their participants is indicative of the criminal climate of the banking industry during the Great Recession, Anderson said, a cost that middle-class Americans are still paying almost a decade later.

You wouldnt think a lot of this stuff that went on in the industry would be possible, he said. And theyre still paying fines for it, but wheres that money going?

Why so many financial institutions since 2008 received Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds while Central States did not is a question Protect Pensions members want answered.

Our pension fund should have been making applications to the Treasury Department to get help like the big banks and Wall Street investment firms did, Anderson said, noting the money since passed around amounts to trillions of dollars. To put the force of $1 trillion in perspective, it amounts to $3,100 for every man, woman and child in America.

We should have been putting an application in for help, not for cuts, Anderson said. I believe we should have had access to TARP money -- our funds should have been able to go and get an interest-free loan like everyone else did and just pay the money back over a certain amount of time to make up the difference.

Multi-employer pension funds in the U.S. -- 1,200 of them in varying stages of health, Anderson said -- were hit by the 2008 crash, and Protect Pensions members are working with lawmakers to devise an investment plan that involves the 10 million Americans involved in multi-employer pension funds. Plans dont have insurance because the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. is broke, Anderson added, and about 200 plans are about to go under soon, a situation the PBGC cant handle.

Were looking for everyone to get together and talk and find solutions. Its going to take all 10 million of us to save it, he said.

Protect Pensions members in the months ahead will continue to reach out to lawmakers to address a system thats otherwise rotten to the core, Endeavor leader Bob Brockway said. Two bills remain stuck in congressional committees -- the Pensions Accountability Act and the Keep Our Promised Pensions Act, the latter bill introduced by presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders. Protect Pensions members are trying to send a message to lawmakers who have forgotten who theyre working for.

Theyre working for themselves and that has to change and change quick because the people arent going to take this anymore, Brockway said. "Social security, Medicare -- they think that all this stuff is given to us. It isnt. We work for it.

We deserve to have everything we worked for.

Brockway noted lawmakers like U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have come around after a lengthy silence, proof that everyone has to participate to win.

They told us we cant win, that theyll do whatever they want to do, Brockway said. I said not if I have anything to say about it.

The Endeavor chapter of Protect Pensions meets on the second Saturday of each month. Their next meeting is 10 a.m. June 11.
BARABOO -- The economic and social vitality of a county depends, to a great extent, on how attractive it is to workers age 21 to 38.

That was the thinking behind an ongoing Sauk County effort at placemaking, county officials said at Mondays monthly meeting of the Intercounty Coordinating Committee in Baraboo.

How you attract young skilled workers is really going to power our workforce and our county, Sauk County Board Chairman Marty Krueger told ICC participants representing Sauk, Dodge, Columbia, Marquette, Green Lake and Jefferson counties.

According to Krueger, the 2010 census showed that about 11 percent of Sauk Countys population falls into the age range of 21 to 38, and the percentage continues to inch downward from the ideal goal of 15.3 percent.

This has implications for current and future employers in the county, who already are finding it challenging to locate enough qualified employees.

ICCs monthly meetings typically focus on issues common to the six participating counties, and the dearth of people who are part of the Millennial generation is an issue for all six counties. It was, in fact, part of the keynote topic at last weeks Columbia County Economic Development Corporation banquet, where Wisconsin Counties Association Executive Director Mark OConnell talked about the varying attitudes and work styles of different generations.

Sauk County has recently taken steps to find ways to make the county a more attractive place for Millennials to live, work and play, including:

 Creating a task force composed of Millennials who now live in Sauk County, to assess the attitudes and priorities of people their age.

 Hiring a placemaking planner -- a new county employee who would work in the countys Conservation Planning and Zoning Department to seek creative ways to make Sauk County more attractive to younger workers.

Brian Simmert, senior planner for the Sauk County Conservation Planning and Zoning Department, said the hiring process is still in progress, but the main characteristics that county officials are looking for are creativity and innovation.

Information about the post was distributed nationwide, and 26 applicants sought the post, Simmert said.

Kristin Runge, University of Wisconsin-Extension community development specialist, said land use planning should be a key factor in making an area attractive to educated, trained younger adults, because the survey of Sauk County Millennials, conducted recently by task force, shows that many of them are looking for places with specific characteristics  including lack of urban sprawl, adequate housing and the availability of affordable, reliable broadband Internet service.

Runge said its not necessarily true that Millennials hop from job to job, or that they choose a place to live first and then look for employment in their chosen home area.

But, while new college graduates usually take the best offer they can get for their first post-college job anywhere the job might be available, eventually they start to think in terms of quality of life -- and settle in places that have the environment theyre seeking.

Jen Erickson, community development educator for the UW-Extension Sauk County, said the county already has much of what many Millennials are looking for, including safe communities with affordable housing and well-paying skilled jobs in fields such as health care and finance.

Steve Grabow, community resource development agent for the UW-Extension Jefferson County, said the concept of placemaking -- of fostering an environment where people want to live and work -- is a vital topic for counties now.

Maybe we want to look at our communities in a different way, and ask what people really value in a place, he said.
A former vacant piece of land has blossomed into an award-winning park.

Harvest Park, located across from the Reedsburg Area Chamber of Commerce, has been recognized as one of Wisconsins Top Rural Initiatives for 2016. The honor was presented by Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.

The park is known for its distinguishing feature: Ruminant. The combine is circled with stained-glass art depicting agriculture and food. It was created by artist Karl Unnasch as a tribute to farming. Reedsburg group ArtsLink created Harvest Park to house the mammoth art piece, which comes to life in a lighted mix of colors at night.

Winning the award further proves that Ruminant is valuable to Reedsburg, said Carolyne Aslaksen, member of the Harvest Park Committee, a subcommittee of ArtsLink. She said the combine has generated interest at the local, regional and state levels.

Subcommittee member Jan Aslaksen added that obtaining Ruminant and creating the park wouldnt have been possible without help from volunteers and donors and collaboration with city officials and area organizations.

Its great, he said. Its really a testament to the group effort.

Continued development

The award is just a stop on the way to the parks completion. Ruminant is in place and circled by some landscaping, but theres still much to do. Volunteers hope to raise money for screening and a sidewalk to make the park handicap accessible, said Joann Mundth Douglas, founder and director of ArtsLink. The sidewalk is the first priority; screening will be done later.

Jan Aslaksen said the park was meant to be done in phases as funding allowed. Once Ruminant was in place, the landscaper surrounded it with beds for plants. The goal is to eventually have some form of vegetation growing throughout Wisconsins non-winter months.

We knew it would be a multi-year project, he said.

Some benches and trees are already in place, and theres more room available for memorial versions of those features.

Signs will also be installed with information about the area. One will acknowledge Dolly Madison Dairies, which used to sit on that parcel of land. The land has been empty for at least 10 years.

He said the group appreciates the thought of those who want to donate plants, trees and shrubs, but the group will not accept them for consistency reasons. Volunteers want the park to look cohesive with its greens, signs and benches.

Funding

Since the beginning, Harvest Park has relied on generosity. Mundth Douglas said ArtsLink has collected around $93,000 in donations and grants since the project started in 2013. Most of that money is gone; it was used to acquire Ruminant and convert the vacant property into the park.

ArtsLink has about $4,000 at its disposal right now but it will need around $20,000 to put in the sidewalk, said Carolyne Aslaksen. She said the group hopes to have the sidewalk in before winter and preferably by Fermentation Fest. Its crucial that the park be attractive and accessible to tourists.

Mundth Douglas added that Harvest Park is a unique tourist attraction for Reedsburg. She said its so distinct that people stop for photo opportunities.

ArtsLink is a registered nonprofit. More information is available on ArtsLinks Facebook page. For details about donating or purchasing memorial features email reedsburgartslink@gmail.com.
An upcoming bus tour is a first of its kind for Reedsburg.

The Reedsburg Historic Preservation Commission has arranged free bus tours of key locales on May 29. The event will be held in conjunction with the Reedsburg Area Historical Society Pioneer Log Villages Chicken BBQ. Tours will begin at the village, E7882 Highway 23/33, at the top of every hour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the last tour starting at 1.

Each hour-long tour will be narrated. For those with hearing impairments, a sign language interpreter will be available on the 10 and 11 a.m. tours.

Sites will include the downtown, the flood zone, Vine Street and the City Park Historical District.

Local business Able Trek Tours will provide transportation, said Historic Preservation member Jason Schulte. The bus can hold about 40 passengers and seats will be awarded on a first come, first-served basis. Amenities include air conditioning, a wheelchair lift and a restroom.

Schulte said he got the idea for a bus tour after attending a conference last year. He said other communities are doing similar tours and he thought it would be a good fit for Reedsburg.

It ties in well with the Log Village, which opens every year on Memorial Day weekend, said Craig Braunschweig, Historic Preservation member and president of the Reedsburg Area Historical Society.

Braunschweig noted that interest in the Village has grown in the last 10 years. In fact, interest in history in general is up.

That may be because Reedsburg has changed so much, said Historic Preservation member Jeannine Mueller. When she moved to Reedsburg the community had around 4,000 residents. The population now numbers around 10,000. Those who dont have roots in the area may be curious to learn its heritage.

She added that interest in history, such as public television programs and DNA searches, benefits local historical initiatives.

Schulte said he hopes the tours will be successful enough to justify doing them again next year.

It would be a great problem to have if we fill up (every seat), he said.

Tours are funded in part by the Sauk County UW Extension Arts and Culture Committee, Wisconsin Arts Board and Reedsburg Area Chamber of Commerce.

For more information or for ADA requests contact Brian Duvalle at 608-524-6404 or bduvalle@ci.reedsburg.wi.us.
A preview of a power line to come was visible in the skies above Wisconsin Dells and other parts of the region earlier this week.

A low-flying helicopter making a routine inspection of high-voltage power lines was flying only about 10 feet above the lines, making for a sometimes dramatic scene for anyone who happened to be in the vicinity or came upon the copter while driving nearby.

The helicopter flights are routine this time of year for Pewaukee-based American Transmission Co., which had a pilot and inspector in the area making sure the companys existing lines did not sustain any major damage over the winter.

We do aerial patrols a couple of times a year, confirmed ATC spokeswoman Kaya Freiman. We look for any issues, essentially any damage or vegetation encroachment.

ATC will have a strong presence in the region, along with Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy, beginning later this summer as the two companies make way for the new, 345-kilovolt Badger-Coulee transmission line, approved a year ago by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to move through the area via the Interstate 90/94 corridor.

Clearing the way for the power line in areas in and around the highway corridor is expected to begin in the Dells-Delton area starting in July, with the foundations for the tall power poles that will carry the line poured in the fall, Freiman said. A pre-construction open house will take place in the area sometime this summer.

The counties and municipalities through which the line will run -- including Columbia and Sauk, Delton, Lake Delton and Wisconsin Dells -- will receive a one-time environmental impact fee payment after construction starts. The municipalities also will receive annual environmental impact fee payments, Freiman confirmed, and all of the payments reflect state law regarding municipalities that play host to a 345,000-kilovolt power line.

Sauk County and Juneau County will receive a one-time payment of more than $908,000 and $1.9 million, respectively, in 2016 after construction begins in each county, according to Freiman.

Wisconsin Dells will receive a one-time payment totaling $82,196 this year, based on its location in both Columbia and Juneau counties, Freiman said. This year Lake Delton will receive $135,781 and the town of Delton will receive $358,650.

In succeeding years, Wisconsin Dells will receive $9,861 per year, Delton $43,030 per year and Lake Delton $16,291 per year -- with all of these numbers based on the length of the line in each municipality. The town of Delton has 3.49 percent of the line running through it, while Wisconsin Dells contains 0.8 percent of the line and Lake Delton 1.32 percent of the line.
Halloween at the country school was a much anticipated event

It was hard for a young student to concentrate when a Halloween party was looming at the end of the school day.
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Thai and Vietnamese institutes agree to cooperate

17 May 2016

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An agreement to cooperate in using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes has been signed between the national nuclear research institutes of Thailand and Vietnam.

The signing of the agreement (Image: VinAtom)

The agreement was signed on 11 May in Hanoi by Tran Chi Thanh, president of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VinAtom), and Pornthep Nisamaneephong, executive director of the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT).

Under the agreement, VinAtom and TINT will cooperate in the fields of radioisotope production in research reactors and accelerators, as well as radiation treatment equipment using cobalt-60 irradiation and electron accelerators.

They will also cooperate on nuclear engineering applications in industry, agriculture, biology, environment and related fields; research and development of rare earths; nuclear and technological safety; radiation protection and radioactive waste management; education, training and the transfer of nuclear technology.

VinAtom is a research and development institution under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Formed in 1976, its functions are to conduct fundamental and applied research on nuclear science and engineering, nuclear reactor technology, nuclear fuel and material, radiation protection and nuclear safety, and radioactive waste management technology.

TINT was established by royal decree in April 2006. It says its main objectives are to "carry out research and development on nuclear technology for national development and to disseminate the utilization of nuclear technology to gain public acceptance". The institute is under the supervision of the Thai Ministry of Science and Technology.

Nuclear power plans

Vietnam plans to build more than 10,000 MWe of nuclear capacity by 2030. Work is expected to start on the country's first nuclear power plant, at Phuoc Dinh in Ninh Thuan province, in 2019. Ninh Thuan units 1-4 are to be Russian-built VVER reactors, and Rosatom engineering subsidiary NIAEP signed a general framework agreement with Electricity of Vietnam for construction of the first unit last July. A second four-unit nuclear power plant is also envisaged, again in Ninh Thuan, followed by a two-unit plant at a central location. The technology for Ninh Thuan phase 2 and the proposed central plant has not yet been decided.

Thailand's National Energy Policy Council commissioned a feasibility study for a nuclear power plant in the country and in 2007 approved a Power Development Plan for 2007-2021, including the construction of 4000 MWe of nuclear generating capacity, starting up in 2020-21. The new Power Development Plan 2010-30, approved in 2010, envisages five 1000 MWe units starting up over 2020-28.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
By: Wayne Morin

A human flesh eater was arrested on a charge of assault after biting off a mans ear and eating it during a fight, according to police in the United Kingdom.

Now, 24-year-old Garth Anderton of Manchester, has been sentenced to serve six years in prison after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and three counts of assault in connection with the assault against Euan Turner.

According to the police investigation, Anderton had an obsession with cannibalism, vampires and serial killers. After biting off the ear of his victim, he put it in his pocket in order to eat it at home.

Turner was attacked as he walked home from a party with his brother and girlfriends.

Anderton claimed that Turner laughed at him before knocking him down, pounding his head and biting off the lower part of the ear.

When the police arrived, Anderton told them that he is a cannibal. Anderton told a psychiatrist that he is fascinated with serial killers and vampires, and he drank his own blood in the past.

He also revealed that the ear was chewy and yummy.
Learner On Driving Test Collision Flips Car In Town Centre

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, May 17th, 2016

A road near Eagles Meadow is currently blocked due to an overturned vehicle.

UPDATE: We are told the crash involved two vehicles, one being a driving instruction car with the driver being on their driving test. Wrexham.com have spoken to the occupants of the blue car (pictured  not on a driving test) who said they are a bit shaken up but are fine after escaping through the window of their car.

Original information below

At around 1:40pm emergency services were called to Smithfield Road, Wrexham following reports of a two vehicle collision near between Mecca Bingo and Eagles Meadow.

The incident has involved a Citroen and Peugeot  and one vehicle has overturned and is currently on its roof. Eyewitnesses have reported that one of the vehicles involved was a learner driver  with Wrexham.com lateer speaking to the occupants of the overturned vehicle who confirmed it.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service also attended the scene, with a spokesperson confirming one crew from Wrexham attended to make the vehicle safe. They have since left the scene.

The road around the Eagles Meadow Roundabout towards Tesco is reportedly closed by police and motorists are being advised to avoid the area.

As a result traffic is backed up from the Eagles Meadow Roundabout towards Tesco.

The vehicles are awaiting recovery.

A spokesman for the Welsh Ambulance Service said they were called to the collision at 1:40pm and a rapid response vehicle attended the scene.

Three people were treated at the scene for minor injuries and they did not need to be conveyed to hospital.
There does not appear to be any limit to what Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn will do in order to appease his right-wing opponents.

On Saturday, he agreed to give the keynote address to the annual conference of Progress, the Blairite faction of the party whose leading members have spent the past seven months seeking his removal.

Progress was set up by former Labour prime minister Tony Blairs right-hand man, Peter Mandelson, and is funded by his millionaire friend, Lord David Sainsbury. This is truly a marriage made in heaven, with Mandelson infamous for his declaration that Labour was intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich and Sainsbury for being worth 1.3 billion net.

Progress is generally reviled by what passes for Labours left. In 2012, the general secretary of the GMB union, Paul Kenny, led calls at the party conference for Progress to be effectively outlawed. One year later, Unite union leader Len McCluskey accused Progress of manipulating the selection process for Labour parliamentary candidates. The group backed Liz Kendall, who was trounced by Corbyn and finished last, in last years Labour leadership contest.

Its leading figures read like a whos who of Corbyns most bitter critics, including Alan Milburn, who said Labour had a death wish if it elected him; Caroline Flint, who said his leadership would destroy the party and described Labour as being in denial for not listening to concerns about immigration; Rachel Reeves, who accused him of a dereliction of duty for opposing the renewal of the Trident nuclear programme; John Woodcock, who called him a f***ing disaster; Chukka Umunna, who said in response to Corbyns opposition to war against Syria, If you cannot keep the people safe, in their eyes that is a disqualification from office; and Tristram Hunt, who told a Progress meeting that moderate Labour MPs felt like the inside of a pigs head after Corbyns victoryin reference to the alleged sexual practices of Prime Minister David Cameron while at University. He said to his fellow thinkers, Dont let ever let some fly-by-night Trot say we arent Labour.

Speaking in January, in response to resignations from the Labour cabinet, Corbyns shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, said, They do all come from a narrow right-wing clique within the Labour Party, based around the organisation Progress largely. I dont think theyve ever accepted Jeremys mandate really.

Alison McGovern MP, the chair of Progress, resigned as a member of his review into child poverty in protest at his comments, accusing Corbyn and McDonnell of presiding over a messy and divisive reshuffle. It was fitting, therefore, that Corbyn was introduced by McGovern as he abased himself before the Blairites.

As so often in the past, his speech combined a few platitudes about fighting poverty and the rest, with appeals for unity against the Conservatives.

Asked about McDonnells comments, Corbyn then went into full turn the other cheek mode. I dont do any kind of personal abuse, he said. I want to see our party even bigger and even stronger but above all united in the fundamental determination to challenge the economic strategy of this government. Our party is big, our party has wonderful traditions, our party has people with unbelievable levels of brilliance. Working together they achieve a great deal. A democratic policy making process that everyone feels part of and can come into is a very important step forward on this.

The central theme of the party was inclusive politics, he concluded.

For good measure, in response to a hostile question from the audience, he declared, Theres a huge private sector, theres always going to be, and were going to have to work with that.

The response to Corbyns kow-towing was not long in coming. The right-wing Tory Daily Mail cited one of those present describing his speech as the same, rambling, boring, 1980s Leftie rhetoric, while Peter Kyle MP declared baldly, I wont be bullied into uniting around a losing leader.

Another Labour MP commented, Peter is only saying what the rest of us think.

Corbyn is a coward not a saint. His lofty pretence at being above personal insults would carry more weight if it was not routinely employed to justify his latest political capitulationwhether granting a free vote to the Blairites on Syrian military intervention or McDonnells pledge that Labour will operate under a fiscal credibility rule and commit to always eliminating the deficit on current spending in five years.

Corbyns appearance before Progress, it should be noted, occurred one day after his participation in a Labour In rally campaigning for a Remain vote in the June 23 referendum on UK membership of the European Union (EU). He is pledged to handing over a large youth vote to the Remain campaign in defence of the big business, pro-austerity pro-war EUdescribing this as vital to protect workers rights and internationalism.

None of this will give pause to Corbyns cheerleaders in the pseudo-left groups. Quite the reverse. In an exceedingly rare initiative, the Socialist Worker, the newspaper of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), which usually only posts online on Tuesdays in line with its print edition, put out an exclusive report on Saturday, entitled, Corbyn and McDonnell challenge the Labour right.

It began with the assertion that Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell have hit back against their critics from the right of the party. But this hitting back consisted solely of Corbyn stating that Labour was getting back to the business of winning elections and McDonnell adding, We won elections last week.

The main aim of this political fiction was to frame an apologia for Corbyn speaking at the conference of right wing Labour faction Progress later that afternoon. The article continued:

He told Socialist Worker he was going to the conference to show that as the elected leader of the party Im prepared to go anywhere to make my case. I was invited and Ill go there and make my pitch as to what I think the Labour movement should be about.

Without comment, the Socialist Worker reported, McDonnell also said that the Labour leadership should use whatever platform we can. But he added that he and Corbyn were changing the Labour Party not just into an electoral machine, but also a social movement.

This meaningless phrase was music to the ears of the SWP, which is ever anxious to portray Corbyn as the potential leader of a mass oppositional movement to capitalism. It can be offered up as proof that he can be pushed to the left by what another article lists as more solidarity with the junior doctors, a campaign of defiance against the new anti-union laws, teachers strikes to defend education, resistance against racism, pressure to force Cameron to let in more refugees, a fightback in the workplaces and the streets, etc., etc.none of which has anything to do with the political reality of what Labour under Corbyn is doing, or ever will do.
I spoke to Babak Jalali, the director of Radio Dreams, in San Francisco during the recent film festival.

David Walsh: Can you tell me a little about your life and background?

Babak Jalali: I moved with my family from Iran to London in 1986, toward the tail end of the Iran-Iraq war. So we were not among those Iranians who left at the time of the revolution in 1979. My family stuck it out, we stayed. I didnt go back to Iran for another 14 years. Then in 2000 I started going back once every other year. My extended family all remained in Iran.

In 2008 to 2009 I spent a year in Iran making Frontier Blues, my first feature film, in my hometown, Gorgan, which is up north, near the border with what used to be the Soviet Union. Now its Turkmenistan. Making the film was much easier at the time, which was generally chaotic in Iran, because we were not in Tehran.

Its an area that is very ethnically diverse. I would say up to 40 percent of the population is ethnic Turkmen. There are Kazakhs as well, and Armenians, and Russians. The area has always been isolated. In some sense, it feels more Central Asian than Middle Eastern.

A Pan-Turkish nationalist movement has not blossomed in the area. Although there have been efforts, especially since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Its a thing about IranI despise the term Persian. Because I find that commonly used among Iranians in America particularly, they call themselves Persians. Persian this and Persian that. Iran is a diverse country. Roughly 25 percent of the population is Azeri, there are Kurds, Turkmens, and so forth. My father speaks a dialect that they would not understand in Tehran. Of course, there are Persians in there too. Curiously, before the revolution and after the revolution, the census always finds that 51 percent of the population is Persian. Somehow that never changes.

DW: How did you end up making Radio Dreams here?

BJ: We made it in San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland. There is a tight-knit community here. They look out for each other. Southern California has an enormous Iranian community. But its a more business-oriented community there.

Marjaneh Moghimi, the producer of the film, is a resident of the Bay Area and has been for 30 years. When she contacted me about two years ago, we had a lot of friends in common. She was very keen on making the film in the Bay Area. I had been here a number of times. I came and spent a month here. We worked on the idea for the film. It happened very quickly.

Mohsen Namjoo, the lead actor, is quite an iconic figure in Iran. When I was making Frontier Blues, all the crew were talking about him. He had done underground recordings, he was still living in Iran at the time. Then he made some official recordings as well. He left Iran about six, seven years ago. Hes commonly referred to as Irans Bob Dylan.

When he started making music, it was something very new for Iran. He was playing traditional music, but he was also very avant-garde in a way. Messing around with traditional music and bringing new elements into it. Hes a character, hes a performer. Theres a lot of improvisation. Hes extremely intelligent. If he were living in Iran and allowed to make music, he would be enormous. We were lucky to have him.

DW: In a very difficult world, what is the significance of the comic elements that appear in your films?

BJ: Frontier Blues was based on a lot of memories, of the area where I grew up. When you remain in one place, you build up experiences. But I had no new experiences, only memories. At the age of 25, I had vivid memories of things that happened in Iran when I was 5, but I didnt have such memories of being 16 in London.

It was important to make the first film in my hometown because I always found it, in many ways, an absurd place. This place is generally forgotten about or ignored, there were these characters hanging around and the longings they always had. So the humor came naturally.

With Radio Dreams, I was telling a story that could have become pitiful, which I didnt want to happen. But I also didnt want to mock, or simply make fun of anyone. The important thing was to find a balance. Heres a man, who did some desperate things, even foolish things, but I didnt want to mock him or feel sorry for him.

DW: Kabul Dreams is a real band?

BJ: They are a real band. They are commonly referred to as Afghanistans first ever rock band. They first emerged in 2009. The media began writing about them, because of the novelty. When I was living here for that month we found out they had actually moved and were living in the Bay Area. So, in the middle of writing the script, this new element came into it. Theyre still here.

There are Tajiks and Pashtuns in the band. They grew up outside of Afghanistan during the war, in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Iran. They all converged in Kabul. They all spoke English because of the fact that they lived abroad.

Leaving the question of talent aside, they are incredibly decent people. If I may say something, and this is something Ive felt for years, and something I always try to bring into my filmsIve always had a soft spot for people from Afghanistan. I find them incredibly dignified and incredibly truthful. And unpretentious. The guys in this band personify all that. They are so decent and so kind-hearted.

DW: Im here in California for the film festival, but also to give two talks on Art, war and social revolution, which center on the perpetual war of the last quarter-century and the way it is gnawing away at American society.

But there is another side to it, of course, not only the impact of America on the world, and itself, but the impact of the rest of the world on America. The US has a terrible influence on Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran, but Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran have an influence on America too. This is not 1850 or 1890, when the colonial peoples were safely trapped at home, more or less.

There are various sorts of blowback, the most spectacular coming in the form of terrorist bombs. Then there is the tragic mass refugee crisis and its impact. A third form of blowback, less dramatic, appears in your film: the Iranian and Afghan immigrants, the artists, their interactions with American culture.

BJ: When we were making the film, the current trauma of the mass emigration was just kicking off. When you have the idea of making a film about Iranians and Afghans in San Francisco, the focus is on migration and its consequences. There was definitely in my head the desire to show a group with a hope, an idea, however bizarre it may bein this case, bringing Metallica to the radio stationto fill up their mundane lives. Kabul Dreams being in America wanting to meet one of the worlds biggest rock bands!

America is a very peculiar place. Im not all that keen on the Iranians in Los Angeles, or a certain type at least, and of course Im generalizing. You can be against a regime, your own, but still not sell yourself out. I would never condone any form of military action against my own country, my own people.

Then you may potentially be seen as hypocritical, because you are living somewhere else, you are trying to exist in another place, still having part of your heart in your original country. I think every single character in this film falls into that category as well. Immigrants are in far more desperate shape than the ones in this film, but I also believe they wouldnt  just because they have come to Italy, or Sweden, or Canada, its not like they suddenly say, OK, lets send the cruise missiles in.

The blowback you spoke of. You dont get on a boat and leave somewhere because you want to see McDonalds everywhere. You get on a boat because you have to get the hell out. And that is often the consequence of what the US or the UK is doing.

With the characters in this film, even though they are not in the worst condition, they are still out of place, finding their way. I was lucky, I was seven, they took my hand and said, were getting on a plane, were moving. I went to school, I learned English easily. My older brother suffered considerably more. The people in the film, they came in their 20s and 30s. They left a life behind. Its very difficult.

Theres something else, and I hope Iranians are not the only ones to pick it up. The boy sings a song on the guitar that is an old Iranian Marxist song, a revolutionary song. Roque Dalton was an El Salvadoran poet. There was a cafe near where I lived called El Salvador, where revolutionaries used to hang out. Katyusha, the Russian song, we used to hear all the time. We used to get Soviet television, because it was on the border, and often it was more interesting than Iranian government television.

DW: In other words, Hamid has this left-wing intellectual background. There are various inferences, implications 

BJ: Id like to go back to what I said before: America is a very peculiar country. For my part, I love American music and American literature in a way I dont feel about British music and literature. Ive traveled a lot in this country, all over, and there are a lot of fiercely intelligent people in America, there are a lot of fiercely progressive people in America. Theyre not of course the ones in power. That often gets lost, for many outsiders.

DW: What are your plans now?

BJ: Im making a new film in America actually, which Ive been developing for four years. It takes place on an American Indian reservation. A fiction film. A contemporary story, about an Indian family and their relations with a neighboring town and the military. I spent time in Pine Ridge, in South Dakota, and also on a Navajo reservation. Of course, I had to fund it in Europe, because American film people didnt want to hear about this.
The drive by the US and EU imperialism to militarily encircle and ultimately dismantle Russia and China is pushing the world closer to a devastating conflagration. The rapid and reckless militarization of Eastern Europe that occurred after the overthrow in 2014 of the Russian-backed government in Kiev, highlights the enormous dangers confronting the population of the region and of the entire world.

The recent activation at the Deveselu airbase in Romania of the first land-based element of the NATO missile defense system has provoked a harsh reaction from Moscow. Notwithstanding the declarations of various NATO officials about countering North Korean or Iranian missiles, the Russians justifiably see it as an attempt to break the nuclear deterrence status quo.

Adm. Vladimir Komoyedov, chairman of the State Dumas defense committee, called the missile system a direct threat to us, and added They are moving to the firing line [] this is not about Iran, but about Russia with its nuclear capabilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, quoted by news agencies, said, This is not a defense system. This is part of a US nuclear strategic potential brought on to a periphery. In this case, Eastern Europe is such a periphery. He then threatened, Those people taking such decisions must know that until now they have lived calm, fairly well-off and in safety. Now, as these elements of ballistic missile defense are deployed, we are forced to think how to neutralize the emerging threats to the Russian Federation.

The extremely volatile and dangerous nature of the developing situation is exemplified by an article that appeared in the online edition of the New York Times on the day the new missile system was inaugurated. The article quoted Russian commentator Konstantin Bogdanov, who said, The antimissile sites in Eastern Europe might even accelerate the slippery slope to nuclear war in a crisis. They would inevitably become priority targets in the event of nuclear war, possibly even targets for preventive strikes.

Countries like Romania that host American antimissile systems might be the only casualties, he wrote, whereas the United States would then reconcile with Russia over the smoking ruins of the East European elements of the missile defense system.

Over the past two years, Romania, Poland and the Baltic states have been the scene of almost continuous rounds of military drills by the NATO armed forces. NATO strategists view these countries as a future battleground, and American troops, part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, are arduously feeling out the local terrain and infrastructure in preparation for war.

In addition to the concentration of military hardware and troops that is set to increase in the coming period, Romania is also agitating for the creation of a permanent NATO flotilla to counter Russia in the Black Sea, to be manned mainly by the Black Sea countries of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. On his visit to Bucharest on the April 21, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced his intention to join the Romanian initiative.

In a major escalation of the militarization of Eastern Europe, US and Romanian forces are involved in exercises with Moldovan troops taking place between May 2 and May 20 on the Moldavian side of the border. The exercise, dubbed Dragoon Pioneer, involves around 200 US soldiers and marks the first time in the former Soviet Republics history that NATO troops have entered the country, in flagrant violation of the Moldovan constitution, which stipulates its neutrality.

Moldova is engaged in an ongoing territorial conflict with the breakaway Republic of Transnistria, with which it, supported by Romania, fought a brief war in the 1990s. Transnistria enjoys the backing of Russia, which maintains a peacekeeping force of around 1,500 troops on its territory. Russian forces stationed there reacted by staging their own exercises to coincide with the American presence in Moldova. Russian units also took part for the first time in the May 9 Victory Day parade organized by the authorities in Tiraspol, a gesture condemned by Moldova as harming bilateral relations.

The presence of the American troops was accompanied by a propaganda campaign aimed at revising the historical role of the Soviet Red Army in the liberation of Europe from the Third Reich. American hardware was displayed in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau on both May 8 and 9, with both Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti and Party of Communists leader Vladimir Voronin stressing the massive contribution of the US in defeating Nazi Germany. After the end of the operations in Moldova, the US troops will reenter Romania to join Romanian, British and Moldovan soldiers in the Sarmis 16 military exercises.

The militarization of Romania and the war preparations are carried out by the imperialist powers in collusion with the local elites entirely behind the backs of the population. Nothing resembling a public debate or any mention of the immense dangers posed by these policies has taken place.

Romania was one of the first NATO countries to increase its defense budget to 2 percent of GDP, a measure demanded by the US and adopted last year in a National Pact overseen by the countrys president, Klaus Iohannis, and supported by all the bourgeois parties. To support the bloated military spending and comply with EU spending demands, the technocratic Government headed by Dacian Ciolos is supervising further attacks on the livelihoods of workers, including major privatization drives in mining, energy and healthcare.

The drive towards war and the endless austerity measures are growing increasingly incompatible with the thin veneer of parliamentary democracy that was established by the new ruling classes in Eastern Europe after the restoration of capitalism in the 1990s. The admission last year by former Social Democratic President Ion Iliescu that his administration participated in the CIA torture program, and that it was done without blinking an eye in order to secure the countrys admission to NATO, should serve as a stark warning to the working class as to the criminal character of these ruling oligarchies. A return to the naked dictatorial forms of rule that prevailed before the Second World War is more than a theoretical possibility.
Niles Niemuth is the Socialist Equality Party's candidate for vice president in the United States

US President Barack Obama used his commencement address Sunday at Rutgers University in New Jersey to express contempt for those who are supporting either the campaigns of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump or self-proclaimed socialist Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders.

While the media has focused on Obamas thinly-veiled swipes against Trumps promise to build a wall along the Mexico border and his foreign policy, more significant was the presidents clear rebuke of students and others for supporting Sanders.

The conclusion to be drawn from his speech is that workersand particularly youthneed to stop complaining and do what they are told. Obama insisted, in what has become his mantra, that things have never been better in America and chastised young people for supporting calls for a political revolution.

In a reference to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has promised that if elected he will Make America Great Again, Obama insisted that social and economic conditions have never been better than they are now. In fact, by almost every measure, America is better, and the world is better, than it was 50 years ago, or 30 years ago, or even eight years ago.

Among other trends, Obama cited the decline in crime rates, teenage pregnancies, the percentage of people living in poverty and an overall increase in life expectancy as proof that life in America is better than it has ever been. He also cited the fact that a greater share of Americans have a college education and more blacks and Latinos sit on corporate boards and hold political office than ever before.

In the course of his remarks, Obama complained that access to the Internet and smart phones has in some ways made us more confident in our ignorance We have to agree that facts and evidence matter. And we got to hold our leaders and ourselves accountable to know what the heck theyre talking about.

It would have been appropriate for someone in the audience to have shouted out at this point, Physician, heal thyself!

Obamas rose-colored account flies in the face of the reality of life confronted by the vast majority of Americans in 2016. Over the last eight years workers have experienced declining incomes and wages, and rising death rates among working class men and women due to an increase in suicides, drug overdoses and alcoholism. Entire cities and regions have been devastated by decades of deindustrialization, with the rate of poverty higher than ever in urban and suburban areas across the country.

Obama was addressing an audience that is part of a generation saddled with more than $1.3 trillion dollars in student loan debt. The first generation worse off than their parents, millions of college graduates who entered the job market after the 2008 economic crisis are either unemployed or underemployed, with an average student loan debt of $30,000.

A majority of individuals with onerous debt payments are unable to afford to buy a car, buy their own house and many delay getting engaged or married. A recent poll found that 77 percent of respondents found it more difficult to live due to their student loan debt.

After eight years of the candidate of hope and change, a period in which 95 percent of income gains (since 2009) have gone to the top one percent, there is a general sense that the entire political system is rotten and the economic order is rigged.

Obamas remarks expressed concern within the ruling class not over Sanders himself, who is working to redirect opposition back into the Democratic Party. Rather, it is over the anti-capitalist sentiments that are motiving an overwhelming turn out among young voters for the self-declared socialist.

He lectured students with a potted version of history in which activists and organizers engaged in alliance-building and deal-making are the source of all social progress in America. Lest they get any ideas, Obama warned his young audience that change didnt happen because some massive political revolution occurred.

Even as Obama argued that social and economic conditions in America are better than ever, he insisted they could be even better if only more people, especially students, voted in even greater numbers for the Democrats! He cited 2014 voter turnout, which was the lowest since the World War II era, and warned that apathy has consequences.

Obama cynically counseled the students to have faith in democracy, by which he meant they should support a political set-up entirely controlled by and subservient to the interests of the wealthiest individuals and corporations. The accusation that those who do not vote are apathetic is slander. The general sentiment is not apathy, but hostility and anger over a corrupt two-party system over which Obama himself presides.

In an additional jab at students, Obama went on to criticize protests at Rutgers over a previous announcement that Condoleezza Rice, one of George W. Bushs secretaries of state, would speak at a commencement. That students should object to having to listen to a war criminal upon their graduation is, according to Obama, an outrageous violation of the principle that is is necessary to listen to those who dont agree with you. Obama perhaps worried that he could be the object of similar protests and denunciations in the not-so-distant future.

Even as he admitted that big money in politics is a huge problem, he cynically asserted that the system isnt as rigged as you think, and it certainly is not as hopeless as you thinkif you vote and you elect a majority that represents your views, you will get what you want. And if you opt out, or stop paying attention, you wont. Its that simple.

It was apparently lost on the president that the history of his own administration is ample proof that the anger and hostility he sought to counter is, in fact, entirely justified.
The month-long strike by 40,000 workers at Verizon Communications in the United States is at a critical juncture. Over the weekend, the Obama administration intervened in an effort to wind down the strike and impose the dictates of the telecommunications giant. After meeting with US Labor Secretary Thomas Perez Sunday, executives from the company and the unions are set to resume talks on Tuesday.

Verizon is determined to slash thousands of jobs, shift the cost of health care and pensions onto the backs of the workers, and reduce the workforce to the status of casual labor.

The Verizon strike is part of a resurgence of militant working-class resistance to the relentless attacks of the corporations and the government on jobs, wages and living standards across the United States and internationally. It follows last years strike by US oil workers and the mass opposition of auto workers against the sell-out contracts imposed by the United Auto Workers union and the Big Three auto makers. It coincides with job actions and protests by teachers and students in Detroit and demonstrations by working-class victims of lead poisoning of the water supply in Flint, Michigan.

In Greece, workers are carrying out mass strikes against brutal austerity measures imposed by the fake-left Syriza government; in France, workers and students are mobilizing against social cuts and reactionary labor reform laws; workers strikes and protests are spreading in China and India.

All sections of the working class and youth are under attack, whether in the form of layoffs and contract concessions or the shutoff of utilities and imposition of crushing levels of student debt. What all these attacks have in common is the fact that their source is the bankruptcy and failure of capitalism.

This is what makes them political struggles and demands that they be brought together, uniting all workers, native-born and immigrant, young and old in a single mass counteroffensive against the corporate elite and all of its political parties and representatives.

The intervention of the Obama administration underscores the fact that the strikers are locked in a political struggle against not only a single company, but against the entire class of corporate owners and the capitalist state. The Labor Department meeting follows last weeks intervention by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the courts, which backed Verizons request to ban picketing at New York-area hotels where the company is housing strikebreakers.

The picketing ban was granted shortly after a New York City cop, driving a vanload of scabs, rammed through a picket line, running down and injuring a striking worker. The incident highlighted the strikebreaking operation by the New York Police Department (NYPD) under the direction of the Democratic Party mayor, Bill de Blasio.

The unions are part of this unholy alliance against the Verizon workers. As in every previous struggleoil workers, steel workers, teachersthey are working deliberately to isolate, demoralize and defeat the workers and help the company impose its demands. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) do nothing to fight company strike-breaking, work to starve the strikers into submission by doling out completely inadequate strike pay, and promote the Democratic Party, one of the two parties of big business, even as it organizes police attacks and works to suppress the struggle.

The unions have kept work stoppages at the lowest level of any two-term president since the Labor Department began keeping records in 1947. This has allowed the Obama administration to oversee the longest period of wage stagnation since the Great Depression, while nearly all income gains since the fraudulent recovery began in 2009 have gone to the top one percent of the population.

The surest sign that the unions are preparing to sell out the strike is the CWAs calling in of the police to drive World Socialist Web Site reporters from the picket line. As thousands of strikers know, the WSWS is the only publication that has told the truth about the strike, given expression to the views of the workers, and fought for a strategy to mobilize the broadest sections of workers behind the strike.

That is because the WSWS is the genuine voice of revolutionary socialismas opposed to the phony socialism of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. The unions promote Sanders and hail his token, one-time appearance on the picket lineto drum up votes on the eve of the New York primarybecause they know he supports the bureaucrats, not the rank and file workers. Above all, they support Sanders economic nationalism, which serves to pit US workers against their fellow workers in Mexico, the Philippines and China, and line them up behind their American bosses.

While the forces arrayed against them are powerful, the allies waiting to be mobilized behind the Verizon workersthe masses of workers in the US and internationallyare more powerful. As the candidate of the Socialist Equality Party for US president, I urge rank-and-file Verizon workers to take the conduct of the struggle out of the hands of the unions and fight for the broadest possible mobilization of the working class.

The SEP proposes that Verizon workers set up rank-and-file committees of struggle independent of the unions and the Democratic Party to unite auto workers, teachers, young people, the unemployed and retired workers behind the strike. Organize mass demonstrations! Mobilize the entire working class!

Every class struggle is a political struggle, declared the founder of scientific socialism, Karl Marx. What was true then is true today.

It is necessary to develop a mass political movement based on a socialist and internationalist program to put a halt to inequality, poverty and war by putting an end to their sourcethe capitalist system.
On Sunday, Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines president-elect, announced that his administration, which is due to take office on June 30, would restore capital punishment and issue shoot-to-kill orders to the police and military.

In the same press conference, Duterte announced he was offering four cabinet positions to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and later echoed the Maoist CPPs strident questioning of whether the US would strongly enough back the Philippines in the event of a war with China over territorial conflicts in the South China Sea.

Duterte, the mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao, was elected on May 9 after a campaign in which he promised to extend a policy of extra-judicial killings in Davao, which he presided over, to the entire country. Dutertes first week since election indicates that he is making preparations to carry out this threat and launch violent repression against the working class, while whipping up reactionary nationalism, with the assistance of the Maoists, as a diversion from the countrys social crisis.

Duterte proposes to bring back the death penalty, which has been suspended since 2006, and reintroduce the barbaric practice of public hangings. Hangings were carried out by US colonial authorities in the country during the bloody Philippine-American War (18991902) and its aftermath. Those who fought against American rule were labeled criminals and were hanged.

The president-elect told the press conference that anyone convicted of two crimes would have two hanging ceremonies, until the head is completely severed from the body. He declared: I like that, because I am mad. He added that he would order the military and the police to shoot-to-kill anyone they deemed to be resisting arrest, saying he would commission the training of police and military snipers for this purpose.

Duterte has previously stated that one of the main targets of his murderous plans will be striking workers. He declared in February that if workers tried to organize in Export Processing Zones, I will kill you.

On Sunday, Duterte said the police would impose a 10 p.m. curfew for all minors. Any parent whose child violated the curfew more than once would arrested and jailed for abandonment.

International finance capital is salivating at the profit opportunities that Dutertes violent suppression of the working class will afford them. Bloomberg wrote on May 13 that investors were spell bound by this business-friendly leader. Dutertes election was re-invigorating financial markets. The business paper enthused over Dutertes commitment to greater foreign ownership of businesses.

Andrew Wood, the Singapore-based head of Asia country risk at BMI Research, declared: A forceful campaign against crime and corruption could reap benefits for the Philippine economy over the long run.

Duterte is preparing police-state measures in preparation for dictatorial rule and violent suppression of class struggle. The Maoist CPP and its front organizations have given enthusiastic support to this fascistic figure.

On Sunday, Duterte insisted that the Philippines would not back down from its territorial claims in the South China Sea, but was open to negotiations with China in exchange for economic and trade concessions. They are there illegally, whether they want to believe it or not, he told reporters before meeting Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua.

The president-elect said he would honour the countrys military alliance with Washington, which includes the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that allows for the return of US bases to the country. However, he indicated that he did not believe the US would back up the Philippines in a confrontation. Im asking point blank, America, are you with us or are you not with us? he declared. If there is war and I will attack, will you be at my back to support me?

This stance reflects that of the Maoists, who have argued that EDCA does not go far enough in securing US military protection of the Philippines in the event of an all-out war against China.

The CPP and its armed wing, the New Peoples Army (NPA), and its legal front organizations, including Bayan and Bayan Muna, have played a key role in supporting Duterte in Davao over several decades. They have served in his administration, run on his ticket and overseen his campaign.

In January 2015, Duterte announced that if he became president, he would privatize the Social Welfare bureau and would make Jose Ma. Sison, head of the CPP, the secretary of the bureau. Since his election, Duterte has met with Sison via Skype on a daily basis, according to press reports. Sison has issued repeated statements of support for Duterte, telling CNN, for example, that I am very proud of him. He promises to be the first left president of the Philippines. I will be satisfied if he can remain patriotic and progressive.

Neither Sison nor any of the CPPs front organizations have said a word about the danger posed by the Dutertes fascistic political preparations. On May 13, Bayan offered tepid criticisms of Dutertes economic proposals, claiming they were a continuation of the neo-liberal policies of the [outgoing] Aquino regime.

Dutertes press secretary immediately struck back at Bayan, saying they would have to mend their ways. They could not demonstrate and protest on every issue, he stated. Sison issued a press statement trying to separate the CPP from Bayans statement. He wrote: The National Democratic Front of the Philippines [a wing of the CPP] is already committed to dialogue with the Duterte government. Bayan, he claimed, has its own political and organizational integrity and independence.

Suitably chastened, the CPP front organizations took an even more conciliatory stance. Teddy Casino, a leading representative of Bayan Muna, appealed to Duterte: Please take the early criticism as it isan effort to engage in earnest, open dialogue with someone who we respect, admire and yes, consider as a friend.

Duterte is offering the CPP the cabinet positions of Agrarian Reform, Environment and Natural Resources, Social Welfare and Development and Labor and Employment. These departments are responsible for policing the working class and the peasantry. Duterte is clearly expecting the CPP to restrain and suppress the Filipino masses.

Sison responded to Duterte, stating that the CPP welcomes the magnanimous offers of President-elect Duterte of Cabinet positions. Sison and Duterte are expected to soon begin peace talks to end the 47-year-long armed conflict waged by the NPA.

The CPP was founded in 1968 on the Stalinist program of the two-stage revolution. It subordinated the working class to a section of the bourgeoisie in the name of nationalism, telling workers that the tasks of the revolution were not socialist, but nationalist in their character.

The CPP has provided support for a section of the bourgeoisie throughout its history. In 1965, Sison led what would become the youth wing of the party, the Kabataang Makabayan (KM), to support Ferdinand Marcos. But the CPPs enthusiastic endorsement of Duterte represents a marked shift further to the right. It is entering an alliance with a fascistic political figure who promises to murder workers if they attempt to resist.
The French Socialist Party (PS) government of Prime Minister Manuel Valls and President Francois Hollande is escalating the repression of protests against its regressive Labor Law. It launched a series of crackdowns against youth protests targeting the law starting in March, and the government has engaged provocations, pre-emptive arrests and other police-state measures against the protests. The PS forced the bill into law by invoking the emergency article 49.3 of the French constitution.

The imposition of the law has not stopped the strikes and demonstrations against it. Fully 75 percent of the population oppose the law, and a poll showed that 54 percent of the French people want protests against the illegitimate law to continue, even though it has technically been passed. With anger amongst youth and workers still growing, even the union bureaucracies, who work closely with the PS, were forced to call two national days of action against the law. These will take place today and Thursday.

The PS's reaction has been to denounce protesters as enemies of the state, for daring to continue to protest, and launch extraordinary crackdowns against them. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve claimed, The security forces face extremely violent groups who are not there to express their demands but to cause trouble, to destroy and to express hatred of the state It is intolerable and it will not be tolerated.

Cazneuve revealed that police had arrested 1,300 people since the demonstrations began and held 819 people in custody. Fifty-one have been convicted in kangaroo courts. Cazneuve commented, Fifty-one people were convicted, often with harsh sentences. There will be more summary trials in the courts and, I say this here in Rennes, our resolve will be total.

In fact, the paramilitary police are well known for their violent behavior. They wear full body armour, make vicious baton charges on demonstrators, and shoot rubber bullets, flash-balls and tear gas canisters.

One demonstrator, a 20 year-old geography student, recently lost his eye when a police officer shot him in the eye with a flash-ball just two weeks ago. Many demonstrators are hospitalised after such police charges. Less than two years ago, another student, Remi Fraisse, was killed by a gendarme firing a defence grenade that hit him in a demonstration near Nantes.

When over 700 youth tried to organise a demonstration again police violence in Rennes last Saturday, the demonstration was banned under the terms of the state of emergency. The whole town was locked down, and police who had received reinforcements surrounded the demonstration and dispersed youth with tear gas and fired at them with defensive balls.

Before they were dispersed the youth chanted The police mutilate, the police assassinate. One of them showed an AFP journalist with a mark on his hip where a flash-ball had hit him and said, Theyre not trying to frighten us; theyre trying to hurt us.

The escalating opposition to austerity across Europe has led to an explosion of class tensions and, in France, the emergence of a crisis of rule. Deeply rooted popular opposition to the PS's destruction of basic social rights is colliding with the bourgeoisie's determination to place the full burden of the capitalist crisis on the backs of the workers.

The PS, which has for decades dominated what passed for left politics in France, is systematically advancing a socially counterrevolutionary program. Since coming to power in 2012, Hollande has pushed through enormous austerity attacks, including tens of billions of euros in budget cuts, the Macron deregulation law in 2015, and now the El Khomri law, to destroy rights workers have had for decades.

Hollande is at the head of an extremely weak and reactionary government. He has survived politically until now only due to the opposition of the trade union bureaucracies and their political allies in the #UpAllNight movement to a broader struggle to bring down the PS government. General Confederation of Labour (CGT) leader Philippe Martinez publicly mocked protesters' demands for a general strike.

To try to crush popular opposition to its agenda, the PS is employing nakedly authoritarian methods.

Reports in the press and on activist web sites state that dozens of people are being pre-emptively arrested by police under the terms of the state of emergency in France as they set off to join protests against the El Khomri law. Two people in the Belleville area of Paris were stopped by police and saw in the policemen's affairs lists of mugshots, including theirs. They were taken to the police station until the end of the demonstration.

Police have also arrested an 18-year-old and have charged him with attempted murder of a police officer during a demonstration last May 3rd. The police claim to have identified the youth from CCTV footage of the demonstration. However the youth has denied the charge.

Hollande has all but accused the protesters of collaborating with terrorism, stating that violence by demonstrators was diverting security forces from protecting people from the terrorist threat which remains at a particularly high level.

In reality, it is now crystal clear that Hollande's state of emergency is being used primarily against domestic social opposition to the PS's regressive policies. The November 13 terror attacks in Paris, carried out by Islamist networks that continue to enjoy the French state's tacit support as part of the NATO war for regime change in Syria, were only a pretext for imposing a state of emergency whose target is the social opposition of the workers and youth.
Talks between Verizon, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) are set to resume in Washington, D.C. today. The negotiations are the result of the intervention of US Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez and indicate that the Obama administration is concerned about the potential of the strike by 39,000 telecom workers inspiring a broader movement of the working class, despite efforts of the unions to keep the walkout isolated.

The resumption of talks follows Verizons provocative announcement April 28 of its last, best offer, the cutoff of medical benefits to the strikers and their families, and increased violence by strikebreakers and the police against picketing workers.

The White House is clearly concerned about the protracted character of the Verizon strike and is intent on wrapping it up as soon as possible by assisting in the imposition of a settlement based on managements terms. The administrations policy of encouraging low wages and shifting health care and pension costs from the corporations to workers has depended entirely on the unions suppression of the class struggle. However, social tensions are reaching a breaking point with the unions barely able to push a sellout deal past autoworkers last fall and growing signs of a rebellion by teachers and other sections of workers.

While the CWA is presenting the intervention of the Labor Department as an advance for strikers, a similar intervention by the Labor Department in the West Coast dockers in February 2015 ended in the unions pushing through a sellout agreement. It comes at the same time that the CWA has stepped up its efforts to bar workers from speaking to the World Socialist Web Site, including calling the same police who have been herding scabs in New York City.

The intervention of Labor Secretary Perez follows the action of the National Labor Relations Board, which successfully petitioned for a court injunction against the CWA and IBEW, barring the unions from picketing New York hotels housing scab replacement workers. The company has recruited a small army of strikebreakers to maintain its operations during the walkout. It has meantime accused strikers of vandalizing company equipment.

The resumption of talks follows several incidents of violence directed against striking workers. Two striking workers were injured last week by vehicles being driven across the picket lines; one in Queens, New York and another in Westborough, Massachusetts. In the first case a police lieutenant driving a van hit veteran CWA member James Smith, sending him to the hospital. This was soon followed by a similar incident in Westborough when a scab vehicle hit striker Joseph Rooney.

Verizon workers have reacted strongly to the attempt by the CWA to harass World Socialist Web Site reporters. CWA officials called on police to remove WSWS reporters outside a Verizon call center in downtown Brooklyn Friday as reporters attempted to interview striking workers.

The intervention by CWA officials is both an attack on freedom of the press and on the rights of Verizon workers to voice their opinions under conditions of a complete blackout of the strike by the corporate-controlled media. It comes as the anger of workers is mounting in the face of company intransigence and several recent assaults by strikebreakers on pickets.

A Verizon worker in Northern Virginia contacted by the WSWS Verizon Strike Newsletter said, The mainstream media isn't reporting it (the strike). The steward calling the cops speaks volumes about what is going on, they don't want anyone to know. Their local probably told workers not to speak to the website. They want to keep it isolated.

Workers need to reach other workers; bricklayers, mechanics, everyone needs to know that the federal government is waging war against the working class.

This is a corporate union, it has its foot in the door with the company, and with corporate Democrats. This guy that they involved in the mediations, they praise, is an Obama appointee, he is going to sell the workers down the river. Workers will end up losing jobs, they will end up losing benefits.

A retired switching equipment technician in Virginia with 31 years service said, "The union is just like the company. They want to control the message. They don't want people talking. Thats because they want to give us bull crap and call it sugar. People should know what is happening to us and that it has been happening too long."

A worker with 11 years at Verizon from Pittsburgh said, I cant afford to be on strike, but I want a fair deal. What Verizon is doing is not fair. Referring to the attempt by the CWA to ban the WSWS, she responded, It seems like we dont get much information. I think it (WSWS) is truthful. I dont see anything that is not truthful.

One worker writing on Facebook in response to CWA attacks on the WSWS said, Your rejection of their more radical suggestions is why we got a terrible contract in the last strike and why unions are losing power. They (WSWS) dont post propaganda, thats the news you normally watch. This is the truth coming from that page.

The WSWS also spoke to workers about the picket line violence directed against strikers. A splicer with 29 years in Pittsburgh said, I heard about the guys getting hit in New York and Massachusetts. Our union didnt tell us but Ive read it on the Internet. I think Verizon is out to break the union this time, I really do. There is no movement. They havent withdrawn any of their demands. They have been pushing and pushing guys, making us drive all over the place, working all kinds of overtime, whatever management says we have to do.

Its not that they arent making money, they are. But Verizon figures that jobs are hard to come by and they want to take advantage of that. They want to get people in here who will work for less and to be happy to have any job even if they know it will be only for a while. That is what Verizon wants, people who know they will lose their job, so they will do anything to keep it a little longer.

We used to be an average job, now it is one of the best paying jobs around. When the steel mills were running, we were below average. When I started, people came here because they didnt want to breathe the dirt of the coal mine or the mill. You figured you got paid less, but you would still have your health when you retired.

When the air traffic controllers were fired by Reagan (in 1981) everyone should have gone on strike. That started a lot of union busting and we are paying for it now. In every contract the union has given up something, more jobs, health care, the no layoff letter. They hope to get older guys like me to go along with it. One more contract so I can retire, is what we say. We need something new.
6 years, 5 months ago by Scott Hardy

New director should be in place by October

The head of an Adams County children's agency has announced she plans to retire later this year.

Clairice Hetzler, Executive Director of Advocacy Network for Children, made the announcement last Friday that she will retire from the agency. Hetzler has been with the agency since 1998, and has seen it grow to serve over 500 children each year. Advocacy Network has Court Appointed Special Advocate programs in Adams and McDonough Counties. It also has four accredited Childrens Advocacy Centers and five satellite centers covering 9 counties in West Central Illinois.

Hetzler plans to help with the transition to a new Executive Director, who should be hired by October. A search committee is being formed to fill Hetzler's position.
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) - A jury considering the fate of a Florida woman charged with killing her 5-year-old son in New Jersey in 1991 is set to return for a fourth day of deliberations.

Jurors considering the fate of Michelle Lodzinski heard recorded testimony from witnesses Monday and will return to continue hearing testimony Tuesday.

Lodzinski first said her son Timothy Wiltsey disappeared while they were at a Sayreville carnival, then said he had been kidnapped from there. Prosecutors say the boy was never at the carnival and Lodzinski killed him elsewhere.

Jurors are considering whether the Port St. Lucie resident is guilty of murder, aggravated manslaughter or manslaughter.

She was arrested in 2014 after authorities reopened the investigation.(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say two people were killed when they crashed into a semitrailer in South Florida.

The Broward Sheriff's Office reports in a news release that 23-year-old Wilton Moreno and his passenger, 25-year-old Raul Cruz-Funez, died at the scene of the Deerfield Beach crash early Monday morning.

Officials say Moreno lost control of his car and hit the right rear side of the trailer, lodging the car underneath.

The semi's driver and passenger weren't injured.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
MOULTRIE, Ga. (WTXL)-- Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents and state fire marshals were back out on the scene Tuesday looking into the cause of the house fire where five bodies were found.

On Sunday morning at 8:30, a home on Rossman Dairy Road went up in flames. The fire marshal's office says Jonathan Edwards, Alicia Norman, Jones Pidcock, Reid Williams, and Jordan Croft all died. Their bodies were sent for autopsies.

The fire marshal's office says a sixth person was injured in the fire.

GBI agents say at this time they're not sure if it was an accidental fire.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Tallahassee Police are investigating an armed robbery at a local Walgreens store.

TPD says about 6:30pm Monday night, a man walked into the Walgreens on East Magnolia, walked over to the prescription counter, pulled out what appeared to be a handgun, and demanded prescription medication.

The pharmacist handed over his request and the man ran out of the store.

No one was injured.

The description of the suspect is vague, only that he appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, was wearing all dark clothing and his face and head were covered.

TPD says they can't link this armed robbery to one at Envision Credit Union a few hours earlier, but they haven't ruled out the possibility.

They are asking anyone with information to call the Tallahassee Police Department at (850) 891-4200.

Check back with www.wtxl.tv for updates.
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The bodies of two terrorists from East Jerusalem were returned to their families Monday night. They were buried in limited ceremonies.

One is named Mu'taz Awwisat from Jabal Mukaber who tried to stab police officers in Armon HaNatziv in Jerusalem, and the other is named Fadwa Abu Tir from Umm Tuba, who tried to stab a policeman in Jerusalem's Old City. Both were shot dead.
Hezbollah has reportedly appointed Mustafa Mughniyeh , the son of terrorist Imad Mughniyeh, to command its military wing instead of Mustafa Badreddine, who was assassinated last week, the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported on Tuesday.

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Mustafa Mughniyeh is the son of Badreddine's sister who was married to Imad Mughniyeh. Mughniyeh senior was assassinated in 2008.

Asharq Al-Awsat is one of the most widespread newspapers in the Arab world, but it is a Saudi publication affiliated with the anti-Hezbollah Sunni axis. Lebanese media has yet to report on any successor to Badreddine.

Imad Mughniyeh

Intelligence analyst Ronen Solomon has researched Hezbollah's intelligence and security apparatuses and has been following the actions of Mughniyeh's eldest son, said Mustafa has barely been mentioned in the media before.

"The 1980's were the years when (Imad) Mughniyeh spent time at a Quds Force camp near Tehran," Solomon said.

"At the time, he was pursued by foreign intelligence services after he stood behind deadly terror attacks against Western and Israeli targets, which claimed the lives of hundreds of people. In 1982, Mughniyeh opened a security guard company in Lebanon and married his cousin Saadi Badreddine  the sister of Mustafa Badreddine, who was appointed Hezbollah's military commander," Solomon told Ynet.

During those years, Mughniyeh had tried to secure the release of his brother-in-law Mustafa Badreddine, who was arrested following the attack on the American Embassy in Kuwait in 1983.

"In January 1987, when Mustafa was still in jail in Kuwait, Imad Mugniyeh's eldest son was born. He named him Mustafa, after his wife's brother  it's clear this wasn't a coincidence," Solomon said.

"During that same year, Mughniyeh senior's parents came for a visit in Teheran and were photographed with the whole family, apparently to mark Mustafa's birthday, who was born that year. (Mustafa) was not included in the picture and until today there is not one single photo of him," he added.

The Mughniyeh family photographed in 1987 in Tehran.

A year later, Badreddine managed to get out of jail in Kuwait and arrived at the Iranian Embassy, while taking advantage of the chaos following the invasion of Kuwait by then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussain.

According to Solomon's investigation, while Mughniyeh senior was in charge of Hezbollah's military and operational activities, Mustafa had been training in Iran: "In 2005, he was 18 years old  the age when one completes basic military training in Hezbollah and is sent to specialize in a certain field. At the same time, Mustafa began joining his father on operational missions, and hence received an informal education.

"Meanwhile, the relationship between Mustafa Mughniyeh's mother, Saadi, and her brother, Mustafa Badreddine was maintained at all times. Proof for that is shown in the findings from the investigation on the assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, the former prime minister of Lebanon, which included documentation of thousands of conversations between the two. The history of their relationship ended up playing an important role after Imad Mughniyeh's assassination."

After the death of Mughniyeh senior, an interesting process began to unfold. As Jihad Mughniyeh, the youngest son, was becoming more publicly known, the oldest son Mustafa continued to stay a mystery, with few mentions in the media.

A few months after the assassination of Mughniyeh senior, it was reported that Mustafa became a father to a son in Beirut who they named Imad after his deceased grandfather.

Four years later, during a broadcast by the Lebanese satellite TV station Al Manar in honor of the anniversary of Mughniyeh's death, Mustafa's son was interviewed wearing a military uniform. Imad junior was accompanied by the parents of Imad Mughniyeh senior, but his father Mustafa was nowhere to be seen.

Interview with Mustafa Mughniyeh's son, Imad ( )

X

Ibrahim Al-Amin, an editor of a Hezbollah journal, said in January that the rest of the family had expected Mustafa, the eldest son, to publicly announce his father Imad's death. However, Mustafa answered that he was not the right man for the task and instead the task fell on young Jihad, who, up until then, was taken less seriously compared to Mustafa.

Meanwhile, Mustafa became the protege son and confidant of his father's successor, his uncle Mustafa Badreddine. Mustafa Mughniyeh is mentioned as having a role in coordinating the movements of Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon, Syria and Iran, and entrusted with their personal security. Furthermore, he is said to provide vehicles for his uncle Badreddine and his personal security.

"As history shows, whoever went up the ladder to participate in secret Hezbollah operations, first held positions related to the personal security of various key members of the organization. It can be presumed that Mustafa's identity has been kept mysterious, as opposed to his brother, to ensure that in the future he will be included in secret missions, such as those carried out by the 910 unit (Hezbollah's unit in charge of overseas attacks), led by his uncle Mustafa Badreddine."

In August 2011, Mustafa's name emerged in connection to a mysterious explosion that took place in a southern suburb of Beirut, known as a Hezbollah stronghold. In the beginning, it was reported that the explosion was intended to target Samir Kuntar - a member of the Palestine Liberation Front, who was convicted of murdering the Israeli Haran family in a terrorist attack in 1979.

Later on, it was believed that it was actually Mustafa Mughniyeh who had been the target of the explosion. The building that was blown up was used by Mughniyeh as an office. The explosion resulted in the death of Mustafa's security guard and another individual was wounded.

During that time, Hezbollah began to believe that a foreign agent had infiltrated their security apparatus and that Mustafa Mughniyeh's name had been leaked along with several other Hezbollah members in a 2011 report on French newspaper Le Figaro. In response to that report, a Facebook page covering Hezbollah's fighting in Syria quoting sources close to the terror organization as admitting for the first time that Mustafa was operating in Hezbollah's ranks against Israel and the rebels in Syria.

It is possible that the foreign agent who had operated against the organization was high-ranking Hezbollah official Mohammad Shorba - who is now known to have worked with the Mossad and CIA during those years.

Saudi media recently reported that Mustafa took over command of Hezbollah's operations in the Golan Heights after the assassination of his younger brother Jihad Mughniyeh in an airstrike in January 2015 attributed to Israel.
Despite announcing they have "settled their differences," political officials said on Monday night there were still tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon.

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Netanyahu summoned Ya'alon for an urgent meeting on Monday morning to rebuke him after the defense minister on Sunday encouraged top military generals to continue speaking their mind in public , even if their comments contradict government sentiments.

The Prime Minister's Office viewed Ya'alon's comments as criticism of Netanyahu and other senior ministers who slammed comments made by IDF deputy chief, Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan, who compared recent trends in Israeli society to the atmosphere in Nazi-era Germany. Netanyahu called Golan's statement, made in a speech marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, "outrageous," while Ya'alon supported the general's right to speak.

Ya'alon and Netanyahu (Photo: Haim Horenstein)

The meeting at the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem began at 9am Monday morning. According to political officials, the tense atmosphere soon eased as the two began to exchange clarifications.

According to these officials, Netanyahu believes that Ya'alon is trying to create the impression that he is the only one among the senior Likud members to defend and support the IDF and is laying down the groundwork to unseat Netanyahu in a future run for the party leadership.

But Ya'alon, who went through the text of his speech with Netanyahu during their meeting, stressed that he was not referring to Golan's comments, but rather to the controversy over Sgt. Elor Azaria, who was charged with manslaughter after shooting dead and already-neutralized terrorist in Hebron. Ya'alon told the prime minister that he was not trying to encourage IDF officers to come out against the political echelon.

And so the two set out to word a joint statement declaring the issue resolved. "Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ya'alon met Monday morning and have settled their differences," the statement said. "There is no objection and there has been no objection that the IDF is subject to the political leadership, and that IDF officers are free to say their opinions in relevant forums."

But political officials said that while this issue has been resolved, the relations between Netanyahu and Ya'alon are far from being good. "This isn't a Sulha (reconciliation ceremonyed.)," the officials said. "This issue has been resolved, but they didn't agree to turn over a new leaf, and the tensions between them remain."

The mistrust between the two sides was evident on Monday when, while the meeting itself had ended at 10am, the arguments over the wording of the joint statement continued until 1pm. During that time, a rumor began to take flight that Netanyahu had fired Ya'alon.
LONDON - Rural police in Britain are warning they'd be "sitting ducks" in a terror attack because there aren't enough trained firearms officers in isolated areas.

A police federation leader, John Apter, says firearms officers could be as far as 70 miles (110 kilometers) away in an emergency. Such areas include potential targets such as power plants and oil installations.

Britain's government has announced that it will train more firearms officers in light of attacks in France and Belgium. But Apter told the BBC that unarmed officers are "saying to me that in a terrorist situation they would be sitting ducks."

Britons are proud of the fundamental principle that police should routinely be unarmed. But the Paris attacks -- in which gunmen fired into crowds -- underscored the challenges police face.
PARIS - French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday an international conference due in late May in Paris to relaunch peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis had been postponed but would take place this summer.

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With US efforts to broker a two-state accord in tatters and Washington focused on its November presidential election, Paris has lobbied countries to hold a conference before then to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault had proposed May 30 for the talks, but US Secretary of State John Kerry is not available on that date, Hollande told Europe 1 radio.

French President Francois Hollande (Photo: AFP)

"John Kerry cannot come on May 30. It's postponed, it will take place, it will take place in the course of the summer," he said in an interview.

"This initiative is necessary because if nothing happens, if there is no strong French initiative, then colonization, attacks, terrorist attacks and several conflicts are going to continue," he added.

Israel objects to the initiative, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressing that the only way to advance a true peace between us and the Palestinians is by means of direct negotiations between us and them, without preconditions," adding that "any other attempt only makes peace more remote and gives the Palestinians an escape hatch to avoid confronting the root of the conflict."

Hamas, meanwhile, said the decision to postpone the summit "is another proof of the failure of Abbas's policies and of the option of reaching a diplomatic agreement."

Hollande also voiced regret about a resolution passed by the United Nations cultural body UNESCO last month that failed to acknowledge Jewish ties to Jerusalem's holiest site and caused anger in Israel,

"There was an unfortunate amendment put forward by the Jordanians ... which blurred this text," Hollande said of the decision which concerns the site known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or the al-Aqsa compound and to Jews as Temple Mount. The resolution only used the Arabic terms for the site.

"I promise to be extremely vigilant when the next resolution is put forward in October," he said. "I will look at it personally. It's not possible to call into question the fact that these holy sites belong to three religions," he added.
BRUSSELS - European Union President Donald Tusk is wading into the British debate on EU membership by deriding ex-London Mayor Boris Johnson for comparing the bloc's aims to those of Adolf Hitler.

Tusk said Tuesday that even though the EU had stayed on the sidelines of the British debate on whether to leave the EU, "when I hear the EU being compared to the plans and projects of Adolf Hitler I cannot remain silent."

Johnson argued over the weekend that the 28-nation bloc is creating a superstate that mirrors the attempt of the Nazi leader to dominate the European continent.

Tusk said in Copenhagen that "such absurd arguments should be completely ignored if they hadn't been formulated by one of the most influential politicians of the ruling party."
Ynet received excerpts of the transcriptions of the seven-member Jewish terror cell from the West Bank indicted last month that shed light on the cell's motives and how they carried out their actions.

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Among the defendants are two minors and a soldier from the settlement of Nahliel in the western Binyamin mountains, whose names are under gag order. The other defendants are: Pinchas Sandorfi, 22, from Nahliel; Itamar Ben Aharon, 20, from Beit Shemesh; Michael Kaplan, 20, from Jerusalem; and Dana Shneur, 28, from Ma'ale Efraim.

The lawyer of four of the defendants claimed that they admitted to acts they didn't commit because of the heavy pressure exerted on them during their interrogation.

The graffiti sprayed on the wall of the home in the village of Beitillu

One of the defendants is a minor who is accused of a number of offenses, the most serious of which is throwing a tear gas grenade at house in the Palestinian village of Beitillu last December. During his interrogation, he said that the grenades had long been in the settlement of Nahliel, and that he knew where they were being kept.

Interrogator: "Have you ever thrown a hand grenade?"

Defendant: "No, I was afraid, but we threw it together into a window of a house in the village of Beitillu. We broke the window with a stone and threw the grenades inside."

Interrogator: "And all this time you didn't know what kind of grenade it was?"

Defendant : "No."

Interrogator: "Did the grenade make noise? Did it explode?

Defendant: "I don't know, we didn't see anything because we ran away."

Interrogator: "Weren't you afraid that they would find your fingerprints on the grenades?"

Defendant: "We didn't think about that."

Interrogator: "Did you graffiti any place?"

Defendant: "Yes, the other minor did."

Interrogator: "Do you remember what you did with the safety pins?"

Defendant: "I don't remember."

Interrogator: "Who threw the first grenade, you or the other minor?"

Defendant: "Together, I believe, we didn't decide on it."

Interrogator: "What did your graffiti say?"

Defendant: "Revenge for the prisoners of Zion."

Burnt Palestinian car due to 'price tag' attack

According to the indictment, the tear gas incident occurred while the suspects in the July 2014 Duma attack were being questioned. The boys from Nahliel sought "to send a message" to Israeli government officials that the arrest of those responsible for the Duma attack would not prevent 'price tag' attacks. Therefore they sought to harm Arabs, and on December 22, they armed themselves with IDF gas grenades, spray paint and gloves. Later came the hill near Nahliel, waited until nightfall, and planned the attack.

According to the indictment, around 1:30am, after they wiped their fingerprints off of the grenades, left their mobile phones behind, covered their faces and put on gloves, the defendants walked to the outskirts of the village of Beitillu and arrived at one of the homes, where a couple and their nine-month-old baby were sleeping.

One of the boys sprayed "Revenge, greetings to the prisoners of Zion" on the wall. The defendants then smashed a nearby window, threw grenades into the house, and ran off. They've done all of this, the prosecution said, while knowing there were people inside the house.

After they threw the grenades, tear gas began to spread throughout the house and the people inside began to tear up and feel suffocation. The couple then took their baby and fled the house.

However, despite the confessions, questions still linger regarding the case, the main one being that neither the grenades nor the safety pins were found at the scene and as a result, the defendants' fingerprints were not found at the scene. In addition, the defendants could've known what was spray-painted on the wall, as it was reported in the media the day after the incident.

One of the charges in the indictment is of setting fire to a Palestinian vehicle and throwing stones at other Palestinian vehicles on the night of the terror attack in which Naama and Eitam Henkin were slain in front of their children.

In his interrogation, another defendant, a relative of the aforementioned minor, talked about the tense atmosphere in the settlement following the attack and the decision to take action: "Everyone who was there talked about the attack. We had a very difficult conversation because Jews were murdered and we were all very distraught. I took the two minors aside and we talked about the possibility of destroying Arab property. In that conversation we decided I would drive the car and an idea was raised to go and throw stones at Arab vehicles and then the idea to go and set a vehicle on fire was also raised.

"I put a hat on my head so I wouldn't be recognized. When I pulled over, the others crossed the street to where a Palestinian car was. They slashed the car's tires, smashed the windows and set it on fire. I had the engine on and the lights off."

The charges against the members of the cell include violence and arms offences against Palestinians and their property in the Samaria region.

Attorney Nechumi Feinblatt, who represents four of the suspects, said that "these are 'confessions' extracted after a week in the dungeon, during which the defendants were learning from the interrogators how the attacks were committed, memorizing the details they were given and trying to please the interrogators and create a 'confession,' all so they could leave the 2x2 meters dungeon, which was sealed without any windows and with a light on 24/7.

"The defendants banged on the dungeon's door and begged to speak with an interrogator just so they could see another human being and breathe different air. During a week, they were interrogated for only two hours, and the defendants considered it a 'reward' to get to talk. Pinchas wanted to speak with another human being so much that he confessed to three other car arsons and throwing stones while giving detailed informationthe interrogators didn't believe him and realized he was making it up just to get time in their company.

"It's lucky that the incidents they 'confessed' to actually happenedthat way the interrogators could believe the 'confession,' which was extracted through mental torture. I'm certain that 80 percent of the public, after a week in a 2x2 dungeon with the light on 24/7, would confess to anything they are familiar with, just to receive perks from the interrogators. In such a situation, a conversation is also a perk."
In an unusual step, a farmer opened his tomato fields to the public so they could pick their own tomatoes for free, highlighting the collapse of the Israeli agriculture sector.

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It turns out that the amount of money he would have made for his crop wouldn't have even covered the cost of packaging and shipping. Thus, instead of destroying his hard work , the farmer decided to invite the public to his farm to pick the tomatoes for themselves.

This sad initiative received thousands of shares and likes on Facebook, and a huge wave of people, including families with their children, went to the farmer's fields equipped with gloves and bags to learn the difference between cynicism and Zionism.

Fields in the north (Photo: Liam Shemesh)

Realizing the power of social media, another farm decided to sell its nectarines directly to the consumer from its farmhouse. They were sick of earning a shekel and a half on every NIS30 of their product sold in supermarkets.

The farm planned on having the door to its farmhouse open to customers until late in the evening. But so many people travelled to the remote grove out of a sense of solidarity with the farmers, that by early afternoon, all that could be found was sign written empty nectarine crates reading "sold out, sorry for the inconvenience."

Farm to table sales began about two years ago on a small scale as an initiative by farmers who were sick of having their livelihoods destroyed by predatory taxes, increases in water and labor costs, and fees for harvesting and transportation. The trend has been gaining momentum recently not only because the farmers have perfected the method through a unified and collective effort, but also because the general public wants to leave its immediate surroundings and travel to these farms to buy direct.

This willingness has even led to farmers markets in various city centers, thus skipping over the long lines of greedy middlemen and coupon cutters.

While the dominant business model was "high stocks, low cost", the cost of the" high stocks" of fruits and vegetables has lead to their destruction in Israel. On the other hand, today, everyone has access to social media. Instead of fighting with distorted calculations, political lobbyists, and outrageous taxes, the farmers are using Facebook, and creating quite a stir within the world of Israeli agriculture.

Wheat farmer in the Negev (Photo: Tom Bartov)

Consumers receive direct messages, share information with friends, and tell each other about where and when the next farmers market or "open field" will be to go buy and pick fresh produce.

While people won't be joining the "tomato protest" in the streets anytime soon, there's hope that it'll bring more consumer awareness. This week, during one of my rare sojourns onto my near empty Facebook page, I came across an add by a farmer from the Mt. Gilboa area in the north of Israel. He was calling on the public to come and buy peaches at an almost laughable price. In the next few days, I plan on packing my kids up in the car and going out to pick some of those colorful, sweet fruits.

At the end of the day, I'll end up paying the same as I would had I went to my neighborhood supermarket. If I include the price of gas, it might come out being a bit more. Yet, I'm happy to pay it all the same. Not because my family loves peaches, but because we love the fact that there are people who are willing to do whatever it takes to maintain their livelihoods when all the odds are stacked against them.
Meir Ettinger, formerly the Shin Bet's most wanted Jewish suspect, will be released from administrative detention in two weeks time

Ettinger has been in administrative detention for 10 months, and was arrested following a Shin Bet Jewish Division investigation implicating him of being the driving force behind the Hilltop Youth Movement which carries out price tag attacks on a regular basis.

Ettinger is suspected of being the head of a cell which carried out a series of violent attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared his support on Tuesday for the French initiative to hold a Mideast peace conference later this year.

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He called on Israel and the Palestinians to seize what he described as a "realistic" and "great" opportunity to reach a peaceful settlement to their decades-old conflict.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

The Egyptian president stated further that the Israelis and Palestinians need look no farther than the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty to see the positive outcome of peacemaking.

Al-Sisi said the amount of animosity between Egypt and Israel that had existed prior to the conclusion of the landmark accord was no different from how the Palestinians and Israelis feel now. He also affirmed that Egypt is prepared to "make every effort" to contribute to an Israeli-Palestinian settlement and promised Israel warmer ties if it accpets efforts to resume peace talks with the Palestinians.

"If we are able to solve the issue of our Palestinian brothers it will achieve warmer peace ... I ask that the Israeli leadership allow this speech to be broadcast in Israeli one or two times as this is a genuine opportunity," Sisi said.

Al-Sisi also called on the Palestinian leadership to reach a reconciliation agreement. "I say to our Palestinian brothers, you must unite the different factions in order to achieve reconciliation and quickly. We as Egypt are prepared to take on this role. It is a real opportunity to find a long-awaited solution."

Shortly after al-Sisi's speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement, welcoming al-Sisi's remarks. Netanyahu said, "I welcome Egyptian President El-Sisi's remarks and his willingness to make every effort to advance a future of peace and security between us and the Palestinians and the peoples of the region. Israel is ready to participate with Egypt and other Arab states in advancing both the diplomatic process and stability in the region. I appreciate President El-Sisi's work and also draw encouragement from his leadership on this important issue."

Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog also welcomed al-Sisi's speech. He said, "I applaud the Egyptian Presidents announcement. It was a dramatic announcement that reflects a possibility for a historic process, where the moderate Arab world expects Israel to courageously, strongly and soberly and extend its hand."

Itamar Eichner contributed to this report.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas commented on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's statement in support of peace efforts among Israel and the Palestinian Authority Tuesday.

Abbas stated that he is thankful for al-Sisi's readiness to make an effort to achieve peace and establish a Palestinian state, according to international resolutions and the Arab peace initiative. He also mentioned the importance Egypt has in terms of helping to bring about reconciliation among the Palestinians themselves.

Hamas, which controls Gaza, stated that it supports al-Sisi's words regarding inner-Palestinian reconciliation. It ignored the Egyptian President's statements regarding Israel.
"Sour" would be the best description of the atmosphere in the Prime Minister's Residence on Monday morning, as PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon met . Even before the Ya'alon stepped into the house in order to explain himself and allow Netanyahu to show leadership, the PM's people understood that their attack against the Defense Minister had fizzled out. They shot too early, and missed.

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This sourness took hold in the PM's office when they finally bothered to read the speech Ya'alon gave on Sunday in an Independence Day event  and suddenly it turned out that the sneaky DM had pulled the rug out from under their feet. He didnt mention Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Yair Golan's name, and didn't speak of IDF officers' freedom of speech, but only used the old cliches common in these circumstances. He spoke generally of the honesty and integrity expected of IDF officers, as well as the openness they should display in their internal dealings. A dull, grey performance.

The text of Ya'alon's speech was given to journalists in advance, and they are the ones who created the feeling that he was about to say something dramatic, perhaps aimed at the PM. Netanyahu's office fell for it, and published a response before Ya'alon was even done. It was an embarrassing misfire that only strengthened Ya'alon's Image as a principled man fighting for important values  unlike his superior.

Netnayahu and Ya'alon. An ongoing tension. (Photo: Haim Hornstein)

Netanyahu's hasty move was an expression of anger and hostility that has accumulated in his office towards Ya'alon in the past few weeks, and not just because of principled issues that have to do with the IDF's rules of engagement. Netanyahu's PR gun fired that errant shot because it's been loaded since the eve of the Israeli Holocaust Memorial day earlier in May.

Major General Yair Golan shared his historical views with the nation, and Ya'alon expressed his support for the Deputy IDF Chief of Staff, right after the PM's Office forced him to publish a clarification to Golan's message. Netanyahu's people planned on attacking Ya'alon hard for this transgression, but postponed their effort  probably due to optics concerns. After all, it doesnt look good if you attack both a Defense Minister and an IDF Major General between two memorial days (Israel's Holocaust Memorial Day and Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of hostilities happen a week apart. -ed). On Independence Day, the IDF General Staff declared the Maj. Gen. Golan crisis over. And then a new one pops up the following Sunday.

So far, it's been another round in an unsophisticated game of chess: Golan said something, Netanyahu condemned it, Ya'alon backed Golan and the result was a rough tie. As long as Netanyahu can't expand his coalition government he can't get rid of Ya'alon, and as long as Ya'alon doesn't leave the Likud party he can't rid himself of Netanyahu either  and that's before we even mention the State Comptroller's report on Operation Protective Edge , which will likely credit both of them with decisions  good and bad  made by the government.

Thet's why the tempered, somewhat laughable statement released Monday, after the two had met, should be seen as nothing more than another smoke screen: The real story of the Maj. Gen. Golan affair is hidden between the lines.

Supposedly, it all started when Maj. Gen. Golan said that there are some phenomena in Israeli society today which remind him of nationalistic and anti-democratic movements in 1930s and 1940s Europe. He didn't mean the Holocaust, and certainly didn't meant to aim this criticism at the IDF  but the attempt he made at being sophisticated with his pronouncements drew fire and encouraged far-reaching interpretations.

No one in the IDF was surprised: Golan reached his lofty position due to his skills as a commander, not his abilities as a public speaker or his views on the place modern Israel occupies in history. Each of the roles he occupied saw him hold wide-ranging opinions about what was happening around the globe, but only this year did he express some sentiments that diverge from his usual dealings  such as his views on Israeli-Turkish relations

Minister Ya'alon came to Golan's defense not because he agrees with the General's statements, but since the attacks on Golan are another installment in a series of offensives aimed at the senior command of the IDF  mostly by the right-wing settlers, who happen to also be the basis for Prime Minister Netanyahu's grasp of power. Ya'alon could have stayed silent and let the affair die down after the IDF Spokesperson issued a statement, but he didn't, because it's in his DNA: He was, and has remained, a military man. From his first moments as defense minister, he's taken positions in support of the military, in a fashion that's almost automatic.

Ya'alon is a very inflexible political figure, and that's putting it mildly. As head of the IDF's Military Intelligence Directorate (MID, known in Hebrew as Agaf Modi'in, or Aman for short. -ed), he came to the conclusion that (former PA President) Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians are deceitful and have no intentions of reaching a real peace agreement, and ever since then it's been a steel wall for him. As far as he's concerned, Arafat and current PA President Mahmoud Abbas may as well be the same person.

Ya'alon's break with a certain faction of the settler movement  which is led by Education Minister Naftali Bennett, among others  came about during the time of the Dreinoff buildings demolition affair , which involved a legal dispute over the legality of a number of structures in the West Bank settlement of Beit El (the High Court of Justice ordered the eviction of the structures, leading to protests by settlers). Ya'alon discovered then that there are people among the general settler public who will cheat, break the law, and disgrace the IDF if it meant their ideological goals were met.

Major General Yair Golan. The controversy he awakened was just a single case in the Netanyahu-Ya'alon saga. (Photo: Yair Sagi)

Ever since then  another steel wall has been standing inside his mind. Whenever that group attacks IDF officers, that's war for Ya'alon. That's what happened after the Hebron shooting and that's also what happened with Maj. Gen. Golan. As far as he's concerned, it's a danger to democracy itself.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu decided to make his dissatisfaction with Ya'alon public. The reasons are political: The PM's right-wing opponents, MK Avigdor Liberman and Minister Naftali Bennett, are attacking him, and this is an opportunity to signal to the voting public that he's not thrilled with the Defense Minister's actions. But this is only part of the whole story.

Netanyahu's associates have told him that Ya'alon has said, in private conversations, that he sees himself as an eventual replacement for Netanyahu, and that he believes himself to be the only one who could bring more centrist-leaning voters to the Likud. As far as Netanyahu is concerned, this is undermining behavior, and it doesn't matter if Ya'alon  who was summoned to the PM's Residence for this reason as well  denies these statements absolutely.

Netanyahu's paranoia regarding his ministers is a central motif in his political life; the Maj. Gen. Golan affair may have subsided, but the PM's next eruption towards Ya'alon is no doubt already on its way.
The Yemeni government on Tuesday suspended its participation in UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait and said it would only return if its opponents, the Houthis, committed to withdraw from cities they have seized since 2014 and hand over weapons.

A wide gap still separates the Iran-allied Houthis and the Western-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after nearly a month of peace talks in Kuwait intended to end a year of war that has killed more than 6,200 people, half of them civilians.

to push the group back. But the coalition still appears far from forcing the Houthis out of Sanaa.
Unique mission targets Parris Island pests

Lt. Col. Don Teig, a medical entomologist assigned to the 757th Airlift Squadron, discusses the upcoming aerial spray mission with Bill Tate, the Marine Corps Recruit Depots Deputy G-4 here, April 5, 2016. The aerial spray flight from Youngstown Air Reserve Station's 910th Airlift Wing came to spray noseeums, small blood-sucking gnats, which are a major nuisance in the area. The mission is a nighttime aerial spray which has been found to be the most effective way to target the noseeums. Last years missions showed a control rate between 90 and 100 percent; 80 percent is considered successful mission. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Tech. Sgt. Rick Lisum)
For the first time, two brothers who served in the Vietnam War talked about their service and being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) to Civil Air Patrol cadets with the Youngstown Air Reserve Station Composite Squadron, April 18 here.

Robert (Bob) and Allan Parkhurst grew up in Vienna, Ohio. Bob was attending Youngstown State University in the early 1960s when money got tight. He heard about a program where he could join the military and learn to fly. Bob looked into the program and thought it would be a great opportunity. He was commissioned in the Air Force and became a navigator on the C-123 Provider cargo aircraft.

As first lieutenant and captain, Bob Parkhurst served two tours in Vietnam. The first was in 1963 when he spent six months on embassy runs and troop and supply drops. He returned for a one-year tour in 1965.

The first time I was in Vietnam wasnt too bad, the former navigator said. In 1965, that is when things got more hostile.

As the navigator, his job was to get the aircraft into position and give the green light to the loadmaster to push out the load. Due to small drop zones the crews would often have to make several passes to drop their entire load. The aircraft would work with forward air controllers on the ground to ensure it was safe to come around again and to avoid taking too much ground fire.

After the first drop the loadmaster would readjust the load, push the remaining cargo to the back and we would come around again, said Bob Parkhurst. On one mission the forward air controller must have swapped out between runs, and the message wasnt passed on that we were coming in for a second time. We almost got in the way of a bomb run. That was a scary moment, but we dropped our load and got out of there safely.

Allan Parkhurst took a different path but still followed his older brother to serve in Vietnam. He became an Army warrant officer and flew UH-1 Huey helicopters for aeromedical evacuation, or DUSTOFF, missions. DUSTOFF stands for Dedicated Unhesitating Service to Our Fighting Forces.

Allan Parkhurst was in Vietnam in 1967 and was a DUSTOFF pilot assigned to the 45th Medical Company (Air Ambulance). When he got in country he was assigned to fly with a more experienced pilot who helped him learn as much as possible about flying helicopters in Vietnam.

I developed my own way of flying from watching others, said the younger Parkhurst. You didnt make mistakes there and survive.

A crew of four flew on the Huey: Pilot, co-pilot, medic and crew chief. A helicopter crew could be airborne in two minutes when called upon. According to a website dedicated to DUSTOFF crews, more than 900,000 soldiers survived their injuries due to DUSTOFF crews. The average time between a soldier being wounded and reaching the operating table was one hour, and 97 percent survived.

On Dec. 2, 1967, the mission for which Allan Parkhurst was awarded the DFC, the crew had to extract a seriously wounded patient from an area with hostile fire. According to the award citation: Immediate evacuation was needed for one critically wounded soldier from an insecure area. The density of the trees necessitated extraction by hoist. Warrant Officer Parkhurst carefully considered the dangers involved for his aircraft and crew, the serious condition of the injured soldier, and the grave tactical situation of the ground troops.

I had to hover the helicopter to get the injured soldier out by hoist, said Allan Parkhurst. There was nowhere safe to set it down.

The citation continues: He made the approach to the area and turned the tail of the aircraft toward the direction of the heaviest fire. Displaying outstanding pilot proficiency he lowered the helicopter into the tall trees. Despite intense enemy fire and gusting winds which made control of the aircraft extremely difficult, he held the aircraft at a steady hover while the patient was being loaded.

The former warrant officer said the blades of the helicopter nearly touched the trees as they extracted the patient. Once they got the critically wounded soldier out, the rest of the soldiers on the ground were able to get to safety and were extracted from the area.

Bob Parkhurst was awarded the DFC for missions on Oct. 24 and 25, 1965. His citation reads: On these dates, Lieutenant Parkhurst was engaged in airdrop missions over the joint Army Special Forces/Army of the Republic of Vietnam security hamlet of Plei Me, then so heavily besieged by hostile forces that they supported what later proved to be among the three largest Special Forces battles of 1965. In five dangerously vulnerable unarmed low altitude passes, Lieutenant Parkhurst and the rest of the crew delivered 22,000 pounds of critically needed supplies to a hard-pressed camp under heavy attack.

I personally didnt feel I deserved it (the DFC), said Bob Parkhurst. I was just doing my job. I volunteered twice to go, and I honestly enjoyed it, but I refused a third tour.

He didnt want to push his luck.

Both gentlemen were also awarded Air Medals for their service. According to Allan Parkhurst, crews were awarded an Air Medal for every 25 hours of combat flight, for every 50 hours of support and for every 100 hours of non-combat flight.

Allan Parkhurst was awarded 19 Air Medals and Bob Parkhurst was awarded 11.

The older brother said training was a big part of confidence and trust.

You needed to be mentally prepared that you may or may not make it back, said Bob Parkhurst. If you had time to plan, you planned, but there wasnt always time to evaluate a situation, and you needed to trust your crew.

The way to survive was to all work together, to know your job and to do it, added Allan Parkhurst.

The CAP cadets were asked to fill in a questionnaire on the value of teamwork as they listened to the two veterans being interviewed by CAP Lt. Dave Luther, volunteer chaplain for the composite squadron. One of the questions asked how teamwork helps in extremely intense moments.

Each member of the team does something vital to the success of the team, said CAP Cadet Tech. Sgt. Tanner Mackall.

The brothers share being DFC recipients with many famous people to include Clark Gable, Amelia Earhart, Chuck Yeager, Buzz Aldrin, George H.W. Bush, Charles, Lindbergh, Norman Schwarzkopf, Gus Grissom and Douglas MacArthur.

Bob and Allan are heroes among us, said Luther, who arranged the CAP event after a chance meeting with the Parkhurst brothers at a Warren hot dog restaurant. Men of their caliber and character need to be put in front of our cadets as role models.

Both men stated that if they could go back and do it again, they would.
Expert Advice with George Raptis 12/05/2016

Along my journey, Ive heard all sorts of reasons why people just cant invest.

The most common ones are:

I dont have enough money to buy property

The market is too unreliable for property to be a safe investment

It takes several years to see any results

I dont know anything about buying property or having tenants

Im going to stick with my superannuation rather than risk my future on property.

In reality, property investors are often regular, everyday Australians.

If youve been considering investing in property but you havent yet made a move, you may find the following points familiar.

Yet for every excuse of not getting started in property theres a valid counter-argument, so Im sorry to say Im about to take the wind out of the sails of some of your excuses!

So lets look a little closer at 5 common reasons people are wary of real estate investment.

1. I dont have enough money to buy property

Are you sure?

Have you ever consulted with a mortgage broker to see what your current borrowing power is?

Many people think that you need to have a sizeable deposit sitting in your account, but thats not necessarily true. Theres the possibility of using the equity in your own home, or borrowing a higher percentage of the propertys value.

It might mean exploring lower-priced properties, but a small apartment in a high growth suburb is a better first investment than nothing at all.

2. The market is too unreliable for property to be a safe investment

Its true that property markets can be unpredictable, but owning the right type of property in the right location and having a financial buffer in place is likely to help you make it through the ups and downs of the property cycle.

Remember that some properties represent a far better investment opportunity than others. In fact, in my mind only around 1% of properties currently on the market are investment grade.

3. It takes several years to see any results

Only a very lucky few find their fortune overnight. Gaining real, long-term wealth involves a number of years; this is true regardless of what asset class you invest in.

While your first several years as a property investor may not seem to be very productive, using the power of leverage, compounding and time will help you to achieve your goals, whereas time out of the market fails to get you anywhere.

4. I dont know anything about buying property or having tenants

This may be the case  but you dont need to know about these things in the beginning.

Start reading, do some research, find a mentor, speak to a finance broker and get a proficient property independent property strategist on your side.

Youll soon see that there is a formula of sorts with investing in real estate that doesnt require you to have any previous experience, as long as you have a good team to advise you along the way and you are willing to learn.

5. Im going to stick with my superannuation rather than risk my future on property

Putting all your retirement eggs in one basket is a big risk in itself. Dont assume that 40 years in the workforce will allow you to accrue enough super to last you a couple more decades, without other sources of income. The sad fact is that Australian retirees are increasingly learning this the hard way. Its up to you to take other steps to ensure youre not just scraping by when youre out of the workforce.

How can you move past these excuses and take action as an investor?

None of those excuses hold any water if these three essential steps are implemented:

1. RESEARCH:

Find a team of experts to work with, such as a property strategist, a finance broker and a good accountant.

Leverage the knowledge and experience of others when you dont have any of your own.

Do your own research too, through books, investment property mentors and any literature you can get your hands on. When youre ready to purchase, it becomes a matter of researching market trends, locations and supply and demand of housing to find a sound property within your budget. This is where your property strategist and buyers agent really shines.

2. CALCULATING:

If youve got a nifty deposit saved and ready to go to snap up your first property, thats great, but dont lose faith if thats not your current situation.

Explore your options with your expert team to see how you can get onto the first step of the property ladder. Remember to keep a decent buffer in your loan or offset account to cover unexpected expenses or shifts in the market.

3. PLANNING:

An investment plan is essential for anyone embarking on a real estate investment venture. Your plan should incorporate the amount of money you need to retire comfortably on, and how many properties you need to purchase to reach that figure.

With all of your research, your expert team, and the calculations youve made based on your current finances and borrowing power, youve got the knowledge to plan your long-term property investment strategy and get started.

So what is your next move going to be?

Are you going to fall back into the comfort of making more excuses why not  or take action towards making your wealth creation goals come true?

...............................................

George Raptis is Director of Metropole Property Strategists in Sydney. He shares his 27 years of experience in the property industry as a licensed estate agent and active property investor to help create wealth for his clients.

He is a regular commentator for Michael Yardney's Property Update.

Read more Expert Advice from George here!

Disclaimer: while due care is taken, the viewpoints expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Your Investment Property.
According to analysis of apartment projects currently underway or approved for construction by CoreLogic RP Data, Australias capital cities are expected to see a record 231,129 new apartments come on line in the next 24 months.

CoreLogic research analyst Cameron Kusher said the influx of new apartments could have a serious impact on the market given that it exceeds historical demand levels.

Looking at the expected new unit supply, Sydney and Melbourne predictably have the greatest increases in stock over the next two years. If you compare the volume of stock expected to settle over the next 12 and 24 months to the average number of unit sales annually over the past five years, you can see a big disconnect, particularly in the four largest capital cities, Kusher said.

The historic sales figures include sales of both existing and new units keeping in mind that new stock, usually accounts for a smaller slice of total sales than resales of existing stock. The large volume of new stock, coupled with an ever-growing supply of existing stock which resells means that historic high levels of unit settlements are due to occur over the next two years in most cities, he said.

Over the past five years Australia has averaged 108,144 unit sales, a figure that includes both new and existing stock.

The past 12 months saw 96,195 new and existing apartments sold, while the 92,102 new apartments alone are due to be settled over the next year.

Source: CoreLogic RP Data

Kusher said the disconnect between supply and demand could pose real risks for the apartment market, especially for investors and those who have bought off the plan.

Mortgage lenders have recently tightened their lending criteria and subsequently some people who have committed to purchasing off-the-plan units may not be able to borrow as much as they could at the time of signing the contract, he said.

Units are much more likely to be owned by investors. Not only have lenders recently tightened mortgage criteria, they have also increased mortgage rates for investors.

Many of the units are coming up for settlement in similar locations and will compete with existing unit stock. With so much stock coming on-line at once there is an increasing concern as to whether settlement valuations will actually meet the contract price of these units.

Moves by Australian lenders to cut off finance to foreign borrowers could also have a serious impact, given off the plan apartment purchases are popular with overseas investors due to foreign ownership laws.

According to Kusher, Brisbane and Melbourne are the two cities most at risk with it even unlikely two more years of peak demand could absorb the number of new apartments due for in the cities.

The level of risk in Sydney may be mitigated due to the location of many developments in the city.

If we compare the capital cities, it becomes evident that most of the stock in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth is located in inner-city (within 10km radius of the city). Taking a look at Sydney, the new unit supply is more geographically diverse, Kusher said.

Yes, there are a lot of new units in inner city areas but there are also plenty in outer areas like Parramatta, Strathfield, Auburn and Kogarah-Rockdale. In some respects this spreads some of the risk around the city rather than other cities where new supply is much more centralised, he said.
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My sole motivation behind letting myself into that abominable prison house called school was the little white stick that my mother allowed me to grab and lick after the classes were over. I used to look with wishful eyes the attractive white box of ice cream walla who also had other varieties-the red tangy one that came in twenty five paisa, the slightly yellow one that came in fifty paisa and the expensive white creamy one that came in full one rupee. My mother had warned me against eating the orange one as she said it contained worms that came out if you sprinkled salt on it! So my childhood remained deprived of that one single taste that so often contented the appetite of my not-so-affluent friends. <BR><BR> When I went to college I read about globalisation, about the invasion of markets by foreign goods and of absolute wiping out of the local economy by organized production houses. But I could not understand these things till one day while crossing from near my school my eyes failed to spot that old ice cream walla whose presence had become such an inseparable part of the entire set up. It came as a rude shock to me that his place was now taken by three four colourful wheeled vans endorsing attractive logos and pictures of branded ice cream. <BR><BR> That changes are always for better or worse is like putting an emotion into plain black and white. I may have in my own personal way some attachment with the white stick ice cream or with the more expensive soapy, frothy softie of my school days but the accessibility, taste and variety that the present day ice cream industry is offering is no doubt incomparable. <BR><BR> Who would have thought barely a decade ago of eating ice creams made of real fresh fruits- a la Gelato Vittorio or a cool creamy liquid fried in hot boiling oil or what is called today the fried ice cream. <BR><BR> In India the ice cream industry took sometimes to catch the global cue because the country has an indigenous rich and well developed dessert market. What ice cream would stand in competition against Indian sweets? But no you cant say so just because you are born in the land of Kulfi. You will have the authority only when you taste Baked Alaska (an ice-cream sponge cake dish topped with meringue), Arctic roll (British dessert made of vanilla and flour), Adzuki (Japanese red bean ice cream) and Dondruma( a Turkish ice made of salep and mastic resin). <BR><BR> We Indians who generally go gaga over a handful of varieties that Baskin Robbins offers are unaware of the fact that the company actually makes 1000 flavours! What we get in India generally as branded ice cream is nothing but milk and corn flour seasoned with a few chemicals and packed in attractive cones, cups and cornettos. Our knowledge of Ice cream is so poor that we do not even know what cornetto is! Most of us think it is the name of an ice cream that Kwality offers. Update your dictionary- it is actually the registered name of an improved variety of waffle cone that does not become soggy and that was invented and patented by an Italian firm called Spica in 1960! <BR><BR> The world offers so much in shape of that delicate, cool, tender delight called ice cream that I being a lover of it feel choked with emotion at my own minisculeness and misfortune of not having tasted even a fraction of that tremendous, rich and inexhaustible treasure. What is thy life O mortal, my heart cries out, if thou hast not known the glories of the Australian Giant Sandwich Monster, the Manoco Bar, the Irish Scottish Sliders, the Argentine Helado, the Greek Kimaki and the Japanese Macha! <BR><BR> Sometimes I wonder whether there is an intricate connection between the survival of a race and its appetite for ice cream! Otherwise why would the Greeks, the Romans, the Chinese and the Persians survive the ravages of time and the Glorious Harappan civilization fade into oblivion? And let us be pragmatic and not blame some harmless ecology or innocent river for their decline. The reason I am sure was hidden in their food habits-they having failed to secure the divine blessings of the Gods. Yes, thats precisely what the ancient Greeks called ice cream! Imagine what foodies they must have been that nearly 4000 years ago they got for themselves ice houses constructed at the banks of Euphrates and as early as 5th century BC they began its marketing by selling ice cones mixed with fruit and honey. A honey flavoured cornetto.! <BR><BR> Roman emperor Nero (62 AD) was fond of fruit ice cream and hence sent his servants to fetch ice from mountains! The Falooda that we eat today is actually a Persian dish Faloodeh made from starch and has its origin around 400BC. The Chinese who claim to be the pioneers in almost everything -be it the first currency notes, the first stint with silk or the first to flood the markets of neighbours with cheap plastic goods-were not far behind in making ice cream too. They are credited to have invented a device that made quick ice using salt peter (no, it was not imported from Bihar, China had enough of it). <BR><BR> The unfortunate Charles I whom the world knows as an autocrat, a despot, a tyrant, an enemy of democracy and parliament was also a lover of ice cream! It is said that he made his chef keep the formula a secret so that it remained a royal prerogative. <BR><BR> Our great Mughals, we should not forget were the die hard lovers of food and all that is rich and luxurious in the modern Indian cuisine has a Mughal origin. So they too loved ice cream and they too enjoyed it in royal feasts and ceremonies. When they could get choicest fruits from Farghana and Samarquand and the best wines from Persia, why couldnt they send relays of horsemen to bring ice from Hindukush for their aromatic fruit sherbets? <BR><BR> But were sending horsemen to run and fetch ice or storing ice in underground icehouses near rivers, the only way of making ice creams in those days? Sadly, yes. And thats why the common man remained deprived of and unknown to its delectable taste. But lets thank Nancy Johnson of Philadelphia who first got the patent for a small hand run ice cream freezer. Gradually with the coming of electricity there also came a revolution in ice cream making. Thereafter Giant corporates like Howard Johnson, Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins, Gelato Vittorio, Ben and Jerrys, Haagen Dazs and Carvel changed the concept of ice cream in the world. Soft serves, Sundaes and super premiums began to be offered by shops next door. <BR><BR> Thanks to globalisation, the world has really become a small place to live in. Today I can access any ice cream from the world over in my local confectionary shop. but among the confused tastes of multitudinous flavours I some how always try to find that one singular taste of the white stick ice-cream which trickled through my fingers and ran into my nursery uniformspoiling it but leaving an imprint on my memory which has failed to faint in all these years.
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Cooperative Bank (APCOB) chairman and former minister P Venkateswara Rao was injured while his wife and driver were killed when their car overturned on the outskirts of Hyderabad early on Tuesday, police said.

The accident occurred on Outer Ring Road near Tukkuguda within Pahadi Shareef police station's limits.

Venkateswara Rao and his wife were returning to Hyderabad from Vijayawada when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it turned turtle.

Police suspect that one of the rear wheels came off when the car was apparently running at a high speed. The vehicle hit the roadside railing and dragged on for over 60 yards.

Rao's wife Satyavani and driver Dasu were killed on the spot. The minister was taken to a nearby hospital and later shifted to a corporate hospital in the city.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock over the death of Rao's wife. He enquired about the condition of Rao, a leader of ruling Telugu Desam Party.
Patna: Manorama Devi, a Janata Dal-United (JD-U) legislator and mother of Rocky Yadav, who is accused of murdering a businessman's teenaged son, Tuesday, surrendered before acourt in Gaya for allegedly violating liquor prohibition law.

The court sent her to 14-day judicial custody.

Speaking to the media, DEvi said, "I am being falsely implicated under political conspiracy, BJP is behind all this."

She completely dismissed the reports that liquor bottles were found from her house.

Devi had filed an anticipatory bail in the court on May 13 after an arrest warrant was issued against her over liquor prohibition. The court will hear the anticipatory bail plea on May 19.

The Gaya Police had last week sealed the house of the suspended JD (U) legislator, who is said to be on the run after an arrest warrant was issued against her under the new state excise law.

Devi's son Rakesh Ranjan Yadav, alias Rocky, and her husband Bindi Yadav are already in jail over the killing of Aditya Sachdeva, a businessman's son, in a case of road rage last week.

With Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asserting that no guilty will be spared, police promised to file a charge sheet within a month.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Sunil Kumar said: "Police have been working to complete investigations in the case within three weeks. The charge sheet will be filed within a month to ensure speedy trial."
Gaya: Suspended Janata Dal (United) MLC Manorama Devi, who is accused of violating liquor prohibition law, was sent to 14 days judicial custody after she surrendered before the Gaya district court on Tuesday.

The absconding JD(U) lawmaker surrendered days after an arrest warrant was issued against her by the Bihar Government for defying liquor prohibition.

However, before being sent to judicial custody, she alleged political conspiracy by the BJP to falsely implicate her in the case.

I am being falsely implicated under political conspiracy, BJP is doing that, suspended JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi told reporters.

The information is false, no liquor bottles were found in my house: the JD(U) lawmaker said.

A court in Gaya would hear the anticipatory bail plea of Manorama Devi on May 19.

Devi filed an anticipatory bail in the court on May 13 after an arrest warrant was issued against her.

The Gaya Police had last week sealed the house of the suspended JD (U) MLC.

Devi's son Rakesh Ranjan Yadav alias Rocky and her husband Bindi Yadav are already in jail over the killing of Aditya Sachdeva, a businessman's son, in a case of road rage last week.
Raipur: A CRPF jawan was killed after Naxals attacked a force camp in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh early Tuesday.

Officials said the incident occurred at about 3:00 am when a Maoist squad mounted sniper fire on a Central Reserve Police Force camp in the jungles of Rangareddy in Gangloor area of the district.

In the ensuing gunbattle, Constable Satish Gaur (28) who was on sentry duty sustained bullet injuries and later succumbed, they said.

Gaur hailed from Andhra Pradesh and belonged to the 85th battalion of the paramilitary deployed in the area for anti-Naxal operations.

None of the other troops present in the camp were harmed, officials said.

The Maoist firing lasted few minutes after which they fled into the forests, officials said, adding that a search operation has been launched in the area by security forces.
New Delhi: Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday flagged off the trial run of a driverless Metro train here.

The trial run started at the Mukundpur depot of Delhi Metro and ended at Majalis Park station on the Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar corridor of phase 3.

The new train will undergo rigorous trials to ensure these are ready for smooth operations after the commissioning of the new corridors.

"Initially, train operators will run them for around a year before completely switching to unmanned train operations," a statement from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said.

Later, Naidu and Kejriwal stressed the need to improve public transport system to reduce air pollution in Delhi.

"Air pollution cannot be reduced till the time people switch to public transport and that will happen only when we have an efficient system in place," Kejriwal said.

Naidu said the Delhi government's odd-even traffic scheme was a temporary measure to reduce air pollution.

"We need a strong and vibrant public transport system to make people leave their cars. The Delhi Metro has helped a great deal in this direction and the upcoming phase will see more people opting for Metro for commuting," the union minister said.

The driverless train is manufactured at Changwon in South Korea. It arrived in India at the Mundra port in Gujarat and was brought by road to Delhi on specially-made trailers.
New Delhi: A law officer with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) who was killed on Monday night by unknown assailants was likely shot dead due to "professional motives" over a hotel licence, police said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Moin Khan, 58, a deputy law officer with the NDMC, was murdered in South Delhi's Jamia Nagar area by two unidentified motorcycle borne assailants who intercepted him on the pretext of asking an address. He was shot point blank in the chest.

A senior police officer connected with the case told IANS: "There is no angle of personal enmity behind his murder. He was killed because of tracking a hotel case which he was handling for the NDMC."

Police said the CCTV footage shows a motorcycle with two persons but they are yet to investigate whether they were the attackers or not.

"We have collected the last three days CCTV footage of the area," he added.

Khan's neighbour, Saquib Siddiqui, who lives just 50 metres away, told IANS that some strangers had been enquiring about Khan's residence for the last few days.

"They would ask for his address by his house number, D-13, showing a marriage card," he added.

Siddiqui said, "On a number of occasions, Khan told us that he was under immense pressure from his seniors regarding a case of a hotel in the NDMC area that required his clearance, which he refused to give. He was also offered Rs.3 crore to settle the issue."

"However, Khan didn't reveal the name of the hotel to us, but he said that he might be murdered any day," Siddiqui added.

"Police has taken the CCTV footage of the area. Most of the strangers while asking for his address were not wearing helmets," he added.

A case of murder has been registered at the Jamia Nagar police station against unidentified persons and probe is on. No arrest has been made yet.

Khan is survived by his wife and three daughters.
New Delhi: Studies have linked air pollution to significant decrease in life expectancy. Now a new study by Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) reveals that inhaling minute airborne pollutants reduces the life expectancy of Indians by an average of 3.4 years.

As per a report from Hindustan Times, the study shows that Delhiites are witnessing a decrease in their lifespan by 6.3 years - the highest among all states.

The study found PM2.5 exposure has claimed 5.7 lakh Indians every year, while 31,000 people died owing to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) caused by inhaling ground-level ozone (O3). This was based on the new population census 2011.

The drop in life expectancy is a point of concern as future increase in PM2.5 (particulate matter of less than 2.5 microns that can inhaled into the respiratory system) concentration may worsen the situation, said the study.

Rapid expansion of industrial, urban, and traffic emissions has significantly increased the air pollution, especially over the past two decades, Sachin Ghude, principal investigator, IITM, was quoted as saying.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has in its latest report released last week ranked Delhi as the 11th most polluted city in the world, based on average annual PM 2.5 readings of 3,000 cities in 100 countries.

Upward trends in transportation, industrial and energy sectors, urbanization, population growth in India, along with climate change, will raise the levels of O3 and PM2.5 in the future, which could worsen the vulnerability of a growing population, he added.

Besides Delhi, the study also shows that air pollution is cutting the lives of those living in polluted states of West Bengal and Bihar by 6.1 years and 5.7 years respectively.

As per a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), about 78% of the total 141 cities in India exceed the PM2.5 standard, with 90 cities having critical levels, and 26 reaching the most critical levels, thereby exceeding the PM standard by over 3 times.

The northern state of Uttar Pradesh had the highest premature mortalities in India owing to PM2.5 exposure at 15%, followed by Maharashtra (10%), West Bengal (9%) and Bihar (8%). Similarly, ozone-related mortalities owing to COPD was maximum in UP (18%), followed by Bihar (11%), West Bengal (9.5%), and Maharashtra (7%) and Andhra Pradesh (7%), adds the report.

The study conducted by the IITM and Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA has been published in Geophysical Research Letters.
Indore/Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Tuesday refuted media reports which suggested that BJP is mulling to remove her and bring in another party leader at the helm of affairs in the state.

"Nothing like that is on," Anandiben told reporters at Indore in Madhya Pradesh where she had gone to participate in the ongoing Simhastha Kumbh at Ujjain and meet spiritual guru Bhaiyu Maharaj.

She blamed media for linking her and state Health Minister Nitin Patel's visit to Delhi, suggesting that a change of leadership in Gujarat was imminent.

The Gujarat CM arrived at Indore to meet spiritual guru Bhaiyu Maharaj at his Vijay Nagar residence. When mediapersons asked her about reports of change of leadership, she quipped "At present, I am here in Indore."

"You (media) had linked two different visits to Delhi to come to this conclusion. I had gone to Delhi for the meeting related to water crisis and Nitinbhai (Nitin Patel, health minister) had gone to Delhi on the NEET issue," she said.

Asked whether the BJP's political base has suffered because of Patel quota agitation, she said, "At present there is no Patel agitation going on in the state. This protest is completely over now."

Speculations are rife in a section of media about a possible change of leadership in Gujarat ahead of the 2017 elections.

The reports had said that BJP might ask Anandiben Patel to step down as chief minister and projected Nitin Patel as a front-runner for the post, after both of them were in Delhi yesterday.

They also said the change of leadership in Gujarat was necessitated by to poor handling of the quota agitation by Anandiben, and strains caused by infighting in the party's state unit.

Anandiben was made Chief Minister in May 2014, after Narendra Modi was elected as Prime Minister.

Asked about the purpose of her over one-and-a-half hour meeting with the spiritual guru, with whom recently RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also had a meeting, Anandiben said she took his guidance for agriculture and education and would try to implement his suggestions in Gujarat.

In Ahmedabad, BJP's Gujarat unit spokesperson also denied that a leadership change was on the card.

"We are preparing an elaborate programmes for celebration of two years rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Anandiben Patel in Gujarat. In the midst of this there are such baseless reports of change in leadership, which we totally deny," state BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said.
Delhi: India on Tuesday slammed Pakistan after it expressed serious concern to the United Nations over Indias draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016.

Pakistan had said today that it has expressed "serious concern" to the UN over a draft bill in the Indian Parliament over the map of Kashmir and called upon the world body to uphold its resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in "violation of international law".

"Pakistan has expressed serious concern to the United Nations Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, through letters by our Permanent Representative in New York, with regard to the Indian government's efforts to introduce a controversial 'Geospatial Information Regulation Bill' in the Indian Parliament," the Foreign Office (FO) said.

It further said that "in violation of UNSC resolutions, the official map of India has been depicting the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India which is factually incorrect and legally untenable".

Through the passage of this Bill, the Indian government would penalise the individuals and organisations who depict Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, the FO said.

"The letter calls upon the United Nations to uphold the UNSC resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in violation of international law," the FO said, as per PTI.

Wrong depiction of the map of India could land the violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and impose a fine up to Rs 100 crore, according to the draft 'Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016'.

Reacting to Pakistans statement, the Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, Proposed (map) bill is an entirely internal legislative matter of India, since the whole state of J&K is an integral part of India, said Swarup.

Government rejects Pakistans repeated and increasing attempts to impose on International community matters that India is open to address bilaterally with Pakistan, he added Swarup.

Our response to @ForeignOfficePk's Statement on our Geospatial Bill pic.twitter.com/OGPb5zRWMH  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) May 17, 2016

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: The Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) has authenticated four videos related to the February 09 incident at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, saying anti-national slogans were raised during the event organised to commemorate the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The CFSL based in Gujarat's Gandhinagar has confirmed in its lab test that anti-India slogans were raised at the prestigious institute during the event.

On February 09, 2016 JNU witnessed clashes between two student groups over Afzal Guru, who was hanged on February 09, 2013 in Tihar Jail.

The incident happened after a group of students organised a programme and termed the hanging of the Parliament attack convict as "judicial killing.

The students allegedly shouted slogans hailing 'Shaeed Afzal Guru' and also chanted anti-India slogans. They also expressed solidarity with "struggle" of Kashmiri migrants and advocated for 'Azad Kashmir'.

Some of the slogans raised from JNU campus were:-

Tum kitne Afzal maroge, ghar-ghar se Afzal niklenge

Pakistan zindabad

Kashmir maange azaadi, ladkar lenge azaadi

Kashmir ki azaadi tak, jung rahegi-jung rahegi

Bharat ki barbaadi tak, jung rahegi-jung rahegi

Afzak ki hatya nahi sahenge

Delhi Police had arrested JNU students Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya under sedition charges. Later all three were released on interim bail by the High Court.

Taking tough action, the JNU administration rusticated Khalid and Bhattacharya. Umar was also slapped with a fine of Rs 20,000, while Anirban has been barred from the campus for five years from July 23.

JNUSU president Kumar was fined Rs 10,000.
New Delhi: In yet another controversy related to the International Yoga Day, the politicians cutting across the party lines have accused the BJP government of pushing its 'Hindutva' agenda by asking participants to chant vedic mantras..

Media reports on Tuesday quoted politicians like KC Tyagi of Janata Dal United, Sandeep Dikshit of Congress and several others raising their objections to the Centre's proposal for chanting Om and some Vedic mantras before the 45-minute yoga session to be performed as part of the International Yoga Day.

A common yoga protocol, which was approved and circulated by the Ministry of Ayush, said,"Yogic practice shall start with a prayer or prayerful mood to enhance the benefits of practice.

The protocol has been prepared by a government-appointed panel of experts for those participating in the International Yoga Day and circulated through government departments, schools, colleges and universities across the country.

In a letter to all heads of higher institutions, the University Grants Commission has asked for their personal indulgence to ensure the protocol has been followed during the events held on their respective campuses on June 21.

The mantra to be recited during the session has been taken from the Rigveda. The 45-minute session, to begin with a two-minute prayer, will conclude with the 15-minute meditation or Dhyana session.

However, in view of criticism, Centre has made it clear that chanting Om is not compulsory.

Before the meditation, participants are required to take a samkalp or a vow: I commit myself to always be in a balanced state of mind. It is in this state that my highest self-development reaches its greatest possibility. I commit to do my duty to self, family, at work, to society, and to the world, for the promotion of peace, health and harmony.

This will be followed by chanting of a set of verses from the Upanishad to pray for happiness and peace to one and all.

This years International Yoga Day celebrations to be organised by the Department of Ayush will be hosted by Chandigarh, with the Centre deciding to shift the venue from Delhi.
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi, who is down with high fever, on Tuesday said he is feeling "much better now" and that he should be "up and about in a few days".

"Thank you everyone for the kind wishes, I'm very touched by your concern. Am feeling much better now. I should be up & about in a few days," the Congress vice president tweeted.

Gandhi had last week cancelled his two-day visit to Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Kerala for poll rallies, saying he was down with high fever.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Gandhi a speedy recovery.

"Got to know that Shri Rahul Gandhi is not well from Hon'ble PM who was quite concerned about his health. In view of the concerns of Hon'ble PM, I enquired about his health and wished a speedy recovery for him," Health Minister JP Nadda had tweeted.
Bengaluru: Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Arup Raha will on Tuesday take his maiden flight in India's indigenous light combat aircraft, Tejas, and review the development so far.

Raha will thus become the first IAF chief to fly in the multi-role supersonic Tejas at the Hindustan Aeronautics facility in Bengaluru here.

Air Chief Marshal Raha will also inaugurate the LCA paint hangar in Bengaluru and visit the production line of the aircraft. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has given an order of 120 Tejas, with 100 of them being an upgraded version.

He will fly a sortie in a Tejas trainer aircraft which is a two seater, defence sources said.

He will also visit the hangar where the Mirage 2000 is being upgraded.



Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), manufacturer of Tejas, is likely to hand over the fourth aircraft to IAF by June end.

The four aircraft will make up for the first squadron of IAF which will be used for training and familarisation.

Rather than waiting for LAC Mk II, IAF had decided to go in with an upgraded version of the existing Tejas with over 40 modifications.

IAF currently plans to acquire 120 Tejas aircraft, with 100 of these having major modifications. The force wants Active Electrically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Unified Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite, mid-air refueling capacity and beyond the vision range missiles.

As per the production plan, six aircraft will be made this year (2015-16) and HAL will subsequently scale it up to eight and 16 aircraft per year.

Upgraded version of Tejas will cost between Rs. 275 crore and Rs. 300 crore.

Tejas, which was several years in the making, has now caught the attention of foreign buyers, with Sri Lanka and Egypt evincing interest in the fighter jet.

Sri Lanka had recently rejected Pakistan's JF-17 aircraft built with Chinese help, while Egypt had last year signed a contract for 24 French-made Rafale fighter jets.

The two countries are interested in the current version of Tejas and not the upgraded one which will be rolled out later.
New Delhi: Interpol on Tuesday issued a fresh Red Corner Notice against chief of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror outfit Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf in connection with the attack on IAF base in Pathankot.

The fresh Red Corner notice was issued after the NIA secured an 'open-ended' non-bailable warrant against Azhar and Rauf for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror strike on the strategic Indian Air Force base at Pathankot on the intervening night of January one and two.

Seven security personnel were killed and bodies of four terrorists were recovered from the scene of encounter which lasted nearly 80 hours.

The fresh Red Corner notice is being seen as a mere formality as Pakistan has not yet acted on the arrest warrants earlier issued against the two.

An Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) is already pending against 48-year-old Azhar for being allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind attacks on Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir state assembly. Similar warrant is pending against 41-year-old Rauf in connection with the IC-814 hijacking case of 1999.

The NIA had also moved in for issuance of RCN against two others -- Kashif Jaan and Shahid Latif -- in this case as they are alleged to be the handlers of the JeM terrorists who had infiltrated India on the intervening night of December 30-31.

The fresh warrants were issued on the basis of evidence presented by the NIA before a Special court in Chandigarh which included telephonic conversation between the terrorists and the Jaish handlers like Jaan and Latif.

The video of Rauf was also presented before the court. In the video, which was uploaded on a website in Pakistan, Rauf had claimed responsibility for the attack and complimented his boys for it. The video was later removed and the website also vanished.



NIA had sought voice samples of Azhar and three others from Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which came to India for probing the Pathankot attack.

India had pitched for banning Azhar at the UN but the move was vetoed by China.

Pakistan, after the return of the JIT in the first week of April, has not replied to various letters rogatory seeking legal assistance in probing the Pathankot attack.
Bhubaneswar: Alarm bells ringing! The famous Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri can collapse anytime, Archaeological Survey of India has said.

While tendering her resignation, ASI technical core committee chairman GC Mitra sounded alarming signals saying, if necessary steps were not taken immediately, the Puri temple dedicated to Jagannath Mahaprabhu may come down, a BBC report said

Earlier, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to take immediate steps regarding the temple.

Patnaik had complained about the slow pace of ASI, regarding the repair work going on in the temple.

On Monday a high level meeting was chaired by Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Mahesh Sharma and ASI chief and other officials to discuss the grave issue.

After the meet Sharma said due to technical problems the repair work at the temple was getting delayed.

Pradhan said government will ensure there is no dearth of money needed for repair work of Shree Jagannath Temple.

The central government would send a delegation headed by culture secretary to inspect structural safety of the Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri, said the Petroleum Minister.

Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu lord of the Universe is the supreme solace and saviour of countless devotees around the world. Since time immemorial, His monumental and magnificent shrines at Shree Purusottam-Kshetra (Puri, Odisha) one of the four major Dhamas of India has been a most sacred centre of pilgrimage.

The Puri temple is built on a gigantic raised platform in the heart of the city, The temple complex is enclosed by a wall about seven meters high -including the 0 height of the platform. The area of this platform is more than 4,20,000 sqft.
New Delhi: The central government is likely to move the Supreme Court requesting it to postpone the common medical and dental entrance exam, National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), to next year,said reports on Tuesday.

According to a report by the Hindustan Times, the development comes a day after Union Health Minister JP Nadda assured to look into all issues raised by the states pertaining to the common medical entrance test following an all-party meeting in this regard.

Importantly, key political parties had asked the Centre to defer the implementation of the NEET as the countrys only medical entrance test for at least a year after Nadda met state government officials and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sat with representatives of political parties.

It is the case of some of the states that boards are unequal, their languages are dissimilar. Can those who are dissimilar in language and unequal be placed on the pedestal of quality and asked to give the same exam? We will have to see how we deal with that particular issue, Jaitley said.

On his turn, Nadda said the future course of action would be formulated soon as the Centre was committed to bringing in transparency in the medical education system and removing alleged malpractices.

We will be considering the three problems that were put forward by the representatives. One, the ongoing state exams. Two, language and three, different syllabus for state exams. We will approach the court after consultations, Nadda said.

Representatives from all states agreed there were practical difficulties in implementing the NEET from the current year and urged the Health Minister to appeal to the court to let the centralised test take effect from the 2017-18 session.

The report, quoting the Union Health Ministry sources, said the need for consultation was felt after several parliamentarians expressed resentment over holding the common entrance exam for pre-medical (MBBS) and pre-dental (BDS) courses at a short notice.

A day before the meeting, Nadda had said the Health Ministry was hoping to find a solution to address the concerns of lakhs of medical aspirants and their parents.

The Supreme Court had on April 11 paved the way for the Medical Council of India to conduct the NEET from the 2016-17 academic session for MBBS and BDS courses across the country.

Earlier this week, the apex court also turned down a batch of appeals by states seeking to conduct their own medical admission tests and ruled that only the NEET would enable students to get admission to MBBS or BDS studies.
New Delhi: Ensuring that the less fortunate get to live a life of dignity is an issue that often become a victim of the corrupt practices of officials and seldom gets the attention of those who have the power to change things.

The issue has once again come to the limelight after National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson Justice H L Dattu came out in the open describing a pitiable sight that he witnessed two years ago as a judge of the Supreme Court.

Justice Dattu was on a visit to a government-aided home for the disabled when he saw 49 children using a single toothbrush and had just one tube of toothpaste.

The Times of India quoted him as saying: It is not important to say in which state I saw 49 children using one toothbrush as that is the condition in most government-aided or government-run homes housing disabled children, who are the most neglected lot."

Justice Dattu said that while there was no dearth of government funding for homes meant for the elderly and disabled, the issue is pilferage of the money meant for those who need it the most.

Ever since he took over as the head of NHRC, Justice Dattu has been trying to set things right.

The NHRC has written to its special rapporteurs across states to visit homes for senior citizens and disabled children, and give a report on the basic facilities available there.

Here's hoping Justice Dattu and his team at NHRC manages to make a difference to the living conditions in homes for senior citizens and the disabled.
New Delhi: Pakistan on Tuesday raised its objections to a draft bill prepared by the Narendra Modi government which strictly prohibits wrong depiction of Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as non-Indian territories.

Expressing its serious concern to the United Nation over the draft bill introduced in the Indian Parliament over the map of Kashmir, Pakistan called upon the world body to uphold its resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in violation of international law.

Pakistan has expressed serious concern to the United Nations Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, through letters by our Permanent Representative in New York, with regard to the Indian governments efforts to introduce a controversial Geospatial Information Regulation Bill in the Indian Parliament, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

It further said that in violation of UNSC resolutions, the official map of India has been depicting the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India, which is factually incorrect and legally untenable.

Through the passage of this Bill, the Indian government would penalise the individuals and organisations who depict Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, the FO said.

The letter calls upon the United Nations to uphold the UNSC resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in violation of international law, the FO said.

We have urged the international community and the United Nations to fulfill their commitment with the people of Jammu and Kashmir by holding an independent and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices, it said.

The Modi government had prepared the 'The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016' following instances where certain social networking sites showed Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as part of Pakistan and China respectively.

The bill prohibits showing parts of India as territories of China or Pakistan on any digital platform and could land violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and fine up to Rs100 crore.

If the Bill becomes a legislation, online platforms like Google will have to apply for a licence to run Google Maps or Google Earth in India.

According to the proposed law, it will be mandatory to take permission from a government authority before acquiring, disseminating, publishing or distributing any geospatial information of India.

The Bill says those who already have this information will be required to make an application for a license within one year of the law coming into existence.

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 bill says.

Whoever, if any geospatial information of India in contravention of the law is acquired, it shall be punished with a fine ranging from Rs1 crore to Rs100 crore and/or imprisonment for a period upto seven years, according to the draft Bill.
New Delhi: In a revelation that will embarrass the Congress, a report has claimed that Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) terrorist Shahid Latif, handler of the terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air base in January, was released by India in 2010 as part of the UPA government's attempt to mend ties with Pakistan.

Quoting high-level sources, The Times of India reports that Latif, who was in Indian jails for 11 years on terrorism charges, was released on May 28, 2010by the Manmohan Singh government as a 'goodwill gesture'.

24 other militants belonging to JeM, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen were released along with Latif that day and deported to Pakistan.

Importantly, Latif was released despite the fact that he was on Jaish's 'wish list' even when the Vajpayee government freed Maulana Masood Azhar in exchange for 154 passengers of IC-814. However, the NDA government had refused to release him then.

The TOI report adds that Islamabad used guile to persuade Manmohan Singh government to release Pakistanis held on terror charges saying that their releases will create a conducive atmosphere for the two nations to settle their long-standing difference.

Latif is said to be very close to Masood Azhar and heads Jaish in Sialkot region from where terrorists are pushed into India.
New Delhi: The International Police Association (Interpol) on Tuesday issued a Red Corner notice against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf for their alleged role in the conspiracy to attack the strategic Indian Air Force Base in Pathankot.

The development was confirmed by news agency ANI which reported that a Red Corner notice was issued against Azhar and his brother in connection with the Pathankot attack case.

After securing an arrest warrant from a special court, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) had recently approached the Interpol for issuing a Red Corner Notice against Azhar and three others for their alleged role in the Pathankot attack case.

A dossier along with the non-bailable warrant issued by a special NIA court in Mohali in Punjab was reportedly sent to the CBI, which is the nodal agency representing the Interpol in the country.

As per reports, the NIA had sought warrant against 47-year-old Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf, Kashif Jan and Shahid Latif, two handlers of JeM terrorists who had infiltrated into India through Bamiyal sector of Punjab in the wee hours of December 30 to launch the terror assault.

The JeM terrorists had initially hijacked a taxi and killed its driver Ikagar Singh before commandeering another vehicle which carried a Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh, his friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal on the intervening night of December 31 and January one.

The terrorists, four of whom have been identified as Nasir Hussain (Punjab province), Abu Bakar, (Gujranwala), Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum (both from Sindh), entered into the IAF base and carried out a suicide attack in the wee hours of January 2.

The NIA court had issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against Azhar and three others for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy with JeM terrorists and carrying out a terror strike on the IAF base which left seven security personnel dead. Bodies of four slain terrorists were also recovered from the sight of encounter which lasted nearly 80 hours.

The NIA had forwarded the warrant to Interpol along with the gist of evidence that it has found against the four which included telephonic conversation between the terrorists and their handlers like Jaan and Latif.

The NIA has also shared the Internet Protocol address of the website which uploaded a video of Abdul Rauf, brother of Masood Azhar. In the video, he was seen claiming responsibility for the attack and complimenting his boys for it. The video has since been removed and the website has also gone off the cyber world.

India had built a strong case for seeking UN sanctions against Azhar but the move was vetoed by China.
Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to "drag" the name of "Nehru-Gandhi family" into the controversial AgustaWestland deal in tune with the NDA government's agenda to "malign" their image on the issue, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh alleged in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

He alleged that it was the BJP's strategy to "defame" the members of the Nehru-Gandhi family as well as the Congress "as they (NDA Government) could not prove anything linking them in the case during the past two years".

Singh said the then UPA government had blacklisted the Italian firm (Finmeccanica) as soon as it suspected foul play in the (VVIP chopper) deal.

"As soon as the UPA came to know about the (AgustaWestland) scandal, the contract was cancelled. AgustaWestland was blacklisted. A CBI probe was ordered. A case has been filed. Whatever has to be done, the UPA government did its job.

"There is no charge on the Nehru-Gandhi family members in the Italian court. Even Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said there were no names mentioned by the court. But Narendra Modi is trying to drag Nehru-Gandhi family into the issue," the AICC general secretary told reporters.

"Why CBI so far could not establish who took bribes?" he questioned in response to the BJP's barbs on the issue.

Referring to the NIA move to drop all charges against Sadhvi Pragya Singh and five other accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, he said, "ever since the BJP came to power it is assumed that the persons who are associated with 'Sangh Parivar' would be given the clean chit".

He alleged that the ruling BJP has gone to the extent of "discrediting" slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare who had probed the blast case.

NIA had also given up charges under the stringent MCOCA law against all the other 10 accused including Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit in the case.

Singh alleged the ruling TRS government in Telangana has failed to fulfill the promises it had made during the Assembly elections.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Uttam Kumar Reddy announced on the occasion that the Congress would not maintain any media relations with a Telugu newspaper and a television channel that are said to be owned by "the people close to TRS".

He alleged the concerned media house has been airing biased news without taking all versions.
Agartala: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lay the foundation stone for a new India-Bangladesh railway project on May 27, a top railway official said on Tuesday.

A top official of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said that Modi on May 27 would also flag off a regular passenger train service from Agartala to Sealdah, Agartala to Silchar and passenger train services to Manipur (52 km) and Mizoram (84 km) on the newly-laid broad gauge line.

"Prime minister would attend the plenary session of North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong. From Shillong through remote control, the prime minister would lay the foundation stone of the Agartala (India)-Akhaura (Bangladesh) railway project," a top official of NFR told IANS.

"Modi would also flag off regular passenger train service from Agartala to Sealdah, Agartala to Silchar and passenger train services to Manipur and Mizoram on the newly laid broad gauge line," the official added.

An official of the Tripura planning and coordination department said the prime minister would inaugurate the two-day (May 27-28) plenary session of NEC, a regional planning body, in Meghalaya capital Shillong.

"He would hold interactions with the chief ministers and governors of all the eight northeastern states during the plenary session," the official added.

The Rs.968 crore Agartala-Akhaura railway project was finalised in January 2010 when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met then prime minister Manmohan Singh during her visit to New Delhi.

"Following the Tripura government's persistent persuasion and Prime Minister's Office (PMO) intervention, the DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) ministry has agreed to provide Rs.580 crore for the new railway project," Tripura Transport Minister Manik Dey told reporters.

"If the DoNER ministry releases the funds, the necessary work for acquisition of required 67 acres land would start immediately," he said.

During his recent visit to Tripura, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha said the PMO has been supervising the new India-Bangladesh railway project with Tripura.

He said the 15 km (5 km on Indian side and 10 km on Bangladesh) long Agartala-Akhaura railway project would provide a major boost to development and economy of the northeastern region of India and eastern Bangladesh.

"The project would give a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Act East' policy," Sinha added.

Modi discussed the railway project with Hasina during his visit to Dhaka in June last year.

"India's external affairs ministry would provide necessary funds for the Bangladesh portion of the Agartala-Akhaura rail project. The DoNER ministry's funds would be spent for the Indian portion of the project," Tripura minister said.

The 1,650-km distance between Agartala and Kolkata would be reduced to only 550 km once the new rail track is linked through Bangladesh.

Currently, India and Bangladesh have four rail links with West Bengal.

The railway line from Guwahati passes through Lumding in Nagaon district (in central Assam) and southern Assam connecting land-locked Tripura's capital Agartala and parts of Manipur and Mizoram with the rest of India.

The Guwahati-Silchar railway line is the lifeline for southern Assam comprising four districts - Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Dima Hasao district, known as Barak Valley, and the mountainous states of Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram.

These states are heavily dependent on this railway line for supply of foodgrain, fertilisers, petroleum products, construction materials and other commodities besides ferrying passengers.

The 437-km Lumding-Silchar and Badarpur-Agartala gauge conversion work was sanctioned in 1996.

It was declared a national project in 2004, thereby ensuring uninterrupted funding from the central government's general budget. The project was hit by insurgency from 2006 to 2009 and work could only gain speed after that turbulent period.

In the first phase, the 210-km Lumding-Silchar gauge conversion project was completed last year.

In the second phase, the 227-km Badarpur-Agartala gauge conversion was scheduled to be completed in March but was completed three months earlier.

The Silchar-Jiribam (52 km) in Manipur and Silchar-Bhairabi (84 km) in Mizoram gauge conversion project are part of the Lumding-Silchar line along with other projects.

With the completion of gauge conversion work right up to Agartala, the Tripura capital was connected with the country's broad gauge railway network through Guwahati at a distance of about 600 km this month.

After India's independence, Agartala is the first state capital of the country to come up on the rail map (meter gauge line) in October 2008.
New Delhi: Master poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who successfully designed Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha election campaign and Nitish Kumar's 2015 Bihar Assembly polls campaign, was recently roped in by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to recreate the same magic for the party in next year's Punjab and Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections.

However, if reports are to be believed, all is not well between Kishor and some Congress leaders leaders of UP and Punjab.

A News18 report said that Kishor, who is now managing the election campaign of Captain Amarinder Singh of Congress party in Punjab Assembly polls next year and the crucial 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections, has been facing opposition from some sections of the grand old party over his style of functioning.

Kishor, who has become a phenomenon in the Indian political arena, has made it amply clear that if there is interference in his style of working, he would quit.

Congress is out of power in Punjab for the past nine years and is making strenuous efforts to oust the SAD-BJP combine from power, at a time when AAP has emerged as a significant player in the state.

In UP also, the grand old party is in shatters where it once ruled. Congress, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, had won only two of out of 80 seats in UP. In 403-member UP legislative assembly, Congress has only 29 MLAs.

Meanwhile, Congress has said there was no turf war between Punjab Congress chief and strategist Prashant Kishor in the key poll-bound state.

"There is no communication gap between them.....Kishor will have no role in organisation matters and he will have no role in ticket distribution", party general secretary Shakeel Ahmed told reporters.
Delhi: Indian investigators have uncovered an important information about how a group of terrorists crossed the border at the start of the New Year in order to carry out the terror attack at Pathankot air force base.

According to a report by NDTV, Shahid Latif, 47, allegedly provided logistical and other support for the four Pakistanis who had attacked the air force base.

He is said to have been released from an Indian prison in 2010 by previous Congress-led UPA government.

Latif, reportedly senior leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed and hailing from Pakistan, was arrested in 1996 from Jammu regarding narcotics and terrorism case.

JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar is said to be the masterminded of the Pathankot attack, as per Indian agencies.

Latif was deported six years ago, along with nearly 20 other terrorists, supposedly to improve relations with Pakistan.

They returned home through the Wagah border in Punjab, as per the report.

"All those released had served their full term in Indian jails and couldn't have been kept back," the website quoted a senior source in the National Investigation Agency ( NIA) as saying.



Latif was among the men whose release was unsuccessfully demanded by the terrorists when Indian Airlines plane IC814 was hijacked by five armed men to Kandahar in Afghanistan in 1999.

Masood Azhar was freed along with two others in exchange for the 189 passengers and crew.




Mumbai: Maharashtra Government has requested the members of Strong Cities Network of the United Nations to train the state police force in cyber security, MoS for Home Ranjit Patil said on Tuesday.

The minister represented Mumbai at a recent meeting of the global body.

"The UN has identified 35 top cities for the network and Mumbai is one of them. Mayors or political representatives who are responsible for security of these cities, along with police officials, attended the meeting at Turkey on May 11 and 12.

"Comprehensive discussions regarding security of the cities as well as the global strategy formed the core part of the meeting," Patil said.

Launched at the United Nations in September 2015, the Strong Cities Network (SCN) is the first ever global network of mayors, municipal-level policy makers and practitioners united in building social cohesion and community resilience to counter violent extremism in all its forms.

He said engaging with the youth to prevent them from falling prey to the terror network was one of the important issues that were discussed at the meeting.

"We apprised the international body of our efforts regarding communal harmony ? the mohalla committees etc.," the minister said.

Patil said they also visited vocational training institutes at Turkey to understand their efforts in the field of skills development.

"We should be able to use some of these concepts at industrial training institutes (ITI) across the state," said Patil who also heads the Skill Development department.

He said the government is planning to introduce a few new trades across the ITIs and is actively seeking industry's intervention for that purpose.

"We want to make all the institutes self sufficient in all aspects - from intake to placements ? for which several old trades will have to be shut down and new trades will have to be brought in," the minister added.
Bhubaneswar: With a statewide hue and cry over the safety of Sri Jagannath temple's Jagamohan, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday took up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his immediate intervention to ensure quick repair work.

"It (condition of Jagamohan) is a very serious matter for all of us," Patnaik told the Prime Minister over phone, according to an official release issued by the Chief Minister's Office Bhubaneswar.

"The Prime Minister assured the CM he will give necessary instruction to the ASI for taking it up in an urgent manner," the release said.

Though Patnaik had earlier written a letter to Modi and drawn his attention on the condition of the Jagamohan, the prayer hall in the 12th century shrine, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) allegedly delayed the repair work, sparking anxiety among the people.

The matter took a new turn this week when chief of the technical core committee of ASI, G C Mitra who was looking after the conservation of the temple resigned from his post.

After Mitra's resignation, a member of the committee N C Pal also said the Jagamohan required immediate repair for the safety of the temple as well as devotees.

The Gajapati King of Puri Divyasingha Deb also expressed concern over the distressed condition of the Jagamohan and urged both the Centre and the state government for its restoration on a war-footing basis.

Describing the condition of Jagamohan as "alarming", Gajapati said the responsibility for its repair and restoration has been taken up by the ASI.

It seems they were delaying it, Deb told reporters.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the Centre would soon send a delegation headed by the Union Culture Secretary to inspect structural stability of Jagannath Temple in Puri, specially the safety of the Jagamohan.

The central team will include Director General, ASI, other senior officers and engineers of IIT-Chennai. The team will hold discussions with all the stakeholders including Odisha government for repair of Jagamohan.
Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday assured Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on necessary instructions for the repair of Jagamohan prayer hall structure at the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri.

In a telephonic conversation with Modi, the chief minister said the structural safety of Jagamohan, facing the sanctum sanctorum, is an important issue for all and it needs to be repaired as soon as possible.

Modi assured him that the to Archaeological Survey of India would be given necessary directions for its repair, a release from the chief minister's office said.

Patnaik had earlier written a letter to the prime minister on the issue.

A meeting in New Delhi on Monday on the issue was attended by Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma and it was decided that a delegation led by culture secretary will visit Odisha to evaluate the structural safety of the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri, especially the safety of Jagamohan.

The team will also include ASI's director general, other senior officers and engineers of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras. It will hold discussion with all stakeholders, including the Odisha government, for the repair of Jagamohan.
Dhaka: Bangladesh police have arrested an Islamist militant charged with the murder of a professor amid a surge in deadly attacks against liberal activists and other minorities in the South Asian nation, a senior officer said on Tuesday.

Rezaul Karim Siddiquee, 58, an English professor at Rajshahi University, was hacked to death on his way to work last month. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing of the professor for his "calling to atheism".

Police however arrested a member of the banned militant group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, thought to have been lying low since six of its leaders were hanged in 2007.

The suspect was arrested on Sunday and pleaded guilty in court, Rajshahi city police chief Mohammad Shamsuddin said. A defence lawyer was not immediately available for comment.

"Four members of the local group took part in the killing mission," Shamsuddin told a news conference, adding a search was on for three others.

The Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people has seen a series of attacks over the past year in which atheist bloggers, academics, religious minorities and foreign aid workers have been killed.

Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent has also claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, including the killing of two gay rights activists last month. But police say home-grown militant groups are behind the violence.

Dozens of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen members have been arrested and at least five killed in shootouts since November, as security forces step up a crackdown on militants seeking to make the moderate Muslim nation a sharia-based state.

In 2005, the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen set off nearly 500 bombs almost simultaneously on a single day, including in Dhaka. Subsequent suicide attacks on courts killed 25 people and injured hundreds.
Islamabad: Pakistan on Tuesday told the US that it has the credentials to become the full member of the nuclear materials export control regimes, including the NSG, as the two nations discussed their respective concerns over nuclear and missile developments in South Asia.

The two sides held the 8th round of Pakistan-US working group on Security, Strategic Stability, and Nonproliferation (SSS&NP), which is part of the bilateral Strategic Dialogue.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller co-chaired the meeting held here.

According to the joint statement, the delegations had a productive exchange of views on issues of mutual importance, including strategic export control regimes, nonproliferation, and regional stability and security.

The US delegation recognised Pakistan's significant efforts to harmonise its strategic trade controls with those of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and other multilateral export control regimes as "both sides agreed on the value of Pakistan?s continued engagement, outreach and integration into the international non-proliferation regime".

"The Pakistan delegation expressed its confidence regarding Pakistan's credentials to become full member of the export control regimes, particularly the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)," it said.

Pakistan's assertion came a day after China harped on the need for consensus in the 48-member NSG, where it is reportedly, pushing for Pakistan's entry despite US' strong backing for India to join the elite body.

The joint statement also stated that both sides committed to continue cooperation related to export control capacity-building under the US Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) programme.

"Pakistan stressed the need for access to peaceful uses of nuclear technology as a socio-economic imperative. Pakistan also indicated its interest in cooperation with the US on peaceful applications of Nuclear Science in areas such as health, agriculture and water," it said.

The US underscored the need to commence negotiations on a treaty dealing with fissile materials for use in nuclear weapons.

Pakistan underlined its preference for a broader Fissile Material Treaty (FMT) that addresses the asymmetries in existing stocks and highlighted that its position will be determined by its national security interests and the objectives of strategic stability in South Asia.

Both sides recognised their interest in strategic stability and discussed their respective concerns over nuclear and missile developments in South Asia.
Kabul: At least 20 Taliban insurgents were killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan`s northern Kunduz province on Tuesday.

The airstrike was carried out earlier today in Dasht-e-Archi district targeting two vehicles of the Taliban insurgents, reports the Khaama Press.

Hejratullah Akbari, provincial police spokesman, said that two vehicles were targeted around 10:00 am local time in Mullah Quli area.

Akbari said that preliminary reports suggested a number of Taliban commanders were also among those killed in the airstrike.

Kunduz is among the relatively volatile provinces in the region were anti-government armed militant groups are actively operating.

In a bid to capture key parts of Kunduz province, the Taliban militants launched a major offensive during the recent weeks.
Islamabad: Pakistan's Senate has unanimously adopted a resolution asking the government to prepare a dossier on "Indian interference" in the country and send it to other nations and international institutions.

The resolution moved in the Senate, the Upper House of the parliament, by ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party Senator Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qayyum was passed on Monday.

According to a report in Express Tribune, the resolution calls on the Pakistan government to prepare "a full dossier about the Indian interference in Pakistan's internal affairs fomenting unrest, instability and terrorism."

It also calls for sending these dossiers to "key international countries and institutions."

The Senate's move comes more than two months after Pakistani authorities claimed to have arrested an alleged Indian spy in its restive Balochistan province on March 3.

Pakistan claims Kulbhushan Jadhav crossed over into the country from Iran. It has handed over evidence regarding Yadav's arrest to key world powers, including the US and the UK, but they have yet not responded.

Pakistan last month said it has briefed envoys of the Arab and ASEAN countries about Jadhav's alleged "confession about Indian sponsored subversive activities and terrorist financing to destabilise Pakistan".

India has acknowledged Jadhav as a retired Indian Navy officer, but denied the allegation that he was in any way connected to the government.
New Delhi: The US space agency NASA on Monday, May 16, marked 10 anniversary of Space Communications and Navigation (ScaN) that serves as the program office for all of the agency's space communications activities.

The image above shows NASAs newest Deep Space Network antenna, Deep Space Station 35 in Canberra, Australia.

The Deep Space Network is managed and directed by the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program office, created on May 16, 2006.

The Deep Space Network, together with Near Earth Network and Space Network provide communication and tracking services to hundreds of NASA and non-NASA missions.

SCaN's major accomplishments over the past decade include the first optical communications link from the moon at 622 Mbps; three new Tracking and Data Relay Satellites; construction of an 11-meter Near Earth Network antenna in Alaska; and construction of the 34-meter Deep Space Network (DSN) antenna pictured above.

In the future, SCaN will continue to develop leading-edge technologies and enhance communications capabilities, including communications for the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft through an advanced tracking antenna under construction at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

(Source: NASA)
Kolkata: Refuting the claims by the exit polls, which predicted a victory for Trinamool Congress in West Bengal assembly elections, CPI(M) state Secretary Suryakanto Mishra on Tuesday expressed confidence that the CPI(M) and Congress alliance would come to power.

"What the people are thinking that can neither come up nor can be projected in those surveys (exit poll). I would request you all to wait for a while as the people will give their verdict on May 19 against this autocratic government," Mishra said at a programme here.

"The victory of people's alliance against the autocratic regime is certain," the former West Bengal minister added.

Most of the exit poll surveys by regional and national channels have given TMC a clear majority in the 294-member Assembly.

"I am getting many calls from various places. I would request you all not to get tensed. We have lots of work to do. The distribution of responsibilities among the cadre on the counting day is an important task which needs to be fulfilled properly," Mishra said.

TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien said yesterday, "We will wait for May 19 and the actual results. The people of Bengal will bless Trinamool abundantly. Mamata Banerejee government's peace and communal harmony will win the hearts and minds of the people of Bengal."

Congress leader Abdul Mannan yesterday predicted that whatever might be the exit poll prediction, the formation of the alliance government was "imminent."
Mexico City: The World Wildlife Fund urged Mexican authorities on Monday to ban all fishing in the upper Gulf of California to save the vaquita marina, the world`s smallest porpoise, from extinction.

The environmentalist group made the plea three days after an international team of scientists revealed that only 60 of the sea creatures were left and that they could vanish by 2022.

"It`s a drastic measure but maybe the most efficient way (to prevent extinction) is to prohibit fishing and obviously compensate fishermen," WWF`s Mexico director Omar Vidal said at a news conference.

Mexico`s environment ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

President Enrique Pena Nieto imposed a two-year ban on gillnets in April 2015 and increased the vaquita protection area tenfold to 13,000 square kilometers (5,000 square miles).

Pena Nieto also deployed navy reinforcements to police the area.

The vaquita`s fate has been linked to another critically endangered sea creature, the totoaba, a fish that has been illegally caught for its swim bladder, which is dried and sold on the black market in China.

Poachers use illegal gillnets to catch the totoaba. The vaquita, a shy 1.5-meter-long (five-foot) cetacean with dark rings around the eyes, is believed to be the victim of bycatch.

The government is compensating fishermen to the tune of $70 million over two years in order to stop using gillnets while new methods are sought.

But Vidal said the measures have been "insufficient" and that fishermen have "camouflaged" gillnets with other nets.

Banning all fishing immediately, he said, "can save the vaquita."

Sunshine Antonio Rodriguez Pena, president of the fishing cooperative of the port of San Felipe, said his group would lodge a complaint before the United Nations if a fishing ban were to be imposed.

"They are completely crazy," he told AFP.

"They should just declare (the vaquita) extinct because fishermen are not killing it," Rodriguez told AFP, saying other factors are to blame, such as predators, red algae or toxins.

"It`s destined for extinction because this animal is vulnerable to all types of deaths."
London: The World Bank rang alarm bells on Monday over the preparation by cities around the world to deal with fast-growing risks from extreme weather and other hazards.

The World Bank noted that even as the cities remain unprepared or under-prepared, more and more people are being put to risk due to population growth and surging migration.

The global institution predicted that by 2050, worsening rivers and coastal floods alone would affect 1.3 billion people and cause damage worth $158 trillion to property.

The warning was issued in a new report by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), which is managed by the World Bank, Reuters reported.

Cities and coastal areas are woefully unprepared for the kind of climate and disaster risk now facing our world [sic], said John Roome, the World Bank Groups senior director for climate change.

Roome, however, added that the cities still have time to make amends as they expand and revamp.

Putting in place more resilient infrastructure and preventive policies can help lower that risk, he said.

Restricting excessive use of groundwater, more green spaces, and new schools and apartments set above flood-prone zones can be some of the measures, Roome stated.

Too much use of groundwater is cited as one of the reasons cities from Tokyo to Jakarta are sinking.

As examples of growing threats, disaster experts say Indonesia is expected to see a 166% jump in the risk of flooding from overflowing rivers over the next 30 years, while coastal flooding risk could increase 445%, the report stated.

Further, Nepals capital Kathmandu could see a 50% jump in earthquake risk by 2045 as more slums and informal buildings go up.

(With Reuters inputs)
Montreal: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced legislation to protect transgender people from hate speech and discrimination, as debate rages in the United States over laws restricting their rights.

"Even today, despite all the obstacles we have overcome, the battles we have won, and the victories we have celebrated, we are still witnesses, and in some cases, victims of injustices," Trudeau said in a speech at a Montreal event hosted by gay rights group Fondation Emergence yesterday.

"We must continue to demand true equality," he said. "We must carry on the legacy of those who fought for justice by being bold and ambitious in our actions."

The bill is to be officially unveiled by Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould today, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

It will add "gender identity" alongside race, religion, age, sex and sexual orientation as prohibited grounds for discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act, and add transgender persons to a list of groups protected from hate-mongering under the Criminal Code, according to Wilson-Raybould's mandate letter from the prime minister.

The Canadian parliament's previous attempts to pass similar legislation failed. But this time, due to a Liberal majority in the House, the measures are expected to pass easily.

Trudeau's father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was Canada's justice minister when Ottawa introduced a Criminal Code amendment to decriminalise homosexuality. He famously commented at the time (two years before it became law): "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation."

In July, Justin Trudeau will be the first sitting prime minister to participate in a gay pride parade, in Montreal.

Following his speech, Fondation Emergence honoured him with an award for his promotion of gay rights, including allowing sexually active gay men to donate blood, and pardoning gay men who were convicted of gross indecency before homosexuality was decriminalised in 1969.

South of the border, meanwhile, a debate on equal rights in the United States has been raging over a flurry of initiatives targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities since a historic Supreme Court decision last year legalised same-sex marriage nationwide.

Last week, the US federal government and North Carolina's governor launched dueling lawsuits over a state law restricting transgender Americans' use of public restrooms.
Alberta: A massive wildfire raged near Fort McMurray, Alberta on Tuesday and threatened major oil sands production facilities, forcing the evacuation of thousands of workers and prolonging a shutdown that cut Canadian oil output by 1 million barrels a day.

The fire jumped a critical firebreak late Monday where plants and trees had been removed to stop its spread, moving north of Fort McMurray into oil sand camp areas. Some 8,000 workers were evacuated in the heavily forested northern part of the province.

The wildfire was taking a toll on the province`s economy, with one study estimating the lost oil production would cut gross domestic product (GDP) by more than C$70 million a day.

The uncontrolled blaze covered 355,000 hectares (877,224 acres), up from 285,000 hectares on Monday. The fire on Tuesday burnt a 655-room lodge for oil sands workers about 35 km (20 miles) north of Fort McMurray and threatened other housing.

High temperatures and winds were working against firefighters, and the fire was forecast to move to the east, putting oil operations in its path, officials said.

None of the oil sands have caught fire, and the industry was redoubling efforts to ensure facilities were well-protected, said Alberta wildfire manager Chad Morrison.

"Because of the cleared vegetation, lots of gravel on site and because they have an industrial firefighting service on site that understands this ... we feel fairly confident the sites themselves will be OK," Morrison told a news conference.

The lost Canadian production of 1 million barrels a day represents about one-quarter of total Canadian output. Canadian crude oil prices strengthened in light trading on Tuesday and Global oil prices touched a six-month high, with the Alberta outages among factors lending support.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said westerly winds were expected to push the fire closer to facilities operated by Suncor Energy Inc , one of the area`s biggest operators, and Syncrude, majority owned by Suncor, on Tuesday.

Suncor started an orderly shutdown of its base plant operations and said its Firebag facility will move to minimal essential personnel, while Syncrude has evacuated the majority of its workforce to Edmonton but left a minimum staff of some 100 people at its Mildred Lake upgrader and Aurora Mine.

The fire also threatened Enbridge Inc`s Cheecham crude oil tank farm south of Fort McMurray, but Notley said the fire line built there has held and winds were blowing away from the facility.

TransAlta Corp`s Poplar Creek cogeneration power plant, operated by Suncor and providing power to its site, was also shut by early Tuesday due to the wildfire.

17 WILDFIRES IN PROVINCE

In Ottawa, federal Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr said he planned to have talks soon with energy companies to assess the damage from but gave no further details.

Prior to the latest setback, lost oil production was expected to average about 1.2 million barrels a day for 14 days, or roughly C$985 million ($763 million) in lost real GDP, according to the Conference Board of Canada.

Notley said the Conference Board`s numbers were in the range of the government`s estimates.

The premier added that the province has not underestimated the fire and had the resources to fight the fire. There are nearly 1,800 firefighters fighting 17 wildfires across the western Canadian province, with four of them out of control.

Canada has declined help from allies including the United States and Australia. Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Ottawa had full confidence in Alberta`s ability to fight the blaze.

Fort McMurray`s roughly 90,000 residents were forced to flee nearly two weeks ago as the fire raged through neighborhoods and destroyed about 10 percent of the city`s structures.

With new explosions in the city damaging 10 homes and hot spots still a risk, Notley is not yet allowing residents to return.
Port-au-Prince: Gunmen wearing green uniforms attacked a police station in Haiti's southern peninsula before dawn, killing an officer and wounding two before fleeing.

The Haitian National Police said the men's white van swerved off a roadway during a chase and tumbled into a ravine, killing three of the attackers. Four men survived and were captured, while one gunman died in a shootout with officers.

Octave Jean, chief police inspector in coastal Les Cayes, said the attackers wore camouflage or faded green uniforms that appeared to be from Haiti's long disbanded military. It wasn't immediately clear if the gunmen were demobilised soldiers.

Jean said the assailants ransacked the Les Cayes police station, stole guns and "tortured" officers. "We were caught off guard but this will not happen again," Jean said from Les Cayes. "We have control of the situation now and our investigation is under way."

Jean and a police official in Haiti's capital gave only the broadest outline of the attack. One of the wounded police officers was taken for emergency treatment in Port-au-Prince, the capital about 160 kilometres away.

There have been a number of recent disturbances by ex-Haitian soldiers and their younger supporters that appear designed to ramp up tensions amid an electoral impasse. But yesterday's violence shook many Haitians.

"What are they trying to do? Start a war?" said furniture seller Davidson Jean-Destin.

Calls to a spokesman for Haiti's military veterans went unanswered.

In early February, a band of former soldiers clashed with a far larger gathering of anti-government demonstrators in Port-au-Prince, resulting in the mob killing of one of the ex-soldiers. The former soldiers wore faded green uniforms and carried rifles and pistols.

Earlier this month, a group of mostly young men wearing green uniforms and boots blocked an entrance to Haiti's defence ministry to demand work protecting the border. Haiti's military was abolished in 1995 under then President Jean-Bertrand Aristide because of its history of toppling governments and crushing dissent. Small groups of veterans have complained that they are owed money in pensions and lost wages.

Former President Michel Martelly, who left office in February to pave the way for an interim government in the absence of elections, repeatedly pledged to revive the military to protect Haiti's land border, coast and few remaining forests. His preferred successor, Jovenel Moise, also supports that plan.

It would require a vote by Parliament to officially reconstitute the military.
New Delhi: The world's largest cruise ship , Harmony of the Seas , arrived in the British port of Southampton on Tuesday ahead of its maiden cruise later this month.

Earlier, tens of thousands of people turned in France to see off the world's biggest-ever cruise ship, the 120,000-tonne Harmony of the Seas, as it set sail for the first time.

At 66 metres (217 feet), it is the widest cruise ship ever built, while its 362-metre length makes it 50 metres longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower.

As the massive boat pulled away from a shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, where it was built on France's Atlantic shore, some 70,000 people watched from along the coast, local authorities said.

The crowd waved, cheered and clapped as the boat -- built for the US-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) -- eased away from France.

"It's gone," said Christine, who did not give her full name. "We watched it develop and grow over three years. It's like a child leaving home."

The floating town, which cost close to one billion euros (dollars), has 16 decks and will be able to carry 6,360 passengers and 2,100 crew members.

The ship will sail from Southampton on short trips to northern Europe ahead of a maiden cruise which arrives in Barcelona in early June. (With agency inputs)
Hopkinsville: Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton campaigned across Kentucky on the eve of the state`s Tuesday primary, desperate to improve her standing among working-class white men and painting sharp contrasts with her likely election adversary Donald Trump.

Clinton`s rival Bernie Sanders is gunning for victory in the Bluegrass State, building on his win last week in neighboring West Virginia as he battles to keep his long-shot nomination bid alive.

The two states are linked to coal, as is much of Appalachia, the largely white, long-struggling eastern US region where many feel they have been given the cold shoulder in the lukewarm recovery from the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

Also on Tuesday the northwest state of Oregon holds its Democratic and Republican primaries, where limited polling has indicated Clinton is ahead. Sanders, however, leads in Kentucky.

The state has been treated by Clinton as an opportunity to appeal to a demographic that has consistently snubbed her: working-class white men.

No Democratic presidential candidate has won Kentucky since 1980 except Bill Clinton.

On Sunday the former first lady appeared to indicate that her husband would play a role in her administration if she were elected, promising to put him "in charge of revitalizing the economy."

Asked during a stop Monday at a diner in Paducah, a city in southwestern Kentucky, whether Bill would be part of her cabinet, she shook her head and said "No" -- but she reasserted that he would be her ally in office.

"I want to help bring back the kind of economy that worked for everybody in the 1990s," Clinton told the crowd.

"I`ve already told my husband that if I`m so fortunate enough to be president and he will be the first gentleman, I`ll expect him to go to work... to get incomes rising."The Clintons have struggled to contain the damage from comments Hillary made in March, when she said she expected to "put a lot of coal companies and coal miners out of business."

She made the comment during a speech on renewable energies, but the soundbite stung many in Appalachia.

In Fort Mitchell at the weekend she emphasized her determination to help coal country, saying: "We can`t and we must not walk away from them."

Clinton made three stops in Kentucky on Sunday, and another four Monday.

"We`ve got to turn a lot of people out," she told diners in Paducah. "I`ll tell you this, I`m not going to give up on Kentucky in November!"

Clinton shook hands, took selfies, offered hugs -- and even chatted with Trump supporters who vowed never to vote for her.

With the Democratic nomination in sight, Clinton is repositioning herself for a bruising general election campaign battle against Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

At a later rally in Hopkinsville, Kentucky`s secretary of state and close Clinton friend Alison Lundergan Grimes made the succinct case for a steady hand over Trump`s unpredictability and the Republican Party`s reluctance to coalesce around their presumptive nominee.

"They have dysfunction. We have a candidate with a plan," Grimes said.

Clinton used the rally to pummel the "risky and dangerous" Trump, suggesting he is unqualified to handle tough foreign policy decisions.

"I think that we will have in this general election about as clear a contrast as you can imagine when it comes to this issue," Clinton told a crowd of about 500, adding that Trump would be ineffective at the "boring" but important diplomacy that solves crises.

She pointed to her work in late 2012 in helping to defuse sky-high tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, in part by negotiating at length with Egypt`s then-president Mohamed Morsi.

"Now ask yourself: how hard would it be for America`s secretary of state to negotiate with a Muslim leader if someone running for president -- or heaven forbid were president -- was spending a lot of his time denigrating the religion of the people we had to deal with in a flashpoint region," she said.Clinton was interrupted in Hopkinsville by a woman who said the candidate was wrong about how Kentucky`s Democratic former governor, Steve Beshear, had improved conditions for residents.

"You are entitled to your opinion but you`re not entitled to your own facts," Clinton said in a rising tone as she and the crowd drowned out the woman, who was eventually escorted from the hall.

Outside, a handful of other protesters held anti-Clinton signs.

In a November face-off, Trump appears destined to hold an advantage over Clinton, at least initially, with working-class whites.

Exit polls in several states have also shown Clinton losing the white male vote by substantial numbers to Sanders.

"She`s not trustworthy," Jerry Armaigo, a 68-year-old retired from the Navy, told AFP at the Paducah diner Clinton visited.

But he acknowledged Trump is not trustworthy either.

In November, "I will vote Republican," he said. "I don`t want another four more years of Obama."
Washington: Donald Trump, who defeated 16 top political leaders of his party to become the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has said that he does not considers himself as powerful and is fighting for survival.

"I mean, I view myself as a person that, like everybody else, is fighting for survival. That's all I view myself as," Trump told the Fox News.

"I really view myself now as somewhat of a messenger," the 69-year-old leader said in response to a question.

Trump, who is among the two persons to succeed Obama as the most powerful individual of the world next January, said that he does not consider himself as powerful.

"I do not view myself as that," he said when asked on he being so powerful now.

"You know, this is a massive thing that's going on. These are millions and millions of people that have been disenfranchised from this country," he said.

Appearing on the same show last night, his son Donald Trump Jr defended the campaign style of his father, arguing that this echoes the common people.

"I think the rise is largely in part because of the tone, because he's finally saying things that everyone wants to say. He's giving them a voice again," said Trump Jr and described his father as aggressive and tough.

"When he talks and gets in a fight, he's going to treat everyone the same way. It's not about women or men - he did the same thing to Marco (Rubio), he did the same thing to Jeb (Bush)," he said in response to a question.

"I think he'll change. He can be as charismatic as anyone, but there also comes a time when you actually have to say, enough is enough," he added.

Politico reported that Trump has signed up veteran political strategist and pollster Tony Fabrizio.

He is also giving final shape to various committees that would raise funds for him.

One of the committees formed in association with the Republican National Committee and State Units would be able to accept maximum checks of at least USD 136,100 per person.

Another committee would be able to accept checks of at least USD 69,500 per person, Politico reported.

Buzzfeed reported that the Trump campaign cancelled an interview with a reported after he spoke in Spanish while waiting for the interview at Trump Tower.
Washington: The Islamic State has lost considerable ground across Iraq and Syria, including nearly half of the territory it once controlled in Iraq, the Pentagon has said.

"In Iraq, about 45 percent of the territory they once held has been recovered," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters at a news conference yesterday.

"I think the number in Syria is anywhere from 16 to 20 percent," he said.

Cook said the US continues to closely monitor IS activities and where it is making progress.

At this point the US has not been tasked to arm, or train and equip Libyan rebels or Libyan government forces in their battle against IS, he said.

"We're not specifically tasked at this point, but certainly we have been supportive of the Government of National Accord and its efforts to try and take shape, and in particular, its efforts to go after IS," he said.

A communique issued in Vienna spells out some of the next steps of support for the Government of National Accord. "Of course, we stand ready to play our role in that," he said.

Cook said there are currently small teams of US forces maintaining a presence in Libya to get a "better sense of the players on the ground."

"We have a sense of for example, the presence of IS in Libya, the level of strength and the level of strength as well as some of those other forces on the ground," he said.
Tripoli: Libya's unity government called on Tuesday for warplanes and helicopters to fight jihadists as it hailed international support for granting it an exemption to a longstanding embargo on weapons sales.

On Monday, the United States, Italy and Libya's allies and neighbours agreed in Vienna to arm the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) to confront the threat from the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

The agreement comes as rival Libyan forces prepare separate offensives against IS, which has taken advantage of the chaos since the 2011 revolution to establish a new stronghold across the Mediterranean from Europe.

International backing for an exemption to the embargo, in place since 2011, is "fundamental to the creation of a strong army... Capable of fighting the jihadist Islamic State group and other extremist groups", GNA deputy head Mussa al-Kony told.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said a 25-member group agreed to exempt the GNA from the UN arms embargo imposed since the uprising against Moamer Kadhafi's regime five years ago.

"State institutions have collapsed because the army itself fell apart. Our priority today is to unify this institution and revive it, but without weapons we cannot do this," Kony said.

"What we want is to acquire all sorts of weaponry... But our priority is aircraft," he said.

"We want pilots, helicopters and warplanes."

On Monday in Vienna, GNA chief Fayez al-Sarraj requested both equipment and training which the international ministers present were ready to support.
Mexico City: President Enrique Pena Nieto proposed on Tuesday a constitutional reform to legalize same-sex marriage across Mexico following a Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to such unions.

"This way, equal marriage will be clear in our constitution," Pena Nieto said at an event marking the national day against homophobia.

Mexico City has authorized gay and lesbian marriages since 2009 and three of the nation`s 31 states have followed suit. A fourth state, Campeche, has approved legislation but it has yet to be implemented.

The Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling last year declaring that it was unconstitutional for Mexican states to ban same-sex marriage.

While the "jurisprudence" issued by the court does not oblige states to change their laws, it requires courts to rule in favor of same-sex couples whose marriages were rejected.

Elsewhere in Latin America, Colombia became the fourth South American country to allow same-sex marriage when the constitutional court definitively legalized it last month.

Argentina was the first in South America to legalize same-sex marriage, in 2010, followed by Uruguay and Brazil three years later.
Seoul: North Korea has named a career diplomat with broad experience in negotiating with rivals South Korea and the United States as its new foreign minister, according to a diplomatic letter from Pyongyang.

North Korea's Embassy in London informed the British government yesterday that former Vice Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has been appointed as the country's new foreign minister.

Some Seoul analysts say Ri's appointment could be part of a bid to revive long-stalled diplomacy and improve ties with the outside world after Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test in January led to international criticism and tough sanctions.

Critics say North Korea has previously tried diplomacy after ratcheting up animosity in an attempt to win concessions and aid.

Ri has served as the North's top envoy to long-stalled six-nation disarmament talks on his country's nuclear weapons program and participated in talks with the United States in the 1990s. He also served as the North's ambassador in London.

In 2011, he met South Korea's top nuclear envoy in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of a regional security conference and agreed to work toward a resumption of the nuclear talks.

The agreement was considered a breakthrough at the time, but the nuclear negotiations are still stalled and have not been held since late 2008.

The North Korean message didn't say what happened to departing foreign minister, Ri Su Yong. But South Korea's spy agency said today that Ri Su Yong was believed to have been promoted to a vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party after giving his top diplomat job to Ri Yong Ho. The agency didn't elaborate.

Both Ri Su Yong and Ri Yong Ho were awarded high-level posts during a recent Workers' Party conference that was held for first time in 36 years. If Ri Su Yong's promotion is correct, he replaces Kang Sok Ju, a foreign policy specialist who negotiated a deal with the US in 1994 to freeze and ultimately dismantle North Korea's nuclear reactor in exchange for economic aid.
Manilla: Philippine anti-poaching patrols have detained two Chinese and three Vietnamese fishing vessels along with more than three dozen crew members in the extreme north of the country, officials said Tuesday.

The arrests near tiny islands off the main island of Luzon came as a maritime dispute between Manila and Beijing simmers in the South China Sea.

Two Chinese fishing vessels that were fraudulently flying the Philippine flag were detained along with their 25 crew members off the island of Sabtang on Monday, coastguard and fisheries officials told AFP.

"The presumption in these types of cases is that they are here to commit illegal fishing," said Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources director James Asis Perez.

The vessels were escorted to the port of Basco and the crews were held on board as investigators waited for interpreters, said Basco coast guard officer Mark Jun Rubio.

Perez said the bureau and the coast guard also arrested 18 Vietnamese fishermen on three boats for illegally fishing in Philippine waters last week.

He said authorities have asked state prosecutors to file illegal fishing charges against the Vietnamese, who were detained on Thursday off Calayan island, 122 kilometres (76 miles) south of Sabtang.

Poaching carries a fine of up to $1 million under Filipino law, Perez said.

No charges have so far been filed against the Chinese fishermen.

The Philippines, along with Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan, is in dispute with China over its expansive claims to most of the South China Sea.

The Philippines has taken China to a UN-backed tribunal over the dispute, with a ruling expected in the middle of this year. Beijing has said it does not recognise the case.
Bangkok: One of two ethnic Uighur Muslims from China accused of involvement in a deadly bombing at a Bangkok shrine last year broke down in front of cameras on Tuesday as he made his way into court.

Twenty people were killed and more than 120 injured in the bombing on Aug. 17 at the Erawan Shrine, thronged by visitors to the Thai capital. Five of those who died were from China and two from Hong Kong.

Analysts, diplomats and even some officials suspected the attack was linked to sympathisers of the Uighur minority in western China angered by the Thai junta`s deportation of more than 100 Uighurs to China the previous month.

But Thai police said the perpetrators were members of a network that trafficked Uighur Muslims and launched the attack in anger at Thailand`s crackdown on the trade.

"I`m not an animal," the shaven, shackled and barefoot Adem Karadag told a crowd of waiting reporters on Tuesday, as two guards led him into a military court in Bangkok`s old town. "I`m human, I`m human."

He and fellow suspect Yusufu Mieraili, who were in court for a review of witnesses, have denied all the charges against them.

"We`re innocent, help us, help us, where are the human rights?" said a stony-faced Mieraili, as he emerged from a police car outside the court.

Lawyers said more than 250 witnesses could be called for the prosecution and defence. Karadag`s lawyer, Schoochart Kanpai, said he hoped the trial would be over by the end of 2016, but that it could drag on a year longer.

Police say Karadag was caught on CCTV footage at the shrine, sitting on a bench and slipping off a bulky backpack before walking away, just before the blast.

Most Uighurs, who speak a Turkic language, live in China`s violence-plagued Xinjiang region. Exiles and human rights groups say Uighurs chafe under government policies that restrict their culture and religion.

China denies this and blames Islamist militants for the rising violence.

Thai police have issued arrest warrants for 15 other people, eight of whom are thought to be either Turkish or in Turkey, according to the warrants and police statements.

Some Turks see themselves as sharing cultural and religious bonds with their Uighur "brothers".
Washington: Observing that countries like Russia and China are modernising their militaries to close the gap they have with the US, Defence Secretary Ashton Carter on Tuesday said the Pentagon is spending heavily to develop next generation of technology to stay ahead of the curve.

"Technologies once possessed by only the most formidable militaries have now come into the hands of previously less-capable militaries, and even non-state actors. Meanwhile, nations like Russia and China are modernising their militaries to try to close the technology gap," Carter said in his address to the Navy League's Se-Air-Space Convention here.

So to stay ahead of those challenges, to stay the best, and to keep its edge, the US is investing aggressively in high-end innovation, to enhance its asymmetric, hybrid capabilities, he said.

"For instance, we're investing a combined total of USD 34 billion dollars across the cyber, electronic warfare, and space domains in FY 2017 alone. We're building fast, resilient microdrones that can be kicked out the back of a fighter jet moving at Mach 0.9 and fly through heavy winds," Carter said.

The US is developing an arsenal plane, which will function as a very large airborne magazine with different conventional payloads, networked to fifth-generation aircraft that act as forward sensor and targeting nodes.

"And for the Navy, we're working on autonomous self-driving boats, which can network together to do all sorts of missions, from fleet defence to close-in surveillance including around an island, real or artificial, without putting our sailors at risk," Carter said, adding that these are just a few of many examples.

Overall, the budget invests nearly USD 72 billion in R&D more than double what Apple, Intel, and Google spent on R&D last year combined.

That includes USD 12.5 billion specifically invested in science and technology to support groundbreaking work happening in the military, he said.
United Nations: The United States and the European Union are protesting a UN decision to bar at least 20 non-governmental groups from taking part in a major AIDS conference next month.

US Ambassador Samantha Power said the NGOs taken off the list of participants "appear to have been chosen for their involvement in LGBTI, transgender or youth advocacy."

In a letter to UN General Assembly president Mogens Lykketoft, Power requested that these groups, including the US-based Global Action for Trans Equality, be allowed to take part in the June 8-10 high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS.

European Union Ambassador Joao Vale de Almeida said the NGOs had been struck from the list following objections from member states and requested information on which countries opposed their presence.

One of the European NGOs that has been barred from taking part is the Eurasian Coalition on Male Health, based in Estonia, which has been vocal on gay rights in Russia and other former Soviet republics.

The EU ambassador wrote in his letter sent last week that changes to an initial list of delegations were made without consulting member states.

"Given that transgender people are 49 times more likely to be living with HIV than the general population, their exclusion from the high-level meeting will only impede global progress in combatting the HIV/AIDS pandemic and achieving the goal of an AIDS-free generation," Power wrote in her letter.

The high-level meeting is aimed at fast-tracking measures to end the HIV epidemic by 2030.
Vienna: World and regional powers agreed on Tuesday to try and turn Syria's shaky pause in fighting into a comprehensive cease-fire as a step toward ending the five-year war that left hundreds of thousands dead and fueled the rise of Islamic extremists.

Outlining other results, US Secretary of State John Kerry said participants set a June 1 deadline for the resumption of humanitarian aid to areas cut off from the outside world.

If land routes remain blocked, food aid will be air dropped and international pressure will be increased on those blocking such relief, he said.

Such pressure will also be applied to stop indiscriminate use of force by the Syrian military, Kerry added, without specifying what pressure the powers could apply.

But beyond such pledges the meeting did not devise any concrete ways to resolve the main problem standing in the way of peace - factional divisions. Without that, progress in ending the violence and reducing Syria's human misery can only be marginal and temporary.

Kerry said as much to reporters, declaring that to end the conflict "a variety of competing interests are going to have to be reconciled."

"Those involved in this conflict with competing agendas are going to have to prioritize peace," he said.

One key division continues to be the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Going into the talks, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier repeated the position held by the West and the Saudi-backed opposition that a peace agreement should outline steps leading to the end of his rule.

"This is necessary because there can be no lasting future for this country with Assad," he told reporters. "This is why we must start negotiations here in Vienna ... About what a transition government could look like."

Kerry did not directly mention Washington's public position that any comprehensive peace agreement must set a timetable for Assad's removal, saying only that "without a negotiated solution, Assad and his supporters will never end the war."

And he questioned suggestions that Assad was immune from international pressure to agree to a settlement. Any such conclusion by the Syrian leader is "without any foundation whatsoever, and it's very dangerous."

In a nod to Moscow, Assad's key international backer, Kerry said Russia "has made it very clear" that Assad has signed on to commitments that include participation in peace talks, constitutional change and elections.

"But he has yet to live up to the first one, which is to participate fully in the Geneva talks on a political transition," he said.

The diplomats also called on all parties to dissociate themselves from the Islamic State and the al Qaeda affiliate, known as the Nusra Front, Kerry said.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenpress news agency presents the upcoming news for 17.05.2016.

The visit of the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to Vienna is the major topic of discussions. Analysts, political scientists elaborate the new developments over the Karabakh issue. Today on May 17 experts from Armenia and other countries will speak about these developments, what changes the Armenian Presidents visit to Vienna will bring and whether a new stage will be opened for the negotiations over the Karabakh issue.

Today the 5th session of the Armenian-Polish intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation will kick off. The Co-Chairs of the intergovernmental commission first Deputy Minister of the Economy of Armenia Garegin Melkonyan and Deputy Minister of Development of the Republic of Poland Radoslaw Domagalski-Labedzki will deliver a speech during the opening session. Armenia-Poland business forum with the participation of 35 representatives of the business community from the two states will take place within the framework of the session.

May 19 is the 97th anniversary of the Greek Genocide (Pontic Genocide). A movie devoted to the Greek Genocide will be presented in the Yerevan State Linguistic University after V. Bryusov. Before the movie, expert in genocidal studies, candidate in historical sciences Gevorg Vardanyan will shortly present the story of the Greek Genocide.

An opening ceremony of the photo exhibition entitled HAVASAR (EQUAL) will be held in the National Assembly hall. The aim of the exhibition is to stress the importance of the role of women participating in politics.

The Armenian Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan will pay a working visit to Armavir district. She will visit several cultural institutions, will get acquainted to the problems and the works done so far.

The director of the Yerevan History Museum Armine Sargsyan will present the upcoming ceremonies for the International Day of Museums, and will also speak about the role of museums in publics social-cultural life.

The opening ceremony of the Art Expo-2016 2nd international exhibition organized by artist Vago Armeno Khakhamyan will be held with the support of the Ministry of Diaspora of Armenia in the innovative Experimental Art Center. The exhibition is devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Armenias independence where 40 artists from 18 countries will take part.

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STEPANAKERT, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The NKR Defense Ministry informs that overnight May 16-17 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire agreement by firing various caliber weapons and infantry fighting vehicles (30 shells) , 60mm mortars (16 shells) and automatic grenade launchers (32 shells) in the Karabakh-Azerbaijani line of contact. More intensive violations were recorded in the southeastern (Hadrut) and eastern (Martuni) directions of the contact line.

It is important to state that the Azerbaijani armed forces committed destabilizing and provocative actions during the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Vienna which was organized by the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. As a result, on May 17 at 00:50 an NKR soldier Khachatur V. Harutyunyan (born in 1996) was mortally wounded in one of the Defense Army positions located in the southern direction. An investigation is underway.

The NKR Defense Ministry shares the grief of the loss and expresses its support to the family members, relatives and co-servicemen of the killed soldier.

The NKR Defense Ministry announces that the Azerbaijani side should bear all the responsibility for the consequences of the tension in the frontline.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Armenia informs that the Azerbaijani side bears all the responsibility for the consequences of the tension in the frontline.

The Armenian Defense Ministrys announcement reads:

Overnight May 16-17 the Azerbaijani side fired irregular shots from various caliber weapons and sniper rifles at Armenian positions in the northeastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border.

According to the information received by the NKR Defense Army overnight May 16-17 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire agreement by firing various caliber weapons and infantry fighting vehicles (30 shells) , 60mm mortars (16 shells) and automatic grenade launchers (32 shells) in the Karabakh-Azerbaijani line of contact. More intensive violations were recorded in the southeastern (Hadrut) and eastern (Martuni) directions of the contact line.

It is important to state that the Azerbaijani armed forces committed destabilizing and provocative actions during the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Vienna which was organized by the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. As a result, on May 17 at 00:50 an NKR soldier Khachatur V. Harutyunyan (born in 1996) was mortally wounded in one of the Defense Army positions located in the southern direction. An investigation is underway.

The Armenian Defense Ministry shares the grief of the loss and expresses its support to the family members, relatives and co-servicemen of the killed soldier.

The Armenian Defense Ministry announces that the Azerbaijani side should bear all the responsibility for the consequences of the tension in the frontline.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Saudi Arabias holdings of US government debt are close to record highs, according to data the Treasury disclosed on May 16 after 42 years in response to a Bloomberg Freedom of Information Act request, Armenpress reports citing Bloomberg.

The kingdom held $116.8 billion of Treasuries at the end of March, down 6 percent from a record $123.6 billion in January. The data does not include Saudi Arabian Treasuries held either with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or potentially in custodial accounts in nations such as the UK and Luxembourg.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The National Assembly RPA faction MP Khosrov Harutyunyan welcomes every meeting over the issue of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. He stresses the importance of the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijani in Vienna aimed at settling the issue after the four-day war. It is important to state that the meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries. They initiated this meeting and they participated in that which shows that the international leaders stress the importance of the peaceful settlement of the conflict and take serious measures towards that path, Armenpress reports, Harutyunyan stated.

He says after this meeting serious steps will be taken for the implementation of preconditions for the resumption of the negotiation process over the peaceful settlement of the conflict. You know that the Armenian side put three preconditions for the resumption of negotiations: the installation of monitoring and investigative mechanisms in the line of contact, guarantees that Azerbaijan will not unleash new military operations, the maintenance of the ceasefire regime, as well as targeted assessments. The Foreign Ministers of the Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries yesterday issued a joint statement after the meeting which says the 1994 and 1995 ceasefire agreements continue to be in force and they should be implemented unconditionally. I think this is very important. I also stress the importance of the meeting of the EU High representative of Foreign Affairs and Security policy Federica Mogherini with the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan which also shows that the international community seriously thinks to reach the settlement of the conflict through the negotiations, Harutyunayn said.

The Armenian MP says the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to announce about the date and place of the next meeting in the upcoming months. This means, that we will know about the upcoming meeting of the Presidents. Of course, before that, steps should be taken to exclude the ceasefire violations in the line of contact and to install trust mechanisms. I can say that this gives a hope for the implementation of preconditions for restarting the negotiations and for reaching the peaceful settlement of the conflict, Harutyunyan concluded.

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev participated in a meeting initiated by the foreign ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries on May 16 in Vienna. The meeting was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry and French Secretary of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir. Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov, Ambassadors Igor Popov of Russia, James Warlick of the USA, Pierre Andrieu of France and the OSCE Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk were also present at the meeting. The tense situation resulted by the gross ceasefire violations in early April of 2016 and ways to overcome it were discussed at the meeting. The representatives of the Co-Chair countries insisted on the necessity of unconditionally respecting the 1994 ceasefire agreement and the 1995 ceasefire strengthening agreement. An agreement was reached to take measures for creating monitoring mechanisms investigating border incidents, increasing the scope of responsibilities of the team of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and for possible resumption of negotiation process.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The Polish-Armenian economic cooperation is reaching a new level.

The meeting of the Polish-Armenian economic cooperation intergovernmental commissions co-chairs took place on May 17 in Yerevan.

The sides reiterated willingness to put efforts and contribute to the expansion and development of cooperation in all directions.

Co-chair of the intergovernmental commission, First Deputy Minister of Economy of Armenia Garegin Melkonyan said this format gives the opportunity to discuss a wide range of projects and reach agreements. Melkonyan said the meeting includes issues of transport, energy, agriculture, emergency situations, military, trade, investments, tourism and others.

Speaking on investments the Deputy Minister noted that there are a number of Polish entrepreneurs willing to invest in Armenia by founding joint enterprises.

Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Economic Development of Poland Radosaw Domagalski-abedzki said the Polish side is interested in different spheres.

I am very happy that we have a number of examples of Polish businesses in the Armenian market. I think, we can speak about Polish investments in the IT sphere. I am very satisfied that the investment atmosphere is favorable in Armenia. I think we can be optimistic in the issue of development of investments, we also expect the presence of Armenian businesses in Poland, Radosaw Domagalski-abedzki said.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The four-day war was one of the most serious events over the last 22 years, the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said this while returning to Yerevan from Vienna. Referring to the question what the Armenian soldier and the Armenian people in general can wait since these days the speech of the President as the Commander in Chief of the country is very crucial, the President stated: I think that these days our people did not feel my lack of speech. Yes, I did not directly apply to the people, but, I think that the time has not come yet for it. But I spoke with our people on different occasions. I spoke, perhaps answering to others questions. I think we do not have a right to artificially move forward the events, Armenpress reports, the President said.

He says his words do not mean that the four-day war is something not special. Moreover, he says it is the most serious events over the recent 22 years in terms of the violations of the ceasefire agreement and military operations.

But still no one told me for 100% that this is the worst. I know the extent of our peoples patience, I know our people very well. If people will need me to apply directly to them, to ask or convince them, I will definitely do it. And our todays meeting is a part of the dialogue with our people. I know with whom we will protect our country, I know with whom we will reach the establishment of the right to self-determination of the Nagorno Karabakh people, the President noted.

Referring to the question what time schedules over the installation of monitoring mechanisms the talk is about, the President stated that according to the Co-Chairs the monitoring regime must be installed a day before.

I think that in a short period of time the abilities of the OSCE Personal Representative and the staff will increase. And as soon as it will be established, the better will it be, since the mutual accusations do not help the process, and there is a need of concrete evidence. In this regard I think that we will be in advantageous positions since it is obvious we never violate first since we do not need it, the Armenian President stated.

On May 16 Sargsyan had meetings with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini, U.S Secretary of State John Kerry and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, with the participation of representatives of the Minsk Group co-chairing countries.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State for European Affairs of France Harlem Desir, Armenian FM Nalbandian and Azerbaijani FM Mammadyarov, Ambassadors Igor Popov (Russia), James Warlick (USA), Pierre Andrieu (France) and OSCE Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk participated in the Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. No preconditions were put on the establishment of the monitoring regime in the line of contact, the Armenian President said this to reporters while returning to Yerevan from Vienna.

There has not been any precondition on the installation of the monitoring. I do know what kind of Azerbaijanis insist on the withdrawal of troops and then installing the monitoring, but I deal with the President of Azerbaijan who did not announce about it there, Serzh Sargsyan said.

Concerning the negotiations, the Armenian President stated that they did not talk about the negotiations. We talked about the possible meeting to be held in the future, but we did not talk about other conditions. We talked about the maintenance of the ceasefire regime. The President of Azerbaijan, looking at the Co-Chairs and me, says that we have initiated the April events. I am confident that you know what my answer was. The President of Azerbaijan today repeated ten times that Azerbaijan only wants to solve the issue with peaceful means. It is not a good situation, but the real situation is this, the Armenian President said.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The NKR President Spokesman Davit Babayan says the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan has a positive impact on the situation in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone. The meeting was useful and inspired optimism. We give importance to the Vienna meeting after the war unleashed by Azerbaijan. The negotiation process went into a coma, and this meeting was the first attempt to revive it, Babayan stated.

According to him, the statements by the participants of the meeting, the summarizing comments of the high-ranking diplomats enable to suppose that there are positive signs.

He added that the calls of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chaining countries to strictly maintain the ceasefire mean that the international community does not accept the actions which violate the agreements and are directed to change the military-political balance. The Nagorno Karabakh also signed that document. Making reference to these documents means that the international community recognizes the Nagorno Karabakh as a party and admits that the Nagorno Karabakh should have an immediate participation in the implementation of the agreements, as well as in those over which agreements will be reached, Babayan stated.

Davit Babayan highlighted the importance of the installation of investigative mechanisms for incidents in the line of contact. It is impossible to move forward without it. The mechanisms will enable to fix the ceasefire violations, when and where they occurred and who is the guilty, Babayan said.

At the same time, he noted that the process of installation of mechanisms cannot be done quickly. He says long time is needed for that. It is clear that this process cannot be implemented without the direct participation of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. The development and installation works of the investigative mechanisms are comprised of many stages with the involvement of several structures of Armenia, the NKR and Azerbaijan, Babayan added.

However, people of Stepanakert are not sure that Azerbaijan will support the implementation of this process. Even if Azerbaijan will support it at the official level, it will practically be against it. The evidence of this are the intensive fires by the Azerbaijani side during the meeting of the Presidents in Vienna which resulted in the death of one of our soldiers, Davit Babayan concluded.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. President Serzh Sargsyan says if Azerbaijan breaks their promises and violates the ceasefire agreement, there will be no other choice but to respond accordingly.

We are ready for any exit, but our wish is for that exit to be the peaceful path. Our goal is to solve our issues peacefully, with negotiations, but if Azerbaijanis break their promises, violate the ceasefire; we will have no other choice but to respond accordingly, this is the reality. I dont think violations will be excluded from tomorrow, but I hope there will be calm, Sargsyan said.

Our goal is to find out whether the negotiations are in a dead-end and there is no other way out than war, or, nevertheless, we can solve this issue with little losses. Generally, my colleagues and I are satisfied with the results of the meeting. There is no need for details due to several factors. However, the Azerbaijani President assured that personally he and his country have no goal to achieve solution of the issue by military operations, Sargsyan said, stressing that this is good, but inspires little faith. According to him, similar conversations took place numerous times, but for a number of years those agreements are not kept.

We dont have the right to be guided only by our forecasts, because war is not the best solution, thus we will see, how the events will develop. In any case we are ready for any exit, of course we hope this exit to be the peaceful way, the President said.

According to him, there was talk about the necessity to meet again after some time. Armenia made a constructive proposal. According to the President, as the subject was around the establishment of a monitoring by the co-chairs for maintaining the ceasefire regime, Armenia proposed this to be established until the next meeting. According to Serzh Sargsyan, this will be a constructive approach from both sides.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Speaker of Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov had a meeting with Germanys Bundestag MP Ulla Jelpke and Hamburg Parliaments MPs Martin Dolzer and Hasan Burgujuoghlu on May 17.

Sharmazanov expressed gratitude to the delegation for their upcoming visit to Nagorno Karabakh and said as representatives of the OSCE chairing country, they can personally see everything there.

Speaking on the events of April in the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan border, Sharmazanov presented materials proving Azerbaijani atrocities and said:As you know, during those days not only military personnel have been killed by the Azerbaijani aggression, but also civilians. I think, we all should condemn this. The people of Nagorno Karabakh have self-determined, and sooner or later the international community will recognize the self-determination right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh. Our goal is to reach the international recognition of Nagorno Karabakhs independence by a peaceful path. 

Regarding the upcoming Bundestag discussion on the Armenian Genocide recognition bill, Sharmazanov said only by recognizing and preventing it is possible to block the ways of committing new genocides.

Ulla Jelpke noted in her speech that her party is struggling not only for the adoption of the bill, but also for raising the issue of responsibility of Germany. She also noted they support the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakhi conflict.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. France leadership welcomes the results of the international meeting in Vienna over the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Armenpress reports, Romain Nadal, Spokesperson of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development announced this on May 17.

France welcomes the results of the May 16 meeting in Vienna over the Nagorno Karabakh issue which enabled to restore the dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan after April 2-5 gory clashes, he stated.

Nadal said the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to maintain the ceasefire regime and announced their willingness to solve the conflict with peaceful means, as well as they agreed to conduct several steps, in particular to install investigative mechanisms of incidents during the meeting.

These obligations are very important. France urges to the sides to fulfill them and as a Minsk Group Co-Chairing country together with Russian and US partners France will continue to act the role of mediator, Romain Nadal said.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The situation on Karabakh-Azerbaijan contact line and prospects for the resumption of peace talks remain in the focus of the social-political life in Armenia, Vice President of the National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov said a t the parliament. The Armenian side has clearly introduced its theses and the joint statement of the foreign ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair countries showed that they accept the proposals of official Yerevan, once again claiming that the 1994 ceasefire agreement is termless and the confidence building mechanisms are a real necessity, Armenpress reports Sharmazanov saying.

The National Assembly Vice President also added that the President of Armenia sent concrete messages during the Vienna meetings. First, war is not the best solution and we advocate peace, but in case of resumption of large-scale military operations by Azerbaijan, an adequate respond will be given. Second, there was no reference to the peace talks in terms of content. Third, Armenia suggested that monitoring should be conducted before the next meeting, Sharmazanov said, adding that another important message of the President is that the Armenian side strives for peace in the region and particularly in Artsakh.

Sharmazanov concluded with a call of consolidation of Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. A meeting of the board adjunct to the Defense Minister of Armenia took place at the administrative building of the Ministry on May 17. The meeting addressed issues of efficient management and optimization of state expenditures and cadre resources, as well as ways to cut state expenditures. The meeting came after a respective assignment by the Government of Armenia.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Armenia, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan mentioned at the meeting that as a result of the geopolitical and regional developments no alternatives remain to the continuous reforms in the defense sphere.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. First Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia Davit Tonoyan, who is on a working visit in Germany, held meetings in the Foreign and Defense Ministries of Germany, Executive Director of Directorate-General for Political Affairs and the head of the coordinating group of Germanys OSCE presidency. The discussion addressed issues of ceasefire reinforcement and expansion of monitoring mission in Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone, as well as installation of investigative mechanisms.

The meeting was also attended by Armenian Ambassador to Germany Ashot Smbatyan and military attache Colonel Mesrop Nazaryan.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Armenia, the sides also discussed Armenian-German cooperation in defense and prospects for the future development of the cooperation. The joint participation in UN peacekeeping missions were also touched upon.

On May 18 Davit Tonoyan will have meetings with the Staff of the German Chancellor.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Foreign minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian spoke about the prospects of the implementation of the agreements reached between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Vienna on May 16.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of MFA Armenia, in an interview with Russian Interfax agency, Edward Nalbandian, answering the question of what he can say about Sergey Lavrovs proposals over step-by-step settlement of Karabakh conflict, about which the Russian Foreign minister mentioned in Vienna, Nalbandian answered, My Russian counterpart has himself clarified for many times that there are no Lavros document or proposals. He has mentioned many times that it is an exchange of opinions and ideas for finding new ways and solutions., Minister Nalbandian said, adding that in the recent years they have been deeply engaged in finding a solution based on mutual concessions, and even were very close to it, but the Azerbaijani side always makes a step back.

The implementation of the agreements reached between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Vienna, which is also stated in the statement of the Russian Foreign Minister, US Secretary of State and the Secretary of State for European Affairs of France, which says that the reconfirmation of commitments for a lasting peace, the implementation of the 1994-1995 ceasefire agreements, creation of mechanisms investigating ceasefire violations within a short period of time, expansion of responsibilities of the team of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office aimed at conducting more effective monitoring will create required conditions for the resumption of the negotiation process, defining principles of the solution of the problem and going on with attempts to find a solution based on mutual concessions, Armenian Foreign Minister said.

In answer to the question of to what extent it is realistic that the Vienna agreement will be implemented, Edward Nalbandian stated that Armenia has always respected its commitments, while Azerbaijan has not.

The fact that this was the first time the Foreign Ministers of the Co-chair countries were present at the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents shows the Co-chair countries attach special importance to preventing any new escalation and implementation of the agreements for creating conditions for the resumption of the talks.

We hope that this time Azerbaijan will not wreck the expectations of the Co-chair countries and the international community, Edward Nalbandian said.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Germanys Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued a statement on May 17 referring to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the OSCE, Steinmeiers statement reads as follows,

The situation along the line of contact continues to be tense. I deeply regret the reported recent loss of life, and I urge the sides to respect the ceasefire in full.

In this context, I welcome the initiative by my colleagues from the Russian Federation, the United States of America, and France, the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, who held a meeting with the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on 16 May. I am encouraged by the renewed commitment that both Presidents have expressed to the ceasefire and to the peaceful settlement of the conflict, as well as their readiness to have a new round of talks in June.

Germanys 2016 OSCE Chairmanship remains fully committed to supporting the work of the Co-Chairs. We will actively support efforts to establish an investigative mechanism. We will also work on expanding the team of my Personal Representative, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.

The escalation of hostilities in April was a reminder to us all that re-doubled, sustained efforts are now needed to break the deadlock. The consolidation of the ceasefire is a matter of high priority, not least with a view to creating favourable conditions for resuming negotiations on a comprehensive settlement.
Gent Shkullaku | AFP | Getty Images. Construction on a $45 billion gas pipeline to supply energy to Europe begins Tuesday. It's the biggest foreign investment in the history of Greece.

ATHENS- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will inaugurate the start of construction for the TransAdriatic Pipeline (TAP) in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece on Tuesday. Official representatives of the European Union and U.S. State Department as well as high ranking officials from Greece, Turkey, Albania, Italy and Bulgaria will attend the ceremony.

TAP will transport Azerbaijani gas from Shah Deniz-2, extracted in the Azeri sector of the Caspian, to western Europe through Greece and Albania. It is part of the Southern Gas Corridor, one of the most complex gas value chains ever developed stretching over 2,174 miles. The first delivery of Azerbaijani gas is scheduled for early 2020.



The $45 billion project represents the biggest foreign investment that has ever taken place in Greece . The shareholders of the project are: Socar (20 percent), BP (London Stock Exchange: BP.-GB) (20 percent), Snam (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

This project opens broad opportunities for transportation of Azerbaijani gas to such European markets as Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland and Austria. It also will help Europe diversify its sources of natural gas. Currently Russia is the major gas supplier for the continent.



At the same time, construction of the pipeline will help the anemic economies of Albania and Greece. It is expected that construction of the pipeline will employ 150 Greek companies as contractors, subcontractors or track support, and about 8,000 workers.

On Monday, Greek Minister of Environment and Energy Panos Skourletis told the Athens News Agency, "We are entering into a new phase for the economy. The TAP project will offer a strong boost to move forward."

TAP's initial capacity of 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas per year is equivalent to the energy consumption of approximately seven million households in Europe. In future, the addition of two extra compressor stations could double throughput to more than 20 bcm as additional energy supplies come on stream in the wider Caspian region.



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Russia is trying to bolster pipeline links with the continent through southern Europe. Gazprom (: @GAZLFDC15X-GB) tried and failed to gain strategic entry through Bulgaria and Turkey. Recently it announced new plans with Italian utility Edison and Greece's DEPA to supply natural gas along the seabed of the Black Sea into Greece and Italy, from where it could be sold in Europe.

The so-called Interconnector Turkey Greece Italy (ITGI) Poseidon pipeline scheme  unable to get off the ground for years  was shelved in 2012 after it lost out to TAP. Gazprom is now trying to get this project revived. It would consist of an offshore pipeline that will connect the Greek and Italian natural gas transportation systems. The capacity of the pipeline would be 8 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year.

It is expected that during his visit to Athens on May 28 Russian President Vladimir Putin will seek to gain support for the Poseidon pipeline.

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By Nasos Koukakis, special to CNBC.com

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This is the biggest upside risk in oil, says strategist

The situation in Nigeria is the biggest upside risk in the oil markets, strategist Helima Croft said Monday.

The country's oil output has fallen to its lowest in decades following several acts of sabotage by militants.

"If Nigeria goes offline, it's sticky. These armed militants are very intent on shutting down production. They have the capacity to do so," Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, said in an interview with CNBC's " Power Lunch ."

"I don't think we should write them off because they are armed to the teeth."

Oil prices surged Monday on the growing Nigerian oil output disruptions and a new outlook by Goldman Sachs that said the market had ended almost two years of oversupply and flipped to a deficit.

U.S. crude futures (New York Mercantile Exchange: @CL.1) settled up $1.51 at $47.72 a barrel, at their highest since Nov. 3, when they closed at $47.90.

Brent crude futures (Intercontinental Exchange Europe: @LCO.1) were trading at $48.99 per barrel, up $1.13, or 2.36 percent.

Supply disruptions around the world of as much as 3.75 million barrels per day have wiped out a glut that pulled down oil prices by as much as 70 percent between 2014 and early 2016.

However, despite the recent drop in supply, oil expert John Kilduff isn't necessarily convinced levels will stay low.

"This is going to be the test. Does this run at $50 right now bring on additional U.S. tight oil production? Does the rig count stabilize and even go back up? I think there's a lot of desperation out there. I think you are going to see these folks try to lock in $48, $50 barrel oil here and go for it," the founding partner of Again Capital said in an interview with "Power Lunch."

Crude production in the U.S. has fallen to 8.8 million BPD, 8.4 percent below 2015 peaks, as the sector suffers a wave of bankruptcies. The latest victims are SandRidge Energy and the master limited partnership Breitburn Energy Partners, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday.

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Kilduff also believes the market is vulnerable because the events in Nigeria are transitory, noting that Libya has been on and off the market and the Iranians came back online much quicker than many anticipated.

In addition, he questions the importance of the Nigerian outage.

"For the past year or so, a lot of their own went unsold for points of time. There were scores of cargo sitting out there with nowhere to go," he said.

But Croft thinks that is exactly why Nigeria is important.

"We said the Nigerian barrels are the homeless barrels that are choking the market, so if we cleared off Nigeria. That was your path to higher markets."

Oil stocks have moved higher since crude's February lows, but analyst Mike Kelly cautions investors to not get greedy.

That's because U.S. producers will "come back with a vengeance" once oil hits $55, the managing director and senior analyst at Seaport Global Securities told "Power Lunch."

"I still think the wind's at your back here in the short term. You get to that $55, pushing $60 level, you've got to take chips off the table," said Kelly.

He specifically likes Newfield Exploration (NYSE: NFX), Continental Resources (NYSE: CLR), Energen (NYSE: EGN) and Cimarex Energy (NYSE: XEC).

 CNBC's Jennet Chin and Reuters contributed to this report.

Disclosures: Kelly, his family and his firm do not own shares of NFX, CLR, EGN. XEC is an investment banking client.

Disclaimer





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These have become the dog days of Hillary Clintons Democratic presidential campaign.

Although she is tantalizingly close to wrapping up her drive for the Democratic nomination, rival Sen. Bernie Sanders continues to keep her off stride with late-inning primary victories, as he did recently in Indiana and West Virginia and is threating to do again on Tuesday in Kentucky and Oregon.

Related: While Clinton Sets Her Sight on Trump, Sanders Pulls Her Back

More troubling, though, are her glaring deficiencies as a candidate to take on presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump this fall  flaws and shortcomings that even some of her staunchest supporters are beginning to complain about openly.

In a searing assessment of the former secretary of states prospects as her partys standard bearer, The Washington Post on Sunday quoted more than a dozen Clinton allies concerned that she has stumbled badly in adapting to the anti-establishment mood sweeping the country.

While Trump may begin the general election campaign with some of the highest negative numbers of any candidate in modern times, Clinton is not far behind. The Democratic frontrunner has yet to find a way to bring luster and excitement to her campaign style, in contrast to Trumps ability to electrify his supporters. She suffers dismal showings among young people and white men, and seems cold or distant to many.

Peter Hart, the veteran Democratic pollster who has documented many of Clintons political woes, told The Washington Post that its all about Clintons public image, noting that her likeability rating is lower today than it was when she first entered the race last summer.

It is far too soon for her to push the panic button, but Clintons national and regional polling numbers against Trump  including in the battle ground states of Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio  are not particularly impressive. And Trump has wasted little time in exploiting her weaknesses as a candidate -- denouncing her as crooked Hillary, questioning her judgement in foreign policy and characterizing the former first lady as an enabler during former President Bill Clintons White House sex scandal.

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Related: 18 Possible Picks for Hillarys Vice President

Trump said in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday that he intends to bring up Bill Clintons infidelities and Hillary Clintons effort to discredit Monica Lewinsky and other women involved during the nationally televised presidential debates this fall. However, he noted that women dont like seeing Clinton bullied or insulted by men, so he will have to be more strategic in attacking her.

Just getting nasty with Hillary wont work, Trump told the newspaper. You really have to get people to look hard at her character, and to get women to ask themselves if Hillary is truly sincere and authentic.

While Clinton must find effective ways counter Trumps more vicious political and personal attacks without getting down in the mud with him, she will be counting heavily on prominent campaign surrogates and a strong vice presidential running mate to help carry the fight to Trump and the Republicans.

And no one will be more important to her prospects for pulling out a victory than President Obama, who has become Clintons closest and most important ally in the 2016 campaign.

Although the president and his former secretary of state have had their differences of opinion, especially on aspects of Obamas foreign policy in Syria and Iraq, Clinton has embraced closely most of the presidents domestic agenda, particularly the embattled Affordable Care Act and his economic and climate-change policies.

Related: Mark Cuban to Hillary Clinton: You Need Someone Like Me as Your VP

Clintons strategy of swearing allegiance to Obamas legacy has paid handsome dividends for her against Sanders, as she has captured huge majorities of African-Americans, Latinos and older Americans throughout the South, Midwest and Northeast.

Clinton and Obama essentially have a symbiotic relationship: Clinton continues to need the presidents support to finally finish off Sanders and fully pivot to Trump and the general election while Obama needs Clinton in the White House beginning next January to preserve his legacy. As his own approval rating has begun to climb again from the mid-40s to above 50 percent, there is a lot that Obama can do to energize the Democratic Party and help Clinton counteract Trumps often venomous attacks, according to some political experts.

President Obama I think remains enormously popular within the Democratic Party and his legacy depends on her election as the next president of the United States, said William Galston, a political expert at Brookings and former domestic policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton.

Its been clear for months that Obama has been eager to enter the fray against Trump, although he has been obliged to hang back while Clinton and Sanders continue to slug it out in the Democratic primary contest. The president recently used the annual White House correspondents dinner and several press conferences to signal his displeasure with Trumps reality-TV-show brand of campaigning.

On Sunday, Clinton used a commencement address at Rutgers University to offer a scathing critique of Trumps anti-establishment, anti-immigrant, isolationist America First campaign, without mentioning the billionaire businessman by name.

Related: Sanders Attacks Are Taking a Serious Toll on Clinton

The president touched on a number of themes that are likely to be the bedrock of his fall assault on the Republican nominee. He suggested that Trump is out of touch with reality in opposing globalization and international trade cooperation; that Trumps calls for building a wall along the border with Mexico, deporting 11 million illegal immigrants and banning most Muslims from entering this country were dangerous and un-American; and that Trumps studied ignorance about global warming and scores of other issues endangers the nations security and hurts the U.S. reputation abroad.

Its not cool to not know what you are talking about, the president said during his 45-minute speech in New Jersey. Thats not keeping it real or telling it like it is. Thats not challenging political correctness. Thats just not knowing what you are talking about.

Obama has no love for Trump, a birther who at one time led an effort to dispute the presidents U.S. citizenship. Having waged and won two successive presidential campaigns by energizing minorities and young people, Obama could provide key support to Clinton this fall as she battles Trump.

One of the best indicators of the outcome of a presidential election is the job approval rating of the incumbent, Larry J. Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist, said Monday. Obama is back over 50 [percent], barely. So while he continues to rile Republicans, Obama is now an overall plus for Clinton. He can energize Democrats a lot better than she can.

Related: How Trump Could Use Campaign Donations to Pay Himself $36 Million

Sabato added in an email that Obama's approval doesn't guarantee Clinton anything. But he noted that low presidential approval like that of then-Republican President George W. Bush in 2008 seriously hurt GOP presidential nominee John McCain in his battle with Obama. Bush went into the 20s [in approval rating] and McCain never had a chance, Sabato said.

Norman Ornstein, a political scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, agreed that Obama may prove to be Clintons most important weapon this fall against Trump. A president in his final days has two weapons at his disposal: executive power and that bully pulpit, and that bully pulpit is going to be a big, big deal for him, Ornstein told MSNBC today.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (L), European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (C) and President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz arrive for a meeting at Chigi Palace in Rome on May 5, 2016

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Tuesday claimed victory in his budget battle with Brussels after the EU granted Rome "unprecedented" leeway on the application of deficit rules for 2016.

The move was revealed in a letter from the European Commission that Italy published on the eve of the EU executive's release of its assessment of whether Eurozone countries are sticking to Stability Pact rules on their public finances.

The letter confirms that Brussels has granted Italy's demand for spending equivalent to 0.85 percent of its GDP to be effectively stripped out of the calculation of whether Rome is acting fast enough to cut its huge national debt.

The Commission said it was granting the leeway on condition that Italy stands ready to tighten its belt more than currently planned in 2017.

But it failed to win any clear commitment on that score. Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan replied to the Commission's letter by saying he was confident Italy would "broadly comply" with EU requirements in 2017 on the basis of his current fiscal plans.

Renzi said the flexibility granted by Brussels was worth "lots of money" for Italy.

"(It is) less than I would have liked and it is not a solution for every problem, but it is the principle of flexibility," he said.

"It means a green light for investment that otherwise would have been blocked."

Italy has argued strongly in favour of the EU's deficit and debt rules being interpreted in a way that means one-off or exceptional spending is not included in the calculation of whether a country is compliant.

In its budget for 2016, it proposed discounting amounts equivalent to 0.5 percent of GDP to cover the cost of implementing structural reforms, 0.25 percent for infrastructural investment and a total of 0.1 percent for costs related to the migrant crisis and anti-terrorism measures.

Brussels granted them all -- on condition that Italy does what is needed to get its budget deficit to GDP ratio down to 1.8 percent.

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"It must be recalled that no other Member State has requested nor received anything close to this unprecedented amount of flexibility," the Commission's letter states.

- Slow recovery from recession -

It later notes that "our current assessment of the planned fiscal effort for 2017 indicates a projected gap of between 0.15 percent and 0.2 percent of GDP."

In his reply, Padoan gave no commitment to tightening his fiscal stance, stressing instead the need for growth friendly policies at national and European levels to bolster a slow recovery.

"In this complex scenario, let me reiterate the commitment, including the planned fiscal effort, taken by the Italian Government ... to broadly comply with EU fiscal rules in 2017," he wrote, adding he was confident Italy would avoid "significant deviation" from Brussels' requirements.

Although Italy's deficit is well under the three percent ceiling enshrined in the EU's Stability Pact, Rome is under pressure to cut its annual borrowing requirement as a means of bringing down its huge debt mountain.

This currently stands at 2.2 trillion euros, equivalent to more than 130 percent of the country's annual economic output. Renzi has pledged that the debt level will fall this year for the first time since 2007.

The Italian premier has been a vocal critic of what he sees as EU austerity.

Italy's budget for this year includes tax cuts and new spending worth around 30 billion euros, around half of which is being financed by letting the deficit run higher than it otherwise would.

Renzi says the measures are essential to consolidate Italy's tentative recovery from a triple-dip recession.
Demonstrators face French riot police during a protest against the government's labour law reforms on May 17, 2016 in Lyon

French President Francois Hollande vowed Tuesday to stick with his controversial attempts to reform the labour market, even as a new round of violent protests broke out.

Police fired tear gas in central Paris as an initially peaceful protest organised by unions and students was disrupted by a more radical fringe.

The labour reforms have sparked two months of protests on France's streets and led to an unsuccessful attempt to bring down the government.

But Hollande said the battle against unemployment was not yet won and he placed the need to reform over his personal popularity, despite his possible bid for re-election next year.

"I will not give way because too many (previous) governments have backed down," Hollande said in an hour-long interview with Europe 1 radio.

"I prefer that people have an image of a president who made reforms rather than a president who did nothing," he said.

Police were quick to act as violence caused by masked youths broke out during a march by thousands of people through central Paris, kicking off another week of nationwide strikes and demonstrations against the package of reforms.

Truck drivers blocked roads and ports in northern and western France, and there were also clashes between protesters and police in the western cities of Nantes and Rennes, where thousands more had taken to the streets.

"We have been ignored, so we will work even harder to make our voices heard," said Philippe Martinez, head of the CGT union, at the Paris rally.

The government argues the changes contained in the draft law will make France's notoriously rigid labour market more flexible, but opponents say it will erode job security and do little to bring down unemployment.

- 'No alternative' -

Hollande has pledged to decide by the end of this year whether to stand for re-election next May, but he said Tuesday he saw "no alternative" to himself on the left of French politics.

"If I am not there... if the left is not re-elected, the right or the extreme-right will win," he said.

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Hollande is staking his bid on bringing down the jobless rate, stuck stubbornly above 10 percent, and at nearly 25 percent for young people.

"It takes time for those reforms to take effect," Hollande said.

"The battle is not won. It will only be won when we have, over several months, a sustained fall in unemployment," he said. "I am fighting the battle every day."

The Socialist government last week survived a vote of no-confidence, which was called by the centre-right opposition, after it forced through the labour market reform bill without parliament's approval.

The draft law will now be debated in the Senate, the upper house of parliament.

A defiant Hollande said the draft law "is going to go through because it has been debated, agreed on and amended".

The president also promised tougher action against the troublemakers who infiltrate street protests against the reforms and provoke confrontation with riot police.

"It will not be accepted," Hollande said, promising more arrests and bans on protesting for others.

"Demonstrating is a right, but smashing things up is a crime," he said.

The president said more than 1,000 people had already been arrested and that 350 police officers had been injured in the violence.

Major travel disruptions are expected through the week, with railway unions holding several strikes and airport unions planning a walk-out on Thursday. Ports are again due for blockages on Thursday.
French police fired tear gas in central Paris as an initially peaceful protest organised by unions and students was disrupted by a more radical fringe

French President Francois Hollande vowed to stick with his controversial attempts to reform the labour market, even as a new round of violent protests broke out.

Police fired tear gas in central Paris as an initially peaceful protest organised by unions and students was disrupted by a more radical fringe.

The labour reforms have sparked two months of protests on France's streets, drawing 68,000 nationwide on Tuesday, authorities said, while organisers put the turnout at 220,000.

"Withdraw, withdraw this law of the wealthy, it's the law of the bosses," was the message blasted from loudspeakers at the Paris march.

But Hollande said the battle against unemployment was not yet won and he placed the need to reform over his personal popularity, which remains at near-record lows a year ahead of a possible bid for re-election.

"I will not give way, because too many (previous) governments have backed down," Hollande said in an hour-long interview with Europe 1 radio.

"I prefer that people have an image of a president who made reforms rather than a president who did nothing," he said.

Police were quick to act as violence by masked youths broke out during the march in central Paris, kicking off another week of nationwide strikes and demonstrations against the package of reforms. Some 87 people were arrested.

Demonstrations were also reported in cities across the country from Marseille in the south to central Lyon and Lille in the north.

Lorry drivers blocked roads and ports in northern and western France, and there were clashes between protesters and police in the western cities of Nantes and Rennes, where thousands more took to the streets.

"We have been ignored, so we will work even harder to make our voices heard," said Philippe Martinez, head of the CGT union, at the Paris rally.

The government argues the changes contained in the draft law will make France's notoriously rigid labour market more flexible, but opponents say it will erode job security and do little to bring down the unemployment rate, stuck at 10 percent and nearly 25 percent for young people.

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The labour reform, which would make it easier for employers to hire and fire workers, is likely the last major piece of legislation for Hollande, the least popular leader in modern French history who faces a re-election next May.

- 'No alternative' -

Hollande has pledged to decide by the end of this year whether to run for a second term, but he said Tuesday he saw "no alternative" to himself on the left of French politics.

"If I am not there... if the left is not re-elected, the right or the extreme-right will win," he said.

Hollande is staking his bid on bringing down the jobless rate.

"It takes time for those reforms to take effect," he said.

"The battle is not won. It will only be won when we have, over several months, a sustained fall in unemployment," he said. "I am fighting the battle every day."

The Socialist government last week survived a vote of no-confidence, called by the centre-right opposition, after it forced through the labour market reform bill without parliament's approval.

The draft law will now be debated in the Senate, the upper house of parliament.

A defiant Hollande said the draft law "is going to go through because it has been debated, agreed on and amended".

- Transport strikes -

The president also promised tougher action against troublemakers who infiltrate street protests against the reforms and provoke confrontations with the police.

Hollande said more than 1,000 people had already been arrested and that 350 police officers had been injured in the violence.

A police demonstration was set for Wednesday to protest "anti-cop hatred" in the months of clashes over the labour reforms.

Police unions called on officers not on duty to gather in some 60 locations across France, including the Place de la Republique in Paris.

Despite the clashes over labour reform, 82 percent of the French have a positive opinion of the police, according to an Odoxa survey.

Major travel disruption is expected through the week, with rail unions holding several strikes and airport unions planning a walk-out on Thursday that will see some 15 percent of flights cancelled at Paris Orly airport, the capital's second largest.

Ports are again due to be blocked on Thursday, and rail unions said strikes would resume at the end of the month.
The Intercept has begun publishing a large tranche of NSA documents leaked by Edward Snowden. All 166 articles from SID Today, an NSA internal newsletter, are coming in the first portion of Snowden docs that The Intercept will release, with more to come.

The investigative news outlet says it is releasing the documents so that interested parties can scour them for stories they may have overlooked. As anyone who's followed the Snowden story knows, the docs that accompany them are impenetrably dense, written in a combination of government and IT jargon that has often been deliberately obfuscated by referring to companies, agencies and people by pseudonyms. This presents serious difficulty for responsible journalists, who want to minimize the possibility that they'll release documents that have no public interest but may undermine legitimate security undertakings  when you can't figure out what a document is about, how do you know if releasing it will cause harm?

The limited release approach is reminiscent of the searchable database of names from the Panama Papers  a way for the wider world to try to untangle the deliberately knotty affairs of those who work in secret.

From the start of our reporting on the archive, a major component of our approach has been to partner with foreign (and other American) media outlets rather than try to keep all the material for ourselves. We have collectively shared documents with more than two dozen media outlets, and teams of journalists in numerous countries have thus worked with and reported on Snowden documents (that's independent of the other media outlets which have long possessed large portions of the Snowden archive  the Washington Post, the New York Times, The Guardian, ProPublica). This partnership approach has greatly expedited the reporting, and also ensured that stories that most affect specific countries are reported by the journalists who best understand those countries. But allowing other journalists full access to the archive presented security and legal challenges that took time and resources to resolve. We now feel comfortable that we can do so consistent with the responsibility demanded by these materials and our agreement with our source. We have begun to provide archive access to journalists from Le Monde and other media outlets in collaboration with The Intercept's editorial, research, legal, and technology teams. We are excited by the reporting this new arrangement will generate. There are still many documents of legitimate interest to the public that can and should be disclosed. There are also documents in the archive that we do not believe should be published because of the severe harm they would cause innocent people (e.g., private communications intercepted by NSA, the disclosure of which would destroy privacy rights; and documents containing government speculation about bad acts committed by private individuals (typically from marginalized communities), the disclosure of which would permanently destroy reputations).

SNOWDEN ARCHIVE

THE SIDTODAY

FILES [The Intercept]

(via Ars Technica)
A Lexus version of a Google Self Driving car is shown in Moutain View, California, U.S., April 8, 2016. REUTERS/Alexandria Sage

Hows getting paid US$20 an hour to sit behind the wheel of one of Googles self-driving cars  but not drive unless absolutely necessary  sound?

Well, if thats music to your ears, you may be in luck. The tech giant is hiring vehicle operators as part of its tests in the Phoenix, Ariz., area on its self-driving car project, according to The Arizona Republic.

The new hires will be responsible for operating the companys autonomous Lexus SUVs for six to eight hours a day, five days a week. They will work in teams, with one person behind the wheel ready to take over in case of an emergency and another sitting shotgun typing notes on a laptop.

Besides keeping an airtight lid on all the projects details, the jobs requirements are relatively low.

ALSO READ: Startup wants to put self-driving big rigs on US highways

The self-driving vehicle operators are expected to have a bachelors degree, no criminal history, a clean driving record and the ability to type at least 40 words per minute.

The role of test driver is so new that there isnt a particular type of person that we look for, Brian Torcellini, head of operations of Google's self-driving car testing program, told The Arizona Republic.

"Weve hired people from all types of backgrounds, from English teachers to orbital welders. In general, they need to be excellent drivers who pay really close attention to the road and can predict the social aspects of driving."

Torcellini added that local drivers would be great because of their knowledge of the roads in the Phoenix area and its driving norms.
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will introduce legislation to protect transgender people from discrimination, the prime minister said on Monday, as the political debate around such rights heats up in the United States. Recently elected Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said legislation ensuring "the full protection" of transgender Canadians would be tabled on Tuesday morning. "We must continue to demand true equality," Trudeau said in Montreal, where he was receiving an award for his commitment to fighting homophobia and transphobia. "We must carry on the legacy of those who fought for justice by being bold and ambitious in our actions, and we must work diligently to close the gap between our principals and our reality." With the Liberals holding a majority in the House of Commons, the legislation is guaranteed to pass. Past attempts to pass similar legislation in Canada have failed. The mandate letter Trudeau gave to Canada's justice minister stated that she would introduce legislation to add gender identity as a prohibited ground for discrimination under Canada's Human Rights Act, and to the list of distinguishing characteristics protected from hate speech under the Criminal Code. Transgender rights have become part of a heated debate in the United States recently, though it is a less-controversial issue in Canada. North Carolina earlier this year passed a law that prohibits people from using public washrooms that do not correspond to their gender assigned at birth. Since then, the Obama administration has told U.S. public schools that transgender students must be allowed to use the bathroom of their choice, a non-binding guidance that has been met with pushback from conservatives. (Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Dan Grebler)
TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - First Book Canada and Scotiabank, in collaboration with the Toronto Marlies, celebrated St. John Vianney Catholic School's grade 1 class winning the Scotiabank Reading Hero Challenge. The winning class received tickets to see the Toronto Marlies take on the Hartford Wolf Pack at the Ricoh Centre.

"I believe my class and I have integrated the program very well into our weekly routine as it has been incorporated into other subject areas as well. The benefits of the challenge are that the students are fully engaged and eager to do the activities. It has allowed them to extend their understanding by making connections, by further developing their vocabulary and reading and writing more. We brainstorm together and discuss what activities they would like to do," said Ivana Quaglietta, St. John Vianney Grade 1 Teacher.

The First Book Canada Scotiabank Reading Hero Challenge commenced on February 1, 2016. The grade one students of eight elementary schools in high-needs areas of the GTA began their eight week long journey towards completing the Reading Hero Challenge. The requirements for this challenge were to read eight books and complete a Chart paper book report at the end of each week for eight weeks.

The challenge was carefully tracked as it included a very strong social media presence on Twitter and was sourced through the hashtag #ReadingHeroChallenge. Stories, quotes and pictures of the reports as well as students engaged in reading activities were tagged with the hashtag which made for a really interactive and engaging competition. The final reports were submitted at the end of March and after review of all reports, St. John Vianney Catholic School took top honours.

"We are so excited about the results for The First Book Canada Reading Hero Challenge with Scotiabank and the Toronto Marlies," said Tom Best, Executive Director at First Book Canada. "This program has been a huge motivator to get kids reading in eight grade one classes across the GTA, serving children from low income families. We are very proud to have this unique association with Scotiabank and Zach Hyman and the Toronto Marlies organization. First Book Canada is delighted with the outcomes of the program in its first year, knowing hundreds of students just starting to learn to read have eight wonderful, brand new books of their very own to treasure for years to come."

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"Congratulations to the grade one students at St. John Vianney Catholic School and all of the schools that participated in First Book Canada's Scotiabank Reading Hero Challenge," said Heather McFarlane, Branch Manager, Lakeshore and 6th Street, Scotiabank. "Scotiabank is proud to give schools across the GTA access to reading materials and we are thrilled at the response from the students and their passion for learning."

Toronto Marlies player, and bestselling children's author Zach Hyman said, "It is an honour to have my book chosen and to represent the Marlies. I would like to thank Scotiabank and First Book Canada for organizing and arranging this wonderful event and for giving children this great opportunity."

About First Book Canada

First Book Canada provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy -- access to books. By making brand-new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis, First Book Canada is transforming the lives of children and elevating the quality of education in the country. In 2015, First Book Canada distributed over 1 million new books to children in need across Canada. All funds raised in Canada go to programs serving Canadian children from low-income families. For more information, or to sign up to get books, visit us at www.firstbookcanada.org and follow our latest news on Twitter @FirstBookCanada and on our Facebook page.

About Scotiabank

Through our global community investment strategy, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2015, Scotiabank contributed $67 million to help our communities around the world.

Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 23 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 89,000 employees and assets of $920 billion (as at January 31, 2016), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS.TO) and New York Exchanges (BNS.TO). Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using Marketwired. For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

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By Brad Haynes SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA may challenge the state funding received by Canadian rival Bombardier Inc at the World Trade Organization (WTO), a senior executive told Reuters on Monday. Paulo Cesar Silva, the head of Embraer's commercial aviation unit, said in a telephone interview that favorable government financing has given Bombardier an unfair advantage in sales campaigns where its new CSeries is up against Embraer's E-Jets. "The WTO is an alternative" to resolve the potential trade dispute, Silva said. "Another channel could be government-to-government talks. That might be the best way to avoid a dispute." Embraer has reached out to the Brazilian government, but still needs details of Bombardier's financing arrangements before taking action, Silva added. Brazil and Canada have locked horns repeatedly at the WTO over the past two decades regarding state support for Embraer and Bombardier, the world's biggest commercial planemakers after powerhouses Boeing Co and Airbus Group . Bombardier secured $1 billion for its C Series program from the Quebec government last year and has asked Canada's federal government to match the investment. Embraer's concerns about the funding boiled over last month when Bombardier won an aggressive bid for 75 aircraft for U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines Inc. Several industry sources have pegged the discount close to two-thirds off the nominal CS100 list price of $71.8 million, but people close to Bombardier have denied this. "Given the support, Bombardier has been very aggressive, to the point of offering planes at prices below their production costs. That's what the numbers show," Silva said. "It causes a major distortion in the market. We're not competing with a private enterprise any more. We're competing with the government," he said. "And the one footing the bill is the Canadian taxpayer." A spokeswoman for Bombardier commercial aircraft said Monday the Delta deal complies with WTO guidelines. "Our transactions are all in full compliance with WTO rules," spokeswoman Marianella de la Barrera said by phone from Toronto. "Those comments (from Embraer) are not based on facts. The (Delta) selection was based on the aircrafts proven performance." De la Barrera added that while Bombardier was given a commitment from the Quebec government, the company has not received any cash from the province because the deal has not yet been finalized. (Reporting by Brad Haynes; Additional reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Sandra Maler and Alan Crosby)
Canadian retailer Hudson's Bay Company says it plans to open up to 20 new Bay and Saks Off Fifth stores in the Netherlands over the next two years.

The announcement Tuesday by Hudson's Bay said the move marks the first time that The Bay brand will open outside Canada. The chain is currently finalizing long term leases and expected to open the first locations in the summer of 2017.

The move comes after the chain's $3.9-billion purchase last year of Germany's Galeria Kaufhof, giving HBC a major foothold in Europe and a launching pad to further expansion due to Kaufhof's supply chain.

"We are very pleased to introduce our Canadian Hudson's Bay banner, one of the world's most exciting department stores, to the Netherlands," HBC chair Richard Baker said.

"Our acquisition of Galeria in 2015 established our European headquarters in Cologne and a platform for future organic growth. Expansion into the Netherlands is a natural extension of our existing presence in Belgium as well as our planned entry into Luxembourg and will complete our presence in all of the Benelux countries."

Hudson's Bay, which owns Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor and Hudson's Bay department stores, plans to spend upwards of $1.5 billion in the coming years to strengthen its European presence, including 40 Saks Off Fifth stores in Germany.

Toronto-based HBC said the move should create some 2,500 jobs in the stores and a further 2,500 for construction workers, and involve capital investment of some $340 million.

The Dutch retail landscape was rattled late last year by the collapse of department store chain V&D.
[Environment Minister Catherine McKenna got a lot of backlash online for her comment Saturday that climate change isnt gender neutral. TWITTER]



Its a tweet that has rebounded and hit back at Canadas environment minister.

Catherine McKenna, attending a meeting of G7 ministers in Tokyo over the weekend, posted this Twitter statement: DYK: The threat of #climatechange is not gender neutral? Women are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than men.

Since then, the minister has acknowledged she has gotten a large number of vicious rebukes and has also said that the hateful, mysoginist tweets are brutal. She also called such people a grouchy subcategory of climate change deniers.

McKenna has been promoting gender recognition at the climate talks in Tokyo. She is not alone in making such a statement about gender and climate. In April, Segolene Royal, the French minister of ecology, sustainable development and energy, said women will comprise most of the victims of climate change. Royal was about to sign the COP21 climate change agreement at the UN headquarters in New York.

It is true that in some countries, in certain contexts, women are more vulnerable, Sybil Seitzinger, the executive director of the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), told Yahoo Canada News. PICS is a collaboration of British Columbias research universities: Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, University of Victoria and the University of Northern British Columbia.

It is not uncommon that there are many women who are single parents that have to provide food, water and the necessities for their children and in areas that suffer from [droughts or storms] it would be harder for them.

For McKenna and Royal, their remarks seem to be based on an old United Nations report that women comprise 70 per cent of the worlds poor and two-thirds of the worlds illiterate. Its from that, McKenna has likely gleaned that women have unequal access to resources.

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But even the UN has said its report from 1995 was wrong  the former chief of statistical services at the agency told Politifact in 2014 that the 70 per cent statistic was a mistake. According to a 2013 World Bank study, its more evenly split between men and women.

The issue of our century

Some of this gender thinking about climate may be affected by a 2007 London School of Economics study on natural disasters which discovered that they are more likely to kill women and especially in areas where female socioeconomic levels are the lowest. Natural disasters are expected to become more frequent and severe as climate changes.

For Seitzinger, its just one part of a multi-faceted problem in which everyone at every level of society will be affected. She says McKenna was highlighting the gender section of a massive problem.

This is THE issue of our century. We need to take a broad look at its effects on everyone, she said. It could be the elderly who already have health problems  or [Inuit] people who say they arent able to hunt regularly because the sea ice keeps changing so much.

According to Seitzinger, who previously spent seven years heading the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme based in Sweden, there are no specific studies that say women will be affected, overall, more than men. However, studies that target gender are now underway.

In my previous job [in Sweden] I visited many countries where I saw the effects of climate change. Its really about how it affects people differently in different parts of the world, she said. When I visited Botswana, which is landlocked and very arid, the reservoir in the capital of Gaborone only had a few weeks of water left. In that situation, everyone is affected.

Recovery harder for the poor

Seitzinger also noted that those who are poor  no matter the gender  have a tougher time recovering from these kind of disasters.

We need to look at the effects in every country and at every level. And we need to develop solutions.

For instance, in Vancouver, they have discovered heat islands in the summer  spots where the temperatures are abnormally higher than other places in the city.

So whose affected by this? Maybe the elderly or poor people who cant afford air conditioning. So whats the solution? Maybe we should look at planting different trees in the city.

Seitzinger does applaud McKenna for highlighting gender inequalities but she would also like the public to think of the bigger picture.

Climate change is already happening, she points out. We all need to understand and adapt to this changing situation so we can continue as a viable, vital society.
Colombian Police have seized eight tons of cocaine from one of the country's top criminal organisations, the Usuga Clan.

The find - the force's largest ever domestic seizure of illegal drugs - was discovered hidden on a banana plantation in Turbo, near the border with Panama.

Three suspects were arrested and the same number escaped, police said in a statement.

Nearly 1.5 tons of the cocaine was wrapped "and ready to go out to the export market", said Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas.

Though the crackdown has been hailed as the biggest drug bust in the country's history, there likely have been slightly larger cocaine seizures at sea.

Colombia is the leading producer of coca, the raw material from which cocaine is processed.
By Michelle Martin BERLIN (Reuters) - German politicians accused Chancellor Angela Merkel at the weekend of making Europe overly dependent on Turkey in the migrant crisis, leaving the bloc vulnerable to blackmail by President Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey, refusing to bow to European Union demands to rein in its broad anti-terror laws, said on Friday talks on a deal to provide visa-free travel in return for stopping illegal migrants reaching the EU had reached an impasse and the bloc must find a "new formula" to salvage the agreement. Merkel, whose popularity has suffered due to her liberal migrant policy that saw Germany take in more than one million migrants last year, had spearheaded EU efforts to secure the deal, signed in March. While the numbers of migrants have dropped sharply this year, Merkel continues to attract criticism from her conservative allies in Bavaria as well as the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD). "I'm not against talks with Turkey but I think it's dangerous to become so dependent on Ankara," said Horst Seehofer, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU). Seehofer told Welt am Sonntag (WamS) that the deal with Turkey had helped boost support for AfD, which is currently polling at up to 15 percent. Sahra Wagenknecht of the opposition far-left Linke party told the same newspaper Merkel had essentially negotiated the deal without involving her European partners. "The chancellor is therefore responsible for Europe having become vulnerable to being blackmailed by the authoritarian Turkish regime and for Erdogan feeling noticeably strengthened to crush human rights underfoot," she said. Cem Oezdemir, co-leader of the Greens party and the son of Turkish immigrants, also told WamS the deal had put Europe at risk of being blackmailed and said Merkel was largely to blame. While the EU is desperate for the deal to succeed, it also insists that Turkey meet 72 criteria, including anti-terror laws which it says Turkey uses to stifle dissent. Ankara says it needs sweeping legislation to fight Kurdish insurgents and Islamic State. Merkel is due to attend the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on May 23 and there are plans for bilateral talks with other leaders in attendance, her spokesman said on Friday. Members of the Social Democrats (SPD), Merkel's junior coalition partner, also expressed concern. Carsten Schneider told WamS Merkel had made Erdogan the key to her refugee policy and if he stopped cooperating, "the extent of Germany's isolation in Europe will become clear again", while Thorsten Schaefer-Guembel said Merkel should not "kowtow" to Erdogan. But SPD Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told Tagesspiegel newspaper Turkey was still the key country for migration to Europe, adding: "We need to cooperate to some extent if we want to avoid the circumstances we had last year." Merkel has drawn heavy criticism for allowing German prosecutors to pursue a case against a German comedian at the Turkish leader's behest. The comic had recited a sexually crude poem about Erdogan. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Clelia Oziel)
By Lesley Wroughton JEDDAH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Saudi Arabia's King Salman in Jeddah on Sunday to discuss the fragile truce in Syria, before broader talks with Russia, Iran and other countries in Vienna on Tuesday. Kerry has said he hopes to strengthen a "cessation of hostilities" agreement between Syrian government forces and rebels, which has been undermined by fighting in some areas, and to increase humanitarian aid deliveries to besieged areas. On Friday, he said the meetings with the king and the Saudi interior and defense ministers - the two most senior princes - would try "to make sure that we can get this cessation better footed and, frankly, better observed and implemented throughout the country." The United States, Saudi Arabia and some other Western and Gulf states plus Turkey back rebels fighting to remove President Bashar al-Assad, who has military support from Russia and Iran. However, diplomats in the Gulf say Saudi Arabia sees U.S. support for the rebels as inadequate, and fears that Washington may abandon their shared stance that Assad must immediately leave power as part of any negotiated political deal. Kerry and his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir have previously characterized disagreements over Syria as being limited to "tactical differences" not objectives. On Tuesday the United States and Russia will co-chair a meeting of the International Syria Support Group, which includes Arab League and European Union countries as well as Turkey, Iran and China. (Additional reporting by Angus McDowall in Riyadh; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
By Ulf Laessing ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari needs to address grievances in the Delta region where militants have been blowing up oil pipelines in a conflict that has become a "major concern", a senior British official said on Saturday. The swamps of the southern Delta have been hit by a series of attacks on pipelines and other oil and gas facilities that have reduced Nigeria's output by 300,000 barrels a day, closed a major export port and two refineries. Nigeria has moved in army reinforcements to hunt the militants but British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond said Buhari needed to the deal with the root causes because a military confrontation could end in "disaster". Crude sales from the Delta account for 70 percent of national income in Africa's biggest economy but residents, some of whom sympathise with the militants, have long complained of poverty. "It's obviously a major concern," Hammond told reporters on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Abuja when asked about the Delta situation. "The idea that your answer is by moving big chunks of the Nigerian army to the Delta simply doesn't work," he said, adding that the army did not have the capacity while fighting Boko Haram jihadists in the north. "It won't deal with the underlying issues." "Buhari has got to show as a president from the north that he is not ignoring the Delta, that he is engaging with the challenges in the Delta," Hammond said. Buhari is a Muslim from the north who has not visited the Christian Delta since taking office a year ago, something highlighted by a militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, which has claimed a string of attacks on pipelines. The group has warned oil firms to leave the region within two weeks and says it is fighting for independence for the Delta. It has said it wanted a greater share of oil revenues and an end to oil pollution. The attacks have driven Nigerian oil output to near a 22-year low and, if the violence escalates into another insurgency, it could cripple output in a country facing a growing economic crisis. Buhari, who has not commented about not visiting the Delta, has extended a multi-million dollar amnesty signed with militants in 2009 but upset them by ending generous pipeline protection contracts. He also cut the amnesty budget by around 70 percent, which partly funds training for unemployed. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Alison Williams)
As Ontario's political parties move to limit the influence of big money in election campaigns, they're turning elsewhere for funding: the public purse.

Premier Kathleen Wynne's governing Liberal party is bringing in legislation Tuesday to ban donations from corporations and unions starting in 2017 and drastically reduce the maximum annual donation from individuals.

The same Liberal bill also proposes a new annual subsidy to the parties worth $2.26 per each vote they received in the last election. It would give some $10.7 million from provincial taxpayers to the parties annually, starting next year, divided this way:

Asked how taxpayers will react to subsidizing Ontario's political parties, Liberal house leader Yasir Naqvi replied, "Democracy is not free."

Naqvi said he firmly believes in the "clash of ideas" that happens in multi-party election campaigns. "You want to be able to have opportunities for political parties to engage in that healthy debate. That does require money," he told a news conference Tuesday at the Legislature

While all the main political parties support the proposed subsidy, some non-politicians question whether money to campaign should come directly from taxpayers.

"That's $10.7 million that isn't paying to build roads or bridges," said Christine Van Geyn, Ontario director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. "It's $10.7 million of your money that isn't filling in potholes, treating autistic children, or paying doctors' salaries."

The annual amount each party receives would change in 2019 based on the results of the election scheduled in 2018.

The opposition leaders side unanimously with the Liberals in favour of the per-vote subsidy.

"If we're going to be getting the big money out, like the union and corporate donations, there has to be a way of funding the democracy," NDP leader Andrea Horwath told reporters Tuesday at the Legislature. "Having a public financing model, that creates a level playing field."

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Green Party leader Mike Schreiner argues that taxpayers already subsidize the parties by giving tax deductions for political donations.

"People being able to direct their donations through voting is more democratic and more fair," Schreiner said to reporters.

PC leader Patrick Brown supports the subsidy in the short term but wants it gone more quickly than the Liberals' proposed timetable.

"We want it to be phased out completely," Brown told reporters at Queen's Park. "That's still my goal, that it would not be a permanent feature of our elections,"

The bill proposes continuing the subsidies for at least five years, reducing the allowance to $1.70 per vote by the year 2021, and reviewing the amount after that.

"Let's have a conversation five years from now to determine whether that per vote subsidy should continue or be eliminated," Naqvi told a news conference Tuesday at Queen's Park.

At the federal level, the Liberals introduced a per-vote subsidy in 2004 when the Chretien government banned corporate and union donations. The minority Harper government moved to phase out the subsidy in 2008 but the opposition parties rebelled. After winning its 2011 majority, the Conservative government ended the subsidy entirely in 2015.
By Francesco Canepa FRANKFURT (Reuters) - SWIFT's payment network was not hacked in the $81 million heist on the Bangladesh central bank earlier this year, SWIFT's chief executive said on Thursday, adding it was unlikely to be the last such attack on a bank. Gottfried Leibbrandt said SWIFT's network, used by firms and institutions across the world to exchange information about financial transactions, had not been violated during the cyber attack, in which funds were stolen from a Bangladesh central bank account at the New York Fed in February. Security researchers at British defense contractor BAE Systems said last month the hackers had manipulated SWIFT's Alliance Access server software, which banks use to interface with SWIFT's messaging platform, in a bid to cover up the fraudulent transfers they had ordered. "At the end of the day we werent breached, it was from our perspective a customer fraud," Leibbrandt said at a financial conference in Frankfurt. "I dont think it was the first, I dont think it will be the last." The SWIFT messaging network is used by commercial and central banks including the Fed and the ECB. SWIFT, a cooperative owned by 3,000 financial institutions, has rejected allegations by officials in Bangladesh that its technicians made the Asian country's central bank more vulnerable to hacking before the heist, one of the biggest ever cyber swindles. Bangladeshi police and a central bank official told Reuters the SWIFT technicians introduced security loopholes when connecting the messaging network to Bangladesh's first real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the allegations. In a letter to users dated May 3, SWIFT told its bank customers that they were responsible for securing computers used to send messages over its network. Representatives from SWIFT, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Bangladesh Bank met in Basel on Tuesday and promised to cooperate to recover the stolen funds, following weeks of accusations over who is to blame. (Reporting by Francesco Canepa; editing by Andrew Roche)
By Susan Cornwell and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump went on a charm offensive on Thursday to try to win the party establishment's support for his insurgent candidacy, but top Republican Paul Ryan stopped short of endorsing him. Trump was on his best behavior on a day of meetings with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill. He listened patiently as they raised concerns about his tone and the need to try to appeal to Hispanic voters. He avoided strident language like the frequent criticism he has lobbed from the campaign trail, that many lawmakers are awestruck by the corridors of power and forget why they were sent to Washington. "The whole discussion was very solid, reasonable and a warm and winning discussion," said U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. "I think you're going to find hes going to be better and better all the time. Trump's day in Washington was aimed at laying to rest some of the concerns that persist among Republicans about his incendiary tone and some policy proposals that violate party doctrine. The New York billionaire, who needs the party behind him in order to have a chance at winning the Nov. 8 election, has vowed to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, deport 11 million illegal immigrants, temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country and impose trade protectionist policies. Trump held an hour-long session with Ryan, who as speaker of the House of Representatives is the top U.S. elected Republican and can hold sway with many establishment Republicans leery of Trump. "This was our first meeting, but it was a very positive step toward unification," Ryan and Trump said in a joint statement. The usually loquacious Trump was restrained, issuing a tweet in which he said: "Things working out really well!" before flying home to New York. Party leaders are normally eager to rally around a presidential nominee to combine forces for the battle leading up to the general election. But Ryan has withheld his endorsement of Trump out of concern over the businessman's conservative credentials. In remarks to reporters after the meeting, the congressman said he was encouraged by the session but that more work will be needed. "There's no secret that Donald Trump and I have had our differences. We talked about those differences today," Ryan said at his weekly news conference. "I do believe we are planting the seeds in getting ourselves unified." Ryan, who may harbor aspirations of running for president in 2020 or later, noted that he represents a wing of the conservatives and that it is positive that Trump is bringing new voters into the party. TONE IT DOWN Despite his problems in winning over senior Republicans, Trump received a boost on Wednesday when a Reuters/Ipsos national poll showed him pulling even with likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The online survey found 41 percent of likely voters supporting Clinton and 40 percent backing Trump. Later on Thursday, Trump went into a meeting with Senate Republican leaders, where he posed for photos with them and heard concerns about his campaign rhetoric but appeared to make some progress in tempering concerns about him. "Everyone here wants you to win," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told him at the Senate session, a source said. U.S. Senator Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia urged Trump to be careful in his tone. U.S. Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, a former U.S. Trade Representative, urged caution on his rhetoric against trade deals. The issue of tone did come up," said U.S. Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who said he gave some advice to Trump on the importance of the Hispanic vote and the whole idea of distinguishing between illegal immigration and legal immigration. In a meeting at a Washington law firm, Trump sat down with James Baker, who served as secretary of state for Republican President George H.W. Bush. Earlier in the day, Baker had testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Under questioning from U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a former Republican presidential candidate, Baker said the world "would be far less stable" without a strong NATO, a slap at Trump's idea of reconfiguring the Western alliance and getting European nations to foot more of the bill. "Secretary Baker had a meeting with Donald Trump that was requested by his campaign," a Baker spokesman said. Even U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina softened a bit. Graham dropped out of the presidential race earlier this year and had said the choice between Trump and rival Ted Cruz was like trying to decide between being "shot or poisoned." He said he had a "cordial, pleasant conversation" on the phone with Trump on Wednesday. "I know Mr. Trump is reaching out to many people, throughout the party and the country, to solicit their advice and opinions. I believe this is a wise move on his part," said Graham. (Additional reporting by Richard Cowan, Emily Stephenson, Doina Chiacu, Susan Cornwell, Patrica Zengerle, David Morgan; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Alistair Bell)
Security

Husson U Pushes Personal Safety Device to Campus Community

Besides a spate of burglaries in 2014 (the latest year reported to the United States Department of Education), Husson University's Bangor, ME campus experienced one rape on campus. And that was one violent crime too many, said Raymond Bessette, the executive director of safety & security for the three campus institution.

The 3,500-student school recently encouraged its campus community to sign up for a $45 service that alerts police with the push of a button on a personal safety device. The university is working with Peace of Mind (POM), a company that specifically develops safety programs for schools.

The POM Panic Button is a pocket-sized device that provides a two-way or one-way call to campus security. On the receiving end of the alert, the device enables police to pinpoint the user's location on campus, view user information and record what's being said.

"Husson University continues to be one of the safest campuses in the country and we want it to stay that way," said Bessette in a press release. "We're hoping that this device can help make our already safe campus even safer."

The university has been testing out the POM since October 2015.

When the holder pushes the button to activate the device, it sends the GPS location to the public service dispatcher.

The annual subscription allows the student or staff member to choose between a "Silent POM" that emits no sound when activated or a "Signal POM" that beeps and buzzes when the button is pushed. The Signal POM also provides for two-way communication with the dispatcher. The Silent POM enables the dispatcher to hear and record communication but not communicate back.

Members of the school's safety and security team will have copies of a POM app on their smartphones, which will allow them to use the GPS feature to locate those in assistance.

If the user is off-campus, communication is redirected to the local emergency dispatcher.
TUESDAY, May 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A higher level of heart-lung fitness may reduce your risk for prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, new research finds.

The study provides evidence to support the widely held belief "that fitness is beneficial in reducing the risk for prediabetes/diabetes," said Dr. Lisa Chow, from the University of Minnesota, and colleagues.

The study included more than 4,300 adults. The volunteers lived in Birmingham, Ala.; Chicago; Minneapolis; and Oakland, Calif. They all underwent treadmill exercise testing for the first time in 1985 or 1986, when they were between the ages of 18 and 30. Repeat treadmill tests were done during the study's seventh and 20th years.

During that time, those with better heart-lung fitness had a lower risk of developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. That was true even when the researchers adjusted for changes in body mass index (BMI -- a rough estimate of body fat based on weight and height).

Specifically, an 8 percent to 11 percent higher fitness level reduced the risk of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes by 0.1 percent.

That higher level of fitness required either vigorous exercise for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or moderate exercise for 40 minutes a day, five days a week, the researchers said.

While higher levels of fitness were associated with only a small reduced risk of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes on an individual basis, the effect is significant in terms of the overall population, the study author's explained.

"As this benefit remained significant even when adjusting for BMI, exercise programs remain critically important for reducing the development of prediabetes and diabetes," the study authors concluded.

Results of the study were published May 16 in the journal Diabetologia.

More information

The U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion explains how to prevent diabetes.
TUESDAY, May 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Married people are less likely to have drinking problems than single people, and that protective effect is particularly strong among those with a family history of alcoholism, a new study suggests.

"While clinicians have long been aware of the potentially important protective effects of marriage on alcohol problems, our study puts this observation on a firm scientific footing," said study leader Dr. Kenneth Kendler. He is a professor of psychiatry and human and molecular genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, in Richmond.

The researchers analyzed data from more than 3 million people in Sweden born between 1960 and 1990, including more than 70,000 with drinking problems.

Compared to single people, the risk of an alcohol use disorder was 60 percent lower among married men and 71 percent lower among married women, although the study couldn't prove that marriage caused that lower risk.

Still, the findings "strongly suggest that marriage does indeed directly and substantially reduce risk for onset of alcohol use disorder. It is also especially intriguing that this effect is largest in those at highest risk," Kendler said in a news release from the American Psychiatric Association.

The protective effect of marriage may be due to the fact that married people tend to monitor their spouses' health and influence their lifestyle habits, the researchers said.

However, the researchers also found that men and women married to a spouse with a history of alcoholism were more likely to have drinking problems than single people.

The study was published online May 16 in the American Journal of Psychiatry and released at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting this week in Atlanta.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has more about alcohol use disorders.
TUESDAY, May 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A new study sheds light -- literally -- on a potential means of easing migraine pain.

Researchers in Boston exposed 69 migraine patients to different colors of light. They found that while blue light exacerbated headache pain, a narrow spectrum of low-intensity green light significantly reduced light sensitivity.

In some cases, this green light also reduced migraine pain by about 20 percent, the researchers found.

They noted that migraine headache affects nearly 15 percent of people worldwide, and a frequent symptom of migraine is light sensitivity, also known as photophobia.

"Although photophobia is not usually as incapacitating as headache pain itself, the inability to endure light can be disabling," study author Rami Burstein, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, said in a medical center news release.

"More than 80 percent of migraine attacks are associated with and exacerbated by light sensitivity, leading many migraine sufferers to seek the comfort of darkness and isolate themselves from work, family and everyday activities," he added. Burstein directs the medical center's Comprehensive Headache Center.

Two experts said the treatment may have merit.

"Certainly Dr. Burstein's work suggests that more research should be done, as this is a potentially beneficial new avenue for treatment," said Dr. Noah Rosen, who directs Northwell Health's Headache Center in Great Neck, N.Y.

He pointed out that "light therapy has been used successfully in other conditions such as certain dermatologic issues and seasonal affective disorder [SAD]."

Dr. Gayatri Devi is a neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

He said the success in some patients with light therapy "implicates the thalamus -- a brain 'relay station' between the sensory organs, including the eyes and the cortex of the brain -- as the area where migraine-related photophobia is amplified."

For his part, Burstein said he's now trying to develop an affordable light bulb that emits narrow-band green light at low intensity, as well as sunglasses that block all but the narrow band of green light.

Rosen stressed, however, that more study may still be needed.

"In general, it seems a safe treatment but one that is limited by cost, access and whether its use on a regular basis would decrease disability," he said.

The findings were published May 17 in the journal Brain.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about migraines.
TUESDAY, May 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A hallucinogenic compound found in "magic mushrooms" shows promise in treating depression, a small, preliminary study found.

"Depression continues to affect a large proportion of the population, many of whom do not respond to conventional treatments," said Dr. Scott Krakower, a psychiatrist who reviewed the study.

"Although this was a small study, it does offer hope for new, unconventional treatments, to help those who are battling with severe depression," said Krakower, who is chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y.

The new trial included 12 people with moderate to severe depression who had been resistant to standard treatment. All of the patients were given the compound psilocybin, found in hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Three months after treatment, seven patients had reduced symptoms of depression, according to a team led by Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris of Imperial College London, in England.

There were no serious side effects, the study authors said in the report published May 17 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Carhart-Harris' team stressed that no strong conclusions can be made from the findings -- only that further research is warranted.

About 1 in 5 patients with depression does not respond to treatments such as antidepressants or cognitive behavioral therapy, the study authors noted.

"This is the first time that psilocybin has been investigated as a potential treatment for major depression," Carhart-Harris said in a journal news release.

"The results are encouraging, and we now need larger trials to understand whether the effects we saw in this study translate into long-term benefits, and to study how psilocybin compares to other current treatments," he said.

How might the drug work to ease depression?

"Previous animal and human brain imaging studies have suggested that psilocybin may have effects similar to other antidepressant treatments," explained study senior author David Nutt, also of Imperial College London.

"Psilocybin targets the serotonin receptors in the brain," he said, "just as most antidepressants do, but it has a very different chemical structure to currently available antidepressants and acts faster than traditional antidepressants."

However, Krakower stressed that caution must be taken with such a powerful drug.

"Psilocybin is still a potent psychedelic compound and can have unwanted side effects," he said. "Patients should interpret these results with caution until more studies are conducted."

Another mental health expert agreed.

"Anyone reading of this study should be cautioned to not use this drug on themselves," said Dr. Alan Manevitz, a clinical psychiatrist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

He said the study also had some flaws, most notably its small size and the fact that patients had "expectations" of benefit that might have skewed the results.

Furthermore, the need to watch over the patient, "for hours after treatment may make this an impractical drug to clinically use and further research into dosages is required," Manevitz said.

But he noted that this isn't the first time psilocybin has been thought of as medicine.

"Psilocybin has been considered for the use for easing the psychological suffering associated with end-stage cancer," he explained. "Preliminary results indicate that low doses of psilocybin can improve the mood and anxiety of patients with advanced cancer, with the effects lasting two weeks to six months."

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on depression.
When Tsai Ing-wen takes office as Taiwan's president on May 20 she steps onto a tightrope between voter dreams of national pride and a Beijing that wants the island on a short leash (AFP Photo/Sam Yeh)

Taipei (AFP) - When Tsai Ing-wen takes office as Taiwan's president Friday she steps onto a tightrope between voter dreams of national pride and a Beijing that wants the island on a short leash.

Tsai's election victory reflected public desire for a president who would put self-ruling Taiwan first, not "sell out" to China, which still sees the island as part of its territory.

Her political message revolves around the importance of Taiwanese identity, and has resonated with voters fed up with living in Beijing's shadow.

An eight-year rapprochement with China under outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang brought trade deals but little cheer for ordinary Taiwanese, stretched by low salaries and high living costs.

There was also growing concern that economic ties were a back-door route to the erosion of Taiwan's sovereignty.

"Tsai should take a tougher stance on China," East Lin, a 32-year-old restaurant manager from Taipei, told AFP.

"The worst thing China could do is to start a war, but that seems very unlikely. I believe Tsai can uphold Taiwan's sovereignty without causing things to worsen irreversibly."

Tsai has pledged to diversify economic partnerships and seek a higher profile for Taiwan internationally, where it is sidelined from major organisations due to Chinese objections, a sore point for many Taiwanese.

"I hope Tsai can secure more support in the international community to help Taiwan fend off China's interference," said 20-year-old college student Ken Lai.

"She should also reduce the economic reliance on China to rid Taiwan of its control so Taiwanese people can decide our future."

But Tsai will have to counterbalance the defensive role her supporters want her to play with keeping Beijing at bay.

The thaw under Ma was enabled by his acceptance that Taiwan was part of "one China", with different interpretations on each side.

Story continues

Tsai, whose Democratic Progressive Party is traditionally pro-independence, has never accepted that notion, although she has pledged to maintain the "status quo" with Beijing.

- Isolation fears -

China has already been making life difficult for Taiwan since Tsai was elected in January.

Taiwanese fraud suspects have been deported from Malaysia and Kenya to the mainland in a move that infuriated Taipei, which argued they should be tried on home turf.

Tourist numbers from China have also dropped with speculation Beijing is actively turning off the taps.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) recently said responsibility for any cross-strait crisis "must be shouldered by those who change the status quo", a thinly veiled threat to Tsai not to rock the boat.

Beijing has also warned against any attempt to formally declare independence.

Although Taiwan has developed into a fully fledged democracy since splitting with the mainland in 1949 after a civil war, it has never officially declared a breakaway.

Observers agree China relations will cool further once Tsai takes power, but Beijing is unlikely to unleash dramatic measures that would force Tsai to lean closer to Washington -- Taiwan's greatest ally and leading arms supplier.

"Tsai's priority is not to provoke China, to give it any excuse to attack, while reducing Taiwan's economic dependence on the mainland," said Fan Shih-ping, of National Taiwan Normal University.

Her vision for kickstarting the island's ailing fortunes includes developing it as a research and development hub for industries including defence and green energy, and building economic partnerships with Southeast Asia and India.

However, there are concerns frosty relations with China will be economically damaging.

"I hope Tsai can focus her energy on boosting the economy. Taiwan needs stable ties with China as it's our main trade partner and the world's biggest market," said Angelia Chen, a 44-year-old businesswoman.

Despite Tsai's reassurances, some still fear she will take things too far.

"Taiwan is weak in the international community and if she pushes for independence, Taiwan will be further marginalised" as Beijing would rally its allies against the island, said college student Kuo You-hsuan, 19.

"I hope she will maintain the status quo and peace with China."
HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam's central bank said on Tuesday a failed hacking attempt on Tien Phong Bank (TPBank) using the SWIFT messaging system sought to fraudulently transfer 1.2 million euros ($1.36 million) to a Slovenian bank late last year in one transaction. The thwarted transfer on Dec. 8 was the only hack attempt via SWIFT detected by TPBank and no other Vietnamese lenders, or the central bank itself, have been affected, Le Manh Hung, head of the State Bank of Vietnam's Information Technology Department told Reuters in an interview. Interpol was immediately informed of the Dec. 8 attack, Hung said. A third-party vendor that TPBank had used to connect to the SWIFT money transfer system was possibly infected with malware and its servers were based in Singapore, Hung said, adding he did not know the identity of the vendor. ($1 = 0.8838 euros) (Reporting by Martin Petty and Mai Nguyen; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
English Lithuanian

Vilnius, Lithuania, 2016-05-16 15:36 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On 16 May 2016, amended Articles of Association for Litgrid AB, legal entity code  302564383, legal form  limited company, registered headquarters address  A. Juozapaviciaus St. 13, Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania, data about the company stored and safeguarded at the Legal Entity Registration Section of the Vilnius Branch of the Register of Legal Entities, a State Enterprise, were registered with the Register of Legal Entities.

The companys Articles of Association have been amended pursuant to a decision of the 26 April 2016 Litgrid AB annual general meeting of shareholders.
We welcome the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authoritys (SFSA) approval of the merger plans between Nordea and its subsidiary banks Nordea Bank Danmark, Nordea Bank Finland and Nordea Bank Norge, respectively. This is an important step in our work to simplify our legal structure, with the aim to change the Norwegian, Danish and Finnish banks to branches of the Swedish parent company. A branch structure will make it possible for us to better operate as One Nordea. It will strengthen governance and is part of the simplification of processes. It leaves the bank with a more efficient and straightforward structure and decreases administrative complexity. It will contribute to making Nordea more competitive to the benefit of customers. The executions of the mergers are still subject to approvals and other decisions by relevant authorities in Denmark, Finland and Norway, respectively, and that the mergers are not prohibited or, in the opinion of Nordeas Board of Directors, impeded by any reason deemed significant by Nordeas Board of Directors. The mergers are planned to take place early 2017. For further information: Emma Rheborg, Head of Group External Communications, +46 733 80 22 63 The information provided in this press release is such that Nordea is required to disclose pursuant to the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act (1991:980) and/or the Swedish Securities Markets Act (2007:528).
STAMFORD, Conn., May 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SoldierStrong, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing advanced medical technologies to veterans, today announced that it will be donating an Ekso Bionics (EKSOD) Ekso GT robotic exoskeleton to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Minneapolis VA Health Care System. The Fraternal Order of Eagles generously helped raise half the money for the exoskeleton, which the Minneapolis VA plans on using for gait therapy as part of its rehabilitation services. The donation ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 18th, at 1:30pm CDT in the Auditorium of the Minneapolis VA Healthcare System.



Honoring our motto, people helping people, our members have come together to help ensure that our local veterans have access to this cutting edge rehabilitation technology, said Bud Haigh, Grand Worthy President, Fraternal Order of Eagles. We are proud to live our values by helping enable access to quality care for those who have helped so many others.

This is the twelfth Ekso GT that SoldierStrong has donated to rehabilitation centers in the U.S. The Ekso GT is the first and only robotic exoskeleton that is FDA cleared for use with stroke patients. The device is cleared for the treatment of individuals with hemiplegia due to stroke and individuals with spinal cord injuries at levels L5 to C7, in accordance with devices labeling.

"We intend to expand our rehabilitative service offerings through the implementation of this advanced medical technology to help improve outcomes for a broader patient population," said Patrick Kelly, Director of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. "Our thanks goes to SoldierStrong and the Fraternal Order of Eagles for their generous donation that will help us provide the best care possible for our veterans."

According to SoldierStrong, they are proud to be providing this donation in May, which is Stroke Awareness Month, and an excellent opportunity to educate the public on stroke and its increased occurrence within the veteran community.

We proudly support the VA healthcare systems to help provide our nations heroes access to advanced medical technologies to improve their health, and are grateful to the Fraternal Order of Eagles for their efforts to make this donation possible, said Chris Meek, co-founder and Chairman of SoldierStrong.

About Minneapolis VA Health Care System

The Minneapolis VA Health Care System is a 1A tertiary care facility consisting of a large medical center in Minneapolis and 13 Community Outpatient Clinics in Minnesota (9) and western Wisconsin (4). In 2015, more than 100,000 Veterans received care. Minneapolis VA supports an extensive educational and training program and a large research effort.

The medical center supports the U.S. Department of Defense through its Polytrauma Care Center and Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.

About SoldierStrong

SoldierStrong, previously known as SoldierSocks, helps American patriots literally take their new steps forward. Through educational scholarships and by harnessing the most innovative technology in advanced rehabilitation, we help our returning service men and women to continue moving in the only direction they should know  forward. Nearly every dollar SoldierStrong receives goes towards direct support of American patriots so that they can re-acclimate to civilian life. Our organization works to remind those men and women who sacrificed so much that we are forever thankful.
South Africa represents a vital growth market on the African continent. The installed base of card payment terminals amounts to some 250 000. This figure is expected to increase rapidly and reach one million within the next coming years. West is already established as a supplier of card payment terminals to South Africas largest bank, ABSA Bank.

V-Switch is a supplier of financial services within The Net 1 Health Program, a private South African health care program. It targets millions of uncovered individuals and their families with low cost medical, wellness and lifestyle benefit options. Within the program, V-Switch acts both as a card issuer to members as well as providing the card payment infrastructure to the health care providers. Acquiring bank supporting the Net 1 Health Program will be Standard Bank, who alongside ABSA is the second leading bank in South Africa.

In the pilot phase of the program, V-Switch will provide its card payment services to 1 500 care providers handling 15 000 individuals. The market potential of the Net 1 Health Program is more than 40 000 health care providers whom all need this payment solution. V-Switch expects to reach 10% of this market during the first year of service. In addition, V-Switch is active in several other African countries, e.g. Nigeria, Kenya and Mauritius and aim to deliver the card payment solution to similar health care programs in these countries as well.

We now open a new chapter in Wests history. I am very proud to start this partnership with South Africas leading supplier of financial services within the health care sector. The deal will have significant impact on Wests continued international expansion and growth, says Sten Karlsson, CEO of West International.

We are very excited about partnering with West in Africa. Their technology will definitely give V-Switch the edge in a number of industries across Africa in the next 12 months, says Dr Johan Bosch, CTO of V-Switch Pty Ltd.

The companies have signed a four-year agreement. At signing, West has received a first pilot order amounting to USD 320 000. Required certifications are expected to be completed around the year end when the deliveries will commence.

For additional information, please contact:



Sten Karlsson, CEO of West International AB

Cell phone: +46 70 555 6065

E-amil: sten.karlsson@westint.se



Wests Certified Adviser is Consensus, +46 31 745 5000.
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
Donald Trump's attraction is beyond GOP. He reaches people of all political persuasions and Hillary will have a very, very difficult road ahead. The reason is that most Americans have a problem and they see Trump as listening and willing to try to solve their very personal issue. Not only for them, but to others who too, have the same problem. They see him willing to take on the political system that has - as they see it - has screwed them. It is very personal....I spoke to a well-educated fellow whose daughter graduated from medical school with $100k in debt while her (minority) roommate had a 'grant' and both now are MDs and his daughter has a debt and her roommate does not.....a secretary told me that "she and all her friends are for Trump". She said "Obamacare kills me...I now pay $75 per medical visit and last week she had two visits ($150)". And "I see others who pay nothing..." I did a focus group in my MD's office....all Trump voters....they overlook his faults....they see him as willing to 'right the wrongs'..... Jack Riehl
Presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump may not be perfect, but he'd be much better for the country than Hillary Clinton , Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday, explaining his endorsement for the New York businessman.

Abbott, who spoke with CNBC's " Squawk Alley ," had previously voiced his support for Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, but he threw his support behind Trump after the other GOP presidential hopefuls dropped out. And although he was light on specific praise for Trump, Abbott was emphatic about the need to support him.

"I may or may not agree with everything that Donald Trump says  I didn't agree with everything that (2012 GOP presidential nominee) Mitt Romney stood for or that (2008 nominee) John McCain stood for," Abbott said. "But here's what I do know ... Hillary is far worse for America than Donald Trump would be."



The Texas governor particularly cited Clinton's positions on energy industry regulation, fighting the Islamic State and immigration in explaining his opposition to the former secretary of state.

Clinton has not officially wrapped up the Democratic presidential nomination, but most pundits say it is mathematically unlikely that her rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, could overtake her lead in delegates.

And on the Republican side of the equation, Abbott said he isn't worried by the as-yet un-unified nature of the party.

"This is something that we've been through every four years: Kind of the same thing happened with Mitt Romney four years ago, the same thing happened with John McCain four years before that," he said. "And there is a rallying cry here, and that is the country has gone off track, we believe, with regard to the Obama agenda, and we see Hillary Clinton as nothing more than an extension of the Obama agenda  if not far worse."

"So I think Republicans will unite understanding that we cannot take four or eight more years of the Obama agenda," he added.

Story continues

And to those who say they prefer none of the major party presidential options, Abbott had some advice.

"We have no second chance to get this right: People have to participate if we are going to put America back on the right track," he said.





More From CNBC


EEOC Publishes Wellness Rules

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who chairs the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said he will try to block the new rules and predicted they "will make it harder for employees to choose healthy lifestyles and to save money."

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on May 16 issued final rules describing how Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act apply to corporate wellness programs that request health information from employees and their spouses. The two rules provide guidance to employers and employees about how workplace wellness programs can comply with those laws, consistent with provisions governing wellness programs in HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) as amended by the Affordable Care Act.

EEOC explained that "that the final ADA rule provides that wellness programs that are part of a group health plan and that ask questions about employees' health or include medical examinations may offer incentives of up to 30 percent of the total cost of self-only coverage. The final GINA rule provides that the value of the maximum incentive attributable to a spouse's participation may not exceed 30 percent of the total cost of self-only coverage, the same incentive allowed for the employee. No incentives are allowed in exchange for the current or past health status information of employees' children or in exchange for specified genetic information (such as family medical history or the results of genetic tests) of an employee, an employee's spouse, and an employee's children."

The two rules allow wellness programs to operate consistent with their stated purpose of improving employee health, while including protections for employees against discrimination, according to the agency; the rules are available at https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/05/17/2016-11558/regulations-under-the-americans-with-disabilities-act and https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/05/17/2016-11557/genetic-information-nondiscrimination-act. EEOC also published Q&A documents at https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/regulations/qanda-ada-wellness-final-rule.cfm and https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/regulations/qanda-gina-wellness-final-rule.cfm and two documents for small businesses at https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/regulations/facts-ada-wellness-final-rule.cfm and https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/regulations/facts-gina-wellness-final-rule.cfm.
News

Office 365 Monitoring Comes to Microsoft's Operations Management Suite

Organizations using Microsoft's Operations Management Suite (OMS) can now preview a new capability enabling them to monitor Office 365 accounts.

OMS is a collection of Microsoft's services for organizations managing operations in public datacenters (such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services), as well as hybrid infrastructures (cloud services plus customer premises-based servers). OMS works as a standalone solution or it can be integrated with System Center Operations Manager, a capability that Microsoft enabled last year.

With the new preview capabilities, OMS can now tap an "Office 365 Management Activity API." It currently can access data from Azure Active Directory, Exchange and SharePoint, according to Microsoft's announcement last week.

In general, OMS will show the overall activities of an organization's Office 365 end users. It shows login attempts and password resets, and it can be customized to show "suspicious" user activities using data from Azure Active Directory, according to the announcement. It also can be used to monitor the activities of system administrators by tracking the configuration changes they have made.

For those organizations using Exchange, OMS will show IT pro activities, such as when mailbox permissions were added. It's also possible to monitor actions by external personnel, such as "datacenter personnel, datacenter service accounts, or delegated administrators," the announcement explained. OMS also has access to Exchange client information, which lets IT pros see problems originating from specific clients.

On the SharePoint side, OMS can report specifics about end user activities. It shows when files were accessed, allowing IT pros to see details about the document, as well as the document itself. File sharing outside the organization via SharePoint sites can be tracked.

IT pros can set up customized search queries in OMS, which can be tied to alerts. The search queries can be saved into the product's dashboard, allowing IT pros to customize their operations monitoring.

OMS is an evolving product that Microsoft currently sells in the North American market, either as a standalone tool or as an extension to System Center. Its basic functions include log analytics, automation via the Azure Automation service, backup via the Azure Backup service and disaster recovery via the Azure Site Recovery service. It also has security and compliances capabilities, per Microsoft's TechNet description.

The OMS product seemed to appear overnight at last year's Microsoft Ignite event. It's based on Azure Operational Insights, which itself sprung from System Center Advisor, a server-checking service that Microsoft at one point offered for free. A brief history of OMS can be found in this free e-book.

It's not quite clear when OMS became a "general availability" product release. Microsoft's various OMS blog announcements show multiple improvements, which happen on a monthly basis.

Microsoft seems to distinguish OMS from its System Center Operations Manager product by explaining that OMS is a management-as-a-service solution, or "IT services delivered from the cloud," according to a Microsoft brochure. OMS gets its new capabilities much faster than System Center Operations Manager, this Microsoft blog post explained.
Azerbaijan and Armenia took a step back from the brink of open war on Monday as their presidents agreed to respect a ceasefire in the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh. In their first encounter since fierce fighting erupted last month, Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev and his Armenia's Serzh Sarkisian also agreed to renewed peace talks in June. The deal was also a rare joint diplomatic victory for the United States and Russia, one day before the rival great powers were to co-chair crisis talks on Syria. The leaders of the bitter Caucasus rivals were summoned to Vienna by the "Minsk Group" -- Moscow, Washington and Paris -- after the worst ceasefire breach in two decades. Fighting erupted in Nagorny Karabakh in early April, killing at least 110 people and wounding scores more. After meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and France's Minister for Europe Harlem Desir, the parties issued a joint statement. "They reiterated that there can be no military solution to the conflict," said the statement, released to reporters by the Minsk Group delegations. "The presidents reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and the peaceful settlement of the conflict. "The presidents agreed on a next round of talks, to be held in June at a place to be mutually agreed, with an aim to resuming negotiations on a comprehensive settlement." The parties also agreed to beef up the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ceasefire monitoring mission which presently has only six observers. The Armenian presidency confirmed the agreement in a statement and, according to Russian news agencies, Lavrov welcomed the deal, saying: "Compromise is always possible." Russia, France and the United States hosted the talks in Vienna, the night before a similar crisis meeting of the 17-nation International Syria Support Group. Before the Armenia-Azerbaijan talks, a senior US official said that a deal was possible because -- unlike in the case of Syria -- Moscow and Washington were in agreement. "This is a solvable conflict, there are some conflicts out there that simply have to be managed. But this is one that can be solved," a senior US official told reporters. "This is an issue where we see eye-to-eye with the Russians. We have no differences of opinion." The crisis has long festered, with dozens killed every year, but April's fighting was the worst since a 1994 ceasefire turned it into one of Europe's frozen conflicts. Azerbaijan and Armenia have feuded over Nagorny Karabakh since Armenian separatists seized the landlocked territory in a war that claimed some 30,000 lives in the early 1990s. With peace efforts stuttering to a halt in recent years, both sides in the conflict began rearming heavily, with energy-rich Azerbaijan spending vast sums on new weaponry. And yet, despite increasingly feverish rhetoric from the rivals, the recent flare-up still appeared to catch the international community by surprise. - 'Patriotic surge' - While the two sides accused each other of starting the fighting, analysts said it seemed Azerbaijan -- suffering from falling oil prices -- launched the initial attack. In the first shift in the frontline since 1994, Azeri forces seized key positions, some of which they managed to cling on to despite a fierce Armenian counterattack. Moscow, which has sold weapons to both sides but has a military treaty with its close ally Armenia, is seen as central to stopping a conflict that some fear could spread. Turkey -- at loggerheads with Moscow since Ankara downed a Russian jet near its border with Syria last year -- has pledged to support its ally Azerbaijan.
The firm was founded by former US Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos, Ashvin Bachireddy, and Mitsubishi Corporation

Independent growth stage VC firm Geodesic Capital today announced the close of its first fund Geodesic Capital Fund I with the total amount of US$335 million to help Silicon Valley-based companies enter Japanese market, and to help establish a window to Silicon Valley for Japanese tech companies.

It also announced the opening of its local arm Geodesic Japan GK, which will be led by Marcus Otsuji, a former senior executive at Apple Japan and Country Manager at Omniture Japan.

Geodesic Capital was founded by former US Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos (previously CEO of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, a US law firm representing tech, life sciences, and emerging growth companies); Ashvin Bachireddy (previously a growth stage partner at Andreessen Horowitz); and Japanese trading and investment company Mitsubishi Corporation, which is also the anchor investor.

Other investors in Geodesic Capital Fund I include Limited Partners Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation; Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd; The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd.; Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation; Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance, Inc.; Nikon Corporation; Development Bank of Japan, Inc.; and The Toho Bank, Ltd.

Also Read: Japans TAGCAST bags US$457K Series A from angel group Gukuedo



During my time as Ambassador, I travelled all over Japan talking about the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship to Japans economy, said Roos in an official statement.

After returning to Silicon Valley, I found this to be the most deeply disruptive and innovative period in technology I have seen in my career and came to believe that Japan needed a much greater presence here. At the same time I saw a surging interest in Japan among the very best technology companies in the US, he explained.

Geodesic Capital aims to help its portfolio companies expand globally into key markets in Asia, with Japan as starting point.

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Several companies that Geodesic Capital Fund I has already invested in include software product Tanium, mobile app Snapchat, CDN platform Instart Logic, and Bitcoin software and hardware support 21 Inc.

Apart from funding, Geodesic Capital also assists its portfolio companies in finding employees, customers, partners and developing go-to-market strategies.



Image Credit: Akram Shehadi on Unsplash

The post Geodesic Capital connects Japan to Silicon Valley with US$335M worth of new fund appeared first on e27.
(Bloomberg) -- A spat is rocking one of Japans most popular Internet companies after the founder moved to kick out the board, enraging staff and sending shares tumbling.

Akimitsu Sano, who owns 44 percent of Cookpad Inc., shocked investors in January by calling on them to dump all other directors of the recipe-sharing site, saying the company was neglecting its main business. The stock fell 23 percent in one day and has whipsawed with each new skirmish in a battle to control a firm with more than 85 million monthly website users.

Facing exile, as Sanos stake in effect meant he could unilaterally replace them, the then board sought to negotiate a compromise, and by February reached an agreement for some members to retain roles. Nine directors -- Sano, five of his picks and three others from the previous board -- were anointed by shareholders at the annual meeting in March.

While that averted a proxy fight, the seismic shocks from the incident continue to reverberate. Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., the influential proxy adviser, urged clients to vote against Sanos re-election as a director. More than 80 percent of Japanese staff signed a petition expressing discontent with the situation. Analysts, meanwhile, say the previous board was doing a good job, and theyre worried about the future.

Its a real shame, said Takahiro Kazahaya, who covers Cookpad for Deutsche Bank AG in Tokyo and downgraded the shares to hold from buy this year. The company has lost a lot of value. Its not something the market can respect. There are too many problems. Why did the founder have to make such a proposal?

On May 10, Cookpad reported a 73 percent year-on-year surge in operating profit for the three months ended March. The figure was the second-highest on record. Kazahaya says the strong performance was due to the previous boards strategy.

The same day, Cookpad said it would start discussing sales of some units, including kitchenware site Selecture Inc., as well as spinoffs of divisions. This underscores the uncertainties that linger regarding the firms management, SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. analyst Kuni Kanamori wrote in a report. Shares tumbled 9.8 percent the next day and were down 42 percent this year through Monday. They added 1.4 percent in early trading Tuesday.

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While disagreements over the direction of a company are common, the feud over the future of Cookpad is unusual in that the founder went against the rest of the board to get his way. His actions call into question how meaningful corporate-governance structures can be when one shareholder with so much power opts to use it. Cookpad declined to comment for this story or make Sano or other directors or officials available to comment.

Popular Recipes

Since its launch in 1998, Cookpad has become Japans largest recipe-sharing website, serving about 60 million monthly users domestically alone, generally women in their 20s or 30s. Recent dishes on the companys U.S. website include lemon and coconut-crumb muffins, and black-bean burgers. Shares have risen more than five-fold since Cookpad went public in 2009, giving it a $1.5 billion market value.

Sano, the founder, stepped down as president in 2012, passing the reins to former Kakaku.com Inc. head Yoshiteru Akita, who used acquisitions to expand into areas such as user reviews of wedding services, branching out from the companys origins.

Somewhere along the line Sano became disillusioned, and called on fellow board members last year to refocus Cookpad on the recipe business -- both in Japan and overseas. He moved to the U.S. in 2012 and is still building operations there, according to local media reports. Cookpad declined to comment.

Existing Strategy

The company established a special committee, with advisers including Citigroup Inc., to assess Sanos suggestion, and in December the committee recommended sticking with the existing strategy, Cookpad said in a statement at the time. Several weeks later, Sano pressed the nuclear button, claiming the review process was both unnecessary and unfair. Motions to appoint directors in Japan require a majority of votes cast to pass, and as all shareholders dont exercise their proxy, Sanos proposals would have prevailed, according to ISS.

The board didnt like Sanos suggestion, so Sano submitted a proposal to fire all directors except himself and replace them with new ones including himself, said Takeyuki Ishida, head of Japan research at ISS, which told clients to vote against Sanos appointment because his shareholder proposal was inappropriate after the board had approved the other approach. In theory he can do that, but its just not done. So its a major risk factor.

New Rules

Sanos actions come just as Japan Inc. was being seen as more protective of minority stock owners. The country has revamped its rules for companies and investors under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, placing more emphasis on independent directors and their duties to shareholders.

There have been signs this is working. In April, Sharp Corp. signed a rescue deal with Foxconn Technology Group of Taiwan after people familiar with the matter said Sharp was leaning toward a potentially lower bid from a state-backed fund. Sharp said at the time it was still talking with several companies.

Meanwhile, Seven & i Holdings Co. rejected a plan by the then chairman and chief executive officer that included removing a successful colleague that investor Daniel Loeb said was motivated by a desire to hand power to the CEOs son, which the CEO denied at the time.

Governance Test

For Kazahaya of Deutsche Bank, Cookpad is another test of Japans governance overhaul. On paper, he points out, the company has an excellent structure, including a majority of outside directors. Four of the five people Sano picked to join him are classified as outsiders. Still, Kayahaya says substance is more important than form. While theres no reason to suggest they wont be truly independent, Kazahaya says its vital that they are. Cookpad declined to make them available to comment.

To put it bluntly, it doesnt matter a jot who chose them, Kazahaya said. If they agree with things just because Sano agrees with them, thats out of the question. It would be a breach of their duty of care, he said. My personal opinion is a shareholder lawsuit would actually be a good thing, because it would mean minutes of board meetings could be made public.

Staff Rebellion

Meanwhile, the employees appear up in arms. Cookpads workers have set up a labor union, after more than percent of the companys roughly domestic staff signed the petition stating their unhappiness with how things stand, according to a Nikkei Business report last month. The union is debating strategies to oust both Sano and Rinpei Iwata the new chief executive officer the report said. Attempts to contact members of Cookpads union were unsuccessful.

Others see no big reason to worry. Sarah Whitley, head of Japanese equities at Baillie Gifford & Co., says theres no evidence of damage to the companys growth prospects. Baillie Gifford is the third-largest shareholder in Cookpad with a 7.2 percent stake, and has been adding to holdings this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

We still think theres a very large opportunity for the company, Whitley said in a phone interview from Edinburgh. Were not minded to go out and sell something we look on as a long-term holding. Obviously, we would like clarity on what the aims are for the future, but Im sure well get to them.

As attention turns to the companys new strategy, a debate is also under way on what the Cookpad coup means for Japanese corporate governance. While other countries allow smaller shareholders to appoint some outside directors using so-called majority-of-the-minority rules, Ishida of ISS doubts whether any new system is needed -- or would even work -- in Japan.

When a 44 percent shareholder gets serious, theyll be able to do whatever they like, he said. And this is an extremely rare case.

(Updates to include Tuesdays trading in seventh paragraph.)

To contact the reporters on this story: Tom Redmond in Tokyo at tredmond3@bloomberg.net, Yuko Takeo in Tokyo at ytakeo2@bloomberg.net, Nao Sano in Tokyo at nsano3@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jeff Sutherland at jsutherlan13@bloomberg.net, Sarah McDonald

2016 Bloomberg L.P.
Duterte to US: Are you with us?

DAVAO CITY  Incoming president Rodrigo Duterte has one thing to ask US Ambassador Philip Goldberg when the latter pays him a courtesy call this week.

I would only ask the US ambassador, are you with us? Duterte said.

The US ambassador, Duterte said, signified his intention to see him personally when his election victory became imminent.

The meeting between Duterte and Goldberg would mark the first time that the outgoing Davao City mayor would formally receive an American government official.

The US government drew the ire of Duterte after a British-American national facing charges for exploding dynamite inside his hotel room in 2002 was brought out of the country by US authorities.

Duterte is also against the conduct of the joint Philippine-US Balikatan exercises.

The incoming president also said he would like to get an official report on how China seized Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, noting that the takeover is depriving Filipino fishermen of livelihood.

I would like to know from anyone in the previous administration why and how we lost control of Scarborough Shoal, Duterte told reporters. It means the loss of livelihood and security of the Filipino people.

Panatag Shoal is 124 nautical miles from mainland Zambales, or well within the Philippines 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Chinese ships started occupying the shoal on April 10, 2012 after they prevented the Philippine Navy from arresting Chinese poachers who had harvested endangered marine species and corals.

Chinese boats accompanied by larger vessels have since barred Filipino fishermen from entering the area.

The Philippines, one of the weakest in the region in terms of military might, filed a diplomatic protest against the occupation but China maintained it has indisputable sovereignty over the area.

The Philippines has turned to an international tribunal for help in reaffirming its entitlements in the West Philippine Sea and in stopping Chinas seizure of areas within the Philippines EEZ.

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Envoys visit

After taking a week-long break, Duterte yesterday began receiving well-wishers and supporters at the Matina Enclave Residences here.

His visitors included Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua, Israel Ambassador Effie Ben Matityau and Japans Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa.

Duterte said he does not intend to travel outside Davao City until he is sworn in as president on June 30.

Zhao said he was looking forward to good bilateral relations in a Duterte administration.
Guatemala and Belize will hold talks in Turkey this weekend on a border dispute that veered toward crisis last month after Belizean soldiers killed a Guatemalan boy. Belize Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington will meet Saturday in Istanbul with his Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Raul Morales, the two sides said. The two Central American countries have a 150-year-old dispute centered on the Sarstoon River, which runs between them. "Both sides have agreed that notwithstanding those positions which neither side will relinquish, a mechanism must be found to guarantee peaceful use, stability, and navigational security at the Sarstoon River," Belize's foreign ministry said. Prior to announcing that talks, the Guatemalan foreign minister called on Belize's military to be "less aggressive" in a press conference. Guatemala has made claims over more than half of Belize's territory dating back to when its small neighbor was a British colony known as British Honduras. The tension turned explosive on April 20, when a Belizean patrol shot and killed a 13-year-old Guatemalan boy and wounded his brother and father. Each country said the incident happened on its side of the border. The two sides met earlier this month in Washington at the invitation of Secretary General Luis Almagro of the Organization of American States. If the Istanbul talks fail to reach a consensus, the two sides will continue negotiations in Washington, they said.
Hundreds of members of Nepal's ethnic minorities blocked roads in the capital on Sunday in renewed protests calling for changes to the Himalayan nation's controversial new constitution. Demonstrators carrying flags and chanting slogans pushed up against a police cordon in Kathmandu's administrative centre in protests against the charter, which they say leaves them politically marginalised. "The government is not serious about our demands and is moving forward independently, even reversing the agreements we have reached in the past," said Upendra Yadav, chairman of a regional party representing the Madhesi community. No injuries were reported in the protests, which restarted in the capital on Sunday in a fresh push to amend the constitution adopted last September. More than 50 people were killed in previous clashes between police and opponents of the charter. Madhesi demonstrators also blocked a major cross-border trade route, sparking a national shortage of fuel and other supplies from neighbouring India. The crisis was only resolved in February. "We want equality for all ethnic groups in Nepal but the government is not listening to us. That is why we are here," said 35-year-old Somati Tharu, who travelled to Kathmandu from southern Nepal to join the protests. The constitution, the first drawn up by elected representatives, was meant to cement peace and bolster Nepal's transformation to a democratic republic after decades of political instability and a 10-year Maoist insurgency which ended in 2006. But several rounds of talks between the government and the protesting parties have failed to secure agreement. In an attempt to resolve the issue, parliament in January amended the constitution to increase the presence of marginalised communities in government bodies. But protesters say the amendments do not address their main demand -- changes to internal state borders laid out in the constitution. They say the current borders limit their representation in parliament.
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
By Claudia Ciobanu RUNCUREL, Romania (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The letters arrived just before Christmas last year, 134 envelopes addressed to the residents of Runcurel, a village in Romania's south west. Inside was the news that Jilt Nord, a state-owned coal mine, planned to expand and the people of Runcurel would lose their homes and land. One of 12 lignite (brown coal) mines under state-owned energy holding company Oltenia Energy Complex (OEC), Jilt Nord is running out of coal and its owners want the land where the villagers' houses stand. Backed by a Romanian government executive decree dated Dec. 9, the mine was declared a project of national importance and earlier attempts to reach a deal with villagers were abandoned. Runcurel's people were given 30 days to clear their homes in exchange for one euro ($1.14) per 1 square metre (1.2 square yards) of land. The villagers say no compensation was offered for homes, orchards, crops or other assets linked to the land and have lodged court action against the company. However, OEC disputes this, saying it offered various forms of recompense. "OEC went to the town hall, made a list of the pieces of land, prepared expropriation papers and then sent notifications by post to the owners to come to the company and give away their property rights in exchange for the set compensation," villager Nicolae Bratu said. "That was all the negotiation we got," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "That's why people are revolting now. I will not allow them to take away my good farming land and leave me without a home." RE-LOCATION PROMISES The rapid industrialisation of Romania under communist rule saw a national expansion of coal mines and power plants. But after the revolution of 1989 properties taken by the state for mine expansion were restored to their owners or their descendants in many parts of the country. But in Runcurel the battle continues with OEC which was set up in 2012 with the Romanian economy ministry holding about 77 percent and blue-chip investment fund Fondul Proprietatea owning about 21.5 percent. Walking along the edge of the 4 kilometre (2.5 mile) open-cut mine, Bratu joked that he was "inspecting his property" because the land the pit lies in was also taken by the company  without compensation  during the communist era. The Thomson Reuters Foundation interviewed 10 other villagers in Runcurel and all echoed Bratu's comments, saying they had never been approached by a company representative. In response to written questions from the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a OEC spokesman said "all steps in the expropriation process up until now were completed according to the law and to the relocation plan". The spokesman said negotiations with villagers are ongoing, adding they have been offered several options for compensation, including being moved to a nearby village, Telesti. According to OEC's relocation plan the community must be consulted and all options for compensation, from transfer to another village built by the company to individual financial compensation or even land swaps, must be discussed. The plan, obtained by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, also describes a pledge to expand nearby Telesti for Runcurel residents who chose to relocate. This would include relocating the Runcurel church, a historic building protected by national heritage legislation, that sits just 50 metres from the mine's edge. According to the document, construction of new homes in Telesti was supposed to be finalised by June 2016 but in April this year all that was visible on the ground was a bare field. NO DOCUMENTS The villagers say that over the years, the company's precursor, the state-owned Turceni Energy Complex, approached some residents individually to offer compensation for moving. However, nationalisation of land in Romania during the communist years meant many Runcurel villagers no longer have property deeds and titles and could not prove ownership. Others, like Bratu, obtained court rulings to confirm ownership but were still unable to secure their property deeds from the local county's town hall. Town hall officials did not respond to questions from the Thomson Reuters Foundation. However, Greenpeace Romania spokesman Ionut Apostol said he had spoken to two officials, including the vice mayor, and they had checked property documents in his presence. Another villager, Ilie Gorun, said he had contacted the company on his own initiative and attempted to swap his land for a secure job with OEC, with the area one of high unemployment and few opportunities for work outside the energy sector. Gorun said that the company took his land in return for a job - but employment lasted only a few months. MINE DEFENDS EXPANSION In February this year, Laurentiu Ciobotarica, the company chief executive, stated that "the population was informed and consulted in accordance with the relocation plan". The relocation plan was drafted in line with ministerial guidelines on land expropriation and states the government should only resort to issuing a decree to expropriate the land if the outlined re-location options cannot be implemented. Ciobotarica comments, seen by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, were provided in writing to two charities, Bankwatch Romania and Greenpeace Romania, on Feb. 25 in response to their formal complaint that the villagers' evacuations were illegal. Written questions from the Thomson Reuters Foundation to the government seeking comment on the villagers' claims that they have not been consulted as required by the plan were also referred back to the company. "The expropriation procedure is the responsibility of OEC which has the obligation to fully comply with national legislation," a Romanian government spokeswoman said. She added villagers have a legal right to take the matter to court and sue the company if they found the compensation unfair. The spokeswoman also said expanding the mine "would increase Romania's energy security and promote indigenous energy sources". COURT ACTION On March 18 villagers from Runcurel, with the help of Bankwatch and Greenpeace, filed a case to sue the government in a bid to have the decision to reclaim their land revoked. The court documents, seen by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, state the environmental permit issued for the mine's expansion is linked to a formal strategy to relocate the villagers to nearby Telesti at OEC expense, which remains unimplemented. Additionally, the document states the government's executive decree contradicts Romania's national energy strategy which seeks to reduce energy production from coal and discourages new energy projects with significant socio-cultural impacts. "Expansion of coal mines is not in the national interest," said Greenpeace Romania's Ionut Apostol. "By 2025, Romania should not have any more functioning coal-based power plants into which lignite could feed. "This is because all plants are reaching the end of their lifetime and because European Union directives for pollution reduction involve expensive investment (in remedies) which do not make sense when the plant's life is nearing its end." He added other attempts to build new coal plants in Romania over recent years have failed as investors pulled out amid concerns over the economic viability of such projects. Back in Runcurel, Gheorghe Ancuteru, one of the villagers set to lose his land, said he had a constitutional right to private property. "I cannot understand how it is possible that, without any warning, without asking me anything, the government just issues a decree," he said. "It's not even a law passed by the parliament - to throw me out of my home saying that this is in the national interest. Without fair compensation, without giving us jobs." Asked for response, the government reiterated its statement that OEC has full responsibility to implement the relocation plan but added the "ministry of energy would be analysing how the plan has been implemented by the company". ($1 = 0.8772 euros) (Reporting by Claudia Ciobanu, Editing by Paola Totaro. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit news.trust.org and place.trust.org)
- Lawyer Miguna Miguna hit out at a number of opponents vying for the same city gubernatorial seat as he is to drive his campaign manifesto agenda

- He touted himself to be the cleanest politician in the land due to the absence of scandals linked to his name

- He attacked a number of government offices as well as politicians in a bid to show that he was better than them to run the county which was embarrassing Kenya

In his race to clinch Nairobis gubernatorial seat in the 2017 election, CORD leader Raila Odinga's former aide Miguna Miguna revealed his true feelings about the country's political climate as well as revealed his plans for the city.

In an interview with Nation FM on Tuesday, May 17, he claimed that the government was overrun with cartels that controlled who was elected to the office of the Chief Justice as well as the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Touting himself to be a clean man due to the lack of scandals linked to him, he said he was the best placed to lead Nairobi because of his combative nature to keep any promises he made.

READ ALSO: New information: How DP Ruto escaped the ICC jaws

He even proceeded to name a few things Nairobians were tired off including the overwhelming garbage that is degrading the image of the city as well as the status quo in the county and national governments.

In his first tirade which was an incomplete thought in itself, he claimed that Governor Evans Kidero has not been able to deliver any of his campaign promises to the city despite being in the Orange Democratic Movement.

To drive his campaign manifesto agenda, he hit out at his opponents who were also Nairobi's gubernatorial aspirants in the 2017 general election.

He first targeted Senator Mike Sonko in a series of rants on his Twitter handle, accusing the senator of being functionally illiterate therefore drawing the ire of Sonko's supporters as well as his potential electorate.

READ ALSO: Sonko hits back after being labeled functionally illiterate

He also hit out at Jubilee nominated member of Parliament Johnson Sakaja, who is vying for the seat as well, claiming he was not a straight forward person.

He did not forget to hit out at women representatives in the country, earning him a supporting following for his remarks.

READ ALSO: Raila and other 11 things Miguna Miguna discussed on Jeff Koinange Live

Miguna made sure to hit out at his former employer, Raila odinga, with whom they had an infamous fallout years ago that led to the former publishing a book on his time serving at the former premiers office.

This was a comment in line with CORD's stand to conduct demonstrations every Monday's in the city central business district until the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission was disbanded due to election malpractices.

Callers to the interview accused him of being bitter over his friendship turned foe relationship with Raila but he firmly denied the claims saying that he was only speaking the truth which has always been bitter by nature.

Social media accused him of being an attention seeker without a clear plan for the city but maligning peoples names to make himself appear clean and the best candidate.

He was also accused of giving a manifesto full of promises just as other politicians have done since time immemorial as well as not outlining what his plans for the youth are.

Image: Capital FM

Source: TUKO.co.ke
- The United States government has condemned the brutal force used on by Kenya's security services against demonstrators, the excessive force used against the protesters by the police has attracted outrage among many Kenyans

- The US urged the Kenyan government to look investigate the blatant violation of the protesters rights, police during the Monday, May 16 demonstrations beat up the protesters using batons as well as dosing them with water and tear gas

- Joseph Boinnet the Police Inspector General said an internal inquiry was under way to see if any his police officers broke the law

The United States government on Tuesday, May 17 condemned the excessive force used by Kenyan police against demonstrators on Monday who were protesting against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The US government said it was deplored by the way the police treated the demonstrators.

READ ALSO: Confirmed: Police used live bullets against anti-IEBC protesters

Godec also urged the Kenyan government to investigate the cases reported of excessive force used by the police and take action.

Inspector-General of the Police Joseph Boinnet said an internal inquiry was under way to see if any officers broke the law.

READ ALSO: 8 photos that captured the real face of CORDs showdown with police

Police beat up some demonstrators with batons and kicked others they also used teargas and water cannon to disperse the demonstrators who had turned up outside the IEBC headquarters at Anniversary Towers.

Amnesty International has condemned the violent force used by police against anti-IEBC protesters.

The human rights body called on the government to take measures and investigate cases of police brutality against demonstrators who had marched to Anniversary Towers to demand the resignation of IEBC commissioners.

READ ALSO: We would rather go to jail than resign- IEBC chairman Isaack Hassan

Cover photo: Daily Nation

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Can Berkshire Hathaway Shrug off Its Missed 1Q16 Earnings?

(Continued from Prior Part)

Manufacturing and coal

In 1Q16, Berkshire Hathaways (BRK-B) revenues from railroads were impacted severely by falling manufacturing activity as well as by coal prices and production. Manufacturing activity was impacted by the strong dollar and the rising cost of manufacturing in the United States, and coal production was impacted by falling natural gas prices. But the BNSF division reported $1.3 billion in net income for the first quarter of 2016, which is below the $1.7 billion it saw in 1Q15.

Berkshire Hathaway posted revenues of $4.8 billion in 1Q16 for its subsidiary BNSF Railway, as compared to $5.6 billion during the same period last year. In the first quarter, the company saw a continued decline in demand for coal and certain industrial products categories. These revenues reflect a 10.4% decline in average revenue per car per unit and a 5.5% decline in volume.

Berkshire Hathaway owns and operates BNSF, one of the largest railroad systems in North America. BNSF has ~33,000 miles of track in 28 US states and three Canadian provinces. Berkshire Hathaway purchased BNSFs remaining stake of 77.4% in 2009 for $26 billion, making it the companys biggest acquisition to date. BNSF competes with Union Pacific (UNP) in the West, where it has an approximate market share of 49%.

BNSFs competitors

BNSF also competes with most other major railroad players. These railways reported the following revenue rises in the past fiscal year:

Canadian National Railway (CNI)14.7%

Union Pacific (UNP)9.2%

Kansas City Southern (KSU)8.8%

Canadian Pacific Railway (CP)7.9%

Genesee & Wyoming (GWR)4.5%

Norfolk Southern (NSC)3.4%

Together, these companies make up 9.3% of the Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI).

Investments and outlook

BNSF benefited from lower fuel costs and higher freight revenues on agriculture shipments. In 2016, freight revenues from industrial products were $1.2 billionan 18% decline from 2015. The decrease reflected lower volumes for petroleum products, frac sand, taconite and steel products.

Story continues

In the next part, well take a closer look at Berkshires energy business.

Continue to Next Part

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Rousseff Steps Down: Why Brazil Shouldn't Celebrate Just Yet

A turn of fortune

Dilma Rousseff was the first female elected to the office of the president of Brazil in January 2011. When she was re-elected in 2015, her margin of victory was much lower than in her previous term, but she still attained over half of the votes.

In the small hours of May 12, 2016, Rousseff was forced to step down from her position by the senate, which voted 5522 in favor of impeachment proceedings to begin against her. Inside of two terms, she has gone from a leader who was expected to carry on with previous president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvas policies to being politically and economically undesirable.

Economic undesirability key

Rousseffs economic policies became the key reason behind her demise. Problems for Brazil began as China started showing signs of economic sourness as early as the first year of Rousseffs initial term. Since China bought a significant amount of commodities from Brazil (EWZ) (VWO) (EEM), a fall in demand from the country in the years to follow impacted the governments export revenue. The fall in commodity prices served to exacerbate the countrys financial situation.

Dilma Rousseff has been accused of tampering with the financial figures of the government by means of loans that made it seem that the countrys budget balance was in better shape than it was. Budget balance targets in Brazil are set in the congress. This tampering was deemed illegal by a court and formed the basis of the impeachment proceedings against Rousseff.

In this series, well take a look at Brazils economic state, market participants views regarding its financial markets, what could this mean for products investing in the country (FLFAX) (MDLTX), and whats next for the nation.

Before we do that, lets look at a bit of historical context. This isnt the first time impeachment proceedings have been initiated in Brazil. In the next article, well tell you about a situation in Brazil when an earlier impeachment took place and draw parallels with the present day.

Story continues

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
(Adds quote, details, background)

SOFIA, May 17 (Reuters) - Bulgaria is launching a tender to operate Sofia airport for 35 years, a deal expected to bring in some 1.2 billion levs ($695 million) to state coffers, Transport Minister Ivailo Moskovski said on Tuesday.

Operators of airports in Munich, Frankfurt, Zurich, Lyon, Dublin and London Heathrow, as well as companies from Qatar, Turkey and China, have expressed initial interest in the tender for the Balkan (LSE: 0IS4.L - news) country's main airport, he said.

"There will be a large advance payment at the beginning of the concession," Moskovski told reporters after the government's decision to launch the tender. "The net effect for the state for the whole period is expected to be around 1.2 billion levs."

The government hopes to grant a concession to operate the airport, used by more than four million passengers in 2015, by the end of the year and will use the proceeds to modernise debt-ridden state railway operator BDZ.

The airport has until now been operated by the state.

The tender's initial bidding price is expected to start at about 570 million levs. The winner will also have to make smaller annual payments throughout the term of the concession, Moskovski has said.

The exact details of the tender will be published in the next days, he said.

The airport operator recoups the money from fees it charges airlines and leases on retail space.

The government launched a tender to operate the airport at the country's second-largest city, Plovdiv, at the end of March. Offers are expected by June 15.

Bulgaria's Black Sea airports at Varna and Burgas are operated by a consortium led by German Fraport since 2006.

Budget airline Ryanair, which plans to make Sofia airport one of its bases in Europe from September and to launch over 20 new destinations, urged the government to choose a bidder which can promise to triple passenger traffic in 10 years rather than focus on the concession fees offered.

($1 = 1.7277 leva) (Reporting by Angel Krasimirov and Tsvetelia Tsolova; Editing by Mark Potter and Adrian Croft)
SAN MATEO, CA--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - Neo Technology, creator of Neo4j, the world's leading graph database, announced that the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has just released the Panama Papers offshore data on a Neo4j powered application. They've also made available a download of the Neo4j database along with an accompanying interactive tutorial. The data released contains information on more than 200,000 offshore entities that are a part of the investigation.

This news follows last month's announcement that ICIJ used the Neo4j graph database along with the Linkurious graph visualization platform to unearth the papers. The combined technologies were used to organize and access this highly connected data. This data leak exposed the highly interconnected and multi-layered offshore tax structures created for some of the world's highest public officials and other celebrities by the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca over the past 40 years.

With the publicly available app, anyone can search through the data and visualize the networks around thousands of offshore entities, including Mossack Fonseca's internal records of the company's true owners. The interactive database powered by Neo4j also includes information about more than 100,000 additional companies that were part of the 2013 ICIJ Offshore Leaks investigation.

The democratization of technologies to make sense of connected data of this magnitude is an important aspect of a free and open society, and Neo4j has played a significant role in that evolving landscape -- not only in the case of Swiss Leaks and the Panama Papers, but in solving future problems.

"We live in a different world with large amounts of data available to the public domain. The availability of technologies like Neo4j puts the power of big data analysis in the hands of everyday citizens, which can create a huge impact and drive positive change in the world," said Emil Eifrem, Neo Technology's co-founder and CEO.

Story continues

According to Mar Cabra, ICIJ's Data and Research Unit Editor, Neo4j was the only viable solution for meeting stringent ICIJ requirements. "It's a revolutionary discovery tool that's transformed our investigative journalism process," she confirms, "because relationships are all important in telling you where the criminality lies, who works with whom, and so on. Understanding relationships at huge scale is where graph techniques excel."

Graph databases are ideal for managing highly connected data and complex queries. Instead of using 'tables' the way a relational database does, graphs use special structures incorporating nodes, properties and edges to define and store data, making them highly proficient at analyzing the relationships and any interconnections between data.

In conjunction, Neo Technology also announced the availability of a Graph Insight Solution to help companies use Neo4j to augment their anti-money laundering and anti-tax evasion efforts.

ICIJ Presentation at GraphConnect Europe 2016: http://bit.ly/23GRmV3

Join us for a live webinar on Thursday, May 26th to hear Mar Cabra of ICIJ discuss how graph databases were key in exposing the biggest leak and the largest cross-border investigation in journalism history. For more information, visit: http://info.neo4j.com/0526-register.html

Useful Links

About Neo Technology

Neo Technology is the creator of Neo4j, world's leading graph database. Neo4j is a highly scalable native graph database that leverages data relationships as first-class entities to help companies build intelligent applications that meet today's evolving connected data challenges including fraud detection, real-time recommendations, master data management, network security and IT operations.

Global enterprises like Walmart, UBS, Cisco, HP, adidas Group and Lufthansa and hot startups like Medium, Musimap and Glowbl rely on Neo4j to harness the connections in their data.

Neo Technology is privately held and funded by Eight Roads Ventures (an investment arm of Fidelity International Limited), Sunstone Capital, Conor Venture Partners, Creandum and Dawn Capital. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Neo Technology also has regional offices in Sweden, Germany and the UK. More information at Neo4j.com and @Neo4j
* Deal expected to be signed in Sochi this week

* Pertamina has been seeking partner for $12 billion project (Adds background)

By Denis Dyomkin

MOSCOW, May 17 (Reuters) - Russia's Rosneft and Indonesia's Pertamina will sign a framework deal this week on an oil refinery in Indonesia, a Kremlin (LSE: 0Q8D.L - news) aide said on Tuesday, in what could be a first Russian foray into a region dominated by OPEC producers from the Gulf.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who announced the news, did not elaborate.

The deal is expected to be signed in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on the sidelines of a conference there.

Pertamina has been looking for a development partner for the $12 billion Tuban refinery project.

Apart from Rosneft, it has held talks on the project with Saudi Arabian national oil giant Saudi Aramco, China's Sinopec Corp , Kuwait Petroleum International and a consortium involving Thailand's PTT Global Chemical and Thai Oil (Stuttgart: 1958171.SG - news) , Pertamina refineries director Rachmad Hardadi said last month.

Last year, Indonesia rejoined the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries as it sought to boost cooperation with the oil cartel and possibly source more crude from Saudi Arabia.

Russia has for years been muscling in on Asian markets where Saudi Arabia was once the unchallenged dominant supplier. Riyadh is retaliating in Moscow's backyard, Europe, with aggressive price discounting.

Rosneft's head, Igor Sechin, has been a staunch proponent of Russia's independent energy policy. He told Reuters last week that internal differences were killing OPEC and its ability to influence the markets had all but evaporated.

Last month, Rosneft said it had discussed Pertamina's possible participation as a shareholder in its upstream projects in Russia. Both companies have also considered Rosneft's possible participation in downstream projects in Indonesia.

Sechin has said Rosneft is interested in creating a regional energy hub in Indonesia, according to a company statement.

Story continues

Indonesia's fuel output has been hit by a lack of investment in its refining sector since the last refinery was completed in 1994. Pertamina currently has 1 million barrels per day (bpd) in refining capacity, which it plans to raise to 2.3 million bpd through upgrades and additional plants.

The new Tuban refinery, which will eventually be integrated with the TPPI petrochemical refinery that Pertamina took over in late 2015, will have a crude processing capacity of 300,000 bpd and is targeted for completion in 2021.

Indonesia consumes more oil than it produces despite rejoining OPEC. The country consumes 1.6 million bpd and produces around 0.85 million bpd, according to a BP statistical review. (Reporting by Denis Dyomkin; additional reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Alexander Winning and Adrian Croft)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China condemned the U.S. Defense Department's annual report on the Chinese military on Sunday, calling it deliberate distortion that has "severely damaged" mutual trust. In its annual report to Congress on Chinese military activities, the U.S. Defense Department said on Friday that China is expected to add substantial military infrastructure, including communications and surveillance systems, to artificial islands in the South China Sea this year. China's Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun expressed "strong dissatisfaction" and "firm opposition" to the Pentagon report and said it has "severely damaged mutual trust", state news agency Xinhua reported. The report "hyped up" China's military threat and lack of transparency, "deliberately distorted" Chinese defence policies and "unfairly" depicted Chinese activities in the East and South China seas, Yang was quoted as saying. "China follows a national defence policy that is defensive in nature," Yang said, adding that the country's military build-up and reforms are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and guaranteeing China's peaceful development. It is the United States that has always been suspicious and flexing its military muscle by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region, Yang said. Despite its calls for freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the U.S. has pushed forward militarisation of the South China Sea with an "intention to exert hegemony", Yang added. RECLAMATION WORK The Pentagon report said the planned addition of military infrastructure would give China long-term "civil-military bases" in the contested waters. It estimated that China's reclamation work had added more than 3,200 acres (1,300 hectares) of land on seven features it occupied in the Spratly Islands in the space of two years. The report said China had completed its major reclamation efforts in October, switching focus to infrastructure development, including three 9,800 foot-long (3,000 meter) airstrips that can accommodate advanced fighter jets. Yang, the spokesman, defended the construction, saying it serves mostly civilian purposes and helps fulfil China's international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods. The Pentagon report comes at a time of heightened tension over maritime territories claimed by China and disputed by several Asian nations. Washington has accused Beijing of militarising the South China Sea while Beijing, in turn, has criticized increased U.S. naval patrols and exercises in Asia. The U.S report renewed accusations against China's government and military for cyber attacks against U.S. government computer systems, a charge Beijing denies. The Pentagon said attacks in 2015 appeared focused on intelligence collection. (Reporting by Benjamin Kang Lim; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
By Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Opposition leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo have called on the United States to impose sanctions on President Joseph Kabila to force him to abide by the Constitution and hold an election due this November to choose his successor. "We believe that the imposition of sanctions will force Joseph Kabila to reconsider his position and to leave power on the 19th of December this year," said Olivier Kamitatu, a leader of the G7 opposition coalition said in a meeting with Reuters on Monday. "It's high time to block this man." Critics accuse Kabila, in power since 2001 and barred by the Constitution from seeking re-election in November's election, of trying to delay the vote to cling to power. The government has said it is unlikely to be able to organise the election in time because of budgetary and logistical constraints. This is the first time that opposition leaders have publicly urged Washington to make good on warnings that it is considering slapping sanctions on Kabila under a 2014 executive order signed by U.S. President Barack Obama. Sanctions that could include travel bans and freezes on U.S. assets also should be imposed on members of Kabila's inner circle, including his security chief and justice minister, and others involved in crackdowns on the opposition, the opposition leaders told Reuters. Kamitatu said he and four of his colleagues came to Washington to lobby for sanctions. "If we organise sanctions against Kabila and his clique, we can get good results for democracy," he said. Several U.S. lawmakers and officials have expressed concern that Congo could explode in serious violence if Kabila refuses to hold the election. "The situation is very tense. It's a time-bomb," said Francis Kalombo, a lawmaker in Kabila's ruling coalition who fled to France in 2015 after opposing another term for the president. "That's why we're asking the United States to intervene." Kabuila's government won a ruling last week by the Congo's highest court that Kabila would retain his post if an election is not held. The opposition leaders charged that Kabila - who they said controls the courts - wants to retain power and pointed to the suppression of opposition gatherings in support of Moise Katumbi, a leading candidate to succeed Kabila. The government accuses him of hiring foreign mercenaries, including former U.S. soldiers, to destabilise Congo. The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa has rejected those allegations and warned last week that it is "looking actively at the possibility of implementing sanctions" against Kabila. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by John Walcott and Frances Kerry)
By Fatos Bytyci PEJA, Kosovo (Reuters) - A British former priest wanted for child sex abuse lived as a historian in Kosovo, was treated to cakes by his neighbours and almost died in a freak accident a year ago, local people told Reuters on Sunday. Lawrence Soper was arrested on Wednesday in the town of Peja following an international arrest warrant. Soper is accused of sex offences while he was a teacher in the 1970s and 1980s in Britain. British media said the former abbot from Ealing, west London, now in his 70s, had jumped bail in 2011 and a European warrant was subsequently issued. For the past 4 or 5 years he lived under the name Andrew Charles Kingston in a secluded street near the centre of Peja. He had even started to speak Albanian. "We were shocked," said a neighbour, who declined to be named. "He told me he was a historian writing a book about Kosovo, we even gave him cakes, and meat when we had a barbecue. He told us he had a wife and she died and he was alone living on his pension. A very nice person." "Whenever it was sunny he would go on to the balcony to read books. We saw him as a poor person and our tradition says you have to help people who are alone. But we saw in the media that we were wrong," another neighbour said. Through the window of the house where Soper lived, fresh bread could be seen in a plastic bag on the refrigerator. Plates had been left to dry on a table. FRESH AIR He told neighbours he had tried living in Kosovo's capital Pristina but it was too noisy and dusty. He preferred the fresh air of Peja, surrounded by mountains that are topped by snow at this time of year. Soper nearly died in 2015 when he fell into a basement on a construction site and cut his throat on a metal bar. Neighbours said he lost a lot of blood and was rushed to hospital. He gave the name of someone in Britain to be contacted in the event of his death. Soper's secret life ended when plain-clothes police knocked on his door this week. "Police arrested this person after we were notified that he was wanted on a European arrest warrant," said Veton Elshani of the Kosovo police. "He was put in detention pending extradition." A government source said extradition could take about five months if Soper appeals. Neighbours wondered why Soper had chosen to live in Kosovo, an impoverished country that seceded from Serbia in 2008. "We asked ourselves what is good about Kosovo and bad about Britain for him to live here," said one. (Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; editing by Giles Elgood)
By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Protesters from southern Nepal scuffled with riot police in Kathmandu on Sunday when they took their campaign against the country's new constitution to the streets of the capital. Stones thrown by the crowd smashed the window of a government jeep but no one was seriously hurt, the police said. More than 50 people have been killed in eight months of protests in the south where the minority Mashesi oppose a plan to divide their fertile plains bordering India into parts of several provinces. The unrest, which has caused fuel shortages in Kathmandu as the Madhesis blocked imports of essential goods from India, is a threat to Prime Minister K.P. Oli, who survived an attempt by the opposition to topple his fractious coalition early this month. On Sunday, riot police in black helmets and carrying shields pushed back hundreds of protesters trying to break through a barricade protecting government offices and parliament. "This is a protest against exploitation and we will continue to fight to ensure our rights," said Sharbendra Nath Shukla, a leader of the Terai Madhes Loktantrik Party, part of the Madhesi coalition organizing the protests. Several ethnic minority groups from the hills also joined Sunday's protests. The constitution, put in place in September, was the final part of a peace deal between the government and Maoist rebels which ended a decade-long rebellion in 2006. But many Madhesis want their region, home to half of the country's 28 million people, to become an autonomous state within Nepal and not be broken up into parts of six of the seven federal provinces as envisaged in the new constitution. Covering 23 percent of landlocked Nepal, the region is the country's bread basket, providing rice, wheat, and is home to industries including jute and sugar. (Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Harmony of the Seas Royal Caribbean

REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Royal Caribbean took delivery of its newest ship on Sunday. Harmony of the Seas is the third ship in the company's Oasis class  Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas entered service in 2009 and 2010, respectively. At 1,188 feet long and with a gross tonnage of 226,963, the billion-dollar Harmony of the Seas is the largest cruise ship ever built.

Harmony took the title of world's largest cruise ship from its sister vessel, Allure of the Seas. Thousands gathered to watch Harmony of the Seas sail out of STX Europe's shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, for the first time on its way to Southampton, England.

See the rest of the story at Tech Insider
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's central bank governor said on Tuesday Lebanese banks must comply with a new U.S. law targeting Shi'ite group Hezbollah's finances and that failure to do so risked international isolation of the country's banking sector. Heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is classified as a terrorist group by the United States, wields enormous political influence in Lebanon and its powerful military wing is playing a major role in the Syrian conflict. The U.S. Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act (HIFPA) passed in December threatens sanctions against anyone who finances Hezbollah in a significant way. The law has ignited an unprecedented dispute between Hezbollah and a central bank widely seen as a pillar of stability in an otherwise weak and dysfunctional Lebanese state. Governor Riad Salameh said banks must comply with the law but that decisions to close accounts would be overseen by the central bank to ensure that the closures were justified. "The U.S. law has to be implemented worldwide and in Lebanon," he said in a statement. "It is not possible to guarantee credit stability if (the central bank) does not implement the U.S. law. "If we do not do that ... our banking sector could become isolated from the world," he said. Salameh has assured citizens that the regulations protect them from having bank accounts arbitrarily blocked or closed. Banks which intend to close accounts of individuals or organisations considered to be in breach of the U.S. law must provide justification for that decision, and wait for a response from the Central Bank's Special Investigation Committee, which "enjoys independence", he said. The United States has a list of people sanctioned for terrorism. A Lebanese bank or company doing business with anybody on the list will not be able to deal with any U.S. financial institution because that institution could be fined for non-compliance. Hezbollah, whose fighters played a major role in forcing Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon in 2000, enjoys strong support in the Lebanese Shi'ite community. Its members include government ministers, lawmakers and local councillors. Lebanon's banking sector accounts for around 6 percent of gross domestic product. Since 2001, the United States has put more than 100 individuals and entities affiliated with Hezbollah onto sanctions lists under existing anti-terrorism funding legislation, but the new law is aimed at Hezbollah specifically. (Reporting by John Davison and Laila Bassam; Editing by Gareth Jones)
(Reuters) - Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, said on Sunday it plans to join the class-action lawsuits filed against Volkswagen AG over the German automaker's emissions scandal. "Norges Bank Investment Management intends to join a legal action against Volkswagen arising out of that the company provided incorrect emissions data," Marthe Skaar, the fund's spokeswoman, said in a statement emailed to Reuters. "We have been advised by our lawyers that the company's conduct gives rise to legal claims under German law. As an investor, it is our responsibility to safeguard the fund's holding in Volkswagen," Skaar added. The Financial Times on Sunday first reported the sovereign fund's plan to sue Volkswagen. The $850 billion oil fund is expected in the coming weeks to join the class-action lawsuits filed against Volkswagen in German courts in the coming weeks, the newspaper said. (http://bit.ly/1TccjaL) Volkswagen, which admitted last year that it had used sophisticated secret software in its cars to cheat exhaust emissions tests, was unavailable for comment outside regular business hours. Norway's wealth fund said last year that Volkswagen's actions had contributed to a loss of 4.9 billion crowns in the fund's second quarter. The carmaker reached a nearly $10 billion deal with the U.S. government last month to buy back or fix about a half million of its diesel cars and set up environmental and consumer compensation funds. Norway's wealth fund also recently turned up the heat on U.S. oil companies Exxon Mobil and Chevron to do more to report on the risks of climate change. The fund, itself built from Norway's oil and gas wealth, had also made similar demands of oil firms worldwide. (Reporting by Parikshit Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Paul Simao)
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asked parliament on Monday to form a commission to investigate allegations stemming from the Panama Papers leak but opposition lawmakers walked out, saying he had evaded questions about his family's affairs. Sharif has been under pressure since documents released as part of the Panama Papers data leak showed his children owned several off-shore companies and used them to buy properties in London. He denies wrongdoing, as do his children. The opposition has seized on the Panama Papers scandal as a fresh opportunity to try to unseat Sharif, who told parliament that his wealth was acquired legally in the decades before he entered politics and no money was siphoned off-shore. "I can say with surety that ... not a single penny went out of Pakistan," Sharif told the parliament. Sharif asked the opposition and other lawmakers to help form a parliamentary commission. Previous efforts to have a retired or sitting Supreme Court judge chair a judicial commission have stalled as all the judges rejected the offer. It is not clear if the opposition will take up Sharif's latest offer. They walked out soon after Sharif stopped speaking, angered that seven questions they posed to him ahead of the parliamentary session were not answered. "Not a single question has been answered by the PM," said Khursheed Shah, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly. Imran Khan, leader of the opposition PTI party, said: "We didnt need to hear such a long story. He could have shown the documents as I have done so." Opposition politicians said they would announce on Tuesday their response to Sharif's speech. Analysts say opposition attacks on Sharif have lost some of their bite since Khan on Friday admitted he once owned an off-shore company to buy a London flat and avoid paying British taxes. The leak of documents from a Panamanian law firm has captured global attention, uncovering among other things the use of off-shore businesses by wealthy individuals and corporations worldwide. While such off-shore companies are often not illegal per se, their use spurs suspicions of illegal activity, such as money-laundering, corruption, and tax evasion. (Reporting by Drazen Jorgic in Islamabad and Syed Raza Hassan in Karachi; Writing by Drazen Jorgic; editing by Ralph Boulton)
(Reuters) - SWIFT, the global financial messaging network that banks use to transfer billions of dollars every day, warned on Thursday of a second case of a cyber attack similar to the one that resulted in the $81 million cyberheist in February at the Bangladesh central bank. "Forensic experts believe this new discovery evidences that the malware used in the earlier reported customer incident was not a single occurrence, but part of a wider and highly adaptive campaign targeting banks," SWIFT said in a statement. A SWIFT spokeswoman said the second case targeted a commercial bank, without providing the name of the bank. (Reporting by Nathan Layne in Chicago and Jim Finkle New York; Editing by Sandra Maler)
By Megan Cassella WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration told U.S. public schools on Friday that transgender students must be allowed to use the bathroom of their choice, upsetting Republicans and raising the likelihood of fights over federal funding and legal authority. Conservatives pushed back against the administration's non-binding guidance to schools, the latest battleground in the issue of rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the guidance "must be challenged." "If President Obama thinks he can bully Texas schools into allowing men to have open access to girls in bathrooms, he better prepare for yet another legal fight," Paxton, a Tea Party champion, said in a statement. Other Republican-led states joined calls to disregard the White House's directive and accused the administration of overstepping its role. In North Carolina, Governor Pat McCrory labeled the move a "massive executive branch overreach" and called on federal courts and the U.S. Congress to intercede, while Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said it was "offensive, intrusive and totally lacking in common sense." The U.S. Education and Justice Departments, in a letter, told school districts nationwide that while the guidance carries no legal weight, they must not discriminate against students, including based on their gender identity. The guidance contained an implicit threat that school districts defying the Obama administration's interpretation of the law could face lawsuits or be deprived of federal aid. The White House defended its actions, saying the guidance should not be viewed as a threat but instead as a set of "specific, tangible, real-world advice and suggestions" that many schools had sought and will welcome. "That's what we're looking for: solutions that protect the safety and dignity of every single student in school," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a daily briefing, adding that the idea was to prevent discrimination against a range of groups extending beyond the transgender community. The directive came as the Justice Department and North Carolina are battling in federal court over a North Carolina state law approved in March that prohibits people from using public restrooms not corresponding to their gender assigned at birth, while other states weigh similar measures. North Carolina's law was the first to ban people from restrooms in public buildings and schools not matching the sex on their birth certificate. Mississippi has enacted legislation similarly viewed as discriminatory by civil and gay rights groups, and Tennessee and Missouri considered similar measures. The letter to the schools from Washington said that, to get federal funding under existing rules, a school has to agree not to treat students or activities differently on the basis of sex. That includes not treating a transgender student differently from other students of the same gender identity, officials said. The American Civil Liberties Union said the guidance would help make students "free to bring their whole selves to school." In a sign of what defiant states may face, the Justice Department this week asked a U.S. District Court in North Carolina to declare the state in violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and order it to stop enforcing the ban. Americans are divided over which public restrooms should be used by transgender people, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed, 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. A group representing U.S. school boards called the guidance "unsettled law." "A dispute about the intent of the federal law must ultimately be resolved by the courts and the Congress, the National School Boards Association said in a statement. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was less critical than many of his party in several television interviews, saying the issue should be left up to individual states. "Everybody has to be protected ... but it's a tiny, tiny portion of the population," Trump told Fox News. (Reporting by Megan Cassella and Susan Heavey; Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton in Washington, Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem and Jon Herskovitz in Austin; Editing by Frances Kerry, Alistair Bell and Leslie Adler)
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.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries made a statement based on the results of the meeting held on May 16 in Vienna, the OSCE Press Service informed Armenpress.

The statement reads:

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State of the United States of America John Kerry, and State Secretary for European Affairs of France Harlem Desir, representing the Co-Chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, met today with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to advance a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. They reiterated that there can be no military solution to the conflict. The Co-Chairs insisted on the importance of respecting the 1994 and 1995 ceasefire agreements.

The Presidents reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and the peaceful settlement of the conflict. To reduce the risk of further violence, they agreed to finalize in the shortest possible time an OSCE investigative mechanism. The Presidents also agreed to the expansion of the existing Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office.

Finally, they agreed to continue the exchange of data on missing persons under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to which the Presidents committed during the Paris summit of October 2014.

The Presidents agreed on a next round of talks, to be held in June at a place to be mutually agreed, with an aim to resuming negotiations on a comprehensive settlement.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Political scientist Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan considers positive the meeting between Presidents of Armenian and Azerbaijan in terms of implementing the preconditions issued by the Armenian side for the resumption of negotiations.

He stressed the importance that the Foreign Ministers of the Co-Chairing countries highlighted that the 1994 ceasefire agreement and the 1995 ceasefire strengthening agreement continue to be in force. You know that Azerbaijan wanted to refuse from that agreement and remove the Nagorno Karabakh, however, we saw that the Foreign Ministers of the Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries stressed the necessity of keeping in force that agreements and maintaining the ceasefire regime, Armenpress reports, political scientist stated.

He stated that based on the results of the meeting we can say that the Co-Chairing countries expressed their willingness to fulfill at least two preconditions put forward by the Armenian side for resuming the negotiations. The talk is about the guarantees of maintaining the ceasefire regime and the installation of the investigative mechanisms. Now it is important that the US, Russia and France will be consistent with taking concrete measures towards that path in case of which the process will move forward. Generally we can say that the meeting was positive for the Armenian side in terms of diplomatic meaning, Shahnazaryan stated.

He added that it is very important to follow the Azerbaijani actions which is not the first time that it violated the agreements. Unfortunately, we saw that last night an NKR soldier was killed which shows that Azerbaijan can ignore the agreements reached in Vienna, political scientist concluded.

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev participated in a meeting initiated by the foreign ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair countries on May 16 in Vienna. The meeting was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry and French Secretary of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir. Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov, Ambassadors Igor Popov of Russia, James Warlick of the USA and Pierre Andrieu of France were also present at the meeting. The tense situation resulted by the gross ceasefire violations in early April of 2016 and ways to overcome it were discussed at the meeting. The representatives of the Co-chair countries insisted on the necessity of unconditionally respecting the 1994 ceasefire agreement and the 1995 ceasefire strengthening agreement. An agreement was reached to take measures for creating monitoring mechanisms investigating border incidents, increasing the scope of responsibilities of the team of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and for possible resumption of negotiation process.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Terrorists are more likely to attack European countries as a result of a controversial deal to allow Turkish citizens to travel across the continent without visas, EU leaders have admitted, reports The Telegraph.

Foreign terrorists and organised criminals are expected to seek Turkish passports to reach continental Europe as soon as the visa waiver program comes into force, a European Commission report said.

The disclosure came as Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, warned that the decision to give Turkey visa-free travel is perverse and compared it to storing gasoline next to the fire.

Sir Richard also said that the EU will face a "populist uprising" if it fails to control migration.

Turkeys 75 million citizens will have the right to enter the Schengen zone for up to 90 days at a time with biometric passports from the end of June if Ankara passes key anti-corruption and terrorism reforms.

The decision was part of a hastily-assembled deal brokered by Brussels to halt the flow of migrants from Turkey to Greece.

However, the European Commission report acknowledges the increased mobility into the Schengen area of criminals and terrorists who are citizens of Turkey, or who are foreigners based in Turkey.

The Turkish mafia, which traffics vast volumes of drugs, sex slaves, illegal firearms and refugees into Europe may undergo direct territorial expansion towards the EU as a result of the deal, the report admits. Suspect individuals being allowed to travel to the Schengen territory without the need to go through a visa request procedure would have a greater ability to enter the EU without being noticed.

It says reforms to the Turkish police, judiciary and counter-terrorism apparatus that are a pre-condition of the visa deal will help mitigate the risk.

The Turkish authorities have agreed to provide training and ethical codes on anti-corruption for staff issuing passports and citizenship papers, amid warnings that they will be sought-after by terrorists.

It can be expected that, as soon as Turkish citizens will obtain visa-free entry to the EU, foreign nationals will start trying to obtain Turkish passports in order to pretend to be Turkish citizens and enter the EU visa free, or use the identities of Turkish citizens, or to obtain by fraud the Turkish citizenship, it says.

This possibility may attract not only irregular migrants, but also criminals or terrorists.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The regular session of the Armenian Parliament began on May 17.

118 MPs have registered.

Bills which were discussed earlier were put up to voting during the session.

Medication Law, Electoral Code, Probation bills were discussed.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The Kremlin thinks that there is a need to express cautious optimism over the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Armenpress reports citing TASS.

We hope that there are grounds for cautious optimism in the sense that it (the meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan) will enable to continue the sustainable ceasefire, Russian President Spokeman Dmitry Peskov said this to journalists.

He stated that the Russian Foreign Ministry conducts efforts to contribute to the settlement of the conflict.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The US navy is ready to take ownership of the Zumwalt, its largest and most technologically sophisticated destroyer, reports The Guardian.

Sailors uniforms and personal effects, supplies and spare parts are being moved aboard the 610-foot (186m) warship in anticipation of crew members taking on their new charge, said Capt James Kirk, the destroyers skipper.

The Zumwalt is the first new class of warship built at Bath Iron Works since the Arleigh Burke slid into the Kennebec River in 1989. The shipyard is expected to turn the destroyer over to the navy this week.

Weve overcome lots of obstacles to get to this point, said electrician John Upham, of Litchfield. I think everybody in the shipyard is proud of the work weve done.

The ship features an angular shape that makes it 50 times more difficult to detect on radar; its powered by electricity produced by turbines similar to those in a Boeing 777; new guns are designed to pummel targets from nearly 100 miles away (160kms). Advanced automation will allow the big ship to operate with a much smaller crew than on current generation of destroyers.

The final cost of the Zumwalt is expected to be at least $4.4bn.

The original concept for the land-attack destroyer was floated more than 15 years ago then underwent several permutations. The final design called for a destroyer with a stealthy shape and advanced gun system that can fire rocket-propelled projectiles with pinpoint accuracy.

But the growing cost forced the navy to reduce what was originally envisioned as a 32-ship program to just three ships. The loss of economies of scale drove up the cost of the individual ships.

Zumwalt was a challenge to assemble because of all the new technologies, but sea trials show it is a world-class warship with unique capabilities, said Loren Thompson, senior defence analyst with the Virginia-based Lexington Institute.

Some of the ships 143 crew members have been in Bath for more than two years to prepare for the day they take control of it. The sailors will continue training to prepare the ship to be formally commissioned into service as USS Zumwalt at a ceremony in October in Baltimore, Kirk said. From there, the ship will travel to its homeport in San Diego for further tests and trials.

Shipbuilders in Bath are busy on the second ship in the class, the Michael Monsoor, which will be christened next month. Work also is under way on the third and final ship, the Lyndon B Johnson.

Jay Wadleigh, president of the largest union at the shipyard, said Bath Iron Works was selected for the job because the navy knew it would be done right.

I think the way the Zumwalt performed on the three different sea trials was better than anybody expected  us, the navy and the company, he said.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The Press Service of the Eurasian Economic Commission reports the meeting of heads of EEU member states will take place on May 31 in Astana.

Macroeconomic policy of the EEU states will be discussed during the meeting.

During the May 16 Moscow session, the EEC Council discussed a number of issues related to trade, integration, macroeconomic, financial policy, industry, energy and infrastructure, customs cooperation and other, reports RIA Novosti.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said spending state resources sparingly and efficiently is a vital necessity. The Presidents announcement comes after the meeting with Ilham Aliyev in Vienna.

Who says we didnt have this wish in the past? Of course, this needs to be done. Each and every one of us, be it executive, legislative or judicial, must understand that every day we should think about improvements. We havent talked about this once. It wasnt necessary for this four-day war to happen for us to speak of improvements. I gave a speech on 12 February, as you know I couldnt have forecasted the developments of April, and I spoke about improvements. When we initiated the Constitutional reforms, it meant a beginning of improvements. February was the next stage, whether or not the military operations would have happened, those improvements and changes must go on, Serzh Sargsyan said.

According to the President, many are dissatisfied with the pace of these changes, but on the other hand, it is necessary to understand that sudden changes will not lead to any good.

You see changes in the economy, the attitude, on the other hand there are military operations, are these compatible? One can always blame the leadership for slowness or alleged slowness. But the best criterion for this is to look at the issue in comparison. That is the correct way, the President added.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. On 17 May the NKR President Bako Sahakyan visited one of the Defense Army's training grounds, met with the personnel of a battalion composed of members of the NKR Union of Volunteers, got introduced with their daily life and course of service, Press Service of the NKR Presidential Administration informed Armenpress.

The Head of the State welcomed this initiative, signifying volunteers participation in defending the Motherland. Defense Minister Levon Mnatsakanyan, head of the NKR Union of Volunteers Samvel Karapetyan, chairperson of the NKR NA Standing Commission on defense, security and legalism issues Zhanna Galstyan and other officials accompanied the President.
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Servicemen of Border Guard Department of RF Security Service deployed in Armenia detained a trespasser who crossed the Armenian-Turkish border.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Russian Border Guard Department in Armenia, they received information from locals last weekend that a foreigner was walking from the border.

A border guard unit left for the scene and detained the trespasser.

According to preliminary interrogation, the detainee is a citizen of Pakistan born in 1998 and wanted to reach Europe through Armenia.

The same day the detainee was transferred to the Armenian National Security Service in accordance with standard procedure, who will check the truth of his testimony and will clarify all the circumstances.
Modified On May 17, 2016 06:28 PM By Tushar for Toyota Innova Crysta 2016-2020

The Toyota Innova Crysta is off to a good start, with the MPV registering over 15,000 bookings already. The new model is based on a new platform, gets new engines and new features, but a petrol engine hasnt made its way under the bonnet yet. In order to counter dipping sales in Delhi, where the ban on registering new cars with diesel engines displacing 2,000cc and above is still in place, Toyota is planning to launch the petrol variant of the family car around Diwali.

We have seen our sales coming down by 800 units a month in Delhi since December after the Supreme Court ban. To address this issue, we have fast-tracked the development of a 2.7-litre petrol engine. Our R&D engineers in Japan are working on the new engine. We plan to launch the petrol variant of Innova Crysta in Delhi-NCR markets by Diwali this year, N. Raja, director and senior vice president (sales & marketing), Toyota Kirloskar Motor told Financial Express.

In India, the previous generation Innova was available with a 2.0-litre petrol engine, but it was discontinued due to low demand. The new model is also available with a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine (engine code: 1TR-FE) in Indonesia, but that engine isnt going to be offered here. Toyotas R&D engineers from India and Japan are working together to develop a larger, 2.7-litre engine instead. Whether it will be offered with a manual or automatic gearbox remains to be seen.

The Innova Crysta is currently offered with 2.4-litre and 2.8-litre diesel engines. While the smaller motor is offered only with a five-speed manual gearbox, the more powerful 2.8 comes exclusively with a six-speed automatic transmission.

Would you buy the Innova Crysta with a 2.7-litre petrol engine? Share your thoughts with us through the comments section!

Read More on : Toyota Innova Crysta
The Treasury Department said Monday that Saudi Arabia held $116.8 billion in U.S. debt at the end of March, revealing for the first time the holdings of the world's biggest oil exporter.

The pile puts Saudi Arabia among the largest foreign nation holders of American debt. Still, it sits well behind countries like China and Japan, which both had more than $1 trillion in Treasury securities at the end of March.

Saudi Arabia's holdings could be even larger than officially listed, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the total.

Saudi Arabia has about $587 billion in foreign reserves and central banks often put about two-thirds of their stashes in dollars, Bloomberg said. Some countries list Treasury holdings offshore and they show up under other countries.
EU biggest customer of Scottish red meat as trade rebounds to 80m
BACK IN SWELLING NUMBERS?With last week's expanded numbers (See "Freedom Sleepers Continue to Sleep at Santa Cruz City Hall" at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/05/15/18786432.php ) the weekly challenge to the City's unconstitutional 11 PM to 8:30 AM Sleeping Ban against the homeless approaches its eleventh month. City Council has taken no action to establish any emergency shelter, establish safe sleeping zones, or decriminalize the 1000-2000 homeless people sleeping outside.Local Food Not Bombs workers have added regular afternoon vegan food (with a few side providers supplying more meaty sustenance). Last week's police contacts there included some harassment, but no tickets.SEALING OFF THE CENTER OF GOVERNMENTThe center of City government, traditionally a constitutionally protected area for peaceful protest 24-hours a day, remained a "forbidden zone" after 10 PM at night with police and security guards patrolling the area and driving homeless people from under the eaves of the buildings where they go for protection from rain and wind. The once spacious grassy lawns have been roped off and replaced with cement and ornamental flowers.TWO CITATIONS GO TO COURTTwo citations from last year, one from the first night of the SleepOut on July 4-5 last year will come to court 8:30 AM on Friday May 20th in a preliminary attempt to have them dismissed before arraignment and trial in a demurrer hearing. Robert "Bathrobespierre" Norse was a regular in the early nights of the Sleep-Out. He often wears a bathrobe at protests and in court to dramatize and satirize the City's attack on the right of the poor to sleep at night. Conviction at trial before a judge typically results in $198 fines.Almost all citations against the Freedom Sleepers--of which there have been at least a dozen--were issued as violations of MC 13.04.011. This law bans being in "closed area", which are designated behind closed doors and without public input by the head of the Parks and Recreation [P & R] department.In 2010 the P & R boss, in private consultation with the police chief and other city bigwigs created made the entire City Hall courtyard and grounds a "No Go" closed zone. The point was to drive away an earlier protest called PeaceCamp 2010, similarly protest the treatment of the unhoused. See "Bad Law Rises Up to Bite the Homeless Again--Parks Boss Steals More Public Space" at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/08/23/18656639.php LEGAL LEAPFROGThe Friday 5-20 hearing will challenge MC 13.04.011 on three grounds: that peaceful protest at City Hall at night is constitutionally protected, that MC 13.04.011 itself provides the right to be on a path directly through the area, and that the state's Public Records ("Brown") Act requires 24-hour access to City agendas during the period Norse and the other protesters were there. The agendas, then posted only inside the "forbidden" zone, have now been moved to the sidewalk in a belated City move to "fix" the problem and shore up its position in court.Norse is looking for a lawyer, but will likely speak for himself. The City has refused to drop the charges and declined to provide full audio and video of the police actions. It has already lost one case at trial (though it's won others) when activist Zav Herschfield argued the posted "do not enter after 10 PM" signs were not visible from the sidewalk.Homeless Legal Persons Assistance founder and Freedom Sleeper supporter Steve Pleich has assisted Norse in preparing the case.If Norse loses the demurrer hearing, he'll likely continue the struggle with a second demurrer hearing, an arraignment, a pre-trial conference, and finally a trial before the judge (juries are not allowed in infraction cases).
This is a local event that is a part of an INTERNATIONAL, world changing movement to promote healthier lifestyles free of pesticide and GMO contamination!ALL ARE WELCOME! This is a demographically diverse event for families, disabled people, and all walks of life.COME OUT IN YOUR CREATIVE COSTUMES (zombie, biohazard worker, bee, butterfly, mutant animal, you get the idea ;) )!We will have face masks available to everyone who wants to show a visual impact of how WE ARE SICK OF BEING POISONED BY ROUNDUP AND GMO's!We will set up the poster/banner/sign creation station at 12:30 at San Lorenzo Park, on the grassy area between the duck pond and the playground. If you can create one in advanced, more power to you!At 2:00ish, we will begin the march towards Pacific ave. The specific route will be mapped out soon and available to everyone.At 3:00ish, we will end our march at the townclock tower, where we will continue our activities until 4:00pm.Clean up will be from 4:00-4:30, when our permit time will end.WHAT WE NEED:-VOLUNTEERS: 5 workers to wear orange safety vests to ensure safe crossing at stop signs on Pacific-POSTER/BANNER/SIGN materials-SPONSORS: Please spread the word so we can get whatever support we can from local businesses. This is a great opportunity for them to show the community that their company supports organic practices! They can come out and carry a sign with their business name and hand out samples of their products.Together we can literally take collective steps towards a healthier, liberated planet!#marchmay21While you're here, sign the peitiion to get Roundup off the shelves in Santa Cruz: https://www.change.org/p/mayor-cynthia-matthews-get-roundup-off-the-shelves-in-santa-cruz-stores March Against Monsanto Santa Cruz
Poster art popped up in and around San Francisco to protest the rise of the Intelligence State: Google's collusion with the government, collecting information on all of us and making our political leaders dependent on this giant corporation. Bush started it, and Obama made it permanent. Google is now pulling the strings of our government. When will it end?

Google's increasing power over political leaders in Washington, and its collaboration with the NSA and other spy agencies, have allowed the world's largest corporation to pull the strings of power. It started under Bush and sadly grew even worse under Obama.

On May 16, art activists in San Francisco postered Google headquarters, Google Ventures, Mozilla, and other areas with satirical art showing Google to be pulling President Obama's strings. They even postered the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which the activists say has gone along with the policies that have built the Intelligence State.

They also postered The Embarcadero and the Presidio.

Nobody claimed credit for the poster protests, but they come amid reports, like the recent piece in The Intercept, detailing Google's alarmingly close relations with the White House.
On Saturday, May 7th, there was a call from farm workers for a Boycott Driscolls International Day of Action to bring attention to the fight in the berry fields both in Washington State and San Quintin, MX.



Democracy Now! film crew came to Burlington, WA and talked with farm workers and covered a informational picket at Costco with supporters.Watch the segment which aired at Democracy Now! on Monday May 9th, 2016:Driscoll's Workers Call for Global Boycott over Alleged Abuses at World's Biggest Berry DistributorDemonstrations were held in many locations, including:In Burlington, WA with Familias Unidas and community members including Bellingham JWJ, WPEA, Skagit Labor Dems, WWU Students for Farmworker Justice and Whatcom-Skagit IWW.In San Diego, CA Gloria Gracida, a spokesperson for Sindicato Independiente Nacional Democratico De Jornaleros Agricolas, joined local supporters at Whole Foods Market.In Eureka, CA with North Coast Solidarity Berry Boycott at local Costco.In Eugene, OR at Costco with Eugene Boycott Committee.At Costco in Fairfield, CA  They actually let us leaflet for about 20 minutes before they ordered us off their property. Then we moved and held our signs at the driveway entrance. Lots of people stopped to ask questions and get a flyer.In San Leandro, CA at Costco with Oakland Boycott Committee.At Costco in Rohnert Park, CA with the Food Empowerment Project.At Whole Foods Market in Santa Cruz, CA with the Santa Cruz Boycott Committee.Many of those who participated in May 7th, 2016 day of action were with newly formed boycott committees as a result of the West Coast Farm Worker Tour and have been inspired to take action to support the Farmworkers. On Saturday, May 14th Sindicato Independiente Nacional Democratico De Jornaleros Agricolas (SINDJA) farmworkers in Mexico have called for a Global Day of Action. More actions will happen in places like Miguel Hidalgo Mexico, Sacramento, Chicago, Portland, and Watsonville to bring attention to the fight for justice in the berry fields.
The Herald reports:

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been named in the Panama Papers as the fallout from the global scandal continues.

It has emerged that Turnbull was a former director of a company created and administrated by embattled law firm Mossack Fonseca in the 1990s.

However a spokesman for Turnbull told Fairfax the Prime Minister was not aware the company had been administered by Mossack Fonseca as the registered agent in Road Town, Tortola.

Turnbull was a former director of a British Virgin Islands company administered by Mossack Fonesca.

He joined the board of Star Mining NL with former New South Wales Premier Neville Wran in 1993, but both resigned two years later.
- The ongoing trial of Senate president, Bukola Saraki a the Code of Conduct Tribunal has been throwing up different issues

- The tribunal chairman, Justice Danladi Umar has been accused severally of compromising his position

- A group known as 'Integrity Advocacy Nigeria' has raised more issues about Umar

A group called Integrity Advocacy Nigeria led by one Tope Ajayi has raised several issues pertaining the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar as the trial of Senate president, Bukola Saraki.

The group alleged that Saraki and his defence team were being stampeded by Justice Umar, noting that it will seem like they are fighting a lost battle.

Saraki during one of his appearances at the CCT

Justice Umar had insisted that the trial of Saraki must proceed on a daily basis in accordance with the provision of the Administration of Criminal Justice (ACJA) which stipulates that once a trial commences, it should proceed daily.

The group however noted that two other cases have come up since the Saraki trial began. The case of the former minister of Niger Delta affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe and one Rasheed Taiwo, a former customs officer are the cases.

READ ALSO:

''The last time Orubebe appeared before the CCT was April 20 and his case was scheduled to be heard at 10am. Curiously, Saraki's trial was also to come up at 10am that same day.

''Everyone waited to see how Justice Umar would resolve this obvious logjam. Not surprisingly, he adjourned Orubebe's case for a whole month, till May 19.

''Even Orubebe's lawyer's vehement insistence that his client was ready for trial did not sway Umar. It was obvious he was only interested in trying Saraki,'' the group alleged.

According to the group, a similar issue came up with the case of the customs officer whose case has been ongoing for three years, but Justice Umar would have none of that.

The group further alleged: ''It appears Justice Umar is not really interested in justice, He is only interested in convicting Saraki.''

Meanwhile, the corruption charges against Justice Umar took a new twist on Thursday, May 12, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) insisted that he was implicated in a N10 million bribery allegations.

Saraki and Umar have been having a running battle since the Senate president's trial began. Saraki's legal team had repeatedly stated that Umar is biased against their client.

On his part, Saraki had hinted that his ongoing trial at the CCT is as a result of the fact that he opposed a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the APC in the build-up to the 2015 general elections.

READ ALSO: How internal politics in APC brought about Sarakis trial  Saraki loyalists

Saraki is facing the biggest challenge of his political life. The 53-year old was accused by the Code of Conduct Bureau of failing to declare some assets he acquired while in office as governor of Kwara state.

Other accusations leveled against the Senate president includes acquiring assets beyond his legitimate earnings, and operating foreign accounts as Kwara state governor.

Saraki has since denied the allegations. He went ahead to say that he declared his assets in 2007, 2011, and recently in 2015, and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) never wrote to complain of any inconsistencies.

Source: Legit.ng
- Supreme Court has dismiss PDP's application to remove Tambuwal

- Justice Galadima struck out the application, foreclosing any move by the PDP to get APC removed from power in Sokoto through the back door

Governor Aminu Tambuwal

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed application by the Sokoto State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and it's governorship candidate, Senator Abdallah Wali, to be joined as parties in a suit filed by Senator Umaru Dahiru challenging the nomination of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the April 2015 election.

Presiding judge, Justice Sulaiman Galadima, Monday ruled that PDP and Wali lacked the locus standi to apply to be joined in the suit, describing the two as interlopers who should not take part in a matter purely involving another party.

READ ALSO:You will regret, PDP group tells Senator Ekweremadu

Even though Sokoto PDP had announced that they will not challenge the election of Tambuwal in 2015, they however, through case number SC/67/2016, sought to be joined as parties in Dahiru's suit on the grounds that if it succeeds, Wali should be declared winner of the election.

In a notice of motion for joinder filed at the apex court by EK Ashiekaa SAN, Wali and PDP contended that having participated in the 2015 governorship election, and having scored the next highest number of votes cast after that of Tambuwal, they have sufficient grounds to be joined in the case.

They said the reliefs sought by Dahiru would have an effect on the outcome of the Sokoto governorship election by creating a vacuum.

"That the vacuum likely to be created by the success of the Appellants appeal can only be filled by the applicant who scored the next highest returned votes," they argued.

READ ALSO: Kachikwu, NNPC sharing dollars to frustrate OccupyNigeria 2  Deji Adeyanju

Justice Galadima however struck out the application, foreclosing any move by the PDP to get APC removed from power in Sokoto through the back door.

No date yet has been set for hearing on the interlocutory appeal filed by Senator Umar Dahiru challenging the ruling of the Appeal Court which held that his case at the Federal High Court against Tambuwal's emergence as APC candidate for the April 2015 governorship election could not proceed since it has been overtaken by events and will be a mere academic exercise if it proceeds.

Meanwhile, closer collaboration among all stakeholders and regional integration are key ingredients for the expansion and sustenance of agricultural activities in the North West geo-political zone of the country, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has said.

Source: Legit.ng
- Houses were burnt as Yoruba and Igbo clashed at Ladipo market area of Mushin in Lagos state

- Legit.ng gathered that Igbo traders clashed with Yoruba in the area

About 40 vehicles have been burnt in the clash between Yorubas and Igbos in Mushin area of Lagos as the army and police moved in to the quell the violence.

The wreckage of a vehicle

Affected streets are Odushina, by Oloje; Dramola Street, Olapeju, Oshoro, Akinwunmi and Ladipo Market.

Residents in the affected areas were said to have fled to avoid being caught in the mayhem. The streets have been deserted as police and men of the OP-MESSA took over. An Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, was cited in one of the streets.

A police source said he counted 40 vehicles burnt and several others with broken screens. People have taken refuge in their houses as shops were hurriedly shut by their owners who fled to safety.

Trouble started when one Agunleri, who is the Secretary of one of the market unions allegedly stormed an area where Yoruba traders were selling their wares and began to upturn the wares on the guise that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was coming to the area for a function and that there was need for the place to be cleaned up.

One of the Yoruba traders, a male was said to have challenged him on why he was upturning their wares. He was alleged to have stabbed the Yoruba man in the process.

A source said other Igbo traders were mobilized to the scene and allegedly attacked the Yoruba populace, burning vehicles and destroying properties.

About 15 people were said to have been stabbed and rushed to the hospital for medical attention while policemen from the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, police from Mushin division and soldiers were drafted to the area to maintain order.

Another story had it that one of the union executives went to another part of the market to collect dues from the Igbo traders who resisted the move which led to the crisis. The Yoruba man who went to collect dues was said to have been attacked, while other yorubas in the area mobilized to attack the Igbos.

Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmus when contacted said she was in a meeting, but confirmed the incidence.

Read our initial report of the tragic incident below:

Report of serious fighting and gunshots between Igbos and Yoruba in Ladipo area in Mushin, Lagos state, has been made available to Legit.ng.

According to a government source, the Yoruba and Igbos were currently fighting at Oloje Street, Papa-Ajao, Mushin and houses are being burnt.

The source also disclosed to Legit.ng that a message has been sent to the government to intimate it about the brawl.

It was gathered that the government has been called upon to take drastic action to arrest the situation before it degenerate into a full blown war.

Calls made to the Executive Secretary, Mushin local government, Jide Bello were not picked while the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Dolapo Badmus did not pick her calls.

However, the Rapid Response Squad, has been mobilized to the scene to quell the violence.

A top police source, who craved anonymity confirmed that houses were being burnt as the crisis continued.

The cause of the clash is not yet known as at the time of filing this report.

More photos below:

Riot policemen drafted at the scene

A vandalized vehicle

Dismantled make shift shops

RRS vehicle at the scene

A destroyed vehicle

Source: Legit.ng
This year marks the first time the 61-year-old international phenomenon known as the Eurovision Song Competition was broadcast in the good ol U.S. of A. A quick primer for those who may have not caught the dizzying spectacle: Take American Idol. Multiply it by a factor of four. Now add a beauty pageant element. Greatwere getting close. Now just mentally and physically prepare yourself and maybe read this more-specific cheat sheet on the spectacle thats fit for feathers, belters, and dreamers equally.

This year was another chalk full of crazy costumes, outrageous songs, and general WTFery. Because what is Eurovision if not an excuse to liberate ourselves from the tyranny of good taste? It was a tough to pick just a handful, but here are 10 of our favorite gloriously cheesy moments from the madness last Saturday.



Every year the winner is slowly revealed as each nation is called upon to reward 1-12 points to each country. Eurovision mainstay Iceland must have been made angry about not qualifying for the finals, since they sent nothing short of a grinning Bond villain in to do the honors. White jacket, white dog was hard not to imagine him muttering, No Mr. Bond, I expect you to dieand 12 points to Croatia.





Look Australia, we get it. You really really like Eurovision. But your presence (for the second year) in the European-based competition just feels like pandering. (Or else someone mixed up Australia and Austria when issuing the invitations.) Maybe its just the jealousy talking, but either open up the show to nations around the world, or reserve the honor of competition strictly for the Eurozone. But hey, well done on briefly convincing everyone they might have to get up early if you won the fest and hosted it down under in 2017.





Whats Dutch for, stone cold fox? Theres no argument that Douwe Bob has got it going onor that Slow Down was a legitimate song (as much as anything in the annual schlager fest can be called legit). But Bobs 10-second mid-song camera stare down was nothing short of bedroom eyes run amuck.





And just in case you forgot that Eurovision was being broadcast in the U.S. for the first time, Justin Timberlake was there to remind you. The pop star brought the sexy back to the broadcast, performing singles Rock Your Body and Cant Stop the Feeling. So, uh, remember when we said Australias presence was pandering? Yeah, sorry about that. We take it back.





Was that Weird Al or did someone slip something in our pierogi?





The spiritual heir of Swedens graphics-heavy, 2015-winning entry was Malta, which staged its anthemic tune Walk on Water against1990s visuals reminiscent of liquid. Anyone else craving a Fanta now?





Were not totally sure what Germany was singing. We couldnt hear a word of Jamie-Lees song over her costumea loud explosion of Asian influences, clearly brought to you by the Hello Kitty vomit collection.





Yes, we get it Stockholmyou are chic, hip, and whatever the Swedish word is for avant-garde is. But the opening catwalk strut, featuring the toilet paper king just made us second-guess volunteering as tribute.





Nope. Cant actually mock this one.





Were willing to overlook Cyprus stage designwhich involved several men in cages (#BecauseEurovision), but what was up with the mid-song zoom? The only thing the moment lacked was Wayne and Garth shouting EXTREME CLOSEUP!
Comparing the list of the top breweries today to 10 years ago, its clear there has been a changing of the guard, but that shouldnt come as a surprise. With new breweries popping up, and old breweries looking to expand to meet the demand of all us neckbeards, the bar is constantly being set a little higher. But lets pause and think back to that time 10 years ago when there were no breweries like Hill Farmstead or Toppling Goliath, back when these brewers were homebrewers, learning to perfect their craft so that, one day, all of us could experience their creations. Now we look to usher in a new class of homebrewers looking to make that transition. While their locations and styles may vary, they all have the same goal in mind; producing quality beer for all of us to enjoy, one day.



Dania Beach, Florida

Background: For true neckbeards, it isnt a surprise to see 3 Sons on this list. Led by co-founder and brewer Corey Artanis, 3 Sons has had a following within the craft beer community for a few years now. For many of us, we have continued to ask the same question over and over when can we finally get 3 Sons beer. Well 2016 is that year, as 3 Sons is targeting to open its doors in Dania by the end of this year. Like many homebrewers, Corey began homebrewing on a kit. What started as brewing beers for family events, as well as his own wedding, led Corey to offering his beers at local events, and eventually at Huna Day where he has brought home the gold for best beer and brewery the last two years running.

Beer Portfolio: While Corey has become known for his big three stouts, JBM 35, Lumberjack Morning Break, and Summation, the last few years he has been brewing at locations such as the Brewers Tasting Room, Brass Tap, and Cycle, allowing him to hone his skills and master a wide variety of styles. Most recently Corey released Boysen Tha Hood, a glistening red boysenberry sour that tastes like fresh jam.



Elkhorn, Nebraska

Background: Jukes Ale Works takes the phrase family business to another level. Founded by Kyle Jukes, his father Guy, and his brother Brad, Jukes is making a name for itself within the craft beer community. Kyle, who has been homebrewing for the last six years, has recently been gaining a lot of attention due to his barrel-aged stouts. Not many homebrewers can say one of their beers held its own amongst some of the best in its style, but Kyle can. For those of you like me who are fans of the site Dont Drink Beer that was Kyles barrel-aged Vanilla Stout that held its own with beers like Derivation 2 from Side Project and Fundamental Observation from Bottle Logic in his blind barrel aged vanilla stout tasting. Look for Jukes in early 2017, when he will make an appearance at Nebraskas Extreme Beer Fest.

Beer Portfolio: Jukes lineup doesnt follow a particular theme; its all over the board. Kyle notes, Ive been told I need to brew the same beers over and over again but I like formulating new recipes to keep things interesting. And thats good for all of us. With a variety of styles ranging from IPAs like Ninja Juice (named by his son) to saisons like The Peche Node, to big barrel aged maple stouts like Oil, one thing remains consistent; Kyle is brewing some of the best beers out therehome or commercial level.



Sioux City, Iowa

Background: Founded by Erik Martin and his wife Rachael, Marto Brewing will be in downtown Sioux City in the spring of 2017. While Erik has only been homebrewing for five years, he has plenty of hardware to show for his effort, including multiple regional awards. This past year, Erik took home best beer at the Great Nebraska Beer Fest in Omaha for Ticonic, his sour blonde with raspberries. This bright red jammy delight is packed with over 50 lbs. of raspberries per barrel, making it a dream for any fan of fruited sours.

Beer Portfolio: The regular lineup will include a variety of styles. According to Erik, the variety is on purpose. I like to have fun with beer names, but at the same time, I like to pay homage to a tradition or a local connection. The homage he is referring to is his Loess Hills Farmhouse Series, which will feature saisons and tart sours aged in a wood barrel, tipping his cap to the Loess Hills of Western Iowa. All of the wild and sour beers in this series will be brewed with a mix of microbes collected in the Loess Hills by Erik himself. He likes to say the mix has reached a happy symbiosis.



Tampa Bay, Florida

Background: Founded by Chad Wiltz and his wife Sarah, Garagiste is quickly becoming a popular name for both craft beer and mead lovers. Chad, who began making mead as a hobby to enjoy for himself just two years ago quickly realized he had something special as festivals quickly began calling his name. Just a year later, Garagiste decided to make the push to open up to the public, launching a successful Indiegogo campaign this past March. While the location has not been locked down, Garagiste plans to open at the beginning of next year in the Tampa Bay area. Most recently Garagiste took home the gold at one of the largest mead competitions, Mead Free or Die with their Goober Grape 2.0.

Mead Portfolio: With Garagiste, Chad is looking to bring a farm to table experience with each of his meads. Our honey is from local beekeepers. Our water is Florida spring water. To the extent possible the fruits we use are from local farms and often picked by ourselves or our children. As far as themes for his meads, Garagiste takes the approach of a culinary standpoint, using relatable flavors like peanut butter and jelly, strawberry rhubarb pie, key lime pie and others. Chad notes that most of our meads fall in the semi-sweet or even dry end of the spectrum and I think this catches people by surprise as well.



Santa Fe, New Mexico

Background: This summer, Santa Fe will have a new brewery as John Rowley, Jeffrey Kaplan, and Tyler King look to inject some needed life into the Santa Fe craft beer scene. John, who is the head of his local homebrew club, The Sangre de Cristo Craft Brewers, first got a taste of homebrewing in 1989 when he started homebrewing with a drunken neighbor in Vermont, not knowing this would shape his career. While John has won a number of awards throughout his homebrew career, hes most recognized for his American Lambic aged on apricots, The Armenian which won bronze at Nationals.

Beer Portfolio: Rowley will focus on mixed fermentation based farmhouse and sour ales. While he notes, there are many beers we can brew within this theme, saisons will take the forefront to start. When the group moves into their new brewhouse, John is planning to spray down the brewhouse with a mixed culture hes developed using both lab and wild yeast. John notes that hes excited to see how it progresses at a larger level of brewing. Ive seen it progress at the homebrew level, but I suspect things may act differently on a larger scale. In addition to his farmhouse classics, John plans to also brew Brett variants on popular beers, fruited sour beers, and other off the wall variations.



Atlanta, Georgia

Background: Founded by Dan Rosen and Hamp Covington, MAZURT Brewing is looking at a number of buildings in the Atlanta area and is planning to open summer 2017. With 25 years of homebrewing experience between them, the two teamed up when Covington offered Rosen a chance to brew with him on his Sabco brew system. While MAZURT has won a number of awards over the past few years, beer nerds first became acquainted with MAZURT in 2015 when they took home silver for best beer at Cigar Citys Hunahpus Day. They followed that up at Huna this year with a bronze for both best beer and best brewery.

Beer Portfolio: MAZURT will create big beers that are full of flavor and complexity that challenge drinkers palettes and minds. Beers will include barrel aged English and American barleywines, barrel aged Russian imperial stouts, and IPAs. One thing that Huna attendees have become familiar with during the last few years is that MAZURT ages some of their beers in coconuts. This original concept received notice from Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergs of Evil Twin, who suggested MAZURT apply for a patent, which they did.



San Diego, California

Background: What started as a dream on a Mr. Beer kit 12 years ago for Kelsey McNair, has quickly turned into a reality. In 2010 Kelsey won Gold at Homebrew Nationals and at Stones Homebrew competition. Stone granted Kelsey the chance to choose one brewer to collaborate with to brew his beer for beer lovers to enjoy. Choosing Colby Chandler of Ballast Point, Kelsey was able to brew his session IPA, which to this day sits in the top 20 session IPAs on RateBeer. Kelsey proved his 2010 gold at Nationals was no fluke by following it up with Gold in 2012, Silver in 2013, Gold in 2014, and Bronze in 2015 (habanero infused variant) all with his Hop-Fu! American IPA.

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Beer Portfolio: Being on the West Coast, Kelsey acknowledges that his beers have a west coast slant. Despite this, he notes the brewery will also be a neighborhood focused establishment, so I am aiming to please many palates. For the most part, my core offerings will be dry and focused on drinkability. However, our patrons will see a wide range of styles ranging from the palest golden pilsner to the darkest jet black viscous imperial stout and everything in between. Kelsey has coined the phrase, Ales and Lagers, Friends and Neighbors as the tagline for his brewery, noting that, well aim to make the former for the latter.



Bloomington, Illinois

Background: After years of demand, the people of Bloomington can finally rejoice that Lil Beaver Brewery will look to open its doors to the public in 2016. Led by Chad Bevers and Dale Thomas, Lil Beaver looks to bring their out of the box style and push the boundaries for craft beer enthusiasts of every level. Chad, a prolific homebrewer was last years runner up for the Sam Adams Longshot Competition with his chocolate coconut milk stout. He also took home the silver at Nationals for his imperial stout with ancho chilies, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, vanilla beans, and coffee beans, think Abraxas.

Beer Portfolio: Lil Beaver looks to stray from the traditional styles of beer, focusing on extreme flavor, and anything but ordinary with mainly stouts and sours. Chad notes that when he brews a beer, he tries to twist and turn it into three or four different beers, none which resemble the original. Chad has developed a following for his variants of his Liquid Mounds Bar beer which is brewed with chocolate malt, bakers cocoa, and then aged with cocoa nibs and toasted coconut. While this beer will be available on site as a 13% imperial stout and a 6% milk stout, look for his rye whiskey barrel aged imperial version which is an almond joy in a glass to drop in bottles.



Brooklyn, New York

Background: Its been 40 years since a brewery stood in Bushwick, however this summer, KCBC led by Pete Lengyel, Zack Kinney, and Tony Bellis, will look to put an area that was once considered the beer capital of New York City back on the map. The three founders, who come from very different backgrounds, all met through the local NYC homebrew scene. While each of them have beers they have become known for locally, the three look forward towards collaborating with one another on their hoppy beers, as well as introducing their funky wilds to the public through their barrel program. Look for their beers to start dropping around NYC as well as their tap room summer 2016.

Beer Portfolio: While there is no specific theme for KCBCs beers, they like to focus on three things which solidify their identity; quality, variety, and community. With a motto of Work Together, Drink Together, they like to say, were like Voltron, except we make beer. The group plans to brew beers individually to show off each of their personal tastes and brewing techniques, as well as Collective beers. You can also expect to see a Local Talent tap at the brewery, which will feature collabs with homebrewers, professional brewers, chefs, musicians, artists, and others. Their initial lineup will feature eight styles; IPA, single hop/single malt (SMASH) beer, double IPA, lemon zest saison, gratzer (Oak Smoked Wheat Beer), fruited berliner weiss, brett saison, and a hop forward pilsner.

Jason Stein is a New York-based beer nerd. You can find more of his writing on NYC Beer Society.
Apparently banking on the success of the upcoming DC Comics supervillain film Suicide Squad, Warner Bros. is reportedly already contemplating a spinoff for one of the movies most outrageous and beloved characters: Harley Quinn, portrayed by Australian actress Margot Robbie. Quinn, first introduced more than 20 years ago in Batman: The Animated Series as the Jokers obsessive sidekick and lover, has proven to be one of DCs most lovable villains, even outranking fan favorites like Wonder Woman in terms of popularity and sales. Robbies portrayal of the crazed ex-psychiatrist has contributed immensely to the hype surrounding the release of Suicide Squad later this summer.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Robbie is set to not only reprise her role as Quinn in the spinoff, but also to produce the project. The actress reportedly became enamored with DCs heroines and villainesses when researching her role in Suicide Squad, wanting the film to feature not only Quinn herself but other female DC characters such as Batgirl and the Birds of Prey. Robbie reportedly hired a female screenwriter, still unknown at press time, to make her idea a reality, and the project has been already been claimed by Warner Bros.

The production company has yet to release any official statements about the potential spinoff, but it seems only natural that the charismatic and zany Quinn should get her own story. Initially intended to be a one-time character, fans of Batman quickly propelled the engaging villain to fame and permanency. The project cant come at a better time, particularly as DCs female fanbase and readership has been steadily increasing, prompting the recent release of their SuperHero Girls line of comics and merchandise, which targets girls and young women and stars Quinn, Batgirl, Poison Ivy and Bumblebee.

For a first look at Robbie in action as Harley Quinn, check out the Suicide Squad trailer below and catch the film when it is released on Aug. 5.
Safety continues to serve as a big deterrent for women riding inand, more importantly, driving withridesharing apps. While services like Uber and Lyft continue to function, there are significantly different experiences for men and women riders and drivers.

Recently, an Uber driver was accused of raping a woman he picked up at a bar in Orange County, California. Its just one of many cases that discourages women from riding and driving for similar services. Women often become the subject of attacks and harassment on both the driving and riding side of things.

Previously known as Chariot for Women, SafeHer garnered significant attention from multiple news outlets for its unique model. The service wants to focus on improving this situation for women by hiring women drivers (or drivers who identify as female) to pick up women passengers. The service also wants to allow children to ride, guaranteeing car seats in each SafeHer vehicle.

Michael Pelletz first thought of the idea after starting to drive for Uber himself. He discussed the idea with his wifeKelly Pelletz, President of SafeHerwho admitted that she would feel uncomfortable driving for Uber because of safety issues.

Its a sad statement but there is such a need for what were doing, said Michael Pelletz. Its resonating worldwide. So its just going to continue to grow. We will leapfrog Uber sooner than later because they never saw the big picture when it came to safety and as you see all over the news, theyre getting hurt by that.

Since its initial announcement, SafeHer experience an overwhelming response from women interested in using, and working for, the service.

I only started this company ten weeks ago and my goal when I first started was to have a thousand drivers in Boston as of April 19, says Pelletz. And I wouldve started in Boston and gone to different cities and just seen how it grew. But within two weeks of me starting this business, we were all over the world.

Now, Pelletz hopes to launch the service on a much larger scale, expanding to more U.S. cities but also at least four or five other countries. As Pelletz mentioned, Japanese media recently interviewed him and his wife, despite the fact that Uber is currently banned in Japan.

Since starting SafeHer, Pelletz has spoken with law enforcement officials, drivers and passengers (some during his own Uber routes) to form a distinct plan for a safer ridesharing service. He wants to set up call centers for any customer service issues. The app also includes unique safety features. For starters, a driver must answer a security question (which changes daily) to confirm her identity. Both riders and drivers see a unique word on their screens when the service gets confirmed. Before the passenger gets in the car, both she and the driver can confirm the word to make sure the ride is correct.

SafeHer also gives riders the chance to donate a portion of the fee from the ride to a charity of their choice with the listed charities change each month.

What Im most excited about is how many millions of people we are going to be able to help across the globe, said Pelletz. If you see, we give two percent of every single fare back to charities worldwide. That is something that companies dont do.

One big hurdle SafeHer must tackle lies in its hiring process; as some publications and legal figures have pointed out, restricting employees to only women could violate laws around discrimination.

SheTaxis, a NYC-based app that has yet to launch (Paste recently searched for the app in the Apple Store with no results) struggled with the same obstacle. According to the Boston Globe, the service (also known as SheRides) faced questions from regulators in 2014. Currently, the service focuses on NYC and recently posted a survey to Facebook asking users what cities they should expand to next.

SafeHer hasnt shied away from this discrimination issue. According to The Washington Post, the companys general counsel Chase Liu cited privacy interests as a possible justification for the hiring of only female drivers.

For now, the companys main focus is making sure that its technology can handle the influx of traffic from a purely practical standpoint. But for Pelletz, the real goal lies in finding a way for women to feel safer. He hopes other companies mimic their model so that the safety issue will eventually become non-existent.

Theres so many exciting parts, says Pelletz. To really to be able to put so many women back to work who have really wanted to driver for Uber but have been afraid. To have a safe way to work and be comfortable and make some extra money which not only helps them, [SafeHer drivers] but also their families and the world economy, too.
Captain America: Civil War begins with an operation in Lagos, Nigeria, as the Avengers defend against an armed incursion on the Institute for Infectious Diseases. Its the sort of furious set piece one often sees in the first minutes of action movies, as conventional as Saturday Night Lives cold open, and the point of reference is James Bond, or perhaps Jason Bourne: Our heroes rely as much on the amnesiac agents rapid-fire form of jujitsu as on their special powers, and the chaos that ensues is akin to the collapse of a building on the Day of the Dead. Even the supernatural becomes an entree to issues of collateral damage and civilian oversight. When the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), loses control of one of her hexes, it lands with the force of a misdirected drone strike, an unintended consequence in a war much like our own.

That the films interest in the moral quandaries of the present conflict is no more than hand waving might be the kind of criticism that provokes a sigh, or worse, from fans. (Why do you have to analyze everything? the polite ones ask. Why cant you enjoy things? Its just a movie!) But the curious politics of the latest installment in Marvels cinematic universe demand consideration, if only because the film ultimately deflects its own central question. Though framed as a complex, multifaceted treatment of the responsibilities that come with being the worlds policeman, Captain America: Civil War turns out to be an entertaining, globetrotting paean to unfettered Western might, superhero neo-liberalism in shitty 3D.

The (self-) seriousness of the modern actioner is not unique to Marvelfrom Christopher Nolans Dark Knight trilogy and the Bourne franchise to Daniel Craigs dour Bond, its the movies themselves that seem unable to enjoy things these daysand, if anything, MCU mastermind Kevin Feige has guided his stable of writers, directors, and stars toward the playful patter of another era. The most diverting sequence in Civil War, for instance, is essentially apolitical, an intramural confrontation among the Avengers two factions peppered with so many inside jokes and sight gags that the ideological underpinnings of the contretemps finally, mercifully, melt away. The rest of the film, by contrast, is fraught with mutant messages from a past with real-life referents, a nauseating brew of misappropriated historical symbols that snatches the ostensible nuance of the storytelling from right under the viewers nose.

After Wandas deadly mishap in Lagos, support swells for U.N. monitoring of the Avengers, and Civil War at first gestures toward a debate between internationalism and the sovereign stateat a moment, notably, in which Britain is reassessing its participation in the European Union and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump has deemed NATO obsolete. Iron Man Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) argues in favor of signing on to the Sokovia Accords, claiming that working without boundaries makes the Avengers no better than the bad guys, while Captain America Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) refuses, worried that theyll be rendered ineffective by bureaucratic red tape. The safest hands, he counters, are still our own.

That the film prefers the ease of Rogers black-and-white worldview over the difficult diplomatic muddle of Starks is clear, in retrospect, from the title: This is Captain Americas movie, and despite the title cards that introduce each new location as if it were a timely spy thriller, it bears the retrograde imprint of his wartime creation. In Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), the skinny, asthmatic Brooklynite, transformed by Dr. Erskines experimental serum, comes of age in combat against Hydra, a super-Nazi world-domination cultand, within the films exaggerated homage to USO tours and Why We Fight, Rogers patriotic fervor, if simplistic, is understandable. In the battle against a fascist with a ray gun and a God complex, Ill take American exceptionalism every time.

In the effort to bring Captain America into Marvels near-apocalyptic present, however, the character has been ripped from the context in which his old-fashioned politics mightve applied, and the result, in Civil War, is a narrative at once obsessed with history and utterly innocent of it. With reference to Lend-Lease, The Manchurian Candidate, Siberian gulags, mind control, and the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, the film sands down its rich subject matterthe role of the Avengers, sole superpower, in a fast-changing geopolitical landscapeuntil it resembles a Reagan-esque dispatch from the moral high ground: Captain America: Cold War.

Against the nettlesome (if at times incomprehensible) intricacies of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), in which a fifth column of Hydra loyalists within the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D) sows crisis to win the publics acquiescence to a dictatorship of surveillance, Civil War reflects a dispiriting retreat into facile us-versus-them thinking. For instance, the villain, Zemo (Daniel Bruhl), hails from the failed state of Sokovia, where his family perished in the Avengers destructive wake, but the details of his plan to pit the heroes against each other suggest one of Sen. Joseph McCarthys anticommunist delusions: Wishing to see an empire fall, he reactivates brainwashed Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) by reading from a Little Red Book, drawing his adversaries into an internecine tussle that weakens their defenses. By allusion to the actual American POWs (wrongly) suspected of indoctrination during the Korean War, the film subsumes the salient pointthat said empires unchecked power might in fact create the conditions in which Zemos violent extremism takes rootunder the more familiar rubric of the Iron Curtain and the Axis of Evil.

In the end, Stark and his erstwhile ally, Black Widow Natasha Romanoff (Scarlet Johansson), maintain their support for the Sokovia Accords only long enough to set up the superhero showdown on the airport tarmac: Civil Wars widely praised interest in a sober, clear-eyed assessment of the Avengers function proves more feigned than real. Rather, by mixing (and misapprehending) its historical metaphorspart War on Terror, part Cold Warthe film positions Captain Americas call for the Avengers to be free from supervision, to which Stark ultimately accedes, as the extension of a noble cause. I dont like bullies, Rogers says in The First Avenger, passing Erskines test of mettle. I dont care where theyre from.

Captain America: Civil War is no more than a fantasy, perhaps, but a fantasy of what, exactly? Of the return to an era in which wars moral calculus included fewer variables? Of the worlds lone superpower as benevolent superhero? Of America unconstrained by compromise and unquestioned in its judgment? In drawing its political and historical analogies so loosely, Civil War appears to want it both ways: To be seen as serious as well as fun, insightful as well as exciting, without submitting to the slippery, multivalent meanings that such connections might contain. The danger comes not in enjoying the film, but in seeing its many delights Tom Hollands Spiderman, Paul Rudds Ant-Man, the deft weaving together of the comic and the captivatingas an excuse not to analyze it, for in truth Civil War is as blind to the consequences of Cold War logic as its titular character, its peculiar politics frozen in the immaculate ice of 1945.

One need not condone the crimes perpetrated by its adversaries to suggest that the collateral damage wrought by the United States in its successive struggles against communism and terrorism is evidence of our own penchant for bullying and empire building. But for all its supposed commitment to gray areas and tough questions, Civil War falls back, in the final estimation, on the superheros superficial shorthand: Youre either with us, or youre against us. Thus shorn of the understanding that even the safest hands, untied, are prone to egregious excesses, to assassinations, invasions, and coups, the films allusions to past and present alike register not as a thorny critique of power but as a shallow, even cynical, endorsement of it, one anathema to the spirit of Captain Americas antifascist origins: Might makes right.
Back in January, right-wing zealot Lindsey Graham compared the Republican primary election, in which Donald Trump and Rafael Cruz had emerged as the frontrunners, to a choice between being shot or poisoned. It was a clever analogy. The two men wereareboth despised by the bulk of the Republican establishment. Cruz because hes disruptive and uncooperative, and just altogether objectionable (journalist Matt Taibi memorably described the senator from Texas much-maligned face as looking like someone sewed pieces of a waterlogged Reagan mask together at gunpoint). And Trump because hes a political blasphemer who openly derides things central to modern GOP ideology, from international trade agreements to Bushs War on (of) Terror.

Of course, when it came down to it, the decision proved an easy one for most party loyalists. Cruz may be preternaturally repellent, but at least he hates Vladimir Putin and Palestinians sufficiently; at least he never espoused universal healthcare or a womans right to do with her body what she pleases; at least he doesnt spurn corporate donors and lobbyists. Which candidate represented poison and which represented a bullet is unclear, but the GOP ultimately decided that it could live with Cruz. The Donald, then, was to be rubbed out.

The time, effort and resources dedicated, by both right and left, to stopping the short-fingered vulgarian has to constitute a record of some kind. The media lost their shit, as the saying goes. The Fuhrer was invoked, as was Il Duce, on an almost daily basis. Trump was every murderous despot who ever livedonly so much worse. It was all very hyperbolic. It was also very ironic. Suddenly, bona fide racists mutated into righteous egalitarians. Bloodthirsty jingos like Charles Krauthammer and William Kristol shamelessly joined the chorus of voices lamenting Trumps divisive and hateful rhetoric. Anything to save the Grand Old Party from a populist takeover.

That Trump managed to secure the nomination in spite of the medias desperate onslaught is remarkable. Of course, it says more about todays political climate than it does about the candidate himself. While its probably true that a wide sector of Trumps supporters are misogynistic Muslim-bashers, an even wider sector are merely disaffected, economically-marginalized citizens who happen to be registered Republicans. These people couldnt care less about the core tenets of their party, which is why accusations that Trump is not a true conservative did nothing, and will do nothing, to dissuade his voters. Its also why the lack of endorsements from textbook Republican dullards like Paul Ryan and the Jeb Bush may actually broaden Trumps appeal.

Does anybody care what Jeb Bush has to say about anything? The man is genuinely pathetic. No doubt the early Republican debates brought back some repressed childhood memories for poor Jeb. He thought he was rid of bullies when he graduated from Phillips Academy Andover. Not so! It was hard not to root for the low-energy governor as Trump, effectively reducing the debate stage to a junior-high lunch table, gave him the rhetorical equivalent of a swirly. The pity lasted until you remembered Jebs foreign policy ideas, at which point you became the bystander in gym class who derives twisted pleasure from seeing the scrawny nerd take a dodgeball to the face.

What level-headed person hasnt loved almost every minute of Trumps invasion? Its been great fun. The man single-handedly ruptured the unholy GOP (quite possibly for good), burnt down the House of Bush, and made it popular among rank-and-file Republicans to hate free trade agreements. Hes even expressed quasi-isolationist sentiments regarding foreign policy. All of which is cause for celebration. So why arent we celebrating? Because the liberal media wont let usthe good-for-nothing bastards are forever pissing on our parade, insisting that to recognize the good in Trumps campaign is to usher in a holocaust of Muslims, Mexicans, African Americans, homosexuals and women.

Our leading liberal lights have done a pretty good job convincing the more impressionable left-wing elements that Trump personifies extreme race hatred. Earlier this year, students at Emory College had a conniption when some scoundrels used chalk to write Trump 2016 throughout campus. I thought we were having a KKK rally on campus one student declared, adding that she feared for her life. Another student said he and his friends were expecting mass shootings. They demanded that the administration investigate the matter and punish those responsible. When the administration responded with a tepid defense of the anonymous chalkers right to free speech, the offended shifted their ire onto the college itself, for failing to provide an adequate safe space. (Student activists across the country seem on a mission to make satire obsolete, or better yet impossible.)

But theres another, less precious, more assertive, side of the Trump opposition. It can be observed at the presumptive nominees campaign events, where hordes of angry people crowd the streets to protest his presence. These people are taking their cues from the media as well, and this is where things get interesting. Trumps rallies, as everyone knows, have become violent on occasion. Sometimes the violence is instigated by his supporters, other times by his detractors. CNN reported that, following a rally in Costa Mesa, California, scuffles broke out between Trump supporters who were leaving the rally and people in the streets who accused them of being racists. One Trump supporter was visibly bloodied after being punched in the face.

And who can blame the protestors for their violent behavior? Is not violence moral when employed to resist evil? Remember: theyve been persuaded that Donald Trump and his legions of fans are bent on resurrecting Nazism and turning the U.S. into a fascist state. Given the opportunity, who would not go back to 1933, assassinate Adolf Hitler, and feel entirely justified in doing so? Only the strictest of pacifists. Its not unreasonable to assume, then, that a number of liberal activists would view the assassination of Donald Trump, or perhaps the killing of a few of his supporters, as ethicalperhaps even heroic.

A lot of people were, and presumably still are, worried that the violence at Trumps rallies might escalate to the point of someone getting killed. Its always been assumed that the victim would be a protestor. The reverse seems just as plausible, however, and the fear-mongers in the media bear more than a little responsibility for that.

Donald Trump is a particularly vulgar, and ignorant, demagoguenothing more (sorry, Slate). The Hitler comparison, like every Hitler comparison, is fatuous. Trumps manifesto is hardly Mein Kampfits a glib capitalist memoir that he had someone else write for him. If Trump is scary (and he is), its because we have no idea what he would do as president. He has no idea what he would do as president. For progressives of a gambling or street-fighting nature, that uncertainty is preferable to the neoconservative and neoliberal status quo championed by the lefts favorite right-wing fanatic, H.R. Clinton, whos never met a war she didnt at least want to fuck.

Most sane individuals can agree that Lindsay Grahams analogy is applicable to the general election, and was always going to be, with Bernie Sanders being content to lose nobly for as long as it took. So, Trump or Clinton? Shot or poisoned? Either way were in serious trouble. At least the debates will be amusing (although I wish hed come up with something a little more inspired than Crooked Hillary). Theyll be showing them in bars, I hope.
Prologis has signed lease agreements with Arvato Polska for 30,835 square metres at Prologis Park Bonie. The transactions include a lease renewal for 22,510 square metres and a new lease for 8,325 square metres of additional distribution space. Arvato Polska is a part of Bertelsmann. Since 1994, the company has

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Nearly half of parents whose child had leftover pain medication from a surgery or illness say they kept the prescription opioids at home -- representing a potential problem down the line.

Parents whose child's provider discussed what to do with the pills, however, were far more likely to dispose them properly, according to a report from the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

"We found that the amount of pain medication prescribed for children is frequently greater than the amount used, and too few parents recall clear direction from their provider about what to do with leftover medication," says Matthew M. Davis, M.D., director of the poll and professor of pediatrics and internal medicine at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

"This is a missed opportunity to prevent prescription drug misuse among children. Many parents simply keep extra pain pills in their home. Those leftover pills represent easy access to narcotics for teens and their friends."

Safe narcotic disposal

Overall, nearly a third of parents polled reported at least one pain medication prescription for their child, most often related to surgery, illness and injury. Most prescriptions (60 percent) were for narcotics, such as oxycodone or hydrocodone.

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Half of parents reported their child had leftover medication and only 8 percent returned it to the doctor or pharmacy. Another 47 percent kept the pills at home while 30 percent disposed of it in the trash or toilet, 6 percent used it for other family members and 9 percent didn't remember what they did with them.

Twice as many parents (56 percent) with no guidelines from their provider kept leftover pain pills at home compared to parents whose providers discussed what to do with them. Only a third of parents said their child's provider gave instructions on disposing leftover pain medication.

"The epidemic of prescription drug abuse affects all sectors of the U.S. population, including children and teens," Davis says.

"For adolescents, a known point of access to narcotic pain medication is leftover pills from a prior prescription. Our poll suggests we need to do a much better job of explaining this risk to parents."

The Mott report comes just as the House of Representatives considers a series of new bills to tackle the opioid crisis that has led to major policy initiatives to limit access to narcotic pain medications. The Mott poll report presents findings from a nationally representative household survey conducted among 1,176 parents with at least one child aged 5 to 17.

Takeaways for health care providers:

Providers cannot assume that parents understand the risks of easily accessible pain medication in the home. Providers need to explain this risk to parents, and offer guidance on appropriate options (e.g., return to provider office or pharmacy; safe disposal in trash, not flushing down the toilet).

The poll results strongly suggest that when providers do offer direction to parents, they make better decisions with leftover medication.

In this poll, half of parents whose children had received a prescription for pain medication had pills left over. This raises a fundamental question about how providers approach the task of prescribing pain medication to children: Are they prescribing "just enough" medication for a standard recovery, or additional doses "just in case" there is prolonged pain?

Providers should make careful decisions regarding the amount of narcotic pain medication prescribed to children, and parents should feel comfortable asking questions about the amount of medication prescribed.

Parents need clearer guidance on all aspects of administering prescription medications for their children. This is particularly true for pain medication, which differs from the very specific manner in which other medications are handled; rather, the administration of pain medication is linked to the child's symptoms without a strict schedule or endpoint. Ideally, all parents should have guidance in this area

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Over the past half-million years, the equatorial Pacific Ocean has seen five spikes in the amount of iron-laden dust blown in from the continents. In theory, those bursts should have turbo-charged the growth of the ocean's carbon-capturing algae -- algae need iron to grow -- but a new study shows that the excess iron had little to no effect.

The results are important today, because as groups search for ways to combat climate change, some are exploring fertilizing the oceans with iron as a solution.

Algae absorb carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Proponents of iron fertilization argue that adding iron to the oceans would fuel the growth of algae, which would absorb more CO 2 and sink it to the ocean floor. The most promising ocean regions are those high in nutrients but low in chlorophyll, a sign that algae aren't as productive as they could be. The Southern Ocean, the North Pacific, and the equatorial Pacific all fit that description. What's missing, proponents say, is enough iron.

The new study, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, adds to growing evidence, however, that iron fertilization might not work in the equatorial Pacific as suggested.

Essentially, earth has already run its own large-scale iron fertilization experiments. During the ice ages, nearly three times more airborne iron blew into the equatorial Pacific than during non-glacial periods, but the new study shows that that increase didn't affect biological productivity. At some points, as levels of iron-bearing dust increased, productivity actually decreased.

What matters instead in the equatorial Pacific is how iron and other nutrients are stirred up from below by upwelling fueled by ocean circulation, said lead author Gisela Winckler, a geochemist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. The study found seven to 100 times more iron was supplied from the equatorial undercurrent than from airborne dust at sites spread across the equatorial Pacific. The authors write that although all of the nutrients might not be used immediately, they are used up over time, so the biological pump is already operating at full efficiency.

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"Capturing carbon dioxide is what it's all about: does iron raining in with airborne dust drive the capture of atmospheric CO 2 ? We found that it doesn't, at least not in the equatorial Pacific," Winckler said.

The new findings don't rule out iron fertilization elsewhere. Winckler and coauthor Robert Anderson of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are involved in ongoing research that is exploring the effects of iron from dust on the Southern Ocean, where airborne dust supplies a larger share of the iron reaching the surface.

The PNAS paper follows another paper Winckler and Anderson coauthored earlier this year in Nature with Lamont graduate student Kassandra Costa looking at the biological response to iron in the equatorial Pacific during just the last glacial maximum, some 20,000 years ago. The new paper expands that study from a snapshot in time to a time series across the past 500,000 years. It confirms that Costa's finding, that iron fertilization had no effect then, fit a pattern that extends across the past five glacial periods.

To gauge how productive the algae were, the scientists in the PNAS paper used deep- sea sediment cores from three locations in the equatorial Pacific that captured 500,000 years of ocean history. They tested along those cores for barium, a measure of how much organic matter is exported to the sea floor at each point in time, and for opal, a silicate mineral that comes from diatoms. Measures of thorium-232 reflected the amount of dust that blew in from land at each point in time.

"Neither natural variability of iron sources in the past nor purposeful addition of iron to equatorial Pacific surface water today, proposed as a mechanism for mitigating the anthropogenic increase in atmospheric CO 2 inventory, would have a significant impact," the authors concluded.

Past experiments with iron fertilization have had mixed results. The European Iron Fertilization Experiment (EIFEX) in 2004, for example, added iron in the Southern Ocean and was able to produce a burst of diatoms, which captured CO 2 in their organic tissue and sank to the ocean floor. However, the German-Indian LOHAFEX project in 2009 experimented in a nearby location in the South Atlantic and found few diatoms. Instead, most of its algae were eaten up by tiny marine creatures, passing CO 2 into the food chain rather than sinking it. In the LOHAFEX case, the scientists determined that another nutrient that diatoms need -- silicic acid -- was lacking.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) cautiously discusses iron fertilization in its latest report on climate change mitigation. It warns of potential risks, including the impact that higher productivity in one area may have on nutrients needed by marine life downstream, and the potential for expanding low-oxygen zones, increasing acidification of the deep ocean, and increasing nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas more potent than CO 2 .
New advances in packaging at Michigan State University can help produce stay fresh longer.

Eva Almenar, with MSU's School of Packaging, focused on onions, one of the highest-volume vegetables sold worldwide. Her team's results, featured in a recent issue of International Journal of Food Microbiology, show that improvements can enhance the safety and improve the quality of the ubiquitous vegetable.

"We focused on ready-to-use onions, which have grown to become one of the five most commonly sold vegetables in the last decade," said Almenar, who also is an MSU AgBioResearch scientist. "We've found a package and sanitizer combination that led to diced onions being acceptable for purchase after two weeks of storage."

Typically, preprepared onions have short shelf lives. Once packaged, they quickly turn color, go soft, lose nutrients and flavor, and become translucent. Microorganisms also thrive as onions decompose, and pathogens, such as salmonella, can cause severe problems.

Controlling the package's atmosphere and sanitizing vegetables are not new techniques. However, finding the optimum combination of existing methods has never been tested. To that end, the scientists conducted the most-extensive evaluation of techniques that has ever been conducted.

The best packages were ones that helped maintain an atmosphere of elevated carbon dioxide and reduced oxygen. When combined with a sanitizing treatment of sodium hypochlorite, which is a common bleaching agent, onions could endure two weeks in a package yet still satisfy a panel of trained consumers.

"Of all the variations that we tested, this one reduced microbial growth, respiration and discoloration, and preserved the desired aroma," Almenar said. "Packaging vegetables is hard, but that is why I like it -- the difficulty!"

This technique won't solely benefit onions, either. It will provide insights into other packaging advances for many vegetables, she added.

Already, Almenar is conducting research on gas composition packaging and containers made from renewable resources and others from egg whites and whey protein isolate, byproducts from the egg and cheese food industry, respectively. These practical advances - many that go directly to market - are part of the reason for the School of Packaging's top ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

"We produce the materials, fill and sell the packages, and run all of the testing here; it's like being a partner with industry," Almenar said. "We take into consideration the conditions in the supply chain in which the product will be exposed, and we build packages to endure those conditions. There's so much science to make it all work, I truly enjoy the challenge of it all."

Additional MSU scientists contributing to this study include Natalie Page, Elliott Ryser and Janice Harte. Jaime Gonzalez-Buesa, with the University of Zaragoza (Spain), also was part of this study.
The number of children with severe heart failure is increasing. Over the last decade, ventricular assist devices (VADs) have become the standard of care in the management of severe heart failure. In adults, implantable VADs (i.e. pumps placed within the chest) are used exclusively, due in part to favorable risk profiles and, more importantly, the opportunity for home discharge and outpatient management. By contrast, no implantable VADs designed specifically for small children (approximately 5 to 20 kg) are currently available. The result is that the vast majority of pediatric patients with severe heart failure are currently managed with paracorporeal VADs (i.e. pumps sitting outside the body), which in general are associated with higher risk profiles and require hospital management. In a presentation at the 96th AATS Annual Meeting, researchers describe testing of a pediatric-specific implantable VAD in living animals.

For children with severe heart failure, the only available means of life support are ventricular assist devices (VADs) placed outside the body. These devices are associated with significant risks and the need for hospital management. In conjunction with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, investigators have now developed a miniaturized implantable VAD for small children (the Infant Jarvik 2015). The results of testing the device in live sheep are presented at the 96th AATS Annual Meeting.

"The very favorable results of this study will be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for determination of its suitability to initiate a clinical trial called the PumpKIN (Pump for Kids, Infants, and Neonates) Trial. We are hoping the trial will begin late this year. This study will be an important milestone in the new era of pediatric heart failure management with implantable VADs," explained lead investigator Iki Adachi, MD, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston.

While there are VADs designed for adults, there are no implantable VADs specifically designed for small children. The current study aims to address this unmet need. The Infant Jarvik 2015 is an implantable axial-flow VAD. Compared to its predecessor the Infant Jarvik 2000, in vitro testing demonstrated that it offers significantly improved hemolysis profile, which is one of the most important challenges in development of small pumps. The Infant Jarvik 2015 offers up to 3.0 liters per minute flow rate, which is approximately double the flow its predecessor can provide. This important difference in flow capability would suggest that the new pump could be used in wider range of children.

In the current report, researchers implanted the pump in ten sheep through the apex of the left ventricle. The outflow graft was attached to the proximal descending aorta. Eight of the ten sheep completed the study and remained in good health, as indicated by appropriate weight gain, over a period of one to two months. The remaining two animals did not complete the study due to complications that were not directly related to the pump.

The most significant finding was very minimal hemolysis (premature destruction of red blood cells) despite high pump speed (the pump rotor spins up to 18,000 times per minutes). In six animals, there were small kidney infarcts, which is often seen in this type of animal studies in part due to inability to fully anticoagulate these animals. The entire VAD flow pathway was clean, without thrombi or fibrin deposits except in one.

"This preclinical study not only demonstrates the clinical feasibility of the new device, it also provides important insights into how this device may be managed when used clinically in pediatric patients," emphasized Dr. Adachi.
While populations of moose have been declining in much of their North American range, research from the University of Saskatchewan shows how these icons of the northern boreal forest are finding success by moving south into farmers' fields.

"Thirty years ago, seeing moose in the farmland of Saskatchewan would have been very rare but over time they have expanded to these new areas," said Ryan Brook, a wildlife biologist with the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the U of S. "It's unique to see populations well-established in areas with less than one percent forest cover that are dominated by crop production."

Brook, who leads the Saskatchewan Farmland Moose Project, has been working with his colleagues to discover how the moose are succeeding in what used to be considered highly unsuitable habitat. The research team used a net gun fired from a helicopter to capture 40 adult cow moose and fit them with GPS satellite collars in 2013 and 2014 to track the animals' movements for four years.

The team found that the animals are taking advantage of the area's "knob and kettle" land forms, that is, rolling hills with plentiful tree-ringed sloughs and wetlands. During the heat of the summer days -- "hot" for a moose being above 14 C -- the animals retreat to shade and water, coming out to feed once it cools off.

The team's finding are published in the Journal of Wildlife Management. Brook explained this is the first paper ever published on farmland moose, detailing specific ways that the animals select habitat. It also maps overall habitat quality in both summer and winter, which will help support management efforts.

Unfortunately for farmers, what the moose are feeding on is often crops, particularly cereals but also oilseeds such as canola. Crop damage is becoming a concern, particularly in the south central part of Saskatchewan.

Moose are also hazardous for drivers, particularly in Saskatchewan, which has the largest municipal (grid) road network in Canada. The animals' long legs and high centre of gravity create a high risk of driving the main body of the animal through the windshield. Since cows can weigh up to 360 kg and bulls up to 700 kg, collisions can be catastrophic.

Brook explained that since moose have only relatively recently started moving south, there has been little information available to guide management efforts, which "makes this study vitally important."

"There has not been any previous research on farmland moose so a first step is to understand the ecology of these animals to understand habitat selection," he said.

Brook and his colleagues hypothesize that the moose are also doing well because farmland areas have few or no large predators such as wolves or bears that keep populations in check in the boreal forest. Low hunter pressure -- there was not even a moose season in these areas until 2006 -- also contributes.

For now, the province has instituted moose hunting seasons in the affected areas. When feasible, farmers can also protect their crops by fencing off sloughs and associated treed areas to deprive moose of their daytime refuges.
A team of surgeons in Japan has developed a technique to relieve airway obstruction in children. The technique, known as external stenting (ES), expands and stabilizes the airway by suspending its wall to a rigid prosthesis placed around the bronchus or trachea. ES avoids the problem of granulation formation resulting from endolumenal corrective approaches, such as endoscopic stent placement. In a presentation at the 96th AATS Annual Meeting, the researchers describe the ES technique in detail as well as report on indications, complications, and long-term outcomes.

"Our ES technique may provide an alternative or adjunct to established practices for relieving airway obstruction, such as aortopexy. ES is less invasive and more reliable, and is effective equally for tracheobronchomalacia with or without vascular compression. It also has the potential of allowing age-proportional growth of the airway," explained Makoto Ando, MD, of the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Sakakibara Heart Institute, Tokyo (Japan).

The prosthesis "grows" as the child grows. The procedure relies on a ringed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) prosthesis that is cut to an appropriate length covering the obstructed airway segment (usually the length of 3 to 5 cartilage rings). The prosthesis is then cut longitudinally into two pieces, forming a sleeve around the obstructed area. A larger piece that is approximately one-half to two-thirds of the circumference is used to stabilize the cartilage portion of the airway and the smaller one with one-third of the circumference stabilizes the membrane portion of the trachea. Three rows of stitches are placed on the cartilage and a single row on the membrane. The two pieces are not sutured together, allowing for airway growth.

Over an 18-year period, 98 patients (average age 7.2 months) at two medical centers underwent a total of 127 ES for 139 obstruction sites. Airway obstruction was caused by congenital tracheobronchomalacia (cartilage weakening) in 52 cases, by vascular compression in 43 cases, and a combination of both in three cases. More than 80% of the children had cardiovascular anomalies, including ventricular septal defect, a functionally single ventricle, vascular ring/pulmonary arterial sling, and other cardiac septal or vascular defects. Eighteen had coexisting aortic arch obstruction. The children showed symptoms such as apnea, frequent respiratory infections, severe respiratory distress, and failure to wean from a ventilator. The technique is not intended for blockages caused by food or other ingested items.

Fourteen children died, mainly due to congestive heart failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, or respiratory distress. Ten patients required reoperation for re-stenosis and three required stent removal for infection. To date, 84% of the children have survived after 55 months of follow-up and 87% did not require re-operation at 59 months of follow-up. Eighty-eight percent of children were successfully weaned from a ventilator.

Many of the children studied are being followed at hospitals outside of the two surgical centers. Dr. Ando strongly recommends that patients be re-evaluated when they reach adulthood to see if the stents can be removed.

The team continues to refine the technique. Changes include shortening the graft to reduce the risk of airway perforation by the graft, especially in the right main bronchus. Placement of a sheet of PTFE between the graft and surrounding structures can also help to prevent erosion.
A new study has found both the cause and a solution for the pesky tendency of perovskite solar cells to degrade in sunlight, a research breakthrough potentially removing one roadblock to commercialization for this promising technology. In a key finding, researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have found those degraded devices exhibit self-healing powers when given a little time in the dark. The team determined that photo-degradation in perovskite cells is a purely electronic process due to charge accumulation without chemical damage to the crystal structure and therefore can be reduced, while the cells' self-healing properties allow them to rebound in the dark.

"We can stabilize the device performance by controlling the environmental temperature," said Wanyi Nie, lead researcher on the paper published today in Nature Communications. "The degradation of the devices can be suppressed by simply lowering the temperature by few degrees, that is, from 25 degrees Celsius to 0 degrees Celsius."

The team, lead by Aditya Mohite from the Los Alamos "Light to Energy" team in the Material Synthesis and Integrated Devices group, is exploring organometallic halide semiconducting perovskite solar cells. They are promising because of their high power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 20 percent and the low fabrication costs -- the perovskite material is synthesized via a low-temperature solution process. While achieving high PCE is important, the successful transition from a proof-of-concept experiment to actual market-viable photovoltaic technology requires the device to operate with stability under continuous sunlight, of course, and in the air and humidity of outdoor conditions.

The problem of stability against ambient air/humidity can be circumvented through encapsulation schemes, but the photo-stability of the perovskite-based devices remained an open question. As noted in the literature, these solar cells will undergo degradation with constant light soaking even when the device is under vacuum. Such degradation over time with solar illumination could undermine the commercialization of perovskite-based solar cells.

The new paper, "Light-activated photocurrent degradation and self-healing in perovskite solar cells," co-authored by Wanyi Nie and Jean-Christophe Blancon, describes the photo-degradation process. "What we found in this study is that under constant 1-sun illumination the large-grain perovskite solar cells degrade majorly in terms of the photocurrent," Nie said. "But what's interesting is that the devices can self-heal when sitting in the dark for a short while."

By performing extensive device and spectroscopy characterization, the team found that sunlight triggers the activation of meta-stable trap states at relatively low energy deep in the perovskite bandgap, which results in the trapping and captures of photo-generated charge carriers. Over time, trapped carriers can further accumulate in the device, reducing the photocurrent. On the other hand, placing the solar cell devices in the dark for several minutes allows for "evacuation" of these trapped charges, thus leading to the recovery of the pristine device performances upon the next operation cycle. The team also found that these processes are strongly temperature dependent, and that temperature control over a range of a few tens of degrees can either circumvent the activation of the photo-degradation mechanisms or speed-up the self-healing process.

After exploring several possible physical mechanisms to explain the microscopic origin of the formation of these trap states, joint experimental and theoretical investigations concluded that the most possible scenario is the creation of small polaronic states involving lattice strain and molecular re-orientations of the organic cation present in the perovskite lattice.

"Although several theoretical works have predicted the important role of the organic cation (CH3NH3) in organometallic halide perovskite, it is one of the first joint experimental-theoretical reports on the observation of its impact on the properties of perovskite materials and devices," Blancon said. "Our understanding of the organic cation is still primitive, but our work demonstrates its utmost importance in the photo-stability of perovskite devices and calls for further investigations in the future."

Most importantly this study will provide researchers across the world a first solution to the photo-stability issue in perovskite devices, and future research is now underway toward improvements and the long term technological viability of perovskite-based photovoltaics.

Hybrid perovskite materials, crystalline semiconductors that can be processed from solution at low temperature, have excellent opto-electronic properties that have enabled a wide variety of device applications. Los Alamos has been one of the leaders in the hybrid perovskite photovoltaic research community. By solving the stability problem, the team is ready to apply the material in other applications related to US energy security.

The paper's Los Alamos authors are Wanyi Nie, Jean-Christophe Blancon, Amanda Neukirk, Hsinhan Tsai, Sergei Tretiak, Jared Crochet, Gautam Gupta and Aditya Mohite. From Brookhaven National Laboratory are Kannatassen Appavoo and Matthew Sfeir; from Rutgers University is Mannish Chhowalla; from Purdue University is Mohammad Alam; from Universite de Rennes 1, France is Claudine Katan; and from INSA de Rennes, France is Jackie Even.
Wound healing is not a one-size-fits-all process. MDI Biological Laboratory Assistant Professor, Vicki P. Losick, Ph.D, has recently discovered a new healing mechanism, which she has called wound-induced polyploidy (WIP).

The typical response of organisms to healing is to grow more cells through cell division to compensate for the cell loss that occurs as a result of injury, disease or aging. But the cells in many higher organisms, including humans, have a limited capacity to divide. WIP maintains the size and functional capacity of injured or diseased tissue by enlarging existing cells, rather than by making more of them.

The fact that some cells grow in size -- a phenomenon called cellular hypertrophy -- in response to injury has been known for some time. But what wasn't previously known is that these cells are a mechanism to respond to injury, and that their size is due to polyploidization, or an increase in the amount of DNA: instead of the usual two sets of chromosomes, polyploid cells have three or more.

Losick collaborated with Albert S. Jun, M.D., a professor at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, on her research. Jun is the co-author of Losick's recent paper, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.

"The MDI Biological Laboratory is committed to the discovery of new therapies to repair and regenerate tissue," said President Kevin Strange, Ph.D. "Rather than taking a disease-by-disease approach, however, we are focused on the common mechanisms underlying these processes. Dr. Losick's discovery of a new mechanism for healing is a significant contribution to the field that has wide-ranging therapeutic potential."

The MDI Biological Laboratory is an independent, non-profit biomedical research institution focused on increasing healthy lifespan and increasing our natural ability to repair and regenerate tissues damaged by injury or disease. The institution develops solutions to complex human health problems through research, education and ventures that transform discoveries into cures.

Losick originally identified the mechanism regulating WIP in the fruit fly. With Jun's help, she has now shown that WIP occurs in mammals. Using a mouse model of a human eye disease, Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy, she discovered that cells enlarge by polyploidization to precisely compensate for cells that are lost, indicating that the extra-large cells are likely playing a beneficial role, not pathological one as previously thought.

"Our findings suggest that the cellular damage caused by cell loss or wounding leads to different mechanisms of tissue repair -- cell proliferation or cell growth -- depending on context," said Losick. "Now that we have discovered that WIP is a widely used part of the body's healing arsenal, we can look for genes or drugs that promote healing by boosting the body's ability to generate these extra-large cells."

Since joining the MDI Biological Laboratory faculty, Losick has continued her studies of WIP in the fruit fly at the Kathryn W. Davis Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine. The goal of her research is to further characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying WIP with the aim of developing therapeutic agents that can promote healing through the manipulation of these pathways.

Losick's work with fruit flies reflects the MDI Biological Laboratory's goal of studying the processes of aging and regeneration in simple organisms with which humans share many of their genes. Unlikely as it may seem, about 75 percent of known human disease genes have recognizable matches in the fruit fly. Fruit flies also deliver fast results because of their short lifespans and are easy and inexpensive to work with.
The overall health of Chesapeake Bay improved in 2015, according to scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. The largest estuary in the nation scored a C (53%) in 2015, one of the three highest scores since 1986. Only 1992 and 2002 scored as high or higher, both years of major sustained droughts.

"We'd expect to see improvements after a drought year because nutrients aren't being washed into the Bay, fueling algae blooms and poor water quality," said Bill Dennison, Vice President for Science Applications at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "However, in 2015 stream flow was below normal, but nowhere near the drought conditions in 1992 and 2002. Thus, the high score for 2015 indicates that we're making progress reducing what's coming off the land."

The overall score for the Chesapeake Bay Health Index for 2015 was 53%, compared with 50% in 2014 and 45% in 2013. There were strong improvements in many regions throughout the Bay, such as the Choptank River, Upper Eastern Shore, Lower Western Shore, and the Rappahannock River. There were no regions that had lower scores in 2015 compared to 2014. Improvements could be related to a number of factors, including several years of moderate weather, sewage treatment upgrades, use of winter cover crops by farmers, and reductions in atmospheric nitrogen deposition.

"We know why the Bay became degraded and what we need to do to restore it. This report card shows what's possible when we take action," said Donald Boesch, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "The positive results give us confidence that even greater improvements will be realized if pollutant loads are further reduced as committed."

Most of the indicators comprising the Chesapeake Bay health index improved in 2015. Chlorphyll a -- a measure of phytoplankton concentration, which can lead to reduced water clarity and reduced dissolved oxygen levels -- had improving scores throughout the Bay. Improvements in water quality contributed to the resurgence in aquatic grasses, one of the most important habitats in the Chesapeake Bay, providing a home for key species such as blue crab and striped bass.

Total nitrogen levels continued to improve throughout the Bay, corresponding to reductions in nitrogen entering the Bay being measured at monitoring stations. Dissolved oxygen--the amount of oxygen available in the water for the Bay's creatures to survive--remained steady, while the benthic index of biotic integrity--what's happening to life on the bottom of the Bay--showed improvement.

"The Hogan Administration applauds the hard work of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the positive news of the Chesapeake Bay report card," said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles. "Marylanders are helping to protect the land, water, air, and natural resources and that's leading to a healthier Bay for all. We will make even more progress if we continue to innovate and partner with all sectors within the watershed, from agriculture to energy and transportation, and from the Conowingo Dam to the streams, wetlands, and aquifers that help define our national treasure."

The one indicator that declined was total phosphorus, which had a lower score from the previous year. Excess phosphorus can lead to algae blooms, which reduce the amount of oxygen in the water available for Bay organisms.

Striped bass, bay anchovy and blue crab are ecologically, economically and socially important fish species in the Chesapeake Bay. While the Fisheries Index (an average of all three species' scores) is variable over time, it increased from 67% in 2014 to a 73% in 2015, which is a moderately good score. Striped bass held steady with a 98% score while both blue crab (47%) and bay anchovy (73%) improved. Bay anchovy are the most abundant schooling fishes in the Bay, providing an important food source for top predators, like striped bass. Fisheries indicators can have large variation from year to year since these species move throughout the Bay and are highly managed.

"The information being released today by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science is very positive and consistent with the trends the Chesapeake Bay Program has been witnessing over the past few years," said Nick DiPasquale, director of the Chesapeake Bay Program Office. "We should take the opportunity to celebrate these results, but we should also recognize that the long term success of our work to restore water quality and the health of this vitally important ecosystem will depend on stepping up and sustaining our efforts over the long-term to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution discharges to streams and rivers throughout the watershed."
SodaStream International Ltd., the Israeli maker of at-home carbonation machines, has certainly tested the faith of bullish investors in the past 12 months.

Now, more than a year into his plan to revive slumping profit at the company, Chief Executive Officer Daniel Birnbaum has given them something to cheer about. First-quarter profit and sales beat estimates by wide margins, sending the stock up 24 per cent last week to $18.45 (U.S.), its best weekly performance in almost five years. The companys Tel Aviv-traded stocks soared 9.3 per cent to 69.44 shekels ($18.34), the highest closing level since Dec. 16.

Birnbaum attributed the earnings surprise to strong demand in Europe and a new marketing strategy casting his sparkling-water machines as a health-conscious alternative to sugary sodas. But his biggest challenge, replicating the European success by growing household penetration in the U.S., has so far proved elusive.

Theyre at the inflection point, and we anticipate a rebound in the U.S. soon, Joshua Schachter, who helps oversee about $4.7 billion including SodaStream shares, at Snow Capital Management in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, said by phone. The health and wellness category is where the growth is for this industryits not in soda, but water.

American Shelf Space

Schachter is encouraged by SodaStreams deal to increase shelf space at American retailers like Target Corp., and a pilot project to sell carbonation machines and the gas canisters that enable them at Whole Foods Market Inc. stores in the Northeastern U.S.

SodaStreams revenue rose about 10 per cent to $101 million in the first quarter, while net income fell 27 per cent to $6.1 million. Still, profit was more than double the $2.6 million average analyst estimate.

Lod, Israel-based SodaStream has been able to gain efficiency and reduce costs by consolidating production and logistics in a new facility in Southern Israel, Birnbaum said on a conference call with investors last week.

As we have repositioned SodaStream as a sparkling water brand we have experienced a strong turnaround across the globe and we know the new positioning is working in the U.S. as well, Doug Pritchard, President of SodaStream North America, wrote in an emailed response to questions. Our research shows higher household penetration is achievable with this positioning and messaging.

Game of Thrones

SodaStream has produced a battery of new ads, including one featuring Julius Bjornsson, who plays a character called The Mountain on the HBO series Game of Thrones.

Its not the first time Birnbaum has tried to take U.S. markets by storm with aggressive advertising. In 2013, SodaStream released a Super Bowl commercial featuring exploding bottles of Coca-Cola and Pepsi that was rejected by broadcast networks as being too negative. The ad went viral on YouTube, but didnt translate into substantial sales growth that year.

A year later, SodaStream reported 2013 earnings that fell short of analysts estimates, sending the stock into a downward spiral from which it has still not recovered. Its market capitalization is roughly a quarter of its $1.5 billion peak five years ago, and the shares trade below their 2010 IPO price of $20.

Only one of five analysts covering the stock recommend buying the shares, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The lone bull, Anton Brenner at Roth Capital Partners, raised his price target to $22 from $20 on May 11, citing the surprise earnings beat, though he too was restrained in his enthusiasm.

We anticipate sustained sales and income improvement through the year, although at this early stage of the turnaround we remain cautious, Brenner wrote in the note.

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VANCOUVERA key decision that will impact the future of Canadas oil economy is expected this week after two years of work, millions in expense, and controversy that galvanized protests and prompted mass arrests.

The National Energy Board is set to announce by Friday whether it supports Kinder Morgans proposal to triple the capacity of the Trans Mountain pipeline, which carries diluted bitumen from the oilsands near Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C., for export.

The federal government also announced the appointment Tuesday of a three-member panel to conduct an environmental review of the project. It will start work next month and provide a report to Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr in November.

The companys plan would add about 980 kilometres of new pipeline and reactivate about 190 kilometres of existing pipeline. The Westridge Marine Terminal beside Burrard Inlet off Burnaby would also be expanded.

A recommendation in favour of the project from the National Energy Board would clear a significant technical hurdle it faces before a final decision is made by the federal cabinet.

One analyst said a decision against the pipeline means oil will still have to get to market, likely transported by rail.

We all know Canada has struggled with the whole pipeline approval process, said Afolabi Ogunnaike, with global energy consultants Wood Mackenzie.

If the pipeline is not approved, then the oil still needs to go forward.

Ogunnaike said the proposed expansion follows about 70 per cent of the right-of-way along the existing Trans Mountain pipeline.

Which is different from Northern Gateway, which would be going through more virgin territory, if you will. Thats a distinction between them.

However, Ivan Giesbrecht, a spokesman for Northern Gateway, said an application by Enbridge to the National Energy Board states that 70 per cent of its proposed route will also use previously disturbed land.

Environmentalists have demonstrated against the Trans Mountain project, including more than 100 people who were arrested and charged with civil contempt in the fall of 2014. Most of the charges were later dropped.

Energy board spokeswoman Tara ODonovan said the panels review of the project has been based on facts and science, fulfilling a legal mandate to decide whether it is in the public interest.

Kinder Morgan submitted its application in December 2013, and the hearing process began the following April.

The board heard from 35 indigenous groups over 20 days in five cities, accepted evidence from 400 intervenors and received another 1,250 letters of comment.

The board requested additional time to consider the project after Trans Mountain said it was considering a pipeline route through Burnaby Mountain. It also sought more time after one board member was appointed and then removed over consulting work he had previously done on the project.

The hearing cost $1.83 million, while more than $3 million was made available to parties that needed financial assistance to participate, ODonovan said.

Conditions attached to the recommendation could range from addressing the timing of construction to requiring the submission of emergency management plans.

The three members of the environmental panel announced Tuesday are Kim Baird, a former chief of the Tsawwassen First Nation, Annette Trimbee, president of the University of Winnipeg, and Tony Penikett, who was premier of Yukon for two terms.

The panel will consult with indigenous groups and review online feedback on the project as it looks at the upstream greenhouse gas emissions that are linked to the project.

The government said it expects to make a final decision on the Trans Mountain pipeline by the end of the year.

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Shares in Hudsons Bay Company dropped slightly and then recovered Tuesday following an announcement that it will begin opening stores in the Netherlands next summer.

In all, 17 stores are planned under the Hudsons Bay banner in the Netherlands and three under the Saks OFF 5 {+T} {+H} {+ } banner, also owned by HBC.

A flagship Hudsons Bay store is planned in the Rokin area of Amsterdam.

Its an exciting moment for all of us at Hudsons Bay Company and an exciting moment for Canada, said Richard Baker, governor and chairman of HBC, in an interview on Tuesday.

HBC shares closed at $14.61 up 1 cent Tuesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange after dropping by 20 cents earlier in the day.

The news comes after a week of poor earnings reports from U.S. department stores, including Macys, Kohls, and Nordstrom, leading to speculation on the future of the department-store model and the malls that house them.

In the U.S. right now there is a general malaise in the apparel market and luxury market, there is no doubt about that, said Jerry Storch, HBCs chief executive officer.

We believe this is a cyclical factor affecting apparel. This happens from time to time. Were confident it will come back.

Last week, HBC reported a comparable-store-sales increase of 2.3 per cent in its department-store division for the first quarter of this year.

The company is scheduled to release full financial results for the quarter after markets close on June 9.

The acquisition of the Galeria Kaufhof department store chain for $3.9 billion in 2015 established HBCs European headquarters in Cologne, and gave them a network of stores in Germany and Belgium, Baker said.

Expansion into the Netherlands is a natural extension of our existing presence in Belgium as well as our planned entry into Luxembourg and will complete our presence in all of the Benelux countries, said Baker.

HBC will be taking over many locations formerly occupied by the bankrupt Dutch department store V&D.

Baker said HBC did not buy the stores from V&D, but has worked out agreements with landlords to renovate some of the vacated properties for Hudsons Bay stores.

In all, landlords will be funding approximately $450 million in capital investments, Storch said.

I think its a good idea because they are broadening their base and becoming a truly international brand, said Farla Efros, president, HRC Advisory.

.

Baker said their market research showed the Dutch feel a strong affinity for Canada. It dates back to the liberation of the Netherlands by Canadian troops in the Second World War and the birth in Ottawa of a Dutch princess.

What we found out was that the people of the Netherlands wanted a young, exciting and interesting department store that was theirs, but they also loved Hudsons Bay and they also loved the idea of a Canadian department store, said Baker.

So what weve done is, we are opening up a chain of premium department stores in the Netherlands that is similar to the Hudsons Bay stores, but with a Dutch flavour to them.

That includes carrying Dutch brands in the stores.

There is unmet demand in the Dutch market for premium department store and off-price segments, Storch said.

He compared the former V&D stores to low-end J.C. Penney stores.

The expansion is expected to create more than 2,500 store jobs, 2,500 construction jobs and 300 million Euros in capital investments, the majority of which will be funded through landlord incentives, according to Olivier Van den Bossche, head of HBCs European department store business.

HBC has said it plans to spend nearly $1.5 billion on its European properties in the coming years, including renovations to its Galeria Kaufhof department stores.

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Given all the squawking over the Ontario governments climate change action plan, you might think Environment and Climate Change Minister Glen Murray has gone rogue in setting extreme targets for the adoption of electric cars.

The action plan, as reported by the Globe and Mail, sets an e-vehicle target of five per cent of all vehicle sales by 2020, moving to 12 per cent by 2025.

The astute reader might well wonder what all the fuss is about. Some might recall the summer of 2009 when then Premier Dalton McGuinty announced his governments plan to make Ontario a world leader in driving electric cars. His target? That one out of every 20 vehicles driven in Ontario would be electrically powered by, yes, 2020.

Ontarios first electric vehicle incentive program for plug-in hybrids and full e-vehicles was launched six years ago. The incentive plan was tweaked  that is, increased  most recently just last February with a cap of $10,000. The total number of EVs in the province at the time of that announcement? An anemic 5,800. In the future, according to the Globe, the government will pony up 14 grand for new purchases.

A skeptic might gaze upon the provinces paltry sales with a jaundiced eye and conclude that the demand is simply not there.

Yet EV sales have ramped up significantly in other jurisdictions. Avere, the European Association for Electromobility, recently released figures for major market sales, including the U.S., China and Europe. Last years sales total surpassed 560,000, an increase from 50,000 in just four years.

China is in the lead, with sales surpassing 214,000 last year, prodded by government incentives of as much as 60,000 yuan, or $6,200 (U.S.)

Murray himself tweeted with some excitement this spring that Norway is aiming at a full phase out of diesel and gasoline powered cars by 2025. Or close to. The lower house in the Dutch parliament, as previously discussed in this column, has voted for a similar measure.

So whats all the fuss about Ontario declaring itself to be somewhat ambitious?

Well, heres the piece of the McGuinty plan from seven years ago that seems to have got lost along the way. We want Ontario to be a centre of production for the electric car, McGuinty said then.

That hasnt happened.

The auto sector still contributes roughly 22 per cent of the provinces manufacturing gross domestic product and still claims nine spinoff jobs for every assembly line job. Yet investment drains to places like Mexico, Ontario has become one of the highest cost jurisdictions in which to build vehicles, and year over year job loss has marked an industry in relentless sectoral decline.

Understandably, the industry is anxious. The government must look through the lens of what this means for the economy, says Mark Nantais, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, reflecting upon the not-yet-released action plan. Weve got to keep what we have here.

That might sound short-sighted. And even a touch unrealistic.

But the government should be prepared to explain how it will square the state of the industry today with its electric vehicle ambitions of the future. Not surprisingly, Nantais is of the view that trying to regulate e-car purchases is not the way to go.

Can policy create demand? Nantais thinks not.

But this could be the moment when electric vehicles push into the mainstream. Long-time auto industry veteran Bob Lutz said in a recent television interview that he expects the big automakers to start selling e-cars at a deliberate loss in order to gain market share.

Even at that, electric cars have a way to go. In response to a column last month, a reader wrote that EVs would have to meet precise targets before he would become a buyer, including a price point at around $22,000, a 600- kilometre range and a five minute recharge time. Oh, and lots of heat in the winter without drastically reducing the range.

Sounds very Canadian. We are long-range drivers, after all.

jenwells@thestar.ca

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OTTAWAThe public could be a step closer to knowing a jealously guarded federal secret: the number of people on Canadas no-fly list.

A judge has ordered Transport Canada to revisit two Access to Information requests for details of the lists scope, saying the department did not spell out clearly why the figures should be confidential.

In March 2010, Montreal La Presse reporter Daphne Cameron filed a pair of requests  one for the total number of people on the list, the second for the number of Canadian citizens.

Information Commissioner of Canada Suzanne Legaults office investigated Camerons complaint against Transport Canada and recommended that the agency release the figures.

Transport Canada refused to comply, prompting Legault and Cameron to pursue the case in the Federal Court of Canada.

Under the no-fly program established in 2007, airlines relied on a list of individuals considered an immediate threat to civil aviation should they board an aircraft. The program, known as Passenger Protect, still exists but the criteria for inclusion on the list has been broadened to address the phenomenon of terrorist travellers heading overseas.

In addition, the federal government is reviewing the program due to complaints from several families about airport delays after their childrens names appeared to mysteriously match ones on a security list.

In withholding the numbers from Cameron, Transport Canada invoked a section of the access law that shields information that if released could interfere with the conduct of international affairs, as well as the detection or prevention of hostile activities.

Federal security officials argued the information could help terrorists plot a catastrophic attack on an airliner.

In a ruling made public Monday, Federal Court Justice Simon Noel said Transport Canada rightly characterized the data as protected under the clause.

However, Noel added, the department botched an important step by failing to properly exercise its discretion as to whether to release the material.

Noel said Transport Canada did not:

 adequately consider the public interest in knowing the figures;

 address the fact a former transport minister had apparently discussed the numbers publicly in broad terms;

 back up its argument that international relations with the United States and others would be harmed by release of the numbers.

Legaults office had no comment Monday on the decision.

In a May 2013 letter to Transport Canada, filed with the court, Legault said she was not satisfied the exemption shielding the data from release had been properly applied.

Disclosing an aggregate number of people on the no-fly list would not allow an individual to determine whether he or she is on the list, she wrote.

The roster is only one of a number of lists used by airlines to ensure aviation security, Legault added. Therefore, even if someone could conclude they were on the list, this fact would not transform Canadian or Canadian-bound aircraft into soft targets, as claimed by (Transport Canada).

Christopher Free, a senior Transport Canada intelligence official, was consulted by the agencys Access to Information division in March 2010 on whether the figures could be disclosed. Free concluded the number of names was valuable information for terrorist operational planning and that its release would harm national security, he said in an affidavit filed with the court.

The United States had revealed there were about 16,000 people  including fewer than 500 Americans  on its no-fly list.

Still, Free said disclosure of the Canadian numbers could adversely affect our relations with key allies and especially the U.S.

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LAC LA BICHE. ALTA.Melanie, from Fort McMurray, is the next caller on the line: She knows that she has to wait two weeks before there is a plan for her to come home, but she wants to know why. She sounds slightly frustrated, but polite.

For those just tuning in, this is the nightly telephone town hall for wildfire evacuees who have registered with the Red Cross. Last week, the cellphones of evacuees rang every night around 7 p.m., with an hour and a half of information and questions to people like Premier Rachel Notley and wildfire manager Chad Morrison. The province has used telephone town halls before, but this is the first time theyve called cellphones, out of necessity.

For the level of detail Melanie is looking for, Minister of Municipal Affairs Danielle Larivee  the host  is going to pass this question to Shane Schreiber, the managing director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, who was the chief of staff for flood recovery in 2013 through 2014. He speaks for three minutes about the complex task ahead.

First they have to do drive-by damage assessments  which are already happeningto see if communities are safe. The neighbourhoods dont have critical services. The water was compromised, he said, and they have to check the sewage systems. All of the traffic lights are out. Power lines are down and need to be repaired. And that has to be done before repair crews and non-emergency management can come into the city. And before residents return, they have to make sure that stores are opened, so that people will be able to eat, access medicine, and generally survive.

And the other thing, he says, is there is only one road in and out.

The premier made the decision to hold these town hall phone calls so the government could directly communicate as much information as possible.

Many questions hit on the same theme: Why is this taking so long? Danielle Larivee chimes in to say she understands. She was evacuated from her riding, in Slave Lake when a wildfire hit in 2011.

I remember how distressing it was not to have that information, she said. Please know every single person working on this recognizes how hard it is for you . . . and were working extremely hard to get that information to you as timely as possible.

Alex Ferworn, the academic co-ordinator for Ryersons Disaster and Emergency Management program, compared the town halls to Cross Country Checkup on CBC. It goes on for a long time, and yeah, some of it can be inane, but at the end, you get the sense that youve mulled it all over, and know everything there is to know.

If you dont have that youll see, Hey theyre abandoning us, lets mount a search, and thats a bad thing, he said.

Fort McMurray evacuee Kevin Lewis finds the town halls frustrating. On Friday, he told the Star he had yet to hear them address his concerns about small businesses. He owns a company that provides transport solutions in the oilsands and he is losing money every day. He feels like tough questions arent getting through.

But listening to the town halls online, difficult questions do come up.

One caller named Jeff wants to know why  with the weather being so dry and hot, and with the fire spotted on Sunday  the city wasnt evacuated three days before. Why werent more resources thrown at this fire?

Chad Morrison, the wildfire manager, explains that as soon as the fire was spotted on Sunday, a helicopter and firefighters were on it.

It went from two hectares to 60 hectares within two hours, but before those two hours were up, we had over four air tankers on it, two helicopters and 15 to 16 firefighters. We hit that thing with everything in the kitchen sink, he said, noting that they continued to work the fire for days, and when it jumped the Athabaska River, alarm bells went off.

Given the speed and the ferocity of this fire, that even surpassed those expectations, so with my deepest sympathies and apologies . . . what has gone on here is really unprecedented.

Greg Solecki, who recently retired as Calgarys manager of continuity and resilience, and managed the Emergency Operations Centre during the 2013 Alberta flood, said there is a saying in emergency management:

When things arent going too well, tell everybody what you know, he said. When theyre going really bad, you tell them absolutely everything.

Right now, were just passed the peak of the heroic phase, he said, where everybody bands together and supports each other, locally and across the country.

Whats going to happen soon, there is going to be a big dip in the mental health of responders and disaster survivors, and the evacuees, and that could last months or year even.

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MONTREALThe newest entrant in the Parti Quebecois leadership race says he would not hold a sovereignty referendum in his first mandate as premier.

Former cabinet minister Jean-Francois Lisee announced Monday he wants to replace Pierre Karl Peladeau as permanent PQ leader, joining fellow members of the legislature Veronique Hivon and Alexandre Cloutier as candidates.

The focus quickly turned to the timing of a referendum on extricating Quebec from Canada and whether Lisee, 58, would hold one in his first term if he became premier in the 2018 election.

I would have to say no clearly, not because we dont want independence, but because we want it to succeed, he told reporters outside PQ headquarters.

Ive been in this game for 30 years (and) there is no way that we can have a mandate in 2018, in 24 months, to organize the referendum. And were not even ready.

Lisee acknowledged the current federal government would make it much more difficult for the PQ to take steps toward independence, as Justin Trudeau is very popular in Quebec, unlike his predecessor, Stephen Harper.

The context has changed, said Lisee, adding Trudeau has a 67 per cent satisfaction rate in Quebec.

The steps to climb to extract Quebec from Canada are much steeper than they were under Stephen Harper.

Lisee, a member of the legislature since 2012, said he is running to free the province of the Couillard Liberals and to achieve Quebec independence  in that order. He first made the announcement in a post on his blog earlier in the day.

Nothing would be more pleasing than accomplishing these two tasks at the same time, in two years, in the 2018 election, he wrote.

But nothing would be worse than being served another rejection by Quebecers on this occasion.

Lisee said the partys objective would be to propose a serious, complete, credible sovereignty proposal by 2022 to Quebecers, with whom we will have discussed independence for the six previous years.

We have the bad habit of talking about independence between us, independentistes, wrote Lisee

Our biggest challenge is to talk about it with all Quebecers in an interesting, ongoing, convincing way.

Lisee sought the PQ leadership last year before withdrawing from the race that saw Peladeau emerge the winner.

He previously served as a special adviser to Jacques Parizeau during the 1995 Quebec referendum and later with Lucien Bouchard until 1999.

Peladeau resigned two weeks ago for family reasons. Sylvain Gaudreault is currently serving as the interim leader of the PQ.

Martine Ouellet is also expected to announce her candidacy.

The next PQ leader will be elected no later than Oct. 15, with the provincial election set for the fall of 2018.

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When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau formally apologizes in the Commons on Wednesday for Canadas rejection in 1914 of hundreds of would-be South Asian immigrants aboard the Komagata Maru, Ali Kazimi will be among those listening closely.

One of the words he hopes not to hear is incident.

For Kazimi, a York University professor who has produced a film and written a book on the Komagata Maru, there was nothing incidental about Canadas rejection of the ships passengers, most of them Sikhs from Punjab.

My hope is that this wont just be an apology about a so-called dark chapter that happened and therefore we bring closure to this and move on, he told the Star.

The real value in the apology lies in a re-examination of Canada then and since, he said, which gets us to recognizing that Canada for the first 100 years of its existence had what was effectively a White Canada policy.

In the pre-dawn of May 23, 1914, the chartered Japanese ship Komagata Maru steamed into Vancouver harbour. The 376 people on board  fellow British subjects within the British Empire  were challenging the empire to fulfill its promise of equality and justice.

To bar their entry, Canadian authorities used the so-called continuous journey clause, which was put in place to limit immigration from non-European countries and which required that would-be immigrants from India had to travel to Canada directly from India. There was no such service.

To admit Orientals in large numbers would mean the end, the extinction of the white people, said Sir Richard McBride, B.C.s premier of the day. And we always have in mind the necessity of keeping this a white mans country.

The confrontation  dubbed a Hindoo invasion in the local press  galvanized the local Sikh community, which at a meeting attended by about 500 people raised remarkable amounts of money in support of the passengers.

But the B.C. Court of Appeal upheld the rejection of a passenger, whose case represented the entire group. And two months after anchoring, those aboard the Komagata Maru  except for 22 men who could prove prior Canadian residence, and a passenger who fell sick on the ship and died in Vancouver  were turned away and escorted out of the harbour by the Canadian navy cruiser Rainbow.

We failed them utterly, Trudeau said in April. As a nation, we should never forget the prejudice suffered by the Sikh community at the hands of the Canadian government of the day.

Thats the point on which Kazimis attention will be focused.

He contends the confrontation was not an isolated incident, or a matter of a particular government, or particular day. Rather, it was a decision consistent with a century-long white Canada immigration policy.

Its important, he said, that Trudeau acknowledge such on behalf of Canadians, and that the country get over its denial and speak honestly about its creation as a white settler state.

Kazimi, chair of Yorks Department of Cinema and Media Arts, came to Canada in 1983 from India. Even in the last decades of the 20th century, discrimination was prevalent, he said.

When he arrived as a foreign student on scholarship, he and a colleague were pulled from the immigration line to be interviewed by an immigration officer who questioned their documents, he recalled.

We said, Our professors are waiting outside, you can call them in and check. . . . He just kept grilling us and then he finally said, You know what, the only reason Im letting you into my country is because you speak such good English.

That moment stayed with me, said Kazimi.

Once in Canada, he noted that the countrys treatment of newcomers didnt quite match the self-congratulatory mythology as a welcoming society.

Thats when I started digging through the idea of immigration history.

In 2004, he produced a film, Continuous Journey, about the Komagata Maru. In 2012, he published a book, Undesirables: White Canada and the Komagata Maru.

Today, when he shows his film, there are collective gasps and people look horrified and mortified and shocked because they didnt know about it.

Next month, he hopes, everyone will know.

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There has been an outpouring of support for the more than 80,000 Fort McMurray residents forced to flee their homes because of the wildfires from all across Canada, and its not just donations to the Red Cross.

Some of the most remarkable are gathered here, many of them with no connection at all to the city or its people. They are a reminder that it sometimes takes tragedy to show us the best side of human nature. Here are some of their stories.

Dressed in distress

Tish Olsen, owner of Tishs Fashions, deals in fancy dresses. When Fort McMurray evacuees started streaming south just ahead of Mothers Day and high-school prom it quickly came clear how she could help out. On Friday, May 6, Olsen and daughter Olivia posted an offer of a free dress for evacuee graduates and mothers. The next day, they were swamped.

I think they were a little bit overwhelmed that someone would do something like that, she said. Its an ongoing offer. Im going to keep it going as long as theres a need and people are coming Ill fill it.

A clothes call

Retail chain Below the Belt wanted to help those evacuees without the money to profit from widely-available Fort McMurray discounts. It teamed up with Silver Jeans Co. last week to hand out 700 pairs of jeans free to Fort McMurray residents.

I said, I know how we can help, said Michael Silver, president of Silver Jeans Co. We have clothes and those people barely left with the clothes on their back. Lets just do this.

The stock of pants, with a total retail value of $70,000, sold out in 2.5 hours, said Alex Payne, operations manager for Below the Belt.

Youll never walk alone

Stanley Barkman of the Sachigo Lake First Nation, near the Ontario-Manitoba border, set out this week on a 2,000-kilometre walk Sioux Lookout, Ont., to Fort McMurray to raise money through a https://www.gofundme.com/walk4FortMcMurray crowd-funding initiative END for the fire-ravaged city.

Its pretty simple, he explained. People from Fort McMurray are losing their houses, their towns and I just felt like I wanted to do something. I know I wont be able to bring the whole town back but its just to try and get them started.

On Friday, Barkman received a Facetime call from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offering support.

Moving through mountains

Some people moved mountains to help the evacuees. Gord VanLaerhoven, 31, did that and then drove 1,000 kilometres through the Rockies to deliver four tractor trailer-loads of donations from his hometown of Chilliwack, B.C. The load, delivered last Saturday, included toiletries, diapers, wipes, paper towels, pet food and cash and gift cards collected over two days.

It got offloaded from our trucks and while we were still there they were already starting to store it. We were watching it go out the door with evacuees, he said. We were the biggest, blubbering mess of men that Ive ever seen in my life.

Magical idea

Tragedy makes for strange bedfellows, but probably none stranger than the owner of a cotton-candy pop-up store in Calgary and a magician who united to help Fort McMurray evacuees. The entrepreneur, Elle Nguyen, has friends who fled the town and she was moved to help after seeing the pictures, videos and accounts of the devastation.

She raised $600 from cotton-candy sales last weekend, an amount that was matched by a local magician, Yeats Wong, as well as the provincial and federal governments. On Thursday, she set up at a Calgary Shoppers Drug Mart to sell cotton candy and baked goods for donations, with all proceeds going to evacuees.

Perfectly aligned assistance

Fort McMurrays only resident orthodontist was forced from his office and home by the fires, but teeth still needed fixing and braces needed tightening. So while Dr. Benjamin Koh ended up with his wifes family in Denver, the Toronto native was flooded with offers of office space and help with his patient load from Alberta colleagues.

We werent even thinking of that ... We were just trying to gather ourselves together and figure out what we should be doing next, said Koh, who will work three days a week with donated dental supplies out of the Edmonton offices of Dr. Marguerite Duncan.

A lasting impression

In Cape Breton, if you havent worked in Albertas oilsands you know someone who has. So Sydney, N.S., tattoo artist Tony Steylen felt a connection to those fleeing Fort McMurray even from while working a stint at the Compass Rose Tattoo Company in Saint John, N.B. He decided to donate the proceeds of his labour last Wednesday to the relief effort and ended up raising $975.

There were a lot of people who came in for tattoos that either had friends or family members who were out there so they were keen to help out. I couldnt have asked for a better day. It was a little longer and little busier but  its well worth it. People need to help out.

Bringing the force

They are agents of evil on the screen. In real life, members of the Badlands Garrison of the 501st LegionStar Wars fans in Alberta and Saskatchewan, live by the motto: Bad guys doing good.

For Fort McMurray the group has donned their uniforms, dressing as Storm Troopers and other characters, to raise funds with a bake sale this week and charity barbecue this weekend.

For a lot of our members it is a personal cause, said Deez Lees, a spokesperson. When the evacuation was happening, we had people on our private network saying that their aunt and uncle are coming in and is there anyone who can keep their dogs for a few days

Roadside rest stop

There is a growing exodus of Atlantic Canadians forced from Fort McMurray and heading home. Thunder Bays Christina Reder is offering them a place to stop, stretch, eat and let the children burn off steam. Reder, originally from Cape Broyle, Nfld., expects the traffic to pick up in the coming days as evacuees figure out where their future lies.

I dont know any Newfoundlanders that are going through this, but Newfoundlanders are the kind of people that if they know theres a Newfoundlander with whom they can stop and have a little rest, theyll feel really comfortable with that, she said.

Help from Hearst

Josee Aubin, of Hearst, Ont., lived in Fort McMurray and remembers the help she got from the community. The evacuation is her chance to pay back a debt of gratitude. Four families taken Aubin up on the offer of help so far, including one that stayed the night in Aubins home. Hearsts Companion Hotel is offering free rooms, its daycare is offering free services and a grocery store is collecting donations.

I think most of them are still not realizing the depth of their loss and they are being very humble. Some of them are taking donations  and theyre saying that somebody else needs this more, Aubin said.

Correction - May17, 2016: This article was edited from a previous version that misstated Gord VanLaerhoven's given name.



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OTTAWABefore the Conservative pick a new leader, they will first gather at the end of this month to update the partys policy handbook  last refreshed in 2013, two years after the party won its first majority government.

This year, the Tories will come together to chew over the lessons learned from their election loss in October and chart a path forward. Many have spoken of a need to update the policy guidelines to reach new voters and bring some former ones back into the fold.

Heres a look at some of the resolutions that must first be debated and passed in closed-door workshops before they can be voted on by broader party membership and added to the book.

Some are new additions, others are modifications to existing resolutions.

Environment and economy:

At least three resolutions propose changes to the partys existing statement on environmental principles. One calls for a commitment to keeping municipal drinking water and sewage free of heavy metals and other pollutants; another proposes adding that the party believes in the principles of conservation and stewardship of renewable resources.

Remove the words greenhouse gas from the section on clean air and greenhouse gas reductions and replace it with the word smog, among other amendments.

The Conservative party supports banning unpaid internships in any federally regulated institution or enterprise that are more than eight weeks in duration and not supervised by an accredited educational institution.

Removing a very lengthy section on tax relief and replace it with The Conservative party supports broad-based tax relief.

We believe the government should support and encourage the private development of the Energy East pipeline.

Criminal justice and social policy:

The Conservative party supports conscience rights for doctors, nurses and others to refuse to participate in or refer their patients for abortion, assisted suicide or euthanasia.

A Conservative government recognizes that civilian firearms ownership is a Canadian heritage as part of three other modifications to existing policy on firearms.

That peace officers be enabled to issue tickets for simple possession of small quantities of marijuana.

That the existing policy stating the party would not support any legislation on assisted suicide be replaced with a call for national standards to govern such legislation because we believe that all Canadians have the inalienable and private right, after deep personal reflection, to make their own end-of-life decisions.

Removal of existing ban on supporting same-sex marriage legislation, while adding support for freedom of religious organizations to refuse to perform unions or allow use of their facilities for events that are incompatible with their faith and beliefs.

The role of government:

That a national referendum must be held prior to implementing any future electoral reform proposal.

Foreign policy, Canadian culture and diversity:

Establish year-round manned bases in the North to solidify sovereignty and increase infrastructure for development.

That the party believes in a mutual obligation in the form of a military covenant between the people of Canada and each individual member of the Canadian Forces ... this covenant recognizes that there is no equivalent profession to that of service in the Canadian Forces.

Adding the words safety to Canadians as part of a statement on how refugee resettlement should be approached.

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HALIFAXIt is an arrest photo like few others: a muscular man in colourful swim trunks, his bare chest covered in sand, his hands apparently restrained behind his back.

The photo, released by Venezuelan authorities Tuesday, announced the arrest of a Nova Scotia man wanted for second-degree murder in a 2011 death in the Halifax area.

Police say former mixed martial arts fighter Steve Skinner of Cole Harbour, N.S., was arrested without incident Sunday on a Margarita Island beach.

Nova Scotia RCMP, who confirmed the arrest, had issued an international warrant for Skinner, 43, following the April 2011 death of 20-year-old Stacey Adams at a home in Lake Echo.

Both the RCMP and Adams family thanked Venezuelan authorities.

Words cannot describe the emotions the family has at this time, Kendelle Blois wrote on the Justice for Stacey Adams Facebook page. We have anticipated this day for five long years and today the promise that was made by Staceys mother Gloria has been fulfilled and we as a family will take it one day at a time from here.

In her own brief post Tuesday, Adams mother said she had made a promise to her son, and now that promise has been fulfilled. Never underestimate a mothers promise to her son.

At the time the warrant was released, RCMP dismissed rumours that Skinner was either dead or in Mexico. In the previous few years before he was charged in Adams murder, Skinner had a handful of fights as an MMA fighter.

The photo released by Venezuelan authorities shows Skinner staring intently ahead, his arms covered in tattoos and a tattoo of a crucifix necklace around his neck.

Police say they are working to extradite Skinner back to Canada.

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The Alberta government is taking a second look at its plan to allow people to return home to https://www.thestar.com/news/fort-mcmurray.html Fort McMurray END after explosions damaged some homes in the city and a raging wildfire spread north toward oilsands plants.

The fire overnight destroyed a 665-room work camp north of the city and two other camps are threatened by the flames.

Two explosions within Fort McMurray damaged 10 homes and poor air quality forced staff who were working to clean the hospital and natural gas utility workers to leave, she said.

The government of Alberta has been discussing a re-entry plan with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Premier Rachel Notley said Tuesday.

Obviously, yesterdays events have caused us to take a second look at those plans. Safety will be and must be our first and principle priority.

I hope to have more to say about our specific re-entry plans within the week.

Notley added the explosions are examples of things that can happen when a city the size of Fort McMurray is being brought back online.

When you start turning on a switch . . . in a city of 90,000 people, sometimes stuff happens, she said. What those two incidents last night demonstrated to us is thats the right way to go, that we need to make sure weve got everything cued up before people come back in because we want to make sure its safe.

In recent days, oilsands workers were moved back up north to begin ramping up oilsands production again. But late Monday about 8,000 people working at camps north of Fort McMurray were ordered out in a mandatory evacuation due to the fast-moving fire.

The evacuation zone, stretching about 50 km north of Fort McMurray to just south of Fort MacKay, included Syncrude and Suncor facilities, along with several smaller operations.

Notley said the focus of firefighting efforts Tuesday would be protecting other work camps.

We expect fire growth in the area of many of these camps today, she said.

Weather conditions will make this work extremely challenging. Westerly winds will push the fire closer to Suncor and Syncrude, but we expect very high resiliency with both of those facilities.

The wildfire has grown to about 3,550 square km.

The entire population of Fort McMurray, more than 80,000 residents, are now entering their third week away from home after a wildfire spread into the oilsands city on May 3.

About 2,400 structures were destroyed, but essential infrastructure, including the hospital, water treatment plant and the airport, remain intact.

Suncor said in news release that it had started a staged and orderly shutdown of our base plant operations and that personnel were being transported to work camps further north.

It stressed there has been no damage to Suncor infrastructure.

Suncor has enhanced fire mitigation and protection around all of its facilities, said the release. When it is safe to do so, we will continue implementing our restart plans.

High winds have spurred the quickly spreading wildfire as tinder-dry conditions persist in the region.

Related: Oilsands workers bear brunt of Alberta wildfire: Steward

Note to readers: This story has been clarified. Notley said earlier that two homes exploded.

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Justin Trudeaus political honeymoon is far from over, according to the results of a new poll.

Conducted just days after the six month anniversary of the new Liberal government, the national survey by Forum Research Inc. found 48 per cent of Canadians think the country is moving in the right direction compared to just one quarter who took that position last summer.

Meanwhile, 37 per cent, think the country is moving in the wrong direction and 12 per cent believe the country is moving in neither the right nor wrong direction.

Forum president Lorne Bozinoff noted the results show the government is still in voters good books, long after the traditional grace period would be over.

The Liberals started off strong, stayed strong and are actually getting strong, he said.

Yet Nelson Wiseman, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, said the broad support is indeed a function of the honeymoon effect following the Liberals rise to power last fall.

I dont think there is any surprise in these numbers, or that they reveal anything more than the popularity of the liberals in the context of them not yet having to make any tough decisions, he said.

Voters are just happy to see the country take off in a different direction, particularly away from that of Stephen Harper, he said.

And while there is no set timetable for political honeymoons, the duration largely depends on when something happens and how it plays out, citing recent media coverage of Trudeaus wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, as one such example.

The former TV presenter told a Quebec City newspaper last week that she needed more than one assistant to help manage the high number of requests she receives to appear at public events. The plea sparked criticism from opposition parties and turned into a debate on social media.

This hasnt helped their image but it hasnt hurt them yet either, said Wiseman.

The poll, conducted on May 10 and 11, showed 46 per cent of Canadians said the country is better off now than it was a year ago. Thiscompares to just 20 per cent who said the same in January 2015.

Further, one half of Canadian voters gave the new Liberal government a positive rating. Almost one fifth, or 19 per cent, rated it as excellent.

Bozinoff cited the Liberals track record of delivering on campaign promises  such as acceptance of refugees as well as the commitment to marijuana legalization  as moves that helped keep them popular among voters.

The previous (Harper) government was non-interventionist, it was as if they were closed for business, whereas this government is getting involved and people like that, he said. Its like they actually care about public opinion between elections and its startling.

Regionally, 53 per cent of Quebecers polled believed they thought the country was on the right track. The same percentage of Albertans said the country was heading in the wrong direction; a finding Bozinoff said was understandable because of the economic situation with oil prices right now.

The survey of 1,517 randomly selected Canadian adults was conducted by interactive voice response. The results are considered accurate to within three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Some data have been statistically weighted by age, region and other variables to ensure the sample reflects the actual population as reflected in census data. Poll results are housed in the data library of the University of Torontos political science department.

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OTTAWAAn assisted suicide bill should be broadened to allow patients with dementia or other grievous illnesses to express their wishes for assistance in dying while they still have the capacity to make the decision for themselves, a Senate committee says.

Its the most significant change that senators who have studied Bill C-14 are calling for in a report tabled Tuesday, as first reported by the Star. And it goes farther than a Commons committee report on the same bill did.

The recommendation comes as the Liberal government signalled late Tuesday it will invoke time limits on debate on the contentious bill, now in its final stages of consideration in the Commons, in the drive to pass a law by June 6.

However, even as the Senate committee calls for broadening access on the one hand, it also recommends that the government should change the wording to make clear that medical assistance in dying is only for those with terminal illnesses.

And it said the government should drop altogether any intention to study future extension of assisted suicide rights to mature minors and those whose suffering stems solely from a mental illness.

The Senate committee report, which is advice for the Commons as the government pushes for third and final reading of Bill C-14 this week, responds to groups such as Dying With Dignity Canada, and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association. They have long advocated for the right of patients with dementia or other illnesses to give advance consent to, and ask for help from their doctor in, dying before their illness robs them of the ability to do so.

However, the Senate committees advice by itself is not enough to win the support of some who said Tuesday the bill still doesnt go far enough because it would not extend the right to die to those with a serious chronic illness who may not be at the end of their natural life. The Senate report does nothing to the governments requirement that death must be reasonably foreseeable.

Shanaaz Gokool, the head of Dying with Dignity Canada, welcomed the recommendation for advance consent for people with a diagnosis like dementia, Huntingtons or Parkinsons disease.

Thats hopeful, she said, But certainly for other people who have serious chronic illness like MS or ALS, to further restrict the legislation and require the adoption of a terminal illness is hugely problematic.

The report issued Tuesday also recommended:

The reinstatement of a 15-day waiting period between a patients request and the administration of any medical aid or withdrawal of treatment, after a Commons committee recommended last week the waiting period be reduced to 10 days.

Where mental illness is an underlying condition of a patient with an incurable disease or illness, the waiting period should be 90 days.

Further toughening the bills safeguards to ensure no beneficiary of a patients death could aid in the death, or sign off for the person if that person is physically unable to sign and date the request.

Clarify that a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner is free to refuse to provide medical assistance in dying, and a social worker, psychologist, or other health-care professional or any institution is free to refuse to aid in the provision of medical assistance in dying and will not face any sanction for exercising their freedom of conscience and religion.

Require the government to collect data on medically assisted death through wording that says the health minister shall instead of may make regulations.

Only a minority of senators adopted recommendations urged by those who sought to further restrict the assisted dying bill in calling for safeguards like prior judicial review, mandatory palliative care consultations and mandatory psychiatric competency assessment in all cases where a mental illness is present.

Overall, the recommendation to include advanced directives in the law is a substantive one that draws a clear line between the views of the government (and the Commons committee) and the Senate on the controversial issue which has dominated parliamentary debate this spring.

The Liberal bill proposed to provide access to medical assistance in dying only to persons who are mentally competent adults, 18 years or older, who have a serious and incurable illness, disease or disability, and are able to give voluntary and informed consent.

It says medical aid to die should be restricted to patients who are at the end of their natural lives, but can still express consent, and whose death is reasonably foreseeable, a phrase many critics say is too vague.

Among medical professionals, there is disagreement about whether the bill is clear enough. The Canadian Medical Association said its professionals can understand what the bill intends, but Ontarios regulating body, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, told the Senate that the language departs from the criteria established in (the Supreme Court of Canadas ruling in) Carter (and) will cause confusion and lack of clarity amongst physicians and the public. It pointed out that under Ontario health law, mature minors may already refuse lifesaving medical treatment.

In the end, the Senate committee and the Commons committee, which each studied the bill and heard from scores of witnesses, disagreed on the fundamental question of whether the government should allow assisted deaths by advance directive, or for mature minors, or for cases where mental illness is the sole underlying condition.

The bill would have punted all three issues five years down the road for study by Parliament. Last week, the Commons committee on justice and human rights proposed an amendment to require independent review begin no later than six months after the bill becomes law.

The Commons committee proposed other amendments of a relatively minor nature, such as clarifying the preamble to recognize the rights of conscience of medical practitioners, clarifying the bills requirement of a patients express consent, providing for the independence of the two doctors or nurse practitioners who must sign off on a request, and extending regulatory powers to collect data on medically assisted deaths.

The Liberal government has always said its not necessary to put in a stronger or more explicit protection because the bill does not impose a positive duty on any medical practitioner to aid in a patients death.

The Liberals say their goal is to enact a law by the June 6 deadline imposed by the Supreme Court of Canada in its Carter ruling in February 2015. The government has already invoked time limits on debate in Parliament.

But, even if the government does get the bill through third and final reading in the Commons this week, sending it to the Senate by Thursday or Friday, time is tight.

Parliament is on another break next week, when the Liberal and Conservative parties hold conventions in Winnipeg and Vancouver, respectively.

Several senators on Tuesday suggested it was highly unlikely the Senate would complete its own study of the bill before the end of June.

Senators Claude Carignan, Vern White and James Cowan, on opposite sides of the chamber, said they do not believe the justice ministers warnings of a legal vacuum if the bill isnt law by June 6, saying the Supreme Court ruling provides a temporary framework.

But Sen. George Baker said there is an urgency to pass the bill because the high court ruling does not require physicians to get a second opinion, or a patients request in writing, or a waiting period for reconsideration of a request, people could come to Canada as medical tourists, and, in the absence of data-collection regulations, no records need be kept of physician-assisted deaths.

He said it would be irresponsible of Parliament not to try to pass a statute as soon as possible.

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Josh Colle was no fan of his dads job. The former teacher was away too much, he faced potential rejection every few years and what kid wants to work on a political campaign while his friends play in the park?

If you had told the young Josh Colle what I do now, says the Toronto city councillor and son of MPP and former councillor Mike Colle, I would have argued with it pretty strenuously.

Much later, with a good job and kids of his own, Colle left a community meeting knowing that while others could see the problems, and maybe possible solutions, he knew how to get elected to actually fix things.

Next thing you know, Im taking a leave of absence and starting a campaign, says Colle, an energy and infrastructure consultant who took a pay cut when Ward 15, Eglinton-Lawrence, voters chose him in 2010.

Its less scary to take the leap because youve seen it and you know it can be done. And anybody would be dishonest to say its not easier to get elected when voters know the name already.

The Clintons, Bushes and Kennedys are among families that have made the U.S. political arena feel at times more like a members-only gene pool.

Canada, too, is rife with campaigning kin, from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau down to reeves and trustees. Political families are particularly thick on the ground in the GTA.

Torontonians have the famous Fords  Michael (Stirpe, until he changed his surname in 2014) is campaigning to succeed both his late Uncle Rob and his Uncle Doug, both sons of an MPP, in the Ford Nation cradle of Ward 2, Etobicoke North, which the family has represented  some say ruled  for 16 years.

Downtown Councillor Mike Layton is the son of Jack, who was a councillor and federal NDP leader and the son of Robert, a Mulroney-era Progressive Conservative cabinet minister. Through his mother, Doris, Layton is a direct descendant of William Steeves, a Father of Confederation.

His best friend and council colleague Joe Cressy is the son of two former councillors and also a direct descendant of another Father of Confederation, Thomas DArcy McGee.

Others include Councillor Sarah Doucette, whose political lineage includes a mother and grandfather who were mayors in the U.K., and David Shiner, son of former North York councillor Esther. His niece Erica is hoping to carry the torch into office as a Toronto school trustee.

Not to be outdone, both Lorna and daughter Linda Jackson have been Vaughan mayors. The Gibsons and Palleschis are Brampton political fixtures. Mahoneys have represented Mississaugas Ward 8 since 1978.

While some talk of royal jelly, the politicos themselves attribute it to knowledge from growing up inside a political machine; the use of that machine when its their turn; an inherited belief in public service; and the advantage of being a familiar name on the ballot.

Name recognition increases support for candidates in low-information elections, professors Elizabeth Zechmeister and Cindy Kam, of Vanderbilt University, concluded after a series of experiments. Municipal campaigns, with no political parties and scant media coverage for most races, fit the definition of low-information.

Voters increase their expectations about a candidates chances of winning when they encounter a familiar name, prompting some to bandwagon around them, Zechmeister said in an email.

Even controversial or negative information associated with a candidate can yield votes.

When Doug Ford stormed into the Ward 2 race in 2010, Cadigia Ali, a highly respected Rexdale community organizer, Italian-trained physician and provincial civil servant, told the Star: What has Doug Ford done for this ward? This is not a dynasty, this is not the Kennedys.

A short time later, he steamrolled Ali with more than five times her vote total.

Its not fair that its about who you know, or how much money you have, or if you are famous in your area, the now-retired Ali said this week. But its democracy. What can you do?

Next generations will, naturally, feel pressure to continue the political legacy that helped get them elected.

Stewart Hyson, a University of New Brunswick political scientist, said dynasties can limit a diversity of opinion and approaches among those in power.

I dont like dynasties because they perpetuate the same kind of approach, he said. Theres not many families like the Laytons (who moved from right to left). Usually, its a continuation.

Jordan Glass, who came second in the 2014 Toronto District School Board election for Ward 5 trustee, discovered last week that Erica Shiner is running against him in a byelection to replace the late Howard Kaplan.

So far its made no difference, he says of his rivals lineage, adding he hasnt seen Shiner at community events and his own family has strong roots in the area. But I know her name might give her an advantage and Ill be shocked if she doesnt have some kind of organization ready to go.

A familiar name can be a mixed blessing, with accusations of coattail riding and constant comparisons to those who came before.

Sometimes youve got more to prove, even to yourself, says former Mississauga councillor Katie Mahoney, who succeeded her husband, Steve, and, after 23 years was succeeded by her son Matt.

When I was presenting myself to an annual general meeting I asked Steve, who was then an MPP, to drop in. When he walked in I fell apart, she said. At the microphone I was confident on my own, but when he walked in I thought, I cant speak like he can speak, I dont have his presence.

It took a while to really find my feet. People were willing to vote for me because of (Steves) reputation. When I retired and Matt decided to run, they said to me, Katie, were sorry youre leaving us but happy your son is running.

There was a trust with the electorate  the Mahoney name was and is respected.

Canadian political clans

Politics runs in some families like red hair or height. The GTA is no stranger to dynasties of all political stripes.

The Fords: Douglas Ford Sr., a self-made Etobicoke millionaire, served as a Progressive Conservative MPP from 1995 to 1999. His son Rob was councillor for Ward 2, Etobicoke North, from 2000 to 2010, then mayor for four years, then councillor again until his death last year. Doug Ford held Ward 2 while his brother was mayor. Their nephew Michael was elected a school trustee in 2014 and is now seeking to replace Rob Ford as Ward 2 councillor.

The Laytons: Toronto Councillor Mike is the latest office-holder in a line that includes his dad, former NDP Leader Jack; his stepmom, former NDP MP Olivia Chow; his grandfather Robert, a federal Progressive Conservative cabinet minister; and Liberal Senator William Steeves, a New Brunswick delegate to the Charlottetown and Quebec conferences that birthed Canada. Mike Layton says: Growing up around politics and social movements, knocking on doors, opens your eyes to the possibility of making peoples lives better.

The Cressys: Toronto Councillor Joe Cressy was born into politics. His mother, Joanne Campbell, was the first Toronto city councillor to give birth while in office. Her husband, Gordon Cressy, also served on Toronto council. Joe Cressy is related through his mother to Thomas DArcy McGee, a Father of Confederation assassinated in Ottawa. McGee was a drinking buddy of Canadas first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, and, Cressy says, gave McGee a crib in which he and other family members have slept.

The Holydays: Doug Holyday was a mayor of Etobicoke before he moved to Toronto council. The Etobicoke representative was known for being a staunch fiscal conservative and, in his final years on council, deputy mayor during Mayor Rob Fords tumultuous term. His son Stephen Holyday easily won enough votes in 2014 to succeed his father. Holyday the younger is proving to be just as much a penny-pincher, charging only $3,504.91 in council expenses last year, the second lowest of 44 councillors.

The Jacksons: Lorna Jackson was a Vaughan councillor and then the citys mayor from 1982 until her death in 2002. Fours years later, her daughter Linda Jackson, who was 15 when he mother was first elected to council, became Vaughan mayor. Linda credits her mother with teaching her the importance of public service and how to effect change in the community, her official Vaughan biography stated.

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Black lives matter, of course they do. It shouldnt have taken a worldwide movement to accentuate the fact that blacks are disproportionately killed, over-policed and racially profiled.

The crime is that it should have to be said at all, over and over again.

Theres not much for Canadians to feel smug about, merely because the death tables of blacks killed by law enforcement pale, even in ratio terms, compared to the U.S. According to a Washington Post analysis of data  986 slain by law enforcement in total last year  blacks were killed at three times the rate of whites, and 40 per cent of them were unarmed when confronted by cops.

While Canada averages about 25 fatal shootings by police annually (not an official figure), Statistics Canada doesnt compile race-based stats; neither does the Special Investigations Unit or any other oversight agency in Ontario. Theyre very good, the SIU, at withholding information that would be useful in documenting trends or at the very least delineating areas of concern.

The SIU was born in 1990 out of public protest and resulting task forces, primarily in the wake of two 1988 fatal police shootings of blacks  Lester Donaldson, a disabled man with schizophrenia and a history of violence against police, confronted in his own home; and Michael Wade Lawson, shot by a Peel officer while the teenager was driving a stolen vehicle. In those shootings, officers were sent to trial on charges of manslaughter and second-degree murder, respectively. In both cases they were acquitted.

Three days after Donaldsons death, a group of activists formed the Black Action Defence Committee. The BADC was widely reviled at the time, condemned by cop supporters, yet the organization was responsible for changing the conversation in this city, for transforming that conversation into a debate about police accountability.

Weve come a long way yet nowhere near far enough.

The dearth of accountability is now focused on the SIU itself, which doesnt disclose the reasoning behind its findings, not to the public and not to victims families. Were it not for Dr. Jim Edwards ordering a coroners inquest  announced last week  into the police shooting of Andrew Loku nearly a year ago, we would be expected to continue in ignorance about how and why the 45-year-old Sudanese immigrant came to be killed after allegedly refusing to drop a hammer when approached by two Toronto cops in the hallway of a west-end building leased to tenants by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

The name of the officer who killed Loku is still secret, though Edwards has said the officer will be subpoenaed to testify. One way or another, the officers identity will be revealed and presumably well come to know about that individuals professional record, including any pertinent information about previous interactions with suspects.

I suspect the inquest will be more relevant in dissecting how cops engage with the mentally ill than exploring systemic racism. Mentally fragile lives matter, too. But weve been down that inquest road before and the mentally ill just keep on getting killed.

It shouldnt be this hard to winkle out significant information. That speaks to the legislative shortcomings of the SIU, a quarter-century and two scolding ombudsman reports later.

Black Lives Matter Toronto can take credit for the coroners decision to probe Lokus death. It was their steadfastness  setting up a camp outside police headquarters in March  which kept the focus on the victim. And it was their fury over the SIU outcome which stirred Edwards to action  the only action that remained, since the agency decided no charges were warranted against the police shooter, without ever explaining the merits of their judgment call. The public cant be trusted with those details, which have been disclosed only to a handful of officials, Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur among them.

Thats why there needs to be an overhaul of the SIU, Pascale Diverlus, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Toronto chapter and organizer of the HQ tent city, said at a Sunday press conference outside the cop-shop.

An overhaul of SIU practices may or may not ensue as part of a larger review of the Police Services Act already underway. But Ive seen too many reviews come and go over the decades to place much faith in the likelihood of an emboldened Act. Governments  Liberals, Conservative, New Democrats  have never shown much willingness to tackle broader police culture or trigger the wrath of police unions.

Association president Mike McCormack obviously takes a dim view of the organization, though his most pungent criticism has been aimed at Premier Kathleen Wynne over a comment she made at a scrum with Black Lives Matter protesters. I believe we still have systemic racism in our society, Wynne said, without making a direct correlation to policing. McCormack claims that was direct enough. Tough.

I like the response of Sandy Hudson, who appeared with Diverlus at yesterdays press conference. Were not trying to meet with him. He does not have the ability to change policy. Were not interested in what he says.

Finally, cutting to the quick of the thing. Who cares what McCormack says? The existing imbalance between public interest and police interests has for too long been out of whack specifically because the scales have been tilted toward cops. They speak loudly, have organized massive demonstrations of their own in this citys history, and taken dead aim at politicians who threaten their clout.

Black Lives Matter has inherited much of the disdain once levelled at BADC, a generation later. Their tactics  taking the protest outside the premiers home, for instance  have been slammed but theyve worked. Way too much snarl was directed at co-founder Yusra Khogali over an old cuss-tweet that said more about the carelessness of social-media yipping than the organizations objectives.

Some of those demands were reiterated on Sunday. A few of them are essentially absurd and belong in the domain of la-la-la: ensuring daycare and transportation so that members of the public can attend public consultations  on the whole gamut of policing issues  which they revealed have been promised by Queens Park. Four such consultations will take place though the place and timeline have not yet been formalized.

Frank talk is good. How much of this process will amount to little more than sideways placating by government remains to be seen.

The Police Act is the crux of the thing. SIU accountability  transparency, lifting the shroud of secrecy  is crucial.

It matters profoundly.

Mea multi culpa: King George VI was christened Albert Frederick Arthur George, known within the family as Bertie. The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was on June 2, 1953, 16 months after her fathers death. Off with my head.

Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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Not much is known about the tiny, premature baby lying in Sunnybrook hospital.

Police have only said that 35-year-old Candice Rochelle Bobbs baby, delivered by emergency C-section about four months premature, is in stable condition.

Bobb was shot while sitting in the back of a car Sunday evening, and died from her injuries. But doctors were able to deliver her baby.

Neonatal experts, who track babies development by weeks, not months, say the baby faces a tough, but not impossible road ahead. In such situations, every week counts.

Andrew James, a staff neonatologist and interim head of division of neonatology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, who is not treating Bobbs baby, said the bottom line is the baby is in the wrong place: outside of its mother.

Babies born (at) less than 22 to 23 weeks dont have a realistic shot of survival, he added.

Thats simply because of the biology of the lungs. The lungs are actually so immature that they cannot sustain life outside the uterus.

In cases like this a babys chances come down to weighing probabilities, but every situation is different, he said.

According to statistics from the Canadian Neonatal Network, a baby born at 23 weeks has about a 25-per-cent chance of survival; a baby born at 24 weeks has about a 70-per-cent chance.

Each baby is an individual in her own right. Some babies do a little bit better than the predicted probability and other babies do worse, said James.

Doctors would have made the call to try to save the baby based on how far along they believed the pregnancy to be and how long the fetus had been without oxygen.

Thats a decision that would have been made fairly quickly and likely under a backdrop of uncertainty James said.

Once delivered, babies born this premature are typically treated in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), on average, until what would have been their due date. Doctors and nurses monitor the babies closely because they are at risk of infection due to their poorly developed immune systems.

Extremely premature babies are also at risk for long-term complications even if they make it through that first touch-and-go period, said Ashley Waddington, an assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Queens Universitys medical school. These can include developmental delay, blindness and hearing impairment.

Almost all of their organ systems are pretty underdeveloped, said Waddington. Premature babies do face a bit of an uphill battle.

Having said that, weve seen very good outcomes for babies who are born at 24 weeks, and weve seen, obviously, terrible outcomes for babies who are born that early.

The youngest premature baby she has looked after who survived was around the 24-week mark, Waddington said.

Other factors, such as being born in a hospital with a good neonatal intensive care unit, can improve a babys chances, while being born in a traumatic situation where the mother is losing blood can impact the babys ability to get oxygen.

(Bobbs baby) has some things going for it and some things going against it, said Waddington.

Dr. Salhab el Helou, a staff neonatologist at McMaster Childrens Hospital, said a baby born at around five months would probably be between 500 and 600 grams in weight and less than 30 centimetres of length and require a ventilator to breath.

But, he added, he has seen babies born prematurely at between 23 and 25 weeks survive and become healthy.

The smallest premature baby to ever survive at Hamilton Ontarios McMaster University Medical Centre was born at 28 weeks, in October 2013. The baby weighed in at 330 grams, or just under 12 ounces, less than a can of pop.

Her head was about the size of a kiwi, and her father could fit his wedding band around her leg, according to a Hamilton Spectator article from that year.

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A proposed landlord licensing system for Toronto apartment buildings faces its first test this week as councillors consider giving city inspectors more tools to ensure tenants have a safe, secure and decent place to live.

There is a common belief in some political circles that tenants dont vote, said Councillor Josh Matlow, who has been pushing the idea as chair of the citys tenant issues subcommittee.

I believe this is tenants opportunity to demonstrate that they are a power to be reckoned with, he said. This is an opportunity to do something substantive, something real, that will help the city protect their well-being, their health, their safety and their quality of life in the buildings where they live.

Tenant activists say they will be pressing councillors to support the move.

We are very pleased this is coming forward, said Scarborough resident Marva Burnett, Canadian president of ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) which represents about 80,000 low-income residents across the country, including about 25,000 in Toronto.

We have been working on this for 12 years and we will continue to fight until we get it, she said.

A staff report to be debated by the citys tenant issues subcommittee on Tuesday and licensing and standards committee on Thursday, sets out a proposed framework for a multi-residential rental property licence, that would give inspectors more power to crack down on bad landlords.

(An earlier suggestion to call the program Rent Safe was abandoned because it conflicts with a provincial program of the same name that deals with indoor environmental health hazards.)

With about half of Toronto residents living in apartments, aging buildings and ongoing issues with non-compliant landlords, licensing of the rental housing sector presents new opportunities to ensure renters have a safe, secure and decent place to live, the report says.

It would apply to roughly 3,300 rental apartment buildings with 10 units or more that are three storeys or higher. Condos and co-ops would be excluded.

The program, similar to the citys DineSafe restaurant licensing system, would include annual inspections of common areas and require landlords to develop detailed plans for building maintenance, cleaning and pest control. State of good repair capital plans would also have to be developed and filed with the city.

Landlords would be required to notify tenants of service disruptions such as malfunctioning elevators and outstanding city work orders and post all notifications in a prominent area.

The proposed licence requirements are not intended to be operationally or administratively cumbersome ... but rather it codifies existing best practices in the industry, says the report by Mark Sraga, director of investigations.

The estimated $3.5 million cost of the program would be recovered through an annual fee of between $12 to $15 per unit, the report says.

Good landlords have nothing to fear, Matlow said. This is aimed at the bad apples and I would think all landlords would want to participate in a system that improves living conditions and would want to be licensed and very proud of it.

For ACORN member Joy Ruscitti-Hayes who has lived at Bellamy Towers in Scarborough for all but 11 years since the 17-storey highrise was built in 1954, landlord licensing cant come soon enough.

We are routinely ignored, said the 62-year-old grandmother, pointing to a hallway in her 6th floor apartment where most of the wall needs new plaster and paint. We shouldnt have to live this way.

Ruscitti-Hayes recently won a two-year battle with the landlord, Better Living Homes Inc., after the garbage chutes were locked for more than 17 months, forcing tenants, many of them frail seniors and disabled, to take their garbage to outside dumpsters.

In April, the provincial Landlord and Tenant Board ruled the landlord wilfully and intentionally failed to meet maintenance standards and caused substantial interference with tenants reasonable enjoyment of their homes. The board ordered the landlord to pay $525 in compensation to each of the 38 tenants who lodged the complaint.

The landlords lawyer David Ciobotaru did not return phone calls or emails from the Star on Friday or Monday.

But building superintendent Denisa Murrizi said tenant work orders are handled within one to two weeks.

Our maintenance guys take a look at them. They prioritize them based on what the issues are and they take them one at a time, she said in an interview.

All calls for repairs must be put in writing in maintenance request forms, Murrizi noted. Any verbal requests may be forgotten and are therefore void on our end.

In a letter last month to the citys licensing committee, Daryl Chong of the Greater Toronto Apartment Association said the city should forget landlord licensing and focus instead on the existing audit and enforcement program that targets problem buildings.

The Multi-Residential Apartment Buildings (MRAB) Audit and Enforcement Program, launched in 2008 after an earlier attempt to introduce landlord licensing failed, has targeted 1,046 buildings since its inception. Of 4,446 orders that were issued, just 490 were outstanding at the end of 2015, according to a staff report.

If the landlord licensing framework is approved this week and city council votes in favour in June, licensing staff will hold public consultations over the summer and prepare a draft bylaw for approval next fall. If it gets the green light, it could be in place as early as January.

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Ontario health professionals are urging the province to stop jailing migrants for violating federal immigration laws, especially those with mental and physical health concerns.

A group of 130 physicians, nurses and healthcare providers signed a petition sent Monday to Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Yasir Naqvi after a string of recent deaths involving immigration detainees, including one over the weekend in a facility in Edmonton.

These people are not charged with any crime but sometimes held indefinitely in dire circumstances and immigration detention is becoming more routine, said Dr. Michaela Beder, a psychiatrist at St. Michaels Hospital.

People were unaware of this because theres so little information from officials on when and how people died. We are shocked this is happening. We are calling for an ombudsman and more oversight, and an end of transfers of detainees from federal immigration holding centres to provincial jails.

In a brief news release, the Canada Border Services Agency said a 24-year-old detainee died Saturday in Alberta and an investigation is underway. However, the agency refused to reveal the deceased mans identity and nationality or whether his next of kin had been notified.

In the Prairie Region, the CBSA relies on provincial correctional facilities to detain higher-risk detainees, said the agencys spokesperson Elise Gaetz. The CBSA is committed to ensuring the health and safety of those in its care. As is the case with any death in custody, the CBSA takes this matter seriously and will complete a review of the circumstances.

Lisa Shankaruk, a spokesperson for Alberta Justice and Solicitor General, said the ministry is investigating the death along with Edmonton Police Service and the border agency.

The inmate appears to have died alone in his cell, under what appears to be non-suspicious circumstances, said Shankaruk, who declined to reveal further details about the circumstances of the mans death.

The latest incident in Edmonton was the third in as many months, following the deaths of 39-year-old Chilean, Francisco Javier Romero Astorga, at Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton and Melkioro Gahungu, 64, a Burundian detainee at Toronto East Detention Centre. Both died in March.

How many people will die without charges or trial? How many families will be devastated? How many immigrants will be denied immigration status and then jailed to death before the federal government once and for all ends immigration detention? asked Karin Baqi of End Immigration Detention Network.

We call for the release of all immigration detainees immediately, and a comprehensive regularization program for them. Its clear that the federal government cant keep them alive in jail, so they must be released.

According to the advocacy group for detainees, there have been at least 15 deaths of immigration detainees in CBSA care since 2000, including eight in Ontario. While these deaths are subject to mandatory reviews, results have not been made public except in cases where an inquest was called.

CBSA transfers detainees from its holding centres to provincial jails if they pose a danger to others, have physical and mental health needs or are unlikely to qualify for early release.

However, Dr. Ritika Goel, a Toronto family doctor, said the migrant population is particularly vulnerable because many have fled war and persecution at home and are also suffering depression, anxiety and trauma. Incarceration can make it worse for those with pre-existing mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Detention should only be the last resort. There are options available for treatment and detentions. We just cant justify the current situation, Goel said.

Dr. Rachel Kronick, a Toronto psychiatrist who has worked extensively with the refugee community, said she sees every day how immigration enforcement affects the health of her patients.

Detention is harmful to people. We hope to bring to the attention of our politicians its impact on the health of this marginalized group, she noted.

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Ontarios new climate-change plan will cost the average household $13 a month  far less than a carbon tax that would have meant a monthly hit of up to $107, according to an internal report on the scheme.

Premier Kathleen Wynnes cap-and-trade proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enshrined in legislation expected to pass Wednesday, will drag on the economy by 0.03 per cent in 2020.

Growth forecast to be 11 per cent between 2015 and 2020 will be adjusted downward to 10.97 per cent, having roughly the same effect on the provincial economy as a statutory holiday.

Thats according to a government draft obtained by the Star of the impact modeling and analysis of Ontarios new carbon-pricing program being done along with Quebec and Ontario.

Prepared by EnviroEconomics, which advises governments on the economic effect of environmental policy changes, the report warned a carbon tax on fuels to curb emissions would be more expensive for consumers.

Under Wynnes plan, gasoline prices will rise by 4.3 cents a litre and the average monthly natural gas bill will jump $5 next year.

Households will experience some cost increase related to carbon pricing. The average energy costs to households for building energy and transport could rise in the order (of) $13 per month in 2017, said the EnviroEconomics study.

In all, the system will bring in an additional $1.3 billion annually to the treasury, which, by law, must spent on environmental initiatives such as retrofitting inefficient buildings and boosting the number of charging stations for electric cars.

But to achieve Ontarios ambitious targets  cutting greenhouse gas emissions to 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, 37 per cent by 2030, and 80 per cent by 2050  a carbon tax on fuels would have been even more costly.

With alternative options, household costs could be four to eight times higher, the EnviroEconomics study said of carbon taxes.

The firm concluded the average household would spend between $48 and $107 more a month if carbon taxes were slapped directly on gasoline and natural gas. Such levies would also have caused a drop in gross domestic product of between 0.21 per cent and 0.4 per cent.

This gives us the best bang for the buck, one official said Monday of the cap-and-trade system that discourages carbon emissions through a complicated system of credits.

Businesses will have greenhouse gas limits, or caps, and those coming in under theirs can sell or trade credits.

This is to create an economic incentive to pollute less.

An industrys overall cap will gradually be lowered in order to reduce pollution, which should promote the use of greener energy sources such as wind and solar power in homes and electric cars on roads.

Ontario expects to cut 18.7 megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. (In perspective, the provinces output was 170.2 megatonnes in 2014, lower than the 210.6 megatonnes spewed out in 2005, the reduction thanks mostly to ending coal-fired electricity generation.)

But of that 18.7 megatonnes, EnviroEconomics notes that only 3.8 megatonnes will actually be in Ontario  the rest could be slashed in Quebec and California, though this province would still get credit for the reduction in the three-jurisdiction cap-and-trade program.

The report also found Ontarios exports would drop by 0.51 per cent in 2020 due to the carbon-pricing, although a straight carbon tax would have triggered a drop of anywhere between 2.5 per cent and 8.4 per cent.

As well, it points out more than 50 different carbon-intensive industries, including auto manufacturing, cement, chemicals, forestry, iron and steel, and petroleum, face some risk under the forthcoming regime.

Environment Minister Glen Murray insisted Monday that thats why the government will have transitional assistance to help businesses adjust to the new reality of polluting less.

Theres nine large emitting industry associations  if you look at the 158 large emitting sites in Ontario  that are going to be reducing, whether its a cement factory or steel plant, or refinery, said Murray.

Were working closely with them. Were actually seeing plans come forward by many industry sectors about how they want to manage it, he said. (We) will have several billion dollars over the next four to five years to invest in those plans to help them make that transformation, as they are in Quebec, and as they are in California.

Remember, our industries support cap-and-trade over (a carbon) tax . . . because they realize that a market-mechanism system is better than a politically defined system.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she is worried about the consequences of what Murray is proposing.

Were concerned about jobs, were concerned about everyday people and their ability to afford these kinds of changes, said Horwath, urging the government to reveal its full plan as soon as possible.

Some of these changes seem quite substantial.

Progressive Conservative MPP John Yakabuski (Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke) expressed alarm that the Liberal plan could cripple the economy and spell disaster for Ontario families.

It just doesnt make any sense. Its wonderful to be as green as possible, but it has to be plausible. It has to be realistic, said Yakabuski.

With files from Rob Ferguson

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Big business and big labour will no longer be able to bankroll Ontario political parties thanks to sweeping new legislative reforms triggered by a Toronto Star probe.

Premier Kathleen Wynnes Liberals are banning union and corporate donations, lowering contribution limits for individuals, and introducing partial public funding for parties.

In the wake of a Star investigation in March that revealed Liberal cabinet ministers had secret annual party fundraising targets of up to $500,000 apiece, Wynne immediately pledged to revamp Ontarios lax laws.

Government House leader Yasir Naqvi finally made good on that Tuesday by announcing legislation that would also severely limit the amount of money so-called third-party advocacy groups can spend before and during elections.

As well, Ontarians would publicly subsidize political parties for a transitional five-year period.

Next year, the Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democrats, and Greens would get $2.26 for each vote collected in the 2014 campaign.

That means the Liberals would receive $4,212,581, the Tories $3,408,251, the New Democrats $2,587,297, and the Green Party $525,531.

The subsidy, based on the most recent election results, would gradually decline to $1.70 per vote in 2022, when it would be reviewed and possibly eliminated.

Democracy is not free, Naqvi told reporters at Queens Park.

Under the changes, individual donors would be allowed to give $1,550 to a party each year, down from the current $9,975.

Contributors would also be allowed to donate an additional $1,550 for up to two of a partys candidates to a maximum of $3,100, and $1,550 for as many as two of a partys constituency associations to a maximum of another $3,100.

Currently, you can give $6,650 to candidates and $6,650 to constituency associations on top of the $9,975 party contribution.

That means the most a person could give annually under the new rules would be $7,750, down from $23,275.

The legislation will also close the loophole that allows donors to double up and give an extra $9,975 to party if there is a byelection.

Naqvi said the new rules, expected to take effect Jan. 1, would severely restrict the use of loan guarantees, by considering them contributions.

That would outlaw the NDPs union-financed holding company, Cornerstone, which recently sold party headquarters on Richmond St. E. for $3.5 million.

Cornerstone guaranteed the NDP a $6-million loan to cover the partys 2014 campaign. There is still a debt of around $5 million.

While the New Democrats are not co-operating with the reform process, which they believe is being rammed through by the Liberals, the Conservatives and Greens have been involved.

Naqvi said several suggestions from the opposition are in his bill, including reducing a candidates threshold for being partially reimbursed for election expenses from 15 per cent of the popular vote to 10 per cent.

Tory Leader Patrick Brown welcomed the changes, but worries loopholes remain that would allow union members or corporate employees to be paid to volunteer on campaigns.

Its considered a donation in kind, said Brown.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath complained the Liberals had given themselves an advantage with the new rules.

The Liberals legislation has set no limits on advertising by the government even as they restrict public participation by limiting non-partisan advertising during a campaign period and the six months preceding the campaign, she said.

Indeed, not all Liberals are happy with capping third-party advertising at $600,000 in the six months before a scheduled election and $100,000 during the writ.

Marcel Wieder, key architect of the Working Families coalition of unions that helped the Grits win elections in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2014 with labour-sponsored ad blitzes attacking the Tories, expressed concern at those restrictions.

Governments need to remember that elections belong to the people, not politicians, said Wieder, whose group has spent millions of dollars promoting progressive causes over the past 13 years.

While there may be some merit in the governments proposed campaign finance reform bill, it contains some significant flaws that are anti-democratic. Elections should be robust debates that encourage participation, not limit it, he said from Israel, where he is a business delegate on Wynnes trade mission there.

Third-party ads introduce new issues to the election debate and deserve a chance to be heard. Allowing only the political parties to control the election agenda is unfair, unhealthy and anti-democratic.

Naqvi said there would be new anti-collusion measures so unions and other groups cannot skirt the law, which are similar to federal measures in place for more than a decade.

The third-party advertising curbs will be aimed at associated issue advertising, which could encompass current marketing campaigns aimed at boosting doctors salaries, stopping the governments sell-off of Hydro One, and other advocacy pushes.

Elections Ontario will oversee the new regime and scofflaws face fines of five times the amount they overspend the $600,000 and $100,000 limits.

There will be other restrictions, including a new maximum contribution of a candidate to his or her campaign of $5,000 and a $25,000 cap on self-funding leadership bids.

Parties will be allowed to spend only $1 million on advertising during the six months before a scheduled election, although the existing in-writ spending, which works out to $2.28 per voter plus an additional $9,310 in remote rural ridings, will continue.

Green Leader Mike Schreiner said the legislation is a start; he favours the per-vote subsidy, but would like to see stricter contribution caps.

Theres still big money in politics, warned Schreiner.

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Straddling the divide between public policy and private parts, a Toronto school has found the middle way.

We take you now to Thorncliffe Park School  Ground Zero for the parental protests that erupted last year over modernization of a curriculum two decades out of date. Keen to ward off yet more class boycotts, the schools principal has come up with a classic Canadian compromise: Sanitized sex education that covers up the explicit bits.

The school opted to excise any reference to penis and vagina for Grade 1 students whose parents couldnt countenance such words.

Is this yet another example of reasonable accommodation gone awry, further evidence of culture wars erupting around us? Or did an elementary school do the right thing for wrongheaded parents?

Lets consider the first rule of sex education: Slow down, because in a world of relentless sexting and texting, we need more contexting.

All the evidence from other jurisdictions shows this curriculum was carefully thought through, not least the discussion of body parts for first graders. Teaching students anatomically correct terms  enabling them to accurately describe any inappropriate touching or sexual abuse by adults  benefits police and other investigating authorities trying to combat the scourge of child abuse.

Explicit references to body parts help students protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted illnesses. Its important to explain human rights and homosexuality at the appropriate age, and for teachers to have answers when students ask about touchy matters like masturbation.

Persuading some parents of these facts is easier said than done. But even if you cant win them over, finding a way to reach  and teach  students is the ultimate goal.

The most maddening and exasperating aspect of last years protests was the attempt by a minority of people  motivated by religion, culture or ideology  to impose their views on the vast majority of parents who support modern sex education for their children. The protesters argued, absurdly and selfishly, that if they disliked the sex-ed curriculum, everyone elses children should also be deprived of that education.

It was an utterly anti-democratic example of the intolerance (and tyranny) of the minority imposing its unsupported views on everyone else  aided by some opposition Progressive Conservative MPPs and abetted by their current leader, Patrick Brown. What made their anti-sex-ed campaign even more objectionable was that their protests were so pointless  for the simple reason that anyone with a religious objection could easily opt out, taking their child out of class.

Dont like it, dont take it. But dont take away my childs right to a modern education.

Despite that opt-out option, hundreds of parents escalated their protests by withdrawing their children from all classes last spring (not just sex-ed instruction). Many of them also delayed enrolment in the public school system last September to ratchet up the pressure.

Against that backdrop of disruptive protests, Thorncliffe Park principal Jeff Crane undertook extensive consultations. He proposed an alternative class for those first graders whose parents refused to let them see or hear any explicit references to their anatomy  exposing them, at least, to the rest of the health and physical education curriculum.

Did he go too far in acquiescing to unreasonable demands?

In sex-ed, as in sex itself, the perfect is the enemy of the good. Compromise can be a good thing if it minimizes the harm that might come from depriving first graders of any sex-ed at all should their parents persist with boycotts.

The religious objectors had the right, under our existing system, to deprive their children of essential learning. Now, these students will at least benefit from the rest of the curriculum, notwithstanding their parents obstinacy.

Thats better than the alternative of an outright boycott. The key point is that all other students, in this school and across the province, will still get unexpurgated sex-ed classes that dont dilute the overall curriculum.

A childs interests should always come first. In this case, a principled principal at Thorncliffe Park has shown us that reasonable accommodation with unreasonable parents can produce a rational compromise that serves society.

Martin Regg Cohns Ontario politics column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. mcohn@thestar.ca , Twitter: @reggcohn

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NEW YORKThe Associated Press won the Pulitzer Prize for public service Monday for documenting the use of slave labour in Southeast Asia to supply seafood to American tables  an investigation that spurred the release of more than 2,000 captive workers.

The Tampa Bay Times and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune received the investigative reporting prize for a project on mental hospitals, and the Tampa Bay Times also won in local reporting for studying the harmful effects of ending school integration in Pinellas County, Florida.

The Los Angeles Times won the breaking news prize for its coverage of the deadly shooting rampage by husband-and-wife extremists at a government building in San Bernardino, California, and The Washington Post received the national reporting award for an examination of killings by police in the U.S.

The New York Times won the international reporting award for detailing the plight of Afghan women, and the breaking news photography prize for images of refugees.

The Boston Globe was honoured in the feature photography category for pictures of a boy who had suffered abuse, and the newspapers Farah Stockman took the commentary prize for her work on the legacy of school busing in the city.

ProPublica and The Marshall Project received the award for explanatory reporting for exploring a rape case in which authorities initially didnt believe the victim, prosecuted her for lying, and years later came to realize she was telling the truth.

The New Yorker was awarded the feature reporting prize for a story on the enormous Cascadia fault line under the Pacific Ocean, while the magazines Emily Nussbaum won in the criticism category for her TV reviews.

In editorial writing, John Hackworth of Sun Newspapers of Charlotte Harbor, Florida, was honoured for his pieces about a deadly assault on an inmate by guards. Jack Ohman of The Sacramento Bee took the editorial cartooning prize for what judges called work that conveys wry, rueful perspectives through sophisticated style.

The awards marked the centennial of the Pulitzers, American journalisms highest honours.

Associated Press journalists Margie Mason, Robin McDowell, Martha Mendoza and Esther Htusan chronicled how men from Myanmar and other countries were being imprisoned, sometimes in cages, in an island village in Indonesia and forced to work on fishing vessels. Numerous men reported maimings and deaths on their boats.

The 18-month project involved tracking slave-caught seafood to processing plants that supply supermarkets, restaurants and pet stores in the U.S. Subsequent Associated Press reports detailed the use of slave labour in processing shrimp.

If Americans and Europeans are eating this fish, they should remember us, Hlaing Min, 30, a runaway slave from the Indonesian island, told The Associated Press. There must be a mountain of bones under the sea.

The stories, photos and videos led to freedom for thousands of fishermen and other labourers, numerous arrests, seizures of millions of dollars in goods and crackdowns on Thai shrimp peeling plants.

Associated Press executive editor Kathleen Carroll commended all of The Associated Presss journalists, saying they stand up for people who dont have a voice and use the tools of our craft to inform the world and, occasionally, right wrongs that need to be righted.

The Post, meanwhile, explored an issue that has prompted protests and debate around the U.S. in recent years. The newspaper found that in 2015, on-duty police officers shot and killed 990 people nationwide  and that unarmed black men were seven times more likely to die at the hands of police officers than unarmed whites. More than 50 of the officers had killed someone before.

Established by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, the prizes were first given out in 1917. Public service award winners receive a gold medal; the other awards carry a prize of $10,000 (U.S.) each.

The 2016 Pulitzer Prize winners

Public Service:

The Associated Press, for a series of articles documenting the use of slave labour in the commercial seafood industry in Indonesia and Thailand. More than 2,000 enslaved fishermen were freed after officials took action as a result of the APs reporting.

Breaking News Reporting:

Los Angeles Times staff, for coverage of the San Bernardino massacre and the ensuing investigation.

Investigative Reporting:

Leonora LaPeter Anton and Anthony Cormier, of the Tampa Bay Times, and Michael Braga, of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, for a project on escalating violence and neglect in Florida mental hospitals.

Explanatory Reporting:

T. Christian Miller, of ProPublica, and Ken Armstrong, of The Marshall Project, for a story about police and prosecutors who didnt believe an 18-year-old Washington woman when she reported that she was raped at knifepoint, and two Colorado detectives who arrested a serial rapist were able to connect the case back to the woman.

Local Reporting:

Michael LaForgia, Cara Fitzpatrick and Lisa Gartner, of the Tampa Bay Times, for a story that studied the effects on education in Pinellas County, Florida, when schools in poor neighbourhoods were essentially desegregated and neglected.

National Reporting:

The Washington Post staff, for an examination of killings by police officers in the U.S., which found that 990 people had been shot and killed by on-duty police officers nationwide in 2015.

International Reporting:

Alissa J. Rubin of The New York Times, for coverage of abuse facing the women of Afghanistan.

Feature Writing:

Kathryn Schulz of The New Yorker, for a story about rupturing of the Cascadia fault line.

Commentary:

Farah Stockman of The Boston Globe, for columns on the legacy of busing in Boston and its lingering effect on education.

Criticism:

Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker, for television reviews.

Editorial Writing:

John Hackworth, of Sun Newspapers in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, for editorials on a deadly assault of an inmate by guards.

Editorial Cartooning:

Jack Ohman of The Sacramento Bee.

Breaking News Photography:

Mauricio Lima, Sergey Ponomarev, Tyler Hicks and Daniel Etter, of The New York Times, for photographs that captured the resolve of refugees, and Thomson Reuters staff, for photos of migrants covering hundreds of miles.

Feature Photography:

Jessica Rinaldi, of The Boston Globe, for photos of a boy who strives to find his footing after being abused.

Fiction:

The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Drama:

Hamilton, by Lin-Manual Miranda

History:

Custers Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America, by T.J. Stiles

Biography or Autobiography:

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, by William Finnegan

Poetry:

Ozone Journal, by Peter Balakian

General Nonfiction:

Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, by Joby Warrick

Music:

In for a Penny, In for a Pound, by Henry Threadgill

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Brazils new leader, Michel Temer, seeking to unite a splintered nation, has selected a cabinet of ministers from across this sprawling country  young, old, northerners, southerners. But of some two dozen named so far, all are men and none are black. That has drawn instant and intense criticism.

After the governments of the Workers Party, which included women and blacks, the plan so far is for a Temer government without diversity, wrote Miriam Leitao, a widely read columnist for O Globo newspaper and critic of the outgoing government, in a comment echoed on social media. It starts off looking like the past.

Temer took over as Brazils acting president on Thursday after Dilma Rousseff, the countrys first woman president, was suspended from her post to face an impeachment trial. The early controversy underscores the numerous challenges he faces in coalescing the broad support he needs to run Latin Americas largest economy.

Stark Contrast

The new government certainly presents a stark contrast to Rousseffs, which recently had seven women among its 31 ministers. The suspended president made a point of focusing on gender equality, referring to herself in Portuguese as presidenta instead of the gender-neutral presidente and routinely speaking of citizens as Brazilian women and men. In what could be her exit speech on Thursday, she paid tribute to Brazilian women and said she was proud to be the first woman to hold the top office. She was surrounded by women at the speech.

The cabinet was formed based on suggestions from parties and on a tight schedule, Eliseu Padilha, Temers chief of staff, said on Friday in response to a question about the all-male cabinet.

We tried to seek women. But for reasons that we dont need to bring up here, we discussed it, and it was not possible, he told journalists in Brasilia. We will bring women into the government, in posts that used to be ministries, and that now will have the same functions but under a different name.

Temer, who spoke on Thursday surrounded by men, also eliminated the ministries of women, racial equality and human rights, which he merged into the justice ministry.

The trend elsewhere has been quite different. In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named 15 women to a cabinet of 30. Hillary Clinton said recently that shed do the same if elected.

Bye, Darling

Throughout her impeachment process, Rousseff and her supporters attributed part of the condemnation of her and her government to her being a woman. Her supporters criticize the expression most often used by her opponents in expressing their wish to see her go as sexist: Bye, darling. The farewell was one of the trending Twitter hashtags on Thursday, with more than 88,000 mentions.

Temers cabinet, announced minutes after he became acting president, included investor favorites such as Henrique Meirelles as finance minister and old-time politicians including senators Jose Serra, Romero Juca and Blairo Maggi.

Blacks and women are fundamental if you truly want to construct an inclusive country, Rousseff told journalists Friday at the presidential residence, where she will continue to live during the trial. From its formation, I think the government clearly reflects that it is going to be liberal in the economy and extremely conservative on the social and cultural side.

Males identifying as white made up 22 per cent of Brazils population in 2013, according to the governments economic research institute IPEA. Women made up 51 per cent of the population in the same year, and non-whites more than half the female population.

Definitely a step backward that there are no Afro-Brazilians and no women, David Fleischer, professor emeritus of politics at the University of Brasilia, said by phone. Some people will tell you thats politics, but thats traditional politics: turning the clock back 15 or 20 years. Those are two very vulnerable points for criticism.

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FORT BRAGG, N.C.Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who walked off his combat outpost in Afghanistan and spent five years in captivity, will be court-martialed under a new commander-in-chief.

A military judge decided Tuesday to delay Bergdahls trial from August until February to provide time for resolving disputes over the defence teams access to classified documents.

Bergdahl, now 30, sat attentively in his dress blue formal uniform, his infantry cord looped under the epaulette on his right shoulder, during the brief hearing. The soldier from Hailey, Idaho, faces charges of desertion and misbehaviour before the enemy. The latter charge is relatively rare and carries the potential of life in prison.

A February start would mean the court-martial could make headlines only weeks after the new commander-in-chief is sworn in as president.

Given the shape of the campaign so far, that will likely mean either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be in charge of the military.

Bergdahls defence says the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has already damaged his chances for a fair trial by calling him a dirty, rotten traitor, who should have been executed.

The judge, Col. Jeffrey Nance, also ruled that media organizations could hire a stenographer to capture courtroom discussions during the trial, and he gave Army prosecutors one week to provide reporters covering the case with online access to court documents.

The judge postponed deciding a dispute that could influence how much punishment Bergdahl could face if convicted.

The Armys primary investigating officer last year recommended against Bergdahl facing jail time, saying there is no evidence that any service members were killed or wounded searching for him in Afghanistan. A preliminary hearing officer recommended against a bad-conduct discharge.

But those recommendations were scrapped in December by the general overseeing the case. Gen. Robert Abrams, who leads the Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, instead sided with an Army lawyers recommendation for a general court-martial.

Bergdahls defence lawyers contend that the Army lawyers advice to Abrams was so incomplete that it misled the four-star general. Nance did not explain why he opted against taking up the issue Tuesday.

Bergdahl was quickly captured after walking off his combat post in Afghanistan in 2009, and held as a prisoner by the Taliban and its allies until President Barack Obama exchanged five Guantanamo Bay detainees for his safe return, saying the U.S. does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind.

Obamas decision was harshly criticized. Some members of Congress said it jeopardized national security. Trump has targeted Bergdahl for scorn dozens of times on the campaign trail, saying among other things that he should have been thrown from a plane.

The defences complaints about Trump have no bearing on the case right now, according to Rachel VanLandingham, a former Air Force lawyer who teaches at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. But if he is elected in November and keeps up his harsh comments, the defence could more effectively argue that a President Trump is unfairly pressuring Army brass for a conviction, she said.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials have been notified that threats against Bergdahl continue.

Given the many incendiary comments that have been broadcast and otherwise disseminated about Sgt. Bergdahl, his immediate commander at Fort Sam Houston has taken measures to ensure his physical safety when leaving the installation, his attorneys wrote in February.

A spokesman at the Texas post declined to describe these measures, citing security considerations. But as a group of soldiers, battle buddies, we all look out for each other, Sgt. Maj. Matt Howard said.

Bergdahl can come and go the same as any other soldier from Fort Sam Houston, where he works a desk job in a headquarters unit, handling a lot of administrative work that needs to be done. Paperwork, moving stuff from place to place, things like that, Howard said.

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WASHINGTONMitt Romney won the Republican primary. Then he became an invisible man.

The 2012 presidential election was four months away, then three, then two. Romney trailed in the polls. Yet his schedule of public events was tiny, the candidate nowhere to be seen for hours on end.

Unless you had a pile of cash to spare.

Romney was theoretically running for president. In reality, he was spending most of his summer trying to convince rich people to give him money.

He had no choice: For Romney and his party to compete with Barack Obamas coming advertising barrage, he needed to schmooze his way to $100 million (U.S.) every month.

It is something to see a candidate go and spend seven, eight, nine hours a day raising money, get back on a plane, all the reporters write that youre not really campaigning, and then you write cheques  and at least 50 per cent of what youve raised goes to the parent organizations of the press in the back of the plane, the campaigns chief strategist, Stuart Stevens, said this week.

Its going to ABC affiliates, its going to NBC affiliates, its going to Yahoo, its going to Bloomberg. Its like, yeah, were not campaigning, were raising money. And were giving it to you!

The 2012 campaign set a record for U.S. election spending: $7 billion. Four years later, there has never before been so much candidate talk about the evils of money in politics  and this campaign will almost certainly set another record.

Some of the cash will go to old-fashioned staples like yard signs and brochures and drab offices and the organizers to staff them. Some will go to newfangled necessities like social media monitoring and voter microtargeting. But by far the biggest chunk  between $4 billion and $6 billion when congressional campaigns and Super PACs are included  will go to television ads.

Even though those ads almost always have a small impact on the outcome. Even though Jeb Bush just set $100 million on fire with an ad blitz that appeared to accomplish nothing. At all levels, campaigns and their allies keep raising more money and then spending it on TV.

They do it for the same reason people climb Mount Everest, said Tom Korologos, a Bush donor and former ambassador to Belgium.

Because its there, he said.

The money is there in large part because of Citizens United  the 2010 Supreme Court decision that lets corporations give unlimited sums to Super PACs, quasi-independent spending groups that are free to run ads promoting particular candidates.

But its also there in part because George W. Bush and Obama decided to do their own fundraising instead of using the public financing system created after the Watergate scandal.

Bush opted out of the public system for the 2000 primaries. Obama then effectively killed the system for good in 2008, when he became the first presidential candidate to refuse public funding for the general election. Why accept an $84-million government cheque for the entire campaign when you can raise $15-million in one night at George Clooneys house and $337 million overall?

This presidential election could be cheaper than expected. After insulting big donors and failing to invest in fundraising, Republican nominee Donald Trump may find it difficult to secure the $1 billion Romney and Obama did and Hillary Clinton easily will.

But that doesnt mean activist Republican tycoons are going to squirrel away their money for yacht renovations. Theres a Senate and House to save.

If the Koch brother network is not spending a billion bucks on the presidential race, then theyre spending a billion bucks on congressional seats, said Ken Goldstein, a University of San Francisco politics professor.

A congressional district is roughly equivalent to a Canadian riding. Voters in one of them, a Maryland district near Washington, D.C., were still shaking their heads a week after their Democratic primary ended.

David Trone, owner of a chain of wine and beer stores, wanted to be a congressman, but few local voters even knew who he was. He introduced himself by spending a record $12.6 million of his own fortune, most of it poured into an avalanche of commercials and glossy mailings.

I got at least one or two of them every day in my mail. It was unbelievable, said Duane Reger, 80, as he shopped for groceries.

Trone lost, providing fodder for advertising skeptics who were already crowing about Bushs expensive catastrophe. But he managed to come second in an impressive nine-candidate field, showing, again, that ad dominance can turn even an unknown into a contender.

The research is clear, said UCLA political science professor Lynn Vavreck: TV ads usually have a minor impact that dissipates within a day or two. But theres a caveat. If there is an imbalance in the number of ads the candidates are running, the candidate with more might benefit.

So ads barely matter. Unless you dont raise enough money to keep up, in which case ads matter so much they could crush you.

Why is there so much of it? Because its like an arms race, Vavreck said.

Every arms race needs an industrial complex. Campaigns are permanent and growing U.S. industries, employing a collection of businesspeople who can get wealthy splashing around the fortunes of influence-seeking wealthier businesspeople.

It never goes away, said Kip Cassino, executive vice-president at Borrell Associates. You have now an army of consultants who are out there looking for money to spend and looking for candidates to spend it for.

Trumps rise has produced a bitter round of soul-searching among Republican donors. Trump, who got more free coverage than any primary candidate before, ran few ads. Bushs titanic Super PAC, Right to Rise, inundated voters in key states.

All these people who give these million-dollar cheques are probably pretty good at business, said Goldstein. At what point do they look at it and start to wonder about their return on investment?

But Stevens said the Right to Rise flame-out was about the message than the medium.

I think this cycle shows that bad TV ads are bad, Stevens said. Right to Rise had $120 million, but they didnt spend much of it against Donald Trump, and thats utter madness. I think all that proves is: dont run dumb campaigns.

In every campaign-spending crisis there is campaign-spending opportunity. Ben Walters, who did fundraising for a Super PAC backing Republican Ben Carson, is now trying to capitalize on donor angst about TV ads. In April, the 27-year-old and two others launched a new Super PAC: Amish PAC.

Yes, Amish PAC. Its goal is to persuade the conservative Amish communities of Pennsylvania and Ohio to go out and vote for Trump over Clinton. Those communities dont have televisions.

For our donors, theyre tired of their dollars being spent inefficiently on high-priced TV and Internet ad campaigns. Were doing it completely the old-fashioned way: newspapers and billboards, Walters said.

I mean, I can blanket Amish country for about three months for $40,000, and Ill definitely turn out more votes per dollar than Jeb Bushs team.

Theyre not even their partys candidates yet, and already the three remaining presidential contenders have spent nearly $400 million (U.S.).

Heres how:

$47,703,404: Total Trump campaign spending through March 31, 2016, excluding credit card balance payments

$1,134,265: Total Trump campaign spending on hats

$156,398,719: Total Clinton campaign spending through March 31, 2016, excluding credit card balance payments

$4,019,631: Total Clinton campaign spending on polling

>

$178,288,015: Total Sanders campaign spending through March 31, 2016, excluding credit card balance payments

$2,518: Sanders campaign spending on ice cream, in kind to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben and Jerrys

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MEXICO CITYPresident Enrique Pena Nieto proposed Tuesday to legalize same-sex marriage in Mexico, a move that would enshrine on a national level a Supreme Court ruling last year that it was unconstitutional for states to bar such couples from wedding.

If it is approved, Mexico would become the fifth country in Latin America to make same-sex marriage legal. The announcement was hailed by LGBT activists and criticized by church officials in Mexico, which is home to the second-largest Roman Catholic population on the planet.

Speaking at an event on the International Day Against Homophobia, Pena Nieto said he signed initiatives that would seek to amend the constitution and the national civil code.

Pena Nieto said he wants to change Article 4 of the constitution to clearly reflect the Supreme Court opinion to recognize as a human right that people can enter into marriage without any kind of discrimination.

That is, for marriages to be carried out without discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or nationality, of disabilities, of social or health conditions, of religion, of gender or sexual preference, he added.

Pena Nietos Twitter page and other government Twitter accounts were changed to include the rainbow colours as he made the announcement.

A two-thirds majority vote in congress is required to amend the constitution. Pena Nietos party and allies control about half the seats in both houses, and the measure could also pick up support from the leftist opposition Democratic Revolution Party.

It would then need to be ratified by a simple majority of states before going to the president for his signature.

The Rev. Hugo Valdemar, spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico City, urged lawmakers to listen to their conscience and oppose the initiative.

Marriage has some very concrete aims which, of course, two people of the same sex do not fulfil, Valdemar said, referring to procreation.

He called Pena Nietos initiative a distraction in a country where there are more serious issues that should be attended to such as violence and corruption.

About 80 per cent of Mexicans are Catholic, though only about 15 per cent to 20 per cent regularly practice the faith, said Andrew Chesnut, chairman of Catholic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.

He added that a recent Pew survey said Mexicans acceptance of gay marriage and LGBT issues in general closely mirrored views in the United States, where same-sex marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court last year.

The presidents announcement is just of monumental significance, Chesnut said. It really is symbolic of the rapidly waning, eroding influence of the Catholic Church on both politics and the social front.

Gay marriage is already legal in some parts of Mexico such as the capital, the northern state of Coahuila and Quintana Roo state on the Caribbean coast. Adding it to the constitution and the civil code would expand gay marriage rights across the country.

Last June, the Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional for Mexican states to ban same-sex couples from getting married. But the decision did not specifically overturn state laws, meaning couples have had to sue in court in each particular case.

Alejandro Brito, director of Letra S, a human rights group specializing in sexual diversity issues, called Pena Nietos announcement great news.

I think it sends a very clear message of respect and against discrimination toward sexual diversity, Brito said. If it is enshrined in the constitution and the Supreme Court has established a precedent on this, it would seem just a question of time before all (government) entities across the country recognize equal marriage. ... I think this is a battle that has been won.

Twenty-three countries around the world have legalized gay marriage, according to Pew Research. Argentina became the first in Latin America to do so in 2010, followed by Brazil and Uruguay in 2013 and Colombia earlier this year. Chile allowed same-sex civil unions last year. The U.S. island territory of Puerto Rico also legalized gay marriage by executive decree after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

This, in tandem with Colombia, which is still close to about 80 per cent Catholic and is usually kind of looked to as the most devout Catholic nation in Latin America ... its amazing, Chesnut said.

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KAMPALA, UGANDAUgandas long-time president promoted his son to a two-star general, bolstering speculation that the son is being groomed to succeed his father.

With the promotion, President Yoweri Musevenis son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, becomes a major general and remains the top commander of Ugandas special forces, an elite unit within the regular army that is mainly in charge of protecting the president and top government officials.

Military spokesman Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda said Tuesday that Kainerugaba is one of five army officers promoted in changes announced late Monday.

Many Ugandans believe Kainerugaba, 42, is being prepared to eventually succeed Museveni, who has ruled this East African country for 30 years. Museveni has denied he wants his son to be his political heir, saying that Uganda is not a monarchy.

Still, speculation over a secret succession plan has persisted over the years, driven in part by Kainerugabas meteoric rise in the army and the influence he now wields as the boss of the special services unit.

Many of Musevenis colleagues alongside whom he fought the bush war that brought the president to power in 1986 have died or are in retirement, leaving a group of young officers holding command positions in the military. Many of those officers were recruited by Kainerugaba and are believed to be loyal to him.

Kainerugaba is the leader of a certain band of people around whom he is consolidating his power in the army, said Nicholas Sengoba, a political analyst and newspaper columnist in Uganda.

Although he was initially praised in the West as a reform-minded African leader, Museveni, 71, is increasingly accused by some critics of being a dictator. His main rival, Kizza Besigye, was charged last week with treason for leading protests challenging Musevenis election victory in February.

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No world is quite as closed as that of the prison inmate. Under a cover of institutional invisibility, all manner of indignity and unfairness can  and frequently, does  take place.

This cloak was partially torn away last week in a David versus Goliath battle for the ages. A pair of Ontario inmates who had challenged the unrelenting practice of prison lockdowns were awarded $60,000 and $25,000 respectively; compensation for the suffering they endured after being repeatedly confined to their cells 24 hours a day for days on end.

The decision is a classic example of the courts forcing reform upon a virtually unaccountable institution. Still, its after-effects have barely begun to be felt. Countless similar cases could be on the way should federal and provincial prison systems fail to change their ways.

With the rare exception of lockdowns based on genuine security concerns, most are a bureaucratic solution to staff shortages. A single correctional officer not showing up for work can trigger a lockdown. Accordingly, it is no coincidence that the most persistent lockdowns occur during protracted salary negotiations between corrections officers and the government.

In effect, the suffering of inmates becomes a bargaining chip. Worse still, lockdowns typically occur without warning, explanation or the slightest indication of their probable duration.

Jamil Ogiamien, whose immigration status remains the sole basis for his lengthy incarceration, has spent approximately half of his three years on detention in a maximum security unit at Maplehurst Correctional Complex under lockdown conditions.

Huy Nguyen has spent a year in jail awaiting his trial on weapons charges; 50 per cent of it on lockdown. As is the case with approximately 65 per cent of detainees in Ontario jails, he remains legally innocent pending the outcome of the case against him.

The conditions they described were harrowing. Confined to their cells on lockdown, the two men had no opportunity to shower, exercise or fraternize with anyone apart from their cellmate. Laundry isnt done during a lockdown. Cells accumulate filth.

The applicants had little access to medical treatment or the jail library. Their ability to attend courses or programs, such as addiction counseling or anger management, was sharply curtailed. Family and friends travelled considerable distances only to be denied visits with them without notice.

When the two inmates were able to consult with their lawyers at all, it was through a thick, Plexiglas barrier. This, in itself, amounts to an unconscionable form of jeopardy since barriers to reviewing evidence and receiving legal advice can drastically harm an inmates ability to prepare for trial or secure release on bail.

Lockdowns, like solitary confinement, induce a state that is akin to sensory deprivation. In Nguyens words, the lack of stimulation, exercise and sunlight drove him toward madness. Lockdowns can also be particularly dangerous when they end. Inmates have been known to fight over immediate access to phones and showers following lengthy lockdown periods.

While the overall plight of inmates in lockdown may fall short of Guantanamo, these are nonetheless the kind of prison conditions Canada routinely condemns in other countries. Yet, practiced here, they are complacently cast off as a benign, acceptable form of correctional cost control.

Jail authorities can now choose to either act or face an avalanche of similar legal applications and costly rulings. Should they opt for the path of good sense, they can begin by building more short-term detention centres in order to keep people solely detained on immigration matters from being lodged in the unduly harsh regime of provincial jails.

However, the most important remedy is to alleviate the inevitable staffing shortages that are the root cause of most lockdowns. Correctional officers may have to work overtime when necessary, rather than overtime being a choice.

There must also be an end to the regular bouts of trench warfare that pit unions against correctional authorities. And if government negotiators are unable to facilitate agreements that obviate this senseless warring, then perhaps they ought to be replaced.

There is a principle at play. To remove the liberty of individuals who are merely charged with a crime is horrific enough. To make them unwitting pawns of labour unrest or managerial convenience is unconscionable.

Daniel Brown is a criminal defence lawyer and a Toronto director with the Criminal Lawyers Association.

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Around the world, this past Sunday there were observances of International Conscientious Objectors Day. Those who came to remember wore poppies. Not red, the colour of blood, but dove-white, reclaimed from the white feathers handed as symbols of cowardice to those who shirked their duty to king and country in The Great War.

The poppies recall the 306 soldiers, 25 of them Canadian, who faced the firing squad because they walked away from one of the most senseless and bloody wars of all time.

Back in the fall of 1969, when I was given conscientious objector status by my local draft board in the States, it would have been impossible to imagine there would be a day that would commemorate my fellow COs, an estimated 100,000 of us, who escaped to Canada rather than kill or be killed in that horrible concoction of bluster and bloodshed, political expediency and outright lies, called the Vietnam War.

In Vietnam, its called the American War. Not, mind you, the North American War, because this country, blessedly, refused to be part of it. Just as we refused to join George Bushs so-called Coalition of the Willing to stop the spread of those non-existent Weapons of Mass Destruction.

At the time, Stephen Harper, as Leader of the Official Opposition, actually apologized to the American people, making it clear he would have said ready-aye-ready to Bush. Years later Harper would reverse himself, calling the Iraq war absolutely an error. But that didnt stop him from going after those young soldiers who made the mistake of equating our country with its government and sought sanctuary in Canada.

There are currently 15 known active cases of conscientious objectors in Canada. There were once estimates of 200 American Iraq War resisters in Canada, many of them underground waiting for those who went public to win status before coming forward.

Harper deported six deserters to the U.S. to face courts-martial. One of them, Kimberly Rivera, gave birth while doing time in a stockade. The day she was deported, the Conservative caucus cheered in the House of Commons.

Sad, nasty business, just one among many pieces of nastiness Justin Trudeau promised to undo if he was elected. Well, he was, and with a majority. But hes yet to tell government lawyers to call it quits to Harpers deportations.

Why? Only Trudeau and his immigration minister, John McCallum know. Talk about majorities: Nearly 70 per cent of Canadians support allowing these war resisters to stay; 39 per cent elected the Liberals. The issue would appear to be a no-brainer, worse, for a politician who has allowed himself to cry in public, his silence betrays a seeming lack of compassion, the very quality he promised to bring to this issue.

Harper, in his time, claimed that since military desertion was a crime, Canada would be granting sanctuary to criminals. This is patent nonsense. These people broke no laws in Canada and we have no business enforcing American law. Follow this logic and it would have meant deporting every escaped slave who reached freedom in Canada on the Underground Railroad, as they were considered property in the U.S. and allowing them to stay would have made us recipients of stolen goods.

While there isnt formal conscription now, many have recognized the poverty draft that targets young people who are trapped by crushing, often racist economic oppression, getting them to sign up on false promises of non-combat jobs and subsidized college education. Even John Kerry acknowledged that Stop-Loss  involuntary extending soldiers contracts  was a backdoor draft.

Ive written a politician only once  Jean Chretien, thanking him for turning his back on the war in Iraq. Now I write a second time, to Justin Trudeau. Im not asking him to wear a white poppy every May 15, just to embrace his fathers legacy in honoring, rather than deporting, these men and women of conscience.

Andy Barrie is a former CBC broadcaster. Given conscientious objector status by his draft board, he was nevertheless drafted and trained as a non-combatant medic. Deployed to Vietnam, he deserted to Canada on Dec. 23, 1969.

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The remarkable strides made on civil rights in recent decades should not blind us to how much remains to be done. As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week, Far too many people still face harassment, discrimination and violence for being who they are. This is particularly true of transgender Canadians, whose unfinished quest for equality has proven exceptionally fraught.

So it was a moving moment on Tuesday, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, when the Liberal government tabled a bill to finally guarantee legal and human rights for transgender Canadians.

Bill C-16 is clearly overdue. A 2015 study out of Western University found that 13 per cent of surveyed trans people had been fired as a direct result of their gender identity; 10 per cent had been refused care at an emergency room; and 20 per cent had been physically or sexually assaulted. The new bill would make this rampant, appalling discrimination illegal.

That is, if the legislation is passed. Similar bills have been tabled several times over the past decade, but in each case they were defeated over misplaced concerns about the endlessly controversial question of bathroom use.

The previous attempt to entrench trans rights, an NDP-sponsored private members bill, got through the House but was killed by the Conservative-dominated Senate last year. At the time, critics claimed that, by guaranteeing trans people access to the bathroom that matches their gender identity, the legislation would open the door to pedophiles posing as trans women.

Yet no one can point to a single case that justifies this fear. Thats true, too, in the United States, where the federal government and the North Carolina state legislature are locked in a high-profile legal battle over so-called bathroom laws. North Carolinas government is convinced that rapists are standing ready to exploit advances in trans rights. But, as the New York Times has rightly argued, the perceived threat exists only in the imagination of bigots.

Unlike in the U.S., where the debates vitriolic tenor makes the divide seem unbridgeable, we are seeing clear progress in Canada. Bill C-16 is the first of its kind to be introduced by a sitting government. And even some steadfast critics of transgender rights are beginning to soften on the subject.

The Liberal bill has the potential not only to provide overdue legal protections, but also to speed up a social evolution that is already underway.

Its obviously an issue that takes a while for some of us to get used to, Conservative MP David Tilson, who voted against the previous bill, told CBC News this week. I think things are changing. I think people are changing. Certainly I am.

Transgender Canadians should not have to wait any longer for their rights. Its past time Tory senators got out of the way.

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Re: Focus shifts to recovery in Fort McMurray, May 13

Focus shifts to recovery in Fort McMurray, May 13

Why are we letting oil corporations rush back to business-as-usual in Fort McMurray following the wildfires that swept through that city? Talk about stupid when most people have finally connected the dots between burning fossil fuels and more frequent climate disasters like the Fort Mac holocaust.

Scientists have repeatedly warned that 80 per cent of all fossil fuels including  and especially  Albertas heavy, gooey bitumen must stay in the ground if our one-and-only livable planet is to avoid climate chaos. What sense does it make, except for short-term profit, to rebuild the old Fort Mac as is when the petroleum industrys days are numbered?

Instead of building massive pipelines to export this destructive stuff around the world, lets use it as a bridge to build our 100 per cent green, renewable energy economy here, which, like it or not, is the only way out of our deadly fossil fuel addiction. Imagine what could be created with the equivalent of $9 billion in insurance payouts to the wildfire evacuees, bolstered by a lets-get-serious revenue-neutral price on carbon right across Canada.

A few of the benefits: a just transition to sustainable jobs for our 90,000 fellow Canadians forced to flee Fort Mac (and all other fossil fuel workers), a robust economy built on clean technologies, and, most important, a less dire climate future, already in peril, for our kids and grandkids.

Liz Armstrong, Erin

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Re: Reveal the abuses, Editorial May 8

Reveal the abuses, Editorial May 8

It is a matter of public record that Canadas electronic spy agency, the Communications Security Establishment, has collected and retained communications between lawyers and their clients. It is less certain how frequently this occurs and whether it is reflected in the CSEs special Privacy Incident File.

According to a year-end report on ministerial authorizations released through access to information request A-2015-00058 (CSEC), CSE collected and retained communications between lawyers and their clients in several surveillance programs under the legal protection of a ministerial authorization between December 2012 and November 2013.

Ministerial authorizations shelter CSE from prosecution for activities that violate the Criminal Code, specifically those involving the interception of private communications.

This kind of spying is deemed so sensitive by the Minister of Defense, who is responsible for CSE, that it is singled out for special monitoring in the year-end report. The actual number of captured communications is redacted.

However, not all CSEs operations are conducted under ministerial authorizations and not all have a high risk of intercepting private communications. Presumably, activities that get out of hand but are not legally protected will show up in CSEs Privacy Incident File, a list of serious privacy breaches.

As the Star noted in its editorial, CSE wont reveal the number of incidents accumulated in the Privacy Incident File, let alone their circumstances.

Given the special significance of the relationship between a lawyer and client under our laws, every corner of government should be examined when there are reasons to suspect it may have been compromised. Citizens and parliamentarians need to know whether the Privacy Incident File chronicles surveillance that violated the rights of individuals to confidentially seek and receive legal advice.

Brian Alexander, Mississauga

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Office Depot's (ODP) life after a failed merger with Staples (SPLS) in a office supply world challenged by Amazon (AMZN) will likely require frequent sales jobs by its top execs to concerned investors.

The first assurance by Office Depot that the future remains bright came on Monday evening, a few days after a judge blocked a deal that would have merged Staples with its smaller competitor. "Today is not about looking back, but looking forward," said Office Depot Chairman and CEO Roland Smith to kick off a call with analysts.

Smith highlighted Office Depot's lack of near-term debt maturities, solid operating cash flow generation last year, opportunities to cut more costs as part of its integration of Office Max (acquired in 2013) and the rollout of smaller store concept that has been in test to 20 locations later this year as reasons to be optimistic.

"The core office supplies business continues to decline, and the status quo will not allow us to achieve our sales goals," conceded Smith. The company said it's analyzing various capital structure and shareholder return alternatives, and has engaged Bain & Company to assist with a comprehensive strategic review of its business. The review is expected to be finished sometime in the third quarter.

Execs stopped short of saying Office Depot is still for sale, but instead the strategic review will focus on potentially enhancing shareholder value through dividends and stock buybacks.

But the call was not questions on Office Depot's medium-term financial outlook.

First, execs did not commit to its full-year operating income (adjusted for one-time items) guidance of $500 million, instead telling Wall Street it would update its guidance when it reports its second-quarter results. Second, the company shed light on high levels of employee turnover in key positions over the past year as folks feared job loss if the Staples merger had gone through. "It has been hard to hire people, and we have critical positions we now plan to hire for," said Office Depot Chief Financial Officer Stephen Hare.

Finally, Office Depot wasn't as specific as its larger rival Staples in detailing how it would regain market share in the competitive office supplies market. TheStreet looks at the actions Staples announced almost immediately after learning of the judge's decision to soothe the minds of worried investors.

1. Here comes lower prices for some office supplies.

Staples said it will pursue market share gains in core categories such as office supplies, ink, toner and paper. To support this effort, the company will invest in lower prices and work to make its supply chain quicker.

2. Staples looking to divest European operations.

Staples plans to explore strategic alternatives for its struggling European operations, which is the main component of the company's international operations. The company operates about 278 retail stores in Europe, with the largest concentration being in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal.

Staples operates internet and direct mail catalog businesses in Europe, with a significant concentration of sales residing in France, Italy and the United Kingdom.

The international segment has been a laggard for Staples for years, and saw sales plunge 16.3% last year to $3.2 billion. The business racked up a $41 million loss last year following a $21 million loss in 2014.

By exiting Europe, Staples will likely be able to reinvest the savings in lower prices and new services for consumers in its home market in North America.

3. Staples goes on the prowl for acquisitions.

Staples, armed with savings from its cost-cutting efforts and badly in need of growth, said it intends to look for acquisitions of business-to-business service providers and companies specializing in categories beyond office supplies. Acquisitions should help Staples differentiate itself from Office Depot, and ultimately gain market share over time.

Office Depot representatives did not return several emails asking to be interviewed for this story.
Updated from 10:32 AM EDT

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Home Depot (HD) stock is declining 1.48% to $133.37 in early afternoon trading on Tuesday despite solid financial results for the fiscal 2016 first quarter as investors become concerned about decelerated growth.

"What's happened here with Home Depot is that expectations were so high that someone looked at the results and began to sell," TheStreet's Jim Cramer said on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" this morning.

"Home Depot said something on the conference call that is freaking people out," Cramer added, referring to the company's management, who said the first quarter will be the best one this year. He noted that the first quarter tends to be the retailer's best quarter because of planting season.

Cramer explained that "this is the life cycle of Home Depot:" the company is often conservative, but they usually beat estimates and investors prefer the retailer to Lowe's(LOW).

"The stock was up yesterday. Now it's giving it back," Cramer commented, adding that "no one is going to downgrade Home Depot."

"I think that Home Depot remains one of the best retail stories out there," Cramer noted in the video, above.

"The market is acting incorrectly and if we look at individual companies, a lot of them are doing better than what the stock market indicates," Cramer added on "Squawk on the Street" this morning. "What's moving isn't sane."

Cramer also praised TJX (TJX) for "an amazing quarter" that included a 9% increase in HomeGoods same store sales, which he called "incredible"

TJX, the parent company of Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods, has been the big winner of the high inventories at Macy's (M) and Nordstrom (JWN), Cramer observed.

"But it's not important in the basket," Cramer noted, referring to TJX and the basket of stocks that moves the market.

Shares of TJX are up 1.08% to $76 this afternoon.

Separately, Home Depot has a "buy" rating and a letter grade of A+ at TheStreet Ratings because of the company's solid stock price performance, growth in earnings per share, increase in net income, revenue growth and notable return on equity.

You can view the full analysis from the report here: HD

TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this article's author.
The high-stakes contest among automakers and software developers to create the next big thing in mobility just got more frenzied as Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google subsidiary disclosed that it is developing a carpooling function for the U.S. through its Waze navigation app.

Google is testing the service in the San Francisco area among corporate users. It had been testing the app in Israel, where Waze was invented before its founders sold out to the Mountain View, Calif., company. The Google initiative could put the company -- which is attempting to build a driverless vehicle -- on a collision course with ride-sharing specialists Uber and Lyft.

In just a few short years, the very real and near-term promise of driverless transportation has thoroughly upended the strategies of automakers, bringing them to the harrowing realization that advanced software could relegate them to the role of hardware suppliers to companies like Google, Apple (AAPL) and Uber. The auto industry, though no stranger to computers, is weak in the areas of artificial intelligence. Toyota last year announced a $1 billion initiative to learn AI pronto.

The software companies are racing among themselves, motivated by the prospect of not just transporting customers in cars that don't need drivers, but helping drivers and passengers-turned-shoppers decide where to eat, what movies to watch and which online stores to visit while traveling down the road, oblivious to traffic.

Privately held Uber, not content to merely arrange car-hailing or ride-sharing, also is dabbling in driverless technology, having poached a squad of experts from Carnegie Mellon University and set up shop near the school's home base in Pittsburgh. The frenzy has taken on an international dimension: Apple,which is contending with flat iPhone growth, also is interested in driverless cars. Last week, Apple invested $1 billion in Chinese ride-sharing company, Didi Chuxing, that country's Uber.

General Motors (GM) , meanwhile, has invested $500 million in Lyft and on Friday closed a $1 billion acquisition of Cruise Automation, a San Francisco-based company that has invented a device that transfers control of an automobile between human driver and driverless system. Lyft and GM said they soon will begin testing a fleet of autonomous cars, perhaps the battery-powered Chevrolet Bolt. GM has its own ride-sharing project, dubbed Maven, which is exploring the shared ownership and use of car fleets.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is building 100 Chrysler Pacifica minivans for Google to test its autonomous driving software. Not to be left out, Ford (F) invested $182 million in Pivotal, a cloud-based technology company to develop "mobility solutions."

"We're investing in future-proofing," said Elena Ford, who led the development of FordPass mobility app with Pivotal and is the great-great-granddaughter of Ford's founder.

Alphabet and Apple are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells GOOGL or AAPL?Learn more now.

Doron Levin is the host of "In the Driver Seat," broadcast on SiriusXM Insight 121, Saturday at noon, encore Sunday at 9 a.m.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
Viacom (VIAB) shares were rising Tuesday following a report that Shari Redstone's position in the trust of her father, Sumner Redstone, may be more secure than that of president and CEO Philippe Dauman, with whom she has sparred.

Shares of the New York media company were up 2% to $40.12 on Tuesday afternoon, trimming the stock's decline over the past three years to 42%. The S&P 500 index undefined has gained 24% during that same time period.

Sumner Redstone, 92, Viacom's controlling shareholder and chairman emeritus, can remove Dauman from the trust that will control his $40 billion in media holdings including CBS (CBS) when he dies or is incapacitated, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter. Yet the elder Redstone cannot remove his daughter, Shari, the news agency said.

While Redstone has steadfastly supported Dauman to run Viacom, even as revenue has declined for four years while its stock plummeted, Shari's opposition to his leadership is well known. In February, Shari Redstone was the lone member of the company's board to oppose Dauman's promotion to executive chairman, effectively replacing his boss.

"Shari would clearly like Dauman to be gone, but he's not going anywhere," Porter Bibb of New York media industry investment firm MediaTech Partners said. "Shari doesn't have the power or the inclination right now to get into a battle with her father."

The state of Redstone's health and his mental capacity to oversee Viacom and CBS was the focus of a court case in Los Angeles earlier this month that the billionaire media mogul won handily. Investors were hoping the judge in the case would rule that Redstone was no longer mentally competent to oversee his holdings, thereby setting in motion a potential transfer of his controlling stake in Viacom and CBS to the seven-member trust that includes his daughter, Shari Redstone and Dauman.

Sumner Redstone's National Amusements owns 79.8% of Viacom's Class A common stock.

Shari Redstone and Dauman frequently have disagreed about the future of Viacom, owner of Nickelodeon, MTV and Paramount Pictures. As the company has trailed rivals in creating must-see content and leveraging new distribution channels, Dauman's reported pay rose last year to $54.2 million. Dauman's compensation included a $17 million special award tied to a renewal of his employment agreement.

Prior to its annual meeting in March, proxy advisers Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis & Co. recommended that investors withhold votes from the company's five compensation committee members.

Activist investors Mario Gabelli and SpringOwl Asset Management's Eric Jackson pressured Viacom in February to hire PJT Partners (PJT) to help it consider selling a minority stake in Paramount to Chinese Internet marketplace platform Alibaba (BABA) or Amazon.com (AMZN) . Jackson, a columnist for TheStreet, has also called for removing Dauman.

A Viacom spokesman declined to comment on the company's performance or the Sumner Redstone trust.

CBS, meanwhile, has come under much less scrutiny, largely because CEO Leslie Moonves has had far greater success both in ratings and in developing new businesses such as CBS All Access, an online subscription service that includes much of the network's programming. CBS shares have gained 7.6% over the past three years.

For the moment, however, Dauman's place on the trust appears secure. Whether he or Shari Redstone hold greater sway over the other members of the trust is a matter of much speculation.

"Shari has made peace with her father, such as peace may be, but Dauman is the guy who Sumner has really insulated," Bibb added. "The battle is going to be when Sumner is no longer with us."
For years, Netflix (NFLX) has relied on bringing in subscribers with low prices and a bevy of licensed network television shows and movies. Well, now the company is doing the opposite, saying it will air one of its original series on traditional television.

The streaming giant has reached an agreement with Univision to air Narcos on the network, a 10-episode series covering Pablo Escobar, the Columbian drug kingpin. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Netflix is known for its original content, especially shows House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black. Netflix and Univision are also producing another series, this one on Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman. The series will reportedly be called El Chapo. The show will first air on UniMas, a sister network of Univision, sometime in 2017 before being made available to U.S. subscribers.

It just goes to show how far Netflix has come in a few short years, when the company was only talking about original programming and international expansion. After hitting both of those segments squarely, Netflix is in a much better position than many investors would have thought, even though shares are down more than 22% on the year.

Shares of Netflix closed at $88.63 Tuesday, down less than 1%.

Blue-collar workers shouldn't have been worried about robots taking away their jobs. They should be worried about 3-D printing.

HP (HP) finally rolled out its 3-D printing machines designed for large scale production. A number of companies are already testing the company's new machinery, and they're not small. They include Nike (NKE) , Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and BMW.

It could be a game-changer, too, if it ends up working the way it's being promised. HP says a company can produce at 10-times the speed and do so at half the cost. With that kind of incentive, there's little reason for companies not to try it.

Of course, none of these companies are going to dive straight in, but more likely, ease their way into the testing. After all, they're multibillion corporations. They're not just going to risk their entire production line -- not that the supply chain could even handle such a swift change.

While the potential is quite high, 3-D printing is unlikely to take over mass production anytime soon. Instead, as highlighted by USA Today, it's better fitted for product customization or specialized parts.

Still, it wouldn't be surprising to see 3-D printing make up a larger and larger piece of the manufacturing pie. Especially in the future.

Shares of HP closed at $11.53 Tuesday, down 1%.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signs a bill creating licenses for blow-dry services. Behind him, state delegate Ariana Kelly points while Drybar founder Alli Webb looks on. ( Daniel Swartz)

One thing legislators in Maryland can apparently agree on: The importance of blow-dries.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Tuesday signed into law Senate Bill 830, colloquially known as the Drybar Blowout License Bill, creating the first blowout-only cosmetology license in the country.

Drybar, the chain of blow-dry-only salons cropping up around the region, helped shepherd the bill through the Maryland legislature, where it passed 133 to 4 in the House and 44 to 2 in the Senate.

Under the new rules, which take effect Oct. 1, Maryland will offer limited licenses to applicants who have completed 350 hours of cosmetology training  compared with the 1,500 hours required for a full cosmetology license.

This is the second time Drybar, which was founded in 2010 in Newport Beach, Calif., has ushered in legislation in Maryland. Two years ago, then-Gov. Martin OMalley signed into law House Bill 137, otherwise known as the Drybar bill, allowing salons in Montgomery County to serve wine or beer by the glass.

Webb at Drybars Georgetown location. She helped usher Maryland to pass Senate Bill 830, which allows applicants to receive a blow-dry-only cosmetology license after completing 350 hours of training rather than a full 1,500 hours. (Craig Hudson/For The Washington Post)

Both pieces of legislation were introduced by Del. Ariana B. Kelly (D-Montgomery), a regular at Drybars Bethesda location, which opened in 2012. The company now has five local stores, including outposts in Dupont Circle and at the Tysons Corner Center shopping mall.

Kelly says legislators were generally happy to support the measure  in part, because theyd dealt with Drybar before.

With the first bill, people kind of chuckled. It was like, Why on earth would you need a glass of wine while youre getting your hair done? Well, the men chuckled. The women understood completely, Kelly said.

But by the time the second bill came around, it was obvious that this was a company we want to be able to support, she added. This is about jobs. Its an economic issue.

Drybar executives say they plan to lobby for similar measures in Virginia and the District, as well as in Massachusetts and California. Founder Alli Webb recently talked with The Washington Post about the companys license in Maryland and its plans for the future.

How did Drybar come up with the idea for the blowout-only license?

We have been dreaming of a bill like this forever. As you can imagine, because were open seven days a week and 12 hours a day, we need a lot of stylists  on average, between 50 and 80, in each shop. We have 60 shops around the country and about 3,000 stylists.

You have to be a licensed cosmetologist to work at Drybar, and for many people, thats a very expensive and time-consuming commitment. Ive met so many people who are on the fence about going to cosmetology school or are really talented at hair but dont want to necessarily make the commitment to a full year of cosmetology school. This bill opens up so much opportunity for them  and for us.

How long did it take to get the legislation drafted and passed?

The idea of this has been in the works for a long time, but it took about a year from start to finish.

What would this new license look like?

There is still some gray area in how the law will be written, but the idea is that you can go to beauty school for a limited time and obtain this blowout license.

In terms of curriculum, thats the next step for us. We have great relationships with so many beauty schools, and were hoping to get them behind us to help us do this as well. Well know more in the coming weeks.

After youve completed those 350 hours, then you can basically test through the state  of course now just in Maryland, but eventually in more states  to get your blowout license.

And of course, anybody who has that license will still have to go through our rigorous, weeks-long training to do it the Drybar way.

Who is the target demographic? Who are you hoping will apply for this license?

I think there is a niche for people who dont necessarily want to go through the whole thing. I hear it from my stylists all the time, that theyre just not interested in cut and color. And I certainly understand that because blowouts and styling and finishing were always what I really identified with most as a hair stylist. Through Drybar, I have found there are a lot of other stylists out there who really love that side of the business. My hope is that well be able to tap into even more of that talent.

Do you see the flip side of that? Is it difficult to recruit stylists at Drybar because they want to do much more than just blowouts?

Definitely. It goes both ways. We have a lot of stylists  probably about half of them  who work for us and also work for a full-service cut-and-color salon, so theyre keeping one foot in both doors. But then I hear from other stylists how much they love working at Drybar because its fun because its a little less pressure.

Why did you start in Maryland?

Courtney Barfield, our national field manager, used to be our store manager in Bethesda, so she has a lot of relationships in Maryland. So many delegates and lobbyists have been coming to Drybar for blowouts, and Courtney has made friends with many of them. Two of them  Ashlie Bagwell [a lobbyist for Harris Jones & Malone] and Ariana Kelly have been really helpful.

These women have loved Drybar, and thats really helped.

Do you plan to lobby for similar rules in other states and jurisdictions?

We are. Thats something were working on now.

This isnt the first time youve lobbied for  and gotten  a bill to pass into law in Maryland. Could you talk a little bit about your first bill, which allowed salons in Montgomery County to serve wine and beer, and how that came about?

Similar to this, we felt strongly that women should be able to enjoy a glass of champagne or white wine while getting their hair done, just like what youd see at a high-end retail store. Thousands and thousands of stores do this. Its not anything new, and weve done it in most of our shops.

But is a little bit of a gray area in terms of the law across the country.

Everyone enjoys sipping a glass of wine while theyre getting their hair done, so we worked with Ariana Kelly to get this through the legislature. Similar to [this time around], Gov. OMalley signed the bill into law and designated July 1 Buttercup Day (named after the shade of yellow of Drybars blow-dryers).

Whats your signature blowout style?

Its a mix between messy and beachy. I like messy hair.
Fans of Shirley Jackson are sure to savor Andrew Michael Hurleys Gothic horror novel The Loney (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $25). The tale is set mostly on Britains desolate Lancashire coast, where the 15-year-old narrator, his family and certain members of his church take a retreat every Easter.

"The Loney, by Andrew Michael Hurley. (HMH)

The boys mother is a devout Catholic who uses this time to pray and fast for her oldest son, Hanny, in an effort to cure him of his muteness. But there are sinister warnings that all is not right at this seaside retreat. While the mother and priest talk of hellfire and damnation, the tides themselves seem to be possessed of something otherworldly. The narrator gets pulled into darker machinations of the townspeople, and it is soon a question of just how far he will go to help his older brother finally speak again. Tight, suspenseful writing makes this masterful novel unsettling in the most compelling way.

[Best science fiction books to read]

"Super Extra Grande" (Restless Books)

Intergalactic space travel meets outrageous, biting satire in Super Extra Grande (Restless; paperback, $15.99). Its author, Jose Miguel Sanchez Gomez, who writes under the pen name Yoss, is one of the most celebrated  and controversial  Cuban writers of science fiction. His previous book, A Planet for Rent (2015), was a thinly veiled political critique that imagined a not-so-distant future when alien capitalists threaten to colonize an Earth in disrepair. Here he presents us with another farce laced with reality: Two ambassadors involved in peace talks accidentally get swallowed by an extra-large sea worm, and our hero, an 8-foot veterinarian named Jan Amos Sangan Dongo who travels through space treating giant animals (of which there are many), must devise a way to rescue them without causing political unrest. Reminiscent of Douglas Adams  but even more so, the satire of Rabelais and Swift  Yoss mocks racist and sexist stereotypes while critiquing Western environmental policies via his enormous, bumbling narrator who somehow manages to save the day.

"Children of Earth and Sky" (NAL)

Guy Gavriel Kays Children of Earth and Sky (NAL, $27) is a sweeping epic fantasy with a robust cast of characters caught in a deadly war in an alternative version of Renaissance Europe. Seressa is a country known as Queen of the Sea yet plagued by pirates loyal to a god known as Jad. And everyone must keep an eye on Gurcu the Destroyer, who is ready to launch his own attack upon the West. Warriors and lost souls from all sides must make unlikely alliances if they hope to survive. One is Danica, a fighter desperate for both revenge and redemption as she tries to find out what happened to her kidnapped brother. Others include Pero, an artist whose paintings might actually help start, or stop, a war; Leonara, a widow is who really a spy and ends up assisting Pero; and Marin, a merchant who becomes embroiled in all this political intrigue. Despite the vast array of names, countries and shifting allegiances, this novel is an accessible tale about how various characters create spiritual narratives to deal with survival and loss.

Nancy Hightower reviews science fiction and fantasy every month and is author of The Acolyte.
Dear Miss Manners: At long last  I disagree with you!

It is about your contention that the audiences response after a professional show is not intended to thank the performers, but to show how they feel about the performance  positive, neutral or even negative.

I am myself a stage artist and know life from both sides of the footlights. If the art presented has been pursued with any sort of seriousness, audience members are witnessing many hundreds of hours of good, honest effort brought to this moment of truth, with all it costs in so publicly exposing ones greatest strivings.

This must be respected. It is never okay to boo, it is never okay to critique the performance to the artists face right afterward.

Hate the show? Just leave. Think it could have been better? Wait until the next day, when the artist has rested and you have slept on your own perceptions, and then write a note to them, or seek them out for a cup of coffee.

Praise what was good  and there is always something!  before vouchsafing your thoughts on what could have been better. The occasion of artists bringing the most precious thing they have to offer is never the occasion to engage in cheap, self-congratulatory criticism. It is certainly not the place to engage in aesthetic pillow fights with ones fellow audience members.

Does an aesthetic pillow fight require matching pillows?

While Miss Manners does not applaud cheap or self-congratulatory behavior of any kind, she is perplexed by your logic. The refrigerator that you bought online also represents hundreds of hours of good, honest effort. When it breaks in the first month after installation, do you seek out a customer service representative for a cup of coffee, praising the fact that the refrigerator light continued to work so that you were able to see how much of your food had been ruined?

That the professional performer is uniquely exposed strikes Miss Manners as neither true nor flattering. The actor can blame the director, the CEO can blame subcontractors or the government, and the politician can blame the media  admittedly none with much success. But the actor who argues that his performances are merely a public airing of his own painful secrets denies the craft, hard work, professionalism and experience.

Dear Miss Manners: My son is 12, and my husband and I have taught him to hold open doors for females, the elderly, women with children, etc. However, a majority of the time he has been told, in no uncertain terms, to go away.

As a parent, how should I explain this behavior to him? He doesnt expect anything  I just want him to be a gentleman.

Unpleasant as such situations are, Miss Manners points out that they provide an excellent opportunity to teach your son a second lesson  one that will, unfortunately, be just as useful as the original. This is the rule that a gentleman does not return rudeness with further rudeness.

New Miss Manners columns are posted Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays on washingtonpost.com/advice. You can send questions to Miss Manners at her website, missmanners.com.
Actor Wendell Pierce, best known for playing veteran Detective Bunk Moreland on HBOs The Wire, was arrested early Saturday morning in Atlanta after an altercation at a hotel bar.

Apparently he never got that etiquette memo about taboo conversational topics: the confrontation reportedly was over politics. TMZ and the Daily Beast said that Pierce, a devout Hillary Clinton supporter, allegedly began arguing with a Bernie Sanders supporter and her boyfriend at The Lobby bar at the Loews Atlanta.

Pierce, who was a top fundraiser for President Obama and is also known for activism in his native New Orleans, was charged with simple battery and released on a $1,000 bond.
The National Fair Housing Alliance filed suit against a major insurance company Tuesday, alleging the company refuses to insure D.C. buildings where tenants pay rent with public vouchers  a violation of local and federal housing laws.

Travelers Indemnity Company has consistently denied commercial building owners habitational insurance  critical for owners of multi-unit buildings, as it covers tenant liabilities  according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia.

A spokesman for the Connecticut-based Travelers said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

The denials of insurance are exacerbating a lack of affordable housing in the District, said Shanna Smith, president of the NFHA. Building owners are refusing to rent to residents who use vouchers, because it makes it more difficult to obtain insurance, she said.

We are concerned about the pushing-out of lower-income families from the city and the loss of affordable housing, said Smith, whose organization is seeking a change in the companys policies as well as damages.

[D.C. to direct $82 million to new and existing affordable housing]

During a 10-month investigation in 2015 and 2016, the NFHA contacted six Travelers insurance brokers and sought coverage for well-maintained buildings in poor, largely African American neighborhoods where some tenants use public housing vouchers. Each time the coverage was denied; the brokers all eventually said this was because some residents relied on federal housing vouchers, according to the lawsuit.

Smith said the NFHA launched the investigation to determine if insurance companies were contributing to growing segregation in some cities.

The insurance barriers discourage property owners from renting to voucher holders, who are likely to be black residents, Smith said. These low-income residents may leave the city to find housing or are relegated to low-quality buildings in largely minority neighborhoods.

In D.C., for example, studies show that in recent years the citys poorer residents have been increasingly concentrated in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River, where the population is more than 90 percent black.

[D.C.s poorer residents are increasingly concentrated east of the Anacostia.]

Nearly 11,000 households in D.C. participate in the federal Housing Choice Voucher subsidy program, and 92 percent of these are black, the lawsuit states. Participants in the program use these vouchers to find housing in the private market and are not limited to public housing projects.

The NFHA investigated four other insurance providers in D.C. and will probably file more lawsuits, Smith said. She would not identify the other companies. She said the organization plans to expand its investigation to other cities.

The alliance also discovered that while some insurance companies do provide coverage to buildings with voucher holders, they often do so at significantly higher costs.

The alleged actions by Travelers violate the federal Fair Housing Act as well as D.C.s Human Rights Act, according to the lawsuit. Under the Fair Housing Act, policies cannot impact some groups more than others. Because housing subsidies in D.C. are primarily used by black families, the lawsuit argues that Travelers alleged policy violates the federal act.

The D.C. law more directly addresses residents using government subsidies to pay rent, stating that individuals cannot be discriminated against based on the source of their income. Under this law, the NFHA argues that it is illegal to refuse insurance coverage simply because tenants are paying their rent with vouchers.

In 2013, a similar complaint was lodged against Travelers in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California, alleging that it did not renew a building owners insurance coverage after the company discovered that some tenants received housing subsidies. The case was settled out of court.
THE DISTRICT

Co-worker charged in

killing at barbershop

A barber has been arrested and charged with killing a colleague during an argument this month in their shop in Southeast Washington, according to D.C. police and the arrest affidavit.

The altercation on the afternoon of May 8 inside Unique Cutz in the 4500 block of Benning Road ended when a barber punched the other in the head, causing him to fall back and hit a barber chair, according to the affidavit.

D.C. police initially had said that the victim had been found unconscious along the street.

Darren Jackson, 26, known as Dee the Barber, was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree murder. The victim was identified as Willie James Young, 35, of Suitland, Md.

 Peter Hermann

VIRGINIA

College teacher is

charged with rape

An adjunct professor at a Virginia community college has been charged with rape, authorities said.

On May 5, a student at Northern Virginia Community College reported that her professor, Youssef Taleb, brought her into a conference room to help her with calculus problems, according to an affidavit in support of a search warrant in Fairfax County court.

Taleb then sexually assaulted the woman, according to the affidavit. The victim also said Taleb had raped her in March, and another victim said Taleb sexually battered her earlier in the semester, the affidavit states.

Taleb was arrested May 5 and charged with rape, object sexual penetration and two counts of sexual battery, the universitys spokesman said. Taleb, who was hired in August and taught only at the schools Manassas campus, was terminated by the school, according to the spokesman.

 Justin Wm. Moyer

Woman on tracks

fatally struck by train

An 18-year-old Fairfax County woman was walking along train tracks Monday night with two friends in Burke when she was fatally struck by a train.

Fairfax County police identified the woman as Erika Dunn of Springfield. The train struck her near the 9500 block of Burke Road at 9:38 p.m.

She was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where she later died. No one else was injured.

The investigation is ongoing.

In September, a Maryland teenager was struck by a train near his home while taking photos around the tracks, a popular activity among teenagers.

 Perry Stein

Woman is charged

in husbands death

A Vienna woman has been charged in the death of her husband, 10 months after he was found in a bedroom of their home with a gunshot wound, Fairfax County police said Monday.

After an indictment was issued by a grand jury, police arrested Kimhoang Pham Larocque, 35, on a charge of second-degree murder in the slaying of Eric John Larocque, 33. He was killed in July.

His wife is being held at the Fairfax County jail.

 T. Rees Shapiro

Police: Would-be

robber shoots man

Police are searching for a male who tried to rob a man and then shot him in the arm Tuesday in a residential Fairfax County neighborhood.

Fairfax police said the victim did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

The shooting occurred about 2 a.m near Collins Meade Way and Braeleigh Lane. The victim said the man approached him and demanded property. When the victim refused, the attacker fired a gun, shot him and fled.

 Perry Stein

MARYLAND

Police identify

shooting victim

Prince Georges County police identified the person slain in a shooting Monday afternoon as a Fort Washington man.

Timothy Demetric Turner, 24, was found suffering from gunshot wounds after police arrived at the 7000 block of Allentown Road in Temple Hills in response to the report of a shooting.

Authorities pronounced him dead at the scene.

 Lynh Bui
Maryland didnt mention sulfur-dioxide levels in its latest progress report on air quality. The EPA has issued a preliminary determination that parts of the state have not met federal standards. (Regis Duvignau/Reuters)

Maryland officials left a key pollution measure out of a glowing assessment released this month of the states compliance with federal air-quality standards.

An annual report from the state Department of the Environment touted Marylands progress in meeting federal guidelines for air pollutants such as nitrous oxide and ground-level ozone. But it neglected to mention sulfur dioxide, which can cause asthma and other breathing problems.

Large swaths of northern Anne Arundel and southern Baltimore counties exceed federal limits on sulfur dioxide, according to a preliminary finding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in February. The state has appealed the determination, and the EPA plans to issue a final designation by July 2.

[Report: Maryland hitting EPA marks for air quality]

Weve made a lot of great progress on air quality, and we applaud that, but specific communities still have to deal with sulfur-dioxide issues, said David Smedick, a policy specialist with the Sierra Club environmental group. We think that needs to be acknowledged in our state reports.

Jay Apperson, a spokesman for the state agency, said the annual report released this month alluded to sulfur dioxide levels by mentioning that the state met federal standards for fine particle-pollution in 2012 and that those levels continue to drop.

Sulfur dioxide is a precursor to fine-particle pollution, Apperson said.

Federal guidelines limit sulfur dioxide levels to 75 parts per billion. The states analysis shows that the area in question fell slightly below that pollution level, with 71 parts per billion. But the EPA, using Sierra Club measurements, determined that the levels had actually reached 112.3 parts per billion.

Maryland challenged the EPAs initial finding on grounds that the Sierra Clubs modeling was flawed. The state cited several factors that it believes exaggerated sulfur-dioxide levels in the Sierra Club analysis, including the location of receptors and techniques that analysts used for processing meteorological data and smokestack temperatures.

These errors in the Sierra Club modeling make it unsuitable for use in the designation process, the state agency said.

Maryland Secretary of the Environment Ben Grumbles said he is confident in his agencys finding that sulfur dioxide is within federal limits, adding that the agency enjoys a national reputation for its expertise in air quality science.

Smedick, in turn, defended the Sierra Clubs system of measurement, noting that the EPA said in a technical document that the groups modeling most closely follows the guidance outlined in EPAs modeling and is more representative of actual air quality conditions.

Environmental watchdogs say the Herbert A. Wagner coal power plant, located along the Patapsco River in Anne Arundel County, is the primary contributor to sulfur-dioxide pollution for the area in question. The facility is among the largest single sources of air-pollution on the East Coast, according to the EPA.

If the EPA finalizes its preliminary determination on July 2, Maryland will have to develop a plan to reduce sulfur-dioxide in the area.

Smedick said the Wagner plant should utilize technologies such as scrubbing mechanisms that can capture some of the sulfur-dioxide emissions from smokestacks.

State environmental officials say Marylands power generators have already invested more than $2 billion in air-pollution controls since 2007.
In 2014, candidates for the Montgomery County Council couldnt say enough about education.

So pervasive were pledges to cut class sizes and narrow the achievement gap, voters could be forgiven for forgetting that the county has an eight-member school board, elected to set policy for the 156,000-student system.

Some of the mail pieces I get from candidates, I think: Huh, are they running for school board? I think if youre so interested in that, youre in the wrong race, Board of Education member Patricia ONeill observed at the time.

On Monday, however, the council acted as a de facto school board, using its leverage as never before to direct more money into classrooms. Members had made it clear to the actual school board that they would not sign off a 2017 schools budget that did not include a commitment to smaller class size and redoubled efforts to narrow the achievement gap.

[Montgomery Council calls for cuts in negotiated wage increases]

Council members were reflecting the anxiety expressed by parents over the condition of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). Often called the countys crown jewel, MCPS has been challenged in recent years by surging enrollment, serious overcrowding and a growing proportion of high-needs students from low-income families.

Parents were also frustrated by a school system leadership that they said could be opaque in describing what it was actually trying to do to meet these challenges.

We cant tread water, And I feel like weve been treading water for a long time, Council member Hans Riemer (D-At Large) said Monday. Its time to swim.

The county council approved a record $2.4 billion schools appropriation on Monday, $90 million over state-mandated minimum funding, also known as maintenance of effort. The measure will increase per-pupil spending by nearly $300, from $9,759 to $10,054.

This is no one-time boost. Maintenance of effort requires the county to fund schools at the same per-pupil amount as the prior year. It means that next years base budget will be elevated by $90 million.

In a rare collaborative effort, both the school board and the council underwrote some of the increase at the expense of public-sector unions. The council voted 8 to 1 to drop a previously negotiated 3.5 percent longevity increase for police and other county employees who had the hikes deferred during the recession.

[Leggett trims proposed property tax increase]

The council also trimmed a cost-of -living for firefighters from 2 percent to 1 percent.

Employees in all three unions still get a 4.5 percent increase for 2017.

These moves helped to secure a commitment from school board president Michael A. Durso to cut from 8 percent to 4.5 percent negotiated pay hikes for teachers and other school personnel, with or without union approval.

On Wednesday, the council will take additional steps to support what some members have dubbed the education first budget. They are expected to approve a property tax increase of at least 6.4 percent, which would raise the average annual residential tax bill by $240. Much of the additional revenue will go to supporting the huge increase in schools funding. This will require a unanimous 9-to-0 vote because it will exceed charter limits on how much tax revenue the county can collect in a given year.

The council is also expected to approve an increase in portions of the recordation tax, fees that are paid when homes are bought, sold or refinanced. The proposed hike would bring in an additional $185 million over the next six years. Two-thirds of it --about $125 million will go to the school systems capital construction budget to help address serious overcrowding.
Dylann Roof appears at a 2015 court hearing in North Charleston, S.C., after being accused of killing nine people inside Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. (Grace Beahm/AP)

When it comes to mass shootings, President Obama and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan are in rare accord on a leading culprit.

Both point fingers at mental illness. And in poll after poll, most Americans agree.

But criminologists and forensic psychiatrists say there is a critical flaw in that view: It doesnt reflect reality.

While acknowledging that some of the countrys worst mass shooters were psychotic  the Colorado theater gunman, James Holmes, with his orange-dyed hair; the Virginia Tech shooter, Seung Hui Cho, whom a judge ordered to get treatment  experts say the vast majority of such killers did not have any classic form of serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia or psychosis.

Instead, they were more often ruthless sociopaths whose behavior, while unfathomable, cant typically be treated as mental illness.

U.S. Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was convicted in 2013 of killing 13 people and injuring 30 others during a 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas. (Handout/Getty Images)

The oversimplification, experts say, is perpetuated by the gun industry and a society that assumes that the mentally ill are the only ones capable of deadly rampages. Now, with the White House and Congress prioritizing an overhaul of the mental-health system to try to curtail mass shootings and gun violence, critics say the country is chasing an expensive and potentially counterproductive cure on the basis of the wrong diagnosis.

It would be ridiculous to hope that doing something about the mental-health system will stop these mass murders, said Michael Stone, a forensic psychiatrist at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and author of The Anatomy of Evil, which examines the personalities of brutal killers. Its really folly.

Stone maintains a database of more than 300 killers, most of them shooters of four or more people. He essentially breaks mental illness into two categories. In the first category are those with schizophrenia, delusions and other psychoses that separate them from reality and who are suffering from serious mental illness and could be helped with medical treatment. In the second are those with personality, antisocial or sociopathic disorders who may exhibit paranoia, callousness or a severe lack of empathy but know exactly what they are doing.

In a paper published last year, Stone found that just about 2 out of 10 mass killers were suffering from serious mental illness. The rest had personality or antisocial disorders or were disgruntled, jilted, humiliated or full of intense rage. They were unlikely to be identified or helped by the mental-health system, reformed or not.

[Damaged masculinity may help explain Columbine and other mass shootings]

These traits, by Stones analysis and definition, describe Eric Harris, the ringleader of the Columbine High School shootings in 1999; Michael McDermott, a software technician who killed seven co-workers in 2000; Nidal Hasan, an Army major who killed 14 people at Fort Hood, Tex., in 2009; Dylann Roof, who is charged with killing eight worshipers in a church in Charleston, S.C., last year; and many more.

The whole notion of mental illness and mass shootings is so poorly understood, said Liza Gold, a forensic psychiatrist at Georgetown University and editor of a recent collection of scholarly papers on gun violence and mental illness. To address the reality of it, its like dealing with people in a parallel dimension.

Here's a look at how President Obama has responded to mass shootings in the United States during his time in office. (Ashleigh Joplin/The Washington Post)

Around the country, at the federal and state levels, lawmakers have proposed or passed legislation linking mental illness to gun violence, saying the measures were needed to stop mass shootings. Some states, including New York, now require mental-health workers to report anyone they think is dangerous to a database used for firearms background checks. After the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007, Virginia passed measures to lower the criteria for commitment.

Almost every high-profile mass shooting in recent years has prompted plans and promises to reform the mental-health system.

Jonathan Metzl, a Vanderbilt University professor who studies the history of mental illness, has written that insanity becomes the only politically sane place to discuss gun control.

Earlier this year, in a tearful announcement of measures to stem the American phenomenon of mass shootings and gun violence, President Obama said, Were going to do more to help those suffering from mental illness get the help that they need.

He proposed spending $500 million to expand mental-health treatment. His frequent legislative sparring partner on the Hill  the House speaker  is insisting that something be done to protect Americans from randomly being shot.

We have seen consistently that an underlying cause of these attacks has been mental illness, and we should look at ways to address this problem, Ryan (R-Wis.) said earlier this year.

The question is how.

[Are mass shootings contagious? Some scientists who study viruses say yes.]

In 2013, in response to the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., that killed 20 first-graders, Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), a child psychologist, proposed a far-reaching mental-health reform package to expand inpatient psychiatric care and relax privacy rules so family members of the mentally ill are able to access their health records. States would have lost federal grant money if they didnt pass laws forcing people to get outpatient treatment. The bill, which had Democratic co-sponsors, stalled amid concerns about patients privacy and the involuntary-treatment provision.

Murphy revised and reintroduced the bill last year, backing off the involuntary treatment requirement. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) also has proposed a reform package, although he has not linked it to mass shootings, saying he was uncomfortable having mental health framed as a response to gun violence because it risks drawing an inherent connection between mental illness and violence, which doesnt exist.

Sen. Murphys bill is competing with legislation sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) that would require courts, not mental-health professionals, to determine whether someone should be prohibited from buying guns. Democrats say that would make it tougher to seize firearms, but the National Rifle Association supports Cornyns measure.

There may not be much chance of any meaningful reform passing in an election year. Still, both parties seem determined to get something done.

The reality is, so many of these mass shootings could have been prevented, Rep. Murphy said in an interview. The issue is identifying these people sooner and getting them the help they need.

But psychiatrists and criminologists who specialize in mass killings say these cumbersome and expensive efforts would have little effect in stopping mass shootings. They fear that the country will be given a false sense of security and that when the shootings persist, the mental-health system will be blamed again.

Critics are especially concerned about increased stigmatization of the mentally ill, fearing that they will avoid treatment so their medical records arent entered into databases, some of which have derogatory category titles such as the mentally defective file.

So deranged, so evil

Underlying the disconnect between the legislative ideas and the scientific reality, experts say, are fundamental misconceptions about the connection between serious mental illness and violence.

Studies show that the mentally ill do present a higher risk for violence than others, but overall they account for just 3 to 5 percent of violence in the country  and only 1 percent of gun violence against strangers. They are far more likely to be victims of crime.

There are many groups perpetuating the myth of the mentally ill mass shooter, experts say.

One is the news media, which looks for and raises the mental-illness story line after major incidents, sometimes without confirmation but with profound effects. Readers of news articles linking mental illness to a mass shooting reported significantly higher perceived dangerousness of, and desired social distance from, people with serious mental illness in general, according to a paper by researchers at Duke and Johns Hopkins universities.

Another is the NRA, whose officials, in fighting off tighter gun-control policies, have called mass shooters so deranged, so evil, so possessed by voices and driven by demons that no sane person can even possibly comprehend them.

And most Americans agree, with 63 percent blaming mass shootings on the failures of the mental-health system to identify sick people before they act, according to a Washington Post-ABC News survey last year.

I think its the human inclination to explain behavior that is frightening and tragic as the result of mental illness, because its very hard to understand that individuals do not have to be mentally ill to do something frightening and tragic, said J. Reid Meloy, a professor of forensic psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego who studies mass killings and consults with the FBI.

Mass shooters come in different forms. Some are depressed about their lot in life. Some are enraged by personal slights and seek revenge. Others are paranoid, including Roof, who voiced deep hatred of blacks and other minorities in a manifesto on his website and allegedly told his African American victims: You rape our women, and youre taking over our country. And you have to go.

But that doesnt mean they have a significant impairment in reality testing, as Stone put it in his analysis of mass killers. They plot methodically. They know what they are doing.

Consequently, they often have not had significant interaction with either the mental-health or law enforcement community, the Congressional Research Service said in a long report on mass shootings that raised questions about the connection to mental illness. Nonetheless, following mass shootings, policymakers often propose providing increased funding to bolster the background-check database.

Its a dead end, researchers argue.

The book on mental health and gun violence that Gold edited included a paper on mass shootings with this conclusion: Reactive attempts to reduce gun violence by focusing on people with mental illness represent an intervention with no supportive evidence of practical efficacy.

People in crises

What might work?

A first-of-its-kind law in Connecticut offers some lessons  and obstacles.

In 1998, a disgruntled state lottery accountant fatally shot four employees at the agencys headquarters. A year later, the state passed a law that allowed police to seize guns from people deemed imminently dangerous to themselves or others, based on tips often provided by family members or friends. More than 2,000 guns were seized in the first 10 years after the law took effect, according to a state legislative research report.

A 2014 analysis of the seizures in the Connecticut Law Review found that 80 percent of those who had guns taken away  most were men  had no history of mental illness. The profile that emerges from Connecticuts experience is that of people in crises, the analysis said.

Marital conflicts. Financial problems. Grief. Disputes with co-workers.

The risk factors are the circumstances, the article concluded, not the person and not a diagnosis.

Two other states  California and Indiana  have passed similar laws, which allow for both seizures and a temporary prohibition on purchases. Public health experts say these measures, if adopted widely, could have a significant effect on gun violence and mass shootings, particularly because shooters often drop hints about their plans to family members and friends, who could then report them.

The NRA opposes such measures. And mental-health experts also question them. People with failing marriages, financial troubles and problems with co-workers are everywhere. So are people with personality disorders.

How could a system be devised to triangulate the risk and identify real threats? Not easily. Or ever.

From a psychiatric perspective, Gold said, I dont think you can design an intervention to prevent mass shootings.

But some of the mental-health reforms being promoted to reduce gun violence  increasing the number of inpatient beds, raising funding for schizophrenia research, improving community mental-health services  may deserve support anyway.

If the result is better funding and treatment for mental health, is that a worthy outcome? said Meloy, the forensic-psychiatry professor who consults with the FBI. I think so, even if the means to get there were somewhat duplicitous.

Correction: An earlier version of this story identified Nidal Hasan as an Army captain. He was an Army major.
Obituaries of residents from the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Judith Ann Wilson, massage therapist

Judith Ann Wilson, 73, a message therapist with the Robert Andrew Salon & Spa in Gambrills, Md., from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, died April 10 at a medical center in Chapel Hill, N.C. The cause was a brain hemorrhage, said her son, Bradley Wilson.

Mrs. Wilson was born Judith Ann Baron in Uniontown, Pa., and had lived in the Washington area since 1960. She lived in Davidsonville, Md., and was visiting a daughter in North Carolina when she died.

Josephine Kubota, State Department official

Josephine Kubota, 95, a reports officer in the State Departments Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs from 1951 to 1968, died April 4 at her home in Potomac, Md. The cause was pneumonia, said a daughter, Christina Ward.

Mrs. Kubota was born Josephine Huckelberry in New Albany, Ind. During World War II, she served in the Navy Waves as a communications officer in Washington and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At State, she served briefly at the U.S. Embassy in London. A longtime Annapolis resident, she had most recently been living in Potomac.

Patricia Sherwood, sales representative

Patricia Sherwood, 70, who worked from 1966 to 1996 as a telephone sales representative for The Washington Posts classified advertising division, died March 14 at her home in Ellicott City, Md. The cause was liver failure, said a sister-in-law, Marcy Knepp.

Mrs. Sherwood was born Patricia Knepp in Washington and grew up in Silver Spring, Md. She volunteered at Days End Horse Rescue Farm in Woodbine, Md., leading educational programs for school and youth groups.

Henry C. Mustin, Navy vice admiral

Henry C. Mustin, 82, a Navy vice admiral who participated in combat operations in Vietnam, commanded fleets and aircraft units at sea, and retired as a deputy chief of naval operations, died April 11 at the home of a daughter in Suffolk, Va. The cause was congestive heart failure, said a son, Lloyd M. Mustin II.

Adm. Mustin was born in Bremerton, Wash., and was a fifth-generation naval officer. He participated in strategic arms reduction negotiations with the Soviet Union and served as a senior U.S. military representative to the United Nations. When he retired from the Navy in 1989, he held the title of deputy chief of naval operations for plans, policy and operations. His decorations included two Distinguished Service Medals, three awards of the Legion of Merit and three Bronze Stars.

In retirement, Adm. Mustin lived in Alexandria, Va., and was a vice president for Kaman, a Connecticut-based aerospace company, and a distinguished fellow at the Center for Naval Analyses.

 From staff reports
Edward Nero, a Baltimore police officer who was involved in Freddie Gray's arrest, exits the Baltimore City Circuit Court for a lunch recess during the first day of his trial. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

A police officer charged with illegally arresting and failing to put a seat belt on Freddie Gray was never trained in arrest and transport procedures, according to testimony Tuesday.

Lt. Charles Sullivan, who trained Officer Edward M. Nero at Baltimores Police Academy in 2012, said the officers 10-week training period was unexpectedly cut short. In Neros file, the section titled Arrest procedures, transporting prisoners, use of wagon is left blank.

I didnt train him on how to do it, Sullivan said.

Sullivan was one of four members of the Baltimore City Police Department who testified in defense of Nero, who is accused of assault and reckless endangerment for his involvement in Grays arrest last year.

Prosecutors have charged that Nero helped illegally arrest Gray and then failed to secure him in a police wagon, leading to the 25-year-olds fatal injury in police custody. The state has said that Gray hit his head while he was being transported to the Central Booking facility. His death provoked mass protests against police as well as riots that left storefronts in his home town of West Baltimore broken and burned.

On Tuesday, defense attorneys sought to convince Judge Barry G. Williams that Nero acted as any officer would under the circumstances. As part of their case, Sgts. Robert Himes and Warren Stephens and Officer Aaron Jackson told the court that they had never seatbelted a prisoner in a police wagon.

[Baltimore police officer forced to testify ]

Jackson was at the scene of Grays April 12, 2015, arrest, helping control a crowd he described as angry. He was also present when Gray was initially loaded into the police van and when the young man was taken out and reloaded into the same van a few blocks away.

I saw the van shaking violently at the second stop, Jackson testified, demonstrating with his hands. The entire van was shaking back and forth.

Prosecutor Janice Bledsoe tried to undercut Jacksons account, asking him about other details of the scene of Grays arrest that he was unable to recall.

He remembered 20 to 40 people surrounding the van during Grays arrest, but surveillance video from the scene showed a nearly empty street. Jackson said more people arrived later.

Stephens, who helped train Nero, said that most of what officers learn about detaining suspects comes from street practice, not the police academy.

People pass a mural depicting Freddie Gray April 25, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland, a year after the protests that were sparked by Gray's death in police custody. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

He agreed with defense attorney Marc Zayon that Nero, who joined the force in 2012, was still a baby officer learning the trade and described himself as a mentor.

Deciding whether a stopped person might be a flight risk  and thus should be handcuffed  is something officers come to intuit, Stephens said.

Some will cooperate, and some will not, he said. Officers get to know the hints that may happen before someone decides to run.

Gray ran from police the morning of his arrest. Prosecutors say that police had no probable cause to detain him, but defense attorneys have argued that his flight in a high-crime area was sufficient justification.

Michelle Martin, an assistant attorney general for the state of Maryland and former assistant states attorney in Baltimore, testified that she trained Neros academy class on Fourth Amendment issues.

Unprovoked flight is one factor that can lead to reasonable suspicion, Martin said. Reasonable suspicion is required to detain a citizen. She also said that, for an officers safety, use of force may be required when someone is stopped.

On Monday, an officer testified in the case against Nero under duress. Officer Garrett E. Miller, who faces his own trial in July for his role in Grays arrest, minimized Neros involvement. Miller said he was the person who caught and handcuffed Gray that April day.

His testimony in Neros trial cannot be used against him when he goes on trial on the same charges in July.

Neros defense attorneys argue that the defendant was not directly involved in Grays arrest and was not responsible for seatbelting him in the van. Moreover, they have argued that its unclear when Gray was injured and thus whether the lack of a seatbelt was a factor.

Officer Nero did not call out the chase. He did not detain Mr. Gray, he did not cuff Mr. Gray, he did not move Mr. Gray, Zayon said Monday in arguing unsuccessfully for an immediate acquittal.

Nero is the second of six Baltimore officers to face trial in connection with the arrest. Because he chose a bench trial rather than face a jury, Williams will decide his fate. The first trial in the case, against Officer William G. Porter, ended in a mistrial.

The defense is set to resume its case Wednesday, and the judge said closing arguments will be held Thursday.
District homicide detectives continue to sort through evidence in the shootings on Monday of a man and a woman blocks apart in Southeast Washington in what police think were related attacks.

Authorities identified Mondays victims as Tayvon Devonte Cummings, 22, who was shot dead in an alley off Texas Avenue Southeast about 1 p.m., and Tracey Louise Cooper, 45, who was killed on the driveway leading up to her duplex three hours later.

At a news conference Monday night, D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said detectives thought the two shootings to be connected, but she would not elaborate.

Two law enforcement officials familiar with the cases said police are investigating whether Coopers assailant may have thought someone close to her was involved in the Cummings slaying.

Police said they were trying to sort out the details in what appears to be a dispute rooted in long-running animosity within a family or between families that live near the busy intersection of Benning Road and East Capitol Street. No arrests had been made as of Tuesday afternoon.

Lanier said in an interview Tuesday that she has added police resources to the area and the rest of Ward 7, where the shootings occurred and where there has been a sharp rise in homicides this year. As of Tuesday, 20 homicides have occurred in Ward 7, compared with six at this time last year.

The chief said the heightened focus includes her annual Summer Crime Initiative, which began May 1 in Ward 7, involving not only extra police officers, but also services from a wide range of government agencies.

Were getting information on each and every one of these cases, Lanier said in praising community residents for coming forward with tips.

Relatives of Cummings could not be reached Tuesday; a woman who identified herself only as a relative of Coopers declined to comment when reached by telephone.

Police said Cummings was killed about 1 p.m. in the 4800 block of Texas Avenue SE.

A man who said he saw part of the shooting and spoke on the condition of anonymity said he heard gunshots, and then saw people running out of the alley. He said that he saw the man later identified as Cummings on his knees, firing toward Benning Road, before he collapsed. He said that another man picked up that gun and ran. Two police officials backed this account.

Cooper was shot about three hours later in front of her home in the 100 block of 49th Street SE, according to police. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

In addition to the deadly shootings, three other people were wounded Monday within three hours across the city. One was in Northwest, where a man was grazed by a bullet outside the Petworth-Georgia Avenue Metro station, and two people were shot in Fairlawn. None of those victims suffered life-threatening injuries, and police said they do not think any of those shootings were linked.

Lanier and Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) held a news conference late Monday near the scene of the latest fatal shootings in an attempt to ease community concerns. We are horrified by what we saw today, the mayor said.
Two former security guards at MedStar Washington Hospital Center were indicted Tuesday on charges of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 74-year-old patient outside the hospital last fall.

Officers Clifton Montgomery, 30, of Bladensburg, and Charles Brown, 43, of Fort Washington, face a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted, the U.S. attorneys office said Tuesday. They were indicted by a grand jury in D.C. Superior Court.

On Sept. 29, James E. McBride suffered a broken vertebra near the base of his neck during an altercation with Montgomery and Brown, who confronted him after he walked out of the hospital without being discharged, according to D.C. police documents. He died Oct. 1.

McBrides nurse and a security guard found him across the street, near MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, hospital officials said after an investigation. The nurse and guard walked the man back to the hospitals grounds and turned him over to two other security guards.

Montgomery and Brown, who were qualified to carry firearms and have arrest powers, were trying to restrain McBride and take him back into the hospital when he was injured, MedStar officials have said.

A police report said that McBride became non-compliant and resisted and a struggle ensued.

[James McBrides death ruled a homicide]

It remains unclear why McBride, of Northwest Washington, had left the hospital without authorization. He died Oct. 1 of blunt-force injuries to the neck, spinal cord and vertebrae.

David Schertler, an attorney for Montgomery, said the officers response was reasonable and appropriate . . . under the circumstances.

My client did not commit any crime, he said.

Calls to Browns attorney were not immediately returned.

Hospital spokeswoman So Young Pak said the two officers were removed from their jobs in November. Pak said the hospital has undergone a thorough evaluation of the event to identify ways to improve in order to prevent such an occurrence in the future and is working to improve communication involving doctors, nurses and security.

Hospital officials previously said that there were changes in the training of caregivers and security officers and that a new team to respond to high-risk situations was created.

McBrides family has not spoken publicly about the events surrounding his death, and relatives could not be reached Tuesday. Instead, family members have released statements through the hospital.

On Tuesday, for the first time, the hospital said it had reached an agreement for a settlement with the family. Officials would not provide details, and a call to the familys attorney was not immediately returned.

In a statement, the hospital said its staff was devastated by McBrides death and was determined to prevent similar incidents.

While nothing can change the familys loss, we are committed to ensuring that these improvements will honor Mr. McBrides legacy and will enhance our service to all patients who turn to us for care, the statement said.

Brown and Montgomery have not been taken into custody or scheduled for initial court appearances.
One of two suspects charged in the fatal stabbing of a transgender woman in Montgomery County in mid-April was at that time awaiting sentencing in a District case in which he had pleaded guilty to brandishing a knife on a Metro platform, court files show.

Keith C. Renier, 21 of Fort Dupont Terrace in Southeast Washington, was ordered held without bond Monday in Montgomery County District Court in the April 16 death of Keyonna Blakeney, 22.

Blakeney was found dead of multiple stab wounds in Room 174 of the Red Roof Inn on Shady Grove Road in Rockville, which appeared to have been ransacked, according to court documents.

The documents also show that a second suspect arrested in Blakeneys death arrived with Renier at the hotel from the District via an Uber car that Blakeney arranged and paid for.

In the earlier case in the District, according to authorities, Renier pulled out a knife at the Archives station platform, and said Ill kill all of you to a group of people after hed been involved in a dispute with a woman he knew.

Keith Renier, 21, of the District appeared Monday in Montgomery County on charges in the April 16 death of Keyonna Blakeney, 22. (Keith Renier/Montgomery County Police)

Police records in the District and Montgomery show that on April 11, Renier pleaded guilty to pulling a knife in February on the Metro platform, a case with a simple assault and a weapon charge.

Five days later, police allege, he killed Blakeney, who police have said was engaged in prostitution in a room at the hotel.

In the District on April 25, he was sentenced to probation and was ordered to attend anger management classes among other conditions.

On May 10, Renier was arrested in Blakeneys death and made his first court appearance in Montgomery County on the case Monday.

In the murder case, a motive remains unclear.

After Renier appeared in court Monday, several of his relatives and friends said in interviews outside the courtroom that he was not the kind of person who would kill anyone. Even if Renier were in the hotel room, according to Niccole Curry, a friend, he would have tried to break up an altercation, and if it got too bad, he would have departed.

I feel like everything went sideways, and he tried to leave, said Curry, who said she once dated Renier.

Montgomery police also have charged Arbra A. Bethea, 17, of East Capitol Street in Southeast Washington in Blakeneys death. Bethea, who was charged as an adult, has not yet appeared in Montgomery court.

Both men are charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, conspiracy to commit murder and murder, according to court records.

Police in court files say a relative of Betheas had dated Blakeney and Bethea knew her, and also that Bethea used Reniers cellphone en route to the Red Roof Inn to speak with Blakeney.

Detectives later spoke with a confidential informant, who identified the suspects and told detectives that Bethea had arranged to meet the victim under the guise of a date, all the while intending to rob the victim with the help of Renier, according to court records.

When the victim, Blakeney, arranged for the car pickup, Bethea had the driver arrive at an address close to his home but not at his home to avoid detection, detectives wrote.

Detectives spoke with the Uber driver and reviewed records, confirming the driver picked up two young men at 2:58 a.m., April 16, and dropped them at the hotel a short time later. The detective also studied the victims phone records, court files state, which showed her receiving a series of calls from 3:36 a.m. to 3:38 a.m., April 16.

The number that called her, police allege, was linked to Renier.

Two days later, detectives assert, Renier dropped that number and got a new phone.
Police are searching for a male suspect who shot a man in the arm early Tuesday in a residential Fairfax County neighborhood.

Fairfax Police said the victim was transported to a hospital, and did not sustain life-threatening injuries.

The shooting occurred around 2 a.m near Collins Meade Way and Braeleigh Lane. There were still multiple police units on the scene as of 7 a.m.

The suspect is described as a tall, black man with dreadlocks. Initial reports do not indicate whether the suspect and victim knew each other. Police say it is possible the shooting was part of an attempted robberty.
A Vienna woman has been charged in the death of her husband, nine months after he was found in a bedroom of their home with a gunshot wound, Fairfax County police said Monday.

[Vienna engineers death investigated as homicide]

After an indictment was issued by a grand jury, police arrested Kimhoang Pham Larocque, 35, on a second-degree murder charge in the slaying of Eric John Larocque, 33.

He was killed in July 2015, and his death was one of 13 homicides in Fairfax last year. An engineer at the Dewberry firm, Larocque was known by work colleagues as a doting father of the couples two young children.

His wife is currently being held at the Fairfax County jail without bond.
Day and night, the most feared people in America contact Ashraf Nubani.

So it was in June 2003, when a team of FBI agents rapped at the door of Randall Ismail Royer and arrested him on charges of helping a network of militant jihadists in Northern Virginia. So it was when authorities cuffed Majed Hajbeh after discovering hed been convicted in Jordan for involvement in bomb attacks there. And so it was when agents carted away Mahmoud Elhassan in January, charging him with aiding and abetting a local mans attempt to join the Islamic State.

In the past 15 years, Nubani, a Springfield, Va., lawyer, has represented either in the media or legally at least 21 people accused of terrorist ties. He defended Osama bin Ladens son-in-law. He defended a 23-year-old man accused of plotting to assassinate then-President George W. Bush. He defended another man said to be a Hamas operative.

In some of the regions most notorious cases, where allegations of Islamophobia and terrorism have collided, there was Nubani. Hes in a lot of cases, said Charlie Swift, director of the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America. Hes stepped up, and he has taken a lot of cases.

One of the unexpected byproducts of the war on terrorism has been the emergence of a small fraternity of lawyers who have a speciality in defending alleged terrorists. Following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, investigators turned their attention to Americas suburbs, and Washingtons in particular, where seven of the 19 al-Qaeda hijackers spent time before the attacks. This has since precipitated more than 500 terrorism-related prosecutions, according to a 2014 Human Rights Watch report, and a need for lawyers who know how to defend clients embroiled in them. A federal court in New York, where many are waged, has even established a terrorism panel of 27 lawyers the court could tap to represent alleged terrorists.

Majed Talat Hajbeh is shown in this May 17, 2005, photo at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Portsmouth, Va. (Bill Tiernan/AP)

Its a speciality, said David Ruhnke, a lawyer with the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel who has represented terrorism defendants in New York. There are lawyers who do nothing but sue people whose elevators blow up, and there are lawyers that do this.

The rise of the Islamic State, which has the most sophisticated recruiting apparatus of any terrorist organization in history, has accelerated the push to root out alleged terrorists in the United States and called forth a familiar cast of names who defend them.

One is Nubani, a controversial lawyer who makes no bones about the fact that he isnt a criminal lawyer by training  a matter some clients now say harmed their cases.

Hes an immigration lawyer who, as a part-time imam at Dar Al-Hijrah, was suddenly thrust into a national maelstrom when members of his Islamic community were accused of terrorist ties and called for help. And soon, this seemingly demure man who writes poetry on the side was standing before the cameras  on the steps of the Alexandria courthouse, in front of the home of an accused terrorist  almost always in a pair of dark sunglasses.

He doesnt don them for aesthetic reasons. Nubani is legally blind, and his eyes, which dont perceive color, absorb substantially more light than they should. His is a gray, bright world.

What others can see at 200 feet, Nubani can see only right next to him. This means he cant drive. He cant use a computer unless the text is so large others can read it from across the room. And earlier this year, when his client Elhassan was arrested on charges that could put him away for 20 years, Nubani could read them only by bringing the criminal complaint within an inch of his nose.

* * *

Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman (Said Elatab /AP)

Theres a story Ashraf Nubani tells when explaining how he became who he is. It begins with a T-shirt that landed him in a world of trouble.

Nubani, a Palestinian who came to the United States from Kuwait when he was 4, was a teenager. He wasnt raised in a religious household, and he said his parents mostly wanted their three children to fit in. But Nubanis high school years in Chicago were particularly significant for Palestinians. Israel had just invaded Lebanon, and the tensions that would years later culminate in the First Intifada had started simmering.

So Nubani went to a local store and asked a clerk to make him a shirt that said Free Palestine on one side and PLO on the other. He called that moment an emotional awakening, when, over the protestations of his parents, he embraced a controversial political position and strutted into school, shirt on. Teachers, he said, told him to take it off. But he refused, bringing the case to a local American Civil Liberties Union branch, which sent the school board a letter saying he had the right to wear the shirt.

That was when Nubani started thinking about being a lawyer. He got his law degree at Indiana University, then picked up a New York internship with the famed radical lawyer, William Kunstler, who made a career out of defending hated people and causes.

It was 1993. Kunstler was representing Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, whom authorities arrested shortly after the World Trade Center bombings, charging him with urging additional attacks. The case was one of the countrys first prosecutions against an alleged Muslim terrorist that hinged on plans, not actions.

The case that Ashraf worked on was a template for future prosecutions, said Ronald Kuby, who was a partner at the firm and also worked the case.  . . . Ashraf got to know [Abdel Rahman] and participate in legal meetings because he could translate Arabic. Kuby recalled Nubanis seriousness: His blindness helped create a discipline in him that tended to be lacking in law students of his age cohort.

Those weeks sketched out the contours of what would become Nubanis career. They taught him the difficulties of defending widely despised people who can often afford little for legal aid. There is a lack of competition for the cases, Kuby said, later adding that Abdel Rahman paid nothing for his defense. You cant monetize them, and everyone hates you.

But Nubani realized he could play an important role. There are a lot of cultural and religious variables in terrorism cases, and very few criminal defense attorneys can begin to deal with that, said Stanley Cohen, a lawyer who has also defended accused terrorists and who pleaded guilty to obstructing the Internal Revenue Service in 2014, serving nearly a year in prison. He called Nubani an invaluable conduit between culture and criminal defense.

But Nubani wasnt sure he wanted to be a conduit. He took a job at a Springfield law firm, working immigration cases. He and his wife, Fayzah, whom he met in Jordan, enrolled their children in local Islamic schools and were soon stopping by a nearby mosque, Dar Al-Hijrah. Nubani became active there, delivering sermons, translating for visiting sheiks  and sinking deeper into a community that would become the focus of numerous investigations in the years following Sept. 11, 2001.

* * *

In a region of power attorneys, Ashraf Nubani is not one. His office is the size of a studio apartment. He doesnt advertise. The Virginia Bar reprimanded him in 2008 after he overdrew a clients trust account three times in six months. He declared bankruptcy in 2009, listing his liabilities as somewhere between $100,000 and $500,000.

I dont make what other lawyers make, he said, blaming the reprimand on bad record keeping and his blindness. I dont even make the average. And I know that. But I am what I am. . . . Ive taken a lot of cases pro bono.

It was a decision he made shortly after the twin towers went down, when federal authorities started investigating people who attended his mosque, and Nubanis phone started ringing. The Muslims in the community wanted someone they thought they could trust  and for many, that was Nubani.

I was a part of that community, Nubani said, and being an attorney, I was a wanted commodity. He added: Everyone needs representation  a child murderer, a rapist, and people ask, how could I even do that? But everyone needs representation.

Others have had a different view of lawyers who defend accused terrorists, questioning their motives as well as who pays their fees when they dont take cases pro bono.

Although no such charges have been directed publicly at Nubani, he said his defense of accused terrorists made the partners at his former firm uncomfortable. He decided to leave in 2003 and start his own law firm. Two partners at Becker, Hicks, Irving & Hadeed, however, said in interviews that they have no recollection of that. He did defend controversial figures at the time, Larry Becker said.  . . . I dont remember any acrimony.

The departure came at the same time as one of the regions most notorious terrorism cases. It featured Randall Ismail Royer, an activist with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who said he first met Nubani in the late 1990s through contacts in the Muslim community. So when authorities began investigating him and other members of what was called the Virginia Jihad Network, Royer and his wife called Nubani.

I never paid him a penny, Royer said from federal prison in Hopewell, Va., where he is serving a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to helping American friends join Lashkar-e-Taiba, later designated a terrorist group, fighting Indian forces in Kashmir. And I dont know how many people have paid him. He was operating on charity.

But after the charges came down  and Royer realized he was facing life in prison  he became frustrated with Nubani. A more experienced criminal attorney could have been able to do that job better, he said. In a letter, he commented: I think he was over his head after my arrest. . . . His desire to help exceeded his ability to help.

Its a concern Nubani would hear again. The judge disqualified Nubani from Royers defense, citing an undisclosed conflict of interest, which Nubani said he cannot recall. I was working with an experienced attorney at that time, Nubani said of Royers comment.  . . . And I never felt in over my head.

Then in another case in 2005, the government denied Nubanis request for security clearance to review evidence a judge said could help his client, who had been accused of plotting to kill President Bush. The reason was not disclosed, but Nubani said that the government told him it was his family ties and didnt specify further.

And finally, in 2013, Reuters reported, a judge warned an al-Qaeda spokesman against having Nubani as his lawyer, noting that his disability could interfere with his ability to get a security clearance. I was offended, Nubani said.

But Muslim clients continue to turn to him. Its trust more than experience, said Majed Hajbeh, who retained Nubani after he was arrested on an immigration violation following authorities discovery that a Jordanian court had convicted him in a terrorist attack. The conviction was later overturned. You saw him, and you saw he prays five times a day, Hajbeh continued. And thats the issue.

So perhaps that explains what happened in January. Within two days of authorities arresting Elhassan, who is Sudanese and Muslim, Nubanis phone lit up. It was Elhassans family, Nubani said. They had heard of him and needed help.

And so, understanding he is one in a tiny cadre of lawyers willing  and perhaps able  to help a man accused of terrorist ties, Nubani agreed to take Elhassans case.

Jennifer Jenkins and Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.
Ali Shakeri, a longtime District transportation official, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to making false statements about what authorities said is $170,000 in undisclosed outside income. Shakeris attorney said he remains baffled by his clients arrest.

Shakeri appeared in D.C. Superior Court in a white button-down shirt and shackles, after more than 24 hours in custody and an overnight stay in a city lockup. His eyes were watery, and he appeared distraught as he hugged his daughter after his release on the misdemeanor charges, pending a July court date.

The charge is essentially that he filled out a piece of paper incorrectly, said his attorney, Jason H. Ehrenberg.

[District transportation official arrested over allegations of $170,000 in undisclosed income]

Shakeri, a supervisory civil engineer, has worked on major projects at the District Department of Transportation since he started there in 2004. He declined to comment.

Shakeri wrote none on disclosure forms in 2012 and 2013 that asked for an accounting of all companies that had paid him more than $200, according to court documents.

But in the filings, special agent John DiGravio with the D.C. Inspector Generals office cited more than $110,000 in checks from seven companies and an individual while Shakeri was also employed by the city. The checks were written to Shakeri and deposited in his Bank of America account, according to the court documents. The investigation also found additional funds that brought the total to about $170,000, authorities said.

According to DiGravio, Shakeri indicated in an interview that he read the disclosure forms and did in fact earn more than $200 for services performed.

SHAKERI added that he thought that he only had to list monies earned from companies that conduct business with the District of Columbia, DiGravio wrote.

In fact, any payment of more than $200 must be disclosed.

The Inspector Generals office said Monday after Shakeris arrest that such forms help reduce corruption, fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the Districts government. A spokeswoman, deputy inspector general Jaime M. Yarussi, declined to further describe the inquiry, which police officials called an integrity investigation.

We cant comment any further, because we dont want anything we say to impact the case, Yarussi said.

Asked whether any of the payments were improper, Ehrenberg said his client was not charged with receiving payments that were improper, but rather improperly filling out a form.

I cant comment on what theyre thinking or why theyre doing this, Ehrenberg said. This is not a case that needed to have been brought.

City records from earlier this year said Shakeris salary is $150,358.

A DDOT spokesman declined to comment on whether Shakeri was still employed by the department, citing personnel issues. Shakeris attorney said: We hope so.

Two firms matching the names of those listed in court documents as having made payments to Shakeri  Paddock Swimming Pool Company and Cumes Builders  did not respond to requests for comment.

A man who identified himself as president of JC Builders, the name of another company investigators said paid Shakeri, said he did not recall doing so.

Huh, I do not remember Ali Shakeri. I dont remember doing business with Ali. But you write a lot of checks. I do not remember, said the man, who gave his name as Julio before saying he was receiving another call and hanging up. Julio Henriquez is listed in Virginia corporation documents as JC Builderss president.

Peter Hermann contributed to this report.
In this May 13, 2015 file photo, emergency personnel work at the scene of the derailment in Philadelphia of an Amtrak train headed from Washingtons Union Station to New York. The NTSB is meeting Tuesday, May 17, 2016, to detail the probable cause of the derailment. (Patrick Semansky/Associated Press)

The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday found that the probable cause of the horrific Amtrak wreck in Philadelphia that killed eight people last year was that the engineer sped into a curve after losing track of where he was, opening the throttle because he believed his train already was past the sweeping curve where the derailment occurred.

That was the conclusion presented by National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Christopher A. Hart after the board concluded that a lack of situational awareness by engineer Brandon Bostian caused the derailment on May 12, 2015.

The board determined that Bostians confusion was likely because his attention was diverted to an emergency situation with another train.

Bostian has told investigators that he remembers very little about the seconds just before the train roared into a 50-mph curve at 106 mph, causing the deadly wreck, which also injured 159.

Hart speculated that Bostian may have believed he was on a second curve that comes after the Frankford Junction curve, where the speed limit is 50 mph. The limit after that second curve is 110 mph.

In this May 12, 2015 file photo, emergency personnel help a passenger in Philadelphia after the derailment in Philadelphia of an Amtrak train headed to New York. The National Transportation Safety Board is meeting Tuesday, May 17, 2016, to detail the probable cause of last year's fatal derailment. (Joseph Kaczmarek/AP)

Also contributing to the accident was the lack of automatic braking technology known as positive train control, the board found.

During Tuesdays session, NTSB crash investigator Steve Jenner said Bostians attention had been diverted to a problem with a nearby Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority commuter train. That train had been hit by a rock, and its engineer was discussing the incident with his dispatcher over a radio channel Bostian was monitoring.

The best that we could come up with was that he was distracted by this radio conversation about the damaged [commuter] train and forgot where he was, Hart told reporters after the meeting ended. That was the best conclusion that we could come up with as to why he was trying to accelerate up to 110.

Often the individual who is lacking situational awareness is the last one to know it, Hart said.

Shortly after the radio conversation about the rock throwing ended, Bostian accelerated quickly  and mistakenly  with deadly consequences, Jenner said. Had Bostian done the same thing  accelerating at full throttle for 40 seconds  once he cleared Frankford Junction and approached the second curve, Amtrak Train 188 would have been fine.

Had he made it that far, it then would have been appropriate to accelerate his train to 106 miles per hour, Jenner said.

And he went in a matter of seconds from distraction to disaster, board member Robert Sumwalt said. Its a very basic error, getting distracted and losing your position.

This is a standard human error, Jenner said in response to Sumwalt.

NTSB officials also repeatedly cited the fact that the automatic braking technology it has been calling for for years was not in place and operating as a backstop for Bostian.

Seven months after the passenger rail line suffered its worst wreck in 22 years, Amtrak flipped the switch to activate the system that could have slowed the speeding train. If positive train control had been activated before Bostian allowed the train to hurtle into the bend, the system automatically would have slowed its speed.

Hart said the agency made a complete examination of everything that could have gone wrong.

We searched for any involvement of drugs, alcohol or fatigue and found none, Hart said. We looked at the weather, the locomotive, and the track and determined that this was a good train on good track, with an engineer who was fit for duty, not fatigued, not impaired by drugs or alcohol, and not distracted by a personal electronic device.

Bostian suffered from a head injury in the wreck and said afterward that he had little memory of the seconds that immediately preceded it.

Its not so much the stress of the event as the blow to the head, said Mary Pat McKay, an NTSB staff member. The blow to the head can cause the amnesia.

Bostian told investigators that a radio report of rocks being thrown at a commuter train concerned him.

I wasnt, you know, super concerned, I dont think, Bostian told investigators a year ago in the first of two long interviews with them. Theres been so many times that Ive had reports of rocks that I havent seen anything, that I felt it was unlikely that it would impact me.

The wreck of Amtrak 188 left rail cars strewn like toppled bowling pins beside the Frankford Junction tracks. One ripped open in a contortion of aluminum that left little looking like a rail car. Others, whipped off the tracks at 103 mph, landed on their sides. Passengers hit the ceiling, flew out of broken windows, landed atop one another, were struck by flying luggage or were crushed in the twisted wreckage.

The NTSB said studies are needed into improving passenger survivability in train wrecks, such as restraint systems or more secure passenger windows.

In addition to the eight dead, 46 people were seriously injured and 113 others suffered lesser injuries.

Were going to take what the NTSB has told us today and look for improvements at Amtrak, Joe Boardman, Amtraks chief executive, told reporters after the NTSB board meeting. We have an excellent training program. Well now adjust that based on what the NTSB has said.

Boardman said Bostian is on leave, declining to say whether it was paid or unpaid. He would not comment on whether Bostian could face criminal charges.

Positive train control has been called arguably the single most important rail safety development in more than a century by federal regulators.

Federal Railroad Administration head Sarah E. Feinberg threatened to fine passenger and freight railroads last year when a year-end deadline for its installation approached. But Congress listened to the railroads plea and extended the deadline until 2018.

[Feds tell railroads they must meet deadlines for live-saving technology]

Congress, whose members have received more than $24 million in campaign contributions from the powerful railroad industry since 2008, also said railroads could ask for up to two additional years after the 2018 deadline to complete the job.

Feinberg said her agency is continuing to push railroads to implement positive train control.

One of the things were doing right now is collecting a lot of data from railroads about their progress and then posting it online so that the public can view it, Feinberg said in an interview after the hearing. Were holding railroads feet to the fire.

Though Amtrak owns most of the rail on which its trains run in the Northeast Corridor, the balance of its operations are on track owned by freight railroads.

Until PTC is in place, were always concerned that well be here in this room again looking at another PTC-preventable accident, Hart said.
The administration said Tuesday that, as of May 11, there were 1,200 Zika cases on the mainland and in U.S. territories, among them more than 110 pregnant women with confirmed cases of the virus. (Felipe Dana/AP)

There is government speed, and then there is virus speed. Theyve been mismatched in this year of Zika. The political apparatus of Washington has been sluggish compared with the epidemic that already has taken hold in Puerto Rico and poses a serious threat to the mainland United States as mosquito season arrives.

On the Hill, the Republican-controlled House and Senate have different ideas about how much emergency money should be appropriated to combat the contagion  as well as where that money should come from and whether it has to be offset by spending cuts elsewhere.

President Obama asked for $1.9 billion in February. The House, with a rowdy caucus of hard-line conservatives, has asked the Obama administration to redirect $622 million in unused Ebola epidemic funds to fight Zika. The Senate, meanwhile, voted Tuesday to move forward on a bipartisan compromise that would provide $1.1 billion in emergency Zika funds.

Settling these differences may not happen soon, even as concerns about the virus grow.

Although Republicans in both chambers are worried about the coming public health crisis and say they want to move the funding quickly, House GOP leaders are sticking with their long-held stance that the cost of emergency funding for health and weather disasters should be offset. They are being pressured by influential conservative groups, such as Heritage Action, to maintain this stance, especially after Senate leaders struck a deal with Democrats after determining that it isnt worth being blamed for delaying Zika funds over a budget fight.

On Tuesday, Obama threatened to veto legislation if it tracks the parsimonious House legislation.

There are many political and epidemiological repercussions here. A potential danger for Republicans is that they will face a backlash, particularly among female voters, for being slow to provide money for a disease that can cause birth defects. But many face primary battles in which they will want to show that they wont bend on spending.

The virus continues to spread. The administration said Tuesday that, as of May 11, there were 1,200 Zika cases on the mainland and in U.S. territories, among them more than 110 pregnant women with confirmed cases of the virus.

The scientists on the front lines are anxious and impatient, and two top U.S. officials have questioned whether the cumbersome appropriations process is agile enough to fight mindless microbes guided only by a genetic command to replicate.

When youve got an emergency situation, you really need to get funding as quickly as you possibly can, said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Were running out of time.

He said his institute has several candidates for a Zika vaccine and could have preliminary trials as soon as September. Meanwhile, researchers want to study the mechanisms of infection and find ways to stop transmission.

The virus has been conclusively linked to births of babies in South America with unusually small heads  microcephaly  and it has been implicated in other neurological diseases. The virus can be spread through sexual contact. So far, the cases in the mainland U.S. have involved travelers who were infected elsewhere and returned to the country.

Fauci endorsed an idea that has also been embraced by Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The government could establish a permanent, replenishable emergency fund to combat epidemics. Frieden told reporters last week that Congress cant move at the speed of an epidemic and that the government needs to have resources ready to deploy in a crisis.

Frieden echoed that in an email Tuesday asking for comment on the political battle on the Hill:

The political process is meant to be deliberative. However, emergencies require immediate action. With disease outbreaks, if we have the resources to respond immediately, we can change the course of an epidemic, saving dollars and  more importantly  lives. We know there will be another public health emergency. We dont know when, where it will come from or what it will be, but we are 100% sure it will happen, Frieden wrote.

The Ebola epidemic that erupted in West Africa in 2014, and reached the United States and Europe, exemplified the mismatch between government decision-making and emerging pathogens.

Not until Ebola was completely out of control did the World Health Organization declare a global emergency.

[How Ebola sped out of control]

More than a month later, Obama ordered the U.S. military to build temporary hospitals in West Africa. But by the time the soldiers deployed and construction began, the epidemic had largely subsided  not so much because of the government response, but because local leaders persuaded citizens to change burial practices and other behaviors that could spread the disease.

Since the epidemic was declared officially over in January, there have been small flare-ups of the disease due to the viruss persistence in some survivors. The CDC has 100 staff employees doing surveillance in West Africa and testing blood samples, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Tuesday.

He said the House measure to fight Zika is woefully inadequate.

The House of Representatives is three months late and more than a billion short of doing whats necessary to protect the American people, Earnest said.

But House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said this week that the administration hadnt been forthcoming with information about how the money would be spent. He said his plan would release money immediately.

Given the severity of the Zika crisis and the global health threat, we cannot afford to wait on the Administration any longer, Rogers said in a statement.

But on the other side of the Capitol, some senators have lost patience with the House.

After years of partisan rancor, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have worked in recent days to try to approve several bipartisan spending bills. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced last week that Zika funding would be considered as an amendment to a widely supported package of bills providing spending for veterans, transportation, housing and military constructions agencies.

The House needs to wake up to the fact that this is an emergency, said Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who co-wrote the Zika amendment that moved forward in a procedural vote Tuesday. Peoples health and lives are at risk, and they need to step up to the plate.

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who co-sponsored the amendment with Murray, told reporters that the proposal would allow the government to battle Zika until September 2017, when a vaccine will probably be available for widespread use.

Once a vaccine is available, this is a very different environment to deal with, Blunt said.

Geography matters here, too. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is among senators in the South nervous about Zika, and he favored the full $1.9 billion requested by Obama.

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said Tuesday he would normally prefer to offset the cost of any new spending with corresponding cuts but that his home state of South Carolina is in the crosshairs of a potential Zika disaster.

I wish we could pay for it, he said. I just dont see that happening in a bipartisan fashion in both houses.

Lenny Bernstein contributed to this report.
SOUTH CAROLINA

U.S. Justice Department to review North Charleston police

Justice Department officials on Tuesday announced that they will conduct a broad review of the practices and policies at the North Charleston Police Department, where a former officer is facing murder and civil rights charges for fatally shooting an unarmed black man who was running away during a traffic stop.

The review will be conducted by the Justice Departments Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, whose investigators will interview and observe officers, review training, tactics and accountability measures, and ultimately issue a public report on how the department can improve. The move comes less than a week after a former North Charleston police officer, Michael Slager, was indicted on a civil rights charge in the April 2015 shooting of Walter Scott.

The criminal cases against Slager  who already had been charged locally with murder  are separate from the Justice Departments review of the department. But it was in the aftermath of Scotts slaying, which was caught on video and helped spur a broad debate on police use of force, that city officials requested federal intervention, Charlestons Post and Courier newspaper reported. Slager has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

The Justice Department said North Charleston was the 11th city to enter what it refers to as the collaborative reform process. A similar review is underway in San Francisco.

 Matt Zapotosky

ILLINOIS

Chicago officer who killed woman resigns

A Chicago police officer whom the department was trying to fire after he fatally shot an unarmed 22-year-old woman in 2012 has decided to resign from the force rather than fight to retain his job.

The citys police board said Tuesday that Dante Servin, who was off duty when he killed Rekia Boyd, had quit. Servin resigned two days before he was to appear for a hearing at which the board was to decide whether he should be fired, as former police superintendent Garry McCarthy recommended last year.

Boyd was with friends when Servin opened fire after he said he saw a person in the group moving toward him with a gun. Police found only a cellphone. Servin was charged with involuntary manslaughter, although a judge later dismissed the charges.

Associated Press

CONNECTICUT

Gun company, former owner fined

The former owner of a company that makes military-style rifles has been sentenced to probation and the company fined $500,000 for violating federal firearms laws. Mark Malkowski was also fined $100,000 during the sentencing hearing Tuesday in federal court in Hartford.

Malkowski and the company, New Britain-based Stag Arms, had pleaded guilty to charges including possession of a machine gun not registered to the company and failure to maintain proper firearms records.

 Associated Press

COLORADO

Sitter allegedly used kids in bank robbery

A baby sitter is accused of using two children she was watching to help her rob a bank  a heist allegedly planned to help her pay back money stolen from her employers.

Rachel Einspahr, 28, went to the drive through at the Colorado East Bank & Trust in Severance  about 65 miles north of Denver  on Friday after picking up two sisters after school, according to the Weld County Sheriffs Office.

She allegedly sent a note through the vacuum tube demanding money for a man in the back of her Nissan Pathfinder threatening to hurt the girls, who are 7 and 1 years old. The teller, thinking that the children were in danger, gave her $500, sheriffs spokesman Matt Turner said.

The girls were not hurt, and one told investigators there never was a man in the vehicle with them.

According to an arrest affidavit, first reported by the Greeley Tribune on Tuesday, Einspahr allegedly told investigators she wanted to rob the bank to pay back $15,000 of the money she previously stole.

 Associated Press
BURMA

U.S. eases sanctions, alters financial rules

The Obama administration lifted sanctions against 10 state-run companies and banks in Burma on Tuesday in response to the Southeast Asian nations historic transition to democracy, but it retained restrictions on trade and investment with the still-powerful military.

The Treasury Department also amended regulations to support trade and financial transactions, intended to coax more U.S. investment and support economic growth under the new civilian government in the country, also known as Myanmar.

A new government took power in April after the party of former political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi swept historic elections, ending five decades of direct military rule. But the military retains political and economic clout.

The United States waived its long-standing bans on investment and trade in 2012 after Burma began political and economic reforms, but it retained restrictions on dozens of companies and individuals because they oppose reform or are implicated in human rights abuses.

 Associated Press

CANADA

As fire spreads north, reentry plans revisited

Canadian officials said Tuesday that they are taking a second look at their plan to allow people to return home to Fort McMurray after a raging wildfire spread north toward oil-sands plants.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said that the fire destroyed a 665-room work camp north of the city overnight and that two other camps are threatened. About 8,000 workers at oil camps north of Fort McMurray were ordered to evacuate late Monday.

Notley said she hopes to announce within the week when evacuees from Fort McMurray can return. About 80,000 Fort McMurray residents were forced to leave nearly two weeks ago.

She said conditions in Fort McMurray remain hazardous. Two explosions on Monday night damaged 10 homes, Notley said.

The wildfire has grown to about 1,350 square miles.

 Associated Press

SYRIA

Russian army camp built near Palmyra site

Russia has built a military encampment inside a zone that holds the UNESCO World Heritage site in the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra, where Islamic State militants were driven out recently by pro-government forces.

The Russian military on Tuesday described the camp as temporary, saying that its few housing units were being used by explosives experts who are removing mines left behind by the militants and that the Syrian government had given approval to build the camp.

The head of Syrias antiquities and museums department, who noted that the towns priceless antiquities are safer thanks to the Russian presence, nonetheless said that he would not have granted Russia permission to build the camp if he had been asked.

A UNESCO official said that it was unclear whether the encampment was in a buffer zone of the archaeological site but that it does not pose a threat to the historic area.

The American Schools of Oriental Researchs Cultural Heritage Initiatives posted photos from the satellite imagery and analytics company DigitalGlobe that show the construction on the edge of the ancient site, which was damaged by the Islamic State when it controlled Palmyra for 10 months.

Syrian troops backed by Russian airstrikes captured Palmyra in March, and fighting continues nearby.

 Associated Press

Yemeni official says peace talks are collapsing: Yemens foreign minister announced the suspension of peace talks held in Kuwait with Shiite rebels after weeks of no progress, saying the rebels refuse to accept the legitimacy of the countrys internationally recognized president. Abdul-Malik al-Mekhlafi said the Houthi rebels are pushing for the formation of a new government that would give them a share of power. The talks are a waste of time, he said. The Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in September 2014, forcing President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to eventually escape to Saudi Arabia.

 From news services
THE HOUSE and Senate Amed Services committees have let down Afghans who braved danger and strife to work with the United States through a decade and a half of war.

In 2009, Congress approved a special program that provided visas for Afghan translators and others who risked their lives shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. forces. Though 8,528 applicants have received visas , thousands are still waiting. The annual defense bills just sent to the floor of each chamber could leave many of them behind. The legislation should be amended to keep faith with those who kept faith with the United States.

The House legislation contains a provision that would limit eligibility for new applicants after May 31 to those who had served off-base as military translators or with the U.S. military in a sensitive and trusted role. This would exclude Afghans working on bases such as firefighters, maintenance workers and clerical assistants. When we asked Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.) about the limitations, he said they were a response to information he received that some Afghans were exploiting the program, taking menial jobs just to get a visa.

We think the response is misplaced. Afghans who work with the United States, whether pushing a broom or translating under fire, potentially face the danger of retribution from extremists  especially when they go home at night. Mr. Thornberrys concern is already dealt with in the visa process, which requires a detailed check to verify that applicants face ongoing danger. Last year, Congress lengthened the minimum service to two years. If the average processing time of 270 business days is counted, that means most are working for the United States for three years or more before they can acquire a visa and travel. Mr. Thornberry said, If they can prove they are in danger, I am for them. We urge him  and the House  to scrap the new limitations and leave the door open for every qualified applicant who faces danger because of association with the United States.

The program also needs more visas. The State Department reported this year a backlog of approximately 10,300 principal applicants at some step in the process, with only about 4,000 visas remaining to be distributed. If Congress does not provide more, about 6,000 applicants will be left out in the cold, according to the International Refugee Assistance Project. The House bill extends the program through 2017 but includes no new visas, while the Senate bill is silent on the program altogether. Both chambers need to act and allocate new visas.

The special Afghan visa program has been a valuable tool for recruiting people to serve in a war zone. Cutting off thousands of applicants will not only betray their loyalty but also send the wrong signal, far and wide, about working for the United States.
In the category of credit where credit is due, Donald Trump has been exactly right in one important respect. He attacked the Republican establishment as low-energy, cowering weaklings. Now Republican leaders are lining up to surrender to him  like low-energy, cowering weaklings. The capitulation has justified the accusation.

It would be impolite to name names. So I should not mention that former Texas governor Rick Perry, who now angles for Trumps vice presidential nod, once said: He offers a barking carnival act that can be best described as Trumpism: a toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense that will lead the Republican Party to perdition if pursued. Let no one be mistaken  Donald Trumps candidacy is a cancer on conservatism, and it must be clearly diagnosed, excised and discarded. I should resist the temptation to recall how Rep. Peter King (N.Y.), who now (reluctantly) backs Trump, once asserted he is not fit to be president, morally or intellectually.

Singling out individuals is unfair in so great a company. One by one, Republican senators have made their peace with a Trump nomination. Many in the House GOP leadership and caucus have urged Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.) to get it over with and endorse the presumptive Republican nominee. It is humorous  in a sad, bitter, tragic sort of way  to see Republican leaders, and some conservative commentators, try to forget or minimize Trumps history of odious proposals and statements. The argument seems to be: I say tomato. You say Mexican immigrants are rapists. Whats the big difference?

And all this has taken place without (apparently) securing any concessions or guarantees from Trump himself. He now knows that he can violate any Republican or conservative principle and still get a round of crisp salutes, even from his strongest opponents. This is the white flag of ideological surrender.

I understand the short-term political calculation. Better to have Trump, who is ideologically unpredictable, make Supreme Court nominations than Hillary Clinton, who is reliably liberal. Better to have Trump rather than Clinton make all those plum executive-branch appointments. Besides, if Trump is a liar, Clinton is a worse one. If Trump is a misogynist, well, consider Clintons husband.

Speaker Paul Ryan has backed away from his pledge to support whoever becomes the nominee, saying he's "not ready" to endorse Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Other GOP heavyweights, including the Bushes, are also not giving endorsements. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

This justification has a few flaws. The first is reductio ad Trumpism. If Clinton is the ultimate evil, would anyone be better than she is? How about Trumps ex-butler, who threatened President Obama on Facebook? How about Trump supporter Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty? Of course not, a Republican would angrily respond. A prospective president needs to be morally and intellectually fit for the office. He or she cant be guilty of demagoguery or mean-spiritedness, or talk nonsense all the time.

But this is exactly the issue. Were Perry and King correct in their initial diagnoses of Trump? If so, we are not dealing with the normal give-and-take of policy and politics. We have left the realm of half-a-loaf and you-scratch-my-back. We are dealing with a question of fitness for the highest office in the land. It is not enough for GOP partisans to assert Trumps superiority to Clinton on this issue or that. They must justify that Trump has the experience, knowledge, temperament, judgment and character to be president of the United States. That is a more difficult task.

This leads to a second objection. Pursuing the short-term interests of the GOP, gained by unity, may damage or destroy the party in the longer term by confirming a series of destructive stereotypes. Republicans stand accused of disdaining immigrants; their nominee proposes to round up and deport 11 million people. Republicans are accused of religious bigotry; their nominee proposes to stop all Muslims at the border. Republicans are accused of a war on women; the Republican nominee, if a recent New York Times expose is accurate, is the cave-man candidate.

All this is a particular blow to conservatives, among whom I count myself. Conservatives latched on to the GOP as an instrument to express their ideals. Now loyalty to party is causing many to abandon their ideals. Conservatism is not misogyny. Conservatism is not nativism and protectionism. Conservatism is not religious bigotry and conspiracy theories. Conservatism is not anti-intellectual and anti-science. For the sake of partisanship  for a mess of pottage  some conservatives are surrendering their identity.

It is a very bad deal.

Read more from Michael Gersons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook .
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign rally at the convention center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, US, May 12, 2016. (Christopher Reistroffer/Reuters)

Lets examine what Bernie Sanders supporters did in his name over the weekend.

As the Nevada Democratic convention voted to award a majority of delegates to Hillary Clinton  an accurate reflection of her victory in the states February caucuses  Sanders backers charged the stage, threw chairs and shouted vulgar epithets at speakers. Security agents had to protect the dais and ultimately clear the room.

Sanders supporters publicized the cellphone number of the party chairwoman, Roberta Lange, resulting in thousands of abusive text messages and threats:

Praying to God someone shoots you in the FACE and blows your democracy-stealing head off!

Hey bitch. . . We know where you live. Where you work. Where you eat. Where your kids go to school/grandkids. . . Prepare for hell.

The Nevada Democratic convention on May 14 didn't go smoothly. The Fix's Philip Bump breaks down what happened. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

Veteran Nevada reporter Jon Ralston transcribed some of the choice voicemail messages for the chairwoman, some with vulgar labels for women and their anatomy:

I think people like you should be hung in a public execution. . . . You are a sick, twisted piece of s--- and I hope you burn for this!

You f---ing stupid bitch! What the hell are you doing? Youre a f---ing corrupt bitch!

The day after the convention, Sanders supporters vandalized party headquarters with messages saying, among other things, you are scum.

And the candidates response to the violent and misogynistic behavior of his backers? Mostly defiance. Asked by reporters Tuesday about the convention chaos  in which operatives from his national campaign participated  Sanders walked away in the middle of the question.

Finally, mid-afternoon Tuesday, Sanders released a statement saying, I condemn any and all forms of violence, including the personal harassment of individuals. But he blamed the Nevada party for preventing a fair and transparent process, and he threatened Democrats: If the Democratic Party is to be successful in November, it is imperative that all state parties treat our campaign supporters with fairness and the respect that they have earned.

It is no longer accurate to say Sanders is campaigning against Clinton, who has essentially locked up the nomination. The Vermont socialist is now running against the Democratic Party. And thats excellent news for one Donald J. Trump.

1 of 42 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Highlights from Bernie Sanderss campaign, in pictures View Photos The senator from Vermont is Hillary Clintons rival in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. Caption The senator from Vermont is Hillary Clintons rival in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. June 14, 2016 Bernie Sanders arrives at the Capital Hilton to meet with Hillary Clinton in D.C. Matt McClain/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

The Sanders Campaign spent its time either ignoring or profiting from the chaos it did much to create, the Nevada Democratic Party wrote in a formal complaint to the Democratic National Committee. The state party wrote, Part of the approach by the Sanders campaign was to employ these easily-incensed delegates as shock troops. The Sanders representatives at the times of most intense crisis offered little more than shrugs and smirks.

The Nevada Democrats, warning of similar disruptions at the national convention in July, accused the Sanders campaign of inciting disruption  and, yes, violence, and said, the goal of many of these individuals, sanctioned or encouraged by the Sanders campaign, is not party-building but something more sinister.

A few weeks ago, I wrote that I wasnt concerned about Sanders remaining in the race until the very end, because he doesnt wish to see a President Trump and will ultimately throw his full support to Clinton. Sanders has, indeed, lightened up on Clinton and is instead trying to shape the Democrats platform and direction. But his attacks on the party have released something just as damaging to the causes he professes to represent. Coupled with his refusal to raise money for the party, his increasingly harsh rhetoric could hurt Democrats up and down the ballot in November and beyond.

We are taking on virtually the entire Democratic establishment, Sanders proclaims.

The Democratic Party has to reach a fundamental conclusion: Are we on the side of working people or big-money interests? he asks.

The Democratic Party up to now has not been clear about which side they are on on the major issues facing this country, he announces.

This was Ralph Naders argument in 2000: There isnt much difference between the two parties. It produced President George W. Bush. Sanders said at the start of his campaign that he wouldnt do what Nader did, because there is a difference between the parties.

Yet now his supporters, the Nevada Democratic Party says, are behind physical threats and intimidation, scuffles, screams from bullhorns, and profane insults and numerous medical emergencies among delegates pressed up against the dais.

This, even though they were wrong on the merits. Ralston writes that the Sanders folks disregarded rules, then when shown the truth, attacked organizers and party officials as tools of a conspiracy to defraud the senator of what was never rightfully his in the first place.

And this, despite only two additional delegates being at stake, as The Posts Philip Bump points out  not enough to make a difference in the race.

More to the point, no grievance justifies what happened in Nevada. Yet Sanders, recklessly, is fueling the fire.

Twitter: @Milbank

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An allied correspondent stands in the rubble in front of the shell of a building that once was a movie theater in Hiroshima, Japan, a month after an atomic bomb was dropped by the United States on Aug. 6, 1945. (Stanley Troutman/Associated Press)

As the White House announced that President Obama would visit Hiroshima, Japan, next week, it immediately pledged that he would not apologize for the United States dropping atomic bombs on that city and Nagasaki during World War II. But the real reckoning in Hiroshima should be about the future of nuclear weapons, not the past. Unless the president acts and speaks forthrightly, his visit may mark not only the ashes of Hiroshima but also the ashes of his promise to move toward a world freed of the threat of nuclear annihilation.

In his first major foreign policy address, delivered in Prague in April 2009, Obama trumpeted Americas commitment to a world without nuclear weapons. To accept their continued existence, he warned, was to accede to their eventual use. But the use of even a single nuclear bomb was too horrible to contemplate. Nuclear disarmament, he acknowledged, would not come easily or quickly. It would take patience and persistence, but the goal of complete disarmament should drive strategy and concrete actions.

Some important steps were taken after that speech. Substantial reductions in nuclear weapons were negotiated with Russia and remain on track. The role of nuclear weapons was reduced in U.S. national security strategy. The successful Iran negotiations curbed the threat of Iranian nuclear weapons development and revived momentum for the nonproliferation movement. World leaders focused new attention on the threat of nuclear terrorism. The president hosted summits focused on securing loose nuclear-weapons-grade materials across the world.

But 15,000 nuclear weapons remain in the world. The United States and Russia keep thousands on hair-trigger alert. The Senate blocked ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Objections from Pakistan have frustrated progress on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty.

The administrations Nuclear Weapons Employment Strategy limits the use of nuclear weapons to extreme circumstances but does not rule out first use of them. The administration has committed to creating a new generation of nuclear warheads and the systems that deliver them, estimated to cost $1 trillion over the next three decades. NATOs anti-ballistic-missile system just went live in Romania, despite Russian objections that it violates the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Russia is responding to the U.S. buildup on its borders by threatening to move nuclear-armed Iskander missiles to the Polish border. The United States denounces that as a violation of the INF Treaty also.

Former defense secretary William Perry warns flatly that the danger of a nuclear catastrophe today is greater than during the Cold War. Perry points to not only the terrorist groups such as the Islamic State that would buy or steal nuclear-weapons-grade materials, but also the rising tensions between Russia and the United States.

On the eve of his fourth and last Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, Obama once more reasserted that nuclear security will not be possible so long as nuclear weapons exist. As the only nation ever to use nuclear weapons, he wrote in a Post op-ed, the United States has a moral obligation to continue to lead the way in eliminating them.

The president calls for patience and persistence. But what weve witnessed is the power of old ideas, large bureaucracies, entrenched interests and renewed enmities to strangle even modest efforts to move in a new direction.

To reverse course, some clear and bold steps are needed. U.S. nuclear weapons should be taken off hair-trigger alert. Nuclear weapons should be limited only to deterrence, not to be used in any other circumstance. Building a new generation of nuclear weapons should be shelved in favor of recommitting to efforts to pursue a course to rid the world of these weapons. The United States, Perry argues, could sensibly get rid of its ground-based missiles and warheads, which are both vulnerable and redundant. The president should act to engage Russia and seek to reduce the growing tensions that threaten to lead to a dangerous new buildup. The president might use the trip to Hiroshima to summon the United Nations to prepare a global summit to define the path to a verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons.

The presidents trip to Hiroshima cannot undo the past. What it can do is mark a renewed commitment to a future without nuclear weapons. But for the words to have any meaning, they have to be accompanied by deeds. The president still has time to act.

Read more from Katrina vanden Heuvels archive or follow her on Twitter.
I dont know Reince Priebus, the head of the Republican Party (such as it is). He may be a very nice guy, what with a wife and kids and probably a car or two. Still, after watching him on the Sunday interview shows, I have concluded that the man has no pride, no shame and, almost certainly, no future. After Donald Trump loses the presidential election, the name Priebus will, like Quisling or even Boycott, take on a separate meaning: fool.

Priebus went from TV studio to TV studio, four in all, on a trudge of abasement, a ride of shame. He was asked about Trumps womanizing, his attempts in the past to pass himself off as someone else (John Miller, John Barron), his misogyny and his plan to bar all Muslims from the country (details to follow). The Mexican wall, did that come up? His belittling of John McCain, was that mentioned? His mockery of a physically handicapped reporter, did someone mention that?

There is so much to offend, so much to defend: the kings ransom of insults and moronic plans, the childish take on torture, the misunderstanding of the Constitution, the veritable conviction of all Mexicans on the charge of rape, the distrust of NATO, the off-the-cuff suggestion that Japan and South Korea get their own nuclear weapons, and, for a moment or two, the notion that women who seek abortions should be somehow punished.

And so poor Priebus bobbed and weaved. Sometimes he said none of this mattered. Sometimes he said the people didnt care (he could be right about that) and often he said Hillary Clinton was worse  worse about women, worse about honesty and worse in ways that Priebus didnt mention but that Trump has. Clinton, it turns out, is a woman, and so during a break at one debate, she used the time to go to the bathroom and returned to the stage a trifle late. I know where she went  its disgusting, Trump said some days later. I dont want to talk about it. No, its too disgusting. Dont say it, its disgusting.

By the third or so Sunday show, Priebus had melded into Don Draper, the central figure of Mad Men, the long-running and quite wonderful television series. But instead of selling cigarettes, he was selling Trump. Both products are unhealthy, one for the body, one for the nation. Just as Draper put his own welfare and that of his advertising agency before that of cigarette smokers, Priebus and others put the supposed good of the party over that of the nation. Trump would make a miserable, dangerous president  and Priebus must know it. A warning label should be affixed to Trumps forehead.

Yet, the talk of compromise is in the air. Priebus and other Republicans can compromise on some things  tax policy, for instance  and Trump can do the same. But how can anyone compromise with Trump regarding Muslims? Will he agree to bar only 50 percent of them, maybe only Shiites or, come to think of it, Sunnis? What about Mexicans? Will he apologize to them all, or only some? And women and the disabled and veterans who had the misfortune of being taken prisoner, some of whom were tortured? Are some of them heroes, others of them not?

This effort to clean up Trump soils everyone involved. He cannot take back what he has already said. Words, programs and proposals matter, of course, but what matters even more is the mind-set that produced them. Trumps belittling of McCains torture, his gleeful enthusiasm for waterboarding, his mocking of a physically handicapped reporter, his tasteless leering at female beauty evince a man who lacks empathy. This  not his narcissism, not his lying, not his unfathomable ignorance  is his most dangerous characteristic. He shares it with some of historys most repellent figures.

Will Priebus have his Don Draper moment? Draper, a smoker himself, finally renounced cigarettes  he would sell out no more. Will Priebus and others in the Republican Party do the same? Will they get a glance of themselves in the mirror and wonder out loud what they stand for and if they have any pride left? I doubt it. Donald Trump has blanched the Republican Party of its honor and has played his most fervent supporters for suckers. Its as if he was put on Earth to make fools out of his fellow Republicans  and give Reince Priebus something to do on Sundays.

Read more from Richard Cohens archive.
On Monday, May 16, the Supreme Court declined to decide challenges to an Affordable Care Act requirement about providing contraceptive coverage. Here's what you need to know about the Court's move. (Gillian Brockell,Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)

On Monday, May 16, the Supreme Court declined to decide challenges to an Affordable Care Act requirement about providing contraceptive coverage. Here's what you need to know about the Court's move. (Gillian Brockell,Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)

ARTICULATING HIS view of judicial restraint during an address to Georgetown University law graduates in 2006, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said that the Supreme Court should keep its rulings limited strictly to the issues squarely before it, because, as he put it, if it is not necessary to decide more to a case . . . it is necessary not to decide more. That doctrine of avoidance goes double for cases in which it is impossible for the court to decide anything at all  or so it would seem based on the justices hyper-cautious disposition Monday of a controversial case involving religious-freedom objections to the contraceptive mandate under the Affordabe Care Act.

Certain religiously affiliated nonprofit groups that provide health-insurance coverage to their workers object to a workaround the government devised to accommodate their theological opposition to contraception. In essence, it would allow groups that fill out a written notification form to have their employees obtain contraception coverage through a separate insurance account. However, the groups argued that even that minimal step forced them actively to promote a process that ends in the provision of contraception, thus imposing a substantial burden on their free exercise of religion.

We thought, and still think, that the religious groups were expressing serious concerns but that their legal claim was a stretch  and that the Obama administration has the better argument, based on ensuring equal health care for women. Four of the five federal appeals courts to consider the matter agreed. However, the eight-member Supreme Court found itself deadlocked after Justice Antonin Scalias death.

At that point, the justices took an unusual but creative step, issuing an order that laid out a possible compromise solution and asking the parties to the case to file briefs commenting on it. The courts suggestion, in essence, was that religious objectors could trigger the workaround not by filling out a government form, but by notifying insurers that they do not want contraceptives included in their group plans, whereupon the insurers would contact employees to offer them coverage. The religious groups signaled support for such an alternative, and the Obama administration said it could not be ruled out.

Were all for it, too  as long as the end result still facilitates unhindered access to birth control coverage for those who need it.

Mondays brief, unsigned Supreme Court opinion throws out the lower-court opinions and gives them another shot at the litigation, without any ruling by the justices on the legal issue at the heart of it. The courts opinion pointedly noted that the do-over gives both the administration and the religious organizations an opportunity to work out a compromise, either along the lines the court itself sketched or some variation thereof. In short, the court dropped a big hint that this matter might be best dealt with through a less polarized, and polarizing, process. We hope the parties take advantage.
Donald Trumps opponents in the primaries were right to call him a con artist, a narcissist and a pathological liar. Just ask John Miller.

Thats one of the names Trump used with journalists to burnish his status as a bold-faced Manhattan celebrity; he also called himself John Barron. Both personae were supposedly publicists who just wanted to explain what a wonderful guy Mr. Trump was and how beautiful women seemed unable to resist his charms.

Last week, The Post ran an article about the Miller and Barron ruses, which took place years ago, and posted a 1991 recording of Miller explaining why Trump was dumping Marla Maples. Hes coming out of a marriage, and hes starting to do tremendously well financially, the imaginary publicist says to a reporter from People magazine. Actresses just call to see if they can go out with him and things. Madonna is ostentatiously name-dropped as someone who wanted to go out with him.

The voice is Trumps. He denies it, for some reason  I dont think it was me, he said Friday, it doesnt sound like me  but the timbre, cadence and word choice on the recording are pure Trump. It could only be him or his evil twin (as if he needed one).

The Post reported that some reporters found the calls from Miller or Barron disturbing or even creepy; others thought they were just examples of Trump being playful. Put me firmly in the creepy camp.

In a 1991 recording obtained by The Washington Post's Marc Fisher, a man who claims to be a spokesman for Donald Trump named John Miller tells a "People" magazine reporter about Trump's first divorce, his romance with France's future first lady and his messy breakup with Marla Maples. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

I dont go so far as to think Trump could have believed these imaginary friends were real. But I do believe that Republican presidential contenders Marco Rubio (who called Trump a con artist), Bobby Jindal (who called him a narcissist) and Ted Cruz (who called him a pathological liar) should feel vindicated. And I believe the nation should be deeply worried about what sort of person the GOP is about to nominate for president.

Does it really matter if Trump had a bit of fun at the expense of some reporters two or three decades ago? It wouldnt if he were merely asking for another season of The Apprentice. He wants us to make him the most powerful man in the world, and the Miller and Barron episodes  along with the transparently untrue denials that they ever took place  betray a level of ambition and insecurity that voters should find deeply alarming.

In my experience, most successful people could be described as needy in some sense. Trump, however, takes neediness to a bizarre and frightening extreme.

Hes the son of a wealthy developer who expanded his fathers empire. In his younger days, he was a rich and well-connected man about town. It is no surprise that he enjoyed the company of beautiful women. But that, apparently, wasnt nearly enough for Trump. He had to be widely seen with such women on his arm, and he had to be both envied and admired.

When he decided to trade a woman in for a newer model  I know that sounds crude, but this was his modus operandi  he used fake names to call reporters with his side of the story. Was he too cheap to hire a real publicist? Did he believe he was so much more clever than the journalists that they wouldnt know it was really him? (They knew.) Was he obsessed with being portrayed in the gossip columns as a good guy, which is what Miller calls him in the recording?

And why deny it now, given the clear evidence on the tape? Why not just laugh it off as a youthful or perhaps middle-aged indiscretion? Why not just say he was having a little fun at the medias expense? It was not me is only an effective defense absent proof beyond a reasonable doubt that, you know, it was.

Im taking this seriously because Trump is asking to be taken seriously  which means he wishes to be taken at his word. Someone should explain to him how this works.

1 of 10 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Here are some of the biggest presidential-campaign-ending blunders in history View Photos Fords debate gaffes, Harts affair, Deans scream, Romneys 47 percent and more. Caption Fords debate gaffe, Harts affair, Deans scream, Romneys 47 percent and more. Gerald Ford During a debate against Jimmy Carter in 1976, Ford made a campaign-ending blunder when he said, There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration. The comment made many question Fords understanding of world affairs. AP Wait 1 second to continue.

He has built a remarkable career on bluster, branding and relentless self-promotion. Self-regard bordering on self-worship and a willingness to bend the truth may have been assets that helped his rise. Insecurity and a need to be loved could have given him motivation. For a vainglorious mogul who lives to plaster his name across the New York skyline  and whose most consequential decision is whether to use travertine or Carrara marble  these are useful traits.

For a president of the United States, they could be catastrophic.

Read more from Eugene Robinsons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.
On Oct. 21, 2014, Robin Raphel, a former assistant secretary of state, got an urgent call from her daughter, who said that something had triggered the burglar alarm at home. When Raphel arrived, she found FBI agents searching her files and other personal materials.

Raphel frantically telephoned her office at the State Department to ask what was happening; colleagues said they had been instructed not to speak with her. Agents were already riffling her desk at State and putting up yellow tape to warn off workmates.

Raphels voice still shakes with emotion as she recalls that afternoon. The FBI search warrant said she was being investigated under 18 U.S. Code Section 793(e), a criminal statute that covers illegal gathering or transmission of national-security information and is used in espionage cases. The warrant offered no other details.

Justice Department officials privately told attorneys and journalists that they had probable cause, based on intelligence intercepts and other sources, to believe that Raphel, one of the governments leading experts on South Asia, had been spying for Pakistan. They also revealed that they had found classified documents in the search of Raphels home.

The governments case collapsed in March, when the Justice Department informed Raphels attorneys it wouldnt prosecute her, for either espionage or improper retention of the documents. That seems a wise exercise of judgment  but it came way too late.

The case leaves behind some disturbing questions about how a diplomat with nearly 40 years experience became the focus of a career-shattering investigation  apparently without anyone seeking clarification from knowledgeable State Department officials about her assignment to open alternative channels to repair the badly strained relationship with Pakistan.

If the Bureau had talked to senior people at State who were knowledgeable about her work, I believe they would never have launched this investigation, argues Jeff Smith, a former CIA general counsel who was one of Raphels attorneys.

The threat that government surveillance and national-security investigations pose for private citizens has been hotly debated for the past decade. Less understood is the damage done to government officials themselves when they fall into the dragnet. Raphels experience is a case study in what can happen when the government launches a toxic investigation without adequate due diligence.

The FBIs investigation of me was flawed from the beginning because they had a fundamental misunderstanding of what diplomats do, Raphel explained to me. I was never told what triggered the investigation, but I am convinced it was a misreading of raw intelligence by persons who simply did not understand the context.

Three of Raphels supervisors at States Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, known as SRAP, explained Raphels mission when she became a special adviser in 2011 after leaving a post in Islamabad overseeing U.S. assistance there. At that time, the relationship between Washington and Islamabad was poisonous, with deep distrust among intelligence and military officials. Raphels assignment was to augment existing channels at the embassy by talking to Pakistani friends and contacts, explained one supervisor.

Raphel, with decades of experience dealing with Pakistan, added an extra dimension. A second supervisor said her mission was to double track the messages being passed by the embassy. A third recalled that in 2011 and 2012, military and intelligence channels were closed. It was the other channels that kept the relationship on life support and helped nurture it back.

Dan Feldman, Raphels last boss at SRAP, says the case shows that other agencies need to better understand diplomacy: I wish there had been better and more coordinated knowledge about the nature and importance of diplomatic channels, and what it entails for diplomats to be effective in pursuing critical national security priorities.

The case had a chilling effect on other diplomats, who feared they might be next, a half-dozen State Department officials told me. But Raphels colleagues stood behind her, even when the investigation was still active. Beth Jones, another former assistant secretary of state, organized a legal defense fund last summer. The fund raised nearly $90,000 from 96 colleagues and friends, many of whom, recalls Jones, voiced the fear: There but for the grace of God go I.

Diplomats often go last in our national-security parade. People cheer at ballparks when they see soldiers and sailors. They stand in line to watch movies about snipers and special-forces operators. But a diplomats reward for years in danger sometimes seems to be a congressional or FBI investigation for security lapses. Thats wrong. Raphel and many hundreds of colleagues deserve better support.

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Donald Trump and Bayrock Group Chairman Tevfik Arif, center, and executive Felix Sater attend the Trump Soho launch party on Sept. 19, 2007, in New York. (Mark Von Holden/WireImage)

On the 24th floor of Trump Tower, in an office two floors below Donald Trump, Felix Sater was trying to revive his career. The Russian-born businessman had already done a stint in prison for stabbing a man in the face with the stem of a margarita glass, and he was now awaiting sentencing for his role in a Mafia-orchestrated stock fraud scheme  all the while serving as a government informant on the mob and mysterious matters of national security.

But Sater and his business partners had an idea: They would build Trump towers in U.S. cities and across the former Soviet bloc. Sater pitched it to Trump, who gave Saters company rights to explore projects in Moscow as well as in Florida and New York.

Anybody can come in and build a tower, Sater told potential investors, according to testimony in a 2008 court case. I can build a Trump Tower, because of my relationship with Trump.

Saters Trump card, as he called it, didnt work everywhere. The Moscow deal fell apart. But their relationship continued  though just how close they were is now in dispute.

Video shows Donald Trump testifying at a deposition taken Nov. 5, 2013 in Matthew Abercrombie, et. al. versus SB Hotel Associates pending at the time in Florida. (Obtained by The Washington Post)

Trump has repeatedly said he barely remembers Sater. In sworn testimony in 2013, Trump said he wouldnt recognize Sater if they were sitting in the same room. In an interview last year with the Associated Press, he said, Felix Sater, boy, I have to even think about it.

Sater, in previously unreported sworn testimony reviewed by The Washington Post, described a closer relationship.

Sater said he popped into Trumps office frequently over a six-year period to talk business. He recalled flying to Colorado with Trump and said that Trump once asked him to escort his children Donald Jr. and Ivanka around Moscow.

Saters account, which came during a deposition in a libel case Trump brought against a book author, offers new insights into Trumps relationship with a complicated figure.

Sater has both been accused by former business associates of threatening to kill them and praised by top government officials for information that has led to numerous mob convictions and national security gains.

His relationship with Trump has created unwanted attention for the real-estate-mogul-turned-presidential-candidate as Sater and his onetime company have endured legal disputes with former business associates and investors who lost money in failed Trump-branded projects.

Sater arrived in Trumps orbit as the mogul was shifting his business model. Seizing on the success of his television reality show, The Apprentice, he focused on licensing his name to developers constructing high-rise hotels and condominium projects.

1 of 45 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Trump captures the nations attention on the campaign trail View Photos The Republican candidate continues to dominate the presidential contest. Caption Businessman Donald Trump officially became the Republican nominee at the partys convention in Cleveland. Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at Trump Doral golf course in Miami. Carlo Allegri/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue.

Trump and his lawyers have said that he was not aware of Saters criminal past when he first signed on to do business with Saters firm, Bayrock Group. Saters involvement in the stock fraud was kept secret for years by federal prosecutors because of his role as an informant.

But even after elements of Saters background were disclosed in a 2007 New York Times article, he remained in close proximity to Trump  at one point using Trump Organization office space and business cards.

Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, did not dispute Saters account of the two mens relationship but said it differed from Trumps perception of events. He said Trump holds hundreds of meetings a year with people for whom the interactions are often more memorable than for the celebrity tycoon.

I can see how the relationship may have been viewed differently from one persons side of the relationship from the other, he said, adding: There was no relationship with Mr. Sater. The relationship was a business relationship with Bayrock.

Sater, through his lawyer, declined to comment. He has addressed his past conduct on his website, writing that he made some poor and regrettable judgment calls in business but that he had admitted his wrongdoing and pleaded guilty before assisting the government with numerous issues of national security, including thwarting terrorist attacks against our country.

The lawyer, Robert S. Wolf, did not address Saters relationship with Trump but stressed Saters work for the government, saying he saved lives, including by providing significant intelligence with respect to nuclear weapons in a major country openly hostile to the United States.

Sater, 50, emigrated from the Soviet Union, arriving in Brooklyn when he was 8. He has said his family, which is Jewish, left to escape persecution.

Sater pursued a career as a stockbroker. But he lost his trading license after the margarita glass incident that occurred during a 1991 bar fight and led to a year in prison.

Broke and with a young wife and child to support, Sater has said he hooked up with a boyhood friend who was operating a Mafia-linked brokerage firm. He pleaded guilty in 1998 to one count of racketeering as part of a $40 million stock fraud in which Wall Street brokers artificially inflated the price of stocks.

The scheme relied on members of the La Cosa Nostra crime families for extortion and to resolve disputes, federal authorities alleged, part of a concerted effort by organized crime to make inroads on Wall Street.

He was spared prison time in recognition of what an FBI agent later called extraordinary cooperation as a witness in unnamed national security cases.

During that period, Sater turned his attention to real estate. Around 2001, he joined Bayrock, which had its offices in Trump Tower. Sater has testified that he met Trump and started to pitch him on business ideas soon thereafter.

The two developed a rapport, Sater testified.

He described the relationship as friendly, saying he had met one-on-one with Trump numerous times in Trumps office to discuss various projects. In Phoenix, Sater testified, he met with local officials alongside Trumps son, Donald Jr. In New York, Sater said he met with Trump and Trumps staff on a constant basis to discuss possible deals in places such as Los Angeles, Ukraine and China.

Documents show that Trump in 2005 extended Bayrock a one-year deal to develop a project in the Russian capital. Sater said he had located a group of interested Russian investors, as well as a possible site for a luxury high-rise  a shuttered pencil factory that had been named for American radicals Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who were convicted of murder and executed during the red scare that swept the United States after World War I.

I handled all of the negotiations, Sater said of the Russia deal, which did not come to fruition. Asked whether there was paperwork drawn up on the deal, he responded: It was more of verbal updates when Id come back, pop my head into Mr. Trumps office and tell him, you know, Moving forward on the Moscow deal. And he would say, All right. 

I showed him photos, I showed him the site, showed him the view from the site. Its pretty spectacular, Sater said.

When Trumps children Donald Jr. and Ivanka were planning a trip to Moscow in 2006, Sater said that Trump asked him to squire them around the city.

They were on their way by themselves, and he was all concerned, Sater said. He asked if I wouldnt mind joining them and looking after them while they were in Moscow.

Garten, Trumps lawyer, said that Trumps adult children and Sater happened to be there at the same time. There was no accompanying them to Moscow, Garten said.

Sater said he also attended social events where Trump had been present and had visited Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., though not at Trumps invitation.

Sater attended a glitzy launch party with Trump in 2007 celebrating Trump Soho, a 46-story Manhattan project that Bayrock helped develop.

When the New York Times first linked Sater to the mob stock and money laundering scheme later that year, Trump expressed surprise.

We do as much of a background check as we can on the principals. I didnt really know him very well, Trump told the Times, adding that he dealt primarily with other Bayrock executives.

Garten told The Post that, prior to the 2007 article, Trumps company knew none of Saters criminal past and would have had no reason to inquire.

The disclosure led to problems for Bayrock and Trump.

When one of the firms most ambitious projects, the oceanfront Trump International Hotel and Tower in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., became embroiled in disputes after construction stalled in 2009, aggrieved condo buyers filed suit, claiming, among other things, that Trump and others had failed to tell them about the criminal past of a key member of the development team.

Trump walked away from the failing project, saying he held no responsibility since he had merely licensed his name to the effort.

He claimed in sworn testimony in 2013 as part of the dispute that he barely knew Sater.

If he were sitting in the room right now, I really wouldnt know what he looked like, Trump said, adding that he had spoken with Sater not many times.

Sater, however, was memorable to others associated with Bayrock and its projects.

One former Bayrock employee alleged in a lawsuit that Sater once told him during a dispute to shut up or risk being killed. Another lawsuit filed in Arizona in 2007 alleged that Sater had threatened a local project partner named Ernest Mennes.

According to the lawsuit, Sater called Mennes in 2006 and threatened that his cousin would electrically shock Mr. Mennes testicles, cut off Mr. Mennes legs, and leave Mr. Mennes dead in the trunk of his car if Mennes revealed his criminal past.

Mennes said he was barred by a legal settlement from discussing the matter. I wish Mr. Sater well, he said, adding that he is now supporting Trump for president.

Wolf, Saters lawyer, said the claim that Sater had threatened violence was an outright fabrication made in the course of lawsuits that have included baseless and highly defamatory accusations designed to win money from Bayrock.

As Sater became a more controversial figure, Trump did not cut ties.

In 2008, Trumps lawyers asked Sater to testify in Trumps libel suit against journalist Tim OBrien, arguing that OBriens book, Trump Nation, damaged his reputation and cost him projects that Bayrock and others had been pursuing. The suit was dismissed.

At the time, Sater testified he was in the process of leaving Bayrock because of the publicity around his past.

During his 2009 sentencing, which had been delayed because of his work as a government witness, Sater bemoaned leaving Bayrock, a company he said he had built with my own two hands.

Here I am trying to rehabilitate myself and keep getting the rug pulled out from under me, Sater told the judge.

After Sater left Bayrock, he was given Trump Organization business cards and office space so he could continue searching for deals for the company, Garten said. The cards, first reported by the Associated Press, identified Sater as a senior advisor to Donald Trump.

Garten said Sater was never a Trump Organization employee and was paid nothing during the brief 2010 arrangement. Nothing came of it, and they went their separate ways, Garten said.

According to his website, Sater has continued to work in real estate and finance for a number of international companies. His site touts his work on Trump projects and his extensive philanthropy. He is an active member of Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish sect, and, in 2014, was named Man of the Year by Chabad of Port Washington, N.Y.

His background emerged again last year during Loretta E. Lynchs confirmation hearings to become attorney general. Lynch, who was U.S. attorney in the office that prosecuted the stock fraud, was asked to respond to allegations that Sater had been let off too easily and the government should not have hidden his conviction from public view.

Lynch told senators that Sater had provided valuable and sensitive information for more than 10 years and that his work had been crucial to national security and the conviction of over 20 individuals, including those responsible for committing massive financial fraud and members of La Cosa Nostra.

Sater has generally declined to comment about his relationship with Trump. But earlier this month, he tweeted his support for Trumps presidential run, congratulating Trump on appearing to clinch the GOP nomination. He will make the greatest President of our century, Sater wrote.

Alice Crites and Walter Fee contributed to this report.
YANGON, BURMA - NOVEMBER 14: U.S President Barak Obama speaks to students during a Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Town Hall meeting on November 14, 2014 in Yangon, Burma. Obama spends one day in Yangon speaking at Yangon University and meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi before departing to Australia for the G20 Summit this evening. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images) (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

The Obama administration on Tuesday announced an easing of some U.S. economic sanctions on Burma, a move designed to foster greater trade ties with the once-isolated Southeast Asian nation that is undergoing a fitful democratic transition.

The Treasury Department said it was altering regulatory provisions to allow more U.S. citizens and financial institutions in Burma, also known as Myanmar, to engage in economic transactions. The administration also removed seven state-owned Burmese enterprises and three state-owned banks from a list of businesses whose international assests are blocked.

Administration officials emphasized that President Obama renewed his authority to impose the sanctions but that the easing follows a successful democratic election last fall that led to a transition of power to the long-oppressed opposition party.

Were not doing away with all our sanctions, said Ben Rhodes, Obamas deputy national security adviser. We are emphasizing that constructive economic engagement with Burma is not just allowed  it is encouraged. Our sanctions were too often an obstacle; the very people we wanted to help were hurt in some cases.

The administration has helped foster Burmas political transition after half a century of military rule, and Obama visited the country twice, laying the groundwork for changes in U.S. policy. But critics, including some members of Congress, have cited ongoing ethnic violence by the Buddhist majority against the Rohingya Muslim minority, as well continued persecution of reporters and civil society advocates, to call on the administration to maintain tough economic sanctions.

Treasury officials noted that six companies were added to the blocked list, even as the administration was announcing the easing of sanctions on others.

There obviously is more work that needs to be done, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said, and the sanctions that remain in place do serve to pressure those entities that may be advocating for rolling back some of those reforms.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, seen here at an April rally in Eau Claire, Wis., intends to explain his past controversial statements to repair his image with voters. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

In the face of a brutal new Democratic advertising assault, Donald Trump said he plans to rehabilitate his battered image in the coming weeks by publicly addressing head-on some of the most controversial episodes of his campaign.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominees strategy is fueled by a desire to persuade voters that hes nothing like the monster he believes his political adversaries and the media have portrayed him to be.

Trump is taking other steps to recalibrate the impression he leaves on voters. He sat down for a television special airing Tuesday night to make peace with Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, with whom he has feuded for 10 months, and he has forcefully contested reporting that shows him to be callous and lecherous with women.

The moment speaks to the core challenge for Trump: His incendiary behavior, both before and during his populist campaign, has sown doubts about his character and fitness for office.

Here are six times Republican presidential contender Donald Trump has insulted women, from Rosie O'Donnell to Ted Cruz's wife, Heidi. (Sarah Parnass and Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post)

Trump put his tact to a test during an interview with The Washington Post here Monday afternoon. Unprompted, he delivered a five-minute soliloquy attempting to explain himself for making wild arm and hand gestures at a rally last November to discredit New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski. The act was widely seen as mocking the journalists physical disability and has been featured in numerous ads and videos designed to savage Trump.

I would never say anything bad about a person that has a disability, Trump said, leaning forward at his office desk. I swear to you its true, 100 percent true. . . . Who would do that to [the] handicapped? Ive spent a lot of money making buildings accessible.

Trump then satirically reenacted the scene, his arms jerking all around, and said he was trying to show a guy who grovels  Oh, oh, I didnt say that. I didnt say that. That was the imitation I was doing.

Now, he concluded, is that a believable story?

Whether voters believe it could help determine whether Trump can overcome a staggering popularity deficit with the general electorate, especially among women. Trump and his advisers know that improving his standing with white women in particular may be the key to defeating likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in battleground states such as Ohio and Virginia.

[Trumps womans card comment escalates gender wars of 2016 campaign]

Trumps moves come as Priorities USA, a pro-Clinton super PAC, began an aggressive and sustained television ad campaign this week assailing Trump as dangerous and divisive. The ads showcase a series of derogatory comments that Trump has made about women.

Women and girls watch as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addresses supporters at a campaign event last week in Blackwood, N.J. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

Clinton herself plans to seize on Trumps past comments. As he goes after women, as he goes after literally every group, Im going to be their voice, she tweeted last week.

Trump plans to counter the attacks personally. His campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, said the candidate would respond in a series of rallies and media appearances and highlight, among other things, his real estate firms history of hiring women for senior positions.

This is deeply personal for Mr. Trump, Lewandowski said. He will do anything he can to correct the narrative. He wants to point to specific things that are absolutely false about him and go out and talk about them.

Unlike in typical campaigns, Trump will not hold staged events with women or make other overtures to coveted voting blocs, Lewandowski said. I dont think hell pander to anybody, he said. The message will be the same to everybody.

Both Trump and Clinton are deeply polarizing figures with high unfavorability ratings. Trump said that, despite his global celebrity and the saturation media coverage of his campaign, he is convinced that his political image is fluid and can be easily repaired. By contrast, he argued, it will be impossible for Clinton to change the way voters view her because her persona has become calcified over two decades in politics.

Shes Crooked Hillary,  he said, using the derogatory nickname he has coined in an attempt to brand her as he did his Republican opponents.

In the Post interview, Trump interjected to offer an unprompted and lengthy defense of his statement last August accusing Kelly of having blood coming out of her wherever during her tough questioning of him in a debate. His comments were widely interpreted as a reference to Kellys menstrual cycle.

When that narrative started, I said, Youve got to be kidding. Who would even think of that? Trump said. . . . I said wherever  ears, nose. I wasnt even thinking about the other.

In the coming weeks, Trump said, I may explain this stuff during speeches. He added, It may be old news, it may not be old news, but Im just telling you.

Democrats hope it is too late. He can explain them all he wants, but I dont think he can get away from them, strategist Robert Shrum said. If he spends all of his time explaining those remarks, hell only dig a bigger hole.

Using the same metaphor, Democratic consultant James Carville said, The guy cant seem to get rid of his shovel.

At your rallies you want to be talking about hope for middle America, about enhancing Americas position in the world and defeating ISIS, Carville added. If you spend your time on the other issue, Im not sure you get very far.

[The general election is daunting for Donald Trump]

Republican operatives underscored the urgency for Trump, believing he has a tight window between now and the July political conventions to define himself before the general electorate or risk the Democrats doing it for him.

In 2012, early Democratic attacks against GOP nominee Mitt Romney were so successful that by that summer, Romney was viewed as a rich, out-of-touch plutocrat, and nothing he did in the fall altered that impression.

Trump cant lose the summer, said Kellyanne Conway, a GOP pollster who managed a super PAC supportive of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. He has to redefine his image with suburban women, married women, unmarried women. Women are part of this movement that wants an outsider and fresh face, but he has to bring them over.

Some Republican operatives are skeptical that Trumps attempts to polish his image will work. If he can get out there and seem genuine . . . I dont know. Maybe, said strategist Austin Barbour.

Others are more optimistic. Charlie Gerow, who chaired Republican Carly Fiorinas unsuccessful presidential campaign, said she and other Trump rivals repeatedly tried to paint the billionaire as an obnoxious bully but struggled to make the tag stick.

Hes made enough comments that have been really offensive to fill a room, but we were day in, day out surprised by what people were willing to accept from him, Gerow said. Most stuff didnt seem to matter. In an ugly schoolyard brawl of a campaign, the shock value can get diminished.
Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton declared victory in the Kentucky primary on Tuesday, potentially disrupting a string of expected primary losses this month that had threatened to weaken her even as she turned her focus to her likely matchup against Republican Donald Trump in the general election.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, meanwhile, was declared the winner of Oregons Democratic primary.

The outcomes will do little to change the dynamics in the race. In Kentucky, Sanders had hoped to continue a state winning streak that began in Indiana and West Virginia this month.

With 99.8 percent of precincts counted, Clinton was ahead by less than 1 percentage point, and the Associated Press declared the race too close to call. Asked whether Sanders would consider seeking a recount, spokesman Michael Briggs said in an email: Well take a closer look at the numbers in Kentucky and make a decision on Wednesday.

Although Sanders had been favored to win Kentucky in recent polls, Clintons advisers sensed an opportunity to pull out a victory and invested heavily in the state in recent days. Clinton campaigned in Kentucky throughout the weekend and sent surrogates to appear on her behalf, including former president Bill Clinton.

1 of 46 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Clinton on the campaign trail View Photos The former secretary of state visits key states in her quest to become the Democratic nominee for president. Caption The former secretary of state, senator and first lady is the Democratic nominee for president. July 31, 2016 Hillary Clinton is seen aboard the campaign bus in Cleveland on the third day of a bus tour through Pennsylvania and Ohio. Melina Mara/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Sanders drew large audiences across the state, while both Clintons at times faced unfriendly crowds in a state that once supported Bill Clinton overwhelmingly but that, in part because of the decline in the coal industry, has evolved into a redder state.

Sanders also spent time and money in recent days in other primary states, including Oregon and California. At a rally in Carson, Calif., late Tuesday, Sanders said: It appears tonight that were going to end up with about half of the delegates from Kentucky.

He also declared that winning the nomination remained possible. No one can predict the future, but I think we have a real shot to win the primaries in a number of the states coming up, he said. Dont tell the secretary of state. She might get nervous. I think were going to win here in California.

Ahead of voting Tuesday, Sanders trailed Clinton by 283 pledged delegates, which are awarded based on the results of primaries and caucuses, according to the most recent tally by the Associated Press. He would need to win lopsided victories in nearly all of the remaining primaries to overtake her in the delegate count.

Oregon also held Democratic and Republican primaries Tuesday, and Trump and Sanders were declared the winners shortly after the polls closed.

While those primaries were playing out Tuesday, Sanders was locked in a controversy with Democratic Party leaders in Nevada over the conduct of his supporters at the state convention over the weekend, which was cut short after security officials declared they could no longer contain the disruption.

The dispute raised the prospects for a contentious nominating convention in Philadelphia this summer  something that Democratic leaders say would be harmful to the party as well as to Clintons prospects for preparing to confront Trump.

In front of a boisterous crowd in Carson, Calif., Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders called on the Democratic party May 17 to "open the doors; let the people in." Sanders vowed to continue fighting rival Hillary Clinton for the party's presidential nomination. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

And like Tuesdays close primary results in Kentucky, the fight also highlighted the never-ending nature of the Democratic nominating process  and the growing hard feelings between Democratic Party leaders and loyal Sanders fans.

State party officials accused Sanders supporters of inciting violence and sending threatening messages to party officials, including the state party chairwoman, Roberta Lange. Afterward, pro-Sanders graffiti was found scrawled on the state party headquarters building. The party filed a formal complaint with the Democratic National Committee about the conduct of Sanders supporters.

On Tuesday, Sanders condemned alleged threats, but he also stood by unhappy supporters who had claimed that state convention rules were being carried out unfairly to favor Clinton.

In a statement, Sanders called the Nevada Democratic Partys claim nonsense.

If the Democratic Party is to be successful in November, it is imperative that all state parties treat our campaign supporters with fairness and the respect that they have earned, Sanders said. Unfortunately, that was not the case at the Nevada convention.

The Clinton campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the fracas, but Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) and Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) called on Sanders to condemn the violence.

Both primaries on Tuesday were open only to registered Democratic voters, a fact that probably hurt Sanders, given how strongly he has performed among independent voters in states that held open primaries.

In Kentucky, Sanders campaigned in the small western city of Paducah on Sunday, drawing nearly 2,000 supporters to a convention center.

But by the end, the Clinton campaign had slightly outspent Sanders on the airwaves. And she made her pitch to Kentucky with the help of a well-worn weapon: nostalgia for her husbands administration.

[Heres what happened at Saturdays dramatic Nevada Democratic convention]

I want to help bring back the kind of economy that worked for everybody in the 1990s, Clinton said in Paducah on Monday morning, when she dropped by a packed diner to shake hands. Ive already told my husband, if Im so fortunate enough to be president and he will be the first gentleman, Im expecting him to go to work . . . and get incomes rising.

That theme was particularly resonant in Kentucky, a state where Democrats recall Bill Clinton as the last of an era of Southern Democrats they identified with culturally.

I saw you and your husband when you came through . . . and you stopped, Holly Erwin, 63, told Clinton breathlessly in the Lone Oak Little Castle diner near Paducah. My daughter saved her gum.

Stories like these abound in Kentucky, but a general move away from Democratic leanings, particularly among those dependent on the coal industry, was a drag on Clintons performance.

Kentuckys economy is more diverse than in West Virginia, where Clinton lost to Sanders by 16 percentage points last week. But Clinton didnt help her standing in coal country when, in trying to describe her plans to help retool the economy, she said she planned to put a lot of coal companies and a lot of coal miners out of business.

Sanders dominated in coal country in the eastern part of the state. Returns showed Clinton performing well in Lexington and Louisville, two large population centers.

[Bill Clinton takes on protesters in coal country]

Even as the two candidates continued campaigning for the Democratic nomination, signs emerged that the general election was already in full swing.

A pro-Clinton super PAC released two scathing ads Monday aimed at the presumptive Republican nominee. The $6 million ad buy takes aim at Trump in a handful of swing states: Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Nevada.

Foreshadowing the fight to come over suburban female voters, the ads use Trumps own words to paint him as insensitive and out of touch.

At the same time, Clinton has continued to largely ignore Sanders and focus instead on a general-election message that contrasts with Trumps polarizing candidacy.

Im tired of people being on the Republican team or the Democratic team or the red team or the blue team, Clinton said Monday in Hopkinsville, Ky. Lets be on the American team.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Tuesday proposed legalizing gay marriage across the country, a sign of a new milestone in Latin Americas gradual shift toward marriage equality.

For a country that remains predominantly Catholic, and a region with a history of conservative social mores, Pena Nietos announcement marks a significant evolution. While same-sex marriage has been legal in Mexico City and some states, many parts of the country dont allow it and have fought legal battles to protect their vision of traditional marriage between a man and a woman.

Pena Nietos proposed overhaul would enshrine in the constitution repeated rulings from Mexicos Supreme Court that states cannot ban same-sex couples from marrying. In these decisions, the Supreme Court has found that state laws that limit marriage to heterosexuals are discriminatory.

During an event Tuesday to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Pena Nieto said that the court has recognized marriage as a human right without any discrimination.

That is, for marriages to be without discrimination for ethnic origin, disability, social or health condition, religion, gender or sexual preference, he said.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, shown in Baja California this month, on Tuesday proposed legalizing same-sex marriage across the country. (Mexican Presidency/European Pressphoto Agency)

For Pena Nieto, whose Twitter profile turned rainbow-colored on Tuesday, the move marks the latest sign of a liberal shift in his social policies. In April, he proposed legalizing marijuana in small amounts and for medical use. In that case, Pena Nietos proposal followed a Supreme Court decision that said people could grow and consume marijuana for personal use.

That initiative, and the gay marriage one, will require congressional approval.

So far in his three years in office, Pena Nieto has proven adept at getting initiatives through Congress, including constitutional amendments. Mexico has opened up its hermetic oil industry to foreign investment for the first time in decades, revamped its education policies and weakened traditional business monopolies. But after a series of corruption and violence scandals in the government, Pena Nietos approval ratings have fallen, and his implementation of various overhauls has been criticized.

Pena Nietos proposal would also revise the federal civil code in various ways to eliminate discriminatory or outdated provisions. Among them, the prevailing legal concept that marriage is for the preservation of the human species would be eliminated, along with a rule that prevents women from remarrying for 300 days after a divorce. Such rules, frankly, were archaic, said Humberto Castillejos, a legal adviser to the president.

One of the historic things about todays meeting was that a president of Mexico has never met with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual community. It was the first time, Castillejos said in an interview. The most relevant thing is the message: In Mexico, we are not going to permit discrimination of any kind.

The proposal would also permit same-sex adoptions, allow people to change the gender on their birth certificate, and establish 18 as the minimum age for marriage.

Mexico City, the capital and the countrys liberal bastion, legalized gay marriage in 2009, the first major jurisdiction in Latin America to make such a move. One northern state, Coahuila, followed, and Quintana Roo, on the Yucatan Peninsula, has allowed gay marriage since 2012, as it is not specifically prohibited in state law. In recent years, many Latin American countries have moved to allow civil unions and same-sex marriage, including Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, with several others moving in that direction.
Iraqi security forces work at the scene of a bomb explosion at an outdoor market in Baghdads northern Shaab neighborhood on Tuesday. (Khalid Mohammed/AP)

A string of bomb attacks hit Shiite areas of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing nearly 70 people and underscoring the deadly reach of the Islamic State into Iraqs capital even as the militants face mounting pressures on their strongholds in Iraq and Syria.

In the past week alone, more than 200 people have been killed from bloodshed claimed by the Islamic State or said linked to the group.

The Islamic State asserted responsibility for the first of Tuesdays blasts  all but one at open-air markets  but the subsequent attacks also appeared similar to last weeks blitz of bombings claimed by the group, including triple explosions in Baghdad on Wednesday.

[Regions disputes complicates fight against Islamic State]

Security officials and health workers said at least 69 people were killed  more than half of them in the Sadr City neighborhood that also took the brunt of last weeks attacks.

The bloody toll from these attacks, which is predominantly civilian, has been growing steadily over the past seven days, said a statement from the rights group Amnesty International.

The signs of worry from Iraqi leaders also were clear. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the arrest of the security official responsible for the Shaab neighborhood, where the first blast occurred, said a statement from Abadis office.

Influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr blamed the government for its failure to protect civilians. Sadr has led weeks of street protests calling for reform and an end to corruption within the government.

There is clear evidence that your government is unable to protect you, Sadr said in a statement sent by his political coalition, al-Ahrar, on Tuesday.

Your blood wont go for nothing. Rebel against injustice and corruption, he said.

The stepped-up violence from Islamic State militants coincides with widening military offensives by Iraqi forces backed by U.S.-led airstrikes in northern and western Iraq, the main bases for the Sunni extremist groups in the country.

[Iraqs Shiites frequent target for Islamic State]

In Baghdads northeastern Shaab neighborhood, a roadside bomb exploded outside concrete blast walls surrounding a market, security officials said, killing at least 11. As people aided the victims, a female suicide bomber detonated another blast, said Brig. Gen. Saad Maan, a police spokesman.

In Sadr City, explosives packed into a Kia truck detonated at a major square, killing more than 20, according to a statement from the Baghdad Operations Command. Gunmen loyal to the cleric Sadr were deployed in the neighborhood, which was also hit by deadly attacks last week.

In the following hours, explosions hit a fruit-and-vegetable market and a restaurant in Shiite areas of Baghdad, the Associated Press reported.

The terrorists have struck again, adding to their long violent history of death and destruction and once again aiming to kill and maim as many innocent people as possible, the U.N. special representative in Iraq, Jan Kubis, said in a statement.

Abadi said security forces have started operations to liberate the town of Rutbah in Anbar province in western Iraq. Iraqi troops have pushed Islamic State fighters from Anbars provincial capital, Ramadi, and other towns in recent months.

Despite the many challenges faced by the country, our heroes are achieving victories and liberating land, Abadi said in a statement. God willing, we will bring news of victory soon.

Cunningham reported from Istanbul. Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.
Long gone are the fierce horsemen that protected the borders of czarist Russia, but Cossacks are still a part of Russian politics. Communities claiming Cossack heritage have reasserted themselves as ultraconservative factions loyal to President Vladimir Putin. (The Washington Post)

Long gone are the fierce horsemen that protected the borders of czarist Russia, but Cossacks are still a part of Russian politics. Communities claiming Cossack heritage have reasserted themselves as ultraconservative factions loyal to President Vladimir Putin. (The Washington Post)

In an attack reflecting rising political violence in Russia, pro-Kremlin activists on Tuesday beat members of an opposition advocacy group led by a prominent whistleblower, injuring six people and leaving one hospitalized.

Aa group of Cossacks  wearing their signature fleece hats and yelling Get off our land!  punched and kicked activists from the Fund to Fight Corruption. The activists were returning from a team-building hike when they were attacked at the airport in the southern Russian city of Anapa, a spokeswoman for the group, Kira Yarmysh, said by telephone.

[The activist who seeks to fix the problems with Russias elections]

Among those assaulted was Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner who has been the target of numerous criminal investigations and whose brother is serving a jail sentence on fraud charges.

The Cossacks, once-fierce horsemen who guarded the borders of czarist Russia, have now reasserted themselves as ultraconservative factions loyal to President Vladimir Putin.

A video frame from Anapa Today shows pro-Kremlin activists throwing milk at Russian opposition leader Alexei Navally, center right, at an airport in southern Russia on May 17. (Dmitry Slaboda/AP)

Aside from fielding units to fight alongside pro-Kremlin separatists in southeast Ukraine in 2014, they have increasingly focused their ire on the political opposition in Russia.

The Cossacks claimed Tuesday that Navalnys supporters began the fight, pointing to a video that showed a young man in a red shirt and a backpack throwing an elbow during a standoff, sparking the brawl. The confrontation began after the Cossacks threw milk at Navalnys supporters.

Nobody planned an attack. They wanted to throw milk at them, which they did, and then tell them off to their face, Dmitry Slaboda, a Cossack, told the radio station Govorit Moskva. But, due to that strike, the fight began.

Attacks against Russian opposition figures are becoming commonplace ahead of parliamentary elections in September. The Kremlin has warned against any repeat of the protests that erupted after the disputed elections in 2011.

[The rising pressures on Russias opposition]

However, violence and other forms of harassment against opposition leaders have only grown worse, cresting with the killing of former deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov last year.

In recent months, members of Russias opposition have been subjected to low-level public attacks, often filmed and then uploaded to social-networking sites such as YouTube.

In February, several men approached opposition politician Mikhail Kasyanov at a restaurant and threw a cake at him. Kasyanov was also the target of a sex tape aired on state television last month that has split the opposition.

Late last month, Navalny was attacked in downtown Moscow with an acrid, dark blue chemical liquid on the same day that students and members of a civil rights society were targeted in a similar attack.

On Friday, a bus carrying Navalny and his colleagues was briefly halted for an inspection on the border of the southern region of Krasnodar as part of an anti-terrorism operation. Navalny wrote on Twitter that the group was being checked for connections to the Islamic State militant group.

Read more

Meet the woman who says shes going to fix Russias rigged elections

Russian opposition struggles to fill void left by a very public slaying

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Secretary of State John F. Kerry, left, and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, attend crisis talks on Syria in Vienna on May 17. (Pool photo by Leonhard Foeger /via European Pressphoto Agency)

Diplomats trying to revive faltering Syrian peace talks on Tuesday called for airdrops of humanitarian supplies to blockaded towns and warned rebels that they might not be protected from future airstrikes if they violate an ongoing partial truce.

After a meeting of diplomats from two dozen countries and organizations, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said the goal is to convert the often-violated truce into a full-fledged nationwide cease-fire, but he acknowledged the difficulty of doing so.Both the government and some opposition groups have taken actions that undermine the ongoing truce.

We cant give vetoes to bad actors or avoid the consequences for any sides actors who have an agenda that is different from that of reaching an agreement and trying to make peace, Kerry said at a news conference.

[Column: John Kerrys desperate push on Syria]

In a statement, the diplomats set a June 1 deadline for deliveries of food and medicine to more than a dozen Syrian towns and neighborhoods where the United Nations relief agencies have been turned away, usually by the government.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a news conference in Vienna, Austria on May 17. (Leonhard Foeger/AP)

If relief does not get through over land by that date, they urged the U.N. World Food Program to conduct airlifts, which have taken place elsewhere in Syria, with mixed success.

In February, the World Food Program said Syrian aid workers recovered fewer than half of the 21 pallets dropped over the eastern city of Deir al-Zour by Russian planes in a first attempt to reach the besieged region.

Another WFP-directed airdrop last month in the area, however, managed to get nearly all its 22 pallets to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, the agency said.

To stop the violence and the truce violations, Kerry said, the countries in the International Syria Support Group are prepared to consider harsher steps against groups that have engaged in a pattern of persistent noncompliance. One possible outcome, he said, included dropping them from the protective umbrella that comes with the truce.

[Kerry says human rights abuses help spawn terrorism]

The cessation of hostilities agreed upon in February as a confidence-building measure ahead of the U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Geneva all but collapsed this month with fierce fighting around the city of Aleppo.

Under the terms of the U.N. Security Council resolution establishing the talks, only two groups designated as terrorist entities  the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda  can be legitimately attacked amid the truce.

That has been difficult to enforce, however, because some of the rebel groups that are part of the talks have fought in the vicinity of, and occasionally alongside, those two groups, allowing the government to say that it was targeting terrorists even when striking opposition groups involved in the talks.

In a particularly worrisome incident, Ahrar al-Sham, which is part of the talks, reportedly joined with Jabhat al-Nusra in an attack on the Alawite village of Zara last week, killing 19 people, including civilians. Alawites are a minority group that form the backbone of the regime.

Ahrar al-Sham is backed by Qatar, a member of the Syria support group.

The diplomats urged all opposition groups to separate themselves, physically and politically, from the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra.

Kerry said the diplomats agreed to use their influence  Russia and Iran with the Syrian government, and the United States and everyone else with the opposition  to prevent violations so the truce can be expanded.

Kerry sounded exasperated at the infighting that has marked the talks.A variety of competing interests are going to have to be reconciled for the conflict to end, he said. Those involved in this conflict with competing agendas are going to have to prioritize peace.

The diplomats came to Vienna with little hope of a breakthrough in the Geneva negotiations between the government and the opposition. The talks have barely gotten off the ground, with the parties never even meeting in the same room. The last round was in April, and no date has been set for another round.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura, who is leading the talks, said the negotiations could resume when there is some kind of concrete outcome from Tuesdays meeting, such as a cease-fire for humanitarian access.

But the huge gaps in positions, not only between the government and the opposition but within the International Syria Support Group, could not be papered over.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took issue with Kerrys characterization of Russian support for the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

We dont support Assad, Lavrov said through a translator. We support the fight against terrorism. Today, we dont see any more real and efficient force than the Syrian army.

Opening a small window in the talks, he said some of the diplomats attending the meeting had told him that the choice was between a fight against terrorism and a fight against the Syrian regime.

Wrong, he said, declaring that the choice was between priorities. Everybody acknowledged that Assads regime is the lesser evil for them than if we compare it with increasing chaos if there is no political process.

Although there is a broad agreement on a transition sometime in the future, the outlines are vague.

The United States and the opposition say Assad must go. The Syrian government envisions a national unity government that could include some opposition members  presumably with Assad still in power. It considers many of the opposition groups to be terrorists, however.

The diplomats are facing an August deadline to create a framework for a political transition. Kerry indicated, however, that the deadline was flexible so long as progress was being made.

As the talks teeter between promise and stalemate, the bloodshed continued. Human Rights Watch has asked the United States and Russia to investigate the attack on Zara and a May 5 airstrike on a camp for 4,500 displaced people near the Turkish border in which at least 20 people died.

Read more:

Kerry says talks with Russia seek to separate rival forces in Syria

U.S., Russia and other powers agree on cessation of hostilities in Syria

Syrian leader gets breathing room with Russias help

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
As the strike by 39,000 workers at Verizon in the US enters its second month, management is escalating its attack on workers. Two strikers were hit and injured by scab vehicles crossing picket lines this week: one in Queens, New York and one in Westborough, Massachusetts.

The Communication Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) are continuing to isolate the strike. The unions have not issued a statement on either incident despite their flagrant and unprovoked character. Nor have they made any effort to mobilize broader sections of the working class to support the Verizon workers.

Meanwhile, workers told the WSWS Verizon Strike Newsletter that a letter being widely circulated among Verizon workers on social media from a wireless employee alleges management plans to lock out strikers sometime after June 15. While the WSWS cannot verify the authenticity of the letter, if true it would represent a major escalation of strikebreaking.

The attacks on pickets highlight the strikebreaking role of the Democratic Party, with which both the CWA and IBEW are aligned. In New York City, Democratic Mayor Bill De Blasio has mobilized hundreds of police to escort scabs across Verizon workers picket lines while keeping workers penned behind metal barricades. The worker injured in Queens was struck by a van driven by a uniformed police lieutenant.

The Verizon Strike Newsletter is fighting to mobilize support for the striking Verizon workers from other sections of the working class to break through the media blackout and the sabotage of the unions. The WSWS spoke to New York City transit workers this week and Fiat Chrysler workers in the Midwest.

As they rushed between their trains on brief breaks at the Stillwell station terminal in Coney Island, subway workers expressed support for the Verizon workers and the need for workers to rally behind the strike.

Ron Jones said, They should get what they deserve. I support what they are doing. We need it, too. It should be all people, not only union but regular working people, act together.

Niasha, an operator for three years, said, They are trying to get fair wages, health insurance and retirement. Their strike benefits everybody. But it is like the unions are waiting and watching to see what everybody is going to do. They can come out and support each other.

Valerie Hawkins, a train operator for two years, added, I want everybody to have what they deserve and work for. That is why I support their strike. I see them with their signs near where I live. I would support all workers uniting. I agree that we need a workers party.

Subway operator Jay Parker said, They have to get what they need. Workers have a right to strike. I side with the workers. Jobs are being outsourced and need to be protected.

A conductor who preferred not to give his name complained, We are locked into the Taylor Law that makes it illegal to strike. The union likes all the corporations. It is corruption. Money that gets transferred from the government for the workers does not all get to us. But I dont see it changing. The elite will always be the elite.

Ben Demucci, a New York City transit train operator, told the WSWS, I was a Verizon worker until I was laid off in 2006. They said it was because of absences, but they were getting people for anything. They were looking for anyone to fire. They let a couple of thousand people go in 2006.

Dexter Moore related his experience with Verizon and his support for the strikers: I used to be a Verizon worker. I walked away because of the job uncertainty and what they would do every contract time. I believe they were very unfair when they took my pension away after I had worked there for 15 years, and done such good work for them.

I heard from a current field tech that they are trying to limit pensions and take away heath care benefits. Verizon is one of many companies making billions who are trying to take away the livelihood of working people who are on the front lines. Verizon strikers should have the support of all workers because it will come to us next.

D. Smith, another transit train operator, said, I think what they are doing is a good thing. It is good for all workers. It is standing up to management. They should be joined by all workers. However, in most cases it has been the union that is responsible for isolating strikes. They are in cahoots with management.

The WSWS also distributed a newsletter containing a report on the Verizon strike to Fiat Chrysler workers at the Warren Stamping auto plant outside of Detroit. Many workers expressed concern that they were getting no information on the attacks on Verizon workers from the United Auto Workers or the corporate media.

One veteran worker said, The public in general should stand behind them. That would have a positive influence.

He related the attack on Verizon workers to the poisoning of Flint residents and the ongoing struggle by Detroit teachers, who carried out a two-day sickout protest last week over threats by the Detroit Schools emergency manager that they would not receive pay over the summer months. We have a similar situation here with Flint and the school system in Detroit. The state created the deficit, and now they are trying to blame the teachers and the people of Detroit by cutting their pay and taking the system over.

Another Warren Truck worker added, Whats happening at Verizon is like the Detroit schools. They want to move the older workers out and bring in temps.

He was angry that the UAW was not keeping workers informed of the situation at Verizon, but was not surprised. Speaking about the recent contract struggle in auto he said, I voted no on our contract. I didnt like the pay scale. Eight years is too long to get to top pay.

Another worker added, I know what Verizon workers are going through. I worked at American Axle, he remarked, referring to the strike in 2009 that saw the UAW impose massive concessions and job cuts.
According to eyewitness reports published last week by Human Rights Watch, at least five people were shot or beaten to death by Turkish border guards in March and April on the countrys border with Syria, including a 15-year old boy. Fourteen others received serious injuries as a result of shots or beatings.

The European Union has remained silent about the report detailing the deliberate killing of refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria. While the EU is insisting that Turkey pass amendments to its anti-terrorism laws with regard to the introduction of visa-free travel in the EU for Turkish citizens, Brussels is giving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a free hand in the inhumane treatment of refugees inside Turkey.

When the far-right Alternative for Germany demanded border guards shoot at refugees, government representatives expressed their anger. But the report by Human Rights Watch suggests that Turkey has practically adopted the order to shoot against refugees on behalf of the EU.

According to Human Rights Watch, on the night of April 15 near the Syrian border town of al-Duriya, a group of seven refugees came under fire from Turkish border guards. A 13-year-old teenager watched as his 15-year-old cousin died in a hail of bullets.

He told Human Rights Watch: We were in a valley called al-Nabua. I am not sure whether we were yet in Turkey, but suddenly the shooting started. My cousin fell down. He was shot in the head. I was next to him. There were bullets flying all around us. We threw ourselves on the ground. A few hours later the shooting stopped and we escaped.

The commander of the local border guards later told another cousin who wanted to pick up the corpse: Anyone who approaches the border will be killed.

Just two days later, on April 17, two refugees were shot and four others seriously injured at the Khurbat al-Juz Guvecci border crossing. A survivor told how his sister and cousin were killed.

When we were about 500 meters from the wall, we heard automatic weapons fired from the direction of the wall and bullets landed all around us. The women started screaming and the children started crying, but the shooting continued. We all threw ourselves onto the ground, covering the children. I was lying close to my sister and my cousin, and the bullets hit them while we were lying down. They stopped screaming and shouting. I knew right away they had been killed.

The report cites further cases of refugees being shot, beaten and mistreated. In March, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported several cases of violence by Turkish soldiers and border guards against refugees. The organization spoke of up to 16 refugees who had been shot on the Syrian-Turkish border in the preceding months.

This shows the true face of the European Unions refugee policythe dirty deal with Turkey makes the government in Ankara its stooge in sealing off the EUs external borders. As Europes bouncer, the Erdogan government does the dirty work for the EU, which also bears responsibility for the deaths of the refugees on the Syrian-Turkish border.

The pact between Turkey and the EU adopted in Brussels on March 18 stipulates that Turkey take back all refugees who come across the Aegean to Greece. In return, the European Union has committed to taking one Syrian civil war refugee for each one deported back to Turkey.

Moreover, Ankara will receive 6 billion in financial aid, as well as speeding up the countrys EU accession talks and the removal of the visa requirement for Turkish citizens entering the EU. The EU will also support Turkey in establishing so called Safe Zones in North Syria, in which refugees from other parts of the country can be housed.

The deal came about, despite Turkey not having fully ratified the Geneva Convention and turning away people from Syria and Iraq seeking protection. Approximately 2.7 million refugees who are mainly from Syria, but have also fled from Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan, are currently staying in Turkey.

For over a year, the border crossings between Syria and Turkey have been closed for all practical purposes, and only the seriously injured are allowed through. This year, the Turkish government has begun the construction of a concrete wall along its border with Syria. Some 300 kilometres are already completed of a planned 900-kilometres-long wall whose sole purpose is to stop refugees crossing the border.

With this, Turkey has created de facto safe zones in some Syrian areas along the border. In the region around Azaz, north of the contested Syrian city of Aleppo, as well as in the border region east of the Turkish city of Antakya, a massive landscape of camps has been created in which refugees find no protection, but sit in a trap. The refugee camps there are regularly shelled by various factions in the civil war.

The European Union is thus endorsing Ankaras policy of accepting no more refugees into the country, and if necessary stopping them by force.

The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said during a visit to a flagship refugee camp in Turkey that the country was the best example in the world for how to deal with refugees. The German government has also made clear that it wants to maintain the dirty deal with Turkey under all circumstances.

At a European conference in the Foreign Ministry in Berlin on Thursday, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Social Democratic Party) said, I know very well that this agreement is also regarded critically. But at the same time, we have to see we have a sustained interest that this agreement on migration does not collapse.

At the same meeting, Chancellor Angela Merkel (Christian Democratic Union) also made it clear that her government, like the European Union, has abandoned all constraints to collaborating with authoritarian regimes when it comes to sealing off the EU to refugees.

The aim was the protection of the external borders instead of closing the national borders, said Merkel. That was why Europe could not simply shut the door to states that trampled human rights underfoot. That is what we must now learnwith Turkey, with Lebanon, with Libya, in cooperation with many African countries. Faced with the hundreds of refugees drowned in the Mediterranean, she added cynically, the agreement with Turkey will help to save lives and combat the causes of flight.

Even if the dirty deal struck with Turkey should fall apart, the European Union has already taken measures to repel refugees at its external borders by other means. Greece has practically abolished the right to asylum. Refugees there are deported in summary proceedings. Their access to lawyers and right to appeal in court against a refusal of asylum are massively limited. The so-called hotspots on the Greek islands, which were first referred to as open registration centres, have been transformed into closed detention centres. Moreover, alongside coastguard boats, NATO warships are patrolling the Aegean to intercept refugee boats.

In addition, the complete sealing off of the Balkan route has ensured hardly any refugees have made it to Europe via Turkey and Greece in recent months. While in January, 67,415 refugees were registered in Greece, in April it was only 3,460. And in April, more refugees were initially registered in Italy than Greece, having risked the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean. At the same time, the number of refugees drowned in the central Mediterranean in the first four months of this year has risen massively to 976.
Pregnant mother Lyuba Savenok was stabbed to death, allegedly by her husband of nearly six years  get the details

A pregnant mother of two was stabbed to death, allegedly by her husband of nearly six years, Yeveginy Eugene Savenok, on Saturday, May 14, inside their home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, according to the Star Tribune.

Lyuba Savenok died shortly after police were called to a domestic-disturbance call at their two-story house, the paper reports. Eugene, 30, reportedly fled the scene in an SUV with their two children  Matthew, 4, and Vivienne, 3  but later turned himself in to police, and has not yet been charged.

PHOTOS: Stars Gone Too Soon

Eden Prairie police lieutenant Greg Weber told CBS Minnesota he was familiar with the suspect. We do have previous calls to that residence for domestic assault cases, he said, adding that the accused had been arrested in the past for domestic assault and was scheduled to go on trial later this year.

The 23-year-old victims brother, Aleksandr Katane, told the Star Tribune that his sister was 26 weeks pregnant with a baby boy. Her greatest passion was being a mom and doing everything she could to enrich their lives, Katane wrote in an email. The entire family is heartbroken, and we look for Lyuba in the face of her remaining children. It is very hard.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Deaths in 2016: Stars Weve Lost

Fox 9 reported that Lyuba had an order for protection against Eugene in Illinois.

A GoFundMe page has raised more than $37,000 to raise money for Matthew and Vivienne.




In an industry known for its lack of diversity, makeup brand Maybelline has now signed on its first first Asian model, I-Hua Wu, to be featured in a worldwide campaign, New York magazine reported.

Though the brand has previously used Asian faces such as Chinese model Shu Pei in ads, Wu, who is fro . She will join the likes of Herieth Paul and Jourdan Dunn on ads around the globe.

A photo posted by i-hua wu  (@_ihua_) on May 9, 2016 at 6:29pm PDT

"Lots of Taiwanese models come here and work hard but have never been recognized because Taiwan is so small," Wu told New York magazine. "I'm happy to shine some light on it."

A photo posted by i-hua wu  (@_ihua_) on May 13, 2016 at 7:31am PDT

For Wu, her modeling experience has taught her that there is no single definition of beauty, in and out of Taiwan. "A lot of Taiwanese girls are slowly letting go of giving themselves the pressure to conform to a certain type of beauty. You can't give yourself such strict definitions of what is beautiful."

In the past, Wu thought that bigger eyes and paler skin meant being beautiful, which is a common beauty standard in Asia. "As long as you think you're beautiful, you will be beautiful," she said.

She also used to be self-conscious about her willowy height, feeling "ostracized" by her peers. "People made fun of my height, and I felt inferior and even started hunching my shoulders to try and appear shorter," she said to the magazine. "I wouldn't wear anything with a heel, even it was just with a quarter-inch of height."

A photo posted by i-hua wu  (@_ihua_) on Apr 26, 2016 at 1:32pm PDT

Wu offered some advice to those who may be having a hard time in their careers: "But no matter what job you're doing, you have to learn how to continue persevering even if someone is saying something you don't want to hear. You're still there to do a job, and you should try not to let it affect you."
From Esquire

Today, the White House is distributing a letter to the country's public schools directing administrators to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice. According to The New York Times, the document also lays out guidelines for ensuring inclusivity at schools.

Though it doesn't have legal teeth, the threat of lawsuits and cuts in funding loom over public school systems that continue to discriminate against transgender students. So, naturally, states are vowing to discriminate against transgender students.

When word of the directive broke, Texas governor Greg Abbott announced that Texas will fight it, according to The Washington Post.

A Texas school superintendent also told the local news, "That letter is going straight to the paper shredder," continuing, "Now, I don't want [transgender students] bullied  but there are accommodations that can be made short of this."

Abbott already aligned his state with North Carolina, which is currently heading into a legal showdown with the federal government-each suing the other.

Can't wait to see how this plays out.
BARCELONA Co-produced by Barcelonas Filmax International and Lisbons MGN Filmes, 100 Meters has been sold to Germany, Yugoslavia, and Hong-Kong, among other territories.

Directed and penned by first-timer Marcel Barrena, Meters is an inspiring dramedy, channeling echoes of The Intouchables, which explores with humor peoples capacity to overcome the seemingly impossible.

In a flurry of early Cannes Film Market deals, 100 Meters closed with German-Swiss distrib Ascot Elite for German-speaking Europe, with Zagrebs Blitz Film & Video Distribution Blitz for former-Yugoslavia, Taipeis Caichang for Taiwan, Edko for Hong Kong, Seouls Korea Screen for South Korea and Warsaws Monolith for Poland.

Meters is based on Bilbao-born Ramon Arroyo true story. An athlete diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 16 years ago, he was told that he wouldnt be able to walk 100 meters in matter of days. Having decided to prove doctors wrong, he finally managed to complete a super-hero sport discipline triathlon two years ago.

Meters stars Maria de Medeiros (Pulp Fiction), and local thesps Dani Rovira and Karra Elejalde whose popularity sky-rocketed after Emilio Martinez Lazaro Spanish romcom hit Spanish Affair, which they starred in, set a best-ever gross for a local film in Spain, punching 55.4 million ($62.6 million) in 2014.

A spin-off, Spanish Affair 2 (2015) grossed $40 million, becoming he fifth highest-grossing Spanish film in history, behind Spanish Affair, The Impossible, The Others and The Orphanage.

Meters cast also includes Alexandra Jimenez, David Verdaguer, Clara Segura and Andres Velencoso. It is in post and is scheduled to be released in Spain next November via mini-major Filmax.

The buyers were touched by the story and were sure 100 Meters is set to be one of the most moving, feel-good European films of the year, which will touch the hearts of the public the world over, said Filmax head of international, Ivan Diaz.

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At a film festival, an exciting new actor can become the talk of the town. But there are also moments when that star-is-born magnetism gathers around a performer who is already well-established. He has simply redefined himself  or, perhaps, fully defined himself for the first time. At Cannes this year, thats happening with two actors whose madly buzzed-about performances place them at a newly elevated square one. The first is Shia LaBeouf, who strikes a note of mesmerizing James Dean-as-millennial-wastrel authenticity in American Honey, Andrea Arnolds extraordinary hand-held youthquake of a road movie. The second is Joel Edgerton, who has, of course, been a dynamic star on the rise for several years now  but when you watch his performance in Jeff Nichols delicate and original civil-rights drama, Loving, you feel as if youre seeing a brand new actor. And thats a sign of the kind of actor that Edgerton has become: a shapeshifter, able to slip inside the skin of whoever he plays, and to take us with him.

For a few too many years now, Shia LaBeouf has been one of those professional celebrity goofball art rebels whose off-screen exploits so dominate his persona that its easy to dismiss, or even forget, what a promising young actor he was in films like Disturbia and Lawless. Off camera, he became a flake crafting showy dissolute media stunts (a LaBeouf tweet from 2014: In light of the recent attacks against my artistic integrity, I am retiring from all public life). Even so, lets call him the thinking mans Justin Bieber. His ambivalence about fame does seem to have been driven by the narcissism of the famous, but you also get the feeling that he did kind of care about wanting to do something meaningful. Teaming up with Lars von Trier to costar in Nymphomaniac: Volume 1 and Volume 2 was a sign of LaBeoufs seriousness, even if letting himself get drawn into the orbit of that monumentally iconoclastic Danish filmmaker  talk about dissolute media stunts!  may not have done his psyche or attitude much good.

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LaBeouf, who turns 30 next month, risked being dismissed as a joke, but when you see him in American Honey, its not just that hes once again an actor who grabs and holds the camera. In this fatally daring movie, he draws, in his way, on his years of sexed-up flakiness  on the desire, however misplaced, to find a raw authenticity outside of fame. The first time we see LaBeoufs Jake, in the middle of a chain-store shopping spree along with his fellow outcasts, he jumps onto a checkout counter, gyrating to the thrill-pulse of We Found Love, and you feel both the excitement and the craziness of it. He is, to quote Patti Smith, outside of society, and when he lures the movies 18-year-old heroine, Star (Sasha Lane), into joining this ragtag cult of renegade pleasure-seeking no-hopers, hes like a rat-tailed Peter Pan, saying: Come let go of everything that matters.

These kids arent just lost boys and girls, though. Theyre hard. Thats what makes them such embodiments of the new downtrodden American dream  which is to say, no dream at all. And within that world, we cant help but respond to LaBeoufs magnetic softness, the compassion exuded by his round face and puckered smile. His Jake, who may well have found love (even though its officially not allowed in this moody kid club), is caught between the amped-up tude of his fellow travelers  a floating frat party of doom  and his own buried humanity. In his disaffected way, hes courtly  a rescuer. When he takes Star door-to-door to sell magazine subscriptions, showing her how to con the residents into buying something that no one really wants, his ability to lie appalls her, but the audience may have a different view. Hes so good at it that we cant help but see how, in another context, that same debonair skill could have taken him far, even if it does mark him as a scoundrel. American Honey reinvents Shia LeBeouf by allowing him to tap into  then pass through  the troublesome off-screen aura that has threatened to consume him. He now looks like a scoundrel who will go far.

When you first see Joel Edgerton in Loving, its as if youd never seen him before. His hair is whitish-blonde, and shorn into a severe 50s crewcut, which makes him look like an albino James Woods. But whats really so different is his recessive Southern manners, the way he buries his feelings and true thoughts miles beneath his words. He plays Richard Loving, a Virginia brick-layer who, in 1958, has gone and married the love of his life, Mildred (Ruth Negga), who happens to be black. Richard, whos part of a small interracial community (one of the films eye-opening observations is how much more mingling went on in the racist South than movies ever deign to show), is the sort of man who might be called soft-spoken, except thats an understatement. Hes so taciturn that words, to him, have almost no meaning apart from their basic utilitarian purpose. Edgerton makes him almost gravely centered, speaking stray bits of dialogue in a weather-beaten hush, and Richards face isnt exactly a billboard of expression either, which means that nearly all of the emotion in Edgertons performance has to come out from between the lines. Yet it is, in fact, an astoundingly emotional performance.

Loving is about how Richard and Mildred Loving were not allowed, by Virginia law (but really by the whole culture of America), to exist as an interracial couple, and how, in struggling against that oppression, they wound up fighting for the most essential right of any human being: not just to sit at a lunch counter, or attend a public school, or ride in the front of a bus  but to love the person you love. By treating the Lovings simply as a couple and not as a cause, the movie gives rise to the startling perception that America in the 1950s and early 60s could be as oppressive and imprisoning a place as the Soviet Union  and that, in fact, its anti-miscegenation laws were a form of fascism and blasphemy. The beauty of the film is that Richard and Mildred are such modest, homespun, parochial people that even after their predicament does become a cause, the two are literally never fighting for the larger issue. They are simply trying to be together, to have their family. And thats where Edgertons performance comes in. He makes Richard at once stunted and romantic  a man who has almost no sense of the larger world, and is too honest to pretend to. Yet that is his intimacy, his grace. When you see Loving and then think back on Edgertons recent hypnotic genre roles (the conflicted FBI agent in Black Mass, the wily dysfunctional stalker in The Gift), you realize that with this movie, he has now entered the terrain of Daniel Day-Lewis  the kind of actor who casts a spell of reality. And leaves us quietly shattered.

Related stories

Cannes Gossip: Will 'American Honey' Win the Palme d'Or?

Cannes Film Review: 'Loving'

Critics in Cannes Recommend 'Daniel,' 'Honey' Thus Far
The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or graduate school search.

When it comes to paying for college, students and their parents should look beyond tuition and fees as room and board in itself can be costly.

College students were charged an average of $10,389 for room and board during the 2015-2016 school year, according to data reported by 987 ranked colleges in an annual survey by U.S. News. In this case, room and board refers to a shared room and either 19 meals per week or the maximum meal plan.

[Learn why room and board charges are rising faster than inflation.]

The New School in New York City's Greenwich Village charged the most for room and board accommodations -- $17,235 -- in 2015-2016.

Most of the colleges with the costliest room and board were based in New York or Boston. Three of them -- University of California--Berkeley, San Diego State University and American Jewish University -- were in California.

In-state students at two schools on the list -- San Diego State University and CUNY--College of Staten Island -- actually paid more for room and board than they did for tuition. At San Diego State, which charged $15,826 for room and board, in-state tuition was $6,976. Room and board also cost more at CUNY--College of Staten Island, which charged $16,832, compared with in-state tuition priced at $6,809.

[Discover tips to furnish your college dorm on a budget.]

Many schools that charged the least for room and board in 2015-2016 were located mainly in states with a lower cost of living than major cities such as Mississippi, Alabama, North Dakota and Tennessee.

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Below is a list of the 10 schools with the most expensive room and board for 2015-2016. The five military academies, which charge no room and board fees, were excluded from this list. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.

* RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its ranking category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.

Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find room and board data, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.

U.S. News surveyed nearly 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2015 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The room and board cost data above are correct as of May 17, 2016.

Jordan Friedman is an online education editor at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at jfriedman@usnews.com.


philadelphia 76ers

Good morning. Here's everything you need to know in the world of advertising today.

1. A top Wall Street analyst slammed Yahoo amid reports of Warren Buffett's buyout interest. RBC Capital's Mark Mahaney pointed to the growing duopoly of Facebook and Google in online advertising.

2. Facebook is going to start selling video ads on other companies' websites. The social network announced on Monday it is extending its Facebook Audience Network to sell "in-stream" and "in-article" formats on third-party apps and sites across mobile and desktop.

3. The 76ers are the first NBA team to sell a jersey ad. Ads are coming to jerseys for the 2017-2018 season.

4. Get ready to start seeing ads in Google Image search. The search engine is launching its Shopping ads on Images in mobile, so you'll start seeing a line of sponsored items when you search for a product.

5. The BBC has reportedly held talks to launch a British rival to Netflix. The publicly-funded British broadcaster has held talks with competitors, including ITV and NBC Universal, about collaborating to build the new service, according to reports.

6. The model from Calvin Klein's "upskirt" ad responds to critics, saying: "I LOVE this photo." The Danish actress and model Klara Kristin said the discussion around the ad "makes me think about how alienated and scared some people are to the female human body."

7. Twitter is about to fix one of the most annoying parts of its product. The company will no longer include web links or photos in the 140-character limit for tweets, according to a report from Bloomberg's Sarah Frier.

8. Nordstrom's plunging sales confirm a troubling new trend among wealthy shoppers. Wealthy shoppers are reining in spending and are refusing to pay full price for anything.

9. More than half of top Vine influencers have left the platform. Engagement on Vine has also decreased by 12% in the last 28 weeks as influencers are moving to YouTube and Snapchat, Digiday reports.

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10. An activist investor with a 10% stake in Pandora is pressuring the company to sell itself. In a letter addressed to Pandora's board of directors filed on Monday, Corvex Management's Keith Meister expresses concerns "the company has been unable to date to translate its great product into a great business with an attractive public market valuation."

NOW WATCH: TONY ROBBINS: What you need to do in your 20s to be more successful in your 30s





More From Business Insider


ukraine malaysia mh17 crash

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss the issue of the downing of a Malaysian airliner in Ukraine in 2014 with visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak this week, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Tuesday.

"Should Malaysian representatives wish to discuss the topic of the Boeing, we certainly will also be ready to discuss it," Ushakov said. Razak will attend an ASEAN summit in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi.

On July 17, 2014, a Boeing 777 Malaysian airliner flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over eastern Ukraine near Donetsk, a region occupied by pro-Russian militants.

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All 298 passengers on MH17 perished.

Despite a mountain of evidence that pro-Russian separatists shot down the commercial flight, Russia blames the West and continues to deny any involvement.

In March 2015, a metal fragment from the crash site of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 matched a Russian surface-to-air BUK rocket, according to Dutch broadcaster RTLNieuws.

screen shot 2015 03 19 at 1.11.07 pm

RTLNieuws said it had the shrapnel tested by international forensic experts, including defense analyst IHS Jane's in London, who said it matched the explosive charge of a Buk a Russian-made anti-aircraft missile system.

Buk missiles are launched from trucks to engage planes and helicopters within 13 miles off the ground. A few other militaries currently use the Soviet-style Buk system including Syria, North Korea, and China.

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The downing of the plane was a turning point in the conflict in Ukraine, which pits the separatists against Kiev's forces.

Kiev and its Western supporters blamed the rebels for the incident and it stiffened the resolve of Western governments to impose sanctions against both leading separatists and Moscow.

(Reporting by Denis Dyomkin; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Alexander Winning)

NOW WATCH: Investigators say flight MH17 was struck by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile





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In 2011, the fifth-generation Hyundai Elantra arrived with guns blazing. It had swoopy, out-there styling, an impressive list of features, and a 40-mpg EPA highway rating that topped many of its compact-car competitors. Hyundai even boasted that those fuel-economy numbers didnt require any sort of special package to achieve.

The company quickly ate its words, however, when it admitted to an error in its internal fuel-economy calculations and revised the Elantras highway-mileage rating (along with those of several other models in its lineup) down to a less-advertising-friendly 38 mpg. To make up for the gaffe, Hyundai reimbursed thousands of owners with either a lump-sum payment or lifetime yearly reimbursement checks that continue today. It also got hit with a $100-million fine from the EPA. Ouch.

Not Messing Around This Time

After that embarrassing debacle, you can expect that Hyundai double- and triple-checked its math with the new sixth-generation Elantra. The mainstream version of this redesigned compact, with a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder, achieves up to 29/38 mpg city/highway according to the EPAcompetitive numbers, but not class-leading. To achieve that elusive and all-important 40-mpg highway number, Hyundai needed to take more extreme measures with a new fuel-economy-focused model, the Elantra Eco. Unlike several other efficiency packages that rely on ultra-low-rolling-resistance tires and small aerodynamic tweaks to eke out those extra miles per gallon, the Elantra Eco follows the same strategy as the Sonata Eco mid-size sedan and gets a complete powertrain transplant.

Under the hood of the Elantra Eco is a new 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This direct-injected unit is not just a smaller version of the 1.6-liter Gamma turbo four used in the Sonata Eco and the Tucson crossover, and it wears its own Kappa moniker to prove it. Power, at 128 horsepower, is down 19 from the naturally aspirated Nu 2.0-liter, but torque rises by 24 lb-ft, up to 156 lb-ft, and is available from as low as 1400 rpm. The Eco also swaps out the standard Elantras conventional torque-converter six-speed automatic for a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic for quicker shifts and improved efficiency.

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On paper, the Ecos powertrain is entirely free of compromises. Hyundai says it provides quicker zero-to-60-mph acceleration than the 2.0-liter, and the EPA rates it at a significantly higher 32/40 mpg city/highway. Sounds like a win-win.

Shines in the Real World

And it is. We averaged an impressive 42 mpg on a 115-mile route including freeways, back roads, and a bit of in-town driving. Thats with the air conditioning on and without any sort of hypermiling techniques. And, while we dont have official testing numbers just yet, the Eco also feels a lot quicker than the 2.0-liter Elantra, thanks to its strong midrange torque delivery and the mostly fast, seamless shifts from the dual-clutch automatic. The smooth and quiet 1.4T is a nice engine, too; it feels more refined than the new Honda Civics louder and grittier 1.5-liter turbo four, although the Civic nets a higher EPA highway rating of 42 mpg, as does the 1.4-turbo-powered Chevrolet Cruze.

Our one qualm with the powertrain is the transmissions clunky low-speed behavior. Hyundai still has to fine-tune this transmission. The combination of dull accelerator response, a slow-to-engage first gear, and a bit of turbo lag means that the car can sometimes lurch unpleasantly or shudder when maneuvering in parking lots or creeping forward in traffic. Once youre past 15 mph or so, the jerkiness disappears. Given the powertrains strong performance overall, its a trade-off were willing to makealthough were not sure mainstream shoppers less experienced with this transmission type will be as forgiving.

Even so, the Elantra Eco is satisfying to drive in most other scenarios, almost Volkswagen-like in its solidity and planted demeanor. The narrow, 195-series Nexen tires squeal easily when pushed to their limits, but body control is good and the balanced chassis remains composed even under hard cornering. The Ecos small 15-inch wheel-and-tire package also offers a more comfortable ride than the Elantra Limited and its 17-inch package with shorter sidewalls. Numb, overboosted steering is the only real dynamic letdown, and it keeps the Elantra Eco from being quite as sharp and entertaining as the Honda Civic or the Mazda 3.

Eco Is the Elantra to Have

So if the Elantra Ecos engine and transmission provide such great performance, why doesnt Hyundai install this powertrain in every version of the Elantra? Cost and production constraints are the chief considerations, as the 1.4T and the dual-clutch automatic must be shipped from South Korea before theyre installed in the Elantra at Hyundais assembly plant in Montgomery, Alabama. The standard naturally aspirated 2.0-liter, in contrast, is built in Alabama and pairs with a less complex (and cheaper to produce) six-speed torque-converter automatic.

Despite this, the Elantra Eco commands only a small price premium. It comes as a single, well-equipped model that, at $21,485, is just $400 more than a similarly equipped Elantra SE with the Popular Equipment and Tech packages. Just about everything wed want in a compact sedansuch as blind-spot warning, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, automatic climate control, a backup camera, keyless entry and push-button start, and heated seatsis included. None of the Elantras competitors currently offer that combination of equipment for such a low price.

This sort of value proposition, along with the potent and efficient 1.4T engine, makes the Eco the no-brainer choice in the Elantra lineup. Although its name suggests that fuel economy is its singular reason for being, the Ecos mpg numbers seem more like an added bonus on top of a sweet overall package.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan



BASE PRICE: $21,485



ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection



Displacement: 83 cu in, 1353 cc

Power: 128 hp @ 5500 rpm

Torque: 156 lb-ft @ 1400 rpm



TRANSMISSION: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode



DIMENSIONS:

Wheelbase: 106.3 in

Length: 179.9 in

Width: 70.9 in Height: 56.5 in

Passenger volume: 96 cu ft

Cargo volume: 14 cu ft

Curb weight (C/D est): 2850 lb



PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):

Zero to 60 mph: 7.9 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 22.0 sec

Standing -mile: 16.3 sec

Top speed: 119 mph



FUEL ECONOMY:

EPA city/highway driving: 32/40 mpg




In 2014, Ko Hyun Jung launched her own fashion line, atti.k, with a motto to create elegant ladies who value themselves. Her self-designed clothes have a sophisticated style that is easy on the wallet. The name atti.k was pieced together by the word attitude and the first letter of her family name Ko.

Watch Ko Hyun Jung as she befriends the older generation in Dear My Friends

Style icon Gong Hyo Jin has been involved with many fashion collaborations including contemporary fashion brand Los Angeles Project (LAP). Her designs for LAP by Gong Hyo Jin showcased her spunky personality yet keeping it modern and fashionable. The fashionista also recently launched a line of eyewear under Kong x gentlemonster.

Watch Gong Hyo Jin as she interacts with spirits in Masters Sun

Known for his wacky and outrageous fashion, FT Islands Lee Hongki launched his own fashion line, Skullhong, including clothes, nail art and accessories. From his items, you can see a reflection of his wild and free personality. At pocket-friendly prices, fans can easily get a piece of Lee Hongkis creation. The name Skullhong is a combination of his name and his love for skulls.

Watch Lee Hongkis as a singer turned farmer in Modern Farmer

Former Girls Generation member Jessica Jung launched her fashion line Blanc & Eclare in 2014 including a range of eyewear, cosmetics and accessories. With more than 40 stores around Asia, Jessica is looking to expand the brand and include more fashion items.

Watch Jessica Jung in her first drama, Wild Romance
There are commencement speeches. And then there are Commencement Speeches  the ones so staggeringly beautiful, they go viral (or in some cases, get turned into a weird pop song).

These are some of the most memorable in recent years:

Steve Jobs: Stanford University, 2005

When Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died in 2011, his 2005 Stanford commencement speech went viral, with publications dissecting its every line.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.

Amy Poehler: Harvard University, 2011

Poehler leaned heavily on her comedy chops when addressing the Crimson Class of 2011.

All I can tell you today is what I have learned. What I have discovered as a person in this world. And that is this: You can't do it alone. As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life. No one is here today because they did it on their own. Okay, maybe Josh, but he's just a straight up weirdo.



You're all here today because someone gave you strength. Helped you. Held you in the palm of their hand. God, Allah, Buddha, Gaga  whomever you pray to.



President Barack Obama: Howard University, 2016

Grads of the historically black university in Washington, D.C., scored big as the recipients of one of Obama's last commencement speeches while in office.

I want you to have passion. You have to have a strategy. Not just awareness, but action. Not just hashtags, but votes. To bring about structural change, lasting change, awareness is not enough. It requires changes in law, changes in custom.



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 were unfair and unjust.



Story continues

Lin-Manuel Miranda: University of Pennsylvania, 2016

"Your stories are essential," Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the critically acclaimed Broadway musical Hamilton, told this year's graduates at the University of Pennsylvania.

Don't believe me? In a year when politicians traffic in anti-immigrant rhetoric, there is a Broadway musical reminding us that a broke, orphan immigrant from the West Indies built our financial system.



My dear, terrified graduates. You are about to enter the most uncertain and thrilling period of your lives. The stories you are about to live are the ones you will be telling your children, grandchildren and therapists. They are the temp gate and internships before you find your passion. They are the cities you live in, before the opportunity of a lifetime pops up half way across the world. They are the relationships which you hang on to for dear life, even as your shoulder cracks in protest. They are the times you say no to the good opportunities, so you can say yes to the best opportunities.





Correction: May 17, 2016

A previous version of this article used the wrong video to accompany the entry on Lin-Manuel Miranda. Additionally, the story previously misidentified the location of Miranda's 2016 commencement speech. The speech referenced in this article was at the University of Pennsylvania.
We know, we knowyou love your house. The kitchen is the perfect size, your weekly summer barbecues give your neighbors patio envy, and your 70s-style conversation pit is totally coming back into vogueas you knew it would.

Youve seen the comps for your neighborhood, but you just know your home is worth more, so youre going to list it at a higher price.

This is one of a few reasons why sellers overprice their home, and none of them is smart. If you price your home too high, itll take longer to sell, raising doubts in buyers minds about whether theres something wrong with it, and youll probably have to drop the price eventually anyway. So dont fall for any of these five common justifications sellers use to inflate the price of their beloved property.

1. You have the Midas touch in decor (you think)

The reason that interiors are often painted white or neutral colors before a sale is that that allows potential buyers to envision what colors would make it their home. Your quirky or colorful touches might not be for everyone, and can actually devalue your house.

Alexandra Axsen, owner and managing broker of Lake Okanagan Realty in British Columbia, Canada, listed a home whose bathrooms were all sorts of strange colorsolive-green toilets, a purple bathtub, and a pink sink. When Axsen recommended to the seller a price that factored in the cost of necessary updates, things got a little heated.

He got very upset and argued with me that his colorful fixtures added value, because people are tired of the all-white, stale hospital look, Axsen explains.

So they tried the sellers way first, listing it for his desired price. It didnt sell, and buyers gave feedback that the home was overpriced. After weeks on the market, the seller finally agreed to lower the price. It sold within a month.

2. Youre nitpicking comps

Comps (or comparable market analysis) are valuable reference points that allow you to compare your home to similar nearby homes in order to price it right. But some sellers place too much value on ultimately negligible differences between their home and the comps.

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Bruce Ailion, a real estate agent in Atlanta, lists a few hes heard: My home has a 60-gallon hot water heater; every other home has 40. My deck is 60 feet larger. My den has real barn wood paneling.

Small features like this might be worth pointing out to potential buyers, but theyre not going to make or break a dealand trying to price your home based on the size of your deck is a setup for disappointment. Plus, you might not see the flaws in your homeyour deck might be big, but it might also need work.

By nature, we see life through rose-colored glasses, Ailion says. Sadly, it can cost us significantly when it comes to selling our home.

3. Youre too focused on your ROI

A house is an investment, and everyone wants a return on their investment. Couple that with emotional attachment, and youre primed to mark up your homes value.

Sellers think that their house is worth what they want or need to sell it for, but the harsh reality is that a home is worth whatever a buyer is ready, willing, and able to pay for it, says Will Featherstone, a real estate agent in Baltimore, MD.

Even in a sellers market, theres no guarantee that youll make money on your house. And just because you need $450,000 to buy that house on Greener Pastures Lane doesnt mean you can sell your house for the same amount.

4. You built it yourself, so youre emotionally invested

Speaking of emotional attachments, if you built your home yourself, you might have some serious issues with overpricing your property.

Case in point: Ariel Dagan, an associate broker in New York City, co-listed a property for a woman who priced a townhouse she built herself at $18.5 million. Dagans team tried to get the woman to lower her price, but she was adamant about sticking with the high price tag and ultimately dropped Dagan and his team from the property.

Shortly after we were dropped from the listing, the price dropped from $18.5 million to $16.9 million, Dagan says. Eight months later, the listing sold for $15.5 millionor 19.35% less than the original asking price.

Ouch.

So, why does that happen? Dagan calls it the Ikea effect.

Most people who buy furniture from Ikea and assemble it themselves think its more valuable than it really is, because they built it, he explains. Same thing happens in todays real estate market.

5. Youre imagining youll haggle

Perhaps the most common reason people overprice their home is because theyre looking to negotiate.

On paper, it sounds like something youd see on Pawn Stars. You offer up a vintage silver tea set at an inflated price. Rick Harrison offers you 25% of that, but he eventually goes up to 30%. OK, maybe Pawn Stars is a bad example, but you get the idea: You price your house 10% higher, fully expecting a buyer to try to lowball you, netting you the price you wanted all along while the buyer walks away thinking he got a bargain.

It doesnt work like that in real estate.

Its much better to price it right and create such interest and demand where buyers are chasing you, versus you chasing the market backward [and] searching for the demand, Featherstone explains.

So dont be afraid to price your home fairly, or even underprice itwhich is likely to attract buyers and boost the price to where it should be.

Everything sells when its priced right, Featherstone says.



Video: 5 Reasons Your Home Isnt Selling

The post 5 Common (but Terrible) Reasons for Overpricing Your Home appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.





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Audis A4 luxury sedan offers an all-new First Edition for 2016, featuring 18-in. Audi sport design wheels, a 3-spoke multi-function flat-bottom steering wheel with shift paddles, Aluminum Trimarin inlays, and ventilated front sport seats with power lumbar adjustment. The 2.0-liter engine produces 220 hp and 258 lb.-ft. of torque and is available with three transmission options: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic, 6-speed manual, or continuously variable-speed automatic. Front-wheel (FWD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD) versions are available.





Here are more facts about the 2016 Audi A4:



1) The S4 is the high-performance version of the A4. Its engine makes 333 horsepower and 325 lb.-ft. of torque and is available with two transmission options: 6-speed manual or 7-speed S tronic.

2) The A4 can be outfitted with an available S line competition plus package, featuring black pack accents and S line design cues including a 3-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel, S line competition bumpers and badging, black door sills, black cloth headliner, black diffuser and mirror housings, and gloss black wheels.

3) Available advanced driver-assistance technologies include quattro AWD, Side Assist, and the Audi parking system. Additional S4 driver-assistance features include adaptive cruise control and Audi dynamic steering. Available Audi Connect offers in-vehicle Wi-Fi for up to 8 passenger devices, Google Earth Mapping, and real-time access to information. Available Audi Drive Select provides advanced control of the vehicles adaptive suspension, dynamic steering, transmission shift characteristics, and engine response.

4) The optional Technology package includes a Bang & Olufsen sound system. Other options include 19-in., 5 V-Spoke wheels, Misano Red pearl-effect paint, and various upgrades to the sound and navigation systems.

5) The base 2.0T Premium trims standard features include leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, automatic single-zone climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, 10-speaker audio system, and many more luxury features. Thirteen stock exterior colors are availableand so are exclusive custom colors. Exteriors are brown, beige, grey, or black.



Additional Research:

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Abstract:

Audis A4 luxury sedan offers an all-new First Edition for 2016, featuring 18-in. Audi sport design wheels, a 3-spoke multi-function flat-bottom steering wheel with shift paddles, Aluminum Trimarin inlays, and ventilated front sport seats with power lumbar adjustment. Here are more facts about the 2016 Audi A4...

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The majority of Q1 earnings are behind us, and overall weakness is confirmed. As of May 13, 2016, 91.8% of the S&P 500 indexs total members have announced their results with a total earnings decline of 7.3% year over year on a 1.4% fall in revenues.



Adding to this gloomy earnings picture is the precarious state of the U.S. economy. Over the last four quarters, GDP growth has been gradually declining from +3.9% in Q2 2015, +2% in Q3, +1.4% in Q4, to a meager growth of +0.5% in Q1 2016.



Amid the weak market conditions, you must be thinking of avoiding stock investing as much as possible. But it will be a good idea to diversify your portfolio by adding a few foreign stocks. These companies, mainly operating in their home countries, are largely influenced by local economic growth.



You must be thinking that investing in foreign companies is riskier than investing in domestic firms given the uncertainties related to currency devaluations, different business practices and lack of transparency. But a comprehensive fundamental and economic analysis shows that some foreign stocks can be more rewarding in the current scenario.



To help you globalize your portfolio, we have handpicked some foreign companies with the help of Zacks Stock Screener.



We primarily selected foreign stocks that have market capitalization of $5 billion or more and carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy). Also, these companies have reported improved profitability in the recently concluded quarter.



Further, with the help of our Style Score System, we narrowed down the list to ensure a Value Style Score of A or B. The Value Style Score condenses all valuation metrics into one actionable score that helps investors steer clear of value traps and identify stocks that are truly trading at a discount. Our research shows that stocks with Style Scores of A or B, when combined with Zacks Rank 1 or 2, offer the best upside potential.



Here are the 5 foreign stocks for your consideration:



Etablissements Delhaize Freres et Cie "Le Lion" (Groupe Delhaize) SA DEG is a supermarket holdings company. It also operates other store formats, including proximity, cash and carry, and specialty stores. In addition, the company sells its products to affiliated stores that are operated by third parties.



Zacks Rank: #2

Value Score: A

Home Country: Belgium

Market Cap: $10.96 billion

Y-o-Y Net Income Growth in Q1: 285.2%

Long-term Growth Rate: 16.49%



Korea Electric Power Corp. KEP is an integrated electric utility engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution of electricity and development of electric power resources.



Zacks Rank: #2

Value Score: A

Home Country: South Korea

Market Cap: $33.39 billion

Y-o-Y Net Income Growth in Q1: 76.8%

Long-term Growth Rate: 25.00%



Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo or SABESP SBS provides public water and sewage services. The company's principal shareholder is the Sao Paulo government, which owns nearly 50.3% of its shares.



Zacks Rank: #2

Value Score: A

Home Country: Brazil

Market Cap: $5.18 billion

Y-o-Y Net Income Growth in Q1: 97.6%

Long-term Growth Rate: 29.67%



Manulife Financial Corporation MFC is one of the three dominant life insurers within its domestic Canadian market and boasts rapidly growing operations in the U.S. and several Asian countries.



Zacks Rank: #1

Value Score: A

Home Country: Canada

Market Cap: $27.28 billion

Y-o-Y Net Income Growth in Q1: 14%

Long-term Growth Rate: 10.00%



Shire plc SHPG is a specialty biopharmaceutical company catering to diverse medical needs through research and development, manufacture, sale and distribution of pharmaceutical products.



Zacks Rank: #2

Value Score: B

Home Country: Ireland

Market Cap: $34.68 billion

Y-o-Y Net Income Growth in Q1: 13%

Long-term Growth Rate: 13.14%



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Beirut (AFP) - At least 50 fighters and two civilians were killed Tuesday in clashes between rival anti-regime groups east of Syria's capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The powerful Jaish al-Islam, or Army of Islam, has been locked in clashes with rival factions led by Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate in the opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said nearly three weeks of fighting had killed more than 500 fighters and a dozen civilians.

One of the slain civilians has been identified as the only specialist gynaecologist still practising in Eastern Ghouta.

"This is absolutely a power struggle," Abdel Rahman told AFP.

Eastern Ghouta is the largest rebel bastion in Damascus province, and Jaish al-Islam had long been dominant in the district.

The Saudi-backed faction is one of the key rebel players in the High Negotiations Committee, which represents Syria's opposition in UN-backed peace talks.

But Jaish al-Islam has recently been challenged by Faylaq al-Rahman and Jaish al-Fustat, both led by Al-Nusra Front, Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate.

Residents and local officials have tried to mediate an end to the clashes and have staged protests urging the rival forces to stop the bloodletting to no avail.

On Tuesday, a Jaish al-Islam spokesman said his faction was ready to put an end to the fighting based on an initiative by HNC head Riad Hijab.

"But our brothers in Faylaq al-Rahman completely rejected this initiative," Islam Alloush said in a statement.

Syria's fractured armed opposition movement has been ravaged by infighting, particularly between jihadist groups and their rivals.

More than 270,000 people have been killed and millions more been driven from their homes since the conflict began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.
Adrien Brody contends sexual assault allegations against filmmakers, specifically Woody Allen and Roman Polanski, are not his concern.

The actor, who has appeared in films directed by both men, talked about the reignited allegations against Allen during an interview on Dirty, Sexy, Funny With Jenny McCarthy on Monday.

"Life is very complicated," Brody told McCarthy. "I look to collaborate with artistic people and to go into an endeavor without judgment and to hopefully be treated with the same. It's an artistic pursuit, and Polanski, for instance, had a very complicated and difficult life. It would be unfair of me to delve into something as complicated as the past that was brought up in the media."

Brody won an Oscar for his leading performance in Polanski's 2002 film The Pianist.

The director fled the U.S. in 1977 after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

Allen is once again making headlines after his son, Ronan Farrow, wrote a scathing article for The Hollywood Reporter concerning sister Dylan Farrow's claims that she was sexually abused as a child by Allen.

Brody appeared in Allen's 2011 film Midnight in Paris.

McCarthy brought up Bill Cosby, also accused of sexual assault, being perceived different than Allen.

"I don't even read about these things, to be honest," said Brody. "It's not that I stay in my lane. I choose not to indulge this kind of fodder. I think there's a lot of catastrophe in this world and a lot of cruelty and a lot of carelessness. Of course it's horrible what comes out sometimes, and people have done things in their lives that may be inexcusable, but it's not something to focus on."

Read More: My Father, Woody Allen, and the Danger of Questions Unasked (Guest Column)
Burlington College

Burlington College officials announced to students, faculty, and staff on Monday that the school will shutter its doors in two weeks, the Burlington Free Press reported. The school will officially close on May 27.

Burlington has long faced financial difficulties stemming from a 2010 purchase of 32 acres of land. Notably, Jane Sanders, wife of Vermont Sen. and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, oversaw the deal during her time as president of the 250-student college.

Incidents over the past few years, however, struck the biggest blows to the college, Yves Bradley, chair of the colleges board of trustees, told The Chronicle of Higher Education.

He explained:

I think that the biggest nail in the coffin, frankly, was about two years ago. We began what I call "the troubled period." Which is when a lot of media called us out and had nothing but negative things to say about the college, particularly beginning with President Plunketts resignation and the behavior of the students around that.

Christine Plunkett served as president of Burlington College from 2012 to 2014, directly following Sanders. She aimed to increase enrollment and set a target of growing Burlington's enrollment to as large as 750 students, according to the Free Press. She also created a housing-development plan that would help pay off some of the colleges debts.

But Plunkett's efforts to bring financial stability to the college were ultimately unsuccessful. In 2014, the student union and faculty and staff council issued a statement of no-confidence in her leadership, according to the Burlington Free Press.

Plunkett resigned suddenly amid a tense altercation with students, who confronted her about the housing development plan after a board meeting. She snapped, saying, "OK, I resign. Happy?" according to the Free Press.

jane sanders bernie wife

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Despite Bradley's comments placing blame for the school's demise on media coverage of Plunkett and student behavior, the discussion has focused heavily on Sander's 2010 land purchase.

Sanders took out a $10 million loan to fund the deal, and in a statement obtained by the Free Press, Burlington pointed to it as the source of "the crushing weight of debt" incurred by the school.

In the same interview with the Chronicle, Bradley even describes how the school began aggressively trying to sell the land when it became clear Burlington couldn't manage its debt level.

"We realized that we had 32.4 acres that we would never use. Our campus would never grow to a size where we would need that much land," he said. "In order to cut our debt, we needed to find a partner to take that land, to take that debt off our hands, and do something with it that would be beneficial to the college."

Bradley, along with the rest of the board, voted to close the school on Friday. The decision was unanimous.

"This is a great loss to the higher ed community," the school's current president, Carol A. Moore, said Monday, according to the Free Press.

NOW WATCH: Doctors now say this type of cancer isnt actually cancer  and the new classification is changing thousands of lives





More From Business Insider


How Did Aluminum Producers Fare in 1Q16?

(Continued from Prior Part)

Aluminum producers

During their 1Q16 earnings conference call, Century Aluminums (CENX) CEO, Mike Bless, called China a wildcard from both a demand and a supply standpoint. He said that the 1Q16 aluminum consumption in China was better-than-expected while also cautioning that the first quarter can be volatile due to the holidays in the early part of the year.

CENX also said that the recent increase in aluminum prices is leading to a restart of some of the idled smelters in China. The company also expressed concern over Chinese companies investing in new smelters in an already oversupplied market. You can read more about aluminums oversupply in Aluminum Supply: Chronic Oversupply Is Here to Stay.

Alcoa has cut demand guidance

During its 1Q16 earnings call, Alcoa (AA) revised down its 2016 global aluminum demand growth projection to 5%. Alcoa has reduced its demand projection, as the company now expects Chinese aluminum demand to grow 6.5% this year versus the previous guidance of 8% year-over-year (or YoY) growth. However, Alcoa has kept the deficit projection largely intact, as the company thinks supply-side action will be higher than what it previously expected.

Alcoa still sees a big deficit

The graph above shows aluminum market projections of different companies. Alcoa foresees a record aluminum deficit this year and says aluminum production will fall short of demand by 1.2 million metric tons. RUSAL also shares the same opinion and predicts that aluminum markets will see a deficit of 1.2 million metric tons. Alcoa and RUSAL are forecasting record aluminum deficits.

However, other aluminum producers dont seem so optimistic about the 2016 market balance. Norsk Hydro (NHYDY) believes the market will be nearly balanced in 2016 with a deficit or surplus of only about 500,000 metric tons. You can read more about the aluminum market balance in our series Where is the Aluminum Industry Headed in 2016?

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In the next part of the series, well look at aluminum producers 1Q16 free cash flows.

You can also consider the Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) to get diversified exposure to the materials sector. Together, Alcoa and Ball (BLL) form 4.5% of XLBs portfolio.

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
A Chinese Uighur accused of planting last year's deadly Bangkok bomb on Tuesday claimed he was being mistreated in custody, shouting "I am human, I am human" as he struggled with guards on his way to a hearing.

Bilal Mohammed, also known as Adem Karadag, and co-defendant Yusufu Mieraili are charged with key roles in the August 2015 bombing of the Erawan shrine in downtown Bangkok that killed 20 people -- mainly ethnic Chinese tourists.

Mohammed, 31, a Chinese citizen from the Uighur ethnic minority, is accused of being the man seen in CCTV footage wearing a yellow T-shirt and placing a backpack at the Erawan shrine moments before the explosion.

Prosecutors say he was caught a few days later in a Bangkok flat surrounded by explosives.

Mieraili, 26 and also a Chinese Uighur, is accused of delivering the backpack bomb.

The pair deny the bombing charges, although Mieraili has admitted a charge of illegal entry to the country.

Arriving shackled and shaven-headed at the Bangkok court on Tuesday, a visibly distressed Mohammed shouted his complaints to reporters in his native Uighur and then in English.

The drama continued in the courtroom where a sobbing Mohammed spoke through a Uighur translator to accuse his Thai captors of beating him and denying him halal food.

"I can not eat, I am laughed at when I pray," he added.

Mohammed's lawyer has previously accused the Thai police of forcing confessions from his client. An initial admission of guilt was later retracted.

Police rubbish the torture allegations and say the evidence against the pair is watertight including forensics, CCTV footage and mobile phone data.

They are however still seeking a number of other suspects -- many of whom, including the alleged mastermind, are believed to be overseas.

A convincing motive is yet to be established for an attack that dented Thailand's key tourist industry and spread fear through a politically febrile country that is under military rule.

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But speculation of a link to Thailand's deportation of 109 Uighur migrants to China a month before the bombing has refused to die down.

The Uighurs are a mainly Muslim minority who face persecution and restrictions on worship in their northwestern Chinese homeland, forcing many to attempt to flee.

Thai authorities have rejected the theory that the bomb was a revenge attack for the Uighur deportations, instead insisting the unprecedented attack on the capital was in retaliation for a crackdown on a people-smuggling gang.
This amazing startup helps trans and gender nonconforming people find quality health care

This amazing startup helps trans and gender nonconforming people find quality health care

MyTransHealth is a startup dedicated to the idea that access to quality health care is a human right. Seems obvious, right? However, trans and gender-nonconforming people often have a hard time accessing any health care at all, because doctors are often inexperienced with issues that affect the trans community, and can also be downright bigoted. Thats where MTH comes in  the team at MyTransHealth has been working hard to find providers who give quality care and have an understanding of the needs of trans and gender nonconforming people, and theyre adding new providers and working to serve new locations all the time.

We recently had the opportunity to speak to Kade Clark, the Founder and Executive Director of MyTransHealth, about the need for quality care for all, the team that built MTH, and the importance of self-care while building taking on such a project. Heres our interview!

MTH Tumblr

HelloGiggles (HG): Can you talk a little about the amazing team at MyTransHealth? How did you all get the idea, and how long did it take to develop?

Kade Clark (KC): The initial idea for MyTransHealth grew out of a personal experience. After moving to New York, I was referred to a local doctor at a reputable hospital for access to hormone replacement therapy. I was already six years into medical transition and very familiar with the requirements. I only needed a new prescription. Five minutes into the appointment it was very clear the doctor had never worked with a trans patient. When asked about their experience, they said, I see trans people in the city all the time. They prescribed the wrong medication, and I walked away from the office frustrated that I put my health in the hands of a doctor that wasnt prepared to treat my needs. I shared my story with those in the community, and was met with no shock at all. Each of my peers had a similar, often worse, story of ignorance or discrimination. This had become an expected process  an understanding that were lucky to be treated at all.

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Thats when I knew this had to change. I partnered with Amelia Gapin and Robyn Kanner to create MyTransHealth  a location-based website that connects the trans community with reliable, informed, respectful providers. After raising $30K in crowdsourced funding through Kickstarter in August of 2015, we worked with a small team of volunteers for 8 months to get the product off the ground.

Our amazing team at MyTransHealth understands the struggle for access to health care on a personal level, which allows us to make sure that the community remains our priority. Our mission is to change the status quo in healthcare for trans patients across the country.

HG: In the about page on the website, it says that access to quality care is a human right, and we couldnt agree more. How would you talk about the specific need for MyTransHealth to someone who isnt aware of discrimination transgender and gender nonconforming people face within the health care system?

KC: Like many marginalized groups, trans and gender nonconforming individuals face a wide array of discrimination and violence. In my experience, people tend to fear or other what they dont understand, and media representation that sensationalizes trans stories can reinforce this behavior. There is an additional layer when discussing access to health care because there is no standardized education on how to treat and interact with the trans community. Often support staff may use the wrong name or pronouns in the waiting room, doctors may prescribe the wrong medication, or overlook an unrelated condition due to preoccupation with a persons gender identity or genitals. The risk of discrimination and violence is always present and often disproportionately affects transgender people of color. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey (conducted by The National LGBTQ Taskforce) is a great reference for learning more.

MTH Tumblr

HG: How do you find the providers you refer people to, and how are they screened to ensure quality care?

One of the first steps in building MyTransHealth was to elevate the existing resources in our community that were already doing the work on the ground. During the first months of research, we identified strong regional networks that were well vetted and shared between a small circle of providers and patients. The gap lies in the lack of virality with these lists. They often end up shelved on a site that doesnt have the bandwidth to update them regularly, and are never seen by those who might need them most.

Thats where we come in. The MyTransHealth provider list is a mix of existing community organizations and user referrals. Currently, we feature providers and organizations across four areas of service: medical, mental health, legal and crisis care. We use a dynamic list of standards to vet referrals against before they go live. Questions we ask include: What percentage of their patient base identifies as transgender? Do they offer gender-affirming intake paperwork and bathrooms? Do they follow the WPATH Standards of Care or Informed Consent policies? Is their facility ADA compliant? Do they have documented continuing education credits in gender studies? Once a provider meets the requirements, they are featured. Each listing is re-vetted annually to ensure the best chance of accurate data.

HG: Speaking of care, how have you taken care of yourself during the development process? A project like this, while super important, is bound to be emotionally taxing. Do you have any self-care tips youd like to share?

KC: I think our team learned this lesson the hard way! As a tech startup whose founders are personally invested in its success, we initially gave ourselves a very aggressive deadline. We knew the vital importance of this product, and wanted to bring it to the public as soon as possible. After hitting a few roadblocks along the way, we now understand the need to build in time for self-care and reflection. We intend for MyTransHealth to go the distance and in order to make that happen, we have to feel strong and empowered to keep going.

HG: Do you have any resources, besides MyTransHealth, that youd like us to include with this interview that might be helpful? Either to spread information about why quality care is necessary for all people, or to help people find it?

KC: We encourage anyone who wants to learn more about the experiences of trans people to check out #transhealthfail on Twitter. Hundreds of community members have shared their stories, and helped our team bring these concerns to the public eye.

the only accessible psychologist i have has never heard of 'transgender'...#transhealthfail   (@katiecuon) April 20, 2016

#TransHealthFail Getting misgendered after correcting & your doc asking your dead name out of curiosity. How's this relevant to dermatology?  Casey Hoke (@caseycreates) March 10, 2016

Told the doctor that I'm trans and he froze for a solid minute. Worst part about being trans is dealing with doctors #transhealthfail  Clara H Tlalok (@plushqueenc) November 30, 2015

Did you think that was all? Not quite! Heres a video from Co-founder and Chief Design Officer Robyn Kanner on her experience and the need for MyTransHealth.

The post This amazing startup helps trans and gender nonconforming people find quality health care appeared first on HelloGiggles.
A deep disconnect between political elites and the constituents they serve -- driven by an economic recession and recovery that has disproportionately benefited the wealthy at the expense of the middle class -- and coupled with efforts to reform national immigration policy, has given rise to a wave of populist candidates on both sides of the political spectrum.

In the U.S., that atmosphere serves as the foundation of an unprecedented race for the White House. The Republican Party is poised to nominate a populist real estate mogul who has promised to renegotiate trade deals and build a border wall, while a growing populist faction within the Democratic Party has fueled an unexpectedly strong challenge on the basis of dramatically regulating Wall Street, big banks and corporations.

But the U.S. presidential election is hardly unique in a world in which populist parties and candidates are thriving. The rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders comes after a decade in which similar populist movements have gained considerable power in most of the world's liberal democracies.

The same economic anxieties and fears of political stagnation and corruption that have bolstered Trump and Sanders is at work in some of America's closest allies, experts say.

"The accelerant was the financial crisis. You had basically a very angry and frightened electorate that in some ways blamed the establishment, left and right," said Heather Conley, director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Then came the flood of migrants from Africa and the Middle East: "It was like putting your foot down on the accelerator. It continued to exacerbate fear of the economic crisis."

In the United Kingdom, the right-wing UK Independence Party has seen a surge of support in the last decade. In general elections in 2001, the party attracted just 390,000 votes, or about 1.2 percent of the total number of votes cast; in 2015, the party formerly led by Nigel Farage won 13 percent of the vote, or 3.9 million votes.

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Voters in Austria, who have contended with the brunt of the migrant crisis that grips Europe, gave 36 percent of the vote to Norbert Hofer, the right-wing populist Freedom Party's candidate for president, more than double the 15 percent that party received in the 2010 elections. Austria's two major parties failed to make the presidential runoff. The Freedom Party has grown from 18 seats in Austria's Parliament after the 2002 elections to 40 seats after the 2013 elections, making it the third-largest faction in the governing body.

In France, public opinion polls show the conservative National Front, led by Marine Le Pen, taking about 30 percent of the vote, easily outpacing President Francois Hollande's Socialist Party and a coalition of center-right parties led by former President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Alain Juppe. The National Front took 6.4 million votes in the 2012 presidential election, five years after scoring just 3.8 million votes.

Polls in Germany show a conservative populist party, the Alternative for Germany, in third place, behind Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and the opposition Social Democrats.

Voters in Switzerland handed the populist Swiss People's Party the largest number of seats in Parliament after elections last year. The New Flemish Alliance, a populist party that allies with other nationalist factions in the European Parliament, has grown from just one member of the Belgium Parliament in 2003 to 33 members today, making it the largest single party in a deeply divided nation.

The Danish People's Party now holds 37 seats in Denmark's Parliament, up from 22 seats after the 2011 general election. Nationalist, populist parties control parliaments in Macedonia and Poland.

Nick Greenstock, managing director of the London-based risk analysis firm Gatehouse Advisory Partners, pointed to a host of factors, from increasing decision-making power being vested in the European Union, and a consequential decrease in national sovereignty, to social fragmentation during times of economic stress and an increased risk appetite among voters who don't see a harm in giving some new party a try.

"The anti-establishment sentiment in Europe has been building for some time, based in part on the electorate's sense of inequality, which they see evidence of every day," Greenstock said.

Populist sentiment is growing on the left, as well as the right. Angry at years of austerity and painful cuts to social services forced upon them by European creditors, Greek voters elected the left-wing Syriza Party in January 2015. Italian voters gave a quarter of their vote in 2013 to the Five Star Movement, a left-wing coalition led by comedian Beppe Grillo, making it the third-largest party in both the Italian Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.

Voter anger at traditional politicians has coincided with a decline in political participation, Conley said, in countries across Europe, a phenomenon that has demonstrated itself across the United States over the last half century. Anti-immigrant and other inflammatory rhetoric, the hallmark of Trump's campaign, is similarly on the rise; Italy's Grillo suggested this weekend that Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of London, would "blow himself up in front of Westminster. France's Le Pen was acquitted in 2015 of inciting hatred for comments about Muslims.

The rise of new parties, many of which only came into existence within the last 15 years, demonstrates the extent to which voters are disgusted with the governing elite.

"Anybody who had nothing to do with government is immediately vaulted," Conley said. "They are not corrupted by government, they have brash new ideas, they want to bring the system down."

This article was originally published on Morning Consult.

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
Upgrades Financial Resources and Capabilities to Improve Financial Controls and Discipline; Switch to Miranda CFO Services, Inc. Firm Coupled with Other Operational Savings Expected to Contribute >$100,000 in Savings

TORRANCE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2016 / American Brewing Company, Inc. (ABRW), a healthy functional beverage company and owner of the Bucha Live Kombucha brand, today announced the hiring of Robert Miranda as Chief Financial Officer and Miranda CFO Services, Inc. as its CFO consulting firm. Mr. Miranda owns Miranda & Associates, a CPA firm that will provide accounting and tax services to American Brewing. The Miranda firm will also assist with the Company's independent accounting firm, Malone Bailey on all accounting and SEC reporting matters, as well as acquisitions and other CFO responsibilities.

Bob Miranda brings over 35 years of public and private company Chief Financial Officer and audit experience to the Company. Prior to his current role, Bob served as CFO for a number of smaller public companies, and has had his own consulting and accountancy firm for a number of years. Prior to that he served as global director of Jefferson Wells, as national director of Deloitte & Touche, and as manager with KPMG's audit practice. Robert is a graduate of the University of Southern California and the Harvard Business School. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in California.

Bob Miranda commented, "I am very happy to be joining Bucha at this important inflection point in the Company's history. I have known Brent Willis for a long period of time, and am confident that together we can take advantage of a unique opportunity in the fast growing functional healthy beverage category."

Concurrent with the hiring of Bob Miranda and his related accounting firm, American Brewing has secured more than $100,000 in annual operating expense savings. These hard cost savings that were obtained over the past few weeks are expected to have a material impact on the firm's bottom line profitability in 2016.

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Brent Willis, CEO of American Brewing and a former Senior Executive at the Coca-Cola Company and AB InBev, stated, "Bob is a great addition to Bucha and will really strengthen the internal team. Not only does he have tremendous public company CFO experience, but his Audit background at Deloitte and KPMG will also improve our internal controls and financial discipline. In addition to the internal upgrade that Bob represents, the cost savings secured by this and other changes will be an important improvement to the Company's overall cash flow and operating profit."

About American Brewing

Based in Edmonds, Washington, American Brewing Company was founded in 2010 and became a public company trading under the ABRW symbol on August 7, 2014. As a craft brewer, the Company won major industry awards and accolades for quality. In the 2nd Quarter of 2015, the Company acquired 100% of the assets of Bucha Live Kombucha, from B&R Liquid Adventure, LLC for a combination of cash and stock. On October 7, 2015, American Brewing sold 100% of their beer assets improving their balance sheet and providing working capital to expand their healthy beverage business. The transaction is expected to finalize imminently.

Safe Harbor Disclosure

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions 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. Forward-looking statements are any statement reflecting management's current expectations regarding future results of operations, economic performance, financial condition and achievements of the Company including statements regarding American Brewing's expectation to see continued growth. The forward-looking statements are based on the assumption that operating performance and results will continue in line with historical results. Management believes these assumptions to be reasonable but there is no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements, specifically those concerning future performance are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. American Brewing competes in a rapidly growing and transforming industry, and other factors disclosed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission might affect the Company's operations. Unless required by applicable law, ABRW undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

For investor inquiries please contact:

Julie Anderson

Julie@americanbrewing.com

Website: www.mybucha.com

SOURCE: American Brewing Company, Inc.
In a modern-day melding of the worldviews of Charles Lindbergh and Teddy Roosevelt, Americans in this election year want to step back from the world but carry a big stick, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

As the presidential primary election campaign winds down and the general election season nears, the American public views the U.S. role in the world with considerable apprehension and concern. Nearly half say the United States is a less powerful and important world leader than it was 10 years ago. A majority of Americans say it would be better if the United States just dealt with its own problems and let other countries deal with their own challenges as best they can.

At the same time, public support for increased defense spending has climbed to its highest level since a month after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Not surprisingly, given presidential campaign rhetoric to date, voters views of Americas place in the world are highly partisan, with Republicans more inward-looking than Democrats, but also more willing to use force when they perceive U.S. interests being threatened abroad.

Nearly six-in-10 Americans (57 percent) want the United States to deal with its own problems and let other countries deal with their own problems as best they can. This sentiment has increased since 2010, when 46 percent held such views. In part this may be because more Americans think the United States does too much (41 percent) in terms of solving world problems compared with those who think it does the right amount (28 percent) or too little (27 percent).

Moreover, it is clear that the public wants the next president to focus on issues at home. Seven-in-10 Americans say it is more important for whoever wins in November to focus on domestic concerns rather than foreign policy. Just 17 percent say the next presidents main focus should be on international affairs. Such sentiment is not new, but it has grown. In September 2008, six-in-10 said the next president should focus on domestic issues more than foreign ones.

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Despite the publics ambivalence about U.S. global involvement, a majority of Americans (55 percent) support policies aimed at maintaining Americas status as the only military superpower. Only about a third (36 percent) say it would be acceptable if another country became as militarily powerful as the United States.

Opinions on defense spending lend further support: 35 percent say Washington should increase spending on national defense, 40 percent say defense spending should be kept about the same as today, and only 24 percent say it should be cut back. The share favoring more defense spending has increased 12 percentage points since 2013.

The public suggests one thing they would do with a stronger military. Eight-in-10 Americans say the Islamic militant group in Iraq and Syria (the Islamic State) is a major threat to the well-being of the United States. And 47 percent voice the view that using overwhelming military force is the best way to defeat terrorism around the world, up from 37 percent in 2014. An equal proportion (47 percent) believes that relying too much on military force to defeat terrorism creates hatred that leads to more terrorism, but that reluctance is down 10 percentage points from two years ago.

The pairing of inward-looking sentiment with renewed bellicosity is largely, but not solely, a partisan affair.

Some 62 percent of Republicans, compared with 47 percent of Democrats, want to let other countries deal with their own problems while the United States focuses on its own challenges. Yet large majorities of both Democrats (73 percent) and Republicans (65 percent) say it is more important for the next president to focus on domestic policy rather than foreign policy.

Fully 70 percent of Republicans say the use of overwhelming military force is the best approach to defeating global terrorism, including 77 percent of Donald Trump supporters. By contrast, 65 percent of Democrats, including 75 percent of Bernie Sanders backers and 64 percent of Hillary Clinton partisans, say relying too much on military force to defeat terrorism only creates hatred that leads to more terrorism.

Support for more defense outlays has increased across the partisan spectrum. But the gap in support for higher military spending between Republicans and Democrats, which was 25 percentage points three years ago, now stands at 41 points. Among those who identify with the GOP, roughly six-in-10 (61 percent) want to boost the Pentagon budget. But just 20 percent of Democrats agree.

Among Democratic voters, Sanders supporters are far more likely than those who support Clinton to favor cutting back U.S. defense spending (43 percent versus 25 percent).

With the likely Democratic nominee to be former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the presumptive GOP standard-bearer to be Donald Trump, who advocates what he calls an America First foreign policy, international issues are likely to play a larger than normal role in the fall presidential campaign. The two candidates will be trying to woo an electorate that is neither isolationist nor interventionist, but an amalgam of both sentiments. And whoever prevails in the election will need to formulate a U.S. foreign policy that appeals for public support by weaving together these differing strains.

Photo credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
Interest Expense and Forex Loss Weigh on Petrobras in 1Q16

(Continued from Prior Part)

Analyst recommendations for Petrobras

In this series, we have examined Petroleo Brasileiros (or Petrobras) 1Q16 earnings, segmental analysis, stock performance, and capex position. In this part, well examine the ratings of analysts covering the stock.

The above table shows that none of the 11 firms has rated Petrobras (PBR) as a buy. The highest 12-month price target for PBR stands at $7.5, indicating a 2% gain from current levels. Seven firms have rated Petrobras as a hold. The average 12-month price target for Petrobras stands at $4.3, indicating a 42% loss from current levels. The remaining four firms have rated PBR as a sell. The lowest 12-month price target for PBR stands at $2, indicating a 73% loss from current levels.

The highest price target is from Barclays, whereas the lowest price target is from Credit Suisse. Firms like J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley have given price targets exceeding $5 per share for Petrobras (PBR). On the other hand, firms like Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, and Piper Jaffray have given sell/cautious, underperform, or underweight recommendations on the stock.

Analyst recommendations for PBRs peers

Petrobras (PBR) peers Statoil (STO), PetroChina (PTR), and YPF (YPF) have been rated as buy by 33%, 25%, and 100% of analysts surveyed, respectively. If you want broad-based exposure to the energy sector stocks, you can consider the Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE). The ETF has ~37% exposure to integrated energy sector stocks. Plus, VDE has ~26% exposure to the oil and gas exploration sector and ~10% exposure to oil and gas refining sector stocks.

Browse this series on Market Realist:
A few big names are going to head-to-head as Jeopardy! moves to Washington D.C. for Power Players Week.

Read: 'Jeopardy!' Contestant Tricks Alex Trebek into Saying 'Turd Ferguson'

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, 60 Minutes correspondent Lara Logan and former Republican Party chairman Michael Steele competed against each other in the quiz competition airing May 17.

Cooper told Inside Edition that Steele will be the toughest opponent, saying: I think he's the kind of guy in high school who's like, Oh I didn't study for this test, but he really studied hard.

[Steele] is trying hard to intimidate me and Anderson and we're totally intimidated, Logan admitted.

Also competing is comedian Louis C.K., who explained to Inside Edition how he prepared for the event.

I don't think there's anything I could've done except step in a time machine and go to college, which I didn't do. It'll be what it is, he joked.

Read: Final 'Jeopardy!' Question Stumps All 3 Players Who Wind Up Leaving With Nothing

Host Alex Trebek even dished on who his dream contestant would be.

Kevin Spacey, he declared. I'm a big fan of his work and an even bigger fan of his impressions.

Watch: Jimmy Kimmel is Kelly Ripa's First Guest Co-Host After Michael Strahan Exit, Asks 'Everything All Right?'

Related Articles:
By Mitra Taj

LIMA (Reuters) - The top U.S. trade official is not losing hope for congressional approval of a sweeping pan-Pacific free trade agreement this year despite strong anti-trade rhetoric in the U.S. presidential campaign that may be influencing reluctant lawmakers.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman told Reuters in an interview in Lima, Peru, that he continues to have "good meetings" with members of Congress about the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.

As more industry groups voice support for the deal, U.S. lawmakers are likely to come out in favor of it, he said.

"The more they learn about the agreement, the more comfortable and positive they are about the substance," Froman said. "I think at the end of the day well have produced the necessary support."

While he would like to see a vote as early as possible, he said he is discussing with congressional leadership and key committee chairs "about what the appropriate window is for bringing it forward."

Some key Republicans, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have voiced opposition to a vote before the November presidential election, while others, including Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, have said that a vote this year would be difficult, especially for a lame-duck Congress.

The Obama administration is gearing up for another major TPP sales pitch as a new analysis of the deal by the U.S. International Trade Commission is released on Wednesday.

Froman said he did not know the results of the independent body's cost-benefit analysis of the TPP. But he noted that another study of TPP, by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, which uses a similar long-term estimating model, found that the trade deal would boost U.S. national income by $131 billion annually by 2030.

CAMPAIGN HEADWINDS

Even so, the trade deal has come under withering attacks on the U.S. presidential campaign trail.

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the Nov. 8 election, has attacked the TPP as bad for American jobs and said he prefers bilateral trade deals. Hilary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee, ditched her one-time support for TPP, at least in its present form, as challenger Bernie Sanders has railed against it.

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Froman said the backlash against TPP largely stemmed from misplaced frustration with jobs lost to automation and anxiety over rising income equality after years of stagnant wages.

"I think trade agreements have become the proxy for a number of other concerns that people have, it's the vessel into which they pour a lot of their very understandable, very legitimate concerns," Froman said. "And politicians pick up on that."

TPP critics say the agreement does not do enough for workers, the environment or consumers. On Monday, U.S. and Colombian labor unions said Colombia had failed to enforce worker protections in its free trade agreement with the United States, raising questions about similar provisions in the TPP.

Froman said the TPP would help improve labor and environmental standards in a rapidly-globalizing world. After a visit to a remote Amazonian region in Peru, he pointed to joint U.S.-Peru efforts to fight illegal logging that started after implementation of their free trade agreement in 2009.

"This is only because we negotiated the forest annex and they agreed to certain environmental provisions," Froman said.

(Reporting by Mitra Taj; Writing by Mitra Taj and David Lawder; Editing by Leslie Adler)
In sync with its plan to expand the offerings of its WILD Flavors and Specialty Ingredients segment as well as its business in Brazil, Archer Daniels Midland Company ADM fully acquired Amazon Flavors  the leading producer of natural extracts, emulsions and compounds in Brazil. With this, the company expanded its equity stake in Amazon Flavors to 100% from 40% held earlier.



The assets acquired under the deal include Amazon Flavors production facilities in Manaus and product development and application laboratories in Manaus and Sao Paulo. With the help of these assets, the company produces natural extracts taken from the guarana plant and acai berries, along with cola, energy and other compounds for the Brazilian beverage market. The company employs about 60 people.



With the addition of Amazon Flavors to its portfolio, Archer Daniels has taken another step to expand its already strong business presence in Brazil, which is a key hub for its global operations. The companys strong footprint in the country is evident from the recent expansion of its ports in Santos and Barcarena, as well as the construction of a new protein facility in Campo Grande.



Brazil happens to be among the vital producers of agricultural products across the globe and the largest food and beverage market in South America. Archer Daniels expects it to be a significant contributor in meeting the agricultural needs of the growing world population. That said, the company remains keen on continuing its investments in Brazil.



Coming back to Amazon Flavors, this acquisition not only enhances Archer Daniels presence in the Brazilian flavor industry but also opens up ways for the latter to become the primary source for Brazilian food and beverage customers.



Not only this, this acquisition also marks continued growth of Archer Daniels WILD Flavors and Specialty Ingredients (WFSI) business, which is focused on enhancing shareholder value through planned expansion and enrichment of product portfolio. Following a trail of solid acquisitions including that of Harvest Innovations, Eatem Foods and the SUPERB brand to its protein and fiber ingredient portfolio, the companys WFSI segment remains on track with its plan of building global ingredient and flavor facilities that will provide its customers with complete customized and ready-to-use solutions.



Overall, we believe Archer Daniels is strategically taking steps to manage its business portfolio to help realize value and invest the same in the best possible resources to enhance returns. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



Zacks Rank



Investors interested in the food sector may consider stocks like Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. FDP, Post Holdings Inc. POST and B&G Foods Inc. BGS, each with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).



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They cant be tamed! Arnold Schwarzenegger had a very friendly reunion with his son Patricks ex-girlfriend Miley Cyrus at the NBCUniversal Upfront Showcase in New York City on Monday, May 16.

The actor-politician turned Celebrity Apprentice host, 68, took to Snapchat to document his hangout session with 23-year-old Cyrus. "I'm here with a great, great entertainer," he gushed about the Hannah Montana alum in a selfie video. "One of the greatest in the world."

PHOTOS: Miley Cyrus' Raciest Outfits

Eat your heart out, the Terminator star continued, his face almost touching the provocative pop star's. An amused Cyrus added to Schwarzeneggers followers, Yeah, eat your heart out!

As Us Weekly previously reported, Cyrus ended her five-month relationship with Patrick, 22, in April 2015 shortly after he was photographed getting cozy with a bikini-clad blonde during a spring break trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.



"OMG. It's one of my best friend's girlfriend...Would NEVER do anything against my GF.....," Patrick tweeted at the time, attempting to put cheating rumors to rest. "Girls have guy friends and guys have friends that are girls..."

Although Patricks alleged indiscretions caused Cyrus to pull the plug on their relationship, Arnold has nothing but love for his kid's former flame.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Splits of 2016

She was a wonderful person, the fitness icon told Howard Stern of Cyrus in June 2015. She has this career side where she has to be a little bit out there because she grew up in a music family. So what? It didnt bother me. Patrick had a wonderful experience, a great relationship, and then the whole thing eventually fell apart.



Cyrus has since rekindled her romance with Liam Hemsworth. The Hunger Games star, 26, originally asked for Cyrus hand in marriage in June 2012 after three years of dating. They called off the engagement and split in September 2013, but remained friends.



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PHOTOS: Unlikely Celebrity Couples

The pair  who met on the set of 2010s Nicholas Sparks film The Last Song  spent this past New Years Eve together in Hemsworth's native Australia. While the couple arent engaged again, a source told Us exclusively that Cyrus "wants a summer wedding," and that her mother, Tish, is helping her plan the vows.










Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. AJG announced the acquisition of Hogan Insurance Services, Inc. for an undisclosed amount to boost its Western Region brokerage operations.

Westlake Village, CA based Hogan Insurance Services (Hogan) was set up in 1994. The company operates as a retail insurance broker providing property/casualty, employee benefits, risk management and specialty wholesale insurance services for commercial clients throughout Southern California. The company specializes in workers compensation insurance mainly in transportation, automotive, manufacturing and trucking industries.

Hogan, with its client centric outlook, focuses on developing healthy client relationships, strong carrier partners, high-quality sales and services capabilities. This acquisition will be a strategic fit for the company as its global reach and specialization will complement its Western Region brokerage operations. Post acquisition, Hogan will continue to operate from its current location.

The Hogan deal marks the sixth takeover by Arthur J. in the second quarter of this year. The company recently acquired Hagan Newkirk Financial Services which provides insurance brokerage services and employees benefits consultation. Arthur J. Gallagher completed 11 acquisitions in the second quarter of last year with annualized revenues of over $82 million.

Arthur J. Gallagher, which currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), is well known for strengthening its profile through frequent acquisitions in the brokerage space. The company's first-quarter earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 17.2%. Brokerage segment revenues increased 12% year over year.

Companies in the insurance sector have been actively pursuing acquisitions for inorganic growth. Recently, Brown & Brown Inc. BRO announced that the company had entered into a purchase agreement to acquire all operating assets of Morstan General Agency. Some better-ranked stocks to consider in the insurance sector are Alleghany Corp Y with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and Hannover Rueckversicherung AG HVRRY with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>



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LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2016 / Gold and Silver Mining of Nevada, Inc. ("CJTF") ("the Company"), (PINKSHEETS: CJTF) a junior mining company in Nevada, has assay results that provide proof of gold at the Goldfield Basin project.

The first set of data prepared by mine operators was 7 samples at near surface depths which show an average of 0.326 ounces of gold per ton of ore. A 4 ounce per ton sample was thrown out for the purposes of this announcement as it was too rich for planning purposes.

The company is moving forward to finish the current 1,000 ton permit to mine and process " minus material and convert into gold.

The results of the assays confirm that the gold content is consistent and similar to the results already referenced in previous press releases about historical assay data from the adjoining mining claims.

All of the assay work conducted in this recent time frame confirm that there is significant gold content in samples that have been screened to " minus and then assayed.

The gold is a fine gold and we are still studying the best methods of extracting and producing the finished product.

Company President N. Fred Anderson states that he expects to see the progression over time for the mining operation to include all of the 240 acres discussed in this press release and located in this particular portion of the 840 acres currently owned.

Simple math can give a nice estimate of years of production at the 240 acres and even more years when the rest of the 840 acres is analyzed. We have found gold and confirmed it with extensive sampling and assay work and had it viewed by experts. (A Nevada Mill and assay lab, An Arizona Mill)

The data here has been gathered in the last several months and is supported by data we have from signed professionals who analyzed the ore in the adjoining claims.

Mining Since 2006 Picture Review

About Gold & Silver Mining of Nevada, Inc.

The company is in the business of precious metals mining and processing of massive gold and silver ore bodies in Nevada. The gold and silver located in the company owned mining claims in these districts are located adjacent to other known and established mining operators. The company is not looking for ore, but is in the process of developing previously identified ore bodies.

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Safe Harbor Statement

This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E and/or 27E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are based upon assumptions that in the future may prove not to have been accurate and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including statements as to the future performance of the company and the risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in reports filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Although the company believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations or any of its forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause results to differ include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to raise necessary financing, retention of key personnel, timely delivery of inventory from the company's suppliers, timely product development, product acceptance, and the impact of competitive services and products, in addition to general economic risks and uncertainties.

For more information please contact:

Investor Relations at 801-679-3945

Visit the company web site at www.GoldandSilverMining.com

SOURCE: Gold and Silver Mining of Nevada, Inc.
Larnaca (Cyprus) (AFP) - Four African refugees arrived in Cyprus from Italy on Tuesday as part of an EU relocation programme for asylum seekers to help ease Europe's migration crisis, officials said.

The young men -- three from Eritrea and the other from central Africa -- are the first batch to arrive from Italy in Cyprus and the second to be accommodated on the Mediterranean island under the scheme.

Soon after arriving at Larnaca airport on Tuesday evening the four were taken to a reception centre near the southern coastal town of Kofinou.

The first group of six asylum-seekers -- from Syria, Iraq and Eritrea -- were relocated from Greece in February.

The transfers are part of the EU relocation programme agreed by the European Union institutions and a number of member states in September 2015.

Under the scheme, Cyprus pledged to accept the relocation of 440 asylum-seekers from Greece and Italy -- the worst hit countries in the migrant crisis.

Cyprus has also agreed to offer resettlement places for 69 vulnerable refugees selected by the UNHCR in countries outside the EU.

The EU responsibility-sharing scheme, which foresees the relocation of 160,000 refugees from Italy and Greece, is seen as an important step towards stabilising the biggest refugee crisis that Europe has seen in decades.

More than one million people arrived by sea in Europe in 2015. The majority were refugees fleeing persecution and violence in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

Authorities say 3,771 people have died or gone missing attempting cross the Mediterranean.

In 2015, Cyprus received 2,105 asylum applications, including 908 from Syrian nationals.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's center-left opposition Labor Party leader Bill Shorten on Tuesday endorsed U.S. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton over her chief Republican rival, Donald Trump, who he said would be "very difficult" to work with. Shorten, who is campaigning against Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ahead of national elections on July 2, pledged to continue Australia's close relationship with the United States regardless of the outcome of the U.S. election. But he made no secret of which candidate he preferred. "In terms of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, I have to say that if I was in America, I would be voting for Hillary Clinton," Shorten told reporters. "Whoever America elects we'll deal with but there's no doubt in my mind that Trump would be very difficult, I think, to deal with." Trump's often controversial comments on everything from Muslims and women to the future of NATO and relations with Russia have drawn criticism from Berlin, Paris and other European capitals. British Prime Minister David Cameron this week stood by his description of Trump's plan to ban Muslims from entering the United States as "divisive, stupid and wrong" after Trump said that he was unlikely to have a good relationship with Cameron. (Reporting by Matt Siegel; Editing by Nick Macfie)
SYDNEY, May 17 (Reuters) - A trucking company half-owned by Australia's Asciano Ltd took the port and rail giant to court, demanding assurance about its future under an A$9.1 billion ($6.7 billion) buyout of the parent company, a hiccup in the long-running deal.

In a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, Australian Container Freight Services Pty Ltd (ACFS) asked the Supreme Court of New South Wales to make Asciano confirm its rights under Asciano's plan to be bought by a host of global investors including Canada's Brookfield Asset Management Inc and China Investment Corp.

The specifics of ACFS's concerns were not immediately clear and a spokeswoman declined comment. Asciano said in a statement that it will defend the action but a spokesman declined to comment further.

The court set a tentative hearing date for May 31, the Asciano spokesman said.

Although Asciano says its half stake in ACFS is worth A$36.2 million, just 0.4 percent of the value of its overall value under the takeover plan, a legal dispute with a subsidiary could create an obstacle for a deal that has already been beset by delays.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has already pushed back the companies' agreed deal timelines by raising antitrust concerns. It is scheduled to give a final ruling on the deal on May 26, but a legal snarl may cause uncertainty for Asciano shareholders when they vote on the proposal on June 1.

Asciano has previously said it does not expect the matter to delay the deal.

Takeover documents sent to Asciano shareholders this month said that under the breakup proposal Asciano's ACFS stake would go to Brookfield but "it is possible that the other shareholders in ACFS Port Logistics may have pre-emptive rights to acquire the interest in ACFS Port Logistics".

($1 = 1.3587 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Mexico City (AFP) - Mexican authorities faced calls to ban all fishing in the upper Gulf of California or permanently prohibit gillnets to save the vaquita marina, the world's smallest porpoise, from extinction.

Concerns about the vaquita's fate rose on Friday when scientists warned that only 60 of the sea creatures were left and could vanish by 2022 even though the navy has been patrolling their habitat.

In reaction, the World Wildlife Fund called for a full fishing ban in the vaquita's northwestern Mexico refuge.

The porpoise's population had already fallen to fewer than 100 in 2014, down from 200 in 2012, according to scientists at the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA).

The vaquita's fate has been linked to another critically endangered sea creature, the totoaba, a fish that has been illegally caught for its swim bladder, which is dried and sold on the black market in China.

Poachers use illegal gillnets to catch the totoaba. The vaquita, a shy 1.5-meter-long (five-foot) cetacean with dark rings around the eyes, is said to be the victim of bycatch.

President Enrique Pena Nieto imposed a two-year ban on gillnets in April 2015 and increased the vaquita protection area tenfold to 13,000 square kilometers (5,000 square miles).

Pena Nieto also deployed navy reinforcements to enforce the ban.

The government is compensating fishermen to the tune of $70 million over two years for giving up gillnets while new methods are sought.

- Fishermen in 'crisis' -

But Omar Vidal, Mexico director of the World Wildlife Fun, said the measures have been "insufficient" and that fishermen have "camouflaged" gillnets with other legal nets.

An immediate fishing ban, he said, "can save the vaquita."

"It's a drastic measure but maybe the most efficient way is to prohibit fishing and obviously compensate fishermen," he told a news conference.

Mexico's environment ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the proposal.

Story continues

Sunshine Antonio Rodriguez Pena, president of the fishing cooperative of the port of San Felipe, said his group would lodge a complaint before the United Nations if a fishing ban were to be imposed.

"They are completely crazy," he told AFP, noting that legal fishing includes corvina and clams and local fishermen are already in a "crisis."

"They should just declare (the vaquita) extinct because fishermen are not killing it," Rodriguez told AFP, saying other factors are to blame, such as predators, red algae or toxins.

- Hope remains -

For its part, CIRVA is calling for the two-year gillnet ban to become permanent.

Barbara Taylor, co-chief scientist of CIRVA's latest study, told AFP that it would take until 2075 to see the vaquita return to 1997 levels, when there were more than 500.

While three were found dead in March, she said it is likely that more died this year because most carcasses are not recovered.

Taylor, a scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said CIRVA members were "thrilled and relieved" when they spotted vaquitas last fall as "we knew there had been a catastrophic decline and feared we may see none."

"However, it was clear that we had few sightings and that the new numbers would confirm the results from acoustic monitoring that illegal fishing had brought vaquitas to the brink of extinction," she said.

CIRVA chairman Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho, of Mexico's Natonal Institute of Ecology and Climate Change, said there's still hope for the vaquita as other national treasures have recovered in the past, such as elephant seals, which once numbered 20 and now number more than 150,000.
Water barriers and metal barricades surrounded Wan Chai north, Hong Kong, on Monday, May 16, a day ahead of the arrival of Standing Committee of National Peoples Congress Chairman Zhang Dejiang. The police said more than 6,000 officers, including those from the Counter Terrorism Response Unit, would be deployed to protect Zhang in face of protests. Zhang is the most senior state leader to visit Hong Kong since the 2014 Occupy movement.

Zhang will visit the city for three days, attending the One Belt, One Road forum at the Convention and Exhibition Centre and staying at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, both near the filming location outside Central Plaza. Dozens of police officers were seen at the same location on Wednesday morning. Credit: Facebook/Aaron Mc Nicholas
- Oklahoma City center Steven Adams has apologized after describing the Golden State Warriors players as "quick little monkeys" during a post-game interview following his team's stunning Western Conference finals win. The towering New Zealander described his comments in the immediate aftermath of Oklahoma City's 108-102 as "a poor choice of words" for which he was truly sorry. Adams had been asked by an ESPN reporter to comment on the difficulty the Thunder, a notably taller team, had faced in trying to contain the shorter and nimble Warriors offense. "I don't envy guards. They're quick little monkeys those guys," Adams, 22, remarked. The comment drew criticism from sections of social media, where the remark was characterized as racist by some, before Adams issued a swift apology to US media.

AFP
The following story contains spoilers from Mondays Bates Motel finale, so proceed at your own peril.

Lets get the bad news out of the way first: Yes, Norma has indeed checked out of Bates Motel  a fact made painfully crystal clear in the opening moments of Mondays heartbreaking Season 4 finale. And the good news? As confirmed in the episodes closing sequence, the characters powerhouse portrayer  Vera Farmiga  is not going anywhere.

RELATEDExclusive: Bates Motel Season 5 to Introduce Psycho Icon Marion Crane

Of course, anyone with even cursory knowledge of the A&E dramas Psycho source material no doubt guesstimated that the shows upcoming fifth and final season would find Norma booking a room inside the far reaches of her sons frontal lobe. But why did exec producers Kerry Ehrin and Carlton Cuse decide to play their proverbial trump card now versus in the series finale?

RELATEDFall TV Schedule 2016: Whats on When? And Versus What?

Below, the pair share the method behind their artful madness, reveal behind-the-scenes secrets from Mondays stunningly written, directed and acted climax, and tease whats to come during the epic final chapter.

TVLINE | Why kill off Norma with one more season still to go?

CARLTON CUSE | We wanted the final season to allow us to do our version of the Psycho lore. We will be colliding with certain events in the narrative of the film, but it would be boring to just recreate Psycho.

EHRIN | The obsessive love of Norma is what the show is going to be based on. Its the heart of what drives it. That is going to be hugely important in Season 5.

TVLINE | And just to be clear, Vera is not leaving the show, right?

CUSE | Veras still very much a part of the show, she just has a slightly modified role.

TVLINE | Modified doesnt mean reduced right?

CUSE | No. Shes existing now in Normans brain. In the original Psycho you dont really know anything about Norma Bates. You just know that shes a corpse, and you imagine that she was this shrew of a woman who berated her son into becoming crazy. But we re-imagined their relationship as this complex, intense, co-dependent love story. And that relationship continues very much in Season 5. It just has a different dimension, which is that shes dead. [Laughs] But its not the end of the story.

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TVLINE | Was it always the plan to kill her off at the end of Season 4?



CUSE | Absolutely. But even though it was long-planned, it was still emotionally and viscerally shocking for everyone. As we were writing [last weeks episode], Kerry and I each broke down crying at various points. Mine happened to be on an airplane to Vancouver, which was very embarrassing. People were looking at me. Its probably worth contextualizing it with Lost  I was sitting on an airplane crying. [Laughs] It mightve made people a little nervous. Then we watched the first cut and we sat there in the editing room and were like, Oh, good God. We actually did this. Its hard, because its one thing to do something intellectually. And then its another thing to [experience] it emotionally.

TVLINE | I would imagine Normans shrink would have an interesting perspective on Normas death and perhaps even Normans role in it. Why wasnt he in the finale?

EHRIN | We actually had a scene in the script with Dr. Edwards where he heard about Normas death and he came out to check on Norman. Ultimately, didnt fit in with the drive of the episode. We would love to bring [that character back] next season, but its tricky because hes a smart doctor. And its not like Norman could dupe him for very long. So it becomes a balancing question, making sure everything stays grounded and believable. Also, Norman is 18. He cannot force Norman into treatment.

TVLINE | Was that the last well see of Dylan and Emma?

CUSE | No.

EHRIN | No way. We love them

CUSE | We very much have a story planned for them next season.

TVLINE | But Dylan, like Dr. Edwards, is also tough to dupe. So how will you handle that balancing act?

CUSE | Youre on the right track What we can tell you is that well be spending some time with Dylan and Emma as they forge a new life. But, obviously and inevitably, he will cross back into Normans orbit.

TVLINE | Did we see the moment that Norman found out Norma had died? Was it when the nurse told him in the hospital? Or did it occur before that off screen?

EHRIN | We feel that at the end of [last weeks episode] when Norman turned to Norma and looked at her on the carpet and said, Mother, he realized she was dead. And, at that point, his brain went into overdrive to push it out. He simply could not let that in.

CUSE | The pathology of his denial is really the brilliance of Kerrys script. Watching the ways in which Norman tries to shut down truths that are right in front of his face is what makes the final episode so compelling.

TVLINE | I kept looking closely at Veras chest and eyes as she was channeling dead Norma, and there was no movement. Was any of that CGI or is Vera just that good at playing dead?



EHRIN | She is the most amazing dead person. [Laughs] It really blew my mind to see how freakin dead she was. I dont know how she did it. She just gets into this place and becomes so checked-out and gone. Its really frightening.

CUSE | Especially all that stuff where Freddie was carrying her out of the grave Its not easy to be dead!

TVLINE | Was that really Freddie carrying her around?

CUSE | During these [four seasons] Freddie has grown up. He went from a waifish teenager to a man. So now he has the physical presence and ability to pick Vera up. He could never have done that at the beginning of the series.

EHRIN | And one of the awesome things about our cast is that they want to do all this stuff. They seem to relish really physically getting into this stuff.

TVLINE | In that same vein, I was really impressed with Freddies physicality in the scene where Norman trips coming down the stairs outside the house while carrying that steel frame. Im not even sure how you can practice something like that

CUSE | Its very observant of you to notice that, because I think that scene was really hard to pull off. And its so good. And real and believable.

TVLINE | So, I have to ask. Is next season really the final season? Because A&E hasnt confirmed that it is

EHRIN | Its our final season. [Laughs]

CUSE | Weve said for a long time that we wanted the show to be five seasons and done. I think that is the plan. Its always painful because the show is successful

EHRIN |  and we love it

CUSE |  and we love it. But it really should end while its still good. And the power of these last two episodes is all part of the five-year plan. To take those big, narrative turns can only be done if youre moving towards an endgame. Its whats best for the show. We have a really great Season 5 planned.

EHRIN | Its going to be pretty epic.

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It appeared the long-running battle between South Korea's Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and its main host/sponsor, the Busan metropolitan government, had come to a happy ending - with Kim Dong-ho, the fest's founder and honorary director as well as a local film icon, stepping in as temporary fest head to make sure the top Asian event opens as scheduled in October.

Industry insiders, however, have begun claiming that the "Kim solution" is just making things look good on the surface.

Conflicts between fest organizers and Busan city officials first arose in September 2014 when then-fest director Lee Yong-kwan pushed ahead with the screening of The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol, a politically sensitive documentary about the April 2014 sinking of a ferry that left hundreds of teens dead. This was in spite of opposition from Busan mayor Suh Byung-soo; the local mayor has traditionally served as chairman of the event, of which the city funds about half the annual budget.

The fest has since suffered major setbacks that organizers have claimed to be "political retaliation" - from the local state body, the Korean Film Council, halving its annual support for BIFF to local authorities carrying out an unprecedented audit that resulted in some of the fest's core founding members being questioned by prosecutors about bribe allegations.

Read More: Busan Festival Power Struggle Ends as City's Mayor Steps Down

Lee's tenure was not extended by the chairman in February, and in March major Korean filmmaker coalition groups proclaimed a boycott of the fest in deference of its artistic freedom - marking the largest collective action by the Korean film industry for the first time in a decade since efforts regarding the local screen quota policy in 2006.

"I've already left the festival committee, and only hope that the matter will be resolved in due time. I think I've already said what I've had to say," Lee told The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday. "This is, in reality, political oppression," the former leader told local daily The Hankyoreh on Friday after long refusing to speak to the press. "It was one of my [many] mistakes not to oppose the reinstatement of Kim Dong-ho. Mr. Kim has previously served as deputy culture minister and this is an issue that he cannot handle. I am opposing his return for the sake of saving both Mr. Kim and the future of the festival."

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The former head added: "The problem is that this problem at hand, namely outer forces such as the government trying to interfere with a festival's programming, can happen again if we do not get to the bottom of things."

Back in BIFF's early days, Lee, a founding member of the fest who worked as a programmer, had been noted for pushing forth with the screening of several films that were not approved by the local media rating board. Though some critics have pointed out flaws in Lee's leadership, such as his alleged preference for fellow graduates of his alma mater, even the Korean Film Reporters Association demonstrated its support by awarding him the 2016 Cineaste of the Year Award in January while local filmmakers, film critics and actors held a fundraising event to hire a lawyer for Lee after local authorities accused the former head of fraud.

Kim could not be reached by THR for further questions.

Read More: Park Chan-Wook Talks 'The Handmaiden', Homosexuality Onscreen and Korean Films' Specific Appeal (Q&A)

"It seems to undermine the entire situation, such as halting the boycott, as Busan City has not made a formal apology nor provided a clear explanation of the past struggle," said a filmmaker, who has been a vocal activist as former head of a local filmmakers' association, but asked not to be named. "The real problem at hand is guaranteeing the artistic freedom and autonomy of the festival, and Kim Dong-ho's return really doesn't solve anything."

Another filmmaker, who also asked to remain anonymous, said many others are considering reviving the boycott of the fest that is slated to run Oct. 6-15. Should this be the case, it is highly possible the event would be shunned by the likes of director Park Chan-wook, who previously stated that he would take part in the boycott if the festival's autonomy is not guaranteed - in other words, his Cannes competition entry The Handmaiden would not be a candidate in the fest's lineup.

Meanwhile, a staff member of Busan City told THR: "Busan City has made amends to move forward with the festival. We have a big homework assignment ahead of us, many issues to smooth out, and we feel confident that we can work well with Kim Dong-ho and [co-director] Kang Soo-youn to make improvements."

Said Jay Jeon, director of BIFF's Asian Film Market and a founding member of the fest alongside Lee, in a previous interview with THR: "Kim Dong-ho and other veteran members are still onboard and making sure things are running smoothly. 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."
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
Thessaloniki (Greece) (AFP) - Greece on Tuesday launched construction on a 550-kilometre (342-mile) section of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras eager for the 8,000 jobs for the country's crisis-hit economy.

Planned to operate from 2019, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will bring gas from the vast Azerbaijani Shah Deniz 2 field via western Turkey to Greece, Albania and across the Adriatic to Italy.

TAP is 870 kilometres long, running from Komotini in northeastern Greece to Puglia, Italy.

It will cover 215 kilometres across Albania, 105 kilometres under the Adriatic and a final eight kilometres in Italy.

Tsipras said the pipeline would usher Greece and Europe into a "new era."

"TAP is one of the greatest direct foreign investment projects carried out in Greece," Tsipras said at the ceremony held in Thessaloniki.

For crisis-hit Greece, it means an investment of over 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) and 8,000 jobs, the premier said.

"The Greek economy really needs these jobs," he added.

The 53,000 pipes used to build it weigh the equivalent of 72 Eiffel Towers, according to officials.

It will have an annual capacity of 10 million cubic metres, meeting the needs of some seven million households.

"Once complete, TAP will be a major asset in the European energy security tool box," said European Union Vice-President Maros Sefcovic, who was also present at the ceremony.

"By opening up access to gas from Azerbaijan, TAP will allow many countries, including in Central and South East Europe to diversify their sources of gas," he said.

TAP is designed to link up with the 1,850 kilometre (1,150 mile) Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) -- to be completed in 2018 -- and the existing South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), which links Turkey to the Azerbaijani gas fields in the Caspian Sea through Georgia.

Together, the three pipelines will form what has been called the Southern Gas Corridor.

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"Southern Gas Corridor will be vital for reaching the Energy Union objectives of diversification of sources, routes and energy security. Therefore timely completion is crucial so that gas from the new suppliers can flow to Europe by 2020," Sefcovic said.

The total investment in Shah Deniz 2, including the cost of the pipeline infrastructure, is $40-45 billion.

The field will have 16 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas production per year.
From Popular Mechanics

China's Foreign Ministry denounced the latest Pentagon report on Chinese military developments, claiming that it was full of untruths and based on an outdated "Cold War" mentality. The report describes in detail the People's Liberation Army's advances in air, ground, sea, nuclear, and cyber warfare, as well as Chinese island building in the South China Sea.

Hong Lei, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, claimed that the report "made unfounded accusations against the development of Chinese national defense." He claimed it was "full of prejudice against China," and that the U.S.-not China-was responsible for militarizing the South China Sea. A spokesman for the Defense Ministry said the report had "severely damaged" trust between the two countries.

Lei stated that China had made "solemn representations" to the U.S. State Department, and urged the U.S. to "cast aside the Cold War mentality." China's remarks on the annual report were the strongest to date. So far, China has not stated what in the report it considers "unfounded accusations." The report is generally no different than past reports, with the exception of an expanded section on island construction in the South China Sea.

The report, "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China" [PDF], is published annually by the Pentagon, an act mandated by Congress. The report doesn't pull punches about China's military growth, including its expansion of reefs and islets in the South China Sea into military bases capable of supporting combat aircraft.

The report has considerable details on China's island-building efforts in the South China Sea. China, which claims approximately 90 percent of the South China Sea, has created approximately 3,200 acres of dry land in the South China Sea by dredging the waters around uninhabitable islets and reefs, turning them into artificial islands. The islands are then used to bolster claims of Chinese ownership of the sea-despite calls by neighbors and others in the international community that Chinese claims infringe on their own or essentially privatize what was previously considered international waters.

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According to the Pentagon, contrary to China's claims that the islands have peaceful uses, the new islands are part of a new military infrastructure. Radar stations, airfields, harbors, the HQ-9 surface to air missile system, and the YJ-62 anti-ship cruise missile have all been spotted on the islands, and many are being equipped with 9,800 foot-long runaways capable of supporting military aircraft.

The report also details progress in conventional forces. The Pentagon estimates China's submarine force of 62 attack and ballistic missile submarines will grow to between 69 and 78 submarines by 2020. Among those will be the Type 093 Shang-class attack submarine, which has been fitted with vertical launch missile silos much like the American Virginia-class, a new nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine (SSGN), and a new nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, the Type 096. A new guided missile destroyer, the Type 055, is in development and a new aircraft carrier, the Type 001A, is under construction at the Dalian shipyards.

The Pentagon also says that the Chinese Air Force is the third largest air force in the world, with 2,800 aircraft-including 2,100 fighters, bombers, and attack aircraft. China has a core force of 600 modern so-called "fourth generation" combat planes, and has at least two fifth generation designs under development, including the Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang FC-31 fighters, roughly in the same class as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, respectively.

China is making significant strides in catching up to western air forces, particularly in regards to command and control, airborne early warning, and electronic warfare aircraft. China is currently developing a heavy transport, the Xian Y-20, which is similar in appearance and capability to the American C-17 Globemaster III.

Beijing is also making significant progress in contesting what it calls "the commanding height in international strategic competition"-space. China continues to advocate the peaceful use of space, while emulating the United States in launching communications, navigation, and spy satellites to support its fighting forces. China is also thought to be working on a covert anti-satellite system, a ground-launched system that can reach a peak trajectory of 18,600 miles-high enough to reach most American satellites, including the GPS satellites used by civilians and military.

Finally, Beijing is upgrading its nuclear forces. The Rocket Force, formerly known as the Second Artillery Corps, has an estimated 75 to 100 ICBMs capable of reaching the United States. A road-mobile ICBM is under development, as is the ability to pack multiple warheads into a single ICBM, a system known as MIRV. China also has four Jin-class ballistic missile submarines, with a fifth under construction. While all of this sounds formidable, it must be kept in mind that China has only produced an estimated 200 to 300 nuclear bombs-fifty of which have already been used-and that many of the MIRV warheads will likely be decoys.
SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - Envision Solar International, Inc., (EVSI) ("Envision Solar," or the "Company"), the leading renewable energy, media and branding and EV charging product company, announced today that the Company has successfully deployed the first of its patented EV ARC products for the California State University System.

The deployed EV ARC models will be used to exclusively power Cal State East Bay's All Green Fleet. The university's purchases of EV ARC units were made as part of the California State Contract awarded to Envision Solar in 2015. Cal State East Bay is the first university in California to deploy transportable solar powered EV charging stations.

"Providing a fleet of electrical vehicles for our University departments to use around campus is an important part of our sustainability efforts," said Derrick Lobo, Manager of Parking and Transportation Services at California State University, East Bay. "Envision's EV ARCs enable us to dynamically scale our charging needs and most importantly to ensure that our electric vehicles are 100 percent emissions free! The speed and ease of the environmental impact-free installation was also a big benefit for us, and saved us a lot of time and financial resources that would have been spent on bringing electrical power to our desired location."

"We are proud that EV ARC has again been selected by a California agency, because of its inherent environmental and deployment benefits," said Desmond Wheatley, CEO of Envision Solar. "The Cal State University system is helping to ensure a sustainable future with their choice of electric vehicles and our solar powered EV charging products. We are delighted to have them as customers."

Invented and manufactured in California, the EV ARC product fits inside a parking space and does not reduce available parking in any way. It generates enough clean, solar electricity to power up to 150 miles of EV driving each day. The system's solar electrical generation is enhanced by the patented EnvisionTrak system, which causes the array to follow the sun, generating 18 to 25% more electricity than a fixed array. The energy is stored in the EV ARC product's energy storage for charging day or night. Because the EV ARC product requires no trenching, foundations or installation work of any kind, it is deployed in minutes and can be moved to a new location with ease. EV ARC products are manufactured in the Company's San Diego facility by combat veterans, the disabled, minorities and other highly talented, mission driven team members.

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About Envision Solar International, Inc.

Envision Solar, www.envisionsolar.com, designs, manufactures and deploys unique, renewably energized, EV charging and media and branding systems. The Company's products include the patented EV ARC and Solar Tree product lines. All of the Company's products can be enhanced with EnvisionTrak patented solar tracking, ARC Technology energy storage, SunCharge Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and digital advertising packages.

Based in San Diego, the company integrates the highest quality components into its Made in America products. Envision Solar is listed on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol [EVSI]. For more information, visit www.envisionsolar.com or call 866-746-0514.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release may contain forward-looking statements regarding future events or our expected future results that are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. All statements in this Report other than statements of historical facts are forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are generally accompanied by terms or phrases such as "estimate," "project," "predict," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "target," "plan," "intend," "seek," "goal," "will," "should," "may," or other words and similar expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or results. Statements contemplating or making assumptions regarding actual or potential sales, market size and demand, prospective business contracts, customer orders, trends or operating results also constitute forward looking statements. Our actual results may differ substantially from those indicated in forward looking statements because our business is subject to significant economic, competitive, regulatory, business and industry risks which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Our operating results, financial condition and business performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the economy, unavailability of capital or financing for our prospective customers to purchase products and services from us, competition, changes in regulations, a decline in the demand for solar energy, a lack of profitability, a decline in our stock price, and other risks. We may not have adequate capital, financing or cash flow to sustain our business or implement our business plans. Current results and trends are not necessarily indicative of future results that we may achieve.
MPW Insiders is an online community where the biggest names in business and beyond answer timely career and leadership questions. Today's answer for: What's the most important lesson you've learned in your career? is written by Mary Lou Burke Afonso, Chief Operating Officer of Bright Horizon's North America Center Operations.

The most important lesson I have learned in my career is to become comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Often times in our jobs we come across tasks or challenges that we are not comfortable with. But leaders who want to grow challenge themselves to rise above this. They don't just play to strengths they already have, but they find new strengths they weren't even aware of and build on them. Stepping out of your comfort zone can add energy and excitement to your work, and stimulate new thoughts and creativity. All personal and professional growth is dependent upon pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone.

I learned this lesson early on in my career when I was given an incredible opportunity to live in Paris. I was working for a different company at the time, and they asked me to go to Paris to become their French Controller. While moving to Paris seemed like an amazing opportunity - and of course it was - I found myself holding back on agreeing to go because I was worried about everything I would be leaving behind - my family, my friends, a great job, a new condo. It was all so dependable, so comfortable. I figured that while I might learn a new language and a new culture and meet new friends, couldn't I also do that at home? Why would I need to leave Boston?

Thankfully, my more adventurous mother reminded me that, while all of my family and friends would always be here, this opportunity would not. And if I didn't go, I might miss out on something truly special. As she put it - "nothing ventured, nothing gained."

So I listened to her, and I decided to step out of my comfort zone - way out - and live in Paris for two years. Looking back, I can see how much I gained, more than just language and culture and new friends. I came back enriched - I had more confidence, more independence, a newfound interest in cultures and a love of traveling. And just as my mother predicted, my family and friends were still here. In fact, for much of my time in Paris, my family and friends were there. I was able to enjoy many visits and amazing adventures with stories that will last a lifetime. And I would have missed it if I hadn't gotten out of my own way and over my personal fear of taking risks.

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The experience of course benefited my career as well. The professional experience I gained working in international finance, where I needed to learn a different currency and set of rules and reporting standards - as well as how to adapt marketing strategies from country to country based on cultural differences - gave me an understanding of the global business landscape that has helped me immensely in working for a company like Bright Horizons that operates worldwide. Diving into unchartered territory has also enabled me to be adaptable to different leadership styles, comfortable with a diverse team, and a better problem-solver who can rely on her instincts - all things that have proved beneficial over the course of my career.

Each and every one of us has been challenged by tasks that feel uncomfortable. My advice is to rise above those challenges - don't be afraid of them - and tackle them head on. Because the greatest pride you'll ever know is being honest about what's holding you back, and then conquering it.

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
UPDATE with statement: Chris Bender and JC Spink announced today they are calling it quits on Benderspink, the pairs 18-year-old management and production company. Both will start new ventures, were told; Spink no longer works at the companys offices.

We started Benderspink in our late 20s almost 18 years ago, a joint statement said. We could not be more proud of what weve worked on together and are excited for the next chapter in each of our lives.

The duos producer credits include David Cronenbergs A History of Violence, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, The Ring movies and more recently the Vacation reboot and Lionsgates Kevin Costner actioner Criminal which bowed in April.

Bender is currently a producer on David Robert Mitchells pic Under The Silver Lake which just sold to A24 at Cannes. Benderspink also repped the deal on their newbie writer Joe Greenberg for his spec script Man Alive that just sold to Fox for Noah Hawley to direct.

THR reported the Benderspink news first today.

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By Allegresse Sasse COTONOU (Reuters) - A decision by Benin's new president to loosen the government's grip on the West African nation's cotton industry has been met with caution by some in the sector who fear a repeat of mistakes made during a previous privatisation. Known as the "King of Cotton" for having made a fortune from Benin's leading cash crop, Patrice Talon won elections in March after promising to revive the industry. And last month his new government handed control of the sector back to the professional cotton association, the AIC. "The exceptional environment in which the cotton sector is evolving [via a state-run system] has scared away investors, and it's important to bring order," Pascal Irenee Koupaki, a senior official at the presidency, said of the decision. The AIC, a private sector association then co-led by Talon, ran the sector beginning in 2009. Thomas Boni Yayi, who Talon replaced as president, ordered the government to take control in April 2012, however, citing governance problems and lack of transparency on the use of public subsidies. The decision followed a falling out between Boni Yayi and Talon, formerly one of the presidents closest allies, leading some to view the move as politically motivated. But others saw declining production as evidence of real problems in the sector. Cotton in Benin contributes 40 percent of foreign exchange earnings, 12 percent of GDP and about 60 percent of the national industrial fabric, according to the ministry of Agriculture. Under AIC's management, seed cotton production was down at 173,000 tonnes during the 2011/12 season. Three seasons after the state took over output had rebounded to 393,000 tonnes. The AIC said bad weather conditions, low international prices and late payments to producers, to explain the decline and the growing disaffection of farmers for cotton when it handed over the sector. The International Monetary Fund has warned of a potential drain on state coffers, a point echoed by Talon's government. Still, some sector players said the government had missed an opportunity to look at what was wrong with AIC's management and instead simply returned to the old system. "The AIC was sick ... The system hasn't been corrected," said economist Albert Honlonkou. "Links between operators are not clear. We need a law to govern contracts between them." The government's decision also did not directly address longstanding issues such as a lack of storage facilities and insufficient ginning capacity, critics said. Benin has in the past been forced to send part of its raw cotton production to neighbouring countries to be processed, effectively excluding itself from an important part of the value chain. "The government should have carried out a quick audit to enable people to understand the situation," said consultant Jocelyn Nenehidini. Farmers also complained that the government had not addressed what they said were inequalities within the sector that handicapped farmers. "We farmers have no weight. We don't have the means to be heard," said Sabi Naga Yo, the president of Benin's cotton farmers' federation. "We ask the government to set up a panel on cotton where all the players will decide. Neither the monopoly of the state nor of the private sector is a good thing," he added. The best solution, he said, is a zoning system in which farmers' producer associations are grouped into zones and enter into an exclusive relationship with particular ginners, a model that exists in Burkina Faso and is viewed as a success. If the government truly wants the sector to develop, changes are needed, Farmer Amadou Dan Baba said. "We are in favour of the establishment of the AIC, but we must reorganise it" by creating safeguards to avoid mismanagement. (Reporting by Allegresse Sasse, Writing by Marine Pennetier, Editing by Joe Bavier and David Evans)
bernie sanders

Sen. Bernie Sanders is not backing down from his fight with the Democratic Party in Nevada.

On Saturday, tension at the Nevada Democratic Party's state convention boiled over after a debate over the delegate-appointment rules disqualified many Sanders supporters from serving as delegates to the Democratic National Convention in July.

Sanders supporters, hoping to send the same number of delegates to the convention as Clinton, reportedly threw chairs, clashed with supporters of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and revealed the home address and phone number of Roberta Lange, the Nevada Democratic Party's chairwoman.

In a statement on Tuesday, Sanders stood behind his supporters in Nevada, accusing the state party of intentionally rigging the process in favor of Clinton, who won the state's caucuses earlier this year.

"If the Democratic Party is to be successful in November, it is imperative that all state parties treat our campaign supporters with fairness and the respect that they have earned," Sanders said.

He continued: "Unfortunately, that was not the case at the Nevada convention. At that convention the Democratic leadership used its power to prevent a fair and transparent process from taking place."

The campaign specifically singled out the state party's leadership for filing a formal complaint against Sanders.

"Within the last few days there have been a number of criticisms made against my campaign organization. Party leaders in Nevada, for example, claim that the Sanders campaign has a 'penchant for violence.' That is nonsense," Sanders said.

His statement appeared to indirectly address Lange, who told several media outlets that she'd received death threats after Sanders supporters posted Lange's address and phone number.

"Our campaign of course believes in non-violent change and it goes without saying that I condemn any and all forms of violence, including the personal harassment of individuals," Sanders said in the statement.

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The Huffington Post and other outlets uploaded screenshots and voicemails of Sanders supporters threatening the state chair with violence and using sexist slurs against her.

"You stupid a-- b----. We're coming for your a--," one text reads, according to The Huffington Post. "Your number is going viral and your actions are being watched everywhere. You are an a------."

The Sanders campaign did not immediately respond to Business Insider's further request for comment.

Sanders initially seemed hesitant to publicly rebuke his supporters.

Before leaving Puerto Rico on Tuesday, the senator abruptly ended a rope-line interview when a reporter began asking about the Nevada dispute.

Earlier on Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid told reporters that he spoke at length with Sanders, who Reid said would condemn the violence.

"He said that he condemns that, I am confident that he does," Reid said of the protesters.

This post has been updated to reflect the Sanders campaign's full statement condemning violence.

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Using sunscreen isn't the only sun protection step you should take, but people often rely on it too much. That's a problem because our sunscreens may not be protecting us as well as we think. In part, we have ourselves to blamewe tend to use too little, dont rub it in properly, or dont reapply enough or at all.

But even if you do everything right, the odds are good that your sunscreen may not deliver the sun protection factorSPFit promises on the label. This year we tested and rated more than 60 lotions, sprays, and sticks with SPF claims of 30 or higher30 being the minimum level recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology. But 28 of thema full 43 percentfailed to meet the SPF claim on the label. Three of them fell far short, with our tests showing an SPF of less than 15. Thats not enough sun protection, and it could leave you vulnerable to sunburn and possible long-term skin damage, such as wrinkles or skin cancer.

Those results arent a fluke; weve observed this pattern in our testing over the past four years. Of all the sunscreens weve tested over that stretch of time, fully half came in below the SPF number printed on the label, and a third registered below an SPF 30.

(Read below about UVO, whose manufacturer claims this drink can guard against UV skin damage.)

The Sorry State of Sunscreens

We crunched the data from four years of our sunscreen testing104 products in allto see how well sunscreens in general protect you against the suns UVB rays. Our findings were troubling, especially when it came to mineral products, often called "natural" sunscreensthose that contain only titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or both as active ingredients.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesnt routinely test sunscreens; it requires the manufacturers to test their products. But in most cases the companies dont have to submit their results, just keep them on hand in case the FDA asks to see them. Whats more, companies only have to test a sunscreen on people when a product rolls out or is reformulated.

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Consumers have a right to receive the level of sun protection they expect. Were submitting our four-year results to the FDA and asking that it review its sunscreen requirements and investigate further.

Can You Trust the SPF?

In four years of our sunscreen tests, almost half of the products failed to meet their SPF claim after water immersiondespite the fact that all featured claims of water resistance. And if you trust your skin to mineral products, youre taking a greater chance; the mineral-only sunscreens performed far worse than the chemical formulations.

A Reliable Number

When we separated the sunscreens into categories based on the claimed SPF, we found that a significant percentage tested below the number on the label. That was true at every SPF level. So your best bet is to pick a recommended sunscreen from our Ratings. But if you cant, choosing a chemical sunscreen with an SPF of 40 or higher will give you a better chance of getting at least an SPF 30, the minimum level many dermatologists recommend.

Sun Protection From the Inside Out?

If you down a bottle of an orange-peach drink 30 minutes before going outside, youll get 3 to 5 hours of sun protectionat least thats the claim of UVO, which the company says is the first ready to drink vitamin supplement specifically formulated to protect and repair your skin from sun damage. The company also asserts that the drinks 30-plus vitamins, antioxidants, and phytonutrients are scientifically proven to work. As with other supplements, UVO ($20 for four 12-ounce bottles) does not need prior approval from the Food and Drug Administration to make those claims.

Founder and CEO of UVO, dermatologist Bobby Awadalla, M.D., says the companys preliminary testing, similar to what the FDA requires for sunscreens, found that drinking UVO protected against sunburn for at least 3 hours. He would not supply us with the study, however, saying that he wanted to publish the research, and could not if he released the results.

Consumer Reports did not test UVO, so we cant verify the companys claims. Research suggests that some of the individual ingredients in the drink may offer UV protection, but we know of no independent study of UVO or its combination of ingredients. Even if the product does what it claims, protection would be modest at best: It cant replace sunscreen. Awadalla said he agrees with that, but based on the companys marketing, a consumer could easily assume otherwise. There is no mention of using sunscreen in conjunction with the drink on the bottle, and though the warning should not be used as the only source of sun protection is on the companys website, it is not prominently displayed. Our advice: Skip UVO and other supplements like it.

Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the July 2016 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.





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Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright  2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S.
Note: This article appears on the ETFtrends.com Strategist Channel

By Bryan Novak

The last two years have done little to instill investor confidence, and the past nine months have likely made the situation worse. To be sure, the most recent survey by AAII (American Association of Individual Investors) shows the % bullish levels similar to when the markets were near their lows in February. According to a recent study by State Street , investors continue to be wary about reinvesting in the market as show by cash holdings of nearly 40% in their portfolios. The fact even small dips make big headlines is not helping to calm nerves either. Of course, when the end goal is return, abandoning a long-term game plan is not an effective way to combat risk and volatility. So what are the options? I believe tactical asset allocation strategies can provide a solution for risk management. Combining a tactical strategy with a traditionally allocated portfolio is a way an investor can address risk concerns, help achieve long-term growth, and even calm nerves along the way.

If youre not familiar with tactical asset allocation, it is a type of strategy that has been used for decades to manage portfolio risk exposure by adjusting asset allocations based on a defined set of criteria. The criteria will dictate both a portfolios response to market conditions and therefore attempt to accomplish a specific outcome. Generally speaking, the primary goals for tactical strategies are to 1) reduce portfolio volatility when warranted and 2) by doing so, to reduce participation in substantial drawdowns such as what was experienced in 2008.

Related: Value Stocks in Various Periods

To achieve these goals (which it is important to note may differ), market price is often be used as a trigger for change. Weakening or strengthening price trends may guide investment decisions. In this discipline, the decision tree is often somewhat binomial, as a price is either above or below another price. To smooth out the signal and integrate a larger data set, multiple time series can be blended together. Either way, the input can be impacted by volatile short-term market activity which may subject a portfolio to frequent signal flipping. In recent months, many strategies using price inputs have likely been whipsawed by the short-term fluctuations of the broad equity markets.

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A separate and distinct way to manage portfolios is to focus on macro (or fundamental) trend indicatorsrather than market priceas the trigger for adjusting positions. Think of it as focusing on the why behind the market movement as economic growth is closely correlated to financial market direction. By comparing current values of a data point to a defined historical period, an investor can see which direction the data is trending (there are obviously no assurances that trends can or will be duplicated in the future). Aggregating multiple key data sets of economic reports in this way can build out a broader picture of the economy.

Related: Is Your Smart Beta ETF Smart?

Why is this distinction important when it comes to investing and managing risk? If equities are predominantly the proxy for risk assets, we are investing in an asset that is generally valued based on growth rates (of companies on a micro level and the economy on a macro level). Increasing growth generally leads to higher asset values, while decreasing growth should lead to decreasing values. My experience and research has demonstrated that the market generally responds, or correlates, to these trends throughout the full business cycle. This information can be a meaningful way to make risk adjustment decisions for an investment portfolio. Whats more, when markets are volatile against a fairly stable economic backdrop, this approach may keep a portfolio allocation constant instead of subjected to frequent shifts due to market movement.

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Focusing on the up/ down movement (i.e. trend) of economic data regardless of absolute levels can act as a GPS to tell you where you are at currently. I prefer this approach over attempting to forecast what might (or might not) happen in six months or looking in the rear-view mirror to analyze what happened yesterday. Think of the economy this way: A 100-car freight train is massive. It weighs more than 13,000 tons and is heading down the track at 200 miles an hour. According to the thresholds of the engine and brakes, there is a maximum rate at which it can slow down or speed up by itself. It cannot stop on a dime and it cannot take a sharp turn without derailing. If I want to know whether the train is accelerating or decelerating, I need to know two things: how fast it was going before, and how fast is it going now. Without that information, I have a number with no frame of reference. With the information, I can tell you with a much higher degree of probability what that train will be doing in the near future (i.e. slowing down or speeding up).

Does it work? A look back at the financial crisis in 2008 is a great place to find the answer. The 50%+ drawdown in the S&P 500 Index from 2007-2009 did not occur overnight, and throughout the decline I think the economy offered many clues to what was happening. Macroeconomic trends were already giving signals of a declining economy even before 2007 was over. Rather than continuing to invest, portfolio managers focusing on this context were starting to reduce market exposure. No one knew what was coming down the track, but it appeared the train was slowing down. As a result, I believe much of the losses experienced by investors were avoidable and, more importantly, detectable.

Related: The Rise of the ETF Strategist

Fast forward to 2015-2016. The sharp drops experienced over the last few quarters have challenged the nerves of many investors. Reducing exposure modestly to lessen volatility was likely prudent, but I do not believe the recent environment warranted large allocation changes. I saw a stock market telling one thing while the economy was saying something different. Two months after investors were questioning if the market decline was the next 2008, benchmarks (e.g. S&P 500 Index) were within earshot of all-time highs again. Macroeconomic trends provided the why behind what was happening, not the what. The economy was not accelerating, but it was not falling off a cliff either, as the market movement led many to believe might be happening. Applying a defined process of macroeconomic analysis may have taken some of the uncertainty out of the equation by offering guidance to stay put and avoid the whipsaw.

History has shown us that short-term volatility is part of the deal, no matter which way the market is moving on a longer timeframe. Unless you are a day trader or trying to time the market (and have a strong stomach for risk), responding to these types of moves with large allocation adjustments at any given point may cause as much distress as the market itself. Understanding and appropriately combining the various strategies and varieties of tactical asset allocation can help investors more effectively manage market volatility, reduce risk and, ultimately, maintain a long-term discipline that helps achieve an optimal investment outcome.

Bryan Novak is the Senior Managing Director & Portfolio Manager at Astor Investment Management , a participant in the ETF Strategist Channel .
They have the worlds most perceptive color vision and can see light that few other creatures in the animal kingdom can. They send invisible messages. They hold a bevy of biological world records and might be called the Deadpool of the oceanic universe.

Their superhero elements are not obvious at first glance, but mantis shrimp are wunderkinds in the scientific world, long beloved by scientists for their uncanny powers. Today, they may be the fodder for a new generation of breakthrough research that uses the shrimps abilities to help humanity get some of our own much-needed superpowers. As mantis shrimp reveal ever more, researchers are writing new plans for what to do with their lessons. Some of the possibilities: Mantis shrimp might help us do everything from develop tougher body armor to detect cancer earlier.

Understanding how biological systems, like those of the mantis shrimp, as MIT researcher and quantum physicist Jacques Carolan tells OZY, manipulate the world around them in such novel ways is of fundamental interest in and of itself.

The principle behind this kind of research is called biomimicry or biomimetics  the idea that in nature we may find models or even raw material for improving human situations. Whether tracking the movement patterns of jellyfish, studying butterfly wings or chasing giant squid, naturalists, biomedical engineers and energy entrepreneurs alike are finding secrets to troubles hiding in plain sight. It just takes an oceanographic detective to notice the first clues.

Shutterstock 257451349

Source: Shutterstock

In the case of the mantis shrimp, David Kisailus, a professor of engineering and materials science at the University of California, Riverside, is one leading Sherlock. His lab first noticed in 2012 that the helical structure enabling the mantis shrimps clubs to absorb damaging shear waves  and withstand 50,000 impacts of the same acceleration of a .22-caliber bullet  might be worth knocking off for human use. As Kisailus told WAMC Public Radio, replicating the shrimps club structure might result in body armor around a third of the weight and thickness of traditional armor. In fact, that material could do much more than mere ballistic shielding  clubs could be blueprints for airplane and automotive frames with better shock absorption, impact resistance and fuel consumption. (OZY was unable to reach Kisailus for comment.)

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The mantis shrimp arent just goodies-in-waiting for the defense and auto industry, though. They might also help humans get superhuman vision. Mantis shrimp, as University of Queensland researchers Hannah Thoen and Justin Marshall noted in a 2012 paper, have an unrivaled number of color receptors  the mechanisms in the eyes that perceive color  12 to humans three, which, as Marshall tells OZY, allows them to process more color faster, though with less distinction. Rather than closely comparing a few colors, mantis shrimp directly register a broad range of them  four times as much input as humans do, according to Marshall.

These crustaceans also see light waves differently: They can convert circularly polarized light, or spiraling waves that are imperceptible to other animals, into visible light. Their secret: quarter-wave plates, which have a broader spectral range than even those used in CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs and holographs.

Which means mantis shrimp have a head start on hyperspectral optics  something we humans are chasing as we try to develop applications to better inspect crops and perform early disease surveillance. We already use hyperspectral processing systems to hunt down oil and even to track enemy soldiers by spying their heat signatures from above. A team at the National Taipei University of Technology and Lakhtakia is attempting to make devices using the shrimps quarter-wave capabilities to get beyond holographs.

Perhaps the most futuristic application of the mantis shrimps capabilities comes from work done by Marshall and Washington Universitys Viktor Gruev  its an endoscope camera successfully proven to detect cancer earlier by mimicking the way the shrimp processes circularly polarized light, Gruev tells OZY. Marshall sees opportunities for integrating the technology into cellphone cameras one day. Say hello to the fanciest iPhone yet.

Of course, the technologies making use of this research are all in their infancy. And perhaps the strange powers of the mantis shrimp will remain locked within the species. Fittingly enough, as though they know were watching, mantis shrimp have shown us another trick: their ability to communicate beyond humans five senses. Using reflectors in their shells  the same ones that convert the circularly polarized light  they pass invisible messages between each other. Their techniques, some scientists have suggested, might one day improve next-generation, light-speed computer systems.

While noting the long road to such futuristic ideas, MITs Carolan calls them awesome, adding that they may offer new insights into how we could do things, as with so much in the field of biomimicry. Which makes us think not of the wild futurism that the field can bring us to but rather of a prescient Native American parable: In that lore, it was not Prometheus but an animal, a wise and patient coyote, who brought humanity fire.

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(Refiles to correct typographical error in sixth paragraph)

* Will open up to 20 stores in Netherlands in next two years

* Chairman says no great desire to enter new countries

* First time Hudson's Bay brand featured outside Canada

By Matt Scuffham and Anthony Deutsch

TORONTO/AMSTERDAM, May 17 (Reuters) - Canadian department store operator Hudson's Bay Co said on Tuesday it will open up to 20 stores in the Netherlands in the next two years, but played down the chances of entering more countries in Europe.

Hudson's Bay, which was founded in 1670 and is the oldest continuously operating company in North America, has expanded into Europe to help mitigate the impact of challenging markets in the United States and Canada.

The company, which also owns U.S. luxury retail chain Saks Fifth Avenue, said on Tuesday it planned to lease prime locations in the Netherlands previously occupied by the oldest Dutch department store, V&D, which went bankrupt in December.

The expansion means it will have a presence in Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands as it pursues its aspiration to become a "premier global retailer"

However, Executive Chairman Richard Baker said the company was not in a hurry to enter new countries.

"We don't have any great need or desire or focus on going to any other country at the moment. We really like, in those countries, the fact that there's very little competition. That's a big advantage for us," Baker said.

Last June, Hudson's Bay bought Germany's leading department store, Kaufhof, for 2.8 billion euros ($3.2 billion) giving it a presence in Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Baker said the business was now well-diversified with half its profit coming from the United States, 30 percent from Europe and 20 percent from Canada.

"We think we have a lot of opportunity within that portfolio," he said.

The Netherlands deal marked the first time the company had taken the Hudson's Bay brand outside Canada.

Baker said the reason for using the Hudson's Bay brand rather than Saks was because the Netherlands had a "special affinity" with Canada, citing their relationship during the World War Two.

"There is a great affinity for Canadians here in the Netherlands. When we did our research we found that the Dutch people had a great affinity for Canadians and for the Hudson's Bay Company," he said.

Hudson's Bay expects its first Dutch store to open in the summer of 2017. ($1 = 0.8840 euros) (Editing by Jason Neely and Steve Orlofsky)
By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A senior female fixed-income banker at Bank of America Corp has filed a lawsuit accusing the bank of underpaying her and other women, and retaliating when she complained about illegal or unethical practices by her colleagues.

In a complaint filed on Monday night, managing director Megan Messina said she was a victim of "egregious pay disparity" relative to male peers, and was paid less than half the salary of the man who shares her title as co-head of global structured credit products.

She also accused the bank of condoning bias by her boss that made her feel unwelcome in his "subordinate 'bro's club' of all-male sycophants." She said the bank violated federal Dodd-Frank whistleblower protections by suspending her last month for complaints about alleged improper activity that harmed clients.

Bank of America spokesman Bill Halldin said: "We take all allegations of inappropriate behavior seriously and investigate them thoroughly." He said Messina remains an employee of the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank.

Messina, a 42-year-old single mother of three, is seeking at least $6 million for being underpaid, plus punitive damages and compensation for mental anguish and humiliation.

Her lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan joins many others that accuse Wall Street of bias against female bankers, including being paid less and tolerating demeaning conduct.

"The bank is condoning bad behavior, and blaming the victim," her lawyer Jonathan Sack said. "It's one thing to pay women less, but another to reward crookery."

Messina complained that her boss has treated her "like a summer intern," spent much more time with the other structured products chief, banned her from client events, and subjected her to questions such as "Have your eyes always been that blue?"

She accused the other structured products chief of "front running," by purchasing bonds for Bank of America despite knowing that Citibank wanted them, and angering Blackstone Group LP by rigging a debt auction in which the private equity firm participated to benefit a favored hedge fund client.

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The co-chief was allegedly paid $17 million from 2013 to 2015, while Messina received $7.25 million, the complaint said.

Messina also said Bank of America refused to tell regulators how another colleague "doctored" trading records to conceal lies about prices that he told Allianz SE's Pacific Investment Management Co, another major client.

"BofA intentionally and deliberately discriminated and retaliated against Messina (for) following the mantra, 'If you see something, say something,'" the complaint said.

The case is Messina v Bank of America Corp, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 16-03653.

(Editing by Tom Brown and Jeffrey Benkoe)
Kick these habits to the curb.

Let's be honest: Organizing a cost-effective trip can feel like an overwhelming task. Even if you've mastered pro tricks for scoring discounted flights and room rates and devised a well-thought-out travel budget, scaling back costs isn't always stress-free -- or attainable. Sure, experts can recommend the right times to book your tickets and list favorable (and cheap) places to travel for the best prices, but it's up to you to put these tips into practice. Maybe you're a spur-of-the-moment adventure-seeker who aims to clinch the best deals by waiting until the last minute for prices to drop. Or perhaps you're a careful planner who always reserves flights months in advance. Are these habits optimizing savings or derailing your chances of cutting costs? We spoke with experts to identify common travel mistakes that can make the difference between a pricey or budget-minded getaway. Banish these bad habits to save time and money on your next trip.

Booking too late ... or too early

A common mistake travelers make is reserving their flights too far in advance in the hope of securing the lowest prices. "The ideal window of booking is around 55 days before you fly," says Robert Firpo-Cappiello, editor in chief of Budget Travel. "It's tempting to think that fares are lower if you buy even earlier, but the truth is, airfares are released months before a flight, and they remain flat and relatively high until about two months prior to the flight, at which time airlines start adjusting based on supply and demand," he explains. Still, procrastinating is not going to yield the greatest savings either, he cautions, pointing out that within two or three weeks of a desired departure date, fares can spike as the number of available seats starts to decrease.

Forgetting to factor in roaming fees

When traveling abroad, it's easy to dismiss roaming fees. But with steep prices attached to texting, calling and using international data roaming, it's essential to take precautions, says Jeanenne Tornatore, senior editor of Orbitz.com. While it may seem costly to invest in an international plan, it's much less expensive than waiting until you're abroad, she says. For example, Verizon offers a data package plan called TravelPass that allows you to call, use data and text for a $10 daily fee ($2 in Canada and Mexico). Meanwhile, AT&T offers international roaming packages, known as Passport packages, that last for 30 days, starting at $30 with 120 MB of storage. To better understand what's available under your current plan and what packages might be ideal for your travel needs, call your carrier and familiarize yourself with costs ahead of time, Tornatore says.

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Getting hit with credit and currency charges

It's key to contact your credit card companies to avoid paying high transaction charges. "Before you leave, do a little research on the credit cards that you're using," Tornatore says, emphasizing that some travel credit cards have the benefit of zero foreign transaction fees. And when it comes to exchanging your currency, Tornatore advocates "doing the math ahead of time" to avoid overpaying, especially if you're hopping to multiple countries with different exchange rates. And rather than converting money at the airport upon arrival, it's a smart idea to exchange currency at an international ATM or partner bank abroad that offers a low foreign transaction fee.

Going too far off the beaten path

Choosing to stay somewhere that's miles away from your vacation site can seem like a smart way to save money, but it's a "costly habit masquerading as thriftiness," Firpo-Cappiello says. For instance, you may think booking a room in Oakland, California, rather than San Francisco is an ideal way to cut costs, but you'll spend unnecessary time and money on rail transit or driving, he explains. The same would apply to staying in Brooklyn rather than Manhattan in New York, he adds. Instead, look for cost-effective lodging options near the points of interest on your itinerary to maximize savings.

Failing to do your homework before booking

"Make a quick call to your auto insurance agent, and find out exactly what coverage you have when you rent a car in the U.S. or overseas," Firpo-Cappiello says, pointing out that a busy car rental counter at the airport is not an ideal place to narrow down your insurance options. For example, if you're planning to pick up a set of wheels in Mexico, keep in mind that "you are required by law to purchase insurance from the rental company," Firpo-Cappiello says, emphasizing that the prices you may see advertised (as low as $10 per day) don't always include the government-mandated insurance.

It's also important to compare pricing for gas mileage versus flights, Tornatore says. The same applies to ride-sharing services. "Don't just assume that it will be cheaper to book a taxi," she says, pointing out that "it might be cheaper to [rent] a car," and the type of vehicle you choose, such as aconvertible versus a minivan, can make a big difference, too.

Staying loyal to one brand

"Sure, loyalty and rewards programs can save you money, and the comfort and predictability of a chain or airline you love can be just what you need sometimes," Firpo-Cappiello says. However, if you're only loyal to one, you may miss flash promotions, he cautions. He recommends checking out hacker fares, available through aggregators like Hopper and Kayak, which allow you "to fly on one airline to a destination and a different airline home, often with nice savings." Tornatore, meanwhile, recommends scanning for promo codes, which can allow you to slash 10 to 20 percent off your trip.

Skipping travel insurance

Even if you're on a tight budget, travel insurance can be a worthwhile investment, Tornatore says. She recommends factoring in a few variables, such as the cost of your trip, the time of year you're traveling and the types of insurance you might need. The top mistake is neglecting to read the restrictions associated with different policies, she explains. For example, there are some premium insurance options that allow cancellation for any reason, but even these types of policies don't always include unforeseen weather events like hurricanes, she adds. It's also critical to evaluate cost. If you're splurging on a long European vacation that costs thousands of dollars, it's worthwhile to invest in insurance, she says.

Overlooking small towns and failing to dine locally

A costly habit to kick is overlooking small towns in favor of big cities, Firpo-Cappiello says. "Instead of maintaining a big city or bust" trip-planning focus, Firpo-Cappiello suggests considering a trip to America's charming towns, including Berlin, Maryland; Lititz, Pennsylvania; and Grand Marais, Minnesota, which "can be as rewarding as any big-city blowout," he adds. It's also a smart idea to shop locally and eat locally to save money rather than checking out chain restaurants, Tornatore says, pointing out that tucked-away eateries in less-frequented areas rather than metropolitan hubs tend to be more authentic and less expensive.

Overpacking

Carrying an overweight bag through the airport can be exhausting and expensive, Tornatore says. After all, baggage fees can range from $20 for checking a bag to more than $70 for checking oversized bags, depending on the carrier. Pack light to avoid paying a hefty fee.

Liz Weiss is the Travel editor for Consumer Advice at U.S. News & World Report. You can follow her on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn, circle her on Google+ or email her at eweiss@usnews.com.
By Anjuli Davies and Rachel Armstrong LONDON (Reuters) - If Britain votes to leave the European Union in June, some U.S. banks could give up parts of their business in the bloc altogether. The option is an extreme scenario under consideration by some Wall Street firms if the terms of an exit, currently a matter of speculation, leave financial services companies in Britain unable under their current set-ups to do business inside the EU, according to discussions Reuters had with several U.S. banks and their lawyers. The scenarios being studied by taskforces at U.S. banks underscore the extent to which the London operations of non-European banks are linked to business on the continent. In particular focus are the banks' market operations, as trading of most European securities is regulated at the EU level but conducted by many investment banks mainly out of London. The five largest U.S. banks employ 40,000 people in London, more than in the rest of Europe combined, taking advantage of the EU "passporting" regime that allows them to offer services across the bloc out of their British hubs. Having to reorganize business in order to set up new continental European outposts  which U.S. banks say is a worst-case scenario that they are being forced to consider  would be so costly that it would make some rethink their commitment to the bloc altogether. "The costs may lead some banking groups to reassess how important Europe is in the context of their global business and what sort of presence they wish to maintain post-Brexit," said Edward Chan, a partner at the law firm Linklaters, which has been advising banks on contingency arrangements. BENEFITS OF INTEGRATION European integration has served U.S. investment banks well. The move to a single currency made it easier to take on the bloc's own banks, benefiting from economies of scale by trading in euros rather than competing with, say, Societe Generale for franc-denominated business or with Deutsche Bank in deutschmarks. The big five U.S. banks have all been gaining market share while European investment banks restructure. In the first quarter, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley took the top three positions for investment banking fees in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), according to Thomson Reuters data. But it is outside the euro zone, in the City of London, that they base their EU businesses. The investment bankers heading up M&A advisory teams for the likes of Italy and France all tend to live in London rather than Rome or Paris. Of the just under 6,500 staff who handle Goldman Sachs International's broker-dealer services for all of EMEA, a region that brings in around 35 percent of group revenue, fewer than 1,000 are based outside Britain. These UK outposts have increased in importance since the 2008 global financial crisis, when banks tried to simplify their international structures into a few main hubs. The major U.S. banks also use their London entities to help them avoid the brunt of new U.S. trading rules brought in with the Dodd-Frank regulation, booking swap trade agreements with non-U.S. counterparties in Britain rather than in America. Now, the prospect of an exit from the European Union has spurred these banks into action, albeit only on paper for now. Four Wall Street banks told Reuters how, with the outcome of the vote and its consequences wide open, they have been drawing up contingency plans as part of their own risk planning and at regulators' behest. One bank said it had a central taskforce of 20 people drawn from each business unit and functions such as human resources and information technology. The alert level has not reached that of the Greek debt crisis, when a similar committee would sit every two or three days, but the group does meet weekly. MARKET ACCESS If Britain were to remain a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), which gives Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein access to the EU's single market, its financial companies would retain passporting rights for EU countries, although Britain would have no say in the formulation of EU rules. But if Britain quit the EEA, UK-based firms wanting to operate in the EU would face an "equivalence" test to prove to Brussels that their home rules are as strict as those in the EU. They would also probably need a locally capitalized subsidiary in the EU, more expensive than running a branch. Leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson has said Britain could create a "Britzerland", based on Switzerland's bilateral treaties with Brussels. However, Swiss financial institutions do not enjoy passporting rights within the EU, and Swiss investment banks, like their American peers, base most of their EU operations in London. The bank with the 20-strong taskforce currently has no established entity in mainland Europe to conduct capital markets business from. An executive said it would have to consider whether it was worth the trouble of creating a parallel broker-dealer operation within the euro zone with billions of dollars in capital. Other U.S. banks say the region is too important to turn their back on, but that a messy post-Brexit agreement would require a major reorganization. JP Morgan Securities Plc, the London subsidiary that houses most of the bank's capital markets business in EMEA, says its analysis shows that, under some scenarios, its UK-based subsidiaries "might not be able to perform new business with European Union-based clients directly". To keep that business, it would have to change its legal entity structure and its booking model. JP Morgan International Bank Plc, which looks after the group's private banking clients in EMEA, said it might be required to "transfer existing and new business with continental European clients into a European Economic Area affiliate". HUGE UNDERTAKING Chan, the Linklaters lawyer, said a reorganization like the one JP Morgan is hypothesizing could costs millions: "New regulated entities will need to be licensed, capitalized and funded. People will need to be moved, real estate will need to be found, IT and other systems will need to be procured, and not every location will have the right infrastructure." Some banks hope they could move just a few staff to smaller, existing units they already have in the euro zone, and obtain new licenses. JPMorgan, for example, has a smaller banking entity in Frankfurt and a unit housing asset management business in Luxembourg. Citigroup has said it might have to reallocate certain businesses back into the EU, but would not "hot foot" it out of Britain. It does have a large banking subsidiary in Dublin, but that could not accommodate its broking or trading businesses in the region, which under U.S. regulation have to be housed in entities separate from deposit-taking operations. There are, in any case, concerns that EU regulators would be reluctant to let banks keep the bulk of their staff in London. Officials at the European Central Bank have already indicated they would want euro-denominated trading - most of which happens in London - to move inside the euro zone in the event of a Brexit. Despite the growing nervousness, the U.S. banks say they have not yet made any firm investments in alternative outposts or property in the euro zone, preferring to wait for the vote. Real estate agents in Frankfurt and Paris say there has been no rise in demand from banks, with prime rents in the City of London up 7.7 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, compared with 1.3 percent growth in Frankfurt and zero in Paris. "Banks are doing a lot of internal planning for various different business streams, but they need to balance this against the fact that the cost and effort could be unnecessary if there is a 'Remain' vote - and also, if there is a 'Leave' vote, we do not know what the future regime will look like," said Michael Thomas, partner at the international law firm Hogan Lovells. "We get questions from clients, but people are generally waiting to see which way the vote goes before lighting up budgets." (Reporting By Anjuli Davies; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
London (AFP) - Britain's government on Tuesday said it would sell the final tranche of shares in state-rescued Lloyds Banking Group before the end of 2016, after a delay caused by financial turbulence.

Economic Secretary to the Treasury Harriett Baldwin said she was determined to build on LBG's recovery "by making Lloyds shares available to the public this year".

Her remarks were contained in a statement which revealed a dividend payment of 130 million ($188 million, 165 million euros) for the taxpayer.

It added that since the height of the financial crisis eight years ago, the state had recovered more than 16.8 billion, or 80 percent of the bailout cost of LBG.

Finance minister George Osborne had in January postponed the sale of the Treasury's remaining 9.2-percent stake in the bank, citing turbulence on financial markets.

Up to that point, the Conservative government of Prime Minister David Cameron had been gradually reducing its 43-percent stake in the lender, returning billions of pounds to the state coffers in the process.
On the 62nd anniversary of the Supreme Courts decision that started the end of segregation, one leading academic believes conservatives and liberals today are missing a key point about the ruling.

On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court unanimously said in Brown v. Board of Education that the doctrine of separate but equal has no place in education. The decision came 58 years after the Courts endorsement of segregation in public facilities in Plessy v. Ferguson.

The Brown decision vindicated a lone Plessy dissent by Justice John Marshall Harlan, who declared in no uncertain terms that the judgment this day rendered will, in time, prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott Case.

In his recent book, We the People, Vol. 3: The Civil Rights Revolution, Yale law professor Bruce Ackerman observesd the modern debate among liberals and conservatives about the meaning of Brown.

Conservatives, he said, invoke Brown for an anti-classification principle that views any state action which classifies people on the basis of race as constitutionally unsound. Liberals, on the other hand, draw out an anti-subordination principle, in which any state action that socially subordinates a group of people is unconstitutional.

They both miss the main thrust of the decision, Ackerman argued, which champions an anti-humiliation principle.

Brown is an anti-originalist opinion, he told an audience in 2014 at the National Constitution Center. People, [Chief Justice Earl Warren] says, have argued about this in the court; we cant figure it out, its indeterminatethey didnt really have public education in a serious way in 1868 [when the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified]. Were going to have to think ourselves about this. Anybody who is living in America today knows that separate cant be equal.

In anticipation of Brown, theres a tremendous effort in the South to actually make schools for blacks physically equal, Ackerman went on. What Warren is saying is, even if the school was identical in the quality of instruction, in the books, in the buildings, its unconstitutional. Why? Because simply having these kids go on a school bus past the white school to their school  [is] humiliating.

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Indeed, writing for the Court, the Chief Justice declared that to separate them from others because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely to be undone.

We have to appreciate that Brown said something actually new, knew that it was saying something actually new, and that this invitation was then taken up by the movement, said Ackerman.

Steven Calabresi, a professor of law at Northwestern University and co-founder of the Federalist Society who joined Ackerman at a 2014 event to discuss his book, cited Judge Robert Bork: The world changes, in which unchanging values find their application.

I think Bork thought that the principle  of no systems of caste or class-based legislation was an enduring value, and it was put there during Reconstruction, Calabresi said. The world changed in such a way such that that principle could take on a whole new life and meaning and be realized in the 1960s.

Certainly, there was constitutional change, he added. Youd have to be blind to say otherwise.

Tomiko Brown-Nagin, a professor of law and history at Harvard University who also participated in the conversation, said it matters which Brown youre asking about when considering its legacy.

Brown changed over time, she explained. Theres the Brown of 1954, where Justice Warren clearly said it was unclear what the Framers [of the Fourteenth Amendment] thought.  Theres the Brown of the mid-1960s, where the Court starts to imbue Brown with a more expansive meaning.  The Brown of the 1970s is more complicated stillits a Brown that requires bussing of students beyond neighborhood schools.

Brown is an opinion that, like many Supreme Court opinions, has no single, unitary meaning, she concluded. It means many things  and I personally think thats a fine thing.

Even today, what Brown meansand what is left in its wakeis a matter of study and debate.

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* Thailand attracting Chinese solar, rubber, auto parts firms

* Beijing encouraging manufacturers to move capacity overseas

* Thailand and China have drawn closer since 2014 coup

* Chinese visitors largest group of tourists in Thailand

* Many buying property for leisure, business base (Adds link to Reuters TV piece - http://tinyurl.com/humk9u3)

By Orathai Sriring and Satawasin Staporncharnchai

RAYONG, Thailand, May 17 (Reuters) - Everywhere you look on Thailand's Amata industrial estate in Rayong you see signs in Chinese. It's a similar story just along the coast in the tourist resort of Pattaya, where Mandarin is increasingly visible alongside English and Russian.

As China's economy slows, its investors are looking abroad for growth and Thailand, home to one of the world's largest ethnic Chinese minorities and a gateway to Southeast Asia's 600 million consumers, is a hot investment destination in everything from industry to condominiums.

"Thailand is usually the first stop for Chinese tourists and investors," said Xu Gen Luo, who runs the Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone, about 200 km (120 miles) south east of Bangkok. Dozens of new Chinese-owned solar, rubber and industrial manufacturing plants have opened in the zone since 2012.

"Thailand's investment environment, especially its investment promotion policies, are among the best worldwide," he said, adding that labour costs were higher in China.

Since a May 2014 coup, Thailand and China have drawn closer diplomatically and militarily as the ruling generals seek to counterbalance the country's cooling ties with Washington.

Chinese investors have found a warm welcome in an economy that has seen investment crimped by a decade of political turmoil, and where the junta has struggled to revive exports and domestic demand in the two years since seizing power.

Investment pledges from China jumped fivefold in the first quarter from a year earlier to 5.7 billion baht ($163 million), from just 1.1 billion baht, giving China the third largest investment slate during the period as Chinese firms raced to meet a tax break deadline and U.S. investors held back.

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That was still some way behind Japan, which pledged 15.6 billion baht. Japan and China jostle for influence in Southeast Asia and Tokyo has long been Thailand's largest investor, with several large car plants accounting for much of the investment.

"LOST IN THAILAND"

But Chinese investment is growing strongly, in part due to Beijing's policy of encouraging manufacturers to shift production abroad to deal with industrial overcapacity at home.

"What we've seen so far in Chinese investment into Thailand is small compared to what's coming," said Joe Horn-Phathanothai, chief executive of Strategy613, a strategic advisor focused on Chinese and Thai corporate investments.

"Hand-in-hand with the slowdown in China we'll see an increase in the number of deals the Chinese do abroad."

Last year China was the fourth biggest foreign investor in Thailand, behind Japan, the United States and Singapore.

Tourist numbers have also jumped, helped by the huge success in China of the 2012 slapstick comedy "Lost in Thailand". About 7.9 million Chinese visited the "Land of Smiles" last year, up 71 percent from 2014, when unrest in Bangkok that preceded the coup scared tourists away, and Thailand expects more this year.

There has been no slowdown in the number of tourists due to the economic deceleration in China, helped by the growth of budget airlines, tour operators say.

"Our products are relatively cheap. We have good food and culture and no political problems with their government, unlike Japan and Taiwan," Ronnarong Chewinsiriamnuai, president of the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association.

Thailand is expecting a record 33 million tourists in 2016, with China providing the bulk of the increase from the record set in 2015 of just below 30 million.

"ONE BELT, ONE ROAD"

Xu expects the number of Chinese firms at his park - jointly developed by China's Holley Group and Thai industrial estate developer Amata Corp - to increase to about 100 this year, from 75 currently, and to 500 in the next five years.

In March, China's Trina Solar, the world's No. 1 solar panel maker, opened a manufacturing facility there.

Moving to Thailand can also help companies in industries such as solar and chemicals sidestep anti-dumping measures, industry experts said.

"China is facing trade barriers from many countries, particularly on solar, so many Chinese firms are coming to invest in Thailand," said Visnu Limwibul, chairman of a Thai electronics and telecommunications industry group.

State-owned Gang Yan Diamond Tools (Thailand), which makes precision manufacturing blades, followed Beijing's "One Belt, One Road" policy to rebuild ancient Silk Road trade links with Asia and Europe and set up in Thailand in 2014.

"When we first came, we were concerned about the political situation and social instability. We are still concerned now," said board chairman Zhao Gang, but added the strength of the Chinese business community in Thailand helped overcome those concerns.

China and Thailand are discussing cooperation on the Thai section of a rail project under the "One Belt, One Road" plan that would eventually connect Kunming in southwest China with Singapore, but have to date failed to agree on terms.

As the expatriate Chinese community grows and more Chinese look for holiday homes in Thailand, real estate investment is on the rise.

Bundit Sirithunyhong runs the Suttangrak Group, which has just joined with Chinese firms to develop housing projects worth 5 billion baht ($140 million) to sell as time-shares to Chinese buyers.

"I think they are not just investing in real estate, but starting to use Thailand as a base for business in Southeast Asia," he said. "Here they can stay and work as their second homes. It's a step further in business expansion." ($1 = 35.45 baht)

(Additional reporting by Pairat Temphairojana, Jutarat Skulpichetrat and Simon Webb in BANGKOK and Kevin Yao in BEIJING; Editing by Simon Webb and Alex Richardson)
* Small plane manufacturers hope for additional sales

* Airport capacity crunch limits growth in air traffic

* Investment can add 25 mln jobs and $298 bln to ASEAN GDP

By Siva Govindasamy

SINGAPORE, May 17 (Reuters) - Low-cost airline groups and manufacturers of smaller passenger aircraft will be among the main winners after Southeast Asia's open skies agreement finally came into effect last month, although airport capacity constraints could limit the benefits.

Ratification of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) open skies agreements by Indonesia and Laos in April lifts restrictions on capacity and competition, allowing airlines to launch unlimited flights from their home to any point in the region subject to airport slot availability.

Hubs like Singapore, which have a clear expansion plan, could gain from an increase in air services, as will budget carriers which are ideal for a region where no two points are more than a few hours apart, say analysts.

"Airlines can launch any number of international flights as the market can support," said Alan Tan, an aviation law professor at the National University of Singapore. "Travellers can thus look forward to more flights at more competitive prices."

Dominant low-cost airlines like Malaysia's AirAsia , Indonesia's Lion Air, and Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific plan to do just that.

AirAsia, for example, wants more international flights from the Philippines and Indonesia, a spokeswoman said. This will help its affiliates, which have found it tough to break into the domestic market in those countries.

"Improved connectivity in the region will be a boon to tourism and strengthen ASEAN as an economic union," the spokeswoman said.

Full service airlines like Thai Airways, Garuda Indonesia and Philippine Airlines, which have lost market share to budget carriers over the last decade, say they plan to use their long-haul network to connect passengers to their Southeast Asia services.

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The Singapore Airlines group has an additional advantage, given its ability to operate services using two premium brands and two low-fare subsidiaries, analysts say.

The opening up of regional destinations can also boost manufacturers of 70-130 seater aircraft, like Brazil's Embraer , Canada's Bombardier and ATR, a joint venture between Airbus and Italy's Finmeccanica.

These planes can serve some routes more profitably than the larger Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s, they say.

"Many of the region's airlines are beginning to recognise the potential advantage of right-sizing and the ratification of ASEAN open skies, we feel, will simply accelerate the process," said Mark Dunnachie, who leads Embraer's aircraft sales in the Asia-Pacific.

HUBS LIMIT GROWTH

While there will clearly be winners from the open skies deal, the full gains could be limited by airport constraints.

Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, and Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport serve Southeast Asia's three biggest domestic markets of Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia respectively.

All have reached full capacity with congestion and delays the norm, creating spillover problems for smaller airports in those countries as well.

"Unlimited flight capacity is meaningless if airport and slot congestion remains unaddressed by governments," Tan said.

Singapore's Changi Airport is the exception. Despite having relatively little domestic traffic, it has three terminals which can handle 66 million passengers and served 55 million in 2015, the most in Southeast Asia. Work has begun on two more terminals.

Such long-term national aviation policies are needed due to the lengthy gestation period for terminals and runways, said Vinoop Goel, Asia Pacific director for airports at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a global airline trade body.

IATA estimates that ASEAN countries can add almost 25 million jobs and $298 billion to the region's GDP by 2035 if they invest in aviation infrastructure. This is up from 11.6 million jobs and $144.4 billion to GDP in 2014.

"Clearly, failing to tackle airport infrastructure will have an economic cost," Goel said.

(Additional reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in MANILA, Cindy Silviana in JAKARTA, Rozanna Latiff in KUALA LUMPUR, and Manunphattr Dhanananphorn in BANGKOK; Editing by Stephen Coates)
By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - Two of the most powerful politicians in California are advancing the same basic gun control agenda  yet they are at loggerheads in a political duel that could preview an ugly race to replace the states popular Democratic governor, Jerry Brown. The spat among ambitious Democrats took a serious turn this week, as Senate leader Kevin de Leon aggressively moved to push a package of gun control bills through the legislature that, if passed, would largely render irrelevant a firearms referendum by Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom aimed at the November ballot. "They both want tougher gun laws in California and they both want credit for it," said Dan Schnur, a former Republican strategist who now heads the Jesse Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California. Both efforts would prohibit possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines, require greater scrutiny of ammunition purchasers and seek to better keep guns out of the hands of violent felons. The legislative package, which passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday and will go before the full body on Thursday, also seeks to eliminate a loophole in an existing law prohibiting weapons with detachable ammunition magazines. Newsom, who is running to replace Brown in the 2018 gubernatorial election, is expected to make the gun control measure a centerpiece of his campaign, along with a proposed ballot initiative to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. But de Leon has not endorsed him. Last year, shortly after Newsom announced his gun control referendum, de Leon reduced the number of legislative staff working in the lieutenant governor's office. De Leon, who represents Los Angeles, is close to possible Newsom rivals in the governor's race, including former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. He has asked Newsom to agree to withdraw his ballot measure if the Senate package passes, but Newsom has refused. "The initiative process is a blunt instrument and should always be the last resort - not the first," de Leon said in an email on Monday. "It would be preferable to achieve policymaking on such a complex issue as gun control through the legislative process." De Leon is also concerned that the ballot campaign would be expensive, drawing political contributions from pro-gun groups like the National Rifle Association and potentially causing Democrats in moderate and conservative districts to lose elections, a source close to him said. But Newsom said in a letter to de Leon shared with Reuters that his initiative was more comprehensive than the Senate package, tackling topics that had stalled repeatedly in the legislature. Dan Newman, Newsom's campaign strategist, said concerns about gun violence, not politics, motivated the lieutenant governor. "He will get plenty of exposure this fall via his support for the marijuana initiative and Hillary for President," Newman said. "Being relentlessly attacked by the NRA isn't something he needs for his personal ambition." Backing a ballot initiative on a controversial topic like gun control will likely raise Newsom's profile with voters, Schnur said. But it could also backfire and alienate de Leon. "It doesn't do his campaign for governor a lot of good to be going up against the most powerful Democrat in the legislature," Schnur said. Gun rights supporters say both men are being opportunistic. "Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom is no stranger to trying to hijack high-profile issues in order to get his name out there," said Craig Deluz, a lobbyist for the Calgun Foundation. "And Senate Pro Tem de Leon doesn't want the Lieutenant Governor to steal his thunder." (Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Small Town Killers, the new black comedy from Danish director Ole Bornedal (Nightwatch, I Am Dina), has sold to a number of territories out of the Cannes market.

DCM snatched up the film, starring Ulrich Thomsen, Nicolas Bro, Lena Maria Christensen and Mia Lyhne, for German-speaking Europe; M2 Films took Polish rights; Cinemania Group bought rights in the former Yugoslavia; and Edko took the title for Hong Kong.

Read More: Cannes: Inside the Hopeful Fiction of the Castings of Lady Gaga, Idris Elba

The film tells the story of two tradesmen, Ib and Edward (Bro and Thomson). Tired of their loveless marriages and dreaming of living the good life they drunkenly decide to hire a Russian contract killer to take our their partners. But they have badly underestimated their wives, and the two soon find themselves at the top of a kill list.

Small Town Killers is produced by Jonas Allen and Peter Bose for Miso Film in co-production with 4Fiction and Nordisk Film. Nordisk will bow the movie in Denmark with a planned Dec. 25 release. TrustNordisk is handling international sales.
One of the three female directors competing at Cannes Film Festival, French thesp-turned-helmer Nicole Garcia is no stranger to the Croisette. Instinctive and passionate, yet self-conscious, Garcia, who was born in Algeria, has earned great critical acclaim both an actress and a filmmaker. Her first short, 15 Aout, competed at Cannes, and so did The Adversary which Daniel Auteuil playing a man who murders his family, and According to Charlie with Jean-Pierre Bacri and Vincent Lindon. Her latest film, From the Land of the Moon stars Marion Cotillard and is adapted from Milena Agus Italian novella, Mal de Pierres, about a young womans romances from 1943 until the mid-60s.

Variety: The producer From the Land of the Moon, Alain Attal, said it was a passion project for you. Why was this project so close to your heart?

Its true that its a passion project. I discovered the book in airport shop 7 or 8 years and I read it entirely during a flight between Paris and Marseille. As soon as I landed, I called Alain Attal and asked him to check if the rights were still available. I could sense it would make a wonderful film about the fate of an extraordinary woman who lived in the farming bourgeoisie of the 1950s and is obsessed par her desire to discover passion. She has the craziness of artists and an imagination which saves her. It took me a long time to do it because the adaptation was very complicated, but all those years this project kept haunting me.

Why did you cast Marion Cotillard for this part?

I have hunches when it comes to casting actors for certain characters and I just knew it was for her when we crossed paths just after I bought the rights to the book. There is something mystic about her and she has a tremendous strength which can make her seem possessed like her character in From the Land of The Moon.

Do you consider From the Land of The Moon a feminist movie?

Its not a hardcore feminist movie but through Marions character, its definitely a film that promotes freedom and women empowerment in a way thats both universal and contemporary, even if its a period movie.

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I heard Thierry Fremaux had to convince you to show the film in competition. Why is that?

We were reluctant to the idea of showing in competition at Cannes. We wondered if it was worth taking that risk. But eventually we decided to go for it. Is a generous film carried by wonderful actors and a female heroine who embodies everything there is to love in a woman.

Thierry Fremaux convinced me when he said Its a contemporary film about a modern woman trapped in the middle of the last century.

What do you want to do next?

Id like to direct another film. This time around it will be a thriller based on an original script. But Ill be back into acting. Being an actress has always been one of my greatest strengths as a director because it helps me to work closely and intuitively with other actors.

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Orson Welles said that the classy gangster is a Hollywood invention, but Chouf isnt a Hollywood production and its gangsters are decidedly not classy. At one point, they pick up a four-foot-tall informant and shut him in a chest freezer, more for fun than as part of a coherent interrogation strategy. The audiences point of identification throughout is Sofiane (Sofian Khammes), a bright student who takes a trip home from college in Lyon to visit his family  only to see his older brother, who is mixed up in drug dealing, gunned down in the street. Thus is the stage set for a revengers tragedy of modest commercial appeal close to home. Given a profile boost by its Cannes slot and the presence of Rachid Bouchareb as producer, it may drum up modest theatrical or ancillary business in French-speaking territories, but is unlikely to travel further.

Keen to find out why his brother was killed, Sofiane ingratiates himself with his brothers gang. In an arc familiar to those with even a passing interest in the well-populated genre of the gangster bildungsroman (Scarface, GoodFellas, A Prophet and so on), this plucky outsider turns out to have a certain natural facility for the trade, at least where business strategy is concerned.

Taking a page straight out of Stringer Bells playbook in The Wire, lessons learned in economics class are applied to drug dealing, with a McDonalds-style drive-in scheme established for street sales, small bonus gifts (papers, filters) offered to loyal customers and different brands of product established: basic for the budget-conscious, and top quality for the organic gluten-free crowd.

Like other rise-of-a-gangster tales before it, Chouf doesnt really have much of a message to express other than the radical notion that life can be nasty, brutish and short for young men living in deprived areas. Inevitably, however, all of the films most exciting, pulse-quickening scenes are based on violence, making it hard to take terribly seriously as a moral tragedy. The medium is on the naughty boys side, even if the message isnt.

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To the films credit, we return time and again to the spectacle of Sofiane finding the waste of human life to be traumatic or untenable. Hes thankfully not quite one of those initially reluctant movie gangsters who suddenly abandon their humanitarian credentials halfway through the runtime in order to bust out their best Pacino impression.

None of the actors are major stars, which helps to keep proceedings feeling authentic. Aside from relative newcomer Khammes, who rises decently to the challenge of his first lead, no one is required to offer a great deal of subtlety in their performance choices. Hulking physical presence Foued Nabba impresses as credibly menacing gang leader Reda, a man who ices insubordinate gang members with roughly the same amount of remorse as most people feel about trimming their fingernails. (As is often par for the course with gangster films, there arent many parts that would have had agents hurrying to call their favorite female clients: The womens roles are basically divided between the categories of sad-eyed mom and disapproving girlfriend.)

Competent craft contributions are all geared towards situating the picture recognizably in the same audio-visual world as southern French hip-hop, with Patrick Ghiringhellis camera specializing in urban decay footage of the banlieues and their inhabitants. Interiors feel lived-in and realistic, with some sunny clifftop location work perhaps the only real visual surprise on offer.

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lehman brothers

Short seller Carson Block makes his living by spotting frauds.

He made his name shorting the Chinese company Sino-Forest, and he tries to shine a light on companies that are total fakes and those that are stretching the truth.

In a recent conversation with Business Insider, Block said that he was seeing less of the out-and-out frauds that led to a total collapse of a company but that a new trend worried him.

"There are fewer and fewer abject frauds from places like China," Block told Business Insider.

"There has been a shift in accounting, though  more and more companies are using financial engineering to make things on their balance sheets look very different than they are," Block said.

He mentioned, as we have before, that the gap between adjusted earnings and nonadjusted earnings is the largest it has ever been, and corporate buybacks are at their highest level ever as well.

This sort of "financial engineering," in Block's opinion, lets companies get away with more than they would otherwise. And while there is nothing inherently criminal about this, many firms are coming up to the edge.

"It's kind of like the financial crisis in the sense that these companies aren't doing anything technically illegal but they're coming right up to the line," Block told us. "It's hard to find people to prosecute because they're not getting quite high enough for it to be fraud."

Essentially, Block is saying that these companies may not be doing anything legally wrong but that the engineering is distorting their true value in the market.

carson block

The difference in adjusted and unadjusted earnings has been a source of debate for some time. On the one hand, companies say writing off one-time losses gives a better picture of the underlying business. On the other hand, critics argue that ignoring the negative parts of the business is simply cooking the books to look better for investors.

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Block is clearly in the latter camp, and he said finding the companies that consistently stretch their earnings was a good starting point for a short investigation.

Additionally, practices like stock buybacks have hit record numbers, allowing companies to hit analyst expectations for earnings. Some analysts feel this is financial engineering, to use Block's term, while others feel it's a legitimate use of capital to reward shareholders.

So while massive frauds on the level of Sino-Forest may not be as prevalent as they were when Block started six years ago, he thinks the breadth of the truth stretching is increasing and becoming more of a worry.

"It might not be illegal, but it is a major problem, and we're seeing it happen more and more," Block said.

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More From Business Insider


By Ross Kerber

BOSTON, May 17 (Reuters) - Chief executive officers of S&P 500 companies on average made 335 times more money than the average rank-and-file worker last year, down from a multiple of 373 in 2014, according to a union study released on Tuesday.

The figures released annually by the AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. federation of labor unions, are likely to gain attention. Pay disparities, which have persisted despite a steady American economy that has reduced the joblessness rate to around 5 percent and raised wages somewhat, have fueled political debate.

The average production and non-supervisory worker made around $36,900 last year, up from roughly $36,000 in 2014, according to a statement from the AFL-CIO.

Meanwhile the average CEO of an S&P 500 company made $12.4 million last year, down from $13.5 million in 2014. An AFL-CIO spokeswoman said the lower average CEO compensation figure reflected how for many the present value of future pension benefits declined.

Union leaders said the figures showed how pay decisions do not favor the average worker. "The income inequality that exists in this country is a disgrace," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement. "We must stop Wall Street CEOs from continuing to profit on the backs of working people."

The high levels of executive pay have drawn criticism from both Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump in the current U.S. presidential campaign.

Nonetheless, top shareholders have overwhelmingly supported management on executive compensation decisions, according to the advisory "say on pay" votes most public companies hold annually.

Starting in 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will require public companies to disclose the ratio of the pay of their CEO to the median compensation of their employees.

(Reporting by Ross Kerber; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
By Orathai Sriring and Satawasin Staporncharnchai RAYONG, Thailand (Reuters) - Everywhere you look on Thailand's Amata industrial estate in Rayong you see signs in Chinese. It's a similar story just along the coast in the tourist resort of Pattaya, where Mandarin is increasingly visible alongside English and Russian. As China's economy slows, its investors are looking abroad for growth and Thailand, home to one of the world's largest ethnic Chinese minorities and a gateway to Southeast Asia's 600 million consumers, is a hot investment destination in everything from industry to condominiums. "Thailand is usually the first stop for Chinese tourists and investors," said Xu Gen Luo, who runs the Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone, about 200 km (120 miles) south east of Bangkok. Dozens of new Chinese-owned solar, rubber and industrial manufacturing plants have opened in the zone since 2012. "Thailand's investment environment, especially its investment promotion policies, are among the best worldwide," he said, adding that labour costs were higher in China. Since a May 2014 coup, Thailand and China have drawn closer diplomatically and militarily as the ruling generals seek to counterbalance the country's cooling ties with Washington. Chinese investors have found a warm welcome in an economy that has seen investment crimped by a decade of political turmoil, and where the junta has struggled to revive exports and domestic demand in the two years since seizing power. Investment pledges from China jumped fivefold in the first quarter from a year earlier to 5.7 billion baht ($163 million), from just 1.1 billion baht, giving China the third largest investment slate during the period as Chinese firms raced to meet a tax break deadline and U.S. investors held back. That was still some way behind Japan, which pledged 15.6 billion baht. Japan and China jostle for influence in Southeast Asia and Tokyo has long been Thailand's largest investor, with several large car plants accounting for much of the investment. "LOST IN THAILAND" But Chinese investment is growing strongly, in part due to Beijing's policy of encouraging manufacturers to shift production abroad to deal with industrial overcapacity at home. "What we've seen so far in Chinese investment into Thailand is small compared to what's coming," said Joe Horn-Phathanothai, chief executive of Strategy613, a strategic advisor focussed on Chinese and Thai corporate investments. "Hand-in-hand with the slowdown in China we'll see an increase in the number of deals the Chinese do abroad." Last year China was the fourth biggest foreign investor in Thailand, behind Japan, the United States and Singapore. Tourist numbers have also jumped, helped by the huge success in China of the 2012 slapstick comedy "Lost in Thailand". About 7.9 million Chinese visited the "Land of Smiles" last year, up 71 percent from 2014, when unrest in Bangkok that preceded the coup scared tourists away, and Thailand expects more this year. There has been no slowdown in the number of tourists due to the economic deceleration in China, helped by the growth of budget airlines, tour operators say. "Our products are relatively cheap. We have good food and culture and no political problems with their government, unlike Japan and Taiwan," Ronnarong Chewinsiriamnuai, president of the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association. Thailand is expecting a record 33 million tourists in 2016, with China providing the bulk of the increase from the record set in 2015 of just below 30 million. "ONE BELT, ONE ROAD" Xu expects the number of Chinese firms at his park - jointly developed by China's Holley Group and Thai industrial estate developer Amata Corp - to increase to about 100 this year, from 75 currently, and to 500 in the next five years. In March, China's Trina Solar , the world's No. 1 solar panel maker, opened a manufacturing facility there. Moving to Thailand can also help companies in industries such as solar and chemicals sidestep anti-dumping measures, industry experts said. "China is facing trade barriers from many countries, particularly on solar, so many Chinese firms are coming to invest in Thailand," said Visnu Limwibul, chairman of a Thai electronics and telecommunications industry group. State-owned Gang Yan Diamond Tools (Thailand), which makes precision manufacturing blades, followed Beijing's "One Belt, One Road" policy to rebuild ancient Silk Road trade links with Asia and Europe and set up in Thailand in 2014. "When we first came, we were concerned about the political situation and social instability. We are still concerned now," said board chairman Zhao Gang, but added the strength of the Chinese business community in Thailand helped overcome those concerns. China and Thailand are discussing cooperation on the Thai section of a rail project under the "One Belt, One Road" plan that would eventually connect Kunming in southwest China with Singapore, but have to date failed to agree on terms. As the expatriate Chinese community grows and more Chinese look for holiday homes in Thailand, real estate investment is on the rise. Bundit Sirithunyhong runs the Suttangrak Group, which has just joined with Chinese firms to develop housing projects worth 5 billion baht ($140 million) to sell as time-shares to Chinese buyers. "I think they are not just investing in real estate, but starting to use Thailand as a base for business in Southeast Asia," he said. "Here they can stay and work as their second homes. It's a step further in business expansion." (Additional reporting by Pairat Temphairojana, Jutarat Skulpichetrat and Simon Webb in BANGKOK and Kevin Yao in BEIJING; Editing by Simon Webb and Alex Richardson)
grade_D+

The fact that Chelsea Handlers new eponymous talk show, Chelsea, is on Netflix means you can tune in any time of day or night  and I say that as something of a threat.

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Nobody should have to watch me for longer than [30 minutes], noted Handler, during a bleak interview with TED conference curator Chris Anderson, in one of the shows initial trio of episodes. The host then drove home that idea with a dim comedy bit in which she gave her own TED talk about time  the punchline of which was that new installments of Chelsea premiere on the streaming service every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Perhaps some day Chelsea will inspire a fascinating intellectual discussion about the perils of noisily promising something new on the late-night scene, then delivering the TV equivalent of an ancient burlap grocery sack: a good idea in its infancy, perhaps, but now on the brink of everything imminently falling out of the bottom with a messy splat.

Its a shame, really, seeing how the male-dominated non-daytime talk scene is in desperate need of female perspective. But in her first three episodes, a baffling aura of ennui permeated Handlers monologues (like babies and Stevie Wonder, she joked, shed make a terrible designated driver), her pre-taped sketches (an entire and completely laugh-free segment was devoted to Handlers struggle to understand Spanish-language cues at a school for telenovela actors), and even her interviews (a Q&A with Captain America: Civil Wars Chadwick Boseman opened with the hosts lengthy diatribe about her disinterest in comic-book lore).

RELATEDGilmore Girls Revival Wraps Production: See the Luke/Lorelai Farewell Photo

Look, I get it: Nobody loves every aspect of hers or his job  and Im sure that applies to talk-show hosts as much as it does butchers and bakers and candlestick makers. But letting your audience feel that disdain seems like a dubious way to drum up repeat business.

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Even worse, theres an icky tendency toward kissing up when Handler brings on one of her celeb friends (Gwyneth Paltrow! Drew Barrymore!) as a guest. As Paltrow rambled on about a recipe for organic lubricant in the sex issue of her online magazine, Goop, I was sure Handler would at least give her a mild ribbing about the widely reported $15,000 24-karat gold vibrator that the Oscar winner was selling. Instead, Paltrow got a chance to earnestly discuss the backlash shes experienced as a forerunner in the actor-to-insufferable-life-curator field, quoting the late David Bowies warning: Dont ever be the first person to try anything. Oy!

Its still early days, of course, so perhaps Chelseas unfortunate opening week will turn out to be an aberration. But with a heavy reliance on recycled material about her love of mood-altering substances and black men, Im not hopeful. After all, its not as though Handler is admirably swinging for the fences and missing, shes striking out while attempting a bunt.

The TVLine Bottom Line: Oddly paced and unrelentingly unfunny, Chelsea is nothing to talk about.

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By Ben Klayman

(Reuters) - The Chicago police officer who killed a 22-year-old black woman in an off-duty shooting in 2012 resigned on Tuesday, two days before a hearing was set to begin on whether he should be fired over the incident, officials said.

Chicago's Police Board, which had scheduled the hearing, said that Detective Dante Servin had resigned and it was canceling the evidentiary hearing as a result.

Servin's attorney, Jennifer Blagg, said her client resigned because he realized his termination was a "foregone conclusion" and he wanted to put the matter behind him.

"Neither the media nor any elected official has expressed any interest in the truth about what actually happened," she said in a statement. "Detective Servin was prosecuted for a crime based on false facts."

Servin, the first Chicago police officer in more than 15 years to be charged in a fatal shooting, was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter in April 2015 in the death of Rekia Boyd. A Cook County judge said Servin's actions were intentional and thus did not fit the charges brought by the state's attorney.

Prosecutors said at the time that Servin was in his car when he shot Boyd with an unregistered semiautomatic handgun after an argument with a group of young people in an alley. She died the next day. Servin's attorneys had argued the officer believed his life was in danger from another man in the crowd.

Servin's case came at a time of national debate over the use of lethal force by police officers, especially against minorities. Servin is Hispanic.

The city of Chicago previously paid Boyd's family $4.5 million to resolve a civil lawsuit.

According to local media, then Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy announced in November his decision to fire Servin just a day before Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder in the on-duty shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald.

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Video of McDonald's shooting was released in November, touching off protests and the firing of McCarthy.

Also on Tuesday, another Chicago police officer, Clauzell Gause, 40, was charged with felony official misconduct after a surveillance camera caught him striking a handcuffed detainee in an observation room at a city hospital two years ago, Cook County prosecutors said.

The detainee had been involuntarily committed for a mental health evaluation and earlier had struck Gause with a closed fist while being treated, prosecutors said.

Gause appeared in Cook County Court, where he was released on personal recognizance, prosecutors said.

Gause's attorney, William Fahy, could not be reached for comment.

Chicago police said in a statement that Gause was suspended in June 2014 and stripped of his police powers pending the outcome of his case.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; editing by Alan Crosby and Cynthia Osterman)
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's Supreme Court asked the United States on Tuesday to extradite three former agents who worked for Augusto Pinochet's 1973-90 military dictatorship and are suspected of the murder of a United Nations diplomat 40 years ago. In a unanimous verdict, the court asked that the United States hand over Chilean Armando Fernandez Larios, American Michael Townley and Cuban Virgilio Paz. All three are wanted in Chile for the detention, torture, and killing of Spanish-Chilean citizen Carmelo Soria on July 14, 1976. According to the courts, Soria was arrested as he traveled home from his office in Santiago at the United Nations' Latin American arm. He was taken by the DINA, Pinochet's feared secret police force, to a torture center in the outskirts of the city. Soria's body was later found in his damaged car in a roadside ditch in an apparent attempt to make his death seem like a drunk driving crash, according to investigators. Townley and Fernandez Larios are currently in the United States' witness protection program after aiding in the investigation of the murder of Orlando Letelier, a leftist Chilean exile executed by Pinochet operatives in the streets of Washington, D.C., in 1976. Paz was released from a U.S. prison in 2001 after spending a decade behind bars for his role in the Letelier murder. Between 1973 and 1990, an estimated 3,200 people were murdered and 28,000 tortured by the state under the dictatorship of Pinochet. Prosecutions for Pinochet-era human rights crimes have progressed in fits and starts in Chile since the 1990 return to democracy. Interior Ministry statistics, however, show that investigations have picked up pace significantly in recent years as courts show increased willingness to revisit the dictatorship's abuses. (Reporting by Erik Lopez; Writing by Gram Slattery; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
E-Commerce China Dangdang Inc. (NYSE: DANG) disclosed that its board has received a fresh non-binding proposal from Peggy Yu Yu, Chairwoman of the Board, and Mr. Guoqing Li, Chief Executive Officer and director of the Company. The buyer group expressed their intention to acquire all of the outstanding shares at US$6.50 per American depositary share or US$1.30 per common share in cash, subject to some conditions. Each ADS is equal to five shares.

E-Commerce China Dangdang said its special committee of the Board would evaluate the revised proposal with the help of its financial, as well as the legal advisors.

The company indicated a special committee was formed on July 9 last year to consider the original proposal by the Buyer Group. The Special Committee cautioned its shareholders and others that no decision has been taken by its Special Committee or the Board with respect to the revised proposal.

The company clarified there could not be any guarantee that the current efforts would translate into any definitive offer at a later stage or any agreement would be executed or that this or any other transaction would be approved or consummated.

In the pre-market trading on Tuesday, the stock traded 3.93 percent higher.

See more from Benzinga

 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Chinese nationals overtook Canadians as the largest foreign buyers of U.S. residential real estate for the first time ever.



The Asia Society and Rosen Consulting Group co-authored a new report that found Chinese buyers spent at least $93 billion on homes, including condos, for living and investment purposes, between 2010 and 2015.



Chinese investment in commercial real estate was also substantial  spending rose at an annual rate of 70%  but Canada, Singapore and Norway still have acquired more U.S. real estate in dollar volume than China.



One of the increasingly popular investment methods for the wealthy Chinese is a program called EB-5, also known as the immigrant investor program. Foreigners invest capital to get on the fast track to obtain a green card. Since Congress first created the program in 1990, the program has resulted in $11 billion of investment from Chinese, or about 70% of total EB-5 investments from all countries.



Bruce Pickering, Vice President of Global Programs at The Asia Society, told Yahoo Finance that over the past 25 years, these Chinese investments alone have created 200,000 jobs. I would say thats real and material [economic impact]. In the last few years, the increase is startling  its significant for the U.S.



One of the projects that has been powered by EB-5 investments is Hudson Yards, New Yorks biggest real estate development in a generation; in fact, its the largest pooled EB-5 investment to date with 1,200 Chinese families investing $600 million into this project.



Pickering noted that a primary motivation for Chinese buyers is their desire to eventually move overseas. They are moving to the U.S. either to manage their investments or frequently to bring their families and consider moving  what you see often is the husband or wife comes and plants the family and then moves back and forth to China, he says.



According to the report, Chinese investors are still seeking out major gateway markets, with 70% of aggregate transaction volume concentrated in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. But Pickering says more and more Chinese are looking elsewhere to settle down, specifically mentioning Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia, and North Carolina. As the Chinese get more sophisticated, as theyre here more often, and as they start looking for value, the real bargains are not in these cities any longer; theyre inland and theyre places you wouldnt normally expect to see it, he says. So the Chinese are moving out pretty fast into cities that frankly could use the investment.



But with increased capital controls expected in the near term, Pickering expects slower individual purchases of U.S. homes, but also sees it as an opportunity for investors who are looking for predictability. Because were in this election cycle, you hear a lot of hyperinflated rhetoric, but the truth is the U.S. is still perceived to be one of the worlds best, if not most, stable economy and therefore a place where you can take your money. If you do your homework, you can make a steady investment and protect your assets.
The song most representative of Chinas Cultural Revolution  the 10-year period between 1966 and 1976 of anarchy and anti-authority mania, where students tortured their teachers, employees denounced their bosses, and children murdered their parents  is The East Is Red. A simple yet catchy song about the brilliance of Chairman Mao Zedong, The East Is Red is an unofficial anthem of that decade; it articulated the brainwashed love people felt for the chairman. The sun is rising. From China comes Mao Zedong, the song lyrics go. [Mao] strives for peoples happiness. Hurrah, he is the peoples great savior!

But over the last few months, a modern version of the song has been bouncing around the Internet. Titled The East Is Red Again, it proclaims with modified lyrics: The sun again rises, and Xi Jinping succeeds Mao Zedong. Hes striving for the peoples rejuvenation. Hurrah, he is the peoples great lucky star! And even though censors deleted mentions of the song on the Chinese Internet, Xi has not repudiated the comparison. Indeed, an early May concert at Beijings massive legislative building, the Great Hall of the People, featured a performance celebrating red, or Communist, songs, including Socialism Is Good and Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China. Because of their popularity during the Cultural Revolution, these songs, and the act of playing them, now glorify that horrifically tumultuous era, which began 50 years ago on May 16.

Sadly, the celebration of red songs is not the only similarity between Chinese politics today and in 1966. This March, during the annual meeting of the National Peoples Congress, an important gathering of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, the delegation from Tibet wore badges showing Xis face. During the Cultural Revolution, people didnt leave their houses without Mao badges. Like Mao, Xi has purged his political enemies through mass anti-corruption campaigns. Xi has strengthened the partys control over the media and official ideology through the internal party communique Document No. 9, which warned about the dangers of press freedom. He also emphasized the need for patriotism in creative works during an influential October 2014 speech he delivered to important artists and propaganda officials.

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Xi has also resurrected the calcified, blindly pro-Communist discourse of the Mao era; he regularly exhorts cadres to participate in mass line campaigns, a hazily defined concept, and to bare their blades in the ideological struggle. The anti-vice campaign  reminiscent of Maos mania for mass movements  that began in February 2014 in the southern city of Dongguan and spread throughout the country is yet another example of Xis Maoist madness.

In some ways, it feels like Xi is trying to turn back time and relive the Cultural Revolution, where the party reigned supreme and invaded every aspect of Chinese life. Luckily, he cant, for China and the world are different now. Even if Xi wanted to, he could never realize Maos Cultural Revolution-era disregard for all laws, human and holy, nor could he create a pervasive cult of personality. Mao was historys harshest despot, its greatest persecutor of humanity. But he wouldnt have been able to persecute hundreds of millions of Chinese people without the historical background, social structure, ideological framework, and international environment of mid-20th-century China.

After Maos 1976 death, the party gradually settled on a system of collective dictatorship in which a small group of leaders rule for two five-year terms. Although the party operates above the law and seemingly without any effective restriction, there are internal disagreements and even power struggles among members at the highest levels. Moreover, there are divisions between the central leadership and local governments, which push back against orders from above. This so-called local tyranny poses a great obstacle to Xis campaign to deify himself.

The Cultural Revolution saw the mobilization of hundreds of millions of people  into opposing, often warring factions  the complete destruction of Chinas legal system, and the deaths of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. That is also entirely different from today. While there is a widening wealth gap between the rich and the poor, mass mobilization is a thing of the past. Although totalitarianism makes an occasional appearance, todays China has a legal system that performs better than the chaos-riven courts of the Cultural Revolution. Moreover, the arrests of high-level officials and political dissidents are at least packaged in legal terms and implemented through ostensibly legal procedures. And the violence present in Chinese society today is on a much smaller scale than in the 1960s and 1970s.

But if one defines the Cultural Revolution by its strict one-party rule, total control of the media, thought control, religious oppression, and suppression of dissent, then today differs only in degree. Xi has adopted a zero-tolerance policy toward political opposition and grassroots rights defense movements. Since Xi assumed power in late 2012, hundreds, if not thousands, of human rights defenders have been imprisoned. Civil society organizations like the pro-constitutionalism New Citizens Movement have been suppressed, and more than 300 human rights lawyers have been detained or intimidated. Many NGOs have been shut down; thousands of Christian crosses have been forcibly removed; Christian churches have been destroyed; and practitioners of small religious groups such as Falun Gong have been persecuted. Feminist activists, defenders of labor rights, Internet celebrities, and journalists who have dared to speak out have all been attacked.

Meanwhile, in the name of counterterrorism, Xi has cracked down on the people of Xinjiang and Tibet, even imposing martial law in parts of those regions. In Hong Kong, he has delayed honoring Beijings promise of universal suffrage and suppressed the protest movement known as the Umbrella Revolution. Xi has implemented the imperial tactic of punishing an individuals entire family for the acts of that individual, detaining Mainland China-based family members of overseas Chinese activists and using them as political hostages. And in complete disrespect for basic, internationally recognized human rights, Swedish bookseller Gui Minhai was kidnapped from Thailand and forcibly transported to China  all because he was connected to a book about Xis romantic history.

But could the Cultural Revolution happen again in China? I dont think so. The biggest difference between now and then is that Chinese people no longer bestow the party with the legitimacy it would need to implement such a campaign. Xi doesnt control the Chinese people as tightly as Mao did  nor does Xi command the same loyalty, respect, and love. The 1989 Tiananmen Massacre, where members of the Chinese military slaughtered hundreds of unarmed student protestors, greatly reduced the partys basis for rule. The authorities, knowing all too well the severity of their crimes, downplayed the matter and attempted to force the people to forget about it as well. Eventually, the party censored and forbade even the most oblique of references to the massacre. Over the last few decades, because of pervasive corruption, the forced demolition of many peoples homes, air pollution, forced abortions, and religious persecution, among other ills, dissatisfaction with the party has grown. The Internet and social media have helped to organize this dissatisfaction and resistance.

So, what does this mean for China today? Yes, the party is suppressing grassroots rights defense and dissent movements at a level unseen since 1989. But the party also knows that the development of Chinas Internet, economy, legal system, and civil society means that these movements are more powerful than they were in the 1980s. The existence of these movements is the reason why Xi has sought to revive certain Cultural Revolution-era practices. Those in power want to stop the clock and prevent historical reckonings, to continue to monopolize power, to embezzle, bribe, and squirrel away their ill-gotten assets.

But the time for that has passed. The party members who want to revive The East Is Red should realize that Chinas national anthem, March of the Volunteers, is more appropriate. As the opening of the song goes: All those who refuse to be slaves, arise!

This article was translated from the Chinese by Liz Carter.

Image Credit: JEAN VINCENT/AFP/Getty Images
China's biggest bank ICBC has become the country's first lender to buy a precious metals vault in Britain, cementing its role as a major player in the gold market.

ICBC has bought the London vault, used to store also silver, platinum and palladium, from British bank Barclays, which is exiting the precious metals business as it looks to streamline operations after recent turbulence across the group.

Jon Spall, founder of consultants G Cubed Metals, told AFP on Tuesday that ICBC's purchase of a vault able to store 2,000 tonnes of gold showed Chinese "commitment to the international bullion market by becoming a market maker".

According to ICBC, the vault is one of the largest in Europe and is used to store precious metals "in support of the London Market".

Mark Buncombe, head of commodities at the Asian bank, said in a statement that the purchase for an undisclosed sum would help ICBC "to become one of the largest Chinese banks in the precious metals market".
* Zloty gains might be limited * Moody's cuts outlook on A2 rating to negative from stable * Polish bonds firm modestly, bourse index up By Radu-Sorin Marinas and Jakub Iglewski BUCHAREST/WARSAW, May 16 (Reuters) - The Polish zloty firmed 1.0 percent and government bond prices gained early in the session on Monday after Moody's kept the country's rating unchanged but shifted its outlook to negative from stable on Saturday as expected.

By 0820 GMT the zloty rose as high as 4.3650. A Warsaw-based bond dealer said yields fell by 4 basis points along the curve, and Warsaw's bluechip stock index rose 1.82 percent to a one-week high.

Moody's Investor's Services confirmed Poland's rating but cut its outlook, citing rising fiscal risks and the conservative government's shift to more unpredictable policies and legislation.

Just over half the analysts polled by Reuters expected the move after Standard and Poor's rattled investors with a downgrade in January, saying the new government's policies eroded the independence of institutions such as the top court.

"We perceive the Moody's decision as a signal, that the agency has identified the risk factors in Poland and an escalation of these risks will become a reason for a (future) rating cut," mBank said in a note.

Among the risks is a possible Swiss franc conversion plan, a retirement age cut and the constitutional court dispute.

"Perception of these risks will likely limit the scale of a post-Moody's rebound. Uncertainty over the presidential Swiss franc bill proposal and any political signals about the retirement age cut will still affect the market," mBank said.

There have also been some fears among market players that government spending plans and other political measures could have prompted a Moody's downgrade.

"I expect the market to be trading the Moody's decision today but when investors recall the recent weak data we may see some gains at the short end of the curve, as there are still chances for rate cuts," said PKO BP bond dealer Marcin Grzywacz.

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Polish debt yields have been on a sliding path over the past days with most players eyeing no ratings downgrade, however traders say their potential for further gains might be limited.

Elsewhere, the Romanian leu edged up 1.1 percent to 4.4875 and the Czech crown was flat at 27.02 per euro. Hungarian markets are closed.

CEE SNAPSHOT AT 1020 CET MARKETS CURRENCIES Latest Previous Daily Change bid close change in 2016 Czech Hungary % Polish % Romanian % Croatian % Serbian % Note: calcula previous close at 1800 daily ted CET change from STOCKS Latest Previous Daily Change close change in 2016 Prague 873.41 873.87 -0.05% -8.67% Budapest 26556.35 26850.53 -1.10% +11.02 % Warsaw % Buchares 6462.14 6462.97 -0.01% -7.74% t Ljubljan Zagreb Belgrade Sofia % BONDS Yield Yield Spread Daily (bid) change vs change Bund in Czech spread Republic 2-year ps 5-year ps ps Poland 2-year ! 5-year ! ! FORWARD RATE AGREEMENT 3x6 6x9 9x12 3M interba nk Czech (PRIBO R=) Hungary (BUBOR =) Poland (WIBOR =) Note: are for FRA ask quotes prices ****************************************************** ******** (Editing by Alison Williams)
Chloe Grace Moretz

On the surface, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising looks like a typical Seth Rogen stoner comedy, in which youthful freedom reigns.

But in fact, its the rare sequel that works as a standalone. The frat humor from the original is cleverly flipped, so the material speaks directly to college-age women.

Thats right, Seth Rogen made a movie that empowers women.

And the face of the movie isnt so much Rogen as its costar Chloe Grace Moretz, the 19-year-old who has quickly become one of Hollywoods youngest advocates for progressive work for females.

In Neighbors 2, she plays Shelby, who after being told that sororities are not allowed to have parties (the group that governs the country's marjor sororities bans booze in their houses) decides to start her own with a group of friends. They end up finding a house next to Kelly (Rose Byrne) and Mac Radner (Rogen), who already dealt with a frat next to them in the first movie and are trying to sell their house. With the help of former frat boy Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron), the girls learn how to make a thriving sorority, while Kelly and Mac try to keep the potential buyers of their house from realizing that Greek life is back on the block.

Amazingly enough, Moretz playing a college freshman who doesnt want to obey the rules of a school-supported sorority is exactly what Hollywood needs right now.

Business Insider talked to Moretz to find out how she helped make the Neighbors 2 script sound more millennial, the roles she will absolutely say no to, and the A-listers in Hollywood she turns to for guidance.

Neighbors 2 4 Chuck Zlotnick Universal_final

Business Insider: I talked to Seth and Evan and they were very honest that they didn't have a clue how to write for college girls. So how did you and your castmates help out?

Chloe Grace Moretz: They would write an outline of what they wanted us to do and then we would fill it in with how we like to say things and the stupid stuff that my generation comes up with.

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BI: So a scene like the beginning of the movie, where your character and her friends decide to start a sorority, how was that set up?

Moretz: We came up with this funny idea of the girls talking about if they did or didn't lose their virginity. So the way we put it was, "Oh yeah, I've done everything but..." And the boys had no idea that's how girls our age would approach that subject. So they kind of just let us go with it and where they wanted it to go. So it was really highly improv-driven.

BI: Going into the movie, did it make you nervous that you would have to do a lot of improvisation?

Moretz: The first day was an adjustment. I really hadn't ever done improv that much before and I very quickly realized that every take is an improv, every take is a new idea. So I would come prepared with ideas and where they wanted the improv to go. It was being ready on the day to make it up. So it took me a day to understand and then the rest of the movie I was ready to go.

Neighbors 2 Chloe Chuck Zlotnick

BI: The movie is being praised for its progressive comedy. Could you feel that you were making a comedy that's different from most in its portrayal of women, gender, sexual preference?

Moretz: Yeah, definitely. We wanted to make the movie progressive, we wanted to make it more interesting for young women to watch because even with the "Bridesmaids"-type movies, we still haven't had movies for young women to watch who are my age that are as progressive as this. This is super realistic to girls my generation. These are the things we're talking about and going through, and that was a big idea for all of us. That was what the boys wanted us to incorporate in the movie. It might not be the cutest stuff to come out of a girl's mouth, but it's realistic and that's what people need to come to terms with.

BI: And that it's still funny and entertaining.

Moretz: It can still be a highly raucous comedy, and honestly, it is almost more funny coming from girls because it's not been seen before so it's a lot fresher in our eyes.

BI: But is this still a rare case of a script that comes across your desk that isnt a stereotypical female role?

Moretz: Oh, 100 percent. This is so a rare case of the type of script you'll be offered in this day and age, for sure. Especially in comedy. You don't really come across these stories being made by a group of adult men who made stoner bro comedies. It's just very unexpected. It's cool.

BI: Was there a standout moment when you began to pay attention to feminist views and wanted to be a voice on that topic?

Moretz: I think it was kind of after Carrie when I really realized, Oh, there's a lot of stuff going on here for women that I need to clue in on and understand it and fight for what I believe in. Because that was my first movie as a lead, and as a female lead, you're talking to a lot of adult men about a lot of subjects that they have no idea about, especially a movie which is about a young woman getting her period for the first time and a young woman dealing with mother/daughter issues. Two things adult men shouldn't have any say in, yet you're dealing with studio heads and producers and stuff like that and I was faced with a lot of things there that I'd never seen before. I kind of learned to raise my voice and learn that it's okay to fight for something that you believe in. Don't just be argumentative, don't be loud for no reason, but don't apologize for fighting for something that you believe in.

Chloe Grace Moretz Julianne Moore Bryan Bedder Getty

BI: Who are your mentors in the industry?

Moretz: I would say the biggest mentor in my life in terms of actors and people in the industry is Julianne Moore [who also starred in "Carrie"]. She's someone I've always looked up to and who has really helped me out and given me some of the strongest advice I've had in my career. She's just a really powerful, outspoken, smart, sweet woman. And then there's Jessica Chastain, Emily Blunt I think is a very well-spoken woman, I think Scarlett Johansson has said some interesting things on femininity.

BI: Have you had conversations with any of them?

Moretz: Julie and Jess are two people Ive had very, very forward conversations about all of this with.

BI: What's the biggest takeaway?

Moretz: We are all being highly misconstrued by media in that sense and that even when we do speak up, it's not a bridge, it's like it's not okay to have an opinion anymore and you have to change that, unless you are saying everything on queue with what CNN or TMZ or any of these quote-unquote news outlets are reporting, then you're not allowed to have an opinion.

BI: So Jennifer Lawrence coming out saying that her male costars have been paid more than her, was that a big deal in your eyes?

Moretz: It was a big deal in my eyes. It was wild to see from contract to contract that two stars that are equal in fame and equel in supposed star power, that there's massive inequality in terms of pay. But even then, it's hard to speak on behalf of our wage gap because it is a very overinflated wage gap. There's a lot more basic issues with much much lower-paying jobs that I think need to be overcome before we really look at our industry as a whole.

BI: But did that news make you more aware of the deals that your reps are making on your behalf?

Moretz: Personally, it made me want to make sure my lawyers and I get paid exactly equal to the other male counterparts in your movie if they are along the same lines as you.

BI: What are the kinds of characters that are instant nos for you if offered?

Moretz: They just need to be progressive for the time period that the movie is placed in. So if it's a modern movie, it needs to be realistic to our modern-day standards on how we want women to be viewed. But if it's a movie based in a time period in which women were oppressed, you need to be understanding of the time period and still try to influence some sort of message. I wouldn't make a movie highlighting the excitement and happiness of progression if it's a movie about a certain kind of era where women were repressed, it needs to mean something to the story. Less movies are being made that are cool and interesting for women, in that sense. So it's more of a fight to find the cool scripts or finding someone who is willing to write the cool scripts or find female directors that studios will approve. Those are still few and far between.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising opens in theaters May 20.

NOW WATCH: Warner Bros. just released the first trailer for its R-rated animated Batman movie





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How Did Major US Railroads Perform in 1Q16?

(Continued from Prior Part)

1Q16 volumes

In the previous part, we reviewed the intermodal revenue change for US Class I railroads. Now, well go through what the 1Q16 volumes tell us. All of the Class I railroads furnish weekly volume data to the Association of American Railroads. We considered the volume data for railcars only. These railroads report weekly data in 20 commodity groups.

Volumes of major Eastern US carriers

For Norfolk Southern (NSC), prominent commodity groups showed a positive change in 1Q16compared to the same period last year. Motor vehicles and equipment rose 16.4%, stone, clay, and glass products rose 12%, and chemicals rose 2.7%. During the same period, the main commodity groups in the red zone were grain mill products, petroleum products, and crushed stone, sand, and gravel. Out of the 20 commodity groups, only nine were up in 1Q16compared to 1Q15.

For CSX (CSX), the major commodities that saw gains during the quarter were crushed stone, sand and gravel, waste and nonferrous scrap, and motor vehicles and parts. CSXs weak commodity groups in 1Q16 were farm productsexcluding grain, primary metal products, and petroleum products. Only four commodity groups reported incremental volumes in 1Q16compared to the same quarter last year.

Major Western US railroads volumes

The advancing commodity groups for Union Pacific (UNP) in 1Q16 were motor vehicles and equipment, stone, clay, and glass products, and primary forest products. The declining commodity groups in that quarter were farm productsexcluding grain, crushed stone, gravel and sand, and iron and steel scrap. The company saw upward volumes in only six commodity groups out of 20.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) controlled Class I operator, reported a volume rise in ten out of 20 commodity groups in 1Q16. The companys major forwarding commodity groups were motor vehicles, chemicals, and pulp and paper. The commodity groups with a decline in volumes were metallic ores, petroleum, and metals.

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Canadian railroads volumes

Canadian National Railway (CNI) reported a rise in volumes for seven out of 20 commodity groups in 1Q16. The prominent commodity groups in the green zone were farm products, non-metallic minerals, and lumber and wood products. Commodities with a negative change in volumes were crushed stone, metal products, and metallic ores.

Its archrival Canadian Pacific (CP) witnessed a positive change in the volumes of five commodity groups out of 20 during the same period. The front runner commodity groups were forest products, Canadian grain, chemicals, and automotive. The lagging commodity groups were US grain, crude, and metals, and minerals and consumer products.

For the only railroad in the group that wasnt Class I, Genesee & Wyomings (GWR) North American carloads fell by 9.3% in 1Q16. The major share was borne by minerals and stone, autos and auto parts, and food and Kindred products. The companys Australian operations carloads fell by 14.4% during the same period. Metallic ores reported a huge downfall in volumes by 78.4% in 1Q16. This was mainly due to a customer closing mines.

The WisdomTree Earnings 500 Fund (EPS) is a growth ETF. The prominent transportation and logistics companies included in this ETF are Union Pacific, United Parcel Service (UPS), and Delta Air Lines (DAL).

In the next part, well compare these railroads operating margins.

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
Democratic frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clintons super PAC this week will begin airing the first in a series of attack ads against Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee -- and theyre coming none too soon for Clinton.

After weeks of preliminary jousting and bitter exchanges between the former secretary of state and the bombastic New York real estate magnate, Clinton and Trump are locked in a virtual dead heat, according to three new national polls.

Related: Clintons Most Important Weapon in Her Battle Against Trump

The latest NBC News/SurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll released on Tuesday shows Clintons earlier five-point lead over Trump shrinking to just three points within a weeks time, 48 percent to 45 percent. And a new national survey by Morning Consult has the race even closer, with Clinton ahead by just 42 percent to 40 percent, a statistical tie. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last Wednesday also showed the candidates deadlocked, with 41 percent of likely voters supporting Clinton and 40 percent backing Trump, and 19 percent undecided.

Clinton has yet to lock up her partys presidential nomination, and she may come close to doing that by the end of the night in her latest primary matchups with rival Sen. Bernie Sanders in Kentucky and Oregon. But there is little doubt that the general election donnybrook between Clinton and Trump is already underway.

Trump has signaled he will attack Clinton on her mishandling of sensitive email at the State Department, her response to the 2012 terrorist attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, and Clintons alleged role as an enabler of her husbands scandalous womanizing during his presidency.

Trump told The New York Times this week that he would bring up former President Bill Clintons infidelities during the nationally televised presidential debates this fall. He said he would also make the case that Hillary Clinton is crooked and corrupt, citing everything from her cattle futures trading in the 1970s to the current FBI investigation of her misuse of a personal email server to convey classified information during her four years as secretary of state.

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Related: While Clinton Sets Her Sight on Trump, Sanders Pulls Her Back

Clinton insists she wont get down in the mud with Trump as the campaign heats up. However, she and her advisers already are painting Trump as a major league misogynist who has repeatedly degraded woman; an anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim isolationist; and a public policy know-nothing who would lead the country down the road to economic and international ruin. During a campaign event Monday evening in Bowling Green, Ky., Clinton mocked Trump by impersonating him as a big talker with no substantive plans for the economy.

A pro-Clinton Super PAC, Priorities USA, on Wednesday will begin airing the first two of a series of general election hit ads against Trump, in the battle ground states of Florida, Virginia and Nevada. The Super PAC is mounting a $6 million media campaign to portray Trump as a divisive, dangerous con man who should never be president of the United States, according to a spokesman for the organization.

One of the ads uses a variety of female actors wearing Trump T-shirts and mouthing Trumps nasty or inappropriate words about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and other women before asking the question, Does Donald Trump really speak for you?

Trump tweeted a number of angry rejoinders to the ads today, including one stating: Amazing that Crooked Hillary can do a hit ad on me concerning women when her husband was the WORST abuser of women in U.S. political history.

Related: Grading Clinton and Trumps Tax Plans

The latest polls, of course, are only part of the picture, and Clinton continues to lead Trump by 5.7 points in the average national polling, according to Real Clear Politics. And she begins the general election race far ahead of the billionaire businessman in the all-important contest for the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

Clinton was able to mass an insurmountable delegate lead over Sanders throughout the Democratic primary season by racking up big victories among African-American and Hispanic voters, and the latest NBC News tracking poll shows that she continues to do very well with these groups over Trump. Black voters favor Clinton over Trump by 84 percent to 9 percent  a 75-point gap while Hispanic voters support Clinton, 65 percent to 28 percent, over Trump.

There is also a large gender gap among voters that slightly favors Clinton. The former secretary of state beats Trump among women by 15 points, but Trump leads her among men by an 11-point margin. The former first lady is still struggling to attract younger voters, a problem that has hurt her throughout the primary campaign against Sanders. And Trump holds a 14-point lead over Clinton among white voters, according to the NBC poll.

Both candidates face major challenges in trying to unite their parties before the November general election, with Clinton faced with likely defections from some ardent, liberal Sanders supporters and Trump facing a mini-revolt from many GOP conservatives and intellectuals who are threatening to either mount a third party campaign or sit out the election.

Even if both candidates succeed in uniting their parties, a key question is whether Clinton or Trump will be better able to attract independent voters to put them over the top. According to the NBC News polling analysis, Trump right now holds the advantage among independents, 44 percent to 36 percent.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
London (AFP) - A BBC plan to shut down its recipe website left Britons simmering Tuesday at the demise of a resource offering free tips on cooking everything from lemon drizzle cake to scrambled eggs.

Over 100,000 people have signed a petition opposing the mothballing of 11,000 recipes as part of a push to cut costs at the public service broadcaster.

Thousands also took to Twitter to protest.

"Can't imagine there is ANYONE in the UK who cooks who won't be upset," wrote user Olivia Crellin.

"Literally 90% of my dinners are from #bbcrecipes," added Aniqah C.

A BBC spokeswoman insisted that while the website was being closed and no further recipes would be added, people would still be able to access existing ones.

But media reports suggested the recipes could become hard to find.

The broadcaster said in a statement that its online activities would now focus on "six flagship areas after a review to ensure they remain high quality and distinctive".

These include news, sport and "ideas" -- arts, culture, history and science.

Other sites being closed include travel and some local news pages.

The BBC is under pressure from Prime Minister David Cameron's government to slim down as ministers implement a programme of biting austerity cuts.

Last week, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale published a long-awaited policy paper on the future of the BBC.

It indicated that online content should focus on "rigorous, impartial analysis of important news events and current affairs".

The cuts confirmed Tuesday come as part of A700 million (900 million euros, $1 billion) in overall savings which the BBC must make by 2021/22.

The broadcaster has announced hundreds of job cuts in recent months.

The BBC is largely funded by the annual licence fee of A145.50 which every household watching live television has to pay.

However, the broadcaster's royal charter -- which sets out its independence and how it operates -- is up for renewal at the end of this year.

The terms of this are expected to be negotiated between the BBC and the government.
Sydney (AFP) - Any major coal spill on Australia's Great Barrier Reef could kill some colourful corals within two weeks and stunt the growth of fish and seagrass, a new study revealed Tuesday.

While coal spills are rare, environmentalists have been increasingly concerned about the risks to the reef from ships carrying the commodity mined in Queensland state through its waters.

The study, published in Nature Scientific Reports, is the first to examine the effect of fine coal particles on tropical marine organisms.

"Results demonstrate that chronic coal exposure can cause considerable lethal effects on corals, and reductions in seagrass and fish growth rates," it said.

In experiments in which marine species were exposed to varying levels of fine coal particles, the researchers found that it had a "smothering" impact on corals, co-author Mia Hoogenboom told AFP.

Hoogenboom, from Australia's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, said there was a stickiness to coal dust which formed a film on coral which light struggled to penetrate.

"From our study it was the coral that was the most vulnerable, where we saw extensive mortality of the coral tissue," she said.

"For the sea grass and the fish we saw lower levels of mortality but we did see significant impacts on their growth rates."

Kathryn Berry, who led the experimental research, said corals exposed to the highest concentrations of coal dust died within two weeks.

"Corals exposed to lower concentrations of coal lasted longer, but most of them also died after four weeks of exposure," she said in a statement.

Berry said while some fish and seagrass died from coal dust exposure, it was more likely to stunt their growth by half compared to how they would have grown in clean water.

The reef is suffering its worst bleaching in recorded history with 93 percent of corals affected due to warming sea temperatures. Any coal spill would add to problems caused by farming run-off, development and the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish.

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A catastrophe was averted when the Chinese-registered coal carrier Shen Neng 1 foundered in the marine park in 2010. But the huge ship gouged a three kilometre-long (1.8 mile) scar in the reef and was stranded for nine days before salvagers could refloat it.

Queensland state Environment Minister Steven Miles moved to reassure people, saying the reef was "the most strictly regulated shipping area in the world".

The transit of coal through the World Heritage-listed marine park was not, he stressed, the biggest threat to the reef.

"The main localised threats are sediment and nutrient run-off from the land and the big long-term threat is climate change," he said in comments cited by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Shipping is something we need to very closely regulate but we shouldn't let us distract us from what the main threats are."
Cohen Media Group has acquired North American rights to Bertrand Taverniers Journey Through French Cinema, which premieres in Cannes Classics. Journey is a feature documentary charting the history of French cinema from the 1930s to the early 1970s.

The documentary includes interviews and footage from Jean Renoir, Claude Sautet, Jean-Luc Godard, Louis Malle, Francois Truffaut and Jacques Becker.

 Journey Through French Cinema is already an important, perennial classic, destined to become required and inspiring viewing for cinephiles around the world. We could not be more proud to bring Taverniers masterpiece to our audiences across North America, said Charles S. Cohen, founder and president of CMG.

In the vein of Martin Scorsese s Personal Journey Through American Movies, Tavernier delivers a subjective and personal approach to French cinema; the doc also sheds light on the political and historical context of certain movies as well as shares anecdotes about some directors.

I am very happy that Journey travels to North American audiences. Id like this film to be an act of gratitude to directors, writers, actors and musicians who emerged in my life, said Tavernier, who is president of Lyons Lumiere Festival along with the Cannes fests artistic director Thierry Fremaux.

Deal was negotiated by CMG exec VP John Kochman and Cecile Gaget, Gaumonts head of international production and distribution.

Cohen Media Group will release the doc in the U.S. and Canada later this year.

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By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - A babysitter accused of robbing a drive-through bank in a small Colorado town while two girls she was caring for were inside her vehicle stole the money to pay restitution from an earlier criminal theft case, court documents showed on Tuesday.

Rachel Einspahr, 28, is being held on a $40,000 cash-only bond in the Weld County jail on suspicion of robbery and child abuse stemming from last weeks incident at a bank in Severance, about 55 miles north of Denver, authorities said.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by a detective with the Weld County Sheriffs Office, Einspahr removed the license plates from her Nissan Pathfinder, picked up the two girls that she was hired to babysit, bought them candy and drove to the bank.

She then passed along a note to a teller through a vacuum tube.

Do not sound alarm. The man in the very back wants $100s and $50s no dye packs or trackers he has a gun on my kids, the note said, according to the affidavit.

The teller, Jeffrey Swanson, believed there were lives in danger, and gave her $500, police said, but he did not see a man inside the SUV as it drove away.

Shortly after dropping off the girls, Einspahr was detained by police, and initially repeated the story of a man with a gun demanding money and threatening her and the children.

But when confronted with the evidence, including a statement from one of the two girls who said there was no man in the vehicle, Einspahr confessed to the bank robbery, the affidavit said.

Einspahr said she needed $15,000 as an initial restitution payment as part of a plea bargain that was set to go before a judge on Wednesday in an earlier case, police said.

I cant go back to jail, she told an investigator, the affidavit said.

The Greeley Tribune newspaper reported on Tuesday that in the earlier case, Einspahr was charged with 31 felony counts of theft, identity theft and forgery for allegedly stealing more than $30,000 from two businesses that she once worked for.

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Prosecutors in that case accused Einspahr of writing checks to herself from the businesses to settle a debt with a collection agency, pay other legal bills and for dental work, the newspaper said.

Einspahr is set to be formally charged for the bank robbery on Wednesday, a district attorneys spokeswoman said.

(Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Cynthia Osterman)
For a guy who runs one of the closest things to an outright monopoly service in the country, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts sure sees a lot of competition. But he doesnt sound eager to provide much new competition in a few areas that could really benefit.

Do we need more regulation in this competitive, super technologically changing world that were living in? he quipped to reporters on Monday at a cable industry conference in Boston when asked about a government effort to enliven the market for set top boxes. We feel competitive pressure every minute.

Were assuming the world is going to get more competitive, he added a few minutes later.

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But asked whether Comcast had any interest in moving outside its tight patchwork of service regions across the country, suddenly Roberts wasnt much interested in competing. We dont have any plans to do that, he said. The reason is we have a clear value add in market.

That value add? Comcasts fleet of 35,000 repair trucks, Wi-Fi coverage, and call centers, Roberts said. Left unmentioned, of course, was the cost of building new infrastructure to compete in one of his peers near-monopoly backyard. If something is working, Im not sure you need to change it, he concluded.

And what about the cable industrys never-quite-ready effort to mount a challenge to the wireless industry by offering an alternative mobile phone and data service, one that might rely heavily on wifi to keep prices down? Sounds like Roberts isnt eager to take on that competition anymore.

What is it we would do in wireless thats different than others? My answers going to be stay tuned, he told reporters. If we cant figure that out, probably well stick with what weve got. If we do, well have something to talk about in the future.

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Its been almost five years since SpectrumCo, the joint venture between Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks, sold its airwave licenses to Verizon in return for cash and the rights to resell wireless service. If they havent figured out how to crack the business by now, there may not be much hope for consumers eager for a new mobile alternative.

But theres a pretty simple reason why Roberts is talking up all the competition, while offering to provide very little. Federal regulators have been giving the cable industry in general, and Roberts in particular, a pretty hard time.

It wasnt enough that the Justice Department killed his planned $55 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable last year. But then the Federal Communications Commission also went ahead and imposed net neutrality rules that blocked Comcast and other broadband providers from discriminating against third-party Internet sites and services. And in February came the FCCs preliminary set top box rules that could allow consumers to connect almost any kind of box they wanted, threatening $20 billion of steady cable industry revenue from box rentals.

The cable industry is already fighting the net neutrality rules in court and looks likely to sue to block the set top box rule when it becomes final, as well. So Roberts is just setting the stage: Theres plenty of competition where regulators see little and no need for more where consumers could really use it.

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
BEIJING (Reuters) - China moved towards further opening up the country's lower altitude airspace for civilian use, a step that could spur growth in its fledgling general aviation industry by making it easier for smaller aircraft like private jets and helicopters to fly.

The State Council, the country's cabinet, announced the move on Tuesday in a statement posted on the Chinese central government's website. The statement did not give details. The move was announced as a guideline and will become law once the country's aviation regulator finalises detailed rules.

The move could boost business opportunities for western firms such as Textron Inc's Cessna Aircraft Company, Bombardier and Gulfstream which have been investing in either manufacturing or maintenance facilities in the country, industry observers said.

Liberalising the airspace will especially benefit China's tourism, emergency medical services and pilot training sectors, which operate light aircraft and helicopters, they said.

Beijing simplified flight approval procedures for private aircraft in November 2013, a move which was seen as the first step for the gradual opening up of its lower altitude airspace which is now controlled by the military.

The country will have over 500 airports for small aircraft only, and more than 5,000 private jets, turboprops and helicopters by 2020, the cabinet said.

Total annual flying time of all small planes is estimated to rise to 2 million hours in 2020 from 732,000 hours last year, it added.

(Reporting by Fang Yan and Matthew Miller; Additional reporting by Siva Govindasamy in SINGAPORE; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
perfectlysoft sean stephens

Almost exactly two years ago, Apple announced the Swift programming language to massive cheers from the audience.

Developers love Swift: It's fast, it's elegant, it's easy to learn and easy to develop with. It's the Apple philosophy, as applied to programming languages. And it's a huge hit.

Apple VP Craig Federighi has said that he sees Swift as "the major language for the next 20 years of programming in our industry." But since its inception, the major area of focus for Swift has been on using it to build slick iPhone apps.

To broaden that focus, Apple released Swift as open source in December 2015  meaning that anyone, anywhere could download the technology for free, and do whatever they want with it. It means Swift can hit new and larger markets than ever before. It's even coming to Android.

This is where PerfectlySoft comes in: A Canadian startup, with a weird legacy with Apple that dates back to the era when everybody thought the company was doomed, and a strange journey to the present.

"We have this Apple DNA that no one else has," says PerfectlySoft CEO Sean Stephens.

And because of that history, PerfectlySoft was able to get its flagship product Perfect out before anyone else  including titans like IBM, which has been doing its own legwork to conquer the world of Swift in the workplace.

Now, PerfectlySoft is working to push Swift into the enterprise server room  and beyond. And to that end, PerfectlySoft today announces a $1.2 million (that's Canadian dollars) round of seed funding from Impression Ventures to get that mission off the ground.

"Swift is inevitable," says Stephens. "It's gradually going to seep everywhere."

Lasso up

To understand what sets PerfectlySoft apart, it helps to know a little of Apple's history.

Circa 1987, software developers for the first Macintosh computer were concerned that Apple's built-in tools for stuff like word processing and painting were too good for them to compete with.

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And so, to create the illusion that Apple wasn't competing with its own partners, it formed a new subsidiary, gave it the rights to all of the Macintosh software, and named it Claris. Silicon Valley legend and early Apple exec Bill Campbell served as CEO.

Claris continued on as its own company for a long while. Its flagship product was called FileMaker, a database product that also helped customers make their own apps. Claris thrived, even while the Apple mothership's future was less certain.

In 1997, Claris bought the rights to the up-and-coming Lasso programming language: This whole "world wide web" thing was starting to take off, and Lasso was helping people publish their FileMaker software to the internet. It was one of Apple's earliest plays to get in on web publishing.

bill campbell

Not too long after, Steve Jobs returned to Apple as CEO. In 1998, Claris got the new name FileMaker, after its most successful product. And Lasso development gradually fell by the wayside. In 2004, Apple sold the rights to Lasso to a Florida-based firm.

In 2007, a bunch of the original Lasso team got together, bought the rights, and formed a new company called LassoSoft. The rise of more popular languages like Python, Perl, and PHP had basically killed Lasso's momentum, but there was still a small-but-active community and a demand for updates.

Stephens, a longtime FileMaker fan, had been a huge fan of Lasso through all of its its ups and downs. In 2010, Stephens made a deal to buy LassoSoft, mainly because he wanted to keep the dream alive.

Then, in 2015, Apple announced it would be releasing Swift as open source. Stephens and the LassoSoft team realized that their expertise with the Apple programming language philosophy could give them a huge leg up in what they knew would be a high-demand market.

"Hey, there's an opportunity based on our history," Stephens recalls thinking.

Beating IBM

Because of PerfectlySoft's history, it was able to beat Apple's enormous enterprise partner IBM to getting Swift running on a server. Apple released Swift as open source in December 2015; the first version of Perfect came out in January 2016. It was a huge step forward for the Swift language, and developers went nuts.

The key idea here is "server-side."

When you open an app, you're running the code on your device. That app could be written in Swift, Objective-C, Java, or a million other languages besides.

But for the vast majority of applications, especially business applications, there's software running on a server, passing data and information back and forth. More often than not, that server application is running on an old stalwart of a programming language like Java.

Well, to Stephens' mind, Swift has a lot of potential to change that. Because it's got that Apple pedigree, developers love using it for their smartphone apps  so why not turn around and help them use it to write the server apps, too?

Craig Federighi Apple

Enter PerfectlySoft's flagship Perfect framework, which lets you write server apps in Swift. Less muss, less fuss, fewer skills needed by any team of programmers, and a greatly diminished chance of anything getting lost in translation between a Swift app on a phone and a Java or PHP backend system.

Thanks to its experience with Lasso, the PerfectlySoft team had solved many of the hard problems of getting code to run on a server in the first place.

"That's how we were able to beat everyone else out of the gate," says Stephens.

Plus, Swift is just more fun than languages like Java, Stephens says. "It's not very particularly pleasant for developers to write," he says.

Now, the goal for Stephens and PerfectlySoft is to spread the good word of Swift's amazingness. It's a goal that PerfectlySoft shares with IBM  more developers using Swift is good for everybody, Stephens says, and so they're not currently competitors. Still, he says, they're well-positioned to rule.

"We're way ahead of the game," Stephens says.

NOW WATCH: Apple just invested $1 billion in this Chinese company





More From Business Insider


Paris (AFP) - Researchers said Tuesday they had uncovered fossils showing that complex life on Earth began more than 1.5 billion years ago, nearly a billion years earlier than previously thought.

But the evidence, published in Nature Communications, immediately provoked debate, with some scientists hailing it as rock solid, and others saying they were wholly unconvinced.

After first emerging from the primordial soup, life remained primitive and unicellular for billions of years, but some of those cells eventually congregated like clones in a colony.

Scientists even took to calling the later part of this period the "boring billion", because evolution seemed to have stalled.

But at some point there was another huge leap -- arguably second in importance only to the appearance of life itself -- towards complex organisms.

This transition progressively gave rise to all the plants and animals that have ever existed.

Exactly when multi-cell eukaryotes -- organisms in which differentiated cells each contain a membrane-bound nucleus with genetic material -- showed up has inflamed scientific passions for many decades.

The new study is sure to enrich that tradition.

"Our discovery pushes back nearly one billion years the appearance of macroscopic, multicellular eukaryotes compared to previous research," Maoyan Zhu, a professor at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, told AFP.

The fossils were uncovered in Hebei Province's Yanshan region, where Mao Zedong and his communist army hunkered down during World War II before coming to power.

Zhu and colleagues found 167 measurable fossils, a third of them in one of four regular shapes -- an indication of complexity.

- No stranger to controversy -

The largest measured 30 by eight centimetres (12 by three inches).

Taken together, they are "compelling evidence for the early evolution of organisms large enough to be visible with the naked eye," said Zhu.

"This totally renews current knowledge on the early history of life."

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Up to now, eukaryotes of comparable size have not shown up in the fossil record until about 600 million years ago, when a multitude of soft-bodied creatures inhabited the world's oceans.

Phil Donoghue, a professor of palaeobiology at the University of Bristol, described the discovery as a "big deal".

"They are not the oldest eukaryotes, but they are certainly the oldest demonstrably multicellular eukaryotes," he told AFP.

Their very existence 1.56 billion years ago would mean that "oxygen levels were sufficiently high to allow for such large organisms to subsist."

But other experts were more sceptical.

"There is nothing here to suggest that the specimens are eukaryotic, as opposed to bacterial," said Jonathan Antcliffe, a senior researcher in the University of Oxford's department of zoology.

Bacteria are, by definition, unicellular, and do not have distinct nuclei containing genetic material.

- 'Not enough detail' -

Antcliffe suggested the fossils more likely corresponded to colonies of bacterial cells, rather than a single complex organism.

Truly multicellular creatures display three-dimensional form in which only some cells are in direct contact with the environment.

This is "critically important for function because it introduces transport problems for oxygen, nutrients, and signalling molecules" needed by the internal cells, Andrew Knoll of Harvard University explained in an article reviewing scientific literature on the origins of complex life.

Another researcher, Abderrazak El Albani of the University of Poitiers in France, said there simply wasn't enough detail in the study to back up the claim.

"The morphological measures, on their own, are absolutely insufficient to tell us if these organisms were multicellular, eucaryotes or complex," he told AFP when asked to comment.

El Albani is himself no stranger to controversy on this topic.

A 2010 study he published in Nature's flagship journal -- claiming to have discovered the remains of 2.1 billion year old cell colonies in Gabon -- has been widely challenged, including by Zhu and Antcliffe, who described it as "largely discredited."
Lyle Denniston looks at the Supreme Courts decision to return the Obamacare contraception case to the lower courts, with the intent of asking both sides on the issue to find common ground.

Amid signs that the votes were not there to decide the latest controversy over the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court on Monday shunted to lower courts the dispute over access to contraceptives and once again nudged the two sides to work for a compromise.

In the meantime, the Obama administration has the Justices clearance to go ahead and arrange for that access for the employees and students of non-profit religious charities, hospitals and colleges that object to birth-control, and those institutions have protection against financial penalties for not providing that access themselves.

As a result of an unsigned opinion and several orders, the hotly disputed cases that will go in the books under the title Zubik v. Burwell came to a surprising end before the Justices with their ultimate fate probably tied up with what happens in the federal elections on November 8. The future of the entire federal health care law, the ACA, is a forefront issue in this years presidential and congressional elections.

Although the court took note of the gravity of the dispute, a comment that normally would indicate that the Justices believed it was the kind of controversy to be settled by the highest court and which they had, indeed, agreed to take on, in the end the outcome left all of the legal issues unresolved and open.

While the federal appeals courts to which the cases were sent will be free to decide on their own how they plan to proceed with a new round of review, it is unclear when new decisions will emerge and the controversy seems likely to linger, unless the two sides find a way to settle their dispute.

The court not only disposed of the seven cases it had agreed last November to decide, sending them down to four federal courts of appeals for a new look, but also at the same time ordered three appeals courts to reconsider six other cases that the Justices had not yet agreed to review.

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That cleared the courts docket of all of the birth-control cases that had reached it, but it did so without a final decision on whether the birth-control mandate is legal under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. (Although the cases were taken on by the court on the basis of interpreting that federal statute, all of the cases had strong overtones of religious freedom, and thus seemed almost to rank as constitutional symbolism if not actually constitutional in legal form.) More than 60 cases had developed across the country on that dispute, and the courts decision had been widely and eagerly awaited.

Because the court stressed that it was, in essence, deciding nothing itself on the legality of the mandate, the impression was clear that, with only eight Justices on the bench, a five-Justice majority probably had turned out to be out of reach. Had the court gone ahead and ended the cases with a 4-to-4 split, that would have left intact lower court rulings that were in conflict over the mandates legality, creating a difficult situation for enforcing the mandate in differing states.

The Zubik group of cases were one of the most prominent and potentially consequential cases on the courts decision docket this term. Even so, the court began sending signals in late March that it was having difficulty  in the wake of the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February  finding a way to decide them. So, it floated a compromise proposal of its own creation, and asked the two sides to react to it.

When the reactions were filed, it appeared that the two sides were still far apart. But there were some signs that both the federal government and the religious institutions, each in their turn, might be softening their positions somewhat.

On Monday, the court took those latest filings, rather freely interpreted them as potential openings for some common ground, and then told the lawyers to go back to the federal appeals courts where each of the cases had originated. Tellingly, the court told the federal appeals courts involved to give the two sides an opportunity to arrive at an approach going forward that would protect the access of women workers and students to birth-control devices and techniques and  simultaneously  accommodate the religious institutions beliefs against the use of at least some forms of contraceptives.

The action of the court sought to accomplish those results by treating the fact that the religious non-profits had filed suits to challenge the birth-control mandate as a way for them to notify the government of their objection, thus setting the stage for the government to move forward to make the arrangements for actual access, perhaps independently of the institutions own health plans, and without penalizing the non-profits for their stance.

The court set no timetable for the next round in the courts of appeals. And its opinion and order said not a word about whether the government would have to write new regulations to carry out the assurance of access. Existing regulations are in a form to which the religious non-profits vehemently object, saying those rules compel them to violate their religious beliefs as the only way to avoid ruinous financial penalties for failing to provide access to contraceptives as the ACA mandates.

Government agencies, almost by nature, do not write new regulations swiftly. The government does have a strong commitment to making the ACA birth-control mandate actually work in real-world terms. And, with President Obamas remaining time in office declining as the next seven months unfold, there will be an incentive to try to rescue the program as soon as possible.

The court tried to send a signal that it was unanimous in that the opinion it issued came out under the name of the entire court (per curiam) rather than under the name of any single Justice as the principal author of the outcome. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., did personally announce the result in the courtroom.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, did write a separate opinion with the specific aim of encouraging the federal appeals courts not to conclude that the court had sent any signals on how the legal issues should now be decided. Those two Justices particularly expressed strong support for the governments effort to assure womens access to the contraceptives without having to pay anything or without having to take any unusual steps to gain access.

It will be up to the appeals courts, in the first instance, to decide how to interpret the actions of the Justices. If the two sides do not find a way to compromise, and if the lower courts do come to a new disagreement, the dispute could be back at the; Supreme Court at some point  assuming that the entire ACA survives this years political process.
By Liana B. Baker

May 16 (Reuters) - Corvex Management disclosed on Monday that it owns 9.9 percent of Pandora Media Inc and urged the internet music streaming company to explore a sale.

Corvex is run by Keith Meister, a protege of billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn, and said in the letter to Pandora's board that it had been meeting with the company's management in recent months. It had withdrawn a plan to replace members of its board but said it now believes Pandora should hire an investment bank to help the company explore its strategic options including a sale.

"We have become increasingly concerned that the company may be pursuing a costly and uncertain business plan...," Corvex said. "It remains our firm belief that the company should immediately explore the potential value to shareholders that could be realized in a sale transaction.

Corvex owns about 22.7 million shares in the company, making it the largest shareholder.

Pandora did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday regarding Corvex's letter.

Oakland, California-based Pandora has faced tough competition from music-streaming rivals such as Spotify, Apple Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Amazon.com and has failed to turn an annual profit as a public company. Its shares are down more than 25 percent this year.

Analysts have said Pandora, which had a market capitalization of $2.29 billion on Monday, could be an acquisition target for larger media or Internet companies looking to beef up their online music offerings.

Pandora co-founder Tim Westergren, a former musician who spearheaded Pandora's music algorithm technology, returned to the company March 28, squashing some investors' hopes the company could be sold.

Westergren told Reuters on April 15, "If you want to sell a company, you don't do that by spending half a billion on acquisitions and hiring a new CEO."

Unlike other streaming services, which have negotiated deals with record labels to allow listeners to pick songs, Pandora has acted more like a radio station, delivering a stream of songs that match a genre or artist but not allowing customers to make specific selections.

As on-demand services catch on, Pandora is now playing catch-up and negotiating with record labels for the licenses it needs to offer such a service.

(additional reporting by Julia Love in San Francisco; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
(Adds response from Pandora)

By Liana B. Baker

May 16 (Reuters) - Corvex Management LP disclosed on Monday that it owns 9.9 percent of Pandora Media Inc and urged the internet music streaming company to explore a sale instead of pursuing a "costly and uncertain business plan."

Corvex, a hedge fund by run Keith Meister, a protege of billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn, said it had met with the company's management and had withdrawn a plan to replace some of its board members. However, it now believes Pandora should hire an investment bank to help the company explore its strategic options including a sale.

"We believe there is likely to be significant strategic interest in the company at a substantial premium to the company's recent stock price," Corvex said, adding that large internet companies, handset makers and media companies could be potential buyers.

Pandora's shares are down more than 25 percent in 2016 and more than 45 percent year-over-year. Corvex owns about 22.7 million shares in the company, making the hedge fund Pandora's largest shareholder.

Pandora said in response that it is in constant dialogue with shareholders and committed to achieving long-term value for them.

"Pandora has a profitable core business, combined with a strong balance sheet. We are confidently investing to fully capture the massive opportunity ahead of us," the company said in a statement.

Oakland, California-based Pandora has faced tough competition from music-streaming rivals such as Spotify, Apple Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Amazon.com and has failed to turn an annual profit as a public company.

Analysts have said Pandora, which had a market capitalization of $2.29 billion on Monday, could be an acquisition target for larger media or internet companies looking to beef up their online music offerings.

Pandora co-founder Tim Westergren, a former musician who spearheaded Pandora's music algorithm technology, returned to the company March 28 to become CEO, squashing some investors' hopes the company could be sold.

Story continues

Westergren told Reuters on April 15, "If you want to sell a company, you don't do that by spending half a billion on acquisitions and hiring a new CEO."

Unlike other streaming services, which have negotiated deals with record labels to allow listeners to pick songs, Pandora has acted more like a radio station, playing songs that match a genre but not allowing customers to make selections.

Pandora is now playing catch-up and negotiating with record labels for the licenses it needs to offer more on-demand music services.

(additional reporting by Julia Love in San Francisco; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Andrew Hay)
By Liana B. Baker (Reuters) - Corvex Management LP disclosed on Monday that it owns 9.9 percent of Pandora Media Inc and urged the internet music streaming company to explore a sale instead of pursuing a "costly and uncertain business plan." Corvex, a hedge fund run by Keith Meister, a protege of billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn, said it had met with the company's management and had withdrawn a plan to replace some of its board members. However, it now believes Pandora should hire an investment bank to help the company explore its strategic options including a sale. "We believe there is likely to be significant strategic interest in the company at a substantial premium to the company's recent stock price," Corvex said, adding that large internet companies, handset makers and media companies could be potential buyers. Pandora's shares are down more than 25 percent in 2016 and more than 45 percent year-over-year. Corvex owns about 22.7 million shares in the company, making the hedge fund Pandora's largest shareholder. Pandora said in response that it is in constant dialogue with shareholders and committed to achieving long-term value for them. "Pandora has a profitable core business, combined with a strong balance sheet. We are confidently investing to fully capture the massive opportunity ahead of us," the company said in a statement. Oakland, California-based Pandora has faced tough competition from music-streaming rivals such as Spotify, Apple Inc , Alphabet Inc's Google and Amazon.com and has failed to turn an annual profit as a public company. Analysts have said Pandora, which had a market capitalization of $2.29 billion on Monday, could be an acquisition target for larger media or internet companies looking to beef up their online music offerings. Pandora co-founder Tim Westergren, a former musician who spearheaded Pandora's music algorithm technology, returned to the company March 28 to become CEO, squashing some investors' hopes the company could be sold. Westergren told Reuters on April 15, "If you want to sell a company, you don't do that by spending half a billion on acquisitions and hiring a new CEO." Unlike other streaming services, which have negotiated deals with record labels to allow listeners to pick songs, Pandora has acted more like a radio station, playing songs that match a genre but not allowing customers to make selections. Pandora is now playing catch-up and negotiating with record labels for the licenses it needs to offer more on-demand music services. (additional reporting by Julia Love in San Francisco; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Andrew Hay)
By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A woman who has accused Bill Cosby of drugging and molesting her at a Playboy Mansion party in 2008, when she was a minor, has filed a second lawsuit accusing Playboy founder Hugh Hefner of conspiring in the assault. Chloe Goins, one of dozens of women who have made allegations against Cosby, 78, claimed in her Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that Hefner was liable because he hosted the party and suggested she and a friend have drinks with the comic. "Additionally, defendant Hefner knew or should have known that defendant Cosby over the years had a propensity for intoxicating and or drugging young women and taking advantage of them sexually and against their will or while they were unconscious," Goins asserted in the lawsuit. A spokesman for Cosby declined to comment on the lawsuit. Representatives for Hefner, 90, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday afternoon. In October 2015 Goins, who has said she was 17 at the time of the alleged assault, sued Cosby in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claiming "childhood sexual abuse" and seeking more than $75,000 in damages. The New York Daily News reported that Goins, now 26, withdrew that case in February as she prepared to file the new action naming Hefner. Goins' attorney, Spencer Kuvin, could not immediately be reached for comment on the lawsuit. Los Angeles prosecutors in January declined to file criminal charges against Cosby in connection with the alleged incident, citing insufficient evidence and the statute of limitations. Goins is among more than 50 women who have made accusations against Cosby that include drugging, sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape. In most cases, the incidents date back decades, putting them outside the statute of limitations for legal action. Last month a California judge refused Cosby's second attempt to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a woman who accused the entertainer of sexually abusing her at the Playboy Mansion when she was 15. In New York, a federal judge ruled against Cosby's effort to compel the publisher of New York magazine to provide access to unedited interviews of six women who are suing him. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb)
The oldest space dust yet found on Earth suggests that the ancient atmosphere of Earth had significantly more oxygen than previously thought, a new study finds.

Although oxygen gas currently makes up about one-fifth of Earth's air, there was at least 100,000 times less oxygen in the primordial atmosphere, researchers say. Oxygen easily reacts with other molecules, which means it readily gets bound to other elements and pulled from the atmosphere.

Previous research suggests that significant levels of oxygen gas started permanently building up in the atmosphere with the Great Oxidation Event, which occurred about 2.4 billion years ago. This event was most likely caused by cyanobacteria  microbes that, like plants, photosynthesize and release oxygen. [Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere Top to Bottom]

Most evidence regarding how much oxygen there was in Earth's air in the past concerned the lower atmosphere. Until now, scientists had no way to sample oxygen levels in Earth's ancient upper atmosphere.

In a new study, scientists analyzing tiny meteorites found that the upper reaches of the early Earth's atmosphere may not have been oxygen-poor as once thought. Instead, the ancient Earth's upper atmosphere may have possessed nearly the same amount of oxygen as it does today, the researchers said.

"With this project we have opened up a new way of investigating Earth's ancient atmosphere," said study lead author Andrew Tomkins, a geoscientist at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

Space dust

The researchers analyzed 60 microscopic meteorites from samples of ancient limestone collected in the Pilbara region in Western Australia. These cosmic dust particles are 2.7 billion years old, the oldest yet found.

"We weren't certain that the project was going to work," Tomkins told Live Science. "The project started out as a student research project, and it was a bit of a risk to try and find micrometeorites when few other people had tried it before. I had some backup plans, but the extra tension made for a lot of excitement when we found our first micrometeorites."

Story continues

The micrometeorites ranged from two to 12 times thinner than the width of an average human hair. They are cosmic spherules  remnants of meteorites the size of sand grains that broke apart during atmospheric entry. Previous research suggested that these kinds of particles melt at altitudes of about 45 to 55 miles (75 to 90 kilometers).

The scientists analyzed the micrometeorites using electron microscopes and high-energy X-rays from the Australian Synchrotron. They found that a significant portion of the iron in these meteorites had reacted with oxygen to form iron oxide minerals, which suggests that the thin upper atmosphere in which they melted was richer in oxygen than thought.

"Once we recovered the first micrometeorites, I realized that the minerals inside them were telling us that they had been oxidized in the upper atmosphere," Tomkins said. "These were essentially the first samples of our Earth's ancient upper atmosphere." [Fallen Stars: A Gallery of Famous Meteorites]

This finding was unexpected, "because it has been firmly established that the Earth's lower atmosphere was very poor in oxygen 2.7 billion years ago," study co-author Matthew Genge, a professor in the Department of Earth Science & Engineering at Imperial College London, said in a statement. "How the upper atmosphere could contain so much oxygen before the appearance of photosynthetic organisms was a real puzzle."

What could have happened?

One possible origin of this oxygen is that sunlight broke apart water vapor in the lower atmosphere into hydrogen and oxygen  the oxygen could have risen to the upper atmosphere, while the lighter hydrogen would have escaped Earth's atmosphere into outer space. Another possibility is that sunlight broke apart sulfur dioxide gas emitted from volcanoes into sulfur and oxygen  the sulfur could have condensed to form particles that fell to Earth, leaving oxygen behind, the researchers said.

"A caution  it's important to understand that the density of the atmosphere at the very high altitudes sampled by micrometeorites is extremely thin," Tomkins said. "We are not talking about generating large amounts of oxygen here, but rather elevated proportions of oxygen relative to the other gases."

It remains uncertain how the ancient upper atmosphere could have stayed oxygen-rich while the ancient lower atmosphere remained oxygen-poor. The researchers suggest that a methane haze layer may have existed between the upper and lower atmosphere, reducing mixing between them.

"Methane is thought to have been produced by early single-celled organisms known as methanogens. These exist today as well," Tomkins said. "There has been a lot of debate as to how much methane there might have been, and when it might have first arisen. The general thought is that the methane, combined with carbon dioxide, may have created an organic haze if the conditions were right."

The next step "is to try and extract micrometeorites from rocks of a range of ages, to examine how the chemistry of Earth's upper atmosphere might have changed over very long periods of geological time," Tomkins said. "It should be possible to use micrometeorites to investigate changes in atmospheric composition across very broad periods of time."

"It should also be possible to find micrometeorites on Mars," Tomkins added. "If the rovers can find them, and somehow determine their age of atmospheric entry, they could be used to investigate changes in Mars' atmosphere."

The scientists detailed their findings in the May 12 issue of the journal Nature.

Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

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Tripoli (AFP) - Since its revolution, deep rivalries and violence have devastated oil-rich Libya's economy, exposed it to jihadist encroachment and left it with an unsecured coast prey to people traffickers.

World powers are counting on a fledgling Government of National Unity (GNA) to assert its authority and put an end to the chaos in the wake of the 2011 revolt that ousted longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi.

Here are questions and answers:

Who governs Libya?

The political scene is split into two camps.

The UN-backed GNA, formed in late March and based in Tripoli, has gained the support of key armed militias in western Libya, a region which it now mostly controls.

But it faces resistance from a government which previously had international recognition. Based in eastern Libya, it refuses to hand over power before the GNA wins a confidence vote in parliament, a move that has been repeatedly postponed.

Who are main military forces?

GNA armed forces, made up of powerful local militias and units of Libya's divided army, are based in the western town of Misrata.

Equipped with tanks and warplanes, they control several airports.

The international community, at a meeting in Vienna on Monday, agreed to arm the GNA to fight the Islamic State jihadist group, in an easing of an embargo imposed to halt the Libyan conflict of 2011.

The new government welcomed the decision and said it wants warplanes and helicopters to fight the jihadists.

Libya's rival authorities control the east, also with local militias on the ground and army units under the command of General Khalifa Haftar.

Their armed forces -- equipped with warplanes, tanks and armoured vehicles -- are concentrated in around Libya's second city of Benghazi.

For the past two years, they have appealed for a lifting of the arms embargo to fight "terrorist groups", with IS also in its sights.

Libya has two other armed forces: the Cyrenaica Force and Revolutionary Shura Council of Derna.

Story continues

The Cyrenaica Force is a local tribal coalition which controls oil terminals in eastern Libya and has sworn allegiance to the GNA.

The Revolutionary Shura Council is a mix of militias including Islamists that now controls Derna, a city 1,100 kilometres (650 miles) east of Tripoli. It opposes Haftar but has yet to announce a stand on the GNA.

The different forces are fighting separately against IS, which has taken advantage of the divisions to implant itself in post-Kadhafi Libya, mainly in the east.

Where is IS?

In June 2015, IS seized control of the slain dictator's coastal hometown of Sirte, half-way between Tripoli and Benghazi.

It has built up a force of an estimated 5,000 fighters, mostly non-Libyans, and has spread to the east and west of Sirte, just 300 kilometres across the Mediterranean from Europe.

IS holds sectors around the city of Derna, inside Benghazi and small towns and villages to the east of Sirte, up to the fringes of eastern oil terminals, and has made inroads in a strategic region linking eastern and western Libya.

It has failed to recruit a large number of Libyans, "in a generally conservative society but one that has never been extremist", in the words of a security official in Tripoli.

Impact on economy?

Despite holding the richest oil reserves in Africa, Libya's exports have plunged from pre-revolution levels of almost 1.5 million barrels per day to barely 300,000 bpd.

While insecurity makes tax collection almost impossible, prices of goods in Libya have shot up since the end of 2015 mainly because of the rising US dollar on the foreign exchange market.

Situation on borders?

Libya, apart from its 1,700-kilometre coastline, has land borders with Niger, Chad, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt, making it a prime transit route for migrants seeking to reach Europe and ultra-vulnerable to people traffickers.
Washington (AFP) - The court-martial for Bowe Bergdahl, the US Army sergeant held captive in Afghanistan for five years before being freed in a prisoner swap, has been delayed until next year, officials said.

The February 6, 2017 start date to Bergdahl's trial was set during a brief hearing Tuesday at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the Army said in a statement.

The trial was initially due to start in August, but a military judge delayed proceedings to allow legal teams more time to prepare.

In its statement, the Army noted the date could be subject to further change.

Bergdahl, 30, disappeared from Combat Outpost Mest-Malak in Paktika Province, Afghanistan on June 20, 2009.

After departing, the soldier was quickly captured by militants from the feared Haqqani faction, a Taliban-lined outfit blamed for many deadly attacks on US soldiers.

Bergdahl's disappearance triggered a massive search operation.

He was eventually released to US special forces in 2014 in a swap for five Afghan Guantanamo Bay detainees.

If convicted on a charge of desertion, Bergdahl could serve up to five years in prison, receive a dishonorable discharge, lose his rank and forfeit all pay.

But he also faces a second more serious charge, "misbehavior before the enemy," that could carry a life sentence.
HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba and the United States aim to reach new agreements on cooperation in law enforcement, health and agriculture over the coming months, a senior Cuban official said on Monday, as part of the former Cold War foes' drive to normalize ties. The Communist-ruled island and its northern neighbor reestablished diplomatic relations a year ago after decades of hostility and have since signed deals on the environment, postal services and direct flights. A bilateral commission met on Monday in Havana to establish a roadmap for talks over the rest of this year, which would include more high-ranking official visits, said Josefina Vidal, head of the Cuban delegation. In March, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president in 88 years to visit Cuba. "The agenda is quite ambitious," Vidal told a news conference, adding that talks about intellectual property rights were also in the cards. The two sides had discussed holding dialogues on human rights and claims, the U.S. embassy in Cuba said in a statement. They already outlined their respective claims late last year, with the U.S. seeking upwards of $10 billion in compensation for nationalized properties and Cuba demanding at least $121 billion in reparations for the U.S. trade embargo and other acts it described as aggression. "The United States looks forward to holding these meetings in the near future," the embassy said. "Tomorrow (we) will discuss specific steps related to bilateral security during the law enforcement dialogue." Vidal, who is the Cuban Foreign Ministry's chief of U.S. affairs, said the island was hopeful that whomever became next the U.S. president would continue to deepen the detente. The United States will hold a general election on Nov.8. "When you look at the polls, the majority of the American population and the Cuban American community are in favor of the normalization of relations," she said. "So I expect their opinion will be taken into account." (Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
While Mark Cuban once praised Donald Trump for his brash, unrehearsed rhetoric, the Dallas Mavericks owner seems to have changed his tune.



"I like the guy, but that doesn't mean I agree with his position," Cuban said on MSNBC's "MTP Daily" on Monday. Cuban isn't convinced that Trump has the entrepreneurial chops.

"He is a savant when it comes to real estate, but, he hasn't really demonstrated that ability in other business ventures," Cuban said. "He puts his names on products that make no sense. The products he put his name suggests that he just needed the money. Steaks, suits, water, university, there's no rhyme or reason there."

Cuban cites Trump's "Seinfeld candidacy" and inability to evolve as key reasons that he doesn't fit the bill.

"I don't see him as a reflection of a CEO or a reflection of an entrepreneur," Cuban said. "He's good at what he's good at, but I don't know that that's applicable."

Representatives for Donald Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Still, Cuban does think that the skills of a business leader makes for a good president.

"You have to be knowledgeable, you have to be prepared, you have to be willing to learn, you have to have a thirst for knowledge," he said.

In case you were wondering, Cuban reiterated that he will not run for president this year.

"There's not enough time and it just wouldn't work," Cuban said on Monday. The billionaire says he declined when he was approached by a group of Republicans to mount a third-party bid against presumptive Republican presidential candidate Trump.





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And Aprils top five bestselling projects.

Manulife Financial Corp. is tapping the Asian capital markets for the first time as it seeks to broaden its funding sources and investor base. Canadas largest life insurer issued S$500 million ($365 million) of subordinated debt in Singapore with a 3.85 percent coupon due in 2026, the company said in a statement. Read more here.

New private home sales in Singapore, excluding executive condominiums (ECs), fell by 11.6 percent to 745 units in April 2016, compared to the 843 units sold in the previous month, according to latest data published by the Urban Redevelopment Authority on Monday (16 May). Read more here.

Property developers in Singapore sold 745 private homes, excluding executive condominiums (ECs) in April, compared to 843 units in March. This represents an 11.6 percent month-on-month decline and a 36.2 percent decline from last year. Read more here.





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Veteran TV producer Dave Bell, whose credits include A Killer Among Us and Do You Remember Love died on Friday after a battle with cancer. He was 84.

The Ohio native began his television career as a documentary filmmaker, producing medical, police and social issue films for broadcast and cable networks. His documentary MissingHave You Seen This Person? became the basis for the NBC series Unsolved Mysteries. He was considered a reality show pioneer who opened the door for many series today.

Anyone over 50 who has worked in reality TV, at some point, worked for or with Dave Bell, said Cynthia Shapiro, former CEO of Dave Bell Associates. Dave gave hundreds of directors, producers, writers, editors, and production crew the opportunity to prove themselves in the reality TV business and effectively launched their careers.

Bells other reality series credits include LAPD: Life on the Boat; Missing/Reward, hosted by Stacy Keach; and Alive and Well, a two-hour daily magazine series for the then-named The USA Cable Network.

He also used his work to explore womens issues, producing such documentaries as Gangs: Not My Kids (a mom dealing with her kids joining a gang) and Dying for Love (women with AIDS) for then-Lifetime Network executive Bonnie Hammer. He also executive produced Innocence on Trial for Hammer, which explored child abuse.

Dave was ahead of his time as a social documentarian who walked the talk on womens issues, equally passionate on and off screen, said Hammer, now chairman of NBCUniversal Cable. He was the best kind of mentor, providing the space to learn and grow but always there with support and advice when you needed it.

In addition to his non-scripted programming, Bell executive produced TV movies and features such as Do You Remember Love with Joanne Woodard and Richard Kiley; The Long Walk Home with Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg; and Nadia, about gymnast Nadia Comaneci.

Bell is an Emmy, Peabody, C.I.N.E Golden Eagle and ACE winner. He also won awards at San Francisco, Houston and New York film festivals.

He is survived by his wife, Alice, four children, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
By Joseph Guyler Delva PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Gunmen stormed a police headquarters in southern Haiti on Monday leaving at least six killed in a shootout and a related accident in an apparent uprising attempt days after the volatile country missed a deadline to sign in a new president. The police chief for Haiti's southern region, Luc Pierre, said gunmen in military fatigues attacked at night in the coastal city of Les Cayes. They seized automatic weapons and killed a policeman before officers shot one of them dead. "Gunmen in military fatigue attacked police headquarters around 2:30 a.m., they beat several police officers and took away a number of weapons," Pierre said, adding that several policemen had been wounded, one seriously. Under a political agreement struck in February after the impoverished Caribbean nation failed to hold a runoff election, a provisional president was chosen on condition he held the delayed vote in April and hand over power by May 14. Both deadlines were missed, and an election will only be held after a commission evaluates fraud allegations in the first round, a process likely to take weeks despite U.S. and U.N. pressure. Suspicions about Monday's attack turned to Guy Philippe, a former coup leader wanted by U.S. authorities on cocaine trafficking charges, who this year threatened an uprising against any interim government. Philippe denied on Monday any involvement in the attack. One of the gunmen who was captured, Remy Teleus, told reporters that he was among more than 50 men mobilized by Philippe to take over police headquarters and the southern region. "I was not among those who stormed the police headquarters, but I am part of a group commissioned by Guy Philippe to take over police headquarters," Teleus said, adding that the plan had not been to kill police but that the situation turned ugly. Philippe, who is running for senate, called for peaceful protests to pressure interim President Jocelerme Privert to complete the botched elections. Four of the gunmen died when their vehicle crashed as they were fleeing. Others wounded in the accident were arrested. Supporters of former President Michel Joseph Martelly, who left office without an elected successor in February, have demonstrated to demand a speedy runoff. They took to the streets on Monday to call for the departure of Privert, who they accuse of foot dragging. A few protesters threw stones and broke windows at a radio station offices. (Editing by Frank Jack Daniel, Toni Reinhold)
In October 2014, then-Federal Election Commission Vice Chairwoman Ann Ravel did what she often does: speak her mind about political campaign issues.

A re-examination of the Commission's approach to the Internet and other emerging technologies is long overdue, Ravel, a Democrat, wrote in lamenting a deadlocked commission vote over whether an Ohio-based business group must include disclaimers on political ads it posted for free on YouTube.com.

But Ravels statement  just finding it on the FECs website in no small feat  didnt disappear into the Internets bowels as bureaucratic missives often do.

Instead, in a sign of how toxic American politics have become, it spawned unbridled ugliness, including death threats that have drawn the attention of law enforcement.

Die, fascist, die! one anonymous person wrote to Ravel in an email reviewed by the Center for Public Integrity.

Hope you have a heart attack, read another email.

Go fall down about ten flights of stairs, yet another person wrote.

Other threats, while less overt, are equally disquieting.

Best to be careful what you ask for. You will more than likely find the Nazi scenario showing its ugly head, one wrote to Ravel, who is Jewish.

Keep it up, and the pitchforks will come out and then you and your ilk will have no place to hide and the People will have their justice, promised another.

Ravels recent vote to sanction conservative filmmaker Joel Gilbert for alleged violations of federal election laws  the FEC deadlocked on the matter  have prompted a new round of hate mailers to, in recent weeks, call her a communist c---sucking b---- and wish her the worst for you and yours.

Heil Hitler is how one writer last month concluded a screed emailed to Ravel at her FEC email account.

This story is part of Politics. Campaign donations, lobbying and influence in government and reports on the special interests that are funding elections and buying power. Click here to read more stories in this topic.

Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email.

Such vitriol and vulgarity, while commonplace for high-profile politicians such as Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, were previously unknown to federal election regulators who many congressional representatives  to say nothing of average Americans  couldnt identify by name or face.

Story continues

While FEC commissioners of late often clash along ideological lines and bicker among themselves, several current and former FEC commissioners interviewed said theyve never once experienced hate-filled communications of the sort Ravel has received.

I dont recall a debate ever going off the rails into personal attacks  this is extremely harsh rhetoric and incredibly inflammatory stuff, said Michael Toner, a Republican FEC commissioner who served from 2002 to 2007 and presided over the commission as chairman during 2006, when the six-member body last overhauled regulations addressing political communications on the Internet.

It reflects a coarsening of the thinking process for some people  lack of a filter, lack of civility, said Scott Thomas, a Democratic FEC commissioner from 1986 to 2006 and three-time chairman. A lot of people now seem to be going off the edge.

Law enforcement is taking the threats against Ravel seriously.

In late 2014, Edward Holder, the FECs acting deputy staff director for management and administration, contacted the Federal Protective Service in response to threats against Ravel.

The service, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that protects federal facilities, then interviewed Ravel, FEC spokeswoman Judith Ingram confirmed. Ravel also confirmed she received extra security protection during a public forum in 2015.

The Federal Protective Service doesn't comment on possible threats against government officials, said spokesman Scott McConnell in declining to answer questions. Its unclear whether the service is actively investigating the most recent messages Ravel received.

What initially prompted the torrent of messages targeting Ravel appears to be an Oct. 25, 2014, banner headline on the Drudge Report: DEMS ON FEC MOVE TO REGULATE DRUDGE. (Editors at the website did not return requests for comment.)

The Drudge Report headline linked to a Washington Examiner article that reported on Ravels comments about the FEC revisiting Internet regulations.

The story also quotes then-FEC Chairman Lee Goodman, a Republican who warned that Ravels interest in stronger Internet regulations could lead to bloggers and politically active news outlets facing new rules.

I told you this was coming, Goodman said.

Goodman underscored his concerns about Internet regulation soon afterward during a pair of Fox News interviews.

I cant imagine a regulatory regime reaching deep into the Internet, he told host Tucker Carlson.

Its really a specter of a government review board  the government needs to know when to leave well enough alone, he later told host Steve Doocy.

Ravel, who in 2015 followed Goodman as FEC chairman, told the Center for Public Integrity that she believes Goodmans comments contributed to the threats against her.

He was arguing that I was trying to squelch free speech  I wasnt  and it put me in an awkward position, said Ravel, who since joining the FEC in late 2013 has routinely advocated for stronger election rules and enforcement and sometimes antagonized her Republican colleagues whom shes accused of failing to enforce certain election laws.

I feel very strongly about the First Amendment and the rights of the press, Ravel said. My point is that the Internet has advanced greatly since 2006, and the FECs rules about it are, potentially, obsolete. Our role is to talk about them.

Goodmans office said the commissioner wasnt available to be interviewed. But Goodman emailed a statement disavowing threats against her.

Unfortunately, too many people believe that the way to counter speech with which they disagree is to censor or threaten the speaker, Goodman wrote. The appropriate way to challenge an idea one disagrees with is to debate the idea on the merits. Commissioner Ravel's formidable voice on regulatory issues should not be diminished by inappropriate threats or censorship."

Current FEC Chairman Matthew Petersen, a Republican, called for civility, saying there is no place in these debates for threats of violence or things of that nature.

The messages Ravel has received, Petersen added, are beyond the pale.

Democratic Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, who acknowledged receiving a few strongly worded emails of her own in recent months, declined to otherwise comment. Commissioners Steven Walther, an independent, also declined to comment, while Caroline Hunter, a Republican, did not return interview requests.

The 2006 Internet communication regulations the FEC approved in a unanimous vote left most online political messaging unregulated. Only paid political ads published online became subject to similar rules governing traditional political messages, such as those that appear on television or radio.

Since then, the FEC has generally addressed digital and Internet political communications and transactions on a case-by-case basis.

In 2010, for example, Google asked the FEC whether it could sell AdWords text ad space to political candidates and committees without requiring them to include disclaimers. The commission, in a 4-2 vote, determined that Google could generally avoid running disclaimers.

Then in 2011, Facebook asked the FEC to confirm that its small, character-limited ads about politics are exempt from federal rules requiring disclaimers. In a 3-3 vote, the commission deadlocked on the matter.

The FEC has also grappled with cases ranging from political donations made via text message to whether candidates and committees may accept contributions in the form of digital currency, such as Bitcoin.

If the FEC addresses the Internet in any fashion this election year, expect it to be along these narrow lines.

Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email.

Petersen, the FEC chairman, says he highly doubts the FEC will reopen the lengthy Internet-related rulemaking process it undertook a decade ago. He predicted the commission would take a much lighter touch this year that focuses on providing clarity, coherence and guidance on discreet issues brought before the commission.

There may also be renewed appetite on the FEC to eliminate from its regulations references to obsolete technology  yes, mentions of telegrams, typewriters and magnetic diskettes are still found  and otherwise update rules to reflect how campaigns do business in 2016, Petersen said.

Ravel, of course, prefers a more aggressive approach to regulating online politicking  an approach the body isnt likely to take anytime soon.

So is serving on the FEC even worth it anymore to Ravel, who President Barack Obama nominated three years ago next month?

Beyond the threats shes received, Ravel isnt shy about her frustrations with agency gridlock, even appearing on "The Daily Show" in November to colorfully question whether the FEC still serves a purpose.

Ravel also maintains a home in California, shuttling back and forth from Washington, D.C., to visit her family in a commute she hardly enjoys.

In December, when asked by the Center for Public Integrity, Ravel revealed that the White House has seemingly taken little interest in her tenure at the FEC, saying she had never met with the president and had almost no contact with the White House. At the time, Ravel would only say that its possible shed continue serving through the 2016 election.

Whether on purpose or by coincidence, White House almost immediately started paying Ravel more attention.

Visitor logs show Ravel traveled to the White House on Jan. 20, according to a review of White House visitor logs.

Ravel then met with Obama himself on Jan. 28 in the White Houses West Wing. Stacy Koo, the Presidential Personnel Office chief of staff, also attended the meeting, according to a visitor log entry.

Both Ravel and the White House confirmed the meeting but declined to discuss it.

The President is pleased with Commissioner Ravels performance as an FEC commissioner, the White House said in a statement.

Asked again how long she planned to stay at the FEC, Ravel said she will stay as long as I feel I can contribute.

In the meantime, she said she will attempt to take any additional threats in stride  as much as one can.

These are an attempt to be intimidating, to make me either not speak out or to make me stop doing my job, Ravel said. Its creepy, a little worrisome. Im just going to keep doing my work.

This story was co-published with the Daily Beast.

This story is part of Politics. Campaign donations, lobbying and influence in government and reports on the special interests that are funding elections and buying power. Click here to read more stories in this topic.

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.
A group of Taiwanese fraud suspects deported from Malaysia to China have confessed and will be tried on the mainland, according to Chinese authorities, despite an angry Taipei demanding they face justice at home.

The expulsion of the 32 suspects from Malaysia in April came after another group of Taiwanese fraud suspects were sent to China from Kenya, a move described by Taiwan as "abduction".

The deportations are seen by observers as a means of exerting pressure on self-ruling Taiwan's new president Tsai Ing-wen, who takes office on Friday and has a far more sceptical approach to relations with Beijing than her China-friendly predecessor did.

Taiwan has lodged formal complaints with China over the deportations and has insisted its nationals face investigation and trial on the island.

Beijing says it wants to try the suspects deported from Malaysia on the mainland because they were part of a telecom fraud ring that targeted Chinese victims. China's Ministry of Public Security said they will undergo proceedings under the "mainland judiciary".

"The 32 Taiwanese suspects confessed to committing fraud and have been detained according to law," mainland police said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The report quoted a 72-year-old cancer patient who was tricked into depositing two million yuan ($152,835) into a "safety account" as part of the fraud scheme.

"This is my medical savings and it's all been cheated," said the woman surnamed Guo.

"I hope Taiwan will hand these crooks over to the mainland so they can be punished by law," she said.

Taiwan's Ministry of Justice, which has been leading negotiations with the mainland over its detained nationals, was not immediately available for comment.

Taiwan sent a delegation to meet mainland police and discuss the Malaysia case over the weekend.

Twenty other Taiwanese suspects arrested in the Malaysia raids were deported back to Taiwan last month and are currently under investigation.

Chinese state media has also said previously that the Kenya suspects have admitted their guilt and will be tried on the mainland.

Taiwan is self-ruling after splitting with the mainland in 1949, following a civil war, but China still sees it as part of its territory waiting to be reunified.
By Lesley Wroughton and Michael Shields VIENNA (Reuters) - Soldiers from Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh were killed early on Tuesday, hours after the Armenian and Azeri presidents agreed on the need for a peaceful settlement to the conflict in the breakaway region where violence flared again last month. Monday's meeting between Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev in Vienna was the first since fighting between Armenian-backed separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri forces restarted. The resurgence in violence has killed dozens of people and pushed relations between the neighbors to their worst in years. "The presidents reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and the peaceful settlement of the conflict," the United States, France and Russia said in a joint statement after the meeting. "To reduce the risk of further violence, they agreed to finalize in the shortest possible time an OSCE investigative mechanism." The two leaders also agreed to fix a time and place for their next meeting in June and that the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) would quickly finalize a plan to monitor the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, it said. A ceasefire agreed a month ago has stopped the short conflict becoming an all-out war, but residents say gunfire and shelling still echo nightly, and people are still being killed. In a sign of continued high tensions, a soldier from Nagorno-Karabakh was killed just after midnight on Tuesday as a result of shooting from Azerbaijan's side, Nagorno-Karabakh's defense ministry said. An Azeri soldier was also killed "in a ceasefire violation", Azerbaijan's defense ministry said. "DESIRE FOR COMPROMISE" The ex-Soviet state of Azerbaijan and separatists backed by Armenia fought a war over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s, with thousands killed on both sides and hundreds of thousands displaced. The war ended with a truce in 1994, although there has been sporadic violence since. The ceasefire was shattered last month when Azerbaijan's army and Armenian-backed separatists exchanged heavy fire using artillery, tanks, rockets and helicopters. After Monday's meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he sensed there was now a desire on both sides for a compromise and that Russia was ready to do what it could to broker a more satisfactory deal, according to RIA news agency. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in Vienna for meetings on Syria and Libya, held one-on-one talks with the Armenian and Azeri leaders. Sarksyan's office confirmed the details in the joint statement, saying a deal was struck to step up monitoring of the existing ceasefire, to look at beefing up the OSCE team and to take steps towards resuming talks on a more permanent solution. The conflict has worried the international community in part because it could cause instability in a region that serves as a corridor for pipelines taking oil and gas to world markets. (Additional reporting by Andrew Osborn and Polina Devitt in Moscow, Hasmik Mkrtchyan in Yerevan and Nailia Bagirova; Editing by Catherine Evans)
The S&P 500 Aerospace & Defense (Industry) grew only by a meager 0.81% over the last five trading sessions. But the prospects of the sector look good given the currently favorable defense budget picture. Though the bottom line depreciated in the first quarter in a generally anemic earnings season, the top line of the defense firms has started to show growth.



Among the important headlines last week, foreign military sales or FMS in short hand ruled the proceedings with the State Department giving the green signal to two important proposals  United Arab Emirates request to buy a suite of Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT Hellfire Missiles and Egypts proposal for Harpoon missiles.



(Read Defense Stock Roundup for May 10, 2016 here.)



Recap of the Weeks Most Important Stories



1. The State Department has given the nod to United Arab Emirates proposal to buy a suite of Lockheed Martin Corp. built AGM-114 R/K Hellfire Category III Missiles through a $476 million FMS agreement with the U.S. government.



Lockheed Martins Missile and Fire Control business will be the prime contractor for the award that includes provision of up to 4,000 AGM-114 R/K Hellfires and associated equipment, training and technical support services to the UAE over a three-year period.



UAE plans to use these missile systems to strengthen its homeland defense and secure critical infrastructure against national security threats. DSCA also noted that the FMS contract does not need deployment of U.S. government or contractor representatives to UAE.



Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control has also won a contract from the U.S. Navy for the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) program. The company has been awarded a $321.8 million, cost-plus-incentive-fee U.S. Navy contract for research and development in support of the LRASM program's integration and research phase.



LRASM is an anti-ship missile being developed for the U.S. Navy. Work is scheduled to be completed by Aug 2019 with the majority performed in Orlando, FL and the rest in Troy, AL and Ocala, FL.



2. General Dynamics GD Commercial Cyber Services, a business of General Dynamics Information Technology, has entered into an agreement with a leading provider of cybersecurity for industrial control systems (ICS)  NexDefense  to boost its portfolio of cybersecurity services.



Per the agreement, NexDefense will offer its industrial network security monitoring and anomaly detection system to General Dynamics information technology business unit. The commercial cyber services unit within General Dynamics IT unit will employ NexDefenses Sophia product to enhance cybersecurity monitoring services particularly in the industrial control system market.



This is crucial for the U.S. after new warnings from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about the countrys critical infrastructure becoming the next hacking target.



Separately, General Dynamics has won a $184 million contract from the General Services Administration to deliver IT services for the U.S. Army in Europe.



Specifically, this contract was given to General Dynamics One Source, a joint venture of two General Dynamics business units  General Dynamics Information Technology and General Dynamics Mission Systems.



The company will provide IT services for sustainment support in garrison and deployed locations of Mission Command Networks and Systems. This will support USAREUR, Joint, Coalition, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations.



3. The U.S State Department has approved the sale of UGM-84L Harpoon Block II Encapsulated Missiles and Encapsulated Harpoon Certification Training Vehicles (EHCTV) to Egypt. Boeing BA will serve as the principal contractor under the FMS deal that comprises 20 Harpoon missiles, 2 encapsulated Harpoon certification training vehicles, spares, repair parts and containers.



The DSCA delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on May 11, 2016.



4. L-3 Communications Holdings LLL announced that it intends to close its Electron Devices facility in San Carlos, CA, in late 2017 and move its manufacturing operations to the North Central Pennsylvania and Los Angeles areas. The consolidation initiative is part of the companys ongoing strategic effort to boost efficiencies across its operations. This will take place through 2017.



Employees of the San Carlos facility will be offered employment at one of the two L-3 locations or given appropriate notice and severance assistance.



Performance



The major defense stocks showed a unimpressive performances last week with all of them ending in the red barring Boeing. Rockwell Collins COL lost the most followed by Northrop Grumman.



In the past six months, however, the picture is mostly green, barring Boeing and Textron. Northrop Grumman gained the most while Textron TXT was the biggest decliner.



The following table shows the price movement of the major defense players over the past five trading days and during the last six months.



Story continues

Company Last Week Last 6 months LMT -0.57% 10.89% BA 0.38% -6.57% GD -0.23% 2.88% RTN -0.48% 7.76% NOC -0.78% 16.88% COL -1.39% 2.35% TXT -0.70% -8.84% LLL -0.21% 10.73%



Whats Next in the Defense World?



Northrop Grumman is hosting its 2016 Annual Shareholder Meeting on May 18, 2016.



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In its opening salvo for the general election, Priorities USA, the former Barack Obama super PAC now backing Hillary Clinton, released its first television ads critical of presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump late Monday. The two spots feature some of Trumps most controversial comments about women, aimed at increasing the already substantial gender gap between Clinton and Trump. The first, Speak, is reminiscent of a GOP super PACs anti-Trump spot, featuring women and men repeating Trumps comments. The second, Respect, highlights Trumps comments about Megyn Kelly and his call for criminal punishment for women who undergo abortions. They are part of a three-week initial $6 million buy airing in the swing states of Ohio, Florida, Virginia, and Nevada, and are gaining a significant boost in free airings on cable television. Trump responded in a tweet claiming a quote was taken out of context in one of the ads, but didnt directly challenge the overall premise.

The Republican Party is making clear it wont rush to Trumps defense on these issues, with top party leaders making themselves scarce on television as Trump faces his worst stretch of media coverage in months. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus repeatedly declined on Sunday to defend his partys nominee on taxes, women, and even the alleged impersonation of a public relations professional, instead arguing that voters dont care about those issues. The GOP is seeking to carve out a middle path between a full embrace of Trump and outright rejection of his more controversial comments as they hope to protect vulnerable Republicans down ticket. Meanwhile, Trump will appear on Kellys new primetime special Tuesday evening in a much-anticipated interview.

Clinton may add to her string of primary and caucus defeats Tuesday in Oregon and Kentucky (her campaign has already all-but-conceded the former) but her delegate lead over Bernie Sanders remains stronger than ever and she is on pace to clinch the nomination by June 7one week before the final contest. Pivoting to the general election, Clinton has brought back the notion of a 2-for-1 presidency, promising a significant role in her administration for her husband, former president Bill Clinton, dealing with revitalizing the economy.

Story continues

Trumps surprising appeal among the wealthy. Democratic convention drama in Nevada is omen for rest of the country. And Donald Trump hires a pollster.

Here are your must-reads:

Must Reads

Why Republicans Arent Rushing to Donald Trumps Defense

As Donald Trump becomes the presumptive Republican nominee, the partys head is making clear they wont defend him on some issues [TIME]

Hillary Clinton and the 2-for-1 Presidency

The other Clinton will play a leading, but not Cabinet-level, role [Associated Press]

Why Donald Trumps Surprising Wins in These Wealthy Suburbs Matter

TIMEs Tessa Berenson on Trumps appeal to the moneyed elite

Inside Facebooks GOP Charm Offensive

The social media giant contacted the RNC and other top party organizations to counter allegations of anti-conservative bias [Politico]

Rift Between Labor and Environmentalists Threatens Democratic Turnout Plan

Democratic divide threatens partys November plans [New York Times]

Billionaires Lining Up for Trump Arent Sure Where to Send Their Money

Feel free to Venmo Zeke Miller [Washington Post]

Sound Off

My husband, who Im going to put in charge of revitalizing the economy, cause you know he knows how to do it  Hillary Clinton at a rally in Kentucky on her husbands role in her potential administration

I dont have pollsters. I dont want to waste money on pollsters. I dont want to be unreal. I want to be me. I have to be me.  Donald Trump in August 2015 on why he wont hire pollsters

Bits and Bites

Hillary Clinton Says Bill Clinton Would Be in Charge of the Economy After Election [ABC]

Donald Trump Ex-Girlfriend Comes to His Defense: He Was a Gentleman [TIME]

Sources: Trump Hires Pollster Tony Fabrizio [Politico]

Money Troubles Close College Once Headed by Sanders Wife [Associated Press]

John Kasich Says He Wont Run As a Third-Party Candidate [TIME]

Priebus Calls for Degree of Diversity on Trump Ticket [Politico]

Sanders Nevada revolt puts Democrats on notice [Politico]
Analyzing Nokia's 1Q16 Results: What It Means for Investors

(Continued from Prior Part)

Strong profitability in 1Q16

Europe-based (EFA) (FEP) Nokias (NOK) IP Networks and Applications business includes its IP/Optical Networks and Applications and Analytics business groups. The profitability in this space was strong with YoY (year-over-year) gross margins increasing by over 500 basis points. The operating margin in this business also doubled in 1Q16.

Sales in the IP/Optical Networks segment rose 4% YoY to 1.1 billion euros. Nokias Applications and Analytics business saw revenues fall 7% YoY in 1Q16. However, Nokia continues to see considerable opportunities in the Applications and Analytics business. It has been investing in stronger software sales capability through external hires as well as internal development.

Focus on innovation

In the IP/Optical Networks, optical sales posted strong YoY growth confirming the traction of Nokias Wavelength Division Multiplexing portfolio. Net sales of its IP routers also grew YoY. This growth was offset by the lower resale of third party IP routers resulting in a slight decrease in total IP sales.

Nokia continued to focus on innovation in this segment. It launched new optical solutions that increased fiber capacity by more than four times. Nokias CEO, Rajeev Suri, stated that such advances in innovation are essential to meet the need for surging data demand. Nokia and other tech heavyweights including Intel (INTC), Cisco (CSCO), and Ericsson (ERIC) continue to focus on the evolving IoT (Internet of Things) business.

Although Nokias current IoT-related work is with telco operative customers, its looking to expand activities in several markets including connected utilities, connected cities, connected safety, connected automotive, and connected health by building on strong software assets the firm has in its applications and analytics business group.

Suri also stated that It is clear to us that there are profit pools outside of our traditional customer base where we can add value not just through basic connectivity, but also through device management, security, service enablement and more. Interestingly, in the quarter, Nokia clinched a smart city deal in Dubai and just after the first quarter ended, we signed one in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Story continues

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
Interest Expense and Forex Loss Weigh on Petrobras in 1Q16

(Continued from Prior Part)

Petrobrass stock performance

Earlier in the series, we discussed Petroleo Brasileiros (or Petrobras) first quarter earnings and segment-wise performance. In this part, well discuss the stock performance of the company.

Petrobras (PBR) announced its earnings on May 12, 2016. On that day, PBR stock opened at $7.44 per share, which was higher than the previous close of $7.42. Petrobras saw highs of $7.66 and lows of $7.17 during the day. Eventually, Petrobras closed at $7.35, around 0.94% lower than the previous days close.

On the other hand, on May 12, 2016, PBRs peers XOM, CVX, and BP rose by 1%, 1%, and 0.6%, respectively. The Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) has ~10% exposure to energy sector stocks.

Petrobrass 1Q16 capex

Petrobras incurred capex of $3.9 billion in 1Q16. Of the total capex, $3.5 billion went towards the exploration and production (or E&P) segment, $243 million went towards the refining, transport, and marketing (or RTM) segment, and the rest went towards the gas and power, distribution, and biofuels segments.

To combat lower oil prices, PBR aims to divest non-competitive assets and lower its costs. Petrobras is actively considering an asset sale program to divest assets like onshore fields in Brazil. In fact, Petrobras (PBR) has already concluded negotiations for the sale of stakes in Petrobras Argentina and distribution assets in Chile. The divestment activities are expected to continue in 2016.

Plus, to reduce its operating costs, Petrobras plans to bring efficiency in operations, rationalize business structure, reduce input and transport costs, and optimize personnel costs.

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
Cannes (France) (AFP) - A new film shows a rarely examined side of Nelson Mandela's life training as a fighter across Africa where he dodged at least one assassination attempt before a tip from a CIA spy led to his arrest in 1962.

British director John Irvin has brought a sneak preview of the film "Mandela's Gun" to the Cannes film festival after four years of chasing down revelations about the anti-apartheid icon's life as a young revolutionary.

One leak from the long-awaited film this week showed to what extent the West was keen to stop Mandela from launching an armed rebellion against South Africa's apartheid regime at a time when the Cold War was in full swing.

Former diplomat and CIA operative Donald Rickard told Irvin he had tipped off apartheid authorities, leading to the arrest of Mandela who the Americans believed was "completely under the control of the Soviet Union".

Irvin told AFP he had travelled all the way to America to track down Rickard -- who has since died -- and record the interview which was first reported by Britain's The Sunday Times newspaper.

Irvin said the CIA had informants within the African National Congress (ANC) and "a lot of people knew that he (Mandela) was in town" after his return from months abroad receiving military training and drumming up support for the armed struggle.

"I think there are at least three, maybe four substantial revelations" in the movie, said Irvin.

In Ethiopia, where Mandela was trained in "weapons, mines (and) bombs", the filmmakers tracked down a former bodyguard who had been approached by Western intelligence services to "eliminate him", Irvin said.

"The mistake they made in auditioning him was that he was a deeply religious man and when it came to the moment of action his conscience cobbled him, he couldn't do it, and reported to authorities," he added.

"The diplomats and others who were in on the conspiracy were asked to leave the country. More than that we cannot find out."

Story continues

- First South African actor -

Irvin said the movie, which should be released by the end of 2016, is the first of about 18 films on Mandela's life to cast a black South African actor, Tumisho Mashe, in the main role.

Over the years the icon, who died in 2013 aged 95, has been portrayed by British and American actors such as Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover and Idris Elba.

The movie came about, and got its title, from an old South African mystery: what happened to the Makarov pistol that Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie gave Mandela?

The gun was the first weapon of the armed struggle, a route the ANC decided to take in 1961 with the launch of its armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe after peaceful resistance to apartheid failed.

"It has enormous significance historically," said Irvin, who said the filmmakers never did find the gun, but stumbled on a much wider story which took them to Ethiopia, Algeria, Botswana, Tanzania and the US.

Algeria, which is helping produce the film, is where Mandela received "probably the most important aspects of his political education and the most important in terms of leadership," the filmmaker said, citing Mandela's widow Graca Machel.

"He was given a very vivid experience of combat" in Algeria which was in the middle of its war of independence from France.

The Mandela shown in the film "is a much angrier man than the man who came out of prison 27 years later. He is a dedicated revolutionary, impetuous, thoughtful, well-educated, well-read, but he's angry."

- 'Unfinished' revolution -

Mandela emerged from prison in 1990 and became the country's first black president in 1994, and his attitude of reconciliation towards his former oppressors made him an international peace icon.

The movie comes at a time when South Africa, 21 years after the end of apartheid, is undergoing an enormous amount of soul-searching.

Dogged by corruption scandals, the ANC under Jacob Zuma has been accused of betraying Mandela's legacy by former anti-apartheid stalwarts such as Desmond Tutu.

And many young South Africans, still struggling to access education and jobs, are questioning whether Mandela made too many concessions to white South Africans, still seen as controlling land and business.

"I hope this film will aid and abet the soul- searching," said Irvin, saying that there was a danger of Mandela being "deified" to such an extent that his legacy no longer seems real.

"I think he represents a revolutionary spirit and I think that revolution is unfinished," he said.

"I think the film will be a very, very potent reminder of what the promise was and I hope it will inspire the government to get a move on."
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee who long dismissed the usefulness of campaign pollsters, has hired pollster Tony Fabrizio. The veteran GOP consultant officially announced the move himself Tuesday.

Excited to help @realDonaldTrump continue to make history by stopping another 4 years of Obama policies to #MakeAmericaGreatAgain! he wrote on Twitter.

Fabrizios hiring is part of a broader Trump campaign effort to professionalize its operations in order to prepare for a general election campaign against likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

A person familiar with the matter told Yahoo News that Fabrizio will be focused on surrogates, strategy and survey research for targeting voters. Trump, the person said, will continue to do his own messaging.

During the Republican primary, the poll-obsessed Trump boasted that he doesnt want to waste money on pollsters to determine his campaign message. He also openly mocked his rivals for investing in internal polling.

The networks do it for free, he reportedly remarked in January, referring to surveys published by cable news networks. What the hell are they doing polling for?

Campaigns typically use internal polling data to find out much more than simply whos leading and by how much. Among other things, campaign pollsters test how potential arguments, positive and negative, resonate with different voters.

And Fabrizios history suggests he may fit well with Trumps unorthodox approach to the campaign trail. He worked with another longtime Trump confidant, Roger Stone, on Carl Paladinos unsuccessful New York gubernatorial campaign in 2010. Like Trump, Paladino is a New York businessman who railed against political correctness while running for office.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, right, with campaign strategist Tony Fabrizio. (Photo: Andrew Innerarity/Reuters)

Fabrizio is a veteran of various other high-profile races, including past GOP presidential campaigns like Rand Pauls earlier this year, Rick Perrys in 2012 and Bob Doles in 1996. Last summer, he tweeted a great article by columnist George Will, who called Trump a counterfeit Republican.

Story continues

As Politicos Marc Caputo noted Monday when he broke the news of Fabrizios hire, the consultant was one of the architects of the infamous Willie Horton ad, which Republican George H.W. Bush used to help take down Democrat Michael Dukakis in the 1988 race.

Critics say the Horton ad stoked racial anxieties by using an African-American convicted felon to portray Dukakis as weak on crime. Trumps own critics similarly accuse him of stirring racial anxieties by deploying caustic rhetoric against Muslims and illegal immigrants from Mexico.

Caputo described Fabrizio as widely respected among those who know him. In addition to Stone, top Trump adviser Paul Manafort is also reportedly Fabrizios friend.

Tony is flat out one of the smartest dudes I know. He proved it with Rick Scott  much to my personal detriment, he knows how to take a deeply flawed candidate and sell them to the voters, Democratic strategist Steve Schale told Politico, referring to both Trump and Florida Gov. Rick Scott. If I was a Republican running for president or dogcatcher, Id want him in my corner.
Donald Trump lashed out at one of Hillary Clintons top super PACs over new advertisements that used Trumps own statements against him.

In a series of Tuesday-morning tweets, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee criticized the ads released by the group, Priorities USA, on Monday. One of the ads spliced together derogatory statements that Trump had made about womens bodies.

Trump accused the super PAC of taking a quote from a New Hampshire speech in which he said China and Mexico could go f themselves out of context.

The pathetic new hit ad against me misrepresents the final line, Trump wrote. You can tell them to go BLANK themselves  was about China, NOT WOMEN!

The real-estate magnate also reiterated his attempt to brand former President Bill Clinton, an admitted friend of Trump, as an abuser of women because of decades-old infidelities.

One of the ads, titled Speak, showed men and women mouthing many of Trumps most infamous opinions about womens bodies from public interviews with radio host Howard Stern.

The 30-second spot included the presumptive Republican presidential nominees assertion that a person who is flat-chested is very hard to be a 10, as well as his judgment that reality-television star Kim Kardashian does not have a good body but absolutely has a fat a.

While Clinton is still waging a Democratic presidential primary fight with Sen. Bernie Sanders, her campaign and her allied super PACs have largely turned their fire on Trump.

Both the Clinton campaign and Priorities USA have launched digital video campaigns against Trump.

Earlier this month, Clintons campaign released a one-minute montage of top Republican leaders slamming Trump during the Republican presidential primary.

Priorities USAs ads Monday represented the first of a reported $130 million ad campaign designed to help turn out female, black, and Latino voters, many of whom polls have shown to be turned off by Trumps inflammatory rhetoric.

Story continues

Watch one of the Priorities ads below:

NOW WATCH: Trump is fuming over this attack ad from a pro-Hillary super PAC





More From Business Insider


Jean-Claude Van Damme; Ice Cube

Stars rise, stars fall. Two of the late 80s brightest stars just crossed paths in a fascinating home purchase. For rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube, theres no debate over his current cultural relevance, while fading martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme has been reduced to a direct-to-DVD punch line.

But dont weep for Van Damme. Ice Cube recently paid some serious coin$7.25 millionfor Van Dammes contemporary home in Marina del Rey, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Van Damme, also known as The Muscles from Brussels, listed the 7,574-square-foot home in June for $9.99 million, then whittled down the asking price to $7,949,000. Built in 2011, the property sits on the Grand Canal in the citys Silver Strand community and features six bedroom suites, a state-of-the-art theater, gym, and enormous terrace that overlooks sailboats and sunsets. A rooftop deck and swimming pool round out the homes no-luxury-overlooked features.

On the canal

Listing agent Shaun Hurley of First Team Real Estate says the sale is a record for Marina del Rey properties not situated on the ocean. Oh, and living on the Grand Canal is soooo much nicer than being oceanfront, Hurley says.

Oceanfront homeowners lose privacy and have a lot of north-westerly trade winds that blow, he says. The canal is very quiet, buffered. And youre not getting the direct salt ocean breeze coming in.

Ice Cube, whose real name is OShea Jackson, was the first member of N.W.A. to leave the seminal rap group. As a solo artist, he became one of hip-hops most successful and controversial artists, courting rhymes that are both political and profane. Hes released 10 studio albums, but has endeared himself to most of America thanks to his work on the big screen. Hes starred in such films as Boyz N the Hood, Friday, and Ride Along.

Van Damme, who paid $6 million for the Marina del Ray house four years ago, is known for his blockbuster films Timecop and Bloodsport, and for suspending himself between two moving trucks in a full-legged split for a Volvo commercial in 2013.

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Rooftop relaxing

The post Double Impact: Ice Cube Buys Jean-Claude Van Dammes Waterfront Home appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.





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(Updating to add details about the project and opposition)

By Valerie Volcovici

NEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) - Constitution Pipeline Company LLC on Monday launched a last-ditch legal challenge to gain approval in New York for its 124-mile (200-km) natural gas pipeline project stretching from the U.S. shale heartland to the northeastern United States as local opposition grows.

Constitution said in a statement it has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals fighting last month's ruling by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that denied the project a water permit in the state.

The water permit is the final regulatory hurdle for the flagship project, which would bring fracked Pennsylvania gas to New York and New England and has cost its owners $300 million over the past four years.

"We are ultimately seeking to have the court overturn this veiled attempt by the state to usurp the federal government's authority and essentially 'veto' a FERC-certificated energy infrastructure project," the pipeline owners said in the statement, referring to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Constitution Pipeline is owned by subsidiaries of Williams Partners LP , Cabot Oil & Gas Corp, Piedmont Natural Gas Company Inc and WGL Holdings Inc .

At stake is the future of the $875 million project, but the outcome of the case could also be a litmus test for other projects destined for New York, where fracking was banned in 2014. It will also be a test for other northeastern states where opposition to the controversial drilling practice is some of the fiercest in the nation.

The company also filed an action with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York seeking a declaration that the State of New York's authority to exercise permitting jurisdiction over certain other environmental matters is preempted by federal law, it said.

On Friday, New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman raised a further potential legal block to the pipeline, calling on FERC to delay its December 2014 approval of the project until it finishes a probe into whether Constitution partners illegally cut trees along the pipeline path ahead of the issuance of the federal permit.

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The future of the pipeline is being closely watched by the gas market. Even as inventories remain near record highs and the price rout deepens the industry's crisis, some analysts warned that delays to Constitution and other pipelines could cut U.S. output more than expected.

STIFF OPPOSITION FROM NEW YORK

For pipeline advocates, Constitution symbolizes the political and environmental challenges facing the industry as the fight over fracking moves from Marcellus and Utica shale regions to more densely-populated parts of Pennsylvania and other like New York and New Jersey.

Chris Stockton, a spokesman for Williams, told Reuters last week the company believes the regulator's denial last month was "driven more by New York State politics than environmental science."

Local activists led by grassroots group Stop The Pipeline have campaigned against the project, which would cross through a sensitive watershed area. It also comes at a time when New York state wants to boost renewable energy use.

Defending the plan, the pipeline companies say natural gas is critical to the region, will supply 3 million homes, help the states replace coal power and home heating oil with gas, and create 2,300 direct and indirect jobs.

If Constitution loses its legal fight, green activists hope it could influence regulators in other states.

Spectra Energy's > planned AccessNortheast pipeline expansion project between New York and Massachusetts is also facing strong local opposition. FERC will hold a public hearing on it on Tuesday.

John Hangar, former head of Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection, said more conflicts are on the horizon as the industry moves into more adverse territory and fails to convince local landowners of the need for natural gas.

"These battles are not new but they are multiplying because the gas industry has poured kerosene on the fire of opposition," he said.

(Reporting by Josephine Mason; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Diane Craft)
Kinshasa (AFP) - A leading Congolese surgeon who treats women sexually abused during conflict warned Tuesday of "unbearable atrocities" being committed in the country's east including the mutilation of babies and the disemboweling of pregnant women.

Denis Mukwege, who is the subject of an acclaimed 2015 film about his efforts to help women raped by the military and militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said that more than 600 people had been killed since October 2014.

"The images of these mass atrocities are unbearable: pregnant women who have been disembowelled, mutilated babies, human beings bound and butchered with knives," he wrote in a message to AFP.

Mukwege, who is director of the Panzi Hospital that he founded in 1999 in Bukavu in the east of DRC, called for "radical change of the current system".

He said that the "crimes and cruelties that have plagued the east of the DRC for 20 years had been reborn with a new intensity".

The region has suffered chronic unrest for two decades fuelled by ethnic differences and claims to land, along with bids for control over valuable natural resources and rivalry between regional powers.

New York University's Congo Research Group published a report in March detailing a series of massacres of civilians since October 2014, claiming that soldiers from the regular army participated in the killings.

DR Congo has been in crisis since President Joseph Kabila's re-election in late 2011 in polls marred by irregularities and massive fraud.

Tensions are running high in the country amid opposition fears that Kabila, in power since 2001, may refuse to leave office at the end of his term this December.

The UN has criticised the recent wave of arbitrary arrests of opposition activists and protesters in the country.

Mukwege's intervention came on the same day as celebrations were being held to mark the 19th anniversary of the date when Kabila's father, Laurent-Desire Kabila, came to power.

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Mukwege said the Congolese people feel "abandoned" but hoped that they "are mobilising to achieve the long-awaited change".

Mukwege received the 2014 Sakharov Prize for human rights awarded by the European Parliament for his commitment to women raped during conflict.

Belgian filmmaker Thierry Michel's "The Man Who Mends Women" follows Mukwege's efforts to repair the physical and psychological injuries of the victims of sexual violence.

The film was controversially banned by DRC authorities who claimed there was a "clear intent to harm and sully the image of our army".
jeb bush

Jeb Bush shamed Donald Trump on Tuesday over his controversial taco-bowl tweet from early May.

"What Trump did was so insensitive," Bush told NRC Handelsblad, a Dutch news agency, in one of his first interviews since leaving the presidential race in February.

"First, not all Hispanics are Mexican," he added, according to a translation provided to The Huffington Post. "Secondly, not all Hispanics eat tacos. Thirdly, showing your sensitivity by eating an American dish is the most insensitive thing you can do. Fourthly, to say this, next to all things he already said, is a further insult."

"Its like eating a watermelon and saying, 'I love African-Americans,'" Bush added.

Trump had tweeted a photo of a taco bowl he was eating on May 5 in honor of the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo.

"I love Hispanics!" he added in the tweet, which has accumulated nearly 85,000 retweets and more than 110,000 likes in the nearly two weeks since it was posted.

Trump also opined in the tweet: "The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill."

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

During a Fox News interview the following day, the presumptive Republican nominee said people "loved" the tweet.

"I had 59,000 retweets, 59,000 in a short time," he told "Fox & Friends." "That's almost got to be some kind of a record. People loved it."

"And you know what, I mean, I'm going to do great with the Hispanics," he added.

Bush added in the interview with NRC that he wasn't planning on voting for Trump or Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. The former Florida governor had early-and-often contentious back-and-forth bouts with Trump on the campaign trail.

Story continues

NOW WATCH: The real story behind Trump's taco bowl tweet





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A curious prehistoric site on a hilltop in northern Ohio may reflect the spiritual cosmology of the ancient hunter-gatherer people who built the site around 2,300 years ago, according to a new study.

The so-called Heckelman site, located near the town of Milan, in Ohio's Erie County, is on a flat-topped bluff above the Huron River. There, people of the "Early Woodland" period of North American prehistory erected tall, freestanding wooden poles as part of the group's social or religious ceremonies.

Archaeologist Brian Redmond, a curator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, said the location of the site appeared to echo a conception of the cosmos common to many Native American peoples. [See photos of the prehistoric Heckelman site]

"We know that Native American and many different tribal groups had a very specific vision about the world as a three-layered cosmos: the upper world, the middle world that we live on and an underworld," Redmond, author of a new research paper on the earliest occupants of the Heckelman site, told Live Science.

Three layers

The site is bordered by water, which ancient people could have seen as symbolic of the underworld, Redmond said. The wooden poles on the bluff may have been constructed to reach up to the sky, in the direction of the upper world, he added.

"So this could have been seen as a spiritually powerful landscape where you connected the three worlds together, with the poles as an 'axis mundi' (axis of the world) or 'tree of life' type of thing, which is global in the way that [ancient] cultures looked at these things," Redmond said.

The Heckelman site is unique among Early Woodland sites in the region because there are no signs of human burials or preparations for burials, Redmond said. Instead, the site seems to have been used for rituals or festivals associated with the living, rather than the dead, he said.

"From everything we're seeing, we're very certain it was some sort of ceremonial location. The fact we found no human burials, we found no evidence of mortuary treatment or mortuary ceremonialism  this site really stands out because we really didn't find any direct evidence of that," Redmond said. "So it's a different kind of ceremonialism, a ritualism related to the living  it represents that these people had a rich ceremonial life, a religious life, that wasn't just involved in burying people." [Top 10 Weird Ways We Deal With the Dead]

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What remains

The unusual site features two parallel ditches that enclose the top of the bluff, and an oval ditch that encloses a flat area measuring about 87,000 square feet (8,080 square meters), where the wooden poles were erected.

None of the poles remain, but their locations can be determined by what's left of the "post molds," or pits, that were dug to hold the poles upright, researchers said. Judging by the size of the holes, the poles would have stood about 10 to 12 feet (3 to 3.7 m) tall, the researchers said.

"Unlike other sites where we have post molds, these don't represent the walls of a structure or a specific building. They seem to be freestanding, upright poles, which would indicate they had some different kind of function," Redmond said. "When I was looking at all the data and maps of the distribution of these poles, it's kind of a habit to try to make them into a structure, to look for rectangles or circles or something like a building, and I was really frustrated by the fact that I couldn't do that in the end. And then I realized, these are something else."

About six clusters of poles have been identified at the site so far. Each cluster may have been part of ceremonies held at the site at different times or by different groups of people, Redmond said.

"It really is very different than we've seen before," he added. "You do see poles in some Adena [culture] sites in southern Ohio, such as the circular arrangements of posts called a 'woodhenge'  sometimes these are found beneath Adena burial mounds. But that sort of regular pattern is something we're not seeing up here."

Rich history

The Heckelman site, named after its private landowners, has been known since the 1950s, thanks to a large number of prehistoric artifacts found there by the landowners and amateur archaeologists. Those objects included pottery, spear points and knife blades. [In Photos: Human Skeleton Sheds Light on First Americans]

Excavations in the 1960s and 1970s found one of the parallel ditches on one side of the bluff top, and a geomagnetic survey in 2008 revealed the second ditch and oval enclosure.

Archeologists from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Firelands Archaeological Research Center, in Amherst, Ohio, excavated parts of the site each summer from 2009 to 2014.

In addition to evidence of the freestanding poles, researchers found pits filled with pottery shards and burned rocks, which were likely the remnants of food that had been prepared as part of the ceremonies at the site, Redmond said.

"With analogy to historic Native American groups and others, it seems like these ceremonies would have also involved preparing food and communal meals, or feasting," he said.

Ancient community

The Early Woodland people were hunter-gatherers who lived in communities of a few families, and many of these groups likely used the Heckelman site, Redmond said.

"Their habitations were based on small groups of related families, but they did congregate in much larger groups for rituals or seasonal festivals," Redmond said. "It was probably a very social thing. They would come together to exchange information, to talk about where to get the best flint, or where did you see geese or ducks last season?

And there may have been other social benefits, too, he said.

"They needed to interact, to get together and develop their social organizations and relationships, and these places were probably used for that," Redmond said. "So it is probably social [interactions], not just religion, going on at these places."

Redmond said the discoveries at the Heckelman site underline the importance of preserving archaeological resources in the United States. In many cases, doing so depends on the help of private landowners, he said.

"The father and son who maintain this property are very supportive of what we do. They have even gone so far in some years [as] to not even plant parts of the field that we wanted to excavate in," he said. "So we really just want to spread the word that there is really good evidence of the past all over North America, and that it is really important to preserve these sites."

The study was published earlier this year in the Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology.

Follow Tom Metcalfe @globalbabel. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

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Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz recently highlighted two schools of thought on how income is distributed to different groups of people in the economy. Which school is correct has important implications for our understanding of the forces that have caused the rise in inequality, and for the policies needed to reverse this trend. It also relates to another controversy that has flamed up recently, how economics should be taught in principles of economics courses.

The first school of thought is that inequality is a natural and equitable outcome of competitive market forces. According to this view, which is based upon textbook models of competitive markets, individuals are rewarded according to their contributions to the economic well being of society. Those who contribute the most to the production of the goods and services we all enjoy receive the highest rewards and climb to the top of the income distribution.

Related: The Politics of Income Inequality

For workers, the reward depends upon their human capital, the skills and talents they bring to the marketplace. For capitalists, it depends upon the amount of financial resources they are willing to risk in an attempt to bring new products to market, or improve upon those that already exist. Thus, the study of inequality has traditionally focused on how human and physical capital are distributed in society, and how that distribution changes over time.

This school of thought attributes the rise in inequality to two sources, technological change that has enhanced the ability of skilled workers to contribute to the social good, and globalization that has made it possible to satisfy the needs of larger and larger numbers of people all over the world. Since those at the top of the income distribution are being equitably rewarded for their contributions to society, any attempt by government to intervene and reduce inequality through income redistribution will undercut the incentives the market offers for contributing so much.

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For this reason, this school argues that instead of interfering with the efficiency and fundamental equity the market system brings us, what is needed is to elevate the skills of the have-nots through education to improve their human capital, and to ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to reap the rewards the market system has to offer.

CEO Pay vs. S&P 500 vs. Typical Worker Pay | Graphiq

Related: Heres Why Income Inequality Is Grossly Exaggerated

The second view of inequality, one that is gaining traction, emphasizes market imperfections and the exploitation of power relationships. Adherents to this school of thought believe that market systems have an inherent tendency toward large monopolies, and this tendency has been furthered by technological change, globalization, and economic strategies by incumbent firms that make it hard for new competitors to enter the market.

As monopoly power becomes established, those with economic and political power can capture the political process and prevent the enforcement of antitrust law and regulatory change that could threaten their market dominance. The political power large firms have can also be used to undermine unions destroying any chance workers have to bargain on equal footing for wages. This leads to even higher profits and more inequality.

The solution in this case is for government to get involved rather than step away. The outcome is no longer has the efficiency properties that come with a competitive market system, and the claim that the distribution of income is equitable in the sense of being based upon an individuals contribution to society rather than the exploitation of economic and political power is lost. As Professor Stiglitz says:

In todays economy, many sectors  telecoms, cable TV, digital branches from social media to Internet search, health insurance, pharmaceuticals, agro-business, and many more  cannot be understood through the lens of competition. In these sectors, what competition exists is oligopolistic, not the pure competition depicted in textbooks.  If markets are fundamentally efficient and fair, there is little that even the best of governments could do to improve matters. But if markets are based on exploitation, the rationale for laissez-faire disappears. Indeed, in that case, the battle against entrenched power is not only a battle for democracy; it is also a battle for efficiency and shared prosperity.

Related: Watch Out, Hillary Clinton: A Revolt Is Brewing in the Democratic Party

If the view that we cannot fully explain the evolution of the economy with traditional models is correct, and I believe it is, it has important implications for the recent debate over how economics should be taught. There is much to be said for teaching the traditional model of perfect competition in principles of economics courses. For one, it provides a baseline for measuring how far market imperfections push us away from an efficient and equitable outcome and it provides a goal for policymakers to strive for as they try to implement solutions to these problems. It also provides students with an important framework to think about the costs and benefits of economic choices. For example, if we want to reduce fraud in the financial sector, at what point does the cost of an additional regulator or other preventative measure exceed the benefits?

These courses do spend time looking at the economic consequences of monopolistic completion, oligopolies, and monopolies, though not enough in most cases. But students are left with the impression that these market structures are aberrations from the norm rather than the normal state of affairs. That needs to change. And what is missing altogether in most cases is a discussion of power relationships. Quoting Professor Stiglitz once again, historically, the oppression of large groups  slaves, women, and minorities of various types  are obvious instances where inequalities are the result of power relationships, not marginal returns.

If we want students to come away from these courses fully equipped to understand issues such as those that have fueled the rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, and to be able to evaluate the merits of the solutions they have proposed, discussions of the power relationships that come with departures from pure competition must be a central part of the education they receive.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Today in One Paragraph

Donald Trump said he might not have a very good relationship with David Cameron following the British prime ministers critique of Trumps proposed plan to ban Muslims from entering the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court delayed a ruling on a major challenge to the Affordable Care Acts contraception mandate. The office of the CIA inspector general said it accidentally destroyed its copy of the Senate torture report. Mark Zuckerberg will host a meeting with several prominent conservatives after Facebook was accused of having a political bias. And President Obama awarded 13 police officers with the Public Safety Medal of Valor.

Top News

Trump vs. the Brits. Donald Trump defended himself against criticism from British Prime Minister David Cameron. During an interview with Piers Morgan, Trump said, Im not stupid, OK? I can tell you that right nowjust the opposite, referring to the way Cameron described his proposed Muslim ban. The presumptive GOP nominee also had a warning for Londons newly elected mayor, Sadiq Khan, who recently called Trump ignorant: I will remember those statements, Trump said, challenging Kahn to take an IQ test. (Alexander Smith, NBC News)

Recommended: The Narcissist

More Delays on Contraception. The U.S. Supreme Court sent a challenge to the Affordable Care Acts contraception mandate back to the lower federal courts to try to reach a compromise. The case, Zubik vs. Burwell, includes challenges from seven religious nonprofits to the laws contraceptive mandate; the organizations claim that even the governments procedure for providing religious exemptions would compromise their beliefs. Sending the case back to the lower courts will likely delay the major ruling until after Novembers election. (Matt Ford, The Atlantic)

The Disappearance of a Torture Report. The CIAs Office of Inspector General admitted to mistakenly destroying its sole copy of the Senates Select Committee on Intelligences 2014 torture report. The office is the the CIAs internal watchdog. But other offices have copies of the massive report, which runs to several thousand pages and details years of brutal and illegal practices. (Michael Isikoff, Yahoo News)

Story continues

Facebook Does Damage Control. Mark Zuckerberg will host several conservative leaders at Facebooks headquarters in California for a meeting on Wednesday, including the radio personality Glenn Beck, the Fox News co-host Dana Perino, and the Trump campaign advisor Barry Bennett. The meeting comes one week after the company was accused of manipulating the sites Trending Topics section to exclude conservative news. Facebook has denied the allegations. (Shanika Gunaratna, CBS News)

Recommended: How Bad Can Congress Get?

Obama Awards Police Officers. The president presented 13 police officersone posthumouslywith the Public Safety Medal of Valor, recognizing them for exceptional courage in protecting citizens. "To a person, each of these honorees acted without regard to their own safety," Obama said. The ceremony came just after Obama signed two bills concerning police and first responders. (Gregory Korte, USA Today)

Tomorrow in One Paragraph. Voters head to the polls in Oregon and Kentucky holds its Democratic primary. Bernie Sanders will campaign in California.

Follow stories throughout the day with our new Politics & Policy page. And keep on top of the campaign with our 2016 Distilled election dashboard.

Top Read

Koch allies say the brothers took tremendous interest in Bernie Sanders unlikely successparticularly his resonance with young voters who represent the future of the electorateand drew stark conclusions about their own efforts. Dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into elections doesnt persuade enough people to achieve lasting change, one Koch confidante says. The National Reviews Tim Alberta and Eliana Johnson on how the Koch brothers are reevaluating their approach to political spending.

Top Lines

Is Bernie Sanders the New Ralph Nader? In his determination to stay in the presidential race, the Vermont Democrat may be walking a fine line between pushing for his agenda and ultimately hurting Hillary Clintons chances of beating Donald Trump in the general election. (Bill Scher, Politico)

Recommended: Is Jane Sanders to Blame for Burlington College's Collapse?

The Politics of Gender- and Race-Based Abortions. Indiana has banned the termination of pregnancies based on sex, race, or genetic abnormalitiesspurring a wave of moral questions that many pro-choice advocates have largely avoided answering. (Emma Green, The Atlantic)

Make America Greatfor Whom? Supporters of the presumptive GOP nominee hope hell return the country to its former glory, when the middle class boomed and factory jobs were plentiful. But that glory, argues Bryce Covert in The New York Times, really only benefitted white men.

Top View

The Largest Generations. Millennials now comprise 31 percent of the nations electoratealmost equal to the portion of Baby Boomers in the United States. These charts show the difference between voting eligibility and turnout by generation. (Richard Fry, Pew Research)

We want to hear from you! Were reimagining what The Edge can be, and would love to receive your complaints, compliments, and suggestions. Tell us what youd like to find in your inbox by sending a message to newsletters@theatlantic.com.

-Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey)

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Montigo Bali_Pool Side Dinner (3 of 3)

Bali is a frequent travel destination for the bulk of us Singaporeans, and I cant see why not. A quintessential beach vacation, where all you really need is some swim wear, tanning oil or sunscreen, sandals and good vibes.

While getting to Bali is pretty easy, choosing a prime location to park your travel bug souls may prove to be a daunting problem  you will need to think of the proximity between your lodging location and the places you are visiting, aka how easy it is to get back after a long day out.

Bali Montigo Lobby (1 of 1)

At Montigo Resorts Seminyak, your problems are solved  a convenient resort in the heart of Seminyak that provides quality service and spacious rooms, Montigo has been a wonderful stay. The resort is still relatively new, and a new wing is being developed to have more rooms and a second pool.

After an enjoyable experience, heres some of the top reasons why I love staying at Montigo Resorts Seminyak.

11. The beds at Montigo are really, really, fluffy

Montigo resort Seminyak Bali_Room (1 of 7)

Like sleeping on marshmallows, I really have to ask the management just where did they get their beds, because these are quite possibly the most comfortable and fluffiest beds Ive ever laid on. You could stonecold stunner (wrestle) someone and still land on such soft grounds, really. The only downside is how you cant seem to get out from the bed for obvious reasons.

10. Theres a personal outdoor patio for each room

Montigo Bali_Room (2 of 7)

I can only say that this makes you feel like a real bad ass boss. Having your own personal outdoor patio, you can lounge and hideaway from the scorching hot afternoon sun when youre feeling too delicate for the weather while still enjoying the open air.

Montigo Bali_Room (7 of 7)

Its also a really romantic spot for your partner and you to melt into  theres a huge lounging sofa that will definitely make the both of you feel that bit more like royalties.

9. Something for the whole family

Montigo resort Seminyak Bali_Poolside (1 of 1)

While some hotels target a specific audience group, like lovers, youngsters or families, etc. Montigo Seminyak ensures that there is something for everyone. When it is fully renovated, kids can be entertained in the kids club and sign up for cake decoration classes, while the adults relax by the pool with a cocktail or simply enjoy a nice in-house spa or other activities like cooking.

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8. Montigo is conveniently located where the action is

montigo bali-01904

Situated just right outside Montigo resort is a myriad of cafes and Balinese shops, where you can get your hands on all the bikini and surfing business. If youre looking to stroll, the street is seemingly endless, with different types of souvenirs and things to look at; Im talking about hammocks, dream catchers and many more, how dreamily convenient!

Thats not all, within walking distance is a great collection of bars, restaurants, grills and nightclubs, so you dont really have to worry about stumbling back for too long after youve had one drink too many.

7. You can have drinks by the pool and enjoy a spa

montigo resort Seminyak bali-01847

montigo bali-01852

Currently, theres only one pool, but when fully completed, there will be two pools to splash in the compound. Choose from a selection of cocktails and bar bites while you cheekily soak in the sun, on a float or not, your call.

If getting tanned is not the first thing on your mind, indulge yourself in a spa session where every nook and cranny of your joints are massaged till youre a relaxed little baby.

6. Montigo Seminyak is walking distance to the beach

montigo-beach-bali

Just a few stones throw awayand not to mention how Potato Head Folk is literally less than two minutes awayMontigo Seminyak is your hotel destination if youre looking for convenience and quality.

5. The inhouse restaurant has very versatile cuisine to feast on

Montigo resort Seminyak Bali_TIIGO (1 of 6)

Montigo Bali_TIIGO (3 of 6)

The Big Breakfast.

Montigo has a really resourceful and versatile Restaurant, TIIGO, complete with a head chef that is exceedingly warm. By morning, it serves up a wide selection of western breakfast foods like eggs benedict, American breakfast and even local delights, and many more.

montigo bali-01890

Montigo Bali_TIIGO (4 of 6)

Local Balinese delicacies (clockwise): Ayam Betutu, Babi Guling and Crispy Duck.

By afternoon, it presents a selection of Japanese, European and Balinese cuisine; expect dishes like lamb shank, pork belly, sushi, and definitely their local favourites like Babi Guling, Ayam Betutu etc. Taste-wise, TIIGO has got it all covered.

4. Enjoy private dining right outside your backdoor

Montigo Bali_In-Room BBQ (1 of 8)

Sometimes it can get a little too lazy to move, especially with the extremely fluffy bed that Montigo offers, which is an understandably reasonable excuse. Remember that patio outside your room? Hows a private BBQ right there sound.

Montigo Bali_In-Room BBQ (7 of 8)

To indulge your lazybones, Montigo offers an In Room Private Dining, with different options to spoil yourself silly.

A casual Western Barbecue option is priced at 950 000 Rupiah for two, approximately 95SGD, for a four course dinner. Dishes will be whipped up by a personal chef, and of course you will be waited on like royalty.

Montigo Bali_In-Room BBQ (3 of 8)

Although its called the Western Barbecue, it also offers local flavours like the Sate Lilat, a kind of satay, made with over 10 native Balinese spices.

Montigo Bali_Pool Side Dinner (2 of 3)

If youre looking to pamper your significant other with a more romantic setting, opt for the dinner by the pool, where you idle away with your loved one, enjoying the food and view.

Either way, its still pretty damn romantic with the candles and flowers, really.

3. You can sign up for cooking classes in Montigo

montigo bali-01801

montigo resort Seminyak bali cooking class

While you may not be a domestic goddess, you may still sign up for a cooking class to be one step closer to becoming one.

Montigo Bali_Market Experience (1 of 3)

With each cooking class, you also get the option to take a trip down to the local market with the chef, where you can personally pick out ingredients, learn more about the local produce, then head back to the Resorts kitchen to cook with guidance from the chef.

Montigo Bali_Cooking Class Dessert (1 of 1)

You can take home recipes of the three course meal, and yes, including desserts. Upon completion of the cooking class, you will get to taste your own creations, receive a certificate and feel like youre ready to take on the kitchen anytime.

2. Quaint, though right outside a busy street

montigo bali-01785

Situated at a prime location near lounges, beach clubs, restaurants and cafes, Montigo Seminyak remains quaint and quiet within the complex even though its smack in the middle of a bustling street. You get to choose from the best of both worlds, to relax or to party? is the question.

Head on down for great drinks at beach lounge Potato Head, and also discover an amazing cocktail bar called Akademi, located just minutes away.

1. Montigo uses upscale Bvlgari toiletries

Montigo Bali_Room (6 of 7)

When a hotels toiletries are from Bvlgari, you know youre in for some serious pampering quality treat. Montigo offers a range of bath essentials, which you can be sure to smell so fresh and fragrant, butterflies will be attracted to you like a Disney Princess.

Montigo Bali_Room (5 of 7)

Rooms start from 100 USD during non peak period season, and will increase accordingly  room rates are still relatively cheap due to the Bali resort being new.

With beds so comfortable and an impeccable hotel service, its definitely value for money. Well, Im definitely coming back again on my next Bali trip.

Visit Montigos website to find out more information now.

Expected Damage: From 100 USD per night

Montigo Resorts Seminyak: Jl. Petitenget, Seminyak, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali, Indonesia | Tel : +62 361 3019888 | website

The post 11 Reasons To Stay at Montigo Resorts Seminyak The Next Time You Visit Bali appeared first on SETHLUI.com.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised Israel on Tuesday warmer ties if it accepts efforts to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, urging its leaders not to waste an opportunity to bring security and hope to a troubled region. In an impromptu speech at an infrastructure conference in the southern city of Assiut, Sisi said his country was willing to mediate a reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions to pave the way toward a lasting peace accord with the Israelis. "I say we will achieve a warmer peace if we resolve the issue of our Palestinian brothers... and give hope to the Palestinians of the establishment of a state," Sisi said. "I ask that the Israeli leadership allow this speech to be broadcast in Israel one or two times as this is a genuine opportunity... We are willing to make all efforts to help find a solution to this problem." French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday an international conference due in late May in Paris to relaunch peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis had been postponed but would take place this summer. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told France's foreign minister on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to the French initiative, born of French frustration over the absence of movement toward a two-state solution since U.S.-brokered talks collapsed in 2014. Israel is concerned that the conference would seek to dictate terms, but Netanyahu welcomed Sisi's remarks from which he said he drew "encouragement". "Israel is willing to participate alongside Egypt and the other Arab states in advancing the diplomatic process and stability in the region," he said in a statement. A Palestinian official also welcomed Sisis remarks. "We welcome any efforts aimed at ending the Israeli occupation," Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, told Reuters. Egypt was the first of a handful of Arab countries to recognize Israel with a U.S.-sponsored peace accord in 1979, but Egyptian attitudes to their neighbor remain icy due to what many Arabs see as the continued Israeli occupation of land that is meant to form a Palestinian state. Sisi, who rarely speaks publicly about foreign policy, offered the 2002 Arab peace initiative as a potential way ahead. The initiative offered full recognition of Israel but only if it gave up all land seized in the 1967 Middle East war and agreed to a "just solution" for Palestinian refugees. But he also urged the Palestinians to unite ahead of talks. "I say to our Palestinian brothers, you must unite the different factions in order to achieve reconciliation and quickly. We as Egypt are prepared to take on this role. It is a real opportunity to find a long-awaited solution," Sisi said. (Reporting by Lin Noueihed in Cairo, Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Editing by Alison Williams and Hugh Lawson)
Cairo (AFP) - President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Tuesday there is now a "real opportunity" for an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement that would also lead to warmer ties between Egypt and the Jewish state.

In a live televised speech also addressed to the Palestinians and Israelis, Sisi urged them to draw hope from the "real and stable peace" between Israel and Egypt.

"There is an Arab initiative, there is currently a French initiative, and there are American efforts" to broker an Israeli-Palestinian settlement, he said.

In 1979, Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel.

"Maybe some people can say this peace is not warm," Sisi said. "I tell them a warmer peace will be achieved if we were able to resolve the issues of our Palestinian brothers."

The Egyptian leader urged Israeli parties and leaders to "please, reach an agreement so a solution can be found" and called for "a real reconciliation, and quickly" between Palestinian factions, offering Cairo's full support.

"If we are able to -- all of us together -- with effort and a real will and devotion, find a solution for this issue, and find hope for the Palestinians and security for the Israelis, I am telling you a new page will be written," said Sisi.
Netflix and Univision are getting in on the El Chapo business and will jointly develop a drama series based on the life of the famous drug lord.

We are thrilled to partner with the award-winning Univision Story House on the timely and globally relevant drama series based on the life story of El Chapo, Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer, said in a statement.

Also Read: 'Narcos' Writer to Create El Chapo Drama '#Cartel' for History

Joaquin El Chapo Guzman made a media splash after a high-profile prison escape, interview with Sean Penn and subsequent recapture last year.

The announcement comes on the heels of Netflixs unprecedented deal with Univision to air Season 1 of its original series Narcos on the Spanish-language network, the first time it has let a broadcaster run one of its shows.

This is also the second series based on El Chapo to be announced this month. History Channel unveiled its plan to develop #Cartel with Narcos creator Chris Brancato two weeks ago.

The untitled Netflix/Univision series will debut in 2017.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Netflix Acquires Worldwide Rights to Frank Grillo Action Thriller 'Wheelman'

Netflix's 'Narcos' Season 1 to Air on Univision in Historic Agreement

Joel Kinnaman to Star in Netflix Sci-fi Drama 'Altered Carbon'
[Photo: El Fenn/Saad Alami]

Theres been a lot of buzz around El Fenn, one of Marrakechs foremost boutique hotels, for years now. The brainchild of Vanessa Branson, sister to the Virgin tycoon himself, and her friend Howell James, the Moroccan retreat has housed celebrity guests and attracted guests from around the globe since it was transformed from a crumbling majestic ruin in 2002.

But is it worth its more-than-average room rates and rave reviews? We set out to find out.

[Photo: El Fenn/Joanna Vestry]



[Photo: El Fenn/David Loftus]



[Photo: El Fenn/David Loftus]



Tucked away down an a small meandering cobbled street, off another meandering cobbled street, El Fenn is something of an unassuming retreat - from the exterior, anyway. Step inside and youll probably feel a little like youve stepped into a swanky bar. The entrance hall walls are coated in hot pink, red and yellow paint and paired with kooky art works. But the welcoming staff will instantly show you just what a treat Branson and James home from home is.

The multiple courtyards, dotted between the seven riads that make up the hotel, are filled with birds, sky-high palms, Arabic lanterns, fountains, plunge pools, day beds and even a tortoise or two. If you think it sounds idyllic, youd be right.

El Fenn is eclectic, artistic and soaked in subtle luxury. You wont find any 50-inch TVs or an expansive dining menu and because its an old building with traditional wooden doorways noise does travel - but, trust us, you wont care.

[Photo: El Fenn/David Loftus]



[Photo: El Fenn/Joanna Vestry]



[Photo: El Fenn/David Loftus]



There are 29 rooms, each designed in a different way to further add to the overall aesthetic. They, and the hotels abundance of private areas, are all furnished with ancient Moorish style, using local craftsmen and the best of modern interiors.

Despite maintaining its traditional feel, El Fenns showers have power, the baths are deep, the heating/air-con is effective and discreet, the mattresses firm, the pillows plentiful, the linen fine, the beds huge, the bath oils delicious, and the candles scented, says Vanessa.

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Most of the lights were sourced from Youssef, the local junk and antique dealer, although a number came over in my hand luggage from London. The curtains are all made from local fabrics and many are embellished with local tapestry motifs. All the rugs and kilims are from the Atlas mountains.

Its definitely not your average hotel - but its not trying to be. Its bathed in a subtle type of luxury - and a haven for anyone with a remote interest in art.

As well as all of the Moroccan wares, youre invited to drink in works of art at every turn and anyones welcome to stop by for one of the hotels legendary mojitos on the roof terrace, an appointment in the spa (the couples hamman is a must-try) or a browse around the concept shop - the newest addition to El Fenn.

[Photo: El Fenn/Saad Alami]



[Photo: El Fenn/Cecile Perrinet-Lhermitte]



The store, which doubles as a restaurant and bar, stocks - from new designers - a wonderful range of vintage-style clothes, many with a Moroccan vibe and an urban twist. Also on offer are vintage bags, accessories, beautiful jewellery, coffee table books, perfumes, and home accessories from the finest bed linens to the best of Fez pottery.

The initiative was the brainchild of El Fenn general manager, Willem Smit and it was he who invited both Paul Rowland and Alessandra Lippini, formerly of Italian Vogue, to join him in curating the collection.

So many of our guests want to replicate the El Fenn style that Vanessa Branson, our co-owner and Marrakech Biennale founder, has created here with her business partner Howell James, said Willem Smit. And it made sense for us to provide our guests with a fun way of doing that. So weve mixed the store up with a bar and a small 35-seater restaurant, along with a DJ on Saturday and a pianist over Sunday brunch, to make it an experience in itself.

While verging on the expensive side, shopping the concept store is a welcome change from haggling in the citys bustling souq and shows just how well-rounded El Fenn is.

You quite literally can eat, sleep, shop, swim, rejuvenate and holiday at the hotel: Its one resort that provides an escape from the world, while offering the delights of Marrakech and the surrounding Atlas Mountains to guests that can bear to tear themselves away from the riad.

10 Global Landmarks That Deserve A Place On Your Bucket List

The Best British Boutique Hotels: For Less Than 100 A Night
From ELLE

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the first women ever elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts, gave a commencement speech on Saturday at Bridgewater State University, where she quoted from one of this generation's most influential figures: Taylor Swift.

She started the foray into Swiftian theory, the Washington Post said, with this advice:

Knowing who you are will help you when it's time to fight, fight for the job you want, fight for the people who mean the most to you, fight for the world you live in and the world you want to live in. If you know who you are, you won't get caught up when times get tough and the naysayers try to stop you.

Before dropping this lyric:

"Or, to put it differently, as one of the great philosophers of our time has said  haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate."

She even broke into song for the line, causing the audience to go "wild," according to the Post.

But Warren wasn't done. "Knowing who you are," she added, "helps you 'Shake It Off.'"

Warren knows a thing or two about shaking it off. She helped established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under President Barack Obama, taking on the big banks in the wake of the financial crisis. Then she defeated an incumbent Republican in 2012 to win a seat in the Senate. And now she's taking shots left and right from Donald Trump - while delivering a few blows of her own.

"I think that Donald Trump is a truly dangerous man and there is some risk that he could be president of the United States," she said after the speech, according to the Boston Globe. "I think it's time for all of us to pay careful attention to him and to the issues that he has raised and to start fighting back."
Understanding the Silver Linings in Emerson's 2Q16 Earnings

(Continued from Prior Part)

Why Emerson is looking for companies to acquire

Considerable weakness in the industrials sector since the beginning of 2015 has resulted in several companies looking toward external sources of growth to cover their organic losses. Emersons CEO David Farr indicated that the management and the board were reviewing several potential acquisitions, which would allow them to reinvest its proceeds from divestitures and get back to generating over $20 billion in sales.

Emerson (EMR) earned revenues of $22.3 billion in 2015 with $4.4 billion coming from the Network Power segment, which is due to be divested later in 2016.

Investors expect Emerson to keep its focus intact and invest in the Commercial and Residential Solutions and Automation Solutions segments, which the company considers as core to its growth strategy.

Emerson divested some businesses in 2015 based on this distinction that the companies were non-core and that investments in such businesses would defy the logic behind the divestment.

Emersons capacity for acquisitions

According to analyst estimates, Emersons cash flows in fiscal 2016 are expected to be ~$2.4 billion. The companys cash holdings are impressive at 15.3% of total assets, or $3.3 billion in dollar terms. Adding free cash flows to cash holdings, the company has enough leeway to make acquisitions without taking on additional debt.

This was also indicated in the earnings call in which Emersons CEO, David Farr, stated, Our financial position right now is we can go out and do deals right now. And we are doing deals, but we could do several billions of dollars of deals right now if we need to. We have the financial capability.

The company even stopped its share repurchase plan in 2Q16, which allows it to have the financial flexibility to acquire prospective companies to add to its portfolio.

Investors interested in trading in the industrial space could look into the Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight Industrials ETF (RGI). Investors interested in trading in dividend-based ETFs could consider the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL). Major holdings in NOBL are Nucor (NUE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW), with respective weights of 2.5% and 2.3%.

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Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
Global data centersolution and service provider, Equinix Inc. EQIX reported that it has inked a deal with DigitalRealty Trust, Inc. DLR to sell its eight data centers for $874.4 million. The strategic move should help the company trim its debt load and thereby improve the health of its balance sheet.

The sale includes assets located in London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2016. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions, together with approval from the European Commission.

Digital Realty is engaged in owning, acquiring, repositioning and managing technology-related real estate. The portfolio of the company includes applications and services critical to day-to-day operations of technology industry tenants.

Separately, Equinix has negotiated an agreement to acquire Digital Realtys facility in Paris and the related operating business for $215 million. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2016.

Equinix is streamlining its business for better long-term growth opportunities. Equinix is presently focusing on improving customer experience through the Equinix Customer One program.

Equinix exited first-quarter 2016 with cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $646.1 million. The companys total debt principal outstanding was $7.24 billion as on Mar 31, 2016. It generated cash from operating activities of $104.3 million in the first quarter. Hence, selling its non-core assets should enable the company to reduce its debt, enhance its operational efficiencies and improve its financial condition.

Last Words

Expansion in important markets and consolidation of facilities in existing ones has been an important part of Equinix's core strategy. Equinix continuously strives to boost its revenue base as well as profitability by offering upgraded technology to attract clients. Moreover, the recurring revenue model has provided much-needed support to the company's revenue stream over the years. The company's cloud and IT service businesses are its fastest growing segments and account for roughly one fourth of the total revenue.

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Nonetheless, Equinix competes with Internet data centersoperated by established communications carriers like AT&T T, CenturyLink, Inc. CTL and Verizon Communications.

Currently, Equinix has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

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LONDON (Reuters) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to provide a 700 million pounds ($1.02 billion) loan to back construction of the Thames Tideway Tunnel, Britain's largest-ever loan for water-related investments.

London's so-called "super-sewer" is a 7.2 metre (23.6 foot)-wide and 25-kilometre (15.5 mile) long tunnel, which will run up to 65 metres below the River Thames.

The 35-year long-term loan has been agreed with Tideway, the new regulated company set up to build and maintain the tunnel.

The project, worth 4.2 billion pounds, is aimed at reducing the tens of millions of tonnes of sewage that overflow into London's River Thames every year.

"The loan for Tideway represents the European Investment Bank's largest-ever water loan and the most significant support for UK infrastructure since Crossrail," said the EIB's Vice President Jonathan Taylor.

(Reporting By Pamela Barbaglia, editing by Sinead Cruise)
(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. See the bottom of the report for more details)

* FTSEurofirst 300 steadies after touching two-week highs

* Fiat Chrysler leads auto sector lower after downgrade

* Taylor Wimpey, Vodafone surge after update

By Atul Prakash and Danilo Masoni

LONDON/MILAN, May 17 (Reuters) - European shares steadied on Tuesday with gains companies such as Taylor Wimpey and Vodafone following encouraging updates offset by a weaker auto sector.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 was little changed by 1245 GMT after earlier rising to its highest since early May. The index, which closed flat in the previous session, is still down 8.5 percent this year.

Taylor Wimpey advanced 4.8 percent after the housebuilder announced a new special payout, promising investors about 1.3 billion pounds over three years, underpinned by strong demand for property in the UK.

Vodafone was up 2 percent after the world's second-largest mobile phone operator said its earnings growth would accelerate this year. The group said a programme to improve its networks had boosted demand in Europe and helped it to return to underlying growth in 2016 revenue and core earnings for the first time since 2008.

"Demand for data continues to grow strongly ... and Vodafone have invested heavily in infrastructure to capitalise on this," Steve Clayton, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said.

The STOXX Europe 600 Auto index fell 2.3 percent, making it the top sectoral loser. Fiat Chrysler (FCA) fell 4.4 percent after Exane BNP Paribas downgrades the stock to "underperform".

"After 7 years of global auto expansion - and unprecedented NAFTA returns - FCA has done too little to insure itself against a downturn in our view. As the end of a lease driven bubble approaches, and M&A optionality fades, FCA looks out of time," it said in a note.

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Greek banks advanced 4 percent, with UBS turning more positive on the Greek banking sector arguing that signs of progress in talks with Greece's lenders meant the sector could rebound.

"The starting point is very challenging and risks abound, but we see a fundamental investment case and valuations suggest upside potential," UBS analysts said, referring to Greek banks.

The STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources index rose 0.7 percent, coming off earlier highs after copper prices slipped towards the recent lows brought about by a resurfacing of worries over demand growth in top consumer China.

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.

Mike Dolan, Markets Editor EMEA.

(Additional reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Alison Williams)
Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest on Tuesday confirmed Ukraine as the winner of Saturday's competition after being urged to revise the results by more than 325,000 fans.

In a move prompted by an online petition, the European Broadcasting Union, which governs the contest, reviewed voting results and insisted that Ukraine's entry "1944," sung by Jamala, was the winner. EBU said that while Russia had won the audience vote, and Australia had won the jury vote, Jamala had won broad support from both judges and viewers to take the overall win.

The petition, launched Sunday by Arthur Hovhannisyan from Yerevan, Armenia, protested the Ukrainian win, insisting that the number of signatures on his petition showed "how many people are sure that this year's 'winner' is not the one who should really win the contest" and that there was a "need to revise the results."

By Tuesday evening in Europe, the petition had garnered 325,000 signatures with dozens more added by the minute.

In a statement that recognized "the passions and emotions that are engendered through the Eurovision Song Contest," the EBU said the contest had been "decided by music industry professionals and, you, viewers at home, each with a 50 percent stake in the result."

The Ukrainian entry had won "thanks to broad support from both the juries as well as televoters," the EBU said, adding that Jamala had done so through "an outstanding performance of an emotional song, telling a personal story."

Read More: Ukraine's Jamala Wins 2016 Eurovision Song Contest

Although the statement fell short of admitting any problems with the voting system, it sought to explain popular upset at the result stating that "Australia's Dami Im won the jury vote and Russia's Sergey Lazarev won the televoting."

Both acts deserved "credit for their world-class performances," the EBU said, adding that they had taken their loss "as true professionals." Added the organization: "They may not have won the contest, but responded to the outcome as winners. We respect and appreciate them for that."

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Acknowledging that "not everyone agrees with the outcome of this year's contest," the statement insisted that the result was valid and appealed to the petitioners to "embrace the result" and to continue "a constructive dialog about how to further strengthen and improve the Eurovision Song Contest."

Danish jury member Hilda Heick said her "heart stopped" when she realized she had given her top song, Australia's "Sound of Silence," one point and her least favorite, Ukraine's, 26, after misunderstanding the new system of listing all entries. Her mistake meant the Danish jury overall gave Ukraine 12 points, when without her error, it would have given none at all.

If she had voted correctly, it would have had no impact on the final result though, but it would have narrowed the distance between Ukraine and second-place winner Australia.

Saturday's result was also protested by Russian politicians who insisted that Jamala's song, about the mass deportations of Crimean Tatars by Stalin in 1944, was political rather than personal, and designed as a snub to Russia over Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region two years ago.

Read More: Eurovision: Russian Officials Say Ukraine's Win Was Driven by Politics

May 17, 5:20 p.m. PT: A previous version of this story inaccurately stated that Eurovision's system of both a jury and a public vote debuted this year.
Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest on Tuesday (May 17) confirmed Ukraine as the winner of Saturday's competition after being urged to revise the results by more than 325,000 fans.

In a move prompted by an online petition, the European Broadcasting Union, which governs the contest, reviewed voting results and insisted that Ukraine's entry "1944," sung by Jamala, was the winner. EBU said that while Russia had won the audience vote, and Australia had won the jury vote, Jamala had won broad support from both judges and viewers to take the overall win.

Russian Officials Say Ukraine's Eurovision Win Was Driven By Politics

The petition, launched Sunday by Arthur Hovhannisyan from Yerevan, Armenia, protested the Ukrainian win, insisting that the number of signatures on his petition showed "how many people are sure that this year's 'winner' is not the one who should really win the contest" and that there was a "need to revise the results."

By Tuesday evening in Europe, the petition had garnered 325,000 signatures with dozens more added by the minute.

In a statement that recognized "the passions and emotions that are engendered through the Eurovision Song Contest," the EBU said the contest had been "decided by music industry professionals and, you, viewers at home, each with a 50 percent stake in the result."

The Ukrainian entry had won "thanks to broad support from both the juries as well as televoters," the EBU said, adding that Jamala had done so through "an outstanding performance of an emotional song, telling a personal story."

Justin Timberlake Performs 'Can't Stop the Feeling!' & 'Rock Your Body' at Eurovision 2016

Although the statement fell short of admitting any problems with the voting system, it sought to explain popular upset at the result stating that "Australia's Dami Im won the jury vote and Russia's Sergey Lazarev won the televoting."

Story continues

Both acts deserved "credit for their world-class performances," the EBU said, adding that they had taken their loss "as true professionals." Added the organization: "They may not have won the contest, but responded to the outcome as winners. We respect and appreciate them for that."

Acknowledging that "not everyone agrees with the outcome of this year's contest," the statement insisted that the result was valid and appealed to the petitioners to "embrace the result" and to continue "a constructive dialog about how to further strengthen and improve the Eurovision Song Contest."

Danish jury member Hilda Heick said her "heart stopped" when she realized she had given her top song, Australia's "Sound of Silence," 1 point and her least favorite, Ukraine's, 26, after misunderstanding a new system of listing all entries. Her mistake meant the Danish jury overall gave Ukraine 12 points, when without her error, it would have given none at all.

If she had voted correctly, it would have had no impact on the final result though, but it would have narrowed the distance between Ukraine and second-place winner Australia.

Saturday's result was also protested by Russian politicians, who insisted that Jamala's song, about the mass deportations of Crimean Tatars by Stalin in 1944, was political rather than personal, and designed as a snub to Russia over Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region two years ago.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission may reduce reporting requirements for derivatives trading in Europe, in an effort to cut costs for financial services, the financial services commissioner said on Tuesday.

After the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, which left regulators in the dark over who was on the other side of the bank's derivatives trades, leaders of the Group of 20 economies agreed all derivatives trades must be reported.

In the European Union, both sides of a trade must report transactions. In the United States, only one side must report. The industry has urged the EU to adopt one-sided reporting.

"It should be possible to lower the administrative reporting burdens," EU Financial Services Commissioner Jonathan Hill told a financial regulation conference in Brussels. "And all this while ensuring supervisors have enough information to monitor risks, and intervene if necessary.

"I want to use the EMIR review to do that," Hill said referring to European Market Infrastructure Regulation, the main EU regulation on derivatives. The regulation was adopted in 2012 but is now being revised.

"It should be possible to make EMIR more proportionate and continue to mitigate systemic risk in our derivative markets," Hill said.

Regulation should not weigh too heavily on clearing services and should not undermine sensible business planning and risk management, he said.

At the same conference, Steven Maijoor, chairman of the European Securities and Markets Authority, said moving from a two-sided to one-sided system would be costly, since markets in Europe have already invested in a dual-reporting system.

But Maijoor also said that "we should not shy away from measures that can improve the two-sided system." A system where "one of the sides takes responsibility could be a good way forward", he said.

The possible regulatory moves on derivatives are part of a wider EU plan to assess the impact of financial regulation and to make it more proportionate and less costly, when possible.

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Hill said on Tuesday he will begin public consultations on how to review EU rules on banks' liquidity ratios, introduced at a global level after the 2007-09 financial crisis to reduce volatility.

He also repeated that he wants lower regulatory requirements for smaller banks.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio, editing by Larry King)
Kim Kardashian West says she is "really happy" for Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna.

Though the reality star's relationship with her brother and onetime BFF has had its ups and downs-- on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, she blasted him for having "no loyalty," but has since been spotted out with the couple -- she couldn't help but gush over the expectant parents when ET caught up with her at Cannes.

"I mean, it's so exciting. It's a really exciting time for him," Kim told ET at the de Grisogono party on Tuesday. "I think he'll be the best dad. He's really just such a good, good person."

EXCLUSIVE: Kris Jenner Is 'Thrilled' About Blac Chyna's Pregnancy and 'Excited to Have Another Grandchild'

Rob and Chyna announced their pregnancy earlier this month after getting engaged in April. This is his first child and her second -- she has a 3-year-old son with Tyga. So, are Kim and husband Kanye West passing on parenting advice to first-time-dad?

"We give him -- I think more me -- gives him advice and it's just been a really fun time," the mother of two said. "I'm really happy for them."

Kim wasn't the only KUWTK star that jetted to the south of France for the film festival. Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian's ex, Scott Disick, have been spotted partying -- and holding hands -- in Cannes this week.

"Kendall and I missed each other," Kim shared. "I was like, 'How do we go across the world and miss each other?' So, I took her room. We swapped rooms. I saw all of her stuff in there that she forgot that now I can bring home for her! It's been fun."

EXCLUSIVE: Caitlyn Jenner Is 'Proud' of Dad-to-Be Rob Kardashian: 'Things Are Going Well'

Getty Images

As for big news in Kim's life, the 35-year-old mogul recently revealed that she'd hit her goal weight of 135 pounds after giving birth to son Saint in December.

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"I've reached my pre-baby goal. I have a few pounds still to go, but I want to be before pre-baby, like five years ago," she clarified. "In that, I still have 15 to go. But I'm happy and I feel confident and very happy."

She showed off her recent weight loss -- and that confidence -- in a sexy blinged-out chainmail gown on the red carpet at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes, France.

"[The designers] literally landed in New York from China and they were sewing it, because it was too big and fixing it and I had nothing to wear underneath it and I just thought that was a little crazy," Kim explained. "I rushed on the plane, carried the dress and, you know, I wanted a piece of jewelry that would go with the look."

Meanwhile, Chyna has been firing back at body shamers who have been hating on her pregnancy weight gain. Find out what she had to say in the video below.

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By Esha Vaish

(Reuters) - British Land Co Plc (BLND.L), the UK's second-largest listed property developer, posted a rise in its asset value as demand for commercial property stayed strong in the run-up to the European Union referendum vote.

The looming threat of Britain potentially breaking away from the EU had done little to reduce occupier demand, especially in retail, British Land Chief Executive Chris Grigg said.

"On the retail side of our business, we've seen frankly little change, and in offices, a bit of a slowdown, but again a lot of discussion in terms of potential pre-letting," Grigg told reporters on a call.

Occupancy across British Land's portfolio, which includes its flagship "Cheesegrater" skyscraper, rose 70 basis points to 99 percent in the year ended March 31, the company said.

EPRA net asset value, which is calculated according to European Public Real Estate Association guidelines, rose 10.9 percent to 919 pence per share.

The rise in NAV, which reflects the value of a property company's buildings, however, received mixed reactions from the market, with at least two analysts saying they were expecting a higher NAV than reported.

British Land shares fell 1.6 percent to 708.75 pence by 0931 GMT, underperforming the FTSE 100 (.FTSE), which fell 0.3 percent. The stock was among the top percentage losers on the bluechip index.

The company said it remained confident for the year, despite the potentially adverse impact on the domestic property market if the UK chose to leave the European Union.

Despite strong occupier markets, deal transaction levels had slowed this year, partly as investors grew concerned about the implications of the referendum vote on June 23, Grigg said.

The company, which has 20 billion pounds worth of assets under management, urged the UK to stay with the bloc.

British Land said it continued its investments and its committed speculative development pipeline currently stood at 530 million pounds ($761 million), with the option to take on more projects over the next six to 18 months.

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Developers tie up huge amounts of resources in speculative projects that often take a few years to be ready to occupy and such plans are seen as a show of confidence in the growth prospects of the market.

"(Development decisions) are not really predicated on Brexit per say, so we're not actually holding off. But we have a lot of optionality and that suits us in this situation," Grigg said.

(Reporting by Esha Vaish in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
Megyn Kelly is standing up to her nemesis, Donald Trump, and she spoke to ET about the TV special that will certainly have the whole country talking.

"When I went into Trump Tower that day, I was a little anxious," Kelly admitted to ET. "I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know whether he would try to embarrass me or threaten me or berate me, but he did none of those things."

WATCH: Megyn Kelly's Reported Multi-Million Dollar Book Set to Release in Time for Election

The Fox News anchor sat down with Trump for an interview set to air on Megyn Kelly Presents after enduring nearly eight months of attacks from the billionaire presidential candidate.

The conflict has launched Kelly into primetime, and with the spotlight on her now more than ever, everything she does is open to scrutiny, from her interview style to her new haircut.

"It was so funny," Kelly said. "I was doing the profile for Vanity Fair at the time, and it was wrapped, and we had to have a follow-up interview about the hair! [The reporter] called me back and said, 'I need to know why you cut your hair!' and I said, 'Because it was long and I wanted it short.'"

READ: Donald Trump Ate a Taco Bowl to Show He 'Loves Hispanics'

Kelly admitted that with her new 'do she might be in a "saucier phase," and if that's the case, it couldn't have come at a more opportune time. For the better part of a year, Trump bashed Kelly, calling her "the most overrated person on television" for the tough questions she asked him during a debate in August.

While Trump's criticisms against Kelly have been polarizing for some, Kelly seems to have a complicated relationship with the former reality star.

"Donald Trump is a lot of things," Kelly said. "Even in the midst of coming after me, he can be charming. It's very confusing. One minute you're thinking, 'What?' and then you're laughing."

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The highly anticipated interview reportedly will include a moment in which Kelly confronts Trump about their public battle over the past year.

WATCH: Megyn Kelly Says Donald Trump Tried to Woo Her Prior to Showdown at GOP Debate

"I have great respect for you that you were able to call me and say, 'Let's get together and let's talk,'" Trump says in an advanced clip. "I would not have done that."

Megyn Kelly Presents airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.

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By Emily Flitter and Steve Holland NEW YORK (Reuters) - Republican presidential contender Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would renegotiate Americas role in the U.N. global climate accord, spelling potential doom for an agreement many view as a last chance to turn the tide on global warming. A pull-out by the worlds second biggest carbon-emitting country would hobble the deal reached in Paris last December by 177 nations, who for the first time in more than two decades found a common vision for curbing greenhouse gas emissions. "I will be looking at that very, very seriously, and at a minimum I will be renegotiating those agreements, at a minimum. And at a maximum I may do something else," the New York real estate mogul said in an interview with Reuters. "But those agreements are one-sided agreements and they are bad for the United States." Trump said he did not believe China, the worlds top emitter of the carbon dioxide gas that many scientists believe is contributing to global climate change, would adhere to its pledge under the Paris deal. Not a big fan because other countries dont adhere to it, and China doesnt adhere to it, and Chinas spewing into the atmosphere, he said. The accord to transform the world's fossil-fuel driven economy was a potent signal to investors. It seeks to limit a rise in global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius through combined national pledges to cut emissions, and provide funding for developing nations to mitigate the damaging effects of a sea level rise and climate change. The Obama administration pledged a 26 to 28 percent domestic reduction in greenhouse gases by 2025 compared to 2005, while China promised it would halt increases in carbon emissions by 2030. Both countries have promised to ratify the deal this year. Many U.S. Republicans have found fault with the deal for overreacting to what they see as an uncertain threat. Former French foreign minister Laurent Fabius, who helped broker the deal, said this month that the U.S. election was critical to its future. "If a climate change denier was to be elected, it would threaten dramatically global action against climate disruption," he said. Trump has said that he believes global warming is a concept that was invented by China to hurt the competitiveness of U.S. business. One of his energy policy advisers is a climate change skeptic, U.S. Congressman Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic contender for the White House, has advocated shifting the country to 50 percent clean energy by 2030. The Paris agreement has an article built into it meant to protect countries in the accord in the event that a new government comes in and wants to dismantle it. The clause says any nation wanting to withdraw will first have to wait four years. U.S. chief climate envoy Jonathan Pershing said last week that regardless of the outcome of the U.S. election, other countries were likely to be bound by the pact. (Additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici, writing by Richard Valdmanis, editing by Ross Colvin)
By Greg Roumeliotis

(Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has agreed to join the U.S. government panel that is reviewing state-owned ChemChina's planned $43 billion acquisition of Swiss seeds and pesticide maker Syngenta AG (SYNN.S), people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

The move will subject the deal to additional government scrutiny. It comes after lawmakers wrote to Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew in March to ask that the USDA be involved in the review so that the potential impact of the transaction on domestic food security could be better assessed.

Lew chairs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews deals for potential national security threats and is comprised of representatives from 16 U.S. agencies including Treasury, Homeland Security and Defense.

The sources asked not to be identified because the USDA's role in CFIUS has not been publicly disclosed.

Treasury declined to comment, with a spokesperson saying, "By law, information filed with CFIUS may not be disclosed by CFIUS to the public. Accordingly, the department does not comment on information relating to specific CFIUS cases, including whether or not certain parties have filed notices for review."

A USDA spokeswoman also declined to comment, citing the same reasons.

Syngenta declined to comment. A spokesman for China National Chemical Corp, known as ChemChina, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While the USDA is not one of the agencies comprising CFIUS, there is precedent of it joining in a review of a deal. In 2013, CFIUS cleared the way for China-based Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd to buy U.S. meat company Smithfield Foods Inc with the USDA's participation.

Syngenta said earlier this year it would make a voluntary filing with CFIUS for its deal with the Chinese state-owned firm "even though no obvious national security concerns were identified during due diligence."

Unveiled in February, the deal is the largest foreign acquisition ever by a Chinese company, as China is looking to secure food supplies for its population.

Syngenta, which is headquartered in North Carolina and generates nearly a quarter of its revenue from North America, is the biggest seller of pesticides in North America and also a key player in seeds. It has other facilities in North Carolina, as well a presence in California, Delaware, Iowa and Minnesota, among other states.

(Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Additional reporting by PJ Huffstutter in Chicago; Editing by Leslie Adler)
The first five minutes of AMCs new series, Preacher, can now be viewed on Snapchat  the first time any network has aired an extended clip from a television show on the messaging app.

AMC introduced the advertising campaign on Monday, reports the New York Times, within the platforms Discover section, which is usually populated with third-party publishers, like People, Vice or Vox. The clip will be available on the app for a week.

Obviously its a terrific platform for this younger audience, Linda Schupack, executive vice president of marketing for AMC and SundanceTV, told the New York Times. The audience we think will sync up perfectly with Preacher is already on Snapchat.

The show which premieres on May 22 and is based on a cult-comic book with the same name is a dark, comedic drama that follows a morally conflicted and supernatural preacher played by Dominic Cooper.

[New York Times]
(Reuters) - A massive wildfire burning around the Canadian oil sands hub of Fort McMurray was growing and moving rapidly north late on Monday, forcing firefighters to shift their focus to protecting major oil sand facilities north of the city, officials said. The sudden movement of the fire prompted the evacuation of some 4,000 people from work camps outside Fort McMurray, with all northbound traffic once again cut off at the city. Oil sands companies around Fort McMurray had in recent days been flying in employees and moving towards restarting production. The fire's movement north threatens some major oil installations in that area, including those operated by Suncor Energy Inc and Syncrude Canada. About half of the nation's oil sands capacity remains shut, according to Reuters calculations. The fire now covers about 285,000 hectares (704,000 acres), an area about the size of Paris. For FACTBOX on the shut down of power generation plants, see. Following is a list of what oil producers and pipeline companies have said about nearby operations: Operator Asset Status Size of cut Total capacity Date Link to story Athabasca Oil Hangingstone Shut 12,000 bpd 12,000 bpd by Q4 5-May Corp project 2016 Suncor Energy Main mining site Had planned on 350,000 bpd 350,000 bpd. Was 16-May Inc and MacKay River restart; MacKay operating at and Firebag River evacuated reduced rate thermal oil as of May 16 before closure. sands Connacher Oil Great Divide Output cut 6,000 bpd 14,000 bpd in Q4 5-May and Gas Ltd 2015 Syncrude Aurora bitumen Planning 315,000 bpd 315,000 bpd 6-May mine restart, no timeline yet Other operations at minimal levels ConocoPhillips Surmount Shut 30,000 bpd 30,000 bpd 5-May Shell Muskeg River and Restarted at 255,000 bpd 255,000 bpd 9-May Jackpine unspecified reduced rate Statoil Leismer facility Shut 20,000 20,000 8-May Imperial Oil Kearl operation Controlled Unspecified 12,000 bpd in Q4 9-May shutdown 2016 Husky Energy Sunrise Shut 30,000 30,000 8-May Nexen Long Lake Shut 50,000 50,000 bpd. Was 4-May operating at reduced rate before closure Canadian Horizon Output cut Unspecified 5-May Natural Resources Ltd PIPELINES Enbridge Inc Cheecham Steadily 12-May terminal and resuming service pipelines Inter Pipeline Corridor Ready to be reopened when 5-May Ltd pipeline Shell's resumes Polaris diluent Reopened after one-day 5-May pipeline shutdown Keyera Corp South Cheecham Shut 5-May rail and truck terminal (Reporting by Barani Krishnan in New York, Ethan Lou, Euan Rocha and Jeffrey Hodgson in Toronto and Nia Williams in Calgary; Compiled by David Gaffen and Josephine Mason in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Alan Crosby)
I , 24-year-old Jamycheal Mitchell was arrested at a Virginia 7-11 for stealing a few dollars worth of snacks. He wouldn't live to see 25.

While serving time in Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Portsmouth, Virginia, Mitchell, his family alleged, was denied basic human rights, leading to his starvation death in August.

In a lawsuit brought by the former inmate's family, Mitchell's family alleged they were at times denied visitation, according to CNN. Among the defendants named in the $60 million lawsuit are the jail, the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the private prison health care firm NaphCare; the lawsuit cites five counts of civil rights deprivation and willful and wanton negligence.

"The way Jamycheal got treated is terrible," said former inmate Justin Dillon, who found Mitchell's body, told WAVY. "His cell was stripped, he had no cup, no spoon, no shower shoes, no socks, no underwear, no shirt, no blanket, no pillow, nothing. He had nothing."

Other inmates have come forward about the atrocities they witnessed while serving time with Mitchell, who was schizophrenic. The jail, they said, cut Mitchell's food and medication supply after several outbursts proved him difficult to manage, and even allegedly turned off his cell's water supply and toilet after he attempted to flush his clothes down the pipe.

Near the end of his life, the lawsuit alleged, Mitchell spent his days sleeping on a metal sheet, standing under a light for warmth in the frigid cold and screaming in his cell.

"There were fruit flies all over the place, it was disgusting. You almost gagged going by his door, that's how strong it was," Dillon said.

The jail and NaphCare have since cut ties, and the company's attorney is alleging Mitchell's death was the fault of the state.

"The investigative reports of his death suggest gaps and failures within the state's mental health system prevented Mr. Mitchell from receiving the inpatient care he needed," NaphCare's statement read. "The allegations of indifference and neglect against NaphCare's providers are false and unfounded. NaphCare will vigorously defend these false allegations."
What Key Trends Could Turn the Tide in Fitbit's Success Story?

(Continued from Prior Part)

An estimated 30% market share

According to market research firm IDC, Fitbit (FIT) is estimated to have shipped 8.1 million units, with a share of 29.5% in the wearables device market in 4Q15.

Apple (AAPL) followed the leader in this segment in the same quarter. Chinas (FXI) Xiaomi came in third place for 4Q15, with shipments of 2.7 million units and a market share of 9.7%. Samsung Electronics (SSNLF) and Garmin (GRMN) are the other leading players in this segment, with shipments of 1.3 million units and 1 million units, respectively.

Specifically, Apple Watch drove wearable sales in 4Q15 and 2015. Apple (AAPL) is projected to have shipped 4.1 million watches in 4Q15 and 11.6 million in 2015. However, Apple hasnt released any official numbers for its smartwatch segment. Apple is quickly gaining market share in the smartwatch segment. It was in second place in 4Q15 and in third place in 2015, despite the launch of Apple Watch in April 2015.

Xiaomi saw a YoY (year-over-year) growth of 258.5% in 4Q15, followed by Samsung, Fitbit, and Garmin at 65%, 52.8%, and 48.2%, respectively. Sales in the overall wearable space rose by 126.9% YoY in 4Q15 and by 171.6% YoY in 2015.

Nokia reenters the consumer electronics business

Last month, Nokia (NOK) announced plans to acquire Europes (EFA) Withings, which has been leader and pioneer in the connected health revolution business segment since the company launched its first product in 2009.

In 2014, Nokia sold its Devices & Services unit to Microsoft (MSFT), which has announced its return to the consumer market with the acquisition. The deal was worth $195 million, or 170 million euros.

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
The Q1 earnings season is on the verge of closure, with reports for 91.8% of the S&P 500 companies already out as of Friday the 13th (per the latest Zacks Earnings Trend). The outcome of the Q1 season is pretty clear and surprisingly positive, as a major chunk of these companies delivered earnings beat. The higher beat ratio in the quarter was primarily a result of a substantial fall in estimates to easy-to-beat levels in the early part of the earnings cycle, owing to the global macroeconomic concerns.



Among the 16 Zacks sectors, the Consumer Staples sector looks attractive as it is expected to witness 2.5% earnings growth in Q1. Though revenue is anticipated to slide 4.1%, it marks an improvement from a 7.9% slump witnessed in the preceding quarter.



Per the latest report, out of 87.5% of the S&P 500 Consumer Staple stocks that have reported results so far, 85.7% beat earnings and 67.9% surpassed revenue estimates. Also, 2.2% of these companies saw their earnings improve year over year, while 5.5% recorded a slowdown in revenues, primarily on account of the foreign currency fluctuations.



Within the Consumer Staples, the food industry saw biggies like Kellogg Company K, The Hershey Company HSY and Dean Foods Company DF post better-than-expected earnings, backed by robust cost savings. However, Archer Daniels Midland Company ADM was unable to battle the challenging currency environment 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. So, lets see whats in the cards for these food stocks queued up for earnings releases this week.



Campbell Soup Company CPB is slated to release third-quarter fiscal 2016 results on May 20, before the opening bell. While this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) companys earnings were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate last quarter, it has an average positive surprise of 12.2% over the trailing four quarters. Nonetheless, the companys current Earnings ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult.

Story continues





Campbells quarterly results have been solid for a while now, highlighting its inherent strength. Also, the implementation of its portfolio reorganization and cost-cutting initiatives is likely to continue enhancing overall execution and boost financial results. However, adverse currency movements, which weighed on Campbells top line in the preceding quarter, are expected to linger in fiscal 2016 and impact results. (Read more: Campbell Soup Q3 Earnings: Is a Surprise in Store?)



Another company lined up to report results is Austin, MN-based Hormel Foods Corporation HRL. It is scheduled to release second-quarter fiscal 2016 financial numbers before the opening bell on May 18. Encouragingly, the stock surpassed earnings estimates thrice in the trailing four quarters, and delivered in line results once, leading to an average positive surprise of approximately 8.7%. Further, the company, which had a Zacks Rank #2 earlier, now carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and boasts an Earnings ESP of +5.26%. This calls for a likely beat in the to-be reported quarter.





Hormel Foods 5 and 10 rules, business goals that strive to achieve 5% annual top-line and 10% annual bottom-line growth, have acted as key growth catalysts for the company over the past few quarters. Its diverse business portfolio, which includes both protein centric and packaged foods, together with its dominant presence in the retail and foodservice channels, have given a solid boost to its financials in the past and are expected to continue doing so. In addition, the companys strategies to lower input costs and cost-saving programs have allowed it to reap significant benefits. (Read more: Hormel Foods Poised to Beat Q2 Earnings: Here's Why)



Finally, lets take a look at Flowers Foods, Inc. FLO, one of the largest producers and marketers of frozen and non-frozen bakery and dessert products in the U.S., which is set to report first-quarter 2016 results on May 18. In the trailing four quarters, this Thomasville, GA-based company underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 6.5%.

Our proven model does not conclusively show that Flowers Foods 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 (Strong Buy), 2 or 3 for this to happen. Flowers Foods has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% as the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate both stand at 29 cents. The company carries a Zacks Rank #2, which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, its ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult.



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DEAN FOODS CO (DF): Free Stock Analysis Report



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BRASILIA, May 16 (Reuters) - Brazil's interim President Michel Temer has decided to appoint engineer and former Bunge executive Pedro Parente to be chief executive of ailing state-run oil company Petrobras, O Globo newspaper reported on Monday.

Parente was chief of staff of former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, during whose administration he successfully managed a severe energy crisis that required electricity rationing.

O Globo, citing unnamed sources, said Temer is seeking to tap Parente's management skills to rescue Petroleo Brasileiro SA , as the company is formally known, from a financial crisis brought on by low world oil prices and a massive corruption scandal that has paralyzed much of its expansion projects.

Petrobras is the most indebted oil company in the world.

Temer, who replaced suspended President Dilma Rousseff on Thursday while she faces an impeachment trial, chose Parente on Monday and will discuss the appointment with his newly appointed Energy Minister Fernando Coelho on Tuesday, O Globo said on its online version. He would replace current CEO Aldemir Bendine.

Temer spokesman Marcio de Freitas told Reuters by WhatsApp that "nothing has been decided yet."

Parente was CEO of Bunge Brasil, a unit of agribusiness giant Bunge, the largest exporter of Brazilian grains.

In the 2001 energy crisis, Parente sidestepped state utilities that were up for sale and relied on private thermo-electric generators that used natural gas to increase power supplies.

Petrobras has a large divestment plan that includes the sales of its subsidiaries to recover from a financial crisis that has stunted its investment programs, including development of huge reservoirs of oil in the off-shore subsalt polygon.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle)
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's interim President Michel Temer has decided to appoint engineer and former Bunge executive Pedro Parente to be chief executive of ailing state-run oil company Petrobras, O Globo newspaper reported on Monday.

Parente was chief of staff of former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, during whose administration he successfully managed a severe energy crisis that required electricity rationing.

O Globo, citing unnamed sources, said Temer is seeking to tap Parente's management skills to rescue Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4.SA), as the company is formally known, from a financial crisis brought on by low world oil prices and a massive corruption scandal that has paralysed much of its expansion projects.

Petrobras is the most indebted oil company in the world.

Temer, who replaced suspended President Dilma Rousseff on Thursday while she faces an impeachment trial, chose Parente on Monday and will discuss the appointment with his newly appointed Energy Minister Fernando Coelho on Tuesday, O Globo said on its online version. He would replace current CEO Aldemir Bendine.

Temer spokesman Marcio de Freitas told Reuters by WhatsApp that "nothing has been decided yet."

Parente was CEO of Bunge Brasil, a unit of agribusiness giant Bunge (BG.N), the largest exporter of Brazilian grains.

In the 2001 energy crisis, Parente sidestepped state utilities that were up for sale and relied on private thermo-electric generators that used natural gas to increase power supplies.

Petrobras has a large divestment plan that includes the sales of its subsidiaries to recover from a financial crisis that has stunted its investment programs, including development of huge reservoirs of oil in the off-shore subsalt polygon.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle)
(Reuters) - The former owner of a Connecticut gun manufacturer was sentenced on Tuesday to serve two years probation and pay a $100,000 fine after pleading guilty in federal court to having unregistered machine guns and machine-gun components at his New Britain factory.

Mark Malkowski, who resigned as president of Stag Arms LLC as part of his plea deal with prosecutors, agreed to have no further role in the firearms industry for violating U.S. laws requiring serial numbers on gun components.

Malkowski sold Stag, which makes weapons including the AR-15 rifle, to Miami-based private equity firm White Wolf Capital in February for an undisclosed sum. Stag, which had to apply for a new firearms license as a result of the sale, was sentenced to pay a $500,000 fine.

"This is the first time nationwide that a major firearms manufacturer has been convicted of a felony and had its license revoked, effectively forcing the company to be sold to new owners," Deirdre Daly, the U.S. attorney for Connecticut, said in a statement. "Stag displayed a systemic and egregious disregard of federal firearms regulations."

Federal investigators had been probing Stag since 2007, and found about 3,000 weapon components lacking serial numbers and 62 machine guns and machine-gun components that were unregistered or improperly registered, according to prosecutors.

Police rely on serial numbers on weapons to track and investigate guns used in crimes, and firearms lacking proper serial numbers can be difficult to trace, federal prosecutors said.

An attorney for Malkowski did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Connecticut adopted one of the toughest gun laws in the United States following the massacre of 20 young children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the town of Newtown in 2012. That move led at least one of the state's gun manufacturers, PTR Industries, to relocate to South Carolina.

(Reporting by Scott Malone in Boston; Editing by Will Dunham)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A woman at the center of a New York Times piece detailing Republican Donald Trump's history with women took issue with the story on Monday, saying she never had a negative experience with the billionaire and does not believe he ever mistreated women. Rowanne Brewer Lane, a former model who dated Trump for several months starting in the late 1990s, said her words were mischaracterized in the Times article, which used dozens of interviews to show what it said was a pattern of unsettling personal behavior by the presidential candidate with women. The Times story said Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the Nov. 8 election, asked Lane to change into a bikini shortly after meeting her at a pool party at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. According to the article, he then introduced her to the crowd outside, saying, "That is a stunning Trump girl, isn't it?" On Monday, Lane told the same story in a series of television interviews but said she had been flattered by his comment. "They spun it to where it appeared negative," Lane said on Fox News. "I did not have a negative experience with Donald Trump." Lane said that during the time she and Trump were dating, he "never made me feel like I was being demeaned in any way." She also said she supports Trump's presidential run. The New York Times responded to Lane's accusations by saying she was quoted "fairly, accurately and at length." "The story provides context for the reader including that the swimsuit scene was the 'start of a whirlwind romance' between Ms. Brewer Lane and Mr. Trump," Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said in a statement. Trump has deflected criticism about his attitude toward women throughout his campaign. On Monday, he called the New York Times "so dishonest." "Their hit piece cover story on me yesterday was just blown up by Rowanne Brewer, who said it was a lie!" Trump posted on Twitter. Times reporters Michael Barbaro and Megan Twohey defended their story in several television interviews on Monday, saying it showed how Trump behaved privately with women and revealed common themes including unwelcome advances, aggression and commentary on their appearance. "People can evaluate the story ... on its own merits," Barbaro said on CBS "This Morning." (Reporting by Megan Cassella and Susan Heavey; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Toni Reinhold)
PARIS/VIENNA (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday an international conference due in late May in Paris to help relaunch peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis would be postponed to ensure the United States would attend. With U.S. efforts to broker a two-state accord in tatters and Washington focused on its November presidential election, Paris has lobbied major powers to hold a conference that would set the groundwork to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table before the end of the year. Paris has grown frustrated over the absence of movement toward a two-state solution since the collapse of U.S.-brokered talks in 2014 and argues that letting the status quo prevail was, as one French diplomat, called it "waiting for a powder keg to explode". French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault had proposed May 30 for the talks, but U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is not available on that date, Hollande told Europe 1 radio. "John Kerry cannot come on May 30. It's postponed, it will take place, it will take place in the course of the summer," he said. "This initiative is necessary because if nothing happens, if there is no strong French initiative, then colonization, attacks, terrorist attacks and several conflicts are going to continue," he added. A French diplomatic source said the meeting would take place before Ramadan, which begins around June 6, and that the United States had made some constructive proposals to the meeting's agenda. He declined to elaborate. The gathering of ministers is set to include the Middle East Quartet - which comprises the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - the Arab League, the U.N. Security Council and about 20 countries, without Israeli or Palestinian participation. Diplomats say that meeting will package all economic incentives and other guarantees that various countries have offered in previous years to create an agenda for an autumn peace conference. Ayrault went to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on Sunday to sell the intuitive to the parties concerned. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Ayrault that he remained opposed to the initiative. He questioned Paris' impartiality after it voted for a resolution passed by the United Nations cultural body UNESCO that failed to acknowledge Jewish ties to Jerusalem's holiest site and caused anger in Israel.. Hollande voiced regret about that resolution. "There was an unfortunate amendment put forward by the Jordanians ... which blurred this text," Hollande said of the decision which concerns the site known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or the al-Aqsa compound and to Jews as Temple Mount. The resolution only used the Arabic terms for the site. "I promise to be extremely vigilant when the next resolution is put forward in October," he said. "I will look at it personally. It's not possible to call into question the fact that these holy sites belong to three religions," he added. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised Israel on Tuesday warmer ties if it accepted efforts to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, urging Israeli leaders not to waste an opportunity to bring security and hope to a troubled region. (Reporting by Michel Rose and John Irish; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
PARIS (Reuters) - The battle is not won against unemployment, and driving through labor reforms aimed at delivering jobs is more important than presidential popularity, French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday. Hollande is deeply unpopular with the French electorate as his government pushes through labor reforms aimed at making hiring and firing people easier. The reforms have split his Socialist Party and drawn protesters onto the streets. Hollande has said he will decide at the end of this year whether to stand for re-election in about 12 months time, staking his future on whether his current program can bring down unemployment, stuck stubbornly at above 10 percent "It takes time for those reforms to take effect," he told Europe 1 Radio in an interview. "I am trying to do what the country should expect from a head of state... That means do reforms even if they are difficult... even if they are unpopular. I prefer people to have an image of a president who has conducted reforms, even though unpopular, rather than a president who has done nothing." The president said he would "not give in" to protesters on a flagship labor reform bill he opted to force through the lower house of parliament without a vote last week. Hollande added that the jury was still out over whether French unemployment will fall. "These figures are unacceptable," he said, adding that although the reforms and the other job-boosting measures the government has introduced should help, "I wont be making any prophecies." The battle is not won. It will be won only when we have, over several months, a continuous fall in unemployment," he said. (Reporting by Andrew Callus; Editing by Michel Rose)
PARIS (Reuters) - Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday many of the faults Britain finds in the European Union are justified and the bloc will need a new treaty regardless of whether Britons vote next month to leave the EU or not. "On much of their criticism, the British are right," Sarkozy told Le Monde in an interview. "The peoples' estrangement from Europe is a major worry for all countries," he said, while underlining that he strongly opposed Britain quitting the EU. "But Brexit or not, we'll need, in all scenarios, to deeply relaunch the European project, and that will have to be done through a treaty that France must initiate, from the summer of 2017," Sarkozy said. He did not, however, support the idea of holding a referendum on Europe in France, as mooted by another conservative candidate in the center-right's primaries for next year's presidential election. British support for staying in the EU has risen, putting the "In" campaign 15 percentage points ahead of their "Out" rivals, according to a telephone poll for London's Daily Telegraph newspaper whose results were released on Tuesday. Britain will hold its EU referendum on June 23. Sarkozy also proposed setting up a group composed of interior ministers of the 19 members of the EU's Schengen passport-free travel zone, with a stable presidency that would have authority over the EU border control agency Frontex. He suggested this would improve political accountability and coordination across the EU in handling a migrant crisis. He further said Europe could not trust Turkey to honor a deal with the EU to halt migration to the European continent, and that Ankara was evolving toward an authoritarian regime. Turkey refused on Friday to heed EU demands to curb broad anti-terror laws seen by critics as a tool to stifle dissent, and said the EU must find a "new formula" to salvage the deal on migrants in return for visa-free travel for Turks in the EU. Sarkozy, who lost power to Socialist Francois Hollande in the 2012 election, is widely expected to take part in the center-right's pre-election primaries. In other comments, Sarkozy took issue with criticism by EU institutions of the conservative governments of Hungary and Poland over perceived anti-democratic practices. "As far as I know, (Prime Minister Viktor Orban) has always respected elections' verdict," he said. "You can't say there is no democracy in Hungary." "As far as Poland is concerned, I saw the Kaczynski brothers in power. They respected European rules, and when they lost, they left. After 50 years under the communist yoke, these countries are functioning democracies." The Law and Justice Party of Jaroslaw Kaczynski was returned to power in an election last October after several years in opposition. His twin brother, former president Lech Kaczynski, died in a 2010 plane crash (Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Screen Shot 2016 05 17 at 12.46.03 PM

A radical French technology school funded by $100 million from billionaire entrepreneur Xavier Niel is coming to Silicon Valley, and has plans to grow to 10,000 students in the next five years.

The tuition-free college alternative is primarily focused on teaching coding and entrepreneurial thinking, and is called 42, a nod to the book "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy," where 42 is the answer to "life, the universe and everything."

xavier niel

Niel, a high-school dropout and one of Frances biggest technology giants, created the first 42 school in Paris in 2013. The goal was to shake up the traditional mold of French education, and to churn out students that were innovative problem-solvers (and who employers wanted to hire). That mission will continue in the US.

Another huge draw, especially in this new US school, is the lack of tuition, which can work to drastically reduce the cost of learning programming skills (there's still time and living expenses to consider).

42 already has big supporters in tech like Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel, Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey, and Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield. Spiegel called it a school from the future, and Dorsey gave a glowing endorsement, saying, We are always looking for great engineers from any background and any education like 42.

Heres how 42s US operation will work:

42 doesnt require a high-school diploma or give a traditional certificate at the end. The students, ages 18 to 30, get accepted into 42 through a logic-focused entrance exam (no coding experience is required). Then they come to 42 for a month-long session called piscine (pool), whose 100-hour weeks are designed to see who sinks and who swims. If they succeed, they enter into the program, which runs 3 to 5 years.

There are no teachers. Students work in groups of two to five on computer programming challenges. The school calls this peer to peer learning, and students are expected to find what they need on the internet (the school gives them space, computers, and other equipment available 24/7).

There is no tuition. Niel has provided $100 million to launch the new nonprofit school in the US. He told VentureBeat previously that he has no plans to make any money off 42, and hopes alumni will choose to give back to the school with donations.

42 will launch in a new 200,000 square-foot classroom in Fremont, CA, and a 300-person (free) dormitory (42 says it is working to increase that capacity to 600).

Story continues

Since its launch in France, 42 has received more than 200,000 applications, and taught over 2,500 students.

Here is the email you get when you inquire about an application:

Hello young novice. Whoever you are, wherever you're from and whatever you have (or haven't) done before, you are at the right place. Here, on this starting line, you have neither head start nor handicap on any other candidate at 42. You have all your chances. Really. The admission at 42 is done step by step. Simple but mandatory, they are illustrated by a succession of tabs on the candidature's website. Those steps will allow us to know you better, to test your aptitudes to learn IT development, and allow us to decide of your admission to the Piscine. Aaahthe Piscine

And here is an introduction video to 42:

NOW WATCH: The largest cruise ship ever built has a bar where robots serve drinks





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Mamoutzou (AFP) - More than 500 foreigners chased from their homes on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte are being cared for by volunteers, local groups said Tuesday.

Hundreds of families, most from the neighbouring archipelago nation of the Comoros, have had to sleep in the open for two nights after being forced out by local people, they said.

Since Sunday they have been camped out in a square in the island's capital, Mamoutzou.

Local groups on the island had forced them out even though most of them are there legally.

Groups hostile to the foreigners handed out leaflets calling for the action and denouncing what they said was clandestine immigration and blaming them for crimes committed on the island.

Local associations and Red Cross workers helping the families said they were trying to arrange emergency accommodation for a total of 527 people.

Local authorities have condemned the expulsions and the destruction of the families' makeshift homes, known as bangas.

Mayotte, part of the wider Indian Ocean archipelago of the Comoros, opted to remain under French rule when the other islands chose independence in 1975.

Recent weeks however have seen unrest in Mayotte. Protesters have called for more French investment in the island, where the per capita GDP, at just 7,900 euros ($8,950), is a quarter of that of mainland France.

That is still substantially more than neighbouring Comoros, from where many people come in search of work.
By Ellen Wulfhorst POPLAR, Montana (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Life on the remote Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northern Montana has all the ingredients for sex trafficking - poverty, isolation, joblessness and violence, topped with an epidemic of crystal meth addiction. Drug users are selling their babies, daughters and sisters for the potent stimulant that is ravaging Native American communities such as the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes living on the desolate plains of Fort Peck, say community leaders, experts and federal authorities. "We're in crisis mode," said Tribal Chairman Floyd Azure. "We have mothers giving their children away for sexual favors for drugs. We have teenagers and young girls giving away sexual favors for drugs." No numbers record specific rates of local sex trafficking, which can often be buried in crimes of sexual assault, abuse, prostitution, abandonment or kidnapping. But it is a crime, poorly documented and fuelled by drug abuse, plaguing Indian reservations across the United States. The rate of meth use among American Indians is the highest of any ethnicity in the country and more than twice as high as any other group, according to the National Congress of American Indians. The number of drug cases on Indian lands nationwide rose seven-fold from 2009 to 2014, and crime rates on some reservations are five times higher than national averages, according to a federal Drug Enforcement Administration report. On Fort Peck, a reservation of some 10,000 people, six newborn babies tested positive for meth in just two weeks in April and were taken to a hospital 300 miles away, said Howard Bemer, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Superintendent for Fort Peck. Meth use and other crime exploded with the tapping of reserves in the Bakken oil fields to the east and south of the reservation in the last decade. The boom brought tens of thousands of workers, flush with cash, to the region. With the drop in world oil prices, many of those workers are gone but the crime has not, said Melina Healey, a trafficking expert at the Child Law Policy and Legislation Clinic at Loyola University Chicago. "The boom brought problems that don't disappear when the boom disappears," she said. The drug trade helps incite sex trafficking, as people exchange themselves, family members or friends to get high, she said. "If someone is addicted to meth, they're not in their right mind. It is much easier to get them to do things that they never would have done if they weren't addicted," she said at a recent anti-trafficking conference in Poplar, the reservation's tribal headquarters. Drug debt is a forceful driver of trafficking, and dealers threaten users to pay up by any means, said Sgt. Grant Snyder, a trafficking investigator with the Minneapolis Police Department. "Maybe it's your 12-year-old daughter, maybe it's your 5-year-old daughter," he said. FAMILY A harrowing number of victims are trafficked by their own family members. "Traffickers are not just scary men who drive around in Cadillacs in their leather trench coats," said Healey. "A trafficker can be a parent or guardian. A trafficker can be an aunt or an uncle or it can be a boyfriend or another friend." The often close relationships between abuser and abused present a web of problems such as forcing victims to leave home for their protection, experts said. Victims may fear the community and authorities won't believe them and will instead defend the trafficker, said an Indian Health Service social worker who did not want to be identified. "Nobody wants to go after a family member," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. On the bleak, windswept reservation along the Missouri River just 20 miles from the Canadian border, more than half the children live in poverty and jobs are scarce. Most people work in ranching, mining and farming, but one in three is unemployed. The largest communities are Wolf Point and Poplar, rundown hamlets that are little more than crossroads with a smattering of stores, gas stations, bars and fewer than 4,000 residents between them. Outside of town, dirt roads link the weathered houses and tumble-down trailers that dot the seemingly boundless grasslands. Demand for foster care for children removed from homes due to substance abuse is showing a sharp increase, said Courage Crawford, a program director at the Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center in Poplar which offers rehabilitation programs. "There aren't a lot of places in the country that have a perfect storm of both being this rural and this under served of basic services ... and also such high rates of poverty and also such rates of abuse," Healey said. Last month, the reservation was mourning the death by beating of a 13-month-old girl. A woman responsible for caring for her, while the child's mother was in jail, has pleaded not guilty to murder. A memorial service program showed a photograph of the smiling chubby-cheeked girl with shining eyes and a flowered headband. "With the loss of this child I think we've hit the bottom of the barrel," said Azure, the tribal chief. Also this year, a Wolf Point man was accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl grabbed at a local playground. Meth is blamed for 40 percent of crime on native land, and most tribal police say domestic violence and assault has increased as a result of addiction, according to the NCAI. Just thirteen tribal police patrol Fort Peck's 3,200 square miles, according to the local Journal newspaper. Across the country, fewer than 3,000 tribal and federal officers patrol more than 56 million acres of Indian country. (Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst, Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
Hamburg (AFP) - A court in the German city of Hamburg on Tuesday banned the author of a poem lampooning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from publicly reciting passages from his work.

The court ruled that only six lines of the 24-line poem by German comedian Jan Boehmermann could be recited, offering the Turkish leader a partial legal victory.

The poem accused Erdogan of bestiality and paedophilia and has caused a storm in Germany over freedom of speech.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has come in for criticism after she authorised possible criminal proceedings against Boehmermann.

Any prosecution of the comedian would be launched under the rarely enforced section 103 of Germany's criminal code -- insulting organs or representatives of foreign states -- which carries up to three years in prison

Last week, the affair gathered still more publicity after a lawmaker from Merkel's Christian Democrat party recited the offending parts of the poem in parliament in a bid to condemn its content as an attack on Erdogan's "honour".

Boehmermann's own recital of his so-called "Defamatory Poem" on national television in March sparked a diplomatic firestorm after he admitted the work flouted Germany's legal limits to free speech and was intended as a provocation.

Merkel then authorised criminal proceedings against the comedian after Turkey requested he be prosecuted under the lese majeste law, a move which saw some of the chancellor's critics accuse her of kowtowing to Erdogan.

Boehmermann responded to Merkel's move by saying the German leader had "filleted me, served me up to a neurotic despot for tea and turned me into a German Ai Weiwei," in reference to the Chinese dissident artist.

In Tuesday's ruling the court found that "Erdogan does not have to put up with the expression of certain passages in view of their outrageous content attacking (his) honour."

The court found that such material overstepped the boundaries of decency in attacking the Turkish leader.

Boehmermann has indicated his poem was a response to Ankara's decision to summon Germany's ambassador to protest a satirical song broadcast on German TV which lampooned Erdogan in far tamer language.

The issue has soured relations between Berlin and Ankara even as Germany and Turkey seek to cooperate on the migrant crisis.
BERLIN (Reuters) - A Hamburg court issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday banning re-publication of sections of a satirical poem by a German comedian mocking Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, saying they amounted to abuse and libel. Comedian Jan Boehmermann recited a poem on television in March suggesting Erdogan engaged in bestiality and watched child pornography, prompting the Turkish leader to file a complaint with prosecutors that he had been insulted. In a separate complaint, lawyers for Erdogan also asked a court in Hamburg to ban re-publication of the poem. In its injunction, which applies to the whole of Germany, the Hamburg court marked in red 18 of the poem's 24 verses, which it said were "abusive and defaming." It said its decision, which may be appealed, was based on the need to find a balance between preserving the right to artistic freedom and the personal rights of Erdogan. "Through the poem's reference to racist prejudice and religious slander as well as sexual habits the verses in question go beyond what the petitioner (Erdogan) can be expected to tolerate," the Hamburg court wrote. The six verses the court did not ban, include references to Turkey's treatment of minorities. Erdogan, a crucial partner for Merkel in tackling Europe's migrant crisis, had demanded Germany press charges against Boehmermann. Chancellor Angela Merkel has drawn criticism for allowing prosecutors to pursue the case against Boehmermann. Under Germany's criminal code, insults against foreign leaders are not allowed but the government can decide whether to authorize prosecutors to go ahead. The affair, which has turned into a diplomatic spat, has opened Merkel to accusations she has become too accommodating towards Erdogan in pursuing a controversial European Union deal with Turkey to stem the flow of refugees into Europe. Critics had already accused her of ignoring human rights violations and actions against journalists in Turkey, a candidate for EU membership. An MP of Merkel's conservatives read the poem out in parliament last week. Merkel is widely seen as causing the problem in the first place in describing the poem to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as "deliberately insulting", something she herself has said was "in retrospect a mistake". Prosecutors in the western German city of Mainz who are dealing with the Boehmermann case said it was unclear when a decision would be made on whether to go ahead with the case. (Reporting by Joseph Nasr; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Photo: Instagram

Becca Tobin is engaged!



The former Glee star announced on Tuesdays episode of her LadyGang podcast that boyfriend Zach Martin had popped the question.



I got engaged! Tobin told co-hosts Keltie Knight and Jac Vanek.



When Knight and Vanek cheered and asked for more details, Tobin continued, This hurts me so much because this [attention] is the part of being engaged that I dont want, so this is painful for me.



Keep up with your favorite celebs in the pages of PEOPLE Magazine by subscribing now.



Tobin, 30, revealed that everybody (including her!) was surprised by the engagement.



Every single person thought I was kidding. I thought he was kidding when he had the ring in front of my face! she said. I thought it was fake.



The ring is very real, however, and can be glimpsed in a photo Tobin posted on Instagram on Saturday while attending the Shaky Knees music festival with Martin in Atlanta.





Obligatory musical festival pic. #basic #shakyknees A photo posted by Becca Tobin (@itsbeccatobin) on May 14, 2016 at 3:51pm PDT





Despite not wanting to go into too much detail, Tobin did admit that she is really thrilled.



We dont have an extravagant story. I told him I would, like, castrate him if he did anything crazy, said the actress, who played Kitty Wilde on Glee for three seasons. I really didnt want, like, a thing, so it was, like, really perfect for me. So there you go. One day Ill tell the story.



The news comes nearly two years after Tobins former boyfriend, nightlife entrepreneur Matt Bendik, was found dead in a Philadelphia hotel room. Shortly after Bendiks death, Tobin paid tribute to him on Instagram.



Thank you all for the love and support, she wrote. Matt was the most extraordinary man I knew and he will live in my heart forever.


Good Morning America meteorologist and Dancing with the Stars finalist Ginger Zee has given her take on the reporter told to cover up live on air.

Read: Meteorologist Says She Was Not Ordered by Station to Put on Sweater, Says It Was All a 'Joke'

I actually do something when I first start a job; I always dress really conservatively, like ridiculously conservative, she told Inside Edition.

Zee, who picks her own outfits on GMA, said that what a meteorologist wears is a "huge part of our job. It is how you present yourself. It is what people see first."

KTLA meteorologist Liberte Chan was told to cover up by one of her colleagues after viewers complained about her outfit when she delivered the weather report on Saturday morning.

She took to her blog on Sunday to say that the whole situation was a joke and was not ordered by her bosses to cover up.

She wrote: For the record, I was not ordered by KTLA to put on the sweater. I was simply playing along with my co-anchors joke, and if youve ever watched the morning show, you know we poke fun at each other all the time."

Zee did express some sympathy for Chan, telling Inside Edition that the embattled meteorologist had another dress but it did not appear correctly on the green screen of her news station and had to change to the outfit in question.

While some complained about her outfit, in Latin America the forecasts and the outfits can get steamy.

Read: Meet The Meteorologists Raising Temperatures in Provocative Outfits

Mexico's Yanet Garcia is known for delivering the forecast in an extremely tight outfit.

El pronostico del tiempo para hoy  Outfit @bebe_mexico A photo posted by Yanet Garcia (@iamyanetgarcia) on Jan 18, 2016 at 11:28am PST

Arlett Fernandez, also in Mexico, often dons short skirts while pointing out weather patterns.



Office attire experts say women should never wear tank tops, flip flops, or skirts more than two inches above the knee.

Story continues

Watch: Meteorologist Adds 12 'Star Wars' Puns to Forecast

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By Paul Carrel BERLIN (Reuters) - Two centuries after his Prussian ancestor rallied with the Duke of Wellington to win the Battle of Waterloo, Gebhard Leberecht von Bluecher's direct descendant is desperate for Britain and the Germans to work together again to forge a reformed EU. Lukas Graf Bluecher von Wahlstatt is the great, great, great, great grandson of the Prussian field marshal of the same family name, whose alliance with Wellington at Waterloo in present-day Belgium defeated Napoleon, securing peace in Europe. Speaking to Reuters from his family home in Bavaria, Bluecher said he shares the dissatisfaction of many Britons with the EU but wants Britain to help reform the bloc rather than retreat into isolation and fond contemplation of its history. "It's time for a redesign, and we would just love to have the input of the Brits and not have them turn the other way," said Bluecher, 59. British friends, he said, told him their heads told them to stay in the EU but their hearts said 'leave'. "For me it's the other way around," he said. "My head says 'go' - it's become very difficult, it's maybe as many of the Brits say, easier to leave than to renegotiate. But the heart says 'no, for God's sake please stay and force us to change.'" Britain votes in a June 23 referendum on whether to remain in an EU which critics say is stifling the economy with red tape and undermining national sovereignty. Polling firm TNS said on Tuesday the campaign to get Britain out of the bloc has taken a three-point lead over the "Remain" campaign. Germany's political establishment favors Britain staying, with Chancellor Angela Merkel calling last month for "an economically strong and prosperous Britain in the European Union". Some fear British departure would skew the center of balance of the Union to the south with its weaker economies. Asked what his field marshal ancestor - to whom he bears a striking resemblance with his broad shoulders and receding gray hair - would make of Europe and the Brexit debate today, Bluecher, a start-up entrepreneur, replied: "I think he would have said 'let's march forwards!'" A portrait of "Marshal Forwards", as he was known to his troops, hangs proudly on the paneled wall of his family home; adjacent to it, an antique clock, mounted with a bird of prey. At Waterloo, on June 18, 1815, Wellington found himself in a dire position until the arrival of the Prussians, whose support helped win the battle that proved a turning point in the development of state systems in Europe. Wellington and Bluecher held central command during the battle but also relied on commanders in the field to take critical decisions - a lesson from which the Prussian's ancestor believes Europe can learn today. EU "DESIGN FLAW" To address what he called a design flaw in the EU's "over-centralized" construct, Bluecher said "we need to allow for more diversity rather than trying to put everything under the Brussels hat." "On a continent this size, you cannot possibly attend to all the necessary details from a central point," he added. "The USSR tried that with communism. We all know how well that worked. It went down the drain in no time." Instead, Europe needs to cater to what he calls the "strong cultural identities of our regions", Bluecher said, arguing that a failure to do so had led to the rise of the far-right National Front in France and the Alternative for Germany party here. While he said Britain often focused too much on its "glorious past", Bluecher argued that in trying to move on from Germany's Nazi history and Napoleon's wars, much of continental Europe has "forgotten where it came from". He said comments from Boris Johnson, the leader of the campaign for Britain to leave the EU, that efforts by Napoleon to unify authority in Europe had ended tragically were "unfair if not silly" as they focused only on the negative. "His innovations did not go under, even though he did go under," he said of Napoleon, pointing to the Napoleonic Code, with its stress on clear and accessible law, as an achievement. It was essential for Germany to keep Britain in the EU, such that three leading powers - Berlin, Paris and London - could bear the load of leading a Union born of determination to halt conflicts that have ravaged the continent. "Imagine a big round table standing on two legs. Good luck. The least you need is three." (Editing by Ralph Boulton)
On a clear afternoon in late April, Google's (GOOGL) newly anointed cloud queen, Diane Greene, took a drive to Menlo Park's Sand Hill Road, home to Silicon Valley's most prominent financiers.

Famous for co-founding computing innovator VMware (VMW), Greene no longer has to hit up venture capitalists for money. Rather, five months into her new gig Greene took two hours out of her Tuesday to visit with a group of high-growth start-ups backed by Andreessen Horowitz.

Engineering heads and founders from companies including Slack, Pinterest, Mixpanel and Databricks gathered in a conference room at the luxurious Rosewood Sand Hill hotel for coffee, cookies and a lengthy discussion on the future of the cloud, according to multiple attendees, who asked not to be named because the event was private.

Marc Andreessen , the venture firm's co-founder, was there with his own set of questions. His fund invested in Greene's last company, Bebop, which Google bought for $380 million in November principally to hire Greene.

The meeting could have been awkward. Of the nine companies in attendance, all but one rely on Amazon Web Services, Google's main rival in cloud computing, the attendees said. The other uses IBM's (IBM) SoftLayer.

But Greene, who was joined by Google's vice president of cloud platforms Brian Stevens, expects as much.

"Any company that went to the cloud over three years ago, they went to Amazon," Greene said in an interview earlier this month at the TiEcon Entrepreneurship Conference in Santa Clara, where she was a keynote speaker. "Back then it was still early days for us."

Greene declined to comment on the Andreessen meeting and was talking generally about Google's position in the market. A spokesperson for Andreessen also declined to comment and said only that the firm regularly hosts meetings for its portfolio companies.

Greene and the Google Cloud Platform face a steep climb in cloud infrastructure. Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft have big head starts in capturing an ever-increasing amount of customers' computing and storage needs.

Story continues

Google's progress under Greene will be a hot topic at the Google I/O developer conference from Wednesday through Friday, near the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California.

Here's the challenge: AWS is a decade old, generates $10 billion in annual revenue and has established a dominant position by managing Netflix's (NFLX) streaming service, building a cloud for the CIA and serving over 1 million customers. Meanwhile, Microsoft's (MSFT) Azure service gets to piggyback on the software maker's footprint in offices around the world and its massive enterprise sales force.

Greene can handle the market share problem. Even though Google commands only 4 percent of the industry's revenue, based on data from Synergy Research Group, the pie is quickly growing. According to Gartner, the cloud infrastructure market will climb 31 percent a year to $61.9 billion in 2020, up from $16.3 billion in 2015.

In Greene's corner is an engineering juggernaut like none other, a company in parent Alphabet stuffed with $75 billion in cash, a $10 billion annual capital expenditure budget and a vast network of highly sophisticated data centers.

Open source projects, big data tools, analytics software and artificial intelligence projects are on full display across the sprawling Silicon Valley campus.



Greene likes to geek out on subjects like Kubernetes, Google's open-source container technology unveiled in 2014 to help developers scale, deploy and tweak their applications across machines and clouds. It's GCP's fastest growing product.

"Customers love that we're so committed to open source and open APIs," Greene said. Application program interfaces, or APIs, are a way for companies to let outside developers easily access their technology.

Read More Wall Street's ongoing struggle to make sense of the cloud

Pushing back against Google's cloud momentum is a deep skepticism over whether a company that generates 90 percent of its revenue from placing ads in search results, YouTube videos and mobile apps, can win the hearts, minds and wallets of the enterprise.

Google, let's not forget, is built on giving stuff away to consumers in return for their personal data. Tracking users' whereabouts, behaviors and preferences enable the company to target you with relevant ads in search results and all over the web and establish deep pattern recognition to predict what you want based on how people with similar attributes act.

How can that very same company be trusted to lock down a corporation's most sensitive data  contracts, business relationships, intellectual property  so that its key assets are inaccessible to anyone, including Google?

"In one world, you're taking advantage of consumers, and in the business world it's the exact opposite," said Gordon Ritter, a partner at venture firm Emergence Capital, an early investor in Salesforce.com (CRM) and many other cloud software companies. "It's going to be really interesting to see how that DNA shifts."



Ritter is quick to acknowledge that he wants Google to succeed because Emergence's portfolio companies, like Andreessen's, thirst for alternatives. Too much control in the hands of Amazon is a scary proposition, particularly as AWS adds technology that increasingly competes with venture-funded database technology and business intelligence vendors.

Ritter shouldn't have trouble getting an Andreessen-esque meeting for his companies. In April, Greene lured Alison Wagonfeld away from Emergence, where she was an operating partner, to run marketing for the Google cloud.

"We have a very firm line in," he said.

Beyond the technical and philosophical hurdles, Greene has to build a world-class enterprise sales, service and support organization that rivals traditional names like Oracle (ORCL) and IBM (IBM). At the same time, she has to educate the world's leading corporations on how they can use Google's 16 years of machine learning expertise to their advantage.

Google has struggled to crack the enterprise in its decade of selling cloud applications like e-mail, spreadsheets and presentations to businesses. It's been on the market with web hosting and app developer tools for eight years and launched GCP in 2011.

The needle has barely budged. Morgan Stanley estimates Google's cloud infrastructure generated about $500 million in revenue last year, a small fraction of AWS.

Whether or not Greene can dent Amazon's lead, she is at least viewed as bringing the enterprise credibility that's been sorely lacking. As Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson wrote in a March 23 report, "Alphabet has the infrastructure in place to support this initiative, now it is Greene's time to execute and bring it all together."

In addition to hiring Wagonfeld, Greene elevated Nan Boden, who joined Google in 2013, to oversee partnerships. In February, she brought in former VMware executive Jason Martin to help build a professional services operation, and she's aggressively bulking up her sales staff.

Greene has done this before. At VMware, she and her husband Mendel Rosenblum, a Stanford University computer science professor, created the virtual machine, giving businesses remote control of their data centers in a precloud world. She knows that nothing matters more in gaining the trust of enterprises than security and reliability.

Greene is so addicted to this stuff that her first day on the job took her not to Mountain View or one of Google's key satellite offices, but to the small Midwestern town of Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Why? To see a giant Google data center.

Completed in 2008, the Council Bluffs facility is Google's biggest with over 115,000 square feet of space. Google said last year that it will invest another $1 billion expanding its operation there, on top of the $1.5 billion it's already spent, taking advantage of some healthy state tax incentives. The company plans to open 12 additional data centers across the globe through 2017.



Greene toured the Council Bluffs space, checking out the generators, cooling systems and how all the servers are racked and wired. Retina scans are required to enter.

She described the building's physical and virtual security in her keynote at TiEcon.



Read More Google skeptic says key issue is being ignored

When entering the front gates, if an unauthorized vehicle tries to tailgate its way in, it gets captured by a giant net, she told the audience. On the inside, if you're unable to "zero out a disk," or delete all its contents, it gets put through a metal shredding machine.

"You have this incredible physical security," she said. "And then you have all the automated tools which we're increasingly going to be able to bring to applications and customers for detecting any kind of threat and increasingly applying machine learning."

Greene spoke to a packed conference room for a half hour. That wasn't nearly long enough for about a dozen attendees who followed her out the door, through the exhibit hall, out the exit and all the way to the black car waiting for her in the parking lot.



She's a hot commodity, certainly hotter than she expected to be last year at this time.



Greene was running a stealthy start-up called Bebop that she'd started a few years earlier. She was approaching 60, had made a fortune from co-founding and running VMware for 10 years, suffered through a prickly departure, and was enjoying life working with a few friends.

But as a Google board member and with a deep history in infrastructure, she got to know Urs Holzle, Google's eighth employee and the guy responsible for configuring much of the company's most complicated backend technology.

"The more we talked, he was, I now realize, recruiting me," she said on stage. "I was trying to help him find someone to run this thing. I felt it was really important for Google to bring all this to the world."

Now she's out evangelizing, and she has some case studies to bring with her. Digital music service Spotify relies on GCP and boasts about BigQuery, a low-cost, high-powered data warehouse. Domino's Pizza (DPZ) slashed 80 percent off ad serving and operations costs after deploying Google analytics tools to better understand, across devices, user behavior.

Snapchat is a vocal advocate, Home Depot (HD) recently became a customer, and just last month Google and Autodesk (ADSK) partnered to deliver technology that more quickly renders 3-D images for Autodesk's media customers.

Autodesk remains a big-time AWS spender, counting on Amazon's infrastructure as it migrates from desktop software to the cloud. The Google deal, which is targeted at specific types of Autodesk clients, is a critical example of where Greene sees the world headed.

Cloud infrastructure is no longer just about the bare metal that computing giants use to host other companies' computing and storage. That's turned into a pricing war and one Amazon will never lose. CEO Jeff Bezos said in his recent shareholder letter that AWS has dropped prices 51 times.

Cloud is now about the many different types of projects that can run on the supercomputers, benefiting from the software engineering at Google and Amazon as well as a new generation of internet companies. Some of that stuff may work better on AWS, and other workloads will go to Google or Microsoft, but success doesn't rely on owning 100 percent of a company's cloud needs.

"We're all living in a multicloud world," said Aaron Levie, CEO of collaboration software provider Box (BOX), which has partnerships with AWS and IBM's cloud to take advantage of the scale they provide. "They simultaneously are each going to have their own distinct value proposition."

Box doesn't yet have a deal with GCP, but there's good reason to think one is coming in the future as Google's product matures and performance rivals AWS. Similarly, Rackspace (RAX), a provider of managed cloud services to support companies with their IT needs, is looking for ways to work with Google.

Last year, Rackspace announced deals to support AWS and Azure and expects to do the same with Google "at the right time, when the demand is there from business customers," said Taylor Rhodes, CEO of the San Antonio-based company. Separately, the two companies announced in April that they're working together to create an open server system based on a new IBM processor.

"I'm super partner-oriented," Greene said. "That's how I built VMware."

The money is there to be had. By 2019, 86 percent of workloads will be in the cloud, according to data from Cisco (CSCO), and 56 percent of that will be in public cloud data centers, up from 30 percent in 2014.

Read More Box CEO on Facebook possibly entering cloud race

Among early-stage start-ups, Google is gaining traction. Erik Benson, a partner at venture firm Voyager Capital in Seattle, said about half his companies now run on Google's cloud, compared to five years ago when the "de facto standard was AWS."

Google incentivizes start-up developers with $100,000 in credits for a year, which presented an attractive opportunity for Cloudtenna. Founded in 2012, the Sunnyvale-based company is building enterprise search technology that lets customers find, view and virtually share any in-house file.

When customers send documents and collaborate on projects, the work is happening in the Google cloud even though the actual files are typically being stored in a company's physical data centers. Cloudtenna tried out computing services from Amazon and Microsoft before landing on Google about a year ago.

"In terms of what kind of uptime do you have and how fast can you deliver for users, Google was number one by far," said Bryan Pham, Cloudtenna's co-founder and chief technology officer. The company utilizes Google's core compute engine and is currently testing out the machine learning technology, Pham said.

If Google has its way, a healthy number of start-ups like Cloudtenna will grow into formidable businesses and become big spenders. But just as important is attracting emerging software companies that will come up with innovative ways to use Google's cloud for their customers.

From Greene's perspective, it doesn't so much matter who's winning today, because the market is in its infancy.

Her prediction at TiEcon: "I think a couple years from now things are going to look pretty darn different."





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During the introduction of Robert De Niros tribute tonight at the Cannes Film Festival that preceded a special screening of Hands Of Stone, Harvey Weinstein told the packed house at the Grand Theatre Lumiere just how much of a mensch the actor is.

It was during the production of Miramaxs Cop Land, which marked director James Mangolds sophomore directorial effort. Mangold was literally graduating from a $300,000 production with his first feature Heavy to a $35 million movie with Cop Land. Two-time Oscar winner De Niro wanted to be the first actor in the cast to shoot his scenes with Mangold before Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Peter Berg or Ray Liotta.

They could smell the blood of a young director  they know theyre gonna kick this directors ass, Weinstein said. And this is what Bob did. No matter what James Mangold shot, Bob said, Oh my God, thats a fantastic idea, James! James, thats brilliant  that close up is the right close up! And then I heard Stallone say, Oh, my God, Bob likes James! 

Thats what Bob did for a young director. What he did for New York City after 9/11 was open his restaurant and serve 3,000 meals a day. And when the city was devastated, he opened Chinatown, Little Italy, and hes been the greatest ambassador that New York has, exclaimed Weinstein, triggering a round of cheers.

Hands Of Stone star Edgar Ramirez, who plays Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran to De Niros trainer Ray Arcel, took the stage and remembered seeing the Goodfellas actor on stage at the Grand Theatre Lumiere in 2011 when he was president of the Cannes jury.

Said Ramirez, They say that Cannes might be the city of dreams. Five years later I have the privilege to have him stand not only in my corner with the film youre about to see tonight, but most importantly lifeRobert youre an artist whose talent is only matched by his generosity, thats the best way to describe what you mean to me.

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A sizzle reel of De Niros greatest hits then played including footage from Casino, 1900, The King Of Comedy, Once Upon A Time In America, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Raging Bull, Falling In Love, The Mission, The Untouchables and more.

A teary De Niro took the stage and kept it brief, saying, All I can say is thank you. He also ribbed the French announcer on stage that hed like to be invited back as jury head, which prompted various folks in the crowd to respond, Oui! Oui!.

Following the Hands Of Stone screening, the audience erupted into a 15-minute standing ovation. Duran was also in attendance. The movie opens in the U.S. and Canada on August 26.

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Helmet cam footage from a skydiver captured an intense crash landing after a mechanical malfunction forced the plane to the ground near Lodi airport in California on Thursday.

The clip begins just as the the plane approaches a field to make an emergency landing.

SEE ALSO: Helmet cam shows biker's terrifying close call with a bear

At first the landing seems successful, but the plane eventually flips, and the camera goes dark as the people inside scramble to escape the wreckage.

The Cessna 208B was carrying 18 people at the time of the crash. No one was seriously injured, KCRA reports.

"We flew up, and then something happened. And then we're landing, and everything's crashing and everything's rolling. And then boom, we're on the ground upside down," Yuri Garmashov told KCRA. "Everything's dark. People start yelling, 'Get out. Get out. Get out.'"

It's not visible in the footage, but Cindy Martin claims the plane clipped her pickup truck prior to landing in the field.

"I saw a plane coming down right at us. And I told my husband, 'That plane is going to hit us,'" Martin told KCRA. "Sure enough, it came right at us and clipped our back end enough to just really feel a good bump, and then it went out into the vineyard and flipped over."

The FAA is still trying to determine what caused the crash, but the owner of the plane says that it was a propulsion issue.

At this point it is under investigation, National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway told the Sacramento Bee on Friday. Once we have access to the aircraft, we will conduct the physical examination of the aircraft.

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Victoria Beckham has hung up her stilettos. In the past fortnight Fiona Bruce set tongues wagging when she wore trainers to present the BBC News At Ten while Nicola Gavins' Facebook post of her friend's bloodied feet went viral after she criticised a Canadian restaurant for forcing female staff to wear high heels. And last week, London temp worker Nicola Thorp dominated headlines, after she was sent home from PricewaterhouseCoopers without pay, for refusing to wear a high-heeled shoe. Welcome to 2016: the year footwear got political.

Throughout history, heels have meant many things to many groups of people. And both men and women have worn them. Long before they were associated with fashion and femininity, they were used by cavalries in battle so they could stand more securely in their stirrups and aim better at their enemies. And in the hundreds of years since, theyve had many more roles: theyve been a symbol of power, a measure of status, and even a porn film prop.

Louis XIV famously wore high heels and during his reign the taller the shoe, the higher the position of the wearer. The less practical they were to walk in, the more important you were because people who cant walk properly cant work either. For a French King, waited on by minions, this was effective in asserting the order of things but for a temp worker who's on her feet all day? Not so much.

After a long time in vogue, heels finally went out of fashion during the Enlightenment. As rationality and science become more important, people were less interested in prancing around in shoes that prevented them from walking more than four metres at time. Men began to pride themselves with being practical. Frivolous clothes did not equate to education, reason and intelligence - all revered, male qualities (and as the lack of diversity in much of the mens fashion industry would attest, this is still largely the case.)

In her book Heights of Fashion: A History of the Elevated Shoe, Elizabeth Semmelhack argues that it was pornography that led to high heels eventually being associated with women  and sex. When photography became easily accessible, the modern porn industry was born, and heels were used to make womens legs look longer, which speaks volumes about their current perception problem in the workplace.

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Speaking to Refinery 29 about Nicola Thorps case, Semmelhack argued that high heels are still perpetuating sexism. "As long as the high heel is linked to desirability and desirability is linked to female success she said, then yes, high heels will stand in the way of equality."

Of course, for many women heels are a coveted accessory that can elevate an outfit from average to excellent and give them the extra confidence they want for a big meeting or important interview. But thats a very personal choice, as the outcry that Thorps story caused has highlighted. When it comes to feeling smart, powerful or ready to take on the world, one womans Louboutins are another womans Nike Air Max.

In the latter camp is Miranda Braithwaite, a 27-year-old City worker. While she wouldnt wear Air Maxs to work, in her four years working as an underwriter shes never once put on a pair of heels, nor felt like she had to. I understand that some workplaces have dress codes and that she [Nicola] was expected to be smart she says. But I dont believe that the only smart shoes a women can wear are heels.

And then theres another question, made more pertinent by our changing perceptions of gender stereotypes. If heels really were linked to power and success, then wouldnt men be wearing them too? Theres still little crossover between womens clothes and mens clothes, particularly in the workplace, despite certain high street chains attempts to cash in on gender fluidity (Zara launched their first genderless collection earlier this year). In general, men and womens fashions are still pretty different.

One man who enjoys bending the rules is 28-year old community manager Caner Daywood. I started wearing heels in my early twenties says Caner. As my style was evolving past the conventions of male trends I wanted to feel more powerful, self-aware and confident, so I started wearing Cuban heeled boots then started moving into stilettos as I got braver within my own aesthetic.

Despite it not being the norm yet, Caner hopes it will soon be, at the least, more accepted. To be honest, I don't care as us drag queens have always been outside the norm and that's how we like it, he explains. It's just that other people want to join us here and don't know how.

Man or woman, its safe to say that most of us agree on one thing: heels make you look good. And we should be able to wear them because we want to, and enjoy it. I have 54 pairs of shoes and choose them based on whether they go with my outfit and who Im going to meet that day agrees Nadya Powell, managing director of creative company Sunshine.

Its 100% my choice she says. And it should be no other way. Ive never been someone who feels more powerful or confident because of them. Quite simply, if you are physically uncomfortable or dont feel confident in what youre wearing, how you do your job will be affected in a negative way.

Of course the meanings we associate with a type of shoe are always evolving. Anyone working in a creative industry will be used to seeing colleagues in trainers, jeans and whatever they feel comfortable in that day. Katie Harland spotted the lack of fun, comfortable and smart-ish shoes while working in advertising and launched her shoe start-up Rogues shortly after.

Shoes are a fashion commodity so they should make you feel good offers Harland. Whatever footwear you choose you should feel happy in them. One thing I love about shoes is the fact that they're the only thing you wear that you can see yourself in all day.

If you look down and see a pair of uncomfortable, maybe even torturous heels that make it hard to walk, and hard for you to do what you want or need to do that day, thats pretty demotivating. And if you want to look down at shoes that make you feel great about yourself? Surely thats a small pleasure were all entitled to.

Heels have gone out of fashion in the past yet seem to re-emerge over and over again, says Semmelhack. Culturally, the high heel remains a potent, albeit problematic, icon of femininity and given that the meanings we ascribe to the high heel have developed over centuries, I think it will take a while for it to completely disappear.

So while our outdated views slowly die out, heres to women being able to wear the shoes they want to wear. Not the ones a patriarchal dress code requires of them.

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Paris (AFP) - President Francois Hollande renewed his support on Tuesday for the controversial nuclear project planned by France's energy giant EDF at Hinkley Point in Britain.

"I am in favour that this project goes ahead," Hollande told Europe 1 radio.

"It's very important to understand that we need a high-performance, highly secure nuclear industry in France, and that we cannot let others take over terrain, including on exports, that has been French up to now," he said.

A final decision on the plan to build two new-generation nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in southwest England was due this month, but was delayed after unions at EDF demanded a review into the cost.

A joint project between EDF and China General Nuclear Power Corporation, it carries a projected price tag of A18 billion ($26 billion, 23 billion euros) that will make it one of the world's most expensive nuclear power plants.

Unions at EDF, which is 85 percent state-owned, fear it could bankrupt the company, which is already saddled with more than 37 billion euros in debt.

Last month, management agreed to consult the internal committee which has brought in outside experts to review the financial implications of the project.

Hollande said the review would be completed "in the coming weeks".

There have been dissenting voices over Hinkley Point within the French government.

On Friday, Environment Minister Segolene Royal, who is also mother to Hollande's children, told the Financial Times that she was worried about the "colossal sums" involved in the project and questioned whether it should go ahead.

Ratings agencies Standard and Poor's and Moody's both lowered their forecasts for EDF last week, saying efforts to streamline the company were insufficient.

Hollande restated his vow to restructure and boost financing at EDF and rival energy giant Areva, "because they are the future".

"The French nuclear industry has 200,000 employees. It represents our energy independence," Hollande told Europe 1.

"EDF and Areva are public companies on which we should rely. But at the same time, we must give them new support."

CGN, which is due to cover a third of the costs, said Monday that it would not go ahead with the project if EDF pulls out.
By Clare Baldwin HONG KONG (Reuters) - A top ranked Chinese official began a rare visit to Hong Kong on Tuesday vowing to listen to residents' political concerns, seeking to address increasingly strident calls in the city for greater autonomy or even independence from the mainland. The visit by Zhang Dejiang, the first by a senior Chinese figure since the 2014 Occupy democracy protests, was officially to attend an economic summit. However, his first comments addressed the hot button political issue of Hong Kong's relationship with China, a topic that has sparked fierce debate in the Asian financial hub. "(I will listen to) all sectors of society's suggestions and demands on how ... the country and Hong Kong should develop," Zhang told reporters at Hong Kong airport. Following the unsuccessful Occupy protests of 2014, a handful of activists have been calling for an outright breakaway from China, a move some say would imperil Hong Kong's economic and political future. "These young people have no idea that they could be putting Hong Kong on a potentially dangerous collision course with the motherland and bringing an unmitigated disaster," wrote former top Hong Kong security official Regina Ip in a recent editorial in the state-run China Daily. Tensions in the city are high, with thousands police mobilized for Zhang's visit. Local media reported pavement bricks were being glued down to quell the prospect of violent protests while police were camping atop a mountain where a pro-democracy banner was hung two years ago. A banner demanding "true universal suffrage" was hung on a different mountaintop on Tuesday morning. "(We) are facing a very great threat from China: Our culture, our language, our people... we are dying!" Chan Ho-tin, the head of the newly-formed National party, told Reuters. "Do (Hong Kong people) want to be a Chinese city or do they want to be an independent country? There are only two choices," said Chan, whose party is expected to contest legislative elections in September. Joshua Wong, another prominent young activist who launched a new political party called Demosisto this year, wouldn't rule out taking an independence line in upcoming campaigns. "The problem with young people is that they are not 100 percent pre-occupied with economic considerations," said Michael Tien, a Hong Kong delegate to China's parliament, the National People's Congress, which Zhang heads. "A lot of young people saying they don't want development, they want a better environment, they want better work-life balance, they want better quality of life." "CLOSELY MONITORED" Hong Kong guarantees freedom of expression under the agreement that saw Britain return its former colony to Beijing in 1997, but authorities haven't ruled out taking action against pro-independence activists. "Any suggestion that (Hong Kong) should be independent or any movement to advocate such independence... would be inconsistent with the legal status of Hong Kong," the Department of Justice (DOJ) told Reuters. The DOJ said it was watching for "possible criminal activities" and would "closely monitor the situation, maintain close liaison with the relevant law enforcement agencies, and take such action as may be necessary." Hong Kong authorities said the "counter-terrorism security measures" were needed to ensure the safety of dignitaries during the visit. Hong Kong relies on China for vast sections of its economy, as well as much of its food, water and electricity, making independence almost impossible in practice. China's foreign ministry said pushing for independence would harm Hong Kong's security, prosperity and stability. "A lot of people in Hong Kong have jobs associated with the mainland," said Holden Chow, vice-chairman of the DAB party, Hong Kong's largest pro-Beijing political party. "If there are no more economic ties... then where are the jobs? There would be a rise in unemployment." Observers with close ties to Chinese officials say one of Zhang's priorities will be establishing relations with more moderate democrats to lower the heat. "He will send a positive signal to any pan-democrat who is willing to have a dialogue with China," Tien said. "This must be one of his key missions: To make sure the signal is strong enough that the electorate won't lambast the moderate pan-democrats and give all their votes to the extremists." (Additional reporting by Stefanie McIntyre, Pak Yiu, Stella Tsang, Teenie Ho and Venus Wu; Editing by James Pomfret and Lincoln Feast)
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's White House set up one last fight with the Republican-controlled Congress over defense spending on Monday, threatening to veto a 2017 defense authorization bill over its use of special war funds for day-to-day military programs. The House of Representatives draft of the $602 billion National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which sets spending policy for the Department of Defense, would shift $18 billion of wartime Overseas Contingency Operations, or OCO, funds to avoid automatic budget cuts to military programs. The Obama administration objects to the use of that money, saying it threatens U.S. security and unfairly spares the Pentagon from cuts faced by important civilian programs such as medical research and education. "By gambling with warfighting funds, the bill risks the safety of our men and women fighting to keep America safe, undercuts stable planning and efficient use of taxpayer dollars, dispirits troops and their families, baffles our allies, and emboldens our enemies," the White House said in a statement. House Republicans say the spending plan is essential to ensure that the military has the resources it needs, as it wages wars in Afghanistan and against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. The Obama administration also objected to a long list of policy provisions in the bill, including measures making it more difficult to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and cuts in funding for programs to train and equip local fighters in Iraq and Syria. Obama vetoed one version of the 2016 NDAA over its use of OCO funding and the Guantanamo restrictions. He later signed a modified version that addressed his budget concerns but left the Guantanamo measures in place. It will be months before the legislation passes Congress and arrives on Obama's desk. The House draft has passed the House Armed Services Committee, and Republican leaders would like a vote by the full House as soon as Wednesday. However, lawmakers have offered 375 amendments on a huge range of issues. The Rules Committee was meeting late on Monday to decide which of those amendments might come up for a vote. The Senate is also drafting its version of the NDAA, which must be reconciled with the House's before being subject to vote in both chambers. If passed, that version would be sent to the White House for Obama's signature, or veto. (Additional reporting by Eric Walsh; Editing by Eric Beech and Leslie Adler)
More than 400 victims of a toxic disinfectant for humidifiers that was sold in South Korea have filed a lawsuit demanding $9 million in compensation from the manufacturer of the product, distributors and the government.

The Korea Times reports that the plaintiffs include 235 people who suffered lung damage and relatives of 51 people who died after coming into contact with the product, which was produced by Oxy, a local subsidiary of British conglomerate Reckitt Benckiser.

It is believed more people were killed or suffered ill effects from the popular product, which was targeted at families with children using humidifiers in South Koreas dry climate. It was taken off the market after South Koreas Center for Disease Control identified a link with lung damage in 2011. Prosecutors last week charged four executives at Oxy with skipping necessary toxicity tests before the product was launched in 2001.

The suit demands compensation  including $45,000 for each of the deceased, and smaller sums for those suffering continuing effects  from a total of 22 companies involved in making and selling the disinfectant, and the authorities.

Without any grounds, the manufacturers and sellers of the humidifier disinfectants indicated on the labels of their products that the ingredients were safe, a lawyer told the Korea Times. The government, which failed to properly conduct safety tests and approve the products through tightly enforced safety regulations, must also take responsibility.

Reckitt Benckiser  which makes ubiquitous products like Strepsils throat lozenges, Durex condoms and Frenchs mustard  announced earlier this month the establishment of a compensation fund for those affected in South Korea. The company says it accepts full responsibility for the role that this product played in these health issues, including deaths, and that it has improved its product-safety processes.

[Korea Times]
By Dave McKinney

CHICAGO, May 17 (Reuters) - Illinois' record budget impasse showed no sign of ending on Tuesday after talks between Governor Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders yielded no breakthroughs and Democrats advanced a piecemeal spending package for low-income college students.

Eleven months into its fiscal year, Illinois is the only state in the country without a complete operating budget. The first-term Republican governor and Democrats who control the state legislature disagree on his insistence that a series of business-friendly, union-weakening changes be tied to passage of a state spending plan.

The legislature faces a May 31 deadline to pass budgets for this fiscal year and for the 2017 fiscal year that begins July 1. If no agreement materializes, efforts to strike a deal become more complicated after June 1 because three-fifths majorities, rather than bare legislative majorities, are required to pass bills.

After huddling in budget talks for close to an hour, Rauner and his Democratic rivals agreed to create "working groups" of rank-and-file legislators to negotiate the non-budgetary elements of his so-called turnaround agenda.

But afterward, House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who is the governor's main political antagonist, renewed his stance that Rauner's bid to make it more difficult for injured workers to get compensation from their employers and to weaken collective-bargaining rights, among other things, represented "attacks" on the middle class.

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin nonetheless praised Madigan's willingness to create working groups to study Rauner's non-budgetary agenda as a "reversal" on the speaker's part. But Durkin's counterpart in the Illinois Senate voiced skepticism since similar working groups last year failed to give Rauner any legislative wins on his agenda.

"We've had a lot of working groups, and (Madigan) disavows any knowledge or interest of them every time," Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno said. "This will be one more go-around."

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In a sign that no overarching budget deal is imminent, Madigan engineered House passage of a $227 million package to fund Monetary Award Program scholarships for low-income college students. The Senate-bound measure passed the House 68-45 over Republican complaints the move was merely an election-year "dog-and-pony show" orchestrated by Madigan.

"Governor Rauner remains committed to reaching a balanced budget alongside meaningful reforms in a bipartisan manner," Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said.

(Reporting by Dave McKinney; Editing by Dan Grebler)
By Rajendra Jadhav

MUMBAI, May 17 (Reuters) - India's coffee output in the next crop year is expected to drop by around a quarter to the lowest in nearly two decades as poor rains and hot temperatures hit plantations during the crucial flowering stage, the head of an industry body said.

The Asian country is the world's sixth-biggest coffee producer, although is well behind leaders Brazil and Vietnam.

Nonetheless, lower production from India could provide more support to global prices , already surging due to a drop in the output in top producer Brazil.

"Dry weather is hitting plantations in the crucial flowering stage. On a conservative basis, we are estimating a 25 percent drop in production," Baba P. S. Bedi, chairman of the Karnataka Planters Association (KPA) told Reuters.

The southern state of Karnataka accounts for about 70 percent of India's total output. India is likely to produce 350,000 tonnes coffee in the current season ending on September 30, according to estimates by the state-run Coffee Board.

With a 25 percent reduction in Karnataka, production could drop to 263,000 tonnes in the 2016/17 crop year, the lowest since 1998/99.

The Coffee Board is expected to provide its first production forecasts for 2016/17 by mid-June, said D R Babu Reddy, an agricultural economist at the Board.

India, which started coffee cultivation in 1670 with seven smuggled beans, produces mainly robusta, used primarily in instant coffee.

"Due to the back-to-back droughts, ground water has been depleted," said Bedi, pointing to lower rainfall since the start of March on top of drought last year.

Coffee growing regions in southern India received up to 70 percent lower rainfall than normal from March to mid-May, according to the India Meteorological Department.

Higher than normal summer temperatures alongside water scarcity had badly impacted the conversion of coffee flowers into cherries, said Anil Kumar Bhandari, a large planter.

India exports three-quarters of its coffee production and production problems will dent shipments in 2016/17, said an exporter based in Bengaluru.

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"This year, exporters are aggressively selling due to a recovery in global prices. Next year we will have very limited carry forward stocks," the exporter said.

Italy, Germany and Belgium are the main buyers of India's crop, paying a premium over global prices.

India's coffee exports have risen 19.4 percent to 213,187 tonnes since the start of current marketing year on October 1. (Editing by Ed Davies)
(Adds more details, background, quotes)

By Jan Strupczewski

BRUSSELS, May 17 (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers will seek to clinch a deal with Greece next Tuesday on a package of contingency steps to ensure Athens will meet future fiscal targets as well as reach a political agreement on future debt relief for Greece.

The euro zone can only offer to discuss debt relief, options for which are already being discussed by deputy euro zone finance ministers, once Greece meets various preconditions and the contingency reform package is one of them.

"Given the fact that Greece is busily legislating the prior actions already now ... I think we can be quite optimistic that these preconditions will be met," said a senior EU official involved in the preparation of the ministers talks on May 24th.

Euro zone finance ministers agreed on May 9 to consider debt relief for Greece, if necessary, once the country delivers on all reform promises under its current bailout programme.

This includes a set of actions, difficult to legislate under the Greek system, that Athens would automatically have to take if it were to miss its target of a primary surplus of 3.5 percent of GDP in 2018.

These contingent actions are to provide savings of 2 percent of GDP -- the difference between the forecasts of Greece's euro zone lenders and the International Monetary Fund on what primary surplus Athens can achieve in two years with the already legislated reforms.

Asked if the deal on May 24th would encompass the contingency steps and a political agreement on debt related issues that would satisfy euro zone governments and the International Monetary Fund, the official said:

"Yes that is very much what we are working towards. It is difficult, but it is not out of reach," he said.

Greece and the representatives of the lenders were moving towards a deal on the contingency package, he added.

Once a deal on the contingency package is there, the ministers are likely to offer Greece a political agreement on reprofiling Greek debt through an extension of maturities and grace periods on existing loans to keep debt servicing costs under control.

The ministers said on May 9th however, that the offer of debt reprofiling would only be valid if Greece met all of bailout obligations at the end of the programme in 2018.

(Reporting By Jan Strupczewski)
Indian women's minister Tuesday accused police and forensic experts of incompetence over the brutal rape and murder of a young student, a case that echoed the 2012 gang-rape of a Delhi student that sparked mass protests.

Women's and children's minister Maneka Gandhi accused police of dithering in their investigation into the attack on the student which was so vicious that she was found lying in blood, her intestines hanging out.

Gandhi said an independent probe into the case by India's national commission for women found glaring problems with the way in which forensic experts were handling the assault.

"The crime scene had been contaminated on all fundamental levels," Gandhi told reporters in New Delhi of the probe's findings.

The postmortem had been conducted by a junior staff member, the investigation found, and the suspected murder weapon improperly handled by numerous people, the minister said.

The 30-year-old law student from the lowest Dalit caste was killed late last month in her home in southern Kerala state, sparking protests.

The attack drew comparisons with the fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus in Delhi in 2012, which shone a global spotlight on frightening levels of sexual violence against women.

It led to an overhaul of India's rape laws, including the speeding up of trials, tougher penalties for offenders and improved policing, but high numbers of assaults persist.

Gandhi said she was concerned about the way in which forensic experts were still handling such cases three years after the death of the Delhi student.

"One of the things that should emerge from this is the need for strengthening of forensics."

Gandhi said the Kerala victim's family had complained to police before her death of threats and harassment from neighbours and others.

"They (police) were told they were going to be raped, they were told they were going to be killed, they had reported it to the police and the police said just go away," Gandhi said.

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She said she feared police were dragging out the case because of the political implications in opposition-Congress ruled Kerala which has been holding state elections.

Kerala police have said they detained three people for questioning over the attack.

The minister made the comments as she released an overhaul of policies for women including increased measures to halt violence and stem high levels of trafficking of women and children.

The most recent official figures show that 36,735 rapes were reported across the country in 2014, although activists say the true number is likely much higher, with many crimes going unreported due to the social stigma they attract.
Image: Rajdev Ranjan

The murder of two regional language journalists, within a time frame of 24 hours, is once again an indicator of how India is slowly becoming one of the most dangerous countries for journalists to work in. While the actual reason behind the killing of Rajdev Ranjan, Bureau Chief of the Hindi daily, Hindustan, who had been shot dead in Bihars Siwan district, has not yet been confirmed, the slain journalist had reportedly exposed former RJD MP from Siwan, Mohammad Shahabuddin, and according to the criminal turned politicians ex-aide, the order to kill Ranjan had come from Siwan jail. Journalist Akhilesh Pratap Singh, who worked for a local news channel, had also been gunned down in Jharkhands Chatra District near the panchayat secretariat of his village.



These deaths are not lone cases. While in 2016, there have been four cases of Indian journalists being killed, in 2015, alone, nine reporters were murdered in the country. As per the organisation Reporters Without Borders, these shocking statistics have given the country the infamous distinction of being Asias deadliest country for journalists, and only the war torn countries of Syria and Iraq have recorded more journalist deaths than India. In fact, India ranks an abysmal 133 out of 180 countries in the latest annual World Press Freedom Index. All of these journalists were killed while on the line of duty, for reporting organised crimes, corruption, linkages with politicians and for uncovering illegal mining.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York based independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to the defense of Free Press, 38 journalists have been killed in India since 1992, with motives confirmed. In its beat wise statistical analysis of the journalists who have been killed, 47 percent covered politics, 37 percent covered corruption, 21 percent crime, culture, and business, 18 percent Human Rights, and only 3 percent covered war.

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In the line of the fire

Journalists have been repeatedly under attack in India  from politicians, criminals and the mafia, and even from the police. Most of those killed or attacked have been from the rural areas of the country, targeted for the graft and illegal activities that they have exposed. While a number of these journalists are also freelancers, who sometimes even publish their stories on social media, the mainline media journalists are also being targeted.

During the student protests which arose across the country, post the suicide of Hyderabad Central University student Rohit Vemula, a number of journalists were caught in the cross fires, and were subject to police brutality, as they tried to cover the protests. Lawyers beat up journalists who went to cover the Patiala House Court in New Delhi, where JNUSU president Kumar Kanhaiya was being produced, while some were even locked up inside a courtroom, and beaten up. In February, this year, Karun Mishra, Ambedkar Nagar Bureau Chief of the Hindi daily, Jansandesh Times, was shot at and killed by three gunmen, in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. According to a statement issued by the Inspector General of the Lucknow zone, two mining contractors were upset with Mishras coverage of the illegal mining activities that were taking place in the area.

Authors who have been fearless in exposing wrongs, and have written on contentious issues, have faced the wrath of those they have exposed. Member of the Communist Party of India and author of the Marathi biography, based on the life of the Maratha ruler, Shivaji, Govind Pansare, was attacked in February last year, and died from his wounds. He, along with rationalist and author Narendra Dabholkar, who was also murdered in 2013, had been relentless in their pursuit of eradicating superstitions, and bringing the Anti Superstition and Black Magic Ordinance Act in to place.

These disturbing facts and statistics come at a time when the Supreme Court has just upheld an archaic law declaring defamation a criminal offence under law. The judgment was delivered against petitions that had been filed by BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal, and media organisations. The court has also said that free press is not an absolute right.

Freedom of press and an environment where journalists can work, without fearing for their lives, is a must in any democracy. However, in India there is no mechanism to protect its journalists, and, according to the Press Council of India, in 96 percent of the cases where journalists have been killed, in the last two decades, the cases have either dragged on in the courts or the investigation has hit a dead end. Unless such a mechanism is put in place, journalists, who expose the wrongdoings of politicians and criminals, would be under constant threat.
Police in southern India said Tuesday they have arrested a man for posting a doctored image on Facebook showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi bowing before a controversial Muslim leader.

Mohammed Mehboob, 25, was arrested on Sunday on charges of "promoting enmity between religious groups" after workers for Modi's party in southern Karnataka state's Koppal district complained about the post.

"We acted on a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and arrested him," the investigating officer Kali Krishna told AFP, referring to Modi's Hindu nationalist party.

The image showed Modi touching the feet of Akbaruddin Owaisi, a controversial Muslim legislator from neighbouring Telangana state who has been prosecuted for making derogatory remarks about Modi in the past.

In March, police in central India arrested two Muslim men on charges of obscenity over a doctored image of Mohan Bhagwat, a leader of the controversial Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The image showed Bhagwat dressed in a tight pair of women's trousers and black high heels, an apparent reference to the group's decision to change their trademark khaki shorts for brown trousers.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Iran this week, seeking to boost trade with the oil-rich country after international sanctions were lifted this year, it was announced Tuesday.

Iran was India's second largest supplier of crude oil until 2011/12, when sanctions forced New Delhi to reduce its dependence on the Gulf state.

The Ministry of External Affairs said Modi would meet President Hassan Rouhani during a two-day visit starting Saturday.

The visit will allow the two countries to "expand bilateral cooperation and mutually benefit from new opportunities in the wake of lifting of secondary sanctions against Iran earlier this year," it said.

Earlier this year India approved a $150 million project to develop the Iranian port of Chabahar, which will provide a transit route to resource-rich Afghanistan that bypasses neighbouring Pakistan.

Analyst Manoj Joshi said it would also give India access to the wider region including Russia, with which it recently signed a string of energy deals.

India imports 80 percent of its oil and its energy needs are growing.

"With this visit one can expect new opportunities for India's private sector in manufacturing, possible long-term deals for gas imports, energy access and exploration, security and strategic connectivity partnership for access to Central Asia," said Joshi, a senior fellow with the Observer Research Foundation think-tank.
Glenn Maxwell on Tuesday became the fifth Australian to pull out of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but his injury is unlikely to keep him out of an upcoming West Indies tour.

The hard-hitting batsman suffered a strain in his left abdomen playing for the Kings XI Punjab and is returning home as a precaution.

Australia team physiotherapist David Beakley said it did not appear serious enough to prevent him playing in the West Indies tri-series, which Australia open in Guyana on June 6 against South Africa.

"From the information we have so far, the injury doesn't appear to be something that will prevent Glenn from participating in this tour," he said.

"But we are keen to give him the necessary time to recover before departing to the West Indies at the end of this month."

Maxwell's departure from India follows Australian captain Steve Smith (wrist), Mitch Marsh (side strain), John Hastings (ankle) and Shaun Marsh (back) also returning home early.

Smith and Mitch Marsh are also expected to be fit for the West Indies while Hastings has been replaced by Scott Boland. Shaun Marsh was not named due to the impending birth of his child.

The round-robin tournament will see teams play three matches against each opponent, with the top two advancing to the final on June 26 in Barbados.
You Don't Know JACK until You've Seen the Fiscal 2Q16 Results

(Continued from Prior Part)

Unit growth

Now that weve discussed Jack in the Boxs (JACK) same-store sales growth (see the previous two parts of this series), its time to discuss another key revenue driver for JACK: unit growth.

Jack in the Box

By the end of fiscal 2Q16, JACKs Jack in the Box brand operated 413 company-owned restaurants and 1,838 franchised restaurants. In the last 12-months, the brand has added one company-owned restaurant and two franchised restaurants.

However, in fiscal 2Q16, the company closed two franchised restaurants while maintaining its company-owned restaurants unit count. During the same period, Burger King, operating under the umbrella of Restaurant Brands International (QSR), increased its number of restaurants by 30 units, while McDonalds (MCD) reduced its unit count by 58 units.

Notably, JACK forms 0.1% of the holdings of the iShares US Consumer Services ETF (IYC).

Qdoba Mexican Eats

By the end of fiscal 2Q16, JACKs Qdoba Mexican Eats brand operated 338 company-owned restaurants and 345 franchised restaurants. In the past 12 months, the brand has increased its company-owned restaurants unit count by 28, while increasing franchised restaurant count by 11.

In fiscal 2Q16 alone, the company added eight company-owned restaurants and seven company-owned restaurants. During the same period, Qdobas peers, Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Panera Bread (PNRA), added 58 units and 25 units, respectively.

Outlook

By the end of 2016, analysts are expecting the unit count of Jack in the Box brand restaurants to increase to 2,266, with 418 company-owned restaurants. Analysts expect the company to add 33 new Qdoba restaurants and to increase the brands overall unit count to 716, with 352 being company-owned restaurants.

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has launched a new crackdown on social media, arresting fashion models active on photo-sharing websites and a blog website manager after Tehran's top leader declared war on un-Islamic thoughts on the Internet.

Eight members of a modelling network were arrested and accused of publishing photos of women without the obligatory hijab headscarf on the picture-sharing application Instagram, Tasnim news agency said on Sunday.

State television also broadcast live "confessions" of a model who explained she posted photos of herself on Instagram wearing certain clothes or beauty products to earn money through advertisements.

The semi-official student news agency ISNA also reported on Monday the arrest of Mehdi Butorabi, 53, the manager of the popular Persian Blog launched in 2001 as the Iranian equivalent of the Blogger weblog publishing tool.

It provided a vibrant, diverse platform for thousands of young Iranians to express their thoughts.

The Center for Investigation of Organised Crime, a branch of the elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), monitors social media to hunt for evidence of immorality or subversion.

Iran blocks access to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube but millions of Iranians easily get around that by using virtual private networks (VPNs).

However, that does not make them immune from state surveillance. Last year, three men and three women who posted a video of themselves singing and dancing along with a Western pop song were arrested.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday the Internet was promoting un-Islamic thoughts that should be promptly dealt with.

"This is a real battlefield. The clerics and seminary students should prepare to enter this field and fight against deviations and erroneous thoughts," Khamenei was quoted as saying by his website.

(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Tehran (AFP) - Iran's parliament on Tuesday voted through a law obliging the government to demand damages from the United States for 63 years of "hostile action and crimes", state television reported.

"The government has the duty to take the necessary measures seeking compensation for material and moral damages caused by the United States" to the country and Iranians over the past 63 years, the text reads.

It cites "material or moral damage" caused by the US during the coup against nationalist leader Mohammad Mossadegh (1953), in the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), in the destruction of oil platforms in the Gulf and in espionage against the Islamic republic.

Parliament did not specify a sum, but Vice President Majid Ansari said during the debate that "Iranian courts have already ruled that the US pay $50 billion in damages for its hostile actions" towards the country.

The law was passed by the conservative-dominated outgoing parliament in response to a US Supreme Court decision last month.

On April 20, the US body ruled that Iran must hand nearly $2 billion in frozen central bank assets to the survivors and relatives of those killed in attacks it has been accused of organising.

These attacks include the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia.

The ruling affects around 1,000 Americans.

On May 10, President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran was preparing international legal action to recover the nearly $2 billion in frozen assets.

"We will not allow the United States to swallow this money so easily," he told a crowd of thousands in the southeastern city of Kerman.

The Iranian funds are frozen in New York.

Iranian officials have complained that the United States is not doing enough to encourage investment in Iran, despite the landmark nuclear accord with world powers that resulted in sanctions being lifted.
Elham Arab, an Iranian model, has been arrested and forced to apologise for "promoting western promiscuity after posting a series of images on social media where she was not wearing a headscarf.

Arab is one of a swathe of Iranian models who have been charged and forced to apologise publicly for posting similar images on their social channels. According to reports from The Telegraph, she is one of eight women who have been arrested in the crackdown by Iranian police on "un-Islamic" behaviour in the country.

She had garnered legions of fans on her Instagram account and a reputation for her ice-blonde hair, doll-like features and glamorous wedding dress shoots. The sting  sinisterly called "Spider 2" is aimed at reprimanding women mainly working in fashion and the beauty industries and is reported to have singled out 170 people running Instagram pages.

Arab was questioned on camera by the Iranian prosecutor Abbas Doulatabadi when she was brought before a hearing at the Iranian Revolutionary Court. It was here that she made a "public self-criticism" outlining her regret over her actions.

Wearing a black chador over her newly-dyed brown hair, she told the press: "I think all humans are interested in admiring beauty and becoming famous, but they must first consider at what cost and what they will lose in return. For an Iranian film star they may not lose much but for a model, she will certainly lose her hijab and honour.

Iranian Model, Elham Arab, answering to Tehran attorney for posting her pictures without scarf on Instagram pic.twitter.com/y1CSM4FrYQ  potkin azarmehr (@potkazar) May 16, 2016

Speaking to state television on Sunday, Javad Babaei, the head of the cyber-crimes court, said cases have been opened against a further 21 people and outlined the mission of Spider 2: The purpose of Operation Spider 2, which was launched two years ago, is to monitor the use of social media by the Western imperialist powers to change the Iranian-Islamic lifestyle of our nation.

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These powers, he said, "have been making and spreading immoral and un-Islamic culture and promiscuity". It was later reported that another seven of the countrys most famous models had been arrested  named as Niloofar Behboudi, Donya Moghadam, Melikaa Zamani, Dana Nik, Shabnam Molavi, Elnaz Golrokh and Hamid Fadaei.

A photo posted by Elnaz Golrokh (@elnaz_golrokh) on Apr 6, 2016 at 2:45pm PDT

The hijab has been compulsory in public in Iran since the 1979 Revolution and the crackdown on the fashion industry is part of a new scheme to promote Islamic values under President Hassan Rouhani. As part of his legislation, women driving without head-scarves had been threatened with having their driving licences removed. Now, there is a clear move towards the censorship of women on social media. Ms Arab's Instagram page has already been shut down, as have those belonging to the other seven women who have been arrested.

There has been some backlash on Facebook over President Rouhani's newly heated crackdown (he has often been viewed as "moderate" compared to previous presidents, say The Telegraph) and one website in particular is gathering strength: My Stealthy Freedom is an online movement fronted by journalist Masih Alinejad that encourages Iranian women to post photos of themselves online without headscarves. It has almost a million followers.

However, with the formal arrest of eight women and the dispatching of plain clothes morality police patrolling the streets to ensure conformism, it's hard to imagine how these women will find justice.

If you want to learn more about the fashion industry in Iran, watch our documentary on Tehran fashion designer Sadaf:

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A woman rides a bicycle past the building of the State Bank of Vietnam in Hanoi A woman rides a bicycle past the building of the State Bank of Vietnam in Hanoi May 17, 2016. REUTERS/Kham

By Martin Petty and Mai Nguyen

HANOI (Reuters) - Cyber-criminals unsuccessfully tried to send money from a Vietnamese bank to a Slovenian one in December, but there have been no other cases of attempted fraudulent transfers identified in Vietnam, a top central bank official there said on Tuesday.

Le Manh Hung, head of the State Bank of Vietnam's (SBV) Information Technology Department, told Reuters the Dec. 8 transfer - for 1.2 million euros (941,176.47 pounds) via the SWIFT network - was the only attempt to steal funds detected by Tien Phong Bank (TPBank).

Other Vietnamese banks and the SBV have not been hit, and the name of the Slovenian bank was not known, he said. It was also not clear how many accounts were listed as recipients.

The Slovenian central bank said it had no information on the matter and was not informed about it by official bodies. The Slovenian police had no immediate comment.

Unlisted TPBank revealed the interrupted cyber heist in response to Reuters inquiries on Sunday. It involved the use of bogus SWIFT messages, the technique at the heart of a massive theft in February from the Bangladesh central bank.

SWIFT, a linchpin of the global financial system, is used by about 11,000 banks and financial institutions for transactions. The two attacks on banks will likely increase scrutiny on the security of its network.

Interpol was immediately informed of the attack via its representative in Vietnam, Hung said.

There was no financial loss and TPBank found the bogus transfer through its own reconciliation system, he said.

TPBank has not said which bank the funds were headed to and Hung said he did not know the identity of the Slovenian partner.

Hung said TPBank was hit because a third-party vendor it had used to connect to the SWIFT money transfer system was likely infected with malware. The vendor's Internet servers were based in Singapore, he said, adding he did not know the identity of the vendor provider.

OTHER METHODS

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SWIFT has declined comment on TPBank's claims. On Thursday, it had said a unnamed commercial bank was targeted by a malware attack similar to the one at Bangladesh Bank.

But SWIFT said in mid-May the malware it had found was used to remove traces of fraudulent transactions, not to conduct the transaction, adding the attackers had used other methods it did not identify to send the fraudulent transfer requests. (http://bit.ly/1TezgHe)

Hung said it was the vendor that had been compromised, rather than TPBank's own systems. TPBank has declined Reuters requests for further comment.

TPBank, founded in 2008 by Vietnam's top technology firm FPT Corp, is considered one of the communist country's most modern and tech-savvy banks and it this month received the "Best Internet Banking" prize from The Asian Banker.

In February, in one of the world's biggest ever cyber-heists, hackers tried to steal nearly $1 billion from Bangladesh Bank's account at the New York Federal Reserve. Most orders were blocked but $81 million (56 million) was transferred to accounts in the Philippines and most of the money remains missing.

(Additional reporting by Marja Novak in Ljubljana, Slovenia; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and John Stonestreet)
ISIS Iraq Fighters

ISIS has taken advantage of technology in many ways, from spreading its message on Twitter to using encrypted messaging apps like Telegram.

And one place the internet has been of particular help to ISIS is in recruitment, allowing the organization to scour for new supporters in all corners of the globe. This recruitment has even reached one place you might not expect: dating sites.

A Jordanian intelligence official told BuzzFeed News that if a technology platform exists, ISIS has found a way to exploit it, and dating sites are no exception.

At the end of last year, we were approached by a family living near Zarqa [Jordans second-largest city] who believed their daughter was speaking to dangerous people online, the officer told BuzzFeed News. I told them, Close her Twitter and Telegram, but they said, No, its the dating site she is on.

This site wasnt Tinder or OkCupid, but rather, a dating site for devout Muslims.

A man reached out to the daughter, and tried to convince her to come to Raqqa, an ISIS stronghold. He told her about the big house she would have and the servants, the officer continued. Her husband would be a handsome fighter  he even sent her photos of the beautiful jewelry he would buy her for her wedding night. The daughter was stopped, but her story shows just how broad ISIS use of technology is.

Her case just shows you that even on dating sites ISIS is recruiting, the official said.

Read the entire feature on how ISIS uses the internet at BuzzFeed News.

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Baghdad

ISIS is increasingly using suicide bombers on civilian targets as it racks up battlefield losses in the Middle East.

The new strategy is evidenced by recent attacks in Iraq.

The terrorist group  aka the Islamic State, ISIL, or Daesh  carried out a coordinated attack on a natural-gas plant near Baghdad on Sunday. A suicide car bomb exploded at the main gate, and then several suicide bombers and militants broke into the plant, killing at least 14 people, according to The Associated Press.

These and other bombings have killed hundreds of people in the past week alone. And the attacks are ongoing: Another three bombs hit the Baghdad area on Tuesday, killing dozens.

The Amaq news agency, which has ties to ISIS, has credited the group for several of the attacks.

The increased emphasis on bombing civilian targets comes as Iraqi forces have seen some success beating back ISIS on the ground.

"The return to large-scale bombings in the capital, if this plays out into a real trend, is a predictable next stage for the ISIL effort in Iraq," said Michael Knights, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who recently traveled to Iraq and met with officials there.

"ISIL needs to hit back, change the narrative, disrupt the growing momentum of the Iraqi offensive against [ISIS-held cities] Mosul and Fallujah," he told Business Insider by email. "It will try to do this with a return to terrorist-style attacks that are harder for the US-led coalition to help against."

The Wall Street Journal noted that Western officials expect more of these attacks in which ISIS fighters "melt back into the population to launch attacks" that are harder to counter than a traditional military configuration, which "offers clearer targets than a guerrilla force would."

And as for disrupting the momentum of Iraqi forces against ISIS, the bombing attacks could serve as a distraction to draw these forces away from the territory ISIS still holds in Iraq. Its current Iraqi stronghold is in Mosul, the second-largest city in the country.

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"ISIS is demonstrating its reach to force the Iraqi Army to do too much. It can't  it will prioritize, and when it does, Mosul will become less important," Michael Pregent, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Business Insider by email.

Pregent, a former US Army intelligence officer and adviser to Gen. David Petraeus, explained the tactic: "Hit Shia areas and the population will demand protection," which will keep Iraqi security forces there and out of Mosul.

The population might also demand retribution for the ISIS attacks, which will keep the Sunni/Shiite sectarian divide alive. ISIS, a Sunni terrorist group, often exploits this to convince Sunnis to provide their tacit support. ISIS markets itself as a protector of Sunnis against Shiite aggression.

US and Iraqi officials have been promoting the Mosul operation for months, saying that it's not far off. It would be the latest in a long campaign of retaking territory from ISIS in the Middle East in the hopes of crushing the terrorist group.

In the past month, Iraqi forces and their allies have reclaimed territory to cut off a key supply route that ISIS used to transport fighters and supplies between Iraq and Syria. And US officials often note that ISIS has lost 40% of territory it once controlled in Iraq and 20% in Syria.

ISIS map

Waiting game

Iraq's worsening political crisis has provided a possible opening for ISIS to create chaos. The Iraqi Parliament hasn't met for more than two weeks after supporters of a prominent Shiite cleric stormed the Green Zone in Baghdad, The Associated Press reported. As a result, the government has delayed reform legislation that lawmakers claimed would fight corruption.

"It's possible that some of the political unrest in Baghdad has led [ISIS] to think that they can somehow stir up more chaos than usual," Nathaniel Rabkin, managing editor of Inside Iraqi Politics, a political risk-assessment newsletter, told the AP.

"ISIS hopes that somehow if they just keep up the pressure, the Iraqi government will at best collapse or at least become incapable of pursuing a cohesive approach" to fighting the extremists, Rabkin said.

Pregent noted that, with the chaos of the Shiite protests and Green Zone breach, the Iraqi government "is not focused on Mosul or ISIS." The terrorist group is now taking advantage of Baghdad's distraction with political issues.

Knights said that there are no easy solutions to the ISIS attacks.

"The best option is to rebuild, to whatever extent possible, the US-Iraqi intelligence and special forces effort against ISIL cells around Baghdad," Knights told Business Insider.

The challenge is working around Shiite militias, which are largely supported by Iran and allied with the Iraqi government. These militias have been known to target Sunni residents of areas liberated from ISIS, accusing them of supporting the terrorist group.

A "surgical approach" using intelligence and special forces "will be far less damaging to the Iraqi state than the blunt force approaches being pushed by Shia militia leaders such as mass arrests or cutting Baghdad off from the Sunni areas of Iraq," Knights said.

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What do Western women who join Islamic State want? One prominent theory is what these women really want is to get laid. Another is that they dont know what they really want, because what they want has been decided for them by male jihadi groomers. Both theories are meant to resolve a seeming paradox: How can any woman who enjoys democratic rights and equality before the law join or support a group which actively promotes her own oppression? But both are misconceived. Indeed, they say more about the gendered assumptions of those who proffer them than about the women they are trying to explain.

The idea that Western Islamic State fangirls  as they are often derogatively called  just wanna have fun (to paraphrase Cindy Lauper) is the thesis of, among others, Shazia Mirza, a British comedian whose latest show is called The Kardashians Made Me Do It. The shows title references a comment made by one of the sisters of the three East London schoolgirls who absconded to Syria in February 2015. She used to watch Keeping Up With the Kardashians and stuff like that, so there was nothing that indicated that she was radicalized in any way  not at home, Sahima Begum said about her missing sister, Shamima. This gives Mirzas show its central theme, which is that the Western girls who join the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, share the same banal and all-too-human concerns as their non-jihadi Western peers including, and especially, when it comes to love. Mirzas argument is that the Islamic State, for teens like Begum, is just another teenage crush. Indeed, the Islamic State, she suggests, is like a boy band  only with guns.

Im not being frivolous, Mirza said in a recent TV interview, but, these ISIS men, as barbaric as they are, you have to admit, they are hot. Theyre macho; theyre hairy; theyve got guns. And these girls think, These are a bit of all right. What theyve done is sold their mothers jewelry and bought a one-way ticket to Syria for some halal meat. Or as Mirza phrased it in her 2015 Edinburgh show, referring to the three East London runaways: They think theyve gone on a Club 18-30 holiday to Ibiza. Theyre not religious; theyre horny.

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This is funny  and Mirza, after all, is a comedian. But it isnt serious as a commentary on the motives of the Western women who have joined, or aspire to join, the Islamic State. Yet many news organizations have taken up the idea as though it were. Earlier this year, for example, CNN ran a news story titled ISIS using jihotties to recruit brides for fighters. This was only slightly more cretinous than a BBC Newsnight report from March 2015 proclaiming, Attractive jihadists can lure UK girls to extremism.

Another way of not taking Islamic State fangirls seriously is to suggest that they have been groomed over the Internet by shadowy, charismatic men into believing that the Islamic State is the solution to all their problems. In March 2015, Hayley Richardson wrote in Newsweek that militant fighters are using similar online grooming tactics to paedophiles to lure western girls to their cause. Sara Khan, the founder and co-director of the anti-extremism NGO Inspire, echoed this. Just like child abusers groom their victims online and persuade them to leave their homes and meet them, she claimed in the Independent, male jihadists contact women through social media and online chatrooms, and build trust with them over time.

This is a gendered reading of radicalization: Young men are not groomed by charismatic women who prey on their emotional weaknesses and naivety. Only women are groomed. Only women lack the necessary agency and political engagement to want to support or join the Islamic State. Mirzas reading of womens radicalization is similarly patronizing, but it at least puts women on an equal footing with male Islamic State jihadis, who, presumably, from within her one-dimensional worldview, also want to get laid.

The problem with the grooming narrative is that it seriously misrepresents womens radicalization as an essentially passive process and obscures, as numerous studies show, the striking degree to which young women themselves are actively involved in recruiting like-minded sisters to the cause. It also presents an unreal picture in which women and young girls are somehow targeted and then seduced by online recruiters, drastically overestimating the recruiters powers of selection and persuasion. Everything we know about radicalization suggests otherwise: that potential recruits actively seek out the message and the messenger (and that the decisive facilitator in radicalization is typically not an anonymous predatory online recruiter, but a trusted friend or family member).

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Over the past year, I have spent an unhealthy amount of time tracking the social media activities of Western English-speaking female Islamic State supporters as part of a wider research project on the subculture of Western jihadism. (Most of their accounts have since been shut down.) And what these women  or at least the more brazen and vocal among them  want they have made abundantly clear. Far from being slaves to their sexual desires or victims of the predatory machinations of men, many Western women join or aspire to join the Islamic State because they want to  because the Islamic State, unlike the secular liberal democracies in which they live, makes sense to them and reflects their fundamental moral and political convictions. What they want is to live in a properly authentic Islamic state in which Islamic law  sharia  is fully implemented. Specifically, they want to live under the caliphate, which, they believe, it is their divine duty to support. What they do not want is to live in the West, for a multitude of reasons. They do not want freedom, as understood by classical liberal scholars as negative freedom  the freedom to do what you want, so long as you dont harm others. And they do not want feminism. They want submission: to Gods will and his divine law.

Consider, for example, Umm Muthanna, a 22-year-old British woman and former university student who left for Syria earlier last year. In a flurry of tweets, posted in November 2014, just months before she left Britain, Umm Muthanna recorded an incident in one of her university lectures. It provides fascinating insight into the anti-feminist mindset of the Western women who leave to join the Islamic State:

Todays lecture was on Feminism. Then on came the seminar. SubhanAllah the tutor started discussing gender differences and roles in society. Fine, I will listen and make notes but does not mean I accept your constricted ideologies. Short time after, the tutor asks a question Raise your hand if you are a feminist. I wanted to burst out with laughter, which my niqab helped contain. Result? Majority of the women, 18/20 put their hands up. I sat there whilst everybody glanced at me! Haha, I felt proud, but pity for their souls. Then, here it where it gets interesting. The tutor asked, so those who are not feminists, explain why. Everybody turned to me basically. And I said clearly, Islam has given all my rights to me as a woman and I feel liberated, I feel content and equal in society and all. I explained to them, how both men and women have rights in Islam, given us to in the Quraan, (at this point everybody was screwing). I explained to them not everything which a man can do, a woman can also compete with and try do. Its to do with biology. I explained how this western society has made you think in a certain way, pressurised you to feel weak and always thirsty to make money. Pressurised you to compete with men, when in reality if you knew your place as a woman, if there was Shariah implementation, you would not be complaining like you are now. I said all this and basically everybody tried refuting me. These feminists are deluded!

The big taboos for many of these women, as for all religious fundamentalists, are related to sex and gender equality. Peer inside their online lives, and it becomes clear that this is a major animating concern. They cannot abide free mixing of the sexes, which they condemn as a disease. They cannot even abide the idea of revealing their eyes, let alone face, in their Twitter profile photos, since this would imperil their sexual modesty  and hence impugn their devotion to God. And they explicitly warn brothers not to DM [direct message] them. The Islamic State appeals to these women, not, as Mirza insists, because it has a bountiful supply of halal meat, but because it perfectly coheres with their militantly conservative notions of sex and gender. Hence, they support the Islamic State not despite, but because of, its aggressively patriarchal worldview.

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Scott Atran, an anthropologist at Oxford University and Frances National Center for Scientific Research, in his current research, describes these women as post-feminist and post-adolescent. He writes, They are tired of a seemingly endless, genderless, culturally indistinct coming of age. The Islamic State and al Qaeda provide clear red lines: Men are men, and women are women. Which is to say that men are warriors and women are mothers, whose primary duty, as Umm Muthanna put it in one tweet, is to raise the next generation of lions in Islamic State. My GOAL, she declared, is to have lots of sons & send them off all feesabillilah [in the cause of Allah]  under the Islamic State. The hashtag attached to this tweet was #RealWomanGoals. This does not mean, as Atran and other researchers have made clear, that female Islamic State members or supporters are disapproving of violence. On the contrary, many seek to justify and even to encourage it. Umm Osama, for example, who is an online friend of Umm Muthanna, recently felt brave enough to issue an incitement for suicide attacks, reminding brothers of their heavenly rewards on achieving martyrdom. To brothers, she tweeted, when you get so excited hoping for 7ooris  that is, wide-eyed damsels, or female companions  remember this n say Mahraha adDugma (u can do it).

These womens greatest anxieties are related to dunya, or the material world, which they condemn as corrupt and polluting. This is why the niqab is so symbolically important: It acts as a protective shield against worldly poison and vice. As Andrew Sullivan perceptively observed, describing the logic of fundamentalism, Sin begets sin. The sin of others can corrupt you as well. Hence the appeal of the caliphate: a state in which sin is violently punished and constantly purged from the public body.

Yet, for all their efforts to escape the polluting stain of the material world, these women are irrevocably marked by it. They enjoy its technologies and blandishments. And, for all their efforts to Islamize their inner and outer selves, there is, as Mirza so humorously shows, an inner Kardashian in these women that coexists uneasily with their righteous selves. They record the minutiae of their daily lives, posting selfies of their latest niqab styles or photos of food they have prepared. They share their admiration for the latest banging nasheed , an a cappella hymn. They warn sisters to beware of spies and give shoutouts to their imprisoned sisters. One female Islamic State supporter, who uses the Twitter handle OumDujana, even lets us inside her bedroom. It is a fascinating spectacle. In a 9-second recording she uploaded, we are shown what appear to be numerous collections of hadiths, an intricately pimped-out shrine to the Islamic State, and several boxes of Nike trainers. This woman, unlike the Islam for Dummies wannabe jihadis, plainly knows her religion. But she also likes her Nike trainers, though not as much as her iPhone 6.

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Who is Oum Dujana? She is based in London and may have been born in Belgium or France. She is young  22, she says  and of North African heritage. Like many female Islamic State supporters, she is precocious, and her tweets show a lively intelligence and active political engagement. (Her account has since been shut down.) She appears to be intensely religious. In one tweet, she makes a reference to being under heavy obbo, or observation, and in another refers to a police raid on her house. She also alludes to a husband in a warzone, perhaps Syria, Libya, or Iraq. Either she has tried to leave for Islamic State-controlled territory or she is married to an Islamic State fighter  or both. Regardless, she seems deeply committed to the caliphate ideal and to the Islamic State. It is impossible to know how she acquired that commitment. But infantilizing this woman as a vulnerable child or sexualizing her as a repressed Muslim is unlikely to cast much light on this.

No one is more sensitive to this disparagement than the women themselves. Idiots that are tweeting this trend, tweeted Umm Waqqas, a Seattle-based Islamic State online recruiter who was exposed by Britains Channel 4 News last year, should realize that NO SISTER leaves the comfort of their homes just to marry some man. She was referring to the hashtag #jihadibrides. They cant fathom the reality, she immediately added, that muslims from all ages are leaving to live in a REAL muslim country & to live under the shades of Sharia. Or as Oum Dujana more succinctly put it last month, CNN said we [gonna] marry #Jihotties LOOOL.

Photo credit: MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images
Italian auteur and Cannes veteran Marco Bellocchio, whose melodrama Sweet Dreams screened in Directors Fortnight, will make a high-profile film about Tommaso Buscetta, the first high-ranking Italian mob leader to break the Sicilian Mafias oath of silence whose testimony helped convict hundreds of Mafia leaders in Italy and the United States.

Working-titled The Traitor, the film will see Bellocchio delve into an intriguing piece of recent Italian history, somewhat similarly to the work he did in Good Morning, Night, his reconstruction of the 1978 kidnapping and killing of Aldo Moro, Italys former prime minister and head of the Christian Democrat party. Just as in Night, the core of the film will be the human side of the protagonist.

I am interested in Buscettas character because he is a traitor. But actually who betrayed the sacred principles of Cosa Nostra wasnt Buscetta, he added. It was [then Cosa Nostra boss] Toto Riina and the Corleonesi Clan. The Corleonesi were a faction within Cosa Nostra who in the 1970s triggered several internecine wars.

Buscettas decision to cooperate with Italian and, later, American prosecutors in 1984 marked the first major betrayal within Cosa Nostras high-ranks and is considered to have changed the course of a dark chapter in contempo Italian history.

Buscettas testimony about heroin smuggling in the pizza connection case in the mid-1980s allowed him to obtain American citizenship, and a place in the U.S. witness protection program. He died of cancer in 2000 in an undisclosed U.S. location.

His revelations caused him the death of many relatives, including two sons. Buscettas family has agreed to Bellocchios film being made. It will be based on extensive research done by a team of journalists, testimony from people who knew him, and material in Italian archives.

Bellocchio is writing the screenplay.

The plan is for Bellocchios next film to be shot in the United States and Brazil, as well as in Italy.

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Production of The Traitor is being mounted by Sweet Dreams producer Beppe Caschettos IBC Movie, who is in talks with prospective international partners.

Rai Cinema, the film unit of Italian pubcaster Rai, is co-producing and will release the film in Italy. Bellocchios own Kavac shingle is also on board.

It will be an international production by one of our auteurs who is best known abroad, said Rai Cinema topper Paolo Del Brocco.

Just like Bellocchio gave us a personal portrait of Aldo Moro and an original reconstruction of his travails, we think his vision of history and ability to present a non-conventional read on the facts will serve him well in reconstructing this complex character, he added.

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Italys Colorado Films is teaming up with bestselling Italo author Donato Carrisi, whose serial killer thriller The Whisperer has sold millions of copies around the world, to form a new company specialized in producing Italian thrillers for the international film and TV market.

The core of shingle, which will be called Gavila, are two Carrisi properties, The Whisperer, which takes its cue from six severed arms found arranged in a circle in a forest clearing, and The Girl in the Fog, about the disappearance of a teen girl in the Alps.

Gavila is in advanced talks for German production powerhouse Constantin Films to board both projects; its also in talks with Zodiak France on Whisperer and with Universal/Focus Features on Fog, which Carrisi will direct.

Carrisi will be the head writer on the The Whisperer skein, which will be shot in English. Cranky criminologist Goran Gavila is assigned the serial killer case in tandem with young female police officer Mila Vasquez. The Whisperer, which has been translated in 24 languages, has made a major international splash, on a scale comparable to Swedish sensation Stieg Larsson (The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo). Whisperer is published in the U.S. by Little Brown.

The Girl in the Fog will be Carrisis feature film debut and could also mark a return to Universal producing in Italy after a long hiatus.

Colorado is a prominent Italo production shingle known for Im not Scared by Gabriele Salvatores, among other titles, and more recently as backers of Luca Guadagninos I am Love and Laura Bispuris transgender pic Sworn Virgin.

Carrisi separately has a deal with FX and Murdoch-owned paybox Sky for an English-language TV series based on his dark The Lost Girls of Rome, which is about a secret confessional court at the Vatican and said to be similar in tone to David Finchers Seven.

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Italian winemakers are hoping to steal some of the love Chinese consumers have for French wines when the spotlight shines brightly on their wine traditions at Vinexpo Hong Kong next week.

Chinese consumers have had a longstanding love affair with Bordeaux, which has become a status symbol for the Chinese elite.

But over three days, attendees of the biggest and most important wine trade event in Asia this year will be challenged to expand their horizons and give Italian wines their due, with Italy honored as guest country this year.

Though the world's leading global exporter of wine by volume, Italy ranks as the fifth biggest wine supplier to China and the sixth biggest to Hong Kong.

About 4.54 million 9-liter cases are exported to the region every year.

Globally, Italy also alternates with France as the world's top wine producer depending on the vintage, and ranks third in the world for wine consumption by volume.

Its main export markets are northern Europe and North America.

At Vinexpo Hong Kong, the estimated 16,700 attendees -- the biggest players in the wine industry -- will have the opportunity to hear about Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, the new top tier of Chianti Classico Wines.

Also scheduled are masterclasses of top Italian wines, the best regional wines representing Northern, Central and Southern Italy and top Italian spirits.

French wines enjoy a longstanding monopoly on Chinese affections: 42 percent of the 13.9 million cases consumed in China is French, with a particular preference for Bordeaux.

After France, Chinese consumers are most smitten by Australian wines, tipping back the equivalent of 4 million cases, thanks to geographical proximity and commercial link.

And in third place, Spanish wines have become the fastest-growing import for their lower price points and mass market appeal at 3.9 million cases.

Chile rounds out the fourth place, followed by Italy.

Vinexpo Hong Kong runs May 24-26.
ROME (Reuters) - Italy and Libya discussed on Tuesday renewing a 2008 accord under which Italy pledged billions of dollars in investments in return for energy contracts and controlling illegal migration from North Africa, Italy's foreign ministry said. The original deal was struck by then-Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi and former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi before Gaddafi was ousted and the country plunged into chaos. The breakdown of order in Libya, where human traffickers have taken advantage of the turmoil to pack people fleeing war and poverty into unseaworthy boats, has contributed to Europe's worst migration crisis since World War Two. Talk of the 2008 "friendship pact" was revived by Mohammed Siyala, Foreign Minister in Libya's new U.N.-backed national unity government, and his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni in Rome on Tuesday. "The two ministers talked ... about the possibility of reactivating the tools set out in the 2008 friendship pact as soon as possible," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The West is counting on the unity government, which arrived in late March, to tackle armed violence, Islamic State militants and stop flows of migrants across the Mediterranean. European officials are worried about large numbers of would-be migrants building up in Libya, but say the volatility there precludes the kind of deal struck with Turkey to block last year's main entry point to Europe via Greece. Libya's new leaders still lack effective control over the capital Tripoli, and the country's coast guard has struggled in the past to patrol its waters. Berlusconi and Gaddafi presented the 2008 pact as compensation for damage inflicted on Libya by Italians during the latter's 1911-1943 colonial rule. Italy planned at the time to invest $200 million per year in projects including road-building and clearing mines in Libya over 25 years, for a total $5 billion. (Reporting by Isla Binnie, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Italy wants more of these.

Italy is producing so few babies that the government wants to boost the bribe it pays couples to have more kids.

Beatrice Lorenzin, Italys health minister, told La Repubblica last week that the government plans to double the amount of money offered to families who choose to have more children in a bid to slow the countrys apocalyptic birth rate.

Just 488,000 babies were born in Italy in 2015, fewer than in any year since the modern state was founded in 1861, the BBC reported her as saying. If we carry on as we are and fail to reverse the trend, there will be fewer than 350,000 births a year in 10 years time, 40% less than in 2010an apocalypse.

Lorenzin said the monthly bonus for lower-income families should be twice the current rate of 80 ($90), and payments should rise for second and subsequent kids. She also wants it to apply to more families. The annual income ceiling for families receiving the bonus is currently 25,000; she wants to raise it to 30,000.

Italy isnt the only country that doesnt make babies like it used to. The average fertility rate in the EU was 2.4 children per woman in 1970, but dropped to 1.5 in 2013, according to the OECD. The OECD says a rate of 2.1 is required to ensure a stable population, so rates below this are bad for countries with aging populations, generous social services, and sclerotic economies. (In other words, for Italy.)

Italy is also far from alone in trying to encourage couples to have more babies. In Denmark, a travel agency created a risque Do It for Denmark campaign to encourage more people to go on romantic trips that encourage baby-making. Japan has said it would spend about 3 billion ($30 million) on matchmaking events and robot babies to inspire couples to have more kids. Finland gives away baby boxes with warm clothes and books to new parents.

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The research is mixed (pdf) on whether financial incentives induce higher fertility rates. In Italy, high unemployment and a dearth of policies to support working women are to blame for the countrys persistently low birth rates, says Alessandro Rosina, a professor of demography and social statistics at Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan. The baby bonus is not the most appropriate response to overcome these two barriers and meet reproductive goals in Italy, he says.

Italys fertility rate has been lower before, hitting an all-time low of 1.26 in 2000 before creeping up to 1.46 in 2010, thanks to immigration (foreign-born women tend to have higher fertility rates) and policies aimed at improving work-life balance in Northern Italy, Rosina notes. But further gains have stalled amidst the countrys continued economic malaise.

Expanding baby bonuses would add about 2.2 billion to Italys public spending over six years. It would be an unwelcome burden on the countrys slow-growing, debt-laden economy at the moment, but might be a shrewd investment for the future.

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Rome (AFP) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Tuesday claimed victory in his budget battle with Brussels after the EU granted Rome "unprecedented" leeway on the application of deficit rules for 2016.

The move was revealed in a letter from the European Commission that Italy published on the eve of the EU executive's release of its assessment of whether Eurozone countries are sticking to Stability Pact rules on their public finances.

The letter confirms that Brussels has granted Italy's demand for spending equivalent to 0.85 percent of its GDP to be effectively stripped out of the calculation of whether Rome is acting fast enough to cut its huge national debt.

The Commission said it was granting the leeway on condition that Italy stands ready to tighten its belt more than currently planned in 2017.

But it failed to win any clear commitment on that score. Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan replied to the Commission's letter by saying he was confident Italy would "broadly comply" with EU requirements in 2017 on the basis of his current fiscal plans.

Renzi said the flexibility granted by Brussels was worth "lots of money" for Italy.

"(It is) less than I would have liked and it is not a solution for every problem, but it is the principle of flexibility," he said.

"It means a green light for investment that otherwise would have been blocked."

Italy has argued strongly in favour of the EU's deficit and debt rules being interpreted in a way that means one-off or exceptional spending is not included in the calculation of whether a country is compliant.

In its budget for 2016, it proposed discounting amounts equivalent to 0.5 percent of GDP to cover the cost of implementing structural reforms, 0.25 percent for infrastructural investment and a total of 0.1 percent for costs related to the migrant crisis and anti-terrorism measures.

Brussels granted them all -- on condition that Italy does what is needed to get its budget deficit to GDP ratio down to 1.8 percent.

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"It must be recalled that no other Member State has requested nor received anything close to this unprecedented amount of flexibility," the Commission's letter states.

- Slow recovery from recession -

It later notes that "our current assessment of the planned fiscal effort for 2017 indicates a projected gap of between 0.15 percent and 0.2 percent of GDP."

In his reply, Padoan gave no commitment to tightening his fiscal stance, stressing instead the need for growth friendly policies at national and European levels to bolster a slow recovery.

"In this complex scenario, let me reiterate the commitment, including the planned fiscal effort, taken by the Italian Government ... to broadly comply with EU fiscal rules in 2017," he wrote, adding he was confident Italy would avoid "significant deviation" from Brussels' requirements.

Although Italy's deficit is well under the three percent ceiling enshrined in the EU's Stability Pact, Rome is under pressure to cut its annual borrowing requirement as a means of bringing down its huge debt mountain.

This currently stands at 2.2 trillion euros, equivalent to more than 130 percent of the country's annual economic output. Renzi has pledged that the debt level will fall this year for the first time since 2007.

The Italian premier has been a vocal critic of what he sees as EU austerity.

Italy's budget for this year includes tax cuts and new spending worth around 30 billion euros, around half of which is being financed by letting the deficit run higher than it otherwise would.

Renzi says the measures are essential to consolidate Italy's tentative recovery from a triple-dip recession.
New York (AFP) - Itzhak Perlman, one of the biggest names in classical music, on Tuesday joined the growing boycott of North Carolina over a law that restricts rights for transgender people.

The Israeli American violinist and conductor canceled a concert Wednesday with the North Carolina Symphony in the state capital Raleigh.

"As my fans know, I have spent a lifetime advocating against discrimination towards those with physical disabilities and have been a vocal advocate for treating all people equally," he wrote on Facebook.

The southern state in March passed a law known as HB2 that requires transgender people to use public restrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate.

Perlman quoted US Attorney General Loretta Lynch who said that the law was about more than bathrooms but instead concerned "dignity and respect" toward fellow citizens.

"I couldn't agree more and will look forward to returning to North Carolina when this discriminatory law is repealed," Perlman wrote.

The North Carolina Symphony said it would not perform without Perlman and said the institution "welcomes all people with our hearts and minds open."

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen was the first prominent artist to launch a boycott and has been followed by Pearl Jam and the Cirque du Soleil circus.

Pop superstar Beyonce went ahead with a concert last week but pledged support to activists fighting against the law.

North Carolina's Governor Pat McCrory has backed the law after the state's largest city, Charlotte, attempted to pass an ordinance protecting the rights of transgender people.

With the issue increasingly in the political forefront, President Barack Obama's last week issued a directive to all US schools to let transgender students use the bathrooms of their choice.
JK Rowling

Author J.K. Rowling might not agree with the views of US presidential candidate Donald Trump, but that doesnt mean she thinks he should not visit the United Kingdom.

While accepting an award for her humanitarian work at the Pen Americas annual gala in New York on Monday, the creator of the Harry Potter books brought up the petition to block Trump from the UK, which received over 500,000 signatures. It was even discussed by British Parliament in January (though there was no vote).

"Now, I find almost everything that Mr. Trump says objectionable," Rowling said at the gala. "I consider him offensive and bigoted. But he has my full support to come to my country and be offensive and bigoted there."

The way Rowling sees it, Trump shouldn't be stripped of his rights just because of the things he says.

"If you seek the removal of freedoms from an opponent simply on the grounds that they have offended you, you have crossed a line to stand alongside tyrants who imprison, torture, and kill on exactly the same justifications," Rowling said.

How horrible. Voldemort was nowhere near as bad. https://t.co/hFO0XmOpPH  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 8, 2015

NOW WATCH: 4 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'





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Moscow (AFP) - Russian performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky, who is on trial for setting fire to the security service headquarters in a protest, on Tuesday accused guards of beating him and cracking his rib.

"As I write these lines, my knee has been injured, I have a cracked rib and internal bruising.... Every breath gives me pain," Pavlensky said in a handwritten letter published on Facebook by his partner Oksana Shalygina, which blamed the assault on "the convoy guards of the Moscow City Court."

Pavlensky faces up to three years in prison for dousing the door of the FSB building, the successor to the KGB, with gasoline and setting it on fire in November 2015 in a performance he called "Threat".

The first full hearing in Pavlensky's trial on charges of damaging a cultural heritage site, will be held on Wednesday at Moscow's Meshchansky district court.

Pavlensky's lawyer Dmitry Dinze confirmed the artist's injuries to AFP, saying the beating occurred on Monday when his client was being taken back to prison after a court hearing.

Dinze said that Pavlensky was attacked by a single guard and that the lawyers would try to identify him. Shalygina wrote the badge number of the guard allegedly responsible on Facebook.

A spokeswoman for Moscow City Court, Ulyana Solopova, told Russian news agencies the court was not responsible for the transfer of defendants back to detention centres and that this is carried out by police.

Pavlensky is currently being held in Moscow's Medvedkovo prison. During the investigation, he spent a month in a psychiatric hospital undergoing tests of his sanity, which found he was mentally capable.

The 32-year-old activist is known for such brazen acts as nailing his scrotum to the cobblestones of Red Square in November 2013 and for cutting off his earlobe in another protest a year later.

- 'Creative dissent' prize -

He is also currently on trial for a Saint Petersburg performance called "Freedom" in 2014 in which he set fire to tyres in a nod to the pro-Western rallies in Kiev.

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During a hearing last month in that case, Pavlensky brought sex workers into court to testify against him in an apparent bid to expose the court system as unethical and corrupt.

The verdict in that vandalism case is expected on Thursday. Prosecutors have asked for Pavlensky to be sentenced to a punishment not involving jail, which will be immediately lifted because of the statute of limitations rules.

At the same time, Pavlensky this month is one of three recipients of the annual Vaclav Havel international prize "for creative dissent", an annual award established by the US-based Human Rights Foundation (HRF). Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani and Uzbek photojournalist Umida Akhmedova are the two other laureates.

In a separate incident Tuesday, firebrand opposition leader Alexei Navalny said he and his supporters were punched and kicked by Cossack militia in the southern Russian city of Anapa.

Navalny, a charismatic lawyer and corruption whistleblower who has investigated officials close to President Vladimir Putin, wrote on Twitter that some 30 people had taken part in the attack.

"The organisers, of course, are the authorities," he wrote.
By Leika Kihara and Tetsushi Kajimoto

TOKYO (Reuters) - A weekend gathering of G7 finance leaders may expose a rift on issues ranging from currency and fiscal policies within the close-knit group of advanced economies, dashing Japan's hopes of mustering a coordinated policy response to spur global growth.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi will be among Group of Seven finance leaders gathering in Sendai, northern Japan on May 20-21.

Japan has failed to bridge differences with the United States on the yen, with Washington dismissing Tokyo's concerns that recent yen rises are excessive and instead pushing for agreements against currency market interventions.

The rift may be evident at the weekend G7 meeting, diminishing prospects of an agreement beyond reiterating the importance for exchange-rate stability.

There is also no consensus on how much fiscal stimulus the global economy needs with Germany resisting calls from Japan and the United States for bigger spending.

Japanese policymakers are taming market expectations, saying Tokyo never intended the G7 nations to agree on joint fiscal action it sees as only possible in times of crises such as the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.

The G7 will likely settle with a vague agreement on the need to deploy a "balanced" dose of monetary, fiscal and structural policies, officials involved in the negotiations say.

The result could be another meeting in which officials claim progress in pushing an agenda of structural reforms, rather than concrete steps to avoid a global recession.

"It's just a way to say you did something when you did very little," said Tamim Bayoumi, a visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute, a Washington think tank for international economics.

While no communique will be released, Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso hopes to lay the grounds for a G7 leaders' summit to be held next week, where measures to address stagnant global growth will be high on the agenda.

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For Japan's currency mandarins, the top priority in Sendai is to garner a G7 agreement on the importance of "exchange-rate stability," officials with knowledge of the negotiations say.

That will give Tokyo justification to intervene in the currency market if it considers any yen gains as excessive.

It may also be the most the G7 nations can agree on given differences between Tokyo and Washington on what is defined as excessively volatile yen moves.

Lew said on Friday his views have not changed on Japan's currency policies since a G20 meeting in April, when he told Aso that markets were "orderly" despite a rising yen.

He also said Japan has relied too heavily on monetary policy and needed to focus more on boosting domestic demand and pursuing structural reforms.

Japan insists that recent yen gains have been speculative and that a U.S. Treasury report including it in a new currency watch list did not constrain its currency policy. Aso has repeatedly threatened to intervene to stem yen rises.

"The United States will probably keep emphasising that countries shouldn't resort to competitive currency devaluations, while Japan will argue that excess volatility is undesirable," said a G7 source familiar with the negotiations.

"But no country, including the United States, will disagree strongly that exchange-rate stability is important," he said.

Japan had hoped to garner a G7 agreement on the need to ramp up fiscal spending but has received a cool response from Germany, which insists on fiscal discipline.

If the G7 nations share their concerns over weak global growth, however, premier Shinzo Abe may use it to justify delaying a sales tax hike and deploy fiscal stimulus to resuscitate Japan's fragile recovery, some analysts say.

(Additional reporting by Izumi Nakagawa and Takashi Umekawa in Tokyo, David Lawder and Jason Lange in Washington; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
Jeffrey Gundlach to Investors: Buy Mortgage REITs, Short Utilities

(Continued from Prior Part)

Gundlach thinks investors should long mortgage REITs

Jeffrey Gundlach thinks that mortgage REITs should see better days ahead because:

Theyre interest rate sensitive.

Theyre yield proxies.

The iShares Mortgage Real Estate Capped ETF (REM) is a popular mortgage REIT ETF. The ETRACS Monthly Pay 2xLeveraged Mortgage REIT ETN Series B ETF (MRRL) also provides exposure to mortgage REITs with 2x leverage.

Business cycle seems to support Gundlachs view

In our recent series on Business Cycle Investing, we highlighted how utilities saw their glory days in the first quarter this year. They outperformed all of the other sectors in the S&P 500 (SPY) (VFINX). The Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) was at $43 at the start of the year. Now, its trading at close to $50 as of May 4about a 15%16% return year-to-date. So, shorting them is a good entry point, says Gundlach.

However, given the fact that were towards the end of the current business cycle, we should see utilities (XLU) taking a back seat. Consumer and financial firms will outperform instead. Gundlach advised investors to go long on mortgage REITs (REM). Theyre lending institutions that are part of the financial sector (XLF) and short utilities (XLU) that saw their highs and might reverse the trend.

What to short?

Gundlach also thinks that investors shorting low volatility equity funds is a good idea. People invest in them thinking that theyre safe, but they arent. Thats what happened with subprime, recalls Gundlach. The PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV) and the iShares MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USMV) are funds offering that kind of exposure. These funds returned 4.3% and 5.2%, respectively, to investors as of April 30, 2016.

Gundlach also shed light on the potential of earning a 35% return by this income arbitrage. Well discuss this in the next part.

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lawrence are not fans of Donald Trump, and the starlets have some very strong (and very different) messages for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Jolie, a political activist and UN Goodwill Ambassador vocal in her support of international refugees, recently spoke out against the 69-year-old business mogul's call for a ban against Muslim refugees trying to relocate to the United States.

WATCH: Johnny Depp Stars as Donald Trump in Epic Comedy Biopic

"To me, America is built on people from around the world coming together for freedoms, especially freedom of religion," the 40-year-old actress said at a BBC event in London on Monday. "So it's hard to hear this is coming from someone who is pressing to be an American president."

Jolie has also addressed her disappointment with those who support Trump's views on refugees, explaining that she's been "very, very disheartened by my own country's response to the situation."

Fellow Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence has also shared her distaste for Trump, although her message for the candidate was a bit more succinct.

WATCH: John Legend Deems Donald Trump 'Racist' in Twitter Battle With the Presidential Hopeful's Son

Sitting down on The Graham Norton Show recently, Lawrence shared a story about the time she tried met Trump at a concert to have a word with him.

"I was at a concert that I heard he was attending," Lawrence recounted. "I had my full security, I was like, 'Find Donald Trump,' I was adamant on finding him and then making a video of me going, 'Hey, Trump. F**k you.'"

Unfortunately, the Silver Lining Playbook star didn't manage to find the former Apprentice host because, according to Lawrence, "He knew I was looking for him."

WATCH: Jennifer Lawrence Reveals the Most Embarrassing Stories She's Never Told Anyone

Related Articles
Jessicaalba

Jessica Alba knows that sometimes, the Internet is where all your greatest fears convene to push your last shreds of peace of mind into oblivion.

I think WebMD is a black hole of anxiety and I dont recommend it," Alba told Mashable after picking up her Entrepreneur of the Year Webby Award for founding Honest Company, a consumer information company dedicated to promoting non-toxic products. "But I go down the black hole of anxiety often."

SEE ALSO: Nick Offerman gives sage advice in new Webby Award promo videos

She did offer up her own survival tips should you go into a self-diagnosis spiral, though: "You should stay away as long as humanly possible or have a friend nearby that can talk you down from the ledge.

Whatever ails you, It's probably not actually cancer.

But when medical paranoia isn't involved, Alba's pretty psyched to have the Internet around as a mom and an entrepreneur  like last week, when she had to Google when a tetanus shot is necessary after her kid's mishap at Disneyland.

"The village that helps raise your kids these days is online," Alba said. "It takes a lot to raise kids and try and do everything right, so you do rely heavily on consumer reviews and bloggers that are uploading how to use something."

Alba's commitment remained strong during her five word acceptance speech, "Guts. Heart. Passion. Drive. Wifi."

So heed Alba's advice and be sure you use the Internet's power for good and not evil.
J.K. Rowling would like to clarify that she does not like or approve of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. At Monday night's annual Pen Literary Gala in New York City, Rowling told the crowd she finds him to be "objectionable," "offensive and bigoted," but she wouldn't support barring him from the United Kingdom on those grounds, as has been suggested.

Instead, she welcomed the Donald to come "be offensive and bigoted" in her native U.K.

The Harry Potter author said leveraging Trump's hate speech to ban him from the country would set a dangerous precedent, condoning the censorship of viewpoints that conflict with one's own.

"If you seek the removal of freedoms from an opponent simply on the grounds that they have offended you, you have crossed a line to stand alongside tyrants who imprison, torture and kill on exactly the same justifications," she said.

JK Rowling on Donald Trump. #PENgalahttps://vine.co/v/i0vQAZr6jMa

In January, the British parliament spent two hours deliberating over whether or not to ban Trump from entering the U.K., after a petition demanding he not be allowed in garnered well over its target 100,000 signatures. Rowling, whose work for gender equality and against censorship won her 2016's Pen/Allen Foundation literary service award, maintained that Trump's freedom to speak "protects my freedom to call him a bigot."

"Unless we take that absolute position without caveats or apologies we have set foot upon a road with only one destination," she said. "If my offended feelings can justify a travel ban on Donald Trump, I have no moral grounds on which to argue that those offended by feminism, or the fight for transgender rights, or universal suffrage, should not oppress campaigners for those causes."

Source: Evan Agostini/AP

Rowling wrapped her speech with a plea for , a young Syrian currently imprisoned for blogging about "freedom, peace and tolerance," according to her Pen profile. "Long may Pen continue to fight for her," Rowling said, "and for the freedoms on which a liberal society rests, without which no literature can have value."
By Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. judge who stopped Staples Inc's proposed merger with Office Depot Inc last week agreed with antitrust enforcers that the deal would have meant higher prices for big business customers and that Amazon.com Inc's entry into office supplies would have done little to counter that.

Judge Emmet Sullivan's opinion, released in redacted form on Tuesday, closely followed the Federal Trade Commission's arguments and took swipes at Staples' decision not to present a defense.

The two companies scrapped the $6.3 billion merger on May 10 after Judge Sullivan issued an order temporarily stopping the deal.

The judge at least twice noted a decision by Staples' attorney, Diane Sullivan, to scrap plans to present a defense after saying that the FTC failed to prove its case.

Judge Sullivan wrote: "Defendants could have presented expert testimony to support" their position.

The Staples attorney took issue with an FTC witness' reasoning to support the government's case, but Judge Sullivan noted that "defendants produced no expert evidence during the hearing to rebut that methodology."

The FTC had stopped a previous merger attempt between the two companies in 1997. Since then, Amazon and other online sellers exploded onto the scene, while megastores such as Costco Wholesale Corp and Wal-Mart Stores Inc further crowded the market.

Staples was more recently emboldened to offer to buy Office Depot after the smaller chain succeeded in buying No. 3 OfficeMax in November 2013 with no divestitures.

(Editing by Matthew Lewis)
From Harper's BAZAAR

Just Back From...Bali

Trip Duration: 1 week.

Flight Plan: I flew Cathay Pacific in both directions, each time with a layover in Hong Kong. There is no such thing as a direct flight to Bali from the U.S., and flights are long (think 15 hours to Hong Kong, plus an additional 4.5 hour trip to Denpasar, Bali after that). While I am not usually a stickler on upgrading my flight class for a short trip (although it never hurts to), flying Premium Economy or Business Class is almost essential to ensure a restful flight and your ability to enjoy life on a totally different time zone upon arrival. In Hong Kong, we spent our five hour layover in Cathay's Business Class lounge, The Wing. The idea of being in China and not sampling the local fare seemed sacrilege, so I initially made it my mission to go off in search of the airport's infamous dumpling spot, Crystal Jade, which friends of mine recommended for out-of-this-world soup dumplings. After discovering that I couldn't head there once passing through security, I settled on the lounge's Noodle Bar for savory dan dan noodles and a petite pork bun, paired with a glass of champagne. The lounge (which all business and first class flyers receive access to) also boasts complimentary showering suites for guests to freshen up, a coffee bar, a daily buffet offering and a full bar.

Where I Stayed: Bali is home to some of the most outstanding villas and luxury hotels out there (Bulgari Hotels, COMO, Alila Villas and Aman all have stellar properties there), and I split my stay between two Four Seasons propertiesfirst, their beach resort in Jimbaran Bay and then their jungle retreat right outside Ubud, The Four Seasons Resort at Sayan to end my stay. Both properties were unbelievably magical for very different reasons. Jimbaran Bay places its guests right in the heart of the Bali social scene and only a short distance away from Uluwatu and Seminyak, where some of Bali's best shopping, restaurants and nightlife can be found. While also bustling and lively due to it's proximity to central Ubud, the Sayan property is a tranquil oasis, ideal for guests looking for a serene respite full of yoga, meditation, spa treatments, healing and, if you're disciplined enough, clean eating.

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I greatly appreciated the Four Seasons recommendation to begin my trip on the beach and then move inland towards the rainforests, but while an energetic beach trip seems tempting, don't underestimate how much you'll enjoy the calm setting of the jungle. Bali's beaches are a major surf destination, but aren't the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean or the Maldives that one would expect. A two to four day stint enjoying the delicious food and energetic scene is the perfect way to start off a Bali holiday, but leave ample time for your Eat Pray Love moments inlandyou'll end up being grateful you chose to spend more time away from the coast.

Best Thing I Ate: Similar to Thai cuisine, the food in Bali predominantly consists of proteins, fish and vegetable dishes paired with seasoned rice, like chicken curry, grilled Mahi Mahi or skewers paired with sauces that feel homemade in their authenticity but are never short of depth in flavor. Most common are flavor profiles like curry, coconut, lemongrass, ginger, garlic and turmericwhich all contribute to the country's incredibly savory and super-flavorful options. During my stay in Jimbaran Bay, I joined Kristya, a chef from the hotel's on-site Cooking Academy, on a trip to the fish and vegetable markets in Jimbaran, then headed back to prepare some seasonal dishes. Seven different delicious components, including Nasi Campur (steamed rice served with a selection of proteins and vegetablesours was seasoned chicken wrapped in a banana leaf and well-seasoned chicken satay skewers, called Sate Campur), Pepes Ikan Kakap (grilled Mahi Mahi with Balinese spices wrapped and cooked in a banana leaf) made up our lunch menu. To compliment the different fish and chicken options, Kristya prepared his mother's recipe for seasoned rice, made with pulsed turmeric, garlic, coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger and Bali lime. It may have been a side dish to a much larger and equally delicious meal, but that rice was so incredibly memorable and possibly one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten.

Best Hang Out Spot: The pools all along the grounds of both properties were an incredible way to relax during the day. Each villa is equipped with its own plunge pool, but the main pool at the Four Seasons property at Sayan is worth venturing out for.

Best Daytime Activity: Depending on where in Bali you find yourself, strolling the city centers (like Ubud and Seminyak) for unique shops, collectibles and local restaurants (the dining scene ranges from fun, casual eateries to more innovative upscale dining concepts, like Pica, a cool tapas bar in Ubud or Mamasan in Seminyak, which fuses different aspects of Asian cuisine in their menu) is a quick and easy way to get a sampling of all the culture has to offer. As you walk through, keep an eye out for the thousands of offerings lining the streetsthey're petite collections of candy, flowers and various other gifts each with its own symbolism that Bali's predominantly Hindu culture ceremoniously dedicates each day outside their homes, businesses, temples and public landmarks.

With that said, taking up one or more of the zen activities Bali's culture inherently inspires feels naturaleven to those least likely to leave the country an avid yogi (case in point: yours truly). While night yoga on the beach, Anti-Gravity yoga done in Cirque de Soleil level silks and every other potential style of practicing is available for beginners to advanced yogis in droves on the island, other more peaceful options like meditation or an all-natural spa or chakra treatment at one of the city's world renowned spas are an equally (if not more) relaxing alternative. I indulged in the Ocean Embrace scrub with sea salt and lava rocks during my stay at the beach, and then underwent a 150 minute Muladhara in Ubud, which focused on balancing my 'grounding' chakra. After filling out a short questionnaire, this chakra ceremony was recommended to me and is intended for those with fast-paced daily lives, a stressful mindset and muscle tension. Treatments for stress and tension were recommended to me at almost every healing consultation I had during my stay, and I got the hint-a cosmopolitan lifestyle is a far cry from what local Balinese healers consider to be a healthy one. With that said, each person I spoke to was non-judgmental, understanding and truly invested in helping me attempt a healthier sense of calm and balance. After my treatments, I was definitely on the path to understanding the Eat, Pray, Love mindset-#namaste.

Best Night Out: If you're looking for a gorgeous view with top-notch drinks, I was recommended Ku de Ta by almost everyone I asked. After my first night in Bali dining on delicious Indonesian food at Sundara and heading back to my villa for a late night swim, I was craving a low-key atmosphere overlooking an outstanding view. We headed to Single Fin, a beach club packed with ex-pats and Aussie surfers for Rose, late-night dancing and the most phenomenal sunset. While this place is in no way on the high end, it's a fun go-to for something far less fussy.

Favorite Shopping Trip: Biasa in Ubud. Each piece here was relaxed, easy to wear and evoked the low-key yet rich and colorful spirit of Bali, but with a metropolitan feel that made me feel like anything I purchased would be easily wearable when I returned home to New York. I ended up deciding on a pair of braided rope gladiators that had charms and trinkets woven into themI loved them so much I wore them out of the shop.

Trip Highlight: In Sayan, the hotel arranged a guided trek into the rainforest and the neighboring villages that line the hotel grounds. Since one needs to be Balinese to own land in the country, the hotel received permission from 33 land owners to develop the property, most of whom still live in the areas surrounding it and now work for the hotel. Due to their close relationship with the community, our guided walk from a Sayan local, Suri, included a visit to multiple local homes, temples, a modern art gallery and into the jungle paths surrounding the homes. After staying in a manicured resort (albeit a gorgeous one) during my stay, it was inspiring, humbling and exciting to be able to get a sense of local life in Sayan.

Could not Leave Home Without: Gauzy tops like SEA's paired with vintage Levi's cut-offs are typically my daily uniform on an island trip, and at night I trade them in for blouson off-the-shoulder dresses in cotton or lace. I also am not one to travel light, and always bring a few pairs of sunglasses to change the overall look of any outfit; my favorite ones on this trip were a new pair from Garrett Leight California Optical's collaboration with Thierry Lasrythe clips-over-Cat Eye shape give this pair two looks in one. For evening, I resisted the urge to pack any heels, and thought my fun Elina Linardaki charm sandals would feel special enough to compensate for any heel height. Lastly, as a Weddings editor, I am constantly searching for gorgeous honeymoon options to recommend and sometimes cannot help but pick up a few pieces myself. I snagged a floral printed kimono and a sheer lace duster coat trimmed with fringe from bridal e-tail destination, BHLDN, for the trip and wore them over swimsuits during the day, and with shorts and camis at night.

Most Inspiring Aspect: During my time in Ubud, I met with Fera, the hotel's wellness mentor for a meditation class and a 'life talk.' I was a bit hesitant and skeptical going in, since I don't typically practice meditation but I have to admit that I was truly able to clear my mind and focus my thoughts for the first time on my entire trip during her class, which gave me hope that I could do the same if I set my mind to it once home in the States. I also met with a healer during my time at Sayan, another activity I was unsure how to feel about but felt I needed to experience. Not only did the healer immediately tell me that my crowded, stressful mindset and stress in my shoulders were to blame for much of my discomfort, but he immediately set out to work out my kinks. In hitting a pressure point on my foot, without warning, I immediately burst into tears. He explained that the point in the arch of my foot was connected to my head, similar to the pressure point between your thumb and index finger that you can massage during a bad headache. I was totally shocked, beyond impressed and woke up the next morning not necessarily feeling all that different, but definitely more calm and at ease than I was the night prior. I was pretty impressed that these two local healers were able to get me so far out of my skepticism and my comfort zone.

I wish I had...spent more time in Bali. The island has so much to explore in it's various regions that I would have loved to have more time in Seminyak, booking a full appointment with a healer in Ubud and heading up north to Canggu to experience the difference between its beach culture and that of Jimbaran's. I also loved shopping around Ubud, and having more time to treasure hunt in the local shops likely would have resulted in more great finds.

Why Bali? You've read and/or seen Eat Pray Love, right? A trip to Bali is basically all or none of those action words in one, depending on the kind of trip you're after. Gorgeous views, a rich history, loads of opportunities for wellness, shopping and delicious food were definitely a reason to travel for more than 24 hours each way. While I would recommend staying in Bali longer than I did (and possibly heading over to a neighboring island, like Sumba, or spending some time in China before heading home), this was definitely a trip that resulted in some unforgettable experiences.
Saudi Arabia holds roughly $117 billion of the U.S. governments debt, according to Treasury Department data that disclosed the countrys holdings for the first time in over 40 years.

The kingdoms holdings of American Treasury bills have previously been grouped in with the 14 nations that comprise the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), like Kuwait and Venezuela. Together, those countries own about $281 billion in U.S. debt, down from $298.4 billion in January.

Related: Egypt, Saudi Arabia sign 60 billion Saudi riyal investment fund pact

A Freedom of Information Act request filed by Bloomberg News led to the Treasury Department breaking down the assets by country. The U.S. started releasing data on foreign ownership of Treasuries in 1974, but had never specified how much Saudi Arabia holds.

The $116.8 billion Saudi Arabia owns puts it in the top 12 foreign nations with holdings of U.S. debt, falling between India and Singapore. Its total pales in comparison to Chinas whopping $1.3 trillion and Japans $1.1 trillion.

Saudi holdings of Treasuries peaked at $123.6 billion in January, the data released Monday show. The numbers were made public as part of the Treasurys regular monthly reports.

The disclosure comes during an unusually tense time in U.S.-Saudi relations. Last month Saudi officials warned the country would sell off $750 billion worth of Treasuries and other assets in the states if Congress approved a bill that would allow the monarchy to be sued in American courts for any role in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Related: The Mysterious 28 Pages on 9/11 That Everyones Talking About

Officials in Washington and Riyadh were already on edge because President Obama is said to be seriously considering declassifying 28 pages of a congressional report into the 2001 attacks that some say indicate the hijackers, 15 of whom were Saudi Arabian, received support, explicit or otherwise, from the countrys vast royal family.

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Intelligence officials have been reviewing whether to make the pages public since 2014 and are due to deliver a recommendation to the president. Whatever the recommendation, the White House has said Obama could ultimately use his executive authority to make the pages public.

The Treasury Departments disclosure answers one of the questions surrounding the relationship between the two countries and shows that the monarchy, while an important player in the U.S. financial system, doesnt have as much leverage as many likely believed.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Canadas government is to table a bill to give full protection to transgender people, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hoping to push through long-awaited changes to include gender identity in existing rules outlawing discrimination.

Trudeau announced that new legislation would be proposed on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) reports.

Similar legislation has been proposed repeatedly over more than a decade and has twice been approved by the countrys House of Commons, but has been held up in the Senate. As in the U.S., where the Obama Administration is battling conservatives to ensure that people can use bathrooms matching their gender identity, critics in Canada have argued that rights protections for transgender people could put children at risk from sexual predators.

Liberal Party leader Trudeau announced the bill, which he said will ensure the full protection of transgender people, while in Montreal accepting an award for his work fighting homophobia and transphobia. He will also be the first Canadian Prime Minister to attend the citys Pride celebrations in August.

We must continue to demand true equality, he said, according to the CBC. We must carry on the legacy of those who fought for justice by being bold and ambitious in our actions. And we must work diligently to close the gap between our principles and our reality.

[CBC]
Former Health and Human Resource Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, whose job it was to implement the Affordable Care Act, told TIME on Monday that the Supreme Courts unusual decision to punt Zubik v. Burwell back to the lower courts with instructions for the parties to reach a compromise was actually a win for the government.

A quick back-story: Sebelius was amongst those who successfully lobbied President Obama for a narrow religious exemptionallowing only a few religious employers participating in Obamacare to opt out of providing free contraception to female employees. A crafts retailer, Hobby Lobby, sued to be included in the exemption on the grounds that some of the contraception covered under Obamacare, such as morning-after pills, violated their religious belief that life begins at the moment of conceptioneven before the egg has attached to the uterine wall making a pregnancy viable.

After the Supreme Court found for Hobby Lobby, thus applying the exemption to any institution seeking it, the Administration decided the government would cover the costs of contraception for women whose companies opted not to cover it. This solution was also challenged by religious institutions, who argued that the act of informing the government or insurers violated their religious beliefs, and seven cases were bundled and sent to the Supreme Court.

The Court heard the case and in an unusual move less than a week after oral arguments asked for additional materials from both parties about whether a compromise might be reached. In this case, the compromise would seem to be that the institutions seeking exemptions tell the insurers and the insurers tell the employees separately that the government would then provide coveragethough the details will have to be ironed out by the parties and the lower courts.

Heres a transcript of an interview with Sebelius.

What did you make of todays decision?

Its a curious decision because they dont weigh in on the merits, which I interpret to mean that they had a tie and could not resolve the case fully. In the long run, if I read between the lines and saw what the administration put forward, this is pretty close to where the government had suggested they could end up which is basically where women will have no cost to contraception provided regardless of who their employer is.  At the end of the day, women will be protected and I think that has been the goal all alongto not have an employer decision stand between womens right to get this benefit and on the other hand try to have the least imposing way for employers to comply so that it didnt violate their religious objections. Both sides seemed to have come forward and said they can do this, so life will go on and people will continue to get benefits. It still leaves pretty unresolved the overall issue of religious freedom and where all this stands, but its a good resolution for the millions of women who potentially could have lost health benefits.

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You lobbied the President with your fellow female Cabinet members and with the women of the White House for a narrow religious exemption. Is this something akin to what you envisioned?

The goal was to not take larger categories of women out of the benefit picture because of where they worked. So not having an employer determine womens right to access health care. And I think this decision continues down that path. So even if an entity, say a religiously affiliated Catholic hospital or university, felt they did not want to directly offer contraception benefits because of religious objections, the women who work therethe nurses, teachers, students, spouseswill still have access to this benefit and thats been the goal all along.

Do you think this case wouldve gone differently if late Justice Antonin Scalia had still been on the bench, especially given his arguments in the Hobby Lobby case?

I think the decision in 2012 by the court [which upheld the underlying mandate of Obamacare] took every body by surprise. Im not sure anybody couldve predicted that outcome with that [court] make up. So I stopped trying to second guess folks. I do think listening to some of the debate back and forth and certainly watching the Hobby Lobby instance, there was a view that certain justices, including Justice Scaliawho felt pretty strongly about limiting benefits although it seemed to go against some of the philosophical views that hed had on religious freedomthat this decision was never complicated. Its interesting, they didnt wait till very last decision day to announce this [as is often the case with controversial decisions]. They went back and in a somewhat unusual step they asked the parties, can you submit more information, can you come up with an accommodation. So they gave a little bit of a hint even after the arguments that they may move in this direction and indeed they did.

But they wouldnt have deadlocked with Scalia there?

Hard to tell. But it does seem that that maybe certainly one of the ways you can interpret this. Although a 4-4 deadlock wouldve meant in most of the cases the administration position would have been upheld because thats where the circuit courts were. I found that the concurrent opinion by Justice [Sonia] Sotomayor made it very clear that this should not be interpreted as the court weighing in on the merits of the case, should not be interpreted on the direction the court wouldve gone. So I think in this one they found a way to find a reasonable compromise and they decided to go there.

Have you been surprised at all at the pace at which the court has taken on Obamacareslower or quicker than anticipated?

Im not the one to probably even give an opinion on that, Jay, because Im not a lawyer. I dont know how other constitutional challenges on big laws have gone, if this is a slower or faster pace. I cant speculate on that, I just dont know.

So, would you say todays decision was a win for women?

I think its a win for women, yes. I know there was some disappointment in communities that it leaves unresolved the underlying question and so theres uncertainty there that hopefully eventually will get solved but for the immediate future hopefully courts will take the Supreme Court seriously in what seems to be a pretty clear direction that women should continue to have this full range of benefits without costs and copays thats the purpose of the law in the first place and I think thats a significant win for these women employees and spouses.
Washington (AFP) - Hillary Clinton claimed a narrow victory in Kentucky as she sought to put away Bernie Sanders, but her resilient rival for the Democratic presidential nomination bounced back to snatch a win in Oregon.

With the Kentucky race too close for most US networks to call a winner, Clinton declared victory shortly after Kentucky's secretary of state Alison Lundergan Grimes announced on CNN that Clinton was the unofficial winner in her state.

"We just won Kentucky! Thanks to everyone who turned out," Clinton tweeted.

With 99.8 percent of Blue Grass state precincts reporting, Clinton led Sanders by 46.8 percent to 46.3 percent -- a margin of less than 2,000 votes.

Should the results hold, the win would blunt Sanders's momentum and help Clinton move closer toward clinching the Democratic presidential nomination.

But the psychological win was short-lived. Half an hour after polls closed in Oregon, US networks projected Sanders the winner there, besting Clinton 53 percent to 47 percent.

"We just won Oregon, and we're going to win California," Sanders told thousands of supporters in Carson, California as he predicted victory in the nation's largest state, which votes on June 7.

Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist, declared he would not be forced out of the race by narrow Clinton wins.

"It appears tonight that we're going to end up with about half the delegates" in Kentucky, Sanders told the raucous rally.

"Let me be as clear as I can be... We are in 'til the last ballot is cast," he said to a huge roar.

Clinton has a commanding lead in the all-important national delegate count and is marching toward vying for the presidency in the November 8 general election despite her string of recent primary losses.

Victories in Kentucky and Oregon would have definitively halted her slide and helped reverse the narrative that her campaign is showing significant weakness ahead of an almost certain showdown with Donald Trump, the Republican Party's presumptive nominee.

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Trump -- the last man standing in the GOP race -- was projected Oregon's Republican winner, moving closer to the 1,237 delegates he needs to officially claim the party's mantle in 2016.

Sanders had counted on a Kentucky victory to build on his win last week in neighboring West Virginia as he battles to keep his long-shot nomination bid alive.

West Virginia and Kentucky are linked to coal, as is much of Appalachia -- the largely white, long-struggling eastern US region where many feel they have been left behind in the lukewarm recovery from the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

Clinton saw Kentucky as an opportunity to appeal to working-class white men -- a demographic where the former secretary of state has lagged behind both the celebrity billionaire Trump and Sanders.

John Spenlau, 28, speaking to AFP outside a voting station in Louisville, said he voted for Sanders because he represented the best hope for "continued change" and the fight against income inequality, among other problems.

"Hillary would be a more stable candidate but I think that Bernie continues to push the envelope, towards a few more of the social programs that I believe in," Spenlau said.

- Closing the deal -

Clinton defeated Barack Obama in Kentucky's primary in 2008, and her husband Bill Clinton was the last Democrat to carry the Bluegrass State in a general election.

Republicans were gleeful over her inability to close out the Democratic nomination race against Sanders, who at the beginning of the campaign was given long odds against the better-funded, universally recognizable former first lady.

"While Republicans move toward unifying the party for the general election, Hillary Clinton remains bogged down in a nasty, protracted primary fight and will have to rely on a rigged system of superdelegates to get across the finish line," said Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, in a statement

On Sunday, playing up her husband's popularity, the former first lady appeared to indicate Bill would play a role in her administration if she were elected, promising to put him "in charge of revitalizing the economy." She later said she would not give him a cabinet position.

As voting got underway, Trump fired off a series of nasty tweets at Clinton.

"Crooked Hillary can't close the deal with Bernie Sanders. Will be another bad day for her!" Trump wrote.

The Clintons have struggled to contain the damage from comments Hillary made in March, when she said she vowed to put many coal miners "out of business" in the transition to cleaner energy.

In recent appearances she has struck a more inclusive tone, and it may have helped her squeak by in Kentucky.

"We need to take coal country, coal miners and their families with us and not leave them behind," Clinton told supporters on Monday.

Clinton, 68, barnstormed Kentucky on Sunday and Monday, shaking hands, taking selfies, offering hugs -- even chatting with Trump supporters at a smoke-filled diner in the southwestern city of Paducah.

"I will not vote for you. I will never vote for you," disabled veteran Dianna Dooley, 66, told her.

Clinton kept her composure, saying: "That's OK. You vote for whoever you want."
Nairobi (AFP) - Kenya's police chief ordered an internal investigation Tuesday a day after officers were seen viciously beating an unresponsive fallen protester as they broke up demonstrations.

Police fired tear gas and beat opposition demonstrators with truncheons on Monday to stop them storming the offices of the electoral commission in Nairobi.

Some of the demonstrators, who were demanding the dissolution of the commission, threw stones at police.

"I condemn the lawlessness visited on the public by rioters yesterday and an internal inquiry is underway to determine whether any police officer broke any law while quelling the riots," Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet told reporters.

A video of the incident shows a man in a green sweatshirt running from police before falling to the ground. Three officers then take turns striking him with batons and kicking his motionless body as it lies slumped on the curb.

Hundreds of protesters were prevented from reaching the offices of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) by police wearing body armour and carrying shields. There have been several such protests in recent weeks.

"The officers who have violated the rights of citizens by their brutality must face both disciplinary process and criminal prosecution," said Isaac Okero, president of the Law Society of Kenya, condemning the "bludgeoning of an apparently unconscious and unresponsive, unarmed man".

Amnesty International denounced the attack and called on Kenya's Independent Police Oversight Authority to investigate.

"The brutal beatings by police yesterday amount to arbitrary and abusive use of force, which is illegal under Kenyan, regional and international law, said Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty's East Africa regional director.

- 'Keep this nation peaceful' -

Raila Odinga, a former prime minister who lost his bid for the presidency in 2013, accuses the election commission of bias towards President Uhuru Kenyatta and has demanded new commissioners to be named ahead of elections due in August 2017.

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Kenyatta beat Odinga by more than 800,000 votes to win the presidency in 2013.

Odinga and civil society groups accused the electoral commission of a series of irregularities that they said skewed the results.

The election nonetheless passed off peacefully, in contrast to the country's disputed 2007 elections which degenerated into fierce inter-ethnic violence that killed more than 1,100 people after Odinga's supporters challenged his defeat by Mwai Kibaki.

The next election is shaping up as a rematch of 2013, with 71-year-old Odinga aiming to unseat Kenyatta, 54.

"At this time all the country's leaders, now more than ever, must engage in dialogue that will help keep this nation peaceful," Okero said.

"They must desist from inflammatory statements that appear to sanction either excessive and violent police action or criminal conduct by citizens. They owe this to all of us."

United States ambassador Robert Godec said in a statement he "deplores the excessive use of force" by security services and "the violence around the demonstrations."

Godec repeated a plea urging "all Kenyans to come together in a constructive and inclusive dialogue to ensure that the 2017 elections are free, fair, and peaceful."
By Edmund Blair and John Ndiso NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's authorities tore down a badly built residential block in a poor Nairobi district on Tuesday, one of more than 250 shoddy buildings that could now face demolition after a six-story structure collapsed this month killing 51 people. Nearby, residents of another condemned block in Mathare scrambled to wrap up utensils and other items in bed sheets and stuffed plastic bags with clothes as workers ripped out door and window frames to prepare for machinery to destroy the structure. The Kenyan authorities have identified 258 buildings considered structurally at risk and which could be pulled down, leaving thousands of people to find new homes in a city already struggling to keep pace with its growing population. "We have tried to find another place to stay but we've not been able to, said Esther Awinja, carrying an infant on her back and hauling her belongings in a sheet out of the entrance where an X sprayed in red paint indicated the block's fate. "The only option I have now is to live in another home that is cracking and that is likely to put our lives in danger," she said, as workers moved in to pull out rudimentary fittings. Kenyan authorities are stepping up evictions of poorly built buildings after a six-story block in Huruma district - which lies next to Mathare - collapsed on April 29 after days of rain. Officials said it had been condemned before it crumbled and said it was not clear why it had not been pulled down. The death toll of 51 people could have been more if some residents had not seen cracks and fled shortly before it fell. "For all those buildings that will be found to be defective, the owners will be required to demolish them," Land, Housing and Urban Development Minister Jacob Kaimenyi said in a May 5 statement. If owners failed to comply, the government would carry out the demolition and bill them, he added. Yet knocking down dangerous buildings also adds to the housing shortage in Nairobi, which is estimated to have a population of more than 4 million, almost double 15 years ago. SPRAWLING CITIES Keeping pace with housing for a growing population is a challenge afflicting cities across Africa, where millions of people every year are leaving the fields and pouring into cities to find jobs, spawning spontaneous and ill-planned new suburbs. In Nigeria's sprawling commercial hub, Lagos, a church hostel collapse in 2014 crushed 115 people. A new agency set up to prevent further collapses shows the scale of the problem of bad construction, urging residents not to build on roads, power cables, pipelines and waterways. In Cairo, builders often pile new floors onto existing structures with little planning or reinforcement of foundations, making collapses a fairly frequent event. Of the 10 million people added to Africa's urban population each year, about two thirds end up in slums, according to U.N. Habitat, which held a meeting in March in Nigeria about ways to improve living conditions in Africa's slums. "Finding adequate financing for the informal settlements sector is a huge challenge," Sipliant Takougang, Cameroon's Housing and Urban Development Minister, told the meeting. In Nairobi, 55-year-old community leader Pastor Patrick Lumumba has watched decades of rapid growth in Huruma, where new arrivals from the countryside race to find a roof over their heads and pay little attention to safety. "They get into houses that are cheap," he told Reuters, standing on the mound of rubble of the collapsed building last week. "If the house is built badly, they won't mind, because their main interest is to get a place to live." A few streets away, dozens of survivors from the Huruma collapse were camped in a local authority hall as they looked for new homes. Several described how they escaped being crushed. "STRUCTURALLY SUSPECT" The downpour that brought the Huruma block down also caused traffic jams that saved Tuitai Perez, 35, who lived in the block but was unable to get home from work before it fell down. His pregnant wife was sheltering at a friend's with their child, also saving them from disaster. But Perez, who moved to Nairobi five years ago from west Kenya, could barely afford the monthly rent of 4,500 Kenyan shillings ($45) for his family's room in the doomed building, and rents have now shot up even further since the collapse. "I still don't have a way forward," he said. Finding new homes may become tougher still as the Nairobi authorities audit structures. The housing minister said on May 5 that more than 2,600 buildings had been examined, with 226 found to be "structurally suspect" and needing immediate tests. Another official said last week the number had risen to 258. Officials say demolitions have been prevented or delayed in the past by lengthy legal challenges by owners or intervention from local politicians siding with the pleas of residents. "Demolitions and other short term legislation are not the issue," said Constant Cap, an urban planner based in Nairobi. "The long-term solution is to curb mismanagement at the approval level, find out who is approving these buildings." ($1 = 100.7000 Kenyan shillings) (Writing by Edmund Blair; editing by Peter Graff)
Vienna (AFP) - World powers on Tuesday called on the United Nations to carry out air drops over besieged areas in Syria as regime blockades in rebel-held areas were stopping all food and medical aid in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.

"Starting on June 1, if the UN is denied humanitarian access to any of these designated areas, the International Syria Support calls on the World Food Programme to immediately carry out a programme for air bridges and air drops to all of those areas in need," US Secretary of State John Kerry said after conflict talks in Vienna.
Killer bees are terrorizing a Northern California town, where two dogs have died after being stung by the particularly aggressive swarms.

Concord resident Mike Malley was stung in the eye as he stood on his street talking to CBS News.

Read: American Airlines Flight Delayed By 1,000 Bees Found Beneath Plane Wing

Asked how many times he had been stung since the bee assault started a few days ago, Malley replied, probably six, seven, eight, nine (times).

And then he was stung on camera. He grabbed his eye. Oh, now 10 times, he said.

The first calls began coming in Friday, police said. And the complaints keep on coming.

Authorities believe an ordinary honeybee hive kept by an amateur beekeeper was taken over by killer bees.

Beekeepers are spraying neighborhoods and trying to eradicate the swarms, but it has so far done little to stop the bees' reign of terror.

Read: Escaped Inmates May Face Bears, Bugs and Bacteria Hiding in Woods

Mail carrier Melissa Weisner says she has been attacked.

Climbing up my hair, all over my head. I was running and screaming, she told CBS.

Police have barred pedestrians from some of the affected areas.

Watch: Couple Films Bed Bugs Crawling On Their Sheets in Manhattan Hotel

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You've read the latest travel warnings and alerts and have decided it's best to rearrange your itinerary and take the destination you're interested in off your bucket list, at least for now. Are you making a smart choice, or are you basing your decision off of incomplete information?

The U.S. State Department issues travel warnings for a variety of reasons, including an unstable political climate, terrorist attacks, a civil war or recurring instances of violence and crime. While some destinations have travel warnings in place for extended periods of time, others feature warnings until the environment changes, to help Americans understand the risks involved with traveling to these destinations.

After reading such advisories, you might be hesitant to visit any place that has a travel warning issued by the State Department. But when you take into account that there are currently 37 different travel warnings and six travel alerts in effect, and realize that some destinations pose more dangerous conditions than others, you might want to reconsider putting your travel plans into motion.

[See: 10 Things Every Traveler Must Know Before Going to Brazil This Summer.]

What You Need to Know About Travel Warnings

Some warnings are easy to understand. North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria, for example, are a few places with repressive dictatorships and active warzones, meaning they are generally not the most welcoming vacation destinations for U.S. citizens. But what about countries that welcome millions of American travelers each year? Some of these countries offer some of the finest all-inclusive resorts in the world, modern infrastructures and first-world comforts. If you think you won't find any travel warning or alerts associated with those places, think again.

Mexico has had an ongoing travel warning for years that seemingly encompasses the entire country. Yet, if you pinpoint the particular advisory in place, you'd find that the warning is only tied to some very specific areas in certain regions of the country. After all, Mexico is a big place.

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[See: 10 Common Pieces of Travel Advice You Should Never Follow.]

Fortunately, vigilant travelers seem to understand that many destinations across Mexico are safe. Despite the broad travel warning, word of mouth from past travelers to Mexico, as well as feedback from American travel agents on their clients' visits, have resulted in millions of Americans traveling to the country each year.

The same logic can be applied to many countries across Europe. The European continent is home to hundreds of millions of people and the European Union counts 28 member countries across a continent encompassing 3.9 million square miles. And Europe is an immense tapestry of different nationalities, cultures and histories, yet the U.S. State Department issued a sweeping travel alert for the entire continent of Europe in the wake of the Brussels attacks. While a travel alert doesn't carry the same weight as a travel warning, a sizable part of the continent is included in the same short-term alert even though some destinations are considered much safer than others.

What You Need to Know About Travel Alerts

The State Department issues short-term travel alerts for a variety of reasons. Some instances for issuing an alert can include a health alert, a belief or evidence that there is a higher chance of terrorist attacks or an unstable election season, with a higher risk of disturbances, demonstrations or attacks. While such advisories are a short-term measure, it's still important to assess the specifc risk associated with the destinations you want to visit. Take Europe, for example. Why cancel or postpone a trip Slovenia because of a situation in Belgium?

[See: 9 Ways to Travel Better.]

The Bottom Line

Instead of delaying or halting a trip altogether, evaluate the State Department's travel alerts and warnings for what they are: resourceful alerts and safety precautions. Heed them, acknowledge them, make informed choices and take necessary safety measures, but ultimately know that the world offers welcoming and safe places that broaden your cultural understanding and perspective and are worth seeing for yourself.

Mark Murphy is a recognized travel expert, best-selling author and entrepreneur. He regularly provides commentary for major news outlets including CNN, ABC, FoxNews, FoxBusiness, CBS, NBC, The Today Show as well as online and print media outlets. He's the founder of TravelPulse.com, a division of travAlliancemedia, a company recognized by Inc magazine as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States for 5 out of 6 years (2008-2013).
Pristina (AFP) - A few hundred people from Kosovo's gay and lesbian community held their first ever pride parade Tuesday, seeking acceptance and respect of their rights in the conservative society.

The participants marched under heavy police presence through downtown Pristina, waving rainbow flags to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

Many public figures, including President Hashim Thaci and the US and British ambassadors to Kosovo, marched at the head of the column to voice support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

"I am out, therefore I am", "Come out now, ask us how" and "Homophobia-free zone," read the banners carried by the marchers, dressed in colourful clothes and watched my curious bystanders.

Three non-governmental groups that organised the march urged people in mainly ethnic Albanian and Muslim Kosovo to eradicate homophobia and respect the LGBT community's rights.

"Sexual orientation and gender identity should not be a cause for discrimination," they said in a statement.

They said the rally was "for LGBT persons who could not be part of the march because they are surrounded by homophobia and transphobia in Kosovo".

However, Thaci insisted to reporters that "every citizen, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of gender, enjoys equal rights."

Hundreds of police officers guarded the parade, which passed off peacefully.

The event was not announced in advance due to fears of possible incidents.
"Twilight" star Kristen Stewart, whose supernatural new movie "Personal Shopper" drew boos at Cannes, defended the picture Tuesday as a "terrifying" look at an identity crisis.

French director Olivier Assayas' high-concept thriller stars Stewart in a movie that is an audacious mix of ghost story, murder mystery and existential drama.

Critics at a preview late Monday booed the picture -- a venerable tradition at Cannes for the riskier films -- but reviews Tuesday hailed an edgy performance by the American actress in which she bares body and soul.

Stewart plays Maureen, a young woman living in Paris after the death of her twin brother, who takes a job as a personal assistant to a celebrity.

The work entails fetching designer frocks at expensive boutiques for her boss.

Maureen largely resists the temptation to try on the extravagant dresses but suddenly begins receiving text messages from a mystery man asking her to send him pictures of herself in the gowns.

Meanwhile Maureen also considers herself to be a medium with the ability to contact the dead.

She becomes convinced she cannot leave France and reunite with her boyfriend who is working in Oman until she has communicated with her brother who died of a heart attack three months before.

Asked about the lengthy texting in the film, Stewart said it was a sign of the times.

"The fact that she can sit behind this phone and feel closer to feeling alive or something, it definitely says a lot about how we interact with each other and conversely technology. And it's a little terrifying," she said.

- 'Naked version of myself' -

Stewart in 2015 became the first American actress to win France's equivalent of the Oscar, the Cesar, for her supporting role in Assayas' "Clouds of Sils Maria".

She said her new film allowed her to test her limits as a performer.

"I was surprised every day by how scary the movie was -- I thought it was trippy when I read it, I thought it was dreamy and surreal and really existential, not to sound too pretentious," she told reporters.

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"It's an enormous identity crisis movie and I leaned in to that. I wanted to really be the most thoughtless, present, naked version of myself I could possibly be."

Stewart has a few nude scenes in the film but the role is more revealing for her raw, natural performance, critics said.

Vanity Fair called the movie "deeply strange" but praised its star: "Stewart is not yet an actress of sprawling range, but what she's able to do in this vein, not so much playing a character as expressively inhabiting a mood, is rather remarkable."

Stewart was asked whether she, like her character, believed in life beyond the grave.

"I really don't know but I'm really sensitive to energies and I truly believe that we're driven by something," she said.

"That's why this movie is scary. It's a ghost story, sure, but the supernatural aspects of it just lead you to the very basic questions (of life)."

Stewart said she and Assayas had an instinctual way of working together.

"There is a communication that is undeniable and there's a flame that he lights under my ass that is stronger than I have ever felt," she said.

Assayas, well-known for his television miniseries "Carlos" about the terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, said he was unperturbed by the boos at the festival.

"(A premiere) is a very intense, very powerful moment and I suppose it has to do with giving birth or something," he said.

"When you come to Cannes you're prepared for anything really, you just go with the flow."

"Personal Shopper" is one of 21 films vying for the Cannes top prize, the Palme d'Or, to be awarded Sunday.
Workers across France came out in force once again on Tuesday, May 17, to rally against deeply unpopular changes to the countrys labor laws. Last week, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced that government would bypass parliament to impose the reform through a rarely used clause in the constitution, despite widespread protests.

According to local reports, protesters in the town of Rouen, in Normandy, attacked the offices of the ruling Socialist Party, smashing its window and defacing a sign. Credit: Twitter/yannou_fr
At last, Radovan Karadzic is a bona fide war criminal. Earlier this year, he was declared guilty of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Butcher of Bosnia will probably spend the rest of his life behind bars. A victory for the international justice system, right?

Except that Karadzics conviction took a whopping 21 years to obtain, and hundreds of millions of dollars besides  running the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia costs some $200 million every year. Theoretically, Karadzics conviction could send a message to other tyrants, but it hasnt seemed to. Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, for instance, routinely flouts the International Criminal Court, which has indicted him, blithely traveling to countries that promised to arrest him. Joseph Kony continues recruiting child soldiers. And the ICC didnt seem to deter Bashar al-Assad from torturing and gassing his own citizens.

Gettyimages 56901344

Ratko Mladic whispers in the ear of Radovan Karadzic.

Source: Getty

All of which makes us wonder: Should we give up on war crimes? Yes, the idea runs counter to centuries of humanitarian thinking and some of the things we tell ourselves about justice and morality. But what is a war crime without enforcement? Without fair, effective prosecution, the notion loses force, even threatens to become a joke. The United States has never submitted to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, but numerous African countries have  at least for now. Pointing out that all but one of the ICCs inquiries have involved African nations, some countries are threatening to pull out, accusing the tribunal of racism.

Research shows that the ICC doesnt have much of a deterrent effect on would-be genocidaires, says Jide Nzelibe, a professor at Northwestern University School of Law, who studies the ICCs effectiveness. Theyre already choosing occupational lifestyles that are extremely high risk, he points out  potential coups, assassinations, etc.  and its rather unlikely that some U.N. lawyers would have them shaking in their army boots. Paradoxically, these individuals may actually be better off being at the Hague than [under] local sanction, says Nzelibe. Imagine Kony if and when the Sudanese, Ugandans or Congolese capture him: Hell probably kiss due process goodbye.

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Massive amounts of time and money are directed at a tiny handful of war criminals, while hundreds of others go about their daily lives unpunished. With a proposed 2016 budget of 153 million euros, up from 130 million in 2015, the ICC has one helluva per-trial price tag. Since its ratification in 2002, the court has managed just three guilty verdicts. The process is so slow that indictees might meet their maker before getting their day in court; indeed, some have.

Gettyimages 517209992

Radovan Karadzic sits in the courtroom for the reading of his verdict at the International Criminal Tribunal.

Source: Robin Van Lonkhuijsen/Getty

To be fair, proving guilt is extremely difficult, says Elena Baylis, a University of Pittsburgh law professor who has done extensive research in DRC, Kosovo and Sierra Leone  especially connecting the high-level official with the acts in the field. Having endured or seen horrific crimes, witnesses are often reluctant to testify. The ICC had to drop its charges against Uhuru Kenyatta, now Kenyas president, after nearly every witness recanted.

Heres an idea: Lets put the billions weve spent on international tribunals into local courts, where lawyers and judges know the context better, and which are often in bad shape at the end of the conflict, as Baylis says. Trying criminals closer to home would bring justice closer to home  and would help regions develop the ability to hold all kinds of trials, says Baylis. Not just for the big fish.

Have you heard of a would-be war criminal changing his ways out of fear of prosecutions for war crimes? Are you on board with this idea? Let us know.

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Artwork by Angela Estelle

Image via PR

They say being a teenager is hard, but being in your early 20s isnt a piece of cake either. One minute youre not even legally allowed to drink, and the next youre trying to pay back that mountain of student loan debt. Those dreams your younger self wrote about in a journal way back begin to seem more and more like, well, dreams once faced with reality.

Last year, Rhode Island rapper Khary started exploring these topics in his first project Swim Team EP. Today, he continues this journey on his new mixtape intern aquarium. The collection spans 11 tracks that capture the realityin both a humorous and introspective wayof Kharys life. The result is a project thats equal parts relatable, enjoyable, and impressive.

Listen to it and read our Q+A with Khary below.

You were an intern for The FADER. How did that come about? What did you do for them? How did that affect you as an artist?

I started rapping in Providence, RI when I was 16. My brother would sneak me into clubs as his hype man. I moved to Boston a few years later for college where I continued rapping at local venues and on campus open mics. My school had a Co-op program in which you could intern for a semester and I got an internship in New York for 6 months. I felt like I was learning so much more about myself and about the music industry than I was in college so I decided to drop out in December of 2011. When I dropped out I returned back home to Rhode Island but promised myself I was gonna move back to New York the following year.

During the summer of 2012 I met someone who worked at The Fader. He told me that if I ever wanted to return to the New York hed set up an internship for me. At the moment I was sleeping on my friends floor in Rhode Island so I quickly moved and took the opportunity. The week I started the guy who got me the internship actually left to work at a different company so I interned for his friend. I was a marketing intern and helped out with artist research, product gifting, and events. I eventually worked in at the front desk and mailroom. I never took real job offers there because I always wanted to be a rapper and they respected that. But at the same time they werent gonna just put me on. I had to find my own way.

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Coming from Providence, RI where we didnt have much of a music scene I was pretty ignorant to how the music industry worked. The experience opened my eyes to everything and gave me opportunities to network with some great people but at the same time I wasnt making as much music as I wanted to and I hadnt realized that through my position the industry had labeled me an intern. I saw bad sides of industry people that most artist will never have to see and havent even gotten 20% of the favors that Ive done for other people returned to me. It made me jaded for a while to the point that I had to step away from it all and recalibrate myself solely as an artist. This hasnt been an easy thing to do but I think I finally have.

You have a lot of songs that deal with that early 20-year-old lifestyle, in that they detail what its like to have dreams, face the harsh reality, and how that all helps in finding yourself. What were these songs more of: writing about something personal as a release for yourself, or writing about something you knew others could relate to?

When I speak on the early 20-year-old lifestyle Im speaking about me but its a little bit of both. Ive been trying to find that balance where personal meets public so that it doesnt sound like me reading my diary from the corner of a dark room with some candles lit. Ive done songs/projects like that in the past and have had friends honestly tell me that they liked it but it was too dark/personal for them. Now my release only comes when people can relate to my songs.

From what I can tell, it looks like you were working on this project right up until the last minute. Whats your recording process like? Is your mind constantly writing and rewriting songs or is it more last minute touches?

The process varies but I usually write all of my songs alone and take them to my engineer/partners Mike Irishs studio where we put everything together. We have mutual respect and trust for each others opinion and I think he understands my vision (musically) more than anyone else on this planet. Im pretty meticulous about how I say things and the overall feel of a song while Mike is meticulous about the technical details. It works out in our favor.

For this particular project, I was working up until the last minute on a song that I really wanted to add. The vibe was right but something just wasnt clicking so I had to scrap the song for now. Ill rewrite a verse a million times if Im really in love with a song but I think as an artist its very important to know the limits of your abilities. If dont currently possess the abilities to finish a song the way I think it should be done Ive been learning to just step away from it and revisit it when Im a better artist.

2016 so far has been huge for hip-hop. Whos someone this year thats really inspired you and made you re-think how you write/record?

It almost feels like there is way too much music coming out to keep up with it all so I find myself picking and choosing what I digest a lot more but Anderson .Paaks Malibu hasnt left rotation from my phone since the day it dropped. I just saw him live the other day and it was a incredible/refreshing experience. He has a distinct sound, perspective, and identity. Thats something Ive been working on for the past year.

Are there any new artists (both hip-hop or not) that youre particularly excited about?

Sometimes it starts to feel like everything is going in the same direction and then something new comes along like Anderson .Paak with a completely new take on things and changes that direction. I want to be that to someone else. So Im really just excited to see what I can do with this as a new artist. But if you arent hip to Masego, Lege Kale, and Swell you are playing yourself.

Whats next for you? Are you going to keep working on mixtapes or start to focus your efforts on an official LP?

Right now Im working on a few video treatments and Im putting together my own tour that starts in LA on the 28th. Last year I put together two self funded outings called The Captain Yellow Coat Tour part I & II that included some spot date shows opening up for Tory Lanez and Kyle. This will be a continuation of the series.

As far as music goes, I usually start thinking about projects a year before I actually work on them. Like I came up with the idea for Intern Aquarium. 2 years ago and started working on it last May. So I have my next 2 solo projects planned out already. Also, Im working on an EP with Lege Kale that will hopefully release this year

The post Listen To Rhode Island Rapper Kharys New Mixtape Intern Aquarium appeared first on Pigeons & Planes.

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It's hard enough to find a "plus one" for last-minute events. Imagine what it's like if, when nature calls, you're looking for someone to accompany you to the restroom.

Transgender students at Oregon State University may soon find it less difficult to identify allies, amid the national debate about whether to restrict transgender people to the bathrooms that correspond with the gender on their birth certificate.

Buttons bearing the words, "I'll Go With You," are showing up on shirts and backpacks around the Corvallis, Oregon, campus, the Oregonian reported.

Source: IllGoWithYou.org

The buttons are a badge of support for transgender students and are creating discussions among community members on how to make gender-specific bathrooms a more welcoming space for trans and gender-nonconforming people, said student facilitator P.J. Harris.

"They see that [button] and know that someone out there is visibly saying, 'I stand with you, I support you,'" he told the Oregonian. The buttons come from the I'll Go With You movement, which began over a year ago. The organization has distributed more than 100,000 buttons and other materials throughout the country.

Well well well. What have we here? #illgowithyou #gpcharlotte #StandAgainstHB2pic.twitter.com/ACsldcgLAQ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CirW9AdUUAA83W7.jpg:large

The button system works t his w ay: Transgender or gender-nonconforming students c an approach allies displaying the buttons and ask for an escort to a gender-specific restroom, locker room, or other "highly gendered place" on campus, according to a movement brochure.

In recent weeks, the national transgender bathroom debate has intensified as the federal government and North Carolina locked horns over the state's HB2 bill. The legislation, signed by Governor Pat McCrory in March, strips transgender people of bathroom choice and bars cities from adopting policies that protect transgender rights.

Recently, President Obama issued a directive that asks public schools across the country to make accommodations for transgender students. His action followed a decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to sue North Carolina over HB2, after officials determined the bill violated federal civil rights law.
Theres no question that enthusiasm runs high during presidential election seasons, and there are various ways that a candidates supporters make their loyalties known. From changing social media profiles into campaign billboards to slapping a bumper sticker on your car, there are lots of ways to let the world know whom youre voting for. One of the oldest and most popular ways to express political pride is to wear it right on your body, in the form of a campaign button.

Buttons and pins have been a part of election culture since the United States first presidential inauguration, when metal pins bearing the phrase Long live the president and George Washingtons initials were worn by his supporters. This particular phrase was chosen, of course, because newly independent Americans were accustomed to cheering Long live the King! Some habits really do die hard.

When Abraham Lincoln became president in 1861, pins with a ferrotype (a photograph made of tin and dark enamel or lacquer) of his image were the first campaign buttons to use a picture of a presidential candidate. The pins featured Lincolns image on the front and a locking pin on the back.

But the first mass-produced and collectible buttons for presidential campaigns didnt come around until 1896, when William McKinley ran against William Jennings Bryan, as Christen Carter, owner and president of the Busy Beaver Button Co and museum in Chicago, and Joel Carter who is director of operations for Busy Beaver, tell TIME.

Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter

McKinley and Bryan got lucky, because that year Whitehead and Hoag in Newark, N.J., patented pin-back celluloid buttons, meaning they had a metal back with a straight pin and, on the front, celluloid covering to protect the image. Due to newly inexpensive printing technology, and low costs for the materials needed for the Whitehead and Hoags buttons, candidates could afford to widely distribute them and use them as true campaigning tools.

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Campaign buttons for that year were also notable for taking advantage of the fact that there had been a lunar eclipse that year as well. Playing on what was happening celestially, campaign pins for McKinley would depict the Democrats photo crossing over and eclipsing a photo of his Republican rival. Bryans campaign did the same, and slogans included: Total eclipse Nov. 6 and Partial eclipse will be total in November.

Many campaign pins have stayed in the public consciousness because they featured slogans that became their own cultural moments.

For example, the I Like Ike slogan that was coined to encourage Dwight Ike Eisenhower to run for president was very attractive to supporters because it was a roundabout way to express political leanings without committing to a certain party. At the time, Eisenhower was still serving as Army Chief of Staff and refused to commit to either the Republican or the Democratic party, meaning that citizens who liked Ike could make a statement about their political leanings without having to take a stand for a party. Of course, the rhyme helped make the slogan and pins special as well.

I Like Ike paraphernalia is a prime example of a shift in campaign buttons from a straightforward show of support for a particular candidate to pieces of art that speak to the overall political discourse. Some pins accomplished this by eschewing a candidate or party altogether, but focusing on a specific issue.

MORE: A Brief Visual History of Eating on the Campaign Trail

During the 1960s, buttons described by Joel Carter as grassroots buttons were made not by the presidential campaigns themselves, but rather by everyday citizens who wanted to support or bash another candidate. A button that exemplifies this type of sentiment came from the 1968 presidential campaign of Eugene McCarthy, whose critics created buttons with McCarthy for Fuhrer printed on them, Carter says.

Christen and Joel tell TIME that the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s came through in campaign buttons as well. In 1972 when George McGovern challenged Richard (Dick) Nixon for the presidency, Nixon supporters wore tongue-in-cheek buttons that played on their candidates nickname.

Political buttons still pack a major punch in only a few inches of circular space today, and serve as a reflection of the political climate. The heated and divisive presidential campaigns for the 2016 presidential election have produced grassroots buttons that are every bit as incendiary as some candidates campaign rhetoric.

Showing support (or disdain) for presidential candidates through pins and buttons is a practice nearly as old as the office of the president itself, and over time evolved (or perhaps regressed) with the changing political landscape. The political accessories are hundreds of years old, but still remain wearable signs of the times.
(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Unified School District has agreed to pay $88 million to settle two sexual abuse cases involving now-imprisoned former elementary school teachers of the second largest public school system in the United States, according to local media.

The settlement, finalized during the weekend, will mean the families of 30 children abused at two different elementary schools by teachers Paul Chapel III and Robert Pimental will receive about $3 million apiece, the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday.

The settlement comes less than two years after the Los Angeles school system agreed to pay nearly $140 million - the largest ever for the district - to families of students sexually abuse by Mark Berndt, an elementary school teacher who took bondage-style photos of some pupils.

"We're glad that we're able to resolve both of these cases so we can avoid potentially painful litigation and put these cases behind us," Gregory McNair, an attorney for the district, said to the Los Angeles Times. "We're turning a corner here because we've resolved the last two very large cases that were involving the district."

A dozen children who are receiving money from the latest settlement were abused by Paul Chapel III, a former teacher at Telfair Avenue Elementary in Pacoima. Chapel, whose case arose after a parent's complaint in 2011, is serving a 25-year sentence after pleading no-contest to molestation charges in 2012, the newspaper said. The abuse reportedly occurred over a decade.

The Times also reported 18 students who were a part of the same settlement were abused by Robert Pimental, a former teacher at De La Torre Elementary in Wilmington who became the subject of allegations in 2009. Pimental, is serving a 12-year sentence.

Berndt pleaded no contest in 2014 to 23 counts of lewd acts upon a child and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

The district has reformed its training and reporting protocols as well as how it investigates sexual abuse claims as a result of the scandals although attorneys for the victims told the newspaper that not enough has been done to protect children from sexual abuse.

"We feel this is an ongoing problem in L.A. Unified and we hope this amount of money will promote a change of heart and change of attitude when it comes to victims," John Manly, an attorney for the victims, told the Times.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Bill Trott)
It took six days at this year's Cannes Film Festival before festgoers began throwing around the O-word with abandon.

Bookies have been busy laying bets on the eventual Palme D'Or winner - currently, at Paddypower.com, the German comedy Toni Erdmann, directed by Maren Ade, has the best odds (9-to-4), with I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach's protest against an unfeeling British welfare system, close behind (7-to-2).

And after seeing Jim Jarmusch's Paterson, wags were predicting that the late Nellie, who plays the movie's prominently featured English Bulldog, Marvin, has the Palm Dog wrapped up, and the film, starring Adam Driver, should prove to be an eventual Spirit Awards player.

But for those looking to Cannes as a launching platform for Oscar contenders, the pickings have been slim - until, that is, yesterday's first press screening of Jeff Nichols' new film, Loving. The 37-year-old director is no stranger to the Croisette. His Take Shelter won the Critics' Week Grand Prize in 2011; with 2012's Mud, he entered the main competition for the first time; and he's received plenty of indie acclaim.

Loving, though, could take Nichols to the next level, awards-wise. As applause echoed through the Palais, The Guardian's Benjamin Lee tweeted, "Loving is an exceptional, heartbreaking film. The first real Oscar contender at this year's festival."

The story of Richard and Mildred Loving - the interracial couple whose 1958 marriage violated Virginia's anti-miscegenation law, which was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court's landmark Loving v. Virginia ruling in 1967 - Nichols' film could have been a standard-issue courtroom drama, culminating with soaring oratory. But the helmer chose to take a different course, and the two-hour-three-minute movie concentrates instead on the Lovings themselves: Richard, played by Australian actor Joel Edgerton as a man of few words who keeps his emotions bottled up, and the more optimistic Mildred, played by the Ethiopia-born Ruth Negga.

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Both performers immediately became part of the best actor and actress conversation. In terms of awards potential, the biggest obstacle each may face is that Nichols gives neither of their characters the sort of big, third-act speech that often clinches awards. When Edgerton's Richard is asked by one of the lawyers what message they should convey to the court, he says simply, "Tell them I love my wife." Still, Negga was asked at the after-screening press conference if she's ready to win an Oscar - a question she declined to answer, with Nichols quickly intervening, "Let's just get through this press conference first."

Read More: Hollywood's Next Big Thing: 'Preacher' Breakout Ruth Negga Heads to Cannes With New Jeff Nichols Film

With the backing of Focus Features, which picked up rights to the film in Berlin and will release it stateside on Nov. 4, Loving, though intimate and understated, can also claim the importance that the Motion Picture Academy tends to favor. To boost its best picture prospects, the distributor is sure to play up its topicality: The Loving v. Virginia decision, in which then Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote that "marriage is one of the basic civil rights of man," was cited in the recent Obergefell v. Hodges decision establishing the right to same-sex marriage.

Meanwhile, though Woody Allen's Cafe Society and Steven Spielberg's The BFG debuted to mixed reviews, they could ultimately deliver nominations for veteran Oscar winners like Cafe Society cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, who serves up lush evocations of '30s Hollywood, and The BFG composer John Williams, who provides another of his vividly expressive scores.

The visual effects community also is sure to notice Joe Letteri's work in The BFG, and though the Academy's actors branch has yet to nominate a motion-capture performance, recent Oscar winner Mark Rylance's work as the movie's title giant, while it has to be considered a real longshot, should at least provoke discussion that mo-cap performances deserve serious consideration.

See More: Cannes: THR's Photo Portfolio With Adam Driver, Steven Spielberg and the Stars of 'Loving'

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Skopje (AFP) - They start with a Facebook post announcing the target of the day, and end at dusk with a flurry of attacks on a Macedonian government building -- using balloons and water pistols filled with bright paint.

Month-long protests in Skopje have been dubbed the "Colourful Revolution" for their rainbow hues, but their playful weapons are yet to spur much change in the small Balkan country, which is mired in political turmoil.

"At its basis this protest, this civil rights movement, is a fight and a struggle for democracy," student activist Darko Malinovski told AFP in the capital, near a white triumphal archway splattered with colour by the demonstrators.

"We have disruption of human rights, we have unfree media, we have a corrupt government, we have seized institutions, which should be but aren't serving the public interest," the 23-year-old said.

The rallies have taken aim at buildings and monuments put up in a costly neo-classical makeover of the city, instigated by ex-premier Nikola Gruevski, who stepped down in January after 10 years in power to make way for controversial elections.

The dramatic new look of Skopje, like its politics, sharply splits opinion among Macedonia's two million people.

While the protesters, numbering a few thousand, say their movement is an outpouring of anger against Gruevski's authoritarian regime, their detractors allege the rallies are financed by foreigners who want to destabilise Macedonia.

"The population is divided," said Marko Troshanovski, president of a local think-tank, the Institute for Democracy.

"There is still very strong support on the side of the ruling party, but on the other side the dissatisfaction... is emotionally very intense and it is growing."

- Crisis erupts -

In February last year, opposition leader Zoran Zaev began releasing what he called "bombs" -- recordings that appeared to reveal official wiretapping of 20,000 Macedonians, including politicians, journalists and businesspeople, and high-level corruption.

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Denied by the government, the accusations sparked mass protests on both sides and the European Union stepped in to broker a deal, at a time when Macedonia also faced hundreds of thousands of migrants crossing its territory.

Intensifying the turmoil, President Gjorge Ivanov last month issued a mass pardon to those implicated in the wiretapping scandal, including his ally Gruevski. More protests followed, and the Colourful Revolution was born.

"This is not really a revolution like the Bolshevik Revolution, they don't want to change the political system," said Nano Ruzin, a political sciences professor and former Macedonian ambassador to NATO.

The new protests aim to "change the spirit, the consciousness of a lot of people," Ruzin explained.

The mostly middle-class demonstrators from a wide age range gather after work, some with their dogs and bicycles, others with banners and whistles, and some in "Colourful Revolution" T-shirts and stickers.

Each rally has a different theme, such as public debt, but their main demands include the withdrawal of the presidential pardon and the cancellation of a June 5 election, which was meant to end the crisis but is mired in uncertainty.

Gruevski's conservative VMRO-DPMNE is the only major party standing -- others have boycotted saying conditions for a credible vote are not in place, and their fears are echoed by EU and US officials.

- 'Citizens not aware' -

While opinion polls suggest support for Gruevski remains strong, critics put this down to him building up tight control over the country, which aspires to join the EU and NATO.

US rights watchdog Freedom House says Macedonia's media is not free, with the worst rating in the Balkans, and warns that most other democratic indicators are sliding.

"Citizens are not aware of what is happening," said lawyer Marin Gavrilovski, 43, after fellow protesters hurled paint-filled balloons over a row of riot police at the public revenue office.

"That's why we are coming every day, for people to understand that something is not normal in this country."

The likely impact of the Colourful Revolutionaries is questionable -- they number in thousands each evening, rather than a game-changing mass of tens or hundreds of thousands.

Supporting rallies take place in smaller towns, but pro-Gruevski gatherings also still draw crowds around the country.

Even opposition chief Zaev has criticised the paint protests, telling AFP that "citizens will have to pay" to replace the marble they stain.

Activists nevertheless hope their multicoloured flourishes deliver a firm warning to future governments.

"It's no longer a time when it takes years to gather 100 people, now we need two hours. That's the message we would like to send," said protester Misha Popovikj, 34.
The ancient, mythical site of Machu Picchu, built in the clouds of the Andes Mountains, has snatched the title of travelers' favorite landmark in a new TripAdvisor ranking.

After slipping to second place behind Angkor Wat, Cambodia last year, Machu Picchu stole back the No. 1 spot in the 2016 edition of the Travelers' Choice Landmarks awards, which it had also occupied in 2014.

The historic sanctuary, which stands 2,430 meters above sea level was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, inspiring pilgrimages from all corners of the world.

But the volume of tourists over the years has put the ancient site at risk of irreversible damage and degradation, forcing officials to impose a cap on the number of visitors and permits for the Inca Trails to 2,500 a day.

The TripAdvisor ranking was determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for landmarks worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period.

While Machu Picchu took the top spot for the international ranking, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington DC emerged the top landmark in the US list.

Here are the top 10 Landmarks in the World according to TripAdvisor members:

1. Machu Picchu, Peru

2. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

3. Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

4. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

5. Taj Mahal, Agra, India

6. Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain

7. Church of the Savior on Spilt Blood, St. Petersburg, Russia

8. The Alhambra, Granada, Spain

9. Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Washington DC

10. Milan Cathedral (Duomo), Milan, Italy
San Francisco (AFP) - An activist hedge fund revealed it owns nearly 10 percent of Pandora and called for the sale of the Internet radio service.

Corvex Management managing partner Keith Meister said in a letter to the Pandora board that his fund holds about 22.7 million shares, making it the Oakland-based company's largest shareholder with a stake of 9.9 percent.

"We have become increasingly concerned that the company may be pursuing a costly and uncertain business plan," Meister said in the letter, a copy of which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available online.

"Let us be clear -- It remains our firm belief that the company should immediately explore the potential value to shareholders that could be realized in a sale transaction."

Meister, who once worked closely with activist investor Carl Icahn, expressed "frustration" with Pandora's stock performance and argued that the company has been unable "to translate a great product into a great business."

He argued that Pandora would have strong value as part of a larger operation, instead of as a stand-alone service.

Pandora shares were up 3.51 percent to $10.33 in after market trades on the New York Stock Exchange. Pandora had explored sale of the company earlier this year, according to US media reports.

- Founder as front man -

Co-founder Tim Westergren returned in March as chief executive failed to ignite confidence in Pandora's long-term prospects.

Westergren helped found the Internet radio service in the early 2000s and served as chief executive from 2002 to 2004.

"Tim carries the vision for how Pandora can transform the music industry and he is uniquely able to connect with listeners, music makers and employees," Pandora chairman Jim Feuille said at the time.

Pandora shares have come under pressure as rivals such as Apple and Spotify have built up significant Internet music businesses. In 2015, Pandora reported a loss of $169.7 million.

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Westergren, a musician and composer who worked in the music industry for more than 20 years, helped launch Pandora's Music Genome Project, which suggests new music selections to consumers based on their taste.

The service caught on, enabling Pandora to go public in 2011 with more than 80 million registered users. Pandora has not reported a profit since going public.

Shares fell steeply over the last two years as competition intensified.

Faced with slowing growth, the company unveiled a plan of heavy investment to ramp up its on-demand service, expand its event ticketing operations and build a bigger international presence.

The company in February said these initiatives would allow it to notch $4 billion in annual revenues within five years, compared with $1.2 billion in 2015.

"We find it difficult to reconcile Mr. Westergrens idealism and music industry evangelism with the goal of maximizing risk-adjusted shareholder value and your responsibilities to investors," Meister said in the letter, which was addressed to Feuille.

"Simply put, we believe Pandora can become an even more differentiated product and a more valuable business as a part of a larger enterprise."
As mounting allegations of corruption continue to engulf The Wolf of Wall Street producer Red Granite, figures from the Malaysian film industry have a message for the company's Hollywood collaborators: Please, stop.

The morning after Woody Allen's Cafe Society opened the Cannes Film Festival Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal published the latest in a series of reports implicating Red Granite in an alleged corruption scandal of historic proportions. As much as $7 billion is estimated to have gone missing from a state fund set up in 2009 to benefit the Malaysian people.

Founded by Riza Aziz, the stepson of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Red Granite is alleged to have received $238 million of siphoned state funds, some of which it then used to bankroll Martin Scorsese's Wolf, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

A globe-spanning FBI investigation into the alleged misappropriation is ongoing - as are Red Granite's glamorous film business activities. The company is stationed in Cannes aboard a rented luxury yacht named Indulgence of Poole, from which it has been holding sales meetings for its next film, Papillon, starring Charlie Hunnam.

Red Granite has said it is cooperating with all inquiries and "to its knowledge, none of the funding received by Red Granite was in any way irregular or illegitimate."

The Hollywood Reporter reached out to several prominent figures from the Malaysia film community to get their thoughts on the Red Granite situation.

Read More: Cannes: Red Granite Arrives as Money Scandal Heats Up

Prominent Malaysian filmmaker and political activist Hishamuddin Rais, speaking to THR by phone from Kuala Lumpur, said Hollywood directors and producers should "be more concerned" where the money invested in their films was coming from, saying there was a "process of money laundering" going on.

On May 16, Rais stood trial in Kuala Lumpur on sedition charges stemming from a speech he gave criticizing Malaysia's controversial 2013 elections, which restored Prime Minister Razak's right-wing Barisan Nasional party to power. Public discourse in Malaysia is closely monitored and controlled; the country ranks 148th of 182 countries - behind nations such as Afghanistan and Myanmar - in Reporters Without Borders' Press Freedom Index.

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"Having seen him rub shoulders with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio is exciting to some extent," said a veteran Malaysian film buyer in Cannes when asked about Aziz. "But we do ask where the hell he got his money. No one really knows yet what happened, but the links appear to be there and there are questions marks all over the place." (The individual requested not to be named; when THR asked whether such statements could jeopardize the individual's personal safety, the person replied: "Are you kidding me? If I shared [this news] on Facebook, it would probably go viral in Malaysia and I wouldn't be able to go home.")

Contacted by phone in Kuala Lumpur, an influential Malaysian producer urged Hollywood companies to consider what their ongoing cooperation with Red Granite means in the bigger picture.

"Instead of asking Malaysians how they feel about this news, I would like to ask film producers there how they feel about it," the producer said. "As long as Hollywood continues to work with them, they will retain an air of invincibility here - it sends a signal. It tells people that nobody cares and they will just get away with it."

Nurul Izzah, a sitting member of Malaysia's parliament and the daughter of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister, added: "I can't believe Hollywood can justify and validate these ongoing allegations by shamelessly supporting [Red Granite], whether by investing in [their] movies or buying rights."

Red Granite's highest-profile collaborator to date, DiCaprio, has yet to publicly comment on the scandal. According to a source in Cannes (who didn't want to be named), Red Granite has told buyers privately that DiCaprio is attached to star in a forthcoming George Washington biopic, The General, which the company is developing. Red Granite has denied that he is involved.

Read More: Cannes: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe Attend Vanity Fair's Hotel du Cap Fete

Regardless, voices in Malaysia have a message for the star. "Before you go into any project, you must also, Mr. Leonardo DiCaprio, make sure you know where the money is coming from," Rais told THR on the eve of his trial.

"If he is speaking to the United Nations on global warming, he should also be speaking about [this], because global warming is interconnected with corruption in third-world countries," he added.

THR reached out to DiCaprio's publicist.

The full statement from Red Granite reads:

"Red Granite has received hundreds of millions of dollars in financings over the last six years from a variety of sources, including top-tier U.S. commercial and investment banks. During this time, Red Granite's films have generated close to $1 billion in worldwide box office receipts. To its knowledge, none of the funding received by Red Granite was in any way irregular or illegitimate. Red Granite is cooperating fully with all inquiries and is confident that when the facts come out, it will be clear that neither Riza Aziz nor Red Granite has done anything wrong. In the meantime, Mr. Aziz and Red Granite will continue moving forward with exciting new projects."
Local News station KCRA is reporting that a man has died after an assault during a KSFM-presented hip-hop festival at Discovery Park in Sacramento, California. While queuing for food during the festival this weekend, the man was attacked and was found unresponsive after taking a punch. The man was later pronounced dead at the hospital following his injuries, with Sacramento police announcing that an investigation is underway.

The police are still searching for the person responsible for the mans death, which occurred on Sunday. During the same day of the festival, a propane tank located in the food vendor area exploded after getting too hot. Numerous people suffered burn injuries from the explosion, while many others were injured after people at the festival attempted to run away from the explosion en masse in a panic. The events that took place were unrelated to one another.

The festival featured the likes of Ty Dolla $ign, Kehlani, Desiigner, The Internet, and E-40 among others performing. Despite both of the unfortunate events, the sold-out festival continued as planned. For more information regarding the possible suspect behind the attack, check out KCRAs report here.

Watch a local news report of both incidents above.

The post Man Dies Following Assault at Sacramento Hip-Hop Festival appeared first on Pigeons & Planes.
Lorenza-louis-engagement-lorenza-louis-engagement-pass-0074

Coming up with the perfect marriage proposal can be difficult, but luckily things seemed to fall right into place for Louis Bruno.

Bruno decided that in order to successfully achieve the key element of surprise and capture the amazing moment on camera, he would propose to his girlfriend Lorenza Pardo during their maternity photo shoot.

SEE ALSO: Couple's romantic photoshoot gets photobombed by some larpers

Image: ARTCIMAGESPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Pardo's best friend set up the maternity photo shoot for the Florida-based couple with her brother-in-law, professional photographer Kevin Cucci.

"Louis and I have been dating for about five years," Pardo tells Mashable. "In regards to the proposal, I was so excited about the maternity shoot and spending the weekend with our friends, that I wasn't thinking about much else."

"When I saw the ring, I truly couldn't believe it" Pardo admitted. "Louis and I have talked about marriage plenty of times over the years, and we've known that we wanted to spend our futures together, but in that moment, I couldn't believe it was happening."

Image: ARTCIMAGESPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Image: ARTCIMAGESPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Image: ARTCIMAGESPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Image: ARTCIMAGESPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Image: ARTCIMAGESPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Pardo told Mashable she was especially grateful for the surprise because she loves pictures and documenting important moments in her life.

"He truly gave me the most perfect proposal and beautiful memories to always be able to share, especially with our little man, LJ!"
On November 7, 1937, the Los Angeles Examiner published a prescient map predicting how Imperial Japan could attack the US during World War II.

Created by Howard A. Burke, the map imagined a Japanese attack on the US that closely predicted the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor four years later on December 7, 1941. Burke rightly noted that Japan's first target would be Hawaii and the US fleet docked at Pearl Harbor.

"The first objective must be capture of Hawaii," Burke notes on the map. "This would mean crippling or annihilating the U.S. fleet, giving Japan one of the world's greatest naval bases  Pearl Harbor."

After that attack, Burke then imagined that Japan would follow up the assault with a two-pronged naval and aerial strike from Hawaii against Los Angeles and San Francisco, with a simultaneous Japanese assault from Alaska working its way down the Pacific Northwest.

You can see Burke's map below:

japan world war II map

NOW WATCH: Startling facts about World War II





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marco rubio

Sen. Marco Rubio evidently isn't pleased by media reports speculating about his political future.

In a series of tweets late Monday evening, the Florida senator mocked "genius" anonymously sourced media reports that hypothesized about the senator's political career following his failed Republican presidential bid.

"Funny to read about unnamed "people close" to me who claim to know my thinking on future plans. They just make it up," Rubio wrote, linking to a Washington Post story that indirectly quoted anonymous sources.

He continued: "Unnamed sources 'close to' often just people who want to sound like they are in the know. And reporters desperate for content just accept it."

Rubio also criticized a year-old Washington Post article that quoted a source who claimed the senator "hates" the slow-moving pace of the US Senate.

Though the Florida senator also ruled out a last-minute run for reelection this year, he hinted that his political career isn't finished. Rubio pointed out Monday that he knew of at least one non-public official who has had some success seeking public office.

View Rubio's tweets below:

I have only said like 10000 times I will be a private citizen in January.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

As for future in politics, well it's nearly impossible for someone not in office to ever become a successful candidate for President.Right?  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

A source "close to Rubio" says he was tired after long day & has decided to sleep for a few hours before tomorrow's ZIKA debate in Senate.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

A "longtime friend" says Rubio is "betwixt and between when it comes to whether to chest or legs tomorrow at gym."  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

According to source who knows his cousins, wife's dentist, Rubio could do cardio instead.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

NOW WATCH: Ted Cruz just released a bizarre attack ad featuring a terrifying Hillary Clinton impersonator





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Marco Rubio (Photo: Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio went on a bit of a Twitter rant Monday night.

In tweet after tweet, the former 2016 presidential candidate sarcastically ripped media outlets for quoting sources, described as close to him, who he said dont know what theyre talking about.

Funny to read about unnamed people close to me who claim to know my thinking on future plans. They just make it up, Rubio wrote. Unnamed sources close to often just people who want to sound like they are in the know. And reporters desperate for content just accept it.

He linked to a Washington Post story that described him as sort of betwixt and between when it comes to his next move after he leaves the Senate at the end of the year.

Rubios tweets grew increasingly humorous as the night continued.

A longtime friend says Rubio is betwixt and between when it comes to whether to chest or legs tomorrow at gym, he wrote. According to source who knows his cousins, wifes dentist, Rubio could do cardio instead.

During his unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination, Rubios Twitter account was far more serious and seemingly run by campaign aides. But it appears that Rubio now feels free to publicly muse about a wide range of topics.

He finished off Mondays storm of tweets by announcing: Ok thats enough for one night. Twitter isnt something you should just rush back into. You have to slowly increase the dosage.

Chris Cillizza, who wrote the Washington Post story that kicked off Rubios media criticism, responded Tuesday on MSNBCs Morning Joe.

Nothing in his tweeting, which I was flattered by, gets to the point, which is: He doesnt know what hes going to do next, Cillizza said. Marco Rubio is not certain what he does next because hes got a bridge between now and next time he can run for president and stay relatively high profile.

View Rubios tweets below:

Funny to read about unnamed people close to me who claim to know my thinking on future plans.They just make it up. https://t.co/jiEYMugVHz  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

Unnamed sources close to often just people who want to sound like they are in the know. And reporters desperate for content just accept it  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

Flashback to another article quoting a longtime friend saying I hate Senate. Words I have NEVER said to anyone. https://t.co/VZ9J7wznsZ  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

Word of advice, people often claim to know more than they really do because they enjoy status of being perceived as in the know.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

Another genius line claims that Im a bit at sea in terms of his next step politically. Ummmm Not really. https://t.co/jiEYMugVHz  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

I have only said like 10000 times I will be a private citizen in January.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

As for future in politics, well its nearly impossible for someone not in office to ever become a successful candidate for President.Right?  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

A source close to Rubio says he was tired after long day & has decided to sleep for a few hours before tomorrows ZIKA debate in Senate.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

A longtime friend says Rubio is betwixt and between when it comes to whether to chest or legs tomorrow at gym.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

According to source who knows his cousins, wifes dentist, Rubio could do cardio instead.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016
Suicide Squads promotional blitz is ramping up, and on the heels of news that Margot Robbies clown princess of crime Harley Quinn may soon be getting her own spin-off film, the actress has channeled her upcoming roles psychopathic deviancy for a clip evoking another famed movie villain.

Related: Margot Robbie Says Harley Quinn Is the Best Baddie

In a new video tied to her appearance on the June 2016 cover of Vogue (watch it above), Robbie takes viewers on a tour of her morning routinewhich, as it turns out, just happens to eerily resemble the preparation habits of Patrick Bateman, the yuppie serial killer of Bret Easton Ellis American Psycho (played, in the 2000 film version, by Christian Bale). While peeling off her facial mask with cold, dead-eyed precision, Robbie intones:

There is an idea of Margot Robbie, some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable, I simply am not there.

Related: Margot Robbie Was Self-Conscious About Skimpy Suicide Squad Costume

Directed by Paranormal Activity 4s Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, the clip also charts Robbie as she engages in some meditation and performs a ritual by holding black tea-dipped spoons over her eyesceremonies that lend the clip an additional creepiness. Harley Quinn, she of the smeary make-up, ratty t-shirts, and tight hot pants, likely has very different morning habits, though shed no doubt feel a kinship with this parodic version of the Australian actress split personality-style habit of speaking about herself in the third person while discussing her elaborately demented beauty process.



Suicide Squad arrives in theaters on August 5.

Margot Robbie flashback: Watch Wolf of Wall Street costar talk about meeting the real Jordan Belfort:
Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban emphatically shut down the idea of his third-party candidacy on Monday, just days after a Washington Post report posited that anti-Trump operatives were looking to recruit the brash billionaire to run for president.

"Look, it was just an email through one of my associates and it was ... a quick response of no," he told CNN's Erin Burnett. "It's impossible for it to work."

"There's not enough time to get on the ballot," he continued. "The hurdles are just too great. It was a ridiculous effort, so I passed."

He added that there was no chance of a third-party run under any conditions.

However, the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks didn't hold back his fire on presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

"You know, where Donald has come from to today, you would think that he'd be more [knowledgeable] on the issues  that we would look at what he's had to say and say you know what, he's really picked up some in-depth knowledge, he's nuanced on different topics, whether it's immigration, whether it's the jobs plan, whether it's the economy, whatever it may be," he said. "But that just hasn't happened. And to me, that's a problem."

Cuban said it's clear Trump "hasn't invested the time" to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing the country. Trump, he opined, is "probably not as smart as he thinks he is."

"That's an issue," he said. "Now, when you have that amount of uncertainty, when there's, you know, you're flip-flopping, when you're not sure what the candidate is going to say from one thing to another, that uncertainty, you know, potentially as the president of the United States, that's the last thing Wall Street wants to hear."

When it comes to whom the billionaire business mogul would vote for, Cuban said he still has six months to make up his mind. But as of now, he said he's leaning toward Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton "because the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know."

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"I know what Hillary's positions are," he said. "I can go to Hillary's website and there's spreadsheets, there's depth, there's analysis, there's details. Is going to Donald's website  which I have  he lists issues. He lists top-line things that he'd like to do, but he doesn't say how he's going to get there."

NOW WATCH: FORMER GREEK FINANCE MINISTER: Why Hillary Clinton is a 'dangerous person'





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Mark Cuban

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has dismissed chances of a third-party run in the 2016 presidential cycle.

But in a conversation with Business Insider through his Cyber Dust social-media app, Cuban said there was one scenario in which he could see himself running for president in future elections.

"If Kanye is a party nominee, I'll run against him," Cuban said.

During an acceptance speech at last summer's MTV Video Music Awards, the star hip-hop artist Kanye West said he would run for president in 2020.

"As you probably could've guessed by this moment, I have decided in 2020 to run for president," West said. He subsequently said he was serious.

The idea of a Cuban third-party run in 2016 has gained attention after a Saturday Washington Post report said anti-Donald Trump operatives were looking to recruit Cuban to run for president.

"Look, it was just an email through one of my associates and it was ... a quick response of no," Cuban told CNN's Erin Burnett. "It's impossible for it to work."

"There's not enough time to get on the ballot," he continued. "The hurdles are just too great. It was a ridiculous effort, so I passed."

He told Business Insider that there was no chance of a third-party run by him in 2016 under any conditions.

NOW WATCH: Trump is fuming over this attack ad from a pro-Hillary super PAC





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The original bassist of Maroon 5 was arrested Jan. 21 on cocaine charges in New York, and on Tuesday (May 17), the New York Daily News reports Mickey Madden accepted a conditional dismissal offer in exchange for one day of community service.

According to police, Madden passed a vial of cocaine to film producer James "Bingo" Gubelmann outside St. Dymphnas, a St. Marks Place bar in the East Village, around 1:30 a.m. that morning. Madden's lawyer Joe Tacopina placed the blame on Gubelmann, saying his client was "purely innocent" and "didn't possess any narcotics."

Maroon 5 Members Speak Out on Illegal Logging Following Rainforest Trip; Documentary Premieres at Grammy Museum

Madden is a Los Angeles resident and, according to Tacopina, will be allowed to complete his day of service for an L.A. nonprofit of his choice. Six months later, he says the case will be expunged from his records.

Billboard Chart Moves: Maroon 5's 'V' Becomes Band's Fifth Million-Selling Album

Madden, 37, has been playing with Adam Levine for a long time -- so long, that he predates the Maroon 5 era. In the '90s, Madden played with Levine (and other future Maroon 5 members) in their pre-fame band Kara's Flowers. He's been with Maroon 5 from their earliest days through their most recent album, 2014's V.

Gubelmann -- who accepted a deal similar to Madden's -- has production credit on films like 2014's Infinitely Polar Bear and 2011's Detachment.

A representative of Maroon 5 had no further comment on the issue.
How MasterCard Is Riding on Global Growth, Partnerships, Spending

(Continued from Prior Part)

Strong cash flows

MasterCard (MA) has a debt of $3.3 billion with a total balance sheet of $15.9 billion as of March 31, 2016. This compares to $16.2 billion in 4Q15. In 1Q16, the company generated free cash flow from operations of $1.0 billion compared to $0.9 billion in the prior years quarter. The company had total cash and equivalents and liquid investments of about $4.9 billion as of March 31, 2016.

MasterCard deploys cash flows for dividends, share repurchases, investments in technology, and expansion. It repurchased 15 million shares of Class A common stock at a cost of $1.4 billion, forming approximately 5% of the companys total capitalization. As of April 21, 2016, the company repurchased 3 million shares at $288 million, with $2.9 billion remaining under current repurchase program authorizations.

MasterCards debt-to-equity ratio stood at 54% in fiscal 2015. Heres how some of MasterCards peers in the payment processing industry fared with their leverages in fiscal 2015:

Visa (V)  34%

American Express (AXP)  513%

Discover Financial Services (DFS)  203%

Together, these companies account for 1.8% of the iShares S&P 500 Index (IVV).

Organic expansion

MasterCard saw its EPS (earnings per share) decline by 3% in the first quarter. The company expects to generate higher net EPS on stable currency in 2016. Revenue momentum is expected to continue in the next quarter, led by growth from Europe and Asia.

MasterCard is also pushing for cost control in order to improve margins. The companys main competitive advantages are accessibility, convenience, and security. Its brand name, product range, and track record of secure transaction processing gives it an edge over new players.

In the next part of this series, well see how MasterCards margins were maintained in fiscal 1Q16.

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
McKee Homes was one of a few new companies to be added to the ranks of America's up-and-coming home builders by Builder Magazine in the 2016 Next 100 list

FAYETTEVILLE, NC / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2016 / Builder Magazine recently released the 2016 Top 100 and Next 100 lists which rank home builders by number of homes closed for a given year. The Next 100 is a listing of the top 101 to 200 U.S. home builders by closings.



McKee Homes was one of only 15 new companies to be added to the ranks of America's up-and-coming home builders by Builder Magazine in the 2016 Next 100 list.

According to Builder Magazine's website, Builders had a slightly tougher time moving into the Next 100 list for 2015 than the year beforethe threshold to entry was 120 closed units compared to 110 in 2014. Fifteen companies that were not on the Next 100 list in 2014 were able to land a coveted spot for 2015.

"We are honored to be mentioned in our industry's top publication as an up and coming builder. Our business has expanded tremendously since our inception in 2010 and we have grown into one of the area's largest private home builders. I am proud of all the hard work and dedication our team has put into making us a success. We look forward to continuing our climb in Builder Magazine's Builder 100 list," said Pat McKee, Owner and President of McKee Homes.

In addition to making Builder Magazine's Next 100 list, McKee Homes ranked #230 in Professional Builder's 2016 Housing Giants list and Modern Home Builder is currently working on a profile article about McKee Homes for their next edition.

McKee Homes has experienced tremendous growth every year since its inception in 2010 and has once again outgrown its office space. They are in the process of finishing up their new office and design center on Hay Street in Fayetteville, N.C. The new office building is on the same block of Hay Street in downtown Fayetteville, but is much larger than the current building which has housed the McKee Homes' office and design center since January of 2014.

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About McKee Homes, LLC:

McKee Homes is a family owned home building business, which offers a friendly home purchasing experience and is involved in numerous local and national charities. They give homebuyers the freedom to personalize their homes with custom options and special features to get the new home they truly desire. McKee Homes is one of the fastest growing new home builders in Eastern North Carolina with new homes located in some of the areas most desirable neighborhoods, offering comfort and convenience only a short drive from the Fayetteville/Fort Bragg, Pinehurst, Raleigh and Wilmington Metro Areas.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.mckeehomesnc.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Pat McKee

Organization: McKee Homes

Address: 101 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28301

Phone: 910-475-7100

SOURCE: McKee Homes
The AFL-CIO, the premier labor organization, at one time was optimistic of playing a major role in the 2016 presidential campaign.

And when labor chief Richard Trumka announced in February that his executive council wouldnt make an endorsement until after the Democratic primary season, that was widely viewed as a slap at former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and boost for her long-shot challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Related: Worried About Trumps Appeal, Big Labor Gears Up for a Fight

With Clinton now close to wrapping up the nomination despite Sanderss raft of late-season primary victories, the AFL-CIO will have the dubious distinction of being one of the last labor organizations to climb aboard Clintons campaign bandwagon.

But now a bitter feud between environmentalists and labor groups threatens to torpedo an important $50 million get-out-the-vote fundraising drive that was meant to showcase the AFL-CIOs firepower in the 2016 campaign.

The presidents of seven building-trade unions are outraged that Trumka plans to join forces in that effort with Thomas F. Steyer, the billionaire San Francisco hedge fund manager and leading Democratic environmentalist committed to combatting climate change, according to the New York Times. The labor leaders are irate that Trumka and the AFL-CIO chose to team up with Steyer who has opposed projects like the Keystone XL pipeline and coal fired power plants that hold out the promise of tens of thousands of jobs for their members.

Related: While Clinton Sets Her Sight on Trump, Sanders Pulls Her Back

In a sharply worded letter to Trumka, the labor leaders demanded that the AFL-CIO abandon plans to create a super PAC with Steyer, the founder of the political advocacy group NextGen Climate that spent $74 million during the 2014 midterm election campaign in support of Democratic congressional candidates.

The AFL-CIO and several unions representing state, county and municipal workers and teachers announced last week that they would team up with Steyer to assist Democratic candidates this fall. The goal was to raise at least $50 million, and Steyer vowed to get the ball rolling with a $5 million contribution.

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The irate letter, signed by Sean McGarvey, the president of the AFL-CIOs Building and Construction Trades Department, and the representatives of seven unions within the federation, blasted Trump and the AFL-CIO for aligning with outside groups that sometimes oppose projects that would create jobs.

Related: Clintons Most Important Weapon in Her Battle Against Trump

Unfortunately, a growing trend within the Federation seems to consistently minimize the importance of Building Trades jobs and our members livelihoods in the pursuit of a coalition strategy with outside organizations that has produced mixed results at best and disastrous results at worst for our members and their employment prospects in many instances throughout the country, the union officials wrote.

The high profile rift comes at a time of declining union membership and influence and the growing appeal of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has campaigned in industrial states against free trade agreements and illegal immigrants that have cost union members their jobs.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Mexico City (AFP) - President Enrique Pena Nieto on Tuesday proposed a constitutional reform that would legalize same-sex marriage across Mexico, making it join a handful of Latin American countries allowing such unions.

Pena Nieto said he would send the landmark initiative to Congress after the Supreme Court last year declared it unconstitutional for states to ban same-sex marriage.

"I do this with the conviction that the Mexican state must prevent discrimination for any motive and ensure equal rights to all," he said on the government's website.

"This way, equal marriage will be clear in our constitution," Pena Nieto said earlier at an event marking the national day against homophobia.

The Mexican leader also added rainbow colors to his pictures in his Facebook and Twitter accounts and met with representatives of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Mexico City has authorized gay and lesbian marriages since 2009 and three of the nation's 31 states have followed suit. A fourth state, Campeche, has approved legislation that has yet to come into force.

Although the Supreme Court's landmark "jurisprudence" does not oblige states to change their laws, it requires courts to rule in favor of same-sex couples whose marriages are rejected.

Pena Nieto presented another initiative requiring the foreign ministry's passport office to accept birth certificates in which a person's gender has been changed.

Constitutional reforms must be approved by a two-third majority of Congress, where Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party and its allies hold a majority. State legislatures must then approve the legislation before the president can sign it into law.

Not everyone supports the proposal, however.

The spokesman for the archdiocese of Mexico, which boasts the world's second-largest Roman Catholic flock, said the Church "absolutely disagrees" with Pena Nieto's initiative.

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"We deeply regret that the president presented this initiative," Hugo Valderama told AFP, adding that it was "unnecessary" following the top court's ruling.

Pena Nieto should focus on other pressing issues such as drug violence and the economy, he said.

"It seems that the president obeys an international agenda of these homosexual lobbies," he added.

- Among the few in Latin America -

Elsewhere in the region, Colombia became the fourth South American country to allow same-sex marriage when the constitutional court definitively legalized it last month.

Argentina was the first to legalize same-sex marriage in Latin America, in 2010.

Lawmakers in Uruguay followed suit in 2013 and Brazil authorized same-sex marriage under a court ruling the same year.

Same-sex marriages are also legal in various other countries, including Britain, Canada, South Africa and the United States.

Around 12 million of Mexico's 120 million people identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to the government.

The Mexico branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights welcomed Pena Nieto's announcement, urging lawmakers to "recognize the rights of people of the same sex to marry."

- LGBT seek more rights -

LGBT activists welcomed Pena Nieto's proposal.

The measure "is a response to the struggle that citizens have undertaken since 2012 to expose the violations in the civil codes," said Alex Ali Mendez, attorney for the gay rights organization Mexico Equal Marriage.

However, "one announcement by the president won't be enough," he added. "We need reforms and we have seen (state) legislatures be very reluctant."

Another problem, he said, is that some clerks granting marriage certificates to same-sex couples are not giving their children birth certificates.

"The president's announcement could make the other issues move forward with fewer obstacles," Mendez said.

Some 500 gays and lesbians celebrated the national day against homophobia by kissing in front of Mexico City Fine Arts museum.

Among them, Rocio Moreno, 26, said she is not allowed to accompany her girlfriend to public hospitals.

"I hope there are more proposals for our community."
On Tuesday, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto signed a constitutional reform paving the way for same-sex marriage and transgender rights. According to Reuters, the reform initiative will allow the country's transgender residents to change the gender on their birth certificates so that it corresponds with their gender identity.

The initiative follows closely on the heels of Colombia's legislation on the issue in April. The two nations join Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil in granting same-sex couples full marital rights.

The Citizen reported that the mandate arrives on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, which Pena Nieto o in 2014 in a presidential decree.

According to the outlet, Pena Nieto said at an event honoring the day, "This way, equal marriage will be clear in our constitution."

Correction: May 17, 2016

A previous version of this story misstated the status of the initiative to legalize same-sex marriage in Mexico. President Enrique Pena Nieto has proposed legalizing same-sex marriage, but the official change has not occurred.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's president on Tuesday proposed allowing same sex marriage nationally, the latest in a series of progressive policies in a traditionally conservative country. The presidency said on Twitter that President Enrique Pena Nieto had "announced the signing of a reform initiative which includes the recognition of the right to get married without any form of discrimination." Same sex marriage is currently permitted in Mexico City, as well as in several states, including Coahuila, Quintana Roo, Jalisco, Nayarit, Chihuahua and Sonora. Mexico's Supreme Court said last year that laws restricting marriage to a man and woman were unconstitutional and a Supreme Court judge urged states to legalize gay marriage. However, many state legislatures have not changed their statutes to comply, meaning couples must file legal challenges case by case to get married. Gay marriage is still banned under local laws in many of Mexico's 31 states. Both the presidency and Pena Nieto's Twitter avatars were overlaid with the rainbow flag of gay pride to mark the international day against homophobia and transphobia. #Sinhomofobia, or #Nohomophobia, read banners on Pena Nieto's Twitter account. The announcement came just weeks after Pena Nieto proposed relaxing laws on marijuana. Grappling with deadly drug cartel violence, Pena Nieto last month sent a proposal to Congress to permit the use and importation of marijuana-based medicines. He also proposed raising the amount that marijuana users can legally carry to 28 grams from 5 grams. Growing and selling marijuana is illegal in Mexico but is the mainstay business of violent drug gangs. Pena Nieto has not said where consumers would be able to obtain the marijuana they would be allowed to carry. However, the proposal on marijuana is languishing in Congress. (Reporting by Mexico Newsroom; Writing by Simon Gardner; Editing by Dan Grebler)
LONDON, May 17 (Reuters) - Microsoft said on Tuesday that Britain should stay in the European Union if it wanted to receive more investment, the same day the Confederation of British Industry urged firms to discuss the vote with staff.

The U.S. software giant employs 5,000 staff in Britain and plans to offer Europeans remote access to data from centres based in Britain, but said further investment could be at risk if Britain votes to leave the EU in next month's referendum.

"Our view is that the UK should remain in the EU," Microsoft's UK chief executive Michel Van der Bel said on the firm's website. "The UK remaining in the EU supports important criteria for continued and future investment by Microsoft and others."

The CBI, which also says there is a strong economic argument for Britain to stay in the EU, said firms should discuss the issues with their employees.

"Responsible business leaders should give their employees the choice to hear what impact a Brexit would have on company growth, their jobs and their local community," CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn said.

"This is not about telling people how to vote but having calm, evidence-based conversations, whichever camp the business is in, or if they are neutral."

Opinion polls in recent days have shown a wide range of results, with some showing moderate leads for those planning to vote "Out" on June 23, and others showing a majority for "In".

(Reporting by David Milliken; editing by Michael Holden)
Warning: Stop right there if you have yet to watch the Mike & Molly series finale. This is your one and only warning.

Mike & Molly came to an end on Monday as the eponymous duo welcomed their first child, William Michael Biggs, via adoption  and discovered that their second child was already on the way.

RELATEDRenewal Scorecard: Whats Coming Back? Whats Cancelled?

In Curse of the Bambino, Mike and Mollys eagerness to hear back from the adoption agency prompted them to do whatever was necessary to sway the odds of getting a baby in their favor. While Mike paid a visit to Carls psychic, Molly turned to Catholicism. Were not saying their efforts worked, but that call did come after Mike took Madame Viannes advice and gave up something he loved, trading in his cherished car for a family minivan; meanwhile, Molly turned to prayer and buried Peggys necklace of St. William (the patron saint of adoption) in the backyard.

RELATEDCBS Orders MacGyver, Training Day, Michael Weatherlys Bull, Plus Sitcoms Starring Matt LeBlanc and Joel McHale

In the second half hour, I See Love, the central couple got a call informing them that the mother of their baby was in labor  three weeks earlier than expected. Once at the hospital, Joyce and Peggys contentious relationship came to a head when Mikes mom asked the parents-to-be to move in with her to create a more wholesome environment for her grandchild. The fight was quickly broken up, however, as the in-laws were forced to play nice in front of Mike and Mollys adoption advocate (played by Fresh Prince vet Vernee Watson). Once the family feud reached its conclusion, Mike got a moment to ask Carl to be the godfather to his child; similarly, Molly asked Victoria to be the godmother. (Oh, and did we mention Carl and Victoria are sort of back together? Perhaps those crazy kids have a future after all.)

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RELATEDGilmore Girls Revival: Melissa McCarthy Sets Return as Sookie!

After Mike and Molly brought out William to introduce him to the entire Flynn-Biggs clan, she announced that, against all odds, she was about to be a mother of two. An earlier bout of nausea convinced her to buy a pregnancy test at the hospital gift shop, confirming her suspicion of a pregnancy she and Mike figured was impossible. Finally, as the episode drew to a close, the overwhelmed couple embraced the joys of new parenthood and sang the sitcoms uplifting theme song to their newborn son as he drifted off to sleep.

What did you think of Mike & Mollys happy ending? Was this the right time to end the show? Grade the episode in our poll, then sound off below.

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By Atul Prakash

LONDON (Reuters) - European shares hit a two-week high on Tuesday, with companies such as Taylor Wimpey and Vodafone gaining after their encouraging updates and miners tracking a rally in major industrial metals.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 was up 1 percent at 1,328.96 points by 0814 GMT after rising to 1,331.51, the highest since early May. However, the index, which closed flat in the previous session, is still down 7.5 percent this year.

Miners were the top sectoral gainers, with the STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources index rising 2.4 percent following a rise in major base metals such as copper and aluminium. Shares in Anglo American, Glencore and BHP Billiton were up 3.7 to 5.9 percent.

"Markets are once again up on higher commodity prices. Nevertheless, we should not get carried away and chase the commodity complex higher as most of these markets are still very much over-supplied," Philippe Gijsels, head of research at BNP Paribas Fortis, said.

"I expect quite a bit of volatility over the summer period."

Financial stocks were also in demand. European banks rose 1.5 percent, while Greek banks advanced 3.4 percent, with UBS turning more positive on the Greek banking sector arguing that signs of progress in talks with Greece's lenders meant the sector could rebound.

"The starting point is very challenging and risks abound, but we see a fundamental investment case and valuations suggest upside potential," UBS analysts said, referring to Greek banks.

Some companies were helped by their positive updates. Taylor Wimpey advanced 6.2 percent after the housebuilder announced a new special payout, promising investors about 1.3 billion pounds ($2 billion) over three years, underpinned by strong demand for property in the UK.

Vodafone was up 2.5 percent after the world's second-largest mobile phone operator said its earnings growth would accelerate this year. The group said a programme to improve its networks had boosted demand in Europe and helped it to return to underlying growth in 2016 revenue and core earnings for the first time since 2008.

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"Demand for data continues to grow strongly ... and Vodafone have invested heavily in infrastructure to capitalise on this," Steve Clayton, head of equity research at Hargreaves Lansdown, said.

Among mid-caps, Lookers, one of Britain's biggest car dealership firms, rose 6.4 percent after saying that it had a good start to the year with positive results in the first quarter.

(Additional reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
The mom of one of the teenage Florida fishermen who vanished at sea last summer wants authorities to investigate their boat as a crime scene now that it's been recovered.

Pamela Cohen, mother of Perry Cohen, has asked the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to examine the grim possibility now that the boys' boat has been towed back to Florida.

The 19-foot fishing boat was found floating near Bermuda in March, some eight months after 14-year-olds Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos were last seen leaving Jupiter, Florida on a fishing trip.

In a letter to the FWC, Cohen's attorney, Guy Rubin, asked the FWC to do more than a cursory investigation of the boat, as the agency has publicly said it would.

Read: Could Missing Teens Survive by Clinging to a Cooler After Boat Capsized?

"The FWC has indicated publicly it would 'take a look' at the boat when it arrives at Port Everglades, however my client would like FWC to do more than just 'take a look,'" he wrote.

Rubin said the family doesn't necessarily believe a crime took place when the boys vanished during a July 2015 storm, but he said they want the possibility eliminated.

"This is not to say we believe a crime was committed, but rather nothing should be ruled out until the vessel is fully examined," Rubin wrote.

Rubin said the investigation should be turned over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement if the FWC declines to follow Cohen's request.

In response, the FWC simply restated its belief that no crime occurred on the boat.

Read: Coast Guard Calls Off Search For Teens Who Went Missing On Fishing Trip

"The FWC will examine the vessel for any new information, and return the boat to the (Stephanos) family," spokesman Robert Klepper said in an email.

According to Rubin's letter, Austin's mother, Carly Black, also wants the vessel fully examined.

The letter comes after an iPhone found aboard the boat failed to yield any information after months of exposure to salt water.

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Weeks of intense searching failed to find either boy last summer.

Watch: Joe Namath Joins Search for Teens Missing At Sea: 'We Just Keep on Praying'

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josi denise

Josi Denise became a "mommy blogger" in 2013, building up her American Mama blog until it reached "tens of thousands" of monthly readers, generating the mother of three "thousands of dollars" in some months.

But the blog came to an abrupt end late last week, when Denise had a crisis of conscience and quit.

In a splenetic rant on her new namesake blog (which is worth reading in full), Denise said much of the content posted to her mommy blog  and countless like it online  was garbage. She has deleted many of those posts, she said, "Because, like 90% of the fake nonsense I used to share on the internet as a mommy blogger writing about my fake life and oh-so-happy marriage, they are pure b------t."

First, there's the readership. According to Denise, barely anyone is actually reading mommy blogs. The comments, she said, are mostly from other mommy bloggers looking to build up their networks:

Why? Because your shit is boring. Nobody cares about your shampoo you bought at Walmart and how you're so thankful the company decided to work with you. Nobody cares about anything you are saying because you aren't telling an engaging story. You are not giving your readers anything they haven't already heard.

Then there is the relentless fake happiness, signaled with exclamation marks. Denise said the most recent brand she worked with even sent back a draft post "edited with at least half a dozen exclamation points added."

Denise is particularly sick of mommy bloggers' fake endorsements  "sunshine and f---ing daisy reviews"  in which bloggers fail to tell a brand what they really think of their product because of the risk that the brand might not work with them again.

She also opens up about her own experience when her blog was more opaque than it should have been: paying a virtual assistant to post her links over the internet for SEO and back traffic; embellishing her stats in her media kit; and using social-media management services to connect with similar bloggers and then unfollowing those who didn't follow her back on Instagram or Twitter.

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Most of the techniques were not effective.

Denise recalls running a prize draw in 2014, offering people the chance to win a KitchenAid mixer if they signed up to her newsletter. She gained hundreds of email subscribers and thousands more on social media and was "invited on an all-expense paid trip to tour a certain chicken corporation's headquarters to hear about how much money they donate to said charity, and then roped into a writing a post about that even though I didn't agree with the ethics of the company at all."

But in reality, she gained nothing.

Bloggers inflating their numbers are "f---ing cheating," Denise said, adding that if they're interesting enough, they shouldn't need to incentivize people to follow. She said her most viral post was an angry open letter directed to an ex she said wasn't paying child support.

"Genuine content, with a genuine voice, is the only way to gain real readers and connect with real people," Denise wrote.

She signed off her blog post with this piece of advice to mommy bloggers:

Just quit. Quit now before you get burnt out and feel guilty. Quit before you realize you wasted years of your life writing bullshit about your kids' childhood and your relationships instead of being actually involved. Quit before you get caught up in some legal mess with a brand contract and your house is cluttered with shit to review that you do not need and nobody else needs either. Quit before you feel like a failure instead of finding the intersection of happy and fulfilled.

NOW WATCH: This guy makes flip books using nothing but a hole puncher





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TAN-TAN, Morocco  Sitting cross-legged on a brightly colored rug, Chettati Youssef proudly showed off his wares. Here, a golden candlestick made out of a rams horn. There, a hearth mantle crafted from plaster, paint, and old cloth. Everything was made from discarded material he found and recycled into art  a new twist on a centuries-old nomadic habit of living off what is available.

The free bird doesnt repeat his songs  he always has something new, said Youssef, one of dozens of craftsmen this past weekend at the Moussem of Tan-Tan, an annual festival in the Sahara Desert that celebrates  and hopes to preserve  Moroccos tribal traditions and art. The one in the cage only sings the same song.

Up to 250,000 people were expected to attend the multiday festival in Tan-Tan, a windswept, midsized city in southern Morocco. Although the gathering is older than Morocco itself  the country won independence in 1956  the moussem was shelved in the late 1970s during the Western Sahara war between Rabat and Algiers. It started up again in 2004, and UNESCO declared it a world heritage event a year later, giving more than 30 nomadic tribes from the region a stage to continue generations of meetings, trade, and fierce displays of horsemanship.

The moussem was there before there were borders, organizer Fadel Benyaich, who also serves as Moroccos ambassador to Spain, said through a translator. It has always been a part of our history, for tribes to show their own nomad cultures and traditions.

Now the moussem has become an opportunity for artisans like Youssef  and Morocco itself  to lure potential foreign investors, even as the kingdoms relationship with the United Nations grows increasingly strained over the very borders drawn on Bedouin lands.

In March, King Mohammed IV expelled most of the U.N.s peacekeeping mission from the disputed Western Sahara region after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon used the word occupation to describe Moroccos claim over the area during its 25-year cold war with Algeria. The separatist Polisario Front continues to seek independence for the region, which links Algeria to the Atlantic Ocean, despite a 1991 cease-fire that failed to settle the land dispute.

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The Security Council last month urged Morocco to allow the return of the peacekeepers, but with a divided vote that reflected reluctance among several developing nations and even world powers to condemn the kingdom. The dust-up was the main undercurrent of conversation at the moussem among the estimated 70 diplomats, investors, and journalists who were invited to attend as a guest of the king, including Foreign Policy. Moroccan officials at the event refused to provide a full list of the guests, but many were Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish.

The guest of honor was the United Arab Emirates, which officials said is investing $10 million in a camel racetrack outside of Tan-Tan, located about 130 miles north of the Western Sahara border. Also honored were artisans from each of Moroccos 12 provinces  including the three that are under dispute, where Rabat is hoping to draw more investors.

We want peace and business, Ouled Dlim tribesman Sidati Cheguaf, a local politician, tomato grower, and camel owner from the Western Sahara port city of Dakhla, said in an interview Monday.

Cheguaf wants the region to remain an autonomous part of Morocco because he worries that the tribes that dont win power in elections held in an independent Western Sahara state would never agree to be ruled by their rivals. He said it is up to the U.N. to resolve the longstanding impasse between Morocco and Algeria.

Showing off pictures on his iPhone of his desert camp of camels, Cheguaf acknowledged with a smile what he called the evolving dichotomy of the life of the Sahara Bedouin, from a nomad to an advocate of development. Change is fine, he said. The Bedouin will carry his culture on the back of his camel, wherever he goes.

Photo credit: LARA JAKES/Foreign Policy
Smart-beta exchange traded funds are a quickly growing segment of the fund industry, combining actively managed investment styles with a passive index-based structure. Investors, financial advisors, institutions and even the Bank of Japan have turned to these alternative index-based strategies.

Japans ETF industry is being pressed into national service as the BOJ looks to promote financial growth through direct investments into the Japanese equities market.

The Bank shall establish the Special Rules for Purchases of ETFs to Support Firms Proactively Investing in Physical and Human Capital,' according to the Bank of Japan.

Related: BOJ Speculation Revives Currency-Hedged Japan ETF Trade

A handful of ETFs that specifically single out companies that promote physical and human capital are hitting the market, catering toward the BOJ, which needs new assets to meet its 32 billion monthly ETF buying spree that has already acquired more than 50% of Japans 15 trillion plain vanilla market, reports Leo Lewis for the Financial Times.

For instance, Nikko Asset Management plans to launch a Physical and Human Capital Focused ETF to be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on May 25. The ETFs underlying smart-beta index will screen TOPIX constituents in terms of liquidity, creditworthiness, and stability, and then assess and rank the remaining candidates based on factors like capital expenditures growth, capital expenditures efficiency and adequacy of human capital investment.

Firms that take a protactive stance on capital expenditure and human capital investment are in line with the direction of Abenomics and expected to benefit from the potential economic growth in Japan, according to Nikko Asset Management. Moreover, the Bank of Japan announced in December that it would provide support to companies that are proactively making investment in physical and human capital by spending 300 billion a year on purchasing ETFs that track such companies.

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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been seeking more aggressive monetary and fiscal policies to help support an ailing Japanese economy. As part of the administrations revitalization plan, the BOJ and large state funds have steered away from conservative bets for riskier equity exposure.

But in this case the BoJ is working from a macro perspective to try to help the economy to raise wages, increase consumption and boost capital investment, Makoto Shiota, head of ETF marketing at Nomura Securities, told the Financial Times. That is how these ETF products came about.

The BOJ has already been buying alternative index-based funds. For instance, The central bank has ETFs that track the JPX-Nikkei 400 Index. The JPX-Nikkei 400 Index was launched in January 2014 as a means of reinvigorating the Japanese equity market. The JPX-Nikkei 400 Index employs a rigorous screening process based on return on equity, cumulative operating profit and market capitalization to select high-quality, capital-efficient Japanese companies.

Related: Currency-Hedged ETFs Ebb International Volatility

U.S. ETF investors can also track the benchmark index through relatively new offerings, including the Deutsche X-trackers Japan JPX-Nikkei 400 Equity ETF (JPN) and iShares JPX-Nikkei 400 ETF (JPXN) .

Additionally, if the yen currency depreciates against the U.S. dollar, investors can look to currency-hedged JPX-Nikkei 400 ETF options, such as the Deutsche X-trackers Japan JPX-Nikkei 400 Hedged Equity ETF (JPNH) and iShares Currency Hedged JPX-Nikkei 400 ETF (HJPX) .

For more information on Japan, visit our Japan category .
By Trevor Hunnicutt

NEW YORK, May 17 (Reuters) - Sue Thompson, a former BlackRock Inc managing director who previously headed a business focused on selling iShares exchange-traded funds to other asset managers, has left her role as senior adviser to the company, a spokeswoman for the company confirmed.

Thompson is now president and chief executive of Thompson Peak Advisory, in Scottsdale, Arizona, her LinkedIn social-media profile showed on Tuesday. Her last day at BlackRock was April 29, the spokeswoman said. Thompson did not respond to a request for comment.

As head of the BlackRock's "registered investment adviser" business, Thompson played a key role in building out BlackRock's presence among other money managers, especially the ETF investment strategist segment that puts much of the money they manage for clients into the low-cost funds. She launched the iShares Connect Program focused on those clients.

There are now some $350 billion in investment portfolios that asset managers invest primarily in ETFs, according to a BlackRock estimate in March. Overall, the ETF industry holds $3 trillion in assets globally.

The company told staff in 2014 that Thompson would step down from her management role. She subsequently became a senior adviser.

Thompson - who joined BlackRock when it acquired her previous employer, Barclays Global Investors, in 2009 - had also been active in supporting women executives within BlackRock and the ETF industry, as a founder and co-president for the Women in ETFs organization and as a part of BlackRock's Women's Initiative Network. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-moves-blackrock-thompson-idUSKBN0GF1NA20140815

Previously a principal at Vanguard Group Inc, she was head of the sales team focused on full-service brokerage firms.

BlackRock is the world's biggest money manager, overseeing $4.7 trillion in assets as of March 31.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
This piece is part of an ongoing series on the unsung women of history. Read more here.

By all accounts, not much was said in the 1905 meeting between the 68-year-old, walrus-mustached financier J. Pierpont Morgan and the young woman who would become his personal librariana gruff greeting, a quick nod of approval, perhaps a handshake. Still, the exchange would transform her life and his legacy. Sharp-eyed and sharp-witted Belle da Costa Greene worked alongside Junius Morgan in the library at Princeton University when her colleague brokered the introduction to his phenomenally wealthy uncle, who was looking for someone to bring order and authority to his haphazard collecting. Greene was brilliant, hardworking, curious, and confidentbut Junius also knew that his uncles eye for beauty extended to women. In later years there were rumors that the financier and his young librarian had been lovers; Belle reportedly told nosy inquirers, We tried. You can almost hear the raise of the eyebrow in that reply, which conceals more than it reveals: a characteristically evasive maneuver from a woman who knew the power of secrets.

Greene, who never married, spent the rest of her working life building up the collections that would form Morgans world-class library, housed in an elegant purpose-built McKim, Mead & White palazzo on the corner of Madison Avenue and 38th Street in New York City. After J.P.s death in 1913, she worked for his son, who in 1924 established the Morgan Library as a public institution, helmed by Greene until 1948. During her tenure, its vast collection of rare medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, drawings, books, letters and other documents were sucked from Europe as by a vacuum cleaner by the limitless power of his funds, as the art critic Robert Hughes put it in TIME in 1974. It was Greeneself-taught, passionate, and decisivewho directed the suction hose; her presence in an auction room, in one of her great plumed hats, heralded the exchange of modern treasure for ancient. (Just because I am a librarian, she is said to have quipped, doesnt mean I have to dress like one.)

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The same article that noted those distinctive hats described the woman who wore them as a vivacious, black-haired beauty, who liked to keep her own affairs a mystery. Greenes identity was a collection of half-truths and hints. Even the Morgan Librarys online history perpetuates the myth that she was a breathless ingenue, barely twenty when Morgan hired her, when in fact she was a confident young woman of 26. Friends thought she was born abroad, perhaps in Portugal, as da Costa suggested, and most thought shed been raised in Virginia. But da Costa was a fiction, and Greene was a smudged fact: she was born Belle Marian Greener, and her mother had dropped the final r when she separated from Belles father. Belle was not Portuguese, although she likely had some Spanish ancestry. Rather, she was African American, and chose to passnot exactly as white, but as an exotic puzzle.

In concealing her racial identity, Greene was also ducking a particular kind of celebrity, that of the high-profile credit to the race. Her father, Richard Theodore Greener, was a proud and prominent member of the Talented Tenth, cited by name as one of the new group of educated and gifted leaders in W.E.B. DuBoiss influential 1903 essay of that name. He was the first black graduate of Harvard College, and went on to become a professor, a librarian and the dean of the law school at Howard University. He was ultimately a diplomatic envoy to Siberia under President McKinley. But for Belle to publicly acknowledge that she was his daughter would have been to fixed her into her racial identity and role: privileged and elite perhaps, but still at the mercy of a racist society. Passing offered freedom, at the expense of heritage and community.

Before her death in 1950, Greene burned her private papers, and with them, perhaps, clues as to how she felt about that choice. To construct a story as close as possible to the truth she worked hard to conceal, biographer Heidi Ardizzone drew on letters Greene sent her longtime lover, the art historian Bernard Berenson, which reveal her fiery personality and the whirl of her social life by night. The records of the Morgan Library itself, meanwhile, show how diligent and devoted she was to the position she held for 43 years. There is no doubt that whatever the costs of gaining and maintaining that position, the library she built was her greatest triumph.
NextEra Energy, Inc. NEE hit a new 52-week high of $121.51 during the last trading session before eventually closing at $121.48. Juno Beach, FL-based NextEra Energy is a public utility holding company engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity, with a presence in both the U.S. and Canada.

Over the past 52 weeks, NextEra Energys shares have ranged from a low of $93.74 on Sep 11, 2015 to a high of $121.51 on May 16, 2016. The average volume of shares traded over the last three months is approximately 1.98 million.

What is Driving the Stock Upward?

NextEra Energys shares have been on the rise since Apr 28, when the company disclosed robust first-quarter 2016 results. First-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.55 per share outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.38 by 12.3%. Reported earnings also soared nearly 10% year over year primarily on the back of continued investments in its subsidiary, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL). In fact, in the four trailing quarters, the company has beaten estimates thrice with an average positive surprise of 4.82%.

During its first-quarter call, NextEra reiterated its earnings per share guidance in the range of $5.85$6.35 for 2016. The company expects earnings to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6% to 8% per year through 2018, off a 2014 base.

NextEra Energy is benefitting from the improving Florida economy, which is leading to the creation of new jobs. This has resulted in a strong real estate market in the state and increased the demand for utilities. This has allowed FPL to expand its customer base consistently. Over the period 20142017, the company expects to add as many as 220,000 service accounts backed by the ongoing economic improvement in the state.

In addition to providing reliable services to its customers, NextEra Energy strives to expand its scale of operations and upgrade existing infrastructure. The companys Port Everglades Clean Energy Center came online ahead of schedule on Apr 1, 2016. This facility is capable of generating nearly 1,277 megawatts (MW) of electricity, sufficient for meeting energy requirement of more than a quarter million residential customers.

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NextEra Energy currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks in the same space include Avangrid, Inc. AGR, Spark Energy, Inc. SPKE and Avista Corporation AVA. While both Avangrid and Spark Energy sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Avista holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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EXCLUSIVE: Nicolas Winding Refn and UK-based producer-distributor Rupert Preston are pulling together a passion project, acquiring the remake rights to Michael Reeves 1968 Witchfinder General. Re-titled The Conqueror Worm in its U.S. debut at the time, the historical horror drama became a cult favorite. Refn, who will produce and not direct, and Preston are developing the redo  the former via his Space Rocket Nation, in which he is partnered with Lene Borglum, and the latter under his new banner, Sunrise Films, in which he is partnered with Nigel Williams. Vertigo Releasing will handle UK distribution.

Nicolas Winding Refn

Witchfinder General starred Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy and Hilary Dwyer and was based on Ronald Bassetts novel (see orignal trailer below). Set in Norfolk, England, in 1645, it was a fictionalized study of real-life witch hunter Matthew Hopkins and the heinous crimes he committed during the English Civil War. Torture and violence featured heavily in the original film, which stirred controversy, and the censors, in the UK. In the U.S., it played drive-ins and grindhouses and ultimately gained cult status. Director Reeves died within a year of its release. The Telegraph has called the British Reeves our directorial James Dean, our lost auteur of Sixties nihilism, Hitchcocks vanished heir.

The producers are speaking to writers and directors for the $5M-$10M budgeted picture, which will be sold by Protagonist internationally. Refn says a key question has been whether to completely contemporize the story given its real-life roots in the 17th century. The director, who is in Cannes with The Neon Demon, says he sees Reeves as a sort of version of himself, going against the kitchen sink and wants to do justice to what he believes was already a very visual and contemporary film which he calls fascinating in its physical and emotional violence.

The plan is to go into production next year with a view to bringing a new audience to the story.

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Refn credits Preston with helping to put him on the map with his 1996 debut Pusher. The Danish helmer tells me that at the time, he couldnt get the film shown outside of Copenhagen because the genre was not in vogue in the mid-90s. But Preston attended a screening at Mifed, with only one other person, and quickly hopped aboard UK distribution rights. That led to Refn going to London to do press, giving him much wider exposure and being legitimized. After that, Preston released all of Refns movies up until Drive, also producing 2008s Bronson.

Refn remarks that loyalty is important to him and that hed been keen to hook up with his friend as co-producers. Both have a deep fondness for Reeves original work and spent time securing the remake rights from Tigon Films. Its kind of full circle, he says, noting that he didnt want to lose the connection with Preston in this crazy business.

This further step into horror follows The Neon Demon and the Refn-produced Maniac Cop remake, which is in the works with director John Hyams.

Heres the original trailer for Witchfinder General:

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Abuja (AFP) - Nigeria's government on Wednesday warned against "illegal strike action" after some union members vowed to press ahead with a national strike over petrol price rises despite a court injunction.

A disgruntled faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said it would ignore the order and walk out to force the government to reinstate prices at 86.50 naira ($0.43, 0.38 euros) per litre.

Prices were raised by 67 percent last week to 145 naira per litre because of a lack of foreign exchange for fuel importers to pay for supplies, which has caused pumps to run dry.

Talks broke up between the NLC, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the government late on Tuesday, with most delegates agreeing to back the rises, pending further discussions.

But a group of disgruntled NLC members called the talks a "dead-end" and said the strike would hold.

There were some reports of disruption on Wednesday but businesses, including banks and markets, largely appeared to be open as usual.

- Attendance registers -

Federal government secretary Babachir David Lawal said all workers should "respect the laws of the land and... desist from participating in an illegal strike".

Strikers would not be paid and attendance registers have been opened at all government offices, he said in a statement.

Lawal said Nigeria's security services had been ordered to "ensure unimpeded access to offices, work places and markets".

"Acts of intimidation, harassment, including barricading of gates, locking up of offices, blocking of roads and preventing workers from carrying out their lawful duties will be met with appropriate response by the law enforcement agencies."

A judge at the National Industrial Court in Abuja on Tuesday issued a temporary injunction against strike action after an application by justice minister Abubakar Malami.

Malami submitted in court papers that a strike would cost the country "billions of naira" and cause "untold hardship and unimaginable security problems/challenges".

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- Rising prices -

The global slump in oil prices since mid-2014 has hit Nigeria's economy hard, with the government dependent on crude export sales for 70 percent of its revenue.

The situation has weakened the naira currency, caused a shortage of foreign currency that fuel importers require to pay for supplies, and driven up the cost of living.

In April, inflation was 13.7 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Renewed militant attacks on oil pipelines and facilities in southern Nigeria have led to a cut in production to 1.4 million barrels per day, well below budget estimates of 2.2 million bpd.

Nigeria consumes 45 million litres of petrol per day but a lack of domestic refining capacity means crude has to be exported and refined petroleum products imported.

The government has kept prices low at the pump by paying the difference in market price to suppliers.

But that subsidy policy has been seen as unsustainable because of the cash crunch and corruption in the system.

- 'No other option' -

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said on Tuesday the government had "no choice" but to raise petrol prices, adding: "What can we do if we don't have foreign currency, we have to import fuel".

Joe Ajaero, from the NLC faction that decided not to strike, said a committee had been set up to "iron out" outstanding issues with the government related to the hardships faced by ordinary people.

"We have asked the government to cushion the effects of the price increase on the people as well as make petrol readily available since people were already buying above the 145 naira cap," he said.

"Government has to increase the minimum wage to 90,000 naira because of the multiplier effects of the petrol price hike on foodstuffs, goods and services.

"If at the end of two weeks these issues are not resolved we may have to review our position and begin to sensitise and mobilise the people for a showdown," he told AFP.
Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Boko Haram violence has cost Yobe state in northeast Nigeria nearly $150 million since 2009, the state government said on Tuesday.

"Yobe state has incurred losses worth over 30 billion naira ($149 million, 131 million euros) from the Boko Haram insurgency," Abdullahi Bego, spokesman for governor Ibrahim Gaidam, told AFP.

The estimation includes reconstruction costs, he added.

Neighbouring Borno state -- the epicentre of the Islamist violence that has left at least 20,000 dead -- in March estimated its losses at $5.9 billion.

More than 2.6 million people have been made homeless by the conflict, with 2.0 million internally displaced to camps and host communities within Nigeria.

Bego said there were currently nearly 310,000 registered internally displaced persons in the state, representing some 14 percent of the total number of IDPs.

"This number excludes those who moved in with relatives and friends inside and outside the state and are not captured on our database," he added.

Education has been badly hit: 128 students were killed in attacks at five public schools in Yobe, including in Buni Yadi, where Boko Haram killed boys as they slept at a boarding school in February 2014.

Some 1,098 health centres and classrooms were destroyed in Yobe, as were 5,162 vehicles and 109,267 livestock.

"In terms of human loss the destruction is quite enormous. We don't have exact figures but the number runs into thousands," said Bego, describing reconstruction as a "daunting challenge".

"Hundreds of towns and villages have been sacked and destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents, forcing residents to vacate their homes."

Regional and Western powers were last weekend urged to do more to support Nigeria and surrounding countries to rebuild after military gains against the Islamists.
Interparfums, which owns the Rochas brand, has named young Swiss actress Noemie Schmidt, as the face of the fashion, beauty and perfume house's latest women's fragrance.

Although Interparfums is yet to unveil the name and composition of its upcoming fragrance, it has already revealed the face of its new scent. Noemie Schmidt will front the fragrance from January 1, 2017.

"It's a joy and a source of pride for me to work with a prestigious fashion house of such generosity and quality as Maison Rochas," the young star said.

After an early passion for classical singing, Noemie Schmidt soon found fame as an actress, first of all in Belgium, then in France, playing Henriette in historical series, "Versailles."

In 2015, she made her movie debut in "The Student and Mister Henri," directed by Ivan Calberac, playing Constance Piponnier alongside Claude Brasseur.

"Noemie incarnates perfectly in our eyes the spirit of the young modern Parisian woman, at the same time dynamic and romantic, ingenious and willful. The Rochas woman is this woman of the 21st century, a paradox full of contradictions, eager for freedom, but also with a love of beautiful things," explains Philippe Benacin, Interparfums chariman and CEO.

Interparfums bought the Rochas fashion, beauty and perfume house in 2015, the year of the brand's 90th anniversary. Rochas has created a host of perfumes, many of which have gained legendary status, maintaining their popularity over the years. "Femme," for example, was first released in 1944, and "Madame Rochas" appeared in 1960.
Anyone waiting for an Oasis reunion show might have to cough up 20 million. That's what Noel Gallagher has said it would cost to bring back the seminal British rock band with his younger brother Liam.

Island Records President David Massey Explains Dealing With Oasis' Gallagher Brothers, Bringing Up Young Artists

Speaking with the Daily Star, the rocker was quoted saying he would do a comeback show "for twenty million quid, one gig," adding, "that is good money isn't it?"

"But I have never had that offer from anyone yet," he said.

It's been about seven years since the brothers had a falling out and Gallagher blamed Liam's attitude attitude for the feud.

One Direction's Liam Payne Calls Noel Gallagher 'Sad' In Response to Recent Insults

"Liam is a very angry man still," he said. "So he is not cool. "I don't ever sit down and when people ask about Oasis go, 'No that is it.'"

Noel Gallagher continued, "There might come a day one day where it might seem like a good idea, but I have so much I want to do. I have so much to do on my own that I don't really see it to be honest."

Meanwhile, a documentary called Supersonic about the band's early days and rise to fame is slated for release later this year. The film is being created by the same production team behind the 2015 Oscar-nominated Amy Winehouse doc, Amy, with Mat Whitecross directing.
North Korea has appointed as its new foreign minister a career diplomat at the centre of managing relations with the United States and South Korea for more than 20 years.

Ri Yong-Ho's appointment was confirmed in a diplomatic note sent to the British government by the North Korean embassy in London on Monday, an embassy official said.

Ri, 59, who was promoted from vice minister, was Pyongyang's former representative to the now-stalled six-party talks aimed at curbing the North's nuclear weapons programme.

North Korea formally withdrew in 2009 from the talks process, which also involved South Korea, the United States, Russia, China and Japan.

Beijing wants the talks revived but Washington, Seoul and Tokyo all insist Pyongyang must first take some tangible step towards denuclearisation.

Given his past experience with the talks, Ri's appointment could signal a North Korean push to try and get the process back on track.

As the new foreign minister, he replaces Ri Su-Yong, formerly the North's long-time representative to the UN mission in Geneva who is seen as an influential political mentor to supreme leader Kim Jong-Un.

Ri Su-Yong was promoted to the ruling party politburo at a recently concluded party congress, and also appointed the party's vice chairman for international affairs.

Ri Yong-Ho began taking part in North Korean negotiations with Washington over its nuclear programme in 1995 and was a member of a delegation that visited the United States in 2000.

He has served in a number of foreign missions, including a stint as ambassador to Britain.
By Tony Munroe and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea, diplomatically isolated and squeezed by U.N. sanctions, has appointed as foreign minister its negotiator at failed international talks aimed at getting it to disarm, according to a North Korean diplomatic note to Britain. Ri Yong Ho, 59, replaces Ri Su Yong, who has been one of the highest-profile officials of a country whose current leader, Kim Jong Un, has not traveled abroad since taking power following the death of his father in 2011. Ri Yong Ho, most recently vice foreign minister, represented North Korea at six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program, which fell apart after their last round in 2008. China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States were the other parties to the talks. Ri, a former ambassador to Britain, is likely to be responsible for making North Korea's case at the United Nations. The U.N. Security Council in March imposed tough new sanctions against North Korea in response to its fourth nuclear test in January and the launch of a long-range rocket the next month. North Korean state media has not announced Ri's appointment but North Korea's embassy in Britain informed the British Foreign Office of his appointment in a note dated May 16, and seen by Reuters on Tuesday. North Korea has been isolated for decades but recently even its main ally, China, has been growing increasingly frustrated with it over its nuclear ambitions, which China disapproves of. China backed the tighter U.N. sanctions in March. The U.N. Human Rights Council has also adopted by consensus a resolution condemning North Korea's human rights record. Lee Ji-sue, a North Korea expert at South Korea's Myongji University, said the change at the ministry did not signal a North Korean change in approach. "Like Ri Su Yong who took orders from Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un, Ri Yong Ho won't have much say in foreign policies," he said. Kim Jong Il was the current leader's father. Outgoing foreign minister Ri, 76, a well-traveled career diplomat, was named a member of the politburo during a recent congress of the ruling Workers' Party. (Additional reporting by James Pearson; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Dublin (AFP) - A "terrorist hide" discovered in Northern Ireland containing land mines, pipe-bombs and other weaponry is "one of the most significant seizures in recent years", police in the British-ruled province said Tuesday.

The cache, which is believed to have been assembled by dissident republicans dedicated to creating a united Ireland by force, was discovered on Saturday evening by two people walking in Capanagh Forest near the port of Larne, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Belfast.

In a statement Detective Superintendent Kevin Geddes of the Serious Crime Branch said the find had undoubtedly saved lives as a number of the devices were ready for deployment.

"The fact that an Explosively Formed Projectile was recovered which has an armour-piercing capability means that one of our main lines of enquiry will focus on dissident republican terrorists," he said.

"All these components will now be subjected to rigorous forensic testing in an effort to provide additional lines of enquiry."

The officer also said the force was investigating apparent similarities with another stash found nearby in 2015.

"This significant find is v good news. Terrorists will not now be able to use potentially lethal items," said Northern Ireland Secretary of State Theresa Villiers in a statement on Twitter.

Northern Ireland security forces dealt with an average of a bomb attack every week over the past year - an increase of 44 percent over the previous year, police figures released last week showed.

Separately, the British government increased the threat level of an attack from Northern Ireland in Scotland, England and Wales from "moderate" to "substantial" this month.

The rating means it now considers there is "a strong possibility" that an attack will take place.

The threat to Northern Ireland itself, which was riven by three decades of conflict and where there are still strong sectarian tensions despite the signing of a peace agreement in 1998, remains severe.
By Angeliki Koutantou

ATHENS, May 17 (Reuters) - Five countries in south-east Europe formally signed off on the construction of a pipeline which will transport Caspian gas to European markets in an attempt to ease their reliance on Russia.

The 870-km (540-mile) Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is part of the so-called "Southern Corridor" that will link Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz II field with Italy, crossing through Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea. It is the largest endeavour to bring new supply sources to European consumers.

"The energy map of south-east Europe is being redefined and this turns Greece into an energy hub of the region," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said at an inauguration ceremony in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Tuesday.

The 5-billion-euro project will cross through Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea. European regulators cleared the project in March as part of Europe's drive to secure energy supplies.

Around 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year of Azeri gas should reach Europe by 2020 through TAP as well as the South Caucasus Pipeline through Georgia and the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) through Turkey.

"We are inaugurating an important part of one of the largest and most complex projects in the history of energy industry," said Georgian Prime Minister Georgy Kvirikashvili.

"Georgia, as a transit country, reiterates its commitment to the diversification of energy supplies to Europe."

TAP is owned by BP, Azeri state energy firm SOCAR, Italy's Snam, Belgian company Fluxys, Spain's Enagas and Axpo. Construction is expected to begin this summer.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is considering financing of up to 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) for TAP, which would be the largest loan it has granted.

Total project costs - which include drilling, offshore platforms and terminals as well as pipelines - are $45 billion and the entire pipeline route will span 3,500 km, with TAP the final link into Europe.

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Cash-strapped Greece has been seeking to boost its role as a regional energy hub and has said that TAP fitted well with another gas pipeline scheme, Interconnnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), and a planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) project off the northern Greek city of Alexandroupolis.

Government officials say the project is expected to create some 8,000 direct jobs in country with a record unemployment of 24 percent and will mean hundreds of millions of euros in contracts for Greek firms which will take part in construction works.

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Alexander Smith)
By John Miller and Ben Hirschler

ZURICH/LONDON (Reuters) - Novartis is splitting its pharmaceuticals division into two business units, one focused on cancer and the second on other drugs, while switching out its current pharma head in the second high-profile management reshuffle this year.

David Epstein, the American head of Novartis Pharmaceuticals and a 27-year veteran with the group, will leave the company to "explore new challenges from the U.S.", Novartis said.

Epstein's re-location to the United States implies he is not in the running to replace Andrew Witty as chief executive of British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline next year, as some have speculated. GSK has said it expects to choose a new CEO towards the end of the 2016.

Novartis' reorganization of its main drugs unit, which accounts for about two-thirds of its $49 billion in annual sales, shows the growing importance of oncology to the company, after it bought GSK's marketed cancer drugs for $16 billion last year.

It comes as Novartis struggles with the patent expiration of blood cancer drug Glivec and slower-than-expected revenue from its new heart failure medicine, Entresto.

Epstein is the second high-ranking Novartis official to exit within months. Ex-Hospira chief Michael Ball replaced Jeff George at the company's struggling Alcon eye care business in January as its sales declined again.

"Novartis expects this change to help drive our growth and innovation strategy, with an increased focus and improved execution," the company said in a statement.

"The new structure reflects the importance of oncology to Novartis following the successful integration of the oncology assets acquired from GlaxoSmithKline."

Industry analysts said the division should improve the transparency of the component parts of the drugmaker's business and could help convince investors of the value of Novartis' large oncology operations.

Cancer drugs tend to enjoy high profit margins and the therapy area is highly valued by investors at present, thanks to recent advances in fighting the disease and the premium prices commanded by cancer treatments.

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"A split makes sense because oncology now has critical mass, following the GSK deal, and oncology is in many ways becoming a differentiated business from the rest of pharmaceuticals," said Mick Cooper, an analyst at equity research firm Trinity Delta.

HEART DRUG FALLS SHORT

Epstein, who took over the pharmaceuticals division in 2010, will be replaced by two people.

Paul Hudson, currently AstraZeneca's North America head, will run the pharmaceuticals business, and Bruno Strigini, head of Novartis Oncology, will lead the newly created oncology business unit.

A Novartis spokesman said on Tuesday the divisional reshuffle will not result in "big costs", though he did not name a figure.

Additionally, a small number of jobs will be moved as part of the changes to the Basel headquarters from Novartis facilities in New Jersey in the United States.

An AstraZeneca spokesman said Hudson had made a positive impact during his time at the British company and his decision was a personal one. He declined to comment further.

Novartis shares have fallen 16 percent this year, due in part to disappointment over the performance of Entresto, which had been hailed by Epstein as a breakthrough for heart failure but has fallen well short of sales expectations.

Novartis still expects the drug will eventually top $5 billion in annual sales, but Epstein disappointed analysts earlier this year when he said 2016 sales would be just $200 million, far lower than estimates, as insurance companies resist paying and U.S. doctors are slow to prescribe.

Novartis said last month it was increasing the marketing push behind Entresto and hiring more sales people to get over the slow take-up.

Before taking over at Novartis Pharmaceuticals six years ago, Epstein was in charge of the group's cancer portfolio. He originally joined Sandoz, one of the drug companies that merged to form Novartis, in 1989.

(Reporting by John Miller, editing by Susan Thomas and Alexandra Hudson)
Do you have a question about history? Send us your question at history@time . com and you might find your answer in a future edition of Now You Know.

Nowadays, the smoke-filled room is mostly just a metaphorbut there was a real room that started it all. Well, sort of.

The compelling image of the smoke-filled room, a place of political intrigue and chicanery, where candidates were selected by party bosses in cigar-chewing session, per William Safire, arose during the 1920 Republican convention. That year, Sen. Warren G. Harding of Ohio was the come-from-behind nominee for president, selected after ten ballots. According to historian David Pietrusza, author of 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents, the room in question is often credited with the phrase because the people who come out of the room, one of them certainly brags about it, and how they put over Harding. The storied conference took place in a room in Chicagos Blackstone Hotel.

But, Pietrusza says, that room probably gets too much credit. There were other reasons that contributed to Hardings success.

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That year, the Republican Party came into the convention with a slew of candidates, none of whom had enough delegates to win the nomination. The initial rounds of voting showed two very evenly matched front runners for presidential nominee: Frank Lowden, Governor of Illinois and Leonard Wood, an Army general. Senator Hiram Johnson was in third place, but although he enjoyed popular support in the primaries he was too radical for many in the Republican party, having helped form the Progressive party a few years earlier. As a result of the votes being split, none of the front runners were close to securing the necessary number of delegates when the convention adjourned after its first four ballots on the evening of June 11, 1920.

Many meetings took place that night but one gathering, composed primarily of Republican senators, took on mythic qualitiesthough the discussion was not exactly the highly orchestrated secretive conclave of party heavyweights that the phrase smoke-filled room has come to imply. Instead, it was a very disorganized meeting into which people could easily wander. And the meeting, at which the senators decided that theyd vote for Harding in order to break the impasse, didnt even lead to his immediate nomination. It would take all day for his tiny incremental progress to push him into real contention on the ninth ballot, which came after another multi-hour recess. During that vote, Lowden, who had been in the lead previously, freed his delegates to vote for other candidates. Harding jumped into the lead for the first time. He won on the next ballot.

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Basically the convention goes naturally to Harding because theres nobody else, Pietrusza explains. [Harding biographer] Andrew Sinclair called him the available man.

But that didnt keep observers from guessing that something nefarious had gone on behind closed doors. In 1955, historian Wesley Bagby wrote that choosing Harding instead of any of the three leaders led immediately to extensive speculation as to the men or forces responsible.

Anytime you get a situation where its going to be close, somebodys going to sort it out and there will be either rumors or actuality of people maneuvering in the back room, Pietrusza agrees. There are only so many ways to resolve a deadlocked vote, and choosing an entirely different personsomeone who may later seem to have come out of nowhereis an effective option. He also notes that the idea of a dark-horse candidate, who comes from behind having never been expected to win, far predates Hardings nomination: thats been around since James K. Polks 1844 nomination, after Polk was initially a potential vice-presidential candidate.

MORE: This Graphic Shows What Happened at the Last Real Brokered Convention

As for the phrase itself, its not fully clear who first used it. At the time, newspapers frequently cited Harry Daugherty, Hardings campaign manager and later his attorney general, as having predicted that Hardings time would come about eleven minutes after 2 oclock on Friday morning at the convention, when fifteen or twenty men, somewhat weary, are sitting around a table [and] some one of them will say: who will we nominate?' as a New York Times piece from Feb. 1920 quoted him. A variation on that quotewith the crucial tweak: around a table in a smoke-filled roommade it into popular parlance, but Daugherty later denied having said it and probably wasnt the actual source of the quote.

Safire traces the phrase to Kirke Simpson, an Associated Press reporter who filed a story at 5 a.m. on June 12 which began Harding of Ohio was chosen by a group of men in a smoke-filled room early today as Republican candidate for President. Interestingly, the New York Times ran an article before Hardings nomination about the Republican party platform having been drafted last night by a few men in a smoke-filled room. The description was likely factual, given the prevalence of smoking at the time, but it doesnt have the negative connotations that quickly attached to the phrase.

No matter who introduced the phrase, newspapers did emphasize the role of overnight deliberation in their initial reporting on the nomination, and the phrase and idea it conjured captured media attention as a way to understand Hardings unexpected selection and to condemn it. The convention was called the final breakdown of the American primary system so far as selecting presidential nominees is concerned and one writer in Baltimores The Sun wrote searingly of the smoke filled room and the sleepy Senators between 2 and 3 oclock in the morning. Hardings opponent in the general election, James Cox, also disparaged the smoke-filled room while campaigning.



Harding won the presidency anyway.

MORE: 25 Moments That Changed America

Though smoke-filled back rooms may still be fodder for popular speculation and worry, theyre much less likely to actually make a difference in presidential nominations these days. In the years before the primary system were now familiar with solidified in the 1970s, brokered conventionsones where there was a lot of maneuvering left to be done before a nominee could be agreed upon werent uncommon. Generally, delegates were chosen at state conventions and were unbound, so they would do as they were told by in-state influencers. Or, non-binding beauty contest primaries let people express their preferences in a nonbinding way. Changes to party rules and the rise of binding primary races all contributed to the decline in the frequency of contested conventionsand in the power of the smoke-filled room.
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday congratulated Philippines president-elect Rodrigo Duterte on his landslide victory at the polls, hailing the country's "vibrant democracy" -- and emphasizing the importance of protecting human rights.

In the call with Duterte, Obama "highlighted the enduring values that underpin our thriving alliance with the Philippines... including our shared commitments to democracy, human rights, rule of law, and inclusive economic growth," the White House said.

"The two leaders affirmed their interest in seeing the relationship continue to grow on the basis of these shared principles," the statement said.

The tough-talking 71-year-old Duterte, who was elected on May 9 on a populist platform, has been accused by rights groups of running vigilante death squads in his home city of Davao, which he has ruled for most of the past two decades.

He has also pledged a ruthless law-and-order crackdown that would feature the restoration of the death penalty in the largely Roman Catholic country, and ordering military snipers to kill suspected criminals.

The Philippines is one of Washington's closest allies in Southeast Asia, but Duterte has indicated he may change tack.

He has said it is up to American officials to fix relations with him, after the US ambassador to Manila criticized his joke that he would have wanted to rape an Australian missionary who was killed in a 1989 Philippine prison riot.

Duterte has also indicated that he was prepared to hold direct talks with Beijing over a sensitive territorial dispute in the South China Sea, ignoring US support for Manila on the issue thus far.

Duterte takes over as president on June 30, succeeding Benigno Aquino.
Washington (AFP) - Barack Obama's visit to Hiroshima next week has reignited an emotive debate over former US president Harry Truman's epoch-making decision to drop the first atomic bomb.

On April 25, 1945, thirteen days after Franklin Roosevelt's death thrust Truman into the White House, the strained new commander-in-chief got a startling top secret briefing.

"Within four months we shall in all probability have completed the most terrible weapon ever known in human history, one bomb of which could destroy a whole city," war secretary Henry Stimson said in a hand-delivered memo.

Until that moment, Truman had no idea about the Manhattan Project to build the world's first atomic bomb -- despite being Roosevelt's vice president and a former senator who made his name investigating wartime defense contracts.

Within four months, the atomic bomb had been successfully tested, targets had been selected, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing an estimated 214,000 people, and Japan's Emperor Hirohito had surrendered.

The speed, circumstances and repercussions of Truman's decision remain contentious.

That is true not least in Japan, where a majority of Obama's hosts still believe the mass bombing of civilians was unnecessary and perhaps even a crime.

Meanwhile commentators nervous that Obama's trip is tantamount to an admission of guilt, have urged him not to apologize.

"When Mr Obama visits Hiroshima on May 27 he should place no distance between himself and Harry Truman," wrote Wilson Miscamble, a Notre Dame University history professor.

"Rather he should pay tribute to the president whose actions brought a terrible war to an end."

- 'Kamikaze spirit' -

For Truman's supporters, "Give 'em hell Harry" had little option.

By late Spring 1945, American and Russian forces had met at the Elbe, Adolf Hitler was surrounded and the war in Europe was finally ending.

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But the Pacific was exacting an ever bloodier toll. Japan showed no signs of surrender, despite heavy losses and a seemingly inevitable defeat.

According to historian and biographer David McCullough, at that point not a single Japanese unit had surrendered during the war.

For Truman, a veteran of the Great War, the bomb, first and foremost, appeared to offer a way out of a brutal ground invasion of Japan.

"Operation Downfall," as the mainland invasion was dubbed, could have involved at least one million US troops and as many as 2.5 million Japanese troops.

With recent battles in Okinawa and Iwo Jima fresh in mind, US military planners believed the operation would cost a quarter of a million lives and extend the war by a year or more.

At the end of July, with the bomb now successfully tested, Truman gave Japan one last chance.

Meeting with Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill at Potsdam, the three leaders called for Tokyo to "surrender unconditionally" or face "prompt and utter destruction."

The allies waited eagerly for a response, which was given by Japanese premier Kantaro Suzuki.

"Mokusatsu" he said when asked by reporters, using a word that would become infamous.

The phrase can mean "no comment," but in this instance was translated as "not worthy of comment."

"US officials, angered by the tone of Suzuki's statement and obviously seeing it as another typical example of the fanatical Banzai and Kamikaze spirit, decided on stern measures," a National Security Agency report on the dangers of mistranslation later noted.

- Where and when? -

Within Truman's inner circle there were voices against using the bomb, including Dwight Eisenhower, the future president who was then a wartime general.

"I was one of those who felt that there were a number of cogent reasons to question the wisdom of such an act," he later wrote.

But there is little evidence that Truman ever seriously considered forgoing the fruits of a $2 billion program that Roosevelt had nurtured in secret for years.

More likely he saw the weapon as a terrible, but useful extension of already terrible conventional weapons.

Neither did there appear to be a recognition that dropping the bomb would catalyze an arms race with the Soviet Union that would define the next half century.

"What American leaders did discuss extensively, and sometimes heatedly, were the questions associated with how, where and when to use the bomb," wrote historian Sean Malloy.

"Should it be used against Germany or Japan? What targets within those countries might be appropriate for such a weapon? Should there be a warning or demonstration first?"

When the bomb was dropped, Truman made little immediate mention of civilian casualties and a few days later even described Hiroshima as a "military base," spurring questions about whether he realized the scale of destruction.

But the White House is quick to scotch suggestions that Obama will revisit the broader issue of whether the bomb should have been dropped at all.

Asked whether Obama would make the same decision as Truman, aide and spokesman Josh Earnest said "I think what the president would say is that it's hard to put yourself in that position from the outside."

"I think what the president does appreciate is that president Truman made this decision for the right reasons. President Truman was focused on the national security interests of the United States... on bringing an end to a terrible war. And president Truman made this decision fully mindful of the likely human toll."

"I think it's hard to look back and second-guess it too much."
On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court announced its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, striking down state bans on same-sex marriage. The Courts ruling almost immediately entered the pantheon of the greatest civil rights decisions in U.S. history.

Yet Obergefell wasnt the first time an American court declared bans on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional. Indeed, in the months after United States v. Windsor in 2013, dozens of federal courts did just that, prompting the Courts review and affirmation.

But the first court to recognize a right of same-sex couples to be married was not, in fact, a federal court, but rather the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, whose landmark decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health went into effect on May 17, 2004.

Hard as it may be to imagine now, Americas political and legal landscape was much less friendly to the gay community in the early 2000s, though the tide appeared to be turning. Only a narrow majority of Americans were opposed to same-sex marriage; a similar majority felt homosexuality was an acceptable alternative lifestyle.

A decade earlier, legal advocates had claimed victory in Hawaii, where the state Supreme Court ruled in Baehr v. Lewin that Hawaiis ban on same-sex marriage amounted to sex discrimination. That ruling was ultimately a symbolic one, however, after voters in 1998 approved a state constitutional amendment empowering the state legislature to ban same-sex marriage.

Whats more, Congress had passed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, defining marriage as between one man and one woman for purposes of federal law and exempting states from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states.

Still, two recent court decisions were energizing the movement. In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled in Baker v. Vermont that Vermonts constitution required that same-sex and opposite-sex couples have access to the same benefits, rights, responsibilities and duties associated with marriage. And in 2003, the Supreme Court ruled in Lawrence v. Texas that sodomy laws were unconstitutional, explicitly overruling its 1986 decision in Bowers v. Hardwick.

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It was from this tumultuous history that the Massachusetts lawsuit emerged, brought by seven gay and lesbian couples including Julie and Hillary Goodridge. They argued that exclusion from the institution of marriage violated guarantees of equality and liberty provided by the Massachusetts constitution. They also echoed Baker, pointing out that state benefits afforded to straight couples were rendered inaccessible to gay couples.

The Supreme Judicial Court agreed, ruling on November 18, 2003, that the marriage ban does not meet the rational basis test for either due process or equal protection and therefore was unconstitutional.

We construe civil marriage to mean the voluntary union of two persons as spouses, to the exclusion of all others, it said. This reformulation redresses the plaintiffs constitutional injury and furthers the aim of marriage to promote stable, exclusive relationships.

Chief Judge Margaret Marshall, writing for a 4-3 majority, explained the decision:

Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality, companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family. It is an association that promotes a way of life, not causes; a harmony in living, not political faiths; a bilateral loyalty, not commercial or social projects. Because it fulfills yearnings for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil marriage is an esteemed institution, and the decision whether and whom to marry is among lifes momentous acts of self-definition.  It is undoubtedly for these concrete reasons, as well as for its intimately personal significance, that civil marriage has long been termed a civil right.  Without the right to marryor more properly, the right to choose to marryone is excluded from the full range of human experience and denied full protection of the laws for ones avowed commitment to an intimate and lasting human relationship. Because civil marriage is central to the lives of individuals and the welfare of the community, our laws assiduously protect the individuals right to marry against undue government incursion.  That same-sex couples are willing to embrace marriages solemn obligations of exclusivity, mutual support, and commitment to one another is a testament to the enduring place of marriage in our laws and in the human spirit.

This is a very, very big day; its obviously a historic day, said Mary Bonauto, the attorney with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders who argued the case, in a press conference that afternoon. It is a historic day because finally all families in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will have the opportunity to be equal families under the law. (In a poignant nod to history, Bonauto was one of two attorneys to argue for the plaintiffs in Obergefell at the Supreme Court.)

Yet the fight wasnt over. Just hours after the decision was announced, then-Gov. Mitt Romney called for a state constitutional amendment to overturn the decision. Attorney General Tom Reilly alternatively suggested that, because the court had postponed its decision for six months, it was signaling openness to a compromise like civil unions legislation.

But on February 11, 2004, the Supreme Judicial Court slammed the door. The dissimilitude between the terms civil marriage and civil union is not innocuous; it is a considered choice of language that reflects a demonstrable assigning of same-sex, largely homosexual, couples to second-class status, the court explained in an advisory opinion.

The history of our nation has demonstrated that separate is seldom, if ever, equal, it said.

Still, opponents didnt give up. Romney twice requested a stay of the courts decision, pending further debate over a constitutional amendment, but he was twice denied. Four separate lawsuits were also filed, seeking immediate injunctions to block the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but they, too, were denied.

All told, I see it as a positive step, said Michael Adams, director of education and public information for Lambda Legal, a year after Goodridge was handed down. No civil rights step happens without a backlash. We knew it, expected it.

More important, he said, the Goodridge decision let America for the first time see many same-sex couples getting legally married.

Nicandro Iannacci is a web strategist at the National Constitution Center.

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A wildfire that ravaged an Alberta community spread overnight so that it destroyed an oil camp north of the town. Horizon Norths Blacksand Executive Lodge was evacuated on Monday, May 16, before the fire reached it and burned it, according to local reports. Other oil camps were evacuated as the fire moved further north, including the Noralta Lodge, which can be seen in this video.

The uploader posted that he had to break windows to get his passport and other belongings before evacuating.

The fire stood at 3,550 square kilometers, or nearly 1,400 square miles, on Tuesday. Alberta officials were examining how to allow residents to re-enter Fort McMurray, which was evacuated of 88,000 people on May 3, but an explosion and fire overnight hindered those plans. Credit: Instagram/Drakeandroscoe
By Barani Krishnan

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose for a second straight day on Tuesday, with U.S. futures hitting seven-month highs, on expectations of a drawdown in U.S. crude stockpiles and a new wildfire threat on Canadian oil supplies.

Concerns about the potential for higher Libyan output and apprehension that the market was reaching overbought levels initially restrained the rally.

Prices rose after a Reuters poll of oil analysts forecast U.S. crude inventories likely fell 2.8 million barrels last week, declining for a second straight week. [EIA/S]

Sentiment was also boosted by reports of fresh trouble for Canadian energy producers as a massive wildfire around the oil sands hub of Fort McMurray, Alberta, shifted north, forcing the evacuation of about 4,000 people from work camps.

Prices softened after a deal struck in Vienna between rival Libyan oil factions indicated the first step towards restoring crude production mostly shut in the North African country. The Libyan agreement followed Monday's news of potential reopening for some shuttered Nigerian output.

But in post-settlement trade, U.S. crude's West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures rallied anew, reaching mid-October highs, as bulls pushed closer to the $50-a-barrel target.

WTI finished up 59 cents, or 1 percent, at $48.31 a barrel. The session high was $48.42 while the post-settlement peak was $48.76.

Brent crude closed up 31 cents at $49.28, hitting a six-month high of $49.58. In after-hours trade, it got to $49.75.

The market retraced some of its post-settlement gains after industry group the American Petroleum Institute reported a U.S. crude drawdown of 1.14 million barrels for last week - less than half the level forecast in the Reuters poll. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) will issue official inventory data at 10:30 a.m. (1430 GMT) on Wednesday. [API/S]

"All in all, this feels like a complex that still possess enough bullish momentum to boost nearby WTI values to above the $50 mark, while bolstering July Brent to as high as the $53-54 area," said Jim Ritterbusch of Chicago-based oil markets consultancy Ritterbusch & Associates.

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Notwithstanding Tuesday's rally, some prominent banks in commodities said oil prices looked overstretched. Reuters data showed the Relative Strength Indicator for Brent and WTI at 66 and 69, respectively, near the technically overbought level of 70.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAM) reiterated an end of third-quarter target of $39 for WTI, citing seasonal weakness from refinery maintenance.

Switzerland's UBS raised its longer-term upward target for Brent to $55 from $47, but a forecast a near-bottom as low as $36.

(Additional reporting by Alex Lawler in LONDON; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
It was a week where oil prices hit a fresh six-month high but natural gas barely budged.

On the news front, Royal Dutch Shell plc RDS.A is toying with the idea of a $40 billion spin-off of non-core assets, while Range Resources Corp. RRC agreed to acquire Memorial Resource Development Corp. in a $4.4 billion deal.

Overall, it was a mixed week for the sector. While West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 3.5% to close at $46.21 per barrel, natural gas prices remained essentially unchanged at $2.096 per million Btu (MMBtu). (See the last Oil & Gas Stock Roundup here: Shell, EOG Withstands Crude Crash to Q1 Beat.)

Oil prices moved north for the fifth time in 6 weeks on supply disruptions in Nigeria and Libya. A report by Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA), projecting the global oil inventory overhang to fade notably in the second half of the year, also propped up the commodity. Things were further helped by the Baker Hughes report that showed another drop in oil-directed rigs - indicating a break in shale drilling activities.

On the other hand, natural gas stayed flat after an encouraging inventory report was offset by mild temperatures across most parts of the country that restricted the commoditys requirement for power burn.

Recap of the Weeks Most Important Stories

1. Europes largest oil company Royal Dutch Shell plc is contemplating the sale of non-core assets worth $40 billion via a stock exchange listing in order to strengthen its cash position to repay debts and meet future investment commitments.

In Feb 2016, Shell closed a $50 billion merger with BG Group plc  a leading upstream energy player in the UK. The transaction was completed just weeks after a massive decline in oil prices to a 13-year low of nearly $27 a barrel. Post the merger, the companys long-term debt burden increased to the current level of around $73 billion, while its liquidity declined.

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Meanwhile, management is planning an initial public offering (IPO) of the companys mature assets in order to benefit from a sustained oil price recovery and refocus on core assets. The new entity, referred to as Baby Shell, will likely consist of upstream assets in the UK, Norway, New Zealand, Italy and Nigeria. Also, the confirmation of an IPO is expected within the next 12 months.

2. Natural gas producer Range Resources Corp. has agreed to acquire smaller rival Memorial Resource Development Corp. for $4.4 billion, including the assumption of $1.1 billion in debt.

Under the terms of the agreement, Memorial shareholders will receive 0.375 shares of Range Resources common stock for each share they hold. This offer values Memorial shares at a 17% premium to the pre-announcement closing price. The transaction has been okayed by the boards of both companies but awaits regulatory and shareholder approval. We expect the buyout to conclude in the second half.

If the deal goes through, Range Resources will be able to add Memorials North Louisiana operations to its projects in the Appalachian basin.

3. Premier energy infrastructure provider in North America, Williams Companies Inc. WMB has filed a suit against Energy Transfer Equity L.P. to ensure that their merger remains on track. The company took the legal step when the latter expressed concerns over the merger citing that the deal had not secured the necessary legal opinion to make the transaction tax-free to shareholders.

Williams sued Energy Transfer Equity in the Delaware Court of Chancery to prevent the latter from canceling the merger over tax issues, so that the deal materializes on Jun 28 as scheduled.

The deal  originally valued at $33 billion  has been watered down to $14 billion due to sharp decline in oil prices. However, the cash component of $6 billion has not changed, making the pending merger a nightmare for Energy Transfer Equity. As such, it is suffering from buyers remorse and is searching for ways to escape the deal in deteriorating financing markets. (See More: Williams Sues Energy Transfer Equity over Merger.)

4. Oil giant BP plc BP has increased its stake by twofold in the Maersk Oil-operated Culzean high-pressure high-temperature development in the UK Central North Sea, following the acquisition of an additional 16% interest from JX Nippon Exploration & Production.

As a result of this acquisition, BPs interest in the development has augmented to 32% from 16%. The Culzean field development was approved at the end of Aug 2015. It is estimated to produce adequate gas to meet 5% of total UK demand at peak production from 202021.

The gas condensate field, discovered in 2008, is scheduled to come online in 2019. The fields production life is projected to continue into the 2030s. During its plateau, it is estimated to produce 60,00090,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The field is expected to hold reserves of about 250300 million barrels of oil equivalent. (See More: BP's Interest in Culzean Field Development Rises by Twofold.)

5. U.S. energy major Chevron Corp. CVX announced that it is planning to reduce its workforce by 800 in the Thailand region amid low oil prices. The company intends to make savings of $500 million in costs so as to continue its operations in Thailand. This is in sync with the companys late last years announcement of a significant headcount reduction plan at its upstream business.

The job cut, which is expected to be effective from Aug 1, is in addition to the layoff of around 100 employees earlier this year. In Thailand, Chevron has around 2,200 staff and 1,700 contractors, and caters to about half of the country's natural gas demand.

Notably, Chevron is in discussions with the Thai government to extend concessions for several oil and gas license blocks which it operates in the Gulf of Thailand beyond the 2022 expiration date. Chevron expects the government to take a decision by early 2017.

Price Performance

The following table shows the price movement of the major oil and gas players over the past week and during the last 6 months.

Company Last Week Last 6 Months XOM +0.88% +12.02% CVX +0.79% +12.37% COP +5.68% -18.22% OXY +0.64% +3.07% SLB +1.88% -3.57% RIG -5.37% -34.67% VLO -1.10% -21.16% TSO +1.48% -31.49%

Over the course of last week, The Energy Select Sector SPDR was up 2.75% on diminishing inventory overhang. Consequently, investors witnessed a buying spree in most large companies. The best performer was Houston-based energy major ConocoPhillips COP that added 5.68% to its stock price.

Longer-term, over the last 6 months, the sector tracker is down 3.07%. offshore drilling giant Transocean Ltd. RIG was the main casualty during this period, experiencing a 34.67% price decrease.

Whats Next in the Energy World?

As usual, market participants will be closely tracking the regular weekly releases i.e. the U.S. government data on oil and natural gas. And with the 2016 Q1 earnings season winding down, oil prices will again guide market proceedings to a significant extent.

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As Diane Harris set out to vote in the presidential primary in Arizona on March 22, she had no idea of the grueling odyssey she was in for. She and a friend ended up driving to five polling sites. At each one they encountered long lines and no parking available within a half-mile of the door. Harris, 62, a retired paralegal who was using a cane that day, and her friend Helen, who was in a wheelchair, spent almost 3 hours traversing the Phoenix area until they arrived at a polling site 20 miles from home, where the wait was only 20 minutes. It was all so frustrating, Harris recalls.

More Participation

Considering the importance of elections in the U.S., the country sure does make voting a challenge. National elections are held on a Tuesday in November, a workday for most people. In 11 states and Washington, D.C., you can register to vote on Election Day. (Maryland allows same-day voter registration only for early voting.) Other states have registration deadlines of eight to 30 days before an election.

Some states have expanded voting by mail, online registration, absentee voting, and similar practices. But others have become more restrictive: 33 states request or require voters to show identification at the polls, and 17 of those states request or require a photo ID. And voters in places like Maricopa County in Arizona, where budget cutbacks have significantly reduced the number of polling spots, can find crowded conditions more reminiscent of a Depression-era breadline than a polling site in the Internet Age.

Why, then, when everything from buying airline tickets to filing federal income taxes is routinely done online, is voting for most Americans still such a manual, show-up-in-person, paper-ballot-based process?

Were in the midst of a dramatic political year, one thats raising questions about elections in the U.S., including how parties assign delegates and the rules of primaries.

Leaders are also questioning the very act of how we vote. At the SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, in March, President Barack Obama questioned why voting technology hadnt advanced in step with Internet-based commerce.

Story continues

Were the only advanced democracy in the world that makes it harder for people to vote, he said, adding, how do we redesign our systems so that we dont have 50 percent or 55 percent voter participation on presidential elections, and during off-year congressional elections, youve got 39 or 40 percent voting.

Both Democrats and Republicans have experimented with online voting. In the 2000 presidential primary, the Arizona Democratic Party offered online voting to registered Democrats. And in the Utah GOPs presidential caucus this year, registered Republicans were able to vote online.

Consumer Reports is a nonpartisan organization that doesnt endorse any candidate or party, but it does believe the voting process should be simple, safe, and secure. But are American voters ready for online voting? Are they even interested? To find out, the Consumer Reports National Research Center surveyed 3,649 voting-age U.S. citizens in March 2016 (PDF).

The results showed that a considerable number of respondents were receptive to the idea. Thirty-nine percent of likely voters said they would choose the option to vote by computer, tablet, or smartphone in the 2016 election rather than vote by traditional methods. The Internet option was especially popular with people under 30.

Diane Harris doesnt fall into that demographic, but after her ordeal, she says shed like to vote online, too. I hope [it] becomes the norm, she says. We do our banking online, pay our bills online. It just seems like we should be able to.

But is Internet voting really a pragmatic solution to low turnout and other electoral concerns? Or is it on the order of a nuclear-powered can openera technological step forward but perhaps more trouble than its worth? Our survey found that there were significant concerns among respondents about the privacy and security of an online voting system.

And even though the survey found that many people would choose to vote online, it also suggests that the option might increase the number of likely voters by only 7 percentage points. That may seem like a small bump, but the popular vote in several modern presidential contests has been close. For example, in Bush vs. Kerry in 2004 and Obama vs. Romney in 2012, the margins were 2.47 and 3.86 percent, respectively.

A Toe in the Online Waters

Some forms of Internet voting already exist in the U.S. All 50 states and D.C. send ballots to overseas voters electronically, and 32 states and D.C. allow electronic ballot returns via fax, email, or the Web from some voters, although those voters may have to waive their right to a secret ballot. In 2012 Alaska was the first state to establish an electronic voting system for all absentee voters, whether overseas or not. Alabama recently unveiled a system that allows residents who are overseas at election time to vote on a special website.

Alabamas secretary of state, John Merrill, a Republican, says the program ensures that those in the armed forces will have their voices heard without having to rely on the postal service to return their ballots on time.

Im enthusiastic about what were doing about our military men and women, Merrill says. We need to take care of them and make sure their vote is counted.

Everyone Counts, the company that created the software used in Alabama, is one of a number of firms marketing Internet-based voting systems. Lori Steele, the companys founder and CEO, says demand is about to take off. All the people saying why cant I vote on my tablet or mobile phone actually can, she says. And governments are tired of not being able to give it to them.

Steele argues that in addition to making voting easier, her companys system offers multiple advantages over traditional methods. For one thing, she says, security is exponentially increased over any other kind of voting because each ballot, as well as the electronic ballot box, has military-grade encryption.

She also claims that Web voting is more accurateno more hanging chads or marks on a paper ballot that may be difficult to interpret. Web systems can also save money and can be upgraded or reconfigured as laws change, Steele says.

Online voting is already further along elsewhere in the world; about a dozen governments have explored the technology. The boldest adopter is the Baltic nation of Estonia, which began offering voters the option of casting their ballots from a website in 2005. With a population of about 1 million, Estonia provides a case study of how such a system might work. Voters use their national identity smart card and PIN with a card reader when they log in to the website to vote. Internet voting is quite popular, with almost 25 percent of eligible voters going digital.

In addition to letting its citizens vote in their pajamas, Estonia has changed other fundamental mechanics of elections. For example, people voting online can change their vote multiple times, right up to when the polls close.

Hacking the Vote

Whatever the political system, efforts to introduce Internet voting face the same overriding issue: how to make sure ballots arent subject to manipulation or fraud by hackers or compromised by a system failure.

Pamela Smith, president of Verified Voting, a nonpartisan and nonprofit advocacy group in Carlsbad, Calif., that works for improvements in the management of elections, argues that the Web isnt necessarily the safest voting booth.

Lets face it; the number of cyberattacks is increasing, not decreasing, Smith says, citing the Pentagon and Sony hacks, to name just two. Part of it is the Internet was not really designed with fundamental security in mind. It was designed as an open communications platform.

Smith says that online banks and stores are plagued by enough fraud to give anyone pause about adopting Internet voting. (Worldwide, cybercrime costs about $445 billion annually, according to the Center for Strategic & International Studies.) Theyre willing to do it because theyre still making enough money, she says. Its just a cost of doing business.

Moreover, with online banking and commerce, if something goes awry either through malfeasance or malfunction, it can generally be corrected, given that theres an identifiable account that can be scrutinized. By contrast, voting depends on the anonymity of the ballot. No outside party should ever be able to check to see whether your vote was properly recorded.

When it comes to elections, the question is how many votes you could afford to lose to fraud or malfunction and still call it a legitimate election, Smith says. You need something a lot closer to a zero tolerance policy.

Steele contends thats what her companys software provides. Weve been busy building a good solution, she says. You cant be in this decade and pretend that technology hasnt advanced.

In addition to the progression of encryption, Steele says, there are logistics and processes to deter any hacker bent on, say, stealing a national election in the U.S. Because there are about 8,200 local election jurisdictions in the U.S., its not one election, its 8,200 elections, she says. You cant take down a country.

But Aviel Rubin, a professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University, says hackers could try to steal a presidential election by manipulating the tally in a few key districts. And the cyberattacks wouldnt need to be that sophisticated. Rubin says all the attackers would need to do is identify counties in a battleground state where the candidates they oppose might have strong support. Using a technique known as a distributed denial of service, they could flood servers with Internet requests to impede access to them.

What I would do is drop their Internet service by maybe 80 percent, so that some small fraction of voters would give up in frustration, Rubin says. Some people are just not going to bother.

And some computer-science experts say that experience has shown that voting online is a dangerous practice. A case in point: In 2010 the District of Columbia planned to introduce online balloting for overseas absentee voters. In the run-up to the election, officials invited people to try to hack the system by whats known as penetration testing. The results were disquieting. It took a team from the University of Michigan only 48 hours to seize almost complete control of the election server and successfully change every vote and reveal the identity and vote of almost every voter. And as it was rummaging around the server, the team observed attack traffic from such places as Iran and China.

Can any of those vulnerabilities be readily fixed? Not in the foreseeable future, according to Rubin and other computer experts. Id love to be able to vote on my phone, but I dont see how it could be done securely, he says. It would mean completely changing systems on our devices and how our networks are configured.

If anything, Rubin adds, the potential vulnerabilities of the Internet are looming larger than ever before. I think its much more likely that in the future well have to stop online banking, he says, than it is that well have online voting.

Steele dismisses the naysayers. We know the bad guys work hard all the time to make it harder to stay secure, she says. Thats why we work hard all the time.

Merrill seconds that sentiment, insisting that any qualms about security are exaggerated. We have some people who are opposed to anything until its 100 percent secure, he says. If that were the case, we wouldnt have a lot of the inventions we have today.

Surprisingly, though, Merrill has no desire to see online voting expanded to the entire electorate. To him, the real danger isnt security; its that it might make the process so easy it might be taken for granted. Im not supportive of electronic voting for just anybody, just because somebodys too sorry to get up and cast a ballot, he says. I think you should have to show a little initiative.

Would Internet Voting Make You More Likely to Vote?

We commissioned a survey to find out how the option to vote online would affect the 2016 presidential election if the technology were widely available. We asked 3,649 U.S. citizens of voting age whether they would be more likely to vote if they could cast their ballot via the Internet from wherever they choose.

The survey results suggest that Internet voting would increase the number of likely voters by 7 percentage points. That may not seem like a lot, but eight presidential elections since 1916 have had popular-vote margins under 5 percent. Our survey didnt collect enough responses at a state level to determine how these new voters might affect the electoral map.

Our survey also found that women, younger adults, Hispanics, and Independents had a higher representation within the group of new potential voters than in the overall voting-age population. (You can read the full results of the survey as a PDF here.)



Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the July 2016 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.





More from Consumer Reports:

8 Ways to Boost Your Home Value

Why your cable TV bill is going up

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





Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright  2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S.
Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela's opposition leader urged his country on Tuesday to defy a state of emergency decreed by the government as it grapples with an acute political and economic crisis.

Henrique Capriles spoke as the opposition-controlled congress prepared to debate the sweeping measures ordered by President Nicolas Maduro.

He said lawmakers will probably reject Maduro's plan, and that if the government insists the decree remain in force, "it is up to us... to ignore this decree."

That stance is likely to pit the congress not only against the presidency, but also the Supreme Court, which has final say over the legality of the measures.

Many of the Supreme Court judges were appointed during the reign of Maduro's late predecessor, Hugo Chavez, and are seen as loyal to the government.

- Marches planned -

The decree establishing the state of emergency came into force for 60 days on Monday, after Maduro announced it last week.

Its first big test will come on Wednesday when opposition-led marches are to take place nationwide demanding electoral officials validate a referendum to oust Maduro.

Similar marches last week were met by riot police and tear gas.

"If Maduro wants to apply this decree he will have to bring out the warplanes and the tanks into the street, because he will have to apply it through force," Capriles told a news conference.

The decree, he said, was a "barbarity -- Maduro wants to put himself above the constitution, and he isn't."

Venezuela is facing hyperinflation, food and electricity shortages that are sharpening public anger against the unpopular Maduro.

But the president, who controls the levers of power, has rejected all blame for his country's plight.

Instead he says low global oil prices are undermining the economy, a prolonged drought is the cause of energy rationing, and collusion between the United States and Venezuela's wealthy elite is the root cause of political tensions.

Story continues

And he has alleged foreign media are misrepresenting him and recent developments in Venezuela.

"We are victims of a media, political and diplomatic attack that is behind the most serious threat our country has faced in the past 10 years," he told invited foreign media in a long improvised speech.

Maduro said his country was the target of "imperial interventionism" similar to a "coup" he alleged happened in Brazil last week, when his counterpart Dilma Rousseff was suspended by senators ahead of an impeachment trial.

He said a US military surveillance plane had illegally entered Venezuelan air space last week.

The president has ordered military exercises for Saturday to show Venezuela's ability to see off foreign "armed intervention."

- Deepening crisis -

In his decree, Maduro has given security forces, assisted by local civilian groups, broad authorization to counter "destabilizing actions that mean to disrupt life inside the country or its international relations."

The text also authorizes the state to do what is necessary to ensure supply of basic foods and services and to counter the crippling energy shortage that has resulted in electricity rationing.

The latest developments threaten to deepen the crisis in the oil-rich South American country, whose economy is in its third year of recession.

The United States has described reports of Venezuela's spiral downwards as "breathtaking" but has been careful not to make comments seen as meddlesome.

Individuals, companies and non-governmental organizations in Venezuela with links to foreign groups are to be put under scrutiny and risk having their finances frozen, according to the decree.

The decree also opens the way to businesses being expropriated if they are not seen to be doing enough to supply staple foodstuffs.

Company seizures could notably affect the Polar group, Venezuela's biggest food and beverage company, which halted beer production on April 30, saying it had run out of barley.

Polls suggest seven in 10 Venezuelans want a change of government.

The opposition says it has collected 1.8 million signatures to launch a recall referendum against Maduro.

But the vote must be held before January 10, 2017 in order to trigger new elections, and the opposition accuses the electoral authorities of stalling.

If held any later, a successful recall vote would simply transfer power to Maduro's hand-picked vice president, Aristobulo Isturiz.
IKEA is opening a chef-driven pop-up restaurant in Paris, and in true DIY fashion, it is having amateur chefs take the lead on designing the menu.

The restaurant, Krogen, will be open from June 7 to June 25, and is located in Paris's upscale Le Marais neighborhood, according to Eater. Amateur chefs are challenged to prepare a three-course meal costing less than $11.40 per customer that also incorporates a menu item from IKEAs cafeteria.

13 Great Meatball Dishes (Slideshow)

Twenty-four semifinalists will be selected by the end of the month, and 15 will compete during the pop-up event for the top prize of an internship at Alain Ducasses kitchen and an IKEA gift card of 500 Euros ($566 USD).

Dinner will be served each night at 8 p.m., with 30 seats at each sitting at a prix-fixe of 10 Euros (~$11 USD), reports the Huffington Post. Proceeds from the event will go to Secours Populaire Francais, or the anti-poverty French Popular Relief charity.

IKEA restaurants arent what they used to be. Check out our story to see whats changed and what to expect.
By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - A rare pear-shaped vivid pink diamond fetched 30.8 million Swiss francs ($31.46 million) at auction on Tuesday, Sotheby's said, but several other large stones failed to reach the reserve prices set by the sellers. The "Unique Pink", weighing 15.38 carats and mounted on a ring, sold to an Asian private collector bidding by telephone, the auction house said. It was the star lot at the saleroom's semi-annual auction in Geneva, with a pre-sale estimate of $28 million-$38 million. "The Unique Pink set a new world record for a fancy vivid pink diamond ... It's the highest price ever paid for a fancy vivid pink diamond," David Bennett, worldwide chairman of Sotheby's international jewellery division, told reporters. The "Sweet Josephine", a fancy vivid pink diamond weighing 16.08 carats, held the previous record since selling for $28.5 million at rival Christie's in November, and still retains the price per carat record in the category. Overall, the Sotheby's sale netted $175.2 million, "setting a new world record for any jewellery auction", Sotheby's said in a statement. It eclipsed $160 million set a year ago. In all, 83.2 percent of the 488 lots on offer found new owners, but "The Emperor Ruby" was among those stranded, with a bid of 3.6 million francs. "There were a few stones that were disappointing but overall the sale was a huge success," Bennett said. A British collection of 29 jewels by French jeweller Cartier sold for $3.4 million, doubling its low estimate, he said. A "new world record" was set for a jewel by the late Paris-based jeweller Alexandre Reza - a fancy intense blue diamond brooch surrounded with diamonds sold for $13.4 million, he said. "We've made a great effort to put together a sale that we thought was suitable for this particular market which is strong for the right things," Bennett said. "It seems to have paid off." Ehud Arye Laniado, chairman of New York-based Cora International LLC, which cut, polished and sold the pink diamond, told Reuters in the showroom: "It was the time to sell. It is quite a strong price. "We think slowly the market is grouping together with people who do believe in strong prices for fancy coloured diamonds. It is a good sign because we see people who do believe in the resale value of those stones, like art," he added. "The trend will move to white diamonds." (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Louise Ireland)
CANNES  After a keeping a low profile for over a month and canceling publicity for Julieta in the wake of the Panama Papers leak, Pedro Almodovar addressed the scandal during a press conference hosted at Cannes where the pic is competing.

Almodovar and his brother, Augustin, were named in the Panama papers as having created an offshore outfit in the 1990s.

My name and my brothers name are some of the least important names in the Panama papers, quipped the Spanish director. If it was a film, we wouldnt even be extras. The Spanish press has cast us in leading roles. There are so many names and there hasnt been enough investigation yet, he added.

Almodovar also spoke about his preference for being in competition, in contrast with other high-profile filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen.

Since Im in Cannes, I find it more interesting to play in competition, for myself and also for the media, said Almodovar. Im not a sacred cow yet. I dont have the level of directors who have their films play out of competition.

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Thanks to a boost from its Chengdu HSR project.

Perennial Real Estate Holdings (PREH) posted a net profit of $8.5m in 1Q16, reflecting a 148% YoY surge in the first quarter of the year.

According to a report by CIMB, the uplift is thanks to a $7.5m revaluation gain from the Chengdu High Speed Railway (HSR) development, which has been reclassified as investment property.

In addition, PREH enjoyed increased associate contributions during the quarter.

CIMB notes that Singapore revenue dipped 5% YoY to $14.8m in Q1 as TripleOne Somerset is prepared for asset enhancement works and strata sales. However, operating profit inched up 2% thanks to raised contribution from AXA Tower. Both properties have been green-lit to boost the retail segment and sales of strata and medical suites.

PREH also saw a 19% growth in China turnover to $7.6m. Stripping out a revaluation gain of $7.5m, operating profit for the quarter climbs to about $6.7m on better performance from operational assets.

Meanwhile, PREH has sealed the deal on a 20% stake in Shenzhen Aidigong in April 2016 for RMB135m. The facility operates two maternal/newborn health centres in Shenzhen and a post-natal treatment centre in Beijing. Aidigongs contributions will likely be felt 2Q16 onwards.

Further, part of plot D2 at the Chengdu HSR mixed-use development has been converted to an eldercare and retirement home, with operations seen to begin in 2017.





More From Singapore Business Review


Sarah Shahi returned to CBS Person of Interest for the fourth episode of Season 5, setting the stage for classic Shaw badassery some softer(-ish!) moments between her and Root and then two instances of jaw-dropping bloodshed.But was all not quite as it seemed?

RELATEDFor Person of Interests LGBT Root and Shaw, A Lot of Milestones in Season 5

Seeing as Shaw has killed six Samaritan guards in the past nine months, we open with Greer having a chip implanted into the base of her skull, as part of a plan to tame her into a usable asset. When a one-on-one with Lambert has dissatisfactory results, she is penciled in for another implant  but she faked being drugged, muscles her way past the guards and gets away via an unattended boat. Once back in New York, she swings by a pharmacy to borrow the phone and make a call that basically announces to both Samaritan (and The Machine, if she is alive) her location. Shaw fends off most of the arriving Samaritan toughs, but one gets the drop on her is about to go for the kill when he himself is felled  by Root. Cue a not very friendly homecoming.

After Root performs on-the-fly removal of the chip (in a moving, caked-with-rat crap subway car), Shaw is brought to Roots digs, where the team is divided about whether she can be trusted, given what Martine once said and the duration of her captivity. When Shaws abrupt attitude toward Harolds failure to look for her sends the men packing, Root assures her, I never stopped looking for you. Root goes to thank Shaw for saving her life back at the Stock Exchange, but Shaw isnt in the right mindset until a few hours later, when she cant sleep, and shares with Root her skepticism that theyll both make it out of this alive. That leads to 60-plus seconds of two alpha females swapping the lead as they finally consummate their long-simmering feelings, with Shaw ultimately lifting Root upon onto a table, sending plates flying and crashing, blouse buttons popping and so on. The coupling is followed by some pillow talk, in which Root shares her more fervent-than-ever desire to turn Samaritan into an Atari, as punishment all the pain it has caused her love.

Story continues

PHOTOSPerson of Interest Cast Answers TVLIne Reader Qs

Later, Shaw makes a ballsy play to take the fight to Samaritan, by drawing out some of their goons and even nabbing Greer in the process. They take the Samaritan honcho to the basement of a church (the best place to hide from a god), where they discover in his arm an implanted USB drive. On it, Harold believes, is kill switch code that undo The Machines evil twin. But in actuality, Greer taunts Shaw, their ruse is going exactly as planned  that the implanted USB was her idea, that she was allowed to escape, that the kill switch is in fact a beacon to alert Samaritan to The Machines whereabouts. Greer assures Shaw that the blood will be on her hands when she murders all of her friends, words that agitate her until she puts a bullet in the old mans bean.

Later, walking the city with John, Shaw confesses the circumstances under which she killed Greer, and he senses she is not herself. John suggests that have a coffee and talk things out, but Shaw instead is compelled to shoot him in cold blood  and she does. Then, with Samaritan goons on her tail, Shaw is pulled to safety by Root. Shaw cops to killing Reese, and then opens up about how during the worst of her captivity, Root was her safe place, the thought she would turn to to stay cool.

But not anymore, Shaw adds. I cant control myself The only thing I can control is this, she says as she turns her gun on her own head, and ends her life.

Or not.

Because as the hour ends, we realize that almost all of the above merely took place in Shaws mind, as the Samaritan techs took her through a simulation, hoping that she would lead them to The Machines location. (The good news? This time, she took an extra hour to kill Greer.) But now, Greer orders her to be put her it again for a 6,742nd time.

What did you think of the episode 6,741?





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By Jon Herskovitz and Fiona Ortiz (Reuters) - More than 20 U.S. states that use a combination of drugs to carry out lethal injections will find it harder to conduct executions due to Pfizer's ban on sales of its chemicals, but the move will have little impact on the handful that rely on a single drug. The pharmaceutical giant's move last week cuts off the last major U.S. source for drugs in the deadly mixes, and it adds to the difficulties of states that were already struggling to procure chemicals for lethal injections. Among the states affected are Florida and Oklahoma, which have been among the leaders in executions since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. Drug scarcity is also an obstacle for Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wyoming. Since many mostly European drugmakers began banning sales of their products for use in executions about five years ago over ethical concerns, U.S. states have often turned to lightly regulated compounding pharmacies, which can mix chemicals. That has resulted in a string of lawsuits challenging secrecy in procurement and the quality of the mixes provided. Middlemen who flout Pfizer's ban could face sanctions. "Now a distributor who violates Pfizer's policies can face contractual liability and termination of its ability to sell any of Pfizer's medicines," said Robert Dunham, executive director of the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center, which monitors capital punishment. Ohio, which has executed 53 inmates since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, said last year it was delaying all executions until at least 2017 due to trouble obtaining the necessary drugs. The state's problems worsened with Pfizer's decision because drugs on Ohio's protocol were on the company's list. BANNED DRUGS The chemicals banned for sale by Pfizer include the sedative midazolam, which has been used to render a prisoner unconscious, as well as pancuronium bromide, which can be used as a paralytic agent that halts breathing, and potassium chloride, which can cause cardiac arrest. Thirty-one U.S. states have the death penalty. But only six have an established one-drug protocol, including Texas, Georgia and Missouri, while two others where executions are on hold have plans to use a single drug for executions, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. The single drug most often used is pentobarbital, which is not made by Pfizer. Texas, which has executed 537 prisoners since 1976, more than any other state, said it should be able to obtain the chemicals it needs. "It's not anticipated that Pfizer's decision will have an impact on the agency's current ability to carry out executions," said Jason Clark, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Many of the states that rely on compounding pharmacies have laws banning the release of the pharmacies' names, which they say is needed as a security precaution. But Dale Baich, an attorney for death row inmates, rejected that. "The purpose of the secrecy is to keep companies in the dark about the misuse of their products," Baich said. States have also looked overseas. Last year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration impounded a shipment of the execution drug sodium thiopental, ordered by Texas and Arizona from India, saying its import was banned and it has no legal use in the United States. DECLINING EXECUTIONS The number of U.S. executions has been on the decline for years, falling to 28 in 2015, the lowest in more than two decades, and well off a peak of 98 in 1999, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. "They (Pfizer) have caved in to pressure from the anti-death penalty side," said Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, a victims' rights organization that supports the death penalty. Last year, only six U.S. states conducted executions. Among those, Florida and Oklahoma currently have a moratorium on executions in place due to legal battles. One of the drugs on the Pfizer list, midazolam, was at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year where the court by a 5-4 margin upheld its use in Oklahoma. The drug was used in troubled executions in Arizona and Oklahoma where death row inmates were seen twisting on gurneys for several minutes. It has also been employed in executions in Florida, Ohio, and Alabama. The option for several states has been to consider using the single drug method like Texas, or explore alternatives such as bringing back firing squads, gas chambers and electric chairs. "Lethal injection fails miserably," said Robert Blecker, a criminal law professor at New York Law School who advocates the death penalty for the worst of the worst. "I hope the Pfizer decision moves states to choose a more honest method to kill those who deserve to die." (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas and Fiona Ortiz in Chicago; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine fishing authorities said on Tuesday they had detained 25 Chinese crew of two seized fishing boats on suspicion of poaching, a move that could further strain ties between two countries at odds over maritime sovereignty. A joint team from the Philippine coastguard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) captured the Chinese vessels on Monday sailing without permits between waters off Babuyan Island and Batanes province in the northern Philippines. The Chinese vessels were in waters that are not part of the disputed South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also have conflicting claims. Tension between the Philippines and China has risen as an international tribunal in the Hague prepares to deliver a ruling in the next few months in a case lodged by Manila in 2013. The Philippines is seeking a clarification of United Nations maritime laws that could undermine China's claims to 90 percent of the South China Sea. China has rejected the court's authority. The fishing boats were flying an inverted Philippine flag when apprehended on Monday, BFAR said in a statement. Speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said he had no information and needed to further understand the situation. Documents seized by Philippine authorities showed the vessels were Chinese registered. The fishermen failed to show permits required to enter Philippine waters, BFAR said. "Based on existing rules, the fact that both foreign fishing vessels were flying a Philippine flag gave rise to the presumption that they are engaged in poaching," said BFAR director, Asis Perez. A Philippine court fined nine Chinese fishermen $102,000 each in late 2014 after they were caught with hundreds of sea turtles in the disputed Half Moon Shoal in the Spratly islands of the South China Sea. At the time, China protested against the arrests and refused to recognize their trial. (Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Additional reporting by Megha Rajagopalan in Beijing; Editing by Martin Petty, Robert Birsel)
Koninklijke Philips N.V PHG announced its plan to sell about 25% stake in its lighting division through an initial public offering (IPO), at a price between 18.50 and 22.50 per share. The pricing implies a market capitalization of 2.78 billion to 3.38 billion of the lighting unit.

The Dutch electronics giant is selling 25% or 37.5 million of Philips Lighting shares in the float to both individual and institutional investors.

The company said that the IPO is expected to be held on Friday, May 27, on Amsterdam's Euronext exchange and will likely raise about 694844 million ($786956 million). It is also offering underwriters the chance to buy a further 3.75% of the stake, which if taken up, would enable the company to raise roughly 970 million, depending on the final price.

Philips is likely to announce the final offer price on May 26 and the unconditional trading in the shares is scheduled to start from May 31.

The IPO brings to an end a long, unproductive search by Philips for a buyer for its lighting division.

Philips lighting business dates back to 1891, when Frederik Philips and his son started selling carbon filament lamps. The business now covers a moribund conventional lamps operation and the fast-growing LED luminaires, systems and services unit. It generated sales of about 7.4 billion last year, making it one of the worlds largest lighting manufacturers.

Philips decision to spin off its iconic lighting division is rooted in the low margins and limited growth prospects of the business, especially in comparison with its more lucrative and fast-growing health technology business, which competes with Siemens AG and General Electric Company GE.

Philips management is confident that Philips and Philips Lighting will be better equipped to unlock long-term growth as separately listed companies.

Late last year, Philips made a deal to offload its Lumileds business, which makes lighting with energy efficient light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. However, the deal suffered a setback after failing to secure approval from the influential Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. Philips is hopeful of closing a new deal for Lumileds before 2016 end.

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The company is committed to restructuring its entire portfolio so that it can focus its resources on the profitable health and consumer products businesses. Philips healthcare business is gaining rapid momentum with rising demand for technology that enables hospitals to analyze clinical data and allow patients to monitor their health on smartphones.

The company has been facing tough times recently, with escalating taxes and restructuring charges burdening earnings. Also, challenging market conditions, coupled with a mixed outlook in China, Russia and Latin America, continue to exert pressure on this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) stock.

Some favorably placed stocks in the same space are Jason Industries, Inc. JASN and Research Frontiers Inc. REFR. Both these stocks hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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With about 8,000 mutual funds on the market, picking the right one can be a chore. And once you've made the decision that you want an actively managed fund -- rather than passive management -- the choices can be overwhelming.

Thankfully, abiding by a few important criteria can help you in your decision-making process to get the best mutual fund -- and the best mutual fund management -- to fit your particular situation.

The lower the fees, the better. Over time, fees charged by mutual fund managers can drag on investor returns, and there's no evidence that exceptionally high fees are routinely accompanied by exceptionally high returns. More frequently, they accompany big names, flashy strategies and a heavy marketing spend.

[See: 8 Stocks to Buy For a Starter Portfolio.]

Jon Ulin, certified financial planner and managing principal of Ulin & Co. Wealth Management in Boca Raton, Florida, notes that exceptional active mutual fund managers are hard to find.

"Most managed investments do not live up to their promises and unique names and themes provided by their managers. In fact, only 20 percent of active investment managers beat their benchmarks in any given year," he says.

That means you should look at the expense ratio, or the percentage of assets that an investor pays annually to cover fund expenses, like a price tag. The higher the price tag, the lower the chance you'll beat the market, plain and simple. Expense ratios less than 1 percent are highly preferable.

Paul Jacobs, certified financial planner and chief investment officer of Palisades Hudson Financial Group, advises that the turnover ratio is another useful metric for the discerning investor to seek out. A 100 percent turnover ratio means positions are held for one year on average, while a 200 percent ratio means positions are held for an average of just half a year.

Again, high turnover rates are not a good thing, Jacobs says.

"High turnover rates lead to higher trading costs, and also higher year-end capital gain distributions," he says. "Both of these can be a drag on after-tax returns for investors. If you have identified a fund you like that has a turnover ratio of 100 percent or more, you'd be better off holding it in a retirement account so you won't owe tax on any capital gain distributions."

Story continues

Beware great performance over short time periods. For better or worse, performance is usually the first metric that investors turn to when deciding which mutual funds to buy.

But choosing a mutual fund manager simply by screening for the best one- to three-year returns isn't the best way to do things; in fact, it's a good way to stack the deck against yourself.

If you have a good idea about where we are in the market cycle and you're not easily convinced to buy a mutual fund merely because it's outperformed in recent years, you're halfway there. "Let's say you are evaluating a large-cap growth fund in March of 2000," says Matthew Tuttle, certified financial planner and CEO of Tuttle Tactical Management in Riverside, Connecticut. Your fund likely would've returned 30 to 40 percent a year for the last five years, he says.

If you use forward-looking due diligence and know the average return on markets are 8 to 12 percent, then you can "safely assume that there is no chance that you can earn 30 to 40 percent going forward" in the same fund, he says.

[Read: 7 Stocks That Should Grow With Millennials.]

In fact, by looking back on trailing returns an investor can safely predict losses to a portfolio. "Past performance does not predict future results," Tuttle says. "In fact, the biggest investment blowups have been because investors looked at solid past performance and believed it would persist."

Know what type of focus you want the fund to have. Every one of the 8,000 mutual funds out there has a focus of some sort. As an investor, you need to know what that focus is and whether it fits in your strategy.

Are you seeking a large-capitalization value fund, a small-cap growth fund, mid-cap growth and value fund, municipal bond fund, corporate bond fund, sector- or industry- specific funds, distressed asset funds? The options are practically never-ending.

"Before investing, take time to read all information available online on a service such as Morningstar regarding a funds process and management style, as well as go to the investment company's website to review the prospectus and provided marketing material," Ulin says.

There's some overlap here with minding fund fees, because if a fund is trading in and out of positions all the time, any advantages its focus gives it are swallowed up by trading fees -- and the fact that the manager arguably has less conviction in each decision.

[See: 8 of the Most Incredible Investments of the 21st Century.]

"We generally prefer to invest with managers that trade less often, and have more conviction in their investment decisions," Jacobs says.

John Divine is an investor, freelance financial writer and assistant editor at InvestorPlace.com. Follow him (at your own risk) on Twitter @divinebizkid or spam him with email at jdivine@investormedia.com.
By Steve Gorman and Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Houston-based pipeline company has been indicted in California on 46 criminal charges stemming from a major oil spill last year that forced beach closures and fouled miles of shoreline near Santa Barbara, prosecutors said on Tuesday. The indictment returned by a Santa Barbara County grand jury on Monday accuses Plains All American Pipeline LP of four felonies, including knowingly discharging a pollutant into state waters, county District Attorney Joyce Dudley told a news conference. The bulk of the remaining 42 misdemeanor counts contained in the indictment relate to wildlife losses blamed on the May 19, 2015, rupture of an oil pipeline that federal inspectors have found was badly worn by corrosion, officials said. The latest tally of wildlife deaths linked to the spill includes 221 seabirds - mostly brown pelicans, common murres and Pacific loons - and 138 marine mammals, principally California sea lions, state officials said. Both the company and one of its employees, James Buchanan, 41, an environmental and regulatory compliance specialist, were charged with misdemeanor violations of failing to provide timely notice of the spill to authorities. Dudley declined to discuss the charges further until the indictment is unsealed, likely within a few weeks. An arraignment is set for June 6. Attorney General Kamala Harris said the company, if convicted, faces penalties of $1 million to $2.8 million. Buchanan could face up to three years in prison if found guilty. Plains said criminal prosecution was unwarranted, adding it has spent more than $150 million on spill response, cleanup and related efforts. "Plains believes that neither the company nor any of its employees engaged in any criminal behavior at any time in connection with this accident," it said. Harris said the indictment sends the message that "any company that is operating in our state and transporting crude oil and doing it in a way that is irresponsible and in violation of the law will be held accountable." Federal authorities reported 1,700 to 2,500 barrels of crude gushed onto the shore and into the Pacific when Plains' underground pipeline, Line 901, burst along a coastal highway about 20 miles (32 km) west of Santa Barbara. The company later revised its upper estimate of the spill to 3,400 barrels. Experts say the spill ranks as the largest to hit the ecologically sensitive but energy-rich coastline northwest of Los Angeles since a massive 1969 offshore blowout dumped up to 100,000 barrels into the Santa Barbara Channel. The 2015 spill occurred at the edge of a national marine sanctuary and state-designated underwater preserve teeming with marine mammals, birds and fish. The area also hosts nearly two dozen offshore oil platforms. (Editing by Matthew Lewis and Jonathan Oatis)
The Hague (AFP) - Interpol and its European counterpart Tuesday warned of growing concerns that radical Islamists could be using illegal people smuggling networks to sneak into Europe or even fund their attacks and activities.

And in a joint report unveiled Tuesday, the two police agencies said those preying on desperate refugees had raked in up to $6 billion (5.2 billion euros) last year. That had turned the migrant flow into one of the largest money-earners for organised crime on the continent.

"Terrorists may use migrant smugglers' resources to achieve their goals," said the report by the global police body Interpol based in Lyon and Europol in The Hague.

"There is a growing concern that illegal immigration routes and networks may be used by radicalised foreign fighters wishing to return to the EU, or by terrorist organisations as a source of funding for their activities."

Although no regular links between criminal gangs and terror groups have been proven "some incidents have been identified involving terrorists who have made use of migratory flows to enter the EU."

It pointed to the November 13 attacks in Paris, after which it was revealed that two of the attackers had entered Europe through Greece as part of an influx of refugees from Syria.

More than a million people snuck into the European Union in 2015, most of them fleeing conflicts in the Middle East as well as poverty in Africa.

"More than 90 percent of all migrants reaching the European Union use the facilitation services of a migrant smuggling network at some point throughout their journey," said Europol director Rob Wainwright.

"This is a clear indication that organised crime networks are profiting from mass migration."

The report calculated that each migrant had "paid an average of $3,200 to 6,500 (EUR 3,000- 6,000)".

"This would result in an average turnover of $5 to 6 billion in 2015."

Both agencies warned that in the future "an increase in the number of migrants trying to reach the EU is expected."

"In Libya alone, around 800,000 migrants are waiting to travel to the EU," it said.
Jesus was apparently a socialist who would support Bernie Sanders for president.

At least those are the implications of a poll taken by those who are marketing the June 14 DVD release of The Young Messiah, based on an Anne Rice novel about Jesus as a child.

The scientific poll from Barna Group asked Americans whether capitalism or socialism align better with the teachings of Jesus, and socialism won 24 percent compared to 14 percent, with the rest answering "neither" or "not sure."

When asked which presidential candidate's policies aligned closest to the teachings of Jesus, Sanders was on top with 21 percent, compared to 9 percent for Hillary Clinton and 6 percent for Donald Trump.

Eleven percent answered Ted Cruz, an evangelical Christian who has dropped out of the race, while 22 percent weren't sure and 37 percent said none of the candidates.

When broken down by various demographics, millennials were the group that most often compared socialism and Sanders to Jesus Christ, and college graduates, non-Christians and those who were never married weren't far behind.

"Our film is not about politics nor was Jesus. But he is a fascinating and compelling historical character and people are always looking at him through the lens of their own experience and beliefs," said Cyrus Nowrasteh, the film's director.

The Young Messiah, based on Rice's book Christ The Lord: Out of Egypt, stars Sean Bean, Rory Keenan and Jonathan Bailey and was distributed domestically by Focus Features. Watch the trailer below and read The Hollywood Reporter's review here.

See More: Jesus in Film and TV: 17 Devilishly Handsome Actors Who've Played the Son of God
On May 16, we issued an updated research report on Potash Corp. POT.



The fertilizer giants profits tumbled roughly 80% in the first quarter of 2016, hurt by weak fertilizer prices and reduced potash sales volumes. Adjusted earnings missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Sales also fell by double digits year over year and trailed expectations.



Weaker realized prices and offshore sales volumes, coupled with costs of production suspension at the companys Picadilly facility in New Brunswick hurt potash margins in the quarter. The company cut its full-year potash sales volume and earnings guidance due to challenging market conditions.



Due to weaker demand, the company now expects potash sales volumes for 2016 to be in the band of 8.3-8.8 million tons, down from 8.3-9.1 million tons expected earlier. Potash Corp. also cut its 2016 earnings guidance to the band of 60 cents to 80 cents per share from 90 cents to $1.20 per share. Weak pricing is also expected to lead to lower potash and nitrogen margins in 2016.



Potash Corp. is faced with macroeconomic uncertainties and other issues such as weak fertilizer pricing and currency fluctuations. Softness across certain developing markets is affecting the global outlook. Depressed crop pricing has created an uncertainty on potash consumption. Moreover, a challenging currency environment coupled with economic weakness has contributed to a sluggish demand environment for potash across certain emerging markets.



Potash Corp., earlier this year, slashed its quarterly dividend by 34% to conserve cash amid the challenging operating environment. The companys dividend is still at risk.



The company remains exposed to a difficult pricing environment. Potash prices remain under pressure due to elevated supply. Lower global energy prices, higher supply and weak agricultural fundamentals have also contributed to a softer nitrogen pricing environment. Global capacity expansion continues to exert pressure on fertilizer prices.



Fertilizer makers continue to face challenges from low farm commodity prices, affecting their margins. Weakness in agricultural commodity prices represents a concern for these companies which may hinder fertilizer use by farmers given the adverse effect of lower crop pricing on growers incomes.



Continued downturn in prices of crops (such as corn and soybeans) is weighing on U.S. farm income. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. farm income is expected to slip 3% in 2016 to the lowest level since 2002. Lower farm income unfavorably impacts growers nutrients purchasing decisions.



Potash Corp. is also exposed to a challenging demand environment. Deferral of new contracts for potash in China (the worlds biggest potash importer) has led to cautious buying patterns in other major consumer markets including India, resulting in a weak demand environment for the nutrient. This has also put a downward pressure on potash prices. The company has curtailed potash production in response to weak demand.



Lower government subsidies coupled with local currency devaluation may lead to depressed demand for potash from farmers in India which is currently in the grip of severe drought. Agricultural market conditions also remain weak in Brazil. Tighter profit margins and credit are making growers in that country more cautious in their spending. High inventory levels in India and cautious buying in Brazil have also contributed to a depressed market environment for phosphate.



Potash Corp. is a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).



Other Stocks to Consider



Better-ranked companies in the basic materials space include Asahi Kasei Corp. AHKSY, Innospec Inc. IOSP and CVR Partners, LP UAN. While both Asahi Kasei and Innospec hold a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), CVR Partners is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock.



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Preacher AMC

AMC

If any show can break the hold Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead has over the internet it just might be AMCs new series Preacher.

Based off a popular comic book series, the show is a supernatural dark dramedy that follows a Texas preacher tasked with bringing about justice via his divinely imparted abilities. Its a story thats passed through quite a few hands over the years before landing at AMC courtesy of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and by the looks of the shows series premiere trailer, it was worth the wait.

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Set to a stringed country jaunt, the two-minute clip features some fan favorite characters including Tulip OHare (the soon to be in demand Ruth Negga), Irish vampire Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) and the bad ass clergyman himself, Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper). Besides watching Tulip vandalize a church van, Cassidy light one up by stepping out into the midday son, and Custer beat a man to a pulp before downing some whiskey, we also get a glimpse of a handcuffed Arseface (Ian Colletti) and meaty villain Odin Quincannon wielding a decently-sized sausage.

Critics are already praising the show for its near-perfect casting and commitment to its beloved source material so anyone worrying whether that guy from Knocked Up can actually handle the responsibility of bringing Custer and his band of deviants to the small screen should just take a Xanax and strap in. Its going to be one hell of a ride.
For almost two years now, ever since the Euromaidan revolution toppled the corrupt government of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, supporters of reform have been demanding the ouster of Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who was widely regarded as too soft on the fight against corruption. Last month they finally got their wish. He resigned.

Yet Shokins departure has brought little joy to reformers. Just a few hours before leaving office, he signed an order dismissing Vitaliy Kasko, a deputy who was known as a solid advocate of the anti-corruption agenda. Shokin also seized the opportunity to fire another important pro-reform figure in the prosecutors office in Odessa. Perhaps most bizarrely of all, the Prosecutor Generals Office also opened an investigation into the finances of Ukraines most prominent non-profit anti-corruption organization, the Anti-Corruption Action Center. The fact that President Poroshenko tolerated these actions sends an ominous message about the true intentions of those at the top of Ukrainian politics.

Now matters have taken an even more discouraging turn. Last week, the Ukrainian parliament voted to approve Shokins successor  and for reformers, the result is no less than a disaster. The new prosecutor general, Yuri Lutsenko, is the wrong person for the job, and his appointment makes it amply clear that reforms in Ukraine are stalling.

To understand why Lutsenko is a problem, one must first understand the nature of the institution that he now heads. Most well-established liberal democracies around the world have offices that are the functional equivalents of Lutsenkos, but in practice they are radically different. In the United States, for example, the attorney general acts as the governments lawyer-in-chief, overseeing law enforcement bodies and ensuring that all federal agencies conform to the law. And while the attorney general may serve at the pleasure of the president, he or she takes an oath to the Constitution; the officeholders first responsibility is to the law itself, not to the chief executive.

Little of this applies to the chief prosecutor in Kiev. Under the old Soviet system, whose legacy remains strong even in todays Ukraine, the office of the prosecutor general was a quasi-military agency that answered to the Communist Party, which gave it overarching powers of investigation and arrest. Since the collapse of the USSR, the Ukrainian Prosecutor Generals Office has retained similarly sweeping powers while effectively transferring its allegiance to the office of the president. President Yanukovych was particularly notorious for using the office to ruthlessly exercise his power and build his authoritarian regime. Under his rule, the prosecutors office remained an instrument of political persecution rather than becoming a guarantor of the rule of law.

Even though present-day Ukrainian law ostensibly guarantees the chief prosecutors independence from political interference, in practice the office remains a tool of the executive, which uses it to reward or punish its friends and enemies. In the views of many reformers, Shokin was a problem precisely because he deployed his ample powers in the service of the old oligarchic state, protecting those who operated in the interests of politically well-connected businessmen and systematically stymying anti-corruption efforts. Shokin signally failed, for example, to prosecute any of those responsible for the killing of dozens of Euromaidan protesters during the revolution. He did nothing to punish Yanukovych or his cronies, who led country into political and economic disaster. Nor did he make any apparent effort to restrain the oligarchs, who continue to wield their power over Ukraines economy and political system with little concern for the law.

Reformers had hoped that whoever took his place could ensure a clean start. But Lutsenko is not that person. On the face of things, he would seem to have at least some reformist credentials. Having played a prominent role in the 2004 Orange Revolution, he then became Minister of Internal Affairs (responsible for the police and internal security) under President Viktor Yushchenko. But though he held that post twice (2005-2006 and 2007-2010), he achieved little during his time in office. (Indeed, his most notable achievement was getting himself arrested by German police during a drunken incident at the Frankfurt Airport.)

In 2010, the Yanukovych administration ordered his arrest for alleged abuse of office, and he was imprisoned until finally receiving a presidential pardon in 2013. Lutsenko asserted that he was the victim of political persecution, and western governments harshly criticized the Ukrainian government for its handling of the case.

But by far the most worrisome thing about Lutsenko is his close personal connection to President Poroshenko. Currently, Lutsenko runs the Petro Poroshenko Bloc in parliament, which brings together all the lawmakers loyal to the president, so there is good reason to believe that his appointment will only increase the prosecutor generals closeness to the president. Needless to say, this doesnt bode well for efforts to bolster the political independence of the office.

The presidents handling of Lutsenkos appointment has done little to allay such suspicions. Existing laws specified that any appointee to the office of the prosecutor general must have legal training or prior experience in the department. Neither applied to Lutsenko. To ensure his appointment, therefore, his supporters in parliament simply decided to change the law. When their first attempt failed, Poroshenko canceled a planned visit to the U.K. so that he could stay in Kiev and oversee preparations for the next vote. Whatever he did, it was remarkably effective. On May 12, the Ukrainian parliament moved with shocking speed to modify the existing law to enable Lutsenkos appointment, then quickly voted to approve him for the post.

The presidents success is likely to come at a high cost. In order to pull off Lutsenkos appointment, Poroshenko was compelled to rely on the help of oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky as well as former members of Yanukovychs Party of Regions. These are precisely the political forces that are most eager to block reform and the establishment of true rule of law.

Last month, when Poroshenko appointed Volodymyr Groysman as Ukraines new prime minister, he declared the countrys political crisis to be at an end. His optimism was premature. If the president, his inner circle, and their new oligarch allies continue on their present course, new conflicts are inevitable.

Poroshenko won the presidency in the wake of the revolution by vowing to fight the legacy of the previous authoritarian government. Today each decision he makes is bringing him a step farther away from the reform camp and closer to a new, Yanukovych-style regime.

In the photo, Ukrainian MPs and President Petro Poroshenko applaud before voting to name Yury Lutsenko, the countrys Prosecutor General on May 12 in Kiev.

Photo credit: ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP/Getty Images
david samantha cameron holiday

David Cameron has signed up to dating app Tinder, The Times reports.

The Prime Minister plans to place ads on the dating app as part of a marketing campaign to persuade more young people to register to vote in the upcoming EU referendum, according to the report.

"We are always looking for ways to try and encourage people to register to vote," a source from Downing Street told The Times.

Downing Street is also placing ads on viral publisher LadBible's properties, according to the report.

Cameron summoned leaders from websites including Facebook, Twitter, Google, Buzzfeed to Downing Street on Friday and called on them to encourage those eligible to vote to register before the deadline on June 7.

The websites are seen by Downing Street as a way of communicating directly with younger voters, who are generally less likely to vote in elections and referendums, but more likely to be pro-EU than the rest of the population.

More than half (53%) of voters aged 18-to-34 say they want Britain to remain in the EU, compared to just 29% who are pro-Brexit, according to an Opinium/Observer poll. But only 52% of the age group said they would definitely vote on June 23, compared to 81% of people who are aged 54 or above.

David Cameron is leading the campaign for Britain to remain a part of the EU. So his motivation for getting young people out to vote is clear. However, the Tinder campaign is officially non-partisan.

Number 10 and Tinder were not immediately available for comment.

NOW WATCH: A Navy SEAL reveals what American Sniper got wrong





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Fox News Dana Perino is visiting Facebook headquarters tomorrow after being invited by CEO Mark Zuckerberg to discuss accusations that the social media company deliberately suppresses conservative news in its Trending Topics section.

Im going in there with an open mind and some curiosity, Perino told TheWrap. If I make one point, the bigger-picture problem across the board is that Silicon Valley as a whole is a great champion of diversity, but usually when they talk about diversity, they mean gender and race. Diversity of thought is also very valuable.

Perino is a co-host of Fox News Channels The Five, which is regularly among the highest-rated shows in cable news. She was also the White House Press Secretary under George W. Bush, so its safe to say Perino is familiar with the type of conservative news Facebook is accused to burying.

Also Read: Former Facebook Workers: Company Censored Conservative Stories From Trending News Feed

Perino says shes not exactly sure why she got the invite. It could be a combo of her role in the Bush administration, her Fox News ties or perhaps she simply got invited because of her social media following.

I have a pretty healthy Facebook following, Perino said. I like the engagement that I do there. I dont know if that was one of their considerations, but they reached out with an invitation on Saturday and Fox News decided to send me.

Radio host Glenn Beck, Trump campaign senior adviser Barry Bennett, Arthur Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute, CNN commentator SE Cupp and former Mitt Romney staffer Zac Moffatt are among the conservatives expected to join Perino.

Also Read: Mark Zuckerberg Invites Glenn Beck, Fox News' Dana Perino to Facebook HQ to Talk Liberal Bias

Perino, who has never met Zuckerberg, is ready to defend conservative values if necessary, and feels her current gig has prepared her for the environment.

I think there are 12 participants in the meeting plus Mark Zuckerberg. If you think about The Five, there is five people with 42 minutes of air time and all these topics; when you boil it down, there is not much time to get a lot of words out. You have to be smart about it, Perino said.

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Perino explained how she became a conservative despite media bias, in her book And The Good News Is

Also Read: Leaked Facebook Documents Reveal Human Control Over Trending Topics

I grew up around people who mostly held conservative or libertarian views; the liberals I knew were fairly quiet about it  At the time I didnt know how liberal the media was, but looking back at clips, Im amazed that after all the news I consumed, I still emerged as I did, Perino wrote.

Perino believes that the majority of media outlets lean toward the left, but she doesnt think the same can be said for social media.

I think that social media has been very good for conservatives. Before social media, it was very difficult to get your message out to a mass audience with no filter, Perino said while pointing out that Fox News was the No. 1 brand on Facebook in 2015. Now, all of the sudden you have lots of different ways to communicate direct to consumer or to utilize opportunities with the media to leverage a chance to express themselves in lots of different ways.

Also Read: Senate Demands Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Answer Liberal Bias Claims

Last week, The Guardian uncovered internal Facebook files that outline editorial decisions throughout the companys news operation, including guidelines on how to inject and blacklist particular stories.

The guidelines are sure to bolster arguments that Facebook has made discriminatory editorial decisions against right-wing media, The Guardians Sam Thielman wrote.

Perino thinks the mix of humans and algorithm used to determine Trending Topics needs to be more transparent or improved, but feels Zuckerberg can right the ship.

Also Read: Facebook Claims Censoring Trending Topics Is 'Technically Not Feasible'

When Facebook decided to get more into the news business, it did open itself up for some criticism like this and I think that they recognize that now. Theyre trying to correct it, Perino said. The fact that theyre even holding this meeting shows they want to make the right choice to be more inclusive.

Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post last week, I want to have a direct conversation about what Facebook stands for and how we can be sure our platform stays as open as possible.

While many users have been led to believe Facebooks Trending Topics feature is based on an objective algorithm, the documents revealed that a small editing staff has largely been responsible for what appears in the now-controversial section of the social networks newsfeed.

Also Read: Only Jon Snow Beats Fox News' Donald Trump Coverage in Viewers

The leaked papers popped up after Gizmodo reported claims by former Facebook workers that colleagues prevented conservative topics and publications from appearing in the Trending Topics sidebar next to users primary news feeds.

The very next day, the Senate Commerce Committee sent a letter to Zuckerberg requesting information regarding accusations that the social media platform purposely keeps conservative news out of its Trending Topics section.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Mark Zuckerberg Invites Glenn Beck, Fox News' Dana Perino to Facebook HQ to Talk Liberal Bias

Mark Zuckerberg Reaches Out to Conservatives Amid Accusations of Facebook Bias

Senate Demands Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Answer Liberal Bias Claims
Obama Shinola

During a recent visit to the UK, President Barack Obama gave British Prime Minister David Cameron a gift: a custom-made Shinola watch with the presidential seal engraved on the back.

It's no surprise that Obama would give Cameron a Shinola  after all, the US president is a known fan of the company, which he has declared a symbol of American manufacturing bringing jobs back to the US.

And it's true: Shinola makes a high-quality, handsome watch, and it's one of only a few companies that assemble watches in the US.

The Detroit-based brand has cultivated a cachet among consumers who are looking for a nice watch but aren't willing or able to shell out the coin required for a high-end Swiss brand like Rolex.

Besides watches, the brand also builds bicycles and enlists other manufacturing companies to create journals, apparel, leather goods, pet accessories, and other accessories.

Shinola CMO Bridget Russo told NewCo that the company generated $100 million in revenue in 2015, up from $20 million in 2013 and $60 million in 2014.

But even as the brand has built a large following across the country, there's a little more to its story.

A Detroit-raised company

Shinola

Launched in 2011 by Tom Kartsotis of Bedrock Brands (who also cofounded Fossil), the company purchased its name from an early 1900s shoe-polish brand called Shinola. The shoe-polish brand is where the 20th-century phrase "You don't know s--- from Shinola" came from, according to Adweek.

Though the company is not as old as its name and marketing might suggest, that's not necessarily a bad thing  plenty of companies revive old trademarks hoping to cash in on nostalgic cachet.

Shinola moved into a former General Motors design lab in Detroit to build its watches. It proudly stamps "Detroit"  the home to Shinola's headquarters and main factory  on all of its products, even a shoeshine that the company makes in Chicago, according to The Washington Post.

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Kartsotis and the other early members of Shinola had no previous ties to Detroit before starting the company there, but the company says it is committed to the city, providing well-paying manufacturing jobs to its citizens and investing in its infrastructure. It sponsored the creation of a dog park in Midtown Detroit in 2014.

"Shinola is, and always has been, a job-creation vehicle, and our intention is to create jobs in this city we now call home," Shinola President Jacques Panis told Business Insider.

Shinola hired more than 300 people for its Detroit factory and headquarters, and it employs about 200 more worldwide. Shinola trumpets the fact that it is providing jobs to an economically depressed city in desperate need of them. This lends a philanthropic air to the company that customers and employees can buy into, similar to the Toms Shoes giveback and Warby Parker's "buy a pair, give a pair" program.

Detroit is also associated with quality American manufacturing in many people's minds, and customers respond strongly to it when it is used in marketing materials.

An unnamed employee told Crain's about a focus group Kartsotis had commissioned before choosing the brand's home base. The focus group was given a choice between a $5 Chinese-made pen, a $10 US-made pen, and a $15 Detroit-made men. People consistently chose the Detroit-made pen over the other options, which suggested that others might be more inclined to pay a premium for products stamped with the Detroit name.

"There's really nothing else like Shinola," Northwestern University marketing professor Timothy Calkins told The Washington Post. "It's a brilliant thing they did, this association with Detroit, a very authentic look and this authentic story. This is a very carefully constructed brand done by very savvy brand builders."

Quartz watches

Shinola

The watches made in Shinola's factory are assembled by hand using techniques from the company's Swiss partner brand Ronda, which sent representatives to Detroit in the early days to train the workers in the new workshop.

Some criticize Shinola for the fact that it emphasizes craftsmanship and engineering in its products while using quartz movements and charging a premium for it. Quartz movements are relatively cheap and easy to produce compared with mechanical watches, as they have far fewer moving parts and require less watchmaking expertise.

Shinola watches retail at $475 to $1,125, while quartz watches made by Skagen and Fossil hover close to $100. Some of the higher costs of manufacturing in the US are most likely baked into that premium, along with the high-quality materials Shinola uses, but "compared to some of the other products out there, they're definitely charging a premium," Ariel Adams, founder of the blog aBlogtoWatch, told the Detroit Free Press.

A Shinola representative told Business Insider the company must make its watches with the less-complicated quartz movements to be able to produce watches at scale and be the job-creation vehicle the company hopes to be. Shinola does, however, hope to one day create a mechanical watch.

Some have also questioned Shinola's stated commitment to Detroit, as the product's prices are out of the range of many people who live there.

"The thought of a company selling such luxuriously priced goods in a city that, according to the 2010 Census, has a per capita income of $14,000 is downright laughable," Jon Moy at Complex writes.

Indeed, the company's first retail store outside Detroit was built in the trendy, wealthy New York City neighborhood of Tribeca in Manhattan, inside a townhouse Shinola purchased for $14.5 million, according to The New York Times. Shinola has since opened stores in luxury destinations including London, Miami, and Los Angeles, and the watches are stocked in almost 1,000 stores worldwide, according to the company's website.

'Made' versus 'Built'

Shinola

Shinola's tagline is "Built in Detroit." The company builds all of its watches and bicycles in the 30,000-square-foot Detroit factory. The company sells many more watches than bicycles, and the bikes are assembled by skilled craftsmen. The company has received some flak for assembling these watches and bicycles using imported parts, like Ronda quartz movements that are made in Switzerland and Thailand. (The bicycle frames are made in Wisconsin.)

Recently, the Federal Trade Commission has taken issue with a Kansas City-based watchmaker, Niall Luxury Goods, for making a "made in US" claim. The FTC requires products labeled "Made in USA" to be composed of "all or virtually all" US-origin parts, but Niall's watches used Swiss-made movements, which the FTC found violated that requirement.

Shinola does not make the same "Made in USA" claim as Niall, but that may not matter to the FTC.

"It seems likely  without consumer perception evidence showing otherwise  that consumers would interpret a 'Built in' claim as equivalent to a 'Made in' claim, and a 'Built in [city]' as equivalent to a 'Made in USA' claim," FTC spokeswoman Elizabeth Lorden told The Detroit Free Press, while not speaking specifically about Shinola. "Therefore, the same 'all or virtually all' standard ... would apply."

Shinola disagrees with this characterization, and it says "Built in Detroit" is accurate and not duping the customer.

"We have been transparent as to the origin of the parts of our watches and do not claim to be qualified to say 'Made in the USA' on our watches," Panis told Business Insider. "For watches to be considered 'Made in the USA,' virtually all parts would have to be manufactured in the US, and unfortunately the supply chain does not exist, at scale, in the USA today."

An earlier version of this story stated that Bedrock Brands owned Fossil and its subsidiary, Skagen, and that Tom Kartsotis co-founded Ronda. These items are not true and the story has been updated to reflect this.

NOW WATCH: These are the watches worn by the smartest and most powerful men in the world





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Big changes are afoot in Chile.

Cash rebates of up to 20%-40% may launch before the years end. Ongoing talks with economic authorities are now in an interesting phase, says the Chile Film Commissions Viccenza Martini Vera.

There is absolute certainty in the film sector and in other institutions that Chile will soon take its place on the world stage among competitive locations.

Such a move would be great for Chile on several levels, says Fabula producer Juan de Dios Larrain, whose brother Pablos latest drama Neruda, co-financed by Participant Media, competes at Cannes Directors Fortnight. Not only will it be good for Chile on economic terms, but what is invested in the country and on rebates will be largely compensated by the prestige and attention it will bring the country and the diversity of its locations.

Meanwhile, Pinewood Studios inked a memo of understanding in November to open a studio in Chile. Chile Studio Group (CSG), created by Singapore-based investor Incubatrix, has asked Pinewood to conduct a feasibility study to determine the viability, size and scope of the project, says Raj Uttamchandani, executive director of Chile Studio Group, which will be financing the studio.

Latin America is a large and significant market, but its also extremely fragmented, he says. We see Chile as a natural point to attract productions within the region, from Brazil, Argentina and even Colombia.

Uttamchandani says CSGs initial focus would be to provide world-class media production facilities to the Latin American market. We would then look to attract Hollywood productions at a later stage, through our partners in the industry, he says.

While welcoming the advent of a Pinewood studio in Chile, genre maestro Eli Roth, who has, together with helmer Nicolas Lopez and Miguel Asensio of Sobras Intl. Pictures, formed a Chilewood film hub and shot his latest pics The Green Inferno and Knock Knock in Chile, some logistical issues still need to be resolved. Plane tickets are expensive; if you can find a way to reduce those prices or bring them in as a partner on the film to promote the country as a film center, it can really thrive, he says. Asensio warns that cash rebates might see prices rise in all services as it did in Brazil and Colombia, but it could eventually stabilize.

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The crews are fantastic. They work differently than American crews, but theyre excellent and can get done anything you want, says Roth.

Former Troublemaker VFX supervisor/artist Aaron Burns (Grindhouse) who has worked at Sobras since 2010, concurs. Hes directing his second pic, suspense thriller Madre, in Chile, with Sobras is producing. Chiles talent pool is so rich and they can work fast; crew members are not as rigid as in the U.S. and can work in all departments, he points out.

Producer Robert Katz, who worked on Phoenix Pictures Chilean miner drama The 33, helmed by Patricia Riggen and starring Antonio Banderas, oversaw all aspects of the day-to-day production and post as well as co-developed the script. Chile has spectacular locations ranging from deserts to mountains, which can be reached in short distances, he says. Labor wages were high when The 33 shot in Chile in 2014, but the new incentives would make them more competitive, he says.

At present, Chile can support no more than two large-scale productions at a time, says Asensio, and only one company, Fabula, ostensibly provides production services for big features such as The 33. Chile has skilled crew members, but too few of them. However, Pinewood Studios plans to address this.

Education, training and skills development is a key part of the (Pinewood) project to increase the talent pool available. Pinewood already has several initiatives in this area and we would work with them as well as other partners for this, says Uttamchandani.

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Rebel Wilson is suing magazine publisher Bauer Media for defamation according to the writ filed in Australia that was obtained by Mashable.

In the writ filed on Monday to the Supreme Court of Victoria, several of Bauer Medias Australian titles which include Womans Day, Womens Weekly and OK Magazine are alleged to have damaged the comedians reputation through online and print articles that claim she lied about her upbringing and age.

The articles by these publications have gravely injured in her feelings, credit and reputation reports Mashable, and she is seeking damages from the loss of earnings due to roles not being offered to her due to them.

In May 2015, Womans Day published an article that said Wilson had lied about her age, name and where she grew up. The writ also alleges that a Womans Day article implied that the Pitch Perfect actress is a serial liar who has invented fantastic stories in order to make it in Hollywood.

Bauer Media declined to comment on the defamation allegations, reports the Guardian, and says that they have yet to be served a writ.
Already one of MLB's best offensive teams over a stretch of two-plus weeks, the Boston Red Sox reached more spectacular heights during a seven-game homestand.

They'll try to carry over those prodigious performances in Tuesday night's visit to the Kansas City Royals, who have gotten shaky pitching at times lately, and Jackie Bradley Jr. will seek to extend his hit streak to 22 games.

Monday's opener was postponed due to rain and will be made up in a split doubleheader on Wednesday.

Boston was batting .302 with 97 runs in the 18 games before its homestand and kicked that up to .369 while winning six of seven at Fenway Park. The Red Sox (24-14) outscored their two opponents 73-37 and rallied after blowing an early four-run lead Sunday for a 10-9 victory against Houston.

Mookie Betts hit the go-ahead triple in the seventh inning, and Xander Bogaerts contributed a three-run homer in the second. Bogaerts is batting .408 in his last 24 games and has driven in seven runs in his past four.

"We are getting contributions up and down the lineup," manager John Farrell said. "It's fun to be a part of."

Bradley, who singled in the fifth to extend his streak, is hitting .402 with a .768 slugging percentage and 26 RBIs in his last 21 games. David Ortiz was given the day off after finishing a single shy of the cycle and hitting the winning 11th-inning double in a 6-5 victory Saturday.

Ortiz is batting .341 with seven homers, 11 doubles and 23 RBIs in his last 22 games. In his final series in Kansas City, the retiring slugger will face a rotation that has a 7.07 ERA in its last 11 games.

The Royals' staff has a 5.13 ERA in its past 12 contests but allowed a combined eight runs while taking two of three from lowly Atlanta this weekend, including a 4-2 victory in 13 innings Sunday.

"There's a lot of harmony in the clubhouse. Everyone is pulling for each other," designated hitter Kendrys Morales told MLB's official website following his game-ending home run.

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Yordano Ventura (3-2, 4.62 ERA) is coming off a 7-3 win against the New York Yankees on Wednesday. The right-hander gave up three runs in six innings after allowing a combined 10 in back-to-back losses, lasting just four innings each time.

Ventura gave up one run in six innings in his only matchup with Boston last season, a 6-3 win Aug. 22.

Rick Porcello bounced back from his only loss this season with a 13-3 victory against Oakland on Wednesday, allowing three runs in 6 2/3 innings.

Porcello (6-1, 3.11) has a 7.20 ERA while losing his last three starts against the Royals and gave up six runs in five innings in his lone meeting last season, a 7-4 defeat in Kansas City on June 20.

Boston went 4-3 against the Royals in 2015 but has won five of seven in Kansas City. The Red Sox will try to extend a pair of streaks in the first matchup this season.

They have homered in 16 consecutive games, the second-longest run in franchise history behind a 19-game streak in 1996. They also have double-digit hits in each contest in their homestand.

Boston hasn't recorded 10-plus hits in eight straight games since a run of 11 in May 2008.

Bogaerts is batting .433 in his last seven matchups with Kansas City, and Mookie Betts is a career .420 hitter against the Royals. Bradley has a lifetime .229 average in 11 meetings, and Ortiz is hitting .193 with one homer in his last 15.

Lorenzo Cain, batting .361 in his last 15 games, is 5 for 13 versus Porcello.
Oil isnt the only reason American boots keep leaving imprints in the Arabian dust. But its certainly the biggest one.

The United States has fought two wars in Iraq during the last 30 years, and its now embroiled in a low-visibility war with Islamic State terrorists in northern Iraq and Syria. The day may be coming, however, when the United States can meet its own oil needs with no reliance on the despots and faux-democrats of the Middle East.

Put Canada, Mexico and the United States together and you have solved our energy security issues, famed oilman T. Boone Pickens tells Yahoo Finance in the video above. You dont need a damn barrel from the Middle East.

Pickens idea is to form a sort of North American cartel in which the United States and its northern and southern neighbors provide all the petroleum products anybody on the continent needs. The numbers roughly line up: The three nations combined produce about 22 million barrels of gasoline, heating oil and other petroleum products per day, while consuming about 24 million barrels. American assistance and technology could probably help Mexico significantly ramp up its oil output, and bring total North American production in line with consumption.

The problem is that all three nations trade petroleum products worldwide instead of limiting oil trading to North America. The United States, for instance, imports about 9.5 million barrels of oil per day, from more than 80 countries. And it exports nearly 5 million barrels of petroleum products per day to many of the same countries. The United States exports very little raw crude, which was only recently allowed. Most oil exports from the United States are refined products such as fuels and lubricants.

Creating a North American oil-trading block would require some kind of three-nation pact, similar, say, to the North American Free Trade Agreement. It would also have to be phased in slowly, to allow a smooth transition from the multilateral oil trade that prevails today to one focused on North America. The whole scheme may seem implausible, given that the U.S. Congress can barely approve treats for dogs, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is more interested in building walls to keep Mexicans out of the U.S. than in mutually beneficial agreements.

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On the other hand, the whole oil economy is in a state of upheaval because of the surge in U.S. oil production caused by new fracking techniques and a worldwide oversupply of petroleum. Oil giant Saudi Arabia recently dismissed its long-serving oil minister and announced a plan to diversify its economy, to become less dependent on oil. Russia, another huge producer, is in a severe recession due to the plunge in oil prices and a huge decline in trade. Venezuela, with the worlds largest oil reserves, ought to be rich but instead is enduring an economic collapse.

There have been oil busts, before, and the petrostates have largely bounced back. But Pickens thinks the United States should exploit its new power as an oil producer to develop muscular new energy policies, downsize the U.S. military presence in the Middle East, and deploy the resources someplace else. We ought to get out of there, because we dont need their oil, he says. There are certainly other reasons to stay involved in the Middle East, but U.S. policy toward the region would be a lot simpler if oil werent part of the equation.

Rick Newmans latest book is Liberty for All: A Manifesto for Reclaiming Financial and Political Freedom. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman.
If you thought you got enough of Riggs and Murtaugh butting heads and solving crimes in the Lethal Weapon movies, you might want to think again. FOX released the first trailer for the television adaptation of the classic series starring Danny Glover and Mel Gibson, and it has us excited to see how Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford embody the iconic duo. So far, it seems like a pretty standard and straight forward take on the material with both leads acquitting themselves well and balancing human moments with more over-the-top action sequences.

Plus, Teddy Chaugh-ghghgh from Mad Men (AKA Kevin Rahm, who will never actually go by his real name again if we have anything to say about it) is the annoyed boss the partners have to answer to when things go right. Or, the more likely case, when things go wrong. No matter your expectations from the show, this trailer has something for everyone and even something for people who have no expectations at all.

There is Crawfords Riggs playing chicken with some bank robbers before showing off his hand-to-hand combat skills and then letting a bank blow up. There are multiple shots of Jordana Brewsters LAPD negotiator character Maureen Cahill and Wayans Murtaugh looking incredulously at Riggs as he does something ridiculous or dumbfounding. Theres an echoey voice-over and tragic flashbacks to Riggs (seemingly) pregnant wife getting T-boned and killed by a tractor-trailer. Just to make Brewster feel at home, we presume, there are classic action shots of car accidents and a fleeing suspect unwittingly getting hit by a bus. And of course, there are numerous instances of characters asking how crazy, dangerous, and/or absolutely insane Riggs is. Judging by how much carnage there is in this first look alone we are guessing very much insane.

Which, of course, is all part of the fun. Nobody on a cop show every enjoyed themselves by being safe and boring. Lethal Weapon is set to air on Wednesdays next season, although a premiere date has not been officially announced. Is this trailer enough to sell you on the adaptation, or will it take some additional disagreements from these two unlikely partners to hook you for good?

(via CinemaBlend)
Life reflected art on Monday afternoon when Robin Wright  known for her globally-renowned role as Claire Underwood in House of Cards  got political in an interview, telling Mic it's the world's "responsibility to do something about" the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Wright is the narrator and executive producer of the new documentary, When Elephants Fight, which delves into the DRC's nefarious mining industry; exploitation of the ample natural resources has consistently undermined the country's stability, while fueling sexual- and gender-based violence.

The film's associated campaign, #StandWithCongo, seeks to promote transparency in the extractive industry, particularly between the Congolese government and Western corporations  the latter of which have historically fueled rebel militia with illicit business deals.

Source: Mic/AP

Wright spoke of collective complicity, given smartphones and tablets contain many of the metals harvested from the DRC.

"Eleven years ago, when I learnt of this crisis, I was stunned that I was so uneducated  and that most around me were uneducated. That this device I had in my hand  I was on the phone with my daughter, telling her, 'goodnight,' and John Prendergast from the Enough Project was like, 'Do you have any idea what's housed in your phone?' 'No,' [I said]. Fifteen minutes later, my mouth was at my knees. And I just said, 'It's unacceptable, that I am using this convenience tool on a daily basis  all of us are  and we have a personal responsibility to do something about it.' ... This is the deadliest conflict in the world and we are basically fueling this war by being consumers."

Rebel groups, which over the past two decades have intermittently seized resource-rich areas and strategic mines, have benefitted enormously from making deals with Western corporations who buy "conflict minerals" from militia well below market value. Some of these businesses have subsequently enjoyed profits as high as 800%, according to the documentary.

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Decades of civil war have resulted in some of the highest rape rates in the world, and sexual violence has become a frequently used weapon. An estimated 40% of women in the DRC have been raped and when violence peaked, from 2006-2007, around 50 women were being raped every hour.

"It is a method of torture," Denis Mukwege, a human rights activist and Congolese gynecologist who runs a free clinic for rape victims, told the Guardian. "It is a way to terrorize the population. When I see some of the injuries on the women and children, I realize this type of violence has little to do with sex and much more with power through a sort of terrorism."

Greater transparency in the sourcing of minerals from the DRC, Wright contends, will have major and multifarious i
(BEIRUT)  The Russian military is constructing a new army base in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, within the protected zone that holds the archaeological site listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site and without asking for permission from relevant authorities, an American heritage organization and a top Syrian archaeologist said Tuesday.

The American School of Oriental Researchs Cultural Heritage Initiative posted pictures from the satellite imagery and analytics company DigitalGlobe that show the construction on the edge of the ancient site that was damaged by ISIS, which held Palmyra for 10 months.

Syrian troops backed by Russian airstrikes captured Palmyra in March and fighting continues miles away until this day.

Russian demining experts have detonated hundreds of bombs left behind by the extremists at and near the site since the town was captured. A top Syrian archaeologist said the presence of Syrian and Russian troops in Palmyra is important to prevent ISIS from coming back.

Maamoun Abdulkarim, head of the Antiquities and Museums Department in Damascus, told The Associated Press that the Russians are building small barracks that includes offices and clinics.

Abdulkarim said his organization was not asked for permission but added that ISIS is close to the town and the presence of Russian and Syrian troops is important to ensure that the site remains in government hands.

We refuse to give permission even if it was for a small room to be built inside the site whether it is for the Syrian army, Russian army or anyone else, Abudlkarim said by telephone from Damascus. We will never give such permission because this will be in violation of the archaeology law.

Since Russia began launching airstrikes in Syria in September 2015, Moscow has tipped the balance of power in favor of President Bashar Assads forces. Earlier this year Russia said it was scaling back its presence in Syria.

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Before ISIS captured the town in May 2015, the Syrian army was known to have minor military presence inside the site.

During the ISISs 10 months in Palmyra, the militants destroyed the Temple of Bel, which dated back to A.D. 32, the Temple of Baalshamin, which was several stories high and fronted by six towering columns, and the Arch of Triumph, which was built under the Roman emperor Septimius Severus between A.D. 193 and A.D. 211.

During the time of war, sometimes archaeological authorities dont have a say but security decisions dictate the orders, AbdulKarim said. Once the situation improves and peace is reached, then we will openly call for removing the barracks.

Osama al-Khatib, a Syrian opposition activist from Palmyra who currently lives in Turkey, said the Russians are setting up prefabricated homes and tents on the northern edge of the archaeological site. He added that the site where the Russians are now based is hundreds of meters (yards) from the temples and the Arch of Triumph.

He said there are also some historical graves near where the Russians are setting up their barracks.
On Monday's Full Frontal, Samantha Bee met a Super PAC fundraiser who contributed to the campaigns of Rudy Guiliani, Mitt Romney, and Jeb Bush. When she heard who he'd worked for, she felt sorry for him. The fundraiser was able to get millions for Jeb Bush. Most of that money was used for advertising. Apparently, not all the money was put to good use. Bee shared a piece of a direct mail advertisement that featured a poorly photoshopped picture of Jeb Bush with hands that obviously belonged to an African American man. Samantha Bee explained the vicious cycle of Super PAC's. Each candidate must have a Super PAC to contend with other candidates who also have Super PAC's. They all end up trying out-raise each other. She asked the fundraiser, "Would you be happier if Super PACS didn't exist at all?" He replied, "Absolutely. I would. Yes." She added, "You know who agrees with you on that? Every single person in America."
Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia on Tuesday put to death a Pakistani man convicted of drug smuggling, bringing to 93 the number of executions in the kingdom this year.

Mohammed Ishaq Thawab Gul had been found guilty of trafficking heroin into the kingdom, the interior ministry said.

Most people put to death in the Gulf country are beheaded with a sword.

Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, although 47 people were put to death for "terrorism" on a single day in January.

According to rights group Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia had the third-highest number of executions last year -- at least 158.

That was far behind Pakistan which executed 326, and Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran, which executed at least 977, said Amnesty whose figures exclude secretive China.

Rights experts have raised concerns about the fairness of trials in Saudi Arabia and say the death penalty should not be applied in drugs cases.

The interior ministry, however, said the government "is keen on fighting drugs of all kinds due to their serious damage to individuals and the society".
The only twins ever to fly in space are about to get a lot of love from their hometown.

West Orange, New Jersey, will honor native sons Mark and Scott Kelly on Thursday (May 19), which the city has decreed Kelly Family Day. The former NASA astronauts, who are identical twins, will receive "Mayoral Medals," and the elementary school they attended  currently called Pleasantdale Elementary  will be renamed after them, West Orange officials said.

"Renaming the elementary school where it all began will personify how proud we are as a school district and community," West Orange Superintendent Jeffrey Rutzky said in a statement. "The Kelly brothers' achievements remind our children of the importance of passion, hard work and dedication. My hope is that many students are inspired by Mark and Scott's accomplishments." [Twins in Space: NASA's Twin Astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly (Photos)]

Mark Kelly flew four space shuttle missions during his astronaut career: the STS-108 flight of Endeavour in 2001, the STS-121 mission of Discovery in 2006, the STS-124 flight of Discovery in 2008 and the STS-134 mission of Endeavour in 2011 (which was the second-to-last flight of the space shuttle program). He served as commander of both STS-124 and STS-134.

Mark Kelly spent a total of 54 days in space before retiring from the astronaut corps in October 2011. He retired partly to help his wife, former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, recover from the injuries she suffered during a January 2011 assassination attempt. He is currently director of flight crew operations for World View Enterprises, an Arizona-based company that launches scientific payloads to the stratosphere using balloons, and that aims to loft paying customers soon as well.

Scott Kelly flew on the STS-103 flight of the shuttle Discovery in 1999 and the STS-118 mission of Endeavour in 2007. He also stayed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for long stints twice, from October 2010 through March 2011 and from March 2015 through March 2016.

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The one-year ISS mission, which Kelly conducted with cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, marked the longest stretch anyone had ever lived continuously aboard the ISS. The goal was to help pave the way for future crewed missions to Mars, which will require long journeys through deep space. Mark Kelly was part of the one-year mission as well, participating in experiments on the ground to provide a genetic control for Scott.

Scott Kelly holds the American record for most total days spent in space, with 540. He retired on April 1 of this year.

Both Kelly twins are former test pilots with the U.S. Navy. They are 52 years old.

Editor's note: Space.com and its partner collectSPACE.com are media supporters of the Pleasantdale Elementary School renaming ceremony to honor the Kelly astronaut brothers.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.

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Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
By Emma Batha COPENHAGEN (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Self-injectable contraceptives, which are being trailed in Uganda and Senegal, could revolutionize women's lives in rural Africa and dramatically cut maternal and newborn deaths, health experts said on Tuesday. The disposable $1 device consists of a small needle connected to a plastic bubble containing the contraceptive Depo-Provera which can be squeezed to inject a dose that lasts three months. Self-injectables could have a major impact on the lives of women who cannot access clinics or who face opposition to contraceptive use from their partners, said the global health organization PATH which has designed the device called Sayana Press. "This is a life-saver. This is a game-changer for family planning," PATH's Emmanuel Mugisha told the Thomson Reuters Foundation at Women Deliver, the world's biggest women's health and rights conference in a decade. About a third of maternal deaths could be avoided by delaying motherhood, spacing births, preventing unintended pregnancies, and avoiding unsafe abortions, according to PATH. Unwanted pregnancies also cut short girls' education and stop them reaching their potential. Mugisha, PATH's Uganda director, said women in rural areas could spend an entire day trekking to a clinic and queuing for contraceptives only to discover they were out of stock. "In Africa, one of the hindrances with family planning is access. The second hindrance is us men," he said. "Most men don't want family planning. Some want more children, but others think it interferes with their sex life. "With Sayana Press a woman has the freedom to decide when she wants children and when she doesn't, and the man will have no control; the man will not know, which is very good." Mugisha said self-injectable contraceptives would also reduce the high numbers of women dying during botched abortions in Uganda. UNMET NEED Some 225 million women in developing countries have an unmet need for family planning, according to U.N. data. If this need were met, unintended pregnancies would fall by 70 percent, unsafe abortions by 74 percent, maternal deaths by 25 percent and newborn deaths by 18 percent. Trials with Sayana Press, which is manufactured by Pfizer, are being carried out to ensure women can remember to take it, administer it correctly and dispose of the device safely so that it does not get picked up by children. Nomi Fuchs-Montgomery, an expert on contraceptive technology at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which is helping support the trials, said early indications were very positive. "We see so much promise with this," she added. "This is really the future." Fuchs-Montgomery said increasing the availability of contraception had a major role to play in meeting many of the Sustainable Developing Goals - the U.N. goals agreed last year for ending inequality and extreme poverty. Access to contraception allows women to complete their education, follow careers and participate economically which has "an incredible knock-on effect" on their wider communities and national development, she added. PATH is also conducting trials in Burkina Faso and Niger where community health workers are using the device to deliver contraceptives to women. Some 5,500 delegates from over 160 countries - including policy makers, business leaders, health workers, activists and celebrities - are attending the Women Deliver conference which ends on Thursday. (Editing by xxxxxx; 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.)
The Senate unanimously passed a bill allowing the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for any potential role in the attack, escalating a showdown with the White House over a bill that could spark new tensions with a key Gulf ally.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama was unlikely to sign the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act if it passes the House. He cited concerns that foreign governments could craft similar legislation in retaliation that would remove legal protections known as sovereign immunity for American citizens or U.S. officials, allowing them to be sued in foreign courts.

The White House isnt alone in worrying about the potential impact of the legislation. With less than six months before Election Day, even senators who support the bill fret it could further strain the already-tense relationship between Washington and Riyadh  and leave the next administration to deal with the consequences.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, who supported the bill and worked to improve it, said he and other senators anticipated the White House veto threat. He too has lingering concerns about the bills potential negative impact on U.S.-Saudi relations and the principle of sovereign immunity.

I understand with all the families of the 9/11 victims the tremendous desire to get this done, he told Foreign Policy. Theres just a little bit of unease when you deal with sovereign immunity issues that it may backfire on us, or other countries.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who dropped out of the presidential race early on, also expressed concerns about Saudi Arabias opposition. Just back from a trip to Riyadh, he told Foreign Policy that officials didnt bring it up, but that the tension is always lingering in the room. Graham has long trumpeted the significance of the Gulf ally in the Middle East, particularly in the Islamic State fight. He hopes Riyadh doesnt take the bill personally.

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The concept of being able to hold nation states liable if they interact with terrorist groups is not about Saudi Arabia; its about the world at large, he said.

Graham pointed to U.S. support for Kurds in Syria, adding that if they joined a terrorist group to conduct an attack in Turkey, the United States would not want to be held liable. Am I worried about the precedent this sets, how it could be used against us one day? Yes.

The bill comes at an already fraught moment. Washington wants Riyadh to do more in the fight against the Islamic State, but the Saudis have expressed growing unease over Washingtons warming relationship with Iran, its biggest regional rival. Then theres a bipartisan push for the new legislation; the growing calls to declassify portions of a 2002 congressional inquiry into the 9/11 attacks that focused on Saudi Arabias potential involvement in the strikes; and Obamas recent use of the term free riders to describe Saudi Arabia and other American allies around the world.

The White House declined to comment to Foreign Policy on whether Obama was prepared to veto the legislation, referring to Earnests comments. The White House also declined to comment on whether Riyadh had directly expressed concerns about the legislation to any administration official, noting only that it wasnt brought up during Obamas visit to the kingdom in April. A source close to the Saudi government, however, said its opposition has been clearly communicated to the White House.

Riyadh has long denied any Saudi government involvement in 9/11. It opposes the new bill because it says the legislation would threaten not only Saudi citizens and officials with American legal action, but Saudi investments, which could be frozen by U.S. courts. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir warned that Riyadh would have little choice but to sell off as much as $750 billion in U.S. assets if Obama signed the bill into law.

In fact what they [Congress] are doing is stripping the principle of sovereign immunities which would turn the world for international law into the law of the jungle, he said on May 3. Thats why the [Obama] administration is opposed to it, and thats why every country in the world is opposed to it.

The bill has divided the Democratic Party, pitting prominent lawmakers and the partys two candidates for president against the current occupant of the White House.

Last month, both former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders broke with the Obama administration to express their support for the bill, introduced by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).

Obviously, weve got to make anyone who participates in or supports terrorism pay a price, and we also have to be aware of any consequences that might affect Americans, either military or civilian or our nation, Clinton said in an ABC interview on April 17.

On Tuesday, Clintons campaign didnt respond to a request for comment on the bills passage or its potential long-term impact on U.S.-Saudi relations. A Sanders representative noted that he was a co-sponsor of the legislation, but didnt comment on its potential effects.

The campaign of presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump did not respond to a request for comment.

Both Clinton and Sanders have said U.S. allies, particularly Gulf partners, need to do more in the fight against the Islamic State, with Clinton saying regional powers should put up the ground troops necessary to retake ground from the terrorist group. Theyve also criticized Trumps anti-Muslim rhetoric for potentially making it harder to persuade such key allies to enter the fight.

Trump, for his part, has shown no signs of backing away from his comments about Muslims or his assertions that American allies from Europe to the Gulf werent contributing enough to their own defense and instead relying on the United States to ensure it for them.

The 9/11 issue is a complex one for Trump. Trump has also engaged in other conspiracy theories about the attacks, from alleging that the Bush administration was complicit to claiming that Muslims in America were seen celebrating. The Obama administration is weighing whether to declassify the 28 pages of the 2002 congressional inquiry into the attacks that deal with whether Saudi officials played a role. Trump has said he has no doubts about what the answer is.

I think I know what its going to say, he said of the 28 pages in an April interview on Fox News. Its going to be very profound, having to do with Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabias role on the World Trade Center and the attack.

Several of the 9/11 commission reports authors have emphasized that they support the declassification of the 28 pages because they say it will clear up any mystery. The commission found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded al Qaeda or the 9/11 attackers.

For now, the next likely step is House consideration of the bill. House Speaker Paul Ryan has expressed concerns about the legislation, saying last month, I think we need to review it to make sure that were not making mistakes with our allies and that were not catching people up in this that shouldnt be caught up in this.

Cornyn told Foreign Policy on Tuesday that House counterparts have signaled support, but its unclear as of yet whether theres enough for the House to pass the measure and send it to Obamas desk.

Photo credit: DAVE CLARK/Staff
Student Macey Austin wants to know if her jeans are inappropriate. She captioned this photo, let me change real quick bc I AM OUT OF DRESS CODE yes showing absolutely NOTHING. (Photo: @maceyaustin_/Twitter)

The war on bullying has opened a new front: skinny jeans.

A school district in North Carolina amending its current dress code is considering prohibiting students from wearing leggings, skinny jeans, and any other excessively tight fitting pants, unless they are covered by a top or dress. The entire posterior must be concealed, and dresses, skirts, skorts, and similar garments must meet the same criteria. Crop tops, spaghetti straps, and gang-related apparel also would be banned under the new changes.

The New Hanover County school systems updated policies were put forth at a meeting last month and are still under review.

Jeannette Nichols, the school boards vice chair, told Fox Wilmington that one of the reasons for introducing the tight pants ban was that some of the bigger girls were being bullied.

Officials have asked for feedback, and many students, parents, and at least one school board official have taken to social media to air their concerns.

I think that it is dumb because skinny jeans are the only thing that fit me and all the other are to big on me, Robert Chapman wrote on Twitter. Another questioned why it matters what the student body wears as long as their legs are covered. It shouldnt matter what we wear but what effort we make towards helping students pass their grades and helping education, Tiffany Harker commented. Kaitlyn Johnson noted that she and her peers go to school to learn, not to be judged. Teachers show more than us sometimes, focus on the education, she added. Amy Koresko, a parent of a student in the district, said that the motion, called Policy 8520, is very gender biased. Its our job as parents to monitor, not the schools.

Many students have opinions longer than 140 characters. (Photo: @amber_rayy/Twitter)

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But on Tuesday, May 24, fellow school board member Lisa Estep broke from her peers and voiced her concern about Policy 8520 on Facebook. According to the news, the reason given by one of my fellow School Board members for this proposed change was that a bigger girl was being bullied, (presumably for wearing skinny jeans). As a 6'1 'bigger girl, I grew up being teased, bullied, and ostracized at different times in my life. And I know, to my shame, that sometimes I wasnt so nice myself. Guess what? You cant legislate kindness. But you can teach it. You cant legislate compassion. But you can live it. As a system, we should, as best we can, foster an environment where all students feel included and valued, wrote Estep.

If you are going to change our dress code that much then you might as well give us uniforms. @NewHanoverCoSch  Priscillaaaa (@priscillaxanne) May 17, 2016

finally, Ill get a chance to wear my civil war dresses. @NewHanoverCoSch pic.twitter.com/qWGUUtYV7D  rach (@Rachelharrisc) May 17, 2016

"Will we be able to completely solve bullying?, she asked. No, because many students bring with them emotional baggage when they get on that bus or walk through those school doors, and some of those problems, which lead to anger or behavioral issues, are beyond the school systems ability to fix. And lets face it, sometimes- baggage or no baggage- some teenagers are just stupid, and say and do stupid things. So we should enforce the current no tolerance policy on bullying, and take seriously any student who comes forward with such claims.

@NewHanoverCoSch how about you turn your attention to what we come to school for, education. Rather than bring your attention to our bodies.  Baby (@katy_leas) May 16, 2016

instead of punishing girls lets teach boys to control themselves!!!!! @NewHanoverCoSch  brookie (@brookegimello1) May 16, 2016

But more importantly, Estep contunied, we, as a system should continue to teach our students and show our students how to be kind, and compassionate, and give them plenty of opportunities to be inclusive. I, as a parent, should be doing this every day (some days are better than others). But I, as a School Board member, should not try to equate dress code restrictions with helping to combat bullying.

#policy8520 Dress codes are discriminatory towards girls. Skinny jeans are normal everyday wear for females of all ages  Stacey Samuel (@staceysamuelTMS) May 16, 2016

Theres no word on when a final decision will be made, but the district thanked students on social media for sharing their opinions and noted that responsible comments would be shared with the board.

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Office REITs are a safer bet.

Investors would do well to take shelter in office REITs in the near-term, as a flurry of headwinds are expected to batter the local retail REIT scene.

According to a report by CIMB, going into the next few quarters, office REITs are likely to enjoy positive rental reversions for this year as expiring rents are still some 10% below current market levels.

Further, CIMB projects office REITs to nab the steepest average DPU growth of 5.2% YoY for FY16. That said, the spread between passing and market rents are likely to narrow, as market rents slide in anticipation of the incoming supply glut.

Lastly, very few renewal risks are expected for 2016 as landlords have been adopting a defensive tenant retention strategy. Most office REITs have minimal leases to be renewed for the rest of 2016.

Meanwhile, retail REITs will likely feel the impact of more asset enhancement initiatives (AEIs). This would disrupt earnings as occupancy becomes adversely affected by ongoing renovation works.

As such, CIMB sees local retail REITs to deliver a smaller 1% rise in DPU for FY16.

The drag comes largely from Capitaland Mall Trust, which is expected to close its Funan IT Digital Mall for three years starting Jun 2016 to redevelop the property into a larger lifestyle mall, CIMB notes.

As a result, DPU growth is expected to decelerate going into the second half of the year.

CIMB estimates that earnings growth could be affected. Frasers Centrepoint Trusts Northpoint property will likely see occupancy dip to 76% over the next six months due to renovation works ahead of the propertys seamless integration with the new Northpoint City, currently under development.





More From Singapore Business Review


Singapore's government cannot create a Smart Nation alone, the head of the country's innovation agency told CNBC - it needed individuals, businesses and investors to throw themselves into the project.

Singapore's Smart Nation initiative, introduced in November 2014, aims to use technology to improve quality of life for its residents.

Steve Leonard, executive deputy chairman of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), which oversees the Smart Nation program, told CNBC that Singapore needed to find new ways of using technology to deal with an aging population and increasing urban density, because of their outsize impact on health care, transportation and resources.

"Smart Nation is the framework that brings together scientists, engineers, artists, investors, academics, entrepreneurs and many others to tackle the big challenges we  and every country  face in improving the lives of people of all ages," he said.

Singapore has already made big strides toward creating an environment in which innovation could flourish.

Dell released a study in April that identified 50 global cities that used technology to provide tools for their people and business sectors to access in order to deliver improved performances.

The Dell study evaluated these "future-ready economies" on three criteria: having the right people with the right skill sets, having infrastructure that can support new technologies and providing opportunities for businesses to innovate and grow.

Singapore ranked third in the list of 50, behind the Californian cities of San Jose and San Francisco, but above the likes of London, Sydney and New York.

Amit Midha, president of Asia Pacific and Japan at Dell, told CNBC Singapore's number-three position was "a very proud moment."

He said that as it moved to a more digital-based economy, the city-state was ensuring it had the necessary skilled labor, technological infrastructure and commerce needed to become a future-ready city.



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But Leonard said that for a country to successfully use technology to chart its future, the private sector's continued enthusiastic participation was vital.

"Government cannot - and does not intend to - attempt to solve all these [problems facing Singapore] alone," he said. While government could ensure there are laws and regulations in place to support innovation, "we need engaged industry, investors and individuals to use these ingredients to drive positive change," he added.

Leonard added that Singapore also wanted to ultimately "play an important role in creating some technologies for the future, not just purchase what was created somewhere else."

Singapore has already ensured that 95 percent of homes and businesses have access to the ultra-fast Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network, widespread access to Wi-Fi in public places and nationwide access to mobile payment systems.



Meanwhile, so-called Aggregation Gateway (AG) boxes are part of the more futuristic tech infrastructure that is being put in place as part of the Smart Nation project.

The AG boxes - which are currently being built by the government in collaboration with the private sector and don't yet have a formal launch date - will provide connectivity to various sensors the country plans to deploy to measure everything from temperature and humidity to detecting people smoking in prohibited areas, as well as providing a single infrastructure to be used by multiple government agencies.

For example, at present if an agency such as the Land Transport Authority (LTA) needs to install cameras on a stretch of road, it must dig into the ground to access power cables. The whole process takes time, costs money and delays traffic. Once the AG boxes are in place, the LTA could connect to a power source and mount the cameras in a single step.

Another Smart Nation development is the virtual, 3D model of Singapore being built by the National Research Foundation, the Singapore Land Authority and IDA; it is expected to be ready by 2017 and will be used as a test-bed for city planning and service-provision by government agencies.

Meanwhile, the technology giant IBM has said it was working with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's Institute for Infocomm Research to create tools for big data and analytics, cyber security and urban mobility for the Smart Nation initiative.

Having people who possess the right skills to use technology was also of vital importance, the experts said.

It's no accident that some cities do better than others in helping companies become successful, said Dell's Midha.

"You see most of the unicorns and extremely successful companies are within a 200-mile radius of a great university." A unicorn usually refers to a start-up that is valued at $1 billion or more. Stanford Unveristy, for example, was considered a feeder school for Silicon Valley's tech industry due to Stanford's record of creating entrepreneurial graduates, he noted.

In Singapore, universities were key to developing people and technological knowledge, according to Dr. Lily Chan, CEO at NUS Enterprise. She said National University of Singapore (NUS) had many programs designed to support entrepreneurship and research into future-proofing projects.

"NUS has seen more than 300 industry collaborations and partnerships, spun off more than 60 companies from the university's research and commercialized more than 350 technologies," said Chan, adding these spin-offs raised more than 200 million Singapore dollars ($145.65 million) in equity funding in 2015.

Research suggests there is tremendous potential for economies that have technology as one of their core foundations.

A joint study by global management consultancy A.T. Kearney and Asian telecommunication company Axiata, released in February, showed that growing a digital economy could add $1 trillion to the gross domestic product of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc - of which, Singapore is a member - over the next 10 years.

The report said a robust economy, a literate and relatively young population and a well-developed information and communication technology (ICT) cluster could propel ASEAN into the world's top-five digital economies by 2025.

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More From CNBC


The son of a murdered Pakistani governor has described in chilling detail how he was flogged, shot and had his nails pulled out by Islamic militants during almost five years in captivity.

But Shahbaz Taseer, in his first interviews since he returned home in March, said he never abandoned hope he would one day see his family again.

Taseer, who was kidnapped in his home town of Lahore in 2011, described his horrific ordeal in Pakistan's tribal areas and in Afghanistan in interviews with the BBC's Urdu service and CNN.

He said his kidnap was orchestrated by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan -- a group long associated with Al-Qaeda which is blamed for high-profile terror attacks in Pakistan including the 2014 storming of Karachi airport.

"I was tortured for about a year in these extravagant Hollywood-style movies they would make for my family to put pressure on them, pressure on the government," Taseer told CNN on Tuesday.

"For example they pulled my fingernails out -- it started off with them lashing me with rubber whips.

"They would carve my back open with blades and throw salt. They sewed my mouth shut and starved me for a week. They shot me in my leg. They cut flesh off my back. I bled for seven days and they wouldn't give me any help for seven days."

Taseer, who is in his early 30s, described his survival as a "personal victory". He said patience and the hope of eventual release sustained him.

"People, friends and family say you are very brave, you came back, it was very heroic. But these are not things I can say about myself. What I can say about myself is that I learnt to be very patient."

- Unexpected help -

Prior to Taseer's account, few details were known about his capture or time in detention.

His father Salmaan Taseer was governor of Punjab province but had been shot dead just months earlier by his own bodyguard for his opposition to the country's blasphemy laws. Critics say these are routinely used to persecute minorities.

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Salmaan's death made him a liberal icon and put his family in the crosshairs of Islamist militants who have been waging an insurgency against the state since 2004.

Shahbaz Taseer told the news organisations the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan was seeking a huge ransom and the release of 25 fighters -- demands that could never be met.

But in 2015 conflict broke out between it and the Afghan Taliban, who took custody of Taseer after defeating the Uzbeks.

According to Shahbaz his new captors were not interested in a ransom but instead "sentenced" him to further jail time, before, he says, "I met someone there who helped release me."

He trekked from the central Afghan province of Uruzgan to the southwestern Pakistan town of Kuchlak, where he was able to phone for help from a roadside restaurant.

Since March Shahbaz and his wife Maheen have lit up Twitter with their funny and loving account of their relationship and of his return to civilization.

He said: "You spend four and a half years thinking you will never see the people that you love. The faces that you love fade away, and you know, here I am. I'm taking it one step at a time and enjoying my friends and my family."
By Makiko Yamazaki and Kentaro Hamada

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sony Corp said it plans to build up its artificial intelligence (AI) business and eventually turn it into a major revenue source, beginning with an investment in a U.S. start-up.

The electronics maker has invested an undisclosed sum in California-based Cogitai. The year-old firm, founded by three researchers, focuses on technology that allows machines to learn continually and autonomously from interaction in the real world.

The move comes a time when major technology companies such as Facebook Inc, Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google are spending aggressively on AI ventures.

"From an objective perspective, we are lagging behind," Chief Executive Hiroaki Kitano at Sony Computer Science Laboratories said in an interview.

"But there are still unexplored areas - some in cyberspace but vastly more in the physical world," Kitano said. "And we have a number of products in the physical world. We make hardware. That's our strength."

Sony was a pioneer in AI with robotic dog AIBO in 1999 and humanoid robot QRIO in 2003, both launched with much fanfare.

But its AI drive stalled during a decade-long struggle for profitability in its core consumer electronics business as it faced price competition from Asian rivals. It produced its last AIBO and QRIO robots in 2006.

Sony has since restructured its television set, laptop computer and mobile phone operations and is now seeking to regain its technological competitiveness through AI.

The firm plans to release a product or service derived from collaboration with Cogitai as early as next year, Kitano said.

"We are considering various options, including a robot," he said.

(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki and Kentaro Hamada; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa will achieve the strict consolidation targets set out in the budget the Treasury said on Tuesday, despite recent signs that the economy was headed for a prolonged period of low growth. "In our case we are still convinced for this year that we will most likely achieve the revenue target that we put out, most likely achieve the fiscal consolidation," Director General at the Treasury Lungisa Fuzile told parliament. Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan tabled a package of spending cuts, civil service job freezes and moderate tax hikes in the budget in February, aimed at holding off credit downgrades by ratings agencies that have cited poor growth as major risk. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Writing by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by James Macharia)
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's Oakbay Resources said on Tuesday it had appointed a new chief executive to replace a member of the Gupta family following allegations over political influence. Oakbay Resources, owned by the Gupta's holding company Oakbay Investments, named Jacques Roux as CEO, replacing Varun Gupta who has been at the helm since September 2015. Roux was previously head of executive accountability for Oakbay Group's coal mining operations in Mpumalanga province and prior to that was the chief executive of the Gupta-owned JIC Mining Services, Oakbay said in a statement. Atul Gupta and Varun Gupta resigned in April as respective chairman and chief executive of Oakbay Resources in response to what they said was a "sustained political attack". The two left their posts amid allegations from opposition parties claiming that the Gupta family had used their ties with President Jacob Zuma to exert undue influence on government activities and appointments. Zuma has acknowledged the Guptas are his friends, but denies anything improper. The Guptas, whose wide range of business interests include media and mining, have denied the allegations and say they are pawns in a plot to oust Zuma. Several South African companies, including all four major banks, have cut links with companies associated with the Guptas, a family of Indian-born businessmen. President Zuma's son Duduzane also resigned as director of the main subsidiary of Oakbay Resources, Shiva Uranium, and said he would resign from all Gupta-linked companies. (Reporting by Zandi Shabalala; Editing by James Macharia)
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South African security officers forcibly removed members of the ultra-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party from parliament on Tuesday when they tried to prevent an address by President Jacob Zuma. The EFF argued that Zuma was not fit to address the house after recent court decisions against the president, and said they would repeat their disruptive actions until he resigned. The EFF's actions in parliament pile pressure on Zuma's ruling African National Congress ahead of local government elections in August, where the party faces a tough challenge from rivals seeking to take advantage of his missteps. Malema and several members of his party scuffled with the security officials, with some being dragged out of the chamber. "We are going to put our lives in defense of this constitution. Zuma will never find peace in this parliament," Malema told reporters after he was ejected from the assembly. "We cannot be led by a man who failed to uphold, defend and protect the constitution," he said. "Anyone who manhandles us must know we've got the same capacity. Nobody has got monopoly on violence." Police said last month they were investigating Malema for inflammatory speech after the politician threatened to remove Zuma's government through the "barrel of a gun". Zuma remained calm throughout the chaos before taking the podium to address the parliament. He urged parties to behave with decorum in the assembly and deal with national problems. "This house needs to do something about itself ... I believe that there is a lot that we have to do in this country to fight poverty," Zuma said. The ruling party said in a statement that it wanted the EFF to face charges for its "disgraceful actions" in the assembly. In April, the scandal-plagued Zuma survived an impeachment vote in parliament launched by the opposition after the constitutional court ruled he had ignored an order to repay state funds spent on his private home. Later that month, the High Court overturned a previous decision seven years ago dropping 783 corruption charges against Zuma when he was still the country's deputy president. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's rand rallied nearly one percent late on Tuesday after Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said reports of his imminent arrest amounted to an attack on the Treasury. Metal and mining stocks buoyed the bourse. By 1615 GMT the rand gained 0.8 percent to 15.5300 per dollar, just shy of the session best of 15.4905 it reached after the finance minister's statement. The rand fell to a two-month low on Monday after the report on Gordhan's arrest. Gordhan said in a statement that weekend reports of his arrest were "extremely distressing", and that he could not believe that he was being investigated or possibly charged for something he was innocent of. Gordhan is being investigated by the elite police unit the Hawks for his role in the creation of a covert surveillance unit in the revenue services during his time as head of the agency. Traders said the rand's rebound from Monday's lows was also partly due to technical factors and mixed data from the U.S. "There will be a short term consolidation on the rand technically from the over extension of the large move yesterday," said head of foreign exchange at Capilis Asset Managers Giacomo Bonavera. Government bonds were weaker, with the benchmark government issue due in 2026 adding 9 basis points to 9.33 percent. On the equities market, higher commodity prices buoyed resources, with the market rebounding after last week's rout. Anglo American rose 4.7 percent to 143.6 rand, while Kumba Iron Ore rose 3.5 percent at 93.2 rand. Steel and iron ore futures in China rose for the second day in a row. Vodacom's shares rose 2.4 percent to 163.9 rand, gaining for the second straight day after the mobile operator reported higher full-year profit on Monday. The All-Share index closed higher at 0.22 percent to 52,529 points, with the benchmark Top-40 index up 0.29 percent to 46,393. (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana and Nqobile Dludla; Editing by James Macharia)
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South African security officers forcibly removed members of the ultra-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party from parliament on Tuesday when they tried to prevent an address by President Jacob Zuma. The EFF argued that Zuma was not fit to address the house after recent court decisions against the president, and said they would repeat their disruptive actions until he resigned. The EFF's actions in parliament pile pressure on Zuma's ruling African National Congress ahead of local government elections in August, where the party faces a tough challenge from rivals seeking to take advantage of his missteps. Malema and several members of his party scuffled with the security officials, with some being dragged out of the chamber. "We are going to put our lives in defence of this constitution. Zuma will never find peace in this parliament," Malema told reporters after he was ejected from the assembly. "We cannot be led by a man who failed to uphold, defend and protect the constitution," he said. "Anyone who manhandles us must know we've got the same capacity. Nobody has got monopoly on violence." Police said last month they were investigating Malema for inflammatory speech after the politician threatened to remove Zuma's government through the "barrel of a gun". Zuma remained calm throughout the chaos before taking the podium to address the parliament. He urged parties to behave with decorum in the assembly and deal with national problems. "This house needs to do something about itself ... I believe that there is a lot that we have to do in this country to fight poverty," Zuma said. The ruling party said in a statement that it wanted the EFF to face charges for its "disgraceful actions" in the assembly. In April, the scandal-plagued Zuma survived an impeachment vote in parliament launched by the opposition after the constitutional court ruled he had ignored an order to repay state funds spent on his private home. Later that month, the High Court overturned a previous decision seven years ago dropping 783 corruption charges against Zuma when he was still the country's deputy president. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
We've been desperate to know more about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ever since the title was revealed last March, but other than releasing a trailer, Disney has been frustratingly tight-lipped.

Thankfully, they can't keep all the inevitable merchandise at bay forever, as evidenced by the fact that a preview for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: The Official Visual Story Guide made its way online this week.

DON'T MISS: John Boyega just teased a key plot line in Star Wars Episode VIII

Described as "the official companion book to falls most anticipated release," the story guide features character profiles for the heroes and villains, detailed descriptions of ships and droids and 130 full-color photos.

Originally discovered by German blog jedi-bibliothek.de, the images and information appeared in the Edelweiss catalog as part of MacMillan's Winter 2016 preview. The images have since been pulled, but Slashfilm managed to capture and share a few of them before they were removed from the website.

First up, we have the heroes of the Rebel Alliance:

Rogue One Heroes of the Rebel Alliance

Jyn (Felicity Jones): A highly skilled soldier and warrior

Cassian Andor (Diego Luna): A Rebel Alliance officer

Baze (Jiang Wen): A freelance assassin

K-250 (Alan Tudyk): An enforcer droid

Bodhi (Riz Ahmed): A Rebel soldier

Pao (?): A fierce warrior/CGI alien

Chirrut (Donnie Yen): A spiritual warrior

Bistan (?): A(nother) fierce warrior/CGI alien

The descriptions are clearly placeholders (considering they're all virtually identical), but the names and photos appear to be accurate portrayals of the characters that will appear in Rogue One. Interestingly, the aliens that round out the list of heroes don't appear in the original image that Lucasfilm released last year.

Another preview image from the book reveals that the K-250 droid, played by Alan Tudyk, was once under the control of the Galactic Empire. It seems likely that we will learn how and why he joined the Rebel Alliance in Rogue One.

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Up next, we have the villains of the Galactic Empire:

Galactic Empire Rogue One

Director Krennic, played by Ben Mendelsohn, will serve as the primary antagonist of the film, flanked by the trusty stormtroopers and death troopers from the original trilogy. The rest of the text is placeholder, as it was for the heroes, but we know it will be Krennic's job "to protect and preserve the evil Galactic Empire."

Finally, the book gives us a look at some of Rogue One's ships:

Tie Striker Rogue One

Rebel Starfighter Rogue One

Not a whole lot to say about these other than that I can't wait to see them in action when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on December 16th, 2016.

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More from BGR: 25 hidden iPhone features that are really, truly hidden

This article was originally published on BGR.com
Zach Ware

Startups shouldn't implode overnight, but it happens. And when it does, they leave an ugly debris field of hurt feelings, broken promises, and people waking up with no financial security whatsoever.

These last-minute closures should never happen to a startup, argues Zach Ware, managing partner of VTF Capital, formerly known as the Vegas Tech Fund.

"You should never run out of cash. Ever. I don't understand how it happens," Ware said.

He witnessed it with one of his portfolio companies, Zirtual, but he made sure that it didn't happen to his own startup, Shift.

The two experiences have taught him a lot about what happens when a company is in trouble, and the two paths it can take.

It's a 'selfish' decision

For Ware, the realization came when his company, Shift, had 10 months' worth of cash left in the bank. The company had reached the point where it needed to expand into a new city, but doing so would have scaled back its cash supply to five months. That would also have put Ware in the position of needing to raise capital immediately.

"If we moved to Denver, we'd have moved it down to five" months, Ware said. "We would have put the company at existential risk."

Ware realized that throwing a Hail Mary by relying on venture cash to keep the business going and fuel its expansion could have had devastating consequences for his employees if it didn't work. Instead, he decided to unwind the company and do the right thing for his workers.

In April 2015, two years after launching his car-sharing project, Shift laid off its employees with generous severance packages, helped them through the transition, and liquidated its assets to return some money to its VCs.

"There is absolutely no reason for a company to shut down overnight. That's a result of a selfish set of decisions a founder made," Ware said.

But it happens

Then, Ware went through it all again a few months later with Zirtual, a Vegas Tech Fund-backed company that shut down overnight and laid off its 400 employees by email.

Story continues

Its CEO, Maren Kate Donovan, later blamed in a Fortune article an external CFO for numbers that were "completely f---ed." The CFO denies that his projections are to blame.

"There are very few times when you don't know that it's coming. You had less cash than the day before and the day before that," Ware said.

In her own explanation of its shutdown, Donovan said that she failed to secure the VC funding she needed to save it after a deal fell through at the 11th hour.

"And at the end of the day... 'burn' is what happened to Zirtual," Donovan wrote. "The reason we couldn't give more notice was that up until the 11th hour, I did everything I could to raise more money and right the ship."

To Ware, any startup shutting down overnight is unacceptable. Startup founders and CEOs should have a firm grasp on their numbers and how much longer the company has to live. Securing funding shouldn't be a Hail Mary to save a company because, at that point, the CEO has already selfishly chosen to put his or her employees at risk.

"Every founder should have a real-time understanding of their business. It doesn't matter who does it. You have to know it. You have to know your horizons," Ware said.

"I have absolutely no tolerance for that situation at all," he added.

NOW WATCH: This startup is trying to take down the diamond industry with Leonardo DiCaprio





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In order to move past the legacy legal issues, State Street Corporation STT is soon expected to reach a settlement to resolve matters related to its foreign exchange (FX) trades. The company is likely to pay over $500 million to regulators and other plaintiffs. This news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.



The settlement deal is most likely to lead to resolution of investigations from the U.S. Justice Department, Labor Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Also, lawsuits filed by the companys clients including pension funds will be part of the settlement.



State Street is accused of illegally overcharging customers on FX-transactions. The company is charged of fraudulent representation and not providing the best prices to its clients including pension funds, while conducting FX trades. These malpractices occurred between 1998 and 2009.



The allegations against State Street first came to the limelight when the California attorney generals office became a part of a whistleblower lawsuit in 2009. This lawsuit accused the company of deceiving California pension funds, The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS), through a scheme that overcharges FX-transactions.



Notably, State Street, in its latest quarterly filing, revealed that it has set aside $565 million to settle similar claims. The company in a statement said, settlement agreements have not been finalized. It expects the amount kept for the same to be sufficient to settle all the claims and probes.



Last year, The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation BK had announced settlement of multi-year litigations related to FX trades as well as pension fund services. The company had agreed to pay $714 million. (Read more: BNY Mellon Settles FX-pricing Lawsuits for $714M).



Therefore, for State Street, the settlement deal, once announced is expected to relieve it from litigation overhangs to some extent. Also, as the company has already kept the legal provision for settling these charges, the settlement amount is not likely to hamper its profitability.



Currently, State Street carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked finance stocks worth considering include First Bancorp FBP and Cardinal Financial Corp. CFNL. Both these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).



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When an alleged panhandler spotted a Massachusetts State Trooper heading in her direction, she expected to be asked to move along, not treated to a meal.

Read: Cop Pulls Over 2-Year-Old Driving Around in Tiny Mini Cooper: 'She Was Late For a Nail Appointment'

Trooper Luke Bonin from the State Police Dartmouth Barracks was reportedly driving along when he spotted a woman in Fall River holding a sign, asking for help.

According to a Facebook post by Massachusetts State Police on the deed, that was when Bonin decided to continue driving, and picked up two meals for them to eat.

When the trooper pulled up to the woman, officials wrote, "thinking he was there to remove her from the side of the road, she immediately stated to him that she would leave."

But Bonin reportedly replied, "I'm not here to kick you out."

Instead, he pulled out the meals and asked her to take her pick.

And, unbeknownst to him at the time, a passerby snapped a photo that showed him perched on the cruiser's bumper, chatting up the woman who made herself comfortable in the grass.

Read: Cop Issues Ticket to Himself After Town Complains About His Poor Parking

"Trooper Bonin, we know you do not want or expect publicity. We know you didnt want to be noticed, but you were, and the job is proud of you," the Massachusetts State Police wrote on their Facebook post that has since gone viral. "We commend you for your selfless act, and for 'doing the right thing' for someone less fortunate than most people."

Watch: 'Breathe!' Cop Cam Captures Hero Cop Saving Boy With CPR

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By Megan Rowling BARCELONA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - With the world's poor predicted to bear the brunt of more frequent extreme heat and worsening coastal floods in a warmer world, aid agencies are calling on governments to direct more funding into protecting the most vulnerable communities on the front lines of climate change. The poorest fifth of the global population is expected to experience daily heat extremes due to climate change sooner than the wealthiest, according to research published on Tuesday by an international team including Britain's University of East Anglia. And a report released by Christian Aid this week reveals that the Indian cities of Kolkata and Mumbai are likely to have the largest number of people in the way of coastal flooding by 2070, with Dhaka in Bangladesh, China's Guangzhou and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam close behind. Ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul next week, and with governments gathered in Bonn to discuss how to implement the Paris climate change agreement, experts said poor nations need more international finance to deal with the growing risk of disasters linked to weather extremes and rising seas. Alison Doig, Christian Aid's principal climate change advisor, said climate change and the growth of coastal urban areas make flooding more likely there in the coming decades. Cruelly, it will be the poor that will suffer the most. Although the financial cost to cities in rich countries will be crippling, wealthier people will at least have options to relocate and receive insurance protection," she said. "Evidence shows that from New Orleans to Dhaka, it is the poorest who are most vulnerable because they have the worst infrastructure and no social or financial safety nets to help them recover." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on governments at the World Humanitarian Summit to dedicate at least 1 percent of their development assistance by 2020 to reducing the risk of and preparing for disasters, up from around 0.5 percent now. Christian Aid says it should be increased to 5 percent. "There is money going into disaster resilience but it's not always getting to the most vulnerable, Doig told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. We want more to go to the poorest communities." The extreme heat study, published in Environmental Research Letters, showed countries in low latitudes - including the Horn of Africa and West Africa - are likely to be worst affected by more frequent hot days linked to cumulative carbon dioxide emissions, despite having contributed little to them. What our research shows is that heat extremes do not increase evenly everywhere, but are becoming much more frequent more quickly for countries nearer the equator. These happen to be disproportionately poorer nations," said Erich Fischer, a climate scientist at Swiss university ETH Zurich. We also know the wealthiest countries will be able to cope with the impacts more easily than poorer nations. MORE MONEY ON THE TABLE? At a high-level session at the humanitarian summit, leaders are being asked to back a commitment to build the resilience of communities as "a critical first line of response" to disasters. They may also agree to invest in data, analysis and early warning of natural disasters and climate change risks, and help national governments and local groups manage those risks better. The United Nations Development Programme, for example, is hoping to rally support for a plan to speed up disaster preparedness in 20 of the most at-risk countries. Meanwhile, development charity Oxfam called on governments at the U.N. climate talks to set concrete targets for financial help for the vulnerable to adapt to climate change effects. The Paris climate deal, agreed in December, calls for more money to help countries afford projects to keep villagers safe from floods or enable farmers to switch to hardier crops - but does not specify how much money, when it will be distributed, how it is being counted, or how it will be raised, Oxfam said. "We need to see specific commitments in Bonn to increase adaptation finance and for that money to be spent supporting small farmers who are on the front lines of the climate crisis," said Oxfam climate change expert Tracy Carty. Wealthy donor governments are touting insurance as a way to stop climate change pushing people deeper into poverty. In June last year, G7 states announced an effort to increase by up to 400 million the number of people in low and middle-income countries who have access to direct or indirect insurance coverage against climate-related hazards, by 2020. Market research and expert opinion suggest only around 100 million people living on less than $2 a day are covered by climate risk insurance in Africa, Asia and Latin America. So far G7 nations plan to provide $420 million for the "InsuResilience" initiative, which would increase coverage by at least 180 million people - almost halfway towards the goal. But in a recent report, anti-poverty group RESULTS UK said greater urgency was needed to frontload investments to meet the "highly ambitious" goal. And building up commercial markets alone would not benefit the most vulnerable and marginalized people, it added. "Insurance products will be out of reach for those people - in terms of even just micro-insurance premiums which are very small - for a long while to come," said report author Catherine Blampied. (Reporting by Megan Rowling; additional reporting by Laurie Goering in London; editing by Laurie Goering. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman returned to the lineup for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against Pittsburgh, while goaltender Ben Bishop and forward Ryan Callahan are out.

Stralman hadn't played since suffering a non-displaced fracture of his left leg on March 25.

Bishop injured his left leg in the first period of Game 1 on Friday. The Vezina Trophy finalist said the injury was not as bad as initially feared but he will miss his first game of the playoffs. Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made 25 saves after replacing Bishop in a 3-1 victory in Game 1, will make the second postseason start of his career.

Callahan will sit out Monday night while battling the flu. The forward was involved in a controversial boarding call in Game 1 when he hit Kris Letang from behind. Callahan received a major penalty but received no supplemental discipline from the league.
Teletubbies owner DHX Media is pacting with Iconix Brand Group to co-produce a new TV animated series based on the classic Strawberry Shortcake kids toy brand.

Iconix, which acquired the Strawberry Shortcake brand from American Greetings for $105 million after picking up earlier entertainment properties like Peanuts and Pony, has tapped Canada-based DHX to co-develop and co-produce 39 new half-hours of animated TV based on Strawberry and her friends.

DHX also becomes the exclusive global distributor for the Strawberry Shortcake back catalog and will distribute the new Strawberry Shortcake cartoon series. Iconix, meanwhile, will push the the girls' brand onto other platforms and formats, including worldwide merchandising and licensing.

Strawberry Shortcake follows the adventures of the title character and her similarly sweetly named friends. DHX CEO Dana Landry in a statement Tuesday said of the new TV series: "We are excited to collaborate with Iconix Brand Group to leverage our animation expertise, distribution reach and merchandising and licensing capabilities to drive new global growth for this perennial girls' brand."

Strawberry Shortcake was earlier re-launched in 2010 with the CGI-animated TV series Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures, produced by American Greetings Properties, which streamed on Netflix.

See More: Huckleberry Pie Joins 'Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures'
By Jessica Toonkel

(Reuters) - Sumner Redstone has the power to remove Viacom Inc Chief Executive Philippe Dauman, but not his daughter Shari, from the trust that will control his $40 billion media empire after his incapacitation or death, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

There is no evidence that Sumner Redstone is considering replacing Dauman. But the fact that Shari Redstone has a more secure position on the seven-person trust, which has not previously been reported, could embolden her in efforts to wield more influence at Viacom as it struggles with falling ratings.

Shari Redstone, who sits on Viacom's board, voted against Dauman's elevation to executive chairman of Viacom to replace her father in February, arguing that a member of the Redstone trust should not serve as executive chair of Viacom or CBS, the other media company majority owned by her father. Sumner Redstone supported Dauman taking the new role.

A spokesman for Dauman and Viacom declined to comment. Shari Redstone declined to comment through a spokeswoman. Leah Bishop, Redstone's estate lawyer at Loeb & Loeb, did not reply to requests for comment.

The matter of standing on Redstone's trust may end up being moot. If Redstone dies or is incapacitated and the trust takes effect, the only way a trustee can be replaced is if they die or if the beneficiaries of the trust - Redstone's five grandchildren - appeal to a judge. That effectively puts Shari Redstone and Dauman on a level footing.

But while Sumner Redstone is alive and able, and he retains ultimate power over his empire, it raises the question of who has the most influence over him.

Shari, who at times has been estranged from her father, has recently been spending 30-40 percent of her time with him at his Los Angeles mansion, a spokeswoman for her said in response to a question.

In April, Redstone gave Shari and a friend of the family authority over his health care if he becomes incapacitated, sources have told Reuters, replacing Dauman and Viacom's chief operating officer, Thomas Dooley.

Story continues

At the same time, Dauman still has deep ties to Sumner Redstone, who has called Dauman "the wisest man I've ever known" and "a great friend." The two men have worked together for more than 30 years.

Dauman said in a court declaration late last year that he spoke with Redstone several times a week over the phone and visited him monthly.

BALANCE OF POWER UNCLEAR

The Sumner M. Redstone National Amusements Inc Trust owns about 80 percent of Redstone's privately held movie theatre company, National Amusements Inc, which in turn owns 80 percent of the voting rights in both Viacom and CBS.

After Redstone dies or is incapacitated, the trust will determine all matters that come to a shareholder vote at both companies, including potential mergers or acquisitions.

It is unclear whether Shari Redstone or Dauman have the majority support among the members of the trust, which include Shari's son, lawyer Tyler Korff; and David Andelman, another lawyer who has worked with the Redstone family and is on the CBS board.

The other members of the trust are George Abrams, who also sits on the Viacom board; Norman Jacobs, Sumner's divorce lawyer; and Leonard Lewin, an attorney who represented Redstone's first wife, Phyllis, in her divorce from Sumner. Calls and emails to the trustees were not returned.

Viacom, like other media companies, has suffered from falling ratings at its cable networks as younger viewers migrate to online and mobile video.

Dauman has taken steps to woo advertisers by using data to better target commercials. Last month the company renewed a multi-year distribution contract with satellite TV provider Dish Network Corp.

Investors, including Mario Gabelli, the second-largest owner of voting shares of Viacom, have welcomed Dauman's plans to sell a minority stake in movie studio, Paramount. Dauman said last month he expects to announce a Paramount deal by end of June.

(Reporting By Jessica Toonkel in New York; Additional reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Eric Effron and Bill Rigby)
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Suncor Energy has bought a rare cargo of North Sea crude, Reuters data shows, sparking talk among traders that the Canadian company has been forced to import oil to feed its nearby refinery as fires across Alberta disrupt supplies. Suncor is importing nearly 1 million barrels of Ekofisk Blend crude on the Aspen Spirit, a Suezmax which is set to load around May 21 from Teesport in Northern England, according to shipping sources and Reuters Eikon data. The ship is set to discharge in Portland, Maine, the data showed. That route, though not unprecedented, is becoming more rare. Only four vessels made that journey last year from the United Kingdom to Maine, with the last vessel arriving in late November. While it's not clear where the crude was headed, Portland is the starting point of the Portland-Maine pipeline, which transports crude to Suncor's refinery in Montreal, Quebec in Canada. Suncor could not immediately be reached for comment. The scramble for alternative supplies comes as a massive wildfire in the heart of Canada's oil sands moved toward energy production facilities on Tuesday, extending a weeks-long shutdown that cut Canadian oil sands output almost in half. (Reporting By Catherine Ngai; additional reporting by Nia Williams in Calgary and Jarrett Renshaw in New York; Editing by Alan Crosby)
A bottle of Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder is seen in a photo illustration taken in New York, February 24, 2016. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/Illustration

By Jessica Dye

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) will keep arguing in court that its talc-based powders are safe, an outside lawyer who has defended the company in lawsuits said, even after losing two multi million-dollar verdicts to plaintiffs who alleged that J&J Baby Powder and Shower to Shower caused ovarian cancer.

Gene Williams blamed those verdicts on confusion created by plaintiffs' lawyers at the trial. The Houston-based lawyer insisted in a recent interview that there "is no proven linkage between talc and ovarian cancer, and the vast majority of scientific and regulatory bodies, who have reviewed the same studies the plaintiffs point to, do not accept the premise."

Two talc lawsuits are scheduled for trial this fall, one in Missouri and one in New Jersey. At least 1,400 cases have been filed over the issue, mostly in Missouri, where state court rules are seen as friendly to plaintiffs.

Three cases on the issue have gone to trial in which plaintiffs pointed to studies dating back three decades, saying they show talc use on the genitals can raise womens ovarian cancer risk between 30 and 60 percent. J&J said subsequent larger, more comprehensive studies found no conclusive link between the product and cancer.

The science supporting the safety of talc has gotten stronger and stronger," Williams said.

In February, a jury in St. Louis, Missouri, awarded $72 million to a woman who claimed she developed ovarian cancer from using J&J's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products for feminine hygiene. Another jury, before the same St. Louis judge, returned a $55 million award in a similar case. J&J has said it will appeal both awards.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX.TO) acquired Shower to Shower from J&J by in 2012.

An earlier trial in South Dakota ended in 2013 with the jury finding J&J had been negligent but declining to award damages.

Neither side appealed the South Dakota case.

Following the Ristesund verdict, plaintiffs' lawyer Jere Beasely, whose firm Beasley Allen has been one of the most active in filing talc lawsuits, issued a statement calling for J&J to establish a compensation fund to settle the remaining talc cases.

Story continues

Asked whether J&J would consider settling, company spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said it was preparing for the upcoming trials this fall.

Williams, a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, has represented J&J in all three talc lawsuits that have gone to trial. He mainly defends medical drug and device companies, including Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.N) and Bristol Myers Squibb.

(Reporting by Jessica Dye; Editing by Anthony Lin and David Gregorio)
Paris (AFP) - The chief suspect in a deadly attack on a Paris synagogue in 1980 has been released on bail after being held for 18 months, judicial and investigation sources told AFP Tuesday.

Hassan Diab, 62, is accused of being part of the Special Operations branch of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The PFLP was blamed for the bombing on October 3, 1980, that left four dead and around 40 injured.

Diab, a Lebanese-Canadian sociology professor, was extradited from Canada in November 2014 and charged with the attack. The bombing of the synagogue in rue Copernic, western Paris, was the first major attack on a Jewish site in France since World War II.

But Diab was released on bail on Saturday after a judge ruled there was a doubt on the "fundamental question" of whether he was in France on the day of the attack.

Diab's ex-wife told investigators that he was in Beirut on September 28, 1980, despite stamps in his passport indicating that he was already in Europe by that date, a source close to the investigation told AFP.

The judge said her statement should be treated with caution but had to be taken into account, the source added.

The Paris prosecutor's office has appealed the decision.

Diab has been charged with murder, attempted murder and destruction of property as part of a terrorist enterprise.

He has always maintained his innocence and denied being a member of the PFLP.

His lawyer, William Bourdon, said there was "strictly no risk of flight. He will be present for the next hearing before the court of appeal," where he could be returned to jail.
(Reuters) - One of two brothers wanted as murder suspects in the presumed slaying of a missing Washington state couple has been arrested by U.S. marshals in California, but the second fugitive remains at large, a sheriff's spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Tony Clyde Reed, 49, was taken into custody on Monday after crossing the border from Mexico into San Diego under an arrangement to turn himself over to authorities, said Shari Ireton of the Sheriff's Office in Snohomish County, Washington.

Reed was booked into the San Diego County jail, but there was no immediate information on whether or when he might be extradited to Washington, Ireton said.

The whereabouts of his brother, John Reed, 53, remained unknown, but investigators believe he is still in Mexico, where the two men fled together last month, she said.

They are suspected of killing a married couple, Patrick Shunn, 45, and Monique Patenaude, 46, who were reported missing April 12 by neighbors in the foothills of the Cascade mountains, about 60 miles (97 km) northeast of Seattle.

The couple and John Reed were neighbors in the Oso area hit by a deadly mudslide in March 2014, and Shunn had reported to police the previous that he and his wife were threatened by Reed in a property dispute.

The couple's two vehicles were found abandoned in a wooded area north of their home two days after they were reported missing. Their bodies have not been found, but they are presumed to have been slain based on evidence found at the scene of their vehicles and a search of John Reed's former residence, the sheriff's office has said.

Ireton said investigators hope that Tony Reed will be able to help authorities locate his brother and point them to couple's remains. She said neither suspect has been formally charged in the case.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Dan Grebler)
(Adds Park's comments) * Korean Olympic boss says wants Park at Rio * Former gold medallist Park to meet KOC next week SEOUL, May 17 (Reuters) - The head of the Korea Olympic Committee offered a glimmer of hope to Park Tae-hwan on Tuesday as the former Olympic champion swimmer bids to force the KOC to ditch a controversial doping suspension and allow him back into the national team. Park, who has already served an 18-month doping ban imposed by swimming's world governing body FINA, is fighting to overturn a KOC regulation that has tacked on an additional three-year suspension, which would rule him out of the Rio Olympics. The 26-year-old has lodged a case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport but has instructed the Lausanne-based tribunal not to proceed until he has received a definitive answer from the KOC on the rule. KOC President Kim Jung-haeng said at a lunch meeting on Tuesday that while he would consider opinions from across the board on the case, he wanted to see Park swim in Rio. "Speaking on a personal basis as a former athlete, I think it would be good if Park went to the Olympics," the former judoka was quoted as saying by Yonhap News. "My response is based on a question that asked for my personal opinion." Park won gold in the 400 metres freestyle at the Beijing Games to become the first Korean to win an Olympic swimming medal but his reputation was shattered when he tested positive for testosterone ahead of the Asian Games in Sept. 2014. He attributed the failed test to an injection he received at a local clinic, where he said he was being treated for a skin complaint. Despite the KOC ban, Park entered national trials this month and won all four of his races in times good enough for Olympic qualification. However, his name was not on the Korea Swimming Federation's preliminary list of athletes who will have a shot at making the squad for Rio when it was released last week. A recent public opinion survey by a prominent local polling company suggested most South Koreans thought Park deserved a second chance. "It's clear that we have to eradicate doping, one of the four evils of sport, but more than 70 percent of the public are in favour of Park competing at the Olympics," added Kim. Park, who is scheduled to meet with the KOC on May 25, later said he hoped for a quick resolution but declined to discuss his appeal to CAS, saying he had left it to his agent to handle. "I think the best case scenario will be for the KOC to change its position in the meeting so I can go to the Olympics," Park told Yonhap News TV. "I hope something good will happen so that I can compete." (Reporting by Nataly Pak; Writing by Peter Rutherford; Editing by Nick Mulvenney / Ian Ransom)
PARIS (Reuters) - Major powers failed to agree on a new date for peace talks between warring Syrian parties, the U.N.'s special envoy said on Tuesday. "The issue is still waiting for some type of concrete outcome of this meeting but we cannot wait too long, we want to keep the momentum," Staffan de Mistura told reporters alongside U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The powers agreed to reinforce a ceasefire across the country and to push through humanitarian aid deliveries to besieged areas, including through air drops. (Reporting By John Irish and Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Dominic Evans)
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Lisa Barrington AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rebel fighters and officials in a besieged Syrian town on the outskirts of Damascus believe government forces are preparing an assault after they turned back an aid convoy last week. Daraya, situated close to a large air base and just a few kilometers (miles) from President Bashar al-Assad's palace, had seen little violence since a broader cessation of hostilities agreement came into effect at the end of February. But, with the truce rapidly unraveling across Syria, government forces began shelling the town on Thursday after refusing entry to the first aid convoy it would have ever received. Known for its peaceful protests in the early days of the uprising against Assad, Daraya has been besieged and regularly bombed since 2012. "Large convoys of (government) troops are moving from the airport and from Ashrafiyat Sahnaya (the next town south)," said Abu Samer, spokesman for the Liwa Shuhada al-Islam rebel group. "We are prepared to repel their assault but our main fear is for the civilians besieged in the town who face severe shortages of food." A Syrian military source denied rebel accounts of troop deployments, saying nothing had changed in the area. Despite there being only around 8,000 residents and about 1,000 fighters left in the town, the Syrian army has not been able to establish control of the area. "Our monitoring showed there were heavy vehicle deployments on the southern edge of the city," said Liwa Shuhada al-Islam head Colonel Said Naqrash. "The regime is continuing to pour in more equipment, fighters... All these movements indicate that the regime is planning something." Daraya is controlled by two main rebel groups, Liwa Shuhada al Islam and Itihad al-Islami Ajnad al-Sham, drawn from local residents. Radical Islamist fighters are not believed to be among them. "The Free Syrian Army is abiding by the ceasefire and only repelling attacks," said Daraya activist Fadi Dirani. Abu Yamen, a member of the town council, said such concentrations of troops had not been seen since before the truce. BURNT CROPS The United Nations said this month that Syria's government was refusing U.N. demands to deliver aid to hundreds of thousands of people. They include the residents of Daraya, where the struggle for survival has become even more desperate since government forces cut its link with neighboring rebel-held Mouadamiya about six months ago. "The army has burnt the wheat and barley," Naqrash said. In April, a group called Women of Daraya wrote an open letter saying the town was on the verge of starvation, with people cooking "soups made purely of spices in order to stave off hunger." The aid convoy blocked last week would have been the first delivered since the siege began. But even then it was not allowed to contain food, only medical and other aid, and residents launched an online campaign ahead of the expected delivery with the slogan: "We cannot eat medicine". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said clashes broke out around the besieged town and government forces started shelling after the convoy was turned back. Daraya's local council said on its Facebook page on Saturday it was "extremely worried" about a new military offensive, having seen reconnaissance aircraft overhead and troops gathering south of the town. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington; editing by John Stonestreet)
By J.R. Wu TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan has begun reviewing Chinese state-backed Tsinghua Unigroup's proposals to buy stakes worth nearly $1 billion in two domestic semiconductor companies, putting the deals under intense scrutiny of a new government less friendly toward its giant neighbor. A final decision on Tsinghua's partial acquisitions of chip testing and packaging firms Powertech Technology Inc and ChipMOS Technologies Inc will be a test for the new government of President Tsai Ing-wen, which takes office on Friday. Tsai had earlier slammed Tsinghua's proposals as a "huge threat" for Taiwan. But given that the number of proposals by Tsinghua have dropped to two from three earlier and that the value of the total deal has more than halved, the chances of the proposals being approved have increased, industry executives say. The results of the review process won't be known for some months. "We have asked for more information, both involving basic and key issues," a representative of the island's Investment Commission, which reviews major inbound and outbound investments involving Taiwanese companies, told Reuters, without elaborating on what the issues were. Tsinghua Unigroup submitted its applications about a month ago but the review process didn't begin until after Siliconware Precision Industries Co (SPIL), a third Taiwanese chip test and packager, announced it was terminating a similar deal with the Chinese investor at the end of April, people familiar with the deals said. "It categorically kicks off the review process," said David W. Wang, a ChipMOS vice president. Tsinghua Unigroup, which told Reuters last year that it has ambitions to become the world's No. 3 chipmaker, did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment. Following civil war in China, Nationalist forces fled in 1949 to Taiwan which has been self-ruled ever since. But China regards it as a wayward province to be taken back by force if necessary, fuelling fears among Taiwanese about Chinese influence in the island's main industries. Beijing distrusts Tsai and her ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which traditionally favors independence for Taiwan and won decisively in parliamentary and presidential polls in January. Taiwan's Investment Commission said early on it would look at Tsinghua's proposals as one and subject the offers to review by the island's newly elected parliament, national security advisers and financial regulators. With SPIL's $1.76 billion deal off the table, Tsinghua's acquisition plans in Taiwan more than halved from an original $2.6 billion in total. (Reporting by J.R. Wu; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
* New recall of 14 mln inflators is "investigative" - Takata

* Automakers to continue shouldering recall costs (Recasts and adds Takata comment)

By David Shepardson and Minami Funakoshi

WASHINGTON/TOKYO, May 17 (Reuters) - Japan's Takata Corp declared nearly 14 million air bag inflators defective as part of an expanded U.S. recall, but it said it considered the recall investigative, leaving the thorny question of cost-sharing with automakers unresolved.

The question of just how much Takata will have to pay for a deepening crisis over potentially deadly airbags has been hanging heavily over the firm, with management saying that can be worked out only when there is clarity on the root cause of the problem.

Until now, automakers have launched what are called investigative recalls, where they collect parts to determine the reasons for the defects. Under such recalls, automakers bear most of the burden, although Takata is widely expected to shoulder more.

The airbags have the potential to inflate violently, spraying metal shrapnel in the vehicle and have been blamed for 13 deaths and more than 100 injuries, mainly in the United States.

The company's woes worsened this month with U.S. authorities announcing a recall of up to 40 million more of the company's air bags, on top of the more than 50 million that have already been recalled globally.

Monday's notice to remove 14 million inflators is the first part of the expanded recall.

Takata spokesman Toyohiro Hishikawa said that the company considers the newly announced recall investigative and reiterated the company 's stance that it is waiting until a study it commissioned presents its conclusions in the summer.

But Hishikawa added the company "generally agrees" with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's assessment that a combination of time, environmental moisture and fluctuating high temperatures contribute to the degradation of the ammonium nitrate propellant in the inflators.

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"But we can't say that our assessments match NHTSA's 100 percent because we have yet to make our own conclusions," he said.

If Takata was found to be solely responsible for the problem, it could face a bill of more than $9 billion in recall costs, based on a rough calculation that each replacement kit costs around $100.

Sources have said the company has begun looking for a financial backer to help with the recall costs.

Takata also faces lawsuits and on Friday, Hawaii became the first U.S. state to sue the auto parts maker, accusing it and Honda Motor Co of covering up the problem and demanding $10,000 in compensation for every affected car.

Takata declined to comment on the Hawaii lawsuit. Honda also declined to comment, saying it had not be served with the lawsuit.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Minami Funakoshi; Additional reporting by Bernie Woodall in Detroit; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Edwina Gibbs)
In late April, Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) stirred up a lot of controversy by announcing a new gender-neutral restroom and fitting room policy. In the weeks that have followed, the public has responded passionately both in favor of and in opposition to Targets policy.

With the company set to release Q1 earnings on Wednesday morning, should investors be worried about the impact that Targets principled stance may have on the bottom line?

According to the latest data from TickerTags, calls for a boycott of Target seemed to have quickly fizzled out.

TickerTags monitors social media sites to identify trends by searching for words or phrases that appear together in social media content, such as tweets.

Related Link: Social Media Buzz About Canada Wildfires Could Spell Bad News For Insurance Companies

When Target announced its bathroom and fitting room policy, social media mentions of Target spiked to their highest level in two years as people weighed in on the issue. Social mentions of Target have increased five-fold since the announcement, and 70 percent of social media buzz surrounding the bathroom policy has been negative.

Perhaps most importantly for Target investors, mentions of Target + boycott are down 90 percent since they peaked on April 24.

General social media mentions of Target (not specifically addressing the bathroom policy) remain more positive than negative.

Disclosure: the author holds no position in the stocks mentioned.

Image credit: Mike Mozart, Flickr

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 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
By Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Jutarat Skulpichetrat BANGKOK (Reuters) - One of two ethnic Uighur Muslims from China accused of involvement in a deadly bombing in Thailand last year broke down and complained of mistreatment on Tuesday as he appeared in court. Twenty people were killed and more than 120 injured in the bombing on Aug. 17 at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok when it was thronged with tourists. Five of the dead were from China and two from Hong Kong. No group claimed responsibility. Analysts, diplomats and even some officials suspected the attack was linked to sympathizers of the Uighur Muslim minority in western China angered by the Thai junta's deportation of more than 100 Uighurs to China the previous month. But Thai police ruled out "terrorism" as a motive and said the perpetrators were members of a network that trafficked Uighurs and launched the attack in anger at a Thai crackdown on the trade. Police have arrested two suspects, Yusufu Mieraili and Adem Karadag, both of whom are Uighurs, and have issued arrest warrants for 15 other people, eight of whom are thought to be either Turkish or in Turkey, according to warrants and police statements. Karadag and Mieraili have denied all charges against them. "I'm not an animal," a shaven, shackled and barefoot Karadag told reporters, as two guards led him into a military court. "I'm human, I'm human." Inside the court, the tearful Karadag lifted his shirt, pointed to bruises and said through an interpreter that he had been beaten twice this month in custody, a Reuters witness said. The judge said he would investigate and would consider a request by Karadag's lawyer for a transfer. Karadag's lawyer, Schoochart Kanpai, said earlier his client had been tortured into confessing. A stony-faced Mieraili appealed for help. "We're innocent, help us, help us, where are the human rights?" Mieraili said as he emerged from a prison van outside the court. Lawyers said more than 250 witnesses could be called for the prosecution and defense. Schoochart said he hoped the trial would be over by the end of 2016, but it could drag on a year longer. Police say Karadag was caught on CCTV footage at the shrine, sitting on a bench and slipping off a bulky backpack before walking away, just before the blast. Most Uighurs, who speak a Turkic language, live in China's violence-plagued Xinjiang region. Exiles and human rights groups say Uighurs chafe under government policies that restrict their culture and religion. China denies this and blames Islamists for rising violence. (Additional reporting by Pairat Temphairojana; Writing by Simon Webb; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Robert Birsel)
By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Pairat Temphairojana BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuters) - Thai authorities issued an arrest warrant for an influential Buddhist abbot on charges of money-laundering and receiving illegal donations, justice ministry officials said on Tuesday. Religious institutions in predominantly Buddhist Thailand have come under repeated scrutiny in a series of sex and money scandals, prompting calls from many for reform. The country's divisive political backdrop has also caused fissures within Thai Buddhism. Police and his lawyer said the warrant for Phra Dhammachayo was issued after he failed to report several times for questioning. Lawyers and doctors have said he was too ill to attend. Phra Dhammachayo is abbot of Wat Phra Dammakaya, a monastery famed for its giant UFO-shaped golden stupa some 50 km (30 miles) north of Bangkok. "We will go back to the temple to notify Phra Dhammachayo," lawyer Sumpun Sermcheep said. "We reaffirm that he is really ill." Police would ask Phra Dhammachayo to turn himself in within a week, said Paisith Wongmuang, chief of the Department of Special Investigations, Thailand's equivalent of the FBI. Run by the Dhammakaya sect, the temple has for years been dogged by allegations of corruption, which it has steadfastly denied. The leading candidate for the role of the supreme patriarch, who is being selected following the death of the incumbent, has ties to the Dhammakaya sect. The selection process has become a proxy for the color-coded politics that Thailand's junta has quashed since taking power in 2014, in a bid to end a decade of political violence. (Additional reporting by Aukkarapon Niyomyat; Writing by Pairat Temphairojana; Editing by Simon Webb and John Stonestreet)
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand has ordered Uber Technologies and Grab to halt their motorcycle taxi-hailing services, a senior transport official said on Tuesday.

The services are popular among city dwellers in Thailand's grid-locked cities, where bikes weaving through traffic jams get people around in a fraction of the time a car takes.

There are over 186,000 motorcycles registered to provide taxi services in Thailand, almost half in Bangkok, according to government data.

UberMoto and Grab Bike services had caused conflict with those registered to provide taxi services, said Nunthapong Cherdchoo, a senior official at the transport ministry.

Grab Bike said in a statement it was working with the government to resolve the issues.

"Grab Bike offers a service that reduces traffic in Bangkok, one of the world's most congested cities," Singapore-headquartered Grab said in a statement. "Staff are well-trained and insured."

Uber representatives were not immediately available for comment. Uber launched its services in Bangkok in February.

Authorities have arrested 66 motorcycle drivers working for Uber and Grab Bike, Nunthapong said. They would face fines of up to 4,000 baht ($112) for first-time offences and have their licenses suspended for repeat offences.

San Francisco-based Uber has grown rapidly around the world but has faced protests, bans and restrictions in a number of cities.

($1 = 35.5000 baht)

(Reporting by Pairat Temphairojana; Writing by Simon Webb; editing by Adrian Croft)
Last week, going through random videos on YouTube, I came across one that narrated an unfortunate story of a Delhi teenager, shot to death, inside the assured confines of her home, for no fault of hers. Not only was the news disturbing, but the very events that preceded and followed the episode refute every logic available to human comprehension. Anjali, enjoying her vacations after taking the board exams, invigorated by the inviting music of a marriage procession on the street, ran to her balcony - all she desired was a glimpse of the approaching celebration. Wasnt too long before, when a stray bullet released from the gun of someone in the procession, hit right into her forehead. What exactly is the purpose of random firing in marriages and where exactly does every second dweller of the capital city gets a revolver are questions I would reserve for an argument another day.

What failed my insight was the insouciance of the doctors tending to the child. While her parents kept pleading the hospital staff to treat their injured daughter, the latter, turning a deaf ear to those requests, applied measures to convince the parents into donating Anjalis organs  all this while she was still breathing, battling her way back to life. Her struggle didnt last long and eventually she gave in, leaving us confused  are doctors still the personification of God, do they still enjoy the right to be revered how they were a few decades ago?

The answer, as suggested by some unfortunate events I have witnessed throughout my life and now supported by this news is, NO. Doctors are no more the angels we trusted with our lives. Few years ago, my husbands transfer took us to a remote town with a single unequipped nursing home in the name of medical facility. A poor labors son, who was admitted in this facility for an appendix surgery, was found missing a kidney, when he complained of unusual discomfort and was taken for an X-Ray a few months later .

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In the wee hours of early December, my uncle was admitted in one of the best hospitals in the city, acknowledged worldwide for its heart surgeons. Within no time he was taken to the emergency ward, operated on for five hours, and then put on life support. When his lifeless body was finally released from the machine after a wait of four long days, a mere look at his disfigurement was enough even for the untrained eyes to tell that he had passed away at least three days ago if not on the operation table itself . His body was put on the money sucking machine for days, just to surge up the hospital bills, the bills that, I am guessing, paid for its interior decoration which could easily put several five star hotels to shame.

But why talk of third persons when I have suffered the blows of these gold digging doctors myself. A few complications surfaced during my second trimester. It was again a new city we had recently been transferred to and my husband was out on tours. I had somehow managed to take myself to a gynecologist who prescribed a bunch of tests  to be taken only in a particular diagnostic center. Still a stranger to the puzzling streets, I chose to get the tests done through a nearby clinic, to my shocking revelation, the doctor refused blandly to cast even the faintest of her sights on those reports. Not that the one referred by her was the best one around, but as I gathered later, it paid the doctor some enormous commissions for every patient she sent.

There was an era when medicine was beyond a stream of study and a practitioner was far above a mere professional; parents dreamed of molding doctors out of their little ones, frowning at the idea of envisioning them as musicians or actors. But if my three year old contemplates being a doctor someday, I would dread having birthed and brought up a money monster, because an ambition, irrespective of its social status, when fanned by the greed of its monetary gains, turns into an irrevocable degradation of humanity.

(This confession was made to Avantika Debnath. You may share your story at avantika_debnath@yahoo.in)
nigella lawson

The BBC announced on Tuesday that it planned to scrap its food website and archive the recipes.

The decision is part of a wider plan to save 15 million ($22 million) from the publicly funded corporation's budget.

But people are questioning the decision to remove the internet resource, which seemingly has few overhead costs.

Twitter users are calling the decision "terrible" and "half-baked."

A Change.org petition to "Save the BBC's recipe archive" has gained more than 70,000 signatures since it was started last week, when it was first reported that the website, called BBC Food, may be cut.

The website holds more than 11,000 recipes submitted by chefs from around the world.

The head of BBC News, James Harding, said the BBC "cannot be all things to all people."

Last July, UK Chancellor George Osborne described the BBC website as becoming "a bit more imperial in its ambitions."

"If you've got a website that's got features and cooking recipes  effectively the BBC website becomes the national newspaper as well as the national broadcaster," he said.

The recipe website closing follows the UK government's raft of proposed changes last Friday to how the BBC is governed.

Many on Twitter said they relied on BBC recipes for their meals:

Without #bbcrecipes I'd still be living off raw grass and spit. Thank you Beeby  Phil Wang (@PhilNWang) May 17, 2016

Literally 90% of my dinners are from #bbcrecipes  Aniqah C (@AniqahC) May 17, 2016

How can the government slag off people for not cooking at home/relying on junk food then destroy a resource of easy, free recipes like this?  Amy Jones (@jimsyjampots) May 17, 2016

The former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and a BBC journalist also weighed in:

The plan to remove #bbcrecipes from its website is a Great British Take Off. Let's stop it! Please sign and RT! https://t.co/w4lV1EsnVC  John Prescott (@johnprescott) May 17, 2016

The half-baked deletion of #bbcrecipes in an age of processed food & obesity will be yet another U turn.  Chris Eakin (@ChrisEakinNews) May 17, 2016

The BBC said people would still be able to access bookmarked recipes, but new recipes would be tough to find:

1/3 Food website will close & expected to be archived or mothballed - as happens to other old BBC sites #bbcrecipes  BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) May 17, 2016

2/3 Food site wont be updated & wont be linked to - but if you know URL for a recipe you could still go to it #bbcrecipes  BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) May 17, 2016

BBC GoodFood, which is run separately by BBC Worldwide, will not be affected by the decision.

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Also on the chopping block is the BBC's online News Magazine and the Newsbeat website. Newsbeat is the news service for Radio 1 and Radio 1 Extra, which is targeted at people ages 13 to 24.

People are not happy about the demise of Newsbeat's website either:

.@BBCNewsbeat is actual proper BBC remit (inform, educate, entertain) stuff that you just don't get elsewhere for teenagers. Leave it alone.  Catherine Gee (@catherinegee) May 17, 2016

Ok the BBC recipes are safe. The much bigger worry is BBC Newsbeat - young people need impartial news  Greg Jenner (@greg_jenner) May 17, 2016

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We issued an updated research report on The Coca-Cola Company KO on May 16, 2016.

On Apr 20, the beverage giant reported strong first-quarter 2016 results. Coca-Cola beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for both earnings and sales in first-quarter 2016. Excluding Fx, earnings of 45 cents per share rose 8% on improved organic growth and higher operating margins. Organic revenues inched up 2%. However, soda volumes declined in the quarter due to challenges in many emerging markets.

2015 was a transition year for Coca-Cola because of the changes implemented to create a new operating model. The company made tangible progress on this plan. The company implemented aggressive cost-cutting measures and several initiatives to drive growth during the year. The resultant savings are being deployed to fund marketing programs and in innovations to re-accelerate top-line growth, margin expansion and returns on capital. Other than aggressively cutting costs, the initiative included disciplined brand and growth investments as well as aligning incentive plans.

Coca-Colas productivity and strategic initiatives led to better-than-expected results in 2015 with the trend continuing in 2016. Its increased marketing investments have led to volume growth, especially in North America.

The company is also focused on refranchising in markets like Europe and Africa, which includes the planned creation of Coca-Cola European Partners in Western Europe and Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Southern and Eastern Africa. Coca-Cola European Partners is a merger of three European bottlers including Coca Cola Enterprises, Inc. CCE. Coca-Cola will own an 18% stake in Coca-Cola European Partners and 11% in the new African bottler. In China, it has agreed to refranchise its company-owned bottling operations to its existing partners, COFCO and Swire.

Coca-Colas transformative global re-franchising initiatives would boost margins and returns as well as ensure solid growth, despite hurting sales/profits in the near term.

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Coca-Cola is also pursuing investments in newer revenue platforms to boost long-term sales and profits. Coca-Cola acquired a stake and signed a deal with Monster Beverage Corporation MNST in Jun 2015 to distribute Monster products in additional territories. This will allow Coca-Cola to compete more effectively in the global energy category.

Coca-Cola has also signed a distribution agreement with Suja, a high growth organic cold-pressed juice company to gain a foothold in this growing market. The company has also invested in the plant-based protein drinks platform through the acquisition of the beverage business of China Green Culiangwang Beverages Holdings in China.

In early 2016, Coca-Cola acquired a 40% stake in Chi Limited, Nigeria's leading value-added dairy and juice company, to penetrate further into the energy juice and value-added dairy categories. These strategic investments will help the company to diversify beyond its calorie-loaded sparkling beverages and improve growth prospects.

However, Coca-Colas top line needs to show sustained acceleration. Though markets like North America, Japan and India are consistently strong, continued weakness in some emerging markets like China, Russia and Brazil is holding back significant sales acceleration. Moreover, weak sparkling beverage volumes due to declining demand and currency and structural headwinds - mainly related to the bottler re-franchising initiatives - over the next couple of years remain challenges.

Currently, Coca-Cola has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked beverage stock is Primo Water Corporation PRMW sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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TJ Maxx

TJ Maxx's sales are soaring.

The company recently reported earnings, and comparable sales increased by 7%. The company's growing sales are confirmation that American retail as we know it is undergoing a seismic shift, and that consumers no longer want to shop at full-price department stores.

"In our view, TJXs appeal is down to three main factors," Neil Saunders, CEO of consulting firm Conlumino, wrote in a note to clients. Here's what those three factors are:

"Consumers believe it delivers great value for money, especially in terms of the branded products it sells. This encourages spending, even when consumers are feeling a little more constrained," he wrote.

"The constantly changing assortment, the excitement of finding a bargain, and the sense of urgency associated with having to secure a product before it is sold out, all give consumers a reason to regularly visit shops. This is something that is simply not true of other retailers where 'samey' ranges discourage visiting; it also helps TJX defend its physical business against the rise of players like Amazon." Make no mistake  Amazon is a huge threat to traditional retailers.

"TJXs execution both in store and in terms of marketing is on-point and helps to create a strong connection to the various brands."

All of this should be incredibly troubling to department stores, particularly as core American stores, like Nordstrom and Macy's suffer and try to salvage sales.

Both Nordstrom and Macy's have been trying to appeal to shoppers with their off-price segments, Rack and Backstage, respectively. (Nordstrom in particular wants to use its Rack store as a gateway to its full-line store).

But Saunders says that TJ Maxx is inhibiting these brands from succeeding at fully developing their off-price business.

"In our view, TJX is one of the reasons that US department stores cannot succeed at the discount game," he wrote. "Although often crowded with stock, its shops are better presented than the full-price sections of some department stores, let alone their discount areas. Moreover, its products are genuine bargains which have been carefully found and selected with the customer in mind  rather than being a mish-mash of unpopular and unwanted apparel lines which constitute the tragic clearance sections of players like Macys and Sears."

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Further, as department stores inadvertently erode their own levels of prestige and luxury by expanding their off-price segments, TJ Maxx is helping to twist the knife, making it even harder for them to succeed.

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TOKYO (AP) -- One of the leaders of Tokyo's winning bid for the 2020 Olympics told the Japanese parliament Tuesday that he cannot reveal the details of a contract with a Singapore firm that has enmeshed the bid in a French bribery investigation.

''We looked into the content of this contract but this is a confidential matter,'' Tsunekazu Takeda said under questioning from lawmakers. ''So, I understand that I am not allowed to unveil the content without gaining approval from the counterpart.''

French prosecutors have said that 2.8 million Singapore dollars ($2 million) was apparently transferred from Japan to the Singapore account of a company called Black Tidings.

The account holder, Ian Tan Tong Han, has been closely tied to the son of former IAAF President Lamine Diack, who is facing corruption charges.

Diack, once one of the most influential men in sports, was a member of the International Olympic Committee. He is under investigation in France, barred from leaving the country while the probe continues.

Takeda, now president of the Japan Olympic Committee, acknowledged last week that the payments were made, but he said they were consulting fees for services such as bid planning, international lobbying advice and media analysis.

Japanese Olympics Minister Toshiaki Endo urged the involved parties to explain the issue to the public.

''I understand there is a matter of confidentiality but we would like for them to investigate this issue ... and handle it in a way that could gain understanding from the people of Japan,'' he said.
One of China's most powerful officials said he would listen to political demands from Hongkongers in a conciliatory start to a visit Tuesday that has stirred anger in a city resentful of Beijing's tightening grip.

The three-day trip by Zhang Dejiang, who chairs China's communist-controlled legislature, is the first by such a senior official in four years and comes as concerns grow in semi-autonomous Hong Kong that its long-cherished freedoms are under threat.

While Zhang is ostensibly visiting to speak at an economic conference on Wednesday, the trip is widely seen as a bid to take the temperature in an increasingly divided city with a fledgling independence movement.

It has infuriated opponents, critical of a massive security operation that involves thousands of police and barricades protesters into designated areas out of Zhang's sight.

Police shoved back protesters gathered near the residence of the city's leader Tuesday night where Zhang was due to have dinner.

Seven members of pro-democracy political party the League of Social Democrats were arrested earlier after putting up protest banners, with three still detained.

A leading pro-democracy activist was also wrestled to the ground by police outside Zhang's hotel.

Wednesday will see several protest groups rally near the harbourfront convention centre where Zhang is due to speak.

Zhang arrived just before noon at Hong Kong airport where he was met by city leader Leung Chun-ying and a brass band.

In a short speech on the tarmac Zhang pledged to listen to a variety of political views.

"(I will listen to) people from all walks of life about any suggestions and demands regarding the implementation of 'One Country, Two Systems'," said Zhang, referring to the semi-autonomous system under which Hong Kong has been governed since being handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

He also said he would listen to "any suggestions and requests regarding the nation and Hong Kong's development".

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Zhang declared he had brought a "caring heart" as well as "hearty greetings and good wishes" from China's President Xi Jinping.

At a meeting with lawmakers later Tuesday, Zhang said Beijing was satisfied with the work of the Hong Kong government.

"I feel that the future is bright for Hong Kong," he added.

He will meet four veteran pro-democracy lawmakers Wednesday evening, a rare move observers say is designed to defuse frustrations over stalled political reform.

- 'We won't back down' -

Hong Kong has been semi-autonomous since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997, with freedoms unseen on the mainland.

But since mass rallies in 2014 for fully free leadership elections failed to win concessions, young campaigners have become increasingly frustrated.

Demosisto, a new party launched by student leaders behind the pro-democracy protests, is campaigning for a referendum to decide the city's future. It demanded in a statement posted on Facebook that Beijing allow Hong Kong "greater self-determination".

The party added "the Hong Kong people are resolute in determining our fate, and... any tokenistic diplomacy to beat us into submission will not be accepted as legitimate".

Authorities have cordoned off the convention centre with water-filled plastic barricades and paving stones have been glued down to prevent protesters using them as missiles.

Police are even patrolling Lion Rock hill overlooking the city, where pro-democracy banners have regularly been unfurled.

But activists from the League of Social Democrats managed to hang a banner calling for universal suffrage on a nearby hillside Tuesday morning.

Another, demanding the "end of Communist Party dictatorship", was hung on a highway from the airport into the city.

After its members were arrested over the banners, a Facebook post on the party's website said it would not back down.

"We are against the interference of Hong Kong affairs by the Chinese Communist Party," the post said.

A small group of pro-democracy protesters including student leader Joshua Wong chanted and held up signs calling for universal suffrage and self-determination near Zhang's hotel.

High-profile activist Nathan Law tried to breach the barricade and was tackled to the ground by police.

A rival group of pro-China demonstrators waved national flags nearby.

Zhang's visit is expected to help Beijing gauge whether city leader Leung should stand for another term -- his current stint ends in March 2017.

Like all Hong Kong leaders, Leung was chosen by a 1,200-member committee stacked with Beijing loyalists.
A heavy security presence effectively quashed plans by democracy activists to gather in the streets of Hong Kong on Tuesday to decry the arrival of senior Chinese official Zhang Dejiang.

We are just protesters, but theyre treating us like terrorists, 22-year-old political activist Keith Chan said, standing outside of a police barricade manned by several officers. The police are so afraid of Zhang Dejiang seeing us protest.

Zhang is the chairman of Chinas rubber-stamp legislature, the National Peoples Congress, and the first top party leader to visit Hong Kong since 2014s pro-democracy protests. He landed in the Special Administrative Region (SAR) just before noon local time for a three-day visit.

He struck a conciliatory tone on arrival. Local media reported that he said he had some bonding to do with Hong Kong and that he pledged to listen to all sectors of society on issues of governance affecting the territory.

However, his visit comes at a time when many Hong Kongers, particularly the younger generation, feel that meaningful autonomy under Chinese sovereignty  the so-called one country, two systems principle  cannot be achieved.

The foiled protest, one of several scheduled for the coming days, was to have been spearheaded by fledgling political party Demosisto. Headed by youthful activist Joshua Wong, it emerged last month from the ashes of the Umbrella Revolution to put forward a more audacious demand: the right to self-determination.

Many in Hong Kong say that the system has failed, pointing to the citys inability to choose its own leader and to Beijings growing encroachment  dramatized by the dubious disappearance of five local publishers late last year. The only viable alternative, some young people now say, is establishing Hong Kong as an independent territory, free of the mainlands interference.

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Some legal experts in China have condemned Hong Kongs independence movement as seditious, but this has not fazed political activists here. In preparation for Zhangs visit, local authorities braced themselves for popular unrest, assembling what the South China Morning Post described as the polices biggest security operation yet.

Over 6,000 officers have been assigned to protect Zhang; the Grand Hyatt in the bustling Wan Chai district, where he is staying, is a restricted zone. Workers have even been gluing down paving stones so that demonstrators cannot break them up to use as missiles. Local media reports that any drones in the area will have their frequencies jammed.

Around the time of Zhangs arrival in Wan Chai, security enforcement was almost draconian. Two young political icons, Demosisto president Nathan Law and well-known agitator Derek Lam, were both accosted by police officers for venturing beyond designated checkpoint zones; Law was at one point slammed to the ground by officers.

This is why we need to protest, Law told TIME across the street from the Grand Hyatt, shortly after Zhang arrived. The Communist Party and the Hong Kong government are trying to create a fake picture of Hong Kong being very peaceful, where no one is voicing their opinion against Zhang Dejiang and China.

He said that that they were attempting to plan further protests away from officially designated protest areas, which he said were intentionally designed to be out of the public view.

Democracy activists were at least able to unfurl a giant banner reading I Want Genuine Universal Suffrage on the citys Beacon Hill on Tuesday, evading police who had camped in the area overnight in an attempt to prevent such an occurrence. A banner reading An End to Chinese Communist One-Party Rule was also hung over the main highway leading from the airport to the city.
By Sam Forgione

NEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) - Top U.S. investors' plays on energy stocks diverged in the first quarter, with some cutting stakes and others increasing, as oil prices seesawed and roiled shares in the sector.

Hedge funds such as David Tepper's Appaloosa Management and Daniel Loeb's Third Point showed bullish moves toward the sector, while Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway also appeared sanguine on the sector by maintaining a big stake in U.S. pipeline operator Kinder Morgan, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings showed Friday and Monday.

Barry Rosenstein's Jana Partners, George Soros' Soros Fund Management and Leon Cooperman's Omega Advisors sold several stakes in energy companies.

Third Point took stakes in natural gas companies Targa Resources Corp and Williams Companies Inc of 1.8 million shares and 2 million shares, respectively, while selling a stake in Clayton Williams Energy Inc of 400,000 shares. Williams said last week that it had filed a lawsuit against Energy Transfer Equity LP to prevent it from terminating its once-coveted deal for Williams.

Targa Resources rose 10.3 percent in the first quarter, but Williams fell 37.5 percent, and Clayton Williams shares lost 70 percent of their value.

Appaloosa increased its stake in Williams Partners LP , a natural gas infrastructure master limited partnership (MLP) by 10.9 million units to 13.2 million units. The fund also increased its stake in Energy Transfer Partners LP by 11 million units to 16.2 million units.

Appaloosa was less optimistic on Kinder Morgan and cut its stake by 4.9 million shares to 4.5 million shares, however, diverging from Berkshire's unchanged position of 26.5 million shares. Berkshire's bullish bias was likely profitable in the quarter, with shares up nearly 20 percent.

These hedge-fund SEC disclosures are backward-looking and come out 45 days after the end of each quarter. Still, the filings offer a glimpse into what hedge fund managers saw as investment opportunities.

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The first quarter was a rollercoaster for U.S. crude prices, which sank to a nearly 13-year low of $26.05 a barrel on Feb. 11 before recovering all those losses and ending the quarter 3.5 percent higher, at $38.34 a barrel.

That multi-year low in U.S. crude prices, which marked a more than 75 percent decline from highs hit in mid-2014, was touched after data showing strong growth in U.S. and global oil inventories, and U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs called for depressed prices until the second half of the year.

The sharp rebound in prices was powered by major producers' plans to freeze output, declining U.S. oil output and strong gasoline demand.

BEARISH TILTS

Jana Partners sold its entire stake in Williams of 3.8 million shares, opposing Third Point's new bet on the natural gas company. Williams shares stumbled as U.S. natural gas futures fell more than 16 percent in the first quarter to $1.959 per million British thermal units.

Omega Advisors sold its entire stake in Anadarko Petroleum Corp of 272,000 shares, while trimming its position in Gulfport Energy Corp by 362,000 shares to 209,000 shares. Omega also sold its entire stake in Atlas Energy Group of 3.9 million shares.

Soros Fund Management sold entire stakes in Valero Energy Corp, Penn Virginia Corp, Energy XXI and Baker Hughes, while decreasing a position in EQT Corp..

Most of those moves appeared prescient. Shares in those companies fell except for EQT, however, rallied 29 percent.

(Reporting by Sam Forgione; Editing by Jennifer Ablan and Cynthia Osterman)
Ninad Ambre

Toyota is planning to launch a petrol variant of the recently launched Innova Crysta for the Indian market. This version will come powered by a 2.7-litre petrol mill, which is under development in Japan.

The Supreme Courts diesel ban in India has had an effect on the sales for the carmaker. Sales of their cars have fallen. Also, the changing preferences of consumers from diesel to petrol has made Toyota consider introducing a petrol Innova Crysta for the Indian market. At present, the new MPV is offered in 2.8-litre and 2.4-litre engine options, but only in diesel. The former comes mated to a new six-speed manual transmission, while the latter is paired to a five-speed manual gearbox.

Toyota had earlier confirmed that they can provide additional engine options for the Innova Crsyta. This would depend on the customer preference and the requirement for the same. For the Thailand and Indonesian market, there is already a Crysta powered by a 2.0-litre petrol unit. However, the automaker is developing a new 2.7-litre petrol motor for our country to comply with our regulations mandate.

N Raja, director and senior vice president, sales and marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, We have seen our sales coming down by 800 units a month in Delhi since December after the Supreme Court ban. To address this issue, we have fast tracked the development of a 2.7-litre petrol engine. The R&D engineers in Japan are working on the new engine. We plan to launch the petrol variant of Innova Crysta in Delhi-NCR markets by Diwali this year.

The petrol Innova Crysta will not only help Toyota to stop their dropping sales, but also boost them. If we consider the MPV market in India; it garners around 35,000 units of sales per month. The new petrol version should help the carmaker increase their share in this segment and strengthen their leadership.

Toyota Innova Crysta

Source: Financial Express

For more news,reviews,videos and information about cars, visit CarWale.com.

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American Eagle Outfitter is drawing bearish option activity ahead of its earnings report tomorrow afternoon.



optionMONSTER's monitoring system detected the purchase of 9,000 May 13 puts for $0.23 to $0.30. Volume was more than 6 times open interest at the strike, which indicates new money was put to work.



Long puts lock in the price where a stock can be sold, so they make money if shares decline. Investors use them to hedge long positions or to speculate on a drop. (See our Education section)



AEO is up 0.49 percent to $14.22 in morning trading but is down 11 percent in the last month. The apparel retailer, which reported bullish results on March 2, is scheduled to announce its next quarterly numbers after the market closes tomorrow.



Overall option volume in the name is 4 times greater than average. Puts outnumber calls by a bearish 12-to-1 ratio.





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The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that the U.S. State Department has approved the United Arab Emirates (UAE) proposal to buy Lockheed Martin Corp.s LMT Hellfire Missiles.



The approval covers the sale of 4000 AGM-114 R/K Hellfire Category III air-to-surface missiles as well as related equipment, training and support. The transaction has an estimated price of $476 million.



Lockheed Martins business unit, Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control in Dallas, TX, will be the prime contractor. The company will deliver the missiles in increments of 1,000 to 1,500 over the next three years.



The Congress was notified of the potential sale by the DSCA on May 11, 2016.



According to the DSCA, "This proposed sale will enhance the foreign policy and national security of the U.S. by helping to improve the security of a partner country, which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East."



AGM-114 Hellfire is an air-to-surface missile that was initially developed for anti-armor use. Later, these missiles were upgraded for precision strikes against other target types. It has multi-mission, multi-target precision-strike capability, and can be launched from air, sea and ground platforms.



Lockheed Martin is the largest U.S. defense contractor with a platform-centric focus that guarantees a steady inflow of follow-on orders from the Army, Air Force, Navy and IT programs.



A world fraught with geopolitical tensions has led to various nations ramping up their defense capabilities. Increasing threats and a growing need to safeguard the interests of nations and their people have pushed up demand for U.S. weapons. This has, in turn, been benefiting U.S. defense manufacturers.



Lockheed Martin currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



Other Stocks to Consider



Other favorably placed stocks in the aerospace and defense space include Engility Holdings, Inc. EGL, BAE Systems plc BAESY and CAE Inc. CAE, each carrying the same rank as Lockheed Martin.



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Former Trump Organization executive Barbara Res has drawn the ire of her former boss after she was one of the women featured in a recent New York Times article about the GOP presidential candidate and his dealings with women.

Res, who was once head of construction for Donald Trumps company, tells Inside Edition she will be voting for Hillary Clinton.

He thinks hes the greatest, she said. I think he has an incredible ego."

Read: Jon Stewart Calls Donald Trump A 'Man-Baby'

She says his personality changed after his first marriage to Ivana Trump disintegrated.

He started acting out and one of the things he did was he talked about women, she said.

And not in a respectful way.

He would talk about womens anatomy and he would talk about all the women who were chasing him and how he wouldnt have his problems if he wasnt having all the sex he was having, Res said.

Trump, expressing his displeasure, took to Twitter.

I gave a woman named Barbara Res a top job in the construction industry when that was unheard of and now shes nasty. So much for a nice thank you, he posted.

Res said Trump also abused and humiliated employees.

He yelled at them a lot, she said. He didnt just yell at them, he demoralized them a little bit.

Read: Trump Says He Has 'Great Respect' for Megyn Kelly in Clip of Highly Anticipated Interview

He would call both men and women fat or ugly, she said.

Trump says she is a disgruntled employee.

What Barbara Res does not say is that she would call my company endlessly, and for years, trying to come back. I said no, he tweeted.

Watch: How Donald Trum's Ex, Rowanne Brewer, Became An Overnight Media Sensation

Related Articles:
Ohio Gov. John Kasich , who dropped out of the Republican presidential race earlier this month, would make a good running mate for Donald Trump , Sen. Rob Portman told CNBC on Tuesday.

Portman, also from the swing state of Ohio and himself mentioned as a possible Trump vice presidential pick, said on " Squawk Box " he's not interested but he supports Trump for the White House.

"I'm happy doing what I'm doing," said Portman , a first-term senator who is considered vulnerable. "I've got my own re-election."

On "Squawk Box" last week, former Vice President Dan Quayle said Trump should pick Portman as a running mate. "Look at his background  congressman, trade representative, OMB director, U.S. senator  he's got it all."

Portman serves on the Senate Finance, Budget, Homeland Security, and Energy committees.









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Tunis (AFP) - As the world marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on Tuesday, in Tunisia the issue may have emerged from the shadows but many of those it affects have not.

Despite the rainbow flag flying briefly on the main avenue in the capital recently, homosexuals are the subject of both social and legal discrimination.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, long taboo in the conservative Muslim state, have improved gradually since the 2011 revolution that sparked the Arab Spring.

And after the uprising resulted in greater freedom of speech, several associations emerged including Mawjoudin (We exist) and Shams (Sun).

However, being openly gay in Tunisia is still a no-no for most homosexuals in a country that hands down lengthy prison sentences for the "offence".

The debate burst onto the public scene last spring with calls for homosexuality to be decriminalised. Under Section 230 of the country's Penal Code, those convicted of sodomy or lesbianism face up to three years in jail.

After a court last September sentenced a youth to a year behind bars for homosexuality, then-justice minister Salah Ben Aissa made a controversial call for Article 230 to be scrapped.

This was cited as one reason for his sacking the following month.

"I don't see why we have to live in hiding. Our private life is our own business," Shams vice president Ahmed Ben Amor told AFP.

At the age of 19 he was ostracised by his family and expelled from high school for declaring his homosexuality.

- 'Get out of here!' -

Braving the open hostility of a large segment of the population, LGBT associations have now begun to emerge into public view and even hold open meetings.

Rainbow flag in hand, activists marched in Tunis on January 14, the anniversary of the 2011 revolution.

But their presence was not welcomed by all: dozens of people shouted at the marchers to "Get out of here!" and police had to escort the activists to safety.

Story continues

Today, homosexuality has become a recurring topic in Tunisian media. To hear people speak publicly of homosexuality was "unthinkable some time ago", said academic Wahid Ferchichi, who heads the Tunisian Association for the Defence of Individual Liberties.

According to sociologist Mohamed Jouiri, "the post-revolution context allowed a minority to express and assert its existence".

He said that "the situation for homosexuals in Tunisia is much better than in other Arab countries", despite remaining very difficult.

"When you're gay in Tunisia, you live with two faces," a young homosexual in the northern city of Bizerte told AFP.

"When you are with straight people, you don't show that you are different because of the risk of violence. And of course there is also another risk -- the law."

In December, rights groups called on Tunisia to repeal anti-homosexuality laws after six students were jailed for three years after being forced to undergo anal examinations.

NGOs have denounced the use of such tests as cruel, inhuman and degrading.

- 'Forced to dance naked' -

In March, an appeals court reduced the sentence to one month in jail and also overturned a five-year ban on them entering the central city of Kairouan where they were first convicted.

If President Beji Caid Essebsi judged the five-year ban to be archaic, before it was lifted, he did not speak out against the original prison sentence and categorically ruled out decriminalising homosexuality.

"That will not happen," he said in an interview with Egyptian television. "I reject it," he said of Article 230 being repealed.

Every day, homosexuals in Tunisia suffer from profound social rejection and hostility.

"Being gay in Tunisia is worse than having the plague," said Mohamed Ali, 22, one of the six students in the Kairouan case.

He is still traumatised by the anal examination he underwent in the presence of two police officers, as well as his treatment in prison in Sousse where he said he was attacked and ridiculed.

"Inmates forced me to dance naked while amused guards looked on, doing nothing," he said.

The debate in Tunisia may now itself have come out of the closet, but reactions to it show there is a long way to go to the end of the rainbow.

One video circulating on the Internet shows an imam in Sfax, the country's second largest city, saying in a sermon that men convicted of sodomy should be sentenced to death and executed by throwing them off a tall building and then stoning them.

In parliament, one lawmaker from the Islamist party Ennahda, Abdellatif Mekki, defended homosexuality being illegal and said authorising the Shams association endangered the social peace and was "a major sin".

And progressive parties -- when they do not oppose homosexuality outright -- are ultra-cautious, fearing the impact of public opinion.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey will act alone to deal with attacks on the town of Kilis near the Syrian border if it receives no outside help, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, in a sign of Ankara's growing frustration with rocket fire from Islamic State-held territory. "We will overcome the Islamic State. We will solve that issue ourselves if we don't receive help to prevent those rockets from hitting Kilis," Erdogan told a meeting in Istanbul in comments broadcast live on television. "We knocked on all doors for a safe zone at our southern border. But no one wants to take that step. If the world fails to agree on decisive action against terrorist organizations, the world will no longer be a safe place," he said. Kilis has come under frequent rocket fire from an Islamic State-controlled area of Syria for months, leaving 21 people dead and some buildings destroyed. Turkish and U.S.-led coalition forces have responded with shelling and air strikes, killing dozens of militants in northern Syria. But Turkish officials say Ankara needs more help from the coalition in protecting the border, citing the difficulty of hitting mobile targets with howitzers. Turkish concern over possible Islamic State attacks deeper inside its territory has also increased. Police issued a nationwide warning for Thursday's national holiday, with military facilities seen as prime targets. There has been a spate of suicide bombings in Turkey this year, including two in its largest city Istanbul blamed on Islamic State, and two in the capital Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by David Dolan/Nick Tattersall)
Diyarbakir (Turkey) (AFP) - Turkey on Tuesday buried over a dozen victims of a massive blast in its southeast last week that killed 16 people when a truck laden with explosives by Kurdish militants planning a major attack detonated prematurely.

The initial toll from the blast outside the southeast's main city of Diyarbakir on Thursday night was far lower and Turkish authorities only confirmed Monday 13 more victims had been identified and a total of 16 people lost their lives.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday for the first time spoke about the blast, saying Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants had been trying to transfer the explosives to Diyarbakir city with the aim of killing hundreds of people.

The body parts from the victims -- described as local villagers -- were scattered over such a wide area that identification on the spot was impossible and the remains were sent to Istanbul for DNA testing.

In a sign of the gravity of the incident, the funerals in the village of Sarikamis just outside Diyarbakir were led by Interior Minister Efkan Ala and Development Minister Cevdet Yilmaz.

The coffins of the 13 victims were laid to rest side-by-side in a joint plot at the village cemetery, an AFP photographer said.

Thee were scenes of agony as the coffins were carried to the graveyard with men and women collapsing in grief and embracing the coffins in a final farewell.

- 'Why is world silent?' -

Erdogan said the PKK militants had been seeking to move the consignment of explosives to Diyarbakir when it started being followed by suspicious Sarikamis villagers. The PKK militants then opened fire and detonated the truck, he said.

"We are talking now about an attack plot by a terrorist organisation seeking to assassinate hundreds of innocent people and 16 citizens who paid with their lives by preventing it," he said.

He asked why the world was silent about the incident. "This should prompt firm condemnations from around the world," said Erdogan.

Story continues

On the night of the incident, Turkish authorities said four "bombmakers" from the outlawed PKK were killed when the truck filled with explosives detonated.

But villagers said the death toll had been far higher from a gigantic blast that was felt in Diyarbakir city and left a wide crater in the ground.

Official statements this week said three victims were buried on May 13, making the total death toll 16, and there has been no further mention of fatalities among the PKK.

Erdogan indicated that the PKK militants escaped in a car while detonating the explosives-laden truck.

In a statement, the PKK acknowledged the incident, claiming the vehicle exploded when anti-PKK villagers opened fire on it. The group said the explosives were meant to be transferred to another location and not detonated.

Turkey has been waging an offensive against the PKK after the collapse in 2015 of a two-year ceasefire declared by the group.

Hundreds of members of the Turkish security forces have been killed in attacks since then although civilian deaths in the conflict have rarely been confirmed.

More than 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK took up arms in 1984 demanding a homeland for Turkey's biggest minority.

Since then, the group has pared back its demands to focus on cultural rights and a measure of autonomy.
By Seyhmus Cakan SARIKAMIS, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish authorities have identified the remains of 13 people from two families killed after a truck carrying more than 15 tonnes of explosives blew up last week in a village in the country's mainly Kurdish southeast. That raised the death toll to 16 from the May 12 blast in Sarikamis outside the city of Diyarbakir. Violence has gripped the region since a conflict between Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants and state security forces reignited last year. Clashes between the PKK and military flared elsewhere with 26 militants killed around the southeast, the military said, and seven members of the security forces wounded in the town of Nusaybin at the Syrian border, security sources said. Turkish jets on Monday also bombed PKK targets in the mountains of northern Iraq, where the group is based, the military said in a statement. The force of the explosion in Sarikamis was so great that the bodies of victims were largely destroyed, and authorities had to run DNA tests on body parts and match them with relatives to determine their identity, according to local officials. The 13 victims in the village of 200 people were initially described as missing, they said, while another 23 people were wounded in the blast. "This was a massacre, an attack against all of Turkey," said Interior Minister Efkan Ala, who attended their funerals in Sarikamis on Tuesday. Women cried as men lined up for prayers during the funeral services. "We condemn terrorism!" one group shouted. Turkey, the United States and the European Union all classify the PKK as a terrorist organization, but it retains grassroots support in the region. The autonomy-seeking PKK abandoned a two-year ceasefire in July 2015 and resumed its fight against the Turkish state, which began in 1984 and has claimed 40,000 lives, mainly Kurdish. Since July, hundreds of police, soldiers and militants have been killed. Opposition political parties estimate that between 500 and 1,000 civilians have also died. Turkey faces criticism from the European Union and United Nations for the severity of its crackdown on the PKK and the loss of civilian life. The blast in Sarikamis occurred after PKK fighters packed a stolen truck with explosives, hoping to store the vehicle for future attacks in the village, security sources said. It was not immediately clear what set off the explosion. Officials initially said the truck exploded as militants loaded it and that they intended to use it to attack security forces. (Writing by Ayla Jean Yackley; Editing by David Dolan and Mark Heinrich)
Ankara (AFP) - The Turkish parliament on Tuesday approved, in a preliminary vote, a controversial bill that would strip dozens of deputies of their parliamentary immunity and which pro-Kurdish lawmakers say is directly aimed at driving them out of the legislature.

A total of 348 deputies supported the bill, in the 550-seat parliament, with 155 voting against the measure, parliamentary vice president Ahmet Aydin announced after the debate and vote.

The result opens the way for a second round of discussions and a final vote on Friday.

The bill had already led to unprecedented scenes at the committee stage with angry deputies exchanging blows with their fists and even feet rather than discussing the document.

Under current Turkish law, members of parliament have the right to full immunity from prosecution. If the new bill passes, it would lift the immunity of 130 deputies from all parties whose dossiers have been sent to the parliament speaker.

But the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) says the bill is essentially a move to expel its MPs from parliament.

HDP lawmakers are particularly vulnerable to prosecution on allegations of links or even verbal support for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is fighting a renewed insurgency against the Turkish state.

- 'Destroy the HDP' -

"What this motion seeks to destroy is the HDP in parliament," party co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, both of whom could face prosecution, said in a letter to European MPs.

Should a number of HDP deputies leave parliament, it would ease the way for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to realise his dream of changing the constitution to create a presidential system in Turkey.

The HDP said the bill could lead to the prosecution of 50 HDP deputies out of its total contingent of 59.

"If successful, this coup would be a most crucial step for Erdogan to replace Turkey's parliamentary democracy... with an absolutist presidential system," the HDP's co-leaders said.

Story continues

Should the bill become law, it raises the prospect that the likes of Demirtas and Yuksekdag -- already the target of criminal investigations -- could go on trial on charges of making "terrorist propaganda" for the PKK and even face time in jail.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) needs to win 367 votes in parliament -- a two-thirds majority -- to push the legislation through directly at Friday's second-vote stage.

A three-fifths majority -- 330 votes -- would be enough to call a referendum on the issue.

- Secret ballot -

The AKP has 317 seats in parliament and is hoping to enjoy support for the motion from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which has 40 seats and despises the HDP.

But the MHP is itself in turmoil after its poor performance in November elections, with several figures trying to challenge longtime chief Devlet Bahceli, and the AKP may also need support from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

The ballot is secret and some commentators have suggested some AKP deputies who could risk prosecution might also dissent from the party line.

Bulent Turan, the head of the AKP's faction in parliament, said he would prefer that parliament resolved the issue itself but emphasised the party had "no fear" of a referendum should the need arise.

He denied that the motion was specifically aimed at the HDP.

"If some people within the AKP did something wrong then they will be judged," he said.

The removal of parliamentary immunity has a precedent -- in 1994 four deputies from the now defunct predecessor of the HDP the Democratic Party, including Sakharov Prize winner Leyla Zana, were jailed on charges of membership of the PKK immediately after having their immunity removed.
Yerevan (AFP) - An Azerbaijani soldier and an ethnic Armenian fighter for the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region's army died in fresh clashes on Tuesday, hours after Baku and Yerevan agreed to respect a ceasefire in the disputed territory.

On Monday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian met in Vienna where they agreed to respect a ceasefire and renew peace talks in June.

It was the leaders' first encounter since fierce fighting in Karabakh claimed the lives of at least 110 people from all sides last month.

"Right after the Vienna talks, the Armenian side violated the ceasefire," Azerbaijan's defence ministry said in a statement.

"An Azerbaijani soldier was mortally wounded during Armenia's shelling of Azerbaijani positions."

The defence ministry in Karabakh for its part accused Baku of shelling its positions along the volatile frontline.

"One soldier of the Karabakh army was killed in the southern sector of the frontline," the ministry said.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have feuded over Nagorny Karabakh since Armenian separatists seized the landlocked territory in a war that claimed some 30,000 lives in the early 1990s.

The two sides never signed a firm peace deal despite a 1994 ceasefire and have regularly exchanged fire across the frontline, but last month's fighting represented an unprecedented spike in violence.

Both sides have been rearming heavily in recent years and the sudden escalation in fighting has seen the parties ramp up their rhetoric, accusing each other of fuelling the conflict.
Washington (AFP) - Two Mexicans have been extradited to the United States and charged with involvement in the 2011 murder of an immigration and customs agent, justice officials said.

The two men face murder charges in the 2011 killing of Jaime Zapata, and attempted murder charges against another agent, a Justice Department statement said.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were aboard an armored vehicle near San Luis Potosi, Mexico when gunmen with the Los Zetas drug cartel opened fire, killing Zapata and wounding Avila.

Jesus Ivan Quezada Pina, 28, and Alfredo Gaston Mendoza Hernandez, 33, appeared before a magistrate in Washington. They are being held without bond.

Four other suspects including a cartel commander have pleaded guilty in the same cases. They were among five extradited over the affair.

The commander, Julian Zapata Espinosa, has testified that there was a mix-up, and that when the US agents refused to get out of the vehicle, the gang opened fire thinking the men were with a rival drug cartel.

The Justice Department did not say when the suspects were extradited.
By Humphrey Malalo NAIROBI (Reuters) - The United States condemned on Tuesday the "excessive use of force" by Kenya's security services during a demonstration by opponents of the electoral oversight body, the embassy said. Police beat some demonstrators with batons and kicked others on Monday after firing teargas and water cannon to disperse a crowd outside the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. Some demonstrators threw stones at police. "The United States deplores the excessive use of force by the Kenyan security services and the violence around the demonstrations," U.S. Ambassador Robert Godec said. "We welcome announcements by Kenyan authorities that all reports of the excessive use of force will be investigated." Kenya does not hold its next presidential and parliamentary polls until August 2017, but politicians are already trying to galvanize their supporters. More than 1,200 people died after an election in 2007. A 2013 election passed peacefully, although the opposition disputed the result and said the commission mishandled the voting. It accepted a court ruling that rejected the challenge. The commission oversees elections in Kenya, including ensuring voter lists are up to date and supervising counting. Kenya's opposition accuses the commission of lacking the impartiality to referee a fair vote, a charge its members deny. Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet condemned what he called "lawlessness" by "rioters" but said an internal enquiry was under way to see if any officers broke the law, the Daily Nation reported on it website. Reuters could not immediately reach officers for comment. "Police officers have been photographed attacking unarmed and peaceful citizens on the streets of Nairobi and Kisumu. This is utterly unacceptable," said the Law Society of Kenya, the professional body for the country's lawyers. Protests also took place in Kisumu in western Kenya. A Nairobi court charged 15 men, who participated in the protest, with creating a disturbance and being armed with stones, a court official told Reuters, adding that they had denied the charges. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who challenged the 2013 result and attended Monday's protest, is expected to stand again in 2017 against President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is expected to seek a second and final term. (Writing by Edmund Blair, editing by Larry King)
May 17 (Reuters) - The yield on top-rated U.S. municipal bonds due in 30 years fell to an all-time low of 2.39 percent Tuesday on Municipal Market Data's benchmark scale.

Rising prices last week began driving the yield under the previous record low of 2.47 percent set in November 2012.

The yield on AAA-rated 10-year bonds ended Tuesday unchanged at 1.54 percent, just 7 basis points higher than the all-time low of 1.47 percent, also set in 2012.

Demand for munis has been strong. Investors have poured money into muni bond funds for 32 consecutive weeks, with $22.1 billion of inflows this year, according to data from Lipper, a Thomson Reuters unit.

The week ended May 11 was the biggest in net inflows so far this year, with $1.2 billion.

(Reporting By Karen Pierog; Editing by Dan Grebler)
(Adds details on Chinese duties, companies affected)

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - The United States slapped Chinese steelmakers with final import duties of 522 percent on cold-rolled flat steel on Tuesday after finding that their products were being sold in the U.S. market below cost and with unfair subsidies.

The U.S. Commerce Department said the duties effectively will increase by more than five-fold the import prices on Chinese-made cold-rolled flat steel products, which totaled $272.3 million in 2015.

Cold-rolled steel is primarily used in automotive body panels, appliances, shipping containers and construction.

The rulings by the Commerce Department come amid escalating U.S.-China trade tensions, especially in the steel sector, where both U.S. and European producers claim China has distorted world pricing by dumping its excess output abroad as demand at home slows.

The original complaint was filed in July 2015 by major U.S. producers United States Steel, AK Steel Corp, ArcelorMittal USA, Nucor Corp and Steel Dynamics Inc. U.S. steel producers say they have laid off some 12,000 U.S. workers in the past year.

Commerce also levied final anti-dumping duties against Japanese-made cold-rolled steel of 71.35 percent, upholding preliminary findings. About $138.6 million of these products were imported from Japan last year.

Chinese companies affected by the duties include Baosteel Group, Angang Group Hong Kong Holdings Ltd, and Benxi Iron and Steel (Group) Special Steel Co Ltd. Among Japanese producers affected are Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp and JFE Steel Corp.

For Chinese cold-rolled steel imports, Commerce upheld its preliminary anti-dumping duties of 265.79 percent, but increased its preliminary anti-subsidy duties to 256.44 percent from 227.29 percent.

In a separate case, U.S. Steel is seeking to halt all imports from China's top steelmakers.

In a complaint to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), the U.S. steelmaker called on regulators to investigate dozens of Chinese producers and their distributors for allegedly conspiring to fix prices, stealing trade secrets and circumventing trade duties by false labeling.

Beijing has defended itself against the allegations, saying it has done enough to reduce steel capacity and blaming global excess and weak demand for the industry's woes.

(Reporting By David Lawder; Editing by Diane Craft)
LONDON (Reuters) - UBS has turned more positive on the Greek banking sector, arguing that signs of progress in talks with Greece's lenders meant the sector could rebound.

"We turn more constructive on Greek banks and upgrade Alpha Bank (ACBr.AT) to 'buy'," UBS wrote in a research note on Tuesday.

"The starting point is very challenging and risks abound, but we see a fundamental investment case and valuations suggest upside potential," added UBS.

UBS' view echoes a similarly bullish position on Greek banks from Morgan Stanley, which earlier this month estimated that Greek bank stocks could rise 90 percent if Greece and its creditors could reach a deal on releasing new bailout funds and debt relief.

Athens' benchmark ATG (.ATG) equity index is down around 2 percent since the start of 2016.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, has signed up with social media groups such as Tinder, Facebook and Twitter in a bid to persuade young people to vote in the referendum on the U.K.'s membership of the European Union.

CNBC contacted Number 10 Downing Street who confirmed that Mr. Cameron addressed senior figures from the tech community on Friday last week over reaching out to potential voters.

The marketing campaign is to attract under 40's, singles and ethnic minorities who are tipped to be more likely to vote for the U.K. to remain a part of Europe.

The Prime Minister's press office told CNBC that the meeting was part of an ongoing strategy to engage younger voters.

"We are always looking for ways to try and encourage people to register to vote."

According to media reports, youth campaign group Bite the Ballot, Google and Buzzfeed were also at the meeting.

In March, Tinder launched a feature called "Swipe the Vote" that helped users identify a political preference in the US presidential race.





The Glastonbury music festival is taking place on June 23, the same day as the referendum.

Earlier this year, festival organizer Emily Eavis said the event would email all 200,000 party goers to make sure they didn't miss out.

Writing in The Guardian, Eavis said voting at Glastonbury would not be possible, but attendees should make sure they registered for either a postal or proxy vote.







More From CNBC


HONG KONG, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2016 / The management team of UMeWorld Limited (UMEWF) is pleased to provide this shareholder and investor update:

UMeWorld and China Mobile have agreed to a revenue sharing pilot program wherein China Mobile "AND! Education" subscribers using UMFun in the Ningxia province will be charged a monthly fee, starting in June 2016. This pilot program will allow the Company to optimize its scalable marketing and sales plan in preparation for charging other subscribers system-wide in September 2016 to coincide with the beginning of the academic school year.

Currently, there are 600,000 paid subscribers on China Mobile's "AND! Education" platform in the Ningxia province. The majority of subscribers reside in the provincial capital city which makes it an ideal launching pad for the pilot program. Under the program, UMeWorld will assign a team of field-based sales representatives led by a regional sales manager, to work with and provide support to China Mobile's field sales agents, says Michael Lee, President, CEO and Chairman of the Board, UMeWorld. Our UMFun sales strategy begins with site-based or school level contacts and focuses on individual school principals and teachers.

UMeWorld has completed a one-day UMFun product training seminar with ten key China Mobile distribution agencies from the Guangxi province. These agencies represent over 2,000 field-based sales representatives throughout the Guangxi province. There are 1,860,000 paid subscribers on China Mobile's "AND! Education" platform in the Guangxi province. The Company has two specialized sales and marketing professionals, experienced in generating new sales of educational products, stationed in the provincial capital city of Guangxi province to provide ongoing training and support to China Mobile agents.

Michael Lee was recently interviewed live by CNBC Asia at the 2016 CES Asia expo in Shanghai, the interview titled "Here's how UMeWorld won Chinese Students Over" can be viewed via this link: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000516658

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Michael Lee also recently authored an article for EdTechDigest titled, "China's Got Game."

About China Mobile

China Mobile's educational platform is available to students from Kindergarten through Grade Twelve and is the largest subscription-based educational platform in the world, used mainly by teachers, parents and schools through many provinces in China.

The kindergarten-to-grade-12 (K-12) educational system in China is the largest in the world, comprising approximately 200 million students. UMeWorld is on track to becoming a leading educational service provider in China.

About UMeWorld

UMeWorld is an internet technology company with a focus on the K-12 education market in China. UMFun, the Company's K-12 flagship product, is a cloud-based, patent-pending, adaptive learning and assessment platform that can intelligently analyze and adapt to a student's performance and personalizes the delivery of proprietary educational items in accordance with the student's learning needs. UMFun's off-school version is made available to Chinese K-12 students through China Mobile, the world's largest mobile service provider by network scale and subscriber base, serving over 823,000,000 customers.

For more information, please contact:

Investors

Ruby Hui, Executive Vice President

UMeWorld Limited

E-mail: info@umeworld.com

Website: www.umeworld.com

Telephone: (86) 020-89237947

or

Media

Nancy Tamosaitis-Thompson

Vorticom, Inc.

Email: nancyt@vorticom.com

Telephone: (212) 532-2208

Website: www.vorticom.com

SOURCE: UMeWorld Limited
By Gianluca Semeraro and Paola Arosio

MILAN (Reuters) - Major shareholders of UniCredit, Italy's biggest bank by assets, have taken a significant step towards replacing Chief Executive Federico Ghizzoni, by asking the chairman to find ways to strengthen governance, sources said.

The shareholders, representing around 15 percent of the bank, met Chairman Giuseppe Vita on Monday and mandated him to draft a plan in consultation with investors, which includes the option of Ghizzoni's departure, five sources close to the matter said.

Ghizzoni, who has headed UniCredit since 2010, has faced growing shareholder discontent over the bank's weak share price performance, stretched capital position and low profitability when compared to rival Intesa Sanpaolo.

However, the bank's investors have so far failed to reach an agreement on a successor, the sources said.

"Chairman Giuseppe Vita was given a mandate by shareholders to explore ways to address their grievances," a source said.

"Shareholders recognise that Ghizzoni has worked well in a difficult market environment but they are now convinced that change is needed," the source added.

Ghizzoni attended the meeting with Vita and the investors as well as some board representatives, according to the sources.

The final decision rests with the board and is likely to be taken by the summer, they said.

Sources have suggested UBS Chief Executive Sergio Ermotti, a former UniCredit executive, and the Swiss bank's investment banking boss Andrea Orcel, as possible successors.

The head of Mediobanca, Alberto Nagel, and that of Merrill Lynch in Italy, Marco Morelli, have also been mentioned.

Rumours of investor dissatisfaction with Ghizzoni have dogged the bank for months as UniCredit, Italy's only globally systemically important financial institution, has failed to put to rest worries it may need a capital increase.

Pressure grew on Ghizzoni last week after UniCredit reported a dip in its core capital at the end of the first quarter. The stock has lost 44 percent this year, compared with a 36 percent fall for Italy's banking index.

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The bank's governance was also called into question over its decision to be the sole guarantor of a risky 1.5 billion euros capital increase at mid-tier lender Banca Popolare di Vicenza.

UniCredit could have been required to raise capital of its own as a result of underwriting the share sale, but was relieved of this obligation by a newly created bank fund, which ended up with a 99 percent stake in Vicenza as the fund-raising flopped.

Asked about reports about his possible exit, Ghizzoni said on May 10 he felt calm and it was up to shareholders and the board to decide.

He said the bank had followed standard procedures for the underwriting of the Vicenza cash call and that the board "appreciated the explanations I provided and understood the sense of the transaction."

(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro and Paola Arosio, writing by Silvia Aloisi; Editing by Mark Bendeich and Alexandra Hudson)
Washington (AFP) - The State Department has urged Americans to avoid all travel to North Korea, warning that US citizens making the trip risk long and "unduly harsh" imprisonment if they fall foul of laws in the hermit state.

At least 14 US citizens have been detained by Pyongyang over the past decade, according to Washington.

"The State Department strongly urges US citizens to avoid all travel to North Korea due to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea's system of law enforcement, which imposes unduly harsh sentences, including for actions that in the United States would not be considered crimes," according to a statement Monday.

In one recent well-publicized case, 21-year old American student Otto Warmbier was arrested in January for allegedly stealing a propaganda sign from a tourist hotel in Pyongyang. He was sentenced in March to 15 years' hard labor.

Last month North Korea sentenced a detained Korean-American, Kim Dong-Chul, to 10 years' hard labor on charges of subversion and espionage, China's official Xinhua news agency said.

"North Korea has detained those who traveled independently and those who were part of organized tours.

"Being a member of a group tour or using a tour guide will not prevent North Korean authorities from detaining or arresting you," the statement cautioned.

"Efforts by private tour operators to prevent or resolve past detentions of US citizens in the DPRK have not been successful."

The State Department went on to say that Americans traveling to North Korea, against the advice of the State Department, "should have no expectation of privacy".

"All electronic and multimedia devices including USB drives, CDs, DVDs, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, Internet browsing histories and cookies are subject to search for banned content," read the statement, which added a long list of actions seen as harmless in the US but which could be deemed serious offenses in North Korea.

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"Possession of any media, either physical or electronic, criticizing the DPRK government or its leaders is considered a criminal act punishable by long-term detention in hard labor camps and heavy fines."

Other activities that could be "treated as crimes" include "showing disrespect" to the country's past or current leaders, "entering North Korea without proper travel documentation," and "proselytizing or carrying out religious activities."

In addition to imprisonment for activities which might be treated as criminal, "numerous foreigners have been held in North Korea for extended periods of time without being formally charged with any crimes," the State Department said.
* Palm rises on pick-up in demand ahead of Ramadan - trader

* June export tax to have minimal impact on exports - trader

* Palm oil seen rising to 2,631 ringgit - technicals

(Updates latest prices)

By Emily Chow

KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 (Reuters) - Malaysian benchmark palm

oil futures rose on Tuesday, overcoming a stronger ringgit

, as demand for the tropical oil ahead of the Muslim

festival of Ramadan pushed up prices.

Demand for palm oil usually comes in one to two months

before Ramadan, which begins in early June this year. The Muslim

festival is a month of fasting and feasting, which sees higher

demand for palm oil used in cooking, leading up to Eid.

The new palm oil contract for August delivery on

the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange was 0.5 percent higher

at 2,600 ringgit ($647) per tonne in the evening.

Traded volumes stood at 49,902 lots of 25 tonnes each at

closing trade, above the 2015 daily average of 44,600.

"Although the ringgit is stronger today, the market is

covering for May and June as Ramadan demand is there," said a

Kuala Lumpur-based trader.

The Malaysian ringgit rose as crude oil futures

held near six-week highs, easing concerns over the country's

falling gas and oil revenues. A stronger ringgit,

the currency in which palm oil is traded, typically makes it

more expensive to buy for foreign currency holders.

"Everyone wants to rush the shipments before Eid. The half a

percent rise (in crude palm oil export tax) won't make much of

an impact, it's very marginal," the trader said.

Malaysia its raised export tax on crude palm oil to 5.5

percent for June, a government circular showed on Tuesday. The

world's second largest palm oil producer set the export tax at 5

percent for April and May.

Palm oil shipments rose 14-16 percent in the first half of

May compared with the same time period a month ago, according to

data from cargo surveyors, lifted by rising demand from Europe,

Pakistan and India.

Palm oil is expected to rise to 2,631 ringgit per tonne now

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it has cleared resistance at 2,605 ringgit, according to a

technical analysis by Wang Tao, a Reuters market analyst for

commodities and energy technicals.

In competing vegetable oils, the September soybean oil

contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange rose 1

percent, while the Chicago Board of Trade soyoil contract for

August was up 0.3 percent.

The offer price for crude palm kernel oil stood at 4,877.71

ringgit a tonne (PKO-MYSTH-M1) in the evening, according to

price assessments by Thomson Reuters.

Palm, soy and crude oil prices at 1025 GMT:

Contract Month Last Change Low High Volume

MY PALM OIL JUN6 2632 +6.00 2629 2655 319

MY PALM OIL JUL6 2620 +8.00 2618 2643 12053

MY PALM OIL AUG6 2599 +12.00 2594 2618 21326

CHINA PALM OLEIN SEP6 5268 +88.00 5200 5278 776014

CHINA SOYOIL SEP6 6068 +60.00 5998 6076 527728

CBOT SOY OIL JUL6 32.89 -2.50 32.71 32.95 4749

INDIA PALM OIL MAY6 544.10 -2.50 543.60 548.7 567

INDIA SOYOIL MAY6 636.8 -0.95 636 639.8 390

NYMEX CRUDE JUN6 47.79 +0.07 47.67 48.42 64202

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 = 4.0160 ringgit)

($1 = 66.8050 Indian rupees)

($1 = 6.5245 Chinese yuan)

(Editing by Biju Dwarakanath and David Clarke)
Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly on Tuesday rejected the state of emergency decreed by President Nicolas Maduro, deepening the crisis in the oil-rich South American country.

The lawmakers, who voted by a show of hands, said the move "deepens the severe disruption of constitutional and democratic order that Venezuela is suffering through," and that Maduro had ignored the country's constitution in issuing the decree.

The vote comes just a day before opposition-led marches are expected to demand that electoral officials proceed with a referendum on ousting the president, and as the country's opposition urges the public to defy the state of emergency.

Maduro said he called the state of emergency, which came into force on Monday for a renewable 60-day period, to see off threats to the country.

Measures include broadening the powers of soldiers and police to keep public order, with the backing of local civilian groups.

Maduro has also ordered military exercises for Saturday.

Venezuela is grappling with hyperinflation, a shrinking economy, rampant crime, corruption, and food and electricity shortages.
The Hague (AFP) - A war crimes victim told Tuesday how she still has "suicidal thoughts" after being abducted as a teenager and repeatedly raped during a four-year ordeal by troops commanded by Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) convicted Bemba in March of a slew of war crimes in the Central African Republic in its first-ever case focusing on sexual violence as a weapon of war.

War crimes judges based in The Hague are holding three days of hearings to determine their sentence, which will be handed down at a later, as yet unscheduled, date.

"I am deeply depressed. I have suicidal thoughts," said the witness, who was only identified as "Victim 555" testifying by videolink from the Central African Republic's capital, Bangui.

"I was continuously raped," she said, after she was abducted by Bemba's Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) private army.

Bemba sent 1,500 of his private force to CAR to quell an attempted coup against then president Ange-Felix Patasse between October 2002 and March 2003.

The woman, who was 15 or 16 when she was abducted, at times came close to breaking down as she told how she was kept by a rebel soldier against her will for more than four years -- even after the soldiers returned to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

When she finally managed to flee and returned to the CAR she found she was stigmatised by the experience, particularly because her aunt was also abducted and raped by the soldiers and later died of AIDS.

"I have been branded as a (rebel) wife... given that my aunt was HIV positive and died, I too was seen as HIV positive," the witness said.

She added she had had four children by four different men, with the youngsters still living with her in the CAR.

After a lengthy trial which opened in November 2010, the judges found Bemba guilty of five counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity saying he had retained "effective command and control" over his troops.

They agreed with the prosecution that MLC troops had carried out a rampage of rape and murder in CAR which deliberately targeted civilians.

Bemba could face up to 30 years in jail -- or even a life sentence, if the court set up in 2002, considers such a term is "justified by the extreme gravity of the crime".
PARIS (Reuters) - Billionaire Vincent Bollore, the top shareholder in both media group Vivendi (VIV.PA) and advertising agency Havas (HAVA.PA), on Tuesday evoked the possibility of a tie-up between the two companies.

"It's obvious that one day there will be something between Vivendi and Havas," he said in an interview with Les Echos newspaper, while making clear there was no actual tie-up project at the moment.

Bollore owns about 60 percent of Havas and about 14 percent of Vivendi according to Reuters data. He is chairman and chief executive of Vivendi and recently tightened his grip on the business by nominating his son Yannick to the board.

(Reporting by Andrew Callus; Editing by Michel Rose)
Ouagadougou (AFP) - Burkina Faso's military prosecutor on Tuesday denied reports that an arrest warrant for ex-president Blaise Compaore, currently living in neighbouring Ivory Coast, has been cancelled.

Chief prosecutor Armand Ouedraogo said last month that the warrant for Compaore had been cancelled over procedural irregularities, because it had been issued without first being formally requested by the state prosecution.

However, a senior prosecutor for the military court, who asked not to be named, told AFP that "the arrest warrant against Blaise Compaore has not been cancelled. I can even say that it was never cancelled".

Compaore has been living in Ivory Coast since he was overthrown in a popular uprising in October 2014 after ruling Burkina Faso with an iron fist for 27 years.

Burkinabe authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in December for his alleged role in the mysterious 1987 killing of his comrade, ex-president Thomas Sankara.
Students in the Middle East not yet ready to commit to a four-year college degree program need not fret -- they have options. Arab region universities offer many associate degrees, certificates and diplomas for students, including those considering options abroad, to begin their foray into higher education. But there are some things for prospective students to consider.

Pro: A two-year degree could be cost-effective. Cost was one reason Jordanian national Riham Al Ramahi chose Al Khawarizmi International College, a private institution in the United Arab Emirates, where she completed an associate degree in computer graphics and animation in 2014.

"KIC has affordable tuition fees compared with other colleges," says Al Ramahi, who wanted to immediately join the workforce, rather than wait four years. She now works as a graphic designer for the school.

Ahmed Said Ghonim, president of the school, says associate degrees give students "the basic technical, academic knowledge and transferable skills that they need in their employment in a short period of time with lower cost."

Fees at KIC are AED 2,400, about $653, per course for an associate degree and AED 3,000, about $817, per course for a bachelor's degree. Ghonim says the school offers eight associate degree programs (which each require between 22 to 25 courses) and six bachelor's degree programs. He says 50 percent of students are from other Arab countries.

[Get advice on paying for higher education in the Arab region.]

Con: Parents may not be familiar with the degree. Lauren Jackson, co-founder and principal consultant of educational and career consultancy ProEd in the UAE, says "many students and families are unaware that a two-year degree is possible, or do not think that it is a suitable option for them when pursuing university studies."

Parents may have set their sights on larger, four-year universities that offer a greater variety of majors, minors and classes and larger faculty. The American University of Beirut, for example, has more than 130 programs leading to bachelor's, master's and Ph.D degrees.

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Pro: Graduates can head straight into the workforce. Palestinian Maysaa Adas graduated from the two-year dental assistant program at College of the North Atlantic-Qatar, a branch campus of a Canadian university, in 2009. The technical college offers around 30 certificate, two- and three-year diploma programs in four areas: engineering technology, information technology, health sciences and business studies, says spokeswoman Meaghan Philpott.

Adas will graduate from the three-year dental hygiene program in June. "I attended the college because it is the only option in the region, besides Saudi Arabia, and I wanted to go straight into a career and gain work experience before committing to a degree," she says.

In between her two programs, Adas worked as a dental assistant in Texas for two years when her parents relocated there. She returned to Qatar to join the new dental hygiene program because she says it is "the only hygiene diploma program offered in the GCC region."

Adas works part time in a dental office while in the program and hopes to stay and work in Qatar after graduating.

"Oral health problems are a big issue here in this region and I enjoy educating people so that they look and feel good," says Adas.

[See which careers are hot for Arab region university grads.]

Con: Some jobs require further training or degrees. ProEd's Jackson says students who pursue associate degrees find employment in the Middle East and North Africa "although sometimes they can find their salary and benefits limited in the UAE." She says a higher qualification can yield "better jobs and opportunity for progression, and will expand the type of visa they are allowed, too."

Jackson says typically grads with associate degrees find employment in business areas, such as accounting, after obtaining the proper qualifications, such as from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants or Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, which she says some do simultaneously. They also find jobs in human resources, general administration, sales and information technology, the latter of which she says is a popular employment area for grads with associate degrees.

"But I think the size and type of the company will also affect their chances," says Jackson.

Pro: Students earn a degree in less time. Jordanian national Ahmad Al Sharif wasn't ready to spend four years to get his degree. After spending two years working toward a bachelor's degree in marketing at Canadian University Dubai -- which offers several undergrad and grad programs and associate degrees in marketing and food safety -- he switched gears.

"I'm 24 years old and I was supposed to be done with the university two years ago," says Al Sharif, who switched to the associate degree in marketing while starting his own business. "I wanted to finish as early as I can and at the same time be educated."

[Explore how to make the most of studying abroad in the Arab region.]

Pro and con: Transferring to a local university may be easier, but not all classes or credits may be transferable. Jackson, of ProEd, says families view the associate degree as a bridge to help students transition from high school to a college-level curriculum and to improve grades to transfer to a university, "or as a way into their desired top public university."

Rema Menon Vellat, founder and director of Counselling Point Training and Development in the UAE, says that students can take one-year preparatory foundation and associate degree programs "to strengthen their English proficiency and to make the transition to university easier."

But, students should note that not all classes and credits are transferrable.

Canadian University Dubai, for example, will only accept transfers from a recognized, accredited institute and courses similar to their own in a related program.

Vellat says associate degrees can benefit students unsure of what to major in or pursue, as well as those reentering the academic arena after a brief period in the workforce. Overall, she encourages everyone to pursue "a lifelong learning mindset and continue to upgrade one's skills."

See the complete rankings of the Best Arab Region Universities.

Anayat Durrani is a Los Angeles-based freelance education reporter for U.S. News, covering Arab region universities.




The Wire actor Wendell Pierce, who was arrested Saturday and charged with battery at an Atlanta hotel where he was staying, said he regrets that the situation escalated to the level that it did.

Pierce commented on his arrest in a series of Tweets early Tuesday morning. Saturdays altercation was sparked by a heated political discussion, according to a police report.

I regret that what started as a civil political discussion escalated to the level that it did, said Pierce, 52. Although what has been reported thus far differs in important respects from what actually occurred, I have confidence that the judicial process will work as it should.

Maggie Elena Baca told police that she encountered Pierce and his girlfriend on the 23rd floor of the Lowes Atlanta Hotel. After she got into a political debate with the actor, Baca said Pierce followed her and her friends as they walked away, tried to force his way into their room and began to hit her in the head and grab her hoodie, ripping her hoodie off, according to the police report. Pierce, who was charged with simple battery, disputed that account and said the women tried to pull him into their room.
My love-hate relationship with Kerala.

Green. Its all gloriously green, and beautifully blue, and achingly yellow. It smells like nature threw up all over you, but in a good way. People smile, always willing to help. And the food ah, the food! The appam and the porotta and the beef fry and the chicken stew. Thats Kerala for you

 if youre a tourist backpacking across south Asia.

But if youre one of the 34.8 million people who actually live there, things are probably different for you.

Heres the thing: Kerala is complicated. Who you are matters. Where youre from matters. And how youre treated  well, it all depends whether youre one of us, or one of them.

More From 101 India: Travel & Food

I fled home the moment I turned 18. I hated Kerala  well, actually, Kerala, the place, was, and still remains, beautiful. What I hated is the hypocrisy I encountered.

Now, seven years later, that anger still simmers within me. And yet somehow, theres also room inside my heart for unapologetic love and pride.

Kerala is confusing. Is it a liberal state or a conservative one? Is it progressive or regressive? Do I want to go back or stay away? I genuinely have no clue.

Lets, for a moment, look past the natural beauty, and the curse of the two party political system (as a third party desperately tries its best to maneuver closer to the Iron Throne, without realizing that its actually blasting itself to a galaxy far, far away).

But before we dive into the complexities of Malayali society, allow me to clarify that this article will be marked by a healthy dose of what a real magazine would call generalisations.

Yes, I know. I know!

I cant just generalize entire socio-cultural groups by saying whatever I want.

So when you read Keralites are this, Malayalis are that, understand that I really mean: some of/a lot of/the majority of.

Deal? Deal.

Please, allow me some liberties. When an introverted, closeted Malayali struggles through the cold, dark times known publicly as puberty (but privately referred to as torture), hes bound to emerge somewhat twisted.

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All I wanted to do as a teenager was hide under my bed, in a locked room. Every time I stepped out, I felt like I was being constantly watched and monitored. Malayali society is like the NSA, only creepier. Correct me if Im wrong, Snowden, but I dont think the NSA persecutes Susan for the way she dresses or Timmy for having a Mohawk.

More From 101 India: 101Kerala: Life In The Backwaters

Photo credit: http://farm3.static.flickr.com



When you live in Kerala, everyones entitled to judge you, to offer his and her unsolicited opinions. Its like living in the YouTube comments section, only you cant block anyone.

Ironically, this culture of disapproval actually stems from a very good place: from our collective Mayalali sense of care. We care, just like that ad for the eye hospital. What, you dont want to be cared for? Well, as long as you live beneath the coconut trees, youll be cared for, whether you like it or not.

In many ways, this care is the reason Kerala ranks highest on the national HDI index, and why our education and healthcare systems are so excellent. People are not afraid to ask for what they want, and go on a strike until they get it. Everyone knows about the Hartal culture of Kerala  its our biggest celebration after Onam.

Malayalis participate so actively in democracy because we care. But when that care is directed at individuals, it becomes a problem. Thats the biggest flaw of this beautiful little side of the planet: everyone cares about everything!

Photo credit: http://img.topyaps.com



We care about how short your skirt is just as much as we care about improving employment opportunities for women.

We care about how low your low-waist jeans are, just as much as we care about our eceonomic growth.

Everyones all up in everyone elses business, all the time!

Growing up in this culture made me feel like I didnt belong there. I found myself ignoring all the good things around me and yearning to catch the next Kallada bus to Bangalore (a wonderful city in a less wonderful state).

So thats what I did.

When I finished high school, I was terrified by the idea of attending college in Kerala. I had to get out  and I did.

More From 101 India: Tap That Kerala: Boat Race Finale

But there are times when I know I left a part of me there. No, not the teeth I pulled out and hid in Ammas saree cupboard when I was eight.

A part of my soul, or whatever you want to call it if youre unsentimental.

We live in a world where that many see as either black or white. Kerala is 500 shades of grey. And this vast grayness is the most fascinating thing about Kerala.

We should explore that. And I plan to, in future posts. So keep reading. Because Kerala is complicated.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are independent views solely of the author(s) expressed in their private capacity and do not in any way represent or reflect the views of 101India.com.

By Arjun Raj

For more visit www.101india.com


Hillary Clinton needs to think carefully about selecting a Senate Democrat as her running mate, given the balance of power on Capitol Hill.

MSNBC reports that the Democratic frontrunner is giving serious consideration to choosing a lawmaker from the upper chamber as her vice presidential pick. The potential candidates include some unconventional picks who could help the former secretary of state address her weaknesses as a candidate, like her lack of support among young voters, who have flocked to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

Related: 18 Possible Picks for Hillarys Vice President

However, a Senate pick poses a serious political challenge for Clinton: Selecting someone from one of a few key states could tip the balance of power in the Senate and possibly keep it in Republican hands.

Republicans hold a 54-to-46 seat edge in the chamber, and Democrats are hoping to regain at least a slender majority in November by beating a handful of Republicans in blue-leaning states.

However, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (MA), Sherrod Brown (OH) and Cory Booker (NJ) -- all of whom observers and party leaders believe would bring welcome energy to the Clinton campaign -- hail from states that have GOP governors, who would be responsible for filling a vacant seat.

Its not hard to image New Jersey governor Chris Christie or Ohio governor John Kasich, both of whom ran for the White House only to be bulldozed by Donald Trump, happily picking a fellow Republican who would likely oppose a Clinton agenda.

Related: A Clinton-Warren Ticket Would Be Both Historic and Risky

Christie has done so before, selecting his friend Jeffrey Chiesa to fill an open Senate seat following the death of Democrat Frank Lautenberg.

The prospect of winning the White House only to face a united Republican front on Capitol Hill could prompt the risk-averse Clinton to make a safer choice, such as Virginia Sens. Mark Warner or Tim Kaine. Virginia has a Democratic governor, Terry McAuliffe, who would likely appoint a fellow Democrat to any vacant Senate seat.

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Selecting Kaine, a popular former governor, would almost assuredly put Virginia in the Democratic column on Election Day, following on President Obamas electoral success there in 2008 and 2012. Kaine could help Clinton, who is viewed as more of a hawk on foreign policy, with the partys liberal base, on the strength of his demands for a new war authorization for the fight against the Islamic State.

It also doesnt hurt that Kaine, a former missionary, speaks fluent Spanish, during a campaign in which the presumptive GOP nominee has called Mexican immigrants rapists.

Related: 16 Picks for Trumps Vice President

Clinton could also avoid the Senate problem by picking someone from Obamas cabinet.

Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro are both reportedly under serious consideration for the VP slot.

As much of a quandary as Clinton faces, its nothing compared to the challenge Trump seems to be having finding someone to share the ticket with him.

"I think I'll probably go the political route," Trump said earlier this month during an interview with MSNBC. "Somebody that can help me with legislation and somebody that can help me get things passed and somebody that's been friends with the senators and the congressman and all."

On Monday, Kasich became the latest Republican office-holder to pass on the possibility. Other names reportedly in contention are Sens. Tom Cotton (AK), Jeff Sessions (AL), Bob Corker (TN) and Joni Ernst (IA) as well as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Expecting Strong Growth, T. Rowe Expands Assets, Product Line

(Continued from Prior Part)

Surge in operating expenses

T. Rowe Price Group (TROW) reported a 6% rise in operating expenses in 1Q16 compared to a 3% decline in revenues. The company charges the majority of its funds-related expenditures against its respective revenues.

Breakdown of expenses

The funds pay for the following items:

investment advisory fees

shareholder servicing fees and expenses

transfer agent fees

fund accounting fees and expenses

legal and auditing fees

custodian fees and expenses

the cost of preparing, printing, and mailing prospectuses and shareholder reports

registration fees and expenses

proxy and annual meeting expenses

independent trustee or director fees and expenses

TROW initiated the transition of certain administrative and implementation services to BNY Mellons technology platform in August 2015. Half of the increase in other operating expenses of $24.9 million is attributable to costs being paid to BNY Mellon. The remainder of the increase is attributable to new investments in operating capabilities and higher business demands.

T. Rowe posted a net income margin of 28.4% in the last fiscal year. Lets compare this to the margins of its peers:

BlackRock (BLK): 29.2%

Bank of New York Mellon (BK): 20.2%

State Street (STT): 19.6%

Together, these companies form 1.7% of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).

Staff additions

Compensation in the asset management industry is important and allows a company to build a solid network of professionals. T. Rowe Price Group compensates its employees with incentive-based payouts. In 1Q16, compensation and related costs increased by $8.7 million due primarily to higher salaries and related benefits. This included modest base salary increases at the beginning of the year, additional headcount, and increases in stock-based compensation.

T. Rowe (TROW) has increased its average staff size by 2.5% from 1Q15, and it employed 6,061 associates on March 31, 2016. Its occupancy and facility costs, together with depreciation and amortization expenses, totaled $73.6 million. This was a $6.2 million increase compared to 1Q15.

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This increase was primarily related to ongoing updates and enhancements of technology capabilities, including related maintenance programs.

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Dolby Laboratories, Inc. DLB is an audio/video production company that could be an interesting play for investors. That is because, not only does the stock have decent short-term momentum, but it is seeing solid activity on the earnings estimate revision front as well.



These positive earnings estimate revisions suggest that analysts are becoming more optimistic on DLBs earnings for the coming quarter and year. In fact, consensus estimates have moved sharply higher for both of these time frames over the past four weeks, suggesting that Dolby Laboratories could be a solid choice for investors.



Current Quarter Estimates for DLB



In the past 30 days, 4 estimates have gone higher for Dolby Laboratories with no downward revisions in the same time period. The trend has been pretty favorable too, with estimates increasing from 39 cents a share 30 days ago, to 51 today, a move of 30.8%.



Current Year Estimates for DLB



Meanwhile, Dolby Laboratoriess current year figures are also looking quite promising, with 5 estimates moving higher in the past month, compared to no downward revisions. The consensus estimate trend has also seen a boost for this time frame, increasing from $1.57 per share 30 days ago to $1.77 per share today, an increase of 12.7%.



Bottom Line



The stock has also started to move higher lately, adding 5.5% over the past four weeks, suggesting that investors are starting to take note of this impressive story. So investors may definitely want to consider this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock to profit in the near future.



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DOLBY LAB INC-A (DLB): Free Stock Analysis Report



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Have you ever wondered why it costs so much to fly?

With summer approaching, you're probably checking travel sites on a daily basis in order to secure tickets at a reasonable price. But if you have a spouse and children to account for, chances are you'll be paying at least $1,000 no matter where or when you're going. So why exactly are ticket prices so steep?

SEE ALSO: The 5 biggest ways Captain America: Civil War failed

Wendover Productions recently shared a YouTube video which attempts to answer this very question, dispelling a few rumors in the process.

You might have thought that fuel costs were the biggest offenders, but as it turns out, plane passengers are incredibly fuel efficient. If an Airbus A320 is filled to capacity with 154 passengers, it has a per-person fuel efficiency of 104.7 miles per gallon. Flying from NYC to DC, one person only uses up $2.50 worth of fuel.

So why does a flight from NYC to DC cost $80 or more?

Here's a list of everything that an airline has to pay for other than fuel, as well as all the taxes and how each of these costs factor into your individual ticket price:

Fuel ($2.50)

Flight crew ($1.50)

Airport fees ($13.50)

Taxes ($15.60) Domestic Passenger Ticket Tax (7.5%) Domestic Flight Segment Tax ($4.00) 9/11 Security Fee ($5.60)

Paying off the airplane ($11.50)

Regular maintenance ($14.00)

Airline employees ($10.00)

Insurance ($0.25)

Rounding up, this bring the total cost of flying one person on a packed A320 to around $70. This would leave $10 of profit for the airline, but all of these estimates were on the conservative side, so the profit is likely even lower, especially when you consider the fact that not every flight is filled to capacity.

It's a fascinating video, so be sure to watch the entire thing below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Oe8T3AvydU

Related stories

Caught on video: Flight attendant opens emergency slide and goes on a joyride for fun

The 'Netflix for planes' offers unlimited air travel for a monthly fee

Story continues

Incredible zero gravity experiments with water caught on camera

More from BGR: Nvidias new graphics cards are somehow both more powerful and cheaper all at once

This article was originally published on BGR.com
melania trump

A Russian-American reporter who was the target of death threats and anti-Semitic backlash after profiling Donald Trump's wife, Melania, for GQ earlier this month "provoked them," Melania reportedly said in an interview with DuJour.

Julia Ioffe, known for her long-form pieces that have appeared in Foreign Policy, Politico, and The New York Times, exposed some facts about Melania Trump's past that the Slovenian model had not previously disclosed publicly.

Ioffe reported, for instance, that she has a 50-year-old half-brother, Denis Cigelnjak, whom her father has never acknowledged but who a blood test proved is his biological son.

"I have thick skin. It doesn't bother me if they write about me because I know who I am. But what right does the reporter have to go and dig in court in Slovenia in 1960 about my parents? They're private citizens," Melania Trump told DuJour's Mickey Rapkin. "If they go after me, it's different. But to do that, it's a little bit nasty, it's a little bit mean."

When Rapkin asked Melania about the backlash Ioffe had gotten for uncovering her family history, Melania said: "I don't control my fans, but I don't agree with what they're doing. I understand what you mean, but there are people out there who maybe went too far. She provoked them."

Melania initially denied that Denis existed, Ioffe reported, but admitted later that she has "known about this for years" and asked Ioffe to respect her father's privacy after Ioffe sent her documents obtained from a Slovenian court proving that she had a half-brother.

Shortly after publishing the GQ article, Ioffe was barraged with threatening phone calls, emails, and Twitter messages. She documented many of them on Twitter, noting that she'd faced this kind of harassment before only when working as a journalist in Russia:

.@GideonResnick @OKnox Oh, I thought this one reminding me to swallow my diamonds was from you! pic.twitter.com/Ri6tZsyHXx  Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) April 28, 2016

From my inbox. Subject line: "They know about you!" pic.twitter.com/zp3v2GjTeI  Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) April 28, 2016

Now I'm getting phone calls from a blocked number that play Hitler's speeches when I pick up. Sad!  Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) April 28, 2016

Aaaaand there it is. pic.twitter.com/FY6gtQhgva  Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) April 28, 2016

Melania, for her part, called the story "disingenuous" immediately after it was published.

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"Yet another example of the dishonest media and their disingenuous reporting," she wrote in a Facebook post. She reiterated that her parents were private citizens who "should not be subject to Ms Ioffe's unfair scrutiny."

Ioffe defended the piece in an interview with The Guardian earlier this month.

"This is not a heavily critical article. There is nothing in it that is untrue," Ioffe said. "If this is how Trump supporters swing into action what happens when the press looks into corrupt dealings, for example, or is critical of his policies?"

She added: "We left Russia because we were fleeing antisemitism. It's been a rude shock for everyone."

NOW WATCH: Donald Trump has a warning message for David Cameron





More From Business Insider


2016 SALT Conference: Analyzing Opposing Views on China

Two recent Market corrections

With the rapid wave of economic expansion, China emerged as the worlds second-largest economy in 2010. Its behind the US. It was the fifth-largest economy in 2002. In the last decade, Chinas GDP (gross domestic product) grew by 10.6%. China became the second-largest importer of goods and services in the world. Thailand, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, Japan, the Eurozone, the United Kingdom, and the US were its main trading partners.

Since 2012, Chinas economy started going downhill due to sluggish global demand. This impacted its trading partners. As a result, when China sneezes, the world catches a cold.

Key economic data might be weaker

Chinas GDP in 1Q16 came in at 6.7%down from 6.8% in 4Q15. The growth rate fell to 6.9% in 2015the lowest level in the last 25 years. It fell from 7.3% in 2014. It was widely argued that the actual numbers might be much weaker than the official data. According to Marc Faber, the author of The Gloom, Boom & Doom Report, My sense is that at very best, the economy is growing at around 4% per annum, but it could be lower.

Chinas foreign trade is shrinking at a rapid pace due to weakness in global demand and a slowdown in export and import trade with Asian and western nations. In 2015, Chinas foreign trade, in US dollar terms, shrank by 8% YoY (year-over-year). Its exports were down 2.9% YoY. Chinas imports fell 14.3% YoY. In April 2016, Chinas exports fell 1.8% YoY. Its imports fell 10.8% YoY.

Chinas manufacturing sector has been struggling due to sluggish demand and overcapacity. Chinas official PMI (purchasing managers index) is just above the threshold reading of 50. The Caixin China Manufacturing PMI has been below the threshold for the last 13 months.

China loosened its monetary policies since late 2014 and increased spending on infrastructure investment. However, Chinas economic outlook appears to be grim right now. Chinas government might have to step up its efforts by introducing more stimulus reforms to boost the economy.

Story continues

Impact on global equity indices

In 2016, the SSE Composite Index is down by 14.2%. The S&P 500 is up by 1.7%. The FTSE EuroTop 100 is down by 6.7%.

The slowdown in the Chinese economy impacted the performance of funds like the Matthews China  Investor Class (MCHFX), the Deutsche X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares (ASHR), the iShares China Large-Cap (FXI), and the iShares MSCI China (MCHI). MCHFX fell 14.9% YTD (year-to-date) while ASHR, FXI, and MCHI fell by 10.9%, 8.5%, and 8.5%, respectively, YTD. These funds let you invest in popular Chinese companies like Tencent Holdings (TCEHY), Alibaba Group Holding (BABA), and CNOOC (CEO).

In the next part, well look at hedge fund managers opinions about China at the 2016 SALT Conference.

Continue to Next Part

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"I look like James Bond if he was wearing Spanx," James Corden jokes with ET after being told how dashing he looks in his tuxedo. The Late Late Show host is all dressed up on a Thursday afternoon in April as he films his first promo for the 2016 Tony Awards, which will honor the best of the 2015-2016 Broadway season on Sunday, June 12 at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. The ceremony will air live on CBS. "If I peeled this away, you would see I am in Spanx from an inch below here" -- [pointing to his neck] -- "to my ankles."

Spanx or not, Corden couldn't be a better (or more excited) fit to host a toast to Broadway. An actor first, the 37-year-old personality rose to prominence in the U.K. playing Timms in a 2004 London stage production of Alan Bennett's play, The History Boys.

"From that moment, my life changed," Corden told The Guardian in 2011, referring to the play, which saw him reprise his role in international productions -- not to mention his Broadway debut -- and in the 2006 film adaptation co-starring a fleet of rising stars, including Dominic Cooper and Looking's Russell Tovey.

Corden followed his successful run on stage with the Bennett-approved BBC Three series, Gavin & Stacey. The series, which he co-created and co-starred on, earned the actor his first of many accolades, including a BAFTA for Best Comedy Performance, during its three-season run.

Shortly after the series ended in 2010, Corden honed his hosting skills on the British sports-themed game show, A League of Their Own, before returning to the London stage in the lead role of One Man, Two Guvnors. The comedy, about a naive man employed by a local gangster and an upper class criminal, earned universal praise, with the actor's turn on Broadway winning him the 2012 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

"That is just a night that will be ingrained in me for the rest of my life," Corden says of taking home the brass medallion statue. "I will never forget when I won that award. It just meant so much to me."

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By the time he won his Tony, Corden was a bona fide star, sharing the screen with Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo in Begin Again, and later, with Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep in the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods while creating and starring on the critically acclaimed BBC Two series, The Wrong Mans.

Of course, it wasn't long before he was called upon to replace Craig Ferguson as host of the CBS late-night talk show and creating the wildly popular segment and primetime special, Carpool Karaoke. An unabashed fan of the theater, Corden has made room for the likes of Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Eric Idle, and Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidtand Broadway's The Little Mermaid) on his late-night couch.

"What I'm most impressed with is how he makes every moment work. He's always dedicated to each specific guest," Chenoweth, who co-hosted last year's ceremony with Alan Cumming, says. "He's at the top of his game. There's a reason people are freaking out about him."

CBS

"The best times of my life I have spent working on Broadway," Corden says, despite his recent success on The Late Late Show, adding: "To go back again -- I haven't even walked past the Beacon Theatre since that night when I won -- so, to go back hosting, it is too much."

"It just always felt like a dream that I would get to host," Corden continues, admitting that this is the only way he'd ever really get to return to Broadway. "I have to probably break my contract at CBS, or get fired, or not renew it. It is one of those three."

His timing as host couldn't have worked out better, considering the year Broadway has had. The wildly successful Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda's biographical musical about Alexander Hamilton, earned a record-breaking 16 nominations and an adoring fan in Corden.

"I feel like it has changed everything. It has changed the whole game because there are so many great shows," Corden says of Hamilton, which infuses elements of hip-hop and R&B into traditional musical theater

The season's other critically acclaimed productions include Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, which earned 10 nominations; Long Day's Journey Into Night starring Jessica Lange and Michael Shannon; a nominated return to the stage by Michelle Williams in Blackbird; Megan Hilty's first nomination for Noises Off; the all-female-created Waitress musical; and the revivals of The Color Purple and She Loves Me.

Corden is taking over hosting duties from Chenoweth and Cumming, who both stepped in following multiple (and celebrated) turns by Neil Patrick Harris and Hugh Jackman. Wishing she actually could have asked Corden for advice when she hosted, Chenoweth says the key to a successful host is to be yourself. "I think that's what makes Neil Patrick and Hugh so good. I know that's what will make James so good."

So, how will Corden honor all these productions while marking his own place alongside Jackman and Harris? By embracing theater's live element. He jokes about opening the show with a modern dance number and even teases the possibility of a Hamilton-like rap battle with Miranda. "I would love nothing more," he says, "but I don't fancy it would be much of a battle."

However, Corden shoots down the possibility of adapting Carpool Karaoke for the ceremony. "I sort of feel like to leave the theater to show something that you have shot a week before -- because it has to be edited -- I do not know how that would feel in that night," he explains. "Maybe we'll change our minds, but right now, I do not imagine so." Instead, he would rather leave room open for the many musical performances. "I am just there to keep it going."

"My hope and dream is that he invents something for the Tony Awards," Chenoweth says.

The most difficult thing, Corden admits, is balancing prep for the awards show and maintaining his busy schedule shooting The Late Late Show, with nearly 40 hours of TV to get through before the ceremony. "People keep going, 'What are you doing for the Tonys?' And I'm like, 'I do not know what I am doing on Monday,'" he says.

"I just don't want to mess it up," Corden professes after some prodding. "I do not want to be, you know, the worst. I do not want people going, 'Oh, would be great if it was not for that British bloke.'" (A dashing British bloke at least.)

But before any of that can happen, Corden has to manage getting out of his Spanx. "We need the Spanx team to roll me out of these," he jokes. "We roll it down like pastry, and I just fall out of the Spanx. That is what will happen now."

--Additional reporting from Nischelle Turner

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by Brian Goldsmith

Hillary Clinton lost last weeks West Virginia primary by nearly 16 points. She lost Indiana by five points the week before. Those results could portend a series of defeats continuing this week and lasting through June  in Kentucky, Oregon, and even California. Its a slog that must be as frustrating to her campaign as it is irrelevant.

Sanders is in a hole  the kind of hole from which people cannot be rescued. He is not there, as some of his supporters allege, because of a superdelegate cabal. Hes behind in the total delegates (about 760 less than Clinton) because hes behind in the popular vote (about 3 million more for Clinton) and behind in the pledged delegates awarded on primary and caucus performance (about 280 more for Clinton  more than double Barack Obamas margin over her eight years ago).

The question now is, What kind of a loser will Bernie Sanders be? And what will the post-Sanders future of the party look like for Clinton and for the voters? There are hints of what to expect both in this campaign and in the recent past.

Bernie Sanders began this race skeptical that he could beat Clinton. His goal was to move the party, and Clinton, toward him on the issues  and, from the minimum wage to trade to college affordability, he has. But as Sanders comes closer to the nomination than he ever expected, it may be hard to go back and settle for the moral, or even ideological, victory.

He is not Hillary Clinton circa 2008. He is not going to be made secretary of state. At 74, he cant expect to launch another campaign in four or eight years. And so what incentive does he have to do what Clinton did  drop out and endorse the winner four days after the last contest? What pressure will he feel to go to the convention, move to suspend the roll call, and nominate his rival by acclamation?

Bernie Sanders at a campaign rally, May 10, 2016, in Stockton, Calif. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

Back then, Clinton was far closer in the delegate count and (depending on which states you count) led Obama in the popular vote. But there was no significant ideological gap between the two, and it was in Clintons interest to pacify Obamas supporters. Today, Sanders interest is simple: to make as much of an impact as he can.

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Ted Kennedy was in a similar position in 1980. By the time the convention voted, he knew he would never be president. As historian Doris Kearns Goodwin said, It wasnt because of age, it was because of Chappaquiddick. He cared more about the personal and philosophical imprint he would leave on the party than on the success of its nominee that fall. And so he came to the convention more in the spirit of aggression than concession. Kennedy tried to change the rules and flip Jimmy Carters delegates. Failing that, he fought to control the platform. He gave the greatest speech of his career  one that never explicitly endorsed the candidate who beat him.

Some argue that Democratic division helped cause Carters defeat. Most analysts believe he would have lost even with Kennedy campaigning for him coast to coast. And yet, Clintons forces have every reason to fear a sequel.

Here are the choices Bernie Sanders faces as he looks to a convention that will welcome him, honor him, but not nominate him:

What sort of a platform fight does he wage? Susan Estrich, a longtime Democratic strategist who helped lead Kennedys platform efforts, believes that Clinton mostly will give in to Sanders demands because the [official party] platform largely doesnt matter to voters and the lesson of 1968 and 1980 is never have a convention thats out of control, so better to buy peace with a more liberal platform. That said, there are positions that Clinton will not be able to accept  Estrich believes that single-payer health care and middle-class tax increases could fall into this category  because they cut against a core principle, or they could hurt her in the fall, or both. The choice for Sanders, then, will be to accept 80 percent of what he wants or to fight for 100 percent.



If he fights, how does he fight? Sanders could easily have 40 percent of the delegates. Democratic rules allow 20 or 25 percent of the delegates to produce minority reports when the majority beats them on an issue, triggering floor fights that could prove a damaging distraction. Does Sanders encourage his supporters to wage policy battles during prime time  delaying critical business like the acceptance speech?



Does he demand a primetime speech just for himself  or also for Mrs. Sanders and key supporters?



Does he deliver a full-throated endorsement of the nominee? The question is not whether he will argue against Trump but whether  particularly to Feel the Bern die-hards  he will make the case for Hillary Clinton.



Beyond the convention, Democrats disagree about what this contest portends for the partys future. Andrei Cherny worked for Bill Clinton as the youngest White House speechwriter in history. He says we will see a more lefty agenda and a more lefty party  there is no more center in American politics, and both parties have decided that the path to victory is amping up your base.

After eight years in power, partisans can become purists and take winning for granted. Enough liberals abandoned Al Gore for Ralph Nader to make a difference. Clinton supporters fear that some pro-Sanders Democrats could stay home and hurt her prospects.

In Chernys view, the swerve left compromises not just the partys electoral prospects but also policy outcomes. He notes that the Democrats criminal justice discussion is now entirely about stopping the police from committing bad acts, but it was aggressive, community-based law enforcement  including in the last Clinton administration  that drove crime to historic lows and protected vulnerable neighborhoods. It was a muscular Democratic foreign policy that launched NATO, saved a divided Berlin, and killed Osama bin Laden.

Democrats could also fall into the tea party trap of making commitments that are impossible to keep. Free college may become the liberal equivalent of eliminating Obamacare: a political pledge that cant survive the realities of governing. And when a disappointed base fails to get what has been promised, it can retaliate by sending ever-more ideological candidates to office, reinforcing the cycle of disappointment and preventing the compromises that make democracy work.

In 2004, Cherny battled Bob Shrum on the John Kerry campaign, where Shrum was the chief strategist. He still disagrees with Cherny. Today, the center is more left, moderates have moved to the left, and the Democrats reflect that. Shrum believes that Sanders is a positive force  hes inspired a new generation of activists just as the 60s brought a new generation in. Shrum says that these people represent the future of the party and will evolve ideologically. After all, Bill Clinton started as a McGovern voter and moved to a different place.

Just as Clinton as president represented a correction from the Democratic Party of the 1980s, Sanders as a candidate represents a correction from the 1990s. Shrum says that regardless of what Sanders does at the convention, Hillary Clinton can use her acceptance speech to unify the party and present a message that reflects their shared concern about economic opportunity.

Frank Luntz, the veteran Republican pollster, sees the situation differently. He says Republican chaos is what might enable a McGovernized, back-to-the-future party to win. In Luntzs view, it is only because Republicans are about to nominate someone even more unpopular than Hillary that an old-fashioned interest group party can succeed. The country hasnt bought into the entitlement philosophy; it is just rejecting the alternative.

The next chapter of Democratic politics isnt about Hillary Clinton vs. Bernie Sanders; that battle has already been resolved. It is the war between Clinton-ism (the pragmatic progressivism that has defined the party since 1992) and Sanders-ism (an unapologetic socialism that is more ambitious, and more risky, than anything the party has proposed since the New Deal). And wars tend to be bloody.
ATLANTA (AP) - A discussion about politics upset actor Wendell Pierce so much that he followed a group of people to their hotel room, tried to force his way inside, hit a woman in the head and ripped the hood off of her hoodie, she told Atlanta police in a report released Monday.

Pierce gave police a different version of the early Saturday morning fracas at the Loews Atlanta Hotel.

The actor acknowledged following the group to their room after the political discussion, but told police he was standing outside when the woman and two of her friends tried to pull him inside as he tried to get away.

Pierce was charged with simple battery and released on $1,000 bond, Fulton County Jail records show. No charges were filed against the woman and her two friends.

"I regret that what started as a civil political discussion escalated to the level that it did," Pierce said in a statement released Monday. "Although what has been reported thus far differs in important respects from what actually occurred, I have confidence that the judicial process will work as it should."

Pierce, a New Orleans native, is known for his TV roles as Detective William "Bunk" Moreland on The Wire and Antoine Batiste on Treme. Jail records list his current address as Pasadena.

The woman and two witnesses listed in the police report didn't immediately respond to phone messages Monday from the Associated Press.

The police report doesn't specify the nature of the political argument, but said the woman and her two friends were sitting in a hotel hallway when Pierce and his girlfriend exited the elevator.

"Both groups of parties began a conversation about politics, which got Mr. Pierce upset," the report states.

The woman police identify as the victim in the case told officers that Pierce began to push her, and she and her friends then began to walk to their room. Pierce acknowledges in the report that he followed them to their room but disputes what happened next.

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Pierce and the woman both declined medical help, but police said they took photographs of both people's injuries. Throughout the process of being arrested, Pierce never indicated he was well-known and his arrest was treated like any other, according to Atlanta police spokesman Donald Hannah.

After the arrest, the actor decided not to attend and speak at an upcoming graduation ceremony in New Jersey.

Pierce did not want to create a distraction, Rutgers University-Newark announced Monday. TV news anchor Soledad O'Brien will speak at Wednesday's commencement instead, school officials said.
A recently departed Virginia woman faced with the prospect of having Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in the White House instead chose to die, according to her obituary.

Read: Man's Obituary: 'Please Do Not Vote For Donald Trump'

Mary Anne Alfriend Noland passed away Sunday at age 68 after a battle with lung cancer. Her obituary was posted Tuesday morning on The Richmond-Times Dispatch website.

The obituary opens with the bold statement: "Faced with the prospect of voting for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, Mary Anne Noland of Richmond chose, instead, to pass into the eternal love of God.

The obituary goes on to say. A faithful child of God, Mary Anne devoted her life to sharing the love she received from Christ with all whose lives she touched as a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, friend and nurse.

She is survived by her husband, 3 children, 10 grandchildren and 3 siblings.

Noland's husband admitted to WWBT that he penned the opening line of the obituary with one of their sons. Rather than a dig at either presidential candidate, the obit was intended as a way for Noland's children to carry on her sense of humor, he said.

But it's not the first obituary to reference the race for the White House.

Earlier this month, Carl Crocetti of Massachusetts asked his friends and family not to vote for Hillary Clinton as his last wish.

"Carl requested in lieu of flowers that people elect NOT to vote for Hillary Clinton in the presidential election in November," his obituary reads.

Read: Man's Obituary Asks People Not to Vote For Hillary Clinton

In January, Jeffrey Cohen of Pittsburgh outlined his dying wish  do not vote for Donald Trump.

"Jeffrey would ask that in lieu of flowers, please do not vote for Donald Trump," that obituary read.

Earlier that same month, Ernest Overbey of Richmond, Virginia lost his battle to cancer. He requested that his loved ones vote for Trump in his obit.

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Trump was so touched by the gesture, he tweeted about it.

Thank you so much. Earnest must have been a great person. https://t.co/2DZp7YOadj pic.twitter.com/2YtLlEwceB  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2016





Watch: Why This Ex-White House Gardener is Selling Hillary Clinton's Old Car

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Vienna (AFP) - World power talks on ending the Syrian conflict close with no clear breakthrough Tuesday as new faction-fighting erupted and the death toll continued to mount.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov said the Syria contact group they co-chair had agreed to bolster a shaky ceasefire.

But underlying disagreements between Washington and Moscow on how to handle the crisis were apparent, and the United Nations failed to name a date for new peace talks.

Meanwhile, human rights monitors said fierce new clashes between the rebel Jaish al-Islam and Al-Qaeda-backed factions had left 50 fighters and two civilians dead.

United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura said he could not invite Bashar al-Assad's regime and the Syrian opposition back to peace talks without a "credible" ceasefire.

Kerry said the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) had agreed there would be consequences for parties breaching the truce and vowed to maintain pressure on Assad.

But Lavrov restated the Russian position that Assad's army is the best placed local faction to fight the Islamic State "terrorist" group and that Moscow would support it.

Divisions between Russia and the United States have hampered efforts to agree a framework under which Syria would "transition" away from Assad's rule.

And Kerry admitted the August 1 date set by the UN Security Council for agreement on the political framework was a "target" not a deadline, apparently softening the US stance.

Nevertheless, Kerry said the ISSG had agreed to strengthen its system for monitoring the ceasefire and that violators risked being expelled from the process.

Washington regularly accuses Assad's forces of violating the truce and of bombing civilians, whereas Russia accuses rebel factions of carrying out massacres.

"We have agreed consequences for any side's actions that have an agenda other than that of trying to reach an agreement and trying to reach peace," said Kerry as he again accused Assad's forces of deliberately starving besieged areas and said UN humanitarian agencies would be ordered to drop food.

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From June 1, he said, if UN road convoys are denied access to areas, the ISSG will mandate "the World Food Program to immediately carry out ... air bridges and air drops."

- 'We don't support Assad' -

Lavrov said Moscow's emphasis was on the fight against the Islamic State group and others he deemed terrorists.

"We don't support Assad, we support the fight against terrorism," he said, stressing that the strongman is the leader of a recognised UN member state.

"On the ground we don't see any more real and efficient force than the Syrian army, even given all its weaknesses."

The Russian minister also accused certain other members of the ISSG of opposing strikes on the Al-Qaeda affiliate the Al-Nusra Front, which is not party to the ceasefire.

"It means that Al Nusra is being looked upon as a means to contain the current regime. This is a dangerous development," he warned.

Lavrov also denied that the ongoing ceasefire violations show that Moscow has less influence over its Damascus ally that was once thought.

"As to whether Assad is ignoring our advice and our work with him or not -- no, he is not ignoring it," he said.

But Lavrov also recalled that the UN Security Council resolution that endorsed the peace plan had laid out that this transition could take up to 18 months -- and only after the framework is agreed.

The Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said the ISSG talks had "made clear that the responsibility for Syria's suffering lies with the Assad regime."

Noting that in countless towns Syrians were "crying out for humanitarian access" HNC Spokesman Salem al-Meslet said that "Assad is not only blockading those towns, but also blocking the path to a political solution, which is the only way to end the suffering."

- Fighting continues -

For his part, De Mistura said his UN-mediated talks in Geneva would have little purpose if the killing continues.

"The exact date, I am not at the moment revealing that," he said, referring to a possible resumption of indirect talks between the warring parties.

"Intra-Syrian talks will be credible when there is a credible cessation of hostilities and credible progress on the humanitarian side."

Following the news conference the full ISSG released a joint statement agreeing to bolster the ceasefire, send humanitarian relief and push the political process.

But Washington's allies in the process, especially the Arab states backing Syria's rebels, are increasingly frustrated at Assad's apparent determination to stay on.

"There is no lasting future for Syria with Assad," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

Acting through the ISSG, Washington and Moscow chivvied the warring parties into a shaky ceasefire in late February, but pockets of violence remain.

- Brutal crackdown -

The Syrian war erupted in early 2011 after Assad's forces launched a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests, and has since claimed more than 270,000 lives.

Millions have been driven from their homes and a wave of refugees has joined a flow of migrants struggling to escape to Europe, causing a humanitarian and political crisis.

On the ground, US allies like Saudi Arabia and Turkey back some of the rebel factions, while Russia has dispatched war planes and advisors and Iran troops to back Assad.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United Nations has raised only 16 percent of the $1.8 billion needed to help war-torn Yemen, a "shockingly low" level of response to a funding appeal, a senior UN aid official said Tuesday.

Returning from a fact-finding mission to Yemen, John Ging said the crisis was worsening, with some 7.6 million people in urgent need of food aid and 2.5 million displaced from the conflict.

The impoverished country descended further into crisis last year when a Saudi-led coalition began an air campaign to push back Huthi rebels, who still retain control of the capital Sanaa.

The UN's director for humanitarian operations, Ging said the United States and Britain topped the list of donors to the UN aid appeal to Yemen, contributing $76 million and $54 million respectively.

Saudi Arabia, which is leading the air campaign in support of Yemen's government, last year contributed $245 million to the aid effort, but did not renew its contribution this year.

None of the Gulf countries are offering aid to the UN effort, said Ging, stressing that the donations in response to the appeals have "no strings attached".
Kuwait City (AFP) - Yemen's government threatened Tuesday to quit peace talks with Iran-backed rebels, giving the UN envoy a "last chance" to make them comply with UN resolutions.

"We have informed the UN special envoy to bring a document signed by the rebels in which they recognise the basic references and UN Security Council resolutions," Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, who heads the government delegation, told a press conference.

"If they sign and comply, we will go back to the talks ... If they don't comply, the talks will then have no meaning... They become a waste of time," Mikhlafi said.

He said the document should include a clear acknowledgement by the rebels of UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and of the legitimacy of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and his government.

The minister said his team will remain in Kuwait City until the weekend and then take a decision, adding this was a "last chance" for UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to salvage the talks.

"The talks have made no progress" after almost four weeks of negotiations with the Shiite Huthi militia and their allies, he said.

The foreign minister's threat came hours after the government delegation suspended its participation in the UN-brokered negotiations for the second time this month.

Mikhlafi said the rebels had repeatedly refused to discuss key issues and insisted on power-sharing first, in violation of UN resolutions.

- 'Torpedoed the talks' -

Earlier, Mikhlafi charged on Twitter that the Huthis who control the capital had "torpedoed the talks completely," by backtracking on commitments.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed later said in a statement that the talks "faced some serious challenges today" after the government team suspended participation.

He however insisted that "all challenging issues should be addressed at the negotiation table."

"I reiterate that all parties fully recognise UN Security Council resolution 2216 and the issue of legitimacy," Ould Cheikh Ahmed said.

Story continues

The government wants the Huthis to comply with a Security Council resolution ordering them to pull out of territory they occupied in a 2014 offensive and surrender heavy arms they captured.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he continued meetings with the rebel delegation on Tuesday.

"I am confident that with the goodwill of the parties, we are still in a strong position to be able to bring about a comprehensive settlement to the conflict in Yemen," he said.

The pullout comes two days after the UN envoy said he was optimistic about achieving a peaceful settlement in the war-torn country.

The two delegations were on the verge of finalising a deal to release half of the detainees and prisoners they hold before the start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in early June.

The United Nations estimates that more than 6,400 people have been killed and 2.8 million displaced in Yemen since March last year.

A major stumbling block at the talks in Kuwait City remains the form of government that would control Yemen in a transitional period.

The rebels want to share power with Hadi while his delegation insists he is the legitimate UN-backed head of state.
KUWAIT (Reuters) - The Yemeni government on Tuesday suspended its participation in U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait and said it would only return if its opponents, the Houthis, committed to withdraw from cities they have seized since 2014 and hand over weapons. A wide gap still separates the Iran-allied Houthis and the Western-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after nearly a month of peace talks in Kuwait intended to end a year of war that has killed more than 6,200 people, half of them civilians. The talks center on government demands for the Houthis to hand over their weapons and quit cities captured since 2014 and the formation of a new government that would include the Houthis. The Saudi-backed Hadi government is currently based in the southern Yemeni port of Aden while the Houthis retain control of the capital Sanaa. Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi said the government delegation had decided to suspend its participation in the consultations after the Houthis informed them they did not recognize Hadi's legitimacy. "We will not return until we get a letter from them that commits them to the U.N. Security Council resolutions, the Gulf initiative and the outcome of the (national) dialogue ... the issue of legitimacy is not subject to discussion," Mekhlafi told a news conference in Kuwait city. "If they do not make such a commitment, then there is no point for these talks to continue and as such they (the Houthis) bear responsibility," he said. Mekhlafi accused the Houthis of plundering Yemen's foreign reserves, which he said had stood at $4 billion in 2014, but he said the government delegation had no plan to leave Kuwait, allowing further scope to diplomacy. Osama Sari, an activist in the Houthi group, said the government's decision to suspend its participation in the peace talks had "unmasked its bad intentions". The peace talks began last month after a shaky ceasefire was consolidated, easing the almost daily clashes in the country. Representatives of the warring sides formed joint political and security committees last week but have made little progress toward a full ceasefire or political transition plan. Yemen's civil war escalated when an armed push by the Houthis pushed the Hadi government into exile on March 26, 2015. Seeing the Shi'ite Muslim group as a proxy for its Gulf rival Iran, Saudi Arabia mustered an alliance of mostly Gulf Arab countries to push the group back. But the coalition still appears far from forcing the Houthis out of Sanaa. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari in Cairo, Writing by Sami Aboudi, editing by Gareth Jones)
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  June 28, 2017  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 Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL  Free Report ), United Continental Holdings (NYSE: UAL  Free Report ), American Airlines Group (NASDAQ: AAL  Free Report ), Hawaiian Holdings (NASDAQ: HA  Free Report ) and Spirit Airlines (NASDAQ: SAVE  Free Report ).

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Travel Ban Partially OK'd: What's in Store for Airlines?

In what can be seen as a victory for the Trump administration, the U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated major parts of the Presidents travel ban. While allowing major parts of the embargo to take effect, the court said that it will be up for review in October.

The Ruling

The countrys top court ruled in favor (partially) of the U.S. governments request to do away with preliminary injunctions against ban. Consequently, visitors from six predominantly Muslim nations - Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - are banned from entering the U.S. for 90 days.

The court also upheld the provision of the ban to suspend the admission of refugees for four months. Additionally, the ruling restricts the number of refugees entering the country to 50,000 this fiscal year. In fact, While making the above rulings, the court added that visitors from the above countries to the U.S. wont be affected if they are able to prove a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the country.

We remind investors that initially President Trump issued a ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations  Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya  from entering the U.S. in January. However, courts refused to reinstate the ban. Notably, following the opposition, a narrower version was issued by the President in March.

Story continues

Whats Ahead for Carriers?

The partial reinstatement of the ban, which is aimed at preventing terrorism in the U.S., negatively impacted airline stocks likeDelta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL  Free Report ), United Continental Holdings (NYSE: UAL  Free Report ) and American Airlines Group (NASDAQ: AAL  Free Report ) due to fears of declining travel demand. All these three carriers carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here .

In fact, many carriers including big players like American Airlines Group have exposure to Africa and the Middle East. Consequently, their fears of shrinking travel demand cannot be ignored. To this end, their top line may shrink significantly in the near term.

We note that the initial announcement of the ban in January not only hurt stocks in the space severely but also reportedly resulted in a decline in international bookings to the country.

Other Headwinds

Apart from the ban issue, the ambiguity regarding the laptop ban and President Trumps revised Cuba policy that bans individual travel to the island nation, are some other administrative challenges confronting airlines.

Furthermore, the surge in labor costs has been hurting the bottom line of carriers for quite some time due to the signing of labor deals. In the first quarter of 2017, growth on the bottom-line front was hardly visible for airlines due to high costs. Increased costs are expected to hurt the bottom line of carriers in the second quarter as well.

For example, Hawaiian Holdings (NASDAQ: HA  Free Report ) expects cost per ASM (CASM), excluding fuel and special items, to increase in the band of 4.5% to 7.5%, mainly owing to the sixty-three month pay-related deal cleared by its pilots in Mar 2017. Moreover, fuel cost per gallon (economic) is projected to be in $1.60 to $1.70 range, which is higher than $1.55 recorded in the second quarter of 2016.

Similarly, Allegiant Travel Company expects CASM excluding fuel, to increase in the band of 1315% in the second quarter of 2017, mainly on the back of implementation of the new pilot agreement. Also, Alaska Air Group recently increased its second quarter forecast CASM (excluding fuel and other special items) following the pay-related agreement with the pilots of its subsidiary Horizon Air.

Apart from high costs, carriers such as United Continental Holdings andSpirit Airlines (NASDAQ: SAVE  Free Report ) have been laid low by customer-related issues.

Conclusion

With stocks in the space already grappling with the above-mentioned headwinds, the U.S. Supreme Courts move of partially reinstating the ban, presents another challenge for sector participants. However, the exact extent of the impact on the space can be gauged with the passage of time. Naturally, we expect investors interested in the space to eagerly await updates on this burning issue.

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HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's mining production rose in the first quarter of 2016, with gold production up to 5 tonnes from 4 tonnes in the previous year after electricity supply stabilised, the Chamber of Mines said on Tuesday. While production was likely to rise in the remainder of the year, risks to the sector remained, the Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines' CEO Isaac Kwesu told a media conference. "Capital remains expensive and while there are improvements in electricity, we anticipate that the energy sector remains fragile," Kwesu said. (Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Writing by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by James Macharia)
By Himank Sharma and Rupam Jain MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Apple Inc is set to announce plans to expand its Indian software development center and build an accelerator program for local start-ups, two sources aware of the investment said on Tuesday, hours before Chief Executive Tim Cook's maiden visit. Cook, who arrives in India late on Tuesday, is making his Indian debut just as the country emerges as one of the last large growth markets in the smartphone world, while sales in the United States and China begin to taper off. Among other officials, he is due to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the week. Over 100 million smartphones were sold in India last year, a number that is expected to grow by 25 percent this year. Sales of Apple's iPhones - which have a two percent market share in the country - grew 56 percent in the first three months of 2016. Earlier this year, Apple opened a development center in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, also home to Microsoft's first India office, where engineers are working on Apple Maps. The sources did not detail the size of the fresh investment. The company is also expected to announce plans for a startup accelerator in India to work more closely with the Indian developer community that works on Apple's iOS and OS X software platforms, one of the sources said. An Apple spokesman declined to comment. "Cook's visit shows how important India has become for Apple and will likely set the stage for the expansion of Apple ecosystem in India," said Vishal Tripathi, research director at Gartner. Indian government sources said Modi is likely to press Cook to set up production facilities in India, as part of the government's plan to find jobs for millions of Indians joining the workforce every year. Apple is in separate talks to open its first official retail store in the world's third-largest smartphone market. Cook's India visit, which one of the sources said could run into the weekend, also includes meetings with industry partners. On Friday, Cook is expected to meet Sunil Mittal, the billionaire founder of India's biggest mobile operator Bharti Airtel, a separate source said. (Reporting by Himank Sharma; editing by Adrian Croft)
When Apple originally introduced Apple Pay with the iPhone 6, it was widely assumed that mobile payments were finally poised to go mainstream. The harsh reality, though, is that Apple Pay has been somewhat slow to get off the ground. While the service itself is intuitive and works incredibly well, wide-scale adoption has only started to pick up in recent months.

One of the ongoing roadblocks Apple Pay has had to contend with is the fact that not every retailer supports Apple's payment solution. In fact, some retailers like CVS went so far as to proactively disable NFC support on their POS machines specifically to preclude services like Apple Pay from being used.

DON'T MISS: The 5 biggest ways Captain America: Civil War failed

The reason behind this lukewarm backlash against, if not downright aversion to, Apple Pay can be traced back to a consortium called Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX). MCX for a few years has been busy developing its own mobile payment platform dubbed CurrentC. Notably, CurrentC is backed by a who's who list of top-level retailers, including Best Buy, Target, CVS, 7-Eleven, Walmart and dozens more.

Back in late 2014, it was assumed that CurrentC would ship by mid-2015. But the service was hampered by a seemingly endless string of delays and rumors of executive layoffs. And as Apple Pay began to gain traction with consumers, some MCX members like Best Buy and Rite Aid began easing up on their Apple Pay restrictions.

As 2015 rolled into 2016, we didn't hear much about CurrentC. But late on Monday, MCX issued a statement (via TechCrunch) indicating that it was once again postponing the rollout of CurrentC. What's more, MCX CEO Brian Mooney said that the company would be laying off 30 employees.

The statement reads as follows:

Utilizing unique feedback from the marketplace and our Columbus pilot, MCX has made a decision to concentrate more heavily in the immediate term on other aspects of our business including working with financial institutions, like our partnership with Chase, to enable and scale mobile payment solutions. As part of this transition, MCX will postpone a nationwide rollout of its CurrentC application. As MCX has said many times, the mobile payments space is just beginning to take shape  it is early in a long game. MCXs owner-members remain committed to our future. As a result, MCX will need fewer resources. This change has resulted in staff reduction of approximately 30 employees. These are very tough decisions, but necessary steps. For those employees leaving us, we want to thank our colleagues for their hard work and dedication to MCX over the last several years.

Story continues

Also plaguing CurrentC was that it's implementation of a mobile payment solution was deemed to be a bit clunky, to say the least. Instead of relying upon NFC, as Apple chose to do, CurrentC opted to go for QR codes directly linked to a consumer's checking account. For many industry observers, it was clear form the outset that CurrentC was doomed. Not only was Apple Pay an objectively more efficient service, it was also more secure.

Interestingly enough, news of CurrentC's delayed launch was immediately preceded by news that Walmart this week launched its own proprietary mobile payments solution appropriately dubbed Walmart Pay. Suffice it to say, it can't be an encouraging sign when the biggest MCX member seemingly jumps ship to release their own payment app.

As it stands today, Walmart Pay is live in Texas and Arkansas with no word yet as to when stores in other locations will support the company's new digital wallet. But much like CurrentC, the mechanics of Walmart Pay appear to be much more involved than what Apple Pay requires.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0RL1M244VM

Walmart's press release reads in part:

Checkout using Walmart Pay happens in three easy steps: 1. Open: Visit any register, open the Walmart app and choose Walmart Pay. Activate the camera. 2. Scan: At any time during checkout, simply scan the code displayed at the register. Walmart Pay is now connected. 3. Done: Associate scans and bags the items and its done. An eReceipt will be sent to the app and can be viewed at any time.

Funny enough, 'Done' is actually one of the listed steps.

Kidding aside, it's hard to envision a scenario where CurrentC is actually able to emerge from the ashes and become a service anyone actually uses. That being the case, one can only hope that some of MCX's most ardent supporters have an about-face and begin accepting Apple Pay.

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This article was originally published on BGR.com
May 17 (Reuters) - Michigan lowered its revenue estimates for the current and next fiscal year by $333 million on Tuesday, but Governor Rick Snyder's administration said it will continue to push for state funding to deal with costly problems in Flint and at the Detroit Public Schools (DPS).

"Flint and DPS will remain top priorities for the administration," said Kurt Weiss, a spokesman for the state budget office.

The lower revenue projection, along with about $130 million in higher-than-expected Medicaid costs, will leave the state with a $463 million budget hole, he said.

The Republican governor has been seeking more than $200 million to deal with lead-tainted water problems in Flint.

The city was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched the source of its tap water from Detroit's system to the Flint River in April 2014 to save money. The city switched back last October after tests found high levels of lead in children's blood samples.

Cash-strapped DPS, which has been under state oversight since 2009, was allotted $48.7 million in supplemental state funding in March to keep schools open for the current school year. The Michigan House and Senate have passed different longer-term plans to restructure the district with the help of state money.

Sinking sales taxes were the main focus of Michigan's revenue estimating conference on Tuesday, with officials pointing to lower gasoline prices and a longer-term shift to consumers buying nontaxable goods and services.

"For me, it's the sales tax that's a concern," said State Treasurer Nick Khouri, adding that collections have fallen for two consecutive years.

State officials pegged fiscal 2016 general fund and school aid revenue at $21.8 billion, down $174 million from estimates made in January. For fiscal 2017, which begins on Oct. 1, revenue was projected at $22.54 billion, $159 million less than January estimates.

(Reporting by Karen Pierog in Chicago; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Googles fans, investors and developers alike will be watching the Mountain View, Calif. company closely this week as it holds its largest event of the year: Its annual I/O conference.

While I/O is primarily aimed at programmers, Google usually takes the opportunity to make big announcements about its major products and projects. This is also the first I/O since former product chief Sundar Pichai was made the companys CEO in a major restructuring last year.

Heres a look at some of the news were expecting to see when Google kicks off the conference on May 18. The highlight of the event will be Wednesdays keynote, set for 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. You can see a full schedule here.

Virtual reality

Google surprised I/O attendees in 2014 when it launched Google Cardboard, its inexpensive, smartphone-powered virtual reality viewer. This year, the company is said to be launching a new version of Cardboard with improved sensors, lenses, and a sturdier plastic casing, according to The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal. This new headset would likely be more akin to Samsungs Gear VR headset, a $99 viewer compatible with most Samsung smartphones, than Googles current Cardboard headsets.

Meanwhile, Google is said to be developing a separate virtual reality gadget that would not require a smartphone to power the experience. It may include a screen, processors, and cameras, but it wouldnt need to be tethered to a phone or computer to work, according to The Wall Street Journal. That initial report wasnt clear on whether or not this standalone viewer would launch at Google I/O. But entrepreneur and former journalist Peter Rojas recently said it would indeed make its debut at the conference.

Google is also said to be building a new version of its Android software specifically for virtual reality. If Google does unveil new virtual reality devices this week, theres a strong chance well learn about this new software as well.

Story continues

Pricing will be especially important for Googles standalone VR gadget. Although Google hasnt confirmed any upcoming VR plans yet, the headset would likely be pricier than the Cardboard but less expensive than the $600 Oculus Rift and $800 HTC Vive. If thats the case, Google will have to prove that this middle ground will deliver a strong enough experience to sway buyers from opting for a cheaper headset.

More details on the next version of Android

The focal point of Google I/O is typically whats next for Android, the companys mobile operating system. This year is different, however, because Google already unleashed a preview version of the update in March. Even though the Android N preview has given us a taste of what to expect, there are still unanswered questions. (Full name and release date, for starters.) Google may address these uncertainties and share more details about Android Ns features at I/O.

More integration between Android and Chrome OS

Google offers two separate operating systems: Android for smartphones, tablets, and wearables, and Chrome OS for Chromebook laptops. But the two are becoming increasingly intertwined. For example, Android notifications can appear on your Chromebook, and browser tabs from Chrome appear alongside recent apps in Android.

Google could be exploring ways to tie these platforms even closer together, possibly merging them into one operating system. Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google parent company Alphabet, hinted as much last year. A report from The Wall Street Journal last November also said Google plans to combine the two ecosystems. If this is true, theres a chance well hear about it at I/O.

Project Tango updates

Google is expected to demonstrate some of the progress it has made with its Tango technology at Google I/O, which is capable of mapping real-world environments in three dimensions. Lenovo will showcase the first smartphone to include Project Tango tech at its own conference in June. But a report from Bloomberg suggests Tango will receive attention during I/O as well.

Google is hoping Tango, which uses cameras and sensors in electronic devices to map spaces in 3D and show the results on screen, will help developers create more immersive VR apps.

Advancements in artificial intelligence

Google CEO Sundar Pichai emphasized how important artificial intelligence and machine learning will be to the companys future products in a letter last month. It seems likely that the company will showcase at least a few of its latest A.I. achievements during I/O. This could include enhancements in voice search and its Google Now virtual assistant, but we wont know for sure until the keynote. Google is also said to be working on a voice-enabled device similar to the Amazon Echo, but its unclear whether or not this will be shown at I/O, according to Recode.
Once a year, Google sets aside a few days to telland sellits own future.

Since 2008, the Google I/O conference has drawn thousands of developers of apps and gadgets, while also functioning as a sales pitch to the public about the next six to 12 months worth of projects.

Google likes to keep much of each years lineup of product announcements a surprise. But we know a few things about this years I/O, which is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, near the company's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Heres what we expect to see.

The Nth version of Android

Android announcements are sure to grab headlines at I/O 2016. New editions of Googles mobile operating system are often introduced at this event, and in March of this year Google tipped its hand with a preview version of "Android N."

We know that this Android release will add a split-screen mode that puts one apps window alongside or above anothers. Thats a good idea on both larger phones and tablets. Its also an overdue catch-up to others in the mobile business. Samsung added a split-screen feature to Android devices years ago, and Apple did the same with iOS 9.

Google is also touting tidier notificationsthose alerts that appear at the top of Androids screenthat will give users more ways to act on them without first opening the corresponding apps. For example, youll be able to answer a Hangouts message by tapping a Reply button under the notification.

Android N also promises better battery life and reduced memory consumption, addressing two areas where smartphone users have probably never been satisfiedand may never be.

History suggests, however, that Google is keeping a few other Android N details under its hat. One of them is the operating system's full nameGoogle has christened each major Android release after a dessert, and Nutella seems to be one name popping into bloggers' minds, to follow last years Marshmallow. (Nutella is trademarked name, but that wouldn't necessarily deter Googlean earlier version of Android was called KitKat.)

Story continues

Another, much more significant development would be the merging Googles Chrome OS laptop operating system into Android. This possibility, raised in reports by the Wall Street Journal and other sources since last fall, could make those inexpensive Chromebooks more capable machines by allowing them to run mobile apps, and to more easily share information with Android smartphones.

Virtual Reality and the Internet of Things

I/Os schedule of talks and presentations features a dozen sessions about virtual reality alone. Googles interest in interactive 3-D panoramas isnt new2014s I/O featured the debut of its cheap, clever Cardboard viewer, which uses plastic lenses in a cardboard, ViewFinder-esque housing to hold the user's phone, which can then play virtual reality (VR) content.

But Google may have a more ambitous headset in the works. The VR market is a highly competitive space right now; Google is up against Facebook (which owns Oculus VR), Samsung (which sells the Gear VR), and HTC (which has a headset called the Vive).

Google's Project Tango figures heavily in the companys VR ambitions. This technology uses cameras and motion sensors to map out a space in three dimensions for later recreation in a VR headsetor an augmented reality (AR) overlay of what your phones camera sees. VR headsets have remained rather expensive, bulky contraptions, so in the near term AR experiences could be more attractive to a wider group of people.

The other big acronym to watch for at the conference is IoT, which stands for the Internet of Things. Google has gone on a spending spree buying up IoT companies such as Nest and Dropcam. Small, self-aware and Internet-connected devices IoT devices like Nests thermostat and Dropcams security cameras promise to make our homes smarter and safer, but theyve also given us new setup hassles and new security worries.

And some time soon, Google could unveil a competitor to Amazons voice-controlled Echo personal assistantreportedly code-named Chirp." The Echo has sold well, providing its users a hands-free way to ask for weather updates, play music, and control IoT devices. Since voice control is looking like a big part of the future of both search and home automation, it's not surprising that Google wants to make its mark in that arena.

Reminder: It Won't All Actually Happen

The most important thing to keep in mind about I/O and tech events like it and Apple's upcoming WWDC: Their prophecies dont always pan out.

For every product launched or promoted at an I/O conference that has since become a daily habitfor instance, the free and unlimited-storage Google Photos service introduced last yearothers flop in the market or never even get into the hands of customers.

The Wave collaboration service demoed in 2009 never replaced e-mail. Google TV software looked promising as a smarter interface for your television in 2010 but paired poorly with existing cable boxes. Having wingsuited skydivers use Google Glass to livestream a jump onto the roof of San Franciscos Moscone West convention center in 2012 did not make that cybernetic eyewear any more popular, and the Nexus Q streaming-media player introduced then never went on sale. The Android Wear smartwatches we saw touted in 2014 remain a marginal electronics accessory.

But what users want isn't always novel technology. Even after half a decade of Google saying its working to make it easier for smartphone manufacturers and wireless carriers to get new versions of Android onto existing smartphones, most users continue to be stuck with older, less capable, and less secure versions. Unfortunately, progress on that front is one development we don't expect to see this week.





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By Martin Petty and Mai Nguyen HANOI (Reuters) - Cyber-criminals unsuccessfully tried to send money from a Vietnamese bank to a Slovenian one in December, but there have been no other cases of attempted fraudulent transfers identified in Vietnam, a top central bank official there said on Tuesday. Le Manh Hung, head of the State Bank of Vietnam's (SBV) Information Technology Department, told Reuters the Dec. 8 transfer - for 1.2 million euros ($1.36 million) via the SWIFT network - was the only attempt to steal funds detected by Tien Phong Bank (TPBank). Other Vietnamese banks and the SBV have not been hit, and the name of the Slovenian bank was not known, he said. It was also not clear how many accounts were listed as recipients. The Slovenian central bank said it had no information on the matter and was not informed about it by official bodies. The Slovenian police had no immediate comment. Unlisted TPBank revealed the interrupted cyber heist in response to Reuters inquiries on Sunday. It involved the use of bogus SWIFT messages, the technique at the heart of a massive theft in February from the Bangladesh central bank. SWIFT, a linchpin of the global financial system, is used by about 11,000 banks and financial institutions for transactions. The two attacks on banks will likely increase scrutiny on the security of its network. Interpol was immediately informed of the attack via its representative in Vietnam, Hung said. There was no financial loss and TPBank found the bogus transfer through its own reconciliation system, he said. TPBank has not said which bank the funds were headed to and Hung said he did not know the identity of the Slovenian partner. Hung said TPBank was hit because a third-party vendor it had used to connect to the SWIFT money transfer system was likely infected with malware. The vendor's Internet servers were based in Singapore, he said, adding he did not know the identity of the vendor provider. OTHER METHODS SWIFT has declined comment on TPBank's claims. On Thursday, it had said a unnamed commercial bank was targeted by a malware attack similar to the one at Bangladesh Bank. But SWIFT said in mid-May the malware it had found was used to remove traces of fraudulent transactions, not to conduct the transaction, adding the attackers had used other methods it did not identify to send the fraudulent transfer requests. (http://bit.ly/1TezgHe) Hung said it was the vendor that had been compromised, rather than TPBank's own systems. TPBank has declined Reuters requests for further comment. TPBank, founded in 2008 by Vietnam's top technology firm FPT Corp, is considered one of the communist country's most modern and tech-savvy banks and it this month received the "Best Internet Banking" prize from The Asian Banker. In February, in one of the world's biggest ever cyber-heists, hackers tried to steal nearly $1 billion from Bangladesh Bank's account at the New York Federal Reserve. Most orders were blocked but $81 million was transferred to accounts in the Philippines and most of the money remains missing. (Additional reporting by Marja Novak in Ljubljana, Slovenia; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and John Stonestreet)
Google is set to unveil a competitor to Amazons Echo loudspeaker at its Google IO developer conference, according to a report by the New York Times. And it looks like this wont be the only new media device to make an appearance at the show: Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi has hinted at the announcement of new Android TV devices at Google IO as well.

Googles answer to Amazons Echo will be called Google Home, according to the Times. The speaker will likely come with voice controls similar to those available on Android phones via Google Now, but wont actually ship until this fall.

SEE MORE: Googles Biggest Ace in the Hole for Virtual Reality May Just Be Content

Google is reportedly introducing it a few months early to developers to get them to build applications for Home. Reports about Googles plans to compete with Amazon on this front first surfaced in March.

Google may also announce new Android TV devices at the show, courtesy of Xiaomi. The Chinese TV manufacturer tweeted Tuesday that it will be at the show as well, and included a bit of a teaser picture showing what looks like stylized remote control buttons.

Remote control buttons, one should add, that look suspiciously similar to those used by Xiaomi remote controls for its smart TVs as well as its streaming device.

Xiaomis smart TVs and streaming devices are already based on Android, but theyre not yet using Googles Android TV framework, in part because Xiaomi cant make use of Google services for devices sold in China. However, the company has long been looking to sell its hardware in the U.S. as well, and smart TVs may very well be part of those plans.

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Going into Star Wars Episode VIII we want to find out who Reys parents are more than anything else. But were also interested to see if theres going to be any romance between some of the new characters introduced in the last film. After Star Wars: The Force Awakens, many speculated that Rey and Finn are the new Leia and Han, while some said that there may be a Finn-Poe romance in the works. J.J. Abramss Star Wars did not explore either of these potential romances, but Rian Johnsons Episode VIII might bring us some answers.

At least, thats what John Boyega teased in a fresh interview.

DONT MISS: Amazon's 12 best deals: $299 Moto X, iPhone 6s cases, lightning-fast home Internet, more

In an interview with Variety at Cannes late last week, Boyega spoke about his current Star Wars commitment, at least as much as he was allowed to.

When asked whether Finn gets darker in Episode VIII, he responded, My skin color does because of the heat on the job! Thats me dodging your question because Disney has spies everywhere. If I answer this, I get killed, and Im not in episode nine.

But Boyega did say that Johnsons Star Wars is a different take, darker, bigger. He added, Someone will say: How do you get bigger than Force Awakens? But its crazy.

As for the on-screen romance between the main characters, it's finally happening... one way or another.

I mean, we didnt establish a romance in seven; we never played it that way. Daisy and I, were friends, he said when asked about the beginning of the Finn and Rey love story in The Force Awakens.

He continued saying theres no romance. Finn and Rey  theyre just friends, he said. Finn is a storm trooper, so he doesnt really know whats going on. So the romance thing is something thats going to be interesting in the next installment. Its not going to go the way you think its going to go.

The untitled Star Wars Episode VIII movie hits theaters in December 2017, which is when we'll finally get answers.

Story continues

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We know who will play young Han Solo in the next Star Wars movie

More from BGR: Apple ruined the dream of having Google take over my iPhone

This article was originally published on BGR.com
Online streaming service YouTube is preparing to host a livestream for Google's annual tech event, Google I/O, announcing an address in advance of the May 18 conference start.

The video-sharing site, famously one of Google Inc's business platforms, will allow viewers to watch the Google I/O keynote live and in 360 virtual reality, should they so choose.

The announcement was made by Virtual Reality offshoot Google Cardboard which, as of May 16, has native apps available for not only Google's own mobile operating system Android, but also Apple's iOS.

That app is intended to be used in conjunction with a physical Google Cardboard virtual reality headset, with Google's own-brand, self-assembly model available its specialist online store for $20 (20).

Google I/O runs May 18-20 at the web, tech and advertising company's Mountain View campus in California. A full program is available to view at events.google.com/io2016/schedule, with livestreamed presentations filtered through events.google.com/io2016/schedule?filters=Live streamed.

Google I/O 2016 - Keynote 360: youtu.be/lFm4s50PnmY
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  May 17, 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 Alphabet (GOOGL) and Oracle (ORCL).

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.

Here are highlights from Mondays Analyst Blog:

Technology Stock Roundup: AAPL Down; ORCL, GOOGL in Court

Last week, which was light in terms of tech earnings, saw a number of negative reports on Nikkei that pulled down Apple (AAPL) shares. At the same time Alphabet (GOOGL) and Oracle ( ORCL) found themselves heading to court again.

Here are the top stories-

Nikkei Reports Pulling Down Apple

Back-to-back negative reports from the Nikkei impacted Apple shares last week. The first of these mentioned falling iPhone shipments based on estimates from IHS, smartphone part makers and manufacturing equipment makers, all of which see increasing demand for cheaper Chinese smartphones from Huawei, Xiaomi, Lenovo, ZTE, Vivo, etc. While Huawei is currently expected to be the biggest gainer (to grow 20-30% this year), the top 10 Chinese smartphone makers are together expected to grow 15% to 550 million.

The other reports focused on weak sales of Apple component suppliers and measures taken by Japanese and Taiwanese part makers to target Chinese phone makers. Since Apple is already dealing with its first quarter of shipment decline, the Nikkei reports had more of a negative impact.

Oracle Has Some New Numbers for Alphabet

Oracle lawyer Peter Bicks says that Alphabets Google made $42 billion in revenue and $21 billion in profits from Android-based smartphones and is therefore seeking $8.8 billion in damages, or around 11.7% of its balance sheet cash. Its a huge amount even for Google, but its as yet unclear if Google will have to pay for it. Google used 37 application programming interfaces (APIs, or software code that enables interoperability between programs) that belonged to Sun, which was subsequently taken over by Oracle.

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The last time the case was tried, the court held that the technology wasnt copyrightable. Moreover, Google argued that the inability to use APIs and making them negotiable and licensable, especially in the given circumstances (such as Sun encouraging Java use to ensure its proliferation) would limit innovation. App and hardware makers building on Android would also be affected and there would be cost escalation for all.

HP, Red Hat and Yahoo submitted papers supporting Google while Microsoft, EMC and NetApp sided with Oracle at the time. Both sides argued for innovation. Microsoft said that failure to protect APIs would lead software makers to reveal less about them, which would in turn affect innovation.

But that was a long time ago. Oracle now says it has numbers to support its claims. Google of course doesnt make anything from Android but from software it has developed on it that people use to search, download apps, etc. It doesnt even sell those, earning only from the ads and commissions they generate.

So after Google was granted victory in 2012, the decision was overturned on appeal, when Google asked the Supreme Court to hear the case. When they refused, the case went for retrial. Now theres a jury of 8 women and 2 men to decide Googles fate.

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A new sexual assault suit against comedian Bill Cosby was filed on Monday, alleging sexual assault at the Playboy Mansion and accusing Hugh Hefner of negligence and conspiracy to commit sexual battery.

In legal documents obtained by ET, Chloe Goins, the 26-year-old plaintiff, alleges that she was invited to the Mansion as a friend's plus-one to a party in 2008. Upon their arrival, Goins says she met both Hefner and Cosby, who offered to get her and her friend a drink.

Goins' lawsuit alleges that after drinking the beverage Cosby brought her, she "began to feel ill." The lawsuit further claims that both Hefner and Cosby saw that Goins was "woozy," and Goins says Hefner suggested that she go "lie down" in a bedroom at the Mansion. "Goins is informed and believed that Defendant Cosby put some type of drug or narcotic in the drink," the document reads.

WATCH: Bill Cosby's Accusers: A Timeline of Alleged Sexual Assault Claims (Updated)

According to the legal documents, Cosby then allegedly escorted Goins to a private room, after which she says she blacked out. When she awakened "sometime later," she says she was unsure of how long she had been unconscious. Goins claims in the lawsuit that she was naked in the bedroom, with Cosby at her feet, sucking on one of her toes. She also says she "felt a wet and sticky substance on her breasts as though a person had been licking them."

The lawsuit claims that after Goins regained consciousness, Cosby pulled up his pants, "which were previously removed," and left the room. In the documents, she says she was "scared, afraid, embarrassed and repulsed at what had just occurred," and left the residence.

Goins also says in the suit that she told her friend about the incident, but was dissuaded from reporting the incident to police because "they would never be invited to large, celebrity-filled parties such as Hefner's again." She claims she made the decision to come forward after seeing reports of Cosby's other victims.

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The lawsuit accuses Cosby of sexual battery, gender violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It also accuses both Cosby and Hefner of negligent infliction of emotional distress and conspiracy to commit sexual battery and gender violence, alleging that by providing alcohol to underage partygoers and inviting Cosby, whom "Hefner knew or should have known had a history of severe and serial sexual battery and or possibly rape of women" the publisher was "negligent at the very least."

WATCH: Bill Cosby Admitted to Obtaining Quaaludes to Give to 'Young Women' in 2005

This is just the latest round of sexual assault allegations against the comedian and TV star. In April, a Superior Court judge in Norristown, Pennsylvania ruled that Temple University employee Andrea Constand's criminal case against Cosby can move forward. Constand alleges that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2004.

Cosby's lawyers have denied all allegations made against him by numerous women who have come forward with accusations of sexual assault.

"I have been in this business 52 years and I've never seen anything like this," he told Good Morning America's Linsey Davis last May. "Reality is a situation and I can't speak."

ET has reached out to Hefner's rep for comment. Cosby's attorney, Monique Pressley, said her client had no comment at this time.

See more about the latest allegations against Cosby in the video below.

WATCH: Bill Cosby Appears in Court for Sexual Assault Charge: Former D.A. Explains Why He Didn't Prosecute

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OAKVILLE, ON--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - Moen Canada, the number one faucet brand in North America, is excited to announce its lineup of products featured in HGTV Canada's Home to Win (Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT). With so many projects taking place under one roof, Moen is featured in a number of living spaces throughout the home.

"We're excited to partner with HGTV Canada on a project of this magnitude," said Garry Scott, vice president, wholesale marketing and brand development, Moen Canada. "It's our hope that the range of Moen products being showcased throughout the home engages and inspires the audience to achieve their own design aspirations."

The Arris and Align collections bring chic, contemporary designs to the bathrooms in the Home to Win house. The master bathroom makes a bold statement with the Arris suite, complete with a rainshower and hand shower. Both the powder room and the guest bathroom feature the Align collection. With attention to every detail -- from the angle, shape and length of the spout, to the perfectly matching cylindrical handle -- Align is the perfect solution for creating a distinctly modern bathroom. A fourth bathroom uses Kingsley collection to create a space that will stand the test of time.

Moen rounds out the design in the Home to Win kitchen with the sleek, hands-free STo kitchen faucet with MotionSense. Paired with additional accessories, this design offers an easy and clean kitchen experience perfect for the whole family. The STo pulldown faucet will also be featured in the laundry room.

In addition to on-air integrations, Moen is featured on the HomeToWin.ca website through shopping guides and virtual tours. After each room reveal, Canadians can visit the website to take a virtual tour of the room with hotspots directing them to the Moen website. Canadians can currently shop the master bathroom look with additional rooms to be revealed each week.

To learn more about the Moen products that will be featured, visit moen.ca.

ABOUT MOEN CANADA

As the #1 faucet brand in North America, Moen offers a diverse selection of thoughtfully designed kitchen and bath faucets, showerheads, accessories, bath safety products, kitchen sinks and garbage disposals for residential applications -- each delivering the best possible combination of meaningful innovation, useful features, on-trend styling and lasting value. In addition, Moen Commercial offers superior-performing products that can deliver lower lifetime costs for today's facilities.

Moen is part of Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. (NYSE: FBHS), which creates products and services that help fulfill the dreams of homeowners and help people feel more secure. The Company's trusted brands include Moen faucets, Master Lock and Sentry Safe security products, MasterBrand Cabinets and Therma-Tru entry door systems. Fortune Brands holds market leadership positions in all of its segments. Fortune Brands is part of the S&P MidCap 400 Index. For more information, please visit www.FBHS.com.
By Hugh Bronstein

BUENOS AIRES, May 17 (Reuters) - Monsanto Co said on Tuesday it would suspend future soybean technologies in Argentina, a move that could limit output of the country's main cash crop, after a disagreement with the government over inspections of genetically modified soybeans.

The dispute blew up after Monsanto asked Argentine exporters to inspect soybean shipments to ensure farmers are paying royalties for using the company's products. The Argentine government told the world's largest seed company that such inspections must first be approved by the government.

Argentina, the world's No. 1 exporter of soymeal livestock feed, relies heavily on Monsanto's genetic technology to produce soybeans.

The U.S. company issued a statement saying it was "disappointed" that talks with the Argentine government had not yielded an agreement on the inspection issue.

"The company plans to take measures to protect its current assets and will suspend launching any future soybean technologies in the country," Monsanto said in the statement.

Monsanto officials in Argentina declined further comment.

A spokeswoman for the Argentine agriculture ministry said the country's rules regarding soybean inspections were designed "to guarantee free trade and property rights."

"If they (Monsanto) feel threatened, that's their prerogative," said the ministry spokeswoman.

Farmers in the South American country have urged the government to resist any attempt by private companies to inspect cargos as a way of monitoring royalty payments.

Argentina last month issued a decree saying the government must authorize any grain inspection, dealing a blow to Monsanto's push for exporters to check cargoes.

For a year, Monsanto has pressured shipping companies to notify it when crops grown with its technology are slated for export without documentation showing royalties had been paid.

(Additional reporting by Maximiliano Rizzi; Editing by Andrew Hay)
What Lies Ahead for Gathering and Processing MLPs in 2016?

(Continued from Prior Part)

Key natural gas shales

The key natural gasproducing shales in the United States are the Barnett Shale in north central Texas, the Fayetteville Shale in northern Arkansas, the Haynesville Shale in eastern Texas and northern Louisiana, the Woodford Shale in Oklahoma, the Eagle Ford Shale in southern Texas, and the Marcellus and Utica shales in northern Appalachia.

The Bakken, Woodford, Marcellus, and Utica shales saw an increase in dry shale gas production in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the previous year. However, production in the Barnett, Fayetteville, Haynesville, and Eagle Ford formations declined.

The above graph compares growth in dry shale gas production in key gas plays in March 2016 over March 2015.

Impact on MLPs

MLPs such as Williams Partners (WPZ) and MPLX (MPLX) operating in the growing Marcellus and Utica shales should benefit from the growth in production in these regions. For 2016, MPLX anticipates utilization of its processing facilities in the Marcellus and Utica shales will average ~80%. The high estimated utilization is due to an expected ~15% increase in its overall processed gas volumes in the region. MPLX forms ~8.3% of the Alerian MLP ETF (AMLP), an ETF of top infrastructure MLPs.

The decline in Eagle Ford production negatively impacted Western Gas Partners (WES), as discussed in the previous part of this series. At the same time, EnLink Midstream Partners (ENLK) benefited from higher gathering and processing volumes during the quarter in the Cana Woodford shale.

CONE Midstream Partners (CNNX) earnings growth in the first quarter was boosted by 55% growth in net throughput volumes. CONE Midstream Partners was formed by CONSOL Energy (CNX) and Noble Energy (NBL) to own and operate natural gas gathering and other assets to service CNXs and NBLs production in the Marcellus Shale.

In the final part of this series, well look at analysts recommendations for a few MLPs.

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Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
Whole Foods cake

A Texas pastor caused a public outcry last month after he claimed that a cake he bought at Whole Foods was decorated with a homophobic slur.

Jordan Brown, an openly gay pastor at Austin's Church of Open Doors, is now reversing those claims  and dropping a lawsuit he filed against Whole Foods  after the company threatened a countersuit, The New York Times reports.

In a statement on Monday, Brown said:

The company did nothing wrong. I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story. I want to apologize to Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the company's commitment to its values, and especially the bakery associate who I understand was put in a terrible position because of my actions.



Brown had accused Whole Foods of selling him a cake decorated with the words "Love Wins F--." He posted a tearful video about it last month.

"When I got into my vehicle, I looked inside and saw they had wrote 'Love Wins F--' on it," Brown said in the video. "You can see it nice and clear. Also, it is still in a sealed box. As you see, I have not opened up this box yet."

The video went viral online and he filed a lawsuit alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The suit reads:

Pastor Jordan spent the remainder of the day in tears. The potential for racial, sexual, religious, and anti-LGBT slurs to be written on personalized cakes is high, and Whole Foods knew or should have known that slurs or harassing messages could be written on cakes and then presented to a customer without any oversight or prior warning.

Whole Foods rejected Brown's claims and threatened a countersuit.

Whole Foods pastor

The countersuit claims that Brown "intentionally, knowingly and falsely accused Whole Foods and its employees of writing the homophobic slur ... on a custom made cake that he ordered from WFM's Lamar Store in Austin."

The company also released a statement saying that it reviewed security footage and determined that Brown had tampered with the cake.

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"After a deeper investigation of Mr. Brown's claim, we believe his accusations are fraudulent and we intend to take legal action against both Mr. Brown and his attorney," the company wrote.

The company also released a video of Brown checking out to prove that the label on the cake box was on top of the box. You can see Brown checking out in the bottom-right side of the video.





More From Business Insider


PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - Pendleton Woolen Mills, a globally acclaimed-lifestyle brand headquartered in Portland, Oregon and Britannica Home Fashions, a marketer and manufacturer of premium bedding and home fashions in New York City, announce a new license for Pendleton Home beginning fall 2016. The Britannica x Pendleton license will leverage Pendleton's iconic woolen blankets and design archives with companion non-wool fabrics of sateen, cotton, percale and blended fabrics from Britannica, to create exciting and unique styles for top of the bed, bath and home.

"Pendleton welcomes Britannica as a partner in the development of an exclusive collection of premium home textiles," said Bob Christnacht, Pendleton's Vice President of Global Sales. "We are thrilled to join Britannica Home Fashions in offering quality, crafted home fashions that will serve a diverse consumer demand and look forward to new Home market opportunities for the Pendleton brand."

Pendleton Home products will include, sheets, coverlets, duvets, matelasse, cotton blankets, table linens, decorative pillows and bath textiles; a graphic and textural blend of Pendleton design aesthetics and woolen blankets with Britannica's expertise of complementing non-wool fabrics.

Speaking for Britannica, Etai Gross, President, said, "We are pleased to bring our company's excellent sourcing resources and design capabilities to Pendleton Woolen Mills, already known in the industry for outstanding textiles for bed and bath. We are delighted to be associated with a significant expansion of Pendleton Home products and with growth of the brand's presence in department stores and specialty retailers."

The Britannica Home Fashions Showroom is located at 214 West 39th Street, Suite #1102, New York, New York, 10018.

Britannica joins Pendleton's family of home textiles; along with Downlite and Southwest Looms.

About Pendleton

Setting the standard for classic American style, Pendleton is a lifestyle brand recognized as a symbol of American heritage, authenticity and craftsmanship. With six generations of family ownership since 1863, the company recently celebrated 153 years of weaving fabrics in the Pacific Northwest. Known for fabric innovation, Pendleton owns and operates two of America's remaining woolen mills, constantly updating them with state-of-the-art looms and eco-friendly technology. Inspired by its heritage, the company designs and produces apparel for men and women, blankets, home decor, and gifts. Pendleton is available through select retailers in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea and Australia; Pendleton stores; company catalogs; and direct-to-consumer channels including the Pendleton website, http://www.pendleton-usa.com.

About Britannica

Britannica Home Fashions Inc., founded in 1974, is a leader in home products. Headquartered in the heart of Manhattan's textile and fashion district, Britannica operates offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and New Delhi and Bangalore, India. Britannica works with key strategic partners to bring exclusive lifestyle brands to the home. BHF manufactures fashion and basic bedding, bath, and home decor. Their products are artfully made and bring year round comfort and wellness to people's lives.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. ("Peregrine" or "the Company") (PGD.TO) is pleased to announce that core drilling has commenced on the 100% owned Sikwane Project in Botswana. Sikwane is located approximately 50 kilometres east of Gaborone, the capital of the Republic of Botswana.

SIKWANE KIMBERLITE DRILL PROGRAM

The Sikwane prospecting licence covers 453 km2 and contains nine kimberlites discovered through drilling by De Beers in 1997. A thorough assessment of relinquishment reports held at the Botswana Geological Survey shows that De Beers drilled percussion holes targeted on detailed Kimberlite Indicator Mineral ("KIM") anomalies with limited ground geophysics support. Interpretation of available KIM garnet and ilmenite chemistry shows that the Sikwane kimberlites contain diamond-compatible KIMs and the kimberlites have moderate to high diamond potential. Diamonds have been recovered from surface samples and from down-hole samples at the Sikwane kimberlites, although diamond abundance and size distribution data are not available. De Beers recovered limited core from the drilling program and due to the limitations of percussion drilling, the geological relationships between kimberlite and country rock granite are unresolved.

Core drilling of five of the Sikwane kimberlites is planned. The program is designed to resolve the kimberlite-granite relationships and collect carefully controlled kimberlite samples for microdiamond and KIM analysis. Five vertical core holes of 100 metres each are planned.

The total budget for the program is CDN$140,000.

ABOUT PEREGRINE DIAMONDS

Peregrine is a TSX listed diamond exploration and development company with assets located in northern Canada and Botswana.

Peregrine's core asset is its' 100 percent-owned, 513,249 hectare Chidliak project, located 120 kilometres from Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut where 71 kimberlites have been discovered to date with eight being potentially economic. An Inferred Mineral Resource of 11.39 million carats in 4.64 million tonnes of kimberlite at an average grade of 2.45 carats per tonne has been defined for a portion of the CH-6 kimberlite. In addition, a Target for Further Exploration ("TFFE") of 2.34 to 3.75 million tonnes of kimberlite to a depth of 380 metres below surface has been identified at CH-6. An independent diamond valuation by WWW International Diamond Consultants, of a 1,013 carat parcel of diamonds from CH-6 returned an average market price of US$213 per carat and modeled prices that range from a minimum of US$162 per carat to a high of US$236 per carat, with a base model price of US$188 per carat (all using the February 24, 2014 price book). An Inferred Mineral Resource of 4.23 million carats in 4.99 million tonnes of kimberlite at an average grade of 0.85 carats per tonne has been defined for a portion of the CH-7 kimberlite. In addition, TFFE of 0.90 to 2.36 million tonnes for a depth range of 240-320 metres has been estimated for the CH-7 kimberlite. An independent diamond valuation by WWW International Diamond Consultants, of a 735.75 carat parcel of diamonds from CH-7 returned an average market price of US$100 per carat and modelled prices that ranged from a minimum of US$94 per carat to a high of US$155 per carat, with a base model price of US$114 per carat (all using the February 1, 2016 price book). A TFFE of 1.27 to 3.19 million tonnes to 250 metres depth has been estimated for the CH-44 kimberlite pipe. The TFFE's identified above are conceptual in nature and are not Mineral Resources. It is uncertain whether further exploration will result in any of these tonnages being delineated as Mineral Resources.

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Peregrine holds eleven diamond prospecting licenses in Botswana that cover 661,330 hectares.

Peregrine also controls the 8,493 hectare Lac de Gras project in the Northwest Territories, located approximately 27 kilometres from the Diavik Diamond Mine. The nine hectare 72.1%-owned DO-27 kimberlite, located at Lac de Gras, hosts an Indicated Mineral Resource of 18.2 million carats of diamonds in 19.5 million tonnes of kimberlite at a grade of 0.94 carats per tonne and it is open at depth.

For information on data verification, exploration information and resource estimation procedures see the technical reports entitled, "2015 Technical Report for the Chidliak Project, 66 21' 43" W, 64 28' 26" N Baffin Region, Nunavut" dated February 23, 2015, and "Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. Lac de Gras Project Northwest Territories, Canada NI 43-101 Technical Report" dated July 15, 2014, both of which are available on SEDAR and the Company's website.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including, without limitation, statements relating to proposed exploration and development programs, funding availability, anticipated exploration results, grade of diamonds and tonnage of material, resource estimates, anticipated diamond valuations and future exploration and operating plans are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company.

Forward-looking statements are made based upon certain assumptions by the Company and other important factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performances or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of diamonds, anticipated costs and ability to achieve goals. Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performances or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: receipt of regulatory approvals; anticipated timelines for community consultations and the impact of those consultations on the regulatory approval process; market prices for rough diamonds and the potential impact on the Chidliak Project; and future exploration plans and objectives.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and, even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, uncertainties relating to availability and cost of funds, timing and content of work programs, results of exploration activities, interpretation of drilling results and other geological data, risks relating to variations in the diamond grade and kimberlite lithologies; variations in rates of recovery and breakage; variations in diamond valuations and future diamond prices; the state of world diamond markets, reliability of mineral property titles, changes to regulations affecting the Company's activities, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain required project approvals, operational and infrastructure risk and other risks involved in the diamond exploration and development business. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to their inherent uncertainty.
By Amrutha Penumudi

(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) is buying Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc (ANAC.O) in a $5.2 billion deal to add an eczema gel to its portfolio, just a month after the U.S. drug major scrapped plans to acquire Allergan Plc (AGN.N).

Anacor shares surged as much as 56 percent to $99.94 on Monday, above the offer price of $99.25 per share in cash. The net-of-cash deal value assumes conversion of Anacor's outstanding convertible notes, the companies said in a statement.

The deal hints at a shift in Pfizer's M&A strategy from lowering taxes - the rationale behind its $160 billion bid for Dublin-based Allergan - to strengthening its drugs portfolio ahead of a decision on selling or spinning off its generic medicines business by late 2016.

The recent pullback in valuations of biotech firms could stimulate Pfizer's appetite for deals, analysts said. The company is also reported to be in talks to buy cancer drug maker Medivation Inc (MDVN.O).

The equity value of the Anacor deal is $4.45 billion, based on the company's outstanding fully diluted shares as of March 31. Anacor stock had fallen 43 percent this year to Friday's close.

The acquisition will give Pfizer access to a non-steroidal topical gel, crisaborole, which is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of mild to moderate eczema.

Pfizer said it believed crisaborole had the potential to reach or exceed peak sales of $2 billion.

In the past 15 years, there have been no new molecules approved for eczema - or atopic dermatitis - a common, relapsing, inflammatory skin disorder that affects 18-25 million people in the United States.

SURPRISE BUYER

Some analysts said they had expected Anacor to be acquired by Allergan, which has a stronger presence in the dermatology market, or by Novartis AG's (NOVN.S) Sandoz unit, which sells Anacor's toenail fungus drug in the United States.

Wedbush analyst David Nierengarten, however, said that Pfizer was strong in primary care and pediatric treatments, the target markets for crisaborole.

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He said other bids were possible, given that the $180.8 million termination fee was relatively low for a deal this size.

Pfizer's current inflammation and immunology drugs portfolio includes Enbrel and Xeljanz, which target auto-immune diseases.

Enbrel, marketed by the company outside North America, lost patent protection in Europe last year. The U.S. patents for the drug, sold in the country by Amgen Inc (AMGN.O), are set to expire in 2028.

Centerview Partners and Guggenheim Securities advised Pfizer advisers and Citi advised Anacor. Wachtel Lipton Rosen & Katz was Pfizer's legal adviser, while Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP advised Anacor.

(Reporting by Amrutha Penumudi, additional reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Kirti Pandey)
A sign adorns the building where mining company Rio Tinto has their office in Perth, Western Australia, November 19, 2015. REUTERS/David Gray

CONAKRY (Reuters) - Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto (RIO.L) said on Monday it had submitted feasibility studies to the Guinea government for its massive Simandou iron ore project, considered the world's biggest untapped iron ore deposit.

Simfer, Rio Tinto's subsidiary, "submitted today the bankable feasibility study (EFB) of the mine and the infrastructures of the Simandou South Project in Guinea", the world's No. 2 miner said in a statement.

"They are based on extensive analyses conducted during the last two years by Simfer, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) and other international mining and construction services providers."

The real cost of the project, which could have a major impact on Guinea's flagging economy, has yet to be revealed but it is tipped to reach $20 billion.

(Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing by Marine Pennetier; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's Saab is keeping a close eye on political turmoil in Brazil, which has ordered 36 of its Gripen jet fighters, but does not expect the crisis to threaten orders or undermine its key programme, Chief Executive Hakan Buskhe said on Tuesday. "All of us are looking at what is happening in Brazil, but I am not having sleepless nights," Buskhe told reporters, asked whether the crisis could crimp its growth there. Brazil has said it is interested in buying two further batches of Gripens. Speaking on the eve of a rollout of Saab's new Gripen E, ordered by Brazil and Sweden, Buskhe reaffirmed a target of 400 to 450 Gripen orders including more from Brazil. Saab is competing in Belgium and believes Switzerland will revive a previously abandoned fighter contest, he said. Saab is meanwhile in talks to sell the Gripen to Slovakia while monitoring potential fighter purchases in India and Canada, officials at the Swedish defence company said. Buskhe told reporters Saab was carrying out a continuous review of its 600 mainly defence products, weighing 10 parameters, and aimed to reduce its catalogue while remaining a "broad company". He said Saab would probably make more disposals than acquisitions as it adjusts its portfolio but that the value of acquisitions would be higher. A spokesman said Saab was conducting a rolling product review, with no fixed date for completion. Buskhe also said the group would maintain its research and development (R&D) at 25 percent of turnover. "We will continue to grow our sales and we will increase our R&D in absolute terms," Buskhe said. Saab revenue grew 16 percent in 2015, driven by fighters and submarines after seven relatively flat years, while the company almost doubled its order backlog. Buskhe took a swipe at rivals that have decreased R&D and invested significantly in share buybacks or higher dividends. "It would be very easy as a CEO to double the profit margin just by reducing some of our R&D spending, but then this company would probably be out of the market in five-six years." Buskhe said Saab would continue to invest heavily on items such as sensors. In maritime defence, Saab has identified a potential global market to replace 50 submarines over the next 25 years and hopes to win "a fair portion" of that for its A26 stealth subs, Buskhe said, adding this could mean "one, two or even three countries". (Reporting by Tim Hepher; editing by Bjorn Rundstrom and Niklas Pollard)
Oil experts have been closely monitoring the energy sector after the worlds biggest crude exporters failed last month to reach an agreement on an oil-production freeze.

Saudi Arabia, the worlds largest oil exporter, refused to cap oil production to Januarys levels.

Former Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) partner Peter Kiernan said on FOX Business Network's Varney & Co. that the developments in Saudi Arabia indicate there is a direct connection between the price of oil and the stock market in the United States.

Whats going on in Saudi Arabia is they intend to remain king of the jungle. They make about one out of every eight barrels of oil thats produced and they are producing now for market share, Kiernan told host Stuart Varney.

According to Kiernan, the underlying factor for continuing low oil prices is Saudi Arabia increasing production despite ramp up in Nigerian crude production and disruptions in Venezuela.

There have been disruptions that are temporarily, but if you look at the fundamentals, the long term, what we gotta see is a point where oil supply and oil demand meet. Right now, theres more oil than we need.

Economic and political turmoil in Venezuela has lead the OPEC member to reach an oil-for-loans deal with China, allowing the economically-stricken South American country some breathing room for its debt payments.

Kiernan says the oil loan deal with China is a death rattle as Venezuela has already borrowed some $50 billion over the last decade.

At a $100 a barrel its a land of milk and honey and this was one of those countries that was basically run as a welfare state and they saved nothing for the raining day. Well folks, its pouring rain outside.

Oil is nearing a 7-month high trading slightly below $50 a barrel.

Related Articles
KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - Aconex Limited (ASX: ACX), provider of a leading cloud and mobile collaboration platform for the global construction industry, today announced that Sayed Hamid Behbehani & Sons Co. (SHBC), a 70-year-old global construction firm headquartered in Kuwait, has chosen Aconex to manage information and processes on the US$928-million expansion of Al Farwaniya Hospital in Kuwait City.

Located in the Al Farwaniya medical district, the project will include a new state-of-the-art hospital, an outpatient clinic for dermatology and physical therapy, a dental treatment and teaching facility, a services building, and a multi-story car park. To alleviate the heating effect of a desert climate on large expanses of exposed glass, the project will make use of innovative solar-mitigation screens. A distinctive, curvilinear building design will make the most of open views, enhancing the experience of patients, staff and hospital visitors.

Muntasir Abu Omar, the project director, said SHBC selected Aconex because it is a market leader in document management and control for large construction and infrastructure projects. Known in the industry for its ease of use, the Aconex platform has an extensive track record of supporting successful project delivery throughout the Middle East. Prior to implementing Aconex, SHBC had relied on manual processes as well as file management systems.

"The main benefit of using Aconex is having all of the project documents stored in one centralized location," Mr. Abu Omar said. "Nothing can be deleted, and it is easy to find and retrieve any item of correspondence, document or task."

Ensuring the Success of a Complex, Time-Sensitive Project

The Al Farwaniya Hospital expansion, an initiative of the Kuwait Ministry of Health, is an ambitious project on an accelerated timeline. The additional 955 beds in the new hospital will represent a 17% increase in the total number of hospital beds in all of Kuwait. The dental facility will include 157 clinics, and the car park will accommodate 1,400 automobiles.

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To ensure that the project will be ready for handover in just four years, SHBC agreed to design, build, equip, furnish, operate, and maintain the new facilities. This approach, known as alternative delivery, is often associated with large, complex projects on aggressive schedules. Mr. Abu Omar expects that the project team, which is anticipated to grow to 20 organizations and 500 individuals, will eventually exchange more than a million documents, drawings and items of correspondence.

By adopting Aconex, SHBC guaranteed that members of the project team will be able to find and retrieve project information whenever and wherever it is needed. Updates to transmittals and design documents are automatically distributed to the team, with version control to ensure that everyone is working from the current revision. Drag-and-drop workflows keep review processes on track, and project-wide visibility makes it easy for team members to monitor performance across organizations and help minimize delays.

"In addition to getting accurate reports in real time, we have also realized improvements in the drawings review process," Mr. Abu Omar said. "I believe we are now getting our jobs done in less time."

Virtual Assets, Real-World Productivity

Building information modeling (BIM) allows project teams to create a virtual asset with multidimensional models before construction on the job site begins. Project collaboration using BIM improves productivity across the design and construction teams. Design reviews are streamlined, and clashes are identified and resolved before a site is graded and concrete is poured. The challenge is that creating, sharing and updating multidimensional models typically requires specialized design software that is not accessible to the entire project team, which severely limits collaboration.

SHBC overcame traditional hurdles to project-wide collaboration around BIM by taking advantage of Aconex Connected BIM. Using a simple plug-in, architects and designers on the Al Farwaniya Hospital project team can publish the multidimensional models that they create with their preferred authoring tools to the Aconex platform, where the rest of the project team can view, distribute and mark up the data using an ordinary web browser.

As the project has proceeded from the design phase to construction, team members have been able to link each object in the models with relevant documents, communications and workflows on the Aconex platform. For example, if a field inspector determines that an HVAC unit needs to be moved or replaced, he or she can tag the object in the model while on the job site. The changes to the object are automatically recorded in the virtual asset and available for review by the entire team.

"By utilizing Connected BIM and Aconex Field, we have accelerated our approval and inspection processes," Mr. Abu Omar said.

"The Al Farwaniya Hospital project is a major part of Kuwait's National Healthcare Expansion Plan," said Henry Jones, senior vice president of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and global accounts at Aconex. "We are pleased to support the Ministry of Health and SHBC in providing state-of-the-art medical facilities for the people of Kuwait. Aconex continues to expand its footprint across major infrastructure projects in the Gulf States, increasing the speed, quality and effectiveness of project delivery."

About Aconex

Aconex Limited provides a leading cloud and mobile collaboration platform for the global construction industry. The platform connects owners, contractors and their project teams in the construction, infrastructure, and energy and resources sectors, providing project-wide visibility and control between the many different organizations collaborating across their projects. With more than 60,000 user organizations and over $1 trillion of project value delivered in more than 70 countries, Aconex is the industry's most widely adopted and trusted platform. Founded in 2000, Aconex has 41 offices in 22 countries around the world, including headquarters in Melbourne, Australia and San Francisco, California. The company's ordinary shares are traded on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) under the ticker code ACX.

Supporting Resources

For more information on Aconex, please visit:
Shipments to nearly all top markets slipped.

Singapores non-oil domestic exports declined by 7.9% year-on-year in April, following the 15.7% contraction in the previous month.

Statistics from IE Singapore show that both electronics and non-electronic exports slumped during the month. Shipments of electronic products slipped by 7.4% in April, reversing the 9.1% expansion in the previous month. Meanwhile, exports of non-electronic produts dropped by 8.1%, compared to the 18.0% contraction in the previous month.

Exports to all of the top 10 NODX markets, except the EU 28 and Hong Kong, declined in April. The largest contributors to the NODX contraction were Taiwan, South Korea and Indonesia







More From Singapore Business Review


* Treasury targeting lower budget deficit

* Economy seen growing at slower rate

* South Africa's debt service costs rising (Adds quoytes, details)

By Wendell Roelf

CAPE TOWN, May 17 (Reuters) - South Africa will "most likely" achieve the strict consolidation targets set out in the budget the Treasury said on Tuesday, despite recent signs that the economy was headed for a prolonged period of low growth.

The economy of Africa's most industrialised country is expected to grow by less than 1 percent this year after expanding 1.3 percent in 2015, hobbled by low commodity prices, drought and political ructions that have unnerved investors.

"In our case we are still convinced for this year that we will most likely achieve the revenue target that we put out, most likely achieve the fiscal consolidation," Director General at the treasury Lungisa Fuzile told parliament.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan tabled a package of spending cuts, civil service job freezes and moderate tax hikes in the budget in February, aimed at holding off credit downgrades by ratings agencies that have cited poor growth as major risk.

The government was targeting to reduce the budget deficit for the 2016/17 fiscal year to 3.2 percent of GDP from 3.9 percent in 2015/16 period as it tightens spending in the face of lower revenue.

But this will be an uphill task for Pretoria as analysts fear the economy is on track for a first recession in seven years and could be downgraded to "junk" as major sectors of the economy slipped into sharp decline.

Gordhan said last week he is scheduled to hold meetings with rating agencies Fitch and Standard & Poor's in the next few weeks after Moody's left its rating of South Africa's debt at Baa2, two levels above sub-investment grade.

Fitch and S&P rate the country at one notch above sub-investment grade and plan to release their reviews in June.

A change in ratings to speculative grade typically leads to a sharp rise in borrowing costs.

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That would be bad news for South Africa, whose debt servicing needs are already projected by the Treasury to rise to nearly 180 billion rand ($12 billion) in 2018-19.

As at the end of March this year, South Africa's debt service costs stood at 907.9 million rand ($58 million), higher than previously projected, Fuzile said.

($1 = 15.6400 rand) (Writing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by James Macharia)
* Even small-scale investment requires extensive precautions

* Swedish firm says laborious due diligence leads to opportunity

* U.S. sanctions on trade with Iran still in place

* European banks, in particular, still fear falling foul of U.S.

(Adds Hellmich comment, detail on Iran investments)

By Jonathan Saul

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - A Swedish firm is looking to launch the first initial public offering to raise capital for investments in Iran since international sanctions on Tehran were lifted.

But the precautions it takes to demonstrate that its dealings are legitimate show that the undertaking, even on this small scale, is time-consuming and costly.

Although global trade sanctions against Iran were lifted in January in return for Tehran curbing its nuclear programme, the United States still forbids its own nationals and firms to do business in Iran, and prohibits dealings with a list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) deemed to engage in undesirable or terrorist activity.

For those reasons, Pomegranate Investment AB, set up in Sweden in 2014, is entering the Iranian market cautiously.

Chief executive Florian Hellmich told Reuters on a visit to London on Monday that the firm, which has raised 80 million euros ($91 million) from European investors since 2014 in anticipation of sanctions easing, hopes to launch its IPO in Sweden within 12 months, for investments in Iran's consumer technology sector.

He declined to say how much it might raise, but U.S. and Canadian citizens and corporations will be excluded from the offer.

To avoid any risk of infringing a ban on dollar payments to or from Iran passing through U.S. financial institutions - one that still frightens European banks, some of which received heavy U.S. penalties for doing business in Iran - all transactions are done in euros.

The main challenge for any international company, however, is vetting Iranian partners to ensure they are not on the U.S. blacklist.

"We have learned to operate in a sanctions environment, which means we have had to engage in a high amount of KYC ("Know Your Customer"): legal due diligence of all our partners, including the banks we do business with," Hellmich said on a visit to London.

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Many Iranian companies have beneficial owners who are not easily traceable, making it hard to be certain that investments will not end up, for instance, going into the wide-ranging business empire of the hardline Revolutionary Guards Corps, which the United States accuses of sponsoring terrorism.

"We have engaged an armada of lawyers who have been advising us in terms of disclaimers and due diligence. Again it comes back to the cost of doing business. It is time-consuming," Hellmich said.

"This is also where the opportunity is - everyone could have done the work we have done, but nobody has."

Hellmich, a veteran of emerging markets including Russia who was previously with the Moscow-headquartered investment bank Renaissance Capital, said Pomegranate was working with a "combination of Swedish banks and Swiss banks", but declined to be more specific.

"We found regional banks with no U.S. exposure a lot more accommodating in how we do business," he said.

Around 50 percent of Pomegranate's shareholders are from Sweden, including the prominent investor Per Brilioth, and others come from Britain, Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe.

"There are plenty of liquidity pools in Europe to be successful," Hellmich said.

The firm has already taken minority stakes in Iranian companies including the Internet and e-commerce company Sarava and Iran's second largest online classifieds company Sheypoor. ($1 = 0.8829 euros) (Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Swift code bank logo is displayed on an iPhone 6s on top of Euro banknotes in this picture illustration made in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, January 26, 2016. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

(Reuters) - Major U.S. banks are scrutinizing security of the SWIFT messaging network following cyber attacks in Bangladesh and Vietnam involving fraudulent transfer requests, according to media reports on Tuesday.

JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) has limited SWIFT access to some employees amid questions about the breaches at two Asian banks, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The actions are not tied to a specific concern about JPMorgan's vulnerability to SWIFT, but are part of its policy to review user access to certain systems following news of a security threat, The Wall Street Journal said, citing a person familiar with the bank.

Representatives with JPMorgan could not immediately be reached for comment.

Brussels-based SWIFT is a cooperative owned by some 3,000 global financial institutions.

Separately, Bloomberg News reported that major U.S. banks want SWIFT to boost security in the wake of the attacks, which involved fraudulent transfer requests sent over SWIFT's private bank messaging system.

Some U.S. banks want to discuss with SWIFT whether it responded quickly enough to the breaches and if it should help banks better secure their systems, Bloomberg cited one unidentified source as saying.

Some U.S. banks expect SWIFT to come up with a technological solution to reduce the risk of further attacks, the report cited a second unidentified source as saying.

SWIFT codes for at least seven international banks were written into malware used in an attack that Vietnam's Tien Phong Bank disclosed over the weekend, Bloomberg reported, citing a private report published by BAE Systems PLC (BAES.L).

The malware was configured to hide transaction messages involving those banks, Bloomberg reported. It said they included Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd , Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd [MTFGTU.UL], UniCredit SpA (CRDI.MI), Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ.AX), United Overseas Bank Ltd (UOBH.SI) of Singapore, South Koreas Kookmin Bank [KOOKM.UL] and Japans Mizuho Bank Ltd [MZFGAE.UL].

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The revelations that such banks were mentioned in the code raised concerns of global lenders because they show that the attackers were not focussing solely on small banks in developing nations, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with several banks in the U.S. and Europe.

A SWIFT spokeswoman declined comment on both reports.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle; Edited by Steve Orlofsky and Leslie Adler)
2000 - 2022   24 .-   .       focus-news.net,                 () .                  24 .                 24      .       .       24 .
Courtesy Rachel Rice/University of Maine at Presque Isle(PRESQUE ISLE, Maine) -- Graduation ceremonies can sometimes drag on and on as students in oversized gowns and tightly fitting caps tap their legs in anticipation of the event's end.

But that was not the case at University of Maine at Presque Isles 107th commencement ceremony on Saturday after the school allowed a graduating student to pop the question to his girlfriend of a year and a half.

"They were a little hesitant because it was last minute," Physical Education senior Timothy Babine told ABC News. "And they said, 'Are you sure she is going to say yes?' and I said, 'I sure hope so.'"

Babine said he was sure, however, that Fine Arts junior Hayley Hamilton was the one for him. "I've never felt so comfortable expressing the way I feel being around her," Babine said. "She just makes me who I am, and she makes me a better person."

The plan was set in motion. "I would now like to call graduate Timothy Babine up to the platform," university president Linda Schott tells the packed auditorium in a video of the special moment. "He has a special announcement to share with the graduating class."

Hamilton had no idea what was coming. "He told me that he was supposed to make a goodbye speech," she told ABC News.

Babine started off by congratulating the class of 2016 before switching gears. "There is an actual special someone here that I want to do something important with...." he says in the video.

Babine then strolled all the way to the back of the room where Hamilton was sitting, pulled a ring from his pocket and, like a true gentleman, got down on one knee.

"I couldn't breathe," Hamilton said with a laugh. "I had to nod my head instead of speak."

The crowd cheered.

"I wasn't able to breathe until I got out of the [gymnasium] when everything was done with," Hamilton added, "and I ended [up] crying and trying to catch my breath at the same because my anxiety kicked in."

The couple said they will continue to focus on their education before getting married.

Babine is heading to grad school in West Virginia, where he'll study exercise science, while Hamilton is transferring to a new school in New Hampshire to pursue media studies.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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Taipei, May 17 (CNA) James Huang (), a former foreign minister who has been named as the head of the New Southbound Policy Office, said Tuesday that if Taiwan does not quickly expand its influence in Southeast Asia, it will lose its edge in the region.
Taipei, May 17 (CNA) When you want to deny rumors that you've kicked the bucket, there are few better ways to do it than to have a picture taken with the latest newspapers. And that's what Tuan Tuan has done.
The above was no 'oversight' as has been demonstrated all along by the Wasserman Shultz/Clinton machine.....Dems try to scam Bernie again in Nevada.Sanders supporters were then told they had 15 minutes to leave the premises or be charged with trespassing. Democracy?The Nevada Democratic Convention turned into a huge protest after Sanders supporters felt that their voice was denied over and over again. It all started out early in the morning, when temporary convention rules were passed despite the vote not having the required clear majority. You can see that moment in the video above. To learn about everything that happened at the Convention itself, please see our story here But things got worse from there, culminating in a moment at the end of the night when delegates motioned for a recount, but then their motion was denied before they even had a chance to say nay:This is what democracy looks like after you illegally adjourn a convention
My fathers devout soul was a great influence upon my formative years. He always prayed for me to become a priest. With his Irish wit, he also teased me about it often!

On May 25, I will celebrate 20 years of being a priest. I was ordained in 1996 by Bishop Bruskewitz of the Lincoln Diocese, along with three other men. One member of our class was a convert to Catholicism. We all grew up in Nebraska within the diocesan boundaries, hailing from Blue Springs (me), Lincoln, David City and Hastings.

I was not inclined to be a priest. My plans were to complete a degree in agriculture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and then work on our family farm.

About halfway through my college studies, the Lord called me. The call was definitive and decisive. Priests were encouraging me, and the men I met who were studying in the seminary quickly became friends in Christ.

I cannot imagine any other way of living my life than as a priest! Dads prayers were strong in my childhood. My dads prayers now are directed toward me being a good priest, which, by Gods grace, I am making every effort to be.
Book Sale, May 20-22

The Friends of the Plattsmouth Public Library will be holding their semi-annual book sale in the library auditorium May 20-22. Books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, and other items will be offered for great prices!

 Friday, May 20, 9 a.m.  5 p.m.

 Saturday, May 21, 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

 Sunday, May 22, 1  4 p.m.

This is a great time to stock up on summer reads. While youre shopping, you can renew your membership in the Friends of the Library or enter the raffle for a gift basket as well.

Read to Capone, May 23

Children can read to Capone, a Shar pei-Rottweiler mix, at the Plattsmouth Public Library on the second and fourth Mondays of the month. The next visit from Capone is 4-5 p.m. Monday, May 23.

Capone is registered with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs Inc. in Cheyenne, Wyo. As a therapy animal, Capone has been trained and tested for health, safety, appropriate skills and temperament.

Call 402-296-4154 to reserve a 15-minute time period for your child to read to Capone. Parents are encouraged to stay in the room to observe. Children should come to the library a few minutes before their appointment if they want to select a book to read from the librarys collection or you may bring a book from home.

Facebook Privacy Class, May 24

Register now for a class on Facebook Privacy at the Plattsmouth Public Library on Tuesday, May 24, from 6 to 7:15 p.m. The only requirements are that you already have a Facebook account and an active email account. The presenter, Yolanda Jasso, has been teaching classes on Facebook for about seven years.

Facebook Privacy will highlight the various features that allow you to customize your privacy. Topics to be discussed include privacy shortcuts, accessing your privacy settings, customizing your privacy, sharing only with specific friends by creating lists, Timeline and tagging, follower settings, blocking users and applications, and hiding or deleting posts from your Timeline.

Seating is limited, so please call the library at 402-296-4154 Ext. 24 to register for these free classes.
PLATTSMOUTH  A Plattsmouth man who shackled his teenage nephew to a bed multiple times last summer received a jail sentence Monday morning.

Wade E. Merry, 36, appeared in Cass County District Court for sentencing on a Class I misdemeanor charge of committing child abuse negligently/no injury. Merry pled no contest to the offense in March as part of a plea agreement. The state reduced its original felony-level charge in exchange for the plea.

Plattsmouth police arrested Merry in July 2015 after they learned he had chained his nephew to a bed to keep him from sneaking out at night. Merry had been working overnight shifts at a local business and was worried about the boys behavior during those hours. He had learned his nephew was going to a boat dock during the night.

Investigators visited the house after receiving a tip from a concerned citizen. They learned Merry had placed wristbands on the boys ankles before shackling them to a bed. He had left a bolt cutter near the bed in case of emergency and had placed a cup nearby in case the boy had to go to the bathroom. Authorities learned the boy had been secured to the bed at least a dozen times over a two-week period.

Cass County Attorney Nathan Cox told the court the state would recommend probation for Merry. Cox said he had spoken with Merrys nephew prior to the sentencing hearing. He said the victim told him he was in favor of a probation sentence rather than a jail term.

This recommendation isnt being taken lightly, Cox said. The situation is serious, but in talking to the victim, there was no equivocation on the fact that he wanted his uncle to serve probation.

Defense attorney Michael Ziskey told the court he was also requesting probation for his client. He said Merry had no criminal history and had maintained steady full-time employment throughout the court proceedings. He said Merry had taken his actions with the best intentions and had only wanted to protect his nephew.

Mr. Merry is not denying what he did or denying the seriousness of the situation, Ziskey said. He has a real concern for his nephew and the direction he is going in life.

Judge Jeffrey Funke said he was concerned about the facts of the case and the nature of the offense. He said he believed Merry had not taken complete responsibility for his choices and actions.

Its clear you lay the entirety of blame on your nephew for your need to go to this extreme measure rather than your decision making that led to this extreme measure, Funke said. You shackled your nephew to a bed. Even in prison situations we dont shackle people to a bed. Locking him up and chaining him to a bed was dangerous and was not an appropriate measure to take.

Funke said he was also concerned about possible social ramifications of issuing a probation sentence. He said he did not want other residents to think Merrys actions were a suitable means of disciplining their own children.

Funke sentenced Merry to a term of 180 days in Cass County Jail. Merry must serve at least 94 days before he will be able to be released. He must also pay all court costs within one year.
Brown Bag

The next Brown Bag Program at Cass County Historical Society in Plattsmouth is noon Tuesday, May 24. Museum Curator Margo Prentiss will talk about the founding of the Cass County Historical Society and the new exhibit celebrating 80 years. The society was founded May 20, 1936. This will be the last brown bag of the spring season.

The program is free and open to the public. Coffee and cookies will be served.

For more information contact the museum, 402-296-4770.

UMW Spring Luncheon

Louisville United Methodist Women are sponsoring their annual Spring Luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at the First United Methodist church, 222 Walnut St., Louisville.

The cost is $5 per person.

The program for the luncheon is a presentation by Tracy Milius, occupational therapist, about her recent healthcare mission trip to the Dominican Republic through ILAC with a group of students from Creighton University.

Anyone wishing to attend the luncheon should RSVP by June 2 to Billie Dawson at 402.234-5398.

Music in the Park

Summer in Louisville begins with a Music in the Park celebration 10 a.m. to noon Sunday, June 5, at the Louisville City Park.

The concert is open to the public. Hotdogs, chips and drinks will be served at no cost. Free-will offerings, however, will be appreciated. Please bring your own lawn chairs and umbrellas.

In case of rain, the concert will be held at Louisville United Methodist Church, 222 Walnut Street, Louisville, NE 68037.

EMS donations

Plattsmouth Volunteer Emergency Medical Services received several donations including $100 from Elaine V. Rhoades in memory of Peter Halmes and Betty Schanbacker and $20 from Theodore J. and Carol A. Wehrbein in Memory of Peter Halmes.

Donations given to the EMS department in memory of Craig Hansen are $10 from Liz Nowaczyk and Lloyd and Sandra Fleming; $15 from Janet, Kirsten and Matthew Nestander; $20 from Phil and Lisa Haile, and Tony and Jennie Supanic; $35 from Norman E. and Meredith A Schoch and Robert and Judy Peterson; $50 from Dr. Hans and Patricia Silkey Langner and Norman F. and Janice A Cooksley.

Donations given in memory of Larry Bauer are $20 from Roy and Sharon Smith, and Pam Johnson; $35.00 from Norm and Meredith Schoch; and $50 from Maxine Hild.

PVFD donations

Plattsmouth Volunteer Fire Department received a $20 donation from Caroline G. Bauer in memory of Larry M. Bauer, and $20 from Gary and Mary Jane Spear in memory of Larry Bauer.

Elmwood EMT classes

May 3 was the last day for the EMT class in Elmwood. Its great news to pass on that all 10 students passed their written final and now they have to finish their ride time and hospital time before completing their final written exam.

Its been a journey that began at the middle of January and was an exciting ride since! New friendships were formed, lessons learned and more skilled EMTs to help out communities in need. Every single student in the class belonged to a volunteer department including Greenwood, Eagle, Elmwood, Waverly, Nebraska City and Springfield. Great instructors lead the classes including Andrew Snodgrass, Wendy Snodgrass and Tim Wilson.

Congratulation to all of the students who successfully completed the EMT class!

EMS Week

May 15 through May 21 is Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week. This years theme is Called to Care. Its a powerful and timely reminder of how committed EMTS are to the work They do. EMTs have chosen to answer the call of a career that demands passion, purpose and heartfrom all those who wear the uniform, day in and day out. Every time you, the community members, pick up the phone and dial 911, someone is on their way to help you in what may be the worst time of your life. The Volunteers at the Elmwood Rescue Squad answers that call to the members and visitors of the communities of Elmwood and Murdock. We are thankful enough to have such a great support system in place by our local communities and we cant thank you enough. We look forward to what 2016 will bring us and the honor to keep serving the citizens of Elmwood and Murdock.
Most industries, fields of study, or work environments will have, to some degree, their own vocabulary- terms that are unique to them.

The Nebraska Legislature is no different.

In fact, at the Nebraska Legislatures website, www.nebraskalegislature.gov, you can find a glossary of terms that will help you understand the inside lingo of the Unicameral.

Below are a few of the definitions from the glossary:

Act - the proper term for a bill after it is enacted into law. Also, a term used to refer to a group of laws addressing a particular subject, such as the Nebraska Firearms Freedom Act.

Appropriation Bill ("A" Bill) - a bill to appropriate funds to finance another bill bearing the same number.

Biennium - the two-year period in which a single Legislature, such as the 96th Legislature, exists. Also, the two fiscal years for which a single Legislature does budget planning and makes appropriations.

Bracket - to delay consideration of a bill.

Call of the House - a procedure used to compel attendance of unexcused senators in the chamber. Any senator may move for a call of the house, and a majority of senators voting is required to place the house under call.

Carry-over Legislation - bills and resolutions introduced during the regular session in an odd-numbered year and held over for consideration during the regular session in an even-numbered year.

Cloture - a parliamentary action to cease debate on a bill and vote immediately on its advancement.

Committee on Committees - the select committee that proposes appointments of senators to other legislative committees at the beginning of each biennium.

Committee Statement - a statement indicating whether a committee voted to advance or indefinitely postpone a particular bill. Includes the roll call vote of committee members, a summary of the bill and any proposed committee amendments, and a list of who testified at the bill's hearing.

Consent Calendar - a portion of the agenda in which relatively noncontroversial bills are considered and quickly advanced to the next legislative stage. Usually, a bill on consent calendar can be debated for no more than 15 minutes.

Emergency Clause ("E" Clause) - a provision that allows a bill or a portion of a bill to take effect immediately after the governor signs it or after the Legislature overrides the governor's veto.

Executive Board of the Legislative Council - a nine-member special committee that oversees legislative services, personnel and other internal affairs of the Legislature. The Executive Board also serves as the Reference Committee.

Executive Session - a closed meeting of a committee to discuss and act on bills and resolutions. An executive session is open only to committee members, committee staff and the media.

Final Reading - the third and last stage at which a bill is considered by the full Legislature. The clerk reads the entire bill aloud, unless final reading is waived, and senators vote without debate on whether to submit the bill to the governor.

Floor - the area of the legislative chamber where the senators sit. When a committee advances a bill "to the floor," that means the bill is being sent to the full Legislature for consideration.

General File - the first stage at which a bill is considered by the full Legislature. Bills on General File may be amended, returned to committee, indefinitely postponed or advanced to Select File.

House Under Call - the term used when all unexcused senators are required to be in their seats in the chamber and unauthorized personnel must leave the floor.

Indefinitely Postpone (IPP) - to suspend all further activity against a bill or resolution.

Interim Study Resolution - a resolution authorizing a committee to study an issue following adjournment of a legislative session.

Laid Over - term used to describe a motion or bill on which action has been postponed.

Legislative Bill (LB) - a proposal to create, change or delete one or more laws.

Legislative Journal (Journal) - official record of legislative floor action, including all motions, the number of yeas and nays on each vote, how each senator voted on record votes, etc.

Line-Item Veto - the power of the governor to make specific reductions in any part of a budget bill passed by the Legislature.

Machine Vote - a vote taken by electronic voting system. The voting board shows how each senator voted, but only vote totals are entered in the Legislative Journal.

President of the Legislature - the lieutenant governor. While senators address whomever is in the chair as Mr. or Madame President, the lieutenant governor alone holds that official title.

Presiding Officer - the president or senator currently presiding over legislative proceedings.

Priority Bill - a bill that has priority status and generally is considered ahead of other bills in debate. Each senator may select one priority bill, each committee may select two priority bills, and the speaker may select up to 25 priority bills.

Record Vote - a vote on which a record is kept of how each senator voted. The vote is taken by electronic voting system, and the senators' names and corresponding votes are then printed in the Legislative Journal.

Reference Committee - the committee, made up of the nine Executive Board members that refers bills, resolutions and gubernatorial appointments to other committees.

Regular Session - the annual legislative session that begins the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January. Regular sessions generally last 90 legislative days in odd-numbered years and 60 legislative days in even-numbered years.

Revisor Bill - a bill, prepared by the Office of the Revisor of Statutes, proposing a technical correction or the repeal of an obsolete statute.

Roll Call Vote - a vote during which the senators vote one at a time as the clerk reads their names. Senators cast their votes verbally, and their names and corresponding votes are printed in the Legislative Journal if the house is under call.

Select File - the second stage at which a bill is considered by the full Legislature. Bills on Select File may be amended, returned to committee, indefinitely postponed or advanced to Final Reading.

Sine Die - without setting a future date for reconvening. When the Legislature adjourns sine die, the legislative session is finished for the year.

Special Session - a limited legislative session called for a specific purpose by the governor or two-thirds (33 members) of the Legislature.

Standing Committee - a permanent committee with a subject-matter jurisdiction related to an area of public policy. Almost all bills and resolutions are referred to one of the 14 standing committees.

Statement of Intent - a statement, prepared by the sponsor of a bill that briefly describes the bill and the reasons why it is being introduced.

Veto Override - the power of the Legislature to pass a bill over the governor's veto. A veto override requires the approval of three-fifths (30 members) of the Legislature.
Spring greens make a cooks heart race  asparagus, sugar snaps, sweet peas, arugula, spinach, Swiss chard, watercress, artichokes, fava beans, bok choy, garlic scapes, green onion, leeks and more.

After the hearty greens and root vegetables of winter, springs sweet and tender offerings are a gift.

So, stash the stockpot and grab a saute pan. As this simple but splendid recipe shows, spring greens barely need cooking at all.BAKED HALIBUT WITH SPINACH AND LEEKS

A creamy tangle of young spinach and sweet leeks makes a luscious bed for baked fish.

2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon, unsalted butter, divided

10 ounces baby spinach

2 medium leeks (white and light-green parts only), cut into halves lengthwise, rinsed and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup heavy cream

 teaspoon coarse salt, divided

 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch nutmeg

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

4 (5- to 6-ounce) skinless halibut (or cod) fillets

2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 teaspoon butter. Add spinach in two batches and cook, tossing, until just wilted, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to a colander, let cool, then squeeze to release excess liquid.

3. Pour off any liquid in skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and leeks. Cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute more.

4. Add wine, increase heat to medium high, and cook until wine is almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add cream and simmer until just slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add  teaspoon salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in Parmesan, and gently fold in spinach. Keep warm.

5. Arrange halibut on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with oil and sprinkle with remaining  teaspoon salt. Bake 10 minutes, or until just cooked through. Divide spinach mixture among serving plates and top with halibut. Serves 4.

 Recipe by Laraine Perri.
DES MOINES | Landowners along a Dakota Access pipeline are slated to meet this week to discuss Iowa's eminent domain process and available legal options if they are dissatisfied with the outcome of upcoming county compensation hearings in cases where they refuse to voluntarily sign easement agreements with the oil company.

Keith Puntenney of the Private Property Rights Coalition said Tuesday meetings have been planned in Des Moines on Wednesday and in Storm Lake on Thursday where attorneys with eminent domain expertise will help landowners prepare for their compensation hearings and provide advice on appraisals, experts and costs for representation.

"This is just to talk about process, so everybody's on the same page," said Puntenney, who noted that at least one compensation/condemnation hearing regarding the proposed underground oil pipeline has been slated in Cherokee County for June 13.

Iowa law grants eminent domain authority to government entities to take private property in return for fair-market compensation for use as a public utility, public right of way or public service, but critics say the Dakota Access does not fall under any of those categories as a private company.

"We expect a lot of litigation to come out of this going forward into district courts," Puntenney said in an interview Tuesday.

Dakota Access, a unit of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, won initial approval of a permit and eminent domain authority from the Iowa Utilities Board in March but construction on parcels where the company has voluntary easements has been delayed pending U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval.

The company indicates it has voluntary easements for up to 88 percent of the 1,254 Iowa parcels held by 910 landowners along the 346-mile route through 18 Iowa counties where the proposed pipeline will transport up to 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota to a distribution hub in Patoka, Ill.

"Our best guess is that there are between 10 (percent) and 15 percent of the parcels out there that are still in the mix," said Puntenney, who is refusing to grant a voluntary easement on land he owns in Boone and Webster counties.

"We're only at the beginning, not anywhere close to the end," he said of a legal process he expects to end at the Iowa Supreme Court. "We're finally at the beginning where landowners have the right to go forward through the legal process."

The permit issued by the Iowa Utilities Board and agreed to by Dakota Access, calls for the developer to wait to begin construction until it has received permission from the Corps of Engineers. Dakota Access has requested to begin construction early.

The Corps of Engineers is evaluating parts of the pipeline route for cultural impacts as well as impacts to waterways and endangered species. The review was expected to take several more weeks.
DES MOINES  Three Muscatine County companies responsible for creating high levels of sulfur dioxide air pollution will take steps to limit emissions under a plan approved Tuesday by a state panel.

Grain Processing Corp., Muscatine Power & Water and Monsanto Co. will adhere to more stringent emission limits and install new control technology under the plan, which was designed in response to a 2013 ruling from federal regulators that a portion of Muscatine Countys sulfur dioxide levels violated federal standards.

While other Iowa sites monitored for sulfur dioxide output measured no higher than an average of 38 parts per billion between 2011 and 2013, Muscatine averaged 275 ppb, according to a state report.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency standard is 75 ppb.

The state Department of Natural Resources worked with the three Muscatine County companies to develop the emission reduction plan, which was accepted Tuesday by the Iowa DNRs Environmental Protection Committee and also must be approved by the EPA.

The Muscatine area must reduce sulfur dioxide levels to 75 ppb by 2018.

Matthew Johnson, a senior environmental specialist with the Iowa DNRs Air Quality Bureau, said he expects federal regulators will accept the plan.

This plan ensures that those control measures and the control strategy is implemented as quickly as it can, Johnson said. We arent expecting any problems from the EPA.

Grain Processing Corp. already has taken a significant step toward helping to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. The company converted from coal to natural gas as the sole fuel source at its wet milling facility in Muscatine in July 2015.

The same three companies also are participating in a federally mandated plan to reduce the amount of fine particle emissions into the Muscatine County air. That plan was approved by federal regulators in 2014.
DAVENPORT -- On climate, campaign financing, college costs and a handful of other issues, three of the Democrats seeking to unseat U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, differentiated themselves from one another in a 90-minute debate Monday night.

The debate in Davenport was just one of several forums the candidates are taking part in before the June 7 primary.

All are seeking the right to face off against Grassley, who Democrats think is more vulnerable this year because of the controversy over the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy.

A fourth Democratic candidate, former Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, did not attend. Her campaign said she had a previously scheduled event with volunteers in Ankeny.

Tom Fiegen and Bob Krause, both former state legislators, called for free college tuition. Krause said he would start with community colleges. Meanwhile, state Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, said college debt repayment should be tied to ability to pay, but free tuition also would benefit the wealthy who dont need the assistance.

Fiegen and Hogg also clashed over a bill aimed at blocking the proposed Bakken pipeline in Iowa and the influence of political action committees.

Mondays debate featured questions from an audience of about 50 people.

On a question about political action committees, Krause and Fiegen said they take no PAC money and Fiegen argued it is corrupting.

Corporations own Democrats who take their PAC money, he said.

But Hogg, who argued he is the most electable, said that he hoped to receive PAC money from labor groups and elsewhere, and that money hasnt influenced his votes in the Legislature.

Weve got to win this thing. Thats how we change the system, he said. He added that Fiegen, too, has taken PAC money in the past.

Perhaps the biggest conflict of the night came when Fiegen, a former state senator from Clarence, criticized Hogg for failing to get through the Senate a bill aimed at hobbling the proposed Bakken pipeline. Hogg, who had emphasized his record in the Legislature, said he fought for the legislation but we didnt have the votes."

Fiegen asked: If you cant get 25 other people vote for you in the Iowa Legislature in your back yard, how are you going to get 50 United States senators who are lions compared to the Iowa Senate to vote with you.

Hogg responded by defending his record and questioning Fiegens electability and record as a state lawmaker.

You were there half a term and you lost three elections. Ive won five elections  and weve passed a lot of legislation, Hogg said.

All the candidates were critical of Grassley for failing to convene a hearing for Judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obamas nominee to the Supreme Court. But Fiegen also questioned Garlands nomination. He said the appellate judge had been deferential to the executive branch.

All the candidates praised the Rock Island Arsenal when confronted with a question about rising defense spending. Hogg said weapons systems were more the culprit. Fiegen, too, said that costly weapons programs, such as the F-35 fighter jet, need to be cut.

Krause said the Arsenal has unique capabilities that shouldnt be sacrificed.

The debate Monday was not televised, but Iowa Public Television is sponsoring a debate that will be attended by all four candidates. It is May 26.
CHARLES CITY -- It really didn't matter what kind of a Monday you were having.

A dozen day-old ducklings scuttling down a hallway was all but guaranteed to make you smile.

Children at Washington Elementary School in Charles City -- preschool through second-graders -- whispered and watched with grins on their faces as the ducklings walked past them.

They were being led by their mother, who had taken up residence in the school's courtyard to lay the eggs five weeks ago, watching over them until they finally hatched sometime over the weekend.

Principal Kara Shannon said she neither encouraged nor discouraged the mother from making her nest. She's seen the viral videos online of families of ducks being led through a school in order to reach water and freedom and figured it would be a neat thing for her 375 students to witness.

"We saw other schools doing it and thought we could do it, too," Shannon said.

So Shannon enlisted the help of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which gave her advice on the logistics of getting her ducks in a row.

The courtyard is centrally located in the school, but it's also just 20 feet down a hallway to freedom -- and a creek that leads to the Cedar River lies right behind that.

Students sat on the edges of the hallways and made a path outside to the creek, covered in blankets in order to provide a "false wall" so the ducks would travel straight down the middle.

Once the mother duck, nicknamed Daisy, was convinced to actually begin the journey, she walked quickly down the assigned path and out to the creek -- with all 12 of her charges behind her.

The journey didn't seem to faze Daisy too much.

"The DNR did say she was a 'downtown duck,' and judging by the size of her brood, she was a seasoned veteran," Shannon said.
GARNER | Felony charges against a former employee in the Hancock County Engineer's Office and her husband have been dismissed.

Sharon Louise Rockow, 58, and Gary Edward Rockow, 60, both of rural Klemme, were accused of submitting a false sealed bid in September 2014 for purchase of county-owned land.

Sharon Rockow was office manager in the county engineer's office at the time.

She was charged with felonious misconduct in office and forgery. Her husband was charged with aiding and abetting felonious misconduct in office and forgery.

Wright County Attorney Eric Simonson, who was appointed as special prosecutor in the case, moved to dismiss the charges after reviewing information obtained from pretrial discovery and depositions, according to court documents.

Sharon Rockow was accused of delivering a sealed bid in someone else's name on Sept. 19, 2014, for property owned by Hancock County. Gary Rockow allegedly participated in the delivery.

Sharon Rockow, who had worked for the county since 1984, was terminated by the Hancock County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 14, 2015.

The criminal charges against her and her husband were filed a short time later in Hancock County District Court. They both pleaded not guilty.
NORTHWOOD | The former mayor of Northwood plans to use a defense of diminished mental responsibility to allegations he defrauded a city bank of $300,000.

Randy Severson, 52, has pleaded not guilty to felony ongoing criminal conduct, three counts of felony first-degree fraudulent practice and three counts of felony second-degree fraudulent practice.

In a recent court filing, Severson's attorney, Joel Yunek, notified the court he plans to use defenses of diminished responsibility, the statue of limitations and no proof his client achieved any financial gain.

Severson is accused of accused of fraudulently using the names of customers, family members and others on invoices he submitted to the bank for lines of credit.

Former Northwood mayor facing fraud charges NORTHWOOD  A former Northwood mayor is facing fraud charges stemming from his now-closed lu

He's accused of doing this from 2011-2014 while he was president of Northwood Lumber.

In a diminished responsibility defense, a person argues he did not have the mental capacity to form the intent to knowingly commit a crime at the time the crime allegedly occurred.

Iowa law requires defendents to notify the court when they plan to use this defense. Severson also notified the court a psychologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, may be called to testify in support of that defense.

Yunek could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.
ABC/ Ida Mae Astute(BISMARCK, N.D.) -- Bernie Sanders took his motorcade down a remote highway to visit the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in rural South Dakota, one of the poorest in the country where an estimated 70 percent of high school students will drop out before graduating.



Before addressing the packed gym Thursday, the Democratic presidential candidate met privately with leaders from tribes in the area. They draped him in a traditional white-and-blue quilted blanket and exchanged gifts.



Jane Sanders, the senators wife, had brought a pewter and glass tealight from Vermont, and by the end of the day, Sanders staff was carrying moccasins, blankets and a bundle of sweetgrass handed to him as a gift from someone in the crowd.



From Minnesota to California, Sanders has met privately with Native American leaders from dozens of tribes in the past four months and spoken publicly, at each of his campaign stops, about the hardships their communities face.



His effort has not gone unnoticed, especially in the remaining primary states out West, where Natives for Bernie has become a visible and vocal part of the senators coalition.



Walter C. Fleming, head of the Department of Native American studies at Montana State University in Bozeman, said he was not surprised Sanders is advocating for such issues on the trail. Sanders is picking up a lot of support more recently, probably owing a lot to the visits that he is making, particularly out West, said Fleming, who belongs to the Kickapoo tribe in Kansas. Jewish people, generally, have always been interested in causes about equal treatment and justice.



Sanders himself echoed the sentiment when asked about the origins of his interest in the issue.



It comes from, I think, a political life of trying to do my best to protect the least amongst us, Sanders told ABC News after his visit to Pine Ridge. I try to get an understanding of the reality of American life, and Ive learned a lot in this campaign.



'At Least We Matter to Somebody Out There'



In Pine Ridge, many of the audience members had Sanders T-shirts, buttons and signs, including Theresa Claymore, 66, who lives on the reservation and said she hitchhiked to the event.



He is the best candidate to help the Native Americans, she said. He is the only one who took time out of his busy schedule to visit us.



Claymore said she had watched him mention Native Americans during a TV interview. At least we matter to somebody out there, she added.



By most estimates, Native Americans and Native Alaskans comprise around 2 percent of the U.S. population, part of the reason that demographic has been often overlooked during presidential campaigns.



Looking Beyond the Immediate Concerns



While both candidates have checked some key boxes for the constituency -- talking about the need to improve health care and education on reservations and maintain tribal sovereignty -- Sanders has been more vocal in his opposition to other key issues like the Keystone pipeline and fracking.



It is another block you can either ignore or cultivate, professor Fleming added, saying again that the alliance made sense for the senator. Particularly out West where some of these issue of land preservation and environment are not just Indian issues.



Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has not been without her support among Native Americans. Indeed, the president of the National Congress of American Indians, Brian Cladoosby, endorsed her alongside a number of tribal leaders in Washington State the primary.



Clintons husband, in particular, was extremely popular in Indian country. President Bill Clinton held a historic tribal summit at the White House with representatives from all federally recognized tribes and invited several tribes to participate in his first inaugural parade.



In March, Hillary Clinton was given a Lushootseed name, tsiw?l?x??i which means Strong Woman, during a meeting with 19 tribal leaders from around Washington state.



And Councilman Bill Sterud of the Puyallup tribe recalled the honor in participating in that inaugural parade.



So in 2017, a little over a year -- when shes elected the next president, maybe, perhaps -- well get a call, he said during their meeting.



Multiple Visits Seem to Make a Difference



But Clinton drew considerable criticism last month when she used a perceived offensive line to refer to now-presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.



I have a lot of experience dealing with men who sometimes get off the reservation in the way they behave and how they speak," she said during an interview on CNN.



The campaign quickly issued an apology for the former secretary of states comment that many people found offensive.



Bruce Duthu, a professor of Native American Studies at Dartmouth University, agreed that Clintons comment hurt her standing in some Native American circles and that Sanders has benefited from personal visits with so many tribal communities.



Still, Duthu said many native people remain skeptical of sweeping campaign promises from any candidate. As the constituency has been easily neglected in past administrations, many tribal leaders, he said, remain focused on maintaining basic tenets of their tribal sovereignty.



The general sense I get is that native peoples are skeptical about either candidate being able to deliver on the promises theyre making to Indian country, he said.



One major issue of concern is the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, Duthu said. People in Indian country are keenly aware of the tremendous role the Supreme Court has in setting the boundaries of tribal sovereign authority, he added.



Those boundaries have been drawn quite narrowly in recent years by a court dominated by conservative justices. Theres a lot riding on who gets the empty chair and, therefore, a lot riding on who gets to name the occupant of that chair.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
MASON CITY  A Mason City man who police say stole a bicycle from a home on the citys southwest side has been arrested.

Jesse Rafael, 20, was charged with felony second-degree burglary.

Hes accused in court documents of stealing a blue Raleigh bicycle about 4 p.m. Monday from a home on the 400 block of 21st Street Southwest.

People were present in the building when the bicycle was stolen, police said.

The bicycle was valued at $200-$300.

He remained jailed Tuesday on $10,000 bond.

 Molly Montag.
MASON CITY  A woman accused of slipping out of handcuffs and running from the Mason City Police Department last week now faces counterfeiting accusations in two towns.

Melissa Mae Williams, 25, of Northwood, is accused of passing counterfeit cash this month at a Clear Lake gas station, a Clear Lake store and two gas stations in Manly, according to court documents.

Williams is accused of passing fake $50 bills May 9 in Clear Lake at Caseys General Store and Dollar General Store.

In Manly, police say she used fake $20s and $50s to buy lottery tickets and miscellaneous items May 7 and May 9 at the Pronto gas station and May 9 at Caseys General Store.

Manly Police Chief Aaron Pals said the counterfeit cash Williams is suspected of using is part of approximately $260 in fake $20s and $50s recovered in Manly in the past month and a half.

The source of the fake cash is still under investigation. Williams has not been accused of printing the money.

Our presumption is it is the same person producing them, Pals said. The quality is the same.

Pals will send the counterfeit cash to the U.S. Secret Service, which investigates allegations of counterfeiting.

Williams evaded an extensive multi-agency police search in Manly on Wednesday, May 11, after she fled a traffic stop in the Pronto parking lot, Pals said.

She was arrested Friday in Mason City, where police say she again attempted to flee.

Officers took Williams to the Mason City police station, where she slipped out of handcuffs attached to the wall of an interrogation room and fled, police say.

She was quickly apprehended and brought to the Cerro Gordo County Jail.

The Clear Lake and Manly charges were filed while Williams was already jailed on two counts of felony escape, two counts of felony forgery and one misdemeanor count of providing false information.

In addition, Williams also is accused of leaving Beje Clark residential correctional insitution without permission on April 4.

Williams was ordered to serve 180 days at the facility after pleading guilty to forgery earlier this year.

Shed been accused of passing fake $100, $50 and $20 bills at Mason City gas stations in September and October 2015.

Police say the ink was washed off cheaper bills and reprinted in larger denominations.
NORTHWOOD | Kum & Go is working with Worth County officials to finalize the layout of a convenience store it plans to build near Diamond Jo Casino in rural Northwood.

Officials at the West Des Moines-based company have submitted plans for the store at the casino development, said County Engineer Richard Brumm.

Brumm told the Worth County Board of Supervisors on Monday he plans to discuss traffic flow described in the plans with company officials.

New convenience store possible at Diamond Jo interchange NORTHWOOD  Representatives from Kum & Go have met with Worth County public officials to

A Kum & Go spokeswoman said the project was still in the works and a final decision whether to build in Northwood would come in the next month.

County officials previously said the tentative schedule calls for groundbreaking over the summer with completion by late fall.

If built, the new Kum & Go store would be the second convenience store at the development at County Highway 105 and Interstate 35.

The interchange, about 22 miles north of Clear Lake, is currently the site of the a BP store, two hotels, the Top of Iowa Welcome Center, a Burger King restaurant and the casino.

Two more restaurants are housed within the casino.

 Molly Montag
MASON CITY  The North Iowa Area Community College Board of Directors will vote Thursday on a proposed 3 percent total package increase for faculty for 2016-17.

The agreement the administration reached with the full-time faculty at the college will result in an average 2.7 percent wage increase with a total package increase of 3 percent if approved by the board, according to materials in the packet for Thursdays meeting.

The college will experience a 6.95 percent increase in health insurance premiums beginning in July.

Negotiations are still underway with the professional salaried staff group, facilities group and office and clerical group.

The board also is expected to approve tuition and fees for 2016-17 Thursday, but the administrations proposal will not be available until Thursday.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Room 100 of the Pierce Administration Building on campus. The first item on the agenda is a public hearing for an administration building roof renovation project.

 Mary Pieper
CHARLES CITY | Elayne Stewart, 73, of Charles City, died Sunday, May 15, 2016, at the I.O.O.F. Home in Mason City.

A funeral Mass will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Charles City with Monsignor John Hemann officiating. Burial will be at Oakwood Cemetery in Floyd.

Visitation will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at Hauser Funeral Home, where a scripture service will begin at 4:30 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to services at the church on Wednesday.

Hauser Funeral Home, Charles City, is in charge of arrangements.
MASON CITY  As Superintendent Anita Micich prepares to leave Mason City schools, the School Board may look to appoint an interim replacement by its June 20 meeting.

During Mondays meeting, the board briefly discussed options for Micichs replacement. The board declined to hire a search firm and will advertise publicly for the position through its human resources director.

When asked if a candidate might be external or internal, board President Janna Arndt said after the meeting, both might be an option.

She said during the meeting that there were two internal candidates to date for the position.

No action was taken. Board member Lorrie Lala attended the meeting via speakerphone.

We have time, said board member Jodi Draper. We dont need to be a knee-jerk decision.

During the meeting, Micich read a 20-minute letter defending her record.

The second year of Micich's two-year contract was canceled by the School Board last week with no explanation. Micich said the move came as a surprise to her.

At the board meeting Monday evening, she said it had been an honor to serve as superintendent for eight years and thanked staff, students, families and past boards of the Mason City Schools for their tremendous work.

We have been able to accomplish so much during this time and I am grateful for the generous support of the Mason City Community, she said.

I feel like Ive grown in my role as the kids have grown in their learning, Micich said after the meeting.

The board has remained publicly silent on the reasons for her departure.

Last Friday, the Globe Gazette filed an open records request with the school district for emails, documents and other communication between members of the School Board, the districts attorney and Micich, if applicable, detailing the decision-making process behind her exit. Under Iowa open records law, a response must be given in 10 to 20 business days.

In an extended interview with the Globe Gazette last week, Micich said she believes she had fulfilled her job obligations, and had received all positive professional evaluations by the School Board to date.

She said that she will speak at graduation on June 5 and attend the end-of-year event to recognize retirees on June 10.

With her exit, Micich is set to receive salary and benefits worth at least $285,000, according to terms of her agreement she signed last week with the board.

Business manager John Berg said which portion will come from its general fund  its main spending account  or management levy fund is still being determined pending legal advice.

Micichs salary for 2016-17 at Mason City was originally set at $187,820.

UPDATED: Micich to leave Mason City Schools June 6 MASON CITY  The Mason City School Board has reached an agreement with Superintendent Anita 

During Mondays meeting, the board also approved hiring Susan Pecinovsky to replace T.J. Jumper as an administrator. Her salary in Mason City will be set at $125,000.

Pecinovsky currently works as an associate superintendent in the Marshalltown Community School District. She holds a Ph.D from the University of Northern Iowa.

Board members also received certificates marking Iowa School Board Recognition Month.
MASON CITY  A pedestrian trail along South Monroe Avenue from Sixth Street to 15th Street Southwest could be completed by Aug. 1

Work on the $401,000 project began three or four weeks ago, according to City Engineer Mark Rahm.

He said there were no sidewalks along that road, which is heavily used by pedestrians. That made it a priority for city officials as a trail site.

Rahm said without a trail it was a dangerous place to walk, noting a fatal accident took place there several years ago.

In that accident Clyde Parker Jr., 37, Mason City, was struck and killed by a van Feb. 18, 2014, while walking in that stretch of South Monroe.

Rahm said work also is underway for another trail project along South Illinois Avenue near Mason City High School. He said this trail will connect to Birch Drive and then go south and east to connect to the North Iowa Area Community College trail.

Were just making some connections across the city, he said.

Heartland Asphalt is the contractor for both projects.
President Barack Obamas communications strategists found a perfect tool to distract the public in recent days: Bathrooms. And who can use which ones.

It involves everyone. Its contentious. Its emotional. So the media lap it up. And as his manipulators know full well, the controversy invites countless other public figures to weigh in and feed the flames, news cycle after news cycle.

In yet another executive overreach to redirect public discussion, Obama arbitrarily ruled that every public school receiving federal funds must allow the minute fraction of society who are transgender to use the restrooms of their choice, not their biological genders.

Were being played again, folks. Heres whats really at stake: Obamas heir apparent and legacy protector, the 68-year-old Hillary Clinton, is getting shredded in Democratic primary after primary by a 74-year-old socialist, Bernie Sanders. Like Donald Trump in the GOP, Sanders suddenly declared himself a convenient Democrat after a political lifetime elsewhere.

Obama would also like to distract you from the slipping new-job creation rates. Obamacare and its artificial state exchanges are crumbling beneath the weight of their own costs and disincentives. A federal judge last week ruled against a crucial part of that program.

Disturbing reports of the militarys poor readiness mount, including planes being cannibalized for parts to keep half the jets flying. Obamas sanctions against Russia have failed to change any of its behaviors in Ukraine, Crimea, Syria or the high seas. Another special ops member was killed in Iraq, where, according to Obama, there are no U.S. boots on the ground, and anyway, theyre not in combat. ISIS has lost territory but none of its deadly car-bomb punch in urban Iraq. And the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, admits those JV ISIS guys will not be curtailed under this president.

Trump is winning the Republican nomination with a campaign slogan, Make America great again. It is, of course, just another empty T-shirt phrase, like hope and change. But its simple and catchy.

Whats the main theme of Clintons campaign? Or does she even use a catchy phrase?

Correct. There is none. If there were, it would be something like, Ill be Baracks third term, only more so.

Thats a risky theme given the latest Reuters/Ipsos Poll. Only 21 percent of Americans believe the country is on the right track, while 68 percent say the wrong track. You want more of this?

Unlike her slick husband, Hillary Clinton is a horrible campaigner: stilted, programmed, strident. She shows her sincerity by talking louder. Half the time shes playing defense against her own words, as in West Virginia, where she reveled in all the coal companies and miners shes going to put out of work.

As one direct result, after winning 67 percent of the primary vote there against a real opponent in Obama eight years ago, this time, as the presumptive party nominee, she could capture only 38 percent against Sanders 51 percent.

Worse for her, 50 percent of women there voted against the first potential female commander in chief. And 43 percent of Sanders voters said theyd jump to Trump in November.

The Democratic nominating system, of course, is rigged in her favor with unelected superdelegates. Sanders is trying to convince them to defect by earning more popular votes in primaries than she does.

Thats difficult, but not impossible. Its also mortifying for Clinton. Shes fundraising now, attacking Trump and Sanders, trying to take advantage of the bathroom distraction. And shes still calling the Justice Department email probe a security review despite the FBI directors repeated contradictions that there is no such thing.

Trump has already pivoted to general election business while she fights a rear-guard action against Sanders. Shes even buying TV ads in Kentucky, once a gimme.

But the best thing Clinton has going for her in November, polls show, is Trump. Clinton and Trump are both unpopular, disliked and not trusted. For now, the female New Yorker is less disliked than the billionaire New Yorker.

That might change, given Trumps media skills. But meanwhile heres a possible Clinton campaign slogan: Not as bad as the other one.
Ray Fair of Yale University says that if his election forecasting model is correct, the Republican nominee is likely to win the presidency by a convincing margin. John Sides of George Washington University agrees; the fundamentals, he says, give the Republican about a 60 percent chance of winning. Alan Abramowitz of Emory University gives Republicans a solid shot at the White House too; his model gives the GOP the edge but in a very close election.

But thanks to Donald Trump, their carefully honed forecasting models may have lost their predictive magic  a possibility the professors themselves acknowledge.

For decades, political scientists and economists have concocted statistical models to try to predict presidential elections even before the actual campaigns were under way. Their aim was figuring out what makes voters tick. Their underlying theory was that most voters behavior stems from a combination of fundamental factors and not from anything the candidates say or do.

Abramowitzs model, for example, uses three factors: economic growth, the current presidents popularity and how long the incumbent party has held the White House.

Starting with that last item: Its hard for one party to keep the White House for a third term, as Hillary Clinton is trying to do. Abramowitz calls this the time for a change factor, and it puts the presumptive Democratic nominee at a significant disadvantage.

Right now, the economic fundamentals dont look good for Clinton either. Most forecasts suggest that growth will remain well below 3 percent all year, a sluggish rate that favors the party out of power.

Obama, on the other hand, is actually helping Clintons chances; his job approval rating in the Gallup Poll has averaged about 50 percent over the last six months, just high enough to give her a chance of winning.

Add all three factors together, and the result is close to 50-50, maybe a little below for the Democrat, Abramowitz said. So based on the fundamentals, you would expect this to be a very close election.

Now add a new factor: Trump.

A model like Abramowitzs doesnt take into account attributes of the candidates. It captures arguably the most important things, but not everything, Sides told me.

These forecasting models assume that you have mainstream candidates who will unify each party, Abramowitz conceded. Trump doesnt fit that pattern. Hes off the charts. And its very hard to predict how thats going to play out.

So even though the forecasting models say this should be a Republican year, the polls dont agree. An average of recent polls puts Clinton ahead of Trump, 47 percent to 42 percent. The Iowa Electronic Market, one of several prediction markets that crowdsource forecasting, projects that Clinton will win 58 percent of the popular vote.

Trump isnt just disrupting the Republican Party, hes disrupting political science too.

One of the potential problems with the models in an election like this one is that they assume voters arent really paying much attention to politics.

The models  and their underlying theories of voting behavior  rest heavily on how voters feel about the economy on Election Day.

As political scientists Christopher M. Achen and Larry M. Bartels point out in their recent book, Democracy for Realists, voters who choose based on the economy are often holding an incumbent president and his party responsible for events beyond his control. (Besides, they note, economic voters choose based on how the economy is doing in the months before Election Day, not during a presidents entire term.)

The result of this kind of voter behavior is that election outcomes are in an important sense random, they write  a matter of whether a given president has been lucky or not. Economic voting may be little more than a high stakes game of musical chairs.

Love him or loathe him, Trump may have changed the equation, forcing voters to think more about whom they want in charge instead of letting GDP growth rates effectively determine their preference. Hes made voting important again.
I have known Monica Vernon for several years now. I followed her while she helped after the flooding in Cedar Rapids. I watched as she got things done. We have too little of that right now in our legislative offices here in Iowa and in the nation.

Vernon has been an advocate for hard-working Iowans her entire life. From helping build the first shelter for homeless women and children in her hometown to securing affordable housing for seniors, she's a hard-working mom dedicated to making Iowa a better place. I have seen her meeting with others and listening to the stories of what affects their lives. I know she is listening and making plans to make the changes we need.

I know Vernon will stand up for all of us in Congress. She'll stand up and protect Social Security and Medicare. She'll stand up for our seniors, our veterans and our environment. She'll stand up for what's right, and give hard-working Iowans a raise. That's why I'm so proud to stand with Vernon.

I urge everyone to get out and vote for Vernon for Congress in the June 7 primary. Vernon will never stop working for us.

Laura Hubka, Riceville
SCHAUMBURG, Ill., May 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quadrant 4 System Corporation, a technology company offering SaaS platforms to the health and education industries, today reports earnings for the fiscal first quarter ending March 31, 2016.



First Quarter 2016 revenues were $11.94 Million and did not include $3.1 million deferred revenues resulting from the recent QHIX licensing agreement as disclosed in the recent 8-K filing dated May 2, 2016. The cost of sales also did not include $1.55 million of associated expenses relating to the licensing agreement resulting in EBITDA of $764,702 making it the 25th straight EBITDA positive quarter.

Dr. Nandu Thondavadi, Quadrant 4s CEO, stated, We have had a very busy quarter in both our education and healthcare divisions. Quadrant 4 is undergoing a major pivot of the organizational structure, shifting resources toward our SaaS offerings. In the short term, this pivot is negatively affecting our top line and other financial metrics but is allowing us to position the company for far greater revenue growth and profitability in the near future.

In January, Quadrant 4s Education division released an innovative STEM curriculum in partnership with ROBOKIND. The program is available via the EmpowerED platform featuring introductory content on programming, mobile application development as well as advanced social robotics. The release of the curriculum is aligned with President Obamas new Computer Science for All K-12 initiative pushing to empower students to learn computer science. Positive feedback from schools and districts has since resulted in additional instructional content providers approaching us to similarly distribute on the EmpowerED platform.

In March, Quadrant 4s Health division signed a significant partnership agreement granting a license to integrate and resell the QHIX platform to their client list of over 400 health plans and health care providers across the country. A joint press release announcing the specifics of this exciting partnership is forthcoming. In the meantime, you may review Quadrant 4s recent 8-K filing dated May 2, 2016 for more detail on this agreement.

Dhru Desai, Quadrant 4s CFO, added, Our recent healthcare partnership is the perfect example of what can happen once an organization pivots and focuses on new strategic initiatives. Our subject matter expertise and R&D efforts produced a best of breed product, QHIX that as a result of winning a rigorous selection process received tremendous market validation. This partnership solidifies Quadrant 4s commitment to transition to a SaaS provider. We are confident our efforts in the Healthcare and Education sectors will have a positive effect on both the top and bottom line far exceeding what we would have achieved prior to our transition.

Quadrant 4 is hosting a call with its shareholders and the investment community to discuss the company's financial performance and provide a business update on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at 4:30 PM EDT. The Company's 10-Q has been filed with the SEC and is available both on the SEC and the Companys web site, www.qfor.com.

To participate on the conference call, please dial (888) 317-6003 from the U.S. or (412) 317-6061 from outside the U.S and enter conference ID #: 8307710. Please dial in 15 minutes early. Beginning one hour after the call ends, an archive of the webcast will be available for 90 days at www.qfor.com.

About Quadrant 4 System Corporation: Quadrant 4 System Corporation (Ticker:QFOR) empowers digital transformation in education and healthcare through robust Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms and highly specialized professional services. Please visit http://qfor.com for more information.

Quadrant 4s Health division provides consumer engagement, shopping, enrollment and benefits administration solutions in a way that brings together a typically disjointed collection of stakeholders, vendors, partners and users into a cohesive mosaic. Together, its greater efficiency through technology, brought to you by QHIX  a platform converging consumer-friendly purchasing, decision-making support, engagement services, benefits administration and financial management. Explore more at http://quadrant4health.com/.

Quadrant 4s Education division delivers a suite of connected cloud-based applications that brings students, families, teachers and administrators together to ensure a students learning process is meaningful, flexible and complete. EmpowerED Solutions is a central, secure platform that combines and transforms data from multiple databases into highly usable information that supports effective academic assessment and intervention, real-time reporting and decision support. Explore more at http://quadrant4edu.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact should be considered to be forward-looking statements. Certain factors could cause actual results and conditions to differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly revised or updated forward-looking information, and such information included in this release is based on information currently available and may not be reliable after this date.
EL PASO, Texas, May 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Western Refining Logistics, LP (NYSE:WNRL) today announced the pricing of a registered underwritten public offering of 3,750,000 common units representing limited partner interests, at a public offering price of $21.73 per common unit. The total gross proceeds (before the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses) will be approximately $81 million. In connection with the offering, WNRL granted the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 562,500 common units. The offering is expected to close on May 20, 2016, subject to certain closing conditions.



WNRL plans to use the proceeds from this offering to repay borrowings outstanding under its revolving credit facility. WNRL may reborrow any amounts repaid under its revolving credit facility for general partnership purposes, which may include, among other things, funding working capital, capital expenditures or acquisitions from Western Refining, Inc. (Western) or third parties. Assuming the successful completion of Westerns pending acquisition of Northern Tier Energy LP (Northern Tier), future acquisitions from Western may include pipeline and logistics assets currently owned by Northern Tier.

The common units are being offered and will be sold pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement that was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such states. The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus and related prospectus supplement meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Barclays is acting as the sole book-running manager for the offering. A copy of the prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov or by sending a request to:

Barclays Capital Inc.

c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions

1155 Long Island Avenue

Edgewood, NY 11717

Telephone: (888) 603-5847

Barclaysprospectus@broadridge.com

About Western Refining Logistics, LP

Western Refining Logistics, LP is principally a fee-based, growth-oriented master limited partnership formed by Western Refining, Inc. (NYSE:WNR) to own, operate, develop and acquire terminals, storage tanks, pipelines and other logistics assets related to the terminalling, transportation and storage of crude oil and refined products. Headquartered in El Paso, Texas, Western Refining Logistics, LP's assets include approximately 685 miles of pipelines, approximately 8.2 million barrels of active storage capacity, distribution of wholesale petroleum products and crude oil trucking.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes statements regarding this offering and the use of proceeds therefrom that may constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to the general risks inherent in WNRLs business and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond management's control. WNRLs expectations may or may not be realized or may be based upon assumptions or judgments that prove to be incorrect. Additional information relating to the uncertainties and other factors that can affect WNRLs business and future results are discussed in WNRLs most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports filed by WNRL from time to time with the SEC. The forward-looking statements are only as of the date made, and WNRL undertakes no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any obligation to) update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect new information or events.
NEW YORK, N.Y., May 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - High-tech, high-touch Third Party Administrator (TPA) HealthEZ announced its collaboration with New World Medical Tourism last week at a Broker meeting in Scottsdale, AZ. New World and HealthEZ signed a Letter of Intent to save their clients' money through utilization of New World's all-inclusive One Price Healthcare model offered to self-insured employers.

"We are excited to share our program with such a visionary team of professionals in the healthcare space. The leadership of HealthEZ created the first PPO back in the 80s and it is energizing that they understand the value-add this platform offers to their clients and members who opt to travel for treatment," shared New World's President and CEO, Cathy Nenninger.

Dr. Reza Bangapour, Medical Director for HealthEZ further explained the alliance, "The goal of everyone in healthcare should be to facilitate the most seamless encounter between physicians and patients while providing the best care possible. The task of provider and payors should be exactly the same: Ensuring that every patient gets quality medical care at the best possible price. Adding the New World platform is another option for HealthEZ to accomplish this mission."

HealthEZ is a 35 year old health care services firm owned and managed by its original leadership. It's the oldest PPO in the US and a high touch high tech full service health plan. For more information on HealthEZ, visit https://www.healthez.com/.

New World Medical Tourism LLC (New World), is run by experienced healthcare and insurance professionals and caters to the self-insured marketplace - TPAs, companies, municipalities, and unions - with its one-cost, all-inclusive approach to non-emergent medical procedures and surgeries called "One Price Healthcare." New World Network consists of high quality, accredited medical facilities within the United States as well as Costa Rica often saving organizations 50% off average U.S. costs. The program attaches to an existing health plan, achieved with a simple amendment to the plan document; there is no need for Open Enrollment and the program can be implemented at any time. New World can be reached at 800-475-PATIENT (7284) or by visiting NewPatient.com.

This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/05/prweb13416987.htm
Albany, NY, May 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MarketResearchReports.biz has added a new research report to its repository. The report, titled Global Internet of Things Security Market 2016-2020, offers a comprehensive study on the global Internet of Things (IoT) security market and projects the market to take a leap at a CAGR of 55.01% during the period between 2016 and 2020. The report analyzes the present scenario of the market and presents insights into the key factors impacting the growth of the market. The global Internet of Things security market has been studies across some of the key regions. The report further profiles some of the major vendors operating in the market.

Internet of Things, better known as IoT refers to the communication between connected devices within a network. Data transfer taking place between two smart devices such as thermostats and sensors, can be further connected to individual mobile devices. Efficiency of IoT depends on the interconnection between communication services, hardware devices, and IT and software devices. IoT is very helpful in effective management and remote monitoring of numerous interconnected devices and hence, is widely used across smart homes, smart healthcare, smart transportation, and others.

View Press Release at http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/pressrelease/1609

The report states that the recent advances in sensor technology have fuelled the growth of the global IoT security market. Innovations in material sciences have led to the introduction of different types of sensors. Nowadays, sensor technologies have developed in terms of performance, miniaturization, cost, and energy consumption. Sensors help boost remote monitoring, enterprise mobility, and remote system control across industries. All these factors will lead to the increased adoption of IoT security. However, high total cost of ownership of IoT security solutions will negatively impact the growth of the market during the forecast period. The emergence of integrated security solutions will open new opportunities for the market in the near future.

In terms of end-use industries, the report segments the global IoT security market into healthcare, automotive, and utilities. During the forecast period, the utilities sector is expected to drive the demand from the market with highest adoption of IoT security solutions. Extensive implementation of smart meters and IoT for utility management systems such as gas, energy, water, and oil will contribute towards the growth of the market.

For Sample Copy, click here: http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/700598

The report studies the global IoT security market across some of the key regions such as the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. The report takes into consideration the various micro- and macro-economic factors impacting the growth of the market across each of the regions.

Describing the competitive landscape, the report profiles some of the major vendors in the global IoT security market such as Symantec, Infineon Technologies, Cisco Systems, Intel, Broadcom, Axeda Machine Cloud, Digi International, Ericsson, Fortinet, Eurotech, IBM, Gemalto, Kore Wireless, Nokia, NetComm Wireless, Palo Alto Networks, Numerex, Rockwell Automation, Sierra Wireless, Secure Crossing, Systech Solutions, Sophos, Tofino, Telit, and Ventus Wireless.

Related Reports

Internet Of Things (IoT): Technology, Outlook & Significance: http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/276140



http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/276140 Low Power Wide Area Internet Of Things: Market Forecasts And MNO Approaches: http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/708816



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NORTHBROOK, Ill., May 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clarus Therapeutics, Inc., a mens health specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of JATENZOTM, its proprietary oral testosterone (T) replacement product (formerly REXTORO), today announced that it has begun dosing patients in its recently launched Phase 3 clinical investigation of Testosterone Undecanoate  the inTUne Trial.



Dr. Robert Dudley, president and CEO of Clarus, commented, After productive dialogue with the FDA regarding the complete response letter issued for our JATENZO NDA, we launched the inTUne Trial, our third Phase 3 trial. In our first two Phase 3 trials of JATENZO, we successfully demonstrated efficacy and safety consistent with approved T replacement products. We believe this additional trial will provide the supplemental data requested by the FDA and lead to approval of our NDA. There continues to be solid market demand for testosterone replacement products and physicians and their patients strongly favor a new oral alternative to currently approved options. Research has shown that current T therapies have poor compliance and that men with low T would prefer an oral alternative. We believe JATENZO has the potential to safely and effectively expand treatment options for men who need T replacement therapy.

The inTUne Trial is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of JATENZO in adult hypogonadal male subjects. An active comparator group will receive Axiron  a topical testosterone formulation. Approximately 180 subjects will be randomly assigned to receive open-label treatment in a 3:1 ratio of oral JATENZO to Axiron. The primary efficacy time point for assessment of average T concentrations occurs on Day 105 of the study.

About Clarus Therapeutics

Clarus is an emerging mens specialty pharmaceutical company developing and preparing for the commercial launch of JATENZO, an oral testosterone replacement therapy. JATENZO is a T prodrug that, if approved by the FDA, will be used to treat men diagnosed with testosterone deficiency together with an associated medical condition, also known as hypogonadism. Clarus owns the worldwide, royalty-free commercialization rights for JATENZO. For more information, please visit: www.clarustherapeutics.com.

About JATENZO

JATENZO is a proprietary softgel oral formulation of testosterone undecanoate for treating hypogonadal men. Common symptoms identified in the Endocrine Societys clinical guidelines for hypogonadal men include reduced sexual activity and desire, decreased energy, increased body fat and reduced muscle mass, depressed mood and other emotional and physiological issues. Prior to its ongoing inTUne Trial, Clarus completed two Phase 3 trials of JATENZO and demonstrated primary efficacy in line with FDA guidance for T-replacement therapy (i.e., at least 75% of evaluable subjects with a serum T level in the normal range of 300 to 1,000 ng/dL) and a safety profile consistent with the class of T replacement products. The most common treatment-related side effects observed in some subjects were occasional mild GI disturbances, a modest decrease in HDL cholesterol and moderate increases in hematocrit and prostate-specific antigen (PSA).
SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DGraph Labs, a graph database company, started by ex-Googler Manish Jain, today announced a US$1.1 million seed funding round co-led by Bain Capital Ventures and Blackbird Ventures, with participation from Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, and ex-Googler Mark Cummins. DGraph will use the funds to speed development of the first open source, native and distributed graph database, which promises to dramatically improve performance, scalability and efficiency of cloud and big data applications.



"Graph data structures store objects and the relationships between them. In these data structures, the relationship is as important as the object. Graph databases are, therefore, designed to store the relationships as first class citizens, said Manish Jain, Founder and CEO of DGraph. Accessing those connections is an efficient, constant-time operation that allows you to traverse millions of objects quickly. Many companies including Google, Facebook, Twitter, eBay, LinkedIn and Dropbox use graph databases to power their smart search engines and newsfeeds."

Use of graph databases has grown significantly in a world where big data is now a common term. Apart from social networks, other applications of graph databases include user behavior analysis, e-commerce recommendations, fraud detection, internet of things, medical and DNA research, unstructured text mining, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

While its possible to store graph data sets in old-school table-based databases (relational databases), querying graph data in relational databases is computationally intensive as this requires a large number of table joins to identify the relationships. This means that the compute time required increases as the number of results increase, making traditional databases particularly inappropriate for large data sets.

Traditional SQL databases also suffer from flat inflexible table schemas. Graphs can have complex and flexible schemas, and thus, allow multiple types of entities to co-exist, and change properties without having to rewrite data.

The main factor that has prevented graph databases from becoming more mainstream is that until now they have been either non-distributed or non-native.

In 2016, its hard to believe that there are still no commercial graph databases that are truly distributed, said Salil Deshpande, Managing Director at Bain Capital Ventures. Graph databases that exist today are not truly distributed: they run fine on one node but rely on a variety of architectural hacks to run on multiple nodes, and are thus not scalable. Whereas the ones that are distributed are not really graph databases: they are simply overlays of graph functionality on top of non-graph databases, which results in poor query performance especially when joins are involved, and query performance being correlated with the size and nature of the result set rather than the complexity of the query.

To date, serious graph data implementations inside the likes of Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc., have required custom databases, said Rick Baker, Co-Founder of Blackbird Ventures. DGraph will provide this power to the rest of the world at a time that large connected data sets are becoming increasingly important.

DGraph is an open source, native and distributed graph database, developed for real-time, low-latency and high throughput query flow. Its data distribution is designed to minimize the number of network calls, keeping them directly proportional to the complexity of a query, not the number of results. This ensures a 95 percentile query latency even as you add more servers to the cluster, allowing the cluster to scale nicely. It is already showing significant performance advantages over the rest of the market.

DGraph allows scaling a database from a single laptop to serving terabytes of structured data via commodity hardware. It's built to survive machine failures and partial data center collapses.

It also naturally provides joins, which distributed SQL databases typically don't. In fact, joins are the most common operation for a graph database. Doing joins in a distributed environment is a hard problem, but DGraph has the right team to solve it.

Before starting DGraph, Manish worked at Google in the Web Search and Knowledge Graph Infrastructure group for over six years. The idea for DGraph came out of his experience at Google, where he tackled similar issues serving the Knowledge Graph, and various real-time updating data feeds to power Knowledge Cards and One-Boxes.

This is a strong team continuing their work on a problem theyve had considerable success with inside Google. Its great to have the opportunity to back them to bring their expertise to the world, said Rick Baker, co-founder of Blackbird Ventures.

DGraph Labs will use the funds to recruit engineers and build core technology. "Were a distributed team. We want to hire smart and experienced backend engineers from the US, Canada, Australia, and anywhere else we find talent, said Jain. Startups working on hard-core backend infrastructure problems are rare. Typically such problems get taken on by large companies such as Google, Facebook or Twitter. But their systems would never run on a laptop or a single server. We are solving a more complex scalability problem in a small and fun environment.

DGraph Labs, Inc.

Website: http://dgraph.io

Github: https://github.com/dgraph-io/dgraph



Contact:

Manish Jain, Founder

contact@dgraph.io
Vascory AG / Key word(s): Takeover/Miscellaneous 17.05.2016 19:33 Dissemination of an Ad hoc announcement according to  15 WpHG, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ad-hoc-Meldung nach  15 WpHG vom 17. Mai 2016 Vascory AG, ISIN DE0007786303 VASCORY AG IN TALKS TO ACQUIRE A GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY SERVICES PROVIDER Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA - 17th May 2016 Vascory AG, headquartered in Frankfurt/Main, has announced on 17th May 2016 that talks in regards to a potential acquisition, are in progression with a Global Technology Service Provider, currently operating extensively across South East Asia, providing unrivalled solutions in the Financial Services, Facilities Management & Healthcare industries. Rahul Rajendran - CEO of Vascory Technologies, comments, South East Asia is a strategic growth area and the acquisition of this Global Technological Services Provider, will enable the merged entity to develop, market, and support a wider service portfolio. Innovation is at the forefront of our merged operations and we are excited in delivering innovative solutions including a complete range of quality services to the ASIAN marketplace. Rahul also commented that the details of the target company, will be disclosed following on the next shareholder meeting. For additional information on Vascory AG, please visit www.vascory.de or contact the Investor Relations at ir@vascory.de 17.05.2016 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: Vascory AG Mailander Strasse 2 30539 Hannover Germany Phone: Fax: E-mail: b.schlote@vascory.de; ir@vascory.de Internet: www.vascory.de ISIN: DE0007786303, DE0007786311 WKN: 778630, 778631 Listed: Regulated Market in Berlin, Hamburg; Open Market in Frankfurt End of Announcement DGAP News-Service ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Broadstone Real Estate, LLC (BRE) today announced the election and appointment of Laurie Hawkes and Thomas Lydon as Independent Directors to the Boards of Directors for the companys two private Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), Broadstone Net Lease, Inc. (BNL) and Broadtree Homes, Inc. (BTH). Ms. Hawkes and Mr. Lydon were carefully vetted by the BNL and BTH Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, respectively, prior to nomination as candidates.



Laurie Hawkes previously served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of American Residential Properties, Inc., which recently merged with American Homes 4 Rent. The merged entity is currently the largest publicly traded single-family rental home company. Prior to her time with American Residential Properties, Inc., Ms. Hawkes gained extensive experience in single-tenant real estate investment, asset management, and mortgage finance as a partner and president at U.S. Realty Advisors and as a Wall Street investment banker specializing in real estate.

Thomas Lydon has been President of The City Investment Fund, L.P., a real estate opportunity fund, since 2003. Mr. Lydon served as a Director of Home Properties, Inc., where he was a member of the Compensation and Real Estate Investment Committees, from 2011 through its acquisition by an affiliate of Lone Star Funds in October, 2015.

I am delighted to welcome Laurie and Tom to our boards, having followed their success in prior roles for several years, said Amy Tait, Chairman and CEO of Broadstone Real Estate. We are confident that their experience, real estate expertise, and leadership qualities will prove invaluable as we continue to scale BNL and BTH on behalf of current and future investors.

Ms. Hawkes and Mr. Lydon were elected to BNLs Board by a vote of BNLs Shareholders during the REITs Annual Meeting, which took place on Tuesday, May 10, 2016. After three years of dedicated service as an Independent Director, Mary Beth McCormick stepped down from the BNL Board, effective May 10, 2016. The REIT now has eight directors, six of whom are independent.

Geoff Rosenberger, who has served on the BTH Board since inception, has stepped down, effective May 9, 2016, in order to make room for the new directors. Mr. Rosenberger was instrumental to the launch and growth of BTH as a private REIT, and will continue to serve as Lead Independent Director of BNL. Ms. Hawkes and Mr. Lydon were unanimously approved and elected to BTHs Board at its regular meeting on May 9, 2016. The BTH Board of Directors currently has seven members, five of whom are independent.

About Broadstone Net Lease

Broadstone Net Lease (BNL) invests in freestanding, single-tenant, triple-net leased properties located throughout the United States, primarily via sale and leaseback transactions. With a diversified portfolio of 354 medical, industrial and retail properties in 34 states, the REIT targets individual or portfolio acquisitions within the $10 to $200+ million range.

There are currently nearly 1,700 shareholders in BNL, which is externally managed by Broadstone Real Estate, LLC. BNL remains open for new investment by accredited investors on a monthly basis, with a minimum investment of $500,000. Shares are offered directly by Broadstone via private placement. Accredited investors are invited to download an investor kit from the companys website, Broadstone.com.

About Broadtree Homes

Broadtree Homes (BTH) is a private residential income REIT that holds a diversified, geographically dispersed portfolio of 506 residential rental units in Western New York; Palm Beach County, Florida; the Atlanta, Georgia area; and the Greater Minneapolis, Minnesota area.

BTH remains open for investment by accredited investors only, with a minimum initial investment of $100,000. Shares are offered via private placement, and investor kits are available for download from the companys website, Broadstone.com.

Please see certain important disclosures regarding BNL and BTH at Broadstone.com/disclosures.




MEXICO CITY, May 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Empresas ICA, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV:ICA) (NYSE:ICA) announced today that it filed its Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 on Form 20-F with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and with the National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) and the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV).



The Annual Report and Form 20-F may be downloaded directly from ICA's webpage, http://ir.ica.mx/, or from the websites of the Mexican Stock Exchange and the SEC. In addition shareholders may request a printed version of these documents by contacting ICAs Investor Relations office, by writing relacion.inversionistas@ica.mx.

This press release contains projections or other forward-looking statements related to ICA that reflect ICAs current expectations or beliefs concerning future events. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties and may differ materially from actual results or events due to important factors such as changes in general economic, business or political or other conditions in Mexico, Latin America or elsewhere, changes in capital markets in general that may affect policies or attitudes towards lending to Mexico or Mexican companies, changes in tax and other laws affecting ICAs businesses, increased costs, unanticipated increases in financing and other costs or the inability to obtain additional debt or equity financing on attractive terms and other factors set forth in ICAs most recent filing on Form 20-F and in any filing or submission ICA has made with the SEC subsequent to its most recent filing on Form 20-F. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to ICA on the date hereof, and ICA assumes no obligation to update such statements.

Empresas ICA, S.A.B. de C.V. is Mexico's largest infrastructure company. ICA carries out large-scale civil and industrial construction projects and operates a portfolio of long-term assets, including airports, toll roads, water systems, and real estate. Founded in 1947, lCA is listed on the Mexican and New York Stock exchanges. For more information, visit ir.ica.mx
sriamlan wrote:

Can any expert reply on this ? Not sure how C is the right answer

60%more than

twice as much as

The European Economic Community exported

sixty percent more than

the United States exported

nearly twice as much as

the Japanese did

The European Economic Community exported just under $400 billion in goods in 1988, sixty percent more than the United States did and nearly twice as much as Japan's exports.A) the United States did and nearly twice as much as Japan's exportsB) the United States and nearly double what the Japanese exports wereC) the United States exported and nearly twice as much as the Japanese didD) what the United States did and nearly twice as much as Japan's exportsE) what the United States exported and nearly double the Japanese exportsThe comparison structure here is "XY " - Y in turn is comprised of a parrallel structure "P and Q"Hence the overall structure is " X 60% more than P and twice as much as Q"X = European Economy exportedP = United States exportedQ = the Japaneses did (exported).Moreover,The comparison between X and P is: 60% more thanThe comparison between X and Q is:nearly twice as much as (= 200% of = 100% more than)In the correct option C, the above parallelism is maintained properly:just under $400 billion in goods in 1988,andOption A: The element Q (Japan's exports) is not parallel to X and P.Option B: P (United States) is not parallel to X. Q is also wrong since it uses "were" rather than "exported" or "did".Option D: The element Q (Japan's exports) is not parallel to X and P.Option E: The element Q (Japanese exports) is not parallel to X and P.
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Since St. Vincent's Hospital shuttered in 2010, following a series of increasing layoffs, there have been just a handful of hospitals serving Lower Manhattan, the largest being Mount Sinai Beth Israel, with 856 beds. But now, it appears that Beth Israel may be on a similar path as the former West Village hospital: according to recent reports, the hospital is about to announce that it's downsizing, possibly ahead of a closure or restructuring.

The New York State Nurses Association told union members last week that the hospital is planning to announce downsizing this week or next. In an email obtained by Crain's New York Business, officials wrote that "their plan is to move units and individuals throughout the system," and that NYSNA would be working with 1199SEIU Healthcare Workers East, which represents workers at the hospital, to protect their "job security, mobility and parity of benefits."

A spokesperson for 1199SEIU, which represents over 4,000 workers at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, told us that "1199SEIU is continuing to monitor the situation with Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and will do everything in our power to advocate for healthcare services and jobs for the community. As acute care hospitals continue to face increasing challenges, we must ensure that every New Yorker has local access to quality healthcare."

If true, a downsizing at Beth Israel wouldn't be completely out of the blue: Mount Sinai has been in talks to downsize the hospital since the fall, when executives met with members of Mayor de Blasio's administration to discuss rebuilding the hospital according to a plan that could reduce the number of beds. At the time, Mount Sinai President and CEO Ken Davis told Politico New York that "we are in the midst of trying to figure out how to rebuild the hospital...We know care is moving more to an ambulatory space and we know there will have to be some diminution of inpatient beds."

De Blasio was openly critical of the fact that so many hospitals closed when Michael Bloomberg was mayor, and was arrested in 2013, during his mayoral campaign, for protesting the closing of Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn.

"The Mayor is committed to ensuring communities have the health care facilities they need and preventing the sudden closure of hospitals," a spokesperson for the Mayor's Office said. "The health care industry is changing rapidly and we must be prepared to protect patients and healthcare workers alike."

Mount Sinai merged with Continuum Health Partners in 2013, at which point Beth Israel Medical Center was renamed Mount Sinai Beth Israel. In 2014, the hospital reportedly lost $90.7 million. Following that 2014 loss, Standard and Poor's revised its rating of Mount Sinai to negative, noting that "Mount Sinai Hospitals Group is facing significant transition issues as MSH absorbs the former Continuum facilities into its structure."

Beth Israel and its affiliates reportedly lost $85.6 million between January and September 2015, exceeding a budgeted $75.6 million loss.

The potential downsizing at Beth Israel was first reported by The Villager, which cited frantic calls from Beth Israel employees who said that the hospital would close "sooner rather than later," with a soon-to-be-announced downsizing marking the first step toward a total closure.

But Mount Sinai denied that Beth Israel would be closing, and said in an email to employees that "we are working on a plan which will enhance existing services and develop new facilities in the Mount Sinai Beth Israel community. In the meantime, there will be no disruption in any of our patient care services."

In a statement, a Mount Sinai spokesperson said that "Mount Sinai is 100% committed to serving the community and offering the highest level of patient care. We are working on a plan which will enhance existing services and develop new facilities in the Beth Israel community....In the meantime, there will be no disruption in any of our patient care services."

It's not clear whether those new facilities will be outpatient, though one of the nurses who spoke to The Villager said that the hospital is planning to keep operating its Phillips Ambulatory Care Center, on Union Square East. Another source told The Villager that the Bernstein Pavilion, which offers mental health services, will remain open, as well.

All reports indicate that Mount Sinai will announce in the coming weeks what, exactly, is planned for Beth Israel, be it a restructuring or downsizing. Meanwhile, elected officials are desperately seeking more information: City Councilmember Dan Gardonick said that "we are deeply concerned about the possibility of a significant restructuring at Beth Israel. This hospital is integral to our community, and we deserve much more clarity from Mt. Sinai Beth Israel about their plans."

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said that "if true, such a closure would be a major loss to the downtown community. But it's my understanding that long-approved site plans for the hospital's location are restricted to a 'large-scale community facility' and can't be changed without a ULURP process. So I'm hopeful that a significant health care function there can be preserved and that's what I'll fight for."
hanks in part to the phenomenon of "six degrees of separation" (though, let's face it, in New York City it's more like four degrees), it's likely that everyone knows at least one person intrepid enough to tryand potentially completethe magnificent Appalachian Trail. To finish the trail requires a nearly Herculean effortand it sure takes a lot more stamina than we New Yorkers typically maintain as we run to catch the G train.

The good news is that there's a lot of ways to experience the Appalachian Trail in bits and piecesespecially for those of us who don't have a spare six months to go wandering into the wilderness. We and our friends at Poland Spring know that if you want to get out of town for a bit, a great place to begin sits at the trail's northern terminus in Baxter State Park, where Maine's largest mountain looms triumphantly in the skyline. Mount Katahdinor just "Katahdin" to the localswas first named by the Penobscot Indians, meaning "Greatest Mountain." At it's peak, Katahdin is a whopping 5,267 feet tall, and while it's commonly thought that Maine's majestic monolith is the first landmark graced by the morning sunsorry folks, that isn't always true. (Apparently sunrise politics is a hot topic in Maine.)

While you might imagine that hikersafter months of willingly frolicking through the mountains and battling the elements during their 2,200-mile journeymight regard their final ascent up Katahdin with a bit of wariness, think again. Hikers have been known to abandon their packs and runyes, runup the enormous mountain to complete their journey. Some have even popped champagne on Katahdin's peak, but please don't. The parks department is rightfully cracking down on these boozy celebrations, especially because discarded glass bottles are not healthy for Mother Nature.



Mount Katahdin (istockphoto)

It goes without saying that during your Katahdin ascent, you might not be alone. Beyond other hikers, you may meet the gaze of furry friends who call the mountain home. Local fauna include black bears, deer, and moose as well as black flies and mosquitos in the spring. (So bring bug spray!) If you're lucky enough, you may even catch a glimpse of the rare Katahdin arctic butterflya currently endangered creature endemic to the area. For all the aspiring naturalists out there, a trusty pair of binoculars is a worthwhile investment.

And if you're really looking for a unique mountain experience, legend has it that there's a rock up there on Katahdin inscribed with words of the poet Robert Service, encouraging the adventures of all the world's travelers. The stanza from "Rhymes of a Rolling Stone" reads:

Here's a hail to each flaming dawn

Here's a cheer to the night that's gone

May I go a-roamin' on

Until the day I die.

If you stumble across the poem, we admit itit's definitely Instagram gold. But for all the believers and adventure-seekers out there, we kindly request that you keep the exact location a secret and uphold the mystery for generations of hikers to come.



Mount Katahdin (istockphoto)

Excited to get out of town and take a hike? Make sure you pack enough water for your trekH2O is much more replenishing than champagne! And while you're at it, why not hydrate like a local too?

Poland Spring Brand 100% Natural Spring Water celebrates all of its home state's natural beauties and delivers the fresh taste that all those in the Northeast have cherished since 1845. To learn more about their commitment to sustainably sourced water and their Maine heritage, visit the Poland Spring website today.



This post is a sponsored collaboration between Poland Spring and Gothamist staff.
Our latest installment of Quick Bites is more of a warning.

THE VIBE

A menu overhaul inside a Williamsburg music club would normally barely register on the food excitement meter among most. But when the club in question is the popular Baby's All Right, and the revamp is touted as the opening of a totally new restaurant, and outlets like the New York Times pick up on the story, and when the executive chef is Michael Sablan, briefly of Mission Chinese... you have my attention.

Sadly, I'm here to say that you can completely ignore this overhauled eatery, now called Don Muang Airport, and continue to go about your day.

First of all, there's nothing new about the space itself. Same scuffed tables and saggy benches. Same grim lighting. Same barely-discernible old maps on the wall. On a sunny, springy evening, the shades on the big windows facing Broadway remain pulled down, adding to the depressing atmosphere.

The music is unbelievably loud, which would be fine, the indie/disco playlist is decent, but the sound system is terrible and the highs set off shivers deep inside your ear canal. The look of disappointment on people's faces as they were being seated signaled that I wasn't the only dupe in the house. But at least we all got firecracker bracelets or thumbs-up wrist stamps on our way in!



(Scott Lynch/Gothamist)

THE BITES

Chef Sablan worked at Mission Chinese, but a reliable source told me "he didn't do anything" there during a very brief stint on staff. And who knows, Sablan might be an excellent cook, but my two meals at Don Muang Airport were awful.

There's nothing going on with the Green Curry Fried Rice, for example, which bears little evidence of curry, or frying, or flavor. The beef cheeks are tender at least, but the pumpkin is gummy, the rice dry, and the garlic chips are about all you can taste.

The Larb/Larp/Lap [sic] is similarly uninspired, arriving with zero heat, the crock of crumbly chicken disconcertingly redolent of pet food. The Moo Ping pork skewers have more presence, and the texture is bang-on, but the marinade is unpleasantly sour, and can't be overpowered by the generic fish sauce.

Another clunker is The Risky Chicken sandwich, which is more soggy than dangerous, really, thanks to the damp pile of papaya salad on top. Again, though, the meat itselfpieces of fried thighis properly cooked, all tender and juicy, so at least one part of the operation back there is functioning correctly.

Oddly, the only good thing I ate at the Airportwait, is this all supposed to taste like airport food... is THAT what's going on here?were the Samosas. Yup, the South Asian staple, here stuffed with cauliflower and tofu, forces its way on to the menu via vague justification (something about a restaurant behind Bangkok's Orient Hotel that serves them), and wins the whole damn night. The pastry casing crackles, the filling packs some punch, the yogurt and mint dipping sauce evens it all out.

The worst part, though? I learned later on that most of these dishes have been available here for months, so Airport is neither a new restaurant nor even a new concept within an existing space! They just slapped a new name on the food service, redesigned the menu graphics, sent out a press release, and expected suckers like me to show up. Which I did. But at least now you don't have to.

THE VERDICT

Even if you're seeing a concert in the back room, any one of the dozen or so other restaurants in the immediate vicinity will make you much happier than eating at this Airport.

Don Muang Airport is located within Baby's All Right, at 146 Broadway between Driggs and Bedford. Dinner is served daily from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. (718-599-5800; babyallright.com)
Unless you're living in the Ninja Burglar-free paradise that is Staten Island, chances are that the ever-widening real estate market is eating up all your income, keeping you from taking that dream vacation to a remote Greek island. But what if there were a way to save hundreds of dollars on rent every month AND have the perfect vessel to carry you to the Mediterranean? If your stomach can handle a bit of seasickness, we have quite the opportunity for you.

Hannes Bend, a self-professed "European artist and scholar," is renting out his sailboat, a 28' Triton Pearson, as a houseboat on Craigslist. Affordable housing has never been so affordaBOAT before: "Currently it is moored on City Island, Bronx, NY, but could be taken to marinas in other areas (UWS, Brooklyn, Queens, NJ or Chelsea)," he explained in the Craigslist posting. "At 79th St Basin in the UWS, it would cost $1,550 total to moor it until end of October. So less than $300/month. A dinghy (small boat) and outboard would be needed. Other options (Liberty Landing in NJ) would have mooring but be more pricey. Still under $1,000 to live in NYC or NJ. In S Brooklyn, Kings Plaza Marina docking costs about $300/month."



(Hannes Bend)

Bend lives on a smaller sailboat in Portland, which somewhat explains the incredible deal, although there is at least one pretty major catch: "I would like to sometimes stay aboard as well when in the city (few days a month). I ask for no money, but eventually the boat could be subletted [sic] when none of us would use it. Then we would split income." For what it's worth, Bend did confirm the sincerity of the offer to Brokelyn, and does have the kind of resume that suggests "hyperactive artistic type" rather than "creepy dude trying to audition his next victim."

We've contacted Bend to get more into the details about what it's like living on a boat off the city, but until we hear back, let the Lonely Island light up your imagination with dreams of nautical-themed pashmina afghans and dolphins splashing everywhere.
Photo by canvas: 30 1/2 x 25 1/2 in.; frame: 39 3/4 x 34 7/8 x 5 in.

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Last week, the de Blasio administration unveiled their plans to manage Staten Island's exploding deer population by giving every single male deer a vasectomy. However, some experts are questioning their solutiona Cornell University ecologist told the Staten Island Advance, "It's difficult for me to come up with all the reasons why this is a really stupid plan. It's ridiculous from the onset."

The city hopes to perform vasectomies over the next three years in order to bring down the deer population by 10-30%. But biologists say this really won't do anything. The Post painted this vivid picture:

In reality, female white-tailed deer go into heat in the autumn rutting season. They emit a powerful scent that attracts males, who chase them and battle each other until every last doe is pregnant. Normally, the rut lasts a month or two. But with bucks shooting blanks, the does will go into heat repeatedly throughout the fall and winter. The hot-to-trot does could attract bucks from near and far for many more months  including still-potent potential mates swimming over from New Jersey.

Al Cambronne, who has written about deer, said that their mating habits are "more random and promiscuous and chaotic" than the city assumes, adding, "One buck can breed many doe."

Cornell ecologist Dr. Paul Curtis said that when he and colleagues conducted a study (PDF) about managing deer numbers in suburban areas, performing vasectomies on bucks was very difficult, explaining that the biggest ones that have the widest ranges don't respond to sedatives, "We could only do three vasectomies it wasn't safe for the deer and wasn't safe for us," and described the process as "stressful" for the bucks.

Other possible courses of action would be sterilizing does (which is expensive); contraceptive for does (which don't last very long); and euthanizing part of the herd. The current deer vasectomies plan has been endorsed by NYCLASS, a prominent donor to Mayor de Blasio that is now being probed by the FBI.

A City Hall spokesperson told the Post, "We are very confident in our proposal. Its a smart approach that can be implemented quickly, before the problem increases.
Angered by a bright flatscreen television, a Tribeca woman has been shining bright strobe lights and a nightclub-style disco ball into her neighbor's apartment, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Civil Court. The passive-aggressive tactics started shortly after her new neighbor moved into the building in December 2014.

Suellen Epstein is accused of waging a "campaign of harassment" against Rich Miele and his family. Miele's lawsuit claims that Epstein was upset by the glare caused by his big-screen television, and "demanded" he close his blinds when it was in use. Miele instead offered to pay for high-tech blinds to be installed in Epstein's apartmentan offer that she refused.

According to court papers, what followed was an all-out illuminated assault. Miele claims that Epstein installed "a series of large extra-bright spotlights against her windows" and shone them across their building's shaftway directly into his apartment. "The spotlights cause my entire living room to spectacularly fill up with bright light every single night," Miele wrote.

Miele went on to claim that Epstein went so far as to install timers on the spotlights, so that they would shine blinding light into his home even when she was away on vacation. As the dispute progressed, Epstein also unleashed "nightclub-like" strobes and spinning colored lights, the suit alleges. Zachary Kozak, Miele's attorney, told the Post that the blinding lights are kept on as late as 3 a.m.

One of Epstein's weaponized lights is positioned to light up a hallway leading to Miele's bathroom, he claims, exposing his two young children before and after their nightly baths. "There have been times when my daughter, being a three year old child, will emerge while still inside the bathroom in the doorway without any clothing after taking a bath... and be exposed to anyone looking into the windows, including [Epstein] as a direct result of the shining spotlights into my bathroom," Miele claims.

The civil suit demands that Epstein, who has run Tribeca gymnastics company Children's Tumbling for decades, shut off and remove the lights. The Post reports that Miele already won a temporary victory in the matter after a Manhattan judge blocked Epstein from using the various lights until a June hearing settles the matter.
On Dec. 28, 2015, Gemma Greers father noticed a lump on her side while getting her ready for daycare. She was taken to a physician in Helena, who diagnosed the lump as a Wilms Tumor and instructed the family to seek treatment in Salt Lake City.

Gemma, 3, has undergone a lengthy surgery to remove not only the tumor, but also her left kidney. She has begun the long road to recovery consisting of radiation therapy and a 7-month chemo therapy regimen. In order to facilitate Gemmas weekly treatments, the entire family has relocated to Salt Lake City and her mother Ruby has taken a leave of absence from her job.

Gemmas family is holding a benefit Saturday, May 21, at Knights of Columbus Hall, 2201 N. Chestnut St., from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fundraiser is planned to kick off the summer season with a pig roast barbecue lunch, where Gemmas favorite colors, purple and yellow, will complement the luau theme. Everyone in the community is invited to attend this family-friendly event which will feature music, a bouncy castle for the kiddos, games, raffles and live and silent auctions. Lunch is $5 per person, or $20 per family.

The family is accepting donations of money and for the auction until Thursday.

Auction donations should be sent to Gemma Greer Medical Benefit, ATTN: Bryan Stueve, 9 Legal Tender Lane, Clancy, MT 59634.

The family has set up an account at First Interstate Bank named Gemma Greer Medical Account for monetary donations.

Questions and additional information is available at 459-1486 or emy.stueve@gmail.com.
BUTTE -- The Bureau of Land Management is trying to help address the problem of unauthorized motorized travel in a variety of ways. Besides more signage and increased policing of areas, an app is available.

The smartphone app, called Avenza, tells people which routes and trails are open or closed.

Recent information from southwest Montana landowners and land user groups, such as hunters and permit holders, indicates resource damage is occurring due to unauthorized motorized recreational use, according to a BLM news release.

Cornie Hudson, manager of the BLMs Dillon Field Office, says unauthorized motorized vehicles can create ruts, push down grass, leave tire tread marks and create new trails. This can lead to wildlife habitat fragmentation, loss of native vegetation, spread of noxious weeds and encourage soil erosion into waterways.

Its such a big issue, Hudson said. Hunters or hikers hike for several miles and then here comes an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) up the ridge and disturbs the hunter and hiker and wildlife and impacts natural resources.

Hudson said other efforts to address the problem also are in the works.

We will also increase our law enforcement presence in priority areas, uphold motorized travel restrictions, issue citations when necessary and build permanent gates in areas where closed routes continue to experience travel violations, Hudson said.

Still, Hudson emphasized, no new roads are being closed.

"We're trying to make it easier for the public to understand what roads are already closed, she said.

Were simply making a more concerted effort to enforce previously designated travel restrictions which were intended to provide multiple opportunities desired by the public and protect the resources that benefit our wildlife populations, Hudson said in a news release.

Hudson said BLM and other agencies, such as the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the U.S. Forest Service, are working together to try to make it easier for people to know the status of a road.

In some areas, such as Big Sheep at the Muddy Creek turnoff, west of Lima, kiosks provide information on road closures.

Dave Sabo, Butte district ranger for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, said the best way to find out which Forest Service roads are open for motorized travel is to call the districts office or stop by before heading out.

Hudson said its all about trying to maintain a balance between recreational use while preserving the integrity of the soil, water, vegetation and wildlife habitat.

We look to public land users to respect other recreational groups, educate their friends and family on responsible vehicle use, and to make the right choice when they encounter road closures and road timing restrictions, she said.
Steve Gibson was my state representative for House District 78, which is now HD84 after redistricting took place in 2014, in the 2011 and 2013 legislative sessions. We need to return him to the Legislature for the 2017 session.

Steve has a proven record of dedication and commitment to the people of Montana for over 40 years. In his position as representative, he has gained the respect of other house members and the citizens he represented.

Also, Gibson has always fought for all of his constituents: those in East Helena, the upper Eastside of Helena and other Montanans throughout the state of Montana.

When the East Helena School District was struggling financially in the early 2000s due to underfunding, Steve stepped up and volunteered to be one of the founding members of the East Helena School Foundation.

His other community and state involvement has included: the Governors K-12 Renewal Commission, the Special Education Advisory Commission, the Montana Youth Justice Council, the Montana Mental Health system of care-planning committee, and as a Special Olympics volunteer.

Please join me in returning Steve to the state Legislature, a person who has dedicated almost his entire adult life to serving the families and children of the state of Montana

Remember that your vote matters. Elect Steve Gibson for House District 84.

Judy Birch

Helena
I am writing to encourage your primary election vote supporting Republican Steve Gibson for House District 84. I have known Steve Gibson for many years, first during his career with the Department of Corrections, including the superintendent of Pine Hills Youth Facility, and subsequently during his service as a legislator. His knowledge of state government and especially the state education system has served the citizens of Montana, particularly those of his district, well.

Steve Gibson has served in the Legislature for two terms in addition to his career with the state. I proudly served with Steve in the 2013 session. Steve was respected and sought after for his budgeting knowledge and common sense approach to proposed legislation. At all times, he was deliberate in his discussions and considerate of the voters of his house district.

During his past legislative service his support and concern for our state military members and our veterans was very evident. Steve Gibson was recognized by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve for his dedication and advocacy for our guard and reserve members. Recently he was presented the Guardian of the Guard Award in recognition of his outstanding support of the Montana National Guard.

This primary election, vote for the only House District 84 Republican candidate with legislative experience as well as extensive knowledge of his community and schools. Vote for Steve Gibson, Republican candidate for the primary election of HD84.

Roger A. Hagan

Retired Montana National Guard

Former state representative

Great Falls
Six months after launching its new identity, a survey in March found PureView Health Centers rebranding was leaving its mark on Helena and the health care provider was ready for its next step.

Next for PureView will be a 12-month to 24-month effort to talk about the care provided by the organization.

A final step in the rebranding, projected to take from one to three years, would reinforce that PureView is a leading primary care provider and known for treating patients like friends.

I think that people are getting impatient with the ads as they want to know more, what we do, said Jill Steeley, PureViews executive director.

The organizations new identity, she said, is starting to register with people. Prior to the rebranding the organization was named Cooperative Health Center.

For the most part, people like the name PureView. It gets away from the community health center feel, Steeley said.

I think people really like the brand. It's fresh and it is refreshing, she said. And I think it shows were ready for a fresh start.

Although our mission is still to serve the under-served, we also serve everyone.

PureView budgeted $330,000 this fiscal year, which ends June 30, to implement its new identity, compared to $270,000 for the coming fiscal year.

The cost of advertising comes from patient revenues and not county funding, Steeley said.

With the exception of Steeley, PureView's employees are county employees. The organization is controlled by a board on which the county has a single seat.

I think the biggest reason for the advertising is to let everyone know we are a primary care provider for everyone, Steeley said.

Advertising is necessary to be competitive with other, privately owned health care providers, she said.

The only way we can get on an even playing field is to advertise what we do and reach everyone just like our competitors do, she added.

Increasing the number of patients who use PureView provides it with more revenue that can be used toward funding health care services for those who lack insurance or dont have enough to cover their health care needs, Steeley said. The organization provides dental as well as behavioral health services, in addition to other health care.

It seems like it is worth the investment, she added.

The organizations preliminary budget for the coming fiscal year calls for revenue of a little more than $6.15 million and expenses of nearly $5.9 million.

PureView, with about 54 employees, provides services in Helena and Lincoln while offering a separate health care program at Gods Love for people who are homeless.

Dental and behavioral health service for the Gods Love clientele are provided at the Michael A. Murray building where PureView is located and Lewis & Clark Public Health has offices.

PureView has about 6,500 patients, and Steeley said the organizations goal is to increase that number within a year to about 8,000.

The doctor on staff at PureView will be joined by Dr. Saul Rivard in September, Steeley said.

Rivard is completing his last year of residency in Missoula at Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana. The program is sponsored by The University of Montana in Missoula and affiliated with the University of Washington Family Medicine Residency Network.

Rivard, who was raised in Livingston and graduated from high school there, said his wifes family is also from Helena.

Medical care at the Helena facility is also provided by four mid-level providers that are physicians assistants or nurse practitioners. There are also two dentists and a dental hygienist. A part-time psychiatric nurse practitioner and a full-time therapist are also part of the organizations staff.

Arrangements for how health care will be provided in Lincoln when the doctor leaves PureView at the end of June have yet to be finalized, Steeley said.

Lewis and Clark County commissioners were advised recently of the results of the Flying Horse Communication survey in March of 400 people; 220 were contacted by their home phones while 180 were reached by cellphones.

Flying Horse Communicaton, which has offices in Bozeman and Portland, Oregon, developed the health centers rebranding strategy.

The sample was nearly equally divided between men and women, although about 60 percent of respondents were age 55 and older.

About 31 percent of county residents said they were familiar with PureView Health Center when prompted, according to information provided to PureView by Flying Horse Communication.

The prompting for the question came from including the health care organizations name in the question, said Bertie Lord, a brand communication executive with Flying Horse Communications Bozeman office.

A follow-up question to Have you seen any ads for health care services? was asked without naming any organizations.

PureView and Blue Cross Blue Shield each had about a 13 percent response rate from participants. St. Peters Hospital had about a 21 percent response rate.

Awareness of PureView in the short time since the brand was launched pleases Flying Horse Communication President Murray Steinman, who noted that there was no prompting of survey participants toward PureView.

However, the survey also found that when asked what organization came to mind when considering health care providers, 3 percent named PureView. This question did not name any organizations to assist in responses.

Among other results of the survey was that 38 percent strongly agreed PureView offers high quality services.

A separate survey of patients conducted by PureView found 80 percent of the roughly 220 who responded said service by the organization was either good or very good, Steeley said.

While 54 percent of those in Flying Horse Communications market research strongly agreed that PureViews services are for everyone, 43 percent strongly agreed that PureViews services are for people with low incomes or those who lack insurance.

The rebranding effort, announced to cost $48,000, began in December 2013 and prior to Steeleys joining the organization as its executive director in May 2015.

A budget projection for the rebranding calls for retaining Flying Horse Communications services in this fiscal year and next year at $60,000 per year.
Three Democratic legislators said Tuesday they plan to introduce a bill in the 2017 Legislature to prevent naming buildings or schools in the university system after candidates for elected office.

The move is a jab at Republican candidate for governor Greg Gianforte, who has pledged $8 million to Montana State University in Bozeman over five years. The donation will establish a $5 million endowment for the Computer Science Department, and the department will be renamed the Gianforte School of Computing. A classroom in the College of Engineering will also be called the Gianforte Auditorium.

This legislation will take politics out of the process to name our university buildings, programs and schools, said Sen. Tom Facey, D-Missoula. Our university system should not be put in the position of allowing charitable donations to be used as a tool in elections.

The other two legislators supporting the planned bill are Reps. Tom Woods, D-Bozeman, and Ryan Lynch, D-Butte.

"This bill aims to prevent the Board of Regents from being put in this unfortunate position in the future, Facey said. "For now, I hope that the Board of Regents decides to postpone the vote to name anything at MSU regarding Mr. Gianforte until after the election.

This isn't the first bill promised to be introduced as a result of jabs between governor candidates this campaign season. Last month, three state lawmakers promised a bill to change how a state-owned plane can be used.
A federal judge on Tuesday struck down Montana's campaign contribution limits, just three weeks before the state's primary.

U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell said in an order the state's contribution limits in state law are unconstitutional.

The move is reminiscent of 2012, when Lovell also ruled the state's contribution limits unconstitutional. That stood for a week before the limits were reinstated by a federal appeals court.

This go-round, groups including American Tradition Partnership PAC, Montana Right to Life PAC and Lake and Beaverhead Counties Republican Central Committees filed to halt the limits before the June 7 primary election. On Monday Lovell canceled a bench trial set for next week and said he would decide the case on briefs and arguments filed by the state and attorneys for the plaintiffs.

Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl on Tuesday afternoon said the order ends limits set by a 1994 initiative. Motl said that means he's required to reinstate the limits that were in place before then, adjusted for inflation.

The new limits on what individuals and political committees can give in the 2016 election are, including general and primary:

$1,990 for governor/lieutenant governor

$990 for other statewide offices

$530 for District Court judge, Public Service Commission and state Senate

$330 for all other elected offices, including the House

However, GOP attorney Matthew Monforton said the limits put in place Tuesday constitute "defiance yet again by Commissioner Motl of a federal court order. He should anticipate renewed litigation if he continues to give the finger to Judge Lovell."

Monforton said Lovell's ruling should mean there are no caps on contributions from any source. There could be other individuals or political groups that may join new litigation if Motl doesn't lift the limits.

Motl emphasized trying to create stability in this election cycle in light of the order. He called for reasonable self-control and respect and said he expects people and committees to honor the new limits.

He hopes to avoid "the chaos that came into Montana's elections in 2012," when then candidate for governor Rick Hill, who was also a plaintiff in the 2013 suit, took in $500,000 during the week without contribution limits.

The Office of the Commissioner of Political Practices won't try to stay the court's order on individual or political committee contribution limits, Motl said. That's an effort to give people, candidates and committees "stability."

The ruling lifted all limits on campaign contributions from political parties to candidates. Motl plans to address political party contributions Wednesday, and the Commissioner's office asked for political parties to refrain from contributions until a policy is in place.

Motl didn't rule out an appeal on political party contributions, but wouldn't give a timeline of when that could happen. In 2012, his office filed an emergency repeal, and the limits removed then were restored in nine days.

The Commissioner's office started contacting candidates Tuesday afternoon to notify them of the change.

Republican governor candidate Greg Gianforte will stick to the caps in place prior to Tuesday's ruling, said campaign spokesman Aaron Flint.

"We are abiding by the campaign limits that have been in place, and are calling on the other candidates to do so. We are also asking Commissioner Motl to clarify what this ruling means moving forward with immediate instructions."

Gianforte is running against Gov. Steve Bullock, whose campaign called the Tuesday decision "wrongheaded." Spokesman Eric Hyers argued it is an opportunity for Montanans to unite and demand fair elections. Bullock's campaign said it will adhere to the contribution limits in place before the Tuesday ruling.

Those limits are lower than whats in place now. Per election, individuals and political action committees could give $660 to candidates for governor, $330 to a candidate for other statewide office and $170 to a candidate for other public office.

Going forward, we challenge every candidate in Montana to follow the legal limits for all contributions, including their own contributions, Hyers said. Montana cannot afford to go back to the days of the Copper Kings when millionaires and billionaires could literally buy elections. We need one set of rules for everyone."

Then-Attorney General Bullock filed a stay to appeal Lovell's 2012 ruling. He called on Attorney General Tim Fox to do the same this election. Fox's office said Tuesday it is still reviewing the decision and did not have a comment on how it will proceed.

In his ruling, Lovell wrote that defendants including Motl, as well as Fox and Lewis and Clark County Attorney Leo Gallagher, did not prove the cap on donations helps prevent quid pro quo corruption or the appearance of such.

The judge also said the limits don't let candidates amass enough money to wage effective political campaigns.

Motl had previously threatened to but never filed an enforcement action against Hill after he spent the $500,000 from the state GOP in 2012.

Monforton said he's been assured Hill will no longer be at risk of action from Motl's office.

"This is a good day for Rick and Betty Hill, who have been harassed for years by an overzealous commissioner for simply doing what a federal judge told them they could do."

Lovell wrote: "The court remains at a loss as to how Commissioner Motl will prove that Hill could be liable for accepting the alleged illegal contribution after ... (the court) declared the contribution limits unconscionable and unenforceable," Lovell wrote. "The commissioner's prosecutorial grounds in that matter appear shaky at best and, more likely, non-existent."

In his order, Lovell pointed out Motl, before he was commissioner, was a proponent of a 1994 ballot measure that resulted in the contribution limits the judge struck down.

He also said that the 2017 Legislature can take up the issue, but Motl said that's "of no comfort" to this election cycle.

Limits are necessary, Motl said, because a 2012 initiative passed by 74 percent of voters that prohibited corporate contributions and expenditures in state and national elections. "They want the campaign limits to be reasonable and in the reach of the average Montanan," he said.
Would any of us citizens have the courage to walk up to an unknown vehicle that had very dark tinted windows on all sides if the driver of that car had just sideswiped our car? But we expect our state and local law enforcement officers to do just that routinely, day in and day out, when they have to make general traffic stops or stops for expected criminal behavior.

In our nations present environment, where our law enforcement officers have become targeted, would it not be common sense to ban dark tinted window vehicles in Illinois for the safety of our officers and the general public.

Have any of you ever felt leery walking in a crosswalk when a vehicle approaches that had dark tinted windows and you could not see in the front window to see if the driver was on a cell phone or texting and might be distracted from stopping. How about when a State Amber Alert is sent out about a missing child, but citizens would be unable to spot the child in a vehicle that had dark tinted windows, and that also goes for not being able to see a child left in a dark tinted vehicle who needed help on a hot day.

The law was changed by the Illinois General Assembly many years ago that allows light colored tinted windows, but more and more citizens are abusing the law and have very dark tinted car windows. State Sen. Chapin Rose has drafted new legislation that would ban dark tinted vehicle windows but needs citizens' help and support to get his proposed legislation passed. Citizens and law enforcement officers should contact Senator Rose to offer their support and encouragement.

Patrick McDaniel

Decatur
TransCanada Corp. plans to dig up and replace sections of its Keystone pipeline found to not meet federal strength standards so the company can begin pumping oil at higher pressure.

Work, slated to begin this month and extend through 2017, will happen in Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Illinois and Missouri. The 30-inch pipeline first went into operation in June 2010.

Most oil pipelines in the United States, including Keystone, operate at 72 percent of the minimum pressure that could cause a deformation in the system, which is known as specified minimum yield strength.

TransCanada in 2007 got permission to run its Keystone pipeline at 80 percent, in mostly rural areas, but with a laundry list of safety specifications and conditions. TransCanada spokesman Terry Cunha said in an email that running at the higher pressure allows us to be more efficient with our operations to meet customer expectations and demands.

And it could mean more money for TransCanada, said Richard Kuprewicz, president of the independent pipeline industry consulting company Accufacts Inc.

They can run it at higher flows, and higher flows means more profit, Kuprewicz said.

There was a pipeline boom going on when the Keystone was being constructed in the mid to late 2000s. At the same time, commodity metal prices spiked.

During the boom, several newly constructed pipelines failed stress tests. An investigation by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of seven pipelines found that between 2007 and 2009 a number of pipe mills made substandard steel pipe for pipeline companies.

Those pipes failed to meet government strength standards and could potentially deform under stress causing a leak.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued an advisory warning pipeline companies of the defective materials. A report by the nonprofit watchdog group Plains Justice detailed the federal investigation and criticized the Pipeline Safety Administration for not doing enough to address the issue.

After building the Keystone, TransCanada did an in-line inspection which found the pipeline to be safe but did identify some areas that would need to be replaced based on post-construction guidelines for low yield strength, Cunha said. The work has to be done before TransCanada could begin running the Keystone at the higher operating pressure.

The sections of the pipeline to be replaced range from nine to 40 feet long. The Keystone will be shut down for short periods, typically 24 hours and no more than twice in a four-week period, for work to be done.

TransCanada is working closely with its contracted shippers to minimize the impact to capacity during this maintenance work, Cunha said.
BLOOMINGTON  Two dogs with canine influenza have died as the outbreak continues to sicken hundreds of dogs in the Bloomington-Normal area, veterinarians said Monday.

However, the number of new cases appears to be declining and most dogs are responding to treatment, said Dr. Kirsten Pieper of the Animal Emergency Clinic of McLean County.

Dr. David Bortell of Bortell Animal Hospital said one of the dogs that died was older and had chronic but managed medical conditions, and the other was a healthy 2-year-old.

Both dogs had received intensive care at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois, he said.

"There have been outbreaks of kennel cough but I've never seen anything like this in the 18 years that I've been here," Bortell said.

"This is the worst of any viral outbreak I've seen," added Dr. Tim Anderson of Hawthorne Park Animal Care Center.

Dr. Michelle Gundlach, director of education for the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, said she was not aware of any other confirmed cases of canine influenza in Illinois.

A dog from Bloomington-Normal traveling elsewhere in the country likely brought the virus back to Central Illinois, Gundlach said.

An Illinois Department of Agriculture veterinarian has assessed the outbreak, Pieper said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has asked for nasal swabs of some infected dogs.

Vets are concerned because the H3N2 canine influenza strain is new and few dogs have been exposed to it so they have no protection.

Pieper said the quick response of the community appears to be slowing the spread, Pieper said.

Vets advise dog owners to keep their dogs home as much as possible until the outbreak passes.

Dog owners whose dogs have appointments for boarding, grooming or day care should make sure that their dogs are vaccinated for canine influenza, vets said. Also, avoid dog parks and  when your dog is on his or her daily walk  keep the pet away from other dogs until the outbreak has passed, they said.

Dr. Bhanusree Vatti with Bortell Animal Hospital recommended that dog owners use pet sitters until the outbreak ends. Canine influenza can't be passed to humans, but can infect cats, Guinea pigs and ferrets.

Katherine Sieraski, owner of Paradise Pet Hotel & Day Spa, said the business is separating dogs and employees who care for them.

The virus has been devastating to dogs, dog owners and pet care businesses, who have experienced a decline in numbers, Sieraski said.
DECATUR  A 59-year-old Decatur man who is on probation for a sex abuse conviction was jailed on a charge of harassment by phone for allegedly threatening to shoot a woman with an assault rifle.

A woman in her 50s told police Saturday that Gregory W. Ray left her a voicemail message about 3:30 that morning. The message originated from Ray's cellphone number, said a probable cause affidavit by Decatur patrol officer Ryan L. Wicks.

In the message, a male stated something similar to 'you're about ready to have a AK-47 come across your room; you messed with the wrong person,'  Wicks wrote in his statement.

The victim said she felt threatened because she believes Gregory is capable of committing such an act or having someone else commit the act.

When police spoke with Ray, he admitted calling the woman, but said he did so about getting a ride to Walmart. His phone log showed that he called the victim's phone at 3:13 a.m. Saturday.

The officer noted that Ray had a prior conviction for harassment by telephone, in a 2013 case in which a woman in her 20s was the victim.

Ray is serving a two-year probation term, after he pleaded guilty Nov. 14, 2014, to one count of criminal sexual abuse. He was originally charged with home invasion and criminal sexual assault in the case, for breaking into a 22-year-old womans westside apartment and raping her.

Ray was previously convicted in nine felony cases, from 1981 to 2009, for crimes including theft, phone harassment/threatening to kill, and marijuana possession. He served six terms in the Illinois Department of Corrections. His most recent prison term, 18 months beginning in 2002, was for violating an order of protection with a prior conviction for violating an order of protection.

He was being held Monday in the Macon County Jail on $5,000 bond pending his arraignment. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim.
CHARLESTON -- State Rep. Reggie Phillips, R-Charleston, was surrounded Monday by a swarm of riled members of the Eastern Illinois University community, calling for better support for the university.

A day before the Illinois House of Representatives meets, members of EIU-UPI, a faculty union, and others marched toward the legislators district office to show their support for university funding.

From 20 to 50 people walked from Morton Park with signs reading Reggie Phillips: Stand Up to Rauner. Fully Fund EIU, to remind Phillips of their call for full funding, they said.

Eastern recently received $12.5 million, which represents almost one-third of the 2015 state appropriation for the school.

We are out here because 30 percent funding is a 70-percent cut, said Sace Elder, EIU-UPI march organizer. We thought this was very good time to remind Representative Phillips that we expect him to stand up to Rauner (and) stand up to the naysayers in order to get our community fully funded.

Phillips said those demanding that he "stand up" to the governor were confused as to Rauner's authority over the House.

Rauner is really the secondary player on this right now, Phillips said. It is in Mr. (Michael) Madigans hands  anybody that thinks that fund EIU is going to happen if we pressure Rauner is nuts.

Jon Blitz, EIU-UPI president it is critical to stop Rauner with veto-proof support from both parties in the legislature.

We need Republican representatives who represent us to support their constituency rather than their governor, Blitz said. We trying to give Rep. Phillips a reason to do that.

Elder said it is hard to feel grateful for only 30 percent funding after going for months without any money.

Despite worries to the contrary, Phillips said he thinks the stopgap funding for universities did not make state legislators complacent and the tide is changing for not only university funding but a state budget.

For the first time probably in this 10-month period, we are all talking, Phillips said.

Phillips and the crowd discussed, and argued solutions to the funding problems, such as increasing taxes and implementing progressive taxing. Phillips said he is in support of increased taxes but specifically not progressive taxing.

EIU supporters also canvassed the surrounding area for signatures for a petition calling for full funding for EIU.

Phillips and others are now pushing for 60 percent funding for Eastern.
Abbott will be in New Braunfels for book signing
By Karine Vann

In the last year I have made several trips from Yerevan to Kapan, to work with a local NGO developing tourism in the region.

The journey to reach the lush green mountains of this under-rated, post-industrial city in Southern Armenia, home to nearly 45,000 people, requires a half-day or more of travel and is only accessible by car or van on roads that are often poorly maintained, making the trip fairly inconvenient, albeit beautiful.

I journeyed there once in a car with three other passengers, all of whom were natives of Kapan now living in Yerevan. One of them, a friendly, middle-aged man, made it his mission the entire ride to show my partner and I the tastes of Armenias villages along the way. Everything from fresh peaches and home-made wine to warm lavash bread straight out of the tonir [a cylindrical stone oven]. What should have been a six-hour trip took an unprecedented nine hours.

On another occasion, I went with a colleague and two backpackers. We arranged for a taxi that could fit our massive travel bags, yet when the driver arrived, we were surprised to find the entire trunk and two seats of the car jam packed with boxes of cargo. Our group of four squeezed tightly into the car, only to discover we still had to pick up two more individuals. We tried to voice our concerns, but they were buffered with the proverbial: Amen inch lav klini, problem chka! [Everything will be good, no problem!]. When it became apparent we would not all fit, he demanded that we still pay the full amount for our trip (24,000 AMD [$50]) because this whole ordeal had taken so long, the remaining two passengers backed out of the arrangement. He left with 6000 AMD and we left with a bad taste in our mouths.

Most recently, I shared my car to Kapan with a young driver transporting his brother and two friends from a Parkour competition that took place in Yerevan that weekend. Grown Armenian men were performing back-flips for me at every stop to fill our gas tank. I was also enthusiastically introduced to the best khorovats [barbecue] of my life, located off the road in a ditch only locals could possibly know about. So local, in fact, that upon asking for the name of the restaurant, the owner and my driver exchanged knowing glances and my question was met with the phrase, Inch anoun? Anoun chouni! (What name? It has no name!).

The experiences Ive just described above are all products of a curious underground network of transportation in Armenia called the kisats taxi, or shared taxi. So many possible outcomes, each a result of the same unpredictable system. Its a phenomenon that has manifested in modern-day Armenia and its one that I find is quite unique to its time, and as my trips to Kapan more frequent, Ive come to reflect on its growing significanceboth in terms of Armenias past, as well as its future.

Getting to Kapan: Then and Now

Kapan is a unique glimpse into just how drastically transportation infrastructure has shifted in Armenia since Soviet times. Of Armenias one million or so yearly visitors, less than 1% of them make their way further south than Tatev. And, curiously enough, its not just tourists who arent traveling to Kapan. Many of Armenias own citizens have yet to make the trip.

But this was not always the case.

During the twentieth century, the Syunik region was an extremely lucrative asset to Soviet Armenia, strengthening its overall position in the USSR. Rich with natural assets, Kapan alone (the capital of Syunik) was host to over ten factories and, to the future detriment of its environment, contained one of the biggest copper and molybdenum mines in the entire Soviet Union.

Syuniks strategic importance was evident in its accessibility. Until 1991, a rail system existed to connect Armenias capital to its southern regions. Locals of Kapan, like Armen Kazaryan, owner of a ARK Armenia, a local NGO, recalls its convenience: It was an overnight train. It was so comfortable, perfect for business trips. You could do your work, and sleep on the way there, so you didnt lose any time. It was so efficient, in fact, that marshutkas and taxis were virtually obsolete in comparison.

There were also flights available from Yerevan to Kapan, traveling sometimes as frequently as three or four times a day. At its peak, Kapans little airport even offered direct flights to Moscow and Sochi several times per week.

Since independence however, the rail system has been terminated, as its route now travels through regions of Azerbaijan, and Kapans once charming, little airport (featured above) is now an abandoned space which the community now uses as a driving range, where young people can learn to operate cars for the first time.

Whereas before, marshutkas and cars were not utilized, the situation today is such that they are the only available form of transportation to Kapan, outside of a $180,000 helicopter ride.

The marshutkas that travel there are affordable, only 3500 AMD [$7], but leave only once a day at 7AM, and the conditions in these old, Soviet vans are often less-than-ideal. Taxis are also an option, but theyre simply not affordable if youre travelling alone, as a ride is usually somewhere around 25,000AMD [$50]. While this might be doable for some tourists, its not for locals, especially those who have to make the trip frequently.

Share A Taxi for A Day, Share A Story for A Lifetime

Shared taxis are by far the most popular way to get to Kapan. It is essentially a carpool, where you pay a flat rate based on where youre going. To Kapan, for example, 6,000AMD per passenger [$12]. Your car will consist of a random mix of people, likely native Armenians who happen to be traveling at the same time, as the shared taxi system is extremely insular and not advertised outside of local circles. Most locals, in fact, have trusted drivers they call whenever they need to make the trip.

The beauty (and also, frustration) of shared taxis is in its flexibility. There are no set schedules, meaning departure times vary from day to day based on travelers requests. This can be pretty convenient, since you have the option of leaving at different times during the day. But it can also be pretty inconvenient, as the driver picks up passengers from their doorstep. That means getting a private tour all over Yerevans most remote districts before even starting your trek to Kapan.

Requesting a spot in a shared taxi requires calling dispatcher, an informal third party with access to a network of drivers who are responsible for arranging rides for the next day according to incoming requests. The entire system is so underground, though, that just acquiring the number to a dispatcher is something you need a contact already in the loop in order to do. Dispatchers typically dont like it if you call too far in advance and if you try to even call 2 days before your trip, they will ask you to call again the day before to reserve your spot. Not exactly ideal for people who want to plan ahead.

In shared taxis, whether or not youll have a good experience is a lot like playing the lottery. Because drivers can often be more interested in making a buck than in the comfort of those in the backseat, passengers tend to get shafted. The overall atmosphere of the car, more often than not, depends on the mood and temperament of the driver, which--if it is poor--can make for a miserable, albeit memorable, experience--especially for long distance rides, like the one to Kapan.

But with all the disadvantages that come with a system that is so inaccessible to outsiders, one has to admit its also kind of exhilarating.

If you do manage to land a shared taxi with a good-natured driver who allows for a little leeway, local passengers of the car often request stops to pick up specialty foods and goods in regions along the way that only native Armenians could ever know about. And Southern Armenias nooks and crannies have so much to offer. So, what might start out as a day of disaster between absolute strangers might actually end up being an incredibly rewarding and authentic shared experience amongst locals and foreigners.

As much as we all hope for a more developed future transportation alternative, the informality of shared taxis is, in many ways, a charmingly unorthodox glimpse into modern Armenian culture--which has managed remain so insular for centuries, even in spite of massive Soviet reforms of the twentieth century.

Thanks to shared taxis to Kapan in particular, I have had some of my most treasured encounters with local cultures. For foreigners in general, its kind of a back-alley opportunity to experience the sights and tastes of Armenias regions without having to rely on or pay for a tour guide--even if that sometimes means being squeezed to the brim with bodies and baggage (an authentic Armenian experience in its own right).

And with that, Im left wondering While Armenia has so much to gain from some serious transportation reforms, what might we be losing in the process?

Karine Vann is a freelance writer, graphic designer, and activist based in Yerevan, originally from the Washington D.C. area. She is a musician by training and is passionate about the arts and the environment (in no particular order).
The press spokesperson for Frances Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development has issued the following statement regarding the meeting on April 16 in Vienna of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

France welcomes the results of the April 16 meeting in Vienna on the Nagorno Karabakh issue that allowed for the resumption of dialog between Armenia and Azerbaijan after the deadly clashes of April 2-5.

Presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev, in the presence of Harlem Desir, French Secretary of State for European Affairs, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, reiterated that they support maintain the ceasefire regime and a peaceful solution of the conflict. The parties also accepted the inclusion of confidence building measures, in addition to a mechanism for investigating incidents.

These are very important responsibilities. France calls on the parties to implement them and, as a Minsk Group Co-chair, with its American and Russian partners, will continue its role as a mediator.
Cap Times graphic artist Brandon Raygo won a gold award from the Milwaukee Press Club for this illustration on the Dec. 9, 2015 cover of the Cap Times.
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Community members and elected officials spoke about recommendations to reduce violence in the community during a press conference at the Boys 

15 Recommendations

1. Meet with leaders associated with recent incidents and offer gainful employment and training opportunities to help them become productive adults in return for ceasefire.

2. Implement a citywide Madison Alternative Policing Strategy

3. Offer a $10k reward for any homicide that is reported and leads to the arrest and conviction of any offender(s).

4. Organize a citywide gun back program twice a year in partnership with communities of faith

5. Create a targeted intervention program for young men between the ages of 18 and 40 who are former gang members or non-violent offenders and help them find life and career coaches to minimize them from committing another crime in Madison.

6. Hire former gang members as outreach workers who have street credibility but also have demonstrated that they have become productive adults to be a bridge between law enforcement officials and individuals who are considering a life of criminal activity.

7. Offer immediate assistance, protection and support to any person and their family who is willing to cooperate with police to help bring intelligence that can solve crime(s) in our community. A fund could be created to help cover this cost to assist law enforcement officials.

8. Ensure high quality, culturally competent mental health services that are widely accessible

9. Support a comprehensive violence prevention plan that include prevention, intervention, enforcement, rehabilitation and reentry programs

10. Fund grassroots, community outreach workers to work with neighborhood associations and community centers in targeted communities. The plan should also call for all community centers to stay open until 10 p.m. during the week, midnight on Saturdays with some programming on Sunday for at risk teens and young adults.

11. Offer universal school-based programs to reduce or prevent violent behavior in a given school and develop supportive strategies to reduce school suspensions across the board

12. Lobby for policies that address social determinants of violence such as unemployment, income inequality, rapid social change and education access

13. Implement a countywide reentry court program that allows young nonviolent offenders to learn trade skills and provides classes on anger management and communication

14. Treatment for substance abuse

15. Teach young children and families effective conflict resolution skills early.
More than 150 community leaders and residents gathered at Fountain on Life Covenant Church to launch a campaign to boost support for early childhood education. Those who attended were asked to invest in One City Early Learning, a new preschool that opened last fall on Madisons south side.
John Nichols: Paul Ryan's getting ready to serve as the engineer on the Trump train
A Union Center man is charged with abusing an infant.

Jeremy R. Clark, 32, is charged with physical abuse of a child  repeater. The sentence carries a maximum sentence of not more than $10,000 in fines and 3 years and six months imprisonment. The repeater charge comes from Clarks previous conviction in Marquette County for neglecting a child.

According to the criminal complaint, on Nov. 9, a baby less than two months old was brought to St Josephs Hospital in Hillsboro. The child was transferred to Gunderson Health System in La Crosse and then UW Health in Madison due to breathing issues and uncharacteristic lethargy.

An MRI of the child revealed two subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhages. One had occurred within the previous week, while the other was from a period of more than two weeks before the MRI. Bruising was observed on the left side of the forehead and knee of the child.

Juneau County Sheriffs Department detectives later interviewed a relative of Clark about the child. The relative said when she was at the house of Clark and his wife, Christina Clark, she witnessed a suspicious incident. The relative heard a loud noise and then heard Christina Clark ask, What the _____ is wrong with you?

Christina Clark then told the relative to talk to Jeremy Clark because he had knocked the childs bassinet into the wall.

When police interviewed Christina Clark Nov. 23 she told them she didnt see how Jeremy Clark could have hurt the child, unless he bounced his head when moving the bassinet.

Detectives investigated the medical files reports related to the childs injuries and found many issues.

The child had not been ill and seemed fine at his initial one month visit. A CT scan showed the multiple brain injuries, and said, IMPRESSION: Concern for abusive head trauma.

A consultation of a doctor at Gunderson said, IMPRESSION: Concern for abusive head trauma.

Another doctor at Gunderson said the issue was, Non-accidental traumatic injury to child.

The UW Health doctors said, It has to be relatively significant traumatic injury to cause this type of injury that there are two types of hemorrhages in there. There is one that is at least a few weeks old.

Another UW Health doctor said the child was noted to have seizure activity. Per Healthlink review, the seizures were considered secondary to the subdural hemorrhages.

The doctor continued to say the victim presents bleeding in both the subdural and subarachnoid areas of the brain, and imaging does show that the area of bleeding in the spaces are of different ages. This suggests at least two separate incidences of injury leading to bleeding in the subdural space of the head. There is no reported history for how either of these episodes of bleeding have occurred.

Sheriffs deputies also spoke with an inmate who was in jail with Jeremy Clark. He said Clark told him he hurt the child while dragging the bassinet out of the room and it tipped over. He also said Christina Clark had previously dropped the baby.

A summon has been filed for Jeremy Clark to appear in Juneau County Court at 9 a.m. June 22. He is not currently in the Juneau County Jail.

He has had multiple convictions in Wisconsin  including drug and battery charges.
Plans for the Near East Side entrepreneurial hub StartingBlock Madison are now taking shape without a maker space that had been considered a key anchor of the project.

The StartingBlock proposal, slated for the 800 block of East Washington Avenue, is expected to be introduced to the City Council in July in the hope that construction can begin before the end of 2016.

But those plans will not include Sector67, a very disappointing development, said both StartingBlock executive director Scott Resnick and Sector67 founder and director Chris Meyer.

Meyer has been in on project planning from the start. I spent, for three years, every Thursday morning, at least two hours working on that project, he said.

But terms of a contract offered by StartingBlock earlier this year did not meet the criteria Sector67 needs: a low-cost property that Sector67 would own, or at least lease on a long-term basis, Meyer said.

They wanted a five-year lease with an option to renew, Meyer said. Whos to say that that provides any more stability than we have now?

Sector67, currently at 2100 Winnebago St. on an annual lease, houses machines that include computers, 3D printers, milling machines, welding equipment, industrial sewing machines and a car lift.

Its very important for us to have permanent space with the variety of equipment we have, Meyer said. Some tools weigh about 6,000 pounds apiece.

Price was also a factor, he said. Without its separately owned space, the nonprofit Sector67 would have to pay property taxes as part of StartingBlock, putting the estimated annual lease at $30,000 a year, said Meyer.

Right now, we pay $50,000 a year for rent. So it doesnt make any sense to move to a place that costs two-thirds of what we pay now, he said.

Sector67 is instead very actively looking at different real estate options, Meyer said.

Resnick, whos also been in the core planning group, said the real stumbling block for Sector67 came when the StartingBlock project moved from other potential sites and became part of an eight-story office tower.

American Family Insurance Group will build and own the building. StartingBlock will occupy two floors, with 50,000 square feet, and American Family will move some of its offices into the other six floors.

Resnick said the industrial nature of Sector67 made it hard to accommodate in the latest project plan. For example, the maker space holds an annual iron pour outdoors, in which participants craft items out of molten iron. In addition, welding and auto mechanics would require special safety equipment and heating and air conditioning modifications.

Resnick said StartingBlock now plans a less-elaborate space with a 3D printer, laser cutters and other equipment. It would not have the same gritty feel; it would be more of a clean fab (fabrication) lab, he said.

As for tenants, Resnick said he expects organizations such as the gener8tor business accelerator and Capital Entrepreneurs mentorship group to be housed within StartingBlock as well as a number of startups and small businesses. Negotiations are in progress with game development company PerBlue. MobileIgniter, which connects physical objects to the computer cloud, and online grocery ordering GrocerKey are prospects, too.

StartingBlock is still trying to raise money. The project has drawn about $2.5 million of the $3 million it needs to build its space, Resnick said. That includes $1.5 million from the city of Madison.

In addition to the American Family building, the total project includes an adjacent office tower, by Gebhardt Development, with a performing arts venue and commercial space.

A parking ramp would be built across the street, at Main and Livingston streets. Plans for the parking ramp are one reason for delays in the project, Resnick said. A year ago, those involved in StartingBlock hoped it would open in early winter of 2016; now, their goal is for completion in late 2017.

But Resnick said he is confident the project will be built: This is going to happen.
Conflict resolution training, increased employment opportunities and a gun buy-back program are among 15 ideas being offered by leaders from local nonprofits and black churches in response to a rash of shooting deaths in the Madison area.

Boys and Girls Club of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson gathered black community leaders and elected officials Monday in Fitchburg, just a block from Madisons Allied Drive neighborhood to unveil a plan to curb violence. The plan targets racial disparities in education, employment and health, but also aims to grow cooperation with police in mitigating the prominence of gangs.

When you look at the disparities that exist in this community  disparities in education, mass incarceration  if we dont begin to address these issues, its going to be a long summer, Johnson said. I want to encourage this community: If not this plan, what plan will you rally around to make sure that our kids are safe?

In this community, we announce way too many initiatives that we dont put any money behind. That has to stop, he said.

Johnson said its time for elected officials to stop over-studying racial-disparity problems and start funding solutions to them. His challenge comes after a string of three homicides in less than a month.

The series of homicides started early April 19, when Martez Moore, 30, of Madison, was shot after a disturbance in the parking lot of a Far West Side bar.

Three weeks later, Madison Police Chief Mike Koval said Darius Haynes, 38, of Madison, was summarily executed last Tuesday as he sat in a car at a Verona Road gas station.

The next day, Elijah James Washington III, 28, also of Madison, was fatally shot at a gas station in the town of Madison.

The suspect in the third shooting, Kortney D. Moore, 28, of Madison, is the brother of the victim in the first.

Johnsons proposals to mitigate violence include:

Offering gang members jobs or job training opportunities in exchange for a cease-fire.

Creating a citizen-led program that would work with police and other community groups on violence prevention.

Offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in homicide cases.

Holding a gun buy-back program twice a year that would offer $250 for handguns and $500 for semi-automatic weapons.

Creating an intervention program with life and career coaching for young men.

Hiring former gang members to do outreach between police and people vulnerable to becoming gang members.

Creating a fund to provide assistance and protection from retaliation to people willing to help police.

Expand access to culturally competent mental health services.

Supporting a comprehensive violence prevention plan that includes prevention, intervention, enforcement, rehabilitation and re-entry programs for offenders.

Funding community outreach workers and expanded hours for community centers.

Creating a universal violence prevention program for schools and reducing out-of-school suspensions.

Lobbying to address factors that lead to crime and violence, such as unemployment, income inequality and education.

Implementing a re-entry program for nonviolent offenders to learn a trade and take anger management classes.

Expanding substance abuse treatment.

Teaching children and their parents conflict-resolution strategies from a young age.

Johnson was joined at Mondays event by a slew of elected officials, including state Rep. Melissa Sargent, Madison Alds. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff and Mark Clear, and Fitchburg Mayor Steve Arnold.

Johnson acknowledged property tax dollars are strained, but said local governments and nonprofit groups should focus on other funding mechanisms, such as soda or cigarettes taxes, or consider creating a government office that would work with nonprofit groups to secure federal grants and philanthropic dollars.Were leaving money on the table because we dont have advancement people bringing in those federal dollars to support our community programs, he said.

Madison Alds. Maurice Cheeks, 10th District, and Matt Phair, 20th District, on Monday announced plans to unveil their own evidence-based violence prevention initiatives and other city budget recommendations targeting youth violence before Tuesdays City Council meeting.

Cheeks said the initiatives are based on best practices in other cities and had been in the works for months prior to the streak of gun violence.

Ald. Phair and I represent districts that have been certainly affected over the course of our time in office by violence, and in some cases gun-related violence, Cheeks said.

We were planning to make it public in some way, but given current events, we felt like it was important to take extra measures to ensure that the community knew the council was working on proactive measure to address root causes of violence.

Cheeks declined to comment on the content of the initiatives until Tuesday. Johnson said he has seen them and added that they are in line with the goals of his 15-point plan.
Bail for Zachary Hays, charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting of a woman in a passing car near Lake Delton about 2 weeks ago, was set at $500,000 Tuesday in Sauk County Circuit Court.

Hays, 20, of West Allis, appeared by telephone from UW Hospital in Madison, where he remains hospitalized after he was shot by police later on May 1, after officers stopped the SUV he was driving on Interstate 39-90-94.

Hays is also charged with first-degree reckless homicide for the shooting death of a neighbor in his West Allis apartment building earlier the same day.

Hays is scheduled for an initial appearance in Sauk County on June 9.

A criminal complaint filed in Sauk County states that Hays brother, Jeremy Hays, 30, told police he was concerned for his own safety, claiming that Zachary Hays had threatened to kill him if he left the SUV that Zachary Hays was driving.

Police said that Zachary Hays fired at random at a passing vehicle, killing Tracy Czaczkowski, 44, of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, who was traveling with her husband and two children.

Jeremy Hays was released from the Dane County Jail on a signature bond on May 9, but on Tuesday a warrant was issued for his arrest after a court commissioner determined that he violated one of the conditions of his signature bond by going into an area in West Allis where he was told not to go.

The Dane County Bail Monitoring Program recommended that he be terminated from the program after a GPS monitor indicated that on Monday, he went within a four-block radius of the residence where the homicide took place. Jeremy Hays bail will be re-instated at $20,000 when he is arrested.

Jeremy Hays, who was initially arrested on a tentative charge of possession of a firearm by a felon, is scheduled to be back in court on Monday. Another brother who was in the vehicle, Jeff Hays, 34, who is cognitively disabled, was released back to his Milwaukee-area group home without criminal charges.
A crash in Lodi Monday night was caused by the female driver suffering a medical emergency that resulted in her death, police say.

The Columbia County 911 Center was called at about 7:10 p.m. Monday by a passerby who saw a vehicle about 60 feet off the road on Sauk Street near the intersection with Valley Drive, Lodi police said.

The passerby checked on the vehicle and found an unresponsive female on the passenger floor of the vehicle, police said.

Police, EMS, paramedics and sheriff's deputies all tried to revive the woman but were unsuccessful.

"The preliminary reports are that the female suffered a medical emergency which caused the crash," said Police Chief Scott Klicko.

The victim's name has not been released pending notification of family.
MONROE  A judge on Monday denied a motion from a Belleville woman in prison for embezzling from a New Glarus nursing home that would have ordered the Green County District Attorney to produce key documents she believed were purposely hidden from her prior to her conviction.

Green County Circuit Judge Thomas J. Vale based much of his ruling on an invitation to the attorney for Joyce Ziehli from Green County District Attorney Gary Luhman to inspect thousands of New Glarus Home documents prior to Ziehlis agreement in October 2014 to plead no contest to five counts of theft of more than $10,000 from a business.

The state did not lay in wait to ambush (Ziehli), said Vale. This was a voluntary plea on the part of the defendant (after) the defendant had access to that correspondence and that information.

Ziehli, 57, who was the nursing homes bookkeeper for 31 years, was sentenced by Vale in March 2015 to 2 years in prison, 15 years of extended supervision and ordered to pay $296,000 in restitution.

Ziehli accepted the plea deal and agreed to the restitution amount because she believed someone had destroyed the records she needed to disprove some prosecutors claims and to show that the actual theft amounts were much lower, according to the motion filed by her new attorney, Cole Ruby.

Had she known they existed, she wouldnt have accepted the plea deal, Ruby wrote in the motion.

Ziehli learned the documents existed when former New Glarus Home executive director Rick Colby told a private detective hired by Ruby that all the nursing home records that he was ordered to produce, including key journal and ledger entries, were gathered and given to DA Luhman about two weeks before the plea deal was reached, the motion said.

Colby took the executive director post in September 2013, nine months after the accusations against Ziehli surfaced. Colby resigned this January so he could tend to an ill family member.

Ruby told the court Monday that Vales ruling made it appear that Ziehlis first attorney, Robert Duxstad, made a critical error by not following through on Luhmans invitation. But Ruby pointed out that Duxstad filed a motion to dismiss the case one month after receiving the invitation because Luhman failed to follow through on Vales orders to produce specific files Duxstad said were key to Ziehlis defense.

Vale agreed that Luhman didnt provide those records but said Ziehlis voluntary plea deal ended her hopes of getting them.

The question is: Did they have an obligation to (provide those records) when there was a voluntary plea entered that ended the proceedings essentially? Vale said.

One of the critical points to me is (the DAs office) did not have those records in their possession. They noted they were out there. They did not believe there was additional exculpatory information there. They werent attempting to hide some known fact that would have benefited the defense.

Vale said Ziehlis beliefs that the records were destroyed have not been proven, while Luhmans invitation to her attorney is not in dispute.

The district attorney made a very specific statement that were not going further with the discovery and did not after there was a voluntary plea agreement reached, he said.

Ziehli is planning on appealing the case, said her husband, Andy Ziehli.
Another group of professors declared they don't have confidence in the leaders of the University of Wisconsin System on Monday, as UW-Stout faculty members became the latest to rebuke the state's top public higher education officials.

Six of the UW System's 13 campuses have now seen faculty members approve votes of no confidence in the system's Board of Regents and President Ray Cross. The votes come in the wake of state funding cuts and the approval new tenure policies that made it easier to lay off professors -- changes faculty say threaten the quality of UW institutions.

The UW-Stout Faculty Senate passed a resolution Monday afternoon declaring they have no confidence in Cross or the Regents' "commitment to oppose further reductions in state aid for the UW System and in their commitment to the Wisconsin Idea," the university's cherished outreach mission.

UW officials have defended their actions, saying they have tried to work with state legislators as they advocate for the system.

Republican lawmakers, including Gov. Scott Walker, have derided the votes as an overreaction to the budget cuts and changes to tenure.

Faculty groups at UW's Madison, Milwaukee, La Crosse, River Falls and Green Bay campuses have also passed no confidence votes.

UW-Parkside professors approved a similar resolution on Friday expressing disappointment with the new tenure policies, but decided not to include a statement of no confidence; faculty at UW-Eau Claire discussed such a resolution but have not yet taken a vote on it.
With the 2017 budget process approaching, two Madison City Council members are proposing a number of recommendations to get at root causes of gun violence among young men.

On the steps of the City-County Building, Alds. Maurice Cheeks, 10th District, and Matt Phair, 20th District, unveiled nine recommendations Tuesday that range from increasing funding for existing programs to creating a new restoration center that would divert mentally ill people from being booked into jail.

The recommendations were outlined in a 33-page memo that analyzed 15-year trends of Madison gun violence committed by people under age 26. They come at a time when Madison-area leaders are grappling with how to respond to a string of three homicides in just over three weeks.

Cheeks and Phair identified five of the recommendations as low-cost, easy to implement initiatives, and four as higher-cost, direct intervention programs. In a Monday email, Cheeks acknowledged all nine were certainly too many to propose at once, but drew special attention to four of the low-cost and one of the higher-cost initiatives.

Those recommendations are:

Creating a Madison Peace Project, based on a similarly named Milwaukee program that tasks children with brainstorming ways to reduce gun violence. The best ideas would be funded by the city and the program would serve to raise awareness of gun violence among children and help develop leadership skills.

Increasing funding for Madisons Communities Against Violence program, which pairs violent offenders with mentors and case workers to help reduce recidivism.

Increasing coordination and tracking of youth employment opportunities. The city already funds a youth employment program. The recommendation calls for exploring ways to measure its effect and strengthen partnerships with other entities.

Increasing funding and creating partnerships with existing providers and employers for youth mentoring programs.

Creating a restoration center, similar to one in San Antonio, Texas, that would divert mentally ill people from being booked into jail and focus on treatment. Funding for the facility could be split between local governments, Medicaid, health insurers and private sponsors.

Cheeks said Monday the initiatives were not drafted in response to the recent homicides, but added that the retaliatory violence associated with the killings begged for more to be done to address it.

Were standing here to respond to the outcry of a city, a city that expects more of itself, that expects more of its children, that expects more for its safety, Cheeks said Tuesday afternoon.

The series of homicides started early April 19, when Martez Moore, 30, of Madison, was shot after a disturbance in the parking lot of a Far West Side bar.

Three weeks later, Madison Police Chief Mike Koval said Darius Haynes, 38, of Madison, was summarily executed May 10 as he sat in a car at a Verona Road gas station.

The next day, Elijah James Washington III, 28, also of Madison, was fatally shot at a gas station in the town of Madison.

The suspect in the third shooting, Kortney D. Moore, 28, of Madison, is the brother of the victim in the first.Other community leaders have also offered possible solutions to mitigate gun violence in the wake of the shooting deaths.

On Monday, Boys and Girls Club of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson gathered leaders of churches and nonprofit organizations together with elected officials in Fitchburg to unveil his own 15-point plan to curb violence.

The plan offered suggestions to tackle racial disparities in education, employment and mental health, but also aimed to grow neighborhood cooperation with police in addressing gang violence.

The most public picture of black women cannot be holding hands after their son or daughter dies, said Tutankhamun Assad, founder of the Mellowhood Foundation community outreach organization for the Southwest Side.

The Cheeks and Phair recommendations come as work on next years city operating budget is taking shape.

The two began working on the recommendations several months ago to address ongoing problems with violence in their West and Southwest side districts, Cheeks said.

The analysis that accompanied their recommendations looked at Madison Police Department data and found conflicting trends when it came to youth violence over the last 15 years.

It found arrests of people age 26 and under involving guns have trended upward since 2000, but said the increase does not appear to be significant. It attributed the increase partially to correlating population growth.

State Journal reporter Logan Wroge contributed to this report.

The most public picture of black women cannot be holding hands after their son or daughter dies. Tutankhamun Assad

Mellowhood Foundation founder
Department of Corrections officials and law enforcement are investigating the death of an inmate earlier this month at a state prison in Oshkosh, DOC officials confirmed Tuesday.

Daniel Tanner, 31, died on May 5 while serving a sentence at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution, DOC spokesman Tristan Cook confirmed on Tuesday.

Cook said in an email DOC contacted the Oshkosh Police Department, which launched an investigation into Tanner's death. Police department officials declined to comment.

Cook said DOC also is conducting an internal investigation into Tanner's death, but declined to answer questions about how and when Tanner's body was found or if Tanner had a history of illness.

State records show Tanner was convicted in 2005 of selling cocaine and possessing THC.
State Sen. Mary Lazich, urging fellow Republican senators to enact a voter ID requirement in a closed-door meeting in 2011, told her colleagues to consider its impact in the Democratic strongholds of Milwaukee and the states college campuses, a top aide to a former GOP senator testified in federal court Monday.

Congressman Glenn Grothman, serving at that time as a state senator, said in the same meeting that he supported voter ID because it would help Republicans win elections, according to the aide, Todd Allbaugh.

Other Republican lawmakers in the meeting appeared giddy at those prospects, Allbaugh testified. At the time of the meeting, he was chief of staff to then-Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center.

What Im concerned about here is winning, Grothman, of Campbellsport, told his GOP colleagues, Allbaugh said.

Lazich, of New Berlin, one of the bills co-sponsors, told her Republican colleagues weve got to think about what this would mean for neighborhoods in Milwaukee and college campuses, Allbaugh said.

Democrats tend to fare well in elections in those areas, including in Milwaukee, home to a large share of Wisconsins African-American and Latino populations.

Critics of voter ID, including the plaintiffs of the lawsuit in which Allbaugh testified Monday, have argued it disproportionately hinders voting by racial minorities and young voters who are less likely to have IDs that meet the requirement.

Monday was the first day of trial for the lawsuit, which challenges voter ID and other recent changes to Wisconsin election law.

Allbaughs comments Monday were his most detailed account to date of his charge that Republican lawmakers secretly discussed that voter ID would be politically advantageous to their party before enacting it. In Wisconsin, voter ID largely has been on hold since its enactment due to court challenges; it took effect in a statewide election for the first time this year.

Others testifying in Mondays trial spoke of difficulties they encountered to get special IDs for voting from the state Department of Transportation.

One woman testified her elderly father, born in Mississippi during the Jim Crow period, was unable to get an ID because his name was misspelled on his birth certificate.

Josh Kaul, an attorney for the plaintiffs in the case, which include progressive groups and individual Wisconsinites who struggled to obtain voter IDs, also castigated lawmakers for failing to fund a public informational campaign about voter ID as the law requires.

The state elections board recently requested $250,000 from lawmakers for such a campaign, and lawmakers are expected to take up that request soon.

State: Concrete proof

required for claims

The state Attorney Generals office, which is defending the state against the suit, gave an opening statement in which it dismissed testimony about senators remarks five years ago as hearsay.

Assistant Attorney General Clay Kawski told Judge James D. Peterson that the standard must be high to show there was intentional racial discrimination by supporters of voter ID and other laws.

These are very serious claims, and they require very concrete proof, Kawski said.

Lazich, Schultz and Grothman couldnt be reached Monday to respond to Allbaughs testimony.

Allbaugh said it was apparent to him and others in the meeting that Lazich and Grothman were referring to making it more difficult for certain demographic groups to vote.

It was absolutely clear to me, Allbaugh testified.

Some GOP senators in the caucus meeting, including Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Brookfield, and former Sen. Randy Hopper, R-Fond du Lac, appeared giddy at those suggestions, Allbaugh testified.

Others, including Sens. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, and Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, and former Sen. Neal Kedzie, R-Elkhorn, appeared ashen-faced and troubled by the suggestion, Allbaugh said.

Allbaugh said his boss, Schultz, interjected into the closed-caucus discussion, asking lawmakers to step back and consider the ramifications of what they were discussing.

Schultz  speaking to the Wisconsin State Journal in April, before Allbaugh fully detailed his claims  said he wasnt present at the caucus meeting during the portion that Allbaugh was describing. Schultz also said he was honor-bound not to disclose private conversations that occur in a closed caucus, but described Allbaugh as honest and trustworthy and beyond reproach.

Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, told the State Journal last month that he had no recollection of anyone being giddy about anything related to voter ID during a closed caucus meeting.

Voter ID was made law in 2011 by a Republican-led Legislature and GOP Gov. Scott Walker.

First time naming names

Allbaughs testimony expanded on controversial remarks he made on social media on the eve of Wisconsins April 5 spring election. Allbaugh, also a former aide to former GOP Congressman Scott Klug, R-Madison, wrote on Facebook last month that the voter ID law was the last straw for why he left the Republican Party and that some GOP senators were privately giddy about its prospects for suppressing voting by minorities and college students.

Monday was the first time Allbaugh named names for his claim about voter suppression.

Allbaugh testified Monday that he was a loyal Republican for many years despite key differences with the party. Those included his objections, as a gay man, to the Defense of Marriage Act, he said.

But Allbaugh said the voter ID discussion was a turning point in his personal affiliation with the GOP.

At that moment, in that room, I could not continue to stay with the party, Allbaugh said.

Grothman drew fire from Democrats on April 5 when he told a Milwaukee TV reporter that the GOP presidential nominee has a chance of winning Wisconsin this year for the first time since 1984 partly because photo ID is going to make a little bit of a difference.

Allbaughs testimony is key to certain claims in the lawsuit, which challenges the voter ID requirement as well as other recent election law changes by Walker and GOP lawmakers.

Also challenged are restrictions to early voting and the elimination of straight-ticket voting and corroboration, the process by which a voter can vouch for another voters residency when they register.

Plaintiffs in the suit include One Wisconsin Institute, the research arm of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, and Citizen Action of Wisconsin Education Fund.

The trial is expected to last nine days, according to an order filed by Peterson last week.
Last week's cold weather that included snow squalls in some parts of Wisconsin has farmers across the state concerned about frost damage to newly emerged crops and fruit blossoms, according to a national agricultural report.

Farmers continued to plant crops in earnest while they waited to determine how much damage was created by last week's frost, the report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service said.

Planting progress for corn, soybean and oats is ahead of the five-year average but behind last year's record-setting pace. Corn was planted in 76 percent of the state's fields as of Sunday, which was 10 days ahead of the five-year average but two days behind last year's pace, the NASS report said.

Corn had emerged in 17 percent of the state's fields, three days ahead of the five-year average but three days behind last year's pace. Soybeans were planted in 33 percent of the state's fields, five days ahead of average but three days behind the 2015 pace. Finally, 91 percent of the oats crop was planted, which put it 12 days ahead of average and one day behind last year.

In the south-central Wisconsin district that includes Dane County, 82 percent of the corn crop is planted and 21 percent has emerged, 35 percent of soybeans have been planted, and 95 percent of oats have been planted and 82 percent has emerged, the NASS report said.

Meantime, the first cutting of alfalfa is 2 percent complete. The northeastern district had the most winter freeze damage, with 14 percent of its alfalfa crop showing moderate to severe damage. In south-central Wisconsin, just 3 percent showed moderate damage while 66 percent showed no damage.
Thomas Robins and his lawyer filed a class action lawsuit against Spokeo, an internet search engine which provides free data on people , such as their age, address and occupation. Robins contends some of the information Spokeo disseminated to someone was interested in him was inaccurate, such as his age, marital status and approximate income. He wanted a federal court to certify a giant class of people who have been damaged by Spokeos supposed inaccurate data. But Mr. Robins did not suffer any actual damage. His argument was that he should be awarded the statutory $100 even if he was not harmed in any real way by the supposed inaccuracies.

There are dozens of federal and state laws providing for damages in the event of a violation. The Fair Credit Reporting Act is one of them. If a credit bureau provides inaccurate information about you to a lender or employer, theoretically, have a right to sue and get damages of at least $100/violation. But the Constitution limits the jurisdiction of federal courts to actual cases or controversies. In order to have a case, a plaintiff needs to have standing which is a legalism for damage caused by the defendant.

The very activist and left-leaning Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco agreed with Robins. Today the Supreme Court said no by a vote of 6-2. A plaintiff, it held, must show actual harm in order to have standing to file a lawsuit in federal court. A mere procedural violation, it stated, like giving an inaccurate zip code in a credit report, can and usually is, harmless. It ordered the case to go back to the district court where Mr. Robins and his class action lawyers will have to show he suffered some sort of damage caused by Spokeos alleged inaccurate report on him. This will likely be the end of his case.

And it should be the end of a lot of others. There are dozens of class actions filed in which plaintiffs seek nominal damages for some type of misconduct which creative lawyers dress up to be civil rights, or credit reporting, or antitrust violations. But the violation has been technical or procedural, and the case is driven by the desire to extort attorneys fees. And I say this as a plaintiffs lawyer handling civil RICO cases.

Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor dissented and would have allowed the case to proceed. The Supreme Court has one vacancy which will be filled after the election. It will likely have two or three more in the next four years. It is cases like this one that convince me I have to compromise my principles and vote for Donald Trump.
SPRINGFIELD - After a meeting of the state legislature's leadership and the governor Tuesday, both Democrat and Republican leaders emerged with reports that both sides on the budget impasse appear to be loosening, as each voiced a willingness to compromise on FY 2017 state budget negotiations.

Senate President John Cullerton reported that Governor Bruce Rauner confirmed that he's willing to consider revenue increase - an income tax hike - if government reforms from his Turnaround Illinois agenda were on the table.

"I thought it was productive. The main thing I wanted to accomplish was that the Governor said he was in favor of revenue enhancements," Cullerton said. He said the state needed a $4.4 billion tax hike.

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin said he was encouraged that for the first time, Speaker Madigan said he was willing to consider reforms the governor is demanding in a "grand compromise."

"I'm pleased to say after many, many months of objection by the Speaker to discuss any type of reform, the Speaker has indicated he will open negotiations on collective bargaining, local government, pension reform and also workmen's compensation reform. Those are the key to breaking the impasse," Durkin said.

Senate MInority Leader Christine Radogno said she was skeptical that Madigan was sincere in the interest he expressed, saying "He's said that before," and nothing came of the expectations he had raised.

Working groups of the FY 2017 budget are reportedly scheduled to meet immediately to discuss the budget. Two weeks left before the May 31st deadline.

The press conference can be viewed on Blueroomstream.
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- With falling crime, a dozen former prisons in the Netherlands are now being used to house the influx of migrants and refugees, officials say.



Nearly 60,000 migrants and refugees arrived in the Netherlands in 2015 and needed to be housed somewhere.



"We were looking for reception centers when the Justice Ministry asked us to look into empty prisons," Alet Bouwmeester, a spokeswoman at COA (a government agency responsible for housing asylum seekers), told ABC News in a phone interview.



"Although much had to be rebuilt, we realized there was a possibility with the prisons," Bouwmeester added.



Walls surrounding some of the prisons were taken down. Doors were changed and railings were removed.



"In some prisons, we've transformed two cells into one room. Some asylum-seekers like the privacy it gives them," Bouwmeester said.



"People initially reacted with suspicion, pointing that some refugees might not be able to deal with being in a former prison after being imprisoned in their home countries," Bouwmeester said. "But now I think many believe it was a good idea."

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Students at the NLUJA, Assam have been holding a strike since Monday, as the facilities which they were promised in lieu of high fees charged, have not been provided.

By India Today Web Desk: Students at National Law University and Judicial Academy (NLUJA), Assam have been protesting and holding a strike since Monday, as the facilities which they were promised in lieu of high fees charged, have not been provided to them. An indefinite strike has been called and the classes have also been suspended.

What lead to the strike?

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According to livelaw reports, students started protesting only after the authorities gave a neglected response to the students, despite a peaceful appeal made by them. The students have also requested for the construction of permanent campus at Amingaon. But, till now, there have been no reports of the request getting fulfilled.

Amount charged:



The students have alleged that Rs 2, 14,000 have been charged for the first year and thereon Rs 1, 76,000 per annum. In return, they were promised certain services which have not yet been provided and are mostly non-existent. Also, the students have requested that a refund be made/ fee be adjusted, but to no avail. Moreover, the authorities who have delayed the process for more than three years have been laying out different reasons, and disheartening the students.

Later on, when the concerned administrative bodies held a discussion regarding the same, the students were not permitted to present their case before them though the university authorities gave them an assurance to discuss. In order to control the chaotic situation, the police and paramilitary forces were called on the campus, but this further annoyed the students.

Also, in the year 2014, over 200 students protested against the poor facilities provided by the university and submitted a 12 page memorandum titled "A Saga of the Grieved Souls".

Read: NDA government to announce new education policy before May 26: Smriti Irani



Read: CBSE results: Delay hampers PolyCET admission process



For information on more latest news and updates, click here.



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In response to a query raised at the IndiaTV conclave, Smriti Irani said that the NDA government will be announcing a new education policy before May 26.

By India Today Web Desk: In response to a query raised at the IndiaTV conclave, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government will be announcing a new education policy before it finishes two years in office on May 26.

The new Education Policy : In Irani's own words



According to reports, she said "Under the new education policy, National Council Of Educational Research And Training (NCERT) will address all those challenges facing the education system and that it needs to address many issues as even students say they know more about renaissance than about Maharana Pratap."

She also said that lots of initiatives are being taken by the government in order to provide education to all and an endeavour 'Swayam' was being undertaken with the help of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), central universities, NITs and some private universities for providing free online education to children for classes 9 to 12, including board examinations.

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No-detention policy to be reviewed:



Recently, the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government had also introduced a no-detention policy. A review is being carried out and a decision will be taken soon regarding the same. Irani said "No-Detention Policy has led to students being unable to cope in Class 9. The state governments want it scrapped."

She also said "It will provide quality education online through a portal and mobile app in ten Indian languages for classes 9, 10, 11 and 12, including board exams. It will start in the next two months and Indian students enrolled through it can get free education online and only money will be paid for giving exams.

Need for technical education:



She also stressed the need to spread technical education, saying that under the government's 'Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan', IITs, IIMs and central universities have adopted five villages in 90 districts across the country to boost education and technical know-how. (Read: 8 village clusters across India now adopted by IIT-Delhi under Unnat Bharat plan)





Read: IIT Kharagpur signs MOU with Curtin University, Australia for offering Dual Doctoral Degree programme



Read: Traditional style of studying is better than digital: MIT speaks against digitised classrooms



For information on more latest news and updates, click here.



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In a live Facebook interaction today Smriti Irani talked about education policy, delay of state results and other related educational problems happening in this country. Here is the minister's reaction on some recent educational issues in our country.

By India Today Web Desk: In a live Facebook interaction today, on May 17, HRD Minister Smriti Irani talked about the new education policy, delay of state results and other related educational problems plaguing in this country. Here is the minister's reaction on some recent educational issues in India.



On delay of board results:



Irani said, "Last October 2015, under the chairmanship of Secretary School Education, we held a meeting with all the state board and decision was taken that all results across the country will surely be declared by May 31st. Since education is in the concurrent list, we at the Center have to respect the right of state government to engage with students through their board at their administrative convenience." Regarding delay of CBSE results, she said that the results will be out on time.



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On 'One' education policy all over India:



The HRD Minister said, "In a nation wherein education is not only in the concurrent list but also needs to cater to the students with different linguistic abilities, diversity in academics is celebrated."



Quality education is falling in engineering colleges:



Irani said, "We have now allowed engineering institutions to start skill-based education in second shift using the same infrastructure. AICTE is also appealing institutions to update their syllabus so that students can benefit from new knowledge and become industry compliant. Through GIAN we have helped state institutions to help gain access to foreign academicians who come and teach and infuse world class knowledge."



Free CBSE and NCERT books:



She said, "NCERT books in English, Hindi and Urdu from classes 1 to 12 are available free on e-Pathshala. CBSE schools have been issued circulars wherein students cannot be compelled by books outside the syllabus from a particular shop that school seeks to engage."

Teacher recruitment:



The Minister said, "Teacher recruitment and transfer are decisions falling within the ambit of the state government. However, I can say here that education is not for profit sector, hence anybody seeking to profiteer or any level of harassment should immediately be brought to the notice of the concerned state authority."



NEET controversy:



She said, "NEET is within the jurisdiction of Health Ministry not HRD."



Constitution needs to be included in the syllabus



Irani said, "It is a good idea. Infact, celebration of Constitution day in schools bore us good results. Students were really engaged and interested."



Read: UP board topper Sakshi Verma played chess to score 98.20 percent.

Read: Dabi's score of 52 percent reflects the strict pattern of civil services exam.

Click here to get the latest updates on exam related news.

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By PTI: Kendrapara (Odisha), May 17 (PTI) At least 100 gm of gold was seized from a bank locker allotted to a close aide of controversial self-styled godman Sarathi Baba currently lodged in a jail, police said today.

Crime Branch sleuths of Odisha Police yesterday seized 100 gm gold from the locker owned by Pradeep Sahoo at the main branch of Kendrapara Urban Cooperative Bank, a police official said.

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"We have initiated a probe to ascertain whether the gold was ill-gotten," the official said.

Police had rendred inoperative the accounts of Sarathi Baba and his Satyam Charitable Trust in State Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Punjab National Bank and United Bank and Urban Cooperative Bank in Kendrapara in December last year.

The self?styled godman has been languishing in jail since his arrest from his ashram in Barimula village on the outskirts of Kendrapara town on August 8 last year.

He was booked under section 420 (cheating), 467 (Forgery) 468, (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 471 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 506 (criminal intimidation), 321 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and 25 of Arms Act, police said. PTI COR SKN CR GVS LNS

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By PTI: Kolkata, May 17 (PTI) Twelve gold bars valued at Rs 36.72 lakh was today seized from a Bangladeshi national at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International airport here, officials said.

Based on specific information, Air Intelligence Unit officers of Kolkata Customs found the gold bars concealed in the private parts of the passenger, a customs officer said, adding, the bars weighed 1.2 kgs.

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The passenger was identified as 33-year-old Abdul Qayum who had arrived here from Kuala Lumpur on an Air Asia flight. PTI CORR MM KND

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By PTI: Rameswaram (TN) May 16 (PTI) Thirty-four fishermen from Tamil Nadu, arrested by the Sri Lankan naval personnel last month for allegedly entering their countrys waters, were today ordered to be released by courts in the island nation.

The courts orders come close on the heels of Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisenas visit to India on May 13 during which he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed among other issues the problems faced by Indian fishermen.

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While 13 fishermen, arrested on April 15, were set free by the Oorkavalthurai Court, the others, detained on April 21, were ordered to be released by a court in Mannar, local Fishermens Association president Emirite said quoting information received by him.

Of the 13 fishermen, four were from Rameswaram and nine others belonged to Nagapattinam.

The other group of 21 fishermen were from Pamban and Thangachimadam, he said.

However, their boats had not been released, he added.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had last month urged Modi to take immediate action in securing the release of all 55 fishermen and 91 fishing boats, detained by the Sri Lankan navy in recent months. PTI COR SSN ROH VS KIS MAV

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The BJP has been trying to cook Harish Rawat government's goose for a while now and Vijay Bahuguna and Harak Singh Rawat were their main weapons in this fight.

By Brijesh Pandey: Life, sometimes, can take an about-turn. In a matter of days, the nine rebel MLAs from Uttarakhand, who were the cynosure of all eyes, have been turned into outcasts.

The BJP has been trying to cook Harish Rawat government's goose for a while now and Vijay Bahuguna and Harak Singh Rawat were their main weapons in this fight.

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They two had been raising the banner of revolt, trying to offer Uttarakhand on a platter to the Modi government. The BJP, in its quest for a 'Congress-mukt Bharat', fell hook, line and sinker for it. The fact that the state was going to polls in the next seven months, led by a CM facing a major credibility crisis, didn't deter them.

For the nine rebel MLAs, especially for Vijay Bahuguna and Harak Singh, this was a golden opportunity to grab a piece of the power pie. But then they forgot something known as the SR Bommai case of 1994. Add to this a little help from a friendly Speaker, and many a plan can be jeopardised.

First shock for rebels

The first shock for the rebels came when Uttarakhand High Court rejected President's rule in the state. Though the government moved Supreme Court, ultimately they had to settle for a floor test. The biggest jolt for these nine key players came when the Uttarakhand High Court barred them from casting their vote in the assembly test. Supreme Court also rejected their appeal.

The carefully woven plot was thrown into disarray and as the events unfolded, with Harish Rawat emerging victorious, these rebel MLAs were forced to watch the proceeding from the sidelines and lick their wounds.

A surprise from the BJP

After the floor test, the position of the nine rebel MLAs turned shaky. None of them seemed sure over what would be their next move. The idea of forming their own party was shot down and they decided to go ahead and join the BJP with no strings attached. But to their surprise, though the BJP agreed to their joining the party, it wasn't willing to immediately commit.

To put pressure on the BJP, sources close to both Bahuguna and Harak Singh Rawat started telling mediapersons that they were going to join the party on a given day. This led to frenetic calls made to senior BJP leaders who feigned ignorance.

Meanwhile, BJP announced that on May 18 a meeting of Uttarakhand BJP's core committee will be held at BJP president Amit Shah's house, where a final decision will be taken on when these rebels can join the party. A section of party leaders were apprehensive of the fact that a case is going on against these MLAs and wanted the decision kept on hold till the court verdict.

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Pressure tactics

Not satisfied with the pace at which things were moving at BJP headquarters, these MLAs struck again. Feelers were again sent to journalists by the top two rebels saying talks have materialised and they will be joining BJP at 4 pm on 16th May. After another flurry of calls, the party firmly denied this.

When we met a senior party leader directly involved in the scheme of things, he feigned ignorance about the developments, hinting that any decision will be taken post the May 18 meeting. He also expressed his displeasure at the impatience being shown by the nine MLAs.

As for the rumoured 4 pm meeting, new information emerged that another meeting was on at Vijay Bahuguna's house, after which more information would emerge on the rebels' strategy. So, why didn't the much awaited announcement take place? Interestingly, sources close to Harak Singh Rawat changed the narrative slightly. They said there was a condition - they would join the party only in front of five BJP MPs from Uttarakhand. And they hadn't reached New Delhi yet.



For the rebel MLAs, it's a battle for survival but the BJP, it seems, is learning what it means to have rebels by your side.

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As an experienced fighter pilot, Air Chief Marshal Raha, 61, is a qualified flying instructor and a fighter combat leader with 3,400 hours of flying experience.

By Indo-Asian News Service: The IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, today flew a trainer version of the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) over the city under a cloudy sky, an official said.

"Air Chief Marshal Raha flew in the twin-seater Tejas trainer for 30 minutes to check its capabilities and landed safely at the HAL airport along with Group Captain M Rangachari," IAF spokesman Wing Commander Anupam Banerjee said.

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"It's a good aircraft to fly and fit to be inducted into our fleet," Air Chief Marshal Raha told air warriors at the IAF's Aircraft Systems Testing Establishment.

As an experienced fighter pilot, Air Chief Marshal Raha, 61, is a qualified flying instructor and a fighter combat leader with 3,400 hours of flying experience.

HAL spokesman Gopal Sutar told IANS that Air Chief Marshal Raha piloted the aircraft during the 30-minute sortie and conducted aerial manoeuvres to check its versatility.

#WATCH: Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha flying the indigenously designed and produced aircraft 'Tejas' in Bengaluruhttps://t.co/sVR1NWmOJ7ANI (@ANI_news) May 17, 2016

All About Tejas: India's Own Light Combat Aircraft The IAF plans to induct 120 Tejas fighters to replace its ageing Soviet-era MiG-21s. This will include 100 modified versions in its frontline fleet. IAF will initially receive four jets from HAL to raise its first LCA squadron this year. Tejas is fourth generation aircraft that can fly at 1,350 kmph. A single engined, multi-role supersonic fighter, Tejas weighs 8.5 tonnes. It can carry three tonnes of weapons, including air-to-air missiles, laser guided bombs, guns, conventional/retarded bombs and beyond visual range (BVR) missiles. The jet has been designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and built by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). Though IAF gave initial operational clearance to fly Tejas in December 2013, it is yet to give the final operation clearance for induction. It is waiting for certification of its trials, including use of various weapons for target hits. Air Chief Marshal Raha became the first IAF chief to fly the home-grown fighter.

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By PTI: New Delhi, May 17 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today raised with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the issue of special status to the state bifurcated two years back and pressed for implementation of the "promise" at the earliest.

"...two years are over. This is the third budget. Now all that they (had) mentioned in the bifurcation act (Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act), it has to be implemented at the earliest," Naidu told reporters after meeting Modi.

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"And also they have to give special package, special status, every other thing to (help Andhra Pradesh) reach reasonable level at par with other southern states. That is what I requested," he said.

Accusing the previous Congress-led UPA government of bifurcating the state in an "unscientific and haphazard" manner, Naidu said the Manmohan Singh regime meted out "injustice and humiliation" to the state resulting in Rs 35,000 to Rs 45000 plunge in its per capita income vis--vis other southern states.

"You (Centre) had announced at that time (while bringing the Reorganisation Bill) on the floor of the House that a special status... even in the bifurcation act they have mentioned some of the issues..Andhra Pradesh has to be helped for reaching level-playing field...till that time, Government of India has to hand-hold," he said.

Naidu, who met the Prime Minister over drought situation, said he made a detailed presentation on the measures taken by his dispensation to overcome water scarcity including micro-irrigation, which he added, the Centre has taken "seriously".

He said he made a presentation on adopting "holistic" approach to "overcome" the situation including conserving rainwater, linking rivers within a state and embracing micro-irrigation for efficient use of water.

He said they also discussed need for having "comprehensive" agriculture and allied planning like concentrating on horticulture, livestock and fisheries so that people will have more "mitigation approach".

"...also we are happy that the Government of India has taken micro-irrigation very seriously. Our Prime Minister has done extremely well in Gujarat about micro-irrigation. Even now he has taken seriously on how to implement throughout the country," he said. Naidu welcomed the Centres decision a few months back to offer Rs 1500 per tonne as subsidy for using compost fertilizer than that of chemical.

"He (Modi) is discussing all these things. With these discussions, if he can create short-term, long-term planning for overall welfare of farmers, (it) will go a long way in overall welfare of farmers in the country," Naidu added. PTI ENM AKK AKK

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By PTI: From Natasha Chaku

Melbourne, May 17 (PTI) An Australian teen was today arrested on charges of plotting a terror attack in Sydney and attempting to stage incursions abroad.

18-year-old Tamim Khaja, of Macquarie Park in Sydneys northwest, who was arrested in Parramatta by Joint Counter Terrorism Team, is expected to appear at Sydney Central Local Court tomorrow.

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Both offences carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

He was arrested for plotting an "imminent" terror attack in Sydney and had tried to leave the country in February, police said.

"Since that time, he has been under the surveillance of the relevant authorities who have decided this morning to act to prevent an imminent terrorist event," Attorney-General George Brandis told reporters, without giving details of potential targets.

Brandis said, the areas of concern were public buildings representing authority.

Police alleged that the teen was scouting for possible sites in Sydney to launch an attack and had been trying to get a firearm.

He tried to board an international flight from Sydney Airport in February, they said. However, he was stopped because his passport had been cancelled.

He will be charged with planning a terrorist act and preparing to travel to Syria, Australian Federal Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan said.

"We have taken swift action to ensure the safety of the community and we are satisfied that any threat to the community posed by the individual has been mitigated," he said.

"This young persons life changed today. When he made those decisions he took two weeks ago, hes now looking at life in prison. Its believed the teen was acting alone," Gaughan said.

The teenager has links to others who are already before the courts on terror-related charges, he said.

His arrest is not related to raids conducted in Melbourne this morning of properties linked to five men arrested last week and charged over a plan to travel by boat to Indonesia in a bid to join the ISIS. PTI NC SAI AKJ SAI

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By PTI: From Aditi Khanna

London, May 17 (PTI) The BBC should give more airtime to Hindu, Sikh and Muslim religious programmes and diversify its programmming to balance out its "too Christian" output, an internal review by its own ethics committee has recommended.

Aaqil Ahmed, BBC head of religion and ethics, has recommended in the report that the British public service broadcaster must diversify its religious programmes.

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"Christianity remains the cornerstone of our output and there are more hours dedicated to it than there are to other faiths," Ahmed said in a statement.

"Our output in this area is not static, though. It has evolved over the years and we regularly assess it," he added.

The report recommended upping the number of programmes for Muslim, Sikh and Hindu audiences, saying that non-Christian faiths were under-represented in the broadcasters output.

BBC director-general Tony Hall is considering the reviews findings, which said the broadcasters current output was "too Christian" and recommend more Hindu, Sikh and Muslim religious programmes be added to the mix, The Sunday Times reported.

The debate follows a government white paper last week on the BBC, which will require it to serve ethnic minorities better.

A BBC spokesperson said, "we are actually intending to do more programming around Christianity and more on other faiths as well, so there is absolutely no question of an either or on our output."

The Church of England said faith ? and Christianity ? was growing worldwide and "any comprehensive review needs to move beyond arguments of mere proportionality to embrace the need not only for greater religious literacy but also increased resources to explore religious world views."

BBCs religious output currently includes Songs of Praise and Sunday Morning Live on television, plus Thought for the Day and Act of Worship on radio.

The Muslim Council of Britain suggests televising Friday prayers from a mosque would be one way to better serve Muslim viewers, but not at the cost of Christian programmes. PTI AK MRJ ABH AKJ ABH

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By PTI: Kathmandu, May 17 (PTI) Nepal Police today released a British national, a day after he was arrested on charges of participating in the anti-Constitution protests here organised by the Madhesis.

"The man was handed over to the British Embassy in Kathmandu after it was established through investigation that he had no political affiliation," DSP Prajit KC, Chief of Metropolitan Police Circle, Singha Durbar, was quoted as saying by the Republica Online.

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Martin Benjamin Travers, 44, was arrested yesterday after he was found near the site of the sit-in protest, taking pictures of the scuffle between police personnel and hundreds of Madhesi protesters, who are demanding changes to the new Constitution.

Travers had been actively involved in relief distribution work and returned to Nepal on the first anniversary of earthquake to continue his relief programme.

Earlier this month, Nepal government ordered a Canadian IT professional Robert Penner to leave the country as his tweets were deemed to "incite conflict".

The authorities said Penner had violated the terms of his visa by commenting on Nepals "internal matters". PTI SUA AKJ SUA

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According to Irani, the decision has been taken with an aim to provide best facilities to the students of Navodaya schools, which are run by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

By India Today Web Desk: Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani today said her ministry has decided to rope in celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor to prepare menu of food to be served at all Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and to train the cooks of these residential schools.

According to Irani, the decision has been taken with an aim to provide best facilities to the students of Navodaya schools, which are run by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

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Kapoor to train cooks at the boarding schools



"Bright students from humble family background take admission in these boarding schools. To provide facilities parallel to private boarding schools, we have decided to rope in celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor to prepare the menu of the food served in these schools," she said at the foundation stone laying ceremony of a JNV at Hathijan village.

"Apart from preparing the menu of these schools, Kapoor will also provide training to all the cooks of these boarding schools. Our aim is to make students feel that they are studying in a school which is no less than a private boarding school," Irani said.

Irani promises 'smart classrooms' by 2019



Navodaya Vidyalayas, affiliated to the CBSE, offer free education to meritorious students, mainly from rural areas, from Class-VI to XII.

"This school here will also have smart classrooms, which will reflect Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Digital India' vision. It is my promise that this school will be made operational by 2019. Two such schools will also come up in Valsad and Dahod districts in near future," she added.

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The Narendra Modi government on Monday organised a first of its kind national conference where central ministers supported the mission to save the cows, as propagated by BJP and other Hindu groups.

By Mail Today: After a pitched political discourse over cow slaughter, the Narendra Modi government is working on modalities to bring in a new law to combat illegal cow transport and slaughtering. The Centre on Monday organised a first-of-its-kind national conference where central ministers supported the mission to save cows, as propagated by the BJP and other Hindu groups.

"A report has been sought from the Animal Welfare Board in two months on how cruelty can be avoided in animal transport and also how it can be empowered through law to deal with illegal cow slaughtering," Prakash Javadekar, Union minister for environment said.

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Countering the argument that aged cows can be sent to slaughter houses since their utility in terms of milk production is over, Union ministers Prakash Javadekar and Radha Mohan Singh called for restrictions on killings saying even in old age cows can be financially viable.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEFCC) and Department of Animal Husbandry organised a national conference Gauvansh/Gaushala (cow clan/cowshed) on Monday. Held at the Capital's premiere convention centre, Vigyan Bhawan, it saw a jam-packed auditorium. Among senior scientists and bureaucrats, who attended the seminar, were saffron-clad sadhus (holymen) and activists.

"Taking a cue from Gujarat, cow hostels and sanctuaries are being established across the country. Five new veterinary colleges have been set up to take care of old and ailing cows," Singh said. Javadekar and Singh were interrupted amid sloganeering from participants who claimed to be cow workers and not affiliated to any political party. The activists claimed to be working for the welfare of cows for several years.

Members of a group called Gau Sanstha said, "We have been rescuing cows all on our own without the help of police or any laws in our favour. On receiving secret information about cattle-carrying trucks, we venture out at night and wait for these trucks for hours. The beef-lobby goons carry guns, sticks and stones. So many of us have been done to death."

Even as the agriculture minister was listing out his department's good initiatives, including giving aid to farmers with cows as livestock, especially during droughtlike calamities, many attending the conference erupted in anger.

Several people from Rajasthan protested that they had received none of the claimed subsistence allowance. They claimed they have never received any funds or facilities to conserve cows or gaushalas in their state and that central funds also did not reach them.

As Javadekar began speaking on how a "cow could be financially viable even after outliving its utility," many activists in the audience took offence. They began shouting that officials are doing nothing about curbing illegal smuggling of cows and cattle across the Indian border. One even screamed, "You all only give lectures. When we call you at 2 or 3am on catching trucks with cattle for slaughtering, no one picks up our phone."

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Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was also supposed to address the assembly, gave it a miss. He was to tackle the issue of smuggling across the Indo-Bangladesh border, said officials.



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By PTI: Karimnagar (Tel), May 16 (PTI) BJP workers and leaders staged a `dharna here today in support of their demand that Karimnagar district be declared as drought hit.

The sit-in was held in front of Collectorate complex.

Speaking on the occasion, Telangana BJP President K Laxman asked Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to declare the district as drought-hit.

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He said due to scarcity of water, the farmers are unable to take up agriculture work.

Laxman said the TRS Government should immediately respond to the situation and give a helping hand to the farmers. PTI COR RSY

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The Supreme Court had last month ruled that NEET would be the only test for admission to medical courses in India.

The Supreme Court has turned down the appeal by many states to let them hold separate medical entrance exams.

By Mail Today: Coming out in full support of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the Delhi government on Monday requested the Centre to implement it at the earliest to check alleged irregularities in the enrollment process.

A high-level meeting chaired by Union Health Minister JP Nadda was held on Monday to discuss the problems faced by the state governments over the common entrance test. Health ministers and representatives of 18 states and Union Territories attended the meeting.

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"The medical education in India is allegedly Rs 20,000-crore industry marked with capitation fee and corruption run by politicians/businessmen. The Supreme Court order will put an immediate end to widespread malpractices allegedly involved in the admission process of medical institutes in various parts of the country," said Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

Jain presented Delhi government's views on matter at a meeting of State Health Ministers convened by Union Health Minister JP Nadda to discuss the issue.

He said various health ministers of different states have not opposed the decision of the Supreme Court, but some of them expressed strong reservations that NEET should not be conducted and the states should be allowed to conduct their own admission tests.

"Not following the SC order will lead to denying genuine meritorious students an opportunity to pursue Medical Education. "" Jain said. The Supreme Court had last month ruled that NEET would be the only test for admission to medical courses in India, turning down an appeal by many states to hold separate medical entrance exams.

The decision will have a remarkable impact on the student's career as now no private institute can hold any individual entrance test. The new decision will force the private institutes to reserve 50 per cent for all India students. The move will help the students to get rid of the donations demanded by the institutions.

Sources in the Health Ministry said that the private institutes in last recent years have become money-minting machine as they charge huge sum from the students by offering them a single seat. Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Monday said that the government will ask for more time from the Supreme Court on National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) issue.

"The central government needs to hold more consultations with state governments on conducting NEET every year," Nadda said "We will require more discussions with the state governments on the NEET matter. We had a meeting with the state health ministers and had discussions over language, syllabus and state governments' concerns over state medical entrance examinations," said Nadda.

He said the state health ministers have informed him about the plight of students appearing in the state medical entrance examinations. Considering student's future, their problems have to sorted out before making NEET a reality across the country. "We have to solve all the problems of the states before NEET is conducted across the country. We will apprise the Supreme Court about the state governments' apprehensions on NEET after that will come to a conclusion," said Nadda.

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Also Read:

On NEET, PM Modi warned of student suicides by Raj Thackeray



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By PTI: Dubai, May 17 (PTI) An Emirati lawyer has offered Barack Obama a job in his Dubai firm to better acquaint the outgoing US president with Islam amid constant profiling by Western media of Muslims and their religion as related to terror, a media report said today.

Eisa Bin Haidar offered to hire Obama in his firm and to live in Dubai once his presidential tenure expires "to get closely acquainted with the meaning of tolerance of Islam".

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The offer, made on Twitter on Sunday, was followed by another tweet:

"President Obama, I offer you a job in my office, salary, housing, tickets and travel to Arab countries."

In the same context, he also tweeted in Arabic: "I know my offer is a little bit weird, but you (Obama) have to live with Muslims to know them closely and away from political theatrics which are being spearheaded by the US."

The best way for others to understand the true meaning of tolerance in Islam is for them to mingle with and socialise more with Muslims in this region, he told the Gulf News.

"A faction of the American and western media has constantly profiled Islam as a religion of terror and categorised Muslims as terrorists. Well that is absolutely not true. Islam is a religion of tolerance, understanding, forgiveness and acceptance... it is not a religion of terror and Muslims are not terrorists.

"The only way for westerners to accept and understand Islam and Muslims is to come and live with us and amongst us. Once he (Obama) leaves his office at the White House, I offer President Obama to work in my law firm and then he would come and live amongst Arabs and Muslims and learn the exact meaning of tolerance," he said.

Obama, 54, will demit office on January 20, 2017 after completing two cosecutive terms as the US President. PTI SAI AKJ SAI

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Animal rights groups have welcomed the notification, stating that breeds from cold climates such as St Bernard, Siberian Husky, Basset Hound, Tibetan Mastiff, French Bulldog and Alaskan Malamute are not suited for the hot and humid Indian climate.

By Radhika Bhalla/Mail Today: It appears that every dog doesn't have his day in India -both climatically and as per law. In the wake of a recent order passed by the commerce ministry's director general of foreign trade, no foreign breeds can be imported into India for commercial activity, such as breeding. However, the order does not apply for the dogs procured for defence and internal security purposes.

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Animal rights groups have welcomed the notification, stating that breeds from cold climates such as St Bernard, Siberian Husky, Basset Hound, Tibetan Mastiff, French Bulldog and Alaskan Malamute are not suited for the hot and humid Indian climate.

States NG Jayasimha, managing director of Humane Society International (HSI), who was instrumental in achieving this ban: "Most of these breeds come from puppy mills abroad with horrible breeding facilities where sanitary conditions are very bad, but people are not aware of this," he says adding "When they are bred with local breeds for better acclimatisation or to achieve a certain trait, breeders mix and match until they can sell the dog as an ideal pet. But there is a huge chance that violent traits get built into the dogs, and those that don't match, are abandoned on the street."

The unregulated breeding of dogs is especially prevalent in parts of Punjab where Bully Kuttas or Indian Alangu Mastiff are used in the illegal sport of dog-fighting due to their fighting skills, fearlessness and power. Popular in Punjab and Haryana, dogfighting has now also reached a select group of the so-called moneyed elite of Delhi. The pet industry is growing fast, with purchasing power increasing of the average Indian and the desire to own a pet becoming more of a status symbol. Says Nikunj Sharma, liaison officer for government affairs, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, "India's pet shop industry is growing by 20 per cent every year on average, and in the past fiscal, it grew by 26 per cent. Yet the industry is highly unchecked, by unregulated breeders. This order will tighten the noose on them."

The order proclaims that while pets for breeding cannot be imported into India, they can be brought in under three conditions, namely if it is a pet that has been in the prior custody of an owner and has a licence from the local authority of the said country; for police and defence forces and service dogs to help autistic and visually impaired persons and for research purposes after approval from the Committee for the Purpose of Control And Supervision of Experiments on Animals.

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Yet, as is the case with all bans, concerns about illegal import and sale are looming large. As Dr Narendra Gandhi, veterinary surgeon with 25 years of experience, explains: "The ban seems more like a knee-jerk reaction. There is no stopping a breeder from bringing a pet into the country - it has only become a more expensive bargain because of regulations. Breeders are now routing imported puppies in through porous borders of Bangladesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Nepal by road, or by sea through South India," he says.

"It's the same thing - ultimately you get the same pet but it is tortured more in the process," he adds with puppies being drugged and smuggled into the country under horrific conditions.

Animal welfare groups, meanwhile, have called for more stringent action. "A multistakeholder approach needs to be brought in - the CRPF and BSF need to be directed to keep a check on the matter," says Nikunj Sharma. "For instance, during the Gadhimai festival of Nepal that is held every five years, where 70 per cent of the 5,00,000 animals that are sacrificed are from India, the Supreme Court has passed an interim order to prevent illegal movement of animals across the border. It was highly successful," says Sharma.

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Another issue is the unsupervised domestic breeding. "This has to be regulated by the environment ministry because if there is no domestic legislation for controlling breeders, it is going to be impossible to say whether a dog w as bred in India or smuggled. We can regulate only if every dog comes with proper paperwork," says Jayasimha of HIS.

As per the country's animal birth control rules, a breeder must be registered with the animal welfare board and must maintain full record of the number of pups born/died, and of the person buying the pups. Yet, these guidelines are rarely followed.

This is a question of breeding. The authorities could have put a rider that the pets should be neutered so that they don't produce puppies. A pet can be neutered after the age of six months, with a certificate of neutering from the country it has come from," says Dr Gandhi, the veterinary surgeon. Sanjeev Kumar, professional groomer & animal welfare worker, also adds: "But the bigger issue is the need to educate people regarding pet care and grooming, and India doesn't have any knowledge centre where that can be done."

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As a result, the 'puppy in the window syndrome' is on the rise, where pets are bought as birthday gifts but abandoned once they grow older. States Dr Gandhi, "Pet counselling must become a rule. An animal is not a disposable commodity."

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A team of surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital pulled off a successful penile transplantation surgery on a 64-year-old man last week.

By India Today Web Desk: America saw its first successful penile transplant at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital last week.

A team of over 50 surgeons operated on 64-year-old Thomas Manning, who lost his penis to cancer in 2012, in a 15-hour-long groundbreaking surgery.

Manning has received a cadaver organ; the deceased organ donor's identity has not been released.

Doctors are "cautiously optimistic" that Manning will eventually be capable of normal urination and sexual function. However, he will not be able to have children as he has not received new testes.

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They added that his psychological state will play "a big role in his recovery". So far, Manning's body has shown no signs of rejecting the new organ.

In a statement, Manning said, "Today I begin a new chapter filled with personal hope and hope for others who have suffered genital injuries. In sharing this success with all of you, it is my hope we can usher in a bright future for this type of transplantation."

While penile transplantation is not new to the world, it is a highly experimental surgery and has not been widely performed. Here are a few things to know about penile transplantation:





1. World's first penile transplantation

In September 2006, the world's first penile transplantation was performed on a 44-year-old man, who had lost his penis in an accident, at a military hospital in China's Guangzhou.

However, despite the surgery being a success, the patient had the procedure reversed within 15 days due to psychology trauma inflicted by the transplant on him and his wife.





2. World's first 'successful' penile transplantation



The world's first successful penile transplantation was pulled off at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, in December 2014.

The nine-hour-long surgery was performed on a 21-year-old man who lost his penis to a botched circumcision at the age of 18. In June 2015, doctors announced that the recipient had successfully conceived a child.





3. Laboratory-grown penises for transplantation



In 2008, Dr Anthony Atala of Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina attempted bio-engineered penile transplantation, fitting 12 rabbits with lab-grown organs.

These rabbits went on to procreate, establishing Atala's test, which he had been working on since 1992, as a success. However, this procedure has not be carried out on humans yet.





4. Transplantation for war veterans

A team of doctors at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore is set to perform a penis transplant in a wounded veteran soon.

Dr WP Andrew Lee, chairman of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins, believes this new field is important for "people who want to feel whole again after the loss of important body parts."

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5. Difference between penile transplant and sex-change surgery

In case of transgender surgery, penis can be fashioned from the patient's own skin, using implants or phalloplasty, for erection, etc.

A transplantation, on the other hand, consists of surgically fitting a donor organ to the recipient's body and comes with the delicate process of connecting tiny blood vessels and nerves to the functional, transplant penis.





6. Finding a suitable donor

Since this procedure still depends of cadaver organ, there is a perpetual challenge of finding a donor for the transplant.

"People are still reluctant to donate," Dr Andre van der Merwe of the University of Stellenbosch told AP. "There are huge psychological issues about donating your relative's penis."



Here is a clip of the press conference at which Manning's successful penile transplantation was announced:

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Shahbaz was abducted in 2011 from his hometown Lahore. He was initially kept in Mirali area of North Waziristan and them moved to Dattakhel area of same district.

By India Today Web Desk: Shahbaz Taseer, the son of Pakistan's slain governor of Punjab province Salmaan Taseer, has given a chilling account of the brutal torture he endured during his half a decade-long captivity by ruthless Uzebk militants who flogged him, cut off his flesh and pulled out his nails.



What Shahbaz faced

"They used to flog me. I was flogged about 500 times in three days, then they cut my back with blades and removed nails from my hands and feet," the 33-year-old told BBC Urdu.

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He was not given food for days and was not given treatment even while suffering from malaria.

"They sewed my mouth shut and starved me for a week."

"They used to torture me for making films and used to tell me their plans in advance. Like they would tell me that they will remove my nails tomorrow. I used to pray the whole night," Shahbaz said.

"They would carve my back open with blades and throw salt into the wounds."

"They shot me in my leg. They cut flesh off my back. I bled for seven days and they wouldn't give me any help for seven days," he told CNN.

Describing his survival as a "personal victory", Shahbaz said patience and the hope of eventual release sustained him.

"People, friends and family say you are very brave, you came back, it was very heroic. But these are not things I can say about myself. What I can say about myself is that I learnt to be very patient."

"When the kidnappers would call my mother, it was not me speaking to her; it was them. I was just their vehicle. I knew she couldn't speak freely either. But I learned to focus on her voice. I loved hearing her voice," he said.

The abduction



Shahbaz was abducted in 2011 from his hometown Lahore. He was initially kept in Mirali area of North Waziristan and them moved to Dattakhel area of same district.

He was captured by the IMU (Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan), an outfit long associated with al-Qaeda blamed for high-profile terror attacks in Pakistan including the 2014 storming of Karachi airport.

Later, he was moved to Afghanistan by Taliban who imprisoned him.



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By PTI: From Anisur Rahman

Dhaka, May 17 (PTI) Four members of a banned militant group, including a regional commander, have been arrested in Bangladesh for the brutal murder of a liberal university professor last month and one of them has confessed to the crime, police said today.

Police said the the four operatives of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) took part in the April 23 murder of Rajshahi University teacher Rezaul Karim.

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"Of the four, three were directly involved in the attack while the other was waiting with a motorcycle," Rajshahi metro police commissioner Mohammed Shamsuddin told reporters.

One of the men who was arrested on Sunday from Bogra town has been identified as Maskawat Hasan Sakib alias Abdullah, the "operational commander of JMB for Rajshahi region.

"Maskawat Hasan Sakib alias Abdullah admitted his links to Rezaul Karims murder and gave his confessional statement at the Metropolitan Magistrates Court yesterday," Shamsuddin told PTI over phone.

Police said the three others were arrested in Rajshahi city yesterday, but did not disclose their identities for "in the interest of investigation".

"Abdullah took part in the killing. The others, who have been arrested, are also JMB activists. They provided help and logistic support," BD News quoted Shamsuddin as saying.

"The motorcycle used by the attackers at the time of the murder has been seized. A machete and a dagger were also found," he said.

"Weve reached the main point (of the investigation). Petitions will be filed for the remaining three to be taken into custody for interrogation," he added.

Outlawed JMB has carried out a series of bomb attacks across Bangladesh, killing scores of people including two judges, prompting a massive anti-militant campaign.

Police earlier had said four people, including a leader of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student front of the Jamaat-e-Islami, had been arrested over the murder.

Suspected Islamists hacked Karim to death using machetes near his house in the northwestern city.

Karim was the second professor of the same university to be killed in nearly identical manner in past two years.

US-based private SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic State claimed the killing.

"ISIS Amaq Agency reported the groups responsibility for killing Rajshahi University professor Rezaul Karim for "calling to atheism" in Bangladesh," it had said in a tweet.

Bangladesh, however, ruled out existence of foreign Islamists outfits like IS and alleged that fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami was patronising the killing spree to portray the country as an abode of foreign militants.

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Police has intensified investigations into a series of attacks on secularists and liberal intellectuals, bloggers and minorities including gay activists against the backdrop of growing criticism for failure to track down the assailants. PTI AR ZH NSA AKJ NSA

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By PTI: Copenhagen, May 17 (PTI) Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced it will commit USD 80 million over the next three years to close gender data gaps and help accelerate progress for women and girls around the world.

The initiative will promote gender equality and support the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Alongside the Gates Foundations commitment, partners across governments, non-profits and philanthropic organisations have also agreed upon a new statement of principles regarding gender data and its importance for accelerating development outcomes.

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"By adopting the SDGs the world agreed to achieve gender equality by 2030. But we cannot close the gender gap without first closing the data gap," Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said in her keynote speech today at the Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen.

"We simply dont know enough about the barriers holding women and girls back, nor do we have sufficient information to track progress against the promises made to women and girls. We are committed to changing that by investing in better data, policies and accountability," she added.

The Gates Foundations new USD 80 million commitment will support efforts that:Fill critical gender data gaps, including knowing how much time women and girls spend on unpaid work around the world, and what implications this has on their life chances and choices, such as completing education, getting jobs or starting businesses.

The funds will also help Improve the accuracy and reliability of data collection, which can reveal at a large scale who owns assets like land, property or credit.

They will equip decision makers with more timely and clearer evidence about programmes and interventions that are working and those that are not, so they can be redesigned quickly and more effectively.

Moreover, the financial commitment will support civil society in holding leaders to account for the commitments theyve made to women and girls, helping maintain the political will to achieve gender equality.

It will also amplify and strengthen organisations and platforms that keep gender equality at the center of global and national development efforts. PTI RSN MKJ

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"I have been wrongly framed. No liquor was ever recovered from my house. I am with the government," Manorama Devi said while being taken to court.

By India Today Web Desk: Bihar's suspended JD(U) leader Manorama Devi, who absconded after an arrest warrant was issued following the recovery of liquor bottles from her residence, surrendered before the Gaya court today. Devi has been sent to 14 days of judicial custody.

"I have been wrongly framed. No liquor was ever recovered from my house. I am with the government," Manorama Devi said while being taken to court.

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"This is a political conspiracy against me by the BJP," she added.

Manorama vs Nitish Kumar

The legislative council member was suspended from the party by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after a stash of banned India-made foreign liquor (IMFL) was found at her residence in Anugrah Puri Colony on May 11 during a police raid.

A case under the Excise Act was lodged against Manorama in Rampur police station.

Violation of child labour

Meanwhile, police have also decided to lodge a case of violation of child labour laws against the former MLC, after a child worker was found in her residence during the raid.

Devi's son Rocky Yadav was arrested last week for killing 19-year-old student Aditya Sachdeva in a road rage incident. Aditya was gunned down for overtaking Rocky's vehicle.

Also read:

All you need to know about Rocky Yadav's dad Bindi, known as Terror Of Gaya



Gaya road rage: Bullet was fired from Rocky's pistol, reveals FSL report

Gaya road rage: Action will be taken against guilty, says Nitish Kumar



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Under the 'Aatm Nirbhar ki Aur' scheme, the government will provide training to the students with the minimum age of 17 years and maximum till 28 years, and then offer them job in the field of hotel management.

By Mail Today: With an aim to equip the young with job oriented skills, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government will be training school students in various unconventional courses like bar tending, event planning, gift packaging, baking and house-keeping. The courses launched under CM Arvind Kejriwal's ambitious project 'Aatm Nirbhar ki Aur' will kick off in four Delhi government schools in first week of July.

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Under the scheme, the government will provide training to the students with the minimum age of 17 years and maximum till 28 years, and then offer them job in the field of hotel management. The government has tied up with the Delhi Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (DIHM) for the same.

"These are short courses to give quick training which gives quick placements. We have 100 per cent placement from this institute. Taking a step forward on Monday we met representatives from the hospitality industry to include experts from this field as faculty here," Kapil Mishra, Delhi tourism minister told Mail Today. In the first phase, the government has identified four schools where the training will be given. The education department has submitted a list of 40 more schools which will be included in the coming phases of the project. A budget of ` 3 crores have been sanctioned to DIHM which will be helping the government in the new scheme.

"The scheme aims to channelise the energy of the young students in schools towards developing their skills in the hospitality sector. Students will be offered job in various companies but our institute also plans to absorb all the students passing out from the scheme. We have already spoken to various other companies who have agreed to coordinate with us," Ravi Prakash, principal, DIHM told Mail Today.

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By India Today Web Desk: Taj Mahal's image of being a sparkling white marble beauty is taking a messy hit. Insects breeding in the severely polluted Yamuna river nearby are swarming to the protected monument and leaving their green excreta all over it.

Archaeologists have identified the insect as Goeldichironomus, a species that breeds near polluted water bodies. This is the second time these insects have turned the UNESCO World Heritage Site slightly greenish-black.

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THE GOOD NEWS

Experts believe the insects are not likely to cause any permanent damage to the marble of the Taj.

"These (insects) grow in numbers when pollution levels of water bodies rise. They form a swarm and are attracted towards sand (stone). The swarming is a result of nuptial flight among the insects. They are attracted towards the Taj. The greenery on the monument's white marble is partially digested chlorophyll combined with their fecal matter. I don't think this will cause damage to the stone," Doctor Girish Maheshvri, Head of Entomology Department at St John's College told ANI.

"The deposit on the Taj is water soluble. We are trying to clean it with water. But cleaning the Taj Mahal with water will not solve the problem. We know where and how these insects grow, so if we solve the problem at the basic level, we can stop them from growing in numbers and there will be no marks on the Taj," he added.

WHAT NEXT?

The National Green Tribunal has issued notices to the centre and UP government on the rampant dumping of municipal solid waste in the Yamuna near the Taj Mahal.



COLOUR-CHANGING HISTORY

The Taj Mahal has had its share of struggles with pollution. An Indo-US study had revealed in 2015 that the white marble was slowly turning brownish-yellow because of air pollution caused by the deposition of dust and carbon-containing particles emitted in the burning of fossil fuels, biomass and garbage.

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The Interpol is also in process of issuing a Red Corner notice against the alleged trainer of Pathankot terrorists Shahid Latif.

By India Today Web Desk: The International Police Association (Interpol) today issued a Red Corner notice against Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf for their alleged involvement in the terror attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot earlier this year.

Sources say that the Interpol is also in process of issuing a Red Corner notice against JeM suspects Shahid Latif and Kashif Jaan.

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TERROR TRAINER

Shahid Latif was allegedly the trainer of the terrorists involved in the Pathankot attack and also provided them with technical support.

According to National Investigation Agency (NIA) sources, his knowledge of the Indian terrain was used by terrorists to plan the January 2 terror attack.

An army person guards during the operation against the militants at the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot on Monday.

The NIA has sent supplementary Letters Rogatory to Pakistan detailing his role in the Pathankot attack in which all the six attackers and seven members of the Indian Armed forces were killed.

The NIA also wrote a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs seeking a visit to Pakistan to extend their probe of the attack, to which Pakistan hasn't replied.

Also read:

Pathankot terror attack: NIA gathers proof against mastermind Maulana Masood Azhar, Abdul Rauf



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Kanpur's Green Park Stadium will host Gujarat Lions' two Indian Premier League matches -- on May 19 and May 21.

By India Today Web Desk: The Allahabad High Court on Monday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) opposing Indian Premier League matches this week. The PIL was filed because of a drought-like situation in some parts of Uttar Pradesh. (Full IPL Coverage | Points Table)



A division bench, comprising Justice Dilip Gupta and Justice R N Kakkar, dismissed the PIL filed by Giriraj Kishore and two others, holding that the petition was "misconceived".

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The petitioners had contended that there was a drought-like situation in Uttar Pradesh and holding such an event anywhere in the state would involve the use of a huge quantity of water for preparing the ground.

However, the court concurred with the submission of Chief Standing Counsel Ramesh Upadhyay that Kanpur received a 420 MLD water supply of which only 0.22 MLD is used for the Green Park Stadium where the matches are scheduled to be held on May 19 and May 21.

Moreover, the CSC added that while "no extra water" was going to be used for making the venue ready for the high-profile event, on the days when matches were scheduled, no water is sprinkled on the ground at all.

(With PTI inputs)

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The three ISIS operatives - Mohammad Abdul Ahad, Mohammad Afzal and Ashiq Ahmad alias Raja - told the NIA that they were directed to create trouble during protests triggered across the country after JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar's arrest.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Recent media reports claimed that Islamic State (ISIS) recruits in India wanted to wreak havoc in the country taking advantage of the student movement that broke out in several cities after the arrest of JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar.

Three ISIS recruits were handed over the job to use the students' stir to create further trouble. The sinister plan was revealed by the three ISIS operatives - Mohammad Abdul Ahad, Mohammad Afzal and Ashiq Ahmad alias Raja.

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But details about the background of these terror recruits will shock you even more.

Mohammed Abdul Ahad: The guy who wanted to help poor

Ahad, 46, has a masters degree in Science from US. He has worked in US, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Ahad always wanted to help the poor belonging to his community and was involved in philanthropy through the web. But the door to ISIS opened for him when he went for a meet of 'mujahids' in Tumakuru, Karnataka. The meeting he thought would be on Zakat or tax for poor. But Ahad soon found out that he was wrong.

It was after several rounds of meeting, the real structure of ISIS emerged and Ahad realised the main agenda of his 'managers'.

ISIS' India wing - Junud al Khalifa-e-Hind (JKH) was looking to expand its team and have more people on board. There was need for an Amer and a second in command and his own team. But Mohammed Abdul Ahad was not happy with the fact that poor were not being helped, investigators said.

Mohammad Afzal: The techie

Mohammed Afzal, 35, did his diploma in electrical and electronics engineerng from IHS, Bengaluru. Afzal got in touch with a Mujahid and went to Tumakuru to attend a gathering where he met Ahad and other set of youngsters. But he soon realised that something was wrong.

Afzal told the investigators that he broke away from the ISIS on the pretext that he has family and business to look after.

Ashik Ahmed: The 'loverboy'

Ashik Ahmed's story is the most interesting of the lot. The 19-year-old fell in love with a Hindu girl.

However, the girl as well as her family rejected him. Dejected, Ashik decided to join ISIS. He soon won the trust of top ISIS handler Shafi Armar. But his arrest earlier this year, nipped his rise within ranks of ISIS.

(The report is based on the statements of the three recruits recorded by the NIA under Section 164 of CRPC. This will be an important part of the NIA chargesheet.)

Also Read:

ISIS makes Indian terrorist its poster boy to lure youth from the country

Why did ISIS mention India and PM Narendra Modi in its new manifesto?



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ISIS crucified Indian priest on Good Friday





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CBI sources say if Joshi, who has been making counter allegations against senior officers in the ministry, continues to name his seniors then at some point, other officers can also be questioned.

By Mail Today: Home ministry official Anand Joshi, who went 'missing' soon after the CBI registered a case against him for allegedly blackmailing foreign-funded NGOs, could lead investigators to widen the scope of the probe.

CBI sources say if Joshi, who has been making counter allegations against senior officers in the ministry, continues to name his seniors then at some point, other officers can also be questioned.

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Joshi, who apparently tried to flee the country, is now in the CBI custody for five days. He will be grilled about the functioning of the home ministry while dealing with foreignfunded organisations registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

He was linked to the investigation of NGO Sabrang Trust belonging to activist Teesta Setalvad and is accused of stealing the file related to the probe.

The CBI sources claimed Joshi stage managed his disappearance. Joshi had gone "missing" leaving a note for his wife soon after the CBI called him for questioning.

The CBI investigators are not believing the story he weaved to explain his disappearance. Joshi has told the CBI that between May 5 and 7 he was in Ujjain to attend Kumbh where he lost his mobile phone in a stampede.

His lawyer informed the court that Joshi was available for questioning for three days starting May 8 before the CBI called him for questioning after registering a case on May 9. Opposing CBI's plea for custodial interrogation, Joshi's lawyer said since his phone was lost in Ujjain, he could not be contacted and it is not true to suggest that he switched off his phone to evade investigators.

Seeking Joshi's custody, the CBI argued that files relating to several NGOs had gone missing from the Home Ministry and they were recovered from his house and he was not supposed to take them away. It contended that he was neither cooperating in the probe nor disclosing relevant facts and his custodial interrogation was required to find out how those files came to his house.

Joshi has rejected the charge and instead accused his seniors of pressuring him to give a clean chit to NGOs. In a note which he had left before leaving home, Joshi claimed he had been subjected to mental harassment in recent months. CBI alleged in the court that Joshi laundered ill-gotten earnings in various immovable assets as well as certain private companies which were floated by him and his wife was one of the directors in them.

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Joshi, who had disappeared on the morning of May 11 from his home in Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, was picked up from Tilak Nagar area of West Delhi and taken to the CBI headquarters for questioning.

It is alleged that Joshi in November 2015 served 60-70 notices to NGOs arbitrarily without taking proper approvals. Sources said it is being verified whether he acted in an individual capacity or kept his seniors in the loop. "Other officers are also under scanner and all files related to FCRA clearances are being accounted for," said an official.

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By India Today Web Desk: Fawad Khan, who was last seen in Shakun Batra's Kapoor and Sons, has bagged another meaty role. The 34-year-old actor will essay the role of a musician in Sameer Sharma's Jugalbandi. Buzz has it that Fawad wasn't the first choice for the film and it was only after Saif Ali Khan opted out of the film that Fawad was roped in for the role.

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ALSO READ: Sonam Kapoor and Fawad Khan's selfie is what you can't miss today



According to a report in DNA, Saif was supposed to play a musician based in London, and Anil Kapoor to essay a parallel lead in the film. The film is said to be produced under Salman Khan's home banner, SKF.

But the latest buzz has it that Saif has opted out of the film. In fact with time Saif has gained the reputation of an actor who walks out of films more than signing them. The 45-year-old actor has already received a signing amount of Rs 1.5 crore which he will have to return to the producers.

And with Saif moving out of the film, the makers have found their perfect musician in Fawad Khan. It is a known fact that Fawad was a part of a rock band Entity Paradigm and the role completely suits him.

It is for the first time that Fawad will share screen space with Anil Kapoor. The Dil Dhadakne Do actor will essay the role of a senior music teacher in the film. Jugalbandi revolves around their friendship and how they later fall out due to ego issues. It would be quite interesting to see their jugalbandi on the 70mm.

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By PTI: New Delhi, May 17 (PTI) Chairman of the newly-constituted Public Accounts Committee K V Thomas today met a delegation of PAC of Bhutan and appreciated that the Parliaments watchdog in that country enjoys a Constitutional status unlike in India.

Meeting the five-members delegation of Public Accounts Committee of Bhutan National Assembly/Council led by Chairperson of the Bhutanese PAC, Pema Dakpa, Thomas also appreciated the dominance of opposition members in the PAC of Bhutan National Assembly and National Council.

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The last PAC, which was also headed by Thomas here had made a strong recommendation to empower the Parliaments watchdog.

A sub-committee, set up to strengthen the PAC with BJP MP Nishikant Dubey as its convenor had suggested that the PAC, considered the mother of parliamentary committees, should not only be examining CAG reports but "also select issues suo motu".

A press statement from Lok Sabha said that another interesting fact of PAC of Bhutan is the holding of hearings in public.

"The Chairperson also lauded the system of appointment of the Royal Audit Authority in Bhutan, where the King or Druk Gyalpo appoints from a list of eminent persons recommended jointly by Prime Minister, Chief Justice of Bhutan, Speaker, Chairperson of National Council and Leader of opposition," the statement said.

The visiting delegation deeply appreciated the comparative analysis of the two PACs and the interaction saw good practices from both sides being shared. The delegation evinced keen interest in the working of the PAC of Indian Parliament. PTI AMR RG

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The houses were raided on the basis of information provided by activists of the Junud al Khalifa-e-Hind, an affiliate of the terror outfit ISIS.

By Mail Today: Teams comprising officials of the Bengaluru City Crime Branch and the Hyderabad's Anti-Terror Squad raided homes of terror suspects in the educational hub of Tumakuru, 79 kms from Bengaluru, on Monday, and recovered incriminating evidences of terror plots.

However, the police did not reveal whether they arrested or detained anyone in connection with the raids. The houses were raided on the basis of information provided by activists of the Junud al Khalifa-e-Hind, an affiliate of the terror outfit ISIS. The activists were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) earlier this year.

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In January this year, the NIA and the Karnataka police in a joint operation arrested Syed Mujahid for allegedly organizing meetings for terror suspects in Tumakuru. Since then, the focus of the investigation agencies on Tumakuru has sharpened. The police refused to comment on the raids carried out on the homes of terror suspects on Monday.

It is said that they targeted homes, which were taken on rent by religious scholars. A few people were questioned in connection with their activities in the town.

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EAM spokesperson Vikas Swarup called the draft bill an entirely internal legislative matter, since the whole of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.

By India Today Web Desk: India on Tuesday reacted sharply to Pakistan's move to seek UN intervention on a draft bill that imposes heavy fines on misrepresentation of Kashmir on the map of India.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup called the draft bill an "entirely internal legislative matter, since the whole of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India." He added that Pakistan or any other party has no locus standi on it.

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THE MAP LAW

"The government firmly rejects Pakistan's repeated and increasing attempts to impose on the international community matters that India has always been open to address bilaterally with Pakistan," he said in response to a question on the press release from Pakistan Foreign Office on India's Geospatial Information Regulation Bill.

The draft Bill suggests that anyone distributing a map the Indian government deems to be "wrong", could be liable for a billion-rupee fine and jail time. Through passage of this Bill, the Indian government would be able to penalise individuals and organisations "who depict Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions".



SAME OLD STORY FROM PAKISTAN

Pakistan called the bill a "violation of UNSC resolutions" since "the official map of India has been depicting the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India which is factually incorrect and legally untenable."

It sent a letter sent to the UN, calling it to uphold the Security Council resolutions, and urged India "to stop acts that are in violation of international law".

Pakistan also urged the world body to hold and oversee an independent and impartial plebiscite on Jammu and Kashmir.

THE MAP CRACKDOWN

This is not the first time India has objected to the misrepresentation of Jammu and Kashmir in India maps.

Last year, Indian government took news channel Al Jazeera off air for nearly a week, saying it had repeatedly shown incorrect maps of Kashmir.

Companies that provide map services, like Google and Apple, too have been in trouble of showing a chunk of Kashmir as part of Pakistan. In 2014, the national surveying agency filed a complaint against Google for displaying varying maps of India on its different country webpages.

In 2011 it ordered The Economist magazine to cover up a map of the disputed borders in Kashmir. The news weekly placed white stickers over a diagram of the borders in 28,000 copies on sale in India.

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Chief Minister Oommen Chandy returned to his official House Cliff House on Monday night and met his loyalists and some journalists.

By Jeemon Jacob: A day after the poll, leaders in Kerala took a break from their hectic schedule and spent some time with their families and friends.

Exit polls have left the UDF leaders worried and they hope it to go wrong. However, CPI(M) leaders are jubilant and counting on a landslide victory for LDF.

The BJP is banking on the Exit poll as it predicted Lotus bloom in Kerala. But some top BJP leaders fear the strategic votes by minorities and CPI(M) may take away their chances.

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Chief Minister Oommen Chandy returned to his official House Cliff House on Monday night and met his loyalists and some journalists.

"It seems that CM is shaky and he was too anxious about the poll results," said one officer who met him.

Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI(M) politburo Member spent his day with family and friends at his home in Kannur district. Few local party leaders met him at his residence. He was in happy mood as the exit poll predicted wave in favour of the LDF. Other CPI(M) veteran and Opposition Leader VS Achuthanandan is also in happy mood as his poll campaigns hit international headlines.

BJP state President Kummanam Rajasekharan met media in the morning and alleged that UDF and LDF opted for cross voting to defeat the BJP. Kummanam and another party leader Rajagopal visited state headquarters and had closed door meetings with senior leaders. They all expressed their confidence over BJP opening an account in Kerala Assembly.

Left union leaders in the Secretariat were all in a hype as LDF is going to come to power. The discussions were mainly on who all are going to be in the Cabinet .

"I can be sure of one Minister. That's Dr. Thomas Isaac who will be the Minister for Finance. Rest is only guess," said one senior NGO Union leader. "But he has his own old team ," he added.

After cooling their heels for two days, leaders come back to life on Thursday for the counting.

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By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, May 17 (PTI) Asserting that LGBT rights are human rights, US President Barack Obama today called for ending discrimination against the community globally.

"Our nation is committed to the principle that all people should be treated fairly and with respect," the US President said in a statement on the occasion of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

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"Advancing this goal has long been a cornerstone of American diplomacy, and I am proud that my Administration has made advancing the human rights of LGBT individuals a specific focus of our engagement around the world," he said.

He also lauded the efforts the US made in recent years in marriage equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

"I am also proud of the great strides that our nation has made at home in recent years, including that we now have marriage equality as a result of last years landmark Supreme Court decision," he added.

At the same time, there is much work to be done to combat homophobia and transphobia, both at home and abroad, Obama said.

"In too many places, LGBT individuals grow up forced to conceal or deny who they truly are for fear of persecution, discrimination, and violence.

All nations and all communities can, and must, do better," he noted.

"Fortunately, human rights champions and good citizens around the world continue to strive towards this goal every day by lifting up the simple truth that LGBT rights are human rights. The US honours their work and will continue to support them in their struggle for human dignity," Obama said. PTI LKJ UZM

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By PTI: From Anisur Rahman

Dhaka, May 17 (PTI) At least 81 people were killed by lightning strikes in Bangladesh in two days during the recent spell of thunderstorms, a rare high casualty in the country attributed to climate change by the authorities.

"Such a high casualty figure in lightning just in two days is rare not only in Bangladesh but also in the world," disaster management minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya told a media briefing at his office.

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"The intensity of lightning has increased in recent years due to climate change sparking a massive public fear," he said.

Secretary of the ministry Shah Kamal said that the government included lightening in the list of natural disaster since August last year in view of its growing intensity claiming 81 lives on May 12 and 13 alone in 26 districts.

Most of the deaths occurred in rural parts of north and central Bangladesh.

According to official count, lightning killed 17 people last year.

Kamal said the Science and Technology Ministry was asked to carry out a research on the cause of the frequent lightning causing high number of deaths.

He said the lightning which generally accompanies massive rains and storm and usually continue for 30 to 45 minutes when the people could avoid risks of being exposed to the disaster by staying indoors in line with weather forecasts.

He distributed a one-page guideline suggesting lightning precautions that advised people to use robber-sole shoes, sit down in down headed posture if anyone is in open field, avoid shelter in tin-roofed sheds and take refuge under concrete roofed structure, stay away from rivers and water bodies, avoid metallic touches, avoid use of electronic gadgets.

Experts and meteorologists said they recorded increased frequency of lightning this year and identified high temperature to be a factor for the phenomenon. PTI AR ZH

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By PTI: court-martial: SC judge

Nagpur, May 17 (PTI) A Supreme Court judge has called for exploring all options for compensating military personnel found guilty during court-martial instead of reinstating them after they win legal battles.

Speaking at the silver jubilee celebrations of Institute of Military Law (IML) at Kamptee here yesterday, Supreme Court judge Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri said it was a must to maintain the tradition of strict discipline in armed forces.

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Elaborating on his suggestion, Justice Sikri said that such options were available in civil disputes under Industrial Dispute Act wherein private companies do it by paying increased compensation or one-time settlement or payment.

"In the era of globalisation, if a company doesnt want a particular employee, they resort to such tactics. Even in armed forces, such options should be explored. When Army personnel, who are pronounced guilty during court-martial, return to their positions after winning legal battles either in Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) or Supreme Court, they virtually motivate others to indulge in indiscipline and bring bad name to the organisation," he said.

Institute of Military Law celebrated its Raising Day at its premises in Kamptee near here yesterday.

Justice Sikri planted a palm to mark the occasion. He later addressed officers undergoing 25 JAAC course.

He also stressed that it is the responsibility of Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch officers to carefully study each case and ensure that principle of natural justice is followed.

He also emphasised that in armed forces, justice and discipline are to be ensured and JAG branch officers have a very important role to play in achieving this.

Brigadier Vijay Kumar Commandant IML and Colonel A K Vashisth, Deputy Commandant were present on the occasion, a release from the Defence PRO said. PTI JOE DK GVS

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By PTI: From Shirish B

Pradhan

Kathmandu, May 17 (PTI) Madhesis and demonstrators from other minority groups today clashed with police in front of Nepal Prime Minister K P Olis official residence, leaving several of them injured as the protest over the new Constitution entered the fourth day.

Tension erupted as the riot police stopped protesters, seeking more rights and representation in Nepals new Constitution, from moving towards the Prime Ministers official residence in Baluwatar to press for their demands.

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Three of the agitators had to be admitted to hospital after the clash, said the agitating groups. Several others received minor injuries.

Hundreds of riot policemen were guarding the PMs residence since early morning to stop the cadres of Federal Alliance, a grouping of 29 political parties, to reach the spot.

After protesting outside Singha Durbar, the countrys main administrative centre, for two consecutive days, the Federal Alliance decided to picket outside PMs residence.

Around 500 to 600 people gathered in the area for staging sit-in. Madhesi leaders Mahendra Raya Yadav, Sharad Singh Bhandari and Upendra Mahato also joined them.

Oli yesterday warned that the government will not keep quiet if the protests become violent.

The major demands of Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, include re-demarcation of the seven province model of federal structure, inclusiveness and proportionate representation of marginalised groups and ethnic minorities including the Madhesis, indigenous groups and dalits in all the state bodies.

Meanwhile, extending support to the agitating ethnicgroups, Nepali Congress General Secretary Shashanka Koirala has asked the government to resolve the issues raised by the protesters.

Talking to reporters, Koirala said that their genuine demands should be addressed through peaceful means of dialogue.

Koirala also said that his party was not involved in a conspiracy to topple the incumbent government led by Oli. He, however, said that the government would be formed and dissolved through democratic process.

Protesters want the government to re-write the Constitution to meet their demands. The alliance started their Kathmandu-centric fresh protests on Saturday.

Madhesis earlier had launched six-month-long agitation from September to February in which more than 50 people were killed. The agitation had also crippled the landlocked countrys economy as supplies from India were blocked.

Nepal had accused India of imposing an "economic blockade", which India strongly denied.

The alliance has this time changed its strategy and focused their protest in the capital city in an attempt to draw attention of the government and other stakeholders to their demands. PTI SBP NSA

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According to reports, India's Got Talent judge Malaika Arora will now go with her maiden name in the credits of the show.

By India Today Web Desk: Malaika Arora Khan has become a name to be reckoned with in the television world, thanks to her stints in shows like Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Nach Baliye, Zara Nachke Dikha and India's Got Talent. The glamorous TV personality, however, is going through a rough patch in her personal life. Malaika and hubby Arbaaz are currently on a break and are "taking out time to figure out their lives," according to a joint statement given by the couple.

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As per The Times of India, Malaika for the time being has decided to go with her maiden name and has thus asked India's Got Talent team to drop Khan from her surname.

Also read: India's Got Talent 7 review: It's one notch short of a perfect weekend watch



"Malaika has clearly told the production and on-air team that she has to be addressed only as Malaika Arora on the show. She is very strict about it," a source told Hindustan Times.

The speculations about the trouble in the couple's paradise started after Malaika stopped shooting with Arbaaz Khan for Power Couple, where the two were co-hosts. She shot only for a couple of episodes for the Sony TV's reality show. Soon, she moved out of her Bandra house along with her son Arhaan. Rumours of Malaika dating a US-based businessman followed soon after. Few days back, reports of her dating Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor also started doing the rounds.

Apart from Malaika, Karan Johar and Kirron Kher are the judges of India's Got Talent 7. The talent reality show airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9pm on Colors.

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By PTI: New Delhi, May 17 (PTI) A group of youths out on bail in an alleged harassment case, thrashed the complainant and her mother in public view, less than 24 hours after they were granted bail, at central Delhis Anand Parbat area, police said today.

While three of the accused - Sonu, Chunnu and Govinda - were arrested again and produced before a court, which sent them to a 14 days judicial custody - two others, Bunty and Shankar, are still at large.

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The incident took place at Punjabi Basti in Anand Parbat area where a 19-year-old woman, Meenakshi, was stabbed to death by a neighbour July last.

The recent chain of incidents started this Saturday when the woman complained to the police about a group of five men often harassing her.

The group used to meet at a tea stall near her house.

Based on the womans complaint, the police registered a case under IPC Sections 354 D (stalking), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), and arrested all five accused, DCP (Central) Parmaditya said.

Under provisions of law, the accused were granted bail.

On Sunday evening, they met at the same tea stall and the complainant confronted them which led to a fight between her and the group.

During the fight, Sonu attacked the woman with a belt and when her mother came to her rescue, the group attacked her too. They were attacked with a stick and belt in full public view in the evening hours.

A purported video clip of the incident in which the women could be seen being assaulted was also shown on TV channels earlier today.

Locals called up police and a fresh case was registered under IPC Sections 354 (outraging modesty of a woman), 354 B (criminal force to any woman or abetting such act with the intention of disrobing or compelling her to be naked), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation), Parmaditya said.

A search operation was launched and three of the accused were arrested yesterday morning, he said, adding efforts are on to nab the others. PTI DEY TIR RG TIR

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By PTI: Washington, May 17 (PTI) A far wider swath of brain areas is activated when children hear their mothers than when they hear other voices, and this brain response predicts a childs social communication ability, researchers including one of Indian-origin have found.

Brain regions that respond more strongly to the mothers voice extend beyond auditory areas to include those involved in emotion and reward processing, social functions, detection of what is personally relevant and face recognition.

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The strength of connections between the brain regions activated by the voice of a childs own mother predicted that childs social communication abilities, researchers said.

"Many of our social, language and emotional processes are learned by listening to our moms voice," said Daniel Abrams from Stanford University in the US.

"But surprisingly little is known about how the brain organises itself around this very important sound source. We did not realise that a mothers voice would have such quick access to so many different brain systems," said Abrams.

Decades of research have shown that children prefer their mothers voices. In one study, one-day-old babies sucked harder on a pacifier when they heard the sound of their moms voice, as opposed to the voices of other women, researchers said.

The reason behind this preference had never been defined.

"We wanted to know is it just auditory and voice-selective areas that respond differently, or is it more broad in terms of engagement, emotional reactivity and detection of salient stimuli," said Vinod Menon from Stanford University.

The study examined 24 children ages 7 to 12. All had IQs of at least 80, none had any developmental disorders, and all were being raised by their biological mothers.

Parents answered a standard questionnaire about their childs ability to interact and relate with others.

Before the brain scans, each childs mother was recorded saying three nonsense word before the brain scans, each childs mother was recorded saying three nonsense words.

"In this age range, where most children have good language skills, we did not want to use words that had meaning because that would have engaged a whole different set of circuitry in the brain," said Menon.

Two mothers whose children were not being studied, and who had never met any of the children in the study, were also recorded saying the three nonsense words. These recordings were used as controls, researchers said.

The childrens brains were scanned via magnetic resonance imaging while they listened to short clips of the nonsense-word recordings, some produced by their own mother and some by the control mothers, researchers said.

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Even from very short clips, less than a second long, the children could identify their own mothers voices with greater than 97 per cent accuracy, they said.

The findings were published in the journal PNAS. PTI SAN SAR SAR

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By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, May 17 (PTI) Small increments of stockpile growth and multiple warhead missiles will ratchet up a triangular nuclear competition among China, India and Pakistan, a new book has said while warning that there are no realistic prospects for banning such arsenal.

With China beginning its long-awaited deployment of the DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missile, India and Pakistan are likely to respond by placing multiple warheads atop some of their missiles, the book titled The Lure and Pitfalls of MIRVS: From the First to the Second Nuclear Age said.

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The book, co-edited by Michael Krepon, Co-founder of the Stimson Center, and Shane Mason, says that in the second nuclear age, no less than the first, there are no realistic prospects for banning multiple-warhead missiles.

China has started to deploy such missiles, and India and Pakistan are likely to cross this threshold as well.

The motivations behind these steps will determine how extensively nuclear arsenals will grow and how pernicious the effects of stockpile growth will become, the book said.

"The good news is that China, India, and Pakistan wont go overboard on MIRVs like the United States and the Soviet Union. The bad news is that even limited deployments will further complicate the triangular nuclear competition in Asia," Krepon said.

The book warns that if the growth of warhead totals and missile accuracy presages moves by Beijing and New Delhi toward warfighting strategies of deterrence, then the second nuclear age will become far more dangerous and prospects for reducing the salience of nuclear weapons on international affairs will be undermined.

According to Krepon, the triangular nuclear competition in Asia will differ greatly from the arms race between the United States and the erstwhile Soviet Union.

China will likely continue to build its arsenal at a moderate pace, adding fewer than 200 warheads to its arsenal over the next 10-15 years -- perhaps one half as a result of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV).

But even small increments of stockpile growth and multiple warhead missiles will ratchet up the triangular nuclear competition among China, India, and Pakistan, Krepon said.

Krepon concludes that success in dampening this competition will require improved relations and nuclear risk reduction measures between China and India, and between India and Pakistan.

Most importantly, China and India can avoid the lure and pitfalls of MIRVs by continuing to avoid counterforce nuclear targeting strategies.

"If decision makers in China, India, and Pakistan wish to avoid repeating the missteps of the United States and the Soviet Union during the first nuclear age, they will limit the extent to which multiple warheads are placed atop missiles," Krepon said.

"They will proceed at a slow pace -- and reject the lure and pitfalls of Cold War-era counterforce targeting strategies," he said. PTI LKJ ASK ASK

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By PTI: Bhubaneswar, May 17 (PTI) The Odisha government today decided to launch Green Passage scheme for orphan students to ensure that they get free of cost higher education in the state.

A proposal of the higher education department in this regard, was approved by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here today. As per the scheme, orphan students pursuing higher education from Plus-II level to post-graduation level, will no longer have to bear the education expenses.

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As many as 16,382 orphan students lodged in 272 institutions across the state, will be exempted of admission fee, tuition fees and laboratory fees for higher studies. "Even they will be provided free hostel facilities and food," said a senior official quoting provisions of the Green Passage Scheme.

Patnaik has directed all government, private, government aided colleges and universities to ensure that the orphan students are not charged in any form, an official release said.

The state government will bear all cost of the orphan students. PTI AAM CR DV SNP

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By PTI: Colombo,

May 17 (PTI) Over 200,000 people have been affected by torrential rains and flash floods that have wreaked havoc in Sri Lanka, killing eight people with nine others still missing, officials said today.

"19 of the 25 administrative districts in the island were affected by heavy rains, floods and earth slips. 47,922 families or 207,556 people have been affected," Disaster management spokesman Pradeep Kodippily said.

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He said 176 shelters provide accommodation to over 134,000. Some 68 homes have been completely destroyed.

The capital Colombo was the worst hit with many roads going under water.

"The low pressure situation which caused heavy rains had now moved towards South India," Lalith Chandrapala, Meteorological Department official said.

The rains have been lashing the country for the last three days, felling trees, damaging power cables and blocking roads and connectivity.

Yesterday, the armed forces had also been put on alert. As many as eight districts were issued landslide warnings. PTI CORR KJ ASK KJ

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By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, May 17 (PTI) Shahbaz Taseer, the son of Pakistans slain governor of Punjab province Salmaan Taseer, has given a chilling account of brutal torture during his half a decade-long captivity by ruthless Uzebk militants who flogged him, cut off his flesh and pulled out his nails.

The horrific ordeal was narrated by Shahbaz himself in his first interviews after he recently returned home in March from the clutches of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and later the Afghan Taliban.

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"They used to flog me. I was flogged about 500 in three days, then they cut my back with blades and removed nails from my hands and feet," the 33-year-old told BBC Urdu about his captivity by the IMU, an outfit long associated with Al-Qaeda blamed for high-profile terror attacks in Pakistan including the 2014 storming of Karachi airport.

He said he was not given food for days and was not given treatment even while suffering from malaria.

Once the captors also stitched his mouth.

"They used to torture me for making films and used to tell me their plans in advance. Like they would tell me that they will remove my nails tomorrow.

"I used to pray the whole night," Shahbaz said.

"They would carve my back open with blades and throw salt. They sewed my mouth shut and starved me for a week. They shot me in my leg. They cut flesh off my back. I bled for seven days and they wouldnt give me any help for seven days," he told CNN in a separate interview.

Shahbaz, who was abducted in 2011 from his hometown Lahore, said he was initially kept in Mirali area of North Waziristan and them moved to Dattakhel area of same district. Later, he was moved to Afghanistan by Taliban who imprisoned him in their jail.

He also said that differences cropped up between IMU - whom he described as known in militant circles for being "ruthless, merciless and the best fighters" - and Taliban over the issue of allegiance with the Islamic State (ISIS) group.

"Following the dispute, Afghan Taliban attacked the Uzbeks and eliminated their whole group - their leadership. For three days, only death lived there," he said.

Describing his survival as a "personal victory", Shahbaz said patience and the hope of eventual release sustained him.

"People, friends and family say you are very brave, you came back, it was very heroic. But these are not things I can say about myself. What I can say about myself is that I learnt to be very patient.

"When the kidnappers would call my mother, it was not me speaking to her; it was them. I was just their vehicle. I knew she couldnt speak freely either. But I learned to focus on her voice. I loved hearing her voice," he said. (MORE) PTI SH SAI AKJ SAI

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By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, May 17 (PTI) Pakistan today said it has expressed "serious concern" to the UN over a draft bill in the Indian Parliament over the map of Kashmir and called upon the world body to uphold its resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in "violation of international law".

Wrong depiction of the map of India could land the violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and impose a fine up to Rs 100 crore, according to the draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016.

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"Pakistan has expressed serious concern to the United Nations Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, through letters by our Permanent Representative in New York, with regard to the Indian governments efforts to introduce a controversial Geospatial Information Regulation Bill in the Indian Parliament," the Foreign Office (FO) said.

It further said that "in violation of UNSC resolutions, the official map of India has been depicting the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India which is factually incorrect and legally untenable".

Through the passage of this Bill, the Indian government would penalise the individuals and organisations who depict Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, the FO said.

"The letter calls upon the United Nations to uphold the UNSC resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in violation of international law," the FO said.

"We have urged the international community and the United Nations to fulfill their commitment with the people of Jammu and Kashmir by holding an independent and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices," it said. PTI SH SAI AKJ SAI

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Serving healthy food to Mumbaikars every day, Paninaro has come a long way since it began as a food truck in 2009.

By Shreya Goswami: When Aditya Parikh, a former banker with JP Morgan Chase in New York, came back to Mumbai and joined his father's firm at Nariman Point, he couldn't spot a single restaurant or cafe with healthy food options on the menu. So, in 2009, Parikh teamed up with Anuj Thapar, a chef with a formidable resume-boasting biggies like Trattoria at Taj President and the Hilton in London, to start Paninaro.

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Originally conceptualised as a chain of food trucks providing healthy grab-and-go options at corporate hubs across the city, Paninaro was immediately faced with a Supreme Court ruling prohibiting cooking on public streets.

Also read: Will Chef Saransh Goila finally give Mumbai a butter chicken worth remembering?



Aditya Parikh, a former banker, is the brain behind Paninaro. Photo courtesy: Paninaro

But the dedicated team behind Paninaro proved to the courts that they were following every safety and hygiene regulation. The food trucks were also gaining popularity with the occupants at Peninsula Corporate Park, Lower Parel with a limited menu of salads, sandwiches and select desserts.

People liked the idea of picking up something healthy and having it in packaging that made it conducive to eat on the go. "One Friday, we were sold out within an hour of opening!", says Parikh, "We had to rush to get sandwiches replenished from our Central Kitchen, which was then in Bhandup and that's really when we moved from being just a corner food truck to a healthy food option for people in Lower Parel."

The salads at Paninaro are wholesome and tasty. Photo courtesy: Paninaro

How did the chain of food trucks transform into a chain of restaurants? One of the pieces of feedback Parikh and his team received was that there should be a space to sit and eat. When a retail space became available within Peninsula Corporate Park, Paninaro took it over and started their first outlet.

"That's when we realised that a food truck has great marketing appeal but people really want to step out of their offices at lunch, walk around for that hour-long break they have and not stay confined to their offices or cafeterias. We quickly started at CR2 Mall, Nariman Point and then at BKC and Atria Mall. Within a year, we opened in Indiabulls Finance Centre too", Parikh explains further.

Also read: A chef guides us through Mumbai's street food and the top 10 places to find them



Paninaro's food trucks were quite popular in Mumbai's Lower Parel area. Photo courtesy: Paninaro

Paninaro currently has 9 outlets across Mumbai, a number which they hope to increase to 15 by the end of this year. And their food sells better than hot cakes, thanks to their healthy food options. Parikh talks at length about this angle: "With increasing awareness, we see healthy eating and dietary habits moving from the fringe to mainstream and our goal is to serve those clients when they're ready. Healthy food is a vast untouched and untapped terrain. Innovation and change are the only constants and for this it's important to not only have in-house R&D but also to keep reading and researching."

Paninaro is more about health food options than health food. Photo courtesy: Paninaro Paninaro is more about health food options than health food. Photo courtesy: Paninaro

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Parikh believes that their menu reflects well thought out options for the customers. "Our goal wasn't and isn't to serve health food, but to give people a healthier option - whole wheat bread vs brown bread, butter vs margarine, honey vs refined sugar, and so on."

Their Jalapeno, Hummus and Feta sandwich is made using multi-grain bread and has the right mix of greens, spice and flavour. Paninaro's Smoked Chicken, Tomato and Pesto sandwich, made using rye bread, in-house smoked chicken slices and a generous spread of pesto, is another one. Their breads are made in-house and their food has no artificial colours and preservatives.

Parikh signs off with the words, "It's the small things that we do differently but have the maximum impact for our clients in my opinion." So if you're in Mumbai and looking for a bite of something wholesome and healthy, check out Paninaro's chain of restaurants at the following locations:

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By PTI: New Delhi, May 17 (PTI) The proposed official trip of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to UAE tonight has been delayed due to certain scheduling issues and he will now travel to Oman on May 20 and then to the Emirates.

Defence sources said Parrikar will first travel to Oman where he will hold talks with the countrys top leadership.

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He will then visit UAE on May 22-23, they said.

Parrikar would be the first Indian Defence Minister to travel to UAE.

Parrikars visit to the country comes just ahead of an air exercise being held between the air force of the two countries this month.

Indian fighter planes will stop by in UAE on the way back from the Red Flag air exercise in the US.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modis visit last year, India and UAE had decided to establish a strategic security dialogue and boost defence ties besides resolving to work together in counter-terrorism operations, combating money laundering, drug trafficking and trans-national crimes.

The two sides had agreed to strengthen defence relations, including through regular exercises and training of naval, air, land and special forces, besides cooperation in coastal defence.

The UAE had also said it will cooperate in manufacture of defence equipment in India.

Ahead of Parrikars visit, a flotilla of three warships had reached Dubai on May 7 to demonstrate Indias commitment to maritime relations with countries in the Gulf region.

He will visit Oman, considered to be closest to India among the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC), on May 20.

Oman had signed a military protocol with India in 1972, which led to a three-year deputation of Indian Navy personnel to man Omans Navy in 1973.

An MoU on defence cooperation was also signed between India and Oman in 2005.

Areas of cooperation include joint military exercises, military training and IT, educational courses and exchange of observers and formal visits.

India had trained 150 Omani military personnel in 2014-15. PTI SAP SK

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Ashok Dinda and Adam Zampa starred with the ball as Rising Pune Supergiants hurt Delhi Daredevils' chances of reaching the play-offs in a rain-marred IPL match at Visakhapatnam.

By India Today Web Desk: Persistent rain in Visakhapatnam forced the Indian Premier League match between Rising Pune Supergiants and Delhi Daredevils to be called off with RPS getting the result in their favour thanks to the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Chasing a modest 122 for victory, Pune's charge was stopped by the rain for the second time with their score stuck on 76/1 in 11 overs when umpires decided that there was no point in continuing the match any further.

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As rain continued persistently, the match was called off after a wait of around 15 minutes with Pune ahead of the par score of 57 by 19 runs.

Rahane steers Pune's chase



Ajinkya Rahane remained unbeaten on 42, while giving him company was George Bailey on 8 when the covers were brought on the field.

At the first rain interruption, Pune were 57 for 1 in 8.2 overs with Rahane on 26 and George Bailey on 6. They returned after a rain break of around an hour and they were to get their full quota of 20 overs.

But rain came back again after playing another two overs and four deliveries. Rahane and Bailey added 19 runs in those 16 deliveries. Rahane added 16 runs for himself as he hit a four and a six off Mohammed

Shami to take Pune ahead before the second rain break stopped play.

The win did not change anything for Pune, who are already out of reckoning for a play-offs berth, apart from the addition of two more points to their earlier six, except that they are now in the seventh spot ahead of Kings XI Punjab.

Delhi's chances hurt after loss



For Daredevils, the loss will make it more difficult for them to book a play-offs berth as they remained at sixth spot with 12 points from 12 matches.

They will now need to win both their remaining matches - against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore - to have a chance for making it to the play-offs.

Dinda and Zampa star for RPS

Earlier, medium pacer Ashok Dinda (3/20) and leg-spinner Adam Zampa (3/21) helped RPS restrict Delhi Daredevils to 121 for six in 20 overs.

Asked to bat, Delhi struggled as Dinda and Zampa continued their impressive performance to leave the visitors struggle for runs.

Karun Nair (41 off 43 deliveries) anchored Delhi's innings, while South African all-rounder Chris Morris made a quick-fire 38 in just 20 balls towards the end to help his side cross 120-run mark.

Brief scores: Delhi Daredevils: 121/6 (Karun Nair 41, Chris Morris 38; Ashok Dinda 3-20, Adam Zampa 3-21) vs Rising Pune Supergiants.

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The former chief of army has backed his potentially explosive suggestion saying Maharana Pratap was "truly secular" and has motivated Indians for generations.

By Gaurav C Sawant: Insisting that Maharana Pratap of Mewar, one of the greatest Rajput Kings of India, has not been given due recognition, Minister of State for External Affairs General (Retd) VK Singh has written a letter to Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, seeking the renaming of New Delhi's Akbar Road as Maharana Pratap Road.

SECULAR KING?

The former chief of army has backed his potentially explosive suggestion saying Maharana Pratap was "truly secular" and has motivated Indians for generations. "I do find that one historical personality that has motivated generations - Maharana Pratap - has not been given his due. You would be aware that he was not only instrumental in stopping the might of the Mughal King Akbar but he was truly secular and a man of the masses," the General has written in his letter.

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India Today has accessed the letter Singh has shot off to the Urban Development Ministry. In his letter no MOS (VKS)/05/2016 dated 16 May 2016, Gen VK Singh writes that Maharana Pratap's army was led by a Pathan and had Bhils, adivasis and others as soldiers. "The Vaishya (trader) community led by Bhamashah provided him material support in his fight to retain independence from the Mughals," he says.

ROAD TO GREATER RECOGNITION?

"In view of this, I would request you to honour this great son of India by naming the Akbar Road as Maharana Pratap Road or a suitably important road in the Lutyen's Zone in his name. This would provide recognition to his valour and spirit of secularism which makes our country great. I do feel that important personalities like Maharana Pratap and Chatrapati Shivaji deserve greater recognition than they have been given thus far," he adds.

SWAMY BACKS SINGH

Singh's views have been echoed by BJP's firebrand MP in Rajya Sabha, Subramanian Swamy. "The General is absolutely right. There isn't a single road in New Delhi after Maharana Pratap, one of India's biggest heroes when it comes to love for motherland and sacrifice. He preferred to live in poverty in jungles but did not compromise on his principles and patriotism. But there are roads named after Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. Somewhere down the line, the real heroes need to be recognized," Swamy told India Today.

Incidentally, the headquarters of Opposition Congress are located on Akbar Road.

Last year, after similar requests were made by BJP MPs Mahesh Giri and Meenakshi Lekhi, the centrally-controlled New Delhi Municipal Council changed the name of Aurangzeb Road to APJ Abdul Kalam Road in the late former president's honour.

Also Read:

Delhi's Aurangzeb Road to now be APJ Abdul Kalam Road, tweets Arvind Kejriwal



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Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur is suffering from breast cancer. Her family and counsel have expressed concern over the effect of the hunger strike on her health.

By Mail Today: Three days after Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was given a clean chit in the 2008-Malegaon blasts case by the National Investigative Agency (NIA), she went on a fast-unto-death on Monday, protesting against the refusal by Madhya Pradesh police to allow her to visit Ujjain to attend the Simhastha Kumbh citing security concerns.

Thakur also wrote a letter to PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh apart from chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking their intervention.

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Thakur, paralysed below the waist , allegedly due to prolonged torture by the police, is suffering from cancer. Her family and counsel have expressed concern over the effect of the hunger strike on her health. "If she dies, her blood will be on the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government," said Upama Singh, her eldest sister.

The Dewas sessions court on May 4 had allowed Thakur to attend Simhastha Kumbh at Ujjain. The court order, accessed by Mail Today, said Thakur be taken from Khusilal Ayurvedic Chikitsalaya in Bhopal to Ujjain Simhastha under police protection before May 21. An ailing Thakur had expressed her "last wish" to attend the Kumbh, according to her advocate, as she is apprehensive if she "will see another such kumbh in her lifetime".

On May 13, jail authorities had written to the court that Bhopal police is stretched to capacity with the presence of around 850 officials and jawans in Ujjain. It said adequate forces would not be available for Sadhvi Pragya.

"It is shameful that the Madhya Pradesh police have failed to provide the Sadhvi with some sort of police protection so that she can attend the Simhastha Kumbh. It is highly unbecoming for the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government that it has not been able to provide a few guards in 11 days since the Dewas sessions court on May 4 allowed her to attend the Hindu religious event. We are moving a contempt petition in the high court," JP Sharma, counsel to Thakur, told Mail Today from Bhopal. The lawyer accused the police of dragging its feet, supported by the MP government.

Meanwhile, Sharma also told Mail Today that Thakur's health has been deteriorating. "Since the morning, no doctor has examined her. There can be no bigger an instance of apathy,". "Doctors examining her had conveyed to the courts that she was suffering from breast cancer which needed immediate surgery, but there has been no movement even on that front and now this".

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By PTI: New Delhi, May 17 (PTI) Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will lead a 25-member business delegation to Myanmar with an aim to boost trade and economic ties between the two nations.

"Nirmala Sitharaman will be the first Minister from India to visit Myanmar after the change of regime in Myanmar. She will lead a high level CEO delegation to Myanmar from May 18-20, 2016," an official statement said.

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The Minister will participate in the India Myanmar Business Conclave being organised by India at Yangon as part of its Act East policy.

The delegation includes Naushad Forbes (President CII), Rakesh Mittal (Bharti Enterprises), Shobana Kamineni (Apollo Hospitals), Arundhati Bhattacharya (State Bank of India), and Madhu Kannan (Tata Sons), among others.

Leading business persons from Myanmar including many ministers shall attend the conclave, the statement said.

During the two-day visit, the delegation is expected to deliberate on various sectors including agriculture, manufacturing and employment, IT, health, education, SEZs, industrial zones and finance.

Sitharaman is also scheduled to have bilateral interactions with many ministers of the new Myanmar government including Myanmar Minister for Commerce Than Myint and Minister for Industry U KhinMaung Cho.

Bilateral trade between the countries stood at USD 2 billion in 2014-15.

Myanmar witnessed a victory by the National League for Democracy led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the elections held in November 2015. PTI RR JD SBT MR

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The actress' looks from the French Riviera can easily double as fresh-faced looks for spring and summer.

By Hemul Goel: The actress' looks from the French Riviera can easily double as fresh-faced looks for spring and summer.

Sonam Kapoor's looks at Cannes might leave you asking for more, but as they say, be careful what you wish for. When it comes to the things we must wish for after ogling lustfully at Sonam Kapoor's looks, her beauty look by far seems the least bank-breaking and easiest to achieve.

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The fact that you might be able to emulate it or not totally depends on your skills. Nevertheless, we have help at hand, and that too from the expert herself.

Sonam Kapoor's makeup artist who's busy prepping up the stunner took to Instagram to post a tutorial of Sonam's beauty look from the press interaction. The actress' look from the French Riviera can easily double up as our go-to makeup when we want to appear fresh-faced for spring or summer. And the best part is that there are no particular product recommendations, so all the girls on a budget can give it a go too!

Namrata posted the following tutorial regarding her press meet look:

Spring ready! Picture courtesy: Instagram/@namratasoni

1) Always start by prepping and refreshing the skin with a glow mist or Avene face mist, as it has essential oils.

2) Apply an extra repair eye-cream only under the eyes. Don't apply it on the eyelids as it tends to make them oily. Use a primer (regular moisturiser that you use daily) on the rest of your face and neck by gently pressing it onto your face with your palms.

3) Use a corrector, as it brightens and covers discolouration under the eyes and neutralises under-eye darkness, followed by a concealer under the eyes and on any discolouration on the face (a yellow-based concealer camouflages under-eye darkness).

4) With a clean foundation brush, apply a liquid foundation with medium to full coverage lightly all over the face and blend with a wet sponge. With a big powder puff, use loose powder to set the foundation on the skin.

5) Use a pink lip liner as an eye liner. Start near the tear duct and glide the pencil, finishing off in wing at the end of each eye. Add a touch of yellow to the inner corner of the eyes.

6) Curl your lashes and apply two coats of mascara, focusing more on the outer corner.

7) Use a pink blush on the cheeks and a soft pearl iridescent highlighter on the high cheek bones and bridge of the nose.

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8) Finish-off this look with a pink gloss.

Sonam's peachy hued red carpet look can be copied using these steps:

Pretty in peach. Picture courtesy: Instagram/@rheakapoor

Follow the first four steps as mentioned above in order to prep your face.

1) Use a gold eyeshadow starting at the innermost corner of the eyes going all the way up to the brows and stop at the centre of the eyes. Switch to a peach eyeshadow and continue blending it into the rest of the eyes from from the lashes line to the brow bone creating a contour and pulling it out towards the end of the eyebrows.

6) Take a soft brown eyeshadow and smudge the eyeshadow under the bottom lashes all the way from the tear duct to the outer corners of the eyes pulling it into a straight wing and deepen this with a gel liner. Curl your lashes and apply 2 coats of mascara concentrating it towards the outer corner. Apply a few single lashes for drama.

7) Use an orange blush on the cheeks and a gold highlighter on the high cheek bones and bridge of the nose.

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8) Finish of this look with a soft coral lipstick and add a gold gloss on top to make it pop.

Her blue saree look doesn't require too much work, thankfully.

Babe in blue. Picture courtesy: Instagram/@namratasoni

1) Use a teal liner starting from the inner-corner of the eyes, all the way till the end of the lashes. Allow it to sit for 60 seconds and reapply a new coat to intensify the colour.

2) Curl the lashes and use two coats of mascara. To give some balance use a coral lip stick (L'oreal Paris Infallible Charismatic Coral Lipstick) as a stain on the lips.

Another press meet look of the actress can be emulated by following this step-by-step breakdown by Namrata Soni.



That pout, though! Picture courtesy: Instagram/@namratasoni

Prepare your base using the first four steps mentioned in the first tutorial.

1) Use a subtle pearly eye shadow as a wash of colour only on the eyelid.

2) Take a brown gel liner and use a thin liner brush to sweep it along the inner-corner of the eyes, sticking very close to the lash line. Smudge. Curl your lashes and apply 2 coats of mascara concentrating towards the outer corner.

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3) Use a pink blush on the cheeks (L'oreal Paris Lucent Magique Blush) and follow with a soft pearl iridescent higlighter on the high cheek bones and bridge of the nose.

8) Finish this look with the L'oreal Paris Infallible Lipstick in Forever Fuchsia. Apply at least 2 coats for fabulous colour.



(The original post by Namrata Soni has been edited for clarity.)

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Amar Singh along with his close associate Jaya Prada were expelled from the Samajwadi Party in February, 2010.

By Press Trust of India: Over six years after it expelled Amar Singh, the Samajwadi Party today unanimously declared him as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls, setting the stage for his possible return to the party.

The party also nominated six others, including former Union minister Beni Prasad Verma, an influential Kushwaha leader who recently quit Congress and returned to the Samajwadi Party, and realtor Sanjay Seth for the biennial polls scheduled next month.

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When asked about when would Singh, a former confidante of Mulayam Singh Yadav, rejoin the party, Shivpal Singh Yadav, a UP Minister and brother of party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said," It will be decided by Netaji (Mulayam) and Amar Singh. We have earlier also sent Congress leaders Pramod Tiwari and P L Punia to Rajya Sabha."

Amar Singh along with his close associate Jaya Prada were expelled from the Samajwadi Party in February, 2010. He floated his own political party, Rashtriya Lok Manch, in 2011, and fielded a large number of candidates in 2012 assembly polls. However, none of his candidates won. He had joined the Rashtriya Lok Dal and contested the 2014 Lok Sabha poll from Fatehpur Sikri but lost.

Samajwadi Party denied there were "differences" over some candidates and claimed the decision on fielding them for the Rajya Sabha polls was "unanimous".

"The SP parliamentary board has unanimously decided seven names for Rajya Sabha. There were no differences and party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav was authorised to take the final decision. The names were read out in the meeting," Shivpal, also the party spokesman, told reporters.

The board has taken the decision after much thought and it will strengthen the party, he said, refuting reports of certain "objections" raised over some candidates at the meeting held today.

The seven candidates are -- Beni Prasad Verma, Amar Singh, Sanjay Seth, Sukhram Singh Yadav, Reoti Raman Singh, Vishwambhar Prasad Nishad and Arvind Pratap Singh.

Seth is a controversial Lucknow-based builder, who was earlier recommended to be nominated an MLC by the ruling party but his name was not approved by Governor Ram Naik. The governor had also rejected the governments proposal to nominate Rajvijay Singh and Kamlesh Pathak to the Legislative Council, contending that they did not qualify for it due to criminal cases pending against them.



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Lawyer Suravarapu Venkata Ravi has accused Narasimham of clicking and sharing nude photos of children, who are less than 16 years.

By India Today Web Desk: A Kakinada-based lawyer has filed a complaint with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights alleging that Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) Kakinada MP Thota Narasimham was involved in clicking nude photos of his children.

Lawyer Suravarapu Venkata Ravi has accused Narasimham of clicking and sharing nude photos of children, who are less than 16 years.

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The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in this regard has written to Andhra Pradesh Director-General of Police (DGP) JV Ramudu and the Secretary Home Affairs to inquire into the matter. The commission has sought a report by June 16.

However, Narasimham rubbished the accusation and claimed that there was conspiracy to malign his image. "I am ready to face any inquiry. These allegation leveled against me by a Kakinada lawyer is baseless and fabricated. I am ready to cooperate with the police and want the truth to come out in public, said Narasimhan," he said.

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As per latest reports, both encounters are still on.

By Ashraf Wani: Updates:

The encounter in Kupwara has intensified. Four to five terrorists are hiding.



The Encounter in Shopian has ended.

Two militants were killed today morning in encounters between security forces and militants in Kurpwar and Shopian districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

A senior army official told India Today that soldiers from 41 Rashtriya Rifles and 16 Garhwal manning the forest area of Zunreshi in kupwara along the Line of Control (LoC) noticed some suspicious movement and tried to intercept them at around 11:40 pm yesterday.

One AK 56, huge cache of ammunition,magazine & some docs recovered from terrorist: RS Bazaz(Commanding Officer,44RR) pic.twitter.com/5IQfgxdTM5 ANI (@ANI_news) May 17, 2016

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This resulted in a gunfight where a militant was killed by the armed forces.

The encounter is still going on as per latest reports.

Another encounter broke out at Pehlipora village of Shopian late last night when the army's 44 RR and SOG, acting on a tip off, carried out searches in the area.

No casualties,loss of lives or property during the Shopian encounter: RS Bazaz(Commanding Officer,44RR) pic.twitter.com/ajDyCXvz2U ANI (@ANI_news) May 17, 2016

The forces fired shots towards the suspected area after which militants reportedly opened fired resulting in an encounter and death of one local militant.

According to latest reports, search operations are still on in the area.

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The court also directed the bank to provide statements of all the transactions since 25 February 2016 till date.

By India Today Web Desk: In what can be seen as more trouble for Vijay Mallya, the Debt Recovery Tribunal today directed JP Morgan bank not to disburse the amount deposited by Diageo in favour of beleaguered liquor baron.

Yesterday Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the government will use all options available to bring Vijay Mallya back to the country.



What the tribunal has directed The Debt Recovery Tribunal today directed JP Morgan bank not to disburse the 40 million USD amount deposited by Diageo in favour of Mallya. The court also directed the bank to provide statements of all the transactions since February 25, 2016 till date. The court has also asked JP Morgan bank to attach shares held by Mallya in various companies. Court passed an ex-party order while hearing the petition that was filed by consortium of banks led by SBI seeking the same.

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British liquor major Diageo Plc had last week submitted a copy of its agreement with liquor baron Vijay Mallya to the Debt Recovery Tribunal, as directed by its presiding officer Justice CR Benakanahalli on April 29.

In accordance with the $75 million (Rs 515 crore) exit deal, Diageo paid Mallya $40 million on February 25 and agreed to pay the balance $35 million over the next five years on the latter meeting certain conditions in the agreement. As per the deal terms, Mallya resigned as chairman of Diageo-controlled United Spirits Ltd and agreed to not compete with it in the global beverages market, except in Britain for the next five years.



Meanwhile, Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a red corner notice against Mallya.

Also read:

Ferrari, swimming pools, helipad: An exclusive look inside Mallya's Goa villa

Endgame: Interpol arrest warrant for Vijay Mallya?





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By PTI: Kolkata, May 17 (PTI) Refuting the claims by the exit polls, which predicted a victory for Trinamool Congress in West Bengal assembly elections, CPI(M) state Secretary Suryakanto Mishra today expressed confidence that the CPI(M) and Congress alliance would come to power.

"What the people are thinking that can neither come up nor can be projected in those surveys (exit poll). I would request you all to wait for a while as the people will give their verdict on May 19 against this autocratic government," Mishra said at a programme here.

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"The victory of peoples alliance against the autocratic regime is certain," the former West Bengal minister added.

Most of the exit poll surveys by regional and national channels have given TMC a clear majority in the 294-member Assembly. "I am getting many calls from various places. I would request you all not to get tensed. We have lots of work to do. The distribution of responsibilities among the cadre on the counting day is an important task which needs to be fulfilled properly," Mishra said.

TMC spokesperson Derek OBrien said yesterday, "We will wait for May 19 and the actual results. The people of Bengal will bless Trinamool abundantly. Mamata Banerejee governments peace and communal harmony will win the hearts and minds of the people of Bengal."

Congress leader Abdul Mannan yesterday predicted that whatever might be the exit poll prediction, the formation of the alliance government was "imminent."PTI PNT SUS RG

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In the wake of this sad and dated punishment for endangering an innocent animal's life, the Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament from Mumbai, Poonam Mahajan, has introduced a private members bill to increase the fine.

By Radhika Bhalla/Mail Today: The penalty for maiming, beating, burning, starving or breaking an animal's leg, like the deceased horse Shaktiman, is just a measly Rs 50 in India under the archaic Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA), 1960.

In the wake of this sad and dated punishment for endangering an innocent animal's life, the Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament from Mumbai, Poonam Mahajan, has introduced a private members bill to increase the fine.

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Says Ambika Nijjar, advocate and legal advisor, People for Animals, "What is Rs 50 today? Back in the 1960s it was a huge amount. It's almost a joke that you can do anything you want to do to an animal and get away by paying just Rs 50."

A campaign called #NoMore50 launched by Humane Society International and People for Animals has also urged for stronger punishment. The campaign has been backed by celebrities such as Usha Uthup, Sudesh Bhosle, Anup Jalota, Tara Sharma and Arman Malik.

A number of parliamentarians across the political spectrum have also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, urging them to take immediate action on the issue.

The parliamentarians include Meenakshi Lekhi, Shashi Tharoor, Varun Gandhi, Jay Panda, Raghav Lakhanpal Sharma, Satyapal Singh, Udit Raj and Pratap Simha. As Nijjar emphasises, "There has been an overwhelming support of young, progressive MPs across party lines, and this is not a political issue, neither something to be politicised. The point of the bill is to awaken the government to the plight of animals and make them take charge of this issue."

The aim of the two-page long bill is to increase the penalty taking into account the value of the rupee as it stands today in comparison to what it was when the PCA Act was first legalised in 1960. As Nijjar explains, "We applied the value of Rs 10 back in 1960 and after scientifically comparing what the actual value of that amount was in 1960, a commiserate figure has been applied for 2016."

Accordingly, amendments suggested increasing the fine for experimentation on animals from Rs 200 to Rs 10,000 and for illegally making animals perform to Rs 20,000.

"Our hope is that after the Bill is formally introduced, the environment minister will himself take a look into it and make an amendment into the animal cruelty act," says Nijjar, adding: "Animal activists are appealing with the minister to see the pain and cruelty the animals suffer and increase the fine."

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By Amarnath K. Menon : Even before the counting of voting begins in Tamil Nadu the state's Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni is a disappointed man. And it is with good reason.

#PoduVote fizzles out

Voters have let him down after he set tough targets of 100 per cent enrollment and turnout and disclosed he would have been happy if the percentage of polling was 80 per cent. To his dismay, as well as celebrities, civil society groups and others who endorsed his goal, the turnout , he admitted on Tuesday was only 74.26 per cent with prospects of marginal improvement as the final figures in some constituencies was still being collated.

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Lesser turnout than 2011

Clearly, the votes polled are lesser than the turnout in the 2011 Assembly elections - 78.12 per cent. Even in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the turnout was higher than on Monday - 73.7 per cent. This is after a multi media blitzkrieg which raised hopes of a larger turnout. It found an election awareness ambassador in a seven year old schoolgirl who could rattle of the names of all 234 assembly constituencies, got groups, big and small, to pledge that they will go out to vote on May 16, made school goers promise that they will get their parents to do exactly that, and promoted the #TN100 per cent campaign on social media networks. The Election Commission took the campaign to the citizen's doorstep by emblazoning the state owned Aavin milk sachets with the line 'Is your family ready to vote 100 on May 16?' only to discover urban voting was poorer than in the countryside.

While Palacode in Dharmapuri recorded the highest of 88.50 per cent, the other constituencies in which more than 80 per cent votes were polled are Kulithalai in Karur district, Pennagaram in Dharmapuri, Edappadi in Salem, Jolarpet and Sholinghur, both in Vellore district. The lowest polling of 55.27 per cent was in the Harbour constituency in Chennai.

Rains play spoilsport

Unexpected rain played spoilsport particularly in some of the southern districts of the state. For many, social science researchers argue, being able to cast a vote freely is an affirmation of their status as equal citizens of the country. Despite that and the shower of sops the turnout was lower than imagined though it is well established those who spend the most do not always win elections and voters do not feel any obligation to vote for those handing out freebies.

Check on money power

What is a consolation for Lakhoni and his team is that with alacrity they managed to seize more than Rs.100 crore in cash besides gifts readied for distribution and, for the first time in the country's electoral history, defer polls in two constituencies Aravakurichi and Thanjavur, following evidence of large scale distribution of money to the voters. Such a step, using powers vested in the Election Commission under Article 324 of the Constitution, is taken usually when there are reports of booth capturing or evidence of muscle power, according to the Deputy Election Commissioner in charge of Tamil Nadu Umesh Sinha. Voting in these constituencies is rescheduled for May 23 but the ultimate tally will still be nowhere near Lakhoni's magical 80 per cent.

--- ENDS ---

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By Mail Today: This story has expired.

--- ENDS ---
Sambari Tudu, 45, was dragged from her house by some locals after a village court held a sitting and blamed her for the death of some neighbours due to ailments.

By India Today Web Desk: A woman was lynched at Debra area in West Midnapore late last night on the suspicion of witchcraft. The incident took place just hours after a court awarded death sentence to seven persons in connection with the lynching of three women in the district on suspicion of being witches.

A senior district police officer said Sambari Tudu, 45, was dragged from her house at Birsinghpur hamlet under Debra police station area by some locals late last night after a local village court held a sitting and blamed her for the death of some neighbours due to ailments.

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She was thrashed after being tied to a post and as she slumped to the ground the attackers left the spot, the officer said quoting some eyewitnesses.

As a police force recovered the body today tension escalated in the area.

The police officer said eight persons have been arrested in connection with the incident so far and further raids were continuing.

Seven persons, including a woman, were sentenced to death and six others to life imprisonment by a court in Ghatal yesterday for the 2012 lynching of three women of a single family on suspicion of their being witches at a village in the same district.

Also Read:

Rajasthan: Woman accused of witchcraft stripped, tortured



--- ENDS ---
Apple CEO Cook lands in India today evening. He must have something big to announce. Possibly. But so far this is what we are hearing.

By Javed Anwer: Apple CEO Tim Cook is landing in India today evening. He is on a tour of Asia. He covered China in the last couple of days and now Delhi - and a couple of other Indian cities with Hyderabad and Mumbai likely candidates -- seems like the obvious next destination. In China, Cook announced Apple's $1 billion investment in Didi Chuxing, an app-based taxi aggregator that competes with Uber. So what's his plan for India?

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The details are scarce. But it is Cook's first visit to India. He is also the last big tech CEO to come here considering Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Google's Sundar Pichai and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg have already been to the country. So, he must have something big to announce. Possibly. But so far this is what we are hearing:

Very likely: An incubator for start-ups

People, who are supposedly in the know of Apple's plans, have hinted that during Cook's visit to India, the company will announce an incubator programme for start-ups that use its ecosystem. This means if you are an Indian developer creating cool apps for iOS, which power the iPhone and the iPad, rejoice because Apple may lend you a helping hand. We suspect that the incubator will also seek to nurture start-ups that use Apple hardware or start-ups that can offer some services related to Apple devices.

No definite announcement but hints possible

We have been told - yep, by the same unnamed mysterious sources who know things - that Apple would not make any announcements related to iPhone manufacturing or its big, beautiful exclusive stores in India. No retail or manufacturing related announcements, we have been told. But the FactorDaily has been told, possibly by some other mysterious sources who know things, that Apple will announce plans to open its own retail stores in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru during Cook's visit. So we are calling it 50-50. Although, it is possible that Cook may talk about the Apple retail stores in India but may not provide any definite details.

Not happening

The iPhone manufacturing in India -- this is something Tim Cook will not announce during his visit to India. That is what we have learned and it makes sense. Manufacturing of iPhones is the job of Foxconn and while the Chinese manufacturer is investing a lot of money in a factory in Maharashtra, the iPhone manufacturing is not happening anytime soon. Also, whenever such announcement comes, it will most likely come from Foxconn and not Apple.

Definitely not happening

Cheaper iPhone -- Nope, no chance! It is not going to happen. Forget about it. Push this thought out of your mind. You want it badly but there is nothing like cheap iPhones (only Androids are cheap).

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---

That is all about the announcements from Cook. But there is more to his India trip than just the announcements. During his trip he will also:

Meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi: We don't know what Modi and Cook will discuss but we suspect that the Apple CEO would want to explain the company's position on the refurbished iPhones. The company wants to sell these phones in India but the Modi government won't allow it. So Cook may want to tell Modi how the refurbished iPhones are actually good for Indian consumers. Although, if he does choose to broach this subject, we hope he will use some of the arguments we made in defence of the refurbished iPhones.

Also read: 5 reasons why Apple should be allowed to sell refurbished iPhones

Possibly meet Jio boss Mukesh Ambani: Reliance is in the middle of rolling out Jio, a fast 4G network, in India. And Tim Cook is a big fan of 4G, particularly when it is rolling out in India. In fact, he believes that 4G is the missing ingredient that the iPhone needs to succeed in India. So while meeting the RIL chief he will definitely like to get a sense of when Jio will reach Indian consumers.

Also read: Hello Apple, don't blame poor 4G for iPhone woes in India. Blame its silly pricing

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(Sidenote: Mr Cook, if you do get the details of Jio rollout plan, please also tell us. We are so eagerly waiting for Jio to arrive for more than a year now but all we hear about are delays after delays.)

Coming back to Cook's meeting, we think he may also discuss if the iPhone can be sold as a carrier bundle by Jio. This "iPhone-sold-through-a-telecom-partner" has been one of the reasons behind its success because it masks the high price of the phone. But in India it doesn't work. Maybe with Jio's help, it can. We feel Cook will definitely explore this angle during his meeting in Mumbai.

Hyderabad visit: Bengaluru is for start-ups. But Hyderabad is where big boys play. It is a city where both Google and Microsoft have big campuses. It is possible that Apple too wants to join in the fun. During his visit Tim Cook is likely to get a feel of Hyderabad to see if this can be the Indian city where Apple should open its big office where it can hire the smart and bright Indian engineers and developers.

--- ENDS ---

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It's not confirmed if Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is scheduled to visit India this week, will be present on the occasion.

By Press Trust of India: Global tech giant Apple Inc is set to inaugurate its development centre here on May 19, a senior Telangana government official said today.

State IT Departments Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, however, did not confirm if Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is scheduled to visit India this week, will be present on the occasion.

"Apple team is coming. But we do not know who are the members of the team which is coming on May 19 (Thursday) for the launch of the facility. We are not 100 per cent sure whether Apple CEO Tim Cook will be there or not. We also asked them. We are waiting for the confirmation," Ranjan told PTI.

Also Read: Apple's Cook to visit India this week, to meet Modi: Report

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He had earlier said executives of the California-based technology company that owns popular consumer electronic brands such as iPhone and iPad had already met state government officials, requesting their support for some of the clearances.

"They have already identified space in a building owned by Tishman Speyer at Nanakramguda. We are also extending support to the company in terms of obtaining necessary approvals from various departments," he had said.

He, however, did not specify the amount of investment Apple is planning to make into the centre.

Cook will be visiting India this week and is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is also expected to visit Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

--- ENDS ---
One look at its spec sheet and you kind of know that it's the Moto E in disguise.

By Saurabh Singh: Lenovo launched the new badge of Moto G phones in India on Tuesday. These chiefly include the Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus. There is however a third variant, a lesser mortal Moto G4 that looks like a valid replacement for the much-popular budget phone Moto E. Lenovo is calling it the Moto G4 Play. One look at its spec sheet and you kind of know that it's the Moto E in disguise.

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With the Moto E Gen 3 nowhere in sight, and reports that the company may be looking to kill the series doing the rounds for quite some time now, fans (of the range) wouldn't mind the Moto G4 Play, for what it's worth.

The Moto G4 Play has a more humble spec sheet as opposed to the other Moto G4 phones, and quite possibly a humbler price tag to go along. The company hasn't disclosed the price yet.

Also Read: Moto G4 Plus review: Two steps forward, one step back

Speaking of specifications, the Moto G4 Play comes with a 5-inch 720p display and a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor with 2GB of RAM under the hood. It will be available in 8GB and 16GB memory options and will be backed by a 2,800mAh battery.

It has an 8-megapixel camera on the rear and is even splash-proof. Lenovo will also be offering replaceable shells for the Moto G4 Play.

The price of the Moto G4 Plus meanwhile starts at Rs 13,499. This price is for the 16GB memory and 2GB RAM version of the phone. The 32GB internal storage variant that has 3GB RAM on the other hand will be available for Rs 14,999. These phones will be available via online retail website Amazon India.



--- ENDS ---
The price for the version with 32GB internal storage and 3GB RAM is Rs 14,999. The two phones will be exclusively available at Amazon India, at least in the beginning.

By Javed Anwer: Motorola on Tuesday launched the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus in India. The price of the Moto G4 Plus starts at Rs 13,499. This price is for the 16GB version of the phone, which also has 2GB RAM. The price for the Moto G4 is not yet revealed because it will go on sale only next month.

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The price for the version with 32GB internal storage and 3GB RAM is Rs 14,999. The Moto G4 Plus can be bought today from Amazon India website, which is the exclusive retail partner of Lenovo for these two phones.

The Moto G4 Plus, for its price, looks fairly potent phone. It has Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor inside it. This is an 8-core processor with top speed of 1.2GHz. But the marquee feature of the phone is its 16-MP megapixel camera that has laser and phase-detect focus features to make it one of the fastest cameras put in a mainstream phone. The phone also has a 5-MP camera on the front. The front camera has a wide-angle lens.

Also Read: Moto G4 Plus review: Two steps forward, one step back

As the name suggests, the G4 Plus is the biggest G series phone in terms of size from Motorola. It has a 5.5-inch screen with FullHD screen and 3000 mAh battery.



Like other Moto phones the G4 Plus also runs almost unmodified version of Android Marshmallow. It's pure Android all the way, although some unique features like Moto gestures are part of it.



The difference between the Moto G4 and the G4 Plus is largely in the cameras. The two phones have similar screen and similar hardware. But the rear camera in the G4 has 13-megapixel image sensor. It also lacks the advanced focus features like laser focus and dual-phase auto focus.

The G4 also lacks the fingerprint scanner that the G4 Plus has.

Update: One of the puzzling bits about today's launch of the G4 and the G4 Plus is that the G4 will not be available in the market for now. It will only come next month. The reason seems to be simple -- the market dynamics. For Moto phones the portfolio at the moment is too crowded. Between the Moto G4 Plus, which has a price of Rs 13,499 and the Moto G3, which is now selling for Rs 9,999, there is scope for only one phone. And that phone is the Moto G Turbo, which is selling at a price of Rs 11,499. The Moto G Turbo and the Moto G4 are also fairly close in terms of hardware. Only major difference is that the G4 has a bigger 5.5-inch FullHD screen. This is likely the reason why its launch has been delayed. Lenovo, which owns the Moto brand, is hoping to clear the stock of the Moto G Turbo before it brings the Moto G4 at a similar price.



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The Moto G4 Plus and the Moto G4 are also the first Moto phones that have been launched without Motorola branding on their retail boxes. The company is now owned by Lenovo. Earlier this year Lenovo started integrating the Moto phone business in its main unit and while it is keeping Moto sub-brand, it is phasing out Motorola from the marketing and branding material.

Also Read: Moto G4 Plus: Full specifications, top features, India price & everything you need to know

--- ENDS ---
For Xiaomi the big numbers will likely come as a huge relief. After setting the sales charts on fire for in 2014, the company was somewhat lagging in the last few quarters.

By Javed Anwer: Today is the Moto G4 Plus day. That is the phone creating all the buzz. But Xiaomi wants to make sure it is not forgotten. So it is dropping some number bombs. Or rather pretty big number bombs. The company on Tuesday announced that it has sold 6 lakh units of the Redmi Note 3 so far.

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The Redmi Note 3, if you recall, was launched in the first week of March in India. The sale of over 6 lakh units in little over two months is an impressive feat.

"Lakh and load, Indian Mi fans! We just reached another milestone at Mi India -- in just 60 days of weekly sales, we have sold over 6 lakhs units of Redmi Note 3 -- our biggest record yet -- all thanks to you," Xiaomi's VP for global Hugo Barra wrote on his Facebook page.



Also read: Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 review: Mr dependable like Rahul Dravid

For Xiaomi the big numbers will likely come as a huge relief. After setting the sales charts on fire for in 2014, the company was somewhat lagging in the last few quarters.Recently IDC saidthat the company was no longer among the top cellphone sellers in the world in the Q1, 2016. However, in this quarter Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Note 3 and the Mi 5. These two phones are again expected to propel it into the list of the top 5 phone makers.

For its price, the Redmi Note 3 is fairly incredible product so it is not a surprise that consumers can't get enough of it. The phone has a starting price of Rs 9,999. At this price, you get the Redmi Note 3 with 16GB internal storage and 2GB RAM. It is a phone powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor. It has a 16-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera. The phone has a 5.5-inch FullHD screen and big 4050 mAh battery. It also comes with a fingerprint scanner and has an aluminium body.



Also read: Xiaomi Mi 5 review: Beauty and brawn at the same time

--- ENDS ---
Insurance Back The latest issue of XPRIMM Insurance Report, launched at FIAR 2016

The latest issue of XPRIMM Insurance Report, the bi-annual specialized magazine which includes the statistical overview of the 32 insurance markets of the CEE, SEE and CIS regions, was officially launched at The International Insurance-Reinsurance Forum - FIAR 2016.



The magazine includes the full year insurance results, as well as updated statistical data, for the countries in the Central and East European countries, the South-Eastern region, and the Commonwealth of the Independent States



According to the report, CEE economies saw, in general, a good 2015, with an average regional increase in GWP of over 3% supported by a solid domestic demand. With some exceptions, the CEE insurance markets have seen, at least in GWP terms, positive results. In the CIS markets, on the other hand, 2015 has offered a completely different canvas for the local insurers, marked by a high economic volatility and other negative factors. In this context, most of the local insurance markets have had to overcome a difficult time which resulted, in real terms, in decreasing or at least stagnating turnovers and a challenged profitability. Denominated in European currency, most CIS markets' GWP indicators show a significant decrease, according to analyzed data. As far as the SEE region is concerned, mixed trends were reported: while Greece and Cyprus continued to deal with a challenging economic environment, the Turkish economy remained on a positive trend, although somehow less impressive in comparison with the previous years.



Apart from the statistical results, the latest issue of XPRIMM Insurance Report also includes interviews with well-known insurance professionals and representatives of the local authorities, including Elisabeth STADLER,CEO, VIENNA Insurance Group, Paul CARTY, Chairman of BIPAR's EU Standing Committee, Damian JAWORSKI, Director, Polish Financial Supervision Authority, Joe LOUWAGIE, Assistant Vice President, Property Claim Services, Misu NEGRITOIU, President, Financial Supervisory Authority, Romania, Mehmet Akif EROGLU, Secretary General, Insurance Association of Turkey, Yusuf SATOGLU, General Manager, Agricultural Insurance Pool, Turkey, Andrei T. UNTON, General Director, BELARUS Re, Dmitry GARMASH, Head of Moscow Representative Office, BARENTS Re, and Boris UMANOV, President of the Managing Board, EURASIA.



The magazine also includes a specialized article focusing on requirements engineering, "Requirements Engineering - Key Factor for Successful Projects", and an analysis of the Russian reinsurance context, "Russia: Has reinsurance become more 'expensive'?".



Click here





Author: Adina TUDOR on 17.05.2016





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In late July, delegates to the Democratic National Convention will gather in Philadelphia, not only to nominate a president and vice president but to debate a reform agenda for the party itself. Bernie Sanders call for a political revolution is centered on democratizing U.S. politics, including the Democratic Party, and his delegation will number at least 1,700. Big money out and voters in should be their rallying cry; spending on the 2016 election is on track to exceed the 2012 record of $7 billion.

#1 Get superdelegates out of the nominating process

As Jesse Jacksons delegates did in 1988, Sanders delegates are likely to demand a significant reduction or elimination of the role of superdelegates in the nominating process. If the Democratic Party wants to broaden its base, it must move toward populism and away from control by the financial establishment. That starts with elected delegates controlling the party and the nominating process. The Democratic Party should, ironically enough, follow the lead of the Republican Party, in which superdelegates cant vote as they pleaselike elected delegates, they must abide by their states popular vote.

#2 Get super PACs out, too

The Democrats need to lead by example. While most Democratic voters would decry Citizens United or McCutcheon v FEC, most Democratic candidates are using wealthy donors as the mainstay of their fundraisingeven in nominating contests, where there can be no excuse of matching Republican opponents spending. If nominees are to gain the trust of working- and middle-class voters, step one is to pledge, as Bernie Sanders has done, to reject the loopholes that allow the wealthy to control the nominating process and the outcome of the general election. Candidates should pledge to oppose the formation of super PACs during the nominating process.

#3 Clean up primaries and caucuses

Much of the Democratic caucus and primary system is also rigged and obscure. For example, in Iowa, the state Democratic Party does not reveal the number of people caucusing in each precinct for each candidate. There were clearly irregularities and much evidence that at least in some precincts, numbers were reversed, or worse. In New York, the size of the primary electorate was diminished by rules that required a voter to be registered as a Democrat more than six months before the primary. Its time for a new look at the entire process, much like the 1981 Hunt Commission but with the focus on transparency, democracy and inclusion.

Structural reform inside the Democratic Party needs to be coupled with a much broader democracy movement outside the party. More than 1,300 leaders and activists were arrested in April in Washington, D.C., demanding action on voting rights and getting big money out of politics.

The political revolution has begun.




PREVIOUSLY ON NEVER TOO LATE





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Did you miss the last week of IPKat? Never mind - here is the 96th edition of Never Too Late!Eleonora Rosati explains why it may just be easier for Italian rightholders to get takedown requests from ISPs - notwithstanding that ISPs do not have a monitoring obligation - without indicating infringing URLs.Katfriend, Alexandra Mogyoros, gets her teeth into the delicious EUIPO report: Infringement of Protected Geographical Indications for Wine, Spirits, Agricultural Products and Foodstuff in the European Union .Merpel catches up with developments at the EPO - in the Boards of Appeal, employee dissatisfaction and sanctions, and more...Mark Schweizer has some doubts about a previous report that up to 80% of all patents subject to a nullity attack in Germany were fully or partially invalidated.Alberto Bellan likes this. He has given it a try and reports here on "this modern amicus curiae..."Katfriend, Eibhlin Vardy, explains the latest developments in the ongoing Unwired Planet v Huawei saga, and the decision not to transfer to the Competition Appeal tribunal.German WiFi hotspot providers, providing internet access which need not be secured by a password, are to be protected from injunctive relief for copyright owners if their internet access is misused. Mark Schweizer reports the latest developments.What does it take to become a UPC judge? AmeriKat, Annsley Merelle Ward, explains the process and announces the grand opening of recruitment.Merpel takes a brief look back at the problems which have punctuated the operation of the EU IPO, but looks - cautiously, optimistically - to the future, particularly for designs.Merpel is back - and she spies trouble on the horizon if EPO BoA members are to be excluded from sitting even part time as UPC judges.Neil Wilkof pays his respects to "The man who put Intel inside", and draws attention to Andy Grove's exceptional life and achievements.CREATe essay competition, the IP Ball ( book your tickets by this Friday 20 May!!) and more.The US Federal Circuit may have just revived computer-implemented invention patents by narrowing the trend of treating software as being directed to an abstract idea. Mike Mireless explains the test inAlice Corp. v. CLS Bank International and what this could mean for hopeful software patentees.Katfriends, James Agnew and Muir Mackean, report from the AIPPI discussion, exploring the Trade Mark review package from the EU, which really does engage a range of aspects of trade mark law, from registration to infringement and beyond.It may not be very rock and roll, but it pays to register your trade marks early. Emma Perot explains the opposition by Deep Purple's Ian Paice to Richard Blackmore's attempt to register 'Deep Purple' as a trade mark.Katfriend, Aaron Thng, explains the latest international developments to the compilation right.The Economist presents an anti-patent narrative (and is set straight) | UPC Code of Conduct | Period of compensation for trademark violation - Advocate General Wathelet's decision in C-280/15 'Nikolajeva' | Independent Fashion and IP | Italy approaches UPC ratification | Creative franchising copyright - notably of the Klingon language | ITMA discussion of the Trunki decision | IP Challenges in Bio-Pharmaceuticals | Tobacco Products Directive is valid, according to CJEU | Universal Music score summary judgment against IFP- Vantablack: is it possible to have rights over a colour? | Anne Frank's diary & geoblocking | Magic Leap lampoons Google Glass | Arnold's decision in Richter Gedeon Vegyeszeti Gyar RT v Generics| US Trade Secrets Act passes House | Publishing and the Machine| DSM Communication on Platforms leaked!| Google Books legal saga ends | s52 CPDA repeal comes into force 28 July 2016 | The latest Jack Wills v House of Fraser judgment- No UK judges in the UPC? | Young EPLaw Congress | EU Commission SPC update | Technical teach-ins for judges | Patentability of user-interface designs | Trade Secrets and Copyright Pre-Emption | Austro-Mechana v Amazon C-572/14 | Lay-offs at Intel | Trade Marks and Cadbury | Shakespeare's Cultural Capital | Geo-blocking and competition law
The Islamic Republic is widely regarded as one of the countries with the lowest index of press freedom and internet freedom. It reportedly spends more money than any other country on satellite jamming and broadcast filtering equipment, and various regime authorities have repeatedly teased plans to cut off the Iranian internet from the rest of the world, establishing a halal net in which the only available information is that which has been determined to be no threat to Islamic values.

At the same time, the Islamic Republic of Iran is understood to have some of the lowest religious freedom in the world, and the highest incidences of persecution of Christians and other minorities. This is perhaps unsurprising given the countrys theocratic governance, but the Iranian constitution technically defends the rights of traditional communities of Christians, Jews, and other religious that are accepted as being generally compatible with Shiite Islam.

In practice, however, these communities are often subject to pressure from the government and its hardline supporters. And persons who are believed to have converted to another religion from Islam are subject to arrest, prosecution, and sentences that may even include the death penalty. On Monday, the Christian Times reported that Iranian authorities had re-arrested a Christian pastor who had previously been sentenced to death for apostasy in 2010.

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani eventually had that sentence overturned, but he served three years in prison for allegedly proselytizing to Muslims. This is the same crime that landed Iranian-American Pastor Saeed Abedini in prison when he was visiting Iran in 2012. Abedini was also accused of undermining state security through his supposed evangelizing, and he was sentenced to eight years in prison. After spending approximately four years as an activist cause for Christians and opponents of the Iranian regime in the US, he was released as part of a prisoner swap coinciding with the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal.

Nadarkhanis case and those of various other Iranian Christians indicates that the regimes targeting of such individuals has been ongoing throughout that time, and may even be accelerating along with reported crackdowns on journalists, artists, and others who are accused of deviating from the regimes official ideology.

Nadarkhanis arrest on Friday was the third of its kind. During the previous detentions and when he was serving his proselytization sentence, he was reportedly put under pressure to convert back to Islam. Similar accounts have been given of Pastor Abedini and other members of religious minorities who have served time in prison.

Nadarkhanis wife was also taken into custody on Friday. And although both were released after several hours of interrogation, three other Christians were arrested alongside them and they remained in custody at the time of the Christian Times report.

That report quoted Christian Solidarity Worldwide as saying in a statement, While CSW is relieved that Pastor and Mrs. Nadarkhani have been freed, we remain deeply concerned for the welfare of Yasser Mossayebzadeh, Saheb Fadaie and Mohammadreza Omidi, who are still being held. The government must be held to account for its harassment of Irans Christian community, in particular the constant raids on homes and repeated arrests which are without basis.

Naturally, other activist organizations have issued similar calls regarding other religious minorities. And at times, foreign governments have contributed to this pressure on the Islamist regime. As recently as Saturday, the US State Department called upon Tehran to release seven political prisoners who were prominent members of the Bahai faith, which was founded in Iran in the 19th century.

That statement was highlighted by Agence-France Presse in a report on a controversial meeting between the daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and several female leaders of the Bahai community. One of these leaders was on a five-day furlough from prison when she met with Faezeh Hashemi, who claimed to simply be visiting with a friend.

But the Bahai identity of that friend subjected Hashemi to criticism from hardliners and Iranian clerics, one of whom happened to be her own father. According to AFP, Rafsanjani said his daughter had made a mistake that needs to be corrected. He also disavowed Bahai as a deviant sect that was created by the colonialists.

In keeping with such disavowals, the Iranian authorities routinely persecute the Bahai community and keep its members under pressure to convert. Specific and recurrent tactics include razing Bahai burial sites, forcing the closure of Bahai-owned shops and places of business, and preventing Bahai youth from having access to higher education or jobs.

Rafsanjanis commentary on his daughters visit underscores the persistence of this persecution, but it also serves to highlight the limits to what has been regarded by foreign powers as Iranian moderation. That is to say, when Rafsanjani occupied the presidency, he was widely regarded as a moderate alternative to other elements of the regime, just as President Hassan Rouhani is today. But at least with regard to Irans essentially Islamic identity, Rafsanjani has demonstrated himself to be in line with the countrys traditional leadership.

Staunch critics of the Iranian regime have variously suggested that the Rouhani administration has taken advantage of Western optimism about moderation in order to gain leeway from Western governments while maintaining the same familiar hardline attitudes toward religious minorities and other human rights issues.
[May 17, 2016] Surveillance Today Exposes Fraud in the Intelligence Systems Support Industry

NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/-- Surveillance Today goes public with an in-depth expose of fraud in the Intelligence Systems Support industry: "spyware" vendors caught selling "air ware" and other products that do not work as claimed, even faking product demos to delude buyers. Products covered in the analysis include malware, lawful intercept, mobile location, advanced analytics, military intelligence and pre-crime solutions  plus empty metal boxes sold by ISS vendors as "bomb detection" devices. Companies involved in the scandal are located in Dubai, Germany, Israel, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The analysis is available in full to all visitors  today only, at www.surveillancetoday.com Surveillance Today debuts at a time of heightened concern over terrorist attacks by ISIS, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the New IRA and other violent non-state actors. Independent sources cite 389 terrorist attacks worldwide in 20151. With more than 300 documented incidents in the current year-to-date including attacks in Brussels, Lahore and Baghdad, acts of terrorist violence are on track to triple during 20162. Such attacks can be preempted with the help of legitimate ISS solutions that reveal the plans, identities and extended networks of terrorist organizations. Assisting in that mission, Surveillance Today meets the need for clear assessment of srveillance and evidence-gathering solutions  systems that are not addressed by conventional technology analyst organizations. Topics covered include but are not limited to:



Artificial Intelligence and Pre-Crime

Deep Packet Inspection and IP Flow Monitoring

Deep Web Monitoring

Encryption, Cryptography and Cryptanalysis

Ethical Malware

Forensics

Geofencing

Hardware Accelerators  Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs)

Lawful Intercept Mediation, Probe and Cloud Solutions

Military Apps: CIDNE, DCGS, Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), LIDAR

Mobile Location  Active & Passive, Network and Wi/Fi, 2G, LTE and Future 5G

Network Functions Virtualization

Records Production for Subpoenas and Court Orders

Real Time Predictive Analytics and Visualization

RF Monitoring/Jamming and Direction Finding

Semantic Text Analysis

Social Media Monitoring

Tactical and Strategic SATCOM Monitoring

Voice Biometrics for Surveillance and Multifactor Authentication

Zero Day Vulnerabilities and Exploits Annual membership in Surveillance Today is offered at U.S. $900, payable by credit card or Bitcoin, and fully refundable for any reason in the first 30 days of membership. As a public service: Through June 17, 2016, lifetime membership in Surveillance Today is free to qualified law enforcement, government and military intelligence officials.

About Surveillance Today

Surveillance Today is an independent, members-only information resource providing objective analysis of Intelligence Support Systems. The publication reviews the full range of advanced technology solutions used by law enforcement, government and military intelligence to combat terrorism and crime. Surveillance Today is not affiliated with any ISS vendor, trade association, industry conference, government or other state or national agency or organization. To ensure complete objectivity, Surveillance Today does not accept advertising, contributed content or any compensation other than membership fees. More information at www.surveillancetoday.com Media Contact:

Ken Jones

PR and Communications Specialist

Office: 727-823-3191

Mobile: 571-228-2880

Email 1 Wikipedia, List of Terrorist Incidents, 2015 2 Wikipedia, List of Terrorist Incidents, 2016 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/surveillance-today-exposes-fraud-in-the-intelligence-systems-support-industry-300269653.html SOURCE Surveillance Today

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[May 17, 2016] Provant Enters Licensing Agreement with Under Armour to Offer MapMyFitness Fitness Tracking Application to Clients and Their Members

EAST GREENWICH, R.I., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Workplace well-being leader Provant announced today that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Under Armour to offer clients and their members the MapMyFitness API, which integrates simple, social digital experiences with over 170 fitness tracking and wearable devices as well as the entire MapMy app community. With over 35 million users, MapMyFitness is one of the largest digital fitness communities. As a national well-being leader, Provant touches over six million lives delivering customized worksite health and wellness strategies and services. Joining forces with Under Armour allows Provant to provide individuals with the MapMyFitness API to connect personal fitness devices and the MapMy apps with its well-being web portal to easily track activities for incentive purposes and for personal insights into physical activity amounts. With a diverse wearables marketplace, Provant's client members can now choose a compatible device to meet their health and lifestyle needs and link it within the company's portal. Fitness wearables are increasingly popular amongst users as a way to improve health, translting daily activities, exercise, and sleep quality into graphs that demonstrate progress in achieving goals. In competitions, users can see how their exercise compares to others, and how activities affect their health. Using the MapMyFitness API, client members can leverage their smartphone GPS to track fitness activities and record workout details, including duration, distance, pace, speed, elevation, and calories burned, which can then synchronize challenges often incorporated into Provant's clients' incentive designs.



"Through the partnership with Under Armour's MapMyFitness API, we are delighted to offer people a simple solution for tracking physical activities for personal well-being and incentive purposes," said Heather Provino, CEO of Provant. "The concept of 'bring your own device or app,' or 'BYOD/A', has been of increasing interest to our clients' members. Providing users with the ability to incorporate their preferred personal fitness tracking apps and wearable devices into our programming and challenges is a natural fit with our company's emphasis on providing individualized experiences." About Provant

Founded in 2001, Provant's vision is to change the health of America, one person at a time. With its network of 13,000+ employees nationwide, Provant touches more than six million lives by delivering customized worksite well-being strategies and services. Provant is a privately held company headquartered in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Contact: Elaine Peterson, 401-234-0165, [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/provant-enters-licensing-agreement-with-under-armour-to-offer-mapmyfitness-fitness-tracking-application-to-clients-and-their-members-300269923.html SOURCE Provant

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[May 17, 2016] ATM is a New Skimmer: Crooks Bring ATMs on Their Side

Kaspersky Lab has today announced research about a Russian-speaking Skimer group that forces ATMs to assist them in stealing users' money. Researchers discovered that instead of installing skimmer devices onto an ATM, they could turn the whole ATM into a skimmer itself. Discovered in 2009, Skimer was the first malicious program to target ATMs, and now, the cybercriminals have resurfaced, reusing the malware as an advanced threat to banks and their customers around the globe. During an incident response investigation, Kaspersky Lab (News - Alert) experts discovered traces of an improved version of a Skimer malware on a bank's ATM. It had been planted there and left inactive until the cybercriminals decided to send it one of over 21 commands. Upon further investigation, Kaspersky Lab unveiled the latest attack method of the Skimer cybercriminal group. The Skimer group begins its operations by getting access to the ATM system - either through physical access, or via the bank's internal network. Then, after successfully installing Backdoor.Win32.Skimer into the system, it infects the core of an ATM, which is the executable responsible for the machine's interactions with the banking infrastructure, cash processing and credit cards. By doing this, they successfully turn the whole ATM into a skimmer. Allowing them to withdraw all the funds in the ATM or grab the data from cards used at the ATM, including customers' bank account numbers and PIN codes. Unlike in cases with a skimmer device, the Skimer malware is undetectable to the common ATM user since there is no physical sign of the ATM being tampered with. With the Skimer malware, if the criminal group decides to make a direct money withdrawal from the ATM money cassettes, their criminal activity will be revealed instantly after the first encashment. Therefore, the Skimer criminals often do not act immediately, instead choosing to let the malware operate on the infected ATM, skimming data from cards for several months, without undertaking any activity. When the cybercriminals decide to wake up the malware, they insert a particular card, which has certain records on the magnetic strip. After reading the records, Skimer can either execute the hardcoded command, or request commands through a special menu activated by the card. The Skimer's graphic interface appears on the display only after the card is ejected and if the criminal inserts the right session key from the pin pad into a special form in less than 60 seconds. With the help of this menu, the criminal can activate 21 different commands, such as dispensing money (40 bills from the specified cassette), collecting details of inserted cards, self-deleting, updating (from the updated malware code embedded on the card's chip), etc. Also, when collecting card details, Skimer can save the file with dumps and PINs on he chip of the same card, or it can print the card details it has collected onto the ATM's receipts.



In the majority of cases, criminals choose to wait and collect the data of skimmed cards in order to create copies of these cards later. With these copies they go to a different, non-infected ATM and casually withdraw money from the customers' accounts. This way, criminals can ensure that the infected ATMs will not be discovered and they can access cash easily and without risk. Veteran Thief

Skimer was distributed extensively between 2010 and 2013. Its appearance resulted in a drastic increase in the number of attacks against ATMs, with up to nine different malware families identified by Kaspersky Lab. This includes the Tyupkin family, discovered in March 2014, which became the most popular and widespread. Kaspersky Lab now identifies 49 modifications of the Skimer malware, with 37 of these modifications targeting the ATMs by one of the major manufacturers. The most recent version was discovered at the beginning of May 2016. With the help of samples submitted to VirusTotal, Kaspersky Lab determined there is a wide geographical distribution of potentially infected ATMs. The latest 20 samples of the Skimer family were uploaded from more than 10 locations around the globe: UAE, France, USA, Russia, Macao, China, Philippines, Spain, Germany, Georgia, Poland, Brazil, Czech Republic. Technical Countermeasures To prevent this threat, Kaspersky Lab recommends undertaking regular AV scans, accompanied by the use of whitelisting technologies, a good device management policy, full disk encryption, protecting ATM's BIOS with a password, allowing only HDD booting and isolating the ATM network from any other internal bank network. "There is one important additional countermeasure applicable in this particular case. Backdoor.Win32.Skimer checks the information (nine particular numbers) hardcoded on the card's magnetic strip in order to identify whether it should be activated," said Sergey Golovanov, principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab. "We have discovered the hardcoded numbers used by the malware, and we share them freely with banks. After the banks have those numbers they can proactively search for them inside their processing systems, detect potentially infected ATMs and money mules, or block any attempts by attackers to activate the malware." Kaspersky Lab products detect this threat as Backdoor.Win32.Skimer. As this is still an ongoing investigation, the full report has been shared with a closed audience consisting of LEAs, CERTs, financial institutions and Kaspersky Lab threat intelligence service customers. To learn more about this threat and to obtain exclusive access to Kaspersky Lab's repository of all Intelligence Reports, please contact us at [email protected]. Read the blog post on the ATM Infector and a story about security issues of modern ATMs on Securelist.com About Kaspersky Lab Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky Lab's deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company's comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them.

Learn more at www.kaspersky.com. For the latest in-depth information on security threat issues and trends, please visit:

Securelist | Information about Viruses, Hackers and Spam

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Dell Delivers New Solutions in Collaboration with SAP to Offer Improved Agility, Scale and Speed of Gaining Data Insights

Today at SAPPHIRE NOW, Dell (News - Alert) announced new solutions, innovations and services developed in collaboration with SAP that deliver greater performance, insight and agility for organizations processing large volumes of data. This new set of offerings can help customers optimize SAP (News - Alert) solution environments running on clouds; deploy IoT enabled solutions; build on specialized healthcare applications; and streamline data migration and analytics with Dell's world-class services.

IDC predicts that by 2020 the amount of high-value data worth analyzing will double, and 60 percent of information delivered to decision makers will be actionable.i In 2015 Dell opened the Dell Global SAP Center of Excellence enabling the two companies to work more closely to solve customer challenges related to data insights. This heightened level of collaboration has led to several accomplishments including industry-leading benchmarksii and purpose-built solutions. Dell's investments in supporting SAP solutions are enabling more customers worldwide to achieve better, faster and more sustainable business results.

"Customers today are looking for easier-to-deploy and simpler-to-manage solutions to help them gain business insights," said Jim Ganthier, vice president and general manager of Dell Engineered Solutions, HPC and Cloud. "Dell and SAP have collaborated for more than a decade to develop pre-integrated solutions that deliver faster time to productivity and the ability to easily gather actionable insights. With today's announcements, Dell builds on its extensive portfolio and offers specialized solutions that meet unique customer needs, enabling them to deliver their desired business outcomes."

Delivering Turn-Key Advanced Analytics to the Mid-Market with the Dell Validated System for SAP HANA Edge

Together, Dell and SAP are helping mid-market customers compete in the digital marketplace. This month, Dell will be the first to offer customers the newly packaged SAP HANA Edge edition, advanced version and SAP Predictive Analytics, available on Dell server platforms in North America. Dell plans to offer a fully integrated appliance, the Dell Validated System for SAP HANA Edge, globally in the third quarter. The appliance speeds turnaround time for new reports and regardless of the source, data is synchronized to dramatically reduce the cost of gaining business insights. The Dell Validated System for SAP HANA Edge includes SAP's predictive analytics libraries native to SAP HANA, SAP Predictive Analytics with advanced data modeler capabilities, and services from Dell to deliver rapid time to value. Additionally, Dell helps customers deploy, implement, migrate, support and train with Dell ProDeploy, ProSupport and custom service offerings.

Optimizing Workloads in the Cloud with Dell Automation and Cloud for SAP Software

Many customers today run a virtualized datacenter and are looking to manage their SAP solution environment in the same way. Dell today showcased Dell Automation and Cloud for SAP Software, allowing customers to quickly deploy virtualized SAP solution environments on a VMware-based cloud platform. Available for preview in the Dell Global SAP Center of Excellence, it extends the Dell Hybrid Cloud Platform Reference Architecture with VMware to work with SAP applications and SAP HANA. Dell Automation and Cloud for SAP Software allows customers to:

Quickly deploy virtualized SAP solution environments and eaily stand up new services with a flexible, Dell-validated architecture

Automate provisioning and management of virtualized SAP systems with SAP Landscape Virtualization Management software and VMware integration

Manage performance and gain visibility into SAP software landscapes across physical and virtual infrastructure with VMware vRealize Operations







Dell recently launched the Internet of Things (IoT) Solutions Partner Program to help customers find the best technologies for IoT solutions. As part of this program, Dell and SAP are collaborating to develop a broad range of end-to-end solutions with SAP HANA, IoT client for SAP HANA, and transaction availability for remote sites solution, working in connection with Dell Edge Gateways for industries spanning oil and gas to retail.

Leveraging the Dell and SAP collaboration in IoT, Dell today announced a new IoT development that includes SAP HANA and Cloudera Hadoop. This purpose-built architecture brings together Dell Edge Gateway (News - Alert) technology with leading SAP applications and Cloudera tools, allowing customers to more easily gather and deploy information from sensors, and turn that information into actionable insights. Dell is showing the architecture at SAPPHIRE NOW, and in the Global SAP Center of Excellence.

Delivering Industry-Specialized Tools and Expertise

With a long track-record of serving the healthcare industry, Dell announced an optimized architecture for SAP Foundation for Health, which is built in collaboration with Intel (News - Alert) and SAP. With patient care, first time accuracy, speed and reliability as top requirements in the medical field, this architecture enables healthcare organizations to analyze large amounts of unstructured data quickly and reliably to deliver patient-centered, information-driven healthcare.

Built on the SAP HANA platform, SAP Foundation for Health provides a flexible and extensible clinical data warehouse model for industry-focused data integration management, and real-time analytics on large-scale data. Powered by Dell PowerEdge servers, the architecture allows organizations to deploy SAP Foundation for Health quickly and confidently, delivering personalized care through actionable insights.

Partnering to Provide Specialized Knowledge, Tools and Technology

Dell also announced new relationships with leading systems integrators to provide customers with industry-specialized knowledge, tools and technology. The first partner is Auritas, a best of breed information lifecycle management (ILM) consulting firm and certified SAP partner. By combining Dell's enterprise portfolio with the expertise of specialized systems integrators, Dell and its partners can offer secure deployments that are optimized for customers' workloads and use cases.

Additionally, Dell SAP Services has created a next-generation innovation lab for SAP S/4HANA located in Plano, Texas designed to help organizations evaluate, understand, and benefit from their investments in the SAP S/4HANA platform. This new lab is built on advanced in-memory platform, SAP HANA, and offers a personalized user experience covering mission-critical business processes. It helps customers identify use cases, provides specific industry solutions with smart factory and IoT, identify infrastructure requirements for cloud or on premise, and also helps to develop zero-impact migration plans.

Streamlining Customer Migration and Comprehensive Insights

To further support the adoption and growth of environments running SAP HANA, Dell recently announced the latest release of Dell SharePlex. A leading data replication and near-real-time data integration solution, Dell SharePlex enables customers to migrate their legacy Oracle (News - Alert) systems directly to SAP HANA with a proven solution that replicates data in near real-time with no impact to the production database - and does so at half the cost of other leading database replication solutions. In keeping with the focus of Dell's robust portfolio of systems and information management solutions, Dell SharePlex helps organizations spend less time worrying about how to migrate data onto SAP HANA, and more time fueling innovation by driving reporting and analytics initiatives forward to support desired business results.

Providing additional data insight opportunities for organizations, Dell Digital Business Services introduced new analytics frameworks that work with SAP applications and other enterprise systems to analyze CRM, social media, fitness and lifestyle data to offer a single snapshot of an organization's customer.

Customer and Partner Quotes:

"At Loan Science, we believe that unleashing the true power of data can revolutionize loan performance and dramatically reduce default rates," said Lee Latimer, CTO, Loan Science. "While existing analytic systems are struggling to keep pace with demand, we expect the Dell Validated System for SAP HANA Edge to deliver advanced predictive analytics capabilities and order-of-magnitude performance enhancements without breaking the bank."

"Dell and Auritas are working together to deliver innovative services and solutions to enterprise organizations," said Deepak Sood, CEO of Auritas. "Both organizations are passionate about providing observable results that allow clients to unlock the full potential of SAP platforms and leverage the value of big data. It's exciting to provide this level of on-demand consulting in a joint effort with Dell during an event as significant as SAPPHIRE."

Availability and Supporting Resources:

About Dell

Dell Inc. listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. For more information, visit www.dell.com.

About SAPPHIRE NOW

SAPPHIRE NOW and the ASUG Annual Conference are the world's premier business technology event and largest SAP customer-run conference, offering attendees the opportunity to learn and network with customers, SAP executives, partners and experts across the entire SAP ecosystem.

i IDC, IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Big Data and Analytics 2016 Predictions, Doc # 259835, Nov 2015

ii Results of the Dell PowerEdge R930 & R920 on the SAP BW-EML standard application benchmarks: certification numbers 2015039, 2015015, 2015022, 2015023. The SAP certifications can be found at the following web page: http://www.sap.com/benchmark.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517006035/en/
[May 17, 2016] Dell Releases Advanced Threat Prevention for the Next Generation of Growing Businesses with Dell Data Protection | Threat Defense

Dell (News - Alert) today announced its latest endpoint security solution, Dell Data Protection | Threat Defense, a new advanced-threat prevention solution specifically designed for the needs of growing businesses with limited or no in-house IT staff. Threat Defense uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to proactively prevent, rather than reactively detect, advanced persistent threats and malware including zero day and targeted attacks such as spear phishing or ransomware. The solution offers a significantly higher level of protection, stopping 99 percent of malware execution, far above the average 50 percent efficacy rating of many traditional anti-virus solutionsi. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517006177/en/ Many small and medium businesses have limited or no in-house IT staff, and are under-equipped to keep on top of the rapidly-evolving threat landscape and determine how best to protect their business. In the recently released Dell Data Security Survey, 69 percent of small and mid-market businesses say that data security is a burden on their company's time and budget. In addition, 65 percent are holding back plans to make their workforce more mobile due to security concerns. SMBs need to prioritize data security to protect their assets, but they also need to be productive in order to grow their business. In fact, according to the 2014 Dell Evolving Workforce Study, 64 percent of employees globally conduct at least some business at home after business hours. Threat Defense provides businesses with an easy and manageable way to enable their workforce to be mobile and secure, while reducing the resources commonly required to implement security solutions. It features an intuitive, cloud-based management console, enabling updates and compliance reporting through a single management pane.



Threat Defense reflects the multi-platform reality of the modern workplace with compatibility on a range of Dell and non-Dell devices. Additional features include: Lightweight Footprint: Threat Defense consumes only one to three percent of CPU resources, a much lower footprint than traditional anti-virus solutions, which means better performance for end users. In addition, as the solution does not rely on signature updates, it does not require a continual network connection to the internet to detect threats.

Threat Defense consumes only one to three percent of CPU resources, a much lower footprint than traditional anti-virus solutions, which means better performance for end users. In addition, as the solution does not rely on signature updates, it does not require a continual network connection to the internet to detect threats. Safe-List Flexibility: To allow for direct control over known secure files and apps, Threat Defense enables administrators to safe-list files at the policy level or via a signed certificate where no threat action will be taken against the file or application.

To allow for direct control over known secure files and apps, Threat Defense enables administrators to safe-list files at the policy level or via a signed certificate where no threat action will be taken against the file or application. Advanced Script Control and Malware Analysis: Threat Defense offers additional script control that prevents malicious ActiveScripts and PowerShell from running. IT administrators can also upload a suspicious file to the cloud for analysis, enabling them to analyze threat vectors they are facing and take better preventative measures. The Dell Data Protection | Threat Defense solution will be available through a subscription-based model to provide small businesses with a way to manage resources as they grow.

Supporting Quotes: Brett Hansen, Executive Director, Data Security Solutions, Dell Today's malware attacks are non-discriminant and can impact organizations of all sizes. Smaller businesses are often at risk as traditional anti-virus and threat protection solutions can be resource intensive or beyond the means of growing businesses. With Dell Data Protection | Threat Defense, Dell is addressing the needs of this under-served segment with an effective advanced threat prevention solution that is easy to manage and reflects the multi-platform reality of modern businesses. Availability Dell Data Protection | Threat Defense will be available in the United States and select countries around the world starting in mid-June 2016. About Dell Dell Inc. listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. For more information, visit www.dell.com. i Results from Cylance Unbelievable Demo Tour, Austin, Houston and Dallas Texas, May 2015 View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517006177/en/

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[May 17, 2016] Fitch: Drug Approvals Driving Targeted Acquisitions in US Pharma

Large innovative U.S. pharmaceutical companies are expected to continue targeted acquisitions as the need for larger transactions has declined, according to Fitch Ratings. Consolidation continues as players search for scale, efficiencies and the next blockbuster drug, but an M&A shift toward smaller targets reflects increased drug approvals. Good access to funding at favorable rates has also aided M&A activity. As pipelines improve, big pharma is seeking out individual therapeutics and smaller biotech companies to bolster drug portfolios. While patent expiries are not terribly onerous near term by historical standards, strengthening innovative drug portfolios is seemingly a preferable strategy as bigger M&A deals struggle to close. The need for large acquisitions as a driver of organic growth is lessened by positive trends in drug development pipelines, new product commercialization and moderating patent expiry risks. As a result, transactions will focus on innovative treatment platforms through acquisitions or joint ventures. Moreover, drug approvals continue to rise. New molecular entity (NME) approvals during 2015 increased by nine from 2014, and the FDA cleared 45 novel medicines for marketing during the year, compared with 36 in 2014. Biologics accounted for 12 of the 2015 approvals versus 10 during 2014. Of the approvals, more than half were drugs to treat cancer (33%), cardiovascular disease (17%) and infections (8%). We expect approvals to remain relatively strong in the intermediate term, despite lagging during the first four months o 2016. Eight NMEs have already been approved through April this year.



This week, Pfizer announced it would buy Anacor whose most important near-term asset is its eczema treatment crisaborole. Last month, the potential merger of Pfizer and Allergan was thwarted as a function of new Treasury regulations focused on taxation. Other recent targeted transactions include Bristol-Myers Squibb's acquisition of Padlock Therapeutics, which could expand its presence in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Eli Lilly's acquisition of Glycostasis, Inc. looks to develop a form of insulin that self-releases when a diabetic patient's blood sugar level is too high. In addition, Merck bought IOmet earlier this year, adding new immune-oncology technology to its portfolio.

The above article originally appeared as a post on the Fitch Wire credit market commentary page. The original article can be accessed at www.fitchratings.com. All opinions expressed are those of Fitch Ratings. ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517006572/en/

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CHARLESTON -- State Rep. Reggie Phillips, R-Charleston, was surrounded Monday by a swarm of riled members of the Eastern Illinois University community calling for him to better support the university.

A day before the Illinois House of Representatives hits the floor, members of EIU-UPI, a faculty union, and others in the community marched toward the local representatives district office to demonstrate their support for university funding.

A crowd of roughly 20 to 50 people walked from Morton Park with signs in hand, many of which read Reggie Phillips: Stand Up to Rauner. Fully Fund EIU, to remind Phillips of their call for full funding, they said.

Eastern recently received $12.5 million, which represents almost one-third of the 2015 state appropriation for the school.

We are out here because 30 percent funding is a 70-percent cut, said Sace Elder, EIU-UPI march organizer. We thought this was very good time to remind Representative Phillips that we expect him to stand up to Rauner (and) stand up to the naysayers in order to get our community fully funded.

Phillips said the many people surrounding him with signs indicating he should stand up to Gov. Bruce Rauner were confused as to the governor's authority over the House.

Rauner is really the secondary player on this right now, Phillips said. It is in Mr. (Michael) Madigans hands  anybody that thinks that fund EIU is going to happen if we pressure Rauner is nuts.

Jon Blitz, EIU-UPI president, said at this point, it is critical to stop Rauner with veto-proof support from both sides of the aisles in the legislature.

We need Republican representatives who represent us to support their constituency rather than their governor, Blitz said. We trying to give Representative Phillips a reason to do that.

The governor has previously stopped a few appropriation bills from advancing after the legislature handled them. Republicans have previously made a point to not back some bills because they lacked a funding mechanism attached to them before they passed.

Elder said what has been done is not enough and it is hard to feel grateful for only 30 percent funding after going for months without any money.

I'm very glad that (Chicago State University) has not closed, and I am very glad that it has been possible for the university to make plans for the future but this is unacceptable, Elder said.

Despite worries to the contrary, Phillips said he thinks the stop-gap funding for universities did not make state legislators complacent and the tide is changing for not only university funding but an entire state budget.

For the first time probably in this 10-month period, we are all talking. We are interested in getting a budget together and getting it balanced, Phillips said. I think both sides are not content with the way it is ... I am cautiously optimistic that over the next few weeks we are going to put something together.

Once the marchers made it to the office, Phillips and the crowd discussed, and at some points argued, solutions to the funding problems, such as increasing taxes and even implementing progressive taxing. Phillips said he is in support of increased taxes but specifically not progressive taxing.

Along with marching, some EIU supporters went door-to-door to residences near Eastern hoping to encourage people to call on local representatives to act. They also canvassed the surrounding area for signatures for a petition calling for full funding for EIU.

Phillips and others are now pushing for 60 percent funding for Eastern.

Paul McCann, vice president for business affairs, said the current 30 percent the university received will not carry EIU to the point where they start getting tuition dollars this fall, but the addition 30 percent would. He added the school will do what is necessary to remain open, though.
For too many years, Illinoisans have been misled. Each of you in state government has been misled. Taxpayers who fund government have been misled. Recipients of public services, including our most vulnerable residents, have also been misled. The consequences are before us, and they are dire.

I ran for office to right these wrongs. I believe that solving our states crisis requires a simple first step -- for someone to tell the truth. So here it is.

The truth is that Illinois is broke. Our taxpayers, who pay the highest property taxes in the nation, are maxed out and local governments continue to raise property taxes.

Expanding the size of government faster than middle-class paychecks are growing is a failing strategy. That is why I have no choice but to veto AFSCMEs arbitration bill, HB580.

Its not because I dont want to see you earn a better living today. I do. I veto HB580 because I want to protect the pension system that you are counting on for your retirement.

If I signed this bill, I would be subjecting all taxpayers to another $3 billion in higher taxes. That makes no sense when too many jobs have been leaving Illinois, and those hardworking Illinoisans that remain see their incomes falling.

We can make Illinois a state where our employees receive the pension benefits they were promised, where our budget is truly balanced through strong economic growth rather than destructive tax hikes, and where our state workers are not forced to work in decaying buildings with technology that is older than my children and furniture that is older than me.

I pledged on my first day in office to build a partnership with state employees, and that is exactly what we have done. Our 1970s computers are being replaced with next generation technology. With the General Assemblys help, I pledged to put the Thompson Center up for sale and move employees to more modern space. We pushed for more flexible scheduling and ended Rod Blagojevichs corrupt hiring system.

When Attorney General Madigan sought to shut off pay, Comptroller Munger and I defeated that misguided attack on state employees. And I have called on the General Assembly to honor Governor Quinns failed promise of wage increases from 2011. We must respect our commitments and not make new commitments that we cannot afford.

We also sought employees ideas for improvements and savings, prompting us to send out the first-ever state employee survey. The results were eye-opening.

You told me that promotions and compensation are not based on merit. You told me that agencies dont reward creativity and innovation. I want to reward hard work and ingenuity. Unfortunately, union leadership is blocking many of these common sense ideas -- ideas that you want. Rest assured, I heard your desire for these reforms loud and clear.

So my administration took action. We launched a truly meaningful merit pay program. We started a gainsharing program that will reward state employees for helping save taxpayers money. We implemented a rapid results system that removes obstacles to employee innovation and allows employees to personally change processes that impede good customer service.

But as I have noted, with a truly historic budget deficit and skyrocketing debt, our taxpayers cannot afford the added spending pressure of huge wage and health insurance increases. That is why I must veto HB580, ensuring that the legal process agreed to with AFSCME leaders and currently underway before the Labor Board, is allowed to proceed and fairly resolve any outstanding issues.

But I make this pledge: The State will honor its promises to you. We will continue to listen and build a workplace that values and rewards hard work, innovation, and creativity, all in a welcoming work environment. We will keep fighting to get you paid in full and on time. And we will continue to stand for fiscal discipline so that you and your families can again know you are, finally, being told the truth.
The official takeover of Time Warner Cable by Charter Communications is expected to come as early as Wednesday, but it likely will be months before local customers see any changes.

Charter last week passed the last regulatory hurdle in its bid to buy Time Warner and Bright House Networks when the California Public Utilities Commission approved the deal.

Charter said in a news release last Thursday that it expects to close the deal by Wednesday.

However, it likely will be months and could be a year or more before Time Warner Cable customers in Lincoln and southeast Nebraska see any changes.

Justin Venech, a Charter spokesman, said the company plans to convert all Time Warner Cable markets to digital, a process that could take up to 18 months. Once a digital conversion is complete, then Charter will introduce its products into that market.

Venech said a timetable has not been determined for converting any specific market.

"We will communicate to customers in each market as that market gets close to launching," he said.

Once Charter does launch its packages in Lincoln, people will be allowed to keep their current Time Warner package if they want.

Charter generally offers higher Internet speeds and more TV channels for the same price as Time Warner but does not offer lower-priced packages with lower Internet speeds and bare-bones channel packages.

Charter has pledged not to charge a monthly modem fee as Time Warner does; however, it also doesn't give discount to people who buy their own modem.

Among other pledges Charter made to get federal and various state regulatory approvals: no data caps and no usage-based pricing.

The company also says it plans to grow local work forces in the Time Warner markets it takes over and bring back call center jobs that Time Warner sent overseas.

Time Warner has been the cable TV provider in Lincoln since 1995 and had the space pretty much to itself until last year, when Windstream launched a digital TV service called Kinetic that's available to about half of all Lincoln homes.

Allo Communications, which Nelnet bought last year, also is building out a fiber network and introducing its own digital TV service, along with Internet and phone. The first customers will get service this summer, and it's expected to be available citywide within four years.
Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Rodney D. Reuter has been named a county judge for the Third Judicial District of Nebraska.

Reuter, 53, has been a deputy county attorney since 1990 and has prosecuted drug cases and been assigned to county, district and juvenile courts. His most recent assignment is to the Lancaster County Drug Court, according to a news release from Gov. Pete Ricketts' office.

Reuter holds a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education from Peru State College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska College of Law.

He succeeds, Judge James L. Foster, who retired. The Third District includes Lancaster County.
A Lincoln judge found Monday that a 24-year-old Minnesota man caught en route to Colorado with $65,000 to buy marijuana committed no crime in Nebraska and dismissed criminal charges against him, citing a 1975 state Supreme Court ruling.

"The intention to commit a crime in another state does not constitute a crime in Nebraska," Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong wrote in her order.

On Oct. 24, 2014, a Lancaster County Sheriff's deputy stopped Erik J. Felsheim for following too closely on Interstate 80 west of Lincoln. Felsheim said he was headed to Colorado and admitted he was nervous.

Deputy Jason Henkel asked if he had any drugs or large amounts of cash in the rental car, and Felsheim said no.

Henkel asked if he could search the car, and Felsheim paused but eventually agreed. In the trunk, deputies found $40,000 in a gym bag and $25,000 more in a duffle bag, according to court records.

Felsheim admitted he was going to Golden, Colorado, to buy 10 pounds of pot to sell in Mankato, where he went to college. He said the rest of the cash belonged to passenger James Atkinson, who planned to buy 7 pounds.

Deputies arrested them both, and prosecutors charged Felsheim, of Waseca, with two felonies: possession of money intended to be used to facilitate a drug violation and aiding the consummation of delivery of a controlled substance.

Atkinson, 23, of Mankato, pleaded no contest to attempted possession of marijuana and attempted possession of money while violating drug laws, both misdemeanors. In September, Strong gave him 360 days in jail and fined him $2,000. He finished serving the sentence April 25.

Felsheim opted for a trial, at which both sides agreed to the facts.

The question for the judge was this: Did Felsheim commit a crime in Nebraska if he wasn't buying or selling drugs here?

In arguing it is not a violation of Nebraska law to conspire to break the law of another state, defense attorney Tim Sullivan pointed to State v. Karsten, a 1975 Nebraska Supreme Court ruling.

In the case, a man was convicted of conspiracy to assault a man in Colorado for planning and paying a man in Nebraska to commit the act. The assault never took place, and the conviction ultimately was overturned.

Here, the state argued it was logical to infer Felsheim intended to bring drugs into Nebraska. But Strong found no evidence of that.

While the state has a legitimate interest in protecting its people from the societal effects of drug trafficking, she said, Felsheim had not yet committed a crime in Nebraska when he was stopped. He intended to buy marijuana in Colorado and sell it in Minnesota, she said.

Although Nebraska law makes it a crime to possess money intended to be used in buy illegal drugs, the possession of currency alone is not a crime, Strong said.

"My client is very happy with the result," Sullivan said late Monday afternoon.

But Chief Deputy County Attorney Pat Condon said the decision is a big deal -- and not a good one.

Here was someone admitting what he was doing, Condon said, "and we didn't get a conviction."

Another judge could look at it and come up with a different decision, he said, adding that he does not plan to appeal, a move that could establish precedent.

Condon said the office will look at pending cases to see how it wants to proceed, and probably will talk with law enforcement about things they can do differently.

"I definitely want to learn from it," he said.

The Karsten case also set out how lawmakers could change the law to fix a problem. But in 41 years, that has yet to happen.
The Lincoln Board of Education elected Don Mayhew president at its annual organizational meeting Monday.

It's the third time Mayhew has held the post since he was elected to the board in 2001.

Board members also elected Connie Duncan vice president and re-elected Lanny Boswell to serve on the joint Career Academy board with Southeast Community College members.

Mayhew and outgoing President Kathy Danek are the longest-serving of the seven board members.

The board elected Boswell and Matt Schulte as president and vice president, respectively, of Educational Service Unit 18, which supports LPS in staff development, assessment and evaluation, computer and media services.
Khadmalla Siam thought she was picking up diapers and baby formula when her friend took her to the Center for People in Need Tuesday morning.

She was, but she left with far more than everyday supplies. She drove away in a 2007 Dodge Caravan.

Siam and children Aya, 7, and Arafa, 1, have been in the U.S. for six years while her husband struggles to get a visa to get out of Sudan. She was able to visit him in May 2014.

In Lincoln, Siam, 38, works part time on a hotel cleaning staff. When her friends schedule changed she nearly had to hand in her two weeks' notice because she had no way to get to work.

"Ive needed this car for a long time, Siam said Tuesday. Ive had my other friends give me rides for a long time, so I was struggling.

When a friend suggested a trip to the Center for People in Need for some supplies, Siam was happy to go along.

Oh my god, I couldnt keep this secret, Khadeiga Kitier said. I was like, OK, I can do this. What do I do? What do I tell her?

By the time we come here she saw all the people around the car. She started walking toward the door, and I was like, No, come this way. She saw the car and I said, Hey, this is yours.

Her friend burst into tears when retired Nebraska State Patrol Investigator Dave Nicholson handed her the keys to the van he donated through the center.

"I cant believe it," Siam said. "I still cant believe it. This is a huge surprise."

Seeing their faces, thats worth a million bucks, said Nicholson, who donated a vehicle to the center about a year ago and made the minivan his third. Its just heartwarming to see that youve helped someone who deserves something like this.

Beatty Brasch, executive director of the Center for People in Need, shed a few of her own tears Tuesday morning.

"She was so excited," Brasch said of Siam, who was picked to receive the van out of recommendations from staff at the center."I started crying at her reaction."

Nicholson donated his first car about a year ago after trying to trade in his sons car and not getting what he wanted for it.

The next two, he bought from Ryan Porter of Winners Circle on West O Street.

Ill go in about the first of November and the first of April and Ill say, OK Ryan, its that time of year again, and hell start looking for me and have something picked out, Nicholson said.

Brasch hopes Nicholson will inspire others to do what they can.

I just want to thank Dave Nicholson for what hes done and making this possible, she said. The fact that he does this regularly is huge. Hes been just great.

Added Nicholson: We want to get the word out to the people in Lincoln that you can donate, and its tax-deductible. These people will give you a certificate so you can file it with your income tax. It isnt much, but its a little something. And if you help somebody, thats the main thing.
The first axiom of the medical profession is to do no harm. All professionals, including journalists, would be wise to remember that axiom when they propose solutions to problems.

The Journal Star's editorial board recently proposed a solution to the perceived problem of overly aggressive medical debt collection. The boards solution, however, would harm the very people the board seeks to protect.

In an editorial published on May 7, the board summarized an article that reported that substantially more collection suits are filed in Nebraska than in New Mexico, a state with a comparable population. Both the editorial and the article identified the culprit as the states low fees for filing lawsuits in Nebraskas county courts. The editorial advocated raising the filing fees to reduce the number of suits and thereby protect poor Nebraskans who have the bad fortune to get sick or injured.

The problem is those poor Nebraskans will be the ones who end up paying the increased filing fees. In the overwhelming majority of collection cases, the court will enter judgment against the debtor because the debtor has no defense. The debtor owes the money, end of story. In our system, the winning party is entitled to recover its court costs from the losing party. Court costs include filing and service fees. In other words, the losing debtor in a collection case is liable for the collection agencys filing and service fees.

To illustrate the effect of increasing the fees, lets take one of the cases that the editorial discussed: a $66 chiropractic bill that was transformed into $275 judgment against the debtor after the addition of attorney fees (which are set by statute), interest, and court costs. If the filing fees were raised by $25, then the collection agency in that case would pay $25 more to file the case  and the losing debtor would owe the collection agency $25 more in court costs. In other words, the $275 judgment that the editorial cited as proof of the problem would grow to $300 under the editorials proposed solution.

Of course, only those debtors who can be forced to pay the judgment would actually be harmed by raising the filing fee. But there are more of those debtors in Nebraska than in New Mexico.

If a collection agency obtains a judgment against a debtor, it can require the debtors employer to pay a portion of the debtors wages to the collection agency until the judgment is fully paid. This process is called garnishment.

Most states limit the amount of the wages that can be garnished. Nebraskas limits for the working poor are relatively low. Broadly speaking, a creditor cannot garnish weekly wages that are less 30 times the federal minimum wage ($217.50). By contrast, the limits in New Mexico are higher. A judgment creditor in New Mexico cannot garnish weekly wages that are less than 40 times the federal minimum wage ($290). Both states also place limits on the percentage of wages that are subject to garnishment.

Rather than raise the filing fees, it would make more sense to raise the limit on wages subject to garnishment and on property subject to execution. Collection agencies make money by collecting money. If the limits were higher in Nebraska, collection agencies would presumably focus on suing debtors who owe larger amounts and who are more likely to be in a position to pay. That would protect debtors whose finances are stretched too thin to pay their bills and, unlike raising the filing fee, would do other debtors no harm.
It is past time to begin seriously addressing climate change. An article in the May 10 Journal Star, "The Climate Change Race," publicizes a March Gallup poll showing 64 percent of Americans worry about climate change and 65 percent believe those rising temperatures are caused by us! 84 percent of Democrats are worried but at least 64 percent of Independents and 40 percent of Republicans also worry a great deal or a fair amount about climate change. Thats a large number of concerned people of all political persuasions.

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions can be done through the Carbon Fee and Dividend proposal. In twenty years, this market-based approach can cut carbon by 50 percent as well as grow the economy by adding 2.8 million jobs. This is a win-win.

Lets take our concern and worry and turn it into collective action for change. We need to build the political will to move forward on this issue. Our elected officials must take action.

Moni Usasz, Lincoln
I can not believe that 70th and 84th streets are both under construction at the same time. How could the city slow down the two major commuter roads at once? Now, other routes through the city are clogged up because commuters are trying to avoid 84th and 70th. How about the construction on 56th street between Old Cheney and Pine Lake roads ("Road construction in South Lincoln frustrates business owners," April 14)? It has been 13 months and it is still not finished. The excuse given was that it had been too wet to finish it last year and it is still not done.
Transgenderism, according to Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd, is "an outrageous attack on our creator himself, upon human sexuality and morality and a further advancement of the flagrant attack on religious freedom in our culture."

Obama's tyrannical, non-constitutional decree, may require every public school to accommodate transgender students under Title IX guidelines ("Federal transgender directive won't affect LPS," May 14).

I hope that our local school boards around our state and throughout the nation will follow the leading of Governor Greg Abbott of Texas who is rejecting this ill advised decree.

Stand up for common sense because common sense isn't so common these days!

Kevin McDermott, Holland
Sen. Ben Sasse said Tuesday he understands that "a lot of Nebraskans are frustrated with me" over his refusal to support presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, but he said most Nebraskans agree with the concerns that drove him to that decision.

"What I experience at grocery stores, gas stations, at church is that a vast majority of people have the same position I hold" on the need for limited government and separation of powers accompanied by concern for the danger of executive overreach, Sasse said.

"The lesser of two evils is not the conversation we need," Nebraska's freshman Republican senator said during a telephone interview from Washington.

Sasse said he cannot vote for either Trump or the likely Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, in November and he will not back away from that position despite continuing pressure to do so.

"I don't trust either of them," Sasse said.

"The oath I have taken is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution," he said, and neither of the likely party nominees believes in executive restraint or separation of powers.

"I know that people active in party politics want to circle the wagons and get to unity and so they are frustrated with me," Sasse acknowledged.

Last weekend, delegates to the Republican state convention in Omaha approved a resolution aimed at Sasse that opposed any effort by a Republican officeholder or party official to encourage a third-party presidential candidate or alternative choice.

Directly prior to Sasse's address to the convention, Sen. Deb Fischer urged Republicans to rally around Trump, declaring that the people are fed up with "the wise men of Washington telling them who to vote for."

Asked about those convention events, Sasse said: "I don't spend much time focusing on one resolution on one weekend."

Sasse said he has not been actively seeking a third candidate after calling for a presidential alternative -- "I posted two open letters on Facebook" -- and he believes it's probably not possible now for an alternative Republican candidate to mount a successful challenge to Trump at the GOP national convention.

Although he won't talk about it, some notable Republicans -- including 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney -- reportedly have approached Sasse about being a third alternative.

"I've had some outreach," Sasse acknowledged, "but I'm not the right guy. I have only two callings now: three little kids to help raise and Nebraskans to serve in the Senate.

"I am not doing this because of any one election," he said. "It's about what we are trying to build in the future, and I think Nebraskans are overwhelmingly with me in that conversation.

"We live in a bumpy time," Sasse said, "and neither party is very effective. Trump tapped into that, but he's not the solution."

Sasse said he'll continue to do what he promised during his 2014 Senate campaign: "Always vote my conscience, promote limited government and separation of powers, check executive overreach.

"None of this now is anything different than the promises I made."
Omaha police arrested two men Monday in the Sunday evening shooting death of Terrance Gunn.

Officers from the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force and the Omaha Police Gang Unit arrested Tontavious Montgomery, 24, and Alphonso Hall, 19, on suspicion of first-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

Police found Gunn, 22, in the street at 29th and U Plaza Sunday evening. He was taken to Nebraska Medical Center, where he died.
BURLINGTON  ChocolateFest returns Thursday through Monday, May 26-30, on the ChocolateFest grounds, 681 Maryland Ave. (off Highway 36).

The festival officially opens May 27, however, the carnival is open with free admission from 5 to 10 p.m. May 26.

The four-day festival brings chocolate lovers near and far to Burlington where vendors await to cater to their cocoa craving. A grand fireworks display takes place on May 27 (rain date May 28) and the Veterans Memorial Day Parade is at 9 a.m. May 30 throughout Downtown Burlington.

The main stage live music lineup:

Friday, May 27  Bella Cain (Top 40 country), 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 28  Big Al Wetzel Band (classic country and adult contemporary), noon; Orange Crush, 4 p.m.; The Now, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 29  Lunch Money Bullies, 5 p.m.; Chason Mason, 8:30 p.m.

Monday, May 30  The Britins (Beatles tribute), noon; HeartAche Tonight, 3:30 p.m.

The Battle of the Bands is at 6 p.m. May 27 on the Wanasek stage. The winner will perform at 9:45 p.m. The High School Battle of the Bands is at 6 p.m. May 26 with free admission.

The Chocolate Experience Tent will be open from 4 to 9 p.m. May 27, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. May 28-29 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 30. Chocolate experience taster tickets will be sold for $8. It includes 12 chocolate samples.

Festival events include hypnotist and magician Chris Jones, chocolate-eating contests, chef demonstrations, Granpa Cratchet, food and retail vendors, Commercial Expo Tent, petting zoo, NASCAR exhibit, Big Wave and All American Lumberjack Show.

The Miss Burlington Pageant is at 2 p.m. May 28.

The Jaycees Arts & Crafts Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 28-29 at Echo Park.

Festival hours are 5 to 10 p.m. May 26 (carnival only, free admission), 4 p.m. to midnight May 27, 10 a.m. to midnight May 28-29, and noon to 7 p.m. May 30. Advance tickets cost $7 for ages 13 and older, $2.50 for children ages 5-12. There is no charge for ages 4 and younger. Tickets are available online until midnight May 25 at www.chocolatefest.com. Tickets at the gate cost $8 for ages 13 and older, and $3 for children ages 5-12. Pack the Pantry for Love, Inc. will be May 30 when admission is $5 or five nonperishable food items. On-grounds parking costs $5.

Pay-one-price carnival bands will be available for $25 in advance until May 25 (now available online) and $30 on grounds. It includes unlimited rides for one day. The mega pass for unlimited carnival rides May 26-30 cost $75 and are available until May 25 at Richter's Marketplace or Fox River State Bank.

For more information, go to www.chocolatefest.com.
RACINE  A Racine teen charged as an adult in the fatal shooting of his teenage girlfriend wont be dropped down to juvenile court, a judge ruled on Monday evening.

Keller G. McQuay, 15, is accused in the Sept. 10 shooting death of his girlfriend, Vista Jackson, 14. McQuay is charged as an adult in the Horlick High School students fatal shooting, which occurred in McQuays mothers home in the 1000 block of Albert Street.

McQuays defense attorneys sought to have his case waived to juvenile court, where he would face substantially less punishment if convicted of a lesser homicide charge. This would have been done through a process known as a reverse waiver.

Racine County Circuit Court Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz denied the request to be transferred to juvenile court, concluding the more than 3 -hour hearing.

When you take actions like a man, you must answer for them like a man. And lets make no bones about it, thats what you did, Gasiorkiewicz said.

McQuay, a convicted juvenile felon, is charged with first-degree reckless homicide, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a short-barreled rifle in the shooting. Investigators say the gun used was a .22-caliber sawed-off rifle.

On this homicide charge alone, McQuay faces a maximum of 40 years in prison plus 20 years on extended supervision if convicted.

Gasiorkiewicz said McQuay couldnt take a life and expect a maximum sentence of three years in juvenile detention plus two years on supervision. If adjudicated delinquent  the juvenile version of convicted  through the Serious Juvenile Offender program, those are the maximum terms McQuay would have faced.

His defense attorney, Assistant State Public Defender Katie Gutowski, argued McQuay should drop down to juvenile court. He has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiance disorder and delayed brain development resulting in more immaturity.

Keller would not receive adequate treatment in the adult court system, Gutowski added.

A human life

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Tanck-Adams countered that McQuay should remain in adult court because he needs a lengthier prison term to serve as a deterrent.

This is a human life that was taken, Tanck-Adams said.

Antoinette Kavanaugh, a forensic clinical psychologist and lecturer at Northwestern Universitys Feinberg School of Medicine, testified for the defense that the structure and incentives-based system provided in juvenile detention is better for McQuay vs. confinement in an adult prison. McQuay would benefit more from the types of treatment provided in the juvenile prison system, she testified.

One of McQuays social workers, Edward Kirchner, a case manager for the Racine County Human Services Department, testified for the prosecution that McQuay should remain in adult court. McQuays behavior, he said, is escalating.

In 2008, McQuay  then 7 years old  faced a juvenile criminal trespass charge, Kirchner testified. In 2010, McQuay caused damage to a car by jumping on it, netting a criminal damage to property charge, also as a juvenile.

In 2013, McQuay was involved in a fight at school and was back in the juvenile system for disorderly conduct, Kirchner said. Right afterward, he faced two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child for molesting a 7-year-old and 6-year-old, Kirchner said. McQuay became a juvenile sex offender and was placed in a residential treatment center for about six months.

In October 2014, McQuay picked up juvenile charges of theft, obstruction and disorderly conduct, Kirchner testified. In January or February of 2015, McQuay was accused of having sex with Jackson after it was believed she was pregnant, Kirchner said. But Jackson wasnt pregnant.

McQuay remains in the Racine Juvenile Detention Center, 1717 Taylor Ave., Racine. His preliminary hearing is set for May 26.
RACINE  Two male suspects were taken into custody early Tuesday in connection with an attempted armed robbery Monday night, according to Racine Police Lt. Al Days.

While the case is still under investigation, Days explained that the two males are suspected of attempting to rob someone in the 200 block of Virginia Street, and  when the alleged victim managed to escape and drive off in a car  the suspects reportedly pursued the intended victim in a chase throughout the city.

Police responded to the 200 block of Virginia Street at about 9:24 p.m. Monday after a witness, worried about the safety of victim, reported the incident, Days said.

A news release issued later indicated that the 23-year-old victim was approached by two suspects at a home in that block, and suspects demanded money.

The victim managed to elude the pursuers and police officers investigation took them to an address in the 1400 block of West Sixth Street, where they executed a search warrant and took the two males into custody early Tuesday morning, according to Days.

Days said Tuesday morning that the case was still under investigation and the two males were being questioned.

Racine Police investigators are interested in any additional information that anyone may have about this crime. Any witnesses, or citizens with information, are urged to call the Racine Police Department Investigations Unit at 262-635-7756.

Those who wish to remain anonymous may contact Crimestoppers at 262-636-9330, or text 274637 (CRIMES). Text message should begin with RACS.
BURLINGTON  Wisconsins delegation to National 4-H Conference in Washington, D.C., joined 300 youth and adults from around the country to share ideas and form recommendations in guiding future national 4-H youth development programs in their communities. A Wisconsin delegate who attended the conference April 9-14 is Abby Korb, a Racine County 4-H member.

Conference activities included workshops and other activities that emphasized civic engagement, youth-adult partnerships and professional development. During roundtable discussions and a town hall meeting, delegates shared ideas and formed recommendations for the future of 4-H. Additionally, these ideas will be shared with extension leaders at the national, state and local levels.

While in Washington, D.C., delegates met with state legislators during Capitol Hill Day to represent youth from Wisconsin and discuss state 4-H programs with Congressional members and their staff.

In 1927, the USDA implemented the first National 4-H Camp/Conference. This years conference marks a long tradition of bringing together the nations 4-H youth and adult leaders, volunteers and professionals. Known as the Secretarys Conference, the National 4-H Conference continues to be the major annual youth development event for USDA.

Since its inception, the National 4-H Conference has served as an avenue to assist youth and adult leaders in developing recommendations to guide 4-H programs nationally and in their communities. As the sponsor for this conference, the National 4-H Headquarters, located at the USDAs National Institute of Food and Agriculture, seeks to promote positive youth development, facilitate learning and engage youth in the work of the Land-Grant Universities and USDA to enhance their quality of life.

Wisconsin 4-H Foundation provides financial support for the Wisconsin delegation. For more information about this or other 4-H Youth Development programs, contact the local County Extension 4-H office or visit http://fyi.uwex.edu/wi4hedopp/national-4-h-conference.
4 shortlisted for IBN CEO

A three-member panel constituted to pick the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Investment Board of Nepal has shortlisted four candidates, including the incumbent CEO Radhesh Pant, for the job.
Briton held during protest released

Police on Tuesday released British national Martin Travers a day after his arrest from a protest site outside Singha Durbar in Kathmandu.
Drop in primary level students in rural Palpa

Only three students are studying at Suryamukhi Primary School in Baldhengadi-8, Palpa, in the current academic session. There are no first, third, fourth and fifth graders in the school.
Five Nepali teachers languishing in Indian jail

Five Nepali teachers, who were arrested from the bordering Indian town of Nautanawa in Uttar Pradesh for possessing fake Indian notes, have been languishing in prison for the last one month.
Five parties register six amendment proposals

With parties failing to reach consensus on disputed issues of parliamentary regulations even after months, six amendments have been registered by five parties seeking amendments to some of the provisions, mainly on the size of the parliamentary hearing committee, in the draft so as to sort the matter out at the earliest.
Kantipur Hissan education fair starts on Thursday

Continuing with their three-year tie-up, the Kantipur Media Group (KMG) and the Higher Secondary Schools Association Nepal (Hissan) have joined hands to organise an education fair starting on Thursday to help students find a suitable higher secondary institution for further studies.
List of goods, services with export potential cut to 12

The government has revised the list of high value goods and services with export potential contained in the Nepal Trade Integration Strategy (NTIS) by removing poor performing items and adding new ones in a bid to streamline the plan.
Maoist ministers alerted on partys budget agenda

UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has directed party ministers to incorporate in the upcoming budget matters of public concern.
Minority report

Goverment should respect sentiments of minority groups in deciding national holidays
One of accused admits to killing

One of the accused in the murder of media entrepreneur Arun Singhaniya has admitted to committing the crime.
Orthodox tea output projected to drop

The production of orthodox tea has been projected to drop sharply due to prolonged drought, according to the National Tea and Coffee Development Board. Gaurab Luitel, planning officer at the board, said the first flush of the tea harvest this year had been badly hit by the dry spell.
PM Oli reveals his another ambition to own Nepals own ship

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who has created a niche for himself with his incredibly ambitious plans, has declared his yet another plan to operate Nepals own ship.
Protest largely peaceful

The Sanghiya Gathbandhan, or a federal alliance formed by the Madhesi and Janajati forces, continued its Kathmandu-centric protest on the third day on Monday, as cadres and leaders of the alliance staged demonstrations outside Singh Durbar.
Protesters find Thankot inspections harassing

Long serpentine queues of buses and trucks from the check post at the Nagdhunga entry point to Kathmandu Valley have inconvenienced thousands of commuters since Saturday.
Safety matters

Technology and coordination can reduce risks inherent in trekking and climbing
Stakeholders demand govt allocate adequate budget

Stakeholders have demanded the government allocate adequate budget for the development of Budhigandaki Hydroelectric Project.
Syrian rebels fear assault on besieged Daraya as residents starve

Rebel fighters and officials in a besieged Syrian town on the outskirts of Damascus believe government forces are preparing an assault after they turned back an aid convoy last week
US changing tourist & student visa processing

The US Embassy Kathmandu had decided to begin reduced-document processing for tourist and student visa applicants starting June 1.
U.S., Russia stalemate on Syria frustrates European powers

The Obama administration's failure to convince Moscow that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must go is fuelling European frustration at being sidelined in efforts to end the country's five-year civil war, diplomats say
The African Court on Human and Peoples Rights yesterday opened its 41st Ordinary Session that runs right upto June 3rd in Arusha, Tanzania.

The Judges, among others, will examine over 50 applications and four requests for Advisory Opinions.

The Court is composed of eleven judges, nationals of Member States of the African Union elected in their individual capacity.

The Court meets four times a year in Ordinary Sessions and may meet in Extra-Ordinary Session.

Up to 29 April, 2016, the Court had received 90 applications of which 23 have been finalized.

Four applications have been transferred to the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights.
The leader of opposition Wafula Oguttu and two other senior FDC officials are expected to record statements at the Kireka-based Special Investigations Unit at 11:00am.

This is after they were summoned the divisions deputy commandant to explain their role in the alleged wrongful swearing-in of Dr. Kiiza Besigye as president of Uganda whose video was circulated on social media on Wednesday last week.

Oguttu has confirmed to KFM that they are ready to comply with police directive.

The other officials are the party chairman Wasswa Biriggwa and treasurer Geoffrey Ekanya.

In the video Besigye is seen taking oath in the company of the three officials and an unidentified female judge.

The trio could be charged with concealing treason, an offence that attracts a life sentence upon conviction.

Story By Damali Mukhaye
The most recent promotions of senior Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) commanders have been interpreted as a tactical hand over of power to the next generation.

Yesterday the son Muhoozi Kainerugaba who doubles as the commander of the UPDF Special Forces was promoted to the rank of Major General from Brigadier.

Also promoted was Maj Gen Joram Mugume to the rank of Lt. General and four others from the ranks of Col to Brigadier.

Now according to the former ESO boss Mr. David Pulkol, the current army leadership is systematically handling over to a much younger generation.

Mr. Pulkol therefore says Muhoozis promotion is not accidental and could be intended to propel him to the same level as Major Gen David Muhoozi who commands the Land Forces to enable them take full control of the top command.

However, speaking shortly after he took oath at parliament this morning, the Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Katumba Wamala says the promotion is normal routine and there is no cause for alarm.

Story By Samuel Ssebuliba
Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa says Uganda does not plan to withdraw from the International Criminal Court.

Kutesa was speaking in response to President Yoweri Musevenis outbursts against the Hague-based Court, describing them as a bunch of useless people.

Addressing journalists at parliament shortly after he took oath as a member of the 10th parliament, Kutesa said unless the African Union decides that all African Countries should withdraw from the court, Uganda will stay on.

He however quickly added that does not challenge what President Museveni said about the ICC.
Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa says Uganda does not plan to withdraw from the International Criminal Court.

Kutesa was speaking in response to President Yoweri Musevenis outbursts against the Hague-based Court, describing them as a bunch of useless people.

Addressing journalists at parliament shortly after he took oath as a member of the 10th parliament, Kutesa said unless the African Union decides that all African Countries should withdraw from the court, Uganda will stay on.

He however quickly added that does not challenge whatPresident Museveni said about the ICC
By Ashana Bigard



The state of Louisiana made big news last week when it announced that the New Orleans school system, taken over by the state in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, will be gradually returned to local control.



But will the plan give the people of New Orleans real say over their schools?



Probably not.



After Katrina, the state turned New Orleans into the nation's first nearly all-charter school district. Under a bill signed last week by Gov. John Bel Edwards, charter operators will still be largely in control and won't have to answer to local officials when it comes to key decisions on whom to hire, what curriculum to teach or how to run their schools.



This is important not just to New Orleans, but in seven other states around the country that are currently considering a New Orleans-style state takeover of local schools.



Citizens beware: States might say they are "giving back" a district that has been taken over, yet local communities may never recover more than an illusion of democratic control.



The takeover of New Orleans schools has been widely proclaimed a success because of improved test scores.



But community members, parents, students and teachers do not like all of the results.



Veteran black teachers were fired en masse and replaced by young, white teachers brought in to teach at the charter schools. The change has been a culture shock to New Orleans residents.



I work as a student advocate and trainer, and my daughter and I give regular talks to students around the city about strategies to navigate the school district's punitive, "no excuses" charter school system.



The no excuses model has resulted in high expulsion rates for African-American students. Among the infractions listed in a school discipline handbook we obtained from one charter school are "posture," "excessive talking" and "teeth sucking or eye-rolling."



I have advocated for students with high grade-point averages who were facing, for minor infractions, suspension or expulsion, results that would unfairly and adversely affect their futures.



Not only do parents here have no say over punitive school policies, it's very hard to get basic information about how decisions are made.



In 2010, I used Louisiana's open records law to try to obtain the names of charter board members, minutes of board meetings and information on school discipline policies. I was only able to get information from 13 of more than 40 schools.



The two things parents and community members most want are greater transparency in how our schools are run and more say in what goes on.



Neither of those things will come about through the state's current plan.



If charter schools have the autonomy not to hire local, black teachers, if they don't have to adopt a curriculum that is appropriate to the culture and lives of the students, and if they can continue using a punitive, "no excuses" model that has resulted in high expulsion rates and an atmosphere of disrespect bordering on contempt for students and their families, what are we really getting?



The illusion of local control is not enough to truly restore democracy and justice to New Orleans schools.



Ashana Bigard is a lifelong resident of New Orleans and advocate for children and families in Louisiana. She wrote this for Progressive Media Project, a source of liberal commentary on domestic and international issues. It was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




ANGOLA  For the second Angola Common Council meeting in a row, much discussion centered around tax abatements and compliance.

Council was asked to decide tax abatement compliance for six different companies at Mondays meeting.

After confusion over accounting errors, application process and benchmarks, Angola Mayor Dick Hickman referred to it as heartburn, but said looking at compliance is necessary.

I think we need to look at these every year. Taxpayers are picking these up, Hickman said. I think we need to take a harder look.

Council questioned accounting from Feddema Industries, 1305 S. Wohlert St., on a 10-year abatement for personal property. Its paperwork said it added four employees at an average $11,000 wage. Leonard Feddema, company president, said he wasnt sure what the correct number was and his accountant likely made a typographical error. The paperwork was due at the Steuben County Assessors office today.

Im not willing to let it go, Angola Councilwoman Kathy Armstrong said. Council found Feddema in compliance, but she and Angola Councilman Dave Olson voted against it.

Council found Lomont Holdings, 1825 W. Maumee St., in compliance on an eight-year abatement for personal property. That was despite estimations to add 16 employees werent met in hiring only five employees. Armstrong voted against it.

I think theres confusion with the CPA. Were at 61 and just saw the abatement this year, but it was approved last year, Von Lomont, Lomont president, said.

Indiana Marine Products Holdings, 409 Growth Parkway and 101 Industrial Drive, was found in compliance on an eight-year abatement on real estate improvements. That was despite an estimation of adding 10 employees, but thats actually minus-15. An IMP representative said they have bought a Syracuse company and are working at getting operations moved around. Armstrong and Olson voted against compliance.

The No. 1 thing Im hearing from industries is finding qualified (help), which were working on, said Angola Plan Director Vivian Likes.

Representatives from companies present said the issue is finding people to work and keeping them.

I so hear you, but at the end of the day, if they cant get the workforce and stay here, Armstrong said, not to meet their benchmark is a mistake.

Councilman Mike McClelland said there needs to be a standard, living wage.

Council also found compliance for Swick Broadcasting, Daves Diesel and Tenneco Automotive.

Armstrong requested tax abatement histories be included with all future applications.
ANGOLA  Steuben Circuit Court Judge Allen Wheat sentenced two people Monday morning for failure to comply with the rules of the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry.

The cases were similar, and unusual, in that they concerned out-of-state residents charged with failure to register in Indiana. Both the defendants chose to plead guilty to the allegations.

The cases were continued for a period of time due to an Indiana Supreme Court hearing in February on legal issues surrounding a similar case. The decision was certified in mid-April, and found that Scott Zerbe, convicted of a sex offense in Michigan in 1992, was bound by the rules of Indianas registry, even though it was enacted in 1994 and amended to include other states offenders in 2006 and 2007. The states high court ruled that Zerbe had fair warning of the registrys requirements before he moved to Indiana and that it imposed no further punishment because he was already required to register in Michigan. The Marion County courts originally provided relief to Zerbe, terming it an ex post facto law. It was overturned by the Indiana Court of Appeals and then forwarded to the Indiana Supreme Court.

Public defender Eugene Bosworth represented Jason Robert Cappella, a Michigan resident, and Birdine Cole, an Ohio resident. They pleaded guilty, but their sentencings were continued until after the Zerbe appeal was completed.

Bosworth said he was disappointed with the outcome of the Marion County case, and noted that there is other case law that appears to be on the side of out-of-state offenders with significantly old convictions.

Cappella, 35, of Coldwater, Michigan, was arrested in February 2015 on a warrant alleging felony failure to register. He had lived in Ashley for a short period of time and lost his housing. He became homeless and then returned to Michigan, according to court testimony. When he moved to Indiana in 2008, he registered with the proper authorities, and upon returning to Michigan, he registered there again.

What he failed to do was let Steuben County Sheriffs Department know that he had become homeless and that he returned to Michigan.

Cappella was convicted of fourth degree criminal sexual conduct, what would be a misdemeanor in Indiana, in 1998 in Michigan.

He pleaded guilty in Steuben County to failure to register as a sex offender and was sentenced to 30 days in Steuben County Jail Monday under a plea agreement.

It was never Mr. Cappellas intent to ignore his obligation to register as a sex offender, said Wheat, who entered Cappellas sentence as a Class A misdemeanor. While technically Cappella was supposed to let authorities know he had become homeless and returned to Michigan, Steuben County Prosecutor Jeremy Musser noted that he initially properly registered in both states.

He has a family, is employed, said Bosworth. Cappella received credit for five days already served and was remanded to the custody of the sheriffs department on Monday to serve the remainder of his time, 10 days with Indiana good time credit.

Also appearing before Wheat on Monday was Birdine Cole Sr., 50, of Edon, Ohio. Cole was sentenced to serve two years, consecutive to a sentence he is serving in the Ohio Department of Corrections, for his admission to failure to register as a sex offender, a Level 6 felony. The sentence was presented to the court as a fixed-term plea agreement, said Wheat, noting Coles prior criminal history.

Cole started serving a 4 1/2-year sentence on Oct. 29 for failure to make notice of an address change and illegal drug manufacturing in Williams County, Ohio. According to americansexoffenders.com, he was found guilty of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree in 1998 in Ohio.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will give way to occasional showers in the afternoon. High 73F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 53F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Elaine Vivian Knight, 89, of La Crosse passed into her Saviors arms Saturday, May 14, 2016, at Gundersen Health System, La Crosse.

A lifelong resident of La Crosse, Elaine was born Oct. 1, 1926, to Robert and Augusta (Miller) Draeger, graduated from Central High School, and attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She married Willis (Bill) Knight Dec. 21, 1946, and began a life as a wife and mother.

For a number of years, Elaine and her husband owned an A&W root beer stand in Marshall, Minn., which they operated from late spring into early fall. During periods when the school that Bill taught at were still in session, Elaine ran the business herself during the week and Bill joined her on the weekends.

Elaine will be remembered for her devotion to her family and her Christian faith. She was a lifelong member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church in La Crosse, and was an active member in Ladies Aid, the Archive committee, and OWLS club. She loved to travel and visited all 50 states and several foreign countries during her lifetime. Elaine had a gifted intellect and was an avid bridge player. She also loved to sew, knit and work with ceramics.

Elaine is survived by two children, John (June Duffy) Knight of Franklin, Wis., Kathy (Scott) Guthrie of Winona, Minn.; three grandchildren, Heather (Darryl) Dauphin of Rose Hill, Kan., Bryan Guthrie of Little Canada, Minn., and Sarah Guthrie of La Crosse.

She was preceded in death by her sons, Billy and Randy; her husband; her parents; and her brother, Robert.

A funeral service will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday, May 20, 2016, at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 400 West Ave. S, La Crosse, Wis. The Rev. Richard T. Pamperin will officiate.

Visitation will be from 10:30 a.m. until the service. A light luncheon will follow. Interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery in La Crosse, following the luncheon.

Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Service has been entrusted with arrangements.

Memorial gifts may be made to First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 400 West Ave. S, La Crosse, Wis., 54601.
LA CROSSE  Wilbur Butch Tabbert, 85, of La Crosse died Sunday, May 15, 2016, at his home. Services will be 11 a.m. Friday, at Christ is Lord Free Lutheran Church, Onalaska. Burial with military honors in Mormon Coulee Memorial Park. Visitation 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, at Dickinson Family Funeral Home, Onalaska, and 10 a.m. to services at church. Full obituary will be provided.
SPARTA  Authorities have made an arrest in connection with a fatal shooting Tuesday morning in Sparta.

Authorities were called to 508 N. Water St. at about 8 a.m., according to the Sparta Police Department, where they found a male on the floor, unconscious and apparently shot. He was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Sparta, where he was pronounced dead.

Later Tuesday, authorities arrested a possible suspect in Juneau County.

An autopsy is being conducted in Madison, and the Wisconsin Crime Lab, the Division of Criminal Investigations, Monroe County Sheriffs Department, FBI and Wisconsin State Patrol are assisting in the investigation.

Sparta Police Chief David Kuderer called the shooting an isolated incident and said the community was not in immediate danger.
Wisconsins highest court will review a decision to deny an appeal by a Minnesota man serving consecutive life terms for the 2012 murders of a father and son at their downtown La Crosse camera store.

Jeffrey Lepsch, now 43, appealed the District 4 Court of Appeals decision in November to uphold his convictions for the killings of Paul Petras, 56, and his 19-year-old son, A.J., on Sept. 15 at the now-shuttered Mays Photo on Main Street.

The state Supreme Court will hear arguments from attorneys in late summer, said Lepschs attorney, Steven Zaleski. It will either affirm the Court of Appeals decision or grant Lepsch a new trial.

Its rare for the Supreme Court to accept cases, Zaleski said. But the case is rich with issues and problems.

Lepsch argued on appeal that nine of the 12 jurors either believed he was guilty before they heard the case or found law enforcement more credible than other witnesses. He also argued that he wasnt present when the clerk of court read an oath to jurors, a violation of his right to an impartial jury and public trial.

Attorneys selected the jury in less than six hours, a process that was fast and short, especially considering the gravity of the charges and the extent of the pre-trial publicity, Zaleski argued in documents to the Supreme Court.

Perhaps both a reason for and a consequence of such an abbreviated process is that the trial court did not provide for a comprehensive examination of each prospective juror, especially those who presented beliefs or opinions which made them ripe for dismissal, he stated.

Zaleski argues to the Supreme Court that the jurors did not meet the standard of impartiality required by the U.S. Constitution.

It is a problem if a juror may arguably meet the Wisconsin standard for impartiality but not the federal standard, he stated.

The jury, after a six-day trial in La Crosse County Circuit Court in July 2013, found that Lepsch shot Paul and A.J. Petras, then emptied display cases of 27 pieces of camera equipment worth $17,000 and walked from the store with four bags to his minivan at Fourth and Main streets.

Police found A.J. Petras body near the stores safe and his fathers in the bathroom hours later when Sherri Petras went to check on her husband and son.

Surveillance video, cellphone and vehicle records led investigators to Lepsch, a broke, unemployed hobby photographer living in Dakota, Minn., at the time of the killings.

Investigators traced every piece of equipment stolen from Mays to Lepsch  in his home, his van or sold online to support his family of five.

He is serving consecutive life terms without the possibility of release plus 30 years, the maximum possible.

Prosecutors contend Lepsch failed to prove jurors were biased, pointing out they said they would base their verdict on evidence presented at trial. His rights were not violated when the jury was sworn outside his presence because the administration of the oath is not part of jury selection under state statute, prosecutors wrote.

The appellate court rejected Lepschs argument that the jury sworn outside his presence violated his rights and ruled none of the jurors was biased, finding they told the court they would judge the credibility of all witnesses equally, would decide their verdict on the evidence and understood the presumption of innocence.
The House of Loyds reputation in the Coulee Region rivals that of Lloyds of Londons global footprint, except that Loyd Mieden developed his brand as a beloved teacher, musician and colleague and, later in life, an accomplished weaver.

The 91-year-old Onalaska man, who died Saturday at Bethany Riverside Healthcare Center in La Crosse, taught music, choir and band in high schools and middle schools for nearly four decades before retiring.

After retiring, Mieden bought his first loom at the age of 64, mastered the art of weaving and took on still another student less than five years ago.

That is when he took the Rev. Laura Hoglund under his wing.

He was a Renaissance man, Hoglund said Monday of her mentor, recalling, Four years ago, he said to me he was going to teach me how to weave. He had two looms at his house, where he taught her for hours on end.

Hoglund, a retired minister who had led the Crossroads United Campus Ministry at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, said she was awed at his talent, especially considering his late start at weaving.

I thought, Wow! Theres hope for the rest of us, she said.

Mieden was drawn to the hobby while visiting his son Greg in North Carolina and saw an enclave of artists engaged in the handiwork.

When I was there, I saw a woman weaving dishtowels, and I said, Thats what I want to do, he told a Tribune reporter during an interview in anticipation of his setting up his booth for the annual Art Fair on the Green at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2014.

So he returned home, bought a loom and a few instructional books and taught himself to weave.

Truth be told, Mieden had a head start on the craft, having begun stitching things as a lad.

I started sewing as a little boy, Mieden said during the Tribune interview.

My mother would go out shopping, and then Id get on her machine and sew something, and then when shed come home, Id get it for using up all of her thread, he confessed at the time, his final year of running a booth at the fair because of declining health.

His wife, Marian, would appreciate his nimbleness with a thimble at a time when men would rather poke their eyes out with knitting needles than admit to an interest in ladies fashions  let alone being an accomplished dressmaker.

After the Miedens moved to Onalaska in 1952, Marian would become well-known as an advocate for early childhood education, a talented teacher and a respected member of the Onalaska School Board, while Loyd began a 40-year career as a music and choir teacher in several schools. Their other son, Steve of Holmen, was superintendent of Cochrane-Fountain City School District.

A member of First Congregational Church in La Crosse, where Hoglunds husband, Bill, was pastor, Mieden was choir leader and member there and at other churches in Onalaska and La Crosse.

Although Hoglund never met Marian in person, she said she felt as if she knew her because of the proud World War II veterans penchant for recalling fond memories of his wife.

He was a most wonderful gentleman and quite the storyteller  of war, of the history of Onalaska and of stories of him and his wife, Hoglund said. By the time we sat together for hours, I felt like I knew her well.

Mieden made his wifes clothes  he would joke, except for her underwear, Hoglund said. She was a lucky woman, with everything to her liking, fitting perfectly.

His sewing acumen was on display far beyond his home, as he became noted for making wedding and mother-of-the-bride dresses, as well as gowns that helped carry several contestants to the title of Miss Wisconsin.

Mieden, who labeled the clothes he sewed as being from the House of Loyd, and Hoglund began operating a booth jointly, selling scarves, shawls and other woven wares, at the Art Fair on the Green several years ago. He tabbed Hoglunds creations as coming from the House of Laura.

He held court at the art fair, Hoglund said. If he would sell something, he was totally happy, but mostly it was his way to reconnect with the community and his friends.

I cant tell you how many people would come up and say, Do you remember me? You taught me choir, or Loyd, you made my wedding dress.

His last appearance at the art fair was in 2014, as his health was failing.

Hoglund displayed a picture of Loyd at her booth, with a note saying he wasnt there but asking people to sign it and write a message if they so desired.

Loyd, who was moved at the gesture and the warm responses, had one particular hot button. He didnt take kindly when people spelled his name Lloyd.

He would get a little feisty about that, Hoglund said, laughing. He was a stickler with an eye for detail.

That attention to detail served him well in landing his hand-sewn birds on the shelves of Lord and Taylor in Chicago, she said.

They were a cardinal and a dove, I believe, she said. They were satin and stitched so beautifully.

Art Fair on the Green patrons sorely missed Mieden last year, said chairwoman Carol Robertson, who also is president of the La Crosse chapter of the American Association of University Women, which sponsors the fair.

He was very well-liked not only by the people who came to the fair but also the artists, she said.

Miedens students at Logan High School in La Crosse and other schools also were intensely fond of him, with many of them referring to him as Uncle Loyd.

It was a privilege to know him, Hoglund said. He said I was his legacy. Marian told him he should have one more student, and he made it be me.
Prosecutors Tuesday charged an employee of an Onalaska assisted-living facility with sexually assaulting a resident.

David Brandt, 41, of La Crosse molested the woman late last year while working at SpringBrook Assisted Living, according to the complaint filed in La Crosse County Circuit Court.

The facilitys director suspended him Feb. 16, the day the victim reported the conduct. Prosecutors said in court Tuesday there could be additional victims.

Brandt, who is no longer working at the facility, also exposed himself to the resident and talked to her about sadomasochistic behavior. He showed her pictures of knife carvings he made in a persons back and a nude picture in which he held large knives, according to the complaint.
MADISON  A Wisconsin appeals court has overturned the loitering conviction of a man who was walking near a school with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle on his shoulder.

The 3rd District Court of Appeals ruling issued Tuesday is a victory for proponents of allowing people to openly carry firearms.

Mark Hoffman was convicted in circuit court of loitering in 2013 when he was walking around the Village of Somerset with a loaded rifle and handgun in a holster.

The appeals court on Tuesday said the St. Croix County Circuit Court should have dismissed the case because the evidence suggested the only reason Hoffman was stopped was because of the guns. The appeals court says while it may be alarming, openly carrying firearms without evidence of criminal or malicious intent is legal.
Ray Fair of Yale University says that if his election forecasting model is correct, the Republican nominee is likely to win the presidency by a convincing margin. John Sides of George Washington University agrees; the fundamentals, he says, give the Republican about a 60 percent chance of winning. Alan Abramowitz of Emory University gives Republicans a solid shot at the White House too; his model gives the GOP the edge  but in a very close election.

But thanks to Donald Trump, their carefully honed forecasting models may have lost their predictive magic  a possibility the professors themselves acknowledge.

This time may be different, Abramowitz told me last week.

For decades, political scientists and economists have concocted statistical models to try to predict presidential elections even before the actual campaigns were under way. Their aim wasnt merely to pull off the parlor trick of predicting a winner; more important  to them, at least  was figuring out what makes voters tick. Their underlying theory was that most voters behavior stems from a combination of fundamental factors and not from anything the candidates say or do.

Abramowitzs model, for example, uses three factors: economic growth, the current presidents popularity, and how long the incumbent party has held the White House.

Starting with that last item: Its hard for one party to keep the White House for a third term, as Hillary Clinton is trying to do. Its only been done once in the last half century, when George H.W. Bush succeeded the popular Ronald Reagan in 1988. Abramowitz calls this the time for a change factor, and it puts the presumptive Democratic nominee at a significant disadvantage.

Right now, the economic fundamentals dont look good for Clinton either. Most forecasts suggest that growth will remain well below 3 percent all year, a sluggish rate that favors the party out of power.

Obama, on the other hand, is actually helping Clintons chances; his job approval rating in the Gallup Poll has averaged about 50 percent over the last six months, just high enough to give her a chance of winning.

Add all three factors together, and the result is close to 50-50, maybe a little below for the Democrat, Abramowitz said. So based on the fundamentals, you would expect this to be a very close election.

Now add a new factor: Trump.

A model like Abramowitzs doesnt take into account attributes of the candidates. It captures arguably the most important things, but not everything, Sides told me.

These forecasting models assume that you have mainstream candidates who will unify each party, Abramowitz conceded. Trump doesnt fit that pattern. Hes off the charts. And its very hard to predict how thats going to play out.

Despite the chilly indifference of the forecasting models, he noted, candidates and their campaigns do matter. In 1972, Democrat George McGovern did worse than the models would have predicted, presumably because many voters saw him as too far to the left. In 1988, Michael Dukakis also did worse than the models predicted, probably because he had the worst campaign in recent memory, Abramowitz said.

So even though the forecasting models say this should be a Republican year, the polls dont agree. An average of recent polls puts Clinton ahead of Trump, 47 percent to 42 percent. The Iowa Electronic Market, one of several prediction markets that crowdsource forecasting, projects that Clinton will win 58 percent of the popular vote. And the conventional wisdom among pundits  not that weve been particularly prescient of late  is that Clinton could win in a landslide.

Trump isnt just disrupting the Republican Party, hes disrupting political science too.

One of the potential problems with the models in an election like this one is that they assume voters arent really paying much attention to politics.

The models  and their underlying theories of voting behavior  rest heavily on how voters feel about the economy on Election Day. In a sense, they suggest that voters decide many elections on the basis of James Carvilles slogan from the 1992 campaign: Its the economy, stupid.

Thats not entirely rational.

As political scientists Christopher M. Achen and Larry M. Bartels point out in their recent book, Democracy for Realists, voters who choose based on the economy are often holding an incumbent president and his party responsible for events beyond his control. Besides, they note, economic voters choose based on how the economy is doing in the months before Election Day, not during a presidents entire term.

The result of this kind of voter behavior is that election outcomes are in an important sense random, they write  a matter of whether a given president has been lucky or not. Economic voting may be little more than a high stakes game of musical chairs.

Love him or loathe him, Trump may have changed the equation, forcing voters to think more about whom they want in charge instead of letting GDP growth rates effectively determine their preference. Hes made voting important again.
Every April during Alcohol Awareness Month, someone representing the beer, wine and liquor industry writes a letter to the editor, which, in some way, forewarns citizens to be wary of efforts to increase alcohol taxes and sends it to various newspapers across the United States.

While the letter Alcohol regulation is missing the target in the April 29 Tribune was more of the same, the managing director of the American Beverage Institute, Sarah Longwell, took an interesting approach in cautioning us about anti-alcohol organizations and their strong affiliations with the Centers for Disease Control.

Longwell began by ridiculing  and rightfully so  a CDC report from earlier this year for its paternalistic recommendation that fertile, sexually active women shouldnt drink any alcohol at all unless theyre on birth control. She then highlighted the important role the CDC plays in funding activist groups seeking to increase alcohol taxes in order to address harmful, excessive drinking. However, these activist groups include Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Boston Medical Center, University of Florida and University of Illinois at Chicago. Specifically, Longwell mentioned the CDC funding the creation of an alcohol tax tool by Johns Hopkins to assist with its Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth project.

Longwell said nothing about the effectiveness of this alcohol tax tool, just that it shows how increasing alcohol taxes by 5 to 25 cents per drink would affect each state. This is perplexing because the beer, wine and liquor industry usually warns us that if alcohol taxes increase, jobs will be lost (without providing any evidence to support such a claim). In fact, the alcohol tax tool shows that if Wisconsin increases its taxes to 25 cents per drink  with the additional revenue funding more health care workers  the state would gain more than 4,500 jobs in that sector.

Finally, Longwell mentioned the CDC attending an Alcohol Policy Conference last month, along with other activists and researchers whose goals were to cut alcohol consumption by everyone, even those who drink moderately and responsibly. That sounds like a legitimate public health concern for a government agency created to protect us from deleterious public health issues. But in her closing statement, Longwell said the CDC emphasizes no amount of alcohol is safe. I attended that same conference last month, and I cannot find any evidence to support that claim. Perhaps the comment was taken out of context.

Longwell concluded by saying, lets raise a glass to responsible alcohol consumption and encourage policymakers to redirect our tax dollars back to the true heavy drinkers and alcohol abusers who need our help the most. I couldnt agree more, but, since we have no tax dollars to redirect, well have to convince policymakers in Wisconsin to reconsider increasing alcohol taxes to help them gain the necessary revenue for the betterment of our states public health. Thanks to funding by the CDC and the tremendous work of its state and local activist groups, Wisconsin policymakers now have an evidence-based alcohol tax tool to help convince them we wont be at risk of losing more jobs should alcohol taxes ever finally increase in the state. Even our current political leadership should be able to get behind that rationale. Cheers!
A crowd of bystanders  many of them young students  watched a demonstration of two conflict resolution scenarios, one of which ended in a staged fatal shooting outside of the Boys & Girls Club in Fitchburg Monday.

Complete with a police car and hearse, the scenarios depicted how interactions can be resolved peacefully or how quickly they can turn to violence, something that has been seen in the extreme in Madison recently with a string of three connected homicides.

Michael Johnson, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, said the demonstration was meant to show alternatives to violence and a positive example of conflict resolution, but the vivid scene proved difficult for 12-year-olds Namani Alves, Aajiyah Vance and Alyssa Burton to watch.

They said that the scene of conflict resolution portrayed just does not happen in their experience, noting that people are not going to stop being in gangs.

I feel like the second act (positive conflict resolution) is how they want things to happen, but it isnt, Alves said.

The skit followed an announcement by state, city and community leaders of 15 specific recommendations to reduce violence in Madison. Johnson said comprehensive reforms in Madison have been slow to follow studies of systemic issues that can lead to violence like education disparities, unemployment and mass incarceration.

Weve studied these issues to death, Johnson said. Its time to act.

Several of the solutions targets ways to engage formerly incarcerated young men and former gang members in programs that teach trade skills and offer anger management and communication classes.

Others focus on school-based programs to find alternative disciplinary methods to reduce suspension. Another calls for investment in substance abuse treatment.

Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, spoke in support of a recommendation that would implement a citywide gun buyback program. This program would work in partnership with faith communities and offer $250 for any working handgun and $500 for any working semiautomatic weapons turned into authorities.

Too many of our children are dying, Sargent said. Enough is enough.

Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5, spoke to convey the support of the City Council. Alds. Maurice Cheeks, District 10, and Matt Phair, District 20, will be releasing their own recommendations to reduce violence at a press conference Tuesday.

We really are working together and standing together in moving these recommendations forward, Bidar-Sielaff said.

Anthony Cooper, Sr., director of reentry services at Nehemiah, Caliph MuabEl, local Pastor Colier McNair, Fitchburg Mayor Steve Arnold, Madison Metropolitan School Board member Anna Moffit and University of Wisconsin-Madison sophomore Tyriek Mack also introduced recommendations.

Mack said the spectrum of local leaders present was promising. Comparing his hometown of Washington, D.C. to Madison, he said the community feels more proactive.

To curb violence, Mack said a range of issues like access to education and healthy food need to be addressed.

I think that what we have to do has a society is start looking at these issues and not isolate them, Mack said. Theres a deep connection between how institutions work together and historically, (they) have marginalized and oppressed people, specifically black people and people of color.
Former Gov. Tommy Thompson showered UW-Madison professors with praise at a graduation ceremony last week, striking a different tone from the sharp criticism of faculty members fellow Republican Gov. Scott Walker has leveled in recent days.

In a passionate speech as he accepted an honorary degree from the university Friday, Thompson  who earned his bachelors and law degrees from UW-Madison in the 1960s  thanked faculty, calling them some of the greatest professors in the United States of America.

After polite applause, Thompson told the audience of graduates and their families, You can be a little bit more enthusiastic than that  these are great professors! A larger ovation followed.

Thompson also lauded the university as an engine of economic development and research during his address at the commencement ceremony for doctoral and professional degree candidates Friday in the Kohl Center.

Thompson spoke about investments his administration made in UWs buildings, and  after a week in which some professors announced plans to leave UW-Madison  recounted state efforts to make sure top faculty members stayed at the campus.

We raised the money and we kept those professors here  and you benefited from it, he told the graduates.

Some UW supporters and professors have expressed nostalgia for Thompson and his approach to higher education, comparing it to a Walker administration they say is hostile to the university and its faculty in the wake of budget cuts and new tenure policies that weakened job protections.

Speaking Saturday at Wisconsin Republicans state convention in Green Bay, Walker continued criticism of professors that he has intensified since campuses across the University of Wisconsin System have begun passing votes of no confidence in top UW officials.

Walker derided one such vote at UW-Milwaukee last week as a fuss by faculty there. He has accused professors of being well-paid employees who want a job for life but have been indifferent to the concerns of students as college costs have risen.

On Monday, Walker told conservative talk radio host Charlie Sykes, We had the audacity to just put a slight restraint on this job-for-life tenure program that they had at the University of Wisconsin System and thats really what got (faculty) upset.

State Journal reporter Matt Defour contributed to this report.
Continuing to cut higher education funding will hurt Wisconsins economy by reducing research and innovation on college campuses, according to a new report from the state organization that advises lawmakers on science and technology.

The Wisconsin Technology Council argues that legislators should instead make it a priority to increase state support for the University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Technical College systems.

Their campuses act as economic engines and talent factories in their communities, council president Tom Still said, and are a boon to Wisconsins economy.

But funding cuts have gone past the point of making colleges and universities more efficient and now threaten their quality, which is one of the states competitive advantages, the council wrote in The Value of Higher Education to Wisconsins Economy, the report it released Monday.

Lawmakers have reduced funding for the UW System in five of the last six state budgets, including a $250 million cut in the 2015-17 budget.

If the slide in higher education funding effort continues, the academic (research and development) infrastructure in Wisconsin could deteriorate, the council wrote. Further cuts would harm access, affect overall quality and erode economic competitiveness.

Still said the organization was not recommending lawmakers increase UW and technical college system funding by a specific amount, but more generally said they must invest wisely in higher education.

Higher education in Wisconsin is a huge economic driver, and its important for policymakers not to lose sight of that, Still said.

The council is made up of a bipartisan group of business and education officials, several of whom come from UW and the technical colleges. UW System President Ray Cross is a member, as is James Zylstra, the Wisconsin Technical College Systems vice president for finance.

Along with its recommendations for higher education funding, the councils report says colleges and universities could make several changes to improve their relationships with local businesses.

Still said colleges should clarify their conflict-of-interest rules for professors and researchers, and recommended more institutions follow the lead of UW-Madisons Office of Corporate Relations, to make it easier for businesses to connect with campuses.
Mondovi man accused of child sex offenses

A Mondovi, Wis., man has been accused of repeated sexual assaults of a child and bound over for trial in Buffalo County Circuit Court.

A felony complaint filed by District Attorney Thomas Clark accuses 51-year-old Patrick W. Schofield of sexually assaulting a child at least three times in 2015.

The girls mother called police after finding and reading her daughters diary, according to a police report.

The diary, according to court documents, contained disturbing entries about sexual things that occurred between her daughter and Schofield.

In the complaint, Schultz says Schofield admitted that what the diary said was true when questioned about it on April 22.

The sexual contacts occurred when the girl visited him at his house in Mondovi, according to case records.

Schofield is scheduled for an arraignment hearing in front of Circuit Judge James Duvall on June 1 in Alma.

- Winona Daily News

Victim identified Sunday in Lewiston homicide

The woman whose body was found early Saturday morning outside Lewiston was identified Sunday, with the man in custody and suspected of killing making his first court appearance Monday.

The body of Tasha Lynn Hanson, 24, of Lewiston was found in a wooded area about three-quarters of a mile east of Lewiston early Saturday after an hours-long search triggered by a tip to law enforcement.

Hours later, Kyle Benjamin Allers, 23, was arrested and is being held in the Winona County Jail on probable cause of murder in the second degree (intentional murder) in Hansons death.

Hansons body was taken to the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiners Office in Rochester for identification and an autopsy.

The investigation began at 6:22 p.m. Friday after a caller provided information to Winona County law enforcement about a possible homicide. Based on information developed during the course of the investigation, law enforcement personnel from several agencies began a search for the woman around 8 p.m. Friday. Hansons body was discovered at approximately 12:35 a.m. Saturday.

- Winona Daily News

Lightning strikes propane tanks, causes house fire

A lightning strike was the cause of wildlife fire that started near a propane tank in the town of Adams, Wis., last week.

Firefighters were dispatched about 7:30 p.m. May 3 after the report of the fire that started during a thunderstorm. Three 1,000-gallon liquid propane tanks had been hit by the lightning strike, which ruptured an underground copper gas line that ran from the tank to the home at the address, according to the Black River Falls Fire Department.

The gas leaking from the ruptured LP gas line was on fire, but there was no wildland fire. The LP tank was turned off and the fire from the ruptured line went out, according to the department.

Further investigation revealed the nearby single-family wood-frame home had smoke coming from the eves. The department then requested assistance for a full response.

Fire was located in the basement in the area where the cooper LP gas line came into the home and involved a basement wall, the first floor subfloor and floor joists. A section of floor in the kitchen area was cut out by the department to get at the sub-floor fire.

The department was on scene with 13 firefighters for two hours. No one was injured.

- Jackson County Chronicle
This spring marks the 400th anniversary of the death of British playwright William Shakespeare. His plays have had a major influence on the worlds literature and drama. That influence is shown in a new exhibit at Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.

Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the small town of Stratford-upon-Avon, about 160 kilometers from London.

People all around the world still read his plays. His works have been translated into hundreds of languages.

Georgianna Ziegler organized the exhibit at the library. She explained that immigrants to America brought Shakespeares writings with them to their new home. One of the pieces in the exhibit is a list of the books one immigrant brought with him.

He came over to this country around 1650 and he brought with him a copy of Shakespeares Second Folio and that is one of the earliest references to a Shakespeare edition actually coming into the New World. People had Shakespeare in their houses when they crossed the country as they moved West with the Gold Rush and so on. They often had a copy of the Bible and of Shakespeare.

The exhibit shows portraits, photos, videos and costumes of famous actors who have played Shakespearean characters. The exhibit also has copies of his works published in different languages.

The exhibit even has the first edition of Shakespeares works. It is called the First Folio. It is a collection of 36 of his plays, including Hamlet, Twelfth Night and The Tempest.

Experts believe Shakespeare became interested in theater when he was a young man. He decided to try acting in London. They say this experience helped him improve his plays. Experts say that by the time Shakespeare was 30 years old, his plays were being produced.

Ziegler said that people like Shakespeares plays because the characters in them show real human emotions.

Theres something basically human about Hamlet, who has problems -- hes a student and has problems making up his mind. Romeo and Juliet, who are young lovers and they dont quite know how to get ahead with their lives. And they disagree with their parents. There are all these stories that Shakespeare tells and creates these individuals who, when you take them out of the Renaissance period, really speak to almost any time and place.

Shakespeare earned a lot of money from his works. He became a land owner and one of the owners of the Globe Theater. A copy of the theatre has been built in London.

Four hundred years after he died, his plays are still performed in theaters all over the world -- more than those of any other playwright.

Im Ashley Thompson.

VOA Correspondent Vadim Allen reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. Ashley Thompson 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

playwright  n. a person who writes plays

translate  v. to change words from one language into another language

reference  n. the act of mentioning something in speech or in writing; the act of referring to something or someone

Gold Rush  n. a situation in which many people go quickly to a place where gold has been discovered because they hope to find more gold and become rich; there was a gold rush in California in the mid 1800s

portrait  n. a painting, drawing, or photograph of a person that usually only includes the persons head and shoulders

costume  n. the clothes that are worn by someone (such as an actor) who is trying to look like a different person or thing

character  n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie or television show

works  n. something (such as a book, song, or painting) that is produced by a writer, musician, artist, etc.

edition  adj. a particular version of a product

make up your mind  expression decide

Renaissance period  n. the period of European history between the 14th and 17th centuries when there was a new interest in science and in ancient art and literature -- especially in Italy

speak to  expression are relevant to; are an example of


Islamic State militants are again using bombs to attack Baghdad and other parts of Iraq.

A number of bombings struck markets across the Iraqi capital on Tuesday. At least 68 people were killed and more than 100 others wounded.

The deadliest attack happened in the al-Shaab area in northern Baghdad. Officials say a suicide attacker set off explosives in a busy market. At least 34 people were killed. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Also on Tuesday, a car bomb exploded in the Rashid neighborhood south of Baghdad.

In the past, Islamic State militants have mainly used suicide vests when setting off explosions. But since April, the militants have produced larger explosions with vehicle-born improvised explosive devices, also known as IEDs.

Some Middle East watchers see the shift from vests to car bombs as a sign that the Iraqi security forces are failing to protect Iraqi citizens. In addition to fighting the Islamic State, the security forces have to deal with political protests against the Iraqi government.

Patrick Martin is with the Institute for the Study of War, a group based in Washington, D.C. Martin said he believes the car bombings are aimed at harming an increasingly weak government.

He said the attacks could hurt already tense relations between the government and protesters, especially if the government cannot guarantee security in Baghdad.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said he believes the militant group is seeking to use his countrys political crisis to support its push for an Islamic caliphate.

U.S. and Iraqi officials said they believe the latest attacks show that Islamic State is weak and desperate. They said the group is fighting back with bigger bombings after recent losses on the battlefield.

Iraqi officials said the latest car bombings have been directed at civilian targets, like shopping centers and other business areas.

The group also used car bombs to attack a natural gas plant in northern Baghdad on Sunday. The attack forced two power stations to stop producing electricity.

Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition have pushed back Islamic State militants in recent months. On Monday, a U.S. Defense Department spokesman spoke to reporters about the fight against the group. He said IS has now lost 45 percent of territory it once controlled in Iraq, and between 16 and 20 percent in Syria.

Brett McGurk is U.S. President Barack Obamas special representative to the international coalition fighting the Islamic State. In Jordan on Sunday, McGurk said the militant group is now retreating.

And now the caliphate, as they call it, this perverse caliphate, is shrinking. So they are very much on the defensive.

McGurk said after losing the territory, Islamic State is reacting like it has in the past, by increasing its bombing campaign.

So their territory is shrinking, and they are now doing these suicide attacks against civilian populations. Its not going to work, but thats what they are trying to do.

McGurk said the coalition will not let up its pressure on IS in Iraq and Syria. He said progress is being made to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul and Raqqa in Syria from Islamic State.

But some observers are downplaying the territory recently won by the U.S.-led coalition.

Terrorism expert Greg Barton of Australias Deakin University told VOA that much of the land IS has given up is not very important.

The big question now is, how do you take cities like Mosul and Raqqa back, without horrible things happening to the people who are effectively hostages held against their own will?

Im Bryan Lynn.

Jamie Dettmer and Victor Beattie reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted their reports for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, and post on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

vest  n. a garment worn on the upper part of the body

shift  n. a change in position or direction

desperate  adj. extremely bad, serious or dangerous

retreat  v. to move back or withdrawal

caliphate  n. the area ruled by a caliph

perverse  adj. contrary to accepted or expected standard of practice

downplay  v. to make something appear less important than it really is


North Korea has named Ri Yong Ho its new foreign minister, according to a diplomatic letter sent to Britain.

North Koreas embassy in London informed the British government about the appointment.

The diplomatic letter did not say what would happen to the current foreign minister, Ri Su Yong. But South Koreas spy agency said it believes he was named vice chairman for international affairs of the ruling Workers Party.

Ri Yong Ho is a career diplomat. The former vice foreign minister served as North Koreas top negotiator in past nuclear disarmament talks with United States and South Korean representatives. He once served as ambassador to Britain.

Some analysts say Ris appointment may be an attempt by the isolated nation to re-start diplomacy with other countries.

International tensions increased this year when North Korea carried out a nuclear test in January and launched a long-range rocket a month later.

The United Nations Security Council ordered strict sanctions on North Korea for carrying out those tests. The U.N. has also condemned the countrys human rights record.

Observers say the North Korean government may ask Ri to plead his countrys case to the U.N.

Lee Ji-sue is a North Korean expert at Myongji University in South Korea. He says no major policy changes are expected under the new foreign minister.

Lee noted that the former foreign minister took orders from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and his predecessor and father, Kim Jong Il. Ri Yong Ho wont have much say in foreign policies, Lee said.

Im Bryan Lynn.

VOANews.com reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. Additional material for the report came from the Reuters news agency. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook Page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

disarmament  n. remove or reduce military forces or weapons

isolated  adj. far away from other places or people

strict  adj. strong or exact match to rules

sanction  n. an official order that restricts trade or contacts with a country

predecessor  n. the person who held a job or office before the current holder
This is Whats Trending Today.

A wild baby bison at Yellowstone National Park had to be killed because of park visitors, according to the National Park Service.

The visitors, who were from another country, reportedly were concerned that the baby bison looked cold. They put the animal in their car and drove to a park ranger station.

A photograph of the bison calf in the back of the car went viral on social media.

Park officials described the tourists action as a dangerous move because adult bison can be very protective. Adult bison will attack to defend their young. Park rangers took the animal from the car and set it free.

But, sadly, the baby was rejected by its herd because of the human contact.

Yellowstone National Park explained on Facebook that, interference by people can cause mothers to reject their offspring. It also said that the rejected calf would cause a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway.

Park officials said they repeatedly tried to reunite the baby bison with the herd. After several failed efforts, officials said they had no choice but to euthanize the calf.

Many people on social media expressed anger at both the tourists and the National Park Service.

Reacting to the many angry comments on Facebook, Yellowstone officials said that they did not have the ability to care for a young calf. They also said that it is not the mission of the National Park Service to rescue animals.

The tourists were fined $110 for touching park wildlife. Park rules require that visitors to Yellowstone stay at least 22 meters away from all wildlife, and at least 90 meters away from bears and wolves.

One official said that Yellowstone recently added many safety signs that say approaching wildlife is dangerous to both humans and the animals. Those signs are written in English and other languages.

And thats Whats Trending Today

Im Jonathan Evans.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

euthanize  v. to humanely kill someone or something who is very sick or injured in order to prevent any more suffering

herd  n. a group of animals that live or are kept together

interference - n. involvement in the activities when your involvement is not wanted

offspring  n. the young of an animal or plant
The spokesman for South Africas ruling party has accused the United States of trying to undermine his countrys democratically elected government.

Yet representatives from both countries dismissed the comment and say the relationship between the two sides is strong.

The accusation came from African National Congress spokesman Zizi Kodwa. He spoke after publication of a story in Britains Sunday Times newspaper. The story said that, in 1962, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency helped South Africas government arrest Nelson Mandela.

The newspaper published statements by a retired CIA officer, who is now dead. The former officer reportedly said the U.S. considered Mandela a supporter of communism.

Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his opposition to South Africas apartheid government and its racist policies. During this period, blacks and people from other racial groups did not have the same rights as whites. Under apartheid, whites were required to separate from other races.

Mandela was in prison from 1962 until 1990. He was elected South Africas first black president in 1994 after the end of apartheid rule.

ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said the CIA claim is a serious indictment. He added that the intelligence agency still operates in South Africa.

"We have recently observed that there are efforts to undermine the  ANC government," Kodwa told local media. "They [the C.I.A.] never stopped operating here. It is still happening now. The C.I.A. is still [working] with those who want regime change."

Kodwa did not respond to numerous calls from VOA seeking comment on Monday.

Those are not our views

But South Africas Foreign Ministry dismissed Kodwas earlier claims.

Those are not our views, government spokesman Clayson Monyela told VOA. From governments point of view, our relations with the United States are strong. They are warm and cordial, he added.

The two nations are also major trading partners, with trade totaling about $21 billion, according to U.S. government reports.

That relationship was threatened last year when the U.S. and South African governments nearly failed to settle trade issues. The situation led President Barack Obama to threaten to stop South Africas membership in a U.S. trade agreement. That agreement lets South Africa export products to the U.S. duty-free.

In the past, the two nations have also traded strong words. In February, the secretary-general of the ANC accused the U.S. government of supporting a regime change. The U.S. ambassador to South Africa rejected the claim.

A U.S. Embassy official said the embassy has no information on reported CIA operations in South Africa in the 1960s.

Im Ashley Thompson.

Anita Powell wrote this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

allegedly  adv. accused of having done something wrong or illegal but not yet proven guilty

communism  n. a way of organizing a society in which the government owns the things that are used to make and transport products such as land, oil, factories and ships and there is no privately-owned property

apartheid  n. a former social system in South Africa in which black people and people from other racial groups did not have the same political and economic rights as white people and were forced to live separately from white people

indictment  n. an expression or statement of strong disapproval

undermine  v. to make something weaker or less effective usually in a secret or gradual way

spokesman  n. someone who speaks for or represents a person or a company

cordial  adj. politely pleasant and friendly

duty-free  adj. selling goods that will not be taxed when taken into another country

regime  n. a form of government
The Board of Directors of the Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome Christy Werger into the Chamber family as Executive Director and Sarah Neben as Event Coordinator/Chamber Assistant.

Werger and her husband moved to the Lexington area five years ago from Castle Rock, Colorado. She has been a Mortgage Loan Processor for the Gothenburg State Bank. Christy and her husband, Josh, have three boys.

I am honored to begin my journey as the Executive Director of the Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce. My vision for the Chamber is to continue to build an organization that helps our businesses connect with each other and the community, grow relationships with our businesses, and learn how we can provide support to help them succeed, stated Werger.

Sarah Neben is a life long resident of Lexington. Neben has most recently served as the director the Shining Star Preschool at the First United Methodist Church of Lexington. Sarah and her husband, Dan, stay busy keeping up with their five children, two of which attend LexingtonHigh School.

I am very excited to be starting my new position at the Chamber. I am honored that I will be one of the first people that folks will get to talk to when they call to visit about Lexington. Lexington's diversity is its strength, and I am proud to be a part of this community. I hope to be a positive voice for Lexington. My dad, Tom Renken, was a firm believer in supporting local businesses as much as possible, and my husband

and I try to do that as well. It is also what makes a strong Chamber of Commerce: when one business succeeds in Lexington, all the businesses share in that success. We are stronger together, stated Neben.

Christy and Sarah bring energy, excitement, and new ideas to the Chamber. Their first priority is meeting our members and building relationships with area business leaders. They are both great listeners and communicators and will work to make sure new ideas are put in place to enhance our members benefits. We are looking at really changing the look and operations of our Chamber to truly meet the needs of our community today and in the future. Were very excited that both Christy and Sarah will be leading this

development process," commented Barry McFarland, President of the Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce.
The 30th Western Nebraska Community College GED graduation ceremony took place at the WNCC Little Theatre on May 14. It was a time to celebrate, but also think about the hard work that had to happen to receive a diploma.

Mary Kay Versen, WNCC Educational Outreach Programs Director, said the GED program has had twice as many graduates in the past seven months as they had in the prior 20 months. Seventeen students were able to receive their diploma through this years cycle. In total, 195 students have been working toward their GED this year. Graduations through the GED program will take place yearly from here on out. The last graduation was in September, with seven students who walked and 11 who received a diploma.

Versen said the instructors did a fabulous job at implementing the new teaching strategies this year. According to her, the staff was a large reason for the increase in enrollment as well as students will and determination.

We made a lot of changes to the program this year, challenging them with more critical-thinking skills, problem-solving skills and mandatory math and vocabulary. We spend a lot of time on writing and filling the foundational gaps, said Versen.

She said completing the GED program opens up a lot of opportunities. According to Versen, the average student will earn $700 more by being a high school graduate equivalent and with the GED diploma they are allowed to further their education, get a better job or get promoted in their job.

Among those who received a GED diploma in the past is Robert Thompson, Jr., Theatre Instructor at WNCC, who delivered the commencement address. He said that he went into a GED program because he said high school failed him.

They cant catch everybody and they didnt catch me, but you know what did is the GED program, not here, but in Illinois, said Thompson, I took classes and received the GED. It took awhile but I eventually received an Associates Degree, which is why I am here teaching at a community college.

He said that people who received the GED dont quite fit the mold and there is a mold that these students broke out of. This included not just repeating facts but actually learning. He also spoke about how the world needs divergent thinkers and the GED graduates are exactly that.

I love those who think outside of the box. I dont like conformity. I want you guys. You guys are the ones who think like me, said Thompson.

He described the students as being innovative, dependable, original, critical thinkers, problem solvers, doers and fighters.

Ten students walked across the stage on May 14. Jenise Gurnsey was one of the graduates who was home-schooled and took the GED test so that she is able to attend college in the fall to take criminal justice courses.

Randy Thruston, WNCC Adult Education Instructor, said the graduation is the payoff for everything. He has been a teacher in the program for five years and said the requirements for the GED have gotten harder.

The kids have to work harder to get the job done, said Thruston, they have to work harder, and they do. They pick up the slack and do whatever is necessary to get the job done. Im really proud of them. Its quite an accomplishment.

Judy Amoo, dean of economic and community development at WNCC, said the college has been happy to support educational pathways for the students in the program to ensure there are learning opportunities for all.

This will no doubt lead to greater satisfaction in their lives and in their work. I applaud your efforts because I know how challenging GED testing can be, said Amoo.

The GED program includes all of the assessment before teaching and testing occurs. The instruction is based on students completing different building blocks which gets them up-to-par for the testing. Versen said GED instructors are unlike any other because they have to know and master all four subjects: science, mathematics, language arts and social studies.

With the GED there are four main tests that the students prepare for. In high school, teachers have one subject, but these teachers have to be proficient and have a higher level of understanding in all four areas.
LINCOLN  The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation will remain officially dry after a vote to allow alcohol sales was called off at the last minute.

Residents of the reservation, in southern South Dakota bordering Nebraska, were poised to vote today. But the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council, in the face of protesters on horseback, voted 9-4 late Monday afternoon to halt the election.

A lot of people dont want it, said Percy White Plume, who staged the protest ride. If you allow liquor sales, all the young people will say it must be OK. Well have even more alcohol-related deaths, beatings and rapes that go

along with it.

And the revenue isnt going to be that much, White Plume added.

The thwarted vote came three years after tribal members had narrowly approved another referendum to allow liquor sales.

That vote got tangled up in legal challenges, and the tribal council never moved forward with rules and regulations to allow liquor.

But in February, the council voted 10-6 to put the liquor issue again before voters, this time with wording designed to avoid any barriers to alcohol sales.

While alcohol possession and sales are officially banned on the Pine Ridge Reservation, alcohol is easily available either from illegal bootleggers or from the beer-only stores in Whiteclay, Nebraska, an unincorporated village of 16 people just across the state line from South Dakota.

Last year the four stores sold the equivalent of 3.5 million cans of beer. Almost all sales were to residents of the South Dakota reservation.

Whiteclay has the nickname Skid Row of the Plains because of the beer sales and the vagrants who pass out on the street after downing quarts of higher-alcohol malt liquor.

Reservation officials, Native Americans and advocacy groups such as Nebraskans for Peace have wrestled for years about what to do. The ideas have included permitting alcohol sales on the reservation so the tribe can tax liquor sales and use the revenue to establish alcoholism treatment facilities or hire more tribal police officers.

The alcohol is here, said tribal spokesman Kevin Yellow Bird Steele. Bootleggers and Nebraska are profiting from it, but not putting anything back in to help the situation.

Yellow Bird Steele, who had supported alcohol legalization when he was a member of the tribal council, said tribal police waste too much time arresting and transporting people who are drinking instead of focusing on more serious crimes.

The reservation sprawls across 3,500 square miles of badlands and high plains. Yellow Bird Steele said it can take an hour to transport an intoxicated person to the tribal jail in Pine Ridge, which is only a few yards from the Nebraska state line.

On Monday, White Plume led about 30 riders across the reservation into Pine Ridge, the tribes headquarters, to protest the scheduled vote.

The riders failed to persuade a judge to approve an injunction blocking the referendum.

But they did persuade tribal council members to change their minds and call off the vote.

The vote on the referendum was expected to be close. Three years ago the issue passed, 1,871 to 1,679. Even if it had passed this time, legal action to block the approval was expected again.

Earlier Monday, Lance Moss, the owner of a grocery store in Whiteclay that doesnt sell alcohol, said he felt that opposition to allowing liquor sales on the reservation was growing.

I sense that it might not pass this time. I think people are just kind of sick of hearing about it, talking about it, Moss said.

He is the head of a committee, formed at the suggestion of Gov. Pete Ricketts, to address growing problems with street people in Whiteclay. Moss said the group has been meeting regularly in recent months, but it is not yet ready to share its suggestions.

In recent months, concerns have increased about the prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome on the reservation. About 60 people are scheduled to attend a conference on the subject Thursday and Friday in Whiteclay.
Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Greg Ibach is spending this week promoting Nebraska beef and pork products in the European Union.

Ibach has been accompanied by representatives of the Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska Cattlemen's Association, Nebraska Pork Producers Association and U.S. Meat Export Federation as they travel to London, Brussels and Amsterdam.

"This mission will allow us the opportunity to conduct follow-up visits with some of the businesses and organizations we worked with last June during the governor's trade mission, as well as make some new connections," Ibach said.

EU countries made up seven of the state's top 20 trade partners in 2015. Those are the Netherlands, which ranks seventh; Germany, ninth; Belgium, 10th; France, 13th; Italy, 14th; the United Kingdom, 19th; and Spain, 20th. Total trade value with those countries was more than $700 million.

"The international relationships built on these trade missions are vital to Nebraska's beef and pork producers. They help ensure that Nebraska is top of mind when the international marketplaces think of high-quality meat products," said David Merrell, a farmer from St. Edward and chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board.

The team will discuss progress being made in creating new marketing opportunities for Nebraska beef products. Ibach said his department has been working with two companies as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a process verified program that would certify beef products were born and raised on a Nebraska farm.

"Having a system to verify the source of meat products will further establish Nebraska as a premium beef-producing state and will open additional opportunities for Nebraska meat products in overseas markets, as well as provide additional income to the producers and feeders," he said.

Many of the events will also feature Nebraska pork products while helping the EU partners learn about the practices and technologies Nebraska uses to produce safe, quality meat.

The mission is being funding by the Nebraska Corn Board and is planned in conjunction with the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Other Nebraskans accompanying Ibach include David Merrell and Debbie Borg with the Nebraska Corn Board, Barb Cooksley with the Nebraska Cattlemen, Russ Vering with the Nebraska Pork Producers and Stan Garbacz with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

The trip comes as USMEF is reporting that March exports of both U.S. beef and pork increased year over year in volume, according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by USMEF. March export values were lower than a year ago but trended upward, with both reaching a 2016 high.

Beef exports totaled 89,482 metric tons in March, up 3 percent from a year ago and pushing the first-quarter volume to 254,986 metric tons, up 2 percent. March export value was $483.3 million, down 8 percent from a year ago but the highest since December. For the first quarter, export value was $1.36 billion, down 13 percent from the same period last year.

March pork exports were the largest in 11 months at 195,898 metric tons, up 3 percent year over year. First-quarter exports reached 534,321 metric tons, up 2 percent. March export value, $480.4 million, was down 3 percent from a year ago but the highest since May 2015. First-quarter export value totaled $1.3 billion, 9 percent below last year's pace.

"Exports showed an encouraging level of improvement in March, especially to our key Asian markets," said USMEF President Philip Seng. "The U.S. pork industry is now better positioned to capitalize on strong demand in China. Pork exports to Japan were also higher, though we are still in a very tough battle for market share as Japan's imports from Europe increased at a faster pace. On the beef side, exports continued to perform well in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. So while U.S. exports continue to recover from a down year in 2015, volumes are on track for improvement in most markets this year."
Now that Motorola has introduced a new crop of entry-level and mid-range Moto G phones, whats next for the companys high-end smartphone lineup? If a report from VentureBeat is to be believed, a name change (among other things).

Blogger Evan Blass, who has a pretty good track record for publishing leaks, says the Moto X name is dead. Instead, the companys 2016 flagship phones will be branded under the Moto Z name.

Earlier this month Blass reported that the next-gen Motorola phones would come in two flavors. Both have metal cases, fingerprint sensors, and swappable rear backplates that allow you to add special covers with features such as speakers, camera lenses or grips, or batteries.

Both phones are expected to have 5.5 inch AMOLED displays, but one model is said to be a high-end version with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, up to 4GB of RAM, and a svelte case, while a cheaper model will have a full HD display, a Snapdragon 625 CPU and up to 3GB of RAM.

There is one area where the cheaper model comes out ahead: its expected to have a 3,500 mAh battery, while the thinner model will have a 2.600 mAh battery.
Five female entrepreneurs have been named Africa's top women innovators by the World Economic Forum (WEF), with the winners hailing from Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.

Image by 123RF

The WEF said the Africa Top Women Innovators Challenge 2016 was launched in recognition of the fact that not enough is being done to maximise the potential of Africas female entrepreneurs.

The challenge looked to acknowledge the impact of female entrepreneurs in Africa, who are innovating for positive social impact.

Five candidates were named Africas top women innovators, and invited to showcase and network at the World Economic Forum on Africa last week.

The winning candidates were: Audrey Cheng, founder of Kenyas Moringa School coding academy; Larissa Uwase of Rwandas CARL GROUP, which is tackling food security through innovations around the sweet potato crop; Nneile Nkholise, of South Africas iMED Tech Group, which hires young female mechanical engineers to design breast and facial prostheses for cancer and burn victims; Lilian Makoi Rabi of Tanzanias bimaAFYA, offering mobile micro-health insurance for the low income and informal sector; and Natalie Bitature of Ugandas Musana Carts, which has developed environmentally friendly, solar-powered vending carts.

I strongly believe that the 21st century will be Africas century, that its young population has the potential to build a world where they are not only materially better off, but also where things are fairer, more sustainable and more tolerant than at any other time in history. But this will not be achieved unless women are able to make a full contribution. This is why we are showcasing Africas best female entrepreneurs, said Elsie Kanza, head of Africa at the WEF.

The criteria for the challenge required applicants companies to be less than three years old, be earning revenue for at least a year and have proven innovation and positive social impact.

A further five entrepreneurs from Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and two from Uganda were also given special mention.
Los Angeles: Hollywood actor Dwayne Johnson has appreciated how actress Priyanka Chopra, the villain of his next movie Baywatch, handled the "pressure" and the "kind of action" that the movie has.

Johnson, popularly known as The Rock, shared a video on Instagram and captioned it: "I told Priyanka Chopra at the start of production, 'Woman, either we are going to get along, or we are going to get it on', she chose to get it on. And that's why we love her."

In the video, which seems to have been shot by the Furious 7 actor on the sets of Baywatch, Johnson said: "There is a big scene where a villain is pointing a gun at me. But it is not just any villain, it's not just any person, there is only one woman in the world who can handle this kind of pressure, this kind of action."

The actress then walked up to Johnson in the video flaunting a black shimmer dress and a red pout, and said: "Cause evil never looked so good".

The Baywatch movie is based on the hugely popular 1990s TV series by the same name. The Gunday star will be essaying the character of Victoria Leeds in the film.

Besides the two actors, Zac Efron will also be featuring in the film, slated to release on 19 May next year.
It has been 15 years at Cannes for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. And almost every outing, and outfit, has made news  good, bad and ugly.

This year, it was her purple pout that created a stir.

Starting with a gold cape dress, she followed it with a red number designed by Naeem Khan. During the premiere of Sarabjit, Aishwarya took her Rami Kadi ensemble to an edgier level by sporting a lavender lip. 16 May was indeed a busy day for Twitter, what with assembly polls and Aishwarya's choice of lipstick.

Aishwarya Rai's purple lips are proof that actresses don't look in the mirror when they're stylists are around!  namrata zakaria (@namratazakaria) May 16, 2016

Aishwarya Rai: "I'm wearing purple lipstick for Cannes this year" Abhishek Bachchan: "Good, it'll go well with my purples-less existence."  Akshar (@AksharPathak) May 16, 2016

Aishwarya Rai has broken barriers & done the thing women have been secretly hoping for. She's got all the men talking about lipstick.  Ripper (@Ace_Of_Pace) May 16, 2016

There's certainly no escaping the fashion police, if you happen to be Aishwarya Rai. So much that Rai, when asked if she felt a constant pressure to look a certain way, replied that she might one day "walk out in a white shirt and jeans on red carpet".

So why don't you, Aishwarya? What exactly is stopping you?

The former beauty queen describes fashion as "art". Which it is. In its purest self, it's an expression of individualism and creativity. But fashion on the red carpet isn't art; it's business. The Guardian writes that Cannes' screenings are by invitation and the official dress code is explained to guests: men should show up in black tie-black shoes, and women in elegant dresses with smart footwear.

Perhaps, that's what stopping Aishwarya. And other celebrities. That the fact that they might represent a brand (Aishwarya is the brand ambassador for L'oreal Paris). Or they might represent various jewellery businesses and fashion designers, who will have the satisfaction of seeing their creations on the red carpet. Aishwarya, this Cannes season, sported looks by four different designers.

How much is the red carpet business worth? A report by The Cut estimates that a red carpet day rate for a celebrity stylist is anywhere between $1,500 and $10,000. It details in neat mathematics, a breakdown of Charlize Theron's 2012 Golden Globes outfit. Another report, by New York Magazine, details the appearance fee for different celebrities. While Business Insider confirmed that jewellery designers, shoe designers and even tampon companies pay the celebrities who endorse their products. It is all about the money.

Fashion protocol, obviously, is strict at Cannes: In 2015, a group of older women wearing rhinestone flats, were barred from the screening of Carol for not wearing high-heeled shoes. At the preview of Money Monster, last Thursday, Julia Roberts reportedly walked the iconic Cannes red carpet, barefoot. News reports cited that a French newspaper called it an act of "militant feminism".

Militant feminism is perhaps too harsh a phrase to describe what Roberts did  she was, after all, trying to make a point. Aishwarya, who claims to be following a "very hectic schedule," has all the more reason to turn up in a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt. That doesn't have to limit her fashion choices: Last year, Lady Gaga wore a custom jumpsuit designed by Brandon Maxwell to the Oscars, Emma Stone wore a Lanvin jumpsuit to the Golden Globes, and a number of women ditched gowns for pants at the Emmys. Perhaps, next time Aishwarya's statement can come true: she can pair her pants with a bold red lip (courtesy L'oreal) to add to the effect.

(With inputs from IANS)
After over five years of hiatus, associate banks of SBI including State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur have proposed to merger with the parent lender.

The respective boards have proposed merger with the State Bank of India (SBI) in a meeting , sources said.

The meeting of central board of SBI is going to consider the merger, they added.

In addition to these 5 banks, the SBI board members also discussed the possibility of acquiring Indias first bank targeted to women  Bhartiya (sic) Mahila Bank (BMB), a Business Standard report said.

Meanwhile, a section of employee unions have registered protest against any such move and threatened to go on a strike if such move is approved by the SBI and the government.

All employees of Associate Banks will go on strike on May 20, All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said.

The countrys largest lender has five associate banks - State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Hyderabad.

Among these, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Travancore are listed.

SBI first merged associate State Bank of Saurashtra with itself in 2008. Two years later in 2010, State Bank of Indore was merged.

The government recently set up the Bank Board Bureau (BBB) to look into the issues including consolidation in public sector banking space.

The BBB headed by former CAG Vinod Rai had conducted interview for appointments of Managing Directors of some of the banks where posts will be falling vacant during the current fiscal.

The Bureau was constituted to help the government select heads of public sector banks and financial institutions and assist banks in developing strategies with regard to capitalraising and consolidation.

Besides Chairman, the Bureau has three ex-officio members and an equal number of expert members.

Expert members are ICICI Banks former joint MD H N Sinor, Bank of Barodas former CMD Anil K Khandelwal and rating agency Crisils ex-chief Rupa Kudwa.

Its ex-officio members are Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises, Financial Services Secretary and RBI Deputy Governor.
Budget airline SpiceJet has announced a discount sale to mark its 11th anniversary with fares at Rs 511 for domestic and Rs 2111 for international routes.

The offer starts today and will be available until 19 May. The offer is valid for domestic travel from 15 June 2016 to 30 September and international travel from 1 June to 20 July, the company said in a press release today.

The fares are excluding statutory taxes and fees.

The sale, valid only for direct flights within SpiceJets network, is also available on popular routes such as Dehradun, Bagdogra, Udaipur, Jaipur, Goa, Port Blair and Kochi etc in the domestic network and Bangkok, Colombo, Dubai and Muscat on the international network, the company said.

The offer comes close on the heels of AirAsia India offering a 50 percent off on return fares to celebrate hitting 2.5 million passenger mark on Monday.
ISLAMABAD Pakistan's foreign secretary on Tuesday told a U.S. envoy his country has the "credentials" to join a club of nuclear trading nations, signalling Islamabad may apply alongside India and force a showdown in the consensus-based group next month.

Such a move would drag the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) into the long-running tension between India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed neighbours who have fought three wars since being split amid violence at the end British colonial rule in 1947.

Diplomats last year quietly launched a new push to induct India into the NSG - a 48-nation club dedicated to curbing nuclear arms proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that could foster nuclear weapons development.

"Pakistan expressed confidence in its credentials to become full member of the export control regimes, particularly Nuclear Suppliers Group," the Foreign Ministry's official spokesman said in a tweet.

The comment followed talks on Tuesday in Islamabad between Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control Rose Gottemoeller.

The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad declined to comment.

Membership of the NSG would increase India's international clout and provide a vested interest in curbing the world's most dangerous regional arms race, but the prospects are fraught.

The campaign for India membership is seen as carrying the risk of antagonising Pakistan as well as its ally China, which could veto any India application.

China could also insist as a condition of India's membership that Pakistan also be allowed to join, a potential hard sell because of Islamabad's development of new tactical nuclear weapons.

A further complication is that neither India nor Pakistan has signed the nuclear Non-Profileration Treaty, generally seen as a prerequisite to NSG membership.

The Nuclear Suppliers Group is expected to hold its next meeting in June.

The NSG was created in response to India's testing its first nuclear weapon in 1974.

(Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Alison Williams)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
COLOMBO A landslide in Sri Lanka, triggered by more than three days of rain, buried three villages in a central district and the death toll is yet to be determined, government officials and area residents said on Tuesday.

Torrential rains have forced more than 137,000 people from their homes so far and killed at least 11.

Rohan Dias, a deputy police inspector, said rescue operations at the villages in the central district of Kegalle was continuing in the night.

"There were about 150 families in those villages and we don't know how many survived," Dias told Reuters.

"There are about 800 people gathered in the nearby temples including the people from the neighbouring villages fearing their villages could also be affected. There are another 400 people in the roads who have come to see their relatives."

W.M. Abeywickrema, Kegalle district secretary, told a local private channel that around 400 people had been rescued so far.

"I saw a whole rock came down and buried many houses. There are people inside," one middle-aged woman told the channel.

Military Spokesman Jayanath Jayaweera said 174 service personnel and 8 army officers had been deployed to the rescue area in Aranayaka in Kegalle district.

Troops also have launched rescue operations in inundated areas of the Indian Ocean island, with boats and helicopters pulling more than 200 people trapped in the northwestern coastal district of Puttalam to safety, officials said.

"This is the worst torrential rain we have seen since 2010," said Pradeep Kodippili, a spokesman for the disaster management centre. Nineteen of Sri Lanka's 25 districts have been hit.

Heavy rains have also struck the neighbouring Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. More than 100 houses were damaged in coastal Kerala and about 50 families had been shifted to a relief camp in the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, a state official said.

The weather department has forecast heavy rains across Tamil Nadu over the next two days and warned fishermen not to go out to sea.

Flooded roads and fallen trees led to traffic jams in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. Trains were halted as water submerged railway tracks, officials said.

Flooding and drought are cyclical in Sri Lanka, which is battered by a southern monsoon between May and September, while a northeastern monsoon runs from December to February.

(Writing by Shihar Aneez; editing by Ralph Boulton)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Beirut: At least 50 fighters and two civilians were killed Tuesday in clashes between rival anti-regime groups east of Syria's capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The powerful Jaish al-Islam, or Army of Islam, has been locked in clashes with rival factions led by Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate in the opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said nearly three weeks of fighting had killed more than 500 fighters and a dozen civilians.

One of the slain civilians has been identified as the only specialist gynaecologist still practising in Eastern Ghouta.

"This is absolutely a power struggle," Abdel Rahman told AFP.

Eastern Ghouta is the largest rebel bastion in Damascus province, and Jaish al-Islam had long been dominant in the district.

The Saudi-backed faction is one of the key rebel players in the High Negotiations Committee, which represents Syria's opposition in UN-backed peace talks.

But Jaish al-Islam has recently been challenged by Faylaq al-Rahman and Jaish al-Fustat, both led by Al-Nusra Front, Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate.

Residents and local officials have tried to mediate an end to the clashes and have staged protests urging the rival forces to stop the bloodletting to no avail.

On Tuesday, a Jaish al-Islam spokesman said his faction was ready to put an end to the fighting based on an initiative by HNC head Riad Hijab.

"But our brothers in Faylaq al-Rahman completely rejected this initiative," Islam Alloush said in a statement.

Syria's fractured armed opposition movement has been ravaged by infighting, particularly between jihadist groups and their rivals.

More than 270,000 people have been killed and millions more been driven from their homes since the conflict began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Cooperative Bank (APCOB) Chairman and Former Minister P Venkateswara Rao was injured, while his wife and driver killed, when the car overturned on the outskirts of Hyderabad, early on Tuesday, police said.

The accident occurred on the Outer Ring Road near Tukkuguda within the Pahadi Shareef police station's limits.

Venkateswara Rao and his wife were returning to Hyderabad from Vijayawada, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it turned upside down.

Police suspect that one of the rear wheels came off when the car was apparently running at a high speed. The vehicle hit the roadside railing and was dragged on for over 60 yards.

Rao's wife Satyavani and driver Dasu were killed on the spot. The minister was taken to a nearby hospital and later shifted to a corporate hospital in the city.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock over the death of Rao's wife. He enquired about the condition of Rao, a leader of ruling Telugu Desam Party.
Kolkata: A 45-year-old woman was lynched in West Bengal's West Medinapore district after villagers accused her of witchcraft, following which seven people were arrested, police said on Tuesday.

Holding her responsible for a woman's death around a month ago, residents of Debra village dragged Sambari Tudu out of her house on Monday night, tonsured her head and beat her to death.

"Seven people have been arrested for the killing," said a police officer.

On Monday, a court in Ghatal in the district awarded the death penalty to seven people, including a woman, and life imprisonment to six others for the lynching of Phulmani Singh (70), her daughter Sambari (40) and daughter-in-law also named Sambari (40) after they were branded as witches.

This incident had occurred in October 2012 in Daspur area.
One of the first countries that decided to promote the cause euthanasia was Switzerland. The Swiss Criminal Code, which became effective on 1 January 1942, penalizes assistance in suicide out of selfish motives. If no ulterior are given, no offence is done.

That could also explain why the first organisation that decided to promote assisted suicide for the terribly distressed  often ailing on account of an incurable painful existence  was in this country. Dignitas is a Swiss group  founded in 1998  helping those with terminal illness and severe physical and mental illnesses to die, assisted by qualified doctors and nurses.

When Dignitas began promoting the concept of assisted suicides, there was a hue and cry. Many people claimed that permitting such an organisation to exist would open the floodgates to suicides and crimes. However, the record of the past two decades shows that this has not been the case, though Dignitas welcomes patients from anywhere in the world. To date, it has helped 2127 people to die since its inception (see chart). More details about Dignitas can be found at here.

Dignitas provides assisted suicide for people provided that they are of sound judgement and submit to an in-depth medical report prepared by a doctor that establishes the patient's condition, as required by Swiss courts.

A person who wishes to die meets several Dignitas personnel, in addition to an independent doctor, for a private consultation. The independent doctor assesses the evidence provided by the patient and is met on two separate occasions, with a time gap between each of the consultations. Legally admissible proof that the person wishes to die is also created, in the form of a signed affidavit, countersigned by independent witnesses. In cases where a person is physically unable to sign a document, a short video film of the person is made in which they are asked to confirm their identity, that they wish to die, and that their decision is made of their own free will, without any form of persuasion. This evidence of informed consent remains private and is preserved only for use in any possible legal dispute.

During the past two decades, more countries have opted for end-of-life laws and solutions. Many more countries have allowed what is often referred to as Advance directive or Living will.

The Living Will allows a person to state in advance that he should not be put on life support systems should the need ever arise. It is based on the simple logic that any person has the right to decide whether he wants to be operated upon or not, even to be treated or not. The living will can even specify the types of treatment that the patient would be willing to permit for himself. This is because a doctor cannot administer to a patient any treatment (medical and/or surgical) without the patients informed consent. The patient is fully within his rights to refuse the treatment, even if this refusal can result in death.

If a person has that right when he is in full possession of his mental faculties, why should he not be allowed to exercise the same right for himself (not for others) should he lose his mental faculties or is in a vegetative state when he is unable to express himself.

It is based on the simple logic that any person has the right to decide whether he wants to be operated upon or not, even to be treated or not.

An Advance Directive can either be in the form of a Living Will, or it can be as a power of attorney drawn in favour of someone the patient trusts  a doctor, friend or a relative to decide on the course of treatment the patient might have wanted if he were in full possession of his mental faculties and his ability to communicate his wishes. That person or persons can jointly or severally instruct the doctor or the hospital about what should be done with the patient.

In both cases, the doctor is granted immunity from the decisions taken, or the course of treatment followed.

Most developed countries accept the legal sanctity of this Advance Directive, or the Living Will or both. But they have yet to be given legal status in India. However, the Supreme Court is currently hearing petitions which seek to give the Living Will a legal status in this country.

Doctor assisted euthanasia is different from giving legal status to a Living ill. In this case a doctor, or a group of doctors, advises a person, on the best way to end his or her life. Switzerland allows it, and during the past two decades some other countries have also introduced legislation and rules to permit this under very strict conditions. Here is the list.

The Netherlands made this effective from 1 April, 2002. The legislation, called the 'Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act' (Wet toetsing levensbeeindiging op verzoek en hulp bij zelfdodin, WTL) regulates the ending of life on explicit request by the individual (voluntary euthanasia) as well as accompanied suicide.



Almost immediately thereafter came Belgium. It permits and regulates the ending of life by physicians on request by the individual who wishes to end life. The law became effective on 22 September, 2002. This piece of legislation is supplemented by a law on patients rights and a regulation on palliative care. Luxembourg introduced a law on this subject with effect from 16 March 2009. It allowed for palliative care, patients advance directive and assistance in dying, as well as a law on assisted suicide.



The battle in the US to allow assisted suicide has been fierce. The first state to introduce such a law was the State of Oregon. In 1998, the Death with Dignity Act came into force. It regulates physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients who have a life-expectancy of not more than 6 months.



The US soon had another champion for assisted suicide the State of Washington. Since 2008, a similar law exists like the one in the US-State of Oregon, also called Death with Dignity Act.



A third US state soon followed the other two  the State of Vermont. The Parliament of Vermont supported, "an act relating to patient choice and control at the end of life" and approved a law similar to the "Death with Dignity Act" in the US-States Oregon and Washington. The law offers terminally ill competent individuals a procedure which allows them a self-determined end of life by ingestion of medication provided by a physician. But the Act was implemented only partially. The legislation dealing with "death with dignity" and immunity for physicians is expected to come into force by 1 July 2016 ( HYPERLINK ""

_blankWebsite of the Department of Health, with text of the law, forms, etc. Then a fourth US state joined in  California. On 5 October, 2015 physicians assisted suicide for the terminally ill became legal through the End of Life Option Act.



The fifth US state to join the ranks was the State of Montana. It legalised physician-assisted-suicide through a single-case Court decision: On 31 December 2009, the Supreme Court of Montana ruled that, under the Constitution of Montana, Article II, paragraph 4 and 10, terminally ill Robert Baxter had the right to a dignified death and at the same time that his physician had the right to being protected from prosecution. Even though the right to physician assisted dying was not guaranteed by the Constitution of Montana, such assistance, taking into consideration court cases and the law, was not in conflict with public interests and therefore not illegal. The decision was done by 5 : 2. After Montana, New Mexico is another State which, in theory, legalised physician-assisted suicide through a single case Court decision: New Mexico State law provides a fundamental right to a terminally ill, competent patient to choose a physicians aid in getting prescription medications that will allow a peaceful death.

Two years ago it was the turn of Canada. One of its provinces Quebec, introduced a bill on 5 June, 2014, which allowed for: An Act respecting end-of-life care. The purpose of the Bill was to ensure that end-of-life patients are provided care that is respectful of their dignity and their autonomy and to recognise the primacy of wishes expressed freely and clearly with respect to end-of-life care.

Australia flirted with the idea. It introduced a bill for end-of-life but later withdrew it.

All eyes are now on India to see which way it decides. But more on this in the next part.

(Disclosure: The author is a senior journalist with Firstpost and is also Hon. Secretary of the Society for the Right to Die with Dignity)

The Firstpost series on Euthanasia will include more anecdotes and views.

Part I: Relieving a human life from agony is not Himsa

In Part III, find out what India must do about the Euthanasia bill.
The Indian Space Research Organisation is all set to add another feather in its cap. Come 23 May, and Isro will be launching its first space shuttle, with India becoming the fifth nation to do so. Until now, only US, Russia, France and Japan have successfully launched space shuttle. What is more special about it is the fact that it is an indigenous initiative.

The RLV-TD (Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Development) took five years to be built, at a cost of just Rs 95 crore, according to The Financial Express. A full-fledged reusable space shuttle will, however, take at least another 10 to 15 years to build, an Indian Express report said.

It is a technology demonstrator launch. It is a baby step, an Isro official who declined to be named was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying.

The experimental space shuttle that is going to be launched from the space port at Sriharikota, is expected to return to the Bay of Bengal. However, it is unlikely to be recovered from the sea as it is expected to be destroyed on impact with water.

The purpose of the experiment is to see whether it can glide and navigate at a velocity which would be five times faster than sound, onto a virtual runway, The Indian Express further added.

The present design is basically a flying test bed to evaluate various technologies, namely hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, powered cruise flight and hypersonic flight using air-breathing propulsion using a scramjet engine, The Hindu quoted the Isro website.

The model shuttle, which is one-sixth the size of the planned shuttle, will travel 43 miles into space and then re-enter earth's atmosphere, WSJ added.

While western countries have abandoned the idea of winged reusable launch vehicles, Isro scientists have adopted the idea citing lower cost. If every thing goes well, launching space shuttles will be 10 times cheaper, The Indian Express reported.

India has created a niche for itself by launching low-cost missions into space. Notably, in 2013, Isro launched the Mars Orbiter Mission at a cost of just $ 78 million. This was one-tenth of the cost that NASA spent on its Mars Mission, The Financial Express reported.
Srinagar: Two militants were killed in two separate encounters with security forces in Shopian and Kupwara districts of Kashmir, army said on Tuesday.

Hizbul Mujahideen militant Farooq Ahmad was killed in a gunbattle with security forces in the wee hours today at Pehlipora in Shopian, 52 kms from Srinagar, an army official said.

In another encounter, an unidentified militant was killed in Kupwara district, he said.

"The operation in Kupwara is continuing," the official said.
New Delhi: Interpol on Tuesday issued a fresh Red Corner Notice against chief of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror outfit Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf in connection with the attack on IAF base in Pathankot.

The fresh Red Corner notice was issued after the NIA secured an 'open-ended' non-bailable warrant against Azhar and Rauf for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror strike on the strategic Indian Air Force base at Pathankot on the intervening night of January one and two.

Seven security personnel were killed and bodies of four terrorists were recovered from the scene of encounter which lasted nearly 80 hours.

The fresh Red Corner notice is being seen as a mere formality as Pakistan has not yet acted on the arrest warrants earlier issued against the two.

An Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) is already pending against 48-year-old Azhar for being allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind attacks on Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir state assembly. Similar warrant is pending against 41-year-old Rauf in connection with the IC-814 hijacking case of 1999.

The NIA had also moved in for issuance of RCN against two others  Kashif Jaan and Shahid Latif  in this case as they are alleged to be the handlers of the JeM terrorists who had infiltrated India on the intervening night of 30-31 December.

The fresh warrants were issued on the basis of evidence presented by the NIA before a Special court in Chandigarh which included telephonic conversation between the terrorists and the Jaish handlers like Jaan and Latif.

The video of Rauf was also presented before the court. In the video, which was uploaded on a website in Pakistan, Rauf had claimed responsibility for the attack and complimented his boys for it. The video was later removed and the website also vanished.

NIA had sought voice samples of Azhar and three others from Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which came to India for probing the Pathankot attack.

India had pitched for banning Azhar at the UN but the move was vetoed by China.

Pakistan, after the return of the JIT in the first week of April, has not replied to various letters rogatory seeking legal assistance in probing the Pathankot attack.
Bihar MLC Manorama Devi, mother of Rocky Yadav (who allegedly shot dead Class XII teenager Aditya Sachdeva), finally surrendered before a Gaya court on Tuesday, a week after she went into hiding after the state government issued an arrest warrant against her.

The government had issued the arrest warrant against her for storing liquor bottles in her house, thus defying the statewide liquor ban imposed by Nitish Kumar.

"I respect the court and the government but I did not have any liquor bottles. I have been trapped," Manorama Devi said after her surrender. "I am being falsely implicated due to political conspiracy, the BJP is doing that," ANI further quoted her as saying. Her lawyer also claimed that Manorama Devi had been ill until now.

According to ANI, the suspended JD(U) MLC has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

Bihar: Suspended JDU MLC Manorama Devi, who is accused of violating prohibition law, sent to 14 day judicial custody pic.twitter.com/BbPMltPha4  ANI (@ANI_news) May 17, 2016

Manorama Devi's son Rocky had been arrested last week for the murder of Sachdeva, a 19-year-old schoolboy. Sachdeva was shot dead, after his vehicle had reportedly overtaken Rocky's range rover on the night of 7 May.

The JD(U) had suspended Manorama from the party for possession of liquor as well as for shielding her son Rocky Yadav  accused of murdering teenager Aditya Sachdeva, according to India TV.

At least six bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor were recovered from her residence in AP colony house, where the police had gone looking for Rocky, in connection with the Gaya road rage death case, Zee News had reported.

On 11 May, a minor domestic helper was also found at her home on Wednesday, making her liable for prosecution under the Child Labour Act.

The district administration took the child under its care and Labour Department officials interrogated him.

The child has identified himself as Dev Nandan Kumar and gave his age as 14 years, District Labour Superintendent Rakesh Ranjan had told PTI.

The boy said he was a resident of Chatra in neighbouring Jharkhand and was employed at the MLC's home only eight days ago, Ranjan had said.

Bindi Yadav, Manorama Devi's husband and Rocky's father, a criminal-turned-politician, was allegedly with Rocky in the car along with a bodyguard when the crime took place.

While Rocky had been on the run since the incident, his father and the bodyguard were arrested and sent to 14 days' judicial custody on Monday by a local court. Bindi Yadav had also claimed that Rocky had fired his pistol "by mistake".

Eyewitnesses  Sachdeva's friends who were in the same vehicle as the victim, though  had contradicted this claim and explained how Rocky Yadav had threatened them just because their car had overtaken his.

Bindi Yadav too has had a criminal record. He was earlier arrested after a huge cache of AK-47 cartridges was seized from him.

With inputs from agencies
London: Germs could play a role in the development of Type-1 diabetes by triggering the body's immune system to destroy the cells that produce insulin, suggests new research.

Type-1 diabetes is a very serious and hard to treat condition affecting mainly young people and children.

Previous research has shown that killer T-cells  a type of white blood cell that normally protects us from germs -- play a major part in type-1 diabetes by destroying insulin producing cells, known as beta cells.

"The study identified part of a bug that turns on killer T-cells so they latch onto beta cells. This finding sheds new light on how these killer T-cells are turned into rogues, leading to the development of type-1 diabetes," said lead author Andy Sewell, professor at Cardiff University in Britain.

These killer T-cells are strongly activated by some bacteria.

During type-1 diabetes, the T-cells attack pancreatic beta cells -- which make the insulin essential for control of blood sugar levels.

When beta cells are destroyed, patients have to inject insulin every day to remain healthy.

"Killer T-cells are extremely effective at killing off germs, but when they mistakenly attack our own tissues, the effects can be devastating," Sewell said.

The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, provides a first ever glimpse of how germs might trigger killer T-cells to cause type-1 diabetes, but also points towards a more general mechanism for the cause of other autoimmune diseases.

"Finding the cellular mechanisms behind the development of autoimmune diseases, such as type-1 diabetes, could lead to treatments that help us lead longer, healthier lives," David Cole from Cardiff University noted.
New Delhi: Congress MP Shantaram Naik on Tuesday gave a notice for breach of privilege against BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in Rajya Sabha for allegedly submitting a "printout" of a website report to level allegations against its leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, in the AgustaWestland issue.

In his notice addressed to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, the Congress leader said: "Since Swamy has authenticated a website page printout, in which the names of Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel, Oscar Fernandes have been mentioned, it means and implies that the very allegations are made by Swamy also."

Naik gave the notice under rules 187 and 188 of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States and appealed to the Rajya Sabha Chairman that it be admitted and referred to the Privileges Committee for "appropriate" action against Swamy.

"Swamy did not authenticate any letter from Christian Michel (alleged British middleman and prime accused in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case) as he was not in possession of any such letter. Further question of Sonia flying in Mi-8 choppers does not arise as she did not hold any official post.

"Swamy mischievously quoted abbreviations AP and said he is a political secretary. All these innuendos amply insinuate a particular specific person most irresponsibly and without authenticating any document."

"Swamy did not produce any certified copy of the judgement on which he relied extensively, which he should have done and authenticated," Naik said in the notice. AP, it was alleged, stood for Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Referrring to an interview of Italian Judge Marco Maria Maiga by a news channel on the issue, the Congress leader said, "Swamy relied on the transcript of this interview."

"Swamy mischievously relied on and authenticated an inadmissible document, by all standards, to misguide the House, thereby committing another breach of privilege," he said.

Making clear the party's intent to move a privilege motion against Swamy, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh had a few

days back said: "Swamy has made baseless allegations and spoken big lies in Rajya Sabha on 4 May. We will not allow him to go scot-free."
Outwardly, the results of the exit polls in both in Kerala and Tamil Nadu arent surprising because they follow the historical trend of alternating governments and the unavoidable burden of anti-incumbency. However, on a closer look, both the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu have something to worry about.

In Tamil Nadu, besides the alternating governments, there is one more interesting trend: the party/front that wins the Lok Sabha elections necessarily loses the next assembly election. This time Kerala is also poised to follow this trend.

Lets look at Kerala first.

The exit poll results in the state are not surprising. Firstly because of the peoples electoral habit of keeping the ruling front away for five years however good a government it was, and also this time there was a visible wave against the ruling UDF. In the first few years of its rule, it was doing well as the results of the two by elections for state assembly and the Lok Sabha elections demonstrated. However by the time the local body elections rolled in, not only did it begin to falter, it really started tripping. In more than 60 percent of the local bodies, the LDF won and the UDF never recovered since then. The BJP had also made some considerable inroads into an otherwise bipolar state.

In fact, this was also the time the government began sinking in scandals and factional fight, both within the UDF and the Congress. While the UDF partners went somewhat rogue, the Congress, the captain of the UDF, was literally plodding under the weight of corruption and internal fights. In the worsening mess of scandals, three leaders of the Congress, the Chief Minister Oomen Chandy, the Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, and the Kerala Pradesh Congress President VM Sudheeran were fighting, not for the success of their party, but amongst themselves.

Its impossible to buck the trend when one is at such a disadvantage. Oomen Chandy scored well early on with his public programmes. He sought to solve people's grievances on the spot. He worked tirelessly, spent most of his time at work and with the people. He was emerging as a unique leader, quite akin to Bihars Nitish Kumar. (Even today, after VS Achuthanandan, he is the most popular CM candidate). The state made good roads, bridges and began several landmark infrastructure projects.

But, all the goodwill and equity that he created were washed away by the 'solar scandal', in which he himself appeared to be one of the central characters, and the 'bar bribery case' that felled the senior most minister of his cabinet, KM Mani. There were many accusations, where the state opposition and most of the states electronic media set out to prove that everything his government did had graft and kickbacks.

What should be more worrying for the Congress, is not the mere loss of power, but the fact that it lost after the emergence of the BJP and the BDJS. The latter is a brand new party led by a prominent community leader of the Ezhava caste which is the majority among the Hindus.

It was evident that the BJP, with the support of the BDJS, would ramp up its vote-share, possibly up to 18 per cent, and these votes would leak from both the UDF and the LDF. Since the BJP-BDJS votes are purely Hindu, conventional wisdom makes one think that LDF will take a bigger hit because about 60 percent of the Hindus in the state back them. But what seems to be happening at the grassroots is exactly the opposites  the BJP-BDJS is eating into the meagre Hindu support base of the UDF and the Congress. Its a very very bad sign and can weaken the Congress and the UDF on a more permanent basis.

If this trend continues, BJP gaining strength in the state is more harmful for the Congress/UDF than the LDF. If the exit polls turn out to be true, the LDF can be more or less certain that its Hindu vote-base  mostly the Ezhavas, the SC and some upper castes like the Nair community  is intact and that the UDF vote-base is likely to shrink. If the Congress is unable to keep its minority partners  the Muslims and Christians  together, it may face a further erosion because in the face of a BJP consolidation, the minorities might find some reason to jump ships. In the popular discourse, the Left is anyway the saviour of the minorities. Certainly, the Congress is going through a tough time. All that it can hope for in the next elections is anti-incumbency.

In Tamil Nadu, the exit poll results also show another trend  the absence of a visible wave. In fact, there was no visible anti-incumbency in the state and reports by local journalists from the field show that people seem to favour Amma's return. When AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran was alive, it was always clear that nobody could beat him, but since then, the Dravidian parties have taken turns to be in power.

Jaya, indeed, had a bright chance this time with her social welfare policies and programmes. More than infrastructure, general economic growth and industries, she focussed more on peoples welfare and had promised more. But, looks like people want a more balanced package of growth and welfare and not just food and Home appliances .

In Tamil Nadu, its not pure anti-incumbency, but the deep electoral instinct of the people. Unlike in Kerala, they vote more decisively in favour of one party/front. They use their votes to punish the incumbent if they were unhappy and their voting behaviour is uniform across the state.

If the AIADMK loses, it will be a big blow to AIADMK because there are also some concerns about Jayas health. She always came back from the dumps in the past, but staying out of power and running the party with poor health and old age will be difficult.

On the other hand, if the DMK wins, it will be a victory in the nick of time. Stalin is all ready to take over the mantle after years of on ground training and is relatively younger. After his father, he has absolute control over the party. Given that majority of the voters are young people with aspirations, he has a brighter future if he manages to deliver on his promises of infrastructure, economic growth, jobs and welfare.
Indore: Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Tuesday refuted media reports that suggested the BJP is mulling to remove her and bring in another party leader at the helm of affairs in the state, saying "nothing like that is on."

"Nothing like that is on," Anandiben told reporters at Indore in Madhya Pradesh where she had gone to participate in the ongoing Simhastha Kumbh at Ujjain and meet spiritual guru Bhaiyu Maharaj.

She blamed the media for linking her and the state Health Minister Nitin Patel's visit to Delhi, suggesting that a change of leadership in Gujarat was imminent. When mediapersons asked her about the reports of change in leadership, she quipped "At present, I am here in Indore."

"You (media) had linked two different visits to Delhi to come to this conclusion. I had gone to Delhi for the meeting related to water crisis and Nitinbhai (Nitin Patel, health minister) had gone to Delhi on the NEET issue," she said.

Asked whether the BJP's political base has suffered because of Patel quota agitation, she said, "At present there is no Patel agitation going on in the state. This protest is completely over now."

Speculations are rife in a section of the media about a possible change of leadership in Gujarat ahead of the 2017 elections.

The reports had said that BJP might ask Anandiben Patel to step down as chief minister and projected Nitin Patel as a front-runner for the post, after both of them were in Delhi yesterday.

They also said the change of leadership in Gujarat was necessitated by to poor handling of the quota agitation by Anandiben, and strains caused by infighting in the party's state unit.

Anandiben was made Chief Minister in May 2014, after Narendra Modi was elected as Prime Minister.

Asked about the purpose of her over one-and-a-half hour meeting with the spiritual guru, with whom recently RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also had a meeting, Anandiben said she took his guidance for agriculture and education and would try to implement his suggestions in Gujarat.

In Ahmedabad, BJP's Gujarat unit spokesperson also denied that a leadership change was on the card.

"We are preparing elaborate programmes for celebration of two years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Anandiben Patel in Gujarat. In the midst of this there are such baseless reports of change in leadership, which we totally deny," state BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said.

Gujarat Health Minister Nitin Patel, whose name was doing the rounds to succeed Anandiben Patel, spoke in a similar vein.

Nitin Patel, who is the number two in the Anandiben government, said there is no move to change the Chief Minister. "Nothing of that sort is on," he said.

"He is our party chief. I do meet him often," he said, brushing aside any significance to his meeting BJP chief Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday.
Srinagar: Congress on Tuesday accused ruling PDP of having "secret pact" with RSS claiming its "good governance agenda" was a tool to "befool and mislead" the people of the state.

"PDP is having a secret pact with RSS and taking directions from its headquarters. PDP facilitated easy entry of RSS in the state for the sake of power," JKPCC Chief GA Mir alleged addressing party workers at Shangas in Anantnag district of south Kashmir.

He charged PDP has "surrendered" everything to RSS for the sake of coming into power.

Attacking PDP-BJP coalition government in the state, Mir said it had "failed miserably" to address aspirations of the

people.

Criticising PDP-BJP for "dual policies", Mir said Congress from the day one has been educating people about the "secret agreement" and "understanding between RSS and PDP."

"Both the coalition partners (PDP and BJP) have limited themselves to the official press releases, as on the ground, there is no of sign of improvement visible, in any field," the Congress chief claimed.

"The good governance agenda of PDP-BJP was a tool to befool and mislead the people," he alleged.

Mir accused PDP-BJP coalition of undermining the authority of democratic institutions in the state.

"PDP-BJP coalition, in order to gain political mileage, is undermining the authority of democratic institutions and is trying to make Panchayati Raj Institutions non-functional as both the parties have lost ground in their constituencies," Mir charged.

He claimed that Congress was in a "very vibrant situation" in all the three regions of the state and would continue to play the role of "constructive and effective opposition".
Patna: Union Minister and LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan on Tuesday rubbished Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's statement that rule of law prevailed in Bihar saying there is a "collusion between VIP law-breakers and the state government".

The Opposition has been attacking the state government over recent murder of a youth in Gaya, allegedly by the son of now suspended JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi, and killing of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan.

Paswan demanded imposition of President's rule in Bihar.

In the context of surrender of Manorama Devi this morning, Paswan was asked as to why VIPs breaking laws were not

arrested and they chose to surrender, he said, "It is due to a collusion between the state government and them (the VIP law-breakers)."

Dismissing Nitish Kumar's defence on law and order situation Paswan asked, "Will a CBI inquiry recommendation bring back journalist Rajdeo Ranjan?"

Flanked by BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, Paswan said, "Not only Siwan strongman Mohammad Shahbuddin, profile of every criminal has increased under the present government."

"Earlier telephone calls to shield a criminal used to come from one place, but it is now made from two places," the Minister said in an apparent dig at former political rivals Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad.

Earlier LJP's Parliamentary Board chief Chirag Paswan had met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and made a demand for imposing Central rule in the state.

Asked why ally BJP is not pressing for imposition of President's rule in Bihar though his party has been, Paswan said, "I am supremo of my party and talk about its view. Other parties have their own views."

Paswan said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is touring different state in pursuit of his prime ministerial ambitions but the governance in Bihar has been a "casualty".
Never do political battles and rivalries turn more aggressive than during the elections. Politicians ensure that people get a taste of some of the most unique jibes at their opponents. And it does not matter who the politician is, every leader makes caustic remarks and becomes the target of the same.

With the multi-party contest on in Tamil Nadu, the state has witnessed some heated campaigning by political parties, which usually includes bitter  and sometimes ridiculous  remarks against the opponents.

Whether they are local state leaders like J Jayalalithaa or M Karunanidhi, or national leaders like Rahul Gandhi or even the Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, everyone has contributed to some memorable quotes.

Here are the quotable quotes of politicians during the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections:

When Stalin mocked Jayalalithaa

DMK leader MK Stalin had on his own unique style while criticising Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. At an election rally in Chennai, he performed something of a stand-up comedy act when he demonstrated to the gathering at the rally how AIADMK candidates conduct themselves in Jayalalithaa's presence.

To illustrate his point, Stalin bent down with folded hands to mimick an AIADMK worker doing the same before Jayalalithaa. "She sits on top. Fifteen candidates are seated like slaves on a stage underneath," NDTV quoted him as saying. "This situation continues in the assembly too. There would be no chair for him but O Panneerselvam would appear to be sitting. We should learn this from them. Look at the kind of humiliation..."

Rahul Gandhi's speech in Tamil Nadu

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has often been criticised for being too vague when making speeches or attacking his political opponents.

However, when addressing a rally in Tamil Nadu on 7 May, Rahul Gandhi was anything but vague. He criticised Jayalalithaa on many specific points. "Tamil Nadu does not need a government which is run by a person who stays within four walls and does not even have the decency to come out and see what happened when floods hit Chennai," he said at the rally. He also criticised the AIADMK government on the issue of the state's economy and said, "Among Dalits in Tamil Nadu, 90 percent are landless. Among the poor households, 50 percent earn their livelihood through manual labour. Unemployment rates have gone up and several lakh youths are unemployed in Tamil Nadu.

He also lashed at the Tamil Nadu CM over the issue of prohibition and said, "Her liquor policy has taken Rs 65,000 from every single family in Tamil Nadu. Vote for Congress-DMK and we will reduce the number of shops to zero."

Jayalalithaa's 'coalition of loot' jibe against DMK-Congress

We have seen in the past how remarks like 'suit-boot ki sarkar', 'Bihari, bahari', 'Mufflerman' either worked for or backfired against a political party.

Jayalalithaa came up with her own unique jibe against the DMK-Congress alliance when she on 10 May slammed the DMK for being allegedly involved in "Himalayan corruption" in 2G scam and termed the DMK-Congress alliance a "coalition of loot."

"DMK-Congress alliance means it is a coalition of loot. The alliance was punished (in earlier elections) for 2G, CWG and Adarsh scams. You can understand what kind of an alliance it is, considering the fact that they played even in Commonwealth games," PTI quoted the Tamil Nadu CM as saying.

"Corruption is the vocation of DMK and Congress. Show them the doors when they come seeking votes," for the 16 May Assembly polls, Jayalalithaa had told the voters.

When Vijayakanth's remark against Rajinikanth backfired

DMDK chief Captain Vijayakanth has said and done many things recently which redefine the word 'ridiculous'. But our favourite Vijayakanth quote has to be when he learnt the hard way that it is unwise to lash out at Rajinikanth in the state where doing that can be dangerous for your life.

"Vijayakanth! Not afraid of anyone. I am good to those who are good. I am not afraid like Rajini Annan," The Times of India quoted the DMDK leader as saying. Vijayakanth had made this remark at a public meeting in Tiruthani in Tiruvallur district in April.

He had lashed out at Rajinikanth because the actor apparently "backed down" to demands of PMK leader S Ramadoss on cutting out the scenes from his films which showed him smoking and drinking. "I am not afraid of anyone. I am only afraid of good people and good-hearted people," he further said, adding to the absurdity of his remark.

This remark proved costly for Vijayakanth as a lot of Rajinikanth's fans burned Vijayakanth's effigy while another section pledged their support to parties opposing DMDK.

Modi's take on the parties in Tamil Nadu

No BJP campaign is complete in any state without a Narendra Modi rally and the Prime Minister's remarks against any party opposing the BJP.

Charging the two Dravidian parties  DMK and AIADMK  with keeping Tamil Nadu under their "control", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 May said that people wanted a change from them and billed BJP as an alternative, saying its sole mantra was development.

Without naming either party, Modi had said the two had come to power alternately, "sometimes this (party) and sometimes the other," and they had kept Tamil Nadu under their "control", PTI had reported.

"People of the state want to be freed from them. And the turnout is a statement to that," he had said, addressing an election rally in Vedaranyam.

With inputs from agencies
Sydney: A teenager was arrested on Tuesday after Australian police alleged he had been planning to launch a terrorist attack in Sydney.

The 18-year-old was expected to be charged with planning a terrorist attack, the Australian Federal Police said. They said another charge  preparing to enter a foreign country to engage in hostile activities  was expected to be filed in connection with an earlier attempt by the teen to travel to Syria. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

"The planning was occurring now and we would say that an attack was probably imminent," New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn told reporters.

The teen had been making arrangements to get a firearm, Australian Federal Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan said. Officials believe he was working alone, and his arrest means there is no longer any threat to public safety linked to the alleged plot, Gaughan said.

Burn and Gaughan declined to detail what the teen's alleged plans involved, including what sites were the proposed targets.

The teen, who had been on authorities' radar since last year, was stopped at Sydney airport in February when he attempted to travel to Syria, Gaughan said. His passport had been canceled and he was prevented from leaving the country.

Since then, the teen had been under police surveillance, Attorney-General George Brandis told reporters.

Australia's government raised the country's terror threat level in 2014 in response to the domestic threat posed by supporters of the Islamic State group. Police have since conducted dozens of raids they say have been aimed at thwarting multiple terror plots around Australia, including an alleged plan to attack government buildings and a naval base in Sydney.

Many of those arrested have been teenagers, including a 16-year-old who was charged with plotting a terrorist attack on an Australian Veteran's Day ceremony in April.

"We are still seeing people planning and preparing for such attacks and unfortunately, that group of people are getting younger and younger," Burn said.
London: British Prime Minister David Cameron has signed up with the popular dating app Tinder, in an attempt to connect with young voters ahead of next month's referendum on the country's membership of the European Union (EU).

Cameron's move follows a meeting at Downing Street last week with senior figures from social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter to encourage seven million under their 40s and ethnic minorities to register to vote before the 7 June deadline for the 23 June referendum.

According to The Times, with opinion polls suggesting that up to two-thirds of under-25 in the UK are willing to back remain, Downing Street is keen to persuade as many young people to vote as possible.

"While the Leave plan is left blank, we're clear what we're fighting for. We're fighting for jobs. Three million people's livelihoods are linked to trade with Europe, countless more indirectly. Indeed, every single job depends on a strong economy, which, in turn, depends on our membership of the EU," Cameron wrote in the Daily Mirror this week, as he intensified his campaign for Britain to remain in the EU.

"Don't take a punt on the future of our country. Keep Britain stronger, safer and better off. And on 23 June, vote to remain," Cameron said.

Tinder is expected to work alongside the Bite the Ballot youth group to persuade single people using the site to get more involved in the EU debate.

Other ideas include a television advertising campaign on the short time it takes to register to vote, and Google producing a "doodle" on its homepage.

Bite the Ballot will conduct a week of social media campaigns and calls to action leading up to the registration deadline and has plans for putting bespoke content on Tinder.

It will also host a "generation drive" on 1 June, encouraging young people to talk to their family about the referendum.

Voters already on the UKs polling register are automatically eligible to vote.

However, the government is keen to ensure new and young voters are able to register in time.

The Electoral Commission will send out "an impartial booklet" to nearly 28 million households across the UK this week to encourage the registration process.

"A lot of people won't have voted in a referendum before or will be unsure what the question is. Look out for the booklet coming through your door, which will give you all the information you need," a spokesperson said.
Cannes: Brazilian director Kleber Mendonca Filho and the team of his new movie staged a protest at the Cannes film festival Tuesday in support of unseated Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff.

The actors held up sheets of paper with the slogans "Stop the coup in Brazil", "Brazil is not a democracy anymore" and "54,501,118 votes set on fire" after turning to face the photographers as they walked up the red carpet for the screening of Aquarius.

One opened his tuxedo shirt to reveal a T-shirt showing an image of "Super Dilma".

The cast, which includes telenovela superstar Sonia Braga, were cheered when they entered the cinema to take their seats, where a few audience members also unfurled a banner saying "Stop the coup in Brazil".

Rousseff later tweeted her thanks to the cast, saying "Thank you for the support!"

The left-wing leader was replaced by acting President Michel Temer last week after months of street protests calling for her to go.

The Senate voted to open an impeachment trial on charges that Rousseff illegally manipulated the budget.

But her ousting sparked more street demonstrations and controversy over the absence of female ministers in Temer's interim government.

Aquarius, a domestic drama which has been well received by critics, is one of 21 films in the running for the Palme d'Or at the world's most important movie festival.
New Delhi: China on Tuesday denied that it was blocking India's bid for a membership in elite NSG and said it will "work" with the members of the 48-nation grouping as well as India to find a solution for India's entry into it.

Liu Zhenmin, China's Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, also said that the issue needs to be deliberated on among relevant parties.

"That's not true. I think, the membership of NSG is not a new issue. It has been an issue for many years. This should be sorted out together with the members of the NPT," Liu told PTI when asked whether China was blocking India's entry to the elite club.

"Members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group should be party to NPT. So, I think China will also work with others including Indian colleagues together to find a solution.

"This should be consulted among relevant parties. As a very friendly country, China wants to have good cooperation with India at the international arena on all issues," the Chinese minister said. He is in New Delhi to attend a multi-lateral legal meet.

Earlier this week, China claimed that several members of the group shared its view that signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was an "important" standard for NSG's expansion.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang in Beijing had said that not only China but also a lot of other NSG members are of the view that NPT is the cornerstone for safeguarding the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. The Chinese action is apparently at the behest of Pakistan, which is also seeking an entry into the bloc.

India is not a party to Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, the international pact aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, maintaining that it was discriminatory.
Beijing: China has proposed an international scientific cooperation programme for Earth observation to provide digital backing to Beijing's mega Silk Road Project.

The "digital Silk Road" proposal was put forward in Beijing on Monday at an international symposium on Earth observation for the Belt and Road, the official designation for Silk Road. The event was attended by over 300 Earth observation scholars and experts from more than 40 countries and regions along the Belt and Road, as well as international organisations like UNESCO. Guo Huadong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said space-based Earth observation technology will help enhance people's understanding of the Belt and Road in a faster, broader and more accurate way.

The "digital Silk Road" programme will hopefully provide statistics and environmental information for the Belt and Road Initiative and support decision making, Guo said. Fu Bojie, another CAS academician, expressed hope that the Earth observation technology may be used to promote research on natural resources in countries along the Belt and Road, paving the way for more bilateral and multilateral cooperation, state run Xinhua news agency reported.

This "digital Silk Road" programme will be scientific, open and cooperative and will welcome more countries, organisations and scholars to participate, Guo said.
Weeks after cancelling the Uyghur political leader Dolkun Isa's visa and subsequently denying visas to two other activists, Hong Kong-based Kay Wong and Lu Jinghua  all of whom were to visit Dharamsala to attend a conference  there appears to be fresh tension over the issue

The Home Ministry recently received a letter from the Ministry of External Affairs complaining about not being consulted on the issue.

In a letter dated 9 May, Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar wrote that any revocation [of visa] in the future be done in consultation with this ministry, reports The Hindu.

The letter sent by Jaishankar, and also marked to National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, further said, It would help to better manage the political and media fallout from such decisions.

Earlier External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that no conference had taken place in Dharamsala, which was widely reported to be an anti-Beijing congregation.

"There was no conference. Certain individuals had come to India to meet Dalai Lama. As you are aware, the Dalai Lama is a respected spiritual leader and there is absolutely no bar on foreigners coming to India to have a religious or spiritual audience with him," he said.

But several attendees to the conference countered the governments actions and criticised what they called conflicting statements, reports The Hindu.

Lu Jinghua, a US-based dissident, and Ray Wong, a pro-democracy activist, had applied for Indian visas to attend the meeting in the last week of April in the northern hill town of Dharamsala, the base of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

India rejects accusations that it is caving in to Chinese pressure to stop dissidents travelling to the country, saying that it had cancelled a tourist visa it had granted to exiled Dolkun Isa, who was due to attend the same conference.

China blames unrest that has killed hundreds of people in its far western region of Xinjiang on Uighur militants looking to establish an independent state for the mostly Muslim Uighur minority.

Some Uighur activists says government restrictions on human rights fuels discontent, not radical Islam. However, China denies violating human rights.

A senior Indian government official said there were valid reasons for the denial of visas to the two Chinese activists.

Lu's visa documents were illegible and there was inconsistency about the purpose of her visit, while Wong's documents included data inconsistencies, said the official, who declined to be identified.

"At the airport, the Air India staff simply told me that I couldn't board as my visa was cancelled," Lu had told India Today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has sought to be more assertive with its neighbours, including China, and increase its influence, but it is also keen to deepen economic ties with China and attract its investment.

Uighur activist Isa is executive chairman of Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, which promotes democracy and human rights.

China accuses Isa of backing armed separatists in Xinjiang and its foreign ministry told media this week that Isa was wanted by Chinese police and was also on an Interpol "red notice" wanted list.

With inputs from agencies
Even though Donald Trump has announced that he will not declare his running mate until the National Republic Convention in July, it has not stopped speculations from running rife about the same.

And ever since Ben Carson (Trump had called him a 'child molester') has come out in support of Trump, things have only gotten more interesting for those watching.

Saturday Night Live's spoof which mocks Trump for being his own publicist as someone called Joey Pepperoni (referring to an allegation which says Trump acted as his own publicist in 1991), shows Chris Christie helping him look for a running mate. After going through a list of candidates, they decide to go a little out of the box, with Christie suggesting Bruce Springsteen.

"He's a Democrat", says Trump.

"He's a GOD!" yells Christie.

SNL's Chris Christie tries to suggest his name twice, and miserably fails. "I wish I could work for someone as funny as you someday." he says.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why doesn't anyone want to be my VP?!" Trump complains.

Christie, who says that the right candidate for the job is standing right in the room, fails to notice Ben Carson behind him. Trump chooses to go with former rival Ben Carson, leaving Christie high and dry.

While that might be a parody, what's going down in the actual race is also equally interesting. In an interview with the Washington Post, Ben Carson said former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are all people on our list.

An AFP report talks about the possible candidates for the job, including John Kasich, Ben Carson himself, Nikki Haley (for need of female representation), amongst others.

Speaking to CNN, Kasich said he said hes not inclined to be Trumps running mate because it would be very hard for him. This, as SNL put it, Trump calls Kasich a 'a big fat loser' and Marco Rubio, who he dismisses as a kid.

Trump told AP that he has narrowed it down to 'five or six' names, with Ben Carson spilling the beans that Sarah Palin is on the list of candidates being considered for the job as well. This leaves Newt Gingrich, who is doing everything in his power to try for the job, and Rob Portman, as suggested by former Republican president Dan Quayle.
Washington: The full cache of secret documents from former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden is being opened to journalists and organizations willing to work with the news organization holding the archive.

The Intercept, the news site launched by journalist Glenn Greenwald  who was part of the team that first interviewed Snowden in 2013  announced on Monday that it would "invite outside journalists, including from foreign media outlets, to work with us to explore the full Snowden archive."

The move could vastly increase the disclosures from Snowden, who fled the United States with a trove of documents detailing vast surveillance programs by the NSA and other intelligence agencies from around the world.

"From the start of our reporting on the archive, a major component of our approach has been to partner with foreign (and other American) media outlets rather than try to keep all the material for ourselves," Greenwald said.

"We have collectively shared documents with more than two dozen media outlets, and teams of journalists in numerous countries have thus worked with and reported on Snowden documents," in addition to other media outlets with some documents such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, ProPublica and The Guardian.

Greenwald said that under an agreement with Snowden, the journalists reporting on these documents must agree to certain rules.

"There are still many documents of legitimate interest to the public that can and should be disclosed," he said.

"There are also documents in the archive that we do not believe should be published because of the severe harm they would cause innocent people."

Greenwald said The Intercept has already begun to provide archive access to French daily Le Monde and other media outlets, and added that "we are excited by the reporting this new arrangement will generate."

The Intercept on Monday also released dozens of internal newsletters from the National Security Agency including one highlighting the secret agency's role in interrogation of Guantanamo prisoners.
BERLIN A Hamburg court issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday banning re-publication of sections of a satirical poem by a German comedian mocking Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, saying they amounted to abuse and libel.

Comedian Jan Boehmermann recited a poem on television in March suggesting Erdogan engaged in bestiality and watched child pornography, prompting the Turkish leader to file a complaint with prosecutors that he had been insulted.

In a separate complaint, lawyers for Erdogan also asked a court in Hamburg to ban re-publication of the poem.

In its injunction, which applies to the whole of Germany, the Hamburg court marked in red 18 of the poem's 24 verses, which it said were "abusive and defaming."

It said its decision, which may be appealed, was based on the need to find a balance between preserving the right to artistic freedom and the personal rights of Erdogan.

"Through the poem's reference to racist prejudice and religious slander as well as sexual habits the verses in question go beyond what the petitioner (Erdogan) can be expected to tolerate," the Hamburg court wrote.

The six verses the court did not ban, include references to Turkey's treatment of minorities.

Erdogan, a crucial partner for Merkel in tackling Europe's migrant crisis, had demanded Germany press charges against Boehmermann.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has drawn criticism for allowing prosecutors to pursue the case against Boehmermann.

Under Germany's criminal code, insults against foreign leaders are not allowed but the government can decide whether to authorise prosecutors to go ahead.

The affair, which has turned into a diplomatic spat, has opened Merkel to accusations she has become too accommodating towards Erdogan in pursuing a controversial European Union deal with Turkey to stem the flow of refugees into Europe.

Critics had already accused her of ignoring human rights violations and actions against journalists in Turkey, a candidate for EU membership.

An MP of Merkel's conservatives read the poem out in parliament last week.

Merkel is widely seen as causing the problem in the first place in describing the poem to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as "deliberately insulting", something she herself has said was "in retrospect a mistake".

Prosecutors in the western German city of Mainz who are dealing with the Boehmermann case said it was unclear when a decision would be made on whether to go ahead with the case.

(Reporting by Joseph Nasr; editing by Ralph Boulton)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
India and the US held the first maritime security dialogue in Delhi on Monday adding another layer to the growing defence ties between the two countries, once on opposing sides of the Cold War divide. This increased cooperation is taking place at a time when Washington is hoping to rope in Delhi to play a more effective role in balancing Chinas military might in the Asia Pacific region.

There is heightened tension between the US and China over the latters claims to disputed islands in the region and Beijings consolidation of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, through a massive land reclamation effort.

Senior Indian and US officials exchanged views on security of the global waterways and ways to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two navies. In the past few years joint exercises between the navies of India and the US have become more complex. The MALABAR exercises now will have Japan as a permanent feature. "Among the issues discussed were Asia-Pacific maritime challenges, naval cooperation, and multilateral engagement, said the American side in a statement after the talks.

Joint secretary in charge of Planning and International Cooperation (PIC) in the Ministry of Defence, Shambhu Kumaran and Ministry of External Affairs' joint secretary, Americas (AMS) Munu Mahawar represented the Indian side. Meanwhile, the American side was represented by the assistant secretary of defence for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs David Shear, the deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs Manpreet Anand, and Vice-Admiral Joseph Aucoin, Commander of the US Seventh Fleet.

The decision to hold the dialogue was taken during the visit of US defence secretary Ashton Carter in April. Carter has been pushing India to play a more active role in the region and join a loose cooperative coalition of maritime nations to jointly secure the ocean ways of the Asia-Pacific region. Washington has been working on this for quite some time. A large Asian country like India would help to balance China.

India at the moment does not have the capability to stretch itself too far across the Pacific, but it is moderinising its navy to equip itself for a larger presence in both the Indian and Pacific

oceans. The UPA government was cautious, not wanting to raise Chinas hackles. But Prime Minister Narendra Modis government is much more willing to extend defence cooperation with the US as a way to checkmate Chinas unparalleled rise. The fact that China is also Pakistans all-weather friend is an added dimension in the equation.

"But this is not something we dont know. The Chinese side of the border has excellent infrastructure, their logistics and supply lines are top class. We have been improving our side of the border,

but not fast enough. The report shows Chinas expanding strategic strength. The point is, has India got the message. What are we going to do about it?, asked former foreign secretary Lalit Mansingh.

The US is keen that India sign three foundation defence agreements that have been in the works for nearly a decade. The logistics agreement is likely to be signed "in the coming months", Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had announced at a news conference with Carter. Additionally, the US can help open many doors.

As India waits its turn to get into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, it is only the US that can do the heavy lifting , said Mansingh. The US has again reiterated that India deserves to be admitted to the NSG. President Barack Obama made similar pronouncements while he was in India. When Modi travels to Washington next month, this will definitely be part of the conversation.The question is whether Obama will do for Modi as former president George W Bush did for Manmohan Singh?

"The fact is, if we want entry into these elite clubs  especially the NSG and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), it is only the US that can deliver, said India's former ambassador to the US Naresh Chandra. He also believes that India should be clear headed and know where its interests lie. Once Delhi can fix NSG and MTCR membership, entry into the other dual-use technology denial regimes  the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement  will become simpler. These groups will help India be part of the global non-proliferation system and give access to dual-use and high-end technology, especially for Indias missile program.

The prime ministers visit to Washington will provide an indication of how far India is willing to step into the US orbit. But there are those in the establishment who advise caution and warn

against getting into formal defence arrangement with the US or any other country and believe India should keep its choices open.
Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister said a military solution to the conflict in Syria is nothing but an "illusion", the media reported on Tuesday.

"We are going to continue to insist on the need for a comprehensive ceasefire, of course excluding terrorist groups," Xinhua quoted Zarif as saying after arriving in Vienna to take part in an upcoming International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting.

Political solution is the only way to solve the crisis in Syria, which has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011, he said.

"Unfortunately there seems to be a persistence by some that they want to pursue a military solution; that illusion has to come to an end and they should look for a political solution," he said.

Iran, the US, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia as well as representatives from the European Union and the Arab League are among the countries participating in the ISSG meeting on Tuesday.

The 17-nation ISSG aims to discuss the stalled negotiations, challenges in maintaining the February ceasefire and the delivery of UN humanitarian aid to various areas across the war-ravaged country.

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.
Dhaka: A detained (JMB) "operational commander" has confessed to his involvement in the brutal murder of a liberal university professor in Rajshahi city last month, police said on Tuesday.

"Maskawat Hasan Sakib alias Abdullah admitted his links to Rezaul Karim's murder and gave his confessional statement at the Metropolitan Magistrate's Court yesterday," Rajshahi's police commissioner Mohammad Shamsuddin told PTI over phone.

Shamsuddin said police will hold a press conference to give more details on the investigation progress on Tuesday evening.

He described detained Sakib as JMB's "operational commander" for Rajshahi region.

Outlawed JMB has carried out a series of bomb attacks across Bangladesh, killing scores of people including two judges, prompting a massive anti-militant campaign.

Media reports earlier said police arrested Sakib from northwestern Bogra town in connection with the 23 April murder of Karim, an English literature professor of state-run Rajshahi University who was known for his love for music.

Suspected Islamists hacked him to death using machetes near his house in the northwestern city.

Karim was the second professor of the same university to be killed in nearly identical manner in past two years.

US-based private SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic State claimed the killing.

"Islamic State's Amaq Agency reported the group's responsibility for killing Rajshahi University professor Rezaul Karim for "calling to atheism" in Bangladesh," it had said in a tweet.

Bangladesh, however, ruled out existence of foreign Islamist outfits like IS and alleged that fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami was patronising the killing spree to portray the country as an abode of foreign militants.

Police visibly intensified investigations into a series of attacks on secularists and liberal intellectuals, bloggers and minorities including gay activists against the backdrop of growing criticism for failure to track down the assailants.

In the past two days police arrested three Rohingya Muslims, who took refuge in Bangladesh in view of reported persecution by authorities in neighbouring Myanmar, for their alleged involvement in the murder of a Buddhist monk in southwestern Badarban hill district last week.

The assailants slaughtered 70-year-old Buddhist monk Mawng Shoi Wuu, chief of the monastery located in the isolated and rugged Naikkhangchari area of Bandarban hill district.

Police on Sunday arrested 37-year-old Shariful Islam alias Shihab from Kushtia over the killing of the country's first gay magazine editor and his friend.

Police identified him as a member of outlawed Ansarullah Bangla Team, which according to the Site Intelligence Group was the Bangladesh affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

Xulhaz Mannan, 35, editor of a gay magazine, and a 25-year-old fellow activist Mahbub Tonoy were hacked to death in an apartment in Dhaka on 25 April by up to seven attackers carrying machetes and guns.
Bare shoulders can cause climate change. A Los Angeles weather anchor in a sleeveless sparkly dress apparently got her audiences so hot and bothered that she had to cover up on live TV. A male co-anchor handed her a sweater because were getting a lot of emails. Confused KTLA meteorologist Liberte Chan, interrupted mid-bulletin, first took it for concern  You want me to put this on? Why, because its cold? before she went, I look like a librarian now.

Men, you know, wear the pants, and women something shapeless and gray.

Coming right on the heels of the high-heel controversy, sexism straddles both ends of the spectrum. Women are either too dressed up or dressed down  seen through a mans eyes  in a 70-mm Saint vs Slut 24/7 show.

When Nicola Thorp, a part-time receptionist in London, spoke up against wearing heels to work, not only did the company revoke its footwear fatwa against flats, British Business Secretary Sajid Javid said heels should not be a compulsory part of official dress code. The world over, women totter about on stilettos though  not because baritones command them to but because they want to  and boo to bunions, sciatica, limps, hammertoes and osteoarthritis. Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez... most stylish women have funny looking feet. Thats their walk. But to have bosses breathe down your feet, ordering spiky heels or flip-flops!

The key sartorial factor is choice. If men wear the same black suit on TV day after day or to party after party, women prefercourtesy social pressure and perhaps vanityto go for a costume change each time. No one else can decide how much is too much or how little is too little except the one who wears or the one who bares. Hemlines can rise, necklines can plunge, corsets can hamper blood circulation, make-up be glued on and eyebrows tattooed, as long as it is voluntary. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, beautification is in the hands of the beheld.

The weather anchor, strangely enough, says she found the live wardrobe interruption acceptable, even funny. The man who handed her the sweater said it was a bit of a joke and Chan went ha ha, lest someone says women cant take a joke. Viewers temperatures may have shot up, but she is cool with seen shrugging on a cardigan on air by her own account.

Cloudy with a chance of misogyny: TV meteorologist told to don cardigan, said Chicago Tribune. Maybe its time to stop making newscasters dress like strippers, said New York Daily News. Headlines like two boxers in a ring.

Some cases of body shaming are iffy. Like when Kim Kardashian-West displayed all of her botoxed bulk in a bathroom selfie and Bette Midler tweeted, If Kim wants us to see a part of her weve never seen, shes gonna have to swallow the camera. The twitterati went into a tizzy, with tweet and counter-insult-tweet flying about, and the FAQ: who is sexist here? But an underlying doubt was if mere exhibitionism was being elevated to moral debate, thus enhancing the exhibitionists chances at, well, exhibition.

Women are all the time chewing bottom lip over butch/sexy, demure/sexy, tomboy/sexy, motherly/sexy, and anything/sexy. And if they get off on the wrong foot or forget to button up, it is their call. Wardrobe malfunctions and knights in shining armour dont always have to hold hands.

But most cases are black and white, like in the case of the gray sweater. Chans LBD was reportedly a second choice; the first dress had clashed with the sets. Aware of the two-faced mob  with one section having sent the numerous emails beseeching her to cover up and another mocking the cover-up  popularity ratings have to keep an open mind on viewer opinions, however diverse, however asinine.

Chan is lucky no one tugged down her neckline midway through her weather bulletin just because someone phoned in for more cleavage.

Here is the video that created the controversy-
VIENNA/BEIRUT Major power foreign ministers failed to agree a new date to resume Syrian peace talks at a meeting on Tuesday, and the opposition said it would not come back to Geneva negotiations unless conditions improved on the ground.

A pessimistic atmosphere pervaded the meeting in Vienna between countries that support President Bashar al-Assad and his enemies, all of which have committed to reviving a ceasefire and peace process that have been unravelling since last month.

In a joint statement after the meeting attended by the United States, European and Middle East powers that oppose Assad as well as Russia and Iran which support him, the powers called for a full cessation of hostilities and access for aid.

In stronger language than in the past, they warned the warring factions that if they repeatedly broke the truce they risked foregoing the protection of the Feb. 27 cessation of hostilities agreement sponsored by Washington and Moscow.

They also directed the U.N.'s World Food Programme to air drop food, medicine and water to besieged communities starting on June 1 if humanitarian access was denied by either side.

But they did not agree on a date for peace talks to resume. The Geneva talks broke up last month after the opposition delegation quit, accusing the government of ignoring the ceasefire, and recent weeks saw an intensification of fighting, particularly near Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura told a news conference there was still a strong desire to keep the peace process moving.

"We want to keep the momentum. The exact date I am not at the moment revealing it because it will depend also on other facts," he said. He noted that the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins in early June, was coming soon.

The main opposition High Negotiations Committee said it was not willing to return to negotiations without a full ceasefire and access for humanitarian aid.

"I don't think there will be results, and if there are any results they will not be sufficient for the Syrian people," HNC chief negotiator Asaad al-Zoubi told Reuters ahead of Tuesday's Vienna meeting.

"We are used to the fact that Russian and U.S. foreign ministers are taking the world into an unknown direction," he said. "The HNC has said that if aid does not reach everybody, if the sieges aren't lifted and if a full truce does not happen, there will be no negotiations."

NO PEACE WITHOUT SETTLEMENT

Washington, which wants Assad to leave power, has worked closely on diplomacy with Russia, which joined the war last year to support him. That has alarmed some of Assad's opponents and raised doubts among some of the countries that support them.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, standing beside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and de Mistura at a news conference, made clear Washington still wanted Assad out.

Russia needed to use its influence over Assad to secure a transition in Syria, Kerry said.

"This war will not end for him or for his people without a political settlement."

Gesturing to Lavrov, Kerry said Assad had made a series of commitments to Moscow that he was prepared to negotiate, but had not kept his word.

"I think he should never make a miscalculation about President Obama's determination to do what is right at any given moment of time where he believes he has to make that decision," Kerry said.

Lavrov repeated Moscow's line, that it was not fighting on behalf of any particular ruler in Damascus: "We don't support Assad. We support the fight against terrorism."

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said progress was needed urgently on the ground.

"If nothing happens in terms of respecting the ceasefire or humanitarian aid, then it will no longer be about discouragement, but despair. We are in an extremely fragile period."

AID, VIOLENCE

The United Nations said this month that Syria's government, which has been on the front foot in the war since its ally Russia intervened last year, was refusing U.N. demands to deliver aid to hundreds of thousands of people.

Tuesday's talks discussed ways to stop the violence by separating al-Nusra Front, al Qaeda's wing in Syria, from other opposition fighters in some areas like Aleppo.

Ayrault said France had told moderate opposition groups "they must be extremely clear with regard groups like al-Nusra. There must be no ambiguity."

Nusra, along with Islamic State, is not party to the ceasefire. Western and Arab states accuse the Syrian government and Russia of using links between rebels and Nusra as a pretext to launch offensives against other opponents of Assad.

De Mistura is trying to meet an Aug. 1 deadline to establish a transitional authority for the country that would lead to elections in 18 months, as agreed in a December United Nations Security Council resolution. Kerry said in Vienna that if progress in talks was made the timeframe would be respected.

FATE OF ASSAD

However, the U.S. administration's failure to convince Moscow that Assad must go is fuelling European and Arab frustration at being sidelined in efforts to end the country's five-year civil war, diplomats say.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said it was perhaps time to consider alternatives, including ramping up military aid to rebels, if Assad's government continued to flout international agreements.

In the past weeks, several hundred civilians have been killed in air strikes and rebel bombardments in Aleppo province alone, while fighting has taken place in other parts of Syria, including Idlib, Deir al-Zor and around Damascus.

As the talks took place, rebel fighters and officials in the besieged town of Daraya on the outskirts of Damascus said they believed government forces were preparing an assault.

Last week government forces refused entry to what would have been the first aid convoy to reach the town. Troops began shelling the town on Thursday, ending a lull that had prevailed since the ceasefire took effect. Residents say they are on the verge of starvation.

"Large convoys of (government) troops are moving from the airport and from Ashrafiyat Sahnaya (the next town south)," said Abu Samer, spokesman for the Liwa Shuhada al-Islam rebel group.

"We are prepared to repel their assault but our main fear is for the civilians besieged in the town who face severe shortages of food."

A Syrian military source denied rebel accounts of troop deployments, saying nothing had changed in the area.

The blocked aid convoy was not allowed to contain food, only medical and other aid, and residents launched an online campaign ahead of the expected delivery with the slogan: "We cannot eat medicine".

(Additional reporting by John Irish and Shadia Nasralla in Vienna and Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman; writing and editing by Peter Graff and Peter Millership; editing by Peter Graff)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Paris: A conference on the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, due to be held on 30 May in Paris, has been postponed, French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday.

"(US Secretary of State) John Kerry cannot come on 30 May so it has been delayed. It will take place in the summer," he told French radio.

Hollande said it was vital for France to take "a strong initiative" in the dispute.

"If not... what will happen? Settlement building, attacks," he said.

The original date for the conference falls on the US Memorial Day holiday honouring members of the armed forces who died in combat.

"We're in discussions right now with the French about any possible alternative date that might better work for the secretary," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday, though he added that Kerry's agenda is currently "jammed".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was in Jerusalem and Ramallah on Sunday to present the French peace initiative to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Ayrault received support from the Palestinians but objections from Israel, with Netanyahu questioning French "impartiality" after Paris voted in favour of making Palestine a UNESCO member five years ago.

"We are going to work will all the actors, the big countries and neighbouring nations, to create the parameters that will allow the Israelis and Palestinians to return to the negotiating table," Hollande said Tuesday.

A staunch ally of Israel, Washington has traditionally brokered direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians and played down multilateral initiatives, especially within the United Nations.

The United States has regularly called for a "two-state solution" to the Middle East crisis since the last US-brokered talks collapsed in April 2014.
Washington: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vist to the US, the Pentagon has said it is "looking forward" to enhancing relations with India, and that there are opportunities to further expand military co-operation between the two countries.

"The (US Defence) Secretary (Ashton Carter) believes there are still opportunities for us to further expand the cooperation between the United States and India on military issues. They are issues of consequence for India, security issues that are of consequence to the United States," Pentagon Press Secretary, Peter Cook told reporters at a press conference on Monday.

"We have shared security interests in that part of the world. And I think the Secretary is confident that the strong relationship we have right now will only build in the future, so," Cook said in response to a question.

The Defence Secretary, he said, is "looking forward" to the visit of Prime Minister Modi in June.

"He met with the Prime Minister when he was in India, and looks forward to enhancing and building on that visit and the strong relationship that he has been able to maintain with Minister Parrikar since he took over as Secretary," Cook said in response to a question.

Carter was in India last month, during which he held talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar and met the Prime Minister. Describing the trip as successful, Carter said there were some in-principle agreements reached at that time with regard to military-to-military relationship.

"I think the Secretary feels very good about where things are with regard to that relationship, and his relationship with Minister Parrikar. I think he sees this as an opportunity for future cooperation between the United States and India on military issues," Cook said.

During his visit, Carter became the first US Defence Secretary to board an Indian aircraft carrier.

"I think he was very appreciative of the warm welcome he received, and the substantive discussions that took place while we were in India," Cook said.
Lahore: A Pakistani university has banned 'one-on-one' sittings of boys and girls on campus by terming it against Islamic 'cultural' norms, in a case of moral policing.

The Sargodha University Lahore campus on Monday issued a circular banning the 'one-on-one' sittings of male and female students in classroom, cafeteria or any other place in the campus.

"In view of our cultural and religious bindings and complaints by parents, inappropriate interaction between male and female students is hereby strictly prohibited within the university premises," the notice states.

"We have imposed ban on sittings of male and female students together in 'couple form' on the complaints of parents. Parents have objected to the boys and girls sitting together especially in classroom," Sargodha University Director Mian Javed said.

"He said considering the complaints of parents and some students the varsity administration and its board have unanimously decided to place a ban on 'one-on-one' sittings of boys and girls," he said, adding the boys and girls can sit together in group form (three or more) for 'academic discussions'.

Javed further said Pakistan is an Islamic state and "we have to discourage this culture (of boys and girls sitting together)."

Sargodha University is first public sector institute which has imposed this kind of ban in recent times.

Ali Ahtasham, a student of Sargodha University, said that the administration has actually given in to the pressure of a student wing.

"The extremists elements on campus earlier had thrashed some boys for sitting with girls," he said.

In Punjab University, the Islami Jamiat Tulba often thrash male students for sitting with girls but the administration did not ban 'couple' sittings.
Islamabad: Pakistan on Tuesday said it has expressed "serious concern" to the UN over a draft bill in the Indian Parliament over the map of Kashmir and called upon the world body to uphold its resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in "violation of international law".

Wrong depiction of the map of India could land the violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and

impose a fine up to Rs 100 crore, according to the draft 'Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016'.

"Pakistan has expressed serious concern to the United Nations Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, through letters by our Permanent Representative in New York, with regard to the Indian government's efforts to introduce a controversial 'Geospatial Information Regulation Bill' in the Indian Parliament," the Foreign Office (FO) said.

It further said that "in violation of UNSC resolutions, the official map of India has been depicting the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India which is factually incorrect and legally untenable".

Through the passage of this Bill, the Indian government would penalise the individuals and organisations who depict Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, the FO said.

"The letter calls upon the United Nations to uphold the UNSC resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in violation of international law," the FO said.

"We have urged the international community and the United Nations to fulfill their commitment with the people of Jammu and Kashmir by holding an independent and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices," it said.
New Delhi: On Tuesday India reacted strongly to Pakistan seeking UN intervention on the Indian draft bill on map, saying it was an "entirely internal legislative matter" and Pakistan or any other party has no locus standi on it.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said India "firmly rejects" repeated and increasing attempts by Pakistan to impose on the international community matters that it has always been open to address bilaterally with it.

"The proposed Bill is an entirely internal legislative matter of India, since the whole of the state of J&K is an integral part of India. Pakistan or any other party has no locus standi in the matter.

"The Government firmly rejects Pakistan's repeated and increasing attempts to impose on the international community matters that India has always been open to address bilaterally with Pakistan," Swarup said in response to a question on Pakistan Foreign Office press release on India's Geospatial Bill.

Earlier, in Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) issued a statement saying it has expressed "serious concern" to the UN over a draft bill in the Indian Parliament over the map of Kashmir and has asked the world body to uphold its resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in "violation of international law".

"Pakistan has expressed serious concern to the United Nations Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, through letters by our Permanent Representative in New York, with regard to the Indian government's efforts to introduce a controversial 'Geospatial Information Regulation Bill' in the Indian Parliament," it said.

It further said that "in violation of UNSC resolutions, the official map of India has been depicting the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India which is factually incorrect and legally untenable".

Terming the matter as domestic, Minister of State, Kiren Rijiju told ANI: It's our domestic matter, there was no need for Pakistan to respond on this. It is just a rough draft and at an initial stage. The bill will be introduced in Parliament only after taking into consideration suggestions of Indian citizens and stakeholders."

Its our domestic matter. It is just a rought draft, at an initial stage: Kiren Rijiju, MoS Home on 'map' bill issue pic.twitter.com/xf1cq1HQZA  ANI (@ANI_news) May 17, 2016

Wrong depiction of the map of India could land the violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and impose a fine up to Rs 100 crore, according to the draft 'Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016'.
New Delhi: The proposed official trip of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to UAE on Tuesday night has been delayed due to certain scheduling issues and he will now travel to Oman on 20 May and then to the Emirates.

Defence sources said Parrikar will first travel to Oman where he will hold talks with the country's top leadership.

He will then visit UAE on 22-23 May, they said.

Parrikar would be the first Indian Defence Minister to travel to UAE.

Parrikar's visit to the country comes just ahead of an air exercise being held between the air force of the two countries.

Indian fighter planes will stop by in UAE on the way back from the Red Flag air exercise in the US.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi's visit in 2015, India and UAE had decided to establish a strategic

security dialogue and boost defence ties besides resolving to work together in counter-terrorism operations, combating money laundering, drug trafficking and trans-national crimes.

The two sides had agreed to strengthen defence relations, including through regular exercises and training of naval,

air, land and special forces, besides cooperation in coastal defence.

The UAE had also said it will cooperate in manufacture of defence equipment in India.

Ahead of Parrikar's visit, a flotilla of three warships had reached Dubai on 7 May to demonstrate India's commitment to maritime relations with countries in the Gulf region.

He will visit Oman, considered to be closest to India among the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC), on 20 May.

Oman had signed a military protocol with India in 1972, which led to a three-year deputation of Indian Navy personnel

to man Oman's Navy in 1973.

An MoU on defence cooperation was also signed between India and Oman in 2005.

Areas of cooperation include joint military exercises, military training and IT, educational courses and exchange of

observers and formal visits.

India had trained 150 Omani military personnel in 2014-15.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Iran on 22-23 May as India looks at stepping up engagement with the sanctions-free energy-rich nation.

India is looking at doubling oil imports from the Persian Gulf nation, which a few years back was its second-biggest oil supplier, as well as getting rights to develop a giant gas field.

Also on cards is a deal on developing the Chabahar port.

"At the invitation of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Hassan Rouhani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Iran on 22-23 May 2016," the Ministry of External Affairs said announcing the visit.

During the visit, Modi will call on the Supreme Leader of Iran and will hold talks on a wide range of subjects of mutual

interest with Rouhani.

Post-sanctions Iran has seen a flurry of diplomatic and business activity with leaders from China to Russia courting Tehran.

In the run-up to Modi's visit, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had visited Tehran.

"India and Iran share longstanding civilisational ties. Iran is situated in India's extended neighbourhood and the two countries have significant overlap in their economic and security space.

"The visit of Prime Minister to Iran will seek to build on these commonalities by focussing on specific cooperation in regional connectivity and infrastructure, developing energy partnership, boosting bilateral trade, facilitating people-to-people interaction in various spheres and promoting peace and stability in the region," the MEA statement said.

The visit, it said, will provide thrust to expand bilateral cooperation and "mutually benefit from new opportunities in the wake of lifting of secondary sanctions against Iran."
Vienna: World and regional powers met Tuesday in an attempt to overcome stubborn divisions among Syrian factions that have led to the rise of Islamic extremists and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives since violence turned to war five years ago.

But the session is not expected to substantially advance efforts to find peace. A diplomat familiar with the talks said participants will agree on a document focusing on trying to firm up a shaky cease-fire and improving efforts to deliver humanitarian aid. He demanded anonymity because he is not authorised to discuss the statement before its release.

The talks include US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, as well as foreign ministers or other senior officials from more than 20 countries and organisations. They were convened after discussions meant to reduce differences between rival factions sputtered to a halt last month in Geneva amid a flare-up in fighting.

Any statement is not expected to touch on the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But going into the talks, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier repeated the position held by the West and the Saudi-backed opposition that a peace agreement should outline steps leading to the end of his rule.

"This is necessary because there can be no lasting future for this country with Assad," he told reporters. "This is why we must start negotiations here in Vienna ... about what a transition government could look like."

The current effort to end the five-year Syria conflict was largely spearheaded by Kerry and Lavrov, backed by major global and regional powers that formed the International Syria Support Group.

A truce brokered by the US and Russia sharply reduced violence in March, but has since been steadily eroding. The Vienna conference was called after UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura appealed last month to Washington and Moscow to directly intervene in putting the Syria dialogue back on track.

The Geneva talks foundered after the Western- and Saudi-backed opposition suspended formal participation in the indirect talks with Assad's envoys to protest alleged government cease-fire violations, a drop in humanitarian aid deliveries and no progress in winning the release of detainees in Syria.
Vienna: World power talks on ending the Syrian conflict broke up with no clear breakthrough Tuesday as new faction-fighting erupted and the death toll continued to mount.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov said the Syria contact group they co-chair had agreed to bolster a shaky ceasefire.

But underlying disagreements between Washington and Moscow on how to handle the crisis were on plain display, and the United Nations failed to name a date for new peace talks.

Meanwhile, human rights monitors said fierce new clashes between the rebel Jaish al-Islam and Al-Qaeda-backed factions had left 50 fighters and two civilians dead. And United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura said he could not invite Bashar al-Assad's regime and the Syrian opposition back to peace talks until there was a "credible" ceasefire.

Kerry said the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) had agreed there would be consequences for parties breaching the truce and vowed to maintain pressure on Assad. But Lavrov restated the Russian position that Assad's army is the best placed local faction to fight the Islamic State "terrorist" group and that Moscow would support it.

The evident divisions between Russia and the United States have cast a pall on efforts to agree a framework under which Syria would "transition" away from Assad's rule. And Kerry admitted the 1 August date set by the UN Security Council for agreement on the political framework was a "target" not a deadline, apparently softening the US stance.

Nevertheless, Kerry said the ISSG had agreed to strengthen its system for monitoring the ceasefire and that violators risked being expelled from the process. Washington regularly accuses Assad's forces of violating the truce and of bombing civilians, whereas Russia accuses rebel factions of carrying out massacres.

"We have agreed consequences for any side's actions that have an agenda other than that of trying to reach an agreement and trying to reach peace." The top US diplomat again accused Assad's forces of deliberately starving besieged areas and said UN humanitarian agencies would be ordered to drop food.

From 1 June, he said, if UN road convoys are denied access to areas, the ISSG will mandate "the World Food Program to immediately carry out ... air bridges and air drops." Lavrov did not dispute Kerry's account of the agreement, but said Moscow's emphasis was on the fight against the Islamic State group and others he deemed terrorists. "We don't support Assad, we support the fight against terrorism," he said, stressing that the strongman is the leader of a recognised UN member state.

"On the ground we don't see any more real and efficient force than the Syrian army, even given all its weaknesses." The Russian minister also accused certain other members of the ISSG of opposing strikes on the Al-Qaeda affiliate the Al-Nusra Front, which is not party to the ceasefire. "It means that Al Nusra is being looked upon as a means to contain the current regime. This is a dangerous development," he warned, vowing to take it up with Kerry.

Lavrov also denied that the ongoing ceasefire violations show that Moscow has less influence over its Damascus ally that was once thought. "As to whether Assad is ignoring our advice and our work with him or not  no, he is not ignoring it," he said.

"Assad is fully aware and remembers that he has taken upon himself responsibilities to stick to the sequence of steps spelled out in Resolution 2254." But Lavrov also recalled that the UN Security Council resolution that endorsed the peace plan had laid out that this transition could take up to 18 months. And this, only after the framework is agreed.

Fighting continues

For his part, De Mistura said his UN-mediated talks in Geneva would have little purpose if the killing continues. "The exact date, I am not at the moment revealing that," he said, referring to a possible resumption of indirect talks between the warring parties. "Credible intra-Syrian talks will be credible when there is a credible cessation of hostilities and credible progress on the humanitarian side."

Following the news conference the full ISSG released a joint statement agreeing to bolster the ceasefire, send humanitarian relief and push the political process. In one piece of positive news, at least from Washington's point of view, the formerly 17-nation group welcomed Japan, Australia, Spain and Canada as new members. But Washington's allies in the process, especially the Arab states backing Syria's rebels, are increasingly frustrated at Assad's apparent determination to stay on.

"There is no lasting future for Syria with Assad," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said as he arrived for the Vienna talks. Acting through the ISSG, Washington and Moscow chivvied the warring parties into a shaky ceasefire in late February, but pockets of violence remain.

Brutal crackdown

The Syrian war erupted in early 2011 after Assad's forces launched a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests, and has since claimed more than 270,000 lives. Millions have been driven from their homes and a wave of refugees has joined a flow of migrants struggling to escape to Europe, causing a humanitarian and political crisis. On the ground, US allies like Saudi Arabia and Turkey back some of the rebel factions, while Russia has dispatched war planes and advisors and Iran troops to back Assad.
Washington: The Obama administration lifted sanctions against 10 state-run Myanmar companies and banks Tuesday in response to the Southeast Asian nation's historic transition to democracy, but it retained restrictions on trade and investment with the still-powerful military.

The Treasury Department also amended regulations to support trade and financial transactions, intended to coax more US investment and support economic growth under the new civilian government in the country also known as Burma.

A new government took power in April after the party of former political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi swept historic elections, ending five decades of direct military rule. But the military retains political clout and major economic interests.

"Burma reached a historic milestone over the last year by holding competitive elections and peacefully transitioning to a democratically-elected government. Our actions today demonstrate our strong support for this political and economic progress while continuing to pressure designated persons in Burma to change their behavior," Adam Szubin, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence said in a statement.

"These steps will help to facilitate trade with non-sanctioned businesses and, in turn, help the people and Government of Burma achieve a more inclusive and prosperous future."

The US waived its longstanding bans on investment and trade in 2012 after Myanmar began political and economic reforms, but has retained restrictions on dozens of companies and individuals designated by Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control because they oppose reform, or are implicated in human rights abuses and military trade with North Korea. The U.S. also prohibits arms trading and business with companies majority-owned by the military.

The US business lobby complains that despite the easing of the broad economic sanctions, doing business remains difficult in Myanmar, one of the last major untapped markets in Asia.

Although several major US firms like Coca-Cola, General Electric, Chevron and Caterpillar are now operating in Myanmar, U.S. investment of $248 million represents less than 1 percent of total foreign investment there, a much lower proportion than in other Southeast Asian countries.

Several US lawmakers welcomed President Barack Obama's decision to renew Tuesday his authority to impose sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

New York Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley and Ohio Republican Rep. Steve Chabot said they remained concerned about attacks against ethnic minorities and the military's institutional power.

"Renewing the sanctions authority while easing some sanctions sends a clear message that the United States continues to stand in support of true democratic reform in Burma," the lawmakers said in a statement.

Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin was also supportive. He said Myanmar "is making meaningful political and economic progress, but its future remains uncertain."

Under the current, junta-era constitution, the military controls three key government ministries and 25 percent of parliamentary seats. Rights groups say stateless Rohingya Muslims and other minorities still face repression.

In a sign it was keeping up the pressure, Treasury said it was adding six companies to its list of Specially Designated Nationals, or SDN, that are barred from US business dealings. The businesses are owned 50 percent or more by Stephen Law and Asia World Co. Ltd, a conglomerate he heads. Law had ties to the former ruling junta and has been accused of involvement in the drugs trade.

The administration eased some bureaucratic requirements for US businesses.

Treasury extended indefinitely a sanctions workaround it announced in December, allowing trade-related transactions with designated companies which run ports and transportation services. Among the beneficiaries of that measure is Law's Asia World, which runs Myanmar's main port in Yangon.

The administration is also preparing within weeks to increase from $500,000 to $5 million the threshold of US investment in Myanmar that requires reporting to the State Department, according to U.S. officials who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the administration.

Dealings are now permitted with all Myanmar banks which have either been removed from the SDN list or been covered by waivers. Three were taken off the list Tuesday are Myanma Economic Bank; Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank; and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank.

The following state-run companies were taken off: Myanmar Timber Enterprise; Myanmar Pearl Enterprise; Myanmar Gem Enterprise; No. 1 Mining Enterprise; No. 2 Mining Enterprise; No. 3 Mining Enterprise; and Co-Operative Export-Import Enterprise. Treasury said these companies are organized under civilian ministries or no longer exist.

However, administration officials said a ban on the import of jade and rubies, one of Myanmar's most lucrative industries, remains in place.
London: London's relentless building boom has dug up another chunk of the city's history  one with a surprise for scholars of Shakespearean theater.

Archaeologists are excavating the remains of the Curtain, a 16th-century playhouse where some of the Bard's plays were first staged, before a new apartment tower sprouts on the site. Unexpectedly, the dig has revealed that the venue wasn't round, like most Elizabethan playhouses. It was rectangular.

That came as a surprise, because the best-known fact about the Curtain is that Shakespeare's Henry V was first staged here  and the play's prologue refers to the building as "this wooden O."

"This is palpably not a circle," Julian Bowsher, an expert on Elizabethan theaters, said during a tour of the site Tuesday.

The discovery has made Bowsher rethink some of his ideas about Tudor playhouses. He suspects that the Curtain  unlike the more famous Globe and Rose theaters  wasn't built from scratch, but converted from an existing building.

"Out of the nine playhouses that we know in Tudor London, there are only two that have no reference to any construction," he said  including the Curtain. "It's beginning to make sense now."

Where does that leave Henry V? Heather Knight, senior archaeologist at Museum of London Archaeology , said the play may still have premiered at the Curtain in 1599, but without the prologue.

"There's a school of thought now that says prologues were actually a later addition," she said.

The Curtain's remains were uncovered in 2011 on a site earmarked for development in Shoreditch, a scruffy-chic, fast-gentrifying area on the edge of London's financial district.

Archaeologists began excavating intensively last month, before construction began of a 37-story luxury apartment tower and office complex named  with a nod to its heritage  The Stage.

They will keep digging until the end of June, and visitors can book tours of the excavations as part of events to mark this year's 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death.

The site's developers have promised to keep the foundations of the historic theater on public view and to build a visitor center to display some of the archaeologists' finds. These include clay pipes that were used to smoke tobacco  introduced to Britain from North America in the 16th century  and a bird whistle which may have been used as a theatrical special effect. It could have featured in the scene in Romeo and Juliet  performed at the Curtain  in which the heroine reassures her lover that "it was the nightingale, and not the lark" that he'd heard.

Knight says the Curtain site "has probably the best preserved remains of any of the playhouses we've looked at."

The dig has uncovered the outline of a rectangular venue about 100 feet (30 meters) by 72 feet (22 meters) that could hold about 1,000 people. Workers have uncovered sections of the theater's gravel yard, where "groundlings" who had bought cheap tickets stood, and segments of wall up to five feet (1.5 meters) high.

The new building that will rise on the site  where apartments are being offered starting at 695,000 pounds ($1 million)  is part of a construction boom, fuelled by London's sky-high property prices, that is transforming large tracts of the city. In the process, it is creating something of a golden era for London archaeology.

Nearby, work on the new Crossrail transit line has uncovered everything from 14th-century plague victims to Roman sandals.

Knight says the Curtain dig is filling in the picture of one of the oldest and least-known London playhouses, which served as a base for Shakespeare's troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, between 1597 and 1599.

"This will give us real insight into these early playing spaces," Knight said. "It will help us understand the type of building that playwrights were writing for as well as performing in.

"It will also help us understand what type of audience was attending performances in these buildings. And also it'll fill in those gaps that are missing from the historical record."
Vienna: Senior envoys from world and regional powers are to meet once again in Vienna on Tuesday in an effort to salvage stumbling efforts to halt Syria's bloody civil war.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov  diplomacy's odd couple, at loggerheads over much else in the world  will chair the meeting.

At the gathering, the 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) will renew its call for a national cessation of hostilities and immediate humanitarian access to besieged communities.

But the third plank of the plan  a call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime and the rebels to agree on a "framework for political transition"  may cause headaches.

US officials travelling with Kerry say Washington still insists Assad should go, with an 1 August deadline for settling on the framework under which he does so.

But the Syrian strongman, bolstered by military support from Russia and Iran, has shown no sign he is prepared to leave and his forces are still battling for territory.

UN-mediated peace talks in Geneva under UN envoy Staffan de Mistura have made little headway and now even Washington's allies privately doubt the 1 August date will be met.

"The target for August is to have a framework in place, a framework agreed, for a political transition," a senior State Department official told reporters in Vienna.

"We're talking to the Russians, trying to get a better environment for the political negotiations," he said. "Particularly on the regime side."

The opposition coalition, he said, had been more open about how they would like to see the deal negotiated but Assad's people  while publicly backing talks  have not engaged.

"The regime is just not there, and I think that's really the key to it," he said.

This is a key that can only be turned by Russia, if at all. Moscow, Assad's key foreign backer, supports the ISSG platform on paper but backs Syrian government forces on the ground.

International law

Russia nevertheless endorsed the UN Security Council resolution that enshrined the ISSG peace plan in international law  and Lavrov says he supports it.

"Today we're a long way from the finish line," he said Monday, according to official Russian news agencies.

"But if everything decided under the auspices of the ISSG and the UN Security Council is put in place honestly, then there's every chance the situation won't stay as it is."

The situation on the ground as it stands is dire.

Washington and Moscow chivvied the warring parties into a shaky ceasefire in late February, but pockets of violence remain.

Meanwhile, regime forces continue to blockade several rebel-held areas around Damascus, stopping all humanitarian food and medical aid in defiance of the United Nations.

And jihadist groups the Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front, not party to the ceasefire or peace talks, still hold vast swathes of the country and carry out attacks.

On Monday, powerful blasts rocked a gas field after what observers said was an Islamic State group attack on the key infrastructure Syria will need if it is to rebuild.

Fighting has also broken out between Al-Nusra and other Islamist factions that chose to take part in the peace process, killing more than 300 fighters in recent weeks.

The Syrian war erupted in early 2011 after Assad's forces launched a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests, and has since killed more than 270,000 people.

Millions have been driven from their homes and a wave of refugees has joined a flow of migrants struggling to escape to Europe, causing a humanitarian and political crisis.

On the ground, US allies like Saudi Arabia and Turkey back some of the rebel factions, while Russia has dispatched war planes and advisors and Iran troops to back Assad.
SINGAPORE -- Global citizens with a Millennial Mindset now have a new meeting place. M Social Singapore is a 293-room lifestyle design hotel that thrives on an interplay of friendship, community and new experiences. In an increasingly digitised world, M Social believes it is the real-life connections that really matter. Here, comfort and customisation rank high on the list of priorities, but in a setting that is casual and convivial, without stuffy hotel cliches and formalities.

Situated along the historic and picturesque Singapore River, M Social overlooks the vibrant Robertson Quay enclave and is part of an integrated development which includes [email protected] Quay, a luxury apartment project developed by City Developments Limited. This exceptional location allows M Social's guests a haven of tranquillity in which to rest, a plethora of dynamic dining and cultural options to play, and the accessibility of the central business district to work  the whole of life in one perfect venue.

At its heart, M Social Singapore's chic interiors are envisioned by renowned French designer Philippe Starck. It debuts in Singapore the concept of "democratic design", where spaces around the hotel are accessible and flexible enough to cater to different needs with seamless ease. The theme is centred around being "snuggish"  think cosy guest rooms with warm colour tones, luxurious pashmina throws and thick carpets.

Complementing it are communal spaces that encourage gathering and mingling, embellished by fully customised art and design elements. For instance, the driveway is marked by sculptures of two bronze peanuts, as well as a cube. Underfoot, gaily patterned tiles make for a lively first impression. Occupying the reception area is a long high table that sits on an alabaster floor lit from the inside. Friendly front-of-house staff, clad in uniforms from Uniqlo  the first time the Japanese fashion label is collaborating with a hospitality brand in the world  will see to every need.

When in the mood for me-time, there is no shortage of personal space. Accommodation options have generous ceiling heights of up to 5m, and come in varying sizes and configurations. The Nicer Room has a terrace attached to it, while The Bigger Room is actually a duplex-style loft with a terrace.

M Social Singapore also prides itself on embracing technology. It is the first in the country to offer a self-check-in kiosk in the lobby to make the process fast and fuss-free. Placed within each room is a handy phone, a complimentary smartphone amenity pre-loaded with a city guide. Be sure to leave the hotel with it too, as it comes with unlimited data usage and free phone calls both locally and internationally.

Hungry? The crew at Beast & Butterflies will be happy to offer hearty fare created with influences from the East and West. From the kitchen comes dishes such as Great Rack of China, a rack of lamb marinated with Sichuan spices; and Demoburger, where a juicy slab of Wagyu beef comes perfectly grilled and accompanied by garlic cheese fries and mesclun salad with sesame dressing. Snacking and sharing is, of course, strongly encouraged.

Thirsty? The mixologists at Beast & Butterflies are ready to shake up artisanal cocktails. They hang out in one section of the restaurant that overlooks the Singapore River, flanked by two bar counters embedded with television screens. Gather and mingle with fellow travellers to swap stories on exciting adventures to be found just outside the doors of M Social Singapore.

But this is more than just a hotel; it is a lifestyle experience, which is why the M Social Committee has been created. Made up of key opinion leaders, it is responsible for curating a digital guide to Robertson Quay and attractions around Singapore for the millennial globe-trotter to connect with.

The Committee  made up of personalities such as Lim Sek (CEO, Music & Movement), Timothy Go (TV presenter and tech guru) and popular made-in-Singapore band The Sam Willows, whose hit "Take Heart" provides for the background music of the M Social brand video  plays a hand in curating the I M Social Series, a programme that will reinforce the hotel as a lively hub and host of thematic gatherings and activities. It is also open to residents of Robertson Quay, providing them with an additional avenue to meaningfully make use of their time. Regulars can join the M Social Club, where they can enjoy exclusive perks and privileges at the hotel.

M Social Singapore is now accepting reservations and offering an opening promotion from June 9 for a limited time only.

For more information, please refer to https://www.msocial.com.sg/

About Millennium & Copthorne Hotels

Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) is the global brand of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Limited (M&C), a global hotel company which owns, manages and operates over 145 hotels across some 80 locations. It has several distinct hotel brands, including Grand Millennium, Millennium, M Social, Copthorne and Kingsgate, throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand and the United States. Its properties are in key gateway cities such as London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Dubai, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong. Occupying the best locations around the world, MHR has the perfect address for business and leisure travellers. M&C is the hotel arm of Singapore-listed global real estate company City Developments Limited and is a member of the Hong Leong Group.

Visit www.millenniumhotels.com for more information.

Wong Wye Leng

PR Representative - LEAP Integrated Marketing Solutions

+65 9826 4097

Millennium
Articulate, well-qualified and experienced in her field of marketing, Zoe Brissett would appear to be an ideal candidate for an employer. Yet the 27-year-old Frenchs Forest woman has previously struggled to land a full time job.

Ms Brissett, who has a hearing impairment and cerebral palsy, learned not to mention her disability to recruiters ahead of a job interview.

"My chances of getting the job were lower if I disclosed beforehand," she said. "Whereas if I turned up at the interview without disclosing, at least they have a chance to see me for who I am and hear what I can offer them. The minute I mention disability before the interview, the attitude changes."

Now working full time in marketing, she believes some employers perceive workers with a disability as a potential burden rather than an attribute.
The father of one of 16 boys sexually abused by actor Jeremy Kewley says he and other families are "gutted" the man who caused so much devastation will spend less than two years in jail.

Kewley, a regular on Australian television for years with credits on Neighbours, Cop Shop, Stingers, The Sullivans and the legal drama Janus, was on Tuesday sentenced to 23 months in jail for sexual assaults against boys aged between nine and 14, who he had dressed in Lycra for auditions for roles in advertisements and films.

The offending, between 1989 to 2011, involved Kewley pressing himself against some boys, putting a hand on the groins of others and kissing some on the face. He also pulled some boys' costumes tight to emphasise their genitals, while a video camera recorded everything.

The boys were told the physical contact was part of an audition for either a scene for a short film, or an advertisement. While the boys were being sexually exploited, their parents sat downstairs in Kewley's home, unaware what was really happening.
Turkeys ruling AK Party on Tuesday faces the first test of its unity since Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced he was stepping down, as parliament prepares to vote on a divisive bill to lift lawmakers immunity from prosecution.

Brawls broke out in previous debates over the bill this month between members of the AKP and the pro-Kurdish HDP opposition, which says the legislation is designed to target them and to suppress dissent.

President Tayyip Erdogan, who founded the AKP, has called for members of the HDP to face prosecution, accusing them of links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group which has waged a three-decade insurgency in the largely Kurdish southeast.

The HDP, parliaments third biggest party, denies direct links with the militant group.

The vote comes two weeks after Davutoglu said he would leave office at an AKP congress on May 22 following an increasingly public rift with Erdogan, which fueled speculation of splits inside the party. Davutoglus successor as head of the AKP is widely expected to be a staunch Erdogan ally.

Tuesdays vote on the bill to lift lawmakers immunity will be a secret ballot as it concerns constitutional change. An anonymous Twitter account seen as close to Erdogan loyalists, which previously predicted Davutoglus departure, said 71 AKP deputies would oppose the bill.

The bill will need the support of at least 367 deputies in the 550-seat assembly to be passed directly, or it could be taken to a referendum if it wins 330 votes but falls short of the 367.

Opposition support

God willing we will lift immunities on Friday, said AKP lawmaker Bulent Turan, forecasting the first round of voting would be completed overnight with a second round on Friday. He said his party would go for a national vote if needed.

If it means a referendum, let there be a referendum. We fear nothing, Turan told reporters.

If approved, the law will remove the immunity of members of parliament who currently face investigation  targeting 138 deputies, of whom 100 are from the HDP and main opposition CHP.

The CHP and nationalist MHP have signaled support for the bill, giving potential support of 489 deputies out of 550 seats in the assembly. However deputies do not vote in line with party orders on constitutional issues and the voting is secret.

Turkish lawmakers currently have immunity from prosecution while they are in office. The police can file dossiers against politicians, which can lead to a legal process once they cease to be sitting members of parliament.
Whether or not the Infectious Diseases Building should occupy the area set by the government on Guia Hill next to the Public Hospital (CHCSJ) seems to not only be dividing public opinion, but also the lawmakers.

The Legislative Assembly (AL) met in plenary meeting yesterday to debate the topic, requested individually by the lawmakers Au Kam San, Song Pek Kei, Si Ka Lon and Leong Veng Chai.

Au Kam San stated his reasons for disagreement with the government saying, We understand the importance of the [infectious diseases] building, nobody is against of its construction. We are just concerned with its localization and with the need for locating it in such a high-density location, he said.

Lawmaker Song Peng Kei echoed the sentiments, adding: It would be better if the main [infectious diseases] unit could be located in the future Islands Health Complex.

Song also advanced the possibility that a [smaller] CHCSJ-based unit could be an addition to complement the Islands Unit.

Agreeing with Song was Chan Iek Lap who considered the location of the Islands as more suitable for the safeguarding of the population and of health services professionals.

On the government side, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, tried to explain to the lawmakers the need for this building to be located at the site of CHCSJ, emphasizing that it is essential in order to provide better conditions for both patients and the health service professionals.

Tam explained: This localization is due to the need for support of other services [from the main hospital] improving the treatment of the patients.

The secretary also explained that locating Infectious Diseases Units together with main hospital facilities is also a world trend, citing the examples of Hong Kongs Princess Margaret Hospital and Guangzhous Peoples 8th Hospital that are also following the international trend.

Answering lawmaker Lei Cheng I, Tam added: An early diagnosis and a fast response are very important factors in the early stages [of treatment]. Building near the general hospital will allow a fast response in diagnosis and isolation.

Another of the questions directed to the government from several lawmakers was in regards to both the time and budget needed to build the unit. Proponents such as Secretary Tam admitted that, with several unanswered questions remaining, the original MOP630 million seem unlikely to be enough anymore. Meanwhile, a deadline answer was left to Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosario, to be provided at a later date.

Lawmaker Sio Chi Wai said that, although some polemics in society seem to agree that there is a need for the [infectious diseases] building, he thinks that government should disclosure more detailed information about the project. I think the government is doing the right thing but maybe the population needs more information, he said regarding the many concerns raised by neighboring residents.

Tam replied that authorities took the initiative to engage in dialogue with several entities and with the public in general as well as the media. I held 21 sessions to clarify [the safety] of this building already, he added, concluding: To continue to delay is to waste time which can carry serious consequences.

Angela Leong was another of the lawmakers calling for more transparency in order to clear all doubts and concerns from the population. She added concerns regarding the protection of the section of the old city walls and raised questions about the differences between the unit that the government proposes to build by the side of CHCSJ and the building that will be built in the Islands Complex.

The secretary explained that the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) visited the old city walls two years ago and has undertaken protection and consolidation works, guaranteeing that the wall will not be affected.

As for the unit intended for inclusion in the Islands Health Complex, Tam said it would be more related to different and more serious cases like radioactivity contamination and biochemical attacks.

Another of the guarantees left by Tam was that the building was perfectly safe and would following the highest standards that exist within this field.

It is not us saying that it is safe, it is all the experts  from China and from the World Health Organization  that are saying this. We are following the strict criteria from these organizations. We have even stricter standards than the USA, Tam said.

The secretary further reminded lawmakers that U.S. standards require a distance of 25 meters between an Infectious Disease building and other residential buildings while Macau is adhering to a gap of about 30 meters.

chan iek lap supports plan

Chan Iek Lap was one of the lawmakers showing support for the plan Some people are treating the [infectious diseases] building like a leprosarium, trying to push it as far as possible from population. This is wrong thinking, said the medically trained lawmaker, who graduated at Jinan University. This is not a place for people to await their death. This is to save and heal people. [] We must think what is more valuable: landscapes or peoples lives.
The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) has clarified that it conducts regular inspections of the greyhounds housed at Macaus Yat Yuen Canidrome facility, though it would not comment on the condition or treatment of the animals.

The greyhound-racing facility has come under fire in recent weeks after local animal rights group Anima (Macau) challenged Canidrome representatives to a live televised debate on the merits of keeping the track open. The government is expected to make a decision this year on the facilitys renewal.

A representative of IACM told the Times that the dogs at the facility are quarantined mandatorily by IACM and are vaccinated against rabies on a regular basis by their veterinarian staff.

IACM did not respond to requests for a statement on the treatment of greyhounds at the Canidrome. This is despite the fact that their regular inspections give them frequent access to the site.

The organization is also responsible for granting licenses for the import of live animals to Macau, all of which are required to undergo a health inspection, as stated on IACMs website.

Additionally, according to a statement released by the organization, the veterinary staff provide services to the IACM-run Macau and Coloane Kennels, where as many as 100 captured dogs are kept.

Under the Municipal Code, the captured dogs are kept for 72 hours while authorities wait for owners to reclaim them. Some captured or abandoned dogs are made available for adoption once approved by IACMs veterinarians, however a representative of the bureau was unable to clarify by press time as to what happens to the rest of the captured dogs once the 72-hour period expires.

The Macau and Coloane Kennels provide a clean and safe shelter for keeping captured and abandoned dogs temporarily. They are fed and taken care of by staff and vets of the municipal kennel, including veterinary care, read a statement from the bureau.

Lawmaker Pereira Coutinho told the Times this week that he believes the Canidrome will be successful in lobbying for a renewal but they will probably close down.

I think that the [Canidrome] company wants to close down the facility but they want to trade something in exchange [for that], as compensation. Maybe they are after the plot of land, said Coutinho. Then they can build some residential housing on that land.

New Macau Association (ANM) president Scott Chiang told the Times that nearby residents are uninterested in the dog racing activities at the center, and many do not even know that they are taking place.

We actually held a workshop last year in the neighborhood next to the facility where we collected opinions about what this place means to them, explained Chiang. Most people dont care. Many do not even know what is going on there.

It is therefore not of great value to people nearby, he added.

Asked whether Chiang thinks that the facility will be renewed this year he replied: I am not going to guess their [the governments] motives but the reasonable thing to do is to end the contract that is earning basically no profit.

According to Anima (Macau) President Albano Martins, the Canidrome has only managed to stay financially afloat in recent years due to taxation reductions granted by the government. Martins is calling on the government to cancel the facilitys license this year should the issue of its renewal be addressed.
The European Union Academic Program  Macau (EUAP-M) organized a talk last week at the University of Macau (UM) on the development of the press in the territory during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The talk, entitled Early Press in Macau: Claiming Autonomy and Identity in an International Context, was delivered by Catia Miriam Costa from the Centre for International Studies in Lisbon, who stated that the early English newspapers in Macau played an important part in intelligence gathering during the Qing dynasty.

Starting from the foundation of Macaus first periodical publication in 1822, Costa traced the early history of the territorys press, detailing the simultaneous evolution of English, Portuguese and Chinese-

language newspapers.

She noted that aside from the noteworthy influence of the Portuguese and Chinese newspapers in the territory, the English-language press was circulated in southern China where the publication of many other early periodicals was not permitted.

It was a way of disseminating information to the Mainlands Canton province, Costa explained during the seminar.

They [foreign media] also contributed to China in the early 20th century in the new cultural movement, when they [China] sought to adopt new innovations and modern concepts, added Agnes Lam, a lawmaker in the Legislative Assembly and an associate professor at UM, who chaired a panel discussion after the talk.

Lam was speaking jointly about English and Portuguese-language newspapers in the territory.

At that time, the Chinese were seeking to gather some foreign intelligence so they collected the foreign newspapers from Macau, collated them and sent them to the Emperor [] China used them to understand what was going on in the region in terms of intelligence [] and to understand the British, clarified Lam.

During this era, English-language publications mainly detailed missionary and business interests, such as shipping information and rules for trading in and around the territories of Macau and Hong Kong.

Firstly the Jesuits printed [in Macau], then the religious settlers, and then traders such as the British East India Company, and other Chinese traders from Guangdong, she added.

On another level, the English press across Asia represented a deeper geopolitical struggle for influence between British and American rival interests on the continent. The British were wary of the Americans trying to get a foothold in southern China, explained Costa.

The Lisbon-based researcher attributed the rise of modern periodicals in Macau to much of the same trends and movements that were sweeping around the world during the 19th century: the trio of liberalism, republicanism and Catholicism.

These prevalent ideas influenced the founders and writers of foreign-language publications in Macau, eventually culminating in growing demands for autonomy and independence in the territory.

All the Portuguese and English newspapers [in Macau] are considered foreign papers among the Chinese, said Agnes Lam, even those with distinctly Macau-based roots. [However] the Chinese press in Macau were Chinese without [reflecting] a local identity from Macau.

It was the non-Chinese periodicals which were those to claim some independent identity for Macau, added Lam, continuing on to say ideas of separatism, independence and liberty grew with the proliferation of these periodicals.

While the Portuguese media predated the English-language periodicals in Macau, most of them did not last very long and were governed by the Portuguese administration that only granted select outlets permission to print.

Nevertheless, between 1822 and 1930, 51 newspapers and magazines were established, representing an average of a new periodical about every two years.

Macau-based periodicals matured and in time developed strong reputations in the Asia-Pacific and an extensive outreach. As many as 22 papers published in Macau were distributed to Hong Kong and Shanghai, and some, by the final decades of the 100-year period, had spread as far as Hawaii and San Francisco.
The G2E Asia 2016 Conference commenced yesterday at The Venetian, welcoming over 180 exhibitors, 800 VIPs, and buyers from across the globe. The events opening ceremony brought together local government, business organizations, and representatives of the international gaming industry.

This years exhibition will be highlighting the fast-growing iGaming Zone, which has attracted more than double the number of exhibitors compared to last year.

The 2016 edition presents yet another exciting lineup of events and opportunities to learn about the development in Asias gaming conference, said Hu Wei, President of Reed Exhibitions Greater China.

Hu Wei believes that Asias gaming industry is currently undergoing a transformation and is to present numerous exciting opportunities.



With 6500 pre-registered visitors from over 95 countries, it is clear that this is a show the industry trusts, added the president in his welcoming remarks during the opening ceremony.

Meanwhile Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association is optimistic about the gaming markets stabilization in Macau.

The numbers are still quite strong, its still a 27-28 billion dollar market. I know that our members that are here, theyre making investments for the long term, stated Freeman to the reporters on the sidelines of the event.

When asked if Macau could be similar to Las Vegas, where income is generated from both gaming and non-gaming markets, Freeman claimed that Macau is already making billions of dollars from the development of the citys non-gaming activities.

Theres a bright future for it, non-gaming has great potential but it has to move in concert with the customers. Its developing here in Macau, said Freeman. People should feel good about the development.

Although the penetration of the market within China is still quite minimal, Freeman stated that the potential for continued growth in the regions gaming market is enormous, and admitted optimism about gaming revenues in the upcoming second quarter. Staff reporter
The government has recently re-acquired two boat docks located in the Inner Harbor, with plans to utilize them for space for the extension of an exclusive bus lane, according to a report by Macao Daily News.

The docks, namely the No. 23 and No. 25 docks of the Inner Harbor, are part of the current four wooden structured docks in the area.

Lei Cheok Kuan, president of the Industry and Commerce Federation of Macau Central and Southern District, has suggested for the government to provide funds for docks owners. The funds could be deployed to facilitate maintenance and appearance of the docks and consequently, to assist tourism. Since the Inner Harbor is located in the vicinities of both the Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro and Avenida de Cinco de Outubro, Kuan has advocated that communities in the area could once again flourish with the provision of this support from the government.

Lam Fat Iam, head of the Centre of Sino-Western Cultural Studies of the Macau Polytechnic Institute, has highlighted the unique architectural and historical background of the Inner Harbor, which may have great commercial value. Lam explained that the docks have witnessed the rise and fall of Macaus fishing industry and port trade and as such, should be regarded as one of the citys defining features.

According to Lam, the Inner Harbor began to lose its popularity in the 1990s, when ferries and casinos were successively relocated.

The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau of Macau announced earlier this week that the Inner Harbor View will be included in the Taking a Walk through the Streets of Macau tour from this October. Staff reporter
Hong Kong authorities rolled out a massive security operation yesterday as they braced for protests during a top Beijing officials visit to the semiautonomous city, where tensions are rising over Chinese rule.

Thousands of police officers were deployed as Zhang Dejiang, Chinas third-highest-ranking Communist Party official, began his three-day inspection visit to the former British colony. Zhang, chairman of the National Peoples Congress, Chinas ceremonial parliament, is the most senior Chinese official to visit Hong Kong since then-President Hu Jintao came in 2012.

The stepped-up security, including officers keeping watch on a mountain peak far from the city center, reflects official unease about possible disruptions as Hong Kongs political atmosphere grows increasingly turbulent.

Discontent over Beijings tightening grip on Hong Kong has risen since pro-democracy street protests rocked the Asian financial hub in late 2014, and calls for independence from radical political groups have become commonplace.

After arriving at the airport, Zhang, whos also the Chinese official in charge of Hong Kong affairs, touched on the citys fraying ties with the mainland, saying he would listen to suggestions and requests from various sectors of society on [] the development of the country and Hong Kong.

Zhang is scheduled to deliver a speech at a business conference today morning. Hes also expected to hold a rare meeting with four pro-democracy lawmakers, who said they would urge him to get rid of the citys unpopular Beijing-backed leader, Leung Chun-ying, and revive political reform efforts.

Around 6,000 police officers are on duty for Zhangs visit, the South China Morning Post reported. Officers were even dispatched to the summit of Lion Rock, one of Hong Kongs tallest peaks, the Apple Daily newspaper said. However, they failed to prevent activists from unfurling a pro-democracy banner lower down the mountainside.

Police set up hundreds of plastic water-filled safety barriers on the streets surrounding the downtown convention center where Zhang will speak and the hotel next door where hes staying.

In another sign of official nervousness over the visit, authorities glued together sidewalk paving stones to prevent them from being ripped up and hurled by protesters. Pavers were thrown during a February riot involving a pro-independence group that left 90 people injured.

Police in the neighboring mainland city of Shenzhen arrested a Hong Kong man involved in a plot to use a drone to disrupt Zhangs visit, Chinas official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday. Kelvin Chan, Hong Kong , AP
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry backed providing weapons to Libyas unity government to assist in the fight against Islamic State and other jihadist groups, a move endorsed at a meeting of top diplomats of nations from Italy and the U.K. to Russia and Saudi Arabia.

The idea makes sense, Kerry said after talks in Vienna with the head of the unity administration, Fayez al-Sarraj, and representatives of more than 20 nations. Sarraj said his Government of National Accord would supply the United Nations with a list of weapons it needs as soon as possible. The UN would have to provide exemptions to an arms embargo before weapons could be shipped.

The envoys met in the Austrian capital on Monday to discuss ways to bolster Sarrajs UN-backed government, the most significant attempt so far to end the violence that has fractured Libya since the ouster of former leader Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. But Sarraj has yet to win the support of powerful armed factions based in Libyas east, which are contesting control of the crucial oil industry.

It is imperative to put the international communitys full weight behind the Government of National Accord, Kerry said. It is the only way to ensure that vital institutions such as the central bank and the national oil company, that they fall under representative and acknowledged authority.

Sarrajs government will get those weapons and bullets needed to fight Islamic State, Kerry said. Parties within Libya that obstruct or undermine the countrys political transition will face U.S. sanctions, he said.

Kerry remains in Vienna on yesterday, where hes expected to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the UNs envoy for Syria, Staffan De Mistura. Theyll be joined by top officials from 17 countries to explore ways to politically resolve the war in Syria.

The disintegration of Libya after Qaddafi was deposed should be taken as a lesson for negotiators trying to find a way forward for Syria, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said yesterday in a conference call from Moscow.

Libya shows that there is no alternative to a political settlement, it shows the absolute short-shortsightedness of a blinkered approach which has no flexibility, Peskov said. Russia has argued that removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would unleash greater chaos and repeat mistakes made in Iraq and Libya, where the overthrow of long-standing regimes gave free rein to militant groups.

Libyas government was formed under a UN-mediated peace deal last year. The agreement is backed by Western allies as the only way to stem spiraling unrest that has plagued the North African nation and enabled Islamic State to expand along the southern Mediterranean coast.

Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who joined the gathering of diplomats at the roughly three-hour meeting in Vienna, ruled out a wholesale lifting of the UN arms embargo but said humanitarian aid and weapons could help Sarrajs government bring stability to the country.

Speaking at the briefing with Kerry and Sarraj, Gentiloni also ruled out putting boots on the ground in Libya, while pledging support in several security dimensions.

The international community stands ready and the U.S. stands ready to provide humanitarian, economic and security support, said Kerry, who added that nobody is talking about inserting troops into the conflict.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters in Washington on Monday that small teams of U.S. forces already have gone into Libya to gather intelligence on the ground about Islamic State forces expanding their foothold in the country.

Sarraj announced last week that Libya would create a special force to fight Islamic State. The group already has 3,000 well-trained fighters in Libya, Hans-Jacob Schindler, an expert with the UNs sanctions monitoring team, said by phone from New York, and will have many more if the group continues to lose territory in its Syrian and Iraqi strongholds.

If Syria and Iraq would end tomorrow, then Libya would definitely be No. 1 for Islamic State, he said. Libya is very much already a hub. Jonathan Tirone, Bloomberg
Nine years ago Father Amado Picardal helped bury a teenager from a slum family who was gunned down by motorcycle-riding assassins in the southern Philippine city of Davao. The death was among hundreds in the large port city blamed on an anti-crime purge some believed was secretly run by its mayor, Rodrigo Duterte.

Memories of that violence flashed back in the Roman Catholic priests mind when the tough-talking mayor triumphed in last weeks presidential election on a pledge to replicate his Davao crime-busting style in the rest of the Philippines.

I felt sad and depressed, Picardal said of Dutertes rise.

A Duterte presidency is very frightening, he said in an interview, adding that human rights groups will need to keep a close watch and document any violations, especially extrajudicial killings, in the next six years under Dutertes presidency.

From his 22 years as mayor to the presidential campaign trail, Duterte has never minced words about his deadly objective for criminals. But he has generally denied the existence of death squads in his city.

However, investigations by the Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines, a senior U.N. official, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and a group led by Picardal that opposed summary executions have concluded otherwise.

Clarita Alia, a vegetable vendor and the mother of the young man that Picardal helped bury in Davao in 2007, said she is willing to testify if a case against Duterte goes to court. Three other sons of hers who were suspected of crimes she said they did not commit were also killed by motorcycle-riding hitmen.

Dutertes bold campaign pledge to end crime and corruption within six months, his iron-fisted approach to law and order, and his public threat to kill all criminals helped catapult the longtime mayor into the presidency. But his tough anti-crime reputation may now haunt him as he comes under a national and international spotlight and tries to achieve his promise.

A former prosecutor who experienced the legal complexities of battling criminals, Duterte was first elected mayor in 1988. Nicknamed Duterte Harry after the Clint Eastwood character with little regard for rules, he served as hundreds of suspected criminals, drug dealers and addicts were gunned down or fatally stabbed in a wave of brazen attacks by motorcycle-riding gunmen dubbed by the media as the Davao Death Squads, or the DDS.

On the final day of campaigning 10 days ago, he made clear he would continue to employ his hard-line approach to crime as president.

All of you who are into drugs, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you, Duterte told a huge crowd in Manila. I have no patience, I have no middle ground, either you kill me or I will kill you idiots.

But he has denied any role in gangland-style killings, at one point blaming warring gangs for the violence.

Investigators say they have found no hard evidence of a direct role by Duterte in the vigilante-style killings, saying not one witness has come forward to testify against him, possibly for fear of reprisals.

In a report, the Commission on Human Rights said 206 people, mostly suspected criminals and including 19 minors, were slain in shootings and stabbings attributed to the death squads from 2005 to 2009 alone, adding that there were witnesses to at least 94 of the killings.

Nobody wanted to testify, said Loretta Ann Rosales, who headed the commission at the time. There was a measure of fear. We cant prove his criminal liability because nobody would say that he ordered the killings.

Phelim Kine of the U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch said it found no hard evidence of any direct role by Duterte in 28 death-squad killings, mostly from 2007 to 2008, that it investigated.

What is unquestionable is that we found evidence that Davao city officials and police were directly involved and that evidence merits a thorough investigation by the Philippine authorities, Kine said, adding that his group wasnt aware if the government had acted on the findings.

In its 2009 report, Human Rights Watch said many of the killers were former Marxist rebel hitmen or targeted criminals who turned into DDS gunmen to avoid death. It said they were armed with .45 caliber pistols and paid to carry out the executions by their boss.

The boss provides members of a death squad team with as little as the name of the target, and sometimes an address and a photograph. Police stations are then notified to ensure that police officers are slow to respond, enabling the death squad members to escape, the human rights group said.

The motive appears to be simple expedience: courts are viewed as slow or inept. The murder of criminal suspects is seen as easier and faster than proper law enforcement, it said.

Philip Alston, then the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions who looked into the Davao violence, said in a 2008 report that it would be a polite euphemism to describe the killers as vigilantes given the shocking predictability with which they killed their victims, adding many of them didnt even wear masks.

One fact points very strongly to the officially sanctioned character of these killings: No one involved covers his face. The men who warn mothers that their children will be the next to die unless they make themselves scarce turn up on doorsteps undisguised, Alston said.

Rosales said the Philippine human rights commission asked the Ombudsman, which prosecutes officials for wrongdoing, to investigate Duterte in 2012 for possible administrative liability for his inaction in the face of evidence of numerous killings committed in Davao City and his toleration of the commission of those offenses.

Her commission cited the countrys constitution, local laws and international conventions that bind the Philippine government and its officials to protect human rights and effectively investigate and prosecute violators.

That attempt failed, however, when Duterte was let off by a Philippine legal doctrine that absolves newly elected officials from administrative liabilities they may have committed in past terms, Rosales said. Duterte was reelected mayor in 2013.

The Supreme Court struck down that doctrine last year due to complaints that it had blocked the prosecution of officials accused of wrongdoing and corruption.

Although Duterte was cleared, 21 high-ranking police officials who were not covered by the doctrine were found guilty of simple neglect of duty by the Ombudsman in 2012 for failing to stop death squad assaults in their areas that killed 720 people from 2005 to 2008.

Each officer was fined the equivalent of one month of salary, according to the Ombudsmans office.

Despite his brash campaign rhetoric, Duterte will find it hard to bring his Davao crime-fighting style to the rest of the country because of the oversight of Congress, the judiciary and other agencies that check abuses. The world will be watching too, said Picardal, who was assigned to Davao for many years until he moved to Manila in 2011.

There are checks and balances, he said. The eyes of the nation and the world are on him.

The 61-year-old priest said he understands that the nearly 16 million Filipinos who voted for Duterte for president have a legitimate yearning for change because of their exasperation over crime and corruption. Some may not even be aware that the killings in Davao were real and not just Dutertes bluster, he said.

But for those who were aware and glossed over the deadly violence that blighted Davao, Picardal said he hopes they will examine their conscience and not yield to desperation.

What Im afraid of is that well become a nation where a lot of people have lost a sense of right and wrong, he said. Jim Gomez, Manila, AP
CHINAs official media reaffirmed the Communist Partys longstanding judgment that the Cultural Revolution was a catastrophic mistake.

MYANMAR The Obama administration lifted sanctions against 10 state-run Myanmar companies and banks yesterday in response to the nations historic transition to democracy, but it retained restrictions on trade and investment with the still-powerful military.

INDONESIA Three Thai fishing boat captains have escaped from custody in Indonesia after their vessels were seized with dozens of trafficked foreign fishermen on board, an official said yesterday.

PHILIPPINES Nine years ago Father Amado Picardal helped bury a teenager from a slum family who was gunned down by motorcycle-riding assassins in the southern city of Davao. He says it was whispered that the man behind the killing was none other than Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who was running an anti-crime campaign in the vast port city.

NEPAL detained a British man over his alleged participation in an anti-government protest, just two weeks after expelling a Canadian for criticizing the government on social media. The detentions have sparked concerns over the Himalayan countrys democracy.

SINGAPOREs Minister for Trade and Industry, S Iswaran, launched yesterday the Singapore Center for 3D Printing, a research body of Nanyang Technological University that will conduct research and develop innovations for manufacturing technologies and precision engineering. 3D printing, or Additive Manufacturing, is the way that three-dimensional objects are printed layer by layer by a machine.

SRI LANKAs government says the death toll from floods and landslides across the country has risen to 11, with six others reported missing.

PERUVIAN presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori rejected allegations her partys general secretary is involved in money laundering and accused her political adversaries of trying to sabotage her campaign less than three weeks before the presidential runoff.

AUSTRIAs new Chancellor Christian Kern said hell concentrate on winning back voters to the political center after the populist right won a surprise victory last month in the first round of the presidential election.
It will take more than a Global Declaration Against Corruption to rid the world of an age-old scourge, but dont dismiss last weeks anti-corruption summit in London too quickly. The surge of interest in the issue is all to the good  and an opportunity that shouldnt be wasted.

Graft may always be with us, but governments can choose either to tolerate and even assist it, or to confront it vigorously. One of the simplest and best ways to fight back is through sharing information. Letting the fruits of bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion be hidden away enables the crime.

Ahead of the meeting, more than 300 economists called on world leaders to restrict the use of shell companies and vehicles that conceal the ownership of assets. They make a good case. Theres nothing wrong with owning assets abroad, and investors are entitled to expect appropriate confidentiality  but that doesnt justify a policy of hiding information from other tax and law enforcement authorities.

Pressure on governments that offer such invisibility can yield results. Following the outcry over the so-called Panama Papers, for example, Panama and four other jurisdictions have promised to share information on nonresidents holdings of assets.

Yet tax havens arent necessarily poor or small. British Prime Minister David Cameron was recently caught on camera calling Nigeria fantastically corrupt. At the summit, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, elected on an anti-corruption platform, didnt dissent. Instead, he asked for Britains help in finding stolen Nigerian assets parked in London.

Real estate is one of the easiest ways to launder ill-gotten wealth, and in this regard, Britain has developed a reputation it shouldnt want. More than 100,000 properties in England and Wales, and more than 44,000 in London alone, are owned by foreign companies. Cameron has promised changes, such as making foreign companies that own property in the U.K. declare their assets on a new public register. Hes also announced plans for a new anti-corruption coordination center in London, and tougher treatment for executives who fail to prevent fraud or money laundering in their companies.

The U.S. is another haven for offshore wealth. How ironic  no, how perverse  that the USA, which has been so sanctimonious in its condemnation of Swiss banks, has become the banking secrecy jurisdiction du jour, wrote one Swiss lawyer recently. Earlier this month, the White House said it would act to restrict the use of shell companies in the U.S.

Steps like these shouldnt need to wait for global corruption summits. But better late than never. Editorial Board, Bloomberg
TWIN FALLS  U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker presented Hamilton Manufacturing with the Presidents E Award for Exports at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Monday.

The Presidents E Award is the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports. Accepting the award for Hamilton Manufacturing were CEO Christy Hamilton Eames, President Tom Eames and Vice President Matt Smith.

HMI has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion, Pritzker said in her congratulatory letter to the company. The E Awards Committee was very impressed with HMIs development of new products for export markets. The companys participation in international trade missions and trade shows was also particularly notable. HMIs achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs.

Hamilton Manufacturing is a fourth-generation, family- owned and -operated manufacturing facility that was established in 1962. It was one of the first cellulose insulation manufacturing facilities in the United States. As erosion control and green building specialists, the company provides service to projects in more than 15 U.S. states and 30 countries worldwide.

Exporting continues to be the foundation of our sales growth, and we are honored to receive the E Award, Eames said. When we first began exporting in 1997, we only exported two products. During the past 19 years, export sales have grown substantially, enabling us to sustain jobs and even expand our work force. We now export multiple products.

In 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order reviving the World War II E symbol of excellence to honor and provide recognition to Americas exporters. On Monday, Secretary Pritzker honored 123 U.S. companies with the Presidents E Award for their work to reduce barriers to foreign markets and to open the door to more trade around the world.

For information about the E Awards and exporting, visit export.gov.
BURLEY  Inside the 1940s era, roughly 6,000 square-foot building at 1340 Overland Avenue is a marketing business with the modern look and feel right out of the Silicon Valley. To the right in the front is a stage for weekly presentations. In the back is a large open space with a ping pong table, breakout rooms and studio room where they film instructional videos and display backdrops they sell. Most of the walls are exposed brick. Those that arent are adorned with mustachioed artwork. Follow the stained wooden floor up front and youll find a dozen or so young employees huddled at their iMacs.

But this isnt the Bay Area of California.

This is Burley, where Nifty Marketing employees are helping Fortune 100 brands across the country with marketing strategies. Its where owner Mike Ramsey has brought a little diversity to the local job market and offered an avenue for some Mini-Cassia college students and graduates who otherwise may have moved out of state for work.

A lot of people said it wouldnt work, Ramsey said. You couldnt do it from a place like Burley and what I found is a lot of people dont have the opportunity to move back to their home  to Burley. Theres just not that many professional jobs outside of agriculture.

Niftys employees range from marketing strategists to website designers and programmers all with the goal of helping big brands market themselves online in specific geographic locations. Nifty Law takes care of website development and online marketing for lawyers, which Ramsey said is the bulk of his business.

In the back of the building, by the ping pong table, is a space for another business owned by Ramsey, Photo Pie Backdrops. Here they sell custom-printed backdrops that were manufactured in North Carolina and Colorado. Among their clients: Disney, Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises.

Things began in Rexburg, where Ramsey was working for a pest control company while attending classes at Brigham Young University-Idaho. In one class, he had to come up with an online business and run it. His was a venture that sold Idaho potatoes to be shipped across the country. The experience got him into the world of marketing.

I decided that instead of going to work for this pest control company, I would start my own consulting marketing company, he said.

Thus began Nifty Marketing in his hometown in 2009. For a little while, his Nifty employees bounced from other spots in downtown Burley including the current office location of The Voice. He started the Mini-Cassia newspaper a few years after Nifty Marketing.

Nifty, however, was growing so much that he simply couldnt run both businesses so he sold the paper to the Times-News. The experience of running the paper taught him to work under deadline, he said.

Ramsey opened an office in Boise, which has five employees. In Burley there are 15, many with local ties. One, is 20-year-old Roman Rivera, who graduated from Minico High School in 2014 and moved across the river to Burley to work for Ramsey.

He studies computer science at CSI while working at Nifty Marketing. Hes picked up Internet coding and working in Wordpress at Nifty but its search engine optimization that he mostly deals with. Riveras job is helping local businesses get their links and content onto Googles first pages by incorporating keywords that tie into what work the companies do.

Its not work Rivera imagined he could do in Mini-Cassia after graduating from high school. It wasnt until his mom, who works with Ramseys wife, told him about Nifty that he reached out to the owner and stayed local.

I think I was about to move out of the state to get anything, he said.

Ramsey said downtown will become professional office space with boutique shops. People can either say its a bad thing, he said, or revamp the old buildings because its going to become harder for a commerce store to thrive.

I just hope that people see that change is going to happen regardless and that they need to be able to change with the times.
Concern over cultural and archeological resources at campsites along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River wont lead to rapid changes there, such as the feared sudden closure of camps or reduction in rafting permits.

Instead, officials with the Salmon-Challis National Forest say they will take a methodical approach to the problem while working with the Shoshone-Bannock tribes, rafting outfitters and private boaters to better protect artifacts and other resources associated with the camps in the heart of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area.

Last fall outfitters and private boaters came away from a progress meeting on the agencys Historic Preservation Plan for the wilderness area with the impression that the U.S. Forest Service and tribe were pushing to close several campsites and perhaps dramatically reduce rafting levels.

Elizabeth Townley, ranger of the Middle Fork District, said poor communication led to the mistaken impression. There are no plans to close campsites or limit use.

There are 94 regularly used campsites along the Middle Fork, 67 of which have cultural resources associated with them. The high percentage is because the Middle Fork canyon is steep and there are few flat places that make good campsites. People, then and now, are attracted to those flat areas.

Archeologists have identified 16 campsites as having cultural resources at risk either from past recreation use, present use or from natural processes like erosion and wildfires.

Instead of closing or curtailing campsite use, Townley said the latest draft of the Historic Preservation Plan created the Heritage Action Team that is made up of agency employees, outfitters, private boaters and tribal members. The team will visit three of the 16 sites per year and make recommendations to Townley on how best to solve any problems.

It is really built on this idea of collaboration and management activities coming from the ground up from the people who know the resource the most, she said.

Those recommendations will begin with the least restrictive actions that can still accomplish the goal of protecting resources, she said. Plans would likely include things like public education to make visitors aware of any problems. Larger steps, such as closing camps or even creating new camps, would be subject to further environmental review and public comment.

The HPP is not the driver or the document or by any means the appropriate place to limit use levels, close camps, or to change any site-specific way we manage the river corridor, she said. If that were to happen because of whatever  impacts to wilderness character or impacts to historic resources  the appropriate place for that to happen would be some site-specific NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) analysis where there would be a lot of public information and environmental and economic analysis that would occur.

The Middle Fork Outfitters Association recently launched a campaign to highlight the importance of Middle Fork rafting to the economies of small towns like Stanley, Challis and Salmon, which sit outside the 2.3 million-acre wilderness area in central Idaho. Grant Simonds, executive director of the association, said an economic analysis commissioned by the group showed rafting leads to $8 million to $15 million in spending in nearby counties.

For Lemhi and Custer counties, Middle Fork recreation results in significant seasonal employment, he said. This analysis shows that visitor impacts far exceed the obvious spending at local hotels, restaurants and stores. For the neighboring rural communities, the most significant benefit is jobs.

Simonds, who also serves as the Government Affairs Liaison for the larger Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association, said he is pleased with the direction Townley is taking. He noted that 90 percent of the campsites along the river are in better shape today than when the wilderness area was designated by Congress.

Middle Fork outfitters believe that we can find a way to preserve these archaeological amenities without impacting campsite capacity, which is really at a premium along the Middle Fork, he said.

About 10,000 people raft the river every year. In recent decades, the camping has become more regulated. The Forest Service requires fire pans and portable toilets, and rafters and other visitors must pack out their trash. Prior to launching on raft trips, parties are assigned campsites, and visitors are educated by Forest Service personnel on a number of topics, including the protection of the rivers history and pre-history.

Howard Miller of the Idaho Whitewater Association and a member of the Heritage Action Team said the agency guidebook should take a page from a private publication and identify archaeological sites of concern.

Ive only seen one guidebook put out by a private party, and in it, it talks about what camps have cultural sites to be aware of and warning boaters to stay away from them or not damage them, he said. It would be good if the Forest Service would include that information in the information they hand out, but they dont do that. Their guidebook doesnt include that information.
BOISE (AP) | Seven years after the American Civil Liberties Union sued over overcrowding and other conditions, an Idaho jail is no longer required to have federal oversight.

The Canyon County jail has been overseen by a federal court since the lawsuit over what ACLU called "indecent, cruel and inhumane" conditions there, reported The Idaho Statesman.

Sheriff Kieran Donahue announced Monday that county has now been given the go-ahead from the courts and ACLU to forgo that oversight.

"It's a big day for us. It's a huge day for this county," he said at a morning news conference. "This has been a long journey. And we're incredibly proud to reach this milestone."

The county implemented new policies, including a cap of 477 inmates, and upgraded ventilation and plumbing.

Stephen Pevar, ACLU's lead counsel on the case, told the paper that the lawsuit ended up being a win-win because it pushed the county to improve its jail.

"They've come a long way. If you compare the complaint in the case, which showed there were dozens of people sleeping on the floors, it was just a pit. Mold was everywhere, the sanitation was unhealthy, plumbing was terrible," he said. "They did a good job."

Capt. Daren Ward, the jail commander, said ending court oversight won't change much day-to-day at the jail. He said the only change to the routine will be that deputies will no longer have to test shower water temperatures three times a day.

Ward said the water temperature is now well-managed after work with the maintenance staff.
BURLEY  A 25-year-old man has been charged with picking up a 4-year-old boy and throwing him, police say.

Jeremy Clifford Hyde of Burley is charged with charged with felony injury to a child and misdemeanor battery.

Police say the incident with the boy happened last year, but charges were filed May 6. Hyde also faces charges of felony attempted strangulation and misdemeanor domestic battery in a separate April 16 incident.

He is being held at the Mini-Cassia Criminal Justice Center in lieu of $100,000 bond.

A woman called police and said when she picked the boy up from day care he had a bruise on his leg and a scab on the back of his right ear.

The woman told police that around Thanksgiving Day, she saw a hand print on the childs face that Hyde admitted to making, court records said. The woman said she also saw Hyde slap the back of the boys head, flick him on the head and grab him by the ears and back of the neck.

Hydes former girlfriend said she witnessed incidents where Hyde picked the child up by the throat and threw him up the stairs or into his room, court records said. She said Hyde was always angry and yelling, and when she took the boy to Hydes home, she would tell him to be quiet because she did not know if Hyde was angry that day.

When she confronted Hyde about his treatment of the child, she told police, he would get mad and freak out.

She said there were holes in the walls all over the home caused by Hydes outbursts. The ex-girlfriend said Hyde would chase the boy around the room and he was constantly hitting him, court records said. She said Hyde would walk by the child and throw him on the ground and kick him in the head.

Afterwards, she said, Hyde would be apologetic, but in two or three days he would do it again.

The ex-girlfriend said the child was scared of Hyde and called him a monster, court records said. The boy also told her that he hates the house. Once, she said, the boy got in trouble and was sent to his room. When the child fell asleep after being in his room for three hours, Hyde beat him.

Hearings are set in both cases for Friday in Cassia County Magistrate Court.
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TWIN FALLS  The College of Southern Idaho is looking at ways to improve future graduation ceremonies after a man pulled a wall-mounted fire alarm Friday night, causing pandemonium.

More than 400 students and about 2,600 visitors attended the graduation ceremony. With 40 students left who hadnt received a degree, a fire alarm went off, causing the gymnasium to be evacuated, spokesman Doug Maughan said Monday.

Now, CSI is looking at making changes to future graduation ceremonies. No decisions have been made, but possibilities include issuing a certain number of tickets per graduate and boosting security to ensure no unauthorized people can pull the fire alarm.

It is obvious to us that for an event of this importance, in the future we need to make sure that our fire alarms in the gym are watched, Maughan said.

On Friday night, a man intentionally pulled the fire alarm during graduation, he said. He was obviously in great distress. We didnt know why.

Maughan said he doesnt know the mans identity and he wasnt arrested. The man made a statement to CSI campus security director Jim Munn that he felt he was in trouble and needed to pull the fire alarm, Maughan said.

After the alarm went off, college officials asked the crowd to evacuate the gymnasium. A sprinkler system didnt go off.

The Twin Falls police and fire departments went through the gymnasium and reset the alarm.

The police determined there just was not a cause for distress on the mans part, Maughan said.

Students who hadnt graduated, along with their families, were moved to the Student Union Building. College employees set up a microphone outside the doors and continued to award diplomas.

Fewer than 10 graduates, and their family members, said they wanted the experience of walking across the stage in the gymnasium, Maughan said.

Once the fire alarm had been reset, CSI employees made their way back to the gymnasium and set the stage up again. The colleges hired photographer also came over.

We were willing to do whatever we could to make it a complete night for the graduates, Maughan said, adding he feels so sorry for them.

There was an emotionally-charged environment at graduation, he said. We already had some tension in the air.

About 2,600 people came to watch the graduation, exceeding the capacity of the gym by about 600. People who arrived at the end of the pack were asked to go to overflow areas in CSIs Evergreen Building, where they could watch the ceremony via live streaming video.

There were hurt feelings because people came thinking they could be (in the gym), Maughan said. There were very strong feelings about the situation, he said, especially among those who traveled hundreds of miles for the ceremony.

In the future, he said, we just need to try to remove any mystery or last-minute surprises.
The commissioners, who are appointed by the governor, House speaker and Senate president pro tem to provide services to the Hispanic community and act as a liaison between the community and government agencies, plan to visit with Jerome city officials, state legislators, law enforcement, and schools and community organizations to evaluate how they work with and outreach to the Hispanic community. They are then holding a town hall at St. Jerome's Catholic Church, which has a large number of Spanish-speaking parishioners, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to hear from the community.
Loggers won't be allowed to harvest timber on the Johnson Bar salvage sale near the lower Selway River until a lawsuit challenging the logging is decided.

U.S. District Judge Candy Dale has granted a preliminary injunction requested by Idaho Rivers United and Friends of the Clearwater, the two environmental groups that sued to stop the logging in March.

In 2014, the Johnson Bar Fire burned more than 13,000 acres. In March, Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest Supervisor Cheryl Probert approved a plan to salvage 34 million board feet of timber from the fire scar. In her record of decision, Probert said the logging would support 900 local jobs.

Dale said in her ruling, issued Thursday, the Forest Service failed to properly consider the degree to which logging would erode Wild and Scenic River qualities, nor how the logging - combined with timber sales on state and private land and last summer's wildfires - would add sediment to the Selway and the Middle Fork of the Clearwater rivers.

The Selway and Middle Fork of the Clearwater were among the first in the nation to be designated as Wild and Scenic when Congress approved the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. A year later, local Forest Service officials authored a river management plan. It has not been updated since.

In 1986, Congress amended the act and mandated that river plans address resource protection, land development and use levels, among other management practices. The environmental groups argued the agency could not properly consider how logging might influence Wild and Scenic River values because it has failed to comply with the 1986 amendment for decades.

Dale agreed, saying the lack of an updated plan with objective standards makes it impossible to determine if the Forest Service properly protected Wild and Scenic River values when it approved the logging project.

Dale also ruled the agency violated the National Environmental Policy Act when it failed to properly consider the degree to which nearby state and private logging and last summer's wildfires would add to erosion and sediment accumulation in the rivers.

She said an injunction would harm goals to quickly remove the burned timber before it deteriorates and loses economic value. However, she noted the project was scheduled to take five years, leaving time for judicial review.

"The plaintiffs and the court are committed to move this case forward in an expedited fashion. Therefore, the court finds that the potential harm to the Wild and Scenic corridor and adjacent area, as well as the potential harm to the river system from the erosion and increased sedimentation, outweighs the hardships caused by the delay to timber harvesting."

Kevin Lewis, conservation director for Idaho Rivers United, hailed the ruling as being in line with the wishes of Congress and the American people to protect the two rivers.

"The Selway and Middle Fork Clearwater Rivers are among the crown jewels of our nation's river systems, as Congress recognized back in 1968 when it protected them as the first rivers under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act," he said. "This is an important court ruling enforcing congressional direction that these are to be protected for present and future generations."
Q: Why is there only one school district in Blaine, Camas, Cassia, and Minidoka counties?

A: In 1948 with the population continuing to grow, the local county commissioners put forth a vote to the community to combine the 17 smaller districts in the area into one consolidated district, said Dawn Jackson, Community Relations for the Minidoka County School District. The community voted with the result of 1,434 for the proposition and 441 against.

The following districts were combined thereafter to create the current district:

1. Rupert, Class, A, District Number 331

2. Pioneer, Independent, District Number 2

3. Paul, Independent, District Number 3

4. Acequia, Independent, District Number 4

5. Heyburn, Joint Rural High School, District Number 1

6. Acequia, Rural High School, District Number 2

7. Minidoka, Common, District Number 2

8. Riverview, Common, District Number 3

9. Lincoln, Common, District Number 6

10. Washington, Common, District Number 12

11. Heyburn, Common, District Number 14

12. Hopewell, Common, District Number 15

13. Empire, Common, District Number 16

14. Big Bend, Common, District Number 17

15. Walcott, Common, District Number 19

16. Rosston, Common, District Number 4

17. Jackson, Common, District Number 27

In 1955 with the completion of the new consolidated high school, Minidoka County High School, the old high schools of Acequia, Heyburn, Rupert, and Paul were converted to be used as elementary schools, Jackson said.

Minidoka School District also includes some of Cassia, Lincoln, Jerome, and Blaine counties.

I have heard that Blaine County actually used to have several school districts, each their own one-room school houses, said Heather Crocker, director of communications for Blaine County School District. Also, Blaine County has one district and one charter school authorized by the state charter commission.

School officials at Camas and Cassia counties werent available for comment.

Schools within the Magic Valley have changed over the years from one-room schoolhouses, to independent school districts, to joint school districts.

The boundaries have a lot to do with railroads and what voters decided to do many years ago, as well as what the courts did and didnt allow, said Dale Layne, Superintendent of Schools.
A female Chinese attendant checks luggage compartments to prepare for a flight onboard a passenger jet of China Southern Airlines at Haikou Meilan International Airport in Haikou city, South China's Hainan province, June 12 2014.[Photo/IC]

China's HNA Group Co, the country's fourth-largest airline, is in exclusive talks with CWT Ltd, a listed Singaporean logistics firm, to buy a controlling stake worth around $1 billion.

CWT said on Monday that its controlling shareholders, the founders of the group, who own more than 30 percent of the equity, are discussing with the Chinese conglomerate on selling the company's equity. There is no certainty that the negotiations will result in a definitive transaction, according to the company's announcement.

The negotiations between HNA and CWT shareholders have been ongoing for several months, and are now close to a conclusion.

According to Singaporean regulations, if the acquisition of a company reaches more than 30 percent of its equity, it will trigger a mandatory purchase of the entire firm.

Shanghai-listed HNA Group said it is inconvenient to comment now as the project is under negotiation. It will make an announcement if there are further developments.

Shares of HNA Group stayed flat on Monday, and closed at 3.40 yuan (52 cents), following its surging performance last week.

The move is part of the ongoing trend of HNA Group acquiring overseas equities to recombine and step up its domestic and global expansion.

The deal would add to a string of overseas acquisitions of privately owned HNA Group, whose assets are now valued at more than 600 billion yuan.

HNA recently agreed to buy Swiss airline catering firm Gategroup Holding AG for $1.5 billion in cash. This February, it bought US-listed electronics distributor Ingram Micro Inc for $6 billion.

In April, HNA agreed to acquire Minnesota-based Carlson Hotel Group, one of the largest in the world and the owner of the Radisson and Country Inns & Suites chains.

Li Xiaojin, a professor at Civil Aviation University, said: "One of the reasons that the government proposed the Belt and Road Initiative is to find outlets for domestic overcapacity. As an important node of the route, Singapore has its advantages and deserves attention."

Singaporean logistics companies are very competitive. They combine the advantages of the Western market, including international experience and advanced regulations, as well as the advantages of Eastern culture, which makes it easy to cooperate with Chinese companies, Li said.

"As a diversified enterprise, logistics is one of the largest sectors at HNA Group. Now the group mainly covers logistics around Southeast Asia, so acquiring the Singaporean company will help HNA expand its global logistics coverage," Li said.
The Iranian parliament has requested that the government should demand for compensation from the US for its hostile actions and crimes towards the country for the past 63 years. The law voted by the parliament on Tuesday accused the US of causing material and moral damage for its role in the 1953 coup detat against nationalist leader Mohamad Mossadegh and the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. The demand for compensation package also includes the destruction of the countrys oil platforms in the Gulf and spying against the country.

The law passed by the outgoing parliament dominated by conservatives is seen as a retaliatory action against a US Supreme Court decision.

In April the Supreme Court ruled that Tehran should give $2 billion of its frozen assets in New York as compensation for alleged bombings that it carried out in 1983 on a US Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, and on the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in 1996.

Rouhani warned Washington shortly after the court ruling that we will not allow the United States to swallow this so money so easily and added that they will undertake international legal action to recover the sum if the ruling is executed.

The just voted law did not fix any amount for the compensation but Vice President Majid Ansari said Iranian courts during the debate already ruled that the US pay $50 billion in damages for its hostile actions.

Washington has not reacted to the law voted by the Iranian parliament.

Ties between Tehran and Washington are still cold after hopes that the July 2015 nuclear deal will mark a fresh beginning. The two countries do not have diplomatic ties and Switzerland has been representing their interests in both states.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are raising concerns about the impossibility for them to go through the Israel-controlled areas out of Gaza because of the quasi-impossibility to obtain a no objection letter from Jordanian authorities. They need to have the no objection letter to be granted transit by Israeli forces into Jordan.

Human Rights Watch urged Amman to facilitate the process with its executive director, Ken Roth, telling Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour that those seeking transit from Gaza are seeking just that  transit, in a letter addressed to him in April.

Amman denied changing its visa policy despite the difficulties involved and government spokesperson Mohammed Momani stressed that they are committed to facilitating the movement of Gazans while calling on other countries to share their responsibilities when it comes to facilitating Palestinians right of travel. His statement could be seen as a remark towards Cairos policy.

Egypt has closed its border crossing point and destroyed tunnels in its fight against extremism in the Sinai Peninsula. Gaza is ruled by Hamas that Cairo accuses of supporting the extremist groups in the Sinai after the ousting of President Morsi in 2013. Egyptian authorities declared the border as a military buffer zone. Last week, Egypt opened the crossing briefly for the first time in nearly three months.

Roth said Jordan used to routinely grant transit permits but that has changed since last summer as individuals, lawyers and human rights organizations began to observe wide scale refusal. Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said his government was working with Jordan to find a solution.

Gaza is often described by rights groups as an open sky prison due to the Israeli blockade which determines what and who can go in and out of the country over the past several years.
Pope Francis questioned what he called the Wests cultural colonialism in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) especially in war torn countries where it is trying to impose its vision of democracy whilst fighting against the terrorism of Islamist extremist groups.

Face with the current Islamic terrorism, we should question the way a too western democracy model was exported in countries where there was a strong power, as in Iraq or Libya, the tribal structure. We cannot move forward without considering that culture, he said in an interview with La Croix, a Roman Catholic French newspaper.

Tribal structures are part of the Arab history and they still play a crucial role in the society. Misunderstanding or forgoing it could be seen be as a sign of disrespect or insult knowing what the honor of a tribe means in an Arab society.

The Pope said western countries are trying to impose a democratic model that is too westernized in countries that already have strong indigenous political cultures. He urged for the integration of these cultures to ease the process or else the situation might degenerate instead of improving as he made reference to Libya where in 2011, NATO helped rebel forces end the Gadhafi regime considered as a dictatorship by Western countries. As a Libyan said recently, We used to have one Gaddafi, now we have fifty, Francis stated.
Nigerias oil minister on Monday said the oil production of the west-African nation has fallen by almost 40 percent due to militant attacks on facilities in the Delta region.

Crude sales from the Delta account for 70 percent of national income in Africas biggest economy but residents, some of whom sympathize with the militants, have long complained of poverty.

Because of the incessant attacks and disruption of production in the Niger Delta, as I talk to you now, we are producing about 1.4 million barrels per day, Kachikwu told the House of Representatives.

We were at 2.2 million bpd but we have lost 800,000 barrels, said Kachikwu, who was invited to address the lower house of parliament about the countrys oil sector.

Late on Monday, the Nigerian army said it had arrested members of a militant group which claimed responsibility for a wave of attacks on pipelines in the restive Delta region.

The detainees were believed to be part of the Niger Delta Avengers, a movement blamed for assaults on oil infrastructure.

The Avengers say they are fighting for a greater share of oil profits, an end to pollution and independence for the swampy southern region. Last week, they warned oil firms to leave before the end of the month.
The Senegal-Gambia borders remained closed despite a meeting in Dakar between foreign Ministers of both countries, local media reported.

Gambian foreign minister Neneh McDouall-Geye and his Senegalese counterpart Mankeur Ndiaye have not yet found a solution to the long standing crisis, but Macdouall Gaye has launched a passionate appeal to the Senegalese authorities for the border to be reopened saying that failure to do so would cause a devastating economic hardship to the citizens of the two sisterly countries.

Hours before the two countries foreign ministers sat down to talks in Dakar, Jammeh laid out his views on the dispute in forthright comments broadcast on state television.

I have no intention of going to settle the issue of the border because our border is opened, the president said. They closed the border and I will not negotiate with someone that closed the border.

Months has passed since the closure of the Gambia-Senegal border. Since then, people hoping to travel between the two countries are faced with major challenges, prompting mixed reactions from the business community, commuters and human rights activists.

The border closure continues to disrupt the lives of many people on both sides. Citizens from both countries are urging their governments to come together to find a solution to the problem.

According to the management of The Gambia Ports, the border closure has resulted in severe revenue loss on the side of the ports, which witnessed a dramatic decline in daily revenue collection.
Gabons opposition candidate for the August presidential election, Jean Ping, has been caught up in controversy back home in Gabon this weekend.

In a viral video on social media, the former Chairman of the African Union Commission was heard inciting violence against a group he described as cockroaches.

The Council of Ministers of the oil-rich nation condemned Pings comment in strongest term saying the former AU Commission Chair has called for a civil war as well as the elimination of a section of the Gabonese population he describes as cockroaches.

Local media said the government intends to drag Jean Ping to court over his comments.

Ping, an erstwhile ally of Omar Bongo turned vitriolic critic of his sons government.

In January, Ping said he would challenge President Ali Bongo in August polls and try to break the ruling PDG partys half-century grip on power.

He said he wanted to make the presidency more accountable, institute term limits, and invest in health, education and infrastructure.

Gabons Bongo has only had one mandate so far but analysts have warned of the potential for electoral unrest due to growing frustration over wealth inequalities and bitter rivalries between the ruling PDG and its opponents.
A section of mouse ovary treated with cisplatin (chemotherapy drug) for 24 hours. Red staining labels oocytes, green staining marks DNA damage and blue shows nuclei of all cells. Credit: The Jackson Laboratory

Female cancer patients of reproductive age could preserve their fertility during radiation and chemotherapy through treatments that target the DNA damage response in oocytes (the cells that develop into eggs), an approach that works in animal models.

Jackson Laboratory Assistant Professor Ewelina Bolcun-Filas, Ph.D., and Terri L. Woodward, M.D., assistant professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, describe the method in "Prolonging Reproductive Life after Cancer: The Need for Fertoprotective Therapies," an opinion article in Cell Press Trends in Cancer.

"The good news is that more young women are surviving cancer," Bolcun-Filas says, "reflecting the advent of better and more efficient therapies. But, many cancer treatments increase the risk of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and infertility." And while assisted reproductive technologies can address infertility, she says, they fail to preserve ovaries' natural function, which has an important role in women's health that goes beyond reproduction.

Many cancer treatments cause DNA damage, not only in cancer cells but also normal tissue such as in ovaries. The natural response to this damage is thought to be the elimination of damaged oocytes through apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Recent studies in mice by Bolcun-Filas and other researchers demonstrate that targeting proteins involved in apoptosis protects oocytes and prevents infertility in females exposed to radiation.

For the Trends in Cancer article, the researchers reviewed findings demonstrating how cancer therapies induce apoptotic death in oocytes, and how this knowledge could be applied to design better fertoprotective treatments.

"A better appreciation of oocyte response to radiation and anticancer drugs will uncover new targets for the development of specialized therapies to prevent ovarian failure," the researchers state.

Explore further Protein that culls damaged eggs identified, infertility reversed

More information: Terri L. Woodard et al, Prolonging Reproductive Life after Cancer: The Need for Fertoprotective Therapies, Trends in Cancer (2016). Terri L. Woodard et al, Prolonging Reproductive Life after Cancer: The Need for Fertoprotective Therapies,(2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2016.03.006
Credit: KU Leuven

Scientists from KU Leuven, Belgium, present a new therapeutic approach that may make it possible for HIV patients to (temporarily) stop their medication. The findings shed a completely new light on the search for a cure for HIV.

Existing antiviral inhibitors can suppress the replication of the HIV virus, but they cannot fully remove it from the human body. As a result, HIV patients have to take inhibitors for the rest of their lives. HIV researchers worldwide are currently developing new methods to eliminate the virus.

The HIV virus uses the cellular protein LEDGF as a kind of grappling-hook to attach itself to specific locations in our genetic material. Once its DNA is inside the cells of its human host, the virus can multiply and make the patient sick.

In 2010, the research team of KU Leuven Professor Zeger Debyser developed inhibitorscalled LEDGINsthat block the 'grappling-hook'. As a result, the virus cannot attach itself to its preferred locations in our DNA.

Doctoral student Lenard Vranckx has now discovered that, when treated with LEDGINs, the HIV virus settles elsewhere in our DNA, in locations where it cannot multiply. Lenard Vranckx explains: "We've shown that a treatment with LEDGINs not only inhibits the integration of the HIV virus, but also ensures that the virus doesn't multiply once the treatment is stopped."

"This discovery paves the way for new clinical studies with LEDGINs," Professor Debyser continues. "We don't know whether this approach will lead to a final cure for HIV, but even a scenario that allows patients to stop their medication for a while is an important step in the right direction."

However, the researchers remain cautious: "We don't want to give anyone false hope. Our discovery is based on cell cultures. The findings still need to be tested in mice and in clinical studies. That's why a potential treatment based on the discovery is still years in the future," says Professor Debyser. "But now, we already know the direction of our future research."

Explore further HIV virulence depends on where virus inserts itself in host DNA

More information: Lenard S. Vranckx et al, LEDGIN-mediated Inhibition of IntegraseLEDGF/p75 Interaction Reduces Reactivation of Residual Latent HIV, EBioMedicine (2016). Lenard S. Vranckx et al, LEDGIN-mediated Inhibition of IntegraseLEDGF/p75 Interaction Reduces Reactivation of Residual Latent HIV,(2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.04.039
ColumbiaDoctors and Medscape, the leading source of medical news and information for physicians, today announced a partnership that gives physicians using Medscape Consult access to the expertise of ColumbiaDoctors, Columbia University Medical Center's faculty practice.

Beginning today, more than 25 health professionals from ColumbiaDoctors representing specialties including oncology, hematology, endocrinology, and surgery will serve as Medscape chief editors and associate editors on Medscape Consult, Medscape's innovative peer-to-peer, point-of-care digital platform. Accessible to physicians worldwide, the Medscape Consult editors will respond to questions, share best practices, and offer expert perspectives. Renowned experts in their respective specialties, ColumbiaDoctors will provide the Medscape Consult community with evidence-and practice-based insights into patient care, closely aligning with their basic and clinical research.

"Our new partnership with Medscape enables ColumbiaDoctors to share their insights and perspective with a global physician community facing rapidly shifting clinical concerns," said John Chabot, MD, chief of the Division of GI/Endocrine Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, and vice president of ColumbiaDoctors.

"We welcome the opportunity to expand our ColumbiaDoctors connections with physicians as they increase their reliance on digital sources of information," said Gary Schwartz, MD, chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Columbia University Medical Center. "Through our partnership, ColumbiaDoctors will harness the power of Medscape Consult to help physicians better address today's complex patient care questions."

The Growing Power of Physician Crowdsourcing

Launched in November 2015 within Medscape's flagship mobile app, Medscape Consult has quickly become a valued clinical resource. Tens of thousands of physicians have leveraged Medscape's crowdsourcing platform to compare cases, ask questions, and discuss best practices, often relying on Medscape's robust reference content for additional clinical support.

The recent outbreak of the Zika virus highlighted the potential of the Medscape Consult platform to inform medical professionals about a rapidly developing health concern, more quickly than previously possible. Several weeks before Zika had garnered attention from international health agencies and the mainstream media, a physician in Brazil seeing a spike in infants born with microcephaly posed a question on Medscape Consult seeking insights. A discussion on the link between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and microcephaly immediately ensued, providing early clinical knowledge on what would become a worldwide health issue.

"It is a privilege to partner with ColumbiaDoctors, one of the most prestigious medical institutions in the world and its clinical practice leaders," said Steve Zatz, MD, president, WebMD. "The ColumbiaDoctors partnership further deepens our commitment to ensuring that Medscape Consult provides clinical information that is evidence-based, clinically relevant, and grounded in real-world solutions and strategies."

According to Ben Greenberg, WebMD vice president, product management and user experience, the Columbia-Medscape Consult partnership will increase the platform's clinical utility and help improve patient care.

"Given the global nature of medicine and demands on physicians today, we believe that our partnership with Columbia and the power of crowdsourcing through Medscape Consult can deliver meaningful value to the medical community and the patients we collectively serve," Greenberg said.

Explore further Physician compensation up for most specialties
More than half of the family and friends making decisions for critically ill patients have significantly different estimates for the patient's survival than their doctorbut that's not only because of a misunderstanding, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers report in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The majority of those differences also were due to the decision maker holding fundamentally different and overly optimistic beliefs about the patient's prognosis. The research team anticipates that this finding will help in training physicians to better communicate with the family and friends of patients so they can make the best decisions for their loved one.

"It isn't a bad thing for a patient's family and friends to have hope that they will recover," said lead author Douglas B. White, M.D., M.A.S., professor in the Pitt School of Medicine's Department of Critical Care Medicine, and director of the department's Program on Ethics and Decision Making. "However, it is problematic when those overly optimistic expectations result in more invasive treatments in dying patients and delayed integration of palliative care that can alleviate suffering."

Between 2005 and 2009, Dr. White and his colleagues surveyed 229 people who had agreed to be the "surrogate decision maker" for hospitalized patients in four intensive care units at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, where Dr. White previously was a faculty member. These surrogates were typically family members or friends of the patient. They also surveyed the physicians caring for the patients for which the surrogates were making decisions.

The researchers asked both the surrogates and the doctors to estimate the chances that the patient would survive hospitalization on a scale of 0 (no chance of survival) to 100 (definite survival). They did not know each other's answers.

In 53 percent of cases, the answers differed by more than 20 percent. The surrogates were usually more optimistic than the doctors, however the doctors' estimates of the patient prognosis were ultimately far more accurate.

The researchers then asked the surrogates to guess what they thought the patient's doctor answered. Generally, the surrogates would guess somewhere in between their estimate and the doctor's real estimate. That revealed that the surrogates understood they were being more optimistic than what the doctor had been communicating to them.

The surrogates explained this in many ways, the most common being that they believed if they maintained hope, then the patient would do better than expected, or that they knew the patient better than the doctor and believed the patient had strengths the doctor didn't know about. They also often had an optimism grounded in religious beliefs.

"As doctors, we want to provide the best possible care for our patients. In critically ill patients, that means we must do a better job communicating with the people who are making decisions for our patients," said Dr. White, who also holds the UPMC Endowed Chair for Ethics in Critical Care Medicine. "Given the results of this study, we're working to develop and test interventions both to improve the comprehensibility of the prognosis doctors give to surrogates, and to better attend to the emotional and psychological factors that may influence the surrogate's expectations for their loved one's outcome."

Explore further Family members of ICU patients too optimistic when faced with grim prognoses
The scheme of the external stent technique. Ringed PTFE graft, involving three to five rings, is used. The larger piece stabilizes the cartilage portion using three rows of stitches and a smaller one for the membrane portion (single row). The two graft pieces are overlapped by a few millimeters and not sewn to each other. Credit: Sakakibara Heart Institute

Several pediatric medical conditions, such as congenital heart disease, vascular compression, and congenital softening of the cartilage lining the trachea or bronchi, can compromise the airway and cause breathing difficulty. No matter the cause, airway obstruction in children can be life-threatening, requiring immediate attention. Corrective options such as reconstructive surgery or endoscopic stent placement are limited because of the potential for granulation formation within the lumen or increased risk of wound rupture. In a presentation at the 96th AATS Annual Meeting, investigators describe their experience with external stenting to relieve airway obstruction in 98 children over an 18-year period.

A team of surgeons in Japan has developed a technique to relieve airway obstruction in children. The technique, known as external stenting (ES), expands and stabilizes the airway by suspending its wall to a rigid prosthesis placed around the bronchus or trachea. ES avoids the problem of granulation formation resulting from endolumenal corrective approaches, such as endoscopic stent placement. In a presentation at the 96th AATS Annual Meeting, the researchers describe the ES technique in detail as well as report on indications, complications, and long-term outcomes.

"Our ES technique may provide an alternative or adjunct to established practices for relieving airway obstruction, such as aortopexy. ES is less invasive and more reliable, and is effective equally for tracheobronchomalacia with or without vascular compression. It also has the potential of allowing age-proportional growth of the airway," explained Makoto Ando, MD, of the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Sakakibara Heart Institute, Tokyo (Japan).

The prosthesis "grows" as the child grows. The procedure relies on a ringed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) prosthesis that is cut to an appropriate length covering the obstructed airway segment (usually the length of 3 to 5 cartilage rings). The prosthesis is then cut longitudinally into two pieces, forming a sleeve around the obstructed area. A larger piece that is approximately one-half to two-thirds of the circumference is used to stabilize the cartilage portion of the airway and the smaller one with one-third of the circumference stabilizes the membrane portion of the trachea. Three rows of stitches are placed on the cartilage and a single row on the membrane. The two pieces are not sutured together, allowing for airway growth.

Over an 18-year period, 98 patients (average age 7.2 months) at two medical centers underwent a total of 127 ES for 139 obstruction sites. Airway obstruction was caused by congenital tracheobronchomalacia (cartilage weakening) in 52 cases, by vascular compression in 43 cases, and a combination of both in three cases. More than 80% of the children had cardiovascular anomalies, including ventricular septal defect, a functionally single ventricle, vascular ring/pulmonary arterial sling, and other cardiac septal or vascular defects. Eighteen had coexisting aortic arch obstruction. The children showed symptoms such as apnea, frequent respiratory infections, severe respiratory distress, and failure to wean from a ventilator. The technique is not intended for blockages caused by food or other ingested items.

Fourteen children died, mainly due to congestive heart failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, or respiratory distress. Ten patients required reoperation for re-stenosis and three required stent removal for infection. To date, 84% of the children have survived after 55 months of follow-up and 87% did not require re-operation at 59 months of follow-up. Eighty-eight percent of children were successfully weaned from a ventilator.

Many of the children studied are being followed at hospitals outside of the two surgical centers. Dr. Ando strongly recommends that patients be re-evaluated when they reach adulthood to see if the stents can be removed.

The team continues to refine the technique. Changes include shortening the graft to reduce the risk of airway perforation by the graft, especially in the right main bronchus. Placement of a sheet of PTFE between the graft and surrounding structures can also help to prevent erosion.

Explore further Ivacaftor improves smooth muscle function in cystic fibrosis patients

Provided by American Association for Thoracic Surgery
Image: 1598 fictional engraving by Theodor de Bry supposedly depicting a Spaniard feeding Indian children to his dogs. Credit: Wikipedia

A contagious form of cancer that can spread between dogs during mating has highlighted the extent to which dogs accompanied human travellers throughout our seafaring history. But the tumours also provide surprising insights into how cancers evolve by 'stealing' DNA from their host.

'Canine transmissible venereal tumour' (CTVT) is a cancer that spreads between dogs through the transfer of living cancer cells, primarily during mating. The disease usually manifests as genital tumours in both male and female domestic dogs. The cancer first arose approximately 11,000 years ago from the cells of one individual dog; remarkably, it survived beyond the death of this original dog by spreading to new dogs. The cancer is now found in dog populations worldwide, and is the oldest and most prolific cancer lineage known in nature.

In a study published today in the journal eLife, an international team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge studied the DNA of mitochondria - the 'batteries' that provide cells with their energy - in 449 CTVT tumours from dogs in 39 countries across six continents. Previous research has shown that at occasional points in history, mitochondrial DNA has transferred from infected dogs to their tumours - and hence to tumour cells in subsequently-infected dogs.

In the new study, the researchers show that this process of swapping mitochondrial DNA has occurred at least five times since the original cancer arose. This discovery has allowed them to create an evolutionary 'family tree', showing how the tumours are related to each other. In addition, the unusual juxtaposition of different types of mitochondrial DNA within the same cell unexpectedly revealed that cancer cells can shuffle or 'recombine' DNA from different mitochondria.

"At five distinct time-points in its history, the cancer has 'stolen' mitochondrial DNA from its host, perhaps to help the tumour survive," explains Andrea Strakova, from the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, co-first author of the study. "This provides us with a set of unique genetic tags to trace how dogs have travelled the globe over the last few hundred years."

In the evolutionary 'family tree', the five main branches are known as 'clades', each representing a point in history when mitochondria transferred between dog and tumour. By mapping tumours within these clades to the geographical location where they were found, the researchers were able to see how the cancers have spread across the globe. The distance and speed with which the clades have spread suggests that the dogs commonly travelled with human companions, often by sea.

One branch of the CTVT evolutionary tree appears to have spread from Russia or China around 1,000 years ago, but probably only came to the Americas within the last 500 years, suggesting that it was taken there by European colonialists. Conquistadors are known to have travelled with dogs - contemporary artworks have portrayed them both as attack dogs and as a source of food.

The disease probably arrived in Australia around the turn of the twentieth century, most likely imported inadvertently by dogs accompanying European settlers.

One of the most surprising findings from the study related to how mitochondrial DNA transfers - and mixes - between the tumour and the host. The researchers found that mitochondrial DNA molecules from host cells that have migrated into tumour cells occasionally fuse with the tumour's own mitochondrial DNA, sharing host and tumour DNA in a process known as 'recombination'. This is the first time this process has been observed in cancers.

Maire Ni Leathlobhair, the study's co-first author, explains: "Mitochondrial DNA recombination could be happening on a much wider scale, including in human cancers, but it may usually be very difficult to detect. When recombination occurs in transmissible cancers, two potentially very different mitochondrial DNAs - one from the tumour, one from the host - are merging and so the result is more obvious. In human cancer, the tumour's mitochondrial DNA is likely to be very similar to the mitochondrial DNA in the patient's normal cells, so the result of recombination would be almost impossible to recognise."

Although the significance of mitochondrial DNA recombination in cancer is not yet known, its discovery is now leading scientists to explore how this process may help cancer cells to survive - and if blocking it may stop cancer cells from growing.

Dr Elizabeth Murchison, senior author of the study, said: "The genetic changes in CTVT have allowed us to reconstruct the global journeys taken by this cancer over two thousand years. It is remarkable that this unusual and long-lived cancer can teach us so much about the history of dogs, and also about the genetic and evolutionary processes that underlie cancer more generally."

Explore further Contagious cancer thrives in dogs by adopting host's genes

More information: Andrea Strakova et al, Mitochondrial genetic diversity, selection and recombination in a canine transmissible cancer, eLife (2016). Journal information: eLife Andrea Strakova et al, Mitochondrial genetic diversity, selection and recombination in a canine transmissible cancer,(2016). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.14552
Visa liberalization issue to be discussed on May 11 at the Council of EU

The EU Council will discuss Georgias visa liberalization issue on May 11. As Georgian Foreign Ministry has informed IPN the issue will be discussed by representatives of justice and interior ministries at a technical level.Head of the Foreign Ministry Mikheil Janelidze has commented on the issue today saying all steps are being made towards Georgia to receive visa liberalization as soon as possible.All due processes and procedures are underway in relation to visa liberalization. On May 11 another discussion is scheduled. We see the steps being taken towards visa liberalization, he has said.Visa liberalization with the EU will allow Georgian citizens,who have biometric passports to visit to the EU for short periods without a visa.
Foreign Minister does not rule out meeting with Russian FM

By Messenger Staff

Foreign Minister of Georgia Mikheil Janelidze says a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov is not ruled out in the event of proper circumstances and readiness'.He made the statement in an interview with a Georgian weekly newspaper,While having no diplomatic relations with Russia, we try to effectively use formats of international discussions in order to ease the tension with Russia.We try to conduct a policy of peaceful resolution of the conflicts and provide the creation of a stable environment at the controlled territory as all reforms to be implemented in relation to Euro integration and economic development, he remarked.Meanwhile, Russia continues to recognize Georgias de-facto regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states and revealed its anger over Georgia-US military training scheduled for this month.Yesterday, the Russian President congratulated former Soviet citizens on Victory Day, which commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany. A letter of congratulations was intended for Georgia, while citizens of Abkhazia and so-called South Ossetia were mentioned separately from Georgians.According to the Kremlin, the Russian President emphasized in the message that Victory Day is a holy day, which will remain a symbol of heroism and unity of all the peoples who saved the world from fascism.The possibility of a meeting between Lavrov and Janelidze was mentioned last month, which triggered controversy in the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) coalition.A member of the GD coalition said Janelidze was too young and did not have enough experience to meet and speak with Lavrov, who is an extremely experienced political leader and diplomat.The statement generated criticism from other members of the GD, who vocalised their trust and belief in Janelidzes knowledge and political experience.If such a meeting really takes place, Georgia must be well prepared to defend its interests, and anyone who represents Georgia must be very experienced and skilful to speak with Lavrov, who is one of Russia's political heavyweights.
The News in Brief

No-one has been charged in Georgian sex tape scandal



Georgias top prosecutor says no one has been charged in the case of four compromising sex videos of politicians which were posted on the Internet.



Speaking at a conference about juvenile justice reform on Friday, Chief Prosecutor Irakli Shotadze told journalists that the investigation into the videos is still in progress. He added that Georgia has asked its partner countries for legal assistance.



On March 11, March 14 and March 31, video clips showing politicians engaging in sex acts were uploaded to Youtube, and many people received a link to the video through Facebook. A fourth sex tape was posted on April 12.



Five people were arrested on April 8 in connection with the videos that were uploaded on March 11 and 14.



The Prosecutor Generals Office says the videos were not uploaded from Georgia and that none of them were made after the change of government on October 1, 2012.

(DF watch)







C.Bank Buys USD 20mln amid GEL Appreciation



The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) bought USD 20 million at a foreign currency auction on May 5 as lari (GEL) continued strengthening against U.S. dollar.



GEL was trading at 2.214 per U.S. dollar by late Thursday afternoon, almost 8% stronger since the beginning of the year and 4.6% stronger compared to early May, 2015.



It was NBGs sixth intervention on the purchasing side. The central bank bought total of USD 75 million in these six interventions in a period between March 17 and May 5.



GEL started depreciation in November 2014, weakening from about 1.75 per U.S. dollar to its all-time low of 2.4985 by late January, 2016.



Amid laris depreciation, the central bank made three interventions in January by selling total of USD 60 million. A total of USD 286.96 million was sold in nine separate interventions throughout 2015 to support the GEL.



Gross international reserves stood at USD 2.456 billion as of end-March 2016, up from USD 2.425 billion a month earlier, and slightly more than a year earlier of USD 2.452 billion.

(Civil.ge)







Recent treaty signed between Moscow and South Ossetia was an act of provocation - British Ambassador



I am very proud that the UK government decided to send 150 troops to participate in the exercises in Georgia, British Ambassador Alexandra Hall Hall said when commenting on the Russian Foreign Ministry's statement, according to which the planned Georgian-American military exercise Noble Partner 2016 is highly provocative.



"We are very proud of participating in Noble Partner. We believe that this is not a provocation, but another example of our friendship and relationship in terms of security, which is deepening over time. In terms of provocations, in my opinion, the recent treaty signed between Moscow and South Ossetia was a provocation, the Ambassador said.



She praised the Georgian contingents contribution to the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan together with NATO soldiers.



"We appreciate our military partnership with Georgia, said the Ambassador. "We share the Georgian people's sacrifices on the battlefield together with British, American and other soldiers," said Alexandra Hall Hall.

(IPN)







Alasania issues ultimatum, vows to fight Ivanishvilis informal power



Irakli Alasania, the former Defence Minister who was fired after some of his staff were detained for embezzlement, issued an ultimatum on Friday: if the court finds the detainees guilty, he will mobilize people and launch protest rallies against the informal rule of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the godfather of the Georgian Dream coalition.



This will be the last straw for the events to move to a new stage. Namely, I will start to mobilize people and supporters for street rallies and call on the public to directly, even physically, start fighting against Ivanishvilis informal government, Alasania said on Friday, appearing on Pirveli TV.



The statement made by the Chief Prosecutor amounted to pressure on the judge, the Free Democrats leader continued.



If the judge makes a biased verdict of guilty, this will only prove that the judges of Georgia do what Ivanishvili orders them to, he added.



Tbilisi City Court is going through the final session of the case concerning officials of the Defence Ministry, known as the Cable Case.



Five Defence Ministry officials were arrested on October 28, 2014. Four of them were charged with embezzlement of public money and placed in preliminary detention, but after eight months the Prosecutor Generals Office asked a judge to release them on 10,000 lari bail. The judge, Davit Jugheli, then released the officials on bail.



The controversy surrounding the case led to Alasanias dismissal as Defence Minister and his partys withdrawal from the coalition. The Free Democrats have since been a vocal critic of the government.

(DF watch)




Hualing Group-owned Chinese airline could launch Georgia-US flights

A new Chinese airline could soon make history by launching regular flights between Georgia and the United States (US).This was announced after Georgias Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili met a major Chinese investor in Tbilisi on May 9.Kvirikashvili met the president of Hualing Group, Mi Enhua, and discussed several projects the company was interested in pursuing."Hualing is planning to invest several hundred million dollars in Georgia, said the Prime Ministers Administration in a press release following the meeting.The meeting was also attended by Georgias Economics Minister, Dimitry Kumsishvili.The Chinese investors said the Hualing Group had purchased an airline in China and they were keen to have this airline serve the Georgian market."It is very important that the Hualing Group is bringing this new airline to Georgia. It has already been registered in our country, Kumsishvili said."Two Boeing 737 planes, which later will be followed by one Boeing 777, will operate flights from Georgia to Europe and Asia. We also discussed the possibility of launching flights to the US too in the future.Meanwhile the Prime Ministers Administration said Hualing Group was planning to invest in Georgia in the following areas: Building a natural gas storage facility; Developing educational institutions; Building a hospital; Boosting the tea industry; and Supporting Georgias tourism."We have been carrying out major projects in Georgia for three years already, said Hauling Groups regional director."The founder of our corporation loves Georgia very much and we plan to invest in new projects in this country, he said.The Georgian side said the Government would "do its best to support Hualing projects in Georgia.
PM comments on chances of meeting between Georgian-Russian foreign ministers

By Messenger Staff

Georgias Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has stated that a meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister should be based on decisions focused on Georgias territorial integrity and sovereignty.The PM said that Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidzes statement was not unreasonable when Janelidze did not exclude the possibility of a meeting with the Russian official.According to the PM, if the above-mentioned decisions are prepared, the Georgian government will be ready to meet with the Russian side. Mikheil Janelidzes statement expressed this point of view. There was no reason to be surprised by it, Kvirikashvili said.Kvirikashvili stressed that Georgia needs to normalize relations with Russia but not by making compromises in terms of territorial integrity issues.Unfortunately, our relations are in a deadlock, and though we should come out of it, it must not be at the expense of compromise in territorial integrity issues, he added.If the Georgian and Russian officials eventually meet, the key issue must be Georgias de-occupation as Russia currently occupies 20% of Georgia's land.Russia also recognizes the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali as independent republics and provides financial support for them.At the same time, Russia is categorically against Georgias NATO integration, and Russia actively uses the de-facto regions as levers against Georgias Euro-Atlantic integration.It will be hard for NATO to fully accept Georgia with its ongoing territorial conflicts and difficulties with such a powerful country as Russia.However it is also a fact that Georgia needs development and advancement and such advancement will be unimaginable under renewed Russian rule.Such issues reveal that Georgia is significant part of world policy and many of the key issues related to Georgia can only be settled in a wider context.
The News in Brief

Public Defender demands removal of phrases containing stereotypes and stigma



The Public Defender has called on the Ministry of Education and Science to remove phrases containing stigma and stereotypes towards drug addicts and people affected by HIV and AIDS from the 8th grade biology textbook.



According to the Public Defenders Office, the Public Defender noted that the biology textbook uses a wrong term to describe drug addicts; in addition, drug addicts are perceived as dangerous people to society.



The textbook also identifies HIV with AIDS and provides false information on the spread of the infections and fight against them. In addition, the textbook provides a 'terrible' photo of a drug addict, says the proposal.



The Public Defender points out that the phrases, reasoning and wrong information in the textbook strengthens stereotypical attitudes and stigma towards drug addicts and people affected by AIDS and HIV and encourages prejudicial violations of human rights. (IPN)







Offshore Leaks database premieres in Tbilisi



The global launch of the Offshore Leaks database revealed the names of eighty-five Georgian citizens, some of who might potentially be implicated in illegal financial activities.



On Monday May 9, an event organised by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) Caucasus celebrated the global launch of the Offshore Leaks database prepared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) based on data on almost 320 thousand offshore entities found in the Panama Papers.



The database does not give access to the actual documents, although it reveals the names and ID numbers of people and their networks of connection to offshore entities.



Earlier this year, DF Watch published reports based on information found in the Panama Papers which potentially implicates former politicians Bidzina Ivanishvili and Davit Kezerashvili in criminal activities.



The latest release was accompanied by the publication of eighty-five Georgian names which figure in the database in connection to offshore companies.



It doesnt necessarily mean that these people had anything to do with offshore, Dave Bloss from OCCRP Caucasus explained.



If someone wants to open an offshore account and theyre classified as a PEP  'politically exposed person', which means that they at some point had anything to do with politics  the legislation of these countries requires a deeper background check of these persons before a company can be created for them. One of the things they do is to Google search the PEPs name. If a journalist wrote a story about this person, it is possible that the journalists name will also show up on this list, which is simply a scan of names from 2.4 terabyte data. Anyones name can show up in this database. Its a database without a brain, Mr Bloss said.



The list includes the names of Davit Kezerashvili, Ivane Chkhartishvili, Koba Nakopia, and others.



Davit Kezerashvili was a senior official in the UNM government and a former Minister of Defence. He is wanted by the Prosecutor Office in connection with a number of crimes, including exceeding official authority,appropriation of a company, and embezzlement.



Ivane (Vano) Chkhartishvili was the Minister of Economics in 20002001 during the presidency of Eduard Shevardnadze. His name has been connected to several corruption cases.



Koba Nakopia was an MP representing the United National Movement party in the previous parliament. He was named as a producer of 5 Days of War, a 2011 action film by Renny Harlin depicting the RussoGeorgian war of 2008.



DF Watch publishes the full list of Georgian names found in the Offshore Leaks database. The list also includes names of attorneys. Being present in the list does not necessarily imply any criminal activity. (DF watch)




U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson wants voters to think hes the only true Democrat in the race for Marco Rubios soon-to-be-open Senate seat. After all, he reasoned, his primary opponent helped Republicans create the Benghazi committee.

"Two years ago last Sunday, the Benghazi committee came into being," the Orlando businessman and former lawyer said in a fundraising email on May 11, 2016. "There are only three Democrats in the House today who voted for it. One of them is my primary opponent, Patrick Murphy."

Murphy, a Jupiter Democrat, was a Republican before switching parties two years before being elected to Congress in 2012. His moderate views have been challenged by progressives and especially Grayson, who has endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders in the presidential race.

Could it be true Murphy was among a handful of Democrats who voted to investigate leading Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton? In a word, yes, although Murphy said it was because he wanted to clear Clintons name.

Keep reading Joshua Gillin's fact-check from PolitiFact Florida here.
@PatriciaMazzei

It started with a Washington report that U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, a Jupiter Democrat running for U.S. Senate, had accepted $16,400 in contributions from donor Ibrahim Al-Rashid, a friend who in 2014 pleaded guilty to a domestic assault charge.

The report from The Hill prompted Murphy to return the campaign cash by making equivalent contributions to charity. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada also gave back $100,000 Al-Rashid had contributed to the Senate Majority PAC.

Republicans are now highlighting that other Florida Democrats benefited from Al-Rashid's political largesse -- including former U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia of Miami, who is running for his old seat. Garcia accepted $5,200 from Al-Rashid in 2014, and $5,400 in March.

Garcia's campaign said Tuesday, as first reported by Politico, that it is making an equivalent donation to Planned Parenthood to get rid of the 2016 money.

This post has been updated to correct the fact that it's the campaign will be giving the 2016 money to charity, not the 2014 money.
@PatriciaMazzei

Florida Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera spent Tuesday in Washington, relying on a little help from his friends to raise money for his U.S. Senate campaign.

The man Lopez-Cantera is hoping to succeed, Sen. Marco Rubio, was the "special guest" at the lunchtime fundraiser, held at the headquarters of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Also co-hosting: Miami's three Republicans in Congress, Reps. Carlos Curbelo, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

About 60 people showed up, the Miami Herald has learned. Lopez-Cantera trails most of his rivals in fundraising and the amount of cash on hand in his campaign account.

Rubio has made clear Lopez-Cantera is his candidate in the crowded GOP primary to replace him. But he's yet to hold a public event or given a formal endorsement to his old friend from the Florida Legislature.

Rubio recently told the Herald he'll have more to say "at some point in the near future" about campaigning for Lopez-Cantera.
@PatriciaMazzei

Marco Rubio embraced Twitter as a social-media platform before he ran for president, obviously writing his own posts about anything that crossed his mind.

That changed when the Republican U.S. senator from Florida jumped in the 2016 race. His account was taken over by aides who crafted careful tweets, aware of the media glare on a presidential candidate.

No more.

Rubio began writing his own tweets again recently, taking the platform by storm Monday. He began the day with a complaint about airlines -- a classic Twitter gripe -- and ended it with a rant about anonymous sources in political reporting. (And yes, a "source" confirmed to the Miami Herald that Rubio is manning his own account.)

The senator told host Jimmy Cefalo on Miami's WIOD AM radio station Tuesday morning his tweets weren't intended as a rant.

"I would have said it all in a tweet, but they only let you put 140 characters," he said. "Then I started having fun with it a little bit."

His tweetstorm:

Why do airlines use 767 with layflat seats for 40 min flight to Orlando but smaller plane with seats that barely recline for redeye from LA?  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 16, 2016

Funny to read about unnamed "people close" to me who claim to know my thinking on future plans.They just make it up. https://t.co/jiEYMugVHz  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

Unnamed sources "close to" often just people who want to sound like they are in the know. And reporters desperate for content just accept it  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

Flashback to another article quoting a "longtime friend" saying I "hate" Senate. Words I have NEVER said to anyone. https://t.co/VZ9J7wznsZ  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

Word of advice, people often claim to know more than they really do because they enjoy status of being perceived as "in the know".  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

Another genius line claims that Im "a bit at sea in terms of his next step politically". Ummmm Not really. https://t.co/jiEYMugVHz  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

I have only said like 10000 times I will be a private citizen in January.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

As for future in politics, well it's nearly impossible for someone not in office to ever become a successful candidate for President.Right?  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

A source "close to Rubio" says he was tired after long day & has decided to sleep for a few hours before tomorrow's ZIKA debate in Senate.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

A "longtime friend" says Rubio is "betwixt and between when it comes to whether to chest or legs tomorrow at gym."  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016

According to source who knows his cousins, wife's dentist, Rubio could do cardio instead.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2016
@doug_hanks

Miami Beach Mayor Phil Levine is helping lead a campaign against vendor donations in Miami-Dade County races, with hopes of putting the proposed changes on the November ballot.

Levine, who helped solicit big-ticket donations to a city political committee raising money from Miami Beach vendors and developers last year, will head up one of the groups trying to win approval for the new county law, according to a press release issued Monday. The law would impose some of the rules that already govern Miami Beach elections -- specifically, it would ban large county contractors from donating to campaigns in county races.

Campaign cash from Miami-Dade vendors, developers and lobbyists are a staple of county races, and incumbents personally solicit big checks from those seeking their votes. The proposed legislation also would drop the maximum campaign donation from $1,000 to $250 per individual or entity.

The law would apply to any entity or individual with a Miami-Dade contract worth at least $250,00 a year, as well as lobbyists for the contractors. The county law would have no effect on donations to political action committees or other groups that currently have no limits on the amount of cash they can receive.
@PatriciaMazzei

President Barack Obama will be in Miami next month to ask wealthy Democratic donors to open their checkbooks to the political party ahead of the November election that will determine Obama's successor.

To lure donors to the June 3 dinner, the Democratic National Committee is billing the event as perhaps Obama's final Miami fundraiser as president.

"This may be the last time President Obama visits Miami as a sitting President, making it a truly special event," reads an invitation obtained by the Miami Herald. The fundraiser was first reported by Saint PetersBlog.

"This is a great opportunity to support the DNC and ultimately stop Donald Trump from reaching the White House in 2016," the invitation says.

Though it doesn't say so on the invite, the dinner will take place at the Coconut Grove home of attorney Robert Rubenstein.

To attend and get a photo with the president, donors must contribute $10,000 per person. To "co-host" the event -- which usually comes with more access to the president -- they must contribute $33,400 per couple.

Obama headlined a similar fundraiser for the DNC a year ago in Coconut Grove, unofficially kicking off Democrats' presidential fundraising season.
@Cveiga

Sarah Hays is a perfect teacher.

The biology instructor at John A. Ferguson Senior High is up before dawn and works through the evening planning lessons, grading papers and steering her students to top colleges around the country.

For all her hard work, Hays scored 100 percent on her most recent evaluation by Miami-Dade County schools  putting the seven-year veteran in the elite minority of teachers across Florida who earned a highly effective rating.

And you know what its worth? Nothing, she said.

Florida law requires highly effective teachers like Hays to be rewarded with more pay. But two years after the law went into effect, Hays said shes still waiting for Miami-Dade to award her performance pay.

I feel taken advantage of, she said.

A group of Miami-Dade teachers says the states largest school district is violating state law when it comes to their pay  stiffing teachers out of $30 million.

Three teachers  Thais Alvarez, Shawn Beightol and Isaac Castineira  recently sent the school district notice that they intend to file a class action suit over the issue. They claim Miami-Dade is not only ignoring performance pay laws, but that district leaders illegally changed the way tenured teachers are paid, too.

You cannot break the law, Beightol said.

District officials declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.

Read the full story here.
@PatriciaMazzei

The White House on Tuesday pressured Florida's 17 Republicans in Congress to say publicly whether they support $1.9 billion in emergency funding to fight the Zika virus.

Press Secretary Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama would veto a House of Representatives bill that would provide far less money -- $622 million -- and referred again to support for the full $1.9 billion from Florida's Republican senator, Marco Rubio. Florida has more confirmed Zika cases than any other state in the country.

"The Republican senator from the state of Florida has indicated that the Congress should act expeditiously to pass the $1.9 billion funding proposal that our public-health experts say is needed," Earnest told reporters. "I think it'd be interesting to understand exactly what position the 17 other Republicans from Florida who represent the state in the Congress think of this."

Some of them have already come out in favor of Obama's request, including Rep. Vern Buchanan of Sarasota and Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Miami (Curbelo drew some Democratic criticism for not being very vocal about his position).

On Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Gwen Graham of Tallahassee sent Republican Speaker Paul Ryan a letter -- signed by more than 120 House Democrats -- urging the GOP to accept Obama's request.

Rubio said on the Senate floor Tuesday he's "concerned" about the House's reluctance to approve the full $1.9 billion. The Senate later signed off on a bill to fund $1.2 billion toward fighting the mosquito-borne virus.

"I'm glad that there has finally [been] some movement and that something's happening, but I'm really concerned about the direction their own funding measure is going," he said. "Their funding measure isn't even $1.1 billion, it's $622 million and, quite frankly, that's just not going to cut it."
BOZEMAN  Getting medical care for women, especially relating to pregnancy and childbirth, could be tough in Montana's early days.

That message was a theme of a Montana medical history conference that focused largely on childbirth and illegal abortions in the late 1800s and early 1900s  a time when Montana women faced limited resources, social stigmas and rural isolation.

"What did women get? I would say whatever they could find," said Jennifer Hill, a researcher of reproductive history and women in the American West who presented at the conference.

Featuring presentations by researchers and a state senator, the 16th annual Medical History of the West conference, held at the Museum of the Rockies, also served as a tribute to Dr. Volney Steele, a longtime Bozeman physician who helped establish and fund the conference and died in December 2015.

Health and childbirth

Childbirth and pregnancy in Montana, Wyoming and the Dakota territories from 1860 to 1930 were defined by a changing health care system, rugged climate and accessibility, or lack thereof, of services.

"Given what they were dealing with, women who were pregnant at this time absolutely were not getting much medical care," Hill said.

Much of the population lived in rural areas where services, supplies and health care professionals were limited, if available at all.

It was also a time when almost all births happened at home and childbirth was almost a social event, with family and friends, in addition to a midwife or doctor if available, gathering to help if they could.

About 99 percent of the births in 1900 happened at home. Most people didn't think of hospitals as places for childbirth, "they thought of them as places to go be sick and die," Hill said.

"Unfortunately, death was the frequent result, both for mother and babies," she said. "The results from all of those conditions conspired to make birth very, very difficult in this region."

From 1911 to 1919, Montana had the highest maternal death rate of any reporting state in the nation, with about 1,000 women, in addition to 7,888 infants, dying over that time.

While about a quarter of expectant mothers left the state to give birth in areas with more resources, about half of the births that did happen in state were with the help of a midwife. An estimated 35 percent were aided by a physician, while 15 percent happened with just the woman's husband present, and 1 to 3 percent occurred with the mother alone.

Illegal abortion

State Sen. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, spoke about illegal abortions in Montana from 1880 to 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized the practice with its Roe v. Wade decision.

While illegal, abortions were also fairly common in territorial Montana and well into the 20th century.

"It has gone on throughout human history," said Sands, a women's rights activist who served as director of the Montana Women's History Project.

Citing the examinations of every death record she could find for adult women who died over that time in Montana, court records and coroner's reports  along with interviews with abortionists, other medical professionals and women  she said options for women seeking abortions were limited.

Those choices included keeping the baby, self-induced abortions that were often dangerous and sometimes fatal, or finding an abortionist.

Sands shared the experiences of one woman she interviewed who said she was 16 years old in the 1960s when she got pregnant and sought an abortion. She ended up in the filthy backroom of an alcoholic physician's office above a drugstore in Shelby.

The girl became frightened at the dingy conditions. When the doctor threatened violence if she screamed from the pain, she left. The girl eventually put the baby up for adoption.

Sands contrasted that with the story of an obstetrician in Miles City who performed hundreds of abortions and was well-known and respected across the state as a physician. That woman, she said, was competent and took steps to ensure abortions were done as safely as possible.

"You have a continuous line of abortionists who are practicing in Montana," Sands said, noting that their competency varied greatly.

Sands read the names of more than 50 women, ranging from teenagers to women nearly in their 40s, who likely died from or during illegal abortions. Most of the deaths came before World War II, after which the use of antibiotics spread, and Sands said most of them were preventable.

"These women died," she said. "Let's not do that again."

The practice was also something medical practitioners didn't talk much about publicly, even though they knew it was happening and was sometimes necessary, Sands said.

She interviewed one physician who sat on the Montana Board of Medical Examiners who said it wasn't discussed there "because we considered it a necessity in the community."

"They made a choice to limit their number of offspring, and women still do that today," Sands said. " ... Women will choose abortions. They have since the very beginning of time."

Frontier physician

Moving away from women's health topics but still speaking to the difficulty early Montanans faced in getting health care, historian Todd Savitt used a batch of recently discovered letters to Dr. Charles McNulty of Virginia City to detail medicine and patient problems in the late 1800s.

"It gives some insight into what medical practice would've been like," Savitt said.

The 60 to 70 letters detail patients' requests of McNulty, who practiced in Montana until his death in 1904, while providing insight into the challenges physicians faced serving rural areas.

Practicing out of Virginia City, McNulty also served the surrounding area in a then-remote and isolated part of Montana that included the communities of Ennis, Norris and Sheridan.

He often received requests for help via mail and, if he traveled, took a horse and buggy to visit.

The letters cover a wide range of patient issues from jaundice to serious head wounds, from general illnesses to a man requesting "sex pills" and discreetness.

"Think about Dr. McNulty's challenge, or any other doctor at that time, receiving patient request by mail," Savitt said.

To figure out the urgency of a request and a course of action, he had to decipher the patient's request, interpret their descriptions and symptoms and didn't have the luxury of immediate follow up questions or a physical examination.

He also had to balance those factors with the amount of time it might take to make a house call to a community or ranch miles away.

However, people also contacted McNulty as a last resort when other options didn't yield results.

"People did a lot of self-care, out of necessity in rural Montana," Savitt said. "They took care of themselves as much as they could because they had to."

Tribute

The conference was funded by support from the Volney Steele Endowment fund with the Montana State University Foundation.

Steele was a retired longtime Bozeman physician, originally from Arkansas, who set up the endowment in an effort to help WWAMI medical education students at Montana State University  more than a dozen attended the 2016 conference  learn about the state's medical history.

He passed away on Dec. 23; the conference also served as a farewell and tribute to him, with colleagues and family sharing remembrances at the end of the day.

Retired history professor and longtime friend Pierce Mullen said Steele helped to establish the conference through WWAMI with Montana medical students in mind.

"Dr. Steele firmly believed that by studying the past of your profession ... it would encourage you, help you, support you and teach you," he said.

He went on to describe Steele as " a wonderful man" who, as the son of a physician, understood how working in medicine can work its way through generations of families and believed that everybody deserved the best a physician had to offer.

A Dec. 31 obituary in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle said Steele, a World War II veteran, moved to Bozeman in the late 1950s and spent the rest of his career practicing there, retiring in 1986 after more than 40 years as a physician.

About 10 people spoke about Steele's legacy and impact, including a number of medical professionals. Almost all of them mentioned his influence on people and medicine in the Bozeman area.

"He had wise words spoken with Arkansas eloquence," said Dr. Robert Flaherty, who worked with Steele over the years in Bozeman.
HELENA  Three Democratic legislators said Tuesday they plan to introduce a bill in the 2017 Legislature to prevent naming buildings or schools in the university system after candidates for elected office.

The move is a jab at Republican candidate for governor Greg Gianforte, who has pledged $8 million to Montana State University in Bozeman over five years. The donation will establish a $5 million endowment for the Computer Science Department, and the department will be renamed the Gianforte School of Computing. A classroom in the College of Engineering also will be called the Gianforte Auditorium.

This legislation will take politics out of the process to name our university buildings, programs and schools, said Sen. Tom Facey, D-Missoula. Our university system should not be put in the position of allowing charitable donations to be used as a tool in elections.

The other two legislators supporting the planned bill are Reps. Tom Woods, D-Bozeman, and Ryan Lynch, D-Butte.

"This bill aims to prevent the Board of Regents from being put in this unfortunate position in the future, Facey said. "For now, I hope that The Board of Regents decides to postpone the vote to name anything at MSU regarding Mr. Gianforte until after the election.

This isn't the first bill promised to be introduced as a result of jabs between governor candidates this campaign season. Last month, three state lawmakers promised a bill to change how a state-owned plane can be used.
Gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte and Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Elsie Arntzen unveiled a four-pronged education initiative on Tuesday that centered on expanding computer science classes to every Montana high school.

After touring Missoula classrooms that incorporate technology, the Republicans headed to Kalispell to announce their joint proposal at Depot Park. They suggested that computer science should qualify as a core science course toward meeting graduation requirements, that coding classes likewise should fulfill foreign language requirements and that state colleges should offer a computer science teaching certificate so that more instructors can be trained. They also suggested leveraging the existing Montana Digital Academy to bring courses to more schools.

Gianforte, an entrepreneur who became a millionaire after selling his Bozeman-based tech company to Oracle for $1.8 billion in 2011, called the initiative common-sense policy changes that fit into the existing system.

I firmly believe that computers are here to stay, and we have to teach our young people not just how to use technology but how to author technology, because its the authoring thats critically important so that they can be prepared for the jobs of the future, he said at Hellgate Elementary in Missoula on Tuesday morning. Computers are infiltrating every single industry, from agriculture to manufacturing, and we certainly have a burgeoning high-tech sector in the state.

Arntzen is a state senator and elementary school teacher in Billings. She's running against Helena teacher and Democrat Melissa Romano for the Office of Public Instruction seat.

As educators, its important for us to recognize that the needs of our students and teachers change as the economy and technology changes, Arntzen said in a campaign statement. The fact is that our students need computer skills if they are going to succeed in the 21st century economy. Computer science is now an important part of a well-rounded education.

The announcement was not a surprise for those following Gianfortes campaign. At events he often references his philanthropic work to improve computer science education, his leadership on the board of Bozemans private Christian Petra Academy or the success of RightNow, the technology company he founded with his wife.

Throughout his campaign, Gianforte has focused his education comments on giving students the skills they need to stay in Montana after graduation and to bring back those who have left. He has not yet announced any other formal education policy proposals nor provided detailed answers about how he might manage school funding and recruitment issues that have been the top focus of education advocacy groups during the legislative interim. Gianforte often notes that he is still seeking input from around the state and that he would work with legislators to find solutions if elected.

***

Democrats have argued that Gianforte is not a friend of public education, pointing to his volunteer and charitable support of Christian academies, as well as advocacy arguing that publicly supported scholarships and vouchers should help students attend private schools.

Jason Pitt, spokesman for campaigns of Montana Democrats, said in a statement that Gianforte's proposal to lower income tax rates would "slash school funding back to the 20th century" and noted that Gov. Steve Bullock was among dozens of state and technology leaders who signed a petition in April that called on Congress to expand funding for computer science education.

Romano said in a written statement that Montana schools "need to be on the cutting edge in all subject areas." She argued that Arntzen "has consistently voted to take away our children's education funding and dismantle public schools."

The broad swipe echoed criticisms from the state teacher's union, which has given Arntzen a low score for her voting record. Among other issues, the group has dinged Arntzen for opposing a bill to raise the mandatory school enrollment age to 18 and for supporting a bill later vetoed by the governor that would have used state and local funding to provide tuition vouchers for students to attend private schools.

During a telephone town hall Monday night, Gianforte said teachers need more resources, and students need more avenues to good-paying jobs  feeding into his campaign last summer to bring high-salary jobs to the state through telecommuting.

Gianforte said the initiative announced Tuesday wouldnt be cost-prohibitive. He noted that CodeMontana, which develops computer science curricula for schools, cost only tens of thousands of dollars to launch.

It just didnt cost that much money, so I dont think these proposals require a lot of resources, he said. We do need to fund it; Im not saying were not going to fund it.

He also suggested that until more teachers are trained in computer science that the Digital Academy should expand to add more computer science courses, which are offered to students in all districts in the state via an online platform.

Executive Director Bob Currie said the academy already has been looking at ways to expand those types of course offerings.

He noted that web design, which includes some coding instruction, was one of the first classes offered when the academy launched in 2010. In 2014, they started offering a more technical computer science course designed in partnership with Montana State Universitys program.

Were poised to expand those courses further as students identify that as something of interest, he said, noting that to-date the computer science class has not seen enough demand to expand beyond one 25-student section.

This academic year, 34 students from 18 high schools took either a fall or spring course on computer science. Likewise, 30 students from 25 schools completed the web design class. Participating students attended schools of all sizes from border to border, from Arlee to Bainville and Billings to Whitefish.

Currie said the academy has not yet talked with Gianforte or Arntzen about their ideas for an academy expansion, but noted that the program is designed to supplement classes offered in-person by districts. It does not have the capacity to offer whole programs for districts, which would teach all classes for all students in a particular subject area, he said.

Some of the smallest districts with graduating classes of 20 or fewer might use the academy as their only source of foreign language instruction, for example, while Currie said larger districts might enroll a handful of students in that same class to offer them scheduling flexibility. Academy teachers also teach traditional classes at dozens of districts, and the program is not designed to operate as a fully online school with its own staff, Currie said.

Thats an entirely different model than we have now, he said, noting that such an idea differs from all discussions to-date with the Office of Public Instruction and other state leaders. If their proposal is something that would really, really expand enrollment exponentially then obviously we would want to be involved in planning at the early stages because that isnt what we do right now.

***

During the tour of Hellgate, Gianforte and Arntzen saw examples of how some teachers already incorporate technology and computer science curriculum into their lessons.

The fifth-grade classes of teachers David Bixby and Erin Ellis demonstrated how they use iPads in their daily education, from attendance to choosing school lunch to math lessons.

They headed to Jamie Blixt's broadcasting class at the middle school, where students learn about journalism, how to shoot video and use the industry-standard Adobe Creative Suite software. The candidates also watched Tim Mosbacher's programming class, where students were putting the finishing touches on video games.

"If you look at the tradition of education, where we've been, where we are, where we're going to go, they have all of that here," Arntzen said of Hellgate.

Gianforte praised the programming course as an example of the direction more Montana schools should take.

Theres a distinction between the use of technology versus authoring technology, he said. We need to do both, but were light right now on the authoring of technology.
Christopher Michael Cooper, who posted child pornography on social media a month after receiving a fully suspended sentence after being arrested as part of an undercover law enforcement sex sting, has been sentenced to prison.

In 2015, Missoula District Court Judge Karen Townsend had given Cooper a 25-year sentence, all suspended, for a felony count of sexual abuse of children after he was one of seven people arrested in a 2013 undercover sex-sting operation conducted in Missoula. In that incident Cooper, who had come to town from Washington, went to a home believing he would be meeting a 12-year-old girl for sex, but he found only law enforcement officers who had set up the online post, waiting for him.

In April 2015, a month after receiving the suspended sentence, Cooper was arrested and charged with posting pornographic images of children on multiple Twitter accounts.

In January, without a plea agreement, Cooper pleaded guilty to violating the terms of his probation from the sex sting sentence and to eight new felony charges from his April 2015 arrest.

In Missoula County District Court on Monday, Townsend sentenced him to 30 years in the Montana State Prison with 15 years suspended for the eight new charges of sexual abuse of children. She also revoked his suspended sentence from the previous case and reimposed it as 25 years in prison with 10 suspended.

He will receive credit for 285 days already served in custody.
Phoebe Dillon spotted a patch of kinnikinnick, and the rest of her class hiked over to examine.

Ten-year-old Dillon and her fourth-grade Rattlesnake School class headed to Pattee Canyon on Monday morning, part of the Montana Natural History Center's Visiting Naturalist in the Schools program's partnership with the Lolo National Forest and the White House initiative Every Kid in a Park.

MNHC was one of 186 federal sites picked for a field trip grant this year from the National Park Foundation. It's a national effort to get children outside, exploring their public lands. The grant covers the cost of busing more than 1,000 Missoula County area fourth-graders to the Bitterroot National Forest, Lolo National Forest, Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge and Bison Range this month.

The field trips fall in line with the Visiting Naturalist's annual program with area fourth-graders.

"We chose fourth-graders, it had to do with in 2004 what programs were available to schoolkids, and fourth grade seemed like a group that could use some programming," said MNHC education director Lisa Bickell. "There was programming for third-graders and there was stuff for fifth- and sixth-graders."

Fourth grade is also a benchmark year for science.

"The Visiting Naturalist program is designed to meet science standards through nature-based study," Bickell said. "And it provides a different opportunity to teach science instead of some of the more traditional textbook ways."

The program starts in September. There's a field trip in October, and naturalists do monthly visits until the culminating field trip in May.

"There was the No Child Left Behind Act that had a real strong focus on reading and writing and math, and I think because of that and because the way the funding was tied to it, science became ... as important as it is, it became a little less of a priority when you're dealing with a variety of challenges," Bickell said. "I kind of wonder if it's gong to come back with the Next Generation Science Standards. In Missoula, teachers have been working together to re-imagine the science curriculum, so it may get an infusion of interest here pretty soon."

***

There's no doubting Dillon's interest. Her arm shot up every time naturalist Kate Crouch asked a question on their hike.

"You get to explore things that you see all the time but you don't really think about much," Dillon said of the field trip.

Her hiking group gathered around a fallen tree, trying to figure out what had happened. One girl thought it had been pulled out. No, her peers said, it's too big. Another wondered if wind or lightning had knocked it down. Dillon had another idea: a fire.

Tony Schoonen, father of Rattlesnake fourth-grader Brookelynn, came out with the class on Monday.

"I enjoy being with the kids, especially when theyre outside doing things," he said. "Rattlesnakes very good about getting them outdoors, getting them close to nature. Theyre very fortunate up there to have that philosophy in the school, and the location."

These trips are important to connect kids with nature, he said.

"By and large, between the time when I was young and the times these kids are young, a large part of our society has separated itself," he said. "I dont think its been intentional, but its just, Americas becoming more urbanized and the kids dont have the opportunity to connect with nature as much. Rural America is no longer rural America."

A national park may not be next door to Missoula, Bickell said, but the city is surrounded by opportunities for kids to throw themselves into nature.

"We have such great resources with the Forest Service," Bickell said. "The idea is to get kids into the forest. It's always amazing to me how many kids in Missoula actually don't get to these spots, even though they're pretty close by."

When Crouch asked the class how many had never been to the Crazy Canyon Trailhead at Pattee Canyon, about 10 kids raised their hands.

***

Each student threw a pair of binoculars around their neck for the hike. Other than that, all they brought with them was their naturalist journal and a pencil.

They stopped along the trail, pointing out different types of trees, plants and flowers. Dillon had the right idea when Crouch pointed out a Ponderosa pine with its lower branches broken off. It had something to do with a fire, Dillon said.

"You're on the right track with fire," Crouch said. "They start to do this on their own. They break off their lower branches so when a fire occurs, it doesn't go woosh! up in flames. It's a form of self-protection."

At the end of the program, these students and their families will get vouchers to get into any national park or federal fee site for free.

"Whats interesting about these kids is, you know when youre a kid, theres the innocence of babes thing," Schoonen said. "These kids are all connected to nature when theyre little. Theyre naturally attracted to it  you can tell. I think its when they get older and they start using the electronics and all that other stuff, that they start losing that.

"Right now is the perfect age because they can get out there, they can remember things and realize that this is a cool thing to do."
Sarah Rae McKnight, one of two people charged in the December killing of one woman and attack on another, pleaded guilty to all five of her felony charges Tuesday.

McKnight, 32, changed her pleas, with no plea agreement being offered, during a hearing before District Court Judge Robert Dusty Deschamps.

You understand if you plead guilty today youre throwing yourself at my mercy? Deschamps said.

She is charged with five felonies stemming from the Dec. 21 attack including deliberate homicide, accountability for deliberate homicide, conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and theft.

McKnights codefendant Scott Austin Price also is charged with five felonies from the incident. He shares the same deliberate homicide, conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping and evidence tampering charges as McKnight. He is also charged with solicitation to commit theft and attempted deliberate homicide.

According to affidavits in the case, McKnight met Price in Great Falls a week before the Missoula incidents, and they drove to Missoula in her Honda. McKnight said she was using drugs at the time, and she and Price bought zip ties and duct tape, intending to steal a car and money in order to get more drugs. She said she wishes she would have asked for help in the months leading up to the December homicide.

The morning of Dec. 21, McKnight waited in the drivers seat of her car as Price attacked a woman in the parking lot of Missoula Fresh Market on Reserve Street, stabbing her in the stomach and hand. He then got back into McKnights car and they fled the scene, driving to the Super 8 motel, where they found Lonette Keehner cleaning a room.

McKnight sobbed as she read a prepared written statement to the court Tuesday.

She said Price had pushed Keehner into the bathtub and was holding a knife at her telling her to hand over her keys and the other items in her pockets. McKnight then waited outside in the car, and didnt know Price had killed her until he got into the vehicle holding a bloody knife. The two of them were arrested the next day in Idaho after they left town in Keehners stolen car.

I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I didnt think anybody would die, she said Tuesday. I want to take responsibility for my actions that day.

She concluded her statement by apologizing to her own family, including her husband and children, as well as Keehners family.

McKnight also has a pending federal counterfeiting charge in Montana, but prosecutors previously have said they intend to let all state proceedings against her conclude before moving forward in that case.

Price also faces a homicide charge stemming from the Dec. 14 stabbing death of 78-year-old Ed Martin in Miles City, as well as charges in the assault and kidnapping of Martins wife, who was found beaten and locked in the basement of their house.

Deschamps did not set a sentencing date for McKnight during Tuesdays court appearance. Chief Deputy County Attorney Jason Marks requested the sentencing not take place until after Prices trial in October, where they intend to call her as a witness, but McKnights public defender Lisa Kauffman objected to the request.

Kauffman said her client was not doing well in the Missoula County jail due to mental health and anxiety issues. She said delaying sentencing without a specific reason might be a violation of McKnights due process rights.

Shes had a very difficult and challenging time emotionally since this happened, Kauffman said.

Deschamps asked Marks to explore other options for McKnights placement pending sentencing and said after he sees what options are available, he would set a sentencing date.
Its no secret that our nations prisons are overcrowded and failing to keep our communities safe. Compared to peer nations around the globe, no country has more of its population behind bars. Our per-capita incarceration rate is five times higher than Great Britain, nine times that of Germany, and 14 times higher than Japan. Almost one-quarter of the prisoners worldwide are in American jails, despite the United States accounting for just five percent of the worlds population.

The reasons for our prison overcrowding are many, but one factor has been the tough mandatory-minimum sentencing laws that were enacted in the 1990s. The intent behind these laws was good  to bring consistency to sentencing. At the time, judges were given wide discretion in sentencing criteria, which led to some disparities in sentences for similar crimes.

But over time those mandatory minimum laws meant that some offenders could get very long sentences for relatively minor offenses. For instance, the federal mandatory minimum sentence for nonviolent drug offenses is currently 10 years.

In fact, most of the offenders behind bars today are nonviolent drug offenders. Instead of using the sentencing to hold them accountable and treat the root of their crime, we are keeping them in jail, making their re-entrance into society much more difficult.

Im not suggesting we should suddenly go soft on crime. What I am suggesting is that we need to become smarter about how we sentence criminals. Because not only is our corrections system the largest in the world, its by far the most expensive as well.

And believe it or not, there is a very good chance that reform of our justice system could be passed by the US Congress this year. Already, 34 senators (19 Democrats and 15 Republicans) have co-sponsored the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 (SRCA). One of the most recent additions to that co-sponsor list is Montanas Sen. Steve Daines.

The SRCA is a good step toward relieving overcrowding while focusing tougher sentencing on repeat and violent offenders. The SRCA would allow judges more discretion in sentencing for lower-level crimes.

Most significantly, it would allow a judge to lower the mandatory minimum from 10 to five years for drug offenses for defendants who have never had a violent offense, do not participate in gang activity, were not involved in the production or wholesale level of drug trafficking, and had never distributed drugs to a minor.

The SRCA also expands the so-called safety valve, which allows judges to waive mandatory minimum sentences altogether for some first-time, nonviolent drug offenders.

Sentencing reform is never an easy task to accomplish. For basic public safety, we need to make sure the people who should be behind bars are behind bars. But prescribing a sort of one-size-fits-all approach to sentencing and taking away discretion from judges has produced the new problem of expensive prison overcrowding we have today.

The SRCA is a measured approach that has attracted significant support from conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats alike. Thats rare in Washington these days. So lets encourage our Congressional delegation to work to keep the momentum going.

Thank you, Sen. Daines, for taking a leadership role on a difficult issue. It really will make a difference for Montana and our nation.
When Republican Presidential candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich suspended their campaigns after being badly beaten in Indiana, the last person standing for the Republicans was Donald J. Trump.

If you look at it closely, we really should applaud what Trump did. He whipped 16 of the best and brightest the GOP had to offer.

Think about that. Trump beat Republican royalty like Jeb Bush. He beat seasoned presidential candidates like Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum. He bested Scott Walker  the governor of Wisconsin. He beat the young gun Marco Rubio, and he kicked the rear of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and current Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

Thats not bad for a few months' work. He brought the Republican Party down to their knees, and worst of all for the Republicans, Trump paid for it himself.

Even when 2012 Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney came out against Trump calling him, among other things, a misogynist, and saying he mocked a female reporter attributing her questions to her menstrual cycle, Trump continued to win and win.

On May 3, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus threw in the towel when he tweeted, @realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton.

Some of us moderate and independent voters who have supported Republican candidates in the past are getting a good laugh at the shenanigans from Trump. He has beaten the establishment Republicans at their own little game  and hes not even a politician  hes just rich!

Democrats have to be loving this  if Hillary Clinton stays out of federal prison over her emails, Benghazi, and other things that Republicans throw at her, she should easily win this race against Trump.

The Republican Party here in Montana and the Republicans all across the fruited plains kind of deserve Trump as their leader for a few reasons.

In the past few years, weve seen some Republicans in Montana be accused of making jokes about our first black President by showing "Obama traps" with watermelons; weve seen an outhouse peppered with bullet holes paraded around Montana with the sign that reads Obama Presidential Library on it. Theres just a lot of hatred from those on the right toward Obama and folks who may not walk the straight and narrow path of the conservatives.

That hatred seems to fit Trump to the T.

Trump has been called a con artist, a phony, a bully, vulgar, a pathological liar, a race-baiting xenophobic religious bigot. Ironically, those were just remarks made by fellow Republicans.

It looks like the Republican Party has the nominee in Trump that they deserve. They basically imploded in front of all America.

Trumps taking down of the Grand Old Party is making the regional and state battles about some candidates being a Republican In Name Only (RINO) seem even more ridiculous. The GOP now has the biggest RINO of all. Donald Trump has assumed the Republican mantle.

Good luck with that.
As a registered nurse interested in both western and alternative medicine, I have taken time to earn continuing education for health care professionals on the topic of cannabis and endocannabinoid science. This has given me an understanding of how cannabis works therapeutically to help and heal people of all ages.

Veterans, a population with a high risk of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide, are finding that use of cannabis is helping them cope mentally along with healing their physical pain. According to the Veterans Administration statistics, 10 percent of the population of Montana is veteran with approximately 5 percent Vietnam- and Gulf War-era veterans. Many of these veterans are from generations already comfortable with cannabis use. They would like legal access to treat themselves using cannabis as a safe alternative to many medications, including opiates. Research studies support cannabis as a safe treatment for many health concerns of veterans.

Legal cannabis access expands the economy of the health care industry and increases the number of people veterans have contact with. Montana ranks No. 1 nationally for suicide with approximately 20 suicides monthly. Increasing contact with cannabis care providers may be therapeutic to at-risk populations such as veterans and others with chronic pain and PTSD.

Having taken the time to learn about cannabis science through accredited continuing education, I encourage other health care practitioners to do so. Cannabis is a botanical medicine that has such healing potential to cure and improve the quality life of so many people, including veterans, that it would be an injustice to withhold access.

I encourage those who are compassionate about the health and well-being and the economical needs of our citizens to support the initiatives to legal access cannabis in Montana. Our signatures and votes count!

Frances DeForrest,

Hot Springs
Low carbon levels leave the ground nutrient-poor, requiring ever-greater amounts of fertilizer to support crops. They also make for thin soil that is vulnerable to erosion and less able to retain water, so yields suffer quickly in times of drought.

To bring levels back up, a set of techniques known as carbon farming, or regenerative farming, encourage and complement the process by which plants draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, break it down and sequester carbon into soil. They include refraining from tilling, or turning, the soil; mixing crops together rather than growing large fields of just one type; planting trees and shrubs near or among crops; and leaving stalks and other cuttings on fields to decay.

Mr. Brown keeps his fields planted for as much of the year as possible to minimize nutrient loss. When he mixes clover and oats in the same field, the clover fixes nitrogen into the soil. After the oats are harvested, livestock graze the clover and leave their manure behind.

Such strategies have allowed him to stop using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, reducing costs. And the rich soil not only yields higher volumes, but the crops are more nutritionally dense than those grown on depleted land, he says.

Economically, its much, much, much more profitable, he said.

Mr. Browns approach is very different from the techniques of industrial-scale farming that have taken hold in the United States and other wealthy countries, where single crops stretch over many acres, and fertilizers and pesticides are used heavily.

Things are worse in poorer nations, where farmers desperation often means they are unable to care for the soil, Mr. Lal said. He recalled seeing a Mexican sharecropper carting corn straw away from the fields to sell: I said, Why dont you leave it on the land? The land will be better next year. And he said, This land will not be mine next year, and I need money now.

There is some momentum behind a shift. The French government, which helped broker last years landmark Paris Agreement on climate change, is pushing an effort to increase soil carbon stocks by 0.4 percent annually, which it says would halt the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
How much food comes from vertical farms is hard to calculate, though it is thought to be a very small fraction of all food grown. The United States Department of Agriculture keeps no statistics on production from vertical farming, according to a spokesman, Damon Thompson, but the agency is about to issue an urban agriculture toolkit, available online for anyone interested in pursuing the practice, he said.

One reason that vertical farming remains a small, obscure niche is that farmers need to make money, not just food. Mr. Oshima said that AeroFarms was cost competitive today with the field farmer. But vertical farming has many skeptics and critics who expect that whatever energy and money are saved by shortening the distance from farm to table to be lost, and then some, by the high cost of artificial lighting and other equipment needed to produce food indoors and even outdoors in many urban settings.

It may be feasible to grow certain crops efficiently in certain circumstances in certain settings, they say, but only to a certain extent and at certain times. They consider it unlikely for the foreseeable future that vertical farming could produce enough food of different varieties to feed a significant number of people in a commercially viable way.

Its such an appealing idea  Press Floor 10 for lettuce  that people picked up on it right away, said Bruce Bugbee, a professor of crop physiology at Utah State University. The fundamental problem is that plants need a lot of light. Its free outside. If were going to do it inside, it will require the burning of a lot of fossil fuels. Vertical farming is fine if youll let me have a vertical nuclear reactor next to it.

If thats not an option, then success in urban vertical farming is likely to be confined to a small number of crops, such as the varieties that AeroFarms cultivates.

There are situations in dense urban areas where space is highly limited that growing food with artificial lights, stacked vertically, makes sense, especially highly perishable products like sprouts or salad greens where there is an immediate market for them, said Stephen J. Ventura, a professor of environmental studies and soil science at the University of Wisconsin.

The local-food movement has made people more aware of where their food is coming from and helped create a general trend toward more production in and around cities, he added. That has led to innovations for relatively small-scale urban farming and people growing oregano and basil on a stoop. Whether we build dedicated buildings for vertical farming, Im skeptical.
While Americans are confronting an epidemic of prescription drug abuse, particularly for addictive painkillers, the reverse problem prevails in much of the world.

Many ill people with a legitimate need for drugs like oxycodone and other narcotics known as opioid analgesics cannot get them and are suffering and dying in pain, according to health officials, doctors and patients rights advocates.

In Russia, India and Mexico, many doctors are reluctant to prescribe these painkillers, fearful of possible prosecution or other legal problems, even if they believe the prescriptions are justified.

In Kenya, health officials only recently authorized the production of morphine, one of the most effective drugs for pain relief, after criticism that it was available in only seven of the countrys 250 public hospitals. In Morocco, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch reported in February, only a small fraction of physicians are permitted to prescribe opioid analgesics, which the countrys law on controlled substances identifies as poisons.
Following last Saturdays commencement ceremonies at the University of Montana in Missoula, my daughter, whod just walked the stage in two-inch heels, invited us to a reception over at the Business School.

We had some punch and cookies, and then took the back concrete stairs  many stairs  to depart the building.

Careful, I said to my 23-year-old candidate for two bachelors degrees, as she navigated the stairs in shoes that, in my estimation, were gravity-defying.

She laughed, along with my other daughter and husband, at a long-standing family fact that I will never stop worrying about my children.

Id just watched my beauty walk the stage to accept her degrees in accounting and international business with a minor in German thrown in for good measure. I was working hard to manage my emotions  another long-standing family fact is that I tear easily  anything from a good chick flick to one of my dogs cuddling with me can bring it on.

But as Shannons aisle was called forward to cross the stage, I could feel it welling. I grabbed my husbands hand and felt tears streaming down my face.

Shannon looked joyous and confident. Degree in hand, she hardily shook hands with several faculty members. Shes an adult, I thought. A real adult.

How had this wonderful creature evolved so fluidly, despite my parental hiccups and missteps? How had she survived my anger, when she and her sister would incessantly fight over who would wear this blouse, that skirt, those shoes? How had she survived my judgment calls  when I didnt really know the right answers, and sometimes made the wrong decisions  did she really need to eat those vegetables? When could she get her ears pierced? When could she wear makeup? When could she date? Whom could she date? How late could she stay out? When would she need to call to check in?

According to author Linda Wooten, being a mother is learning about strengths you didnt know you had, and dealing with fears you didnt know existed.

Thats just about right. Motherhood is an enormous undertaking, a duty that has made me a stronger, and better, person.

Leaving the Business School reception last Saturday, we all went to a Missoula brewery, and had lunch with good beer. We toasted Shannon, heartily, wishing her the very best as she begins a new job in Montanas Flathead Valley.

Four hours from us.

Have I done all that I could for her?

It hasnt been perfect, but I would say that for the most part, I have.

Last Sunday, I watched Shannon depart Missoula, heading north to her new life.

Careful, I whispered. Careful.
Editor's note: This story was changed at 8:51 p.m. on 5/17 to reflect a change. The app Avenza does not yet have BLM data added to it. The BLM is working on adding that data to the app.

There's an app for that.

The Bureau of Land Management is trying to help address the problem of unauthorized motorized travel in a variety of ways. Besides more signage and increased policing of areas, an app is available.

The app, called Avenza, for smartphones, tells people which routes and trails are open or closed. BLM is working to include their data to the app.

Recent information from Southwest Montana landowners and land user groups, such as hunters and permit holders, indicates resource damage is occurring due to unauthorized motorized recreational use, according to a BLM news release.

Cornie Hudson, manager of the BLM's Dillon Field Office, says unauthorized motorized vehicles can create ruts, push down grass, leave tire tread marks, and create new trails. This can lead to wildlife habitat fragmentation, loss of native vegetation, spread of noxious weeds, soil erosion into waterways.

"It's such a big issue," Hudson said. "Hunters or hikers hike for several miles, and then here comes an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) up the ridge and disturbs the hunter and hiker and wildlife and impacts natural resources."

Hudson said other efforts to address the problem also are in the works.

"We will also increase our law enforcement presence in priority areas, uphold motorized travel restrictions, issue citations when necessary, and build permanent gates in areas where closed routes continue to experience travel violations," Hudson said.

Still, Hudson emphasized, no new roads are being closed.

"We're trying to make it easier for the public to understand what roads are already closed," she said.

"We're simply making a more concerted effort to enforce previously designated travel restrictions which were intended to provide multiple opportunities desired by the public and protect the resources that benefit our wildlife populations," Hudson said in a news release.

Hudson said BLM and other agencies such as the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation; Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks; and the U.S. Forest Service are working together to try to make it easier for people to know the status of a road.

In some areas, such as Big Sheep at the Muddy Creek turnoff, west of Lima, kiosks provide information on road closures.

Dave Sabo, Butte district ranger for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, said the best way to find out which Forest Service roads are open for motorized travel is to call the district's office or stop by before heading out.

Hudson said it's all about trying to maintain a balance between recreational use and preserving the integrity of the soil, water, vegetation and wildlife habitat.

"We look to public land users to respect other recreational groups, educate their friends and family on responsible vehicle use, and to make the right choice when they encounter road closures and road timing restrictions," she said.

For details, call the Dillon BLM Field Office at 406-683-8000 or the Forest Service office at 406-683-3900.
The Alley Rally is a short-term supplemental service that cannot receive the variety of materials the landfill can. Because of this, residents are encouraged to use the landfill for items not accepted at the Alley Rally. Residents using the Alley Rally should keep any solid waste in a bag or container that can be lifted by hand. The Alley Rally is a free service for Butte-Silver Bow residents.
A new initiative to help local citizens remove and disposes of old appliances and large household items will be launched Tuesday, May 17, by the Butte-Silver Bow Community Enrichment Department.

The service is for citizens 65 and older and those who are physically unable to remove these items from their homes on their own. This service is by appointment only; call 406-497-5024 and leave a message with your name, address, telephone number, and item(s) that you would like removed.

Staff members will return your call and schedule a pick-up with you at no cost.

"After meeting informally with a number of seniors, this is a service that was identified as something that would be very beneficial for many in our community," Assistant Community Enrichment Director John Moodry said.

Details: Butte-Silver Bow Community Enrichment Department at 406-497-6529.
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park features one of the largest known limestone caverns in the Northwest. These spectacular caverns lined with stalactites, stalagmites, columns and helictites are naturally air-conditioned and lighted for a safe and enjoyable visit with a seasoned tour guide. Kids have fun on the tour's famous Beaver Slide and an occasional bat sighting.

Cave access is by guided tours only. Summer tours are available through Sept. 30. Plan to spend about two hours to hike about two miles on the caverns' guided tour. Tickets are purchased upon arrival.

The state park also offers these events:

Friday Evening Programs

Lewis & Clark Caverns guest speaker lineup is listed below. All programs are at 8 p.m., unless otherwise noted. HM designates a presenter from Humanities Montana.

June 3  Bears of MT, Kevin Frey, FWP Grizzly Bear Biologist

June 10  Song of the Dawn Priests: A History of the Crow People, Franco Littlelight, artist & storyteller, HM

June 17  The Boulder Batholith's Massive Volcanic Eruptions, Kaleb Scarberry, geologist

June 24  Geology of the Lewis & Clark Caverns Area," Alan English, hydrogeologist

July 1  The Jefferson River Canoe Trail, Thomas Elpel, author and president of the Jefferson River Canoe Trail

July 8  Campground Appraisals, Connie Olind, from the Certified Appraiser's Guild of America

July 15  Sgt. John Ordway of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, Arch Ellwein, Living Historian HM

July 22  Bats: Not Just in Caves, Matt Bell, naturalist and bat educator

July 29  Chinese in Montana, Ellen Baumler, Montana Historian HM

Aug. 5  George Bird Grinnell & Glacier National Park, Hugh Grinnell, researcher

Aug. 12  "York's True Freedom, Chris Dantic, park manager, Montana State Parks

Aug. 19  Bats," Karen Schulz, interpreter, Montana State Parks

Aug. 26  "Pronghorns of the U.S. West, Byron Butler, biologist and educator

Saturday Naturalist Walks

These walks feature the diverse wildflower and bird species of Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park. There will be a limited slate or walks this year due to staffing changes in the park. The walks will be held at different times, so please check times or call Tom at 406-287-3541.

All walks will meet at the park's Main Visitor Center east of the campground.

June 18  8 a.m., seventh annual Birding Day" includes morning walks to see many different park birds. (3+ miles spread out)

July 9  9 p.m. "Bats on the River" $4. A night walk to check out some of the park's many bats. Short walk

August 20  8 p.m., "Spotted Bat". During our bat Week we will try to find one of our most unique

Times are subject to change and other walks not listed above may become available. Details: Tom Forwood, 406-287-3541, fwptforwood@gmail.com.

After Dark Programs

These special late-night events will be held this year to continue some premium offerings.

June 4  8:30 a.m., National Trails Day. Volunteer to help with trail work or pull weeds to improve the trails.

July 2  9 p.m., Things that go Bump", a special night walk.

Music by the Caverns

For a third straight year this popular event is back. Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park will be hosting 3 full days of music. Music by the Caverns will be held on June 26, July 24, and Aug. 27. These day-long events will feature a diverse collection of local talent performing a variety of different musical styles. These performances are free to Montana residents and registered campers. Details: 406-287-3541.
Tuesday, May 17

CENTRAL CONCERT

Butte Central Spring Music Concert starts at 7 p.m. in the Butte Central auditorium.

BUTTE HIGH CONCERT

The Butte High School spring concert "Spring Sings" starts at 7 p.m. at St. Lawrence Church on North Main Street.

ANTI-FRAUD WORKSHOP

A free workshop to help consumers spot scams and avoid fraud is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Butte Country Club, 3400 Elizabeth Warren Ave. Hosted by AARP, it will bring together experts from several agencies, including the state Office of Consumer Protection and the Federal Trade Commission. A free lunch is served. To register: 1-877-926-8300 or visit www.AARP.org/MT.

CTEC MEETING

Citizens Technical Environmental Committee meets from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Butte Archives, 17 W. Quartz St. Tuesday's focus will be to learn about groundwater/surface water interaction in the Butte area. Details: 406-723-6247 or ButteCTEC.org.

NORWEGIAN HOLIDAY

The Daughters of Norway will celebrate Syttende Mai (Norwegian Constitution Day). The group will serve cookies and coffee in the rotunda of the courthouse from 10 a.m. to noon. At 11 a.m., members will raise the Norwegian flag in front of the courthouse. At 1:30 p.m., Norwegian goodies will be shared at Big Sky Living. Details: 406-490-2633.

ECOLOGY WORKSHOP

The Imagine Butte Resource Center, 68 W. Park St., and EyeLand Institute ecologist Mich Pillet present a free introductory biology/ecology workshop from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays through May 17 called "The Teaches of Niches: Approachable Ecology." Details: imaginebutte@gmail.com.

CLUBS AND MEETINGS

Butte

Butte Chapter Montana Landlords will have its regular chapter meeting at 6 p.m. in the Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce, 1000 George St. Enter through the side rear door. Discussion includes the April 2016 annual meeting and officer elections. Details: Shirley at 406-219-7837 or www.montanalandlords.com.

Butte Exchange Club meets weekly at noon Tuesdays at 16 E. Granite St. on the second floor. Details: Steve, 406-782-4253.

Open AA meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the United Congregational Church, 2945 Bayard St. Details: 406-560-7330.

Al-Anon meeting: 7 p.m. first Tuesday, business meeting, Comfort Inn.
Tim Cook (left) and Jean Liu (in white suit) take a taxi hailed via Didi Chuxing on the morning of May 16, 2016. [Photo/ witter.com / tim_cook]

Apple CEO Tim Cook's latest visit to China yesterday, coming after his company's $1 billion investment in Chinese ride hailing app, Didi Chuxing. During this trip, Cook took a taxi hailed via Didi with Jean Liu, president of Didi, to meet app developers at an Apple store in Beijing. At that meeting, Cook said, "China is one of the most vibrant places in the world. There are so many entrepreneurs now that they'll drive the next generation of innovation in China."
The guest column by retired federal wildlife biologist and Montana Wildlife Federation member Dan Bricco ("Montanas sage grouse: a model in conservation," Montana Standard, May 3) could benefit from some context. In July 2014 I was offered $10,000 by the Western Conservation Foundation to arrange 10 presentations to hunters across Montana in partnership with MWF. The topic? Gov. Steve Bullocks imminent executive order on sage grouse conservation in our state. But after I learned the terms of the offer, I rejected it.

I had by then 15 years of experience with agencies and non-governmental organizations on sage grouse conservation planning, population monitoring and habitat assessment. Id been invited to testify in front of Congress, and to participate in a group developing the Bureau of Land Managements first national conservation strategy. And Id trained and fielded more citizen scientists than anyone else to census grouse populations. Why didnt I take the money? Because the foundation demanded I abandon integrity in my professional assessment and public outreach. I was told explicitly that my presentation required pre-screening and approval by the foundations representative, and it must only laud the governors grouse conservation efforts. Having received grants for years, this was the first which so blatantly attempted to purchase positive professional opinion on behalf of a politician.

MWF at the same time accepted over $14,000 from WCF to build public support for adoption of the Montana grouse plan. I admit the plan contains many good things, but it was also very controversial regarding the top public lands threats: energy development and mining. The conservation representatives voted against accepting the plan, and issued four minority reports on related flaws. More troubling, after receiving his advisory committees split-decision product, Bullock weakened the energy development stipulation still further to favor industry.

WCF dollars funded the whitewash of this political and biological misdeed, and as evidenced by Briccos column, the whitewash continues. I called Dan Bricco and he readily admitted he didnt write the column submitted over his credentials. He is 80 years old, hasnt really followed sage grouse science since retiring nearly 20 years ago and is in poor health. He hasnt read the governors plan, didnt attend any of the advisory councils meetings, and couldnt name any organizations that, as he wrote, praised across the country Bullocks model of collaborative conservation. He said he was supplied with the columns text directly from MWF staff, and asked to send it to newspapers. I believe he naively did so, not knowing his endorsement acts to legitimize misinformation that works against the long-term interests of sage grouse, at least according to authentic science-based opinion. The bird, our senior biologists and the public deserve better un-politicized information.

-- Ben Deeble of Missoula is a former staff member of the Montana Wildlife Federation and National Wildlife Federation who left each position in good professional standing, has been self-employed since 2011 and still plans to vote for Gov. Steve Bullock.
WAPELLO, Iowa A Morning Sun man is facing one theft and multiple burglary charges in alleged connection with an ongoing investigation into a string of burglaries in rural Louisa County.

Thomas Michael Bowdre, 22, was arrested Monday night and charged with one count of first-degree theft and eight counts of third-degree burglary, according to the Louisa County Sheriff's Office.

Bowdre allegedly participated in multiple burglaries in connection with Ryan Matthew Greiner, 30, who was arrested in March and also charged with eight counts of third-degree burglary and one count of first-degree theft, according to Deputy Tom Shehan.

Greiner entered a plea of not-guilty, and his jury trial has been set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 12, in Louisa County District Court, according to the court documents.

Bowdre is being held in the Louisa County Jail under a total bond of $85,000.

Emily Wenger of the Muscatine Journal
MUSCATINE, Iowa The Muscatine Police Department is seeking information regarding a hit and run accident that occurred around 3:38 p.m. on Friday, May 13 at E. Fifth Street and Sycamore Street.

The driver of a copper-colored, PT Cruiser (station wagon) style of vehicle was described as a white female from 16 to 20 years of age. The public is asked to contact the MPD at 563-263-9922 Ext. 247 with any information concerning the accident. Persons providing information may remain anonymous.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Several of the new books added to the children's materials at the Musser Public Library feature girls at the center of the story.

Children's librarian Betty Collins provided a tour of the new books now available at the library.

"Once Was a Time" by Leila Sales is set during World War II. The story revolves around a girl whose father is a scientist doing research into time travel.

"They are British. What happens is when they think that they are being held hostage by the Nazis, at that exact moment a time portal opens up and she (the girl) runs through it," Collins said.

"The rest of the book is how she lands in our time and becomes a modern girl living in a foster family. She is trying to find her way back to her best friend who she feels she abandoned."

Collins said there is so much unexpected about this book. "It will keep you guessing the whole time. It is really wonderful."

"The Firefly Code" is set in the late part of our century and it's about children living in a little sort of Utopian community that have sprung up around the United States.

When the children turn 13 years old they can, along with their parents, chose to have some capability enhanced. "It is hard to describe but I really liked it," Collins said.

"There is this constant tension between the natural and the genetically enhanced. There is also this mystery of a new girl who moves into the neighborhood. What is going on with her and why is she just a little too perfect?"

The book was written by Megan Frazer Blakemore.

Lots of kids' books have magic as part of the plot. Jewell Parker Rhodes' "Bayou Magic" is the magical story of a girl who has gone back to visit her grandmother. The story coincides with the oil spill in the gulf.

"It also includes mermaids. It's a quick read and it's lot of fun and it's got deeper meaning to it."

"The Land of Forgotten Girls" by Erin Entrada Kelly centers on a girl born in the Philippines who comes to the United States.

"It's all about family relationships and being a person of a different culture in the U.S. and sisterhood," Collins said.

"Flora and the Peacocks" is a big picture book meant for younger children. The book was written by Molly Idle.

"Flora is a dancer. When you start to go through this book you'll see why I love it so much. It's got these great illustrations. and here she is with this peacocks," Collins said pointing at a page.

The book has flaps the reader can turn to reveal surprises.

"Everything is mirrored between Flora who is a dancer and the peacocks," Collins said.

"You can see its wordless. For children who are really young, just sitting down with their parent and then coming up with the creation of the words for the story. That is very important for children and helps their brains grow and is just as important as having the words printed on the page.

"Wordless picture books play a different role but it is still building up the brain building up brain's capacity for language."
It has been only eight years since the summer when our economy cracked and descended in a downward spiral that would take us to the very edge an economic depression. As we spiraled downward it became pretty apparent that the Bush Administration had little clue what was going on nor what to do.

At that point, many Americans were trying to come to grips with what the fact that all they had worked for all their lives could be wiped out in a few moments on Wall Street. Worse yet there was no competence within our government to deal with the situation.

By September, the economy was spiraling out of control. Corporations that had been existence for a century succumbed to events. And in Washington the administration had pretty much checked out.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans lost their jobs and homes. Into this maelstrom of building disaster a new president stepped up to the challenge. Barack Obama offered new programs to get the economy moving, stimulating the economy and shoring up the economy with government guarantees.

The economy went into a steady recovery and has been climbing ever since. While the recovery may not have been as fast as many hoped, that is due for the most part on the foot dragging by Republicans in the Senate. By creating a new power where it takes only 41 votes to stop legislation by implied threat to filibuster, Republicans were able to stop most of the major stimulus plans.

Our own Chuck Grassley was one of the major foot draggers as the Republicans used every tool they had to make the new president look bad. It is hard to measure how much damage Grassley did to our country during this period. He certainly did no good.

Fast forward to today when presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sent shudders through the economic world recently when he suggested he might negotiate to pay off United States debt at less than 100% value plus interest.

At no time has an American president ever suggested that. Holding American debt has always been a rock solid investment. Most of us have some in our portfolios as a very basic investment.

But we should not be surprised. Republican Administrations have been notoriously bad for the American economy. Iowa's own Herbert Hoover is often cited as being among the worst presidents due to the crash of 1929. However, the 8 previous years of Republican leadership set the table for the crash. Hoover's biggest mistake was in his lack of response preferring to let the economy work its way out. Didn't happen.

Hoover was not alone. Nixon, Reagan, Bush I and of course George W. Bush led the country into major recessions that were cleaned up by Democrats.

America, you have been warned many times. Elect a Republican and you put the economy and your own economic well being in jeopardy.

Dave Bradley is a resident of West Liberty.
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 []
Former Vox Telecom CEO Douglas Reed has started The Loyalty Specialists, a business programme promising rewards that are simple and easy to redeem.

The Loyalty Specialists design, implement, and administer cost-effective incentive solutions for small and medium-sized businesses.

It focusses on loyalty programmes which incentivize staff, fine-tune marketing, improve cash flow, improve customer-relation management, and increase sales.

For The Loyalty Specialists, we stuck to the leisure industry. We included direct booking on flights, but we would prefer that people book their holiday through us, said Reed.

Through its holding company Kizzlers online travel booking platform, The Loyalty Specialists offer an aspirational rewards system.

Unlike cash incentives, we offer an extra opportunity for people to escape their daily tasks and whisk away loved ones for adventure and bonding.

Interview with Douglas Reed

Douglas Reed discusses his new business venture with BizNews founder Alec Hogg.

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Automated EFT startup shows impressive growth

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Mimecast, a leading email and data security company, announced general availability of Impersonation Protect, the first cloud service that directly combats the growing cybersecurity threat from whaling or CEO fraud.

Mimecasts new Impersonation Protect uses advanced scanning techniques to prevent attacks by monitoring all email traffic for elements commonly used by criminals, including employee and domain names, and other keywords like wire transfer, tax form or urgent.

IT administrators and security organizations can now block suspicious emails or choose to display additional security warnings for employee awareness.

Cybercriminals are commonly using email as an entry point to steal confidential data and dupe employees into making fraudulent payments costing the global economy billions of dollars annually.

New Mimecast research shows the threat continues to grow. Since January 2016, 67% of respondents* had seen an increase in attacks designed to instigate fraudulent payments and 43% saw an increase in attacks specifically asking for confidential data like HR records or tax information.

Email remains a highly popular attack vector for cybercriminals, for good reason: it is one of the most direct paths to entry into the enterprise, and it relies heavily (and all too often, successfully) on human behavior to assure initial penetration.

This means that attackers will continue to prioritize email  and defenses must level up accordingly, commented Information Security Research Director, Scott Crawford, 451 Research.

Whaling, for example  the targeting of executives and highly placed individuals in an organization  is becoming a more frequent variant of spear-phishing, and is a tactic cybercriminals are using with great success.

These and similar CEOfraud attacks would benefit from a security approach tailored to the changing threat landscape, such as incontext user awareness training where users receive not only warnings and guidance about the threat of clicking on phishing links or opening up malware-laden attachments, but also indicators of fraudulent emails masked as executive communications.

Peter Bauer, Mimecast chief executive officer, commented:

Over 90 percent of cyberattacks begin with email, and social engineering-led email attacks are growing rapidly. Whaling is a particularly insidious attack and has proven lucrative by successfully targeting specific teams and individuals that attackers have researched via social media. It catches out even the most cautious people. Protecting employees requires updated technology that goes beyond traditional email security. Without the right protection, organizations are losing millions of dollars and exposing data to fraudsters.

Impersonation Protect, the newest addition to Mimecast Targeted Threat Protection, gives customers of all sizes the comprehensive protection they need against whaling and other damaging forms of spear-phishing, such as weaponized attachments, ransomware and malicious links.

*Mimecast conducted a survey of 436 IT experts at organizations in the US, UK, South Africa and Australia in March 2016. Respondents assessed the growth in a range of email attacks seen over the last three months.
Its getting colder all across the country, which is a perfect reason to stay inside for the weekend.

Luckily this weeks movie releases have got you covered, so grab that hot, buttery popcorn, your favourite drink, and someone to cozy up with as we check out the biggest movies you can watch in South Africa this week:

X-MEN: Apocalypse

Age restriction: 13V



Run time: 143min



Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Olivia Munn



Directed by: Bryan Singer



Synopsis: Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant, emerges after thousands of years to recruit mutants, including Magneto, in an attempt to purge the Earth and establish a new world order.

Now mankinds only hope of survival is Raven, Professor X and the team of young X-Men tasked with defeating the immortal and invincible nemesis before he reigns supreme.

Before I Wake



Age Restriction: 13V

Running time: 97min

Starring: Kate Bosworth, Jacob Tremblay, Thomas Jane

Directed By: Mike Flanagan

Synopsis: In this intense and heart pounding supernatural thriller, Jessie (Kate Bosworth) and Mark (Thomas Jane) decide to take in a sweet and loving 8-year-old boy, Cody. Unbeknownst to them, Cody is terrified of falling asleep.

At first, they assume his previous unstable homes caused his aversion to sleep, but soon discover why: Codys dreams manifest in reality as he sleeps. In one moment they experience the incredible wonder of Codys imagination, and in the next, the horrific nature of his night terrors.

Sing Street



Age Restriction: 13LD

Running time: 105min

Starring: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Aidan Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy

Directed By: John Carney

Synopsis: A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes.

The Man Who Knew Infinity

Age Restriction: PG10

Running time: 108min

Starring: Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons, Toby Jones

Directed By: Matt Brown

Synopsis: The true story of Srinivasa Ramanuan Iyengar, a self-taught mathematics genius, who after growing up poor in Madras, India traveled to Cambridge University, where he was admitted during World War I.

It was there that he studied under his mentor, the eccentric professor G.H. Hardy, and became a pioneer in mathematical theories against all odds.

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It goes without saying that University of Nairobi students are the most primitive in Kenya. Just a few weeks from resuming studies after protests, they went on the rampage again on Saturday.

The US Embassy had organized a concert at the institution with Sauti Sol headlining.

The timing could not have been more wrong. The students started protesting against a new University rule banning any kind of cooking inside halls of residence. The institution recently reduced the cost of food at the students mess and then made it a rule that no cooking should be carried out in hostels. This is probably meant to reduce likelihoods of fires.

The students were obviously not amused and they took their anger out on the concert equipment at their premises. It is reported that about Sh100 million worth of damage was done. The organizers were MO Sounds Events, the same guys who do Groove Tours.













NaiLab founder Sam Gichuru had this to say on Facebook.

********************************

Very Sad

Kevin Mulei has worked really hard to build MO sound, he is the kind of person most students and business men alike admire and wish to be mentored by, so, Im struggling to understand why UON students in their anger against their VC would do this to a private business man, who was there to help them with their event.

Im made to understand this damage was over 100M. This man offers jobs to the same graduates, many peoples careers have kicked off at MO sound. This is really sad for anyone who has hustled so hard to build a business.
Many innocent Kenyans have been greatly affected by the hooligans at University of Nairobi. Regular riots along University or Waiyaki Way, and even Uhuru Highway have led to hundreds if not thousands of Kenyans going home without windscreens.

Over the weekend, rioting students destroyed concert equipment said to be worth about Sh100 million. If the equipment belonged to the University, it would be easy to recover the money by charging every student a few thousands in their fees.

However, this was a private company probably not comprehensively covered by insurance. That led to many people on social media calling upon employers to stop hiring UoN graduates.

It would be an extreme measure since majority of the students are innocent, but the alternative I would think is charging students for the constant damage of private property.

What do you think?


One of Kenyas finest rapper Julius Owino better known as Juliani has narrated his experience with marijuana.

The Dandora born rapper has been rumored to use the illegal narcotic, owing to his deep lyricism and as it turns out, those rumors are not far off. In a blog post titled, Weed Dreads and Christ, the former Ukoo Flani member recalls the first time he tried bhang.

My first puff was scary. My virgin lungs couldnt hold the smoke. I coughed it all out, he wrote.

Back then, the exponential potential rapper was just starting out his emcee career and used the holy herb to come up with lyrics.

In the post, he also reveals how his dad smoked weed and how his mom sold weed in Mathare to survive.

This was his full post:

Red eyes. Dark fingertips. Dark lips. Green leaves. Thin white paper. Clouded stuffy room. They say second hand smoke is the worst. Many see me on stage and conclude that it is still in my blood stream.

Maybe. Maybe not.

My first puff was scary. My virgin lungs couldnt hold the smoke. I coughed it all out Hang on, this can only be explained in the present tense: I feel it burning my chest. Hey, this is not as bad a feeling as I thought it would be! I think. Its really my first time. The paranoia is getting real. I keep my eyes glued to the doorknob. I can hear footsteps approaching. Is it the police? No. It cant be the police. What if it is the police? What will my parents think when they come to pick me at the police station? Will they be disappointed? I can see something below the door. It is a shadow.

I find myself next to a river. A calm river. I am listening to its murmur as it flows past me. Im thinking again. Where will this river end up? Can I wait here and see if it will go all over the world and come back? Will it look the same way it does now? How far out is it going right now? Where did water come from? Why is it that we need water to quench our thirst?

Haiya! Im still in the room! Im neither at the riverbank nor in a police cell. I need to write some lyrics. Isnt that why I took a puff in the first place? Haya!

I pick up a piece of paper.Niaje budah! Nisaidie na biro.

I need to use Kitu Sewers pen, I conclude, maybe his spirit will take over my brain make me write amazing stuff. Just like him. He hands me the pen.

Asante budah

I jot down the first line.

Wawawawa!

Now I am thinking out loud. I cant believe Im almost about to fill this piece of paper with words. No, deep words. Lyrics to a song.

We took songwriting as a spiritual endeavor. You didnt just write music. You had to dig deep into the unknown dark corners of your being to find the secrets and truths about life. Then break them down through songs for mere mortals to comprehend.

We puff and pass. Puff and pass. I imagine a longest train over the SGR.

I can see a fly. Why is that we can just squash a fly with our bare hands? Why kill it without even thinking? Is it a living being? Did God create it? Why is a fly a fly? Is it Gods CCTV? Does God use the eyes of flies, birds, insects and rodents to see whats happening in the world? If it is insignificant, why did God create it? Will Baby Fly and Mama Fly cry when they hear Baba Fly didnt make it home? That a human used his bare fist to end his life?

Why am I thinking about flies? I should be writing!

Steam imeshuka. It is not completely out of my system yet, but I can finally feel my hands. I have to go home. I am walking from Phase 2 to Phase 4 and its getting late.

Im home. How did I make it here?

Dad is home early today. Dad never gets home early. He always shows up late, drunk. Shouting to let the whole neighbourhood know he is back. Even the dogs stop barking. Or maybe his singing drowns the barking. Im not sure.

What will he say when he sees me?

I knew when to ask my dad for a new book or for a little cash needed for a school trip. Id wait till 10 pm. He always took some time in the corridor. I knew he smoked the herb before sleeping. That was the best time to ask him for anything. Hed be relaxed and say yes to everything. I will never forget the day he came home and woke us all. He lined up all the male kids in the family then said he was about to give us a crush course on self-defense. Everybody refused, but I was like What the heck? So we started sparing. He hit my nose. I started bleeding and burst into tears. I didnt mind though, it was our bonding session.

Back in Mathare, before we moved to Dandora, my mum sold weed to survive. She was known as Mama Mboga. She had the sukuma wiki and nyanya on display, yeah, but the real mboga wasnt. And it earned her more money.

I guess they will know when I step into the room. How do I even hide? Our house only has two rooms. One has our parents bed. It doubles up as a sitting room. The other is both the kitchen and the kids bedroom. We are seven kids. Im the third born.

I walk into the room trying to act sober. All eyes are on me. From the moment I get in to when I sit down. I will later find out that I was moving my left leg and my left arm together. Same thing for the right side.

Read the additional content here: Weed Dreads and Christ.
The Hottest Stories on the Internet Today (Tuesday May 17)
SACRAMENTO  Northern California authorities say a 31-year-old man is dead following an altercation at a heavily attended music festival.

The Sacramento Bee reports that Sacramento police are treating Sundays death as a homicide. The name of the victim was not released.

Police and fire were already at Discovery Park to investigate a midafternoon fire that reportedly started when a deep-fryer ignited propane tanks at a vendor booth. Several people were hurt, sustaining burns or other injuries in trying to escape the fire.

Later, some concert-goers approached authorities to say that a man who had been assaulted appeared to be unconscious.

Medics found the man unresponsive. He later died at a hospital.

Some eyewitnesses said the victim was punched by a male suspect. Police are searching for the suspect.
The Sunburst Calistoga Hotel is preparing for the launch of a new concept hotel that includes a new spa and 110-seat restaurant.

We are still working out all the details, but we plan on creating an environment where locals and visitors feel comfortable, said Christian Strobel, who is a hotel consultant involved with the project. What I can say is that the restaurant will have an outdoor, higher-energy space, while inside therell be a bar and lounge area, and a third area will have a chefs table and dining room.

The owners of the new, as of yet unnamed restaurant at Sunburst are currently nearing their final choices of chefs, one from the area and one from outside the region, Strobel said.

Before we can nail down the final concept of the restaurant and menu we need to finalize our choice for the chef, he said. Whether it will be a more beer-pub style or something else will ultimately depend on whats a good fit for the chef. We are sure that the concept will be a new slant on what is known as Farm to Table, sourcing from local farmers.

Use permits for the Sunburst project have been approved, and we are now working through the building permits, said Erik Lundquist, senior planner for Calistoga.

According to the submitted plans, the restaurant will hold up to 252 occupants, but Lundquist said that is a number for standing-room only. The restaurant will actually only seat 110 through the three different dining rooms.

Within the plans there is a small area for brewing beer, which is becoming common for many new restaurants as the license for brewing also allows less-expensive access to a license to serve spirits at the bar, which can be prohibitively expensive and difficult to obtain. And beer itself is also becoming more popular.

Back in July 2015 I wrote a story in The Weekly Calistogan titled, Calistoga: A cornucopia of dining options. I believe it might be good to revisit some of that article and see where we stand. Below are a few of the highlights.

According to the Visit Calistoga website, there are nearly 30 eating establishments in Calistoga, including coffee and ice-cream shops. To put that in perspective, the population of Calistoga is roughly 5,200, which means that there is a restaurant for nearly every 175 people. According to the 2010 U.S. Census data, San Francisco has the most restaurants of any large metro area in America, and their ratio is about one restaurant for every 500 people. Even limiting the count to official restaurants, of which there are currently 18, it would still mean that Calistoga beats San Francisco with one restaurant for every 288 people.

We are not just talking about run-of-the mill restaurants in Calistoga, which include some of the best restaurants in the Napa Valley  Jole, Sams Club, Calistoga Inn, Evangeline, Calistoga Kitchen and the Michelin star-rated Solbar, just to name a few.

Beyond just having excellent food, the restaurants are often at the cutting edge of food trends, having for years offered locally grown farm-to-table fare, innovative vegetarian options and interesting ethnic flavor combinations.

But cutting edge is nothing new to Calistogans. From art to wellness, business to bohemian, Calistogans are often considered the more laid-back, creative and down-to-earth counterparts to more southerly neighbors.

What does the future hold for Calistoga when it comes to food? Expect at least three new, what my mom would call fancy restaurants, to come into Calistoga in the next few years. The New York design and hospitality firm AvroKO, which recently reopened the infamous Fagianis in Napa, is opening a high-end restaurant next year in the old Sunburst Hotel. Add to that two luxury resorts  one that the Four Seasons hotel chain will manage in the old Silver Rose location and a second yet-to-be-built high-end resort that was recently purchased by one of Hong Kongs wealthiest families, the Chengs.

This brings the number of restaurants in Calistoga to 21, or more than 30 eating establishments. In order to thrive, all of these fine restaurants will need innovation and a commitment to bringing quality and value to their customers. They will also need labor. And this is becoming a growing concern for many. A friend who owns a Calistoga restaurant mentioned that labor is already so tight that he is searching for staff outside the valley, looking to Santa Rosa and Clearlake. Even doing that he is still unable to fill their rosters.

Maybe we get buses to bring people in to work, like they do in Aspen, Colorado? he mused, looking more serious than the comment would have suggested.

Since that article ran Calistoga has created and nearly launched an innovative bus system to help transport employees to and from Santa Rosa; the Four Seasons Silver Rose project is under construction; the Sunburst is now owned by Eagle Point Hotel Partners of New York, who have obtained use permits for a new restaurant and spa; and Jole has closed with Johnnys restaurant and bar taking its place.

The estimates are that more than 500 new jobs will be created in Calistoga in the next few years. If so, these new residents will certainly be able to find a table to sit at, but finding a home where they might sleep and raise a family may be a different story.
For the first time in its 27-year history, Napa Valley Wine Train is planning a service that will deposit tourists at a string of Upvalley wineries for tours and tastings.

Participants say this elegant service, called Quattro Vino, is a way for wineries to host visitors without further congesting Highway 29.

Wine Trains new owners, Noble House Hotels & Resorts and partner Brooks Street, said the new excursion train will stop at four Napa Valley wineries.

For $249 per person, riders will board a new one-car train  a second car will be added shortly  for a six-hour, 36-mile tour up and down the valley.

The train will stop at the Robert Mondavi, Charles Krug, Merryvale and V. Sattui wineries in Oakville and St. Helena where guests will enjoy tours and tastings. On board theyll choose from a small bites menu. The new excursion is set to launch on June 1.

We are incredibly excited to launch the Quattro Vino Tour as a new Napa Valley Wine Train offering, said Pat Colee, chairman and founder of Noble House.

Before Noble House and partners bought the train, the only winery tours offered were mostly one-way train excursions and the winery was reached via bus or shuttle. Those tours will continue. The traditional Wine Train lunch and dinner trains will continue as well.

However, passengers taking the Quattro Vino tours will simply hop off the train and walk to the wineries, each located adjacent to the tracks.

Tom Davies, president at V. Sattui, said he was really excited to participate after being approached about the Quattro Vino tour.

We need to find ways to get visitors out of their cars, especially with the gridlock weve been having lately and the construction on Highway 29, Davies said.

Anything we can do to get guests out of their cars and visit the winery is a win for the community, he said.

Since purchasing the Napa Valley Wine Train in September 2015, Noble House has been making small enhancements to the Wine Train, including buying the first 36-seat 1920s Pullman rail car that will be the home of Quattro Vino. A second 1920s Pullman open car will also be added to the Quattro Vino tour.

The new Pullmans and current Wine Train cars are undergoing an interior makeover to feature a hip and contemporary vibe while preserving the classic elegance and charm of the cars, Colee said.

The cars will have a lot of character, reminiscent of the eras in which they were built, said Colee.

There will only be one Quattro Vino train per day, said Colee. Using sections of parallel tracks along the route, there is room for a train to pull over so another can pass, he said.

We dont want to make it too commercial. We want it to be a very special experience, said Colee. There are only four stops because there has to be enough time for riders to get off the train, tour and taste at each winery and then get back on in six hours, he noted.

The idea of tourists getting on and off the train was once a hot button issue for locals. When the Wine Train opened for business in 1989, some residents protested any stops at all, saying the train would disgorge hordes of people at one time and ruin the quality of life for locals.

Colee said he hasnt heard about any such controversy today.

I think that issue is over with, and weve had nothing but enthusiasm about what we are planning, said Colee.

The train is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, and the new ownership has received permission to stop on the tracks, said Jake Donoghue, chief executive officer of Noble House Hotels & Resorts.

No other train uses the tracks, which are owned by Noble House and partner Brooks Street.

As for other changes planned for the Wine Train, Colee said we have a lot of ideas, including doing something special to the station itself, but nothing they could discuss yet.

The railroad line was originally built and operated by Samuel Brannan in 1864 as a tourist railroad to take visiting San Franciscans as they arrived by ferry in south Napa to Calistoga. In the 1980s, it was purchased by Vince DeDomenico, the man behind the Rice-a-Roni brand of products, the San Francisco treat made famous by television ads featuring San Francisco cable cars and a memorable jingle.

Before the purchase by Noble House and partners in late 2015, the Wine Train was embroiled in a lawsuit when a group of mostly black women was asked to leave the train for reportedly being too boisterous. They filed a lawsuit that was recently settled.
In a sense, the artist Gordon Huether was born on the dining room table in his fathers St. Helena home.

At 16, he was lost  his parents had split, he had left school, and hed been running with the wrong crowd in San Francisco, so much so that hed done a turn in juvenile hall.

His father had reluctantly taken his wayward son in and, desperate to find him something constructive to do, he gave the teen a stained glass-making kit.

And on his kitchen table I made my first stained glass window, recalls Huether, now 56. And then I made second one, a little bit bigger, and I leaned it on the window in the living room and I just fell in love with color and light and the idea of something coming from here and here he said tapping his head and his heart, then spreading his hands, and coming out your fingers and crafting and making something.

So I was about 16 years old, and I decided that someday I would do large scale work all over the world that would have a lasting positive impact on people, he said.

Four decades later, Huether seems to have found that placeand established a larger-than-life, and sometimes controversial, position in Napa.

Establishing himself

Huether has climbed from that small-time, hood-in-the-making to a world-known artist, doing major public art projects across the United States and overseas. His latest, and by far largest, project is a multi-million dollar commission to decorate the new $1.8 billion terminal at the Salt Lake City International Airport. The project will transform the new terminal into a space designed to reflect the swooping, swirling lines of Utahs famous slot canyons.

I never even knew jobs of that size, projects of that size even existed on this planet, he said. And it might be an anomaly. And if it is, cool, great. I feel very humbled and appreciative that I would be the one. But everything I have done up to this point prepared me for that moment, and thats why its going to be so successful artistically, for sure.

In addition to establishing himself as an artist, Huether has become a force in politics and land use in Napa, using his seat on the city Planning Commission to push for a more thoughtful approach to design in buildings  a role that has sometimes made him the target of critics and developers alike.

Well, one could say, Hey, planning commission, thats none of your business; let them build whatever they want to build, Huether said. Fair enough, but the whole point of having a planning commission is design review. And Im getting paid a hundred bucks a meeting to give you my opinion. So I think my opinion is very much an informed one.

Along the way, Huether has acquired something of a reputation for a larger-than-life personality. Hes been accused of a variety of faults, including excessive ego and ambition, and of dominating all the space for public art in Napa. Critics point to his works that occupy central spots downtown, including the 9/11 Memorial on Main Street and his famous (or infamous, depending on whos talking) hubcap-based design on the city parking garage by the downtown library.

It seems as though whenever there is significant public art to be commissioned, Gordon is always at the front of the line  No one is questioning Gordons bonafides as an accomplished artist  that is really not in question, city resident Daniel Cutright wrote in a 2015 letter to the editor in the Napa Valley Register. The question for me is why do all these public projects fall to him?

There are hundreds of artists in the Napa Valley, but the only one whose name stands out in almost every newspaper delivered to my door is Gordon Huether, agreed reader Margie Crotty in a separate letter. I fear if I live much longer my address will be Huetherville.

But at the same time, Huether has received high marks from his critics and friends alike.

Hes an artist; he is creative; he looks at things in a creative way all the time, Napa City Council member and architect Juliana Inman said. Thats not to say you always agree with him.

But, she said, it is good to have that kind of alternative point of view on a board. Otherwise, you can really get stuck in the group-think mode.

The Hand of the Land

Despite his growing artistic profile, and his long service on various local commissions, including the city planning commission, Huether was probably not well-known to many Napa residents until last summer, when he unveiled a proposed piece of art known as the Hand of the Land.

The 18-foot-tall hand would have stood outside the new downtown Archer hotel. It was on private land, paid for by the Archers developers, but under the citys public art ordinance, developers of major projects are required to devote a portion of the construction cost to add some art element.

The hand  gripping a large glass globe, representing a grape, between thumb and forefinger  would symbolize the loving work of the vineyard workers and winemakers who had made Napa Valley famous, Huether explained.

Within hours after news of the proposal was posted on the Napa Valley Register website, there was a full-fledged uproar. The following days and weeks featured scores of letters and hundreds of comments, many blasting the art and many more attacking Huether himself, calling him overexposed or accusing him of benefiting from his position on the planning commission, even though he had recused himself from any discussion or vote on the Archer project, as required by state law.

The controversy seemed to take Huether by surprise, even with decades of experience under his belt.

I am overly sensitive to criticism of any kind  defensive, he admits now, almost a year after the Archer developers withdrew the proposal and replaced it with more understated Huether creation. It doesnt happen actually very much, especially outside of Napa. Usually, Im embraced and appreciated, and people are very thankful for my little contribution to their world, right? When it comes to my own community, I guess I hate to admit it but Im admitting it, its very bothersome.

I think most communities would embrace their native son or native daughter [who at first didnt] have two nickels to rub together and now are doing these amazing things all over the country and in different parts of the world  instead of complaining that there is art of Gordon downtown, [saying] how awesome is that that we have art from Gordon downtown, he said. Its just confusing to me.

Indeed, reactions elsewhere do not appear to have been as critical and personal as the fight over The Hand.

He has inspired us to continue elevating the conversation about public art in our community, said Edith Ramirez, economic development manager of Morgan Hill, where Huethers proposed sculpture of a large spider (a common sight in that part of Santa Clara County) survived some mild controversy to become a tourist landmark on the side of a downtown parking garage.

Its incredibly beautiful  its even more beautiful than I knew it would be based on the designs, she said of the spider, made of metal and the headlights of old cars. Although it has only been in place a few months, People are driving through downtown and stopping to take pictures.

Path to success

Huether credits his rise to a combination of luck, hard work, and the drive that comes from being part of an immigrant family.

His parents met in the mid1950s while they were emigrating from Germany, still struggling to recover from the destruction of World War II. They spent a few years in Rochester, New York, where Huether was born. But when he was a toddler, the family moved to Napa.

His father worked as a window decorator in Napas downtown department stores, and ran a traditional German house, sending his kids off to learn the mother tongue while wearing lederhosen, Huether recalls. It was really ridiculous. I had to go to German school every weekend.

By the time he was 10, his parents had split up and his mother took Huether and his siblings to San Francisco, while his father remarried and moved to St. Helena. In the big city, Huether ran into trouble, though he declines to discuss the specifics.

It was all very scary and I wouldnt trade it for anything anymore, he said. It helped form me. I have a certain scrappiness, street smarts about me that comes from that period.

But he knew he had to get out, so he coaxed his reluctant father to take him back. And in his fathers house, he found art.

My dad was very creative, so I was always sort of artsy-craftsy, but I always knew that I had the heart and soul of an artist, but I didnt think I had any talent, he said of his youth, before discovering stained glass. It was like God was playing some sort of cruel trick on me.

His father got him a job in sales in downtown department stores, but Huether worked on art projects on the side, even selling some in local shops. Eventually, he found his way to the Calistoga glass shop of Ray Centanni, who specialized in home and church projects.

Centanni remembers Huether as hard-working and creative, but eager to break out of the kind of work his shop tended to do.

He was very, very creative, probably one of the most artistic, forward-thinking guys weve had here, Centanni said. But even three decades ago, Huether had greater aspirations of being a more famous artist  his creative juices were flowing at a really early age.

Huether made his way to Europe, apprenticing in commercial glass factories in Germany, which he said taught him practical lessons about materials and processes that still serve him.

I simply immersed myself, and there wasnt a day, wasnt an hour of a day, that I wasnt thinking about what I could do to move me toward the goal of doing large-scale work all over the world that would have a lasting positive impact on people, he said. Was not one day.

Moving back to Napa, he first worked for a commercial window company. But he took a leap of faith and left with no specific job or plan to fall back on, hoping to expand his artistic horizons. He began to hustle for commissions, working on private projects in homes and businesses, but relentlessly applying for monumental public art commissions.

In the 1980s, he set up a small studio in the old tannery south of downtown. I just kept pushing and pushing and pushing, and I actually started getting good as an artist, he said. But its not good enough to be good as an artist. You actually have to have some sort of entrepreneurial sensibility. You have to be willing to fail and fail over and over again. And be rejected over and over again.

A few commissions began to roll in, starting with a small one for the University of Alaska Geophysics Institute in Fairbanks. It was a glass wall and the budget was $13,000, which was really big in those days  and I probably spent $13,000 doing it because I just went all the way, all the way, he said. In the early days, you dont have a portfolio, its hard to get the next project if you cant show youve done anything.

Larger projects followed, including work for Stanford, expanding throughout California, then across the country, and even internationally. His work can be seen today at the Richmond Civic Center, outside the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District offices, along Historic Route 66 in Arizona, in the Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum in Tendo, Japan, at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, and outside the headquarters of manufacturing company Arburg in Lossburg, Germany.

Huethers work is diverse and aesthetically pleasing, said Haig Khachatoorian, a professor in the College of Design at North Carolina State University who was on the board that selected the artist for a project in the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He had a good eye for the setting and was easy to work with in meeting the selection boards needs.

He wasnt constrained by a singular style, but rather [he was] a problem-solver, who was stimulated and challenged by the limits of his given commission, Khachatoorian said. He had a thoughtful design process that allowed the board various inputs along the projects milestones.

Expanding range

Since those early days working on glass, Huethers work has evolved. Rather than being constrained by one material, he said, he wants to be able to use whatever materials fit the project and its setting  many of his projects include metal and wood and other materials. Lately he has ventured into realistic figures  normally he favors abstract shapes but he is now using a 3-D printer to create human figures based on scans of real people for another project in North Carolina.

That diversity of material, however, has forced him to abandon the idea of an artist struggling alone in a studio and to embrace a larger team. Huether today conceives and designs the projects, building the models with his own hands, but the actual construction of his vision is left to a team of about a dozen employees who work in his studio, now relocated to a former hay storage barn east of downtown.

I dont cut, grind, weld, use the kilns, any of those kinds of things. I am not very good at it. I am too impatient, he said. I have too much impatience to be a really good craftsman, even though I understand craftsmanship because thats where I started. So I have surrounded myself with people that are really good at different things that maybe I have a good understanding of but am not good enough to do myself.

That broad team is expensive to maintain, he said, but it also allows him the freedom to have dozens of projects in the pipeline, from application through construction.

I always knew that if I were to do everything myself, I would be able to do one or two projects a year and I would go crazy, he said. So my creative capacity is far larger than even the opportunities I can find to do, and were busy, you know?

Former employees recall a freewheeling and creative atmosphere in the studio, where they were encouraged to explore and grow and develop their own projects in down time.

It was good  it created an environment for a lot of support for creativity, to be able to develop your potential, said Hope Morgan, who, along with her now-husband, worked for Huether as a graphic designer in the early 2000s.

Napa County-based photographer Israel Valencia, who spent about eight years in various jobs for the studio, said Huether not only encouraged his art, but twice gave him a chance to get back to work after long periods recuperating from bone marrow transplants.

He made it pretty friendly and invited us to sort of apply our work ethic and vision to the projects, he said.

Expanding public role

While he was developing his art, Huether also developed his profile as a local public figure in Napa. It started with his outspoken criticism of the original design proposed for a Ritz Carlton hotel  he compared it unfavorably to an Italian birthday cake. That kind of outspoken analysis led him to serve on several city design panels, including one considering plans for riverfront development, and eventually to his current seat on the planning commission.

Huether has developed a reputation for pointed, yet often humorous, critiques of design. His view combines an emphasis on modern design with a respect for Napas past, including its roots as a blue-collar industrial and farming town, but with elements of gracious Victorian and Craftsman architecture.

It has been a continual drum that I have been beating on  quality design. Quality design, intelligent city planning is what a community is  or isnt  right? So how do you hold onto your cherished past? he said. Sometimes, its an illusion and what we think what it used to be like really wasnt that great after all ... So you hold onto that, but at the same time you want to take a step into the future and embrace what we want to be and what we might become.

Huether said he grounds his outlook in the shock he felt upon returning to Napa from his rough years in San Francisco. He was gone during the key years of the early 1970s when redevelopment changed the face of the city  removing old buildings and replacing them with features that quickly became dated and dysfunctional.

So I thought theres not going to be any way that were going to repeat those mistakes, he said. Not if I have anything to say about it.

The myth and the man

For as large as Huethers reputation is, in person, he is surprisingly understated. Hes trim and compact, with a soft voice and quick, intelligent eyes that often convey a sense of quiet amusement. He favors casual clothes and is often seen in his signature backwards cap. While it would be hard to call him humble, he seems genuine in his interest and concern with whoever he happens to be talking to.

Hes not the myth  hes a sweet, caring human being, said longtime friend Kevin Teague, a lawyer and developer who has worked with Huether often  and whose projects have occasionally been on the receiving end of the planning commissioners criticism. I think there is this image of this Machiavellian artist putting his works everywhere, which isnt true  hes brash, hes outspoken, but hed give you the shirt off his back and take care of you.

Even in the midst of the blowup over The Hand, Huether managed to win over at least some of his critics. Register reader George Van Grieken, for example, wrote a withering critique of the process by which The Hand was being proposed  and expressed no great love for the sculpture either.

Huether later invited him to his studio where they discussed the sculpture, and the broader nature of art  and found common ground. While Van Grieken remains bothered by the sculpture, hes revised his opinion of Huether and his artistic efforts.

Like every effective artist, Gordon Huether has figured out how to share his imagination and creativity with others in such a way that they pay attention to things that they would otherwise never notice. And sometimes it bothers them, which is not such a bad thing, Van Grieken said. We need to be jarred into reflection or self-examination now and again. Thats what friends are for, and Gordon may be such a friend of the imagination for us.

Huether agrees that strangers often seem surprised to find that there is a person behind the public persona.

So thats mythology, he said. I am not sure exactly how other people [see me], but I am most certain its not how I see myself.

How does he see himself? As somebody that was able to take advantage of whats called the American Dream, he said. A person that was fortunate enough to grow up in a place where one can dream and anything is possible.

In his art, he likes to do things in such a way that it might reveal itself in layers over time and draw you in and make you think about it a little bit, he said. I think that one of my missions in life is help my fellow humans expand in the way they see the world around them.
June 7 is the California primary election day. The Napa County Democratic Central Committee urges everyone to vote. To be eligible you must be registered by May 23.

We support the following measures: AA, San Francisco Bay Area Restoration Authority to protect San Francisco Bay for future generations by reducing trash, pollution and harmful toxins, improving water quality, restoring habitat for fish, birds and wildlife, protecting communities from floods, and increasing shoreline public access; H Napa Valley Unified School District, to fix or replace earthquake damage, fire safety, plumbing/mechanical systems with funding that cannot be taken by the State, relocate or repair schools on earthquake faults, update aging electrical, plumbing, outdated heating/ventilation systems, provide flexible classrooms/labs for science and other core academics, update classrooms for vocational/career technology, repair, construct, acquire classrooms, sites, facilities/equipment; Y Transactions and Use Tax, a quarter-cent tax to fund new jail and child-related programs.
Don Saylor cares about the welfare and safety of those he serves. His knowledge of Yolo County and the greater Sacramento area will allow him to make thoughtful and wise decisions for the many issues we face in Assembly District 4.

My focus is on his attention to our environment. Don Saylor spearheaded the ambitious Davis Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, and then encouraged improvements to the Yolo County Climate Action Plan. He convened a countywide group to consider Community Choice Energy. As chair of the Yolo Solano Air Quality Management District and the Yolo Habitat Conservancy, Don has worked effectively to improve and protect air quality and establish a coherent habitat conservation strategy for our region. He is already familiar with the key issues of the rest of District 4. He will be a firm advocate for climate legislation even as he works to protect our water and agriculture.

As one example, Don Saylor recognized the danger of transporting crude oil by rail through Californias sensitive habitats, critical waterways and population centers, and he took firm action. As supervisor, Don Saylor guided Yolo County to submit strong, well-researched letters during the Environmental Impact Review process for oil train proposals in Benicia and San Luis Obispo County.

As president of Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), Don Saylor also led the 22 cities and six counties of SACOG to respond to the regional threat of oil trains with a series of hard-hitting letters during the EIR process.

Don continues to monitor the volatile issue closely, as 500,000 of the 2.4 million SACOG residents live in the blast zone. Recently, he testified before the Benicia City Council.

We are fortunate to have such a diligent public official. In the Assembly he will do even more to safeguard the public on whatever environmental and climate change issues arise. He is well-prepared to take on the many other pressing challenges of our entire region.

It is a relief that none of the outside interest groups (PACs for Big Oil, tobacco, Charter Schools, PG&E, etc.) chose to support Don. Instead, he is free from outside influences, and we can count on him to work and vote as he always has for programs that benefit our region.

Don Saylor has my vote and I hope yours.

Lynne Nittler

Davis
Napa students  all our students K-12  currently enrolled in the 30 elementary, middle and high school sites deserve safe, comprehensive education. They are what is important in Measure H. The proposed amount may seem large, but if one of the structures deemed unsafe should collapse with a loss of young lives, what would the value of each life be?

Further, Napa students K-12 deserve facilities adequate to address the needs of todays world.

Why should I bother?" you ask. "I dont have any kids or grandkids enrolled.

Oh, but the mere fact you are reading this letter says you received the benefit of free public education. Didnt you count then?

Napa students deserve to go out in the business world equipped to do the tasks required by an employer. They need to be computer-literate, versed in math and science, and able to express themselves adequately verbally or in writing. Speaking as someone who for many years hired young people, nothing made me sadder than having to turn down an ill-prepared or unmotivated applicant.

Right now, the national, state and local candidates appearing in the June primary are bombarding us with claims and counterclaims. Oh, and by the way, Measure H also appears on the same ballot. If you can read the ballot, thank a teacher and vote yes on Measure H.

Sue Kesler

Napa
Monday, May 9

0836  Construction workers on Edwards Street reported excavating what might have been human bones. The Chico State anthropology department determined theyd belonged to an animal, possibly a sheep or a goat.

1313  A credit card case/holder made of brown alligator skin was reported lost.

1944  Report of a small light brown terrier wandering around Railroad Avenue.

Tuesday, May 10

0855  Medical aid for an elderly man having trouble breathing on Pope Street.

1620  Police cited a car parked on the sidewalk near Oak Avenue and Tainter Street.

1738  A caller reported helping a very absentminded elderly woman find her car earlier today. She had sticky notes in her car reminding her how to operate the wiper blades and parking brake. The caller was concerned about her safety and ability to drive.

Wednesday, May 11

1203  Noninjury accident on Main Street.

1829  A citizen reported the unauthorized use of her debit card.

2032  Medical aid on Laguna Seca Court.

Thursday, May 12

0651  A diamond earring was lost downtown.

0658  Report of a man causing a disturbance on La Fata Street.

0802  A purse was found on a Main Street sidewalk Wednesday night.

1041  Report of a car parked on Rosebud Lane since Monday.

1053  Police were told that a student had brought fake drugs to school on Hillview Place. The report turned out to be unfounded.

1118  An officer went to the school district office to talk to a counselor about a possible abuse situation.

1523  A woman asked for information about getting a restraining order against a contractor who she said has been semi-threatening and intimidating her to get some work done.

1625  Someone stole a bucket of groceries from the trunk of a car on Riesling Way.

1859  A woman asked to talk to an officer about a domestic issue.

Friday, May 13

0532  Report of a car parked in the way of the Farmers Market at Crane Park.

1354  A Fitbit was found near Adams Street and Oak Avenue.

1403  Report of several parking violations downtown.

1541  Report of a man and a woman having a heated argument in a Volvo near Fountain Street and Dowdell Lane. Two children were seen crying inside the car. Police checked the area.

Saturday, May 14

0720  Report of a broken water line on Adams Street.

1022  Report of a reckless driver in an old Jeep cutting people off on northbound Main Street. Police checked the area.

1043  Medical aid for a woman whod lost consciousness on Grayson Avenue.

1107  Report of extremely loud music being played at an event on Main Street.

1118  A customer whod repeatedly stolen from a Main Street store and been asked not to return had reportedly just left the store. He has a history of stealing, getting caught, and then getting angry and making rude gestures at the staff.

1135  Report of kids on the roof of a building on Adams Street near Carpy Field.

1423  Medical aid on Grayson Avenue.

2112  Police took a report on alleged child abuse after a woman reportedly kicked her child twice outside a Main Street restaurant.

2244  Report of an ongoing problem with German shepherds barking on Chablis Circle.

2328  Police were asked to be on the lookout for a large party bus that had reportedly been speeding and tailgating in Calistoga.

Sunday, May 15

0013  Report of a dog barking on Pratt Avenue.

0015  Report of a loud party on Mitchell Drive.

0201  Medical aid for a woman whod fallen on Lydia Lane.

0931  Two large dogs were found loose on Church Street.

1401  Bathrooms were vandalized on Adams Street.

1406  A Hunt Avenue resident reported a swarm of bees in his yard.

1544  Report of a swarm of bees in a bush on Chiles Avenue.

1747  Report of a tow truck blocking traffic on Valley View Street for over 15 minutes.

1837  Police responded to a family disturbance on Adams Street.

1929  Report of an ongoing problem with a person listening to very loud rock music while lifting weights on Elmhurst Avenue near Spring Mountain Road.
Luke Bryan recently revealed during an interview that he has a strict no-touching-his-butt rule during meet & greets. Looks like he might just want to extend that rule to also include concerts.

During his recent show in Toledo, Ohio, one fan got a little handsy and grabbed a handful of Luke Bryans derriere. Lucky for the mystery grabby fan, Luke just laughed off the incident and went about his business.

Check it out.

{WKXA.com}
Lisa Simmons and Marco Cremaschini have announced that they are raising funds on IndieGoGo for NoteSpeak, a unique collaboration that intertwines poetical and musical forms to raise awareness of real-life triumphs and struggles around the world. NoteSpeak will explore creative paths formerly established by such artists as The Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron, and Brian Jackson, but venture down contemporary avenues to address current topics of which many remain unaware.Based in Garda Lake, Italy, Simmons and Cremaschini are primary forces behind the band Hippie Tendencies, which has released two albums that blend funk, jazz, and African styles into uniquely soulful and deep grooves. Their cover of Heres to You/The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti, which recants the execution of two Italian immigrants wrongly convicted for murder during a 1920 armed robbery in Massachusetts, has been picked up by Amnesty Internationals #herestoyou campaign . The racism shown Sacco and Vanzetti in America is comparable to the racism consistent with many Italians treatment of immigrants arriving in Italy today, Simmons suggests.They will be joined in NoteSpeak by, among others, violinist Laura Masotto and vocalist Machan Taylor, whose soprano has graced recordings and performances by Sting, Pink Floyd, and George Benson. Additional musicians from jazz and other arenas who continue to join the project will be subsequently announced.Were convinced of its relevance as an original observation driving from our own unique experience (as each of ours is) of the world today; and in particular we are trying to call attention to some phenomena of which many are unaware, such as the heartrending tragedy of Samia Yusef Omars story, or what it feels like to have a degenerative disease which causes peripheral vision loss (commonly referred to as tunnel vision), with the difficulty that that brings, particularly with the prejudice and public perception, Simmons explains. All the stories are not tragic or overwhelmingyet each one, we hope, is compelling.Musically and vocally, NoteSpeak consistently changes, shifting from style to style  acoustic jazz solos into hip-hop beats into harmonized gospel vocals into electronic jazz and fusion into free verse rhymingand yet seems to constantly groove. Simmons' delivery swims in the deep waters connecting Nina Simone to Jill Scott, completely obliterating the line between vocalist and poetess: Warning like a mother lioness, whippersnapping through urban haunts, and curiously wondering about it all.I find in writing songs that Im often walking that thin line  Im trying to make a personal, individual experience universal, suggests Simmons. In NoteSpeak, were giving ourselves the freedom to just tell these stories with as much craft and beauty and compassion as we can muster.Contributors to NoteSpeak can select from several musical perks based upon their contribution level.
By Hu Meidong And An Baijie In Pingtan, Fujian (China Daily)

Taiwan backpacker Alice Lin (right) and a colleague visit Pingtan's Beigang village in Fujian province in May.An Baijie / China Daily

When she arrived in Pingtan's Beigang village last year, Taiwan backpacker Alice Lin was obsessed with both the beautiful scenery and the unique stone houses in the coastal countryside.

"While staying here, you can get the real meaning of the famous line from the Chinese poet Haizi: 'Facing the sea, with spring blossoms'," she said.

She was impressed by the fortresslike stone houses. According to the history of Pingtan, residents started building stone houses during the mid-Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

A veteran backpacker who has walked through 10 countries, including Canada, France, Singapore and Cambodia, Lin has a strong feeling that the houses were precious.

However, villagers seem unaware. As in many other rural places, villagers have migrated to urban areas for better jobs, educations and healthcare, leaving their houses unattended.

Lin believes the stone houses are a precious tourism resource and decided to develop some of them into bed-and-breakfasts.

"In Taiwan, B&Bs are very popular among travelers, especially the young backpackers," she said, adding that her experience of managing a B&B in Taiwan could be useful in Pingtan.

Her idea won support from her brother and four friends, including a designer and a cook.

They contracted for nine stone houses, which are being refurbished as B&Bs, coffee bars and museums.

Taiwan artists will be invited to live there and exhibit their works, she said. Pingtan is the nearest point on the Chinese mainland to Taiwan. It's only two hours from Taipei by high-speed ship.

Lin hopes the village does not become a noisy scenic spot crowded with tourists, like many places on the mainland. Instead, she wants it to be a quiet and clean area in the countryside where travelers could rest and find meaning in their lives.

Lin Shifu, 39, one of the villagers who rented out his stone house, said that he could get about 4,000 yuan ($615) annually.

"My whole family moved to the urban area two years ago, because I worked at a construction site there," he said, adding that he was satisfied with the rent, as well as the refurbishment of his house.

Most of the residents are "left-behind" elderly people, and the B&Bs could offer the elderly some job opportunities such as room cleaning, he said.

Yang Jie in Fuzhou contributed to this story.
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

Fighter jet crashes into house in Russias Irkutsk

150 residents of 3 Karabakh settlements handed over to Azerbaijan get compensation certificates

Rishi Sunak confirms UK premier bid

Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson hold talks

Biden slammed for 'scary' long pause during interview

Elite US troops conducting exercises on Ukraine border

Iran MP: Military exercises on Azerbaijan border are decisive response to Israel

Xi Jinping elected Communist Party of China Central Committee general secretary

Armenia envoy presents credentials to Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency chair

Hungary to approve by years end Sweden, Finland petitions to join NATO

US researchers debunk main theory for origin of life

Iranian MP: Iran will conduct military exercises wherever it deems necessary

Finnish delegation to visit Ankara to discuss NATO membership

Social media giants are likely to oppose Turkey's new law

Pastor steals $900,000 to buy stocks and car in U.S.

Lithuanian President Nauseda is named most popular politician in country

Charles III will embark on longest tour of world in history of royal family

Deputy Director of Institute of Oriental Studies of RAS: Baku's goal is that Karabakh has no Armenian population

Hurricane Roslyn in Pacific Ocean intensifies to third category

Italy's new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, begins forming government
In Vienna at the meeting on the Libyan issue the representatives of more than 20 countries have recognized that the only legitimate government of Libya is the government of National Accord and called on Libyans to build a national democratic state. The participants of the meeting agreed to remove embargo from Tripoli's weapons, said Kerry in Vienna. Kerry also said that the United States at this point does not consider a possibility of military intervention in Libya, but rather supports the government and helps to fight against the terrorism.

The participants of the international conference in Vienna expressed their readiness to supply weapons to the Presidential Guard of Lybia established in May. It is expected that the military assistance will be provided in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, which allow to supply arms to the country in case it had preliminary received an approval from the Security Council's committee that manages sanctions.

The head of the national accord government Faiz Saraj said that the supply of weapons to the national accord government has been recently launched. There will be shortly submitted an application for the ammunition needed to fight terrorism.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chairs were saying that the monitoring of the oversight mechanisms needs to be approved as soon as possible, and the Armenian side is not against it, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan told Armenian journalists on the way back from Vienna.

He stated this reflecting on the results of Mondays meeting, in the Austrian capital city, between the Armenian and the Azerbaijani delegations, and with the foreign ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries (Russia, US, and France).

In his words, the powers and staff of the Personal Representative to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office will increase.

The sooner the better, since mutual accusations dont help the cause, Sargsyan stressed. A clear proof is needed, and we [i.e. the Armenian party in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict] will be in an advantageous position because we are never the first to violate [the ceasefire], since we never need that.

We were not in the seekers status in the violation of the monitoring regime; I just added to the co-chairs proposal to form a monitoring system. So, if Azerbaijan disagreed, they would have objected. There was no precondition for establishing the monitoring.

To note, the FMs of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries have issued a joint statement on the results of the aforesaid multilateral meeting in Vienna.
Victory or defeat is as follows: What objective have you set? And were you able to fulfill your objective? President Serzh Sargsyan told Armenian journalists on the way back from Vienna.

The Armenian and the Azerbaijani delegations as well as the foreign ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chair countries (Russia, US, and France) on Monday conducted multilateral meetings in the Austrian capital city.

Sargsyan stated the aforesaid in response to the query on how is it that both Armenia and Azerbaijan are speaking about victory after the hostilities in early April.

I have set a clear task of not allowing the penetration into and destruction of the [Armenian military] front; that is, to thwart the adversarys [i.e. Azerbaijans] plans. I believe all of you are convinced that they [i.e. the Azerbaijani plans] have failed, the Armenian President said. They [i.e. the Armenian armed forces] have performed the task that was set before them.

We dont need armed forces that will go for an adventure. () We need armed forces which perform their task.

Reflecting on the lost territories, the President of Armenia urged to grasp whether these territories have a strategic or a psychological importance for the Armenian side.

The Armenian [armed] forces, which had 800 thousand hectares as security zone, have lost around 800 hectares. () These territories have no importance strategically, or tactically, Sargsyan stated. [But] purely psychologically, yes, the Azerbaijanis can convince their people that they have achieved some results.

But I want you to compare the 800 hectares, and lets assume one casualty, two wounded for each hectare. () But even if half a casualty, one wounded, they are a lot again. Compare, see how many casualties they [i.e. the Azerbaijani army] would give to seize those 800 thousand hectares.

Our armed forces had the capability to restore that status quo. [But] it was a matter of choice: Was it worth it to sacrifice another 35 to 40, or 80 more patriot boys for those 800 hectares?
The talks on Nagorno-Karabakh held in Vienna are indicative of the readiness of Armenia and Azerbaijan to agree, Chairperson of the Council of the Federation Committee on Foreign Affairs, Konstantin Kosachev wrote in his blog, RIA Novosti reports.

Following the talks on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement in Vienna with the participation of the representatives of contact group countries, as well as Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents  for the first time since the resumption of military actions - it once again struck me that I perceive the positions of the conflicting parties almost similarly, the Senator wrote.

In his opinion, this kind of perception dualism only stresses that there is no absolute truth in this conflict. That is, compromises will still have to be looked for, Kosachev stressed. And the independent mediators should help them where the sides find it difficult to compromise. Russia doesnt need the victory of one side: it needs a firm peace acceptable for both sides, excluding any possibility of a solution by force, Kosachev noted.

Apparently, it was possible to agree on a lot of points in Vienna. First of all, the sides confirmed the common wish to achieve observance of truce and ceasefire, the way this ceasefire was reached in 1994-1995. Besides, they agreed to maximally involve OSCE for incident investigation and search for those missing, the Senator wrote. The mediators mission is certainly important, but the main work must be carried out by the conflicting parties themselves, he stressed.

In his opinion, the preconditions for this are in place. In this context, Kosachev welcomed the decision of his colleagues in the Armenian parliament, who voted on Monday against the inclusion of the bill on Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) recognition in the agenda. I understand that many of them would wish such recognition. But they chose in favor of the peaceful settlement, and not bilateral actions. There are signals from Baku on the readiness to agree. We can hear them and are ready to support them as much as possible, the MP concluded.
YEREVAN. - The Karabakh conflict should have a package settlement, with step-by-step implementation, Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian said in an interview with Interfax, responding to the question as to the proposal of Russian FM Sergey Lavrov on the step-by-step settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

My Russian counterpart has personally and repeatedly clarified that there is no document on Lavrovs proposals. He has repeatedly stressed that the exchange of opinions is taking place at the level of reflections, formulation of ideas and search for resolutions.

In the recent years, the approach has definitely always been and remains the same at all the stages of the negotiation process, including at the stages of exchange of opinions. We and the [OSCE Minsk Group] Co-Chairs, including Lavrov, have repeatedly spoken about this  there should be a package settlement, with step-by-step implementation, Nalbandian said.

In his words, the recent years saw an intensive work on compromise wordings, and they have repeatedly been close to solutions, but the Azerbaijani side also repeatedly made a step back.

The implementation of agreements reached at the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Vienna and mentioned by the joint statement of the Russian FM U.S. Secretary of State and French Minister of State for European Affairs  i.e. on the commitment to peaceful conflict settlement, observation of 1994-1995 ceasefire agreement, prompt creation of mechanisms for conducting investigation of ceasefire violations for more efficient monitoring in the conflict zone, and expansion of the capabilities of the personal staff of the representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office - will create necessary conditions for resumption of the negotiation process, agreement on the parameters of problem settlement and continuation of search for compromise settlements, he said.
YEREVAN. - The fact that the foreign ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries for the first time took part in the summit of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents shows the extreme importance which the co-chairing countries attach to the prevention of a new escalation and implementation of the reached agreements to create conditions for resuming the negotiation process.

Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian said the aforementioned in an interview with Interfax, responding to the question as to how possible the implementation of Vienna agreements is.

The Co-Chairs have repeatedly stated about the importance of confirming the commitment to the exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, including at the level of the presidents of these countries and in the well-known five statements, adopted by them in regard to the conflict settlement. Armenia has confirmed its commitment to the peaceful settlement not only in words but also in deeds.

The co-chairing countries have for many times called all the sides to the conflict to strictly observe the tripartite unlimited duration ceasefire agreements of 1994 and 1995. Azerbaijan constantly ignored this calls, unleashing what I would call a guerilla war against these documents in the international organizations, trying to call into question their validity. The Co-Chairs immediately gave corresponding response to this at the OSCE and UN.

The necessity to establish incident investigation mechanisms was repeatedly stressed, including in the two statements of the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents, adopted in Sochi in 2011 and 2012, as well as in the recent joint statement of the co-chairing countries following the summit of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Bern in December last year. Azerbaijan had so far impeded this, Nalbandian said, expressing hope that this time Azerbaijan will not defeat the hopes of the co-chairing countries and the expectations of the international community.
Fast Facts Sanemba "Aya" Fanny Schools: Emory University School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health Department/degree program: MD and MPH Other degrees and schools: Bachelor's degree in biology from Vassar College Plans after graduation: Residency in pediatric global health at Baylor College of Medicine Meet the Class of 2016 Read more profiles of students in Emory's Class of 2016, including graduating students from each of the nine schools that make up the University.

Sanemba Aya Fanny discovered her passion for medicine at her mothers pharmacy in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, but the 2016 Emory School of Medicine student faced a difficult journey from Africa to Atlanta.

Fanny spent her childhood in West Africa but civil war forced her and her mother to flee. In 2004, the familys home was ransacked and Fannys school was burned during political riots. After several months of continued unrest in Cote dIvoire, Fanny and her mother filed for asylum in the United States and spent the next 10 years in New York.

During that time, Fanny continued to thrive in the classroom and went on to attend Vassar College for her undergraduate studies. There she earned her bachelors degree in biology. Fannys love for medicine and especially working with children led her to Emory Universitys School of Medicine and the Rollins School of Public Health, where on May 9, she will graduate with her MD and MPH degrees.

Reflecting on her career path, Fanny cites physician and public health advocate Rudolph Virchow. "He once said that the physicians role in society is to be an attorney for the poor, says Fanny. This philosophy has guided a lot of my choices so far.

Addressing barriers to health care

During her first year, she was one of four clinic coordinators for two student-run free clinics for homeless men and women in downtown Atlanta.

We worked with faculty to provide basic primary care to our homeless patients on a weekly basis and also organized a homelessness and health care week in the School of Medicine to raise awareness about barriers to health care in this vulnerable population, she says.

Fanny also worked as part of the Familias Saludables student group during her third year at Emory, helping to start a nutrition and exercise program for Latino children and families at risk of obesity.

The most influential service opportunity in my medical school career was the Albert Schweitzer Medical Student Fellowship in Tropical Medicine, Fanny says. The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship aims to prepare the next generation of professionals who will serve and empower vulnerable people to live healthier lives and create healthier communities. In the summer of 2014, Fanny was one of four students nationwide selected to pursue a three-month clinical fellowship at the historic Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambarene, Gabon.

In the hospital, I witnessed the most extreme suffering and way too many premature, preventable deaths that would have never occurred in the U.S., Fanny says. This to me was infuriatingly unacceptable. I couldnt reconcile how in one part of the world we greatly benefit from scientific progress and are able to perform life-saving interventions, while in other parts of the world so many children are dying before they even have a shot at life.

I left Lambarene knowing that I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to reducing those inequities through a career in medicine and global health, she says.

A future in pediatric global health

Upon graduation from Emory, Fanny plans to complete her residency in pediatric global health at Baylor College of Medicine.

She has also remained in touch with family members in Cote dIvoire, visiting them once each year.

My first memories of wanting to be a medical doctor revolve around seeing my mother educate her customers  many of whom did not know how to read or write  on how to properly take their medications, she says.

In her hometown of Abidjan, it is common for people who cant afford to go to a doctors office to visit a pharmacy for health advice and medications.

Oftentimes, my mother would have to tell people who visited her pharmacy that they needed treatment from a doctor, Fanny says. I wanted to be that doctor who could diagnose and treat everyones disease.
Emory University employees reaching milestones for years of service were honored at a recent luncheon with President James Wagner.

The April 25 event celebrated two employees for achieving 45 years of service, three for 40 years of service, 16 for 35 years of service, 42 for 30 years of service and 72 for 25 years of service.

Here is this year's list of honorees:

45 years

Marie P. Hodo, Campus Life/Emory Dining

Lee Arthur Johnson (retiree), Campus Services

40 years

Robin Garbee Thompson, School of Public Health

Larry Wagner (retiree), Library and Information Technology Services

Mattie Louise Young, Campus Services

35 years

Rick S. Allen, Campus Services/Emory University Police

Brenda K. Baxter, Emory College of Arts and Sciences

David Beck, Campus Services

Terry G. Brown, Development & Alumni Relations

Brenda D. Buggs, School of Medicine

Linda T. Curtis, School of Medicine

Annette Hadley, School of Medicine

Bernstine W. Hollis, The Carter Center

Timothy Olin Ivey, Campus Services

Khaleelah Muwwakkil, School of Public Health

Linda J. Nodine (retiree), Library and Information Technology Services

Susan Drake Rogers, Research Administration

Eileen R. Rubnitz, Library and Information Technology Services

Gary L. Schroeder, Development & Alumni Relations

Curt Stauffer, Library and Information Technology Services

Scott C. Swann, Library and Information Technology Services

30 Years

Carla O. Brock, School of Medicine

Lloyd A. Busch, Library and Information Technology Services

Sallie Florence Clayton, Campus Services

Keith Foster, Library and Information Technology Services

Laura Ann FoxGoharioon, School of Medicine

Corky Gallo, School of Law

Virginia Annette Griffey, School of Medicine

Mark Andrew Hafitz, Internal Audit

Angela Marie Hale, The Carter Center

Becky Hancock, Library and Information Technology Services

Patricia Jean Haugaard, School of Medicine

Anita Lynn Haynes, Office of Financial Aid

John F. Healey, School of Medicine

Robin A. Hitchcock, School of Medicine

Sarah J. Hix, Yerkes National Primate Research Center

Mindy S. Hyman, Development & Alumni Relations

James R. Kruse, Library and Information Technology Services

Marcelia T. Maddox, Yerkes National Primate Research Center

Anita Waite Mann, School of Law

Melissa M. Montgomery, The Carter Center

Brendan Moriarty, Campus Life

Tamara C. Murphy, School of Medicine

Ernest Theodore Parker, School of Medicine

Karen Sue Pierce, School of Medicine

Loretta Rawls, Campus Services

Carla Reid, Office of Sponsored Programs

Jacqueline Echols Riley, School of Medicine

Karon Gayle Schindler, WHSC / Communications

Brandy Scott, Library and Information Technology Services

Allen Dale Shelton, Library and Information Technology Services

Benita D. Sims, Campus Services

Catherine Howett Smith, Michael C. Carlos Museum

Buddy Smith, The Carter Center

Jennifer S. Stevenson, Library and Information Technology Services

John B. Stiles, Jr., Library and Information Technology Services

Robert A. Waggoner, School of Public Health

Robin Michelle White, Campus Services / Emory University Police

Joann G. White, School of Medicine

Elizabeth Jane Wilcox, Yerkes National Primate Research Center

Anthony Ferdinand Williams, EVP Academic Affairs & Provost

William T. Wilson, Jr., School of Medicine

Annabella Yumul, Goizueta Business School

25 Years
SIU to host major solar eclipse workshop in June

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill.  A total solar eclipse that will center on Southern Illinois is still more than a year away, but in astronomical terms thats only a blink of an eye.

So with this huge event drawing near, Southern Illinois University Carbondale next month will play host to major workshop that invites the general public to mix with and listen to some of the countrys leading solar scientists and amateur sky-watchers. In the process, they will learn more about how to appreciate and enjoy this rare happening.

The American Astronomical Society will hold its Eclipse 2017 Workshop June 10-11. It will feature speakers from NASA, the National Solar Observatory and other organizations. Registration is required to attend, but a good portion of the program is free and open to the public. To learn more about, and to register for the conference, go here.

Bob Baer, specialist in the Department of Physics, said even if the names are not familiar to the public, people are most likely familiar with the work of many of the schedule speakers. For instance, Fred Espenak  known by his fans as Mr. Eclipse  conducts eclipse timing predictions for NASA and runs the site eclipsewise.com, which is popular among buffs, Baer said. Xavier Jubier is the top Google interactive eclipse mapmaker that show where the sun will be blotted out in totality, among other things.

If you're using a map with a geolocation tool to find amounts of totality for your location, it's probably Xavier's map, Baer said.

Michael Zeiler runs the site GreatAmericanEclipse.com and creates highly detailed, printable eclipse maps, Baer said. Another highlight will be Michelle Nichols, master educator at Chicago's Adler Planetarium, who will run a workshop promoting simple sun- and moon-related activities for families using common household materials.

Another huge highlight is the much-anticipated announcement from NASA on how it intends to cover the eclipse, as well as how those plans may impact SIU and the region. Both the NASA Eclipse 2017 group and NASA Edge  a video podcast that focuses on missions, technologies and space-related events involving the space agency  will send representatives to the workshop where they will discuss plans for their eclipse 2017 coverage from the SIU campus, Baer said. Officials say NASA likely will reach a huge global audience with its coverage.

The Adler Planetarium personnel also will be on hand to discuss some of that institutions plans for partnering with SIU in eclipse programming and events.

The first day of the two-day conference generally will include the most public-friendly information that will be useful but mostly non-technical in nature. The second day is open to the public, as well, though registration is required and the talks will contain more technical information.

For anyone wanting to just watch the eclipse on their own, maybe as a home school group, with a church group, or just with your own family, this is a great workshop to attend and find out how to do that safely, Baer said. We have laid out the program such that we have some specialized talks running opposite more generalized workshops and vice versa so people can tailor their day to their own needs.

The official poster for the event, along with matching eclipse glasses, also will be for sale at the conference and can be ordered when registering. Tyler Nordgren, the artist who created the poster and professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Redlands, will be on hand to sign the posters, as well.

SIU is gearing up to play a major role in the Aug. 21, 2017 eclipse, which will feature the first total solar eclipse over the mainland United States since 1979. The eclipse viewing path and shadow that day will sweep across the country from northwest to southeast, with its point of greatest duration a few miles south of Carbondale. Officials expect some 30,000 to 50,000 people to descend on the area for the happening. The universitys planning, led by a campus-community committee, has been underway for more than a year.

Not only that, but a second such event is due on April 8, 2024. The intersection of the two eclipse paths is just south of Carbondale over Cedar Lake. No other place in the world will offer the opportunity to observe these two eclipses from the same ground-based spot.

Cinnamon Wheeles-Smith, executive director of Carbondale Tourism, said the impact will be felt strongly throughout Southern Illinois. As the first eclipse draws nearer, her office is fielding increasing numbers of calls from people seeking information about the event.

The eclipse will affect 15 Illinois counties as it passes through, so we are all going to feel it, she said.

Following the AAS conference at SIU, Wheeles-Smith said her office, along with the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce, will begin holding public meetings looking at how the community and local businesses can prepare for the events. Southern Illinois Economic Development is also planning such a meeting looking at how the area can leverage the event. That meeting is set for June 14 at John A. Logan College.

The conference at SIU will be one in a series of such events the AAS is holding along the path of the eclipse. Baer said the organization and the university are hoping it will raise awareness in a broad segment of the local population.

Because we are so close to the eclipse now, just over a year, we are going to start focusing on more timely information in this workshop and get into details for different groups such as teachers, communities, the tourism industry, and regional planners, Baer said. However, we will have a lot of basic information on how people can just enjoy watching the eclipse.

The second day of the conference will include scientific talks and discussions on the Citizen CATE Experiment (Continental America Telescopic Eclipse). The effort will see SIU cooperate with about 60 other teams recording the eclipse as it traverses the United States. The National Solar Observatory will use the data collected to assemble a visual record of the total eclipse, in an attempt to capture elusive, moving pictures of the suns corona, which is usually obscured by the suns brightness.

Matt Penn, associate astronomer at the NSO, along with Baer and retired SIU faculty member Fred Isberner, will talk about the project and their roles in it during the Citizen CATE workshop.

The workshop is intended for current or potential volunteer observers for the Citizen CATE Experiment, Baer said. The hands-on portion of the workshop will be a group solar observation using the CATE prototype telescope that will be used to observe the 2017 eclipse. In addition to the public portions, there will be closed discussion sessions for conference participants only.

Cost to attend the full conference, including all closed sessions and dinners, is $180 and $80 for students. Members of the general public are invited to attend all open sessions free of charge, but should register in advance. Snacks will be available for those attending.
APCOB Chairman Pinnamaneni Venkatewara Rao was seriously injured whilehis wife and driver was killed on the spot when their car in which they were travelling overturned at Pahadi Sharif Outer Ring Road (ORR), early today. The victims were returning to the city from Vijayawada when the accident occured, police said Pinnamaneni was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills for treatment. The bodies of Pinnamaneni's wife Sathyavai and Driver Dasu were shifted to Gandhi Hospital forpost-mortem. A case has been registered and investigation is under way, police added. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas expressed shock over the accident and asked the officials to extend better medical facilities to Pinnamaneni.UNI VV CS 1012 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-736524.Xml
A "B" category commander of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) was among two militants killed in separate encounters in the Kashmir valley in the wee hours today. Defence ministry spokesman Colonel N N Joshi told UNI that two militants have been killed at Shopian and Kupwara and two AK rifles recovered. The operation was continuing at both the places when the reports last came in. Sources said 42 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police launched a joint search operation at village Pahlipora in south Kashmir district of Shopian in the wee hours today. However, when the security forces were sealing a particular area in the village, militants opened fire with automatic weapons. Security forces also retaliated and in the ensuing encounter a listed militant of HM Farooq Ahmad Sheikh alias Ikhlaq, was killed. One AK rifle and other arms and ammunition were recovered. The killing of HM militant came hours after a surrendered militant Manzoor Ahmad Pala was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Batpora, Kulgam in south Kashmir last night. Col Joshi said troops of RR and SOG launched a joint search operation in the forest area in Chowkibal in the frontier district of Kupwara last night following a tip-off about the presence of militants. An encounter ensued after militants, hiding there, opened fire on security forces which retaliated, he said. An AK rifle and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the area. It is believed that a militant has been killed, he said, adding that body of the militant is yet to be recovered. Operation was still on when the reports last came in, the spokesperson said. It was not immediately clear whether the slain militant was part of the group which had infiltrated from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) last month. Three militants have already been killed and another, a resident of PoK, was arrested recently along with an ADHAR card.UNI BAS SB 1014 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-736491.Xml
There was no report of any ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops on the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir district of Baramulla, the Defence Ministry said today. The Ministry spokespersons Col N N Joshi told UNI that there was no report of any ceasefire violation in any part of the LoC in Baramulla district. India and Pakistan has agreed for ceasefire on the LoC and International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir in 2003. However, Pak troops have violated the ceasefire a number of times in the Kashmir valley and Jammu region. He said troops guarding the LoC are already on high alert to foil any infiltration attempt from across the border, where a large number of militants are waiting to cross over to this side as snow on upper reaches had started melting. Massive search operation was going in the woods in the frontier district of Kupwara, where a militant is believed to have been killed early this morning. However, only one ak rifle has been recovered, he said adding body has not been recovered so far. The operation was going on when the reports last came in, he said.UNI BAS SB NS1402 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-736757.Xml
Taking serious note of the killing of senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, Press Council of India (PCI) will be sending a two-member team to Siwan on May 19 for conducting an independent inquiry into the case. The two-member team would be led by senior scribe K Amarnath while noted journalist Prakash Dubey will be another member of the team. The fact finding team is visiting Siwan on the directive of PCI Chairman Justice (retired) Chandramauli Prasad. The press fraternity across the state are agitated over the brutal murder although Chief Minister Nitish Kumar under public pressure had already recommended CBI probe in the case. A delegation of Journalists' Coordination Committee called on Mr Kumar at his official residence yesterday demanding regularisation of service of the slain leader's wife Asha Yadav, presently working as a contractual teacher, free education to his children, adequate security cover to the family and also creation of an environment under which journalists could work fearlessly. The CM had assured to the journalists of immediate arrest of all the assailants. "For me an attack on a journalist is not less than an attack on myself," the CM remarked while expressing his anguish over the brutal killing of Ranjan. UNI DH AD PS AE NS1513 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-736825.Xml
Unidentified criminals looted Rs. 2 lakh from a woman when she was going to her residence after withdrawing the amount from a bank under Laheri police station area in Nalanda district today. Police said here that two motorcycle borne desperadoes snatched the money bag from Sudha Devi, resident of Salempur village when she was going to her home after withdrawing the sum from Ramchandrapur branch of State Bank of India. An FIR had been lodged at Laheri police station on the statement of the victim. A manhunt has been launched to nab criminals.UNI XC DH PL AE RK1535 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-736934.Xml
A two-wheeler which was used in the incident and three mobiles have been recovered from them.

Addressing a press conference here, SP Anjani Kumar Jha said the conspiracy behind the murder of the journalist Inderdeo Yadav was hatched at the house of TPC ultra Mukesh Ganjhu.

He said, Yadav was murdered for the want of levy.

"The ultras had demanded a levy of Rs 7 lakh from him," the SP said adding that three more accused in the killing are still absconding.

The arrested have been identified as Birbal Sao, Jhaman Sao and Suraj Sao.

He said, Suraj Sao is the aide of Simaria MLA Ganesh Ganjhu.

The journalist was shot dead at Dewaria panchayat under Sadar police station of this district on May 12.UNI AK AKM AE RK1804

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Elated over the possibility of BJP forming Government in Assam and opening its account in Kerala, senior party leader Shahnawaz Hussain today said that party's main battleground will be assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh. ''The exit polls of five states have given an indication of a positive result in favour of BJP. This is a good news for the party leadership and it shows that wind is still blowing in favour of BJP. But our real test would be in Uttar Pradesh. The party has geared up for this battle,''Mr Hussain told reporters here. He said that the young chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, has failed to deliver. People had high hopes from him but he has failed to give a new direction to the sttae. "In his first press conference Chief Minister had vowed to make UP as Uttam Pradesh but unfortunately he has made state into Ulta Pradesh," Mr Hussain added. "The countdown of Samajwadi Party has begun. People are fed up with the misrule. The farmers want water and food but the Chief Minister is busy giving advertisements claiming Uttar Pradesh has become Unnat Pradesh," he said, adding that the people are wise enough to see through the veneer of duplicity. The BJP leader said that ruling Samajwadi Party has failed to extend help to dalits who were tormented in Azamgarh. "The biggest surprise is silence of Mayawati on this front. She is quick to react on atrocities being committed against dalits. But her silence on Azamgarh is deafening. This shows tacit understanding between SP and BSP," Mr Hussain, who is the national spokesman of the BJP, said. Taking a swipe at Bihar Chief Minister, the BJP leader said Mr Nitish Kumar is not able to set his house in order but is roaming around giving sermons. "He should first end jungle raj in Bihar and then give suggestions to others," he said. "Bihar sharab mukt to ho gaya apradh mukt kab hoga (Bihar is now liquor free state, when will it be crime free," asked Mr Hussain.UNI NB RP1911 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0105-737682.Xml
Five countries in south-east Europe formally signed off on the construction of a pipeline which will transport Caspian gas to European markets in an attempt to ease their reliance on Russia.The 870-km (540-mile) Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is part of the so-called "Southern Corridor" that will link Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz II field with Italy, crossing through Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea. It is the largest endeavour to bring new supply sources to European consumers."The energy map of south-east Europe is being redefined and this turns Greece into an energy hub of the region," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said at an inauguration ceremony in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Tuesday.The 5-billion-euro project will cross through Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea. European regulators cleared the project in March as part of Europe's drive to secure energy supplies.Around 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year of Azeri gas should reach Europe by 2020 through TAP as well as the South Caucasus Pipeline through Georgia and the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) through Turkey."We are inaugurating an important part of one of the largest and most complex projects in the history of energy industry," said Georgian Prime Minister Georgy Kvirikashvili."Georgia, as a transit country, reiterates its commitment to the diversification of energy supplies to Europe."TAP is owned by BP, Azeri state energy firm SOCAR, Italy's Snam, Belgian company Fluxys, Spain's Enagas and Axpo. Construction is expected to begin this summer.The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is considering financing of up to 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) for TAP, which would be the largest loan it has granted.Total project costs - which include drilling, offshore platforms and terminals as well as pipelines - are $45 billion and the entire pipeline route will span 3,500 km, with TAP the final link into Europe.Cash-strapped Greece has been seeking to boost its role as a regional energy hub and has said that TAP fitted well with another gas pipeline scheme, Interconnnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), and a planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) project off the northern Greek city of Alexandroupolis.Government officials say the project is expected to create some 8,000 direct jobs in country with a record unemployment of 24 percent and will mean hundreds of millions of euros in contracts for Greek firms which will take part in construction worksREUTERS CJ BD1908 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-737707.Xml
India is in the process of replacing 50 per cent of its ageing defence equipment, and is expected to invest over 100 billion dollar in the next five years in capital equipment purchases across Air Force, Navy and Army. According to a joint Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA)-KPMG study, India and other emerging markets are expected to generate aircraft demand estimated at USD 5 trillion in the next 20 years.The study says that 70 to 80 per cent of the defence equipment cost is used in maintenance and upkeep where there is an opportunity worth Rs 20,000 crore, growing at a CAGR of 9 per cent. 15 to 20 per cent of this will accrue from Air Force Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) activities covering sub-assemblies, components and spare parts. Even Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar while delivering his inaugural address during a seminar on Aerospace and Defence on 14th of this month had highlighted the opportunities in the field. Commenting on the prospect, he had said, "With world-class quality practices and manufacturing capabilities, the auto components industry in India is well poised to partner with the Defence Sector to achieve this goal. The government will also create the necessary framework by June 2016, to reform purchasing processes of Defence PSUs, which would benefit all suppliers, especially the MSMEs. This will help realise the Government's vision of Make in India for the Defence sector."According to Mr FR Sighvi, Chairman, ACMA Aerospace, Defence & Railways Committee, "The time is ripe for the auto component industry to amplify its defence production capabilities. Joint efforts between the auto component industry and Ministry of Defence can help enhance India's self-reliance and conserve foreign exchange. The positive approach displayed by the government, including liberalisation of FDI norms in the defence sector and clearer licencing requirements, will provide a thrust to the domestic manufacturing." The Aerospace and Defence sector is one of the closest adjacencies of the automotive sector, and with liberalisation, it offers tremendous opportunities to the Auto Component sector in India. Luminaries from leading global Aerospace and Defence sector addressed the Summit, while over 100 focussed participants made it a premier business event. UNI ADP RSA AE 1906 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0429-737609.Xml
The high court extended the interim relief of seven accused till May 25, as a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court had issued a non-bailable warrant against 34 people, including Pankaj, son of Chhagan Bhujbal. The former minister's nephew Sameer is already in the jail in same case.

On the basis of two first information reports (FIRs) filed by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) against Bhujbal and his associates, the PMLA court had issued non-bailable warrant against them in connection with the Rs 870 crore Maharashtra Sadan scam and a related money laundering case.

The accused persons named in the criminal complaint include Chhagan Bhujbal, Sameer Bhujbal, Pankaj Bhujbal, corporates like D B Realty, Balwa Group of companies, Neelkamal Realtors and Builders Private Limited, Neelkamal Central Apartment LLP and Kakade Infrastructure. The other individuals named in the complaint are Vinod Goenka, Asif Balwa, Sanjay Kakade and others.UNI ST SS DJK AS1946

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The Assam Rifles has apprehended one NSCN-IM cadre in Borlongrijan village near Dimapur along with arms and ammunition for violating cease fire ground rules.According to an official release by the PRO of the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (North) today said, on May 10, based on specific information, troops of 32 Assam Rifles conducted on operation at Borlongrijan village in Assam area, near Dimapur and apprehended a cadre of NSCN (IM) with illegal arms and ammunition. Spot questioning of individual revealed that the NSCN (IM) cadre was a resident of Wokha district, who was in possessing of an illegal 7.65mm pistol and 05 live rounds. The individual stated that he was appointed as assistant section officer in NSCN (IM). The apprehended along with recovered arms and ammunition was later handed over to Khatkhati police station in Karbi Anglong district of Assam for further investigation, the release said. UNI ASAKM PR SB2140 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-737936.Xml
Authorities worried about increasingly strident calls for Hong Kong independence are taking no chances ahead of a rare visit from one of China's top ranking officials, shutting down swathes of the city and reportedly gluing down pavers to quell the prospect of violent protests.Mainland Chinese media have cited the visit by Zhang Dejiang, China's No 3 and the first senior official to come since the 2014 Occupy democracy protests, as an example of Beijing's concern and support for the Asian financial hub.Yet tensions are so palpable that thousands police have been mobilised to secure the city during Zhang's visit, which begins today. Local media reported pavement bricks were being cemented to prevent them being used as missiles while police were camping atop a mountain where a pro-democracy banner was hung two years ago.Independence, a taboo topic under both British and Chinese rule, has become increasingly mainstream subject in Hong Kong, with some activists calling for an outright breakaway from China, a move some politicians say would imperil Hong Kong's economic and political future."These young people have no idea that they could be putting Hong Kong on a potentially dangerous collision course with the motherland and bringing an unmitigated disaster," wrote former top Hong Kong security official Regina Ip in an editorial in the state-run China Daily."Separatism, or rather the anti-mainland doctrine in disguise, will...doom Hong Kong."The young activists see it differently."(We) are facing a very great threat from China: Our culture, our language, our people...we are dying!" said Chan Ho-tin, the head of the newly-formed National party, expected to contest legislative elections in September."Do (Hong Kong people) want to be a Chinese city or do they want to be an independent country? There are only two choices."Joshua Wong, another prominent young activist who launched a new political party called Demosisto this year, wouldn't rule out taking an independence line in upcoming campaigns."The problem with young people is that they are not 100 percent pre-occupied with economic considerations," said Michael Tien, a Hong Kong delegate to China's parliament, the National People's Congress, which Zhang heads."A lot of young people saying they don't want development, they want a better environment, they want better work-life balance, they want better quality of life.""CLOSELY MONITORED"Hong Kong guarantees freedom of expression under the agreement that saw Britain return its former colony to Beijing in 1997, but authorities haven't ruled out taking action against pro-independence activists."Any suggestion that (Hong Kong) should be independent or any movement to advocate such independence...would be inconsistent with the legal status of Hong Kong," the Department of Justice (DOJ) told Reuters.The DOJ said it was watching for "possible criminal activities" and would "closely monitor the situation, maintain close liaison with the relevant law enforcement agencies, and take such action as may be necessary."Hong Kong authorities said the "counter-terrorism security measures" were needed to ensure the safety of dignitaries during the visit.China is an umbilical cord for Hong Kong's economy, with Chinese capital succouring financial markets and millions of Chinese visitors powering its tourism and retail sectors."Acts in favour of Hong Kong independence harm the sovereignty and security of the country, harm the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, and harm the fundamental interests of Hong Kong," Chinese Foreign Minister spokesman Hong Lei told reporters yesterday.Hong Kong also relies on China for food, water and electricity, making independence almost impossible in practice."A lot of people in Hong Kong have jobs associated with the mainland," said Holden Chow, vice-chairman of the DAB party, Hong Kong's largest pro-Beijing political party."If there are no more economic ties...then where are the jobs? There would be a rise in unemployment."DON'T VOTE FOR 'THE EXTREMISTS'While Hong Kong's independence movement is perhaps more a reflection of worsening political divisions than a realizable goal, the challenge to Beijing's authority is unnerving some.Observers with close ties to Chinese officials say one of Zhang's priorities will be establishing relations with more moderate democrats to lower the heat."He will send a positive signal to any pan-democrat who is willing to have a dialogue with China," Tien said."This must be one of his key missions: To make sure the signal is strong enough that the electorate won't lambast the moderate pan-democrats and give all their votes to the extremists." REUTERS SDR JW RAI0853 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-736453.Xml
Australia's centre-left opposition Labor Party leader Bill Shorten today endorsed US Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton over her chief Republican rival, Donald Trump, who he said would be "very difficult" to work with.Shorten, who is campaigning against Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ahead of national elections on July 2, pledged to continue Australia's close relationship with the United States regardless of the outcome of the US election.But he made no secret of which candidate he preferred."In terms of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, I have to say that if I was in America, I would be voting for Hillary Clinton," Shorten told reporters."Whoever America elects we'll deal with but there's no doubt in my mind that Trump would be very difficult, I think, to deal with."Trump's often controversial comments on everything from Muslims and women to the future of NATO and relations with Russia have drawn criticism from Berlin, Paris and other European capitals.British Prime Minister David Cameron this week stood by his description of Trump's plan to ban Muslims from entering the United States as "divisive, stupid and wrong" after Trump said that he was unlikely to have a good relationship with Cameron. REUTERS SDR JW RAI1118 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-736584.Xml
Soldiers from Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh were killed early today, hours after the Armenian and Azeri presidents agreed on the need for a peaceful settlement to the conflict in the breakaway region where violence flared again last month.Yesterday's meeting between Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev in Vienna was the first since fighting between Armenian-backed separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri forces restarted. The resurgence in violence has killed dozens of people and pushed relations between the neighbours to their worst in years."The presidents reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and the peaceful settlement of the conflict," the United States, France and Russia said in a joint statement after the meeting."To reduce the risk of further violence, they agreed to finalise in the shortest possible time an OSCE investigative mechanism."The two leaders also agreed to fix a time and place for their next meeting in June and that the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) would quickly finalise a plan to monitor the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, it said.A ceasefire agreed a month ago has stopped the short conflict becoming an all-out war, but residents say gunfire and shelling still echo nightly, and people are still being killed.In a sign of continued high tensions, a soldier from Nagorno-Karabakh was killed just after midnight yesterday as a result of shooting from Azerbaijan's side, Nagorno-Karabakh's defence ministry said.An Azeri soldier was also killed "in a ceasefire violation", Azerbaijan's defence ministry said."DESIRE FOR COMPROMISE"The ex-Soviet state of Azerbaijan and separatists backed by Armenia fought a war over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s, with thousands killed on both sides and hundreds of thousands displaced.The war ended with a truce in 1994, although there has been sporadic violence since. The ceasefire was shattered last month when Azerbaijan's army and Armenian-backed separatists exchanged heavy fire using artillery, tanks, rockets and helicopters.After yesterday's meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he sensed there was now a desire on both sides for a compromise and that Russia was ready to do what it could to broker a more satisfactory deal, according to RIA news agency.US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in Vienna for meetings on Syria and Libya, held one-on-one talks with the Armenian and Azeri leaders.Sarksyan's office confirmed the details in the joint statement, saying a deal was struck to step up monitoring of the existing ceasefire, to look at beefing up the OSCE team and to take steps towards resuming talks on a more permanent solution.The conflict has worried the international community in part because it could cause instability in a region that serves as a corridor for pipelines taking oil and gas to world markets. REUTERS SDR PS VP1330 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-736805.Xml
Finland tightened restrictions on giving residence permits to asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia today, saying it was now largely safe for them to return to their war-torn homes.Authorities in Helsinki, where anti-immigration political groups have been on the rise, said security had improved to such an extent that refugees would generally not be at risk in any parts of the three countries, despite the running conflicts.There was no immediate reaction from refugee agencies. But the statement by the Finnish Immigration Service came in the face of a string of international assessments of the scale of the ongoing bloodshed and refugee crisis."It will be more difficult for applicants from these countries to be granted a residence permit," the immigration service said in a statement."It is currently possible for asylum seekers to return to all areas in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia without the ongoing armed conflicts as such presenting a danger to them only because they are staying in the country."Asylum seekers would now only be allowed to stay if they could prove that they were individually at risk.Somalia has been slowly recovering from more than two decades of war. But the government is still fighting an Islamist insurgency by the militant group al Shabaab, which regularly launches gun and bomb attacks in the capital Mogadishu and other cities.Islamic State still holds key cities and vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq which it seized in 2014.Despite battlefield setbacks over the past year, the militants have continued to attack civilians in areas under goverment control including a string of attacks last week in and around the capital that killed more than 100 people.The Taliban launched a spring offensive in Afghanistan last month, vowing to drive out the Western-backed government in Kabul and restore strict Islamic rule.Finland's centre-right coalition government - which includes nationalist Finns party - has tightened its immigration policies since the influx of asylum seekers last year.Groups of self-proclaimed patriots have launched regular patrols and marches, saying they want to protect locals from immigrants.Around 32,500 people applied for asylum in 2015 from 3,600 in 2014, with most of them coming from Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. Numbers have come down significantly this year. REUTERS SW VP1536 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0101-737026.Xml
The 205th Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces in a statement said that the operations were conducted in the vicinity of Shahwali Kot district, reports the Khaama Press.

The statement said that the operations were led by the commander of 205th Atal Corps and the main aim of the operations was to clear the main Kandahar-Tarin Kot highway.

The army personnel also recovered fifteen different types of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and defused them during the operations.

So far, the anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the report so far.

The Afghan forces have stepped up counter-terrorism operations in the region as the anti-state groups are attempting to expand their insurgency activities.(ANI)
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and fellow anti-corruption activists were attacked, thrown to the ground and kicked by a group of men at an airport in southern Russia today, according to video posted on social media.Footage showed the assailants, described by Navalny as Cossacks and wearing traditional fur hats, some in military-style fatigues and black boots, showering the group with milk outside the terminal of Anapa airport, about 1,500 kilometres (900 miles) south of Moscow, before setting upon them.Dmitry Slaboda, one of the Cossacks, said the original plan had been just to throw milk at Navalny and his supporters and to hurl insults at them, but that things had turned violent after one of them had elbowed an old cossack to the ground."The fight broke out because of that blow," Slaboda told the Govorit Moskva radio station. "We just wanted to show them that there is no room here for Navalny who lives on American money."One of the activists could be seen lying prone on the ground after being kicked. Navalny said the man later had to be hospitalised. Five others, including Navalny himself, also suffered injuries.Cossack paramilitaries, who style themselves as conservative patriots, helped Russia annex Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Cossack militia members also attacked the Pussy Riot punk group with whips and teargas at the Winter Olympics host city of Sochi in 2014 as they tried to perform a song mocking Putin.Navalny, 39, who has accused top government officials from President Vladimir Putin downwards of graft, is one of the most high profile leaders of the country's small liberal opposition and the founder of Russia's Anti-corruption Foundation.Russia is due to hold parliamentary elections in September and Navalny and his group were returning from a team-building weekend in the area when they were assaulted.State media and pro-Kremlin politicians have repeatedly cast the liberal opposition, which has only one sympathetic deputy in the 450-seat lower house of parliament, as a foreign-funded fifth column intent on sabotaging the country.POLICE INACTION?Navalny said the attack had been carried out by about 30 Cossacks and that they had punched women as well.He accused the police of doing nothing to stop the violence and of having helped plan the attack."The 'Cossacks' and the police carried out the attacks, but of course it was the authorities who organised them," Navalny said on social media, adding that the police had followed his group during their four-day visit, even detaining them once as part of what the authorities termed an anti-terrorism operation.The police told the Interfax news agency they were investigating the attack.Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, when asked about the episode, told reporters: "I would not want to interpret it based on just one source...Was it really an attack? And if it was, who carried it out, who turned to the police later?" REUTERS SW AS1759 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0101-737441.Xml
French President Francois Hollande said today an international conference due in late May in Paris to help relaunch peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis would be postponed to ensure the United States would attend.With US efforts to broker a two-state accord in tatters and Washington focused on its November presidential election, Paris has lobbied major powers to hold a conference that would set the groundwork to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table before the end of the year.Paris has grown frustrated over the absence of movement toward a two-state solution since the collapse of US-brokered talks in 2014 and argues that letting the status quo prevail was, as one French diplomat, called it "waiting for a powder keg to explode".French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault had proposed May 30 for the talks, but U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is not available on that date, Hollande told Europe 1 radio."John Kerry cannot come on May 30. It's postponed, it will take place, it will take place in the course of the summer," he said."This initiative is necessary because if nothing happens, if there is no strong French initiative, then colonisation, attacks, terrorist attacks and several conflicts are going to continue," he added.A French diplomatic source said the meeting would take place before Ramadan, which begins around June 6, and that the United States had made some constructive proposals to the meeting's agenda. He declined to elaborate.The gathering of ministers is set to include the Middle East Quartet - which comprises the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - the Arab League, the U.N. Security Council and about 20 countries, without Israeli or Palestinian participation.Diplomats say that meeting will package all economic incentives and other guarantees that various countries have offered in previous years to create an agenda for an autumn peace conference.Ayrault went to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on Sunday to sell the intuitive to the parties concerned.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Ayrault that he remained opposed to the initiative.He questioned Paris' impartiality after it voted for a resolution passed by the United Nations cultural body UNESCO that failed to acknowledge Jewish ties to Jerusalem's holiest site and caused anger in Israel..Hollande voiced regret about that resolution."There was an unfortunate amendment put forward by the Jordanians ... which blurred this text," Hollande said of the decision which concerns the site known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or the al-Aqsa compound and to Jews as Temple Mount. The resolution only used the Arabic terms for the site."I promise to be extremely vigilant when the next resolution is put forward in October," he said. "I will look at it personally. It's not possible to call into question the fact that these holy sites belong to three religions," he added.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised Israel on Tuesday warmer ties if it accepted efforts to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, urging Israeli leaders not to waste an opportunity to bring security and hope to a troubled region. REUTERS SW AS1802 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0101-737471.Xml
Iranian lawmakers on Tuesday approved outlines of a bill to oblige President Hassan Rouhani's administration to seek compensation from the US over Washington's "damaging" policies against Iran and its nationals, Press TV reported. If the bill is signed into law, Rouhani's administration would be required to urge Washington to compensate for, among other things, its "misappropriating of Iranian assets frozen in the US banks under various pretexts", the report said. In April, the US Supreme Court ruled that almost two billion dollars in frozen Iranian assets must be turned over to US citizens killed in the 1983 bombing of a US Marine Corps barracks in the Lebanese capital of Beirut and other attacks blamed on Iran. The assets belong to the Central Bank of Iran, which has been blocked under US sanctions. On Tuesday, Iranian hardliner legislator Hamid Rasa'ei also proposed a complementary to the bill that obliges Iran to "seize US assets" passing through the strategic Straight of Hormuz in response to the US hostile acts. "If the US should seek to misappropriate the Iranian nation's assets, the strait must be turned into an insecure place for them and US vessels be banned from passing through it," he was quoted as saying. Such a counter-measure would be both "logical and legal", he added. --IANS ahm/dg ( 226 Words) 2016-05-17-19:28:06 (IANS)
Russia will this week sign deals with Indonesia to supply unspecified arms and for ammunition to be manufactured under licence, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on todayHe said the deals would be signed at a Russia-ASEAN summit in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi later this week and that President Vladimir Putin would receive Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Sochi on Wednesday.REUTERS CJ BD1912 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-737674.Xml
Turkey's ruling AK Party today faces the first test of its unity since Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced he was stepping down, as parliament prepares to vote on a divisive bill to lift lawmakers' immunity from prosecution.Brawls broke out in previous debates over the bill this month between members of the AKP and the pro-Kurdish HDP opposition, which says the legislation is designed to target them and to suppress dissent.President Tayyip Erdogan, who founded the AKP, has called for members of the HDP to face prosecution, accusing them of links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group which has waged a three-decade insurgency in the largely Kurdish southeast.The HDP, parliament's third biggest party, denies direct links with the militant group.The vote comes two weeks after Davutoglu said he would leave office at an AKP congress on May 22 following an increasingly public rift with Erdogan, which fuelled speculation of splits inside the party. Davutoglu's successor as head of the AKP is widely expected to be a staunch Erdogan ally.Tuesday's vote on the bill to lift lawmakers' immunity will be a secret ballot as it concerns constitutional change. An anonymous Twitter account seen as close to Erdogan loyalists, which previously predicted Davutoglu's departure, said 71 AKP deputies would oppose the bill.The bill will need the support of at least 367 deputies in the 550-seat assembly to be passed directly, or it could be taken to a referendum if it wins 330 votes but falls short of the 367.OPPOSITION SUPPORT"God willing we will lift immunities on Friday," said AKP lawmaker Bulent Turan, forecasting the first round of voting would be completed overnight with a second round on Friday. He said his party would go for a national vote if needed."If it means a referendum, let there be a referendum. We fear nothing," Turan told reporters.If approved, the law will remove the immunity of members of parliament who currently face investigation - targeting 138 deputies, of whom 100 are from the HDP and main opposition CHP.The CHP and nationalist MHP have signalled support for the bill, giving potential support of 489 deputies out of 550 seats in the assembly. However deputies do not vote in line with party orders on constitutional issues and the voting is secret.Turkish lawmakers currently have immunity from prosecution while they are in office. The police can file "dossiers" against politicians, which can lead to a legal process once they cease to be sitting members of parliamentREUTERS CJ BD1955 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-737842.Xml
Al Qaeda's branch in Yemen claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing last week that killed eight people and wounded a senior army commander in the eastern part of the country in an internet posting todayKhaled Batarfi, an al Qaeda leader who was freed from prison last year when Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) seized Mukalla, also criticised the United Arab Emirates over its role in freeing the Hadramout provincial capital from the militants.General Abdul-Rahman al-Halili, commander of Yemen's First Military Region which has its headquarters in the city of Seyoun, was wounded last week when a suicide bomber targeted his convoy while he was on a trip to inspect his forces in the Wad Hadramout area.Batarfi, speaking in an audio recording about a campaign that forced al Qaeda from Mukalla last month, said his group had chosen "to fight the enemy as we want, not as he wants"."As such, God has facilitated for us to target the commander of the First Military Region in Hadramout and to target Zubaidi and Shalal in Aden," Batarfi said.He was referring to a previous attack on May 1 on the governor of neighbouring Aden province, Aydarous al-Zubaidi, and the provincial security chief, Shelal Ali Shayyeh.No one had claimed responsibility for either of these two attacks.AQAP and its militant rival, Islamic State, had exploited the Yemen war to expand their control and enlist new recruits in a campaign that drew concern in the United States and in the Saudi-led Arab alliance that had been trying to shore-up President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi against his Iran-allied Houthi enemies.Concern about militant threats has spurred U.N.-sponsored peace talks between the Houthis and Hadi's government now underway in Kuwait.The talks are aimed at an agreement that would allow the Houthis and troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to evacuate cities they control in northern Yemen and for the formation of a new, more representative government.REUTERS CJ AS2012 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0105-737919.Xml
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an illegal armed group waging an insurgency in Turkey, todaysaid it carried out a May 12 car bomb attack that wounded seven people in Istanbul.A parked car exploded on a boulevard in the outlying Sancaktepe district as a bus carrying Turkish military personnel passed by. A civilian driver was among those hurt, the army said at the time.The PKK, deemed a terrorist organisation by the United States, the European Union and Turkey, claimed responsibility for the attack on its website. The group has waged an armed campaign against the state since 1984, and violence has reached its worst levels since the PKK abandoned a ceasefire in July.REUTERS CJ -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0105-738030.Xml
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with visiting Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in Beijing, capital of China, May 17, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah on Tuesday, vowing to work with Afghanistan to promote a strategic partnership of cooperation.

As Afghanistan's "trustworthy neighbor and friend," China attaches great importance to its relationship with Afghanistan, said Xi.

The two countries, following the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, have respected, understood, trusted and supported each other since the establishment of diplomatic ties more than six decades ago, he said.

"We are ready to work with Afghanistan to promote the strategic partnership of cooperation," Xi told Abdullah.

He thanked Afghanistan for its support to China on issues concerning China's core interests, adding that China will continue to firmly support the Afghan government and respect the political system and the development path chosen by the Afghan people.

China is willing to intensify high-level exchanges with Afghanistan, enhance strategic communication and map out a future cooperation plan, the president said.

Stressing that China will firmly support Afghanistan's peaceful reconstruction and development, Xi called on both countries to enhance coordination to push ahead China's major investment projects there.

China will continue to help human resources development in Afghanistan, encouraging exchanges between youth, think tanks, media and local governments, said Xi.

China backs Afghanistan's integration into the region, he said, promising to help the war-torn country promote connectivity with neighboring countries and seek synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China and Afghanistan's transformation and development strategy.

Moreover, Beijing has vowed to continue providing Kabul with security -building assistance to fight terrorism and support its peaceful reconciliation process.
- Libyan military forces said on Tuesday they had recaptured one of the main checkpoints south of the city of Misrata from Islamic State, reversing some of the gains the militant group made earlier this month.Three members of the armed forces were killed and 10 wounded in a mine explosion as they took control of the checkpoint at Abu Grain, said Mohamed al-Gasri, a spokesman for an operation room set up by Libya's U.N.-backed unity government.Islamic State fighters had overrun the Abu Grain checkpoint, town and several nearby villages after carrying out coordinated suicide bomb attacks on May 5.Abu Grain is about 140 km (85 miles) west of Islamic State's Libyan stronghold of Sirte, on the main road leading south from port city of Misrata.The military have yet to take full control of the area, however."There are skirmishes from time to time against the militants," said Gasri. "We will keep making progress to clean Abu Grain town of those militants".The unity government arrived in Tripoli in late March. Western states hope it will replace two rival administrations that have competed for power in Libya since 2014, and unite the armed brigades that supported them to take on Islamic State.The new government has moved to establish itself in western Libya with the backing of key brigades from Misrata, which gained power due to its central role in the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.The new government's operations room says it is preparing an offensive to recapture Sirte, which has been controlled by Islamic State since last year.The unity government has so far struggled to win formal backing from factions in eastern Libya, however, where military forces also say they are preparing for an offensive against Sirte.Islamic State controls a strip of coast about 250 km (155 miles) long around Sirte but it has struggled to hold ground elsewhere in the country. REUTERS CJ -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0105-738097.Xml
By Hu Meidong And An Baijie In Pingtan, Fujian (China Daily)

When she arrived in Pingtan's Beigang village last year, Taiwan backpacker Alice Lin was obsessed with both the beautiful scenery and the unique stone houses in the coastal countryside.

"While staying here, you can get the real meaning of the famous line from the Chinese poet Haizi: 'Facing the sea, with spring blossoms'," she said.

She was impressed by the fortresslike stone houses. According to the history of Pingtan, residents started building stone houses during the mid-Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

A veteran backpacker who has walked through 10 countries, including Canada, France, Singapore and Cambodia, Lin has a strong feeling that the houses were precious.

However, villagers seem unaware. As in many other rural places, villagers have migrated to urban areas for better jobs, educations and healthcare, leaving their houses unattended.

Lin believes the stone houses are a precious tourism resource and decided to develop some of them into bed-and-breakfasts.

"In Taiwan, B&Bs are very popular among travelers, especially the young backpackers," she said, adding that her experience of managing a B&B in Taiwan could be useful in Pingtan.

Her idea won support from her brother and four friends, including a designer and a cook.

They contracted for nine stone houses, which are being refurbished as B&Bs, coffee bars and museums.

Taiwan artists will be invited to live there and exhibit their works, she said. Pingtan is the nearest point on the Chinese mainland to Taiwan. It's only two hours from Taipei by high-speed ship.

Lin hopes the village does not become a noisy scenic spot crowded with tourists, like many places on the mainland. Instead, she wants it to be a quiet and clean area in the countryside where travelers could rest and find meaning in their lives.

Lin Shifu, 39, one of the villagers who rented out his stone house, said that he could get about 4,000 yuan ($615) annually.

"My whole family moved to the urban area two years ago, because I worked at a construction site there," he said, adding that he was satisfied with the rent, as well as the refurbishment of his house.

Most of the residents are "left-behind" elderly people, and the B&Bs could offer the elderly some job opportunities such as room cleaning, he said.

Yang Jie in Fuzhou contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn

Taiwan backpacker Alice Lin (right) and a colleague visit Pingtan's Beigang village in Fujian province in May.An Baijie / China Daily

(China Daily 05/17/2016 page4)
Planning Minister for business development talks

The Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (MSME) sector in the Caribbean is a substantial contributor to economic and social development.

The ministry said it is estimated that the sector constitutes between 70 and 85 percent of business enterprises and contributes between 60 and 70 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. The sector accounts for approximately 50 percent of employment and is a major contributor to poverty production. Female entrepreneurs are estimated at between 30 and 50 percent. The sector contributes to social stability and citizen security through the provision of opportunities to many who would otherwise be marginalised economically and socially.

The ministry said this is important to TT since Caricom is a major market, for our goods and services and ensuring the strength of the regions markets augurs well for continued trade and even for possible expansion into the global market.
I saw blood on jersey

Jared Sherwood said he was a fisherman in 2006 when Krysta, 23, was stabbed to death in her house at Limefield Road, Cedros. Testifying at the trial in the San Fernando High Courts before Justice Carla Brown-Antoine and a 12-member jury, Sherwood said he had gone out fishing and returned at 2 pm. Hosten, 44, is charged with murdering Krysta.

She had returned from work that afternoon and in granting him permission to go and pick portugals in the yard, she told him not to raid the tree. Hosten is alleged to have pushed the door and she fell. He stabbed her over 20 times. He is alleged to have walked to the beach where he smoked and washed the t-shirt he was wearing.

Krystas father Steve Lackpatsingh and mother Jade have already testified at the trial. Sherwood said he is from Bamboo Village and knew Hosten. On that fateful day in 2006, he returned from the sea and walked 60 feet from the beach.

He testified that he saw the accused coming down the hill. He knew the accused before the date of the murder. Sherwood pointed to Hosten who sat in the dock, as he was led in evidence by senior State Attorney Shabaana Shah, who is being instructed by State Attorney Stacy Lallo-Chung. Shah questioned Sherwood, What was he wearing? Did you see anything? Sherwood: I asked him if that is blood on him. He was wearing a t-shirt. It was grey. He said No. It was about 3.30 pm. Shah: What made you ask him that? Sherwood: It was the first thing come to me. It was one of two spots.
Cop: Accused did not want to sign

Corie was called in the trial by Senior State Attorney Trevor Jones as the States witness before Justice Hayden St Clair Douglas and a 12-member jury. Maharaj, 63, owned a mall on High Street, another building on Lower St James Street, San Fernando, as well as two properties in Canada. He was beaten to death in his house. Roger Greene, 38, of Blitz Village, Pleasantville, is on trial and yesterday, Corie said he interviewed him at the Homicide Office in San Fernando and asked him about his whereabouts on that fateful day.

After he asked Greene his date of birth, the accused began speaking loudly. Jones asked the Inspector if he recalled what Greene has said and he replied that he could not recall.

Corie said the accused refused to sign the notes he had made. Corie also said he interviewed a man name Brian Worrel in connection with the murder. Worrel has been granted immunity from prosecution in return for his testimony.

Corie told the judge and jury that he also interviewed Enal, whom he said, was the common-law wife of Maharaj. Attorney Kwasi Bekoe, instructed by attorney Jared Ali, cross-examined Corie and he said he had interviewed Enal as a suspect because she was last seen with Maharaj at his home, when he was alive. According to the States case, Enal left her husband at home asleep shortly after 6 am and went to the gym. She did not return home until 1 pm, but instead had gone to the store where she worked.

She found him dead. The trial continues today.
Judge to sum up Vindra trial to jury

Justice Holdip was expected to begin his summation yesterday, but this was deferred as he needed additional time. In his directions, the judge is expected to state the issues of the prosecution and defence as well as the evidence adduced at trial and state the law arising in the case, after which, the jury will retire to deliberate on a verdict.

The trial in the Second Criminal Court at the Port-of-Spain Assizes began in June 2013 when jurors were empanelled.

Originally, 12 men were accused of Naipaul-Coolmans murder and they were put in the jurys charged in October 2013.

The prosecution began leading evidence in the case in March of 2014, with lead prosecutor Israel Khan, SC, opening the States case on March 24, in which he gave gruesome details of the businesswomans killing.

Following the death of accused Allan Scanny Martin, who was shot dead by police in July, after he and two others staged a daring prison break from the Port-of-Spain State Prison at Frederick Street, 11 men stood accused of Naipaul-Coolmans murder.

This number was reduced by one when in January, Justice Holdip upheld a no-case submission of accused Joel Fraser, who was immediately acquitted of the charge against him. The remaining ten on trial are Shervon Peters; Keida Garcia, Marlon Trimmingham; Earl Trimmingham; Ronald Armstrong; Antonio Charles; Lyndon James; Devon Peters; Anthony Dwayne Gloster, also called Anthony Peters and Jamile Garcia .

Naipaul-Coolman was abducted from her home in Lange Park, Chaguanas on December 19, 2006. A $122,000 ransom was paid but she was not released and her body never found.

According to the prosecutions case presented in evidence from some 73 witnesses, Naipaul-Coolman was sawed up like a piece of meat and her dismembered body disposed of at sea.

Prosecutors further alleged she was held captive in a house at Upper La Puerta, Diego Martin, before she was killed and her body disposed of and relied on circumstantial evidence as well as witness statements of their main witness Keon Gloster.

While testifying last year, Gloster repeatedly claimed that he was coerced by police into implicating the accused men, most of whom he is related.

Gloster was deemed as a hostile witness and his sworn statements given to police were tendered into evidence and read to the jury.
Killers with low IQ should not be hanged

The fate of the two prisoners  Lester Pitman and Neil Hernandez  both condemned to death for murder, despite having extremely low IQs, will be decided by the British judges.

The two-day hearing may set an international precedent that could prevent the execution of people on death row who have been diagnosed as intellectually disabled.

In his submissions before Lady Hale, Lord Kerr, Lord Clarke, Lord Hughes, Lord Toulson, Edward Fitzgerald QC, yesterday argued that a prisoner suffering from an unsound mind should not suffer death by hanging.

According to Fitzgerald, a judge could grant judicial reprieve because of a convicts state of mind.

He also submitted there was nothing to invalidate the mercy clause in the TT Constitution, as he maintained the death penalty cannot be imposed on a person with diminished capacity as it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

Fitzgerald further argued that the prohibition on execution was capable of development to give effect to advances in psychiatric understanding.

Once it is recognised you are of an unsound mind, you cannot be executed.

That prohibition can be developed and considered at the time of the passing of sentence, he said.

He also noted that in some jurisdictions, including the Eastern Caribbean, the death penalty was discretionary but in TT and Barbados, there was no discretion as it is the mandatory sentence upon conviction for murder. Pitman was convicted of the Cascade murders in 2001, on a joint enterprise principle along with another man Daniel Agard.

In December 2001, the bodies of a former BBC newsreader Lynette Lithgow, 51, her mother Maggie Lee, 83, and brotherin- law John Cropper, 59, were found in a blood-splattered bathroom at a 12-room bungalow.

All three were found with their hands tied behind their backs and throats slit. Pitman, now 36, was convicted of the killings in 2004 and sentenced to hang. The sentence was commuted in 2013, to 40 years in jail as he spent more than five years on death row and could no longer be hanged in accordance with precedent set by the Pratt and Morgan ruling.

Pitmans case was reopened after it was argued his IQ was measured initially at 52 then at 67 both figures are below the World Health Organisation guideline that classifies anyone with an IQ of below 70, as being intellectually disabled. Hernandez was convicted of killing Christine Henry and her sixyear- old son Philip in Toco in May 2000.

He was found to have slashed them with the cutlass he used for harvesting coconuts. Hernandez claimed he had not intended to kill them and was tricked into signing a confession.

In 2004, he was sentenced to hang. At a hearing in 2014, the Local appeal court commuted his death sentence to 25 years on the same principle used to commit Pitman.

Pitmans appeal is against both conviction and sentence while Hernandezs is only against sentence. Pitmans conviction is also being contested on the grounds that it was on the basis of joint enterprise with others  a legal principle that the UKs supreme court recently ruled had been wrongly interpreted for more than 30 years.
KILLINGS MUST STOP

Newsday understands that at 3 pm yesterday, Ag Police Commissioner Stephen Williams, Chief of Defence Staff Rodney Smart, head of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) Colonel George Robinson and Commissioner of Prisons Sterling Stewart were called in to an emergency meeting with Minister Dillon. The Minister told Newsday that he asked the various heads to the meeting to come up with an immediate plan which was expected to be put into effect last evening.

The murder rate is intolerable especially what took place over this weekend and we will continue to strengthen the resources of the State to be very proactive in treating with those bent on criminal activities.

I will not sit idly by and allow criminal elements to continue their heinous activities without the full strength of law enforcement and the Defence Force taking the necessary action, Dillon vowed.

Newsday understands soldiers will play a greater role in the fight against crime, partnering with the police in hot spot crime areas where murders have been occurring almost daily.

Newsday further understands all police divisional commanders will increase patrols and have more officers out on the field not only doing surveillance work but also foot and mobile patrols.

The SSA will be working alongside the prisons authorities to conduct intelligence gathering and weed out criminal activities from within prison walls. The prison system has hundreds of gang members incarcerated as well as notorious gang leaders.

It is believed these gang leaders have been giving instructions behind prison walls to kill persons on the outside. It is understood that starting last evening, the public was expected to see increased road blocks, more patrols, a higher visibility and increase of manpower including soldiers in certain areas where the murders have been occurring.

Central Division which recorded nine murders between Friday night and yesterday was identified as the Division where police and soldiers will be needed to carry out additional patrols and for intelligence gathering to be carried out to rid those areas of illegal arms and ammunition.

According to Minister Dillon he understands how the public feels at this time with the increase in murders but added that every available resource will be deployed in a bid to deal with the problem. He urged members of the public to be the eyes and ears of law enforcement.

In the Northern Division five guns were seized between Friday and Saturday while in the Western Division two high powered rifles were seized between Sunday night and early yesterday.

Minister Dillon commended the police officers who have been working around the clock to seek out illegal weapons. He added that Coast Guard officers have also been mandated to do additional maritime patrols.

Dillon maintained that criminal elements will be found and brought to justice and the ultimate goal was to reclaim Trinidad and Tobago from the hands of criminals.
Man shot dead at home, body found in panel van

He promised to return last night and cook for the boys. That never happened. At one oclock yesterday afternoon, police discovered Ramkissoons bullet-riddled body, clad only in a short pants, slumped on a couch in his television room.

He was alone at home at the time and police believe he was killed during the morning period.

His death plunged the family into mourning once again as it was just eight months ago, Rudy  a father of three  lost his wife Anique in childbirth at hospital. Baby Raffael survived and Ramkissoons parents Ramrattan and Savita Ramkissoon and his (Ramkissoon) sister Sandy have been helping him take care of baby Raffael and his sisters Dionneze, 16, and Alyiah 11. Yesterday, the girls still dressed in their school uniform, wept uncontrollably when they arrived home to be met with police and weeping relatives. What they do you that for, screamed the victims mother Savita. Residents reported to police hearing gunshots at three oclock yesterday morning.

These three beautiful children are orphans now, cried a relative.

According to a police report, at about 1 pm, officers of the Central Patrol Unit responded to a report and went to a house at Oleander Circular where they found Ramkissoons body. Police said there were no signs of forced entry and the house was not ransacked. A door on the northern side of the house was however found open.

The victims father told Newsday his son who also bought and sold cars, was an easy going person and they never heard him complain of threats to his life. Yesterday, when he did not turn up at his parents Waterloo home to carry his daughters to school, they became concerned and kept calling his phone but got no answer. Other relatives were informed and the shocking discovery was made.

Speaking to Newsday, Basdeo Lalman said at his fathers wake on Sunday night Ramkissoon had consoled him telling him that he had to be strong for the rest of the family. I cant believe that happened to my friend. I am really surprised because he is a decent guy, said a weeping Lalman. Police are yet to establish a motive for the killing. The scene was visited by Sgt Narcis, Cpl Ramsubhag and several officers of the Couva CID and Central Crime Patrol Unit. Southern Homicide Bureau are continuing their investigations.

This was the second murder which police were called to investigate yesterday. An unidentified man was found slumped in the front passenger seat of a white Mitsubishi Panel Van near the Caroni South Bank Road shortly after 9 am yesterday.

His murder is the eighth to occur in Central Division between Friday night and yesterday. Within that period, 14 murders were recorded sending the rate for the year so far to 181. Police believe the body may have been in the panel van for at least three days before it was discovered. At about 9 am, PC Green was driving in company with WPC Diaz when they responded to a report of a body in a vehicle.

When the officers arrived on the scene they were alerted to a foul stench emanating from the panel van. The body of a man was found slumped in the passenger seat. It was clad in a 3/4 pants and blue jersey. DMO Dr Lester Tim visited the scene and ordered the body removed to the Forensic Science Centre. Visiting the scene were Ag Supt Paul, Inspectors Corbett, Villaruel, Douglas and Joseph and Sgt Jitindra Toolaram.
Duke on $250,000 bail

The alleged victim, according to the charges, is an employee of the union.

Duke who spent four days in police custody before being charged late Sunday night, was able to access bail late yesterday evening and walked out of the Portof- Spain Magistrates Court, with members of the PSA executive, his wife and three siblings.

He told reporters he was set-up and added he will not resign as PSA president.

Of his alleged victim, Duke said, I wish her all the best as she moves on to her next target. Several hours earlier, the union leader stood before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar where the five charges were read out to him.

The charges stated that on dates unknown, between January 31 and March 1; between February 29 and April 1; and on April 5 as well as April 13, Duke indecently assaulted a woman at the PSAs offices on Abercromby Street in Port-of-Spain. The fifth charge is that on May 10, he raped her at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain. All five charges were laid in- dictably and Duke, who wore a dark grey suit, white shirt and blue tie in court, was not called upon to plead. After some back and forth between court prosecutor Insp Winston Dillon and Dukes lead counsel attorney Gilbert Peterson SC, bail was granted to the accused who was also ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim, in any form including social media, and to stay 500 feet away from her as well as her place of employment.

Duke returns to court on June 9. Speaking to reporters at about midday yesterday, PSA first vice president Christopher Joefield said measures will be put in place to ensure bail conditions set by the Chief Magistrate are adhered to. Joefield said the PSA had five locations and the executive will ensure the employee in question is sent to another more comfortable location.

Sources said she could be transferred to the PSAs San Fernando offices.

Joefield also gave the assurance that the PSA, as an employer, will ensure the employees rights are in no way violated.

The PSA plans to ensure that her rights are not violated in any way. We are also an employer and will be treating with the issue with a degree of objectivity, Joefield said. He also maintained that for the present time, Duke remains president of the union. The PSAs general council however, is expected to meet next week to discuss Dukes future.

It will be up to the general council and possibly the management of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), where Duke was employed before becoming the unions leader, to determine what action, if necessary, will be taken against Duke now that he faces charges before the courts. Joefield said yesterday the union will continue to represent all of its members.

Ensuring our members interests are protected is our priority, he said, adding that the situation involving Duke required the PSAs executive to continue to manage the union and ensure the interests of its members are protected.

The general council is to meet next week. In the meantime, the direction of the executive remains the same; that of managing the affairs and general direction of the PSA, he said.

Duke was charged on Sunday by a team of officers led by ASP Ajith Persad, Inspector Wilson and WP Sgt Narine.

A 33-year-old Cunupia woman reported to police two Tuesdays ago, that following a meeting at a hotel, she was taken to a room and raped. He visited the police station at 2 pm last Thursday with another of his attorneys John Heath.

In a subsequent statement on a PSA letterhead, Duke said: The allegations are absolutely untrue and I intend to defend myself vigorously. Duke is expected to appear in the Port-of- Spain High Courts today where he is defending a defamation lawsuit against him by former ERHA chief executive officer Ame
Another spy law for debate

Secondary legislation designed to give CARICOMs security and intelligence fusion agency IMPACS, powers and immunities, is due to be debated in the House of Representatives.

The Privileges and Immunities (Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) Order, 2016, was tabled in the House of Representatives last Friday by Attorney General Faris Al Rawi. The Order, made by President Anthony Carmona under Section 9(2) of the Privileges and Immunities (Diplomatic, Consular and International Organisations) Act, requires affirmative resolution of Parliament, meaning MPs must approve it for it to become law. It qualifies for debate as early as this week, but it is for the Government Whip to say when the matter will be debated. Orders require a simple majority.

The Order deems officials of IMPACS as well as, experts performing missions for IMPACS, exempt from taxation; immune from legal process in respect of words spoken or written, as well as all acts done pursuant to official functions, just as diplomats are exempt. All papers, documents and materials are deemed inviolable and officials are to be treated not less favorably than diplomats.

The Order will deem IMPACS a body corporate and its headquarters, wherever located in Trinidad and Tobago, shall be inviolable. IMPACS and its property, funds and assets, wherever located in Trinidad and Tobago and by whomsoever held, shall enjoy immunity from every form of legal or administrative process, except in so far as IMPACS expressly waives this immunity in a particular case, the Order states.

IMPACS and its property and assets, wherever located in Trinidad and Tobago and by whomsoever held, shall be immune from search, confiscation, requisition, expropriation or any other form of constraint, whether executive, administrative, judicial or legislative. Further, The archives of IMPACS, wherever located in Trinidad and Tobago and by whomsoever held, shall be inviolable. Additionally, IMPACS will be able to, transfer funds in national or foreign currency to, from and within Trinidad and Tobago and to convert such assets freely into other currencies, without being restricted by financial controls, regulation or moratoria of any kind. However, due regard is to be paid to any representation made by the Government. All assets, property, operations and transactions shall be exempt from taxes and customs duties.

IMPACS shall have the right to use codes and ciphers and to send and receive correspondence and other documents by courier or sealed pouch which shall be accorded treatment no less favourable than that accorded to diplomatic couriers and pouches. IMPACS is Caricoms security agency.

One agency under IMPACS is the Regional Intelligence Fusion Centre (RIFC) which, according to IMPAC, provides intelligence support to key stakeholders in an effort to detect, deter and control crime within the region.

The Centre works closely with the JRCC in providing intelligence information to regional security agency personnel and other stakeholders, while providing strategic analysis of threat entities in the Caribbean region, according to IMPACS. IMPACS deals with several matters including: Caricom Crime and Security Strategy; the Arms Trade Treaty; Caribbean Counter Illicit Trafficking Strategy; major events security planning; and the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.

Activist, Phillip Alexander Edwards yesterday wrote Carmona in relation to the Strategic Services Agency (Amendment) Bill 2016 calling on him to not assent it. The President must act on the advice of Cabinet, except in cases where he is deemed to have a discretion. The assent of legislation is done routinely on the advice of Cabinet, but the exercise of this function has not been subject to transparent arrangements.

Some, including attorney Robin Montano, have questioned the silence of the Law Association on the issue of expanded SSA powersena Ali
Protestors call for Duke to go

Founding member of the PSA Protectors, Oral Saunders, said the group held an informal meeting to discuss the issue involving Duke and it was agreed that he should step down as president pending the determination of the cases in the court.

We were having informal discussions on the predicament the union had found itself in and weve decided to educate the current executive and general council on the way they ought to have responded in light of the circumstances, in light of the constitution of the PSA, Saunders said.

Saunders, a former PSA general secretary, started the group along with former chairperson Yvonne de Peiza, former trustee Demetrius Harrison and others.

The groups public call yesterday, coincided with Dukes appearance in the Portof- Spain Magistrates Court to answer five charges including one count of rape. He is out on $250,000 bail.
Over 100 charged after speed guns

According to coordinator of the Road Safety Project, PC Brent Batson, the latest exercise took place yesterday at an undisclosed location.

As of last Friday, $90,000 had already been made by the State through the issuance of speed tickets; another nine persons were charged then during an exercise that took place along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway.

When Newsday spoke with Constable Batson yesterday, the officer said that he was, on an exercise now, and could not disclose the location.

Any motorist found in excess of the posted highway speed of 80kmph will have to pay a fine of $1,000.

Calls have since been made to increase the speed limit to 100kmph and the government, in response to those calls, has started a review of the current limit of 80kmph.
Bodies pile-up at Forensic

Over ten bodies were at the Centre yesterday.

Its very hard on me, both emotionally and physically to perform so many autopsies, especially since I am the only pathologist. Alexandrov said yesterday.

The workload is simply too much for one pathologist and the murder rate in this country is absolutely abnormal, Dr Alexandrov said.

Scores of relatives were present at the Centre, awaiting the result of autopsies of their loved ones. Among those present were relatives of Ryan Daewoo Hercules, who was shot dead while returning home from work last Friday.

Hercules employer, Imam Mourland Lynch of Enterprise, Chaguanas, called on the authorities to increase the police presence in the embattled area.

Lynch expressed his concern while speaking to reporters at the Centre as he denounced the murder of Hercules, whom he said was his bodyguard.

Those guys who shot him are members of a gang. They knew he lived at my house and saw him as a threat.

They claim to be Muslims but here they are killing another Muslim, Lynch said. He called for peace in the community but said he knows he remains a target.

Numerous threats have been issued against both my family and myself and Ryan was shot because of that. Ryan was a good brother in our mosque. Reports indicate that Hercules was returning home from work on Friday night when he was shot and killed by two men at the corner of Crown Trace and Circular Drive in Enterprise.

Asked if Hercules death was connected to the reputation of his father, the late Mark Guerra who was alleged to have been a gang leader, Imam Lynch said that it was unlikely.

Those guys who killed him were just children when Mark Guerra was still around.

His (Hercules) death really has to do with his affiliation to me. Lynch who said he has been the target of criminals since last year, when his son Kamal was killed, said residents of Enterprise should take responsibility in ridding their communities of gangs.

As a leader I am trying my best, but I am only one man, I cant do it alone. I need help from people in the area, those people who want to see betterment not just for themselves and their families but for Enterprise. Also present at the Forensic Science Center were the relatives of 40-year-old Dirk Ramkissoon who said they remain baffled over the circumstances surrounding his death. His body was discovered along Chin Chin Road in Cunupia on Saturday night. Ramkissoon, who worked as a taxi driver in the area was described by relatives as a friendly, peaceful person, and unable to provide an explanation for his death.

I was at home when one of my neighbors sons called and told me that they had found his (Ramkissoon) body at the side of the road, said a relative who asked to remain anonymous. For the year, 181 persons have been murdered.

The last 14, were committed between last Friday and yesterday
Rat infestation at headquarters

Head of the Fire Service Association, Leo Ramkissoon, claimed rats were nesting in the male firefighters dormitory and the fire sub-officers quarters where uniforms and personal items are stored.

He said the officers took a decision to stay away from the area until it was sanitised and steps were taken to ensure the rats do not return.

They (officers) are sitting around the station in areas deemed a little more safe.

They still have to report for duty.

However, they are still in their civilian clothing because they are not able to access their fire uniforms and kits, he said.

He claimed that in one instance, the rats shredded one officers uniform to make their nest.

The decision by the firefighters has forced senior officers to utilise other personnel to man the fire trucks, according to Ramkissoon.

That move will have negative effects because the personnel they have taken serve in important sections including the fire prevention section, administrative, engineering and accounting, he said. Ramkissoon said they were hoping the issue is addressed as quickly as possible.

The association as well as the fire officers who we represent are ready and willing to assist in any way we can to assist the situation to bring it to full operation once again, he said.

When contacted, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Kenny Gopaul said a health inspector visited the area yesterday and saw no signs of a rat infestation.

There were no rats, they went on a vacation today (yesterday), he said.

Despite this, Gopaul said a company was brought in to clean the place and sanitise the area.

Asked about pictures showing a shredded uniform, he said, That is a uniform belonging to one officer who has not used it in a very long time. Commenting on the use of other staff he said, The public deserves a service and under the OSH Act the fire officers are not allowed to withhold the service. I told Mr Ramkissoon this and he did nothing about it and there are going to be ramifications.
RCs celebrate Corpus Christi at QPS

A release from the Northern Vicariate said the devotional celebration will begin with the Mass at 8.30 am at the Savannah after which there will be the procession that will end in downtown Port-of-Spain in front of the main entrance to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Independence Square.

There will be two benediction points along the procession route. The first will be outside of the Rosary RC Church, Henry Street, and the second outside of the main entrance of the cathedral.

This year the Catholic Church in TT will celebrate the 232nd anniversary since it began observing Corpus Christi.

The church celebrates Corpus Christ, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday. It commemorates the institution of the Eucharist  the consecration of bread and wine by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper.

Parishes in Port-of- Spain and its environs, students of Catholic primary and secondary schools, members of various religious and lay communities and other devotees will come together, the release said, to witness the Body of Christ, the great gift that Jesus left his followers.

Public Transportation Services Corporation buses will be available from 6 am to 10 am to shuttle devotees, free of charge, to the Savannah, the release said.
EU stands with local LGBTI community

On the occasion of International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia being observed today, the EU said in a release it will also support efforts to engage in dialogue to end violence and discrimination against people based on their gender identity and sexual orientation.

Today, as we observe, the EU declares its solidarity with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community of Trinidad and Tobago, the release said.

It quoted EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini reiterating the EUs strong commitment to the equality and dignity of all human beings irrespective of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Mogherini noted that despite recent progress made around the world on issues pertaining to LGBTI, almost 80 jurisdictions still criminalise same-sex relations.

In many places, she said, that discrimination and violence against LGBTI people was a daily occurrence.

She repeated the EUs call to all governments to abide by their international human rights commitments, to repudiate intolerance, and to promote equality as enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other instruments.

The EU, she said, was also paying homage to the courageous advocacy efforts carried out by human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and civil society organisations to address violations LGBTI people face.

Their work has been crucial every step of the way in putting these issues on the table, documenting abuses and advocating for the effective protection of fundamental human rights, she said.
Colm: Board concerns led to Demming dismissal

Imbert, in his role as Corporation Sole of the TDC, has taken note of several statements in the public domain on the recent termination of the appointment of Ms Dennise Demming as chairman of the TDC. According to the statement issued on his behalf by the Finance Ministry, Imbert noted that Demmings termination was made based on the concerns raised by the members of the board of directors.

These concerns were outlined in a letter dated April 17, 2016, addressed to the line minister (Tourism Minister) Shamfa Cudjoe. Imbert revealed that in this letter, the TDC board outlined their loss of confidence in (Demming) based on several actions/decisions taken, and that such actions expose the board, its directors, the employees of the TDC...

to an unacceptable level of risk... The April 17 letter, included in the media release, was signed by Frederica Brooks-Adams, Richard M Duncan, Tonya Laing, Eric Taylor, and Davlin Thomas.

The five informed Cudjoe that, after much deliberation, (we) must bring to your attention our loss of confidence in the Chairman Ms Dennise Demming. They said that on several occasions (Demming) acted without the advice and consent of the board and has done so notwithstanding the fact that the board has collectively, and individually, requested that she abstains from such behaviour.

The board has concluded that the actions of the chair exposes the board, its directors, the employees of the TDC and, ultimately, the Ministry of Tourism to an unacceptable level of risk and that such actions are not in accordance with good corporate governance.

We trust that you will address our concerns with dispatch; we are prepared to meet with you at your earliest convenience, the board members wrote. Demming was reportedly terminated on May 4, just over two weeks after this letter was written, but shes been quoted as saying she received her official termination letter on May 11. Speaking with Newsday yesterday afternoon, Demming said, I have not seen this letter (from the board). I have no comment to make on that. Regarding the boards allegations, the media was advised to ask Imbert, as Corporation Sole, for evidence that Demming had behaved as alleged in the April 17 letter.
Climate change propagandists: National Parks could displace forest dwellers because of global warming

The man-caused global warming/climate change hoaxers are really getting desperate in their bid to convince people that modern life is killing the planet. So desperate, in fact, as to be absurd.

As many know, the recent climate change summit in Paris, France  where participants from all over the world used modern [and ostensibly polluting and warming] aircraft to get there  addressed a great many modern planetary sins, such as the use of coal to power plants for electricity, and the driving of an automobile to ones place of work. Each of these habits is environmentally deadly and, if not stopped [cue the dramatic musical riff], the world as we know it will simply vanish into a sea of fire  one day. Nobody knows when, mind you, but they just know that it will.

Well, an analysis of those talks concluded that were all the provisions to be implemented, it would create hardship for millions of forest dwellers, leaving them without a home.

As the BBC noted:

Many developing countries will try to curb carbon emissions by setting aside forested areas as reserves.

But experts are worried that creating national parks often involves removing the people who live in these areas.

The study indicated designating forest reserves in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo could displace as many as 1.3 million people.

Gee whiz. An Earth-firster just cant win.

Funding from Norway would allow Liberia to set aside 30 percent of their forested regions by 2020. DR Congo, meanwhile, would accept funding from Germany and the Global Environmental Facility to set aside 1215 percent of its forested lands.

But, according to the analytical firm TMP Systems, if that were to happen, in Liberia as many as 335,000 people who live in forests could be displaced; in DR Congo, that number could be as high as 1 million.

Governments have targets to expand their protected areas, and now with new climate funding being available the risk is they will use this to expand in a way that doesnt respect local rights, said Andy White, from the Rights and Resources Initiative, the campaign group that sponsored the research. It could result in the displacement of millions of people.

The analysts added that this kind of displacement is already occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America; sometimes it has caused violence.

I dont think the international community wants to displace rural dwellers in Liberia  but I think if we go about it in the way we are talking about it right now, that is going to be the result, Constance Teague, of Liberias Sustainable Development Institute, told the BBC.

We need to recognise that indigenous communities respect the forest and they have worked on [it] for hundreds of years, she continued. It may not look like what the international community may expect, but this effort to conserve the land does exist.

She further noted that Liberia had the most forest space left in West Africa, mostly because of the indigenous communities.

In addition to assessing the impact of new environmental policies, the analysis also looked at costs of reimbursing people for the loss of their lands in both countries. Those costs would range from hundreds of millions of dollars to more than $1 billion.

We need to make evidence available that makes it clear that the woods are full of people, and it makes more sense to help them rather than kick them out, White said.

They are active protectors, you dont have to pay a park guard, because they protect their forests, and that is what the world needs.

Actually, what the world needs is a whole lot less meddling by global elitist nannies who operate under the assumption that they have inherited a right that most of us dont have  the right to socially, physically and financially alter the planet to their liking (and always to their advantage). Like always, the meddling nannies wont be affected one iota by the decisions, rules and solutions they seek to impose, by force of arms, on everyone else.

And the worst part is, the premise upon which these so-called solutions rest  that mankinds modern life is causing the planets weather to change and its surface temperature to warm  is phony.

Countries dont have to face a decision between displacing their own citizens and complying with rules even climate change believers say wont accomplish anything; they can simply say no to them.

Sources:

BBC.com

ClimateDepot.com

NaturalNews.com

NYPost.com

Submit a correction >>
President urges ICCR to continue to support Tagore scholars across the world

New Delhi, Tue, 17 May 2016 NI Wire

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received the first copies of books "Tagores Vision of the Contemporary World" and 'Tagore and Russia' (May 16, 2016) at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President received the two books from Prof. Lokesh Chandra, President, ICCR who formally released them.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that he was happy to receive the first copies of these two books containing proceedings of seminars organized in 2011 by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). He complimented the ICCR on the initiative and for its support for Tagore Studies over the years. He urged ICCR to continue these exercises and to support Tagore scholars across the world in the coming days.

The President said Tagore travelled widely within India and abroad. Russia had a special place in Tagores heart. Tagore was attracted to the Soviet Union having heard of the success of its programmes of rural education. Tagore wrote They are busy with three things. Education, agriculture and machinery. Along these three roads, the whole nation pursues the task of giving fullness of the mind, body and creative energy.

The President said that the question of mass education was closely allied with the issue of co-operatives, a key ingredient of Rabindranaths Sriniketan experiment at that point of time. Recollecting his efforts at Patisar and Bolpur, Rabindranath wrote My object was to strengthen the peasant in self-reliance  agriculture will never improve unless land can be collectively cultivated by co-operative methods  when we had our cooperative organization at Bolpur under the management of the Visva-Bharati, I thought the opportunity had at last come.

The President said that Tagore admitted that differences in cultures and customs need to be respected. Tagore said Differences can never be wiped away, and life would be so much the poorer without them. Let all human races keep their own personalities, and yet come together, not in a uniformity that is dead, but in a unity that is living.

The President said that Tagores idea of global order of harmony, co-existence and cooperation of individuals and civilizations is best expressed in his own words in the Gitanjali

Thou hast made me known to friends whom I knew not.

Thou hast given me seats in homes not my own.

Thou hast brought the distant near and made a brother of the stranger.

I am uneasy at heart when I have to leave my accustomed shelter;

I forgot that there abides the old in the new,

and that there also thou abidest.

The books Tagores Vision of the Contemporary World and Tagore and Russia have been edited by Prof. Indra Nath Choudhuri and Dr. Reba Som respectively.

Source: PIB
Launch of 3 Years BSc. (Culinary Arts) Programme at Indian Culinary Institute, Tirupati

New Delhi, Tue, 17 May 2016 NI Wire

The first academic session of the Indian Culinary Institute (ICI), Tirupati will commence with a 3 year B.Sc. programme in Culinary Arts from August, 2016.

Indian Cuisine is immensely popular all over the world. The market for culinary tourism to India is growing as our culinary traditions continue to draw increasing international attention. To tap this potential, there is need for an institutional mechanism to promote culinary tourism and to preserve and document thousands of recipes which have evolved over the ages, mostly by tradition and vary greatly from region to region.

Though the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has a wide network of Institutes of Hotel Management (IHMs) and Food Craft Institutes (FCIs) under its aegis, these institutions are essentially mandated to meet the trained manpower requirement of the Sector at skill and entry-point supervisory / managerial levels. There was no regular credible institutional mechanism at apex level which could provide cuisine specialists to the Sector or groom chefs of international standards. ICI, Tirupati is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism to fill this void. It has been established with a view to explore and propagate the Indian cuisine in its varied hue and to promote it across international borders.

The ICIs will offer structured regular programmes of study specific to culinary arts leading to graduate and post graduate level degrees, promote research and innovation, organize demand driven certificate and diploma courses, document and create data base specific to Indian cuisine and commission studies and survey on cuisine. It would provide the appropriate training ground at par with the culinary schools functioning in different parts of the developed world. The edifice to be created would be exclusive and one-of-its-kind at selecting and training the best talent in the country. The Institute is aimed to facilitate building of a specialized food production work-force of international standard. The course curriculum has been designed and engineered by eminent academicians and doyens of the industry. The ICI will endeavour to provide the students exposure to the latest concepts and technologies and access to state of the art facilities available in the field. Research and development as a part of the course curriculum will be paramount and the students will have ample opportunities to explore the finer nuances of the culinary universe.

Extra-curricular activities are an integral component of any meaningful programme of study and lead to holistic development of an individual. The ICI will provide a conducive environment for overall growth and development of the students.

To sum up, the ICI is a one-of-its-kind institute, unique in character and poised to give culinary education in India a quantum leap into the future while at the same time providing bedrock for preservation and propagation of the ancient culinary traditions of India.

Source: PIB
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An aerial photo taken on Sept. 25, 2015 from a seaplane of Hainan Maritime Safety Administration shows cruise vessel Haixun 1103 heading to the Yacheng 13-1 drilling rig during a patrol in south China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

The United States claims that it does not take a position on the sovereignty disputes regarding islands in the South China Sea. Its military actions, however, prove otherwise.

In the past several months, the US military has visibly ratcheted up its posture in the South China Sea. By using "freedom of navigation" as a pretext, the US has been directly challenging China's sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea and siding with the Philippines against China. It has moved from behind the scenes to center stage and become deeply involved in the disputes.

The US knows full well that it is impossible to deter China from defending its rights in the South China Sea. By deploying military assets on top of a series of diplomatic and public opinion campaigns, Washington hopes to pressure China into accepting a settlement of the disputes that suits the US. But that is a miscalculated move.

Naturally, the US' actions have been vehemently criticized by the Chinese government. They not only go against the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, an agreement signed by China and all the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but also the dual-track approach advocated by China. (Namely, the handling of disputes through direct negotiations by the countries concerned and the joint efforts of China and ASEAN to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.)

Despite all the media hype about potential military confrontation and armed conflicts in the region, it is unlikely that they are the intended result of the US' actions. For China and the US, the importance of cooperation outweighs competition. While the US would like to hold back China's development by singling out the maritime disputes in the South China Sea and making the South China Sea issue a regional flashpoint, the global dimension and comprehensive nature of China-US relations suggest there is little possibility that the South China Sea issue could dominate the course of the relations.

However, the US is playing a dangerous game. Although its aim is to counter China's growing strength, the US can't afford to see the hawks take over at home and risk losing control over tensions in the South China Sea. China is an indispensable partner for the US in solving key global and regional issues, and cooperation between China and the US serves the fundamental interests of both countries and the need for peace and development in the wider world.

In addition, despite their serious divide on the South China Sea issue, China and the US do share one thing in common. Both advocate a negotiated settlement of the disputes. Moreover, even though frictions do occur from time to time between China and the US, there are bilateral mechanisms to prevent those frictions from spinning out of control. For instance, the Memorandum of Understanding on Rules of Behavior for the Safety of Air and Maritime Encounters, which the two sides announced in 2014, provides a code of conduct for effective and normal communication between the two navies. Up till now, Chinese and US naval vessels have been able to act in a professional and rules-based manner, which is also critical for avoiding miscalculation and accidents as well as keeping the South China Sea stable.

Based on the above analysis, to advance its rebalancing strategy, the US will continue to meddle in the South China Sea issue, using political, diplomatic, military tools and public opinion to challenge China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests so as to build obstacles to China's development. But it will limit the scale and intensity of such actions so as not to upset the cooperation between the two sides on critical issues. It is also hard to imagine that the US would ever take a high risk and pay a heavy price in the interests of another country.

The author is a senior research fellow at the China Foundation for International Studies.

Courtesy: chinausfocus.com
Nebraska has recently been hit by a statewide drought. Most of the state, but especially Northeast Nebraska, has experienced little to no precipitation within the past couple of months. Records are being broken as the days without rainfall continue. This drought, however, should not come as 
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The United States and other major powers Monday in Vienna agreed to train and supply weapons to the UN-backed Libyan unity government to help it overcome the Islamic State (IS.)

Libyan nominal Prime Minister has been calling for lifting the arms embargo imposed on the country five years ago. Faiez Serraj on Sunday in a column published in British Telegraph reiterated the call by putting the west before the fait accompli.

US Secretary of State John Kerry co-host of the Vienna conference said the international community is willing to support the Serraj-led Government of National Accord to overcome IS. However, he insisted, they must ensure that the weapons dont fall in wrong hands.

The 25 signatories of the statement issued by the conference, including the permanent members of the Security Council, expect the GNA to make a concrete list of weapons it needs to defeat IS, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The final move rests with the UN Security Council to green-light the request.

Already last week, Washington indicated that it was open to ease the embargo to help the unity government to neutralize militants whose progress is ever becoming alarming despite recent relative defeats.

Prime Minister-designate Serraj warned of the urgency of the situation saying that failure to successfully tackle IS in Libya will be detrimental to the international community.

Even though the GNA has been able for form its own military operations room, the US and other countries suggested that Gen. Khalifa Haftar who has been opposed to the UN-sponsored unity government be integrated in the government structures to avoid a further fragmentation of the country.

Gen. Haftar and the Libyan National Army answering to Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) have recorded significant achievements against the terrorist group in Benghazi and Derna, near Sirte.

The Vienna gathering stressed the need to collaborate with GNA to put a stop to migrant trafficking taking place on the coasts of Libya. Thousands of illegal migrants have been embarking on perilous trips across the Mediterranean to join European coasts. Thousands have died but western powers believe the number may grow dramatically in the near future.

The 25 nations also threw their full support behind the GNA as they announced cutting ties with any other administration. The GNA has been struggling to assert its powers in Tripoli and across the country as the former internationally recognized government in Tobruk has refused to submit to UN-backed officials appointed three months ago.

In related report, Serraj ordered his ministers to take office and exercise power despite lack of formal recognition from the HoR. Since arriving in Tripoli and establishing in Tripolis naval base, the GNA gradually took control of several ministries including the Foreign Affairs.
Head of the Roman Catholic Church in an interview published Monday rebuked the West for trying to impose its own style of democracy in countries such as Libya, Iraq while ignoring long-established political and cultural structures.

Pope Francis speaking to France-based Roman Catholic paper La Croix indicated that Western powers in their drive to export their own brand of democracy in countries like Libya and Iraq overlooked political and cultural organizations that have held together the social fabric of those countries.

Faced with current Islamist terrorism, we should question the way a model of democracy that was too Western was exported to countries where there was a strong power, as in Iraq, or Libya, where there was a tribal structure, the Pope said.

We cannot advance without taking these cultures into account, he added.

In the Libyan case, he said, the forced removal of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi has opened a Pandoras Box.

As a Libyan said recently, We used to have one Gaddafi, now we have fifty, the Pope said.

The head of Vatican also criticized Europe for its handling of refugee crisis, which, he said, was wrong and backfires on the fight against terrorism. For Pope Francis ghettoizing migrants is a monumental mistake, as these ghettos become fertile ground for terrorist organizations.

He urged Europeans to emulate the UK, which has been able to help migrants integrate, allowing a son of a migrant to become mayor of London, in reference to this months election of Sadiq Khan as the first Muslim mayor of London.

In London, the new mayor was sworn-in in a cathedral and will probably be received by the queen. This shows the importance for Europe to regain its ability to integrate, Francis said.
President Macky Sall of Senegal has renewed his countrys full backing to Moroccos territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara.

In an interview broadcast by Moroccan Medi1 TV channel, the Senegalese Head of state said :We assume our position on the Sahara issue. He said his countrys position on this issue is a historical one.

He also deemed latest UN Security Council Resolution on Sahara a diplomatic victory for Morocco, underlining the convergence of views and stands between Rabat and Dakar on this issue.

Regarding bilateral relations, Macky Sall said the two countries share common values, strong and longstanding ties of brotherhood and friendship.

Morocco and Senegal are endeavoring to boost their economic cooperation, added the Senegalese President, recalling the visit paid by King Mohammed VI to Senegal in 2015.

During this historic visit, several cooperation projects were launched and an ad-hoc group was set up to follow up the evolution of cooperation and partnership between the two countries.

The Senegalese President also hailed the setting up of Mohammed VI Foundation for African Ulema, stressing the importance of such initiatives in the fight against religious extremism.

We need a religious discourse to fight jihadist propaganda, he said. This is an extremely important battle and Morocco, in this regard, has already made much progress in the training of imams and teaching of Islam, added Macky Sall, referring to the Moroccan center that provides training to hundreds of imams from Africa and Europe.

This center was set up by King Mohammed VI last year. It seeks to inculcate in Imams the precepts of a tolerant and non-violent form of Islam based on Maliki rite and teach them how to fight extremism and religious radicalization through sound argumentation and dialog.

This will certainly help thwart the perversion of Islam and prevent the use of religion as an excuse for barbarism, regression and terrorism. Morocco has been providing, for many years, if not for centuries, training to foreign Islamic scholars and imams, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, in order to disseminate an Islam of the middle path doctrine, a vision of religion based on tolerance, intercultural dialogue and respect of other faiths.
Tom Steyer. Photo: David McNew/AFP/Getty Images

The AFL-CIO wants to elect a bunch of Democrats this fall. So does billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer. The tree-hugging hedge-fund manager has pledged $5 million to a labor-helmed super-pac, aimed at juicing turnout for Team Blue in key Senate races and swing states.

But now a coalition of building trade unions says it doesnt want to take Steyers filthy, clean-energy-loving money. The problem? Steyer bankrolled the opposition to the Keystone Pipeline, a project that would have created roughly 4,000 temporary construction jobs (while hastening the onset of ecological apocalypse).

On Monday, the presidents of eight building trade organizations presented AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka with letters outlining their concerns  and threatening to boycott the fall turnout effort if Steyer isnt ousted from the coalition.

The AFL-CIO has now officially become infiltrated by financial and political interests that work in direct conflict to many of our membersand yes, AFL-CIO dues paying members lives, the presidents write, in a letter obtained by the Washington Post. This is a disturbing development and one that requires a further explanation.

The disaffection of these unions is particularly concerning for Democrats, in light of Donald Trumps populist appeal to white workers. While most of the building unions have endorsed Hillary Clinton, some remain on the sidelines.

For the builders unions, the veto of Keystone by a Democratic president was a rude reminder of their diminishing power within the partys big tent. As private-sector union membership has declined, construction and manufacturing workers have become increasingly reliant on partnerships with public-sector unions and big-money class traitors. But public-school teachers and progressive billionaires have little interest in supporting the construction of new gas pipelines or protecting union jobs at coal-fired power plants.

In a separate, more vitriolic letter, the president of the 500,000-member laborers union, Terry OSullivan, lamented this sorry state of affairs.

Years of financial distress have left the A.F.L.-C.I.O. desperate for cash, and it appears that the answer is to sell out to a billionaire who not only has little or no stake in our movement, our members or their work but who has actively fought against our members interest, OSullivan wrote.

The complaint is understandable, but it also seems shortsighted. Tom Steyer isnt the reason that the Democratic Party cares more about climate change than maximizing employment opportunities for coal workers and pipeline builders  the former concerns literally all humans who accept its reality, while the latter concerns only a few thousand. And even if the IPCC admits that climate change is a hoax tomorrow, the Keystone Pipeline still wouldnt make economic sense: Its only profitable to extract Canadian tar sands when oil is selling above $60 a barrel. On Monday, crude hit a six-month high  of $47.85.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta lays down the law. Photo: Angelo Merendino/2014 Getty Images

Six decades after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that separate but equal has no place in public schools, the Cleveland School District in Cleveland, Mississippi, will finally desegregate its public schools. According to Reuters, black and white students have been separated into two different high schools  one mostly white and the other mostly black  for the entirety of the districts 100-year history. But on Monday, a federal court ordered that the schools be consolidated, ending its dual system.

The delay in desegregation has deprived generations of students of the constitutionally-guaranteed right of an integrated education, read the courts opinion. Although no court order can right these wrongs, it is the duty of the district to ensure that not one more student suffers under this burden. The decision is based on testimony from both black and white residents, who agreed that for the most part, white students went to better schools.

Vanita Gupta, who heads the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, told Reuters that the decision, Serves as a reminder to districts that delaying desegregation obligations is both unacceptable and unconstitutional.
People cheer as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event in Pittsburgh. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

When Democrats hear that Pennsylvania may be in play this November, their natural tendency will be to say yikes, or wonder if its true that Donald Trump really is magic among white-working-class voters. After all, isnt the Keystone State supposed to be reliably blue?

But as David Wasserman reminds us today at FiveThirtyEight, the map of battleground states and their ranking in the hierarchy of competitiveness can and does change all the time.

When most people think of battleground America, they think of Florida and Ohio, two of only three states (along with Nevada) that have voted for the winner of every presidential election since 1996. They tend not to think of Pennsylvania as a classic swing state  it has voted for the Democrat in every election since 1992, and it didnt even crack the top 10 in 2012 campaign ad spending. But in 2016, Pennsylvania could be the keystone of the Electoral College and the ultimate arbiter of whether Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The reason has little or nothing to do with Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. As Wasserman shows, Pennsylvania has been slowly but surely trending red in presidential elections for a long time, mainly because the western part of the state  sometimes called Pennsyltucky for its Appalachian characteristics  has been trending red a bit more decisively. Some of this trend reflects a fracking boom that has intensified the regions attachment to fossil fuels, and some of it involves the conservative cultural tendencies of former Democrats.

Now, this is not to say that the states most recently thought of as critical battlegrounds have lost their importance. Wasserman thinks Trump will almost certainly have to carry Ohio and  this is the really tough one for him  Florida before Pennsylvania even becomes relevant. But Colorado and Virginia  big 2012 battlegrounds  are now trending blue so quickly that if Trumps winning in those states hes probably already won. Nor is Pennsylvania the only state thought of as blue that is trending red: So, too, are Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, though maybe not fast enough to be realistic short-term possibilities for ultimate-battleground status.

The old folks among us will recall that this shift in battlegrounds is hardly anything new. Not so very long ago California and Illinois  both staunchly blue in presidential elections today  were tossup states. So, too, was New York for many decades prior to the mid-1960s. Rapid demographic and/or ideological change can very decisively alter voting behavior. Virginia, for example, was the most regularly Republican state of the Old Confederacy until it suddenly became the most Democratic, and, to go back a ways, Bernie Sanderss Vermont did not support a single Democratic nominee before 1964.

So, before long we may think of Pennsylvania as red like West Virginia, or of Georgia as blue like Virginia. I dont know; both of these states have demographic and ideological features tugging against the larger statewide trend. But if Wassermans numbers are right, Pennsylvania television viewers are in for a nasty surprise this fall when the attack ads reach saturation level.
What if Hillary governs like Harry? Photo-Illustration: Courtesy of the United States Department of State/Stock Montage/Getty Images/Murphy Lippincott

Hillary Clintons campaign has been attached by an invisible cord to Bill Clintons presidency. At times, the connection has weighed her down; at other times, it has propelled her forward. The parallel makes sense for all the obvious reasons (marriage, shared ideology, Hillarys active participation in Bills political life, etc.). But Bill governed at a different historical moment than the one in which Hillary hopes to, and the circumstances she faces may instead call to mind a different parallel: Harry Truman.

Few presidents ever ascended to their positions in circumstances as deflating as those Truman faced. In 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt, fearing he would not survive his term, agreed to replace his left-wing vice-president, Henry Wallace. He settled haphazardly on Truman, a little-known senator from Missouri, mainly because Truman offended none of the partys factions strongly. (The Second Missouri Compromise, they called him.) As with Clinton, Trumans voice became a target of mockery. It was shrill and reedy, a jarring and unpleasant contrast with the patrician baritone with which Roosevelt had reassured Americans in his radio addresses. Truman even hired a specialist to help improve his voice, to little effect.

Truman emerged from a notoriously corrupt political organization, built around Missouri boss Tom Pendergast. The association defined his image, and that initial impression clung to Truman during his three months as VP and beyond, during the term he assumed after Roosevelts death. Scandals and charges of corruption haunted Truman, and Clinton would relate to the complex, irritating pattern they took. Truman was cleaner than his enemies believed, but he was not pure as the driven snow. He sometimes surrounded himself with men he chose on the basis of loyalty rather than merit, and they did not live up to his trust. Trumans proposal in 1947 to add a balcony to shade the south side of the White House drew wide scorn as a boondoggle. The Truman Balcony, as his critics mockingly called it, symbolized the misplaced grandiosity of an unelected president whose critics never accepted his legitimacy. His fierce partisanship drove him to lash out at all criticism, even when it had some merit, and to fall back on the self-pitying assumption that, since his enemies would hound him no matter what he did, he could dismiss all their complaints equally.

Truman succeeded a historically activist presidency that had run into a brick wall in Congress. The war, plus a combination of conservative Republicans and southern Democrats, had halted the advance of the New Deal by the end of Roosevelts presidency. Republicans swept the 1946 midterms, leaving domestic liberals deeply depressed. Characteristically, many of them laid the blame not on the members of Congress blocking new liberal reforms (and who hoped, with the election of a Republican president, to roll FDRs back) but on the presidents lack of conviction.

Harry Truman has none of the qualities demanded by the presidency, concluded The New Republic. The old Roosevelt official Harold Ickes, urging him not to run for reelection in 1948, counseled, You have the choice of retiring voluntarily and with dignity or being driven out of office by a disillusioned and indignant citizenry.

Left-wing disaffection with Truman coalesced around the splinter candidacy of Wallace, who assailed Truman for allegedly turning his back on the legacy of the New Deal and cast himself as its true heir. Bernie Sanders has, this year, borrowed this theme almost literally  before the New York primary, he ran television ads juxtaposing himself with Franklin Roosevelt. Deciding to run as the candidate of the Progressive Party, Wallace made the familiar charges against Truman as a corrupt shill for big business. His administration was fronting for a Wall Street war group, he charged, and his White House had opened the back door (soon to be enlarged by a whole back porch to accommodate the crowd) to no less than 50 bankers, financiers, and industrialists who now staff our top-level government. Wallace drew delirious crowds of idealists convinced an alternative to the corrupt two-party duopoly would awaken the people.

Wallace lost the election. So did the Republican candidate Thomas Dewey, much to everyones (now famous) surprise. And Trumans second term did indeed lack in inspiring accomplishments. He did not pass much important domestic legislation, thanks to the rights hammerlock on Congress. The pathos, disappointment, and moral disgust surrounding Truman; his own sense of constricted limits and contempt for the right and left alike  these were the defining experiences of Trumans time on the national stage. But Trumans career, and the esteem in which he eventually came to be held, suggests something about the presidency that may lie before Clinton. The possibilities of a Clinton presidency might be broader than they currently seem.

In important ways, Truman clarified the center of American politics. Roosevelts Democratic Party had amassed an enormous but impossibly quarrelsome coalition, stretching from rabid-segregationist white southern reactionaries to peace activists who sympathized with the Soviet Union. Truman had to choose whether Democrats would retain the full loyalty of southern whites or attract the burgeoning support of African-Americans in northern cities. By endorsing a landmark report, To Secure These Rights, that called for equal treatment of African-Americans and by desegregating the military, he infuriated the partys southern-segregationist wing, which bolted to support Senator Strom Thurmonds States Rights Democratic Party presidential candidacy. Truman also chose to prosecute the Cold War, at the cost of alienating peace activists. His support for the Marshall Plan, which helped rebuild Western Europe, and his commitment to sending supplies to West Berlin, whom the Soviets hoped to starve into submission, enraged Wallace, who ran a left-wing campaign against him. And so by the time Truman ran in 1948, he was an unpopular incumbent facing a Republican opponent as well as splinter candidacies on both his left and his right. In retrospect, however, Truman created the model for a liberal, anti-communist party that had both coherence and endurance.

There is a model here for Clinton, and not just that a presidency lacking in ecstasy can still deliver the longer-term satisfaction of effective governance. Though the country is not in a 1940s-style crisis, its politics is strained. A passion for conflict and ideological purity defines the Sanders movement on the left; the right is enveloped in reactionary madness. (During Trumans presidency, that madness took the form of the surreal ascent of pathological liar and demagogue Joseph McCarthy.) Clinton, by rejecting both impulses, has reminded us that she has always been a creature of the middle. An Uber-Establishment president leading in anti-Establishment times may, over the long run, come to be seen as commanding the American center  even, perhaps, something like an American consensus.

Truman was a figure of crushing ordinariness, a quality that, over time, came to assume something close to greatness. Clinton gives off a similar sensibility (despite her extraordinary life experience). If you withdraw the presumption of calculation that is attached to her every action, one can see her character aging well through history: a woman who broke into male-dominated fields; a policymaker who is one of the few nerds who are still not cool. It is impossible to predict how Clinton will handle foreign policy, but it is not fanciful to hope that her experience (unusually deep for a president) will enable her to imaginatively face the confounding challenge of radical Islam.

And even if Republicans stymie her domestic initiatives, she might put her imprint on new policies that inspire successors. Clinton has proposed a modernization of the welfare state to include early education and child care. Though Trumans proposal for universal health insurance failed, the power of his vision remained, and over time its association with Truman added to its grandiosity. And when Obama signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, that evening, he and his aides celebrated its passage on the Truman Balcony.

*This article appears in the May 16, 2016 issue of New York Magazine.
Polls aside, dont be surprised if Bernie Sanders wins in Oregon and Kentucky and keeps his winning streak alive. Photo: Rob Kerry/AFP/Getty Images, John Sommers II/Getty Images

Tomorrow, the last Democratic presidential primaries before the June finale will be held in Kentucky and Oregon. Theres very limited polling in either state (which is why FiveThirtyEight is refusing to set odds), but the one available poll in each has Hillary Clinton in the lead. Everything else about the two states tells you shes not.

Outside of Vermont, the Pacific Northwest has been the area where the Bern has probably reached its most intense levels. Sanders won over 70 percent of the vote in the caucuses in next-door Washington. Oregons primary electorate was 85 percent white in 2008. It also has a good government and reform tradition thats friendly to Sanderss political revolution; it is, after all, the place where Gene McCarthy beat Bobby Kennedy (who referred to Oregon as being like one big suburb) in 1968. The Sanders campaign has been talking about running up the score there, and path-to-nomination scenarios for Bernie have him winning big in Oregon. As far as Im concerned, it would be a big upset if Clinton won.

And yet: The one recent poll  and its a very recent one (May 6-9)  from a reputable Northwestern pollster (DHM), has Clinton up 48-33. It is a closed primary state, which isnt good for Bernie. Its most distinctive characteristic is its 100 percent mail-ballot process, which tends to produce high turnout and probably helps campaigns with highly sophisticated field efforts. It also makes polling tricky. DHM shows Clinton running even with Sanders among voters who had not mailed their ballots in as of the polling date, but Clinton holding a comfortable lead among those whose votes are already banked. If thats accurate, her organization may have beaten Bernies to the punch. But if Sanders wins, the poll makes it arguably an upset.

The only public poll taken in Kentucky this year was in March, when PPP found a small Clinton lead of 43-38. But this primary is being held in the long shadow of Bernie Sanderss big win in West Virginia last Tuesday. The two states are by no means identical, but they do share a tradition of dependence on the coal industry  which Hillary Clinton is thought to have disrespected crucially in a recent quote on the impact of green energy technologies  and an unusually large number of relatively conservative Democrats (its another closed-primary state where conservadems cannot stray into Republican primaries and caucuses). In the PPP survey, Sanders was beating Clinton badly among self-identified conservative Democrats. If it gets even worse, she probably cannot win.

Why am I dwelling on expectations for these two primaries? Because thats mostly what is at stake. Neither state is going to do much to Clintons pledged delegate margin over Sanders. But if Sanders can pull off two more upsets in Oregon and Kentucky, it will continue his primary-caucus winning streak and reinforce his argument that his late momentum and general-election poll strength should enable superdelegates to take their thumb off the scales for HRC and instead give Sanders a boost that pledged delegates alone might not give him. If Sanders loses either state, however, this argument could be history, though Team Bernie will in that event complain a lot about closed primaries as though they are inherently illegitimate.
Donald Trump realizes he has a bad image, and his solution  other than trying to bully the news media  is to solve it with lies. Robert Costa and Philip Rucker report that the presumptive Republican nominee plans to rehabilitate his battered image in the coming weeks by publicly addressing head-on some of the most controversial episodes of his campaign. Specifically, theres the time Trump mocked the physical disability of Serge Kovaleski. The story here is that Trump lied last year about thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating the 9/11 attacks, then claimed this had been reported by Kovaleski. When Kovaleski refuted him, Trump responded with what was without a doubt an imitation of Kovaleski, a reporter he knows well:

Trump then covered this up with more lies, insisting he did not know Kovaleski, who in fact is on a first-name basis with Trump.

Trump has unveiled a new rebuttal:

I would never say anything bad about a person that has a disability, Trump said, leaning forward at his office desk. I swear to you its true, 100 percent true  Who would do that to [the] handicapped? Ive spent a lot of money making buildings accessible. Trump then satirically reenacted the scene, his arms jerking all around, and said he was trying to show a guy who grovels  Oh, oh, I didnt say that. I didnt say that. That was the imitation I was doing. Now, he concluded, is that a believable story?

So the new Trump denial has two points. First, he loves people with disabilities, as evidenced by the fact that he has spent money to make buildings handicapped-accessible. (Since handicapped accessibility is required nationally by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and New York requirements date back even earlier, this is like saying you would never mock a person with a disability because you dont park your car in handicapped spots.)

Point No. 2 of the Trump defense is that he was merely attempting to depict a reporter grovelling, which is absurd on its face  the facial expression, arm gestures, and tone of voice Trump uses in his impression of Kovaleski look and sound nothing like grovelling, or of Trumps mockery of other reporters.

But if Trumps plan is to come up with some kind of line that Fox News can repeat, so that Republicans who opposed him before but now support him have a pretext to do so, his plan probably stands a reasonable chance of success.
I think I fancy Donald. Photo: Drew Angerer-Pool/Getty Images

Call it the media equivalent of Bobby Riggs vs. Billie Jean King: Tonight, Donald Trump finally sits down with his Fox News nemesis Megyn Kelly. The battle between Trump and Foxs biggest star has been one of the most compelling story lines of the 2016 election, and the subject of much discussion in the run-up to Kellys prime-time broadcast special with the GOP frontrunner. But in all the coverage of the Trump-Kelly detente, a more important development has been overlooked: Trump has made peace with Kellys bosss boss, Rupert Murdoch.

According to a half dozen sources familiar with Murdochs thinking, the media mogul has signaled he plans to fully back Trump in the general election against Hillary Clinton. Murdochs embrace of Trump is a sharp reversal from the hostile view he held over much of the past year. In fact, according to one high-level Fox source, it was Murdoch himself who directed Kelly to hammer Trump during the debut GOP debate, in Cleveland, that sparked the feud in the first place. Rupert told her to do that, the source said.

The Murdoch-Trump alliance is the result of at least two private meetings between the billionaires this spring as well as phone calls from Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Murdochs view, according to those whove spoken with him, is that Trump is a winner whom the elites failed to take seriously. He doesnt like people to be snobs and treat Trump like a clown, one person explained. Murdochs outlook is also informed by his take on the winnowed GOP field. When it came down to the final three candidates, Murdoch simply saw Trump as the best option. He never liked Cruz, the source explained. Kasich made a personal pitch to Murdoch that he could win on a second ballot at the convention, but failed to persuade. In March, Murdoch tweeted that the GOP would be mad not to unify behind Trump.

Spokespersons for Murdoch and Trump did not respond to requests for comment.

That Murdoch flip-flopped on Trump shouldnt be all that surprising. Yes, Trumps stances on immigration and trade clash with Murdochs more moderate views (hes for comprehensive reform and trade deals). But throughout Murdochs career, hes sacrificed core principles to forge political alliances that advance his media empires interests (after all, he backed both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair in the U.K.).

And its clear Trump is good for business. According to one Fox News producer, the channels ratings dip whenever an anti-Trump segment airs. A Fox anchor told me that the message from Roger Ailess executives is they need to go easy on Trump. Its, Make sure we dont go after Trump, the anchor said. Weve thrown in the towel. Similarly, the New York Post has staked out a pro-Trump position in the marketplace while its rival the Daily News remains one of Trumps loudest critics. The Post endorsed Trump last month and dubbed him King Don! after he won the New York primary. (The outlier among Murdochs properties is The Wall Street Journal. Theyre stupid people, Trump told me back in March).

Murdochs strategy seems to be a win-win. If Trump gets into the White House, Murdoch will likely have an open line to the new administration (at least as open as anyone can have with Trump). And, if Trump loses to Hillary Clinton, then Murdochs right-wing outlets have a ready-made enemy to beat up on for the next four years. Thats a deal Trump can surely respect.
IMF managing director Christine Lagarde and 16 others signed the Journal de Dimanche column. Photo: John Lamparski/Getty Images

In a new column published on Sunday in the newspaper Journal de Dimanche, 17 female French politicians condemn sexual harassment in the workplace, offering solutions for an issue that has plagued the countrys political sphere for years.

We are writing to say that, this time, its gone too far, the women, including IMF managing director Christine Lagarde, wrote. The code of silence is no longer possible  In the majority of cases, women who denounce acts of sexual harassment lose their jobs. They are thus doubly victims.

The article comes after a storm of sexual-assault allegations against various male French politicians, who have faced recent claims of grabbing breasts, tweaking thong underwear and hitting a female aide in the face, according to the Associated Press. Last week, deputy parliament speaker Denis Baupin resigned from office after various women said he had assaulted them at work over the past 15 years; Baupin denied the claims, and an investigation is now under way.

The book LElysee Off, published last month, alleges that Finance Minister Michel Sapin pulled the elastic of a journalists underwear at the 2015 World Economic Forum. In March, Buzzfeed News alleged Territories Minister Jean-Michel Baylet hit a female aide in the face. All of this, its worth noting, follows the 2011 trials of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former finance minister and IMF director, who was charged with sexual assault, later associated with prostitution and sex parties, and never convicted.

In their Journal de Dimanche column, the politicians call current protections against violence ineffective, suggesting legislative reforms, better compensation for survivors of sexual harassment, and changes to the criminal-justice system such as creating a separate police department for fielding sexual-assault claims. In a separate article in the newspaper, they and others detail their own experiences with sexual harassment.

We arent staying quiet anymore, they write, later concluding: We would like not to repeat this. We would have loved to have never written this column.
Secret agent? Photo: Kim Kardashian/Instagram

As part of a larger crackdown on un-Islamic Instagram use, Iranian officials have set their sights on one Kim Kardashian. The Organized Cyberspace Crimes Unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp accused her this weekend of working with Instagram to corrupt Iranian women.

On an Iranian news program Sunday night, OCCU spokesman Mostafa Alizadeh explained how Kardashian and others target women with photos that dont comport with the Islamic lifestyle:

They are targeting young people and women. Foreigners are behind it because it is targeting families. These schemes originate from around the Persian Gulf and England. When you draw the operational graph, you will see that it is a foreign operation. Ms. Kim Kardashian is a popular fashion model so Instagrams CEO tells her, make this native. There is no doubt that financial support is involved as well. We are taking this very seriously.

Kardashian has not commented on these accusations. Meanwhile, several women in Iran have been arrested for sharing un-Islamic photos on Instagram as the OCCUs social media crackdown continues. One detainee expressed remorse for her actions on live television Sunday, telling officials, You can be certain that no man would want to marry a model whose fame has come by losing her honor.
I was thinking about heat, said Christopher Esber, in a bit of an understatement. The designer chose a hot yoga studio in Sydneys Potts Point neighborhood for his presentation venue, causing one model to wilt briefly. But his resort lineup had a more concrete reference point than just temperature: the pools in Brazils Lencois Maranhenses desert. The collection played with weathered, woven fabrics (Esber said postshow that the loom figured largely in his process) but mixed them with delicate netting accents that were studded with Swarovski crystals, almost evoking water droplets. And like true desert travelers, his models were barefoot, clad only in ribbons that arched around their toes.

Memories is a bit of a generic title for a collection, but in Karla Spetics hands, it had weight. The Croatian designer was recalling her hometown of Dubrovnik, which she hasnt returned to in a decade. So there were slightly faded prints that recalled pressed flowers and scalloped postcard squares covering sheer tops. But the literalism didnt feel gimmicky, and Spetics latest chapter was in line with her sheer, muted, and street-style-friendly signatures.

Richard Nicoll hasnt occupied a slot on the London Fashion Week calendar for two seasons now, and even such a short absence is lamentable. However, the designer had a hand in an exciting new line, Double Rainbouu  very much sic  shown Tuesday night in a gallery that abutted a somewhat dingy alley. Crowds of beer-clutching cool kids were waiting to see the models  all of whom looked like they definitely surf  lounge on a pile of sand wearing their best judging u expressions and then walk out nonchalantly into the street. The night had the feeling of a beachside keg party.

Ksubi alumni Toby Jones and Mikey Nolan started Double Rainbouu in January as a local brand; however, it will be going international starting this month, and youll be able to find it at Opening Ceremony. In their show notes, Jones and Nolan called the majority of beachwear brands either kinda poxy [which loosely translates to gross] or really bland and [lacking] any cultural focus or personality. With the help of Nicoll, the two worked on non-poxy selections like Hawaiian-style shirts, but in Matisse-like prints, or an oversize cream hoodie that was like a Down Under answer to Baja East. The clothes were for both men and women; the only requirement seemed to be that you be Aussie, fit, and cool. Attempt at your own risk.
Ikr can't afford some cocoa butter or lotion.. So sad :(

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she is so fucking annoying

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Her getting shut down by Ann Coulter of all people, was hilarious.

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she is so fucking right. Jayson is living like a king right now

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HOLY FUCK he's only 27?!? chiiile.

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LOL .. he said 47

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Yer icon 

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yw ;)

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Actually makes $35,000 a month but has no idea where any of his money is going



Let's not pretend that isn't going to you drug dealer sis.

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Well in the video I believe the guy said they were checks written. Drug dealers don't take checks lol

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Your icon is mesmerizing. Pls never change it!

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some do, when you have a relationship with them :P

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omg that 'business manager' is shady as fuck

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Edited at 2016-05-17 01:06 am (UTC) lookin stoned in the corner like

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Damn, that sucks. Poor guy never had a chance with asshole parents like that. Seriously, if you're raised by people who are bad with money or who are leeches, it's so much harder to be financially stable yourself.

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:( so true. my father and mother were both terrible with money. which has led me into some pretty shady situations to try and help with her debt after her stroke. happy to be out of that situation. so envious of people's parents who teach them what a savings account is for and how important a credit score is.

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He makes 35,000 a month but he claims he's broke? Fuck him! I hate people like him. I just want to make 4,000 a month. That is legit all I need in life to be financially set. This motherfucker here. ....

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he thought he was making 35k a year, so he's either lying to the host about what he knows or really, really, really naive and out of touch with his finances and just let's other ppl handle them(poorly, bc the forensic accountant said his monthly expenses exceed the 35k by $200)



Edited at 2016-05-17 01:10 am (UTC)

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Yeah. There are some people who are just SO BAD at handling their money and maybe that's whats going on here. My dad was like that and if it weren't for my mother, things would have been terrible.

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Me, too. Even if I made $3,000 a month I could live a comfortable lifestyle, save money, and take a vacation now and then.

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Where is he getting $35k a month? Like what does/did he do that earns him that kind of money..? Legit question, I thought he released like one album as a 12 year old and now just fucks around on twitter while being related to a backstreet boy.

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Wait...he's not the backstreet boy? I'm so confused and I don't wanna watch that show lol

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LMAO

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this sucks but tbh my kneejerk reaction when i saw the post title was the karenmeangirlslaugh.gif so i guess i'm a terrible person

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Like I would be so scared to be a child star and put faith in your parents that they dont completely fuck you over when you turn 18 and see what they did with your money. Also money managers can screw you over from what I learned from that 30 for 30 Broke.

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these carter kids were so screwed up thanks to their parents. and people usually forget about their sister leslie, who tried to get into the business and failed, got into drugs and died not too long ago. i always forget she passed. :(

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Oh dear! Poor Aaron is probably so eaten up with grief he doesn't know what he's doing. :(

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if the parents are pushing their kids to be child stars they're probably shitty parents lbr

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sligthly ot? but can anyone tell me other child stars like aaron and macaulay culkin that worked as kids and were taken advantage of by their parents? I have a friend writing a huge article on the topic and more names would be very helpful!



Edited at 2016-05-17 12:57 am (UTC)

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besides gary coleman?

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britney spears

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not in my post sis

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Jackie.... Coogan? I forget but some old timey kid actor is like the reason there are laws also Judy Garland

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Gary Coleman is the first that comes to mind. Maybe Danny Bondaduce? I know it's wide known he was abused by his parents and would show up to set with bruises but I'm not sure if they took his money.

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drew barrymore I think?

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Drew Barrymore

Brooke Shields

Tatum O'Neal

Jewel

Lindsay Lohan

Hunter Carson (the kid in Wenders' Paris Texas)

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the culkins and the carters had legit stage parents taking their money.



britney's parents were going through marital problems and got divorced, which i think compounded them letting people in the industry take advantage of her



river phoenix/joaquin phoenix's parents were in a crazy cult (children of god iirc), so that's a different kind of stage parent, i guess



drew barrymore's mom took her to studio54 at like age 7 and she was in rehab by 12/13. she's gotten it together now but struggled a lot in her younger years, for sure.



obv lindsay lohan!



mischa barton's mom was her manager and i've read some stuff about her being part of mischa's downfall



judy garland's mom was awful, and sadly, i think this carried on into how she treated her kids

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oh i'm pretty sure there's something super shady with thora birch's parents too

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shirley temple. her parents even lied to her about her age.



natalie wood. her mother ripped up a butterfly to get her to cry during a scene.



Edited at 2016-05-17 01:22 am (UTC)

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LeAnn Rimes, Corey Feldman, Leighton Meester

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i wouldn't say shia was taken advantage of his money but he def had a fucked up childhood/relationship with them

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the boy from small wonder

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river phoenix. he was the sole breadwinner for his family (joaquin "helped" to a lesser extent when he was first starting out).

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Taran Noah-Smith (Mark from Home Improvement).

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The Jacksons

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The little girl from Family Matters.

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Every single Kardashian

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Cory Feldman! He was the family breadwinner. He was forced to act and abused. Corey haim and Brad renfro (rip) are worth looking into.

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Something seems off about Katherine Heigl's relationship with her mom, but I don't really have much to back it up.



Taylor Momsen has stated she felt exploited.



Corey Haim & Corey Feldman.



Probably any kid whose parents sent them to work with Dan Schneider (Amanda Bynes, Jamie Lynn Spears, Miranda Cosgrove, Drake Bell, Josh Peck, etc).



Definitely any kid whose parents sent them to work with Lou Pearlman, although they didn't reap much in terms of financial benefits due to the Ponzi scheme of it all.



Miley.

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taran noah smith - the guy who played mark on home improvement.

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Don't know if this counts because she's not an actress, but Olympic gymnast Dominique Moceanu. She actually got divorced from her parents.

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all of them

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Ariel Winter

Jena Malone

Mischa Barton





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Serious question- how the fuck does he make so much money? He's not really known for anything, right?



Also, this whole situation is so sad. I hope he can get it together.

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he's been doing college tours and club tours the last couple years and charges like $150 for m&gs so prob from that

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He performed at my alma mater, did a private show for a sorority, did an after party at a club and had meet and greets so he probably makes bank off nostalgic college kids.

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First things first: don't periscope yourself eating at a Waffle House in Alabama or whatever being an ass to the waitress

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I laughed out loud when he said he should have 55 million. What?! Also I thought it was interesting that he looked different after the 90 day follow-up. Skinnier.



Edited at 2016-05-17 01:00 am (UTC)

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Lmao did he really say that?! I'm not able to watch the video right now but I think to myself daily that I should have 55 million too tbh

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Yeah the host broke down numbers for him and said his net worth was only 2.3 million. Not 55 million... maybe Nick but keep dreaming Aaron.

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Lmao. His brother isn't worth anywhere near that and is way more famous. What a douche, lol.

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Dig that grave deeper and deeper

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flawless first comment.

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I hope he has the same attitude if someone abuses his kids

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nahhhhh

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of course he's wearing that hat.

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lol

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lmao

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lmao

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lmao mte

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Cackling at this accuracy.

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lmao exactly

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lol right

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lmaooooo, i came here to say the same!

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lmfao omg

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lolll i scrolled up to see after you commented and cackled irl

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lol

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This accuracy. lmao

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bye

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I thought this said Adam Brody and was ready to be outraged.

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Lmao ikr i was ready to be disappointed

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disgusting

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he looks like bird

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what a fuck up #fingersinthebootyassbitch

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looks like they're in the wrong order, 1st he pushed out the ass baby & then she reached 4 it

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lmao ur probably right



but couldn't it also be that she tickled his booty so deliciously he had to squat because the shitting sensation was 2 strong for someone as full of shit as he?

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Is that his mating dance.

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this bird faced scrunge can go die in a fire

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woof

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It truly does

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Red flags galore. Because by the sounds of it, I bet he doesn't understand consent and boundaries.

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I mean, that Halle Berry kiss was a very public demonstration of this tbh

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Yup, mte. If your response to a child molester is "life is complicated" or you say, in all earnesty, things like ""Of course it's horrible what comes out sometimes, and people have done things in their lives that may be inexcusable, but it's not something to focus on." - I'm left to extrapolate that either you have lived such an incredibly blessed and easy life that you don't understand (or care to consider) how serious/hard to NOT focus on things like child abuse and sexual assault are for the victim, or you're partaking in similar pursuits yourself and thus don't actually think they're wrong.



Either way, what a piece of garbage. Hollywood asshole #486095860 who ranks the actual sex criminal's possibly hurt feelings about being held accountable for their own actions over the trauma of the people they've hurt.

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I swear I feel like I remember reading about a study showing that people who downplay sexual assault often are sexual offenders themselves.

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mte

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I've disliked him since he grabbed Halle Berry and kissed her during an awards show (I think it was the Oscars). It looked so non-consensual and she looked so uncomfortable. He seems the type that feels entitled to women.

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Ugh. Yep there are wars in some countries so what's a little rape here and there, not a big problem.

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somehow I'm not shocked that this one hit wonder whose one hit came from working with a convicted child rapist, would play down the offences of other rapists as "fodder". Not surprised at all.

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On one hand, fuck Dilma, on the other, I'm a bit concerned about this new president

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a bit concerned? sis brazil is screwed

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I'M TRYING TO BE POSITIVE, OK??? If they're screwed, they'll end up screwing up us too :(

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hes way worse than she couldve ever been



at least Dilma was elected by the people. He took the presidency with a coup



Edited at 2016-05-17 03:16 pm (UTC)

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It's one thing to disagree with her politically, but man, there was a coup here. Idk how people can be ok with that.

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i'm surprised you're only a bit concerned

in less than a week we already loss a huge part of the little representativity we had on congress

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Only a bit? Turkey has fallen, now Brazil, soon it will be India or South Africa, and it will just continue, this is terrifying

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are the reviews good so far?

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What's going on in Brazil is such a huge fucking mess. I wonder what part the USA had to play in this because we all KNOW they are somehow involved.

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ugh, they're always involved in fucking everything

when will they focus on their own shit instead???

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https://theintercept.com/2016/04/18/after-vote-to-remove-brazils-president-key-opposition-figure-holds-meetings-in-washington/ You know they are.

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you know it

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hmmmmmt how about taking responsibility instead of blaming the US though



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the new Brazilian president is going to screw everything up and they're going to suffer just like how Argentina is going to suffer hardcore. Latin America is going back to how it used to be and shut will hit the fan hardcore.

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just like how Argentina is going to suffer hardcore



Just when we thought we were going to be ok, Brazil is likely to go to the shitter and drag us with them

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it has not been good for leftist presidents in LA recently.



Dilma, Kirchner, Maduro, Ceren (in El Salvador) etc



Especially in El Salvador, where the right controlled the country for like 20 years, then finally the FMLN (the left) won but gang violence there has gotten worse and that dumb truce the government negotiated with the gang leaders, in the next presidential election ARENA will probably take back the presidency.

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Well, tbf, Maduro is terrible. People in Venezuela are suffering while he and his allies continue to profit.

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Maduro is a piece of shit (Chavez was too). The Kirchners were shit too, and leeches to boost, just like Evo and Correa. Ortega is also shit AND a rapist.



The Latin American left is mostly made of corrupt pieces of shit who don't know how to lead a nation without disrespecting human rights.

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what's happening in El Salvador is such a huge mess. Arena is trying so damn hard to put all the blame on fmln. but fmln is too damn weak and they aren't doing much to defend themselves

the video of arena meeting with gang leaders and striking a deal with them if they got theme vote is a massive deal yet they brushed it off like nothing.

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The new Brazilian presidents first pick for science minister was a creationist. He chose a soybean tycoon who has deforested large tracts of the Amazon rain forest to be his agriculture minister. And he is the first leader in decades to have no women in his Cabinet.



Brazil, wtf.

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And mostly white men

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this pic gives me chills. fucking right wing bastards

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Oh god.

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damn

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Oh jeez :/

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Ministro da Saude quer igrejas no debate sobre aborto https://t.co/asCpa9RKRz pic.twitter.com/DAfXHMm0is  Estadao (@Estadao) May 17, 2016





He also says health can't be "universal", and wants to cut our National Health System (just pointing out, the biggest donnor of his campaign is a giant in private health care plans)



Ricardo Barros, titular da Saude: Nao ha como atender todo mundo, e SUS precisa ser revisto, afirma ministro https://t.co/JRfkIS5HUa  UOL (@UOL) May 17, 2016







just giving you a general idea Health Minister wants to include churches in the abortion debate -He also says health can't be "universal", and wants to cut our National Health System (just pointing out, the biggest donnor of his campaign is a giant in private health care plans)just giving you a general idea

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aw man, i honestly need to be better about foreign politics

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My blood pressure is going to dangerous levels whenever I see the word COUP in quotes. It's COUP, no "" about it.

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like? you take a president out for apparently being "corrupt" (that is one of a fucking joke) and suddenly doesn't care that the new one is corrupt? AND HE AIN'T GONNA FIX ANYTHING

i just need to rage about this w/ my fellas brazilian ontders

what fucking pisses me off is that a lot of people i know think like "Well, the new president sure is corrupt, but he is going to fix the country ok!! He's better than Dilma!!!"like? you take a president out for apparently being "corrupt" (that is one of a fucking joke) and suddenly doesn't care that the new one is corrupt? AND HE AIN'T GONNA FIX ANYTHINGi just need to rage about this w/ my fellas brazilian ontders

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my fave part about this is how now suddenly the crisis is because of the foreign market, when before it was sooo clearly Dilma's fault.

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lmao right? the media is a joke, suddenly every article about the crisis is "Despite the crisis, [something good is happening]". can you not.

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the fact they say to stop talking about the crisis and work is just killing me. fuck Temer, he needs to respect the base that voted for his ticket. fucking mess.

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i'm still waiting for all the ppl that said "we'll protest against temer and cunha too don't worry dilma is just the first step in our fight against corruption!!!!" to come forth. where are the panelacos now???

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the worst thing is seeing this shit and not rly be able to do anything. knowing that they are tearing the fuck up of our constituicao to throw dilma out. like, if they can do that to our president we common folk are surely fucked.

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El Salvador has refused to recognize Brazil's new government. It's crazy man.





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I hope more countries join them.

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good for them!

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Yes! I hope more governments follow suit

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Humberto Carrao. omg. I had a crush ngl.



I posted my take on the brazilian situation in another post, just gonna repeat it:



I think the current government is a mess, but I am against the impeachment. It was not done on the right reasons and they open up a bad precedent. Plus it is very clear people didnt elect Temer and this right wing religious freak project.



there are many things wrong going on in this country, but Temer should be respectful to the base that elected his ticket. but he isnt and is taking the moment to reinforce his right wing agenda. he needs to go.

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The situation in Brazil is a terrible non-democractic mess and it's disgusting to see how a lot of mainstream media obviously supports the coup.



It's also tragic how a lot of people affected by shitty left-wing goverments are acting like Brazil is a good example of getting rid of your president in a legal way. I hate how awful the Latin American left has been, because I don't want to see the right-wings gaining power, but it's inevitable at this rate.

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I feel so hopeless about everything going on here right now. Our very own Trump staged a coup and seized power, aided and abetted by a bunch of fucking assholes and there's still people - supposedly intelligent people - supporting this goddamn mess.







It feels like Shonda Rhimes is scripting the series finale for my poor country :(I feel so hopeless about everything going on here right now. Our very own Trump staged a coup and seized power, aided and abetted by a bunch of fucking assholes and there's still people - supposedly intelligent people - supporting this goddamn mess.

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That cancelling the vote for the impeachment/changing his mind at midnight after some ~persuasion from Temer goons was right out of Scandal/House of Cards/a terrible soap opera.

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I feel bad that the rest of the world is only like "but what about the Olympics?? Maybe some athletes won't go!" when it's clear Brazil has massive problems from government, poverty to zika. Which are all linked. Obviously nobody wants the virus to spread but a lot of the media (especially in sports) completely misses the point about the government and inequality.

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Also, I wonder how will this play out with the rest of Latin America, especially when it comes to left-wing presidents. Brazil is the biggest country and economy of the region, so you can't ignore a situation like this. It's going to be hard for everyone.

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Ontd brazilians I need you again!

I'm trying to immerse myself in the Portuguese leanguage and I want your recommendations for a Brazilian telenovela and where to watch preferably with subtitles (Portuguese, Spanish or English)

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Just duolingo at the moment but that's really why I'd like to watch some tv to really hear it spoken

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"O Clone" (it was called "El Clon" in spanish i think)



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I don't know where to watch w/ subs but you should look up for A Favorita and Avenida Brazil. They're my faves.

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not really telenovelas but HBO original series: O Negocio, Magnifica 70

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it runs too long IMO - its up for a third of the year, there's no novelty to it and I still prefer the original HM attraction.



that being said, I still really enjoy the Nightmare overlay a lot. more so around Christmas than Halloween tho. I love the little toy who keeps popping up to chew on wires and fuck shit up throughout the ride lol.



I wish they still played the soundtrack while in line though - but I think people started complaining because they had to sit and listen to NA NA NA NA NA NA! NANANANANA! over and over and over for a fucking hour and it was driving people nuts lmao.

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I'm so sad they don't do this to the HM here in Orlando. :[

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It's so much fun! I don't get why people hate on it so much.

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TBH I'm sort of guilty about feeling this way too because I end up really getting intimidated by fan communities, but at the same time, I feel like the Haunted Mansion attracts a great mix of older and newer fans that will probably make it feel pretty different than the kinds of fandoms I normally dread.

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I AM SHAMELESS



This has me really missing my Disney annual pass. =( Because I am shameless and I am going to share an outfit I put together inspired by Haunted Mansion I wore last year. I love that ride so darn much, haha. Super excited to see how this Kickstarter turns out! I don't normally back a lot of them but I think I'll be pulling out my wallet for this one.This has me really missing my Disney annual pass. =(

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Thank you! I want the Haunted Mansion wallpaper printed on more articles of clothing, stat. >_>

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im turning 31 next month and I asked my mom to get me a pass again...lol like a little kid.

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I'll share, I know some Elder Goths that would shit bricks over this.



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Creepy STORIES:



Listening to YouTube creepy pastas while I'm at work.



LIstening to stores about SKinwalkers, and it's freaking me the fuck out, cuz they emulated the fucking scream that a WOLF WITH THE FACE OF A HUMAN MADE





and another with a deer walking on hind legs like a human..........that made a weird scream.





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I mean it's a fun little ride with some cool decor, but there are actually devotees?



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mte

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More than you know.

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there's literally an entire DAY at Disneyland once a year dedicated to these people, so ya. its definitely a thing.

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I'm a theme park and Disney geek. I love knowing the behind-the-scenes behind every attraction, every ride, even the theme parks and attractions that never were.

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same!



I used to work attractions at Disneyland and man there is some SHIIIIIIIIT you find out.

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i would watch this in a heartbeat

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I'm obsessed with Martin the guy who makes Disney attraction videos. they're so well researched, he goes to such great lengths to secure great footage. I love it.

If you like disney park history documenting, look for Martinsvids on YouTube!

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I'm not a huge fan or anything (though it is cute) but I love this bedroom someone did!



http://stayupallday-sleepupallnight.tumblr.com/post/143661273636/my-haunted-mansion-guest-room-is-finally-finished the Stuff You Missed in History Class ladies will be so pleased!I'm not a huge fan or anything (though it is cute) but I love this bedroom someone did!

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haha mte re: stuff, Holly needs to be in this doc

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i would love a bunch of disney docs that go more in depth about the attractions and their history. also i'm still waiting on gulliermo del toro to make the movie :(

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I worked at the Mansion during my DCP and it was the greatest experience of my life.

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When I worked at the park, everyone in Westside attractions wanted Haunted Mansion shifts (second most popular was Pirates). I never got any shifts there but they said the guests don't bug you as much cause they think you're "spooky".

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I worked during Fall so I did some of Mickeys Not So Scaries and when I was a candy girl I definitely got interacted with more, which was hard because you had to rush people along(nicely) because you needed to hand out as much candy as possible yet people would still want to talk or take pictures with you



You'd sometimes get people at the Mansion who were REALLY determined to make you break character, like they'd act stupid around you and try and tell your jokes to make you laugh or a lot of people will ask you what their cell phone is because they know that we're supposed to be in the 1800's or something but it really wasn't bad. At least it wasn't a problem for me but I was also very dedicated and enjoyed it for the most part, lol





The biggest issue(well hardly the biggest but I'd say most common) with guest was keeping them away from the door in the foyer and the stretch room. The door has a sensor on it so it won't open when people lean on it and if you stand to close the door won't open. Sometimes people just didn't know and would lean against the door or the Foyer person would let too many people in cramming out the room forcing people against the wall but then there were some assholes who knew where the door was and found it really funny to lean on it preventing the door from opening. It was such a nightmare because they knew we couldn't put our hands on them and that we couldn't talk about how the door worked or be too stern with them so I'd have to play along like it this very clever joke that I had ~nnnneeeeeeeevvvvvveeeerrrrr seen someone do before just to get them to move.

Like, I'd basically have to quietly kiss their ass just to let everyone in the tiny overly crowded room out. Most maids and butlers eventually learn to rush over to the hall door the second the foyer door closes to prevent this shit but sometimes you just ain't quick enough or more often it's just to crowded to make it all the way around so then you start panicking because the LAST thing you want is people to see the walls going back down

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I so wish I lived close to disneyland because they have a haunted mansion subscription box with an interactive scavenger hunt for the DL ride. you even get in your own special buggy for the ride.

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The Oklahoma Senate has suspended a tax incentive for the oil industry thats likely to see a lot of small producers go under.

Oklahoma is facing a budget shortfall of U.S. $1.3 billion this year, not least because of a special tax break for the oil industry. The incentive, in the form of tax rebates for oil wells that are economically at risk, was introduced in 2005 to provide small, mom-and-pop type oil producers with a means of survival in times of low prices. Unfortunately, the bill for the state has swelled so much that it can no longer afford to keep this up.

The at-risk well rebate amounts to six-sevenths of the 7 percent tax that oil producers pay on their wells. But not all wells in Oklahoma are taxed at 7 percent. The tax applies to old vertical wells (around half of all operating wells in the state) and will apply to horizontal wells in a couple of years, when the tax rate for horizontals will automatically jump from 1-2 percent to 7 percent. Related: Oil Price Spike Is Not As Far Away As Many Think

In 2013, the overall rebates for the operators of at-risk oil wells totaled $11 million. The sum for 2015, which is to be paid this year, is estimated at $133 million. Next year, estimates of the Oklahoma Tax Commission show that the state would have had to pay $158 million in rebates. But this is not going to happen.

The state senate just passed a bill that scraps the tax incentive, despite calls from the local oil industry association, which is seeking a cap on the amount instead. The Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association argued that limiting the amount of rebates to $25 million would be a sensible compromise that both the state budget and the industry will benefit from. However, apparently the senate did not share that opinion. Related:Why Jim Chanos is Shorting the Oil Majors

One of the authors of the bill, Brian Bingman, said, That's our main responsibility, funding government properly. So lets make sure everyone shares in the pain that we're going through this year, adding that his next target is the wind industry.

The move will most likely force a lot of small producers to idle most or all of their wells: at current crude oil price levels, these wells will be not just at risk, they will be clearly unprofitable. Although oil is a vital industry for Oklahoma, in this price environment, supporting it has turned into an unbearable burden.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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It has been six years since the Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara ship that was aiming to reach the Gaza coast in May 2010.

In the wake of the Mavi Marmara crisis, Turkey and Israel relations rapidly worsened; both countries withdrew their ambassadors and cut diplomatic ties. Turkey's downing of a Russian jet along the Syrian border on November 24, 2015 has forced Ankara to adjust its foreign policy and address its energy security issues. The crisis between Turkey and Russia firmly highlighted the dependence of Turkey on Russian energy resources.

To reduce that dependence, Ankara began to seek alternative energy suppliers and new routes. Turkey turned to Israel, hoping to once again normalize relations between the two states. Erdogan now aims to build an East Mediterranean natural gas pipeline, which could transport natural gas supplies from Israel to Cyprus. In January 2016 he stated that Israel is in need of a country like us in the region. We have to admit that we also need Israel. Thus began a new chapter for Turkey-Israel relations. Related: Did The Saudis Exaggerate Their U.S. Treasury Holdings?

Turkey and Israel are negotiating over several issues, including the lifting of the embargo on Gaza and ending the presence of Hamas in Turkey. One of the main disputes noted by President Erdogan involves Turkeys offer to send a ship, anchored in Israel's Ashdod port, to provide electricity for Gaza. Another significant topic of negotiations is the Russian military presence in the East Mediterranean region. Ankara aims for the first transfer of Israeli gas to take place by 2020, but Russias aggressive foreign policy towards Turkey poses a significant challenge to the East Mediterranean pipeline.

Turkey not only wants to lift the embargo on Gaza, but also demands weapons from Israel as part of the normalization effort. The Turkish government needs high-tech weapons to fight PKK rebels in the southern regions of Turkey and to protect its border from ISIS rocket attacks. Russia, however, is fervently against this proposal and has threatened to sell modernized offensive weapons to both Syria and Iran in retaliation. Israel then asked Turkey to rescind its veto over Israeli activity within NATO, and permit Israel to open an office in NATO headquarters. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed on May 4th, 2016 that the decision to allow Israel to open the offices was enabled by Turkey adhering to this request. This represented yet another step towards Turkeys reconciliation with Israel. Now the time has come for an agreement on energy ties between the two states.

Related: Oil Edges Higher Ahead Of Weekly Inventory Report

The Cyprus problem, which remains far from a resolution, must be solved before any construction can begin on the East Mediterranean natural gas pipeline. According to reports, the forecast of Israeli natural gas production capacity for 2020-2021 is between 20-25 billion cubic meters (bcm) and will reach maximum capacity of 30 bcm in 2030. Considering Israel's export agreements with Jordan and Palestine, plus its domestic consumption volumes in 2020, Israel will only be able to export a maximum of 15 bcm of natural gas per year. This gas forecast is not sufficient for Turkeys domestic needs. Nevertheless, Turkey and Israel remain determined to sign an agreement.

Israeli Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz said in an interview that Turkey wants to consume half of the quantity of gas in the Leviathan gas reservoir, starting in 2020. In the secondary stage, gas may be transported from Turkey to the rest of Europe. Israel alone does not have the capacity to sell gas to Europe via subsea pipelines. In other words, the Eastern Mediterranean natural gas pipeline can only be built if the pipeline carries gas from both Israel and Cyprus. Related: Oil Price Spike Is Not As Far Away As Many Think

Aside from the economic issues, there is a huge geopolitical challenge facing a potential pipeline between Turkey and Israel: Russian military presence.

(Click to enlarge)

In conclusion, Israel has taken advantage of the negotiations with Turkey to open an office in NATO headquarters, to end Turkey's support of Hamas, and to normalize relations with Ankara. In reality, Israel has been using the unlikely potential of a natural gas pipeline in order to obtain concessions from Turkey. Concurrently, energy companies operating in Israeli fields are negotiating with Egyptian and British gas companies to send gas from Israel to Egypt and then sell the gas as LNG. Furthermore, Israel and Russia are about to agree upon a modus operandi in the East Mediterranean area concerning weapons and natural gas deals. It appears that while Israel is aware of the fact that Russia will do everything in its power to prevent an East Mediterranean pipeline, Turkey remains oblivious.

By Tugce Varol for Oilprice.com

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The Alberta wildfire shifted back toward oil sands facilities north of Fort McMurray on Monday, forcing a new round of evacuations for thousands of workers who have been trying to get production restarted.

Suncor has ordered the evacuation of thousands of oil workers in Alberta, and Enbridges oil sands transportation terminal is under threat as wildfires continue to push through the province.

On Monday, Suncor said it had ordered the evacuation of 8,000 workers from its oil sands camps in the Wood Buffalo municipality and shut down operations as authorities expanded the evacuation zone north of Fort McMurray, where the wildfires started over two weeks ago.



Related: Saudi Arabia Loses Top Credit Rating from Moodys

Syncrude Canada has also shut down its oil sands mine and processing plant due to smoke on the site, located north of Fort McMurray. The company said that it evacuated all personnel, some 4,800 of them.

Enbridges Cheecham oil sands terminal is battling the spread of the fire less than one kilometer from the facility. The terminal is approximately 47 miles southeast of Fort McMurray, also in the Wood Buffalo region. About 4,000 workers were removed from camps north of the city run by Noralta Lodge and South Pacific Resources.

As of the time of writing, the wildfires had expanded to almost 1,100 square miles. The wildfire still covers about 930 square miles and is expected to spread.



Related: Oil Price Spike Is Not As Far Away As Many Think

As a precaution, some million barrels per day of oil sands crude production was lost because of disruptions to regional pipelines over a two-week period, and much of that production remains offline.

However, some facilities are starting to produce oil again. Shell Canada's Albian site is restarted after the fire changed direction and the plant was considered secure.

Crude oil prices reached a six-month high of $48.17 on Tuesday, with Canadian outages lending more than its fair share of support.

By James Burgess of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Typically, Milwaukees oldest buildings reveal themselves readily. But sometimes, hiding behind facades of modern glass and steel, you can find a portal into Brew City history.

One such place is the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 W. Walnut St., on the border between Bronzeville and Haymarket. This well-appointed arts facility glows like a relatively new building. And indeed, MYAC  which in 2014-15 served 4,500 young people, welcomed a total audience of 22,500 and provided nearly 20,000 of program and event space to partner and outside groups  is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

But the building sits not only in the shadow of the former Schlitz Brewery across King Drive, its connected to that landmark brewerys history in the neighborhood.

The home  which includes state-of-the-art studios for dance, music, theater and other performances, plus rehearsal rooms, offices, common areas and more  is actually a melding of three structures.



The loading docks where the MYAC entrance is now located. (PHOTO: Courtesy Milwaukee Youth Arts Center)

The newest faces Walnut Street and is built where the Journal Company used to have a row of loading docks to transport advertising supplements  which were stored in the building just behind it. It is the facade and entry created by architects Uihlein Wilson when MYAC acquired the building from the Journal around 2004.

Behind it is a garage addition built in the 1940s, which connects to the oldest building in the complex, which faces Galena Street, where it used to have its entrance as a Schlitz Brewery building.

According to Peter Uihlein, a scion of the Schlitz Brewery family and former employee, that section  which was built in the 1920s or even earlier  was erected by Schlitz.

"The garage was originally used for the city sales delivery of beer," he said. "In the mid 1960s the company built a warehouse distribution building on Teutonia and the trucks were based there. The garage then housed and maintained the executive's cars. It served as a parking garage until 1982 for the executives. The garage served as a venue for the company Christmas parties when all employees received a frozen turkey and a case of beer."

This earliest portion of the complex has some interesting details, though the rotating platform used to turn around beer wagons is now long gone.

But right inside the Galena Street entrance is a space that was finished with white brick and terra cotta elements, suggesting it had a public-facing use of some kind. Or else Schlitz was very proud of its garage. While initially, neither Uihlein nor anyone at MYAC could really explain why the company wouldve gone to the trouble and expense of such decorative work, later, I heard back from Bingheim:

"We recently found out what the area in the lower level was," he told me in an email. "It was the city-wide sales office for Schlitz. This was the home to all the sales reps."

Beyond this area, MYAC basically inherited an empty shell of a place, says General Manager Brad Bingheim, who was building sets for First Stage when it acquired the building in tandem with Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, and, after the move, became GM.

"The only thing that was up in the front as you come around a corner you'll see the actual cream city brick wall. Just outside of that was some loading docks," he says, as we sit in the large common area of the MYAC. "We took those down and then regraded and put that whole front of the building, all the glass, the elevator shaft and all of that was the only thing we added to the building.



The empty shell. (PHOTO: Courtesy Milwaukee Youth Arts Center)

"Otherwise you just had the shell of the building. There was one wall in the building which delineated the north to south building. There was a power plant walls, concrete brick walls. We demolished that and a few other things that we took out of the building. Otherwise it was just a big hollow shell. We built everything within that shell."

Everything includes a broad array of rehearsal rooms  from tiny to quite large  a trio of large performance spaces, and much more, which keep this building buzzing all day and evening long, seven days a week.

As we walk through, Bingheim shows me the original address number, still affixed to what used to be an exterior  but is now an interior  wall. We see an area thats now dumpster storage that has the kind of glazed brick you see in school cafeterias.

I especially enjoyed peeking into some spaces few get to see: a storage room full of upright acoustic basses and, on the lower level, a ladder-equipped shaft leading into the steam tunnels that run like an ant farm beneath the entire former Schlitz Brewery complex.

He points up to the steel roof structure, which is exposed, offering a clue to the buildings more industrial past and explains that when MYAC was created, there was a series of catwalks criss-crossing the joists, some of which contained the buildings HVAC systems.

One gets the sense that creating this amazing place that welcomes kids from not only all neighborhoods of the city, but also the suburbs, bringing them together to create music, theater and dance, was no small feat.

The MYAC was born out of the vision and leadership of MYSOs Fran Richman and First Stages Rob Goodman, says Bingheim. Both companies were occupying challenging spaces in the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts at the time. MYSO was in what was essentially a board room and First Stage was in an area below the Todd Wehr Theater, according to Bingheim.

"The story that I've heard they were both in the elevator at the Marcus Center and they were both on their way to go out for showings they were looking for more space and they just started talking to each other and they were like I'm going to look at this building and they realized they were both in the process of looking for more space. So they were like, let's just do this together. Then they looked together, eventually found this space.

"Neither group's leadership that they had enough money to go out into the community and raise the money they needed for their group. Together however they create a force that was without a doubt, overpowering, and could go to the community and ask for that money. Together they formed MYAC, which is it's own non-profit entity. It's really collaborative, they're technically co-owners of the building."

The biggest challenge, as any non-profit knows, was raising the money and getting the most out of the donations and grants.

"We learned the term value engineering," says Bingheim. "There were quite a few things that we originally took out and we were able to add some of them back in and some of the things we a luxury that we didn't have. What we did was focus on making sure that the programming needs were met. This facility was built for the youth of southeastern Wisconsin. We didn't feel that we wanted to put our money into the staff amenities when we could be doing it in the amenities for the students.

"As we started to fundraise for this there was not only money that started showing up for the capital on the construction but for our program needs. We had a very gracious donor who had no interest in the arts who really came on a whim to see what was going on and was courted and eventually gave not only a very substantial capital amount but also gave a large contribution to the programming of this building. We were able to not only build this wonderful facility but offer scholarships and opportunities, programming for inner city youth who didn't have those experiences and couldn't get it. It was a win-win for the entire community."

These days, MYAC  which is now home to a number of organizations beyond its founders  finds itself in a burgeoning area. Haymarket is quietly booming and nearby a new arena is about to go up. Schlitz Park is energetic and theres development in Harambee and adjacent Brewers Hill.

Best of all, MYAC is not only about 30 yards from Golda Meir School, there are numerous schools that are pretty close by.

"One of the big draws for this area was we were centrally located with about 14 schools in the area," says Bingheim. "One of the other keys was was we were on the outskirts of Downtown.

We're in an area that is revitalizing. In 10 years we've seen the growth of this area explode from Manpower and Time Warner to what's going on in the Schlitz Park complexes to over the high rise condos on Commerce over there. The whole Brewers Hill neighborhood, the Martin Luther King redevelopment.

"It's been 10 years, almost 11," muses Bingheim. "To watch what happens here on a nightly basis, a daily basis, to see the kids go through here and know that we built them for this. People walk in this building and they're like, Oh my god it's like brand new. That's because we give the kids the respect and say this is built for you, you want it to look messy with graffiti everywhere, go ahead, but we've rather have I nice and that's up to you to make that happen.

"One really unique aspect of this building is it's such a unique crossover place since there are different things going on. On any given night there are people interacting and meeting in the commons. You would not have met that person anywhere else in the city."
President Obama's refusal to apologize to Japan for America's nuclear attack on its people in WWII when he visits Hiroshima May 27th will mirror his refusal to prosecute CIA torturers.

In a speech at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., shortly after taking office in 2009, Obama praised the Agency as the "tip of the spear" protecting America from its enemies even as human rights groups called for CIA employees' prosecutions for torture during the George W. Bush years.

Then White House Press Secy. Robert Gibbs told reporters that Bush administration officials who okayed torture would not be prosecuted because "The President is focused on looking forward."

The result of his "looking forward" was that Obama's drone warfare campaign over the next five years killed 2,400 people, according to London's Bureau of Investigative Journalism. This was done without Court orders, making the attacks war crimes. "Turning a blind eye" actually is the better description of Obama's policy.

Japanese wire service JIJI quotes current White House Press Secy. Josh Earnest stating last May 12 that "the president does not plan to deliver a major address in Hiroshima" (when he visits that city's Peace Memorial Park.)

Translation: Obama will not say President Truman's decision to use the nuclear bomb was wrong. However, at the outbreak of WWII, on September 1, 1939, and before America entered the fray, President Franklin Roosevelt beseeched the belligerents (Germany, France, UK, and Poland) to refrain from the "inhuman barbarism of bombing civilian centers," acts, FDR said, which "sickened the hearts of every civilized man and woman" and "profoundly shocked the conscience of humanity."

And FDR's Secretary of State Cordell Hull wrote in his memoirs that the State Department was quick to support the League of Nations which on Sept. 27, 1937, "solemnly condemned the bombing of open towns in China by Japanese planes and declared that 'no excuse can be made for such acts which have aroused horror and indignation throughout the world.'" This stance was later supported by the Vatican, which termed the nuclear bombings a "catastrophic conclusion to the war's apocalyptic surprises."

Not only were the nuclear attacks upon overwhelmingly civilian targets inexcusable, but the U.S. and its British allies earlier had firebombed much of Germany and Japan. In all, by the end of WWII, more than 7 million Germans and eight million Japanese had been bombed out of their homes, and estimates of those killed have run as high as 1 million in each country. Compare this to Hitler's bombing of Guernica in April, 1937, that killed 1,650 people and left nearly 900 wounded---yet was universally (and rightly) condemned.

The comparison here is that by the end of the war the U.S. had adopted the tactics of the fascists it denounced at the beginning of the war. Compounding this tragedy has been the refusal of Japan to apologize to China for invading that nation and the refusal of President Obama to apologize to Japan and Germany for America's massacres of their civilian populations. While we're at it, the British might apologize for the 1945 incendiary attack on Dresden that killed about 50,000 civilians in a refugee-crowded city.

Much has been written about America's nuclear vaporization of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but the firebombing campaign against 64 other Japanese cities should not be overlooked. On the March 9, 1945, firebomb raid on Tokyo alone, U.S. warplanes killed 83,000 people and wounded 41,000 more,

President Obama's refusal to prosecute CIA agents for torture and President George W. Bush for the crime of Iraq that killed 1.5-million people, is nothing short of a signal to future war criminals that they can get away with murder.

"As proven by my book 'The Criminality of Nuclear Deterrence' (Clarity Press), the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by President Truman constituted war crimes and crimes against humanity in accordance with the U.S. Government's own definition of those terms as of August 1945 as set forth in U.S. War Department Field Manual 27-10 (1940) and the Nuremberg Charter of August 8, 1945," says Francis Boyle, the prominent international legal authority at the University of Illinois, Champaign.

"The same can be said for the fire-bombing of Tokyo which was patterned upon the fire-bombing of Dresden," Boyle continued. "Likewise, the Bush Jr. Administration's torture scandal constituted war crimes and crimes against humanity under international criminal law."

Obama Accessory After The Fact To Torture and War Crimes

Boyle goes on to say, "For the Honors Harvard Law Graduate President Obama to refuse to prosecute the appropriate Bush Jr. officials in gross violation of his obligation to do so as required by the Convention against Torture renders President Obama an Accessory After The Fact to the Bush Jr. Administration's torture, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"Furthermore, President's Obama's Drone Murder Campaign against Muslims around the world constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity that verge upon genocide in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention and that renders him a Principal In The First Degree to these heinous international and U.S. domestic crimes. There is no Statute of Limitations for the perpetration of these grievous international crimes by Bush and Obama and their Associates.

Moreover, Boyle concluded: "There is Universal Jurisdiction for every State in the World to prosecute Bush, Obama and their Associates for committing these"international crimes. This sets forth the Agenda for all International Lawyers around the World to pursue until all these Bush and Obama War Criminals are brought to Justice somewhere. Never again!"

#

(Sherwood Ross formerly reported for several leading wire services and is the author of two plays on Japan, "Baron Jiro," staged at Live Arts Theatre, in Charlottesville, Va., and "Yamamoto's Decision," read at the National Press Club, where he is a member.)
Internet firm Google has invited artists to create murals in a bid to make its data centres a bit interesting.

"Because these buildings typically aren't much to look at, people usually don't, and rarely learn about the incredible structures and people who make so much of modern life possible," Joe Kava, the VP of Google's data centers, wrote on the project's website.

Google plans to expand the Data Center Mural Project to include other massive data buildings in Dublin and Council Buffs, Iowa, the Verge reports.
Phuket, 13 May 2016  The traditional Phuket Baba Wedding Festival 2016 will be held at the heritage trail areas in Phuket Town on 18 to 19 June 2016. A number of couples will participate at the wedding ceremony, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime event to be part of an authentic cultural occasion of real Phuket descendants, bringing back memories of the tin mining industry era.



The highlight of the festival will be held on 19 June 2016 from 16:00 to 18:00, and open to the public. There will be colourful street celebrations along Thalang Road, which is the heart of old Phuket town that will be decorated with red lanterns. The festivities will include a lion dance and lively parade heading to the Phuket Thai Hua Museum. There will be great photo opportunities for everyone.

Amari Phuket takes part in this remarkable festival by offering a special Baba Wedding Festival 2016 promotion to its guests, who are interested to experience all the elaborate preparations and see how the well-to-do Chinese immigrants celebrate their wedding. The guests will be enjoying a 15% discount on room rate in every room category, when booking a minimum three-night stay from 17 to 21 June 2016. Room rates start from 4,238 THB net per room, per night, including daily buffet breakfast and a complimentary one-way transfer to Thalang Road on 19 June 2016.

The promotion is available to book from now onwards, using the promotion code: BABAPKT16.

Terms and conditions apply.

For more information on the Baba Wedding Festival, please visit http://phuketbaba.com.

For room reservations, please contact +66 (0) 7634 0106-14 extension 8033 or 8034,

email reservations.phuket@amari.com or visit www.amari.com/phuket.

Address: Amari Phuket, 2 Muen-ngern Road, Patong Beach, Kathu, Phuket 83150
This artist's concept depicts a planetary system. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

(Phys.org)An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a Neptune-mass exoplanet with a density comparable to Earth's. According to the research, the newly detected alien world, designated EPIC212521166 b, is the most massive planet with a sub-Neptune radius found to date. A paper detailing the finding was published online on May 13 in a pre-print version on arXiv.org.

The team, led by Hugh Osborn of the University of Warwick, U.K., has analyzed the data provided by NASA's Kepler spacecraft prolonged mission, known as K2, in order to look for possible planets orbiting the star EPIC212521166. It is an 8 billion-year-old, metal-poor dwarf star with a mass of slightly more than 0.7 solar masses, located some 380 light years away. The K2 mission identified this celestial body as a strong candidate for hosting planets.

Osborn and his colleagues performed follow-up radial velocity observations of EPIC212521166 to confirm the presence of exoplanets around it. For their observations, conducted in March 2016, they used the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectrograph, mounted on the 3.6 m telescope at the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) La Silla observatory in Chile.

"We present the detection of a sub-Neptune radius planet around the K field dwarf EPIC212521166 from K2 photometry and the confirmation and mass measurement of this planet with HARPS radial velocities," the researchers wrote in the paper.

According to the study, EPIC212521166 b orbits its parent star approximately every 14 days. The planet has a mass of 18.3 Earth masses and radius of about 2.6 Earth radii, which makes it the most massive exoplanet with a sub-Neptune radius detected so far.

With a density of 5.7 g/cm3, the planet is expected to have a large rocky core. The researchers computed that the core must be composed mostly of enstatite (70 percent) and iron (30 percent). They also argue that the planet could have significant water content and a hydrogen-helium atmosphere.

"A two-layer iron-silicate composition model is unable to explain the density of EPIC212521166 b. Instead, either low-density volatiles such as water, an H-He atmosphere, or a combination of both must be present," the paper reads.

The scientists emphasized that the unusual density of this planet suggests that mass-radius relations should be used with extreme caution in the regime between terrestrial planets and gas giants.

The research also indicates that the evaporation process was unlikely the cause of such a high observed density of EPIC212521166 b. Thus, the planet likely formed dense, potentially after the gas disc has been photoevaporated. The scientists suggest that the planet likely disc-migrated to its current position; however, the lack of a thick hydrogen atmosphere doesn't support this theory.

The team concluded that the planet's migration and the absence of significant hydrogen atmosphere could be explained by giant impacts and accretion between a former compact multiplanet system.

"This hypothesis also supports the interpretation of an old age for this system, over which time the likelihood of dynamical instability is increased," the astronomers noted.

The EPIC212521166 system could also host other exoplanets. The team has searched for potential other transiting planets in this system but found no significant signal so far.

Explore further Earth-like planet may exist in a nearby star system

More information: EPIC212521166 b: a Neptune-mass planet with Earth-like density, arXiv:1605.04291 [astro-ph.EP] EPIC212521166 b: a Neptune-mass planet with Earth-like density, arXiv:1605.04291 [astro-ph.EP] arxiv.org/abs/1605.04291 Abstract

We report the discovery of the exoplanet EPIC212521166 b from K2 photometry orbiting on a 13.8637d period around an old, metal-poor K3 dwarf star. A joint analysis of K2 photometry and high-precision RVs from HARPS reveals it to have a radius of 2.60.1R and a mass of 18.32.8M, making it the most massive planet with a sub-Neptune radius (i.e. mini-Neptune) yet found. When accounting for compression, the resulting Earth-like density is best fit by a 0.2M hydrogen atmosphere over an 18M Earth-like core, although the planet could also have significant water content. At 0.1AU, even taking into account the old stellar age of 83 Gyr, the planet is unlikely to have been significantly affected by EUV evaporation or tides. However the planet likely disc-migrated to its current position making the lack of a thick H2 atmosphere puzzling. With a V-band magnitude of 11.9 it is particularly amenable to follow-up observations, making EPIC-1166 b a rare and extremely important planetary system.

 2016 Phys.org
University of Iowa chemists have learned about a molecular assembly that may help create quicker, more responsive touch screens, among other applications. The researchers report the interfacial layer -- when molecules interact with a surface -- of electrically charged fluids called ionic liquids is thicker than previously realized. Credit: Tim Schoon, University of Iowa

When you touch your phone's screen, you might not realize that you've set off a molecular chain reaction.

Your fingertip sends a jolt of electricity (albeit tiny) that disturbs rows of molecules meticulously assembled at the screen's surface and dictates the action, whether it's opening a new window or typing the next word on your text message.

But what if those molecules could be jostled more easily and rapidly snap back in formation, enabling quicker touches and swipesand on smaller screens to boot?

University of Iowa chemistry researchers are taking such an approach by examining how molecules in an electrically charged fluid (called an ionic liquid) are disrupted at the liquid's surface and how quickly they reassemble themselves. In a paper published online this month in the American Chemical Society journal Langmuir, the UI team reports that the molecules reassemble without having to be prodded into position. But their complete reorientation takes time, and the layer of molecules affected by surface disturbances is thicker than previously knownin some instances at least 100 times thicker. The results help better define the potential uses of ionic liquids, from touch screens to energy use and storage.

"One aspect that makes our finding intriguing is the molecules show the ability to self-assemble," says Scott Shaw, assistant professor in the UI Department of Chemistry and corresponding author on the paper. "That would make the process of making a capacitive touch screen simpler. Right now, the molecules (in touch screens) are forcibly arranged in hundreds of layers. Rather than doing that layer upon layer, we could put (an ionic liquid) drop on the surface, and the molecules would self-organize. And that could make the process faster and cheaper."

What makes ionic liquids attractive for potential commercial use is they carry charges and have a natural urge to be orderly. Think of them like soldiers who yearn to be in a precise formation at all times. Because of their negative and positive charges, molecules in ionic liquids could respond to external forces more quickly than other materialswhether it's the tap of a finger or an electrical impulse from a battery packand order themselves over longer distances from the surface point.

But how these molecules arrange themselves at the interfacial regionthe area where molecules are affected by contact with the surfaceand how deeply the ripple from that contact penetrates the molecular assembly has been something of a mystery.

Shaw's team found highly ordered layers of ionic liquids extending to 1,000 nanometers, or 1 micron, from solid or vapor surfaces. Previous studies had shown molecules in ionic liquids order to an upper limit of 50 nanometers.

"The chemical models that guide the community's understanding and definition of the interfacial region of (ionic liquids) are evolving even as the reported thicknesses and magnitude of the interfacial region is diverging," the authors write. "Our most recent results add a new and intriguing layer of intricacy to this field."

The researchers discovered the expanded interfacial layer through "dumb luck," Shaw says. Radhika Anaredy, a graduate student in Shaw's lab, had been using a slowly rotating disc to examine how gravity and shearing could be employed to produce thinner interfacial regions. Frustrated one evening, Anaredy turned off the disc and left the lab. When she returned the next morning and measured the ionic liquid film, she was surprised to see the interfacial layer was 700 nanometers, far thicker than she, or anyone else, expected.

That's when the researchers figured out the molecules simply needed more time to complete their assembly. In fact, when testing other ionic liquids, Shaw's group observed that the self-ordering begins nearly instantaneously, but the molecules in the entire interfacial region aren't completely organized for 25 minutes to two hours, depending on the liquid.

"Typically, these measurements are done over 30 seconds or two minutes," Shaw explains. "No one's ever sat around and waited for these things to hang out and arrange themselves."

Of course, a touch screen that takes any appreciable time to react wouldn't be very useful.

"The trick is to make the reordering much faster," Shaw says. "Right now, it takes at least 20 minutes. We'll need to make it much, much faster."

Explore further Unique microscopic images provide new insights into ionic liquids

More information: Radhika S. Anaredy et al, Long-Range Ordering of Ionic Liquid Fluid Films, Langmuir (2016). Journal information: Langmuir Radhika S. Anaredy et al, Long-Range Ordering of Ionic Liquid Fluid Films,(2016). DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b00304
New evidence from the largest-yet series of experiments on use of body-worn cameras by police has revealed that rates of assault against police by members of the public actually increased when officers wore the cameras.

The research also found that on average across all officer-hours studied, and contrary to current thinking, the rate of use-of-force by police on citizens was unchanged by the presence of body-worn cameras, but a deeper analysis of the data showed that this finding varied depending on whether or not officers chose when to turn cameras on.

If officers turned cameras on and off during their shift then use-of-force increased, whereas if they kept the cameras rolling for their whole shift, use-of-force decreased.

The findings are released today across two articles published in the European Journal of Criminology and the Journal of Experimental Criminology.

While researchers describe these findings as unexpected, they also urge caution as the work is ongoing, and say these early results demand further scrutiny. However, gathering evidence for what works in policing is vital, they say.

"At present, there is a worldwide uncontrolled social experiment taking place - underpinned by feverish public debate and billions of dollars of government expenditure. Robust evidence is only just keeping pace with the adoption of new technology," write criminologists from the University of Cambridge and RAND Europe, who conducted the study.

For the latest findings, researchers worked with eight police forces across the UK and US - including West Midlands, Cambridgeshire and Northern Ireland's PSNI, as well as Ventura, California and Rialto, California PDs in the United States - to conduct ten randomised-controlled trials.

Over the ten trials, the research team found that rates of assault against officers wearing cameras on their shift were an average of 15% higher, compared to shifts without cameras.

The researchers say this could be due to officers feeling more able to report assaults once they are captured on camera - providing them the impetus and/or confidence to do so.

The monitoring by camera also may make officers less assertive and more vulnerable to assault. However, the researchers point out these are just possible explanations, and much more work is needed to unpick the reasons behind these surprising findings.

In the experimental design, the shift patterns of 2,122 participating officers across the forces were split at random between those allocated a camera and those without a camera. A total of 2.2 million officer-hours policing a total population of more than 2 million citizens were covered in the study.

The researchers set out a protocol for officers allocated cameras during the trials: record all stages of every police-public interaction, and issue a warning of filming at the outset. However, many officers preferred to use their discretion, activating cameras depending on the situation.

Researchers found that during shifts with cameras in which officers stuck closer to the protocol, police use-of-force fell by 37% over camera-free shifts. During shifts in which officers tended to use their discretion, police use-of-force actually rose 71% over camera-free shifts.

"The combination of the camera plus the early warning creates awareness that the encounter is being filmed, modifying the behaviour of all involved," said principle investigator Barak Ariel from the University of Cambridge's Institute of Criminology.

"If an officer decides to announce mid-interaction they are beginning to film, for example, that could provoke a reaction that results in use-of-force," Ariel said. "Our data suggests this could be what is driving the results."

The new results are the latest to come from the research team since their ground-breaking work reporting the first experimental evidence on body-worn cameras with Rialto PD in California - a study widely-cited as part of the rationale for huge investment in this policing technology.

"With so much at stake, these findings must continue to be scrutinised through further research and more studies. In the meantime, it's clear that more training and engagement with police officers are required to ensure they are confident in the decisions they make while wearing cameras, and are safe in their job," said co-author and RAND Europe researcher Alex Sutherland.

Ariel added: "It may be that in some places it's a bad idea to use body-worn cameras, and the only way you can find that out is to keep doing these tests in different kinds of places. After all, what might work for a sheriff's department in Iowa may not necessarily apply to the Tokyo PD."

More information: B. Ariel et al, Wearing body cameras increases assaults against officers and does not reduce police use of force: Results from a global multi-site experiment, European Journal of Criminology (2016). B. Ariel et al, Wearing body cameras increases assaults against officers and does not reduce police use of force: Results from a global multi-site experiment,(2016). DOI: 10.1177/1477370816643734
"Our detailed data proves a much sharper view of the actual dynamics of the troposphere," says theoretical chemist Joel Bowman. In this NASA photo of the space shuttle Endeavor, silhouetted against Earth's atmosphere, the troposphere is the orange layer. The white layer is the stratosphere and the blue is the mesosphere.

Chemists have identified a cascade of reactions for how mysterious molecules known as Criegee intermediates generate hydroxyl radicals  an oxidant that helps remove pollutants from the lower atmosphere.

Nature Chemistry is publishing the findings, a collaboration of Emory University and the University of Pennsylvania.

"We've solved another piece of the puzzle in the formation of hydroxyl radicals, by zooming in to see all the steps of the reaction in much finer detail than ever before," says co-author Joel Bowman, a theoretical chemist at Emory. "This kind of detailed data is important to atmospheric chemists trying to make predictive models for how the atmosphere will respond to climate change."

The Bowman group collaborated with the lab of experimental chemist Marsha Lester at the University of Pennsylvania.

The theoretical work revealed that a Criegee intermediate first produces highly energized vinyl hydroperoxide, or VHP, then rapidly decomposes to hydroxyl radicals, along with vinoxy byproducts.

In 2014, Lester's lab was the first to observe the creation of a hydroxyl radical by a Criegee intermediate in a laboratory setting. Many questions remained about the process, however, since it occurs so rapidly in the lab, as well as in the troposphere.

The turbulent troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, is where the weather happens. It's like a giant washing machine filled with molecules  hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen and all the other chemical byproducts of plant, animal and human activity that float up and mix with solar energy.

Hydroxyl radicals are sometimes called the detergent in this mix because they are extremely reactive to many common pollutants and greenhouse gases. When a hydroxyl radical encounters a molecule of sulfur dioxide, for instance, it steals its electrons and oxidizes it. Both the hydroxyl radical and the sulfur dioxide vanish, turning into an innocuous aerosol.

Most hydroxyl radicals are produced during the daytime as sunlight breaks down ozone, releasing oxygen atoms that react with water vapor and become hydroxyl radicals. About a third of the troposphere's hydroxyl radicals, however, are produced through a more mysterious process that can even occur at night.

The troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, is where the weather happens.

German scientist Rudolf Criegee proposed a hypothesis in 1949 for this process. He predicted the existence of another radical, known as the Criegee intermediate, as a step in the chain of reactions needed to produce hydroxyl radicals from ozone, without daytime solar energy.

"Alkene ozonolysis is a fancy term to describe the process Criegee proposed," Bowman says. "The Criegee intermediate, or carbonyl oxide, is one of the stepping stones in the process, but it has a lot of energy so it breaks up right after it forms. The Criegee intermediate was certainly possible  it followed the rules governing how bonds form and rearrange  but for decades it remained hypothetical."

It was not until 2012 that researchers managed to create a Criegee intermediate in a laboratory setting. That discovery was followed by the Lester lab's 2014 work: Actually tracking a Criegee intermediate through the reaction that results in a hydroxyl radical, using a technique known as infrared action spectroscopy.

For the current Nature Chemistry paper, the Lester lab teamed with the Bowman group to combine its experiments with theoretical modeling.

As theorists, the chemists in the Bowman group can slow down time, in a sense, to study and measure a reaction in more detail. "We have developed sophisticated algorithms and software codes that allow us to study chemical reactions at the ultimate level of detail," Bowman says. "Running the calculations for a reaction that occurs in picoseconds requires days of computer time, and we have to run it over and over again. The result is a mind-boggling data set, made up of billions of pieces, that we then have to analyze."

The theoretical results both extended the experimental work and were validated by them, giving an unprecedented insight into the multi-step cascade of reactions.

"What actually happens in the wild is so much more complicated than in a controlled laboratory setting," Bowman says. "Our detailed data provides a much sharper view of the actual dynamics of the troposphere."

Sophisticated experimental techniques, high-powered computers and powerful new algorithms are driving advances faster than ever before, he adds.

"A lot of science done prior to 50 years ago, before computers, involved brilliant people, like Rudolf Criegee, doing hypothetical work that they could not prove," Bowman says. "They would be bowled over by our capability now to actually settle many of these questions."

More information: Nathanael M. Kidwell et al. Unimolecular dissociation dynamics of vibrationally activated CH3CHOO Criegee intermediates to OH radical products, Nature Chemistry (2016). Journal information: Nature Chemistry Nathanael M. Kidwell et al. Unimolecular dissociation dynamics of vibrationally activated CH3CHOO Criegee intermediates to OH radical products,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/nchem.2488
Organic fragments extracted from the host rock of the Gaoyuzhuang macroscopic fossils showing well-preserved cellular structure. Credit: Maoyan Zhu.

Researchers said Tuesday they had uncovered fossils showing that complex life on Earth began more than 1.5 billion years ago, nearly a billion years earlier than previously thought.

But the evidence, published in Nature Communications, immediately provoked debate, with some scientists hailing it as rock solid, and others saying they were wholly unconvinced.

After first emerging from the primordial soup, life remained primitive and unicellular for billions of years, but some of those cells eventually congregated like clones in a colony.

Scientists even took to calling the later part of this period the "boring billion", because evolution seemed to have stalled.

But at some point there was another huge leaparguably second in importance only to the appearance of life itselftowards complex organisms.

This transition progressively gave rise to all the plants and animals that have ever existed.

Exactly when multi-cell eukaryotesorganisms in which differentiated cells each contain a membrane-bound nucleus with genetic materialshowed up has inflamed scientific passions for many decades.

The new study is sure to enrich that tradition.

"Our discovery pushes back nearly one billion years the appearance of macroscopic, multicellular eukaryotes compared to previous research," Maoyan Zhu, a professor at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, told AFP.

The fossils were uncovered in Hebei Province's Yanshan region, where Mao Zedong and his communist army hunkered down during World War II before coming to power.

Zhu and colleagues found 167 measurable fossils, a third of them in one of four regular shapesan indication of complexity.

No stranger to controversy

The largest measured 30 by eight centimetres (12 by three inches).

Taken together, they are "compelling evidence for the early evolution of organisms large enough to be visible with the naked eye," said Zhu.

"This totally renews current knowledge on the early history of life."

Decimetre-scale multicellular fossils from the 1.56-billion-year-old rocks of North China. Credit: Maoyan Zhu

Up to now, eukaryotes of comparable size have not shown up in the fossil record until about 600 million years ago, when a multitude of soft-bodied creatures inhabited the world's oceans.

Phil Donoghue, a professor of palaeobiology at the University of Bristol, described the discovery as a "big deal".

"They are not the oldest eukaryotes, but they are certainly the oldest demonstrably multicellular eukaryotes," he told AFP.

Their very existence 1.56 billion years ago would mean that "oxygen levels were sufficiently high to allow for such large organisms to subsist."

But other experts were more sceptical.

"There is nothing here to suggest that the specimens are eukaryotic, as opposed to bacterial," said Jonathan Antcliffe, a senior researcher in the University of Oxford's department of zoology.

Bacteria are, by definition, unicellular, and do not have distinct nuclei containing genetic material.

'Not enough detail'

Antcliffe suggested the fossils more likely corresponded to colonies of bacterial cells, rather than a single complex organism.

Truly multicellular creatures display three-dimensional form in which only some cells are in direct contact with the environment.

This is "critically important for function because it introduces transport problems for oxygen, nutrients, and signalling molecules" needed by the internal cells, Andrew Knoll of Harvard University explained in an article reviewing scientific literature on the origins of complex life.

Another researcher, Abderrazak El Albani of the University of Poitiers in France, said there simply wasn't enough detail in the study to back up the claim.

"The morphological measures, on their own, are absolutely insufficient to tell us if these organisms were multicellular, eucaryotes or complex," he told AFP when asked to comment.

El Albani is himself no stranger to controversy on this topic.

A 2010 study he published in Nature's flagship journalclaiming to have discovered the remains of 2.1 billion year old cell colonies in Gabonhas been widely challenged, including by Zhu and Antcliffe, who described it as "largely discredited."

Explore further Oldest biodiversity found in Gabonese marine ecosystem

More information: Decimetre-scale multicellular eukaryotes from the 1.56-billion-year-old Gaoyuzhuang Formation in North China, Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11500 Journal information: Nature Communications , Nature Decimetre-scale multicellular eukaryotes from the 1.56-billion-year-old Gaoyuzhuang Formation in North China,

 2016 AFP
Compilation of control rod cross-sectional images, showing results of high-temperature steam oxidation. Japanese researchers have mapped the distribution of boron compounds in a model control rod, paving the way for determining re-criticality risk within the reactor. Credit: Kyoto University

Decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant just got one step closer. Japanese researchers have mapped the distribution of boron compounds in a model control rod, paving the way for determining re-criticality risk within the reactor.

To this day the precise situation inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant is still unclear. "Removing fuel debris from the reactor contaminant vessel is one of the top priorities for decommissioning," says lead author Ryuta Kasada of Kyoto University.

Stainless steel tubes filled with boron carbide are used to control energy output in boiling water reactors, including at Fukushima Daiichi, as boron absorbs neutrons resulting from splitting atoms. With such control rods functioning properly, nuclear fission occurs at a steady rate. In an extreme situation, such as during the Fukushima accidents, where overheated vapors come in contact with the rods, boron reacts with surrounding materials like stainless steel to create molten debris.

"When melting happens, phenomena like relocation occur such that the boron atomstrapped in the debrisaccumulate towards the bottom of the reactor," explains Kasada. "This can lead to a lack of control agents in the upper core structure and thus a higher risk of re-criticality in those areas."

"It's crucial to get a picture of how boron atoms are distributed inside the reactor, so that we know which areas have higher risk of re-criticality. It's also important to know the chemical state of boron, as some boron compounds can affect the formation of radioactive materials released to the environment."

Kasada and colleagues filled a model control rod with steam at 1250 degrees Celsius to imitate conditions of a severe nuclear accident. The team then mapped the distribution of molten boron debris and simultaneously determined its chemical state with a soft x-ray emission spectrometer, in which they combined a new diffraction grating with a highly-sensitive x-ray CCD camera, equipped to a type of scanning electron microscope. The boron compoundsincluding boron oxide, boron carbide, and iron borideeach showed different peak structures on the x-ray spectrum.

"Previously this was only possible to visualize in large synchrotron radiation facilities. We've shown that the same is possible with laboratory-sized equipment."

"This finding demonstrated on a micro-scale what needs to be done in Fukushima," says Kasada. "This can't yet be applied in the field, but in the meantime, we plan to visualize the chemical state of other elements so as to create a sound materials base for decommissioning Fukushima."

Explore further Chemist discovers new information about elemental boron

More information: R. Kasada et al, Chemical State Mapping of Degraded B4C Control Rod Investigated with Soft X-ray Emission Spectrometer in Electron Probe Micro-analysis, Scientific Reports (2016). Journal information: Scientific Reports R. Kasada et al, Chemical State Mapping of Degraded B4C Control Rod Investigated with Soft X-ray Emission Spectrometer in Electron Probe Micro-analysis,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/srep25700
Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday urged the United States to "properly tackle the Taiwan question" during a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

It is hoped that the US will uphold its one-China policy and firmly stay committed to key joint statements released by the two countries, Wang was quoted as saying in a release issued by the Foreign Ministry.

Kerry said the US has not and will not change its position regarding Taiwan and it does not support "Taiwan independence".

The two sides also agreed to "continue communication and properly tackle maritime issues", the release said.

During the talk, Wang referred to a range of items between the two countries, including the upcoming annual China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the preparation for the G20 leaders' summit in Eastern China's Hangzhou in September.

Both sides are expected to "stay focused on cooperation, properly manage divergences and maintain the momentum of the healthy and stable development of China-US ties", Wang said.

The talk between Wang and Kerry came just four days before the inauguration of Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party, as the island's new leader.

While Tsai has talked about preserving the status quo in cross-Straits relations, she has not yet convinced people that DPP, which has long refused to endorse the 1992 Consensus that Taiwan and the mainland are both parts of one China, will give up pursuing the island's full independence from the mainland.

Zhu Weidong, deputy head of the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted by the Xinhua News Agency as saying that negating the consensus would disrupt the status quo of peace and stability promised by the incoming leader.

"Adherence to the consensus is not only a matter of principle, but also a gesture of good will from the mainland, because the principle has been consistent. The mainland has asked no more from the DPP than it did from the Kuomintang (KMT) since 2008," Zhu said.

Chen Shui-bian, the former Taiwan leader from the DPP, has pursued the island's formal "independence", which has complicated cross-Straits relations. Relations have improved dramatically after Ma Ying-jeou, the leader of Kuomintang, assumed leadership of the island in 2008.

Bilateral trade has reached $170 billion each year. And the Chinese mainland has become Taiwan's largest destination of investment and exports.

Taiwan also has long been a thorny issue between China and the US, with the US continuing to sell arms to the island and drawing strong protest from Beijing.
Criminal arrests listed on the State Police public information website May 14-16:

* Jared A. Bentley, 22, of Hartford, charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal obstruction of breathing and unlawful imprisonment May 13 in Hartford.

* Nathaniel Harrington, 35, of Hudson Falls charged with misdemeanor criminal possession of a controlled substance May 13 on Route 197 in Moreau.

* Nikia V. Butler, 32, of Troy, charged with misdemeanor promoting prison contraband May 15 at Washington Correctional Facility in Fort Ann.

* Dalton D. Vedder, 23, of Clifton Park, charged with misdemeanor driving while ability impaired by drugs, misdemeanor criminal possession of a controlled substance and non-criminal having a controlled substance outside its original container May 15 in Fort Ann.

* Joshua D. Moslander, 24, of Schuylerville, charged with misdemeanor aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, non-criminal unlawful possession of marijuana, disorderly conduct and harassment May 14 on Route 9 in Greenfield.

* Chelsea M. Gazaille, 21, of Thurman, charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated at 2:05 a.m. May 15 in Moreau.

* Michael P. Wager, 29, of Lake George, charged with misdemeanor DWI May 13 on Baker Crossing Road in Lake George.

* Sarah C. Dick, 28, of Warrensburg, charged with misdemeanor petit larceny May 13 on Dix Avenue in Queensbury.

* Karen E. Eichler, 37, of Queensbury, charged with misdemeanor DWI May 14 on Aviation Road in Queensbury.

* John R. Cuilla, 47, of Schuylerville, charged with misdemeanor DWI May 14 on Gates Avenue Extension in Schuylerville.

* Robert W. Gray, 60, of Hudson Falls, charged with misdemeanor DWI May 14 on Route 4 in Hudson Falls.

* Brian A. Ehntholt, 27, of Granville, charged with misdemeanor DWI May 14 on Ballard Road in Wilton.

* John C. House, 27, of Saratoga Springs, charged with misdemeanor DWI May 14 on Excelsior Avenue in Saratoga Springs.

* Michael D. Walsh, 25, of Salem, charged with misdemeanor petit larceny May 12 on Route 40 in Schaghticoke.

* Todd M. Tierney, 34, of Queensbury, charged with misdemeanor DWI May 14 on Canada Street in Lake George.

* Scott R. Bixby, 43 of Hampton, charged with misdemeanor criminal contempt May 13 in Granville.

* Rebecca R. Schultz, 21, of Gansevoort, charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal contempt and petit larceny May 13 in Wilton.

* Joseph M. Mach, 54, of Kattskill Bay, charged with misdemeanor aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and non-criminal unlawful possession of marijuana May 14 in Queensbury.
QUEENSBURY | SUNY Adirondack is one of 44 colleges throughout the country selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Educations Pell Grant Dual Enrollment Experiment, which will provide low-income high school students in the region with opportunities to earn tuition-free college credit while still in high school.

SUNY Adirondacks College Academy will partner with 12 schools in Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties, which were selected based on their location and high free and reduced lunch rate. Participating schools are Argyle, Corinth, Fort Ann, Fort Edward, Glens Falls, Granville, Hartford, Hudson Falls, North Warren, South Glens Falls, Warrensburg and Whitehall.

During the three-year experimental program, SUNY Adirondack will work with each school to find opportunities for students to acquire college credit. The college will partner with guidance counselors and school administrators to create the best path toward completing liberal arts classes as a start to college.

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, wrote a letter of support to help the college secure the funding.

Through SUNY Adirondacks College Academy, 3,628 students from 27 regional high schools have earned 15,240 college credits in the last four years, according to the college.
Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether 

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It is just here, we are almost there, She responds when asked if we are getting closer to her farm after walking for about two kilometers.

All these are cocoa farms," She proudly points to the vast lands of cocoa around us. "The one on our left is the late JBs farm. It was for his father.

You have to leave early, She says. You dont want the sun to meet you on the way.

She went into cocoa farming after her salon business collapsed. She was "the first to introduce hair dressing in Old Tafo."

But when her mother fell sick, things went south as she had to sell everything including her hair dyer to take care of her medical bill.

The only option for her after her mum died, was to go into cocoa farming.

Seven years later, she wonders if it was the best decision.

"Government needs to help so we can also get something out of cocoa to take care of ourselves. I was even better off when i was a hair dresser." She says.

Boahemaa is one of the many cocoa farmers in Old Tafo, who, after many years of cultivating this cash crop still wallow in abject poverty.

This cocoa season, the farmers reckon will even be worse as the bad weather has killed many of the cocoa plants. This only means less money and more difficult days ahead.

Ghana makes about 2 billion dollars annually as foreign earning from cocoa. Yet small scale farmers who make about 90 percent of farmers growing cocoa in the country are part of the poorest in Ghana.

ALSO READ : WHY YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES MAY BE POISONOUS

For 61 year old Janet Mawu whose husband died two years ago leaving her with 8 acres of cocoa farm to cultivate, government has been of insignificant help.

Life was already tough for her family and now that her husband is no more, things are even tougher for her, her seven children and twenty five grandchildren.

"I am the only one managing the cocoa farm of about 8 acres. The sun has destroyed all our cocoa. I am into this to take care of my children and grandchildren."

After over 20 years in the cocoa farming business Mawu says she has never earned enough to send any of her children to Senior High School.

"I can't take care of my children!" She yells while pointing to one of her children who is breastfeeding her baby. "They couldn't even complete JHS, they have all given birth. Now I have a heart problem but i am doing everything for my grandchildren and children."

People in Old Tafo are known for growing cocoa. But most of the farmers here live in poverty and barely have anything to show for their hussel over the years.

Even though government increased cocoa producer price last year to 420 cedis, Bata Peter like the rest of the farmers at Maase in the Abuakwa North constituency get about 300 cedis for a 64 kg of cocoa.

When I share the proceeds with my land owner and I calculate the amount I have pumped into maintaining the farm and the money I get after harvest, from all indications I lose money.

For these farmers, the most important thing is increasing their yeilds. They say it is not enough for government to provide the seedlings alone while the poor farmer bears the rest of the cost until harvest time.

"Now when you get the cocoa and you don't have money it will go to waste. Government has nursed the cocoa for us, but growing and nurturing the cocoa till harvest is the difficult part," According to Mawu.
NPP Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia asserted that the Bank of Ghana flouted the BOG Act Section 53 for diverting the 250 million dollars meant for the Ghana Infrastructure Fund to a private bank.

READ MORE:Bawumia asks Terkper to resign for violating BoG rules

He cited BOG ACT Section 53 to back his argument of no wrong done.

The Governor explained that "All government foreign exchange has to be in the custody of the Central Bank and when government needs its money they take the cedi equivalent. 

So the $250 million was not taken in they didn't take foreign exchange dollars it was sold to the Central Bank and the government took the equivalent in cedi to go and deposit elsewhere," Dr. Issahaku added.
Ayo Liadi; Oliver Alawuba; Ibrahim Puri; Uche Ike and Chuks Nweke, all of whom bring considerable experience to the Board and, as a sign of the depth of internal talent and the Group's commitment to fostering promotion of its own human capital , all have been promoted from within the Bank.

Ayo Liadi has over 20 years banking experience, having worked in Tier 1 banks in Nigeria and in West Africa, before joining UBA in January 2014 as the Director for Lagos and West Bank, overseeing over 200 branches of UBA.

A Chartered Accountant and graduate of Business Management from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ayo received the Dean's Award for Outstanding Academic Performance.

Oliver Alawuba, currently the CEO Africa, Anglophone, joined the UBA Group in 1997. A member of the Association of Bank Directors in Nigeria and also a Catholic Knight, Oliver had previously supervised the Banks Public Sector and Personal Banking businesses. Oliver has over 25 years of banking experience.

READ MORE: EXIM Bank signs MoU with United Bank for Africa to expand trade between US and Africa

Ibrahim Puri, currently Directorate Head of the North Bank is a graduate of Banking and Finance. He joined the UBA Group in 2006 and has contributed immensely to the growth of the Bank in both the private and public sectors. Ibrahim has over 25 years of banking experience.

Uche Ike the Group Chief Risk Officer, is a Chartered Accountant, with an MBA from the University of Benin.

He has been with the Group since 2006 and has served in a number of prominent roles, first as Group Head of Operations in South and South East Banks and then for a period of five years, as General Manager at the Banks New York branch.

Uche has over 27 years of banking experience. Chuks Nweke, currently the Head of Operations and Information Technology, is an accounting graduate of the University of Nigeria at Nsukka (best graduating student) and holds an MBA from the same university. Chuks is also a qualified Chartered Accountant. He has over 25 years of banking experience .

Congratulating the newly appointed Directors, the Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu said " These appointments will greatly assist in the plans we have to transform the UBA Group into a truly customer led bank and the foremost financial institution in Africa".

"These are exciting times for UBA", he continued. "And with this leadership, I have no doubt that the Bank will continue on its strong growth trajectory ".

The newly appointed Executive Directors join Kennedy Uzoka, who was appointed as the incoming Group CEO in March 2016. Kennedy will assume his role on the 1st of August, on the retirement of Phillips Oduoza.

Mr Uzoka said " Today I am extremely optimistic about the future of the Bank, these appointments show the strength of the talent available within UBA and demonstrate our commitment to institutionalisation. We could not have put together a better executive leadership team".

Board Chairman, Tony Elumelu, also commended outgoing Directors saying

"I take this opportunity to inform you that two of our Executive Directors, Femi Olaloku and Obi Ibekwe will be retiring from the Board effective June 30 and May 31, 2016 respectively. I would like to thank them for the enormous contributions they have made during their time of service".

At the Group strategy session, the Bank resolved to deepen its commitment to its pan Africa strategy and accelerate its expansion across the continent. The appointment of five Executive Directors today is a visible manifestation of the Group's strategic intent.
PRESS CONFERENCE ON MIGRATION OF SALARIES OF TUTORS OF COLLEGES OF EDUCATION - BY AGGRIEVED MEMBERS OF CETAGWe, the aggrieved members of Colleges of Education Teachers' Association of Ghana (CETAG), wish to express our frustration and displeasure for the unfair delay by the Fair Wages and Salaries' Commission and the Government of Ghana to migrate and pay us appropriate salaries as teachers in other tertiary institution. We wish to draw the attention of the nation to the fact that the problem of migration and non-payment of appropriate salaries to CETAG members has existed for the past 12 years (2004-2016), for which we partly blame the National Labour Commission (NLC) for their consistent refusal to give attention to our 12-year old plight of performing duties without commensurate payment of salaries and allowances as pertain to teachers in other tertiary institutions in Ghana.It would be recalled that in the year 2004, Colleges of Education became diploma awarding institutions just like Polytechnics that were until recently diploma awarding institutions in Ghana. The first batch of students successfully completed their diploma programmes in 2007. At the beginning of the diploma programme in 2004, Colleges of Education were made to understand that some structures had to be put in place for a full take off of Colleges of Education as tertiary institutions. It took governments of Ghana eight (8) long years (2004-2012) to put the necessary structures in place before the passage of Colleges of Education Act (Act 847) in 2012. It is to be noted that Colleges of Education Act 847 was given a presidential assent by the late President John Evans Attah-Mills in the same year (i.e. 2012). We the tutors of Colleges of Education in Ghana thought that the 8-year period (2004-2012) that the past governments of Ghana used to put relevant structures in place before passing the Colleges of Education Act in 2012 was enough for immediate migration of tutors onto tertiary payroll and appropriate salaries paid. But to our utmost surprise, in 2012, when the Colleges of Education Act was passed, the Government of Ghana claimed that it was putting additional structures in place for tutors of Colleges of Education to be migrated onto the appropriate payroll as a way of legally recognising the Colleges as tertiary institutions.It is regrettable, sad and disappointing to note that since the passage of the CoE Act, college infrastructure has received the 'touch' of tertiarization; the teacher- trainee has received the 'baptism' of tertiarization, while the human resource maning both the said infrastructure and the trainee have been denied their rightful remuneration. This revelation sounds paradoxical and shocking to fair-minded and humane- hearted listeners of our lamentations. But dear audience, the demoralizing working condition in the CoE is a stubborn reality,Even up till now (2016), the government has not been able to put necessary measures in place to migrate tutors of Colleges of Education onto the appropriate payroll.AS A RESULT OF THESE FRUSTRATIONS AND UNFAIR TREATMENTS, WE THE AGGRIEVED MEMBERS OF THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION OF GHANA (CETAG), AFTER 12 YEARS OF PERFORMING TERTIARY DUTIES WITHOUT MIGRATION AND PAYMENT OF APPROPRIATE SALARIES, WISH TO ISSUE THIS ULTIMATUM TO THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA TO RESOLVE ALL MIGRATION ISSUES AND PAY APPROPRIATE AND DESERVING SALARIES TO MEMBERS OF CETAG BY THE END OF MAY, 2016. WE WISH TO STATE CLEARLY THAT ANY FURTHER DELAY OR REFUSAL OF THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA TO MIGRATE AND PAY APPROPRIATE SALARIES TO CETAG MEMBERS BY THE END OF MAY 2016 WOULD LEAD TO INDEFINITE SUSPENSION OF THE FOLLOWING DUTIES UNTIL ALL ISSUES REGARDING MIGRATION AND OTHER RELATED MATTERS ARE COMPLETELY RESOLVED.1. Suspension of teaching and other related duties such as supervision and marking of internal examination, quizzes and assessments2. Suspension of action research supervision of student teachers and withholding of action research results of these student teachers.3. Suspension of weekly T-TEL workshop programme for Tutors of Colleges of Education in Ghana.4. Withdrawal from all co-curricula activities.We urge the National Labour Commission, the Ministry of Education, the National Council for Tertiary Education and the Fair Wages and Salaries' Commission to sit up and do what is right to end this 12-year old maltreatment of tutors of Colleges of Education in Ghana. WE WISH TO INDICATE STRONGLY THAT CETAG MEMBERS CANNOT CONTINUE PERFORMING LABORIOUS TERTIARY DUTIES IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS TO GET DIPLOMA CERTIFICATES WHILE TEACHERS WHO CONTINUE TO SPEND HUGE SUMS OF MONEY ON PERSONAL ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ALSO TEACHING TERTIARY COURSES DO NOT ENJOY APPROPRIATE CONDITIONS OF SERVICE MEANT FOR TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS LIKE OURS. Thank you!Issued By: Aggrieved members of CETAG from the 5 zones of Ghana
There has been talks that we should patronise made in Ghana goods. What we fail to realise is, this is a bigger portion of made in Ghana goods. This is part of our infrastructure. If we get it right, we will get a lot from it When you go to Nigeria, you will not hear Ghanaian music. Forget it. Their industry booms. If we push that agenda, it will bring shows because organisers will focus on artistes over here, he told Abrantepa on Radio Univers mid-morning show, Brunch2Lunch, Monday.

The Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture days ago welcomed the announcement by the leadership team at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) that 90% local music will be played across its 18 radio stations.

Reports suggest that the 90% quota will ensure that local artists benefit financially.

For Qweci, the development is, the best thing to happen to their industry eventhough without the law, they play more South African songs.

He continued: It is time they did that because their music is unique so they feel they have to protect not only those in the mainstream but the upcoming.

He stated that the practice of playing more foreign songs was affecting the industry negatively.

Mr President, it is sad to wake up and turn on the radio only to hear 90 % of the radio shows and 80% of the radio stations playing foreign music as music made in Ghana begs to make it onto their playlist. This practice is killing the talents in Ghana at the rate that even upcoming talents die out before trying to make it out, and our legends ( the pioneers ) cannot be heard anymore because most playlist are busy promoting foreign (both old and new) music in Ghana.
Ultimately, the GCIC is expected to help more than 300,000 Ghanaians increase their resilience to climate change.

The Ghana CIC solidifies the role of the private sector in helping Ghana manage the effects of climate change, said Henry Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Ghana. By enabling entrepreneurs and green innovators to test and scale new clean technologies, homegrown business solutions can help the country build climate resilience, while also contributing to job creation and economic development.

According to the World Bank report , without a proper green growth strategy, Ghanas agricultural GDP is projected to decline by 3 to 8% by the middle of the century. Coastal erosion from rising sea levels could result in significant loss of land and forced migration, while extreme weather events could further strain the countrys infrastructure.

READ : Poorer countries suffer the most despite contributing the least to carbon emissions

To reduce the long-term cost of climate change and create opportunities for sustainable growth, the GCIC will provide local companies with the knowledge and resources they need to prototype, develop, and market innovative clean technologies in sectors like climate-smart agriculture, waste water treatment, and off-grid renewable energy.

The services offered by the centre will include see financing, policy interventions, and market connections, as well as technical and business training.

Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the centre will be managed by a consortium led by Ashesi University College with Ernst & Young, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, and the United Nations UniversityInstitute for Natural Resources in Africa.
The two will on Wednesday morning pay a courtesy call on Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. President Mahama will later hold talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and will witness the signing of agreements and issue a Joint Statement.

Prime Minister Abe and his wife will host an official dinner in honour of President and Mrs. Mahama on Wednesday.

Her Excellency the First Lady will also meet with the spouse of the Prime Minister, Mrs. Akie Abe on Wednesday and address a meeting with the wives of African Heads of Mission in Tokyo, Female Ambassadors and Leaders of Japanese Women Groups.

Accompanying the President are the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hanna S. Tetteh (MP), Minister for Roads and Highways, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini (MP), Deputy Minister for Finance Mona Quartey and Deputy Minister for Local Government & Rural Development, Emmanuel Agyekum.
"The new appointment which took effect immediately is a routine management practice and I have accordingly handed over the management of the region to my successor ACP Timothy Yoosa Bonga on 16 May 2016," COP Dampare said in a statement.

"...I wish to thank the Police Administration, officers and men within Accra region and all stakeholders, including the media, civil society groups, religious groups, political parties and the entire populace of the metropolis for their enormous contribution and cooperation for the entire police command during my tenure."As I take up the new appointment I will beseech all to continue to give same support to my successor and his team to keep Accra safe, especially during the upcoming election," the newly appointed Commandant of the Ghana Police Command and Staff College (GPCSC) at Winneba added.
The registration drive was organised by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP) in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and supervised by the sector Minister, Mrs Nana Oye Lithur, who was accompanied by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon John Alexander Ackon, during a working visit to the Ashanti Region.

The registration was in fulfillment of governments commitment to expanding access to quality healthcare which is essential to the overall human resource development of, especially, the vulnerable groups, the governments Information Services Department has said.

Lithur said the exercise formed part of the social intervention programmes of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP).

She said the elderly would be provided with the Eban card to enable them skip queues in banks, hospitals and bus terminals, and give them priority in accessing other social services.

The kayayei were also being offered workshops focused on health and social service delivery, including pregnancy tests, legal information and sexual, and gender-based violence.
The man, Evangelist Vandal, 32, is reported to have registered in the recent Electoral Commission (EC)s Limited Voter Registration exercise, aided by a Ghanaian, Solomon Kpakpo Addo who served as his guarantor.

Speaking to Joy News Public Relation Officer of the Tema Regional Police, ASP Juliana Obeng said police caught the man during investigations over a stolen phone.

Police officials said Vandal was arrested on May 12 over the stolen phone but during interrogation, police spotted ink on his finger. They asked how he got it to which he said he took part in the voting registration, ASP Obeng said.

Vandal, who was staying in Community 1 had been in Ghana for six months and said he thought that made him a Ghanaian and so needed to take part in the recent registration.

ASP Obeng said he and Addo were currently in the custody of the police alongside his guarantor Addo to be prepared for court.
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The event which will be held at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban on July 16, 2016 is organised to celebrate and help accelerate the fight against HIV/AIDS.

This will be the first visit of Queen Latifah to Africa, she would be sharing the stage with US rap star Common, South African stars such as Mi Casa and Big Nuz, and a host of dignitaries.
The movie producer mentioned this on Wednesday, March 23, 2016, in an interview with Encomium.ng.

He said, I am repeating it, no producer must deal with her again. Any producer that doesn't heed the warning will find him or herself to blame. It's not a threat, it's a promise.

Seun Egbegbe, who was asked to report to the office of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, on Monday, May 16, 2016, has now agreed to desist from disturbing the actress.

He signed an undertaking never to hurt or disturb Toyin whether privately or in company of people, according to PeoplesPost.

Egbegbe also agreed to make a new video with Goldmyne TV as proof of his willingness to comply with the promise not to disturb the actress.
Oriyomi, an indigene of Ilorin, Kwara State, had allegedly lured the girl into his house on Alhaji Yinusa Street in the area and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her on April 9, 2016.

He had pleaded that he raped her because his girlfriend had refused to visit him and he was starved of sex, and hence had to drag the girl into his room while she was sent on an errand by her grandmother. After the rape, he allegedly gave the girl the sum of N200.

The act was uncovered after the girl's mother who had travelled out of Lagos, returned from her trip and discovered a whitish substance in her private parts and after probing her, the victim confessed that Oriyomi raped her.

The matter was reported at the Bariga Police Division, before it was referred to the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters.
It has gotten so bad that many Nigerians try to improvise for every situation just like patients taking their generating sets to hospitals to be able to power their rooms while on admission.
Read her letter here:

"My name is Mercy and I have a story to tell, hoping fellow readers will help me out. I am a 42-year-old single mother. I have three children, with my first daughter who is 19, pregnant after she was

After my husband left me some years ago, I decided to move on with my life and do my best to give my children a good life because their father abandoned them for me to take care of.

I dedicated myself to doing God's work and made sure my children followed in the same path. When we moved to another location, I joined a church and just like before, we quickly became so dedicated that we were seen as the model family. The pastor praised me and children every time he is on the pulpit.

My children became so close to his family that they often spent weekends there. One thing I should state is that the pastor who has been married for over 20 years, is yet to have a child of his own, so he dotted on my children and took them as theirs.

But little did I know that he was grooming my daughter for something else until I noticed a sudden change in her. She became lazy, sluggish and slept at odd times. I needed no soothsayer to tell me that my daughter was pregnant but I still took her to the hospital for a test and it was revealed that she was already four months gone.

She initially refused to say who was responsible but after a lot of persuasion and threats, she opened up that our pastor had raped her about three times and warned her never to tell anyone or he would command invoke death on her.

I am at a loss at the moment and do not know how to handle the issue which will become a serious scandal if it blows out.

Can someone help me out there?

Mercy."

The teaser for the day was:

How Nigeria voted:

I will hand him over to the police - 38%

He must marry my daughter - 17%

I will disgrace him in the church - 32%

I will get my daughter an abortion and keep quiet - 16%
The labour unions' move is despite the restraining order issued against the action by the National Industrial Court against the planned strike.

The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami had filed a suit challenging the proposed action of the unions.

According to Vanguard, the decision was reached at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, held on Tuesday, May 17, at the NLC headquarters in Abuja.

Our decision not to suspend the strike was further fuelled by todays injunction by the Industrial Court,restraining us from proceeding on the strike expected to begin tomorrow, a source told the newspaper.
They also accused the Governor of not keeping the campaign promise he made before he was elected.

The spokesman of the group, Muntari Sale, also said the state government has not shown any concern for those living with disability.

He said We demand that the governor of the state, Malam Nasir El-Rufai and members of the State House of Assembly to fulfil the promises they made to us during their campaign while seeking for votes from us, he said.

The Governor promised us that he will not ban street begging until he makes adequate arrangement for our upkeep and welfare.

He promised that 30 per cent of our members would be giving employment anytime the state government has a programme running which has not been met, he also promised to provide for the sick, educate our children and employ those in different skills with a view to easing the suffering of the people living with disability.
Mohammed said the new price was introduced for the country to survive as government could no longer afford the foreign exchange spent by the NNPC to import petrol.

According to him, the nation's earnings had dropped to about 550 million dollars because of the fall in the price of crude oil, and government needed about that amount to import fuel.

"If we continue along this line, we will get to a point where the country will be completely broke.

"That is why this policy has become absolutely necessary and we have no option.

"We are therefore seeking the understanding of all Nigerians and appealing to the organised labour to sheathe their sword.

"This is not the time for any action that will further worsen the economy. The situation is dire, not just in Nigeria but elsewhere around the world", he said.

Mohammed gave the instance of United Arab Emirates, which had announced that fuel prices would be deregulated with effect from Aug. 1, 2016.

He added that in response to fiscal pressure caused by the fall in crude oil prices, OPECs top oil producer - Saudi Arabia - had announced a plan to raise fuel prices.

The minister assured that the suffering brought about by the new price regime would be for a very short time.

"It is only going to be a temporary hardship because with the discipline of this government and political will, things will be put in shape.

"The moment we liberalise and open the market up, there will be competition and the price will come down and there will be petrol glot", he said.

The minister noted that government was working hard to ensure that the refineries which are already working, worked to optimum capacity.

In addition, he said government had opened bids inviting people to invest in modular refineries to be located close to existing major ones for access to crude.

He said the modular refineries were expected to refine 650,000 barrels of crude a day while the refinery under construction by the business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, would also refine 750,000 barrels of crude daily.

Mohammed said that with all these in place, Nigeria would become a net exporter of fuel and other petroleum products by 2019.

He said in order to cushion the immediate effects of the new price regime, government had put in place a number of palliatives which were captured in the 2016 budget.

"The entire 2016 Budget is packed with palliatives.

"Some 500,000 billion naira has been set aside for social intervention that will touch the lives of millions of Nigerians and lift millions more out of poverty.

"Five hundred thousand graduates are to be employed and trained as teachers and 370,000 non-graduates (artisans, technicians) will be trained and employed.

"Also, 1.6 million people (farmers, market women, etc) to be granted loans to set up small businesses and Conditional Cash Transfer will be made to the most vulnerable people.

"There is also school feeding targeting 5.5 million school children as well as Bursaries/Scholarships for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students", he said.

The minister said government carried along critical stakeholders before announcing the new price regime.

He said the issue was discussed at a meeting a week ago and was attended by representatives of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, PENGASSAN, and NUPENG.
The faction took the decision after reaching an agreement with the Federal Government to set up a committee to resolve agitations over the new pump price.

According to Channels TV, the committee is expected to address the downward review of the pump price, determine new minimum wage and consult with the PPPRA for effective price regulation of petroleum products.

The committee is to submit its report in two weeks.

Meanwhile, representatives of the government is said to be in an ongoing meeting with the other faction of the NLC led by Wabba Ayuba.

It had earlier been reported that Wabba's faction and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have resolved to proceed with nationwide strike, beginning on Wednesday, May 18, against the order of the National Industrial Court.
The meeting started at about 6:30pm on Monday, May 16, 2016 and ended without a concrete resolution at about 12 am on Tuesday, May 17, 2016.

This Day reports that a source said the government argued that labours call for an increase in the minimum wage is ill timed.

The government team also said that certain measures have been put in place to cushion the effect of the fuel price increase.

The source said labour refused the governments offer and insisted that the minimum wage must be increased.

Speaking to newsmen, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Mr. Ayuba Wabba said We discussed those issues, including the demands we made. Then government presented its position, but as you are aware, our organisations are very democratic so we need to go back and consult before our meeting tomorrow (today).

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state, who is a former NLC President was on the governments team.

Oshiomhole said Youve organised strikes and those strikes have not helped in increasing wages. So it is time to make tough choices. The president is socially concerned but the fundamentals have changed.

The negotiations are expected to continue today, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, by 3 pm.
Punch reports that the Managing Director, Primero Transport Limited, Fola Tinubu said transport fares will not be increased.

Tinubu also said The introduction of the 50 buses was undertaken by the governor to reduce the effect of the hike in fuel price on Lagosians in the hope that more people in Ikorodu and its environs will enjoy the BRT service while leaving their vehicles at home.

This will go a long way in reducing traffic to the road users and waiting time at various terminals.

The multiplier effect of this development is the creation of more employment opportunities for drivers, fleet officers, inspectors, mechanics and ticketers, among others, for the smooth running and operations of the scheme.
A Federal Government team led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, had held a meeting with the leadership of the NLC on Monday, May 16, over the proposed strike, but the meeting was adjourned till Tuesday (today) after the two parties could not reach an agreement.

Unconfirmed reports however said the meeting ended in a deadlock because the NLC was not ready to meet the government halfway as a reversal of N120 was proposed. But labour was said to have insisted on total reversal.

It was gathered that after the meeting with the NLC, the SGF, with Governor Adams Oshiomole part of the government negotiation team, also met with the leadership of NUPENG, Electricity Workers Union and their own allies.

The second meeting, according to the SGF, was also adjourned but was fruitful.

Confirming the fruitful outcome of the meeting, the Executive Secretary of the Electricity Workers Union, Joe Ajaero, told newsmen that the unions are backing out of the proposed NLC strike.

However, the National Industrial Court has ordered the NLC to suspend the proposed strike, which was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 18, 2016.
Ayuba and his team were said to have walked out of the meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday night, May 17 (today) at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.

Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Wabba affirmed that the indefinite strike will proceed as planned on Wednesday, May 17.

However, the Federal Government has threatened that its no work, no pay policy will take effect from Wednesday, if the NLC goes ahead with the strike.
The companys Acting Managing Director, George Marks, made this known in Lagos at the weekend during the Investors Relation Forum.

He said that the company is mobilizing to site on the strength of the provisions of the 2016 budget.

We are lifting our suspension of work at the Lagos-Shagamu expressway, the Institute for Legislative Studies and the corporate headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) because we have seen adequate commitment with the amount allocated in the 2016 budget, Marks said.

JBN had suspended work on the ongoing reconstruction of Section 1 of the Lagos-Sagamu-Ibadan Expressway project, and several other projects over lack of payment from the Federal Government.

Marks said it was necessary to suspend work as the company would plunge into heavy debt crisis if work was not stopped. We experienced delayed payment on all levels, we have seen provision for doubtful repayment increase from N1.3 billion to N10 billion.

As a consequence, client inability to meet contractual obligations in a timely manner substantially impacted the industry and forced a reduction to low working load of 30 per cent, and a downsize of staff from 18,000 to 11,000, he said.
He said the continued bombing of offshore facilities has led to a decline of cruse oil production from 2.2 million barrels to 1.4 million barrels daily.

The minister also said we declined from 2.2 million barrels which was the focus of the 2016 budget to 1.4 million barrels as of today

There are still a whole lot of things we need to pay attention to; infrastructure is key, but we have not as a country over the last 20 years invested in infrastructure in the oil sector.

Our pipelines are 35 years old and none has been replaced; we have not been able to put gas infrastructure in place, our refineries are next to comatose and old and we are working hard on them.

Kachikwu said this while fielding questions from members of the House of Representatives, in the Green Chambers on Monday, May 16, 2016.

He also assured the lawmakers that his ministry is doing all it can to repair the affected pipelines, adding that Our critical facilities are at a breakdown stage, so no serious infrastructure has taken place.

No country in the world will expect that the price system in the country will benefit its citizens if it doesnt invest in infrastructure.

The minister also suggested that new pipeline infrastructures be put in place to ensure easy flow of crude to different points in the country.
The group also accused President Buhari of denying indigenes of Niger Delta ownership of oil blocs when he was the petroleum minister.

The Daily Sun reports that the IYC President, Udengs Eradiri, said One of the most salient issues which if not addressed will lead to more crisis is the issue of the oil blocs.

Oil blocs were shared to one group. Look at it, either the person (owner of oil bloc) was a former military president or relative of the military president or an in-law to a military president.

That is one of the biggest issues that, if not addressed, there will be more Niger Delta Avengers, you will see groups and groups that will spring up until the issue is addressed.

The Ijaw group known for its vocal pronouncements, has debunked claims that former President Goodluck Jonathan is the founder of the new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).
OBJ also said he regretted not privatising the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

He said this at a maritime stakeholders conference organised by the ministry of transportation in Lagos state, on Monday, May 16, 2016.

The former President said I was instrumental to the reform and establishment of the NNPC from the Nigerian National Oil Corporation. Had I known that it would be mismanaged, I would have done something better. I would have privatised it and put it on the stock Exchange.

The NLNG didnt go the way of the NNPC because of the way it was organised. Fifty-one per cent is owned by private investors, both foreign and indigenous, while 49 per cent is owned by the government. In fact, the NLNG has been making money ever since the initial capital investment. From three trains, we are going to seven trains.

OBJ also added that The institutions that are important in the country, which have not worked, we have to make them work. We can use the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas company as a model.

We should look into these areas and think outside of the box. Until the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency became a place where people stole money, nobody knew much about it. Now, everybody wants to work there. Look at the National Inland Waterways Authority, the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron and the Nigeria Ports Authority, which we tried to privatise. These are institutions we can make to work.
Yero was arrested on Monday, May 16, 2016, in connection with funds shared by former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke prior to the 2015 elections, Daily Trust reports.

The agency also reportedly arrested the Kano state governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the elections, Salihu Sagir Takai.

The PDP Kano Secretary, Auwalu Ibrahim Danzabuwa was also reportedly arrested.

If the commission is serious about the fight against corruption, it should extend its operation to some APC members because they too shared campaign money during last general elections, a Kano PDP chieftain, Musa Iliyasu Kwankwaso told Daily Trust.

This campaign fund is a tradition in Nigerian politics and all political parties did the same thing in 2015 election, he added.

Meanwhile, the EFCC has also arresteda former Principal Private Secretary to ex-president, Goodluck Jonathan, Hassan Tukur.

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Jia Yueting, co-founder and head of Le Holdings Co Ltd, poses for a photo in front of a logo of his company after a Reuters interview at LeEco headquarters in Beijing, China, picture taken April 22, 2016.[Photo/Agencies]

Chinese tech company Le Holdings Co Ltd, also known as LeEco and formerly as LeTV, has invested nearly 3 billion yuan ($460.2 million) to tap the domestic property sector.

Shanghai Shimao Co Ltd said in a statement issued late Monday that it will transfer 100 percent stake in its two units, Beijing Fortune Times Property Co Ltd and Beijing Baiding New Century Commercial Management Co, to LeEco for 2.92 billion yuan and 52 million yuan respectively.

It's not the first time that LeEco has invested in the real estate industry. In November, LeEco bought 400,000 square kilometers of commercial and residential land for 421 million yuan in Longxing town, Southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

According to the statement, Shanghai Shimao is estimated to earn 700 million yuan from the transaction. Meanwhile, the company will cooperate with LeEco in diversified regions to optimize its business structure.

Aside from LeEco, some domestic internet firms have entered the housing market. In 2014, Lei Jun, founder and CEO of China's tech company Xiaomi, invested 100 million yuan in YOU+ International Youth Apartment, a rental service for those aged below 45.

Founded in November 2004 by Jia Yueting, LeEco is engaged in myriad businesses, spanning from television, smartphones, automobiles, video, sports, internet finance and cloud services.

Last month, LeEco held a "cross-category" product launch, showcasing new devices, including the Le 2 smartphone series, super television, Le VR and a self-driving electric vehicle LeSEE.
The group has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks on oil facilities in the egion.

Tompolo stated this in a signed statement and made available to newsmen in Warri, Delta State on Monday, May 16.

He said the continuous military siege on Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area, his commune, is unnecessary because he has nothing to do with the NDA.

It baffles me that the Nigerian military has refused to believe that I am not part of the group and its activities.

I am obviously a victim of circumstance in this matter because of my case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), he said.

He said government was wrongly informed that he is behind the new militant group.

May I once again point out that those accusing me of the destruction of oil facilities in part of Delta are simply looking for relevance, recognition and pipeline surveillance contracts, he said.
The upcoming event is set to hold on Sunday May 29, 2016 at the Eko Hotel Convention Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

A play from one of Femi Branchs new books in celebration of his 25th anniversary, it also features the acting talents of Steve Yaw Onu and AY Makun.

ALSO READ: undefined

"Shalanga" is a satirical stage play that mirrors the past and present of the country in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. It is the latest in a series of stage collaborations between Yaw and Femi Branch, following previous edition of the show that featured Koffi in a stage play PO.

In addition to the stage play, the night will also feature performances from Phyno, Olamide, Korede Bello, Reekado Banks, Burna Boy, Solidstar, Seyi Shay, Adekunle Gold, YCEE, Naomi Mac, Reminisce, Humblesmith, Lil Kesh, Vector among other entertainers.

ALSO READ: undefined

Femi Branch's upcoming movie includes "Aunt Maria," which has the actor play two different characters - an old man, and an old woman. The movie tells the story of how a father's love goes beyond the grave.
The Lagos APCs comments were contained in a statement issued by Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe.

It reads:

At a time Nigeria is being held hostage, with multi billion worth of our oil and gas facilities being blown up left and right with reckless abandon, turning the whole country into total darkness and causing the country to lose 800,000 barrels of crude oil daily, it is good news to have Lagos, the land of civilization to join the club of oil producing States.

In the fullness of time we know that the wise and civilized Lagosians will never behave primitively like the economic saboteurs from the Niger Delta who militarize their environment, destroy oil and gas installations, put Nigeria in total darkness, destroy their environment, pollute their lands and waters, hurt their 13% derivation, and render their own people jobless.

Lagos economy has been on the rise since 1999, competing effectively with many countries in Africa including Cameroun, Ghana, Senegal, Cotede voire and with the advent of oil fields in Lagos, we have no doubt that it will grow far bigger than these countries in few years to come.

This monumental achievement in Lagos has left a huge lesson that God has not finished with Nigeria as oil or gold can be found in any part of Nigeria irrespective of tribe, tongue, culture or tradition.

Coming at a time when Lagos has recorded even a surplus in Revenue generation in the first quarter of 2016 , Lagos APC believes that His Excellency Governor Akinwunmi Ambode will leave an indelible mark, the type never seen in the history of Lagos.

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The newly elected Secretary of PDP BOT, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, made the position known in Abuja on Monday, May 16, while briefing newsmen after the Board's meeting.

"In spite of the well-articulated reservations by well-respected and articulate elders and members that the convention should not go ahead, the BOT has decided to support the NWC that our national convention should hold on May 21," Maduekwe said.

"Secondly, that all the grievances that have been well articulated by well-meaning elders and interest groups would be clearly look into in the process of party reconciliation to see how we can carry everybody along."

He said that the grievances that would be given attention would be those aimed at making the party stronger and not to pull it down.

The scribe said the party would look into states that encountered problems in their congresses and make amendment.

Maduekwe added that the committee also resolved to urge the National Executive Committee to make a resolution at the convention that the party's 2019 presidential candidate should come from the north.

"Part of our resolution is also that the review of the party constitution should be suspended," he added.

"When that happens the position of chairmanship will automatically shift to the south in accordance with PDP constitution."

Answering questions, Professor Jerry Gana, a member of the BOT, made clarification on an allegation that he obtained N500 million from a bank in the name of the party.

Gana said that the money was obtained from the bank by the Fund-Raising Committee for 2015 general elections as the party was unable to finance its activities and the fund-raising dinner.

He said that an account was opened for the money of which the party financial secretary and treasurer were signatories.

He said the expectation was that the party would pay back the loan from the generated fund, adding that the matter is already in court since the party refused to pay.
Speaking to France's Roman Catholic newspaper, La Croix, Francis also said Europe should better integrate migrants and praised the election of the new Muslim mayor of London as an example of where this had been successful.

"Faced with current Islamist terrorism, we should question the way a model of democracy that was too Western was exported to countries where there was a strong power, as in Iraq, or Libya, where there was a tribal structure," he said.

"We cannot advance without taking these cultures into account," the pope said.

"As a Libyan said recently, 'We used to have one Gaddafi, now we have fifty", Francis said in reference to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who was deposed and killed in 2011.

Francis has frequently attacked what he calls "cultural colonialism", in which Western countries seek to impose their values on developing ones in return for financial aid.

The pope said that "ghettoising" migrants was not only wrong but was also misguided in the fight against terrorism.

He cited the militant attacks in Brussels in March when three suicide bombers killed 32 people, in which "the terrorists were Belgians, children of migrants, but they came from a ghetto".

By contrast, the pope praised this month's election of Sadiq Khan as the first Muslim mayor of London.

"In London, the new mayor was sworn in in a cathedral and will probably be received by the queen. This shows the importance for Europe to regain its ability to integrate," Francis said.
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!
However, there are some things that we observed.

1. When you realize Micheal Scofield is not dead.

ALSO READ: 5 things only those who watched Nollywood movie trailers in the 90s will understand

2. That he has been in prison all along.

3. Help them count the number of years they have been trying to break jail.

4. Almost 13 years.

6. Just use these men as officers

7. And Nigerians can break the prison in 30 minutes

ALSO READ: 20 weirdest tattoos of all time

8. Maybe all Scofield needs is to visit this church to destroy the forces stopping him from breaking prisons.

9. We hope at the end of this season he will finally leave prison.
Twenty people were killed and more than 120 injured in the bombing on Aug. 17 at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok when it was thronged with tourists. Five of the dead were from China and two from Hong Kong.

No group claimed responsibility.

Analysts, diplomats and even some officials suspected the attack was linked to sympathisers of the Uighur Muslim minority in western China angered by the Thai junta's deportation of more than 100 Uighurs to China the previous month.

But Thai police ruled out "terrorism" as a motive and said the perpetrators were members of a network that trafficked Uighurs and launched the attack in anger at a Thai crackdown on the trade.

Police have arrested two suspects, Yusufu Mieraili and Adem Karadag, both of whom are Uighurs, and have issued arrest warrants for 15 other people, eight of whom are thought to be either Turkish or in Turkey, according to warrants and police statements.

Karadag and Mieraili have denied all charges against them.

"I'm not an animal," a shaven, shackled and barefoot Karadag told reporters, as two guards led him into a military court.

"I'm human, I'm human."

Inside the court, the tearful Karadag lifted his shirt, pointed to bruises and said through an interpreter that he had been beaten twice this month in custody, a Reuters witness said.

The judge said he would investigate and would consider a request by Karadag's lawyer for a transfer.

Karadag's lawyer, Schoochart Kanpai, said earlier his client had been tortured into confessing.

A stony-faced Mieraili appealed for help.

"We're innocent, help us, help us, where are the human rights?" Mieraili said as he emerged from a prison van outside the court.

Lawyers said more than 250 witnesses could be called for the prosecution and defence. Schoochart said he hoped the trial would be over by the end of 2016, but it could drag on a year longer.

Police say Karadag was caught on CCTV footage at the shrine, sitting on a bench and slipping off a bulky backpack before walking away, just before the blast.

Most Uighurs, who speak a Turkic language, live in China's violence-plagued Xinjiang region. Exiles and human rights groups say Uighurs chafe under government policies that restrict their culture and religion.
The West is counting on the U.N.-backed unity government to tackle Islamic State in Libya and stop new flows of migrants heading across the Mediterranean, though the newly instated leaders are still not in control of the capital city, Tripoli.

Speaking after a meeting of about two dozen ministers in Vienna, Fayaz Seraj, the head of the Government of National Accord (GNA), said that with his administration now taking shape, he would be giving a list of weapons to relevant authorities "as soon as possible".

International powers have repeatedly said they would support Libyan efforts once a unity government was in place and had made its demands clear.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said such a request made sense but would need to be "carefully sculpted".

"We have now had a request come to us and obviously (it has) to be discussed and go through the process with respect to the U.N.," Kerry said.

"It's a delicate balance, but all of us here are supportive of the fact that if you have a legitimate government and the legitimate government is struggling against terrorism, that legitimate government should not be made the prisoner, or should not be victimised, by virtue of the U.N. action," he said.

The Libyan government is allowed to import weapons and related materiel with the approval of a U.N. Security Council committee overseeing the embargo imposed in 2011.

In March last year, eight Security Council members delayed approval of a request by Libya to import weapons, tanks, jets and helicopters to take on Islamic State militants.

U.N. sanctions monitors had told the Security Council committee they were concerned that, if the request was approved, some of the weapons and equipment could be diverted to militia groups.

Sanctions were renewed this March.

Major world powers are banking on the GNA, which arrived in Tripoli on March 30, to end the violent chaos that Libyans have endured since Muammar Gaddafi's fall five years ago.

Seraj's government is supposed to replace two rival administrations - one based in Tripoli, the other in eastern Libya - that have been competing for power and oil wealth in the OPEC member since 2014.

It has won the backing of factions in western Libya and on Monday the GNA's leadership issued a statement commissioning its ministers to start work in a caretaker basis in Tripoli, until they take the oath of office.

But the eastern parliament has yet to accept the GNA, and eastern factions have recently made military gains and a forceful bid to sell oil independently. The eastern government tried to wrest control of both the National Oil Corporation (NOC) and central bank through branches based in the east.

Western states have moved to block those efforts, and a joint statement by the ministers meeting in Vienna stressed their commitment to "ceasing support to and official contact with parallel institutions".

"While deploring recent oil and arms transactions made outside the scope of the GNA, we reaffirm our commitment to upholding the arms embargo and measures concerning illicit oil exports" under U.N. Security Council resolutions, it said.

Separately, Libyan oil sources told Reuters exports from the eastern port of Marsa el-Hariga would resume after a deal was reached in Vienna by rival oil officials.
"We are going to put our lives in defence of this constitution. Zuma will never find peace in this parliament... We cannot be led by a man who failed to uphold, defend and protect the constitution," EFF leader Julius Malema told reporters after he was ejected from the assembly.
Besigye lost to veteran leader Yoweri Museveni in Uganda's Feb. 18 presidential election. He was charged with treason late on Friday for unlawfully declaring himself the winner of the poll and being sworn in as president in a mock ceremony, the charge sheet seen by Reuters on Monday showed.

Besigye has rejected the poll's results, alleging widespread vote rigging, a biased electoral commission, intimidation by security services and other irregularities which he said made the election a sham.

The election was also widely criticised by independent monitors including those from the European Union who said it was carried out in an intimidating atmosphere orchestrated by state actors.

Since the election, sporadic clashes have occurred between security forces and opposition supporters seeking to protest what they say is Museveni's fraudulent victory.

Besigye's lawyer, Moses Byamugisha told Reuters Besigye had been transferred to Luzira prison in Kampala, Uganda's only maximum security prison located on the shores of Lake Victoria.

"Next will be to apply for bail....by Thursday we should have made an application for bail to the high court," Byamugisha said.

A day before Museveni took the presidential oath last week, Besigye's Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party said they had sworn Besigye in as Uganda's president.

A video appearing to show the ceremony was widely circulated on social media.

The retired army colonel and physician was arrested on Wednesday as he addressed a rally in downtown Kampala and flown to a prison in the remote and isolated Karamoja region, near the border with Kenya.

Critics quickly likened the region to South Africa's Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was once incarcerated.

Byamugisha said the treason charges were "laughable" and that "the intention of government is not to win this case in court but to just get Besigye out of circulation."

Police on Monday said they had also summoned some FDC officials who appeared in Besigye's apparent mock swearing-in video for questioning on why they allegedly participated in an unlawful activity.
Shorten, who is campaigning against Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ahead of national elections on July 2, pledged to continue Australia's close relationship with the United States regardless of the outcome of the U.S. election.

But he made no secret of which candidate he preferred.

"In terms of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, I have to say that if I was in America, I would be voting for Hillary Clinton," Shorten told reporters.

Trump's often controversial comments on everything from Muslims and women to the future of NATO and relations with Russia have drawn criticism from Berlin, Paris and other European capitals.
The owner of a Moline funeral home shook hands with friends who stopped to watch firefighters attack the blaze that threatened his business.

Anyone who knows Earl "Buck" Wendt  and there are many  will not be surprised to hear his humor remained intact, despite the damage at 1811 15th St. Place.

He recalled another fire at Wendt Funeral Home several decades ago, adding, "That time, the secretary threw water on it."

Tuesday's fire wasn't that easy. A heat gun that was being used in a front-porch restoration started the fire. It transferred heat to the 114-year-old home, and Capt. Jim Versluis said he knew right away that firefighters would have to be especially aggressive.

Most homes like Wendts', built in 1902, are made of balloon construction, meaning the same structural lumber that begins on the first floor stretches all the way to the top of the two-story structure. In other words, the framing is not independent for each floor.

"The crews worked fast," Versluis said. "One firefighter was transported to the hospital by ambulance, but I can't say what the problem was."

Witnesses said the firefighter appeared to be alert and was wearing an oxygen mask as he was loaded onto an ambulance.

From the moment the fire broke out shortly before 10 a.m., Wendt's mind was on one thing: The person whose remains were inside, awaiting services.

"She used to babysit for us," he said of the decedent. "I called her husband and told him I'd take her home. I don't want to leave her here, just in case something would start up again."

Wendt's concern for his charge was as immediately evident to firefighters as was the need to tear into the porch ceiling and attack the fire.

"He was very protective when we got here," Versluis said. "He said, 'I've got a body in there.'"

He estimated damage to the funeral home at $40,000.

Wendt said the smoke and water damage will not have a lasting effect on the family's funeral home that has been operating since 1929.

"We'll still be in business," he shrugged as firefighters rolled up hoses in the parking lot behind him. "These firefighters, they like doing their job, too."
About 12:15 a.m. on a warm Saturday night in May, Scott County Sheriffs Office corrections officer Susi Meier got the call that a Davenport police squad was entering the jails sally port with a prisoner.

She was halfway through her 12-hour night shift  6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The new prisoner wasnt combative. In fact, the 53-year-old man was in a good mood, brought in on charges of intoxication and disorderly conduct.

Turn around and face the wall, Meier told the man as he walked in the door, his hands cuffed behind his back. He did as he was told, smiled and said, Im just visiting.

Do you have anything in your pockets such as a knife or needles or anything that can stick me? she asked.

"No."

Meier ended her search of the man by rubbing her gloved hand across his the bottom of his socked feet. His belt, shoes and any valuables from his pockets were placed in a locker.

Scott County Sheriff Dennis Conard said people often see what goes on in an arrest but a new story begins once they enter the jail.

Meier is one of 95 people who work in the jail, a place shes worked for 17 years.

About 80 percent of the people in the jail are repeat offenders, Conard said. "They've either been in this jail or some other jail."

The 53-year-old inmate left Meier to meet with booking officer Lindsay Serrano who asked him a series of questions about his health and if he is on any medications the jail staff needs to know about.

Then Meier took his fingerprints and his mugshot.

Because he was intoxicated, he was placed in a holding cell. What happened next for the man depended a lot on his financial resources and his previous record. He might bond out that night, be released by a judge the next morning or stay in jail awaiting trial.

It was a slower than usual night for Meier and the Scott County Jail.

A couple of women sat in the waiting area watching TV or using the phone to call a bail bondsman. About five men watched TV in the waiting area for males.

There were three men in holding cells  two were passed out and the third man, arrested on a charge of driving while revoked, was learning that his bond had been paid but until he allowed Meier to take his fingerprints, he wasnt going anywhere.

One female was sleeping in a holding cell.

The holding cells are checked every 15 minutes by a corrections officer.

There are two county jails in the Quad-Cities; Scott County and Rock Island County.

Rock Island County Sheriff Gerry Bustos said he has 59 correctional officers working at the jail.

Of those booked into the Rock Island County Jail, Bustos said that in most cases, maybe 80-90 percent, drugs or alcohol are a contributing factor to them being in jail.

For Meier, she likes working the night shift, she said.

Its more interesting than day shift. During day shift youre dealing with taking inmates to and from court, youre dealing with attorneys and police, everybody seems to be coming and going. Day shift is busy, but in a different way.

Even after 17 years on the job, Meier said she still is surprised at what people do to one another or to themselves.

Just when you think you've seen it all, something will happen, and you think, Id have never thought of that, she said. People waiting in the jail for trial can be trying themselves. Some simply think up ways to make your day interesting.

An example was back when they were still in the old jail, she said.

We had a handicapped gentleman come in, Meier said. He was paralyzed from the waist down, and he had been driving the getaway car in a robbery.

Like we do with everybody, we took away everything with which he could hurt himself, and gave him this little plastic jug with a lid on it for water, she said. I dont know why we did that then.

But he broke that lid apart and was carving himself up, she said. Being paralyzed he couldnt feel it. I looked in on him, and there was blood everywhere. It was the worst Ive ever seen.

Often, people are brought in for a crime that they committed on the spur of the moment, such as shoplifting, Meier said. People do that, and they get caught, and they think, My God, what did I just do?

That doesnt touch me as much as the drug abuser or the prostitute that are arrested and brought in over and over again. Each time theyre brought in, they just get worse and worse. Its terrible.

Meier knows who the repeat offenders are.

Hired by Sheriff Mike Bladel, Meier said she found her calling working at the jail.

I like being able to help people, Meier said.

The ones who find themselves in the jail for the first time usually are very anxious, if not outright frightened, she said.

Those people come in wondering, Whats going to happen with me? How is this going to turn out? I take the time to explain to them what we do and how and why we do it, and I let them know whats going to happen once theyre inside.

Hopefully, I can ease their mind and at some point in the process help them be a better person.

Conard has been adamant about programs that help drug abusers and offenders, she said.

"Sometimes, it sticks," she said. "Most times it doesn't, but if one person is helped, then it's a success."

Conard said that often jail inmates are released before the programs have the time they need to take effect. Still, it's worth the effort, he said.

Meier found her lifes calling in a round-about way. She grew up in Wetzlar, Germany, and traveled to the United States to check things out. She stayed.

She worked as a retail manager at the mall for three years until a friend quit her job at the Clinton County Sheriffs Office and encouraged Meier to apply for the position.

I had my green card, but I thought since Im not a citizen yet, it would be a waste of time, she said. But I put in for it, and I got the job. Sheriff Gary Mulholland hired me part-time. It was a fluke.

Meier became a U.S. citizen five years ago, and shes embraced her new life, heading to campsites on rivers and lakes on her days off in the summer.

"I was not that way in Germany," she said. "Now, we have a travel trailer, a 30-foot boat, Jet Skis. We are gone all the time."

Meiers shift at the jail ends at 6 a.m. The sun is up. She changes out of her uniform and heads home to sleep while the rest of the Quad-Cities wakes up to begin a day of work.
Moline police arrested a man Monday night they say ran over and killed his dog last week while fleeing Menards after a shoplifting attempt.

Robert D. Vaughn, 31, of Silvis, Ill., attempted Friday to steal a drill from Menards, 6400 44th Ave, police said. Authorities captured Vaughn after a short vehicle pursuit and foot chase in East Moline and Silvis.

"Responding officers were met by a crowd of distraught employees and shoppers, hovering over a young female German shepherd," Detective Scott Williams wrote in a media release Monday.

As store employees began a theft investigation, Williams said, Vaughn drove his van through the closed gate at the store's lumber yard.

"When the suspect opened the van door, his German shepherd jumped out of the vehicle," he wrote. "In the suspect's haste to escape, he shut the door on the dogs leash, leaving her outside.

"Despite the panicked yelling of employees and onlookers attempting to alert the suspect ... she was repeatedly run over by one of the vans rear tires."

The dog was transported to the Rock Island County Animal Shelter where a microchip showed Vaughn as the registered owner. The dog's name was Miley, according to the chip.

Vaughn is facing a Class 4 felony aggravated cruelty charge. Bond has been set at $30,000.
On climate, campaign financing, college costs and a handful of other issues, three of the Democrats seeking to unseat U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, differentiated themselves from one another in a 90-minute debate Monday night on the campus of St. Ambrose University.

The debate in Davenport was just one of several forums the candidates are taking part in before the June 7 primary.

All are seeking the right to face off against Grassley, who Democrats think is more vulnerable this year because of the controversy over the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy.

A fourth Democratic candidate, former Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, did not attend. Her campaign said she had a previously scheduled event with volunteers in Ankeny.

Tom Fiegen and Bob Krause, both former state legislators, called for free college tuition. Krause said he would start with community colleges. Meanwhile, state Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, said college debt repayment should be tied to ability to pay, but free tuition also would benefit the wealthy who dont need the assistance.

Fiegen and Hogg also clashed over a bill aimed at blocking the proposed Bakken pipeline in Iowa and the influence of political action committees.

Mondays debate, which was moderated by Jim Mertens of WQAD-TV, featured questions from an audience of about 50 people.

On a question about political action committees, Krause and Fiegen said they take no PAC money, and Fiegen argued it is corrupting.

Corporations own Democrats who take their PAC money, he said.

But Hogg, who argued he is the most electable, said that he hoped to receive PAC money, from labor groups and elsewhere, and that money hasnt influenced his votes in the Legislature.

Weve got to win this thing. Thats how we change the system, he said. He added that Fiegen, too, has taken PAC money in the past.

Perhaps the biggest conflict of the night came when Fiegen, a former state senator from Clarence, criticized Hogg for failing to get through the Senate a bill aimed at hobbling the proposed Bakken pipeline. Hogg, who had emphasized his record in the Legislature, said he fought for the legislation, but we didnt have the votes."

Fiegen asked: If you cant get 25 other people vote for you in the Iowa Legislature in your back yard, how are you going to get 50 United States senators who are lions compared to the Iowa Senate to vote with you.

Hogg responded by defending his record and questioning Fiegens electability and past record as a state lawmaker.

You were there half a term, and you lost three elections. Ive won five elections  and weve passed a lot of legislation, Hogg said.

All the candidates were critical of Grassley for failing to convene a hearing for Judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obamas nominee to the Supreme Court. But Fiegen also questioned Garlands nomination. He said the appellate judge had been deferential to the executive branch.

All the candidates praised the Rock Island Arsenal when confronted with a question about rising defense spending. Hogg said weapons systems were more the culprit. Fiegen, too, said that costly weapons programs, such as the F-35 fighter jet, need to be cut.

Krause said the Arsenal has unique capabilities that shouldnt be sacrificed.

The debate Monday was not televised, but Iowa Public Television is sponsoring a debate that will be attended by all four candidates. It is May 26.

Mondays debate was sponsored by the Quad-Cities Alliance for Retired Americans.
She was nervous, but it didn't show.

Ella Jones, a fifth-grader at Cody Elementary School in LeClaire, read aloud Tuesday morning an award-winning essay she wrote, titled, "What the Flag Means to Me."

"The flag to me tells a story, not a fairy tale, but an adventure," the 11-year-old recited into a microphone before her peers, teachers, military veterans and a state senator. "This story is one of a kind."

The American Legion Buffalo Bill Post No. 347, of LeClaire, sponsors an essay contest every school year and hosts ceremonies at Pleasant Valley Community School District's five elementary schools. More than 320 students submitted essays focused on the American flag this year, and Ella's was chosen as the best in the district.

"The flag shows so much about what America is," Ella said before her math class. "To me, it's an important every-day object in our life that symbolizes the every-day people who work hard."

Iowa state Sen. Rita Hart, D-Wheatland, who sang the national anthem for students, called Ella's essay "perfect."

"As a former English teacher, I appreciate the written word," said Hart, who taught for more than 20 years in the Calamus-Wheatland and Bennett school districts. "Not only does America have a story and the flag tells a story about America, but each one of these veterans has their story, and we don't always get the opportunity or take the time to listen."

Students watched in awe as a new flag was raised in front of the school  which abuts fields of farmland along Territorial Road  to the pre-recorded sounding of taps from a battery-powered bugle.

"It doesn't get any more American than this," Hart said.

Bob Brockhouse, who served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956, led the ceremony and presented Ella her plaque as the crisp new American flag waved above the schools front grounds.

It sometimes touches me more than Id like to admit, said Brockhouse, whose late older brother launched the annual program several years ago. When I see all those kids out there I get a little quiver in my heart.

The jam-packed 30-minute event also featured a school-wide choreographed performance led by Kristi Gray, Cody's music teacher. The 300-plus students in attendance sang and danced to a variety of patriotic tunes, including "God Bless America."

And Brockhouse wasn't the only person touched emotionally.

"I've waited a whole year for this," Laurie Brasche, first-year principal at Cody, said a tad teary-eyed. "The kids have been building up to this and it was just amazing."
DAVENPORT  Allan Duane Johnston, 83, of Davenport, passed away peacefully Saturday, May 14, 2016, at his home after a battle with cancer. Funeral Service and Rite of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Monday, May 23, 2016, at Weerts Funeral Home, Kimberly at Jersey Ridge Road, Davenport. Visitation will be from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, May 22, 2016, at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Rock Island National Cemetery, Arsenal Island, with military honors presented by American Legion Post 26, Davenport. Memorials may be made to American Legion Post 26, Davenport.

Allan was born in 1933, in Grand Forks, N.D. He is predeceased by his parents, DeWitt Dewey and Dorothy Dot Johnston, his son-in-law David Reagan, and his grandson Brandon Johnson.

Allan is survived by his wife of 57 years, Elizabeth Ann Betty Johnston; his sisters, Barbara Dohrman and Patricia Deziel, both of North Dakota; his daughters, Linda Reagan of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Judy (Todd) Harmer of Cedar Rapids; his son, David (Phyllis) Johnston of Blue Grass; his grandchildren, Brandon, Brandi, Taylor, Tyler, Brittany and Dakota; and his great-grandchildren, Rilee and Danielle.

Allan graduated from St. James Academy H.S. in Grand Forks, N.D. Following in the footsteps of his father and seven uncles, who all enlisted in the military during World War II, Allan enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at the start of the Korean War. He celebrated his 19th birthday in Inchon, Korea, assigned to B battery, 1st battalion, 11th Marines. He survived being wounded by an enemy sniper, and his service awards include the Purple Heart Medal, the Korean War Service Medal, United Nations Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon.

After the military, he attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., where he majored in history, lettered in wrestling, met his wife, and began volunteering as a scout leader for the Boy Scouts of America.

After graduating from college, he turned his love of being outdoors, camping, canoeing, and working with kids, into a full-time job by working for the Boy Scouts of America. During his 15 year career with the Boy Scouts, he served as Director of Exploring, Camping, and Activities. When he was on vacation from work... he took his family camping.

In the mid '70s, he began working in the restaurant management business. His first job was with Sambos Restaurant in Cedar Rapids, and his last job was with Ryans Family Steakhouse, Davenport. He retired in 1998.

Allan had a gypsy spirit and loved to travel. Whenever an opportunity arose through work to live in a new place, he took it. During his lifetime, he lived in North Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Kentucky, Tennessee and Iowa.

Allan was fascinated by American war history, as evidenced by the numerous bookshelves in his home devoted to all of the history books he read over his lifetime. In retirement, Allan spent countless hours volunteering for the American Legion, most recently with Post 26, Davenport, as Commander. He served as past Commander of the Scott County Legion; Sgt. at Arms with the 2nd District American Legion; Marine Corp League Illowa Detachment 40 and 8 Subgroup American Legion. He was also active with St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, where he served as usher. Allan enjoyed movies, the Green Bay Packers, attending Circa 21 plays and his family-time with his grandchildren in particular.

Allan loved his family and we will miss him every day.

Remembrances and condolences may be expressed to the Johnston family by visiting Allans obituary at www.WeertsFH.com.
Standing on principle, not to mention common sense, is so rare these days that when someone does it they make headlines. That's because you can quickly be labeled a "bigot" if you oppose a lot of the sludge dumped on us by the secular left, and few can withstand the onslaught.

North Carolina's Republican governor, Pat McCrory, is unafraid.

On Friday, the Department of Justice sent him a letter warning that North Carolina's House Bill 2, also known as the bathroom bill, violated the Civil Rights Act. The bill, which requires that transgender people use public bathrooms that match their birth certificates, was swiftly labeled anti-LGBT, which was all DOJ needed to hear. The government gave McCrory until Monday to confirm that North Carolina would not comply with or implement HB2. McCrory pushed back. On Monday, he filed a lawsuit against the DOJ, targeting Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta. The suit, according to ABC News, "accused the DOJ of a 'radical reinterpretation' of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and wrote that the federal government's position was 'a baseless and blatant overreach.'"

The government's letter, according to North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC's Jeff Tiberii, who obtained a copy, warned that "The State is engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination against transgender state employees and both you, in your official capacity, and the state are engaging in a pattern or practice of resistance."

In a statement following the announcement of the lawsuit, Gov. McCrory said, "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," meaning Congress and the courts.

McCrory added that Washington is "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."

The push and pull continues.

If you are a woman reading this, how would you feel about showering with a naked man? If you are a man who has daughters, would you be OK with allowing them to use a women's restroom knowing that a man could be in there? Target is fine with it, apparently. In a blog last week, the company stated that it welcomes "transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity." Target stores are now the target of a boycott.

What about school gyms? Are you fine with having your daughter changing and showering with a boy who believes he's a girl? What happened to the right to privacy, so revered by the progressive left?

Does the fact that we are even having this debate say something about the state of our culture and the attempts by secularists to undermine what remains of its creaking foundations, traditions and what used to be known as common sense? Who gets to decide? And on what is that decision based?

Are morals and ethics now up for grabs, depending on which group makes the most noise and promises the most votes? Perhaps Loretta Lynch and her deputy should lead by example and shower with a transgender male. Even better, how about first lady Michelle Obama? Media coverage could be discreet. I'm betting that neither Lynch nor the first lady would go that far. In fact, I suspect that very few on the left would want to live under many of the laws and dictates they like to impose on the rest of us.

Have we gone mad? The question all but answers itself.

Gov. McCrory has already directed state agencies to make reasonable accommodations to transgender people by installing single-occupancy restrooms. North Carolina also allows private companies to set their own bathroom policies, but that is not what the Obama administration wants. It wants to "fundamentally transform the United States of America." It's one of the few promises the president has managed to keep.
Democratic Illinois Reps. Pat Verschoore and Mike Smiddy have a choice this week: Either stand up for the taxpaying voter or again side with the unions that fund their party.

HB 580 isn't just a bad bill. It isn't simply a retread, an even more costly mutated clone of SB 1229, which died last year when the House couldn't muster a veto override. HB 580 goes one further by removing almost all incentive for the unions to bother negotiating, through reinstating the terms of the previous contract. It's an attempt to undermine Illinois's voters, the same people who sent Gov. Bruce Rauner to Springfield in 2015.

And, with Rauner's Monday veto, Verschoore and Smiddy have an opportunity to make up for a bad vote last year.

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council (AFSCME), the state's largest and most influential public union, hates dealing with Rauner. Freeze across-the-board pay hikes, the Republican says. Cut the state's health care costs through union concessions, he demands. Replace the automatic pay hikes, a potential $400 million cost over the life of the contract, with merit pay that rewards good work, he argues.

AFSCME, used to buying politicians and milking the state dry, wasn't having it.

Rauner hates the middle class, screamed AFSCME's leadership, apparently unaware of the budget crises the union helped create over the years.

Again, AFSCME wants Rauner stripped of his negotiating power. Again, AFSCME demands home-field advantage in front of an arbitrator. And, this time, AFSCME is looking to kill the actual post-negotiation process by forcing through this end-run on democracy and, thereby, killing the ongoing case before the Labor Relations Board.

In September, Verschoore and Smiddy backed AFSCME over taxpayers when voting to override Rauner's veto of SB 1229. And, in so doing, exposed their allegiances for all to see. Only Rep. Ken Dunkin, D-Chicago, stood between the bill's death and overruling Rauner's veto. Dunkin bucked Speaker Mike Madigan, skipped town and doomed the override attempt. Dunkin paid for his disloyalty. Democrats and unions buried him in negative ads prior to the recent primary. He didn't stand a chance. Come January, Dunkin will be gone, likely replaced with a compliant little foot soldier.

Hardball politics, indeed.

Like Dunkin, Verschoore is on the way out, as the longtime lawmaker heads into retirement. Like Dunkin, that fact should liberate him. Verschoore is free from Madigan's yolk. He should take full advantage when the House again tries this week to undermine the voters, taxpayers and the basic principle of government.

Smiddy might have more to lose. But he, too, should stand up to Madigan's Democratic machine and special interests if, for no other reason, the state's broke.

To be fair, Rep. Donald Moffitt, R-Galesburg, shouldn't hide behind a "present"vote this time, either.

HB 580 would change the rules mid-game. It would be an unprecedented attack on a governor's official fiduciary duty. It's the last-ditch effort of spoiled union bosses wanting to take their ball and go home.

Love him or hate him, Rauner was elected to do a job. It's the voters that General Assembly Democrats are again looking to railroad with this attempted handout to their union paymasters.

Verschoore and Smiddy will either respect the voters or cave to special interests. Neutrality isn't an option.
SPRINGFIELD  Illinois' legislative leaders have agreed in principle to budget negotiations that involve both a tax increase and some items from Gov. Bruce Rauner's pro-business, union-weakening "turnaround agenda."

But anyone expecting Democrats to capitulate to the first-term Republican on issues such as the collective bargaining rights of government employees is likely to be disappointed.

After Rauner and the four leaders met Tuesday for about an hour, House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, issued a statement saying Rauner's "continued insistence on passage of his agenda that hurts the middle class is a clear indication he is not interested in passing and implementing comprehensive, full-year budgets that do not decimate needed services relied upon by the people of Illinois."

Madigan will, however, appoint members to a bipartisan "working group" that will discuss Rauner's reform proposals.

A few hours after the meeting, House Democrats voted for nearly the 20th time to reject a Rauner-backed proposal to tie a property tax freeze to a measure that would give local governments control over what issues they negotiate with their employees. As they have previously, Republicans decried the vote as a sham.

Tuesday's meeting came as the clock is winding down for lawmakers to pass a budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 on a simple majority vote. If that's not done by May 31, the budget would require a three-fifths majority. The pressure is especially high because lawmakers and the governor still haven't agreed on a full budget for the current fiscal year, now in its 11th month.

The meeting was the first of its kind since rank-and-file lawmakers last week presented leaders and the governor with a framework for a balanced budget for next year. That outline included $2.4 billion in spending cuts and $5.4 billion in new revenue, which would be generated in part by raising the state's personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.85 percent.

After the meeting, Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said Rauner reiterated his willingness to raise new revenue to balance the budget.

"That's, I think, very helpful," Cullerton said, "because if you don't have revenue, you could never possibly come to a balanced budget."

Cullerton said the governor declined to go into specifics about what revenue proposals he would support. The package lawmakers presented also included expanding the state sales tax to some services, an idea Rauner campaigned on.

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, and Senate Minority Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, were cautiously optimistic immediately following the meeting.

Durkin said he was "pleased to say that after many, many months of objection by the speaker to discuss any type of reform," Madigan indicated he was willing to negotiate on changes to workers' compensation laws, collective bargaining rights for local government workers and public employee pensions.

"Those are the key to breaking the impasse," Durkin said.

While Radogno appreciated Madigan's shift in tone, she said she's "pretty skeptical" about how negotiations will progress.

"We've had a lot of working groups, and he disavows any knowledge or interest of them every time," she said. "This will be one more go-around.

"I think ultimately the working group needs to be the speaker himself and the leaders because he manipulates the process, and then nothing happens."

Rauner did not speak to reporters following the meeting.

Meanwhile, just a short time after the gathering ended, Madigan introduced a bill on the House floor that would fully fund grants to low-income college students through the Monetary Award Program. A stopgap funding measure Rauner signed into law late last month included $167.6 million for the grants, but Madigan's plan would provide the remaining $227.2 million.

Madigan said the measure, which was approved on a 68-45 vote, is needed to provide stability for universities and students.

But Republicans said it was another example of Democrats passing a spending bill without specific funding attached. Rauner already has vetoed several similar bills.
DES MOINES  Three Muscatine County companies responsible for creating high levels of sulfur dioxide air pollution will take steps to limit emissions under a plan approved Tuesday by a state panel.

Grain Processing Corp., Muscatine Power & Water and Monsanto Co. will adhere to more stringent emission limits and install new control technology under the plan, which was designed in response to a 2013 ruling from federal regulators that a portion of Muscatine Countys sulfur dioxide levels violated federal standards.

While other Iowa sites monitored for sulfur dioxide output measured no higher than an average of 38 parts per billion between 2011 and 2013, Muscatine averaged 275 ppb, according to a state report.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency standard is 75 ppb.

The state Department of Natural Resources worked with the three Muscatine County companies to develop the emission reduction plan, which was accepted Tuesday by the Iowa DNRs Environmental Protection Committee and also must be approved by the EPA.

The Muscatine area must reduce sulfur dioxide levels to 75 ppb by 2018.

Matthew Johnson, a senior environmental specialist with the Iowa DNRs Air Quality Bureau, said he expects federal regulators will accept the plan.

This plan ensures that those control measures and the control strategy is implemented as quickly as it can, Johnson said. We arent expecting any problems from the EPA.

Grain Processing Corp. already has taken a significant step toward helping to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. The company converted from coal to natural gas as the sole fuel source at its wet milling facility in Muscatine this past July.

The same three companies also are participating in a federally mandated plan to reduce the amount of fine particle emissions into the Muscatine County air. That plan was approved by federal regulators in 2014.
A referendum vote scheduled for Tuesday that could have determined once and for all if alcohol could legally be sold and distributed on the Pine Ridge Reservation has been canceled.

Speaking from a conference in Montana, Oglala Sioux public relations officer Kevin Yellow Bird Steele said Tuesday that the tribal council voted 9 to 4, with one abstention, to strike down the referendum during a meeting on Monday.

Yellow Bird Steele said he does not expect the issue to be raised again during the eight remaining months of the administration of President John Yellow Bird Steele, who is opposed to alcohol legalization.

In order for it to come back up and be an agenda item, it needs to start from the beginning, and move from the law and order committee back up to the tribal council, who will decide if another referendum should be held, Kevin Yellow Bird Steele said.

The referendum was to be held Tuesday. Voters would have been asked to approve a resolution to authorize the possession, use, sale and distribution of all types of alcoholic beverages  including beer, wine and spirits  in Pine Ridge. If approved, alcohol sales and distribution would be licensed, regulated and taxed by the tribe, which was named in the resolution as the sole entity permitted to store, sell, and distribute alcoholic beverages on the Reservation.

Voters in Pine Ridge were first asked whether alcohol should be legal on the reservation in 2013. Though a majority of voters approved legalization then, the language of that original referendum was later determined to be not legally binding, Yellow Bird Steele said.

The results of that referendum have either been destroyed or gone missing.

We dont know what happened to them, Yellow Bird Steele said. But no one can find them.

With the 2013 results gone and todays referendum canceled, Yellow Bird Steele said alcohol remains illegal on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Snow last week and temperatures in the 80s this week  welcome to South Dakota!

We didnt get any more rain, but all that sun combined with last weeks moisture has turned the prairie a beautiful green. We got most of the branding done this week and the cows sure seem to appreciate that lush grass. The lawn needs mowed and its full of those pretty yellow wildflowers that some folks call weeds.

Every time I see a dandelion Im reminded of when our daughter Teri and her cousin Mindy (Larson) Meszaros were little girls. They loved to pick what Mindy called dandy flowers and braid them into necklaces for Nubby and me. That still makes me smile.

I thought after my trip to Bismarck on Tuesday to get my cast off I was going to be able to type better. Wrong. They cut the old cast off, but they put on an even more rigid one that hinders the movement of my right hand even more. The only thing I like about it is that its bright red.

I got nicknamed Red when I served in the House of Representatives in Pierre because I usually poked the red button, voting 'no.' Rep. Chuck Turbiville has always called me Red and it was fun to visit with Chuckles this week when he called to see how I was handling retirement.

He wants to know when the next Cattle Trail meeting will be in Spearfish, because he wants to attend. Chuck, like every Turbiville in western South Dakota, is a direct descendant of Pecos Dick Turbiville, who came up the cattle trail from Texas in the late 1800s and settled in the Camp Crook area.

I wanted to take in the Kentucky Derby at the Heritage Center in Spearfish Saturday, but just wasnt up to it.

We lost a dear friend this week. Lila (Eggebo) Van Slooten, 89, died in Belle Fourche Wednesday. Lilas funeral was Monday in Belle Fourche with burial next to her husband at Holland Center that afternoon. What a wonderful lady!

Rep. Sam Marty and I were invited to a Republican get-together in Belle Fourche Friday to hear Attorney General Marty Jackley. Sam hauled this crippled old gal to Belle with him and we went to Spearfish so he could take his mother, Helen Marty, a bouquet of flowers for Mothers Day. His sister, Rep. Liz May, also attended the picnic in Belle and visited their mother on her way back to Kyle.

There were two new babies this week. Liz May just became a grandma. Her daughter, Mary Jo, and Jason Fairhead had a baby girl May 2. Josephine Helen weighed 8 lbs., 2 oz. and is 21 inches long.

Dana and Jay Wammen welcomed their new baby daughter on May 5. Jada Jean weighed in at 9 lbs., 6 oz. and is 20 inches long.

Congratulations!

Lanie and Matt brought little Trace down to spend Mothers Day weekend at the ranch. On Mathers Day, six young people were confirmed at Slim Buttes Lutheran and there were lots of mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers in attendance.

This is for all Moms:

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the county clerk's office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

"What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job or are you just a ...?"

"Of course I have a job," snapped the woman. "I'm a mom."

"We don't list 'mom' as an occupation; 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own town hall. The clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like, "official interrogator" or "town registrar."

"What is your occupation?" she probed.

What made me say it? I dont know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a research associate in the field of child development and human relations."

The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair and looked up as though she had not heard right.

I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"

Coolly, without any trace of fluster, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research, (what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my masters (first the Lord and then the whole family) and already have four credits (my children).

Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants  ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a six-month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another mom."

Does this make grandmothers "senior research associates in the field of child development and human relations" and great grandmothers "executive senior research associates?" I think so! I also think it makes aunts "associate research assistants."

Motherhood! What a glorious career  especially when there's a title on the door!
On May 3rd, the Upper Niobrara White Natural Resources District (UNWNRD), along with a dozen partners, hosted the 12th Annual Northwest Nebraska Conservation Festival at the Assumption Arena in Chadron. A day full of environmental education was attended by approximately 235 area students from seven schools, including Alliance, Hay Springs, Rushville, Gordon, St. Agnes Academy, Crawford, Chadron and a few locally home schooled children as well.

Natural resources education is the focus of the Northwest Nebraska Conservation Festival and aligns well with the science standards and the work of numerous natural resource entities who participate in the event each year. During the Festival, Bryan Kahl, Brad Carlson and Aaron Sanford with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) hosted a GPS Hunt while Robin Foulk and Molly Lakin covered a soil education activity called Soil Detectives. Dave Carlson, UNWNRD Board Member utilized a watershed model to enlighten students about different pollution sources that may impact a watershed. Youth learned about trees and forest resources by navigating a scavenger hunt with Amy Seiler and Fred McCartney of the Nebraska Forest Service (NFS) and Scott Schremmer with City of Chadron.

The Panhandle Research Integration for Discovery Education (PRIDE) Committee members Dan Wordekemper, Kristi Paul, Lora ORourke, Sarlyn McCormick, Nancy Adler and Jan Bruhn taught youth about noxious weed control. Shelley Steffl with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Erin Divine with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies utilized a wildlife game called Quick Frozen Critters. Leah Gremm from Dawes County Extension and Haley Anders from UNWNRD educated students about ground water and its connection to lakes, streams and rivers. UNWNRD technician Nevin Price and Vern Stokey from Cameco helped the students launch water rockets. A new addition this year, a Fire Dynamics station with a simluation display that illustrates how fire can move though a landscape, led by NFS Fire Management Specialist Seth Peterson was very popular with the children and teachers alike. While students enjoyed lunch at Finnegan Park, Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl made a guest appearance to promote the messages of wildfire and pollution prevention thanks to several staff from the U.S. Forest Service.

In an effort to educate our youth about environmental issues and promote stewardship for our surroundings, the UNWNRD and partners listed above coordinate and host the Northwest Nebraska Conservation Festival each spring. The event is open to fifth-grade students throughout the District. At the end of the event, each student was given a Colorado Blue Spruce seedling, a kit to make a compass and numerous educational prizes from participating agencies.

For more information about the education programs available with UNWNRD, please visit unwnrd.org, or call 308-432-6190.
A grand jury will be impaneled to determine whether or not the actions of law enforcement officers were appropriate during a two-state car chase that ended in a fiery accident and fatality on Slim Buttes Road in February.

Dawes County Attorney Vance Haug said his office has received the final autopsy reports and completed its investigation. He has filed a certification requesting a grand jury, which Nebraska state law requires whenever an individual dies while in custody or being apprehended. All information relating to a grand jury  including when it will take place and who the jurors are  is confidential under state law.

The grand jury will investigate a Feb. 23 accident in which Kerry Peters, 34, of Pine Ridge, S.D., was killed. The accident occurred around 4 a.m. near the Nebraska-South Dakota border on Slim Buttes Road. The wreck also sent three others  including a police officer  to the hospital.

The crash was the culmination of a two-state car chase that began in Fall River County in South Dakota. There, a sheriffs deputy made contact with the vehicle Peters was allegedly driving between Oelrichs and Prairie Winds Casino. The car refused to pull over, traveling at speeds of 65-70 mph. Fall Rivers deputy broke off pursuit as the vehicle entered the jurisdiction of the Oglala Sioux Police Department.

The fleeing vehicle eventually headed south in to Dawes County on Slim Buttes Road. According to a press release issued by Haugs office after the accident, OST police contacted the Dawes County Sheriff and the Nebraska State Patrol, and the vehicle turned back north toward Pine Ridge. The press release said the suspect vehicle then struck an OST patrol car and forced another to take evasive action. The suspect vehicle lost control, left the roadway, rolled and caught fire. Peters and two passengers, Pauline White Butterfly, 29, and Donny Red Paint, 35, both of Pine Ridge, S.D., were trapped in the wreckage.

Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Marty Denton said Peters and Red Paint, both front seat passengers, were partially ejected during the crash. Red Paint and White Butterfly were rescued from the wreckage and taken to the hospital, while Peters was pronounced dead at the scene.
The sentencing of a former Chadron State College student found guilty of sexual assault was postponed because the subject was in jail in Tennessee.

Timothy Jungquist was scheduled to be sentenced May 10 in Dawes County District Court after striking a deal with the state and pleading no contest to attempted second degree sexual assault in January. He was originally charged with two felonies  first degree sexual assault and first degree false imprisonment  after an Oct. 8, 2014, incident at a college dorm room. He was allowed to return to his home in Tennessee while the case was pending.

His defense attorney, Public Defender Jerrod Jaeger, told the court last week that his client is in jail in Tennessee on an alleged probation violation and asked for a continuance. Jaeger said it is his understanding that Jungquist would have been released by now but his Tennessee attorney has been in the hospital for several weeks. Jaeger requested a July court date instead.

Dawes County Deputy Attorney Joe Stecher, however, said his conversations with Tennessee prosecutors tell another story  one in which Jungquist may be facing a motion to revoke probation with the possibility of a bond denial in that case.

District Court Judge Travis OGorman agreed to postpone the case but only until June 14 at 1 p.m. When he is eventually sentenced, Jungquist faces up to five years in jail, a $10,000 fine or both.

In other business last week, the District Court

4Megan Dodd admitted to violating her probation, to which she was sentenced after an incident where she was intoxicated and combative. Dodds attorney asked to proceed straight to sentencing, with both the prosecutor and defense attorneys noting that Dodd has been in jail the maximum time allowed for her violation. She was sentenced to 180 days on each count  basically time served - though OGorman noted that she has a significant alcohol problem she needs to address.

4Courtney Holmes reached a plea agreement, pleading guilty to one count of attempting to possess marijuana with the intent to distribute. The charges stem from a December 2015 incident in which she was the driver of a car used during a controlled buy of methamphetamines. She will be sentenced June 3.

4Sarah Porter entered a not guilty plea to theft by unlawful taking. A pretrial conference was scheduled for July 12 at 1 p.m. If convicted she faces up to 20 years in prison.

4Dominque Smith entered not guilty pleas to four counts, all involving possession. He faces charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of money intended to facilitate a violation of Subsection 1-28-416, possession of more than 1 ounce of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He will be back in court July 12; if sentenced to consecutive terms of the maximum on each count, Smith could face up to more than 52 years in jail.

4Billie Howard entered a not guilty plea to possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person. She will also have a pretrial conference July 12 and faces 3-50 years in jail if convicted. OGorman denied a bond reduction request by her attorney, Jaeger.

4OGorman issued a bench warrant for Blake Hinn who was supposed to be sentenced on charges of revocation of probation but who failed to appear.

4David Iron Bear was sentenced to time served and a $300 fine on charges of possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, and false reporting. Dawes County Attorney Vance Haug said Iron Bear has a poor history as a juvenile, struggles with substance abuse and still has outstanding failure to appear warrants. His attorney, Amanda Vogl, noted that he had already served 268 days, has a job lined up and needs to support his father and children. OGorman ordered the sentence of time served, saying that even with a maximum penalty Iron Bear would qualify for release immediately.

4Karlon Stark, Iron Bears co-defendant, was also sentenced to time served and $300 after having already sat in jail for 268 days. Stark provided a letter to the judge calling the experience life changing.

You dont know how many times a day I read that, OGorman said, adding that he hopes Stark means it.

4Marshall Miller was sentenced to 60 months probation, and OGorman ordered him to remain in Cherry County, undergo random screenings, continuous alcohol monitoring for 180 days and 90 days in the Cherry County jail, to be served on weekends or during inpatient alcohol treatment. Miller was found guilty of delivery of a controlled substance.

Haug said while the probation office said Miller as a candidate for probation, he believed Millers offense was deserving of some incarceration. Jaeger argued his client had a wake-up call after his arrest and wants to overcome the troubles he is facing.

OGorman called the case a difficult one, saying he went back and forth several times on Millers sentence.

You kind of hit a homerun with one of your first crimes, he said, losing the respect and trust of people, his car and college. In handing down the sentence of probation, OGorman said he has nothing to lose by sentencing Miller to probation.

If I have to see you again, you will be in jail. Ive got 20 years to work with, he said, referring to the maximum sentence he could have ordered.
PIERRE | How South Dakota deals with methamphetamine use, and how the state takes care of its older residents will both be topics that lawmakers will look at during 2016 summer study sessions that may lead to legislation proposed next year.

South Dakota legislative leaders have set the agenda and chosen leaders for interim study sessions that could craft proposals for the 2017 legislative session.

Sen. Jim White, R-Huron, will chair for the interim committee on combating drug abuse among young South Dakotans. The vice chairman will be Rep. Mike Stevens, R-Yankton.

Rep. Steve Westra, R-Sioux Falls, will chair the interim committee looking at the statewide limit on bed space at nursing homes and assisted living centers. The vice chair will be Sen. Deb Soholt, R-Sioux Falls.

Rep. Jean Hunhoff, R-Yankton, will chair the interim committee studying state governments payment system for Medicaid services providers. The vice chair will be Sen. Larry Tidemann, R-Brookings.

The selections came from the Legislatures Executive Board.

The board also made preliminary selections for nine other members of each committee  five from the House of Representatives and four from the Senate, plus alternates.

The legislators will be contacted to check whether they can serve on the panels.

House Republican leader Brian Gosch of Rapid City asked that a copy of the U.S. Department of Justice letter to Gov. Dennis Daugaard be sent to legislators regarding South Dakotas reliance on nursing homes and assisted living centers.

The federal department conducted an investigation and an analysis, concluding that South Dakota was engaging in segregation of senior citizens and people with disabilities.

One of the USDOJ suggestions was South Dakota could reduce its Medicaid spending by making older citizens more aware of other housing possibilities and by expanding home-care services.

Several lawmakers on the Executive Board seemed unfamiliar with the letter.

I can push that out to all 105, Jason Hancock, director for the Legislative Research Council, replied to Gosch.

Gosch also asked that Westra be picked as the committees chairman. Westra is the House Republican assistant leader.

The drug-abuse committee will focus on methamphetamine and prescription-drug abuse. Marijuana and alcohol were considered but werent accepted by board members as part of the scope.

White suggested the methamphetamine study. How do we get to our younger children? he said. We need some guidelines from officials whove worked with this.

Rep. Roger Hunt, R-Brandon, urged that prescription drugs be included, to which White agreed.

Supporting Hunt were Rep. Jim Bolin, R-Canton, and Rep. Don Haggar, R-Sioux Falls.

I would support a very focused study here, Haggar said.
Like so many young men returning from military service in World War II, Loyd Brandt just tried to pick up and move on and leave memories of the war behind.

You just started living a new life, raising a family. You were too busy to dwell on the war, said Brandt, of Rapid City, who celebrated his 90th birthday a week ago.

But now, as Loyd and about 120 other area WWII veterans gather for a private luncheon in their honor in Rapid City today, most realize they are nearing the end of their lives, and for many it is honorable and even therapeutic to reflect upon one of the seminal periods in all their existence  the saving of an entire world.

With ease, Loyd can still recall his time as one of six South Dakota brothers to serve during the epic conflict.

Five of the brothers would experience some of the deadliest island battles of the Pacific War. Two would be wounded and one would die in the conflict.

Loyd and his twin brother Lester were just 17 when they enlisted in the Marines in 1943.

Older brother Harry was the first to join, serving with the Marines in China, helping protect an international settlement in the center of Shanghai from Japanese invaders before U.S. entry in the war.

Kenneth, Herbert, Luverne and twins Loyd and Lester would follow their brother into the same branch of service. Harry was the one that started it, Loyd said.

Harry left the military before the attack on Pearl Harbor propelled America into the war. He found work in a navy ammunition depot on the East Coast.

Kenneth, Herbert, Luverne and twins Loyd and Lester all served during the invasions on remote Pacific islands with hard-to-pronounce names  Eniwetok, Saipan, Kwajalein, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Those remote islands and sandy atolls would all become part of Marine Corps legend, paid for and drenched in blood.

Kenneth participated in the Gilbert Islands campaigns and the invasion of Okinawa. Luverne was part of the Battle of Cape Gloucester on the island of New Britain and was wounded at Peleliu.

Loyd was part of an amphibious reconnaissance unit charged with going ashore to covertly scout landing zones for an invasion, often having to fight their way out again.

He nearly lost count of the number of islands he saw.

If you can picture yourself in a 10-man rubber boat paddling ashore from a submarine or a destroyer with swells as high as the ceiling, and landing on rocky terrain, you can imagine how dangerous it was, Loyd recalls. We did this 64 times.

Both Loyd and Herbert were part of the Invasion of Saipan, although in different units, in mid-June of 1944.

Herbert, still recovering from a shoulder wound suffered at Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, had visited Loyd in Hawaii before the invasion.

Loyd had tried to visit Herbert on Saipan, but learned the sad news of his brothers death, on July 4, 1944, from another member of his unit.

I asked one of the guys in his platoon about Herb. He asked who I was. I said 'Im his brother, just looking for him,' Loyd said, pausing for a moment.

He said, Im sorry to tell you this, but he was killed yesterday, Loyd said, pausing again.

Loyd was one of thousands of marines and sailors who later watched as five marines and a navy corpsman raised the American flag on Mount Suribachi during the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history, the invasion of Iwo Jima.

A photograph of the flag raising, taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal, became one of the iconic images of the war. Three of the flag-raisers were killed soon afterwards.

During the invasion of Okinawa, Lester was critically wounded. After pulling another wounded marine out of the path of advancing U.S. tanks, Lester was hit by sniper fire, the bullet exploding his own ammunition carried in pouches. Shrapnel from the ammunition destroyed a kidney and his spleen. He was left for dead in the ankle-deep mud of the battlefield.

He fell on the side that he was wounded. The mud sealed up his arteries and kept him from bleeding to death, Loyd said.

Eventually Lester was found alive and evacuated to a field hospital. He would spend the next year in hospitals, facing numerous major surgeries.

Kenneth and Luverne also survived the war. Kenneth returned to the Black Hills, working as a logger and truck driver. Luverne worked as a cattle buyer in Iowa. After a long period of recovery, Lester eventually found work as a lineman for Black Hills Power and later with Rapid City Police Department.

The oldest Brandt brother, Roy, earned his own place in history as one of the carvers of Mount Rushmore National Monument.

Now, only Loyd and Lester remain from the family of 10 children  seven boys and three girls  raised near Hamill, north of Winner. Lester lives in Sacramento.

I just talked to him the other day, Loyd said.

Loyd also worked for Black Hills Power for a time after the war. In 1951, he and his wife Joyce and their young family moved to California, where they lived for 21 years.

The family, including son Douglas and daughter Deanna, returned to Rapid City just after the 1972 flood. Loyd became an electrician at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. He retired in 1991.

Memories of the war would return in the form of nightmares, however. Douglas, a Vietnam veteran, talked his dad into seeing a Veterans Affairs psychiatrist.

Talking about his experiences and participating in a veterans writers group to document his service, has helped, even though the memories are starting to dim.

Its pretty tough, because thats 70 years ago. People just dont have that kind of a recollection. Most of the people you talk to are younger so they dont have the same memories," he said.

Loyd plans to attend Tuesdays World War II Veterans luncheon, organized by Bill Casper of Rapid City to recognize the sacrifice and service of what has been called The Greatest Generation.

I appreciate what Bill Casper is doing for us, Loyd said.
GOOD: Bernie Sanders put Rapid City and western South Dakota on the political map for a few hours on Thursday. Whether you like him or not, it was exciting to see someone vying for the highest office in the land take the time to visit our state, which until now hasn't been "feeling the Bern" or anything else during this electric campaign season. More than 2,000 people turned out to see Sanders in Rapid City and not all were there to cheer him on. As one young Trump supporter told a Journal reporter, "It's ... important to understand where everyone else is coming from and respect everyone else's views." Now, that's democracy in action.

BAD: Is Facebook suppressing conservative news stories as Sen. John Thune asked in a letter he sent to the social media giant? If so, why should we all be concerned about it? Well, it's about the truth. Facebook describes itself as merely a social media platform that serves as an unbiased gatekeeper of news featured in its trending news section, which uses algorithms to capture the hottest news at the moment. But we learned in recent days that this is not the case. It was reported last week that Facebook suppresses stories from conservative websites and about Facebook itself and injects and promotes more liberal stories. Facebook denies this, but acknowledges it has news curators who oversee the trending news feature on the site. If Facebook is vetting news, then it has failed to honestly describe what its employees are doing and what we are seeing.

UGLY: The transgender bathroom fight took an unfortunate turn Friday when the Obama Administration announced guidelines (tolerable) for schools to follow when dealing with this culturally divisive issue and then threatening to withhold federal funds for schools that don't follow them (intolerable). While we should all strive to be respectful of the rights of others, the federal government should never threaten to take money from schools to change social policy. After all, it is taxpayer money and withholding it would likely harm every student in the district, including transgender students. There has to be a better way. The federal government, for example, could provide funds to better accommodate privacy concerns of all students who use locker rooms in schools. Instead, it becomes another chapter in our ongoing culture wars that only serve to divide the electorate and boost politicians' war chests with special-interest money.
Domodedovo airport owner to compensate victims of terror attack - report

MOSCOW, May 17 (RAPSI)  Representatives of the Domodedovo airport are going to announce a settlement with victims in the criminal case launched after 2011 terror attack at the airport, Kommersant newspaper reports on Tuesday.

According to Kommersant, airports owner Dmitry Kamenshchik is going to pay the compensations through a specially established fund. Earlier, more than 40 victims of the attack have filed civil lawsuits against Kamenshchik demanding sums ranging from 50 million rubles ($769,000) to 700 mln ($10.7 mln).

Although Domodedovo owner and former airport managers do not admit their guilt, they expect that if the settlement is reached, the victims will receive adequate compensations, although slightly lower than in courts, whereas Kamenshchik may look to the criminal case against him to be dropped, the newspaper reports.

On February 19, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow placed Dmitry Kamenshchik, the owner of the Domodedovo airport, under house arrest in connection with this case.

According to investigators, the defendants have not provided sufficient security level that let the suicide bomber freely enter the arrival lounge and set off an explosive.

A suicide bomber detonated a bomb in the Domodedovo Airports international arrivals hall, killing 37 people and injuring 172, on January 24, 2011.

Doku Umarov, Russias most wanted terrorist at the time, claimed responsibility for the attack. Altogether, 28 men connected with the terrorist organization called the Caucasus Emirate were linked to the attack, according to the investigators. Seventeen of them were killed in special operations in 2011, and four were detained.

In November 2013, a Moscow Region court sentenced three men to life in prison and a fourth man to 10 years for their role in the suicide bombing.
Russia transfers search materials for Khodorkovsky to Interpol

MOSCOW, May 17 (RAPSI)  Russias Prosecutor Generals Office has transferred to Interpol additional materials required for the international search of former Yukos owner Mikhail Khodorkovsky who stands charged with organizing the murder of Nefteyugansk mayor Vladimir Petukhov in 1998, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday.

According to the official spokesperson for the Prosecutor Generals Office Alexander Kurennoy, Russia continues negotiations with Interpol on Khodorkovsky.

Initially, the request for the international search of Russian tycoon was rejected. But later, according to prosecutors, Interpol expressed readiness to consider the issue if Russian authorities submit additional case information to the organization.

On December 23, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow issued an arrest warrant for Khodorkovsky and put him on the international wanted list.

Khodorkovsky who is currently abroad earlier said that he would not participate in another criminal trial of him in Russia.

According to investigators, a criminal group killed several people between 1998 and 2002, including Petukhov, on orders from former Yukos shareholder Leonid Nevzlin. In 2009, Nevzlin, who moved to Israel in 2003, was sentenced in absentia to life in prison. Alexei Pichugin, YUKOS's former security chief, was found guilty of murdering Petukhov and received a life sentence in 2008.

The murder of Petukhov provoked a public outcry 17 years ago, when several media outlets speculated that he was directly involved in the re-division of Russias oil assets. Investigation into Petukhovs murder was suspended.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order releasing Khodorkovsky, who spent 10 years in prison for fraud and embezzlement, on December 20, 2013. The same day Khodorkovsky went to Berlin on a chartered flight.
Russian Supreme Court upholds ruling to change auto numbers in Crimea

MOSCOW, May 17 (RAPSI)  The Supreme Court of Russia has upheld the Russian governments ruling for Crimean drivers to change automobile numbers from Ukrainian to Russian standards, RAPSI learned in the courtroom on Tuesday.

The court has dismissed an appeal filed by Vyacheslav Mulyar who asked the court to rule against Russian governments decision because of alleged breach of Russian legislation on reunification of Russia and Crimea. He claimed that said law guaranteed legitimacy of certain documents issued by Ukrainian authorities without limitation of their validity and confirmation by the state authorities of the Russian Federation.

The plaintiff has also pointed out that automobiles from Crimea and Sevastopol with Russian registration numbers are still listed in Ukrainian databases. This situation puts Crimean and Sevastopols automobile owners at risk of being prosecuted for document forgery when they cross Crimean-Ukrainian border. According to the plaintiff, this results in rights violation for inhabitants of Crimea and Sevastopol.

On February 17, the Supreme Court obligated Crimean drivers to change automobile numbers from Ukrainian to Russian standards.

The Supreme Court took Russian governments side in a dispute with Crimean drivers who have filed a lawsuit against government after a decree obligating them to change automobile numbers.

Earlier the Crimean drivers used Ukrainian automobile numbers and registration documents.

Russian government obligated all Crimean drivers to change their documents and numbers to Russian standards until April 1, 2016. Plaintiffs, however, have pointed out that according to the Crimean legislation all documents issued by Ukraine are still functional even after Crimean reunion with Russia.
Prominent Russian art expert acquitted of fraud

ST. Petersburg, May 17 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov)  The Dzerzhinsky District Court of St. Petersburg on Tuesday declared prominent Russian art expert Yelena Basner not guilty to fraud, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.

Basner was investigated over a painting, In restaurant, attributed to Boris Grigoryev, a well-known Russian artist of the first half of the 20th century. The painting, which was allegedly examined by Basner in 2009 and sold for $250,000, was proven to be a fake in 2011.

Basner, a former employee of the Bukowskis auction house as well as the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, was arrested on January 31, 2014. She was charged with large-scale fraud. On February 5, 2014, she was placed under house arrest. In January 2015, a court in St. Petersburg released Basner from house arrest.

According to investigators, in summer 2009 Mikhail Aranson, who is now wanted by police, in collaboration with unknown co-conspirators invited Basner to the criminal conspiracy of selling the fake painting. Investigators allege that Basner made up a sham story about the paintings history and found the buyer, a publisher Leonid Shumakov. He, convinced of the paintings authenticity, proposed his close friend, St. Petersburg art collector Andrei Vasilyev, to buy the painting.

Eventually, Vasilyev bought the fake painting for  180,000 (13.2 million rubles), whereas its real price was 12,000 rubles ( 163).

Prosecutors earlier asked the court to sentence Basner to 4 years in prison and fine her 500,000 rubles ($7,700).


Kathmandu, Nepal: The agitating Federal Alliance (FA), a loose alliance of the Madhesi and indigenous parties, have staged their demonstrations targeting the Prime Ministers official residence, Baluwatar on Tuesday.



Considering the situation that the demonstration would turn violent, the local administration has tightened security situation in and around the Baluwatar area from the early morning on Tuesday.



The District Administration Office (DAO), Kathmandu has already declared new prohibited zones in some areas of Kathmandu considering security sensitivity during the protest. According to the DAO the newly declared prohibited zone will continue until further notice.



The area from the Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar to the Italian chowk in the south, and up to Pabitra workshop in the north, 100 meters from the Speaker's residence to the road leading to Gairidhara towards the west-south, 100 meters from the Chief Justice's residence in Baluwatar to west Lazimpat and 100 meters east of Nepal Rastra Bank Baluwatar chowk has been declared as prohibited zone, states the RSS.



Local Administration Act, 2028 has a provision that DAO can declare the prohibited area considering the security sensitivity.



The agitating FA had decided to shift their protest to Baluwatar after two day long Singhdurbar centric protest demanding incorporation of their agendas into the newly promulgated constitution of Nepal.


Sagarmatha Network Pvt. Ltd. is the organization dedicated in the field of printing, publishing service since 2001. As part of media, we've been publishing Review Nepal, an English medium weekly registered at District Administration Office (DAO) Kathmandu with registration number 130-162-163 and reviewnepal.com as an online digital newspaper, with registration number 849-075-076 at Department of Informational and Broadcasting (DIB) from Kathmandu, Nepal since 2003.
The Times of India - May 16, 2016

Even as a religious hardliner was executed in Bangladesh, a Buddhist monk was hacked to death. Renowned writer Taslima Nasreen spoke with Aarti Tikoo Singh about a hardliner-politician nexus murdering free thinkers in Bangladesh, religious violence in Pakistan, secularism in India a and Indiaas liberals:

Since 2013, more than 20 people a including secular writers, bloggers, professors, members of religious minorities and foreigners a have been killed in targeted attacks in Bangladesh. Why are secular individuals being targeted in Bangladesh? Who is killing them?

Jihadists have been silencing or threatening voices of sanity because democracy and pluralism are anathema to them. All they want is to establish a theocracy. They want to create Darul Islam, the land of Islam in Bangladesh. They want no law but Sharia, no womenas rights, and no freedom of speech. They want group loyalty perforce, which has no space for freedom of thought. There are 148 jihadi training camps in Bangladesh. Jihadists are helped by Jamat-e-Islami, 132 Islamic terrorist organizations including Ansarullah Bangla team and 231 fundamentalist institutions including aIslami banka. In the last 40 years, almost 40 thousand crores takas have been used for the military training of Jihadists in Bangladesh. It is only 20% of total profits that was earned from the Islamic fundamentalistsa economy. It is well established that the Islami bank has been financing terrorism.

Six years ago when Bangladesh restored secularism in its constitution, it seemed it was on a progressive path. What happened in the last few years that there is such violent reaction against secularism? Has the trial and conviction of 1971 Jamat-e-Islami war criminals in Bangladesh triggered this violence?

If that were so, Islamists would have attacked the judges or people in positions of power. But Islamists have been killing atheist bloggers, critics of Islam, intellectuals, and progressive Muslims. Islamists can kill anyone they want with impunity, and it becomes possible because the country has been Islamized for the last few decades because the government is not only a mute spectator but also directly encouraging the Islamists by criticizing bloggers for hurting the sentiments of people. This is bizarre, unthinkable in a society governed by rule of law. It seems that Bangladesh is hurtling back to the medieval age.

What is the extent of religious extremism in Bangladesh? Can ISIS find support there? How is Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fighting religious fundamentalist forces?

All of the terrorists and fundamentalists of the country support ISIS. Many received training from ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Sheikh Hasina denies this because of political compulsions. The denial is facile and nothing short of political skullduggery. The killings of atheists and bloggers punch holes in her claims. Islamists once attacked her with grenades. However, out of political compulsions she prefers to forget about it under imposed amnesia. Instead of proclaiming she is actually a secular person, she says she is a deeply religious person. There is a competition among political leaders as to who is more religious. Politicians use religion to get votes from the ignorant masses. Sheikh Hasina created the Ulema League in her party, the Awami League. The Ulema League is the organization of Islamic fundamentalists. Members of this organization are not different from the Jamat-e-Islami goons. They support the killing of freethinkers and atheist bloggers in the country.

India is stigmatized by 1984 anti-Sikh violence, 1990 ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits, 2002 Gujarat riots. According to Indian governmentas own admission, communal intolerance and violence has gone up in the last couple of years in India too. Three rationalists were killed last year and two Muslim boys lynched to death. How is Indiaas majoritarian violence against minorities different from Bangladesh?

Islamic fundamentalists have systematically targeted Minorities in Bangladesh. Hindus are harassed, tortured, and even killed only because they are Hindus. Hindu girls are getting raped, and Hindu-hating Muslims forcibly takes lands owned by Hindus. Hindus are frequently told to leave the country. In 1947, Hindu population in Bangladesh was 31%. Now it is around 8%.

I do not think Muslims in India are oppressed the way Hindus are oppressed in Bangladesh. Hindu extremists hate Indian Muslims but the Indian Constitution is secular which guarantees equality before law and the equal protection of law to all irrespective of religion, caste, sex, place of birth etc., and the laws are applied uniformly, which protect Muslims. Muslims in India are given lots of facilities and opportunities to get education and jobs for being Muslims. The population of Hindus is currently less in Bangladesh because of the exodus that started since the partition of India. Hindus do not fight back in Bangladesh, but in India Muslims often fight back against their oppression. It can happen only if you have equality.

In India, all politicians appease Muslims. In Bangladesh there is no such thing as minority appeasement policy. Hindus are leaving Bangladesh for other countries to save their lives. Muslims in India do not need to leave their country.

Pakistan is fighting Islamists too. How is Bangladeshas situation any different from Pakistanas?

Bangladesh was born as a secular country; its constitution was secular. Pakistan is an Islamic republic. But Bangladesh, once a secular state, is now degenerating into a country of Islamists. Because of the Islamization of Bangladesh for 40 long years, its political system is now totally Islamic. You will not find many Muslim countries with political systems as Islamized as is the case in Bangladesh. Islamic fanatics have killed so many secular writers and bloggers and freethinkers in recent years. Not a single killer has been punished. But the Islamic fanatic who killed secular and progressive Salman Taseer in Pakistan was hanged. You can get at least some justice in Pakistan, but not in Bangladesh, which has become a safe haven for Islamists. Even Syria and Iraq are not as accommodating of Islamic fanatics as Bangladesh. No air raid or drone attacks disturb Bangladeshi jihadists. The government of Bangladesh is providing them with protection and has warned atheists and free thinker bloggers to quit writing about atheism and secularism and stop hurting religious feelings. Atheists are getting arrested under 57 ICT acts, a new law which was created to fight free thought.

All three states that emerged from the partition of Indian subcontinent seem to be challenged by the same communal conflicts that our freedom fighters were fighting through the 1940s. Was Partition a good idea to begin with? How has creation of Bangladesh helped?

Partition was a mistake. Now India has two neighbours dominated by Islamic fundamentalists. The 1971 Bangladesh-Pakistan war proved that Muslim unity was a myth and the two-nation theory was a blunder. Bangladesh could not remain as a secular state due to the Islamic policies that were introduced by corrupt political regimes. Bangladesh is becoming the worst Islamic country in the world. Having a neighbour like Bangladesh is not good for India. You never know when the ISIS and al-Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist organizations will come to India and begin killing innocent people. Bangladesh is totally a failed state. The so-called democratic government is a theocratic government in reality. The creation of Bangladesh as a secular state has failed miserably. Bangladesh has become a breeding ground for terrorists.

You have been very critical of Indian liberals and the Left. Why?

I have always been critical of far right politics. I am also critical of Indian liberals and leftists. I noticed liberals and leftists are generally very critical of Hindu fanaticism but not of Islamic fanaticism. Islamic fanatics are against human rights, womenas rights, free speech and democracy. The truth is those Islamic fanatics are against everything Indian liberals stand for. But liberals strangely sympathize with them. This is how they have distorted the concept of secularism.

You have been opposed to all religions? Donat you think criticism of religion is unnecessarily provoking even moderate religionists to take hardliner positions?

I do not think so. Freethinkers, rationalists, atheists, humanists are a minority in most societies. Moderate religionists do not need criticism of religion to become hardliners. They have political reasons to become hardliners. Criticism of religion should hopefully provoke people to think rationally and give up irrational blind faith. We must not forget that without criticism of religion no society has evolved and no state becomes secular. Critical scrutiny of religion is necessary for a healthy society. No religion should be protected from critical scrutiny, from questioning unethical aspects of its doctrines. Criticism encourages people to become secular humanists.

Hardliners have been killing atheists and rationalists in Bangladesh. They became hardliners because they were indoctrinated with Islam from a very early age, and they sorely need to be exposed to a rational and tolerant worldview.
Hindustan Times - May 16, 2016

Editorial

Rajasthan school board is not going by the book

It is a novel way to aimprovea educational standards by any yardstick. The Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education has decided to rejig the school curriculum to obscure certain historic facts, cleverly add a few new ones and put a twist on others. So, we find no reference to Jawaharlal Nehru being the first prime minister of India, no mention of Mahatma Gandhias assassination and the emperor Akbar being referred to without being called aGreata a an honour that will now go to Maharana Pratap. The new curriculum, on the state education website, introduces new elements like the prime ministeras Maan ki Baat radio address, the Swachh Bharat scheme, the PMas fitness habits and tales of gods and religious figures. A letter to a cow by a student also features.

It is no oneas contention that textbooks not be rewritten from time to time to make them more contemporary. But in this case the efforts of the State Institute of Education, Research and Training in Udaipur seem to be driven by particular political considerations. The education ministeras excuse that he has nothing to do with this autonomous bodyas efforts seems a little incredulous considering how active the government has been in its re-education efforts. The aim of the state education sector should be to provide children the necessary knowledge that will help them compete with the best anywhere. It should focus on improving conditions in schools, especially for the girl child, the quality of teaching and teacher training.

No doubt religious leaders and past tales of Indian culture and valour have their time and place in the childas understanding of society and history, but this cannot be done by masking immutable facts of our past. The fact that erstwhile rulers who resisted the Muslim kings are being highlighted reiterates that fact that this has more to do with ideology than improving educational standards. The tendency to politicise every aspect of life is something we have come to live with today. But the government has a duty to ensure that children are imparted the most accurate information in an interesting manner and not made to learn what can only be described as a distorted version of events and irrelevant or even doctored information.
cnn.com - May 16, 2016

"Sherry Rehman is an opposition Senator in Pakistans parliament. She previously served as Pakistans Ambassador to the United States, as well as Federal Minister. In 2004, Rehman became the first parliamentarian in the country to introduce a bill against honor killings. The views expressed are her own. "

Islamabad (CNN) The savage murder of a young girl at the hands of her own family and community made headlines last month for the sheer scale of its pre-mediated brutality.

Fifteen-year-old Ambreen was drugged, strangled and then burnt to death, shocking even a country used to 25 years of debating such "honor killings."

Ambreens supposed crime was heartbreakingly common and quite universal in its teenage impulse. Like millions of young girls, she had re-framed her limited autonomy by secretly furthering the course of anothers love.

No one will know whether she ever imagined the terrible risk to her life.

The act of helping her friend elope to marry the man of her choosing, and presumably one that would have evoked a bloody tide of reprisals, turned unwittingly into existential defiance against both local custom and community.

Blood money

The outrage over Ambreens death is not only about her murder.

It is also the nature and scale of brutality against women that Pakistans government continues to tolerate despite a growing clamor for reform.

High profile cases like this one shine a light on more than just a conspiracy of silence when it comes to crimes against women. They also refract in sharp contours the costs of political inaction at the top.

According to the most recent report by the countrys independent Human Rights Commission, in 2015 there were more than 1,100 "honor killings." Over 900 cases of sexual violence were reported against women, and nearly 800 women committed or attempted to commit suicide.

These reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg however.

While murder or injury is in most cases seen as a serious crime, with harsh penalties, this is not the case when it comes to crimes against women, especially those that involve the supposed "honor" of families or communities.

The law allows for the exchange of "blood money" for family pardons in certain crimes, preventing police or prosecutors from taking action and saving the perpetrators from justice.

Promised action not taken

It is not for lack of popular support that the government does not act.

Many anti-women laws in Pakistan have been debated and amended by previous parliaments, or at least kicked off a process of reform.

At a recent screening of Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaids Oscar-winning documentary on honor killings at Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs house in Islamabad, he declared a public fight against such crimes in Pakistan.

With mounting public and international pressure, it seemed the obvious thing to do.

Yet right after this announcement, a man accused of murdering his mother was released from prison thanks to a family pardon.

He went on to murder two of his young sisters in cold blood.

The same week, a father murdered his 18-year-old daughter in Lahore after she failed to account for where she was for five hours during the day.

Absent changes in the law, such crimes will continue to proliferate.

Change must come

No one doubts that even if the law is reformed, change on the ground will take time.

This means many culprits will never face justice, and long trials may often end without conviction.

But the counterfactual to this conventional wisdom is obvious. Once the state takes back its right to disallow the privatization of justice, the law will at least be empowered to intervene for the victim.

In 2016, there is no reason that Pakistans people, mainly its women, should have to live in fear of the savagery and brutality of honor killings.

Sherry Rehman is an opposition Senator in Pakistans parliament
Kim Ki-jong, a member of a pro-Korean unification group who attacked the US ambassador to the Republic of Korea Mark Lippert at a public forum, is carried on a stretcher off an ambulance as he arrives at a hospital in Seoul March 5, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

SEOUL -- Republic of Korea (ROK)'s prosecutors on Tuesday sought a 17-year prison term against a 56-year-old attacker of Mark Lippert, US ambassador to the ROK, at an appeals court.

The prosecution sought the longer jail term during a hearing at the Seoul High Court as the ROK man slashed the face and arm of the top US envoy to Seoul with a knife that needed more than 80 stitches.

Kim Ki-jong, who is serving an imprisonment, was sentenced to 12 years in prison at the lower court for attacking Lippert at a breakfast function in Seoul in March last year.

Later, one and a half years of jail term was added as he assaulted a prison guard and a doctor.

Prosecutors asked the appeals court to convict him for the violation of the national security law, which the lower court acquitted him of.

The prosecution reportedly said that Kim committed the crime in sympathy with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's ideology, noting that his crime was premeditated given a fact that he prepared a knife in advance.
Kansas not planning to require COVID-19 vaccine to attend school

There is no plan to require the COVID-19 vaccine for school attendance in Kansas, as the CDC puts the shots on the childhood vaccination schedule.
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May 17, 2016

Noting that different prosecutors have notably different opinions on the SRCA

This lengthy new Daily Signal article, headlined "Is It Time for Criminal Justice Reform? 2 Law Enforcement Groups Are at Odds," details that the heads of the National District Attorneys Association and of the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys have taken different positions on the leading statutory sentencing reform proposal in Congress. I recommend the piece in full, and here are excerpts:

While the unusual coalition of President Barack Obama and conservative groups hold out hope for the chance at what they call the most meaningful reform to criminal sentencing laws in a generation, frontline law enforcement officials are debating what the changes would mean for their communities. Steven Cook, whose organization represents more than 5,500 assistant United States attorneys, believes Congress attempts to reduce prison sentences for certain low-level offenders will substantially harm law enforcements ability to dismantle and disrupt drug trafficking organizations. William Fitzpatrick, the president of the official body representing state-level district attorneys across the U.S., views the issue differently, recently writing to congressional leaders that a Senate plan to reduce sentences for drug crimes allows lower level offenders a chance for redemption. Cook and Fitzpatrick are two veteran law enforcement officials with vastly different jobs, but they have outsized roles in a debate over criminal justice reform with high stakes for the people they represent  not to mention the thousands of offenders who could benefit from changes to sentencing laws. Fitzpatrick made headlines late last month when he authored a letter  on behalf of the National District Attorneys Association  to Senate leaders Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Harry Reid, D-Nev., expressing support for compromise legislation meant to reduce mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenders. That endorsement has encouraged other law enforcement groups to get on board, with both the International Association of Chiefs of Police and Major County Sheriffs Association announcing their support last week.... But Cook, and his National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, remain opposed to the legislation, and he and the organization have the ear of still skeptical lawmakers like Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.; and David Perdue, R-Ga. The notion we should save the American people money by releasing these repeat drug traffickers  and to take tools away from prosecutors needed to successfully prosecute them  is a breach of the fundamental responsibility that the federal government has to protect its citizens, Cook told The Daily Signal. Cook and Fitzpatrick know each other well, and have been in frequent communication about their positions on the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, as the Senates legislation is known (although Cook says he was very surprised when Fitzpatrick endorsed the new bill). Cook has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Tennessee for the last 29 years. Fitzpatrick is the district attorney for Onondaga County in New York, a position hes held for 24 years. McConnell is ultimately responsible for deciding whether to allow the full Senate to vote on the bill. In weighing his decision, McConnell is no doubt considering both sides of the argument communicated by Cook and Fitzpatrick. As most compromises go, the legislations actual provisions are relatively modest. The bill aims to reduce certain mandatory minimum prison sentences created in the 1980s and 90s during the war on drugs, which are laws that require binding prison terms of a particular length, and designed to promote consistency in punishment. Critics charge these laws have proven to be inflexible, and, by limiting judges discretion to rule on the specifics of a case, have led to unfair punishments for lesser offenders. The number one priority of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act is the promotion of public safety, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, a bill sponsor, told The Daily Signal. Our criminal justice system is undermined when punishment delivered by the government does not fit the crime. Our bill better protects the American people by bringing balance back to federal sentencing. The bill, for example, would reduce the mandatory prison sentence required for drug offenders with two or more serious violent felony or serious drug felony convictions from life without parole, to 25 years. The bills authors adjusted this provision, and others, so that it does not allow violent offenders from being able to petition a judge for a retroactive early release. To say a third-time drug offender gets 25 years instead of life, is that going to impact public safety? Fitzpatrick said. Not in my judgment. If you are lucky, you get 75 years on planet Earth. If you take a third of a persons life away from him or her, that is not what I would call a slap on the wrist. In this society, we can survive safely in giving someone 25 to 30 years as opposed to life.... Still, for people who view drug trafficking as an inherently violent crime, as Cook does, the reform would reduce the punishment for offenders who have done more than possess and use drugs. We are not prosecuting drug users in federal court, Cook said. This whole notion of low-level nonviolent drug offenders is wrong because thats not who is coming into federal prison. We are dealing with dismantling large drug trafficking organizations.... According to Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a nonprofit advocating for sentencing reform, 92 percent of the 20,600 federal drug offenders sentenced in fiscal year 2015 did not play a leadership or management role in the offense, and nearly half had little or no prior criminal record. Even so, Cook contends that prosecutors would lose a major leverage tool with weakened mandatory minimums, making it harder for them to get cooperation from defendants who would help them dismantle drug trafficking organizations. Its absolutely right that it [mandatory minimums] encourage people to cooperate with law enforcement officials and identify others involved in a conspiracy, Cook said. There are strong incentives for offenders to not help us identify other participants, and this is the only tool weve got. These are not easy people to deal with. They understand one thing, and that is how long they will be in prison. Fitzpatrick counters that prosecutors still could effectively do their jobs with less severe mandatory minimum sentences. There will always be the give and take of plea bargaining and trying to get people to cooperate, Fitzpatrick said. I dont think this statute undermines that, not when high-level offenders will still get significant prison time.

May 17, 2016 at 02:12 PM | Permalink

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Cook doesnt have a clue. Most drug offenders in federal prison are 2-4 addicts that at times trade drugs or make runs for the ingredients to make it. This hardly counts as large drug rings or an organization. These guys that want to retain such gross sentences, like to use words like, terrorists drug organizations, cartels, drug rings.

Tom, Molly and Spot hardly constiture this. These people are nirmally so screwed up on drugs, I could do the investigations and successfully prosecute them. They have no resources, just a brain that is etched from over use of corrosive drugs.

Posted by: MidWestGuy | May 17, 2016 5:10:27 PM

The feds must face the music, anyone that qualifies with the flimsiest traces gets hammered with the mandatories. It actually pumps them up. The judge and Ausa are like Hans and Frans, we are here to Pump you up,

Seriously, I read not too long ago a guy was sentenced as as a ARmed career criminal, because there were 7 shotgun shells in a dresser he moved and then bought, sort if.

How about Begay and Gall. Anyone with minimal information should be able to convince McConnel the mandatories are being abused grossly.

Life for selling drugs because you are an addict and the Usa wont help you medically because your not rich as a rock star. Simply put.

Posted by: MidWestGuy | May 17, 2016 5:32:06 PM

It's not as if prosecutors lack power in the plea negotiation process. Even without mandatories, the guidelines are still probably ridiculous and 85% of federal judges don't have the stones to be only "advised" by the guidelines.

Posted by: Fat Bastard | May 17, 2016 6:25:05 PM

I'm really getting a bit impatient with the entire dialogue. How can we accept that we incarcerate 716 citizens per thousand while Canada only has the need to incarcerate 118 per thousand and France 98 citizens per thousand. Is our population more dangerous or are our laws, enforcement, charging and prosecution making us a nation of prisoners and former prisoners.

Not only are we losing our freedoms because of heavy handed criminal justice policies, but we are spending our treasure in order to deny our own freedom.

Since 1980 our spending on prisons has increased 2,000% and the prison population has increased 734% - This is just the incarceration component of the system. During the same period of time the population has only increased by 40%. Something is wrong with this formula that needs to be corrected - not just by nibbling around the edges.

Posted by: beth | May 18, 2016 2:10:05 AM

I am a Wharton School of Finance MBA, like Trump, and Vice President of the CAN-DO foundation. I am also a former Federal Drug prisoner. Mr Cook's position is self serving and absolutely NOT based on facts. I served my sentence among women who were in their VAST majority non violent, not carrying weapons and definitely not major drug dealers. In fact at least half of them were not accused of "dealing" drugs but of assisting a drug "conspiracy", mostly by doing relatively insignificant acts such a depositing money, picking people up at an airport or, in one case, translating phone calls for her boyfriend.. Many simply had the poor luck and bad judgement of being married to or related to someone involved with the drug trade. These peripheral, unimportant people often receive decades long sentences because they either do not wish to testify against loved ones or because they were so little involved that they have no information to bargain with. Some invent false accusations in their panic while the others rot in prison for the better part of their lives. The manner in which AUS Attorneys use guidelines and conspiracy laws AS MUCH as Mandatory Minimums often has the perverse result of giving plea deals and vastly reduced sentences to those MORE involved and MORE culpable while the small fry get the "kingpin" sentences. As to Cook's allegation that drug offenses are inherently violent...that's very convenient that way he can allege with a straight face that there are no non violent low level drug offenders in our Federal prisons! Let him go visit a Federal Women's prison where the point I am making will become evident after 30 minutes.

Posted by: Patricia Williams | May 18, 2016 8:44:40 AM

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Recently SFist wrote of a $27 million proposed agreement for drivers to settle with Lyft, a deal to keep them contractors rather than employees in California. That settlement was brokered by the same lawyer, Shannon Liss-Riordan, who had negotiated a $100 million settlement with Uber in California and Massachusetts. And the news was enough to send Gabe Ets-Hokin to our comments section.

"Uber and Lyft lawsuits: $40 million plus for Ms. Riordan, about $800 to me if I'm lucky," Ets-Hokin wrote. "Maybe I should have tried to pass the bar just one last time."

The Guardian was quick to report on similar rumblings of dissatisfaction from within the ranks of Uber drivers last week, when new court documents showed that Uber might have been forced to pay $852 million in damages had it been defeated in court. Instead, under the proposed agreement covering around 385,000 drivers, $84 million will be paid out, with $16 million more provided Uber takes its company public.

Bloomberg reports that another lawyer pursuing similar class action cases, New York's Hunter Shkolnik, has even asked that Liss-Riordan even be removed from the case. The entire class was thrown under the bus and backed over. Bloomberg quotes Shkolnik, while noting that his request to the judge to remove her is unlikely to succeed.

Liss-Riordan, naturally, disagrees with Shkolnik. In an emailed statement, she writes It is easy for others to come in and second guess, but cases are settled all the time, and it is the lawyers duty to assess and balance the risks and make recommendations, That will be, in part, up to a judge. On June 2nd, US District Judge Edward Chen will hear more, and perhaps offer preliminary approval for the deal once, lawyers like Liss-Riordan provide breakdowns of their hours and so forth.

If this settlement is approved, the next stage of the case will be the food fight of all the lawyers coming in trying to take a piece of this fee for this case that I litigated, Liss-Riordan wrote. I expect the lawyers making these objections are going to be first in line trying to get a piece of it.

Today, Reuters reports in Fortune that a key plaintiff in the Uber case, Douglas OConnor has turned on Liss-Riordan. The deal is not in my interest or in the interest of any Uber driver, O'Connor wrote in a court filing. In fact, he's removing himself from the case.

That might be a problem: It's O'Connor whose name is often invoked to signify the case, as in "the O'Connor Case." Instead of Liss-Riordan, O'Connor has sought the services of celebrity LA lawyer Mark Geragos.

But those who might hope to represent O'Connor and others at this stage, says Liss-Riordan, are little more than legal scavengers  the types, she tells Reuters, who "have a history of jumping on big cases and making some noise so they can try to get a piece of it. Further, O'Connor isn't certified as the lead plaintiff in the case that, colloquially, bears his name.

Related: Uber Paying Off Drivers To The Tune Of $100M So They Can Keep Them As Contractors
An early-morning pizza delivery went awry Saturday, when a duo of carb-seeking gunmen robbed the driver of the doubtlessly delicious pie.

It was 2:05 a.m. Saturday when a 41-year-old pizza deliveryman was dispatched to the 700 block of 37th Avenue, which is between Balboa and Cabrillo Streets.

He was "retrieving the pizza from the trunk," according to the San Francisco Police Department, when two men "approached from behind."

As one man "stood there with the handgun on the side of his body," the second miscreant demanded that the man hand over the pizza, as well as his wallet and cell phone.

The driver complied, and police say that the pizza purloiners then fled on foot. The flatbread freaks haven't been seen since, and as of publication time, SFPD did not have any further suspect information to provide.
The San Francisco Police Department is seeking a teen suspect today, following a serious stabbing in the area of 16th and Mission Streets Monday evening.

According to the SFPD, a person walking through the parking lot of a store near the 1900 block of Mission Street (which is between 15th and 16th Streets) spotted a 32-year-old man who was injured and bleeding at around 5:30 Monday afternoon.

After that person called an ambulance for the injured man, police arrived and were told by the victim that he had been stabbed by a 14-year-old boy at 16th and Mission Streets.

Police say that though officers then went to the area described by the victim, they "could not locate a crime scene."

The stabbing victim was transported to San Francisco General Hospital with "life threatening" stab wounds to the chest, police say.

No arrests in the case have been made as of Tuesday afternoon, police say. Additional information on the suspect or a motive behind the crime was not available as of publication time.
Fair-minded Wisconsinites have complained bitterly about the Republican-drawn electoral map that seems to ensure that Democrats will be in the minority in the state Legislatureeven when they receive more votes statewide than their Republican counterparts.

For example, in the November 2012 elections, Democrats earned 53.5% of the vote statewide, but just 39% of the seats in the Assembly.

Next week, however, those complaints could turn into action as attorneys for 12 Democratic voters make their case against the map in front of a three-judge panel in federal court beginning on May 24.

The Democrats argue that the Republican-drawn map is so heavily biased toward the GOP that its unconstitutional.

The map is heavily favored toward one party, said Sachin Chheda, director of the bipartisan Fair Elections Project, which supports the lawsuit. It treats the voters of one party very differently than the voters of the other party. Voters who support Republicans have a much greater chance of converting their votes into seats than voters who support Democrats.

In fact, the Democrats claim that Wisconsins current electoral map is the most politically biased map drawn in modern history and theyve got a new statistical model to prove it.

We dont have a democracy in Wisconsin, Chheda said. We dont have the kind of the accountability where the policy decisions made by elected officials can be addressed by the voters. The elected officials are going to win no matter what they do.

If the Democrats win their case in court, the judges could require the state to redraw the legislative map so that it more accurately reflects the voters will. Whether that could happen before the November general election is to be determined pending the outcome of the May 24 trial.

If theres a swift decision, Wisconsinites may head to the polls this fall to vote in different legislative districts, for different legislators.

Another reason to pay attention? The vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia and U.S. Senate Republicans refusal to confirm a replacement during the Obama administration, could have an impact on the case, which observers have called as important as Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down segregation in schools.

GOP Map Drawn Up in Secret

Each decade, after the U.S. Census, the states draw new electoral maps to reflect changes in their population. Elected officials are typically responsible for drawing the new map, but when power is split between the two partiesfor example, when Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson was in office, but the Legislature was controlled by Democratseither the Legislature and the governor agree on a compromise map or lawsuits are filed and members of the court system take charge of redistricting.

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For the past 40 years, Wisconsins maps have been drawn by the courts because state leaders were split between the two parties and couldnt agree on a map.

But that changed in 2011, when Republicans took control of both houses of the state Legislature and the governors office. Instead of working with Democratic legislators to craft a map, the Republicans hired the Michael Best & Friedrich law firm and an outside expert to draw the new legislative map in secret, in a private office on the Capitol Square. GOP lawmakers were required to sign a secrecy oath before viewing the map.

Not surprisingly, the resulting map heavily favored Republicans.

The Democratic plaintiffs in the gerrymandering case contend that the Republicans packed and cracked Democratic voters into a minority of legislative districts, instead of creating legislative districts that are more equally balanced between Republicans and Democrats. The Democrats say the amount of wasted Democratic votes reaches 12%, which is what they say the Republican experts intended. They argue that more than 7% of wasted votes is unconstitutional.

A spokesman for the state Department of Justice (DOJ), which is representing the Republican legislators in court, wouldnt answer the Shepherds questions for this article and pointed to the filings in the case instead. There, the DOJ argues, there is no constitutional right for political groups to obtain a percentage of legislative seats corresponding to the percentage of votes their candidates earn statewide in legislative contests.

The Court Battle

The Democrats case has already survived two challenges before a three-judge panel thats hearing the case. The judges voted unanimouslytwiceto disregard the DOJs objections and allow the case to proceed to trial, slated for May 24. And if you think the judges are Democrats and automatically favor the plaintiffs, think again. While U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb was appointed by Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, Judge Kenneth Ripple was appointed by Ronald Reagan and Judge William Griesbach was appointed by George W. Bush.

The panel has blocked off four days for the trial, when theyll hear oral arguments and testimony from experts. The judges will make a decision without a jury, but theres no sense of when that will happen.

No matter what they decide, theres a good chance that it will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

And this is where the case gets interesting.

The plaintiffs crafted their standard for measuring partisan gerrymandering because U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy seemed to ask for one in a 2004 case. Kennedy appeared to say that he would be open to reviewing claims of unfair electoral maps, but that he needed some way to objectively measure partisan bias.

Theres no way to know how the justices would rule on Wisconsins electoral map, but the open seat on the court, created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia and the Republicans refusal to confirm Obamas appointee, Merrick Garland, could impact the ultimate decision.

Currently, if the eight-member Supreme Court is deadlocked 4-4, the decision of the appeals court would be upheld automaticallyin this case, the ruling of the three-judge panel.

Without Scalia, the court seems to be split between three conservativesjustices John Roberts, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alitoand four liberals or moderates, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Kennedy, who asked for the gerrymandering standard in the 2004 case, seems to be the swing vote.

Chheda wouldnt speculate on the Supreme Courts role in the case, but he said that it was possible that one of the courts would request that Wisconsin redraws its maps in a less biased wayand could do so in time for the new maps to be in place for the November election.

Its possible if we get a quick decision and the Legislature implements new maps before the election, Chheda said.

Chheda said it was important for all voters to have a fair map, since incumbent legislators who feel safe in their highly partisan districts become highly partisan in their actions in the Legislature. They dont compromise and this leads to legislative gridlock unless they control both houses of the Legislature and the governors office as the Republicans do in Wisconsin.

If we want democracy to work we need to have elections that are meaningful and reflect the will of the people, Chheda said. We feel that if you had a Legislature that was responsive to the will of the people and that was conscious of the fact that if they made unpopular decisions the voters would punish them, then theyd have to moderate their decision-making and find compromise.
Solo Mag caught up with Jerry Hsu to discuss A Love Like Mine is Hard to Find, his exhibition currently on display in Berlin until the 4th of June at the HVW8 Gallery. Press play below to find out what influences Hsus photography and where the exhibitions name origins lie, and check it out if your in Berlin!

Enjoy a section of switch steez and general dopeness from him as well as cameos from Jerry Hsu, Spanky, AVE, Sage Elsesser and more...

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BANCROFT, Neb. | Preparing meals for dozens of children every day, knowing that some of them won't like the food, is part of the job of being a school cook.

Becky Wortman has been doing this long enough not to take it personally.

"You can't please everybody," Wortman said with a shrug.

She doesn't let it bother her. What bothers her are the hairnets. Wortman does not like wearing the hairnets.

"I hate the hairnets," she said, adding it emphatically to her comments at the end of an interview.

On Thursday, Wortman will wear the hated hairnet for the last time as she prepares and serves her final meal after 34 years in food service at Bancroft-Rosalie Public School.

May is the time when another school year ends along with long careers spent inside those schools. We often hear of the beloved teachers or principals who are retiring.

But inside every school are people like Wortman -- food service workers, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers and others. They're not teachers, but many of these workers have spent decades working there, performing important tasks that keep every school running smoothly.

Tasks like preparing meals to give students the energy needed to pay attention and learn.

"We're not just cooks, we're a vital part of the educational system," Wortman said.

And, in Wortman's case, she's loved just about every minute of working in the kitchen, first in Rosalie beginning in 1982, then in Bancroft after the schools consolidated in 1983. For the past 30 years, she's been the district's food service manager, entrusted with making sure the lunches -- and since 2001, breakfasts, too -- served to 250-270 students every day are healthy and, hopefully, tasty.

"I think for the most part they like it," she said. "We just do their favorites and balance it through the week."

It's a tough balancing act. Nutrition guidelines change. New foods and ingredients get added to meet those requirements, but not always to the students' satisfaction. Sweet potato fries were one of those experiments, until the high school students piled all the uneaten fries onto a couple trays and returned them at the end of the lunch period to make their point.

"They just didn't want them," Wortman said.

There are plenty of items that are much more popular than the sweet potatoes. Chili and cinnamon rolls are always popular. Homemade pizza is a big hit. Students like the taco and super nacho bars, too.

"You need to follow the regulations, but you also need to feed the kids, keep them happy and give them healthy choices," Wortman said.

And document it all. Wortman won't miss all the record-keeping that goes into planning meals and ordering commodities. It's hard enough to cook and clean up the kitchen afterward.

"You're on your feet a lot, lifting a lot of heavy things," Wortman said. "It's a lot of stressful, heavy work."

And it's fun. Working in the kitchen allowed Wortman to see her own children, and now her grandchildren, in school every day.

"To get in with the school was kind of nice," said Wortman, whose mother was a teacher. She also has a sister teaching here. "The school system's been in my blood."

Wortman's husband, Jerry, retired from farming a couple years ago, and they'll continue to enjoy traveling and camping during the summer while fixing up a house in Maskell, Nebraska. There will be more time to see grandchildren.

Wortman will happily hang up the hairnet, but will take many fond memories with her.

"I'll miss the kids, and the staff is so great," she said. "It's like an extended family here."

A family for whom she's made thousands of meals.
SIOUX CITY | Briar Cliff University will host a baccalaureate liturgy and commencement ceremony this week to honor the college's 2016 recipients of undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Briar Cliffs baccalaureate Mass will take place at 6 p.m. Friday at the Cathedral of the Epiphany, 10th and Douglas streets.

The college's 85th commencement ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Orpheum Theatre, 528 Pierce St. Motorists should note that Pierce Street between Fifth and Sixth streets will be closed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The valedictorian for BCUs Class of 2016 is Kristina Lane, a psychology major from Sioux City. While at BCU, Lane has been involved in the psychology club and has also been a member of the rock climbing team. Following graduation, Lane plans to go on to get her masters in behavioral analysis at Briar Cliff.

BCU elementary education major Katelyn Mueller from Crofton, Nebraska, is the salutatorian. While at Briar Cliff, Mueller was the vice president of student government, assistant hall director for residence life, vice regent of Catholic Daughters, an Antioch team leader, an RCIA sponsor, a member of Delta Epsilon Sigma National Scholastic Honor Society, part of the mission trip to Honduras in 2015 and a participant in intramural sports. Over the summer, Mueller will work as a leader teacher at Girls Inc. of Sioux City. She will also be seeking a teaching position in the Sioux City area for this fall.

The commencement speakers, chosen by a BCU selection panel, are Angela Kaiser, a biology major from Crofton, Nebraska, and Brandi Pinkerton, a continuing education student from Hinton, Iowa, earning her bachelors degree in nursing and radiology.

Kaiser plans to attend the University of South Dakota to study occupational therapy. While at Briar Cliff, Kaiser has served as the resident life assistant, peer advising leader coordinator, vice president of the pre-professional health sciences club, senator for student government and treasurer of the Catholic Daughters. Kaiser also participated in science club and the Franciscan awareness team.

Pinkerton currently works at Good Samaritan Society in Le Mars, Iowa, as a CNA. Following graduation, Pinkerton plans to get a nursing job in a local healthcare facility.
SIOUX CITY | Austin McCloud did not get a second chance to learn from his bad choice.

District Judge Patrick Tott told Rose Mouw that he hoped she would take advantage of hers.

"It's a difficult lesson to learn that poor choices can lead to life-altering consequences. The true test from this point forward is that you learn from your bad choices," Tott said Tuesday when sentencing Mouw to 10 years in prison for selling the synthetic marijuana that caused McCloud's April 16, 2015, death.

Mouw, 18, of Sioux City, pleaded guilty in Woodbury County District Court to involuntary manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance. Her plea agreement left the sentence up to Tott, with the only conditions that if he imposed the five- and 10-year prison sentences spelled out in state law for the two charges, the sentences be served at the same time, rather than one after the other.

Speaking in a soft voice barely audible in the courtroom, Mouw apologized for what happened.

"I'm extremely sorry for everything," she said.

Mouw admitted that she bought the K2, a type of synthetic marijuana, at a Lincoln, Nebraska, smoke shop and sold it to McCloud. Later that night, McCloud, 18, smoked the K2 with three other teenage boys, and they were in a car when they stopped near the entrance to War Eagle Park to call 911.

All four were hospitalized, and McCloud, a West High School senior, died.

Speaking before Mouw was sentenced, McCloud's mother, Tammy Summers, asked that parents teach their children of the dangers of synthetic drugs.

"There were a lot of bad choices made that day," she said. "I think we all need to make a change and make better choices so that no other parents have to go through this."

As part of her plea agreement, Mouw will not have to serve a mandatory minimum of three years in prison before she's eligible for parole. Because of earned time and other credits, she could be released from prison before serving half of her 10-year sentence.

Mouw is currently free on bond and will report to the Woodbury County Jail on Saturday morning to be transported to prison.
HULL, Iowa | A 16-year-old male from Boyden, Iowa, was charged Friday with sexual exploitation of a minor after several inappropriate photos of a juvenile female were found on his school computer.

According to a news release from the Sioux County Sheriff's Office, the male, who attends Boyden-Hull Junior Senior High School, was charged following an investigation that began on April 22, when the high school reported that the student had been found with the inappropriate photos.

Upon further investigation, the sheriff's office discovered the female victim resides in New Mexico, and the photos were kept by the male on a school computer, the release said.

The male has been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor.

The sheriff's school resource officer assisted in the investigation.
Eager for one more symbolic first and another historic photo op before he leaves office, President Obama announced last week he will visit Hiroshima, Japan, on May 27.

Like his ill-advised trip to Cuba in March, this visit raises questions. Chief among them, of course, is whether Obama will apologize, either directly or indirectly, for America's decision to drop a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and, later, Nagasaki in August 1945 in an effort to end World War II.

America need make no apology today for an action taken by another president in another time when - after 3 1/2 years of U.S. involvement in a global conflict - war raged on in the Pacific, the Japanese were our enemies and the possibility loomed of an invasion of Japan in which countless more Americans would lose their lives.

According to the White House, Obama will talk about nuclear disarmament, but will not revisit the decision by President Harry Truman to use nuclear weapons against Japan.

Perhaps he wont address Trumans decision directly, but the mere presence of Obama in Hiroshima will appear apologetic and signal regret, in our view. As a result, we question the propriety of this trip.

Frankly, this appears to be little more than a personal wish by Obama to be the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima. If he wanted to visit the city, Obama should have waited until he was a private citizen and former president.

We would prefer Obama visit, say, Russia in the time left to him as president. The deteriorating state of relations with America's old Cold War adversary during his time in office seems sufficient reason for Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin to talk to, instead of about one another.

Or, perhaps, Obama could visit China, another world superpower with whom the U.S. isn't exactly close these days.

Either of those trips would carry the potential for more substance and value to the future of America than Obama's planned visit to the past.
SIOUX CITY | By a 3-2 vote, the City Council gave first-round approval Monday to a 6.65 percent hike in water rates over the next three years.

The vote came after the council initially approved a somewhat lower increase but immediately rejected it following a parliamentary procedure initiated by Mayor Bob Scott.

In a related 3-2 vote, the council killed a proposed sewer rate increase for 2017 and 2018.

Last week, the council tabled a staff recommendation to raise water rates by 7 percent and sewer rates by 3.5 percent after expressing concern about the impact on rate payers.

City staff said the increase was needed to fund infrastructure projects and help pay back debt related to relocating utility lines that interfered with the reconstruction of Interstate 29.

After learning that projected revenues from the Seaboard Triumph Foods pork plant, slated to open in July 2017, would be higher than originally anticipated, staff eliminated the scheduled sewer rate increase this year and scaled back the water rate hike to 6.65 percent.

At Monday's meeting, Scott offered an increase of 6 percent instead. His motion passed 3-2, with Councilmen Dan Moore and Keith Radig and Scott in favor and Council members Pete Groetken and Rhonda Capron opposed.

The mayor then immediately moved to reconsider that vote, which Scott said made him appear to be on the wrong side of a water rate increase.

In Sioux City, a council member on the winning side of a vote has the power to move for a reconsideration vote of previously passed action items.

The council then voted on the staff-recommended 6.65 percent, with Capron, Groetken and Moore in favor and Scott and Radig opposed.

The measure requires approved second and third readings before it can go into effect July 1.

Under the plan, the average residential water customer would pay an additional $2.27 per month in the first year and $2.39 and $2.57 per month in the second and third years, respectively. The average water customer uses 800 cubic feet of water for a total current monthly bill of $33.65.

In a debate before Monday's vote, council members described a rate hike as a necessary but painful move.

"Part of the problem is, that it's not anybody's fault, but we have senior citizens with no (cost of living adjustment) this year," Scott said.

"No matter how you look at it, it's not good," Moore added.

While there was no longer a need for a sewer rate hike this year, city staff still recommended increases of 4.75 percent in both 2017 and 2018. They did not ask for the council to vote Monday on those future increases, but Scott moved to put the council on record immediately.

The sewer measure failed by a 3-2 vote, with Scott, Radig and Moore opposed to the increase and Capron and Groetken in favor.

DOWNTOWN PARK

In other business Monday, the council voted 5-0 to submit a $375,633 grant application to the National Recreation and Park Association to help develop a downtown park near the LaunchPAD Children's Museum on Pearl Street. The city would pick up the remaining $50,000 in costs.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the average monthly water usage of a Sioux City residence. This version has been corrected.
The American Bison has made quite a comeback.

Its only been around 125 years since the bison was nearly hunted into extinction by the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody and others who saw easy targets and big profits when they came West and witnessed the breath-taking spectacle of millions of buffalo roaming the southern and northern plains.

At its peak, as many as 60 million bison were an integral part of the Western landscape while providing Native American tribes with food, shelter and clothing. But that number would plummet to around 1,000 by 1889, which included bison in Canada.

Today, thanks to the efforts of the U.S. and Canadian governments and individuals like South Dakota settler James Scotty Philip, the bullish, brutish and beautiful beasts have been re-established to a degree and once again are a popular and revered symbol of what remains of the Wild West.

Its status was re-affirmed last week when President Obama signed legislation recognizing the bison as the national mammal.

Of all states in the nation, perhaps none has done more than South Dakota to raise the profile of this new and powerful national symbol.

Since Philip purchased a herd of fewer than 100 bison in 1889 that would grow to around 1,000 by the time he died in 1911, the state and its tribes have played a significant role in the resurrection of this still wild beast.

The evidence of the state's success can be seen every year at the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup, which attracts visitors and media from around the world to watch a living history lesson as 1,300 bison thunder through the park's vast open spaces.

Badlands National Park, Indian reservations and ranchers also have their own herds of bison. Altogether, South Dakota has an estimated 33,000 bison, which is more than any other state.

The story of the North American bison could have come to an unhappy ending in the 19th century if it weren't for the efforts of Philip and others. Since then, many other people, organizations and governments have worked diligently to protect the bison and enlarge its footprint in the northern plains of the United States.

As a result, South Dakota has reaped some hard-earned benefits. Tourists and locals alike are awe-struck while in the presence of beasts that help make western South Dakota a truly unique and historic place.

When Congress voted to make the bison our national mammal, it also was a nod to our state's role in its survival and we thank those who helped us arrive at this moment.

Rapid City (S.D.) Journal
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
(EDGE) Back in December 2013 a group of Hasidic men were accused and arrested for attacking a gay fashion student, who was left partially blind from the incident, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Now, in a new report from the New York Daily News, it looks like the trio will likely not serve prison time due to an expected plea deal.

The case involving Taj Patterson, 25, dramatically changed when at least two witnesses to the attack changed their stories after initially implicating the men, who are members of the Shomrim volunteer Jewish security patrol, according the Daily News' sources. They added that surveillance footage from the Williamsburg incident is limited.



Prosecutors say Patterson was walking home when a gang of men shouted anti-gay slurs at him. He suffered severe injuries including a broken eye socket and a torn retina that left him permanently blind in one eye. Patterson's lawyer, Andrew Stoll, claims members of the Hasidic community pressed the witnesses to change their stories.



"The Shomrim claim they are committed to justice, yet they shut down witnesses with an efficiency the mafia would envy,"Stoll told the Daily News. "They banish and shun any member of their community who dares to come forward."



The newspaper's source said two of the men accused of the incident will accept a misdemeanor charge while the other will admit to a felony offense during their next court date. None of them will face jail time due to the plea agreement, which was negotiated by prosecutors for Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, according to the Daily News' sources.



The men accused are Abraham Winkler, 40, Mayer Herskovic, 22, and Pinchas Braver, 20.



Court records obtained by the Daily News show the case was adjourned for the 14th time Monday.
(EDGE) May 17 marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, a "Global Celebration of Sexual and Gender Identities." Beyond the rather narrow notions of "Homo," "Trans," "Bi"; the day offers a fantastic display of diversity, which mirrors the many facets of human sexualities and gender identities and expressions.

All over the world, advocates and their allies are fighting for what matters most to them: The right to be free from criminalization, persecution, stigmatization. Sometimes the right to just live, as in many countries people have to fear for their lives. This year specifically, we are seeing the "faultline" deepening between places where activism is increasing and those where it is repression that is on the rise.



On the one hand, activism in some countries is definitely rising, with more and more visible events and strong support from institutions, which the Day has always been a good framework for and this year again many official buildings will be lit in Rainbow flag colors, such as the Chilean Presidency building.



Rainbow flags will be flying all over the UK and Australia, where this action has become a national IDAHOT favorite. In Albania, the now traditional "Bike (P)ride" has already been a huge success last week end. Brussels Pride, always celebrated on the Saturday closest to IDAHOT drew tens of thousands onto the streets. Trans activists in Canada are getting ready to crown years of advocacy as the Government announced it will introduce groundbreaking legislation on May 17th. In Cuba, the IDAHOT week is again celebrated throughout the country.



All over the planet, from Moldova to Bhutan, campaigns will take it online and onto the streets to mark the Day. Concerts, flashmobs, film festivals, transgender beauty pageants, same-sex wedding ceremonies, conferences, lectures, community events and many more have been announced and will be reported on on our social media channels.



On the other hand, many activists have asked not to disclose information about their actions for fear of backlash, even in countries where conditions were relatively safe in previous years. In Lebanon for example, the public conference organized by Proud Lebanon had to be cancelled under pressure from opposition.

In some places, this reaction comes as a backlash against stronger visibility of sexual and gender diversities but in some other places, there is increased state and social repression even though the levels of activism have not seen any significant change.



This shows that highly visible recent victories, and some severe defeats, on LGBT issues on several fronts have certainly increased the focus of moral and religious fundamentalist movements on sexual and gender rights.



Activists from the sexual and gender minorities movement now have to struggle against increasingly well-funded, well organized movements, which are getting much better than before at occupying the ground of values that appeal even to otherwise socially progressive constituencies.



Luckily, international organizations and progressive states are more than ever showing support. Local activists in dozens of countries are supported by embassies and representations from international organizations.



The United Nations' Free and Equal campaign has released a special "Why we Fight" music video for the Day. European institutions have held their annual IDAHO Forum, hosted this year by the Danish Government. Unesco is about to open a two-day inter-ministerial meeting on Education sector responses to homophobic and transphobic bullying.



The United Nations have also taken a specific stand this year on the global IDAHOT focus issue on "Mental health and well-being," as a large alliance of UN experts have issued a joint declaration to end the pathologization of LGBT people, highlighting the many harmful impacts of human rights violations. In over 30 countries, this issue of mental health and wellbeing will be a central part of the IDAHOT discussions.



As we see all the fantastic energy and creativity which the activists deploy around May 17, it is more than ever urgent to increase the capacity and resources of activists to stand their ground and promote positive social change.

For more information, visit http://dayagainsthomophobia.org or https://www.facebook.com/may17idahot/
(EDGE) The Catholic Church took a step further away from equality Monday when Pope Francis, during an interview with French Catholic Newspaper La Croix, said Catholic public officials should not be obliged to officiate same-sex marriages or civil unions, Thai independent newspaper The Nation reports.

"Once a law is approved, the state should be respectful of consciences. Conscientious objection must be possible on all legal jurisdictions, because it is a human right," Francis said to La Croix.



Francis' comments come a week after lawmakers in Italy approved legislation allowing for civil unions for same-sex couples. According to AP, the legislation grants same-sex couples many of the same rights as married couples: the possibility of having the same last name, inheritance rights, hospital visitation rights and medical decision-making rights. But it stops far short of authorizing gay marriage.



AP also notes that the Vatican, which holds sway politically and socially in overwhelmingly Catholic Italy, maintains that marriage is a lifelong bond between man and woman.



The Nation notes that Francis' comments to La Croix Monday mark the first time the pontiff has commented on same-sex marriage since civil unions were legalized in Italy last week.
Airborne Radar Imagery NASA

New Orleans and surrounding areas continue to sink at highly variable rates due to a combination of natural geologic and human-induced processes, finds a new NASA/university study using NASA airborne radar.

The observed rates of sinking, otherwise known as subsidence, were generally consistent with, but somewhat higher than, previous studies conducted using different radar data.

The research was the most spatially-extensive, high-resolution study to date of regional subsidence in and around New Orleans, measuring its effects and examining its causes. Scientists at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California; UCLA; and the Center for GeoInformatics at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, collaborated on the study, which covered the period from June 2009 to July 2012.

The highest rates of sinking were observed upriver along the Mississippi River around major industrial areas in Norco, and in Michoud, with up to 2 inches (50 millimeters) a year of sinking. The team also observed notable subsidence in New Orleans Upper and Lower 9th Ward, and in Metairie, where the measured ground movement could be related to water levels in the Mississippi. At the Bonnet Carr Spillway east of Norco  New Orleans last line of protection against springtime river floods overtopping the levees  research showed up to 1.6 inches (40 millimeters) a year of sinking behind the structure and up to 1.6 inches (40 millimeters) a year at nearby industrial facilities.

While the study cites many contributing factors for the regional subsidence, the primary contributors were found to be groundwater pumping and dewatering (surface water pumping to lower the water table, which prevents standing water and soggy ground).

JPL scientist and lead author Cathleen Jones said study results will be used to improve models of subsidence for the Mississippi River Delta that decision makers use to inform planning.

Agencies can use these data to more effectively implement actions to remediate and reverse the effects of subsidence, improving the long-term coastal resiliency and sustainability of New Orleans, Jones said. The more recent land elevation change rates from this study will be used to inform flood modeling and response strategies, improving public safety.

To fully and accurately measure and predict future subsidence in and around New Orleans, its necessary to better understand the various natural and human-produced processes contributing to the sinking. Those include withdrawal of water, oil and gas; compaction of shallow sediments; faulting; sinking of Earths crust from the weight of deposited sediments; and ongoing vertical movement of land covered by glaciers during the last ice age. Jones said the comprehensive subsidence maps produced by this study, with their improved spatial resolution, help scientists differentiate these processes.

The maps were created using data from NASAs Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), which uses a technique known as interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). InSAR compares radar images of Earths surface over time to map surface deformation with centimeter-scale precision. It measures total surface elevation changes from all sources  human and natural, deep seated and shallow. Its data must be carefully interpreted to disentangle these phenomena, which operate at different time and space scales. UAVSARs spatial resolution makes it ideal for measuring subsidence in New Orleans, where human-produced subsidence can be large and is often localized.

Jones said another key advantage of this study is that UAVSAR enabled better resolution of small-scale features than previous studies. We were able to identify single structures or clusters of structures subsiding or deforming relative to the surrounding area, she said.

In addition to the UAVSAR data, researchers from the Center for GeoInformatics (C4G) at Louisiana State University provided up-to-date GPS positioning information for industrial and urban locations within southeast Louisiana. This information helped establish the rate of ground movement at these specific points. C4G maintains the most comprehensive network of GPS reference stations in the state. The Louisiana network consists of more than 50 Continuously Operating Reference Stations, or CORS sites, which acquire the horizontal and vertical coordinates at each station every second of every day. The CORS sites are part of the National Geodetic Survey network.

CORS data pin InSAR data down to specific, local points on Earth. The LSU research team derived the positional time series using precise point positioning software developed by JPL.

We define all the parameters to reduce the ambiguities. This enables us to distill a location down to millimeter-level precision, said Joshua Kent, Geographic Information System manager at C4G. A wide range of people rely on the CORS data, from geoscientists to surveyors, engineers and farmers.

The study is published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. To read the study, visit: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2015JB012636/abstract

NASA uses the vantage point of space to increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earths interconnected natural systems with long-term data records. The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world to gain new insights into how our planet is changing.

UAVSAR was developed and is managed by JPL and flies on a C-20A research aircraft based at NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center facility in Palmdale, California. Developed to test new technologies and study Earth surface dynamics, UAVSAR data are informing the design and planning for a future spaceborne radar mission, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), which is planned to image Earths surface at least once every 12 days.

For more information on UAVSAR, visit: http://uavsar.jpl.nasa.gov/

For more information on NISAR, visit: http://nisar.jpl.nasa.gov/

For more information on NASAs Earth science activities, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/earth

Text and images at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2016-129

Ask the Astronaut: Could an astronaut on Mars affect the planets evolution? http://www.airspacemag.com/ask-astronaut/ask-astronaut-could-astronaut-mars-affect-planets-evolution-180959114/?no-ist

Humans, of course, travel with their own zoo of microorganisms, and shed them everywhere they go. Whether its blood, germs, or viruses, contamination from a human expedition will be inevitable. The best searches for life will probably be done by sterile, human-controlled robots far from the astronaut habitat. Because the Mars surface is so hostile to life, though, astronaut contamination will probably not affect any genuine Mars life-which is likely to live below the surface in a warmer, wetter environment. If we can find it, well try to study it with special care to avoid confusing it with Earth organisms.
St. Thomas More Cathedral School Student Holds (STM)Sat-1

In 2012, the students from St. Thomas More Cathedral School in Arlington, Virginia lined up in the shape of a space shuttle in the school parking lot and witnessed the flyover of the Space Shuttle Discovery as it was being retired to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

This awe-inspiring vision was an inspiration to the entire school and a catalyst for them to literally reach for the stars. Thus beginning their quest to build a small satellite, called a CubeSat, that would engage students around the world in Earth observations.

Over the next three years, all 400 pre-kindergarten through eight grade students participated in the design, construction and testing of their small satellite. through this hands-on, inquiry based learning activity the students conducted real world engineering and will operate the St. Thomas More (STM)Sat-1, the first CubeSat built by elementary school students to be deployed in space.

Joe Pellegrino, a deputy project manager from NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center serves as the teams mission manager, he mentors the students on spacecraft assembly, integration, testing and launch. Engaging the students in the entire systems engineering process to build, launch and operate a satellite in space. The school conducted two high altitude balloon flights to test their hardware before constructing their spaceflight model. They learned how to operate an amateur radio and built the ground station theyll use to communicate with their satellite. Students donned anti-static clothing as they learned how to solder and constructed the fragile electronic components that make up their CubeSat.

Once built, the CubeSat needed a ride to space, and the school submitted a proposal to a public announcement by NASAs CubeSat Launch Initiative and was one of 16 organizations selected to receive a flight opportunity and were in the company of MIT, the University of Michigan and John Hopkins Applied Physics lab.

STMSat-1 was launched to the ISS on Dec. 6, 2015 aboard an Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo resupply spacecraft as part of NASAs Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) IX mission. Along with CubeSats from the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Michigan, STMSat-1 was deployed from the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer (NRCSD) system on May 16. The NRCSDs are commanded one by one, allowing the dispenser doors to open and the large internal spring to be released, deploying the CubeSats into an orbital altitude similar to that of the ISS, which orbits about 250 miles above Earth. After 30 minutes in orbit, the internal timers on the CubeSats allowed their onboard computers to boot up and begin transmitting. The CubeSat teams utilize their ground stations to listen for their beacons to determine the small satellites functionality and operational status. Once operational they begin their missions.

The STMSat-1 mission is an educational mission to provide hands-on, inquiry-based learning activities with an on-orbit mission to photograph the Earth and transmit images to our primary ground station and to remote ground stations throughout the country.

The University of Michigans CubeSat investigating Atmospheric Density Response to Extreme driving (CADRE) mission is a space weather investigation that will improve our understanding of the dynamics of the upper layers of our atmosphere: the thermosphere and ionosphere.

The University of Colorado Boulder Miniature X-Ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) mission is a science investigation to study solar flares, active regions, the quiescent sun, and their impact on Earths upper atmosphere. MinXSS is sponsored by NASAs Science Mission Directorate.

As part of a partnership with NASAs Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, Santa Clara University, will conduct ground operations for two Node satellites that were also deployed on May 16 from the space station. Nodes will demonstrate the ability to receive and distribute commands in space from the ground, while periodically exchanging scientific data from their onboard radiation instruments, a first for small satellites. These satellites were sponsored by the Small Spacecraft Technology Program, within NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate, and received additional funding from Ames.

The CubeSat Launch Initiative provides access to space for CubeSats developed by the NASA centers and programs, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, enabling CubeSat developers access to a low-cost pathway to conduct research in the areas of science, exploration, technology development, education or operations. ELaNa Missions, managed by the Launch Services Program at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, provide a deployment opportunity or ride-share launch to space for the CubeSats selected through CSLI. Since its inception in 2010, the initiative has selected more than 100 CubeSats and launched 46 CubeSats. These miniature satellites were chosen from responses to public announcements on NASAs CubeSat Launch Initiative. NASA will announce another call for proposals in mid-August 2016.
Its a long way from Paris, but in a sense, Seattles new Royal Drummer Cafe has its roots in the French capital. Taking inspiration from Au Tambour Royal (at the royal drummer), a cabaret/tavern that was frequented by the likes of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI, Royal Drummer is a nod to the tasty tomfoolery of the 18th-century Parisian haunt, which in its day welcomed a variety of characters from all echelons of society.

On a sunny spring Saturday, I pop in to take a look at the new space. When I ask about the name, owner Jill Killen hands me a heavy book from the 1920s titled All About Coffee. Killen points me to Chapter FiveThe Beginnings of Coffee in Francewhich has an engraving of the famed Tambour Royal, the epicenter of good times in 18th-century Paris. She leaves me to enjoy the book, my cup of coffee, and my history lesson.

Royal Drummer might be a little less boisterous than its namesakethere was no cabaret in sight as far as I could tellbut it does want to play a similar role as a social hub, even giving away free coffee in the days leading up to its official grand opening at the end of April. Were trying to get people from the 10 blocks around us, says Royal Drummer director of coffee Neil Oney. To some, opening a cafe in Seattle might seem almost unnecessary. Theres no denying that the Seattle coffee market is saturated, but Oney points out that this neighborhood doesnt have a lot. That means that when it comes to serving coffee, this part of Ballard is full of potential.

Part of the new Ballard Public Lofts & Market complex, Royal Drummer occupies the former space of the now-defunct Viking Tavern, a beloved drinking hole. While Royal Drummer is far from a dive bar, its a welcoming space that is catering to the entire neighborhoods eating and drinking needs, inspired by Australian cafe culture. Because its a part of the neighborhood, we wanted to be open all day, says Oney. Good food, coffee in the morning, beer and wine in the afternoon. Unlike the former bar, Royal Drummer is kid-friendly, with Italian sodas on the menu to keep them happy.

But when it comes to coffee, the Royal Drummer team knows their stuff. Owner Killen is also the owner of Cloud City Coffee and El Diablo Coffee. This third cafe gives her the chance to do something a little different. Im a total brew nerd, says Killen, so were refracting all our brews every day. Shots are pulled on a custom Synesso MVP Hydra (bend down and youll spot the Royal Drummer logo at the base), the team uses a Curtis Seraphim single-cup brewer, and the beans are sourced from a list of rotating roasters.

The coffee offerings arent what youll find at most Seattle spots. We wanted to do coffee that wasnt available in Seattle, says Oney. In fact, the original intent was to feature a roaster from each of the four United States time zones. That got a bit complicated to execute, so Royal Drummer is sourcing from four different independent roasters they like and know are hard to find in Seattle. The house espresso blend, Antoinette Espresso (its namesake was, after all, a woman of luxurious tastes, including coffee), is sourced from Bellingham, Washingtons Camber Coffee, and while the source will change, Oney says it will always be a roast thats intended to do well in milk drinks.

Rotating roasters currently on offer include Plowshares, Ceremony, and Q.E.D. Royal Drummer plans to switch out one per month in exchange for something new, to keep the selection interesting. We want you to walk in and say, These people are making really good coffee,  says Oney. For those who need a reminder of the cafes commitment, theres a card at the register with a drawing of Marie Antoinette and the phrase: coffee so good youll lose your head. (Lets hope were speaking only metaphorically.)

With a full kitchen in its big space, Royal Drummers idea is to do traditional cafe-style foodssandwiches, salads, etc.but all with a little more flair than usual. We want it to be accessible but delicious, says Oney. That means a spinoff of the classic BLT might involve an upgrade of pork collar and chorizo. In the kitchen, theres a fryer used to make fresh doughnuts every morning, and the yogurt is also made in-house. There is talk of someday making butter in-house too, an admirable goal.

Besides traditional coffee drinks, Royal Drummer offers wine and beer, with a plan to offer seasonal coffee mocktails. Everyone who works here is really into flavor pairing, says Oney, who points out that ultimately, be it coffee or food, Royal Drummer wants to give people something interesting.

Going a step further, eventually there will be coffee and food pairings as well. Oney mentions the oyster/coffee pairing that Scandinavian Embassy did earlier this year as inspiring. I would love to be able to blow someones mind by putting an oyster next to coffee.

When that time comes, I am sure its something that would get Marie Antoinettes approval.

Anna Brones (@annabrones) is a Sprudge.com staff writer based in the American Pacific Northwest, the founder of Foodie Underground, and the co-author of Fika: The Art Of The Swedish Coffee Break. Read more Anna Brones on Sprudge.
Once upon a time, in the canal-ribboned village of Amsterdam, in an era when Starbucks was opening its first fully owned store in the city and Adele was crooning Someone Like You across airwaves, the stars were starting to align for the co-owners of cafe and micro-roaster Sweet Cup.

She was a 27-year-old Amsterdammer who had just ended a relationship with an Australian she shared a home and a restaurant with, and she needed a job. He was a 27-year-old from Breda who had just returned from travels in the US and, having worked in every aspect of a kitchen since his early teens, was ready to begin fresh. He also needed a job.

Audience, envision those split-screen frames merging into one, with the caption: The Netherlands, 2011. The scene cuts to Lisa Rooimans and Paul van Duuren stationed behind an espresso machine, which is set up on the bed of a red three-wheeled Piaggio commercial scooter. It is here that the couple met, working as baristas for MobiCcino, a Dutch company whose mobile espresso bars appear at events around the country.

Fast-forward to a spring day in 2013. Rooimans and Van Duuren welcome their brick-and-mortar baby into the world. And in the three years since, Sweet Cup has become a mainstay in Amsterdams specialty coffee scene. Its beans are carried by a number of Dutch cafesBack to Black, just one canal away, has long been a customerwith occasional cameos elsewhere in Europe. Its loyal clients are neighborhood residents, people who work in the area, and, as Rooimans puts it, the coffee lovers who come on their day off.

Having like-minded patrons means a lot to her and van Duuren. In fact, it was a lack thereof that had pushed him to leave MobiCcino.

I didnt feel the people I served were on the same page regarding coffee as I was, says van Duuren, referring to the corporate booth-keepers between which the mobile bar was often parked. Most of them just wanted a break, [to get] away from their stand.

Rooimans points out, too, that the gigs were not always assigned to multiple baristas, so it could become lonely.

I got a lot of experience working with different espresso machines and grinders at very diverse locations, which most of the time was a good thing, [but] sometimes not so muchlike working outside when it was freezing, she recalls.

Nowadays, their careers seem far from cold. Rooimans and van Duuren do their own thing, and tend to stay low-key about it. One reason they may have gotten less of the limelight than some of their Amsterdam coffee colleagues might have to do with their own modesty, combined with the couples cozy sense of self-sustenance.

This past February, when Sweet Cup relaunched in a bigger and brighter space, the official announcement was a mere 16-word post on Facebook (the core line read simply: We are open again!!). Fortunately, the new venue isnt hard to find, being just a few doors west of the original shop.

In this setup, van Duuren needs only to pivot a heel to toggle between working the bar and roasting. Maintaining Sweet Cups standard eight-roast offering (four for filter, four for espresso), he roasts two to three times a week, manually on a Giesen W6. Rooimans, a baker, now has a separate kitchen in which to concoct her Anglo-inspired confections as well as all that will be entailed when plans to serve breakfast and lunch materialize.

The duos DIY dynamism is visible all over the new space. Most striking is their tile workwooden planks in shades of grown-up flavors of ice cream (e.g., pistachio and hazelnut)on an accent wall and Sweet Cups L-shaped bar. Its surface provides a comfortable fit for the one-group Synesso Hydra, two Mazzer Kony grinders, a Mahlkonig Guatemala Lab grinder, and a filter station.

Sweet Cups dedication to slow coffee is also evidenced by the Everpure reverse-osmosis water filter system, purchased along with the Synesso when transitioning from a two-group La Marzocco Linea Classic. The RO system makes a big difference, explains Rooimans. What tipped us over [to make the purchase] were actually the filter/drip brews. We bought it for all our coffees and teas.

There is one fixture that is not new, although its spot in the cafes layout has improved. That would be Sjefke, the 4-year-old basset hound often found lying right in front of the roaster, where the aromas are optimal.

Audience, are you still wearing those rom-com spectacles?

Cue the crane shot. Then to a close-up of those droopy puppy eyes. Zoom out to the bustling coffee bar, expertly commanded by Rooimans and van Duuren. Then out again to the registered historical building that Sweet Cup occupies, sunlight hitting its white gable. Next, to the street, connecting the tourists of Leidseplein with the galleries and antique boutiques of the Spiegelkwartier. Then pan out to Amsterdam, then to Earth. Now zoom back in, to a cup topped with a microfoam heart. Andscene!

Sweet Cup is located at Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 93, Amsterdam. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Karina Hof is a Sprudge staff writer based in Amsterdam. Read more Karina Hof on Sprudge.
University of Oklahoma Center for Middle East Studies Director Joshua Landis told Sputnik that al-Qaedas expansion into Syria makes the political transition process even more complicated for Washington in light of the terrorist franchise's links with groups like Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam.

"The United States has placed itself in a very difficult situation because many of the rebel groups that it wants to become principal holders of state power in Syria work hand and glove with al-Qaida in Syria," Landis noted.

Cato Institute Defense Studies Research Fellow Benjamin Friedman told Sputnik that al-Qaedas migration toward Syria will not change US policy dramatically, although it underlines the urgency of going after al-Nusra Front and Daesh.

Al-Qaeda's resurgence should also mean the same thing for groups like Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam, if they can split away from the terrorists, Friedman observed.

"Insofar as these groups can be weaned away from al-Nusra and ISIS [Daesh] by including them in negotiations, then it makes sense to do so, regardless of who is coming from further east to help Nusra," Friedman claimed.

Earlier on Monday, US Department of State spokesperson John Kirby said the United States is taking reports about al-Qaeda setting up a headquarters in Syria seriously. Kirby noted, however, that al-Qaeda has had a de facto presence in Syria through its offshoot group  al-Nusra Front.
"Having a former president as the spouse of a new president is obviously without any sort of precedent. I can't predict what would be the precise nature of Bill's role in a Hillary Clinton administration," Frankel, a professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University said.

However, Bill Clinton is likely to be "good"in helping craft US economic policy, Harvard Kennedy School Professor of International Trade and Investment Robert Lawrence told RIA Novosti.

"II will say that, having worked with him, President Clinton is an extremely good economist," Lawrence said. "He certainly is capable of making a positive contribution Hes really good on economic questions."

In his eight years as US president from 1993 to 2001, Bill Clinton always wanted his advisers to give him different opinions. He wanted to know the argument against the positions that were being advocated, Lawrence recalled.

"He was a voracious consumer of all the analysis that the Council of Economic Advisers produced and he could synthesize and express the results better than economists could," he added.

However, Lawrence also cautioned that the position Clinton could hold and the nature of his input into the economic policymaking process was far from clear.

"I have no idea exactly what his specific role will be It's hard to predict the dynamic I don't know the way in which  formally or informally  they [Bill and Hillary Clinton] will interact with the officials," Lawrence cautioned.

Critics of both Clintons, including Republican presumptive candidate Donald Trump have pointed out that as president, Bill Clinton pushed through the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and also engineered Chinas entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2000.

Both those moves are now widely believed within the United States to have cost the country many millions of well-paying industrial jobs.
About Twenty Assyrian Christians Returned Home From Slovakia

An event at the pastoral centre was dedictaed to Iraqi Assyrian refugees. ( SME) Of the 149 Assyrian Christians of 25 families who came on December 10, 2015, fleeing persecution by the so-called Islamic State, several families decided to return home, citing homesickness and different culture, the SITA newswire wrote on May 17. When deciding on their return, the fact that greater families stick together was key -- thus, if one member or a house-master decides, the whole family follows. This was the first and so far only group of refugees that Slovakia has accepted. The Christians come from Assyria, a region in Iraq around the city of Mosul which has been occupied by the Islamic State.. After arriving to Slovakia, the Assyrian Christians were first accommodated in the camp in Humenn
But, according to an article co-authored by Fu Ying, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Peoples Congress of China, and Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute of the South China Sea, the international community  including the United States  has historically recognized the archipelago as Chinese territory.

"This area in question was initially discovered and named by China as the Nansha Islands, over which China was the first to exercise sovereignty and that exercise has been ongoing," the article reads, according to the China Daily.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, the police authorities are due to address the media on the issue.

The arrest is not linked to raids taking place in the city of Melbourne where five men were charged for planning to join the Islamic State militant group in Indonesia by travelling there by boat, the newspaper reported.

In late November, Australian Federal Police said at least a dozen people known to reside in Australia were said to be capable of committing localized terrorist attacks.
TOKYO (Sputnik)  On Monday, Trutnev started a three-day visit to Japan. The deputy prime minister is expected to hold meetings with a number of Japanese high-ranking officials and representatives of business community to discuss the development of bilateral ties.

"I think it is a very interesting proposal and we should attentively look at the coincidence of [the Russian and Japanese] legislation," Trutnev told reporters following the talks with JGC Corporation representatives, adding that the sides discussed the construction of the center to increase people's life expectancy.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  SBS has started to develop a Eurovision Asia spin-off, which is hoped to air in 2017, Ebeid added.

"We are in talks with major broadcasters in India, China and South Korea about Eurovision Asia There has been terrific interest so far and now we have Eurovision out of the way, we can put our energies into developing the concept. We would absolutely take the same Eurovision format, with the same voting mechanisms. Our hope would be for whoever wins Eurovision Asia would get a spot in the final of Eurovision," Ebeid was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on Monday.

The Eurovision final took place in Stockholm on Saturday night. Australia's Dami Im with her song Sound of Silence came second in overall rankings, though she was awarded top place by the juries. Ukraines Jamala won the song contest with Russian performer Sergei Lazarev voted third best.
New Delhi (Sputnik)  Fake Indian currency notes have flooded the market. According to a study, one in every 4,000 notes in circulation in India is fake but Indian intelligence agencies are only able to intercept approximately one third of the fake notes.

Kolkata, the Indian Statistical Institute, has urged the government to take immediate remedial steps.

Sources in the Home Ministry told Sputnik that the finger of suspicion points towards Pakistan being behind the counterfeit currency racket as the forensic analysis of paper, ink and other features matches those used for Pakistani legal tender.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Russian President will hold talks with his Indonesian counterpart during the Association of South-East Nations (ASEAN) summit in Sochi May 18-19, Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday.

Moreover, on May 18, we will have an official visit by the president of Indonesia. This will be full-fledged negotiations in both small and broad circles and will include the signing of documents and a press conference, Ushakov said.

The event is quite full and much is being prepared to sign approximately 12 documents, Ushakov added.
In February, the US and South Korea decided to start official talks on the deployment of a US ground-to-air missile system to US forces in South Korea called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), which is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles at high altitudes.

The move has already caused a negative reaction from China, which calls it a threat to its borders.

Commenting on the upcoming moves, Russian Center for Public Policy Research director Vladimir Yevseyev told Sputnik that it wont be left unanswered by both Russia and China. Besides, Russia has all the means to countermeasure the deployment of the US global missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula.

I think that the answer to the inclusion of South Korea into the US global missile defense network in Asian-Pacific Region will be, in the first place, the strengthening of Chinas naval and air force, the analyst said.

The countermeasures could include the delivery to China of Russias highly efficient Kalibr cruise missiles which could be installed on a diesel-powered submarine. It will allow to efficiently counteract the US global missile defense system which is currently covering the territory from Alaska to Australia, he added.
Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah has backed China's position over the South China Sea in the course of his visit to Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry stated on Monday.

"Our Afghan counterparts expressed their gratitude for China's long-term support over the years, and also said they support China's position on the South China Sea issue and support China's efforts to resolve the South China Sea issue through bilateral channels and through peaceful means such as negotiation and consultation," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said following talks between Abdullah and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, AP reported.

Afghanistan's declaration of support for China's position follows the meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Doha on May 12, where more than 20 Middle Eastern countries adopted the Doha Declaration, emphasizing that these Arab states support China's efforts to resolve the dispute via bilateral negotiations and "relevant regional consensus," China's Foreign Ministry reported.
Washington has long been critical of Beijings construction of artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago, even as China maintains it has the right to build within its own territory and that the islands will be used primarily for humanitarian purposes. In protest of the land reclamation projects, the US has pushed its Pacific allies to take a more active role in countering Chinas growth.

"We are a nation of laws, we go out and do what we do to support international law," Neller said.

"What we cannot do is stop talking, even if we disagree. There may be actors who would potentially do some things that we dont agree with and we need to maintain communication with them. And tell them that their actions are potentially disruptive to the stability of the world."
The homes, however, appear to be the priority, representing an estimated $93 billion over the last five years. The commercial property sector purchased by Chinese citizens during the same period gathered about $17 billion, despite making headlines with high-profile deals, including Anbang's 2015 acquisition of the Waldorf Astoria in New York for $2 billion..

Notably, these numbers do not include purchases made through front companies or proxies who do not disclose their clients.

Chinese purchases amass in expensive markets, such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and others, the study says. The average purchase was worth some $800,000  twice that of the American average.

The purchases are made by some as a residence, other investors buy to rent or sell again.

The study expects increasing commercial real estate purchases in the United States by Chinese companies, the figure for the second half of this decade expected to double to $218 billion, despite efforts by the Chinese government to control the flow of capital abroad.




MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Preparations for talks on the hydrocarbon terminal project between Rosneft and Suez economic zone authorities are underway, he added, noting that in 2015, the Russian trade representation in Egypt passed a total of 11 oil and gas development proposals from the Egyptian authorities to Russian companies.

"Currently, the proposal to build a hydrocarbon terminal in the Suez Canal zone has been looked into the most. The Rosneft company is planning to take part in the project from the Russian side," Fedor Lukashin said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Russia and Egypt have been increasing cooperation in the energy area. Rosneft signed a framework liquefied natural gas (LNG) delivery agreement with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) in July 2015 and a Master LNG Supply and Purchase Agreement the following month. The first gas delivery took place in May, 2016. The master deal reportedly entails five LNG deliveries.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)The head of BBC news and current affairs, James Harding, published a review on Tuesday, containing proposals for ways to cut spending by almost $22 million, which equates to nearly 15% of the editorial budget. Among the proposals are plans to reduce digital radio and social media activity, shutting down the iWonder service and others. The proposals, however, need to be approved before being actioned.

"The BBC must also be clear about what it will not do online. It cannot be all things to all people," Harding wrote in the review.

On May 12, the British Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport John Whittingdale presented to a plan to reform the BBCs management to Parliament. As part of the plan, the BBC Trust, which used to be responsible for overseeing publications, is to close; the National Audit Office (NAO) will take over responsibility for monitoring the corporations activities. In addition, the corporation will have a single board of directors instead of trustees, which are currently appointed by the Queen of Great Britain.


CAIRO (Sputnik)The joint Russian-Egyptian project to build the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant ensures the most up-to-date safety standards and requirements, making the future plant the safest in the world, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi said Tuesday.

"Agreements on building the station guarantee the application of the most modern standards and specifications for ensuring its safety, making it the safest in the world," Sisi said at an electric energy forum being held in the city of Asyut.

Earlier on Tuesday, Russian Trade Representative to Egypt Fedor Lukashin said that Moscow and Cairo are finalizing negotiations on the $26-billion commercial contract to construct the Dabaa plant.


BEIJING (Sputnik)The site's main trunk line must join together county of Heihe in Heilongjiang province and city of Songyuan in Changling county.

"The engineering processhas already been approved in an appropriate way by the competent authorities," the statement said.

The ministry added that it agrees with the proposals on the environment protection measures, describing the nature of the construction, the scale and direction, which are enlisted in the report on the construction's environmental impact.
Xi not only is the Commander-in-Chief in the fight against corruption; hes now Commander-in-Chief of Chinas joint battle command center as well. He monitors a [Central Military Commission] Chairman Responsibility System as well as the central guard corps, which monitors the security of all other CCP heavyweights.

Add to these Xis status as CCPs general secretary, chairman of the Central Military Commission, president of the national security commission and head of the top group for reform of the Chinese system, and a Harvard academic who refers to him as the chairman of everything does not seem to be that far off the mark.

Yet even this awesome concentration of power does not mean that Xi is an unassailable deity. On the key drama  the state of the economy  it has emerged that in a recent interview by the Peoples Daily with an anonymous authoritative person, printed on the front page and exposing deep economic divergence among the CCP leadership, the authoritative person in question was none other than Xi.

He had to take to the key media read by anyone whos anyone in China to press his point on how to fix Chinas debt-ridden economy; low growth is OK, and the new normal; as for blind credit expansion/monetary easing, thats not OK. Xi, once again, is adamant; its now or never to start a painful restructuring of the Chinese system.

Beware the nests of foreign spies

Xi Jinping does wield astonishing power. There cant be any other way. Imagine the man on top of a civilization-state of 5,000 years who needs, among myriad other crucial issues, to; tweak/manage an economic system that was successful for over 30 years but now needs to be upgraded; shift the system from export-led demand to domestic consumption; manage the aspirations  and broken dreams  of a vast working class including millions of newly unemployed; reorganize monster state-owned enterprises (SOEs); find ways to get rid of Himalayas of bad bank loans and nonperforming investments; downsize and at the same time vitally upgrade the Chinese military.

And if that was not enough, Beijing has to be fully alert 24/7 about all those non-stop Pentagon provocations  actual and rhetorical  centered in the South China Sea.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the Sky News television channels Monday report, the location in the Capanagh Forest was uncovered on Saturday.

"This investigation is at a very early stage and we are working to establish whether this find is linked to a terrorist hide that was discovered at Carnfunnock Country Park near Larne in March 2016," Detective Inspector Adrian Brown said, as quoted by the media outlet.

In March, explosives and bomb-making equipment were found in Carnfunnock Country Park in Northern Ireland. The chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Mark Lindsay, said that "murderous republican gangs" targeting law enforcers were at large.
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik)  The official reminded that 700 OSCE monitors were currently working in Ukraine, 530 of whom were in the countrys east.

"We are planning to recruit another hundred which will bring us to 800," Zannier told reporters at the United Nations on Monday.

Zannier noted that the organization lacked access to some regions.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Europe may face a "populist uprising" if it does not show its citizens it can control the current migration crisis, a former UK intelligence chief said.

"If Europe cannot act together to persuade a significant majority of its citizens that it can gain control of its migratory crisis then the EU will find itself at the mercy of a populist uprising, which is already stirring," ex-MI6 chief Richard Dearlove told the BBC in an interview released on Monday.

Dearlove also warned against the European Union granting Turkey visa-free travel.
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik)  The crisis in eastern Ukraine is showing signs of the so-called "frozen conflict," Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said.

"We see local police, with local uniforms, with emblems that remind us in some way some of the things we have seen in other that we call in OSCE frozen conflicts," Zannier told reporters at the United Nations.

The official compared the situation in the Donbass region to the events in Transistria, a region with a predominantly Russian and Ukrainian population which broke away from the Soviet republic of Moldova in 1990.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Telegraph cited a report by the MigrationWatch UK, a policy research organization, as saying the overall cost of immigration from the European Union cost the United Kingdom 1.2 billion pounds in 2015. This value was calculated by deducting the cost of benefits and public services from their collective tax contributions.

"This report shows that EU migration, taken as a whole, is not making the positive fiscal contribution that has so often been claimed. Furthermore, it is adding to the rapidly increasing pressures on housing and public services," Lord Green of Deddington, Migrationwatchs chairman, said, as quoted by the media outlet.

Migration is currently a hot topic in the United Kingdom as it prepares to hold a referendum on its EU membership on June 23.
"It will not be solely language training, as the teaching will also include some cultural elements," Mustajoki said.

Additionally, the University of Helsinki also plans to increase admission to Chinese and Arabic philology by 15 places each year. In contrast, admissions to German and French language study programs will be cut down due to a drop in demand.

Somalians are Finland's third largest minority after Russians and Estonians, numbering some 20,000 people. Most of them have settled down in the Helsinki metropolitan area and the nearby province of Uusimaa. Somali migrants first arrived in Finland as refugees in the 1990's during the country's civil war. According to Statistics Finland, in 2014 there were 16,721 Somali speakers in Finland with the number constantly increasing.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The proposed visa liberalisation for Turkish citizens travelling to the EU could potentially have an impact on the terrorist risk in the EU in as far as the movement of terrorists of Turkish citizenship to and from the Schengen area is concerned, an extract from the report, seen by The Telegraph newspaper, reads.

Criminals could also take advantage of the unrestricted entry to the European Union to pursue their own goals, including through drug trafficking, importing illegal firearms and people smuggling into Europe, the report revealed.

"It can be expected that, as soon as Turkish citizens will obtain visa-free entry to the EU, foreign nationals will start trying to obtain Turkish passports in order to pretend to be Turkish citizens and enter the EU visa free, or use the identities of Turkish citizens, or to obtain by fraud the Turkish citizenship. This possibility may attract not only irregular migrants, but also criminals or terrorists," the report stressed.
The annual exercise, which is being held between the two Nordic countries which haven't joined NATO's ranks, is focused on anti-submarine warfare, mine clearance and escorting merchant vessels in the waters around the island and the Stockholm archipelago.

Finland and Sweden take turns in hosting the event. This year, the Swedish Navy is playing host and has joined forces with Finland's navy in a ten-day long military exercise to practice cooperation and mutual aid. Next year, both countries plan to establish a joint Swedish-Finnish battlegroup to be deployed in the event of war.

An important goal of the exercise is to make sure that communication and procedures function well: the mixed personnel will consist of an equal number of Swedish and Finnish officers, Swedish news outlet Hela Gotland wrote.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)A national referendum on the so-called Brexit is an inappropriate measure to deal with the issue of the United Kingdom staying in or leaving the European Union, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.

"I do not believe that a referendum is the best way to answer such complex questions as the rebuilding of Europe, which is of the competence of parliamentary representation," Sarkozy told Le Monde newspaper in an interview published on Tuesday.

At the same time, the debate on Brexit is "an opportunity to rebuild Europe," the former French leader noted.
One of these dictators was of course the president of Sudan, who is considered a war criminal. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague has a warrant out for the arrest of the Sudanese President, relating to charges concerning genocide and crimes against humanity in the Darfur conflict.

"The first warrant for arrest for Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir was issued on 4 March 2009, the second on 12 July 2010. The suspect is still at large. Next steps: Until Omar Al Bashir is arrested and transferred to the seat of the Court in The Hague, the case will remain in the Pre-Trial stage. The ICC does not try individuals unless they are present in the courtroom," a statement on the ICC's website reads.

"Museveni must ensure that the next flight #OmarAlBashir takes flies directly to The Hague where justice awaits him" https://t.co/Q8QgVNx6p5  Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) May 12, 2016

There are also claims by the NGO, Amnesty International, that president Omar al-Bashir tortured members of the opposition.

"Uganda must face up to its international obligations and arrest Omar Al-Bashir who is wanted on charges of genocide," said Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East Africa in a statement released on 12 May 2016.

To add further fuel to the fire, the United States have accused Sudan of providing financial support to terrorists.

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has also confirmed that Sudan will be funded in order to improve peoples living conditions and to stop the flow of migrants into the EU. The German Chancellor said, "I strongly believe that we must improve peoples' living conditions." This will involve providing US$45 million to eight African countries including Sudan, from the Emergency Trust Fund.

The information came from leaked minutes obtained by Spiegel, a German online news outlet. However regardless of the Sudanese President's crimes against humanity, Europe still plans to send cameras, scanners and servers for registering refugees in Sudan.

What was actor George Clooney doing in jail, while #Sudan's president and war crimes suspect Omar al-Bashir runs free? http://t.co/PjgAbGsF  AmnestyInternational (@amnesty) March 19, 2012

They will also provide training to their border police and help in the construction of two camps with detention rooms for migrants.

Although no concrete decisions have yet been made, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development have confirmed that the action plan is binding.

"The assistance being provided by Germany will enable refugees to receive training so that they have the possibility to earn a living, for example, by working in the agricultural sector, by making furniture or as auto mechanics," a statement on their website it reads.
The Nordic Countries have recently received a lot of praise from the US. In particular, US President Barack Obama jokingly hailed Finland's numerous heavy metal bands and, on a more serious note, the competence of Finland's state leadership. During last week's summit with the Nordic leaders, Barack Obama stressed the tense atmosphere in the Baltic region, thus aggravating Scandinavia's unfounded fear of Russia.

According to Soini, who during his USA trip met with his US colleague John Kerry, a conflict in the Baltic is unlikely in the near future, but the joint military exercises with the United States are nevertheless beneficial for Finland, Finnish national broadcaster Yle reported.

"We should take part in them in order for Finland's viewpoint to be taken into account and to ensure that we receive all the information necessary for the defense of our nation," Soini said, stressing that such exercises are a long-standing practice.
The Charlie Hebdo and November 13 attacks in Paris exposed the deep flaw in the Schengen borderless Europe zone  the fact that its outer border was leaking like a sieve and that terrorists were able to pass back and forth from Syria without being checked.

EU stands ready to fulfil its part of EU-Turkey deal as long as Turkey agrees to play by the rules, and not with the rules  Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) May 17, 2016

Now, in a leaked document from the EU, seen by Sputnik, the EU has admitted that its migrant deal with Turkey to relocate "irregular" migrants from Greece back to Turkey, in return for visa-free access to the Schengen zone for Turkish citizens carries with it "the risk that the visa liberalization may result in an increase of activity by criminal organizations or terrorist groups in the EU."

"It can be expected that, as soon as Turkish citizens will obtain visa-free entry to the EU, foreign nationals will start trying to obtain Turkish passports in order to pretend to be Turkish citizens and enter the EU visa free, or use the identities of Turkish citizens, or to obtain by fraud the Turkish citizenship. This possibility may attract not only irregular migrants, but also criminals or terrorists," the document stated.


UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik)The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) members will visit Ukraine on May 19-26 to assess the treatment of people deprived of their liberty, as well as the safeguards for their protection against torture and ill-treatment, the UN Human Rights Office for the High Commissioner said Tuesday.

"We will be assessing how recommendations from our first visit in 2011, such as the need for legal reform, increased institutional oversight to reduce risk factors for torture, and comprehensive medical examinations of people in detention, have been implemented," Sir Malcolm Evans, the SPT chair and head of the delegation, stated as quoted in a statement of the UN Human Rights Office.

The four-member SPT delegation is expected to meet Ukraine's government officials, lawmakers and civil society representatives, as well as visit places, where people may be deprived of liberty, including prisons, police stations, psychiatric institutions and residential care facilities, the statement highlighted.
But for many already in Greece, they are still unable to access the asylum system and are rapidly losing hope that they will be able to find relatives, according to MSF.

In Athens, MSF say the helplessness and frustration among refugees is fueling racial tensions.

"Disputes between Syrians and Afghans break out every night," Mohammad, a Syrian refugee from Latakia told MSF. Mohammad arrived in Athens in March.

"The decision to accept Syrians and Iraqis as refugees but not Afghans is not fair at all, because many Afghans' suffering even worse than the Syrians. That's what makes Afghans angry with the Syrians."

'Dirty Deal'

The "dirty deal" between the EU and Turkey has been condemned by human rights organizations, politicians, NGOs, lawyers and has been branded a "disgrace."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Those who broke into the ministry did not manage to go further than the reception area at the entrance, according to Le Soir newspaper. Police have eventually dislodged the protesters after about 20 minutes, using tear gas and batons.

According to the Belgian daily, thousands of protesters outside the ministrys headquarters threw eggs at the facade of the building and used firecrackers, chanting slogans and calling for better work conditions.

According to the police, some 1,000 people took part in the rally.


BRUSSELS (Sputnik)Over 2,000 migrants attempted to enter Norway and Finland from the Russian territory in 2015, a joint Europol-Interpol report on migrant smuggling networks revealed Tuesday.

"[Some] migrants travel along the Nordic route across Russia to enter the Schengen zone via Norway or Finland. More than 2,000 migrants attempted to enter the Schengen area using this route in 2015," the report read.

According to the report, almost the same number of entries were recorded on the so-called Eastern route, along the European Unions external border with Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia with most migrants of Afghan, Vietnamese, or Syrian nationality.
Last weekend's events are known in the country as "police fishing," a phenomenon that Swedish police have become well-acquainted with lately. The idea is that the culprits lure the police or emergency services workers in with a false alarm or arson to be able to attack them. Remarkably, Sweden's Crime Prevention Council (Bra) does not compile any statistics on attacks against public safety personnel, since it lacks a corresponding classification of crimes. The police also lack a national registry on how the issue has evolved over time.

Ulf Johansson, a regional police chief in Stockholm, regretted the recent development, in that it left public safety personnel vulnerable and exposed.

"You cannot just be punitive. The basic concept is dialogue and cooperation with the good forces among the locals," he told Expressen.
In the final analysis, Krutikov notes, "there's no time like the present to think about Georgia and Estonia. Georgia is not a NATO member and never will be, but its 100 soldiers could be sent to Iraq, or be used to threaten the main enemy  Russia. Yes, it's necessary to stop playing word games and to understand with crystal clarity that this whole system is directed solely against Moscow, because other potential adversaries to NATO in Europe simply do not exist, and cannot exist."

"Thus, after the June NATO summit in Warsaw, these five battalions should, if not contain the Russian army in a conventional conflict, at least 'send a very clear signal' about their ability to deploy in two-three days, while the flight time of an Iskander missile is 15 minutes, and that of our bombers  20 minutes. There's nothing surprising that the US, always concerned with potential losses, want to shift the honorable task of manning these forces onto the shoulders of the Balts, the Poles and the Romanians."

At the same time, in the interests of servicing the new battalions, "NATO has contrived to set up a huge bureaucratic management structure in a short time. Specifically, the VJTF's deployment will be supported by local command and control facilities dedicated to NATO Force Integration Units (NFIU). Initially, NFIUs are being created in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania, and will work on a rotational basis and in conjunction with the host countries to identify logistical networks, transport hubs and infrastructure to enable the VJTF to deploy to areas as quickly as possible."

"Factually," Krutikov notes, "a soap bubble consisting of numerous small staffs, unable to effectively defend a territory for more than two hours, has been created to calm the restless minds of Eastern European leaders. Only two years ago, the idea was not even about providing for the rapid deployment of troops, but for the creation of [local] headquarters where English-speaking officers could quickly transmit orders to local troops. Whether these officers were Estonians or Bulgarians did not matter, but it all seemed reasonable, since it reduced the time for decision making at the local level. Now, the system has become infinitely more complex, leading only to puzzled questions."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The poll shows a strong and direct link between a respondent's age and the way they intend to vote, with only 15 percent of those aged between 18 and 24 intending to vote 'Leave,' compared to 52 percent of people above 55.

When people start trying to claim that #Brexit will help Daesh, you know they've run out of arguments. #VoteLeave  Daniel Hannan (@DanHannanMEP) 17 May 2016

Scotland and the region of Greater London look set to vote strongly in favor of remaining in the European Union, with 55 and 41 percent respectively, while 49 percent of Northern Irish voters intend to vote to leave the bloc, the polling results demonstrated.

Since 1973, the UK has sent over 500 billion to the EU, three times the annual NHS budget. #VoteLeave #SaveOurNHS  Vote Leave (@vote_leave) 17 May 2016

A majority of Labour and Scottish National Party voters plan to vote in favor of the country retaining its EU membership while 46 percent of Conservative voters favor leaving the European Union, the pollster found.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  In the past year, Austria reinstated controls on its borders with Slovenia and Hungary after thousands of refugees and economic migrants streamed into Europe from the Middle East and North Africa.

"I think you all know what challenges we had to face. We stood our ground. We must also do our best to treat refugees with respect," Kern told reporters at a press conference in Vienna.
In addition, the system is fantastically overpriced.

The researcher noted that around $1.6 billion has been allocated for the deployment of the bases in Romania and Poland, and this is only a part of the upcoming expenses.

Additional funds need to be found each year for its operations and maintenance. The base in Romania is housed at a US naval facility in Deveselu and about 130 US sailors will be stationed there to man it.

However, NATO has not revealed the overall size of the upcoming expenses which is why it is impossible to calculate the final cost of the anti-missile system in Europe.

The expert also says that since 2002 Washington has already invested around $40 billion to protect the US and the European NATO countries against possible missile attacks.

Therefore Spanger says that the military might have discovered a gap in the defense system and the defense companies rushed in to supply weapons.

And all that is just because the US wants to be invulnerable, he says.
On May 12, the unpopular bill on labor reforms in France got a first-reading approval from the lower house of the country's parliament.

The draft law on labor reform has been widely criticized as it would make it easier for companies to lay off staff and cut payment for overtime work.

French cities have been rocked by mass protests against the labor reforms bill since late March, with mainly the youth protesting against amendments to the French labor code that may lead to an increase in working hours, among other unpopular measures.
Ever since Hollande attempted to bring in reforms to the French labor laws  known as the Code du travail  in order to give employers more flexibility, there have been sit-ins by students and mass demonstrations across the whole of France, resulting in more than 1,000 arrests and 350 police being injured.

Interviewed on radio station Europe 1 Tuesday (May 17), Hollande said: "On the labor law, I will not yield."

Hollande wants to give employers more scope to lay-off workers and cut costs and allow some employees to work far longer than the current 35-hour week. Other reforms include a cap on severance pay for workers dismissed by a company.
The economic argument is beyond doubt  its not a conspiracy; its called a consensus. Our message is clear: Britain will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed EU."

Johnson hit out after media claims that UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Osborne were persuading leading international figures and business leaders to issue dire warnings over the cost to the economy of a Brexit, during negotiations on reforms on the UK's membership of the EU.

Many business chiefs have joined, the International Monetary Fund and US President Obama of the dangers of leading the EU.

Banana Republic

"This is the biggest stitch up since the Bayeux Tapestry. It stinks to high heaven. FTSE 100 chiefs are seeing their pay packets soar while uncontrolled immigration is forcing down wages for British workers. It makes us look like a banana republic," Johnson said in a statement.

This is the biggest stitch up since the Bayeux Tapestry: https://t.co/IUCZV2vxEF  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) May 17, 2016

"And it is also now beyond doubt that the so-called renegotiation was a fiction designed to bamboozle the public. It was a meaningless mime, a ritual, a kabuki drama in which the outcome was utterly preordained. This is not the far-reaching and fundamental reform we were promised. The only safe way to take back control of our borders and our democracy is to Vote Leave on June 23," he said.
This is huge. @HealthCanada is proposing to allow access to heroin assisted treatment #DrugPolicy #SupportDontPunish https://t.co/VNPx70e7ZO  Canadian Drug Policy (@CANdrugpolicy) May 13, 2016

LEAP UK is an organization that spends time persuading policy makers and public alike that drug policy reform is not just a move towards a socially just society, but a move that will help solve problems caused by drugs.

"We welcome the sensible move of Canada which follows the established evidence of the success from other countries such as Switzerland," LEAP UK's founder, Neil Woods told Sputnik.

"Drug policy should be about keeping people alive and improving the quality of that life.

"Heroin Assisted Treatment (HAT) does not add to addiction. It is actually the most effective treatment in the world. It was pioneered by an English man called John Marks who prescribed to all of his patients in Widnes for ten years up to 1995. Over that time no patients died, and they all got healthier," Woods added.

These comments were echoed by Edward Fox, from Release  UK's national center of expertise on drugs and drug laws, providing free legal advice to people who use drugs.

The organization also works with MPs and campaigns for an evidence-based approach to drugs.

"HAT has been shown to be extremely effective at improving people's lives, and is beneficial for society as a whole. In 2005, the Randomised Injectable Opioid Treatment Trial (RIOTT) began in the UK and ran for a number of years, finding that supervised heroin treatment reduced rates of 'street' heroin use  therefore improving the person's well-being  and reduced criminal activity among this particular population," Fox told Sputnik.

With Canada and other countries wanting to prescribe heroin to help those addicted to other substances, some believe it would make sense for the British Government to perhaps also consider this. However, for the moment, that is not an option.

"Sadly, HAT is nowhere near to being written into the government's official drugs strategy, and the number of people being prescribed diamorphine (heroin) appears to be declining despite there being a need for this.

"Prescribing heroin improves the health and stability of some of society's most vulnerable opioid users and is cost effective, therefore improving society more broadly. The UK Government should absolutely put in place HAT programs for the people who need them," said Fox.

#Nevada to consider heroin-assisted treatment program. Good to see UK being praised  shame not more widely availablehttp://t.co/DAzSqMrOQ6  Release Drugs (@Release_drugs) March 23, 2015

The UK drug system also appears to lack any practical help and structure for those who need it the most and any moves to follow countries such as Canada and Switzerland seem a long way off.

"It should be remembered that more than half of problematic heroin users in the UK are self-medicating for either physical or sexual childhood abuse. People drawn into abusing opioids are generally people who need help," Neil Woods from LEAP UK said.

"Why on earth do we have a system that criminalizes such people? It is abuse on top of abuse. Tough love doesn't work, the other kind does. Current policy is killing people. There were 952 deaths from heroin overdoses in the UK during the last recorded year. There have been no overdoses recorded at any supervised heroin facilities anywhere in the world."

Release also believe the current system to criminalize people simply does not work. "The UK's current drug policy still criminalizes people for simple possession of drugs for personal use, thus fostering a climate of stigma faced by people suffering from problematic drug use. Stigma has been shown by a number of studies to act as a barrier to people accessing harm reduction and treatment services," Fox told Sputnik.

"In addition, under the current government we have seen a dramatic rise in drug-related deaths, hitting an all-time high in 2014 in deaths registered.

"Heroin and/or morphine related deaths close to doubled from 2012-2014, suggesting the UK's drug policy  along with stigmatizing people suffering from problematic drug use  is hindering treatment for drug dependence."
The construction of more nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Europe will help the EU avoid its energy dependence on Russia, the magazine Der Spiegel quoted a European Commission report as saying.

According to the document, the EU should uphold its technological advantage in the nuclear field, which is why EU members are supposed to bolster mutual cooperation on the development, financing and construction of new nuclear reactors.

"While in Germany the last NPP is due to be decommissioned in 2022, the rest of Europe will see further development of this controversial technology initiated by the European Commission," Der Spiegel said, referring to the report.
STOCKHOLM (Sputnik)  Potentially Brexit may even lead to the disintegration of the European Union, Peter Hultqvist added.

"A British no to the EU may begin a negative process in other European countries. On the contrary, we need unity and joint work to stabilize the situation," the minister told journalists, as quoted by Svenska Dagbladet.

UK citizens are set to vote on June 23 in a referendum on the country's EU membership, after UK Prime Minister David Cameron and the leaders of the 27 other EU member states reached a deal in February to grant the United Kingdom a special status within the bloc.
The comments have already attracted attention from critics, who have accused the prime minister of extensive scaremongering throughout his Remain campaign, aimed at keeping the UK in the EU.

Prominent Euroskeptic Boris Johnson, who was also criticized for comparing the EU's scope to Adolf Hitler's plan to conquer the continent, said it was "a bit much" to draw links between Putin, Daesh and the Vote Leave campaign.

Now Call-me-Dave's saying not only Russia's Putin but also IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi might be happy if UK quits the EU. #projectfear  Charlie Fitzherbert (@CharlieFitzh) May 17, 2016

"One might argue it's a bit much to start comparing people arguing for freedom in this country or the restoration of democracy in this country to say our allies are Putin and Daesh. I think that's a bit much, really," Johnson said.

The heated debate on Britain's membership in the EU has led to a series of questionable claims from senior officials on both sides of the argument.

Cameron was ridiculed after claiming Europe could descend into war in the event of a Brexit from the EU, while former Mayor of London Johnson was accused of racism after saying US President Barack Obama's "part-Kenyan" heritage had led to an "ancestral dislike" for Britain and influenced his call for London to stay in the bloc.

While Russia and the UK have been at odds on a number of issues, both countries have been involved in the anti-Daesh military campaign in the Middle East, with Moscow and London contributing aerial forces aimed at destroying the terror group.
War on Want's Executive Director John Hilary, one of the seven members of the European Citizens' Committee, told Sputnik that even leaving the EU won't free the UK from the shackles of CETA.

"We are not campaigning for 'in' or 'out'. We need to put some information out for people because 99.9 percent of UK's population have never had a direct experience of the EU institutions," Hilary told Sputnik.

People arguing for 'in' say they recognize that TTIP and CETA are absolutely rubbish. Those who argue for 'out" say if you like TTIP then stay 'in' because you'll get more of it.

"If we vote to come out of EU TTIP won't apply to UK, but CETA probably will. And the sunset clause on ISDS says it will still have jurisdiction over UK for 3 years after leaving," Hilary added.

CETA, like TTIP and other such "new" deals, includes the infamous Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism, which allows companies to sue governments over any new law or policy that might reduce their profits in the future.

As @MaudeBarlow of @CouncilofCDNs says #stopCETA It's bad for Canada & it WILL be bad for the UK too pic.twitter.com/JSer4JKlbV  War on Want (@WarOnWant) May 16, 2016

In a public consultation held in Europe, over 97 percent of respondents rejected the introduction of these new powers for business. Yet the EU has gone ahead with it anyway, and CETA will introduce ISDS not only for Canadian companies but also for any US firms with offices in Canada (and that's about 85 percent of all US companies).

#CETA is opposed, like #TTIP by hundreds of thousands-both sides of Atlantic says @mark_dearn. Toxic trade deals pic.twitter.com/jE5fEfDar7  War on Want (@WarOnWant) May 16, 2016

Official statistics show that 60 percent of all lawsuits against governments have been won by corporations. In one of the latest examples, Slovakia, not a rich country by any standard, lost 29.5 million Euros to a Dutch health insurance company that challenged the nationalization of Slovakia's health system  an election promise by the national government. And in Canada, a fracking company is suing the government for 250 million for a ban on fracking even though it has not done any fracking yet. This has become possible because the ISDS system allows investors to sue governments for "lost future" profit.

But a financial loss may be nothing compared with consequencies for the environment. In Germany when the government faced an ISDS case brought by Swedish energy multinational Vattenfall, it settled by getting the city of Hamburg to lower the environmental standards for a planned coal-fired power plant.

Ironically, legal action is now being brought against the German government by the EU Commission for not sufficiently protecting the Elbe River that surrounds the plant.

In Canada, tar sands oil producers, having been hit with a ban by the Obama administration on imports of their highly toxic substance, are now looking forward to sending it to Europe once CETA is done and dusted.

"Canada wants to replace Russia as a source of energy for Europe, but its tar oil is extremely dirty. Its extraction needs a lot of water with chemicals and there are now huge toxic lakes in Canada, while the boreal forests are burning because all the water has been drained from underneath them. If you want more energy like that, you will have more and more of a climate catastrophe," Maude Barlow, the Council of Canadians chairperson said.

CETA is now ready for ratification on both sides of the Atlantic  a lengthy procedure which requires the entire text to go through a process of 'legal scrubbing' and to be translated into all the official languages of the EU. It will now be presented to the EU Council of Ministers (representing the governments of all 28 member states) and also to the European Parliament. This part of the process is due to begin later in 2016.

If CETA is considered to be a 'mixed' agreement within the EU  meaning that it is not just a matter for the European institutions alone  it must also be presented to the national parliaments of all 28 member states for them to ratify in turn. This will take many more years and could well see the deal rejected. However, the EU does not have to wait for the full ratification process to be completed: under the EU's anti-democratic procedures, it can apply the content of CETA on a provisional basis already, without worrying about any accountability to the people of Europe.

TTIP has been mentioned in a lot in debates about Brexit.


ATHENS (Sputnik)Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday said that he expects Greece's eurozone lenders to complete the review of the country's reforms next week with a view to resumed economic growth later in 2016.

"The first review of the reform program will soon be complete. In the second half of the year, the Greek economy will return to growth," the prime minister said during a ceremony marking the start of Trans Adriatic Pipeline project construction in Thessaloniki, which was shown live by the ERT public broadcaster.

Tsipras added that he expects the 19 eurozone finance ministers, known as the Eurogroup, to ease Greece's debt servicing costs and allow the country to free resources for investment and increasing employment.
Helgadottir said that many Icelanders are dissatisfied with the performance of establishment politicians since the financial crisis of 2008, following which many reform promises were made that weren't kept.

"The current power bloc in Icelandic politics has not really been providing this democratic change that the uprising in 2008 and 2009, following the financial crisis, was promised."

"We were promised a new constitution, and the established parties are not really keen on giving the nation a new constitution. There have been promises that have been broken, people don't feel like they are getting what they voted for. They feel like they have voted for the cat in the sack, and that is what makes people angry and disappointed."

Several corruption scandals have also taken their toll on public trust in politicians, who are perceived to not bear the consequences of their actions, Helgadottir said.

"The Prime Minister had to resign, but only as Prime Minister so he will be taking a seat tomorrow as a fully functional MP again. People who have been affiliated with some scandals, with some clear corruption, have not been taking political responsibility in a way that we would see in other countries, so I believe that is something that disappoints people more than anything else."
According to the Spiegel Online magazine, the court issued a preliminary injunction banning re-publication of the poem's parts, particularly regarding the sexual topic, as they amounted to abuse.

Those verses that referred to the president's policy on the freedom of press and freedom of assembly were recognized as admissible political satire.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A new wave of demonstrations hit France on Tuesday as thousands took to the streets of Paris and elsewhere to protest a bill that will relax hiring and firing rules, in a bid to curb the rising unemployment.

"Mr. Bernard Cazeneuve, the minister of interior, thanks the police for their mastery and professionalism that allowed more than 100 demonstrations to be organized and conducted in France today under good conditions," the statement said.

According to the Ministrys estimates, 87 protesters had been detained, with 46 taken into police custody. Eleven police officers was injured in clashes, including one wounded seriously by an object thrown during a standoff in Lyon.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday that a US reconnaissance plane had violated the countrys airspace.

"Our Air Force has recently detected an illegal invasion of a US Boeing 707 E-3 with electronic surveillance capabilities," Maduro said during a videoconference from Caracas.

The South American nations leader indicated that this type of aircraft was used to provide aerial support to ground troops.
Asked to compare the situation in Venezuela with Augusto Pinochet's revolution in Chile, which was backed by the CIA and overthrew Marxist Salvador Allende's government, Professor Frederick Mills agreed that there is lot in common between the two states, but also noted that Venezuela resisted for a long period, thanks to integration processes led by Chavez, such as the creation of UNASUR (the Union of South American Nations). He also noted that Venezuelans became united when faced with what he called an "attack from the empire," the "empire" in question being the US.

"What's happening now is a concerted, US-backed offensive against progressive regimes," said Mills.

Asked whether Maduro's state of emergency might cause a negative "pendulum" effect, Dominguez noted that the Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) is highly supported. Maduro announced recently that all factories "abandoned by capitalists"  meaning those that are not profitable  should be reclaimed by the government, and the government issued a notice that companies found guilty of economic sabotage would be nationalized.

There is a major grassroots movement in Venezuela in support of Maduro, Dominguez said, and this movement is mobilized by the government.

The opposition, however, could not offer anything in exchange, and subsequently became weakened and lost initiative.

Asked whether Maduro will call for this grassroots support to start a civil war to prevent the government from being removed, Dominguez noted that there are voices calling to impose sanctions against Venezuela, and ultimately to justify an intervention, which could a military intervention by the United States.

"If there will be any serious attempt to destabilize the country from the outside, it is very likely that people's organizations, armed forces (in the form of militia) will respond in a more robust way than they did in the past," Dominguez said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Speaking at the National Day Against Homophobia on Tuesday, Pena Nieto proposed amending the countrys constitution to recognize "the human right to marry without discrimination," as quoted by the EFE news agency.

"That is, that marriages are made without discrimination based on ethnic origin, disability, social status, health, religion, gender or sexual preference," the president added.

Last year, the countrys Supreme Court declared bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
Issa also told Sputnik that the Syrian Kurdish diplomatic mission will officially begin its operations in France on May 23.

"The official opening of the Rojava [Syrian Kurdistan] mission to France will take place on May 23," Issa said.

In February, a diplomatic mission of Syria's Rojava Autonomous Region opened in Moscow.

In March, Syrian Kurds announced the creation of a federal region in country's north  the so-called Federal Democratic System of Rojava and Northern Syria. The Syrian government responded by saying that the Kurds unilateral decision had no legal power.

In January, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the intra-Syrian reconciliation talks would fail to reach a political settlement unless the Syrian Kurds were allowed to participate in the process.
The reason for it, the author says, is the unwillingness of the Turkish president to tolerate people with more class or more intelligence around him.

Martin Berger even refers to the words of the German journalist and publisher Ulrich Kienzle, who recently described Erdogan as a nutcase.

Berger then compares the two politicians: unlike Erdogan, who grew up in Istanbuls slums, and learned to claw his way up by trickery and deceit, Davutoglu grew up in a well-educated family. Over the years he has been employed by the department of international relations at the University of Marmara, and was a visiting professor at Turkish military academies. In 2003 he was presented with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

As for Erdogan, ever since the day he became the Turkish president, he has not made it a secret that he wanted to grab all the power in the country and has been pushing for a new draft of the constitution which would transform Turkey into a presidential republic from a parliamentary one which it currently is.

In his further analysis of possible political developments in Turkey, Berger notes that Davutoglu, who is more of an intellectual character than a street fighter, could directly confront Erdogan, but only if he has the support of the West.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)Earlier a medical source told Sputnik that at least 25 people were killed and another 40 injured after a twin bomb attack in Iraq's capital of Baghdad.

The bomb blasts occurred in two different areas. The first and most deadly one took place in the northern Baghdad district of al-Shaa. The second one hit the southern neighborhood of Al-Rashee.

Suicide bombing in Baghdad's al-Sha'ab district targeted an outdoor market. Initial reports: 18 killed & 25 wounded. pic.twitter.com/ukBCnqhhoK  Mustafa Al-Khaqani (@Khaqani_M) May 17, 2016

According to reports, there are no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks.
Earlier this month, Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, wrote in Foreign Policy that the establishment of a self-proclaimed caliphate, combined with "a revitalized Al Qaeda central leadership" in Syria, "would represent a confidence boost for the jihadi organization's global brand."

The terror group "would present itself as a smart, methodical and persistent jihadi movement [which], in contrast to the Islamic State, had adopted a strategy more aligned with everyday Sunni Muslims," Lister added.

'Get 'Em All, Let God Sort 'Em Out'

Speaking to Russia's Izvestia newspaper, Vyacheslav Tetekin, a member of the Russian parliament's Defense Committee, said that there is no need to dramatize the situation around Al-Qaeda's apparent plans.

"In Syria there aren't just two fronts, or two caliphates. Each terrorist organization participating in the hostilities thinks itself to be the master. In addition to al-Qaeda [through Nusra Front] and Daesh, there are plenty of other groups of bandits. However, each of them is under the direct or indirect control of Western intelligence agencies. Therefore, I would not talk about any fundamental changes."

In any case, Izvestia wrote, "whatever happens, al-Qaeda should hardly expect to find a warm welcome in Syria. And it's not even so much about Syrian government forces' readiness to destroy extremists of all stripes, so much as the reluctance on the part of their fellow terrorists to see competitors in the occupied territories. This is particularly true of Daesh. It's worth recalling that this group, which was initially called 'Al-Qaeda in Iraq', was subordinate, as the name suggests, to al-Zawahiri."
In late April, powerful young Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who oversees Saudi Arabia's economy, unveiled ambitious plans aimed at ending the kingdom's addiction to oil and transforming it into a global investment power by 2030.

According to Vision 2030 plan, the kingdom vows to raise the capital of its public investment fund to 7 trillion riyals ($2 trillion) from 600 billion riyals ($160 billion), including non-oil revenue rising to 600 billion riyals ($160 billion) by 2020 and 1 trillion riyals ($267 billion) by 2030 from 163.5 billion riyals ($43.6 billion) last year.

By generating non-oil revenues the plan implies raising fees and tariffs on public services, gradually expanding the tax base (including through the introduction of a value added tax), and raising more income from the growing number of visitors to the kingdom.
ALQINNAQIAH (Syria) (Sputnik)  This round of aid contains 750 kilograms (1,600 pounds) of bread baked from Russian flour in Syria, candy for children as well as grain, sugar and canned goods. Russian servicemen also established a mobile health center to deliver much needed medical treatment.

Humanitarian aid deliveries to the population have become a good tradition at the Russian military based in Hmeimim. This is help from the brotherly Russian nation to the Syrian people, Col. Igor Borodin said.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces facing both moderate opposition and terrorist groups. The United States and Russia managed to broker a ceasefire on February 27.
VIENNA (Sputnik)  On Tuesday, foreign ministers of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) convened for the fifth time in Vienna.

"Russia and the United States have expressed readiness for progressing on a technical level for revealing the side responsible for violating the ceasefire," Steinmeier told reporters at the close of the meeting.

Aording to the minister, all sides to the Syrian conflict are willing to invite UN special envoy for Syria to restart the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva "as soon as possible," Steinmeier said.


PARIS (Sputnik)The international ministerial meeting on Israel-Palestine conflict settlement may be held in Paris in early June, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said on Tuesday.

"The meeting initially planned for May 30 will be postponed to a later date. It will be held in early June, the new date will be confirmed shortly," Nadal stated at a press briefing.

The meeting was rescheduled because US State Secretary John Kerry was unable to attend it, French President Francois Hollande said earlier in the day.


BEIRUT (Sputnik)The Syrian Army has seized the strategic height of Sawwan, cutting off the supply route used by Daesh terrorists to access the Shaer gas reservoir, the biggest facility of its kind in the country, a source familiar with the situation told Sputnik Tuesday.

The Syrian army advanced from several directions to Sawwan and took control of the height resulting in IS' supply route between the terrorist stronghold in Okairibat and Shaer being cut off, the source told Sputnik.

The Syrian armys offensive is said to be continuing under artillery and aerial cover.
The International Syria Support Group calls on all parties to the conflict in Syria to return to the negotiating table under the aegis of the United Nations, the ISSG said in a final statement after a ministerial meeting of the group.

"On the basis of the Geneva Communique, the ISSG urged the parties to engage constructively with the UN Special Envoy [Staffan de Mistura] in addressing the fundamental issues for a transition, as set out by the Special Envoy. ISSG Members believe that the parties should return to negotiations on that basis at an appropriate time," the statement said.

The participants of the meeting of the ISSG welcome the final document prepared by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura after the April round of intra-Syrian talks in Geneva.

"In this regard, they welcomed the 'Mediators Summary' issued after the third round of intra-Syrian talks on April 27 by UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura," the statement issued after the ISSG meeting reads.

The International Syria Support Group is ready to work with all parties to the Syrian conflict to ensure absence of delays in humanitarian access.

"The ISSG committed to use its influence with all parties on the ground and in coordination with the United Nations to ensure immediate, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access throughout Syria, and allow humanitarian assistance to reach all people in need, particularly in all besieged and hard-to-reach areas, as defined by the UN and called for in UNSCR 2254," the statement issued after the ISSG meeting reads.

The International Syria Support Group called on the World Food Programme to carry out airdrops of humanitarian aid to besieged areas of Syria starting June 1, in case UN Humanitarian agencies are denied access to any of the hard-to-reach parts of Syria.

"Starting June 1, if the UN is denied humanitarian access to any of the designated besieged areas, the ISSG calls on the World Food Program to immediately carry out a program for air bridges and air drops for all areas in need," the ISSG said in a final statement after a ministerial meeting of the group on Tuesday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier on Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande said that the meeting had been postponed because US State Secretary John Kerry was unable to attend the talks on May 30.

It was postponed to the first week of June. As far as I know, the parties [to this meeting] believe they are not prepared for it. There is still a big issue with a list of participating countries, the source said.

In May, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told Sputnik that Palestine welcomes the French initiative to host a meeting, but has some concerns over a list of participating states.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)The proposal by Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AKP) party to strip Turkish lawmakers of immunity targets opposition groups in parliament, Selahattin Demirtas, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party, said Tuesday.

"[The proposed bill] will have a very negative impact on Turkey, and it is very clear that the attempt to strip MPs of immunity targets us," Demirtas told the Guardian, warning that the proposal puts the personal security of political activists at risk.

In January, a number of HDP legislators who support the Kurds' call for more autonomy in the southeastern Anatolia region were investigated for inciting unrest and circulating terrorist propaganda.
DUBAI (Sputnik)  Earlier in the day, the International Syria Support Group said in a statement that all parties to the Syrian conflict should adhere to the provisions stipulated in the deal on cessation of hostilities.

"The opposition used the right to defend itself after numerous violations of the ceasefire by the government forces," he said.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)The Syrian people hope Russia will play a bigger role in solving the conflict in the country, a member of the Moscow-Cairo-formed opposition delegation in Geneva told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"Personally, I hope for Russia to assume a bigger role, which is being supported by all Syrian people, not just those supporting Assad," Firas Khalidi said.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups.
Prisoners, the young man recalled, were not given the necessary sustenance, and were only allowed to use the toilet twice a day, once in the morning and in the evening. "We were fed once a day. The food was rotten  it was impossible to eat it. They gave us whatever they wouldn't eat themselves. From hunger we ate everything. We wanted to stay alive  to wake up the next morning" the former prisoner said.

Torture was applied even against women. According to the eyewitness, the rebels took the women into a makeshift torture room, and from there prisoners throughout the prison could hear screams.

"I tried to escape several times, but nothing worked," the prisoner noted. "Finally, I managed to escape, in the dead of night. I ran to the side controlled by Syrian forces."


WASHINGTON (Sputnik)The GDP of Iran is expected to increase up to 4-4.5 percent amid higher profits from oil export and decreased costs of financial transactions, International Monetary Funds (IMF) First Deputy Managing Director David Lipton said in a statement.

"Higher oil exports, along with lower costs of trade and financial transactions, as Iranian banks reconnect to the international financial system, would help support the economy, with real GDP growth projected at 4 4.5 percent over the medium term," Lipton stated.

The IMF director noted that the implementation of the nuclear agreement with the P5+1 group of international mediators, including Russia, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, also bodes well with the countrys economic outlook.


BEIRUT (Sputnik)The Syrian army captured a Daesh jihadist group commander during a raid southeast of Palmyra, a source told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"One of the Daesh commanders has been captured. Documents with Daesh seals identify him as Ahmad Murshid al-Iraqi [were found at the scene]. He was wounded in the leg," the source said

During the course of the raid near Palmyra, scores of terrorists have been killed, including five people from the Caucasus, two Turkish nationals, as well as citizens of Tunisia and Iraq, the source added.
The commentator recalled that "at a time when the internet activity of Daesh missionaries has weakened, other terrorists are coming in to fill the void. And since many countries do not recognize groups such as the Nusra Front and Jaish al-Fatah as terrorists, their online propaganda is gaining momentum."

Despite the threats, Mehrabi emphasized that he would not be silenced. He will not abandon his views, said that he has only been inspired to work more diligently.

"After this event, I can say with confidence that I have chosen the right path  since my work results in such a reaction. So I'm going to hold the line and will write with even greater vigor. The attacks in my directions by terrorists demonstrate that they fear the truth that I'm writing about."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian military transport planes have airdropped 38.5 metric tons of humanitarian aid, mostly food supplies, to residents of Syria's city of Deir ez-Zor besieged by Daesh terrorists, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

"Two Russian military transport planes parachuted 38.5 metric tons of humanitarian cargo, mostly food rations and cereals, to the city of Deir ez-Zor blockaded by Daesh terrorists," the ministry said in a daily bulletin posted on its website.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Syrian Kurds are worried that al-Qaeda is transforming parts of northern Aleppo into a center of operations amid reports that the terrorist group wants to create a headquarters there, Syrian Democratic Council Co-President Elham Ahmed told Sputnik.

"Azaz in Aleppo. is becoming an al-Qaeda center," Ahmed said on Tuesday. "We [Syrian Kurds] are concerned about that."

The New York Times reported earlier this week, citing US and European intelligence officials, that al-Qaeda has relocated a number of seasoned veterans from Pakistan to Syria where it plans to establish an alternate headquarters.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  On Monday, 22 state ministers issued a joint communique announcing that the international community was prepared to respond to requests for weapons from Libyas new Government of National Accord (GNA) to train and equip vetted troops.

In 2011, the UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Libya amid the Arab Spring revolution, citing government violence against civilians.

"My guess is that we [the United States] would send defensive weapons  small arms, ammunition, command and control equipment, perhaps anti-tank weapons," Zakheim stated on Tuesday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Some 1,500 NATO servicemen will participate in the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) exercises in Poland on May 17-27.

The Brilliant Jump drills will bring together servicemen from Spain, the United Kingdom and other countries.

According to the alliance, the exercise is designed to practice planning, coordination and execution of the deployment.
Price is another factor that remains a bone of contention between the two sides. Earlier negotiations between India and France for the purchase of 126 Rafale failed owing to the price quoted by France, which India said was too high. Now, in fresh negotiations, India is expecting to procure 36 Rafale at a cost as economical as possible. During the negotiations for 126 Rafale, India's Defense Minister Parrikar had said that India would require at least 19 billion euro for 126 Rafale over a period of 10-11 years. But now he expects to clinch a deal for 36 Rafale at an even lower cost. In his statement in Parliament he said:

"We are trying our best to save money. If we purchase the required 36 Rafale, we will buy them at a price that's below the cost that was estimated when we were negotiating for 126 Rafale."

Based on the original cost for 126 Rafale agreed in the earlier negotiations, 36 Rafale would cost no more than 5 billion Euro. However, France quoted 7.5 billion euro for the 36 Rafale in April this year  a proposition India is reluctant to accept. Meanwhile, sources close to the French negotiating team suggest that the price offered by India is not acceptable to the Dassault Aviation, which already has a full order-book. As per a 2015 deal, the manufacturer has agreed to sell 24 Rafale to Egypt at a cost of 5.2 billion euro. It is also selling 24 Rafale to Qatar and expects Malaysia to place an order soon.

On the price factor, Bharat Karnad told Sputnik:

"India simply cannot afford investing in Tejas Mk-2, Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft or the Rafale  the three frontline projects on the Indian Air Force's menu. Because Su-50 is the future; Rafale becomes expendable. This is so because the present threats can be handled by the immediate augmentation of the Su-30MKI fleet by accelerating the LCA Mk-2 to speedy development and induction."

India was interested in buying 126 Rafale in 2007. But, negotiations were not unsuccessful because of the high price and unfavorable terms quoted by Dassault Aviation. During the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France in April 2015, the Indian government conveyed to France that in view of the critical operational necessity for Multi-role combat Aircraft for Indian Air Force (IAF) India would like to acquire 36 Rafale jets in fly-away condition as quickly as possible. Subsequently, negotiations on charting an Inter-Governmental Agreement started in May 2015. However, India's Law & Justice department has made strong objections against the proposed Inter-Governmental Agreement.
The Tejas LCA is a supersonic, single-engine multirole light fighter aircraft, which has been under development for the past three decades. It has been co-developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency in cooperation with HAL to replace the IAF's ageing fleet of MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighter aircraft.

The Tejas is however, still not combat-ready. Its final phase of weapon trials, including firing of BVR (beyond visual range) missiles, is currently under way. Moreover, the fighter is to get an AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar and advanced electronic warfare (EW) suite, and mid-air refueling capability, for the Mark-IA version that the IAF actually wants. This is likely to take another two years. This means the IAF will get the first 20 combat-ready Tejas by 2018.

Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retired) told Sputnik that the IAF will form only four squadrons out of the Mark-1A version to fulfil and immediate shortage. "The LCA Mark-II will fulfil the actual specifications of the IAF. This version will probably be delivered by 2022. Meanwhile, the LCA Mark-I currently available is also good enough for the Indian Air Force as it is capable of meeting most of the immediate requirements."

Meanwhile, manufacturer HAL is upbeat about the progress and hopes to capture small overseas markets for aircraft of this specification. "It is a morale boosting gesture from the IAF Chief and reposes great confidence of our valuable customer in our abilities", said T. Suvarna Raju, Chief Managing Director, HAL.
BELGRADE (Sputnik)  The bilateral deal was inked in Belgrade by Serbian Ministrys international cooperation chief Milan Konjikovac and Russias military attache in Serbia Andrei Kindyakov.

"Navy Captain Milan Konjikovac thanked Russia for its support in defending Serbias territorial integrity and sovereignty," the statement read.

The roadmap set a timeline for high-ranking visits, including an upcoming trip by the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, Ljubisa Dikovic, to Russia.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Last month, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced that ministers of 20 countries would take part in a meeting in Paris on May 30 aiming to relaunch the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Neither Israeli nor Palestinian officials will be attending the event.

"The ministerial meeting, which was scheduled on the 30th of this month on the peace process in the Middle East between the Israelis and Palestinians will be postponed, but it will happen soon," Hollande said in an interview with Europe 1 radio station.
"We have seen that in the regions that were completely cut-off from supplies, once again the possibility to send special transport reemerged. However, not all of the territories have been made available for humanitarian missions [access]," Steinmeier added.

The ISSG, co-chaired by Moscow and Washington, was formed in November 2015, shortly after the beginning of the Syria peace talks, as a panel of countries seeking to end bloodshed in Syria. The European Union, the Arab League, China, Iran, Turkey, and the United Nations are also members of the group.
VIENNA (Sputnik)  On Tuesday, foreign ministers of the ISSG will convene for the fifth time in Vienna.

"The document will summarize the results of the ISSG meeting. It will speak about ways to support the ceasefire regime and facilitate humanitarian access," the source said.

The document will not speak about the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad, the source added.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Canada will participated in its Tuesday meeting in Vienna, Austria, that focused on advancing the intra-Syrian talks, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephane Dion said in a press release.

I am proud that Canada will now be at the International Syria Support Group, Dion stated on Tuesday. Together, we can and we must find a diplomatic solution to this conflict.

The minister said the invitation for Ottawa to join the ISSG signals that the country is "making a difference" in countering the Islamic State, outlawed in many countries, including the United States and Russia, and bringing peace to Iraq and Syria.
The ceasefire in Syria worked out by Russia and the United States took effect on February 27. The cessation of hostilities does not apply to groups designated by the United Nations as terrorist organizations, such as Daesh and al-Nusra Front, outlawed in a number of countries worldwide including Russia and the United States.

All countries taking part in International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting have agreed on a framework for a united, non-sectarian Syria, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.

Earlier in the day, foreign ministers of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) convened for the fifth time in Vienna.

"All of the parties, most importantly Russia, Iran and key regional countries, have agreed on a basic framework of a united and non-sectarian SyriaThe challenge now is to transform it into an agreement," Kerry told reporters at the close of the ISSG meeting.

The sides involved in the Syrian civil war need to reconcile agendas in order the achieve peace in the country, he added.

"Those involved in this conflict with competing agendas need to prioritize peace," Kerry stressed.

The UN humanitarian agency World Food Programme should start carrying out air drops of humanitarian aid in Syria in case there is no access to the areas in need by June 1, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday.

"Starting on June 1, if the UN is denied humanitarian access to any of these designated areas [near the Syrian capital of Damascus], the ISSG calls on the World Food Programme to immediately carry out a program for air bridges and air drops for all those areas in need. The ISSG pledges to support such a program and also calls on all parties to provide a secure environment for that program," Kerry said following the ISSG meeting in Vienna.

Sergei Lavrov's Speech

The ceasefire in Syria worked out by Russia and the United States took effect on February 27 to facilitate humanitarian access to all besieged areas in the country, among other purposes.

The main result of Tuesday's International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting was the confirmation of commitment to agreements on Syria settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"I consider the main result to be the full confirmation  without any exceptions  of the basis of our work. This is the joint ISSG statement and UN Security Council resolutions 2218, 2254 and 2268," Lavrov told reporters.

"I would like to point out that we noted progress in all areas," he added.

"Today's document confirmed our arrangements of political process in Syria," Lavrov said. "Violence has decreased since February," he added.

"Today's document fixed all previous agreements and new steps voiced by John Kerry," Lavrov said.

"We have moved forward in Syrian crisis settlement and today's document confirmed that," Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov added.

Staffan de Mistura's Speech

The intra-Syria talks should be re-launched as soon as possible, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said Tuesday following the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting in Vienna.

"We cannot wait too long, we need to keep the momentum. I cannot tell the exact date at the moment There should be a credible improvement on the humanitarian side and cessation of hostilities side," de Mistura said.

Humanitarian aid has to be delivered to besieged and hard-to-reach areas of Syria by aircraft if not by land transport, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said Tuesday after the meeting of the International Syria Support Group in Vienna.

"If we cannot reach them [besieged, hard-to-reach areas] by land, we need to start working hard on how to reach areas in need," Mistura said.

The UN envoy added that the decision to launch the World Food Programme's humanitarian air drops in Syria is "something new" and positive.

Assad's Fate

Syrian president Bashar Assad should understand that there is no other solution to the crisis in the country except for political one, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday.

"US always has leverage. But at the moment we have come here because the greatest leverage is that Assad and people will never feel secure without a political solution Assad needs to understand this reality," Kerry told reporters after the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting in Vienna.

Moscow is not supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad, but rather the fight against terrorism in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"John [Kerry] said in his opening remarks, as if this was obvious, that Russia and Iran support Assad. We don't support Assad. We support the fight against terrorism. As of today, we see no real force that would be more effective than the Syrian army, with all its weaknesses, and the opposition groups we have established contact with through our base in Hmeymim," Lavrov told reporters.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia is concerned by Western tradition to use sanctions in every turn. "Moscow is not supporting Assad, but calls to fighting against terrorisom," Sergei Lavrov reminded, adding that Russia's partners admit behind the closed doors that Assad regime poses less threat than terrorists.

Meanwhile terrorists in Syria are receiving tanks from abroad, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday following a meeting of the International Syria Support Group.

"Large numbers of tanks are being sent to Syria. There have been incidents, by the way, where suicide terrorists have used tanks to commit terrorist acts," Lavrov told reporters, adding that this is "a new development of the crisis."

Turkey Helps Daesh Terrorists

There is plenty of evidence pointing out at Turkey setting up a large network to supply Daesh terrorists operating in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

"We have talked about it [the network] for a long time because it is obvious that it is the main supply conduit for extremiststhere is a stretch of the border, some 90 kilometers [some 56 miles] that is controlled by Daesh militants from the Syrian side and by Turkey from the other side," Lavrov told reporters following a meeting of the International Syria Support Group in Vienna.

"There are many factors pointing out at a large, widely-spread network created by Turkey on its side side of the border to continue and cover up these supplies," Lavrov said, adding that Russia had provided the UN Security Council with open source data confirming Turkey's "illegal and unacceptable" activities in that respect.
First of all, it means that "the [Gulf] monarchy, while an important player in the US financial system, doesn't have as much leverage [against Washington] as many likely believed," Martin Matishak of the Fiscal Times points out ; he also notes that "the disclosure comes during an unusually tense time in US-Saudi relations."

Kevin Dugan of the New York Post echoes Matishak.

"The No. 1 oil-producing nation on earth owns just the 13th-highest amount of Treasuries  far behind China's $1.24 trillion, Japan's $1.14 trillion and even the Cayman Islands' $265 billion, as of March 31, making "any impact of a threatened sell-off negligible," he writes. He added that even if the Saudis dump all of their US debt, "it would probably hurt them more than it would affect the US financial system."

Secondly, the exposure has become yet another signal that the US-Saudi relations have continued to deteriorate. The geopolitical honeymoon is obviously over and Riyadh is no longer a "special" ally for the US.

Apparently therefore, evidence over Riyadh's possible involvement in the 9/11 tragedy continues to mount.

"There was an awful lot of participation by Saudi individuals in supporting the hijackers, and some of those people worked in the Saudi government," former Republican member of the 9/11 Commission John Lehman said in an official statement.
One user angrily wrote that "with the Clintons talking such nonsense, it's unlikely that they're going to win the election." Others posted links to an old New York Times story accusing the Clinton Foundation of taking money from Russian atomic agency Rosatom.

Another commentator shrewdly recalled the scandal within the Democratic Party over the convention in Nevada, where Clinton supporters were accused of robbing Bernie Sanders of delegates. The user asked whether this is the kind of democracy Mr. Clinton is talking about.

In the same vein, another user recalled that Clinton "lied under oath in court and now plays the role of moralizer. Does Hillary not remember that his economic recovery was based on large-scale loans, which ended badly for the United States?"

Naturally, Mr. Clinton's criticism also found its way to Twitter, with Poles blasting the former president's remarks about Poland.

Nadpobudliwy Bill pluje na Polske: https://t.co/sA1Al2zSLn  Jakub Szaper (@golempolski) 17  2016 .

"Excitable Bill spits on Poland."

"Clinton is terrified by the liquidation of the moneylenders' control over Poland."

#Clinton: "Polska i Wegry to kraje, ktore nie byyby wolne, gdyby nie Stany Zjednoczone"



Nie byyby tez zniewolone gdyby nie #USA. #Zdrada  Maciej Bubiek (@maciejb_) 17  2016 .

#Clinton: 'Poland and Hungary would not be free were it not for the United States.' Correction: 'We wouldn't be enslaved'.
However, what is left beyond the scope of the report is why exactly China might launch a sudden strike against its neighbor. Needless to say, the hypothetical scenario bears no relation to reality.

The groundless assumption is hardly surprising in the context of another RAND report that claimed that Russia poses a "threat" to the Baltic states. Much in the same vein RAND analysts suggested that Moscow may suddenly attack its Baltic neighbors. Still there is not the slightest evidence that Russia is harboring such a plan.

And still, according to Goldstein, the RAND scenario is half the story: "The undersea observation system discussed above presents yet another challenge to US undersea superiority that did not figure into the RAND estimate of losses."

Is the scholar's alarmist stance justified? According to Erika Solem and Karen Montague of the Potomac Foundation, China's military force is far from posing a real threat to the US.

Moreover, there is no evidence that Beijing seeks global hegemony: China is concerned about its national security. The cornerstone of the country's foreign policy is the so-called "defensive realism."

"China and the US and are not disputing parties to each other. Therefore, the two countries should avoid the trap of security dilemma and misunderstandings by engaging in dialogues and clarifying each other's intentions. China and the US need and should be able to work towards cooperation," Fu Ying, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress of China, and Wu Shicun, President of the National Institute of the South China Sea, wrote in their recent article for The National Interest.
The political commentator calls attention to the fact that what is still missing is "the kamikaze pilot who gets just enough fuel to make it out to the fleet."

Buchanan poses yet another question: Why doesn't Romney want to take on the assignment himself?

"Yet, Romney is asking others to undertake a mission that will kill their careers and make them pariahs in their party, but will not do it himself," the commentator points out.

Citing Reince Priebus, an American attorney and the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Buchanan labels "the entry of a third-party conservative in the presidential race a 'suicide mission'."

"They can try to hijack another party and get on the ballot, but, look, it's a suicide mission for our country because what it means is that you're throwing down not just eight years of the White House but potentially 100 years on the Supreme Court and wrecking this country for many generations," Priebus said on "Fox News Sunday," as quoted by the Washington Post.
In reality, Khazin says, these elites "are afraid not of a Russian invasion, but that as a result of the defeat of their senior partners in Washington, they too may be driven from their posts. And here the issue is not even about losing access to the gravy train; it's obvious that new authorities in these countries would start anti-corruption investigations, and there's no guarantee that the new authorities in the US would step out to protect them. For Trump, they are simply the representatives of his political enemiesIn the best case scenario, those of them who are US citizens will find themselves sitting in American prisons."

The problem for the financiers and their allies, the economist suggests, is that Trump is likely to operate not only on this passive position, but via a 'proactive scenario' as well. "The issue is that a revanche by the financiers," via elections or by some other means, "remains possible only if the general model (built on the basis of the dominance of the financial sector) remains unchanged."

Russia, Khazin suggests, is one of the few remaining countries in the world which has an economic school and macroeconomic models which can serve to benefit anti-globalist politicians "who have seriously committed themselves to pushing the 'financiers' off the global Olympus." This, he adds, "is a serious trump card, because no other base for a transition from a passive fight against the financiersexists."

In the final analysis, the economist writes, "the elimination of the 'liberal economic dictatorship' that will become possible for our political elite in the event of Trump's rise will help not only to dramatically reduce the risks to our country's [economic position], but will also allow us to get a serious trump card for negotiations on a more or less equal basis with our foreign partners."
VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik)  A yacht carrying Russian nationals previously detained by North Korea's coast guard in the Sea of Japan, has arrived in Vladivostok, the citys seaport administration said Tuesday.

"The yacht arrived in Vladivostok marina where it will undergo customs procedures," the administrations spokesperson told RIA Novosti.

On Saturday, reports emerged claiming that North Koreas coast guard had detained the Elfin yacht carrying athletes from Russias Far Eastern Primorsky Territory in the Sea of Japan.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Many foreign investors are working in Crimea, but have chosen not to advertise it, Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksenov said.

"The progress is tangible, but in the situation with Crimea and in relation to the anti-Russia sanctions many investors choose to remain behind the scenes and not advertise their activities on the peninsula," Aksenov told the newspaper Izvestiya in an interview which was released Tuesday.

More than 96 percent of the Crimean electorate voted to reunite the region with Russia in a March 2014 referendum, almost exactly 60 years after the region was transferred from the Russian Soviet Republic to the Ukrainian Soviet Republic under newly-elected Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev, who had formerly worked as the head of the Communist Party in Ukraine. However, the West and Kiev did not recognize the results of the referendum, accusing Moscow of annexing the former Ukrainian region.
The Russian Defense Ministry plans to restore and modernize the Dnepr early warning radar station near Sevastopol, Crimea, the newspaper Izvestia quoted a source in the military-industrial complex as saying on Tuesday.

When restored, the station will be capable of tracking down hypersonic, cruise and ballistic missiles launched from ships in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea at ranges of up to 3,000 kilometers.

The source said that the Dnepr station's equipment will operate in the super-high frequency band, which is expected to increase the effectiveness of the Russian radar station in the city of Armavir, which operates in the ultra-high frequency band.
KHABAROVSK (Sputnik)  According to the official, smoke bombs, simulation tools and blank ammunition were used during the exercises.

"Servicemen of the counterterrorist unit blocked and destroyed a simulated illegal armed group which had taken over the military unit. Then the fire extinguishing unit eliminated the simulated fire in the building," Astafyev told reporters.
In an interview with Sputnik, lawmaker Stefano Valdegamberi of Italy's Veneto region, called for Crimea to be recognized by Europe as part of Russia, adding that the time has come to lift anti-Russian sanctions.

Valdegamberi is the author of a resolution on the recognition of Crimea, which is most likely to be approved by the Regional Council of Veneto during the May 18 vote.

"When in Crimea, I clearly saw its desire for self-determination, which is in line with the law, especially given that Crimea's parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of its independence, which was confirmed during a national referendum there," he said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Two more suspected Zika patients had tested negative for the virus, linked to neurological disorders, such as the Guillain-Barre Syndrome and microcephaly.

"As of today, we have registered a third infected person in Moscow, who also traveled to the Dominican Republic. The case has been confirmed, so we have a total of three diagnosed cases across Russia," Rospotrebnadzor's Anna Popova said.
The ongoing controversy surrounding the appropriate role of artificial intelligence and robotics in society, was the subject of a Radio Sputnik interview with Professor Ashok Goel on Monday.

What did you intend to gain by subjecting your students to a chatbot?

"This was no prank, it was a serious experiment on improving the quality of education," started Goel. "Students, they often need assistance and they dont often get it, but if we can use AI across the world and take education to every student who needs it that would be beautiful."

The professor explained that there never seems to be enough teaching assistants to provide students with answers in a seamless fashion, while the question is still ripe. He also observed that, semester to semester, many of the questions asked by students, often framed in different ways, tend to be the same.
'Cheaper Than a Physicist'

Bose-Einstein condensates are some of the coldest places in the universe and their extreme sensitivity can be used for mineral exploration or navigation.

Artificial intelligence cools atoms close to absolute zero, surprises physicists https://t.co/FKLwQQ7ZX0 pic.twitter.com/WOYc6Eq6kc  ANU Media (@ANUmedia) May 16, 2016

As a result of the AI's ability to make its own adjustments to the experiment, researchers are excited that such technology could be much more useful and cost effective in the field of navigation or measurement.

"You could make a working device to measure gravity that you could take in the back of a car, and the artificial intelligence would recalibrate and fix itself no matter what," researcher Dr Michael Hush from UNSW ADFA said.

"It's cheaper than taking a physicist everywhere with you."

While the debate over AI continues, many believe robots could replace humans in many low-skilled jobs in the near future, triggering concern that such developments may lead to increased rates of unemployment.
TSA cites federal cuts as being at the root of the problem, suggesting that less money means fewer security screeners, which causes longer wait times. The issue is exacerbated by a record number of air travelers.

American Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott expressed great frustration at the security lines, saying that more than 30 flights were delayed on Sunday alone, and that the airline will be hiring people to expedite the process.

Scott told a CBS affiliate in Chicago that We will be hiring employees who will do non-security TSA functions; so, the people who tell you to take the liquids out of your bags, take your laptop out, (etc.)"

Chicago is not the only city dealing with frustratingly long security lines. Major airports in Atlanta, Denver and Alaska have reported striking increases in wait times for passengers.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey penned a letter to the TSA stating that "the patience of the flying public has reached a breaking pointwe can no longer tolerate the continuing inadequacy of TSA passenger screening services."

Deborah Ostreicher, assistant aviation director in Phoenix, Arizona, told the Associated Press that waiting times at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport have made the city consider privatizing its airport security. Ostreicher said that a number of options were being discussed and that, "One of those options is to utilize a contractor to provide security as some other airports have done."
Originally built in 1960, the church has been occupied by a group of about 100 local residents for over ten years, after the Archdiocese of Boston decided to close and sell some 70 churches in the region. It is widely believed that this decision was made to cover the legal costs of a widespread sex-abuse scandal.

"We made this deal with the lower courts that we would vacate the premises within 14 days of the Supreme Court decision," said Jon Rogers, a leader of the activist group called Friends of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. "From the very beginning we have promised to exhaust every avenue of appeal available to us and we have now done that."

Some people have stayed at the church every hour since the Archdiocese attempted to drive the congregation away by changing the locks on the doors under cover of darkness. The church hosted services every Sunday, although a full Catholic mass is not possible without a priest, and the church had been officially deconsecrated.
"The idea of suspended animation for interstellar human spaceflight has often been posited as a promising far-term solution for long-duration spaceflight," Doctor John Bradford, CEO of the firm, told the Mirror.

Details for the hibernation chamber involve using cold temperatures to induce a state of hypothermia for up to two weeks. Bodies would be monitored via sensors, receiving nutrition through intravenous drip. A catheter would release urine.
"I volunteered that if Hillary got elected president, I would like to be tasked with the responsibility to take you along for the ride to Americas future."

The capacity in which Mr. Clinton would serve remains unclear, as the secretary of state has said in the past that she would not consider her husband for a cabinet position.

The appeal of the Clintons to coal country comes after the victory of Democratic rival Bernie Sanders victory in the West Virginia primary last Tuesday. Presenting a tougher challenge than the Democratic frontrunner anticipated, Sanders had made fighting income inequality and poverty a staple of his campaign.

Clinton faced opposition from coal miners in March when, in an attempt to stand tough on environmental issues, she said "Were going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business."

Victories in Tuesdays primaries would bring Clinton closer to the 2,383 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. She currently leads Sanders by 283 pledged delegates, according to the Associated Press.
"But these are not ordinary times. Are Hillary and Bill, or Clinton Incorporated the winning formula to get Hillary into the White House in 2016? I doubt it," he said.

Hillary Clinton has already shown herself to be a weak contender who almost risked being defeated by US Senator Bernie Sanders, a far-left, 74-year-old socialist who has never been taken seriously by anyone, Schirach noted.

"Far too many voters (including women) see Hillary Clinton as same old, yet another sleazy Washington machine politician. Her plan to use her (older) husband as a key weapon in the unfolding battle against Donald Trump may actually backfire," he argued.

Betting on the US publics alleged perception of her husband as an economic genius may fail for Hillary Clinton since Bill Clinton was more lucky than skillful during his eight years as president, Schirach recalled.

"Bill Clinton did very well as president in large part because he was lucky. Oil prices were low, the Cold War was over, (hence reduced military spending), the rise of al Qaeda terrorism was conveniently ignored, and the first phase of the internet revolution was in full bloom," Schirach maintained.

Some middle-aged voters who retain a fond memory of those untroubled years may be impressed, but not enough swing a national election, Schirach concluded.

Paolo von Schirach is Professor of International Relations at BAU International University Editor and President of the Global Policy Institute think tank.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Sanders is currently visiting the US territory, currently in multimillion debt, ahead of the Democratic primary on June 5.

"The people of the United States cannot continue a colonial-like relationship with the people of Puerto Rico," Sanders said at a rally on Monday, as quoted by the CNN network.

Sanders said he would give the island three options  becoming the 51st state, having more rights as a US territory or becoming an independent country, the media outlet reported.


WASHINGTON (Sputnik)A majority of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters trust presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump more than US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan to lead the Republican Party, a NBC News/Survey Monkey poll revealed on Tuesday.

"Nearly six in ten trust the presumptive Republican presidential nominee [Trump] to lead the Republican Party over the House Speaker [Ryan]; nearly 4 in ten trust the speaker more," the poll noted.

The poll was conducted online between May 9 and May 15, and has a margin of error of 1.2 percentage points.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The bill, called the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, would allow families of victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to sue the government of Saudi Arabia for its role in the attacks.

"Today, [US Senator John Cornyn and] I are proud to announce were one step closer to justice for the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks," Schumer tweeted after the bill was passed.
2) Facebook rejected ACUs overtures for Facebook to play a meaningful role at CPAC.

3) The deck is stacked: CPAC content significantly underperforms on Facebook, compared to Twitter and other platforms.

4) The Facebook Trending News chief, Tom Stocky, is a maxed-out donor to Hillary Clinton.

5) Of the 1,000 political donations from Facebook employees, some 80% have gone to liberals.

6) Facebook holds liberal positions on important issues such as privacy, property, and religion.

Schlapp further expressed discontent that Facebook entices people to sign up to use their platform while making a potentially-fraudulent assertion that the company is neutral on news content.

Facebook has harmed its credibility with conservatives, the statement reads, but if they want to mend the relationship, were happy to sit down with their experts about how they can better strike a balance between sterile algorithms choosing news content and when a human curator decides to put a finger on the scale. If Facebook wants the benefit of the doubt, they need to start with complete transparency on how decisions are made concerning its newsfeeds.

Conservative news outlet Breitbart also turned down an invitation from Facebook, stating that they have zero interest in a Facebook photo-op, unless Zuckerberg meets personally with their tech editor.
After months of heated battle with the US intelligence community, the 500-page executive summary of the torture report was released by Senate Democrats in December 2014.

The report exposed the so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" used on suspected terrorists while in CIA custody, including near drowning, non-stop interrogation, force-feeding and rectal feeding, and other methods of coercion.

Feinstein noted that none of the facts exposed in the publicized executive summary have been disproven.

"And the big report is all of the evidence sustaining what we say in the summary," she stated.

Despite her efforts to have the summary of the report released in 2014, Feinstein explained that "the time is yet for declassification" of the entire 7,000 page report. Any further decision to declassify the material is in the hands of the Obama administration.

Following reports of the destruction of the torture file, the CIA assured the public that the agency still has a copy.

The torture report covers CIA interrogation practices from 2001 through 2006 as part of the War on Terror. According to the published summary, the intelligence community and previous US administration misled the American people in claiming the enhanced interrogation practices produced useful intelligence.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The US Senate has approved an amendment to provide $1.1 billion of the $1.9 billion that President Obama requested to fight the Zika virus.

The amendment needed 60 votes to pass, and the final count was 68 for and 29 against.

The amendment will be part of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2016.
"What this had done is turn Senator Feinstein into an adversary of the CIAs current leadership, if not the CIA itself," he told Becker. "And I think what were going to see coming out of this latest kerfuffle is that Feinstein will attempt to have the entire document declared a federal record, which its not. Because the document was produced by the legislative branch rather than the executive branch, it is not formally known as a federal record, and so there doesnt have to be a permanent record of it in the national archives. If it is declared a federal record, then the CIA can destroy whatever copies its wants, because there will always be a copy in the national archives."

Kiriakou does believe, however, that its only a matter of time before the public furor around the torture become too big for the federal government to ignore.

"The CIA knew from the very beginning that what it was doing was wrong. Ethically, morally and even legally, and they decided to act anyway. Now the chickens are coming to home to roost. There has to be a price to pay for these lies."
The FBI wants the cryptographer, who goes by Isis Agora Lovecruft, to testify in a criminal hacking investigation, but privacy advocates  as well as Lovecruft herself  believe the Bureau will attempt to coerce her into helping them crack the system.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the leading nonprofit organization defending electronic civil liberties, has also taken on the case.

The FBI needs to open up and tell Isis what it is they want before she can decide if she will meet with them, EFF Senior Staff Attorney Nate Cardozo told Sputnik. They've said she isn't under investigation, but there are still too many unanswered questions. Isis has a right to know what's going on instead of playing this strange guessing game as she's pursued by federal agents.
Besides, Billington explained that Russias success in Syria is not only due to the countrys military might.

Putin has shown his brilliant creativity actually not just in the military deployment in Syria but as you probably know he took Russias greatest orchestra, the Mariinsky orchestra from Saint Petersburg right into Palmyra and used one of the greatest weapons in history in the middle of Palmyra where the ISIS (Daesh) carried out their beheadings, he said.

This is a demonstration that creativity and beauty are the purpose of victory not just military defeat of an enemy but to bring the world to a higher order, to bring the world together around human creativity which has been so desperately lost in the West under the gun of the rock, drug, sex counterculture and the green anti-science hysteria, he furthermore explained.

Referring to the US military buildup along Russias and Chinas borders, the author suggested that the purpose is to force the Russians to back down.

However though suggesting that the Russians will never back down, he nevertheless says that the threat of the war remains very high.

Well it is not meant to simply undermine Moscow in the sense of getting Putin to back down, as I said he wont back down, it is a threat of war, he suggested.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On May 9, the International Consortium of Independent Journalists (ICIJ) published a new portion of documents on 320,000 offshore accounts that were leaked from the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca.

According to the Fox News broadcaster, the ICIJ did not mention Soros companies in the offshore leaks database except for just one investment group, the Quantum Group of Funds, which does not generate particular interest as an offshore company.
In this vein, he pointed to Washington's determination to extend the anti-Russian sanctions further, a stance that was supported by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden during a presidential meeting last week.

In contrast, Hungary, Greece, Austria and Italy have begun to oppose the restrictive measures against Russia, Matos said, referring to a relevant article in the German weekly business news magazine Wirtschaftswoche.

"As for the Germans, they remain deeply divided over the Berlin government's approach to the anti-Russian sanctions, with a schism currently in place between those living in the western and eastern regions of the country," Matos said.

According to him, residents of the western regions see the government's stance on building relations with Russia as a moderate one, whereas those in the eastern regions blame Berlin for its hardline stance, which they say prevents progress.

"Being under the US's pressure, EU leaders do not have sufficient autonomy to meet the needs of European business in the face of the anti-Russian sanctions," Matos said.

He quoted European media, which voiced fears that EU members could be targeted by the United States, which could introduce punitive measures against them as well as use other forms of economic and financial pressure.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Victoria Nuland will visit Moscow later on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine , the US State Department said in a press release on Tuesday.

She [Nuland] will meet with senior Russian government officials to discuss the situation in eastern Ukraine and next steps to implement the Minsk agreements in support of the Normandy countries and the Trilateral Contact Group, the press release stated.

Relations between Russia and the West deteriorated following the 2014 crisis and subsequent conflict in Ukraine between the government in Kiev and autonomy seekers in the east of the country. Washington, Brussels and their allies have accused Moscow of meddling in the Ukrainian conflict and introduced several rounds of sanctions.
The anti-Iranian activities mentioned by the parliament include the Nojeh coup plot, when the military planned to overthrow the newly established Islamic Republic of Iran, after the US-backed Iranian shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was ousted during the 1979 Revolution, led by Shia cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The Iranian parliament also listed the US involvement in the 1953 Iranian coup d'etat, when then-Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown in favor of strengthening the rule of Pahlavi. The coup was managed by UK and US intelligence, under the names Operation Boot and the TPAJAX Project respectively.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to Bulgakov, a group of Russian military scouts and German volunteers will search for remains of WWII soldiers who lie unburied on the Gogland and Bolshoi Tyuters islands. Bulgakov explained that in 2015, the German war graves commission sought the Russian Defense Ministry's permission to bury these fallen German soldiers in a German graveyard near Saint Petersburg.

"This morning, Gogland expedition, comprising two teams, both international and of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS), left for islands in the Gulf of Finland," Bulgakov told journalists.

The RGS team will clear another 14 islands of rusting WWII war machinery.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)Russian Trade Representative to Egypt Fedor Lukashin expressed hope Tuesday that the ban on flights from Russia to Egypt would be lifted this fall.

"We understand the concern of our Egyptian partners who hope to resume air traffic with Russia and the United Kingdom this summer, but the decision is likely to be delayed. As far as we know, the United Kingdom postponed the resumption of the air traffic from the summer to November. It means that our British colleagues are waiting for their Egyptian partners to revise the security measures [in the country]. Hopefully, the restrictions to be lifted this fall," Lukashin told RIA Novosti.

Lukashin noted that the Egyptian tourist industry has been damaged due to the decline in the number of tourists from Russia and the European countries, such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Italy. In the first quarter of 2016, the Egyptian tourist industry's contracted by three times to $500 millions.


WASHINGTON (Sputnik)The United States has eased restrictions on several state-owned enterprises and banks in Myanmar in light of the human rights progress in the country, the US Treasury Department announced in a press release on Tuesday.

OFAC [Office of Foreign Assets Control] in consultation with the Department of State, removed seven state-owned enterprises and three state-owned banks from the SDN [Specially Designated Nationals] List, the release said.

The companies removed from the sanctions list include Myanmar Timber Enterprise, Myanmar Pearl Enterprise, Myanmar Gem Enterprise, No. 1 Mining Enterprise, No. 2 Mining Enterprise, No. 3 Mining Enterprise, and Co-Operative Export-Import Enterprise.


WASHINGTON (Sputnik)On Monday, the Pentagon announced that the United States would be conducting a joint BMD exercise with its allies Japan and South Korea during the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercises coming up in June and July.

"It is not this exercise that is the most important, its the next one," Harris said of the joint BMD exercise, during a speech at the Spring meeting of the Institute for Corean-American Studies.

The US commander added that "the next one [joint BMD exercise] will hopefully apply what we learn during this exercise to make our ability to operate together in a ballistic missile defense environment better."
Roberta Nixon, Executive Director of Horse Racing New Brunswick, promises that business will be back to normal very soon after the organization was locked out of its office in the middle of the night.

Fredericton Exhibition locked us out and cited numerous lease breaches, Nixon said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon. We have our legal representatives working on this because, as per our signed lease, HRNB was not in any violation of the current lease agreement.

The disagreement stems from an attempt to pay the property taxes to Fredericton Exhibition on May 16. The lease says the taxes are payable to Fredericton Exhibition and are due on the 15, which fell on a Sunday this year. The lease also says that late payments would be accepted thirty (30) days after the due date. Fredericton Exhibition refused HRNBs payment on May 16 and in the early morning of May 17 changed the locks, alarm codes and hired a security firm.

This is simply a dishonest approach by Fredericton Exhibition, Nixon said. Our lease gives us a thirty day grace period. We tried to pay eighteen hours into that grace period and were received with aggression.

The sad part about this underhanded approach from Fredericton Exhibition is that basically puts a number of employees out of a job, Nixon said. My main goal is to get this solved, get our people back to work and resume HRNB operations in Fredericton as soon as possible.

Nixon stressed that HRNB operations out of Saint John, Dieppe and Quispamsis were operating as normal and should not be disrupted by the situation in Fredericton.

(with files from HRNB)
Trot Insider has learned that breeder/owner Richard Lehan of St. Catharines, Ont. passed away at St. Catharines General Hospital on the morning of Thursday, May 12 at the age of 84.

Lehan was a well-known member of the southern Ontario racing scene and is the father of trainer Daniel Lehan. There was a moment of silence at Richards favourite track, Flamboro Downs, the day of Lehans passing.

Richard and his wife of 43 years, Barbara, bred scores of horses at their Fenwick, Ont. farm over the years. One of the couples busiest seasons saw them care for 32 head one year.

In addition to the many people that Richard met through breeding horses, owning horses, and being at Flamboro, he was also quite well known on the southern Ontario fair circuit for his skill behind the lens. Richard was the track photographer for multiple fair tracks during their heyday, and was a fixture at those tracks when the races rolled into town.

Richard is survived by his wife, Barbara; sons, Dan and Averil; and daughters, Marie and Bonnie.

The Lehans have told Trot Insider that friends are encouraged to make their way to the Moose Lodge in St Catharines on Friday, June 3 for a celebration of life. The celebration of life will take place from 1 to 5 p.m.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Richard Lehan.
Anna Lee Roemer, 86, of Longview, Washington passed away peacefully at home on May 7, 2016. She was the daughter of Clifford and Juanita Vanocker. Anna Lee was born July 4, 1929 in Zena, Oklahoma. She lived in Denver, Colorado until the age of 9, and then moved to Longview where she resided for the rest of her life.

Anna Lee attended school in Longview and worked at her parents restaurants, The White Spot and The Boiler.

Anna Lee met the love of her life, George Roemer, and they were united in marriage on July 10, 1948, a union lasting 67 years. Though she had seven children, Anna Lee still found time to be actively involved as a cub scout leader and girl scout leader, as well as many other activities with her children.

As the children grew older, George and Anna Lee purchased farmland in Clatskanie, OR. There they turned their land into a productive blueberry farm and cattle ranch known as R & K Farm. Her grandchildren loved working at the farm during the summer. They would beg to go to work at an early age just to be there with her and enjoy the farm life. She actively ran the farm until a serious injury prevented her from being there.

The most important thing to Anna Lee was her family, especially during the holidays. Christmas was her favorite since all her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would be together at one time. Her familys favorite holiday was Anna Lees birthdaythe 4th of July. Her sons would always have a huge fireworks display and Anna Lee would always shudder when the boys would start shooting fireworks; something that will never be the same without her.

Anna Lee is survived by her husband, George Roemer; three sons and spouses, Bob (Cheri) Roemer, George (Cathy) Roemer, Todd Roemer; daughter-in-law, Lori Roemer; special friends, Renee Samples and Dorcene Shern; a niece, Dina (Jim) Worley; nephew, Daryl (Donna) McCallum; cousins, Sybil Burke (lovingly known as her twin), and John Bates; sixteen grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. Preceding her in death were her parents, Clifford and Juanita Vanocker; sister, Dolores McCallum; her husband, Bob; children, Vanessa Roemer, Judy Newman, Kevin Roemer, Dano Roemer; and grandson, Jordan Roemer.

Anna Lee will always be remembered as the matriarch of the Roemer family. She was a kind and loving woman who will be missed dearly.

There will be no funeral service per Anna Lees request. Instead, she wanted her family and friends to have a celebration of life at her home on the Columbia River where she had many fond memories. A notice will be given at a later time as to when this will take place. Steele Chapel at Longview Memorial Park & Crematory is in charge of arrangements.
Longview Fire Battalion Chief Kevin Taylor is retiring and heading to Disneyland.

After 32 years of service  12 in Longview  Taylor will say goodbye to the Longview Fire Department on Wednesday.

"I'll miss the guys," he said Tuesday. "It's very much a team sport, and we get to work together to make things better in the community."

The 56-year-old battalion chief plans to take a fairytale trip to California with his granddaughter starting Saturday.

"It'll be very exciting to see that through a 5-year-old's eyes," he said.

Taylor has had a number of positions, starting as a firefighter at age 24 with Snohomish County Fire District 11 to battalion chief. He was 18 years old when he began volunteering as a firefighter.

He also worked with Eastside Fire Rescue, the City of Edmonds and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a consultant before he settled in Longview.

Taylor will continue to run his Camas cocktail lounge, the Birch Street Uptown Lounge, which he calls his "artistic outlet." But he said he wants to spend more time with family.

Eventually he said he wants to move back to Seattle, where his daughters and granddaughter live.

"Kevin is one of those employees who truly loves his job," Fire Chief Phil Jurmu said in a press release. "He brought his passion for the fire service to Longview, and performed at a high level."
BNSF Railway Monday said their efforts to double-up coal dust control efforts over the past year been successful and will help prevent environmental problems at the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals coal export dock in Longview.

The railroad in January 2015 opened a re-spray facility in Pasco, in the Tri-Cities area, to spray a topping agent on coal being transported to western Washington from coal fields in Wyoming and Montana.

Courtney Wallace, BNSF regional director of public affairs, told group of local leaders gathered at the Millennium site Monday that BNSF has treated 5,000 trains since opening the site.

Wallace said each train  which consists of 110 to 120 coal cars  takes about 15 minutes to be sprayed with the topping agent. Trains cruise through the station going no faster than 10 mph.

Topping agent is sprayed directly on the coal in a continuous stream. Excess solution is trapped in a basin so it doesnt spill on the train itself or in between the rail cars. Each car is doused with between 12.5 and 20 gallons of the solution, which forms a sticky surface to keep dust from flying off while trains are moving.

Coal dust has been a major public concern about the proposed coal terminal, even though a draft environmental study released last month says dust suppression systems would keep coal dust deposits to about a quarter teaspoon per year per square meter just outside of the terminal area.

After Mondays presentation, Felicia Conley, president of Longviews Highlands Neighborhood Association, said BNSF is taking the right steps to control control dust. (Trains headed to the proposed terminal would pass close to the Highlands.)

I think a lot of people when they think coal ... they think of miners going into the ground and coming up dirty, Conley said. Its a totally different environment, and I think a lot of the (opposition) is from not knowing. Were using coal everywhere.

She said Mondays presentation reaffirmed to her that the proposed terminal could bring a lot of good to the community.

Millenniums $643 million project would handle 44 million tons of coal annually. The terminal, according to Millennium, would create 1,325 direct construction jobs and 1,300 indirect construction jobs. At full build out, it would support 135 direct jobs and 165 indirect jobs, according to Millennium.

We need jobs like this. We need companies like this in Longview. I get upset when people say Its only this many jobs, she said, explaining that more people employed with family wage jobs means more money being spent at businesses in town.

Longview Mayor Don Jensen echoed Conleys sentiments.

Im not worried about it, he said. I think their spraying shows theyre controlling the dust if there were any.

However, not everyone is convinced the topping agents are a viable solution for controlling dust.

Mary Lyons, co-president of Landowners and Citizens for a Safe Community, said shes concerned the spray doesnt work as well as advertised.

I dont know that its been tested on gorge-strength winds, she said. Theyre selling it so determinedly.

She said shes also concerned about what is in the spray, how much of the chemical is washed off the coal by rain and whether the chemicals could contaminate groundwater.

(People say) its this wonderful, benign solution, and we dont believe that. Its just too good to be true, and thats pretty much the case with this whole industry, she said.

However, Wendy Hutchinson, vice president of public affairs at Millennium Bulk Terminals, said the spray is nontoxic.

Les Anderson, vice president of LCSC, said he doesnt believe the topping agent will be effective. He said he thinks the spray works for only a short period of time.

Dust suppression is something (the coal industry) hasnt been very successful at, he said. I dont see how the future is going to be any different.

Wallace addressed other environmental concerns as well, noting that BNSF trains are fuel efficient, moving each ton of freight 500 miles on a single gallon of fuel. BNSFs largest intermodel train can perform the work of 280 trucks, she said.

We want to make a commitment, Wallace said. We want to be good neighbors.
Prayers of praise and thanks echoed in nine languages through Northlake Baptist Church Sunday, as three congregations celebrated the Pentecost.

About 300 worshipers participated in the multi-cultural experience. They included members of the Northlake congregation, the Longview Korean Church (founded in 2005) and the Latino church established in Longview in 2007, according to Mark Schmutz, pastor of Northlake Baptist. The Korean and Latino congregations rent space from Northlake.

Worshipers sang in three languages, offered prayers in nine (including Hebrew and Tagalog) and shared a feast with foods of many nations. The day ended with a performance by the Morning Star Korean cultural drum and dance group, which came to Longview from Seattle.

Schmutz considered the gathering a remarkable display of love and unity in a time when the nation has seen so much racial hostility, crediting the display of love as something only God can do.

The Pentecost is a Christian holy day commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus Christ, according to the New Testament of the Bible. It has roots in the Jewish observation of Shavuot, which tradition holds is the day Moses received the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai.
SILVER LAKE  Opening her new vacation rental home this month brought a life of love and loss full circle for Paddy Elkins.

On Sunday, Elkins and her husband, Steve Elkins, hosted the grand opening of their newly redecorated three-bedroom, two-bath home, The Elk Inn.

The inn formerly was the home of Lloyd and Doris Anderson, who owned the relocated 7 Wonders Creation Museum next door at 4749 Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. The Elkins have moved into the old museum building itself so they could live next door to their new inn.

Paddy Elkins former husband of 30-years, Rick Burrow, died in 2014, eleven years after a one-car accident in front of the Creation Museum robbed him of the ability to walk or talk. Elkins and caregivers nursed and tried to rehabilitate him until his death.

Getting The Elk Inn decorated and ready to rent was a form of redemption, Elkins said.

Every time I drove by the driveway, and thats a lot, I felt sadness, and I wondered what could have been if the car accident had not happened, she said. Now that spot on Spirit Lake Highway doesnt bring me sadness. Now that spot is home.

Already, three families have vacationed there, and Elkins said the home is booked sporadically through August, though there are several openings in July.

The home rents for $125 a night before taxes and fees if reserved ahead of time and $95 a night before taxes and fees for walk-ins (walk-in guests also dont have to pay a $40 cleaning fee). It costs $15 for each additional guest beyond the first two. The home is equipped with DirectTV, a DVD player, board games and a barbecue. It is smoke-free.

The home is quaint and cozy, like a grandmothers home in the countryside. A white and blue checkered tablecloth adorns a wooden kitchen table. The inn looks out over a tall fir tree, an expansive meadow and  on a clear day  Mount St. Helens. In the living room, two rocking chairs, a recliner and a cream-colored leather couch sit beside a wood fireplace and a big-screen TV.

A small apple, pear and cherry orchard borders the meadow. A herd of elk sometimes stops in the mist to munch on tall grass.

Elkins said she decorated the home to give it a sense of peace.

Its a place for travelers to rest and be blessed, she said. I think (Rick) would be happy that this turned out to be our home.

The kitchen is fully stocked with silverware, paper towels, dishes, pots and pans and appliances such as a coffee pot and waffle maker.

A cabinet in the kitchen is filled with cards and pamphlets for local businesses. Along the hallway to the bathroom and main bedroom is a panorama of Mount St. Helens and a map of Southwest Washington.

The beds are made up, and extra linens are on hand, as are extra towels in the bathrooms, which each have their own shower.

All you really need to do is bring food, Elkins said.

The project brought her healing, she says as she looks out over the meadow.

I always knew God would redeem our situation with Rick. But I thought he would heal him.  But he redeemed it in a different way. He brought joy, she said of her new home and business. Its a miracle.
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Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Monday met Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and discussed enhancing bilateral ties between the countries specially in the field of cyber-security. "Had a great meeting with Prime Minister of Sweden Mr Stefan Lofven. We discussed issues of bilateral cooperation. Swedish PM ... recalled his suggestion to work on cyber-security," Prasad said in a tweet.

Prasad is on a three-day visit to Sweden to enhance bilateral ties between the countries. In February this year, Lofven visited India and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of the 'Make in India Week' in Mumbai.

Around 30 points were identified by the two countries in February for enhancing bilateral cooperation, including Digital India. "As democracies India and Sweden can work towards safe secure and prosperous world. Swedish PM fully endorsed this idea," Prasad tweeted.

Both nations are committed to promoting human rights online, cyber-security, combat cybercrime, and develop a common understanding on international cyber issues and support an open, inclusive, transparent and multi-stakeholder system of internet governance.

Prasad also visited headquarters of the Swedish telecom gear major Ericsson. "With 5G prototype in 5G test facility in Ericsson Studio. To be miniaturised into normal mobile size in next 2 years," Prasad said.

Ericsson is at present testing gears for 5G technologies which it plans to start commercialising around 2018. The minister said that Ericsson employs around 22,000 people in India and has been present in the country since last 114 years.

PTI
Naina Khedekar

Apple head honcho Tim Cook has been on a visit to neighboring China to meet the company heads of Didi Chuxing, the ride-sharing app in which Apple has invested $1 bn. But reports have been doing the rounds that he now plans to make a surprise visit to India. However, some reports floating online hint it could have been a well-planned visit to meet PM Modi over the recent conundrum over selling refurbished iPhones.

First reported by Reuters, the visit is believed to come at a crucial time as Apple looks for growth markets after its first ever decline in iPhone sales. But that's not the only reason, and the company is also said to be looking at local production unit to be a part of PM Modi's Make in India initiative, a possible accelerator program and more. Let's look at them one by one.

Maps centre in Hyderabad, accelerator in Bengaluru

Cook is believed to unveil a new development center for digital maps in Hyderabad, according to Livemint. The report, and also some previous reports, have been hinting at Apple's plans to introduce a startup accelerator in Bengaluru. It is said this will be a first of its kind initiative from Apple to incubate startups with ideas around iOS, and Apple's other software services. An accelerator program makes sense as Apple sees India at the same position where China was 6-8 year ago. It also clearly shows that India is now looked upon as an important market for Apple.

Meetings and discussions

Some reports also highlight Cook is set to meet telcos in the bid to look for partnerships for distribution and sales of its devices. Besides, he will also be meeting politicians and some leading businessmen In the earnings call, Tim Cook had explained how LTE rollout (in India) has been one of the factors that has been holding Apple back, as the potential and the power of its mighty devices cannot be unleashed on 2G. But with good networks coming in, things could change, he had said back then. He had also spoken about problems related to building good retail channels as phones are not tied to carriers here, like in developed nations. Now, citing sources related to the matter, the ET report further adds that Airtel is in talks with Apple and looking to team up for distribution/selling through retail stores, offers on devices and even training of personnel.

Apple Stores

We've been hearing about Apple's plans to bring its exclusive stores to India. In the past few months, we've heard of applications and re-applications being submitted to the government, talks with brokers for plush large format stores and more.

While it was unknown when the stores could likely make it to India, a new report by FactorDaily, citing sources, claims that Apple will be launching three stores in India over the next 18 months. While we've been trying to figure out where Apple could possibly open its stores, the new report also adds that locations are likely to be the Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai.

While Delhi and Mumbai were believed to be the top contenders in the Apple Stores race, Sanchit Vir Gogia, Chief Analyst and CEO, Greyhound Research had told us how other factors such as a city with capable tech support for Apple centres and corporate offices, hints at Bengaluru, which is also known as the tech hub of India being yet another contender.

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, Gogia had explained.

Refurbished iPhones

Another reason could be meet officials related to making policies and talk about its recently rejected plan to sell refurbished devices in India. India is the second largest phone market and Apple has only 2 percent market share here. Now, with slump in global shipments and slowing China market, the company is looking for inroads to sell its devices in India, which are priced too high for the price conscious Indian market. However, the Cupertino company's plans were denied by the Indian government.

It is said that rivals had a campaign against Apples request as it could mean making way to a slew of used electronics into the country, which will hamper the Make in India initiative. Afterall, the motive of Make in India is to encourage local manufacturing.

Apple is looking at India as a market which has potential to drive volumes for the Cupertino giant in future and hence taking steps to ramp up its operations. But unlike USA and China, India has been a highly price-conscious market with almost 70% of the smartphone sales being below $150. As a result, Apples higher priced iPhone portfolio has limited Apples opportunity to grow at the same pace as the market.As a result of this it is realigning its strategy in India to capture young highly aspirational audience through discounting previous flagships and at the same time expanding its reach within India," explains Tarun Pathak, Sr Analyst, Counterpoint Research.

"With apple ecosystem being robust than ever there is potentially a higher chance that the young consumers of its products and services become more mature smartphone users and hence an opportunity for Apple to upgrade them in near future," Pathak adds.

Set up local production

One of the announcements during Cook's visit might be around setting up local manufacturing plant in India. Apple is said to be close to inking a deal with Foxconn and the Indian government to start its manufacturing plant in India, exclusively for Apple products. Most companies have kickstarted their Make in India plans aligned with PM Modi's initiative. Apple, though slightly behind in the race, is now catching up in the bid to woo price sensitive Indian market as its global and China market has started to plateau.

"Apple has to control external factors which impact its pricing and this can very well be one of the agenda during discussion. Apart from this not only from manufacturing point of view Apples investment in India can range from R&D , investment in startup ecosystem and strengthening its partner network," Pathak adds.

There have been no confirmed reports as to when Cook is expect to land in India. We have only heard that it may be sometime this week or even today. So we can wait and watch.
Aditya Madanapalle

The Indian smartphone market is poised for an explosion. 2016 is the first year that smartphone sales will overtake feature phone sales, according to CyberMedia Research. Smartphone sales are boosted by the Make in India campaign, with made in India devices contributing to a record number of device sales.

Up to the year 2020, a billion smartphones will be sold, but that will still be only half a billion people using smartphones in India. While the growth in global sales has been at a tame 7 percent this year, sales in India grew at 29 percent, according to Gartner. It is clear that India is one of the biggest markets globally, and no major smartphone manufacturer can afford to ignore India any more. So what has taken Tim Cook so long to visit India?

India was never a priority before

Back in 2012, Tim Cook famously discarded India from any immediate focus. He stated that the energies of the company would be more profitably invested elsewhere. As recently as April last month, Tim Cook blamed the retail infrastructure in India, and connectivity problems as bottlenecks for Apple's growth. Looks like the time is now right according to Apple.

Apple launched the iPhone in 2007. Understandably, it was not a device created for emerging markets. Tim Cook's first official visit to India will be almost 9 years later. That decade of a gap, might have already alienated existing and future users.

Apple users in India

It has been a troublesome time for Apple users in India so far. The devices are universally looked upon as glorified status symbols. In a price sensitive market, there are few, who are willing to invest in the value proposition of such a device. These devices thrive in an ecosystem, of other Apple products, and other Apple users. That explains why the Cupertino giant only commands less than 5 percent market share in India.

For Apple users in India, except in a few metropolitan pockets, this experience has been missing. The services have landed late, famously Apple's premiere content platform, iTunes Store. Many of the third party services and applications available in other markets are not available on the Indian version of the store. By and large, for those who have invested in Apple products, the user experience in India seems reduced and restricted.

Is it too late now?

Tim Cook is here to change all of this, if reports are to be believed. But what can he achieve? There was more of a chance when Apple devices were cheaper than the current astronomical prices, in the 2009-2012 time frame. Android devices were just emerging, and were not that solidly built. No other smartphone operating system had such a rich ecosystem, or offered such a wide variety of services. Apple's involvement in India right from then would have given confidence to existing users to adopt the ecosystem as a long term choice, as well as boost its acceptance as a company willing to work with the Indian market.

Another problem was the lack of the service that Apple was famous for. If you walked into a Apple branded service store with any of its tie-ups in India, customers were more likely to get exploited by the local store staffers for owning a high cost device, as against receiving the service that Apple is famous for. The nomenclature of the stores itself was confusing, with Apple customers in India being unclear if Apple stores had been launched in India or not. Just to be clear: Apple's exclusive stores have not yet opened in India.

The thing with refurbished phones

Apple introduced a few refurbished phones at that time, and refurbished phones are a great idea for a price sensitive market. A refurbished phone is not just a used phone, it is serviced by Apple, and many of the same benefits available on brand new phones, such as service and warranty, are offered on the refurbished models as well. Opposition from other manufacturers over Apple's move to sell refurbished phones in India is understandable, considering the resale value of any other smartphone in the market.

Sure Tim Cook is here to address many of these problems.

However, it cannot give back Apple users years of using devices with diminished capabilities.

One major gamechanger could be manufacturing the iPhones locally. Foxconn is apparently scouting for land in Maharashtra just for this purpose. This is a move by the manufacturer, Foxconn, and not by Apple, per se. It could still change the perception of Apple in India, riding on the "Make in India" wave. It might reduce prices because the devices are manufactured locally.

Do you think Tim Cook's efforts will change the perceptions of Apple in India? Let us know in the comments section below.
Aditya Madanapalle

Hugo Barra, the Global VP of Xiaomi and the ex VP of Android just tweeted out a teaser over Xiaomi's involvement in the upcoming Google I/O 2016 conference.

https://twitter.com/hbarra/status/732494672174551040

The power and the volume buttons indicate a multimedia device of some sort. One possibility is that this is Xiaomi's version of the Chromecast, or the Chromecast Audio. The design of the concentric circles is similar to the top view of the redesigned chromecast. The proportions also line up. However, Xiaomi already has a similar device on offer, called the Xiaomi Mi Box. The Xiaomi Mi Box is however, only available for purchase in mainland China, because of licensing restrictions.

Another device that could fit is Google's rumored replacement for Amazon's Echo, the Chirp. Chirp is an effort by Google to bring voice controlled intelligent digital assistants to the living room. We are not sure if such prominent volume control buttons are mandated for a device similar to Echo. News of Chirp got out into the wild so recently, that it is unclear if the device will be revealed in this year's Google I/O at all. The sparse information available indicates that Chirp will look like Google's router, OnHub. The concentric circles do not exactly fit the shape of the router, but at least both are circular.

Meanwhile, some this eagle eyed twitter user found a good match with an obvious similarity.

https://twitter.com/yourenoj/status/732496393537912832

If you know what this thing is, or have any guesses, let us know in the comments section below.
IoT Evolution is the leading event for education on the technologies, solutions and impact that the IoT will have on the ente
Microsoft transforming education for digital BD

Economic Reporter :

The Microsoft, Tech One Global, and Multimode jointly organised an event Monday at a city hotel in Dhaka where they showcased cloud solutions like Microsoft Office 365, Learning Possibilities, and Enadoc for digital student records management, says a press release.

Vice Chancellors and representatives of leading universities in Bangladesh attended the event which was also graced by Don Carlson, Education Lead of Microsoft Asia Pacific; Dr Rani Burchmore, Education Partner Director of Microsoft Asia Pacific; Mehool Sanghrajka, CEO of Learning Possibilities, and Lahiru Munindradasa, managing director of Tech One.

In this second decade of the 21st century, the power of technology to connect, collaborate, and creation are undeniable. In this era of anytime, anywhere access, the power of presence and in-person conversations are still of utmost importance, the event was told.

In the even the university representatives were shown how to use digital tools like Microsoft Office 365, Learning Possibilities, and Enadoc for digital student records management to propel their educational environment.

Mr Carlson in his opening speech said, "At Microsoft, we are embracing a new era of education with mobile technology solutions which allows the education environment to be linked, anytime, anywhere."

"Incorporating technology in the lives of students, faculty, administrators and university leaders is a dynamic effort and we are proud to be part of this education transformation with our partners in Bangladesh," he said.

On the note of moving forward with digital learning, Mr Sanghrajka said, "Technology will undeniably play a role - but we need to connect its power to drive transformation. A true change needs to be realised and with Microsoft technology in education in helping students and the country transform."

"At Tech One, we continuously endeavour to deliver pioneering solutions and exceptional satisfaction through Microsoft solutions and our people strength.


Duty discrimination bars local hand set makers to investment

23.75pc duties and taxes on import of ready hand set whereas assemblers pay upto 40pc

Gazi Anowarul Hoque :

The duty discrimination between imported mobile phone sets and its prime raw materials hindering emergence of mobile phone manufacturing industry in Bangladesh, local entrepreneurs said.

The discrimination also leading the local handset market worth of around Tk 10 billion to remain under import dependent, they added.

Bangladesh with over 160 million populations is a rising market for mobile phone industry. The entire local demands are meeting with imported handsets--mostly from china.

Consequently, the country has to count huge amount of hard earned foreign currencies as import bills. Besides, some unscrupulous businessmen are importing inferior quality's handsets to make extra profits and thus the users are being cheated.

Although there are some local entrepreneurs who have keen interest in setting up mobile phone manufacturing units in Bangladesh, they are disheartened following the higher import duties on prime raw materials comparing with the duties for complete handsets.

Analyzing the country's prevailing duties structure, it was found that the local importers of finished mobile phone has to pay total of 23.75 percent duties and taxes, including customs duty, value added tax and two percent advance income tax. But, if any local entrepreneurs import prime raw materials and equipments for manufacturing mobile phone in the country, they will have to on average 37 to 40 percent duties and taxes.

It was revealed that the importers of mobile phone have to pay less duties and taxes compared to the import of prime raw materials and equipments for manufacturing mobile handsets.

The industry insiders informed that about 90 sorts of raw materials required for manufactue a mobile phone, most of them are imported. At least 31.5 percent to maximum 95 percent duties and taxes are imposed on those materials although no local manufacturers produce those items within the country.

However, among the necessary raw materials to assemble a hand set, 53.35 percent import taxes are imposed on battery; 31.50 percent taxes on PCB (Printed Circuit Board) or motherboard, 31.50 percent on LCD device, 53.35 percent on earphone and about 95 percent taxes on screw void sticker import etc.

Such discrimination in the import duty structure for the fully made mobile phone and its necessary raw materials made a barrier to the flourish of mobile phone manufacturing industry in Bangladesh, the local entrepreneurs said adding, "If such kind of high-tech industry is being set up in Bangladesh, the country' could save huge amount of foreign currencies every year and at the same time, customers could get phone sets at affordable price.

Of late, the proposed Computer and Mobile Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh submitted an application to the Ministry of Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology seeking exemption of duties and VAT on imports of prime raw materials and capital machineries needed for manufacturing mobile in Bangladesh at least for the next 10 years by issuing SRO (Statutory Regulatory Order).

The association leaders also demanded withdrawal of value added tax on local production, which the government had given the same facility for computer, modem, software, monitor and so on through issuing SRO.

The entrepreneurs claimed that they would be able to cater to the entire colossal demand with locally made handsets if the government withdraws prevailing duties and VAT on the items.

While addressing a discussion meeting on "This is the right time for flourishing local mobile phone industry" as the chief guest at National Press Club on Monday, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu assured the local entrepreneurs of providing all sorts of support to protect local investment of this sector.

During that meeting, veteran ICT expert Mustafa Jabbar questioned, "Are we remained dependent on import?

Now, the time has come to turn us into a mobile phone manufacturing country from an importing country. To this extent, the government has to bring down the prevailing duties and taxes against import to zero level, he said.

However, the Senior Secretary of Finance Ministry Mahbub Ahmed assured that the government will take all kinds of strategies in the next budget for boosting local investment and employment opportunities.

Chairman of National Board of Revenue Md Najibur Rahman also said the media on Sunday last that the government will ensure all kinds of policy supports in the imminent budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 to protect the local industry.
BB accolades Islami Bank for highest agro investment disbursement

Md Altaf Hossain, Executive Vice President & Head of SMED-II of Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd received the Letter of Appreciation from SK Sur Chowdhury, Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank for achieving the investment target at BB head office recently.

Economic Reporter :

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited disbursed the highest Agriculture & Rural Investment (Credit) among all private commercial banks during financial year 2014-15.

Md. Altaf Hossain, Executive Vice President & Head of SMED-II of the bank received the Letter of Appreciation from SK Sur Chowdhury, Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank recently for achieving the investment target.

During the period, Islami Bank disbursed agriculture & rural investment of tk. 971 crore against a target of tk. 790 crore set by Bangladesh Bank.


World powers meet to save Syria peace hopes

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (right) arrive for a meeting in Austria on Monday.

AP, Vienna :World and regional powers met Tuesday in an attempt to overcome stubborn divisions among Syrian factions that have led to the rise of Islamic extremists and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives since violence turned to war five years ago.But the session is not expected to substantially advance efforts to find peace. A diplomat familiar with the talks said participants will agree on a document focusing on trying to firm up a shaky cease-fire and improving efforts to deliver humanitarian aid. He demanded anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss the statement before its release.The talks include U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, as well as foreign ministers or other senior officials from more than 20 countries and organizations. They were convened after discussions meant to reduce differences between rival factions sputtered to a halt last month in Geneva amid a flare-up in fighting.Any statement is not expected to touch on the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad. But going into the talks, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier repeated the position held by the West and the Saudi-backed opposition that a peace agreement should outline steps leading to the end of his rule."This is necessary because there can be no lasting future for this country with Assad," he told reporters. "This is why we must start negotiations here in Vienna ... about what a transition government could look like."The current effort to end the five-year Syria conflict was largely spearheaded by Kerry and Lavrov, backed by major global and regional powers that formed the International Syria Support Group.A truce brokered by the U.S. and Russia sharply reduced violence in March, but has since been steadily eroding. The Vienna conference was called after U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura appealed last month to Washington and Moscow to directly intervene in putting the Syria dialogue back on track.The Geneva talks foundered after the Western- and Saudi-backed opposition suspended formal participation in the indirect talks with Assad's envoys to protest alleged government cease-fire violations, a drop in humanitarian aid deliveries and no progress in winning the release of detainees in Syria.
Dhaka Garments Manufacturing Employees Association organized a rally in front of Jatiya Press Club on Tuesday demanding arrest of culprits who attacked on its President Mahbub Alam Manik.
JS body on Defence Ministry endorses bills on Navy, SPARSO



Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence Ministry on Tuesday endorsed for passage two bills on Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation (SPARSO), after scrutiny.

"The (standing) committee today finalized reports on two bills -- Navy (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation (Amendment) Bill, 2016 - after scrutiny," said a parliamentary secretariat statement issued after 18th meeting of the committee at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

Chairman of the committee Subid Ali Bhuiyan chaired the meeting, joined by its members Muhammad Faruk Khan, M Mahbubur Rahman and Hosne Ara Begum while concerned civil and armed forces officials were present.

Officials familiar with the bills said the proposed amendment to the navy bill suggested integration of three related ordinances -- The Navy (amendment) Ordinance-1976, Navy (amendment) Ordinance-1977 and Navy (amendment) Ordinance-1986.

The bill on SPARSO proposed expansion of its governing board with increased number of members.

The parliamentary secretariat statement said the today's meeting also scrutinized the foreign allowance policy for the defence personnel involved in UN peacekeeping missions and suggested entire amount of the "Troops Cost" to be distributed among the members of the Bangladeshi blue helmet contingents in UN missions.

Currently the members of the Bangladeshi UN contingents get 90 percent of the amount while the authority takes away the remaining 10 percent.

The committee reiterated its earlier suggestion asking optimum use of scarce land by the defense installations through opting for development of high rise structures instead of horizontal expansion.

It said also suggested construction of an air base in Sylhet and taking proper care of the runways across the country to face natural calamities.




BUET team calls on President



A 7-member delegation of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) made a courtesy call on President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban here on Tuesday.

During the meeting, the delegation led by acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Jebun Nasrin Ahmad informed the President about the latest health condition of ailing Vice-Chancellor Prof Khaleda Ekram who is now undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bangkok.

The delegation also apprised the President, who is also the Chancellor of the university, of the overall academic activities of BUET.

President Hamid wished BUET VC's immediate recovery and assured the delegation of extending overall cooperation for her treatment.

Khaleda Ekram, the first woman VC of BUET, has been suffering from cancer and other physical complications. She went to Bangkok by an air ambulance on May 13 for better treatment. She is now on life support.
Bangladesh Jubo Moitree staged a demonstration in the city on Tuesday with a call to stop Pakistan and Turkey\'s interference in Bangladesh\'s internal politics centering trial of war criminals.
Snatcher arrested with pistol





Chittagong Metropolitan Police in a drive arrested an alleged snatcher with an American-made pistol from city's Textile area under Akbar Shah thana early on Monday.

The arrested was identified as Shah Jalal alias Jalal, son of Tonu Mia, hailing from Kahjuria area under Comilla district. A team of Akbar Shah Thana police during routine duty held Jalal for his suspicious movement and recovered a seven-point-six-five pistol from his possession at Pahartali Textile area under Akbar Shah thana around 12-30am. Police said Jalal was a member of an organized gang of snatchers. A case was filed in this connection.


Changes in VAT law on cards

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

The government is going to revise the new VAT law following pressure from the business community, sources said.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith held a series of meetings with Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed and authorities of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to amend the law in line with the demands of businesses.

Muhith in a close door meeting with Tofail on Monday spotted provisions of the new law to be revised before its enforcement. The hours long meeting of the government's two senior Ministers was held at the Finance Ministry, sources close to the Ministry told The New Nation on Tuesday.

Just after the meeting, the Finance Minister sat with two NBR senior officials separately and gave them necessary directives regarding the revision in the law.

"We got instruction from the Finance Minister about amendment of the new law. The revision would be made in line with the demands from the business community," a senior NBR official told The New Nation on Tuesday, asking not to be named.

"After bringing necessary correction in the VAT law, we will prepare a summary for the Minister. Later, it will be place before the Minister for his consent," he said. When asked, the NBR official said, "We want to complete the task as soon as possible and hopefully, the summary will be placed before him after his return from Jakarta."

Finance Minister is now in Jakarta to attend the 41st annual meeting of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). Muhith left Dhaka on Monday night and is scheduled to return home on May 19.

The Finance Minister in a live show on the upcoming budget that aired in a private TV channel recently said that implementation of the law has become a big challenge for the government as it provoked outcry from the business community.

He also admitted that pressure mounting on him to bring changes on the new law.

Muhith on Sunday in a meeting with the NBR Chairman instructed him to bring changes on the new VAT law.

NBR is supposed to enforce the new law from July 1. It was passed in Parliament on November 2012.

Earlier, various trade bodies, including the FBCCI, strongly opposed introduction of the new VAT law claiming that imposing new levies under the law could cripple the country's trade and business and put additional burden to the consumers.

They also identified various inconsistencies in the law and urged the government take steps to remove the inconsistencies placing several recommendations to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed and NBR Chairman Md Nojibur Rahman.

"There are many inconsistencies in new law and the business community raised its reservation rearguing the matter," Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) President Matlub Ahmad told The New Nation on Tuesday.

"These issues should be resolved by bringing necessary changes on the law. If the law is not amended, then VAT collection process will be more complicated affecting all sections of the economy, including the trade and commerce," he added.

The FBCCI leader also said the amendment should be done before enforcement of the law.

Ahmad also said it is quite impossible to collect VAT at the rate of 15 per cent and if the law is implemented without amendment, then businessmen may face more harassment.

"We all want to give VAT but the government will have to make the process hassle-free," he said.


Meeting with Aslam not a conspiracy

Israeli politician Mendi N Safadi has admitted meeting BNP leader Aslam Chowdhury in India, but claimed that it was during a public event and that they had not discussed 'any secret issues', reports the BBC Bangla Service.Safadi, a member of right-wing Likud Party, is a former adviser to Israeli Deputy Minister Ayoub Kara. He now runs a think-tank, Mandi N Safadi Center for International Diplomacy and Public Relations.The BBC Bangla report said that its correspondent spoke with Safadi over phone. "Everyone is aware of the situation in Bangladesh, the state of minorities over there. We have discussed those and that too, at a public event. "There can't be anything more ridiculous than claiming that we discussed a military coup in Bangladesh or conspired to topple the government," the report quoted Safadi as saying. The Israeli right-wing politician wondered how a plot to overthrow a regime could be hatched in a public event. "On top of that the conspirators even posted their pictures on Facebook. Is that possible?"The issue of an 'Israel-sponsored plot to topple the Sheikh Hasina regime' hit the Bangladeshi media a week ago, after a local daily ran a report on a meeting between Aslam and Safadi in India along with a group photo of the two. The May 9 report by The Daily Ittefaq, citing Israeli news portal Jerusalem Online (JOL), quoted Safadi saying that he was working "to open the gates of Bangladesh for Israelis". "...is working in order to topple the Muslim Brotherhood run government within Bangladesh in favour of a new government that supports establishing full diplomatic and economic relations with Israel," reads the JOL report posted in January this year. The picture, which Daily Ittefaq ran with its report, was, however, taken in March during a summit styled 'Del Aviv' in India. Group photos of Aslam and Safadi have been also found on Facebook pages of 'Del Aviv' and the Safadi-run think tank. The JOL ran an interview of Safadi on Jun 29 last year, where he said that he was working to 'restore democracy' in Bangladesh.The JOL reports described the Bangladesh regime as 'Muslim Brotherhood run government'. Leaders of Bangladesh's ruling Awami League claim Aslam's party, the BNP in collusion with Israel and its spy agency Mossad, was hatching a 'conspiracy' to overthrow the government.The BNP has dismissed the allegations and said Aslam's India visit was 'personal'. According to Bangladesh media reports, Aslam did not deny his India visit and confirmed the authenticity of the pictures.The BNP leader said that he was not aware that Safadi was a Likud leader. He too told the media that his visit was personal and it had nothing to do with his party. On Sunday, police picked up the newly promoted BNP joint secretary general from capital Dhaka and secured a remand from court the following day to grill him over his alleged involvement in the 'plot'. The BBC Bangla report said that Safadi had visited India 'frequently' in recent times. It said that Safadi was invited to the event in Agra, where he met Aslam, by the youth affiliate of India's ruling BJP. The BNP leader was also invited. "I can't believe that Aslam Chowdhury has been arrested over meeting me. Has he killed anyone? He only had met an Israeli in India," the report quoted Safadi as saying. He told the BBC Bangla that he was aware that some Bangladeshi media have described him as a 'spy for the Mossad'. "Give me single example of a spy, who posts Facebook updates on an hourly-basis, speaks at seminars, get interviewed by the media. Still, if anyone thinks I am a spy, then I have nothing to say."
Arrest by law enforcers in plainclothes alarming: SC

Observing that any arrest by law enforcers in plainclothes is alarming, the Supreme Court on Tuesday also said the law enforcers will have to be in uniform while arresting anyone.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha, came up with the observation after hearing a petition filed by the state against a High Court order asking for the implementation of a 15-point guideline for the reform of the provisions of arrest without warrant and interrogation on remand under sections 54 and 167 of the CrPC. The court fixed May 24 for passing an order on the petition.

Pointing at Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, the Chief Justice said, "The High Court issued guidelines about arrest without warrant and interrogation. But, you didn't even implement one guideline although 13 years have elapsed." Describing the Code of Criminal Procedure as a colonial law, the Chief Justice said Malaysia brought changed to it in 1970.

"Neighbouring India has also amended the law following the footprint of Malaysia. But we couldn't do it yet." The Attorney General and Additional Attorney General Murad Reza represented the state while Barrister M Amir-ul Islam stood for the petitioner. Talking to reporters, Amir-ul Islam said the two sections concerned are contradictory to the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. "We've urged the court to uphold the High Court order."

The Attorney General told the journalists that the High Court directives are not suitable considering the social circumstance of the country. On March 22, the Supreme Court started hearing the petition filed by the state against the High Court order. Earlier on January 20, the Appellate Division asked the government what steps had been taken regarding the HC guideline. The SC directed the government to submit a progress report in this connection.

Earlier in 1998, assistant commissioner of the Detective Branch (DB) of police Akram Hossian arrested Shamim Reza, a student of Independent University, Under Section 54 of the CrPC. The student died in police custody later. As Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust filed a writ petition with the High Court in 2003, the court asked the government to take steps to amend the relevant sections of the CrPC. The court also gave 15 directives for amending it. In 2004, the then four-party alliance government filed an appeal against the HC verdict.
Allegation against Aslam Chy ridiculous: BNP

Staff Reporter :

The BNP on Tuesday labeled the plotting allegation of toppling the government against the party's Joint Secretary General Aslam Chowdhury as ridiculous.

"It is ridiculous that Aslam Chowdhury has been involved with conspiracy to topple the government.. If any businessperson goes to neighboring India and meets any Israeli man how should it be branded as a conspiracy? " said, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, while addressing a press briefing at Nayapaltan office in city.

"The government is now reaching the edge to fall. They are now trying to escape this situation. They are trying to misguide the people of Bangladesh by involving BNP with Israel," alleged Rizvi Ahmed.

"Bangladeshi ambassador to Philippines John Gomez had taken dinner with Israeli Ambassador there in 2014. Does it not indicate that the present government is involved with conspiracy against our country with Israeli Intelligence Agency Mossad?" he added.

Rizvi also said, if any leader of BNP attends any secret meeting to topple the government, then the photos must not be uploaded on facebook.

BNP Joint Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Khairul Kabir Khokon, central leader Abdus Salam, Syed Emran Saleh Prince and Abdus Salam Azad, among others, were present.

Meanwhile BNP standing committee member Goyeswar Chandra Roy alleged that the government was trying to draw sympathy of Muslim worlds by using Israel.

"Only to win sympathy of Muslim worlds, the government is using the name of Israel. It is nothing but drama. They are torturing BNP leader Aslam Chowdhury by bringing false allegation against him.

He was addressing a discussion meeting organised by Bangladesh Labour Party.

The party Chairman Mustafizur Rahman Iran presided over the meeting at Photo Journalists Association auditorium at Puranapaltan in city.
Four JMB militants killed Prof Rezaul

Staff Reporter :Four members of the banned militant outfit of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) have murdered Rajshahi University Professor AFM Rezaul Karim Siddiquee, said Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) Commissioner Md Shamsuddin."All the four JMB men were on the spot in Shalbagan area adjacent to Siddiquee's residence on Rajshahi-Naogaon highway at about 7.40 am on April 23 and directly took part in the killing," he told a press conference at RMP headquarters in Rajshahi on Tuesday.The RMP Commissioner said that three JMB men directly took part in the killing and another was waiting with a motorbike.JMB operational commander of Rajshahi region Maskawat Hasan alias Sakib alias Abdullah, arrested from Gaibandha on Monday, confessed before a Rajshahi court that he along with three other JMB men directly took part in the killing of Prof Rezaul Karim Siddiquee.Metropolitan Magistrate Khalid Hasan Khan recorded the statement of JMB man Maskawat Hasan under Section 164."Four JMB men came to the spot where like previous days Professor Rezaul Karim had been waiting for university transport. Three of them swooped on him and chopped him from the back direction while another riding motorbike had been keeping a close watch in the area," the RMP Commissioner said. He said after committing the brutal murder, riding motorbike two fled the scene while two other managed a good escape in another way. "Later, they took shelter at a residence in Kharkhari area. The law enforcers arrested three other alleged JMB men from Kharkhari area on Monday. These three JMB men had given them shelter. These three aided the killers but did not take part in the killing directly," he said The RMP Commissioner, however, did not disclose the names of the three other arrested alleged JMB men."We hope that we would be able to arrest other killers very soon based on information obtained from the arrested persons," he said.The law enforcers seized a motorcycle used during the killing operation, and two sharp weapons from the possession of the arrestees, the commissioner said.The law enforcers have so far arrested seven people in connection with the killing.Prof Siddiquee, a teacher of English literature on April 23 was hacked to death while he was waiting for University bus in Shalbagan area of Rajshahi city. His son Riyasat Imtiaz Shourav later filed a case with Boalia Police Station accusing unnamed people for the murder. Militant group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack, according to US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors global terror activities.The government maintains there is no IS presence in the country.
Silver lining in the cloud

Positive DNA test of Tonu ushers in hope for justice

Sagar Biswas :The positive DNA test report of Comilla College girl Sohagi Jahan Tonu shows a silver lining in the cloud about getting justice in the sensational murder with bringing the murderers to book without wasting any time.The expectation grows much stronger when Law Minister Anisul Haque provided legal assurance about the quick justice in Tonu murder case. "To get quick justice, the case of Tonu murder could be taken to Speedy Trial Tribunal. It's an important case. It has sensitized public mind," the Minister said on Tuesday. He said, "People want justice in this case. Taking these relevant matters under consideration, the Home Ministry can take step to send the case to Speedy Trial Tribunal."Not only that, the same expectation was also reflected in victim's parents' statement. "We are satisfied with the DNA test report. Hope, we will get justice. We are now waiting to see the actual killers to be brought to justice," Tonu's father Year Hossain said yesterday.Meanwhile, the case has taken a sharp turn after the prime investigation agency - Criminal Investigation Department [CID] - on Monday night announced that she was raped before being killed, as per the report of DNA test."We had sent cloths of Tonu to CID Laboratory for DNA test, when the doctors of forensic department of Comilla Medical College didn't preserve any sample after the first post mortem. After examining, the CID lab experts have found samples of spermatozoa of three males in the victim's cloths [underwear]," Dr Nazmul Alam Khan, CID Special Superintendent [Comilla], said.He said, "Now, we will test the DNA samples of the suspected persons for matching to identify the real culprits. Officials of Crime Scene Unit of CID brought the DNA and other body samples, including teeth and nails, to CID Laboratory where Dr Prosad conducted the second autopsy along with Dr Omar Faruk and Sharmin Sultana."Interestingly, the statement of CID directly contradicts the first post mortem report and inquest report of the victim prepared by the physicians of Comilla Medical College. In both reports, the forensic experts did not find any mark of injury or symptom of rape, whereas, the victim's family members several times claimed that she was tortured and raped before murder.When asked about two 'dissimilar' reports of two post mortems, the Law Minister said, "I can't make any comment on the issue while holding an important post. But I can say that the autopsy report is the part of investigation. The police will give their comments over the dissimilar post mortem reports, when they will submit final report in the court.""I'm not sure about the outcome, if anyone applies to the court raising complaint about the post mortem reports. It's totally under the jurisdictions of the court," the Minister further said.Meanwhile, the investigators could not crack the sensational murder case of Tonu, though more than two months have been elapsed in the meantime.CID interrogated over a dozen persons to unearth the mystery, but nobody was nabbed in connection with the murder till the date. On contrary, the CID officials quizzed parents and other family members of victims for several times in the name of investigation. It is to be noted that, Dr Nazmul Alam Khan after disclosure of the first post mortem report told The New Nation that he believed Tonu was raped before being killed, though forensic experts of Comilla Medical College did not find any evidence of physical assault.Recently, Tonu's mother Anwara Begum pointed finger towards two army personnel, one Sergeant Zahid and another Sipahi Zahid, for their alleged involvement in the heinous crime. But the investigators did not pay any heed to the point. On March 30, the body of victim was exhumed from the grave for post mortem for the second time.The body of Tonu, second year student of the History Department of Comilla Victoria College and member of Victoria College Theatre, was found in a bush beside a culvert inside the Mainamoti Cantonment in Comilla on March 20.
More focus on HR dev, job creation, says BGCCI

Staff Reporter :The next budget should focus more on human resource development and employment generation as achieving higher growth in future hinges on addressing these key issues, said a business leader. "A higher budgetary allocation is needed to favour human resource development along with substantial allocations for employment generation and social safety-net," Mahbubur Rahman Sumon, Secretary General of Bangladesh-Greece Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BGCCI), told The New Nation on Tuesday in his pre-budget view.He added: These initiatives will help develop the much needed human capital, reduce poverty and accelerate GDP growth. Sumon said the issue of employment generation is vital when a large number of workforce is coming into the country's job market every year along with diminishing employment opportunity in overseas job markets, including Malaysia, Saudi-Arabia and other Middle East countries. "This particular issue needs special attention from the government and the next budget should give a higher allocation under various job creation schemes to provide jobs for the unemployed youths," he added. The BGCCI leader said that special budgetary measures are also needed to address infrastructure bottleneck, gas and power crisis and quick implementation of mega projects. Besides, approach would be made towards further development in education, health and other social sectors for achieving a sustainable economic development in line with the seventh fifth-year plan, he said.Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith would place the national budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 in Parliament on June 4. Sumon, a textile sector entrepreneur, however, called upon the government to reduce tax at source to 0.3 per cent from existing 0.6 per cent on export of apparel products. He requested the NBR to consider it to be the final settlement from the budget for the next fiscal year.He also recommended the Revenue Board to set income tax at a minimum rate of 10 per cent from the existing 35 per cent for the next five years starting from next fiscal year.The BGCCI leader demanded withdrawal of 1 per cent duty on capital machinery import and 0.5 per cent minimum tax on gross receipts, withdrawal of source tax from purchase made through local letter of credit and duty and tax-free import of fire fighting equipment for compliant industries and withdrawal of VAT from purchase made through local letter of credit.
US to help BD in new ways: Biswal

UNB, Dhaka :The United States has said they are now working in "new ways" to help the government of Bangladesh understand and deal with the "new contours" of threat of violent extremism in addition to expanding programmes that seek to counter this threat."Bangladesh has a history of overcoming difficult challenges," said Nisha Desai Biswal, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, while giving her testimony on FY 2017 budget priorities of the US for South Asia. She also said they are hopeful that, with a determined partnership, they can also help Bangladesh defeat the extremists and terrorists that threaten "vibrant society" in Bangladesh.Biswal, who recently visited Dhaka, said many of the gains that Bangladesh has made in human development and economic growth risk "being undermined by the escalating extremist violence." According to her written statement submitted for the record at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, in Washington, DC on May 11, with nearly 2.8 million followers, US Embassy Dhaka has the largest Facebook fan base of any US mission in the world, and uses it to reach a large youth audience and present attractive alternatives to violent extremist ideologies. Biswal said Bangladesh's rivers and its strategic location in the Bay of Bengal also make it a critical linkage in their regional connectivity efforts."Our $207.9 million budget request for FY 2017 will build on past progress to ensure Bangladesh's future success," she said adding that they are investing in Bangladesh's success because it is a key strategic partner both in South Asia and on global challenges like climate change and peacekeeping.Describing Bangladesh as a "Dynamic country" the US Assistant Secretary said many challenges remain in this dynamic country. On her recent Dhaka visit in the aftermath of the attack on Xulhaz Mannan, she said they underscored Secretary John Kerry's message to the government and people of Bangladesh that during a time of such challenge it is more important than ever to respect the rule of law, political rights, and the ability for Bangladeshis to speak their mind. Quoting IMF, Biswal said Bangladesh is projected be a top 30 economy by the year 2030, with its middle-class tripling over the next 10 years. "Countries of South Asia are playing critical roles in regional and global issues that are of great consequence to US interests."However, South Asia's growth will not occur in a vacuum - instability, insecurity, and inadequate institutions could easily derail this success story, Biswal said. Giving a brief update on the Indo-Pacific Economic Corridor (IPEC), their flagship regional connectivity effort in South Asia, Biswal said the South Asia remains among the least economically integrated regions in the world, and non-tariff barriers to trade are a major cause.
Public assault of any teacher is an offence: Law Minister

UNB, Dhaka :

Law Minister Anisul Huq on Tuesday said the public punishment of a school headmaster in Narayanganj for his alleged offensive comments about religion is an offence.

"To make a teacher to do sit-up holding his ears is a deplorable act and it's a punishable offence in my consideration. Those who were involved in the incident should be punished," said Anisul.

The Law Minister was talking to reporters at the inaugural function of a workshop at Judicial Administration Training Institute in the city.

"There're mobile courts when there's a need for instant punishment but such punishment in public by others won't be tolerated," Anisul Huq warned, adding, "If any teacher commits any crime than there're some rules to punish him."

On May 13, locals beat Shyamal Kanti Bhakta, headmaster of Piyar Sattar Latif High School in Bandar area of Narayanganj for allegedly hurting the religious sentiment. At one stage, local MP AKM Salim Osman forced him to do sit-up holding his ears.
JnU student killed by train

JnU Correspondent :

A student of Jagannath University (JnU) died after being struck by a train in the city's Tejgaon area on Tuesday noon.

The deceased was identified as Md. Obayed Ullah, 22, a second semester student of the Department of Economics. He was the son of Md. Rafiqul Islam from Jessore.

According to eyewitnesses, a train hit Obayed

around 1.00pm from behind in the area when he was talking in cell phone on the rail line at Tejgoan. He died on the spot.

Dhaka Railway Thana OC Abdul Majid said, "A youth was hit by train, who died on the spot when he was talking in cell phone on the rail line."

"We have learnt his identity from his wallet. The body was sent to the Morgue of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital", he said.
Modi to lay foundation of Indo-Bangla rail project

NDTV, Agartala :

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lay the foundation stone of a new India-Bangladesh railway project on May 27, a top railway official said on Tuesday.

A top official of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said that PM Modi on May 27 would also flag off a regular passenger train service from Agartala to Sealdah, Agartala to Silchar and passenger train services to Manipur (52 km) and Mizoram (84 km) on the newly-laid broad gauge line. "Prime minister would attend the plenary session of North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong. From Shillong through remote control, the prime minister would lay the foundation stone of the Agartala (India)-Akhaura (Bangladesh) railway project,"

a top official of NFR told IANS. "PM Modi would also flag off regular passenger train service from Agartala to Sealdah, Agartala to Silchar and passenger train services to Manipur and Mizoram on the newly laid broad gauge line," the official added.

An official of the Tripura planning and coordination department said the Prime Minister would inaugurate the two-day (May 27-28) plenary session of NEC, a regional planning body, in Meghalaya capital Shillong. "He would hold interactions with the chief ministers and governors of all the eight northeastern states during the plenary session," the official added. The Rs. 968 crore Agartala-Akhaura railway project was finalised in January 2010 when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during her visit to New Delhi. "Following the Tripura government's persistent persuasion and Prime Minister's Office (PMO) intervention, the DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) ministry has agreed to provide Rs. 580 crore for the new railway project," Tripura Transport Minister Manik Dey said.
Search Engine Display Fake Results even Over HTTPS

"The goal is to help cyber-criminals earn money from the AdSense program," Bitdefender's Alexandra Gheorghe said in a blog post. "Google's AdSense for Search program places contextually relevant ads on Custom Search Engine's search results pages and shares a portion of its advertising revenue with AdSense partners."

A group of cyber criminals has infected as much as 1 Million computers around the world over the past two years with a piece of malware that hijacks search results pages using a local proxy.Security researchers from Romania-based security firm Bitdefender revealed the presence of this massive click-fraud botnet, which the researchers named Million-Machine Campaign.For those unaware, Botnets are networks of computers infected with malware designed to take control of the infected system without the owner's knowledge, potentially being used for launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against websites.The malware in question is known as Redirector.Paco that alone has infected over 900,000 machines around the world since its release in 2014.Theinfects users when they download and install tainted versions of popular software programs, such as WinRAR, YouTube Downloader, KMSPico, Connectify, or Stardock Start8.Once infected, Paco modifies the computer's local registry keys and adds two new entries disguised asandto make sure the malware starts after every computer boot-up process.Besides this, the malware drops JavaScript files that downloads and implements a PAC (Proxy Auto Configuration) file that hijacks all Web traffic , ensuring traffic routes through an attacker-controlled server.Paco then sniffs all Web traffic originating from the infected computer and looks for queries made over popular search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo! and replace the actual results with fake Web pages, mimicking their real User Interface.The botnet has the ability to redirect search engine results even when the results are served over encrypted HTTPS connections. To do so, the malware uses a free root certificate  DO_NOT_TRUST_FiddlerRoot  that avoid your browser showing HTTPS errors.Although the malware tries to make the search results look authentic, some markers can raise suspicions, like messages showing "Waiting for proxy tunnel" or "Downloading proxy script" in the status bar of your web browser.Additionally, the search engine takes longer than usual to load results, and the typical yellow 'O' characters in Google above the page numbers are not displayed, according to researchers.The security firm says that majority of victims are from India, Malaysia, Greece, the United States, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, and Algeria.However, to avoid these kinds of cyber threats, following standard security measures could save your ass, such as keep your system and antivirus up-to-date, and always keep an eye on warning that says something is not right with your computer.
Lafayettes top criminal prosecutor is seeking full funding for his office from Lafayette Consolidated Government and is seeking an immediate stay order blocking the council from voting on an introductory ordinance related to D.A. office funding at Tuesday nights council meeting.

District Attorney Keith Stutes

Keith Stutes meant what he said. The first-term district attorney for the 15th Judicial District in Lafayette filed suit Tuesday morning against Lafayette Consolidated Government in a bid to force LCG to fully fund his office. Stutes is also seeking an immediate stay order from District Judge Ed Rubin seeking to block the City-Parish Council from voting Tuesday night on an introductory ordinance that would amend the parish governments budget and reduce LCG financial obligations to the Criminal Court fund, which funds operations at the Lafayette Parish Courthouse.

The suit, filed at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Parish Courthouse, names Mayor-President Joel Robideaux and the nine individual members of the council as defendants.

The introductory ordinance Stutes seeks to block with his request for an immediate stay order from Judge Rubin cites Stutes refusal to pay the reimbursements in slashing the Criminal Court Fund by $575,000 and the parish general fund by $106,000.

Get the background on the dispute via this weeks ABiz story, D.A. Stutes threatens to sue LCG over funding.
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.
President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States generally imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA. Should the US ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war?

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WEST FRANKFORT  Last year, the First United Methodist Church congregation elected to donate its church building rather than dissolve.

But now down to four members, they held their last service on Sunday after 107 years. At one point, church membership stood at more than 200.

It was bittersweet, said Joyce Mutchek, chairwoman of the administrative board for First United.

There just werent enough of us to keep it going. Due to age, a lot of them couldnt come anymore, said Mutchek, herself 83.

The decline in church attendance is commonplace across the nation, said First United Rev. David Estap. His last sermon focused on the heritage of the Methodist Church.

The church was part of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference of the United Methodist Church, which last year closed eight houses of worship including one in Springfield.

Under the parish, there are two other Methodist churches in West Frankfort, Central and Antioch, at which First United members can attend.

Most churches in the United States are declining, thats just a common thing these days, Estap said. Pastors continue every Sunday to give the same message about faith in God and the relationship with Jesus Christ.

I would just say the world is becoming more and more worldly, and church doesnt hold as valued a place anymore, at least in this country.

The cultural shift is not lost on Mutchek, who points out that people in communities sought to come together whether at church or small, neighborhood markets.

There was a closeness. Now, we have so many things on Sundays. When I was growing up you couldnt even buy a loaf of bread on Sundays. You know now there are sporting events or any store you want to go to. I dont know, people have just drawn away from it, she said.

The church was organized in 1909 at its current location, 401 W. Main St. In 1925, the original building was completely renovated. It was donated to Morthland College under a 20-year lease for $1.

Mutchek noted the congregation donated its reserve funds to charities, mostly religious groups.

We feel like we have done something, she closed.
PINCKNEYVILLE  At least twice a week, Joe Holder and his wife drive half an hour to Du Quoin, looking for shoes, or summer and men's clothing that they can't find in stores in their hometown of Pinckneyville.

Holder, a former mayor of Pinckneyville, noted that it'd be nice to have those types of stores in Pinckneyville, but the city doesn't yet have them. Which is why he's among those applauding the decision by Mayor Robert Spencer and the Pinckneyville City Council to expand the boundaries of the city's business district.

"You cant wait until a business wants to expand or come to Pinckneyville, and then come out and try (to take care) of all these things," Holder said. "You have to have them ready to go.

At its last meeting, City Council members voted to expand the city's business district, adding 232 more acres to the 278 that make up the district. Businesses in the new boundaries will see an additional 1 percent on the sales tax  from 7.75 to 8.75 percent sales tax  of selected merchandise. That increase will go into a special fund managed by the business district, to help support improvements for the participating businesses and public infrastructure projects.

"What it means to us is promoting and creating new business, new retail business, and thats just as important to serve our citizens with jobs," Holder said. "People need a place to shop  and if people can shop at home  that sales tax is used to fix the streets and provide all the services that people hoped for.

How it operates now

When the state legislature created legislation authoring the creation of the business district, Holder, the city's mayor in a second stint, said he jumped at the chance to implement that in the city.

Then, in 2008, the vast majority of the city's businesses were included in the business district. Over the years, though, Holder said new businesses have been created or developed new sites outside of the district's original boundaries.

At this time, the city's business district stretches throughout the city, moving into the city along Illinois 13/127 and spreading through its Downtown Square area and branching off west on Illinois 13 and east along Illinois 154 to the Industrial Park area near the Pinckneyville Correctional Center. There are expansions north, a few blocks north of the courthouse; south along Illinois 13/127 to Ox Bow Bed and Breakfast; west, to include a few more businesses; and then east to encompass the new Industrial Park. The central expansion includes Perry County Farm Bureau and the Secretary of State office, as well as Country Financial Insurance and Investments and Sam's Materials, a landscaping and lawn-equipment dealer.

Companies that are part of the business district can apply for grants to help them improve their facade and make other improvements to their property, something that the city might want, but that the owners might not always be able to or willing to afford, said Carrie Gilliam, the city's economic development coordinator.

"These are funds that spur them to put a little lipstick and rouge on these buildings, because a lot of times, that's all they needed," she said.

Four or five businessowners whose properties were not part of the original district have contacted Gilliam to make sure their enterprises are included in the new district.

"I would like to think that this expansion will make us much more competitive than in the past," in terms of recruiting new businesses, Gilliam said.

The change will take effect Jan. 1, 2017.

She's not yet sure how much more the 1 percent sales tax increase will generate for the city. Already, the city generates about $240,000 from the current sales tax on certain items in the business district boundaries.

Gilliam noted that part of her job is helping businessowners and the community, as a whole, grow, and be prosperous, a place people would love to live and do business.

The city is not immune from the impact of businesses leaving the area and other changes.

Since the 2010 census, the city's population has decreased by 2 percent, to 5,536 residents in 2014, according to census estimates. The city's median household income from 2010 to 2014 was $39,453, according to the U.S. census data.

In 2012, Pinckneyville had 403 businesses, according to census data. Gilliam is not sure how many businesses the city has, but laments the empty store fronts, particularly in the Downtown Square near the courthouse.

Gilliam stops short of saying the business district expansion will position the city to be a major contender for business.

What she would like to see it do is encourage the current and would-be businessowners to do what they can to improve their businesses, while the city continues to work on finding ways to benefit the community as a whole, economically.

"This is just another tool that I feel is a much-needed tool  to recruit, retain and reinvigorate businesses" to the city," she said. "That 1 percent actually does go into a pot, and we can draw from that pot for infrastructure."

Most of the businessowners she'd heard from are enthusiastic about the expansion. She said she's heard reservations from only one businessowner, a seller of high-ticketed items who feels competitors might lure away would-be customers looking to save a few hundred dollars rather than pay the additional 1 percent increase on the sales tax.

Incentives are 'big deal'

The incentives are helpful for inspiring people to alleviate blight as they beautify their businesses and surroundings, thus, attracting more traffic, Gilliam said. Businesses like Shear Attitude used the business district incentives to improve their facades, while owners of such businesses as L3 Boutique, a women's clothing and accessories store, realized their dreams and launched into business, Gilliam said.

There's more of that to come, she said, noting that the city can look forward soon to having a new automotive shop.

That business belongs to Caleb Sronce, who hopes to open Sronce Family Automotive, LLC, a full-service automotive shop  providing tire service, oil changes, welding work and work on side-by-sides and ATVs  by this October.

The 34-year-old Pinckneyville native said he thought about opening his own business after seeing some of the city's buildings becoming dilapidated and broken down and wanting to offer some service for which people traveled to places like Sparta or Carbondale and after speaking to some established businessowners.

Those entrepreneurs told him about the incentives offered through the business district program, such as a $25,000 grant for work on his business and a $10,000 grant for facade improvements; he applied for and received both grants.

Sronce said the incentives will help him, as he's expecting to have to spend at least $45,000 to $50,000 to get the shop prepared, even before he brings in machinery for it.

"Its great to have that opportunity, that benefit there," Sronce said. "That's a big deal."
SPRINGFIELD  Illinois legislative leaders have agreed in principle to budget negotiations that involve both a tax increase and some items from Gov. Bruce Rauners pro-business, union-weakening turnaround agenda.

But anyone expecting Democrats to capitulate to the first-term Republican on issues such as the collective bargaining rights of government employees is likely to be disappointed.

After Rauner and the four leaders met Tuesday for about an hour, House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, issued a statement saying Rauners continued insistence on passage of his agenda that hurts the middle class is a clear indication he is not interested in passing and implementing comprehensive, full-year budgets that do not decimate needed services relied upon by the people of Illinois.

Madigan will, however, appoint members to a bipartisan working group that will discuss Rauners reform proposals.

A few hours after the meeting, House Democrats voted for nearly the 20th time to reject a Rauner-backed proposal to tie a property tax freeze to a measure that would give local governments control over what issues they negotiate with their employees. As they have previously, Republicans decried the vote as a sham.

Tuesdays meeting came as the clock is winding down for lawmakers to pass a budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 on a simple majority vote. If thats not done by May 31, the budget would require a three-fifths majority. The pressure is especially high because lawmakers and the governor still havent agreed on a full budget for the current fiscal year, now in its 11th month.

The meeting was the first of its kind since rank-and-file lawmakers last week presented leaders and the governor with a framework for a balanced budget for next year. That outline included roughly $2.4 billion in spending cuts and $5.4 billion in new revenue, which would be generated in part by raising the states personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.85 percent.

After the meeting, Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said Rauner reiterated his willingness to raise new revenue to balance the budget.

Thats, I think, very helpful, Cullerton said, because if you dont have revenue, you could never possibly come to a balanced budget.

Cullerton said the governor declined to go into specifics about what revenue proposals he would support. The package lawmakers presented also included expanding the state sales tax to some services, an idea Rauner campaigned on.

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, and Senate Minority Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, were cautiously optimistic immediately following the meeting.

Durkin said he was pleased to say that after many, many months of objection by the speaker to discuss any type of reform, Madigan indicated he was willing to negotiate on changes to workers compensation laws, collective bargaining rights for local government workers and public employee pensions.

Those are the key to breaking the impasse, Durkin said.

While Radogno appreciated Madigans shift in tone, she said shes pretty skeptical about how negotiations will progress.

Weve had a lot of working groups, and he disavows any knowledge or interest of them every time, she said. This will be one more go-around.

I think ultimately the working group needs to be the speaker himself and the leaders because he manipulates the process, and then nothing happens.

Rauner did not speak to reporters following the meeting.

Meanwhile, just a short time after the gathering ended, Madigan introduced a bill on the House floor that would fully fund grants to low-income college students through the Monetary Award Program. A stopgap funding measure Rauner signed into law late last month included $167.6 million for the grants, but Madigans plan would provide the remaining $227.2 million.

Madigan said the measure, which was approved on a 68-45 vote, is need to provide stability for universities and students.

But Republicans said it was another example of Democrats passing a spending bill without specific funding attached. Rauner has already vetoed several similar bills.
Jackson County Sheriffs deputies responded to a one-vehicle crash at 1:32 a.m. Sunday on Ava Road near Wece Lane. The driver, Shane Emling, 30, of Murphysboro, was ejected from the vehicle after it overturned.

Evidence at the scene indicated Emling was traveling eastbound on Ava Road when his vehicle failed to negotiate a curve and exited the roadway striking a culvert where it overturned.

Emling was transported to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Jackson County Ambulance Service and Ava Fire Department assisted with the accident.

 The Southern
WASHINGTON  The speeding Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia last year, killing eight people, most likely ran off the rails because the engineer was distracted by word of a nearby commuter train getting hit by a rock, federal investigators concluded Tuesday.

The National Transportation Safety Board also put some of the blame on the railroad industry's decades-long delay in installing Positive Train Control, equipment that can automatically slow trains that are going over the speed limit.

Engineer Brandon Bostian was apparently so focused on the rock-throwing incident he heard about over the radio that he lost track of where he was and accelerated full-throttle to 106 mph as his train went into a sharp curve with a 50 mph limit, investigators said at an NTSB hearing convened to pinpoint the cause of the May 12, 2005, tragedy.

"He went, in a matter of seconds, from distraction to disaster," NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt said.

Bostian, who has been suspended without pay since the crash for speeding, did not attend the hearing. His attorney didn't return an email seeking comment.

Had Positive Train Control been in use along the stretch of track, "we would not be here today," said Ted Turpin, an NTSB investigator.

"Unless PTC is implemented soon," NTSB chairman Christopher Hart warned, "I'm very concerned that we're going to be back in this room again, hearing investigators detail how technology that we have recommended for more than 45 years could have prevented yet another fatal rail accident."

Among other things, the NTSB recommended research into seat belts in railcars and ways to secure luggage that can become missiles in a derailment; training for railroad crew members on multitasking; and the use of new equipment and procedures to help crew members keep track of their location in spots where Positive Train Control is not in place.

In a statement, Amtrak said it has "taken full responsibility for and deeply regrets the tragic derailment" and will carefully review the NTSB findings and recommendations and quickly adopt them where appropriate.

The railroad noted that Positive Train Control is already in place on most of Amtrak's portion of the Northeast Corridor and that it has also installed inward-facing video cameras on locomotives.

The tragic chain of events illustrated the potential for tragedy when people throw rocks at trains  a problem railroads are almost powerless to stop but is so common the industry has a term for it: "getting rocked."

Bostian told investigators after the wreck that he remembered radio traffic from a Philadelphia commuter train operator who said a rock had shattered his windshield. He was monitoring the radio traffic until about a minute before his Amtrak train reached 106 mph, and at one point passed the commuter train on an adjoining track, investigators said.

The engineer's acceleration would have made sense for someone who thought he had already passed the curve, NTSB investigator Steve Jenner said. After the curve, the tracks open up into a straightaway with a speed limit of 110 mph.

Bostian had told investigators that he didn't recall what happened between pushing the throttle to pick up speed and then braking when he felt the train going too fast into the curve.

A blow to the head suffered when he was thrown around the cab of his overturned locomotive probably prevented him remembering, TTSB medical officer Mary Pat McKay.

Early in the investigation, the NTSB focused on whether the Amtrak train had also been hit with a rock or other projectile minutes before the crash. But investigators confirmed Tuesday that it was not.

Bostian told investigators that he was concerned about the welfare of the commuter train's engineer and "a little bit concerned" for his own safety, but he never indicated in either NTSB interview that his train had been struck, too.

Duy Nguyen, of Teaneck, New Jersey, a passenger who suffered a cut on his head and fractures in his back, attended the NTSB hearing. The Temple University professor said he was stunned by the findings.

"The part that doesn't make sense is how does one accelerate when you're distracted?" Nguyen said. "The inclination is to slow down." He added: "Part of me is mad at Amtrak. Part of me is resigned that there's something that happened and you have to endure and survive and move on."

Bostian, known among his friends for his safety-mindedness and love of railroading, apparently commented in an online forum for train enthusiasts on a range of industry issues, including safety. Some of the posts lamented that railroads hadn't been fast enough to adopt Positive Train Control.

Amtrak has installed Positive Train Control on all the track it owns on the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington. A 56-mile stretch from New Rochelle, New York, to New Haven, Connecticut, is owned by other entities and is expected to have automatic controls installed by a deadline at the end of 2018.

The southbound stretch of track near the accident site had an earlier-generation type of automated control for slowing trains. But the northbound stretch, where the wreck occurred, did not. The more-advanced PTC had been installed on that section but was still being tested when the crash happened.

The investigation also pointed up the need to make passenger trains safer. In the derailment, the train's emergency windows dislodged as the cars slid on their sides, and four people were ejected and killed, according to NTSB investigator Dana Sanzo.
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Will there be blood?

That question has gone conspicuously unasked as we enumerate the possible outcomes of November's election. The potential impact on the nation's economy, its foreign policy and its standing in the world have all been duly analyzed. But there has been little, if any, discussion of the potential for violence.

It is, of course, Donald Trump's name on the ballot that necessitates the discussion. His rallies have erupted into brawls with depressing frequency; his followers assaulting demonstrators while he eggs them on.

And then, there's this: Last year, two South Boston brothers -- Scott and Steve Leader -- were arrested after allegedly peeing in the face of a homeless, 58-year-old Mexican immigrant sleeping on a bench. They beat him with a metal pole, breaking his nose. Authorities say Scott Leader explained himself thusly: "Donald Trump was right. All these illegals need to be deported."

Trump's initial response was simply to note that his followers "love this country and they want this country to be great again. They are passionate." If that is the sort of "passion" a few rallies and speeches incite, how much worse would it be in the event -- God help us all -- of an actual Trump victory? How emboldened in their bullyboy behavior would people like the Leader brothers become with one of their own in the White House?

And that's not even the worst-case scenario. What if the far more likely thing happens? What if Trump loses? His followers are already filled with fury and an exaggerated sense of their own victimhood and entitlement. What happens if an embarrassingly emphatic repudiation is added to that mix?

Hate crimes might be the least of our problems. The greater worry might be terrorism.

In a nation conditioned to think of terrorism as the exclusive province of Muslim fanatics with difficult names, the idea will strike some as ridiculous. But to be sanguine about the danger of radical right violence is to pretend Cliven Bundy's armed standoff in Nevada and the armed takeover of federal property in Oregon never happened. And it is to ignore a litany of radical right terror plots enacted or interdicted in recent years.

From the Oklahoma City bombing to the Atlanta Olympics bombing to a New York state plot to murder Muslims by radiation poisoning, to a massacre at an African-American church in Charleston, to the attempted bombing of a Martin Luther King Day parade in Spokane, to the crashing of an airplane into an IRS office in Austin to a mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs to, literally, dozens more, the radical right has hardly been shy about using violence to frighten people as a means of achieving their political goals -- the dictionary definition of terrorism.

Small wonder Mark Potok, editor of Intelligence Report, the magazine of the Southern Poverty Law Center, does not laugh off the possibility of violence from aggrieved supporters of Donald Trump. Radical right terror, he says, "is a worry anyway, as we go through this huge demographic transition in the United States. But the thing about Trump's voters is that they are angry, they are riled up, and they are expecting to win." If and when they don't, he says, terrorism might well be their response.

It's not as unthinkable as some of us will want to believe. Too often, as the right has descended into tribalistic incoherence, the rest of us have underestimated the crazy, baselessly reassuring ourselves that they'll go this far, but surely no further. And too often, we've been wrong. Maybe it's time to abandon baseless reassurance. Maybe it's time to take crazy at face value.

Will there be blood? Here's a better question:

Will you honestly be surprised if there is?
COLUMBIA  The House has overridden Gov. Nikki Haley's veto of a bill to send $40 million in aid to South Carolina farmers who lost their crops in last year's massive floods.

The 112-2 vote on Tuesday was a sharp rebuke to the Republican governor and well over the two-thirds margin needed. The bill now heads to the Senate.

Haley said Monday she vetoed the bill because it gives farmers help not available to other small businesses. Haley says farmers have crop insurance and federal aid to cover their losses.

House Ways and Means Chairman Brian White says that's not true and Haley's veto makes no sense. The Anderson Republican says interest payments on bonds given to industries like Volvo will be more than enough to cover the losses from farmers.

Weathers urges override

Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers late Monday issued a statement in opposition to Haleys veto of flood relief legislation for South Carolina farmers and urged the General Assembly to override the veto when they return to Columbia tomorrow.

Even though farmers were among those hit hardest by the October floods, with more than $376 million in losses, the governor is turning her back on our states largest industry, Weathers said. The floods devastated many who lost a years income and are struggling to put a new crop in the ground. 

The General Assembly passed the farm aid bill with overwhelming majorities, despite the governors veto threat.

The legislation provides $40 million to help farmers who sustained major losses not covered by crop insurance and other disaster relief funding. Farmers with at least 40 percent in losses are eligible for one-time grants capped at 20 percent of total loss or $100,000. The grants only cover production costs such as seed and fertilizer, not debt or new equipment.

Governor Haley has opposed all types of federal and state relief for South Carolinas farmers, calling it a bailout and unfair, Weathers said. This is no bailout  it is a lifeline that is desperately needed. The only thing unfair would be to deny farmers relief that other businesses and individuals have received.

FEMA has paid approximately $375 million for homeowners through flood insurance claims and other assistance, with an additional $157 million in aid included in the federal budget passed in December. However, farmers were excluded from this financial assistance.

On behalf of South Carolinas farmers, I urge the General Assembly to do what is right and fair for our states farmers and override the governors veto.
The Regional Medical Center has received the Safe Surgery Hospital designation awarded by the South Carolina Hospital Association and Safe Surgery: SC Leadership Team.

Patient safety is always a priority in healthcare. We are proud of our team of surgeons, nurses and staff for their hard work to ensure the safety of our surgical patients and for this tremendous recognition, said Tom Dandridge, RMC president and CEO.

From the start, many members of the RMC Surgical Services team realized that this was a necessary idea if we were to protect our patients through the entire surgical experience at the Regional Medical Center, said RMC Chief of Surgery Gary Delaney, MD. With the blessing of administration, the project has grown into a major accomplishment. We have timeouts where all involved participate. We make use of the debriefing at the end of each case to make improvements in our surgical care.

According to the SCHA, to receive a Safe Surgery Hospital designation, hospitals must confirm that each patient benefits from a surgical safety checklist that is performed before the induction of anesthesia, before skin incision and before the patient leaves the operating room.

RMC was recognized for the accomplishment at the ninth annual Transforming Health Symposium in Columbia in April.

As a result of the success of the safety checklist in the operating room, other RMC departments that work with surgical patients have implemented a safety checklist as well. Same Day Surgery, inpatient units, the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit and even physicians practices now have a checklist created specifically for their patients in addition to the general safe surgery checklist that is performed before every procedure or before a patient is transported to another unit.

RMC offers a variety of surgical services, including general, vascular, orthopaedic and endoscopic procedures as well as bariatric or surgical weight loss procedures. RMC operates a state-of-the-art surgical unit with nine operating suites and a separate suite solely dedicated to caesarean section births in the Her Place maternity care unit. RMCs Dialysis Access Institute features four operating suites for dialysis access procedures and provides training in dialysis access procedures for physicians from around the globe.

The RMC healthcare system includes a 286-bed, acute-care hospital and 21 primary and specialty care practices. RMC is affiliated with MUSC Health, the largest academic teaching facility in South Carolina, to further enhance select healthcare services for patients in the region.
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By Fatma Babayeva

The Baku-Supsa oil pipeline commissioning gave impetus to the development of the economies of both Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Natig Aliyev made the remark in his article published in the official press.

Baku-Supsa oil pipeline still remains a significant infrastructure for both countries, said Aliyev, further adding that the tariff for transporting one ton of oil via Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline cost $15.67, while it only costs $3.14 per ton or $0.43 per barrel via Baku-Supsa pipeline. $1.2 of it ($0.17 per barrel) is the share of Georgia, and the rest belong to Azerbaijan.

The advantage of Baku-Supsa route does not only lay in the fact that Azeri Light crude of Azerbaijan entered the global market at a lower cost for transportation, but also enhanced the strategic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Georgia, said Aliyev by stressing the fact that the energy pipeline stimulated the economic growth.

However, benefits that Azerbaijan and Georgia gained from Baku-Supsa pipeline are not only limited to the financial-economic factors, told Aliyev, adding that this infrastructure also enhanced the independence of both states.

In total, 76.3 million tons of oil has been transported via Baku-Supsa since its commissioning, said the minister.

Baku-Supsa pipeline was launched in 1999. Its length amounts to 827 kilometers. Its diameter is 530 millimeters. The pumping capacity of the pipeline is more than six million tons per year.

The pipeline transports Azerbaijan's Azeri Light oil produced from the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of oil and gas fields.

The operator of the Baku-Supsa pipeline is the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC).

Worth noting, Georgia has been a close ally of Azerbaijan in the region for a long time. A new gas infrastructure project of Azerbaijan that will connect the Caspian to Europe (Southern Gas Corridor) will also pass through Georgia.
/By Azernews/

By Fatma Babayeva

Azerbaijan and Georgia celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline which was the keystone of the energy cooperation between these countries and solidified their relations.

The ceremonial celebration of the 20th jubilee of the Baku-Supsa pipeline - the "project of the century which transfers oil from Azerbaijan through Georgia to Turkey and Europe - took place in Tbilisi on May 16, reports Azertac.

Twenty years ago, on March 8, 1996 Azerbaijans National Leader Heydar Aliyev and Georgias former president Eduard Shevardnadze signed an agreement to construct the Baku-Tbilisi-Supsa pipeline, which laid the foundation for the East-West Energy Corridor.

Addressing the ceremony Azerbaijans Prime Minister Artur Rasizade said the national development road, which was founded by national leader Heydar Aliyev is successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev.

At this special event, Georgias Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili emphasized the role of the oil pipeline as it created stability and was a "guarantee of piece in the South Caucasus. The pipeline made significant contributions to the development of strategic partnership between the two countries, he added.

He thanked Azerbaijan for involving Georgia in energy projects, as well as, for the country's approach to solving gas and other problems faced by Georgia. Moreover, the project cemented the image of Georgia as a transit country for oil and gas and goods.

Georgias PM stressed the countrys "important transit role in providing oil and gas to the European Union (EU). He said Georgia understands its role and responsibility as a transit country and fully supports the current and future energy projects that will ensure the diversification of routes for transporting the worlds energy resources.

As an example of successful cooperation between the three countries Kvirikashvili in his turn named the South Caucasus Pipeline as well as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Supsa projects.

In the meantime, Georgias Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze praised the Baku-Tbilisi-Supsa project as the beginning of the strategic and distinguished relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan.

As part of the visit, PM Rasizade met with Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili.

"Azerbaijan is a strategic partner of Georgia. Georgia is interested in developing and strengthening these relations," said President Margvelashvili in a meeting with PM Rasizade in Tbilisi.

Rasizade also had one-to-one with Kvirikashvili to discuss the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipelines, the East-West energy corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway projects. Particularly, they mulled ways of expanding the bilateral relations between their countries in a variety of fields, including investment making, trade, power engineering and transportation.

Hailing the importance of the projects co-implemented by Azerbaijan and Georgia, Rasizade said these projects are of crucial importance not only in strengthening our state independence and economic relations, but increasing international influence of our countries.

He further added that the Baku-Tbilisi-Supsa pipeline, which laid the foundation for the East-West Energy Corridor was the source for other energy projects. Baku-Tbilisi-Supsa pipeline was the first successful project between Azerbaijan and Georgia.

The Western Route Export Pipeline (WREP) commonly known as the Baku-Tbilisi-Supsa pipeline or Baku-Supsa pipeline, is 830km long that transports oil from the Chirag field in the Caspian Sea via the Sangachal terminal in Azerbaijan to the Supsa terminal in western Georgia. Just under half of the pipeline is located on Georgian territory.

WREP, which became fully operational in 1999, is capable of transporting up to 100,000 barrels of oil a day and ensures transporting oil through Georgia and on to world markets, said British Petroleum (BP).

Once the deal was signed a project was launched with the involvement of BP and international partners.

Azerbaijan plans to expand its energy cooperation with Georgia with the completion of the gas pipeline Southern Gas Corridor which will transport Shah Deniz 2 Gas from the Caspian section of Azerbaijan to Europe via Georgia.
By Fatma Babayeva

Greece has hosted a groundbreaking ceremony of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which constitutes the European leg of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) pipeline network project that will transfer Azerbaijans natural gas to Europe.

The construction of the TAP pipeline will enable to enhance energy security of the EU and diversify supply routes of natural gas to the Central and South-eastern Europe.

The significance of TAP as a strategic piece of the Southern Gas Corridor infrastructure was underlined by the presence of the Prime Minister of Georgia Georgi Kvirikashvili, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Yaqub Eyyubov, the Deputy Prime Minister of Albania Niko Peleshi, the EU Vice President for Energy Union Maros Sef?ovi?, the US Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Amos Hochstein, the Minister of Energy of Turkey Berat Albayrak, the Minister of Economic Development of Italy Carlo Calenda, the Minister of Energy of Bulgaria Temenuzhka Petkova, as well as the Switzerland State Secretary Federal Office of Energy Walter Steinmann.

The SGC will play a vital role in achieving Energy Unions target on diversification of energy resources, routes and energy security, said Maros Sefcovic, Vice-president of the European Commission for Energy Union.

Azerbaijan, an initiator of the giant Southern Gas Corridor project, has become very important energy player at the regional and global level, he added.

TAP, which is a part of the largest Southern Gas Corridor project, envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries. The project aims at providing European countries with alternative source and route of gas supplies, promoting energy security of Europe.

TAP is a project of geo-strategic importance for the entire region, Alexis Tsipras, Greek prime minister, said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The beginning of construction for the TAP pipeline is taking place at a pivotal time for the Greek economy and our wider region, he added.

Ian Bradshaw, Managing Director at TAP AG, in turn, stated that the TAP pipeline will continue to progress safe transportation route for the Caspian gas to Europe, emphasizing that the company remains committed to deliver the project safely, on schedule and on budget.

Bradshaw further added that TAP will continue to promote job creation, and the project's implementation will inject billion euros of foreign direct investments.

TAP will stretch 870 kilometers across Greece, Albania, the Adriatic Sea and the southern part of Italy. The pipelines initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters in future. The first gas delivery to Europe via TAP pipeline is expected in 2020.

Worth noting, the consortium of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development selected the TAP project over the Nabucco West as the route to transport its gas to Europe in June 2013.

The contracts on the purchase of Azerbaijani gas from the second phase of Shah Deniz field development (Shah Deniz-2 project) were signed Sept. 19, 2013 with Shell, Bulgar gas, Gas Natural Fenosa, E.ON, Gaz de France, Hera, Enel, Axpo, DEPA.

At the beginning of March 2016, the European Commission approved the agreement between the Greek government and the Consortium on TAP's construction. TAP is included to the list of the European Commission's common interest projects.

The shareholders of the project are BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

The Consortium on TAP's development expects to receive funding from a number of international institutions including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), as well as, export credit agencies of several countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The SGC, a win-win project for all parties, is one of the biggest construction projects of our times with a value of $45 billion.
By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan, located in a southeast part of Transcaucasian region, and Egypt, located in the northeastern corner of Africa, seek to open a new stage of cooperation in tourism.

To further develop relations and discuss the prospects, representatives of Egypts Tourism Administration and the Association of Hoteliers visited the capital Baku this week.

Alongside the official delegation representatives of 13 leading Egyptian tour operators also visited the country to establish fruitful cooperation with local companies providing tourist services.

The Egyptian delegation led by Ahmed Shoukry, the head of the international tourism sector at the Tourism Activation Authority, Ahmed Ayoub, the head of the Hoteliers Association of Egypt, representatives of Egypt Tourism Federation Adel El Haggar and Ali Gonaym, and Fathy Attia, the commercial director at the Egyptian Air Cairo airline, as well as Egyptian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Suzanne Mohamed Gamil gave press conference on the results of the visit.

At the event, the Egyptian side announced that they are ready to offer new and attractive best quality packages for Azerbaijani tourists.

After a slight fall, the tourist flow from Azerbaijan to the Egyptian popular resorts rose again in 2011-2013. For the past two years thousands of Azerbaijanis visited Egypt. The most popular months for travel were December, January and March.



Last year more than 3,000 Azerbaijani tourists visited Egypt, according to Ahmed Shoukry. He said that the country plans to increase this figure significantly for the next two years.

Holiday in Egypt justifies its price and quality of service. All created just for tourists. The tourist season in Egypt does not end and the country welcomes guests all year round, he said.

Meanwhile the flow of the national tourists to Egypt is expected to increase even more, since Sharm el-Sheikh-Baku direct flight will be launched starting June 3.

Air Cairo low fare subsidiary of Egypt Air will open regular Baku-Sharm el-Sheikh-Baku flights to be performed once a week.

Cairo and Baku enjoy relations which date back to centuries ago but since the last century they have developed closer contacts. Egyptians and Azerbaijanis have much in common: traditions, culture, customs, attitudes and religion.



Since Azerbaijan has gained its independence in 1991, the two countries have started building relations in the political, economic, cultural and educational spheres.

Tourism has traditionally played one of the most important places in Egypt's economy, and more than four million Egyptians are working in tourism sector, and almost 12 percent of the countrys GDP are revenue from tourism.

Over the past decade, the flow of tourists in Egypt has tripled from five to 15 million, and the accommodation capacity of resorts increased from 18,000 to 280,000, and another 250, 000 are prepared for commissioning.
By Amina Nazarli

Prospects of deepening the bilateral economic ties between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands were on the agenda of the joint business forum held in Baku on May 17.

The Azerbaijan-Netherlands forum involved 25 Dutch and about 50 Azerbaijani companies, engaging in various sectors of the economy including telecommunications, transportation, logistics, agriculture, tourism, and education.

Azerbaijan's Deputy Economy Minister Sahil Babayev, addressing the event, said that the total volume of investments made by the Netherlands in Azerbaijan is $900 million and over a third of the total volume of these investments was made in the national economy over the last three years.

"The Netherlands has invested $340 million in Azerbaijan over the last three years," said the deputy minister. "In general, the Netherlands ranks fourth in terms of the volume of investments made in Azerbaijan."



He noted that the Dutch companies actively participate as contractors in public contracts, adding that the Dutch companies have signed agreements worth $180 million in Azerbaijan in recent years.

Member of the Dutch Senate Rene van der Linden, for his part, said that his country can contribute to the development and diversification of Azerbaijan's economy.

"For this purpose, first of all, it is necessary to develop the relations between companies of the two countries," he said, adding that currently, the companies of Azerbaijan and the Netherlands have short-term relations, but they can turn into strong and long-term ties in the future.

During the forum the two sides signed a memorandum on creating a joint business center, which will render services both to Azerbaijani and Dutch companies.

The document was signed between the Dutch Limburg province and Azerbaijan's ADA University.

Moreover, three memorandums were signed between Azerbaijan's Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park and the Dutch Chemelot chemical park; Azerbaijan's ASAN center, Nar Mobile, Azerbaijan's State Fund for Development of Information Technologies and the Azerbaijani-Dutch center, as well as Azerbaijan Steel Production Complex, Maastricht University and Aachen University (Germany).

Signing of another memorandum between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands in the sphere of agriculture is expected in two days.

The relations between the Netherlands and Azerbaijan have strengthened over the past years. About 112 companies with Dutch capitals operate in Azerbaijan, in the spheres of shipbuilding, logistics, ecology and banking.



Earlier the Netherlands showed an interest in cooperation with Azerbaijan in agriculture, in particular water industry and lake water purification.

The trade turnover between the Netherlands and Azerbaijan amounted to $44.71 million in the first quarter of 2016, $21.65 million of which fell on exports to this country, according to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is interested in examining ways with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia to reduce the violence in Nagorno-Karabakh, Department of State spokesperson John Kirby said during a briefing on Monday.

"The secretary [Kerry] definitely wants to discuss... how we can better lower the tensions there [Nagorno-Karabakh] and deescalate the violence that has sadly continued," Kirby stated. "He wants to explore ways in which we can ratchet down the tension."

The US role in the process, Kirby added, was not about "arbitration or mediation", but is simply driven by a desire to see both sides engage in dialogue, abide by the ceasefire and work towards a comprehensive settlement.

Kerry was scheduled to meet with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan later in the day, Kirby noted, to discuss the fragile security situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Vienna to take part in the discussions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and in a meeting of the International Syria Support Group, RIA Novosti reported May 16.

Lavrov will participate in the talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict together with the US Secretary of State John Kerry and France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault as the representatives of the OSCE Minsk Group's co-chairing countries.

The meeting of the International Syria Support Group will be held in Vienna on May 17.

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 longer the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict lasts, the more intensively the conflict sides arm themselves and the higher is the risk of new escalation, including a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, RIA Novosti quoted Germany's Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier as saying May 16.

He made the remarks in Vienna before a meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group.

The fierce fighting on the line of contact six weeks ago showed that the long-standing status quo is untenable in the long term, said Steinmeier.

He pointed out that the OSCE plays an important role in the conflict's settlement.

France, Russia and the US have been throughout many years trying as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to consolidate the ceasefire agreement and resume the political process, said Steinmeier, adding that as the OSCE chair, Germany supports that.

"We believe that establishing and strengthening ceasefire, agreeing on strengthening trust and starting the negotiation process should be the goal," he said. "It will take some time."

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.
/By Azernews/

By Rashid Shirinov



The Criminal Code of Azerbaijan should include an article providing the liability for the desecration of corpses.

This proposal was made by Vice-speaker of Milli Majlis (Parliament), Chairman of the Committee on human rights, Bahar Muradova at the Committee meeting on May 16.

She came out with this proposal after the recent facts of mutilation of corps of Azerbaijani soldiers by Armenians.

It was established that the dead bodies of Azerbaijani soldiers -- victims of April battles -- were mutilated before they were handed over. "These actions of Armenian army can be considered as a crime against humanity," she stressed.

Thirty-one Azerbaijani soldiers were killed as a result of April clash instigated by Armenia on the contact line troops 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.

After their death, some had ears cut off, eyes gouged out, cut abdominal cavity, Colonel Safar Ahmadov, the senior assistant of military Prosecutor, said earlier, on May 13 at the Milli Mejlis.

However, the national Criminal Code does not include relevant articles in connection with such criminal acts. Therefore, the Criminal code should be amended with articles providing punishment for such crimes, Muradova said.

Muradova also noted that the Azerbaijani civilians got serious damage to their health and property due to Armenian attacks. It is necessary to add to the Criminal Code an article ensuring the responsibility for such aggression. Muradova advised all victims to appeal to the European court of human rights.

Armenia, which keeps under occupation 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, continues its provocations in the borderline, threatening with banned weapons and throwing its nuclear waste to the rivers flowing to Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan, as a country subjected to terror, takes a clear stance on terrorism and is very responsible and conscientious member of the international community, Muradova concluded.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal, but they have not been enforced to this day.
By Fatma Babayeva

Lifting sanctions opened new opportunities for Iran to boost its long stagnated energy industry.

Russian companies play an increasingly active role in the energy sector of Iran as the Islamic Republic is now free of sanctions and open for the international cooperation.

The statement was made by Jafar Pourfarjoudi, spokesman of the Irans Petroleum Ministry toTrend news agency on May 16.

Russia's gas giant Gazprom plans a visit to Iran in the near future to discuss several issues including cooperation in Irans natural gas projects, said Pourfarjoudi.

He further elaborated that the visit will take place within the framework of the negotiations on energy issues between Russia and Iran, which began a year ago.

Gazprom plans to send a delegation comprised of 30 representatives of the energy sector to Tehran.

Pourfarjoudi noted that Irans Petroleum Ministry shores up the Iranian companies cooperation with foreign partners who will be willing to offer its technology and know-how to the Islamic Republic.

Iran eyes boosting gas production from the current 700 million cubic meters per day to above 1.3 billion cubic meters per day by 2020-2021 which will enable the country to export 200 million cubic meters of natural gas per day.

In the meantime, Iran plans to reach pre-sanctions volumes of oil production (4 million barrels per day) by July and pre-sanction oil export volume (2.2 million barrels per day) by the end of this summer.

Russian companies are keen on cooperating in the development of Iranian oil and gas fields in the post-sanctions era.

Previously, in January 2016, right after the sanctions on Iran were lifted, Leonid Fedun, vice president of Russian Lukoil said that the company is not ready to participate in the projects in Iran at the current price of oil. However, Lukoil purchased crude oil from Iran to supply its refinery in Romania because of legal issues the company faced in supplying crude to European countries due to sanctions imposed on Russia.

Whats more, Tehran and Moscow have been in discussions on the swap of oil and gas over the past several years. Under a possible swap plan, Russia will supply oil and gas to northern Iran, and the Islamic Republic, in return, is expected to deliver oil and gas on behalf of Russia to Moscows customers in the Persian Gulf.

In the longer term, it seems that Iran is aligning its oil and gas strategy more closely with Russian energy companies, said earlier Mehrdad Emadi, consultant at the U.K.-based Betamatrix International Consultancy.

Currently, Iran is looking for investment to improve its oil industry. The new oil investment framework known as Iran Petroleum Contract will be unveiled by July, according to the Iranian officials.
A new $80-million serviced apartment project on Amwaj Islands in Bahrain has officially opened its doors to receive guests.



Developed by Lona Real Estate, owners of the Amwaj Waves Development, and managed by Gulf Hotels Group, the Gulf Residence Amwaj offers travellers luxury accommodation for both long and short stays.



The new development comprises two luxury four star hotel apartment buildings featuring 173 spacious suites and apartments which include one studio residence, 43 one-bedroom residence, 107 two-bedroom residence and 18 three-bedroom suites, in addition to four luxurious four-bedroom and six-bedroom penthouse suites. All suites and apartments have been designed in a modern, contemporary style with a focus on quality family living and functionality.



Facilities include an exquisitely landscaped swimming pool deck, fitness centre, Mediterranean restaurant Waves by the Pool, cafe, boutique shops & salons, meeting and banquet rooms and ample parking space.



The Gulf Residence Amwaj is managed by the Gulf Hotels Group and is one of the new projects in line with the groups expansion strategy of adding hotels and luxury apartments in key locations, said Gulf Hotels Group chief executive officer and board member, Aqeel Raees. "Gulf Residence Amwaj is one of the latest additions to join the groups exclusive collection of unique independent properties and will not only offer guests every comfort, but also excellent value for money. The service

will mirror the groups core philosophy of providing five-star services for four-star pricing



Other facilities include a health club with sauna and steam rooms, childrens pool, Jacuzzi, in addition to a number of food and soft beverage outlets and luxurious commercial area. Concierge service and valet parking is available for the convenience of all guests.



Abdulla Buhindi, chairman of Lona Real Estate, said: Amwaj Islands is a fantastic location for both long stay and short stay visitors to Bahrain. We are looking forward to the renowned expertise of the Gulf Hotel team to make the Gulf Residence Amwaj a premier family destination on Amwaj Islands." - TradeArabia News Service
Global professional services consultancy Turner & Townsend has won a key contract to provide cost management services for the expansion of Dubais Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai South.



Part of a wider $32-billion development programme, the expansion of the existing passenger terminal  originally opened in 2013  will include a larger immigration hall providing 55 control counters, an extended departure area with 91 check-in desks and an extra 12 boarding gates and lounges, a new outbound baggage handling building, and additional parking and approach roads.



Turner & Townsend said it was awarded the contract by Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP), the engineering arm of Dubai Aviation City Corporation.



The independent consultancy, which has successfully delivered previous projects for DAEP, said it has a firm grasp of the companys protocols and processes linked to cost planning, procurement and commercial management.



Moreover, Turner & Townsend has worked with major airport programmes on every continent, totalling more than 140 projects, valued at $35 billion, in 19 countries, it added.



Mike Collings, the managing director, Middle East for Turner & Townsend, said: "Were honoured to be working so closely with DAEP once again, and this commission further strengthens our aviation profile in the Middle East."



"Our experience of delivering complex programmes in live airports will help us run the ongoing expansion while minimising the impact on day-to-day operations, and allow DAEP to plan for future growth," noted Collings.



"We have built a strong reputation working on some of the world's largest aviation projects, and I'm delighted that we are now building momentum in the rapid growth of Dubai as an international hub for air travel," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Residential rents for apartments in Abu Dhabi have seen a moderate rental growth as supply and demand move towards equilibrium, said a report.



Overall, capital values for completed apartments have remained broadly stable, driven by low transaction volumes, as both buyers and sellers remain unwilling to enter the market, according to MPM Properties, the real estate advisory subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB).



During the first quarter, approximately 1,000 new homes were delivered to the Abu Dhabi market, comprising predominantly small to medium-sized developments in Al Nayhan, Muroor Road and Mohammed Bin Zayed City, stated the report by MPM Properties.



Across the villa segment, weak demand resulted in limited sales in most communities. Developers are countering market sentiment by offering attractive payment plans on off plan residential sales to spur demand.



An analysis of the MPM portfolio in Abu Dhabi shows that 38 per cent of lease renewals completed during the first quarter of this year were agreed at a zero per cent increase, 61 per cent achieved a modest increase and only one per cent had a rent reduction.



Paul Maisfield, the chief executive of MPM Properties, said: "We are seeing a shift in market dynamics as the first quarter of this year has seen a constrained new supply of homes coming into the market with the residential market expected to see less than two per cent housing stock growth in 2016 compared to an average of 4.5 per cent per annum over the last seven years."



"The slowdown in new supply will counter some of the downward pressure on rents, although a marginal correction is expected in the months ahead," noted Maisfield.



Demand for office space in Abu Dhabi, which is driven mainly by the government sector, has reduced as corporations cut spending and put expansion and relocation plans on hold.



The report forecasts 350,000 sq m of new office space, mainly in the form of owner occupied space, being added to the commercial stock by the end of 2016.



The majority of the speculative space entering the market in 2016 is at City of Lights on Reem Island, with the remaining floors at Addax Tower being handed over in this quarter, and in Omega Tower which is due to be completed later in the year.



Bucking the general office market trend, and now effectively operating as its own micro-market, is the Financial Free Zone on Al Maryah Island. Mubadala has released Al Sarab and Al Khatem Towers at ADGM Square which together extend to 98,000 sq m of Grade A space, said Maisfield.



Retail sector saw no new supply coming to the market, but retail revenues have come under pressure in the first quarter of the year as consumer spending in the emirate softened, according to MPM Properties' report.



This trend is expected to continue throughout 2016 but reverse in 2017, as a rebound in oil prices and the expected launch of new government projects leads a pick-up in consumer confidence, it stated.



On the hospitality sector, the report said there was an addition of approximately 210 hotel rooms during Q1. Key projects scheduled for completion this year include the Four Seasons, Marriott, Grand Millennium Bab Al Qasr Hotel, and the Emirates Pearl hotel.



The opening of the Louvre on Saadiyat Island later this year and the $1-billion Warner Brothers theme park on Yas Island in 2018 will drive tourism growth over the next few years, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Building human capabilities around leadership, engagement and well-being will be key to maximising the success of Saudi Vision 2030, a sweeping set of reforms for economic progress, according to Oxford Strategic Consulting is an Oxford and GCC based consultancy that specialises in building human capital across the GCC and Europe.



The comprehensive and ambitious transformation agenda set forth in the Vision 2030 will require qualified and confident leaders from the government, private sector and local communities, the report said.



Leadership can be rapidly developed by providing technology assisted help (such as iLeader on smart phones), by providing leadership experiences early and by guiding leaders through real life situations so their skills can be accredited, according to Oxford Strategic Consulting research.



Saudi Vision 2030 depends on a strong private sector, which includes SMEs and family firms. It is possible to assess and prepare individuals to build SMEs or to take the lead in their family enterprises, the consultancy said.



The skills needed by aspiring entrepreneurs, however, differ from those of professionals in larger government entities and private firms. Instead, entrepreneurs require training in healthy risk-taking and business attitudes to overcome the particular challenges faced by SMEs.



Saudi citizens must be engaged in order to support the countrys transformation. Saudi Arabia has done an excellent job communicating the need for change through the Vision 2030 and emphasizing the central role of citizens in this vision.



The next step involves taking practical steps to increase the engagement of Saudi citizens. Increased employee engagement can help boost productivity and decrease waste in key government and private sector organizations.



It is also important to ensure that strategic country changes positively affect the well-being of Saudi citizens, according to Oxford Strategic Consulting.



Promoting well-being delivers physical and mental health benefits as well as enables citizens to overcome challenges in their professional and personal lives, the consultancy said.



Leadership, engagement and well-being should be utilised to further develop national expertise in the key strategic sectors of investment banking, military manufacturing and tourism.



Human capabilities in these sectors will need to be competitive in the global market, so programmes that identify critical differentiating capabilities in these sectors should be launched within the near future, according to Oxford Strategic Consulting.



The King Salman Program for Human Capital Development will help ensure that human capital is effectively deployed within the government sector, the report noted.  TradeArabia News Service
The National Association of Freight and Logistics (NAFL) has signed an agreement with Dubai Trade, a premier cross-border trade facilitator, to promote long-term synergy.



The NAFL was founded in 1992 under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, to bring all the major players in the UAE freight forwarding, logistics and shipping industry under a single umbrella.



As per the deal, both the NAFL and Dubai Trade can avail discounted rates on their two main training courses - Certified Customs Broker- CCB and CTLP  Certified Logistics & Trade Professional -

and extend benefits to its members by conducting advanced professional programs.



This will enable NAFL to strengthen its expertise and create value for members of the industry who will benefit from this partnership by getting discounts on courses, remarked its chairperson Nadia Abdul Aziz after signing the agreement with Mahmood Al Bastaki, board member and CEO of Dubai Trade.



The MoU seeks to synergise the activities and initiatives of both parties to promote the development of the UAE freight and logistics industry through professional training and raising Industry standards, she added.



Aziz, who is the first Emirati woman to be elected as the president at NAFL, said the association's strategies are in line with Dubai Plan 2021s vision of making the emirate a pivotal hub in the global economy.



This alliance will see NAFL integrate smart services for its members through e-learning-smart classes and by venturing with reputed vendors from the industry, she stated.



NAFL is the only national association from a Gulf country to join the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) representing the UAE.



Its mandate is to add value to members by facilitating training programs and networking activities that will enhance not only business performance, but also maintain UAEs pre-eminence in the international freight and transportation fields, by conducting training at NAFL training center in association with the government and private entities, said Aziz.



Al Bastaki said: "Dubai Trade is the single window for trade and logistics e-services that aims to facilitate the movement of cargo in the emirate and ease the logistics processes. Hence we are delighted to collaborate with NAFL as a leader entity in the industry."

Dubai Trade, which boasts of the biggest online portal for freight forwarding available 24x7 with instant services, said it was looking forward to welcoming the NAFL members, who are significant users of its e-services, to its professional programs to get a comprehensive understanding of supply chain and customs procedures.

"We also aim to provide them with the necessary knowledge to facilitate their daily business in addition of being internationally certified upon completion of the course," he stated.-TradeArabia News Service
The much anticipated lifting of the Saudi Arabia export ban on cement, which was mandated in 2008 and renewed in 2012, may allow little relief for the kingdoms cement producers, according to a research note issued by Arqaam Capital, the emerging markets investment bank.



According to the research, the exported cement volumes will likely be taxed an amount equivalent to the fuel subsidy they carry taking into account that the remaining subsidy of SR10 ($2.67) per tonne was previously removed via reforms to industrial fuel prices. This, coupled with transport costs of at least SR80-100 ($21-$26) per tonne as opposed to SR50 ($13.3) per tonne domestic land freight costs between regions, should lift the average cash cost per tonne by 50-70 per cent to SR190-260 ($50-$69) per tonne, eroding the bulk of the margin differential Saudi producers enjoy over global peers, said the statement.



Mohammed Kamal, executive director, equity research at Arqaam Capital, said: Export volumes would likely be capped at 20 per cent of output and possibly subjected to an export tax.



The net effect should be margins erosion, which partly dilutes the earning per share growth that results from the expansion in headline sales. In isolation, exports can dilute blended EBTIDA margins to about 30 per cent on average when transport costs are included into the equation, he said.



In our view, the cash margin per tonne of exported cement can fall by 40 per cent to SR60-100 ($16-$26) per tonne, depending on the region it is produced in and the market exported to. The incentives to export then are the depletion of clinker inventory, or the utilisation of idle production lines, he added.



Kamal added: We estimate about 30 per cent EBITDA margin on exported cement volumes, in-line with global averages, assuming selling prices in target markets are accommodating, and averaging SR300-400 ($80-$106) per tonne.



The domestic supply situation remains difficult. Sector clinker stocks have not budged since July 2014, remaining at nearly 21 million tonnes as of March 2016 equivalent to four months of output. This, combined with existing capacity of 70 million tonnes, and incoming capacity of 7 million tonnes due in the 2016, equates to total potential capacity of around 100 million tonnes, he said.



This suggests a substantial near/medium term surplus of 60 per cent, given stalled domestic contracts and the fact that few export markets are currently viable, Kamal said.



The research report sees Yemen, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, East Africa, and Iraq as potential export destinations. In the context of each markets prevailing selling prices, which range between equivalents of SR230-400 ($61-$106) per tonne, the only viable export destinations would be Yemen, Iraq, and Jordan, on a Freight On Board (FOB) price basis, including export taxes. The subset that makes the cut of exporters to these regions are Southern Cement, Najran, Tabuk, Al Jouf, and Northern Cement.



In the case of Yemen we believe that any reconstruction effort will practically involve procurement from Southern province producers. We also see significant downside risk to selling prices in the case that Egyptian peers revert to exporting 10 per cent of their 70 million tonnes operating capacity to Yemen, as they had done in the past. As a result, Najran Cement is the sole viable export play, supported by inventory eligibility and location, Kamal concluded.  TradeArabia News Service


Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), a leading aluminium smelter in the world, has been awarded the British Safety Councils (Gold) International Safety Award for 2015 for its commitment and diligent efforts towards maintaining safety, health and well-being of its workforce during 2015.



Albas chief executive officer Tim Murray received the award at a ceremony earlier this month, at Grosvenor House Hotel, London, said a statement from the company.



Widely regarded as a premier event in the safety and health calendar, the award recognises and rewards organisations that are committed to corporate safety and health, it added.



Murray said: Alba believes that employee safety and health are the two most important factors that affect our productivity and overall performance.



Over the recent years, Alba has maintained an excellent track record of safety and health and winning an international recognition is a testimony to our efforts, he said.



We will continue to push harder and do more than necessary in order to raise the bar and meet our goals of employee safety and health, he added.



Mike Robinson, chief executive of the British Safety Council, said: The council commends Alba on this achievement, which is in recognition of their commitment and efforts to keep their employees and workplaces free of injury and ill health. Our warmest congratulations.  TradeArabia News Service


Changes in UK tax laws were discussed at a special event in Bahrain recently, aimed to update UK citizens and owners of IK properties of any nationality of the effects of the changes and availability of consultancy help in Bahrain.

Topics discussed also included general principles of UK tax reporting and proposed digitalisation, reminder of rules and importance of keeping a log of days present and purpose of visits, proposals affecting those with UK domicile of origin who may have acquired a domicile outside the UK, why is there a need for a UK will and considering powers of attorney.

The event was organised by the Bahrain British Business Forum (BBBF) Special Interest Group (SIG) for finance professionals, in partnership with KS International Consultants & Public Accountants Bahrain and Kingston Smith UK.

The keynote speaker at the event was Lynne Rowland, a personal tax partner at Kingston Smith UK. Rowland has over 20 years of personal tax experience, working for leading accountancy firms as well as regional firms. She shared her knowledge on a variety of matters at the event, especially income tax, inheritance tax and capital gains tax from a UK and international perspective.

Rowland commented: The last few years have heralded a recovery in the UK economy alongside an awareness of a continuing budget deficit. Simplifying the UK tax system and ensuring that all taxpayers pay their fair share of tax has been a strategy that has the support of the general public. Some of the proposed changes seem to have an essence of tinkering without any genuine fiscal benefit, and worse, they have not necessarily been publicised enough to ensure understanding and compliance by all relevant taxpayers. The purpose of this meeting was to highlight some of the changes that have been introduced, or are proposed for the future, so that people with UK interests can plan ahead and take any necessary action.

The BBBF is a leading network of businessmen and women in Bahrain. The forum aims to promote trade and investment between Bahrain and Britain by offering opportunities for networking and knowledge sharing between the two business communities. It has a total of eight Special Interest Groups (SIGs), covering oil, gas and energy; hospitality; construction; banking and financial services; ICT and legal sectors; as well as organisational effectiveness and young professionals. TradeArabia News Service
FP7, a leading advertising and branding agency in the region, has won a top award at the 2016 Effie Effectiveness Index, the foremost ranking in the marketing and advertising industry globally.

FP7s Dubai office won the coveted global award in the Most Effective Agency Office category.

The agency, which has leading brands including Coca-Cola and Emirates NBD as clients, was earlier named the Most Effective Agency in Mena (Middle East and North Africa).

The Effie index provides an insightful glimpse into those who are delivering ideas that work across the globe. It identifies and ranks the most effective agencies, marketers and brands by analysing finalists and winner data from more than 40 national and regional Effie Award competitions.

FP7 (formerly Fortune Promoseven), headquartered in Dubai, is part of the Lebanon-based Middle East Communication Network (MCN), a major advertising, marketing and media agency in the Mena region. It has branches all over the region.

The award is very important to us not only because it is a major global accolade, but also because it recognises effective communication, said Akram Miknas, the chairman of FP7.

A work should not be for the sake of creativity alone, it attains greatness when it is able to effectively tell consumers what it intends to communicate. That is the key role of advertising, said Miknas, a veteran of the industry in the region.

Our goal has always been to be best in the world, representing this region. The award means that we are doing good work for our clients, he added.

The idea of effectiveness is in our DNA and we are able to deliver this to our clients, said Tarek Miknas, CEO/Mena. The heart and soul of FP7 is and forever will remain entrenched in its Middle Eastern identity. We know the region well and we are able to provide that expertise to our clients, he said.

The confluence of many cultures in the region also helps in creating excellence, said Miknas.

He said the company will release an exclusive and exhaustive report on consumer behaviour in the region in the next two months. The report, based on a survey of 30,000 people across the region, will focus on women, technology and youth.

The market is changing dramatically in our world and the research will focus on the next generation of consumers, Tarek Miknas added.

FP7 had earlier won the Cannes Lions awards for clients including Bahrains Batelco and the UAEs Emirates NBD. - TradeArabia News Service
Key stakeholders of the oil and gas industry discussed pipeline design, engineering and project challenges and evaluated opportunities offered by new lucrative markets and emerging technologies at the Middle East Pipetech Conference under way in Abu Dhabi.



Hosted by EandP in association with Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (Adma-Opco), Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (Adco), Zakum Development Company (Zadco), Borouge Shell, Saudi Aramco and Takreed, the exclusive two-day conference is being held at Hotel Sofitel.



Gathering over 300 professionals from 150 companies and 20 countries, the MiddleEast-Pipetech Conference explored the latest pipeline projects, effective methods for increasing the life of the pipelines and methods to tackle the technical and strategic challenges associated with securing supply to the region.



Rafeeq Kunhi, managing partner at EandP, said: The need for sharing best practices and innovative techniques for oil and gas pipelines has become evident around the world due to the challenging conditions in present times. The MiddleEast-Pipetech is an important event for the pipeline community. It will serve as an idea bank that will inspire innovation and drive the exchange of best practice allowing the pipeline community to benefit from their experiences.



Addressing key issues in light of the low crude oil crisis, the MiddleEast- Pipetech conference focussed on design and planning, fabrication and construction, pperations and integrity, rehabilitation techniques and life extension and leak prevention operating philosophy.



The MiddleEast- Pipetech Conference served as a platform for companies to connect, network and engage in fruitful dialogue that addressed the growing needs of the oil and gas pipelines.



The conference, the only event of its kind in the region, will provide unparalleled networking opportunities as well as informative technical presentations, panel discussions and project updates on the latest trends and opportunities in oil and gas pipelines. - TradeArabia News Service
Travellers to the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region are predominantly male, affluent, organised and brand loyal, according to new research from global travel data platform Adara.



The research, which used Adaras insight into millions of travel actions every day, shows that travellers to the Mena region are 78 per cent male, compared to 67 per cent globally, and are more likely to be elite travellers, with 38 per cent having travelled first or business class in the last three months. They also spend a high rate on hotel rooms at $230 per night. Those traveling from the US typically spend more with an average of $250 per night, showing that they seek more luxurious hotels when visiting.



Travellers to the Mena region also tend to plan further in advance than the average global travellers, with the average traveler booking their flights 38 days ahead of travel compared to 26 days on average. For families this trend is even more pronounced, with searches starting two weeks ahead of booking and tickets being purchased almost 80 days ahead of travel.



Those visiting the region are a diverse group, arriving from a mix of originating countries. They tend to explore other options in the Middle East, Europe and Asia while planning their trips. They are also loyal to brands, with 65 per cent part of at least one hotel chain loyalty scheme. India, the UK and the US are ranked amongst the most popular originating destinations.

The five most popular Mena destinations include Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, and Doha.



Elizabeth Harz, president of Media, Adara, said: Our research has shown that travelers to the Mena region have a higher budget, plan in advance and are loyal to rewards programmes. Whilst these trends are somewhat expected, being able to quantify them with search, booking and loyalty data is incredibly helpful to brands. As an example, knowing there is an average of nine days between first search and booking for flights and six days for hotels presents an exciting opportunity for our customers to leverage these and other insights." - TradeArabia News Service
Etihad Guest, the multi-airline loyalty programme from Etihad Airways, has won the Best Affinity Covered Card Award alongside Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) for the Middle East and Asia region at the Freddie Awards 2016.



The annual ceremony was recently held in Las Vegas, Nevada.



Introduced in 1988 by InsideFlyer magazines Randy Petersen, the Freddies are named in honour of Sir Freddie Laker and have grown in stature to become the most prestigious member-generated awards in the travel loyalty industry, with 3 million votes now cast annually.



For the past five years, ADIB and Etihad Guest have provided UAE-based consumers with the ability to earn more miles than any other traveller card. Travellers can use those miles on the worlds leading airline and access unique features such as the ability to fast track to Etihad Guests gold tier. During this time, ADIB and Etihad Guest have won six awards for the offers and will be bringing even more benefits to members this year, said a statement.



Yasser Al Yousuf, managing director of Etihad Guest, collected the award and said: We continue to grow the loyalty programme and just this week have added our 4 millionth member, which is an important milestone for us. The Freddie Award was very welcome and its already been a successful month having been recognised as the Airline with Best Frequent Flyer Programme at the recent Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2016.



It demonstrates the ambition that we have for the programme but also that its voted for by frequent fliers means a lot to us. Through the lifestyle partners and leading benefits we add, we want to provide a first class loyalty programme whether our members are flying with Etihad Airways, our partner airlines or making a purchase through one of our many programme partners, he said.



Etihad Guest has recently added new partners including luxury retailer Tryano, Porsche, My City Miles, Trip Advisor, Rentalcars and Celebrity Cruises.

Philip King, head of retail banking for the UAE at ADIB, said: "We have recently renewed our partnership with Etihad Guest and this recognition further cements our strong and successful relationship. The ADIB Etihad Guest Covered Cards offer customers a distinctive and value-added proposition that is unmatched in the travel cards market. We are truly honoured to receive this award and we are looking forward to many more years of success with our partners, Etihad Guest."  TradeArabia News Service


Turkish Airlines yesterday (May 16) launched daily flights to Atlanta, the airlines 15th destination in the Americas.

Atlanta, the capital of the US state of Georgia, is the ninth US gateway for Turkish Airlines, which now offers 70 flights per week to the US and provides one-stop connections to 289 destinations and 115 countries through its Istanbul hub.

Turkish Airlines has become one of the worlds premier airlines, constantly adding to its network and making significant strategic investments that continually enhance its range and product offer, said Ahmet Olmustur, chief marketing officer (CMO) of Turkish Airlines.

This significant launch reinforces Turkish Airlines as a global leader in aviation with an internationally known brand helping passengers widen their world. The addition of the Atlanta gateway means that we will now be connecting business and leisure travelers through our Istanbul hub more efficiently and to more destinations than any other airline via one-stop connection through the worlds most traveled airport, Atlantas Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. he said.

Passengers between Istanbul and Georgias capital will be able to enjoy special round-trip fares. In addition, until the end of October 2106, Miles&Smiles members will enjoy a 25 per cent mileage discount when redeeming miles on the route or a 25 per cent bonus on paid tickets as well as the opportunities for upgrades, the airline said. - TradeArabia News Service
Aimed at reinforcing their presence in the Indian market, Ramada Downtown Dubai and Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Jumeirah Beach Residence inked an exclusive partnership with Hotel Representation and Development Services (HRDS) Global in India.



Under the agreement, Ramada Downtown Dubai and Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham officially appoint HRDS Global as their exclusive sales, marketing and public relationspartner in India. HRDS Global will negotiate with tour operators, corporate entities and third party agents on behalf of the hotels, and will represent them in relevant exhibitions and trade shows across the country.



Samir Arora, cluster general manager, Ramada Downtown Dubai and Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, said: Based on the latest figure, Dubai witnessed a 17 per cent growth in tourist arrivals from India during the first quarter of 2016 alone, cementing its position as one of the top feeder markets of the emirate. Our hotels are very keen to boost our stake in this market and by teaming up with HRDS Global, we are confident that their wide reach in India will be highly beneficial for us.



Lokesh Kumar, founder and COO, HRDS Global, said: We are thrilled to work with and be chosen as the exclusive representative of Ramada Downtown Dubai and Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham JBR and we affirm full commitment in promoting the hotels to the Indian market. Their premium locations, spectacular views, and great accessibility to local attractions and premium shopping malls are factors which easily stand out. Plus, the hotels excellent facilities, large size accommodation options and high-quality service coupled with localized menus to look after the Indian palette provide added advantage to the discerning Indian travellers. - TradeArabia News Service


A Virginia environmentalist seeking to buy Alpha Natural Resources out of bankruptcy would not close the companys Wyoming mines.

Instead, the Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte mines would be operated to generate income for reclamation of Alphas eastern operations, according to a person familiar with the thinking of Tom Clarke, CEO of the Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund.

That statement came as jostling in court continued over Alphas restructuring plan.

The Bristol, Virgina-based miner canceled an auction scheduled for Monday, saying it had only received one qualified offer for its core assets. That bid belonged to the companys senior lenders, who submitted a $500 million offer in March.

An auction of the companys natural gas assets in the Marcellus shale play did proceed, but the outcome was not announced. Alpha previously agreed on a minimum bid of $200 million with Rice Energy.

Clarke, through a subsidiary of his non-profit, the Virginia Legacy Conservation Fund, tendered a roughly $3 billion bid for Alphas assets, a figure which includes the assumption of the companys reclamation liability. The Virginia environmentalist will not object to Alphas decision to cancel the auction, according to a source who spoke on the condition anonymity because bids are confidential.

Instead, Clarke is betting concerns raised by the U.S. Trustee and West Virginia regulators will prompt the federal bankruptcy court to reject Alphas restructuring plans, the person said, making his offer more palatable to the companys creditors.

State and federal regulators have argued the company is effectively seeking to jettison its reclamation obligations in Appalachia by selling its core-assets to senior lenders and creating a second restructured company responsible for cleanup of its marginal mines.

That restructuring plan would divest reorganized Alpha of its most valuable and most profitable assets, while leaving it saddled with its largest, and most intractable, liabilities, West Virginia regulators wrote in an objection to the companys plans. They estimated Alphas cleanup costs in excess of $1 billion.

An Alpha spokesman did not return a request for comment Monday. In an updated court filing, the company put its cleanup tab at $683 million. Alpha is negotiating a reclamation settlement with regulators in Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia to ensure a restructured company has the money to meet its obligations, the company wrote.

It did not provide any details on how the new company would address Alphas $411 million in unsecured cleanup costs in Wyoming.

A spokesman for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality said the state could not comment, but noted whatever company emerges from bankruptcy will have to abide by Wyomings reclamation laws. New companies are required to post collateral to operate in Wyoming.

Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte are among Alphas most profitable properties, but both produce a brand of low BTU coal that has been spurned by utilities in favor of cheap natural gas. Output at Belle Ayr declined by nearly a third between 2010 and 2015 to 18 million tons. Eagle Buttes production is down 15 percent over that time to 19 million tons, according to federal figures.

Clarkes interest in those mines prompted considerable interest among industry observers, as his focus to date has largely been in the east.

The Virginia environmentalist has emerged as a figure of growing interest in the coal sector in recent months following moves last year to acquire assets of Patriot Coal Corp. and Walter Energy out of bankruptcy. His plan has been to operate his most profitable mines, using the proceeds to pay for reclamation at other facilities. He has also proposed selling coal at a premium and using the money to plant trees as a carbon off-set.

The acquisitions prompted concerns from environmentalists and industry representatives alike, who questioned how Clarke will finance his operations. Financing for coal projects has become increasingly scarce, with lenders like Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley cutting off support to the industry out of concern over climate change.

ERP Compliant Fuels, a subsidiary of the Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund, has continued to run the Federal Mining Complex in Pennsylvania and a series of metallurgical mines throughout the east to help finance some $400 million in reclamation work at former Patriot properties. A company presentation shown to the West Virginia Coal Association last week put the non-profits annual revenues at $575 million.

Alpha, in court filings, said it received nine final bids for its core assets. The company rejected other offers because they did not provide value to shareholders, were not economically viable, relied on suspect financing or represented a threat to Alphas restructuring.
If there is a war on coal, Casper was its battlefield Tuesday. The combatants  some 300 miners and ranchers, state politicians and environmentalists  descended on the Casper Events Center for the first of six public meetings on the future of the federal coal program.

They came clad in their messages. Cloud Peak Energy miners, bused in from Gillette, wore Friends of Coal stickers over their hearts. An organizer for the Powder River Basin Resource Council sported a No Coal Loopholes sticker. Speakers framed their messages in fighting, and sometimes apocalyptic terms.

The faceless, all-powerful government agencies and their environmentalist masters are not immortal, so lets ride out and beat them, bellowed Travis Deti, associate director of the Wyoming Mining Association, at a pro-coal rally preceding the event.

Richard Reavey, a lobbyist at Cloud Peak Energy, likened the gathering to a Soviet show trial, one where the outcome was predetermined.

All hands on deck, were needed to address the coming climate crisis, warned Jeremy Nichols of WildEarth Guardians.

The official matter at hand was more mundane. Scoping, to use the U.S. Department of Interior term, is the process of determining the outline of an upcoming environmental study. Public comment is accepted to help define those terms.

But the bellicose language underlined the stakes involved in Interiors study of the federal coal program. Roughly 40 percent of American coal is mined on federal land, the vast majority of it in Wyoming, meaning the governments study has the power to reshape the U.S. coal industry. The analysis will examine the climate impact of burning coal mined on public land and determine how much coal companies should pay in royalties.

The Interior study unfolds against the backdrop of plummeting coal production and mounting concerns over climate change. Production from mines in Wyomings Powder River Basin, where the majority of mining operations are centered, has fallen by a third in the first quarter of 2016, as a surplus of coal, cheap natural gas and new environmental regulations have combined to drive down production.

A halt to new coal leases has been called while the analysis is completed. It is expected to take three years. The moratorium is unlikely to change daily mining operations. Coal companies generally maintain 20 years of unmined reserves, and dire market conditions meant most mining firms had already abandoned plans for new leases.

At the same time, much of the world has begun to shift away from coal. Last April was the warmest on record, according to NASA, the seventh consecutive month to break global temperature records. Some 175 nations signed a climate accord in Paris earlier this year seeking to reduce global greenhouse gases. China has halted plans for some 200 gigawatts of new coal power, enough to power Great Britain, which, in 2015, closed its last deep-pit coal mine. President Barack Obama, for his part, has pledged to cut carbon emissions by a third in the next 14 years through his proposed Clean Power Plan.

Duane Keown, a professor emeritus of science education at the University of Wyoming, addressed those concerns in his comments to federal officials. The planets climate has always changed. But where it once took millennia, carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired plants have accelerated the shift to a matter of centuries, he said.

The pika, the pollinators of food crops, do not have time to adjust, nor do we, Keown said.

But in a state where the coal industry forms the bedrock of the economy, his was very much a minority view. The mass layoffs at Wyomings two largest mines lingered over many speakers remarks. Many spoke of the benefit of high-paying mining jobs and low-cost electricity.

After about two hours of public comment, Gov. Matt Mead took the stage. If climate change is the threat environmentalists and the president claim it is, a national effort akin to the mobilization seen in World War II is needed, the governor argued.

This administration is pursuing an unrealistic vision of a world without coal. Instead they should pursue a realistic vision that recognizes coals place in the world, and should invest to make it better, Mead said. He concluded: Coal supports Wyoming, Wyoming supports coal. Coal supports the United States, the United States should too support coal.

The majority of the crowd then stood and, though they had been instructed not to clap or boo at any speaker, gave the governor a standing ovation.
A French Canadian who put a bison calf in his car at Yellowstone National Park because he thought the animal was cold told a park ranger he realized what he did was wrong.

The man who took the calf is identified as Shamash Kassam, of Quebec, in documents filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of Wyoming. Park officials cited Kassam for disturbing wildlife. He was fined $110 and is required to appear in court June 2 at the Yellowstone Justice Center.

Yellowstone officials euthanized the bison calf after the human interaction caused the animal to be rejected by its herd, the park said Monday.

According to the citation, Kassam told a park ranger he saw the baby bison in the middle of the road near Buffalo Ranch. Kassam said the calf was wet and shivering. He said he did not see any other bison in the vicinity and he waited 20 minutes to see if any adult bison would come back for the calf. Kassam said the animal appeared to be seeking warmth from his cars engine.

Kassam told the park ranger he picked up the calf because otherwise it would have been roadkill, the citation states. When the ranger made contact with Kassam at the Buffalo Ranch, he saw the calf lying in the back of Kassams Toyota Sequoia.

The park ranger told Kassam that park visitors are not permitted to intervene with wildlife and that by removing the calf he was preventing the mother from locating it and possibly altering its ability to survive in the wild.

Kasam stated that he understood what he did was wrong and he would never pick up or disturb any wildlife again, the citation states.

The ranger located a bison herd near where Kassam had picked up the calf and released the calf back into the herd, according to the citation. The ranger then notified National Park Service bison management.

Rangers repeatedly tried to reunite the calf with its herd, according to a statement released by Yellowstone. The efforts failed, and the calf was later euthanized because it was abandoned and approaching people and cars along the road.

Human interference can cause mothers to reject their offspring, the park said.

Yellowstone released a statement Monday after receiving criticism for euthanizing the calf. In order for the calf to leave the park, it would have had to spend months in quarantine to be monitored for brucellosis, a disease that causes bison, elk and cattle to miscarry. No approved quarantine facilities exist, and the park said it doesnt have the capacity to care for a calf thats too young to forage on its own.

Nor is it the mission of the National Park Service to rescue animals: our goal is to maintain the ecological processes of Yellowstone, the statement said. Even though humans were involved in this case, it is not uncommon for bison, especially young mothers, to lose or abandon their calves. Those animals typically die of starvation or predation.

A Yellowstone spokeswoman said the park would like visitors to respect wildlife and to know and follow the safety regulations.

The visitors put themselves in danger because adult animals are protective of their young and will act aggressively to defend them, the park said. Last year, five visitors were seriously injured when they approached bison. Bison harm more visitors to Yellowstone than any other animal.

Park regulations require visitors to stay at least 25 yards from all wildlife and at least 100 yards from bears and wolves.

Disregarding these regulations can result in fines, injury and even death, the release said. The safety of these animals, as well as human safety, depends on everyone using good judgment and following these simple rules.
Local law enforcement will participate in a national effort to increase seat belt use as the summer travel season picks up.

Several city officials announced the Click It or Ticket campaign Tuesday at the Casper Police Department. The effort will take place May 23 to June 5.

Departments across the nation will receive funding for overtime hours to enforce impaired driving and seat belt laws, said Pete Abrams of the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

Of the 15 traffic fatalities in Wyoming so far this year, 12 of those deaths were occupants not wearing seat belts, Abrams said.

This is simply something that can be prevented, he said.

Casper Police Chief Jim Wetzel said the national seat belt usage rate is 87 percent. In Wyoming, its 80 percent.

Mayor Daniel Sandoval urged all citizens to always wear their seat belts when driving or riding in a car.

Use three or four seconds to buckle your seat belt, Sandoval said. Thats all it takes to make the difference between walking away from a crash or being carried away.

Dr. Darren Bowe, director of trauma at Wyoming Medical Center, said he often treats patients who have been involved in motor accidents. Often, the difference between a patient being treated and going home that same day or spending weeks recovering is a seat belt, he said.

Considering the stakes are life or death, it only makes sense that maybe law enforcement gets a little heavy-handed in reminding us it is the law, Sandoval said.

Wetzel said traffic enforcement during that time period will continue as normal, but officers will have a no-tolerance approach toward seat belt usage.

The idea is not to go out there and write as many citations as we can, Wetzel said. Its to go out there and save lives.
Central Wyoming College is facing more than a half a million dollars in cuts and is anticipating more in response to Wyomings steep revenue decline, legislative reductions to community college funding and 8 percent cuts announced by Gov. Matt Mead.

Central Wyoming is the latest of the seven state colleges to announce how it will face the states financial crisis. While it has thus far avoided eliminating programs, it will cut staff.

The college did not respond to a request for the number of positions being cut by press time.

The college said in a statement Tuesday that a task force gathered in the fall to prepare for likely cuts, and built a budget following the legislative session with a $1.9 million reduction annually over the next four years. In addition, they will trim $632,200 from the colleges 2016-17 budget to meet the governors cuts, the college announced.

The school is looking for ways to trim another $1.1 million.

School officials used faculty and staff association input before deciding on where to trim the budget, according to the press release.

Given the enormity of the reductions to revenue, it would have been impossible to make these budgetary adjustments exclusively through operations, said President Cristobal Valdez. However, we believe the planning and input by employees allowed us to mitigate the impact on personnel, continue to serve students into the future and protect the long-term sustainability of the college.

About 75 percent of the colleges budget is tied up in personnel costs.

The college reviewed staff in each department, vacant positions and early retirement incentives during its search for areas to cut. It will also pull money from transportation costs, institutional scholarships and general operations.
The mother of a Park Elementary student accosted on her way home from school says she was not interviewed during the districts formal investigation into the matter.

Amanda Huckabays 9-year-old daughter witnessed a man masturbating on April 19 after leaving school, according to police. Brenden Day was arrested later that afternoon based on the girls description and faces felony charges. Huckabay maintained Parks principal knew the man was in the area and did not alert parents or staff.

Because she was not interviewed during the districts formal investigation, Huckabay was surprised and disappointed to find out Wednesday the district cleared Principal Dawn DeWald of any wrongdoing.

Superintendent Steve Hopkins, however, said Huckabay was interviewed multiple times before the formal investigation. Those interviews, including one with Associate Superintendent Verba Echols, were entered into the investigations record. Huckabays public comments before the Board of Trustees on April 26 were also part of the investigation records, he said.

The investigation was conducted by the districts human resources department. Officials concluded that the police did not contact the school or the principal regarding a potential predator. DeWald was put on administrative leave during the investigation.

Huckabay stands by her original comments.

Policy, not principal

Huckabay said in an interview that she was not interested in placing blame on DeWald nor was she holding the district responsible for the incident. Rather, she, and other parents at Park, want a policy developed that lays out how to handle suspicious people near schools.

I want the focus to be on policy. How are we going to deal with this in the future? she said. I felt like the school district used [DeWald] like a scapegoat, instead of them saying we have an error. They let her take the fall for that.

There were local reports of indecent exposure in the area, Huckabay found out after her daughters experience. It was a terrifying prospect, the mother said.

Now the mother is calling on the district to be transparent about the investigation and its plans for change.

I think that parents want to know whats going on, she said. There might be action going on behind the scenes, but be transparent. Communicate with the public. Lets not have a hundred reports of a man masturbating in a certain neighborhood but not tell anybody.

The investigation

District spokesman Kelly Eastes said the Star-Tribune would have to file a public records request to obtain the details of the investigation.

This is extremely unfortunate that this happened, obviously, and we dont want it to happen again, he said. We have a system that does seem to work pretty well most of the time. When it doesnt work, we try to fix what didnt work. I dont know that I have all the answers on what didnt work yet. Obviously, I dont.

Hopkins said the district will continue to review its operations and protocol and is having ongoing discussions with the Casper, Mills and Evansville police departments, as well as the Natrona County Sheriffs Department.

We need to be vigilant about this  I have to say, the information to be vigilant about, has to come from law enforcement. Im very trusting of those agencies, he said. Were going to work with them, and we are going to work to see if there are areas to get better at.

But as to whether there was a breakdown in communication or a failure to address a dangerous situation, Hopkins said there was not.

There was not a specific threat to the school, nor to the other schools in the area, he said.

Police protocol

Casper police Sergeant Scott Jones echoed the district officials opinion on the matter.

Because of the sheer number of registered sex offenders in Casper, and the sheer volume of indecent exposure incidents the police receive, schools are notified only when there is sufficient cause, he said.

In this instance, there was not. The same week Day was arrested, another man was charged after exposing himself near the library.

I understand where the parents are coming from, he said. But given what we knew and what was going on, all the appropriate steps were taken, not only by the school, but by everyone concerned.

Police had been searching for a man who had exposed himself multiple times but were not looking near Park Elementary, Jones said.

That particular area of town wasnt even on our radar, he said. Rest assured if we have an active predator, (if) based on our information, he was a predatory offender going after kids, and we would throw every resource into finding him.

There was no evidence that Day was targeting children, or the schools, Jones said.

There is a rush to point fingers, he said. But at the end of the day it could have happened to anybody. Unfortunately, it was a child on her way home from school.
SHERIDAN  Bond was set at $20,000 cash for two men charged with aggravated assault, as details of a brutal weekend beating were released.

Dylan Dygert, 21, and Jacob Olson, 26, appeared in Sheridan County Circuit Court in connection with a fight early Sunday morning that left the victim, Clayton Denny, with serious head injuries.

Denny, 25, sustained a concussion, a broken facial bone and multiple head wounds that required stitches or staples. Denny, of Billings, Montana, is half African-American and half Chippewa and Cree, and told police the argument began after one of his assailants made a racial remark.

Court documents note that a Sheridan Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop just before 3 a.m. on May 8 and noticed Denny, the driver, was bleeding from various places on his head and face. He was transported by ambulance to Sheridan Memorial Hospital. Denny said he put his bike in his car at some point during the night.

Denny told officers that he had been jumped in the alley behind Beaver Creek Saloon.

Detective Jerome Smith of the Sheridan Police Department then reviewed footage from the bar that showed Dygert and Olson sitting together drinking. Denny approached, along with another man, and Denny and Olson shook hands. Soon after, the two appeared to argue and the man Denny was with stepped between the two.

As the arguing continued, the bartender directed Denny, Dygert and Olson out of the bar. The argument continued in the alley until Denny began walking away, moving out of sight of the camera.

Olson is then seen jogging after Denny. Dygert remained where he was for less than a minute before quickly walking down the alley in the direction the two had gone.

Roughly four to five minutes later, Denny walked back into view of the camera and made a phone call. He appeared to have trouble maintaining his balance and standing still, which was different from how he appeared before leaving the view of the camera, the document notes. At one point, he lost his balance and fell against a wall bordering the alley.

Smith, of the police department, met with Dygert in jail, where he was for an unrelated case. Smith noticed Dygerts right hand was swollen and cut. Dygert said he had been in a fight with Denny and had been drinking with Olson.

Dygert advised that he and Olson were attacked by Denny and were forced to defend themselves. Dygert said he and Olson both punched Denny while he was on the ground. He said they continued until they heard someone say, Hey, at which point they ran away. Smith saw what appeared to be blood on Dygerts shoes and an indicationthe document does not specify whatthat attempts had been made to wash the blood off.

In an interview with Smith, Denny said he had been drinking at the bar, met Dygert and Olson and got into an argument regarding a racial remark Olson had made. He said after being told to leave by the bartender, Denny remembered walking down the alley away from the two men.

The next thing he remembers [is] lying on his back in the alley and advised that either Dygert or Olson stomped on his head, the court document said.

Denny feared for his life because it didnt seem the two were going to stop punching him, the document notes.

After the incident, an unnamed witness at a different scene told officers that he or she heard Olson talking on his phone to mom, and heard Olson say he hurt someone and thought the person might be dead. He used the term kill multiple times, the witness told officers. The same witness heard Olson telling another person he had been in a fight with a black male at the Beaver Creek Saloon.

Olson also told officers that he acted in self-defense and continued to say so after learning that officers had video surveillance. He said he was not aware that Dygert had participated in the fight.

Olson had been out on bond at the time of the incident, and Dygert had been on probation. Olson has faced criminal charges in the past, including domestic battery, marijuana possession and driving under the influence.

Dygerts past charges include reckless driving and drinking while under the age of 21.

At least half a dozen people attended the court appearance Friday.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will hold the first of six public meetings on its environmental assessment of the federal coal program at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Casper Events Center.

The assessment prompted what is to be at least a three-year moratorium on new public coal leases. The analysis will take into account the impact of coal consumption on climate change, among other things.

Much of U.S. and Wyoming coal production occurs on federal land, with nearly all the coal mined in the Powder River Basin is on public land. That is roughly 40 percent of American production, and the vast majority of Wyoming's output.

The Wyoming Mining Association, the Friends of Coal and Cloud Peak Energy are hosting a rally for coal supporters in advance of the meeting. Environmentalists are also planning to have a presence at the meeting.
Most of the country nation is expected to see an average summer, but even that means thousands of wildfires, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said after a Tuesday briefing from the U.S. Forest Service, which is part of his department.

A five-year drought has left 40 million dead and dried-out trees in California, including 29 million that died last year alone, Vilsack said.

"This creates a tremendous hazard, potential hazard, for fires and firefighting this year," he said.

An El Nino weather pattern brought near-normal snowfall to parts of California last winter, but its forests need much more rain and snow to recover fully from the drought, Vilsack said.

Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said Southern California didn't benefit from the El Nino as much as the state's northern mountains.

He said the effects of drought will continue to kill California's trees for at least three more years.

Tidwell and Vilsack said the Forest Service  the primary federal wildfire-fighting agency  has 10,000 firefighters ready nationwide, along with more than 350 aircraft and 900 fire trucks.

Wildfires are increasing in number and intensity in the U.S., and the wildfire season has grown by 78 days since 1970, Tidwell said.

Last year, wildfires burned a record 15,800 square miles. Seven Forest Service firefighters died and 4,500 homes were damaged or destroyed.

Vilsack and Tidwell said climate change was responsible for the worsening fires.

"This is not weather," Tidwell said. "This is climate change. That's what we're dealing with."

Vilsack and Tidwell's warnings about the 2016 season largely echoed what forecasters at the National Interagency Fire Coordinating Center said two weeks ago when they issued their outlook for the summer months.

They said Hawaii, Alaska, California and other parts of the Southwest face an above-average threat. The potential for significant fires will be below average for much of Texas, the South and the southern Midwest, they said.

Sounding frustrated and impatient, Vilsack repeated his plea Tuesday for Congress to pay the cost of fighting the worst fires from disaster emergency funds, not the Forest Service budget.

The Forest Service says the largest 1 or 2 percent of wildfires account for about 30 percent of the costs.

Firefighting consumed more than half the Forest Service budget last year, draining money from forest management and other programs, Vilsack said. Fires will soon eat up two-thirds of the agency's budget, he said.

"Congress has an affirmative responsibility and duty to fix this problem," he said.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said money alone isn't enough. He said environmental regulations and lawsuits keep the Forest Service from culling enough fire-prone trees from the forests.
A chunk of land on the citys south side has been sold to a global transportation company.

Records from the Pima County Recorders Office show North Carolina-based Old Dominion Freight Line bought 9.4 acres of land at 3375 E. Corona Road from Business Park of the Desert LLC for $1.2 million.

The site of its future operation will be next to the new HomeGoods and FedEx facilities.

A spokeswoman for Old Dominion said the company was not prepared to make a public announcement of its plans .

The less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier is more than 80 years old and provides regional and national distribution, as well as logistics services.

Old Dominion currently has a Tucson service center on North Dragoon Street, west of Interstate 10 and Grant Road. It also has service centers in Phoenix and Flagstaff.

Other recent commercial transactions include:
The Navy has completed a series of test shots with a Raytheon ship-defense system, knocking down several targets in scenarios mimicking advanced threats to ships, the company said.

The SeaRAM Anti-ship Missile Defense System is a hybrid of two systems made by Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems  the Phalanx Block 1B Close-In Weapon System and the Rolling Airframe Missile ship-defense system.

The SeaRAM uses the Phalanxs automated, radar-guided fire control system and replaces its rapid-fire, 20-millimeter cannon with an 11-round Rolling Airframe Missile launcher.

The two test shots, conducted by the Navys Self Defense Test Ship off the coast of Southern California, included one in which two supersonic missiles were inbound simultaneously, flying in complex, evasive maneuvers, Raytheon said.

In both flights, the SeaRAM system detected and tracked and engaged the threats, and fired advanced Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2 guided missiles that intercepted the targets, the company said.

Rick Nelson, vice president of Raytheons naval and area mission defense product line, said in a news release the test showed the SeaRAM system has reached a new level of sophistication, intercepting targets under high-stress conditions.

The SeaRAM system is fitted on three of the Navys new Independence-class littoral combat ships with plans to mount the system on similar ships as they are fitted out.

In March, the Navy successfully test-fired the SeaRAM system from the USS Porter, the first of four U.S. guided missile destroyers based in Spain slated to get the SeaRAM.

Phalanx is installed on all U.S. Navy surface combatant ship classes and on those of 24 allied nations, Raytheon says. A land-based version has been deployed in Iraq and used to counter mortar shells and rockets.
Flowing Wells gets $10,000 for reading

The Flowing Wells Unified School District has received a $10,000 grant to help improve reading proficiency for young students.

A Read for Success $5,000 grant was awarded by Reading Is Fundamental, a national childrens literacy organization. United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona matched the grant.

Sahuarita student

to study in Japan

A Sahuarita High School freshman has been awarded a scholarship to study in Japan this summer.

Emily Castro was awarded the C.R. Bard Inc. scholarship. Winners were selected based on curiosity, ability to cope with failure, communicativeness, flexibility, sense of humor, sense of self, tolerance for differences, positive regard for others, open-mindedness and realistic expectations.

The scholarship was administered by Youth For Understanding USA, a nonprofit that advances intercultural understanding, mutual respect and social responsibility .

Pusch Ridge seniors receive Elks awards

Two Pusch Ridge Christian Academy seniors are winners of the Elks National Foundations Most Valuable Student Scholarship.

Cooper Barghols was awarded a $4,000 scholarship, and Cody Cropp received $1,570.

The scholarships honor students based on academic achievements, leadership skills, extracurricular activities and participation in community service.

Five students get founding documents

The Oro Valley Business Club along with Freedoms Foundation - Tucson gave seniors at five Tucson-area high schools graduation gifts.

Students from Basis Tucson North, Immaculate Heart, Pusch Ridge, Canyon del Oro and Ironwood Ridge were given pocket-size booklets of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

The organizations believe Americas youth need to understand the principles upon which the country was founded.

Marana preschool enrolling students

The Marana Unified School District is enrolling students for its Play and Learn Center preschool at Estes Elementary School.

Enrollment for the tuition-based school is open to families with children ages 3 to 5 across the Tucson-area.
A group of students at University High School are giving the gift of light to children at an orphanage in Kenya, Africa.

The Tucson teens are working with the organization We Share Solar to build a solar suitcase capable of powering three or four lights at night.

The students were awarded a $2,000 grant to cover the cost of the equipment and a few will travel across the globe to personally deliver the device this summer.

The effort was initiated by two brothers  Jonathan and Will Hewings  who formed a school club at the beginning of the spring semester after learning about the opportunity.

Their Humanitarian Technology Club is designed to explore ways technology can benefit people.

Five of the siblings classmates  Zachary Eckert, Emily Muirhead, Hassan Qureshi, Alex Blythe and Ian Schwind  jumped on board and the group came together on Saturday to assemble and wire the suitcase, which they tested by powering up their cell phones.

At the orphanage, where children live and learn, there is no electricity. The suitcase will likely be used to power three or four lights within a room for four to five hours when night falls, said Alan Jensen, a We Share Solar lead instructor who led the workshop at UHS, 421 N. Arcadia Ave.

We Share Solar is the educational outreach component of We Care Solar, an organization that creates solar suitcases for use in maternity clinics around the world.

For 16-year-old Will, who has helped assemble prosthetic hands for people in need and is interested in engineering, the humanitarian We Share Solar effort was appealing.

After seeing pictures of people suffering without electricity in Africa I thought it was necessary and our duty to help them, added 14-year-old Jonathan, who is interested in biology or engineering as a career.

To make it happen, the teens used their spring break to pitch the idea to the Rincon Rotary Club, which supported the effort with a $2,000 grant.

While the We Share Solar program is built on STEM  science, technology, engineering and math  concepts, it is bigger than that, Jensen said.

The most powerful thing is the humanitarian component where kids get to give something of themselves to people less fortunate in the world, he said. We take so much for granted here.
Tuesday is Election Day for the school-funding Proposition 123 and the public-safety pension Proposition 124.

Heres what you need to know about casting your ballot.

Polling locations

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pima County will have 124 polling locations open .

To find your polling place, search using the county election departments Web tool: web1.pima.gov/Elections/polling-locator

If you forgot to mail in your early ballot by the cutoff date, which was May 12, you can visit any polling place to turn it in.

Identification

On Election Day, you must bring proof of identification. Acceptable forms of identification are: valid Arizona drivers license, valid Arizona nonoperating ID card, tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification, valid U.S. federal, state or local government-issued identification.

If you do not have a photo ID, you can bring two of the following: utility bill or bank statement of the voter that is dated within 90 days of Election Day, a valid Arizona vehicle registration, Indian census card, property tax statement of the electors residence or a recorders certificate.

For a full list of acceptable documentation, visit: www.azsos.gov/elections/voting-election
Interstate 10 near San Simon has been re-opened Tuesday afternoon after an hours-long closure because of blowing dust. It's the third time in three days the 60-mile stretch of interstate has been closed to traffic.

ADOT employees and Arizona state troopers are stationed near the field at milepost 376 that is the source of the dust. ADOT and other agencies are working with the landowner to deal with the blowing dust, including spraying 320 acres of the field with water last week.

Eastbound traffic will detour on U.S. Highway 191 to Safford and then take U.S. 70 back to I-10 at Lordsburg, New Mexico. Westbound traffic will follow that route in the opposite direction. The detour is about 110 miles long.

The same stretch of I-10 was closed Sunday from about 10:30 a.m. to about 6:50 p.m. It was also closed for several hours Monday afternoon.

For tips on what to do if caught in a dust storm, visit: pullasidestayalive.org/

For updates on the latest highway conditions, visit the ADOT Traveler Information Center at az511.gov or call 511.
Its historic, said Abby Louise Jensen. Davin Franklin-Hicks called it a turning point.

When U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced the federal governments intention to challenge North Carolinas discriminatory law against transgender people, she made it clear about who would be on the right side  and the wrong side  of history.

We see you, Lynch said to Jensen and Franklin-Hicks and all other transgender individuals who have spent years battling for equal civil rights and to maintain their sexual identity and expression.

Lynch, who was born in North Carolina and cited Jim Crow laws and efforts to disarm desegregation laws in previous years, added: We stand with you; and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward. Please know that history is on your side.

Indeed, the march of history is on the side of a group of people who have been marginalized and, in many cases, live in fear and isolation.

Its absolutely mind-blowing. Were not used to the government supporting us, said Jensen, an appellate attorney for the Pima County public defender.

But theres no celebrating yet  even if the Obama administration issued strong guidelines to public schools Friday to let transgender students use bathrooms that match their sexual identity. There is a strong politicized movement to make transgender people the chupacabra in this years presidential election cycle by upholding North Carolinas new law and supporting other states banning transgender people equal access to public bathrooms.

North Carolinas Republican governor has refused to budge, citing state rights and accusing the federal government of overreach. Thats the same limp response earlier Southern governors made when their states refused to integrate public colleges, schools, bathrooms and drinking fountains.

Franklin-Hicks said North Carolinas House Bill 2 is a backlash to the success of same-sex marriage, and the increased visibility of transgender people in the media and public. Opponents to gay marriage lost and they have now targeted a new group, he added.

Its very easy to get people up in arms about it, said Franklin-Hicks, community relations manager for La Frontera Arizona. He and Jensen are co-chairs of the Tucson Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues.

The fight to keep people from peeing in the bathrooms of their choice is not new, said Jensen, a trans woman and a mother of three daughters, and Franklin-Hicks, a trans man who is married and adopted a son.

Three years ago, Republican state Sen. John Kavanagh of Fountain Hills sponsored legislation that would have made it a crime  including a six-month jail sentence  to use a restroom or shower that did not match a persons birth gender. While there is no current move afoot in the Republican-controlled legislature, Arizona filed a friend of the court brief in support of North Carolinas legal fight with the administration.

But guess what, folks?

Trans people have always used the bathroom of their choice, said Franklin-Hicks.

What is North Carolina going to do if its bathroom law is upheld? Station police officers to check peoples genitalia as they enter a public restroom?

Unless they stop every person, Jensen said, it will lead to unconstitutional profiling based on sex.

Really, this is not about who can and cannot use a public bathroom that conforms with their sexual identity, and its not about safety.

Its about demonizing a group of people for political gain. Its a political wedge issue pounding on the backs on transgender individuals who already face high rates of abuse, violence, depression and all the accompanying baggage.

We have seen this show before: blacks, undocumented immigrants, gays and lesbians, Muslims.

Just like the previous punitive legislative attacks on unprotected groups of people, the North Carolina bathroom law is based on fear and ignorance.

We cant be fearful and exclusionary of family members, co-workers, neighbors or people we dont know because of their sexual identity, Lynch  our first female, African-American attorney general  reminded us last week when she spoke truth to power:

But this is not a time to act out of fear, she said. This is a time to summon our national virtues of inclusivity, diversity, compassion and open-mindedness.
PHOENIX  Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Monday that could result in longer jail time for some protesters even as it gives additional rights to others.

Ducey penned his approval to HB 2548, which was originally crafted to forbid state universities and community colleges from unlawfully restricting a students right to speak. Rep. Paul Boyer, R-Phoenix, said he wanted to be sure that noncommercial expressive activity was protected on campuses, backed by the threat of a lawsuit.

But the final version of the measure signed by the governor allows judges to impose six-month jail terms on protesters who stop traffic headed to political rallies. The same penalty would apply to those who, after ignoring a warning, block anyone from heading to government meetings or hearings.

Ducey also signed HB 2615, which spells out that, with limited exceptions, community colleges and state-run universities cannot limit where the right of free speech can be exercised. The legislation applies to common areas of campuses and not inside the buildings themselves.

Rep. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, said the measure is a direct outgrowth of his experience when he was younger trying to hand out material about his church at Glendale Community College. He said college officials shunted students off to a designated free speech zone, a place that was nowhere near the people his group was trying to reach.

The new laws could most immediately affect a federal court lawsuit filed last year by two students at Paradise Valley Community College who said the school was illegally requiring groups to get permits and provide prior notice before any activities on campus. They also are objecting to a college policy that restricts those who want to demonstrate or hand out literature to certain areas of campus.

College officials have denied they are violating anyones rights.

But the most controversial provisions appear to be those aimed at protesters off campus.

It was crafted by Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, after protesters blocked Shea Boulevard in March to prevent Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump from getting to a rally in that community and to keep people from hearing him speak.

While it tied up traffic and several people were arrested, the event went on.

Kavanagh pointed out that existing law provides for a penalty of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine for blocking traffic.

He said thats fine for someone who is being rowdy on Mill Avenue in Tempe. But, Kavanagh argued  and his colleagues agreed  something more is appropriate for those who intentionally block access to government meetings, hearings and campaign events.

The new law, which takes effect Aug. 6, subjects those individuals to up to six months in jail and a $2,500 fine.

These bills protect free speech throughout our college campuses and also ensure an individuals right to engage in free speech isnt shut down by someone else who disagrees with his or her perspective, Ducey said in a prepared statement.

And gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said just having the enhanced penalty on the books should help.

That hopefully will create a deterrent for people intruding on others abilities, he said.

Theres a balance here of everyone getting their voice heard, Scarpinato said. And if someone is physically preventing someone from participating in exercising their constitutional rights, that is unacceptable.

Whether the measure is legal, however, remains to be seen.

Sen. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, said lawmakers cannot decide that a persons motive for blocking traffic makes him or her subject to a harsher penalty.

In fact, Farley said an argument could be made that the people blocking traffic were exercising their own First Amendment rights.

One mans blocking a political event is another mans expression of political beliefs, he said during Senate debate. Farley predicted the enhanced penalty will be struck down by the courts.

Kavanagh, however, had a different take on it.

To stop somebody from going to a political rally to hear a candidate is not furthering the First Amendment, he said. It is suppressing that persons First Amendment right to assembly.

Scarpinato said Ducey agrees.

The current law already addresses some of this, he said. This makes it more focused on these particular areas.

Kavanagh also rejected claims by other lawmakers that the only reason behind the legislation was to gain some publicity for Trump. He said the same protections would now apply to those who block access to anyones political event.

This can happen to any candidate because no side of the political spectrum is immune from having radical people who disrespect other peoples rights, he argued during the Senate debate. Both sides should be punished when they do that.

The governor also said that part of the university experience is to be able to express diverse views, openly, without fear of retribution or intimidation, and to be exposed to other views and perspectives, even if they arent politically correct or popular.

The section of HB 2548 that deals with campus free speech has some teeth.

It allows the attorney general or any student whose expressive rights were violated to bring a lawsuit in court. If a judge finds there was a violation, he or she must issue an injunction against the school and is required to have the offending institution pay reasonable court costs and reasonable attorney fees.
Ashley because a popular name for girls in the late 1980s and maintained its popularity in Arizona off an on for about 15 years. Actress Ashley Olson poses on the press line at a cocktail party for shoe designer Christian Louboutin hosted by Saks Fifth Avenue at S Bar in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)
On July 27, Rijiju said in the Lok Sabha that the BJPs ideology on the uniform civil code should be taken as the country's ideology on the same. Basil Islam | TwoCircles.net NEW DELHI  Union Minister Kiren Rijijus recent remarks on implementing the uniform civil code have re-ignited the debate on the viability of a uniform civil code and its possible...
Help India!

By TCN News

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Every six years, the California Board of Education reviews its History and Social Science frameworks in a multi-year series of public hearings. These hearings are meant to be part of a transparent process where members of the academic and general community from across the state can weigh in on what the children of the State of California will learn in history and the social sciences, from kindergarten to twelfth grade.

This process has now become a battleground for Hindu fundamentalists. Since 2006, organizations like The Hindu American Foundation, the Hindu Education foundation, the Uberoi Foundation, and Californiahindus.org have invested thousands of dollars into fact-obscuring campaigns to erase from our textbooks the Hindu religions history of caste-based and gender-based inequities and violence.

The stakes are extremely high in this process, as the California and Texas textbook markets set the standards for the rest of the US.

The South Asian Histories for All Coalition which is a coalition of teachers, students, parents, and community members and includes Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis; Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and atheists is challenging attempts by well-funded Hindutva groups in their attempt to rewrite history of Hinduism and South Asia.

In a statement the Coalition said, we believe California students deserve a balanced and fact-based history, not a partisan history.

We believe that All histories  including that of California and the United States  comprise facts that may be difficult and complex in hindsight, but must be understood in order to build a stronger democratic future for our children. We do not support the manipulation of historical facts for the purposes of pushing a fundamentalist religious-political agenda. We believe that our children should learn fact-based history, with evidence from rigorous established scholarship.

The Coalition is organizing an online petition to lobby support for their position. The petition lists following points about changes proposed by the Hindutva groups:

Erasing Dalit and downplaying the violent segregationist history of the caste system.

Erasing the origin of caste as stemming from the Hindu scripture.

Eliminating the history of gender inequalities present in Hindu historical scriptures.

Establishing Hinduism as the original religion of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Erasing the autonomy of the Sikh Religion and stripping the identity of Sikh immigrants.

Erasing the complex histories of Islam in South Asia that portray Islam as violent, and Mughal rulers as a monolithic invading force in South Asian history.

California Board of Education is expected to vote on May 19-20, 2016. The online petition has so far gathered over 3,500 signatures.

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/dont-erase-our-history


Help India!

M Wadood Sajid,

The terrestrial distance between the two cities in Uttar Pradesh i.e. Bareilly and Deoband is barely 299 km, yet, ideologically they are thousands miles away from each other. This distance has lengthened not in years but decades.

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Recently a coterie of the so called Sufis, in a conference held in Delhi, and allegedly sponsored by the Government, widened this ideological gap by millions of miles and the chances of any reduction of this distance had thus become bleaker and bleaker.







The Conference openly declared Deoband the epicentre of terrorism and, barring itself, this imprudent coterie branded all other sects not only extremist but condemned them as terrorists as well. Wahabi (Ahl-e-Hadis), Deobandi, Jamat-e-Islami and Tableeghi Jamaat were mentioned by names and efforts were made to impress upon the Government that all of them are the source of terrorism and there is no greater patriot and peace loving group than us.

This childish, as a matter of fact shameful, campaign started bearing fruits pretty quickly. Around a dozen ordinary and simple youth from Delhi while offering their prayers were accused of and picked [by police] for terrorism. One of them belonged to Deoband.

Residents of Deoband say that the youth in question is very well behaved and belongs to Tableeghi Jamaat. He is one of the 13 other youths, whose 10 days remand has been given to police by the court.

If in such a prevailing environment [of gloom], when the millions of miles distance between Bareilly and Deoband suddenly shrank how could a sensitive and weak person like me control his tears?

On 8th of May, at about 1:37PM, news was broadcast by a WhatsApp Group Breaking News, saying that, Maulana Tauqeer Raza is reported to have arrived in Deoband. Instantly I commented on this saying, After a long, long period such heartening news has come and if this is true then today I am the most fortunate person on earth.

After this the advisor to Maulana Arshad Madani, Maulana Fazlur-Rehman phoned me and what he said brought tears to my eyes and my voice choked with emotion. After that I could say nothing more than I wish my generation is able to witness practical unity of Muslims and they may thus be protected from various disasters and tragedies.

Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan belongs to the family of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan of the Bareilly sect. In their beliefs Deobandis and Bareilvis are poles apart.

I have never seen any other sect as socially and politically distanced from each other as these two sects. From this point of view Maulana Tauqeer Raza khans arrival in Deoband was definitely an [extraordinary] event.

Maualana Tauqeer Raza Khan had gone to Deoband to express his sympathies with the family of the youth who had been picked by the Special Cell of Delhi Police. There he also expressed the desire to see the ulema of Deoband. Since Maulana Arshad Madani was not in Deoband at that time, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan was advised to go to the guesthouse of Darul Uloom Deoband that he readily accepted. [Both of them follow Hanafi School of Thought but have become a separate sects in matters bordering negation of one by the other. These differences how much strong they may be, can be eliminated provided some sensible ulema are able to take a bold stand. For example Deobandis should rephrase or remove sentences and phrases in the books of their stalwarts that seem to have created misunderstandings. Needless to say that these sentences have nothing to do with faith:- UMM]

At the guesthouse he was received by the rector of Darul Uloom Deoband Maulana Abul Qasim Naumani and member of Reception and spokesperson Maulana Ashraf Usmani.

Darul Uloom Deoband is an institution that keeps being visited by the seekers of knowledge and scholars both. Therefore, from this point this was not a news at all. But the visit of Tauqeer Raza Khan became big news. This gives us an idea of the distance that exists between the ulema and followers of these two sects.

The warm reception given to Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan by the residents of Deoband and those connected to the Darul Uloom is a proof of their sincerity and large-heartedness. But then not to recognise the generosity of Tauqeer Raza Khan himself would be tantamount to narrow-mindedness because it is the Bareilly sect whose followers adopt extreme attitudes about meeting or not meeting [Deobandis]. In such a background any initiative from them was a great news in itself.

Thousands of followers of Deobandi School have welcomed this development. Thousands of my Facebook friends shared and spread my post further. I was, however, saddened to see that many from Bareilly School have harshly condemned and cursed Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan for his initiative. The right to differ and express ones dissent is one thing but the manner this dissent has been expressed is very painful. My aforementioned Facebook comment was reacted to with abusive posts and Deobandi scholars were also cursed and sworn at as well.

On his return in Bareilly, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan faced great difficulty in reaching his seminary and his residence. According to some of the sources his own family members have rebelled against him. Demonstrations have been held in streets against him.

At this time of test it was Deoband itself that came to his help and Ashraf Usmani phoned a distinguished personality of Bareilly and reported to him whatever Maualana Tauqeer Raza Khan had declared at the guesthouse. He had said, I have come to Deoband because of human sympathy and for the unity of Muslims but cannot compromise on my beliefs. As a Muslim I want unity.

Obviously Deobandi scholars had not extended him any invitation. But when of his own he went there they received him with open arms. They did not raise any sectarian issue. An eye witness said while talking about Muslim unity Maulana Tauqeer Raza burst into tears profusely and said, If we continue fighting for sectarian differences like this, the world then would eliminate us altogether. It is learnt that Maulana Ashraf Usmanis statement was audio-recorded and was then played to [angry mobs] on the streets of Bareilly. It was only after this that the anger of his followers against him could be mollified.

Here I think it necessary to narrate an incident that took place 30-35 years ago. A distinguished personality of Saharanpur and rector of Jamia Ghosia, Hakeem Mohammad Ahmad, who has died recently, used to invite my father who followed Deoband School, in every literary programme organised at his residence.

One day I went in his gathering without my father. I was young but his friends thought that I had a mature thinking. That day, while mentioning an incident of Jesus (Peace be upon him) in Surah Maryam (19:30) I translated    as, Jesus said I am the bandah (servant) of Allah. This enraged Hakeem Sahebs friends. They asked me to replace bandah with something else. Why on earth are you objecting to bandah? I queried.

What they said stunned me. The letters in bandah are used in Deoband as well. Therefore some other word should be used in translation. They replied.

Hearing my arguments they got suspicious and asked Hakeem Saheb, What is the maslak [faith] of this boy? Hakeem saheb replied, All the doors are yet open for him.

When I narrated this incident to my father he smiled and said, Its not that I have deviated from my Deobandi maslak. I strictly follow the maslak of my ancestors. However, the time is coming when Indian Muslims will not be able to bear the burden of the curse of sectarian hatred. I see him [Hakeem Mohammad Ahmad] because I want to lessen this sectarian hatred [between us].

I do not have any doubt about this initiative by Tauqeer Raza Khan. He wants unity of Muslims and wants it to fight an extremely painful situation. Tauqeer Raza Khans critics are opposing him for their political motives. He is deeply disturbed at the unending series of arrests and detention of Muslim youths while his opponents are openly calling others terrorists. In this scenario this becomes a duty of all the scholars of Deoband, Tableeghi Jamaat, Jamaet-e-Islami and other sects to keep following their maslaks but, at the same time, extend the hand of friendship towards Bareilvis for collective benefit. Not only there should be no discussion on ideological and sectarian differences but efforts should be made to end sectarianism and extremism. If the ulema do not rise to the call of the time and do not go forward then this golden opportunity may never come again.

Translated by Urdu Media Monitor.Com from Daily Jadid Khabar, Delhi, 17 May 2016
Help India!

By Umar Nizar for TwoCircles.net,

Before Narendra Modi, two others mistook Malayalees for Somalis. They were marines guarding an Italian vessel, Enrica Lexie- Maximilliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone. One of them has since been repatriated and the other still languishes under an `Assange-like house arrest.

The journal `Outlook once called Kerala, Indias biggest hoax, and rightly so. All that is progressive and laudable about Kerala can be summed up in one word, `remittances. Though the popular destination for Malayalees seeking jobs abroad still remains the Gulf countries, the pioneer emigrants from the state were not Malabar Muslims, but Christians from Central Travancore who migrated to the United States in the 1950s.

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The myth of global Muslim affluence and bounty is dispelled by the mere mention of Somalia, know not for its pastoral traditions, but for famines that plague this East African nation with a rich heritage. But Kerala being what it is, the taunt was taken as a general assault on the state as such. Even before the Modi-taunt which was related to a fake video that was circulated online of children feeding from garbage pails, Somalia has always been in the horizon, as a supposedly derogatory adjective to classify dark-skinned people.

Evangelical Christian and Muslim organizations also hint at the relative affluence of their respective communities. The fishing community, once cosmopolitan has been radicalized on communal lines and their erstwhile way of living is increasingly being rendered unfeasible. Once they interpreted for Vasco da Gama, and now they get shot at and killed by Italian marines. Salah Punathil writes:  At several times, the religious identity of the Marakkayars as Muslims was depicted as something dangerous, as their religion had always been perceived as a threat to the law and order. Such notions hinge on Muslim identity, enabled by reproducing old and new stereotypes of Muslims operating both at the local and global levels. At the local level, Beemapalli is identified along with the Muslim-dominated district called Malappuram in north Kerala and labelled as an unruly territory.

The Mappila School Of Sociology

The educational system in the state is a shambles due to politicking as well as academic pettiness. A large number of Muslim students from Northern Kerala seek education outside their state in India and abroad. JNU in New Delhi is home to a large section of them. So is AMU (the University even had to start a local centre, there were also rumours of radicalization). One could be forgiven for mistakenly taking Arabic to be their topic of choice. It is not. Rather, most of them prefer sociology, or even history. The Centre for Study of Social Systems at JNU in New Delhi has been a second home to many scholars from Malabar. Following the shift in the demographic profile of students in JNU and the implementation of the Mandal Commission Report, students from North Kerala have increasingly made it to this elite centre of higher learning. There are guidance organizations like the CIGI (Centre for Information and Guidance India) which have been instrumental in facilitating this influx. CIGI, an avowedly non-sectarian organization is one of the largest career guidance networks in India. Also crucial in this context have been the various seminaries under the Darul Huda Islamic `University in Malappuram, which models itself on Middle-Eastern and North African centres of learning, aspires to some kind of medieval Islamic glory and imparts classical and modern education at subsidised or pro bono terms to students from deprived sections. On their website, Darul Huda describes itself as, Darul Huda is a grand mix of young boy students in 8-23 age-group coming from various parts of the country and from rich/poor and educated/uneducated family backgrounds. Darul Huda life brings them up with a great brotherly feeling and familial solidarity irrespective of their family status and parental standings

By various quirks of fortune and the egregious ways in which scholarships are dispensed by foreign universities, some of the alumnus of the seminary have made to universities like Leiden in the Netherlands. They occupy a luminal position vis-a-vis mainstream Islam, located at a vantage point to look at Muslim society while at the same time being privileged enough to analyse it as participant observers. The Wikipedia page on the seminary puts it rather eloquently: Students of Darul Huda have also studied abroad at major institutions includingUniversity of California, Berkeley, International Islamic University Malaysia, Al-Azhar University, Egypt and Leiden University, the Netherlands. 

Many of the Mappila sociologists are affiliated to various religious groups that proliferate in this region of Kerala. At first the pole star of their cosmos was Ali Shariati, a controversial ideologue of the Iranian revolution, whose name incidentally figures in a positive light in Ashish Nandys retracted article. Nandy wrote, The victims still derive solace from their religions and, when under attack, they cling more passionately to faith. Indeed, shallow ideologies of secularism have simultaneously broken the back of Gandhism and discouraged the emergence of figures like Ali Shariatis, Desmond Tutus and the Dalai Lama  persons who can give suffering a new voice audible to the poor and the powerless and make a creative intervention possible from within worldviews accessible to the people.. But recently it is Talal Asad, whose star is on the ascent.

The age of Asad:

Talal Asads initial claim to fame was that he was the son of Muhammad Asad, a Jewish convert to Islam, who wrote `The Road to Mecca. This book looks at Islam through the eye of a sympathetic westerner and has been a hit with western educated Muslims everywhere. No other writer since Edward Said has captured the imagination of the Muslim academic as Talal Asad. In his work, `Formations of the Secular: Christianity, Islam, Modernity, Asad says that: `The secular, I argue, is neither continuous with the religious that supposedly preceded it (that is, it is not the latest phase of a sacred origin) nor a simple break from it (that is, it is not the opposite, an essence that excludes the sacred). I take the secular to be a concept that brings together certain behaviors, knowledges, and sensibilities in modern life. Works like `The Politics of Piety by Saba Mahmood have been influential. But curiously, none of these works cut closer to home and most of the Malabar Muslim sociologists choose to protect their fiefdom from outside interpretation.

(Author is a research scholar at JNU)


Help India!

The HAF and its allies may have PR machinery and hundreds of thousands of dollars in their war chest to selectively change textbooks, but they are still on the wrong side of history and humanity.

By Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Abdullah Momin, Harjit Kaur and Anasuya Sengupta,

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Suhag A Shukla and the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) continue to obsess with rhetoric rather than facts, as seen in the article titled Erasing Facts: What SAFG activists have really done to Hinduism and India in California textbooks. The HAF alliance of conservative Hindu groups refuses to acknowledge the bigotry behind their relentless push to make changes to the California curriculum. Their efforts have drawn criticism from a wide spectrum of the South Asian diaspora in the United States, including scholars of history from premier educational institutions, as well as the South Asian Histories for All Coalition which represents progressive Hindus, Dalits, Sikhs, Muslims, Ravidassias, Buddhists and Christians. The HAF alliance seeks changes that can only be described as ahistorical edits to history textbooks, under the unfortunate guise of protecting the self-esteem of Hindu American students.

The sum of the HAF Alliances recommended edits to the California textbook frameworks reflects a dangerous attempt to equate India solely with the Hindu tradition and to either appropriate or other the many diverse religious traditions of the region. They include a suppression of the religious origins of the caste system, erasing the word Dalit, stripping Sikh immigrants of their Sikh identity, expunging Guru Nanaks celebrated denouncement of caste, and inserting Islamophobic statements.

Rather than descending to similar rhetorical and hyperbolic commentary, the South Asian Histories for All coalition would like to focus on the direct edits from the HAF alliance, that attack various religious traditions and South Asian identities.

Sikhism

The Sikh tradition is sought to be grossly misrepresented in the edits submitted by HAF and its allies. The current text in Chapter 11 of the Grade 7 textbook contains multiple references to Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, as a social reformer who challenged the authority of Brahmins and the caste order. HAF and its collaborators have petitioned the California Board to expunge any mention of Guru Nanaks well-established denouncement of caste.

Sikhism as a distinct religion grew out of a resistance to inherent caste bias within Hindu society. It is therefore not surprising that the Hindu American alliance has submitted three different comments, in an attempt to try to erase an essential element of Sikhisms foundational history. To erase Guru Nanaks repudiation of caste is to disavow the founding of the Sikh religion, something HAF is not averse to, given it has attempted in other edits to suppress Sikhisms autonomy and strip Sikh immigrants of their Sikh identity.







This revisionism of the founding of Sikhism fits in neatly with the HAF alliances relentless efforts to undermine the authenticity of resistance movements against the caste system. It is also aligned with the Hindu nationalist position of either erasing other religious traditions by co-opting them as sects of Hinduism, or by denouncing them as foreign faiths that were brought into India by invaders or missionaries.

Islam

Another ally of the HAF is the Hindu Education Foundation (HEF). This group is an educational project of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh and a member of the family of organisations that make up the Hindu fundamentalist ecosystem.

The HEFs ideological underpinnings are revealed in its suggested edits on Islam. The comments portray Islam as violent, and Mughal rulers as a monolithic invading force in South Asian history. These edits remove all references to the religious harmony and syncretic traditions promoted by several Mughal rulers.

For instance, the current text of the Grade 7 textbook on World History states, other Mughal rulers, most notably Akbar, encouraged and accelerated the blending of Hindu and Islamic beliefs as well as architectural and artistic forms. The HAF led alliance would like this historical fact to be replaced with, During this period, the Central and Southern parts of India saw the emergence of native empires that offered resistance to the hegemony and persecution of the Mughal rulers. Prominent among them was the Maratha empire established in 1618 CE by Shivaji Maharaj, which saw a resurgence of Hindu culture and traditions.







This characterisation of Mughal rule as a hegemony marked by persecution of Hindus, flies in the face of several historical facts. For instance, Aurangzebs army that fought Shivajis Maratha warriors were comprised mainly of Rajput Hindus, and the Mughal rulers greatest ally against Shivaji was Mirza Raja Jai Singh, the Hindu ruler of the kingdom of Amber. Shivaji appointed a Muslim, Darya Darang as the Chief of the Navy, and a significant portion of Shivajis army and navy comprised of Muslims. In addition, the Maratha invasion of Bengal that lasted a decade starting in 1741 resulted in the slaughter of about 4,00,000 Bengalis, mostly Hindus, by their Hindu brethren.

What these facts demonstrate is that Indian history has always been complex, and far more nuanced than the overarching and binary Hindus versus Muslims narrative espoused by the Hindu nationalist movement in India, and by the HAF and its collaborators in the US. That both Mughal and Hindu rulers embraced diversity, or that Hindu kings fought each other just as often, are inconvenient truths that do not fit their narrow ideological confines.

HAFs attempts to revise California textbooks seek to supplant historical facts with a bleak and falsified rhetoric of Indian history as a perpetual battleground, not between competing kings but between invading Muslim rulers and a victim Hindu population. To link this historical revisionism with the self-esteem of Hindu American children is a cynical use of children as pawns in an ideological battle.

The alliances push to colour history with a specific ideological tinge includes an attempt to negate Islams prominence in the region centuries before the modern nation state of India came into existence. The same Grade 7 textbook quoted earlier states: Islam became firmly established politically in the north as well as in some coastal towns and parts of the Deccan Plateau, although the majority of the population of South Asia remained Hindu. The alliance would prefer this to be entirely replaced by fulsome praise for the Hindu Vijayanagara empire, that upheld and followed the oppressive caste system.

The Uberoi Foundation, another HAF ally, has sought other anti-Islam edits. For instance, the Grade 7 textbook says: Muslims did not force Christians or Jews, people of the book, to convert, but people of other religions were sometimes forced to convert. Uberoi Foundations suggested change: Muslims did not force Christians or Jews, people of the book, to convert, but people of other religions were forced to convert most of the time in India as well as in other countries such as in central Asia.
New film under fire

Guy Ritchie's new Knight's of the Round Table --King Arthurmovie is facing being dumped on the cutting room's floor following a Facebook revolt by history enthusiasts intent on boycotting the Film.Originally planned for release in early 2016, the film was postponed until July 2016, but in light of the threat of a major boycott, has now been postponed further until February 2017. With fears of a stock exchange collapse to the value of their shares, Warner Bros film studiosare running scared from a growing movement of people calling into question the fairy tale events of ancient British history which Guy Ritchie is peddling on behalf of a German royal dynasty.

Championed by historical detectives Alan Wilson and Baram Blackett, the real story of King Arthur differs greatly from the romantic fiction which the 15th century French writer Chretien de Troys wrote. Blaming the 12th century historian Geoffrey of Monmouth for rolling two King Arthurs into one, the ancient Khumry manuscripts chronicle at least five King Arthurs throughout ancient British history, of which the first fought theRomans and the second fought the Saxons.

Labeled barbaric and uncivilized Celts by historians in allegiance with a succession of European royal dynasties, the ancient Khumry records paint a very different picture of British history than what is being taught in schools today.Starring Charlie Hunnam, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Eric Bana and Jude Law, thefairy tale that a pauper from ancient Londinium pulled a sword from a stone to become King of all Britain couldn't be further from the truth.

King Arthur I son of Magnus Maximus of the late 4th Century AD and King Arthur II of the late 6th Century AD, can both trace their family lines back to the British Emperor Constantine the Great and back further to the Holy family itself which entered Britain in AD 37.

Going where other historians fear to tread, Alan Wilson and Baram Blackett claim to know the location of the Ark of the Covenant, King Arthur II'sgrave and even where the body of Jesus Christ rests.

Everything we know about our ancient history is wrong. The Roman's never conquered Britain. The Khumry, (wrongly named as the Celts,) were a mighty civilization and the demise of the Arthurian Kingdom and the advent of the Dark Ages was due to asteroid debris hitting Britain around 562 AD.

With Guy Ritchie facing family problems outsideof the Hollywood studios he directs for, his goal of making six King Arthur movies appears to be fading fast.

With the rumour ofa rival King Arthur movie, being made by independent British movie makers, and with the backing of billionaire Richard Branson, it would seem the fable of a King being crowned by pulling a sword from a stone will finally be laid to rest.

The ancient prophecy says that King Arthur will return in our nation's darkest hour. That hour is fast approaching.
Office-sharing is answer to high rentals Updated: 2012-07-09 10:28 By Wu Yiyao in Shanghai (China Daily)

Two young entrepreneurs working at their chair-unit companies in an office in downtown Shanghai. People, or chair members in the office known as xindanwei, are from almost every track of life working under the same roof and finding inspiration and solutions together. The business style has been well received by small individual businesses striving to survive in the current high rental market in Shanghai. [Photo / China Daily]

Small businesses subscribe to the concept of xindanwei in Shanghai

In an office in downtown Shanghai, a product manager sits beside a painter, while a program developer discusses his new project with a language teacher. Just around the corner a couple is hosting their wedding party which many people in the same office were attending.

One may wonder what sort of company can organize an office like this with such a variety of professionals gathering in one work unit, or xindanwei, to conduct totally different business every day.

Xindanwei refers to a micro working space which could be as small as only a place for desk and chairs. The concept is proving to be well received by small individual businesses striving to survive in the current high rental situation in Shanghai.

Being the first of its kind in China, xindanwei offers affordable shared space for small and tiny businesses and startup entrepreneurs who want to lease desks and chairs. By becoming a "chair member" at a cost starting at 500 yuan ($79) a month, one can work in a shared office in one of the three xindanwei properties and join a community that hosts freelancers and business people of different expertise.

People from almost every track of life work under the same roof find inspiration and solutions.

A chair member can also have access to meeting rooms, catering and other services for an extra charge.

Stfanie Valle, an artist from Canada, said in a talk shared with chair members that co-working is a component of success for this stage of her journey in Shanghai. It stimulates ideas and enables her to have companions and fun in a working environment.

"Co-working enables me to have an open heart, a completely open heart," said Patric Cai, 42, who was then China chief executive officer at Sage Software, speaking in a video made with other chair members.

In recent years Shanghai has introduced several favorable policies to startup enterprises, especially micro-sized and small ones. Many people in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, especially young people who have just left college, are thinking about starting their own businesses.

However, rent for office buildings, which accounts for a large portion of costs, is quite often too expensive for small businesses.

In the second quarter of 2012, average rents of grade A office buildings in Shanghai saw 4.08 percent year-on-year growth, rising to 6.8 yuan a square meter a day, with growth in Jing'an, one of Shanghai's busiest downtown areas hitting 13.26 percent. The vacancy rate of grade A office building in Shanghai in the first six months of this year is about 8.81 percent, according to DTZ, one of the largest property services companies in the world.

Even in some creative industry cluster parks in Shanghai, which offer leased offices at a price lower than the city's average, a 100 square meter office may cost up to 12,000 yuan a month, according to loft-sh.com, a Shanghai-based office leasing information website.

When Liu Yan, CEO of Xindanwei Co, and Chen Xu, Xindanwei's chief financial officer, returned from their studies abroad in late 2000, they thought about setting up a shared space for startups which are similar to the shared offices that have been popular in Western countries for years.

The pattern of co-working originated in Silicon Valley in the United States and has been developing well in some European countries, such as the United Kingdom. In a shared office, freelancers, craftsmen and business teams with fewer than 10 staff members can work under the same roof and share many essential facilities such as meeting rooms, presentation equipment, maintenance services and catering without renting an entire floor or a whole office.

Co-working requires a strong awareness of the demands of sharing, cooperation and an open-minded nature," said Chen. When Xindanwei started three years ago, up to 90 percent of members at that time were expatriates and only 10 percent of members were Chinese startup entrepreneurs.

Now the ratio is about half and half. Chen said co-founders are quite happy with the situation.

"Our goal is to bring communities together, to make Xindanwei a window to businesses from other countries and also a link to the world for Chinese startups," said Chen.

In 2009 when Xindanwei Co opened its first property for rent, only 15 percent of spaces were leased out. Now it is 90 percent in three properties featuring business clusters of art, ecological design and health-related industries. Another one is going to open later this month at Sinan Mansion based on space design.

"We are looking to managing communities and achieving sharing and mutual inspiration on the greatest scale," said Chen.

Alongside renting space, Xindanwei runs a series of events for members to meet new people, explore new business opportunities and get inspired by those who have already succeeded.

Xindanwei hosts a weekly gathering every Friday at which the public is invited to hear from experts in various fields such as social sciences, space design, urban planning, artists and program developers who are willing to share their learning and give presentations on whatever topics the co-workers find interesting and informative.

For property managers, the other side of the co-working coin is the high turnover of tenants, which is problematic for cash flow.

"Every month we have new people join us but some move out because they have grown large and need more spacious places. Some projects are suspended so some people leave, which sets a significant challenge for our cash flow," said Chen.

"It is quite a creative idea to make the office smaller and segmented and, if some creative industry clusters and parks borrow the pattern, it may change the story of office buildings in Shanghai," said Zhang Hailiang, an analyst with Xinyuan Property Agency in Shanghai.

A risk for such realty usage is that other owners of property may copy Xindanwei Co's business model. If they have better locations and stronger financial power, they may represent fierce competition, said Zhang.

Also, because all the properties are leased from other owners, the risk of landlords defaulting must not be ruled out.

Chen said Xindanwei Co is considering cooperating with international companies and, if possible, local authorities to see if Xindanwei can be upgraded to a powerhouse of sources so when a foreign firm wants to open an office in Shanghai, Xindanwei can be its stepping stone and a base for early operations.

To expand its services and make further connections, collaborations, networking and sharing of ideas, Xindanwei introduced several value-added services to members, including xinguwen, a business consulting service for newcomers that enables members to have easy access to information concerning research, development and marketing of their services and products.

The consulting service now accounts for about 10 percent of Xindanwei's monthly revenue, said Chen.

Aaron Kowalski, a 30-year-old startup entrepreneur in Shanghai, is one of the co-workers at Xindanwei. As a general manger of Intelamatrix China, a product and service utilizing ultrasound technology for commercial and personal use, Kowalski is looking forward to opportunities to promote his products in China. Kowalski started working at Xindanwei at the end of May.

"My working environment before then was either from my apartment or a Starbucks outlet. In those environments, although I have the best intentions to work hard, it's easy to get discouraged and down on yourself and not feel like you are accomplishing anything. Renting a space and legitimizing our company has become a natural progression," he said.

It is fantastic to be a co-working member, said Kowalski, not only to be working with like-minded people, but like-minded people in the same industry.

"Who would understand your pains and struggle anywhere else?" he added.

wuyiyao@chinadaily.com.cn
Uncertainty is casting pall on tourism sector Updated: 2016-05-17 02:49 By An Baijie and Hu Meidong(China Daily)

Editor's note

: China Daily is publishing a series of reports on cross-Straits relations ahead of Taiwan's new leader taking office. The reports are jointly compiled with the Taipei-based China Post. This, the second in the series, looks at the tourism sector. It is by China Daily reporters An Baijie and Hu Meidong and the China Post news staff.

Tourism operators from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, already experiencing a drop in numbers, fear an even greater drop if cross-Straits relations take a turn for the worse after Tsai Ing-wen takes office as the island's leader on Friday.

Tourism manager Zhang Siwei found that promoting Taiwan-bound trips among Chinese mainland customers this year has been harder than before.

Zhang is vice-general manager of Strait High-Speed Tourism of Pingtan. The company operates the Haixiahao, a high-speed ferry launched in 2011 between Taipei and Pingtan, the closest point to the island on the Chinese mainland.

Passenger numbers declined sharply in April  normally a busy month for Taiwan-bound tourism agencies  compared with the same period over the past few years.

"During its peak period in April 2014, there were more than 17,000 passengers commuting across the straits on the Haixiahao. Even in April last year, when the ferry underwent repairs and was out of service for some days, passenger numbers were still more than 12,000. However, only about 8,000 traveled on the ferry this April," he said.

He attributed the drop to the island's power handover.

"Many mainland people are reluctant to travel to Taiwan at a time when the cross-Straits ties are facing uncertainties caused by the handover of the island's political power," he said.

His worries have increased amid recent indications that Tsai, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, might not accept the 1992 consensus, which has the one-China principle at its core.

In March, Zhang Zhijun, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that Tsai should clarify her understanding of cross-Straits relations.

Her view of the consensus remains ambiguous and she has said only that she is willing to "maintain the status quo".

Cross-Straits relations could now be affected by "unknown factors", he said.

Tien Yi-show, chairman of the Taiwan Travel Industry Association in Taipei, said of Tsai and the consensus that "it looks like she is going to skip that line. If that is the case, I can tell that hard times are soon to come."

The passenger decline in the past few months is not just reflected by the number of those traveling on the ferry.

The Taiwan tourism sector  the first to face an immediate hit if cross-Straits relations turn sour  has seen a fall in the number of mainland Chinese tourists in general, with tour bus companies, hotels, restaurants and travel agencies complaining about the downturn.

Recent statistics released by the island's Tourism Bureau show that since the beginning of May, the number of mainland Chinese tourists traveling in groups dropped on a daily average by about 33 percent  or 1,650 people from the 5,000 recorded over the same period last year.

Robert Huang, a Taipei travel agent providing tours for Chinese mainland tourists, said these visitors accounted for a quarter of the 10.44 million tourists visiting Taiwan last year.

The 4.1 million tourists from the Chinese mainland last year alone contributed revenue of NT$20 billion ($612.4 million) to local tourism and related sectors, Huang said.

"Earlier this month, the number of these visitors during the May Day holiday dropped sharply," Huang said. "I am afraid there will be a further drop after Tsai is sworn in."

Figures from immigration authorities in Taiwan show that although 4,736 mainland tourists traveled to Taiwan on May 1, the number fell to 4,171 on May 2 and further decreased to 2,868 on May 3 and 2,930 on May 4.

This represented lost business income of $5.5 million compared with the same period last year.

"Tour bus operators have been the hardest hit, as many of them bought new buses to meet the rising demand during the tourism boom over the past eight years of cross-Straits rapprochement," said Tien, the Taiwan Travel Industry Association chairman.

"A number of these operators still have to pay for loans, in some cases up to NT$1 million a month, for the new buses," Tien added

Chiang Chi-hsing, honorary chairman of the Kaohsiung City Tour Bus Association, said that with slightly more than 4 million visits made by Chinese mainland tourists in Taiwan last year, at least 6,000 tour buses were needed to carry them.

"The new government has said we can explore other sources of visitors from Southeast Asia or elsewhere, but what it said is highly unprofessional," Chiang said, adding that Taiwan has long tried to bring in more people from these areas but with little success.

"We don't have enough tour guides able to speak fluent Vietnamese, Thai," or other languages, and "we don't have the necessary software and facilities to entertain those visitors," Chiang added.

Huang said his company has expanded its business to Europe and the United States in the past year, mindful of a possible change in cross-Strait relations if the DPP took power.

"It is OK with us as we made our move fast, but for those who mostly rely on Chinese mainland tourists, it will be a difficult time."

Meanwhile, hotels and restaurants relying on mainland tourists have also reported a drop of 20 to 30 percent in business.

Tien predicted that a number of such operations might have to shut down if cross-Straits relations turn sour. "Our economy is tipped to suffer if the situation worsens," he said.

In April, China Eastern Airlines suspended its flights from Taichung to Wuhan, which had been in operation for three years.

The company did not elaborate on why it halted the flights; nor did it say when they will be resumed.

Justin Mo, a Taiwan resident who owns a duty-free shop in Pingtan, told China Daily that friends who own hotels and restaurants in Taiwan all reported a decrease in customers recently.

"Their businesses all dropped by 20 to 40 percent last month," he said.

Statistics from the China National Tourism Administration show that 4.1 million people from the Chinese mainland traveled to Taiwan last year, accounting for about 40 percent of the island's total number of tourists. On average, each mainland tourist spent NT$7,770 in Taiwan each day.

Zhang Siwei, the tourism manager, said that he is paying close attention to Tsai's remarks on the cross-Straits relationship.

"If she holds a negative attitude toward developing mainland-Taiwan ties, my company's business will suffer," he said.
Chinese, US top diplomats exchange views on hot issues via phone Updated: 2016-05-17 03:59 (Xinhua)

BEIJING -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday held a phone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the latter's invitation, calling on the two sides to continue focusing on cooperation and properly manage their differences.

China and the United States will host a new round of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue and High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange in the near future, and are keeping close contacts and coordinating the preparation work for the upcoming G20 Summit in Hangzhou, east China, said Wang, calling for joint efforts to maintain the healthy and steady momentum in the development of bilateral ties.

China hopes the United States abide by the one-China policy and the three China-US joint communiques, and properly handle the Taiwan issue, said Wang.

China supports the full implementation of the UN Security Council's resolution No. 2254 on Syria and the efforts exerted by the international community for reaching a comprehensive cease-fire in Syria and the restoration of peace talks there, Wang said, adding that China will continue to play a constructive role in politically solving the Syria crisis.

For his part, Kerry said the United States attaches great importance to its relations with China. Washington has not changed and will not change its stance on the Taiwan issue, and does not support "Taiwan independence" in any forms, he said.

The US side will keep its coordination with China on issues like the Syria crisis, he said, noting that the two sides have agreed to deal with maritime issues in a proper way.
Top legislator arrives in HK for Belt and Road summit, inspection tour Updated: 2016-05-17 12:21 (Xinhua)

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HONG KONG - China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang arrived in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Tuesday to attend the Belt and Road Summit.



Zhang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will also inspect the Hong Kong SAR during the three-day trip.
Treasured stone houses become art haven Updated: 2016-05-17 08:04 By Hu Meidong And An Baijie In Pingtan, Fujian(China Daily)

When she arrived in Pingtan's Beigang village last year, Taiwan backpacker Alice Lin was obsessed with both the beautiful scenery and the unique stone houses in the coastal countryside.

"While staying here, you can get the real meaning of the famous line from the Chinese poet Haizi: 'Facing the sea, with spring blossoms'," she said.

She was impressed by the fortresslike stone houses. According to the history of Pingtan, residents started building stone houses during the mid-Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

A veteran backpacker who has walked through 10 countries, including Canada, France, Singapore and Cambodia, Lin has a strong feeling that the houses were precious.

However, villagers seem unaware. As in many other rural places, villagers have migrated to urban areas for better jobs, educations and healthcare, leaving their houses unattended.

Lin believes the stone houses are a precious tourism resource and decided to develop some of them into bed-and-breakfasts.

"In Taiwan, B&Bs are very popular among travelers, especially the young backpackers," she said, adding that her experience of managing a B&B in Taiwan could be useful in Pingtan.

Her idea won support from her brother and four friends, including a designer and a cook.

They contracted for nine stone houses, which are being refurbished as B&Bs, coffee bars and museums.

Taiwan artists will be invited to live there and exhibit their works, she said. Pingtan is the nearest point on the Chinese mainland to Taiwan. It's only two hours from Taipei by high-speed ship.

Lin hopes the village does not become a noisy scenic spot crowded with tourists, like many places on the mainland. Instead, she wants it to be a quiet and clean area in the countryside where travelers could rest and find meaning in their lives.

Lin Shifu, 39, one of the villagers who rented out his stone house, said that he could get about 4,000 yuan ($615) annually.

"My whole family moved to the urban area two years ago, because I worked at a construction site there," he said, adding that he was satisfied with the rent, as well as the refurbishment of his house.

Most of the residents are "left-behind" elderly people, and the B&Bs could offer the elderly some job opportunities such as room cleaning, he said.

Yang Jie in Fuzhou contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn

Taiwan backpacker Alice Lin (right) and a colleague visit Pingtan's Beigang village in Fujian province in May.An Baijie / China Daily

(China Daily 05/17/2016 page4)
Apple strands home-state Uber with $1b Didi stake Updated: 2016-05-17 11:43 (China Daily USA)

To many, Apple's announcement last week that it would invest $1 billon in China's car-hailing service Didi Chuxing was surprising. Perhaps an unfamiliar name in the US, Didi is Uber's biggest competitor in China, with around 14 million drivers in 400 cities.

For Uber Technologies, the San Francisco-headquartered startup, which is battling for dominance of China's sharing economy and car-hailing market, the move by Apple, which is located 44 miles south in Cupertino, is nothing but annoying.

Five hours after this breaking news, Uber founder Travis Kalanick reacted with a tweet trying to make it lighthearted: girlfriend owns @apple shares which makes her a didi investor ...#Smh #ridesharewars #domesticissues #thanksALotTim.

Speculation on Apple's motives is already rife: Many believe that the Didi alliance shows Apple is desperate to revive iPhone sales in its second-largest market.

(Apple reported on April 26 that in its fiscal quarter that ended on March 26, sales in China fell 26 percentto $12.49 billion, due to weak demand for iPhones. In the same quarter a year earlier, Apple's China sales rose 71 percent.)

Others assume this marriage will enable Apple to access the rich data sources of Didi for its planned self-driving vehicles.

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, "We are making the investment for a number of strategic reasons, including a chance to learn more about certain segments of the China market," Cook said in an interview with Reuters. "Of course, we believe it will deliver a strong return for our invested capital over time as well."

I believe investors will pump more money into key players to escalate the already white-hot car-hailing business in China.

So far, Uber has raised $9.01 billion in equity funding from 55 investors worldwide. Its valuation is reportedly around $65 billion.

The largest contribution that Beijing-based Didi Chuxing had received prior was from 14 investors, including Alibaba, SoftBank, Tencent Holdings and China Investment Corp, which put $3.42 billion into Didi during its seven rounds of fundraising.

On the business side, the competition is aggressive. Despite Uber's claim of rapid growth in China, Didi still has a majority share of the market partly because of its publicity strategy, which emphasizes Didi being local and made in China.

In 2015, Uber publicly complained that Didi was receiving unfair support from one of its investors, Tencent. Uber claimed that Tencent was blocking Uber on its WeChat app, which resulted in a competitive disadvantage for the company in China.

Didi says it completed 1.43 billion rides on its platform in 2015, and handles more than 11 million rides per day. The 4-year-old startup used to conduct money-burning marketing campaigns, including cash back for passengers, cash rewards for drivers and sponsored rides to attract business.

In February, Kalanick said Uber is profitable in the US, ahead of schedule. But Uber is losing more than $1 billion a year in China as it attempts to expand, although the company has completed 1 billion rides there.

By partnering with Baidu and its location-based services, Uber hopes to gain the upper hand in China.

Internationally, Didi announced a partnership last year with Uber's US rival Lyft, India's Ola and Southeast Asia's Grab to let customers book rides through an integrated service under one umbrella.

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 05/17/2016 page2)
Japan 'altered stance adopted by Kuwait' Updated: 2016-05-17 08:04 By Mo Jingxi(China Daily USA)

Making "additions" to other countries' statements has become a new fashion in Japanese diplomacy, China said on Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei accused Japan of falsifying Kuwait's stance on the South China Sea issue, saying that the "additions" are aimed at confusing the public, and only expose Japan to ridicule.

"They lack one important ingredient - honesty," Hong said at a news conference in Beijing.

The remarks came after Kuwait's Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Suleiman Al-Jarallah said that a Japanese report about Kuwait's position on the South China Sea issue was distorted.

The Kuwaiti government supported the stance on the South China Sea in a statement issued after the seventh ministerial meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum last week, al-Jarallah said.

Kuwait believes China is resolving the South China Sea issue with other countries involved through consultation and in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, he added.

Japan's Kyodo News reported on Thursday that the prime ministers of Japan and Kuwait had agreed during a meeting that China's "unilateral attempt" to change the status quo in the East and South China seas has made the security environment in East Asia more fragile.

Gao Hong, a senior researcher of Japanese studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, "The spokesman's expression is very vivid," adding that Beijing has long been dissatisfied with Tokyo's "irresponsible comments" about China in multilateral meetings.

This is not a proper attitude for Japan to adopt to get on well with its neighbor, he added.

Earlier this month, Kyodo News also said the foreign ministers of Japan and Laos had reached consensus over the South China Sea by agreeing that it is crucial to solve the issue peacefully in accordance with international laws.

mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 05/17/2016 page3)
To many, Apple's announcement last week that it would invest $1 billon in China's car-hailing service Didi Chuxing was surprising. Perhaps an unfamiliar name in the US, Didi is Uber's biggest competitor in China, with around 14 million drivers in 400 cities.

For Uber Technologies, the San Francisco-headquartered startup, which is battling for dominance of China's sharing economy and car-hailing market, the move by Apple, which is located 44 miles south in Cupertino, is nothing but annoying.

Five hours after this breaking news, Uber founder Travis Kalanick reacted with a tweet trying to make it lighthearted: girlfriend owns @apple shares which makes her a didi investor ...#Smh #ridesharewars #domesticissues #thanksALotTim.

Speculation on Apple's motives is already rife: Many believe that the Didi alliance shows Apple is desperate to revive iPhone sales in its second-largest market.

(Apple reported on April 26 that in its fiscal quarter that ended on March 26, sales in China fell 26 percentto $12.49 billion, due to weak demand for iPhones. In the same quarter a year earlier, Apple's China sales rose 71 percent.)

Others assume this marriage will enable Apple to access the rich data sources of Didi for its planned self-driving vehicles.

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, "We are making the investment for a number of strategic reasons, including a chance to learn more about certain segments of the China market," Cook said in an interview with Reuters. "Of course, we believe it will deliver a strong return for our invested capital over time as well."

I believe investors will pump more money into key players to escalate the already white-hot car-hailing business in China.

So far, Uber has raised $9.01 billion in equity funding from 55 investors worldwide. Its valuation is reportedly around $65 billion.

The largest contribution that Beijing-based Didi Chuxing had received prior was from 14 investors, including Alibaba, SoftBank, Tencent Holdings and China Investment Corp, which put $3.42 billion into Didi during its seven rounds of fundraising.

On the business side, the competition is aggressive. Despite Uber's claim of rapid growth in China, Didi still has a majority share of the market partly because of its publicity strategy, which emphasizes Didi being local and made in China.

In 2015, Uber publicly complained that Didi was receiving unfair support from one of its investors, Tencent. Uber claimed that Tencent was blocking Uber on its WeChat app, which resulted in a competitive disadvantage for the company in China.

Didi says it completed 1.43 billion rides on its platform in 2015, and handles more than 11 million rides per day. The 4-year-old startup used to conduct money-burning marketing campaigns, including cash back for passengers, cash rewards for drivers and sponsored rides to attract business.

In February, Kalanick said Uber is profitable in the US, ahead of schedule. But Uber is losing more than $1 billion a year in China as it attempts to expand, although the company has completed 1 billion rides there.

By partnering with Baidu and its location-based services, Uber hopes to gain the upper hand in China.

Internationally, Didi announced a partnership last year with Uber's US rival Lyft, India's Ola and Southeast Asia's Grab to let customers book rides through an integrated service under one umbrella.

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com
World's biggest plane leaves Australia Updated: 2016-05-17 15:05 (Xinhua)

Antonov An-225 Mriya, a cargo plane which is the world's biggest aircraft, takes off from an airfield for its first commercial flight to the Australian city of Perth, in the settlement of Hostomel outside Kiev, Ukraine, May 10, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

MELBOURNE -- The world's biggest plane, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, left Australia on Tuesday with the pilots thanking Perth residents for their warm hospitality and public response to the mega aircraft.

The Ukrainian-built plane took off from Perth Airport slightly later than scheduled at 6 am local time, and was farewelled by hundreds of aviation enthusiasts.

The giant cargo plane, which can weigh up to 600 tons, attracted almost 20,000 onlookers when it landed in the Western Australian capital on Sunday.

In a trip that spanned three continents, the Antonov completed its delivery of a 117-ton generator to a WA mining resource client after leaving the Czech Republic late last week.

It stayed in Perth for two days, and is now bound for Italy with a 26-ton rotor on-board.

This morning's spectacle was far less visible than the landing, with plane taking off well before sunrise.

However, one plane spotter said it was no less impressive.

"It was amazing seeing it rotate off the runway and we are also listening to the air traffic control," the onlooker told Perth radio, while watching the plane taxi around the runway.

"The pilots in their last message to Perth Air Traffic Control, before they handed off to Melbourne Air Traffic Control, said they wanted to thank Perth for their hospitality and kindness."

Perth residents were warned that the Antonov could create traffic problems on main roads similar to those seen on Sunday in the lead-up to its arrival.

Motorists and air passengers were told to allow for extra time to travel to and from the airport due to possible delays.

On Sunday night, the six-engine plane unloaded the massive generator -- the heaviest cargo ever carried over such distance -- using a special technique known as the "elephant kneel."
ROK prosecutors seek 17-year prison term for attacker of US envoy Updated: 2016-05-17 16:56 (Xinhua)

Kim Ki-jong, a member of a pro-Korean unification group who attacked the US ambassador to the Republic of Korea Mark Lippert at a public forum, is carried on a stretcher off an ambulance as he arrives at a hospital in Seoul March 5, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

SEOUL -- Republic of Korea (ROK)'s prosecutors on Tuesday sought a 17-year prison term against a 56-year-old attacker of Mark Lippert, US ambassador to the ROK, at an appeals court.

The prosecution sought the longer jail term during a hearing at the Seoul High Court as the ROK man slashed the face and arm of the top US envoy to Seoul with a knife that needed more than 80 stitches.

Kim Ki-jong, who is serving an imprisonment, was sentenced to 12 years in prison at the lower court for attacking Lippert at a breakfast function in Seoul in March last year.

Later, one and a half years of jail term was added as he assaulted a prison guard and a doctor.

Prosecutors asked the appeals court to convict him for the violation of the national security law, which the lower court acquitted him of.

The prosecution reportedly said that Kim committed the crime in sympathy with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's ideology, noting that his crime was premeditated given a fact that he prepared a knife in advance.
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Currently MoIT still holds 90 per cent and 82 per cent stake in Sabeco and Habeco's charter capital.  Photo giaoduc.edu.vn

Viet Nam News -HA NOI  Ignoring current stock market regulations - and continuous urging from the community of investors - the two largest brewers in Viet Nam still found reasons not to list on the local exchanges, after 8 years of equitisation.

Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage JSC (Sabeco) in the south and Hanoi Beer-Alcohol-Beverage JSC (Habeco) in the north provide about two thirds of the beer for the local market, which ranks No.1 beer drinker in ASEAN and in the top five of Asia, with more than 4.5 billion litres consumed every year.

Le HongXanh, the Sabeco deputy general director, told local media that Sabeco was not eligible for listing. Under the current regulations, a joint stock firm, which was shifted from the State-owned enterprise, must have at least 20 per cent of stakes owned by other investors, could be able to be listed on the exchanges.

Meanwhile, after equitisation the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) still manages about a 90 per cent stake in both firms, on behalf of the State.

Phan ang Tuat, Head of the Committee for Business Innovation and Development at MoIT and former chairman of Sabeco, said both firms are not eligible for listing yet. He said final divestment from the two firms depends on Government fiscal and financial policies.

Xanh, the Sabeco deputy director, told local media that the company submitted a plan to reduce state control from 90 per cent to 36 per cent. He is still waiting for the Governments response.

But according to many securities experts, the failure to list the two firms also violates current regulations which require joint stock firms to be listed on the market after a maximum of one year of equitisation.

Experts said the Government wants to turn the stock market into a channel that mobilised capital for the new development of the economy. However, the unlisted two brewers, among the largest capital firms in Viet Nam, would not contribute to that target. Their absense on the local exchanges would instead make the local stock market less attractive for investors.

In 2009, one year after equitisation, the two brewers were fined by the State Securities Commission for not registering for their listing under the regulations. Now they are still among more than 700 public companies not yet listed on any market.

In other news, giant milk producer Vinamilk (VNM), which used to earn half the profit of Sabeco, has now grown threefold after 10 years on the stock market. Currently, VNM was one of the largest caps, one of the attractions on the southern exchange.

After completing their equitisation two years later, both brewers reported modest results despite great potential with increasing demand for beer in Viet Nam.

The local brewery industry achieved an average of seven per cent annual growth between 2011 and 2015. Beer production reached 3.4 billion liters last year, a 4.7 per cent year on year increase, according to a report released by the Vietnam Beer Alcohol Beverage Association in 2015.

In 2015, Sabeco was the countrys largest brewer. It reported production of 1.38 billion liters last year, to keep its leading position. But the No. 2 position in the market was taken from Habeco by Heineken.

Vafi urges govt to divest large beverage firms, list Sabeco and Habeco

The Viet Nam Association of Financial Investors (Vafi) sent a proposal for the divestment of State holdings and the listing of Sabeco and Habeco.

Vafi asked the Government to sell all State capital in the two firms, where MoIT still holds 90 per cent and 82 per cent stake in Sabeco and Habecos charter capital, respectively.

The divestment would help the State raise $3 billion, which should be used for developing public transportation projects, Vafi said.

The association said the divestment process should be conducted through auctions to ensure transparency.

Vafi also urged that the listing of Sabeco and Habeco on the exchanges be hastened to improve transparency and efficiency. Vafi has already asked this many times before.

So far, big brewers showing interest in Sabeco include Ashahi (Japan), Heineken (Netherlands), Thaibev (Thailand), and SAB Miller (US), as well as some local firms with large amounts of capital.  VNS
Pet fish at a farm in HCM City. The HCM City People's Committee has approved the Pet Fish Development Programme for 2016-20.  VNA/VNS Photo Pham D o

Viet Nam News -HCM CITY  The HCM City Peoples Committee has approved the Pet Fish Development Programme in 2016-20 with the aim of developing a sustainable pet fish industry.

The programme aims to increase the quantity and improve the value of pet fish and upgrade infrastructure to ensure hygiene and protect the environment.

All pet fish farms will take part in disease-safety supervision to create conditions for expanding exports.

The city seeks to breed 150-180 million pet fish by 2020 and export 40-50 million (for US$50 million) of them.

At the end of last year there were 286 farms breeding pet fish, mostly in outlying districts like 8,9, 12, Go Vap, Binh Tan, Thu uc, Hoc Mon, Binh Chanh, and Cu Chi, and 278 pet fish shops.

In the five years since 2010 the number of pet fish and their value both doubled to 120 million and VN534 billion ($24 million).

The number of fish exported and their value also doubled to 13 million and $12 million.

Now there are 10 companies exporting to 47 nations, 60-70 per cent to Europe and the rest to America, Asia and South Africa.

Despite the fact that export numbers and turnover have increased significantly, most farms remain small and family-owned and cannot offer consistent quality in case of giant orders.

Inefficient breeding and the small number of farms mean Vietnamese exports cannot match those of neighbours like Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.

To achieve the 2020 target under the programme, HCM City will develop farms and shops, provide them with new technologies, offer new sales and promotion programmes, offer incentives to develop the pet fish industry and strengthen co-operation between farms.

Provinces with water, suitable terrain and land to farm fish and experience like ong Nai, Binh Duong and Long An will co-operate with HCM City for the programme.

Websites to trade pet fish online will be established to cut production and trading costs.  VNS
A worker at Viet Nam Stanley Electric Co. Ltd., a joint-venture between Viet Nam and Japan, in Ha Noi. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc urged ministries to hasten the process of drafting decrees providing guidelines for investment and business activities.  VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam

Viet Nam News -HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc urged ministries to hasten the process of drafting decrees providing guidelines for investment and business activities, under Dispatch 789/TTg-PL that he signed last weekend.

The PM asked for the accelerated progress after the Government discussed the implementation of enterprise and investment laws late last month.

According to the Investment Law 2014, ministries, sectors and localities are not allowed to issue business conditions. The existing business conditions stipulated in circulars of ministries will become invalid as from July 1, 2016.

There is a need for decrees on business conditions to substitute for the circulars from that date.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment said there are thousands of such conditions stipulated in hundreds of existing circulars, meaning reviewing regulations will be a heavy job as ministries only have a little more than a month to complete the job.

Some ministries asked the Government to extend the time for drafting new decrees, but Phuc said they must be resolute in submitting the draft decrees by May 30.

After this deadline, ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies who have not presented the draft decrees must take responsibility before the Government and the Prime Minister, he said.

According to Government portal chinhphu.vn, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is actively collecting opinions to draft a decree on agricultural business conditions, to replace all of its 37 circulars in this area.

The Ministry of Health is drafting a series of decrees on conditions for food production and trade, as well as advertisements and inspections. The Ministry of Transport is drawing up a decree on conditions for businesses dealing with ship crews and steerage training services.

Phuc also asked the Government Office and the Ministry of Justice to shorten the time in assessing the draft decrees when these documents are available.

While the PM is determined to ease business activities and strengthen market confidence, industry insiders said cutting business licencing procedures required by authorities at different levels remained the biggest challenge for the Government.

The business community expects drastic actions by ministries and sectors to support the PMs determination, they said.

The Government has also asked ministers and chairpersons of provincial and municipal peoples committees to build action plans to improve the countrys business environment and competitiveness for the third year in a row.

Phuc ordered officials to present their plans with a vision until 2020 by the end of this month to concretise Resolution No 19-2016/NQ-CP, which he signed late last month.

The resolution required officials to publicise administrative procedures, eliminate unsuitable business conditions and establish proper systems to deal with requests from people and businesses.

Civil servants who are irresponsible or cause trouble for people and businesses will be strictly dealt with, the resolution stated.

The Government expected the current number of businesses in Viet Nam to double to a million by 2020.  VNS
A view of Dung Quat Oil Refinery.  Photo nld.com.vn

Viet Nam News -HA NOI  Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Co (BSR), which operates and manages Dung Quat Oil Refinery, has asked the Ministry of Finance for permission to calculate the petrol selling price themselves.

BSR said it has been facing difficulties in petrol consumption due to a sharp decrease of imported taxes when Viet Nam joined in free trade agreements, resulting in removing tax barriers.

Under the Free Trade Agreement (FTAs) with South Korea, which was signed in May 2015, Viet Nam reduced the import tariff on gasoline from South Korea to 10 per cent, from 20 per cent, effective December 20, 2015.

However, products from Dung Quat are still subject to an import tax of 20 per cent, forcing a number of local businesses that bought petroleum from Dung Quat to choose other imported sources. Petrol traders such as Petrolimex, Saigon Petro, Thanh Me and Petimex have been rushing to import petrol from South Korea. For example, Petrolimex imported up to 20,000 tonnes to 30,000 tonnes of petrol from the country.

In reality, petrol importers have reduced their consumption of Dung Quats products. Last year, Petrolimex imported 90 per cent of petroleum from ASEAN. In December 2015, all of its petrol products were imported from the block. Saigon Petro imported 62 per cent of the total while that of PVOil was 70 per cent to 80 per cent, and Mipeco was 83 per cent.

BSR said Dung Quat had to lower its selling price to compete with imported petrol products, making a huge dent in the business results this year. It forecast that its turnover would be reduced from 7 to 10 per cent this year.

The calculation of petroleum import tax based on weighted average of the tariffs, taking into account Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status and Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has also created a big difference between prices of Dung Quats products and those from ASEAN, South Korea and China.

Specifically, petrol traders would have to pay import tax of 18.08 per cent when buying petroleum from Dung Quat, 10 per cent than that from countries which signed FTAs. Moreover, import tax for Dung Quats products has been 1.92 per cent higher than retail tax.

BSR said it had to reduce the price of petrol by US$1 a barrel, and of diesel by $2.92 a barrel in the domestic market, to ensure customers rights.

Accordingly, BSR asked the ministry to allow Dung Quat to calculate and decide the selling prices themselves. They would provide a suitable import tax without current tax support of 3 per cent to 7 per cent from the government.

In mid-2015, in a report sent to the government, PetroVietnam said the refinery suffered a big loss. In 2010, its loss was around VN3.2 trillion and in 2011 it was VN4.8 trillion. It continued reporting losses of VN6.4 trillion, VN6 trillion and VN7.13 trillion in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. Dung Quat has suffered loss of VN27.6 trillion in its commercial operations so far.

However, since 2009, under a special mechanism, Dung Quat can retain the so-called preferential value in accordance with the import tariff (3 per cent for petrochemical products, 5 per cent for LPG and 7 per cent for petroleum products). This means that Dung Quat can add 3 per cent to 7 per cent of import tax into the selling prices of its products.  VNS
By Thu Anh

HCM CITY Vietnamese readers, particularly youth, will have more opportunities this summer to learn more about the countrys history after the release of new books.

The collection titled Goc Nhin Su Viet (A View of Vietnamese History), for example, includes 31 books on Vietnamese history from different periods.

The books feature Vietnamese kings, generals and national heroes such as the sisters Trung, Quang Trung, Tran Hung ao and Phan inh Phung.

Goc Nhin Su Viet is part of a long-term programme launched this year by Alpha Books that will publish 100 history books for children and young people.

The programmes founders, including cultural researchers and historians, have collected and compiled stories from different sources to offer useful and entertaining books.

Other featured books are Lich Su Viet Nam (Vietnamese History) and Lich Su Tu Tuong Quan Su Viet Nam (History of Vietnamese Military), both of which received the 2016 Best Book Award presented by the Viet Nam Publishing Association.

These books focus on the victories of the Vietnamese people and soldiers during military conflicts. The works are helpful for students at universities and colleges.

Xu ong Duong-LIndo-Chine francaise: Souvenirs (Indochina) is a good choice for readers who love to read about the French colonial period.

Published by Alpha Books, the book was written by Joseph Athanase Paul Doumer, governor general of Indochina between 1897 and 2902. It has been translated by a group of five authors.

The book features Vietnamese history, culture and lifestyle through the writers eyes.

The Nha Nam Publishing House will soon release a new history book written by four French authors who worked in Viet Nam between 1925 and 1935.

The book tells stories about the daily life of poor people living in Sai Gon (HCM City now) and Hai Phong.

The information about Phan Boi Chau, a pioneer of 20th century Vietnamese nationalism, comes from writing by Louis Roubaud in 1930.

Unlike previous years, publishers have decided to add history books to their lists for the summer instead of comics.

"We see many youngsters becoming excited about history by reading and appreciating their own traditional culture, said Tran ai Thang, director of the Sach ong A Company, one of the citys prestigious distributors.

Thang said there was a shortage of new books on Viet Nams history every summer. We are working to improve this situation, he said.

According to lecturer and educator Tran Huu Ta of the citys Pedagogical University, who has written history books appreciated by younger readers, it is difficult for publishers and authors to offer such books because they must strike a balance between social responsibility and profit.

"Children prefer comics and cartoons about fighting while young people enjoy romantic stories. History is not their favourite. Authors and publishers do not have an incentive to create such books," he explained.

Ta said that social organisations and publishing houses should work with authors and editors to publish more books featuring historical events, national heroes and heroic martyrs.

"Teachers and parents should spend more time encouraging their children to enjoy national history," he said.

The Tre (Youth) Publishing House, one of the countrys biggest publishers, has attracted a staff of several well-known authors and historians creating books for young people. The authors include Tran ang Khoa, Quach Tho, Nguyen Nghiep and Nguyen Thuy Kha.

The publishers two history books, Lich Su Viet Nam (The History of Viet Nam) and Lich Su Nuoc Ta (Our Countrys History), have been reprinted and sold in many bookstores around the city, receiving a warm response from young readers.

While Tre prefers to publish books featuring the countrys ancient history, its competitor, the Kim ong Publishing House, tends to print modern history books written by well-known authors like To Hoai and Nguyen Huy Tuong.

Books about the life and military career of generals Vo Nguyen Giap and Nguyen Chi Thanh, published by the Army Publishing House, have attracted many adult readers.VNS
On the occasion of Norways National Day today, Viet Nam News presents an article written by the Ambassador of Norway, Siren Gjerme Eriksen.

This year marks the 45 year anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Norway. It is a good opportunity to look back on what Norway and Viet Nam have achieved together, and identify areas for even stronger co-operation. Despite great geographical distance, we enjoy close and growing ties in political and international issues, trade and investments, culture and society. I look forward to celebrating Norways Constitution Day and our excellent bilateral ties in Ha Noi later this week in the presence of the Norwegian State Secretary (Deputy Minister) of Foreign Affairs Tone Skogen and Vietnamese and international friends.

Norways Constitution Day, the 17th of May, is a day dedicated to children and young people and to our liberal Constitution ensuring the rights of the people. The young are our future and it is the children that signify the true spirit of the 17th of May. Norway is committed to respecting and securing the rights of children and proud to support Viet Nam in its work to protect children and childrens rights. Viet Nam is now working intensively on harmonizing its laws with its revised 2013 Constitution and with International Law.

The official visit to Viet Nam by Norways Prime Minister Erna Solberg in April 2015 focused on Viet Nams impressive progress on the Millennium Development Goals and the development of the Sustainable Development Goals. The joint communique from the visit affirmed Norway and Viet Nams commitment to continue co-operating on sustainable development and other issues of common interest.

Never before have environmental concerns including loss of biodiversity, pollution, global warming and associated extreme weather and sea level rises had such a profound and direct impact on people across the world.

I am very pleased to see Viet Nam and Norway joining hands in the international effort to tackle these challenges. Last month, both our countries signed the Paris Climate Agreement at the United Nations headquarters. Norway supports Viet Nams efforts to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from its forests through REDD+.

Norway-Viet Nam co-operation on climate has also aimed to reduce the negative effects of salt-water intrusion and drought on agricultural production in Viet Nam. Co-operation between our researchers has helped improve forecasting of extreme weather events and mitigate consequences of geo-hazards.

As countries with long coastlines, Norway and Viet Nam have a long history of co-operation on fisheries, including support to the development of Viet Nams Law on fisheries. Through co-operation between Viet Nams Research Institute for Aquaculture, Nha Trang University and Norwegian academic institutions, Vietnamese expertise in fishery, aquaculture, marine ecosystem management, policy and regulatory issues has been strengthened.

Viet Nams rapid economic growth and regional and global integration has opened up new areas of bilateral co-operation.

Norwegian businesses and investments in sectors such as the maritime-, marine and clean technologies, and IT, have made important contributions to Viet Nams economy. Through the EFTA (European Free Trade Association) Norway and Viet Nam are currently negotiating a free trade agreement, which will be an important tool to boost further trade and investment between our countries. Regional and global free trade and integration is good for the word economy, and for bilateral trade and investments.

45 years of co-operation has laid a firm foundation for the further development and expansion of the relations between our two countries. I would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to all our partners and friends in Viet Nam for the support and co-operation extended to the Embassy. I look forward to continuing our joint work to uphold and further strengthen our bilateral ties to the benefit of the people of our two beautiful countries.  VNS
and China have signed six documents on bilateral cooperation during Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah's visit to China.

The Office of the Chief Executive in a statement said the documents included 2 agreements, 1 Memorandum of Understanding and 3 Exchange Notes, reports the Khaama Press.

The documents were signed in the presence of CEO Abdullah and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

The statement said the first agreement was signed by the Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of which will pave the way for bilateral cooperation between the two nations on production and export of Afghan Saffron.

The second agreement was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Salahuddin Rabbani for technical cooperation of Beijing to Kabul, having a value of 500 Chinese Yuan.

The third agreement signed between the two nations was on bilateral cooperation between Kabul and Beijing on the Silk Route, signed by Foreign Minister Rabbani and his Chinese counterpart.



The other documents signed included construction of an auditorium in Kabul University and survey for the construction of cost-effective houses for the government employees.
WATERLOO  Jeane E. Diehl, 62, of Waterloo, died Sunday, May 15, at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home.

She was born Aug. 19, 1953, in Waterloo, daughter of HJ and Donnalee Lichty. She married Frank Diehl on Aug. 6, 1977, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Waterloo.

Jeane graduated from Orange High School in 1971 and attended Ellsworth Community College. She was employed by the City of Waterloo, working at Leisure Services and the Cedar Valley Sportsplex.

Survived by: her husband; a son, Clint of Cedar Rapids; a daughter, Lindsay of Islamorada, Fla.; her mother; and two sisters, Jann (Gene) Martens of La Crosse, Wis., and Karen (Don) Stenzel of Wells, Minn.

Preceded in death by: her father; a brother, Tom Lichty; and her father- and mother-in-law, Melvin and Harriet Diehl.

Per family wishes, there will be no funeral service or visitation. Iowa Cremation, Cedar Rapids, assisted the family.

Memorials: may be directed to the family.
IOWA CITY (AP)  A black University of Iowa student lied about being the victim of a hate crime and was actually an aggressor during several drunken fights that began inside a bar, police said Tuesday.

Marcus Owens, 19, told police that he was attacked in an alley April 30 by three white men who hurled racial slurs and beat him, damaging his eye socket, knocking out his front teeth and cutting his lips. The claim stoked safety concerns and exposed minority students' distrust of university leaders.

But a two-week investigation by Iowa City Police found that a heavily intoxicated Owens was an instigator during several altercations that began inside the Eden Lounge early May 1 and continued in downtown streets.

Police said Tuesday that Owens would not face charges for filing a false report, fighting or underage drinking, and that they would not seek restitution to recover the costs of their investigation. They said they wanted to avoid lengthy court proceedings in the case that shook the normally quiet college town.

"It became clear at some point that the community, not Marcus, was the victim in this event and it was important to us to get the truth out there," said Capt. Troy Kelsay, who called Owens a "liar" at a news conference.

Police praised Owens, of Naperville, Illinois, and his family for issuing a written apology to the university and city for "the misunderstandings and anxiety stemming from Marcus's involvement in a violent incident."

"Upon learning more details of the case, and while racial slurs served to fuel the violence, Marcus now knows that his account of events was inconsistent with police findings, in part due to alcohol being involved, his embarrassment at his behavior, as well as the injuries he sustained," the statement said. "It was concluded that this incident was not a hate crime as originally believed, but rather a case of excessive underage drinking and extremely poor judgment on the part of many people, Marcus included."

Owens' attorney, Leon Spies, said his client intends to remain enrolled and "aspires to have a successful academic career at the University of Iowa."

"I think the outcome for all is fair," he said.

It's unclear whether Owens may face university sanctions. University President Bruce Harreld said the school would provide "support and assistance" to all involved. A university spokeswoman said Iowa is investigating whether students violated the code of conduct; the outcome will be confidential.

Investigators said the fighting was sparked by a disagreement between students from different fraternities, including one where Owens was a pledge.

Bar surveillance video showed a suit-wearing Owens among a large group of people shoving each other inside the bar at 1:32 a.m. Owens pushed and punched another person outside the bar entrance minutes later.

A bar employee removed Owens and stopped him when he tried to re-enter the premises. Owens and his friends later "beat the snot out of" a person who had called another man a racial epithet, Kelsay said. That attack was also captured by a surveillance camera.

Owens later grabbed and attempted to punch another person, police said. The two fought on the ground, and that's when Owens was injured, police said.

Owens received treatment at a hospital, where a blood draw showed he was still intoxicated three hours later. The next day, he made his report to police.

Harreld said the case had been difficult for the university.

"Regardless of the outcome, this incident highlighted a level of fear and distrust on our campus that must and will be addressed," Harreld said.
WATERLOO  Christophe Shabani Kumbelu was college educated and worked as an accountant in his native country, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

When he fled Congo and arrived in the United States in February 2014, though, it was like starting over.

Days after flying into Chicago, Kumbelu connected with a fellow Congolese immigrant who brought him to Waterloo to find work. Because his English was very limited, they turned to Tyson Fresh Meats, where he started a job working on the line. Kumbelu later enrolled in the English language learners program at Hawkeye Community Colleges Metro Center and is now taking classes on the main campus.

When I came to the United States, my goal was to be an accountant, he said. Kumbelu is making progress toward that goal, with plans to transfer to the University of Northern Iowa in the fall and begin work as a teller at Veridian Credit Union.

The 47-year-old will be telling his story Wednesday and striving to encourage those enrolled in or finishing the English language learners program. Kumbelu will be the student speaker at the first ELL Next Step Ceremony. About 125 people will be recognized for completing or participating in programs, earning scholarships, becoming citizens and serving as student ambassadors.

This is also the first year that Hawkeye has offered whats called the Next Step scholarship, said Anna Laneville, a transition specialist at the Metro Center. ELL students who are accepted into Hawkeye can get three free credits when they sign up for six. Its just support that Hawkeye is showing for immigrants and refugees. Kumbelu is one of 22 people receiving that scholarship.

The 10:30 a.m. event is at the Waterloo Center for the Arts, 225 Commercial St. The public is invited to attend.

Students being recognized are a fraction of the 562 enrolled in the ELL program this school year. We currently have 53 first languages and students from 38 different countries, said Laura Hidlebaugh, ELL and family literacy coordinator. If I didnt work here, I wouldnt have any idea of the diversity here in Waterloo.

The growing number of Congolese enrolled in the program account for 25 percent of the students, she said. Burmese and Latino students account for 40 and 30 percent of the enrollment, respectively.

Although there is an ongoing civil war in Congo, Kumbelu worked in the relative safety of the capital, Kinshasa. But he sought a diversity visa to the U.S. to escape from the corruption throughout the society and was chosen by lottery. Because Kumbelus first language is French and his bachelors degree in finance was earned outside of the U.S., he wasnt prepared to work in his chosen profession upon arrival here.

We are really grateful to Tyson, because there is not a requirement of language to work at Tyson, he said.

He is thankful for the Congolese congregation at St. Pauls United Methodist Church and the Metro Center, both places he found encouragement to learn English. Kumbelu enrolled in an intermediary ELL class and then a hybrid ELL-college preparatory class.

When I came to Metro, they told me You can do it. Thats why those words gave me hope, that I can do something better in this country, he said. It just gives me that power inside to overcome those obstacles. If you dont have these people who can encourage you, its not easy.

He studied English for eight months before enrolling in classes at the main campus. The courses have helped me to adjust my level, my skills in writing and math.

It has been challenging to take morning classes and study while working second shift, often well past midnight. Normally, it should be easy if my only occupation was studying, said Kumbelu.

For me, its going to be a good day to give my testimony, he said, and to encourage others its possible to study here. Im very happy to speak at that event.
JOHNSTON  Gov. Terry Branstad criticized the Obama administration Monday for using a federal overreach in threatening to withhold education funding to local schools that dont allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms aligning with their gender identity.

I think its really a decision of local schools, Branstad told reporters during his weekly news conference.

Now you have the federal government stepping in and saying if you dont do it our way, were going to withhold your federal money. I think thats wrong, he said. We want to treat everybody with respect and dignity, but we dont think the federal government ought to be coming in and threatening to withhold education money to local school districts in Iowa.

In Iowa, state law already protects transgender students and prohibits any educational institution from discriminating on the basis of gender identity. But the issue has flared in other states where the Obama administration is making the transgender issue a civil rights cause at a time when Branstad said there are more pressing issues facing the nation than school bathrooms.

I think there are bigger and more important issues that the president should be addressing such as protecting the security of Americans and more effectively addressing the threat to our very lives and well being, the six-term Republican said.

Branstad said there are many Americans upset with the countrys direction heading into next months primary election in Iowa, noting there are growing concerns about potential threats to U.S. military, law enforcement officers and business people from our enemies.

The governor said he and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds get monthly briefings that are classified so we cant talk about the specifics, but there are threats that exist in this state as well as around the rest of the country against people and against installations.

Branstad held his weekly news conference at the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum at Camp Dodge in Johnston to draw attention to the facility and to highlight the importance of honoring soldiers who gave their lives or fought for the cause of freedom during the upcoming Memorial Day holiday.

The governor touted the Home Base Iowa program that has helped place more than 2,000 veterans in jobs in Iowa, while Iowa Adjutant General Timothy Orr said 24 Iowa National Guard soldiers and airmen died and nearly 18,000 have served on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001. Currently, Orr said, about 100 Iowa soldiers are serving on active duty overseas and we anticipate well see more mobilizations in 2016 and 2017 in support of the war.

As part of the news conference, Major Gen. Orr was asked about the transgender issue and indicated no accommodations currently are being made by the Iowa National Guard for transgender soldiers and airmen and currently there has been no specific guidance or regulations from the U.S. Department of Defense regarding transgender military members.

We know that we will probably see something in the future, but until that comes out, we have not made any accommodations in our facilities at this stage, Orr said, adding no Iowa National Guard member has identified as transgender at this point in time.
DES MOINES  Landowners along a Dakota Access pipeline are slated to meet this week to discuss Iowas eminent domain process and available legal options if they are dissatisfied with the outcome of upcoming county compensation hearings in cases where they refuse to voluntarily sign easement agreements with the oil company.

Keith Puntenney of the Private Property Rights Coalition said Tuesday meetings have been planned in Des Moines today and in Storm Lake on Thursday where attorneys with eminent domain expertise will help landowners prepare for their compensation hearings and provide advice on appraisals, experts and costs for representation.

This is just to talk about process, so everybodys on the same page, said Puntenney, who noted at least one compensation/condemnation hearing regarding the proposed underground oil pipeline has been slated in Cherokee County for June 13.

Iowa law grants eminent domain authority to government entities to take private property in return for fair-market compensation for use as a public utility, public right of way or public service, but critics say the Dakota Access does not fall under any of those categories as a private company.

We expect a lot of litigation to come out of this going forward into district courts, Puntenney said.

Dakota Access, a unit of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, won initial approval of a permit and eminent domain authority from the Iowa Utilities Board in March but construction on parcels where the company has voluntary easements has been delayed pending U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval.

The company indicates it has voluntary easements for up to 88 percent of the 1,254 Iowa parcels held by 910 landowners along the 346-mile route through 18 Iowa counties where the proposed pipeline will transport up to 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota to a distribution hub in Patoka, Ill.

Our best guess is that there are between 10 (percent) and 15 percent of the parcels out there that are still in the mix, said Puntenney, who is refusing to grant a voluntary easement on land he owns in Boone and Webster counties.

Were only at the beginning, not anywhere close to the end, he said of a legal process he expects to end at the Iowa Supreme Court. Were finally at the beginning where landowners have the right to go forward through the legal process.

The permit issued by the Iowa Utilities Board and agreed to by Dakota Access, calls for the developer to wait to begin construction until it has received permission from the Corps of Engineers. Dakota Access has requested to begin construction early.

The Corps of Engineers is evaluating parts of the pipeline route for cultural impacts as well as impacts to waterways and endangered species. The review was expected to take several more weeks.
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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

Coral Casino: 25% Cash Back on Deposits  Claim Now

Ladbrokes Casino: 35% Cash Back on First 3 Deposits  Claim Now

Paddy Power Casino: 100% Match Bonus up to 200  Claim Now

William Hill Casino: 100% Match Bonus up to 200  Claim Now

If youre interested in trying out an online casino but arent quite ready to commit to one, why not try out one of the many no deposit casinos weve reviewed? You can test drive various casinos completely risk-free, so you can feel confident about your choice before you make a single penny deposit.
A X E M A N:



/?ksm?n/

noun (pl) -men

1.

a man who wields an axe, esp to cut down trees

2.

a person who makes cuts in expenditure or services, esp on behalf of another: the chancellor's axeman

3.

(US, slang) a man who plays a musical instrument, esp a guitar

I've trying really hard to insert "axeman" into conversations. Specifically, when referring to myself. But, alas, I am slowly, surely learning to play bass. And, per the stupid dictionary, axeman "esp" refers to guitarists, "esp" male guitarists.

Incidentally, I looked up the logically corresponding word "axewoman." To which I got the polite response: "Did you mean 'axman'?" No, I did not. And then, it provided more suggestions: Did I mean "jazzwoman"? Eh, I'm really not good enough to be called that. And definitely not my genre. "Markswoman"? Definitely not. "Examen"? Oh god, no.

A halfhearted Google search, resulting from the fact that this post has no clear direction, for the word "bass" turns up lots of ads for fishing poles and dead animals with wide mouths and blank eyes staring at me from my screen.

As of late, I've been plucking along with friends who are a bazillion times more talented me and for the first time I'm in a band. Even though I've been dreaming of it since I dressed like Kurt Cobain in high school.

I don't need to be validated with a badass title like "axewoman" but I do need to be validated with cheers and applause, so come to Punk Rock Open Mic at Winning's THIS Friday, May 20 at 7pm.

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Canl Bahis siteleri sektoru son derece onu ack ve farkl ozelliklere sahip bir sektordur. Elbette bahis secenekleri arasnda yuksek kazanc getiren alan kuskusuz canl bahistir. Peki, canl bahis nedir?

Canl Bahis Nedir?

Canl bahis adndan da anlaslacag gibi devam eden musabakaya bahis yapmaktr. Bu bahis musabaka devam ederken de yaplabilir olmasdr. Basta futbol olmak uzere voleybol, tenis, hentbol, basketbol, buz hokeyi ve masa tenisi gibi spor organizasyonlarna canl bahisler yaplabilmektedir. Canl bahis siteleri bu oyunlarn hepsine yuksek oranlara bahis yapmanza imkan tanr. En fazla tercih edilen futbol canl bahisleri diger alanlara gore daha fazla on plandadr. Siteden siteye degisen sartlar ve uygulama esaslar soz konusu olsa da kurallar sabittir.

Canl bahisi populer klan ve heyecan katan en onemli ozellikle musabakann basladg ana dek bahis yapabilmedir. Canl bahis icerisinde yer alan secenekler kazanma sansnz da dogrudan arttrmaktadr. Ilk korneri kim kullanr, ilk tac, gol, sar kart, krmz kart gibi futbol musabakas icerisinde olabilecek hemen hemen her seye bahis yaplabilmektedir. Normal bahisegore de son derece yuksek oranda olmas avantajl yonlerini ortaya koymaktadr. Nitekim dogru secenek ksa surede kazancl ckmanza etki edecektir.

Strateji ve dogru analizle 90 dakika gibi bir surede anaparanzkatlayabilirsiniz. Tabi bunu basarabilmek icin mutlaka musabakaya dair ayrntlar iyi degerlendirmek gerekir. Soz konusu musabakann detaylarn inceleyip, cezal, sakat oyuncu veya performans dusen takm oyunu gibi detaylar bilmek canl bahiste kazanc belirleyen onemli unsurdur. Guvenilir Canl bahis hem heyecanl zaman gecirmeyi hem de musabakalar takip ederken para kazanmay saglamaktadr.

Canl Bahis Nasl Oynanr?

Bahislerinizi guvenilir sitelerden gerceklestirdiginiz zaman herhangi bir sekilde para cekme de sorun yasamazsnz. Guvenilir bahis siteleri tespit edip sonrasnda da uyelik islemlerini tamamlamanz gerekmektedir. Belirlenen uyelik sartlarn yerine getirip hesabnza da paray aktardktan sonra bahis islemlerini sorunsuz yapabilirsiniz. Peki, canl bahis nasl oynanr?

Oncelikle bahis konusunda mutlaka dogru site arastrmas yapmalsnz. Yapacagnz arastrma neticesinde buldugunuz site uzerinden canl bahisislemlerini gerceklestirebilirsiniz. Bunun icin uye olup, hesaba para atp, canl bahis bolumune girmelisiniz. Sonrasnda dahil olmak istediginiz musabakann saatini ogrenip, gerekli analizleri yapmalsnz. Tahminlerinizi belirledikten sonra karsnza ckacak olan bahis sayfasndan istediginiz hamleyi yapmalsnz. Bahis tutarn belirledikten sonra musabaka baslayacaktr.

Canl bahis diger normal bahis esaslarna gore farkllklar icermektedir. Bunlardan en onemlisi musabakann gidisatna gore islem yapabilir olmaktr.Ayrca musabakann 2. Yarsna gore hamle yapp ayr bir bahisin soz konusu olmas da ciddi avantajdr. Dogru hamle ile sizde istediginiz bahisi yapp kazanc elde edebilirsiniz. Nitekim canl olarak yapacagnz bahis icin mac oncesi raporlara gore hareket etmek onemlidir. Cunku takmlarn durumlarn analiz etmek tahmin gucunu arttracaktr. Misal tamnn en iyi oyuncusu sakat ya da kart cezals ise takmn performansnda dusus yasanacaktr. Buna ek olarak takmn deplasman performans ile evinde ki performans ayr olacaktr. Burada da takmn musabakay nerede yaptgna bakmak gerekir. Bu ayrntlar da iyice analiz ettikten sonra bahsinizi yapp kazanmann keyfini yasayabilirsiniz.

Canl Bahis Siteleri

Son derece yuksek getiriye sahip bahis sektoru uzun zamandr faaliyet gostermektedir. Cok ciddi rakamlarn soz konusu oldugu bu sektor zamanla sanal ortamlara donusmustur. Elbette guvenli ve bir o kadar da avantajl olan bu siteler cok yonlu frsatlar sunmaktadrlar. Canl iddaa siteleri gerek yeni uyelere gerekse de hali hazrdaki uyelerine bolca bonus frsatlar vermektedir. Yatracagnz tutara gore belirlenen bonuslar site icerisinde rahat hareket etmenizi de saglayacaktr.

Canl bahis sitelerini kullanmadan once mutlaka guvenli olup olmadgna goz atmalsnz. Zira baz kullanclar guvenli olmayan sitelerden yaptklar islemlerden dolay magdur olmaktadrlar. Nitekim guvenli ve sorunsuz hizmet sunan yurt ds site tercih etmek en dogru secenektir. Sektorde uzun yllar faaliyet gosteren siteleri tercih edebilirsiniz. Bu alanda yer alan yabanc siteler musteri memnuniyetine onem vermektedir. Oncelik site kullanclarn sorunsuz sekilde bahislerini yapabilir olmasn saglamaktr. Bahis sitelerinde amac hem daha fazla kullancya hizmet vermek hem de sektorde emin admlarla ilerlemek onceliklidir. Dogru site tercihi ile sizde canl bahislerinizi sorun yasamadan gerceklestirebilirsiniz. Sizler icin hazrlams oldugumuz canl bahis siteleri listesi su sekildedir;

Mobilbahis Tempobet Bets10 Bahigo 1xbahis Betboo Youwin Superbahis

Sralams oldugumuz bu siteler sektorde basarl islere imza atms sitelerdedir. Canl bahis konusunda beklentileri karslayacak olan bu siteler sizlere kolaylk sunmaktadrlar. Bol bonuslu secenekle de sizlere farkl bahis yonlerini sunacaklardr. Sistemsel etki icerisinde her zaman etkin sonuc alabilmek icin surekli olarak faaliyet icerisindedirler.

Canl Bahis Taktikleri

Bahis sektorunun en fazla dikkat edilmesi gereken hususu dogru taktik ve dogru tahmindir. Elbette dogru tahmini yapabilmek icin analizi cok iyi yapmak gerekir. Canl bahis taktikleri arasnda ilk sra analiz gelmektedir. Analiz yapamadgnz zaman basarl tahminlerde bulunmanz pek de mumkun degildir. Cunku bahiste onemli olan konu musabakann analizini cok iyi yaplmas gerektigidir. Canl bahisin ozelliklerini iyi bilmek ve nasl bir hamle yapacagnz bilmek gerekir. Ozellikle riskli maclarda yaplacak degerlendirmeler cok daha onemlidir.

Canl bahis yapacaklarn takip edecegi degerler takmlarn durumlar ile alakal olmaldr. Performans uzerine kurulu bahis sisteminde takm degerlendirmesine iyi bakmak gerekir. Iki takmn son 5 macta nasl bir sonuc ortaya koyduguna bakarak hareket etmek onemlidir. Ayrca hangi takm evinde daha iyi performans sergiliyor diye de ayrca bakmak gerekir.

Analizlerle alakal puan durumlarna da goz atmak cok onemlidir. Puan degerlendirmesinde oncelikle takmlarn ihtiyaclar ile dogru orantl hareket etmek gerekir. Cunku olusturulan performans takmn da durumunu ortaya koymaktadr. Nitekim istenilen sonucu elde edebilmek icin tum ayrntlar bilmek gerekir. Takm ici duzenden tutunda da takmn son durumuna kadar her ayrnt onemlidir. Iki takmn birbirleri arasnda ki sonuclar da incelemek gerekir. Burada dikkat edilecek detaylarn basnda maclarda kac gol oldugu ve gollerin hangi dakikalarda atldgdr. Cekismeli gecen musabakalarda bazen goller ilk yarda daha fazla olurken baz maclarda da ikinci yarda daha cok gol olmustur. Iki takm arasnda ki maclarda gollerin cogunlugu ilk yarda geliyorsa buna gore bahis yapabilirsiniz.

Canl Bahis Siteleri Bonuslar ve Kampanyalar

Bahis yapanlar veya yapmay dusununler sitelerin sunmus olduklar frsatlar merak etmektedirler. Cunku siteler daha fazla kullancya erismek icin her donem kampanyalar duzenleyerek kullanc odakl hamleler yapmaktadrlar. Canl bahis bonuslar ve kampanyalar oldukca populer olup, siteler bu konuda adeta birbirleri ile yarsmaktadrlar. Birbirinden farkl ozelliklere sahip olan kampanyalar size frsatlar sunmaktadr. Daha cok kazanma ihtimalinizi arttran bu bonuslar daha cesur olmanza da dogrudan etki edecektir. Nitekim bonuslar sitelerin cekiciligini ve avantajlarn arttrmaktadr. En cok kazandran canl bahis siteleri bedava bonuslar ve kampanyalar icin http://www.milano2018.com/canli-bahis-siteleri-2022/ linkinden yardm alabilirsiniz.

Hos geldin bonusu ile baslayan ve sonrasnda para yatrdkca bonus veren cok sayda site bulunmaktadr. Canl bahis bonusu veren siteler yeni uyelere sunduklar frsatlar farkl kampanyalarla mevcut uyelerine de sunmaktadrlar. Hali hazrda siteyi kullananlarn da bonus frsatlarndan yararlanmalar icin donemsel kampanyalar olusturmaktadrlar. Boylece baska sitelere gidisler olmayacag gibi site de daha keyifli zaman gecirmek mumkun klnmaktadr. Bu tur eklentiler yapan sitelerde musteri memnuniyeti daha fazladr.

Bahis siteleri ozellik ve uygulama bakmndan farkllklar bunyelerinde bulundurmaktadrlar. Verilen bonuslarn olusturulmas ve kullanclar aktarlmasnda yatrlan para miktarlar belirleyici olmaktadr. 1.000 TL yatran bir kullanc yuzde 20 bonus frsat olan bir kampanyadan 200 TL bonus kazanabilmektedir. Yatracag tutar 10.000 TL oldugunda bu bonustutar 2.000 TL olabilmektedir. Gerceklesen ve uygulanan esaslar tamamen donemsel olarak yaplan kampanyalarla alakaldr. Iyi Canl bahis siteleri bonuslar ve kampanyalar icin sitelerin vermis oldugu oranlar takip edebilirsiniz.

Canl Bahis Siteleri Para Yatrma

Online Canl bahis yapacaklarn merak ettigi konulardan bir digeri de para yatrma islemleridir. Oldukca onemli olan bu konuda hata yapmamak cok onemlidir. Canl bahis sitelerine para yatrma islemi sanlann aksine son derece basittir. Oldukca basit ve uygulama esas dogru etki olusturan bu yapda sizde islemi rahatca tamamlayabilirsiniz. Para yatrma konusunda su yolu izleyebilirsiniz.

Guvendiginiz ve herhangi bir sekilde aklnzda soru isareti kalmayan bahis sitesine uye olmanz gerekmektedir. Uyelik islemini sorunsuz sekilde tamamladktan sonra para yatrma islemine gecebilirsiniz.

Kullanacagnz siteye uye olduktan sonra karsnza kullanc ad ve sifresini gireceginiz yer gelecektir. Buraya giris yaptktan sonra site icerisine islemlere devam edebilirsiniz.

Sitede yer alan para yatrma sekmesine tklayp sonrasnda karsnza gelen sayfay inceleyebilirsiniz. Para yatrma bolumunde yer alan ksma ne kadar para yatracagnz yazp devam tusuna basmalsnz.

Yatrmak istediginiz tutar girip sonrasnda da devam tusuna bastktan sonra karsnza kart bilgilerinizi gireceginiz sayfa gelecektir. Kredi kart kullanarak para gondermek isteyenlerin tercih ettigi bu sayfa tum bilgiler girilip islem onaylanmaldr.

Canl bahis sitelerine para yatrma islemini gerceklestirmek icin hesaba havale secenegini de kullanabilirsiniz. Site icerisinde musteri hizmetleri ile iletisime gecerek banka hesap numaralarn ogrenebilirsiniz. Belirtilen IBAN numarasna istediginiz tutar havale edebilirsiniz. Havale ederken acklama ksmna yazlacak bilgilere dikkat etmelisiniz.

Kredi kart veya banka havalesi ile gerceklesen para yatrma islemi sonucunda site hesabnzdan bakiyenize bakabilirsiniz. Bakiyenize gore dilediginiz sekilde bahislerinizi gerceklestirebilirsiniz.

Canl Bahis Siteleri Para Cekme

Canl bahiste dogru hamleler ve dogru tahminler sonucunda kazandgnz bedeli geri almak isteyebilirsiniz. Kazanclarnz istediginiz banka hesabnza cekebilmek icin uymanz gereken kurallar soz konusudur. Oncelikle bahis sitelerinden para cekebilmeniz icin uye olurken dogru bilgi paylasmnda bulunmanz gerektigidir. Cunku canl bahis sitelerinden para cekme islemi icin kullanc hesab ile talep edilen banka hesap bilgilerinin ortusmesi gerekir. Yani uye olurken verilen bilgi ile banka hesab kime ait ise o bilgiler ayn olmaldr. Bu uygulama sitenin hem kullancsn hem de kendisini guvene alma politikasdr. Ayrca frsatclarn onune gecerek yeni bir uye olusumunun da onune gecmek amac gutmektedir. Uye olan kisi farkl para cekilme talebi verilen hesap farkl oldugunda para cekme islemi gerceklesmeyecektir.

Bahisleriniz sonucunda kazanc elde edebilir ve bu kazancnz da hakknz olarak almak isteyebilirsiniz. Burada son derece basit uygulama soz konusu olurken siteler aras farkl gorunumler soz konusu olabilir. Fakat yine de tum sitelerde uyenin site icerisinde para cekme bolumune girmesi yeterlidir. Burada cekilecek olan tutarn belirlenmesi ve hesap numarasnn girilmesi ile birlikte islem onay gerekecektir. Para cekme taleplerinde sizden gerekli bilgiler istenmekte ve havale islemi istenilen bilgiler esliginde yurutulmektedir. Dogru bilgi paylasmak sorunsuz para cekebilmeniz en onemli kuraldr. Istenilen bilgiler girildikten sonra site sorumlular gerekli kontrolleri yapp herhangi bir sorun yoksa ksa surede hesabnza gerekli paray aktaracaklardr.

Canl Bahis Sitelerinden Para Cekmek Icin Istenen Belgeler

Bahis sitelerine uye olduktan sonra baz kullanclar para cekme taleplerinin karslanmadg konusunda sikayetlerde bulunmuslardr. Bu sikayetlersektorde uzun zamandr bulunan guvenilir bahis siteleri de yer almaktadr. Fakat sikayetlerin dayanaklarna bakldgnda ise islerin tamamen farkl oldugu gorulmektedir. Yasanan bu durum kullanclarn hatal bilgi girmesi ve uyelik bilgileri ile banka bilgilerinin uyusmamas ile dogru orantldr. Birde canl bahis para cekmek icin istenen belgeler eksik ya da hatal olarak sunulmus olabilir. Ortaya ckan karsklar neticesinde para cekme talebinde bulunan kisi istedigini alamadg icin sikayetci olmaktadr. Oysa ki istenilen bilgiler dogru ve istenilen evraklar eksiksiz sunulsa para cekme islemi sorunsuz olacak.

Sitelerin para cekme konusunda dikkatli hareket etmesi hilelerin ve illegal faaliyetlerin onune gecmek adnadr. Cunku baz kullanclar farkl bilgiler vererek ikinci hesap acabilmektedirler. Bazen de bilincsizce hatal bilgi girilebilmektedir. Hatal islemlerin cozumu konusunda islem yaptgnz sitenin musteri temsilcileri ile gorusebilirsiniz. Talepleriniz dogrultusunda para cekme islemlerinde ki sorunlar giderilecektir. Canl bahis para cekmek icin istenen belgeler listesi su sekildedir;

Kullanc bilgileri ile banka bilgilerini karslastrmak icin kimlik fotokopisi

Banka hesap bilgileri

Ikametgah ve kisiye ait herhangi bir fatura.

Kacak Iddaa

Turkiyede dogrudan bahis yapmak icin resmi kanallar kullanlabilmektedir. Fakat tercih edilen ve oran olarak cok daha fazla frsatlar sunan kacar iddaasiteleri bulunmaktadr. Bu siteler kanunlara aykr sekilde yaplmakta olup, yasal bir dayanag yoktur. Elbette bu sitelerin kurulus merkezi Turkiye olmayp, ds ulkelerdedir ve faaliyetler belirlenen siteler uzerinden yaplmaktadr. Kacak Iddaa oldukca riskli olup, cok dikkatli olunmas gerekir.

Kacak Bahis

Kanunlar cercevesinde istediginiz gibi bahis yapamayabilirsiniz. Bahis yapabilmek icin ya kanuni olarak sorun olmayan ulke dsnda ki kumarhanelere gitmeniz veya kacak bahis sitelerinden islem yapabilirsiniz. Zira bu durum tehlikeli olsa da cok sayda site guvenli sekilde bu alanda hizmet vermektedir. Kacak bahiste oldukca fazla secenek bulunurken yuksek oranda kazanc sunuyor olmas da ragbeti arttryor.

Illegal Bahis

Bahisin bircok alanda yasak oldugu Turkiyede bu alanda cok sayda yabanc merkezli siteler hizmet vermektedir. Illegal bahis sektorunde faaliyet gosteren siteler guvenli hizmet anlays ile kullanclarna frsatlar sunmaktadr. Yurt ds merkezli bu siteler sorunsuz sekilde hizmetlerini surdururken bulunduklar ulkelerde kanunlara uygun sekildedir. Elbette faaliyet noktasnda bulunduklar ulkelerde sorun teskil etmese de Turkiyede faaliyet gostermeleri kanunin yasaklanmstr.

Yasads Bahis

Gerek olusturulan etkenler gerekse de ortaya konulan riskler yasads bahis de oldukca tehlikelidir. Kanunlarn mudahil olduklar bu alanlar da hem kullanclar hem de populer bahis yaptranlar tum riskleri goze almaktadrlar. Fakat yasaklardan uzak sekilde guvenli hizmet sunan siteler de bulunmaktadr. Takipler neticesinde kapatlan sitelerin muhakkak alternatifleri kurularak yollarna devam etmektedirler.

Canl Iddaa Siteleri Nelerdir?

Dunya genelinde kabul gormus cok sayda guvenli hizmet veren populer bahis siteleri bulunmaktadr. Elbette bu siteler dunyann bircok ulkesinde faaliyet gosterse de Turkiyede yasaktr. Sektorde yer alan cok sayda legal iddaa siteleri bulunmaktadr. Herhangi bir kanunsuzlugun olmadg bu sitelerden hzl ve guvenli islem yaplabilmektedir. Tabi bu sitelerde uygulanan oranlar yasal olmayan sitelere gore daha dusuktur. Illegal sitelerin tercih edilme sebeplerinin en onemli etkeni de olusturulan oranlardr. Peki, Iddaa siteleri nelerdir? Faaliyetleri ve uygulama esaslar nelerdir?

Turkiyede faaliyet gosteren yasal iddaa siteleri listesi su sekildedir;

Iddaa

Bilyoner

Tuttur

Birebin

Oley

Nesine

Misli

Iddaa

2004 ylnda hizmet vermeye baslayan Iddaa Spor toto tarafndan kurulmus olup, ilk etapta bayilik seklinde calsmaya baslamstr. Elbette zamanla gelisen teknolojiye ayak uydurarak internet uzerinde de populer bahis severlerin hizmetine sunulmustur. Kuruldugu donemde devletin resmi kurumu olarak faaliyet gosterirken gelinen yeni donemde ozellestirilmistir.

Bilyoner

Turkiyede faaliyetine 2006 ylnda baslayan Bilyoner ilk ozel yasal bahis sitesi olma ozelligine sahiptir. Guvenilir bahis siteleri Turkiyede bunlardr. Ksa surede populer olan site halen faaliyetlerini sorunsuz sekilde surdurmektedir.

Tuttur

Ksa surede adndan bahsettirmeyi basaran Tuttur 2009 ylnda faaliyetlere baslamstr. Guvenilir bahis siteleri arasnda yerini almstr. Gunumuze dek bircok alanda populer bahis yapanlara frsatlar sunarken avantajlar ile de begeni toplamstr.

Birebin

Kullanc odakl calsmalar surdurse de 2011 ylnda sektore giren Birebindiger sitelere gore daha az ragbet gormektedir. Bahis oynamak ise bu sitede oldukca kolaydr. Elbette farkl yaklasmlara sahip olmasndan dolay ilerleyen sureclerde adndan sklkla bahsettirecek gibi gorunuyor.

Oley

2009 ylnda Dogus yayn gruplarnn istiraki olarak kurulmus olup yasal olarak herhangi bir sorunu olmayan sitelerdendir. Bahis siteleri arasnda hzl cks yapms bir sitedir. Oley yapms oldugu yenilikler ile kullanclarn da dikkatini ksa surede cekmeyi basarmstr.

Nesine

Birbirini takip eden surecte Nesine de yine 2006 ylnda hizmet vermeye baslamstr. Yasal bahis siteleri arasnda yerini almay basaran firma ksa surede sevilen ve ragbet goren bir site olmustur.

Misli

2009 ylnda sektore cok hzl giris yapan Misli cok sayda reklam filmi ile on plana ckmay basarmstr. Internet uzerinden hem yasal hem de sorunsuz hizmet veren bahis sitelerinden bir tanesi olmustur.

Canl Bahis Siteleri Kayt ve Uyelik Islemleri

Her zaman populerligini koruyan ve surekli gelisim gosteren canl bahis gun gectikce daha da gucleniyor. Bahis oynamak icin ise sitelere uye olunmas gerekir. Yuksek getirisi ve begeni toplayan faaliyetleri ile cok sayda site bu alanda faaliyet gostermektedir. Elbette sorunsuz sekilde uye olmanz ve faaliyetler gostermeniz de oldukca kolaydr. Canl bahis siteleri kayt ve uyelik islemleri dakikalar icerisinde gerceklestirilecek yapya sahiptir.

Uye olacagnz siteyi belirledikten sonra siteye girmeniz gerekmektedir. Girdiginiz sitenin ana sayfasnda uye ol ya da kayt ol bolumu bulunacaktr. Siteler arasnda degiskenlik gosteren bu alanda temel unsurlar bulunmaktadr. Elbette farkllklar olsa da temelinde benzer bilgiler uye olmak isteyen kisilerden talep edilmektedir.

Uye ol bolumune tkladktan sonra karsnza uyelik bilgi formu ckacaktr. Bu formda sizin kim oldugunuzu ogrenmek ve sitenin guvenligini saglamak adna islemler yaplmaktadr. Uyelik formunda yer alan ad soyad bolumunu eksiksiz ve dogru sekilde doldurmalsnz. Sizden bu formda istenen bilgilerin tamamn girmeniz istenecektir. Istenen bilgiler mutlaka dogru ve eksiksiz sekilde olmaldr. Eksik veya hatal bilgi uyelik islemlerinde sorun teskil edebilir. Yine de yanls bilgi girisine ragmen uyelik islemleri tamamlanabilir. Fakat boyle bir yol izleyenler sonrasnda buyuk skntlarla karslasabilirler. Bu skntlarn basnda da para cekme islemlerinde yasanan sorunlardr.

Uyelik islemleri dikkatli ve ozenle doldurulmas gereken yapdadr. Canl bahis siteleri kayt ve uyelik islemleri gerceklestirilirken verilen bilgiler site yonetimi tarafndan muhafaza edilmektedir. Herhangi bir sekilde 3. Sahslarla paylaslmas gibi bir durum soz konusu degildir. Bu faaliyetleri surduren sitelerin guven unsurlar arasnda bu nokta onceliklidir.

Bahis sitelerine uye olurken hatal bilgi paylasmnda bulunmak size faydadan cok zarar verecektir. Diyelim ki bilgileri hatal girdiniz ve uyelik onayland. Uyelik tamamlandktan sonra siteye para yatrdnz ve kazanc elde ettiniz. Kazancnz sonrasnda hesabnza almak istediginizde karsnza banka bilgileri bolumu gelecektir. Para cekme talebi gerceklestikten sonra site uyelik bilgileri ile banka hesap bilgileri ortusmez ise paranz alamazsnz. Boyle bir durumla karslasmamak adna bu hususa ayrca dikkat etmelisiniz.
May 17, 2016

Ricohs first branded high-end 3D printer is available now in Europe. As announced by Ricoh last year, the powerful RICOH AM S5500P 3D printer is capable of working with a wide range of polymers and powders and has been especially designed to manufacture large, highly detailed and functional objects in a single piece.

The RICOH AM S5500P is an industrial SLS 3D printer for high-definition and durable 3D prints. With a very large build area of 550 mm  550 mm  500 mm, the RICOH AM S5500P 3D printer is perfect for creating large components in one build and the production of multiple parts in a single run. The RICOH AM S5500P also features a smart re-coater which feeds new powder from both sides of the feed cartridge in order to provide consistently denser and high quality parts. The system functions with a wide range of materials as well. "In addition to the polymer powder materials mainly used with the SLS method, such as PA211 and PA12, universally applicable and highly functional materials PA6 and PP3 can also be used," the Japanese developers reveal. The 3D printer comes with Ricoh's own pre-configured settings for use with Ricoh approved materials, including Polypropylene (PP), PA6GB, PA11, PA12, PA12GB. Via the systems software, the user can develop their own parameters to suit the application with access to all settings. The system also offers PA1 and PP2 materials support  which are of strategic importance to manufacturers, particularly those in the automotive industry.

As part of its additive manufacturing business, centered on 3D printers, Ricoh recently set up its first RICOH Rapid Fab facility in Europe. Located in Telford, UK, the facility offers consultancy, training, design, manufacturing, post process finishing and measurement & inspection services. The facility also hosts demonstrations, giving customers an early look at the latest 3D printing innovations from Ricoh.

Peter Williams, Executive Vice President, Ricoh Europe, said: The availability of the RICOH AM S5500P and relevant end-to-end services means that European businesses now have a single point of contact for everything related to additive manufacturing. This makes it easier for them to understand and deploy an additive manufacturing solution that can help improve their efficiency, productivity and entry to new business areas. Given the relative fragmentation of the market this is a significant development, as the printing of working parts on demand and the creation of prototypes enables businesses to meet their evolving manufacturing innovation needs.

The RICOH AM S5500P is priced at JPY 75,000,000 (USD 684,321 / EUR 604,248 / GBP 472,525). It is available now in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Specifications:

Laser output: 100W

Scan speed: 15m / sec.

Layer thickness: 0.08mm~0.20mm

Build envelope (W  D  H): 550  550  500mm

Printer dimensions (W  D  H): 2,100mm  1,520mm  2,400mm

Power supply: 3-phase AC200V  10% 50A 50 / 60Hz

Posted in 3D Printer

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Sam Apple in The New York Times:

The story of modern cancer research begins, somewhat improbably, with the sea urchin. In the first decade of the 20th century, the German biologist Theodor Boveri discovered that if he fertilized sea-urchin eggs with two sperm rather than one, some of the cells would end up with the wrong number of chromosomes and fail to develop properly. It was the era before modern genetics, but Boveri was aware that cancer cells, like the deformed sea urchin cells, had abnormal chromosomes; whatever caused cancer, he surmised, had something to do with chromosomes. Today Boveri is celebrated for discovering the origins of cancer, but another German scientist, Otto Warburg, was studying sea-urchin eggs around the same time as Boveri. His research, too, was hailed as a major breakthrough in our understanding of cancer. But in the following decades, Warburgs discovery would largely disappear from the cancer narrative, his contributions considered so negligible that they were left out of textbooks altogether. Unlike Boveri, Warburg wasnt interested in the chromosomes of sea-urchin eggs. Rather, Warburg was focused on energy, specifically on how the eggs fueled their growth. By the time Warburg turned his attention from sea-urchin cells to the cells of a rat tumor, in 1923, he knew that sea-urchin eggs increased their oxygen consumption significantly as they grew, so he expected to see a similar need for extra oxygen in the rat tumor. Instead, the cancer cells fueled their growth by swallowing up enormous amounts of glucose (blood sugar) and breaking it down without oxygen. The result made no sense. Oxygen-fueled reactions are a much more efficient way of turning food into energy, and there was plenty of oxygen available for the cancer cells to use. But when Warburg tested additional tumors, including ones from humans, he saw the same effect every time. The cancer cells were ravenous for glucose.

Warburgs discovery, later named the Warburg effect, is estimated to occur in up to 80 percent of cancers. It is so fundamental to most cancers that a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, which has emerged as an important tool in the staging and diagnosis of cancer, works simply by revealing the places in the body where cells are consuming extra glucose. In many cases, the more glucose a tumor consumes, the worse a patients prognosis.

More here.
This article is reprinted from FORUM, the statewide magazine of the Florida Humanities Council  Florida Humanities CouncilWe walked arm-in-arm through the bustling Hanoi market. Rows of vendors selling tea leaves offered samples in tiny ceramic cups. It was mid-morning and the streets of the capital city of Vietnam were already crowded with shoppers snatching up fresh ingredients for the days dinner.It was the summer of 2000 and I had returned to Vietnam for the first time since fleeing my war-torn homeland with my family 25 years earlier. I was only 2 years old then, so I had no memory of my birth country and no relationship with relatives left behind.That morning, as I shopped with a younger cousin, she asked me questions about my life in America. She leaned in and whispered so softly, her voice was barely audible over the roar of passing mopeds.Is it true, she asked in Vietnamese, that all roads in America are paved with gold?I laughed out loud. I grew up in Florida, where potholes rattle my car; where there are riches, but also pockets of poverty and homelessness, unemployment and sickness.Nonsense, I answered back in Vietnamese. Life is tough in America, too. People work very hard to build a good life for themselves.My parents were no exception. We arrived in America as refugees in 1975, settling first in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. At that time, Lancaster was among several communities across the country to erect tent cities, which served as temporary housing for the mass exodus of emigres from Vietnam.With help from a sponsor family and their church, my father immediately took a blue-collar job and enrolled in school. In 1979, he graduated from Penn State University with a computer science degree and moved the family to Florida where the warm climate had also lured other expatriates.My father worked as a computer programmer and my mother assembled small electronic parts in a factory. They bought a tiny, three-bedroom, one-bath home to raise their five children. They had no savings and spent each paycheck on food, clothing, and what they considered basic necessitiesmusic lessons to enrich our lives and braces to straighten our teeth.I spoke no English when I started kindergarten, but I picked it up quickly. Some of it I gleaned from my mother, who struggled to learn the language. In second grade, when the teacher asked for words that began with the letter A, I proudly answered: al-cah-hawn. My classmates snickered. That was how my mother, with her heavy accent, pronounced rubbing alcohol at home.The language barrier kept my parents in the dark about many things outside the home. They did not know when report cards were distributed and never attended a single conference with a teacher. They were unable to help us with our English homework and science projects. As long as they saw us studying, they were content.In second grade, my mother did hear from a friend about a program called Girl Scouts. It sounded like a good activity to her. That year, I happened to be friends with a girl named Amanda, who, over the next decade, would introduce American culture, including Girl Scouts, into my very Vietnamese life.Amanda always wore the latest styles: Coca-Cola shirts and Members Only jackets, stirrup pants and UNITS belts. She tabbed her jeans at the ankle and adorned her wrists with jelly bracelets. Meanwhile, I wore the same pair of pin-stripe pants to school every day. Despite being a head taller, she would loan me her clothes. I still remember my favorite outfit in seventh grade: an oversized sweatshirt with different colored lips on it, paired with bright green balloon pants.One Christmas, she received a hard-to-find (and signed!) Cabbage Patch doll from her parents. My parents gave my three brothers and sister and me much-needed bath towels.Many Friday nights, I went to a church youth group with Amanda and her family. Sunday mornings, they picked me up for services. Some Sunday afternoons, I accompanied my parents to the Buddhist temple where we burned incense, chanted and prayed. And every Saturday morning for years, we attended Vietnamese school. In the 80s, much like today, Floridas Vietnamese population was spread out across the state. But a handful of families who lived in the Tampa Bay area pooled their money to hire a teacher to instruct their children how to read and write in Vietnamese. They became our social circle. At dinner parties, the parents compared their childrens grade-point averages and SAT scores. Did you hear about Mr. Hungs twins? Co-Salutatorians. How about Mr. Has son? Medical school.To them, education was the key to success. It didnt matter what else we did with our time, as long as we brought home all As. My siblings and I conspired to present our report cards only when we all had good marks. If one of us had a B, we waited until the next grading period to reassess. Once, three quarters went by and my mother wondered aloud why she hadnt seen our grades in a while. We just shrugged our shoulders. Its not like she could call up the school. She spoke no English.Because my mother worked in a factory with other Vietnamese women, she didnt have an opportunity to learn the language. She took English language classes at night, but she had a seventh-grade education. Learning another language in adulthood while working and raising five children was difficult.It was fun for us. My siblings and I discussed our lives freely in front of my mother. Dont tell mom, my brothers would say at the dinner table in rapid English, but were going out tonight. My mother just continued eating her rice.But my parents kept a tight fist around us, constantly lecturing us about our studies. College was not an option. It was an expectation. They told us stories about our cousins in Vietnam who were hungry, lived in huts and had no education. People died trying to come to America, my mother said. I can still see my mother weeping into our rotary phone one summer after receiving news about a cousins death. Thai pirates had intercepted a ship filled with Vietnamese escapees in the middle of the ocean and threw the men, including her cousin, overboard.My parents fled Vietnam to raise their children in a free country, where there is unlimited opportunity if you just take it. All five children, first-generation Vietnamese-Americans, went to college and have achieved success in their own ways. Thats the beauty of America. You are given many paths to travel. Everyone has a chance at an education and has the freedom to choose which path he or she will take.Perhaps my cousin was right. The roads in America, the ones we travel in life, just might be paved with gold.Phuong Nguyen, a former Florida journalist, works in resource development at United Way Suncoast.If you have immigrated similarly from another country to the Tampa Bay region, 83 Degrees would like to consider publishing your story. Write your story in 700-800 words and email to [email protected] for consideration. Comments? Contact 83 Degrees
Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

In the waning days of the Korean War, U.S. and U.N. forces fought a series of vicious battles against predominantly Chinese troops on a small hill that sat near a route leading to Seoul, the South Korean capital. Neither side could claim victory, and less than a month after one battle, in July 1953, the Korean War Armistice Agreement was signed. Bill Miller, then a private, saw his first combat on Pork Chop Hill with the Armys 7th Infantry, after he had arrived in Korea at age 19.



BEFORE I WALKED UP that hill, I just prayed: God, dont let me die a coward. God said to me, You will not die here, which meant I could do my job. We were up there 30 daysnever had a bath, under fire day and night on that slippery clay ground. We knew we had to hold Pork Chop Hill, and we werent giving up. I happened to save a young American soldiers life. He was aiming at a Chinese soldier and the clip from his M1 rifle popped out. He had no more ammo. With my help, the Chinese soldier expired right there on Pork Chop Hill.

About three days later, we were finally off duty behind the lines. The South Koreans had set up a tent selling beer and sweet rice wine to the soldiers. That soldier Id saved was in there, about half-drunk. He pointed at me and said, This is a nigger. I could slap his face and he couldnt do anything about it. I didnt say anything, just went back to my tent. Then I went to his. He was asleep in his sleeping bag. I told him to get up. He wouldnt. So I kicked his ass in his sleeping bag.

But that was rare. Mostly we loved each other. We cared about each other. It didnt make a difference where you came from.

I went into the Army to fight communism and to be the best soldier I could be. I got up to the top of the hill.

Miller, 83, later served two tours in Vietnam as a weapons and explosives specialist. He retired from the Army in 1979 as a master sergeant. He lives in Las Vegas.




Australian Research Council Linkage Grant to Progress Stem Cell Research into Treating Chronic Pain

Sydney, May 17, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Regeneus Ltd ( ASX:RGS ), a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company, today announced the Australian Research Council (ARC) had awarded a Linkage Grant of $340,000 to a research consortium that includes Regeneus collaborating with leading researchers from Macquarie University and the University of Adelaide.



The three year research project will seek to develop a better understanding of chronic pain and how it affects women and men differently and how stem cells specially selected for their cytokine profiles can be used to relieve chronic pain in animals and help lay the foundations for future human therapies.



The research consortium brings together innovative cell labeling technologies developed by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics (CNBP) and a transdisciplinary team of researchers with expertise in the physiology of pain, cell analysis, biosensing and the development and clinical application of stem cells for inflammatory disease. The team will be led by Professor Ewa Goldys's group at Macquarie University and be assisted by Professor Mark Hutchinson's group at the University of Adelaide.



Professor Hutchinson is an expert in the mechanisms of neuropathic pain and his pioneering work has demonstrated that neuropathic pain is controlled by our immune system and that female chronic pain is more widespread than male pain.



Neuropathic pain is caused by damage or disease affecting nerves. Causes include trauma or surgery, viral infections, cancer and diabetes. Neuropathic pain is a common problem that presents a major challenge to health-care providers, with an estimated 6-8% of the population being affected.



"Stem cells secrete molecules that control or modulate the immune system. And because neuropathic pain is driven by the immune system we can use stem cells to control and shut down the pain. However, stem cells can secrete both good (anti-inflammatory) and bad (inflammatory) molecules, therefore, the use of cells that secrete the right molecules is going to be critical," said Professor Hutchinson.



Professor Ewa Goldys's group at Macquarie University has developed innovative cell labeling technologies to identify and select cells based on the molecules that they are secreting. This technology will be used to select cells for the manufacture of stem cells for the treatment of chronic pain.



Regeneus has patents and patent applications on the use of stem cells for the treatment of neuropathic pain and has had previous success with the use of stem cells for the treatment of neuropathic pain. The outcomes of this research project are expected to lead to the development of allogeneic off-the-shelf stem cell products that have been tailored for the treatment of neuropathic pain in both veterinary and human markets.





About Regeneus Ltd





Regeneus Ltd (ASX:RGS) is a Sydney-based clinical-stage regenerative medicine company using stem cell technologies to develop a portfolio of novel cell-based therapies. The regenerative therapies seek to address unmet medical needs in human health markets, focusing on neuropathic pain, including osteoarthritis and various skin conditions, with its platform technologies Progenza(TM) and Sygenus. Visit www.regeneus.com.au for more information.


and Dana Legal Action Now Discontinued

Perth, May 17, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Altech Chemicals Limited ( ASX:ATC ) is pleased to confirm that a minute of consent order has been filed in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, consenting to the discontinuation of legal proceedings between Dana Shipping and Trading S.A. (Dana) and Altech.



The filing of the minute brings to an end the dispute between Dana and the Company.



As announced on 9 May 2016, Dana has agreed that it will purchase exploration licence E70/3923 from the Company (excluding mining lease application M70/1334, 100% owned by Altech) at Meckering, Western Australia for $2.0 million. Dana has paid a $250,000 non-refundable deposit to Altech and it will pay the balance of the consideration to Altech within 5 business days of the grant of mining lease M70/1334.



M70/1334



Mining lease application M70/1334 covers an area of ~85 hectares and sits within the boundaries of the 94 hectare block of freehold farming land that the Company has an option to acquire (refer ASX Announcement dated 6 May 2016, for details). Access to the lease is via a maintained gazetted public road which links directly to the Great Eastern Highway that runs east from Perth to Kalgoorlie.



The lease area contains an estimated ~11 million tonnes of kaolin mineral resources, representing in excess of 250 years of feedstock for the Company's proposed 4,000tpa high purity alumina (HPA) plant at Johor, Malaysia. In April 2016, the Company completed a grade control drilling program at Meckering to assist in planning its future kaolin mining operations, the drilling program was confined to within the area of M70/1334.





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.
The lone House Democrat to cast a vote Tuesday in support of the chambers new Republican-backed chief clerk said today his vote was based on principle.

Rep. Miguel Garcia, D-Albuquerque, broke from his caucus in supporting Denise Greenlaw Ramonas for the chief clerk job, which entails overseeing the Houses voting procedures and day-to-day operations.

He said newly-elected House Speaker Don Tripp, R-Socorro, should be given the opportunity to hire staff for key House positions.

The speaker has the right to choose his employees, Garcia said during an interview on the House floor.

Greenlaw Ramonas was formally elected to the post Tuesday on a 38-31 vote, with all 37 House Republicans voting in support. Democrats, with the exception of Garcia, voted for Socorro Argaon, a former employee of the clerks office, instead of for Greenlaw Ramonas.

The Republican Party of New Mexico has criticized House Democrats for their vote on the chief clerk, describing the job as a nonpartisan, bureaucratic position.
Copyright  2015 Albuquerque Journal

Citing higher-than-expected costs, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico wants to raise premiums by an average of 51.6 percent on individual Affordable Care Act plans in 2016.

The company made the request in a preliminary rate proposal filed with New Mexico Insurance Superintendent John Franchini. Blue Cross and Blue Shield  which insures an estimated 600,000 people statewide  said the proposal affects an estimated 35,000 customers who signed up for qualified individual health plans through the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange, but also those who bought the same plans off the exchange.

Franchini has the final authority to approve or not approve Blue Cross and Blue Shields request.

His office  including an in-house actuary and a contracted actuary  also will consider rate increase proposals from Presbyterian Health Plan and New Mexico Health Connections. Franchini said Presbyterian wants an average increase of 6 percent on its individual plan premiums, while New Mexico Health Connections seeks a bump of 4 to 5 percent on its individual plans.

Franchini said the other two companies selling through the exchange  Molina and Christus  did not ask for premium hikes in their preliminary proposals, though final requests are not due until June 15.

The new rates would go into effect Jan. 1.

Customers will have had a chance to shop around for coverage during an open enrollment period that begins Nov. 1.

Kurt Shipley, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, told the Journal this week the requested increase reflects the real costs of coverage rather than the projections the company used when setting initial rates. He said those who bought the individual plans tended to be older and in poorer health than expected. Others came to the company having not previously had health coverage.

The rates we thought would be adequate were not enough, Shipley said in a Journal interview. As we obtained more information and paid claims and have gotten that additional experience, its clear to us that rates need to be higher in order to cover the costs associated with those plans.

He said Blue Cross and Blue Shield lost money on such plans in 2014 and in 2015, but he would not provide an exact figure. Shipley did say weve seen some very large and significant claims with this block of business.

The size of Blue Cross and Blue Shields requested increase has made national news. The Wall Street Journal last week highlighted it in a story about the large increases insurers want for plans they sell under the federal health law.

Shipley cautioned that the rate increase was not final and that, even if approved, would likely impact different members differently. He said federal subsidies  for which two-thirds of the affected Blue Cross members qualify  could soften the blow of higher premiums.

Since the federal health law requires insurers to spend at least 80 percent of premiums on medical care or else offer refunds, Shipley said theres really no motivation for charging more than is necessary.

Franchini said his office has asked Blue Cross and Blue Shield to answer a series of questions related to its initial increase request and is also reviewing the other insurers proposals.

He said he has not yet seen any of the five companies final requests yet but plans to move swiftly after receipt so that all rates are cemented by Aug. 1.

About 80,000 New Mexicans have qualified individual health plans today. An estimated 50,000 were sold through the exchange. Blue Cross and Blue Shield represents about 30 percent of the exchange-bought plans, Franchini said, about the same amount as Presbyterian and New Mexico Health Connections. Christus and Molina have significantly smaller pieces.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield was one of three companies on the New Mexico exchange that lowered its average premium for 2015. At the time 2015 rates were announced, some insurers expressed optimism that a new wave of previously uninsured people  and not just those with major health conditions and the greatest medical needs  would start signing up. Blue Cross and Blue Shield also touted better contract terms with some of its health care providers for its own ability to cut premiums from 2014 levels.

Insurance premiums vary widely based on an individuals age, smoking habits, location and level of coverage, making it difficult to compare general rates among companies.

But a Journal analysis of 2015 rates for a 50-year-old nonsmoker in Albuquerque found that the lowest-priced, bronze level plan for Blue Cross and Blue Shield comes with a monthly premium of $199.56. Thats higher than New Mexico Health Connections ($182.62) but lower than the other three companies on the exchange, including Christus, which offered its cheapest bronze coverage at $365.25.

Premiums are just one factor in health care costs. Customers must also consider associated out-of-pocket expenses.
E-cigarettes help smokers cut back on or kick their deadly habit  or they feed the addiction. They act as a gateway to smoking with seductive flavorings and safety claims  or they divert a generation of would-be smokers from the dangers of burned tobacco.

They reduce nonsmokers involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke  or replace it with different toxins. They expose curious children to nicotine cartridges that can prove fatal if ingested  or theyre no more dangerous than laundry pods, which remain on the market.

They are a danger to the publics health. They are boon to the publics health.

When it comes to assessing the effect of e-cigarettes on Americans health  a regulatory responsibility the Food and Drug Administration claimed on Thursday  only one thing is clear through the vapor: the health effects of these smokeless nicotine-delivery devices on the broad population are a matter of heated dispute.

The research that will be needed to guide the FDAs deliberations has produced equally mixed findings. And it is racing to keep up with a $7.3-billion global market that is expanding and pumping out new products rapidly. As the FDA reviews the applications of e-cigarette marketers, they are very likely to find evidence of unambiguous harm, said tobacco researcher Rebecca Williams of the University of North Carolinas Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

A growing array of products, is available to U.S. consumers, and none to date has been subject to any oversight, Williams said. Their manufacturers, many of them outside the United States, need adhere to no production standards. They have not been required to disclose their ingredients, nor to prove that they are safe, she said.

Some use flavorings found safe to ingest but demonstrably dangerous to heat and inhale, Williams said, and there are mounting reports of vaping devices exploding and catching fire.

But these are likely to be the easy cases.

Over the coming years, experts said, FDA regulators will wrestle with a basic question about e-cigarettes and the fast-growing range of other vaping devices: Even if they pose some dangers to consumers, are they safer than cigarettes, and under what circumstances?

Regulators are unlikely to see many claims of health-promotion for these products. Few would argue that warming nicotine so that it can quickly be delivered to the brain will lead to longer-lived, healthier Americans.

But the FDA will often be asked to weigh the harm reduction potential for these devices, a more complex calculation. To decide which products pass muster and what marketers can claim, the agency will need to answer some basic questions.

Inevitably itll be complex, and the industry has promoted this complexity, said Clifford Douglas, director of University of Michigans Tobacco Research Network. The vaping industry has made claims, which will now be scrutizined for the first time by the FDA, that its products are a net benefit to Americans health. And it has taken advantage of the FDAs silence to date to aggressively extend its market, he added.

Regulators will need to establish whether certain classes of vaping devices might help smokers quit  a claim that has received only limited support from research. Theres some evidence to suggest that smokers who switch exclusively to vaping devices can quit, said Rebecca Williams. But theres more evidence, she said, that smokers continue to use both  a practice that sustains their addiction and wipes out the physiological improvements that would come from switching to e-cigarettes alone.

They will need to understand how often vaping leads to smoking among those 18 and over  the customers to whom marketing will now be limited.

Thomas Brandon, director of the Tobacco Research & Intervention program at Moffitt Cancer Center, said the FDA appears to be seeking a balance. Neither the most vocal proponents nor opponents of e-cigarettes will be completely satisfied, but I believe that the public will be served by these regulations, Brandon said.
SANTA FE  Santa Fe is considering bringing an official city-sponsored celebration of Mexicos independence day to the downtown Plaza, as requested by the Mexican Consulate.

The event would be held Sept. 16, the 206th anniversary of the start of the revolution that eventually led to Mexicos independence from Spain. A resolution in support of hosting El Grito on the Plaza will come before two city advisory committees today (May 17.

A staff report says the celebration would solidify the cultural ties between New Mexico and Mexico and would also draw visitors to the celebration to learn more about Mexican history and their struggle for independence.

The city would waive permit fees and absorb associated costs for police and fire department personnel to be on hand. Colorful celebrations of El Grito have been held in less prominent locations, Ragle Park and Franklin Miles Park in mid-city Santa Fe, with city government sponsorship for several years.

Mayor Javier Gonzales  whose People to the Plaza initiatives have included closing off some streets to vehicle traffic during the warmer months, allowing food trucks to park on some downtown streets and a New Years celebration held for the first time this year  is introducing the resolution, and City Councilors Peter Ives and Chris Rivera have signed on as sponsors. Phone calls seeking more details from the mayors assistant and public information officer were not returned Monday.

The resolution explains that El Grito de Dolores was a battle cry, el grito meaning the cry, used during the Mexican Revolution, which resulted in that countrys gaining independence from Spain in 1821.

The request to stage a celebration in the heart of New Mexicos capital city came at the request of the Mexican Consulate in Albuquerque, according to city documents. The resolution says that the state of New Mexico and the country of Mexico share many historic and cultural ties and continue to influence each other.

A fiscal impact report indicates that costs would include $1,700 for police and $470 for fire. The total cost is estimated at $3,922, including fees, personnel and other operating costs, according to the report.
Dogs that attack and kill without provocation will be subject to immediate removal under a new version of Angels Law passed late Monday by Albuquerque city councilors.

The goal, supporters said, is to better protect the public from dangerous dogs following a pair of vicious attacks last year.

The proposed ordinance calls for the city to take a dog into custody after an attack kills or seriously maims another pet or person  either with the owners permission or by seeking court approval. The owner could appeal the seizure in an administrative hearing.

Jack Cash, whose dog, Duncan, a Maltese, died during an attack last year, urged councilors Monday to pass the law.

We didnt feel safe after the attack, he said. These changes remove ambiguity from the law.

Councilor Trudy Jones, who sponsored the bill at the administrations request, said it was a good compromise on what we need to do to keep our citizens and all of the pets in the city safe.

The new legislation is a substantial change from the current ordinance, named after a boy mauled in 2004 while trying to protect his little sister from a dog attack. The existing rules leave it up to animal control officers discretion whether to take custody of dogs that have attacked other dogs or people. Seizure is rare.

Passage of Mondays legislation comes after at least two fatal attacks last year on small dogs that were on leashes being walked by their owners. In Journal articles, owners of Angel and Duncan  the two dogs  described how heartbreaking it was to see their small dogs mauled to death while out on walks.

The city didnt immediately try to seize the dogs involved in either attack.

The new city ordinance:

 Directs the city to try immediately to seize a dog that has killed or maimed a person or pet without provocation, either by seeking a warrant or with the owners permission. The seizure attempt is mandatory, not discretionary, and the city would keep the dog if a hearing officer agrees the dog killed without provocation.

The owner of a dog that has maimed, but not killed, a person or pet could get the dog back, depending on the outcome of an administrative hearing. The return would include certain restrictions.

 Makes clear that the city has discretion on whether to try immediately to seize a dog that less seriously injures a person or pet.
An Austin, Texas, pastor who accused Whole Foods Market of writing a homophobic slur on a cake admits that his claim was a hoax.

The pastor, Jordan Brown, has dropped a lawsuit that he filed against the food store chain.

I want to apologize to Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the companys commitment to its values, he was quoted by KVUE-TV, the ABC affiliate in Austin, as saying.

He also apologized to the baker of the cake, who I understand was put in a terrible position because of my actions, KVUE said, and to the LGBT community for diverting attention from real issues. I also want to apologize to my partner, my family, my church family, and my attorney.

Whole Foods, which is based in Austin, said it would drop a countersuit given Mr. Browns apology and public admission that his story was a complete fabrication.

Brown claimed last month that he ordered a cake from the Whole Foods on Lamar Boulevard, not far from the University of Texas, requesting that it be decorated with the message, Love wins.

But when he picked the cake up, he said, the message read, Love wins fag.

Brown, who is gay, sued the store.

Whole Foods, after investigating the accusation, denied that the slur was written by anyone at the store.

Our bakery team member wrote Love Wins at the top of the cake, which was visible to Mr. Brown through the clear portion of the packaging, the company said in a statement posted last month to its website.

Thats exactly how the cake was packaged and sold at the store.
Beware those stories from the border, especially from that corner of New Mexico called the Bootheel, that sketch a black-and-white picture. Ranchers outraged over border security. Sportsmen riled over access to public lands. Border Patrol struggling with a lack of resources.

Ive written these stories, and they have been true, but they have left out some fundamental knowledge: that the border is at best a fuzzy gray line where two countries and two peoples rub shoulders, sometimes cozily, sometimes not, and things are rarely simple.

A Bootheel rancher whose place has been broken into multiple times in recent years and who has spoken out about border security problems keeps bread, bologna and water bottles in an outdoor refrigerator.

The fridge was there in the past for migrants heading north in search of work. Now the fridge is more often raided by drug mules after theyve trekked the Bootheels rugged mountains for days, dropped off their loads and are heading back to Mexico hungry and parched.

A Border Patrol agent tells me: That rancher complains about security, but just when we are about to catch drug mules who have become tired and weak, they refuel at the ranchers watering hole.

The rancher tells me: Thats the way I was raised. Just feed em and water em and send them on their way.

It was the good Samaritan thing to do when you knew the people were poor and desperate and looking for work. Now its a safety precaution so the drug runners  potentially armed  dont break into homes to steal food. The drug mules may be poor and desperate, too, but they arent innocent.

The rancher says: The guys who are coming over the border arent the same as the ones who were looking for work. They are cartel guys. They are wearing camouflage. They are packing guns.

The bologna is in the freezer, by the way, so they wont hang around and make a sandwich but take the provisions and head on.

A sheriffs deputy talks about the drug scourge and the effort it takes to intercept the loads carried by these drug mules. Then he marvels for a moment at the backpackers perseverance. He uses the word amazing.

He has seen them literally sprint the last mile to the interstate after walking seven days over perilous mountain ridges carrying 50-pound sacks of dope  including at night, with no flashlight. He is tasked with helping apprehend guys like these, but you can hear something like respect in his voice.

(Its worth stating that drug mules arent big-time traffickers. They work for wages. In the business of the drug trade, they supply the heavy lifting of logistics services.)

Ive made it seem again like the Bootheel is some wild country populated by ranchers and border agents and drug runners. It does seem that way sometimes.

At other times, the country seems peaceful and heartbreakingly beautiful. Hawks flying cerulean skies. Ridges that rise like the backbones of sleeping dinosaurs. Windblown grasses visited by wild turkeys and pronghorn antelope.

A water scientist told me the first time he saw the Bootheel, he immediately wanted to lock it up and throw away the key. A hunter and wildlife advocate called it the land that time forgot. Or as the people who live there say, This is home.

Sometimes it is the kind of place where a gray-haired couple can share the same side of a booth in a small-town restaurant and eat cheeseburgers for lunch.

The kind of place where Border Patrol agents speak fluid Spanglish among themselves.

When locals turned out by the hundreds in Animas earlier this year to make noise about border security, no one called for a border wall.

At the southern end of Hidalgo County Road 001, better-known as the Cloverdale Road, you know Mexico is in the not-so-far distance. Its hard to tell from this vantage point where one country ends and the other begins.

UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Lauren Villagran in Las Cruces at lvillagran@abqjournal.com. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
SANTA FE  State Auditor Tim Keller says the Secretary of States Office hasnt budgeted enough money for elections over the past decade  requiring $25 million from the state to plug the gaps later  and that its time to fix the situation.

Secretary of State Brad Winter on Monday acknowledged the pattern of emergency grants, loans and special appropriations. But he said the problem is not the budget his office proposes but the funding it gets.

Keller in a letter last week to Winter cited chronic budgetary shortfalls in election spending, and said the secretary of states budgetary practices create a substantial financial burden that must be absorbed by the Legislature and the state Board of Finance.

The auditor listed 29 loans, grants or appropriations since the 2008 budget year  for a total of $24.8 million  to fund elections. Thats 43 percent over the secretary of states regular budget, he said.

Repeatedly using emergency funding mechanisms for routine, regularly scheduled elections runs against common-sense budgeting principles, Keller said in a statement.

The Democratic auditors review spanned the administrations of both Democratic and Republican secretaries of state, and Kellers office said the pattern of funding likely predated the 10 years that were scrutinized.

Keller also pointed out that the Legislature has redirected more than $10 million from the Public Election Fund  which is supposed to be used to support publicly financed candidates  to pay for election expenses in the Secretary of States Office.

The state Board of Finance in March agreed to give Winters office more than $300,000 to fully fund publicly financed candidates. They otherwise would have gotten 68 percent of what they were entitled to under law because of a shortfall in the Public Election Fund, Winter said.

Winter, a Republican who was appointed to the office in December by GOP Gov. Susana Martinez, told the Journal his office requested $6.1 million to run elections in the budget year that begins July 1  and includes the presidential general election in November  and ended up with just under $5 million. The budget was passed by the Legislature and signed by Martinez.

It will probably not be enough to run elections, and its anticipated the office will request extra funding, he said.

It looks like well be underfunded by about $1.1 million.  Well do what we can to cut back, he said.

Chief of Staff Ken Ortiz said the cost of elections varies  a presidential general election is the most expensive, he said  and it has been the recent practice for the state to fund on a recurring basis the least expensive election and then fill the gap with additional funding later.

He said the situation is further complicated by the Secretary of States Office having to submit its budget request a couple of months before counties decide how many polling places, voting centers and machines they will need.

A spokeswoman for Keller, Justine Freeman, said secretaries of state have failed to advocate for the budget that they needed from the Legislature.

Keller said in a letter to Winter that this is a critical juncture for his office to coordinate with counties to change the system, because New Mexicos budget problems will only worsen if the situation continues.
CHAMA  The experienced hiker found dead at a New Mexico campground 10,000 feet above sea level over the weekend had hiked the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails  routes that together are considered the Triple Crown of Hiking.

Stephen Olshansky was officially reported missing by New Mexico State Police in December near Chama after he began following a portion of the Continental Divide Trail near the Colorado-New Mexico border, according to published reports, including one in the Journal.

Hikers this past week reported seeing a body in the Carson National Forest campground about 10,000 feet above sea level and east of Chama, a town near the Colorado border, but officers couldnt reach the site because of snow drifts and impassable terrain.

They returned Sunday on all-terrain vehicles to recover Olshansky.

His last known address was in Boynton Beach, Fla., said Sgt. Elizabeth Armijo, a State Police spokeswoman.

It appeared Olshansky died from exposure, and there was no sign of foul play, State Police said late Sunday.

A brother of the 59-year-old Olshansky, who described him as an experienced hiker, said he had been out of touch with family for months, leading the relatives to grow worried about his well-being.

Olshansky was last seen in mid-November when he was dropped off at the Cumbres Pass, and he had planned to follow the trail to Abiquiu, a scenic town that was the second home to the late artist Georgia OKeeffe.

He had mailed supplies to himself to the local post office ahead of the journey, but he never picked up the supplies.

Olshanskys hikes along the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails can take months to complete, according to published reports.
A cool, moist air mass sloshing through the state the next few days will shove maximum temperatures well below seasonal averages and set the stage for widespread showers and perhaps even some snow in higher elevations.

It should be a fun stretch of weather, quite a dynamic week, said Kerry Jones, a meteorologist with the Albuquerque office of the National Weather Service.

Jones said the best chance for rain in the Albuquerque area will be from late tonight through Wednesday, with a slight potential for precipitation lingering into Thursday.

The cold fronts arrival in Albuquerque tonight will be accompanied by east canyon winds gusting up to 50 mph.

Although the wind may be difficult to take, any kind of precipitation will be welcome. Officially, Albuquerque has received 1.12 inches of precipitation this year, 1.17 inches below normal for this point.

May has provided a mixed bag in the moisture department for New Mexico overall. Much of the north and the north-central parts of the state have benefited from widespread showers and mountain snow, but it has been exceedingly dry in western and southern parts of the state. Moderate drought exists in chunks of the south and west making up about 40 percent of the state. Sixteen percent of the state, mostly in the north and east, is free of drought or dry conditions. The remainder, including the Albuquerque area, is considered abnormally dry.

Albuquerques projected high temperatures are 69 today, 63 on Wednesday and 71 on Thursday, well below the high 70s that are the norm for this time of year.

Enjoy it, Jones said of the anticipated cooler, wetter weather. Because next week it is looking to be warmer and drier.

This weeks active pattern follows a wild weekend of weather that ranged from critical fire conditions in the west to dense fog in the east and severe thunderstorms and hail in north-central areas. Stanley and Santa Fe were pummeled with 1-inch hail over the weekend. Mineral Hill, 17 miles west of Las Vegas, got 1.30 inches of rain.

And then on Monday, this latest cold front seeped into the northeastern corner of the state, prompting severe storm warnings for Colfax, Harding, Union and Quay counties. The system will press south and west over the next few days and was expected to break into the Rio Grande Valley by early today.

Not everyone is going to get an inch of rain, but there is lots of potential for rain and  above 9,000 feet  chances to get snow, Jones said. Thursday is the transition day. Temperatures will be warmer but still below seasonable averages. We are still expecting showers on Thursday, and the north and north-central areas could get severe thunderstorms.

On Friday, however, things will clear up and temperatures will climb back into the normal range, getting up to 80 degrees or higher in Albuquerque.

Jones said the weekend is looking to be mostly warmer and sunny in the Albuquerque area, but theres a possibility of thundershowers in the eastern part of the state.
TALKaOF THEaTOWN

Dont talk to strangers is too simplistic

I TEACH SELF-DEFENSE to women and children and am often asked the question of how to keep children safe.

Even now more than ever, I expect the question to arise due the tragic loss of Ashlynne Mike. Parents often recite the rule, Dont talk to strangers. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that there is, on average, one child molester per square mile.

From a young age, we tell our little toddlers to smile and say hi to strangers and to tell the person your name  sometimes even taking candy from the bank lady. And as they get a bit older we again reiterate, Dont talk to strangers  unless they work as a cashier, or are wearing a police uniform, or are elderly or work at the church. So, the confusion sets in.

It becomes a bit impossible for them not to talk to strangers, and predators are going to be in the mix if the statistic is true. When I teach my class, I ask the kids to describe  when I draw him  what a bad guy looks like. I get a very mixed composite of features for the bad guy.

Bottom line, everyone has their own version of what a bad guy/stranger looks like. As author and security expert Gavin de Becker states, The issue isnt strangers, it is strangeness.

Children who communicate with people and interact will have a better chance of reading people. They learn what feels weird or uncomfortable. Optimal learning can be aided by a parent. For example, a guy stands too close or stares and the parent talks about it later.

We have to be even more vigilant of the Internet and the thousands of kids who post pictures of themselves in swimsuits or pajamas and which are accessible to pedophiles, de Becker also warns.

HEATHER WINKELJOHN

Albuquerque

Nursing homes face growing problems

AS SOMEONE who has worked in nursing homes for the past 10 years, I felt the need to do some further explaining of the current state of geriatric care in our state and around the nation (Nursing homes turning to eviction, May 9).

As often reported, Alzheimers rates are on the rise all over our country. So much so that often the staff are not able to properly care for patients with extreme behaviors. This part of the article is true. Often, certain Alzheimers patients need one-to-one care to maintain safety. Our current state standards for residents and staff is at about a 12:1 ratio depending on acuity. With many patients discharged from the hospital, intermingled with long-term care residents  many of whom have Alzheimers  it makes for a very challenging balancing act for many caregivers working in a facility.

Most long-term care facilities are mainly equipped to handle a more general population. Many do not have locking doors to keep Alzheimer patients who wander inside, nor do they have the staff to monitor and intervene with such extreme behaviors, such as residents hitting and biting one another, tearing railing off the walls and violently throwing objects.

Another factor to be considered is staff wages and burnout. As the need for caregivers has risen and the prices for such care have gone up, the wages have been stagnant, especially with caregivers and certified nursing assistants. This often leads to many openings and a sort of revolving door. Employees look to find employment that will offer compensation matching the level of effort and attention being expended, especially when that level is at an all-time high. Staff turnover and caregiver burnout wreaks havoc all over the country.

In 10 years, I have never witnessed someone evicted in such a way as the article implies. The reality is, with most of the care facilities not equipped to handle behaviors, it does become a care issue for not only the individual with behaviors, but for the safety of all other residents. This is more of a systemic problem that needs to be addressed immediately, as the need for Alzheimers care rises, we as a nation are not equipped to handle the influx of what is to come.

EMILY MELANCON

Albuquerque

Superdelegates committed too early

IM DISAPPOINTED to learn that U.S. Sens. (Tom) Udall and (Martin) Heinrich and Congresswoman (Michelle) Lujan-Grisham have prejudged the presidential election and committed their votes as DNC delegates to Hillary Clinton. The New Mexico primary is June 7, when New Mexico voters will cast their votes. The early declaration of these superdelegates undermines the electoral process and disrespects the will of the voters in New Mexico.

Democrats are fortunate to have two strong and well-qualified candidates, in sharp contrast to the Republicans. Regardless of which candidate  Clinton or (Bernie) Sanders  is ultimately selected by New Mexico voters in June, all Democrats should coalesce around the voters choice in November.

I urge our superdelegates to respect the Democrats in New Mexico and wait for their decision to be announced June 7 before deciding how they will cast their superdelegate vote. If they decide not to follow the will of the majority, I hope they will explain their decision to me and to every New Mexican who believes in an open, fair and transparent election, not the antiquated party machine.

LORA LUCERO

Albuquerque

Congress should address NM poverty

NEW MEXICO HAS a high level of poverty. We urge Sen. (Tom) Udall and Sen. (Martin) Heinrich, as well as our representatives in Congress, to pass the necessary legislation that will have impact on poverty in our state.

Refundable tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, kept 9.8 million people out of poverty. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, aka food stamps, kept 4.7 million people out of poverty, while other targeted programs such as housing subsidies, unemployment insurance, and school lunch programs made it possible for millions more to keep their heads above water.

MARION SEYMOUR

Santa Fe

Critics of sick leave need some empathy

DO CAROL WIGHT, (CEO) of the New Mexico Restaurant Association, and Terri Cole, (president and CEO) of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, get sick leave at their jobs?

The answer is obvious. Each says the issue of sick leave should not be decided by legislation but should be decided between employer and employee (Coalition seeks sick leave law in Albuquerque, May 8). But Wight and Coles organizations are against unions.

So what they are really telling workers is for each worker to ask the boss for benefits, and when the boss says no, be thankful you at least have a job. Wight and Cole should each work for a month at a minimum-wage job with no benefits and hope they and their kids do not get sick. Then come back and tell us why sick leave is a bad idea.

JEFFREY L. BAKER

Albuquerque

PullTogether shows great promise

THE NEW CYFD PullTogether program (New Mexicans should help create a better life for kids, May 6) is only smoke and nonsense if the big kick-off rally is all there is. In politics, sometimes that happens. High-ranking officials want to go on the record as supporting children  for strategic reasons  then resume their true interests after making themselves look good.

And sometimes members of the public behave likewise.

Following through with wise oversight, funding and continual effort, especially by us, the public, is what matters.

Rarely has New Mexicos Children, Youth and Families Department organized (itself) so well and on such a high level. PullTogether establishes a framework, including a long overdue website, where cohesion and cross-pollination of efforts can lead to grand new results.

Although initially pricey at $2.7 million, in the long run such streamlining and closing of gaps can reduce costs because the need for services will dwindle, but only if everyone cooperates to keep this system running! Hence the big pep rally, to inform and inspire us.

We all need to keep working together to improve the welfare of New Mexicos children. Too many of our kids experience neglect, hunger, dismal opportunities and abuse.

Thanks to CYFD Secretary Monique Jacobson for making it easier for us to address these important issues.

LINDA BAIRSTOW

Albuquerque

Bilingual missionaries could help courts

MANY YEARS AGO, my husband went on a church mission to Guatemala (Se habla Kichi  Court translates for more indigenous defendants, May 9). He was sent to a Spanish-speaking mission  fortunately  but he knew some others who were trained in Quiche and other local languages and sent up higher, into the mountain regions.

It seems to me that it might be a good idea to search among members of churches with active missionary efforts in Central America, if you want to find people who know these languages.

Mormons and Jehovahs Witnesses might be a good bet. There are probably others. I bet the courts could benefit by locating some of these people, who spent more than a year  likely two  living and teaching among people who spoke these languages.

Just a thought.

JOANN M. DAVIS

Albuquerque

PEDs bad habits should be curbed

SO NOW THE Public Education Department sees that trying to maintain their ill-conceived Mussolini-style fiat  not the car  prohibiting the right of employees to criticize the PARCC tests would be a losing battle and they have announced that the rule will be rescinded.

Hey, look  government interference in private lives, Republican style! Why didnt they just do the right thing in the first place and not attempt to throttle free speech and the rights of teachers?

Could it be that they see that teachers need to be respected if scores are ever going to go up? Nah! Or that someone should have suggested to Pearson  the profit-making and largess-distributing creator of the PARCC  to consider the demographics of New Mexico in order to make the tests fair? Nah! Or that the concomitant evaluation system is systemically unfair and, tied to the PARCC, is toxic to New Mexico education? Nah, again!

They just tried to get away with another piece of poor policymaking, and once again, PED has to backpedal, egg on its face.

Lets make some new rules: that PED, the governor and the education secretary cannot bad-mouth teachers, cannot create punitive and unfair evaluations, cannot help others make a profit from our students weaknesses, cannot join the boards of corporations that do business with our schools and cannot be hired without classroom experience.

Then things will be blissfully quiet and maybe we can get some work done!

IRA COOPER

Albuquerque

Students got sanitized view of Cuba

READING THE story of the students going to Cuba (Duke City highschoolers tour Cuba, May 9), I thought it was a good prospective of Cuban life as the Cuban government wants you to see.

The old cars, the trade schools and rustic appearance of the country would be interesting. But the sad part completely missed by the students was the country is that way due to a dictator! It would be interesting to read the history given to the students. I would like to see how Che (Guevara) is presented. Che was a ruthless killer and his Intelligence officer was Raul Castro, one of the best in his field, even today.

The revolution began with a communist view of wealth  the disparity of wealth in the nation. Che took the wealth and left the people to depend on the government for their needs. This stopped the growth of the nation. Thats why the old cars (look) rustic, dilapidated. People are not free to go to whatever they want. The government tells them if it needs more mechanics then your school is for mechanic.

What Im trying to say is as a tourist you get to see and go to the good spots. Some of the people are planted there to make it appear like its great.

If you were able to venture out of the city, you wouldnt see people with smartphone or wifi capability, you wont see that in Havana in certain parts. If they had that, it would be heavily controlled by the government, and anything outside the dictates of the government would be met with severe consequence!

Im not saying the trip was a bad thing to do, but when you travel to places like that, with a big-named group, you will not see reality of the nation. The government is the final authority. Cuba is just one example. Venezuela and North Korea are some others.

RON THOMPSON

Albuquerque
LAS CRUCES  A U.S. District Court judge in Las Cruces dismissed a lawsuit Friday filed by Dona Ana County Sheriff Enrique Kiki Vigil against two county commissioners over claims of retaliations.

Vigil, who took office in January 2014, filed a civil rights lawsuit in October against Commissioners Billy Garrett and Wayne Hancock. In the lawsuit, the sheriff said he exercised his right to free speech on several occasions last year, often publicly criticizing the commission and county management, most notably over staffing and pay levels within his office.

Vigil claimed that Garrett and Hancock retaliated against him by removing him from the dais in the commission chambers during meetings and by filing charges of unethical conduct against him, according to the complaint. The sheriff sought injunctive relief, punitive damages from Garrett and Hancock, and a declaratory judgement.

By December, attorneys representing Garrett and Hancock had filed a motion to dismiss Vigils lawsuit, arguing that the two commissioners are entitled to qualified immunity.

The commissioners also argued the lawsuit should be dismissed because Vigil failed to plead a viable claim for municipal liability and failed to state a claim upon which further relief can be granted.

In January, Vigil and his attorney, Gene Chavez of Albuquerque, filed a motion to amend the lawsuit. They sought to add additional defendants  County Manger Julia Brown, County Attorney Nelson Goodin and the New Mexico Association of Counties.

Vigil alleged Brown and Goodin filed unethical conduct charges against and denied requests for legal counsel for a hearing in Las Cruces District Court, regarding a temporary restraining order that ordered the sheriff to relinquish control of the Dona Ana County Detention Center.

In a brief opposing Vigils proposed amended complaint, Garrett and Hancock said the proposed amended complaint is futile because it would not survive a  motion to dismiss. They again argued that they  and others named as defendants in the amended complaint  are entitled to qualified immunity, which shields public officials from damages for civil liability so long as they did not violate an individuals clearly established statutory or constitutional rights.

In an opinion filed Friday, U.S. District Kenneth Gonzales agreed with the commissioners argument.

Gonzales concluded that the law on whether an elected officials speech made in the course of the officials duties is not clearly established, the opinion states.

The individual Defendants would, therefore, be entitled to qualified immunity with respect to the new First Amendment claims, Gonzales wrote, and Defendants Garrett and Hancock are, in fact, are entitled to qualified immunity with respect to the current First Amendment claims.

Gonzales further said that it would be futile for Vigil to bring new First Amendment claims against Brown, Goodin and the county association, and that the claims against Hancock and Garrett are subject to dismissal.

Gonzales also found the individuals named in the proposed amended complaint did not violate Vigils constitutional right to access the courts.

In his conclusion, Gonzales denied Vigils motion to amend his complaint and he granted the commissioners motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Counts 1, 2, 3 were dismissed with prejudice and count 4 was dismissed without prejudice, according to the final order of dismissal signed by Gonzales.

On Monday, Hancock said he learned on Friday that the lawsuit had been dismissed. He said he was pleased and relieved.

I never believed that we did anything wrong, Hancock said, and its really sad that sheriffs continues to use resources this way and occupy the countys time.

Both Hancock and Garrett said the allegations were meritless.

Its really straight forward: We did not do anything to infringe on the sheriffs right to free speech, Garrett said. It was totally ungrounded. It should have never been done.

Hancock said his relationship with Vigil has suffered greatly since the lawsuit filed.

When anyone is served with a lawsuit, it changes relationships, he said, adding, You cannot have the kind of discussions or interactions that you would normally have  it creates greater difficulty for communication.

Garrett believes the lawsuit was part of a pattern by Vigil to try to intimidate anyone who disagrees with him.

Hes used press conferences; hes stonewalled people who have been invited in to gather information for reports to the commission; hes threatened lawsuits and legal action  and in our case, he actually filed a lawsuit  and its part of an ongoing pattern, Garrett said.

Still, Garrett said he does not hold a grudge and added that Vigil is always welcome to discuss issues that are of concern. But, Garrett said, Many of the issues that hes brought up  he actually needs to be talking to the county manager, not the commissioners.

In a statement, Albuquerque attorney Quentin Smith, who represented the commissioners, said Vigils lawsuit lacked sound legal basis. He also said the sheriffs claims of retaliation never occurred.

Commissioners Garrett and Hancock have never in any way infringed on the Sheriffs right to free speech, Smith said in the statement. They are hopeful that the Sheriff will abandon his negative campaign against anyone who disagrees with him and choose instead to work collaboratively in the interest of all the residents of Dona Ana County.

Vigils attorney declined to comment on the dismissal, but said he and Vigil would continue to explore our options.

Vigil did not immediately respond to request for comments.

Carlos Andres Lopez can be reached 575-541-5453, carlopez@lcsun-news.com or @carlopez_los on Twitter.



2016 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)

Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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PHOENIX  A preliminary hearing for an Arizona police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of an unarmed man is entering its second day.

A judge ruled Monday that there was enough evidence to move forward with the charge against Mesa Officer Philip Brailsford in the death of Daniel Shaver.

Brailsfords attorney says the decision could be reversed based on the comments from a defense witness who will resume his testimony Tuesday.

Shaver was killed at a hotel where police were called in response respond to a report that someone was pointing a gun out a window.

Authorities say Shaver wasnt voicing threats as he was being detained and instead pleaded with officers not to kill him.

Brailsford maintains that he thought Shaver was reaching for a gun.
AZTEC  Shawn Pickerill, the 26-year-old Aztec man charged with killing Brandon Manchester during a fistfight in October 2014, pleaded no contest this afternoon to involuntary manslaughter.

Judge Karen Townsend heard testimony from the family of both men at todays hearing, but she did not immediately sentence Pickerill for the offense, which is punishable by up to 1 1/2 years in prison.

Townsend instead ordered Pickerill to undergo a 60-day evaluation by the New Mexico Department of Corrections.

Pickerill was arrested last May on charges of voluntary manslaughter and aggravated battery on allegations he punched Manchester in the face at a funeral gathering on Oct. 19, 2014, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Manchester was transported after the fight to San Juan Regional Medical Center and treated for cardiac arrest and acute alcohol intoxication. He died at the hospital two days later, but it took medical investigators several months to rule Manchesters death a homicide. Alcohol was determined to be a significant contributing factor in the death, according to an autopsy report.

Manchester was 32.

Pickerill told detectives Manchester twice tried to pick a fight with him that evening and other guests described Manchester as drunk and belligerent. Pickerill admitted to consuming approximately 18 beers throughout the night, according to the affidavit.

The voluntary manslaughter and aggravated battery charges were dismissed in December in favor of a single count of second-degree murder, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Pickerill told the judge at todays hearing he pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of involuntary manslaughter against the advice of his attorney, Arlon Stoker. He said he did so to avoid trial on the murder charge.

Manchesters parents, sister and wife requested the judge sentence Pickerill to the maximum sentence.

He was the sunshine of my soul, Vicki Morrow, Manchesters mother, said about her son.

Patrick Manchester, the deceased mans father, said his son was a good kid who would light up a room. He lamented the loss of his son in a fight that went too far.

I think 18 months is justifiable, because Ill never have my son back, he said.

Danielle Pickerill said in her brothers defense he had never before been in similar trouble with the law.

My brother has a good heart, she said. He is a good man and provider to two young children and a wife.

Steve Garrison covers crime and courts for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4644.



2016 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.)

Visit The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) at www.daily-times.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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ALBANY, N.Y.  New York would be the first state to ban the declawing of cats under a legislative proposal that has divided veterinarians.

Several vets  along with a spokescat named Rubio  came to the state Capitol on Tuesday to lobby for the ban. They say the declawing procedure, which involves cutting through bone, tendon and nerves to amputate the first segment of a cats toes, is unnecessary and cruel. Australia, Britain and several European countries already ban the practice. Its also illegal in Los Angeles and some other California cities.

Its a disfiguring, inhumane and misguided procedure, said Eileen Jefferson, an Ulster County veterinarian who does not perform the procedure. She said about 25 percent of cats will be declawed.

While Jefferson and the other vets discussed the bill at a press conference in the Capitol, Rubio roamed the room, sniffing the reporters and occasionally offering a meow as greeting. The 11-year-old Abyssinian has his claws but chose not to use them on the journalists.

The states Veterinary Medical Society opposes the legislation, saying the surgical procedure can often save cats with destructive scratching behavior from being euthanized. In a memo of opposition, the society argues that declawing is a decision best left to cat owners and veterinarians and not lawmakers.

It is the veterinarians obligation to provide cat owners a complete education with regard to normal scratching behavior of cats, the procedure itself, and potential risks to the patient, the societys memo reads. Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively.

The bill is before both the Senate and Assembly, but no vote has been scheduled. Assembly sponsor Linda Rosenthal, a Manhattan Democrat, says support is growing as more cat owners learn the details of the procedure. Unlike clipping nails in a human, or even removing the entire fingernail, declawing a cat involves amputating the first segment of each toe on each paw.

Supporters of the ban say destructive clawing can often be dealt with through nail clipping, nail caps or scratching posts. And the vets lobbying for the legislation on Tuesday said that declawing a cat can often lead to worse behavior problems, including difficulty using a litterbox or biting  something disputed by the veterinary society.

In most cases declawing is performed as a convenience to the owner, Rosenthal said. Ive heard so many times: I have expensive furniture! I have nice drapes! If your standard is I need pristine furniture, dont get a cat.
Retired state District Judge Stephen Pfeffer is taking over the hit-and-run traffic case of former Gov. Bill Richardson stemming from a minor accident in Santa Fe in January.

Santa Fe Municipal Judge Virginia Vigil, who took over the city court after her election in March, recently stepped down from the case, citing a conflict of interest.

Court administrator Arlene Sisneros has said Vigil, a Santa Fe County Commissioner from 2004 to 2012, recused herself because she lobbied Richardsons office for county funding during his gubernatorial tenure.

Pfeffer retired as a Santa Fe district judge in 2013 after 17 years on the bench. Cisneros said Tuesday he is on the Municipal Courts list of pro tem or fill-in judges who serve in the absence of Vigil. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for May 27.

Richardson was cited for leaving the scene of an accident and following too closely Jan. 6 after a woman reported Richardsons Jeep struck her car from behind twice at a stop sign and knocked her into the intersection of Marcy Street and Paseo de Peralta, apparently as Richardson was driving to the Roundhouse for television interviews.

The woman told a Santa Fe Police officer that Richardson went around her car after hitting her and continued on his way. Police caught up with Richardson later at the Roundhouse and waited for him to finish a cable TV news interview before handing him the citation.

Richardson can be heard on police belt audio saying he was unaware he hit someone.

Richardson remains a regular commentator on cable TV news shows on national politics and particularly on affairs in North Korea due to his past dealings with leaders of the communist country.
LOS ANGELES  Like so many entrepreneurs these days, Adam Glickman believes his company is making the world a better place. In his case, its doing so one funny condom at a time.

His Los Angeles company, Graphic Armor, sells condoms with custom and stock graphics printed on the latex. Tie-dyed? Hes got em. Leopard skin and camouflage ones too. Even Star Wars condoms with an image of Darth Vader and the message I will not be your father.

Graphic Armor built a platform that lets anyone customize their own condom like they would a coffee mug or a T-shirt, Glickman said. Its a powerful tool to break down stigmas that have surrounded condom use for decades.

At least thats part of the pitch that hell use to persuade investors to give him the cash Graphic Armor needs to pay for advertising, buy equipment and get its printing process approved for overseas sales by foreign regulators.

But the pitch isnt aimed at private equity firms, venture capitalists or money managers. Its aimed at, well, everyone.

Graphic Armor will be among the first companies to attempt to raise money by selling stock through a Kickstarter-esque crowdfunding campaign open to anyone who has just a few hundred bucks to invest.

New rules that allow for those campaigns took effect Monday, a development that could give small companies access to billions of dollars in capital  and expose small-time investors to serious losses.

Over the next few weeks, dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of startups like Glickmans are expected to begin pitching investors. Most will have little, if any, revenue, few will be profitable and none will be required to provide a prospectus with audited financial results.

Instead, many of these small firms hope to copy what filmmakers, artists and product designers have been doing for years through Kickstarter, Indiegogo and other crowdfunding sites: connecting with fans willing to back their enthusiasm with cash.

The difference is that instead of soliciting a donation or selling a product, as companies do through those sites, Graphic Armor and other firms are selling stock.

The promise of equity crowdfunding is your fans become owners, said Glickman, whos hoping to raise $1 million, the maximum allowed under the new rules. Theres the potential to deepen the relationship between the brand and its fans.

Other companies that plan to start raising money include a social networking site to help musicians find bandmates and paying gigs, an on-demand services company that serves only the southwestern corner of New Hampshire and a tech startup focused on the medical marijuana business.

The new equity crowdfunding rules, approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission last year, are the final piece of the Jobs Act, a 2012 law aimed at making it easier for small companies to raise capital.

Other new investment rules that stem from the Jobs Act already have loosened restrictions to allow larger companies to publicly seek investments from wealthy or so-called accredited investors  ones who make at least $200,000 a year or have assets, other than their home, worth at least $1 million.

Startups and small business will now have access to a big, new pool of potential investors  namely, the American people, Obama said at the Jobs Act signing ceremony. For the first time, ordinary Americans will be able to go online and invest in entrepreneurs that they believe in.

And theyll have plenty to choose from.

The companies will have to work with firms called funding portals  the equity crowdfunding equivalents of Kickstarter. Ron Miller, chief executive of portal StartEngine Crowdfunding, said four to seven companies will start pitching investors through his portal beginning this week.

Within the next few weeks, he expects to have as many as 15 startups raising money. StartEngine is one of a handful of portals already approved by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or Finra. Dozens more have applied to do the same.

We could see somewhere between 100 and 200 offerings made available to everyone over the next month, Miller said.

Though the firms are all tiny, thats a large number of offerings. Last year, 170 companies went public through a traditional initial public offering. So far this year, just 22 companies have similarly gone public, according to investment firm Renaissance Capital, which tracks IPOs.

The cost of preparing for a traditional initial public offering can easily run into the millions, typically more than what startups in an equity crowdfunding offering are seeking to raise. Selling these shares is much cheaper and comes with fewer requirements.

Crowdfunded firms have to provide financial statements that are reviewed, but not audited, by an accountant. Several of the firms estimate their legal and accounting costs have run from about $10,000 to $20,000. The firms also have to report to investors annually rather than quarterly.

However, the equity crowdfunding platforms come with significant limitations.

Firms can raise no more than $1 million a year, and individual investors are supposed to invest no more than a small percentage of their annual income in these new offerings.

For those making less than $100,000 a year, the cap is 5 percent of income. For those making $100,000 to $200,000, the cap is 10 percent, though experts say those caps are based on self-reported information and it wont be hard for individuals to invest more than they should.

Any cash investors do park in these firms will be tied up for a while. Unlike traditional shares of stock, which can be bought and sold at any time, crowdfunding shares cant be sold for at least a year.

Even if investors could sell, its unclear how that would work. Though Millers StartEngine is working on building a secondary market  essentially a stock exchange  no such exchange exists yet.

Mark Hiraide, an attorney who has written a book on the new crowdfunding rules, said crowdfunding investors can expect to be able to cash out only if the company is acquired by a larger firm or goes public in a traditional IPO.

Beyond those two options, Investors need to understand there is not a viable exit, he said.

Ross Gerber, chief executive of Gerber Kawasaki Investment Management, said thats just one of the reasons investors should proceed with caution or avoid these investments altogether.

Youre making high-risk investments with no liquidity, he said. I dont see why anyone would do this unless they had a lot of money, which is why investing in startups has been limited to accredited investors.

He points out that most small businesses fail within a few years, and its likely that many of the companies that raise money through crowdfunding wont make it.

Of course, thats why the rules aim to limit investors exposure  you cant lose your whole nest egg, the thinking goes, if you invest at most a few thousand dollars. And its possible that some of these companies could turn into big hits.

One example proponents of equity crowdfunding like to bring up is Oculus, the virtual-reality startup that raised $2.4 million in a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in 2012. Instead of stock, some backers got nothing more than a T-shirt. Not quite two years later, Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion.

Still, with that upside, there are red flags. Among the potential reasons these companies are looking at crowdfunding is that theyve been rejected by traditional investors.

Take Gigmor, the creator of a social network where musicians can meet bandmates and find gigs. Founder David Baird said he first reached out to a few venture capital firms but found little interest.

Like any  startup, we talked to a few VCs, he said. But not many VCs saw the opportunity we saw in music. A lot of them were afraid of music.

TurtleWise, a social networking company that wants to match people looking for advice (seekers) with qualified mentors (gurus), tried still other ways to raise capital.

Chief Executive Kevin Walker said he met with about a dozen angel investors  wealthy individuals who back early-stage companies  and even went to the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, to drum up interest in his company.

He also pitched investors through sites such as Crowdfunder and Gust, which present investment opportunities to accredited investors. But there were no takers.

All of the investors he met wanted to see the company attract more users and bring in revenue before investing. TurtleWise, which launched in March, has attracted only 700 users and hasnt brought in a cent.

There was a lot of skepticism, Walker said. They said, Were not sure how youre going to get people to pay for this. Hopefully, well find some regular people who believe in what were doing.

Then theres Graphic Armor. Unlike TurtleWise and Gigmor, the company hasnt sought outside investment  despite selling about $50,000 in condoms over the last 18 months, enough to break even, Glickman said.

He sees crowdfunding not as a last resort, but as a way to raise capital without involving professional investors, including angels and venture capital firms.

There can be great benefits of having smart money, but it comes with costs, he said. You often have to give up preferential rights. You might have to give up a board seat. All those things can be quite daunting for founders.

The new crowdfunding rules allow the companies to offer two varieties of common stock: voting, which gives investors a say in how a company is run, and non-voting, which doesnt and is the choice of Graphic Armors campaign and many others that are set to debut.

Of course, having hundreds or thousands of small investors also means an equal number of fans spreading the word about, in this case, condoms with custom graphics.

You get to build a small army of brand evangelists, Glickman said. You have a community of people who believe in your product, believe in your brand and will hopefully speak well of you and your products.



Sex, tech and rock n roll

A wide array of startups will launch crowdfunding campaigns this week:

NextRX

Headquarters: Las Vegas

Business: Developing electronic patient record system, payment platform and loyalty program for medical marijuana dispensaries.

Equity for sale: 2 percent

Funding goal: $100,000

Use of proceeds: Build out system, register more dispensaries and patients.

Why crowdfunding? Raising money in this industry is bloody difficult, said founder Ralf-Rainer von Albedyhll.



TurtleWise

Headquarters: Still looking; founders live in different states.

Business: Creating a social network where people looking for advice can meet mentors.

Equity for sale: 10 percent

Funding goal: $1 million

Use of proceeds: Start marketing campaign, add mobile to TurtleWise platform.

Why crowdfunding? CEO Kevin Walker said angel investors and venture capitalists expressed a lot of skepticism.



Graphic Armor

Headquarters: Los Angeles

Business: Sells condoms with custom graphics printed on the latex.

Equity for sale: up to 25 percent

Funding goal: $100,000 to $1 million

Use of proceeds: Buy equipment, start marketing campaign, get sales approval from overseas regulators.

Why crowdfunding? Your fans become owners, said founder Adam Glickman.



Gigmor

Headquarters: Santa Monica, Calif.

Business: Developing social network where musicians connect with bandmates and gigs.

Equity for sale: Would not disclose

Funding goal: Would not disclose

Use of proceeds: Develop network, build mobile app, hire marketing and customer support.

Why crowdfunding? Not many (venture capitalists) saw the opportunity we saw, said founder David Baird.



Webusal

Headquarters: Santa Monica, Calif.

Business: Developing app that maps users Web browsing and recommends additional sites.

Equity for sale: 20 percent

Funding goal: $550,000

Use of proceeds: Application development to show more polished product to professional investors.

Why crowdfunding? Its not to the point of refinement we want yet, said founder Elizabeth Nielsen.

Source: Los Angeles Times reporting



2016 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

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PNM Resources five top executives could potentially earn $10 million in total combined compensation for 2015, following approval of new salaries, benefits and incentive pay at the companys annual shareholders meeting Tuesday morning.

If the executives meet all requirements to receive the total allowed, it would mean a 34 percent increase from 2014, when shareholders approved $7.48 million in combined potential compensation.

Meanwhile, shareholders also voted against proposals by a small group of investors to set targets for the company to reduce its carbon emissions and tie executive compensation to those goals.

Stockholders met for the first time this year in Lewisville, Texas, where the companys local subsidiary, Texas New Mexico Power, is located. Until now, PNM Resources had always held its annual meeting at the Albuquerque headquarters of its other utility, Public Service Co. of New Mexico.

Of the total combined compensation approved for top executives this year, $2.17 million, or about 22 percent, is for base salaries. The rest is in stock options, incentive awards and benefits.

Pat Vincent-Collawn, company chair, president and CEO, accounts for about half of all potential compensation. She could earn up to $5.24 million for 2015  up from $3.35 million in 2014  but nearly a third of that wont be available until 10 years down the line.

Thats because for both she and chief financial officer Chuck Eldred, a substantial percent of that potential compensation is in performance-based awards that dont become available until after 10 years, said PNM spokesman Pahl Shipley.

Ratepayers are responsible for only a fraction of total compensation. Shareholders pick up almost the entire tab.

The percent of compensation in PNM rates is very small  less than $1 million, Shipley said. There is no executive incentive pay in PNM rates at all. Only a portion of the base salary is included in rates.

Apart from executive compensation, shareholders also voted this year on novel proposals to write clean energy policies into investors annual goals and policies. The proposals came from a small group of investors who recently acquired stock to attend the annual meeting and introduce resolutions.

Their proposals failed. But the group, PNM Shareholders for a Responsible Future, are awaiting final tallies to see if they earned at least 3 percent of the votes. Under meeting rules, that would allow them to re-introduce their proposals next year, said group member Andrew Davis.

Resolutions seldom pass on the first try, Davis said. They gather strength over time, so well continue to introduce them.

The group received support from environmentalists and clean energy advocates, who held demonstrations in New Mexico and Texas.

Were demonstrating to encourage more renewable energy use by PNM, Environment New Mexico Director Sanders Moore said outside PNMs offices in Albuquerque. We need to get off fossil fuels.

Despite the no vote on carbon reduction, PNM executives extended an olive branch to protesters.

We appreciate the passion of advocates, Shipley said. We all want the same things  reliable, affordable and responsible energy. Where we disagree sometimes is on how to get there.

Vincent-Collawn also invited members of the new shareholders group to a lunch meeting at a later date to continue discussing the issues.
MCNARY, Ariz.  Federal agents are focusing on a pond in eastern Arizona as they continue their investigation into the 2006 killing of a 16-year-old girl.

An FBI dive team was sent Tuesday to search in and around a pond in McNary, a community on the Fort Apache Reservation, officials said.

The body of Katherine Kat Irene Tortice was found in a shallow grave near the pond on Dec. 12, 2006. She was a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe and had been missing for about a month.

FBI spokeswoman Jill McCabe said authorities arent disclosing what evidence they think might be in the pond or how the girl was killed.

Nobody has been arrested or charged in the case, McCabe said.

Agent Scott Flake, in McNary for the investigation, declined during a telephone interview to specify what prompted the search.

We do believe theres evidence there, he said. When we have an open case, we keep working it. As leads come in, we follow up on those leads.

Flake said authorities would not publicly disclose anything found in the pond unless and until there is a trial.

The agent said the FBI and White Mountain Apache Tribal Police are asking for the publics help in obtaining information about the killing.
AUSTIN, Texas  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who faces felony charges of defrauding investors unrelated to his office, has the support of Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders and hasnt been asked to resign, a Paxton spokesman said Tuesday.

The states top prosecutor, a Republican, has faced months of speculation that the states dominant party would pressure him to step aside as his legal troubles mounted. Abbott, Paxtons predecessor as attorney general, served 12 years in the office before he was elected governor in 2014.

But just a few days after Republicans rallied in Fort Worth at their state convention, Paxton spokesman Marc Rylander said the attorney general has not been asked to step down and enjoys strong support from state leaders. Republicans have won every statewide election since 1998.

There has been no such request. We are encouraged by the support that we have received from the governor, the lieutenant governor and many across state offices, state leaders and our state Legislature, Rylander said. We continue every day to do the job that Texans elected us to do.

Rylander declined to detail the support. Abbotts office and Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The charges against Paxton relate to a tech startup company before he became attorney general. He also is being sued by federal financial regulators. Paxton released a video last week saying is not going anywhere and would fight the charges. In the video, Paxton said he believes the legal cases against him are politically motivated.

At a news conference Tuesday about the attorney generals Sex Offender Apprehension Unit, Paxton initially declined to take questions about other topics but said hed be available to reporters after the event. Paxton instead had Rylander field questions and left the room.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico will once again sell plans on the state health insurance exchange after taking a year off.

The company exited the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange for 2016 when its requested premium hike of nearly 52 percent didnt pass muster with regulators.

However, it is looking to sell individual Affordable Care Act plans for 2017, a company official confirmed Tuesday.

The insurer will be one of five companies filing preliminary rates this month with New Mexico Insurance Superintendent John Franchini. The preliminary rate increases are expected to be made public soon.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico has filed products and pricing for next year, said Kurt Shipley, company president. We will continue to work with the Office of Superintendent of Insurance and federal regulators to ensure a stable and sustainable insurance marketplace for consumers.

We believe that consumers will find our 2017 offerings to be competitively priced with offerings from other New Mexico carriers, he said.

Shipley would not provide details on the companys request.

He said the company plans to offer insurance products with a range of benefits and premiums to New Mexicans across the state. We want to be an option for people to consider for their health insurance needs.

Calls to Franchini seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Also expected to file are the firms that sold policies on the exchange in 2016: New Mexico Health Connections, Presbyterian Health Plan, Christus Health Plan and Molina Healthcare of New Mexico.

Rate increase proposals arent yet public, and the insurers rates could be adjusted before final requests are filed in mid-June. Customers will have a chance to shop around for coverage during an open enrollment period that begins in November. The new rates would go into effect Jan. 1.

About 55,000 people in the state bought private health insurance this year through the states health exchange.

When Blue Cross Blue Shield filed its premiums in 2015 to be included on the roster of 2016 insurers, Franchini said he was prepared to approve only a 24 percent increase. The insurer said that wasnt sufficient to cover its anticipated losses.

Shipley, in a May 2015 interview with the Journal, said those who bought individual plans tended to be older and in poorer health than expected. Others came to the company having not previously had health coverage.

Franchini had approved much smaller rate increases for the other insurance companies that offer plans on the exchange.

Blue Cross departure prompted more than 35,000 New Mexicans to find different insurers among the four selling policies. Blue Cross had more than 50 percent of the sign ups at one time.
Federal authorities have declined to answer questions about a critical incident in a northwest Albuquerque neighborhood Monday night, but the Journal has learned that a marshal fired a weapon during the arrest of a wanted man.

Ben Segotta, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service, would not confirm or deny the account Tuesday and said the Albuquerque Police Department is the lead agency investigating the incident. An APD spokesman referred all questions to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Elizabeth Martinez, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office, declined to comment.

Martinez said the man, identified in court records as Nathan Jensen, was wanted on a federal warrant for a violation of conditions of his supervised release.

Marshals looking to arrest Jensen on the federal warrant found him on 19th Street near Prospect NW on Monday evening. Deputy Kenneth Daniel said when they approached him he was armed with a firearm and a critical incident occurred.

Daniel wouldnt say what the incident was, but said no one was injured.

Jensen pleaded guilty to charges of felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced in 2009. He faced Magistrate Judge Kirtan Khalsa in federal court Tuesday and will be held in custody until his detention hearing today.

This is the fourth shooting involving the U.S. Marshals Service in the first five months of this year. On April 26, a Bernalillo County Sheriffs deputy on a marshals task force shot and killed Jacquelyn Burke, 24, while trying to arrest her for a probation violation. On Feb. 20, they shot and killed Edgar Camacho-Alvarado, 23, at a West Central trailer park while they were searching for another fugitive. On Jan. 15 a man killed himself when they attempted to pull him over for violating federal probation in Colorado.

There were three shootings involving the U.S. Marshals in 2014.
ACAs library of educational tools help members improve their business practices. ACA also holds the most popular industry conferences and offers credentialing for collectors, attorneys, and more. ACAs Training Zone subscription gives agencies access to almost all of our education for one low cost.
How Do You Diagnose ADHD?

Theres no single, definitive diagnostic test for attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD)  no blood analysis, no brain scan, no genetic screening. An ADHD diagnosis is not a quick or simple task. On top of that, doctors vary in their abilities to diagnose and treat the disorder, so its easy to go down blind alleys before getting the right evaluation and prognosis.

The good news: if you approach the ADHD diagnosis step by step, you can avoid some common pitfalls  and control ADHD symptoms more smoothly with fewer frustrations along the way.

How Do You Know If Your Child Has ADHD?

Often, the ADHD diagnosis begins with an Aha moment, when it dawns on you that your childs problems may be caused by a biologically-based disorder like ADHD.

For parents, this Aha moment might come when a teacher calls to report a child being disruptive in class or falling behind academically. Adults might find that theyre concerned about losing their job after being consistently late to work and frequently missing deadlines or meetings.

[Self-Test: Could It Be ADHD?]

Whatever triggers your Aha moment, seek help at once. Without a prompt diagnosis, individuals with ADHD are apt to be branded lazy, careless, or worse. Such labels undermine self-esteem and can lead to years of underachievement and family turmoil.

Above all, dont panic. With appropriate treatment, people with ADHD do well. And dont forget: ADHD is about biology and neurology; it is in no way your fault.

How is a Child Diagnosed with ADHD?

Most people follow an Aha moment with an appointment to see a pediatrician or general practitioner. That makes sense, but before agreeing to treatment, ask how many other cases of ADHD the doctor has treated, and what the plans and outcomes were, says Russell Barkley, Ph.D., a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina. If the doctor has handled only a few cases, you might be better off going to a specialist  developmental pediatrician, psychiatrist, or psychologist  who has significant experience with ADHD.

As a rule, most general practitioners are not trained in the idiosyncrasies of ADHD and its overlapping conditions, or are not equipped to perform the in-depth evaluation needed. One reason is time. It can take several hours of talking, test taking, and analysis to diagnose someone with ADHD. Most general practitioners cant give you or your child that much attention in a busy practice.

[Free Download: Your Ultimate ADHD Diagnosis Guide]

Regardless of how experienced your [doctor] is, says Barkley, you should strongly consider a medical specialist if [your or] your childs ADHD is accompanied by another diagnosed disorder, such as oppositional behavior, anxiety, or if there are urgent issues involved. Professionals trained in diagnosing ADHD routinely screen for these problems.

Your family doctor or health insurer can probably steer you to a qualified ADHD specialist. If not, contact your local chapter of Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD).

How Doctors Diagnose ADHD In Children

When making an accurate diagnosis, your doctor will first want to determine whether you or your child has the ADHD symptoms listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-V).

According to the latest DSM-V guidelines1, in order to be diagnosed with ADHD, a patient must demonstrate at least six of the nine symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity prior to age 12. In addition, these symptoms must impair the persons functioning in more than one setting  home, school, or work.

[Three Truly Terrible (and Common) Ways Doctors Diagnose ADHD]

While the DSM-V outlines the basics for an ADHD diagnosis, theres much more to an accurate diagnosis. In addition to reviewing these criteria, doctors will conduct a thorough clinical interview using one standardized ADHD rating scale. A screening test is also often administered to rule out common coexisting conditions like learning disorders, anxiety, autism, and mood disorders.

Diagnosing an adult is trickier than diagnosing a child. The DSM-V symptom guide is really invalid for adults; almost all of its criteria is geared toward diagnosing children. An ADHD diagnosis in adulthood emerges only from a careful clinical interview conducted by a specialist in ADHD who takes his or her time with the evaluation.

Your doctor will interview you and someone who knows you well  your spouse, a sibling, or your parents. She may or may not use checklists designed to identify symptoms of adult ADHD. The doctor will use the patient interview to determine which, if any, tests might rule out other conditions that may be causing symptoms.

The clinical interview is the core of any evaluation, says Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D., assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine and associate director of the Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders. The more input from different sources, the better. Many adults come for a consultation alone, but its helpful to come with a spouse, sibling, or close friend.

ADHD Symptoms in Children: A Checklist Evaluation

TIME: An initial consultation could range from 45 minutes to two hours or more. That time should be spent with the patient (as well as the parents when the patient is a child) looking for signs of ADHD, and for other possible explanations for the symptoms. Your doctor may also arrange for intelligence tests or memory recall tests. PAPERWORK: Expect to fill out questionnaires, checklists, and/or ADHD rating scales. Teachers and caregivers will be asked to fill them out, too. The more input, the more likely youll receive an accurate diagnosis. PHYSICAL EXAM: This should include screening for hearing and vision problems to rule out physical causes for symptoms. SOCIAL HISTORY: Have you moved a lot? Are you financially challenged? Is there a family member who is ill? These and other factors can make an individual, especially a young child, anxious  and may cause behavior that mimics ADHD. FAMILY HISTORY: ADHD runs in families, so expect the doctor to ask questions about your or your parents and/or partners mental health. If neither parent has ADHD, then ADHD drops to the bottom of the list, Dodson says. If one parent has ADHD, theres a 50-50 chance that the child has it, too. If both parents have ADHD, it is a major contributor to the [individuals] behavior. SYMPTOM HISTORY: A child has to exhibit at least six of nine symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity/ impulsivity prior to age 12 in order to be diagnosed with ADHD. For adults, clinicians often alter the criteria of the DSM-V, since its really designed for diagnosing children. In addition, the symptoms should be exhibited in more than one setting (school, home, work), to a point where the symptoms affect normal functioning.

Harold Meyer, director of the New York City chapter of CHADD, offers these diagnosis tips:

Be specic when describing your problems. Figure out what concerns you want to address in your consultation. For instance: At work, I find that I cant stay on task or complete projects. I cant find anything at home. My child is always losing toys and homework. Consider your stance on medication before your appointment. If youre opposed to taking medication, state your philosophy up front and ask your doctor if he or she can recommend other treatment options. Medication is entirely up to you  if your doctor insists on writing a prescription despite your aversion to medication, dont be afraid to see someone else! Then, if you have decided on medication, remember that the prescription and dosing process varies with each individual. Its likely that youll need to try more than one brand and experiment with different dosages to find the right one for you. Ask the doctor to talk about medication options. You want someone who will not just write a prescription, but who will also discuss the diagnosis and treatment process in detail. The following questions should be addressed: What medications are under consideration? Why start with a particular medication? What can you expect to happen? How should you evaluate the effect of the medication? Discuss follow-up. Your doctor should lay out a course of action, including treatment and follow-up appointments. Make sure that he or she is accessible. Youll need to talk often on the phone in the weeks following the diagnosis as you work to find the right medication dosage. Will your doctor be available? Will he or she charge you to consult? Will he or she prescribe medication refills by phone, or do you need to visit the office every time youre running low? Learn about alternatives to medication. Find out about behavioral therapies and modifications you might try. Can your doctor work with you on these? Is your doctor sympathetic to non-medical treatment? You may benefit from a referral to a psychologist who can offer behavioral help, such as ways to deal with problems at work, time-management techniques, and so on. Ask if he will meet with your family. A diagnosis of ADHD affects those you live with. Others in your or your childs life need to learn about the condition and how it will be managed.

How Quickly Is ADHD Diagnosed?

At this point, most people are dying to know: Does my child have ADHD? or Do I have ADHD? But dont expect an answer overnight. The diagnostic process typically takes at least a week or two.

If youre awaiting a diagnosis for your child, inform your childs teachers and any other school officials that your child is being evaluated for ADHD. Ask for a meeting with the school psychologist or special education teacher to discuss having your child evaluated for learning disabilities (which affect 30 to 50 percent of kids with ADHD).

If your school is unable or unwilling to administer the appropriate testing, you may have it done by a private educational psychologist  typically at a cost of several hundred dollars, or more.

1 Association, American Psychiatric, ed. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5. Washington: American Psychiatric, 2014.
Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat recently took a 10-year time leap and introduced the adult Ashoka. Produced by Contiloe Pictures, the show on Colors has been garnering a fair share of eyeballs and the story of the child Ashoka has captivated viewers since the shows launch. Mohit Raina (of Devon Ke Dev  Mahadev fame) is essaying the role of adult Ashoka.

Following the time leap, the upcoming episodes will witness that Nirankush, the governor of Ujjaain who happens to be close associate of Sushim, is now almost sure that Chand is Ashoka and decides to capture him. Looking at the situation Dharma being the mother is worried about the entire situation and asks Ashoka to leave home. So, he heads towards Kumbh Mela, where Kaurwaki is also heading. At the mela Ashoka meets Pandit Shripad, which leaves him intrigued after listening to his thoughts. Kaurwaki, who is search of Ashoka is very anxious to find him. In the mean while, Ashoka takes a dip into the river and so is Kaurwaki.

In conversation with AdGully, Abhimanyu Singh, CEO, Contiloe Pictures, speaks about the shows ratings, the plotline, what has kept the audiences hooked week after week and more.

What has been the average ratings of Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat over the last six months?

The average ratings of the show has been between 2.5 and 3 and it has been doing quite well in the urban areas.

With this time leap, now how will the story progression take place?

Now Ashoka will become Chandashoka, where he will move to establish Dharma, so that the Ashoka Chakra is the chakra of dharma. He will take to the battlefield to destroy the traitors within and outside the palace and dole out justice. We will see Ashoka go through a whole journey in which he will face a lot of trials and tribulations and put to practice everything that he has learnt from Chanakya and go on to create the empire of Bharat.

What new elements can the viewers look forward to post this leap in time?

First will be the love story between Ashoka and Kaurvaki, which goes beyond a plain love story. It will be full of intrigue and a lot of palace politics. It is also a story of a lot of personal conflicts, establishing Dharma, getting justice for everyone, and doling out punishments to those on the wrong side. So you will see myriad of courtroom politics, family politics, external enemies, the Greeks, and then moving to Kalinga  the whole battle and conflict of Kalinga. And then the transformation of Ashoka  from a fierce warrior to the ruler who gave up violence and created the greatest empire with peace and harmony.

With this new track, can we expect a finite number of episodes?

Everything obviously depends on the success of the show. Ashoka has been a successful show and it has now entered a very important and interesting phase in the story plot. So there is a lot of story left for us to reveal to our viewers and keep them hooked on to the show.

Was Mohit Raina your first choice for the role of adult Ashoka?

Mohit has always been our first choice. In any casting process, people do consider many names, but for me personally, he was my first choice.





What about the marketing strategy to promote this new turn in the show?

Colors handles the marketing.

Will there be any huge reveals going forward or maha-episodes?

We havent planned any such developments in the immediate future.

What kind of challenges does a historical show throw up for the director, the producer and the scriptwriter? How does one maintain a balance between researched facts and folklore?

Doing any historical show has its own set of challenges and every historical show that we have done so far  right from Jhansi Ki Rani to Maharana Pratap and Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat, each show posed different kinds of challenges. Obviously, there are certain facts that have to be highlighted. Then there is a certain amount of dramatisation that you need to do to make the show interesting. Hence, there needs to be a fine balance between the two. And more importantly, you need to be very clear as to why the story is being told, and the viewer needs to be clear about that as well. For instance, one of the reasons why we wanted to tell the story of Ashoka was because he was the creator of what we today know as the Indian union. There have been stories of people who have been great rulers, freedom fighters, leaders, but Ashoka created the biggest empire in ancient India and under his rule Bharat became a land of prosperity, a diverse diaspora of religions, art and culture, the establishment of Dharma.
As the political battle for power in Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Assam drew to a close after the last vote was cast in the final phase of the Assembly Elections on Monday, NewsXTodays Chanakya Exit Poll gave a clear indication of how the voters cast their ballot for the ultimate show of power in the four states.

The results of the NewsX-Todays Chanakya Exit Poll indicate that Assam looks all set for a major overhaul with the BJP making inroads to the seat of power in the state. Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress looks in command for another victory in West Bengal; the LDF may form a government in Kerala, but UDF may spring some surprises too; the Congress-DMK alliance may just have enough juice to push Jayalalithaa out of power in Tamil Nadu.

NewsX-Todays Chanakya Exit Poll data from Assam suggests the state may see a major swing of fortunes for the BJP and the party may finally take the mantle of governance from the Congress with the BJP projected to win 90 (+/- 9) seats. NewsX-Todays Chanakya Exit Poll results show that 70 per cent of the respondents sought a change in the current regime. Congress is projected to bag 27 (+/- 7) seats.

Mamata Banerjees governance seems to be working in West Bengal and the TMC chief looks all set to retain power in the state as 60 per cent of the respondents did not want a change in the current government. The NewsX-Todays Chanakya Exit Poll data on West Bengal Assembly elections suggests 210 (+/ - 14) seats for Trinamool. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) however, seems to be not making the desired impact in the state despite aggressive campaigning and the survey gives 14 (+/ - 5) seats to the party. The Left-Congress alliance in the state has been predicted to win 70 (+/- 9) seats in the state.

NewsX-Todays Chanakya Exit Poll data on Kerala projects that the Congress might not be able to retain power in the state with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) being predicted as the winner with 75 (+ / - 9) seats in a House of 140. The poll data further suggests that the United Democratic Front (UDF) will perhaps get only 57 (+/- 9) seats. The BJP is predicted to get 8 (+/ - 4) seats in the southern state.

NewsX-Todays Chanakya Exit Poll survey for the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections gives an indication of a victory for the alliance of Congress with its old UPA partner DMK with 140 (+/ - 11) seats. Data suggests that the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK is on its way out of power in the state, bagging 90 (+/ - 9) seats in the 234-strong Assembly.
Oman Air has confirmed that it will begin operating daily flights from its hub in Muscat to Manchester Airport.





The new service is scheduled to commence on 1st April 2017.



The airline said that the United Kingdom has always been one of its key markets and the decision to begin flying to Manchester follows the launch in April 2016 of a second daily service to London.



London Heathrow has been a flagship route for Oman Air and the carriers second daily frequency is an indication of the strong demand for flights between Oman and the UK.
African Air Chiefs Symposium focuses on mobility

Air chiefs from 26 nations gathered here May 9-13 for the largest African Air Chiefs Symposium in its six-year history.



The purpose of the symposium is to create a forum for air chiefs from across the African continent to come together to address common issues, cultivate relationships and emphasize cooperation. Mobility was a primary focus point this year along with the special role of airpower in the vast continent of Africa.



All of the events that we do in Africa and conferences like this make sure that we have enough touch points with these countries to let them know that we are interested in their challenges, said Gen. Frank Gorenc, the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa. Were interested in their capabilities, were interested in the things that we aspire to do together and we look for the ability to, together, handle some of the challenges that comes with the capability that is able to be brought up overnight.



This is the first African Air Chiefs Symposium that was not held on the African continent.



Because the focus of the event is air mobility, it made sense that we hosted it at Ramstein Air Base, said Lt. Col. Christopher Blackwell, the USAFE-AFAFRICA branch chief of international affairs for Africa. It is the cornerstone of mobility for the U.S. Air Force outside of the United States so it makes sense that this is where we would host it.



The U.S. and Mauritania co-hosted this years symposium. Last year, the symposium was held in Nouakchott, Mauritania, with 18 African nations attending.



Throughout the symposium, there were several roundtable discussions and breakout sessions, giving air chiefs the opportunity to discuss regional issues together. Some topics discussed were mobility strategies, force development and airfield management.



As part of the symposium, the group had an immersion trip to the Verdun battlefield to learn about European history. While at Verdun, the air chiefs learned about the soldiers from Africa who fought in the battle.



This symposium was the first opportunity for many air chiefs to talk with their counterparts from other African nations. It was the first symposium for Brig. Gen. Charles Karamba, the Rwanda Air Force Chief of Staff.



The African Air Chief Symposium is an important organization although its kind of a non-formal organization. It helps us come together. We get to know each other, Karamba said. There is terrorism in most of our regions, so we get together, share the threats that we face, share the challenges that we face as far as air mobility is concerned and of course it helps us understand the capabilities each of us have.



One of the pinnacle moments of the symposium was the signing of the Association of African Air Chiefs Charter, which encourages members to seek opportunities to cooperate and collaborate to improve and support air operations across Africa. Eleven nations signed the charter this year, which is the highest number of nations to sign at any symposium.



The 26 countries that attended were Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Cote dIvoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia.
Mr William Manful is a member of the Ghanaian Foreign Service. He has served in the United Kingdom as the Head of Protocol for the Ghana High Commission in London. Prior to his appointment as a Foreign Service Officer, Mr Manful worked with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) as a human rights advocate. He also has a degree in French and Spanish from the University of Ghana and was later awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to do an MPhil in International Relations at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. Mr Manful also writes on philosophy, cinema, sport and religion.









The Syndrome of the Talkative in African Politics

19th Century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche advanced a dualistic view of the human condition by arguing that mankind was endowed with two types of spirits namely the Apollonian and the Dionysian. Apollo being the Greek god of intellect and enlightenment was responsible for the rational and thinking side of man. The cerebral aspects of our actions are therefore inspired by the spirit he termed as Apollonian.








Bangladesh police have arrested an Islamist militant charged with the murder of a professor amid a surge in deadly attacks against liberal activists and other minorities in the South Asian nation, a senior officer said on Tuesday.

Rezaul Karim Siddiquee, 58, an English professor at Rajshahi University, was hacked to death on his way to work last month. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing of the professor for his calling to atheism.

Police however arrested a member of the banned militant group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, thought to have been lying low since six of its leaders were hanged in 2007.

The suspect was arrested on Sunday and pleaded guilty in court, Rajshahi city police chief Mohammad Shamsuddin said. A defence lawyer was not immediately available for comment.

Four members of the local group took part in the killing mission, Shamsuddin told a news conference, adding a search was on for three others.

The Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people has seen a series of attacks over the past year in which atheist bloggers, academics, religious minorities and foreign aid workers have been killed.

Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent has also claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, including the killing of two gay rights activists last month. But police say home-grown militant groups are behind the violence.

Dozens of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen members have been arrested and at least five killed in shootouts since November, as security forces step up a crackdown on militants seeking to make the moderate Muslim nation a sharia-based state.
Model Cara Delevingne was detained for an hour after she used a four-letter-word when her bag was searched during a routine security check before a Eurostar journey.

Reportedly, the 23-year-old model shouted f**k you at a female security officer during the bizarre incident in Paris Gard du Nord station, says Daily Mail.

Delevingne was taken to a private room and after an hour she left with red eyes, as if she was crying.

The model was travelling back to London on the 3.50pm Eurostar service ahead of her sister Poppys 30th birthday party on May 5.

But according to reports, Delevingne was almost late for the party after she was delayed in security in Paris.
The Bombay High Court granted interim protection from arrest till May 25 to Asif Balwa and six other businessmen who are facing charges of alleged money laundering along with former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal in some cases, including the Rs. 100-crore Maharashtra Sadan scam.

All the seven had challenged the non-bailable warrants issued against them by a special court and later also sought pre-arrest bail from the high court. After hearing their counsel Mahesh Jethmalani, I P Bagadia and Sirish Gupte, Justice Ajay Gadkari restrained the police from arresting the seven applicants till May 25.

The seven accused, apprehending arrest on money laundering charges, are Sanjiv Jain, Praveen Jain, Chandrakant Sarda, Jagdish Purohit, Rajesh Mistry, Vipul Karkaria and Asif Balwa.

According to Enforcement Directorate, the seven businessmen allegedly conspired with Bhujbal to divert the kickbacks received by him through their group of companies. They argued that the alleged offences with which they have been charged with are non-cognisable offences and warrants could not have been issued against them at the first instance because they were not arrested during interrogation.

The lawyers also cited a Gujarat High Court judgement in a similar case in which the accused had been granted pre-arrest bail despite a ban on section 45 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Besides, the Supreme Court has stayed warrants against accused in a similar case, they argued. Besides Bhujbal, his nephew Sameer Bhujbal has also been arrested on money laundering charges.

ED had told the special court earlier that it attached properties of Bhujbals worth Rs 131.86 crore, while remaining properties worth Rs 708.30 crore were yet to be identified and attached.

Also, ED had twice conducted searches at nine premises, including properties and offices, belonging to Chhagan Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer and few others.

ED had on March 30 this year filed a 11,500-page charge sheet naming Chhagan Bhujbal, Pankaj, Sameer, corporates like D B Realty, Balwa group of companies, Neelkamal Realtors and Builders Private Limited, Neelkamal Central Apartment LLP and Kakade Infrastructure.

The agency filed 2 FIRs against Bhujbals and others under anti-money laundering laws, based on FIRs filed by Anti-Corruption Bureau, to probe alleged irregularities in the construction of the state guest house Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and the Kalina land-grabbing case.
Kajal Aggarwal has apparently never done an on screen kiss, may it be South Indian films, or Mainstream Hindi Films. As Deepak Tijoris Do Lafzon Ki Kahani happens to be a love story, Aggarwal was neither prepared, nor aware of a kissing scene whilst they were filming in Malaysia, and it was a shock for her when Hooda grabbed and smooched her, while enacting the scene.



It seems Hooda caught Aggarwal completely unaware while doing a scene in Malaysia.

Aggarwal and Hooda were doing a highly emotionally volatile scene between them, and latter being the character actor breed, got carried away in the moment of the character, and just grabbed formers face, and went for the lip lock. Aggarwal immediately withdrew herself from the scene, and backed off.

Although she did not say anything to her co-actor Randeep Hooda, keeping in mind his sensibilities as an actor, she called for a cut and just went aside. Deepak eventually had to go and pacify Kajal, where she asked him to delete the shot that was canned, and go for a clean take.

On asking Deepak, he clarified well I do remember Kajal had told me that she does not do kissing scenes on screen, as she is a huge south Indian movie star, and this would impact her career in south movies. But lemme tell you there was no intention to malign her or kiss her out of force, but it was the emotional moment between two lovers as per the script, and I generally prefer actors doing scenes impromptu, so Randeep followed the emotional quotient of the scene, and made a go at it.

Sure it did take Kajal in a shocking zone, and she did back off calling for a cut, but later on once I had explained to her the significance of the lip lock, she surrendered herself to the script, and went on to do the scene with all the passion she could put in.

It was a furious moment between Deepak and Kajal, but as they say alls well that ends well, and so we finally get the south Indian queen doing her first ever Bollywood lip lock on screen.

It surely seems like Do Lafzon ki Kahani (lip lock) after all.
The opposition in Pakistans parliament, which rejected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs speech in the National Assembly, will meet on Tuesday to decide a future strategy over the Panama Papers leaks issue.

Pakistan Tehreek-e Insafs parliamentary leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday said the combined opposition would meet Pakistan Peoples Party leader Syed Khursheed Shah to dissect and analyse Sharifs speech and finalise their response, Dawn online reported.

The prime minister lied on the floor of the house, Qureshi said, adding that all their questions remained unanswered.

Qureshi said the opposition would devise a future strategy against the backdrop of the refusal of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to form a judicial commission to probe the Panama Papers scandal.

We have rejected Sharifs speech and the Chief Justice has already rejected the terms of reference prepared by the government. So, we will see where do we go from here, he said.

When asked if opposition parties would continue to boycott the Nagtional Assembly proceedings, Qureshi said they would decide this at Tuesdays meeting.

On the other hand, Saeed Ghani, the PPPs parliamentary leader in the Senate, said the opposition would continue to boycott the proceedings of the upper house over the continued absence of Sharif.

Speaking to the media soon after Sharifs speech in the house, PPPs Khursheed Shah said the clarification presented by the prime minister did not address the questions posed by the opposition.
The Interpol has issued red corner notice against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf for their alleged role in the conspiracy to attack the strategic Indian Air Force base in Pathankot.

The Interpol was recently approached by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) to issue a RCN against Azhar and three others in the Pathankot case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was forwarded documents along with non-bailable warrant issued by a special NIA court in Mohali. The investigative agency is the nodal agency representing Interpol in India.

A dossier along with the non-bailable warrant issued by a special NIA court in Mohali in Punjab was reportedly sent to the CBI, which is the nodal agency representing the Interpol in the country.

As per reports, the NIA had sought warrant against 47-year-old Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf, Kashif Jan and Shahid Latif, two handlers of JeM terrorists who had infiltrated into India through Bamiyal sector of Punjab in the wee hours of December 30 to launch the terror assault.

The JeM terrorists had initially hijacked a taxi and killed its driver Ikagar Singh before commandeering another vehicle which carried a Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh, his friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal on the intervening night of December 31 and January one.

The terrorists, four of whom have been identified as Nasir Hussain (Punjab province), Abu Bakar, (Gujranwala), Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum (both from Sindh), entered into the IAF base and carried out a suicide attack in the wee hours of January 2.

The NIA has sent supplementary Letters Rogatory to Pakistan detailing his role in the Pathankot attack in which all the six attackers and seven members of the Indian Armed forces were killed.

The NIA also wrote a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs seeking a visit to Pakistan to extend their probe of the attack, to which Pakistan hasnt replied.

In the meantime, NIA said that after posting the pictures of the four dead terrorists on its official website, more information was coming from across the world which included many people from Pakistan who were eager to share details pertaining to the slain militants.

The four terrorists were identified as Nasir Hussain (Punjab province), Abu Bakar, (Gujranwala), Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum (both from Sindh).
A man has been arrested by Gangavati town police in Koppal district of north Karnataka for allegedly posting a morphed photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a social media site.

The photo showed Modi bowing to the feet of Telangana Legislative Assembly member Akbaruddin Owaisi from All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party.

Akbaruddin Owaisi is the brother of Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi.

Police said they had registered a case under Section 153 A of the IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony). Mohammed Mehboob had uploaded the picture as his FB profile picture on May 7, police said. BJP workers, who noticed the picture complained about it, they added.

Mehboob claims that he did not morph the picture and that his friends sent it.

The action against the youth was taken on a complaint filed by BJP activists, who had noticed the picture posted on Facebook by Mehboob.

Mehboob has told police that he had received the picture from his friends and did not personally morph the photograph.

Last month, a journalist landed in trouble after he tweeted another morphed version of the same picture. The photo was touched up to make it seem that the prime minister is touching the feet of the Saudi king. The BJP filed a police complaint.
Markets regulator Sebi has ordered SPNJ Land Project and Developers India as well as its directors to refund the money raised from investors through illegal schemes in three months.

The company and its directors  Raj Kumar Banerjee, Dolly Banerjee and Mausami Banerjee  have also been barred from the capital markets for four years.

The company was running a collective investment scheme (CIS) without obtaining a certificate of registration from Sebi.

A Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) probe found the firm had solicited at least Rs 13 crore from 40,000 investors under its scheme for developing plots of land through various investment plans.

In an order, Sebi directed the company and its directors to wind up the existing CIS and refund the money collected by the said company under the schemes with returns which are due to its investors Within a period of three months.

Thereafter, the firm has to submit a winding up and repayment report within 15 days, including the trail of funds claimed to be refunded, bank account statements indicating repayment to investors among others.

In addition, they have been barred from selling any assets of the company, except for the purpose of making refunds to its 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.
Senior envoys from world and regional powers gathered once again in Vienna in an effort to salvage stumbling efforts to halt Syrias civil war.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov  diplomacys odd couple, at loggerheads over much else in the world  are chairing the meeting, which began shortly after 0700 GMT.

At the gathering, the 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) will renew its call for a nationwide ceasefire and immediate humanitarian access to besieged areas.

But headaches were likely to persist over the third plank of the plan  a call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime and the rebels to agree on a framework for a political transition.

US officials travelling with Kerry say Washington still insists Assad should go, with an August 1 deadline for settling on the framework under which he does so.

But the Syrian president, bolstered by military support from Russia and Iran, has shown no sign he is prepared to leave.

There is no lasting future for Syria with Assad, said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier as he arrived for the Vienna talks.

Thats why we need to discuss, under the auspices of the UN, what a transition government could look like and put things on the right track, he added.

So far, UN-mediated peace talks in Geneva under international envoy Staffan de Mistura have made little headway and now even Washingtons allies privately doubt the August 1 date will be met.

The target for August is to have a framework in place, a framework agreed, for a political transition, a senior State Department official told reporters in Vienna ahead of the meeting.

Were talking to the Russians, trying to get a better environment for the political negotiations, he said. Particularly on the regime side.
WASHINGTON, May 17, 2016 - USDA announced today that it is allowing an extra 200,000 short tons of cane sugar imports to satisfy the demand of food companies that are shunning beet sugar because it is produced mostly from genetically modified seeds.

USDA recognizes that Americas beet sugar producers have made significant investments in a strong 2016 crop, but they continue to face uncertainty, USDA said in a release. Based on the projections in the May 10, 2016, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, USDA took this action as required by the Farm Bill in order to maintain an adequate sugar supply in an uncertain market. This uncertainty is in part due to inaction on GE labeling legislation and lack of consumer information about genetic technology.

Of the extra 200,000 tons of sugar being allowed in, about 140,000 tons will come from World Trade Organization countries that hold quotas. The other 60,000 tons will come from Mexico.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack foreshadowed the move to import more cane sugar  none of which comes from biotech seeds  in a recent interview with Agri-Pulse.

Talk to the sugarbeet growers in the northern part of our country  and they will tell you they dont understand why their product is not selling, Vilsack said. Well, part of the reason its not selling is they are GMO beets, and now some companies have made the decision to transition to cane sugar.

Sugarbeet farmers are so entwined with biotech that the American Sugarbeet Growers Associations website has a link to the industry-sponsored resource, GMO Answers, and Monsanto is a sponsor of the groups site.

Following stories about GMO? Sign up for an Agri-Pulse four-week free trial subscription to stay on top of this and other ag, rural policy and energy news.





The uncertainty of how Congress will handle the GMO labeling situation is making it tough for beet farmers as several states move toward implementing GMO-labeling laws. Vermont is expected to be the first, with its law is scheduled to go into effect July 1.

The House has passed a bill to preempt state GMO labeling, but the Senate has not acted.

Meanwhile, companies like Hersheys, Dannon and Ben and Jerrys have recently pledged to source more cane sugar in order to avoid genetically modified sugarbeets.

The Sweetener Users Association, which represents a number of large candy companies and other businesses using large amounts of sugar, welcomed USDAs decision.

This is an important step forward as part of the agencys mandate to ensure adequate supplies of sugar at reasonable prices, SUA said in an e-mailed statement.

Given the uncertainty in the U.S. sugar market caused by Americas broken sugar policy, U.S. sweetener users will be keeping a close eye on the supply situation over the next few months to assess the need for additional imports, the group said.

(This story was updated at 9:45 p.m. to include comment from the Sugar Users Association.)

#30
The Clash Within a Civilisation

Mar Mattai Assyrian Orthodox monastery in North Iraq. Cleaving to a barren mountainside above the plain of Nineveh, the Syriac Orthodox monastery of Mar Mattai offers a bleak view of the cataclysm that grips the Arab world. Established in the fourth century near the city of Mosul, it stands on a natural boundary. Here, the Mesopotamian plain begins to crease into the Zagros mountains, and Arab farmers come up against Kurdish tribes. Beneath, the folded rocks stretching southward to Oman hold some of the richest stores of oil. Mar Mattai has seen the passage of many armies: Sassanian, Arab, Seljuk, Mongol, Safavid and Ottoman. The British incorporated Mosul into a new entity called Iraq, which they ruled when the Europeans dismembered the defeated Ottoman empire after the first world war. Their creation, though, would always prove violently restless. Now Mar Mattai stands witness to the disintegration of Iraq, and of much of the modern Arab order. On the ridge of a nearby hill a line of crude black banners, proclaiming "La illaha illa allah" (there is no God but God), delineates the frontier between two of the new worlds that are emerging from the wreckage. To the west the bloodthirsty jihadist group that calls itself Islamic State (IS)--known as Daesh to most Arabs--controls Mosul and long stretches of the Tigris and Euphrates valleys, out to Raqqa and Deir Ezzor in Syria. To the east Kurdish fighters, the Peshmerga ("those who confront death"), hold the cities of Erbil, Sulaimani and Kirkuk, and the mountain fastness beyond. On one side Daesh claims to have restored the pure law of God and the ancient Islamic caliphate; on the other the Kurds live by modern man-made democracy (of sorts) and nationalism, hoping soon to win their own state. An American drone buzzes overhead. Explosions rumble in the distance. Mosul, the prize of the war, lies in the haze. The detritus of improvised ordnance fired by the jihadists, including a cooking-gas canister welded on a rocket, suggests they may be short of material. But their readiness to die in suicide missions remains a powerful weapon. "The Peshmerga have limited capacity, but we are defending the whole of humanity and the democratic world," says General Bahram Yassin, the local Kurdish commander. A century ago on May 16th, European powers secretly concluded the Sykes-Picot agreement that led to the modern Arab states (see article). The colonisers would leave behind a dystopian system, prone to wars and coups, held together by secret policemen, torturers and petrodollars, and supported by cold-war sponsors and foreign soldiers. Arabs suffered poverty in a region of plentiful oil, and oppression in the name of Arab greatness. A land of great monotheistic religions has brought forth many who kill in the name of God. This appalling world is now being swept away, but what is replacing it is often worse. One odious figure, Saddam Hussein, was toppled when America invaded Iraq in 2003, releasing its sectarian demons. Other leaders were ousted by their own people in the Arab uprisings of 2011: Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia fell in January that year, then Hosni Mubarak in Egypt in February. In Libya, Muammar Qaddafi was overthrown with help from Western air forces, then killed in October. In Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, gravely wounded by a bomb, stepped down in November. Only Tunisia has made a democratic transition, albeit a shaky one. In Egypt the army led a counter-revolution. In Syria Bashar al-Assad's rump state has bombed and gassed its people in a murderous civil war that has progressively merged with the one in Iraq. Libya splintered into two rival administrations. In Yemen Houthi rebels toppled the government, and are in turn being pushed back by a Saudi-led coalition. In places non-state militias are stronger than states, whereas state forces have degenerated into ragtag militias. Sectarianism has become acute. The contest between Saudi Arabia, the self-appointed champion of the Sunnis, and Iran, the leading Shia power, makes everything worse. Outsiders have been sucked in. America leads the air campaign against IS and is sending more special forces; Russian forces prop up Mr Assad. This is less a clash of civilisations than a clash within a civilisation. Increasingly the Arabs are a nation of refugees, exiles and migrants. This special report will examine the factors that led to the collapse of the Arab order. First, the region's autocratic political model has failed, though monarchies have stood up better than republics. Second, the rentier economic system, based on natural resources, has become unsustainable, not just in oil-producing states but everywhere. Third, Islam, and the Sunni variety in particular, is in tumult over the place of religion in politics and the role of jihad (holy war). And fourth, destabilising interventions by America have been followed, under President Barack Obama, by destabilising detachment from the region. The Arab world is suffering a crisis of legitimacy. Arab states were seen as the illegitimate offspring of colonialism, and many of their leaders as playthings of the imperialists. The main ideologies of the Arab world--Arabism, Islamism and now salafi-jihadism--sought to overcome the hated Sykes-Picot borders. Nationalist leaders such as Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, who came to power in a coup in 1952, promised Arab unity and the liberation of Palestine but delivered neither. Too little, too late Except for oil monarchies that built glittering cities in the desert, most Arab economies were unable to deliver lasting prosperity. Their state-led models failed to harness the power of globalisation, their weaknesses concealed by oil money sloshing through the region. Regimes that belatedly sought to copy China's model of relative economic liberalism combined with firm political control ended up with an upside-down version of the Soviet Union's. In Russia the fall of communism led to crony capitalism; in the Arab world partial liberalisation in the 1990s brought first cronyism, then popular resentment that eventually brought down regimes. Instead of trying to achieve legitimacy through democracy and the rule of law, rulers mostly relied on the power of the mukhabarat, the ubiquitous secret police, often the best-organised organ of state. In countries steeped in Islam, leaders benefited for too long from a religious tradition of obedience to the ruler, even a bad one, to prevent discord among Muslims. But now there is discord aplenty. Repression, jail and torture fed a doctrine that Arab rulers are, in fact, unbelievers. Amid such upheaval, it is tempting to reach for historical parallels. Early on, some saw the Arab uprisings as a replay of the democratisation that followed the fall of communism in Europe after 1989; later a better comparison would be with the violent break-up of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. It could be argued that the current mess is the latest phase in the collapse of the Ottoman empire. Its European provinces broke away in the 19th century, the Arab ones in the 20th, and the resulting Arab states are now crumbling in the 21st. Arabs today are still confronted with the same question as their forefathers in Ottoman times as they grappled with modernity and European supremacy: why has a world of glorious, cosmopolitan Islamic empires become so abject? For those who think it is because Western civilisation has proved superior, the remedy is to adopt Western norms of secularism, rationalism and, above all, democracy. Yet for those who believe that Muslims have suffered because they failed to keep God's ordinances, the only response is to return to the religious purity of the early caliphs. As Khaled al-Dakhil, a Saudi commentator, sums it up: "We have a chronic problem of governance that is more than 1,400 years old. Who is the rightful successor to the Prophet? The question is still hanging over our heads."
May 17, 2016

Critics are blasting Egypt's latest extension of a state of emergency in the north Sinai Peninsula, saying it violates the constitution and parliament's powers. The original three-month order was issued in October 2014 and has been extended many times, amid much indignation and repudiation by Sinai residents, whose businesses are affected by the restrictions on movement and the curfew.

The Egyptian government said mounting violence perpetrated by terrorist groups against military and police targets forced President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to extend the state of emergency yet again to preserve security, tighten the grip on these groups and counter their continuing attacks. The government said that the army and police, in turn, are taking measures to face terrorists, prosecute their money suppliers and safeguard innocent lives as well as public and private property.

Article 154 of the Egyptian Constitution says a majority of parliament must approve a declaration of a state of emergency before it is implemented for three months. To extend that order for another three months requires approval by two-thirds of the legislature. Neither requirement was a problem with the previous declarations because, until this year, the country had been without a parliament since 2012.

Parliament member Alaa Abdel-Moneim aimed harsh criticism at the Cabinet during parliament's May 8 general session. Abdel-Moneim urged the government to respect the constitution, which says the president must submit such a decree to parliament within seven days. He said, "Prime Minister Sharif Ismail should have delivered his statement before the parliament prior to the current general session. What is happening is a blatant violation of the constitution."

In an attempt to settle the issue, Speaker Ali Abdul Aal revealed during the same session that he had previously been notified about the president's decision to declare a state of emergency and that the prime minister was slated to address the parliament on May 10 regarding that decision.

However, Salah Fawzi, head of the constitutional law department at Mansoura University and a member of the constitution drafting committee, said in a May 5 statement to parliament that the constitution stipulates that the speaker of parliament must schedule a general session to consider the proposal within 24 hours after he is notified of such a decree.

In a bid to justify the situation, Ismail delivered a statement May 10 outlining why the president had declared a state of emergency, but Ismail didn't address why the Cabinet delayed its submission to the parliament.

"The state's keenness on preserving national security and determination to cleanse precious Sinai from terrorism and extremist ideology, as well as Sinai's need for comprehensive development, made it a necessity for the president to declare a state of emergency in all parts of north Sinai," he said.

"Terrorist groups are still targeting north Sinai, wreaking havoc there by smuggling arms, spreading extremism and killing army personnel, police forces and civilians. External and internal forces are also supplying terrorist groups with money, arms, ammunition, individuals, and political and media [support] with the objective of turning the entire Sinai Peninsula into a lawless area and a springboard for spreading terrorism in the entire region. As a result, we  decided to declare a state of emergency," Ismail added.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, constitutional expert Shawki al-Sayed said the subject is more complicated than it appears.

"The declaration of a state of emergency violated Article 154 of the constitution. But what most people don't know is that President Sisi referred to Emergency Law No. 162 of 1958. All Egyptian presidents have referred to this law, which grants the president absolute power to impose a state of emergency whenever he deems necessary and without addressing the parliament.  However, this does not justify the constitutional violation committed by President Sisi in this respect," he said.

Article 3 of Emergency Law No. 162 of 1958 authorizes the president alone to declare a state of emergency in the event of a threat to security or public order, whether due to a war or the threat of war, or due to a public disaster or epidemic.
May 17, 2016

The timing of the May 15 Jerusalem visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault could not have been more perfect, killing as it did two birds with one stone.

First, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus refusal to cooperate with the French peace initiative dealt a blow to the very essence of Israels public diplomacy  the claim that Israel yearns for peace but does not have a Palestinian partner. The cold shoulder that Netanyahu gave the French diplomatic initiative confirms that the speech he delivered seven years ago at Bar-Ilan University, declaring his commitment to the two-state solution, was not worth the paper it was written on. On the other hand, the warm response of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to that same initiative illustrates to the international community that the peace rejectionist does not necessarily reside in the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah.

Second, Ayraults empty-handed return to Paris could just be the final nail in the coffin of the initiative to broaden the base of Netanyahus narrow government by adding the opposition Zionist Camp to the ruling coalition. In fact, Netanyahu was in a bind from the minute the French initiative was first presented some four months ago, in late January, by former French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. It forced Netanyahu to choose between entering into a peace process that would entail a freeze on West Bank settlement construction and result in a coalition crisis his right-wing coalition partners will not accept, including the danger of a rupture within his Likud Party, and a crisis with the international community along with a deterioration of security in the territories.

Not surprisingly, Netanyahu chose the second option. He took advantage of a joint Feb. 16 news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin  on the day the initiative was formally presented to Israel by the French ambassador to Israel, Patrick Maisonnave  to label the French initiative puzzling." But Netanyahus objection did not deter the French. In a conversation with reporters in Paris April 21, Ayrault said, There is no other solution to the conflict than establishing two states  one Israeli and the other Palestinian  living side by side in peace and safety [based on the 1967 borders], with Jerusalem as a shared capital.

Ayrault said 20 states had accepted an invitation to take part in an international Middle East peace conference, among them Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Arab League members. The US administration and France are now trying to set a date during the summer and to agree on adequate language, so that the Americans could send a senior envoy (perhaps Secretary of State John Kerry) to the conference without being perceived as hostile to Israel. But from the meeting the prime minister had on May 15 with his French guest, it appears that Netanyahus heartfelt desire to coax members of the Zionist Camp into joining his government had not softened his opposition to the French initiative, even though Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog stated he will not join the coalition without launching regional negotiations. Netanyahu is still hoping that despite it all, Herzog will be tempted to board a plane as Israels foreign minister, travel the world in defense of the governments positions and place all the blame for rejecting peace on the doorstep of the Palestinians.

Herzog, who is also the chair of the opposition, hinted at his willingness to sign up for the job when he met in January with French President Francois Hollande and said, We have to be realistic. It [the two-state solution] can't become a reality now. He added, The hatred and incitement among the Palestinians is just too great. Herzog proposed at the time to substitute negotiations for "a separation plan" from Palestinian-populated areas that Israel itself would choose to give up.

But Herzogs position did not stop the French either, as evidenced by their intense efforts to advance negotiations on a two-state solution. The disagreements between Netanyahu and France and other European states make it hard for Herzog to sample the delights of government and keep his party intact.

However, according to estimations, US President Barack Obama might use the transition period between the November presidential elections and the swearing in of the next US president in January to leave his mark in the Israeli-Palestinian arena.

If and when Herzog asks members of his party caucus to raise their fingers in favor of joining the Netanyahu government, his opponents in the party will surely want to know his views on the French idea of an international conference. In fact, it is all there on his Facebook page. On May 12, Herzog laid out his conditions on crossing the lines into the Netanyahu Cabinet: A mandate to stop the next funeral and the threat of an international boycott, to restore the United States and Europe to the status of allies, to launch negotiations with the countries in the region and to separate from the Palestinians into two states in order to stop the incessant terror campaign.

At a May 15 meeting with Zionist Camp activists, Herzog talked about an opportunity that had arisen to promote rare regional diplomacy in explaining his desire to join the government. He will have to explain to his party caucus and to the public at large how he intends to promote a rare diplomatic move, or even a routine one, from within a unity government with the hawks of the right-wing HaBayit HaYehudi party, Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Knesset member Bezalel Smotrich. As of this writing, there is no indication that Netanyahu is willing to exchange the radical rightists he dubs natural partners for half of the Zionist Camps Knesset faction, at best, willing to enter this government with Herzog. Netanyahu might end up exchanging Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon for the rightist Yisrael Beitenu Chairman Avigdor Liberman, leaving Herzog on the opposition benches.

May 16 marked the centenary of the agreement signed by the French governments envoy, Francois Georges Picot, with the representative of the British Foreign Office, Mark Sykes, dividing control over the lands of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East. According to the agreement, when World War I ended, the Land of Israel was divided between the two colonialist powers (another area was handed over to international control). How symbolic that Israel marks almost half a century of occupation in June 2017 when France is the one trying to help it shake off its colonialist burden. Still, the French prospects of success are uncertain.
May 17, 2016

With only 25% of deputies in Iran's current parliament returning to office when their term ends on May 27, the fate of current parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, who has held the position for the last eight years, will be the first major battle of the 10th parliament.

Iran's parliament, known as the Islamic Consultative Assembly, has been overwhelmingly dominated by conservatives and hard-liners since the 2012 election, an election Reformists largely boycotted. With the runoff elections in April, however, Reformists and moderates now have the largest faction, with 121 seats, while conservatives and independents have 83 and 81 seats, respectively. These results pave the way for former Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, who was elected May 17 to lead the Reformist "Hope faction" in parliament, to challenge Larijani.

On May 17, the Tabnak website reported that given the changes in parliament, "without a doubt, the makeup of parliament's leadership board will change." Aside from the speakership, the parliament's leadership board includes two deputy speakers, six secretaries and three observers. Members of parliament elect the leadership board in a direct vote for one-year terms.

The Tabnak article continued that because neither Reformists nor conservatives have a clear majority, the conservatives will lobby for Larijani and Reformists will lobby for Aref.

The two options facing the 10th parliament to resolve the speakership issue are either to put it to an open vote or come to an agreement. The author of the Tabnak article believes the two sides will choose the latter. Mohammad Reza Tabesh, incumbent Reformist member of parliament, said there have been suggestions for Reformists and conservatives to each elect a five-person group to conduct negotiations. Some also have suggested changing the speaker every year, alternating between Aref and Larijani. The key concern, according to the article, is to avoid major conflicts in the future parliament.

Iranian analyst Sadegh Zibakalam told Armand Daily that if Reformists enter into a competition with conservatives and Larijani, it will be to their detriment because conservatives would then use the other institutions they control in the Islamic Republic to rally against the 10th parliament. Zibakalam believes that the future parliament will be separated between those who support the nuclear deal and those who oppose it. And since Larijani and Aref both supported the nuclear deal, they belong to the same faction and must not compete. The Armand article reported that Ali Akbar Nategh-Nuri, former parliament speaker and interior minister who enjoys good relations with both sides, will help negotiate a settlement between the two.

Given that Larijani, who was also attacked by hard-line parliamentarians, was aligned with President Hassan Rouhani, there have been rumors that the administration is pushing to keep Larijani on as speaker. In an article headlined "Be Alert" and addressed to the president, Reformist newspaper Aftab-e Yazd reported that if it was not for Aref withdrawing from the 2013 presidential elections in favor of Rouhani, today there would be no nuclear deal nor a parliament consisting of so many Reformists and moderates.

In other news, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested eight people for posing as models on Instagram. The Tehran prosecutor said that the secret operation was a two-year program called "Spider 2" to apprehend the models who posed without headscarves on Instagram. Comments by Mostafa Alizadeh, spokesman for the Organized Cyberspace Crimes Unit who said during a news program that Instagram is paying Kim Kardashian to make modeling "native" to Iran, sparked international coverage.
May 16, 2016

Wissam Zahabi is exhausted. Its 5 p.m. He arrived in Beirut an hour after sunrise from a fact-finding mission in Uganda and went straight to work. In the evening, he has a conference to attend. Its a busy day for a man who described himself and his colleagues as idle.

His quote, however, needs to be understood in context. Zahabi is currently the president of Lebanons Petroleum Administration, a government body established in 2012 to regulate the countrys oil and gas sector. Back then, the pace of activity to create the sector was akin to lightning by Lebanese standards. A law passed in 2010 called for creating the LPA and naming its six board members. Two years later, the six were appointed. (By comparison, it took five years to appoint a board for the telecoms regulator and an electricity regulator called for in a 2002 law still exists only on paper.) The board should be busy watching over oil and gas companies searching for hydrocarbons in Lebanons slice of the natural gas-rich eastern Mediterranean. Its not.

When Najib Mikati resigned in March 2013, his Cabinet had some unfinished business related to oil and gas, namely passing two crucial decrees: One carves Lebanons offshore into blocks open for license, and another outlines technical details for how the round should proceed  the tender protocol  and includes a model contract to be signed between the state and the winning bidders. Despite the lack of a functioning government, in May 2013, then-caretaker Energy and Water Minister Gebran Bassil opened Lebanons first offshore oil and gas licensing round anyway. Investors were lined up. Some of the industrys so-called supermajors such as Chevron, Total, ENI and Shell had prequalified in April 2013 to participate in the licensing round.

Bassils move put Lebanon in an odd position. The licensing round was open, but without the decrees, companies could not submit offers. As the rounds scheduled closure date drew nearer with the decrees still being ignored by the Cabinet, Bassil delayed it a few months. A few months later, he delayed again. And then again. Each time, he chose a specific date for the round to close. When a new government came to power in 2014, Bassils successor shifted tact. Closure of the licensing round is now slated for a maximum period of six months from the date of the adoption of the two decrees. Since that 2014 decision, however, efforts to begin offshore exploration are moving at the more familiar pace of standard Lebanese bureaucracy.

Zahabi confirmed the decrees are ready for the Cabinets signature but said he does not think they will be approved soon, listing a litany of crises requiring more urgent attention. He admits, Weve lost credibility, to be frank. But judging what impact this will have on companies willingness to participate in the licensing round once its truly open is a difficult question. Every now and again articles pop up in the local press claiming companies are losing interest in Lebanon or lamenting that Lebanon's neighbors are moving ahead as it languishes, but reading the minds of oil and gas companies that do not openly discuss their future investment plans is no easy task.

Anyone who tries to do research in Lebanon knows that recent, reliable data is nearly impossible to find. The one exception is the nascent oil and gas sector. Lebanons offshore is almost entirely covered with both 2D and 3D seismic surveys, interpretations of which the LPA updates. A wealth of data is helpful for a country such as Lebanon where no offshore wells have ever been drilled. While seismic data does not give an exact road map of where to successfully drill, it significantly diminishes the risk of not finding oil. Once a company wins an offshore exploration license, it will usually spend the first few years searching for drilling targets. The amount of data Lebanon has could reduce the amount of time between contract signature and the first well. The LPA, one of the companies that conducted some of the seismic surveys, and a US government body that did its own survey back in 2010 all say that data looks good. And with all of the natural gas wells currently producing near Lebanon, the idea that the countrys offshore is a potential cash cow is well established. Zahabi said companies bought data several years ago and does not point to new sales as an indicator of current interest. Instead, he points to Cyprus and Egypt.

Cyprus launched its third offshore licensing round in March, riding on hopes created by a very large natural gas discovery in Egyptian waters at the end of August 2015. Before the discovery in Egypt, however, Cyprus was in the press as a disappointment, not as a country trying to lure new investments. The island nations only confirmed natural gas find  Aphrodite  turned out to be smaller than expected, and in the 12 months prior to the find in Egyptian waters, all Cyprus had to show were two dry wells. Zahabis basic message was that if Cyprus can hold a successful bid round, so can Lebanon. He isnt even deterred by a border dispute and, in fact, denies the existence of one.

Because they are neighbors, Lebanon and Israel should negotiate their own offshore borders. Because they are technically at war, they havent. Israels claim overlaps with Lebanons, leaving an 860-square-kilometer (332-square-mile) triangle. Zahabi said Lebanon followed the UNs law of the sea to determine its offshore border, which it seems Israel de facto recognized when drawing the blocks it wanted to open in licensing rounds (the Israeli blocks match Lebanons claim of where the border lies and are to the south of where Israel wants its border to end). The dispute is being mediated by the United States, and Zahabi said he hopes a resolution comes soon. Even without it, he said, Lebanon is free to explore where it chooses in its offshore waters. That is, as soon as the politicians decide to do so.
May 17, 2016

One of the leading sources of anger among Palestinians under occupation is restriction on their movement. Palestinians living in the West Bank cannot travel to the Gaza Strip, and Palestinians in Gaza are normally not allowed to leave Gaza. Travel from the occupied territories to neighboring Jordan and Egypt also involves various kinds of restrictions. After the intervention of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egypt opened the Rafah crossing on May 9 for two days, but only a very small percentage of the 30,000 Palestinians wanting to exit the Gaza Strip were allowed to do so. A reported 1,221 Palestinians who had been stuck outside Gaza were allowed to return.

In a January bulletin, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that in the final quarter of 2015, Israeli forces had established 91 new checkpoints, further obstructing Palestinians' freedom of movement throughout the West Bank. For Palestinians living near Jerusalem, the issue of travel to the holy city for work or for family visits is of great importance. When Israel unilaterally annexed East Jerusalem in 1967, and when it built the wall through the West Bank, it isolated Jerusalem from its environs, including the towns of Ramallah, Bethlehem and Abu Dis.

To travel to Jerusalem or Israel, Palestinians are obliged to obtain permission from Israel, which issues permits. Israel regularly changes the color and stamps on these travel documents, in the form of paper permits, to avoid forgeries. Now it has gradually begun introducing a magnetic card containing biometric data for getting through the numerous checkpoints en route from the West Bank to Jerusalem and Israel. The paper permits continue to be issued, but the Israelis appear to be phasing them out to eventually limit travel to use of the magnetic cards. No date has been announced for when the magnetic card will be mandatory.

A 2014 study by the Applied Research Institute examined the economics of the new cards. Each year the Israeli occupation issues more than 400,000 magnetic cards to Palestinians for the sum of 100 shekels [$26] per card. This is equivalent to 40 million shekels [about $11 million] yearly, the study summary stated.

The magnetic cards have been around for a while according to multiple Palestinian sources, but in 2016 Israel introduced a new system whereby Palestinians are allotted a certain number of entries into Jerusalem and Israel, and these entries are deducted with swipes of the card at the checkpoints. The cards are usually valid for a year but in certain cases can be used for two years.

Palestinians are restricted to using only certain checkpoints, while Israeli settlers can use any of them. Would-be travelers' entries can be tracked on computers at the crossings.

Sami Awad, executive director of the Bethlehem-based Holy Land Trust, told Al-Monitor about his experience with the system. At the beginning of 2016, Israel credited him with 100 entries for the year. Every time I cross the Bethlehem-Jerusalem checkpoint near Rachels Tomb, my credit goes down one entry, Awad said. He explained that if he had a meeting in Jerusalem in the morning and another in the afternoon and returned to Bethlehem in between, two entries would be deducted from his card.

Myron Joshua, an Israeli peace activist who works with Palestinian peace groups and who helped Awad get a travel permit to work, told Al-Monitor in an email, The first months of the year were super problematic because it was thought that people would be allowed only 100 entries into Israel. So, we applied [monthly] for permits based on only 10 or so entries a month. Some people's permits expired way too early.

Joshua said the Israeli authorities zigzagged their permit policies in regard to the number of entries allowed, and in April increased it. The number of entries was doubled to 200 per calendar year, so things should be much better now, he said.

Joshua noted one of the consequences of the system. Every entry seems to be recorded at the passage. So if someone goes from Bethlehem to Jerusalem twice in one day, that is two entries. On the other hand, someone spending a few days at a conference has one entry checked off, he said. Palestinians are officially not allowed to stay overnight in Jerusalem or Israel, even at the home of direct relatives, so it is unclear that Palestinians can even benefit from the card system in this way.

Joshua said that Palestinians who attend conferences can request overnight stays for the length of the event. People without magnetic cards can get permits for single-day or two-day entries. Besides this, permits are issued for escorts of Palestinians receiving treatment in Israeli hospitals, but this is normally limited to two escorts per patient who must be immediate family, he said.

Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Awad said that the new magnetic card system reminds him of computer games, stating, With every crossing, your permitted entries go down, and before you know it, you're down to the last entry, and then it is game over.
May 17, 2016

WASHINGTON  Foreign ministers from two dozen nations that comprise the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), meeting in Vienna on May 17, called for redoubling efforts to shore up a partial Syria cease-fire and try to expand it nationwide, and for using air drops if necessary to get humanitarian aid to besieged areas whose conditions of desperation were described as medieval. But in a grim sign of continued impasse among world and regional powers over a political solution to the five-year war, they did not immediately set a new date for talks between the Syrian regime and opposition.

To end the war and focus on fighting the so-called Islamic State, a variety of competing interests are going to have to be reconciled, and those involved in this conflict with competing agendas are going to have to be willing to prioritize peace, US Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking at a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, told reporters following the ISSG meeting in Vienna on May 17.

Recent efforts to de-escalate the conflict are fragile, and increasingly threatened by irresponsible and dangerous actions taken by those who would rather have this effort fail, Kerry said. And there are, frankly, actors on both sides who we think make that choice.

Kerry warned groups that persistently violate the cease-fire that they could be targeted. That means that if they continue to do it and theyre pretending to be part of the cessation and theyre not, they could be subject to no longer being part of the cessation immediately, Kerry said.

On not yet announcing a new date for intra-Syrian talks, the UN Syria envoy said the cease-fire that went into effect Feb. 27 had deteriorated to a 50% cease-fire in recent weeks.

Meantime, despite the partial cessation and a unanimously endorsed UN Security Council resolution demanding it, the Syrian regime has only permitted humanitarian aid to be delivered to 12 of 18 besieged areas, he said, describing conditions in the towns of Darayya, Kafraya and Foua as particularly desperate.

On the cessation of hostilities side,  the main real difference is that what we used to have at 80% has come down to 50, de Mistura said at the joint press conference.

And on the humanitarian aid we are still not reaching those we want to reach, he said, describing the besieged locations in Syria as the closest to a medieval type of siege that we have seen in recent history.

The issue is [that we are] still waiting for some type of concrete outcome of this meeting, but we cannot wait too long, de Mistura warned.

We need to bear in mind that credible intra-Syrian talks will become credible when  there is a credible development on the cessation of hostilities and a credible improvement on the humanitarian side.

Perhaps the most notable new initiative that came out of the ISSG meeting was a call to the World Food Program to use air drops to get humanitarian aid to some 12 besieged areas if they were not able to be accessed by land, starting from June 1.

The initiative was pushed by the British and backed in a joint statement issued by all members of the ISSG, which has grown to over two dozen members and includes, in addition to the United States, Russia and European Union, regional rivals backing different parties in the war, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar and Turkey.

We agree that the delivery of humanitarian assistance must begin or resume  depending on the case  in Douma, East Harasta, Arbeen, Zamalka, Darraya, Fouah, Kefraya, Madaya, Zabadin, Muadhamiya, Yarmouk, Zabadani and Kafr Batna, Kerry said. And starting on June 1, if the UN is denied humanitarian access to any of these designated areas, the ISSG calls on the World Food Program to immediately carry out a program for air bridges and air drops for all of those areas in need.
May 16, 2016

HAMMAMET, Tunisia  Tunisia is known for its beautiful sky-blue beaches, ancient cities that serve as a reminder of the grandeur of the Roman Empire and popular markets that demonstrate the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb. But the land that hosted many civilizations over time has not recovered from the attacks in Sousse and Bardo last year that left dozens of tourists dead. The terrorist assault led to a massive decline in tourism, an industry that accounted for about 14.5% of the countrys gross domestic product.

Hammamet is one of the largest tourist spots in the smallest North African country. It has been attracting tourists for decades, but the touristic site has been losing its clients. On a recent day that reached 35 degrees Celsius (95 F), there was no one around, the beach occupied by only old boats that were discarded on the sand for children to play in. Because of this drop in tourism, the Tunisian authorities have been looking for other alternatives, such as hosting international events to demonstrate that the security situation has been improving. On May 1, Hammamet hosted the 4th annual Mediterranean University on Youth and Global Citizenship that was attended by youths from all around Europe and the Mediterranean region.

The event was held under very tight security measures and lasted for eight days. The area surrounding the conference site barely had any traffic, and the neighborhood was empty of any Tunisian residents.

While Al-Monitor toured a commercial part of the capital Tunis along with other participants, shopkeepers focused their attention on the group. It was clear that the scene seemed very strange for many locals. Policemen were also following the European group wherever they went. At the Medina market, salespeople were eager to receive foreign customers. They shouted greetings in Spanish, English and French  Hola, Hello, Bonjour  trying to get tourists to look at their handicrafts, in a lane where two people can barely pass.

Sid Mohamed is a shopkeeper  he inherited his shop from his father and has been working there for 12 years. I used to depend on European tourists to run this business. They are not here anymore, so the industry is collapsing, he told Al-monitor. According to Mohamed, tourists from neighboring countries such as Algeria made up the majority of visitors last year. When asked how the business was before the revolution compared to that after, he said, The shop was totally fine before the revolution. But after that it has been on a continuous income crisis.

Unemployment has been a major concern in Tunisia. Recent statistics issued by the Tunisian Interior Ministry show that 15% of Tunisians are unemployed, while 31% of graduates are jobless. Asma Hmaied, 22, is a member of the group Search for Common Ground, a project for youth leadership in Tunisia. Hmaied, who studies agronomy engineering, has another perspective on how to create more jobs in Tunisia. I believe that what could roll the economic wheel in Tunisia is not tourism, but agriculture, she told Al-Monitor.

Tunisia is known for its fertile soil. It is also one of the largest exporters of olive oil and dates, with an estimated 300,000 metric tons of olive oil and 100,000 metric tons of dates. It is believed that this massive agricultural production has saved Tunisias economy from a catastrophic crisis. But Hmaied does not think that such results have encouraged the state to put more investment in this sector. Farmers still work with basic tools and are not even aware of the recent technologies, she said.

Meanwhile, and despite the economic crisis, Tunisia was the only country of the Arab Spring that established a peaceful transition of power. In 2014, the interim government organized a democratic presidential election that led to Beji Caid Essebsi, 88, being elected as president. However, in January this year, demonstrations erupted in Tunisia. Angry protesters called for job opportunities and expressed their dislike of the situation with slogans such as Jobs or another revolution. The protests resulted in clashes between protesters and policemen. Currently, security concerns are rising as more than 7,000 Tunisians have joined the Islamic State in recent years, exceeding the terrorist groups number of recruits from any other neighboring country, and even higher than countries such as Saudi Arabia. On May 11, four Tunisian policemen were killed in a clash that led to the death of four jihadis.

All these factors have played an important role in the militarization of Tunisian security forces. At Tunis-Carthage International Airport, security agents are everywhere. A traveler in his 20s from Libya who spoke on condition of anonymity told Al-Monitor about his experience at the airport: They asked me if I pray. I said yes. Then they started yelling at me, Why are you here? According to him, he felt alienated for praying. He added, After an hour I was released, but I never thought that prayer could become an issue to be investigated for.

While Tunisia struggles to fight terrorism and to guarantee peoples freedoms, journalist Najah Ambarek thinks that such battles are understood by the Tunisian people. Tunisian citizens understand the measures being taken by the authorities and are keen on collaborating with them, he told Al-Monitor. Ambarek is also the director of media affairs at the National Youth Observatory of Tunisia. According to him, the Tourism Ministry aims at attracting 5 million tourists this year after there were 10 million before the revolution. Ambarek added, Tourists will come back to Tunisia, but gradually. So far there is no evidence of a recovery anytime soon as Tunisia suffers the repercussions of the current conflict in Libya.

Editor's note: This article has been updated since its initial publication.
May 17, 2016

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a recent bout of political amnesia that sent a strong signal that the refugee deal reached March 18 between outgoing Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and the European Union (EU) is under threat from Ankara. What brought on this spell and how does it put strain on the deal?

Erdogans problem is not with the refugee deal itself, under which Ankara agreed to re-admit Syrian refugees who reach the EU via Turkey. Rather, what bothers him is a related issue  an accord envisaging visa-free travel for Turkish citizens in the EUs Schengen zone that Davutoglu signed on Dec. 16, 2013, while he was foreign minister and Erdogan prime minister. It was Davutoglu who linked the visa agreement to the refugee deal, and it is this connection that contributed to the amnesia threatening the refugee deal.

Claiming to be driving a hard bargain in the refugee negotiations, Davutoglu insisted on attaching unrelated issues to the deal. One of them was the opening of two new chapters in Turkeys EU accession talks, which the two sides pretend are ongoing. The other was an agreement to bring forward the implementation date of the visa waiver program from October this year to June. If everything had gone smoothly, Turkish citizens would be eligible for visa-free travel to Europe four months earlier than expected, and credit would go to Davutoglu as the winner of the tough bargaining.

Yes, the EU agreed to move the implementation date forward, but it did not soften the conditions required for the program's inauguration. To obtain a visa waiver for its citizens, Ankara still had to fulfill the 72 criteria outlined in the road map of the 2013 deal. It is these conditions that triggered Erdogans fit of political amnesia and about which he forgot during the episode.

Speaking to a group of businesspeople on May 10  six days after overriding the neutrality constitutionally imposed on the president and forcing Davutoglu to resign as prime minister and as chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AKP)  Erdogan recalled that as prime minister, he had been promised visa-free travel beginning in October. He then said, Later, they suggested to move it forward to June. But they said something else as well and put forward 72 points for us to fulfill. This version is something new. Where did all these come from? There are [particularly] five points among them, one of which is a disaster. They want us to amend the Anti-Terror Law.

Referring to a tent that supporters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) had erected in Brussels, Erdogan went on to say, We are fighting terrorism and terrorists here, but those gentlemen allow terrorists to erect a tent outside the European Parliament and then tell us to amend the Anti-Terror Law. When did you get the idea that Turkey takes orders? Thats not possible.

Erdogan seemed to be annoyed that the visa-waiver deal had been brought forward. Odder still, he blamed this not on Davutoglu but on the EU. His annoyance might be explained by the political calendar he has in mind for the last months of the year, when many expect him to force early elections or a referendum on a constitutional amendment to install an authoritarian presidential system. One can imagine that a visa-free travel regime beginning in October would be more advantageous for Erdogan, to boost his support as voters go to the ballot box around the same time.

Yet, the diagnosis that Erdogan has suffered political amnesia stems from his acting as if he knew nothing about the 72 criteria, even though he sat in the front row during the signing and even pledged, as prime minister, that the process would be resolutely followed. Since then, Turkey has fulfilled 67 of the criteria, with five remaining. There is no way for Erdogan to be unaware of them, so why is he pretending he is? Because under the road map of the visa-waiver deal, Turkey has to amend its Anti-Terror Law in line with EU standards.

This condition, presented in the chapter on citizenship rights and protection of minorities, requires Turkey to align its laws with union norms, including the EU acquis and European Court of Human Rights judgments. The objective here is to safeguard Turkish citizens freedoms and rights to security, fair trial, free speech, assembly and organization, and protect against malfeasance by the security forces and broad interpretations of the law by the judiciary. Hence, by refusing to amend the Anti-Terror Law, Erdogan is in fact rejecting democratization and compliance with EU standards in regard to human rights and freedoms.

Another of the five outstanding criteria pertains to EU norms against corruption. Ankaras failure to act here is understandable and logical, given that no government in Turkish history has faced graver allegations of corruption than the incumbent one.

One may therefore ask why Erdogan acquiesced to the anti-terror amendment in the first place. He agreed because at the time it did not conflict with his interests. This is no longer the case, however. Back in December 2013, a period of non-hostility, packaged as a peace process, was underway with the PKK. For Erdogan, maintaining the truce was crucial for safely weathering the municipal and presidential elections upcoming in 2014. The notion of harmonizing anti-terror laws with EU norms thus did not bother him at the time.

Today, however, Erdogan has no other option but to continue the war on the PKK that he launched 10 months ago. A military conclusion to the war is impossible, while negotiating with the PKK will clearly cost him the votes he needs to lure from the Nationalist Action Partys base to get what he wants from early elections or a referendum. So, the real reason for his objection to softening the Anti-Terror Law in line with EU norms is the risk of losing the precious nationalist vote. Having seized full control after discarding Davutoglu, Erdogan is now playing for time while trying to push the EU, via aides, to relax this criteria, as evidenced in a recent tweet by Burhan Kuzu, a senior AKP lawmaker and party leader.

Kuzu, whom Erdogan counts on to promote the executive presidency he seeks, warned the European Parliament May 10 not to make the wrong decision on the visa-waiver deal or well send the refugees to Europe. Three days after this blunt message, Turkey's EU minister, Volkan Bozkir, spelled out in Brussels what Ankara actually wants: The EU Commission should reconsider the issue, he said, urging fresh consultations on overcoming the five criteria.

In short, Erdogan wants the visa-waiver deal to go ahead but without compliance with the EUs anti-terror and anti-corruption norms. The EU, however, has no reason to make concessions on these issues. Should Erdogan attempt to use the refugee deal to threaten and blackmail the union, a crisis with serious consequences will be inevitable.
May 16, 2016

In an Aug. 13 article on the spiraling violence in Turkey, I argued that the shooting down of a Turkish warplane or helicopter by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) with a portable, shoulder-held, surface-to-air missile (MANPADS) would be a critical threshold for escalation. In a Dec. 14 article, I noted that the MANPADS threat had increased and that the PKK could use these systems against aerial targets inside Turkey.

Now it appears that this much-feared eventuality has come to pass.

A press note published on the official website of the Turkish General Staff on May 13 read, "A Cobra helicopter dispatched to intervene against terrorists suffered an accident at 0550 hours. In this fatal accident that is believed to have been caused by a technical problem, two of our comrades-in-arms were martyred."

But a day later, a video posted on pro-PKK social media accounts came as a shock. The two-minute video shows the shooting down of a AH-1W Super Cobra with a MANPADS missile.

As this article was being written on the evening of May 15, the story became a major item on social media and widely reported on news sites, though Turkey's mainstream media outlets did not cover it and official bodies did not issue any denials. The lack of an official denial and the national media's noncoverage of the video have only helped to reinforce the video's veracity.

Assault helicopters provide critical close air support to ground forces. These helicopters are the most effective supporters of ground units in their infiltration of and departure from operational zones. By interdicting the escape routes of PKK militants and using 20 mm guns and unguided 70 mm rockets for pinpoint strikes, Super Cobras are the most effective weapons systems in the mountainous southeast region.

Since Turkeys anti-terror operations began in 1984 until last week's crash, the PKK had shot down only two AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters. The first was hit by an SA-7 Strella near Cukurca on May 18, 1997. The second was downed by an RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade that hit the helicopter's tail on Feb. 24, 2008, during an operation in northern Iraq.

If the video posted May 14 is true, the May 13 incident will be the third such downing of a helicopter.

As for the technical analysis of the video, it is worth noting that the recording time on the clip matches with the time in the Turkish military's press release. In the video, recorded at 0550 hours on May 13 in rural Cukurca by the Turkey-Iraq border, a calm and professional-looking PKK militant takes aim at the Super Cobra AH-1W with a Russian-made SA-18 Grouse MANPADS. The Super Cobra AH-1W is 3 kilometers (roughly 2 miles) away, slowly flying in circles and providing close air support.

After taking aim, the shooter waits calmly for 15 seconds and fires the missile  probably from the Iraqi side of the border. The missile rises straight up for about 2 kilometers, turns toward the helicopter and after three or four seconds, hits its tail structure. The helicopter continues to fly for a brief moment, then disintegrates and crashes. The shooter and his observer are seen to be at ease in an area with dense foliage. It was clear that the two PKK militants were in the area solely to shoot down the helicopter.

It is not known why the helicopter's radar warning sets and AN/ALE-39 countermeasure systems did not work. Possibly, both pilots were busy with their close air support mission and were not expecting such an attack. Moreover, the helicopter was too close to the missile launcher.

If this video is accepted as factual, we are faced with four key questions.

The first is, where did the PKK find the SA-18? It is possible to reply "most likely in Syria" because it is known that the SA-18s, which constituted the main MANPADS in the Syrian army's inventory, were looted and sold on the black market in 2012-2014. On April 5, there were media reports that Syrian opposition forces had shot down a Syrian air force SU-22 Fitter warplane with the 9K310 Igla-1 missile, which belongs to the same family as the SA-18.

The second key question is, why now? It is worth emphasizing that the PKK has had this capability for some time in rural areas close to the Iraqi border. We must take into account an important factor before answering the question "why now?" The PKK has been trying to divert fighting from towns such as Sirnak and Nusaybin into rural areas. It is possible that the PKK, through such sensational attacks, is aiming to lure Turkish army units away from towns to rural terrain and thus ease the pressure on PKK forces in towns.

The next question is whether this development will affect bombing runs of Turkish warplanes against PKK targets in northern Iraq. The answer to that is negative because low-altitude MANPADS with a 5-kilometer range won't be a direct threat to Turkish F-16s that fire their guided munitions from a range of 7-9 kilometers. At any rate, an escalation of Turkish airstrikes against PKK targets in northern Iraq after the helicopter crash is inevitable. We are likely to read a lot more about air attacks against PKK targets in the coming days.

The last question is how this incident will affect the course of the clashes.

In Turkey's anti-terror operations, helicopters play a critical role in close air support and logistics, thanks to their aerial evacuation/supply capabilities. Turkish security forces face an increasingly effective improvised explosive device (IED) threat and therefore rely on helicopters for critical missions. This attack will sharply limit the use of helicopters in anti-terror operations. Accordingly, ground units would have to assume a heavier burden. And that will mean both increased convoy and supply activity on the ground  which raises the IED risk in critical areas  and additional risks and greater fatigue for ground units in the field.

It is possible to say that the PKK will use MANPADS only in rural areas and will not deploy them in urban centers. Now the real question is whether a similar attack will take place. That question has become vital for helicopters that carry out close air support as well as aerial evacuation and supply missions.

This attack also lays bare another truth: a mutually catastrophic military stalemate. Unfortunately, the biggest loser of this stalemate will be the energy and potential Turkey needs to direct toward its future.
May 17, 2016

AKSARAY, Turkey  In a state hospital in Aksaray, a small city in Turkey, 30 patients with schizophrenia have embarked on a new life thanks to an unusual therapy their doctor developed. Away from their families and society, withdrawn into themselves and tormented by false beliefs, the patients have performed 20 plays across Turkey over the past year as part of the innovative therapy, and many psychiatrists are closely watching. Along with its positive impact on the patients, the theater stage has served as a means to overcome fear and prejudices against schizophrenics in society.

The Count Me In troupe  the first comprised of patients with schizophrenia in Turkey  are expressing themselves through a play called A New World Through a Schizophrenic Eye. Everything on stage is improvised, allowing the actors full freedom of expression. There is no script, and their laughter, anger or weeping is all real.

The director of the project, Dr. Basri Koylu, also takes part in the show, which is an hour and a half long and features music and dancing. It ends with a monologue by the psychiatrist himself. Highlights of the show include solo performances of rap music or Michael Jacksons Thriller, and even a white-clad performer doing his best to keep up with a professional whirling dervish performing to live music played by a traditional four-man band. Some patients participate by simply watching.

The opening scene takes the form of a quiz show. A young woman holds the microphone to another, asking, Sabiha, who is Turkeys president? Can you tell us? Sabiha gives the right answer and everyone applauds her. After some more dialogue that sounds infantile or nonsensical, the play moves on to scenes that reveal the realities of the patients daily lives. In one scene, a patient speaks softly to another about dinner plans so as not to wake a sleeping child. Next, a village headman breaks the news to an anxious family that their soldier son has been killed. The mother of the fallen soldier cries, My son is gone. What am I going to do now? and faints. A neighbor tries to console her, saying, Please dont cry. He is in heaven now. Later, the audience erupts into laughter over a scene depicting two women competing for one man's heart.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Koylu said the project was presented at Turkeys 52nd Psychiatry Congress six months ago and received promises of support from some of the countrys leading universities. The psychiatric community is wondering how we managed to accomplish this. Several colleagues and I are now working on a scholarly project on the issue as a new method of treatment, he said. Before this program, my patients would not converse even for five minutes. Now they are staying on stage for hours, impressing their audiences. They want to perform more than once a week. Theyve become strongly attached to the stage.

Stressing that drug treatment alone is not enough to integrate patients into life, Koylu said he saw acting and similar activities as a new form of treatment complementing drug therapy that could resonate internationally if properly understood and affect domestic and international approaches to the issue. An international psychiatry congress was scheduled to be held in Istanbul this year and we were planning to present the project there. The event, however, was canceled because of terrorist threats, Koylu said. Our troupe receives frequent invitations from abroad, but we are unable to go because of lack of financial support.

The most recent invitation they had to decline came from the German state of Bavaria, Koylu said. He's eager to have his patients perform abroad to spread hope to other patients with schizophrenia. Weve succeeded in changing the patients. Perhaps weve accomplished something theyve failed to do even in the United States. This should be showcased and promoted, he said.

Asked about the difficulties he encountered while working on the project, Koylu replied, There was this patient who was so paranoid that when I told him I planned to do theater with him, he retorted, Are you a cop or a spy? What are you after? and ran away. Then, after he saw our work, he joined us on his own. Now hes the favorite actor of the troupe.

Popular conceptions about schizophrenia are heavily affected by hearsay and misinformation. Asked whether his patients had displayed any violent or threatening behavior, Koylu said, There is no scientific truth in [the belief that] patients with schizophrenia are dangerous people. This is one of the things I try to explain during the shows. I work very closely with them, and Im with them on the stage as well. I do what they do. Thats the message Im conveying to the audience: These are not dangerous people. If they were violent, they would have attacked me in the first place.

The troupe was invited to the 27th Ankara International Film Festival, held earlier this month, and other institutions have begun to follow in its footsteps. In March, for instance, 18 patients from the mental health center of a state hospital in Ankara made their debut on stage with a musical about the Battle of Gallipoli. Last year, a similar troupe took the stage in the northern city of Amasya, performing a play as well as folk dances and songs. Their psychiatrist, Dr. Nadide Gurses, also stressed the importance of complementary therapies along with medication. We are treating them not only with drugs but also by incorporating them into society. Such activities boost the patients self-confidence, she said.

Medication alone has come to be seen as the most convenient way to treat schizophrenics, an approach that basically numbs the patients. For Koylu, however, a person who doesnt feel, speak, laugh or cry is not alive. The Turkish doctors stage therapy deserves support, for his patients, relishing the joy of acting, are no longer subdued. All their emotions are alive and they communicate with the people around them. Their medication doses have largely been reduced. The patients, many of whom would normally lead a life of lethargy under the mind-numbing effect of drugs, are now nagging Koylu, Doc, when are we rehearsing?
May 17, 2016

Turkeys US and European allies continue to maintain a near silence over the countrys steady descent into a human rights nightmare, even as respected global watchdogs chronicle the abuses taking place there on an almost daily basis. Whether it is silencing the media, torture during detention or mass violence against civilians in the mainly Kurdish southeast, according to rights defenders, Turkey is beginning to resemble the Middle East dictatorships that it was once touted as a model for them to follow.

Now, a new and critical voice has joined the chorus of rebukes: the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In an unusually harsh statement, the Geneva-based high commissioner, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, lambasted Turkey over a list of shocking crimes the security forces are widely alleged to have committed during a 78-day round-the-clock curfew between December 2015 and March that was slapped on Cizre, a Kurdish majority town on the Iraqi border. A crucible of Kurdish rebellion since the 19th century, Cizre was the scene of some of the worst violence in the latest outbreak of fighting between the security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that erupted in August 2015.

The Jordanian diplomat said he had received reports of unarmed civilians, including women and children, being deliberately shot by snipers, or by gunfire from tanks and other military vehicles. In videotaped comments posted on Twitter, Hussein elaborated on the massive and highly disproportionate destruction of property by the Turkish security forces.

Most disturbing of all, he said, are the reports quoting witnesses and relatives in Cizre, which suggest that more than 100 people were burned to death as they sheltered in three different basements that had been surrounded by the security forces.

One of the reports Hussein received was compiled by Mazlumder, a veteran pro-Islamic nongovernmental organization, whose team of human rights defenders has established a reputation for balanced reporting.

Over three days in early March, a Mazlumder team spoke to scores of government officials, politicians, lawyers, eyewitnesses and the families of the victims in circumstances where there were limited possibilities to undertake this kind of work, the report noted.

Its findings are not for the fainthearted: Regarding the number of people killed [in Cizre] we dont have a definite number. Many autopsies were made in different places  there were also instances when half a body was sent to Mardin while the other half was sent to Silopi for an autopsy because some bodies were decapitated. What was given to some families as the 'bodies' of their relatives was 4-5 kilograms of human remains, which looked like coal.  We think they were burned to death but not because something like petrol was poured on them and they were set on fire, but there was another kind of burning.

This chilling excerpt is based on quotes from interviews Mazlumder conducted with members of the Bar Association in Sirnak, the provincial capital. If Hussein read the report, this may explain why he is so incensed.

In a press briefing, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said he regretted Husseins assertions, calling them extremely one-sided. He denied that UN demands to send a fact-finding mission had been rebuffed.

We would be happy to receive Mr. Zeid in our southeast Anatolian region, should he so desire, Bilgic said.

Legal experts agree that Husseins language goes way beyond the fuzzy cliches favored by international diplomats. But what real impact can his words have? Even [US President Barack] Obama saying something wouldnt transform a governments behavior, said Jamie OConnell, a senior fellow at the University of California, Berkeley law school. But the difference between leading rights groups like Amnesty [International] or Human Rights Watch making such comments and a UN official doing so is considerable, he told Al-Monitor in an interview.

Some fellow academics are less sanguine. President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan long ago decided that condemnation from abroad is mostly meaningless  that, in the end, Turkeys relations with the West are narrowly transactional, Howard Eissenstat, an associate professor of Middle East history at St. Lawrence University, told Al-Monitor. At least in the short term, he seems to be right.

Hussein has called on the Turkish government to allow an independent and unimpeded investigation in Cizre.

In a thinly veiled reference to the PKK, which has killed dozens of civilians in recent suicide bomb attacks, Hussein said that all the allegations, including those leveled at the groups fighting against the security forces, need to be thoroughly investigated, but do not appear to have been so far. The UN official concluded, This blackout simply fuels suspicions about what has been going on.

Journalists who tried to find out were barred from entering Cizre; others became victims themselves. One of the charred corpses retrieved from the three basements belonged to Rohat Aktas, a senior editor at the pro-Kurdish Azadiya Welat newspaper.

There are enormous restrictions on journalists and the curfew prevents scrutiny or monitoring of any kind, Emma Sinclair-Webb, the senior Turkey researcher for Human Rights Watch, told Al-Monitor. The Turkish government cant have it both ways by saying that any allegation of what happened there [Cizre] is baseless if you are also not granting access.

Ozgur Ogret, the Turkey representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said that any journalist who challenges the official narrative is under threat. President Erdogan may continue to try to convince the world that Turkey is a country with media freedom but the counterevidence shows that it is constantly shrinking, if it hasnt disappeared already, Ogret told Al-Monitor in an email.

The pressure is also being felt by the pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP), which runs 107 municipalities in the southeast.

Kamuran Yuksek, the DBP co-chair, was arrested last week, joining scores of other party officials in jail. His purported crime was to have spoken out against the curfews and nothing more, his spokesman, Ramazan Tunc, told Al-Monitor.

The curfews are continuing in towns and villages across the southeast, where the security forces have failed to completely root out the PKK fighters embedded among the civilian population.

On Feb. 27, Turkeys health minister, Mehmet Muezzinoglu, said 355,000 people had been displaced by the fighting; Sinclair-Webb reckons that figure may have doubled by now.

Though few dare to say so, many locals are as furious with the PKK for putting them in the line of fire as they are with the government for its heavy-handedness. Just look at this, said a shopkeeper, gesturing toward piles of rubble in Sur, a district in Diyarbakir, soon after the curfew was lifted there in March. The PKK has caused all this destruction, for what? he asked, echoing widespread sentiment among tradespeople in the city.

On May 11, Hussein sent a letter to the Turkish government renewing his request for full and unhindered access for a UN team to investigate the allegations of abuse in the southeast.

A spokesman for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights told Al-Monitor on May 17 that Turkey had not responded.

Sinclair-Webb said, Even if Turkey were to let the UN into Cizre, all the evidence is gone."
May 16, 2016

The dysfunctional relationship between the United States and Iran has produced its share of victims over the years. On the Iranian side, they include nationalist political figures, civilian airline passengers, chemical warfare survivors, businessmen caught up in sanctions enforcement and average people harmed by decades of sanctions. The United States can claim harm done to American diplomats, soldiers and a wide range of Iranian-Americans whose lives have been torn apart by the Iranian governments distrust of dual nationals. The grievances are real, but victims have largely been blocked from redress by a foundational principle of international law called state immunity, which says that governments cannot use their judicial systems to sit in judgment of one another.

The concept that a nation is immune from lawsuits in the courts of another is accepted internationally, even in cases where the alleged harm is egregious. The United States enshrined state immunity as law through the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) of 1976. Since its enactment, FSIA has gone through transformations resulting in exceptions to the law that include the right of victims of terrorism to sue states listed as state sponsors of terrorism. This list includes Iran, but not US allies such as Saudi Arabia. Recent actions under the FSIA exceptions include the US Supreme Courts decision to uphold the seizing of $2 billion of Iranian assets to compensate victims of the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, a lawsuit against Iran filed by former Marine and prisoner Amir Hekmati and a widely mocked decision by a federal court that found Iran liable for the Sept. 11 attacks. The United States seems to be moving forward with the aggressive use of FSIA exceptions to account for past Iranian actions, but the further weakening of state immunity will have unintended consequences that are likely to backfire.

The Supreme Courts decision to use Iranian assets to compensate the victims of the Beirut bombing did not go over well in Tehran. Few in the United States followed the domestic debate about why Iran owned $2 billion in American assets to begin with. As the administration of President Hassan Rouhani came under withering attack for attempting to reconcile with an untrustworthy America, it blamed the previous administration for recklessly buying US bonds. After almost 40 years of animosity between the two nations, Iranian assets in the United States are especially hard to find. It must be assumed that legal experts in Tehran are carefully examining Irans exposure to future American lawsuits and a more circumspect Iran will not likely make the same mistake again. If the purpose of using FSIA exceptions against Iran is to compensate victims of alleged harm, such attempts will likely fail because of a lack of Iranian assets that can be seized as compensation.

Some legal experts argue that compensation can be sought from fines levied against sanctions violators. In 2015, the Obama administration paid out $4.4 million to each of the US diplomats taken hostage in Tehran in 1979. The money came partly from huge penalties levied against BNP Paribas for violating US sanctions against Iran and opened up a convenient way to pay plaintiff judgments. Yet there are significant costs to blurring the line between the judiciarys desire to compensate plaintiffs and the White Houses broader policy objectives regarding Iran. There is a danger that the need to fund judgments against Iran may influence the scope of penalties against sanctions violators, in effect allowing the judiciary and individual plaintiffs to make decisions that impact US foreign policy during a particularly sensitive time for US-Iranian relations. While plaintiffs seek redress for foreign states actions through judicial actions, their desires may not necessarily square with US foreign policy interests  especially when there are doubts as to the defendants culpability. A prominent example of such a conflict is the recent court order for Iran to pay $10 billion to families of victims who died in the Sept. 11 attacks. The same court cleared Saudi Arabia of any responsibility for the attacks. The decision left foreign policy experts dumbfounded and the White House struggling to explain the judgment. The damage to American credibility would be unimaginable if sanctions violators were used to fund such a farcical judgment.

Beyond questions about collecting on judgments and judicial overreach into matters of foreign policy, Irans reciprocal actions would likely have the most devastating impact. Iran has already enacted a law that would hold the United States liable for damages arising from actions that have killed or injured Iranians. If Iran acts on this law, it would detrimentally impact the ability of Americans to invest in Iran under the current limited allowable scope and result in the United States' effectively self-sanctioning itself from the lucrative Iranian market in the future. Fear of Iranians queuing up to seize American assets would paralyze any US attempts to broaden trade ties and the United States would risk losing the important leverage of improved economic ties in future negotiations with Iran.

Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action passed last year, the most important US policy objective is to ensure Irans economy benefits from its decision to limit its nuclear program. Using American courts to freeze Iranian assets or scaring European banks into thinking that their assets may be seized to pay court judgments will only weaken a nuclear agreement that so far has worked.

The victims of the US-Iranian estrangement are generally bystanders to the machinations between their governments. Attempts to repair their lives through the courts are unlikely to make them whole and would likely result in the creation of future victims, as meaningful reconciliation between the two countries is hampered. The only viable solution  one that makes both Washington and Tehran uncomfortable  is bilateral negotiations to resolve the issue of compensation. It is the only way to close this painful chapter of US-Iran relations and move on to a new relationship that makes victims out of neither Americans nor Iranians.
Two types of Quaker Oats granola bars are being recalled to protect the public from possible Listeria infection.

Quaker Oats said a small quantity of its 6.1-ounce boxes of Quinoa Granola Bars in Chocolate Nut Medley and Yogurt, Fruit and Nut may have Listeria. The PepsiCo subsidiary learned about the issue after an ingredient supplier distributed sunflower kernels that may be contaminated with the organism.

The company said the "vast majority of potentially affected Quaker products never reached retail shelves."

"There have been no reported illnesses to date," the business said on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration website. "However, Quaker is initiating the voluntary recall in an abundance of caution to protect public health."

Listeria can cause serious, sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, pregnant women or those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Quaker said it does not believe any of its other products are affected at this time.
Chris Rushing.JPG

Christopher Rushing, chief executive officer of Oklevueha Native American Church, said his church practices the spiritual use of hallucinogenic plants as part of its worship.

(Photo by Greg Garrison/AL.com)

An Alabama church founded last year has a legal exemption for its members to smoke marijuana and ingest hallucinogenic mushrooms and peyote cactus, according to Christopher Rushing, who is listed as chief executive officer.

The Oklevueha Native American Church of Inner Light in Warrior has been licensed as a federally registered branch of the Oklevueha Lakota Sioux Nation Native American Church, Rushing said. "We are the only federally registered people allowed to have these sacraments," as far as a church in Alabama, he said in interview with AL.com.

The church has a religious exemption to use psylocibin mushrooms and peyote cactus, both of which have properties that augment traditional Native American spiritual beliefs and experiences, Rushing said. He calls their use in religious ceremonies a sacrament.

Christopher Rushing and all members of his church carry an identification card that he says helps establish their rights to possess marijuana, hallucinogenic mushrooms and peyote.

All 120 members in the Alabama branch of the church carry photo identification, similar to a driver's license, that identifies them as members of a church that has a federal religious exemption to use natural drugs that otherwise are prohibited by law, he said.

The church has a mix of Christian and Native American beliefs, Rushing said. "We believe what Christ spoke and taught," Rushing said.

Rushing, 39, grew up in Decatur and now lives in a double-wide trailer in Warrior with his wife, Janice, and two sons, who are 20 and 15.

Rushing does not claim to have more than a small percentage of Native American ancestry, and said the church is open to people regardless of race or ethnic background.

He believes all natural plants should be legal for medicinal use, including marijuana, peyote cactus and psylocibin mushrooms. "These plants are in no way toxic or deadly," Rushing said. "They have been used for thousands of years for medicinal purposes, long before pharmaceutical companies began making synthetic versions of them."

Researchers at UAB and other universities are studying the benefits of such natural treatments, including the use of psylocibin mushrooms in treating cocaine abuse. Peter Hendricks, a clinical psychologist at UAB, is currently doing research on the use of the active ingredient in psylocibin mushrooms.

"I do not recommend that people use psychoactive substances outside of medically supervised situations," Hendricks said. "They are extraordinarily safe, though things can go wrong. There's a long history of use by humans; these substances are for the most part safe. I wouldn't want anyone to be hurt. Some people have acute reactions of fear, of terror, paranoia."

There is always the danger of a "bad trip," he said. "If somebody isn't ready for a challenging experience, there can be hours of intense fear or paranoia," Hendricks said. "You wouldn't want to be operating a motor vehicle, be at a rooftop party or close to traffic."

Hendricks will be speaking about his research on May 28 at the invitation of Rushing, who organized an event at Homewood Public Library from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to discuss the use of plants with hallucinogenic properties.

Hendricks said he will only talk about his research and does not endorse Rushing's church or whether its use of drugs is legal or not.

"I'm not a constitutional lawyer; I'm a psychologist," Hendricks said. "I'm talking about my work. I am trying to get the word out on my research on the cocaine addiction issue."

Rushing carries around with him documentation of court rulings such as a unanimous ruling in United States v. Robert Boyll in the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which found that a non-Native American who was arrested for possession and intent to distribute peyote had the same constitutional protections as Native American members of the church.

Despite carrying identification cards and documentation of court rulings in favor of religious protections of Native American spiritual use of natural hallucinogens, church members have still been arrested, Rushing said.

Members arrested

Two were arrested earlier this year in Decatur and Morgan County and charged with marijuana possession. The church has a civil rights attorney based in California ready to argue their cases, but the trials have been repeatedly delayed, Rushing said.

"The Native American Church has had to deal with persecution and law enforcement authorities who question their legitimacy and beliefs," Rushing said.

"We need to get out in the public eye and talk about it," he said. "We don't want any conflict. There have been local municipalities that have overstepped their bounds and don't want to follow federal law. We want to establish our legitimacy and help people."

Rushing was licensed by James Warren "Flaming Eagle" Mooney of Utah, who won a court battle with the state of Utah. The Utah Supreme Court ruled in Mooney's favor in 2004, in State of Utah vs. Mooney's and Oklevueha Native American Church. The state had argued that Mooney was engaged in a criminal enterprise for distributing peyote and tried to seize the church property. The Supreme Court ruled that the Native American Church was entitled to the religious exemption.

Unlike most churches, the Oklevueha Native American Church in Alabama doesn't have weekly services. Rushing works with individuals in using the natural drugs to achieve spiritual enlightenment. Joining requires a letter of sincerity from the branch leader, he said.

Rushing said he has only used peyote three times, on Native American reservations. "We haven't had a peyote service in the state yet," he said.

The last time he took part in one was on Native American land in Philadelphia, Miss., he said. A religious ceremony may involve staring into a fire all night while ingesting peyote or mushrooms. "Medicines open portals to reality," he said. "That's how we receive insights and healing. The medicine is personalized. The creator knows who will eat it while it's still growing."

Rushing said he uses marijuana routinely. He only occasionally uses hallucinogenic mushrooms, he said. He began searching for mushrooms with friends when he was 18, he said. "There's very much risk in foraging for yourself," he said. "There are poisonous mushrooms that resemble the medicinal mushrooms."

He said he obtains mushrooms legally through medicine men suppliers with the Native American Church.

Rushing said his beliefs have caused conflict with some relatives, such as his grandfather, a staunch Southern Baptist. "I've tried to talk to them about Jesus Christ and his message of love," he said. "They don't want to talk about that. They want to talk about how much you go to church. We are all children of the creator if we choose to be."

Rushing said it does not make sense that pharmaceutical companies make large profits on harmful synthetic and dangerous drugs, while plant and herbal medicines are illegal.

In an interview with AL.com, Christopher Rushing talked about his spiritual beliefs and use of hallucinogenic plants as sacraments.

"I don't understand societies and governments that want to outlaw nature," Rushing said. "The only reason I see is so they can get rich."

Rushing said the health benefits of marijuana, mushrooms and cacti are enormous. It can combat depression and cure people of addictions, he said.

"Our prayer is that the earth gives us things for our health," he said. "Too many people need this help. We believe these medicines unlock and show people the true nature of God."
What's in a restroom? Most of us don't want to know. But Alabama has one public toilet facility that is as eye-popping as it is utilitarian.

The facility at Perry Lakes Park in Marion, Ala., designed and built by architecture students at Auburn's Rural Studio, was named a finalist in November 2015 in America's Best Restroom Contest sponsored by Cintas, which offers uniforms, restroom supplies and other business services. The restrooms built at Perry Lakes Park include one called the Mound Toilet, the Tall Toilet and the Long Toilet. They were built to enhance the natural beauty of the park as well as to provide a fun atmosphere for visitors.

It was chosen as a finalist, according to the Cintas website, based on the design and building materials. "On a stroll through the woods, the last thing you'd expect is a 50-foot tall restroom in the clearing. But at Perry Lakes Park near Marion, Ala., that's exactly what you'll find."

The site continues: "The 50-foot structure (known as Tall Toilet) is part of a three-restroom complex built in 2003 by architecture students at Auburn University Rural Studio. In addition to Tall Toilet, the students constructed Long Toilet with long walls that frame a tree and Mound Toilet, which sits atop the septic system for the restroom complex. All three use durable and local materials - a mix of cypress and locally-milled cedar along with anodized aluminum, stainless steel and concrete. 'Winning the title of Cintas' America's Best Restroom would be an incredible honor for the Perry County community,' said Andrew Freear, director of Auburn University Rural Studios. 'We hope to expose more people to the natural beauty of central West Alabama.'

The modern-looking Alabama structure competed against toilets in oversized whiskey barrels at Charleston Distilleries in S.C., as well as facilities in a wine bar, an art museum and an underground salt mine. The winning entry was the Town of Minturn, Colo., public restrooms, which were designed to look like passages into a local mine. Minturn won a spot in Cintas' America's Best Restroom Hall of Fame. To view photos of previous winners, visit the America's Best Restroom Hall of Fame on the contest website at www.bestrestroom.com.

Cintas is now accepting nominations for the 2016 America's Best Restroom. Deadline to submit nominations is Sept. 16, 2016. Ten finalists will be announced in fall 2016, based on cleanliness, visual appeal, innovation, functionality and unique design. The winner receives $2,500 in facility services from Cintas. Click here for full details.
Special operations teams and Mobile County drug agents intercepted a hefty marijuana stash being smuggled across Alabama Tuesday morning.

About 150 pounds of marijuana with an estimated value of $1.3 million was found in a pickup truck on Interstate 10. The bags were hidden in some televisions, but a spokeswoman said it was an "easy find" once the truck was pulled over.

Lori Myles of the Mobile County Sheriff's Office said special agents pulled the truck over near mile marker 3 near Grand Bay at about 11 a.m. She said these agents are trained to observe signs of smuggling and wrongdoing. They said the truck, which had a California tag, gave some of those signs away while switching lanes, leading to a traffic stop.

"They're trained to know what to look for," she said.

The driver was identified as Kristopher Hadley Bass, 29, of Evanston, Illinois. He said he was en route from California to Florida. Myles said Bass gave consent to search the vehicle. A K-9 unit was brought in to aid the search.

She said there were two TVs in the back that were at least 25-years-old and bulky. They were also hollowed out. Agents soon found multiple marijuana bags stuffed inside.

Bass was arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana. Bond has not been set at this time.
In this strange political season comes an odd tale of Bill Clinton running into Ted Cruz earlier this year at an Alabama airport.

The story, reported in the New York Times, said former President Clinton -whose wife Hillary is running for the Democratic presidential nomination - met Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on the tarmac of Mobile Regional Airport. At the time, Cruz was seeking the Republican presidential nomination and had recently said he thought the ongoing Clinton email scandal would land former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in jail.

The Times said Cruz was headed to a campaign stop in Montgomery on Feb. 27 and had just sent an email blasting Mrs. Clinton for her "left-wing ideology." He landed at the airport and learned Mr. Clinton and his Secret Service detail were at the same facility. Cruz, according to those briefed on the meeting, expressed an interesting in saying hello to the former president.

The two men did meet briefly though it's not known what was said.

Whatever it was, it wasn't enough to keep Cruz from joking about Mrs. Clinton going to jail. That message wasn't enough, however, to keep him in the race, with Cruz dropping out of the race for the GOP nomination in early May after a string of losses to presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Kenyan police have used tear gas and water cannon against stone-throwing protesters during a demonstration in the centre of Nairobi against an electoral oversight body, which the opposition wants to scrap.

Officers on Monday, armed with batons, confronted hundreds of protesters outside the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the third such clash in less than a month. The opposition leader promised more protests.

Kenya does not hold its next presidential and parliamentary polls until August 2017, but politicians are already trying to galvanise their supporters.

The opposition CORD coalition, led by Raila Odinga who lost the 2013 vote, has accused the IEBC of bias.

For free and fair election, IEBC must go, read a banner held aloft by one demonstrator.
Russian born pianist Simon Nabatov has been composing since early childhood. His career has placed his residences in Italy, New York (where he studied at Juilliard), and Germany, where he finally settled. He has worked or recorded withand, as a leader, has recorded in a variety of settings from solo to octet. Trombonisthas been one of Nabatov's frequent partners but the pianist's most unusual work has been Nature Morte (Leo, 2001), a music and spoken word interpretation of a Joseph Brodsky poem. On Equal Poise he teams with bassist, with whom he issued the duet recording Projections (Clean Feed, 2014) and relative newcomer, drummer Dominik MahnigNabatov has worked with a number of trios, often withon bass.filled the drummer seat on Tough Customer (Enja Records, 1993) and several other Nabatov outings. His work withand evenare among the indications of the pianist's eclectic affinity for superb drummers. The style of Equal Poise is decidedly more overtly percussive than Nabatov's trio work with Motian and Rainey. Mahnig's style is heavier and more punctuated and brings out similar qualities in Nabatov's own playing.Equal Poise opens with "Full Circles," lyrical but with sharp elbows that intermittently poke and prod the piece to abstraction. "Wind Up and Down" has Dresser coaxing an array of sounds from the bass, using bow and plucking and leading Nabatov to an diverse solo that alternates between delicate and pounding. Mahnig shows discretion as he pulls back in the face of his trio-mates more aggressive approach. "Sambar e Bom" and "Minor Force" are further along in their abstract explorations with fragments of melody loosely holding together an assortment of outside excursions. The closing "Lithe Moves" begins with Mahnig's versatile solo and concludes with Nabatov immersed in-like territory with torrents of notes and heavy, low register chords pounding their way through the ruckus.Nabatov has been a bit of a chameleon throughout his career. He can be as lyrical asor as progressive an improviser as, moving back and forth from hyper-kinetic percussive effects to impressionism. Not nearly as well known in the U.S. as he should be, Nabatov's long overdue recognition should be furthered with Equal Poise, an adventurous and edgy collection with high energy performances all around.
Performing together since 2007, Russian saxophonist Oleg Kireyev and Philadelphia-based pianist Keith Javors formed a solid quartet they eventually led to the studio for their debut album Rhyme & Reason (Inarhyme Records, 2010). The Meeting is their follow up recording with a program of four originals and three re-imagined tunes from The Great American Songbook delivered in a tasteful post-bop style.Interestingly enough, it was Kireyev who discovered Javors while surfing the internet and cemented their friendship while touring together in Poland and Russia. The music documented here, actually reflects their feelings about working together as the notes to the album state, "Our personal and musical rapport involves mutual sensitivity and spontaneity" the result of course is, a musical partnership that has, and continues to produce a slice of contemporary jazz full of rich, swinging rhythms that flows beyond borders.Their debut album featured a quartet with the greaton bass andon the drums who, returns for this second effort. The personnel changes for this date include, replacing Kozlov with Grammy Award-winning bassistand augmenting the band by the addition of trumpet luminarymaking this one of the finest quintets around.The music opens up with a Kireyev original titled "April," featuring sprite solo moments from the saxophonist and the trumpeter, while Strickland pounds the drums and plays the crash cymbals followed by the eventual superb finger-play on the keys by the co-leader on an excellent opening statement. The Bruno Martino soft samba "Estate" is the first standard of the set performed in a standard trio format with Javors leading the way accompanied by superb back up by the drummer and bassist.The title track is a Javors composition that swings mightily featuring dicey spots by Williams and Harrell and includes one of Kireyev's finest solos on the sax. Performing one of Jazz's fundamental pieces, the co-leaders play off each other quite well on the immortal "Body and Soul" making this version, one of the best tracks on this disc. The original "Fresh Blues," is another one of those swinging pieces that has the entire band gyrating on a pulsating tune that features Harrell on flugelhorn and the saxophone leader on yet another splendid phrase.The two remaining tracks are alternate takes of "April" and "Fresh Blues" yet, are still engaging and entertaining. Convening a cast of luminaries, delivering fresh new originals and providing creative treatments of oft-recorded standards, The Meeting seems to be another successful gathering of music, magic and swing by co-leaders Oleg Kireyev and Keith Javors that clearly here, yields excellent results!
Richard Rowells son, Nolan, had to undergo heart surgery at just three-weeks-old.

Doctors diagnosed Nolan with a heart defect while he was still in utero. Consequently, Rowell searched for a support group on Facebook and found Broken Hearts of Florida.

The organization, which hopes to educate the public about congenital heart diseases, held its annual May Day Picnic on Saturday afternoon at Lake Wauburgs North Park. Broken Hearts helped us beforehand because we knew nothing about this, he said. It really helps raise awareness.

Caretakers spent time with the kids as they jumped down an inflatable waterslide, played in the lake and had their faces painted.

Karen Thurston started Broken Hearts of Florida when her son, William, was born with a heart defect and she needed a support group.

I think what everyone enjoys the most about this event is to see care- givers outside the clinic setting, said Thurston, who serves as the executive director for the organization.

Another patient, Bailey Abbott, 7, is in generally good health after one heart surgery and regular checkups.

Different parents at the hospital told her mother, Ashley Abbott, about the organization two years ago.

The hardest part is seeing that they are so fragile and not knowing what the outcome is going to be, she said. Having the support from the organization is really what helps you.

Follow Jessica on Twitter: @jesskorina

Email: jrodriguez@alligator.org

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Amber Peelz was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2012.

She spent a week in the Cancer Center at UF Health Shands Hospital and received three surgeries.

Peelz said caring staff helped her through the process, holding her hand as she was put under anesthesia before a surgery that would give her another chance at life.

Beckers Hospital Review recently named Shands one of the best 100 hospitals in the country.

Only two other Florida hospitals made the list: Orlandos Florida Hospital and Tampa General.

Every time I stayed there it was amazing, she said. The staff there, the doctors knew what they were doing. Basically, they saved my life.

Patients are flown to Shands from hospitals and counties throughout Florida, UF Health CEO Ed Jimenez said.

He said UF Health is able to put resources and funding into departments such as trauma, research, transplants and cancer.

University hospitals tend to do things that other hospitals cant, he said.

Over the past ten years, U.S. News and Health recognized UF Health for seven adult specialties and seven pediatric specialties, and Forbes recognized it as one of 100 of Americas Best Employers.

This year, for the first time, Beckers Hospital Review also recognized Shands as one of the top 150 places to work.

The medical journal listed the hospitals burn center, Magnet designation for nursing excellence and neonatal intensive care unit as reasons for the recent top-100 designation.

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The score is calculated based on what the hospitals offer compared to the actual outcome of a patients visit, said Dr. David Burchfield, the chief of neonatology for UF Health.

Miami Childrens Hospital is the only other facility in Florida with a level-four neonatal crisis center, meaning it can provide a wide range of emergency procedures for all pediatric ages, weights and health conditions, including premature infants.

Aside from its ability to provide services, UF Health received the award for its ability to provide enough staff and specialists to give patients a personal experience, Burchfield said.

Pediatrics has 16 nurses devoted entirely to the neonatal unit, he said. There are also surgeons, radiologists and students who come just to work in pediatrics.

Burchfield said the award is also about how resources are spent and how new research or clinical trials are performed.

He said its not any single thing that makes UF Health great, but all the pieces working together.

We do a lot more than just taking care of patients, he said.

Follow Jasmine on Twitter: @jawosmond

Email: josmond@alligator.org
Though May is Military Appreciation Month, thousands of veterans make use of resources throughout Alachua County all year.

About 650 veterans and 160 active-duty students currently attend UF, Anthony DeSantis, the associate dean of students, wrote in an email.

USA Today recognized UF as the No. 5 college for veterans in 2015, and Victory Media recently designated the university as a 2016 Military Friendly School.

The Counseling and Wellness Center provides free mental health assistance to military students, DeSantis wrote. Veterans can utilize UFs Collegiate Veterans Success Center to learn about other resources.

U.S. Air Force veteran Kirsten Berling works as a graduate assistant with the Dean of Students Office. Berling said she encourages veterans to seize available opportunities.

Whichever resource (veterans) are looking for, it probably exists on campus, she said.

About 18,500 veterans are registered to the Alachua County Veteran Services Office, said Nick McMillen, the senior office assistant for ACVS.

He said plenty of resources are available to the countys veterans, including the Military Support Group of Alachua County, Veterans For Peace Chapter 14 and Chapter Three of Floridas Rolling Thunder, Inc.

Kim Smith, a U.S. Navy and Florida Army National Guard veteran, said veterans sometimes experience a difficult transition after their service.

Veterans are often proud of what theyve accomplished in the military, said Smith, the director for ACVS, and sometimes the civilian side doesnt understand what they mean when they [share] their accomplishments.

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Isabel Bonnet From left to right, Art Wade, Elaine Spencer, Valerie Rivers and Keith Honeycutt cut the ribbon to usher in the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings rose. It was dedicated to the author on Sunday afternoon at the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings House and Farm.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings had two dreams that didnt come true.

The first was to win a Nobel Prize, and the second was to have a rose named after her.

She won a Pulitzer Prize before her death in 1953, and now, 63 years later, a rose is registered under her name.

Two professors at Florida Southern College  literature professor Keith Huneycutt and rose expert Malcolm Manners  collaborated to make Rawlings dream a reality.

Shes finally going to get her rose, Huneycutt said.

The pair contacted Art Wade, who owns a rose nursery in Newberry, Florida, to help grow the new rose.

I was only 9-years-old when she died. I would have loved to meet her.

Elaine Spencer, the president of the Friends of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Farm, and Valerie Rivers, the manager of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park, joined Wade and Huneycutt to cut a ribbon in honor of the rose.

Spencers father, a humanities professor at UF for 25 years, often had Rawlings as a guest speaker in his classes.

I was only 9-years-old when she died, Spencer said. I would have loved to meet her.

Rawlings relationship with UF was more than just a few guest appearances. After her death, her manuscripts were donated to the school and placed in Smathers Library. In 1958, UF opened Rawlings Hall, named in her honor.

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Florence Turcotte, a literary manuscripts archivist, is responsible for Rawlings documents.

Turcotte said its nice Rawlings farm is close to UF. Students are able to read about Rawlings at the Smathers Library and then visit her property.

The idea is you slip inside the grounds and youre in the 30s and 40s, she said. The papers are given flesh by my referring people to her home, and when people want to learn more they come to the library.

On Sunday, more than 50 people gathered at Rawlings home, which is now maintained as a Florida State Park in Cross Creek.

Three Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings rosebushes were planted in a flowerbed built outside the home.

Just before the dedication, a deer ate the new blooms on the rosebushes, said Lowell Garrett, a member of the board of directors for the Friends of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Farm.

During the celebration, two names were drawn out of a hat to win Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings rosebushes.

Marshi Huneycutt, Keith Huneycutts wife, won a rosebush. John Lowry then became the second winner.

I was excited, he said. I love flowers, I love plants, and its what I do to entertain myself these days.

The afternoon concluded with refreshments, lemonade and gingerbread made in Rawlings own kitchen.

I hadnt been out here for probably 30 years, Lowry said. Its nice to be back; not much has changed.

Email Catherine at: cdickson@alligator.org
While the Republicans voters have decided to nominate a bigoted, xenophobic and self-centered human being, the Democrats are ready to continue moving forward on President Obamas progressive legacy. With the prospect of a President Trump becoming more and more real, the Democratic party needs to unite more than ever, and fast.

There is perhaps no one in this race who has more experience in uniting her party than former first lady, U.S. senator from New York and Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Despite a close battle in 2008 against then-Sen. Obama, after falling historically short, then-Sen. Clinton dropped out of the race, immediately nominated Sen. Obama and worked endlessly to help elect him. She recognized that the prospect of a Republican keeping the White House after President George W. Bush was too dangerous, and she made the best move for the country she loves. This time around, the script has been flipped.

According to CNNs estimates, as of May 5, Secretary Clinton has 93 percent of the delegates needed to clinch the partys nomination. The math says it all; this is her year. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has run an effective campaign based on the issues, and his message has resonated throughout the nation; however, as the math is not in his favor, it is now time to unite the party behind its eventual nominee, Hillary Clinton. If Sen. Sanders continues to attack her, both personally and on her qualifications, it will only weaken her general election bid against Mr. Trump.

Despite the differences between Sen. Sanders and Secretary Clinton, both sides know that, just as in 2008, unity will be the only path forward. There is perhaps no better way to unite the Democrats than to simply gaze across the aisle.

If nothing else, the prospects of a Trump presidency will drive the Democrats together. All in all, the differences between Sen. Sanders supporters and Secretary Clintons are miniscule compared to the stark differences between the Democrats and the Republicans.

The battle in 2008 was even more contentious than the race between Secretary Hillary and Sen. Sanders has been this year. Despite their differences, when then-Sen. Clinton knew she had no path forward, she knew the only option was to drop out and endorse then-Sen. Obama in the spirit of unity.

In that same spirit of unity, she stood on the floor in Denver at the 2008 Democratic National Convention and called for the immediate nomination of Sen. Obama. In the months leading up to that convention in 2008, it seemed almost impossible to unite the party, but it was done.

In the end, this year more than ever, the state of our nation and of our futures are at stake. Now, it is more clear than ever that Sen. Sanders and his supporters need to begin the challenging transition from Hillarys competitor to Hillarys ally.

We must do everything in our power to make sure that Mr. Donald J. Trump never takes the oath for President of the U.S. Sixteen other Republican candidates failed to stop him. There is one person left who is capable of halting Donald Trump.

Jacob Best is the president of Gators for Hillary.

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We know this election cycles been hanging over your heads for what seems like forever, though probably still not as long as its been since youve returned your grandmas voicemails. (Give her a call back, for heavens sake!) In so many ways, though, were just getting started. The general election is steadily approaching, and for weeks, all weve been hearing about is the need for party unity.

Forget the noise over the GOPs forbidden romance with its nominee for a moment. We want to turn your attention to the other side of the aisle, where the Democrats call for unity is mired in its own silent travesty.

The Democratic National Committee is set to rally behind a nominee and orient the party at the Democratic National Convention in July. Now, some of you might say to this: Great. The DNC will finally establish a strong party platform based on the good work of the last seven years, say, the Affordable Care Act, and set itself apart from an oppositional Republican agenda.

This line of thinking would, after all, match the rhetoric of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, whos posted statements on Twitter read, The ACA has helped millions of Americans, and we cant let Republicans follow through with their attacks on it. So, this is where the story should end, right? Unless, for instance, the DNC somehow relied entirely on private, corporate donations to cover the $80 million cost of the July Democratic convention: Thatd be crazy.

Unfortunately, this is exactly the case. An act passed in 2014 ended public funding of the conventions and, instead, dedicates the leftover cash to pediatric disease research. Clearly, investment in child health is essential for progress, but the consequences of this act are anything but desirable.

The last time our convention fundraising was entirely private was 1972. A $400,000 pledge to the then-Republican convention from ITT Corporation was later linked to a favorable outcome for the company in a federal antitrust decision, as The New York Times editorial board wrote recently. So, how does this funding relate to false claims to unity on the Democratic side, now, in 2016?

Well, the committee set up to host the Democratic convention, as The Intercept reports, is composed of Republican donors and anti-Obamacare lobbyists. For example, the committees finance chair, Daniel Hilferty, serves on the board of lobbying groups that directly opposed the ACA. Hilferty also donated over $25,000 to a committee designed to re-elect House Republicans and contributed equal amounts to Chris Christies, Jeb Bushs and Hillary Clintons presidential campaigns.

As if this werent bad enough, the dubbed special adviser to the committee, David Cohen, is the executive vice president of Comcast, a staunch opponent to the current rules of net neutrality and a donor of over $33,000 toward the re-election of GOP senators.

For all the rhetoric of the DNC, bolstering of Obamas platform and attacks on Republicans, top party officials have no qualms with accepting the money from same private interests that fuel the GOP.

And lobbyists would never invest this kind of money or step up to host these committees if they didnt expect some kind of return on their investment or special access  such as the reserved seating at meetings of high-level, Democratic officials that the DNC offers to top donors at the convention.

So, dear readers, all we ask is that for the remainder of this election, remember: Actions speak louder than words.

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AR's Editor Joe Shea Talks About Elections On Iranian TV Bear Stearns Saved By Fed As Lehman Bros. Falters; Major Bank

Failure Looms Over Wall Street, Sends Markets Into 200-Pt. Dive Lie Upon Lie Five Years Into the Iraq War

The Administration Still Churns Out Lies by Randolph Holhut A Small Tragedy Even at 90, As Friends Turn Cool

She Knows the Show Must Go On by Joyce Marcel I'll Take Me Imagine John Wayne or Arnold

In Heels, Silk and a Girdle by Elizabeth Andrews Sen. Nelson Calls For New Fla. Primary; Gov Crist Backs 'Do-Over' Who'll Win? Ask Spock Spock.com Engine Predicts Winners

By Site Searches; It Can be Wrong by Jay Bhatti Chatting Up The Cat God Gave Me Dominion Over Him

But I Think He's a Non-Believer by Constance Daley Death of a Thug The Life and Horrors of Suharto by Andreas Harsono ___________________________ This Just In Sierra Club: McCain Ducked All 15 Key Votes On Green Laws (AR) A Work By AR's T.S. Kerrigan Is Chosen As 'Best Poem' By Wordpress Site Murder At Mile 63

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Bush Administration Cover-Up

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and Andreas Harsono 5427 14th St. West, Bradenton, FL 34207 $6.99 Fish Fridays! Manatee Co.'s Only 24-Hr.

FREE Wi-Fi Paid Advertisement On Native Ground

AFTER 5 YEARS, WE'RE STILL LIED TO ABOUT IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Next week is the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And it is likely that sometime in the next couple of weeks, the 4,000th American soldier will die in Iraq. [MORE] Momentum

OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - It's 1931, and a 14-year-old girl is standing alone on a stage. She's small and lively with dark curly hair, widespread hazel eyes, slender wrists and an open, eager face filled with the wonder of performing. Her name is Rose, and one day she will be my mother. But now she is performing an Eugene O'Neill monologue called "Before Breakfast" for a ladies' club in a wealthy suburb of Long Island. [MORE] One Woman's World

COMFORTABLE WITH MYSELF by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I'm not sure but I think I may be socially incorrect. [MORE] On Native Ground

ENOUGH FOR A WAR, NOT FOR A PEOPLE by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Last week, the National Governors Assn. met in Washington, D.C. One of the tasks the NGA had on its agenda was to ask President Bush to increase federal spending on roads, bridges and other public works projects as a way to stimulate the economy. He rejected their pleas out of hand, claiming that infrastructure projects wouldn't offer any short-term economic boost. [MORE] Brasch Words

BEWARE THE SELF-REVERENTIAL PRESS by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Shortly before the primary votes this past week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter called Sen. Barack Obama's surge to the Democratic nomination "inevitable." It also called for Hillary Clinton to "start her campaign for Senate majority leader." [MORE] Constance

A CONVERSATION WITH MY CAT Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Normally, when the cat starts his evening rant of meowing continuously until he makes his point, I just take it as long as I can, pick him up, and put him in the garage for the night. He doesn't want to go, but the meowing stops and I don't care if he likes it or not. [MORE] Momentum

OUT OF STRUGGLE, ART by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Here we are again at the crossroads of art and social change, having the opportunity to watch good and great films about the lives of women in support of the Women's Crisis Center. [MORE] Campaign 2008

HOW TO PREDICT SUPER TUESDAY II WINNERS? ONLINE SEARCH by Jay Bhatti NEW YORK, March 4, 2008, 7:00PM ET -- With the outcomes of the Texas, Vermont, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries to be decided tonight, how possible is it that online searching can predict who will win tonight's primaries? [MORE] One Woman's World

DON'T VOTE; IT ENCOURAGES THEM by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Call me angry and disgusted but don't call me un-American because I won't be voting come November. [MORE] On Native Ground

BUSH AND THE KEYBOARD COMMANDOS by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- As the days tick down toward the eventual departure of President George W. Bush from the White House, it's a hopeful sign that most Americans are no longer moved by his Administration's constant exploitation of terrorism for political gain. [MORE] Momentum

WHICH AMERICA DO YOU LIVE IN? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- It's a little confusing. [MORE] Make My Dat

THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] On Native Ground

FIDEL RETIRES: NOW THE COLD WAR IS REALLY OVER by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Maybe now, we can finally say the Cold War is over. [MORE] Make My Dat

THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] One Woman's World

POLITICS IS NO PARTY by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Are you having a hard time focusing your eyes? Do you have faint red spots all over your body? Is there a ringing in your ears and do you see wavy lines when you look at your television set? Do your hands shake when you try to hold a cup of coffee? And have you recently been forgetting what day of the week it is - or what year? [MORE] Make My Day

FOR BETTER OR WORSE ... A LOT WORSE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- "Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse." [MORE] Constance

YOU CALL THESE RIGHTS? by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- When you express an opinion you hope to persuade others to your point of view. It doesn't always happen but still, opinion writers try. [MORE] Momentum

THE BRIDGE WOMAN by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - Out there in America - yes, still - is a generation of women who were born in the 1940s, raised in the 1950s, and who came to radical consciousness in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I am one of them. Hillary Clinton is one of them. [MORE] On Native Ground

OBAMA AND MY GENERATION by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- I originally planned on voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Vermont Primary on March 4. [MORE] The Willies:

WARNING: THIS MEDICATION MAY MURDER YOUR FRIENDS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla. -- You've heard the warnings, haven't you? Stop Prozac and you may take a shotgun, an Uzi or an AK-47 and mow down your family and friends, or even a whole classroom full of your fellow students. You didn't? Well, that warning is not on the bottle, but like countless mass-murder incidents before it, Friday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as well as the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 last year, was probably precipitated by the effect of stopping medications that suppress anger and other powerful emotions but do not relieve the underlying cause. Isn't it time we started warning people - or stopped prescribing these medicines? [MORE] One Woman's World

DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama

PANAMA'S VIOLENT LABOR UNREST INTENSIFIES Mark Scheinbaum PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb, 15, 2008 -- After just one day of relative calm, wildcat construction strikes by some members of Panama's largest union flared up again Friday morning, four days after a police sniper shot one worker. More than 140 demonstrators have been injured and at least 500 arrested, authorities say. [MORE] Brasch Words

TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day

THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum

THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies

AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance

CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida

SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World

PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground

VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day

REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies

FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum

SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies

ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008

AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World

STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special

SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum

TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt.  Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground

IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008

CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies

WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto

DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance

I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE]
From time to time, I make a foray into expert-witness work. It's a good deal of fun to shift from the more abstract pursuit of strategic policy analysis to the hard-knuckled, win-or-lose atmosphere of the courtroom, especially when I think my advice helps to get a win.

Each case, of course, is different. But a number of them involve accusations against senior officers or directors for their alleged role in a bank's problems or even its demise. My involvement in these has led to this conclusion: Banks typically don't get into trouble because a meandering director or officer on his or her own does something totally terminal. It's more because supervisors were too slow to call a halt to problematic practices when violations pile up to the point at which supervisory duties demand intervention.

I worry that regulators' structural failure before the crisis to rein in problem banks before it was too late hasn't been corrected. Despite the very costly lessons of the financial crisis, the risk of supervisory error is even greater this time around. Bankers are basically the same. Supervisors may be a bit more chastened, but the fundamental paradigm of bank supervision is weaker because of the abundance of new regulations banks must follow. With so many rules to follow, a bank can't know which one regulators will care most about in an exam or which transgressions could turn terminal without rapid intervention.

How then do we ensure that supervisors take prompt corrective action on material lapses in time to prevent risk to the FDIC or, worse, to the financial system?

The federal bank regulators have taken steps since the crisis to improve their supervisory acumen, but more needs to be done. A good first step: Let's make public the numerical grades banks get on examinations, known as Camels ratings. This would make regulators subject to the market discipline they demand banks endure. (In the Camels system, banks receive a score in each category  as well as a combined composite score  for their capital, assets, management, earnings, liquidity and sensitivity to market risk.)

Disclosing Camels could have revealed the actual failing grades for troubled banks with time remaining to turn those institutions around. Focusing on Camels would also offset the current maniacal focus on capital as the trigger for an institution's troubles. Banks fail for lots of reasons other than capital, and Camels is supposed to catch those other triggers as well.

Before the financial system's latest near-death experience, there were three clear systemic crises. One of them  the 1998 Long-Term Capital Management fiasco  arose from what we now call a shadow bank and thus does not apply to lessons learned about bank supervision. The other two crises were the truly catastrophic savings and loan disaster of the 1980s and the follow-up crisis related to real estate finance in the early 1990s. By 2001, many had wiped their brows and thought the worst was behind them due to a new regulatory rulebook, much like many of us are now tempted to do.

In 2001, though, we received a vital reminder of what could still go very wrong. One of the nation's largest surviving savings associations  Superior F.S.B.  bit the dust. I testified then before Congress as to the causes of so large a miss after so many solutions had been enacted. I pointed then in part to the remaining ability of U.S. regulators to keep their own assessments  including that of Superior  secret. Had the Office of Thrift Supervision been required to disclose its Camels for Superior, the troubled bank's cover could have been blown long before it became one of the largest thrift failures preceding the 2008 crisis.

Had the OTS been forced to tell us what it should have known about Washington Mutual and Countrywide in 2007, it would have been subjected to widespread ridicule that would have forced it to intervene and, even at that late date, perhaps avert billions in losses across the financial system.

In 2001, when I called for Camels disclosures, bank regulators were joined by community bankers in close alliance against Camels disclosures. The regulators believed that public disclosure would compromise their ability to talk straight to troubled banks and community bankers. They worried that any disclosures about such straight talking would be painful, if not terminal, for the bank. I countered with reminders about ways some of the straight-talking could be muted to give banks time to clean up without giving regulators too much cover. But Camels remained secret, as it continues to be today.

In recent expert-witness work, I've read several inspector general reports on what the federal banking agencies, including the OTS, did and did not do from 2000 to 2009 for now-failed banks. The reason I've come back to Camels is because the IG reports are so startling in how many bright blinking lights each of these federal regulators either didn't see or didn't think much about. For good measure, state supervisors were no better. Reading the examination reports that underlie the post-mortems is even more depressing because the magnitude of the often simple control failures that went undisciplined is still more evident.

Camels disclosures would not mean that all of the assumptions and excuses that blinded examiners would come to light. Exam reports should stay secret. But releasing the aggregate Camels number will permit investors and analysts to spot disconnects between what they see as they survey a bank and what regulators should remedy or may be missing altogether.

Because Camels tracks critical issues like liquidity and interest-rate risk, disclosures will also provide a useful cross-check on undue reliance on capital adequacy. Strong capital can oversell a bank's health. All too many banks were well-capitalized just before their other weaknesses killed them. Prompt corrective action today is so hard-wired to capital that other causes of bank weakness  well known though they are  are often overlooked in disciplinary action until it's too late.

The hard-wired focus on capital is problematic not only for individual banks, but also for the financial system as a whole. We don't know Camels ratings because they're confidential, but I strongly suspect they are procyclical. They give ratings for past problems and so are lagging indicators. Currently, the scores reflect problems so late in the process it's as if they're merely meant to show regulators are aware of a bank's distress, but that doesn't help ready the bank for emerging risk. If regulators won't or can't make Camels public, they can and should study this question to be sure Camels work as they should and advance the Federal Reserve's countercyclical objectives. If the agencies don't do this, the Government Accountability Office should.

Bankers are of course responsible for the banks they run, but banks are unique institutions with public benefits over which supervisors must stand ever vigilant. Without reforms to current procedures that increase supervisory transparency, agency accountability and interagency coordination, we run the real risk of yet another systemic-risk catastrophe, not to mention unnecessary bank failures along the way that harm investors, depositors and their communities.

Karen Shaw Petrou is managing partner of Federal Financial Analytics.
The British people seem ready to leave the European Union through a historic June 23 referendum, because they are tired of the high-handed tyrannical regulations, clauses and counter-clauses, emanating from the EU Council on even the simplest aspects of their everyday lives. They have determined that leaving the EU will be the best step toward reclaiming their nation's sovereignty and democratic rule in all matters of immigration and border control, their economy, free trade, and national security, and they are proudly waving the Union Jack, as they tell their would-be masters in Brussels to go to hell, declaring their independence.

In November 2015, U.K. prime Minister David Cameron attempted to renegotiate a treaty change with European Union Council president Donald Tusk concerning U.K. sovereignty, trade, immigration, and economic governance. Tusk rejected it all, with a minor exception regarding the handling of a few million pounds for children's benefits. This dismal failure of P.M. Cameron only offered proof that the EU was closed to any substantial moves toward reform, which created a renewed and angry momentum for the Out of Europe, Vote Leave, and Brexit movements.

Corporatists, trans-nationalists, advocates of the U.N. 2030 Agenda, the BBC, and the Guardinista establishment are presenting dishonest and fear-based monologues regarding the uncertainty a U.K. exit from the EU might bring. They enjoy being able to circumvent individual nation's policies by going through Brussels, and most of them have been made rich through their deals with the tyrannical, unelected, and entrenched bosses of the European Union.

Despite disingenuous conclusions from the trans-nationalist President Obama, does anyone really believe that a hundred years of shared security concerns and initiatives and trade agreements between the U.S. and the U.K. will be detrimentally affected by a "yes" vote to leave the EU?

What cogent thought process could people, like Lena Komileva (London economist), possibly be using when they ascribe the term "illiberal" to the British people's desire for nationalist policies and reclaiming Britain's sovereignty?

It will not take years for the U.K. to renegotiate trade deals with the U.S., as Obama suggests, but rather only months. And if small nations like South Korea and Chile can succeed in global markets, certainly Britain also will continue to succeed, especially since the EU already imports 45% of British exports.

Membership in the EU currently costs Britain approximately $30 billion annually. Although $55 billion in austerity cuts were made by the chancellor of the exchequer during the last Parliament, Britain's contribution to the EU was roughly $132 billion. Every cut in public spending could be reversed, and Britain could still pay down its deficit faster if Britain were to leave the European Union.

In February, George Mason, senior vice president of Britain's high-profile Tate and Lyle Sugars, made a mockery of claims by Britain Strong in Europe that Brexit would spell economic disaster for the U.K.: "we are absolutely certain that our business and people who work in it would have a more secure future outside the EU."

Priti Patel, the U.K.'s employment minister, told the Daily Telegraph in March: "The Prime Minister has tried hard but the EU refused to give the British people what they want[.] ... The only way to take back control over our economy[.] ... [T]o create more jobs and growth is to Vote Leave."

However, national security is the issue currently foremost in most Britons' minds, but Eurocentrics, who believe that the U.K. will be safer in the EU through cooperation on crime and terrorism, have failed to see that the EU has never been capable of agreeing on effective foreign policy. Also not taken into account, the EU recently embraced the expanded definition of "refugee" put forth by the United Nations in its 2030 Agenda.

Nigel Farage, UKIP leader, warns that the U.K. will not be able to handle the upcoming surge of migrants if it stays in the EU. He observed during the April 1 Munk Debate that "Jeane-Claude Juncker, the unelected president of the European Commission, has changed the definition of what a refugee is, to include people ... from war torn areas ... [and] from extreme poverty ... [and] perhaps 3 billion people could possibly come to Europe [as a result]."

There are also reports of Bosnia, with a population of 3.8 million, being infiltrated by Islamic State terrorists. They are buying property there, and they would be free to travel to the U.K. if Bosnia is granted EU membership.

Andrew Rosindell, a Conservative member of Parliament, stated in March: "Being in the EU means we don't have control of our own systems, we don't have control of our own borders. We are effectively tied to countries which I think are not as good at protecting their people as we have been."

One can only imagine the palpable red-hot anger of the British people upon hearing Martin Shulz, European Parliament president, say that he was "sad and angry [over] the undertone of national resentment" and it was "not possible" to make the changes PM Cameron wanted. Shulz added that Britain "belongs" to the EU. Really? Just watch, wait, and see.

Downing Street has declared that "a vote to leave is a vote to leave." A leave vote will facilitate the U.K.'s departure through Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, and terms for Britain's withdrawal will then be negotiated over the next two years.

Over forty years ago, Britain last debated her relationship with Europe, and even then, elected officials on both the right and left, such as two of the most iconic political figures of that era, Enoch Powell and Tony Benn, campaigned against the U.K.'s membership in what was then the European Economic Community. They objected to Britain's elected government meekly surrendering Britain's national sovereignty to unelected foreign entities and the fundamental lack of democracy in the EU.

Lady Margaret Thatcher knew that it would be near impossible to effectively and efficiently impose one currency, one economy, and one national identity on many different countries (now 28) with such different languages, histories, customs, and cultures in general. Early on, the Iron Lady called the attempt to create a European super-state "the greatest folly of the modern era."

Britons, excited and optimistic, are moving forward to reclaim a more free, prosperous, ally-connected, and nationally secure Britain, through their own elected officials and their own choices and wisdom, breaking free of the heavy bureaucratic chains of the European Union. As they shout "Hail Britannia," they will vote to leave in June.
I tell you what the problem is. The world has changed. All the old verities are going out of business, marked down for quick sale. And everyone is stumbling around, gazing at the price tags, and their navels, in shock.

It is like all the traditional mom-and-pop shops in Zolas novel The Paradise about the French inventing the department store, now a TV series on Netflix. The new department store is stealing their customers, literally seducing the ladies with unimaginable piles of gorgeous silk and knick-knacks at insane prices. And the old store-owners are stumbling around in a daze, unwilling, unable the grasp the utter ruin of their world.

Just like all the conservative pundits.

Heres Jay Cost pushing a rerun of 1912 when Teddy Roosevelt blew up the Republican Party. Because todays GOP is corrupt and needs a spring-cleaning. Not really, Jay. The GOP establishment is really a bunch of decent guys. But the GOP voters dont want decent. They want someone to start smashing the china.

Heres Ilya Somin talking about the voters political ignorance, where Donald Trump has raised exploitation of ignorance to new heights. Back to Zola and the bright shiny department store. Whats a girl going to do when the politicians are waving bright shiny free stuff in front of her? Say, no thanks, I never buy doorbusters? (What, never? No, never. What, never? Well, hardly ever.)

But the piece I like is Times assistant managing editor and economics correspondent Rana Foroohar. Shes written a whole book on Makers and Takers -- summarized in a Time cover story -- in which she faithfully polishes all the liberal silver, from the beneficial regulation of the New Deal era to the financialization that got started in the 1980s. Whats needed is more wise expert-led policy, from changing financial-oriented thinking to correcting believers in the gospel of efficient markets, and rethinking retirement, crafting smarter housing policy. And so on. There must be a role for chin-stroking assistant managing editors in the world of the future. I blogged on it last week.

Im sorry fellahs. I think the time for wise political advice, or sneers at the stupid voters, or ten-point plans, is past.

Then I realized that the guy that really had it right all along was me. Just a year ago I wrote a blog that interpreted the Obama age as a mini-revolution that is now in its mini-reign of terror stage with Obamites fighting a campaign of terror and virtue, ruthlessly purging the world of injustice and sin and vice and campus rapists and bathroom binaries.

But after the reign of terror and virtue comes Thermidorean reaction, according to Crane Brinton in Anatomy of Revolution. Here is how I put it in my blog:

Thermidor Humans cannot live forever in a fervor of holy [SJW] rage; eventually the tension breaks and they fall back into a more normal life. But the solution typically involves a dictator, nationalism, and foreign conquest.

So the reign of terror ends with a Napoleon, the man on a white horse. The original Thermidor ended up with a stupid march on Moscow and the end of France as the big dog in Europe. But at least Napoleon, who led France to glorious ruin and defeat, got an amazing tomb at the Invalides in Paris.

I ended my blog with some waffle about the possibility of the next Republican president and Congress doing some serious reform.

What a fool I was, what a dominated fool, not to see what would come next. The next stage after Obama and his social-justice-warrior reign of terror is Thermidor and Trump as dictator. The French did it after Robespierre; the Chicoms did it after Maos Red Guards; Now its our turn.

But I wish we could skip the foreign conquest bit. How about we just send a [metaphorical] whiff of grape across Harvard Yard and launch a trillion-dollar RICO suit against every college president in the land for conspiring against the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the First Amendment, and the presumption of innocence? Not to mention the American Way of Life?

I have been as dumb as anyone about the 2016 election, and feel the sense of loss that good old Reagan Republicanism is as dead as can be, killed by Obamas fundamental transformation. The old conservatism was based on the idea of reforming the New Deal in a contest with Kennedy-Johnson liberals.

Obamas lot have destroyed the old political culture because their Alinsky rules mean not compromise but politics a outrance. That is French for get in their faces. To the Obamites every activist agenda should be pressed to the limit, because that is what they do.

Having destroyed the old politics, they may get a nasty shock as Dem. intelligence starts to identify the new formations of the new Trump-era politics that have moved up to plug the hole in the line.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also see his American Manifesto and get his Road to the Middle Class.
We've had two presidents, Obama and Bill Clinton, who failed to defend this nation against predictable jihadist attacks, including 9/11. Obama and Clinton wouldn't even talk about it to the public, which is itself an enormous failure of leadership. FDR's reaction to Pearl Harbor was to give the "day that will live in infamy" speech. Our reaction to years of jihad assaults has been evasive and weak.

George W. Bush called it the Axis of Evil, which was a way to tell half of the truth. Bush's overthrow of Saddam Hussein was meant to establish a U.S. strategic position in the Middle East, without directly attacking either Saudi Arabia (the Sunni source of jihad) or Iran (the Shi'ite source). Bush did take the threat seriously in his own way, but he failed to name it, probably for fear of retaliation against the oil supply. In Iraq, the U.S. won the first half of the war against Saddam and was then betrayed by Obama, in exactly the way the Democrats betrayed South Vietnam.

Obama has failed even to use the word "jihad," apparently because he is ideologically aligned with it. If you think the Democrats don't know that, you think they are dumb as well as extremist. But they are not that dumb.

Hillary now has Muslim Sister Huma Abedin at her side 24 hours a day. That has to be deliberate, because Bill and Hillary have been getting big money from the Broederbund for years. Hillary's highly illegal, insecure email server makes no sense at all  not unless it was intended to sell U.S. government favors for money to the Clintons. As far as we know, Huma had access to all the emails, and who knows what else?

Big money means political power, and Hillary is now moneyed up for the election. But he who pays the piper calls the tune, and we know who is paying this piper.

Maybe the Nazi-era Ikhwan is too bashful to ask for quid pro quos for all that dough, but I don't think so. They are not shy. The M.B.s assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981 for making peace with Israel. According to Admiral Lyons, they have infiltrated the U.S. government and Arab regimes like Jordan, and they are staging a civil war in Egypt to overthrow President El-Sisi. These people are extremely dangerous. Obama's half-brother Malik Obama works for them, and our idiot media will never tell the truth.

When Obama tried to install Mohammed Morsi as president of Egypt, it wasn't meant to create an "Arab Spring" in the Middle East, complete with peace and love, contrary to the New York Times and its mendacious ilk. The phony Arab Spring was supposed to turn Egypt, the most powerful Arab nation, into a jihadist power sworn to make war against the West. The hyped up "Spring" failed only because the Egyptian army and political structure refused to go back to the Dark Ages.

Hillary and Sanders haven't said a word about the most dangerous threat to this country since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. This historic failure must  repeat: must  be corrected. Trump has started to use words like "radical Islam" for the jihadist enemy  certainly a step in the right direction. But Americans who care about our nation's security will be watching carefully, to see how we respond to deadly jihad.

A Trump presidency will stand or fall on its success in defending the country. Trump's four years in military school give him a basic understanding, and he will get plenty of good advice from General James Mattis (USMC, ret.) and Admiral James Lyons (USN, ret.), among many others.

We have had dangerously delusional civilian leadership for years, but our military are still the finest in the world. They deserve better leadership.

In the next eight years our jihad attackers may well get nuclear weapons. The Iranians are bound and determined to get there, with Obama's strong support. Pakistan already has nukes, and it has arranged with Saudi Arabia to send them weapons whenever the Saudis ask for them. The Saudis paid for Pakistan's bombs in the first place, and when the moment comes, they will get them off the shelf.

Eight years ago, the Middle East wasn't nearly so dangerous. Obama has brought us to this pass.

Will there be any warning before the Saudis decide to get nukes? Maybe not. As soon as Iran explodes its first bomb, the Saudis will feel forced to respond.

Obama's "good friend" Turkey has just turned into an Islamofascist dictatorship, according to this article. Rebuilding the Ottoman Empire has been Erdogan's goal for years, and now he is doing it. For six centuries the Ottomans were a major world power, and they are determined to get there again.

Suicidally, Europe and NATO are actually helping Turkey's neo-Ottomans grow into a hostile caliphate. Today, Turkey may be the most powerful "member" of NATO, and also the most treacherous one.

Vladimir Putin now has a naval and air base next door to Turkey, in Syria, because the Russians have seen war threats from Turkey for centuries. When Erdogan's regime ordered the Turkish air force to shoot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 stealth fighter last year, and Turk fighters murdered the surviving pilot as he parachuted down, Erdogan's goal was to warn Vladimir Putin that Turkey is ready to use its big NATO-supplied forces for war.

The reason why Putin used his biggest, baddest weapons to hit scattered bands of rebels in Syria, including cruise missiles launched all the way from the Caspian Sea, was to pose a very real threat. You don't waste billion-dollar weapons to destroy scattered rebels a thousand miles away. Putin's muscular overreaction was very serious.

Meanwhile, Angela Merkel's shameful surrender to the rapefugee invasion had to be influenced by the fact that millions of Muslim Turks now live in Germany. They are not loyal to Germany or any European country, and certainly not to the corrupt and easily bought off European Union. Many German Turks are loyal to jihad because every Muslim child is taught that from early on. Childhood indoctrination works.

We are under direct assault by jihad, a fact that Obama and Hillary have sought to erase from our national awareness.

Donald Trump and his team have a historic duty to make a difference  which makes voting for the national security candidate important to everyone who wants this nation to survive.
As with many things, Donald Trumps position on education policy is less than entirely clear. On the other hand, President Obama is not only intent on using the Department of Education to politically indoctrinate future generations, but as a tool to transform American social mores, morality, and values, most especially through recent directives requiring public schools receiving federal funds (which is all of them) to allow transgender students to use whatever bathroom they desire at the moment. These federal directives, along with nearly identical moves requiring coverage for transsexual reassignment under the Affordable Care Act represent an opportunity for Trump. Trump has an official position calling for repeal of ObamaCare (despite flirting with national healthcare at other points in his career) but not on education. In the wake of Obamas moves, he should officially call for the abolition of the Department of Education, which would reinforce his populist message, while at the same time giving conservatives some reassurance that he can pursue a principled and detailed strategy to promote limited government.

Ronald Reagan campaigned promising to abolish the Department of Education, but backed down in 1985 citing insufficient congressional support. Since then, the department has followed an unwavering course, removing control of education policy from state and local governments and adding it to the already massively powerful federal regulatory state. Both Democrat and Republican administrations have used the Education Department to aggrandize federal power, and to increasingly diminish the tradition of local control of education. This has resulted in at best inconsistent and incoherent policies, and at worst expensive and literally disastrous programs.

In the wake of Obamas authoritarian use of the Department of Education to force the country into new and controversial social norms, Trump ought to imitate Reagan and explicitly come out for ending that bureaucracy. If he is elected, he should do Reagan one better and follow through.

In past statements Trumps made on the topic he has come out against Common Core and in favor of cutting the Department of Education to an unspecified degree. Trump can redeem Reagans error and by implication inherit a bit of that presidents conservative bona fides by calling now for the dismantling of the department. That would encourage conservatives, and even probably win Trump some quiet support among a group of people aggrieved by federal intervention, but generally afraid to say so -- teachers. While teacher unions will never support Trump, and you might be hard pressed to find a single teacher at a public school openly supporting the candidate, not a few would privately cheer the elimination of the entity that has largely forced trendy, ever changing policies on the schools, increased testing to senseless levels, and imposed draconian and secretive ratings systems. Who knows what lever they might pull in the privacy of the voting booth?

Trumps position on the bathroom issue as it relates to self-described transgender people has been tolerant, as might be expected from a real estate mogul with prime properties in Manhattan, San Francisco, and the like, and given Trumps generalized liberalism on social and economic issues. With respect to transsexuals in bathrooms he appears to share an outlook similar to that of his frequent conservative critic Charles Krauthammer, who viewed North Carolina bathroom law as a solution in search of an issue and a mistake for Republicans politically.

That might have been a reasonable view until the Obamas administrations actions regarding schools and coverage of transsexuals under the Affordable Care Act. It is clear that Obamas moves are not merely political opportunism, but a well-planned and previously prepared attack on states rights, part of the administrations long-game of maximally aggrandizing and expanding federal power, as well as satisfying Obamas (and his partys) biases against those bitter Americans who still cling to guns and religion. Federal directives on transgender rights were well in the works before North Carolina passed its bathroom legislation. One way or another, Obama was intent once again on imposing his will on the states and the people, regardless of his Constitutional obligations.

While the liberal media is playing to form championing the administrations actions, popular support for these initiatives is much thinner than the pro-Obama press makes it seem. Pushing the transgender agenda in the schools is elitist, and not in keeping with the values of much of Obamas core constituencies in the black and Hispanic communities. While Obama doesnt have to worry about this in November, Hillary Clinton does. Trump doesnt need blacks and Hispanics to defect to him, just lose motivation to vote. Traditional churchgoing blacks turned out for Obama despite a radically liberal social agenda because of racial solidarity that wont be there for Hillary. And the American public in general, already unhappy with ObamaCare, will not be further soothed by the prospect of deductibles and premiums rising in order to pay for some guys idea that he is really a gal, unless he reconsiders and decides hes a guy again.

The bottom line is that the American public is not warming to Obamas progressive offensive which deliberately confuses a radical leftist LGBT agenda with the rhetoric of civil rights. Polls out before the Department of Educations school edict demonstrate a dramatic decline in support for transgender bathroom use. If this unscientific online poll from liberal New Jersey is any indicator, Obamas schools policy is very unpopular. For a candidate like Trump with a populist bent and program, it is kind of a no-brainer.

Trump is presumably a sexual libertine, but this is not about sex as such. Its about the government invading the most delicate of personal situations, dictating who is in the bathroom with your 12-year-old daughter, and who she showers with at school. Nor is it a civil rights issue. This is not a case of alleviating overt discriminatory practices against a recognized racial community that makes up a substantial portion of the populace. It is about granting extraordinary privileges to a self-selected personal identity sub-group that likely makes up well under 1% of the population. And the purpose of privileging that sub-group is to demonstrate and expand government power, thus to cow the people into submission, so that more serious restrictions on personal liberty can follow.

Trump ought to put out a formal position on education policy that includes a promise to abolish the Department of Education. Along with his already stated policy to support the repeal of Obamacare, this would firm up wavering conservatives, prove popular among swing voters and even many Democrats, and be in keeping with Trumps populist message.
New scientific discoveries in astrophysics and archeology make the notion of settled science risible. They also bring to mind the wisdom of Donald Rumsfeld in stressing the vital importance of unknown unknowns.

Of course, it has always been thus.

Once, an Indian mystic was explaining to an Englishman the structure of the universe. The world sits atop a giant elephant, said the holy man.

Thats all well and good, responded the Englishman with classic Anglican sense, but what does the elephant stand on? The wise-mans eyes widened and he exclaimed, Why, it stands upon the shell of a grand and cosmic tortoise, of course!

Thats all well and good, again responded the Englishman, but what does the tortoise stand on?

Surprisingly, this second question startled the fakir. Scratching his head, he thought for a minute, then replied with a single Hindi word that may roughly be translated as:

Something I know not what.

One can imagine the snide smirk upon our Englishmans face, having cornered his interlocutor into admitting so much ignorance. After all, the English are heirs to a vast Western tradition, the sole ambition of which is to carefully categorize and explain the whole of nature.

And this enterprise has been remarkably successful; certainly Westerners can claim to have prodded and exposed a great many of natures workings. In fact, we judge other cultures as modern to the extent, and only to the extent, that they adopt and appropriate Western scientific mores.

And yet

Perhaps the Western penetration of nature has been superficial at best. In fact, the foremost thinkers on the very edges of science are staring into an abyss of knowledge -- literally.

Dark matter and dark energy combined make up 95 percent of everything. And yet we have no idea what these things are, how they work, or what they mean for the fate of the universe.

Put it this way: all of the stars and star-spawned material that is visible in the universe -- including every planet, person or proton -- accounts for a mere 5 percent of existence. It reflects radiation or emits it. It shines gloriously in the night sky, begging for our gaze and our awe. The rest? We know its there, but we cannot see it.

It is literally dark.

Dark matter is composed of some thing other than the electrons and protons that make up our 5 percent world. Whatever it is, we can be thankful for it -- it seems to be the only thing holding galaxies together (there is not enough ordinary matter present in observable galaxies to prevent them from disintegrating).

Dark energy is a mysterious force borne by some thing other than the photons that carry energy in our 5 percent world. We know it exists because we observe its effect on our luminous matter -- the universe is flying apart. Gravity should be slowing the universe down and contracting its constituent parts; instead, things are flying apart at an increasing rate.

Scientists are hard at work of course, trying to detect and understand these phenomena. And they may one day succeed. But their failure to understand the depth of their ignorance until very recently speaks to a problem with the scientific method itself.

The long climb to scientific supremacy begun by Aristotle in his invention of symbolic logic has in the end taken us to the summit of what turns out to be a very small hill, as we crane our necks upward at a looming, unseeable, unending mountain range.

Worse, the mountains we cannot see or understand will nevertheless affect us in ways we cant imagine. It is positively Lovecraftian.

If the dark nature of our universe is only now being acknowledged and probed by the scientific community, it will be many years yet before the realization seeps into the worlds of art and philosophy. But when it does, the minds and creations of our dreamers and thinkers will reverberate with a profound sense of insecurity that may shake the very foundations of modern existence.

How is it possible, they will ask, that so much of reality remains closed to us even after two thousand years of following the Theseus-like string left by our great scientists? Its as if we emerge from the labyrinth, having followed the string -- not into the bright light of day -- but into a deeper and blacker chamber.

It is, ironically, parallel to what is happening in the realm of archaeology. The textbooks of our high schools and universities lay out facts about our past as if they are clean and neat ornaments to be passed around and cooed over. The reality is that the more we dig, the more it becomes obvious that what we thought we knew about our ancestors is at best incomplete, and at worst dangerously wrong.

For example: the standard model of the rise of civilization draws a very straight and neat line from the Neolithic revolution, which led to the invention of cities, the written word, etc., right up to the iPhone thats burning a hole in your pocket.

Unfortunately, it isn't so simple.

Recent excavations at a site in southeast Turkey show an astonishing megalithic monument, covered with complex and beautiful symbols. It is called Gobekli Tepe.

Photo by Rolfcosar

The problem is that it seems to date in its earliest incarnations as far back as 10,000 B.C., many thousands of years older than the earliest known megalithic monuments in Mesopotamia and Egypt. So old, in fact, that its builders, whoever they were, started their project as the last Ice Age was coming to a close, a remote epoch during which our ancestors were supposedly still sub-literate cave dwellers.

It is not only the extreme antiquity of the site that is unnerving to the scientific establishment. It exudes a complexity that spans time and space. Giant stone, multi-ton blocks were somehow carved, moved, and erected in bizarre circular patterns and covered with representations of animals living and extinct, both native to the area and alien. The circles span many miles, and there are sections of which are still being found and excavated.

We have no idea how large it really is, who built it, what they used it for, or why. We know it was in use for thousands of years. And it was apparently, intentionally buried around 8,000 B.C. The deliberate burial of such a complex, requiring the movement of hundreds of tons of earth is in itself as stunning an engineering achievement as the construction of the monument itself.

Keep in mind this site is not some fevered imagining of some History Channel fake expert or alien conspiracy theorist. This is an actual archaeological site being excavated and puzzled over by credentialed and thoroughly disturbed scientists.

And in fact, excavators estimate that what they have found constitutes a mere 5 percent of the complex, and that digging for another century will still not reveal the whole of the structure.

Its all so disturbing to scientists because they thought they knew the human story already. And they make their living telling that story, their entire lives are based upon the fact that they are experts in that story. How profoundly unsettling it must be to realize perhaps you understand the smallest sliver of a story that was more vast and complicated than you could have ever imagined.

And so it is with physicists confronting dark matter and energy.

In the end, Western scientists may be forced, when asked to explain what the vast majority of existence rests upon, to answer:

Something, we know not what.
Barack Obama recently accepted an invitation to be the keynote speaker at Rutgers Universitys commencement. After gracing the podium with the usual perfunctory niceties, rather than exhibit sensitivity toward Muslim graduates, Barack Hussein exercised his comedic chops by joking about whether New Jersey breakfast meat should be called pork roll or Taylor ham.

Then, after sharing that he has soft spot for typical white and 99-year-old grandmas in need of pacemakers, Americas classless president spent a great deal of time rebuking the Republican presumptive nominee.

In addition to admonishing Trump, President Obama used the commencement speech as a platform to lift up progressive ideology, put down political adversaries, and defend the last eight years. His remarks started with lauding the diversity of a graduating class that included a South Asian philosophy student and a first-generation Latina student from Jersey City who probably wouldnt need a translator to understand Targets new all Spanish ad campaign.

As an entree to challenging the class to pursue social justice, Obama told them, I'm fond of quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who he believes once said, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." One small problem, MLK didnt say it, the 19th-century Unitarian minister/abolitionist Theodore Parker did.

After Obama expunged Winston Churchill from the redecorated Oval Office, the president, who exploited the Rutgers discourse to ridicule his political adversaries for lack of brainpower, had the misquote emblazoned on the rug.

At Rutgers, the guy who just said he has a soft spot for grandmas also injected divisiveness by suggesting that the older Americans are full of fear division and paralysis. Then he commended #feelthebern moochers for their cooperation  innovation and hope.

The president told the soon to be alumni, So youve got the tools to lead usyoull look at things with fresher eyes, unencumbered by the biases and blind spots and inertia and general crankiness of your parents and grandparents and old heads like me. In other words, anyone who doesnt worship Barack Obama is biased, blind, inert, cranky and longing for the good old days.

Thats why, the president informed the graduates, the good old days werent that great. He warned that all talk about the past should be taken with a grain of salt, because it comes from a generation that flourished when America pretty much did whatever it wanted around the world.

After belittling the elders, Obama praised himself when he said, In fact, by almost every measure, America is better, and the world is better, than it was 50 years ago, or 30 years ago, or even eight years ago  a comment that thrilled the clapping seals in mortarboards.

For good measure, the president also brought up slavery, Jim Crow, and the suppression of womens rights. Then he claimed that since 1983, the year his college transcripts went missing, crime, teenage pregnancy, and poverty rates have declined.

Obama chose not to quote statistics regarding illegal felons roaming our streets and threatening our children, 50+ million aborted American babies, and millions of unemployed people receiving government subsidies.

Nor did the equal pay advocate mention that in his own administration women still earn less than men.

Instead, Obama bedazzled spectators with bluster about jobs, Obamacare, clean energy, and marriage equality. He even mentioned eliminating polio, and cutting infant mortality, but didnt reference importing Third World diseases like MDR-TB, or Planned Parenthood peddling baby body parts.

Barack Obama is so clueless, that in an attempt to inspire his audience, the pro-choice president mentioned Alice Paul, who, besides being a daughter of New Jersey and a suffragette, was ardently pro-life.

After hearing the Rutgers University keynote commencement speech delivered by Barack Obama, its clear that the 44th president thinks he is the Bill Cosby of politics. The difference is that unlike Cosby, who was accused of drugging women with Quaaludes, to stupefy his audience, Obama infuses his delusional rhetoric with Cosby-style humor.

Thanks to Obama, Rutgers graduates have much to fear; yet the president encouraged them not to fear the future. That led him to a second point where he stressed globalism, which he defined as an interconnectedworld. Then, Obama hinted that he believes responsible border security is solving a problem in isolation.

This is Obamas rationale:

When overseas states start falling apart, they become breeding grounds for terrorists that ultimately can reach our shores. When developing countries dont have functioning health systems, epidemics like Zika or Ebola can spread and threaten Americans, too.

True, a wall wont stop terrorism or disease. But, enforcing immigration law and refusing to import and resettle refugees that ISIS has vowed to infiltrate might help.

After hamstringing the U.S. military Obama then added:

But I worry if we think that the entire burden of our engagement with the world is up to the 1 percent who serve in our military, and the rest of us can just sit back and do nothing. They cant shoulder the entire burden.

Then, further along in the speech the keynote speaker contradicted that logic when he said, We can close tax loopholes on hedge fund managers and take that money and give tax breaks to help families with child care or retirement. Put simply, when it comes to leveling the playing field, the excuse Obama uses to demilitarize the armed forces, he then uses to justify forcing a small percentage of earners to support those who just sit back and do nothing.

Lacking any quality input of his own, without uttering his name, Obama spent a lot of time taking Donald Trump to task.

After mocking Trump building an endless wall, Barack pulled out the isolating and disparaging Muslims card, the betrayal of our values card and the important partners in the fight against violent extremism card.

Oh, and right before some egghead in the audience yelled Four more years!, Obama insinuated Trump blames [Americas] challenges on immigrants.

From there, in an attempt to portray anyone who disagrees with his politics as uneducated, illogical, anti-intellectual and troglodyte in nature, Obama implied that those who contradict his views, namely Trump, lack facts, evidence, reason, logic, [and] an understanding of science. This from a guy who doesnt believe partially born newborns are human and that greenhouse gasses are a bigger threat than ISIS teaching French boys how to kill.

With that in mind, maybe Obama should refrain from highlighting his own shortcomings by saying things like, In politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue. It's not cool to not know what you're talking about. 

After emphasizing that the good old days should be taken with a grain of salt, Obama painted a certain Republican presidential candidate as unenlightened by calling upon our enlightened limited government Founding Fathers, many of whom owned the slaves he alluded to when talking about disregarding our nations past.

Obama, who scorns rugged individualism and who once called our Constitution deeply flawed told his audience rational thought and experimentation and the capacity of informed citizens to master our own fates[is] embedded in our constitutional design.

That was right before the man who thinks hes the smartest guy in the room cited modern technology making us more confident in our ignorance. And, quite frankly, who better than Barack Obama to recognize that a whole lot of folks who are book smarthave no common sense?

Barack alluded to Donald when he mentioned leaders who have a disdain for facts, when they're not held accountable for repeating falsehoods. Maybe, instead of expelling CO2 when talking climate change, Obama should take some time to self-reflect.

In a call to the citizenry that sounded more like a quote from Karl Marxs Communist Manifesto than a college commencement speech by an American president, Obama mentioned collective decisions on behalf of a common good.

Then, after implying that Donald Trump is a complete idiot, Obama, who clearly forgets what hes reading off the Teleprompter, said progressive goals are reached through advocacy organizing alliance-building, and deal-making, and changing of public opinion. Obama claimed all this happened because ordinary Americans who cared participated in the political process.

A legend in his own mind, whats clear is that Obama doesnt realize that those are the very things that propelled the Art of the Deal-maker to the front of the pack.

In the end, Obama offered the Rutgers graduating Class of 2016 insights hes never taken to heart himself. Thats why, when the president uttered the words, your generation will feel the brunt of this catastrophe, it sounded more like he was referring to his presidency than an issuing indictment on climate change denial or Donald Trump.

Jeannie hosts a blog at www.jeannie-ology.com
Burlington College is feeling the Bern: it will cease to exist on May 27, rendered insolvent by the debt run up by its former president, Jane Sanders, wife of Bernie Sanders, who wants to add $18 to 21 trillion to the national debt with his proposed spending. The cost of reckless borrowing and spending is hitting very close to home, but the odds of the Vermont senator learning the obvious lesson are low.

The soon to be former colleges hometown paper, the Burlington Free Press, reports:

Burlington College will close later this month, the school announced Monday, citing the "crushing weight of debt" as the reason. "This is a great loss to the higher-ed community, President Carol A. Moore said at a news conference on the college campus. At the news conference, Moore and Dean of Operations and Advancement Coralee Holm said they were "heartbroken" to announce the college's closure. Holm said about 30 faculty and staff, including herself, will lose their jobs. Holm added the state Department of Labor will assist former employees with finding new careers. The school plans to cease operations by May 27, Holm said.

Heartbreak and personal ruin are the costs. The college officials declined to blame President (Jane) Sanders for the fatal decisions she took during her presidency from 2004 to 2011, but her responsibility is obvious:

The college in 2010 purchased 32 acres along North Avenue from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington for about $10 million. The diocese put the property  including its 77,000-square-foot headquarters building  on the market to help pay costs from priest-abuse litigation. (snip) Holm, the dean, said the college was able to lower its debt from $11 million to about $2 million. But the college's lender, People's United Bank, told Burlington College in April the bank was declining to renew the school's $1 million line of credit. Moore, the college president, said Burlington developer Eric Farrell would purchase the college's North Avenue campus from the bank. Burlington College in 2015 sold 27.5 acres of its waterfront campus to Farrell, who plans to develop the site into housing and a park.

Heatstreet reports that legal troubles may lie ahead for the wannabe first lady:

As Heat Street reported last month, the college almost immediately fell short on its financial obligations as fundraising pledges and commitments Ms. Sanders cited in the loan agreements never materialized. Less than a year after leading Burlington College into massive debt, Ms. Sanders resigned, taking with her a $200,000 severance package. By 2014, because of its shaky finances and running deficits, Burlington College found itself placed on probation for two years by the regional accreditation agency. (snip) Catholic parishioners in Vermont have called for an investigation into whether Ms. Sanders committed federal bank fraud by deliberately misrepresenting the amount that the college had secured in fundraising pledges as she sought financing for the land purchase. As Ms. Sanders pursued financing for the land acquisition, she repeatedly said that Burlington College had received more than $2 million in fundraising commitments and pledges, according to numerous records. But in fiscal year 2011, Burlington College raised only $279,000though the college had earlier claimed to have secured $1.2 million in confirmed pledges. Typically, between 91 and 94 percent of fundraising pledges come through, a recent study found after surveying more than a thousand nonprofits. In January, Vermont lawyer Brady Toensing, who is also vice chair of the Vermont Republican Party, wrote a letter on behalf of Catholic parishioners to the U.S. attorney in Vermont, as well as the inspector general of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, seeking a probe into whether Ms. Sanders fraudulently secured the loans. The U.S. attorney, Eric Miller, confirmed that he had received the parishioners letter but could not comment on the status of any investigation.

Burlington College is simply running out of other peoples money. There is no information currently available about what will happen to the buyers of the $3.5 million in tax-free bonds issued by Burlington College, or to the 30 students who paid deposits to enroll in the school next year.
Although Hillary Clinton would probably repeat her infamous comment during her Benghazi testimony, At this point, what difference does it make?, the truth always matters, and the truth is, as an Air Force source has just confirmed, that there was in fact a Benghazi rescue mission literally ready to take off, and the Obama-Clinton administration said no. As The Blaze reported on May 11, a new witness has come forward to expose that Benghazi lie:

A member of the U.S. Air Force, who was stationed in Italy during the 2012 Benghazi attacks, insisted Wednesday that the U.S. could have done more to help the four Americans who died that night. I definitely believe that our aircraft could have taken off and got there in a timely manner, maybe three hours at the most, in order toat least stop that second mortar attack and have those guys running for the hills, and basically save lives that day, the man, who chose not to reveal his identity, said on Fox News Special Report. The man also shot down the militarys claim that a refueling tanker was not available at the time, claiming the excuse was invalid because U.S. jets frequently refuel using a hot pit maneuver, allowing jets to touch down to get fuel without turning their engines off.

This contradicts the preposterous from the get-go Obama-Clinton administration position that no rescue mission was attempted because it would not have arrived in time. No one had any idea how long the first attack would take or if there would be a second attack. When the Iranians took our hostages in 1979, at least Jimmy Carter, as Investors Business Daily points out, attempted a rescue mission:

It is said that Carters presidency literally crashed and burned in the Iranian desert with the failed Desert One Delta Force mission that was sent to rescue our embassy hostages from the clutches of the mullahs he had naively helped to power. But as we have noted, at least Carter tried a rescue, as President Obama failed to do at Benghazi as he rested up for a Las Vegas fundraiser.

Instead of resting for that fundraiser, President Obama could have given the order that would have let the planes at Aviano Air Force base in Italy and at other locations take off. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who told her own daughter in an email that Benghazi was a terrorist attack, could have tried to save the first U.S. ambassador in three decades to be killed while serving, Christopher Stevens. Also denied rescue were Ty Woods, Sean Smith, and Glenn Dougherty. Benghazi security officer Kris Paronto, who, along with colleagues John Tiegen and Mark Geist survived the attack, said others could have been saved. As Front Page Magazine reported:

A preview by Benghazi security officer Kris Tanto Paronto of 13 Hours, the block-buster Michael Bay film that premieres on Thursday, raises dramatic new questions about the refusal by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to authorize a military rescue of the besieged U.S. diplomatic facility and the nearby CIA Annex on Sept 11-12, 2012. In a presentation at a conference organized by the Maryland Citizen Action Network last weekend, Paronto revealed that two AC-130H Spectre gunships were on call that night, both within range of Benghazi. One of them was a six-hour flight away, co-located with a U.S. special operations team in Djibouti. The other was at Naval Air Station Sigonella, in Sicily. Thats a 45-minute flight, Paronto said. The Spectre gunship with its 25mm rapid-fire gatling guns, its 40 mm precision Bofors gun, and its 105mm canon is good in urban warfare because you have little collateral damage, Paronto explained.

An email unearthed by the relentless watchdog group Judicial Watch and detailed in a December 8 press release confirms that yes, a Benghazi rescue not only could have been attempted, but in fact was ready to go, and that Hillary Clinton should have been aware of it and given the go-ahead:

Judicial Watch today released a new Benghazi email from then-Department of Defense Chief of Staff Jeremy Bash to State Department leadership immediately offering forces that could move to Benghazi during the terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission Compound in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012. In an email sent to top Department of State officials, at 7:19 p.m. ET, only hours after the attack had begun, Bash says, we have identified the forces that could move to Benghazi. They are spinning up as we speak. The Obama administration redacted the details of the military forces available, oddly citing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exemption that allows the withholding of deliberative process information. Bashs email seems to directly contradict testimony given by then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta before the Senate Armed Services Committee in February 2013. Defending the Obama administrations lack of military response to the nearly six-hour-long attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Panetta claimed that time, distance, the lack of an adequate warning, events that moved very quickly on the ground prevented a more immediate response.

Among the recipients of this urgent communication were Jacob Sullivan, who was deputy chief of staff to Secretary Clinton at the time of the terrorist attack; Wendy Sherman, who was Mrs. Clintons undersecretary of state for political affairs, the fourth ranking official in the State Department; and Thomas Nides, who was deputy secretary of state for management and resources.

Yes, a rescue could have been mounted and in fact was being readied as the attack was underway. Hillary Rodham Clinton is unworthy of the presidency and was up to her eyeballs in the Benghazi disaster, the failure to mount a rescue, and the cover-up of the incompetence that resulted in the deaths of four Americans: Ambassador Chris Stevens, Ty Woods, Glenn Doherty, and Sean Smith. Criminal negligence is not a qualification for higher office.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
What kind of game is the U.S. playing with the Iranians? Is the U.S. government telling the Iranians to secretly test its ballistic missiles, supposedly banned by the comprehensive nuclear agreement? A speech given by Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace and Missile Force, translated by MEMRI, seem to indicate this. Adam Kredo of the Free Beacon reports:

At this time, the Americans are telling [us]: Dont talk about missile affairs, and if you conduct a test or maneuver, dont mention it, Hajizadeh was quoted as saying during a recent Persian-language speech that was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

The top missile official went on to denounce the American government, claiming it would escalate its demands:

If we agree to this, they will advance another step, and say: Dont conduct [a missile test] at this time, and also dont do it in the Persian Gulf region. After that, they will tell us: Why do you need your missiles to have a range of 2,000 km [anyway?]? Hajizadeh reportedly said.

The military commander expressed concern that the United States will attempt to dissuade Iran from developing missile technology capable of carrying a nuclear payload.

After that, they will tell [us]: Next, we will check whether your missiles can really carry nuclear weapons. Bring us the details [of the missiles]. After that, they will say: We need to set up cameras. And, finally, they will say: Either saw [the missiles up into pieces] or, like [Libyan dictator Muammar] Gadhafi, load them onto a ship and hand [them] over to us. he said.

Hajizadeh further claimed that the United States cannot be trusted.

Iran, he said, must face them down firmly, and we must act. If we do not, we will witness daily their exaggerated and evil demands.

They are clearly deluding themselves. Nothing like this will ever happen, he added.

State Department officials contacted by the Free Beacon declined to comment.
Donald Trump is constantly boasting about the record-setting numbers of GOP primary votes he has received, claiming that this shows he can be competitive with Hillary Clinton in November.

While Trump is correct in pointing to the record millions of voters who have cast ballots in the GOP primary, an analysis by Politico shows that most of those voters are not "new." They may be new to voting in a primary, but most of them would vote in November anyway.

"All he seems to have done is bring new people into the primary process, not bring new people into the general-election process  Its exciting that these new people that are engaged in the primary but those people are people that are already going to vote Republican in the [fall], said Alex Lundry, who served as director of data science for Mitt Romney in 2012, when presented Politicos findings. It confirms what my suspicion has been all along. For this analysis, Politico obtained voting statistics from GOP officials and independent analysts in the handful of states that have so far released such information. To varying extents, the findings rebut both of Trumps central claims: that he has brought in waves of new voters and that he has attracted flocks of Democrats. Among the highlights: In Iowa, the Republican caucus turnout smashed its past record by 50 percent this year, jumping from 121,000 to nearly 187,000. But, according to figures provided by the state party, 95 percent of the 2016 caucusgoers had previously voted in at least one of the past four presidential electionsand almost 80 percent had voted in at least three of the past four. The new caucusgoers, in other words, are likely to vote in November anyway. In South Carolina, which also saw record turnout, data from the state GOP show that first-time voters amounted to 8.4 percent of the GOP electorate. But triple that amountroughly 25 percentwere only first-time voters in a Republican primary. Even with historically high turnout, the data from the state party show that the Trump-led ballot brought almost exactly the same number of former Democratic primary voters into this years GOP primary as a Trump-free ballot did four years ago. And in Florida, one of the nations most critical battleground states, Republican primary turnout jumped by 40 percent from 2012 to 2016. But only 6 percent of those who voted in the 2016 Republican primary did not vote in either of the 2012 or 2014 general elections and were registered to vote then. That amounts to a lot of peopleabout 142,000but its a fractional share of a populous and fast-growing state that has added almost 1 million voters to the rolls since the beginning of 2012.

While this analysis shows not many "new" voters in the primaries, it still doesn't prove that Trump can't attract Democratic votes in the general election. Also, the sample size is suspect in that the states that appear to have been analyzed are largely GOP states anyway. An analysis of New Hampshire, for instance, would be valuable. New Hampshire is an open primary state, and if Trump were able to attract working-class Democratic voters there, might he not be able to do the same thing in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and other rust belt states?

But there is still cause for worry for Republicans. It means that Trump's general election message must be tailored to maximize his appeal among white, working-class Democrats in swing states. Can he do that without losing his core constituency in the GOP?

On this, the election may turn.
The Supreme Court has punted on the issue of religious freedom for non-profits who refuse to be involved in supplying their employees with contraception. The court sent the case, Zubik v. Burwell, back to the lower courts and ordered the parties to find a compromise.

The suit was brought by the Little Sisters of the Poor and several other religious non-profits who said the Obamacare contraception mandate interferred with the free exercise of their religious beliefs.

While the case is under review by the appellate court, female employees will be allowed access to contraception.

Lyle Denison of SCOTUS Blog thinks this is a compromise that works.

Without settling any legal issues surrounding the Affordable Care Acts birth-control mandate, the Supreme Court on Monday nevertheless cleared the way for the government to promptly provide no-cost access to contraceptives for employees and students of non-profit religious hospitals, charities, and colleges, while barring any penalties on those institutions for failing to provide that access themselves. Thirteen separate cases were sent back to federal appeals courts for them to issue new rulings on the questions the Justices left undecided. One immediate issue is how soon the government can work out the technical arrangements to provide actual access to the contraceptive benefits. The Court largely shifted to six federal appeals courts the task of ruling on the mandates legality  the task that the Court had agreed last November to take on itself in seven of the cases. Five appeals courts had ruled in favor of the mandate, and one had ruled against. All were ordered to re-think those outcomes in the wake of new positions that the two sides in the controversy had made in recent filings in the pending Supreme Court cases. The Court acted through a per curiam (by the Court) opinion  announced in the Courtroom by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.  dealing with the cases the Court was reviewing, along with three orders extending the effect of that opinion to six other cases that the Court had not yet agreed to hear. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, wrote separately to stress that the Court had not decided any of the legal questions it considered in the cases, under the lead cases title, Zubik v. Burwell, and to caution lower courts not to read anything into the new opinion and orders about where the Court stands.

I am dubious that this case is going to turn out well unless a conservative justice is named by a Republican president next year. The fact is, the religious groups in the case are arguing that the government's offer to allow third-party funding of contraception is beside the point. Any "compromise" that requires that religious orders and non-profit religious schools and institutions to go against the fundamental tenets of their faith is an affront to religious liberty. The government may think this kind of workaround should assuage the consciences of the religious groups. But it's not about keeping the Little Sisters of the Poor from sinning. The stand taken by the non-profits goes to the core of what the free exercise of religion is in America.

Obama and liberals on the courts are trying to trash that notion.

There is no compromise that wouldn't violate the rights of the religious non-profits. Because of that, we can expect this case to return to the Supreme Court in the near future.
According to Virginia congressman Randy Forbes, a member of the Armed Services Committee, classified details of Iranian treatment of our sailors when they were seized by Iran earlier this year would likely shock the nation and reveal the Obama administration response to the incident as weak.

Forbes was briefed by Pentagon officials about the incident, and he is urging all members to hear the briefing as well.

Washington Free Beacon:

Ive had a full classified briefing from military officials, Forbes told the Free Beacon. It could be as long as a year before we actually get that released. Details of the abduction are likely to start an uproar in the nation and call into question the Obama administrations handling of the incident, which many experts say violated international and maritime law. I think that when the details actually come out, most Americans are going to be kind of taken aback by the entire incident, both how Iran handled it and how we handled it, Forbes disclosed. I think thats going to be huge cause for concern for most Americans. Thats why Ive encouraged members of Congress to get that briefing so they do know exactly what did take place. Forbes suggested that Irans treatment of the U.S. sailorswhich included filming them crying and forcing them to apologize at gunpointmay have been much worse than what has been publicly reported. I think clearly there were violations of international and maritime law that took place here, Forbes said. We [the United States] did almost nothing in response, in fact, to have Secretary [of State John] Kerry actually thank them for releasing our sailors after they way they captured them, I think was a slap in the sailors face. Forbes is pushing a new measure that would increase sanctions on Tehran for its treatment of the U.S. sailors in order to hold Iran accountable for its aggressive behavior. Forbes measure outlines a range of Iranian aggressions against U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region. Iranian military and paramilitary vessels have repeatedly behaved in a dangerous and unprofessional manner in close proximity to naval vessels and commercial shipping operating in internationally recognized maritime traffic lanes, according to a copy of the measure viewed by theFree Beacon.

There is little doubt that the administration handed the Iranians a propaganda coup with their response to the incident. Iran is planning on building a monument to commemorate their "victory," and the gloating by their goverment in the aftermath of the sailors' release was appalling.

But this is an administration that doesn't care about American honor and is bending over backwards to appease the Iranians. It's not surprising they would suppress information about the treatment of American naval personnel, nor is it a shock that they would cover up their own weak response to the incident.
Life is changing. The summer winds came blowing in a little early this year. For many years, summer or late summer has been regarded as the silly season for politics. The French knew this time was morte-saison (dead or dull season), when the media would be devoid of stories unless it published frivolous, ridiculous, or absurd sensational items.

During the silly summer season, we are accustomed to reading in the papers or hearing on television that musicians are frantically searching for the lost chord, or the U.S. is threatened by an invasion of mosquitos from Mars, or that teachers in an Alaska school district area inform their students of the context of the examinations before they are taken.

Yet now, several months in advance, the media is full of such peculiar eccentric items regarding American and European politics that purport to be accurate and to be taken seriously. Let us look at a few of the more enticing items and their exponents.

The silly season starts with the stark division among the ten commissioners of the 9/11 Congressional Commission who reported in 2014. The two respected leaders of the commission, former Republican governor Tom Kean of New Jersey and former Democratic congressman Lee Hamilton, praised Saudi Arabia as an ally of the U.S. in combatting terrorism and identified only one Saudi Arabian as being implicated in 9/11. However, John F. Lehman, former Republican Navy secretary, and most of the others believe that a number of Saudi government employees were implicated in the support network for the 9/11 hijackers. There are still 28 pages of the Congressional report that have not been declassified and made public. Only silliness, not any form of problem, legal, diplomatic, or otherwise, prevents their release by the Obama administration.

President Barack Obama appears concerned that serious and important issues are not being discussed by the present presidential candidates of both parties, and he wants to change the agenda. On May 13, 2016 he issued a sweeping directive that every public school district allow students to use bathrooms that match their gender identity instead of their biological sex. Schools choosing not to abide by this directive can face lawsuits or lose federal aid.

It must be said, however, or it might be considered silliness, that the president does not yet require that every student come to school with a copy of his gender-informed birth certificate. Nor did he inform the school districts on the exact dimensions, instillations, and facilities of the bathrooms to be used, nor if police or armed forces are to monitor the facilities.

In Britain, Boris Johnson, the Conservative M.P. who has just quit the office of mayor of London, does not want to leave references to Adolf Hitler to the number of the leftist and Muslim members of the Labour Party who have had a monopoly of these detestable comparisons of Israel and Nazi Germany in recent weeks, and for which five Labour Party officials have been suspended from the party. Boris, a major and highly articulate proponent of Britain exiting the European Union, now compares the EU with the Nazi leaders attempt to conquer Europe. He gave us a history lesson and a warning. Napoleon, Hitler, and various (unnamed) people tried this out, and they ended tragically. The EU is attempting to do this by different (unstated) means.

The leader of the British Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, is articulate, even blunt, on many of the issues confronting Britain, but apparently he does not know his own identity. Asked a simple question, Do you think of yourself as middle class?, his eloquent reply was Oh, gawd, I dunno. He did acknowledge that he was an owner-recipient of his own house with a mortgage. He also confessed that every member of British Parliament has a lifestyle that is more or less middle-class. Not wanting to make enemies, or leave anyone out, or perhaps still confused, Corbyn informed us that as an M.P. he represents a community of the poor  and the better off. He left out aliens from outer space.

First prize must go to France, which did not want to be left out of the silly season. In late May 2016, France will host a conference to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Leaders of many countries have been invited to seek a consensus on a set of parameters for a permanent solution to the conflict. France cannot be suspected of ignoble motives, nor is it concerned to make or allow criticism of Israeli policies or actions. However, there is only one small problem: no Israeli or Palestinian representatives have been invited to the conference.

The intention of France appears to be that if an international consensus is reached on the parameters, it will be presented to the two parties, Israel and the Palestinians, who will be invited to a second international conference.

There are two issues involved. One has been the disastrous failure of international conferences and proposals on the subject, especially by units of the United Nations. Almost all have suffered from the bias or hostile spin fabricated by organizations such as the U.N. Human Rights Council, the U.N. General Assembly, UNESCO, and the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, not to mention the Palestinian-driven BDS movement.

The second factor is that it has been abundantly clear from the beginning, and reiterated in U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 that a solution can be found only by direct negotiations by the two parties. Peace can come only after the difficult choices and compromises made at the negotiating table. France should forgo the silly season of an international conference and call on the Palestinians to enter into negotiations without preconditions.

It is appropriate to remember that a hundred years ago on May 16, 1916, an accord was signed between Mark Sykes for Britain and Francois Georges Picot for France, with Russian participation, deciding the division of territory to replace the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East. Their recommendations, ignoring the strong ethnic and religious divisions in the area, led to the creation of the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional states of Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, now all failed states.

In this premature silly season, the lesson can be drawn: international agreements, whether open or secret, without the participation of those affected, are doomed to disaster. International powers at conferences rarely are successful or right in agreeing on and imposing a formula for a specific problem. No outside formula can be successfully imposed on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, other than one calling for Palestinians to come to the negotiating table.
In an American Thinker article recounting the seriously negative effects the backlash boycott against Target's open bathroom policies is having, a commenter named Maggie said this:

Let me get this right....a male CEO pretty much just told women it's not ok to use the restroom at Target with reasonable peace of mind because a minor handful of men need to feel special...another example of men telling women it's ok as long as it doesn't affect them. Identify with this, ovarian cancer, uterine cysts, PMS, rape...I'm sorry but, why not ask 157 Million "WOMEN" how they feel about it rather than make a decision for all of us just so a miniscule percentage of men can identify. Angry.

Think about that: Target's $28-million-a-year CEO, Brian Cornell, has handed every Republican candidate in this country who is accused of being a part of the so-called War on Women by his Democrat opponent a double-barreled 12-gauge response to that phony charge. Essentially, all such Republicans need to do is remind their audience or media interrogators of the negative financial impact of the Target CEO's decision to involve his company in an increasingly bizarre and unpopular liberal socio-political campaign and then turn the charge right back on Democrats with Maggie's excellent point: a male CEO can simply dictate to the millions of women in his customer base, without any attempt to solicit their opinions, that they must set aside their long held cultural beliefs and their sense of personal safety to accommodate a Democrat sponsored, microscopic percentage of men? That a small group of males whose confused and questionable sexual self-identification is considered a mental aberration by the larger population including many medical professionals is more important to Target than their millions of female customers?

Boom! That's the first barrel.

The second barrel comes when the Republican points out that what Target is doing is not at all different from what our male Democrat president is doing by federal dictate, using the power of federal school funding to enact and enforce the identity-confused platform of the Democratic National Committee. The candidate should then state that it is his position that such decisions should be determined by local customs, at no higher level than the state, but absolutely without any federal or national political party input. And that should be followed with:

"So tell me: just which political party is waging social war on the women of America?

Boom! That's the second barrel.

Obama's misguided insistence on pushing this trans insanity and using federal education funding as a club to beat the states into compliance is a gift to the Republican Party in state and local races. There are millions of women out there like Maggie who are angry over having males cram this trannie issue down their throats, and Obama's threatening their children's school funding has to make them even more so. But Barack Obama has failed to heed his own advice: he's brought a club to a gunfight. As soon as active campaigning starts, every Republican candidate should gratefully take Maggie's 12-gauge in hand and start blasting.
Labor unions representing construction workers are fed up with the sell-out of their members interests to big-money radical environmentalist donors, and open warfare is breaking out. Alexander Bolton of The Hill reports:

Seven unions in the AFO-CIO are demanding that the labor confederation cut ties with Tom Steyer, the environmental activist and megadonor funding a new super-PAC with the organized labor group.

Steyer, of course, is the San Francisco hedge fund billionaire who made a good chunk of his fortune off coal.

In a letter to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, the officials protested Steyers opposition to the Keystone oil pipeline, and said they want none of their dues funneled toward the For Our Future PAC, a group backed by the AFL-CIO and Steyer that plans to raise $50 million to elect a Democratic president. The letter, signed by Sean McGarvey, the president of the AFL-CIOs Building and Construction Trades Department, and the representatives of seven unions within the confederation, decried the AFL-CIOs pattern of working with outside groups that sometimes oppose projects that would create jobs. They accused the AFL-CIO of having officially become infiltrated by financial and political interests that work in direct conflict to many of our members  and yes, AFL-CIO dues paying members lives.

The Democratic Party is in thrall to the radical environmentalists, hostile to all use of hydrocarbon-based energy, upon which the health of our economy depends. The few remaining private-sector union members jobs are placed in jeopardy by the stranglehold the greens want to exercise on the economy. Unfortunately for them, the AFL-CIO is now dependent on the dues of government workers, who are indifferent to the plight of the economy, since (they think) taxes can always be raised to fund their salaries, perks, and secure retirements.

The only real weight carried by the industrial trade unions is the legitimacy they provide for the union movement as a whole. Most people think of unions as representing coal miners, steelworkers, autoworkers, and the like, as was the historic origin of the movement. But today, unions are mostly about extracting dues from hordes of government employees and bribing politicians to keep the tax money flowing to their members, who now enjoy privileged status in the workforce. If and when the building trades and industrial unions wither and die, and unions become purely a means for government workers to enrich themselves at the expense of everyone else, the prospect of returning to the pre-Nixon days when the very thought of unionized government workers was anathema (as it was to FDR) becomes more thinkable.
Citing "constitutional concerns," the White House says it will not allow senior national security adviser Ben Rhodes to testify about his controversial comments made to the New York Times Magazine about how the White House lied to sell the Iran deal to Congress and the public.

Washington Examiner:

"While the administration will continue to consult closely with Congress on this important matter, testimony by one of the most senior advisers to the president raises significant constitutional concerns rooted in the separation of powers," he wrote. "Specifically, the appearance of a senior presidential adviser before Congress threatens the independence and autonomy of the president, as well as his ability to receive candid advice and counsel in the discharge of his constitutional duties," he added. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters shortly after 1 p.m. Monday that there was no decision yet on whether Rhodes would testify. "I don't have an answer for you. We're going to continue to review the letter," Earnest said. But according to a House aide, the White House quickly made up its mind. Eggleston's letter was delivered less than two hours after Earnest's briefing was over. The answer is likely to further anger Republicans, who say Rhodes revealed in a New York Times interview that he created an "echo chamber" among foreign policy experts in order to help sell the deal. Chaffetz said the decision was "disappointing but typical."

Amazing. The irony of this White House worried about the separation of powers is astonishing. Nevertheless, it appears that if the members of Congress wants to hear from Mr. Rhodes, they are going to have to issue a subpoena.

The "echo chamber" that helped sell the Iran deal constantly hit upon the theme that it was either approve the deal or war with Iran  no other option was mentioned by the White House or the numerous reporters, academics, and think-tanks that weighed in on the deal.

That the White House didn't think to go back to the table to renegotiate some of the more egregious sections of this deal shows how eager it was to grovel before the Iranians. Iran needed this deal at least as much as Obama did. The difference was that Obama was building a "legacy"  and to hell with national security interests of the U.S.

Rhodes claims that his words were often taken out of context by the Times. Even if that's so, it doesn't change the notion that the creation of the narrative to sell the deal was done dishonestly and ended up being a process to conceal the worst of it from the American people.
In 1628, the Swedish warship Vasa set off on its maiden voyage from Stockholm harbor towards Poland, where a war was raging in the Baltic. Built by 400 craftsmen at the royal shipyard at Stockholm, the ship was richly decorated as a symbol of the king's ambitions for Sweden and himself. It was 69 meters long and was fitted with 64 cannons, and upon completion, it was of the most powerfully armed vessels in the world of that time. Unfortunately, Vasa was too top heavy and dangerously unstable. Despite the lack of stability, the king was eager to see her in battle and pushed her to sea. On the day of departure, a swelling crowd gathered at the harbor to watch the ship leave. Over a hundred crewmen along with women and children were on board as the crew was permitted to take family and guests along for the first part of the passage. After sailing just 1,300 meters, at the first strong breeze, the ship foundered, leaned over and sank. Around 30 people lost their lives.

Once the ships valuable bronze cannons were salvaged, Vasa was mostly forgotten, until she was located and recovered from the shallow waters in 1961. With a largely intact hull, the ship was housed in a temporary museum called Wasavarvet ("The Wasa Shipyard") until 1988 and then she was moved to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. Today, the ship is one of Sweden's most popular tourist attractions and is seen by a million visitors each year.

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The news of the sinking took two weeks to reach the Swedish king, who was in Poland. He wrote angrily to the Royal Council in Stockholm demanding that the guilty parties be punished. "Imprudence and negligence" must have been the cause, he wrote. An inquiry was organized but in the end no one was found guilty of negligence and no one was punished.

Part of the blame lies on the king himself. The ships lack of stability was a fact - the underwater part of the hull was too small and she carried too much weight in relation to her size. A few months before the ship sailed, the captain responsible for supervising construction of the ship, showed the Vice Admiral how crank the ship was by having 30 men run back and forth across the upper deck. On their third pass, the ship was ready to capsize at the quay. The admiral was heard to say that he wished the king, who was leading the army in Poland at the time, was present for the demonstration. The king was impatient to see the ship take up her station as flagship of the Baltic fleet and insisted that the ship be put to sea as soon as possible. The king's subordinates were too timid to frankly discuss the ship's structural problems or to have the maiden voyage postponed.

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Lying in a museum today, Vasa has become a popular and widely recognized symbol for a historical narrative about the Swedish stormaktstiden ("the Great Power-period") in the 17th century, and about the early development of a European nation state. It is one of the best preserved warship of this period with a four-story structure and with most of its original contents largely intact. However, despite the efforts at preserving, the ship continues to decay away.

The ship sank in waters which were heavily polluted with toxic chemicals that penetrated the wood during the 333 years it spent underwater. Once the ship was exposed to the air, reactions began inside the timber producing acidic compounds that are slowly eating away at the ship inside out. The timber in Vasa's hull contains sulphuric acid that has been estimated to be more than 2 tonnes, and more is continually being created. Enough sulfides are present in the ship to produce another 5 tonnes of acid at a rate of about 100 kilograms per year, which might eventually destroy the ship almost entirely

To prevent the inevitable deterioration of the ship, the main hall of the Vasa Museum is kept at a temperature of 1820 C and a humidity level of 53%. The ship itself has been treated with cloth saturated in a basic liquid to neutralize the acid. The original bolts rusted away after the ship sank but were replaced with galvanized ones and covered with epoxy resin. Despite this, the new bolts have also started to rust and are releasing iron into the wood, which further accelerates the deterioration.

Vasa might not last for long, but its legacy will certainly last for ever.

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The lower gun deck of the warship Vasa. Photo credit

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A model of the ship at the Vasa Museum, Stockholm. Photo credit

A model of the ship at the Vasa Museum, Stockholm. Photo credit

Sources: Wikipedia / Vasa Museum
Back in the old days, one of the easiest way to raise money for a bridges maintenance was to rent space over the bridge to merchants and shopkeepers. Today, only four such bridges exist in the world. Update: Apparently, there are a few more. Pont des Marchands in Narbonne, France, is one example.

Ponte Vecchio, Florence

The Ponte Vecchio or the Old Bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy, is one of the most iconic medieval bridges. The bridge has been home to shops across its span since the 13th century. Merchants would sell their goods on tables after receiving approval to do so from the proper authorities. When a merchant couldnt pay his debts, the table on which he sold his wares (the "banco") was physically broken ("rotto") by soldiers, effectively shutting down their business. This practice was called "bancorotto" and is believed that the economic concept of bankruptcy originated here.

Photo credit: Justin Mier/Flickr

The shops belonged to the Commune and were rented out, originally to butchers, fishmongers, and tanners. But these merchants produced so much garbage and foul stench, that Duke Ferdinando de Medici threw them out and replaced them with goldsmiths. The problem was that the Vasari Corridor that connects Florence's town hall with the palace of the ruling family, passes over the Ponte Vecchio and had to bear the foul smell. So the duke decided that the new occupants of the bridge should be goldsmiths. Jewelers still make up a majority of the Ponte Vecchio shops today. In fact, some of Florences best jewelers sell their creations on this medieval bridge. There are also some art studios and souvenir shops. Read more of Ponte Vecchios history.

Photo credit: Ruud Cuypers/Flickr

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Kramerbrucke, Erfurt

The Kramerbrucke or the Merchants Bridge in the German city of Erfurt spans the Breitstrom, a branch of Gera River. The bridge is lined on both sides by tightly packed half timbered houses and a narrow alley runs along the center. The houses are occupied by shops selling all kinds of traditional crafts and fabrics, hand-painted ceramics, hand-blown glassware, jewellery, wood carvings, and antiques. There are also cafes and eateries offering delicious Thuringian specialties.

The Kramerbrucke was originally built from wood in 1117 as part of the trade route Via Regia, but after repeated fires, the city council decided to rebuild the bridge with stone. The stone bridge was completed in 1325. It was provided with half-timbered houses and two stone churches on each end. The city suffered from another devastating fire in 1472 which destroyed nearly half of the city along with nearly all the houses on the bridge. The bridge was reconstructed in its current form with 62 buildings, but subsequent redevelopment have left just 32 now. Out of the two bridgehead churches, only one  the Church of St. Aegidius remains at the eastern end of the bridge today.

Photo credit: Mark Cruz/Panoramio

Photo credit: www.holidaycheck.de

Photo credit: Roland Lubiger/www.fotocommunity.de

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Rialto Bridge, Venice

The Rialto Bridge or Ponte di Rialto in Italian, is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice. The bridge was originally made of wood and was built in 1255, replacing an earlier pontoon bridge that gave people access to the Rialto market on the eastern bank. The bridge had two inclined ramps meeting at a movable central section, that could be raised to allow the passage of tall ships. The shops were added only during the first half of the 15th century to generate revenue for the State Treasury.

Because the timber bridge was difficult to maintain (the bridge had already collapsed twice and once burnt during a revolt), a stone bridge was proposed. Famous architects offered their plans but all involved a Classical approach with several arches. Finally, the original inclined ramp design of the wooden bridge was chosen. The current stone bridge was built in 1591. It has two inclined ramps leading up to a central portico. On either side of the portico, the covered ramps carry rows of shops.

Photo credit: Chene Beck/Wikimedia

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Pulteney Bridge, Bath

The Pulteney Bridge across River Avon in Bath, England, was designed by architect Robert Adam who was inspired by the shop-lined bridges of Ponte Vecchio and Ponte di Rialto. The Pulteney Bridge was commissioned by William Johnstone, a wealthy Scottish lawyer and Member of Parliament, who had inherited a substantial fortune and estate close to Bath by his marriage to Frances Pulteney, after whom the bridge is named. The Pulteneys estate was across the river from the city and could only be reached by ferry. William wanted to have a bridge so that he could transform his massive 600-acre estate into a new town and suburb of the city of Bath.

The bridge was completed in 1774, but so many alterations were made to the bridge over the last three centuries that the current bridge bears scarce resemblance to the original structure as envisioned by Robert Adam. Today, the bridge features two ranges of shops designed in the Palladian style between them forming a narrow street over the bridge. The shops on the north side have cantilevered rear extensions that ruins the bridges symmetry. But the southern external side clearly shows the hand of Robert Adam.

The bridge is now designated as a Grade I listed building.

Photo credit: Diego Delso/Wikimedia

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Photo credit: Steve Cadman/Flickr
Although not the most widely-recognized smartphone brand in the world, Alcatel makes some pretty compelling smartphones in the mid-range. Yet another example of that lies in the Alcatel Flash Plus 2, which was officially unveiled by the company earlier today. The device is a follow up to the original Flash Plus that was introduced back in 2014 by the TCL-owned company which recently re-branded itself to Alcatel from Alcatel OneTouch. The phone will be made available in Luna Silver and Venus Gold, and will be launched first and foremost in the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Monaco and Thailand. The device comes with an MSRP of $160 for the base 2 GB / 16 GB version and $190 for the more premium 3 GB / 32 GB model.

Taking a more detailed look at the tech specs of the latest mid-range phablet from Alcatel, the device features a 5.5-inch OGS display panel that comes with a 1080p pixel resolution, 160-degree viewing angles and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. The device is powered by MediaTeks Helio P10 (MT6755) chip that comes with an integrated 64-bit, octa-core CPU thats clocked at a maximum frequency of 2.0 GHz. This system-on-chip (SoC) also incorporates a Mali-T860MP2 GPU clocked at 700 MHz. The smartphone will come in two different options, with the base model sporting 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of built-in storage, whereas the more premium model will come with 3 GB of LPDDR3 RAM with 32 GB of internal storage. In either case, however, users will be able to expand the phones storage by way of a microSD card of up to 128 GB in capacity.

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As for the rest of hardware on the newly-announced device, the rear-facing primary camera on the Alcatel Flash Plus 2 is a 13-megapixel OV13853 sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and is accompanied by a dual LED flash and a 76.5-degree wide-angle 5P lens. The camera also comes with Phase Detection Auto Focus. Meanwhile, the front-facing selfie-cam incorporates a 5-megapixel sensor with 1.12m pixel size, f/2.2 aperture and an 84-degree wide-angle lens. With selfies becoming increasingly important in a social media-driven society, the phone actually also incorporates a front-facing selfie flash presumably for better-lit selfies. Meanwhile, the phone also comes with a fingerprint scanner and supports Wi-Fi 820.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 and GPS.
Food delivery is a commodity that has been made a whole lot easier over the last five years. If you live in a larger metropolitan area, chances are you have your pick of any number of restaurants that will deliver food to your front doorstep, or your office, or where ever, and its all possible through smartphone apps for a number of places. Although many restaurants in larger cities do deliver, an even larger portion of them wont, but thats where Amazons new food delivery service comes in handy, having just launched today in two new locations, which include Dallas, and New York City.

For New York City residents, Amazons Prime Now services are offering delivery from over 350 different restaurants within the Manhattan area so long as youre a Prime member, and locations include Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken, Burger Joint, Johns of Bleecker Street, Momofuku Milk Bar, Tribeca, and tons more. For those that were unaware, the food deliveries also arrive in under an hour, meaning you wont be waiting long for a hot (or cold) meal. Both new cities join the already existing locations of Seattle (the location of Amazons headquarters), San Francisco, Portland, Austin, San Diego, Chicago, Baltimore, and Los Angelas, which have had access to the one-hour food deliveries beginning from last September when it launched in Seattle first.

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Prime members can access the library of restaurants that are supported from within the Prime Now app which also showcases menus so they can browse through and find what they want to order. Once theyve settled on something to eat, orders can be placed within the Prime Now app as well, and when the food finally leaves the restaurant the delivery can be tracked in real-time as its on route to its destination. Whats more is that Amazon promises no markup costs on the menu prices of any meal or they will refund the cost of the food item as long as the refund request is made within 24 hours of noticing a price difference. Although Amazon does not explicitly mention the number of restaurants which are supported in the Dallas, Texas, the list of locations contains about 60 restaurants in all, likely with more that arent listed.
Googles I/O event is about to get started and as part of that event there will be a number of announcements coming through on all things Android-related. However, before the event has even gotten underway, Google has announced one particular Android-related aspect which will be good news for those based in the UK. Android Pay is now available in the UK.

To some, this will not be exactly new news as it had been long expected that Android Pay will be hitting the UK soon with reports coming through in March detailing that this would happen in the coming months. However, a few days ago indications started to emerge suggesting that the launch might happen this week, as Android Pay adverts were spotted in the UK coffee house chain, Pret A Manger. Following on from that news and Google has now made the launch official.

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That said, details are a little limited with Google making the announcement on Twitter and through the official Android Twitter account. As a result, the announcement simply details that Android Pay is now available in the UK and that the Android Pay app is now available to download in the UK, from the countrys local Google Play Store. While the current details are limited, back in the March coming soon report, Google did note that when the service does arrive in the UK it will be compatible with a number of the high street banks including Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, First Direct, among others. While on the retailer side of things, the same report also confirmed that Android Pay will be able to be used in a number of locations including Boots, Costa Coffee, Waitrose, and of course (thanks to the reports from last week), Pret A Manger. It is also worth pointing out that the service is said to be usable on the London transport network too, so the next time you hop on a bus or take the Tube, you should be able to use Android Pay to pay for the ride. Although, you will need to download the app first which you can do by heading through the link below.
Samsungs Galaxy S7 line may be all the rage right now, but its Galaxy S6 devices from last year still remain fairly strong performers in their own right. While the devices were originally launched with Android Lollipop, many American carriers, like Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint & U.S. Cellular, have all pushed out Android Marshmallow to the device already, but AT&T was an obvious exception, which is now seemingly being rectified by the carrier. According to a number of posts on Reddit, AT&Ts Galaxy S6 is finally receiving the much-awaited new update, which brings the latest full-release version of Android to the device, even as Android N, the next big release from Google, is reportedly not that far away.

Either way, now that AT&T has finally started the long-overdue process of rolling out Android Marshmallow to Samsungs 2015 flagship, reports indicate that the update weighs in at a massive 1.4 GB. As usual, the update is likely to be rolled out is phases, so it might take a while for all users to get the notification on their respective devices. So while many may have already started getting the notification, those who havent, can still check manually for the incoming software by going over to Settings, then choosing About Device, before tapping on Software Update and then taking it from there.

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Meanwhile, AT&T has officially released a small little changelog, saying that the new update adds video calling to the device, but removes Keeper, AT&T Live and Facebook Messenger. However, irrespective of whats been added to the mix by either Samsung or AT&T, Marshmallow is expected to bring a number of thoughtful and interesting features to the table for the Galaxy S6, including an all-new app permissions manager that allows for more granular app permissions, an all-new app drawer that allows vertical scrolling and an all-new battery-saving feature called Doze that turns off network connections when the device is not in use. Another point to note is that Samsung has recently worked on its TouchWiz UI to remove a lot of excess weight, making it less bloated and more intuitive in the process. So AT&Ts Galaxy S6 owners can expect a lighter, more intuitive TouchWiz alongside all the new goodies that Marshmallow brings to the table.
Project Fi has been around for about a year now, and its Googles own stab at being a wireless carrier. Working with both T-Mobile and Sprint as a back-bone for the network, Project Fi is the only MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) that can seamlessly switch between more than one carrier network. Others, like Straight Talk, require separate SIM cards for using different networks. Project Fi can also seamlessly switch to WiFi networks and hotspots. Since launching last year, Project Fi has gotten quite a few updates and loads of new features. Todays update brings a feature that many users have been asking for. Thats the ability to block calls and text messages from certain numbers.

There are already loads of apps that can block calls and many of them can block text messages. But being able to do it through Project Fi is a better idea. For one, those that you block, will stay blocked even if you switch smartphones, or need to do a factory reset. Seeing as Project Fi will block these numbers from ringing on every platform (including using Hangouts on other smartphones, tablets or the desktop). Compared to other third-party apps that offer the same functionality, which will only block it on your smartphone. And if you ever need to change smartphones, then youll lose that list of blocked numbers. This makes for a much better experience all around.

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To block numbers, just head on into the Account section of the Project Fi app. Under the Call & Text Settings youll see Blocked numbers listed there. Tap on that, and youll be able to block all of the numbers that you dont want to hear from again. Its pretty simple, and of course you can also unblock specific numbers if you wish to do so.

The Project Fi app has been updated on the Google Play Store and you can pick up the updated version right now. Of course, if you dont have Project Fi  meaning you use another carrier for your smartphone service  then its not going to be of much use to you.
Googles annual developer conference, Google I/O, begins this week on Wednesday morning, and just like every year theyre going to be doing a live stream of the keynote for those that arent able to attend the conference so theyre still able to stay caught up on all of the action and the details of whats announced. While you will be able to watch the live stream here on the site, Google is giving those with a VR headset including the Samsung Gear VR, the Oculus Rift, and Google Cardboard just to name a few, the opportunity to live stream and watch the Keynote speech in a 360-degree VR video.

The actual date and time of the keynote will be May 18th and the live stream should kick off promptly at 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. The live stream will happen using YouTube, naturally, as was announced by the official Google Cardboard Twitter page earlier this afternoon. If you dont have a Cardboard viewer or another VR headset at your disposal, watching in a standard YouTube video player will work just fine too. This wouldnt be the first time that something like this was tried, as Samsung integrated their Gear VR into the experience of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge announcement back during Mobile World Congress for those who were at the event, and OnePlus used the Cardboard viewer to live stream their announcement of the OnePlus 2 last year, although unlike OnePlus, Google is giving those who want to watch the live stream two different methods to do so, whereas the OnePlus 2 live stream had to be viewed through the VR viewer.

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While it may seem a little bit like a stunt, it also sort of displays that Google is taking even more of a keen interest in the virtual reality space, which is further made evident by the numerous sessions listed on the official Google I/O schedule that revolve around VR, including one where theyre expected to show off the progress of what theyve built in addition to talking about where theyre going with the virtual reality development going forward.
This morning, Lenovo and Motorola announced their new lineup of Moto G devices. The Moto G has been Motorolas mid-range smartphone, that has sold extremely well for the company. In fact, its been their best selling smartphone ever. While the Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus and Moto G Play were announced this morning. Theres no word on their new flagships, which we started hearing rumors about in the past few weeks. If you were thinking that wed be seeing the Moto X4 coming soon, youd be wrong. At least if this report out of VentureBeat is anything to go by.

According to the report, Lenovo is switching up the branding for their flagship line from Moto X to Moto Z. Thats not the only change either. The report also notes that Droid devices that the company builds for Verizon will be named Droid Edition. So we will see something like Moto Z Play Droid Edition, which is quite the mouthful, to say the least. This means no more Droid Turbo or Droid Maxx, and a more uniformed naming scheme across the markets in which their devices are sold.

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The reasoning for the change in branding here could tie into the fact that Lenovo is now going the modular route with their new flagship under the Moto brand. As weve reported on already, Moto and Lenovo are working on a modular smartphone as their next flagship. Which will allow you to replace the backplate with different materials, and even room for new accessories. These accessories were rumored as Amps last week, now this report is stating that they are being referred to as MotoMods. This is similar to the LG G5 that was released earlier this year. The new Moto Z is expected to debut at Lenovos Tech World event which is taking place on June 9th in San Francisco, CA. Were also expecting to see the companys Project Tango smartphone again, which they debuted at CES in January.

If this report holds true, it would be a pretty big departure for Lenovo and the Moto brand, and the start of something new for Moto. Seeing as the Moto X was their flagship brand after being acquired by Google. Well have to wait and see what Lenovo has in store for Moto this year, but its looking like some big changes are coming.
The case between Oracle and Google continues today over the rights to Java or more specifically, whether Google had the right to use Java without having to pay a licensing fee to do so. So far this week, both parties have made their cases with Google explaining that it was not Java that made Android what it is, but the Google know-how. While Oracle has looked to prove that the Java code was an aspect which essentially helped to further the use of Android and therefore, royalties received for that use should be distributed accordingly.

Today, in the most recent developments of the ongoing case and the latest defense being used by Oracle to explain why Google should be held liable for the use of Java, Oracle has not focused on how Java helped Android expand, but more on the results of Androids expansion. Namely the loss in revenues by Oracle due to the expansion of Android. The latest details came from Safra Catz, Oracles co-Chief Executive, who told the court that a number of their customers essentially downgraded their financial commitments to Oracle in the wake of the release of Android and its free to distribute nature. In particular, Catz name-dropped both Samsung and Amazon as prime examples of companies who significantly reduced the amounts they were paying for Java due to Android.

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In terms of Samsung, Catz notes that payments from the South Korean firm, dropped from $40 million down to only $1 million following their adoption of Android. Likewise, Katz notes that with Amazon changing to Android for the release of its Fire range, this also resulted in the amount of revenue which could be generated from Java. According to Catz, Oracle was forced to discount the use of Java by as much as 97.5-percent to entice Amazon to use Java for their upcoming (at the time) Paperwhite Kindle reader. With both examples of the drops in revenue highlighting what Catz describes as a very negative impact on Oracle. Of course, these are just the latest developments in the case and as the trial continues, the court, the jury and media, will be made privy to more arguments by both sides as to why they are right in the Java licensing dispute.
Modern day smartphones are often steeped in control issues. This does not mean that the smartphone controls the user with nearly constant demands for power, but that the device is a conduit for a number of different businesses to try to control how and what we do on the device. Our manufacturer and carrier can all try to control, to a greater or lesser extent, how we use our devices. Yes: carriers and manufacturers use the excuse that they wish to control how our devices work in the interests of giving us the best experience but quite often these excuses appear to be about money.

Many Android devices contain an FM receiver chip, which could work for listening to FM broadcasts when a pair of headphones are plugged into the device. But many manufacturers or carriers deliberately disable the FM radio receiver chipset. For devices bought by a carrier the reason for this may be because they would rather you increase your data plan and stream music, although more and more carriers are offering free unlimited streaming. Another reason could be that it means supporting another chipset in the device with a corresponding increase in the drivers and control software. For whatever reason, in the American market some manufacturers have been persuaded to unlock and enable the FM radio chip: AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile USA have unlocked the FM radio found in Android devices, although Verizon stubbornly refuses to back down. A similar scheme to persuade manufacturers to enable FM radios has headed north into Canada under the title free radio on my phone. The campaign says that most Android devices and the iPhone contain an FM receiver, which doesnt require a data connection for the customer to use.

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Canadas carriers are behind their American counterparts as most have not made a move to enable the FM radio. CBC contacted four carriers but only Rogers and Bell Canada replied. Bell explained that they already offer a number of devices with an enabled FM radio and Rogers are considering it. Barry Rooke, a campaign organizer, explained that the carriers make a lot of money from streaming radio and music over data services. Barry, the executive director of the National Campus and Community Radio Association, runs the association applying pressure to carriers. This organization consists of member radio stations across the country and has received support from a number of big name broadcasters, such as the CBC. He has used the recent wildfire as an example of how FM radio can work in circumstances where cell towers are disabled.

There are some flaws associated with using a smartphone as a working FM radio. One is battery life, as many smartphones see a day to a charge. The other important point is that the majority of smartphones do not include an antenna in the chassis or shell, instead they use the headphone line. This means that for a customer to use the FM radio, for example during an emergency, he or she will also need a pair of headphones as well  unless device manufacturers change their handset design, but any antenna would either need to be eight times the length of the smartphone or include an amplifier. And lets also consider that there are other reasons why the FM antenna has been disabled: perhaps relatively few people use it.
Xiaomi has been one of the most active smartphone manufacturing companies this year, at least as far as device launches go. Xiaomi has introduced quite a few smartphones thus far in 2016, including their Mi 5 flagship, and the recently announced Mi Max phablet. Considering were still in the first half of the year, its not exactly surprising Xiaomi plans to introduce a number of devices before the end of the year. The Mi Note 2 has been mentioned several times, and the companys curved display smartphone is allegedly also on the way, though it might not launch as soon as we thought it will, at least according to a new rumor well talk about soon. Xiaomi is not the only China-based company working on such a curved display smartphone, at least based on a number of reports weve stumbled upon thus far.

Xiaomi, Meizu, Huawei and Oppo are reportedly all working on smartphones with curved displays, similar to the Galaxy S7 Edge and the Vivo XPlay 5. That being said, a new report surfaced, and shared some new information on Xiaomis curved display handset. According to this info, Xiaomi is planning to use LGs curved display panel, with an unknown resolution. The source did mention that this display will be 5.7 inches big, and that were looking at the OLED panel. In addition to this, this phablet will, reportedly, sport 6GB of RAM, and ship with the unannounced Snapdragon 823 64-bit quad-core processor which weve talked about quite a few times this year. The dual 12 or 13-megapixel camera setup will be placed on the back of this device, and that is pretty much all the spec info the source has shared.

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Based on the provided info, Xiaomis curved display smartphone is expected to be released in the Spring of 2017, which means we wont be seeing this device hit the market anytime soon. Several rumors suggested that the companys curved display smartphone might launch in Q3 or Q4 this year, but it seems like that wont be the case. Either way, stay tuned for more info, well report back as soon as new info surfaces, as always.
Earlier this year, Sony introduced a range of new smartphones at Mobile World Congress. While many had expected Sony to show the next iteration of the Xperia Z series, what they actually announced was a completely brand-new smartphone series known as the Xperia X line. At the time, this consisted of the Xperia XA which was Sonys entry-level offering that went up for pre-order in the UK back in April, the Xperia X for the mid range or standard offering, and the Xperia X Performance set at the high-end of the three handsets. This evening Sony is expanding the Xperia X lineup with another smartphone called the Xperia XA Ultra which is to be a higher-powered take on the Xperia XA, complete with that nearly bezel-free design.

While the extremely slim bezels are sure to be an eye-catching trait for the phone, Sony is easily putting heavy focus on the camera aspect and the front-facing camera in general, touting the Xperia XA Ultra as the perfect phone for selfies, challenging consumers to become the master of selfies by utilizing the massive 16MP camera that sits on the front of the device. Beyond the high MP count, Sony also states that the FFC will have exceptional low-light capabilities to help those images look their absolute best no matter what the lighting situation is like, and it features optical image stabilization.

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In addition to the 16MP front-facing camera, the Sony Xperia XA Ultra will also feature a 21.5MP main camera on the back that carries a quick launch and capture feature and it has hybrid autofocus. The phone will come with a 6-inch display with a Full HD resolution, stepping up not only the size of the screen compared to the original Xperia XA from 5-inches to 6-inches, but also the resolution which makes the jump from HD up to Full HD. The Xperia XA Ultra should have a larger battery although the exact size is not mentioned, but Sony still boasts that it comes with a 2-day battery with a single charge, which should be plenty, and its capable of getting up to 5.5 hours of battery with just ten minutes on the charger. The Xperia XA Ultra features an all metal and glass design which is common with most of Sonys smartphones, with the display using curved glass for a more comfortable fit in the hand. Sony has not yet released any pricing details nor is there an exact date for the launch, but they do note that the phone will be available in select markets from July, and will come in three different colors which include Graphite Black, Lime Gold, and White. They also note that they will be releasing a selection of accessories like the Style Cover Flip. Sony has not released full specs details on the device, so theres no word on the processor or other hardware like the RAM or battery size.
Tomorrow is the beginning of Googles annual Google I/O developer conference. This is when Google showcases a number of new technologies expected to be released both soon and later in the year, and in some cases to the following year. There are a number of rumours and stories circulating on the internet with what Google may be announcing and launching this year, such as the next version of Android or at least the name and version number. Currently, we know that the next version of Android is Android N as well as what we have gathered from the preview builds that have been released to developers and the curious already. Another area where we are expecting to see news is in the virtual reality sector. Google is expected to release a new virtual reality headset along with the Android VR platform, in a move that could potentially ignite the sector. Googles Android has become the most popular mobile operating system on the planet thanks in no small measure to the successful Samsung Galaxy line of Android (based) smartphones.

Google and Samsung exist in an interesting and competitive world. Both companies have released similar products to one another: Samsung introduced the Galaxy Gear range of wearable smartwatches over a year before Google released the Android Wear platform and showcased three wearables, including a Samsung watch. Both companies have written applications that use the same service  some Samsung Galaxy smartphones include both the stock Google applications such as Calendar, plus Samsungs own in-house applications, giving the customer a choice of two applications to use. Google have sold the Nexus line of smartphones, albeit in limited quantities, and Samsung have sold the Galaxy line: here again we have seen a measure of cooperation as Samsung have built two Nexus devices for Google and weve seen the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition, which is a close proximity to a Nexus device but benefiting from Samsungs hardware and device know how.

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Moving back to virtual reality, Googles expected virtual reality headset is expected to compete with the Samsung Gear VR device. Samsung reduced the price of the Gear VR last year to $99 in order to help sell the device and gain market share. Samsung has also announced it will cooperate with Facebook and has acquired VR specialist, Oculus. Will a new virtual reality platform and device from Google upset Samsungs virtual reality plans? In the short term, it might unsettle sales  customers may decide against picking up the Samsung Gear VR if it does not support the Android VR platform. On the other hand, any interest in the virtual reality sector is good news for both businesses especially as this is an immature market and there is massive potential. It is also possible that the two businesses competing against one another will inspire developments and breakthroughs.

Other areas where Google and Samsung compete include mobile operating systems, where Samsung has tried to reduce its dependence on Android by reworking an existing platform, Bada, into Tizen and releasing several smartphone and wearable devices running the new operating system such as the Gear S2. Both businesses have Internet-of-Things technologies such as Googles Brillo and Samsungs Artik, and of course, we have Android Pay competing with Samsung Pay. Samsung finds itself in a potentially difficult place at the moment. Part of the companys success in the mobile sphere is very much down to reliance on Googles technologies, but the company is attempting to differentiate its products at a time when Google is trying to reduce differences between devices. Breaking out new platforms  such as Tizen  into an established market is hugely expensive and extremely difficult to make any progress, as Microsoft and BlackBerry well know. However, the wearables, Internet of Things and Virtual Reality markets are immature and it is relatively easier for Samsung to gain a foothold. Either way, two large businesses offering competitive products against one another should be good news for the sector.
European carrier Vodafone recently posted their first quarter of positive growth in Europe since 2010. While their status is still far from dominant, they are beginning to see recovery in both growth and profits, even in the face of local incumbents like Deutsche Telekom in Germany. In the midst of this mass return to form sweeping across their service areas in Europe, Vodafone has seen their first growth in overall revenue and earnings since 2008. A recovery like this is an incredible moment for any carrier, let alone one of Vodafones scale.

According to Vodafone, their recovery has mainly been due to network buildout and improvements. A slew of new spending on larger, faster and stronger networks has given them higher demand in a wider area than theyve seen in quite some time. The network spending has amounted to roughly $27.51 billion as part of Project Spring, a network rejuvenation project that has seen over 87 percent of Vodafones European markets get 4G LTE speeds and many outlying and emerging areas of their markets, such as India, being brought up to passable 3G speeds for modern applications in the mobile space. A total gross earnings posting of 11.6 billion pounds for the 2015 fiscal year stands as the biggest indicator of their return to success; that amount is up roughly 2.7 percent year over year from 2014, and is projected to go up to 3.6 percent growth for the 2016 fiscal year. This growth resulted in Vodafone shares experiencing a 2.4 percent growth.

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While the capital expenditure involved in Project Spring was significant, analysts with Citi projected that the spending wont put enough of a damper on Vodafones free cash flow to cause much worry. After facing billing issues in their homeland and a long period of lagging growth throughout all of their markets, especially in Europe, this return to form may well signal a new sunrise for Vodafone, though its far too early to tell at this point. This growth, along with the projected increase in liquid assets for the future and the recent blocking of a merger between UK carriers O2 and Three, should help Vodafone to hang onto its third place position in the UK, one of its biggest markets, though breaking into second place in the near future is unlikely.
$307 (1999 Yuan) is a pretty decent price for a high-end magnesium alloy suitcase with all of the bells and whistles one might expect. A decent suitcase, at that price, should sport impeccable build quality, a number of adjustable parts and build materials that are nothing short of top of the line. Naturally, the one pictured above has all of those aspects. For that price, however, Chinese OEM Xiaomi is looking to up the ante by adding a few smart functions to your luggage. Bluetooth functionality is on board to link the premium piece of travel equipment to another travel essential, your smartphone, to power the suitcases smart functions through a companion app.

Xiaomis premium magnesium suitcase includes, as pictured below, a striking design, a very strong combination lock, stout wheels, an adjustable handle and pads for laying the suitcase down without scratching it. The whole package weighs a slightly hefty 4.4 kilograms, par for the course when it comes to such high-end luggage. The standard set of features alone make the suitcase more than worth the price, but Xiaomi has added in some smart features. By connecting the suitcase to your smartphone via Bluetooth and using the companion app (set to be available for both Android and iOS), users will be able to remotely unlock the two strong combination locks if needed, as well as get an alert if the case is unlocked or opened while the owner is not present.

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With the price currently set at 1999 Yuan for retail purposes, the smart suitcase is on Xiaomis website for crowdfunding right now, an approach they often employ for some of their more off-the-wall product ideas. As of writing, the case is still under 30 percent of its total funding goal, with a grand total of 100,000 Yuan needed to fund the convenient and unique device into creation. Should the ambitious suitcase reach its goal for funding, units are expected to begin shipping around the 15th of July, which would also mean that this date is likely the cutoff at which pledges will be refunded and the product will be scrapped if the goal has not been reached.
Xiaomi has recently introduced their new phablet, the Mi Max, alongside the MIUI 8 OS. That being said, this China-based company has announced a number of devices before the Mi Max in 2016, and their most notable release this year is the Mi 5 flagship, without a doubt. The Xiaomi Mi 5 has been announced during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona back in February, and the device has been available in certain markets in Asia for quite some time now. That being said, Xiaomi was full of praise for the camera on the Mi 5, and even though weve seen a number of camera samples at this point, and did acknowledge that the camera is good, we still didnt see DxOMarks opinion on it, at least until now.

DxOMark, as many of you know, is in the business of camera quality testing / analyzing. This website has tested pretty much every well-known high-end device this year, and Mi 5s time has come. For those of you who dont know, the Mi 5 features a 16-megapixel 4-axis OIS, f/2.0 aperture camera on the back, and it also includes PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus). Now, Xiaomi has confirmed a while back that theyve opted to use Sonys IMX298 Exmor RS sensor here, the same on that Huawei used in the Mate 8 phablet, for example. So, how did the Mi 5s camera do in DxOMarks test? Well, pretty good, but its definitely not the best around according to the site. DxOMark gave the devices camera 80/100 score, while the phones video shooting capabilities were somewhat inferior to its image taking capabilities, the device scored 76 out of 100. DxOMark said that the Mi 5s camera tends to overexpose outdoors in certain scenarios, and that the white balance could also be better. The indoor shots werent all that great in low light, but the camera did pretty well in most other situations. The overall exposure is good, so are the details captured by it. Now, as far as video goes, it seems like the stabilization doesnt work as intended outdoors, and the device has a limited dynamic range in outdoor scenes as well. The source did, however, say that the video taking capabilities of the Mi 5 are good in general

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The Xiaomi Mi 5 got an overall score of 79, and the no. 1 camera according to DxOMark managed to score 88 (Galaxy S7 devices, and the HTC 10). The Mi 5 is currently occupying the 23rd spot in DxOMarks list, and has the same ranking as the Galaxy S5, Xperia M5, Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z3.

Xiaomi Mi 5 (3GB RAM + 32GB storage) - $412

Xiaomi Mi 5 (3GB RAM + 64GB storage) - $490
Google I/O 2016 is to be held this Wednesday, and if you havent done so already you can bookmark our page to watch it all live. While many of us have a good idea of what Google will be announcing throughout the rest of the week, theres always room for surprises and weve already been given one by an unlikely source; Xiaomi. Hugo Barra, Vice President of Xiaomis International operations has recently Tweeted that he is thrilled to share that Xiaomi will be a part of Google I/O along with the above image which serves as a sort of teaser for what Xiaomi might have planned for the event later this week.

The teaser image itself says more than you might at first think. It obviously spells out the letters of I and O which is far from subtle, but it also shows what look like a few buttons youd commonly find on a TV remote; the volume up and down buttons and what could be a select button. Xiaomi is of course known for their MIUI spin on Android as well as their Mi devices that offer great hardware at low costs, but theyre known for other devices as well; including TV sets. Xiaomi, in China, offers up their own TV sets as well as their own Android boxes running custom Xiaomi software, but if theyre coming to Google I/O this year, they could be partnering with Google on some sort of Android TV hardware. After all, this might be the simplest thing that the two could partner on, and it would be the one product that would open Xiaomi up to as little litigation as possible, should they sell the devices in the United States. With talk of the Google Play Store heading to China  as we touched on in our mammoth Google I/O preview  this could be another sign that Google is coming close to being able to achieve such a thing.

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For Hugo Barra, returning to I/O in his role of Xiaomi Vice President will be interesting, as he used to be the Vice President for the Android division, instrumental in the launch of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and devices like the Nexus 7 2012. No matter what Xiaomi have to offer this week at I/O 16 it will certainly make the week that little bit more interesting.
Manchester United: fan fury, Mourinho gets desperate and Van Gaal gets time

Jose Mourinhos PR calls the Daily Mail, which dutifully produces the headline: JOSE PSG TALKS  Manchester United must act NOW if they want Mourinho.

From hammer-headed Dutchman Louis Van Gaal to divisive Portuguese Jose Mourinho, United fans must wonder how it came to this, the pragmatic taking over from the dreamers. The Mail says Mourinho is the prime contender to replace Van Gaal should United sack the Dutchman.

Says who? We soon find out: Mourinho, 53, wants a deal agreed by next week and unless United make their move quickly they could miss out on the Portuguese. Mourinhos desperate, isnt he. United need not rush. The French league is one-trick pony. Man United are huge. They pick the manger. The manager does not pick them.

In the Sun, which has spent weeks hailing Mourinho as the next Man United boss, Neil Curtis tells Van Gaal, Youre 4 It, a pun on Van Gaals United missing out on a top finish and with it a berth in next seasons Champions League.

Curtis says fans protests could follow tonights rearranged clash with supporters fed up with Uniteds turgid style of play. They could. And then again, the could not. Perhaps those United fans who can recall life before Alex Ferguson made them serial champions will be circumspect and wait and see what happens. Winning is all the more glorious when it follows fallow years.

Curtis seeks fans fury but finds none. We hear from one fan who says he admires Van Gaal and does think he will get it right in time, and another who says Van Gaal has an aversion to risk and no club has the divine right to play in the Champions League.

Curtis never does ask them what they think of Mourinho, which given the mans playing style might be just as well

Anorak

Posted: 17th, May 2016 | In: Back pages, manchester united, Sports, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Rome, May 17 - A joint report published by Europol and Interpol said Tuesday that "in Libya alone, around 800,000 migrants are waiting to travel to the EU". The report said "an increase in the number of migrants trying to reach the EU is expected".

It said migrants departing from Libya often use the Central Mediterranean route arriving in Italy.

This route is mostly used by migrants originating from African countries. "Although there was a decrease of 12% from 2014 to 2015, in 2015 a total of 153,946 illegal entries were detected along this rout," it said The report highlighted several other alarming trends and future risks.

It said these included an increase in cases of human exploitation, especially labour exploitation in the countries of destination of the migrants.

"Forced criminality may increase in the EU, as migrants may be coerced into criminal activities by their facilitators," it continued. "Unaccompanied minors may be further victimised, as they may be sexually exploited, forced to commit criminal activities, or else be involved by smugglers in the recruitment of other potential clients".

The trafficking of asylum seekers to the European Union generated between five and six billion dollars in earnings for criminal networks in 2015, according to an estimate in the joint report. The one million asylum seekers who entered the EU illegally last year paid traffickers between 3,200 and 6,500 dollars on average, it said. "Migrant smuggling networks accrue immense criminal profits," said Europol Director Rob Wainwright in his forward to the report. "In 2015 alone, these organised crime networks generated an estimated USD 5-6 billion from their illegal activities. "These earnings strengthen criminal networks and have a significant negative long-term impact on Europe's economy".

The report said the EU faced an "unprecedented migration crisis" - a large part of the burden of which is being shouldered by Italy - in terms of the number of migrants arriving and the involvement of "ruthless" smuggling networks.

"Intelligence held at Europol indicates that more than 90% of all migrants reaching the European Union use the facilitation services of a migrant smuggling network at some point throughout their journey," the report said. "This is a clear indication that organised crime networks are profiting from mass migration".


(ANSA) - Strasbourg, May 17 - The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday accepted an appeal against Italy presented by Amanda Knox, the American woman acquitted by the Cassation Court of having a part in the murder of Meredith Kercher in Perugia. In the appeal, Knox says she was subjected to an unfair trial and was maltreated during questioning. The court judged Knox's dossier to be valid and told the Italian government of its decision so that it can defend itself.

In March 2015 the supreme Cassation Court of appeals acquitted Knox and Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito in Kercher's 2007 murder, saying that evidence didn't physically link the pair to the scene of the crime. It was the end of an eight-year judicial ordeal for Knox who was first found guilty, then acquitted and finally cleared after a retrial.

Knox's appeal to Strasbourg regards the run-up to her first trial.

In it, she claims she was not given access to a lawyer who spoke English and was rapped on the head during questioning on November 6, 2007, four days after Kercher's murder - allegedly constituting inhumane and degrading treatment.

Sollecito welcomed the Strasbourg court's preliminary admission of the appeal.

"It's time people started opening their eyes on this affair," he told ANSA.

"Amanda was questioned for 15 hours without a lawyer and with an unofficial interpreter. There were abuses never highlighted in the media and it's just as well that there are judges that are now giving the right importance to what happened".


Rome - A joint report published by Europol and Interpol said Tuesday that "in Libya alone, around 800,000 migrants are waiting to travel to the EU". The report said "an increase in the number of migrants trying to reach the EU is expected".

The trafficking of asylum seekers to the European Union generated between five and six billion dollars in earnings for criminal networks in 2015, according to the report. The one million asylum seekers who entered the EU illegally last year paid traffickers between 3,200 and 6,500 dollars on average, it said. "Migrant smuggling networks accrue immense criminal profits," said Europol Director Rob Wainwright in his forward to the report. "In 2015 alone, these organised crime networks generated an estimated USD 5-6 billion from their illegal activities. "These earnings strengthen criminal networks and have a significant negative long-term impact on Europe's economy".

The report said the EU faced an "unprecedented migration crisis" - a large part of the burden of which is being shouldered by Italy - in terms of the number of migrants arriving and the involvement of "ruthless" smuggling networks.

"Intelligence held at Europol indicates that more than 90% of all migrants reaching the European Union use the facilitation services of a migrant smuggling network at some point throughout their journey," the report said. "This is a clear indication that organised crime networks are profiting from mass migration". (ANSAmed).
Turkey tells EU it won't change anti-terror law 'Asking while we are fighting PKK, ISIS is supporting terror'

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, MAY 17 - ''Telling us we must change our anti-terrorism law at a time when we are fighting against the PKK and Daesh (ISIS) is like supporting terrorism. We will never accept such an imposition'', said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.



The minister was talking about a European request as part of criteria Ankara still needs to satisfy to obtain the liberalization of Schengen visa for its citizens. (ANSAmed).




Energy: Jordan signs accords with Algeria, Egypt, Palestine Agreements boost cooperation, allow more investments

(ANSAmed) - AMMAN, MAY 17 - Jordan signed multiple agreements with Algeria, Egypt, Palestine on energy investment and mineral resources exploration on hope of boosting co-operation in the growing sectors, officials said today.



The agreement with Algeria involves the fields of oil and natural gas, whereby the two countries will conduct bilateral training programmes and exchange expertise in the field of raising electricity capacity. Jordan and Algeria also hope the deal will pave the way for further investment in energy by the private sector in both countries.



Ministry of energy and mineral resources also signed an additional agreement with a joint-Jordanian-Egyptian company to provide the kingdom with natural gas. The natural gas that would be utilized in generating electricity, said officials on the sideline of an international conference on energy held in Amman, said officials from the ministry.



The deal with the Palestinian authority involves amendments to an existing agreement by which Jordan provides the West Bank with electricity supply.



The conference brings together over 400 specialist from 41 countries including the Middle East, North Africa and Europe as well as representatives of major companies in Asia and the US.



It seeks to shed light on significance of renewable energy and means of boosting efficiency of current resources to meet market demands, organizers said. (ANSAmed).




BRUSSELS.0 - The trafficking of asylum seekers to the European Union generated between five and six billion dollars in earnings for criminal networks in 2015, according to an estimate in a joint report published by Europol and Interpol on Tuesday. The one million asylum seekers who entered the EU illegally last year paid traffickers between 3,200 and 6,500 dollars on average, it said. "Migrant smuggling networks accrue immense criminal profits," said Europol Director Rob Wainwright in his forward to the report. "In 2015 alone, these organised crime networks generated an estimated USD 5-6 billion from their illegal activities. "These earnings strengthen criminal networks and have a significant negative long-term impact on Europe's economy".



The report said the EU faced an "unprecedented migration crisis" - a large part of the burden of which is being shouldered by Italy - in terms of the number of migrants arriving and the involvement of "ruthless" smuggling networks.



"Intelligence held at Europol indicates that more than 90% of all migrants reaching the European Union use the facilitation services of a migrant smuggling network at some point throughout their journey," the report said. "This is a clear indication that organised crime networks are profiting from mass migration". (ANSAmed).
Syria: Gentiloni says talks must regain momentum Summit in Vienna. 'Besieged cities need to get aid'

(ANSAmed) - VIENNA, MAY 17 - ''It is necessary to relaunch Syrian talks, enable humanitarian aid to gain access to besieged cities, make the ceasefire concrete: this is the most dramatic crisis in the last few years'', Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Tuesday told reporters at a summit in Vienna.



''We are working with the objective of recuperating a situation that has deteriorated'', said Gentiloni, referring to the frequent violations of a ceasefire decided in Munich.



''I believe it is an objective that can be reached at this meeting, also based on the joint engagement of the US-Russia and the whole support group''. ''It is necessary to control more strictly ceasefire violations, also by involving the UN Security Council'', added the foreign minister. ''It is necessary to give access to humanitarian aid to the 18 cities currently under siege, mainly by the regime, but also some by members of the oppositions. (ANSAmed).




Libya: Aguila Saleh arrives in Cairo Several meetings with Egyptian officials on the agenda

(ANSAmed) - CAIRO, MAY 17 - The president of the Libyan House of Representatives (parliament of Tobruk), Aguila Saleh, arrived Tuesday morning in Cairo with a delegation of six lawmakers, ANSA has learned from airport sources.



Saleh will reportedly meet with Egyptian officials of various levels to examine ways to overcome the current crisis with the national unity government and reach the approval of the executive by Parliament. (ANSAmed).




Mideast: Al-Sisi,a real chance for Israeli-Palestinian peace Egypt ready to mediate. Parts react positively

(ANSAmed) - Cairo, May 17 - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in an impromptu speech in the southern city of Assiut, Sisi said his country was willing to mediate a reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions and help them reach lasting peace accord with the Israelis. Speaking directly to the Israelis he said, "we will achieve a warmer peace if we resolve the issue of our Palestinian brothers... and give hope to the Palestinians of the establishment of a state". "We are willing to make all efforts to help find a solution to this problem.", he added. He also urged the Palestinians to unite ahead of talks. "I say to our Palestinian brothers, you must unite the different factions in order to achieve reconciliation and quickly. We as Egypt are prepared to take on this role. It is a real opportunity to find a long-awaited solution".



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Sisi's remarks from which he said he drew "encouragement". "Israel is willing to participate alongside Egypt and the other Arab states in advancing the diplomatic process and stability in the region," he said in a statement.



Palestinians also welcomed Sisi's offer, underlying that "the POalestinian cause is key to peace and stability in the regione", Fatah spokesman Osama Qawasmi told Wafa news agency. He also praised Al-Sisi's effort "for the reunificastion of different Palestinian factions and the completion of national unity". (ANSAmed).




PARIS - The summit to relaunch the peace process in the Middle East, proposed by France on May 30 in Paris, will be ''postponed'', French President Francois Hollande told Europe 1 on Tuesday.



''John Kerry cannot attend on May 30. The meeting will be held in the summer''.



The president also stressed the importance of the summit: ''the conference - he explained - is necessary because nothing is happening. If France will not take a strong initiative, what will happen? Colonization, terrorist attacks?''.



Foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, travelled to the Middle East over the weekend, where he met Israeli Premier Benyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to try to prepare the ground for a new peace process. But the effort appears to be doomed from the beginning. Israel clearly regards the French initiative with hostility, deeming Paris not impartial enough and preferring ''bilateral direct negotiations''. The Palestinian side instead quite welcomed the initiative.
The national carrier won the E-Commerce award in the Websites category, the Travel and Tourism award in the Apps category, and the Government award in the Social Media category, in recognition of Oman Airs Facebook page. The airline also won a Special Award for Best Social Media Campaign of the Year, following the success of its National Day campaign in November 2015.

Mohammed Al Shikely, vice president marketing for Oman Air, said: We are thrilled to receive these prestigious accolades, especially in the face of such strong competition. Oman Air pursues a vibrant and engaging digital communications strategy, and it is extremely satisfying to receive acknowledgement from such a respected body as the Oman Tech Awards.

As customers increasingly seek information, communicate and make purchases using technology, it is vital that businesses make effective use of websites, social media and apps. That is why Oman Air has redesigned its website and made it available in both English and Arabic. We have launched Oman Air apps which enable customers to book flights, manage their bookings and purchase additional products and services. And we manage a thriving range of social media platforms, via which we are able to engage with our customers, keep them informed of the latest developments and seek their views about every aspect of our operations.

Furthermore, digital communications are playing an increasingly important part in the passenger experience. Customers can book their tickets online and check-in online up to 36 hours before departure. They can even stay connected at 35,000 feet, thanks to Oman Airs pioneering mobile phone and wi-fi connectivity service, WY-FI.

The four awards that Oman Air has received at the Oman Tech Awards demonstrate that we are not just responding to technological change: we are helping to lead the way. On behalf of all my colleagues at Oman Air, I would like to thank the judges, the organisers of the Oman Tech Awards and the Information Technology Authority, under whose auspices this wonderful event was held.
TOPS, which stands for Total OPerations System, integrates data from multiple sources and produces a holistic view of the airlines operation, from the global scale to the individual flight level, in order to anticipate and notify operations staff of any potential issue and provide solution options. Specific tasks that can now be carried out due to this integration include, but are not limited to: tail assignment optimiser, whereby aircraft are assigned to specific lines of flying with respect to the operational needs of the route, based on the specific aircrafts capabilities; NOTAM manager, where Notice to Airmen are immediately communicated to the specific dispatchers and operations staff for more perfect situational awareness; and Flight Watch, which consolidates all flight data into a single graphical source for ease of tracking, communicating with and managing the airlines more than 500 daily flights to more than 150 destinations in six continents.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker said: Qatar Airways started developing an all-encompassing tool for fleet management in 2014, knowing that our growth trajectory would require us to utilise technology in order to scale our ability to command and control the operation. We elected to develop the technology internally, taking advantage of our world-class IT team. Our system, called TOPS, has undergone a number of iterations, and today is second to none in its ability to serve the needs of our flight dispatchers, operations control staff and others.

OPS Flight Watch, launched in 2015, offers operations personnel multiple filters, such as weather patterns, flight path routing, and restricted or prohibited air space so that the team of professionals in the airlines Integrated Operations Centre have near-perfect awareness of each airborne flight, and the ability to quickly communicate with the flight deck. The airline is also developing a maintenance planning optimiser to help schedule around aircraft scheduled out of service time, which is expected to go live by the end of the year.

Qatar Airways chief operations officer, Captain Helmut Weixler, said: TOPS is a system designed by technology experts to assist airline professionals run the operation more efficiently and effectively. It is also a system designed to evolve with the airlines needs, including managing crew resources. This system has delivered far more benefits than we originally expected and we are sure that it will continue to add even more value to our airline operations going forward.

TOPS was developed in-house by Qatar Airways staff partnering with Wipro, a global IT services provider in a co-funded and co-development model that has proven successful in the past, said Srinivasan A. T., Qatar Airways chief information officer. Our next iteration will incorporate crew management optimisation tools, which, when complete, will contribute to the total operations system we originally envisioned. We will not stop here and will continue to invest in the system to ensure that our airline operations, enabled by TOPS, always continue to be the best-in-class.
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When is an auction record not really an auction record?

Thats a question that may be raised regarding a wobbly Twombly benchmark set at Sothebys last November. In her Bloomberg report on that auction houses $242.19-million evening Contemporary sale last week, Katya Kazakina unpacked the back story for this untitled Christopher Wool, for which the bidding inched up to $12.2 million, against a presale estimate of $14-18 million. (Final price for the Wool, with buyers premium: $13.9 million.)

Heres Katyas jaw-dropper:

Chameleon was one of four lots at Sothebys consigned by Daniel Sundheim, the chief investment officer at Viking Global Investors. They were part of a swap to pay for a $70.5 million Cy Twombly painting that he bought in November. Sothebys offered Sundheim a guarantee for seven swapped works (three of which went up for sale in London in February). Sothebys outsourced some of the risk on Wednesday by locking in bidders for the four works.

I sent a list of questions to Sothebys about this unorthodox payment arrangement. Specifically, I asked if there were any inaccuracies in the Bloomberg passage quoted above.

Through its press spokesperson, Sothebys twice answered: We have no comment.

But in her report of a month agoWhy Auction Houses are Giving Away MillionsKatya explained how the Twombly record was engineered:

The star of the evening, Twomblys Untitled, was vulnerable because it didnt have a bidder lined up. So Sothebys cut a deal with Sundheim, a trustee of the Museum of Modern Art. According to people familiar with the deal and a financial filing with New York State, the house let the collector largely pay for the Twombly with a pledge to consign seven other works with a combined estimated value of $50 million to $75 million. Sandy Heller, a prominent art adviser, was still negotiating for Sundheim as the auction began. Sothebys guaranteed Sundheim minimum prices for the arta move that leaves the house on the hook if prices fall short. Four of Sundheims pieces, among them a Warhol and a Basquiat, are going up for auction in May [as happened last week].

The Twombly not only set a record for the artist, but was also the top lot sold at Sothebys worldwide in 2015, according to the auction houses press release.

Heres that Twombly, as installed in Sothebys presale exhibition last November:

Bidding on this blackboard painting had stalled at $62.75 million, against a hammer-price estimate in excess of $60 million. My tweeted comment then was:

$70.5m with buyers fees makes the Twombly a new auction record for the artist. No fireworks, but gets the job done.  Lee Rosenbaum (@CultureGrrl) November 12, 2015

This record gives me traumatic flashbacks to two other famous records that werent as bullish as they at first seemed:

We dont know if the unorthodox arrangement with Sundheim was a one-off, or part of a new Sothebys strategy for bolstering bidding. Time (and Katya) may tell.

What we do know is that the Wool selling last week for $13.9 million, reportedly as part of the Sundheim swap, was purchased by this seasons binge-bidder, Yusaku Maezawa, the 40-year-old founder of a Japanese fashion website. It was one of six lots in that sale for which Sothebys secured an irrevocable bid after the catalogue was printed. (Those IBs were announced at the sale.)

In her October 1989 NY Times article about Alan Bonds iris crisis, Rita Reif noted that the van Goghs so-called record price had fueled an atmosphere of euphoria in the art market. The price became the benchmark most often cited as proof that art was a commodity that had weathered the economic crisis. Similarly, last Novembers Twombly record set a benchmark for that artist and may have propped up shaky confidence in arts touted attractiveness as an asset class.

At a time when auction houses say they are offering fewer guarantees to consignors, an art swap in lieu of cash payment may be another way of boosting pricesone that, unlike guarantees or irrevocable bids, is not publicly disclosed in the sales catalogue.

As Ive repeatedly written (most recently here), all the convoluted side deals that pump up prices make todays auctions a far cry from the classic IRS definition of fair market valuethe price that would be agreed on between a willing buyer and a willing seller, with neither being required to act and both having reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts [emphasis added].

How many participants in todays pre-engineered auctions actually have reasonable knowledge of the complex machinations underlying these sales, so that they possess the relevant facts in weighing how much they should bid? And how can they be confident that auctions provide a level playing field for buyers, when a potential bidder may have cut a secret non-cash deal with the auction house to facilitate his purchase?
By Winnindo Business Consult

Editor: Mourme Taruna Halim

In early April 2016, Indonesia Tax Authority indicated that Google Indonesia, Yahoo Indonesia, Facebook Singapore Pte Ltd and Twitter Asia Pacific Pte Ltd were avoiding tax in Indonesia.

Among the four companies, Facebook and Twitter are established in Indonesia in form of Representative Offices (RO). This article will not analyze the pros and cons of the representative office compared to other investment vehicles, but instead will focus on application of tax regulation to representative offices; and highlight regulations that caused tax authorities to target Facebook and Twitter.

Limitations on Representative Offices

Looking to the purpose of the representative office in Indonesia, it is common for overseas companies to utilize this investment vehicle as a means of entering the Indonesian market for the first time. Potential investors, and particularly those with limited resources, such as startups, often need to explore Indonesias business environment to ensure that future operations can be carried out effectively.

While full incorporation within Indonesia comes with costly capital requirements, many of the preliminary activities a company may wish to carry out are readily accomplished through a Representative Office (RO). Prospective investors that wish to limit due diligence to any of the following activities should strongly consider the establishment of Representative Offices over investment such as limited liability companies:

market research and testing

negotiating with local companies

distributing products or services through local distributors

promoting products or services without doing direct business activities and profit generation

A representative office in Indonesia falls under the authority of the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM). According to BKPM, the range of activities that may be conducted by ROs, however, are quite narrow. In particular, they may not undertake trading activities, own production facilities, or undertake operational business activities. As a result, ROs cannot accept orders, participate in tenders, sign contracts, or engage in the import, export or distribution of goods. Representative Offices are mainly reserved for firms wishing to participate in marketing, promotional, and other information gathering activities on behalf of the parent company.

Tax Treatment of Representative Offices

According to current regulations, ROs are restricted from generating profits and often do not end up paying corporate income tax. As a result, ROs established in Indonesia often think that their tax compliance can be achieved solely in the form of conducting withholdings and paying their employee income tax. From a taxation perspective however, Indonesian tax authorities have a specific regulation for ROs regarding their tax treatment. This allows officials to determine if ROs are likely to facilitate the generation of profits for their parent company as a result of activities in Indonesia. A ruling of tax liability can be levied despite revenues being paid directly to parent companies in other countries by individuals in Indonesia.

In the case of Twitter and Facebook, authorities indicated that their respective ROs were in fact generating profit from doing business in Indonesia. The basis of this profit was said to be primarily in the form of advertising revenues. While the companies did not receive payment in Indonesia, it was pointed out that Indonesian customers paid service fees directly to respective parent companies of the ROs in Singapore. On the basis of these transactions, the ROs were found to be liable for corporate income tax and value added tax relating to service delivery in Indonesia.

According to tax regulations guiding indirect profits of representative offices, ROs are categorized as taxpayers that must use the special metric of gross export value when calculating corporate income tax liability. Gross export values are the revenues of a foreign company that has a representative office in Indonesia derived from good or service deliveries to persons or corporations which are located in Indonesia. The applied rate for gross export values is 0.44 percent. For ROs of foreign companies which come from a country that has tax treaty with Indonesia, the corporate income tax rate should follow branch profit tax rates according to the tax treaty.

We strongly suggest each RO in Indonesia, especially for technology based startup companies, to institute prudent procedures to comply with related tax regulations. All firms considering investment within the country should be sure to conduct a careful review of their opportunities and maintain a clear understanding of regulatory responsibilities. In the event that questions arise, relevant government officials or professional services should be contacted to ensure compliance.

Further Support from Winnindo Business Consult Successful investment strategy in Indonesia continues to require careful procedures. All firms considering investment within this country should be sure to conduct a careful review of their opportunities and maintain clear a understanding of regulatory responsibilities. In the event that questions arise, relevant government officials or professional services should be contacted to ensure compliance. RO establishment can prove a complex and challenging procedure, even Indonesia nowadays is modernizing its economy policies to be investor friendly. With experience of helping companies set up business operations in the region, the specialists at Winnindo Business Consult are well placed to help companies overcome these challenges. For more information, please get in touch with our specialists at info@winnindo.com.

Annual Audit and Compliance in ASEAN

For the first issue of our ASEAN Briefing Magazine, we look at the different audit and compliance regulations of five of the main economies in ASEAN. We firstly focus on the accounting standards, filing processes, and requirements for Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. We then provide similar information on Singapore, and offer a closer examination of the city-states generous audit exemptions for small-and-medium sized enterprises.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership and its Impact on Asian Markets

The United States backed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) includes six Asian economies  Australia, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, while Indonesia has expressed a keen willingness to join. However, the agreements potential impact will affect many others, not least of all China. In this issue of Asia Briefing magazine, we examine where the TPP agreement stands right now, look at the potential impact of the participating nations, as well as examine how it will affect Asian economies that have not been included.

An Introduction to Tax Treaties Throughout Asia

In this issue of Asia Briefing Magazine, we take a look at the various types of trade and tax treaties that exist between Asian nations. These include bilateral investment treaties, double tax treaties and free trade agreements  all of which directly affect businesses operating in Asia.
Mgr Abou Khazen calls on people to sign a petition hosted on the change.org platform to stop the sanctions because they harm poor people and have failed to stop the war. In Aleppo, people have burnt shoes to stay warm. World and regional powers are meeting in Vienna to discuss the conflict. Ending the fighting and handing out humanitarian aid remain the priorities.

Aleppo (AsiaNews)  A petition launched on change.org, a social advocacy platform, calls for an end to sanctions against Syria because they "end up harming only the poor, and do not affect the powerful. Above all they do not end the war, said Mgr Georges Abou Khazen, Vicar Apostolic of Aleppo for the Latins.

I urge your readers, the prelate told AsiaNews, to sign the petition. I also hope to see Italy renew its humanitarian work at a time when the situation is calmer in Aleppo after weeks of intense fighting.

In Italy, the Comitato italiano Basta sanzioni alla Siria e ai Siriani (Italian Committee to stop sanctions against Syria and Syrians) launched an online petition. In June, the European Union will decide whether to renew sanctions imposed on Syria in 2011 that targeted the countrys ruling regime, but which ended up affecting mostly civilians.

Petition promoters stress that an oil embargo was lifted from areas controlled by the armed Jihadi opposition, providing "economic resources to the so-called revolutionary forces and the opposition." In short, the guerrillas get weapons, but civilians get no food or medicine.

The online petition follows a recent visit by Mgr Abou Khazen to Italy. The prelate lent his name to the petition along with Custos emeritus of the Holy Land Fr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Greek Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo Mgr Jean-Clement Jeanbart and the Community of Trappist nuns in Syria. Other Church and civil society leaders have joined in as well.

"In my meetings in Italy, I spoke of the effects of sanctions at the humanitarian level, the vicar apostolic said. They are impediments that do not help the people and exacerbate the effects of the conflict." For example, Syrians abroad cannot send money to their relatives at home. Likewise, university students had to interrupt their studies because they could no longer receive money from the government or their families. All this is due to the sanctions.

In view of this, I call on your readers to sign the petition, the prelate said. What is more, sanctions do not work as US President Barack Obama noted with respect to Cuba. If this is the case, why make the same mistake in Syria?

In the war-torn country, people "lack everything, from diesel fuel to medicines. This winter some Aleppo families were forced to burn their shoes to keep warm because they could not buy fuel as a result of the sanctions."

In the meantime, regional and world powers are meeting today in Vienna, Austria, in an attempt to save Syrias fragile truce, after five years of war, 280,000 deaths and millions of refugees.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, at loggerheads over much else in the world, are chairing the meeting.

At the gathering, the 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG), which includes China, Iran, Turkey, Arab League, United Nations and European Union, is expected to come up with a plan to end the crisis. A countrywide ceasefire and humanitarian aid to besieged areas top the agenda.

Still, the third plank of the plan  a call for Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime and the rebels to agree on a "framework for political transition"  remains elusive.

For now, the immediate goal is to secure the fragile ceasefire in place since 27 February in Aleppo. Despite many violations, and an outbreaks of fighting, it is still holding.

Anonymous diplomatic sources in Damascus told AsiaNews that they look at the Vienna talks with some hope. The recent breakdown of the ceasefire in Aleppo showed how bad things are.

The intervention by Russia and the United States de-escalated the violence, but did nothing more. However, although a political solution remains a priority, stopping the fighting and getting aid in are the priorities.

Aleppo and other places have held media attention in recent weeks, but it is the overall picture of the country that counts. Things are awful across Syria. (DS)
Only one school in three can provide pupils with drinking water. In some places, up to 40 per cent of students are staying away. UNICEF figures show that 24 per cent of children are underweight. A ministerial order cut the school day by one hour to avoid tiring children too much, said PIME missionary. But rain is falling in some provinces.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews)  The drought that has affected Cambodia and other Southeast Asian nations (including Laos, Thailand and Singapore) for months is having a particular severe impact on rural areas where villagers are struggling to get water drinking. In many places, ponds and reservoirs are running dry, the little water left contaminated with debris.

Cambodias Ministry of Water Resources issued a note, saying that country has suffered dry and scorching" weather since December 2015, peaking this April and May. The highest temperature was reached in Preah Vinhear province with 42.6 Celsius. El Nino was the main factor.

The heatwave has been particularly bad for children. According to UNICEF, 32 per cent of children under five are short for their age, 24 per cent are underweight, and 10 per cent suffer from acute malnutrition.

Water shortages are particularly serious in public schools. Over a third have been impacted and 50 per cent of children lack sufficient water, according to Cha Sophea, director of Primary Education at the Ministry of Education.

About 30-40 per cent of my children havent come to school, said Pim Bun Leap, a school principal in Tboung Khmum Province, because its too hot. Sometimes their parents keep them home so they can help bring water from distant sources.

In some areas the emergency remains high, said PIME missionary Fr Alberto Caccaro. This is why the government has issued a ministerial order to cut the school day by one hour to avoid tiring children too much.

"The drought has hit the north-western provinces, on the border with Thailand, he explained. However, Last week I was in Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri, two far-eastern provinces on the border with Vietnam. Fortunately, they have water and things are no longer as bad."

Rural households, 80 per cent of the Cambodian population, are the ones that suffer the most. Drought means higher prices for basic goods. Water for three/four days can cost up to 5,000 riels (US$ 1.30). Families also have to pay 500 riels for their childrens bottled water in schools.
by Nirmala Carvalho

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - A number of Indian medical associations have decided to form a scientific committee to outline guidelines on medical practices. The decision came in the aftermath of the affair that shook global public opinion concerning an Indian woman who gave birth to her first child at the age of 72 thanks to IVF.

Dr. Pascoal Carvalho, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, told AsiaNews: "The birth of this child is the result of the globalization of indifference and raises serious ethical and moral issues. The medical profession has been reduced to a marketing blitzkrieg".



Trade associations, such as the Isar (Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction) and FOGSI (Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India), has called for government intervention to put a brake on "inhuman and immoral health practices". Doctors also complain about the slowness of the legislative process of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Bill, which languishes in Parliament.



The doctors, including over 2,500 experts in Isar alone, have spoken out against the story of Daljinder Kaur, 72, and her physician, Dr. Anurag Bishnoi, who runs a clinic in Haryana State offering fertility treatments even to postmenopausal women.



The story of the oldest mother in the world was leaked last week. In April, Ms. Kaur gave birth to her first child named Arman ( "desire" in Hindi), born after 46 years of marriage with her husband Mohinder Singh Gill, 79 years old. The couple had never agreed to adpotion, as decided to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) after seeing an advertisement by the clinic.



Dr. Carvalho believes that "the woman was a mere tool to showcase the doctors technology and skill and dangerously was a subtle way to entice younger women to opt for IVF as being safe without medical risks".



Dr. Duru Shah, president-elect of the Isar, says: "In such cases, the chances of medical complications are very high. In addition to not accepting these patients, it is important that specialists provide them with advice on the subject. "



According to the doctor, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has to draw up very specific guidelines, such as is the case with adoption. "There are age limits for those who wish to adopt - he says - and the same must be done for assisted fertilization." The MCI ethics committee will convene on May24 and 25. "The particulars of that meeting - he says - must also contain the limit of 48 years for pregnancies, beyond which treatment will not be allowed. It is important that the child spends years living with their parents".



Dr. Carvalho concludes "India is a favored destination for medical tourism- specifically to seek IVF treatment and Surrogacy The Indian IVF sector accounts to around five billion dollars and has around 500 plus IVF clinics across the country. Regrettably and dangerously, devoid of formal regulations, even though there are serious legal, moral and ethical concerns, this thriving medical-technological industry is flush for legal manipulations and corruption".
by Kamran Chaudhry

On the 18th anniversary of the bishop of Faisalabads death, Muslims remember him as a great fighter against atrocities, as well as an advocate for human rights and interfaith harmony. For Muslim activist, he was like a beacon who saw the beginning of the downfall. Only by changing the blasphemy laws can the nation unite.

Lahore (AsiaNews)  Mgr John Joseph, bishop of Faisalabad, was a visionary leader who saw future crises, fought atrocities and promoted interfaith harmony, this according to Muslim leaders and activists.

The prelate was a true leader who opposed religious fundamentalism and discrimination against Christians. Suffering from depression, he took his own life on 6 May 1998 in front of the courthouse in Sahiwal after a Christian, Ayub Masih, was sentenced to death for blasphemy.

On the 18th anniversary of his death, Muslim leaders joined the Catholic community in remembering "the peoples bishop".

He was like a beacon that sent strong signal about what would happen in wake of the vigilante justice the state had created, said Irfan Mufti, director of South Asia Partnership Pakistan, an NGO. It was the beginning of the downfall and then we touched rock bottom. The visionary leader knew these difficulties beforehand.

The day when Mgr Joseph died, Mufti was attending a peace conference. "After hearing about the tragedy, we discussed how the situation would become ugly. We felt his pain and we stood with his cause and movement.

More importantly, He reminded us to respect, honour and protect all citizens irrespective of their faith. There is no other way but to change the blasphemy laws and unite the whole nation.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) General Secretary I A Rehman also praised the first Catholic bishop from Punjab. The prelate was a committed man who was ready to fight against every atrocity. He had promised a poor Christian to save him from injustice and kept his promise. Human rights workers will remember him forever, he said.

In 1986, then Pakistani military strongman General Zia ul Haq pushed through blasphemy legislation that imposed the death penalty on people convicted of insulting Muhammad and the Quran. Since then, the law has been used abusively to get rid of enemies or seize property of the accused.

So far, about 1,400 people have been charged under the blasphemy provisions. According to the HRCPs annual report, at least 22 people were charged with blasphemy in 2015: 15 Muslims, 4 Christians and 3 Ahmadis.

Pakistans Muslim clergy, the ulema, are opposed to abolishing or changing the law. Nevertheless, they want it to be enforced appropriately.

Seventy-five per cent of blasphemy cases are against Muslims, said Sohail Ahmad Raza, director of Interfaith relations at Minhaj-ul-Quran International. Yet, the law is not against religious minorities.

Bishop Joseph died fighting for the rights of people, Raza noted. We do not see such sincere leaders anymore.
"On the path that Jesus points us to move forward, service is the rule. The greatest is the one who serves, those who are at the service of others, not those who boast, that seek power, money ... vanity, pride ... No, these are not great.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Jesus claims to be born into the world "to serve", not "to be served", but often, even in the Church the "worldly temptation" pushes people to seek power and money, said Pope Francis at Mass this morning at Casa Santa Marta. Reflecting on the gospel reading where Jesus disciples were arguing among themselves over who was the greatest, the Pope spoke of Jesus' warning to his disciples that "if anyone wishes to be first he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."

Along the path where Jesus shows us to journey, the guiding principle is service. The greatest is the person who serves most, who serves others most, not the person who boasts, who seeks power, money vanity, pride. No, these people are not the greatest. And this is what happened here with the apostles, even with the mother of John and James, its an event that happens every day in the Church, in every community. But which of us is the greatest? Whos in charge? Ambitions: there is always this desire to be a social climber, to have power, in every community, parish or institution.

Pope Francis went on to stress how service is still the Churchs message to us nowadays. Whilst the world speaks about who has more power to be in charge, Jesus reminds us that He came amongst us to serve and not to be served.

Vanity and power  and how and when I have this worldly desire to seek power, not to serve but to be served and spare no efforts to get there: gossiping, speaking ill of others Envy and jealousy create this path and they both destroy. And we all know this. This occurs in every institution of the Church: parishes, colleges, other institutions, even in the dioceses  everywhere. Theres this desire for worldliness and this is all about wealth, vanity and pride.

Reiterating that Jesus came to serve, the Pope said Christ has showed us the true path of Christian life: service, humility. He explained that when the great saints spoke of being very sinful,the reason for this was was because they had this worldliness inside them and they had many worldly temptations. None of us, he stressed, can say I am a holy and pure person.

All of us are tempted by these things, we are tempted to destroy the other person in order to climb higher. This is a worldly temptation but one that divides and destroys the Church. It is not the spirit of Jesus. Its wonderful, we can imagine the scene: Jesus who says these words and his disciples who say no, better to not question (Him) too much, lets go ahead, his disciples who prefer to argue among themselves over who will be the greatest. Wed do well to think about the many times that we have seen this in the Church and about the many times that we ourselves have done this and ask our Lord to show us the way, to understand that love of this world, namely worldliness, is an enemy of God.
Francis presided over the opening of the General Assembly of Italian bishops whose main topic is the renewal of the clergy. Belonging to the Lord, to the Church, [and] to the Kingdom is what characterises the priestly life. It is a "treasure" that bishops must safeguard and promote "with patience and willingness of time, hands and heart."

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis opened the 69th General Assembly of the Italian Bishops Conference (Conferenza episcopale italiana, CEI) on Monday afternoon, in the Synod Hall in the Vatican. The main item on CEIs agenda is the renewal of the clergy.

In his address, the Holy Father noted that "belonging to the Lord, to the Church, [and] to the Kingdom" is what characterises the priestly life. This is the "treasure" that bishops must safeguard and promote "with patience and willingness of time, hands and heart ". For their part, priests must lead a credible life, not one of ambitions, rigorism or do-goodery. They must be poor with the poor, ready to give up the "non-essential" to their mission.

Francis addressed the issue by looking at "some of the many priests who work in our communities" to ask himself "what gives life flavour? For whom and for what does he serve? What it is the ultimate reason for his self-giving?" The cultural context is very different from the one in which he started their ministry.

"We, who often find ourselves to deplore this age with a bitter and accusatory tone, must also feel its harshness. How many people do we meet in our ministry who are in trouble for lack of reference points to turn to! How many relationships are wounded! In a world in which everyone considers himself the measure of everything, there is no place for ones brother. Against this background, the life of our priest becomes eloquent, because it is different, alternative.

He has left behind the ambitions of a career or power, as well as the temptation to interpret himself as a devotee, who takes refuge in a religious introspection that has very little of the spiritual. Instead, He is not scandalised by the frailties that shake the human spirit, aware that he himself is a healed paralytic; he is removed from the coldness of the rigorist, as well as from the superficiality of the one who wants to show himself accommodating for a cheap price. Instead, he accepts to take charge of others, feeling himself as a participant and responsible for his destiny.

Our priest is not a bureaucrat or an anonymous official in an institution; he is not consecrated to play a white-collar role, or moved by criteria of efficiency. On the contrary, He knows that Love is everything. He does not seek earthly assurances or honorific titles, which lead to trust man. In the ministry itself, he does not ask anything that goes against real needs, nor is he concerned to bind to himself the people who are entrusted to him. His simple and essential lifestyle, [of being] always available, makes him credible in the eyes of the people and brings him close to the humble, in pastoral charity that makes him free and reaching out. As a servant of life, he walks with the heart and the step of the poor, and is enriched by interacting with them. He is a man of peace and reconciliation, a token and an instrument of Gods tenderness, careful to spread goodness with the same passion with which others look after their own interests.

His secret is the definitive truth of his life. He guards his relationship with Him, keeping abroad the spiritual worldliness that corrupts, as well as any compromise or meanness.

As for the second question To whom does our presbyter commit his service?, Francis spoke of the sense of feeling a participant of the Church. [. . .] This common belonging, which flows from Baptism, is the breath that frees one from self-reference that isolates and imprisons: When your boat starts to set roots in the motionlessness of the pier  as Dom Helder Camara used to say  go out at sea! Leave! First of all, [dont do this] because you have a mission to fulfill, but because structurally you are a missionary: in the encounter with Jesus you experienced the fullness of life and, therefore, you want with your whole being that others recognise themselves in Him and may guard his friendship, nurture themselves with His word and celebrate Him in community.

The one who lives for the Gospel enters a virtuous sharing: the pastor is converted and confirmed by the simple faith of Gods holy people, with whom he works and in whose heart he lives. This belonging is the salt of the presbyters life; and makes the communion his distinctive trait, which he experiences with the laity in relations that enhance everyones participation.

The chapter regarding the management of structures and economic assets is also part of our reflection on the renewal of the clergy: from an evangelical view, avoid falling into a pastoral outreach of conservation that hinders openness to the Spirits enduring novelty. Keep only what can serve the experience of faith and charity of Gods people.

Finally, we asked ourselves what is the ultimate reason of our presbyters dedication. How much sadness is caused by those whose life is always halfway, one foot raised! They calculate, weigh, do not risk anything out of fear of getting lost . . . They are the unhappiest! Instead, our presbyter, with his limitations, is one who goes for broke: in actual conditions in which life and the ministry have placed him, he offers himself freely, with humility and joy. Even when no one seems to notice him. Even when he intuitively and humanly realises that perhaps no one will thank him enough for his unbounded dedication.

Yet he knows that he could not do otherwise: he loves the earth, which he knows is visited every morning by Gods presence. He is a man of Easter, of the gaze turned towards the Kingdom, towards the one who feels that human history is walking, despite delays, darkness and contradictions. The Kingdom  the vision that Jesus has of man  is his joy, the horizon that enables him to relativise the rest, to dampen concerns and anxieties, to remain free of illusions and pessimism, to protect peace in his heart and spread it with his deeds, words, and attitudes.
Raqqa (AsiaNews) - The situation is precipitating in Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of Daeshs caliphate. According to received reports from local sources, control measures have been reinforced and there is an air of growing tension visible on the faces of the fighters of the Islamic State, who are increasingly irritable and suspicious.

Four new permanent checkpoints have been set up to strengthen controls in Duwar el Naiim, at the intersection of Via Seif El Dawla on February 23, across from Bustan park and finally in via Mashlab, where electrical power has been restored after a month and a half, however all internet cafes have been closed with a decree issued on the afternoon of May 15.



Some people think that this crackdown hides the possibility that the "Caliph" Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is present in "his capital" to direct operations against a possible attack on Raqqa. Some Western press (including CNN and the French newspaper Liberation) speak of a "state of emergency" declared by Daesh, to defend themselves against a possible attack. But locals cannot confirm any new preparations or troop movements by the Islamic terrorists.



According to locals, the movements and stringent checks are to be attributed to what happened in the detention camp in Tabka (near Raqqa), last week, where about twenty prisoners managed to escape and are still trying to reach safer areas outside of those controlled by Daesh.



Isis assassins raking the streets in search of the fugitives, doubling flying checkpoints and raiding homes. Those who managed to reach a safe place, tell gruesome stories of their detention, also reported by some local independent journalists of "Rakka Tuzbah bi samt" (Rakka is slaughtered in silence).

The torture methods are well known: the so-called "Al Balanko" which involves hanging the tortured from the ceiling with their toes just slightly off the ground; electric shock; the "torture chair" and whippings which are just some of the means used.



Most of the detainees are Syrian nationals, originally from Aleppo, Raqqa and Idlib, but there are also foreigners. The worst torturer is an Iraqi assisted by another whose nationality is unknown. The rulings are issued by a "Koranic judge" and often directly from the prison guards; men are executed in the public square. The state of women captives is the most mysterious: they are executed in their cells, from where the screams are clearly audible. Children are also among the detained and they are subjected to the same torture as adult males.



The enhanced security measures may be related to the escape of prisoners on 3 May, and the hunt for them rather than a "state of emergency" in view of a possible attack. On the other side of the front, under the control of the Kurdish YPG there were no movements to indicate preparations for an imminent attack.



Moreover, since the last week of April, Daesh has covered many areas with cloth tarps, so that movements are hidden from the prying eyes of allied force drones, these areas include the outdoor market area (see photo).

This practice is already in use in Iraq, especially in Ramadi, and has spread to many parts of the city. However, in contrast to Iraq, in Rakka the Daesh "authorities" are forcing inhabitants to participate in covering the cost with a contribution of 2,000 Syrian liras for each house (about $ 8), in a campaign called "We all take part". Of course no one dares to not to. (PB)
Vientiane (AsiaNews / RFA) - Arrested by the authorities or made disappear into thin air: This is what has happened to three Lao nationals, who in recent months had criticized the actions of the Vientiane government, denouncing the abuses committed against human rights. Somphone Phimmasone (29) and his girlfriend Lod Thammasong (30) were arrested by police in Navatai (Kammouane province) on March 5, after they had returned from Thailand to renew their passports.



A relative of the couple said: "At first we were told they had been arrested for drug possession, but two weeks later the prison policemen informed us their detention was due to political propaganda". In April, the authorities transferred Somphone and Lod to Vientiane, but the families do not know where they are.



The two, along with others, had protested last December 2 in front of the Lao embassy in Bangkok, demanding the government respect democracy. They were also very active on social media, where they denounced the incidents of abuse by Vientiane.



Soukane Chaitad, one of the embassy protesters, disappeared last March 22 while he was renewing his passport at the police station in Savannakhet province. His wife, who works in Thailand, says: "We have not heard from him since he returned to his hometown on March 22 at three in the afternoon. He never reappeared. His family informed the police of his disappearance, but officers said they did not see him. "



A family friend tells this story about some people who were in the area of the disappearance that day: "We asked some traders near the police station, and they told us that unidentified men loaded Soukane into a van."



With the rise to power of the communists in 1975, Laos has implemented a repression of minorities, both religious and ethnic (such as Hmong). The most frequent cases of persecution based on religion take place at the expense of the Protestant Christian community: peasants deprived of food for their faith or pastors arrested by the authorities.



Sombath Somphone- a teacher, activist for human rights and winner of Magsaysay award - disappeared into thin air 15 December 2012 in Laos, near a police check point. Although CCTV cameras clearly filmed his abduction in broad daylight, the government has never given information about him.
One of the most crucial roles of the U.S. government is security. As the United States has grown and become a super power that role also expanded. Today, security extends far past the borders of the country.

The Internet has created an entirely new landscape that has to be defended from cyber hackers and criminals. Its a unique issue in the fact that the information and tools we keep online could be used against us. Worse still is that it can happen without anyone realizing until its too late.

As systems migrate to more secure technology, the top concern is cloud security. Government officials have stated that while simple, low-risk systems such as email have moved to more efficient cloud-based systems, others are still in limbo while the details get ironed out.

One small security gap in the virtual networks could have a huge impact on the entire world. Security breaches are already happening, which means the race is on to stay one step ahead of people trying to create havoc by hacking into government networks.

Millions of Stolen Identities

One of the most recent and largest attacks on U.S. government networks began a few years ago. Hackers were able to infiltrate the Office of Personnels systems and steal information for millions of employees and contractors. This went undetected for some time. Just a few months ago, the hackers released personal information for thousands of FBI and Department of Homeland Security employees.

Needless to say, this could put peoples safety at risk. And it certainly puts their financial well-being at risk.

How did this hacker(s) obtain the protected information? Through a compromised email account. This one small security gap of unsophisticated means has impacted millions of people.

Stolen Weaponry

Part of the information stored online involves new weaponry and artillery from the U.S. military. Its information virtually every other country would want to see because the most advanced technology wins wars.

Several years ago China made it known that they planned to build an air force of their own. A confidential report from the Pentagon suggests they are doing so with the help of Chinese hackers. In 2013 Chinese cyber spies were able to steal information on dozens of advanced weapons systems, including fighter jets.

It was noted at the time that this security breach would likely accelerate Chinas development of weapons, weaken the U.S.s military advantage and cost millions, if not billions, of dollars to reimagine the systems.

Missile Mistakes

Perhaps the biggest safety concern is the possibility of weapon controls being disabled or overtaken. Many U.S. military devices from drones to missiles can be controlled remotely. Should hackers get into these systems it could cause a disaster of huge magnitude.

One reason nuclear proliferation is such a hot button issue today is concern over powerful weapons getting into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, hackers may never need to actually get their hands on weapons to use them. Here again, the concern is largely over Chinese hackers that appear to have government support.

Satellite Control

Far above the Earth, satellites control a wide variety of vital communication and information systems. From the National Weather Service to trucking routes, satellites feed data to government agencies on the ground.

Last year the World Teleport Association (WTA) noted that cyber security was a growing concern for the satellite industry. These satellites are controlled through computers with networks that can be hacked. The three top threats include malware, targeted attacks, and denial of service (DoS). In essence, hackers could completely shut down satellite feeds, throwing everything from communication to GPS systems into disarray.

Recent reports show that the U.S. governments cyber security is below that of every other major industry. The issue is widespread across the local, state and federal government. SecurityScorecard notes that between April 2015 and April 2016 there were at least 35 major breaches of government networks. Clearly, cyber security is an issue that must be addressed quickly and efficiently for the sake of all Americans.
The legal profession understands that we're in difficult economic times, Law Council president Stuart Clark told the ABC.But the simple fact is that not funding legal aid is actually not economically sensible.We believe that something like a $1 invested in legal aid represents up to a $6 return, in terms of economic savings through savings on healthcare costs, savings on people losing their jobs, people losing their homes.The campaign is aimed at ensuring the next Federal Government responds decisively to the countrys legal assistance funding crisis, the ACT Law Society said in a statement.The campaign, launched with support from a variety of church and welfare agencies including the Salvation Army, the Uniting Church and Jesuit Social Services, will see Victorian lawyers rally in the forecourt of the County Court today.This is an extremely important access to justice issue, said Paul Anastassiou QC, Victorian Bar president.The consequences of funding cuts to Victoria Legal Aid and the resultant tightening of guidelines are devastating for some of the most disadvantaged people in Australia.In the last five years, 11,000 Victorians were denied legal aid because of the cuts. These cuts have fallen heavily on vulnerable people  young people charged with criminal offences in Magistrates Courts and women seeking the protection of the courts in domestic violence cases.ACT lawyers will rally on Wednesday, walking from the CLC Hub in Turner to the ACT Supreme Court.Successive federal governments have taken millions of dollars from legal assistance bodies, said Martin Hockridge, ACT Law Society president.The system is now at a point where most Australians who cant afford a lawyer simply wont get one. It isnt just Australias most disadvantaged missing out. Many are everyday Australians.Australians are forced to represent themselves in court or, worse, ignore their legal issues.Legal aid goes the heart of Australias notion of fairness and what kind of society we want to be. Is it one in which everyone has access to justice  or only those who can afford a lawyer?Hockridge said that funding legal assistance would save taxpayer money according the Productivity Commission findings, which recommended an injection of $200m to avoid costlier problems developing in the future.
Australian researchers have raised fresh concerns that a major shipping disaster could harm the Great Barrier Reef, with new research revealing coal dust in seawater can kill corals and slow down the growth rate of seagrasses and fish.

Corals exposed to the highest concentrations of coal dust died within two weeks, says author Kathryn Berry, who led the experimental research.

Corals exposed to lower concentrations of coal lasted longer, but most of them also died after four weeks of exposure.

While some fish and seagrass died from coal dust exposure, it mostly stunted their growth by half compared to clean water.

The scientists exposed the marine species to fine coal particles in carefully controlled experiments within the National Sea Simulator at the Australian Institute of Marine Science and measured their responses over time.

Coal dust enters the marine environment at loading and storage facilities when it is blown or washed into the sea, during transport, and in rare shipping disasters.

In 2013, the bulk carrier, MV Smart, broke apart in South Africa while carrying over 140,000 tonnes of coal. In Australia, over 60,000 tonnes of coal remained on board the Shen Neng 1 when it ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef off Gladstone in 2010.

Risks to the Great Barrier Reef posed by large coal spills depend on the...
By Morgan Saletta, PhD, History and Philosophy of Science, University of Melbourne

Contour Crafting

Planetary Resources, a company hoping to make asteroid mining into a trillion dollar industry, earlier this year unveiled the worlds first 3D printed object made from bits of an asteroid.

3D printing, and additive manufacturing processes more generally, have made many advances in recent years. Just a few years ago, most 3D printing was only used for building prototypes, which would then go on to be manufactured via conventional processes. But its now increasingly being used for manufacturing in its own right.

Nearly two years ago, NASA even sent a 3D printer to the International Space Station with the goal of testing how the technology works in micro-gravity. While the printer resembles a Star Trek replicator, its not quite that sophisticated yet; the objects it can print are small prototypes for testing.









Made In Space





But 3D printing objects dont have to be small. Entire houses have now been 3D printed, including out of renewable resources such as clay and earth.

And visionary architect Enrico Dini, a pioneer of 3D construction featured in the film The Man Who Prints Houses, isnt thinking small,confessing:

What I really want to do is to use the machine to complete the Sagrada Familia. And to build on the moon.

Above and beyond

NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and entrepreneurs aiming to jump-start human colonisation of space see the 3D printing of large scale objects, including entire habitations, as a major enabling technology for the future of space exploration.

In 2013, a project led by the ESA used simulated lunar regolith  i.e. loose top soil  to produce a 1.5 ton hollow cell building block. It was conceived as part of a dome shelter for a lunar base that would also incorporate an inflatable interior structure. The project used a D-Shape printer using Enrico Dinis company, Monolite.









ESA





Since 2011, NASA has been funding similar research led by Professor Behrokh Khoshnevies at the University of Southern California. His team has been using a technology called contour crafting, which also has the goal of using 3D printing to construct entire space habitations from in situ resources.

After testing 3D printing in space, NASA has decided the technology is close to a tipping point. As part of a new programme of public/private partnerships aimed at pushing emerging space capabilities over these tipping points, NASA has awarded a major contract to the Archinaut project.









ESA





The project will see a 3D printer, built by Made in Space, mated with a robotic arm, built by Oceaneering Space Systems, with Northrup Grumman providing the control software and integration with the ISS systems.

The goal of the project is to provide an on-orbit demonstration of large, complex structure  in this case a boom for a satellite  sometime in 2018.









Made In Space





Down to Earth

But 3D manufacturing is already changing the aerospace industry. Composites, for example, have become a commonly used material for a wide variety of applications.

But composites tend to suffer weakness between their laminating layers, which can lead to material failures in crucial components. 3D weaving, which deploys fibers on three axes, is set to revolutionise these materials and their performances.

Indeed, NASA is now using 3D woven quartz fibre compression pads for its Orion Space Vehicle and exploring the technology for use in other thermal protection surfaces.

But the ability to use in situ materials, both for fuel, water and construction whether on the moon, Mars, or asteroids has long been recognised as a crucial ability to enable human exploration of the solar system.

Contests such as last the 3D Printed Habitat Challenge, part of NASAs Centennial Challenges, are an important element of an innovation strategy designed to push the envelope of technology, leveraging entrepreneurial spirit, scientific and technological know-how and design thinking in a bid to take human space exploration to the next level.

The winning design, announced at the New York Makers Faire in September, was the Mars Ice House.

The Mars Ice House Habitat, which would be printed out of ice from relatively abundant water on Mars' northern hemisphere, is a far cry from the bunker like spaces frequently envisioned for Mars bases. The ice would provide ample radiation protection while creating a radiant, light filled space reminiscent of a cathedral.

Space exploration has always been associated with visionary fiction and grandiose plans, and it looks like 3D manufacturing and construction may finally bring the printed word to life.









Space Exploration Architecture and Clouds AO (Clouds Architecture Office)





Morgan Saletta is a marketing and academic consultant with the University of Melbourne Space Program.

Originally published in The Conversation.
Hi everyone,



My Indian partner and I applied for a PMV in January this year and we have received the update and email for requested information.



Does this mean that they have started processing our visa? Is it a bad sign they have requested more information?



I have never been so excited and terrified in my life!



Any help/advice/wise words?
Hi,



I have recently been told by my company that they will sponsor me to stay in australia!

My girlfriends 2 year whv is now up, can she move back on another visa now that i have been sponsored?

She is from japan
Special-edition Xcent is available in petrol and diesel guises only in the mid S trim level.

Hyundai has launched a special edition of the Xcent to celebrate 20 years of operation in India. Available only in the mid S trim level, the special-edition Xcent comes at an additional cost of Rs 16,999. The special edition Xcent is priced at Rs 6.29 lakh for the petrol and Rs 7.21 lakh for the diesel. (All-prices, ex-showroom, Delhi)

On the outside, the car gets additional detailing such as a '20th anniversary' badge on the boot, chrome finish to the lower front grille, a boot-lid spoiler with a reflector strip, additional chrome detailing to the rear fascia and side-body graphics.

Inside, the limited-edition model gets new black and red dual-tone fabric upholstery and a 6.2-inch Blaupunkt touchscreen infotainment system, in place of the standard cars beige and black upholstery and 2-DIN audio system.

The 20th anniversary-edition Xcent is available in two exterior colour options  Pure White and Sleek Silver  and is powered by the same 1.2-litre petrol and 1.1-litre diesel engines as its standard sibling.

Hyundai will only be producing 2,400 units of the special-edition sedan.
Mr. Wester is the boss of Alfa Romeo and Maserati , and he says that the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group has been working on this technology for some time.However, in spite of the development work for this tech, FCA will not launch any fully self-driving vehicle by the year 2024. The date mentioned is expected to mark the introduction of the first autonomous cars from this corporation.Until then, development continues, and the company expects authorities to coordinate legislation so that it suits this new category of vehicles.Wester believes semi-autonomous cars and driving excitement do not rule each other out, saying that drivers will get to enjoy a car more when the road is clear, while getting more comfort in busy traffic.Once self-driving cars are established on the market, Mr. Wester says it will be more important for automakers to build drivers cars, as these will only be enjoyed by those who desire this characteristic, and making vehicles which produce an enormous amount of driving emotions will be the solution.At the moment, Alfa Romeos plan focuses on the Giulia , which must become an established model on the market. In the meantime, the Milanese brand is developing the offspring of the Giulia, which will lead to an all-new range for Alfa Romeo.According to Harald Wester, the self-driving system designed by FCA will resemble the one on Teslas Model S , and it is currently in development. The Giulia is expected to receive such a system later on in its life. Because Alfa Romeos Giulia comes to market as a 2017 model, we expect the Italian company to bring semi-autonomous features by the 2020 model year, when a mid-life refresh could be launched.
NHTSA

The supplier is accused of a cover-up, and Honda Motor Company is also named in this suit, as the automaker is charged with knowing that the airbags bought from Takata were unsafe and installing them nonetheless.Hawaii wants damages of $10,000 for each vehicle sold with defective airbags from Takata in the state, and Automotive News says the cars add up to 70,000 units. In theory, the case could lead to a penalty of $700 million for Takata and Honda, but they may not be penalized equally.After all, Takatas defective airbags were fitted to vehicles sold by other automakers, so it would be unfair for Honda to be the only brand to pay damages. Takatas survival as a company is under threat, as it considers a full restructuring to deal with increasing recall costs. As you know, the Takata airbag fiasco has two phases, as the first one targeted 28.8 million inflators, while the second will involve replacing an additional 40 million inflators.The first step of the Takata recall targeted inflators with improper propellant, while the second is focused on parts that did not have a particular solvent inside . In the case of the latter, the missing solvent is used to dampen humidity, and airbags with defective inflators due to the lack of said chemical can explode with excessive force.Since Hawaii is famous for its high-humidity, the defective airbags from Takata fitted to vehicles sold in this US state posed a greater safety risk to their occupants. In addition to the civil penalties sought from Takata Corporation, Hawaii also wants the owners of the affected vehicles to receive restitution. Besides that, the state asked for a public education effort on the dangers of the defective inflators.According to the, about one-third of Takata-affected vehicles sold in Hawaii have been fixed. The spokespersons of Takata, Honda, and the State of Hawaii have refused to comment on the matter.
And since the Texan developer had announced a 2016 Camaro SS... line-up spreading all the way to 1,000 ponies, the company has now announced a somewhat similar move involving the Corvette Z06-engined 2017 Camaro ZL1.While the SS gets an eight-stage muscle upgrade, the ZL1 gym has four stages, but both models get 1,000-pony range-topping versions.In fact, while the HPE1000 Camaro SS is rated at 1008 hp, the figure for the HPE1000 ZL1 sits at 1,000 hp. But don't tell keyboard warriors about it, as they'll start a posting riot as it happened with the Camaro-SS-Beats-Corvette-C7-on-dyno story that was blown out of proportion.Returning to the Lone Star State developer's 2017 ZL1 program, this was quietly introduced on the tuner's website during a recent update.As we mentioned, the HPE1000 ZL1 will allow the driver to control 1,000 hp at 6,300 rpm - note that Hennessey straps its cars to the dyno and then estimates the crank output automakers love so much.Let's say you feel that 1,000 ponies are too much, but the 640 hp Chevrolet gifts the new ZL1 with also seem insufficient. This is where the rest of the upgrades step in, as you can dial your supercharged Camaro to 740, 800 or 850 horses.And since we're talking about a Camaro that hasn't even reached its customers yet, we have to also discuss warranty. While the HPE750 ZL1 will have you covered for 3 years/36,000 miles, the safety net is reduced to 2 years/24 miles for the HPE800 and HPE850 models.When it comes to the HPE1000 Camaro ZL1, this only gets a 1 year/12,000-mile warranty. Then again, we have a feeling this isn't all that important when you've got your forged internals and feel like the king of combustion thanks to getting over 1.5 times the original power of a 2017 ZL1.
AMG

We're talking about the SuperCarSunday that was held on the TT Circuit Assen. And since we talked about a video in the intro above, we have to explain this was an event that could easily confuse even the most experienced of supercar spotters.Then again, no true aficionado could keep his or her pulse from racing at the sight of such a horsepower cocktail. To make things even clearer, we'll give you a list of some of the go-fast toys that played on the Dutch track.We're talking about the McLaren P1, which was there in both "standard" and GTR guise, Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse World Record Edition, three Koenigseggs (including the Agera R CCXR Edition, Agera R and CCR).In fact, groups and pairs were a popular thing. While Porsche was represented by a 918 Spyder and a Carrera GT, the Prancing Horse pair took the generation gap even further, pairing a LaFerrari with an F40.So, what cars were present but didn't make it to the lists above? You know, the more basic stuff such as Cayman GT4s or a Mercedes-GT.And while these speed demons weren't there to set lap times, they weren't exactly babied, either. And, to prove this point, we've added a second clip at the bottom of the page showing an Agera R drifting during the octane madness.As for the soundtrack, this unfortunately is the kind of experience that can be fully captured and offered to us online. The sheer idea of so many duet and concert possibilities is enough to excite, though.
With the advent of the Giulia (Tipo 952), Alfa Romeo is back on track. The 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6-powered Giulia Quadrifoglio is the variant that reigns supreme, but the regular models arent too scruffy either. In fact, the Giulia looks like the Venus de Milo compared to its main rivals from Deutschland.
Fortunately, the smiles and giggles industry still has people who know how to do their thing while being reasonable. And they don't all have to come up with old-school humor like Frech veteran Remi Gaillard The latest worth-watching example comes from Coby Persin. A 21-year-old who likes to ride the YouTube wave hard, Coby describes himself as social experimenter/pranksters.And while many of his adventures treat delicate social issues, the most recent one saw the man flying to Dubai in order to pull an Uber prank.As a tourist with either financial or miscellaneous possibilities (as is the case with Coby here), one of the most interesting things about Dubai is that you can... improvise a lifestyle just as quickly as the city did back in the day when its effervescent ascension started.As far as the car aficionado inside you is concerned, this means you'll be able to rent almost any supercar or hypercar you can think of and without too much hassle.Sure, if you're looking to get behind the wheel of a Bugatti Veyron for a day, you may have to pay north of $10,000, but while Coby pursued that path, money was replaced by the need to see what happens when the now-retired velocity king plays the part of an Uber car.Perhaps the only downside of this stunt is that the ratio between male and female passengers is not as... balanced as in other videos of the sort, but we won't ruin the fun by letting that conclusion stick.
Rolls-Royce has presented a distinctive version of the ongoing Phantoms Coupe and Convertible versions, which will be called Zenith Collection. We are talking about a limited-edition of the model in two of its variations and which will only be made in 50 units.

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Photo of 2016 GMC Yukon XL Denali by Mike Antich.

The 2016 GMC Yukon XL Denali is a perfect fit for management level employees or business owners who value a body-on-frame architecture that excels in trailering capabilities, while offering a multitude of luxurious interior appointments.

I recently had an opportunity to test drive the Yukon XL Denali and my immediate driving impressions focused on its quiet and controlled ride. According to GMC, shear-style mounts attached to the frame have significantly improved stiffness and contributes to the Yukons smooth ride. The wheelbase of the Yukon XL is 14 inches longer and its overall length is 20 inches longer than the Yukon model.

The Yukon brand was relaunched as an all-new model in the 2015 model-year with new exterior and interior styling. Its wide rear track creates a confident sure-footedness in all driving environments, whether on a freeway or windy country road. This confident driving stance is further enhanced by the standard Stabli-Trak electronic stability control, tow/haul mode, trailer sway control, auto grade braking, and hill start assist.

As an extra added feature, the Denali model includes include third-generation Magnetic Ride Control, a real-time damping system that delivers more precise body motion control by reading the road every millisecond and changing damping in just five milliseconds.

Photo ofYukon XL Denali cabin by Mike Antich.

The Yukon XL Denali is powered by an exclusive 6.2L V-8 engine, which is the standard powertrain, coupled to the Hydra-Matic 8L90 eight-speed automatic transmission. According to GM, the 8L90 features smaller steps between gears, compared to the previous six-speed automatic, which keeps the engine within the sweet spot of the rpm band to make the most of its horsepower and torque to optimize performance and efficiency. The engine is brawny, generating 420 hp and 460 lb.-ft. of torque.

There is also plenty of cargo-carrying capacity in the Yukon XL, which features fold-flat second-and third-row seats. The Denali model offers a power-folding feature that makes it a snap to configure a flat surface to start loading cargo with a push of a button.

As would be expected with a Denali, it is loaded with technology, such as hands-free liftgate operation (also available on the SLT model), 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, and multiple USB ports and accessory power outlets.

For 2016, the Yukon Enhanced Driver Alert Package adds Lane Keep Assist, which gently steers the vehicle back into its lane when it detects the driver is inadvertently leaving the lane of travel.
Photo of Chevrolet Traverse courtesy of GM.

General Motors is telling its dealers to hold off on selling 2016 model-year Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia SUVs until they get new window stickers with corrected fuel economy ratings, according to Edmunds.com.

The stickers currently affixed to these vehicles overstate fuel economy by 1-2 mpg, so the automaker is readying the corrected stickers for delivery to dealer lots. The 2016-MY Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia are rated at 15 mpg for city driving and 22 mpg for the highway, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The stop-sale order affects about 60,000 vehicles at dealerships.

GM has already notified the EPA about the correction and is also working to correct advertising and marketing materials.

"This error was discovered as GM engineers worked on the 2017 model year labels, and was quickly reported to EPA," said Robert E. Wheeler, communications manager for General Motors fleet customer care and aftersales. "We continue to work with the EPA on this issue."

GM will also contact owners of the 2016-MY SUVs to inform them of the correction. The label error has no effect on the safety or operation of the vehicles involved.

Meanwhile, a Consumer Reports article is raising questions about whether such fuel-economy corrections should be made to cover 2 million additional GM vehicles. The automaker, however, hasn't announced any such plans.
Kinky Fantasy Club, the latest feature from Severe Sex, is one that really shows how diverse the company has become.

For years, Dee Severe and Jimmy Broadway produced movies that featured only hardcore BDSM scenes that catered to a more select crowd. And while they produce amazing content that really appeals to fans of the BDSM lifestyle, theyve recently started creating movies that are really showcasing their talents and getting Severe Sex titles in front of a much wider audience. And they have accomplished this without alienating the fans of their hardcore content.

Kinky Fantasy Club is a charming romantic comedy, if you will, that centers on four guys who head out to a strip club to bond and try to get over their relationship woes. The first part of the tale, written by Severe, introduces the men, their women and their problems.

It opens with Ela Darling and Dominick Kross, who brings an intense blowjob scene to a screeching halt when he slips up and mentions his fantasy: a big breasted woman bouncing her tits while on top of him. Tommy Pistol welcomes home wife Casey Calvert, who proceeds to belittle him after she returns from spending his money. Charlotte Cross interrupts boyfriend Tony Orlando, who is watching porn (a nice Easter egg: the porn hes watching is from Forbidden Fruit Films) and dreaming of a threesome, while she complains about having to take care of him despite him not fucking her for months. Rounding out the male performers is Brad Knight, who is ready to sit at home, once again by himself, and watch a documentary on Star Wars before being convinced to join his friends for a night of debauchery.

Once at the club, the men make the tragic mistake of being rude to bartender Kiki DAire, who serves them up a special drink before Kira Noir takes the stage for an amazing feature dance. As the drinks being to take effect, the men each find themselves daydreaming their fantasies, but with a twist.

For Kross, he finally gets with his big-breasted fantasy woman, Alura Jenson, but she only proceeds to humiliate him as she cuffs him to the outside of a cage and teases/torments him with nipple clamps, whips and paddles.

Orlando gets his threesome, but it sees him cuffed to a chair, wearing a ball gag and chastity device making sure he can only watch as Lily Cade fucks Cross with a strap-on and her fingers before they each perform cunnilingus on one another. (Cross is sure to inform Orlando that Cade eats her pussy much better than he ever has.)

Pistol gets revenge on Calvert in his fantasy sequence, when he has her strapped to a St. Andrews Cross and reddens her torso, thighs and pussy with his palms, a riding crop and a whip before he sets her free to perform a blowjob on him and they engage in doggie and cowgirl until he finally cums on her face.

And Knight gets probably the best fantasy, when he gets pulled on stage by Noir, who proceeds to give him a blowjob and cowgirl before he cums on her face and in her mouth.

When the men wake up in an alley the next morning, they each return home to resolve their relationship issues in one way or another.

There is a lot more traditional sex in Kinky Fantasy Club than one might expect in a BDSM movie, but its good, authentic and hot sex, which makes it really worth watching. The movie also sees some great acting performances from Pistol (naturally) and Calvert together, as well as the rest of the cast.

The two-disc set also features a full-length version of Darlings blowjob performance on Kross and Noirs feature dance. (Those scenes alone are worth the price of admission.)

In all, Kinky Fantasy Club shows Severe Sex is really making its way into features (the companys Fifty Shades parody last year was a big hit), and its nice to see them doing it with quality performers, great sex scenes and sharp scripts.
An uneven but thoroughly watchable entry into Joey Silveras seemingly endless collection of series featuring comely transsexuals, this time in L.A., Brazil and Bangkok locations.

Brazilian Deborah Mastronelly starts things off by untucking her special something from her black lingerie and welcoming the attentions of Tony Lee for a flip fuck scene that results in a run in her stocking. Then the action shifts to L.A., where cis-girl Kassondra Raine gets nasty with Nina Lawless, who pronounces her filthy, but in a good way. Another location change takes viewers to Bangkok, where pretty Name and braces-wearing Toei look serious while engaging in some parallel masturbation and pink yogurt snowballing.

The focus remains on the Orient, where 23-year-old Fon waves at the camera a lot and strokes her uncut cock impassively, forgetting all her English when director Silvera attempts to interview her. Later, sassy confidence and a pink vibrator up the ass set Anna apart from the rest.

Bo Ryder appears to have the time of his life with pretty Barbara, whose honking English is minimal. Nicoly Sanches shoots a savage glance of raw desire at the camera before Diego Alemao crawls across the bed to be with her. Their scene ends suddenly, which is jarring.
The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to work out safeguards against ceasefire violations around Nagorno-Karabakh and resume their search for a compromise peace deal during talks in Vienna mediated by the United States, Russia and France late on Monday.

Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev will meet again as early as next month in an attempt to revive the Karabakh peace process, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Frances State Secretary for Europe Affairs Harlem Desir said after co-hosting the talks.

The Presidents reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and the peaceful settlement of the conflict, read a joint statement issued by them. To reduce the risk of further violence, they agreed to finalize in the shortest possible time an OSCE investigative mechanism.

The Presidents also agreed to the expansion of the existing Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office, it said, referring to a small multinational team monitoring the ceasefire regime in the conflict zone.

The U.S., Russian and French mediators have for years pressed the conflicting sides to accept these confidence-building measures, hoping to reverse a steady increase in the intensity and frequency of armed incidents on the Armenian-Azerbaijani frontlines. They have been backed by the Armenian side but effectively rejected by Azerbaijan until recently. The latter has claimed that the proposed measures would only cement the status quo favorable to the Armenians.

Following the April 2 outbreak of heavy fighting in and around Karabakh, Yerevan insisted on these safeguards -- and OSCE investigations of truce violations in particular -- as a precondition for restarting talks with Baku. The mediating powers agreed that the shaky ceasefire regime needs to be urgently bolstered in order to avert another dangerous escalation of the Karabakh conflict. The issue was apparently the main focus of the latest Armenian-Azerbaijani summit that began immediately after Kerrys separate talks with Sarkisian and Aliyev.

Speaking to Russian reporters after the late-night summit, Lavrov said the OSCE will now formulate concrete steps allowing investigations of armed incidents on the Line of Contact.

The joint statement by Kerry, Lavrov and Desir also announced: The Presidents agreed on a next round of talks, to be held in June at a place to be mutually agreed, with an aim to resuming negotiations on a comprehensive settlement.

In Lavrovs words, the mediators now hope to not only ease tensions on the frontlines but also kick-start the peace process. We aim to  start moving forward towards a complete settlement of the conflict, he said. Given the fairly tense situation between the parties, that will probably have to be done gradually.

There are possibilities of agreeing the parameters of the first phase of the settlement. They were formulated within the framework of Russian mediation that was in tune with the overall approaches of the [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairs and received the backing of our American and French partners.

The Russian minister alluded to the Basic Principles of the conflicts resolution, which were first put forward by the mediators in 2007 and have been repeatedly modified by them since then.

The proposed framework peace accord calls for Armenian withdrawal from virtually all districts around Karabakh before a future referendum on Karabakhs status. The vote would enable the disputed territorys predominantly Armenian population to gain international recognition of its de facto secession from Azerbaijan.

Aliyev and Sarkisian came close to cutting a peace deal based on this formula at a 2011 summit in Kazan that was hosted by then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Lavrov confirmed last month Armenia didnt reject the Kazan document.

We have reason to think that Armenian and Azerbaijani negotiators are intent on formulating compromises, Lavrov said in Vienna on Monday. We are going to facilitate that in every possible way.

Neither Aliyev nor Sarkisian talked to the press after the summit.
President Serzh Sarkisian questioned Azerbaijans commitment to the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone on Tuesday after he and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev agreed on confidence-building measures designed to prevent fresh fighting there.

Sarkisian said at the same time that he is largely satisfied with his talks with Aliyev that were co-hosted in Vienna late on Monday by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Frances Secretary of State for Europe Affairs Harlem Desir.

The president of Azerbaijan assured that his country and he personally does not aim to solve any issue through hostilities, he told Armenias leading TV channels while flying back to Yerevan. That is good but it gives us little faith because there have been many conversations before but the fact is that agreements have not been honored [by Azerbaijan] for several years.

But we cannot be guided only by our presumptions and predictions because war is not the best solution, said Sarkisian. So we will see how events develop.

In a joint statement issued right after the Vienna talks, Kerry, Lavrov and Desir said Aliyev and Sarkisian reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and agreed to let the OSCE investigate truce violations and deploy more monitors on the Karabakh line of contact.

We should not pay too much attention to those agreements considering our past experience, cautioned Sarkisian. We have had 20 meetings [with Aliyev.] We agreed on many things during those meetings. But on his return to Baku the president of Azerbaijan made totally different statements. Time will tell how events develop this time around.

The important thing for us is the following: the [U.S., Russian and French] co-chairs should once again see that our aim is not to maintain the status quo and wage a perpetual war, he added.

Even so, the Armenian leader was hopeful that ceasefire violations will now decrease. I dont think that they will end starting from tomorrow, he said. But I hope that things will be much calmer than they have been until now.

Skirmishes along the line of contact around Karabakh actually intensified overnight, immediately after the Aliyev-Sarkisian encounter in Vienna, leaving one Armenian and one Azerbaijani soldier dead. Each warring side blamed the other for the fighting.

The Karabakh Armenian army said Azerbaijani forces fired nearly 80 mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and light cannon shells towards its positions southeast of Karabakh.

Kerry and Lavrov also announced that the Armenian and Azerbaijani president agreed to again meet next month and resume discussions on a framework peace accord drafted by the three mediating powers. Sarkisian said he proposed that the meeting take place after the OSCE puts in place the agreed safeguards against truce violations. Aliyev did not object to the proposal, he said.

Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov gave on Tuesday a positive assessment of the latest Armenian-Azerbaijani summit, saying that it laid the groundwork for the start of substantive negotiations between the parties. Those talks should get underway as soon as possible, the APA news agency quoted him as saying.

Mammadyarov did not comment on the confidence-building measures that were agreed at Vienna. Baku has previously opposed them, saying that they would only cement the status quo.

The main purpose of the high-level talks in the Austrian capital was to de-escalate the conflict following last months heavy fighting in and around Karabakh, which left at least 180 soldiers from both sides dead. The four-day hostilities threatened to escalate into an all-out war.
17 May 2016 15:38 (UTC+04:00)

By Gulgiz Dadashova

The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan finally met in Vienna to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which raised hopes for peace in the region following the worst clashes in two decades.

The May 16 meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan become the first talk since a surge in fighting in early April that killed Azerbaijani civilians and sparked fears of a return to full-scale war.

Top diplomats from the United States, Russia and France, who are spearheading efforts to end the decades-long conflict, participated in the talks aimed at strengthening a precious ceasefire brokered by Moscow.

The meeting attended by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, OSCE Minsk group co-chairs, and special representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk seems to make a progress, though tiny.

The presidents agreed on a next round of talks, to be held in June at a place to be mutually agreed, with an aim to resuming negotiations on a comprehensive settlement, a statement released by the OSCE following the meeting reads.

To reduce the risk of further violence, the presidents also agreed to finalize in the shortest possible time an OSCE investigative mechanism. The presidents also agreed to the expansion of the existing Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office. Finally, they agreed to continue the exchange of data on missing persons under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to which the Presidents committed during the Paris summit of October 2014."

The U.S.-initiated peace talks seem to be a new page in the conflict that reached its culmination following the war rhetoric after the April escalation. The fierce fighting on the line of contact showed that the long-standing status quo is untenable.

Before the Armenia-Azerbaijan talks, a senior U.S. official said that a deal was possible because  unlike in the case of Syria  Moscow and Washington were in agreement.

This is a solvable conflict, there are some conflicts out there that simply have to be managed. But this is one that can be solved, Euractiv quoted a senior U.S. as saying to reporters. This is an issue where we see eye-to-eye with the Russians. We have no differences of opinion.

The world powers, including the OSCE MG mediation countries realized that the longer the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict lasts, the higher is the risk of new escalation in a conflict that has already turned the South Caucasus into a hot spot.

Russias Lavrov, following the talks, stated that the mediators aim for the full settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Russian media reports that Lavrov welcomed the deal, saying: Compromise is always possible.

The Kremlin has also tuned to positive tone after the meeting. "There are grounds for cautious optimism after the Vienna meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders," said Dmitry Peskov, Russian president's press secretary, commenting on the meeting.

Asked about the Vienna meeting and what is the view of Kremlin is it possible to say that the acute phase of the conflict has already passed," Peskov said: "Of course, the necessary evaluations have been given by our Foreign Minister. We want to hope that there are grounds for cautious optimism in the sense that it will allow the continuation of a sustained period. "

Azerbaijani FM Elmar Mammadyarov shared his Russian counterpart's assessment saying yesterday's meeting opens good opportunity to start the substantial talks on well-known step-by-step approach on conflict resolution.

"These talks must start as soon as possible and produce tangible results so awaited by people in the region and the international community," Mammadyarov emphasized.

While Russia has brokered a partial ceasefire on the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops and Vienna hosted the U.S.-brokered talks between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Armenian side continued its provocations on the frontline of troops.

In parallel with the Vienna talks to end the conflict, on the conflict zone Armenian troops breached the ceasefire and killed Azerbaijani soldier.

It seems Armenia remain loyal to its scenario of peace talks by repeating provocations after each meeting of the presidents. What is more important now is to prevent this happening again.

No serious meetings between the two presidents have been held for a very long time and the Vienna meeting can be an excellent start for ending this lingering conflict.

Azerbaijan has numerously warned that it will not tolerate the ever-lasting status quo when 20 percent of its internationally recognized territory is under occupation and over 1 million of its citizens are displaced in the their own territory. Baku wants the conflict back on the agenda of the international community, as it is frustrated over the stalled peace process and the continued occupation of territory. The Azerbaijani side wants the conflict to be solved in accordance with the international legislation.

Theretofore, the world powers need to seriously engage in the conflict resolution and warn, and even sanction Yerevan for its attempt to undermine the peace process. Such provocations are very dangerous at the current situation, as they raise the chance of a war. While the recent hostilities were de-escalated, one can take it for granted that this is always going to be the case.

--

Follow Gulgiz Dadashova on Twitter: @GulgizD

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
17 May 2016 11:14 (UTC+04:00)

Soon after the talks on the conflict, a soldier of the Azerbaijani armed forces, Tahirli Natig, was killed as a result of ceasefire violation on the troops' line of contact by the Armenian Armed Forces, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry reported May 17.

"As a result of immediate measures, the Armenian side suffered heavy losses," the ministry stated.

The Defense Ministry`s officials offered deep condolences to the relatives and friends of the martyr, wishing them patience.

"Military-political regime of Armenia bears full responsibility for any future incidents and other side's losses," the Defense Ministry reiterated.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
17 May 2016 12:34 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Lachin, a mountainous pearl of Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus, has been embraced deep in fog shining grief and sorrow for almost 24 years.

Exactly twenty four years have passed from the occupation of ancient Azerbaijani region of Lachin, leaving a lot of tears, grief and suffering for Azerbaijani people. Twenty four years of expectations and promises, search and hope that, as we know, dies last ...



"For you I will sacrifice for all of my life, Lachin!... says the famous Azerbaijans folk song.

A quarter of a century ago this song sounded differently for Azerbaijanis. But today it holds a different value for the Azerbaijani people, recalling the wound of the lost homeland, where once they lived happily and peacefully.

The chain of events in 1992 are one of the most difficult in the history of Azerbaijan. That May, Azerbaijanis received two big hits, losing two strategic heights in the war against Armenian occupants -- Shusha and Lachin.

The occupation of Lachin region on May 17-18, was the third fatal loss after Khojaly and Shusha, a strategically important area, which is actually prejudged the fate of the first phase of the Karabakh war.

Lachin, valued for its strategically important geo-position with wonderful and rich nature, was the only direct road from Armenia to Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The occupation of Lachin, with a particular significance, dealt a serious blow to Azerbaijan's economy. The losses incurred are estimated at $7 billion.

After the occupation of once flourishing Lachin, the region came to a complete standstill.

Lachin region including 121 villages with a total area of 1,835 square kilometers, accommodated more than 63,000 Azerbaijanis, who have been displaced and temporarily settled in a dozen areas of the country. More than 300 military men and civilians were killed or went missing during Lachin's occupation, and 103 people were wounded or disabled. As many as 18 Azerbaijani children were killed, 225 were injured, and 31 lost both parents.

Occupation of Lachin also caused tremendous damage to historical heritage of Azerbaijan: priceless historical, cultural, architectural and religious monuments were destroyed.

A total of 8,950 buildings, 7 industrial and construction enterprises, 471 service facilities, 154 schools, and hundreds of cultural and historical monuments remain under occupation.

These are not just dry statistics of losses, but an incurable wound inflicted to the people of Azerbaijan as a result of Armenian aggression. The wound that bleeds on the body of Azerbaijan. Today Lachin, like other Azerbaijani lands under occupation, are waiting for their deliverers.

An undeclared war between Armenia and Azerbaijan are still ongoing and for 24 years, the two countries live the period of cold war: Azerbaijan continues to seek a way out of this situation, while the Armenian separatists entrenched in Azerbaijani lands, simply ignore all kinds of conventions and regulations regarding them.

Despite four UN Security Council resolutions calling on Armenia to immediately withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territory, Armenia continues its illegal and illegitimate occupation.

However, to this day, the situation has not changed. Over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions are under occupation of Armenia.



About one million Azerbaijanis are deprived of opportunities for normal living, while the perpetrators of the massacre still remain at large.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
17 May 2016 06:40 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has met with the US Secretary of State John Kerry.

The meeting was held during the working visit of President Aliyev to Austria May 16.

During the meeting, the US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed the concern of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries over the recent developments along the line of contact.

Kerry said that because of that, the co-chairing countries have made a decision on holding a meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia at an initiative of the US. He said it is important to achieve certain agreement during the meeting.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev thanked the US Secretary of State for organizing the meeting. The president expressed readiness to continue the talks around these issues.
17 May 2016 07:06 (UTC+04:00)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State of the United States of America John Kerry, and State Secretary for European Affairs of France Harlem Desir, representing the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, met today with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to advance a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trend reports.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State of the United States of America John Kerry, and State Secretary for European Affairs of France Harlem Desir, representing the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, met today with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to advance a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trend reports.

They reiterated that there can be no military solution to the conflict. The Co-Chairs insisted on the importance of respecting the 1994 and 1995 ceasefire agreements.

The Presidents reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and the peaceful settlement of the conflict. To reduce the risk of further violence, they agreed to finalize in the shortest possible time an OSCE investigative mechanism. The Presidents also agreed to the expansion of the existing Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office. Finally, they agreed to continue the exchange of data on missing persons under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to which the Presidents committed during the Paris summit of October 2014.

The Presidents agreed on a next round of talks, to be held in June at a place to be mutually agreed, with an aim to resuming negotiations on a comprehensive settlement
17 May 2016 10:39 (UTC+04:00)

Relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are developing intensively, Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister, said.

He made the remarks May 16 at an event dedicated to the Europe Day in Baku.

Mammad-Guliyev congratulated the EU ambassador and all the EU nations on the Europe Day.

"Azerbaijan is a member of the Eastern Partnership and we hope to strengthen our cooperation," noted the deputy minister.

"We believe the EU will contribute to the solution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he added.

Mammad-Guliyev thanked the EU for its support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

A groundbreaking ceremony for Trans Adriatic Pipeline will be held on May 17 in Thessaloniki, Greece, said the deputy FM, adding "we will continue to invest to ensure Europe's energy security."

"We continue the work on a new agreement on strategic cooperation and we hope Europe will soon express its stance on it and the sides will begin negotiations," added Mammad-Guliyev.

He also noted that Azerbaijan is waiting for a mandate for the negotiations on new strategic cooperation with the EU.

"The EU representatives came here, we exchanged views, then a video conference was held, and then they sent a number of written questions," said the deputy FM, adding it happened for the first time in the EU history that a country submits proposals to the EU, not the other way around.

"Therefore, it takes time," added Mammad-Guliyev. "I think the mandate will be issued soon and negotiations will begin."

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17 May 2016 12:49 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov commented on the remarks made by his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov regarding the recent presidential meeting.

A meeting was held in Vienna on May 16 involving President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, OSCE Minsk group co-chairs, and special representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

"I agree with the Foreign Minister of Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov's assessment that yesterday's meeting opens good opportunity to start the substantial talks on well-known step-by-step approach on [Nagorno-Karabakh] conflict resolution," said the minister.

These talks must start as soon as possible and produce tangible results so awaited by people in the region and the international community, he added.

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18 May 2016 15:21 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan will celebrate a day of national pride - the 98th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) on May 28, 1918.

President of the Republic of Korea Park Geun-hye has congratulated Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the Republic Day.

"On the occasion of the Republic Day, I would like to express my warm congratulations to Your Excellency and the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan," said Park Geun-hye in his congratulatory letter.

"I hope that the coming years will see the friendly and cooperative ties between our two countries as well as the bonds of friendship and happiness of our two peoples grow even further," he added.

"Please accept my best wishes for Your Excellency's continued good health and the enduring prosperity of your country," Park Geun-hye said.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has also congratulated President Aliyev.

"As Azerbaijan celebrates its National Day, I extend to Your Excellency my congratulations and my best wishes for the well-being of the people of Azerbaijan," he said.

Azerbaijan's president also received congratulations from President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins.

"The people of Ireland join me in conveying to Your Excellency our sincere congratulations and warmest greetings on the occasion of your National Day," said Michael D. Higgins.

"We also avail ourselves of this opportunity to send best wishes for Your Excellency's personal well-being and for the happiness and prosperity of the people of Azerbaijan," he added.

President of the Republic of the Philippines Benigno S. Aquino III also congratulated Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the Republic Day.

"On behalf of the people and Government of the Republic of the Philippines, I congratulate Your Excellency on the occasion of your National Day," he said.

"I look forward to the strengthening of our bilateral relations through enhanced cooperation especially in the political, economic, and cultural fields and through collaborative efforts on issues of mutual importance to our nations and the international community," Benigno S. Aquino III added.

"I wish Your Excellency good health and success as you lead the people of Azerbaijan to lasting peace and prosperity," he said.

Pope Francis congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the Republic Day.

"I am pleased to convey my sincere congratulations to you and your people on the occasion of the national day of the Republic of Azerbaijan," Pope Francis's message said.

"May Almighty God help you realize your efforts towards ensuring a happy and peaceful life for your citizens," the message said." "I wish your Excellency and the whole people of Azerbaijan plenty of God`s blessings."

President of the Republic of India Pranab Mukherjee also congratulated President Aliyev on the holiday.

"On behalf of the government, the people of India and on my own behalf, it gives me great pleasure to convey cordial greetings and felicitations to you and to the government and people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of your Republic Day," President Mukherjee's message said.

According to the message, India and Azerbaijan enjoy warm and friendly relations based on close historical and cultural ties.

"I am confident that through our cooperative endeavors our bilateral relations will continue to grow for the mutual benefit of our two peoples," the message said.

According to the message, India looks forward to further strengthening the country's multi-faceted engagement with Azerbaijan.

"I take this opportunity to extend my best wishes for Your Excellency's good health and well-being as well as for the prosperity and progress of the friendly people of Azerbaijan," the message said.

President of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic also congratulated President Aliyev on the holiday.

"I extend my cordial congratulations on the occasion of the national holiday of Azerbaijan, May 28 Republic Day," President Vujanovic's message said. "I wish for continued advance of Azerbaijan along prosperity for its citizens."

According to the message, the relations between Montenegro and Azerbaijan have always been cordial and friendly.

"I am confident that our future cooperation will further foster such relations between our states and nations," the message said.

"I avail myself of the opportunity to reiterate the expression of my high appreciation of the cooperation between our two countries, to which you have given huge personal contribution we are very grateful for," the message said.

"Esteemed Mr President, I wish you good health and success in performing your high duty," the message said.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto also congratulated President Aliyev on the holiday.

"It is my pleasure to extend to you my sincere congratulations on the occasion of the National Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan - Republic Day," the message said.

"I avail myself of this opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the Mexican government to work together to strengthen and expand the bilateral relations for the welfare of our countries and societies," the message said.

"Dear Mr. President, please accept the assurances of my highest consideration," the message said.

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17 May 2016 14:55 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan has urged international community to condemn Armenia for the use of white phosphorus weapon by the Armenian armed forces against civilians and civilian facilities, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry announced in a statement released on May 17.

In recent escalations starting from April 2, 2016, armed forces of Armenia among numerous instances of deliberate shelling on civilians and civilian facilities of Azerbaijan with artillery and large-caliber weapons have also used shells containing chemicals such as white phosphorus, said the statement.

The Foreign Ministry said that one of such shells landed in Eskipara village of the Terter district of Azerbaijan, coincidentally missing its prime target and landing on the cultivated cotton field. It was later found by Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) on May 10.

If landed on the densely populated part of Eskipara village, the projectile would have inflicted serious casualties and injuries among the civilians, according to the statement.

"Military attaches of foreign embassies accredited in Azerbaijan have been immediately informed on the fact of usage of such weapon by Armenia against the Azerbaijani civilians. This case was observed and well documented on May 11 2016, during the visit to Eskipara village of 20 representatives and military attaches from 13 countries, as well as field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference," Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry added.

"The investigation has revealed that ammunition, which was fired by the armed forces of Armenia, is a D-4 type (smoke bomb) 122 mm artillery shell," said the statement. "It weights 27.07 kg and contains 3.6 kg of P4 (the chemical code of white phosphorus)."

"Special Investigation Unit of the Republic of Azerbaijan Military Prosecutor's Office inspected the territory where the shell was found. The Republic of Azerbaijan Military Prosecutor's Office has initiated a criminal case upon this fact under the following articles of Azerbaijan's Criminal Code: Article 29,120.2.7 (attempt to kill two or more people), 29,120.2.12 (attempt to kill on ethnic, racial or religious grounds) and 116.0.16 (use of weapons, means and methods of warfare prohibited by interstate agreements during an armed conflict)," said the Foreign Ministry.

A preliminary investigation into the fact is underway in the Republic of Azerbaijan Military Prosecutor's Office, according to the statement.

The defense ministry also released a video footage of the defuse of the shell (link - http://mod.gov.az/index2.php?content=news/2016/20160511_attasecebhe). The ministry's statement said that that the trajectory of fire presents numerous evidence that the shell which belonged to Armenia is a white phosphorus bomb and fired from the nearby positions of the armed forces of Armenia.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said that it is well known that weapons containing white phosphorus are extremely toxic when inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through burned areas and can have severe negative impacts on human health.

"Such weapons cause severe, partial to full-thickness thermal and chemical burns upon contact with skin, often down to the bone. Absorbed through the skin white phosphorus can survive long enough in the human body to damage the heart, kidney or liver, leading to multiple organ failure or death," said the statement.

Consonant with general international humanitarian law, attacks on civilians or civilian objects as are attacks on forests or other kinds of plant cover (like cultivated area in Eskipara village) with White Phosphorus shells are prohibited under the Protocol III on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW or CCWC) of 1980, according to the ministry.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said that Armenia with the intentional strike at civilian objects of Azerbaijan using high-explosive white phosphorous grossly violates its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, such as 1949 Geneva Conventions, and in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention.

"Weapons containing white phosphorus can also qualify as 'incendiary weapon or device' under the 1997 International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings which Armenia acceded in 2004," said the statement. " The Convention applies to any 'explosive or incendiary weapon or device that is designed, or has the capability, to cause death, serious bodily injury or substantial material damage' or a weapon that has these effects through toxic chemicals, biological agents, toxins, or radiation."

The statement said that alongside the Republic of Armenia's responsibility as a state for internationally wrongful acts, violations by Armenia of international humanitarian and human rights law during the conflict amount to crimes under international criminal law.

"The Republic of Azerbaijan urges the international community to condemn Armenia for such blatant violations of international law," Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said.

Below are the details of the white phosphorus bomb used by the Armenian Armed forces against Azerbaijani civilians:

Type: D-4 White Phosphorus shell

Detonating fuse: RGM-2

Color: Khaki or gray

Case: Metallic

Assignment: Smoke shell

Composition: 3.6 kg of P-4 (chemical code) white or yellow phosphorus

Weight of the explosive: 0.145 kg TNT (trotyl)

Caliber: 122 mm

Length: 496.6 mm

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17 May 2016 16:15 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov will discuss in France the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with France's Secretary of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, French Foreign Ministry's website reported on May 17.

The meeting will be held on May 19 in Paris.

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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17 May 2016 16:17 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan's First Lady, MP Mehriban Aliyeva has appealed to the country's parliament over the adoption of the act of pardon on the occasion of the Republic Day (May 28), said Ziyafat Asgarov, first vice-speaker of Azerbaijani parliament.

The act of pardon is expected to apply to 10,000 prisoners, he said on May 17, adding that 3,500 of them will be released from the places of detention.

Asgarov pointed out that it is the fourth appeal of Mehriban Aliyeva to the parliament over the adoption of the act of pardon.

It is planned to hold the parliament's meeting on this issue on May 20.

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17 May 2016 17:43 (UTC+04:00)

The OSCE Minsk Group (MG) is encouraged by the outcome of Vienna meeting of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, the OSCE MG's US co-chair James Warlick told Trend on May 17.

A meeting was held in Vienna on May 16 involving President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, French Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, OSCE Minsk group co-chairs, and special representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

"We are very encouraged by the outcome of yesterday's meetings," Warlick said. "Both presidents committed themselves to respect the ceasefire, put in place important confidence-building measures, and begin negotiations next month that can lead to a comprehensive settlement."

The presidents demonstrated the political will to move beyond the status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and take steps that can benefit all the people in the region, he said.

The US and the OSCE MG co-chairs stand ready to assist in whatever way they can, said Warlick.

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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17 May 2016 14:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

The Azerbaijani government is planning to offer an alternative to easy credits for entrepreneurs engaged in small business.

The government is currently drafting a new program on the support of small business entities which envisages assignment of ready mini projects to them, member of parliamentary committee on economic policy, industry and entrepreneurship, MP Rufat Guliyev told Trend.

The program is expected to be an alternative to easy credits, which are supplied by National Fund for Entrepreneurship Support under the Ministry of Economy. The government will hold a selection of entrepreneurs with participation of experts in every region of the country and elect the most experienced. The government will also sign individual contracts with successful candidates. It will not offer a financial support to these entrepreneurs but will provide them with ready projects with the total cost amounting to from several thousand to tens of thousands manats, he said.

Entrepreneurs may get small cattle which will remain state property. In this case, they will not get a right of selling or butchering but will be eligible for the dispose of animal yield. Guliyev mentioned that mini projects will cover the spheres of plant growing, vegetable growing, and livestock sector. MP mentioned that currently other projects on the support of small business entities in the country are also under development. He mentioned that the advantage of this program is the lack of "misuse" problem. The problem of improper use of state budget may occur in easy credits supply, while in the case of ready projects the issue is excluded.

Ready projects may give a stimulus for the further development of small and medium businesses in Azerbaijan. Currently small and medium businesses support is provided by the National Fund for Entrepreneurship Support, State agency on Agricultural credits issued by non-bank credit organizations and banks. Starting from 2002, manufacturers in the sphere of agriculture are exempt of all taxes (with the exception of the land tax), since 2007 farmers receive subsidies for the purchase of mineral fertilizers and fuel on easy terms.

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17 May 2016 16:34 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan, located in a southeast part of Transcaucasian region, and Egypt, located in the northeastern corner of Africa, seek to open a new stage of cooperation in tourism.

To further develop relations and discuss the prospects, representatives of Egypts Tourism Administration and the Association of Hoteliers visited the capital Baku this week.

Alongside the official delegation representatives of 13 leading Egyptian tour operators also visited the country to establish fruitful cooperation with local companies providing tourist services.

The Egyptian delegation led by Ahmed Shoukry, the head of the international tourism sector at the Tourism Activation Authority, Ahmed Ayoub, the head of the Hoteliers Association of Egypt, representatives of Egypt Tourism Federation Adel El Haggar and Ali Gonaym, and Fathy Attia, the commercial director at the Egyptian Air Cairo airline, as well as Egyptian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Suzanne Mohamed Gamil gave press conference on the results of the visit.

At the event, the Egyptian side announced that they are ready to offer new and attractive best quality packages for Azerbaijani tourists.

After a slight fall, the tourist flow from Azerbaijan to the Egyptian popular resorts rose again in 2011-2013. For the past two years thousands of Azerbaijanis visited Egypt. The most popular months for travel were December, January and March.



Last year more than 3,000 Azerbaijani tourists visited Egypt, according to Ahmed Shoukry. He said that the country plans to increase this figure significantly for the next two years.

Holiday in Egypt justifies its price and quality of service. All created just for tourists. The tourist season in Egypt does not end and the country welcomes guests all year round, he said.

Meanwhile the flow of the national tourists to Egypt is expected to increase even more, since Sharm el-Sheikh-Baku direct flight will be launched starting June 3.

Air Cairo low fare subsidiary of Egypt Air will open regular Baku-Sharm el-Sheikh-Baku flights to be performed once a week.

Cairo and Baku enjoy relations which date back to centuries ago but since the last century they have developed closer contacts. Egyptians and Azerbaijanis have much in common: traditions, culture, customs, attitudes and religion.



Since Azerbaijan has gained its independence in 1991, the two countries have started building relations in the political, economic, cultural and educational spheres.

Tourism has traditionally played one of the most important places in Egypt's economy, and more than four million Egyptians are working in tourism sector, and almost 12 percent of the countrys GDP are revenue from tourism.

Over the past decade, the flow of tourists in Egypt has tripled from five to 15 million, and the accommodation capacity of resorts increased from 18,000 to 280,000, and another 250, 000 are prepared for commissioning.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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17 May 2016 15:15 (UTC+04:00)

Baku will host the annual conference of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), which has more than 300 members from 88 countries, the Baku International Sea Trade Port CJSC reported on May 17.

A delegation from the Baku International Sea Trade Port participated at the annual conference of the IAPH that was held in Panama on May 10-13. Baku Port has been a full member of the IAPH since 2010.

During the conference, IAPH Secretary General Susumu Naruse said that the Association was a wonderful forum for ports around the world to collaborate and share their experiences.

"We are happy to have chosen Baku as host city for the 2018 mid-term conference and look forward to visiting Azerbaijan and seeing at firsthand the developments in and around the new Port of Baku," added Naruse.

IAPH President Santiago Garcia Mila, in his turn, pointed to the significance of the decision to hold the IAPH conference for the first time ever in Azerbaijan and in a region of the world that has undergone such rapid economic growth.

"I trust that delegates from across the world will also eagerly anticipate a visit to Port of Baku in 2018 and seeing for themselves its role as the transit and logistics hub for Eurasia," said Mila.

Director General of Baku port Taleh Ziyadov highlighted the importance of the Association's selection of Baku.

"Hosting the IAPH annual mid-term conference in 2018 will be a major opportunity to promote our country and its development," said Ziyadov. "We hope to welcome over 500 delegates from ports around the world to visit the country's capital in 2018."

Participants will become acquainted with the new Baku port and Free Trade Zone (FTZ) that is being developed around it and also learn about Azerbaijan's history and culture, added Ziyadov.

The International Association of Ports and Harbors was established in 1955 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Its annual conferences feature discussions on important issues that include: port stability and security, the development of new port facilities, the impact of environmental change, information technologies and port operations. The 2015 annual conference was held in Hamburg, and Bali (Indonesia) is the venue for 2017.

President Aliyev signed a decree on March 17 on measures to establish a special economic area in the Alat settlement, which will also include the territory of the new Baku International Sea Trade Port.

The decree has been signed for ensuring sustainable economic development, increasing the competitiveness and creating a multi-vector transport infrastructure in Azerbaijan.

Once established, the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) will bring huge revenues to Azerbaijan's state budget. The profitability of FTZ has many examples in the world; FTZ in Hong Kong or in Dubai turned both cities into a center of attraction for investors from all around the world, and paved the way for inflow of huge funds to the countries.
17 May 2016 18:11 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan and Croatia will discuss their future cooperation during the second meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission in October 2016, Refik Sabanovic, Croatian Charge d'Affaires to Azerbaijan told Trend.

He said that the meeting will take place in Baku with a business forum to be held in its framework.

The parties will discuss their abilities to increase investments, expand business cooperation and other relevant issues.

Azerbaijan and Croatia have signed over 20 contracts and agreements, and the countries are going to accept 13 new.

The states have potential for cooperation in energy, engineering, telecommunications, agriculture, fisheries and pharmacology spheres. Moreover, the countries triggered direct flights between each other. This can encourage exchange of tourists between Croatia and Azerbaijan.

According to the State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Croatia in January-April amounted to $70 million, increasing twice compared to the same period in 2015.

Croatia and Montenegro are going to build a branch of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which is a projected pipeline to transport natural gas from the Azerbaijani shore of the Caspian Sea to Italy through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea and further to the Western Europe.

TAP project was announced in 2003 by Swiss energy company EGL Group. The feasibility study was concluded in March 2006. Along with the significance of trade relations development between Azerbaijan and the EU, TAP will play an important role in resolving problems such as energy security and energy dependence.

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17 May 2016 17:58 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Prospects of deepening the bilateral economic ties between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands were on the agenda of the joint business forum held in Baku on May 17.

The Azerbaijan-Netherlands forum involved 25 Dutch and about 50 Azerbaijani companies, engaging in various sectors of the economy including telecommunications, transportation, logistics, agriculture, tourism, and education.

Azerbaijan's Deputy Economy Minister Sahil Babayev, addressing the event, said that the total volume of investments made by the Netherlands in Azerbaijan is $900 million and over a third of the total volume of these investments was made in the national economy over the last three years.

"The Netherlands has invested $340 million in Azerbaijan over the last three years," said the deputy minister. "In general, the Netherlands ranks fourth in terms of the volume of investments made in Azerbaijan."



He noted that the Dutch companies actively participate as contractors in public contracts, adding that the Dutch companies have signed agreements worth $180 million in Azerbaijan in recent years.

Member of the Dutch Senate Rene van der Linden, for his part, said that his country can contribute to the development and diversification of Azerbaijan's economy.

"For this purpose, first of all, it is necessary to develop the relations between companies of the two countries," he said, adding that currently, the companies of Azerbaijan and the Netherlands have short-term relations, but they can turn into strong and long-term ties in the future.

During the forum the two sides signed a memorandum on creating a joint business center, which will render services both to Azerbaijani and Dutch companies.

The document was signed between the Dutch Limburg province and Azerbaijan's ADA University.

Moreover, three memorandums were signed between Azerbaijan's Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park and the Dutch Chemelot chemical park; Azerbaijan's ASAN center, Nar Mobile, Azerbaijan's State Fund for Development of Information Technologies and the Azerbaijani-Dutch center, as well as Azerbaijan Steel Production Complex, Maastricht University and Aachen University (Germany).

Signing of another memorandum between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands in the sphere of agriculture is expected in two days.

The relations between the Netherlands and Azerbaijan have strengthened over the past years. About 112 companies with Dutch capitals operate in Azerbaijan, in the spheres of shipbuilding, logistics, ecology and banking.



Earlier the Netherlands showed an interest in cooperation with Azerbaijan in agriculture, in particular water industry and lake water purification.

The trade turnover between the Netherlands and Azerbaijan amounted to $44.71 million in the first quarter of 2016, $21.65 million of which fell on exports to this country, according to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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17 May 2016 17:52 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan and Dagestan enjoy large opportunities to develop relations, as the northern neighbor, which is a federal subject of Russia, promises to act as a "green corridor" for tourists.

Dagestan's authorities will develop a road map to remove obstacles on the way of tourists. Furthermore, Dagestan plans to carry out flights from Makhachkala to Baku and launch an express train through the Derbent - Baku route.

"Dagestan Republic's Minister of Tourism and Folk Crafts Mahammad Isayev ordered the appropriate agency to prepare a road map, aimed at lifting barriers at the exit and entrance of tourists on the Russian-Azerbaijani border," a representative of the regional Tourism Ministry told RIA Novosti. "The agency should study the possibility and justify the economic feasibility for the organization of air flights from Makhachkala to Baku."

Isayev said that during the week a working group of experts from the Tourism Ministries of Dagestan and Azerbaijan will be created to examine the tourist infrastructure and prices enabling to develop tourist routes of interest of both Azerbaijani and Russian tourists.



Located in the North Caucasus region, Dagestan enjoys very ancient friendly and neighboring relations with Azerbaijan. Its capital and largest city Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea.

Dagestan's ancient city Derbent densely populated by Azerbaijanis serves as a friendly bridge between the two nations.

Azerbaijan continues to strengthen business cooperation with Russian regions, thus increasing number of mutual agreements and business entities.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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17 May 2016 13:16 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

"The Precinct" feature film by Azerbaijani director Ilgar Safat will take part in Romania International Film Festival scheduled for May 20-25, Trend life reports.

The film is a co-production of film studio "Narimanfilm" (Azerbaijan), "Gruziyafilm" and "Bagirafilms" (Georgia). The project was realized with financial support of the Azerbaijani Culture and Tourism Ministry and with the assistance of PASHA Bank.

The film tells the story of a famous photographer, Garib, and his girlfriend, Sabina. They are engaged to be married and the wedding date has been set. The pair takes a trip to Gobustan, the site of Azerbaijans renowned prehistoric rock carvings. They have a quarrel because Garib wants to postpone the wedding in order to accept a work offer. The squabble results in a terrible car accident. The police chief has a long talk with Garib. This confrontation causes Garib to have a flashback to his childhood. He recalls his childhood hobby of photography and his early love affair with a woman, Alina, who worked at a grocery shop.

The drama film quickly gained popularity around the world and won Gold Medal from the 2011 California Film Awards, Jurys special prize at the Golden Eye Festival of Cameramen (Georgia),the 11th International Film Festival (Tbilisi) etc.

Leading roles in a film were played by Zaza Bezhashvili (Georgia), Melissa Papel (France), Vagif Ibrahimoglu (Azerbaijan) and Timur Odushev (Azerbaijan).

Directors of photography are Konstantin Esadze and Varlam Karchadze. Art directors are Rena Effendi and Torakhanim Agabayova. Composer is Andrey Doynikov. The Art director is Jamil Guliev. The producer of a film is Nariman Mammadov.

Founded in 2005, Romania International Film Festival looks towards the Black Sea regions film industry (Russia, Moldavian Republic, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Turkey etc.). The festival aims at promoting art cinema and promoting protestations coming from the Black Sea region and Women's director.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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17 May 2016 15:16 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

The second day of Baku Fashion Week Fall /Winter 2016, one of the most expected fashion events in the city, was held on May 16.

The event organizers, including the head of the modeling Agency FMS Models, Lyubov Gutorova, the head of the "Production Center of Hafiz Agayev" Hafiz Agayev, General Producer of the international channel ID Fashion Vasily Klimchuk, and fashion catwalk director of the BFW Nina Draco spared huge efforts so that the BFW once again turned into a celebration of style and fashion.

The evening was attended by famous fashion designers, bloggers as well as representatives of business. The well-known Turkish model and actress, Touche Sarikaya, was the host of the event.

Honorary guest of the event was famous fashion designer Gulnara Khalilova. The designer stressed that the BFW became a bright event in the fashion industry of not only Azerbaijan, but the entire region.

"For some, fashion Week is a holiday, for someone- a business event and others it's a platform to realize their ideas and desires. However, what is most important is that it brought together various people, who feel in Baku like at home," said Khalilova.

Baku International Marine Station was the venue of the most expected fashion event.

The second day was held under the national motives of Ukraine and Azerbaijan, Trend Life reports.

The event featured a collection of Azerbaijani designer Lala Agayeva. Models showed a collection walking barefoot on the podium under the sounds of Azerbaijani national music mugham.

Nargiz Mukhtarova, Di Lusso and Zulfiyya Seyidaliyeva mesmerized the guests with wonderful collections of unique and high quality clothing. Further, another national designer Ulker Huseynova showed funny collection for youth inspired by famous Barbie doll.

Baku Fashion Week was included in the calendar schedule of world Fashion Week http://thefashioninsider.com/calendar/,making Azerbaijan more recognizable among international designers and fashion lovers. Thus local designers and models will gradually reach world podiums and attract the interest overseas.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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17 May 2016 14:59 (UTC+04:00)

By Fatma Babayeva

Azerbaijan, an initiator of the giant Southern Gas Corridor project, has become very important energy player at the regional and global level.

The statement was made by Maros Sefcovic, Vice-president of the European Commission for Energy Union during the Greek Energy Forum held in Thessaloniki, Greece on May 17.

Europe is the largest importer of the energy resources in the world, emphasized Sefcovic.

Sefcovic called the Southern Gas Corridor the true diversification project, as it will provide the European countries with a new source of gas supply (the Caspian region) and a new supply route (the Trans Adriatic Pipeline  TAP).

At the initial stage, the gas to be produced at Shah Deniz 2 field of Azerbaijan will be the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor pipeline network.

Sefcovic further added that in future, Turkmenistan, Iraq and the Mediterranean region can also become the potential sources of gas supplies for the Southern Gas Corridor.

The European Commission expects the first gas to be supplied to Turkey in 2019 as part of the Southern Gas Corridor, and reach Europe in 2020, said the vice-president.

He also stressed the significance of the TAP groundbreaking ceremony planned to be held in Thessaloniki on May 17.

Sefcovic highlighted that this important event will go down in history.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian Sea region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.

The 870-kilometer pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border and run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.

TAP shareholders are BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, as well as, credit agencies of the OECD countries are expected to finance the TAP project.

The SGC is one of the biggest construction projects of our times with a value of $45 billion which aims to improve the energy security of the EU and diversity its energy supply routes.

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Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva

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17 May 2016 16:39 (UTC+04:00)

By Fatma Babayeva

Italian natural gas infrastructure company Snam will acquire 17 percent of 66 percent of Azerbaijani energy giant SOCARs stake in Greek natural gas transmission system operator DESFA.

The Greek media reported about the deal citing Stergios Pitsiorlas, Head of Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) on May 17.

The privatization process of DEFSA will be completed in the near future, Pitsiorlas said, adding that sale of the part of SOCARs share in DESFA to Italian Snam is expected to take place soon.

SOCAR won a tender in December 2013 on the sale of 66-percent share in DESFA for 400 million euros ($448 million).

Nevertheless, in November 2014, the European Commission started an inquiry into the compliance of the deal on the acquisition of this stake with the EUs M&A regulations.

The privatization of DESFA is delayed due to the fact that the EC opposes to the transfer of a majority stake in gas operator to SOCAR. The European Commission does not want the control package of such a big Transmission System transferred to the hands of non-EU country, but remain under the Greek control.

Baku has earlier claimed that from Azerbaijan's perspective, there was no conflict of interest in acquiring a majority stake in DESFA as the gas owner to be pumped through the SGC was not Azerbaijan, but the Shah-Deniz Consortium.

Previously, the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) received a formal offer from the Italian company Snam alliance Fluxys-Enagas about the purchase of 17 percent stake in DESFA.

Dutch Gasunie and Italian Snam were among those interested in purchase of DESFAs 17 percent shares.

Earlier, Greek Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change Panos Skourletis said that SOCAR needs to sell 17 percent to a European company in order to complete the acquisition of the remaining stake in DESFA.

Azerbaijan will commence supply of 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year to Europe via Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in the first half of 2020 which construction began on May 17, 2016.

Moreover, Skourletis emphasized that TAP projects fit well with another gas pipeline scheme in the South Eastern European region- Interconnnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), and a planned LNG project in Greek Alexandroupolis city.

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Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva

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17 May 2016 18:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Fatma Babayeva

Greece has hosted a groundbreaking ceremony of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which constitutes the European leg of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) pipeline network project that will transfer Azerbaijans natural gas to Europe.

The construction of the TAP pipeline will enable to enhance energy security of the EU and diversify supply routes of natural gas to the Central and South-eastern Europe.

The significance of TAP as a strategic piece of the Southern Gas Corridor infrastructure was underlined by the presence of the Prime Minister of Georgia Georgi Kvirikashvili, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Yaqub Eyyubov, the Deputy Prime Minister of Albania Niko Peleshi, the EU Vice President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, the US Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Amos Hochstein, the Minister of Energy of Turkey Berat Albayrak, the Minister of Economic Development of Italy Carlo Calenda, the Minister of Energy of Bulgaria Temenuzhka Petkova, as well as the Switzerland State Secretary Federal Office of Energy Walter Steinmann.

The SGC will play a vital role in achieving Energy Unions target on diversification of energy resources, routes and energy security, said Maros Sefcovic, Vice-president of the European Commission for Energy Union.

Azerbaijan, an initiator of the giant Southern Gas Corridor project, has become very important energy player at the regional and global level, he added.

TAP, which is a part of the largest Southern Gas Corridor project, envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries. The project aims at providing European countries with alternative source and route of gas supplies, promoting energy security of Europe.

TAP is a project of geo-strategic importance for the entire region, Alexis Tsipras, Greek prime minister, said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The beginning of construction for the TAP pipeline is taking place at a pivotal time for the Greek economy and our wider region, he added.

Ian Bradshaw, Managing Director at TAP AG, in turn, stated that the TAP pipeline will continue to progress safe transportation route for the Caspian gas to Europe, emphasizing that the company remains committed to deliver the project safely, on schedule and on budget.

Bradshaw further added that TAP will continue to promote job creation, and the project's implementation will inject billion euros of foreign direct investments.

TAP will stretch 870 kilometers across Greece, Albania, the Adriatic Sea and the southern part of Italy. The pipelines initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters in future. The first gas delivery to Europe via TAP pipeline is expected in 2020.

Worth noting, the consortium of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development selected the TAP project over the Nabucco West as the route to transport its gas to Europe in June 2013.

The contracts on the purchase of Azerbaijani gas from the second phase of Shah Deniz field development (Shah Deniz-2 project) were signed Sept. 19, 2013 with Shell, Bulgar gas, Gas Natural Fenosa, E.ON, Gaz de France, Hera, Enel, Axpo, DEPA.

At the beginning of March 2016, the European Commission approved the agreement between the Greek government and the Consortium on TAP's construction. TAP is included to the list of the European Commission's common interest projects.

The shareholders of the project are BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

The Consortium on TAP's development expects to receive funding from a number of international institutions including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), as well as, export credit agencies of several countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The SGC, a win-win project for all parties, is one of the biggest construction projects of our times with a value of $45 billion.

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Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva

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17 May 2016 10:24 (UTC+04:00)

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop here on Monday evening.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest during the meeting.

Zarif is currently in Vienna along with a number of the managers and deputies of Ministry of Foreign Affairs to attend a two-day international conference on Syria and Libya which is to start on Tuesday.

The meeting is to be attended by 17 member of the International Syria Support Group and co-chaired by the United States and Russia. The European Union and Arab League countries also participate the meetias along with Turkey, Iran and China.

Upon his arrival to Vienna, Zarif also met with Feredica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign policy chief, at the Coburg Hotel where the lanmark nuclear deal was made in July 2015 between Iran and the Group 5+1 ending more than a decade of nuclear dispute between the two sides.

Zarif and Mogherini discussed latest developments on the implementation of the nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action and the crisis in Syria.

While in Vienna, the Iranian delegation is to hold separate talks with European and American participants of the meeting on the sideline of the event, to discuss elimination of the obstacles hindering the implementation of the JCPOA.

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17 May 2016 10:22 (UTC+04:00)

The EU-Turkey negotiations on the visa-free regime are extremely rocky, Theodore Karasik, analyst on the Middle East and senior advisor at Risk Insurance Management in Dubai, told Trend May 16.

Karasik said that while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees progress in the issue, the EU is noting Turkey's own domestic situation, which is frightening the investors.

"The EU doesn't need a 'sick man of Europe', so Brussels is trying to work a deal with Ankara," said the expert.

Karasik also believes that the EU-Ankara talks on the visa-free regime will be a continuous disappointment.

Earlier, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU may introduce a visa-free regime with Turkey in the autumn 2016 if Ankara implements all the necessary requirements.

Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said that a full membership in the EU continues to remain a priority for Turkey.

An association agreement between the EU and Turkey was signed in 1963. Ankara filed an application for the EU membership in 1987, but the negotiations on Ankara's accession to the EU started only in 2005.

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17 May 2016 12:52 (UTC+04:00)

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has held a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna, RIA Novosti reported on May 17.

Lavrov noted that he also met with the US Secretary of State John Kerry on May 16 on the eve of the meeting of the International Syria Support Group.

The meeting of the International Syria Support Group will kick off in Vienna soon. During that meeting, it is planned to have detailed discussions on the possible parameters of the political solution to this problem.

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17 May 2016 17:17 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Turkmenistan publicized its plans on creating international transit transport corridors within the framework of the 96th meeting of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee, ongoing from May 11 to 20, 2016.

Representatives of Turkmenistan presented to participants at the meeting with the ongoing projects on the creation of multimodal transit transport corridors and corridors in the East-West and North-South directions, and with the Turkmenbashi international sea port's significance and capacity.

Turkmenistan is currently taking bids on its way to becoming an international center in transportation. Formation of the modern transport and communication infrastructure is one of the priority areas of the state policy. The country gives an important role to foreign economic relations of the country on maritime freight transport. In accordance with the instructions of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, new terminals with multi-functional berths capable to accept ships of any types and any load-carrying ability is being built on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Turkmenistans new Turkmenbashi Seaport on the Caspian Sea is being developed to become one of the rare ports of the world and the biggest one of the region.

Construction of a new port worth $2 billion by Turkish company GAP Insaat began in 2013. The new port in Turkmenbashi will be used to export oil products, liquefied gas and textiles. The project forms an important part of the governments strategy to create new high-capacity regional transport infrastructure. The project envisages construction of facilities complex, as well as terminals, shipyards, land-based infrastructure. The project is expected to increase freight turnover while its capacity exceeds 17 million tons per year. Turkmenbashi International Seaport is a main point for the export and import of transit cargo as well as goods of national economy, oil, oil products and construction equipment.

Turkmenistan set a plan on developing projects on organization of inter-regional transport and transit corridors along the lines of East-West and South-North, which is aimed at accessing the Asian, European and Middle Eastern markets.

Meanwhile, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railroad is under construction. The project is important for creating international transport and transit corridor Central Asia - Middle East (Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Oman). The territory of Central Asia is a natural corridor of transportation in North-South and East-West directions, it provides access to the worlds biggest markets.

IMO is the global standard-setting authority of the United Nations for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping. Head of the IMO's CIS and Eastern Europe Division Ivaylo Valev noted that this presentation is the first event held by Turkmenistan at the IMO and emphasized the existence of great opportunities for expanding the cooperation.

--

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17 May 2016 17:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Fatma Babayeva

Lifting sanctions opened new opportunities for Iran to boost its long stagnated energy industry.

Russian companies play an increasingly active role in the energy sector of Iran as the Islamic Republic is now free of sanctions and open for the international cooperation.

The statement was made by Jafar Pourfarjoudi, spokesman of the Irans Petroleum Ministry to Trend news agency on May 16.

Russia's gas giant Gazprom plans a visit to Iran in the near future to discuss several issues including cooperation in Irans natural gas projects, said Pourfarjoudi.

He further elaborated that the visit will take place within the framework of the negotiations on energy issues between Russia and Iran, which began a year ago.

Gazprom plans to send a delegation comprised of 30 representatives of the energy sector to Tehran.

Pourfarjoudi noted that Irans Petroleum Ministry shores up the Iranian companies cooperation with foreign partners who will be willing to offer its technology and know-how to the Islamic Republic.

Iran eyes boosting gas production from the current 700 million cubic meters per day to above 1.3 billion cubic meters per day by 2020-2021 which will enable the country to export 200 million cubic meters of natural gas per day.

In the meantime, Iran plans to reach pre-sanctions volumes of oil production (4 million barrels per day) by July and pre-sanction oil export volume (2.2 million barrels per day) by the end of this summer.

Russian companies are keen on cooperating in the development of Iranian oil and gas fields in the post-sanctions era.

Previously, in January 2016, right after the sanctions on Iran were lifted, Leonid Fedun, vice president of Russian Lukoil said that the company is not ready to participate in the projects in Iran at the current price of oil. However, Lukoil purchased crude oil from Iran to supply its refinery in Romania because of legal issues the company faced in supplying crude to European countries due to sanctions imposed on Russia.

Whats more, Tehran and Moscow have been in discussions on the swap of oil and gas over the past several years. Under a possible swap plan, Russia will supply oil and gas to northern Iran, and the Islamic Republic, in return, is expected to deliver oil and gas on behalf of Russia to Moscows customers in the Persian Gulf.

In the longer term, it seems that Iran is aligning its oil and gas strategy more closely with Russian energy companies, said earlier Mehrdad Emadi, consultant at the U.K.-based Betamatrix International Consultancy.

Currently, Iran is looking for investment to improve its oil industry. The new oil investment framework known as Iran Petroleum Contract will be unveiled by July, according to the Iranian officials.

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Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva

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17 May 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Yasmeen Abdlhak

They say there is a million scenarios for the future of each individual, they say that God gives you the better one, and lets you create the best out of it. I guess... My road was Azerbaijan, land of eternal fire.

2013 was the year I finished school, in August I headed to Azerbaijan to further continue my education. Soon I became a student in Baku Slavic University, and the journey began, to discover the hidden of a country that had a thousand years of cultural heritage. My first year was a foundation year, teachers prepared us for our upcoming years of university, to be able to absorb easier the materials, fill in the linguistic gaps, advance our writing, reading and speaking skills and learn about the history, geography and culture of Azerbaijan.

My appearance was not close to what people here assumed to be Arab or Syrian, I did not have that bold tanned Arabic look, my Russian accent was not categorized as to being a second or a third language, my hair was not rough noir, it was dark maroon, that would lighten up a bit on the sunshine. To them - to the Azerbaijanis - I looked and spoke like a Lezgin. That time I never knew what lezgin was. This pushed me to learn about the massive ethnic diversity. Who could have imagined that in a country as small as Azerbaijan you would find about 12 ethincs and maybe more, between Lezgins, Talyshs, Kurds, Molokans, Avars and others. Each had their own specific folklore dance, their specific food, and language. It would make a foreigner think, how much effort was put to preserve that much heritage from so many different ethnics

I loved Baku. By 2015, I have memorized every ally, street, and turn in the old city. When I had the chance to show newcomers Baku, I would take them to icherisheher (Old City), show them Shirvan Shah, and then Gizgalasi (Maiden Tower), I would never forget to stop by the miniature book museum, that fascinated me the most. In the entire world, you can find only two museums of the kind -- one in Ukraine, and the other in Baku. The woman in the museum spoke in two three languages, and had managed to memorize basic information about the museums in more than five languages.

Another museum that took my breath way the literature museum. It was not just the history that the museum held within its walls, nor the great sculptures that stood on its front walls guarding it, it was the welcomnes of the guide, her objectivity, her skills, and the detailed philosophical history that I might have not heard of in the university or anywhere else - at that time I was very much interested in Hurufism.

Yet Baku was not the only place I have seen and explored in Azerbaijan. I made sure to visit Gobustan, Gebele, Alti agach, Guba and other regions. Right now, I am planning to make it to Ivanovka.

My first close up experience with the Azerbaijani youth started, when I joined AEGEE-BAKI. This is a non-governmental organization operating branches all over Europe, and of course in Azerbaijan. I soon became a member there, meeting there the most interesting people that by time proved to be lasting friends. Joining in as foreigners, I was warmly welcomed, was introduced to the whole crew and the active members, and invited to participate in many projects that the organization planned and organized. The time I spent in AEGEE-BAKI broke boundaries and stereotypes in me, I became a more open-minded person, open to different cultures, people and society, it also gave me this drive to participate and get involved in other organizations, movements and conferences.

My social life was thriving, I was grateful, but AEGEE-BAKI was not my last stop. I participated in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation simulation 2015, some activities held in the university and then MUN, or Module United Nations. MUN clubs started opening in every single university, and I made sure I attended every second mini-simulation. I was a volunteer coordinator for Giovani nel mondo, promoting Rome MUN in every university as well.

MUN club presidents were the best, at helping me out, spreading the word and encouraging people to apply. This movement, introduced me to new people, people that where from my same major ( international relations), people that had ideas, believes and hopes that are similar to mine, people that loved to share, to learn and to understand.

Baku gave me the greatest gift in three years. I leaned life lessons; I learned that sharing is caring. I knew that before, but seeing it happening in front of me, gave it a whole new definition of sharing. In February 2016, I participated in MILLIMUN. This was the biggest MUN conference, organized by all clubs with the financial help of the Ministry of Youth. That was yet another experience that had to be highlighted and saved in the pages of my diary. I still cannot imagine my life if I would not have participate in this particular conference. The last day of the conference, I was given the second place in my committee, best debater.

Azerbaijan is the place through which I could understand the world, or at least a significant part of it. Religion was practiced freely, due to this, it was easy to find a shia mosque and a sunni mosque, to look at the beauty of the architecture of both and listen to the mollahs read prayers. Old Churches were preserved and new were build. In one church in Xatai they would carry on with the Sunday service prayers even in English, allowing foreigners to practice their believes.

If walking in the old city, or visiting mosques in the regions, one would spot Zoroastrianism, and of course Ateshgah, the fire temple of Baku. Many, not only for sightseeing but also for religious tourism, visited Ateshka. The phenomenon stood in the fact that Azerbaijanis accepted this diversity as something they lived with all their lives. They embraced every cultural heritage on their land, remembered history and sighted it with pride.

This is what makes Azerbaijan truly multicultural, it is not just the diversity, diversity is everywhere, and it is the acceptance of the diversity, the pride and love of the diversity. It is when a nation makes diversity part of its identity, and then truly it becomes a multicultural tolerant nation.

MilliMUN was a great experience. I learned a lot, made new friends, new memories and devoted myself to help develop the MUN movement in Azerbaijan. In March my internship in UNHCR started, in May I left for a week for Kazakhstan for another MUN - New Silk Way MUN. There I learned that I was not only the only Arab in the conference but also the only one coming from Azerbaijan. Apart from representing my own country, Syria, I made sure that Azerbaijan was represented as well. I talked of Baku, encouraged my new friends to visit the country, and talked of youth activism in Azerbaijan. Yet that was not enough, on the last day, I was able to talk to the vice rector of Al- farabi university, and discuss further coordination between Azerbaijani MUN clubs and Kazakhstan. He was delighted.

I still have two years until I finish my bachelors degree. Where will my next stop be? I do not know yet, but where ever it would be, I would be glad to have spent here 5 years of my life. Honored to have been able to live on this land, and get a chance to understand and endure its culture and history. I believe that the time that is left for me here, is full of new adventures, and new experience. They say God guides us to the better future and leaves us to accomplish the best of it.

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       3.0 (      -       -         ): editor [at] bahrainmirror.com
When Lydia Tapia was a college student abroad in Mexico, she was raped. Her assailants learned her routine, watched her getting onto the metro
Pursuant to the provisions of the Rules and Regulations of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, d.d., Financial Instruments Market Act (ZTFI), and the Corporate Governance Code of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange and Warsaw Stock Exchange, the company Gorenje, d.d., Velenje, hereby makes the following announcement:



Velenje/Luxembourg, 16 May 2016 - The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending EUR 50 million to Gorenje Gospodinjski aparati d.d., one of the leading European traditional manufacturer of household electrical appliances. The EIB loan will have a maturity of up to 7 years and will finance the companys 4-year research, development and innovation expenditure programme aimed at strengthening its innovative capacity by developing new domestic appliances and upgrading its existing product range.



This is the first transaction in Slovenia supported by InnovFin  EU Finance for Innovators InnovFin Large Projects", with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments.



EIB Vice-President Laszlo Baranyay, responsible for the Banks operations in Central European countries, commented: The EIB loan will contribute to the much-needed strengthening of the competitiveness of the European economy by supporting Gorenjes RDI activities and manufacturing of innovative and environmentally friendly electrical appliances in various EU Member States".



Franjo Bobinac, President and CEO of the Gorenje Group, stated: Our Strategic Plan 2016-2020 is summed up by the slogan G4: Gorenje Group Grows Global. Its driving force is the development of premium and innovative products and premium brands as these are expected to double and increase to 30 percent of the Group's sales by 2020. We see the EIB loan as an expression of confidence and support for achieving our ambitious strategic goals and further developing the Gorenje Group".



Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said: "This InnovFin loan will help Gorenje develop its products produced from fewer resources, which consume less electricity and water, and can be better recycled at the end of their use. It is a great example of how Horizon 2020 stimulates European competitiveness and growth by supporting traditional industries and investing in research."



The EIB funds will support the development of new and better performing white goods that consume less electrical energy, use a greater share of recycled materials, have improved end-of-life recyclability, need fewer resources for their production and use less water during their operation. This will result in positive environmental impacts in line with EIB policy in the area of climate action. The RDI activities will be carried out mainly at the Research and Development Centre in Gorenjes headquarters in Velenje, Slovenia and also in other R&D locations of the company in the Netherlands, Sweden and the Czech Republic.



Background information

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.



InnovFin financial products

Under Horizon 2020, the new EU research programme for 2014-20, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank Group (EIB and EIF) have launched a new generation of financial instruments and advisory services to help innovative firms access finance more easily. Over the next seven years, "InnovFin  EU Finance for Innovators" will offer a range of tailored products which will make available more than EUR 24bn of financing support for research and innovation (R&I) by small, medium-sized and large companies and the promoters of research infrastructures. This finance is expected to support up to EUR 48bn of final R&I investments.



Disclaimer: The English text for all announcements is for information purposes only!



The information included in this announcement will also be available at the official website of the company Gorenje, d.d., Velenje, at www.gorenjegroup.com, for a period of no less than 5 years from the date of announcement.



Gorenje, d.d., Management Board
Here are steps you can take to establish your independence after financial abuse and help ensure long-term financial health.

9 min read Apr 09, 2020
A Citrus County amateur photographer is about to have one of his photos seen by millions.

John Funderburk's photo of a great blue heron to appear on Forever stamp

Stamps will be available early next month

Photo one of 16 selected to celebrate 100th anniversary of National Park Service

John Funderburk's photo of a great blue heron has been selected to appear on a U.S. Postal Service Forever stamp.

He took the photo at the Gulf Islands National Seashore in north Florida. When the 84-year-old photographer heard the news, he couldn't believe it.

"Actually when I was contacted, with all the scams going around, I thought it was a scam," he said.

Funderburk fell in love with photography decades ago. Over the years he has taken thousands of pictures with his wife, Mary. They have been all over the U.S. snapping photos of mostly nature scenes.

Funderburks photo is one of 16 selected to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.

"I'm proud of him," said his wife, Mary. "He has taken some beautiful pictures, but I'm glad it was singled out."



"When I read their stats they get over 40,000 requests for stamps a year and of that they only pick about 25, so that really blew my mind," he said.



Funderburks picture was discovered on the photo sharing website Flickr. The stamps will be available early next month.


Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, but that doesnt mean hes stopped taking issue with those candidates who ran against him.

During a speech in New York recently, Trump said former presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio "had it set so that the winner takes everything, because they wanted to make sure that I didnt get anything" in the Florida primary.

PolitiFact Florida heard the statement and gave it a FALSE rating.

PolitiFact writer Josh Gillin said thats because theres nothing to support his claim. However, his claim is related to a move by the Florida Legislature to change the date of the primary.

Go back to February 2015 when the bill to set this for March 15, 2016 actually came in and it was passed. It was signed into law in March of 2015, Gillin said. And the thing about that is Trump didnt even say that he was going to run until July.

For that reason, Trumps claim received a FALSE rating.

SOURCES: Trump says Bush, Rubio tried to withhold delgates
As Florida Republican leaders move to unite their fractured state party behind Donald Trump, state legislators who have been mum about supporting their party's presumptive presidential nominee are being targeted by progressive activists.



On www.whobackstrump.com, a website launched by the left-leaning advocacy group Florida Strong, users can click a link next to one of dozens of Republican lawmakers' names and send them a pre-formatted tweet. Signed with the hashtag #whobackstrump, the tweets somewhat rhetorically ask the legislators if they "back Trump since he is the presumptive GOP nominee?"



The question may not be a particularly easy one for many Republican lawmakers to answer, especially those representing swing districts vulnerable to Democratic pickups in presidential election years. While Trump may be his party's new standard-bearer, his unpredictable and at times bombastic policy prescriptions threaten to make him a drag on Republicans locked in competitive down-ballot races.



The Florida Strong campaign seeks to both put those lawmakers on the spot and underscore the still simmering unease many establishment Republicans have about Trump's rise.



"It's going to be hard," predicted Democratic strategist Steve Schale, "because as Trump says things that are just clinically insane, the natural reaction is 'hey, do you agree with that or not?' Also, a lot of these folks have said some pretty tough things about Trump on Facebook back during the 'Never Trump' thing they may have to respond to. I think that's why most of them will try very hard to act like there's not even a presidential campaign going on."



Top Florida Republicans, however, are downplaying the extent to which intra-party discord exists, pointing to last weekend's selection of a diverse and, they argue, unified, slate of statewide delegates to the Republican National Convention.



"You're going to see people that have been helping people get elected, volunteers, you're going to see some elected leaders, you're going to see grassroots people and you're going to see some donors," said Republican Party of Florida Chairman Blaise Ingoglia.
The Pinellas County School Board voted Tuesday to terminate the charter for an embattled charter school.

Newpoint Education Partners LLC was indicted for grand theft and money laundering

Newpoint ran charter schools in Pinellas County; officials believe similar issues may have happened there



Parents fighting for school, which they started self-managing months ago

Newpoint Education Partners LLC was indicted in Escambia County for grand theft and money laundering in connection with charter schools. School officials have reason to believe similar issues existed in its Pinellas County schools: Windsor Preparatory Academy and East Windsor Middle Academy.



Parents and staff joined forces to manage the school, hoping to get things back on track. Parents started a petition last week to present to Pinellas School Board members Tuesday. The petition has more than 1,000 signatures of support.

Jessica Ismoilov has two children who attend Windsor Preparatory Academy and East Windsor Middle Academy.

"Windsor is a family school," she said. "That's the No. 1 thing you walk in the door and you feel."

Ismoilov is among a group of parents fighting to save the school. Depending on how school officials vote Tuesday, the charter could be forced to close within 90 days.

"Our school is great," she said. "It's not our school's fault, it's not our kids fault, or our staff's fault. It was Newpoint's fault, and they need to be indicted in Pinellas County."

The parents started self-managing the school months ago after they say Newpoint Management went AWOL.

"It started with a couple of parents," Dorothy Dulau, a parent, said. "We were small, and I decided to start a Facebook group called 'Hope for Windsor,' and we have over 320 parents in the group now."

Now, parents say they have a new board of directors and everyone associated with Newpoint is gone. They want Pinellas County Schools to take notice and give them the time they need to make Windsor even stronger.

"We want to show them we are not only putting a good faith effort forward, we're proof positive that we can turn this around," Ismoilov said. "We just need more time."
Bernie Sanders has won Oregon's presidential primary and battled Hillary Clinton to a razor-thin margin in Kentucky, vowing to stay in the race until the end as Clinton aimed to blunt his momentum and prepare for a fall campaign against Republican Donald Trump.

Tuesday's primary in Kentucky was too close to call with Clinton leading Sanders by less than one-half of 1 percent. Closing in on the Democratic nomination, Clinton declared victory in Kentucky nonetheless, telling her supporters on Twitter: "We're always stronger united."

Sen. Bernie Sanders wins Oregon Democratic primary

Hillary Clinton, Sanders to split Kentucky primary



In a rally in California, Sanders said the Democratic Party needs to be open to his supporters.

Trump won the GOP's Oregon primary, the only Republican contest on Tuesday. In a sign of his pivot into the general election, his campaign announced that it had signed a joint fundraising agreement with the Republican National Committee that will allow it to raise cash for both his campaign and other Republican efforts.

After months of discord within the GOP, Democrats displayed new signs that it could have trouble uniting around Clinton's candidacy as Sanders plows through the end of the primary calendar in mid-June. Sanders will need to win about two-thirds of the remaining pledged delegates to end the primary season in a tie but is not letting up.

"Before we will have the opportunity to defeat Donald Trump, we're going to have to defeat Secretary Clinton," Sanders said Tuesday night to cheers in Carson, California.

Clinton ended the night with a commanding lead of 279 pledged delegates over Sanders and a dominant advantage among party officials and elected leaders known as superdelegates. The outcomes in Kentucky and Oregon did not dramatically change the delegate count and the former secretary of state remains on track to clinch the nomination on June 7 in the New Jersey primary.

But Tuesday's elections followed a divisive weekend state party convention in Nevada in which supporters of Sanders were accused of tossing chairs and making death threats against the Nevada party chairwoman at the event in Las Vegas. Supporters argued that party leadership had rigged the results of the convention in favor of Clinton.

In a sign of the tensions between the two sides, Sanders issued a defiant statement Tuesday dismissing complaints from Nevada Democrats as "nonsense" and said his supporters were not being treated with "fairness and respect."

Later, in California, Sanders said the party could "do the right thing and welcome into the party people who are prepared to fight for real economic and social change." He said the other option would be to "maintain its status quo structure, remain dependent on big-money campaign contributions and be a party with limited participation and limited energy."

Sanders pointed to polls that show him in a stronger head-to-head matchup against Trump than Clinton. With his victory in Oregon, the billionaire businessman now has 1,160 delegates, putting him within 77 delegates of clinching the Republican nomination.

For Democrats, Clinton and Sanders will each pick up at least 25 delegates in Kentucky with five delegates remaining to be allocated pending final vote tallies. In Oregon, Sanders will receive at least 28 delegates and Clinton will get at least 24 of the 61 delegates at stake.

Overall, Clinton leads Sanders among pledged delegates, 1,767-1,488. When superdelegates are included, Clinton's lead grows to 2,291 to Sanders' 1,528. Clinton is now just 92 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win.

The Sanders campaign did not immediately say whether it will challenge the results in Kentucky, which does not have an automatic recount.

Clinton campaigned in Kentucky on Sunday and Monday in an effort to break up Sanders' momentum after his recent victories in Indiana and West Virginia. She pointed to the economic gains under the administration of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who is the last Democrat to carry the state in a presidential election.

Nearing the end of a long primary slog, the two Democratic candidates are preparing for June 7 primaries in California, New Jersey and four other states and then the District of Columbia primary on June 14.

When pledged delegates and superdelegates are combined, Clinton is now about 96 percent of the way toward securing the Democratic nomination.
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One by one, the Blanchette first-graders stood, pushed in their chairs and read stories and showed pictures from their books.

John Frossard greeted each student with a handshake and a smile. The class had already presented him with posters they drew.

"I couldn't write this well when I was in first grade," the Beaumont school district superintendent told them.

The day was atypical for Frossard, who has spent much of his first year on the job assembling a team and figuring out how to confront the district's many challenges, but the visit to Blanchette reminded him why he got into education in the first place more than 30 years ago, diverting his career path from bank auditing.

Frossard asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up.

The answers tumbled out. Teacher, principal, police officer, nurse.

"I'd hire all of you," Frossard said.

Guiseppe Barranco/Photo Editor

Painful prologue

Frossard, previously superintendent of Wichita Falls ISD, was hired in May 2015 to help rebuild the shattered Beaumont school district.

Community confidence had plummeted in the wake of federal criminal investigations, indictments and guilty pleas in connection with massive embezzlements and other scandals.

The state education commissioner responded by sweeping aside the elected board of trustees and appointing a board of managers and interim superintendent, Vern Butler, in July 2014.

"Vern Butler came in when morale was really down," Frossard said.

The previous administration, enabled by an inattentive board majority, had blown a mammoth hole in the district's budget, necessitating a reduction in force - layoffs - to make ends meet.

BISD was $36 million in the red when Butler arrived.

"He was a good people person, and that's what the district needed after the RIF," Frossard said.

Frossard, who took over from Butler, said he expects to finish the school budget year with about $20 million in cash carryover, much less than he would like but preferable to a deficit.

"I'd like to see $30 million or $40 million, but if you do it too quickly, that's at the expense of students and teachers," he said.

A year ago

Frossard arrived as the school year was ending. He didn't have much time to get a sense of what was happening in classrooms. The summer was devoted to the next budget. And he spent the first six months of his tenure assembling new senior leadership, with six of eight new administrators from other school districts, such as Houston, Humble, Fort Bend, Kary, Dickinson and Port Neches-Groves.

Frossard said BISD now has an excellent cabinet of assistant superintendents, financial managers and others to whom he can delegate while he prioritizes the needs. And he has what he calls a "great board of managers," all of whom have executive experience, to supervise him.

The Beaumont school district's challenges are many, he said. What sets it apart is that he has never seen all the challenges in one place before.

Kim Brent

"I have to make sure I don't get overwhelmed, or the board, or the teachers or the students," he said.

The super's list

The entire point of a school district, Frossard reminds, is to educate students to prepare them for the rest of their lives. That means the focus always should be on successful classroom learning.

First up is aligning the curriculum with state standards.

A committee formed to audit the curriculum will submit its findings within a couple of months, in time for the district to make changes by the start of the next academic year, he said.

That should begin to solve the district's academic performance problems with state exams, he said.

Another immediate challenge that needs the board's backing is teacher compensation. Frossard said it should rise for the "middle steps" - teachers in their most productive years. He said compensation for beginning teachers and those late in their careers is competitive with other districts, but the middle lags.

Frossard also has created a discipline commission within BISD, which is on a double track.

First is to help teachers, particularly new ones, with classroom management. A recent web video showed a teacher at Ozen High School losing self-control and striking a student several times. She was arrested on a charge of assault and subsequently fired by the school district.

Frossard said he recognizes that teachers need the district's support.

"We acknowledge the problem, but it shouldn't overshadow all of the people who are doing the right thing," he said.

The district employs about 2,500 people, about half of whom are teachers.

Student discipline is the other side of the issue. Frossard said Pathways, the district's alternative school, should not just be a place to send unruly students, have them do their time and return them to their schools.

Frossard plans to have mentors work with troubled students to try to change their behavior and outlook.

"I'm looking for transformation," he said.

Volunteers are a crucial part of the solution, he said.

This is a test

A recent rally at Homer Drive Elementary by adults who held signs encouraging students as they prepared for STAAR tests grew out of a suggestion from volunteers, Frossard said.

STAAR refers to the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, the dreaded standardized test all students must pass multiple times to graduate.

At least 50 superintendents, all from Houston-area districts in Region 4, have asked the TEA not to judge districts on STAAR results this spring because of problems with some students' answers being lost in online testing.

Frossard, no fan of "teaching to the test," said offering students a more rational curriculum will help them succeed on STAAR tests.

He also would like to offer students a more challenging curriculum, with more advanced placement courses, that evens the playing field for Beaumont's students.

At the same time, he wants to avoid what is known as "sorting and selecting," the term for diverting some students from such courses.

"We want to expose as many students as we can to the most challenging curriculum," he said.

Kim Brent

Part of that approach will require volunteers, which means more involvement from the community.

"This community understands the importance of a school district succeeding," he said.

The district now has almost 1,400 volunteers, up 500 from last year, he said. The Reach Out and Read program, abbreviated as ROAR, attracted 350 volunteers in its first year, he said.

Laurie Leister, a parent who has two children at West Brook High School, is one of the ROAR volunteers who started in December at Caldwood Elementary School.

She tutors three second-graders twice a week.

"It's very rewarding. It's like teaching a kid to ride a bicycle. You steady them until they can take off themselves," she said.

She wanted to volunteer because she said a child's ability to read is the key to their success in education and some of the kids at Caldwood in particular have a great need for the extra help. The teachers are scheduled to the hilt and volunteers can help take care of the extra attention a child might need, she said.

Paul Jones, president of the Beaumont chapter of the NAACP, has planned a community meeting on Tuesday at West Tabernacle Baptist Church to assemble a group to volunteer as mentors, particular with the disciplinary needs of the district, but also in the reading program.

"I know the problems," he said. "I can recite them in my sleep. What we want are solutions and this is a 'call to action' meeting," he said.

Beyond the classroom

BISD is one of three districts in Region 5 - the others are in Silsbee and Port Arthur - to have TEA approval for its new Early College High School program, which would allow students to complete credits for the first two years of college while still in high school.

Career and Technical Education at the O.C. "Mike" Taylor Career Center attracted nearly 300 students in its first year of operation and expanded to at least 900 this year, Frossard said. The final count could reach past 1,000 when all of the certifications are tallied.

"We're leaving our graduates with something tangible," he said.

A year from now, BISD might have its first trustee election since 2011. The Board of Managers has retained a law firm specializing in drawing school board voting districts to create five single-member trustee districts that will be voted on along with two at-large trustees.

That could mean a new school board is in place by May 2017.

"I can't get caught up politically," Frossard said. "I need to focus on our students. We have a good workforce and good community participation."

"I'm not interested in spinning. I'm interested in changing reality and ensuring the public knows about it. The politics will take care of itself. If you don't have that (the tools for success), it doesn't matter how adroit you are politically."

DWallach@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/dwallach
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Outside a baby blue house situated on a narrow street in Beaumont's South End on Tuesday afternoon, neighbors were visibly distraught and confused by news that a 3-year-old boy had been shot on the left side of his forehead.

They had more questions than answers as the toddler was rushed to Beaumont's Baptist Hospital and then flown by helicopter to Houston Memorial Hermann Hospital.

How could this happen? they asked one another.

The boy's loved ones scampered past reporters posted outside the home, declining to answer questions about the shooting.

"Obviously the people here are upset because it's unclear how this happened. But a child has been shot," said Beaumont Police Officer Tony Harding. "We're going to look into everything."

The child's grandmother owns the home, Harding said.

Police and officials with Child Protective Services were working to sort out exactly what happened to the boy, who was not identified by authorities.

Harding said investigators, as of Tuesday evening, had not ruled out any possibilities.

The boy could have been shot accidentally, or it could have been an intentional act, he said.

Separate 911 calls were made around 1:05 p.m., the first from Baptist Hospital reporting a child gunshot victim and then another shortly after from an unknown person, Harding said.

A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said a woman inside the home didn't think there was enough time to wait for emergency responders and drove the boy to the nearest hospital, which is Baptist.

He was then flown to Memorial Hermann in Houston.

The boy, according to the neighbor, was alert when he was rushed from the Pipkin Street property.

Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy group that tracks unintentional child shootings, found at least 265 children accidentally shot themselves or someone else in 2015.

This year, there have been at least 92 unintentional child shootings, according to Everytown data, which relies on media and police reports.

The shootings usually take place in a home or vehicle owned by the victim's family, with guns most often legally owned, but not properly secured or stored, according to the Everytown.

DWallach@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/dwallach

BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/BrandonKScott
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SOUTHEAST TEXAS TALES

As Halley's Comet approached Earth in 1910 amid dire predictions it would wipe out mankind, the Polk County Enterprise in Livingston warned tongue-in-cheek that subscribers should pay their overdue bills in preparation to enter the New Jerusalem.

Although it wasn't the comet's first visit - Halley's Comet passes the earth about every 76 years - French astronomer Camille Flammarion predicted that this time poisonous gases from its tail would have a deadly effect as it passed through the atmosphere.

S.E. Church, 83, of El Paso, recalled how she had seen the comet when she was 3 and living in New York. She lived to tell the tale.

The most excitement came on May 19, 1910, when a 500-pound meteorite fell just outside Charleston, Texas, about 300 miles north of Beaumont, as Halley's Comet passed over. No one was hurt.

The comet returned 76 years later, in 1986. For most, it was a once-in-a-lifetime event, but more than 20 people in Jasper were able to witness Halley's Comet a second time.

Their names were listed on documents buried in a time capsule on the grounds of the Jasper Public Library. The container will be unearthed on the next occurrence of Halley's Comet, in 2061.

The project was the brainstorm of Lois Baker Gee, president of the Jasper Halley's Comet Club. Lois was an elementary school teacher as well as a musician, but one of her greatest loves was astronomy.

Her 2006 obituary read, "It may be that her most lasting contribution to Jasper was as President of Halley's Comet Club. In 1986, a time capsule was buried at the Jasper Public Library which contained letters and artifacts from the community."

The club appealed to the Jasper community to gather items such as contemporary clothing, cosmetics, music and other artifacts representing everyday life in 1986 Jasper.

One of the items to go in the capsule was a King James Bible signed by the Rev. James Coleman, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. Other items reflected a pre-computerized era, such as video cassette tapes produced by the Jasper Chamber of Commerce and newspapers, catalogs and booklets on local business and industry. Material on that year's Texas Sesquicentennial was included, as well as "A History of Parnell School" written by Lois Baker Gee's daughter, Lois Gee Lacy.

The Halley's Comet Club included lists of their current members, second-time-around comet sighters and first-time comet sighters. There were letters to future Halley's Comet sighters in 2061 and memorabilia related to the comet's 1986 passing.

On Jan. 29, 1987, at the unveiling of the capsule's marker during the library's dedication ceremony, City Manager Wayne Dubose thanked all those who had worked on the project, especially Lois Gee and the Halley's Comet Club, the staff of the Jasper Newsboy International Halley Watch, and William C. Dexter of the Richard College Planetarium.

Everyone in Jasper had caught the Halley's Comet bug.

Lois Baker Gee's legacy didn't end with the time capsule. Weeks before the dedication ceremony, she had received word that the International Star Registry of Northfield, Illinois, had named a star after her. The star, Lois Baker Gee, is Cygnus RA 20h 10m 48 sd 37 degrees 30 minutes.

Lois Baker Gee will always be a star.

Southeast Texas Tales is a weekly feature that revisits regional history.
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Save the boat ramp into Pine Island Bayou, said people who attended a public comment session Monday night on the state's plans to widen the Pine Island Bridge spanning between Jefferson and Hardin counties.

More than 130 people signed in to the public comment meeting at Roy Guess Elementary school to learn more about the widening project, expected to cost up to $12 million. Construction could begin in summer 2017.

The proposal includes eliminating the only local access into Pine Island Bayou. It also would close the U-turn on the Jefferson County side of the bridge.

Preserving the boat ramp might cost an extra $200,000.

At a glance The public can send comments by May 26 about the proposal to widen Pine Island Bayou Bridge to: Andrew Lee, District Bridge Engineer

Texas Department of Transportation Beaumont District

8350 Eastex Freeway

Beaumont, Texas 77708

Texas Department of Transportation Beaumont District 8350 Eastex Freeway Beaumont, Texas 77708 Or, people can send an email comment to: Andrew.Lee@txdot.gov

More information is available at www.txdot.gov See More Collapse

State Rep. James White, R-Woodville, said he would write a letter in support of keeping the ramp.

"My suggestion to TxDOT is to accommodate the boat ramp," he said. "The impact is environmental, recreational, cultural and for first responders."

TxDOT's district engineer Tucker Ferguson said the public comment session is important and that each statement will be read and considered in final plans.

He said the boat ramp also has a fresh water line next to it.

"It's more than just a ramp," he said. "Where does the line go?"

Ferguson also said the new lanes, two lanes on both sides, would make the U-turn on the south side obsolete.

Beaumont Ward 2 City Councilman Mike Getz disagrees, stating that anyone with a medical emergency who lives in Beaumont's north end could lose crucial minutes if an ambulance has to travel on Eastex up to Cooks Lake Road to turn around and then head back to Beaumont hospitals.

Stacie Swearingen, who lives on Cooks Lake Road in Hardin County, said access to the bayou via the boat ramp is essential for first responders in an emergency that includes flood evacuation.

"When we have to evacuate, we can't do it by road," she said. "The bayou also is vital to more families than I can count. Some families survive on the fish they haul out of that bayou."

She said the Texas Department of Transportation's plans should include a new boat ramp because other area ramps are inadequate, like the two into Village Creek because the creek is too shallow. Another ramp, at the Lower Neches Valley Authority salt water barrier, is too far away.

"All it takes is for one child to drown and responders couldn't get there in time," she said, stating what she believes to be the main reason to keep the ramp, which is on the west side of the overpass on the Hardin County bank of the bayou.

Swearingen said she doesn't believe the additional lanes the state wants to add will solve the bottleneck problems in an emergency evacuation for hurricanes.

"The bottleneck is over the LNVA canal," she said.

Bob Wood and his brother, Kerry Wood, also attended the comment session and were glad to see the big turnout.

"If we lose the boat ramp, we lose a whole piece of nature," Kerry Wood said. "They can put a new boat ramp in right next to it."

That's reasonable, said Bob Wood, who is on the board of the Hardin County Emergency Services District.

"We need additional egress from Jefferson County, but we don't want it to change Hardin County. We don't want it to destroy wildlife."

White said a contract award won't be made until at least the summer of 2017.

"We've got time to work out the money question," he said.

Swearingen said she thinks the extra money to preserve access into Pine island Bayou is worthwhile.

"It's completely irresponsible not to have one," she said.

DWallach@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/dwallach
Luke's Icehouse in Nederland was the kick-off site for this year's American Craft Beer Week events with a sampling and free pint glass night Monday. Venues throughout the area will host events nightly, featuring regionally-brewed craft beers.
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The 27-year-old beauty queen wife of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman visited the cartel leader in prison near the Texas border where he is awaiting possible extradition over the weekend, Univision reported.

RELATED: Report: Drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman had almost 600 planes  more than Mexico's airlines

Guzman was transferred earlier this month from the maximum-security Antiplano prison from which he escaped in July 2015 to the Cefereso No. 9 prison just outside of Ciudad Juarez, across the U.S.-Mexico border from El Paso.

Emma Coronel Aispuro Guzman was allowed to visit her husband for about 45 minutes at the prison this weekend, according to Univision.

The California-born pageant queen traveled to the Mexican state of Chihuahua in secrecy out of concern for conflicts between the Sinaloa cartel and other drug cartels and factions warring in the area, according to Univision.

RELATED: Wife of Mexican drug cartel lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman speaks: 'I am afraid for his life'

Joaquin Guzman was quiet during the meeting with his wife, she told Univision. The couple met in what she described as a board room.

According to Univison, the Sinaloa cartel leader, who has twice escaped from Mexican prison, is being kept in a maximum security portion of the Cefereso No. 9 prison.

RELATED: The rising Mexican drug cartel figures that could replace Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman

It's unclear how long Guzman will be in the prison: a federal judge in Mexico ruled last week that Guzman could be extradited to the United States, The Associated Press reported.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports
Surgical Care Affiliates and SwiftPath partnered to offer outpatient hip and knee replacements support services.

Here are four highlights:

1. Through the partnership, SCA can expand the network of surgeons offering outpatient joint procedures.

2. Expert opinion has vetted SwiftPath's evidence-based recovery protocols, which SwiftPath has presented at the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons in November 2015 and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in March 2016.

3. Surgeons performing outpatient joint procedures will have access to SwiftPath's platform, which offers HIPAA-secure, cloud-based homecare monitoring technologies, patient-reported outcomes and quality improvement services, among others.

4. Through the partnership, SwiftPath will add SCA Senior Vice President Goran Dragolovic and SCA Group Vice President of Development Tim Buono to its board of directors.

"Our relationship with SwiftPath provides SCA's physician partners with an advanced capability to improve patient care in a more cost effective setting," said Mr. Dragolovic.

More healthcare news:

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AmSurg Q1 ambulatory net revenue hits $307.1M; SCA partners with Thomas Johnson Surgery Center & more  7 key notes on ASC companies
It has been nearly one year since Boston-based Partners HealthCare started its go-live of Epic's EHR. Here are eight updates on the progress of the launch.

1. The health system invested $1.2 billion in its EHR overhaul project, which it reported to be its biggest single investment to date.

2. On the last weekend of May 2015, the health system launched Epic in the first wave of hospitals, which included Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the health system's home care division.

3. The second wave of go-lives occurred the first weekend of April 2016, and included Massachusetts GeneralHospital, Newton (Mass.)-WellesleyHospital and Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

4. The go-live is scheduled to take place over two years across the health system.

5. Reactions to the go-live process have been mixed, with some hospital employees expressing frustration with learning the new system and others speaking favorably of the efficiencies and capabilities electronic records provide.

One nurse at Brigham and Women's Hospital told the Boston Globe the EHR detracts from her time spent actually working with patients. "I know people throughout the hospital, and they find the same thing: It's tedious, labor intensive and you feel like you can't do what you want to do," she said in the report.

However, Marie Pasinski, MD, a neurologist at Massachusetts General, told the Boston Globe the new system allows her to review referrals, write prescriptions and enter notes more quickly. "It's made me much more efficient," she told the Globe. "I find I'm actually leaving the office a little earlier," adding that it might be easier to navigate the EHR as a specialist since she is only working with one organ system.

6. Partners appears to have taken observations and lessons learned from the first round of go-lives to improve the process in the second round. The health system added and updated training programs for the second round of go-lives, which appears to have gone more smoothly than the first, reports the Boston Globe.

"We would have liked it to be easier for our clinicians to do what they're trying to do, which is take care of patients. Instead, at the beginning, especiallyit slowed things down," Ron Walls, MD, COO of Brigham, told the Boston Globe. "We've made tremendous progress."

7. Epic officials told the Globe that different individuals get used to the new system at different rates. Tina Perkins, vice president of implementation at Epic, told the Boston Globe the vendor has a team of more than 300 people focused on usability. "Their goal is to make the software a joy to use," she said in the report.

8. In the quarter that ended Dec. 31, Partners reported lower operating income and net income, which the system partially attributed to the cost of implementing the EHR, but they are costs the health system anticipated. Peter Markell, CFO of Partners, told the Boston Globe in a previous article the system expects a $200 million loss to its net surplus over three years. "[It's] training costs, the costs of elbow-to-elbow support to get people to really learn and use the system," he said. "You need people to do all that work."

More articles on Epic:

8 tips to recruit, retain Epic-skilled professionals

Scripps' finances steady despite costly Epic EHR, RCM system rollout

MGH resident shares Epic go-live experience from the front lines
HCA Gulf Coast Division  a division of Nashville, Tenn.-based Hospital Corporation of America  has named Tripp Montalbo CEO of Mainland Medical Center in Texas City, Texas.

Here are five things to know about Mr. Montalbo.

1. He has more than 13 years of healthcare experience.

2. Most recently, Mr. Montalbo was COO of HCA affiliated Conroe (Texas) Regional Medical Center.

3. Prior to joining Conroe Regional Medical Center, he was COO of Houston-based St. Joseph Medical Center.

4. Mr. Montalbo also previously held senior management positions at Huntsville (Texas) Memorial Hospital and HCA affiliated Bayshore Medical Center, based in Pasadena, Texas.

5. He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a master's degree in business administration and a master's degree in healthcare administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

More articles on executive moves:

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Baylor Scott & White names CNO of Waco hospital: 4 things to know

Nebraska Medicine taps physician as new CEO: 4 things to know
How should you reward employees for their performance? Kris Duggan, CEO of Redwood, Calif.-based Betterworks, has a few suggestions  and they don't involve monetary bonuses, according to Forbes.

Mr. Duggan is done with the Management by Objectives approach. The technique, which was first utilized by Peter Drucker in The Practice of Management, entails managers working with employees to set goals. When the employees complete said goals, they receive a monetary bonus.

The concept seemed innovative when Mr. Drucker initially introduced it in 1954, but Mr. Duggan believes there are two problems with the MBO approach and handing out monetary bonuses:

1. People have altered their expectations regarding work. Years ago, employees were primarily concerned with financial incentives. Now, employees are more interested in finding meaning and purpose in their work.

2. Employees are working differently. Nowadays, people are collaborating more on projects, thus making it harder to hand out bonuses for individual performance metrics.

Instead of the MBO technique, Mr. Duggan proposes four ideas to consider if your company is looking to improve performance:
What makes a city appealing for medical practice?

It can vary greatly based on life stage, personal interests, career goals or even the level of education of a physician's spouse. However, most physicians are looking for some combination of positive features, from high rates of compensation to good schools for their kids to top cultural offerings.

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Tax Foundation, Diederich Healthcare  a malpractice insurer  and the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, in addition to its proprietary reports, Medscape compiled a list of the best and worst places for physicians to practice in 2016.

The best cities boast top schools, high compensation, low tax rates, low malpractice payouts, strong economies, low density of physicians, cultural amenities and beautiful landscapes. The worst cities have high costs of living, high rates of unemployment, low compensation or unhealthy populations. While no best or worst city has all positive or negative features, the top locations offer a greater overall environment for physician practice. Here are the best 25 cities and worst five cities in the U.S. for physician practice, as rated by Medscape.

Best cities

1. Apex, N.C.

2. Austin, Texas

3. Birmingham, Ala.

4. Boise, Idaho

5. Columbus, Ohio

6. Denver

7. Des Moines, Iowa

8. Fremont, Calif.

9. Grand Rapids, Mich.

10. Indianapolis

11. Johns Creek, Ga.

12. Lexington, Ky.

13. Madison, Wis.

14. Manchester-Nashua, N.H.

15. Minneapolis

16. Murfreesboro, Tenn.

17. Omaha, Neb.

18. Orlando, Fla.

19. Overland Park, Kan.

20. Pittsburgh

21. Portland, Ore.

22. Salt Lake City

23. San Jose, Calif.

24. Scottsdale, Ariz.

25. Tyler, Texas

Worst cities

1. Albuquerque, N.M.

2. Charleston, W.Va.

3. Washington, D.C.

4. Jackson, Miss.

5. Providence, R.I.

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Bowie (Texas) Memorial Hospital, which closed last November, has a new owner, according to a KAUZ news report.

Bowie Memorial closed after voters nixed a ballot measure that would have saved the facility through the creation of a new hospital district. The hospital entered negotiations with a Houston-based company last December, but the deal fell through less than a month later. With resources dwindling, hospital authority directors accepted a $1.5 million bid from Hasan Farid Hashmi, MD, for the purchase of Bowie Memorial.

At a board meeting Monday, Bowie Memorial officials signed off on documents to transfer ownership of the hospital to the Hashmi Group. Dr. Hashmi said he expects the hospital to begin admitting patients by early September, according to the report.

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A judge has given Lee Memorial Hospital permission to evict a brain-injured patient who has remained at the Fort Myers, Fla.-based hospital for more than a year after physicians said he was ready to go home or be transferred to a nursing home, according to the Naples Daily News.

The 41-year-old patient Jason Degraaf was hospitalized in February 2015 after he was struck by a vehicle. In its lawsuit, the Lee Memorial claims Mr. Degraaf is in a vegetative state. Physicians said the patient was ready to be transferred out of the hospital last April. However, Mr. Degraaf's mother claims her son is not in a vegetative state, and his family has refused to allow him to be sent home or to a nursing home, according to Lee Memorial's lawsuit.

In court filings, Mr. Degraaf's mother claims her son needs further treatment at the Florida Institute for Neurological Rehabilitation in Wauchula. She alleges insurance will not cover the additional treatment because Lee Memorial failed to properly register her son with a Florida program that helps people with spinal cord and brain injuries. To qualify for care under the program, patients must have a "reasonable expectation" they can "achieve reintegration into the community" through the treatment, according to the report.

Since physicians have deemed Mr. Degraaf ready for transfer, Medicaid will no longer pay for his care at the hospital. Lee County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Krier ruled last week that Lee Memorial is being harmed by Mr. Degraaf's continued stay, according to the report.

The judge said Mr. Degraaf is adding to overcrowding at Lee Memorial. She also said his continued stay is preventing the hospital from meeting its public duty by the loss of a hospital bed.

Regarding the judge's ruling, a Lee Memorial spokeswoman said, "We appreciate having resolution on this matter and we can now work to find an appropriate placement for this patient."

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A nurse formerly employed by the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs was arrested Monday for falsifying records after a patient's death, according to the Louisiana Office of State Inspector General.

The nurse, 58-year-old Cheryl Poirrier, faces felony charges for multiple counts of filing false public records and malfeasance in office, according to a statement from the state OIG.

Ms. Poirrer attended to a resident at the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home in Reserve after he had fallen in his room and complained of back and head pain, according to the OIG. If a resident falls unobserved, VA policy requires nursing staff to perform neurological checks on the patient at specific times over the following 72 hours. Ms. Porrier returned the resident to his bed after the fall, but did not perform the checks. He was found unresponsive eight hours later and it was determined he died sometime overnight, according to the report.

When the patient was found unresponsive, Ms. Poirrier falsely prepared and filed reports that she performed the required checks. However, video surveillance shows Ms. Poirrier never performed any checks on the patient, according to the report.

"We owe our veterans the highest degree of professional care. Ms. Poirrier not only failed to honor that obligation, but made the situation worse by falsifying records to cover up that failure. That can never be tolerated. We will continue to do everything in our power to bring about criminal consequences in such cases," Louisiana Inspector General Stephen Street said in the statement.

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Calling for a compromise, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to rule on the central legal question in Zubik v. Burwell, which focuses on the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act.

Here are five things to know about the lawsuit.

1. The lawsuit consolidates seven separate cases in which the challengers claim the ACA's contraceptive mandate violates their religious freedom. The main issue in Zubik v. Burwell is whether the mandate, which requires employer-sponsored health plans to cover contraceptives, and its accommodation violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. Under the accommodation, nonprofits that object to covering contraceptives can notify the government which would then mandate the nonprofits' insurers to cover the contraceptives as part of the employee policy but at no charge to the employer.

2. In March, the high court issued an unusual order asking lawyers on both sides for a rebriefing on a possible compromise. According to SCOTUSblog, the call for supplemental briefs indicated the high court seemed to have tentatively accepted the views of both the nonprofit organizations and the government.

3. On Monday, the Supreme Court punted on Zubik v. Burwell, declining to rule on whether the contraceptive mandate substantially burdens religious organizations. The court remanded the cases back to the federal appellate courts.

"Given the gravity of the dispute and the substantial clarification and refinement in the positions of the parties, the parties on remand should be afforded an opportunity to arrive at an approach going forward that accommodates petitioners' religious exercise while at the same time ensuring that women covered by petitioners' health plans 'receive full and equal health coverage, including contraceptive coverage,'" the Supreme Court said in its opinion. "We anticipate that the Courts of Appeals will allow the parties sufficient time to resolve any outstanding issues between them."

4. The justices emphasized in their opinion that they were deciding nothing. "The court expresses no view on the merits of the cases," the opinion said. The justices did make clear, however, that the lower courts should not approve any settlement that does not provide "seamless" contraceptive coverage for women together with the rest of their health coverage, such as special birth control policies for which women pay out of pocket.

5. The Supreme Court's unusual tactic in Zubik v. Burwell indicates the court is exploring all available avenues to avoid 4-to-4 deadlocks, following the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in February, according to The New York Times.

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A 31-year-old male patient escaped from Lakewood, Wash.-based Western State Hospital Monday and was captured about an hour later, according to an Associated Press report published by The Register-Guard.

The escape occurred around 1:45 p.m., when the patient was with a group of other patients being escorted by hospital staff. Lakewood police Lt. Chris Lawler said hospital staff discovered the man was gone when they reached their destination, according to the report.

The patient, whose name was not disclosed, was being held on a 180-day civil commitment.

"He was considered gravely disabled and flagged as a threat to himself and others," Lt. Lawler said, according to the report. "We were also told he was on active supervision from the Department of Corrections."

The patient was eventually found near a public library in Steilacoom, Wash. He was taken into custody about 3:05 p.m. and returned to the hospital, according to the report.

Officials believe the patient left the group of other patients via an unlocked door while being taken from a treatment area to a fenced outside activity zone.

The escape comes more than a month after two patients deemed "dangerous"  Anthony Garver, 28, and Mark Alexander Adams, 58  escaped April 6 from the psychiatric hospital. Police caught Mr. Adams in Des Moines, Wash., the next morning. However, Mr. Garver made it to Spokane, Wash., before he was caught April 8.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) fired the CEO of Western State Hospital after Mr. Garver and Mr. Adams escaped.
The vast majority of Americans reported they believe untreated mental illness has a significant impact on the U.S. economy and that mental health reform is important. However, just 5 percent believe Congress has paid adequate attention to mental healthcare, according to a national poll by the American Psychiatric Association.

"We applaud the lawmakers in Congress who recognize the dire need to improve our nation's mental health system," Renee Binder, MD, president of the APA, said in a press release, according to Healio. "But we call upon Congress as a whole to embrace this issue. Our poll findings show that the majority of Americans want to see improved mental healthcare and access."

Findings of the poll, administered online to a nationally representative sample of 1,025 people in April, were presented at the APA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, which began May 14 and runs through the 18.

Approximately two-thirds of respondents indicated they felt untreated mental illness has a significant material effect on the U.S. economy, and more than 75 percent said mental healthcare reform is important for addressing various societal issues, such as suicide rates and access to care.

Only fifteen percent of respondents said the current mental healthcare system is meeting the mental health needs of military veterans.

About one-fifth  21 percent  of the cohort said presidential candidate Hilary Clinton would "best ensure the needs of those living with mental health issues are met," while 19 percent said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would be the best candidate for this effort. Ten percent of respondents endorsed Donald Trump.

Although 45 percent of respondents said they think there is less stigma regarding mental illness than 10 years ago, 31 percent said they would not vote for a political candidate with a diagnosed mental illness, even if they received treatment for it.
Even though critical access hospitals have been criticized in previous studies and reports suggesting they provide lower-quality care than their larger counterparts, a new study in JAMA shows critical access hospitals may offer safer, less expensive common surgeries to Medicare patients.

Researchers from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor reviewed 828 Medicare beneficiary admissions to critical access hospitals for one of four common types of surgery (appendectomy, gall bladder removal, removal of all or part of the colon and hernia repair) and compared it with 3,676 admissions to non-critical access hospitals for the same procedures. They compared risk-adjusted outcomes and adjusted for patient factors, admission type and type of operation.

When they compared outcomes and cost, there was no statistically significant difference in 30-day mortality rates between critical access hospitals and non-critical access hospitals. Also, critical access hospitals had lower rates of serious complications (6.4 percent versus 13.9 percent) and lower Medicare expenditures than non-critical access hospitals ($14,450 versus $15,845).

While they did adjust for patient factors, the study authors did note critical access hospital patients were less medically complex.

"From a surgical standpoint, these hospitals appear to be doing exactly what we would want them to be doing: common operations on appropriately selected patients who are safe to stay locally for their care," said Andrew Ibrahim, MD, the study's first author.

Tyler Hughes, MD, a surgeon at McPherson (Kan.) Hospital, assisted Dr. Ibrahim and the researchers on the study. He added, "The goal of the rural surgeon is [to provide the] best care nearest home. Data to assure that the care in rural centers is both safe and cost effective is critical in the decisions the profession faces in providing care to the 20 percent of the U.S. population living in truly rural environments. This study gives credence to what rural surgeons long suspected  that well-done rural surgery is safe and cost effective."
Salinas (Calif.) Valley Memorial Healthcare System and union workers are preparing for a strike that is set to begin Tuesday, The Californian reports.

Negotiations between SVMH and the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents roughly 700 employees at SVMH, ranging from housekeeping and food service workers to radiology technicians, have been ongoing since July 2015. Workers said last week they would strike for 24 hours starting at 6 a.m. Tuesday if no negotiations were made in the near future.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, neither side had shown any indications of relenting their positions to avert a strike, according to the report.

However, the report notes, not all unionized workers are expected to walk off the job.

SVMH spokeswoman Karina Rusk told The Californian the hospital has 263 contract workers trained and ready to fill in beginning Tuesday for union workers who choose to strike. Since the hospital has paid for a three-day minimum use of the contract workers, workers who strike for one day will be replaced for two more days, or "locked out" as described by the union, according to the report.

SVMH and the union remain at odds over cost-of-living salary increases, increases in healthcare premium costs and language over the hospital's authority to hire subcontractors.

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Nurses from Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital representing the Massachusetts Nurses Association are expected to picket May 17 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., according to the Boston Business Journal.

Although some nurses will continue to work, the hospital expects hundreds to participate in the picket. Those participating are protesting contract negotiations including scheduling, benefits and on-site security at Brigham and Women's.



Currently, recently hired nurses have eight less sick and vacation days than nurses with longer tenures with the system, according to the Boston Herald. In addition, they must enroll in a non-union health insurance plan. Nurses from the Massachusetts Nurses Association are also vying for 24-hour security presence in the emergency room, which they claim used to be a staple of Brigham and Women's.



Erin McDonough, a Brigham and Women's spokeswoman, commented on the nurses' concerns. She said newly hired nurses receive 33 annual vacation and sick days per year, and the amount increases to 47 over time. In a statement, Ms. McDonough added, "In order to continue to support the costly insurance and benefit package we provide to current Brigham nurses, we have proposed that newly hired nurses be enrolled in the same comprehensive health insurance program offered to BWH employees (non-nurses)." Ms. McDonough also claimed there have been "no changes to emergency department security," according to the Boston Herald.

The nurses met with hospital staff last week in an attempt to negotiate, but to no avail. The groups will meet again on May 20 to finalize a contract. This is their 18th attempt to do so since the previous contract expired last September. Trish Powers, Brigham and Women's Hospital's chairperson for the Massachusetts Nurses Association, said if the groups don't come to an agreement, a strike vote will be discussed, according to the Boston Herald.
New Jersey Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) has called for a hearing next month in response to hundreds of alleged assaults by patients in recent years at Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, N.J., The Record reports.

The senator wants to look at a newly revealed increasing pattern of violence at the facility. He also wants to address how private operator Bergen Regional Medical Center LP, which manages the hospital, spends tens of millions of public dollars annually and to review the care it provides for mentally ill and elderly patients, according to the report.

"There are potentially any number of areas of concern  taxpayers are covering the care for these patients, how are they being cared for and are they being cared for in a manner that meets the highest standards," Sen. Vitale said, according to The Record.

"Saying we're average or we're doing better doesn't give me any comfort when you're dealing with such an extraordinarily vulnerable population that depends on the state and this institution to care for them," he added.

According to the report, the senator plans to work with Bergen County, which owns the hospital and leases it to for-profit Bergen Regional Medical Center LP, "to address these issues and have a public discussion about what we can do to assist them."

Sen. Vitale's call for a hearing comes just days after The Record revealed that violence has reportedly continued at Bergen Regional Medical Center, even after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the hospital last year for failing to keep the workplace free of hazards, and for incorrectly recording workplace injuries.

Following a worker's complaint last August, federal officials said at least eight employees were victims of violent patients from Feb. 22, 2015, through June 12, 2015. Bergen Regional Medical Center is currently challenging the OSHA citation.

Now, it appears more assaults were reported in recent months at Bergen Regional Medical Center, which treats some of the most vulnerable patients  people debilitated by depression or dementia or battling a life-threatening addiction to heroin or prescription pain medication, according to The Record. The publication reports that in one three-hour span last December, law enforcement recorded four assaults that left two patients bleeding, an aide requiring X-rays and two guards with bite marks on their arms.

Officials at Bergen Regional Medical Center LP declined to comment to The Record on the law enforcement records and said they had not seen them. In an interview with the publication, they also pointed out attacks on staff have dropped more than 30 percent over three recent quarters  from 4.5 per 1,000 patient days in the third quarter of 2015 to 1.4 in the first quarter of 2016  and injuries to staff are below national benchmarks. They did not provide The Record with numbers for total assaults during that period.

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More workers at Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, N.J., were allegedly assaulted by patients after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the hospital last year for failing to keep the workplace free of hazards, and for incorrectly recording workplace injuries.

Following a worker's complaint last August, federal officials said at least eight employees were victims of violent patients during from Feb. 22, 2015, through June 12, 2015. Bergen Regional Medical Center is currently challenging the OSHA citation.

Now, it appears more assaults were reported in recent months at BRMC, which treats some of the most vulnerable patients  people debilitated by depression or dementia or battling a life-threatening addiction to heroin or prescription pain medication, according to The Record. The publication reports that in one three-hour span last December, law enforcement recorded four assaults that left two patients bleeding, an aide requiring X-rays and two guards with bite marks on their arms.

The cases are highlighted as the future of the hospital is unclear. Bergen Regional, the largest hospital and licensed nursing home in New Jersey, is owned by Bergen County and leased to a private operator, Bergen Regional Medical Center LP. The lease runs out in 2017. Bergen County officials have not yet made a final determination on what to do with the hospital once the lease expires.

But experts argue a change needs to occur, according to the report.

"The number and frequency of the patient care issues surrounding Bergen Regional Medical Center reflects serious leadership and management challenges," Kevin Huckshorn, a national expert in mental health and substance abuse treatment and a consultant for the New Jersey Department of Human Services, told The Record. "If a hospital itself is unable to effectively address these kinds of issues in a timely and adequate manner, the other responsible party is the one holding the contract for these services," she added. "In this case, that appears to be Bergen County."

Officials at Bergen Regional Medical Center LP declined to comment to The Record on the law enforcement records and said they had not seen them. In an interview with the publication, they also pointed out attacks on staff have dropped more than 30 percent over three recent quarters  from 4.5 per 1,000 patient days in the third quarter of 2015 to 1.4 in the first quarter of 2016  and injuries to staff are below national benchmarks. They did not provide The Record with numbers for total assaults during that period.

"We are in this hospital caring for people who are at the extreme range of inability to control their behavior," Gabe Kaplan, MD, medical director of behavioral health at Bergen Regional Medical Center, told The Record. "Despite that, our rate of workplace violence is lower than the average."

Bergen Regional Medical Center LP is interested in renewing the contract to operate the hospital, Donnalee Corrieri, vice president of marketing and strategic development, told The Record.

According to NJ Advance Media, a 13-member committee was appointed to recommend what to do with the hospital once the lease expires. The committee findings, released earlier this month, called for the county to continue maintaining ownership, but said services should be expanded and contracts should provide more transparency in finances and operations, according to The Record.

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Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine named Alan R. Cohen, MD, the new chief of pediatric neurosurgery, effective May 23, according to News-Medical.

Here are six highlights:

1. Dr. Cohen is also the new holder of the Benjamin S. Carson Sr., M.D., and Dr. Evelyn Spiro, R.N., Professorship in Pediatric Neurosurgery.

2. He previously served as Boston Children's Hospital's neurosurgeon-in-chief and neurosurgery department chair. Dr. Cohen also held the Franc D. Ingraham Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

3. Dr. Cohen is currently the Society of Neurological Surgeons' president-elect and previously served as the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons' president.

4. He specializes in minimally invasive techniques for pediatric neurosurgical procedures.

5. Dr. Cohen has authored 170 articles and book chapters and published two textbooks.

6. After earning his medical degree from Cornell University School of Medicine in New York City, Dr. Cohen completed his internal medicine residency at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, N.H. He then completed his general surgery residency and neurological surgery residency at New York University Medical Center in New York City.
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Aer Lingus is cutting up to 70 jobs at its Belfast base.

The carrier says that around 17 staff will remain in the city's base, but the rest will either go, or be offered a move to Dublin.

Aer Lingus says out of 55 cabin crew, 17 will loses their jobs. A further 21 will be offered roles in Dublin.

A further eight pilots will move to Aer Lingus's headquarters in Dublin, and a further 16 will also be offered roles there.

And seven maintenance staff will also be cut from Belfast, and offered roles in Dublin.

Aer Lingus and British Airways are now both owned by parent company IAG, and both fly out of Belfast City Airport.

A spokeswoman for Aer Lingus said: "In recent months Aer Lingus has conducted a review of the way in which our Belfast base is resourced. This review has now concluded and our management team are communicating with our Belfast-based team today on the changes to be undertaken and the impact on our Belfast team.

"With effect from the end of October 2016 we will reduce the numbers employed at our Belfast base. For reasons of efficiency a large portion of our Belfast operation will be resourced from our Dublin base. We will continue to employ some Cabin Crew at Belfast but some of the resource requirements for Cabin Crew and all the resource requirements for Cockpit Crew will be provided from our Dublin numbers. We will be seeking to enter third party supply arrangements for our Line Maintenance requirements.

"We are pleased to confirm that there will be no change to our flying schedule at Belfast City airport. We remain fully committed to serving our Northern Ireland customers and will continue to fly from Belfast City to popular summer sun destinations such as Majorca, Malaga, Faro and Alicante as well as operating a year-round, high frequency service to London Heathrow. These decisions relate only to resourcing arrangements and are necessary in order to secure the future profitability of our Belfast operation.

"Over the coming weeks we will continue to communicate with our Belfast team, to implement these changes, and will seek to minimise any negative impact on employees. All employees impacted by these decisions will be offered roles at our Dublin base.

"We remain committed to serving the Belfast market and will continue to offer competitive fares to London and popular summer sun destinations direct from Belfast City airport."
Branching out: the Glasgow University Stevenson Hive Building is one of Heron Bros projects in Scotland

A Northern Ireland construction firm boss has declared the trade "completely dead" in the home market and vowed that the hunt for work in Great Britain would go on.

Damien O'Callaghan, the executive manager of Heron Bros in Co Londonderry, said his firm had been required to diversify due to a lack of work in Northern Ireland, leading it to start up a base in Glasgow three years ago.

He said the move has paid off for the Draperstown firm, with projects worth 80m now on its order book as it marks its 60th anniversary this year.

Now, the company has said it is targeting the so-called Northern Powerhouse project for work, as the Conservative Government moves to improve the economy of the north of England by investing in infrastructure.

But he said that there was simply "no work" at home. "We've had just one recent job at home at Foyle College and Ebrington Primary School Nursery, and that's it," Mr O'Callaghan said.

The company has 260 employees and had turnover of 52m in its last results. It is also working on the new National Indoor Arena in Blanchardstown, Dublin in a 55m joint venture with stadium development specialists Buckingham Group Contracting.

Heron Bros also uses more than 500 subcontractors on sites around the UK and Ireland.

Mr O'Callaghan said: "Having our employees travelling across the water every week isn't great and we really would like more work in Northern Ireland.

But we have to go where the work is.

And he said the new Executive should prioritise infrastructure.

They need to look at budgets and alternative funding such as private finance initiatives (PFIs).

There are different routes to market  you can look at revenue budgets, instead of capital budgets, and alternative models of procurement.

Heron Bros Group managing director Damian Heron said: We are delighted with our companys ongoing growth. We are committed to being a partner of choice by building robust, long-lasting relationships with our stakeholders.

The company was founded by six brothers in Draperstown in 1956. Its diversified from construction and now includes interests in land and property development, specialist joinery, building supplies, farming and wind energy. Industry body the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) has said the sector was experiencing modest growth.

But CEF managing director John Armstrong said growth was coming from elsewhere, rather than projects at home.

While industry output stood at 618m during quarter four of 2015  a year on year rise of 3%  this actually represented a fall from 643m during quarter one of the year and falls significantly short of the all-time high of 904m in quarter one of 2007, he said.

These figures, accompanied by an employment outlook for many that remains relatively flat, very much reflect an industry that is experiencing modest growth  but with the bulk of this coming through our highly competitive and innovative companies winning work outside of Northern Ireland.

He said that the expansion of contractors into external markets was to be welcomed  but added: It comes at an increasing cost to those employed in the industry who now spend much of their working week away from these shores.

One sector of building which has shown improvement is housebuilding.

According to the National House Building Council (NHBC), work commenced on 3,223 new homes in Northern Ireland in 2015  at 30% more than 2014, the highest percentage increase of any UK region.

But in the first quarter of 2016, there was a fall in new home starts in Northern Ireland, to 651.
There is a temptation to over-analyse the fact that the 12m (9.5m) Epic exhibition in Dublin's CHQ is pitched as a celebration of the success of the Irish abroad. It's true Neville Isdell, the former head of Coca-Cola worldwide, certainly fits into the category of an Irish success abroad himself.

He left Downpatrick aged just 10, when the family moved to Africa. In his final years as chief executive of the Atlanta-based giant, Isdell earned a reported $27m (19m). But any notion that Epic is designed as a barely disguised monument to his own globe-spanning achievements doesn't survive two minutes in Isdell's company.

The tall, trim, former rugby player is self effacing and personable. His accent retains a trace of Co Down, as well as a bit of South Africa in the mid-Atlantic mix. Isdell is quick to praise, upbeat and cheerful. If Epic is inclined to focus on the more positive elements of Ireland's history of emigration, it might be that it reflects Isdell's own positivity - rather than his ego, but it's also where the US-based executive spotted the gap in the market.

The Epic exhibition will use state-of-the-art digital technology to tell the stories of hundreds of outstanding Irish people down the ages. It is designed to be a permanent fixture in Ireland's tourism offering, and is the final building block in Isdell's three-year project to turn CHQ - a massive 200-year-old former warehouse in Dublin's ISFC - into a successful business.

Those chances of financial success have always been helped by the fact he bought the property at the pit of the crash. Isdell paid 10m (8m) in 2013 for the historic property that previous owners the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DAAA) had lavished 50m (39.4m) refurbishing as a slick modern mall.

At the time, US-based Isdell was just another cash-rich American investor, looking to take advantage of the crash to buy bargain property. Prior to taking the top job at Coke in Atlanta in 2004 Isdell had sold and bottled Coke everywhere from Zambia and Australia to Russia during the collapse of communism. When it came to property investing, it was a case of, "the more boring the better", until he came across CHQ.

Despite its lavish revamp the CHQ property was clearly struggling. Its empty shop units made it a favourite with press photographers keen to illustrate the Irish crash, but Isdell was smitten. "I was ignorant enough not to have seen the failure of the shopping centre. I saw it through different eyes," he says.

Using his own cash, and with no debt, the Coca-Cola boss was able to take a long view.

There was no great strategy to start with. Instead, the idea for CHQ as a mixed-use development emerged.

An events business was developed to take advantage of the property during quieter periods. Epic, which opened this month, is the real game changer though. It ticks every strategic box for Isdell. The visitor attraction will mean weekend footfall for the still often largely empty building.

No expense, or effort, has been spared in preparing the exhibition. Many of the highly skilled technical teams who worked on Belfast's successful Titanic Experience are working on it. Epic has been developed in the atmospheric vaults under CHQ, space that was unsuitable for offices or retail but ideal for an immersive, self-contained, experience.

Isdell's focus was on the story of Ireland though, Irish-America and wider diaspora. "I had experienced that myself as an expat. I left at 10 but still felt very Irish," he says. One potential spanner in the works were State plans for a national diaspora centre, which could potentially have crowded out the CHQ project.

The CHQ team got involved the process, albeit reluctantly. "If there was to be one (diaspora centre) - we didn't want it not to be us," explains Isdell,

In the end, the State scheme never got off the ground, which the CHQ team think will work out better all around. "It has to be sustainable and the only way it will be is to run it on a commercial basis," he says. "With anything reliant on the political purse or on generosity, longevity is not guaranteed."

Making money is "fundamental from day one", he reckons.

Rather than a single diaspora centre, he would rather develop connections between a mix of sites across the country from the Famine Museum in Strokestown to the Queenstown Visitor Centre in Cobh and others.

Epic has established strong relationships with the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity Library's Book of Kells Exhibit and Glasnevin Cemetery.

"We're not a competitor to other Dublin attractions, we're adding to the attractiveness of Dublin," Isdell reckons.

"It's not about your share of the pie, it's about baking a bigger pie."

If things go to plan, it's going to be a pretty big slice.
Top flight shares in London rose strongly in early trading, as market heavyweight Vodafone notched up its first growth in full-year revenue and earnings since 2008.

The mobile phone giant saw its shares rise after it posted annual earnings up by 2.7% to 11.6 billion as sales lifted 2.3% to 40.9 billion, boosted by operations in South Africa, Egypt and Turkey.

The FTSE 100 Index lifted 48.2 points to 6199.7, pushed up by results from Vodafone and a series of other positive corporate announcements.

Germany's DAX edged up 0.2%, while the Cac 40 in France was 0.7% higher.

In stocks, Vodafone was up, 5.6p to 229.3p, as the group added that it has concluded its "Project Spring" investment programme, which has seen the world's second-largest mobile phone operator invest 19 billion on network upgrades.

Chief executive Vittorio Colao said: ''This has been a year of strong execution for the group, returning to organic growth in both revenue and EBITDA [earnings] for the first time since 2008."

Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey was the biggest riser in the top flight after it upgraded its profit guidance for the year as the firm heralded positive growth in the UK housing market.

It also said that it will pay out a bigger dividend to shareholders in 2017, upping the award 26% to 13.8p a share, totalling 1.3 billion.

Taylor said it would pay a special 300 million dividend in July 2017 and increase its ordinary dividend.

Shares jumped by more than 5%, or 10.1p to 195p.

Developer Land Securities, the firm behind the Walkie Talkie skyscraper in London, was another strong top flight performer, after posting robust full-year trading - but also warned a Brexit vote would "be painful for the property industry".

It said the value of its assets rose by 10.3% to 1,482p a share in the period - while revenue profit, which includes joint ventures, was up 10% to 362 million.

But chief executive Robert Noel said a June Brexit vote over the short term would slow decision-making, drive down demand and lead to falling rents.

However, shares Land Securities lifted 3%, or 33p to 1172p.
Michael OLeary insists Ryanair would scale back its operation in the event of a Brexit

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has warned that the budget airline will be forced to scale back British investment if the country votes to leave the European Union.

Appearing on a platform with Chancellor George Osborne at Stansted Airport, Mr O'Leary (right) said that inward investment will be lost to competitor EU member states such as Ireland and Germany if Britain votes for Brexit.

He also announced the creation of 450 new jobs in Britain as part of a 1.4bn (976m) investment into the Ryanair's 13 UK bases.

Mr O'Leary said: "It is this type of large-scale foreign inward investment that is helping to drive the UK economy and job creation.

"It is exactly this type of investment that will be lost to other competitor EU members if the UK votes to leave the European Union."

The outspoken Irishman also urged the British public to vote to Remain on June 23.

He said: "The single market has enabled Ryanair to lead the low-fare air travel revolution in Europe, as we bring millions of British citizens to Europe each year, and welcome millions of European visitors to Britain, and we are calling on everyone to turn out in large numbers and vote Remain."

Mr O'Leary was speaking at the opening of Ryanair's European Training Centre at Stansted, which this year is creating more than 1,000 new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers.

Charlie Cornish, chief executive of Stansted owner Manchester Airports Group (MAG), said leaving the EU would be a "huge backward step for UK aviation".The event also featured ex-Business Secretary Vince Cable and ex-Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls.

The Chancellor accused the Leave camp in the EU referendum of indulging in conspiracy theories as he insisted there was an "overwhelming consensus" among economists and world leaders that Brexit would be bad for the UK.

Ryanair's event came after more than 300 business leaders urged Britain to vote to leave the European Union.

In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, they argued that businesses will be "free to grow faster, expand into new markets and create more jobs" if they are unconstrained by EU rules. Signatories include Peter Goldstein, a founder of Superdrug; Steve Dowdle, a former vice-president Europe of Sony; David Sismey, a managing director of Goldman Sachs, and Sir Patrick Sheehy, the former chairman of British American Tobacco.

Meanwhile, speaking at an event in Dublin last week, Mr O'Leary urged the pro-EU lobby to put its case as plainly as possible as the referendum nears.

"I'd want to terrify the life out of everybody that there's a real danger the lunatics on the leave side are going to win, so get out and vote," he said.

The company is running newspaper and digital ads urging a 'remain vote' and has also put large pro-EU stickers on some aircraft.
A Labour MP has written to media watchdog Ofcom raising concerns that ITV breached broadcast rules with controversial drama The Secret.

Louise Haigh, who represents Sheffield Heeley, said the broadcaster's handling of the show was "unacceptable" and "deeply troubling" after family members of victims depicted in the crime drama complained they had not been given a chance to watch it before airing.

In a statement to the Belfast Telegraph, the MP said ITV had acted insensitively.

"The revelation that one of the families involved weren't asked if they would like to view the series prior to broadcast is deeply troubling," she added.

"ITV have a duty under the Broadcasting Code to minimise distress. The very least they should do under that obligation is allow the families to view the programme before it airs so they can make sense of it and prepare for the distress to come once it becomes national news.

"It is completely unacceptable and insensitive that ITV did not offer all of the families that option and raises serious questions about their handling of this highly sensitive drama.

"Of course, it raises serious doubts about whether they did indeed comply with the Broadcasting Code."

The Secret portrays the double murder of Trevor Buchanan and Lesley Howell in 1991, who were killed in Castlerock by their spouses Hazel Buchanan and Colin Howell, who were having an affair.

On Friday, David Stewart, who later married Hazel Buchanan, complained that the late Trevor Buchanan's children were not given a chance to watch The Secret before its air date.

The penultimate episode of the drama, which was broadcast on Friday night, shocked many viewers with graphic sex scenes involving the two murderers.

Stuart Buchanan, the nephew of Trevor Buchanan, took to twitter on Saturday to vent his frustration at the drama.

"True means accurate, exact and without variation," he wrote. "Does The Secret meet this definition? If not, is it really true?

"An approximate truth will always be partial, distorted and incomplete. Good enough truth is not good enough."

Last week, Louise Haigh raised the issue with Prime Minister David Cameron after other family members of the victims said they felt exploited by the programme. The MP had been contacted by Lauren Bradford the daughter of Colin Howell, who complained she had been re-traumatised.

In an article for the Guardian she wrote: "Behind the high viewing figures, whether for fiction or the coverage of real crimes, there are people living with murder bereavement on a daily basis. An intrusive media experience can often compound this original trauma. If deemed 'a good enough story', private grief then becomes public property."

In a statement ITV said: "The producers notified members of both the Howell and Buchanan families at an early stage of development of the drama. They provided information to both Howell and Buchanan family members who wished to be kept informed of the drama, and respected the wishes of those who did not want any involvement with the drama.

"The drama was provided to those members of the families who wanted to be kept informed and requested an advance viewing. We have never suggested that any member of either family approved or authorised the drama."
Full support: presenter Eamonn Holmes and wife Ruth Langsford have backed the campaign for the new Hospice building

Lorraine Graham's job is to help people talk about death. As national Dying Matters Awareness Week draws to a close, we are all being urged to discuss our own passing and few people are better qualified than Lorraine to understand why it is so important.

For the past 16 years the Bangor mother-of-two has devoted herself to working with terminally ill patients and their families at the Northern Ireland Hospice.

As lead social worker in charge of co-ordinating bereavement services, she knows all too well the sensitivities surrounding a subject which most of us struggle to talk about.

She also knows the benefits to loved ones and terminally ill patients when they are encouraged and helped to make their wishes known.

While most of us don't want to think about death, professionals working in palliative care appreciate its significance, which is why in 2009, the National Council for Palliative Care set up the Dying Matters Coalition to promote public awareness of dying, death and bereavement.

During Dying Matters Awareness Week, the coalition urged people to take the opportunity to talk openly with those closest to them about their wishes on future care, dying, death and bereavement. This year's theme is The Big Conversation with the message - "Talking about dying won't make it happen."

It is a conversation which Lorraine (57) holds often in her job.

She says: "As a social worker you get the opportunity to build up a relationship with patients and their families. We can reassure people that we are very comfortable having these conversations. And, although we don't jump right in and talk about death and dying, we can encourage them to discuss any issues that may be on their minds.

"Maybe some people have things they want to do but don't want to discuss with their husband or wife because they don't want to upset them.

"If their partners are very tearful or anxious we might suggest that they go ahead and record their wishes and write them down. These can be given to their family after their death.

"We often have people tell us that it is a conversation they hate and they don't know how to start. But there can be great relief when they do discuss it and especially for relatives, as they will know their loved ones' wishes and can fulfil them.

"For those who don't discuss it, there can also be regrets about not knowing how their loved one wanted their funeral. And sometimes family members can disagree on how things should be, so it is important to talk about it, and it can make things so much easier for those left behind."

Working with terminally ill people day-in and day-out has given Lorraine a special appreciation of life and she says she loves her job and couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Married to Stephen (64), a school caretaker, they have two sons, Gary (34) and Jonathan (32) and two grandsons, Jamie (9) and Kyle (8).

She explains: "It is a strange job, but it is brilliant and a very satisfying job. People tend to over-glamorise palliative care work, saying it is a privilege, but it really is. It never ceases to amaze me how people let you into that part of their life.

"It is very rewarding being able to help patients write letters to their families. And sometimes we are asked to pass them on after their death.

"It is rewarding to be able to help at such an emotional time. We have a great team and we support and look out for each other and try to protect ourselves.

"I've got my husband at home and my family and it makes you appreciate what you have."

The aim of Dying Matters Awareness Week is to get as many people as possible thinking, talking and planning for what happens when we die.

The idea is to ensure that we all can get the care and support we want, where we want it, at the end of our lives.

Even just having a chat with family, friends or colleagues about the importance of preparing for death can change perceptions, experts say.

The new adult hospice on the Somerton Road in Belfast will be open and caring for people within weeks.

And this week is an important one for the charity, as it opens the doors of the new building to invite donors, staff, volunteers and anyone else interested to see first-hand what the support of the public and donations have made possible.

Money still needs to be raised to fit out the bedrooms, and TV personality Eamonn Holmes has lent his support to a new campaign to help in this final stage.

Eamonn and wife Ruth Langsford have appealed for donations to pay for the equipment and furnishings required to fit-out the new hospice; 15 will buy a specialist pillow, 78 a shower chair and it will take 1,700 for each patient bed.

The new hospice will include an in-patient unit, day hospice services and an education and research centre.

As well as skilled nursing care, staff like Lorraine will be helping patients and their families to manage expectations about their end-of-life care and bereavement.

Lorraine welcomes the awareness being created about death thanks to the campaign, adding: "It is very important that people discuss their wishes with their loved ones.

"When people find it hard to bring the subject up we try to create the atmosphere which will allow them to feel comfortable talking about death and dying. It is not a taboo subject for us.

"Often families don't want to talk about it because they don't want to give up hope. And, as people do look towards special events such as a family birthday or a child starting school, they tend to put it off, thinking they will still be around to see that. It can be difficult to face the fact they are dying.

"People do feel relieved when they have their plans in order. Even people who are not ill should make plans about what they want for their own future care and share them with their families; issues such as whether you want to be cremated or buried and also making wills or funeral arrangements.

"For those who don't, the families can be left wondering how a loved one would have wanted things to be and that can lead to a lot of heartache as well.

"I would urge people not to be afraid to have the conversation - it is a good opportunity to share your wishes with your loved ones."

Lorraine also urges people to consider children and to talk to them about what it means to lose a loved one.

She adds: "People should consider how children are managing and the guidelines are to give information to children in stages and avoid the 'big talk'.

"No matter how sad the news is, children will cope if they are told in a loving and caring way."

Try this

Some simple steps that you can take to make your end of life experience better, both for yourself and for your loved ones, are:

 Make a will

 Record your funeral wishes

 Plan your future care and support

 Register as an organ donor

 Tell your loved ones your wishes
Shannon Yee was leading a busy life working with young people in the voluntary sector in Belfast when she was struck down, at 30, by a rare life-threatening brain infection.

"I was an hour away from the dance-floor in the sky, although I was quite out of it and wasn't aware," she recalls. "It started with a sinus infection, which I'd never had before, that went a bit strange. I started having muscle shakes and spasms and migraines and I was vomiting.

"It was no time to get sick - I was planning to go to Mexico for the Christmas holidays - but then I lost power on my left side. My partner had to carry me to the Royal Victoria Hospital."

The sinus infection had progressed into a subdural empyema, a rare brain infection, which would have killed the American-born playwright within an hour if it had gone undetected.

She was rushed into the operating theatre of the Royal Victoria's neurosurgery unit for a craniotomy to remove the pus and alleviate the pressure on her brain and a section of her skull was placed in her abdomen until she was well enough to have it replaced.

"It was terrifying. I'd never been in hospital before and I was paralysed down my left side for three weeks," says Shannon, a softly-spoken New Yorker. "I had nurses attending to my personal care and I was on morphine. I began to think, 'What a wacky fringe show this would make'."

After her life-saving surgery, she spent three months in hospital having intravenous antibiotic treatment and a further two craniotomies when the infection returned.

As a result of the infection, she now lives with an acquired brain injury, which affects her cognitive, emotional, behavioural and physical abilities - although to meet her, you'd never know it.

"What happened to me was bizarre and out of the blue, but I was in the right place at the right time," she says. "Belfast is a world leader in neurosurgery, because of the Troubles; the Royal Victoria Hospital has so much expertise. If I'd been in the US, I would have faced enormous medical bills and I wouldn't have been able to get back to work, so I'm a big fan of the health service."

Shannon had moved to Belfast from New York in 2004 and fell in love with Grainne, a community worker, originally from Ahoghill. A year later, they became Britain's first lesbian couple to enter into a full civil partnership in 2005.

The couple ran a gauntlet of outraged protesters on the way to the ceremony at Belfast's City Hall. But, in 2008, Shannon was facing a much tougher battle.

After only four years together, Grainne faced losing her partner forever. She'd had the same cold which went into Shannon's sinuses. "I don't know how she got through it. A number of people turned to her and said, 'Gosh, you're very good to stay with her'," says Shannon.

"She has amazing strength and we had tremendous support from our friends and families and everyone from rabbis, Buddhists, nuns and pastors."

On Shannon's release from hospital, she had decided she would to use her experiences in her writing. A year later, she began a creative collaboration that would lead to Reassembled, Slightly Askew, an immersive sonic artwork, which takes the audience on a whirlwind ride through her experiences in the neurosurgical unit.

In the groundbreaking artistic project, a designated side room was set up in the Metropolitan Arts Centre (Mac) in Belfast. Ticket-holders, one by one, are met by a "nurse" and asked to fill out a form, before being tagged with a medical bracelet.

They are then led into a darkened room - scented with antiseptic hand-scrub - and shown to a bed, where they spend the next 48 minutes, with headphones and an eye-mask, being transported to the intensive care unit where Shannon woke up after her craniotomy.

They hear the voices of Grainne, Shannon herself, her neurosurgeon and nurse, and, after her release, some of the sounds that surround us every day, but which we don't notice, unless, like Shannon, we have suffered something that makes us hypersensitive to noise. Rave reviews followed. Even Shannon's consultant neurosurgeon confessed: "I thought this was going to be something 'arty-farty'. I had no idea it would affect me so profoundly and viscerally."

Currently running at the prestigious Battersea Arts Centre in London as part of A Nation's Theatre Festival, Reassembled, Slightly Askew uses hi-tech audio technology from the Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen's University, Belfast to make the sound three-dimensional.

Listeners feel like they are inside Shannon's head, viscerally experiencing her descent into a coma, brain surgeries, early days in the hospital and re-integration into the world with a hidden disability.

"Little did I think, all those years ago when I was lying in the acute neurosurgery ward at the Royal Victoria Hospital, that I would be creating an artwork that would take audiences into a hospital bed - and my head," says Shannon. "I wanted to share the challenges and triumphs of my deeply personal story of my acquired brain injury. It is a story of terror, discovery, humour, but - above all - hope."

In December 2015, Shannon was named by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland as one of 21 local creatives to receive an Artist Career Enhancement Scheme award (ACES), a development award, worth up to 5,000, which enables artists to take their careers to that all-important next level.

Shannon's award is being used to develop a sustainability plan for Reassembled, Slightly Askew, through personalised mentoring from the Arts & Disability Forum, with the aim of building networks around the UK and Ireland to showcase the work.

"This hasn't been done before and audiences have been really touched by the effects of the technology we use to recreate my experience in the neurosurgical ward," Shannon says. "Healthcare professionals, surgeons and nurses have said they are changing the way they practise after seeing it. The impact it's making is very exciting, on a personal level and on an artistic level.

"I'm very lucky to be here and to be able to reflect on my experience. I have a lot of invisible challenges, a lot of fatigue - my energy battery is a bit low and always requires me to top up and I'm very sensitive to noise. I find it hard to filter out background noise. It's quite an assault on the senses in a bar, for example.

"That can be frustrating for networking events and promotion, or even just socially. When there are two conversations going on in the same room, it's hard to focus and I'm probably presenting the worst version of myself."

She adds: "When I moved to Northern Ireland from New York City in 2004, Belfast beat Dublin and Galway to become my new home. I could feel a tremendous creativity bubbling under the surface here. It's a fact, though, that Northern Ireland is the very last place in the UK to recognise same-sex marriage.

"Even if we did get married outside of Northern Ireland, same-sex marriages are not recognised here. I think it would be wonderful if politicians at Stormont truly reflected the society they represent."

Featuring local actors Stephen Beggs and Mary Lindsay, Reassembled, Slightly Askew was created by Shannon with the help of her neurosurgeon, head-injury nurse and local artists Anna Newell, Paul Stapleton, Hanna Slattne and Stevie Prickett.

It's the only production from Northern Ireland that has been invited to be part of the Battersea festival, which shines a light on shows made by artists based in villages, towns and cities across the UK, with wildly different backdrops and personalities.

"It's been fantastic to be a part of the creative buzz that reverberates through the Mac, particularly as I am a playwright, which can be an isolating profession," says Shannon.

"I share the Hatch office with OfftheRails Dance and Chatterbox Productions, which means I can no longer get away with working days on end at home in scruffy sweatpants, or mismatched slipper socks."
The funeral of Dan Murray on its way to Holy Trinity Church, west Belfast

Police at the scene of the murder of Dan Murray in west Belfast

Pacemaker Press 16/5/2016 Ciara Austin (right-Partner) during The Funeral for Dan Murray takes place at Holy Trinity Church in West Belfast. Dan Murray, a takeaway delivery driver, had been taking an order to Lady Street, near Grosvenor Road, when he was shot. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 16/5/2016 Ciara Austin (right-Partner) during The Funeral for Dan Murray takes place at Holy Trinity Church in West Belfast. Dan Murray, a takeaway delivery driver, had been taking an order to Lady Street, near Grosvenor Road, when he was shot. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 16/5/2016 The Funeral for Dan Murray takes place at Holy Trinity Church in West Belfast. Dan Murray, a takeaway delivery driver, had been taking an order to Lady Street, near Grosvenor Road, when he was shot. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 16/5/2016 The Funeral for Dan Murray takes place at Holy Trinity Church in West Belfast. Dan Murray, a takeaway delivery driver, had been taking an order to Lady Street, near Grosvenor Road, when he was shot. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 16/5/2016 The Funeral for Dan Murray takes place at Holy Trinity Church in West Belfast. Dan Murray, a takeaway delivery driver, had been taking an order to Lady Street, near Grosvenor Road, when he was shot. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Nurdered takeaway driver Dan Murray with his partner Ciara Austin at the birth of their son Podraig (now 2)

Pacemaker Press 16/5/2016 The Funeral for Dan Murray takes place at Holy Trinity Church in West Belfast. Dan Murray, a takeaway delivery driver, had been taking an order to Lady Street, near Grosvenor Road, when he was shot. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Pacemaker Press 16/5/2016 The Funeral for Dan Murray takes place at Holy Trinity Church in West Belfast. Dan Murray, a takeaway delivery driver, had been taking an order to Lady Street, near Grosvenor Road, when he was shot. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

Injuries Dan Murray sustained in a previous murder attempt when he was shot in the face

Pacemaker Press 16/5/2016 The Funeral for Dan Murray takes place at Holy Trinity Church in West Belfast. Dan Murray, a takeaway delivery driver, had been taking an order to Lady Street, near Grosvenor Road, when he was shot. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

The people responsible for bringing murder to the streets of Belfast will face God's judgement, a priest has told mourners at the funeral of slain delivery driver Daniel Murray.

A Requiem Mass for the 55-year-old father-of-six, who was lured to his death with a bogus food order last week, was attended by Mr Murray's heartbroken family, friends and his partner Ciara Austin.

His coffin was brought to Holy Trinity Parish Church in Turf Lodge yesterday afternoon in a horse-drawn carriage.

Among floral tributes to the murdered man were wreaths spelling out "Dan the man" and "Granda".

Father Brendan Smyth told mourners they had been added to the long list of people across Ireland suffering at "the hands of those who have no care for justice, those who seek to settle things by the barrel of a gun".

Mr Murray, who was known to police and had survived a previous attempt on his life last year, was shot dead in his car in the Lady Street area of west Belfast on May 9.

Fr Smyth described the deadly attack as "horrific" and said there could be no justification for murder, adding the man's life had been "snuffed out in the blink of an eye - from behind him his killers set themselves up as judge, jury and executioner".

Fr Smyth also told mourners the gunman believed life was "worthless" and that they faced eternal punishment.

"Those who took Danny's life, and all who are involved in leading others down the path of self-destruction, may well have no care or thought that what they do, they do to Jesus," he said. "Well they would do well to listen to the end of the Gospel.

"The words of the Gospel are clear and concise, without confusion - 'and these will go off to eternal punishment'."

Two days after Mr Murray was murdered, the Workers Party held a protest against the recent upsurge in paramilitary activity on the Grosvenor Road, close to the scene of the fatal shooting.

Community and political representatives at the rally called for an immediate end to gun attacks and other violence in Belfast following a series of shootings in the north and west of the city.

PSNI officers investigating Mr Murray's murder have also described the killing as "horrific".

Detectives in the case made two arrests last week.

Both men were subsequently released unconditionally.
Drilling for petroleum has started at Woodburn Forest near Carrickfergus, even though the project is now the subject of a legal challenge.

InfraStrata plc, the lead company in the consortium that is carrying out exploratory drilling, said the drilling phase will take around six weeks to complete.

The controversial project close to a drinking water reservoir that supplies thousands of homes in Belfast and east Antrim has been met with a series of protests, amid anger from local people.

The Stop The Drill protest has been backed by Spotlight actor Mark Ruffalo and human rights activist Bianca Jagger.

Yesterday, InfraStrata announced that the three-acre wellpad at Woodburn Forest had been built and sealed before the arrival of the drilling rig last Monday. One protester chained himself to the top of the rig as it was transported towards the site.

The company says the rig will be used to drill a well to a depth of 2,000m into three conventional sandstone reservoir intervals.

InfraStrata said that prior to identifying the site at Woodburn Forest for an exploration well, the company and its partners invested 2.4m during 2011 and 2012 in acquiring and analysing seismic data across Co Antrim, from the shores of Lough Neagh in the west to Islandmagee in the east.

CEO, Dr Andrew Hindle, said: "The construction of the wellsite and carrying out the conventional exploratory drilling represent a further investment of approximately 4m, with a benefit to the local economy of an estimated 1m for use of local businesses to support the operation.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the wellsite construction team for their valuable work to date and pay tribute to all involved for the dedication they have shown to the project over the last few weeks, during very difficult and challenging circumstances. InfraStrata is committed to completing this project in an environmentally responsible and safe manner and will seek to minimise disruption for local residents at all times."

Ken Cronin, chief executive of UKOOG, the representative body for UK onshore oil and gas, said: "This well marks an important step in evaluating whether or not Northern Ireland could have its own oil and gas industry.

"In the UK oil and gas heats our homes, gas provides a third of our electricity (more than half in Northern Ireland) and is used as a raw material both for fertiliser to grow food and to manufacture a huge range of everyday products, whilst oil provides feedstock into the manufacture of many of our everyday products like mobile phones and computers. Without home-grown oil and gas, 75% will be imported from other countries by 2030."

InfraStata said that following completion of the drilling, the well will be plugged and abandoned and the site will be restored to its former state.

Last night, Stop The Drill said that at 7am yesterday InfraStrata announced to their shareholders, but not to the local residents, that they had started drilling their first petroleum well in Northern Ireland. "We were on site at 7am hoping to bear witness to the start of this unlawful operation but nothing happened. Six hours later all was still quiet," a spokesperson said.

"Stop The Drill have some very serious questions for NI Water, the landlord of the site which was unlawfully leased to the company. We also have questions for Mid and East Antrim Council following the disclosure that head of planning, Paul Duffy, asked InfraStrata for help in responding to questions from councillors about this project."
The growing wall of tributes for Malachi Mitchell-Thomas at the spot where he died on Saturday, close to Black Hill in Portrush, on the NW200 road race circuit

The growing wall of tributes for Malachi Mitchell-Thomas at the spot where he died on Saturday, close to Black Hill in Portrush, on the NW200 road race circuit

The Ferris family at the christening of little Charlie

The family of a 10-month-old baby living with a rare spinal condition have spoken of how tragic racer Malachi Mitchell-Thomas was a "kind-hearted young man" who had helped them.

Just 48 hours before he died at the North West 200 road races, Malachi happily posed with 'Big Ted', the mascot for Charlie Ferris, who has infantile scoliosis.

The community in Ballinderry, Co Tyrone, has been supporting a campaign to raise awareness and funds for the youngster so he can travel to America for specialised medical treatment.

Last Thursday after the 20-year-old racer was told about Charlie, he agreed to have his picture taken with Ted to boost the campaign.

Charlie's mum Donna (35) said the news that Malachi had died came as a "complete shock".

"I think it just shows what kind of lovely, kind young man he was to offer to help raise awareness for Charlie," she said.

"He was just happy to hold Big Ted.

"When I heard he had died, and realised who it was, I was just so shocked.

"It was devastating news as he was obviously such a lovely man - and only 20 years old."

Amy Clarke, a friend of the family who arranged the photograph, said the rising star of road racing was loved by everyone who met him.

"Malachi knew all about Charlie and just wanted to help," she said.

"He was a very loveable character and everybody who met him just loved him.

"He was a very kind person and that picture shows that.

"That was the type of man he was, he would help anyone.

"It was no problem at all for him to have his picture with Ted.

"We were just so grateful to him. It is such a huge loss."

Little Charlie was diagnosed with infantile scoliosis in February.

Donna and her husband Jody were told that if left untreated it could lead to severe twisting of the spine, respiratory problems and even decreased life expectancy.

They have dedicated themselves to raising enough money to travel to the Shriner's Hospital in Philadelphia regularly for specialised treatment for their son.

On April 3 Jody, Donna and their four children flew to the US city for the first time.

A few days later Charlie was fitted with a Mehta cast, which has been specially designed to correct the curvature in his spine. "It was just a very emotional time, going for the first time," she said.

Luckily Jody has an aunt who lives in Philadelphia, who helped the family.

"As soon as we arrived at the hospital I just felt a huge sense of relief as these were people specialised in treating scoliosis," she said.

The parents now face returning every eight weeks to America.

They said they have been humbled by the ongoing support from people helping to raise funds for the family.

"We are just dedicated to the journey to help Charlie.

"We don't know how long it will go on for, and we have just been overwhelmed by the support everybody has given us."
Unlike other parts of the UK, the 1967 Abortion Act does not extend to Northern Ireland [Picture posed]

More than 800 women from Northern Ireland travelled to Great Britain for an abortion in 2015, a new report has revealed.

The Westminster Department of Health carried out 5,190 legal abortions on women in the past year whose address was outside England or Wales.

The majority - 66% - were from the Republic of Ireland, while 16% were from Northern Ireland (833).

All of the women from Northern Ireland had to fund their own procedure.

The report, released on Tuesday, shows that of those women who travelled from Northern Ireland, nine were under 16-years-old.

A total of 769 were aged between 16 and 39 with the remainder (55) over 40-years-old.

Seventy-three percent were pregnant for between three and nine weeks.

The statistics also show that 687 of the women had at least one previous abortion and 419 had had at least one pregnancy in the past resulting in live or stillbirth.

For 818 procedures (98%), doctors deemed that gestation had not exceeded 24 weeks and to continue with the pregnancy would involve "risk, greater than if the pregnancy was terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman".

Fourteen of the procedures were carried out as there was a "substantial risk to the that the child would be born physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped".

Among all the procedures, there was one complication.

More:

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Abortion is against the law in Northern Ireland.

The maximum penalty for the crime of administering a drug to induce miscarriage under the relevant law in Northern Ireland, namely the Offences Against The Person Act 1861, is life imprisonment.

Unlike other parts of the UK, the 1967 Abortion Act does not extend to Northern Ireland.

Across the border in the Irish Republic, the offence of procuring an abortion carries a potential 14-year jail term.

There was outrage in April - from opposing groups who argued that criminal proceedings should never have been brought or that the sentencing was "unduly lenient" - of a Northern Ireland woman who took online-bought drugs to have an abortion.
Aer Lingus is cutting up to 70 jobs at its Belfast base from the end of October.

A large proportion of the Belfast operation will be staffed from Dublin for efficiency reasons and employees will be offered redeployment there, a company statement said.

"We will continue to employ some cabin crew at Belfast but some of the resource requirements for cabin crew and all the resource requirements for cockpit crew will be provided from our Dublin numbers.

"We will be seeking to enter third party supply arrangements for our line maintenance requirements."

Aer Lingus and British Airways are now both owned by parent company IAG and both fly out of George Best Belfast City Airport.

A spokesman for Aer Lingus added: "Over the coming weeks we will continue to communicate with our Belfast team, to implement these changes, and will seek to minimise any negative impact on employees.

"All employees impacted by these decisions will be offered roles at our Dublin base.

"We remain committed to serving the Belfast market and will continue to offer competitive fares to London and popular summer sun destinations direct from Belfast City airport."
The find was described as one of the most significant in years

An arms find in Northern Ireland was one of the most significant seizures in recent years, police have said.

An armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines were among the haul of weapons recovered in a "terrorist hide" in Co Antrim.

Several pipe bombs, magazines and ammunition for an assault rifle as well as bomb component parts and command wires were also concealed in barrels in purpose-built holes in woodland at Capanagh Forest near Larne.

Detective Superintendent Kevin Geddes, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) serious crime branch said some of the munitions were primed for an attack.

"This is one of the most significant seizures of explosives which police have made in recent years, both in terms of its size and its capability," he said.

"A number of these devices were ready to be deployed. This seizure has undoubtedly saved lives."

Two members of the public raised the alarm after noticing suspicious objects while out walking on Saturday.

The discovery comes two months after bomb-making items were found at nearby Carnfunnock Country Park - a popular children's play area.

The finger of blame has been pointed at dissident republican extremists who are opposed to Sinn Fein and the peace process.

DS Geddes added: "We are investigating a link to a previous find of munitions at Carnfunnock Country Park in the Larne area last March when bomb making components and explosives were uncovered.

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"There are links in terms of the general location and the manner and method of storage and packaging of these munitions.

"The fact that an explosively formed projectile was recovered which has an armour-piercing capability means that one of our main lines of inquiry will focus on dissident republican terrorists.

"All these components will now be subjected to rigorous forensic testing in an effort to provide additional lines of inquiry."

Last week Home Secretary Theresa May raised the level of threat posed by dissidents in Great Britain from moderate to substantial meaning an attack in England, Scotland and Wales is a strong possibility.

In Northern Ireland the threat remains severe.

A self-styled New IRA has claimed responsibility for planting the booby-trap bomb which killed prison officer Adrian Ismay in east Belfast in March.

They also gunned down prison officer David Black in 2012 and killed Catholic police recruit Ronan Kerr in Omagh, Co Tyrone, in 2011.

Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers has welcomed the arms find.

She said on Twitter: "This significant find is v good news. Terrorists will not now be able to use potentially lethal items."
Belfast Castle will light up on Tuesday night and will be seen from across the city

Landmarks, including Belfast Castle and Wembley Stadium, will light up tonight in spectacular colour to mark World Neurofibromatosis Awareness Day.

So far over 50 sites across the UK and Ireland  and more than 130 worldwide - have agreed to shine a light on the condition which causes disfiguring, painful tumours to grow on the nerves, and can be fatal.

Although more common than Duchenne muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and Huntingtons disease combined, very little is known about Neurofibromatosis.

But it is estimated that one baby a day is born in the UK with the condition which has a strong genetic link and which can also cause learning difficulties.

To mark the awareness day The Neuro Foundation and Belfast Castle, which is 400 feet above sea level, will light up tonight and will be seen from across the city as darkness falls.

Director of The Neuro Foundation Karen Cockburn, said: We are delighted that so many organisations have chosen to support World Neurofibromatosis Awareness Day in this way.

It is so encouraging that every country in the United Kingdom can join together with our friends in North America to stand up for all those affected by this incurable condition, and by raising awareness we hope to be able to provide greater support.
The brother of a loyalist murder victim has lost a legal challenge over alleged failures in the investigation into a killing shrouded in suspicions of security force collusion.

Catholic voluntary worker Peter McTasney was shot dead by a Ulster Volunteer Force gang at his home on the outskirts of north Belfast 25 years ago.

Amid claims that Mr McTasney's killers were led by a Special Branch agent, his brother Thomas issued judicial review proceedings against the PSNI over alleged delays in the inquiries.

But a High Court judge dismissed his case after pointing out that suspected UVF commander-turned supergrass Gary Haggarty is now charged with the murder as part of a catalogue of paramilitary crime.

Mr Justice Colton said: "For the court to conduct an investigation under the guise of judicial review proceedings at this stage would at best be premature."

Mr McTasney, 26, was gunned down in the living room of his house in Bawnmore, Newtownabbey in February 1991.

Loyalists armed with a gun and sledgehammer opened fire in the presence of his three-year-old daughter, who was also injured.

A Police Ombudsman report identified the murder as one of 10 linked to a UVF unit operating out of the Mount Vernon estate.

Reference was made to an 'Informant 1' arrested and interviewed by Special Branch handlers before being released without charge.

According to legal papers in Thomas McTasney's legal challenge, that informant is widely known to be Mount Vernon man Mark Haddock.

The case also featured claims that investigators were removed from investigating alleged criminality committed by Haggarty, a former associate of Haddock.

Haggarty, 44, is currently facing a record 212 charges, including five murders and a catalogue of other paramilitary crime.

The suspected former UVF commander is now believed to be living in England after becoming a police informer.

He is still waiting to discover if he will stand trial for the alleged offences.

Thomas McTasney's legal team claimed some do not want to see Haggarty give evidence in court because of what he might say about former Special Branch handlers.

They sought a declaration that the PSNI has unlawfully failed to complete an investigation without undue delay.

It was claimed there is growing mistrust in the security forces due to continued suspicions of collusion.

However, Mr Justice Colton rejected contentions that the PSNI has unlawfully failed to discharge its obligation to investigate within a reasonable time.

He held that it would be disproportionate to carry out a detailed examination of steps taken by police.

"It could well impact on the upcoming prosecution and ongoing investigation. It could well result in further delay for both," the judge noted.

Stressing his hope that the McTasney family will still get answers on the circumstances surrounding an "horrific murder", Mr Justice Colton confirmed he was refusing leave to seek a judicial review.

He added: "I do not believe therefore that any declaration, leaving aside the issues of arguability, is either necessary or appropriate at this stage of the investigation into the activities of Mr Haggarty and in particular the murder of Peter McTasney." ends
A wreath from the band U2 seen at the ceremony in Talbot Street, Dublin, to mark the 42nd anniversary of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings

Alan McBride speaking at a wreath-laying ceremony in Talbot Street, Dublin, to mark the 42nd anniversary of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings

Haley O'Brien (four), whose great uncle John O'Brien was killed in the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, lays a wreath in Talbot Street, Dublin

The Irish government has said it is committed to pressing Britain into giving an international judge access to files on the worst day of atrocities in the Troubles.

On the 42nd anniversary of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, which killed 33 people including a pregnant woman at full term, Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said he would continue to demand the original police and security papers be opened.

"The government will continue to actively pursue this objective, and we have made it a commitment in the new Programme for Government," the minister said.

A wreath-laying ceremony - organised by Justice for the Forgotten, which campaigns for an investigation into alleged British state collusion in the 1974 massacre - was held at the memorial on Talbot Street in Dublin, where one of the three bombs in the capital exploded.

Two others bombs were detonated on Parnell Street and South Leinster Street in the co-ordinated attacks in the middle of the evening rush hour on May 17.

About an hour and a half later the fourth no-warning bomb was set off in Monaghan town with the atrocities blamed on the Ulster Volunteer Force.

A floral tribute on behalf of U2 was left at the memorial with the note: "Justice for the Forgotten. To all the victims and their families. In our thoughts and prayers on this day."

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The band displayed photos of the victims on a huge screen during last year's Innocence + Experience tour as a backdrop to the song Raised by Wolves, written about the 1974 bombings.

Band members Bono and Adam Clayton attended an anniversary mass in Dublin ahead of the wreath laying.

Alan McBride, whose wife Sharon was blown up in the IRA Shankill bomb in 1993, addressed the relatives and campaigners at the memorial and said the question of truth and justice is as relevant today as it was in 1974.

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"The question of dealing with the past in NI is not really about money, it's about political will. There has always been obstacle and barrier that we have to get beyond," he said.

"At the moment they seem to be raised by the British Government in relation to national security."

Mr McBride, who works with the Wave Trauma Centre in Belfast supporting victims of violence, said: "Truth and justice cannot be the property of the few.

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"The families need truth, they need justice and they need support. This is not going to go away."

A spokeswoman for the British Government said it was examining if it could give "any further assurance" on the issue of files being opened.

"The bombings were horrific terrorist atrocities and our sympathy is with the families who lost loved ones and survivors who carry mental and physical scars to this day," she said.

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The Government pointed to the stalled legacy bodies in Northern Ireland which will include a new Historical Investigations Unit which wants to retain the right to prevent onward dissemination of some papers to relatives on the grounds of national security.

"The UK Government firmly believes that the way to address the past, and provide better outcomes for victims and survivors, is through the legacy bodies in the Stormont House Agreement," the spokeswoman said.

"We will continue working with the Northern Ireland Executive and the new Irish government to try and establish the necessary consensus to introduce legislation establishing them."

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Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams also called for the classified documents to be opened.

"It is vital that the new government lives up to the need to ensure the utmost pressure is put on the British administration to release their files," he said.

Brendan Smith, Fianna Fail TD for the Cavan-Monaghan area, said Britain should remove all obstacles to a full investigation into alleged collusion.

"The least the victims and the families of all these atrocities deserve is the truth about who carried out these murderous deeds 42 years ago," he said.
A top lawyer says a repeal of the Human Rights Act would be a fundamental attack on the Good Friday Agreement

None of the rights underpinning the Northern Ireland peace process would be affected by Brexit, Leave campaigners said.

The European Convention on Human Rights which introduced the protections has nothing to do with the EU, according to the Leave.EU lobby group.

Many of the court cases addressing issues from Northern Ireland's violent past are inspired by European Convention protections enshrined in the UK's Human Rights Act. Its possible replacement by a British Bill of Rights is expected to be announced in the Queen's Speech at the state opening of Parliament on Wednesday.

Lawyer Niall Murphy from KRW Law said the repeal of the Human Rights Act would be a fundamental attack on the core values of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement which largely ended violence.

But a Leave.EU report said: "The return of sovereignty to the UK could see human rights protections actually improve while our current constitutional arrangements will remain stable."

Leave campaigners noted the peace accord was an international treaty signed by the governments of the Republic of Ireland and the UK.

The agreement sets out the basis for powersharing and formalises entitlements relating to culture and citizenship.

The report said: "None of the policies, legislation, rights or relationships which underpin the peace process are dependent upon the EU and they will not be affected by Brexit."

It said the EU did not have significant input into negotiations prior to the agreement or the agreement itself. "The USA has been far more influential during various stages of the peace process."
Ulster Unionist Party leader Mike Nesbitt caused a stir on social media as he drew upon Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels to again dispel rumours over false claims he supported public funding for a Belfast mosque.

Mr Nesbitt has consistently denied claims that he would support the public funding of a mosque in south Belfast.

In April this year he took to Facebook to say that there was a "politically motivated rumour" spread about him suggesting he supports public funds for a Belfast mosque.

He said: "This is not true.

"There is a politically motivated rumour that is spread over social media from time to time, suggesting I support public funds for a mosque in Belfast.

"This is not true. I have visited the Belfast Islamic Centre in Wellington Park. It is clearly past its best and I have no difficulty supporting the hospital consultants and others who want a better community hub.

"They are applying for planning permission to move to the building in the attached image. No towers. No minarets. No loudspeakers to blast out the call to prayers.

"No one is admitting responsibility for spreading the rumour. But hey, propaganda worked for Hitler, for a while.

"So, for the avoidance of doubt - I do not support the use of public money to build a mosque.

It followed an interview in 2014 with a daily newspaper where the party leader discussed the number of Muslims in Northern Ireland and was quoted as saying they "do not have one appropriate place of worship".

However the UUP leader who recently moved to form the Northern Ireland Assembly's first official opposition caused confusion and was criticised on Monday night as he again moved to dispel rumours by posting a quote from Goebbels on social media saying "A lie, repeated a thousand times becomes a truth".

He captioned it: "How true, all you who accused me of wanting public money for a Mosque in Belfast."

How true, all you who accused me of wanting public money for a Mosque in Belfast pic.twitter.com/jXIJkiaFqc  Mike Nesbitt (@mikenesbittni) May 16, 2016

Social media users reacted calling it "strange" while others questioned if Goebbels was "really the best person you could find to quote".

When the Belfast Telegraph asked the UUP to clarify the tweet a spokesman said: "The point is people spread lies using social media."
The stone as it looks today after the graffiti was removed

A huge rock on Cave Hill that was used to guide aircraft back home during World War Two has been painted white by an unknown person to remind walkers of the role it once played.

An inscription was also added next to the stone, which was previously covered in graffiti, reading: "The white stone has been restored in honour of the family who painted it during WW2."

Cormac Hamill, chair of the Cave Hill Conservation Campaign, said he only recently discovered that the rock was used as a marker and that a man who lived in Cave Hill Cottage was paid a small sum to keep it painted white.

"For many years, I thought people had painted the stone green, orange, red and blue to reflect tensions in the area," he told the Belfast Telegraph.

"It was only recently that I discovered there was a chap who had a subvention during the war to paint the stone. It actually was a marker stone for aircraft to come in as they couldn't put the runway lights on."

Over the years, as its role was forgotten, people continued to paint the stone in various colours. More recently it became covered in what Cormac called "silly schoolboy graffiti".

"It had become a grotesque caricature of what it was," Mr Hamill said.

"My understanding is that somebody who knew the family went up and painted it white. It's a nod to the guy who slogged his way up there regularly. It was a contribution to the war effort and it seems an appropriate time to remember it."

The huge rock is visible from the city below, but getting to it is much trickier.

"If people go to the west of McArt's Fort and drop down, they can have fun looking for it," Cormac said. "It's hidden by the slope until you are on top of it."

In 2008, Alan Caulfield told the BBC how his father Jack lived in Cave Hill Cottage, close to a well where walkers would stop for refreshment in the 1940s.

"My grandfather, William Adair Caulfield, was a postman and was married to Nelly Caulfield (nee Ellen Wisener) from Lisnagunogue, outside Bushmills," he explained.

"I remember my father, Jack, telling me that my grandfather was paid a small sum - I think 5 - to keep a large rock at the top of Cavehill (on the forehead) painted white because it was used as a beacon during the war for pilots landing at Nutts Corner airfield during blackouts when the lights of Belfast could not be seen."

Dr Jim Bradley, from the Belfast Hills Partnership, said it was a great shame that the stone had been painted over and covered with graffiti, particularly because it is a part of Cave Hill's heritage that dates back many years.

"As also shown in the recent fires we've had close by on the hill, we all need to treat our local landscape and the efforts of local people and volunteers to keep it in a good state with a bit more respect," he added.
Miss World 2015 Mireia Lalaguna of Spain poses with Emma (left) and fellow competitor Toni Gregg in Belfast yesterday ahead of last nights final

A psychology student who volunteers at a suicide prevention charity has been crowned Miss Northern Ireland 2016.

Emma Carswell, who will grace numerous newspaper and magazine covers over the next year, volunteers at Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention NI.

The 21-year-old Co Down beauty's crowning last night was the pinnacle of a thrilling finale to the competition, sponsored by Therapie Clinic.

The glittering event at the Europa Hotel in Belfast was compered by UTV's Marc Mallett and Zoe Salmon, the 1999 winner.

Some 17 former Miss Northern Irelands including Lucy Evangelista McCullough, Lori Moore, Rebekah Shirley and competition organiser Alison Campbell, applauded as 2015 winner Leanne McDowell passed the baton to Emma.

One of the highlights of brunette Emma's year as Miss Northern Ireland will be the honour of competing at the prestigious Miss World contest, which takes place later this year in beautiful Bali.

Emma, who is from Gilford, started her journey to the final by winning a heat in Co Fermanagh to become Miss Devenish. She attended Portadown College before starting her psychology degree at the Ulster University in 2013.

The first runner-up in the 30th year of the contest was Megan Geddis (Miss 21 Social) from Templepatrick.

The second runner-up was Chloe Moore (Miss Bull's Eye) from Ballymena.

Earlier the girls were inspired before the final got under way when stunning Miss World 2015 Mireia Lalaguna dropped into town.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Pacemaker press 16/05/2016 Miss Northern Ireland launch at The Europa hotel in Belfast. All 26 of the Miss NI hopeful's put the finishing touch on their appearance for tonight's Miss NI final at The Europa hotel. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 16/05/2016 Miss Northern Ireland launch at The Europa hotel in Belfast. All 26 of the Miss NI hopeful's put the finishing touch on their appearance for tonight's Miss NI final at The Europa hotel. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 16/05/2016 Miss Northern Ireland launch at The Europa hotel in Belfast. All 26 of the Miss NI hopeful's put the finishing touch on their appearance for tonight's Miss NI final at The Europa hotel. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 16/05/2016 Miss Northern Ireland launch at The Europa hotel in Belfast. All 26 of the Miss NI hopeful's put the finishing touch on their appearance for tonight's Miss NI final at The Europa hotel. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 16/05/2016 Miss Northern Ireland launch at The Europa hotel in Belfast. All 26 of the Miss NI hopeful's put the finishing touch on their appearance for tonight's Miss NI final at The Europa hotel. Pictured are Miss Ballymena Gabrielle Morrison with Europa Hotel doorman Hugh Philips and Miss Cookstown Enya Sullivan. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 16/05/2016 Miss Northern Ireland launch at The Europa hotel in Belfast. All 26 of the Miss NI hopeful's put the finishing touch on their appearance for tonight's Miss NI final at The Europa hotel. Pictured are Miss Cookstown Enya Sullivan with Miss World Mireia Lalaguna Royo of Spain and Miss Ballymena Gabrielle Morrison. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 16/05/2016 Miss Northern Ireland launch at The Europa hotel in Belfast. All 26 of the Miss NI hopeful's put the finishing touch on their appearance for tonight's Miss NI final at The Europa hotel. Pictured are Miss Ballymena Gabrielle Morrison with Europa Hotel doorman Hugh Philips and Miss Cookstown Enya Sullivan. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Miss NI 2016 - Finals , Chloe Robinson, Danielle Callaghan , Courtney Cameron, Shauneen McNeill and Emma Nicholson Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Pacemaker press 16/05/2016 Miss Northern Ireland launch at The Europa hotel in Belfast. All 26 of the Miss NI hopeful's put the finishing touch on their appearance for tonight's Miss NI final at The Europa hotel. Pictured are Miss Cookstown Enya Sullivan with Miss World Mireia Lalaguna Royo of Spain and Miss Ballymena Gabrielle Morrison. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Miss NI 2016 - Finals , Chloe Robinson, Danielle Callaghan , Courtney Cameron, Shauneen McNeill and Emma Nicholson Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Miss NI 2016 - Finals Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Miss NI 2016 - Finals , Jasmine O'Kane , Sarah Jayne McGoldrick, Gabrielle Morrison, Leah Nelson, Megan Geddis Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Miss NI 2016 - Finals - Emma Carswell , Toni Gregg, Lauryn Greer, Ellen Donohue and Chloe Lemon Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Miss NI 2016 - Finals , Sarah Cunningham , Cathrine Todd, Lauren Brown, Hope Mairs, Enya Sullivan, Ruth Bleakley Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Miss NI 2016 - Finals , Sarah Cunningham , Cathrine Todd, Lauren Brown, Hope Mairs, Enya Sullivan, Ruth Bleakley Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Miss NI 2016 - Finals Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Miss NI 2016 - Finals , Chloe Moore, Caoimhe MeCabe, Sarah Wallace , Nicola Montgomery and Dione Hull Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI 2016 - Finals - Emma Carswell , Mireia Lalaguna Royo, Toni Gregg Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye Miss NI - Northern Ireland - 16th May 2016 Picture - Kevin Scott / Presseye Kevin Scott / Presseye / Facebook

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The Spanish beauty was the first Miss World from that country and will no doubt have inspired our girls to aspire to become the first woman from Northern Ireland to win the title.

Ms Lalaguna (23) was crowned Miss World in December in Sanya, China. By the end of her reign she will have travelled across six continents, spreading the message of 'Beauty with a Purpose' far and wide.
Police clear up the debris from the incident.

East Belfast police leapt into action - their words - to clear up after youths dragged items onto a road to set fire to them.

The Beersbridge Road was closed for a time on Tuesday, causing disruption to the morning rush, after it was left impassable by the trouble.

Bonfire material was dragged into the street and set alight with both police and the Fire Service attending the scene just after midnight.

Officers from the local policing team at Strandtown station borrowed some brushes and got stuck in to help clear the road.

Posting on Facebook, one officer said: "We would obviously rather not have to be doing this and would ask parents to be aware of where their kids are in the evenings and what they are getting up to.

"Incidents like this ultimately affect local people most."
Army veterans have threatened to pull out of a major Battle of the Somme centenary event if Martin McGuinness attends.

The Deputy First Minister has been invited to a memorial service in France on July 1. Although he has yet to respond, Sinn Fein said the invitation would be considered.

It has caused anger among military veterans who feel Mr McGuinness should not attend because of his IRA past.

Phil Hamilton, a former UDR member and a member of Rathcoole Friends of the Somme Association, said he would pull out if Mr McGuinness attended.

"I won't be going if Martin McGuinness is there," he told the Belfast Telegraph. "I have spoken to a lot of ex-soldiers today and they are of the same view."

Major events will be held across the UK and France on July 1 to mark the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest of the First World War, with more than a million casualties.

Men of the 36th (Ulster) Division were among 100,000 Allied soldiers who went over the top on July 1, 1916.

More than 15,000 people are expected at three centenary events taking place in northern France on July 1.

The Northern Ireland service will be at the Ulster Tower - a memorial to the Ulster soldiers who fought.

The Belfast Telegraph reported yesterday that the First Minister and Deputy First Minister are on the guest list for the event.

While Arlene Foster has indicated she will attend, Mr McGuinness has yet to respond.

A Sinn Fein spokesperson said: "Any invitations to events to commemorate the Battle of the Somme will be considered."

However, Mr Hamilton said it would be hurtful for Mr McGuinness to turn up.

"I think it's very insensitive, particularly at that time of the year, to invite someone with the baggage that Martin McGuinness brings," he said.

"It is solely down to who he is and who he has represented. He says he is a proud Irish republican. I've been on the receiving end of an IRA attack, I've been threatened and my family has been intimidated by the IRA.

"I'd feel very uncomfortable and uneasy wanting to pay my respects to the Fallen with the presence of Martin McGuinness.

"It's not to say he or Sinn Fein couldn't send someone along who doesn't have that baggage. That is the big issue - I just think he is the wrong person."

Mr Hamilton claimed Mr McGuinness's presence in France would amount to political point-scoring, and said a better effort at reconciliation would be Sinn Fein support for the Military Covenant - a Government promise to look after former members of the Armed Forces.

He also suggested Mr McGuinness could attend a centenary service next year marking the Battle of Messines, where the 16th (Irish) and 36th Divisions fought side-by-side.

"He has declined invitations in the past, and turning up to the 100th anniversary to me would be solely political point-scoring," he added. "We need to keep politics out of commemorations."

Cecil Wright, who chairs the Friends of the Somme Association's mid-Antrim branch, said that while Mr McGuinness's presence would be seen by some as a move towards reconciliation, it would be difficult for him to attend the Ulster Tower event.

"If he wants to go and people accept that, fine. But if it's the Ulster Tower, I don't think he'll be accepted there," he added.

"It's a step forward, but I just don't see him being welcome at the Tower. If he goes, then people will maybe see that he's trying, but the Ulster Tower is not the place to go, in my opinion."

The Northern Ireland service has been organised by the Somme Association, and it is understood it issued the invitation to Mr McGuinness.

In 2013 Mairtin O Muilleoir made history by becoming the first Sinn Fein Lord Mayor to attend a Remembrance Day service at the cenotaph in Belfast.

Sinn Fein Lord Mayors have yet to attend the main Somme ceremony amid concerns about British military trappings.

Jeffrey Donaldson, who chairs the Northern Ireland World War One Centenary Committee, said he understood the sensitivities.

"At the Somme we had both the 36th (Ulster) Division who began their engagement in July, and the 16th (Irish) Division, who began their engagement in September," he added.

"Both unionists and nationalists, Catholics and Protestants, from the island of Ireland fought together at the Somme and died together. We therefore feel it is important that their sacrifice is properly commemorated.

"There is the need for sensitivity, but we do not believe it would be in the spirit of that sacrifice to exclude anyone on the basis of contemporary politics."

A number of high-profile ceremonies will take place in the UK and France to mark the centenary of the start of battle.

These include vigils at Helen's Tower in Co Down, Westminster Abbey in London and others in Edinburgh and Cardiff. A national commemoration will also take place in Manchester.

In France the main ceremony will be held at Thiepval, where a memorial stands to over 72,000 men who died and have no known grave, and where senior royals and politicians will join a crowd of 10,000 paying respect.

At 2.30pm around 3,000 people will gather at the Ulster Tower for the ceremony.

The day will start with a dawn service at Lochnagar crater.
Abortion is banned in Ireland under the eighth amendment to the Constitution

There has been a slight fall in the number of women travelling from Ireland to Britain for an abortion, official figures have revealed.

Records from UK health chiefs showed 3,451 women gave addresses in Ireland - almost 10 a day - while attending clinics in England and Wales last year.

The report showed there has been a 48% decline in the numbers travelling to terminate a pregnancy since 2001.

Helen Deely, head of the Health Service Executive's crisis pregnancy programme, said the reduction was welcome - but cautioned about the dangers of using abortion pills bought on the internet.

"It appears that the abortion rate is stabilising," she said.

"It declined relatively rapidly between 2001 and 2007. In recent years the decline has been more gradual."

The HSE said a survey it had carried out on crisis pregnancy revealed 73% of expectant mothers decided to become a parent, 24% had an abortion and 1% chose adoption. The remainder reported that they had a miscarriage or were currently pregnant.

But Ms Deely warned about the risks to a woman's health by using drugs bought online to terminate a pregnancy.

"If a woman makes the decision to have an abortion, it is safer for her to attend an abortion clinic in the UK or other country where abortion is legally available, than ordering the abortion pill online or from other sources and taking it at home alone," she said.

"If a woman takes the abortion pill and has prolonged heavy bleeding, bad pain, fainting, or other complications, it is important that she attends an emergency department or GP straight away".

Ms Deely also said women need to know they can get free post-abortion medical check-ups and counselling in Ireland.

Separate figures from the Netherlands - the only other jurisdiction women from Ireland travel for abortion procedures in any significant numbers - showed numbers also falling from 31 in 2010 to 16 in 2014.

There are no records kept on women who travel from the Republic to abortion clinics in Northern Ireland to avail of a termination in limited circumstances.

Abortion is banned in Ireland under the eighth amendment to the Constitution, but a pregnancy may be terminated if there is a real and substantial risk to the life of the mother including from suicide.

The UK Department of Health figures showed 6,673 women with an address in Ireland travelled for an abortion in 2001.

The numbers fell rapidly to below 5,000 in 2007 and again to below 4,000 in 2012.

The report showed 3,679 women travelled in 2013 and 3,735 in 2014.

Detail on the women who travelled from Ireland to England and Wales last year showed 18 were aged under 16.

Some 46% of women who gave Irish addresses were aged in their 20s and 37% were in their 30s.

The report showed 2,374 of the abortions were carried out in the first nine weeks of the pregnancy and 112 were carried out after 20 weeks or more.

Some 644 women were married or in a civil partnership and 916 were single.

The UK Department of Health said that 135 abortions were carried out after a risk was identified that the child would be born " seriously handicapped".

The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) said the report does not reflect the actual number of women and girls in Ireland who have abortions and it claimed the use of abortion pills bought online is increasing.

Chief executive Niall Behan said: "We cannot be complacent about this decrease.

"While it is impossible to quantify the extent of their use, abortion pills accessed online have had a significant impact on the decline in the number of women in Ireland seeking abortion services in the UK."

The IFPA called for laws to be reformed to protect women's reproductive health and ensure high quality sex education, contraceptive and abortion services.

Cora Sherlock, of the Pro-Life Campaign, said: "The further decline in the number of women travelling for an abortion is a positive development, particularly when you consider the serious adverse psychological effects of abortion for many women that are swept under the carpet far too much in public debate."

Ms Sherlock rejected the claim that an increasing use of abortion pills has had a part to play in reducing the number of women travelling for an abortion.

Choice Ireland said the UK figures showed a referendum is needed in Ireland to repeal the eighth amendment.

Spokeswoman Stephanie Lord said: "The British abortion statistics report reinforces the fact that women in Ireland are having abortions every day regardless of what the actual law of this land is and there is now clearly an onus on the government to get on with the business of ensuring our health care service is fit for purpose and move to hold a referendum to repeal the eighth amendment."
Former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson will go head-to-head with Euro-sceptic MEP Daniel Hannan during a major Brexit debate in Belfast.

Lord Mandelson has already warned a UK exit from the EU could result in "renewed sectarianism" which could put jobs and peace at risk.

He has said the EU has been central to the peace process.

And he has also warned that Brexit could lead to new border controls between Northern Ireland and the Republic, setting back peace process achievements.

He will face-off next month against Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan, who is a leading critic of the EU.

Mr Hannan is the author of Why Vote Leave, and earlier this year told a pro-Brexit event how he believes there has been an ongoing shift of financial power from the Atlantic to the Pacific in contrast to a steady decline in the EU's contribution to global economic growth. The debate has been organised by Manufacturing NI.

The organisation's chief executive, Stephen Kelly, said: "Earlier this year we conducted a survey of our members and the issue of the EU referendum was the number one concern for manufacturing companies.

"Available analysis shows Northern Ireland would be most impacted by the result of this referendum, and many of the 500-plus members of Manufacturing NI voiced deep concerns both over the impact of a possible 'leave' outcome and also as a result of the ongoing uncertainty which the referendum is creating.

"While some members instinctively felt either for or against the referendum, they all felt that it was difficult to navigate the claim and counter-claim to make a reasoned decision. This event will hopefully go some way towards providing that clarity."

He welcomed the two political giants, who will both bring strongly opposing views on whether the UK will benefit, or be hindered, by leaving the EU.

"We're also pleased to be able to offer members the opportunity to hear from Daniel Hannan, MEP who literally wrote the book on why he believes we should leave," he said.

"Former head of the European Commission Belfast office, Denis Kennedy, will offer a local and international analysis, whilst Dr Thia Hennessy is a respected economist who will offer an all-island analysis of the implications of leaving the EU."

The event will take place at the office of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners on June 3.
Four members of a banned militant group have been arrested over the killing of a university professor in Bangladesh.

English professor Rezaul Karim Siddique was hacked to death on April 23 on his way to work at a state-run university in the city of Rajshahi.

Police tracked down the regional commander of the group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh on Sunday night in the northern district of Bogra.

The suspect, Maskawath Hasan Sakib, nicknamed Abdullah, confessed to involvement in the attack before a magistrate, leading to the arrests of the three other suspects on Monday night, according to Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammed Shamsuddin.

"Of the arrested four, three directly took part in the killing while the fourth man was waiting with a motorbike they used," Mr Shamsuddin said.

He would not disclose the identities of the three others detained "for the sake of the investigation", but said the motorbike had been recovered.

Abdullah told police during his interrogation that the attackers did not know why Mr Siddique was targeted, and that they had carried out the killing on orders from their superiors.

Family members described Mr Siddique as a quiet man who led a cultural group and edited a literary magazine. His killing was similar to other attacks over the last two years by suspected Islamist militants that targeted atheist bloggers, intellectuals and rights activists in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Mr Siddique's killing and accused him of advocating atheism, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi websites. But authorities rejected the claim, denying that the group has any presence in the country.

At least three other professors at Rajshahi University have been killed in recent years, allegedly by Islamist groups.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government has cracked down on domestic militant groups, and accuses the political opposition of supporting religious radicals in retaliation for the government's prosecution of people suspected of committing war crimes during the country's 1971 war of independence.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its main ally the Jamaat-e-Islami party have denied any role in the attacks.
Libyia is under a UN embargo imposed to keep lethal arms away from terrorists

In a move fraught with risk, the United States and other world powers have said they will supply Libya's internationally recognised government with weapons to counter Islamic State and other militant groups gaining footholds in the country.

Aiming at once to shore up the fragile government, and prevent Islamic State fighters and rival militias from further gains, the US, the four other permanent UN Security Council members and more than 15 other nations said they would approve exemptions to a United Nations arms embargo to allow military sales and aid to Libya's so-called Government of National Accord.

In a joint communique, the nations said that while the broader embargo will remain in place, they are "ready to respond to the Libyan government's requests for training and equipping" government forces.

"We will fully support these efforts while continuing to reinforce the UN arms embargo," the communique said.

With support from all five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the plan is unlikely to face significant opposition from any quarter.

The communique was issued at the end of the talks that gathered US Secretary of State John Kerry and top officials from more than 20 other nations to discuss ways to strengthen Libya's fledgling government. The aim is to give the internationally recognised administration more muscle in fighting Islamic State radicals and end its rivalry with a group to the east claiming legitimacy.

The step will boost the government's efforts to consolidate power and regain control over Libyan state institutions like the central bank and national oil company. However, it also comes with risks, not least of which is that the arms may be captured or otherwise taken by the Islamic State or other groups.

Mr Kerry called the plan "a delicate balance".

He added: "But we are, all of us here today, supportive of the fact that if you have a legitimate government and that legitimate government is fighting terrorism, that legitimate government should not be victimised by (the embargo)."

Libyan premier Fayez al-Sarraj said his government would soon submit a weapons wish-list to the Security Council for approval.

"We have a major challenge ahead of us," in fighting extremists, he said. "We urge the international community to assist us."

Before the meeting, German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier outlined the high stakes at hand.

"The key question is whether Libya remains a place where terrorism, criminal human smuggling and instability continue to expand, or if we are able, together with the government of national unity to recover stability," he told reporters.

The challenges are daunting.

Libya descended into chaos after the toppling and death of Muammar Gaddafi five years ago and soon turned into a battleground of rival militias battling for powers.

More recently, the power vacuum has allowed Islamic State radicals to expand their presence, giving them a potential base in a country separated from Europe only by a relatively small stretch of the Mediterranean Sea.

Also worrying for Europe is the potential threat of a mass influx of refugees amassing in Libya, now that the earlier route from Turkey into Greece has been essentially shut down.

In Libya, the UN-established presidency council on Monday effectively gave the go-ahead for 18 government ministers to start work, even though they have not received backing from the parliament.

The council was created under a UN-brokered unity deal struck in December to reconcile Libya's many political divisions. It won the support of a former powerbase in the country's capital Tripoli, but failed to secure a vote of confidence by the country's internationally recognised parliament, based in Tobruk, a city in eastern Libya.

The UN deal also created the internationally recognised government, through a de facto cabinet to administer the country under Mr Serraj and the 18 ministers will answer to him.

Divisions in the Tobruk parliament between boycotters and supporters of the new government have prevented the house from reaching a quorum to endorse the council.
JK Rowling has said her passion for free expression is so strong it extends to someone she would otherwise not care to discuss - Donald Trump.

Speaking before hundreds in New York at PEN America's annual gala at the American Museum of Natural History, the Harry Potter author noted that she opposed a recent petition calling for banning the Republican US presidential hopeful from entering the UK, saying such actions endangered everyone's rights.

"I find almost everything that Mr Trump says objectionable. I consider him offensive and bigoted," said Rowling, who received PEN's Literary Service Award for her "extraordinary creativity" and her efforts on behalf of institutionalised children and other humanitarian causes.

"But he has my full support to come to my country and be offensive and bigoted there."

Rowling was given her prize by actress Sarah Jessica Parker, a long-time admirer and literacy advocate who praised her for changing the "landscape of children's literature forever and for the better".

The author cited her clashes with censors over her Harry Potter books, which religious groups have accused of inspiring Satanism. She pointed out that her work has appeared on lists of banned books and recalled an unnerving encounter with a Christian fundamentalist in a New York toy shop.

"I had no idea the phrase 'I pray for you' could sound so intimidating," she said.

But Rowling, who has shared sharp opinions about Mr Trump and others on her Twitter feed, also called herself lucky to live in a part of the world where speech is protected and accepted that some would object to her work.

"My critics are at liberty to claim that I am trying to convert children to Satanism," she said. "And I'm free to explain I'm exploring human nature and morality - or to say, 'You're an idiot'."

PEN, a literary and human rights organisation, honoured advocates for speech and prisoners of censorship worldwide, from Egypt to Flint, Michigan. Thanks in part to Rowling's star power, it raised more than 1.75 million dollars (1.2m), the highest total in memory for its fund-raising ceremony.

The gala also was far calmer than last year's, when an award to the French publication Charlie Hebdo, subjected to a deadly attack in Paris, led to heightened security.

"It's very nice to have an event without metal detectors," PEN president Andrew Solomon said.

Two prominent Flint activists, LeeAnne Walters and Dr Mona Hanna-Attisha, received the PEN/Toni and James C Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award for their efforts in exposing the deadly levels of lead in the water.

Ms Walters, a mother of four, became alarmed when her children fell ill and Dr Hanna-Attisha, a paediatrician and educator, conducted studies of blood lead levels in her children.

Ahmed Naji, imprisoned in Egypt for the sexual content of his novel The Use of Life, was the winner of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award. The author's brother, Mohamed, accepted for him and said Naji was working on another novel even though his jailers forbade him to write.

PEN's annual publishing award was given to Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch, whose battles have included censorship in China and a stand-off in the US with Amazon.com over e-book revenues.
US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who walked off his combat outpost in Afghanistan and spent five years in captivity, will be court-martialed under a new commander-in-chief.

A military judge decided on Tuesday to delay Bergdahl's trial from August until February to provide time for resolving disputes over the defence team's access to classified documents.

Bergdahl, now 30, sat attentively during the brief hearing. The soldier from Hailey, Idaho, faces charges of desertion and misbehaviour before the enemy. The latter charge is relatively rare and carries the potential of life in prison.

A February start would mean the court-martial could make headlines only weeks after the new commander-in-chief is sworn in as president.

Given the shape of the campaign so far, that will likely mean either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be in charge of the military.

Bergdahl's defence says the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has already damaged his chances for a fair trial by calling him a "dirty, rotten traitor", who "should have been executed".

The judge, Colonel Jeffrey Nance, also ruled that media organisations could hire a stenographer to capture courtroom discussions during the trial, and he gave Army prosecutors one week to provide reporters covering the case with online access to court documents.

The judge postponed deciding a dispute that could influence how much punishment Bergdahl could face if convicted.

The Army's primary investigating officer last year recommended against Bergdahl facing jail time, saying there is no evidence that any service members were killed or wounded searching for him in Afghanistan. A preliminary hearing officer recommended against a bad-conduct discharge.

But those recommendations were scrapped in December by the general overseeing the case. General Robert Abrams, who leads the Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, instead sided with an Army lawyer's recommendation for a general court-martial.

Bergdahl's defence lawyers contend that the Army lawyer's advice to General Abrams was so incomplete that it misled the four-star general.

Bergdahl was quickly captured after walking off his combat post in Afghanistan in 2009, and held as a prisoner by the Taliban and its allies until President Barack Obama exchanged five Guantanamo Bay detainees for his safe return, saying the US "does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind".

Mr Obama's decision was criticised. Some members of Congress said it jeopardised national security. Mr Trump has targeted Bergdahl for scorn dozens of times on the campaign trail, saying among other things that he should have been thrown from a plane.

The defence's complaints about Mr Trump have no bearing on the case right now, according to Rachel VanLandingham, a former Air Force lawyer who teaches at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles.

But if he is elected in November and keeps up his harsh comments, the defence could more effectively argue that a President Trump is unfairly pressuring the Army for a conviction, she said.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials have been notified that threats against Bergdahl continue.

"Given the many incendiary comments that have been broadcast and otherwise disseminated about Sergeant Bergdahl, his immediate commander at Fort Sam Houston has taken measures to ensure his physical safety when leaving the installation," his lawyers wrote in February.

A spokesman at the Texas post declined to describe these measures, citing security considerations. But as "a group of soldiers, battle buddies, we all look out for each other," Sergeant Major Matt Howard said.

Bergdahl can come and go the same as any other soldier from Fort Sam Houston, where he works a desk job in a headquarters unit, handling "a lot of administrative work that needs to be done. Paperwork, moving stuff from place to place, things like that," Sergeant Major Howard said.
Here are some questions I posed in the Belfast Telegraph last Tuesday: "What's the point of having talent if you can't display it? What's the point of having alternatives if they're swallowed up, stolen, or just ignored by the Big Two? What's the point of an Assembly that doesn't have an Opposition? What's the point of having people like Claire Hanna, Naomi Long, Doug Beattie, Stephen Farry, Mark Durkan, Robin Swann, Nichola Mallon, Sandra Overend and Justin McNulty if they can't make their case from the Opposition benches? What's the point of offering something different from the DUP and Sinn Fein if the public can't see and hear it every day?"

Two days later the UUP announced, albeit rather theatrically, that it would be forming the official Opposition. It was a bold move - but it was the right move.

Having returned with the same number of MLAs as in 2011, yet having lost votes in the process, it was going to be hard to sustain the argument that it had won a mandate for anything, let alone a mandate to return to the Executive.

But had it returned to the Executive it would have run the risk of looking desperate for relevance at any price, as well as running the further risk of being sidelined and attacked by the DUP and Sinn Fein in precisely the same way as it had been between May 2007 and August 2015.

Worse, it would not have been able to complain about it, and nor would it have been allowed to join the Opposition at a later stage. The absence of the UUP means that Sinn Fein get fourth pick for a ministry, but the final balance would be: four DUP, two Sinn Fein and one SDLP. If the SDLP pulls out, then it would be four DUP and three Sinn Fein.

With just 16 MLAs, it's going to be difficult to be the only party of Opposition. The DUP and Sinn Fein have 66, giving them a lot of choice when it comes to ministers, spokesmen and committee chairs. They also have the Civil Service machine and a team of Spads behind them, complete with departmental Press offices and their own party Press teams.

On top of that, the Big Two have access to an awful lot of other funding from the public purse. So, 16 versus 86 (assuming the SDLP and Alliance opt for the Executive route) means that the odds would be very heavily stacked against the UUP.

Yes, it would have access to around 60,000 being set aside for the Opposition, plus whatever it's entitled to under the existing financial assistance for political parties scheme, but it would still mean funds, particularly for specialist research, could be tight. That's why it would be preferable if the SDLP joined the UUP.

It raises the pool of available talent by 12 and puts more money into the overall pot - even though the 60,000 would remain the same for the moment.

More important, though, is the fact that a UUP/SDLP Opposition would be better placed to offer itself as a credible joint alternative to the DUP/Sinn Fein axis.

Alliance didn't cross the threshold for automatic entry to the Executive and, consequently, isn't entitled to entry to the official Opposition (reserved for those parties which won enough seats to qualify for the Executive, but who choose not to join it).

So, if Alliance refuses the offer of the Justice Ministry and stays out of the Executive, it will be treated much the same as the Greens and People Before Profit.

That makes its call a much more difficult one than that of the UUP and SDLP.

That said, if it chooses to enter an Executive for which it didn't win the necessary mandate - and it did have the mandate in the last Assembly - then it removes the party's right to complain about a dysfunctional Executive, to criticise its fellow ministers or to pretend, as it is prone to do, that it is somehow above the hurly-burly of DUP/Sinn Fein hostility.

At this stage it would strike me as absurd if the SDLP chose to remain in the Executive.

It lost 11,000 votes on May 5, along with two seats and just about crossed the threshold for automatic entry.

The electorate didn't reward it for its presence or work in the previous Executive.

It didn't reward it for replacing Alasdair McDonnell with Colum Eastwood. It didn't reward them for the contents of its manifesto.

In other words, its position is even worse than that of the UUP. And the logic of that position is that it should join the UUP in forming the Opposition.

So, 28 MLAs to 66 MLAs; 369,352 votes to 170,666 votes; 53% to 24%... whatever way you look at the figures, the UUP and SDLP are clearly the political/electoral minority.

If they are to make progress, both parties need to understand the nature and the scale of the message that the voters have sent them.

They need to face the reality that, when it comes down to it, they don't actually deserve to be in the Executive.

The UUP has read the runes and made the right call. The SDLP needs to do the same thing.

And while Alliance's position is slightly different, it too needs to face the fact that the 'Forward, Faster' campaign fell on (mostly) deaf ears.

Opposition won't be easy for Nesbitt and Eastwood, and it will be much harder for the UUP if it is on its own.

But it is the only way they can get the distance and the traction to develop their own profile and alternatives.

It will be just as hard for the DUP and Sinn Fein if the UUP and SDLP pull out, because they really will have to get their act together and deliver good government together. They will be under pressure from an Opposition leadership and shadow ministers - something they've never had to deal with before.

And it will also change the dynamics of media coverage and public attention. If the SDLP stays, the SDLP will be destroyed. If Alliance stays, it will look increasingly like a patsy, only there to save the DUP and Sinn Fein from making a difficult decision.

We talk about the need for "normal" politics. Well, "normal" politics means accepting electoral realities. "Normal" politics means a credible Opposition. "Normal" politics means realising that you're better in one role than another.

"Normal" politics means the smaller parties finding a way of increasing their appeal and offering better choices. "Normal" politics means parties doing what's normal in other governments. "Normal" politics means the end of dysfunctionality and the long-grassing of problems.

This is the fifth Assembly since 1998. Wouldn't it be good if it were the first one to end its mandate - in 2021 - with the debate about "normal" politics well and truly buried?
Charles M. Schulz

When we look at the gang from the Peanuts comic strips or watch their television specials there are plenty of lessons on leadership, friendship, and Biblical lessons gleaned from the always quirky group of pals. We see this in a Charlie Brown Christmas, where Linus explained the first Christmas to Charlie Brown who is concerned that there would be no one to share what Christmas is all about. Linus then started to proceed and read from the Book of Luke about the birth of Christ.

Luke 2: 8-14: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Charles Schultz, nicknamed "Sparky," had a deep passion for faith and fought to keep the segment on CBS as executives didn't want religion involved on the show. Schultz never backed down, and the show aired in 1965. The creator of Lucy, Snoopy, Linus and Charlie Brown, was believed to have a deep personal faith according to some, as depicted in this example. This has been up for much debate over the years.

However, we observe the aimless Charlie Brown go through life disappointed due to low-self-esteem, always wanting to ask the cute Little Red Haired Girl out. Good 'ol Charlie still never gave up, he even quotes Scripture at times. Charlie told his beagle: "Be of good cheer, Snoopy. Yes, be of good cheer." When Snoopy was caught stealing from the refrigerator, Charlie Brown quoted the 10 Commandments.

Schultz became a Christian after WWII when his father introduced him to a pastor, but already had a foundation from the Church of God in Minnesota. During this time Schultz transitioned into Bible studies, and other faith groups that helped him rekindle his faith. He would become a Methodist Sunday school teacher for 10 years in California, and defended his faith through his medium.



"He was fully committed to his spiritual beliefs, having developed what others in the church might describe as a personal relationship with God through his faith in Christ, but Schulz had not yet developed his own personal spiritual voice," wrote Stephen J. Lind, who penned the book A Charlie Brown Religion.



"Over the years, Sparky [his nickname] would mark nearly every page of his Bible with a pencil or pen, underlining meaningful passages, transcribing timelines, and circling key words, so much that he would naturally forget what had inspired him to do so for certain passages. He filled the margins with explanations drawn from his commentaries and scrawled out personal insights in the blank space left at the end of an Old or New Testament book."

In an interview with the Sonoma County Independent Schultz admitted he had a great disdain for religious shallowness by other comic writers. Comics like "Family Circus" and "Dennis the Menace" irked him. "Dennis the Menace (Hank Ketcham), for instance, is the most shallow. When they show him praying--I just can't stand that sort of thing, talking to God about some cutesy thing that he'd done during the day. I don't think Hank Ketcham has any deep knowledge of things like that."

Over the years, something changed in the man who said: "I preach in these cartoons, and I reserve the same rights to say what I want to say as the minister in the pulpit."



During the 1990s he considered himself a secular humanist and said he didn't go to church anymore. "I do not go to church anymore. I guess you might say I've come around to secular humanism, an obligation I believe all humans have to others and the world we live in." No matter what happened spiritually to Schultz, the medium he used to share the Gospel without bashing people over the head inspired generations.

Corine Gatti-Santillo is a freelance digital journalist, editor, and content producer. She is also the The Christian Post Voices Editor. She is also a former editor at Beliefnet.com.
In 2009, I quit my job as Gulf Correspondent for The Washington Post and decided to pursue filmmaking full time. I had loved working for the Post, loved that Foreign Desk, but in the beginning of my last year I indulged a long-standing secret desire of mine.

I took an online screenwriting course, and fell in love.

I worked weekends on the course, and weekdays for the newspaper. Pretty soon The Washington Post felt like the husband for whom I had deep affection and respect, and screenwriting the new lover I was passionate about, that I couldnt live without, that I would pursue to the ends of the earth.

I had become a journalist to tell stories from the Arab world, having endured years of out of context media sound bites demonizing my culture.

Arabs and Muslims were mainly news fodder, either demonstrating, blowing things up, or praying en masse. European deaths were a tragedy, Arab civilians killed by drones and bombs nothing more than collateral damage.

I was convinced the reason for this was their consistent dehumanization.

And film was no better. If youre not a Muslim terrorist, you get very little screen or news time.

The Brussels attack is a case in point. Selective outrage separates us into people who matter and those who dont. I am outraged and disgusted by the attacks in Brussels and by the loss of life. But I am equally outraged and disgusted when it happens to Muslims.

When Muslims see outrage when they kill but not when they get killed it creates a dissonance, a feeling of invisibility. The way the world reacts to your pain and grief determines your view of the world.

Viewing Muslims as one-dimensional, instead of a culture with its share of the good, the bad, and everything in between, just like every one else, is a dangerous fallacy. What we look at determines what we see.

I was raised by an idealist feminist father, and a Sufi Muslim mother not scared to buck tradition, and I knew first-hand that Arabs were much deeper and with much more humanity than the images I saw in news and films.

I longed to bring to life characters fascinating and flawed, with instincts for love and fun and a better life, just like everyone else.

I became a filmmaker to put a human face to the political story.

I cobbled together an education in filmmaking with directing workshops, acting and directing actors workshops, online courses, audio and hardcover books, and reading any script I could get my hands on.

This culminated in my first film, Mariam, in 2015.

Mariam tells the story of a French-Muslim teenager who wears the hijab headscarf and is forced to choose between her hijab and school when France passes a law in 2004 banning religious symbols from public schools. Mariam, a typical teenager interested in fashion, music, dance and boys, finds comfort in the parts of her Muslim identity she has chosen - prayers and sweeping her thick long hair into a hijab before leaving the house.

The idea for it was sparked during a trip to France in 2011 when the law banning the full face veil, the niqab, was being implemented.

I had just come from Saudi Arabia, where women are obliged to wear the hijab headscarf, even if they dont believe in it, which is the case for me. And I felt a kinship for these women in France who also did not have the freedom to dress as they believed.

But I also understood the revulsion to the niqab. I know that most people perceive women who wear the niqab as backwards and oppressed and lacking intelligence and backbone. I know because that is how I perceived women who wore the niqab.

Despite being familiar with the sight of women in niqab all my life, I had very low regard for them. I didnt see a woman wearing the niqab, I saw an entity that couldnt think for itself, a pushover who couldnt stand up to a father or husband, someone too uneducated to fight for her rights, and who couldnt see how ridiculous she looked with her face covered, only her eyes peering out, like someone in an all black Casper the Friendly Ghost Halloween costume.

Every time I saw women in the niqab I instinctively shrank into myself, resenting their weakness. It made me feel weak and backwards by association. We were both women, we were both Saudi, and we were both Muslim.

But a few years before coming to France, during research for an article on the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia, I found a petition by a group of women supporting the ban. I was intrigued.

So I set out to write an article on these conservative women. A few refused to talk to me, saying the US media only spouts lies and half-truths. They didnt trust a reporter working with an American newspaper to represent them faithfully.

The dozen or so who agreed to meet me all wore the niqab.

Under their niqabs I discovered a wide range of women - sultry divorcees afraid of their own desires, activists fighting for the rights of divorced mothers, and accomplished professionals including dentists, university professors, and award-winning scientists.

Talking to them, I realized that I was as guilty as everyone else in bundling a group of people together and thinking I knew who they were, when I did not know them at all.

Still, I do not believe that all women who wear the niqab in Saudi Arabia are as steadfast in their convictions about it as the women I interviewed. Im sure many are pressured to wear it.

But in my brief peek under the face veil, I saw a human, a face, an individual, and I would not be able to view women who wore the niqab in the same way again.

Thats why when I saw these women who wore the niqab in France surrounded by policemen, harassed by onlookers, forced screaming into police vans, taken into custody and made to take off their face veils, they were no longer just a weak-minded monolithic mass to me, they were individuals fighting for something I did not believe in, but that they did.

I felt that forcing a woman to take off the niqab is as painful as forcing her to wear it. And I couldnt understand why so many protested enforcing the niqab, but did not object to forcing its removal.

With Mariam I provide that opportunity to audiences, the chance to take a peek into the life of a teenager they might otherwise judge.

And that is what draws me to film, its power to shine a light on the individual underneath the religion, underneath the skin color, underneath the headscarf.

This month I embark on a US tour of the film, bringing it to schools and communities to spark conversations on how to bring more understanding between Muslims and the West. I believe this to be more crucial now than ever when extremism has the loudest voice. But to judge every culture by its extremists is to destroy all bridges. Telling stories builds those bridges back up again.

By Faiza Saleh Ambah as originally seen on The Huffington Post. Faiza is a journalist turned filmmaker from Saudi Arabia and is the writer-director, producer of the award-winning film Mariam.
Indian media professionals conduct a candlelight march in solidarity with two journalists shot dead last week in eastern India, in New Delhi, May 16, 2016.

Dozens of Indian media professionals marched by candlelight in Delhi on Monday to protest the killing of two journalists in eastern India last week.

There is a growing trend in India, that if a journalist writes something that makes some people uncomfortable, he or she is immediately labeled a presstitute. Or worse, they are jailed or killed, Mahendra Ved, president of the Commonwealth Journalists Association, which participated in the protest, told BenarNews.

There is growing intolerance toward what journalists want to write and a lot of pressures felt if one has to publish the truth, he added.

On Friday two unidentified men on a motorcycle gunned down Rajdeo Ranjan, bureau chief of leading Hindi-language daily Hindustan, in the Siwan district of Bihar state.

A day earlier, Taza TV news channel reporter Akhilesh Pratap Singh was slain in a similar fashion in the neighboring Jharkhand state.

Police have arrested three people in connection with Ranjans killing, and two suspects have been taken into custody for their alleged involvement in Singhs death. However, police confirmed that the two incidents were unrelated.

The killings are the latest in a spate of incidents in which Indian journalists have been targeted for doing their jobs in the worlds most populous democracy.

Last month, Paris-based media watchdog Reporters without Borders ranked India, the worlds most populous democracy, 133rd of 180 countries on its 2016 World Press Freedom Index.

The pressure felt by journalists working in smaller cities is far more, because bigger cities like Delhi or Mumbai offer you more protection purely on the basis of numbers as well as the large number of press associations and trade unions that can come to the aid of a journalist, Press Club of India President Rahul Jalali told BenarNews.

Shot five times

Police in Bihar said Ranjan may have been killed because of his recent reporting on criminal activities in Siwan.

We believe this may be a professional hit owing to the manner in which it was conducted, Siwan district police chief Saurabh Sah told BenarNews. Provisionally, we can say that he may have been killed because of his recent articles exposing criminal activities and incidents of corruption in the district.

Sah said three men had been arrested as suspects, but he declined to divulge details of those held in custody.

Ranjan was shot five times at close range in the head and neck area, Sah said.

It seems to be a well-planned hit. It was conducted in a very crowded area during peak hours. A silencer was attached to the weapon to suppress the sound of the gun shots, he added.

Without naming anyone, Ranjans family hinted at a political link behind his death.

The police and administration are aware who killed my son. It is well known due to the topics which my son used to cover. Everybody knows the people sitting high up in the political hierarchy [are] responsible for killing my son, Ranjans father, R.K. Choudhury, told BenarNews.

Ranjans family has demanded an independent probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Indias premier internal investigating agency.

We do not have faith in the local authorities as they are easily influenced, he said.

The CBI has been called to probe Ranjans killing, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said Monday.

I am worried about this. A journalist has to write or speak [the truth]. If there is an attack on a journalist, it is an attack on me, and thats how I am looking at the case, Kumar said in a statement.

No witnesses

Meanwhile in Jharkhand, relatives, friends and colleagues of Akhilesh Pratap Singh staged a protest by blocking traffic in the states Chatra district, where he was shot dead.

We have arrested two people as part of our investigation into the murder of the journalist, Chatra Superintendent of Police Anjani Jha was quoted as telling the Indo-Asian News Service.

Singh is the fourth journalist to be killed since the creation of Jharkhand in November 2000, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

None of the previous three killings have been solved.

U.P. Singh, a senior police official in Chatra district, told BenarNews that there were no eyewitnesses to Singhs killing.

We suspect that he was attacked by gunmen on a motorcycle, he said, adding that the interrogation of the two suspects was on-going.

Indias ruling Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been blamed for allegedly curbing free speech since it came to power in May 2014, was quick to deplore the two killings.

Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who is Minister for Information and Broadcasting, said on Twitter: I strongly condemn murder of journalists Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan & Akhilesh Pratap Singh in Chatra district.

Independent investigation may be instituted & guilty be punished.
Mahbub Leelen (right), co-founder of the Shuddhashar Publishing House, which published the works of slain secular Bangladeshi writers Avijit Roy and Ananta Bijoy Das, poses with novelist Salman Rushdie at the PEN Literary Gala dinner in New York, May 16, 2016.

Updated at 4:35 p.m. ET on 2016-05-17

A Bangladeshi publisher of secular books and works by slain writers, which was attacked by suspected Islamic extremists last year, has been recognized with an award for courage from the Association of American Publishers (AAP).

The Shuddhashar Publishing House on Monday night received the 2016 Jeri Laber International Freedom to Publish Award at the PEN Literary Gala dinner in New York. The award recognizes book publishers outside the United States "who have demonstrated courage in the face of political persecution," according to the AAP website.

We would like to dedicate this award to all writers and publishers who died for their activities, Shuddhashar co-founder Mahbub Leelen told BenarNews.

We believe that this is an achievement of all of Shuddhashars writers. This achievement will encourage us to continue our publications in this very bad situation, he said.

In 2004 Leelen and two colleagues  Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury Tutul and Zafir Setu  started Shuddhashar, a platform for secular thinkers writing in Bengali. But since 2013, six secular bloggers and writers have been killed in machete attacks by Muslim extremists.

Shuddhashar had published the works of two of the victims, Bangladeshi-born U.S. citizen Avijit Roy and Ananta Bijoy Das.

Leelen, Tutul and Setu fled Bangladesh after suspected radicals launched twin attacks on two publishing houses in Dhaka on Oct. 31. Tutul was seriously injured and Faisal Arefin Dipan, head of the Jagriti Publishing House, which had also printed the works of secular writers, was killed.

[T]his is not just an award. Rather, it is a symbol which indicates that other writers, publishers and international humanitarian organizations are with Bangladeshi writers in the same battle for freedom of expression, said Leelen, who is seeking asylum in the United States.

Although Leelen and his colleagues had to shutter their offices in Dhaka, they intend to keep disseminating the works of secular writers by publishing e-books while in exile, he added.

The Jeri Laber award is given annually by AAPs International Freedom to Publish Committee.

Were proud to support these courageous publishers. The message of the Jeri Laber Prize is loud and clear: You are not alone. We hope this international recognition pushes the government of Bangladesh to do whatever is needed to end the violence against authors, publishers and journalists, Judith Platt, director of Free Expression Advocacy at the Association of American Publishers, told BenarNews.

This version of the story corrects Mahbub Leelen's name.
Students and professors at Rajshahi University returned to the classroom on Tuesday after protesting the killing of professor A.F.M. Rezaul Karim Siddique, May 3, 2016.

Updated at 4:16 p.m. ET on 2016-05-17

Bangladeshi police Tuesday announced the arrest of four suspected members of banned extremist group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), including one who allegedly confessed to his role in last months machete-killing of a university professor.

Maskawath Hasan has been charged in connection with the April 23 killing of A.F.M. Rezaul Karim Siddique, a professor of English literature at northern Rajshahi University, police said.

He was arrested in nearby Bogra district on Sunday night and allegedly confessed in court to having participated in the killing, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Shamsuddin told a news conference in Rajshahi.

[Hasan] could not say anything about the motive of the killing. He just said they killed him according to the instruction from his superior command, he said.

Police have recovered the motorcycle, one machete and a dagger that were used in the killing, according to the commissioner.

Police did not link the other three JMB members to the crime, claiming only that the unnamed suspects were arrested on Monday for sheltering Hasan.

Siddique was one of five people killed in machete attacks carried out by suspected Islamic militants in April. The other victims included a secular blogger, two LGBT activists and a Hindu tailor.

According to Bangladeshs home ministry, between early 2013 and May 5, 28 people including secular writers, activists and members of religious minorities have been slain in machete attacks nationwide.

Students, faculty end boycott

News of the arrests brought an end to street protests by Rajshahi University faculty members and students who had been boycotting classes to demand that Siddiques killers be apprehended.

According to the assurance of the home minister and the police actions, we have decided to return to classes. We will take to the street again in case we find any lapse in the [investigation into the murder] of our respected colleague, Azam Shantonu, general secretary of the Rajshahi University Teachers Association, told a press conference at the university on Tuesday.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal had gone to Rajshahi on Saturday to assure faculty members and students that those involved in Siddiques killing would be arrested.

Khan told BenarNews he was glad to see students and teachers return to class.

The police have arrested one killer and the others will be arrested too, he said.

Siddique had always been involved in creative and cultural activities, Rajshahi student Mustafizur Rahman told BenarNews.

I do not believe that he may have been hostile with anyone; he never got involved in university politics, Rahman said.

Reorganizing

Siddique, who tried to establish a music school in his village in Rajshahis Bagmara area, was hacked to death around 7:40 a.m. on April 23, not far from his residence. Bagmara, a sub-district of Rajshahi, is where JMB was born in 2002-03.

Three of them directly killed him while the other one waited on a motorcycle. Two of them fled on the motorcycle while two others fled by other means, Shamsuddin said.

Since last year, the JMB has been trying to reorganize in different parts of the country, including Bagmara, police said.

On Dec. 25, a bomb blew up at an Ahmadiyya mosque in Bagmara, killing a suspected JMB suicide bomber and injuring three others. A day earlier, police recovered a stockpile of explosives from a suspected JMB den in Dhaka.

In December 2004, JMB operatives killed another Rajshahi University teacher, Mohammad Yunus, who had been involved in Awami League politics. In February 2016, a Rajshahi court sentenced two JMB operatives to death for Yunuss murder.
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front activists scuffle with Indian police during a protest in Srinagar over the killing of three youths in Handwara, when the army fired into a crowd of civilians incensed by the alleged molestation of a girl, April 15, 2016.

A 16-year-old Kashmiri girl is sticking by her allegation that an Indian soldier tried to molest her last month, and is now saying that local police coerced her into giving a false account of the incident on camera.

The girl told BenarNews that she was also humiliated and slapped while being confined and put through a month of hell at a local police station in April.

Police officials are rejecting the girls latest accusation resulting from her original allegation that a soldier attempted to molest her triggered a wave of violence in Indian-controlled Kashmir. The predominantly Muslim region in the Himalayas has been the focus of a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947, and a separatist insurgency has raged in Kashmirs Indian-administered region since the late 1980s.

[A sub-inspector] spat on my face and abused me in the police station, where I was confined for a month in the garb of police protection, the high school student from Kupwara districts Handwara town, some 70 km (43.4 miles) from Srinagar, told BenarNews.

She alleged that an Indian soldier approached her as she stepped out of a public toilet near an army bunker on April 12. When word of the incident spread a series of clashes broke out between locals and security forces, which led to five civilian deaths.

A soldier forcibly held my hand as I stepped out of the washroom but I somehow managed to free myself from him. Soon, local youths gathered at the spot and raised a hue and cry, the girl said, adding that she was immediately whisked away to the police station.

A policeman slapped me and took me to the police station, where I was kept in detention for days, she said.

Under Indian law, victims of any sexual crime cannot be named without their consent, more so if they are minors. She declined to give her name.

After some time, three masked men, accompanied by a Handwara police official recorded a video statement from her, the girl alleged, adding she was made to blame unidentified local youth for the attempted molestation.

The (official) deceitfully recorded my video statement. He had promised that it would not be released. However, a couple of days later, I was shocked to learn the video was widely circulated to the media and on social networking platforms. On April 16, I was again forced to make the same statement before a local court, she said.

Under investigation

Police refuted her new allegations.

The incident is already under investigation and, if at this stage, the girl wants to record another statement, we will investigate it, Uttam Chand, north Kashmirs deputy inspector general of police, told BenarNews.

The girl has already recorded her statement before the Chief Judicial Magistrate out of her own free will. I denounce her latest assertions before the media, he added.

On Monday, the girl appeared before a press conference with her face covered, demanding that a criminal case be registered against Handwaras police chief and his subordinates for coercing her into recording a false statement.

The incident has maligned my reputation and lent immense insecurity to my life and of my family members, she told reporters.

My parents and I were intimidated and abused by the police, who also forced me to request the court for protection, she said, adding the police forced her and her parents to sign blank documents in a bid to save the army from embarrassment.

After receiving a petition from her parents a day earlier, the High Court on May 12 directed police to release her from their protection.

Col. N.N. Joshi, spokesman for the Indian Army, told BenarNews that the army was conducting an independent probe into the April 12 incident.

The matter is sub-judicious and it would be improper to offer any comment on the girls latest statement. But the army is still investigating the allegations of molestation against the soldier. If he is found guilty, he will be dealt with as per law, he said.
Relatives of a man who died in custody report suspected criminal acts by members of Densus 88 in Klaten, Central Java, May 15, 2016.

The family of a man who died while in custody of Indonesias counterterrorism police is pressing for criminal charges in the case, saying they are not satisfied with the discipline meted out by a police ethics panel.

Relatives told police in Klaten, Central Java, in a 90-minute meeting on Sunday that they believe criminal acts of homicide and assault caused the death of Siyono, 35, who was taken into custody by Densus 88 on March 8 and died three days later.

Police allege that Siyono was the leader of a new offshoot of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the terrorist group responsible for the 2002 Bali bombing.

Activists with Muhammadiyah, the second largest Muslim group in Indonesia, accompanied Siyonos widow and father as they made their statement to police.

The family is just now reporting criminal acts, as they were waiting to see how the police would take responsibility for this case, Muhammadiyah official Trisno Raharjo told BenarNews on Monday.

The family sent a letter to National Police chief Badrodin Haiti on April 18 asking him to treat the case as a criminal matter, but there has been no response, he added.

Transferred

In their report to police, family members allege that two members of Densus 88  identified as Superintendent T and Second Inspector H  caused Siyonos death, and the police force took steps to cover that up, according to Trisno.

When the family retrieved the body, two policewomen handed 100 million rupiah (U.S. $7,486) to Siyonos widow, Suratmi, and asked her to sign a letter saying she would not contest the death, he said.

Further, forensic doctor Arif Wahyono gave a false cause in the death certificate issued on March 11, he said.

The family believes the sanctions handed down by a police ethics panel are insufficient, Trisno said.

We are asking that everyone who was involved be investigated, including the person giving the orders, he said.

A police commission on ethics and professionalism on May 11 ordered the two Densus 88 members receive a no-confidence demotion, meaning they wont be recommended for further work with Densus 88.

As punishment, they must apologize to the Police Institution and be transferred out of Densus 88 to another work unit for a minimum of four years, police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar told reporters in Jakarta.

Both men have apologized, but are appealing the decision of the panel, he added.

Suratmi said the matter should not end with the police ethics panel.

There was something amiss in the death of my husband. I want justice under Indonesian law, she said.

Blunt trauma

Klaten District Police Chief Faizal confirmed that he had received the report filed by Siyonos family.

Possibly the handling of this will be transferred to police headquarters, he said, without elaborating.

Siyono was buried in a cemetery in his home town before dawn on March 13, but his corpse was disinterred for autopsy on April 3.

The autopsy found that he had suffered six broken ribs and a fractured sternum caused by blunt trauma to the chest cavity that affected heart tissue, causing his death.

That contradicted earlier police statements that Siyono had died from bleeding in his head after fighting with his guard in a moving vehicle.

A forensic team headed by doctor Gatot Suharto did find a head wound, but said it did not bleed or cause his death.

Moreover, forensic evidence suggested that Siyono did not resist the assault, as there were no wounds on his body typically incurred through self-defense.
Using simple tools found in their homes, villagers catch shellfish in the Saiburi River in Yala provinces Raman district, May 9, 2016. [Nasueroh/BenarNews]

As rubber prices slump and drought drives river levels to their lowest in years, villagers in Thailands Deep South are creating opportunities to dip in and harvest the seas bounty. Others choose to pick, crack and dry betel nuts and some pick, cut and dry Garcinia oranges (asam gelugur) to sell at markets.

The drought reduces water to the bottom ground. Villagers can make additional income from simply walking into the river and catching small shrimp, fish and shellfish after returning home from rubber tapping. Each family can catch about seven to nine pounds each day and sell at the market for $1.36 per pound which is considered a good price. That can reduce the problem of insufficient income to feed the family, Muhammadyakee Useng, a villager in Muang district of Yala province, told BenarNews.

Masuena Manahing said as rubber prices drop, people must find ways to make extra income. Doing something to earn some money is better than doing nothing, she said.

Most men will go out to pick betel nuts and Garcinia (local orange from the area) and bring home for their women and children to crack, cut in halves to dry and sell as dried fruit. The income will be split among us all.




First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.





Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.





And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.





If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


For Immediate Release, May 17, 2016 Contacts: Jill Merritt, Elders Rising, (801) 486-9966, elders.rising@gmail.com

Lauren Wood, Wasatch Rising Tide, (801) 647-1540, lwood1988@gmail.com

Tim Ream, WildEarth Guardians, (541) 531-8541, tream@wildearthguardians.org

Valerie Love, Center for Biological Diversity, (510) 274-9713, vlove@biologicaldiversity.org Protesters Tell Feds: 'Keep It in the Ground' at Utah Oil, Gas Lease Sale Dozens Call for Bold Climate Leadership at 'Climate Auction' SALT LAKE CITY Dozens of protesters with signs and large banners staged a colorful climate rally today outside of the Bureau of Land Managements oil and gas lease sale in Salt Lake City, urging President Obama to Keep It in the Ground. The BLMs climate auction, as protesters dubbed it, allowed industry to bid on oil and gas leases for more than 6,000 acres of publicly owned land in Utah. Some of the protesters entered the auction venue and were removed by authorities. Demonstrators are forcibly removed from todays Keep It in the Ground rally in Salt Lake City. Photo by Valerie Love, Center for Biological Diversity. Photos are available for media use. In his 2016 State of the Union, President Obama spoke about fossil fuels, saying, Rather than subsidize the past, we should invest in the future. The future he is talking about is the future of my grandchildren, and their grandchildren and the grandchildren of all the species on this planet, said Kathy Albury of Elders Rising. The energy we invest in must ensure clean air, clean water and a stable climate. To do that, we have to quickly phase out fossil fuels. Keep it in the ground! Global warming is getting scary fast. Every month since we called on President Obama to end federal leasing last September has been an all-time global temperature record-breaker, said Tim Ream, climate and energy campaign director with WildEarth Guardians. With his signature climate policy languishing in the federal courts till the next president, Obama needs to move boldly and immediately to stop leasing fossil fuels on public lands and waters. Federal coal, oil and gas leasing are responsible for a stunning one-quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. By ending new leasing on public lands and waters, the president could lock nearly one-half of all U.S. fossil fuels safely in the ground. The message to markets and to other nations from such an action would be unmistakable. Instead the president has leased millions of acres of public lands to dirty energy companies, with oil production on federal lands up 62 percent since he took office. The climate movement is reaching a critical mass, said Lauren Wood of Wasatch Rising Tide. Scientists talk about tipping points, well, this movement is at a tipping point. We are not going to stop, so the BLM must change. The Keep It in the Ground movement is growing stronger every day, said Valerie Love of the Center for Biological Diversity. President Obama needs to listen to the voices and permanently end federal fossil fuel auctions like this one. The rally is part of a rapidly growing national movement calling on President Obama to halt new federal fossil fuel leases on public lands and waters. Since November protested lease sales have been postponed in Utah, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. Groups participating in todays rally include Elders Rising, Science and Environmental Health Network (SEHN), WildEarth Guardians, the Center for Biological Diversity, Wasatch Rising Tide, Canyon Country Rising Tide, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Fossil Free Natural History Museum of Utah, SLC350 and BreakFree2016.org. Background

Some 67 million acres of U.S. public lands are already leased to dirty fossil fuel industries, an area 55 times larger than Grand Canyon National Park, and containing up to 43 billion tons of potential greenhouse gas pollution. Nearly one-quarter of all U.S. climate pollution already comes from burning fossil fuels from public lands. Remaining federal oil, gas, coal, oil shale and tar sands that have not been leased to industry represent half of all U.S. carbon pollution. In September more than 400 organizations called on President Obama to end federal fossil fuel leasing. In November Senators Merkley (D-Ore.), Sanders (I-Vt.) and others introduced legislation to end new federal fossil fuel leases and cancel nonproducing federal fossil fuel leases. Last month the Obama administration placed a moratorium on federal coal leasing while the Department of the Interior studies its impacts on taxpayers and the planet. Since November 2015, in response to protests, the BLM has postponed oil and gas leasing auctions in Utah, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. Download the September Keep It in the Ground letter to President Obama. Download Grounded: The Presidents Power to Fight Climate Change, Protect Public Lands by Keeping Publicly Owned Fossil Fuels in the Ground (this report details the legal authorities with which a president can halt new federal fossil fuel leases). Download The Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions of U.S. Federal Fossil Fuels (this report quantifies the volume and potential greenhouse gas emissions of remaining federal fossil fuels). Download The Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions fact sheet. Download Public Lands, Private Profits (this report details the corporations profiting from climate-destroying fossil fuel extraction on public lands). Download WildEarth Guardians formal petition calling on the Department of the Interior to study, for the first time ever, the climate impacts of the federal oil and gas leasing program and to place a moratorium on new leasing until that study is completed.
Coronation Fund Managers have already produced a number of interesting, entertaining ads echoing their slogan, "Trust is earned".

The one I liked best was about Elephant Whisperer, Lawrence Anthony, and how he won over a group of angry elephants.

The point, well made, is that if you are to give someone your trust that trust needs to be earned. In the case of an investment company, Coronation says that trust is in its track record.

Its latest TV ad has taken that premise a little further  more into the land of real people  by looking at what you need that trust for, in an investment sense.

If your money came easy, it says, Youd invest it with anyone.

So we see ordinary people, not flash business or rock stars with piles of money, in their struggles to earn their daily bread. No clean-cut sweet, handsome people. Just ordinary folk who get tired, who get angry  but who get on with their jobs. Because they just cant walk out. The sort of people who keep society going. Our unsung heroes and heroines, if you like.

In the real world, not much is like the Dire Straits song, where you get money for nothing and chicks for free... So, if you sweat for your cash, you want someone to do likewise and you shouldnt just invest it with anyone, says Coronation. Go with someone who has earned the right for you to trust them.

Its a simple message, but because its grounded in reality and in the daily grind, it has resonance with most working people. And most working people will, at some stage, think about the future and about putting something aside. The ad is a good way of keeping its name top of mind, so it gets an Orchid.

Screengrabs from the ad.

I am no fan of Sanral and its ducking and diving bosses. In the e-toll saga, its marketing communication  if one can call it that  has been riddled with inaccuracies, misleading statements and down-right lies. It has shown a schizophrenic sales pitch  first cajoling, then pleading, then threatening.

Be that as it may, I do acknowledge that in the organisation  outside of its trash-talking execs  a there are pockets of excellence which do more than the bosses ever could to protect the ailing Sanral brand.

One such is the organisations online traffic site, i-traffic.co.za. This promises real-time traffic updates on the highways controlled by Sanral. And it delivers. Recently, I was concerned about whether I would get caught in traffic snarl-ups around the Mall of Africa in Midrand as I headed north up the N1. The website not only gave me a written report, but allowed me to browse through constantly updated still photos from the traffic cameras linked to the system. Using this, I was able to judge that Midrand was flowing freely and so I opted for that route. And all went well.

It is a great idea and works well. Because it shows parts of Sanral to be world-class  and therefore helps undo some of the damage wrought by Nazir Alli et al  I award the site an Orchid.

Another for the Oh dear South African grammar files: Outfitter Khaliques no doubt had good intentions with an ad in Saturday Star last week, urging people to take their moms to its stores for a 30 percent discount. Headlining the ad was: Whose your mom? True story. We still write in English and still use apostrophes in South Africa, people from Khaliques (though there sometimes seems to be a nationwide campaign to dumb everything down to netspeak).

The ad should not have run. Khaliques, you get an Onion  no discount on that, Im afraid.

One of the most common complaints about DStv concerns re-runs. I was discussing this with colleagues in The Star Tonight section recently and they pointed out, quite logically, that reruns are the price you pay for a 24-hour TV channel. Fair enough. But in the first week of this month, I was watching the Comedy Channel and an ad came up asking for entries for the CNN African Journalist of the Year awards. Closing date: March 24.

Seriously, DStv? Doesnt anyone check this stuff ? This is the sort of thing which adds insult to injury and could result in subscribers cancelling their expensive subscriptions. And it is so unnecessary  so you get an Onion.

Last weeks Orchid for Tracker did not have details of the agency and production company responsible. The agency was House of Brave and the production company was 0307 Film, while the director was Kevin Fitzgerald. Orchids to you all!

*Note that Bizcommunity staff and management do not necessarily share the views of its contributors - the opinions and statements expressed herein are solely those of the author.*
South Africa's premier digital media specialists, Mark1, are proud to welcome Taryn Copeman to their team. As director of strategy she will be heavily involved in growing the Mark1 brand by evaluating industry trends, competitive threats and possible business opportunities.

Taryn Copeman

With over 12 years experience in media and advertising, Taryn is excited for the challenge that Mark1 presents, and when asked about her new role she said Strategy is my absolute passion, I would say my excitement levels are through the roof! There is nothing better than a challenge and our industry definitely provides plenty of those. I look forward to working with the team at Mark1 and taking the business to new heights!

Established in 2012, Mark1 has grown exponentially and continues to expand. Taryn will be instrumental in the further development of the team and the business going forward.

Managing Director Daan du Toit had the following to say: We are thrilled to have Taryn on board and welcome her wealth of digital experience into the Mark1 Team. She has delivered some brilliant Digital Strategy work in the local industry over the last few years and has hit the ground running at Mark1. Her passion for client service and her drive for perfection fits in very well with the Mark1 ethos and we look forward to taking digital marketing in South Africa to the next level in the near future.

Mark1 is known for their cutting edge digital media solutions, offering clients everything from data management and programmatic buying to user-centric, technology driven design. With a renewed drive towards strategy, Mark1 is on track to become one of the big players in the industry.

To find out more about Mark1, please visit the website here: www.mark1.co.za




Get in on the action @ #DANDTKenya

Each day technology becomes less visible in our psyches and more like electricity; we depend on and benefit from gadgets, devices, and sensors but forget that they are there. Tech advances have penetrated nearly every part of life and certainly every industry. Technology will become only more intertwined with data collection, customer communication, campaigns' creation, execution and management. Marketing is becoming the sensor for every organisation. The pressure on marketers is that they are being expected to transform businesses in this environment.

Dentsu Aegis Network SSA, will be hosting an exclusive DigiTalk in Nairobi Kenya on 19 May 2016, touching on topics such as the internet of things, data, programmatic, digital disruption, with a panel discussion on Winning in the Digital Economy.

With it becoming such an electrifying part of consumers everyday lives, we are giving you an opportunity to be a part of our very first #DANDTKenya digital exploration. The nature of our business is to innovate the way brands are built, and we would like to give you insight into the digital economy. What we call the 4th industrial revolution.

World renowned speakers; including Dawn Rowlands, CEO for Dentsu Aegis Network Sub Saharan Africa will be presenting on Dentsu Aegis Networks vision 2020 for brands. Rowlands is a heavy weight in her own right having sat on the judging panel at world's biggest creativity festival, Cannes Lion and won the Business Woman of the Year South Africa title. Having taken the stage in cities such as Tokyo, Dubai and New York you will be exposed to world class content and insights.

Dentsu Aegis Network currently has owned offices in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and we have affiliate partnerships in another 32 markets across Sub Saharan Africa. This amounts to 442 staff across the region that are dedicated to servicing DAN clients both global and local. We are all about placing Africa at the forefront of the digital economy, at our core we believe in not only having affiliates but having a fully vested interest in the market.

All you need do to win a seat to this exclusive event is send a Tweet to our @DentsuAegisSSA twitter handle with #DANDTKenya, there are only seats seats up for grabs so get those fingers tweeting.




Famous Brands has acquired a 51% stake in the recently launched Salsa Mexican Grill, a fast-casual dining concept centred on traditional Mexican food and beverages. The brand is currently represented by its maiden restaurant, opened in June 2015, in Fourways, Joburg. Two further franchised outlets are scheduled to open during the course of 2016.

The purchase consideration falls below the threshold of a categorised transaction in terms of the listings requirements of the JSE and will be settled from cash reserves. All suspensive conditions have been fulfilled and the effective date of the transaction is 1 June, 2016.

Darren Hele, Famous Brands CEO said: This joint venture furthers our stated strategy to compete more vigorously in the fast-casual dining category, one of the quickest growing segments in the restaurant industry over the last decade.

Thanasi Nicolopoulos & George Nicolopoulos

There are a number of compelling motives surrounding this acquisition. Within the South African context, our research revealed that a gap exists in the fast-casual Mexican cuisine space. Although we explored the possibility of establishing a start-up concept of our own, by acquiring a controlling stake in Salsa Mexican Grill we gained significant strategic advantage given the brands first-to-market head start and best-in-class offering.

Furthermore, it is well known that local consumers enjoy spicy flavours and are increasingly willing to try new varieties of modern, authentic cuisine. Globally, fast-casual Mexican concepts are experiencing double-digit growth and we anticipate that Salsa Mexican Grill will quickly mirror that trend.

In the US, consumption of Mexican food is increasing at a faster rate than any other segment of the restaurant industry and is the third most popular menu type at approximately 8% of the total restaurant landscape*. In the UK, the number of Mexican restaurants has risen by 71% in the last year. **

Salsa Mexican Grill is the brainchild of co-founders George Nicolopoulos and Symeon Yiallouris; the business is owned by the pair, Georges brother Thanasi Nicolopoulos, and two other co-partners.

Extensive research

Operating partner, George Nicolopoulos, said: Our family lived in the US for almost a year, during which time our love for Mexican food was born. Subsequently, the Salsa Mexican Grill concept culminated from extensive research conducted in the Mexican food category in both the US and the UK.

The brand is based on a contemporary interpretation of a traditional Mexican restaurant. We strive to create an atmosphere that is authentic and epitomises Mexican entertaining  which is festive, welcoming and homely. This ambiance is echoed in our decor and food and the service offered by our highly trained staff.

The Salsa Mexican Grill concept appeals to a wide range of diners: families out for a quick midweek meal, business colleagues engaging in a relaxed environment, and party-goers looking for a memorable night out. Significantly, we also enjoy a very favourable response to our wholesome meal options from customers seeking healthy dining offerings.

In terms of trading performance, Nicolopoulos said: To date, the restaurant has exceeded our expectations. In the short space of 10 months we have achieved a loyal following of customers.

Our immediate goal is to open more restaurants to keep pace with the rapidly growing demand from new customers and, thanks to our partnership with Famous Brands, we will have the opportunity to fast track those ambitions. Initially, our focus will be on building the brand in and around the Gauteng region; with the Groups expertise and support we plan to grow a presence relatively quickly.

The joint venture business will retain the expertise of Salsa Mexican Grills existing team, which will be headed up by George Nicolopoulos, supported by his four co-partners and Famous Brands management.

Hele concluded: The expansion potential for the Salsa Mexican Grill brand is substantial. In general, the market for fast-casual offerings is far less saturated than other segments in the industry and provides more numerous franchise opportunities for entrepreneurs. In this light, we anticipate strong demand from franchisees and landlords alike, and look forward to growing the brands national footprint over time.

* Source: www.chd-expert.com: The Mexican Restaurant Industry Landscape: A Popular Choice for Cinco de Mayo and all year long

** Source: The Guardian
Irish whiskey Jameson has partnered with a pair of South African breweries - the Ubuntu Kraal Brewery in Joburg and the Devil's Peak Brewing Company in Cape Town - to launch its Caskmates brand in this country, which is Jameson's second biggest market globally.

Born out of a 2013 collaboration between two distillers and a brewer in Ireland, Caskmates was originally launched in the Emerald Isle.

A whiskey that has been aged in barrels seasoned with Irish stout, it retains the triple-distilled smoothness of Jameson Original while adopting additional notes of coffee, cocoa, butterscotch and a hint of hops.

To capture the spirit of that original collaboration between Jameson master distiller Brian Nation, Master of Whiskey Science Dave Quinn and Franciscan Well founder and head brewer Shane Long, it invited two truly South African breweries to be part of the local Jameson Caskmates journey.

People questioned why we would want to share our casks with breweries. They found the concept hard to grasp, but we saw it as an opportunity for collaboration, said Jameson's assistant brand manager, Nicole van Zyl.

Jameson's motto is Sine Metu, which means 'without fear' in Latin, and that is the ethos of Caskmates. People are always scared of what they don't know, but living without fear is what inspires us, so we're constantly looking to work with collaborators who feel the same way we do.

Jameson approached the Ubuntu Kraal Brewery in Joburg and the Devil's Peak Brewing Company in Cape Town. They were given Jameson's old whisky casks and asked to create a special brew.

Hand-picked

These breweries were hand-picked for the Jameson Caskmates collaboration. It is important for us to work with collaborators who share the Jameson brand values and who are willing to push the boundaries when it comes to innovation, said head of marketing for Irish Whiskeys at Pernod Ricard, Seth Pereira.

667 is an Irish Red Ale brewed by Devil's Peak and inspired by the Cape legend of Jan van Hunks, who beat the devil in a smoking competition. 667 is a tribute to Jan and all the other brave souls who have faced their fears by edging out darkness - that was a nice tie in to the Sine Metu motto, explained Devil Peaks head brewer, JC Steyn.

Soweto Gold 76 is a tantalising craft beer made in the Ubuntu Kraal Brewery and pays homage to the June 16 protesters, many of whom sacrificed their lives for freedom. The bravery of those protesters gave me the freedom and courage to open up the first black-owned brewery in Soweto, said founder Ndumiso Mdlala. I really wanted to honour them with Soweto Gold 76.
Reeza Isaacs, group finance director of retailer Woolworths Holdings, has been named South Africa's CFO Of The Year at the 2016 CFO Awards.

The award was announced at the end of a conference and gala event at Summer Place in Hyde Park, Joburg. Dumisani Dlamini (National Arts Council) was named Young CFO Of The Year and Public CFO Of The Year, while Osman Arbee (Imperial) and Walter Leonhardt (ABI) also won two awards each.

The event was chaired by entrepreneur Vusi Thembekwayo and attended by 250 CFOs and prominent leaders from the business and public sectors. During a master class and a series of high-level round-table discussions prior to the awards ceremony, CFOs discussed a variety of burning topics, including strategy execution, technology, transformation, compliance, business opportunities in the rest of Africa, and how to build winning cultures and sustainable leadership.

The gala dinner kicked off with a keynote speech by Chancellor Wiseman Nkuhlu of the University of Pretoria, South Africas first black chartered accountant and role model for many finance professionals. He spoke about the courage that modern CFOs need and then handed out lifetime achievement awards to Leon Crouse (Remgro) and Simon Ridley (Standard Bank), who recently retired from their long careers as finance leaders.

The winners

Award winners 2016 were:

 CFO Of The Year  Reeza Isaacs (Woolworths);  Young CFO Of The Year  Dumisani Dlamini (National Arts Council of South Africa);

 Public CFO Of The Year  Dumisani Dlamini (National Arts Council of South Africa);

 Strategy Execution Award  Osman Arbee (Imperial);

 Transformation & Empowerment Award  Reeza Isaacs (Woolworths);

 High Performance Team Award  Osman Arbee (Imperial);

 Compliance & Governance Award  Walter Leonhardt (ABI);

 Moving into Africa Award  Bikash Prasad (Olam International);

 Finance Transformation Award  Walter Leonhardt (ABI); and  Finance & Technology Award  Christine Ramon (AngloGold Ashanti).

The annual CFO Awards are organised by CFO South Africa, an organisation that connects finance professionals through monthly events, the quarterly CFO Magazine, its website CFO.co.za, and social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. By helping CFOs share knowledge, exchange interests and open up business opportunities, CFO South Africa contributes to the growth of the country. Services firm KPMG and Standard Bank are principal sponsors of CFO South Africa in 2016.

Other partners of the 2016 CFO Awards included Old Mutual, Oracle, Thomson Reuters and SizweNtsalubaGobodo, while additional tables were sponsored by Deloitte, the DTI, Pikitup, RMB and Servest. CFO South Africa founders Alex van Groningen and Melle Eijckelhoff were both in attendance, the latter closing the evening with some heartfelt words of thanks.

The CFO Of The Year Award was handed out by KPMG South Africa chairman Ahmed Jaffer, and was accepted on behalf of Reeza Isaacs by Zaid Manjra, group head of planning & reporting of Woolworths. Isaacs himself reacted in a video message sent from Australia, where he was attending board meetings of David Jones, the Australian retailer that was acquired by Woolworths in 2014.

Isaacs received the best scores from a pool of 25 nominated CFOs, all of whom were extensively interviewed by the judging panel as part of the awards process. A full list of nominated CFOs can be found at www.cfoawards.co.za.
In a blow to multi-award winning advertising agency Ireland/Davenport, it has lost its MD to Mr Price.

Sue Napier, who has been at the agency since its launch in 2005, had resigned, she confirmed. Napier, who was born in Durban, is returning to her home city to become marketing director of retail chain Mr Price's apparel division.

She will leave the agency at the end of next month, and no successor has been chosen. Until the middle of last year, Ireland/Davenport was considered one of the most successful independent startups in SA's advertising industry.

Named after founding partners Philip Ireland and John Davenport, its first client was car maker BMW. It was followed by names like Avis and Plascon before South African Tourism, in 2010, and Vodacom, in 2013, catapulted it into the big league.

The success persuaded global advertising and communications group WPP to buy a stake and the agency's management won a national leadership award at the 2014 industry AdFocus awards.

But it all unravelled in a few weeks in mid-2015, when Vodacom, SA Tourism and BMW all moved their business to other agencies. Vodacom accounted for 40% of Ireland/Davenport's revenue. This led to substantial job losses at the agency.

"It was incredibly hard to do," said Napier. "We had never retrenched anyone before."

Since then, Ireland/Davenport has regained some ground with the Isuzu vehicles and Budget Car Rental accounts.

Napier said Mr Price approached her with a job offer in late March and the deal was done. "The offer was simply too good to ignore."

furlongerd@bdfm.co.za

Source: Business Day
LONDON, UK: Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, is to sue German carmaker Volkswagen over an emissions-cheating scandal that caused it huge losses, the Financial Times reported Sunday, 15 May 2016.

"We have been advised by our lawyers that the company's conduct gives rise to legal claims under German law. As an investor it is our responsibility to safeguard the fund's holding in Volkswagen," Peter Johnsen, the chief executive of the fund's manager Norges Bank Investment Management, told the newspaper.

The German automobile giant is already facing a slew of lawsuits from shareholders seeking damages after deep falls in its share price, as well as from angry car owners.

Volkswagen's admission that illegal software was installed on 11 million diesel engines to cheat emissions tests sparked a global scandal and forced it to recall vehicles from around the world.

The carmaker has set aside 16.2 billion euros ($19 billion) in provisions to cover potential fines, lawsuits and recall costs, resulting in its first annual loss since 1993. Volkswagen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Norges Bank Investment Management could not be reached for comment.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge
South African university authorities said Monday that the firebombing of an auditorium in Johannesburg was part of an "organised set of attacks" targeting educational institutions.

The overnight arson attack at the University of Johannesburg caused about 100 million rand ($640,000) damage, destroying an auditorium, computer laboratories and equipment.

No arrests have yet been made over the attack, which follows months of sporadic violence, protests and clashes at universities around South Africa.

A statement from the university said arsonists had "fire bombed" the 1,000-seater auditorium as well as computer laboratories full of equipment.

"This is just the latest in a set of criminal acts directed at our country's basic and higher education institutions," Vice-Chancellor Ihron Rensburg said.

"We are calling on the police, the intelligence services and the judiciary to re-double their efforts in getting to the bottom of this organised set of attacks."

South African universities were rocked last year by violent student protests over tuition fees, with many campuses temporarily shut down.

The protests by students, many of them so-called "born frees" who grew up after apartheid, forced the government to abandon planned tuition fee hikes.

Violence has also erupted at student demonstrations this year, with buildings in February torched at the North West University's Mafikeng campus.

Other campus unrest has focused on allegations of racism and a dispute over the use of the Afrikaans language.

In recent weeks, teaching has been suspended in the Vuwani district of the northern province of Limpopo after about 20 schools were burnt down by local residents.

The community was demonstrating over a change in municipal boundaries.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge
Neil Markovitz

Kaufela, which means together in Lozi, brings together lodges of a certain quality standard under one management brand. The Kaufela Collection has already signed three independent lodges (100 rooms) and plans to add another 400 rooms by the end of the year. Newmark is currently taking on a new property in Zanzibar and a further 170-room business hotel in Lusaka.

Newmarks director for Africa, Dr Hans Heuer, who is based in Newmarks new Lusaka office says that the Kaufela Collection meets a critical need in Zambia. There are literally hundreds of independently owned lodges in Zambia that do not have the resource to market and sell their properties effectively. The Kaufela Collection is a solution that allows these lodges to retain their independence and individuality while benefiting not only from Newmarks management, sales, marketing and reservations infrastructure but also its two representation offices in London and New York.

The collection will be competitively priced for tourism and business groups and the Newmark name and reputation will promote confidence, assurance, and awareness. This is also a major intervention for Zambian tourism, adds Heuer. It meets a business need for the lodge owners while helping visitors who often do not know what to expect when they make bookings.

Developing new territories

The Lusaka office will also focus on other COMESA countries in Africa, such as Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Zanzibar. Heuer continues: The Lusaka office is mandated to develop new territories for Newmark  under either the Kaufela Collection or the Newmark brand, depending upon the standard or size of the property.

Newmarks portfolio is managed and, in some cases, invested in by Newmark. The group, which was established in 2007, attributes much of its success to the fact that the brands in its portfolio retain their individuality. Newmark CEO, Neil Markovitz says: We allow iconic products to flourish and we do not dilute the offering. We are not swamped or cramped by a global brand mindset. The hotels are their own brands and this is why our properties constantly out-perform the market.

On the expansion plans, Markovitz is quick to emphasize that Newmarks offering will not be compromised. We turn down more properties than we take on  were very specific about the product portfolio.
Remember that scene in Fifth Element, when they travel to the Paradise Planet and sleep in pod-like beds? Well I got to experience the sci-fi backpacker dream at 91 Loop recently, and, I must say, it was pretty darned cool.

Attending a blogger evening at 91 Loop last month, we were some of the lucky ones to receive a complimentary stay over in their new sleep pod accommodation.

Very chuffed with our modern key card, which when pressed would light up our sleep pods in a soft blue light so wed know which was ours, we enjoyed a night on the town without worrying about the long trek home to Muizenberg.

Image sourced from 91 On Loop

Set up much like a backpacker or hostel, each room sleeps at least 20 travellers. The pods are designed to lie directly into the wall, like a row of horizontal 'nooks', with room for a single bed.

Each sleep pod comes with its own bed, bedding, a light, a plug for charging your tech, and a locker for storing luggage safely. Bathrooms and showers are shared, but werent crowded.

As someone who suffers from claustrophobia at the worst of times (ahem, elevator), when we settled in for the night I found the pods surprisingly spacious and somewhat cozy. The cocoon-like sleep pod is also nice and quiet inside, which is handy in a roomful of strangers.

Travel trend?

While on par with hostels and backpackers when it comes to affordability, the clever 'sleep pod' design allows a sense of privacy and luxury  not to mention a feeling of being transported into the future.

Image sourced from reddit.com

An overlapping travel trend is the 'capsule hotel', which is defined as a private space in a shared room and is designed for a more sophisticated experience than the typical hostel, such as free Wi-Fi and more privacy.

Surprisingly ahead of its time, Japan was the first to open a capsule hotel in the late 70s, in order to meet the need of travelling businessmen who required a place to rest and freshen up between stops.

In 2012 China followed suit, but the capsule hotel concept only reached Europe in 2014, when the first one opened in Belgium. More recently, theyve been popping up all over  from Mexico, Amsterdam, Singapore and now, closer to home, in South Africa 

This travel trend is particularly popular at airports, where it is also referred to as 'transit hotels' (beds or pods that can be hired by the hour at international airports).

Image sourced from 91 On Loop

While the concept of small, affordable and efficient prevails, the application of the capsule hotel design varies.

From our personal experience of 'sleep pods'  which only have enough room for a single bed  to snooze pods that are paid for by the hour. The accommodation design can even make allowance for bathrooms and other amenities, resembling a tiny hotel room.

But the question is: Is this a glimpse into the future of travel or just another passing novelty that will soon be forgotten?

For more info or to make a booking go to www.91loop.co.za

Article originally published on withoutadoubt.co.za
The Department of Tourism has crafted new legislation aimed at cracking down on illegal tourist guides. The regulations are contained in draft amendments to the Tourism Act and have been released for public comment. The amendments focus on enforcing provisions in the act.

A tourist guide organisation claims that as many as 50% of guides operating in some of the country's most popular tourist destinations are not legally registered. The risks for the sector include substandard guiding practices that reflect badly on registered guides and wildlife tourists being exposed to dangerous animals while in the company of untrained tourist guides.

Deputy director-general of policy and knowledge systems at the Department of Tourism Shamilla Chettiar said the amended act did not allow individuals to act as tourist guides if they were not citizens or ordinary residents of SA.

The amendments also disqualified those who had not undergone adequate training and completed registration, as well as those who had been convicted of an offence in SA or abroad, she said. "The amended act is clear on how to deal with illegal guides. Laying a formal complaint can be done with the registrar. The enforcement is the competence of the South African Police Service.

"We have launched awareness campaigns on this issue. If the registration of a guide is compromised there are steps to follow."

The Tourism Act of 2014 sets guidelines on the tour guide industry and a code of conduct within the profession. The department has sought to apply consistent standards between national and provincial tour guide registrars. Guides must be registered in terms of section 50 of the Tourism Act. Each registered guide's status will be valid for three years. Tour guides found guilty of misconduct could be fined up to R10,000.

Uveshnee Pillay, director of tourist guiding in the department, said the industry should improve generic skills including customer relations, computer literacy, and research. "There are a number of generic skills that guides should have when they enter the sector and that creates a challenge," Pillay said.

Johan van Biljon, of the Gauteng Tour Guides Association, said that while the industry was held to high standards, the prevalence of illegal tour guides had to be policed better. The association's unofficial estimates on illegal tour guides showed that as many as half of the tourist guides in a site such as Vilakazi Street in Soweto were not registered, he said.

"We need policing for what we have in law. There is a criminal code for illegal guiding. No one except the registrar has the power to go and pursue the case."

Van Biljon said registered tourist guides often had to contend with taxi drivers masquerading as tourist guides. The negative reception ultimately reflected poorly on registered tourist guides, he said.

Source: Business Day
Huge jumps in equipment sales in Russia and Europe helped Barloworld offset lower revenue from its Southern African businesses, its interim results statement on Monday showed. Overall group revenue rose 4% to R31.9bn in the six months to end-March from the matching period last year, and net profit declined 1.6% to R813m.

Daniel Garcia via 123RF

Barloworld maintained its interim dividend at R1.15 per share despite headline earnings per share declining 9% to R3.35.

Barloworld, which represents the Avis brand in various countries, said its automotive division contributed 46% of the group's revenue. This division is split into motor trading, which grew sales by 4.6% to R10.3bn; car rental, where sales rose 7% to R2.85bn; and Avis Fleet - which is separate from car rental - where sales fell 3% to R1.6bn.

Equipment sales contributed 43% of the group's revenue. Russian equipment sales rocketed 58% to R2.35bn, European sales were up 21% to R2.25bn while in its home market sales declined 6.9% to R9.24bn.

Measured in dollars, its Russian sales growth was 22% to $157.9m. Its Russian "firm order book" at March was $47.8m, up on the September level of $27.7m, with open-cast gold mining projects driving the growth. "The book also includes an order for our first high wall mining machine in Russia for the coal industry," Barloworld CEO Clive Thomson said in the results statement.

In Europe, sales growth was due to rand depreciation as revenue remained flat at 138.2m. "Following a solid performance in the first quarter, activity levels in Spain have softened as a result of the political impasse arising from the inconclusive results of the general election held in December," Thomson said.

Barloworld's associate in the Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of Congo incurred a loss of R27m in the interim period from the matching period's R110m. This was mainly as a result of a bad debt provision as well as the temporary suspension of mining activities at one of its largest customers from December.

Mining operations at this customer were further disrupted by a slope failure in March, with resumption of mining activities now expected in the second half of Barloworld's financial year, Monday's interim results statement said.

Source: BDpro
It is unquestionable that ad blocking has gone mainstream, even though it is not a new phenomenon.

Attempts to block advertisers were hitting the market fast and furious as early as the 1960s. The battle against adverts goes back many decades ago. Remember an American inventor Robert Adler who made life of leisure more comfortable and lazier for couch potatoes by experimenting with a process that would enable remote control of a television using radio waves?

The device was perfected in the 1960s, as Adlers remote control was modified to allow ultrasonic signals to communicate complex commands to TV sets, enabling the operator of the remote to block ads by changing the channel during a commercial break  without leaving the comfort of their reclining chair.

In the 1970s, mechanical preset buttons allowed vehicle drivers to not only change the car radio station while safely watching the road, but it also gave listeners a quick solution to skipping ads.

Today, we have ad blocking, PVR technology, commercially-free satellite radio, presets technology for blocking radio ads, DVR commercial skipping feature, and many more technologies that enable the ease at which we skip ads and make ads almost redundant.

In many countries, millions of consumers are empowered to block telemarketing calls by simply registering their phone number on the Do Not Call websites.

Following on the footsteps of Mozilla, creators of the Firefox Web browser who introduced a Do Not Track feature that blocked advertisers from profiling a users identity and browser history. Todays browsers all offer standard features enabling users to surf the web in secret, or employ ad blockers that completely free mobile and desktop browsers from banner ads  literally eliminating them from view by preventing the browser from loading the ad.

What is ad blocking?

Technologies that consumers are using to prevent the download or display of advertising. Ad blockers exist for most desktop web browsers and are now beginning to impact mobile web browsing as well.

Content publishers need to stop thinking that serving advertisements, that NOBODY WANTS, to internet users is the only way to monetise content.

Browser extensions are the most common forms of ad blocking. Browser extensions can:

Block the request for an ad (no HTTP request)

Collapse the element where the ad would display.

How big is ad blocking usage? What are the quick facts? Is ad blocking growing globally? What about in South Africa?

According to 2015 global report on ad blocking by PageFair, a company specialising in helping websites survive the rise of ad blocking, the latest data really puts into perspective just how fast the ad blocking market is growing, with the global use of ad blockers being up 41% (to 198m) between Q2 2014 and Q2 2015.

These are the quick facts about ad blocking based on the 2015 Ad Blocking Report By PageFair:

Ad blocking estimated to cost publishers nearly $22 billion during 2015.

during 2015. There are now 198 million active ad block users around the world.

active ad block users around the world. Ad blocking grew by 41% globally in the last 12 months.

globally in the last 12 months. Ad block usage in Europe grew by 35% during the past year, increasing to 77 million monthly active users during Q2 2015.

during the past year, increasing to 77 million monthly active users during Q2 2015. US ad blocking grew by 48% to reach 45 million active users in 12 months up to June 2015.

ad blocking to reach 45 million active users in 12 months up to June 2015. UK ad blocking grew by 82% to reach 12 million active users in 12 months up to June 2015.

ad blocking to reach 12 million active users in 12 months up to June 2015. South Africa ad blocking penetration stood at 1% in 2014 and in April 2015 the usage of ad blocking software stood at 2%.

Major players in the ad blocking industry

Adblock Plus leads the charge, but is not the only name in ad blocking. It dominates the market with 51% of global share, but this program shouldnt be confused with the separate AdBlock, which itself covers 38% of the market. UBlock Origin leads the pack of emerging ad blockers at a rate of 833%.

Why are consumers so jaded, disinterested and disillusioned with ads to the point of blocking them? Is it because they have had too much of the same irrelevant information bombardment recycled and repackaged as new?

Nobody wants to be tracked and advertised to constantly, period.

History shows us that ad blocking innovation and consumers demand for it is nothing new. Panic over recent methods of digital ad blocking must be put in proper historical context. The consumers long-held desire to skip ads must be acknowledged.

Ad blocking in the US

In the US, PageFair found that consumers are more likely to block ads with concerns that they are using their personal data or that they are simply becoming too frequent. Misuse of personal information was the primary reason to enable ad blocking. An increase in the number of ads was more important among millennials. US ad blocking grew by 48% to reach 45 million active users in 12 months up to June 2015.

Ad blocking in the UK

The leading reason cited by UK consumers is that ads are interruptive  73% of people using ad blockers use them for this reason. Further reasons include that ads can be annoying and that they slow down web browsing. UK ad blocking grew by 82% to reach 12 million active users in 12 months up to June 2015.

Ad blocking in South Africa

According to The 2015 ad blocking report by PageFair, South Africa's ad blocking usage and penetration stands at only 2%. The ad blocking software usage stood at 1% in 2014.

I ask myself, "Why is the usage of ad blockers in South Africa so very low compared to the US, UK and other European countries?" Could the answer be that many South African internet users find ads to be relevant and useful? Is it perhaps because they are not well aware of ad blocking? If most South African consumers dont find digital advertising irritating but rather that it helps them find things that are relevant to their daily lives and experiences, they would surely be angered when they learn that their rapidly depleting data is consumed by intrusive advertising.

My bet is that most South Africans are unaware that ad-blocking tools even exist, otherwise they will never allow intrusive advertising to gobble up their mobile data, especially when you consider how hard it is to get that data in the first place due to high levels of unemployment. South Africa's unemployment rate hit record high when it increased to 26.7% in the last few days.

A lack of awareness about ad-blocking software could be the cause and answer to why South Africans would rather tolerate the annoyance of ads that consume their data than go to the trouble of finding and installing special ad-blocking software.

I cannot fathom a situation where a South African is very happy and impressed when upon visiting a website, they often find themselves waiting and waiting for advertisements to load. Video starts playing automatically, and animated ads jump in front of what they were there to see. The seconds tick by, followed by annoying and intrusive banner ads. Eventually, after so much personal data has been consumed and lost, and if they are lucky to have any data left, they get to see what they were there to see in the first place.

Very soon, South Africans will realise that life and experience on the internet does not have to be this difficult. There are easy ways to block such annoyances.

Not fetching a file or blocking it, which is what ad-blockers do, equates to pure, unadulterated internet experience and joy, except in the mind of advertisers, who think they have a right to put their stuff in consumers' faces. It's the consumers computers, smartphones, and internet connections. So it is their right to choose which files are fetched or blocked. When the advertisers pay for the consumers' connections, then they have a right to show consumers what they want, not before.

According to a research note from Strand Consult, published by Fin24 Tech, at least a fifth of your mobile data is consumed by advertising  a situation that has prompted the rise of ad-blocking software according to international research.

The Strand Consult research reveals that 20% of data traffic on a smartphone is intrusive advertising.

This is frequently traffic that subscribers dont want and havent asked for. Video ads, in particular, slow the internet experience and can render in such a way to obstruct the actual content the user requests, not to mention burn out the device battery and run up the customers data charges, Copenhagen-based Strand Consult said in a statement.

In SA, mobile services make up 24.7% of household budgets, almost five times higher than the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) guideline of 5%.

Mobile advertising is big business as companies rush to place their ads on small screens. According to eMarketer, mobile advertising in 2016 will hit $100bn, accounting for more than half of digital advertising spend.

How to combat ad blocking?

Before we begin to answer, the key fact to acknowledge is that: Consumers do not hate adverts; they simply hate irrelevant ads. Hence they resort to ad blocking!

The key for the marketing and advertising industry is to challenge ourselves to serve better by offering more relevant ads to our audiences. We must be mindful of their frustrations with ad clutter and its negative impact on the brands we serve. We must treat consumers as individuals, rather than a demographic.

Stop utter irrelevance, it is so annoying: Do this by targeting meaningful content to the right viewer at the right time. Create more customised ad experiences that are good enough to combat ad blocking. Use an "Identifier" and create bespoke ad experiences. To effectively and successfully do so depends on having the data to drive such bespoke experiences. Programmatic advertising: Let the machines do the work for you, artificial intelligence is the way to go. Do the strategy, the target definitions, buy ad space on digital platforms that support your brand and retailer, and then leave the dissemination of those ads up to machine decisions, based on data. Let programmatic advertising do the execution through algorithms. The results will be that the guys who are in the market for the new BMW get the adverts, and not all your mates, Nations that hate BMW, hippies, every 12-year old, quadriplegics and dogs just trying to make a connection on Dogbook. Truly customised messaging, delivered like a pizza.. Block the ad blockers: By blocking good content from people who use ad blockers, you are sending a message that says, "No more freeloaders." Find companies or technologies that specialise in countering ad blocking. Such companies and technologies can punch through the ad blocker or circumvent it in order to provide the revenue to the publisher. Publishers began to retaliate last year by blocking ad blockers, and several popular sites now show messages to any visitor running ad-blocker software. Messages range from gentle suggestions to purchase a subscription to actively hiding page content while an ad blocker remains active. So when you have an ad blocker enabled, you simply cant access an anti-ad blocker website and its content. You've been blocked. Offer fewer adverts of higher quality that appear in trusted environments: Stop hitting people with bad-quality ads numerous times. Nobody wants to be tracked and advertised to constantly, period. Revive the good old 'word of mouth' by turning people into ads: We know that word of mouth works. We also know that earned media works. 90% of consumers say they trust their family, friends and peers recommendations, but only 33% trust ads. Pay the ad blockers To bypass them: Yes, if you are really desperate and grasping at straws you could try this at your peril. Consumers will hate you, your brand and your retailer for it. You will have exposure and visibility, but at what cost? I would not want my retailers and brands to be loathed. Ad blockers prevent publishers from making money. The idea of publishers giving up their money to ad blockers to make some of that money back is weird if not completely absurd. But it's already happening. Companies including Google, Amazon and Microsoft have paid AdBlock Plus to not block ads on their sites. Pay ad blockers such as Adblock Plus for the right to bypass them.

When it is not appropriate, relevant and specific to their particular shopping need at the time of that need.

Ad blocking is not the end of the marketing and advertising industry. Its simply an evolution point. Marketers and advertisers understand that advertising provides a valuable service in shaping and informing consumer behaviour, accelerating the economy, and enabling wide consumption of low-cost or free products, such as apps or music, where costs are deferred with advertisements.

Take the necessary steps to reduce the annoyance so that consumers won't turn to ad blockers. Stop exposing wrong ads to wrong target markets ad nauseam and ad infinitum.

*Unless otherwise stipulated, the stats and figures on the article, including the graphs, are based on PageFair.

*Note that Bizcommunity staff and management do not necessarily share the views of its contributors - the opinions and statements expressed herein are solely those of the author.*
Dance music band the Ministry Of Sound are to play at Cape Town's Shimmy Beach Club on Friday, 3 June, 2016.

World renowned DJ Philip George will be behind the decks for his first appearance in South Africa. George rose to fame with his smash hit single Wish You Were Here. Ministry Of Sound ticket holders can look forward to an all-star local support line-up, including South African sensation, Timo ODV.

Tickets can be purchased online at: ministryofsound.nutickets.co.za/CT

Early-bird special R199 for two tickets - limited availability.

To book a VIP table, email az.oc.bulchcaebymmihs@stekcit or call +27 (0)21 200 7778.

Go to www.shimmybeachclub.com for more information.
BERLIN: German carmaker Opel, a subsidiary of General Motors, found itself in the spotlight Friday, with the transport ministry demanding explanations for media reports alleging irregularities in the emissions values of some of its cars.

According to both the weekly magazine Der Spiegel and the investigative news programme Monitor on ARD public television, tests on a number of Opel's diesel models had uncovered 'hitherto unknown devices' that deactivate filtration systems in the engines of two of the best-selling models, Astra and Zafira. That meant that the models' emissions systematically exceeded norms.

In response to the revelations, a special committee set up in the wake of the massive engine-rigging scandal that has engulfed Volkswagen, 'has invited' Opel to offer an an explanation, a spokesman for the transport ministry said. Opel issued a statement denying it used the same emissions-cheating software that is at the centre of the VW scandal.

"Our software was never programmed to deceive or defraud," insisted the carmaker, which is just emerging out of long years of crisis. "Emission control systems are highly complex integrated systems," Opel said.

"The various parameters such as engine speed, load, temperature and altitude play an essential role and are interrelated. Such a complex system can not be broken down into individual parameters. Interactions must be understood holistically, in combination with the prevailing conditions and the various areas of the control system," it said.

The government committee, which has in recent months analysed all diesel models similar to those involved in the VW scandal, has concluded that no similar fraud has taken place. Nevertheless, in a certain number of vehicles, the emission control systems were systematically de-activated when the outside temperature dropped below a certain level. This is only allowed under European rules to prevent possible accidents or damage to the engine.

In April, German makers, Audi, Mercedes, Opel, Porsche and Volkswagen, decided to voluntarily recall around 630,000 cars in Europe to remedy this problem.

According to Der Spiegel and Monitor, the Astra's emission control systems were only programmed to function at outside temperatures above 17 degrees Celsius, effectively meaning they did not function for a large part of the year. VW was plunged into its deepest-ever crisis last September when it emerged that it had installed emissions-cheating software, known as defeat devices, into 11 million diesel engines worldwide.

Source: AFP
The SABC said yesterday the 90% local content policy was a wake-up call to South African musicians to make music that appeals to listeners.

This was in the wake of a challenging yet well executed show delivered by veteran MetroFM DJ Wilson B Nkosi on his Sounds and Stuff like That show yesterday.

Nkosi received mixed reactions from listeners who took to social media to rate the show previously known for playing popular international R&B tunes.

But SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago said local artists should take the comments by the public as a challenge to produce the music the masses were calling for.

"Change is something that takes time for people to get used to. This is the first Sunday we are playing this [local] music.

"I believe the music is good and we will all get used to it," Kganyago said. "We are also monitoring reaction [and] will review."

Last week, SABC chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng said all of their 18 radio stations would be required to play 90% local music, from Thursday last week.

Kganyago said this was a big challenge to local artists to come up with quality music.

Source: Herald
Who better than the continent's top Instagrammer to let us in on the importance of visual identity and helping brands make better use of Instagram? I got him to put down the lens for a few minutes and share a handful of exclusive tips.

Gareth Pon is a well-known name in the local visual branding space, having followed the film maker and photographer path from an early age. He recently spoke at the MojoCon mobile journalism conference in Dublin, but its his work with mobile photography in particular that has proven hugely successful, having been featured by the likes of CNN, MTV, Huffington Post, Mail & Guardian and Instagram's official blog.

And its the fact that he was named Africa's top Instagrammer of 2014 and 2015 by the African Blogger Awards that really caught my visual marketing eye. Here, Pon lets us in on how brands can maximise their use of Instagram in building communities and expanding product and brand awareness across digital platforms in a creative way.

Gareth Pon. Image  Roy Potterill

1. Tell us about your belief that everyone should have at least one ridiculous dream they believe can come true

Pon: I believe that everyone should have at least one ridiculous dream. Once you as an individual see that dream becoming a possibility, it pushes your belief into a place where any other dream you have just seems attainable. Because every other dream fails to compare to your ridiculous dream.

Personally, Ive always had a fascination with space, science fiction and the stars. Unfortunately when I left school, South Africa did not have an active space programme, which is sad, because I would have loved to have studied to become an astronaut. So, believing all things are possible I made that my dream, to one day go to space and see the curvature of the Earth. Now with huge leaps being taken in private space travel, I believe my trip to space could be just around the corner!

Apparently mist over LeMorne is pretty rare. #gimme #luxmoment #luxlemorne #luxin4days #igersmauritius A photo posted by Gareth Pon : South African (@garethpon) on Apr 20, 2016 at 9:24pm PDT

2. What did your role as Samsung South Africas official digital imaging ambassador in 2015 entail?

Pon: I was selected to showcase Samsungs NX range of cameras and mobile devices to my fans on Instagram. This was a mutually beneficial relationship where both parties assisted each other. Samsung provided camera gear, support and exposure and I provided my audience, creative talent and knowledge of the digital marketing space. We saw it as an easy fit and had a great year of collaborating. On occasion I would also lead exclusive photo walks, give workshops and do guest appearances at events. All in all it was a fun experience.

3. Talk us through your experience as Africa's top Instagrammer of 2014 and 2015 at the African Blog Awards.

Pon: The African Blogger Awards partnered with Webfluential, which is an amazing platform for influencers as it offers the tools and opportunities to work with brands and a huge database of creatives. Entry is simple, you just register with Webfluential as an influencer, the analysis is then done over all their influencers and the winners are determined by technical analysis done by Webfluential, announced on Twitter. It has been an honour to carry the title for two consecutive years in a row. The award has given me various opportunities with press and new business opportunities.

 skies #spotthegprocket #gpmeetsirl A photo posted by Gareth Pon : South African (@garethpon) on Apr 29, 2016 at 12:23pm PDT

4. What does it take to be popular as an Instagrammer?

Pon: It really boils down to genuine engagement. I built up my audience and popularity from being as approachable as possible. I really enjoy meeting people and bringing people together. In early 2013 I founded a National South African Instagram community, which was a privilege and great opportunity to pioneer Instagram in South Africa. This really translated into becoming popular and getting my personal brand out there. I also travelled as often as possible. I met the most amazing people overseas and networked wherever I could. Ive met some of my closest friends and biggest inspirations through the platform.

I spent the weekend at @alternativeprintworkshop in Johannesburg with Film Photography master Dennis Da Silva shooting some BW film on my uncles LeicaFlex just before developing and printing the photos all by hand. Such an amazing experience, being born into the digital age it reminded me how tangible photography used to be before the days of pixels and sensors. If you want to see more of what @alternativeprintworkshop do, check out their website. #spotthegprocket #alternativeprintworkshop #filmisnotdead A photo posted by Gareth Pon : South African (@garethpon) on Mar 7, 2016 at 11:43am PST

5. How can brands make better use of Instagram as a way to capture consumers attention?

Pon: Im all about visual identity and brand. Instagram is a great way to showcase your culture and story in a very visual way. If you as a brand create a compelling visual story and communicate it well on Instagram, then youll get audiences who appreciate that. Instagram should also be treated as a separate visual entity. It cannot just be thrown into the same category of Facebook and Twitter, because the audience on Instagram is much more visually inclined. Instagram needs to have a real element to it. The best brands on Instagram feel alive and not robotic.

Dublin streets with @palomaparrot & @danrubin Excited to be here as one of the guest speakers on the photography panel for @mojoconirl #Spotthegprocket #gpmeetsirl A photo posted by Gareth Pon : South African (@garethpon) on Apr 28, 2016 at 11:38pm PDT

6. Tell us about the state of social media across the continent.

Pon: From what Ive witnessed, we are very active in Africa and some of the greatest conversations are taking place online. However, in the marketing sense, we have a long way to go to recognise social media as a viable platform for intense advertising  brands are beginning to recognise the value, but the perception of social media still sits within the space of press rather than marketing. This perspective has already shifted around the world and is being utilised in very effective ways, but locally we have a long way to go to alter the perspective of both brands and consumers in recognising social media as a platform for advertising. A large part of my job is educating brands and agencies about the value of social media and how it has very different elements to traditional advertising.

That it does. For more on Gareth, be sure to follow his Instagram profile.
International Enterprise (IE), Singapore's Africa Singapore Business Forum (ASBF) is the premier platform for fostering investment, trade and thought leadership between Asia and Africa. It is slated to return 24-25 August for the fourth time.

This years keynote speaker is Tharman Shanmugaratnam, deputy prime Minister of Singapore and coordinating minister for economic and social policies.

Hosted in Singapore since 2010, the forum has brought together close to 2000 business and government leaders from 30 countries to develop opportunities and partnerships between these two dynamic regions.

ASBF 2016 will address critical issues and identify opportunities for the strategic growth of both regions through presentations and panel discussion, as well as provide numerous networking opportunities.
As the world bamboo market - led by China and an increasing demand for sustainable products in Europe and the United States - shows growth, African countries hope to generate income and create jobs for the rural poor. It wasn't until recently that widespread commercialisation of bamboo began on the continent. Agronomists believe it can restore degraded landscapes while economists think it is a potential "green gold".

Image by 123RF

Kenya: green opportunity

Bamboo, nicknamed the wonder plant, is the strongest and fastest-growing woody plant on earth, and supplies a global trade worth an estimated US$2 billion per year. The lions share is earned by Asian countries, whose bamboo-based industries span a vast range from paper making and scaffolding to luxury flooring and foods. But Africa is also witnessing a boom in bamboo.

In African countries that produce bamboo, research and development is usually the work of the forestry or agricultural sectors. However, scaling up requires expertise in specialised areas  such as micro-enterprise development, small-scale or industrial bamboo growing, and production of bamboo products  that might be better found in the private sector.

In Kenya, the bamboo industry involves a multi-stakeholder approach, with consultations among relevant government ministries, NGOs, research institutes and universities and others, facilitated by the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI).

One of the largest stakeholders to take up bamboo development so far is Green Pot Enterprises, launched in 2014 to promote bamboo farming in Kenya and to help the country maximise the commercialization of bamboo.

So far the organisation has farmers covering over 1,000 acres of land in Narok County, with another 2,000 acres to be planted this year. It is targeting 4,000 acres by the end of 2016.

Green Pot has two principal development plans. With a gated community of forests, the organisation buys a large parcel of land then subdivides it into 10-acre and 2-acre plots for lease by Kenyans at affordable rates, according to its website.

Each buyer gets a title deed (the bamboo farm is managed as one whole unit despite the multiple owners) and a 30-year sublease. The company plants and fully maintains the forests and markets the produce once it is ready.

A parallel community outreach programme ensures that for every acre of bamboo planted in the gated communities programme, a corresponding acre is planted by members of the local community. This programme finances the supply of seedlings, Green Pot explains.

Globally, there is a big push for bamboo because of its immense financial and environmental benefits. It brings wealth to the people, cleans rivers, stops soil erosion, and so on, Green Pots chief executive officer, Caroline Kariuki, told Africa Renewal. She says the gated communities programme is mainly in Narok County, but the outreach campaign is active in more than 10 counties across the country.

Globally, there is a big push for bamboo because of its immense financial and environmental benefits

For Kenya, Green Pot selected three main varieties of bamboomoso, giant bamboo and Dendrocalamus membranaceusbecause they are highly suitable for the chosen areas and have more economic viability than other varieties.

When we began the project, we did a strategic plan to ensure we have a ready market for our growers. We are building factories with three main areas of focus: construction materials such as flooring, block boards and veneer; bamboo textile products; and bamboo energy products ranging from generation of electricity to briquettes for mass domestic use, said Kariuki. Considering that more than 70% of Kenyans use wood and wood-based products as their main source of fuel, this is a massive market.

The group has partnerships with county governments, NGOs, government agencies and even local universities and is now seeking partnerships with climate changefocused funds for the rehabilitation of the Mara River and Njoro River.

We are keen to establish partnerships with strong technology expertise and key buyers of our products to ensure that we are on track to deliver the promise to our customers upon maturity of our bamboo in four years time, said Ms. Kariuki, who is also the finance/administrative director of the Open Society Initiative for East Africa.

Tanzania: income for rural women

Bamboo has been increasing in importance as a non-timber forest product in Tanzania over the last two decades, according to INBAR (International Network for Bamboo and Rattan). Locally bamboo is sought for handicrafts, residential fencing, flower farming, farm props for banana plantations, furniture and other minor cottage industry products like basketry and toothpicks.

Almost all the bamboo products made in the country are used domestically. Bamboo farms should be established to ensure a sustainable supply for the handicraft, construction and horticultural industries, among others.

INBAR, in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, helped establish 100 bamboo nurseries and set up micro-enterprises, and trained 1,000 locals in a specially created Bamboo Training Center.

Today some 5,000 women in these rural communities produce crafts and desks for local schools and sell charcoal briquettes.

Ethiopia: strategic crop

With about 1 million hectares of indigenous bamboo, Ethiopia is the biggest bamboo grower in Africa. It is home to 67% of all African bamboo.

The country has two speciesYushania alpina, planted and managed by farmers in the highlands, and Oxytenanthera abyssinica, which grows naturally in the lowlands.

Despite the size of its natural bamboo forest, Ethiopia has only recently started to tap its potential and is now eager to embrace bamboo technologies and knowledge transfer, mostly from INBAR and a range of Chinese experts.

Bamboo should be considered the most important, fast-growing, strategic intervention for afforestation and deforestation in the mountainous and degraded areas of the country, said Ethiopias state minister for agriculture, Ato Sileshi Getahun, at a recent event.

In Ethiopia bamboo is being used for protecting watersheds, for intercropping, to create shade for other crops, as a windbreak and as a natural mulch to provide drought protection. People also use it for fuel, fencing and furniture, and sometimes bamboo shoots are used for food and animal fodder.

However, bamboo value-addition in the country is still relatively small, hence limited export earnings.

The country has three factories and the sector employs more than 1,000 people.

Ghana: big business

Ghana currently has about 400,000 hectares of bamboo, a mostly natural stand in the western region. Some exotic species have been introduced into Ghana, including the thick-walled Beema bamboo from India, and the near-solid Oxytenanthera abyssinica from Ethiopia. These two are particularly useful for biomass energy and are well adapted to drier areas.

According to Michael Kwaku, director of INBAR Ghana, 18 species of exotic bamboo were first introduced into the country from Hawaii in 2004 by the Ghanaian branch of the Bamboo and Rattan Development Programme (BARADEP), as part of a project with the Opportunities Industrialization Centre. The project was also extended to neighbouring Togo.

BARADEP-Ghana distributed the species to some institutions and nongovernmental organisations, which propagated them and monitored their growth conditions and adaptability in Ghana. It aims to provide adequate planting materials for private and commercial bamboo plantation developers in Ghana.

Until recently, bamboo was a non-commercial open-access resource in Ghana. Over the past few years, the usefulness of bamboo and its commercial value is being appreciated. Commercial exploitation has begun for such products like bamboo bicycles, bamboo charcoal, furniture, bamboo boards and building support poles, Kwaku told Africa Renewal. Bamboo is also being used to restore degraded mining areas.

Zambia: innovation at its best

In Zambia, a local company, Zambikes, is producing bamboo bikes, bike trailers for transporting agricultural goods, and innovative bike-drawn Zambulances to be used at clinics around the capital, Lusaka.

Challenges to commercialisation

Challenges to the development of commercial bamboo planting include the slow pace of state uptake and support as the sector is still young and financial institutions are reluctant to grant credit facilities, including loans. The micro-enterprises are still considered poorly organized, according to Kwaku, which makes receiving support from stakeholders difficult. The skills and technology gap is a challenge.

INBAR is helping in western Africa with an awareness campaign about the economic potential of bamboo and about forming partnerships with governments. Currently eight member countries in West and Central Africa have conducted training workshops and educational tours to China to acquire first-hand experience of the bamboo economy.

Bamboo is a big plus for building green economies. It is the promise of earnings at the household level that will attract the most interest across the population, said Nii Osha Mills, Ghanas minister for lands and natural resources, at a recent INBAR event.

Bamboos untapped potential to restore degraded lands and forests, store carbon and supply energy to millions of rural communities is immense.

In addition to its prospects for manufacture, bamboo can make a major contribution to reducing carbon emissions, the article said. In China alone, the plant is projected to store more than one million tons of carbon by 2050.

Despite bamboos potential, Dr Hans Friederich, INBAR director general, says many decision makers, planners and national sustainable development action plans have not yet taken into account this resource and the benefits it can bring to society.

Properly applied, bamboo will help many low- and middle-income countries achieve their sustainable development goals, says Friederich.

Source: Africa Renewal.
Lesedi FM launched its new logo at a gala dinner in Bloemfontein recently, attended by the Free State Premier, Ace Magashule and leaders from business, government, SABC and the media.

The new logo underscores the station's reinvention as cheerful and daring to be different. The new look is deeply rooted, fresh, relevant and contemporary. When unveiling the logo, the SABC COO, Hlaudi Motsoeneng used the opportunity to encourage the station to continue to unearth local music talent. SABC recently made a decision to play 90% local music in all its 18 radio stations. Premier Magashule congratulated the public broadcaster for introducing changes that impact positively on people's lives.
An Indian student was beaten up in Prague "for being a muslim"

17. 5. 2016

cas cteni 1 minuta





A 23-year-old Indian student was attacked in Prague early on Sunday morning for not being white. A drunk thirty-year old man hit him in the face several times, shouted that he was a muslim, did not drink alcohol and did not eat pork. "I could have returned the blows, but I did not," said the student.

Having been attacked, the student dialled a police help line, but they took more than ten minutes to come. The student tried to explain to the attacker that he was not a muslim, but the attacker continued being vulgar to him and then also to the police. The Indian student told the police he did not want to press charges: "I wanted him personally to realise that what he did was wrong," said the student. "If I agreed that he should be charged, he would hate people even more."

The Indian student said that assault had shaken him psychologically. "I felt really frightened, I realised I do not belong to this country. I never used to feel this before. I used to like Czechs, they are good people, but this incident has broken me. I will, however, continue to adhere to my values which are compassion and respect," he added.

Source in Czech HERE

There are stories like this in the Czech Republic every day that never make it to the outside world because of a lack of translation. You can support us and help reveal what's happening in Central Europe today. Please make a contribution today on www.paypal.com and send your donation to redakce@blisty.cz. We fully rely on crowdfunding in our work. Thank you.

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Police Chief Myo Swe Win gives speech at

100-day meeting of Mon State Police

Force (Photo: Mon Htaw) Police Chief Myo Swe Win gives speech at100-day meeting of Mon State PoliceForce (Photo: Mon Htaw)

The Police Chief Myo Swe Win stated the above at a meeting held last Thursday [May 12] in the midst of Mon State Police Forces 100-day program at the Yarmanya Zarni Hall of the State Police Office, Moulmein, the capital of Mon State.

About 90 representatives from the townships police force as well as high-ranking police officials were present at the meeting.

We reflected intently on the weak and strong points of Myanmars police force. Specifically, regarding the improvement of a people centered approach to be in accordance with the era of democracy. We hope that we can find ways to implement a police force for the people after making our analysis, said Police Chief Myo Swe Win at the meeting.

Police Chief Myo Swe Win continued that to identify and solve the problems that the public is facing, the public and police force must cooperate. It is necessary for the police and the people to meet with each other and connect as much as possible.

During these 100 days, to reduce criminal cases, we are conducting many patrols. We are also carrying out cases that the public report in a timely fashion. Regarding drug cases, we have arrested drug dealers and users not only after receiving reports from the public, we ourselves also seek out these cases, said Police Chief Bo Bo Oo, of Mon State Police Force.

Police Chief Bo Bo Oo added that the police are ready to help people when they are facing hardships due to extreme weather. If the police in their assigned township do not carry out their tasks, they will be held accountable and ask to explain themselves. If they take a bribe, they will face charges in accordance with the countrys police law.

During the 100-day program, police have arrested 6 operations involving drugs, 2 incidences of gambling, 8 cases of non-licensed vehicles and apprehended 10 brothels. Concurrently, they also helped provide water to the villagers in need.




In an Exclusive Interview to the Hitavada newspaper, Shri Sudhir Kumar Mishra, CEO & MD of BrahMos Aerospace, speaks about the Corporate Social Responsibility programmes initiated by the Company.



Excerpts of the Interview.



Q. Tell us about BrahMos.



A. BrahMos Aerospace is the producer of the world's best and fastest cruise missile system BRAHMOS. It is a joint venture company between Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and NPO Mashinostroyenia of Russia established in 1998.



DRDO had developed crucial systems like inertial navigation systems, mission software and mobile launchers for Prithvi and Agni missiles. NPOM had expertise in the area of ramjet engines together with a number of technologies for space systems, launch vehicles and cruise missiles. Thus, the combination of the capabilities and competencies of both institutions gave birth to a world class product - BRAHMOS, in a short time. Together, we have been making and supplying the BRAHMOS weapons to India's Army, Navy and Air Force.



Today, we are one of the leading aerospace companies in India and the world.



Q. What CSR means to BrahMos?



A. BrahMos Aerospace takes cognizance of the fact that as a business entity, it is part of the society and that its activities impact on the environment. The company thus appreciates that it has a key role and responsibility to contribute to the society and to ensure a cleaner safer and healthier environment.



Q. How BrahMos Aerospace is changing life through its CSR activities?



A. BrahMos Aerospace being a responsible corporate is concerned about the wellbeing of the host communities residing around the Country. BrahMos perceives welfare and developmental measures for the host communities more as a responsibility rather than an obligation. Therefore it maintains constant interaction with the local communities to assess their socioeconomic needs and formulates strategies and schemes for their upliftment.



READ FULL INTERVIEW ...






BEIJING (PTI): China on Monday accused the US of "severely damaging" mutual trust as it hit back at the Pentagon for issuing a "hyped up" report on Chinese military capabilities that "deliberately distorts" its defence policies.



China also expressed "strong dissatisfaction" and "firm opposition" to the annual report, which it said, has misrepresented the country' military development.



In its report submitted to the Congress on Friday, the Defence Department noted that China is using "coercive tactics" and fostering regional tensions as it expands its maritime presence in the disputed South China Sea (SCS) and elsewhere. It said China is focussing on the militarisation of artificial islands built by it in the SCS in a bid to assert its control.



China hit back, with the Defence Spokesman Col Yang Yujun accusing the Pentagon's annual report as misrepresentation of its military development that "hypes up China's military threat".



The report on China's military and security developments has "severely damaged" mutual trust between the two sides, Yang said, urging the US side to take tangible actions to promote the healthy and stable development of relations between the two countries and their armed forces.



The US which accused the Chinese military of lacking in transparency, "deliberately distorted" China's defence policies, and "unfairly depicted" its activities in the East China Sea and SCS, Yang said.



"China follows a national defence policy that is defensive in nature. Moves such as deepening military reforms and the military buildup are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and guaranteeing China's peaceful development," Yang said in a statement.



He added that the US side has always been suspicious.



In his statement, he said it is the US which has been flexing military muscles by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region.



Despite its call for the freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the US pushed forward the militarisation in the SCS with an intention to exert hegemony, Yang said.



China has unswervingly made contributions to global peace and stability by increasingly engaging in overseas missions such as peace-keeping and disaster relief, he added.



Yang stressed China's construction on the Nansha (Spratly) Islands in the SCS serves mostly civilian purposes, and helps fulfil its international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods.



The SCS has become a major flash point for military tensions between China and the US in recent years as Beijing which claims sovereignty over almost all of the disputed waters sought to assert its claim by building artificial islands with military facilities. The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan contest China's claims.BEIJING May 15 (PTI): China on Monday accused the US of "severely damaging" mutual trust as it hit back at the Pentagon for issuing a "hyped up" report on Chinese military capabilities that "deliberately distorts" its defence policies.



China also expressed "strong dissatisfaction" and "firm opposition" to the annual report, which it said, has misrepresented the country' military development.



In its report submitted to the Congress on Friday, the Defence Department noted that China is using "coercive tactics" and fostering regional tensions as it expands its maritime presence in the disputed South China Sea (SCS) and elsewhere. It said China is focussing on the militarisation of artificial islands built by it in the SCS in a bid to assert its control.



China hit back, with the Defence Spokesman Col Yang Yujun accusing the Pentagon's annual report as misrepresentation of its military development that "hypes up China's military threat".



The report on China's military and security developments has "severely damaged" mutual trust between the two sides, Yang said, urging the US side to take tangible actions to promote the healthy and stable development of relations between the two countries and their armed forces.



The US which accused the Chinese military of lacking in transparency, "deliberately distorted" China's defence policies, and "unfairly depicted" its activities in the East China Sea and SCS, Yang said.



"China follows a national defence policy that is defensive in nature. Moves such as deepening military reforms and the military buildup are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and guaranteeing China's peaceful development," Yang said in a statement.



He added that the US side has always been suspicious.



In his statement, he said it is the US which has been flexing military muscles by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region.



Despite its call for the freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the US pushed forward the militarisation in the SCS with an intention to exert hegemony, Yang said.



China has unswervingly made contributions to global peace and stability by increasingly engaging in overseas missions such as peace-keeping and disaster relief, he added.



Yang stressed China's construction on the Nansha (Spratly) Islands in the SCS serves mostly civilian purposes, and helps fulfil its international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods.



The SCS has become a major flash point for military tensions between China and the US in recent years as Beijing which claims sovereignty over almost all of the disputed waters sought to assert its claim by building artificial islands with military facilities. The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan contest China's claims.




India's indigenous light combat aircraft, Tejas. Photo: IAF.

NEW DELHI (PTI): IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha will take his maiden flight today in India's indigenous light combat aircraft, Tejas, and review the development so far.



Raha will also inaugurate the LCA paint hangar in Bengaluru and visit the production line of the aircraft. The IAF has given an order of 120 Tejas, with 100 of them being an upgraded version.



He will fly a sortie in a Tejas trainer aircraft which is a two seater, defence sources said.



He will also visit the hangar where the Mirage 2000 is being upgraded.



Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), manufacturer of Tejas, is likely to hand over the fourth aircraft to IAF by June end.



The four aircraft will make up for the first squadron of IAF which will be used for training and familarisation.



Rather than waiting for LAC Mk II, IAF had decided to go in with an upgraded version of the existing Tejas with over 40 modifications.



IAF currently plans to acquire 120 Tejas aircraft, with 100 of these having major modifications. The force wants Active Electrically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Unified Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite, mid-air refueling capacity and beyond the vision range missiles.



As per the production plan, six aircraft will be made this year (2015-16) and HAL will subsequently scale it up to eight and 16 aircraft per year.



Upgraded version of Tejas will cost between Rs 275 crore and Rs 300 crore.



Tejas, which was several years in the making, has now caught the attention of foreign buyers, with Sri Lanka and Egypt evincing interest in the fighter jet.



Sri Lanka had recently rejected Pakistan's JF-17 aircraft built with Chinese help, while Egypt had last year signed a contract for 24 French-made Rafale fighter jets.



The two countries are interested in the current version of Tejas and not the upgraded one which will be rolled out later.






BEIJING (PTI): Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif met top Chinese leaders and military officials here and discussed ways to enhance bilateral economic and security ties.



Gen Sharif, who is in China on a two-day official visit, yesterday met Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President of the Central Military Commission Fan Changlong, the highest military official of the People's Liberation Army which is headed by President Xi Jinping.



Li met Sharif yesterday to enhance bilateral economic and security ties, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.



Military-to-military relations have reinforced China-Pakistan ties, especially economic cooperation, Li said, calling on both sides to strengthen high-level contact and deepen exchanges in various fields.



The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC), estimated to cost about USD 46 billion, is not only a flagship project between the two sides, but also conducive to development and prosperity of the whole region, Li said.



On his part, Sharif appreciated Pakistan's profound friendship with China and stressed that the Pakistani side expects achievements from the CEPC and is ready to provide security for cooperation.



Pakistan military spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa said Gen Sharif discussed with Chinese officials the measures to improve military cooperation, exponentially enhance training exchanges, defence technology and intelligence sharing and security of the CEPC.



Sharif's visit to Beijing comes in the backdrop of assertions by Pakistan that it will raise its concerns at the international level over India's successful test of supersonic interceptor missile.



His trip followed last month's visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who held extensive talks with top Chinese leaders and military officials.



Expressing concern over India's interceptor missile test, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said it will disturb the balance of power in the region.



He added that Pakistan will continue to upgrade its defensive capabilities by acquiring advanced technology.



India is enjoying the cooperation of the US, as Washington thinks a strong New Delhi is vital to contain China, he was quoted as saying by the Dawn.



Pakistan would raise its voice at the international level against these developments, Aziz said.



Pakistan is also peeved over the US refusal to finance eight F-16s fighter jets.



Also, the India-China ties too faced problems over Beijing blocking New Delhi s move in the UN to ban Pakistan- based Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar, who is accused of masterminding the Pathankot terrorist attack.






JAIPUR (PTI): A six-member delegation of Royal Bhutan Army has visited Indian Army's South Western Command and discussed issues of mutual interest and cooperation.



The delegation headed by Goonglan Gongma, Chief Operations Officer, held discussions with South Western Army Commander Lt Gen Sarath Chand on 12th May, a release said.



Besides attending a cultural programme, they also visited City palace, Jantar Mantar and Amber fort before returning to Bhutan.



The visit is expected to enhance and strengthen the already existing close friendship and cooperation between the Royal Bhutan Army and the Indian Armed forces.




John P. Murtha (LPD 26) was delivered to the US Navy during a ceremony at Ingalls Shipbuilding. An HII image

PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI (BNS): The US Navy has taken delivery of the 10th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, John P. Murtha (LPD 26), from Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) last week.



The delivery of John P. Murtha serves as the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy and is a major milestone in the ship's transition to operational status, the Navy said in a statement.



The ship, built at HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division, was delivered on May 13.



The commissioning of the vessel is planned for later this year.



The previous ship of the class USS Somerset (LPD 25) joined service in March 2014.



HII is also building the 11th LPD, Portland (LPD 27). The shipbuilder has also received more than $300 million in advance procurement funding for the 12th ship in the class, Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28).



The San Antonio-class LPDs have been designed to provide the US Navy and Marine Corps with modern, sea-based platforms that are networked, survivable and built to operate with 21st century platforms.



The 684 feet-long and 105 feet-wide warship's prime mission is to deploy combat and support elements of Marine Expeditionary Units and Brigades.



It is capable of carrying up to 800 troops and transporting and debarking air cushion (LCAC) or conventional landing crafts, augmented by helicopters or vertical take-off and landing aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.


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The best master of education thesis in Canada has been developed by a student at Brandon University, who drew on life experience from his home in Nigeria and his study of the school system in Manitoba.

Ayodeji Osinames thesis received the Margaret Haughey Award this spring. Titled The Effect of the School Principal in Creating an Inclusive School Culture during Times of Change and Challenge, the thesis examines how principals of schools in southwestern Manitoba create inclusive learning and work environments.

The award is given by the Canadian Association for the Study of Educational Administration. Its competitive selection process weighs the research and writing abilities of applicants who are studying educational administration and leadership.

Submitted Award-winning education student Ayodeji Osiname stands in front of Clark Hall on the Brandon University campus. He said he chose BU especially for its size and professor-to-student ratio.

During his examination of Manitoba principals, Osiname saw several patterns emerging.

Most engaged in building positive relationships, and served as role models in their schools. To encourage openness, they urged people to express their opinions  even if dissenting  and created an environment where individuals felt safe to express their opinion, he said.

Osiname says his work was inspired by his childhood in Nigeria, where he had to learn strong work ethic and morals.

Growing up in Nigeria, I had to face threats to safety and survival. Despite that situation, and although my family could not afford much, my parents made sure that they instilled strong moral values and a belief that we had the skills to succeed as long as we kept working hard, he said.

During my masters program, I have had opportunities to interact with several very different groups that I feel are marginalized by Canadian society: youth in foster care (often aboriginal), senior citizens, African immigrants, and individuals that would self-identify as LGBTQ.

With individuals from each of these groups, I have tried to listen closely so as to understand what they value and to embrace what I could learn from their experiences.

Although they are often very different, Osiname said he learned that they all need caring relationships.

The foster kids seek someone who will pay attention to them, the seniors long for people who will comfort them, the African immigrants hope for someone to support them, and those who identity as LGBTQ desire acceptance. It is important to create an environment where people feel safe, respected, valued, included, accepted and loved.

This is what makes his success special, said his thesis adviser, Helen Armstrong, Professor Emerita at BU.

It is absolutely fantastic for him to win this award, especially as an international student in competition with native-born Canadians from much larger institutions.

Osiname will begin work towards his PhD in the fall at the University of Manitoba. His thesis will be available online through the BU library.

 The Brandon Sun
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There were no big surprises in the new Progressive Conservative governments first speech from the throne, as much of what was outlined were reiterated campaign promises.

Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon delivered the speech Monday afternoon, outlining priorities in broad strokes, including a reduction in government spending, a task force to reduce health-care wait times and plans to join the New West Partnership.

Mayor Rick Chrest was in attendance and said the speech was what he expected it would be  setting the tone, as opposed to talking about specific projects.

Boris Minkevich/Winnipeg Free Press Premier Brian Pallister talks to the media on Monday, prior to the reading of the throne speech.

Its a brand-new government and a brand-new cabinet, and needless to say I would have fully expected that theyre going to need to get their feet under them  and then begin to implement their agenda, he said.

While in Winnipeg, Chrest met with Cliff Cullen, Spruce Woods MLA and minister of growth, enterprise and trade.

Reg (Helwer) and Len (Isleifson) set it up so we could touch base with (Cullen) early on  to talk about some specific Brandon files and just get the relationship started, because obviously well be working closely with him as well, Chrest said.

Chrest said the City of Brandon is being proactive in meeting with our local MLAs, as well as cabinet ministers to ensure Brandons best interests are top of mind.

Im very optimistic, he said. Everyone that Ive spoken to so far including the premier himself  Brandon is completely on their radar and they recognize our city as an important hub of western Manitoba, and Im certain that Brandon will be getting the attention that I believe it deserves.

A major priority for the Wheat City is the $60-million water treatment upgrade, in addition to the Daly Overpass expansion.

Brandon Chamber of Commerce president Jordan Ludwig called the throne speech a rehash of the platforms the PC party ran during the campaign, but added, it generally looks favourable for business.

Chambers generally would be in support of the value-for-money review, he said, referring to the review across the bureaucracy with a goal of reducing spending by $50 million.

Ludwig said he is pleased to see the province pursue the New West Partnership, as well as a commitment to tourism.

The chambers been fighting for tourism investment in Manitoba for 10 years now, and to see them make a commitment to it early and right out of the gates, is a big win for chambers across the province.

The province will launch Yes! North to attract more tourists to the provinces north. Ludwig hopes western Manitoba isnt forgotten in the tourism strategy.

People from Brandon and Westman are saying were here, too, he said.

The throne speech also promised to reduce ambulance fees and establish a task force to reduce the time that Manitobans spend waiting for specialized or emergent care.

There was no mention of rolling back the provincial sales tax hike which precipitated the decline of the previous NDP government but the speech repeated the Tory promise to reinstate a referendum on major tax increases.

With a fiscal update coming on Wednesday and a budget May 31, Premier Brian Pallister said the focus of the new government is to reel in spending and eventually eliminate the deficit.

You dont turn a canoe fast. There is a cargo there that we have to remember is precious and thats our front-line services, he said. These are course corrections. Correcting the course has to happen.

Brandon East PC MLA Len Isleifson said it was an honour to attend the first throne speech as a new MLA.

It was amazing. To be actually sitting in the house and listening to it and being part of it is incredible, he said. Ive been there before sitting up top, but to actually be a part of it is really unique and interesting and I had lots of fun.

More specific details are expected to be laid out in the budget, and Isleifson is looking forward to hearing what is on the schedule for Brandon.

One of the first things I did was write a letter to the minister of education, in regards to the south end school, just to make sure that all these things that we talked about are kept in the forefront, he said.

Wayne Glowacki/Winnipeg Free Press Premier Brian Pallister walks beside Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon as they enter the legislature for the reading of the throne speech on Monday.

Brandon West PC MLA Reg Helwer said he was struck by how the throne speech set out a plan for all of Manitoba.

It doesnt pick winners and losers, he said. They are obviously important parts in the economy and economic development and in education, but it is a plan for all of Manitoba.

Helwer promises to push for more jobs and better economic development in the Westman area.

Those are all things that weve said are very important to us and were going to work on, he said.

Both Isleifson and Helwer say Brandon will be well-represented under the new government.

Weve found it very easy to work with all the cabinet ministers so far, Helwer said. Weve had the minister of justice and the premier in Brandon just within the first couple weeks of our new government, so Im quite encouraged  I think that access is going to be quite good for both Len and I.

Brandon School Division chair Mark Sefton was pleased to hear the provinces plans to invest in education, specifically how they called it an investment in our provinces collective future.

Thats something that we as a board have been saying for years, Sefton said. Its not throwing money down a sewer, its investing in our collective future, so it was interesting to see the province use the same kind of language.

Sefton was also encouraged by the plan to develop a long-term literacy plan for Manitoba children. BSD has been pursuing that type of program for a number of years, and Sefton hopes they can work with the province going forward.

Sefton was disappointed a new south end school was not mentioned in the speech, and is guardedly optimistic that it will be included in the budget.

I dont mean this to sound like an ultimatum at all, but if a new school isnt in there, weve got some problems, he said.

As it stands now, if a new school is built at a capacity of 400 and it opens by the fall of 2020, then Brandon will only be one seat short in the division, Sefton explained. If the school doesnt open, they will be 401 seats short.

We really need to have this be put in place, he said. Im quite sure  that the current government understands the need.

The throne speech suggested the Tories will begin consultations with the federal government and provinces to develop a climate change plan which will include some form of carbon pricing and reduction of emissions. The Tories are also taking aim at unions early on, requiring a secret ballot for workplace unionization and allowing non-unionized companies to bid on government tenders.

Also on Monday, the longest-serving member of the Manitoba legislature was elected as its Speaker. Progressive Conservative Myrna Driedger was chosen by her fellow legislature members in a secret ballot.

Driedger, with support from the large Tory majority in the chamber, beat out New Democrat Mohinder Saran.

 jaustin@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press

 Twitter: @jillianaustin

Throne speech highlights

Wayne Glowacki/Winnipeg Free Press Pallister and Speaker Myrna Driedger listen to the reading of the throne speech in the Manitoba legislature on Monday.

 Implementing a comprehensive, value-for-money review across government;

 Establishing Fair Say for municipalities on strategic infrastructure investments and committing to long-term, strategic infrastructure investments, including improved flood protection;

 Creating a business advisory Premiers Enterprise Team;

 Developing a framework for meaningful consultation with indigenous communities;

 Pursuing membership in the New West Partnership agreement and pledging support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership;

 Championing tourism investment through Travel Manitobas Plan 96/4 and developing partnerships in tourism opportunities in Manitobas north;

 Reducing ambulance fees, establishing a wait times reduction task force, and taking initial steps toward additional personal care home beds;

 Introducing the Protecting Children Act to facilitate collaboration and sharing of critical information;

 Pursuing a comprehensive mental health strategy, including mental health and addictions programs and services;

 Investing in early years literacy programming, and beginning consultations on post-secondary scholarships and bursaries with a focus on increased collaboration with those who create Manitoba jobs;

 Developing a made-in-Manitoba climate action plan that is both consultative and innovative;

 Pursuing a system by which Manitobas progress may be measured on restoring public finances to balance, reducing wait times, strengthening infrastructure, improving educational outcomes and restoring trust in government;

 Abolishing the vote tax subsidy for political parties and restoring Manitobans right to vote on major tax increases;

 Establishing a team of business, labour and community leaders to find and reduce unnecessary and cumbersome red tape; and

 The right to a secret ballot vote and allowing Manitobans, whether union members or not, to participate in bidding for work on publicly tendered projects.

 Winnipeg Free Press
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TORONTO  The Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada has issued fines and penalties totalling more than $8 million against two principals of now-defunct W.H. Stuart Mutuals Ltd. in relation to the misappropriation of millions of dollars of money from investors.

The penalties include a $7-million fine against Dianne Stuart as well as a fine of $1 million against her ex-husband, Walter Howard Stuart, both payable within 24 months, along with $50,000 in costs.

Both are also permanently prohibited from conducting securities related business in any capacity as an approved person of or in association with any MFDA member, and both are jointly and severally liable up to the amount of $1 million.

The MFDA said if either or both of the respondents makes restitution, the fines would be reduced accordingly.

Neither Howard Stuart, who was president and CEO of the Toronto-based company, or Dianne Stuart, its secretary-treasurer and compliance officer, attended the hearings to defend against the allegations, the MFDA said in a statement Monday.

Among the allegations were that between March 26, 2003 and May 2013, Dianne Stuart and the now bankrupt W.H. Stuart Mutuals Ltd. solicited and accepted about $6 million from more than 180 clients purportedly to be invested on their behalf  monies they failed to repay or otherwise account for.

In addition, Dianne Stuart and the company were alleged to have misappropriated or have otherwise failed to account for more than $800,000 of investments in additional monies from more than 30 clients.

Howard Stuart was not accused of participating in either scheme, but of failing to co-operate during the course of an investigation by not attending an interview requested by staff to provide a statement and give information about the matters under investigation.

No fine was imposed on W.H. Stuart in light of its status as a bankrupt company with no ability to pay or likely prospect of ever being able to do so, the MFDA said.

Absent these circumstances, we would have undoubtedly imposed a multimillion-dollar fine on W.H. Stuart to reflect the scope, duration and seriousness of its misconduct, the sophisticated, calculated deceit by at least one of its directing minds, and the large losses incurred as a result of that misconduct, it said.
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VANCOUVER  As a key decision looms this week on a project that will have an impact on the future of Canadas oil economy, the federal government announced details Tuesday of an additional review on the Trans Mountain pipeline.

The National Energy Board is set to announce by Friday whether it supports Kinder Morgans proposal to triple the capacity of the pipeline, which carries diluted bitumen from the oilsands near Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C., for export.

The federal government, meanwhile, announced the appointment of a three-member panel to conduct an environmental review of the project. It will provide a report to Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr in November.

Carr said the panel cannot override the energy boards decision.

Thats not the purpose of it, he told reporters outside the House of Commons in Ottawa.

They are to review the situation, to add further consultation  particularly with indigenous communities  to see what the NEB might have missed.

Carr said the government will make a final decision on the project before Christmas.

The companys plan would add about 980 kilometres of new pipeline and reactivate about 190 kilometres of existing pipeline. The Westridge Marine Terminal beside Burrard Inlet off Burnaby would also be expanded.

A recommendation in favour of the project from the energy board would clear a significant technical hurdle it faces before a final decision is made.

One analyst said regardless of the board decision, oil will still have to get to market, likely transported by rail.

We all know Canada has struggled with the whole pipeline approval process, said Afolabi Ogunnaike, with global energy consultants Wood Mackenzie.

If the pipeline is not approved, then the oil still needs to go forward.

Environmentalists have demonstrated against the Trans Mountain project, including more than 100 people who were arrested and charged with civil contempt in the fall of 2014. Most of the charges were later dropped.

Energy board spokeswoman Tara ODonovan said its review has been based on facts and science, fulfilling a legal mandate to decide whether Kinder Morgans application submitted in December 2013 is in the public interest.

Conditions attached to the boards recommendation could range from addressing the timing of construction to requiring the submission of emergency management plans.

The three members of the environmental panel appointed Tuesday are Kim Baird, a former chief of the Tsawwassen First Nation, Annette Trimbee, president of the University of Winnipeg, and Tony Penikett, who was premier of Yukon for two terms.

In addition to consulting indigenous groups, the panel will also review online feedback on the project. And it will look at upstream greenhouse gas emissions that are linked to the pipeline.

Carr said the government wants to restore public confidence in the process with the panels appointment.

We havent had all kinds of confidence in regulatory processes in Canada on major energy projects so we want to ensure that Canadians who want to have their say, will have.

Conservatives insist Liberal delays are killing oil and gas investment and harming the Canadian economy. New Democrats are equally certain the Liberals are simply dressing up a fatally flawed environmental assessment process in order to approve the project.

Rona Ambrose, the Conservative interim leader, said in question period that the energy board assessment involved more than 1,600 participants, including 35 indigenous groups.

When will the prime minister stop reviewing his reviews and make a decision? Ambrose said to roars of approval from the Conservative benches.

New Democrat Kennedy Stewart, the MP for Burnaby South, which is ground-zero for Trans Mountain protests, said the Liberals are breaking an election promise to redo the Kinder Morgan pipeline review.

He called the panel review little more than a smokescreen.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the Commons that the Conservative attacks show why the former Harper government failed to get a major new oil pipeline to tidewater during its decade in office.

Yet again, the members opposite are demonstrating that they did not understand why, for 10 years, they were unable to get anything done, said Trudeau.

 With files from Bruce Cheadle in Ottawa, follow @TamsynBurgmann on Twitter
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OTTAWA  For years, transgender Canadians had to come up with creative arguments in front of courts and commissions to link discrimination against them with existing human rights laws.

The human rights laws extend some protections to transgender people under the sex discrimination category, but there have been few cases before the federal human rights tribunal, so the scope of the protections themselves has not been all that clear.

The same situation exists for hate speech and hate crime laws: violence against transgender persons may have been captured before, but it wasnt clearly spelled out.

Charlie Lowthian-Rickert, who is transgender, speaks along side Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, right, as she makes an announcement in the foyer of the house of commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, regarding legislation on gender identity and gender expression. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Legislation the government introduced Tuesday would clarify all of that, adding gender identity and expression to human rights and hate crime laws.

Thank goodness this bill is passing because it will protect us from  hateful propaganda, assaults, rape  stuff like that, said Charlie Lowthian-Rickert, who was born a boy but identifies as a girl.

It could protect us and stop the people who would have just gone off and done it in the past and discriminated or assaulted us. Now it could be stopping them and then basically punishing them if they actually do it, the 10-year-old said during a morning news conference alongside the federal justice minister.

The bill still has numerous steps before it becomes law. The NDP tried unsuccessfully to fast-track the measure through the House of Commons on Tuesday, arguing it was similar to a private members bill the Commons approved in the last Parliament with cross-party support.

That bill, from New Democrat Randall Garrison, languished in the Senate before it was ultimately gutted and died when the election was called.

Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose said shes prepared to vote for the new bill, but opposition remains in the Senate where Conservative Don Plett said hes not ready to support the measure.

On his way into the Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he expects the Senate to recognize the rights contained in the bill.

The legislation would, if passed, make it illegal under the Canadian Human Rights Act to deny someone a job or to discriminate in the workplace on the basis of the gender they identify with or outwardly express.

It would also amend the Criminal Code to extend hate speech laws to include gender identity and expression.

Criminal laws would be changed to make it a hate crime to target someone because of their gender identity or gender expression, meaning judges would have to consider it as an aggravating factor in deciding on a sentence to.

We live in a time when discrimination in any form is completely unacceptable, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould told a news conference after introducing the bill.

This is a message of hope to ensure that we recognize gender identity and gender expression and provide the ability in our country for people to feel safe and secure in who they are.

She said it is necessary to make it unequivocal in law that transgender persons have the right to live free from discrimination, hate propaganda and hate crimes.

The law was introduced on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.

Wilson-Raybould wouldnt say whether Liberal MPs would be allowed to vote their conscience on the bill or be forced to support it. But she said she hopes for support from all parties.

The minister also said the law, when passed, would ensure data is collected around violence against transgender people.

A survey conducted by Trans Pulse Project in 2010 showed that out of the almost 500 transgender respondents in Ontario, 20 per cent reported having been physically or sexually assaulted, though not all of them reported the assaults to police.

The respondent-driven sampling survey found 13 per cent reported being fired and 18 per cent refused a job because they were transgender.

Groups including Trans Equality Canada, Amnesty International, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Canadian Association of University Teachers all praised the move by the Liberals, calling it long overdue in the path towards equal rights for all.

Once passed, the Canadian Human Rights Commission would likely provide detailed guidance to employers and employment lawyers about what the new laws mean and raise awareness among the general public.

Its a good first step because that allows for the ability at the federal level to challenge things in court if needed, said Talia Johnson, an Ottawa-based counsellor.

Any human rights legislation only goes so far, so we need to also work on education so that cases dont have to come forward in the first place.

 With files from Lina Dib and Joanna Smith

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version had an incorrect spelling for Charlie Lowthian-Rickerts last name.
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This article was published 16/05/2016 (2353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SASKATOON  The organizer of Saskatchewans first beaver derby is calling it a huge success.

Ryan Demchynski says he collected 601 beaver carcasses from hunters and trappers across the province over the course of the 40-day contest, which ended last week.

He says it brought in more than 10,000 kilograms of beaver meat and pelts that could have otherwise gone to waste.

Some animal-rights groups such as the Vancouver-based Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals have called the derby inappropriate, inhumane and ecologically harmful.

Because beavers cause problems for farmers by blocking culverts and flooding fields with their dams, the province and several municipalities offer a bounty for any tails brought in.

Demchynski says more than 38,000 Saskatchewan beavers are killed annually, but many carcasses are left to rot in fields.

The derby was created to make use of those animals, he says. Six hundred is quite a small number, but thats 600 more that are getting a home, being used and not just being left to waste.

The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals has suggested that farmers affected by beavers should use special flow devices, but Demchynski maintains they dont work on silt, sand and clay-based flatlands in Saskatchewan.

Moose Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre has expressed concern about killing breeding-age beavers, but Demchynski says the derby was held before beavers give birth so as to avoid orphaned animals.

He also says he is donating $250 each to the centre and the Saskatchewan Trappers Association education program.

(CKOM)
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OTTAWA  On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will rise in the House of Commons and apologize on behalf of the government of Canada for a decision in 1914 to refuse to allow most of the passengers of the Komagata Maru to land in Canada.

Here is a timeline of some events leading up to the apology:

May 1914: The Japanese steam ship Komagata Maru anchors just outside Vancouver, B.C., with 376 passengers on board  all Indians who were at the time also British subjects. The passengers were seeking to challenge existing immigration laws which refused entry to any Indians who had not arrived in Canada via a continuous journey from the home country  a nearly impossible feat at the time.

June 1914: Twenty passengers who had previously resided in Canada are allowed in, but the rest are required to stay on the ship.

July 1914: After court hearings and clashes with authorities, the ship is finally escorted out of Canadian waters and sets sail for Calcutta, India.

September 1914: Police in India attempt to force the passengers onto trains for Punjab; a riot ensues and 19 people are killed. Others are arrested or go into hiding.

2002: Alliance MP Gurmant Grewal presents a petition in the House of Commons calling on the Liberal government of the day to issue an apology.

2006: Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper says hell consult with Indo-Canadians to determine how to recognize the sad moment in Canadian history.

2007: NDP put forward a motion calling on the government to apologize but its voted down by the Conservatives.

May 2008: Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla, one of the first Sikh women elected to the House of Commons, introduces a similar motion and it passes later that month.

May 2008: The B.C. legislature passes its own resolution apologizing.

August 2008: Prime Minister Stephen Harper gives a speech at a major South Asian festival in B.C. and issues an apology. Its almost immediately rejected by several prominent organizations as it was not presented in the House of Commons.

May 2012: The NDP puts forward a new motion calling for an apology in the House of Commons. The motion is voted down by the Conservatives.

August 2015: Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau repeats 2008 pledge that, if elected, his government would issue a formal apology in the House of Commons.

April 2016: Trudeau announces he will issue the apology in the House of Commons on May 18, 2016.
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VANCOUVER  The dramatic start to this years fire season across Western Canada and Ontario doesnt necessarily mean the ferocious trend will continue into the summer, experts say.

John Innes, dean of forestry at the University of British Columbia, said weather is the single largest influence on wildfires, which makes forecasting extremely challenging.

Its always very difficult with weather and with climate, Innes said in an interview on Monday.

We hear about whats going to happen next week and it can be totally wrong. The same goes for fire weather.

While visiting an evacuation centre in Edmonton more than a week ago, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the intense and early start to wildfires this year could spell a long and difficult season for all of Canada. He specified his remarks were not directed exclusively at Alberta, where the province is still reeling from the firestorm in Fort McMurray.

Tens of thousands of residents in and around the community in Albertas oilfields were forced to leave when a blaze turned on the city earlier this month, razing 2,400 buildings.

Innes said so far, 2016 has been the most destructive fire season in recorded Canadian history, surpassing the damage done in 2011 when another northern Alberta fire destroyed part of the community of Slave Lake.

Natural Resources Canada says as of May 11, 1,429 fires had flared up across the country this season compared with a 10-year-average of 1,070. The fires have burned through more than 4,200 square kilometres, which is 41 times the 10-year average.

Things can change pretty well overnight, Innes said about fire conditions.

It makes it very, very difficult to forecast whats going to happen out in July or August.

Kerry Anderson, a fire research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, agreed that an early start to the fire season doesnt indicate increased risk down the road.

Fire seasons vary dramatically from year to year, he said. Some start early and enter like a lion and exit like a lamb, while other years its the opposite.

The cycle of El Nino and La Nina weather systems is the strongest tool for forecasting wildfires, Anderson said, adding that the pending arrival of La Ninas cooler, more moist conditions in the coming months will likely quell some of the wildfires and bring the fire danger down to a manageable level.

The target is to get through the next month or so, said Anderson. Weve certainly had a bumpy May so far and weve got a ways to go.

Claire Allen of the BC Wildfire Service said the biggest determinant of the latter portion of the fire season on the West Coast is the amount of rain that falls in June.

In B.C. so far, 265 fires have burned about 825 square kilometres of land, an increase in the 10-year average.

The remainder of the fire season is still up in the air, Allen said.

Its kind of anyones guess at this point, she said. Were just sort of waiting for the rain and well see whatll happen from there.

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OTTAWA  Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion says Canada has joined an international body seeking to broker an end to the Syrian civil war.

The International Syria Support Group includes 26 countries and organizations, including the United States and Russia, which are co-chairs of the body.

Dion says only a negotiated settlement can end the civil war and eliminate the destabilizing influence of the conflict, including the huge migrant populations surging into Europe.

He says the Russians and the Americans have proposed a sequence of events including a ceasefire, a transition period and free elections.

Canada agrees with that plan, he says.

He adds that ending the conflict is vital.

Canada must be a determined peace-builder and the peace process in Syria is key for the world, he said in a telephone interview from Vienna, where the support group met on Monday.

Dion said he made several proposals to the meeting, calling for an end to the use of what are known as barrel bombs  indiscriminate explosive charges that are dumped on villages and neighbourhoods.

He urged that the names of detainees in Syria should be turned over to the United Nations, along with their locations, and he called on Syria to suspend all death sentences.

The main problem is getting the various factions in the country to agree to stop fighting.

That would allow easier movement of food and medicines into the country, which has seen up to half its population displaced by the fighting.

If there is no ceasefire by June, he said, other steps will be needed.

If we still have this problem, then the United Nations should be ready to have air drops across Syria of food and medication, Dion said.

Canada will be there to support through the World Food Program.

The support group first met last fall in an effort to reinvigorate the peace process and find a diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis in Syria.
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VICTORIA  A former communications director in British Columbias Liberal government is accused of breach of trust connected to a vote-getting scandal that prompted a public apology from Premier Christy Clark and cheating allegations by the Opposition New Democrats.

Brian Bonney was charged Tuesday in connection with a behind-the-scenes strategy by the Liberals to win ethnic votes in the 2013 election.

The criminal charge came on the same day that Elections Act charges alleging failure to disclose a campaign contribution against Bonney and Liberal Mark Robertson were stayed.

A numbered B.C. communications company charged along with Bonney and Robertson pleaded guilty and was fined $5,000. Bonney was the president of the numbered company, said Dan McLaughlin, spokesman for the B.C. Criminal Justice Branch.

The scandal broke when documents obtained four years ago by the NDP Opposition outlined a Liberal government plan to woo the multicultural vote.

A statement Tuesday by B.C.s Criminal Justice Branch said special prosecutor David Butcher approved the criminal charge against Bonney.

Outside Vancouvers law courts, Bonneys lawyer, Ian Donaldson, said his client will fight the criminal code charge.

It has apparently nothing to do with money, he said. Theres no allegation of that. It appears to be a suggestion of a sharing of information.

The Criminal Justice Branch statement said Butcher continued his investigation after the first Elections Act charges were laid in 2014, and he received three separate reports from the Crown and the RCMP connected to the governments draft multicultural strategic outreach plan.

The investigation was launched shortly after a report from Premier Christy Clarks former deputy minister John Dyble concluded that lines between the B.C. government and the provincial Liberal party were clearly crossed in the governments effort to win ethnic votes.

The review caused Clarks popularity ratings to plunge prior to the May 2013 election and forced the resignation of her then-multiculturalism minister, John Yap.

Clark later apologized in the legislature for the ethnic votes plan, saying it was a serious mistake.

In September 2013, just months after the Liberals were re-elected, former B.C. New Democrat leader Adrian Dix said he forwarded information to the RCMP in connection with the Liberal governments plan to court ethnic voters. He refused to provide details, but said his actions had nothing to do with sour grapes over losing the election.

He said the effort put into the discredited multicultural-outreach plan by the Liberals was massive, reached the top levels of the government and included job offers to silence critics.

The review by Clarks former deputy made six recommendations and found two serious instances of misuse of government resources, including that Bonney was being paid as a government employee while he worked for the government caucus and Liberal Party.

Dybles report said at least half of Bonneys time was spent doing work for the Liberal party on the ethnic-outreach strategy, prompting the Liberal party to later reimburse the government $70,000 as part of Bonneys salary.

NDP Leader John Horgan said the information Dix provided to the Mounties played a role in the current investigation that resulted in the new charge.

Horgan told reporters he was concerned it took three years for the special prosecutor to complete the investigation.

It strikes me that would lead to a lack of co-operation by government, a lack of co-operation by officials in the B.C. Liberal Party, Horgan said.

He noted the event dates back to 2012.

It was quite an elaborate, complicated plan where public information collected by public servants was transferred to the B.C. Liberal Party, Horgan said.

Deputy Premier Rich Coleman said the charge against Bonney is disappointing.

He dismissed Horgans concerns about the amount of time it took the special prosecutor to complete his report.

Thats pretty much an out-there statement, said Coleman. I do find these things take a long time.

The Criminal Justice Branch acknowledged the lengthy review in its statement, noting the breadth of the police investigation; the complexity of the related legal and evidence-gathering issues; and Criminal Code process requirements.

Bonneys next court appearance is June 23 in Vancouver.
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TORONTO  One of Canadas most iconic brands is heading to the land of windmills and tulips.

Hudsons Bay Company (TSX:HBC) announced Tuesday that it plans to open up to 20 stores in the Netherlands over the next two years as part of an aggressive push to grow its presence in Europe.

The move will mark the first time North Americas oldest retailer, which was founded primarily as a fur trading company in 1670, has introduced its namesake brand outside of Canada.

A man walks past the Hudson's Bay Company sign in downtown Toronto on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009. Hudson's Bay Company, North America's oldest retailer, is setting up shop in the Netherlands. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Our DNA is that we experiment and we try things, Richard Baker, HBCs chairman and governor, said in an interview from the Netherlands.

It looks like were going quicker than we are. And we are going quickly, but were pretty careful people.

Baker, and chief executive Jerry Storch, said the company wasnt initially looking at expanding its footprint in the Netherlands but were presented with a unique opportunity when Dutch department store V&D closed its doors last year.

The departure of bankrupt V&D left a hole in the retail market and dozens of empty storefronts in highly sought-after urban locations up for grabs. The retailers demise was blamed on various factors, including its inability to compete with rivals like fast-fashion powerhouse H&M and criticism that it lacked its own unique identity.

Storch said he is not worried that the same issues that plagued V&D will spell trouble for them. Hudsons Bays first plan of attack is to massively remodel the former locations it will be leasing, he said.

(V&D) were terrible. They were awful, he said from New York.

Hudsons Bay noted that its chief merchant officer of European operations is Dutch, which it said has helped it navigate the nuances of that new market.

We dont sit back in Toronto and think we know more about the Dutch market than Europeans do, said Storch.

Customers can expect similar products in Hudsons Bay stores as they do back home in Canada, including its trademark blankets and scarves adorned with green, red, yellow and blue stripes.

It will be in many ways similar to a Hudsons Bay store, but in many ways, uniquely Dutch, said Baker, citing the plan to place display fixtures one or two inches higher in the new stores because Dutch residents are typically taller than Canadians.

Baker said the Netherlands was a natural fit for the storied retailer because of the two countries Allied relationship during the Second World War.

There is a strong affinity to Canadians in the Netherlands, he said, noting that Canada helped liberate the Netherlands and hosted the Dutch Royal Family in exile during that time.

Industry expert Doug Stephens said the decision is a good move for Hudsons Bay to grow its burgeoning real estate portfolio with prime locations, but its not necessarily a no-brainer for its retail business.

Bringing a new brand with a new identity that has some sort of foreign cache to it, there is a Canadian cache of sorts, said Stephens, the founder of Retail Prophet.

In the interim, that could generate some interest. Over the long term, that wears off. You become in essence a domestic player and it comes back to: are you delivering a value proposition that is remarkable and resonates with a different audience?

Ultimately, the smell of maple syrup will wear off.

Hudsons Bay said it plans to have 17 of the new locations run as stand-alone HBC stores and the other three will operate under the Saks Off 5th banners. Its flagship will be in a newly-built store in Amsterdam, with other locations expected to open in Rotterdam, Zwolle, Breda, Eindhoven, Maastricht and Amesfoort. The stores are expected to open in the summer of 2017.

Last month, the company announced plans to open 40 Saks Off 5th discount stores in Germany beginning next year. It also bought the largest department retail chain in Germany and Belgium, Galeria Kaufhof, for C$3.9 billion last year.

HBC also owns a number of banners including Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor and Home Outfitters.

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WINNIPEG  Manitobas new Progressive Conservative premier, Brian Pallister, says he plans to attend the annual pride parade in Winnipeg next month.

Pallister says he will participate in the celebration of gay and lesbian rights, barring a natural disaster or other emergency that would require his attention.

He would be only the second Manitoba premier to do so.

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Manitoba Conservative Leader Brian Pallister is shown at the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg, Thursday, April 30, 2015. Pallister, who once called same-sex marriage "a social experiment" says he's now open to participating in pride celebrations if he is elected.

When first asked last month, Pallister said he would have to check his schedule, but he now says he is committed to attending.

Pallister was accused by former NDP premier Greg Selinger of being homophobic for opposing a 2013 law that requires schools to allow students to set up gay-straight alliances.

He also came under fire for comments he made a decade ago in Parliament when he called same-sex marriage a social experiment.

After winning the April 19 election, Pallister said his party wants to be inclusive of all Manitobans.

The idea here is obviously everyone should feel included in the province in a real way, not be living in any sense of fear or exclusion, Pallister said Tuesday.

Selinger was the first premier to attend the annual pride parade, which starts out from the front of the legislature.

Pallister said in an interview last year his position on issues such as same-sex marriage had evolved.

The fact is what we all want to see is loving relationships supporting  when desired  children, and we want to see strong families.
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HALIFAX  Nova Scotia civil servants can wear clothing that reflects their gender identity and use the washroom of their choice under guidelines released Tuesday.

The guidelines for trans and gender variant employees, announced by the province on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, also address the use of an employees identified name and pronoun.

Maddi MacDonald, the co-chair of Nova Scotias LGBTI Network, said releasing written guidelines will help make provincial workplaces more inclusive for trans people.

It solidifies the commitment, so in all areas of the public service all trans and gender variant employees will now be supported, MacDonald said.

MacDonald said while Nova Scotia has a fairly inclusive culture in general terms, there is still work that needs to be done.

In some areas there are still lots of systemic challenges in terms of accessing washrooms for example.

The public service commission conducted a census over the winter that indicated about one per cent of Nova Scotia government employees identify as trans or gender variant.

Community Services Minister Joanne Bernard said it is a step forward to have the provinces policy on support and inclusion in written form.

I think they (rules) could have been up for misinterpretation so having them in a clear document that is for everyone to use is nothing but positive, she said.

In December 2012 the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act was amended to include gender identity and gender expression as protected characteristics.
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TORONTO  A man rendered quadriplegic after a mountain biking accident won his battle Tuesday to hold the Ontario municipality that operated the adventure park fully liable for his injuries.

In its decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal rejected an appeal by the municipal County of Bruce that it was not at fault, and that the victim, Stephen Campbell, was at least partly responsible for his catastrophic injuries.

The reality is that several riders had been injured, including seriously injured, on the wooden obstacles in the trials area before (Campbells) accident, the Appeal Court said.

Had the municipality adequately monitored previous accidents and been aware of the number of accidents at the park  and on Free Fall in particular  actions would have been taken that would have prevented (Campbells) injuries.

The incident occurred in August 2008 when Campbell, then 43, his wife and two children visited the Bruce Peninsula Mountain Bike Adventure Park, which featured bike trails and an area with 10 wooden obstacles for riders to learn trail riding. Signs warned riders to ride within their abilities.

Campbell, who was an experienced mountain biker, was attempting to tackle an obstacle known as Free Fall but didnt make it. In the ensuing tumble, he went over the handlebars and landed on his head, breaking his neck.

The main issue at trial, closely watched by other public authorities, was whether the county had taken sufficient care to ensure the safety of park users.

Court documents show the municipality had no tracking mechanism of incidents before the Campbell mishap, but ambulances had been called to the park at least seven times. In one case, three months before the Campbell incident, paramedics responded to a man who had broken his neck tackling a more difficult obstacle than Free Fall.

After a seven-day hearing, Superior Court Justice Marc Garson ruled last January that the municipality had failed in its duty of care. Among other things, Garson found Bruce had failed to post proper warning signs and had not properly monitored risks and injuries at the park.

The judge also decided Campbell had not been negligent in tackling the obstacle or in how he tried to salvage the situation when he realized he was falling.

In its appeal, the municipality argued in part its safety measures were reasonable, and that mountain biking is inherently risky.

There is no doubt that (Campbell), an experienced mountain biker, assumed the risk of riding on the bicycle trails in the park, the Appeal Court said.

At the same time, the court found it unreasonable to expect a rider learning to tackle an obstacle to know beforehand the skills needed to succeed.

On the question of what the appellant could have done differently, the trial judge was clear and concise, the court said.

There were no instructional signs, no requirements to complete an easy trailno warning of serious injury, and no instruction on how to extricate oneself from the feature.

The Appeal Court agreed with the trial judge that Campbell had not been careless in either his decision to try to ride Free Fall or in his actions to try to prevent a fall.
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ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Police are investigating after Japanese koi and other exotic fish worth about $2,500 were stolen from a man-made pond in southeastern Newfoundland.

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OTTAWA  The latest measure of debilitating poverty in First Nations communities across Canada illustrates the need for more government action to help ease the suffering and emotional turmoil, aboriginal leaders said Tuesday.

A report released Tuesday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says indigenous children in Canada are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than their non-aboriginal counterparts.

I am not surprised (by the findings), said Isadore Day, the Ontario regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations. Im only surprised it has taken this long.

Day, who is also his advocacy organizations lead on the health portfolio, said poverty is often a big part of the reason why people flee their communities, only to end up in gateway centres such as Thunder Bay, Ont., where things only get worse.

This is all as a result of poverty, he said. Weve watched Thunder Bay and how theyve struggled.

The study, which explored poverty rates and the territories as measured by income, also documented the dire conditions experienced by status First Nations children, including 60 per cent of those who live on reserves.

Poverty rates are highest for First Nations kids on reserves in Manitoba at 76 per cent and Saskatchewan at 69 per cent, the study found.

In order to present its findings, the institute crunched data collected during the 2011 National Household Survey and built upon research it previously presented in 2006, which used census data to examine child poverty rates.

The reports co-authors also said rates of poverty on reserve have gone uncalculated by the federal government and therefore hidden from view, despite anecdotal evidence that indicates there are serious problems on reserves.

It is important to point out that Statistics Canada reports on poverty rates do not include people who live on a reserve or people living in the territories where roughly half of all Inuit people are located, the report said.

Because this data is excluded, official poverty rates in Canada are lower than they would be if these populations were counted. Poverty rates for indigenous people, especially status First Nations and Inuit, are reported to be much lower than a full count would indicate is truly the case.

Manitoba NDP MP Niki Ashton seized on the report as she took aim at the Liberal governments budget, which critics said was sorely lacking in funding for First Nations child welfare.

In Manitoba, three out of four children living on reserve live in poverty, and this did not just happen, Ashton said during question period Tuesday in the House of Commons.

It is the result of years  decades  of underfunding of education, housing, child welfare, health, clean water, and the list goes on.

Despite a clear ruling from the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, the Liberal government has failed to provide equitable funding for aboriginal child welfare, she said.

Poverty in indigenous communities has gone on for far too long, answered Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett, who defended the governments fiscal blueprint.

I believe that in Budget 2016 we are making historic investments in housing, water, education, and all of the  things that will raise these children out of poverty and do the right thing by these children.

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Highlights from the news file for Tuesday, May 17:

FORT MCMURRAY RE-ENTRY PLAN UNDER REVIEW: Wildfires menacing Fort McMurray have carved a new path of destruction, destroying an oilsands work camp to the north and forcing reconstruction staff out of the evacuated city. On top of that, the process of restoring natural gas was dealt a setback when a home in an area that was getting service back blew up Monday night, destroying the house and damaging six others beside it. Premier Rachel Notley said the developments underscore the volatility of the situation and have forced a re-evaluation of plans to get residents back to their homes.

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Huge columns of smoke rise up from the myriad of fires in the Fort McMurray area Alberta in a recent handout satellite image from NASA. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-NASA MANDATORY CREDIT

FIRE FORCES OILSANDS PLANS TO CHANGE: Plans to quickly restart oilsands production in northern Alberta were turned upside down after the Fort McMurray wildfire erupted with renewed vengeance, forcing thousands of workers to scramble to safety. Oilsands miners had been gradually returning staff to the area to begin the process of resuming production at facilities undamaged by fire but shut down because of the threat. However, the fires moved north late Monday forcing about 8,000 oilsands workers lodged in a number of camps to flee further north.

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LIBERALS UNVEIL TRANSGENDER RIGHTS LAW: Transgender Canadians and human-rights champions cheered as the Liberal government introduced legislation that would make it against the law to discriminate on the basis of gender identity or expression. The legislation would, if passed, make it illegal under the Canadian Human Rights Act to prevent someone from getting a job or to discriminate in the workplace on the basis of the gender they identify with or outwardly express. It would also update the Criminal Code to extend hate speech laws to include gender identity and expression.

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ASSISTED DYING LEGISLATION: A Senate committee is signalling that the government should allow advance requests for medical assistance in dying if it wants its controversial legislation on the matter to be approved by the upper chamber. But while the majority of committee members wants the bill to be more permissive for those diagnosed with dementia and other capacity-eroding conditions, it is simultaneously urging the government to be more restrictive generally about who is eligible for assisted death. The majority recommends that assisted dying be provided only to those with terminal illnesses, although that would appear to fly in the face of last years landmark Supreme Court ruling.

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POLICE CHIEF SAYS TORONTO STILL SAFE: Torontos police chief says the city remains the safest in North America despite a spike in homicides this year, including a recent shooting that killed a pregnant woman sitting in a car. Mark Saunders says there are no simple solutions to complex issues such as gun violence, but stresses the force is doing what it can to reach out to the communities hardest hit by crime. The chief says co-operation from those communities is key to solving crimes, including Sundays shooting, which claimed the life of Candice Rochelle Bobb, of Mississauga, Ont. Her baby was delivered prematurely by emergency C-section and was said Monday to be in stable condition.

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FAMILIES OF SLAIN YOUNG PEOPLE SPEAK IN COURT: The families of five young people killed in a stabbing at a house party in Calgary two years ago have had their say in court. In an unusual move at the trial of Matthew de Grood, an agreement was reached to allow members of each family give a tribute to their loved ones. Patty Segura says her son Jordan would help perfect strangers and gave away hugs for free, while Lawrence Hong was remembered by his brother Miles as a friend to many. Kaitlin Perras, Josh Hunter and Zackariah Rathwell were also killed in the attack. De Groods lawyer has indicated he plans to argue his client was not criminally responsible for the killings.

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RAP LYRICS DISCUSSED AT TRIAL: Violent rap lyrics about guns, killings and running from police had nothing to do with the death of Tim Bosma, the Hamilton mans accused killer told court as he defended his profanity-laced creations. Court has seen rap lyrics and one rap video that police found on Mark Smichs iPad, which Smich  under a second day of cross-examination by the lawyer for his co-accused  repeatedly said were art, and didnt reflect reality.

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HUDSONS BAY TO OPEN SHOPS IN NETHRELANDS: One of Canadas most iconic brands is heading to the land of windmills and tulips. Hudsons Bay Company announced Tuesday that it plans to open up to 20 stores in the Netherlands over the next two years as part of an aggressive push to grow its presence in Europe. The move will mark the first time North Americas oldest retailer, which was founded primarily as a fur trading company in 1670, has introduced its namesake brand outside of Canada.

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FORMER B.C. OFFICIAL CHARGED: A former communications director in the British Columbia government has been charged with breach of trust in connection with a strategy by the Liberals to win ethnic votes in the 2013 election. Special prosecutor David Butcher approved the charge against Brian Bonney in connection with the duties of his office.

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MUNICIPALITY LIABLE FOR TRAIL BIKE INJURIES: A man rendered quadriplegic after a mountain biking accident won his battle Tuesday to hold the Ontario municipality that operated the adventure park fully liable for his injuries. In its decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal rejected an appeal by the municipal County of Bruce that it was not at fault, and that the victim, Stephen Campbell, was at least partly responsible for his catastrophic injuries. The incident occurred in August 2008 when Campbell, then 43, his wife and two children visited the Bruce Peninsula Mountain Bike Adventure Park, which featured bike trails and an area with 10 wooden obstacles for riders to learn trail riding. Signs warned riders to ride within their abilities
Opinion

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It was exceedingly short, and high on idealistic notions of a more honest and accountable government that restores trust in the integrity of government.

And outside of a few sparse mentions of a billion dollars in annual infrastructure contributions and a government-wide fiscal review, the speech from the throne given on behalf of our new Manitoba government was entirely lacking in specifics.

It read much like the Progressive Conservative election platform. In fact, Mondays speech from the throne was essentially carbon copied from the Tory campaign.

The government has already taken steps to join up with Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. as part of the New West Partnership trade block, a necessary step to improving our provincial economy. The previous government under Greg Selinger was reluctant to join the trade agreement, advocating instead for a pan-Canadian agreement that never seemed any closer to reality.

As expected, the throne speech also promised a value-for-money audit across all government departments in the hopes of cutting back $50 million in spending.

It seems a few in the media were surprised by the mention of carbon pricing, but it was part of Pallisters party platform under Climate Change Action  so, not new. That same platform also included plans to invest in new innovations in clean energy, sequestering carbon, reducing emissions and encouraging fuel saving technologies. But, as with this throne speech, there were no specifics on how to go about doing that.

There were other noteworthy bon mots in the speech, including a pledge to find better ways to consult with the provinces indigenous leaders. Pallister later told reporters after the speech that this is a relationship that I have to build.

That could be a tough hill to climb, considering that many of the First Nations in the province voted Liberal. For example, as the Sun previously reported, in Waywayseecappo First Nation in Riding Mountain, Liberal candidate Jordan Fleury picked up 88 votes, compared to 21 for the NDP, and six for the eventual winner, Tory MLA Greg Nesbitt. But Mr. Pallister has four years to try to make good on that pledge.

There were some other positive steps worth noting  immediate steps to reduce ambulance fees, establishing a wait times reduction task force, and the creation of more care home beds.

There were pledges to discuss a comprehensive mental strategy that would provide better access to services for Manitobans, the cutting of bureaucratic red tape, a return to a secret ballot in the workplace to protect workers rights, when dealing with union issues.

And it should come as no surprise that the Tories intend to ensure that all Manitobans, whether union members or not will be able to vote on government tenders. The NDP government demanded that all contracted companies have a certain threshold of salary for employees, which typically meant unionized companies were prioritized.

This change will allow non-unionized companies to undercut the bidding process. No doubt the government sees this as a means to lower government spending.

Also worth mentioning was the governments commitment to focus on strengthened partnerships with, and increased investment by, the private-sector creators of Manitoba jobs. Just how much the PCs will lean on private interests to help cut costs remains to be seen.

For those looking for a Brandon or Westman reference in the throne speech, there was none. But that was only to be expected  anyone looking for more detailed pledges and promises should probably check in during the budget speech coming up on May 31.

Until then, the Tories have given Manitobans a very general guideline of what to expect over the next four years.
As we know, Ireland has fallen on tough times when it comes to the Eurovision Song Contest.

While weve still won the most Eurovisions in history (seven), Ireland have not won the competition since Eimear Quinns effort The Voice scored victory in 1996.
Some farmers in the US had to mount a search last week after noticing one of their baby alpacas had gone missing.

After an entire day of searching the farmers, from Govin's Farm in Wisconsin, found the week-old alpaca trapped in a dirt hole after she was surrounded by the herd.
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has today called on the British Government to release all files on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

Today is the 42nd anniversary of the four blasts which killed 33 people, including a woman who was nine months' pregnant.

Mr Adams also said that it is vital the new Irish Government lives up to the need to ensure the utmost pressure is put on the British administration to release their files.

I want to extend my continued sympathy to the survivors and loved ones of the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings forty-two years ago today, which resulted in the highest number of deaths and casualties during the course of the conflict," said Adams.

I also want to commend the continued work of the Justice for the Forgotten group and the vital support they give to the victims and families.

I would again call on the British Government to release all information it holds associated with the bombings, and to assist the families in ensuring that justice is pursued and delivered.

The new Programme for Government contains a commitment to pursue the implementation of Dail motions relating to the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, and it is vital that the new Government lives up to the need to ensure the upmost pressure is put on the British administration to release their files.
It is too late to appeal to banks' sense of decency when dealing with the mortgage crisis, it was claimed today.

The Dail's Housing and Homelessness committee heard calls for radical thinking for dealing with mortgages in arrears.

Moral doesnt come into it, said David Hall of the Irish Mortgage Holders Association.

This is a production line. These are people, and things have moved. The time to hit them with the moral argument was 2008, 9, 10 and 11.

They moved on.

Calling for changes to legislation to force banks to deal with debtors, he also criticised the Finance Minister Michael Noonan for his dealings with vulture funds.

I think Minister Noonan is ill-advised, he said.

I think his preference to have met, and I said this to him, to have met vulture funds versus debtor advocates over the last five years was deeply concerning.

The Insolvency Service also appeared before the committee.

They say not enough people are aware that their free service is there to help and can negotiate with creditors.

Director of the ISI, Lorcan O'Connor, said that they have negotiated 120,000 deals since being formed.

Since the insolvency service opened, we have had approximately 120,000 informal deals done, and that number was zero before we opened.

This afternoon the Housing Committee sits again to hear from the Private Residential Tenancies Board.

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There was a campaign to undermine Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe which made its way to the O'Higgins Commission, the Dail heard today writes Daniel McConnell Political Editor.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin demanded clarity from the Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald as to whether Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan sought to claim Sgt McCabe was motivated by malice.

Mr Martin's tough stance in the Dail was in contrast to the stance taken by several of his party's leading TDs, who earlier in the day said they now considered the matter closed, given Ms O'Sullivan's statement last night.

Last night the Garda Commissioner issued a statement, saying she wass legally barred from commenting about her evidence to the O'Higgins Commission.

In the Dail, during Leaders' Questions, Mr Martin and Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams referred to the Irish Examiner's lead story from last Friday, which revealed counsel acting for the Commissioner claimed Sgt McCabe was driven by malice in his decision to become a whistleblower.

Mr Martin said the O'Higgins Commission, which examined the allegations raised by McCabe and also the manner in which they were handled, vindicated the Cavan-based Garda's decision to speak out.

He asked Ms Fitzgerald to find a forum within which Ms O'Sullivan can further clarify whether counsel in their dealings with the Commission, were acting on her instruction.

In response, the Tanaiste said she was precluded under law from answering in detail to the questions asked.

She said she was duty bound to respect the law and said that the privilege that exists between clients and their lawyers must be respected.

We must take all steps necessary to ensure these mistakes are not made again. I am constrained in what I can say. All 97 witnesses to the O'Higgins Commission have rights and I must respect those, she added.

Ms Fitzgerald said she has spoken with the Commissioner, adding she still has issues with her but that she and the Commissioner have both accepted in full the O'Higgins report.

The Tanaiste also told the Dail that she found the selective leaking of the report ahead of its publication as unfortunate and illegal.
New figures show a decrease in the number of women giving Irish addresses at British abortion clinics last year.

According to new records from the British Department of Health, the number of women providing an address in the Republic of Ireland has reduced by 48% between 2001 and 2015.
The first full Dail sitting since the Government was formed takes place today.

Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald will answer parliamentary questions and take leaders questions from the Opposition, almost 12 weeks since the General Election.

Tonight, Fianna Fail will table legislation that would force banks to cut variable rate mortgage rates.

If the Government doesn't accept it, the minority administration could face its first defeat in a vote tomorrow night.

After this morning's weekly Cabinet meeting, Enda Kenny will head to the United States where he has attending a series of events marking the 1916 centenary.

He will join US Vice President Joe Biden, to formally open the Ireland 100 festival in the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The three-week arts festival is the centrepiece of the events commemorating the 1916 Rising in the US.

The Taoiseach will plant an Irish oak tree on Capitol Hill tomorrow to mark the centenary.

When he returns later this week, he is expected to announce his line-up of junior ministers and 11 appointments to the Seanad.
The family of a Belfast woman murdered by the IRA have announced plans to challenge the decision to exclude the case - from investigations into a top British Spy.

A high court judge has granted leave for Caroline Moreland's relatives to apply for a judicial review.
Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald gave only a qualified expression of support for Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan, following calls for her to resign in the Dail tonight, writes Daniel McConnell.

There is an immediate crisis of trust and confidence in the Garda Commissioner, Noirin O'Sullivan, who has called to resign her position by Opposition TDs.

Serious questions remain for the Commissioner over attempts to undermine Garda whistle blower Maurice McCabe at the O'Higgins Commission of Investigation in Garda malpractice, the Dail heard tonight.

Last week, the Irish Examiner revealed that documents to the OHiggins inquiry showed Ms OSullivan's legal team claimed Sgt Maurice McCabe was motivated by malice when he highlighted malpractice in the force  while praising his actions in public.

It was confirmed tonight that the barrister representing the Garda Commissioner,Colm Smyth, told the head the Commission of Inquiry Judge Kevin O'Higgins that his instructions at all times were to challenge the motivation and credibility of Sgt McCabe but said this was in relation to the corruption and malpractice allegations".

However, he added that it was an error on my part when he said earlier he was to challenge Sgt McCabes integrity.

Last night in the Dail, Independents for Change TD Mick Wallace said only for Sgt McCabe recording the meeting, the Judge would have had to believe the two officers and he would have been destroyed.

His colleague Clare Daly, under privilege, called on Ms O'Sullivan to go and warned Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to abandon her or risk her own position.

It is time for this commissioner to go and unless you act, she's going to take you with her, she said.

The issue is that the Garda Commissioner's legal team allegedly on her instruction, attempted to deliberately mislead the Commission by entering false information in order to challenge the motivation and credibility of Maurice McCabe, Ms Daly told the Dail.

There is now an immediate crisis of trust and confidence in the Garda Commissioner, the Dublin Fingal TD said.

Ms Fitzgerald said she was precluded from commenting on the media reports, and said partial leaking from the O'Higgins report was unfortunate and illegal.
Update 10.48am: Health Minister Simon Harris said today that Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan had clearly supported whistleblower Sgt. Maurice McCabe.

The Commissioner issued a statement today denying that she accused Sgt. McCabe of being malicious.

I very much welcome the statement made by the Garda Commissioner last night, said Minister Harris.

I think it clarifies a number of matters, and I think it very clearly outlines her view of Sgt. McCabe, but I also dont just judge the Garda Commissioner on her words, I also judge her on her actions, and I think those actions could clearly be seen when the Garda Commissioner took a decision to appoint Sgt. McCabe to a body to oversee the development of professional standards within an Garda Siochana.

Clearly thats a sign of her confidence in Sgt. McCabe.

Earlier: Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan has denied accusing a whistle-blower in her ranks of being malicious.

The police chief broke her silence amid deepening political pressure over allegations that her lawyers launched an attack on Sergeant Maurice McCabe during private hearings in the O'Higgins Commission.

"Like every member of An Garda Siochana, Sergeant Maurice McCabe's contribution is valued and the service has changed for the better in response to the issues about which he complained," she said.

"I want to make it clear that I do not - and have never, regarded Sergeant McCabe as malicious."

The Commissioner issued the statement after demands for her to respond the claims in a report on unpublished documents from the inquiry by

Read More:

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and other opposition TDs called for her to answer, as well as Labour leader and former Tanaiste Joan Burton who said there was no law stopping her from explaining the allegations.

"She is somebody who has shown a lot of leadership since she took over as Commissioner, but this, if you like, question and issue has arisen," said Deputy Burton.

"To be perfectly honest, I think it's a pity that it's been allowed to fester since the publication of the O'Higgins Report and she needs to clear it up."

The Commissioner insisted she had been advised not to disclose what was said in the inquiry.

"I have consistently and without exception, within An Garda Siochana and in public, stated clearly that dissent is not disloyalty, that we must listen to our people at every level with respect and with trust, and that we stand to gain, rather than lose, when members bring to our attention practices they believe to be unacceptable," she said.

The Commissioner added: "Any member of An Garda Siochana who raises issues will be fully supported. Each and every one of them must know they have the right and responsibility to raise their concerns and be confident that they will be listened to and addressed.

"They won't always be right and we in management won't always be right either.

"But we are on a journey towards a markedly better policing service and we will learn from every mistake we make."

Sgt McCabe's reports on bad policing, negligence and wrongdoing among officers in Bailieboro and the Cavan-Monaghan district were examined by the O'Higgins Commission.

The vast majority of them were proven with the worst case involving the murder of Sylvia Roche Kelly.

She was murdered by Jerry McGrath in late 2007 while he was out on bail for a savage assault on a taxi driver and after being caught attempting to abduct a five-year-old girl from a house.

Whole commission chair, retired judge Kevin O'Higgins, said while some of the information in some reports made by Sgt McCabe were exaggerated he also found him to be credible, truthful, a man of integrity and "understandably" living in fear that colleagues were attempting to blame him for the negligence of others.

The Commissioner said she accepts the report in full.

And she apologised to people who were faced with mistakes, wrongdoing and attempted cover-ups by gardai.

"Our immediate concern, arising out of the O'Higgins Commission, must be with victims who believe - with justification, they were not dealt with properly by An Garda Siochana," the Commissioner said.

"We are sorry the victims did not get the service they were entitled to, and we will seek to work with them."
One man has died and another is in a critical condition following a two car crash in Cork this evening.

Gardai are at the scene of a collision on the R618, Cork to Ballincollig Road, at an area known at Leemount Cross.

The collision occurred at about 8.30pm.

One car with five men in their early 20s on board collided with a second car occupied by two women in their late 20s.

A passenger in the first car, a man in his early 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the car, a man in his 20s, has been taken to Cork University Hospital, with what are described as critical injuries.

The other three occupants of this car (all men) and the two females from the other car were all taken to CUH, their injuries are not thought to be serious.

The road at the scene is closed and diversions are in place. Garda forensic collision investigators are at the scene carrying out an examination of the crash site.

The road is not expected to re-open before mid-day tomorrow.
US president Barack Obama's trip to Cuba has been praised by one of the communist country's top diplomats.

The trip advanced relations between the Cold War foes and created momentum for more co-operation on agriculture, medicine and law enforcement, said Havana's director general of US affairs Josefina Vidal.

Speaking after a meeting with American officials in Havana, said President Raul Castro had seen his meeting with Mr Obama as producing "positive results".

Her portrayal contrasted with more negative characterisations of the visit, including those of former president Fidel Castro and foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez, who described Mr Obama's trip as an "attack" on Cuba's traditions and values.

Ms Vidal said she and US diplomats had agreed upon an agenda for Mr Obama's remaining months in office that would include visits by high-level American agriculture, health and security officials.

She said Mr Obama's visit, which included a forum with private business owners and a speech calling on the Cuban people to look toward a better future, would help both sides accomplish that agenda.

"We believe the visit was an additional step forward in the process of moving toward an improvement in relations, and that it can serve to add momentum to advance in this process, which is in both nations' interest," she said.

"That's the opinion that President Raul Castro shared during his address to the press during Obama's visit."

Commenting on Monday's meeting, the US State Department said "both governments recognised significant steps made toward greater co-operation in environmental protection, civil aviation, direct mail, maritime and port security, health, agriculture, educational and cultural exchanges".

It said the two sides also discussed future meetings on human rights and claims for compensation by American citizens and firms whose property was confiscated in Cuba's 1959 revolution.

Ms Vidal praised a series of agreements struck directly with the US government on topics like environmental co-operation, direct postal service and commercial flights, but said the continuing US trade embargo on Cuba had made progress on business ties more difficult.

Foreign investors agree the embargo is the main obstacle to doing business in Cuba.

But they increasingly point to the communist government's slow-moving bureaucracy and opaque decision-making as reasons investment on the island is lagging despite a huge surge of interest since the December 2014 declaration of detente with the US.

The two countries appear to be moving towards greater co-operation on law enforcement in the coming months.

Cuban-born deputy homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is meeting his counterparts in Cuba's Ministry of the Interior today for talks on co-operation against drug trafficking, illegal migration and transnational crime.
David Cameron has suggested Islamic State (IS) would be happy if the UK votes to leave the European Union on June 23.

Answering questions after delivering a myth-busting speech on the EU referendum at Mansion House in the City of London, the Prime Minister posed a rhetorical question asking "who would be happy" if the nation does vote for Brexit.

He then said Russian president Vladimir Putin would welcome such an outcome, before adding that "I suspect al-Baghdadi" would, too.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the leader of the IS terror group, also known as Isis and Daesh.

Mr Cameron said: "It is worth asking the question: Who would be happy if we left?

"Putin might be happy, I suspect al-Baghdadi might be happy.

"Our friends around the world are giving us a very clear message, they are saying 'it's all up to you, it is your sovereign choice'.

"But our friends in Australia and New Zealand and America and all around the world and all round Europe, they are saying 'it's all up to you, its all your choice, but we would like you to stay, we think it's good for us and it's good for you'."

Boris Johnson, during a visit to Stafford, told reporters he believed it was "a bit much" to suggest IS is an ally of Leave supporters.

The prominent Vote Leave campaigner said he did not believe in getting involved in "artificial media twit storms", adding: "One might argue it's a bit much to start comparing people arguing for freedom in this country or the restoration of democracy in this country to say our allies are Putin and Daesh.

"I think that's a bit much, really."

Both sides of the referendum campaign have been criticised by the other for apparent scaremongering.

But today marks the first time that the Prime Minister has explicitly cited Islamic State as a reason for voting to Remain.

Mr Cameron also faced questions following his speech regarding the EU's deal with Turkey which has been criticised by former spy chief Sir Richard Dearlove.

But the Prime Minister rejected the idea that the deal is dangerous.

He said: "No it isn't. What the deal did was that there were tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people leaving Turkey, paying people smugglers, getting into boats, arriving in Greece and therefore being given the right to settle as asylum seekers or refugees in Europe.

"I said repeatedly to my colleagues in Europe, 'look, we're not in your no borders zone, we are going to maintain our border, if you let these people in that doesn't mean they are going to be able to come to Britain so in some ways this is not my business but my very strong advice is that you need to have a policy where people who arrive in Europe can immediately be sent back to Turkey'.

"Why? Because you have got to break the model of the people smugglers.

"As long as they can make that trip the people smugglers go on having a business.

"Once you send them back and say 'Turkey is a safe country, we can examine your claim for asylum or refuge there in Turkey', once you do that you break the model of the people smugglers."

Mr Cameron said that the deal with Turkey represents the "best of both worlds".

"We are not in the no border zone so these people don't have a right to come to Britain," he said.

"We are taking our refugees directly from the camps rather than from other European countries.

"But we had an influence on trying to help Europe towards getting to the right decision."

Sir Richard had suggested that giving visa-free access to the EU to millions of people in Turkey would be like "storing gasoline next to the fire" in relation to the migration crisis.

Addressing Sir Richard's comments directly, Mr Cameron said that during most of his time as Prime Minister, John Sawers was the head of MI6 and Jonathan Evans was the head of MI5, and those individuals had helped stop "bomb plot after bomb plot, attack after attack, conspiracy after conspiracy".

He said: "I have huge respect for them and the work that they did to keep this country safe.

"Those two individuals are now saying as clearly as they possibly could that Britain is safer from terrorism if we stay in the European Union."

Mr Cameron said he is not suggesting membership of the EU is the only thing keeping the UK safe, "but it helps".
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One hundred years ago this week, "Clio" of Melbourne's Punch, sensitive to how the heartbreaking war was making love so fraught, told another true tale of True Romance.

"War has its romances as well as its tragedies: it brings with it many bitter partings. But to many parted lovers it also brings quick unions, as a certain young lady well known and universally admired in Melbourne has just experienced.

The S.S. Mooltan whisked Melbourne's Dorothy to her lover in Egypt.

"Amongst 'the girls they left behind them' when our soldiers went away was an engaged girl who wept bitter tears at parting with her fiance, wondering what the future might hold for her, and whether she would ever gaze upon her lover again.

"Then her parents received from the lover a cablegram from Egypt, soldierly brief but soldierly pertinent: 'Can Dorothy come by the S.S. Mooltan  marry me here?'
Labelled one of NSW's worst Catholic school paedophiles, he twisted religious doctrine and used his authority to manipulate victims, many of whom were troubled or from broken families. Francis 'Romuald' Cable taught at St Edmund's despite complaints he had molested children in previous roles. He molested boys in his office, on excursions, behind his desk as fellow students sat nearby, and at the local swimming pool. "You won't say anything to anyone," he told one boy. "You are not Catholic and have the mark of the devil on you." The same child was later beaten mid-rape to stop him screaming out in pain.

Afterwards, the boy asked Cable "what have you done to me?", prompting the brother to hit him again, tell him to "remember our little secret", and bless him in Latin. Cable's crimes were only recently reported publicly. He was sentenced last year to 16 years in jail for abusing 19 students over 15 years. Now 84 and frail, he is likely to die before he is eligible for release. There is no evidence Cable abused children at St Edmund's. However, Fairfax Media can reveal that Cable could have been stopped 12 years before he even arrived in the ACT. A principal at a Marist school in Sydney, St Gabriel's in Pagewood, was told Cable was abusing boys as early as 1967.

One victim told police in 2013 that the principal came to his parents' home, asked him whether he had been touched indecently, and then assured him and his father that Cable had been "spoken to" and would be moved. The principal failed to report the allegations to the police, and Cable was sent to a school in Newcastle, where he abused a further 11 boys over the next eight years. Strangely, a detailed, official history of the Marists' Hunter Valley schools, published in 1998, omits any reference to Cable, despite his decade of service there. But the Marists say the St Gabriel's principal never took the matter to the order's leadership when he learned Cable was abusing children in 1967. "In saying that, in no way do we contradict the witness statement made in 2013 in relation to events in 1967, and we accept the witness may have told the principal at that time," Marist Brothers Australia said in a statement.

"However no record, statement or summary of that allegation was ever forwarded by the principal to the Marist Brothers." The Marist Brothers said they first received a complaint about Cable in 1993, well after he had finished teaching but decades before police began investigating him. They had no cause for concern when Cable left the brotherhood and moved to Canberra. The Marists also said the 1993 complaint could explain why Cable was not mentioned in the history of Hunter Valley schools published five years later. "It is possible that his name was deliberately omitted to spare victims unnecessary discomfort." The Christian Brothers, who then ran the ACT college, say they immediately searched their records mid-last year after learning of his prior abuse in NSW, but found no complaints.

"We strongly urge The Canberra Times or any person who may hold any evidence of criminal conduct at the school to refer that to the police for the proper investigation," the brothers said in a statement. Cable was a lay teacher at the college, swapping his first name Francis for "Rom", an abbreviation of the saintly moniker he took as a Marist brother. Fairfax tracked down 10 of Cable's St Edmund's colleagues from the 1980s and told them of his history. Many were shocked, saying they knew nothing of his past abuse nor of any complaint about him while he taught in Canberra. Several said the headmaster at the time would not have hired Cable had he known. One clearly remembered Cable for his "ridiculous" contempt for the children. "He just had that real sense of hatred that kind of shocked me."

Do you know more? email christopher.knaus@fairfaxmedia.com.au Roughly 20 of Cable's ex-students from St Edmund's were also found. Some described him as a cruel man, who picked on children and appeared to enjoy corporal punishment, while others said he was an unremarkable teacher who had not caused problems. "My experience with him was horrible. He was not a nice person," one said. It is understood ACT police have not received complaints about Cable's time at St Edmund's. But clergy-abuse survivors have expressed concerns about his decade here.

Bob O'Toole is a co-founder of the Clergy Abused Network. He was abused by another Marist teacher, Brother Leon Mackey, at the same Newcastle school where Cable preyed on children. Mr O'Toole said Cable's move away from the Marists would be unlikely to have changed his behaviour. "I'd be extremely surprised. These people don't just get to 1979 and suddenly stop." The NSW Christian Brother A second brother was also sent to St Edmund's in disturbing circumstances.

The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was teaching at Christian Brothers schools in NSW before he came to the ACT in 1978. A child-abuse allegation had been made against him in NSW. Despite being aware of that complaint, the Christian Brothers allowed him to move to St Edmund's to teach until 1983. "We acknowledge that this appears to have occurred notwithstanding a previous complaint that resulted in the later settlement of a civil claim," the order said in a statement. He was then accused of abusing a boy at St Edmund's, which also led to a civil claim and settlement. The brother was then moved out of the ACT, and has since been accused of more child sexual abuse after his time at St Edmund's.
Nigel MacDonald says that, if he had knocked on your door 20 years ago, he would probably have been trying to steal your wallet.

But if you find the Salvation Army captain standing on your doormat later this month, his motive will be to raise money for the organisation that turned his life around.

Salvation Army Captain Nigel MacDonald. Credit:Rohan Thomson

"As a 22-year-old, I had issues with drug addiction and gambling that pretty much ruined my life," Mr MacDonald said. "I'd pushed my family away, I had no support networks around me, I pretty much had the clothes on my back. In my mind, I was either headed for jail or death."

Then living on the streets of Sydney's Kings Cross, it was thanks to his mother and the Salvation Army that "bit by bit, piece by piece" he was able to claw back his life from addiction.
Hard to tell which is weirder, Barnaby Joyce wanting to increase the price of an oversupplied commodity, or investors suing themselves to make lawyers richer. Call it a tie, agri-socialism meets ambulance chasers via Murray Goulburn.

The easy one first. As dairy farmers suffer from gate prices reflecting the international milk lake, with a little extra pain for dud Murray Goulburn management, it might be a slight worry to glimpse the Deputy Prime Minister's opinion of demand-and-supply dynamics.

Just like iron ore, global and domestic production of milk soared in reaction to high prices. Credit:Bloomberg

Just like iron ore, global and domestic production of milk soared in reaction to high prices. As is the nature of such commodities, supply overshot demand. There is no surprise about that. Wrote a piece myself 16 months ago suggesting the kiwi milk boom was about to end in tears.

For reasons that are very hard to fathom, the newly restructured Murray Goulburn co-op management and board thought it could do a King Canute on the price it would pay farmers for milk. Many farmers, optimists in the face of hard experience, chose to believe the co-op instead of the headlines about what was happening in New Zealand and elsewhere. Facing up to the reality of lower prices and having to pay back some of what they received from Murray Goulburn is proving very hard indeed.
Defections from the Mitre 10 and Home Timber & Hardware networks are shaping up as a bigger risk to Metcash's bid to create a serious number two player in hardware than the competition watchdog investigation.

Rival buying group Hardware & Building Traders (HBT) has enjoyed a significant spike in new members since Woolworths and its US partner Lowe's announced plans to abandon hardware in January and sell off the Danks-supplied Home network.

Uncertainty over the future of the Mitre 10 and Home Timber & Hardware hardware brands is driving defections. Credit:Glenn Campbell

HBT revealed that most of the retailers had come from the Home network but it said there was also a significant number of Mitre 10 operators who were concerned about how the current upheaval in the sector would affect their operations.

Natbuild National Building Suppliers Group has also expanded its business on the back of the uncertainty, with long-time Home member Hume & Iser recently joining the trade buying group.
Fascinatingly, the portrait Switzer paints of Turnbull is a kind of mirror image of how the Prime Minister appears to those of us  and I'm one of them  whose support for the Coalition is occasional rather than regular, but who felt that last September it had chosen a leader worth voting for.

It was a trenchant column that explained why, from the point of view of someone who "has voted Liberal in every federal election since [he] was eligible in 1990", Bill Shorten seems to be doing so well and Turnbull so badly.

On Monday on this site, conservative columnist Tom Switzer argued that Malcolm Turnbull would lose the election unless he could convince the Liberal base that he is a genuine custodian, as Menzies and Howard were, of the "centre-right tradition in Australian politics".

I doubt it, Tom. After all, in Australia we have to vote for someone; I just don't believe that "many Liberal partisans", however disgruntled by Tony Abbott's demise, will mark their ballot papers in such a way that their vote won't trickle down eventually to the Liberal or National candidate.

On the other hand, I know many lifelong Labor voters who were deeply disillusioned by the antics of the Rudd-Gillard era; mistrustful of Bill Shorten's naked ambition and faceless skullduggery; utterly repelled by the strident sloganeering of Abbott; and who saw Turnbull, with his promise to explain and persuade, his patent lack of ideological dogmatism, as Australia's best hope for decent, sensible government. They were the people, surely, who gave Turnbull his stunning early poll figures as preferred leader.

But his popularity has trended steadily down since then. And, Tom, it's not because the Coalition base loves him less: they never loved him much in the first place. It's because many of those floaters and Abbott-haters who saw Turnbull as a potential saviour have decided he's probably nothing of the sort.

"What's different about Turnbull is that he has not actually done anything to explain his rapid downhill trajectory," muses Switzer. But Tom, you've got it the wrong way round. What explains his rapid downhill trajectory is that he has not actually done anything.

And when you look at the things people like Switzer want him to do, and the things that people like me want him to do, it's no wonder he hasn't done anything.
For stations with at least 20 years of records, a few have already reported record numbers of days in May with at least 25 degrees, Agata Imielska, a senior bureau climatologist, said. Still a chance for a last dip before the cold finally arrives. Credit:James Brickwood These include (with Tuesday added): Eight days at Canterbury Racecourse (the previous was six in 2014)

10 days at Bankstown Airport (the previous was seven in 1990)  47 years of data

Eight days at Badgerys Creek (the previous was six days in 2007)

10 days in Penrith (the previous was seven in 2007)

11 days in Richmond (the previous was five in 1997) For the city itself, seven days this month have reached 25 degrees or more, including Tuesday. That makes it the equal most such days, sharing the honours with 1957, 1958, 1990 and 2014.

A list of the 10 warmest days in May - with Tuesday's 28.3 degrees just missing out. Credit:Bureau of Meteorology Record run of mild nights Nights have also been milder than normal, although the difference is less stark than during the day, largely because of the clear skies letting the mercury drop quickly after sunset. So far this month, minimum temperatures are averaging 14.3 degrees, compared with the typical 11.6 degrees for May.

With the typically cooler half of the month ahead, Sydney will struggle to top May 1989, when the record high minimum of 14 degrees was set. What's most interesting, though, is the persistent warmth. Remember what you were doing on September 29 last year? That's the last time the city recorded a night with a temperature below 12 degrees. In bad news for purveyors of woollen scarves and other cool-weather garb, the past 230 nights in Sydney have been 12 degrees or warmer. That tally easily eclipses the previous record of 217 nights, which ran to May 19, 1974, and May 8, 2004, Ms Pepler said.

And there's little sign of a let-up, Jacob Cronje, a senior meteorologist with Weatherzone, said. While there are a couple of nights in the next week when the 12-degree string might be broken, days are likely to remain above-average for the remaining two weeks of May, Mr Cronje said. "Those mild nights should stick around until June," he said. "It's just strange, we're not used to it." Records in play Daytime temperatures are forecast to range from about 22-24 degrees for the next week, although the chance of "dramatic heat" subsides as winter nears, Mr Cronje says.

Ms Pepler said records in the offing this month include the highest average maximum of 23.2 degrees, set in 2014, the fewest days below 20 and the most consecutive days above 22 degrees (one and 19, respectively, in records set in that year). An east coast low in early January - which led to the coolest January day since 1978 - means the current tally of 130 days of 20 degrees or warmer is unlikely to challenge the 180-day record tally set in the period to May 4, 1914, she said. The First World War period was notable for another record that, so far, still stands. Sydney reached 30 degrees on May 1, 1919, the city's hottest May Day, at a time when troops were returning from foreign battlefields. Widespread warmth If this year seems warm in Sydney, you'd be right.

Temperatures for the first four and a half months of the year are running 0.35 degrees warmer than in any other year, Weatherzone's Rob Sharpe said. Nationally, it will take a lot to beat the outlier May of 1958, when mean temperatures were 2.11 degrees warmer than the long-run average (set at 1961-90 by the bureau). "We look to be in that range at the moment, but of course the second half of May would normally be cooler than the first," Blair Trewin, senior bureau climatologist, said. The next in line were two recent years, 2007 (with an anomaly of 1.73 degrees) and 2014 (1.62 degrees). Other late-season records would need another burst of warmth, and there "may be possibilities" of that next week, Dr Trewan.
Three endangered fairy penguins were spotted swimming in Sydney's Darling Harbour near Pyrmont on Tuesday, in a rare show further west than their usual fishing grounds.

Only a few days after a fur seal was caught lounging on the steps of the Opera House, the penguins were sighted by workers who were enjoying a late autumn sunny day in Pyrmont.

Chris Jenkins, who was out eating lunch with colleagues, correctly guessed they were fairy penguins  also called little penguins or blue penguins.

"They lingered around for a while, and then dived down, and swam very close to the edge of the walkway, " he said.
The Waverley mayor, Sally Betts, a Liberal who also works for Mr Turnbull as an electorate officer, opposed the poll, claiming that a survey of 600 residents a year ago had established support for a merger.

Waverly Council's mayor Sally Betts opposed the plebiscite.

But this was derided by Labor councillor Ingrid Strew, who described it as "a dodgy poll". Cr Strewe said she knew of no-one who received the information brochure distributed prior to the survey. Residents were asked to pick between several different merger options with a final option of no merger. Even so, 36 per cent of people opposed it outright.

Labor's John Wakefield, said some might see it as too late or a merger a foregone conclusion: 'I believe it's not my right to tell you what to do; it's your right to tell me," he said to cheers from the gallery.

Mayor Betts been one of the early champions of council amalgamations. Waverley and Randwick voted early to merge, with the mayor saying she considered the mergers inevitable and that it was better to support the Baird government's proposal rather than be forced to merge.
It has been just two years since Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk caused widespread outrage among the city's LGBTIQ community by refusing to fly the rainbow flag at City Hall to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

What a difference 24 short months can make.

After an enormous backlash to his 2014 refusal, the lord mayor relented in 2015, agreeing to fly the international queer pride symbol from one of Brisbane's grandest historic buildings on May 17, the day on which IDAHOT falls annually.

This year, two of the largest government agencies in the state, the Queensland Police Service and Queensland Ambulance Service, followed suit.
The grieving, heavily pregnant wife of a paraglider who plunged to his death north west of Brisbane on Sunday has paid tribute to "our beautiful, loving, dedicated and extremely adoring father and husband."

Austin Desi went out to indulge in what friends describe as "one of the great loves of his life" on Sunday and never came home.

Clontarf auto-electrician Austin Desi, 35, plunged to his death in a paragliding accident on Sunday. Credit:Facebook

The 35-year-old suffered severe head injuries when he fell from his glider to the ground at the privately owned Archer Falls airstrip, about 13 kilometres west of Woodford, about 10am Sunday.

He died at the scene.
A 37-year-old man who allegedly tried to choke his partner in an alleged rape attempt in Brisbane's inner-south has been charged with attempted murder.

Police were called to a house in Jane Street, West End about 1.30am Wednesday, after reports of a domestic disturbance.

A man has been charged with the attempted murder of is partner in West End. Credit:Rob Gunstone

A 43-year-old woman told officers her partner had punched her, tried to choke her and attempted to rape her.

He was later charged with attempted murder, and assault with intent to rape.
A sunflower competition at Gatton has awarded a Sunshine Coast high school the title of grand champion for its heaviest sunflower.

More than 200 high school students from throughout Queensland battled it out at University of Queensland's Gatton campus on Tuesday to put their sunflowers to the test, and on the scales.

St Aidans Anglican Girls student Gabrielle Taylor with her school's sunflower entry.

Each sunflower entry was 12 weeks old, and to cultivate the heaviest, each school had to factor in light exposure, types of soil, water applications and fertilisers.

Glasshouse Christian College took out the heavyweight title with its 2.023-kilogram sunflower.
Kevan Gosper, the former vice-president of Sydney's 2000 Olympic Organising Committee, said Peter Beattie's appointment to chair the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games was astute.

Mr Gosper said Mr Beattie's appointment was similar to the role played by former New South Wales roads and Olympics minister Michael Knight, who went on to chair Sydney's 2000 Olympic Organising Committee.

"I think it is a very good selection," Mr Gosper told Fairfax Media on Wednesday morning.

"I think Peter is a worldly type of person and of course he is an experienced politician," he said.
An Apex gang member who pointed a sawn-off shotgun in a man's face during a carjacking must spend 20 months in youth detention.

Isaac Gatkuoth, now 19, was affected by the drug ice and wearing a mask with a smiley face on it when he got out of a white BMW - that was later involved in a fatal crash - and pointed the shotgun at the man and demanded his car keys in Frankston South in the early hours of November 5 last year.

Four days later in Mordialloc, the BMW collided with a car driven by Amanda Matheson, a 47-year-old mother of two, who suffered serious injuries and died in hospital.

A teenage boy is to appear before a children's court charged over the fatal crash.
A defiant group of homeless people sleeping in the City Square are refusing to move, despite a one-year $750,000 funding extension for a rough sleeping accommodation program.

The state government has extended the funding in a bid to shift the group, but it has so far failed to convince the campers, who say it could make matters worse.

One of the campers, John Alexander, said the extra funding would only attract more homeless people to the CBD to access services.

"The amount of extra homeless you are going to gain in the CBD is ridiculous," he said.
A cyclist is recovering in hospital under police guard after he was hit by a car on Sydney Road in Coburg.

Police saw the cyclist on Spry Street just before 8am on Tuesday morning and tried to approach the man, who is wanted for outstanding warrants.

The man then took off on his bike and rode into traffic on Sydney Road where he was struck by a car.
One of Port Melbourne's most popular waterfront pubs, the 100-year-old London Hotel opposite Station Pier, could be bulldozed to make way for apartments.

The local historical society is furious the London Hotel could soon be razed for an eight-level block of units.

"It's the only bit that we have left - everything else has been turned into luxury apartments," said Pat Grainger, secretary of the Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society.

Port Phillip Council is not opposing the demolition.
It was perhaps the poshest rally Melbourne's CBD has ever seen. Pearls, barristers' robes and wigs mingled with suits and heels, as hundreds gathered to protest successive cuts to Legal Aid that have eroded legal assistance to society's poorest. Retired Supreme Court Justice Betty King spoke out against funding cuts at the Legal Aid rally. Credit:Vince Caligiuri Retired Supreme Court Justice Betty King told the crowd that Legal Aid was designed to help society's most vulnerable - who had never faced bigger hurdles getting access to justice. "These are people who are downtrodden, life weary; sad," she said. "They don't have people to speak to about this crisis in their life.

The Legal Aid rally attracted hundreds of people, including barristers and lawyers. Credit:Vince Caligiuri "It cannot be a fair system when only one side gets the money to be represented in court. The Commonwealth continues to increase funding to investigating organisations such as the AFP, ASIC or even creating new paramilitary organisations such as Border Force. But it continues to reduce the funding that could remotely balance that system." The rally was part of a national campaign organised by the Law Council of Australia, which is calling for urgent funding increases to legal assistance funding on a state and federal level. The rally was told that the amount of taxpayer money made available for Legal Aid had been reducing since the federal government elected in 1997 to only fund Commonwealth legal aid matters. "In per capita terms it has halved," Ms King said.
A shopper has been praised for performing a citizen's arrest on a man witnesses allege was trying to steal an elderly woman's handbag in Perth's southern suburbs on Tuesday.

Bruce, whose surname WAtoday has chosen not to publish, allegedly restrained a man outside Coles at Maddington Central shopping centre around midday until security officers arrived.

"My partner and I were exiting Coles when a disturbance happened between staff chasing a... man and woman out of the shop," he said.

"After around six staff tried to detain him I jumped in front of him and got a hold of him while staff picked up the purse."
Beirut: The Russian military is constructing a new army base in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, within the protected zone that holds the archaeological site listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site and without asking for permission from relevant authorities, an American heritage organisation and a top Syrian archaeologist said Tuesday.

The American School of Oriental Research's Cultural Heritage Initiative posted pictures from the satellite imagery and analytics company DigitalGlobe that show the construction on the edge of the ancient site that was damaged by the Islamic State group, which held Palmyra for 10 months.

A UNESCO official said it was unclear whether the encampment was in a buffer zone to the archaeological site but said it does not form a threat to the historic area.

Syrian troops backed by Russian airstrikes captured Palmyra in March and fighting continues miles away until this day. In recent weeks, IS fighters launched a fresh offensive in which they captured a nearby gas field that brought them close to the town.
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October 3, 2022

Dee Gambit

Hundreds  if not thousands  of new and returning TV shows and movies are released every month  your options of what to watch are endless. Variety, they say is ...
In this episode of Gotham, Wrath of the Villains: A Legion of Horribles, Bruce, Lucius Fox and Gordon formulate a plan to rescue Selina. Strange brings Fish Mooney back from the dead, and shes not quite the woman she used to be. And Strange answers to a higher power.

Thanks to Selinas cat-like reflexes, shes able to avoid becoming a crispy critter, not for Bridgits (aka Firefly) lack of trying. Bridgit has obviously succumbed to Stranges brainwashing because she now believes shes the Goddess of Fire. But brute strength beats out a blowtorch when Selina knocks Bridgit out cold, commenting, Man, Bridgit  someone sure scrambled your eggs.

FOX Announces Fall 2016 Schedule >>>





A Rescue Mission

When Selina fails to return from Arkham, Bruce realizes his friend is in trouble and goes to Gordon for help. Bruce informs him shes being held captive by Hugo Strange.

Alfred is livid to learn that Bruce involved Selina, even after he expressly ordered his young charge not to put the girl in harms way.

Lucius Fox doesnt believe Selina is at Arkham, confident that Strange has her in a secret lab somewhere. Because Strange runs Arkham and is seen there every day, Gordon figures out that wherever Strange is doing his dirty work has to be accessible via the asylum. They put together that the location must be underground. The problem is finding out how to get there. Fox has a solution. He figures that whatever technology Strange is using requires plutonium isotopes. If so, there will be trace radiation. Fox developed a miniature Geiger counter for Wayne Enterprises for use on the battlefield. If Gordon can get Fox into Arkham, he can find the lab.

Bruce says that since the Wayne Foundation is a large donor, hell ask for a tour. Alfred doesnt think its a good idea for Bruce to engage with the man who had his father killed. Bruce is convinced that Strange will want to find out just how much he knows and wont view himself or Fox as a threat. Alfred tries to put his foot down, but Bruce is determined to make things right since hes the one who got Selina into this mess in the first place. Fox promises to protect Bruce.

Gordon states that once Bruce and Fox find the lab, hell call Bullock the GCPD will come busting in and keep Strange busy while he finds Selina. Basically, every objection Alfred has gets shot down, and the plan is a go.

Go Fish

Strange continues his experiments. Beatrice is concerned that Strange has gone off the rails. He continues to awaken subjects, none of whom remember who they once were. She warns Strange that their employers are going to shut them down, but Strange is obsessed with giving his creations new personas that they design and control. Beatrice argues that this argument is lost on the powers that be who obviously have a different agenda.

If Nygma was worried about his fate before his escape attempt, things have only gotten worse for him since. Nygma is now locked up with a cannibal by the name of Mr. Stirk. A few inches of chain is the only thing preventing Stirk from devouring Nygma piece by piece.

In an attempt to distance himself from his new roommate, Nygma tells Beatrice that if Strange hopes to stop Jim Gordon and the GCPD, the Professor is going to need his help.

Strange hits the jackpot when he brings his latest subject back from the dead. She remembers exactly who she is: Fish Mooney. Beatrice questions why Fish awoke with her memory intact. Strange isnt sure. It could be the increased voltage (equal to a bolt of lightning), or the cuttlefish DNA spliced with her own or a contaminate in the river from which she was pulled.

One thing is certain: Stranges masters will be pleased that hes finally created his first true reanimate.

Strange also decides to entertain any ideas Nygma may have regarding Gordon. He was clever enough to find the basement, and Nygma does know Gordon pretty well.

Like Father, Like Son

Bruce and Mr. Fox arrive at Arkham and are greeted by a gracious Strange. Bruce requests that they talk while Lucius tours the facility to see just how the Waynes money is being spent. Strange isnt about to let a civilian go traipsing around Arkham, so he has Beatrice act as a guide.

Meanwhile, Gordon  who makes his way out of the trunk of Foxs car  does some poking around of his own. Dressed in his old uniform, he uses an old ID card to gain access. The guard points out that its expired, but Gordon uses the excuse that he lost his new one. Gordon gets in, but hes aroused suspicion.

Strange recounts how Gordon came to see him, stating that his was working on a clients behalf, Bruces more specifically. He wants to know if Bruce has come to follow up regarding Gordons questions and allegations about Pinewood. Bruce explains that after Gordon left the GCPD, Bruce retained him to look into his parents deaths. Bruce states that Gordon has been pursuing various leads and doesnt share everything with him.

Strange tells Bruce he reminds him of his father; Bruce has the same look of certainty in his eyes. Strange says that is a luxury he isnt allowed. As a scientist, he must leave room for doubt. But not Thomas; he believed in things. Bruce comments that some might refer to this as moral principles. Strange tells Bruce that science and moral absolutes dont often go hand in hand and recounts how he and Thomas would argue, with Strange unable to get Thomas to bend. Bruce is glad to hear that his father stood his ground; it made him the man he was. Strange says its also what killed him and his mother. Were his fathers ideals worth that sacrifice?

Bruce takes this as an admission of guilt and calls Strange out. All Strange will admit is that he was Thomas friend, and he warned him, just as hes warning Bruce, to turn back. For the sake of everyone Bruce cares about, he needs to make the choice Thomas did not.

A surly Beatrice shows Mr. Fox around, and he uses his little gadget, hoping to pick up some readings. Beatrice catches him and questions Fox about the device. He tells her it measures the air quality. Beatrice continues, oblivious to the fact that Foxs machine has started to go nuts. He makes a mark on a wall where the signal is the strongest, a clue to Gordon that the entrance to the lab must be nearby.

Gordon skulks around and spies the mark Mr. Fox left.

Bruce tells Strange that Thomas Wayne fought and died for what he thought was right, and hes prepared to do the same. Hugo goes to put his hand on Bruces shoulder, and he shrugs it off. Strange speaks into an intercom on his desk and says, Take them. Security quickly round up Lucius and Gordon. Two orderlies burst into Stranges office and grab Bruce.

It turns out Strange does have a sentimental side. He tells Beatrice how much Bruce reminds him of Thomas, who he genuinely misses, ironic as it might seem. Beatrice only sees Bruce as a threat. Somebody will come looking for him, so Strange needs to act fast.

Gotham Recap: Selina is Reunited with an Old Friend >>>

The Secret Council

The face of a woman disguised by a silver mask appears on the video monitors in Stranges office. Shes one of the Professors mysterious and nefarious employers. She accuses him of losing sight of his mission, sending armed freaks out into the streets of Gotham. She tells Strange hes failed at his core objective: achieving immortality. This can only be achieved when one returns with their mind and memories intact. Thats when Strange pulls the Fish Mooney card.

She questions if Strange can repeat the process, and he answers that if given enough time, he believes so. The woman orders Strange to find out what Bruce and his companions know and to move all his operations to a facility upstate. Hes also to destroy his lab, Indian Hill.

Fire Goddess Seeks Servant

Selina is a resourceful girl, and while Bridgit lay unconscious, she uses Fireflys torch to try and burn through the walls. Unfortunately, getting out isnt going to be that easy. Bridgit wakes up, eager to continue their fight, but Selina is armed. Selina reminds her friend about their time together and about the pigeons she so lovingly looked after. Bridgit does recall frying her brothers, which isnt the memory Selina was hoping to reignite. She also is too damaged by Strange to remember her friend. Selina is forced to set Bridgit ablaze, but her new superpowers make Bridgit flame retardant.

Selina tries a different tactic. She decides to let Firefly believe shes bought into her story. Selina points out that as a goddess, Bridgit needs a servant. Selina says Strange left that tidbit out of the story. The idea of a servant appeals to Bridgit, so she spares Selina.

Have Fun Storming the Asylum

Alfred goes to see acting GCPD Captain Bullock. He alerts Bullock that Fox, Bruce and Gordon went to Arkham and have failed to return. Its time to storm the fortress. But Bullock has a better idea than an out-of-shape Irishman and a recently stabbed butler going commando. He sends some sort of GCPD SWAT team to do the job.

More Villains, More Problems

Things dont look good for our three heroes at Arkham. Lucius is put in a cell with Bruce and they find themselves at Ed Nygmas mercy. Hes been tasked with finding out what they know and who theyve told it to. If they dont talk, he will fill the cell with poisonous gas.

Strange is dealing with Gordon personally. He introduces Gordon to one of his newest monsters: Basil, who is an actual chameleon. Basil takes on the visage and voice of the real Jim Gordon. This cannot be good.

Fish Mooney didnt exactly come back like her old self. She has the ability to bend others to her will with a touch of her hand.

How will our heroes get out of this mess? Will Selina become a toasted marshmallow? Who comprises the Secret Council? Will Nygma ever stop being annoying?

The Gotham season 2 finale airs Monday, May 23 at 8pm on FOX.

(Image courtesy of FOX)
UBs Finish in 4 helps students realize the dream of a college degree

UB senior Paula Bianca Lazatin (right), a Finish in 4 participant, is graduating with a triple major in political science, international studies and German. She is pictured with her mother, Guia Lazatin (left) and her father, Emmanuel Lazatin (center).



More than 60 percent of the programs first enrollees will graduate within four years  a rate far above the national average

Finish in 4 has "helped establish a culture and conversation on campus that timely graduation is important to both students and the university. A. Scott Weber, senior vice provost for academic affairs University at Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y.  In 2012, the University at Buffalo launched Finish in 4, an innovative program that pledges to give freshmen the resources to graduate within four years. That investment is now paying off: Many of the first students to enroll in the program will earn their degrees this month, graduating at a far higher rate than peers around the country. Of the 1,479 students who signed up for Finish in 4 in its inaugural year, some 930  about 63 percent  are graduating this semester. That far exceeds the nations average four-year graduation rate of 34 percent for public institutions, the latest figure available from the National Center for Education Statistics. Finish in 4 is our commitment to helping students earn their degree in a timely manner, says A. Scott Weber, UB senior vice provost for academic affairs. Students and their families have embraced it. They recognize the value of the program, which has helped establish a culture and conversation on campus that timely graduation is important to both students and the university. With Finish in 4, the important thing is that the students have a goal, they have a target, says Emmanuel Lazatin, the father of UB senior Paula Bianca Lazatin, a triple major from Niagara Falls who will graduate this month with a degree in political science, international studies and German. I think it helps them focus on their education  not just completing it on time, but on their education in general.

Resources to support on-time graduation

Download a high resolution portrait of UB student and Finish in 4 participant Paula Bianca Lazatin UB student and Finish in 4 participant Paula Bianca Lazatin. Credit: Douglas Levere



Through Finish in 4, UB commits to providing students with resources such as seats in required classes and a clear curricular plan  a semester-by-semester outline of all the courses they need to take to earn a degree in four years. In exchange, participants pledge to adhere to program requirements. This includes following the curricular plan, registering on time and communicating with an academic adviser at least once a semester. Students must also take a major and career assessment their first year and be in an approved major by the completion of 60 credits. The program helps to keep college affordable by minimizing the amount families spend on tuition and giving students the opportunity to start their careers sooner. Participants who fulfill all program obligations but are unable to graduate in four years can finish their degree at UB free of tuition and fees. Paula Bianca Lazatin, the triple major from Niagara Falls, says the program teaches responsibility. Finish in 4 strengthened my focus on my goals for my academic career and provided the resources to guarantee my success, says Lazatin, who serves as an ambassador for the program, helping to answer student and parent questions about it. The organizational skills and responsibility taken from Finish in 4 are traits that not only aid in the transition from high school to university life, but also in the transition from graduation into the workforce or graduate school. Nikki Scerra, a biomedical engineering major graduating this month, says Finish in 4 took all the guesswork out of planning her academic career. You are forced to meet with an adviser every semester to make sure youre still on track to graduate within four years. Its great to have my schedule planned out so I can focus on other things as well, says Scerra, who took advantage of her time at UB by joining engineering societies, working as a student assistant on campus and interning with New Era Cap on projects related to her major. Since Scerra and Lazatin joined Finish in 4, interest in the program has been growing among students, with enrollment in the program rising from about half of the freshman class in 2012 to 75 percent for the class entering in fall 2015. For all undergraduates, UB ingrains the idea of graduating in four years by introducing it at orientation and reinforcing it throughout a students career via avenues such as class-year Facebook pages and souvenirs that build pride in a specific graduation year.

UB recognized nationally for increasing graduation rates

The economy, the opportunities available, change every day. By being focused on finishing in time, it gets you to where you need to be so you can take advantage of those opportunities.  Emmanuel Lazatin, father of UB student and Finish in 4 participant Paula Bianca Lazatin

Finish in 4 is part of a comprehensive approach toward improving graduation rates that has earned UB national recognition and produced measurable results for all students. For example, UB has built additional capacity in high-demand undergraduate classes, increased advising capacity and adopted an early-alert system designed to identify students encountering academic difficulty. The results of these investments are paying off both in improvement of graduation rates and UBs national visibility. The universitys four-year graduation rate rose from 35 percent in 2005 to 55 percent in 2015, while the six-year graduation rate climbed from 59 percent to 74 percent over the same period. UBs innovations  including Finish in 4  were a catalyst for a 2013 visit to UB by President Barack Obama, during which he delivered a major speech on national higher education policy. In 2015, the university was named as one of five finalists for the 2015 Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Project Degree Completion Award, which recognizes universities that embrace innovative strategies to increase undergraduate retention and graduation, and create clear, accelerated pathways for student success. In 2013, UB was one of only six public research universities recognized as a Next Generation University by the New America Foundation for the strategies theyve used to expand enrollment and achieve higher graduation rates in a cost-effective manner despite declining revenues. In 2014, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo set a second-term policy priority to expand Finish in 4 statewide, and in 2015, SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher recognized Finish in 4 as an innovative program that drives degree completion and announced that SUNY plans to replicate the program in colleges and universities system-wide. And this year, The Education Trust issued a report that praised UB for improving graduation rates for black students. The percentage of black students who completed their degree within six years at UB rose by 20 points between 2003 and 2013, according to the organizations calculations. UBs success in raising graduation rates is the result of smart investments of time and resources. Emmanuel Lazatin says he thinks UBs focus on graduation for all students, and not just those in Finish in 4, is great: Starting a career is all about timing, he says. The economy, the opportunities available, change every day. By being focused on finishing in time, it gets you to where you need to be so you can take advantage of those opportunities.

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Phillies are World Series bound! How to watch, plus the full schedule

The Phillies are heading to the World Series for the first time since 2009. Follow along as Philadelphia takes on the Houston Astros.
Burnham-On-Seas MP James Heappey has welcomed a multi-million pound investment from the Government to support the creation of a National College for Nuclear that will be based in Somerset and Cumbria.

The College, which is set to open its doors in late 2017, will meet the demand for highly skilled workers in the nuclear sector and will offer courses designed by employers for a range of highly specialised careers.

James Heappey, who is a member of the Parliamentary Energy and Climate Change Select Committee, said: Somerset finds itself at the centre of the UKs new nuclear industry. The announcement that the National College for Nuclear will be based here is hugely welcome and will provide thousands of Somerset residents with the opportunity to launch careers in this exciting industry.

Skills Minister Nick Boles added: This is the investment in high-tech skills that businesses are crying out for. We have made it a priority to work with employers to deliver high-quality, technical education and clear routes to employment that deliver economic growth and create opportunities for our young people, and enable our existing workforce to upskill and retrain for the jobs of the future.

The National Colleges have been designed with employers, for employers. They will produce the skills needed now and into the future to ensure the UK remains innovative and at the forefront of pioneering industry.

Based at Lakes College in Cumbria and Bridgwater College, the National College for Nuclear is being funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), with additional support from the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership for the Southern Hub.

Sellafield Ltd and EDF Energy will lead industry input into the nuclear college, working alongside Lakes and Bridgwater Colleges, plus higher education providers, University of Cumbria and University of Bristol.
India may see a new kind of tourism where with antique gold jewellery held by temples are displayed for a fee to domestic and foreign tourists.

The World Gold Council (WGC) has engaged the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to conduct a feasibility study in six months after which a proposal will be forwarded to the relevant ministries.

Some antique jewellery is displayed in a couple of museums in the world. Gold tourism would be a first of its kind, if implemented properly.

Old temples have jewellery of antique value that cannot be monetised, but they can earn fees for viewing. The objective is to keep jewellery on display for public viewing for a fee. This will increase temples earnings, said Somasundaram PR, managing director, World Gold Council, India.

Estimates suggest temples hold around a fifth of the 25,000 tonnes gold in the country. Some of these temples have been accumulating gold for centuries.

The WGC had in 2014 envisaged a gold tourism circuit for hand-crafted jewellery. However, little progress was made because of lack of guidelines for jewellers and differences over selection of jewellery.

Individual temples can keep ornaments on display under their own surveillance. Security can be controlled by temple trusts.

The idea is not bad. But infrastructure and security could be big challenges. Some temples can do it, said Rajesh Mehta, managing director, Rajesh Exports, a jewellery chain.

FAITH IN GOLD
In an attempt to lure flyers and push up sales, no-frills have slashed fares in advance purchase offers.

SpiceJet is offering one-way fares between Rs 511 and Rs 2,111 (excluding taxes) on domestic and international routes, respectively, in a three-day anniversary sale till Thursday, while AirAsia is giving a 50 per cent off on return flights booked till Wednesday.

IndiGo, too, has dropped one-way fares to around Rs 800 on routes such as Jammu-Srinagar, Srinagar-Chandigarh and Rs 924 for Goa-Mumbai and Rs 1,050 for Ahmedabad-Mumbai. IndiGo's discounted tickets are valid for travel between July 4 - September 30.

WHATS ON OFFER AirAsia, IndiGo and SpiceJet are giving discounts in advance purchase offers to attract passengers



Jul-Sep is traditionally a lean season for air travel and discounts help push up sales



reported 80% load factor in June-Sep 2015 and are keen to keep the demand momentum strong



Cleartrip, Yatra.com have reported surge in bookings for domestic & international flights

The period from June to September is traditionally lean for travel as schools and colleges reopen. Hence, carriers are providing discounts to keep loads high. During June-September 2015, domestic carriers reported load factor of 80 per cent, compared to 75 per cent in the previous year. Also, airlines, especially IndiGo and SpiceJet, have added aircraft and increased flights.

SpiceJet said the discounted tickets are available for popular destinations such as Dehradun, Bagdogra, Udaipur, etc on domestic routes and Bangkok, Colombo, Dubai and Muscat on international routes. The discounted tickets are valid for domestic travel from June 15 to September 30 and for international travel from June 1 to July 20.

Weve started seeing a surge in bookings for the 30-90 day out period, on both domestic and international routes. Stimulating advance purchase through sales like these works on various grounds. Firstly, its an opportunity to tap the large leisure segment of customers, which is strategically an important segment. Secondly, it helps airlines get predictable loads on their flights 30-days or more in advance. This enables them to potentially garner higher yields closer to departure, said Amit Taneja, chief revenue officer, Cleartrip.

The sale is a bit unanticipated for this time of the year and a bonanza for people who had not made any travel plans, as well as for those who prefer to travel at off-peak times. At Yatra, we have seen a big upsurge in bookings on Tuesday as the sale is open only for three days, said Sharat Dhall, president of Yatra.com.
Ltd has received patent for an invention related to lightweight composite articles suitable for making structures for use in automobile industry, aerospace industry and for domestic panels. The patent office issued an order proceeding to grant patent for invention titled 'A lightweight composite article and structural members made therewith'.

The company had filed an application for the patent on December 11, 2007 and a first examination report was issued on July 18, 2011.

The objections were addressed by the company through written arguments this month, which was satisfactory, according to the Patent Office, Chennai.

Having considered all the facts, submissions made by the company as well as all the documents on record and also in view of its findings, the Patent official ordered the application to proceed for grant of patent provided there is no pre-grant opposition pending, it said.

According to the company's claim, the invention relates to light weight composite article which consists of at least two layers of adhesively bonded light weight fibres which may be filaments selected from jute, cotton, coir and the like. Such layers are sandwiched with a matrix core containing light weight granules such as expanded polystyrene. This core is positioned in between the layers in an area of least stress or at the neutral axjs.

"This invention also includes articles like automobile parts and domestic products made from such composite material," says the company in its claims.
US-based conglomerate GE has signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras), to set up an Industrial Internet Centre of Excellence. The Centre is being established to develop applications that will help save costs. The first of these will be the Digital Twin of an .Digital twins are digital replicas of physical smelters, from whom they collect data to analyse and support maintenance of the actual facility. One of the biggest challenges that aluminium smelters face worldwide, is high maintenance cost.According to senior company officials, GE would invest around Rs three crore in the first six months and could commit around Rs 30 crore over five years depending upon the outcome.

Aluminium smelters are refineries for extracting the metal from aluminium oxide, separating it from oxygen through a chemical reaction. Through the new Centre, GE and IIT Madras will create the Digital Twin of a smelter, a living digital model that will continuously generate new data and insights about the smelter that allows operators to run the smelters more efficiently.

The net gains for the industry through such productivity enhancement are valued at between $50-150 million annually.

"A mere one percent increase in productivity through the application of Industrial Internet solutions can contribute to a 20 percent potential increase in performance for its customers," Azeez Mohammed, president & CEO, GE Power Services, Middle East & Africa. The solutions will be powered by Predix, GE's cloud-based operating system built exclusively for industry.

The tie up will also reduce the time taken to start implementation.

While it would have taken several years to build the system inhouse, the collaboration will help the company to start installation by November, said Mohammed. He added that the collaboration is envisaged for a long term, under which the researchers will keep on adding value to the technology, which the company will update on cloud to serve their clients.

Researchers and students will work closely with the GE Global Research, GE Power Services Engineering and GE Digital teams at GE's John F. Welch Technology Centre in Bengaluru.

"We want to prepare a new generation of students who have expertise in multidisciplines," said Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director of IIT Madras. A parallel track is in progress in the insitution where a new stream of education and training is being created, which include industrial internet, which is the use of internet of things for industry and data analytics, he added.

GE will combine the data from various sensors with the Physics-based understanding of the various processes. Using Artificial Intelligence technology, the centre will create a self-tuning live model of the smelter. This Digital Twin of the smelter will serve as the foundation for various applications that contribute to enhancing the efficiency, productivity and reliability of the smelting process and the power plants.

These solutions will be developed using GE's Predix Industrial Internet operating system and Predix APM (Asset Performance Management), which optimises machines and operations to maximise business performance through three core capabilities - Machine and Equipment Health, Reliability Management, and Maintenance Optimisation. Globally, electricity accounts for nearly 38 percent of the cost of aluminium production, said the company.
Vodafone, which is preparing to list on Indian exchanges, is not overtly concerned about the possible increase in competition in the coming months. The telco is ready for some bold moves, even as the sector's profitability continues to be under pressure. Sunil Sood, managing director and chief executive officer of Vodafone India, tells Malini Bhupta what's in store in the new financial year. Edited excerpts:



Are you profitable at the net level as you have still not disclosed those figures? Also, is profitability becoming a challenge for the sector as costs are increasing?



We have not been commenting on whether we are profitable or not. We have maintained that there is one abnormal cost as far as the industry is concerned, which is spectrum price. The pressure on profitability comes from that. If my revenue of 20 years is equal to spectrum cost, then I make zero returns. If spectrum prices moderate, the industry's situation improves. We believe some of the government's moves could help moderate it, which optimise spectrum that is already available through improved usage. Other measures also include harmonisation and putting more spectrum on the block.

Are you looking at a listing by year-end?



We will look at a listing as soon as we are ready and the board approves it. The market and environment has to be correct.

Is the industry responsible for such high spectrum prices through irrational bidding?



It is important to understand why prices went way higher than the base price. A lot of the money spent was on renewal spectrum. Renewal means you have already invested for 20 years in the circle and have subscribers there and it will go to zero if you don't renew. Yes, 3G (third generation) auctions also saw similar escalation. As Martin Pieters (former CEO of Vodafone India) says, what happens if you throw a bone at 10 hungry dogs?



Is this trend sustainable with pan-India spectrum in the 700-Mhz band priced at Rs 55,000 crore? Will you look at increasing your 4G footprint?



I would like to correct your figure. It is Rs 55,000 crore at 15 per cent service tax. Our industry body has said spectrum is priced too high. We are looking at adding more spectrum if there is a strong business case and if prices are right. Currently, our 4G circles cover 70 per cent of our revenues. As the ecosystem evolves, we will move to the next level.

Voice and data realisations are deteriorating, but industry is not showing the will to increase tariffs.



Pricing power comes with the construct of the industry. There are too many players at too many price points. Any form of consolidation will improve pricing power. What happens in the future depends on how consolidation plays out.

Do you see the sector's profitability getting challenged as costs continue to rise and competition puts pressure on returns?



It all depends on the price you pay for spectrum. The rest of the business, like capex and network, can be afforded. It all depends on how spectrum prices unfold. Not too much of spectrum is required once you meet your 4G needs. If you look at our Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) margin, it has remained at a healthy level, hence, we are investing a lot in a healthy bottomline. We continue to drive more efficiency. In financial year 2014-15, we spent Rs 8,000 crore to set up 22,000 sites and in FY16 we spent a similar amount for 35,000 sites. We feel we are ready for growth and have deployed a modern network with single RAN (radio access network), which is just a piece of equipment and can move from 2G to 3G and 4G with a software upgrade. We would be the largest single RAN deployed operator.
IFC is planning to invest up to Rs 135 crore in Grameen Koota, a Bangalore-based microfinance company.

IFC's proposed investment is in the form of senior debt via subscription to non-convertible debentures (NCD) issued by the company.

The proposed investment by the World Bank's arm will help diversify its sources of funding and expand the outreach of access to microfinance to borrowers who have little or no access to formal sources of financing, said IFC.

This investment will promote a more balanced growth of microfinance in India. Grameen Koota's operations are expanding in western and central India where MFI penetration has historically been low.

This project will support the Company in expanding the outreach of access to microfinance to borrowers, especially low-income households, who have little or no access to formal sources of financing, said IFC.

IFC debt would be for a longer tenor (five years) than is typically available for NBFC-MFIs, particularly as the RBI guidelines for priority sector lending stipulate that lending by banks should be co-terminous with loans provided by MFIs to avail priority sector lending benefits, effectively restricting tenor of bank loans to 1-2 years;

Headquartered in Bengaluru, the Company currently operates in five States including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh across 71 districts through 298 branches.

The company has a borrower base of around 1.2 million woman borrowers, a loan portfolio of around $272 million. It is the sixth largest MFI (in terms of gross loans) in India as of December 2015.

has been promoted by Vinatha Reddy and Suresh K Krishna as a micro-lending project in 1999 under the NGO, T Muniswamappa Trust and was subsequently converted into a NBFC in 2006-07.

As of December 31, 2015, the shareholders of the company include promoters (7.7 per cent), CreditAccess Asia NV. (81.2 per cent), Creation Investments Social Funds II (10.23 per cent) and employees (0.87 per cent);

CreditAccess Asia NV is a holding company incorporated in Netherlands with interests across several Asian microfinance institutions such as Grameen in India, One Puhunan in Philippines and Bina Artha in Indonesia and a minority interest in Equitas Holdings Limited in India. Its regional in Asia have a total portfolio of EUR 240 million with over 1.3 million clients.
India may become the largest market for by 2017. The worlds fastest growing major market for smartphones is already the second biggest market for after Brazil.

Lenovos increasing focus on localisation, market-oriented products and expansion of offline distribution may provide its local subsidiary an edge over its peers. The smartphone maker was working on a number of new handsets based on consumer insights its research team had collected earlier this year, Dillion Ye, vice-president, MBG Asia Pacific, told Business Standard.

During 2015 Lenovo became the third largest player in the smartphone market in India. Our devices sales surged 90 per cent last year, Ye said. According to Ye, Lenovos recent models had many features that Indian consumers wanted. That helped in 2015, he added.

ON THE RADAR India is the second largest market for Lenovo after Brazil



Lenovos smartphone sales has nearly doubled in 2015; revenue could touch Rs 8,000 crore in FY17



In FY15, Lenovo managed to post its first profit since FY11, sales grew 42% to Rs 5,667 crore



Rebranding exercise, local assembly and expansion of offline reach may help it grow further in FY17

Lenovo has 23 per cent share of the smartphone market in Brazil with annual sales of close to 12 million. In India, it sold over 6 million handsets in 2015 but this could surpass 12 million by the end of 2016-17, analysts predicted.

In its home market China players like Vivo, Huawei and Xiaomi have moved ahead of the pack. In the first quarter of 2016, Lenovo lost the fifth position that it used to hold globally in early 2015. While the company remains confident of regaining lost ground in China, the worlds largest smartphone market, Ye admitted that would not happen overnight.

Lenovo is trying to strengthen its position in India by offering devices in every price range. Market leader Samsung is the only player that has handsets in all price segments.

Lenovo has segregated its devices under Lenovo Vibe and Moto. Nowhere else in the world have we adopted a dual brand strategy, said Ye.

According to Faisal Kawoosa, general manager, CyberMedia Research, Lenovos full-range strategy has paid off well. It is one of the few trustworthy brands and the dual brand strategy makes it a full-range player, he said.

A recent study by CyberMedia Research reported that Lenovo had the highest uptake in category A telecom circles in India. Lenovo will offer stiff competition to Samsung if it strengthens its presence in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, the study said.
Tata Motors' mini car Nano, launched in 2009, thought to be a gamechanger in those days, didn't quite live up to the expectations. But the company has far from given up on the Nano, which it feels has a huge brand recall globally. According to sources, Tata is actively working on developing a new car based on an upgraded Nano platform, which would sport a 1000 cc engine and would be positioned in between the Nano and the company's latest hatchback Tiago.

Multiple sources close to the development claimed that a car is under development which has been codenamed Pelican, that would be based on an upgraded Nano platform and would reflect the company's new Impact Design philosophy. This would sport a bigger sized engine of around 1000 cc (the Nano runs on a 624 cc two-cylinder engine). The car is likely to roll out from the Sanand plant in Gujarat. While the Nano was known for its frugal engineering and focus on cost-cutting strategy, the new car is likely to be positioned in a more stylish avatar. The company has already communicated the same to most of its vendors, as changes in engine along with a new exterior look would require bigger wheels, bigger batteries, etc.

Tata also has a two-cylinder 800 cc diesel engine ready for the Nano, but the project was put on the back burner as the company thought the engine needed refinement. However, after Maruti Suzuki India launched a diesel variant of the Celerio, is the company likely to rethink its decision of bringing out a diesel Nano?

When asked about the projects, a company spokesperson said: "At any given time, we work on a number of projects. However, in the context of the ongoing debate of diesel technology, the diesel engine for the Nano is currently not being considered. Nano remains an important brand and we constantly continue to evaluate the best market-suited variants for it."

Reiterating its faith on the Nano brand, Tata Motors said: "We are pleased with the good sales momentum for the GenX Nano, launched last year, finding a good response with the customers. The Nano has been a visionary and ground-breaking decision that changed the passenger vehicle business in the Indian market. It set a different pace and created a new segment and is a testimony to our commitment to offer innovative mobility solutions."

In fact, the company also claimed that the Nano is actually among the top 5 brands in the hatchback market to have crossed the 2.5 lakh sales mark in five years.

This perhaps is because of the initial bookings of 100,000 cars priced at Rs 1 lakh. Sales of the car have continued to fluctuate ever since. Tata sold 21,012 units of the Nano in 2015-16. However, the year-on-year sales for April 2016 was down to 1,100 units from 1,480 in 2015. Sales in April, however, have grown by over 50% on a month-on-month basis from March this year, and the company hopes to build on this momentum.

"We are delighted with the response for the GenX Nano launch in 2015 and the overall re-positioning of the brand. We continue to see fresh set of customers, first time car buyers visiting our showrooms. Moreover, the Nano registered a 50% month-on-month growth in April 2016 over March 2016 and we are hoping to further build on this momentum," said the spokesperson.

Tata feels that the growing response to GenX Nano validates that the right product features and positioning bring in customers even in challenging market conditions. Ever since the launch, Tata has continued to add features to the car, from power steering, to openable boot, to now an AMT version. From a frugal common man's car, Nano has been repositioned as a smart city car, which has found favour among women. In FY11, 14% of the owners of Nano cars were women whereas that number has jumped to 23% in FY16 with the introduction of GenX Nano.

Therefore, even after the launch of the Tiago earlier this year, which has so far seen some traction in the domestic market thanks to its disruptive pricing, the Sanand plant continues to make around 2000-2500 Nanos a month.

Around 42,561 Nano cars were produced from the Sanand factory from January 2014 to December 2015, the state government had informed at the assembly in response to a question in March. The company is working to change that. Tata is now also planning to cash in on the global interest in the Nano brand.

The spokesperson said: "Ever since its first showcase at the Auto Expo in Delhi in 2008, the Nano drew attention and generated interest among global audiences and the brand recall continues across the globe." She added: "Though our focus with the Nano is to cater to the domestic market first, we have also been exporting it to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, and have received positive market response."

In fact, Nano exports have grown 177% (as per data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) year-on-year to 1126 units in 2015-16, from just about 406 units in the previous fiscal.
The Gala Family, promoters of Navneet Education Ltd. (www.navneet.com), have made a strategic investment of an undisclosed amount in the Mumbai-based school uniform and supplies company SchoolWear Private Limited (www.schoolwear.in).

Founded in 2014 by Ketan Zaveri and Amit Zaveri, SchoolWear.in was set up to provide a one-stop e-store for all school apparel requirements. In its first season, SchoolWear.in has sold uniforms to over 30,000 households/families in Maharashtra and Gujarat. In Gujarat alone, SchoolWear.in is currently associated with over 15 schools in Ahmedabad, Baroda and Surat.

"With over 100 million kids in private schools and growing we see a great potential in the unorganized $3 billion school uniform and supplies business which is poised to go online in a big way.

SchoolWear.in has done good forward and backward integration in the last 1 year and we are excited to be a part of this groundbreaking startup." Sunil Gala, promoter, Navneet Education Ltd.

According to Ketan Zaveri, CEO SchoolWear.in, the Gala family's investment in SchoolWear.in presents a very exciting strategic opportunity in the Indian school uniform and supplies industry. "We will develop the school uniform category which is currently much unorganized. We wish to provide the convenience of ordering and receiving school uniforms and other supplies, ensuring consistent quality at right price, to parents at their doorstep.," Zaveri added.

With the latest round of funding, SchoolWear.in plans to launch a whole range of school supplies which include school uniforms & accessories, and allied products, besides facilitating school fee payments across 500 schools in 15 cities by end of 2016 including Ahmedabad, Baroda and Surat.

Navneet Promoters were advised by Leap Growth Partners LLP as their financial advisor while RDA Legal was their legal advisor. Pantomath Advisory Services Group acted as advisors to SchoolWear and its promoters.
Oyo, the countrys largest hotel aggregator, will roll out a loyalty programme for its guests. The move will help it improve customer retention and offer a greater value for money. In the hospitality space, loyalty programmes have been largely limited to that own and operate hotel chains.

We are working on a loyalty programme. Loyalty programmes have traditionally meant a discount on hotel tariffs. We may do that but we want to give additional things to customers who stay with us longer. We have respect for SPG and similar loyalty programmes. But we will have a mix of conventional and unconventional approach, Ritesh Agarwal, founder and chief executive officer, told Business Standard.

There is a significant change in loyalty programmes in the new-age digital industry, said Agarwal. OYO is also trying to incentivise hotels to improve service through the OYO Star Programme, where top-performing hotels will be offered additional advantages such as prominent displays on the OYO booking platform and opportunities to be a part of every innovation of the firm.

Founded in 2013, OYO is the largest aggregator of hotel rooms in India operating through a network of 5,900 hotels in over 170 Indian cities. It has a capacity of over 68,000 rooms through these hotels. Oyo has recorded a million check-ins over the past year. In the course of its rapid growth, the company faced several cases of customer complaints. A handful of hotels in key locations were delivering a bad experience to guests and the company has acted against them, de-listing many such hotels. Oyo has been working to improve and standardise guest experience across hotels. A loyalty programme on top of all this will help Oyo to get more repeat bookings.

Top Indian hotel chains like Taj and Oberoi have various guest loyalty programmes. While traditionally, only hotel chains have used loyalty programme in the hospitality space, online travel such as Yatra and Goibibo are now also experimenting with loyalty schemes. Yatra has an e-cash programme where a user gets e-cash on every purchase done. The e-cash can be used for future transactions. We have seen loyalty and retention go up significantly since this scheme was launched in end of 2014. People come back and make purchases using e-cash, said Sharat Dhall, president at Yatra. Goibibo too offers goCash on every transaction that can be used in subsequent purchases.
Srei Infrastructure is looking to raise Rs 750-1,200 crore by diluting stake in Bharat Road Network Limited (BRNL), as part of the lenders strategic investment portfolio.

Srei is looking to dilute between 25 and 30 per cent stake in BRNL. According to Hemant Kanoria, chairman and managing director, Srei Infrastructure Finance, the company would look at options like initial public offering, private equity investment and infrastructure investment trusts for stake dilution.

The stake dilution is a part of Sreis business model. Wherever we make investments, we dilute through primary or secondary transactions. Moreover, road projects have started looking up, and hence we see good opportunities in the sector, Kanoria said.

Srei manages road projects, through BRNL, mostly under the BOT (build-operate-transfer) model. So far, it has executed 14 road projects, translating close to 5,400 lane km of road projects.

At present, the companys portfolio includes nine road projects, comprising approximately 3,776 km worth Rs 9,918 crore. Of these nine projects, five are under construction and four are operational.

As part of Sreis long-term strategy to periodically rejig its investment portfolio, the lender had in October 2015 said it would be selling its 18.26 per cent stake in Viom Networks to American Tower Corporation for Rs 2,952 crore. Notably, Sreis investment in Viom was Rs 1,598 crore.

In December 2015, Srei announced that BNP Paribas Lease Group, a 100 per cent subsidiary of the BNP Paribas Group, had decided to sell its 50 per cent stake in Srei Equipment Finance Limited (SEFL) to Srei Infrastructure Finance. In exchange, BNP Paribas acquired five per cent stake in Srei Infrastructure Finance, which will now be the parent company of SEFL. For 2016-17, our focus will be on road projects. After that we will look into other verticals like Srei Sahaj, Kanoria said.

Thus after road projects, Sreis next stake dilution could be in Sahaj e-Village Limited, which has rural e-kiosks providing services such as micro-insurance, education and utility bill payments, said Kanoria.
Tata Steel, the country's largest steel producer, has recalled its plan sent to the Bombay High Court for a merger of Tata Metaliks and Tata Metaliks DI Pipes with itself.

In a notification to the stock exchanges, today said the merger scheme was not effective because the petition filed by Tata Metaliks in the Calcutta High Court for approval was pending.

Accordingly, Tata Metaliks had been advised to consider withdrawing the scheme with a leave to re-file a fresh one for merger of Tata Metaliks DI Pipes with itself, said .

Tata Metaliks would continue to be a subsidiary of Tata Steel, the company said.

The decision is based on careful consideration of various factors, including inordinate delay in obtaining the requisite regulatory and statutory approvals along with significant dilution in the intended synergies that were envisaged in April 2013. With today's decision, Tata Metaliks will continue to operate as a subsidiary of Tata Steel, said Koushik Chatterjee, group executive director, finance and corporate, .

According to the scheme, for every 29 shares of Tata Metaliks, shareholders would receive 4 shares of Tata Steel.

The share price of Tata Steel is hovering around Rs 326 while Tata Metaliks is at Rs 140 on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

From the swap ratio it is clear the deal was extremely raw for shareholders of Tata Metaliks, said Pritesh Jani, analyst with Religare Securities.

Tata Metaliks with a consolidated net debt of Rs 279 crore had a debt-equity ratio of 9.35 at the end of 2014-15.

Tata Metaliks' parent Tata Steel is also currently engaged in selling its loss-making business in the UK. Last week, Tata Steel accepted seven expressions of interest for the sale of its UK business and 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.

Tata Steel, the country's oldest steel making company, has been grappling to do-away with its loss-making business in Europe as the company has been facing severe financial drain-out due to longer-than-stipulated hostile business cycle.
At a time when there was a heightened discussion going on about Apple Computer Inc.'s possible manufacturing plans for India, its chief executive officer is likely to arrive in Hyderabad on Thursday to open Apple's first technology development centre outside the USA.

Apple management's decision to first look for leveraging the human resources in India for its new software offerings came to light last year with reports suggesting that the iPhone maker was examining various cities in India for a possible location for its tech center.

After pitching hard for this facility, Telangana government gave first hints earlier this year indicating that Apple management had in fact zeroed in on Hyderabad for establishing the facility. Later, the company also shared the details about its India plans.

Earlier this month there were reports suggesting that Foxconn, the Apple's OEM partner, was planning to invest $10 billion in Maharashtra for establishing a manufacturing base to produce iPhones and other Apple products. Apple was yet to confirm these plans.

Interestingly, Tim Cook's visit to Hyderabad was completely kept under wraps to an extent where the company management had informed the state government officials that only a team from Apple was coming on Thursday to launch the facility. The company never mentioned Tim Cook's name, according to the officials.

Apple management also wants to keep the event as a completely private affair, according to the officials. However, considering the international significance of Apple's project, the state government officials have been trying hard to persuade the company's visiting team to make the launch an open event and even invite the media apart from other government figures. "As far as we know has only this one single event on his programme schedule," a government official told Business Standard.

Apple has leased a sizeable space in the Waverock SEZ, an IT campus, owned by the American property development and consultancy firm Tishman Speyer in Gachibowli area. The company is setting up this facility for developing Maps support and services.

The Maps servers will be in the US but the digitisation and all the services and technical support will be done through the state of the art center created in Hyderabad, according to Jayesh Ranjan, Telangana government's IT secretary, who was actively involved in negotiations with the company on its India plans.

Apple was expected to lease about 2,50,000 square feet office space in the Waverock IT towers, which has a total 1.5 million square feet of built up area housing several other multinational and domestic IT and software development . However, the facility will be ready in phases and will be fully operational by early 2017, according to the officials.

The Telangana state IT department has facilitated the easy approval process and all approvals were accorded to the company, said Jayesh Ranjan.

Apple's decision comes as a big boost for the city of Hyderabad as the government of new Telangana state was trying hard to bring back the image of an investment friendly and IT destination to this city. The city's emergence on the global IT map started in the late 90's with global software giant Microsoft's deciding to set up its first R&D center out side its US headquarters in this city. Last year the internet technology company Google had signed an MoU to set up its own campus in a seven-acre plot allotted by the state government.

Apple earlier stated that its technology development center would be coming up with an investment of $ 25 million and likely to employ about 4,500 people over a period.

Home to the operations of almost all the big global and Indian IT companies, Hyderabad's IT exports in 2015-15 were pegged at Rs 66,276 crore. About 3.7 lakh professionals work in IT here.
China has proposed an international scientific co-operation programme for Earth observation to provide digital backing to Beijing's mega Project.

The "Digital Silk Road" proposal was put forward here on monday at an international symposium on Earth observation for the Belt and Road, the official designation for .

The event was attended by over 300 Earth observation scholars and experts from more than 40 countries and regions along the Belt and Road, as well as international organisations like UNESCO.

Guo Huadong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said,"space based Earth observation technology will help enhance people's understanding of the Belt and Road in a faster, broader and more accurate way."

The "Digital Silk Road" programme will hopefully provide statistics and environmental information for the Belt and Road initiative and support decision making, Guo said.

Fu Bojie, another CAS academician, expressed hope that the Earth observation technology may be used to promote research on natural resources in countries along the Belt and Road, paving the way for more bilateral and multilateral cooperation,state run Xinhua news agency reported.

This "Digital Silk Road" programme will be scientific, open and co-operative and will welcome more countries, organisations and scholars to participate, Guo said.
The Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) on Tuesday directed the J.P. Morgan Bank not to disburse the $40 million (Rs 266 crore) amount deposited by British liquor giant Diageo in favour of liquor baron .

The DRT also directed the bank to provide statement of transaction since February 25, 2016, till date. It also directed the bank to attach the shares held by Mallya in the companies.

The court passed an ex-party order while hearing the petition that was filed by consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India seeking the same.

Diageo had on May 12 submitted the settlement agreement to the DRT.

The DRT in early March barred Mallya from accessing the $75 million (Rs. 515 crore) exit payment from Diageo till the loan default case with the SBI is settled.

The DRT, allowing an SBI plea, restrained Diageo from disbursing the money.

The SBI had sought the DRT's intervention in seeking the lenders' first right on the $75-million payout from Diageo to Mallya as part of the deal earlier in February.
In a bid to lay its hands on part of the Rs 6,963-crore bank loan allegedly stashed away by embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved a special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases seeking issuance of Letter Rogatory (LR) to seven nations where the agency believes Mallya might have diverted funds to.

The LR, a request for legal assistance, will ask the authorities of the seven countries  Ireland, France, Mauritius, the US, Hong Kong, Switzerland, and South Africa  to furnish information about Mallyas accounts.

We had filed the requisition in the PMLA court for the judicial assistance. Anticipating the court order by the first week of June, a senior ED official told Business Standard.

LR is typically sent to obtain evidences, related information with regard to purchase, registration and status of individual assets. The LR would be sent through the Ministry of External Affairs.

The ED is also working on the extradition process, a lengthy process, and can be initiated after a chargesheet has been filed before an appropriate court and the court has sought the presence of the accused to face trial in the case. All extradition requests must be supported by documents and information according to the provisions of the extradition treaty.

The agency has been wanting to make Mallya join investigations in the Rs 950-crore IDBI loan deal, in which it had registered a criminal case under the anti-money laundering law earlier this year.

Investigators have exhausted most of the legal options to make Mallya join the probe, including issuance of a non-bailable warrant against him from a PMLA court, based on which it made the requests for the revocation of his passport and subsequent deportation bid to bring back the businessman from UK.
The agriculture and environment ministries on Monday jointly organised a first-of-its-kind daylong conference on 'gaushalas' (cowsheds), the Indian Express reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, in a break from convention, the speakers, including two Union ministers, were repeatedly shouted down and heckled by the audience. Their claims and statements were challenged.

Additionally, on a couple of occasions at least, arguments among the audience nearly erupted into fights. Some people in the audience, according to the report, were "simply angry that a booklet distributed at the venue had the picture of a foreign cross-bred cow on its cover".

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the event. According to the report, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was supposed to be the chief guest, skipped the event.

The daylong seminar was meant to deal with cow protection, strengthening the cow economy, increasing milk yields and promoting indigenous varieties of cattle, the report said. And the audience, the report added, consisted mainly of "farmers, cow owners and those associated with gaushalas".

The newspaper reported that the discussion devolved into sloganeering against cow slaughter and "chants of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Gaumata ki Jai'".

According to a reporter present at the event, the crowd hooted at both the ministers when they spoke on . When Radha Mohan Singh said that the government had released Rs 582 crore for cow protection, many in the audience stood up to ask where had the sanctioned amount gone.

According to Indian Express, similar treatment was meted out to Javadekar when he attempted to highlight government efforts to curb cattle-smuggling at the borders.

Members of the audience, according to the reporter, raised some pertinent issues.

One of the issues raised was that while cow slaughter is banned in Haryana, the state government has been selling most of the grazing fields.

Another issue which was raised was that the government's policy focuses on promoting foreign cattle breeds, leaving a policy gap when it comes to looking after and promoting indigenous breeds.





Additionally, demands for completely banning cow slaughter came up again and again.

Speaking to Indian Express, Jitendra Malik, Sonepat head of Goshala Sangh of Haryana, said: Why are people clapping at what the government is saying? Has the government put an end to cow slaughter? Till that happens, everything that this government says is meaningless. This government is not serious on cows.

According to the report, it was also suggested, by members of the audience, that came up was that the government should buy cow-dung at Rs 4-5 per kg.
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on Tuesday flew the home-grown light-combat aircraft Tejas, officially signalling to the Indian Air Force pilots to begin flying the fourth-generation fighter in their squadrons.

Raha, with over 3,400 hours of flying experience, took off on a trainer for a 25-minute sortie over the Bengaluru skies.

It shows the commitment of the IAF towards the aircraft, said Kota Harinarayana, the chief designer and former programme head of the Tejas aircraft. In the years to come, the Tejas will be the backbone of the Indian Air Force (IAF). They have committed to an order for 120 aircraft. It is now for the production agency to deliver."



The test pilots of IAF's Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), the school that tests and certifies every aircraft type used by the force, have flown the single-engine supersonic fighter over 3,145 sorties, according to the Aeronautical Development Agency.

The aircraft is powered by a GE-404 engine and an advanced version that will see modifications in the structure. It will have a more powerful GE-414 power plant made by General Electric.

Tejas uses fly-by wire technology that enables a pilot to control the plane electronically through on-board computers.

Since the first flight of the light-combat aircrafts (LCAs) technology demonstrator in January 2001, Tejas has flown sorties across regions in India, including desert and high altitude in the Himalayas have been without any mishap - a rarity in new aircraft testing globally.

The first squadron of Tejas will be raised at the IAFs Sulur base in Coimbatore by July. The air force expects to raise six squadrons of the homegrown fighter in a decade. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, the public sector plane maker will manufacture the aircraft at its facility in Bengaluru.

The aircraft has to be inducted. Only then will you actually able to use the platform effectively, said Harinarayana.

Air Chief Marshal Rahas sortie on the trainer aircraft also shows the confidence in the force for the aircraft, once dismissed as a dud project of the DRDO. Kota Harinarayana.
The proposed official trip of Defence Minister to UAE tonight has been delayed due to certain scheduling issues and he will now travel to Oman on May 20 and then to the Emirates.

Defence sources said Parrikar will first travel to Oman where he will hold talks with the country's top leadership.

He will then visit UAE on May 22-23, they said.

Parrikar would be the first Indian Defence Minister to travel to UAE.

Parrikar's visit to the country comes just ahead of an air exercise being held between the air force of the two countries this month.

Indian fighter planes will stop by in UAE on the way back from the Red Flag air exercise in the US.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi's visit last year, India and UAE had decided to establish a strategic security dialogue and boost defence ties besides resolving to work together in counter-terrorism operations, combating money laundering, drug trafficking and trans- crimes.

The two sides had agreed to strengthen defence relations, including through regular exercises and training of naval, air, land and special forces, besides cooperation in coastal defence.

The UAE had also said it will cooperate in manufacture of defence equipment in India.

Ahead of Parrikar's visit, a flotilla of three warships had reached Dubai on May 7 to demonstrate India's commitment to maritime relations with countries in the Gulf region.

He will visit Oman, considered to be closest to India among the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC), on May 20.

Oman had signed a military protocol with India in 1972, which led to a three-year deputation of Indian Navy personnel to man Oman's Navy in 1973.

An MoU on defence cooperation was also signed between India and Oman in 2005.

Areas of cooperation include joint military exercises, military training and IT, educational courses and exchange of observers and formal visits.

India had trained 150 Omani military personnel in 2014-15.
India will amend the Avoidance of Double Tax agreement with Singapore soon. The negotiation process is unlikely to be a long drawn one, since it requires a simple modification, according to officials in the income tax (I-T) department. Indian officials are in the process of reaching out to the Singaporean authorities for the amendment.

Singapore will likely get the same two-year transition benefit of 50 per cent capital gains tax like in the case of Mauritius. Limitation of Benefit is much higher in the case of Singapore, a threshold of Rs 50 lakh against Rs 27 lakh for Mauritius.

THE SINGAPORE STORY Singapore likely to get Mauritius-like two-year transition benefit of 50% capital gains tax

Limitation of Benefit to be Rs 50 lakh for Singapore

For Mauritius the limit stands at Rs 27 lakh

Singapore was the largest contributor of FDI in FY16

Between April and December 2015, Singapore accounted for Rs 71,195 crore in FDI against Rs 39,506 crore through Mauritius

The southeast Asian nation has emerged as the largest contributor of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the last financial year. For the nine-month period between April and December 2015, Singapore accounted for Rs 71,195 crore in FDI against Rs 39,506 crore through Mauritius. The changes to India-Mauritius Double Taxation Avoidance Convention last week has put the focus on a similar treaty inked between India and Singapore in 2005.

While there were expectations that similar changes would be made to the Singapore treaty, finance minister Arun Jaitley had hinted on Monday this might not be automatic. The minister said that Singapore is a separate sovereign state, it (Mauritius treaty) does not ipso facto automatically extend. The principles will have to be applied, but applied through a process of renegotiation. He also recalled how renegotiations of the Mauritius treaty took nearly two decades.

Consultants felt that Singapore might also be keen to renegotiate as the current arrangement might not be attractive for investors. In a note released soon after the announcement of the Mauritius Protocol, BMR Advisors said, Any tax treaty is bilateral agreement and, hence, an amended agreement will need to be reached with the Singapore government. This said, the Singapore government should be open to acceding to requests from the Indian government given that the existing Singapore Tax Treaty in its current form may not be attractive from an investor standpoint.



Article 6 of the Protocol dated July 18, 2005 to the Singapore Tax Treaty provides that the benefits such as capital gains exemption under the Singapore Tax Treaty would remain in force only till the time Mauritius Tax Treaty provides for capital gains exemption on alienation of shares.

Accordingly, the benefits accorded under the Singapore Tax Treaty in this regard would fall away, unless amended.

Consultants said that given the Mauritius Tax Treaty benefits on alienation of shares would be available until March 31, 2017, even the Singapore Tax Treaty benefits for similar transfers should be available until March 31, 2017.

The BMR note added the government should come up with a level-playing field for investments from Mauritius and Singapore and avoid any arbitrage between jurisdictions. Accordingly, the grandfathering provisions should also be built in the Singapore Tax Treaty.

However, one will have to wait and watch the diplomatic discussions between India and Singapore in this regard, it added.

Like the Mauritius amendments, which leave out instruments other than shares, even the changes are likely to stick to shares.

Paragraph 4 of Article 13 of the Singapore Tax Treaty replaced the earlier paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of Article 13. Accordingly, it is likely that the erstwhile paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 will now be re-instated for paragraph 4 of the Singapore Tax Treaty.

In such case, only capital gains arising from alienation of shares which derive value from immovable properties situated in India or shares of an Indian company would be taxable in India; capital gains arising on other securities such as convertible debentures, futures and options etc should not be subjected to income tax in India, the BMR note added.
Worlds largest single rooftop of 11.5 Mw capacity was inaugurated in Beas near Amritsar in Punjab on Tuesday. Spread at a single rooftop stretch of 42 acre at Dera Baba Jaimal, the project was synchronised earlier this year.

According to Wikipedia,the Mandalay Bay Resort Convention Centre, Las Vegas in the United States is next biggest solar photovoltic power station in the world having 6.4 megawatts (Mw) capacity. The EPC contractors for the project were Tata Power Solar and Larsen and Toubro.

In addition to single largest rooftop solar power plant, seven rooftop solar power plants of 8Mw capacity were also inaugurated in Beas Dera campus making this place the highest single campus generating solar power of 19.5 Mw at multiple rooftops in the country, informed a senior official from Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA ).

Punjab is generating 470 Mw of solar power and with projects of 500 Mw in the pipeline, the state would be able to generate solar power of close to 1,000 Mw by the end of FY 2016-17.

New & Renewable Energy Resources Minister of Punjab Bikram Singh Majithia said this project would generate clean and green energy sufficient to power approximately 8,000 homes. He pointed out that GoI has set a target of power generation of 40,000 Mw from different resources of renewable energy to be achieved by 2022 and this project would be a role model to encourage other states to replicate such large rooftops on the building/sheds.

The investment in this sector has steeply gone up from Rs 82 crore in 2012 to nearly Rs 10,000 crore now with an employment potential of 12,500 jobs, he said. Punjab would achieve a target of 2552 MW of renewable energy generation by 2022, he added.

He said Punjab would achieve a target of 2552 MW of renewable energy generation by 2022.Solar projects have been executed on BOO (built-operate-own) basis and PEDA has entered into 25 year power purchase agreements with the private players.
Will the government show the courage and do away with the 5/20 rule, as proposed, in its new is one of the biggest questions facing Indian aviation industry.

The rule was introduced in 2004 to prevent domestic carriers from flying abroad unless they had been in operation for at least five years and had a fleet of minimum 20 aircraft.

According to industry insiders, the rule was brought in at the behest of Naresh Goyal, chairman of Jet airways, one of the oldest private airlines in India. He had reportedly lobbied for the rule so that his competitors could be prevented from flying abroad.

Now, almost 12 years later, the government is planning to do away with the rule as it has done more harm than good.

CLIPPED WINGS The 5/20 rule was introduced in 2004 to prevent domestic carriers from flying abroad unless they had been in operation for at least five years and had a fleet of minimum 20 aircraft



Several industry experts believe this rule was one of the reasons why Kingfisher Airlines stopped flying in 2012



If 5/20 rule had not existed for the past decade, some large airports in India could have emerged as regional hubs

Here's why. In 2007-08, despite having been in business in India, airlines like IndiGo, GoAir, SpiceJet and others could not fly abroad because of this rule. While they were still consolidating their position at home, flying abroad would have helped these airlines, at least by refueling their aircraft outside India when domestic aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices were prohibitively high. For no-frills airlines, it would have acted as a cushion.

Several industry experts believe this rule was one of the reasons why Kingfisher Airlines stopped flying in 2012. In 2007, Kingfisher acquired Air Deccan, primarily because the latter had been in business for longer period of time and could get permission to go international.

There was no other reason why the two should have come together - the two airlines had different types of fleet, organisational ethos and culture. For Vijay Mallya, the permission to fly abroad was a good enough incentive. Even before the merger process was complete, Kingfisher announced its decision to go international. "I recall how we all celebrated when Mallya announced the decision to go international. We knew it was the beginning of the end," said a former Jet Airways board member on condition of anonymity. Kingfisher Airlines reverse merged with Air Deccan in 2007.

Even as it grappled with the merger of two totally different entities, KFA went international and burned cash like never before. The rest, as they say, is history. This was not the only negative fallout of the 5/20 rule. Because of this rule, majority of India's international routes have been captured by foreign airlines. Some of these foreign airlines are much smaller than Indian airlines which can't fly abroad simply because of this rule.

"It is akin to saying, 'come, make in India but do not export for five years'," says Amber Dubey, partner and India head of aerospace and defence at KPMG India. Dubey says this rule is unique to India. "In US, EU and Australia, the minimum fleet requirement is one aircraft. It is the financial strength of the applicant that is taken into consideration".

Indian airports have also suffered because of this rule. If this rule had not existed for the past decade or so, some large airports in India could have emerged as regional hubs- like Dubai and Singapore. But the lack of "home carriers" has denied such an opportunity to Indian airports.

Why some airlines have changed position?



Irony is the airlines which had earlier suffered because of the 5/20 rule are the ones lobbying against its removal today. Experts, however, say there is a presumption that the international market offers "easy money" and hence should be given only to carriers that are at least five years old. In reality, the international market is extremely competitive where some of the biggest global airlines have suffered failures. Most global carriers entering a new global route lose money for 18-24 months, before turning profitable. As per a Parliamentary submission by Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Air India loses money on most of its global long-haul routes, despite years of route development. "Global routes are not a low hanging fruit that an airline can just jump and grab" adds Dubey.

Route dispersal guidelines, 5/20 separate issues



In a bid to scuttle the proposal to remove the 5/20 rule, incumbent airlines have linked it with the removal of route dispersal guidelines (RDG). This, many say, is absurd. One, the RDG was introduced in 1994 while the 5/20 rule came in 2004 and the removal of the two can independent of each other. Two, RDG has helped in expanding air service to what were earlier remote and less accessible locations.

"RDG has worked well as many of the routes that were initially unviable are now viable and airlines are increasing frequencies as the market has now expanded," says a former aviation secretary. While airlines may have been unhappy initially, RDG has met the macro objectives that it was meant to serve - expansion of air services to less frequented destinations. Removal of 5/20 has also been linked to the safety issue - the argument being that an airline needs to prove its safety record domestically before taking to international skies. "This argument holds little merit - if an airline is safe to fly in India, it is safe enough to fly anywhere in the world," says an industry source.

Experts say, regardless of who gains and who loses, 5/20 should be junked. "At this rate, no policy can ever be changed because there will always be gainers and losers," says a former civil aviation secretary. He says, some of the airlines which are now lobbying for 5/20 had lobbied against it during his tenure. "It's like ragging or dowry practice. You can say others have been ragged or those before us have paid dowry. Does that mean everyone should suffer forever?"There are no easy answers to these arguments.

All eyes are on the new now.
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) today urged the government to bear the burden of (repayment), besides reaching foodgrains to drought-hit areas at highly subsidised rates.

Expressing grave concern over the widespread rural crisis, Assocham president Sunil Kanoria said: "No meaningful gains can be accrued from over seven percent GDP growth if a large part of our population is pushed to live on the margins of distress and poverty. We at Assocham believe in holistic economic development which alone can help trade, business and industry. No one sector is isolated from the other. So, if one sector suffers, others must chip in."

Kanoria was in Hyderabad for his meeting with state Governor ESL Narasimhan on issues concerning the microfinance sector.

He said the industry body was not making an outright demand and asking banks to take the load of loan waiver or moratorium on agriculture loans since the banks themselves were going through unprecedented challenging times in terms of non-performing assets.

Instead, the government should commit maximum resources to the rural sector, as the fiscal burden on it has been considerably reduced thanks to ultra low prices of crude oil for about 18 months now, he said in a statement.

Kanoria, however, maintained that they were not suggesting populist measures like loan waver as an election freebie, but in case of natural distress like drought, the affected people have to be helped. "So, under the circumstances, there is absolutely no rationale that can point towards bad economics in providing relief to the needy," the Assocham president said.
The first phase, covering sub-clusters 1 &3 of the Bhendi Bazaar Redevelopment Project, which is coined as the Smart City project in this densely-populated locality of south Mumbai, is expected to be complete by 2019. The project, which is being developed by the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT), covers 16.5 acres of land with more than 250 decrepit buildings, 3,200 families and 1,250 shops. Residences will get minimum 350 sq ft carpet area and shops will get the space equivalent to the current holding area.

About 250 dilapidated buildings in Bhendi Bazaar will be replaced with 17 new towers with wide roads, modern infrastructure, more open spaces and highly visible commercial areas. Of these, two rehab towers of 30 storeys each, whose construction is currently underway, will house 600 families and 120 businesses. In all, 13 towers will rehabilitate residential tenants and businesses, while four are proposed for free sale.

In order to avoid the inconvnience to the residential tenants, a housing complex of 950 units providing temporary accomodation has been built at Anjeerwadi (Mazgaon). Besides, the Trust has availed 1,100 transit units from the state-run MHADA in Sewri and another 450 transit homes ib Sion. More than 1,700 families have already been shifted to these transit homes. About 450 of the total 1,250 commercial units have been vacated.

The project, which entails a total investment of Rs 4,000 crore, is closely monitored by the state Chief Minister Fadnavis in his War Room.

SBUT CEO Abbas Master told Business Standard, ''Of the nine self-sustained sub-clusters, construction on sub-clusters 1 and 3 has started and work on other sub-clusters will start soon in phases. Overall, more than 70 dilapidated buildings have been demolished and over 1,700 families and 450 businesses have been vacated from Bhendi Bazaar. We plan to complete the first phase of the project within three years. The entire project will be completed in eight years.'' Ten more buildings have been identified for demolition.

''The creation of smart infrastructure and availability of technology at their disposal will infuse growth and open new avenues for the businesses in the area,'' Master said and informed that the project last week received 'Smart City Project 2016' award.

More importantly, the Trust has received more than 87 per cent of owner consent and got the overall approval on Master Layout along with approval for phase-wise construction. Over 80 per cent certification from the state run Maharashtra Housing & Area Development Authority (MHADA) has been completed. The Trust is in possession of the crucial environment clearance from the union ministry of environment and forests.
The changes to India-Mauritius Double taxation avoidance convention (DTAC) last week have put the focus on a similar treaty between India and Singapore. For the nine month period between April and December 2015, Singapore accounted for Rs 71,195 crore in foreign direct investments against Rs 39,506 crore through Mauritius. While there were expectations that similar changes would be made to the Singapore treaty, finance minister Arun Jaitley has hinted that this might not be an automatic process. The minister said on Monday that Singapore "is a separate sovereign state, it (Mauritius treaty) does not ipso facto automatically extend. The principles will have to be applied, but applied through a process of renegotiation". He also recalled how renegotiations of the Mauritius treaty took nearly two decades.

In a note released after the Mauritius announcement, tax-advisory firm BMR Advisors addressed key issues on the Singapore Treaty. Here are a few highlights:

Would the capital gains exemption under the fall away, from when?

Article 6 of the Protocol, dated July 18, 2005, to the provides that the benefits qua capital gains exemption under the would remain in force only till the time Mauritius Tax Treaty provides for capital gains exemption on alienation of shares. Accordingly, the benefits accorded under the Singapore Tax Treaty in this regard would fall away, unless amended. Given that the Mauritius Tax Treaty benefits on alienation of shares would be available until March 31, 2017, even the Singapore Tax Treaty benefits for similar transfers should be available until March 31, 2017, but a clarification in this regard will help.

Whether the grandfathering provisions (in respect of capital gain on sale of shares acquired prior to April 1, 2017) will also be available under the Singapore Tax Treaty?

In our view, the Government of India should come up with a level playing field for investments from Mauritius and Singapore and avoid any arbitrage between jurisdictions. Accordingly, the grandfathering provisions should also be built in the Singapore Tax Treaty. However, one will have to wait and watch the diplomatic discussions between India and Singapore in this regard.

Whether the transition provisions (in respect of capital gain on sale of shares acquired on or after April 1, 2017, and exited on or before March 31, 2019) and the corresponding lower rates of taxation during this period also be available under the Singapore Tax Treaty?

In our view, the same should be made available subject to explicit agreement between India and Singapore in this regard.

What about Instruments other than shares?

Paragraph 4 of Article 13 of the Singapore Tax Treaty replaced the earlier paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of Article 13. Accordingly, it is likely that the erstwhile paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 will now be re-instated for paragraph 4 of the Singapore Tax Treaty. In such case, only capital gains arising from alienation of shares, which derive value from immovable properties situated in India or shares of an Indian company, would be taxable in India; capital gains arising on other securities, such as convertible debentures, futures and options etc, should not be subjected to income-tax in India.

Will an agreement with the Singapore Government be required to give effect to above changes?

Any tax treaty is a bilateral agreement and hence, an amended agreement will need to be reached with the Singapore Government. This said, the Singapore Government should be open to accede to requests from the Indian Government given that the existing Singapore Tax Treaty in its current form may not be attractive from an investor standpoint.
In an effort to provide an alternative source of earning to the sugarcane growers of Uttar Pradesh, the central government is mulling revival of localised cane crushers by including them in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) category. Once categorised as an MSME, sugarcane crushers, used to make jaggery and khandsari, will be entitled to government benefits and tax concessions.

A pilot project to restart the localised jaggery making units is being planned in the districts Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat and Shamli in western Uttar Pradesh from the next sugar season, which starts from October.

All three districts are known for jaggery and khandsari and are also big sugarcane growing regions of Uttar Pradesh. The districts are also home to some of the biggest private sugar mills. In fact, Muzaffarnagar alone has around 14 mills, the highest in any district of the state.

Officials said the state government will also explore the possibility of relaxing norms for setting up crushers and also lower taxes on these. "The idea is to provide sugarcane growers of western UP an alternative source of income," Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, who is spearheading the proposal, told Business Standard. He said the preliminary discussion is being planned with the minister of MSMEs, Kalraj Mishra. Mishra is a member of Parliament from Deoria also in UP.

In their heydays, crushers numbered around 850 and dotted the landscape of western UP, largely concentrated around Muzaffarnagar district. However, old-timers say in February 1982, the then finance minister V P Singh abolished the additional excise duty on khandsari, which was countered by chief minister Sripathi Mishra with a four per cent sales tax.

This immediately pushed up the cost by Rs 32 per 40 kg bag. The downfall of localised cane crushers also coincided with the growth of mills, which gathered pace after liberalisation of the Indian economy. Gur now is produced locally as a cottage industry by around 25,000 small units in UP. Before liberalisation, mills consumed around 20-25 per cent of the cane grown in western UP, which has now risen to about 60 per cent, while gur units consume another 30 per cent.

"The proposal, though it sounds good, is unviable because crushers can't have a recovery rate of more than five-six per cent and with sugarcane prices ruling at around Rs 280 a quintal, they won't survive when even big sugar mills, who have recovery rate over 10 per cent, are finding it difficult to make ends meet," Arun Khandelwal, president of Muzaffarnagar Gur Manufacturers Association said.

He said unless there is a big technological innovation in crushers, it will be very difficult to make the business viable. But, the government seems convinced. "Our assessment shows that with an investment of around Rs 10 lakh, a mechanised crusher can provide employment to about 20 people, which can help in generating jobs in rural areas," Balyan said.

SWEET DEAL
Until recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) planned for the possibility of United Arab Emirates (UAE) supplying up to a squadron of F-16 fighters to boost the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in an Indo-Pakistan conflict. Now, dramatically signalling the transformed relationship between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi, an IAF contingent returning to India next month from the on-going Red Flag exercise in the US will train with the UAE air force. Its pilots fly the world's most potent F-16s, the Block 60 version, superior even to US Air Force F-16s and to the Block 50/52 version that Washington supplies Pakistan.

The UAE is unlikely to choose defence equipment manufactured in India, the oil-rich country preferring state-of-the-art western weaponry, like the Block 60 F-16. Even so, New Delhi hopes to overhaul and upgrade the Hawk trainer jets that both the UAE and Royal Omani Air Force fly.

The IAF has the world's largest Hawk fleet, and Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) continues to manufacture the advanced jet trainer at Bengaluru. In May 2015, HAL and BAE Systems, the Hawk's original manufacturer, agreed "to collaborate towards developing a comprehensive fleet support service for India's Hawk and Jaguar aircraft". HAL hopes to take this forward, becoming the hub that supports several Hawk fleets in the region.

Of the 161 Hawks flying in West Asia, the UAE operates 46 and Oman flies 25. Saudi Arabia operates 72; Kuwait 12 and Bahrain six. Another 190 Hawks fly with other Asian and African air forces, including 33 with Australia; 60 with Indonesia; 28 with Malaysia; 20 with South Korea; 24 with South Africa; 12 with Kenya; and 13 with Zimbabwe.

Besides the Hawk trainer, the UAE and Indian air forces enjoy several other commonalities. UAE operates 63 Mirage-2000-9 fighters, the most potent version of the IAF's Mirage 2000. The UAE also flies the Apache AH-64D (28 attack helicopters) and the Chinook CH-47D (eight heavy lift choppers) that the IAF has contracted to buy from Boeing. Both air forces operate variants of the C-17 Globemaster III and the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.

Growing defence and counter-terrorism cooperation between India and UAE has been catalysed by Abu Dhabi's sharp U-turn from the time PAF pilots trained its air force and retired PAF technicians maintained its Mirage III and F-16 fighters. This has been catalysed by the radical threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to UAE last August, the two countries forged a "comprehensive strategic partnership". On its heels came the February visit to New Delhi of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, when "the two renewed their commitment to strengthening the existing cooperation in training, joint exercises, and participation in defence exhibitions, as well as in identifying opportunities to cooperate on the production of defence equipment in India".

The UAE has detected and deported terrorist sympathisers from the two million Indians working in that country, handing them over to Indian authorities. al Nahyan, visiting soon after the terrorist attack on the Pathankot Air Base this year, condemned cross-border terrorism. If the UAE is a new friend, Oman has long been India's most steadfast partner in West Asia. Muscat and New Delhi signed a military protocol in 1972, and the two air forces together conducted Exercise Eastern Bridge in 2009 in Oman, and in 2011 in India.

This incorporated the common Jaguar fighter, which both operated until Oman retired its Jaguars in 2014 and bought the Eurofighter. Until then, Jaguar spares built by HAL were sold to Oman. With the IAF looking to extend the service life of its six Jaguar squadrons by fitting in new engines and avionics, Oman's 24 retired Jaguars could be of interest to the IAF.

Oman sent a naval vessel to participate in the International Fleet Review that the navy hosted in Visakhapatnam in February. When the Tejas flew the long journey to Bahrain for its first international outing in the Bahrain International Air Show, it staged through Muscat, Oman.
Come 2017 and India might lose $2 billion or more in terms of garment and fabric exports owing to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) being implemented among the 12 member nations. These include the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Malaysia and South Korea, besides a few Latin American countries.

TPP member countries are supposed to source 75 per cent of raw materials such as yarn and fabric within themselves, if they are to export apparel.

With India not being part of the TPP, the country could lose in terms of yarn exports to Vietnam and other TPP member countries as well as garment exports to the US, as these would now shift to other TPP member nations.

According to a senior official at the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), while the TPP is yet to be ratified, the agreement is likely to be implemented by 2017.

India exports $200-300 million worth of cotton yarn to Vietnam, which would be impacted since the latter would now source the same from within the TPP members, the AEPC official added.

According to textile and apparel experts, India would have to expedite work on the free trade agreement (FTA) with Europe to salvage the loss of opportunity because of TPP.

About 45 per cent of India's apparel exports go to Europe. If and when the TPP is implemented, India could salvage the loss to some extent by expediting an FTA with Europe, the AEPC official added.

What could also work in favour of Indias apparel sector is the rising costs in China, which could shift apparel exports business from the neighbouring country to India.

When TPP gets implemented, India could lose business worth $1-2 billion. Already, investment have begun happening in TPP member nations like Vietnam. However, there is a business opportunity which India could exploit against China. The Chinese costs have risen four-fold compared to India. Hence, India could continue to invest on larger capacities and attract global apparel business that would have otherwise gone to China, said Prashant Agarwal, joint managing director at Wazir Advisors. Indias overall apparel exports as on date stands at $17 billion.
In March, the Act, 2016, came into being with the Rajya Sabha giving its nod to the legislation. It paved the way for the Union government to turn 111 rivers across India into .

The upper house saw a lively debate on the Bill with most members, including some from the National Democratic Alliance government, expressing concerns on three counts: the law's impact on the already drying rivers, the rights of people and the power of the states to regulate the economy along the banks of these rivers.

However, the government had anticipated this. The environmental and livelihood concerns over running ships and trade on these rivers were temporarily assuaged with the commitment that feasibility and environmental impact studies would be carried out later.

The advantage emanating from the law is simple: transport by shipping is far more cost-efficient than that by road or railways. India lags behind on developing its waterways and the NDA government has moved swiftly to overcome the first legal hurdle before it- converting the river stretches into .

But the trade-offs involved in running navigable river systems through the year - and there are plenty - have again been treated by the government as a "clearance issue" that would be dealt with on a "project" basis. That isn't new.

What does making a navigable waterway require? It requires constant and steady water flow at a set minimal limit depending on the tonnage of weight to be shipped. This has to be managed artificially. The river has to operate like a canal.

Nachiket Kelkar, an expert in river and water ecologies, in an article for environment advocacy group South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, puts it this way: "This will involve the construction of locking barrages to hold water for vessel movement, concretisation and building of embankments to create port terminals, and regular (high-intensity) capital dredging of river sediment deposition along channel bottoms and margins." (Full article at sandrp.wordpress.com/2016/02/19/digging-our-rivers-graves)



Besides, for funding such large scale operations, the government intends to invite private participation.

The operations of a navigable river promise to alter the economics and ecology of the riverine system inalienably.

At the most basic level, it sets up competing demands on the stressed water levels with existing users, particularly farmers who need water for irrigation.

During deliberations in the Parliamentary Standing Committee, the two involved ministries - water resources and environment - took differing approaches on these issues raised in Parliament. In its reply, the environment ministry dealt with it as a "clearance issue" and stated that it had "agreed in writing to support the Bill". It said that the waterways "would be dealt with on a case-to-case basis" for clearances. When asked if the ministry had conducted a river-to-river study, the ministry said it had so far received three proposals on which the terms of references had been issued to the Inland Waterways Authority of India. It also clarified that an entire river in one go will not be a case for environment clearance.

The environment ministry has on occasions been asked to look at the impact of thermal power and hydropower plants or mining on particular river basins in a holistic manner but the reports have often been heavily critiqued and never binding on the government.

The environmental laws do not require a holistic review of a project that promises to overhaul the entire scape of a river. Such integrated projects can secure clearance for each component separately over a period of time.

NAVIGATING INDIAS RIVERS National Waterway Act, 2016, covers 111 river stretches

Transport on waterways is more cost-efficient than road or railways

India lags behind other countries in building waterways

Environmental feasibility of each stretch will be taken up only after detailed project reports are ready

With rivers drying up, artificially maintaining water levels in river canals will be challenging on many stretches

Will compete with increasing and existing irrigation and drinking water demands on rivers

There is no need for cumulative river impact assessment at present

Environment ministry can give piece-meal clearances to parts of a larger integrated project

Water resources minister is concerned about the projects impact on interlinking of rivers

Consequently, a policy with wide-ranging ecological and economic impacts (both good and bad) would face its first test against these parameters only when detailed project reports have been prepared. This is the same fait accompli situation that governments thought would propel hydropower projects in the Himalayas.

The idea, however, failed. Early "potential" studies claimed more than 75,000 Mw was to be unlocked through several hundred dams. Very little of that has materialised over the previous few decades with issues related to environment, livelihood and corruption, playing a central role in limiting the progress. Most of the hydropower projects that have come up for clearances have secured environment approvals only to face resistance and legal challenges later.

At the time the Himalayan hydropower plans were proposed, the awareness about environment among people was much lower. That excuse doesn't exist today.

In fact, the competing demands have only increased with other mega-plans of the government. The water resources ministry told the Parliamentary Standing Committee that the inland waterway plans would have to respect the inter-linking of river plans too. "There is a need to estimate quantum of water required on a week/ 10-days basis throughout the year to maintain the minimum depth of water in the proposed river stretches/ canals for navigability in order to ensure that drinking, irrigation and other demands of water do not get impaired," it adds. And then it asked for "technical feasibility in consultation with this ministry may first be established before preparing detailed project reports or undertaking any works in any river or river stretches."



The law and policy for inland waterways end up treating the question of environmental and economic sustainability just as governments have previously dealt with questions over exploitation of natural resources- an issue to be overcome when the time arises.

Take the case of coal block auctions and allocations. The Supreme Court judgement gave the NDA opportunity to account for environmental concerns while auctioning and apportioning the blocks anew. That did not happen. Instead, maximising the revenue potential became the focus and now many blocks are caught yet again in issues of rights and environment. The inland waterways mega-project could go that way too.

During deliberations on the Bill, many Parliament members raised concerns over the state of the rivers being proposed for the inland waterways. By the time the plan takes off to create 111 inland waterways, the postponed answers shall be back to haunt the river stretches.
The Modi government will soon kick-start roadshows to woo global investors across six geographies  Singapore, Houston, London, Dubai, Calgary and Perth  for its first ever auction of oil and gas blocks under the new revenue-sharing regime.

The upstream regulator, the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), has already received more than 225 registrations for the launch of the bidding on May 25. It would be launched by Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Delhi, where 89-million tonne (MT) of reserves worth Rs 77,000 crore are likely to go under the hammer.

Chief executive officers (CEOs) of all big firms and personnel from embassies are likely to attend the launch of Discovered Small Fields (DSF), according to the DGH. Global accounting and consultancy firm KPMG has been chosen by the government to advise on the bidding round and manage the global roadshows.

WHAT IS ON OFFER Total 46 contract areas in onland and offshore, with over 85 MT of in-place reserves



Revised business model under revenue-sharing contract regime, single licence for all hydrocarbons



International competitive bidding with no mandatory domestic participation



No mandatory prior technical experience required for bidders



Minimal royalty in line with earlier NELP regime; no cess



Customs duty exemption for goods and services imported for operations

KPMG has been selected by the government to manage the marginal fields bidding round. The scope of the work includes taking the blocks to the market and suggesting ways to attract investor interest during the international roadshows that will begin soon, said an executive close to the development, adding the entire process would be run over the next three months.

While analysts say the investment sentiment in the oil sector has been impacted by low crude oil prices, firms appeared to be cautious but optimistic on the bidding prospects.

Given the fact that the last bidding round in India under the erstwhile New Exploration Licensing Policy regime was in 2012, exploration & production industry players will look at this window of opportunity. For those players who become bidders, it will be definitely a reflection of the business proposition which these small and marginal fields have to offer to such bidders, Manish Maheshwari, CEO-E&P at Essar Oil, told Business Standard.

Essar welcomes the Hydrocarbon Exploration Licensing Policy (HELP) announced by the government, he added. HELP is a progressive regime and signals the readiness of the government to calibrate the fiscal, contractual and operating framework in sync with challenging global E&P market dynamics, he said.

Apart from being the first ever auction of oil and gas reserves under the NDA government, the bidding round for 67 blocks classified into 46 contract areas would also act as a test for the future launch of auctions under HELP. Of the 67 blocks on offer, 28 discoveries are in Mumbai offshore and 14 are in the Krishna Godavari basin off the Andhra coast. And 10 discoveries are located in the Assam shelf area, according to the oil ministry.
The Election Commission (EC) has allowed State Bank of India to take possession of three vans carrying about Rs 570 crore from its Coimbatore branch to the Vishakhapatnam main branch. However, the vans will return to Coimbatore now, as per the ECs order.
Taking forward the consolidation agenda, State Bank of India (SBI) may merge its five associate and Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with itself to emerge as a financial behemoth, with assets worth Rs 37 lakh crore ($550 billion).

Its five associates are State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travancore (SBT). BMP, started in 2013, is a Delhi-based public sector lender.

chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya said it was a good move and would consolidate the group. Besides making us more efficient, it will be of huge value. The group will have the benefit of all synergies. Also, the associate have fixed assets of around Rs 4,000 crore, which will add to the capital, said Bhattacharya.

Bhattacharya also added: After the merger, cost-to-income ratio will come down by 100 basis points in a year. The cost of funds should come down sharply and there itself we will have quite a bit of benefit.





On a standalone basis, the bank has a balance sheet of Rs 28 lakh crore and this will grow to Rs 37 lakh crore after consolidation, she said.

We will have to work out the scheme of merger and that will mean negotiations with the employees and officers of those banks, she added.

The stock markets seemed to have welcomed the consolidation move. The SBM stock surged 12 per cent to close at Rs 426, SBT by 10 per cent to Rs 399 and SBBJ by four per cent to Rs 508. However, the stock closed flat at Rs 177 per share. According to Bloombergs list of worlds top 50 (in terms of assets) after consolidation, SBI ($550 billion) will move up six notches to 44, overtaking Natixis ($544 billion). The top bank on the list is the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China ($3,423 billion).

The consolidation move invoked immediate adverse reaction from trade unions. Opposing the proposed move to merge associate banks with SBI, the All India Bank Employees Association has called a strike on May 20.

Commenting on the largest possible consolidation activity in the Indian financial sector, Ashvin Parekh, managing partner at Ashvin Parekh Advisory Services, said, For the past 15 years, they have been talking about consolidation. It is not a luxury any longer.



SBI, in its filing with the stock exchanges, said it was seeking "in-principle sanction" from the central government to enter into negotiations with subsidiary banks to acquire their businesses, including assets and liabilities. The government owns 61.32 per cent of the country's largest lender.

A senior SBI official said the decision to consolidate was driven by the government and there was a flurry of activity in the last few days to prepare and propose the decision in Tuesday's board meeting.

However, SBI said the decision was purely exploratory at this stage and there was no certainty to it completing the acquisition. It said intimating the stock exchanges was a matter of good corporate governance to ensure complete transparency. SBI had merged State Bank of Saurashtra in August 2008 and later State Bank of Indore in August 2010.

The decision on the merger will be taken by the bank's board upon evaluating all the relevant considerations, discussions with stakeholders and regulators' nod. Bhattacharya said the swap ratios for the merger would be worked out by two valuers and a third to certify the process.
To consolidate and strengthen foreign business, State Bank of India (SBI) is looking at shutting some unviable branches abroad and is preparing a three to five-year road map to spruce up international operations.

The countrys largest lender would soon finalise business targets for the current financial year (2016-17) and conduct a strategic review for a medium-term plan. B Sriram, managing director (corporate banking), said the lender had continuously reviewed its operations. Over the years, many regulatory changes have come about and compliance costs have also gone up. There could be some overseas branches that could have become unviable over a period in relation to business volumes and costs. The bank might look at closing some of these, Sriram said.

He did not spell out details about the regions or the specific branches under a scanner. The bank, Sriram said, would focus on making international branches capable of standing on its own to meet the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) norms prescribed under the Basel-III guidelines. At present, these branches depend on resources of the parent ( in India).

This entailed costs that were absorbed by operations back home. Foreign operations also have to be viable and gather strength, another executive said. Meanwhile, the bank is forming a subsidiary for its operations in the United Kingdom to meet regulatory requirements. The new corporate structure, a subsidiary, would be in place by March 2017, Sriram added.
Annual Conference of Relief Commissioners/ Secretaries of Disaster Management of States/UTs .

The Union Home Secretary Shri Rajiv Mehrishi will inaugurate the Annual Conference of Relief Commissioners and Secretaries of the Department of Disaster Management of States/UTs tomorrow in New Delhi. .

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The Annual Conference will review the status of preparedness for South West Monsoon, 2016 and discuss other Disaster Management related issues. .

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Representatives of concerned Central Ministries/Organizations rendering Emergency Support Functions, scientific organizations associated with forecasting officers of the Armed Forces and Central Armed Police Forces will participate in the Conference. .

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The Ministry of Home Affairs, India Metrological Department, Indian Space Research Organization, Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), Central Water Commission, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Geological Survey of India, Ministry of Defence and National Disaster Response Force will make presentations sharing their efforts towards preparedness of dealing with disaster situations. .

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Myanmar has witnessed a landslide victory by the National League for Democracy led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the elections held in November 2015. The new democratic Government in Myanmar has been established. Minister for Commerce & Industry, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman will be the first Minister from India to visit Myanmar after the change of regime in Myanmar. She will lead a high level CEO delegation to Myanmar from 18-20 May,2016 .

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An India Myanmar Business Conclave is being organized by India at Yangon on 18-20 May 2016 as part of its Act East policy. A 25-member business delegation comprising of whos-who of the business world from India is attending the Conclave. The delegation includes amongst others Dr Naushad Forbes (President CII), Mr Rakesh Mittal (Bharti Enterprises), Ms Shobana Kamineni (Apollo Hospitals), Ms Arundhati Bhattacharya (State Bank of India), Dr Rajiv I Modi (Cadila Pharma) and Mr Madhu Kannan (Tata Sons). The delegation from India will be led by Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce & Industry. Many leading business persons from Myanmar including many Ministers shall attend the Conclave. .

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The two days are expected to witness live and involved sessions on various sectors including Agriculture, Manufacturing and Employment, IT, Health, Education, Skill Development, Power & Renewable energy, Connectivity (Air, Sea, Land), Tourism and Hospitality, SEZs, Industrial Zones and Finance. .

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Highlight of the event is a Government-Business Round table on the theme: Forging Partnerships for Myanmars Development. The Round table is expected to see leading personalities from the Government and business on both sides. .

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Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman is also scheduled to have bilateral interactions with many Ministers of the new Myanmar Government including U Win Khaing, Myanmar Minister for Construction, Dr. Than Myint, Myanmar Minister for Commerce and U Khin Maung Cho, Myanmar Minister for Industry. .

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This is the first visit of any Minister from India after the change of regime in Myanmar. With this visit India wishes to give a strong signal of its commitment to partner Myanmar in its new path for economic and social development. .

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MJPS/nb
PM reviews drought and water scarcity situation at high level meeting with Andhra Pradesh CM

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The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today chaired a high level meeting on the drought and water scarcity situation in parts of Andhra Pradesh. The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri N Chandrababu Naidu, was present in the meeting. Senior officials from the Government of India, and the State of Andhra Pradesh, were also present. .

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An amount of Rs. 315.95 crore has been released to the State under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), after adjustments of the State balances. This is in addition to Rs 330 crore released as central share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for 2015-16 to the State. A further amount of Rs. 173.25 crore has been released as first instalment of SDRF for 2016-17. .

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The Chief Minister described the States efforts in building check dams, reviving lift irrigation schemes, and deploying mobile sprinkler units (rain guns) as part of the drought mitigation effort. He mentioned the States progress in micro-irrigation. The State has a target of 20 lakh hectares for micro-irrigation by 2022. Global best practices and research in the field came up for discussion. Appreciating the States efforts in micro-irrigation, the Prime Minister directed setting up of a task force to comprehensively study the economic impact of drip irrigation in the States of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, on various parameters such as water saving, enhanced productivity, and savings in terms of reduced input costs of fertiliser, pesticide and labour. .

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The Chief Minister, praising the Prime Minister for his initiatives of neem-coating of urea and the assistance of Rs. 1500 per tonne offered for compost made from municipal solid waste, stated that these will go a long way in improving soil health and checking the diversion of urea. .

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The Chief Minister also made a brief presentation on how the State Government is using technology to get real-time updates on water and agriculture from the field. Appreciating these innovations, the Prime Minister urged the NITI Aayog to set up a task force in consultation with the State that could come up with a model on how to use technology for crop insurance. .

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The meeting ended with a resolve on the part of the Centre and State to work together. .

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PM reviews drought and water scarcity situation at high level meeting with Chhattisgarh CM

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The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today chaired a high level meeting on the drought and water scarcity situation in parts of Chhattisgarh. The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Dr. Raman Singh, was present in the meeting. Senior officials from the Government of India, and the State of Chhattisgarh, were also present. .

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An amount of Rs. 835.695 crore has been released to the State under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), after adjustments of the State balances. This is in addition to Rs 249.725 crore released as central share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for 2015-16 to the State. A further amount of Rs. 94.875 crore has been released as first instalment of SDRF for 2016-17. .

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The Chief Minister mentioned the water conservation measures initiated by the State. These include desilting of 8055 water bodies and farm ponds, construction of 44,181 new farm ponds, and construction of 9851 ground water recharge structures. The drought relief measures initiated in the State include provision of drinking water and foodgrains in each village. The Chief Minister said that one quintal of rice has been kept with each Panchayat, to ensure that no one starves in the villages. The State has used Remote Sensing Technology to identify watersheds and plan irrigation strategies. .

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The Chief Minister thanked the Prime Minister for implementing the recommendations of the fourteenth Finance Commission. He said the additional funds that have been made available to local bodies, have made it possible to restart Piped Water Schemes that had stalled due to lack of funds. Now all Piped Water Schemes in the State are functional. .

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The Chief Minister also spoke about the States programme to construct anicuts, and the State Governments afforestation efforts. He presented the States strategy for doubling farm income by 2022. .

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The Prime Minister appreciated the preparatory work done by the State for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. He said other States can also study this as a model. .

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The meeting ended with a resolve on the part of the Centre and State to work together. .

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The Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha flew the indigenously designed and produced Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas) at HAL Bangalore today. .

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The Tejas has been designed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and produced by HAL at Bangalore. The aircraft is an advanced fly by wire fighter aircraft with state of the art avionics. The aircraft structure comprises of a large amount (more than 50%) of composites and features a quadruplex digital fly by wire control system. .

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The Air Chief Marshal carried out manoeuvers in the entire flying envelope of the aircraft. He carried out simulated air to air and air to ground attacks. He also assessed the advanced modes of the radar and Helmet Mounted Display Sight (HMDs). An ace fighter pilot himself, Air Chief Marshal Raha appreciated the flying qualities of the aircraft. He congratulated the entire team of ADA and HAL for their hard work in getting the LCA program to this stage. .

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The series production of the Tejas aircraft has already commenced at HAL Bangalore and the IAF intends to form the first squadron of the LCA on 01 July 2016 The IAF has also decided to place an order for an additional 80 Tejas in the advanced LCA MK1A configuration. .

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Apple's chief executive officer Tim Cook is coming to India this week, his first visit to the country since he took over that position at the iconic Cupertino-headquartered company, and will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the weekend. A government official has confirmed that a meeting between Cook and Modi has been fixed for Saturday, May 21.

Cook is also expected to visit Bengaluru and Hyderabad, both leading technology centres in the country. Apple has already announced it will set up a development centre in Hyderabad, starting with about 150 people who would help with the development of maps.



Why visit India?

Apple is looking to develop India as a market that will offset declining iPhone sales elsewhere, a trend which surfaced in the January-March quarter of this year.

Sales in China, its second-largest market after the United States, fell 11% in the latest quarter; in India, however, iPhone sales were up 56% from a year ago, notwithstanding it's tiny share of the smartphone market here due to the high prices of its devices. Nine out of 10 smartphones sold in India cost between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000, whereas Apple's cheapest smartphone - iPhone SE - was launched in the country at Rs 39,000.



Not surprisingly, Cook earlier this month said Apple would be "really putting energy" in India.

Describing India's potential, Cook, in a conference call with investors, said: "Because the smartphones that are working there (India) are low end, primarily because of the network and the economics, the market potential has not been as great. But I view India where China was seven to 10 years ago. From that point of view, I think there's a really great opportunity there."

Despite a slowdown in smartphone sales globally, in the first three months of 2016, sales of smartphones in India grew 23% to 24.9 million units.

What does Apple have in the works?

During his current stay in the country, Cook is also likely to announce the company's plans to manufacture iPhones locally.

The company's largest global manufacturing partner, Foxconn, has already signed a joint-venture with the Adani Group to manufacture Apple products in the country.

The plan to manufacture the premium devices locally goes hand in hand with Apple looking to set up its first retail, brand-owned outlet in the country.

In fact, in April, a government panel had recommended exempting Apple from mandatory local sourcing norms, a move that would pave the way for it to open single-brand retail stores in the country.

Cook's visit also comes shortly after India rejected Apple's request to import and sell refurbished iPhones.

Apple's rivals had mounted a public campaign against the proposal, arguing that such a move would trigger a flood of used electronics and defeat the government's 'Make in India' scheme, which is aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing.

Given that the company typically doesn't lower prices in order to maintain its premium image, selling refurbished phones was seen as a move that would appeal to price-sensitive consumers.

Another hurdle faced by Apple, in Cook's own words, is infrastructure.

In April this year, Cook had said that while India presents a "really great opportunity" for Apple, slow networks and the informal retail structure in the country were preventing the tech giant from realising its full potential.

Cook had said that while India is the third-largest smartphone market in the world, it is dominated by "low-end" smartphones primarily because of the network and the economics due to which "the market potential has not been as great there".


Chinese authorities are quietly scrutinizing technology products sold in by Apple and other big foreign companies, focusing on whether they pose potential security threats to the country and its consumers and opening up a new front in an already tense relationship with Washington over digital security.

Apple and other companies in recent months have been subjected to reviews that target encryption and the data storage of tech products, said people briefed on the reviews who spoke on the condition of anonymity. In the reviews, Chinese officials require executives or employees of the foreign tech companies to answer questions about the products in person, according to these people.

The reviews are run by a committee associated with the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country's Internet control bureau, they said. The bureau includes experts and engineers with ties to the country's military and security agencies.

While other countries, including the United States and Britain, conduct reviews of some tech products, they usually focus on products that will be used by the military or other parts of the government that are concerned with security, and not on products sold to the general public.

The Chinese reviews stand out because they are being applied more broadly, including to American consumer software and gadgets popular in China, the people briefed on the reviews said. And because Chinese officials have not disclosed the nature of the checks, both the United States government and American tech companies fear that the reviews could be used to extract tech knowledge as well as ensure that the United States was not using the products to spy.

Ultimately, the reviews could be used to block products without explanation or to extract trade secrets in exchange for market access. Those secrets could be leaked to Chinese competitors or expose vulnerabilities, which, in turn, Chinese hackers could exploit.

Further, tech companies are concerned that the reviews could set a precedent and that other countries will follow suit, each demanding different checks that would not only be costly but also put the companies at risk of having to hand over further secrets in exchange for market access.

and the United States have been embroiled in a quarrel about tech and security that has strained their relationship. The reviews could be a fresh sticking point, raising questions about the security of American technology and the degree to which American companies will acquiesce to Beijing's demands for fear of being punished in a huge market still partly controlled by the state.

Chinese officials have not formally disclosed that they are conducting the reviews, and their existence has not been previously confirmed outside of rare, brief mentions in local news media.

It is not clear specifically what Chinese authorities are demanding as part of the process. There is no indication that foreign companies have provided access to highly guarded material such as source code - the digital underpinnings of software - or other commercial secrets.

One Chinese media report implied that the tech security reviews began early last year. Over the last nine months, a number of companies have been called in, the people who spoke on the condition of anonymity said.

The lack of disclosure by China's government has made it hard for the United States government to voice its objections, and has fed concerns that is quietly carrying out further policies to target American technology companies.

China's Internet regulators suggested the possibility of reviews three years ago, after revelations by Edward J Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, concerning surveillance escalated tensions between China and the United States over computer security.

Since then, China has quietly begun carrying out the reviews. That represents a shift in the way China manages foreign technology. Its previous efforts came through proposed new rules and other public measures that let foreign companies and governments resist.

The Cyberspace Administration of China said in a faxed response to questions that many countries carried out security reviews and that the inspections did not target any particular country or product.

China relies on American technology products, even as it has made clear that it is concerned about the security of those products. A majority of Chinese government offices, state-owned enterprises and other institutions that handle potentially secret information, like universities and research institutes, use Microsoft Windows. Most smartphones in China run software made by either Apple or Google. And the high-end computing that supports China's banks, energy companies and military uses, in part, American-designed chips and servers.

In a congressional hearing last month, Apple's general counsel, Bruce Sewell, said the Chinese government had asked the company to share source code in the last two years but that Apple had refused.

Apple has seen new pressure in China as regulators have shut down its iBooks and iTunes Movies stores there. Last week, Apple disclosed that it was investing $1 billion in the Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing, a move that some technology experts said appeared aimed at currying favor with Beijing.

Chinese restrictions against American companies have been a highly charged diplomatic issue. Last year, the Obama administration raised concerns about Chinese rules that trade groups said were written to wean the country's banking industry off foreign technology. The United States also objected to an antiterrorism law that called for foreign companies to hand over encryption keys in China. In both cases China relented, temporarily scrapping the banking laws and tempering the language in the antiterrorism law.

China's tougher tone is part of a broader challenge that governments around the world are posing to the technology industry over issues like privacy and encryption. In the United States, federal law enforcement officials have pressed Apple to help them gain access to encrypted iPhones even as the Obama administration has resisted Chinese policies that would require similar access.

Under President Xi Jinping, China has taken steps to keep tabs on technology from American companies and reduce the nation's dependence on it.

In a speech last month, Mr. Xi outlined what he described as the two prevalent viewpoints on tech policy in China. Under one, the country would continue with an industrial policy intended to absorb technology from foreign companies and ensure products are "secure and controllable." That phrase, companies and industry groups said, could include such measures as giving the Chinese government access to systems, providing encryption keys or handing over source code.

For foreign companies, the other option could be worse.

"One viewpoint holds that we must close ourselves off, make a fresh start, thoroughly shake off our reliance on foreign technology and rely on indigenous innovation to pursue development," Mr. Xi said, according to a transcript of the speech. "Otherwise, we would always follow in the footsteps of others, and would never be able to catch up."



Mr. Xi ultimately said China must find a middle ground and determine "which things can be imported but have to be secure and controllable; which things may be imported, digested and absorbed for re-innovation; which things can be developed in collaboration with others; and for which things we must rely on our own strength and indigenous innovation."



While details on the tech reviews are scant, commentary from the state-run China Daily in 2014 suggested that companies affected could include Cisco Systems and Microsoft. Other state news media has said the reviews will prevent product suppliers from "illegally controlling, interfering in or interrupting user systems, or illegally collecting, storing, handling or exploiting information about users."



Cisco and Microsoft declined to comment on the Chinese media statements. Apple also declined to comment.

A slide show from the China Electronics Standardization Institute, a group that carries out research on behalf of the government, makes the motivation for reviews clear. It links the reviews to concerns about China's digital security vulnerabilities and what it characterizes as a technology gap between China and countries like the United States, Russia, Israel, Britain and Germany.

"As the world connects to the Internet, various forms of attacks and new defensive technologies are ever multiplying, bringing challenges to China's development of a new digital industry," the group said.

2016 The New York Times News Service
Democratic presidential hopeful said on Monday her husband, former US President Bill Clinton, would not serve in her cabinet if she wins the election.

Clinton shook her head and mouthed "No" on the campaign trail in Paducah, Kentucky when asked if her husband would be in her cabinet, Xinhua quoted ABC News as saying.

The negation came one day after Clinton said on Sunday at a rally in Covington, Kentucky, that she planned to put Bill Clinton "in charge of revitalising the economy."

"He knows how to do it," said Clinton. "Especially in places like coal industry and inner cities and other parts of our country that have really been left out."

At another campaign event earlier May, Clinton said she would bring her husband "out of retirement" to creat jobs.
Sallie Krawcheck, former CFO of Citgroup has just launched an investment platform, Ellevest, which has several interesting features, although it is not directly relevant to Indians. First, Ellevest is strongly focussed on women (though it will accept men as clients as well).

Krawchecks research indicated that (American) women tended to be under-served and unhappy with traditional investing products. She deduced there was a space in the market and Ellevest tries to fill that gap. Right now, membership is by invitation only.

Ellevest is an automated digital investing platform; it offers instruments such as low-cost ETFs. That in itself is not very different from several other digital investment platforms. But, there are key behavioural differences between the ways men and women think about investments and that does indicate a practical problem with one-size-fits all.

Ellevest seems to be trying to find a more flexible asset-allocation pattern, which will suit women better. This is a socio-political minefield but gender differences in attitudes to investing are very well-documented and quite consistent, even if there are many hypotheses as to why such differences exist. By and large, women tend to be more conservative and less likely to indulge in over-trading, or to take big risks in the hopes of making big killings.

Apart from the attitude, the data also indicates some other gender-differences which affect financial planning. In most places, certainly in America, women tend to outlive men and often to outlive men by a significant period. (This is not true overall in India, but it is true for upper income Indian women who often outlive their partners.) There are more widows than widowers, which means that women have to plan for longer retirements.

Also in most places, including India, women tend to get paid less for doing the same work. Women also take more career breaks (for childbirth and rearing), which can mean gaps in earning. Women also face glass ceilings in that they are less likely to end up at the top of the corporate heap. In divorces, women are more likely to end up with custody of children and hence, hit with the double-whammy of larger financial responsibilities and less time to devote to paid work.

Put it all together and it may explain the risk aversion. What this attitude difference means, according to Krawcheck, is that women are more interested in knowing the potential maximum downside to a given investment plan than to knowing the potential maximum upside. They have life-goals and prefer to take only the risks necessary to fulfil their life goals.

This makes women uncomfortable about most financial planning models. Investors have some life-goals and some risk-tolerance. The normal financial planning model starts by asking the investor to define risk-tolerance and then sets up an asset allocation plan that fits the stated risk-tolerance. The returns from such a plan are open-ended.

Ellevest has reverse-engineered this by asking women to define their life-goals rather than define their risk-tolerance. Given clearly defined life-goals, the site creates asset-allocation plans to fulfil those goals.

It uses Monte Carlo simulations to assess how likely it is that the plan will generate enough to fulfil the stated life goals. The site uses a 70 per cent threshold for the Monte Carlo simulations. It will recommend a plan that hits the life-goals at least 70 per cent of the time in the simulations. Crucially the site also makes worst case scenario estimates. In effect, this tells the investor how much risk she must carry to fulfil her goals.

There is no equivalent to this site in the Indian context and there may not be enough women controlling their own money to even make a gender-specific desi website marketable. But, the behavioural insights driving this model are interesting. Risk-assessment and goal-setting are central to financial planning. Regardless of the actual level of risk-tolerance, the Ellevest model makes sense simply because it is easier to state life-goals than it is to define risk-tolerances accurately.

A lot of Indian households, and individuals for that matter, are instinctively risk-averse. They tend to shun the stock market because it seems like a casino to them. But of course, every individual and household has definable life-goals and might be prepared to take the risk required to fulfil those.Therefore, goal-oriented investing rather than risk-tolerant investing may make more sense to a risk-averse individual. Again regardless of gender.

The author is a technical and equity analyst
As the commerce ministry is pursuing discussions with its Iranian counterpart to revive the latter's tea industry, which saw a major decline in the recent past, it may open up a plethora of opportunities for the Indian tea companies to seek joint ventures in Iran.

In a Joint Working Group meeting between Iranian and Indian ministers and officials, Iran has approached India to modernise its tea industry in Lahijan, the area bordering the Caspain Sea. The task, which is still in a discussion stage, will fall on the shoulders of the Tea Board of India.

"We have asked them about the machines which they already have as the plan involves modernisation of the plantations as well," Santosh Sarangi, chairman, Tea Board of India said.

It is proposed that the Tea Board of India would also help with training of Iranian personnel in Tea Research Association, United Planters' Association of Southern India and other Indian institutions.

This development may open a lucrative opportunity for the large Indian tea producers. The Indian Tea Association (ITA) has asked for a paper from the Iranian commerce department as well as the Tea Board of India, exploring the possibilities of joint ventures for Indian tea firms.

"There is a possibility for Indian companies to opt for joint ventures in Iran. We cannot simply modernise the plantations and then move out," said Azam Monem, vice-chairman of ITA.

Asked if boosting Iran's local industry will hurt Indian exports, Monem said, "All these years, tea sellers in Iran have been blending Indian tea with their local produce and Iranians are now used to this taste. There cannot be a sudden disruption."



The ITA opined that Iran - traditionally an orthodox tea market consuming the best tea variants - presents a ready market for Indian tea producers. While the orthodox specialist companies will just need to set-up an establishment there, the CTC tea producers can find a ready-to-serve consumer market.

The Iranian tea market is pegged at nearly 120 million kg (mkg) annually of which 20 mkg is ingenuously produced while Sri Lankan imports account for 30-40 mkg. Tea from India comprises just over 20 mkg while the Kenyan tea (mostly CTC) takes up about another five per cent of the market. However, owing the porous border, around 20 per cent of the tea trade is illicit and unaccounted for.

Historically, Iran owes both the plantations as well as the skill of cultivation to India. In 1899, Mohammad Mirza, who used to work in the Iranian Consulate in the British-ruled Mumbai, first sent Indian tea from the Kangra valley to Lahijan in Iran after clandestinely learning how to produce tea from Indian plantations. Earlier, a failed attempt to produce tea from Indian seeds was made in 1882.

While production boomed in the region touching highs of 50-60 mkg, it has now fallen to about 20-22 mkg, making Iran import-dependent. Around 24,000 hectares of land is presently under tea cultivation in Iran.

During FY16, India exported 20.41 mkg of tea valued at $79.68 million, compared with export of 18.14 mkg of tea valued at $78.29 million in FY15. However, unit prices of the brew fell by 9.7 per cent at $3.90 a kilo in FY16.

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Advocate Aman Pawar, legal affairs in-charge of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, on Monday asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to file its response as to how does the party has money for self glorification when they cannot pay for the concerns of the people.

"In our Right to Information we asked four questions-money AAP's spent on TV, radio, hoardings and newspaper advertisements in the last three months. We have the answer on newspaper advertisement that Rs.14.5 crore has been spent by AAP in last three months. How do they have money for self glorification when they cannot pay for cleanliness, MCD workers, widow pension etc," Pawar told ANI here.

"We have got to know that in 90 days they have mostly made expenditure on press. They are expending money in other states also that is not benefiting Delhi people," he added.

The Delhi government has spent Rs 14.5 crore on just advertisements, published in newspapers between February 10 and May 10, reveals an RTI filed by the Congress.

The AAP government came under attack from the opposition Congress on Sunday for its advertising campaigns.

"On one hand we don't have money to pay to safai karamcharis for salary, on one hand we don't have money even to pay for pension but on the other they are spending huge amounts(for advertisments) for self publicity," Congress Leader Ajay Maken said.

Meanwhile, AAP had yesterday alleged that 'somebody had lied' about the government having spent crores on advertisements.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prem Kumar on Tuesday attacked chief minister Nitish Kumar on deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar and said the state government is a mute spectator to crime incidents in the state.

Kumar said the delegation met Bihar Governor, Ram Nath Kovind, over rising crime in Bihar and over government failing to nab the criminals.

"Bihar government is sleeping and the criminals are roaming free. Government is doing eye wash. Bihar Govt a mute spectator to crime incidents in the state, criminals fearless of the law," he said.

"Crime is increasing in Bihar and people are in fear. The recent incidents have somewhere pointed to government helping the culprits escape," he added while terming the state of affairs in Bihar as 'Maha Jungle Raj'.

Coming out of slumber after the murder of senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier pledged that he won't rest until the culprits were punished.

"Some incidents had happened in Bihar over which we all are very concerned and saddened," said Nitish in apparent reference to the road rage murder of teenager Aditya Sachdeva in Gaya involving expelled JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi's son Rocky Yadav and the murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan.

"Until we bring the guilty to the book, we won't take rest," said Nitish, while addressing a public meeting on liquor ban in Lucknow.

With Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar giving his consent for a CBI probe in the murder case of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan district, Director General of Police (DGP) P.K. Thakur had yesterday the state police would continue its investigation till the top investigating agency takes up the case.
Following the Supreme Court's call to expedite the decision on actress Jiah Khan's suicide case, the Bombay High Court is set to hear the matter on June 7.

Jiah's mother Rabiya Khan told the apex court in her plea that the trial court was hearing the matter in an improper manner, adding that the matter was being heard without the presence of a Special Public Prosecutor.

Jiah's mother in her plea also demanded an SIT investigation in the case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was assigned to the case in 2014 by the Bombay High Court.

Earlier, the actress' mother had filed a petition in the Bombay High Court against the CBI's report categorising Jiah's death on June 3, 2013, as suicidal and not homicidal.

Jiah's boyfriend-actor Sooraj Pancholi was arrested for abetting her suicide on June 10, 2013, but released on July 2 the same year after the High Court granted him bail.

Jiah, best-known for the film 'Nishabd', was found hanging in her Mumbai home.
Model Cara Delevingne was detained for an hour after she used a 'four-letter-word' when her bag was searched during a routine security check before a Eurostar journey.

Reportedly, the 23-year-old model shouted 'f**k you' at a female security officer during the 'bizarre' incident in Paris' Gard du Nord station, says Daily Mail.

Delevingne was taken to a private room and after an hour she left with red eyes, as if she was crying.

The model was travelling back to London on the 3.50pm Eurostar service ahead of her sister Poppy's 30th birthday party on May 5.

But according to reports, Delevingne was almost late for the party after she was delayed in security in Paris.
Happy over return of the Congress in the capital, party state president Ajaya Maken on Tuesday said that the people of Delhi have rejected the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in matter of 15 months.

Maken told ANI that the party has won in seats where it was considered to be traditionally weak.

"I am happy that Congress has bounced back in Delhi and in the matter of just 15 months the people of Delhi in a way have rejected Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress has got four seats, these are the seats from where Congress has never won in the past," said Maken.

"It is a big achievement for Congress workers I would like to thank Congress workers and the biggest credit should go to our leader Rahul Gandhi Ji as he contributed a lot to this victory," he added.

The Congress and AAP shared honours in by-election to 13 wards in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

The Congress and AAP have won five wards each reducing the BJP to three seats.

The results of these by-polls will have a bearing affect on the upcoming municipal elections scheduled for 2017.

The by-elections were necessitated due to 13 councillors getting elected to the Delhi assembly in 2013 and 2015.
Police in Bangladesh's Rajshahi city have arrested four activists of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who directly took part in the killing of Rajshahi University Professor AFM Rezaul Karim Siddiquee.

Police arrested Maskawat Hasan alias Sakib alias Abdullah, JMB operational commander of Rajshahi region from Gaibandha yesterday.

Md Shamsuddin, Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Commissioner today said that Abdullah confessed to his involvement with the killing, reports the Daily Star.

Shamsuddin said that three other Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh men were also arrested by the law enforcers from Kharkhari area yesterday.

He however, did not disclose their names.

The trio aided the killers but did not take part in the killing directly.

Shamsuddin added that the law enforcers seized a motorcycle used during the killing operation, and two sharp weapons from the possession of the arrestees.

So far, the law enforcers have arrested seven people in connection with the killing.

On April 23, Professor Siddiquee was hacked to death while waiting was waiting for the university bus in Shalbagan area of Rajshahi city.

Soon after, his son Riyasat Imtiaz Shourav filed a case with Boalia police station accusing unnamed people for the murder.

Police investigations found three youths, who went to the killing spot by a motorcycle, orchestrated the murder.

According to US-based SITE Intelligence Group, militant group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
Heavy rains lashed various parts of central and southern districts of Kerala on Tuesday, causing water logging in few areas of Thiruvananthapuram.

Rains and rough seas caused damage to hundreds of houses in coastal areas in the state capital, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts.

Directions were given to evacuate the people in low lying areas, where reports of houses being damaged have come in.

Relief camps have also been opened to shift the affected people in these areas.

The meteorological centre here said heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at one or two places in Kerala till May 19.

The state disaster management authority said that heavy rain was due to the low pressure formed in the Bay of Bengal.

Widespread rain was also witnessed across Tamil Nadu since early morning as the mercury took a dip of 26 degree Celsius.

The Meteorological Department officials in Chennai said moderate to rather heavy rain was expected to occur at most places in all districts for the next 48 hours.

Well-marked low pressure area over Sri Lanka and adjoining Gulf of Mannar in the South-West Bay of Bengal moved North Westwards and was concentrated into a depression about 240 kilometer South East of Chennai.

The city weather officials said the system is likely to intensify further into a deep depression in the next two days and move in North West direction.

In the last 24 hours, Nannilam in Tiruvarur district recorded the highest rainfall of 14 centimetres.

Chembarampakkam near Chennai in Tiruvallur district registered 12 cm, Sirkali 11 cm and Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai and Kodavasal 10 cm each in the last 24 hours.

Earlier predictions by the weather officials said that the depression would have a landfall this morning.

However, the phenomenon has slowed down in its speed and is sea-bound now, bringing hopes for a bit longer period of rain in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Iran, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said he has become an ideal man of Iran and India has got recognition in Central Asia only due to the Prime Minister.

In an exclusive interview to ETV News head Jagdish Chandra, Pradhan said the Gulf countries have trusted the Prime Minister and wants to know the developmental works done by him in India.

"Gulf countries like Iran, Saudi Arab have trusted our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Saudi Arab conferred Modi with their highest Civilian Award. When I talked to chief Planning Commissioner of Iran, he wanted to know how Modi rebuilt Gujarat and how he is doing the welfare work in India. They want to take similar steps. Modi has become ideal man of Iran. UAE honours Modi. Modi has become an ideal among Bangladesh civilians. Their leadership takes reference of Modiji for their projects. India got recognition in Central Asia due to Modi," Pradhan said in ETV's popular 'The J C Show'.

Pradhan also said that the payment issues with Iran would be sorted out during PM's visit on May 21.

"It has been sorted out. It's their money. We had purchased oil during their difficult times. The money lies in our banks. Initially, there was difficulty in payment transaction through banking channels. But, it has been sorted out. There are some administrative process involved in this. We have to give them money any how," he said.

"We are also going to invest in Iran, UAE and Saudi Arab. They are also going to invest in India. We have with consensus decided that this relations will not be like between buyer-seller. We will develop Special Strategic Relations," Pradhan added.
Security expert Alok Bansal on Tuesday dubbed the Interpol notice against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar as a big achievement, adding China and Pakistan will now find it very difficult to support him.

Bansal told ANI the Interpol notice against Maulana Masood Azhar was expected.

"In fact last time, India had raised such a resolution in the international fora, it was accepted by most countries except China. So, I think this was the next step which was forthcoming and it's a big achievement. I think now even China and Pakistan will find it very difficult to support him," said Joshi.

"And I think Pakistan will be constrained to stop his free movements and we should see some amount of restriction on his activities and his outfit," he added.

Signalling a major development in the Pathankot case, the Interpol on Tuesday issued a fresh Red Corner notice against the JeM chief and his brother Abdul Rauf for their alleged involvement in the attack on the Indian Air Force Base.

According to NIA sources, JeM suspect Shahid Latif is the main handler in the Pathankot attack and that his location at the moment should probably be in Pakistan.

Latif was first arrested in 1994, convicted in 1995 and his jail term was over in 2010. After that he deported to Pakistan through the Atari Border.

Sources added that besides a notice on Masood and Rauf, the Interpol is also in the process of issuing a Red Corner notice against Latif and JeM suspect Shahid Latif.

Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf, Jan and Latif are being touted as the main culprits into the deadly attack on the Indian Air Force base.

Earlier, the NIA had also secured non-bailable arrest warrants against the four JeM terrorists.

The special court issued the arrest warrants after weighing the evidence presented by the NIA.

During the meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on April 18 in Moscow, India is likely to take up the issue of China blocking its call to ban Masood Azhar at the United Nations.

"India is in constant touch with China on the matter. The issue has already been taken up at high level. There cannot be two sets of rules for judging terrorists," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup earlier.

China stopped the UN sanctions committee from designating Masood Azhar as a terrorist, stating that the case did not meet requirements of the Security Council.

China maintains that designation of any individual as terrorist by the UN is a serious issue, and, therefore, there was a need for more evidence from India for better understanding to ban the JeM chief.
The Pentagon has said the Islamic State (IS) is losing control over territory across Iraq and Syria, including almost half of what it had once held in Iraq.

According to the US Defence Department, it had previously estimated that IS fighters had lost control of about 40 percent of the territory it formerly claimed in Iraq, and about 10 percent of the land it held in Syria.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said that the tallies had gone up in recent weeks.

"The number right now in Iraq is about 45 percent of the territory they once held has been recovered. The number in Syria is anywhere between 16 to 20 percent," abc.net.au quoted him as saying.

The gains in Syria come as Turkey and the US-led coalition strike in IS targets are reported to be continuing successfully.

The United States has since 2014 led an international coalition fighting back against the IS group, using a combination of air strikes and training and equipping local partners.

Turkish State media has said that more than 20 IS militants were killed on Monday.

In early 2014, the IS stormed across large parts of Syria and Iraq exploiting the chaos situation in civil war-torn Syria and meeting little resistance from the Iraqi security forces.

The group has since lost control of Ramadi and Heet in Iraq, but still controls other important cities including Mosul and Fallujah.

In Syria, it maintains control of Raqa, the capital of their so-called caliphate.
Signalling a major development in the Pathankot case, the Interpol on Tuesday issued a fresh Red Corner notice against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf for their alleged involvement in the attack on the Indian Air Force Base.

According to NIA sources, JeM suspect Shahid Latif is the main handler in the and that his location at the moment should probably be in Pakistan.

Latif was first arrested in 1994, convicted in 1995 and his jail term was over in 2010. After that he deported to Pakistan through the Atari Border.

Sources added that besides a notice on Masood and Rauf, the Interpol is also in the process of issuing a Red Corner notice against Latif and JeM suspect Shahid Latif.

Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf, Jan and Latif are being touted as the main culprits into the deadly attack on the Indian Air Force base.

Earlier, the NIA had also secured non-bailable arrest warrants against the four JeM terrorists.

The special court issued the arrest warrants after weighing the evidence presented by the NIA.

During the meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on April 18 in Moscow, India is likely to take up the issue of China blocking its call to ban Masood Azhar at the United Nations.

"India is in constant touch with China on the matter. The issue has already been taken up at high level. There cannot be two sets of rules for judging terrorists," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup earlier.

China stopped the UN sanctions committee from designating Masood Azhar as a terrorist, stating that the case did not meet requirements of the Security Council.

China maintains that designation of any individual as terrorist by the UN is a serious issue, and, therefore, there was a need for more evidence from India for better understanding to ban the JeM chief.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today discussed drought situation in Chattishgarh with Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh as part of his review of the drought situation in 11 States to mitigate the problem with focus on immediate, medium and long term measures.

"We have made long term solutions for drought. We have increased from 150 to 200 days for wages under MNREGA. Better use of water has been taken care of in policy terms. Effects have been seen of the government policy in villages regarding water problems. We will improve our situation and in future would mitigate the problem from arriving. The Prime Minister gave directions that the Centre would help," Raman told the media here after his meeting.

Chhattisgarh government has declared 93 tehsils in 20 districts across the state as drought-hit in view of deficient rainfall.

These tehsils would not have crop yield higher than 50 paise as per 'Aanawari', which is a measure of crop yield in farms.

Drought hit tehsils are in the districts of Balod, Dantewada, Koriya, Raipur, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, Gariyaband, Durg, Bemetara, Rajnandgaon, Bastar, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Bilaspur, Mungeli, Korba, Raigarh, Balrampur and Jashpur.

In the year 2015, the state has recorded 83 per cent less rainfall compared to the previous year. The centre has approved 1,672 crore rupees as financial aid for drought affected Chhattisgarh.

He has earlier held separate meetings with the Chief Ministers of eight states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Iran from May 22 to 23, is expected to provide a timely thrust to the ongoing efforts of the two countries and their business entities to expand bilateral cooperation and mutually benefit from new opportunities in the wake of lifting of secondary sanctions against Iran earlier this year.

The Prime Minister is visiting Tehran at the invitation of that country's President, Dr. Hassan Rouhani. During his visit, the Prime Minister will call on the Supreme Leader of Iran and will hold talks on a wide range of subjects of mutual interest with President Dr. Rouhani.

According to a Ministry of External Affairs release, India and Iran share longstanding civilisational ties. Iran is situated in India's extended neighbourhood and the two countries have significant overlap in their economic and security space.



The visit of Prime Minister to Iran will seek to build on these commonalities by focussing on specific cooperation in regional connectivity and infrastructure, developing energy partnership, boosting bilateral trade, facilitating people-to-people interaction in various spheres and promoting peace and stability in the region.
Security personnel on Tuesday gunned down a terrorist in Pehlipora village in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir and also recovered a massive cache of ammunition.

Terrorist identified as Farooq Ahmed Sheikh was killed in a gun battle with security forces in the wee hours of Tuesday at Pehlipora in Shopian, 52 kms from Srinagar, R.S. Bazaz (Commanding Officer,44RR) said.

"We started this operation after the intelligence informed us that two terrorist were seen in orchards of Pehlipora. We acted immediately to this report and cordoned the area after that around 9.30 P.M. we started the fire fight with these terrorist. The fight went on for the whole night, in the morning we shot a terrorist down," he added.

"He has been a terrorist from past one year and was involved in terrorist activities. He was involved in killing of a sarpanch last year too. One AK 56, huge cache of ammunition, magazine and some documents were recovered from the terrorist," he added.

No casualties or loss of lives or property during the Shopian encounter was reported.
Afghan Security Forces shot a suicide bomber before he managed to target the Ministry of Interior (MoI) compound in Kabul.

The suicide bomber reportedly was driving a car packed with explosives and was looking to detonate it inside the ministry compound, reports the Khaama Press.

The security personnel identified the suicide bomber as he reportedly breached several check points.

So far, security officials have not commented regarding the incident.

Meanwhile, the Embassy of United States in Kabul has issued a security alert to its citizens.

"The U.S. Embassy received reports of attack near MoI in Kabul 9:00 a.m. - Emb. personnel advised to avoid area until further notice, " khaama press quoted the U.S. embassy statement as saying.
LeapVault, a premier executive development player in India and global employer branding leader Universum announced a partnership that will bring the highly coveted Employer Branding Academy to India - providing a globally recognized qualification in what is now recognized as one of the most important segments of human resources and talent management, employer branding.

"I am excited to see how the Employer Branding Academy will help many professionals, companies and organizations on a strategic level in India. We are seeing an increased demand for our services in India and we are excited to find a high quality partner in LeapVault," said Global CEO of Universum, Petter Nylander.

Universum is famed for conducting the world's largest and most trusted annual talent survey, which has now been running for 28 years and gathers the career goals and employment preferences of more than 1.3 million participants annually.

Global media outlets such as CNN, Forbes, BusinessWeek, Harvard Review, The Economist, The Financial Times, China Daily and many others regularly cite and refer to Universum data and insights on talent preferences and employer branding.

"Corporate investment in Learning is now the most important component in employee engagement and a huge contributor to the employer brand, both within and outside the organization. We're very happy to partner with Universum, they're a global powerhouse in employer branding and will certainly help foreign and domestic companies in India further enhance their proposition and deliver on their brand promise," said Founder and CEO of LeapVault, Kumaar Bagrodia.

The qualification is currently available in over 20 cities around the world. Global Talent professionals from the largest and most progressive global companies and highly respected domestic employers have already graduated across Europe, Asia and the Americas, from organisations like Unilever, SAP, KPMG, Accenture, Pepsico, Fidelity, PWC, Ford, L'Oreal, Walt Disney, Deloitte, Audi, Emirates, EY, Nielsen, IBM, Volvo, Dell, Coca Cola, UBS, Bosch, Danone, GroupM, Bain and co.

"We believe the Employer Branding Academy, now in partnership with LeapVault, will revolutionize how companies in India work and plan their talent strategies. Already seen by many talent leaders as one of the best talent qualifications in the world, we couldn't be happier to have the strong knowledge and expertise that LeapVault has in India," said CEO of the Employer Branding Academy, Claes Peyron.

Employer branding is now an essential strategy for remaining relevant and staying ahead in today's hyper competitive talent market. However, this rapid rise to prominence has left its own skills gap within many organizations.

The Employer Branding Academy answers this organizational need by taking participants through an eight week blended learning experience that gives them the knowledge, tools and practical knowhow to skillfully and professionally execute their organization's employer brand.

In addition to the qualification programs, the companies shall rollout the Employer Branding Maturity Test and will also be holding the ceremony for Universum India's Most Attractive Employers rankings at the CLO Chief Learning Officers Summit India in September 2016, Mumbai.
Hyundai has launched a special edition of its sedan, the Xcent, at a price of Rs. 6.22 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). The diesel is priced at Rs. 7.15 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). This comes at a time when the company is celebrating twenty years of operations in India.

As reported earlier, the car shows various cosmetic and feature upgrades. These include the addition of a 6.2-inch touchscreen audio system and a 20th anniversary badge at the rear with chrome lining at a few places. Side body decals and boot lip spoiler are other notable upgrades.

Also Read: Hyundai Introduces Airbag in Base Variants of Grand i10 and Xcent

The engine line-up remains the same as the standard Xcent. The 1.2-litre petrol and 1.1-litre diesel mills have power figures of 82bhp/114Nm and 71bhp/180Nm respectively. While a five-speed manual transmission is standard, petrol variants also offer a four-speed automatic gearbox.

The car was spied just a few days back where we could spot most of the changes. The special edition is based on the S variant of the Xcent and is approximately Rs. 20,000 costlier. Only 2,400 units will be produced to maintain exclusivity. We are expecting a similar version of the Grand i10 in some time.

Read More on : Hyundai Xcent

Source : CarDekho
Sales decline 17.42% to Rs 987.07 crore

Net profit of Bharat Forge declined 19.03% to Rs 164.52 crore in the quarter ended March 2016 as against Rs 203.18 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2015. Sales declined 17.42% to Rs 987.07 crore in the quarter ended March 2016 as against Rs 1195.36 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2015.

For the full year,net profit declined 2.49% to Rs 701.06 crore in the year ended March 2016 as against Rs 718.98 crore during the previous year ended March 2015. Sales declined 4.51% to Rs 4211.85 crore in the year ended March 2016 as against Rs 4410.66 crore during the previous year ended March 2015. ParticularsQuarter EndedYear EndedMar. 2016Mar. 2015% Var.Mar. 2016Mar. 2015% Var.Sales987.071195.36 -17 4211.854410.66 -5 OPM %30.2130.09 -30.4630.15 - PBDT300.53357.31 -16 1296.571311.46 -1 PBT236.10307.60 -23 1035.191060.95 -2 NP164.52203.18 -19 701.06718.98 -2

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Rs. 582.09 crore have been allocated for 35 proposals under the National Gokul Mission

Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister has mentioned that livelihood of 60 million rural households depend upon dairy sector. Out of this, two third are small, marginal and landless labourers.

Agriculture and farmers Welfare Minister mentioned that India is a global leader amongst dairying nations and produced 160.35 million tonnes of milk during 2015-16. The dairy cooperatives of the country have the singular distinction of providing seventy five percent of their sales, on an average, to the farmers.

Shri Singh informed that as many as 75 million women are engaged in the sector as against 15 million men. There is an increasing trend towards participation of women in livestock development activities. This has led to empowerment of women-headed households in the rural communities.

Agriculture and farmers Welfare Minister has mentioned that India with 30 crore bovines has 18% of the world's bovine population. Cattle Genetic Resources have been evolved by the farmers/cattle rearers/breeders using traditional and scientific knowledge, and today we have 39 breeds of cattle.

Shri Singh informed that indigenous breeds are robust and resilient and are particularly suited to the climate and environment of their respective breeding tracts. They are endowed with qualities of heat tolerance, resistance to diseases and the ability to thrive under extreme climates and low plane of nutrition.

Agriculture and farmers Welfare Minister stated that studies of impact of Climate Change and effect of temperature rise on milk production of dairy animals indicates that temperature rise due to global warming will negatively impact milk production. The decline in milk production and reproductive efficiency will be highest in exotic and crossbred cattle followed by buffaloes. Indigenous breeds will be least effected by global warming. In order to develop heat tolerant and disease resistant stock countries including United States of America, Brazil and Australia have imported our indigenous breeds.

Shri Singh also stated that the indigenous breeds of cows are known to produce A2 type protein rich milk which protects us from various chronic health problems such as Cardio Vascular Diseases, Diabetes and neurological disorders besides providing several other health benefits. Earlier Hon'ble Minister has spoken with scientists and people engaged in marketing of Milk were of opinion the A2A2 rich milk should be separately marketed in the country. Hon'ble Minister informed the house that Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries has sanctioned Rs. 2 cr each to Odisha and Karnataka for marketing of A2A2 rich Milk of our indigenous breeds.

Agriculture and farmers Welfare Minister informed that the potential to enhance the productivity of the indigenous bovine breeds of India through professional farm management and superior nutrition is immense. For the first time in the country, Rastriya Gokul Mission has been initiated under National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development to take up development and conservation of indigenous breeds in a focused and scientific manner. Under the Scheme 35 projects with an allocation of Rs. 582.09 cr has been sanctioned.

Shri Singh informed the august gathering that funds have been sanctioned for establishment of 14 Gokul Grams under Rastriya Gokul Mission. For this first instalment has already been released to the States. Minister further informed that funds have been sanctioned for strengthening of 35 bull mother farms of indigenous breeds including Yak and Mithun. First instalment for strengthening Bull Mother Farms has already been disbursed to the States.

Agriculture and farmers Welfare Minister further informed the House that funds have been sanctioned for field performance recording of 1,50,000 animals of indigenous bovine breeds and first instalment has also been disbursed to the States. Hon'ble Minister informed for pure breeding in the breeding tracts. For upgrading, the non-descript cattle population, 3,629 bulls have been inducted for natural service. Hon'ble Minister informed that for production of frozen semen, 65 high genetic merit disease free bulls have been inducted at semen stations. Bull production programme of indigenous breeds for natural service have been inducted by the States of Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat.

Shri Singh further added that most of the countries have National Breeding Centre at the National level. For the first time in the country to take up holistic and scientific development and conservation of indigenous breeds two National Kamadhenu Breeding Centres are being established: one in southern region- in Andhra Pradesh and second one in northern region in Madhya Pradesh. Nucleus herd of all 39 indigenous breeds of cattle and 13 breeds of buffaloes is being established at National Kamadhenu Breeding Centre with the aim of development and conversation of these breeds.

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Focus on renewable energy, pharmaceuticals and bio-tech, automotive industry, hitech and food sectors

The trade between India and Belarus stands at around $450 million and the two nations are now aiming to take this number to $1 billion by 2018. To achieve this target and a high turnover there was a need to effectively implement the existing roadmap for cooperation. The two nations should focus on renewable energy, pharmaceuticals and bio-tech, automotive industry, hi-tech and food sectors as these offer ample opportunities for investment and trade.

This was stated by Mikhail Myasnikovich, Chairman of the Council of the Republic of National Assembly, Republic of Belarus, at an interactive session organized by FICCI in association with the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in India.

Visiting with his business delegation from Belarus, Myasnikovich called upon the Indian and Belarusian industry to promote interregional cooperation in an active manner. He assured that Belarus would help in transfer of technology, making India a technologically-advanced country.

He said that in Belarus four pharmaceutical production projects are being carried out jointly with Indian investors. Together with potential Indian partners Belarussian leading world-famous industrial companies are working on establishing manufacturing facilities in India.

Underlining the challenges faced by the Indian and Belarusian businesses, G V Srinivas, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, said that communication gap, visa issuance and flight connectivity, were some of the concerns. He added that in today's day and age, communication gap can be easily bridged with the help of technology. On visa issuance and flight connectivity, Srinivas said that the two sides were aware of the issues and were working towards resolving it.

Andrei Hrynkevich, Head of Asia, Australia & Oceania, Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belarus, said that a highly skilled workforce, geographical position of Belarus and rapid economic development with a favorable investment climate made Belarus a good destination for investment. He added that with an industrially developed economy, well-developed transport and communications infrastructure, perfect access to different markets, Belarus is an attractive nation for international trade.

Vitaly Prima, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Belarus, said that there was a need for stimulating economic activities between India and Belarus. The B2B meetings were a great opportunity for exploring new areas of cooperation and forging partnerships and in entering feasible projects.

Mikhail Myatlikov, Chairman, Belarus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that there was a need for a framework for economic partnership to achieve the set target of $1 billion by 2018. He added that Belarus was one of the leaders among the CIS countries according to the level of economic development and offered business opportunities in various sectors.

Rakesh Bakshi, Chairman and Managing Director, RRB Energy Limited, said that to achieve the target of $1 billion trade between the two countries by 2018, India and Belarus need to de create a roadmap with clearly defines tangibles and deliverables. He added that pharmaceuticals, clean energy, defence and heavy engineering, were some of the key sectors where both the countries could establish fruitful associations.

On the occasion, a numbers of agreements and Memorandum of Understanding were signed between the India and Belarusian companies.

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Held on 16 May 2016

Maan Aluminium announced that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on 16 May 2016, inter alia, took on record the following business:

1. The Board has recommended a Final Dividend of Re. 0.50/- per fully paid up equity share of Rs. 10/- each, for the year ended 31 March 2016.

2. The Board has approved the appointment of Company Secretary in Practice to conduct Secretarial Audit.

3. The Annual General Meeting of Company to be held on 02 July 2016 at 11.00 a.m. at The Janpath Hotel, Janpath, New Delhi - 110 001.

4. Board has approved the Notice of 13th Annual General Meeting, Financial Statement and Director Report together with Corporate Governance reports.

5. Board has approved the E Voting facility with NSDL.

6. Board has appointed Anita Aswal, Practicing Company Secretary as Scrutinizer for conducting E voting.

7. The Board has approved to lease or dispose of the undertakings of the Company subject to the consent of shareholders in terms of Section 180(1)(a) in the ensuing Annual General Meeting.

8. The Board has approved to revise the existing borrowing power limit to Rs. 500 crore by the Board of Directors of the Company subject to the consent of shareholders in terms of Section 180(1) (C) in the ensuing Annual General Meeting.

9. The Board has approved to increase the Authorized Share Capital of the Company and consequential alternations of Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company subject to the consent of shareholders in the ensuing Annual General Meeting.

10. The Board has appreciated team Maan for receiving "Niryat Shree" Bronze Trophy for the 15th Set of Awards in the Residual sector not covered anywhere-MSME Category from Hon'ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee on 04 May 2016.

11. The Board took on note the annual performance evaluation of

a. The Board

b. The Committee

c. Individual Directors.

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Sun TV Network rose 9.47% to Rs 430.50 at 10:23 IST on BSE after exit poll results predicted a victory for opposition DMK in Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was up 138.01 points, or 0.54%, to 25,791.24 .

On BSE, so far 3.76 lakh shares were traded in the counter, compared with an average volume of 52,475 shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 435 and a low of Rs 402 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 436 on 1 January 2016. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 256.05 on 22 July 2015. The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 16 May 2016, rising 9.72% compared with 0.10% rise in the Sensex. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, rising 16.29% as against Sensex's 10.61% rise.

The large-cap company has an equity capital of Rs 197.04 crore. Face value per share is Rs 5.

Chennai-based Sun TV Network owner, Kalalinithi Maran, is the grand nephew of M Karunanidhi, who heads the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Majority of the exit polls predict DMK-led alliance is set to win 2016 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. The election results will be announced on 19 May 2016.

Kalanithi Maran held 75% stake in Sun TV Network as of 31 March 2016.

Sun TV Network's net profit rose 0.7% to Rs 215.59 crore on 3.9% growth in net sales to Rs 574.12 crore in Q3 December 2015 over Q3 December 2014.

Sun TV Network is one of the largest television broadcasters in India, operating satellite television channels across four languages of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam and presently airing FM radio stations across India.

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Tata Metaliks was locked at 20% upper circuit at Rs 140.40 at 15:18 IST on BSE after Tata Steel decided to file an application before the High Court of Bombay seeking recall of its earlier order sanctioning merger of the company with Tata Steel.

Shares of Tata Steel were up 0.32% at Rs 327.40.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 108.20 points or 0.42% at 25,761.43.

On BSE, so far 5.44 lakh shares of Tata Metaliks exchanged hands compared with average daily volume of 69,847 shares in the past one quarter. The stock's current price of Rs 140.40 is also its 52-week high for the counter. The stock hit a low of Rs 117.90 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 78 on 12 February 2016. The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 16 May 2016, gaining 5.83% compared with the Sensex's 0.1% rise. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, advancing 34.25% as against Sensex's 10.61% rise.

The small-cap company has equity capital of Rs 25.29 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

Tata Steel announced during market hours today, 17 May 2016 that its committee of directors constituted by the board of directors approved the proposal of the company to file appropriate application before the High Court of Bombay seeking recall of its earlier order dated 21 August 2015, sanctioning the scheme of amalgamation between Tata Metaliks and Tata Metaliks DI Pipes with Tata Steel.

As per the scheme approved by the shareholders of Tata Steel in May 2014, the swap ratio for public shareholders was four equity shares of Rs 10 each of Tata Steel for every twenty nine equity shares of Rs 10 each held in Tata Metaliks.

The scheme is currently not effective since the petition filed by Tata Metaliks with the High Court of Calcutta for approval of the scheme is pending for disposal. Accordingly, Tata Metaliks has been advised to consider withdrawing the scheme with a leave to re-file a fresh scheme for merger of Tata Metaliks DI Pipes with Tata Metaliks, Tata Steel said in a statement.

Koushik Chatterjee, Group Executive Director (Finance and Corporate) Tata Steel said that the decision is based on careful consideration of various factors including, inordinate delay in obtaining requisite regulatory and statutory approvals along with significant dilution in the intended synergies that were envisaged in April 2013. Tata Steel continues to strategically support Tata Metaliks in its journey towards making it a profitable and value creating company for the future, Chatterjee said. With the latest decision, Tata Metaliks will continue to operate as a subsidiary company of Tata Steel, he added.

Tata Steel held 50.09% stake in Tata Metaliks as per the shareholding pattern as on 31 March 2016.

Tata Metaliks' consolidated net profit rose 71% to Rs 48.62 crore on 10.1% decline in net sales to Rs 347.69 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015.

Tata Metaliks is a leading producer of foundry grade pig iron in the country.

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Manorama Devi, a Janata Dal-United legislator and mother of murder accused Rocky Yadav, surrendered on Tuesday, police said.

A day after a Bihar court deferred the hearing of much awaited anticipatory bail plea of Manorama, she has finally surrendered in the court.

In a set back to Manorama Devi, the Gaya civil court has asked for case diary and record of the lower court in this regard but did not give any date for next hearing, a district police official said.

An arrest warrant was issued on last Wednesday against Manorama for keeping liquor in her home in Gaya town against the prohibition law and for harbouring her fugitive son who has since been arrested, the official said.

Authorities in Gaya last week cancelled the arms licenses of Manorama and her husband Bindi Yadav.

The legislator, who was suspended from the ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on last Tuesday, was evading arrest.

Manorama on last Friday filed an anticipatory bail plea despite the fact that police had intensified search operation to arrest her and district administration had prepared to confiscate her house.

Her son Rocky Yadav was arrested on Tuesday from a house in Bodh Gaya for allegedly killing on May 7 Aditya Sachdeva, the son of a Gaya-based businessman, and has been remanded in police custody.

Bindi Yadav, a criminal turned politician, was also arrested in connection with the killing of the teenager.

Aditya's family has demanded a CBI probe into the case and speedy trial to ensure justice.

With Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asserting that no guilty will be spared, the police promised to file a charge sheet within a month.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Sunil Kumar said: "Police have been working to complete investigations in the case within three weeks. The charge sheet will be filed within a month to ensure speedy trial."

--IANS

ik/py/
A little over a month and a half after visiting Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to visit Iran on May 22-23.

"At the invitation of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Iran on May 22-23, 2016," the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

"During the visit, the prime minister will call on the supreme leader of Iran (Ali Khamenei) and will hold talks on a wide range of subjects of mutual interest with President Rouhani," it added.

Modi's visit assumes significance given the strained diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran following the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.

The execution of Nimr Al-Nimr, a Saudi national and a Shia cleric, in January this year, created a volatile situation in the Middle East with the Saudi missions in Iran coming under attack and Riyadh cutting off diplomatic ties with Shia-majority Tehran.

While Saudi Arabia is India's biggest oil supplier, Iran is a strategic partner of New Delhi.

"India and Iran share longstanding civilisational ties," the external affairs ministry statement said.

"Iran is situated in India's extended neighbourhood and the two countries have significant overlap in their economic and security space," the statement said.

"The visit of the prime minister to Iran will seek to build on these commonalities by focussing on specific cooperation in regional connectivity and infrastructure, developing energy partnership, boosting bilateral trade, facilitating people-to-people interaction in various spheres and promoting peace and stability in the region," the ministry stated.

"The visit of prime minister will provide a timely thrust to the ongoing efforts of the two countries and their business entities to expand bilateral cooperation and mutually benefit from new opportunities in the wake of lifting of secondary sanctions against Iran earlier this year."

In the run-up to the prime ministerial visit, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Iran in April this year during which Tehran said it would be happy to partner India in the refinery sector, and New Delhi said it would sign an agreement to invest in the Gulf nation's Chabahar port to boost trade with Afghanistan.

The Indian minister's visit to Iran also came in the wake of the lifting of UN-sponsored sanctions on the Gulf nation for its nuclear programme.

According to an external affairs ministry statement following Sushma Swaraj's visit, when the agreement comes into force, it will significantly enhance utilisation of Chabahar port, contribute to economic growth of Afghanistan, and facilitate better regional connectivity, including between India and connections to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

The agreement would be a strategic bulwark for greater flow of people and goods among the three countries as well as in the region, it stated.

Modi's visit also assumes all the more significance given that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will also meet him.

It is rare for Khamenei to give an audience to any visiting world leader.

--IANS

ab/vt
Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan returned home on Monday night from her much talked-about trip to the Cannes Film Festival to promote her upcoming biopic 'Sarbjit'.

At the airport, Aishwarya held her daughter Aaradhya in arms and was accompanied by her mother Brinda Rai.

The Devdas actress had spoken to the mediapersons while leaving for Cannes, but she did not speak to them during her return.

While leaving for Cannes, Aishwarya talked about looking forward to presenting her upcoming film 'Sarbjit' at the popular film festival.

The gorgeous actress was then snapped at Cannes with the members of the film -- director Omung Kumar, co-actor Richa Chadha and producers Jackky Bhagnani, Bhushan Kumar and Deepshikha Deshmukh.

Aishwarya's purple lips in a floral outfit while stepping out with her 'Sarbjit' team for the 'From The Land Of The Moon' premiere has especially made news.

Regarding the constant scrutiny her outfits attract, Aishwarya joked that one day she would walk on the red carpet in a white shirt and jeans.

For the press conference of 'Sarbjit' at Cannes, she wore a black and gold outfit by Rohit Bal.

She was also seen in a pink-gold Elie Saab gown, a golden Ali Younes Couture gown and red ruffled gown by Naeem Khan at various appearances during her trip.

Aishwarya represented L'Oreal as the brand ambassador and it was her 15th year at Cannes.

The actress will attend a musical eve in Mumbai on Tuesday with the cast and crew of 'Sarbjit'.

--IANS

iv/py/
A Bangladeshi national was held with gold worth over Rs.36 lakh at the city airport here, an official said on Tuesday.

Acting on intelligence inputs, officers of the Air Intelligence Unit intercepted Abdul Qayum, 33, upon his arrival from Kuala Lumpur late Monday night.

"Qayum, a Bangladeshi national, was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Kolkata. Twelve gold bars weighing 1.2 kg valued at Rs.36.72 lakh were found from his possession," said a customs officer.

--IANS

and/rn/vt
BJP legislator Ganesh Ganjhu's aide and two others have been arrested in connection with the murder of journalist Akhilesh Singh alias Indradeo Yadav in Chatra district, Jharkhand Police said on Tuesday.

"The refusal to pay levy to a Maoist organisation led to the murder. Of the five accused, three have been arrested," Chatra Superintendent of Police Anjani Jha told reporters.

Akhilesh Singh, a local television reporter, was shot dead on Thursday when he was returning home.

According to police, the journalist was also involved in construction work and a Maoist group, Tritiya Prastuti Committee, had demanded Rs.7 lakh as levy.

Those arrested include Suraj Sao, said to be an aide of Bharatiya Janata Party's Simaria legislator Ganesh Ganjhu, Jhaman Sao and Birabal Sao.

Police said shooter Munesh Ganjhu and mastermind Mukesh Ganjhu are yet to be arrested.

Akhilesh was the fourth journalist killed since the state's creation in November 2000.

--IANS

ns/tsb/vt
British spy agency GCHQ, which specialises in garnering intelligence from communications, on Tuesday joined the micro-blogging website with its first tweet "Hello World".

"Joining social media is likely to be part of the agency's outreach attempts to attract new recruits from different demographics that might be more comfortable communicating on social media," technology website Techcrunch.com reported.

"We want GCHQ to be more accessible and to help the public understand more about our work. We also want to reach out to the technical community and add our voice to social media conversations about technology, maths, cyber security, and other topics where we have a view," the agency said in a statement.

"We will be using Twitter to talk about our history, mission outcomes, languages, maths, cyber security, technology and innovation, job opportunities and as a way of signposting events, publications, news, blogs, and opinion pieces," the statement added.

Former US spy-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden whose disclosures have sparked debates over mass surveillance, is not (yet) followed by GCHQ.

--IANS

na/vt
A study released on Tuesday has found that a high concentration of coal dust can quickly kill coral on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

The research by the Australian Institute of Marine Science discovered coal dust could also slow the growth rate of seagrasses and fish, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Corals exposed to the highest concentrations of coal dust died within two weeks," author Kathryn Berry said.

"Corals exposed to lower concentrations of coal lasted longer, but most of them also died after four weeks of exposure."

She noted that while some fish and seagrass died from coal dust exposure, it mostly stunted their growth by half compared to clean water.

The study found coal dust entered the marine environment at loading and storage facilities, or when it is blown into the sea during transport.

Researches also noted a shipping disaster as a possible risk to the reef.

"Risks to the Great Barrier Reef posed by large coal spills depend on the probability of an accident and the potential impacts to marine life," author Andrew Negri said.

"While the likelihood of a major spill on a coral reef or seagrass meadow is low, we are now beginning to understand the likely consequences."

Researchers hope the results will send a message to coal shipping companies in Australia and across the world.

--IANS

py/
The Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) on Tuesday set aside the order of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposing a Rs.1,773 crore fine on Coal India Ltd (CIL), the legal advisors to the state miner said in a statement here.

"COMPAT has set aside the order of the CCI imposing a fine on CIL, as well as two related orders, and has remitted the matters back to the CCI for fresh consideration," the Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas law firm said in a release.

"The COMPAT order states that CCI should endeavour to complete its proceedings as soon as possible, but no later than within two months from the date of the receipt of order of the COMPAT," it said.

"The CCI's orders have been set aside as the CCI did not follow the principles of natural justice while hearing the parties (the members who signed each of the three orders had not all heard the oral arguments in the three respective cases)," it added.

On complaints filed by Maharashtra State Power Generating Co. and Gujarat State Electricity Corp., CCI had fined CIL Rs.1,773 crore for abusing its dominant position as a supplier of coal by imposing unfair and discriminatory conditions in its fuel supply agreements with various customers.

The CCI then passed subsequent orders in cases filed by others, which did not impose a further penalty but required CIL to cease and desist from its unfair conduct and modify the terms of its agreements. These have all been set aside by COMPAT, Coal India's legal advisors in the case said.

--IANS

bc/vd
The Congress on Tuesday complained to the Committee on Content Regulation of Government Advertisements on alleged violation of Supreme Court's advertisement guidelines by the AAP government in Delhi.

In its memorandum to the SC-appointed panel, the Congress demanded that the committee must ensure recovery of public funds spent on what it said were "illegal advertisements" and an immediate ban on all such ads of the Delhi government.

"... the undersigned seeks to bring to the notice of the august committee, various instances wherein the government of NCT of Delhi (hereinafter referred to as the 'GNCTD') has openly flouted government advertisement guidelines laid down by the apex court," senior Congress leader Ajay Maken said in the memorandum.

"The undersigned further seeks necessary action/directions against the GNCTD to ensure recovery of public funds misappropriated on such illegal advertisements and immediate ban on all such illegal ads of GNCTD," the memorandum said.

The memorandum said that to ensure propriety and strict compliance of the apex court's judgment/guidelines, such recovery shall be made at non-Department of Audio-Visual Publicity rates from the individuals responsible/party in power, who permitted/ published the illegal political ads on account of taxpayers' money, and the amount so recovered shall be directed to be reimbursed to the corpus of GNCTD for public welfare purposes.

--IANS

sid/tsb/vm
The US economic sanctions against Cuba impeded the development of bilateral ties despite normalisation of relations, a Cuban official said on Monday, urging the US to lift them.

"There are still significant restrictions that limit US exports; very few Cuban products can be imported into the US and there are no normal banking relations between both the countries," Xinhua news agency quoted Josefina Vidal, the Cuban Foreign Ministry's chief of US affairs, as saying.

Vidal made the remark after senior Cuban and US officials held talks, in which both sides agreed to continue deepening cooperation in areas like health, agriculture, law enforcement and meteorology.

Vidal said the US trade embargo, which was imposed more than half a century ago, still affect Havana's relations with the US and other countries.

She said Havana reiterated its political will to advance towards a respectful and constructive relationship with Washington and demanded the US lift its economic blockade as a condition for fully normalising ties.

Vidal called on the next US president to "listen and pay attention" to a large segment of that country's public opinion which calls for normal relations with Cuba and the lifting of the embargo.

Vidal reaffirmed Cuba's demand to retrieve the territory occupied by the US Naval Base in Guantanamo.

The two countries restored diplomatic relations in July 2015.

Both countries agreed to meet again in September in Washington to continue talks on the normalisation of ties.

--IANS

py/
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's visit to United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman, for which he was to leave on Tuesday night, has been delayed, sources said.

The minister's Oman visit will now start on May 20, and conclude on May 22. He will reach UAE from Oman on May 22, and will be there till May 23.

Sources said the rescheduling was done following a request from UAE.

Parrikar was earlier to visit UAE from May 18 to 20 - the first time an Indian defence minister is visiting the country, and ahead of a joint exercise between the air forces of India and UAE that is to take place from June 24-28.

India and UAE agreed to strengthen cooperation in a number of areas during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit there in August 2015, including security, counter-terrorism, joint defence production, and space cooperation.

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also visited India in February this year.

Indian Naval ships Delhi, Tarkash and Deepak also visited UAE earlier this month.

--IANS

ao/vd
India on Tuesday dismissed Pakistan's concerns over the proposed "Geospatial Information Regulation Bill", saying that Islamabad has no locus standi on this issue.

"The proposed bill is an entirely internal legislative matter of India, since the whole of the state of Jammu and is an integral part of India," external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in a statement.

"Pakistan or any other party has no locus standi in the matter," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan expressed "serious concern" to the United Nations over the Indian government's efforts to pass a parliamentary legislation which aims to restrict geographical depiction of India and the "disputed" region of Jammu and .

Under the draft "Geospatial Information Regulation Bill", anyone distributing a map that the Indian government deems to be "wrong" could be liable for a billion-rupee fine and jail term.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said India's "incorrect and legally untenable" official map, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, displays the Pakistani side of Jammu and as part of India.

A letter Pakistan's permanent representative sent to the UN in this regard calls on the world body to uphold the Security Council resolutions, and urges India "to stop acts that are in violation of international law".

"The government firmly rejects Pakistan's repeated and increasing attempts to impose on the international community matters that India has always been open to address bilaterally with Pakistan," Swarup said in his statement.
Among seven union ministers retiring from the Rajya Sabha over the next three months, five are set to return to the upper house, while two are facing opposition within the party.

Among the two are Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, informed sources told IANS.

Those retiring between June to August, other than Naidu and Sitharaman, are Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

The six are from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The seventh minister to retire from Rajya Sabha, is Y.S. Chowdary, Minister of State for Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Science, who is from ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

A total of 53 members, including Janata Dal-United leaders Sharad Yadav, K.C. Tyagi, BJP leaders M.J. Akbar, Anil Madhav Dave, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, are retiring from Rajya Sabha over the next three months.

Naidu, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, is retiring in June. He is seeking a fourth term in the upper house, which is rare in the party.

According to sources, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and some leaders in the BJP are not in favour of giving another term to Naidu, and feel someone new should be given an opportunity.

"There is a precedent in the party not to give more than two terms in Rajya Sabha, but Naidu was given a third term last time," a senior BJP functionary told IANS.

Sitharaman's renomination is being opposed by one of the union ministers who was once very close to her.

However, her work as minister has been widely appreciated.

Sitharaman is presently a Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh, where two seats are falling vacant. Both the seats will go to TDP.

However, a final decision on these two leaders will be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

TDP leader Y.S. Chowdary is likely to make a comeback to the upper house.

Piyush Goyal, a Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra, is likely to return to the upper house from Rajasthan, where four seats are falling vacant and are coming in the BJP quota.

In Rajasthan, two candidates will be decided by the state unit and the remaining two by the BJP central leadership.

Suresh Prabhu, who is in the upper house from Haryana, is likely to return from Maharashtra this time.

Six seats are falling vacant from Maharashtra, where the BJP will get four berths.

Birendra Singh, currently serving as Rajya Sabha member from Haryana, is likely to return from the state, where the BJP is in power. Two seats are falling vacant from the state.

Naqvi is likely to return to the upper house from Uttar Pradesh, from where BJP can send only one member.

(Brajendra Singh can be reached at brajendra.s@ians.in)

--IANS

bns/rn/vm
The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the response of the AAP government on a PIL against its "politically motivated" decision to offer a job on compassionate grounds to the brother of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide in January.

The Delhi government told a division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath that Rohith Vemula's brother Raja Chaitanya Kumar Vemula informed it that he has refused the offer.

Raja, who was offered a the job of a lower division clerk (Grade-IV) in the Delhi Administrative Services through a letter dated April 4, "has turned down the offer, so we are going to take our decision back", said the counsel appearing for the Delhi government.

The court asked government to file an affidavit on the plea and posted the matter for July 13.

The petition, filed by advocate Avadh Kumar Kaushik, sought quashing of the government decision on the ground that it's "purely politically motivated" and "illegal, arbitrary, motivated, discriminatory, unjustifiable and unfair exercise of discretion without any mandate of law, statute, policy and guidelines".

The plea questioned the wisdom of the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in giving a clerical job to Raja, the brother of Hyderabad University research scholar Rohith Vemula.

Rohith's suicide on January 17 caused a prolonged political uproar and accusations against the BJP-led central government of nurturing systemic bias against Dalit communities.

The PIL said the student "died at Hyderabad University by committing suicide, having no connection with Delhi and admittedly, he was not a government servant in Delhi and thus, the impugned decision is nothing but purely politically motivated, biased and illegal and thus the same cannot be allowed to sustain".

The case is neither of a special category nor any kind of "martyrdom or sacrificing the life for any good cause but it is a simple case of suicide by the deceased at Hyderabad and thus there is no rationality or public welfare in the AAP government decision," said the plea.

The plea challenged the appointment process, saying that if allowed to proceed the decision of the Delhi cabinet will set a wrong precedent.

The petition said that the government's decision is a "clear violation of law of the land and public policy thereby infringing the fundamental rights of the public at large in general and Delhi's youth in particular who are trying to get the job on their own merits but are deprived by the Delhi government" because of the decision.

--IANS

gt/rn/vm
Hollywood star Hugh Jackman has applauded Pulitzer Prize-winner and Indian-American doctor Siddhartha Mukherjee's book "The Gene - An Intimate History". He says the book is a "fascinating read".

Mukherjee, who was conferred with Padma Shri -- India's fourth highest civilian honour -- in 2014, is best known for his 2010 book "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer".

Jackman took to Twitter to share a photograph in which he can be seen reading the book while sitting in a car.

"'The Gene' a fascinating read," he captioned the image.

Jackman is known for his portrayal of fictional superhero Wolverine in Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

--IANS

sas/rb/dg
Vienna, May 16 (IANS/AKI) Military training and arms, not military intervention are what the Libyan unity government wants and Italy and other countries are open to this request, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Monday.

"We will rapidly consider the request of the Libyan unity government concerning the training of troops and are prepared to meet these," Gentiloni told journalists in Vienna.

A military embargo put in place by the United Nations five years ago would not be abolished but would be subject to "limitations", he said after a meeting of diplomats from 20 countries including the US pledged to consider training and arming the Libyan government in the fight to stop the Islamic State jihadist group from expanding in the chaos-wracked country.

"Stabilising Libya is key to the fight against terrorism and to its development, " Gentiloni stated.

Speaking at a press conference after the Vienna meeting, which was co-chaired by Italy, US Secretary of State John Kerry said IS was a "new threat" to Libya and it was "imperative " it was stopped.

Besides countering IS, the government of national unity should take full control of Libyan ministries backed by the international community, he said.

But Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj warned major challenges lay ahead.

"The situation in Libya is extremely bad," he said, adding the international community would not be spared" if IS was not eradicated from the country.

IS controls the coastal oil hub of Sirte and has launched a series of suicide bombings and attacks on oil facilities in the country.

The UN-backed Serraj government earlier in May announced the formation of a military task force to fight IS but is does not have the support of the rival government in the east of the country, which is quarrelling over the allocation of the country's oil and financial resources.

Libya, a major transit point for migrants has been in turmoil since NATO-backed forces overthrew long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011.

Italy, Libya's former colonial ruler, has an extra stkte in the North African country due to the threat of uncontrolled migration across the southern Mediterranean.

Gentiloni invited ministers from several sub-Saharan African countries to the Vienna meeting as well as Malta.

--IANS/AKI

vd
A militant was arrested in Bangladesh's Rajshahi region over killing of a university professor, a police official said on Tuesday.

The detainee is a member of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who killed Rajshahi University's professor Rezaul Karim Siddiquee, Xinhua news agency reported.

Criminals slit the professor's throat on April 23 while he was waiting for a bus near his residence, the police said.

Siddiquee, also a writer and cultural activist, died on the spot.

"We've arrested one JMB man who directly took part in the murder," said the official.

A number of secularist writers, bloggers and publishers in Bangladesh were killed or seriously injured in attacks perpetrated by Islamist extremists since 2013.

Militants have claimed responsibility for the past murders.

JMB, campaigning for establishment of Islamic rule in Bangladesh, carried out a series of bombings in the country.

Hundreds of JMB leaders and activists were rounded up while six top leaders of the group, including Shaikh Abdur Rahman, were hanged in 2007.

--IANS

py/dg
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lay the foundation stone for a new India-Bangladesh railway project on May 27, a top railway official said on Tuesday.

A top official of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said that Modi on May 27 would also flag off a regular passenger train service from Agartala to Sealdah, Agartala to Silchar and passenger train services to Manipur (52 km) and Mizoram (84 km) on the newly-laid broad gauge line.

"Prime minister would attend the plenary session of North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong. From Shillong through remote control, the prime minister would lay the foundation stone of the Agartala (India)-Akhaura (Bangladesh) railway project," a top official of NFR told IANS.

"Modi would also flag off regular passenger train service from Agartala to Sealdah, Agartala to Silchar and passenger train services to Manipur and Mizoram on the newly laid broad gauge line," the official added.

An official of the Tripura planning and coordination department said the prime minister would inaugurate the two-day (May 27-28) plenary session of NEC, a regional planning body, in Meghalaya capital Shillong.

"He would hold interactions with the chief ministers and governors of all the eight northeastern states during the plenary session," the official added.

The Rs.968 crore Agartala-Akhaura railway project was finalised in January 2010 when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met then prime minister Manmohan Singh during her visit to New Delhi.

"Following the Tripura government's persistent persuasion and Prime Minister's Office (PMO) intervention, the DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) ministry has agreed to provide Rs.580 crore for the new railway project," Tripura Transport Minister Manik Dey told reporters.

"If the DoNER ministry releases the funds, the necessary work for acquisition of required 67 acres land would start immediately," he said.

During his recent visit to Tripura, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha said the PMO has been supervising the new India-Bangladesh railway project with Tripura.

He said the 15 km (5 km on Indian side and 10 km on Bangladesh) long Agartala-Akhaura railway project would provide a major boost to development and economy of the northeastern region of India and eastern Bangladesh.

"The project would give a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Act East' policy," Sinha added.

Modi discussed the railway project with Hasina during his visit to Dhaka in June last year.

"India's external affairs ministry would provide necessary funds for the Bangladesh portion of the Agartala-Akhaura rail project. The DoNER ministry's funds would be spent for the Indian portion of the project," Tripura minister said.

The 1,650-km distance between Agartala and Kolkata would be reduced to only 550 km once the new rail track is linked through Bangladesh.

Currently, India and Bangladesh have four rail links with West Bengal.

The railway line from Guwahati passes through Lumding in Nagaon district (in central Assam) and southern Assam connecting land-locked Tripura's capital Agartala and parts of Manipur and Mizoram with the rest of India.

The Guwahati-Silchar railway line is the lifeline for southern Assam comprising four districts - Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Dima Hasao district, known as Barak Valley, and the mountainous states of Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram.

These states are heavily dependent on this railway line for supply of foodgrain, fertilisers, petroleum products, construction materials and other commodities besides ferrying passengers.

The 437-km Lumding-Silchar and Badarpur-Agartala gauge conversion work was sanctioned in 1996.

It was declared a national project in 2004, thereby ensuring uninterrupted funding from the central government's general budget. The project was hit by insurgency from 2006 to 2009 and work could only gain speed after that turbulent period.

In the first phase, the 210-km Lumding-Silchar gauge conversion project was completed last year.

In the second phase, the 227-km Badarpur-Agartala gauge conversion was scheduled to be completed in March but was completed three months earlier.

The Silchar-Jiribam (52 km) in Manipur and Silchar-Bhairabi (84 km) in Mizoram gauge conversion project are part of the Lumding-Silchar line along with other projects.

With the completion of gauge conversion work right up to Agartala, the Tripura capital was connected with the country's broad gauge railway network through Guwahati at a distance of about 600 km this month.

After India's independence, Agartala is the first state capital of the country to come up on the rail map (meter gauge line) in October 2008.

--IANS

sc/rn/vt
has deployed a bread loaf-sized Miniature X-Ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) CubeSat from an airlock on the Space Station (ISS) to study the Sun's soft x-rays that can affect our communications systems.

Soft X-rays can disrupt the Earth's upper atmosphere and can hamper radio and Global Positioning System (GPS) signals travelling through the region.

The intensity of the soft x-ray emissions is continuously changing over a large range  with peak emission levels occurring during large eruptions on the Sun called solar flares.

MinXSS will operate for up to 12 months and the data will also help scientists in understanding the physics behind solar flares.

The soft X-rays carry information about the temperature, density and chemical composition of material in the Sun's atmosphere, allowing scientists to trace how events like flares and other processes heat the surrounding material in the Sun's atmosphere.

CubeSats are a new, low-cost tool for space science missions.

Instead of the traditional space science missions, CubeSats are designed to take narrowly targeted scientific observations, with only a few instruments.

For example, MinXSS uses a commercially purchased X-ray spectrometer for a detector and an extendable tape measure as a radio antenna.

MinXSS was launched via NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative programme on 6 December last year aboard Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft through NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.
The opposition in Pakistan's parliament, which rejected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's speech in the National Assembly, will meet on Tuesday to decide a future strategy over the Panama Papers leaks issue.

Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf's parliamentary leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday said the combined opposition would meet Pakistan Peoples Party leader Syed Khursheed Shah to "dissect and analyse" Sharif's speech and finalise their response, Dawn online reported.

"The prime minister lied on the floor of the house," Qureshi said, adding that all their questions remained unanswered.

Qureshi said the opposition would devise a future strategy against the backdrop of the refusal of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to form a judicial commission to probe the Panama Papers scandal.

"We have rejected Sharif's speech and the Chief Justice has already rejected the terms of reference prepared by the government. So, we will see where do we go from here," he said.

When asked if opposition parties would continue to boycott the Nagtional Assembly proceedings, Qureshi said they would decide this at Tuesday's meeting.

On the other hand, Saeed Ghani, the PPP's parliamentary leader in the Senate, said the opposition would continue to boycott the proceedings of the upper house over the continued absence of Sharif.

Speaking to the media soon after Sharif's speech in the house, PPP's Khursheed Shah said the clarification presented by the prime minister did not address the questions posed by the opposition.

--IANS

py/vt
A law officer with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) who was killed on Monday night by unknown assailants was likely shot dead due to "professional motives" over a hotel licence, police said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Moin Khan, 58, a deputy law officer with the NDMC, was murdered in South Delhi's Jamia Nagar area by two unidentified motorcycle borne assailants who intercepted him on the pretext of asking an address. He was shot point blank in the chest.

A senior police officer connected with the case told IANS: "There is no angle of personal enmity behind his murder. He was killed because of tracking a hotel case which he was handling for the NDMC."

Police said the CCTV footage shows a motorcycle with two persons but they are yet to investigate whether they were the attackers or not.

"We have collected the last three days CCTV footage of the area," he added.

Khan's neighbour, Saquib Siddiqui, who lives just 50 metres away, told IANS that some strangers had been enquiring about Khan's residence for the last few days.

"They would ask for his address by his house number, D-13, showing a marriage card," he added.

Siddiqui said, "On a number of occasions, Khan told us that he was under immense pressure from his seniors regarding a case of a hotel in the NDMC area that required his clearance, which he refused to give. He was also offered Rs.3 crore to settle the issue."

"However, Khan didn't reveal the name of the hotel to us, but he said that he might be murdered any day," Siddiqui added.

"Police has taken the CCTV footage of the area. Most of the strangers while asking for his address were not wearing helmets," he added.

A case of murder has been registered at the Jamia Nagar police station against unidentified persons and probe is on. No arrest has been made yet.

Khan is survived by his wife and three daughters.

--IANS

aks/rn/vm
Prosecution of jihadis in Pakistan is difficult as the system considers them to be "the good guys", according to Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former envoy to the US.

Talking about his latest book, 'India vs Pakistan: Why Can't We Just be Friends?' Haqqani told IANS in an email interview that Pakistan considered jihad to be a low-cost option to bleed India and that this was the only way for it to ensure some form of military parity.

Haqqani, who's an integral part of the powerful elite in Islamabad and was adviser to four prime ministers, talks in his written replies about jihad, relations with India, Pakistan's own tryst with the scourge of terrorism, and the nexus between ISI -- Pakistan's military intelligence service -- and the Islamic jihadi forces. (Excerpts)

Q. Can you explain ex-ISI chief Shuja Pasha's statement on 26/11 terror attack, "Log hamare the, operation hamara nahi tha" (our people but it was not our operation)?

A. Pasha said, "our people" were involved, he didn't say it was Pakistan army officers or ISI men. Pasha could have meant Pakistanis or he could be referring to LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) as "our people." However, Pasha had told ex-CIA Director, General Michael Hayden, that "retired Pakistani army officers and retired intelligence officers" were involved in the planning. General Hayden says so in his book. Condoleezza Rice, then Secretary of State, has also written the same.

Since 26/11, Pakistan never went into the depth of the case even though proof was presented. We did arrest some, but we have not successfully prosecuted those responsible and until that is done, questions will remain.

Q. Rice had warned Pakistan to shut down terror operations. However, nothing has changed.

A. Prosecution is difficult in a system where jihadis targeting India are seen as 'the good guys'. Yes, Secretary Rice had told Islamabad to shut down all terrorist operations. But that wasn't the first time and certainly not the last. Pakistan has persisted with the same policy since the 1990s. When pushed by US on terror: first deny, then list Pakistani grievances, bring up and blame India, provide commitments and assurances and end again with denial. This is not working.

Q. Though US had named Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi of LeT as the 26/11 mastermind, he is roaming around freely in Pakistan. What is stopping Islamabad from taking action?

A. Pakistan sees jihad as a low cost option to bleed India. The security apparatus views terrorism as irregular warfare. Islamabad feels this is the only way to ensure some form of military parity.

Q. Is there a concerted attempt by the Pakistan army to thwart peace talks?

A. As an analyst, I have seen that over the last 69 years, Indian and Pakistani leaders have met 53 times and yet been unable to change the course of their ties. Whenever the two try to move forward, the military has reacted. Civilian and army leaders have lost power after attempting to make peace.

Q. What should be Pakistan's policy on

A. Having a normal relationship, people-to-people ties and trade doesn't mean giving up on legal or political claim. The question I ask is: Is really Pakistan's 'jugular vein' if it has survived for 69 years without it? Should the two risk nuclear mass destruction over a quarrel they have not been able to resolve for so long?

However, Pakistan's military has insisted on resolution of the Kashmir imbroglio before opening trade or travel.

Q. Pakistan's Kashmir policy remains by and large in the hands of the military even when a civilian prime minister holds office. How can we expect a solution?

A. Under civilian prime ministers, Pakistan has moved forward with India. But Pakistan's security establishment insists on controlling foreign and security policy, including the Kashmir policy. They have not been able to reach any long-lasting solution. Pakistanis realise that it is only civilian leaders who can actually reach a solution.

Q. In your opinion, Indira Gandhi had been magnanimous with the Shimla Pact, but Pakistanis saw the absence of pressure for a full settlement of Kashmir as an opportunity to keep the conflict alive. Should she have been more assertive on Kashmir?

A. Mrs Gandhi did not trust (prime minister) Zulfikar Ali Bhutto but she saw him as preferable to a military regime. For India, domestic unrest or balkanisation of Pakistan, is not a favorable development.

The compromise was to declare in Shimla that "the two countries are resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations." This was meant to preclude any future war.

Q. The book mentions how Pakistan intelligence had passed on the information of 10 terrorists who sneaked into Gujarat in March. Do you feel that its a sincere move to preempt a crisis after Pathankot?

A. It's very positive that Pakistan has shared intelligence with India. But it was more because pressure from India and US. India cancelled scheduled talks and (Prime Minister Nawaz) Sharif was eager to resume dialogue. It was less likely that this move reflected concern for possible Indian casualties and was more to do with the need to deflect international pressure.

Q. Are you hopeful of a breakthrough in Indo-Pak relationship after Pathankot?

A. The two foreign secretaries met in New Delhi for the Heart of Asia conference and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi is scheduled to travel to Islamabad for the SAARC summit in November this year. So, talks will continue as before but for a breakthrough, the two sides need to move beyond simply cancelling or rescheduling talks and create an environment for change.

Q. You also talk about the shrinking space for friendship and increasing 'saffronisation' of India. How harmful is this for ties?

A. Indo-Pak ties have become a victim of two parallel and contending nationalisms. In recent years, we are increasingly resembling each other in rage, resentment and public displays of religion.

Q. How do you see US policy towards Pakistan in the wake of US elections?

A. Neither of the current Presidential candidates have expressed a positive view of Pakistan. What should worry my countrymen is that entire US thinktank and the average American share the same view.

Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State in 2011 said, "You can't keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbors." US policy towards Pakistan has been built on what I call 'Magnificent Delusions'. Pakistan saw the US as its superpower ally who would build its resources to stand up to India, but Washington never saw India as a threat. US and Pakistan have very different goals but still assume they can get the other to work to their advantage.

(Haqqani's book has been published by Juggernaut. Preetha Nair can be reached at preetha.n@ians.in)

--IANS

pn/hs/vt
Computer scientists, including an Indian-origin student at the University of Texas at Austin, have developed a new method for producing truly random numbers -- a breakthrough that can be used to encrypt data and improve cybersecurity.

The new method creates truly random numbers with less computational effort than other methods, which could facilitate significantly higher levels of security for everything from consumer credit card transactions to military communications.

This can also make electronic voting more secure, conduct statistically significant polls, and more accurately simulate complex systems such as the Earth's climate.

"This is a problem I have come back to over and over again for more than 20 years. I'm thrilled to have solved it," said computer science professor David Zuckerman.

Zuckerman and graduate student Eshan Chattopadhyay publicly released a draft paper describing their method for making random numbers in an online forum.

The new method takes two weakly random sequences of numbers and turns them into one sequence of truly random numbers.

Weakly random sequences, such as air temperatures and stock market prices sampled over time, harbour predictable patterns. Truly random sequences have nothing predictable about them, like a coin toss.

"When I heard about it, I couldn't sleep," said Yael Kalai, senior researcher working in cryptography at Microsoft Research New England. "I was so excited. I couldn't believe it. I ran to the (online) archive to look at the paper. It's really a masterpiece," he added.

An important application for random numbers is in generating keys for data encryption that are hard for hackers to crack.

Data encryption is critical for making secure credit card purchases and bank transactions, keeping personal medical data private and shielding military communications from enemies.

"One common way that encryption is misused is by not using high-quality randomness. So in that sense, by making it easier to get high-quality randomness, our methods could improve security," Zuckerman noted.

Zuckerman and Chattopadhyay will present their method at the annual Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in June.

--IANS

na/vt
Russia will build a cruise liner, the first in six decades, a media report said on Wednesday.

"The country's first cruise liner is planned to be built this year since the 1950s," Aleksey Rakhmanov, president of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, said on Tuesday.

"Our company will also continue to construct vessels and various marine engineering for the oil and gas industries," he said at the opening of an forum on Russia's marine industry.

The project, code-named PV300VD, could start this year, he said, adding that the construction of a vessel will take up to three years and cost approximately 2.5 billion rubles ($40 million).

The cruise liner will be 141 metres in length and 17 metres in width, with a transporting capacity of about 306 passengers.

Earlier, the Soviet Union had a fleet of ocean liners that made cruises on the Black and Baltic Seas, RT news reported.

These ships were mostly built in East Germany, Finland and Yugoslavia. The vast majority of these vessels, operated in the Soviet era, have now been written off for scrap.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia had troubles with local shipbuilding, as many technologies were lost in the 1990s.

According to Rakhmanov, USC is now trying to catch up with something that has not been done in the last 20 to 25 years.

--IANS

ksk
Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will lead a 25-member business delegation to Myanmar on Wednesday in an effort to boost trade and economic ties between the two nations, an official statement said.

"Nirmala Sitharaman will be the first minister from India to visit Myanmar after the change of regime in Myanmar. She will lead a high-level CEO delegation to Myanmar from May 18-20, 2016," said a commerce ministry statement.

Sitharaman will take part in the India-Myanmar Business Conclave being organised by India at Myanmar's capital Yangon as part of its "Act East" policy, the ministry said.

The delegation includes Naushad Forbes, president of industry chamber CII, Rakesh Mittal of Bharti Enterprises), Shobana Kamineni of Apollo Hospitals, Arundhati Bhattacharya of State Bank of India, and Madhu Kannan of Tata Sons, among others. Leading business persons from Myanmar including many ministers shall attend the conclave, it added.

Sitharaman is also scheduled to have meeting with many ministers of the new Myanmar government including Commerce Minister Than Myint and Industry Minister U KhinMaung Cho.

The India-Myanmar bilateral trade was valued at around $2 billion in 2014-15.

--IANS

bc/vd
Six patients have died for want of treatment since junior doctors at the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) struck work demanding security, officials said on Tuesday.

"In the last 48 hours, six patients have died due to lack of treatment following the strike by PMCH junior doctors," an official said.

Striking junior doctors are adamant not to resume work unless adequate security was provided to them.

They went on the strike late on Sunday night after a pitched battle with attendants of a youth who died at the hospital.

Meanwhile, hundreds of patients, mostly the poor, who arrived at the hospital from across the state, were worried over no medical facilities being provided to them.

"We are the real victims of the strike because there is no doctor to attend to patients," said Avadesh Mandal of Samastipur district who came here four days ago to get his brother treated in the PMCH.

Similarly, Mahesh Paswan was worried for his wife's health. He said: "No doctor, no nurse to give injections to patients... what more can I say, we are at the mercy of God."

Most wards of the hospital wore a deserted look as most patients were forced to shift to private nursing homes. "Those who cannot afford treatment outside have been left in the lurch and are awaiting treatment," a nurse said.

--IANS

ik/tsb/dg
Tata Steel's board on Tuesday approved a proposal to file an application before the Bombay High Court,o seeking recall of the scheme of amalgamation between Tata Metaliks (TML) and Tata Metaliks DI Pipes Limited with the steel producer.

The scheme of amalgamation was earlier sanctioned by the Bombay High Court on August 21, 2015.

"...its committee of directors approved the proposal of the company to file appropriate application before the hon'ble high court of Bombay seeking recall of the order dated August 21, 2015 sanctioning the scheme of amalgation between the Tata Metaliks Limited and Tata Metaliks DI Pipes Limited with the company," the steel maker said in a statement.

The scheme is currently not effective as the petition filed by TML in the Calcutta High Court for approval of the scheme is pending disposal, it said.

Accordingly, TML has been advised to consider withdrawing the scheme with a leave to re-file for a fresh scheme for merger of Tata Metaliks DI Pipes with TML.

"The decision is based on careful consideration of various factors including inordinate delay in obtaining requisite regulatory and statutory approvals along with significant dilution in the intended synergies that were envisaged in April 2013," said company's group executive director ((Finance & Corporate) Koushik Chatterjee.

Tata Steel will continue to support TML and the latter will continue to operate as a subsidiary of the company, he added.

The scheme was earlier recommended by the committee of directors in April 2013 and approved by the members of the company at the court convened meeting held in May 2014, the statement said.

"In terms of the scheme, the swap ratio for public shareholders was four equity shares of Rs 10 each of Tata Steel for every 29 equity shares of Rs.10 each held in TML," it said.

--IANS

bdc/vd
An 18-year-old, suspected of planning a terror attack, was arrested by Australian police in an operation in Sydney that was held alongside other police raids in Melbourne.

The teenager, whose identity was not revealed, was looking to acquire a firearm and was scouring for targets in Sydney for an imminent attack, Efe news quoted a Federal Police official as saying.

"Any threat to the community posed by this individual has been mitigated," said Gaughan.

New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn said the authorities so far have prevented nine attacks, including the one that the teenager was allegedly planning.

In recent years there has been rise in Australian teenagers leaving the country to fight in the Middle East after joining Islamic extremist movements or carrying out or planning to carry out terror attacks within the country.

Five people were arrested last week as they were trying to leave the country through the sea route to join the Islamic State in Syria.

The detainees, including radical preacher Musa Cerantonio, were accused of trying to enter a foreign country with the intent to engage in hostile activities.

The defendants, between the ages 21 to 31 years, will appear in court next Thursday.

Meanwhile, a group of supporters started a Facebook campaign to fund the legal costs of the five Australians and secure their release.

Australian authorities estimate there are around 200 Australians who actively support the IS in Australia, and 110 more who have enlisted as fighters in the Middle East, of which around 50 have died in combat.

--IANS

py/vt
The livelihoods of 10,000 shepherds and sheep farmers would be at risk if Britons vote to leave the European Union (EU), a government minister warned on Monday.

Elizabeth Truss, secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) said a win for Brexit would threaten exports of lamb and mutton to Europe worth $416 million a year, Xinhua reported.

She said 40 percent of all the lamb and mutton produced in Britain goes to member countries of the European Union, accounting for 97 percent all exports.

Truss was commenting ahead of a visit on Monday to Cumbria in northern England to discuss the future prospects with farmers and shepherds in one of Britain's major sheep farming regions.

She said that outside the EU tariffs could add an additional $222 million to the cost of lamb and mutton exports, making British lamb a less attractive prospect for Europeans compared to New Zealand and Australian competitors.

"Without this market -- which accounts for 97 percent of all lamb and mutton exports -- prices of British lamb could crash and put the sustainability of the industry and the livelihoods of 10,000 sheep farmers in jeopardy," said the official.

A spokesman for Defra also said lamb exporters could face a red tape "double whammy" of different rules for animal health, food safety and labelling to sell abroad and at home, which would add additional costs and affect their profits.

Truss said: "Sheep farmers in Cumbria and across the uplands are a vital part of the British countryside, but without the benefits the industry enjoys from our membership of the EU, the very future of this iconic industry could be under threat."

Cumbria farmer John Geldard, former chair of the National Sheep Association, said, "Many sheep farming and rural businesses are working on very thin margins with little spare capacity. To exit the EU with an accompanying four to five years of complete uncertainty would be reckless."

--IANS

sku/
Congress' Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken on Tuesday said that the party's traditional voters are returning to its fold in the city.

"The traditional Congress voters including safai karamcharis, street vendors and slum dwellers have returned to the Congress fold. Besides the minority vote has also shifted to the Congress," he said after results to the civic by-polls had the party winning four out of 13 wards with a 24.87 percent vote share.

Maken said that while the Congress vote share as compared to the 2015 assembly elections has improved by 22 percentage points, while both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have lost 26 percent and four percent vote share respectively.

With the party winning from Qamruddin Nagar, Munirka, Khichripur and Jhilmil, he noted that his party has made inroads in those wards where they had never won before.

Maken said that the results clearly hint that both AAP and BJP must improve their governance.

"The voters have taught AAP a lesson as health and education facilities in the capital have not improved under their governance," he said, and accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of wasting taxpayers' money on self-promotion.

"The Delhi government has spent Rs.207 crore on publicity. Advertisements were given to vernacular dailies in Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi and other regional languages during the odd-even scheme.

"What have people of Karnataka or Kerala got to do with Delhi's odd-even scheme or any other programme implemented by the Delhi government?" he asked.

--IANS

vin-mak/vd
At least two militants were killed by security forces in two separate gunfights in Kashmir on Tuesday.

"Security forces launched an operation against hiding militants in Pahlipora village of Shopian district during the night," a senior police official told IANS here.

One militant was killed in encounter while searches were still on, the official said.

"Another encounter started between the security forces and militants in Zonrishipora (Chowkibal) village of Kupwara district on Tuesday morning," he said.

One militant has been killed in the operation so far, the official said.

--IANS

sq/py/
The US Senate on Tuesday adopted unanimously a proposed bill that would allow Americans to sue nation-states for terrorist attacks on US soil, despite opposition from the White House and allies such as Saudi Arabia.

Dubbed "Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act", the bill sailed through the upper chamber of Congress without opposition. It now heads to the House of Representatives, which has its own version of the proposal.

"This bill is very near and dear to my heart as a New Yorker because it would allow the victims of 9/11 to pursue some small measure of justice," said Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, according to The Hill.

"(This is an) another example of the (John) Cornyn-Schumer collaboration, which works pretty well around here."

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, co-sponsored the bill and apparently prevailed over his South Carolina colleague Lindsey Graham, who had put a hold on the bill last month, citing concerns it would open the US up to lawsuits by foreign governments.

Graham's office said he dropped the hold over the recent recess, The Hill reported.

--IANS

ahm/vd
Well-known Telugu actor Krishnam Raju has been hospitalised after he complained of difficulty in breathing and has been kept under observation.

According to a source close to the veteran star, the 76-year-old was admitted to Care Hospital on Monday.

"He complained of breathlessness when he was rushed to the hospital. Although nothing is serious, he has been kept under observation," the source told IANS.

Raju's nephew, actor Prabhas, upon learning about his uncle's condition, rushed to the hospital and spent nearly two hours with him.

The source added that Raju will be kept under observation on Tuesday.

"By the end of the day, we can expect some update from the doctors," he said.

With over 100 films to his credit, Raju shaped the career of Prabhas, who is very close to him.

--IANS

hp/rb/vt
Any concept of rights comes with limits. When the Constitution of India recognises the freedom of speech and expression it does so while prescribing restrictions. In similar measure, while restrictions allow Parliament to make law, they have to be reasonable. While most people agree and accept this formulation, they also frequently debate their extent. It is a lack of clarity on this that often leads to constitutional challenges on laws that restrict speech. One recent illustration is the case concerning that is contained under Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The stock of zoomed around eight per cent on Thursday, largely helped by the better-than-expected performance of its foreign subsidiaries.

Revenues from foreign operations grew seven per cent year-on-year (y-o-y), especially of Samvardhana Motherson Automotive Systems Group, holding company of Samvardhana Motherson Reflectec (SMR) and Samvardhana Motherson Peguform (SMP). Operating margins in the foreign business witnessed a 77 basis point (bps) y-o-y growth to 8.26 per cent in the quarter ended March (Q4).

This was largely helped by margins of SMR, which manufactures rear-view mirrors, going up by 188 bps y-o-y to 12.53 per cent, while that of SMP, which focuses on exterior and interior modules for passenger cars, saw its operating margins expand from 6.15 per cent in the year-ago period to 7.25 per cent in Q4.

The improvement of operating margins of the domestic business to 21.2 per cent from 20.8 per cent in Q4 also augurs well. With troublesome subsidiaries displaying a turnaround, the Street was not perturbed by marginally missing its revenue target. Consolidated revenues at Rs 10,068 crore, up eight per cent y-o-y, were slightly below the Bloomberg estimate (Rs 10,543 crore). Net profit at Rs 414 crore grew by 21.6 per cent y-o-y and was way ahead of Bloomberg estimate of Rs 351 crore. Copper and crude oil prices staying at benign levels supported the 60-bp operating margin expansion in Q4. However, with commodity prices, particularly crude oil, recovering significantly, it needs to be seen if these margins are sustainable.

While some analysts feel the benefit from commodity price recovery may wither by the second half of financial year 2016-17 (FY17), Jain says scaling up SMR and SMP's operations will increase leverage and hence help sustain margins at current levels. As interest expenses continue to moderate (down 23 per cent to Rs 66 crore in Q4) net profit growth may also be sustained at current levels in FY17.
Apropos the report, "Six PSBs bottom line hit as bad loans mount" (May 14) by Namrata Acharya, Anup Roy and Abhijit Lele, while the results of some are yet to be declared, those that have been published are painful to investors.

Several banks have contended that the surge in bad loans and profits turning into losses are due to the asset quality review made in terms of the Reserve Bank of India directives to cleanse the balance sheets. Had the banks identified their non-performing loans in time, it would have been possible to administer remedies. By postponing the death of these accounts, banks have paved the way for deterioration in the quality and value of the securities charged, as well as left the door open for wilful default.

Despite the initiatives taken by the government and the banking regulator, there is no marked improvement in the banking business. Mounting bad loans and plummeting returns on assets are beating down the value of the scrips of and investors are losing confidence. The government along with the banking regulator and the Bank Board Bureau must look to resolve these issues to save the .

V S K Pillai Kottayam

can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
Compassionate and palliative care relate to the quality of the process of dying. After suffering their absence during and after a deeply grievous demise, I belatedly explored the literature on India by both international and Indian researchers, after my broaching the subject produced disinterest and disdain from the doctors who I spoke to. No wonder; little has been achieved in practice due to lack of Budget allocation despite the recognition and subsequent introduction of selective public policy. In a 2015 Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) study of end of life care (EOLC) services comparing 30 advanced and 10 developing countries, India was ranked 40th in the quality of death.
On a recent visit to China, I noticed that Premier Li Keqiang wanted "mass entrepreneurship". China is buzzing with wild-looking entrepreneurs; however, young Chinese are found wanting in preparedness, funding and the ability to execute to success. India, too, is in a tizzy, described by one knowledgeable commentator as "the Mahabharata of Indian internet unicorns". Business Standard reported that among Indian venture capital circles, growth is no longer the buzzword, profit is ("As funding gets tough, start-ups face frugal times", Weekend, May 7). Funding Indian start-ups has slowed down; 5,000 start-up jobs were lost during the last six months.
GANGSTER WARLORDS

Drug dollars, killing fields and the new politics of Latin America

Ioan Grillo

Bloomsbury

350 pages; Rs 399



The word "warlord", Ioan Grillo writes in Gangster Warlords, was probably coined in 1856 by Ralph Waldo Emerson in an essay in which he used the term to illustrate "the transformation of English aristocrats from violent feudal lords and buccaneers to statesmen", as the modern state was born. The term was used later by a British journalist to describe the regional chieftains who seized areas of China through force after the collapse of the central government in the 1920s - and yet more recently by a Reuters journalist to describe Somalia's ruthless militia leaders while reporting from that country in 1991. In Latin America, the media had used the terms drug lords and cartels since the 1980s.

Mr Grillo, a British-born journalist who lives in Mexico and has reported on that country since 2001, has now coined a new description for the leaders of drug gangs in Latin America and the Caribbean - "gangster warlords". They run crime rackets and command militias to help them rule their fiefdoms, guard the borders of their domains, collect extortion "taxes", conduct trials, enforce brutal punishments and carry out social work - in the slums of Rio, Sao Paulo, Kingston, and other cities in the Americas and the Caribbean.

Gangster Warlords is Mr Grillo's second book, coming five years after El Narco, in which he analysed Mexican drug cartels. The new criminal militias have emerged simultaneously in several Latin American countries, with their own cult followings and guerilla hit squads. "These super villains from Mexico to Jamaica to Brazil to Colombia are no longer just drug traffickers, but a weird hybrid of criminal CEO, gangster rock star, and paramilitary general."



Mr Grillo profiles four crime families after travelling across the Americas: the Red Commando in Brazil, the Shower Posse in Jamaica, the Mara Salvatrucha in the "Northern Triangle" (comprising Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala) in Central America, and the Knights Templar in Mexico. These "puzzling postmodern networks" that are a mix of mafias, death squads, religious cults and urban guerillas, have, over the past two decades, "taken over much of the world's trade in narcotics, guns, and humans as well as delved into oil, gold, cars and kidnapping."



As a result of the violence unleashed by the gangster militias, eight of the 10 countries with the highest homicide rates are now in Latin America and the Caribbean, as are 43 of the world's most violent cities. In Mr Grillo's chilling words, "When you tally up the total body count, the numbers are staggering. Between the dawn of the new millennium and 2010, more than a million people across Latin America and the Caribbean were murdered. It's a cocaine-fuelled holocaust."



How has this culture of violence come to be so entrenched in this region? Mr Grillo, who has shown remarkable courage in investigating this phenomenon by conducting hundreds of interviews with gang members - often at great risk to himself, having more than once been suspected of being a US drug enforcement agent - offers a convincing theory. As long as the Cold War raged, the CIA and successive US administrations propped up brutal right-wing dictatorships across much of South America. This in turn spawned left-wing guerilla movements that waged low-intensity wars against the dictatorships. As these regimes fell one by one, abandoned by Washington and bowing before pro-democracy movements, the guerillas found themselves with ample firepower but no targets. It was not long before they allied with criminal gangs and turned to drug trafficking.

In Brazil, the military generals who ruled between 1964 and 1985 calculated that common criminals and leftist guerillas incarcerated in the same maximum-security island prison would kill each other off in prison riots. In fact, it led to a fusion of the two and the formation of the Red Commando - the most feared gang in Brazil - because the guerillas who mainly comprised well-educated, middle-class intellectuals indoctrinated the crime gangs.

If the gangster militias are both products of violent cities and contributors to their increasing bloodiness, as Mr Grillo argues, how can the cycle of violence be broken? He offers three solutions: reforming drug policy, rebuilding justice systems and transforming the ghettos that are the gangs' strongholds by regenerating communities. Uruguay, Portugal and some state in the US have legalised marijuana, and the author argues that if more countries across the Americas follow suit, it will deny the gangs black-market profits and the wherewithal to acquire arms. Police and judicial reforms (such as scrapping existing police forces and recruiting and training new officers untainted by corruption, as one state in Mexico has done) are a work in progress, as is the effort to regenerate communities through a "hearts and minds" approach. The jury is still out on their feasibility and effectiveness.

Gangster Warlords is an absorbing work of reportage, a painstaking investigation - the result of unprecedented access to the gangs that Mr Grillo was able to gain. It also stands out for its insights. Latin America's unending tragedy, described in chilling detail, makes for grim reading. The one shortcoming is the relatively limited space devoted to discussing the three suggested solutions, which the author himself seems none too optimistic about. Clearly, Latin American's drug-fuelled holocaust is likely to endure.
India's policy makers have traditionally been concerned with the high growth rate of its population which has been seen to negate its fight against poverty. In recent years, this cause for worry has been turned on its head through the perception of the demographic dividend. A rapidly growing population also makes for a large young workforce which not only enables higher economic growth but also makes it easy to take care of a growing number of older people as they live longer.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has won five out of 13 seats in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) bypolls. While this marked the AAPs debut in the civic bypolls, it also marked the revival of the electoral prospects of the Congress, which had been decimated after the last Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. The party had won four seats, but its tally went up to five after rebel Congress candidate Rajender Singh Tanwar rejoined the party after winning as an independent.

The other notable point was that the elections signalled anti-incumbency for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which could bag only three wards. The polls were necessitated after sitting councillors got elected as MLAs in 2013 and 2015.

While the polls looked like a setback for the BJP, which has been ruling the MCD for close to a decade, the party achieved a vote share of 34 per cent.

While the AAP, which has been at loggerheads with the BJP over control of the three civic bodies, has now got notable presence in the MCD, the party was aspiring to win all 13 seats.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, MCD ruled by BJP-Cong. Outsider AAP wins max seats in byelection. Thnx Delhi for reaffirming faith. Ab MCD election mein sabhi seat jeetni hai. (Will now have to win all seats in MCD polls 2017).

The Congress comeback was a surprise as it comes in the wake of its dismal performance in the Assembly and the Lok Sabha elections. The credit for the partys revival is ascribed to Delhi Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Maken.

In the last MCD poll in 2012, the Congress had not won any of the 13 wards that went to poll.

In comparison to its vote share in the 2015 Assembly polls, the Congress has done well with 24 per cent vote share, a far cry when compared with 9.7 per cent recorded then.

An ebullient Maken tweeted Congress is no 1. Taking a dig at the AAP, Maken said even the Delhi governments ad blitz could not save the party and very soon it would meet the same fate as the BJPs much-hyped Indian Shining campaign.

Maken ascribed the victory to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis efforts at engaging with local issues. During the agitation of sanitation workers in the capital, Gandhi had visited them twice and also taken up slum dwellers problems.

The AAP won from Matiala, Tekhand, Nanakpura, Vikas Nagar and Ballimaran wards. The Congress won Quamaruddin Nagar, Munirka, Khichripur, Jhilmil and Bhat wards, while the BJP bagged Wazirpur, Nawada and Shalimar Bagh (North).
If exit polls are anything to go by then the biggest loser in these Assembly polls, is likely to be the Congress. The party is slated to lose in Kerala and Assam, leaving it with only one big state, Karnataka, in its kitty.

Although the party is attempting to keep a straight face and brush it off as anti-incumbency effect, the long-term repercussions of these highly anticipated results is not lost on Congressmen.

The receding national footprint of the Congress would, therefore, coincide with the increasing footprint of BJP, predicted to unseat the Tarun Gogoi government in Assam and open its account in Kerala.

What such a result means for the Congress is extremely detrimental, confesses a Congress insider from the northeast. This will have a shake up effect on other northeastern states. Till now BJP was the untouchable, especially among the tribals and Christians. But if BJP comes to power in Assam it means it will gain an acceptability among these sections and, therefore, gain an acceptability and entry into other northeast states as well, added the Congressman.

This spells bad news for the Congress which is in power in Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur. The Congress leader concedes that the loss of Himanta Biswa Sarma to the BJP dealt a body blow to the Congress in the northeast. The party recently lost its government in Arunachal Pradesh due to the machinations of the BJP.

AICC members, however, believe it will be a fractured mandate in Assam. As senior leader and General Secretary BK Hariprasad speaking to Business Standard said, In 1977, we were down to just Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and then we were in power in only Andhra, but thereafter we bounced back; in 1980 we won several states. Adding, So these ups and downs keep happening, theres not much to it.



Nationally, the impact of BJP gaining a toehold in Kerala at the expense of the Congress, has far-reaching ramifications. The three cornered contest will also mean that the alternate terms in power that the Left Democratic Front and United Democratic Front regimes had got accustomed to, might be a thing of the past.

The only glimmer of hope at presents seems to be the Tamil Nadu exit polls, where DMK is slated to win with Congress as junior partner. A likely return of the Congress government in Puducherry (it has a 30 member assembly), also appears to bolster the low morale of Congressman.

Incidentally, the Congress is not too perturbed about Bengal, where a return of TMC and mamata Banerjee is a blow for the Left but an increase of seat share for the Congress is on the cards in alliance with the Left.

While political pundits raise obvious questions about the receding national footprint of the party and the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, who is slated to take over the reigns of the party from Congress President Sonia Gandhi; Congressmen dismiss these speculations outright. If a win of a state would be credited to the CM or Congress leader in that state, why should a loss be ascribed to Rahul Gandhi. After all these state governments in Kerala and Assam are going to polls based on their governance and achievements, says Congress MP and spokesperson Sushmita Dev.

A BJP government in Assam, is certain to boost the morale of the government at the Centre and while the government could be more emboldened especially in the Rajya Sabha, but whether the Congress would fight shy of being the belligerent Opposition that it has been in the upper house is open to conjecture.
Though she is banned from contesting elections for another four years, supporters believe that she can be a possible alternative to the DMK in ...
The Election Commission of India (EC) will appeal to the Supreme Court seeking powers to countermand polls in constituencies where it is certain money was used to sway votes.

Sources in the EC said the groundwork had been done by deferring the ongoing Assembly elections in the Thanjavur and Aravakurichi constituencies of Tamil Nadu to 23 May, after large amounts of money was seized from the homes of candidates.

The money would have been used to influence voters, the EC suspects. It claims to have found documentary evidence of how the money would be distributed in different wards by local members of political parties. Sources said the ECI had already appealed to the Madras Hugh Court, and it was ready to go to the Supreme Court to resolve the problem that will become the only hurdle in conducting free and fair elections five or 10 years hence, said a senior officer.

The Representation of People Act has been amended to countermand election in cases where muscle power has been used. But, there is no law to cancel an election where money has been cited as an inducement. The EC deferred elections in two constituencies in Tamil Nadu using Article 324 of the Constitution which vests the electoral body with the power of superintending and conducting elections.

In Tamil Nadu, not only has Rs 112 crore, and large quantities of gold and silver been intercepted during the election, but also the transfer of Rs 570 crore from the currency chest at the State Bank of India in Coimbatore to the SBI Special Currency Administration Branch in Vishakhapatnam was caught as the currency transported did not seem to match the book entries in the records of the bank.

Also, the cash was transported by vans manned by policemen in mufti (wearing lungis) who could not produce proper paperwork. The Income Tax Department has seized the vans and has issued warrants. The EC has also written to the Reserve Bank of India governor, asking it how the money came to be transported in such a slipshod manner at the height of an election. Although the SBI has provided an explanation, sources in the EC believe this was hot money which was going to be used either to gamble with or for day-trading or speculation.
Incumbent governments are likely to be thrown out in favour of the Opposition in the just-concluded Assembly elections in four states and one Union Territory, if exit polls are any indication. The notable exception being West Bengal, where Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress continues to hold sway.

The polls on Monday predicted a Left Democratic Front (LDF) victory in Kerala, throwing out the Congress-led ruling United Democratic Front (UDF); and in Assam, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could emerge as the single-largest party, going on to form a government there for the first time in history, at the cost of the Congress.

In Tamil Nadu, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) could be dislodged by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) alliance, in which the Congress is a nominal partner. If the DMK alliance comes to power, it will mean a massive stamp of approval on M K Stalin, son of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, who is likely to be the next chief minister. The DMK effect was also seen in neighbouring Puducherry, where the DMK was tipped to unseat the All India Rangasamy Congress. (ENTER: EXIT POLLS)



Going by the exit polls, the effects of the Saradha chit fund scam and general urban maladministration had no effect on Mamata Banerjee's capacity to retain power, although different polls predicted a different range of numbers. Kerala voted in current Opposition LDF, throwing out the Congress-led UDF. Thus, the biggest loser in the election would be the Congress, ousted from two states where it held power, Assam and Kerala.

The result will influence both the composition of the Rajya Sabha and the election of the President of India, due next year. It will also play a role in morale in the Rajya Sabha in the monsoon session where the Congress is likely to be somewhat more subdued and more ready to play ball with the government on constitutional amendment Bills like the goods and services tax.

The fact that the Left Front-Congress alliance in Bengal improved its vote share and increased its tally of seats suggests the alliance was not the write-off, as predicted by analysts.

Smaller parties like the All India United Democratic Front in Assam showed they had both the political stamina and the staying power.

High levels of turnout accompanied all elections, barring Tamil Nadu, pointing to a degree of apathy in the coastal state. In Kerala, the figures available till 6 pm said that 71 per cent of the total electors had cast votes. The figure was 75.12 per cent in 2011 and 74.02 per cent in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Tamil Nadu saw around 69 per cent voting. Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni said major towns saw low turnouts, while rural parts saw high turnouts. "Chennai could be the lowest. We have to study why the turnouts have been low overall," he said. It may be noted, the Election Commission was campaigning for 100 per cent voting. Chennai had reported 57 per cent turnout.

Polling started at 7 am and went till 6 pm. The highest turnout was Tiruthani (92 per cent), followed by places in Dharmapuri districts and at Pennagaram, from where Pattali Makkal Katchi chief minister candidate Anbumani Ramadoss is contesting.

Tamil Nadu has around 58.2 million voters and total candidates in the fray was 3,776. The Election Commission has earlier decided to postpone the elections in two constituencies - Aravakurichi in Karur and Thanjavur constituency in Thanjavur, from May 16 to May 23 - owing to the amount of money being seized from the constituencies in the recent days. The total number of constituencies in the state is 234.

The 2016 election will be the first time a powerful Third Front has emerged, while traditionally it has been two Dravidian parties - AIADMK and DMK - ruling the State for nearly five decades now.
In the high stakes game of elections, political parties have hit upon a new winning formula. While the reliance on muscle power seems to have eased somewhat, the influence of money power has gone up several notches.

Data reviewed by Business Standard of eight states that have gone to polls since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections show that in all of them political parties have nominated a significantly large number of high net worth candidates compared with the last round of assembly elections.

However, in four of these eight states, parties have fielded fewer candidates with criminal records. Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are the four states where both the incidence of money and muscle power have gone up compared to the previous assembly elections in these states.

The change in approach is perhaps a result of the realisation that the winnability of crorepati candidates is many times more than the winnability of candidates with criminal antecedents.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, chances of winning of candidates with criminal records stood at 13 per cent as opposed to a mere five per cent for clean candidates. A crorepati candidate's chances of winning, on the other hand, stood at 20 per cent compared with only two per cent for candidates with assets of less than Rs 1 crore, according to ADR data.

"The rise in 'money power' is due to several factors: Fierce electoral competition, the increasing size of constituencies, inflated voter expectations of handouts, and the growing complexity of elections. Expenditure on media and communications, for instance, is a key component now of election budgets," said Milan Vaishnav, senior associate, South Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He has written several scholarly papers on the subject.

"I do not necessarily agree with the notion that muscle power is on the decline. If you look at the five states currently going to polls, in three of five states the share of candidates facing criminal cases has increased. In all five states, the percentage of candidates facing serious cases has gone up. Therefore, there is no clear evidence that alleged criminality is going down. Indeed, it might be rising," he said.

However, ADR data for eight major states that have gone to the polls since 2014 show that in Haryana, Bihar, Assam and Kerala, parties fielded fewer candidates with criminal antecedents. In case of Kerala, the fall has been quite steep; from 39 per cent of all candidates with criminal records in 2011 to 28 per cent of such candidates in 2016. In case of other states, the fall has been marginal. In Bihar's case, the fall has been from 32 per cent in 2010 to 30 per cent in 2015.

"I don't consider marginal fall, if at all, to be of any significance. Ideally, it should be zero," said Jagdeep Chhokar, one of the founders of ADR.

Data on personal assets of candidates compiled by ADR, on the other hand, show there has been a marked preference for high net worth individuals in elections in all the eight states. The rise has been quite steep in Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The most modest rise was seen in Kerala.

Experts say what is worrying is the rising influence of money even in relatively less developed states. In the 2010 assembly elections in Bihar, there were only nine per cent candidates with assets in excess of Rs 1 crore. Five years later, the state had 25 per cent such candidates.

In the neighbouring Jharkhand too, the number of crorepati candidates increased nearly three times between the two elections, according to ADR data. In relatively prosperous states like Haryana Tamil Nadu, nearly 40 per cent of all candidates now had assets in excess of Rs 1 crore.

What is more, even in West Bengal, which was seen to be immune to the rising influence of money thus far, the number of candidates with assets of more than Rs 1 crore has increased three times this time compared with the last elections.

Experts say that other than edging out poor candidates from the electoral race, the rising influence of money power in has other consequences. In a situation where money is becoming a very important criterion for political selection, Vaishnav said, "it seems reasonable to expect that politicians are going to shape policy in ways that might benefit their funders or financial interests."



Chhokar, on the other hand, is of the view that the rising influence of money power in is indicative of the growing clout of corporates in the political process.
Prime Minister will address a public rally in Saharanpur in western Uttar Pradesh (UP) to mark two years of his government on May 26. Several senior Cabinet ministers and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah, too, will address a series of public meetings in UP. The state, which was the key to the BJP reaching simple majority in the Lok Sabha in 2014, is due for Assembly polls in early 2017 and this will be the partys unofficial launch of its UP election campaign.

The PM will also visit his Lok Sabha constituency in Varanasi as part of the fortnight-long two-year anniversary celebrations. The BJP considers western UP its stronghold and the focus of the PMs speech will be to highlight his governments schemes for farmers, especially sugarcane growers, of the region.

There is also the possibility of increasing UPs representation in the council of ministers. The party, in an effort to consolidate its Jat support base in western UP, has asked Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh to merge his party with the BJP. Singh, at least until now, is insistent that the two parties have a seat-sharing arrangement for the UP Assembly polls.

As part of its second anniversary, the BJP will hold meetings and rallies in around 200 places across India from May 26 to June 10. It has prepared copious propaganda material of its achievements, including how Mudra Bank loans have been disbursed to 32.5 million people across the country, a third of whom are women.

Of the other ministers, Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Patna, Dehradun, Pune and also Pathankot in Punjab. The Punjab city had suffered a terror attack in January.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Roads and Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari will also address public meetings in several places across the country. The party has also organised day-long training workshops for its spokespersons and social media team, said party general secretary Arun Singh.

When his government had completed a year in May 2015, the PM had addressed a public rally at the birthplace of Bharatiya Jan Sangh founder Deen Dayal Upadhyaya in a village in Mathura. Upadhyaya is also credited with the coining the concept of Antyodaya, or welfare of the poorest. Of late, the Modi governments earlier slogan of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas (together with all, development for all) has increasingly been replaced with its new leitmotif of Antyodaya with the PM repeatedly stating that his government stood for the interests of the farmers, rural India and the poor.
At least 100 gm of gold was seized from a bank locker allotted to a close aide of controversial self-styled godman Sarathi Baba currently lodged in a jail, police said today.

Crime Branch sleuths of Odisha Police yesterday seized 100 gm gold from the locker owned by Pradeep Sahoo at the main branch of Kendrapara Urban Cooperative Bank, a police official said.

"We have initiated a probe to ascertain whether the gold was ill-gotten," the official said.

Police had rendred inoperative the accounts of Sarathi Baba and his Satyam Charitable Trust in State Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Punjab National Bank and United Bank and Urban Cooperative Bank in Kendrapara in December last year.

The self-styled godman has been languishing in jail since his arrest from his ashram in Barimula village on the outskirts of Kendrapara town on August 8 last year.

He was booked under section 420 (cheating), 467 (Forgery) 468, (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 471 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 506 (criminal intimidation), 321 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and 25 of Arms Act, police said.
Twelve Indonesian men have died after drinking bootleg liquor, police said today, the latest deaths in the Muslim-majority country caused by homemade alcohol.

The victims died in Bantul district in the main island of Java in recent days, said local police spokeswoman Anny Pudjiastuti.

Four other people are in hospital after drinking the liquor, she said.

A man suspected of selling the alcohol has been arrested in Bantul, which is in Central Java, and 81 bottles of liquor confiscated.

"The suspect could be charged with causing death and could be jailed for 15 to 20 years," said Pudjiastuti.

Police said they were still investigating what the bootleg liquor contained.

There have been several cases in recent years of people dying after drinking bootleg alcohol. In February 26 people in Sleman district - next to Bantul - died after consuming locally-bought homebrew.

Indonesia is home to the world's biggest Muslim population, but most practise a moderate form of Islam and alcohol is available in big cities.

However in rural areas, where few drink, getting hold of alcohol can be difficult and people sometimes turn to potentially dangerous homebrews.
Over 200,000 people in Sri Lanka have been hit by torrential rains and flash floods that have killed 11 people while wrecking havoc across the island nation, officials said today.

"Nineteen of the 25 administrative districts in the island were affected by heavy rains, floods and earth slips. 47,922 families or 207,556 people have been affected," disaster management department's spokesman Pradeep Kodippily said.

He said 176 shelter homes have been erected to provide accommodation to more than 134,000 people affected by the rainfall over the past three days.

Emergency workers today found the bodies of a woman and two children killed in a landslide, taking the death toll from two days of heavy rain to 11. Six more were still missing.

Sixty-eight homes have been destroyed. Sri Lankan capital Colombo was the worst hit with many roads submerged.

A meteorological department official said the low pressure which caused heavy rains had now moved towards south India.

The heavy rainfall has felled trees blocking roads at a number of places, snapped power cables leading to power outages.

Sri Lankan armed forces have been put on alert since yesterday. Landslide warnings have been issued in at least eight districts.
A 22-year-old nurse and two men committed suicide in separate incidents in Loni border area here, police said today.

Hina, working as a nurse in a private nursing home killed herself by consuming poison last evening in front of her colleague, Deepak, Ghaziabad DSP Anil Yadav said.

She was in a relationship with Deepak for the past one and a half year and both had decided get married, he said.

The family members of the girl did not agree to the marriage due to which she took the extreme step, Yadav said.

After consuming poison Hina started vomiting was rushed her to GTB hospital where she breathed her last this morning, he said.

However, father of the victim has registered an FIR alleging that Deepak conspired in killing his daughter and the boy's father was demanding a car in dowry. The girl's body has been sent for post-mortem and the matter is under investigation, he added.

In two separate incidents, 35-year-old Chander Pal and a brick kiln labourer, Raja committed suicide by hanging themselves yesterday from the ceiling of their residences in different localities of the city, Yadav said.

No suicide notes were recovered from them and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem, he said.
Three persons were arrested today in connection with the murder of a gangster here last week, police said.

The accused, Harish Kumar alias Kaka Nepali, Harpreet Singh and Dapinder Singh, were arrested following raids at different places in the district, they said, adding the fourth culprit Gaurav Sharma alias Goru Bacha is absconding.

A motorcycle and a car used in the crime have also been recovered from the possession of the accused, police said.

Davinder Kumar Deva (45), who was wanted in ten criminal cases including that of extortion and murder, was shot dead on May 8.

According to the police, Nepali, who was out on bail hatched the conspiracy to kill the gangster in the jail.

The incident was captured in CCTV cameras nearby.
India today pitched for greater role by AALCO -- a 60-year-old global body that deals with matters relating to international law -- in resolving complex issues and legal disputes.

Sujata Mehta, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, addressing 55th annual session of the Asian African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO), said it should play a greater role in the field of alternative dispute resolution.

She hoped the AALCO's deliberations at the session on range of topics like violent extremism and terrorism, WTO issues and the Law of the Sea will be able to influence and carry forward the international debates on these topics.

"It is our hope that over time AALCO should play an even greater role in the field of alternative dispute resolution. This 55th Session of AALCO has an important and serious agenda," said Mehta.

AALCO was formed following the historic Afro-Asian conference in Bandung in 1955, in which seven countries Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the then United Arab Republic, and India, had come together to establish the forum with an aim to democratise codification of international law and broaden its base.

Over the years, AALCO has been playing a major role in framing various international law and accords.

"We have always participated in AALCO's activities with close interest as we regard AALCO as an essential platform to discuss and help crystallise the needs and interests in the field of international law for countries of the Asian and African regions.

"In that sense we see this Organization as playing a central role in the development of international law regionally, and beyond," said Mehta.

She said AALCO's close cooperation with other global organisations including its representation at the UN has provided an additional platform for AALCO member States to contribute to the progressive development of international law.

"We would also be happy to support AALCO contribution to current issues being discussed intensively such as marine biological diversity beyond national jurisdiction and on the legal regime for cyber-space," said Mehta.
An Afghan national, accused of killing his compatriot, who was being brought to the city from Pune, managed to flee from Delhi Police's custody by jumping out of a speeding train shortly after his arrest following days of absconding.

Hafizulla allegedly killed 24-year-old Sayed Azmarai, who used to earn money by resolving issues related to VISA and passports of Afghans, in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar area, police said.

Hafizulla had feld the national capital immediately after the incident. Earlier, the victim had deposited Rs 40,000 with Hafizulla for renewing his passport.

"At one point, the accused refused to return the passport. Instead, Hafizulla, along with one of his associates, eliminated Azmarai. The associate was arrested but Hafizulla managed to escape," a senior police official said.

Reecently, police came to know that the accused was hiding in Pune and accordingly a raid was conducted and Hafizullah was arrested. He was being brought to Delhi on transit remand by a team including two constables, an Assistant Sub-Inspector and a Sub-Inspector, all posted at Malviya Nagar police station.

"At a railway station in Maharashtra, he escaped from police custody by jumping out of moving train on Saturday. He took advantage of getting permission to go to the urinal," police said.

Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Verma has demanded a report on the matter. Police said that its team, which was bringing Hafizullah back, will be acted against once it returns to the national capital.
Scientists have used an artificial intelligence system to successfully replicate a complex experiment that won the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics, an advance which may help conduct bigger and more precise research.

The experiment created an extremely cold gas trapped in a laser beam, known as a Bose-Einstein condensate.

"I didn't expect the machine could learn to do the experiment itself, from scratch, in under an hour," said co-lead researcher Paul Wigley from The Australian National University (ANU).

"A simple computer programme would have taken longer than the age of the Universe to run through all the combinations and work this out," said Wigley.

Bose-Einstein condensates are some of the coldest places in the Universe, far colder than outer space, typically less than a billionth of a degree above absolute zero.

They could be used for mineral exploration or navigation systems as they are extremely sensitive to external disturbances, which allows them to make very precise measurements such as tiny changes in the Earth's magnetic field or gravity.

The artificial intelligence system's ability to set itself up quickly every morning and compensate for any overnight fluctuations would make this fragile technology much more useful for field measurements, said Michael Hush from University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy (UNSW ADFA).

"You could make a working device to measure gravity that you could take in the back of a car, and the artificial intelligence would recalibrate and fix itself no matter what," Hush said.

The team cooled the gas to around 1 microkelvin, and then handed control of the three laser beams over to the artificial intelligence to cool the trapped gas down to nanokelvin.

Researchers were surprised by the methods the system came up with to ramp down the power of the lasers.

"It did things a person wouldn't guess, such as changing one laser's power up and down, and compensating with another," said Wigley.

"It may be able to come up with complicated ways humans haven't thought of to get experiments colder and make measurements more precise," he said.

The new technique will lead to bigger and better experiments, Hush added.

The research was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Gujarat Chief Minister today refuted media reports which suggested that BJP is mulling to remove her and bring in another party leader at the helm of affairs in the state, saying "nothing like that is on."



"Nothing like that is on," Anandiben told reporters at Indore in Madhya Pradesh where she had gone to participate in the ongoing Simhastha Kumbh at Ujjain and meet spiritual guru Bhaiyu Maharaj.

She blamed media for linking her and state Health Minister Nitin Patel's visit to Delhi, suggesting that a change of leadership in Gujarat was imminent.

The Gujarat CM arrived at Indore to meet spiritual guru Bhaiyu Maharaj at his Vijay Nagar residence. When mediapersons asked her about reports of change of leadership, she quipped "At present, I am here in Indore."



"You (media) had linked two different visits to Delhi to come to this conclusion. I had gone to Delhi for the meeting related to water crisis and Nitinbhai (Nitin Patel, health minister) had gone to Delhi on the NEET issue," she said.

Asked whether the BJP's political base has suffered because of Patel quota agitation, she said, "At present there is no Patel agitation going on in the state. This protest is completely over now."



Speculations are rife in a section of media about a possible change of leadership in Gujarat ahead of the 2017 elections.

The reports had said that BJP might ask to step down as chief minister and projected Nitin Patel as a front-runner for the post, after both of them were in Delhi yesterday.

They also said the change of leadership in Gujarat was necessitated by to poor handling of the quota agitation by Anandiben, and strains caused by infighting in the party's state unit.

Anandiben was made Chief Minister in May 2014, after Narendra Modi was elected as Prime Minister.

Asked about the purpose of her over one-and-a-half hour meeting with the spiritual guru, with whom recently RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also had a meeting, Anandiben said she took his guidance for agriculture and education and would try to implement his suggestions in Gujarat.

In Ahmedabad, BJP's Gujarat unit spokesperson also denied that a leadership change was on the card.

"We are preparing an elaborate programmes for celebration of two years rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister in Gujarat. In the midst of this there are such baseless reports of change in leadership, which we totally deny," state BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said.

Gujarat Health Minister Nitin Patel, whose name was doing the rounds to succeed Anandiben Patel, spoke in a similar vein.

Nitin Patel, who is the number two in the Anandiben government, said there is no move to change the Chief Minister. "Nothing of that sort is on," he told
After China visit, Apple CEO Tim Cook is headed for India where he is expected to inaugurate the company's development centre and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss manufacturing plans in the country.

Cook, who arrives in India tonight and is expected to meet Modi later this week, will also meet officials of key ministries, according to sources.

He is likely to inaugurate here on Thursday the Apple's development centre in which the company has already invested USD 100 million.

Cook's visit to India comes at a crucial time as the iPhone maker seeks to cash in on the "huge potential" in the world's second largest smartphone market.

Sources said Cook is expected to discuss matters pertaining to manufacturing in India and the potential of the Indian technology market with the officials.

Apple is focussing on new growth markets like India after posting its first-ever decline in iPhone sales.

While its sales in China, its second-largest market after the US, fell 11 per cent, in India iPhone sales were up 56 per cent from a year ago.

The US-based tech giant has also sent in a proposal to the Indian government for selling refurbished phones in India. However, no official call has been made on the matter.

"Apple team is coming. But we do not know who are the members of that team which is coming on May 19 (Thursday) for the launch of their facility. We are not 100 per cent sure whether Mr Cook will be there or not. We also asked them. We are waiting for the confirmation," Telangana IT Department Secretary Jayesh Ranjan told PTI.

He, however, did not specify the amount of investment that Apple is planning to make into the centre.

Ranjan had earlier said officials of the Cupertino-based company had already met state government officials requesting their support for some of the clearances.

"They have already identified space in a building owned by



Tishman Speyer at Nanakramguda. We are also extending support to the company in terms of obtaining necessary approvals from various departments," he had said.

According to research firm Counterpoint, India smartphone market grew 23 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, surpassing the US to become the second largest country in terms of users.

This is despite the global sales remaining flat globally in the same time period.

Samsung led the India smartphone tally with 29 per cent share. Other top players included Micromax (17 per cent share), Intex (10 per cent), Lenovo (8 per cent), Reliance Jio's Lyf (7 per cent) and Karbonn (5 per cent).

According to the report, Apple in India recorded a stellar 62 per cent growth in the first quarter from the year-ago period, though on a lower base.

India is a big market for Apple's other products as well, including the iPad and iPod.
Arunachal Pradesh Governor J P Rajkhowa has congratulated Assamese filmmaker Chow Partha Borgohain whose film based on the 1962 India-China war will screen at the Cannes International Film Festival's market tomorrow.

He also congratulated producer Marbom Mai of Living Dreams and music composer Guru Rewben Mashangva on the film's screening at the prestigious film festival.

Lauding the team for the extraordinary achievement, the Governor expressed hope that the film, shot in picturesque Tawang and Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh, and Sohra in Meghalaya besides a few locations in Guwahati, would draw attention of filmmakers all over the world.

In a statement, Rajkhowa said the film, based on the 1962 Indo-China war and depicting rural life in extremely hostile terrain of Arunachal Pradesh, will reinforce the already high sense of patriotism amongst the people of the region and also underscore the persisting challenge of resolving border issues.

The Governor, while reposing his faith on the talents of the filmmakers from the northeast and members of the film fraternity, advised them to highlight the unique culture and natural beauty of the state with enchanting rivers, streams, lakes, snowy mountains and five valleys besides, folktales and the exotic lifestyle and traditions of the people.
A local court has acquitted the chief of banned All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) Ranjit Debbarma of the charge of ambushing two legislators at Kaitacobrapara, a tribal hamlet in West Tripura district.

Additional District and Sessions court judge S B Dutta acquitted Debbarma of the charge yesterday due to lack of enough evidence.

Two convoys of the then MLA Pranab Debbarma and the then executive member of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomus District Council (TTAADC) Radhacharan Debbarma along with escorts were passing through the hamlet on April 26, 2001 when a group of militants of ATTF had ambushed them and showered bullets on them.

The ultras had gunned down altogether 21 people, including policemen and injured many others. Besides, the militants had damaged two police vehicles.

However, the two leaders had escaped the mayhem by hiding themselves under a culvert.

Debbarma, who was arrested on January 23, 2013 is still in police custody in connection with a number of other cases.
To ensure number of gangetic river dolphins doesn't decline in Madhya Pradesh's Chambal river, Forest Department plans to dredge or de-silt their habitats in the water body.

"We are going to dredge (de-silt) the pools of dolphins. We are going to send a proposal to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) in this regard shortly," Gwalior Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Rajesh Kumar told PTI today.

"The gangetic river dolphins, which are essentially blind, need 70-80 feet deep pools (habitat) to breed. Though their number has risen in river Chambal to 78, we have to be futurists to protect them or we have to do fire-fighting," he said.

The official said if they get the nod, they will start the dredging on experimental basis first.

"Right now, Chambal river has 13 dolphin pools (in which dolphins live) of which eight are as deep as 70-80 feet," he said.

Kumar said the gangetic river dolphins, the national aquatic animal, are blind but have highly developed sonar systems which they use for communication and navigation.
One of the two Uighur Muslims from China, accused of planting explosives in Thailand's worst-ever bomb attack on a popular Brahma temple here, today claimed he was being mistreated in custody as he broke down in court shouting "I am human, I am not an animal".

Bilal Mohammed alias Adem Karadag, and co-defendant Yusufu Mieraili have been charged with being behind August 2015 bombing at the Brahma shrine in downtown Bangkok that killed 20 people, mostly ethnic Chinese tourists.

Mohammed, 31, who appeared shackled and shaven-headed became emotional in front of the assembled media while on way to court hearing.

"I am not an animal. I am human, I am human," Mohammad shouted as he was being led to the military court.

Sobbing in the courthouse, he alleged that he was being ill-treated and denied halal food.

"I cannot eat, I am laughed at when I pray," he added.

Police denied the torture allegations.

Mohammad was believed to be the man seen in CCTV footage at the shrine last year wearing a yellow T-shirt and placing a backpack allegedly with explosives at the shrine moments before the explosion.

Mieraili, also a Chinese Uighur, was accused of delivering the backpack bomb.

Both men have denied their role in the bombing.

Mohammed's lawyer has previously accused the Thai police of forcing confessions from his client.

No group claimed responsibility for the bombing.

However, some analysts suspected it might have been the work of Uighur separatists who were angry that Thailand in July last year had forcibly repatriated more than 100 Uighurs to China, where they may be persecuted.

Thai authorities have rejected the theory that the bomb was a revenge attack for the Uighur deportations and claimed that it was done to avenge the government's crackdown on human trafficking gangs.

The Uighurs are mainly Muslim minority who face persecution and restrictions on worship in their northwestern Chinese homeland, forcing many to attempt to flee.
Lovers of Rabindranath Tagore's songs were treated to a soulful presentation by renowned Bangladeshi Rabidra Sangeet exponent Rezwana Choudhury Bannya at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations auditorium here on Monday night.

Organized by the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, the programme was attended by Union Minister Nazma Heptullah as chief guest, among others.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali highlighted the contribution of Tagore in the evolution of Bengali literature in modern age and said the poet's immortal creations will always remain relevant to day-to-day life.

In her remarks, Heptullah mentioned the attachment of the people of India and Bangladesh to the works of Tagore and said the writings of the Nobel Laureate have brought the souls of the people of the two countries closer in a common bond of friendship.
The BBC should give more airtime to Hindu, Sikh and Muslim religious programmes and diversify its programmming to balance out its "too Christian" output, an internal review by its own ethics committee has recommended.

Aaqil Ahmed, BBC head of religion and ethics, has recommended in the report that the British public service broadcaster must diversify its religious programmes.

"Christianity remains the cornerstone of our output and there are more hours dedicated to it than there are to other faiths," Ahmed said in a statement.

"Our output in this area is not static, though. It has evolved over the years and we regularly assess it," he added.

The report recommended upping the number of programmes for Muslim, Sikh and Hindu audiences, saying that non-Christian faiths were under-represented in the broadcaster's output.

BBC director-general Tony Hall is considering the review's findings, which said the broadcaster's current output was "too Christian" and recommend more Hindu, Sikh and Muslim religious programmes be added to the mix, The Sunday Times reported.

The debate follows a government white paper last week on the BBC, which will require it to serve ethnic minorities better.

A BBC spokesperson said, "we are actually intending to do more programming around Christianity and more on other faiths as well, so there is absolutely no question of an 'either or' on our output."



The Church of England said faith - and Christianity - was growing worldwide and "any comprehensive review needs to move beyond arguments of mere proportionality to embrace the need not only for greater religious literacy but also increased resources to explore religious world views."



BBC's religious output currently includes 'Songs of Praise' and 'Sunday Morning Live' on television, plus 'Thought for the Day' and 'Act of Worship' on radio.

The Muslim Council of Britain suggests televising Friday prayers from a mosque would be one way to better serve Muslim viewers, but not at the cost of Christian programmes.
A wave of bombings struck outdoor markets in Shiite-dominated neighborhoods of Baghdad today, killing at least 54 people, officials said - the latest in deadly militant attacks far from the front lines in the country's north and west where Iraqi forces are battling the Islamic State group.

In an online statement, IS claimed responsibility for the deadliest bombing of the day, which took place in Baghdad's northeastern Shaab neighborhood and where at least 28 people were killed and 65 were wounded.

In that attack, a roadside bomb first exploded outside the concrete blast walls surrounding the open-air market, followed by a suicide bomber who blew himself up as people gathered to help the victims of the first explosion, a police officer said.

The IS statement said the attack was carried out by an Iraqi who targeted members of Shiite militias. The Associated Press could not verify the authenticity of the statement but it was posted on a militant website commonly used by extremists.

A bit after the Shaab attack, a parked car bomb struck a fruit-and-vegetable market in the Shiite-dominated neighborhood of Dora, in southern Baghdad, killing eight people and wounding 22 others, another police officer said.

In Baghdad's eastern Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, a suicide car bombing hit a crowded outdoor market, killing 18 people and wounding 35 .

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

Commercial and public places in Shiite-dominated areas are among the most frequent targets for the Sunni militants seeking to undermine the Iraqi government efforts to maintain security inside the capital. Since its blitz in the summer of 2014, IS has controlled significant areas in northern and western Iraq, including the country's second-largest city of Mosul.

A wave of bombings in and around Baghdad over the past week has killed almost 200 people. But the Islamic State has not confined its latest attacks only to Baghdad.

Earlier today, Iraqi oil workers resumed work at a natural gas plant north of Baghdad, two days after a coordinated IS dawn assault left at least 14 people dead there, a senior Oil Ministry official said.

Sunday's spectacular attack in the town of Taji, about 20 kilometres north of Baghdad, saw a suicide car bombing at the facility's main gate, followed by several IS fighters breaking into the plant where they clashed with security forces for hours before the attackers were repelled.
A brutal fistfight broke out in the South African parliament today as security guards ejected opposition lawmakers in an ugly fracas that underlined heightened political tensions over Jacob Zuma's presidency.

About 20 Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party members, who were wrestled from their seats by plain-clothed guards, had refused to let Zuma speak and furiously shouted down the Speaker, Baleka Mbete.

As Zuma looked on impassively, the radical leftist lawmakers - dressed in their uniform of red workers' overalls - fought back to try to remain in the chamber until they were physically removed through a side door.

Before the guards moved in, the EFF members, led by their firebrand "commander in chief" Julius Malema, yelled that it was the president who should be thrown out.

"He broke his oath of office. Zuma is the one who must go," they shouted.

Outside parliament, Malema told reporters and cheering supporters: "These bouncers must know that if they give violence, we will respond with violence. We are not scared."



The disruption was the latest in a series of showdowns in parliament as pressure mounts on Zuma to resign or be axed as president by the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

He has been urged to step down by a number of senior ANC veterans of the anti-apartheid struggle, which brought liberation icon Nelson Mandela to power in 1994.

But he retains widespread loyalty in the party, and ANC lawmakers have regularly rallied to Zuma's defence.

In April, they easily defeated an opposition move to impeach him.

The EFF, which was also ejected from parliament two weeks ago in similar scenes, has vowed that it will not let Zuma speak in the chamber, saying that it does not recognise him as president in the wake of two recent court cases.

In March, the country's highest court found that Zuma had violated the constitution over the spending of millions of dollars of taxpayers' money on his private rural residence at Nkandla in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal.

In April another court said he should face almost 800 corruption charges relating to a multi-billion dollar arms deal, that were dropped in 2009, shortly before he became president.

A packed public gallery watched the scuffles in parliament today, scores of them wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with Zuma's picture and the slogan: "Accused No.1".

Zuma has been wounded by months of scandals, including the sacking of two finance ministers in four days in December which rocked the markets and saw the rand currency plummet.

(Reopens FES 133)



After recovering some ground, the rand fell sharply again Monday after a newspaper report that the current finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, might be arrested by the Hawks, a special police unit seen as under Zuma's influence.

Zuma is believed to have reluctantly installed the respected Gordhan in December after intervention by senior ANC leaders concerned about the crashing economy.

Gordhan has led efforts to try to restore confidence and avoid a looming downgrade of the country's debt to junk status by the ratings agencies.

Behind the debacle at the finance ministry are allegations of graft centred on a wealthy immigrant family from India, the Guptas, who are alleged to have such influence over Zuma that they could decide ministerial appointments.

The parliament chaos comes as the country heads towards local elections in August, and some analysts predict that if the party suffers a major drop in support, Zuma may not serve out the last three years of his final term.
Britain's spy agency GCHQ, referred to as the country's surveillance post, has officially joined Twitter as part of its efforts to be more accessible and help the public understand more about its secretive work.

"Hello, world," was the first message yesterday with which the usually secretive spies at the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) base in Cheltenham, south-west England, entered the world of social media.

Theirnew accountattracted more than 2,000 followerswithin half an hour of its verified feed.

Andrew Pike, the director of communications at GCHQ, said: "In joining social media, GCHQ can use its own voice to talk directly about the important work we do in keeping Britain safe."



GCHQ said the move makes it the first UK intelligence agency to provide news, updates, and opinions on Twitter.

"Our first Tweet: 'Hello, world' is one of the first programmes youlearn to write incoding languagessuch as C, Python, Java, PHP, and Ruby.

"For those just starting to programme, getting 'Hello, world' to appear on a screen is a gentle introduction to coding, and as a technical organisation with computing at its core, it resonated with many of our staff who have learnt to program during their career," the agency explained.

GCHQ said the move is aimed at being more accessible and to help the public understand more about its work.

"We also want to reach out to the technical community and add our voice to social media conversations about technology, maths, cyber security and other topics where we have a view.

"We will be using Twitter to talk about our history, mission outcomes, languages, maths, cyber security, technology and innovation, job opportunities and as a way of signposting events, publications, news, blogs, and opinion pieces," it said.

One of the first accounts @GCHQ followed was @007 - the official account for fictional spy James Bond.
Nepal Police today released a British national, a day after he was arrested on charges of participating in the anti-Constitution protests here organised by the Madhesis.

"The man was handed over to the British Embassy in Kathmandu after it was established through investigation that he had no political affiliation," DSP Prajit KC, Chief of Metropolitan Police Circle, Singha Durbar, was quoted as saying by the Republica Online.

Martin Benjamin Travers, 44, was arrested yesterday after he was found near the site of the sit-in protest, taking pictures of the scuffle between police personnel and hundreds of Madhesi protesters, who are demanding changes to the new Constitution.

Travers had been actively involved in relief distribution work and returned to Nepal on the first anniversary of earthquake to continue his relief programme.

Earlier this month, Nepal government ordered a Canadian IT professional Robert Penner to leave the country as his tweets were deemed to "incite conflict".

The authorities said Penner had violated the terms of his visa by commenting on Nepal's "internal matters".
Donald Trump is rushing to install operatives in several states that traditionally favour Democrats, pointing to a general election plan consistent with the campaign he has run thus far: Defying conventional wisdom and political trends.

The staffing expansion includes Maine, Minnesota and other places where Trump opens as the underdog, with the New York billionaire seeking to expand the electoral battlefield by drawing on his appeal among working class white voters and probable Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton's perceived weakness with them.

Still, it is an unlikely path to the White House, through states that no Republican presidential candidate has carried since the 1980s.

"I will win states that no Republican would even run in," Trump told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

The Trump campaign has identified roughly 15 states where it plans to install state directors by the end of the month.

They include traditional battlegrounds like Ohio, Florida and Virginia and more challenging terrain such as Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Maine places Republican have lost for the last six presidential elections or longer.

Target states also will likely include Republican-leaning Georgia, where demographic shifts benefit Democrats.

Trump's deployment of political operatives was outlined by campaign strategists who weren't authorized to speak publicly about internal strategy and demanded anonymity.

The plan will be subsidized, at least in part, by the Republican Party's new "building fund," a lightly regulated pool of money that can include donations of more than USD 100,000 from individual donors, they said, though rules for doing so might pose an obstacle.

But Trump is still playing catch-up at this point. While Clinton is already weeks into her own swing-state effort, Trump's team is scrambling to build a national organisation essentially from scratch.

"Up until three weeks ago, there were 102 or 103 employees, which is fewer than Ben Carson had in January," Trump aide Barry Bennett said. "Today, that number is much bigger, and it's growing every day."



The former reality television star's success in the GOP primary season was fueled almost exclusively by personality and a flood of free media coverage.

His expansion into new states signals recognition that Trump must grow his bare-bones operation to be competitive this fall, even if he doesn't fully embrace other modern-day political tactics.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has signed up to the popular dating app in an attempt to connect with young voters ahead of the next month's referendum on the country's membership of the European Union (EU).

Cameron's move follows a meeting at Downing Street last week of senior figures from social media giants like Facebook and Twitter to encourage 7 million under-40s and ethnic minorities to register to vote before the June 7 deadline for the June 23 referendum.

According to 'The Times', with opinion polls suggesting that up to two-thirds of under-25s in the UK are willing to back remain, Downing Street is keen to persuade as many young people to vote as possible.

"While the Leave plan is left blank, we're clear what we're fighting for. We're fighting for jobs. Three million people's livelihoods are linked to trade with Europe, countless more indirectly. Indeed, every single job depends on a strong economy, which, in turn, depends on our membership of the EU," Cameron wrote in the 'Daily Mirror' this week as he intensified his campaign for Britain to remain in the EU.

"Don't take a punt on the future of our country. Keep Britain stronger, safer and better off. And on June 23, vote to remain," he said.

is expected to work alongside the Bite the Ballot youth group to persuade single people using the site to get more involved in the EU debate.

Other ideas include a television advertising campaign on the short time it takes to register to vote, and Google producing a "doodle" on its homepage.

Bite the Ballot will conduct a week of social media campaigns and calls to action leading up to the registration deadline and has plans for putting bespoke content on .

It will also host a "generation drive" on June 1, encouraging young people to talk to their family about the referendum.

Voters already on the UK's polling register are automatically eligible to vote.

However, the government is keen to ensure new and young voters are able to register in time.

The Electoral Commission will send out "an impartial booklet" to nearly 28 million households across the UK this week to encourage the registration process.

"A lot of people won't have voted in a referendum before or will be unsure what the question is. Look out for the booklet coming through your door, which will give you all the information you need," a spokesperson said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced legislation to protect transgender people from hate speech and discrimination, as debate rages in the United States over laws restricting their rights.

"Even today, despite all the obstacles we have overcome, the battles we have won, and the victories we have celebrated, we are still witnesses, and in some cases, victims of injustices," Trudeau said in a speech at a Montreal event hosted by gay rights group Fondation Emergence yesterday.

"We must continue to demand true equality," he said. "We must carry on the legacy of those who fought for justice by being bold and ambitious in our actions."



The bill is to be officially unveiled by Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould today, the Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

It will add "gender identity" alongside race, religion, age, sex and sexual orientation as prohibited grounds for discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act, and add transgender persons to a list of groups protected from hate-mongering under the Criminal Code, according to Wilson-Raybould's mandate letter from the prime minister.

The Canadian parliament's previous attempts to pass similar legislation failed. But this time, due to a Liberal majority in the House, the measures are expected to pass easily.

Trudeau's father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was Canada's justice minister when Ottawa introduced a Criminal Code amendment to decriminalise homosexuality. He famously commented at the time (two years before it became law), "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation."



In July, Justin Trudeau will be the first sitting prime minister to participate in a gay pride parade, in Montreal.

Following his speech, Fondation Emergence honoured him with an award for his promotion of gay rights, including allowing sexually active gay men to donate blood, and pardoning gay men who were convicted of gross indecency before homosexuality was decriminalised in 1969.

South of the border, meanwhile, a debate on equal rights in the United States has been raging over a flurry of initiatives targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities since a historic Supreme Court decision last year legalised same-sex marriage nationwide.

Last week, the US federal government and North Carolina's governor launched dueling lawsuits over a state law restricting transgender Americans' use of public restrooms.
Global hospitality major Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group today said it has bought out Indian partner Chanakya Hotels' stake in their joint venture Country Development and Management Services for an undisclosed amount.

"Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has acquired the full ownership of Country Development and Management Services Pvt Ltd (CDMS), the joint venture between Country Inns & Suites by Carlson Inc and Chanakya Hotels Pvt Ltd," Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group said in a statement.

The Country Inns & Suites By Carlson will now be managed by Carlson Hotels (South Asia) Pvt Ltd, the Indian affiliate of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. This acquisition also includes four Radisson Blu hotels managed in India by CDMS, it added.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Asia Pacific President Thorsten Kirschke said, "This acquisition, resulting in the full ownership of CDMS, is a strategic move to further strengthen our position as the leading international hotel operator in India."



The company aims to have 170 hotels in operation and under development by 2020 in the country, he added.

"This consolidation will help us in directing our resources more efficiently to support our hotels," Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group South Asia CEO Raj Rana said.

The Country Inns & Suites By Carlson has more than 500 hotels in operation and in the pipeline globally, the statement said.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) will consider tomorrow a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for employees of the sick public sector company Hindustan Vegetable Oils Corporation (HVOC).

"The Food Ministry's proposal for improved VRS package at 2007 notional pay scales for employees of HVOC is on the agenda of the cabinet meeting scheduled for tomorrow," a source said.

At present, the sick company is left with 85 employees, who are being given paid salary at 1992 pay scales. The proposal is to compensate employees with improved VRS package at 2007 pay scales, the source added.

HVOC, which was manufacturing of vanaspati, refining and packing of imported edible oil for PDS and manufacturing of breakfast cereal, is currently in the process of liquidation.

The company had its manufacturing and refining units at Delhi, Kanpur, Amritsar, Mumbai and Kolkata and packing units at Bangalore and Chennai. All the units except Breakfast Foods Unit (BFFU) located in Delhi were closed in 2001.

The liquidator has so far disposed off the moveable assets of the units at Chennai, Mumbai, Amritsar, Bangalore and Kanpur. The production activities at BFFU have been discontinued from June, 2011.

The government has earlier offered similar VRS packages to defunct HMT units, Hindustan Photofilms and Inland Water Transport Authority.
Seeking to give impetus to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan', all central government ministries and departments have been directed to carry out a drive to weed out old files and discarded furnitures and vehicles.

The fortnight-long cleanliness drive 'Swachh Bharat Pakhwada' is being observed between May 16 and 31.

The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has started removing old and unused furnitures and other items from government buildings and office premises.

"In a communication sent to all ministers, Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has asked them to organise a series of activities like 'mass pledge on swacchta' by the employees, cleanliness drive, carrying out inspection and repair work of all sanitary facilities in office premises, weeding out of old files, disposal of old items including furniture, machines and vehicles, and conducting pest control," a senior government official said.

Naidu also plans to visit government offices at Nirman Bhawan, Shastri Bhawan, Krishi Bhawan, Paryatan Bhawan, Nirvachan Sadan, Udyog Bhawan, NITI Aayog, IP Bhawan, CGO Complex, among others, to inspect the overall cleanliness and sanitary conditions.

"Naidu has also urged the ministers to advise all their officers who are in charge of offices outside Delhi to take up similar 'shramdaan' activities at their premises," the official said.
The Centre has asked states to follow the Andhra Pradesh model in laying optic fibre cable lines over electric poles to complete the BharatNet project, touted as the 'backbone for Digital India', by December 2018.

BharatNet, called the National Optical Fibre Network, is aimed at providing 100 Mbps broadband connectivity to more than 2.50 lakh gram panchayats across the country.

The progress of the BharatNet project implementation has been slow due to a variety of reasons, including the "inability of Bharat Broadband Network Limited" to procure optical network termination equipment in time as well as "major gaps in the implementation strategy", Union Secretary for Information Technology and Communications J S Deepak said.

On April 30, the Telecom Commission approved a revised strategy for a three-phase implementation of the BharatNet project.

The first phase envisages providing one lakh gram panchayats with broadband connectivity by laying underground OFC lines by March 2017, Deepak said in a letter to Chief Secretaries of all states last week.

"The second phase will provide connectivity to all 2,50,500 gram panchayats in the country using an optimal mix of underground fibre, fibre over power lines, radio and satellite media. It is to be completed by December 2018," the Union Secretary said.

"For success in phase-2, which will also involve laying of OFC over electricity poles, the participation of states will be important. This is a new element of the BharatNet strategy as the mode of connectivity by aerial OFC has several advantages, including lower cost, speedier implementation, easy maintenance and utilisation of existing power line infrastructure," he pointed out.

Further, in phase-2, the last mile connectivity to citizens was proposed to be provided creating WiFi hotspots in gram panchayats, he said.

In the third phase from 2018 to 2023, state-of-the-art, future-proof network, including fibre between districts and blocks, with ring topology to provide redundancy would be created, Deepak elaborated.

In laying aerial OFC, the states and power distribution companies have a critical role, which would include digital mapping of the locations of substations and electrical poles from Blocks down to GPs.

Andhra Pradesh has followed an innovative approach in using technology for mapping lines using resources of MGNREG scheme and those of the power department, he said.

"The most remarkable feature of Andhra Pradesh mapping has been that the entire state-wide mapping was accomplished in a week. After the mapping, the state has laid about 10,000-km of aerial OFC on electrical poles in a time of three months," Deepak said.

"As connectivity in BharatNet phase-2 is planned partly through aerial OFC and since each state has robust power infrastructure up to the gram panchayat level, this could be used for laying of aerial OFC cable on top of electricity poles. However, the first step in this is mapping of electricity lines, from block down to gram panchayats, urgently.

"States are, hence, encouraged to follow the procedure adopted by Andhra Pradesh," the Union Secretary told the Chief Secretaries in the letter.

Digital mapping of power lines would be a useful tool that could be used for other applications, including installation of smart meters in rural areas in future, he said.

The Department of Telecom would provide funds for GIS mapping of power lines from block to gram panchayats and the quantum would depend on the size of the state, he said.

BharatNet, launched in 2013, is being implemented by the Department of Telecom. It is funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

The project executing agency Bharat Broadband Network Limited is implementing it through three Central Public Sector Enterprises -- BSNL, Power Grid and RailTel.
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today asked the police to strictly monitor and curb crimes against women following the rape of a Kolkata girl by a taxi driver in north Sikkim on the night of May 15.

Expressing deep regret over the incident which is rare in the tourist-friendly state, the chief minister said, "The rapist who sexually assaulted the tourist from Kolkata must be punished and the police should expose him openly in society."



The girl, aged 16 years, was on a tour to Sikkim along with her two friends after the end of the class X board examinations in West Bengal, the police said.

They hired a taxi in Gangtok driven by Prem Rai for sightseeing. They reached Tashi View Point, 5 kms from Gangtok towards north Sikkim, where the driver, aged 22 years, offered them snack and water suspectedly laced.

The police said that sometime after this the three felt drowsy. Taking advantage of their condition, the driver started molesting a student who was seated beside him. When the other two girls tried to stop him, they were hit by a heavy object.

The two girls got down and screamed for help while running towards Phodong and also called their parents and relatives. They reported the matter with the Gangtok Sadar Thana. A search for the girl and the vehicle was launched sloon after.

The police spotetd the the car speeding along the North highway and stopped it. The girl was found on the back seat of the car in unconscious condition.

The police said that the car, an Alto bearing the number plate SK 01 T 1985, was seized. The driver was later arrested.

The victim bearing injury marks on her body was admitted to a hospital in Gangtok for a medical test, where the rape was confirmed.

The cab driver has been charged under Section 376 (Rape) of the IPC. He was produced in a court which sent him to seven days in judicial remand. A case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 has also been registered against the driver, SDPO Mangan, Palden Bhutia said.
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has asked Finance Ministry to check whether a whole-time member of market regulator Sebi was given vigilance clearance in accordance with the rules over three years ago.

The move follows a direction from the Delhi High Court on a petition filed before it in this regard.

It was alleged in the petition that Prashant Saran was appointed as a Whole Time Member at Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India), for the second time in August 2012, without proper vigilance clearance from the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of Department of Economic Affairs (DEA).

In a letter to the DEA Secretary in Finance Ministry, the CVC said the petition has further alleged that the vigilance clearance was instead accorded by CVO, Sebi.

Referring to a direction from the court to it, CVC said it has looked into the matter and asked the Finance Ministry to take the necessary action.

"Necessary action may be taken on the issues raised in the petition with particular reference to the validity of vigilance clearance accorded to Shri Saran and its effect on its appointment as Whole Time Member, Sebi," it said in the communication to the DEA Secretary.

When contacted, an official in the DEA said the matter is being examined. Queries sent to the Sebi spokesperson did not elicit any response.

The PIL had also claimed that two officers were denied appointment to the post of Whole Time Member of Sebi due to non-adherence of vigilance clearance from CVC.

CVC further said the petition has alleged that Saran's appointment "was made despite an ongoing investigation by CBI against him on the issue related to Bank of Rajasthan and vigilance clearance was issued by CVO, Sebi despite pending complaints against him".

Saran's second tenure at Sebi comes to an end next month after he attains age of 65 years. The Finance Ministry had earlier floated an advertisement for appointment of a Whole Time Member in his place.

He had joined Sebi from the Reserve Bank of India in May 2009 for a three-year tenure. Later in 2012, he was given a second term for five years or until he completes 65 years of age.
President Xi Jinping today asked Chinese researchers to develop Marxism theory that fits into the 21st century, warning that if philosophy and social sciences are not people-centred they will lose their influence.

Speaking at a symposium discussing China's work in philosophy and social sciences, Xi asked Chinese social scientists to stick to Marxism in their studies.

"Marxism will remain the guiding theory in philosophy and social sciences in China," asserted Xi, who is also the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China.

An important task for philosophy and social sciences in China is to continue pushing for Marxism's modernisation and popularisation, continue developing a Marxism that fits into the 21st century and contemporary China, the 62-year-old said.

Philosophy and social sciences in China must be people-centred, otherwise they will lose their influence and vitality, Xi was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua agency.

"Marxism is never the end of truth. It opens a path toward truth," Xi said, adding that innovating theory through new practices has been the key to maintaining the vitality of Marxism.

Marxism is an open theory that has evolved with the times, practice and scientific progress, Xi said.

He called on research fellows in philosophy and social sciences to integrate socialist theory with Chinese characteristics into their research and teaching activities.
When Tsai Ing-wen takes office as Taiwan's president on Friday she steps onto a tightrope between voter dreams of national pride and a Beijing that wants the island on a short leash.

Tsai's election victory reflected public desire for a president who would put self-ruling Taiwan first, not "sell out" to China, which still sees the island as part of its territory.

Her political message revolves around the importance of Taiwanese identity, and has resonated with voters fed up with living in Beijing's shadow.

An eight-year rapprochement with China under outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang brought trade deals but little cheer for ordinary Taiwanese, stretched by low salaries and high living costs.

There was also growing concern that economic ties were a back-door route to the erosion of Taiwan's sovereignty.

"Tsai should take a tougher stance on China," East Lin, a 32-year-old restaurant manager from Taipei, told AFP.

"The worst thing China could do is to start a war, but that seems very unlikely. I believe Tsai can uphold Taiwan's sovereignty without causing things to worsen irreversibly."



Tsai has pledged to diversify economic partnerships and seek a higher profile for Taiwan internationally, where it is sidelined from major organisations due to Chinese objections, a sore point for many Taiwanese.

Her vision for kickstarting the island's ailing fortunes includes developing it as a research and development hub for industries including defence and green energy, and building economic partnerships with Southeast Asia and India.

However, there are concerns frosty relations with China will be economically damaging.

"I hope Tsai can secure more support in the international community to help Taiwan fend off China's interference," said 20-year-old college student Ken Lai.

"She should also reduce the economic reliance on China to rid Taiwan of its control so Taiwanese people can decide our future."



But Tsai will have to counterbalance the defensive role her supporters want her to play with keeping Beijing at bay.

The thaw under Ma was enabled by his acceptance that Taiwan was part of "one China", with different interpretations on each side.

Tsai, whose Democratic Progressive Party is traditionally pro-independence, has never accepted that notion, although she has pledged to maintain the "status quo" with Beijing.

China has already been making life difficult for Taiwan since Tsai was elected in January.

Taiwanese fraud suspects have been deported from Malaysia and Kenya to the mainland in a move that infuriated Taipei, which argued they should be tried on home turf.

Tourist numbers from China have also dropped with speculation Beijing is actively turning off the taps.
The city civic body here with the help of police today sealed as many as ten community halls (Kalyan Mandaps).

The axe fell on the Kalyan Mandaps for they were operating illegally without having valid licences from the civic body.

The shutting down of these halls came in the wake of an order passed by a Division Bench headed by Justice Indrajit Mahanti of the Orissa High Court in March this year.

Nine Kalyan Mandaps were shut down under Lalbag police station limits and another under Bidanasi police station, officials said adding, the civic body was planning to shut down as many as 104 Kalyan Mandaps in the city.

There are nearly 200 mandaps in the city catering to marriages and other community functions.

A petition was filed in the High Court alleging the mandaps were hosting marriages and other functions without adhering to the specified pollution norms.

Most of these mandaps do not have proper parking spaces as a result during marriage seasons, the road traffic in nearby areas go haywire.

Converting the letter petition into a PIL, the High Court had asked the city civic body to issue licences to those mandaps, which follow proper norms and shut down the violators.

A committee headed by an amicus curie had identified a total of 104 Kalyan Mandaps in the city, which did not obtain the licence from the civic body.

In another development, the district health officials on the day also sealed two private nursing homes and a diagnostic centre in the city after verifying that these health centres were functioning without valid permissions.
Congress MP Shantaram Naik today gave a notice for breach of privilege against BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in Rajya Sabha for allegedly submitting a "printout" of a website report to level allegations against its leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, in the AgustaWestland issue.

In his notice addressed to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, the Congress leader said: "Since Swamy has authenticated a website page printout, in which the names of Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel, Oscar Fernandes have been mentioned, it means and implies that the very allegations are made by Swamy also."



Naik gave the notice under rules 187 and 188 of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States and appealed to the Rajya Sabha Chairman that it be admitted and referred to the Privileges Committee for "appropriate" action against Swamy.

"Swamy did not authenticate any letter from Christian Michel (alleged British middleman and prime accused in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case) as he was not in possession of any such letter. Further question of Sonia flying in Mi-8 choppers does not arise as she did not hold any official post.

"Swamy mischievously quoted abbreviations AP and said he is a political secretary...All these innuendos amply insinuate a particular specific person most irresponsibly and without authenticating any document.

"Swamy did not produce any certified copy of the judgement on which he relied extensively, which he should have done and authenticated," Naik said in the notice. AP, it was alleged, stood for Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Referrring to an interview of Italian Judge Marco Maria Maiga by a channel on the issue, the Congress leader said "Swamy relied on the transcript of this interview".

"Swamy mischievously relied on and authenticated an inadmissible document, by all standards, to misguide the House, thereby committing another breach of privilege," he said.

Making clear the party's intent to move a privilege motion against Swamy, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh had a few days back said: "Swamy has made baseless allegations and spoken big lies in Rajya Sabha on May 4. We will not allow him to go scot-free.
A US federal court has ordered a Mississippi town to desegregate its schools by consolidating them after a 50-year battle to maintain de facto racial segregation, officials have said.

Black and white students in middle and high school in the town of Cleveland, Mississippi -- population 12,000 -- are largely separated six decades since a landmark Supreme Court decision ended segregation in US schools, the Justice Department said in a statement yesterday.

The court's 96-page judgement made on Friday found the local school authority's decades of delay had "deprived generations of students of the constitutionally guaranteed right of an integrated education."



"This failure, whether born of good faith, bad faith, or some combination of the two, has placed Cleveland in the unenviable position of operating under a desegregation order long after schools in bastions of segregation... Have been declared unitary," the decision said.

Although a middle and high school in the town teach African American students almost exclusively, local officials had argued that desegregation had occurred because many other African American students attend the schools where almost all the town's white students are educated, media reported.

The Supreme Court declared racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional in the 1954 case "Brown v. Board of Education."



"This decision serves as a reminder to districts that delaying desegregation obligations is both unacceptable and unconstitutional," said Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's civil rights division.
A NASA-funded CubeSat, of the size of a bread loaf, has been deployed into space from the International Space Station to study soft X-ray emissions from the Sun that can affect communications systems on Earth.

The Miniature X-Ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) CubeSat began its journey into space on May 16 and will operate for up to 12 months, NASA said.

The CubeSat will observe soft X-rays from the Sun, which can disrupt Earth's upper atmosphere and hamper radio and Global Positioning System (GPS) signals travelling through the region.

The intensity of the soft X-ray emissions emitted from the Sun is continuously changing over a large range - with peak emission levels occurring during large eruptions on the Sun called solar flares.

MinXSS data will also help understand the physics behind solar flares.

The soft X-rays carry information about the temperature, density and chemical composition of material in the Sun's atmosphere, allowing scientists to trace how events like flares and other processes heat the surrounding material in the Sun's atmosphere - which are still being debated among solar scientists.

CubeSats are a new, low-cost tool for space science missions. Instead of the traditional space science missions that carry a significant number of custom-built, state-of-the-art instruments, CubeSats are designed to take narrowly targeted scientific observations, with only a few instruments, often built from off-the-shelf components.

MinXSS uses a commercially purchased X-ray spectrometer for a detector and an extendable tape measure as a radio antenna.

The MinXSS was developed by the University of Colorado Boulder under the leadership of principal investigator Tom Woods.

It was launched via the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative programme in December last year.
Spurred by winning four seats in the MCD by-polls, Congress today dubbed it as a "setback" for both AAP and BJP and a sign of its revival.

"Its a clear message by the people of Delhi that the Congress rule was the best and it should come back to power," an elated Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken said during a media briefing at party office here.

The Congress rebel Rajender Singh Tanwar who won in Bhati ward was also present on the occasion. Maken said Tanwar has joined the party.

Hitting out at both Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maken said, Delhi people were "fed up" with "Modi-Kejriwal bickering".

"Both AAP & BJP must improve their governance. This is a "warning bell" from the people of Delhi to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.

He demanded that the 21 AAP MLAs who have been given notices by the Election Commission for holding office of profit should resign. They were appointed as Parliamentary secretaries by the Kejriwal.

Maken threatened an agitation if they failed to quit in the wake of the EC notice.

Talking to reporters, Maken, who is also senior AICC spokesperson, said that the victory is significant in view of the fact that the Congress had not won any of these seats in the 2007 and 2012 MCD elections.

He claimed while AAP's vote share has reduced by 26 per cent, BJP's vote share fell by 5 per cent.

He claimed that Delhi voters specially those belonging to Purvanchal (in UP), JJ clusters, street vendors and minorities extended their "full fledged" support to Congress candidates in the municipal bypolls.

"People who were traditionally with the Congress have come back to it," he remarked.

People were "fed up" with the "false claims" of BJP and AAP on the issues of "price rise, corruption and governance" and voted for Congress, Maken said asserting that the atmosphere was conducive for a return of the party to the power.

He said that the party will now focus on the forthcoming MCD elections in 2017 and in strengthening the organisation.

"In next four months, we will come out with the road map on MCDs focusing on sanitation, financial status and corruption that had been major issues during the decade long rule of BJP in three municipal corporations," he added.

The Congress candidates who won the elections from four wards were also present on the occasion along with senior party leaders.

The ecstatic Congressmen burst crackers while a large number of them invaded the press briefing venue even as a smiling and elated Maken found it difficult to rein in them.

Congress was in power in Delhi for 15 long years till December 2013, under the leadership of Shiela Dikshit.

Congress victory showed a dramatic jump in its vote share from just 6.8 per cent to nearly 30 per cent in the 13 seats which have been spread all over the national capital.
Disability certificates issued by state authorities may soon be valid across the country, according to the draft of Right of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, which has been sent to the Prime Minister's Office for consultation.

"We have made a new provision in the draft Right of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 as per which the disability certificate once issued will be valid all across the country or in any central government office.

"In the present act, we do not have a provision like this. So what happens is that if a disability certificate is issued by Uttar Pradesh government, the certificate is not valid in Delhi, or any other state. So if a disabled person changes place or gets married and shifts to a different state, he faces difficulty," Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawa Chand Gehlot said today.

He was speaking after inaugurating the 14th national meeting of the State Commissioners for Persons with Disabilities.

Gehlot said in the draft bill, the categories of disabilities for which benefits of government schemes are given has been raised from 7 to 19.

The Right of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014, which makes accessibility a mandatory requirement under the law, is going to replace the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.

Gehlot said the government will roll out a web-based unique disability identification (UDID) card in the next two months as a pilot project at Ratlam District in Madhya Pradesh.

The initiative will help in a big way in ensuring the authenticity of disability certificates and eliminate the hassle of having to carry certificates for different purposes, as various details, including the type of disability, would be made available online.

The UDID cards will include identity details such as name, address, birth date, parents' or guardian names, mobile number, income status, type of disability, bank details, BPL details, and voter ID details etc in English and a local language.

During the meeting, status of implementation of various provisions of the existing act with focus on education, employment or self-employment, accessible environment, social security etc for persons with disabilities in the states/UTs were reviewed and strategy for more effective implementation of the act was formulated.
President Danilo Medina celebrated after winning what appeared to be a resounding re-election victory in the Dominican Republic, with preliminary results showing he easily had enough votes to avoid a runoff with his closest competitor.

Final results were not expected until today, but the Central Electoral Commission reported that Medina had 62 per cent of votes with ballots from nearly 60 per cent of polling stations counted. His nearest opponent, businessman Luis Abinader, had 35 per cent.

A senior official in the Medina administration, Jose Ramon Peralta, said on Twitter that the president appeared to have won the highest percentage of the vote in the country's democratic history.

Medina celebrated with a victory rally yesterday evening. "The people favor that the country continue on the path that we started on in 2012," he said.

Participation in Sunday's election was about 70 per cent, with voters in the country and at expatriate polling sites in the US and around the world choosing all 222 seats in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies as well as local offices.

Polls going into the election had pointed to Medina as the likely presidential winner. With this victory, the Dominican Liberation Party will have won the four straight presidential elections.

It appeared the party maintained the control of Congress that it has had for a decade.

Opposition candidates criticised electoral authorities for starting to release preliminary results, which had not gone through a mandatory hand count for verification, as some people still waited to cast ballots after voting was extended for an hour because of problems that delayed the process at many polling stations.

Many people had to wait hours to vote, largely because of problems with the deployment of new technology to identify voters by their fingerprints in this country of more than 10 million people.

The electoral commission blamed delays on the resignations of 3,000 technical assistants and other poll workers a day before the election. Replacements had to be trained swiftly. Officials did not disclose why the workers walked off the job before the vote.

The incumbent benefited from a weak and divided opposition and an economy that grew 7 per cent last year, better than any other country in Latin America or the Caribbean.

He also has drawn support for increased funding for social programs that have strong popular support. Medina's government has built about 2,500 new schools, lengthened the school day to provide more classes and promoted literacy and vocational training for adults.
Economic students at Delhi University were taken by a surprise when a question in the annual examination paper was changed when the exam was already half way through.

While few colleges claimed that the university had sent them a communication during the exam and they did not have a say in the process, few other colleges said the students had raised certain issues with the question.

Few students objected to the change as they had already answered the particular question of Intermediate Macroeconomics, a subject in second semester of Economics Honours, when it was changed with just an hour left for the examination to conclude.

As per the question given to the students, it had to be answered according to 'Permanent Income Hypothesis', however the DU authorities changed the question to be answered according to 'Lifecycle Hypothesis'.

"By the time we were informed of the change, I had already answered that question. Hence, it left we with no time to change the answer and since all the questions carried 7.5 marks it is a risky affair skipping any question," said a Zakir Hussain college student.

Another student said, "the question paper is evaluated at various stages before being finalised for a particular exam. This time of chaos is unexpected from the university but will definitely hamper our performance.

However, Principal of Hansraj College, where initial complaints were received said that they raised the issue with the university.

"Few students complained to the invigilators that the language of the particular question was not clear. We then raised the issue with the university authorities who told us that similar complaints have been received from few other colleges and they notified a replacement for the question," said Rama Sharma, Principal Hansraj College.

DU's Dean of Examinations, Roop Lal, refused to comment on the issue.
An Emirati businessman who threw a party in Dubai to celebrate the birthday of an Indian woman has been arrested along with 22 others including the birthday girl for "indecent partying", a media report said today.

The Emirati businessman was arrested for organising parties and dancing and serving alcohol in his villa located in Al Garhood in Dubai. Two other Emiratis and over 20 young women have also been arrested, Khaleej Times reported.

The police received information that the businessman identified only with his initials MAS was organising unbecoming parties in his villa.

The police raided the villa at midnight on Friday and arrested SN and TM seen dancing with women in a way that could be described as indecent. The fourth suspect TH was found watching the proceedings. Many alcohol bottles were also found placed on tables, the report said.

The businessman confessed that he had been organising such parties in the villa for many years and that particular party was organised to celebrate the birthday of an Indian woman who was present along with her sister. The police arrested more than 20 women including young Emirati girls, it said.

Some of them confessed to have lied to their families so that they could attend the party. While some of the women were arrested on arrival, others were found dancing, it said.

The businessman and other suspects have been referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution for further investigation.

In Dubai, residents have been warned against such indecent activities and authorities have asked parents to monitor their children.
The CBI is expected to question representatives of NGOs whose names have cropped up during its probe against a Home Ministry official Anand Joshi who was allegedly issuing notices of foreign remittances violations to voluntary groups in an arbitrary manner.

CBI sources said the agency today visited FCRA wing of the Home Ministry to look for records related to the case which will be taken over by the agency.

The agency has alleged that the files of organisations like Care India, Snehalya Charitable Trust, Indian HIV/AIDS Alliance and All India Primary Teachers Federation were recovered from him.

The sources said role of other officials of Home Ministry is also under scanner but any action will depend on questioning of Joshi, an Under Secretary, and scrutiny of records.

CBI claims that the representatives of some of these organisations were called and Joshi demanded and obtained illegal gratification.

The sources said Joshi would be confronted with the records seized by the agency from the Home Ministry.

Joshi, who had disappeared on the morning of May 11 from his home in Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, was picked up from Tilak Nagar area of West Delhi on Sunday and taken to the CBI headquarters for questioning.

He was arrested after he allegedly gave unconvincing answers to the questions posed by a team of Special Crime division of the CBI, including those related to disappearance of files related to Sabrang Trust of activist Teesta Setalvad.

A case has been registered against Joshi and some other unnamed persons for allegedly indulging in corrupt practices and arbitrarily issuing notices to several NGOs, registered under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which were receiving foreign contributions.
For the last 35 years, a man has been fighting a battle to get his piece of land in Kishtwar district vacated by a former senior official of the state government who has allegedly "illegally occupied" it.

Ram Rattan Sharma, now 65, has knocked at various doors in pursuit of his mission but without any success.

"35 years ago, the then Tehsildar of my area illegally occupied my land and since then has been holding the possession of the same. I approached all the senior officers, including the Deputy Commissioner, the Divisional Commissioner and they agreed to the fact that the land belongs to me," said Sharma, a resident of Matta village.

Divisional Commissioner of Jammu region Pawan Kotwal, who had earlier dealt with the case, told PTI that he knows that the land belongs to Ram Rattan which has been illegally occupied by the former official.

"I remember issuing the order to get the land vacated during my previous term as the Divisional Commissioner Jammu. Though I am not aware about the present status but I will instruct the Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar to make sure that the possession of the land is handed over to Ram Rattan at the earliest as various inquiries in the past have established that the piece of land belongs to Ram Rattan Sharma," Kotwal said.

Sharma said that in 2006, he had filed a complaint with the then Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Pramod Jain who ordered an inquiry. After establishing that the land actually belongs to him, Jain had advised the then Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Kishtwar to hand over the possession of the land to Sharma, the complainant said.

"When no action was taken, I approached Sudhanshu Pandey, the then Divisional Commissioner Jammu, who again instructed the Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar to get the land vacated from the illegal occupation and hand over the same to me," he said.

Sharma says that the local revenue officials who were once subordinate to the former official failed to comply with the orders of the two successive Divisional Commissioners.

In 2010, Sharma once again approached the then Divisional Commissioner Jammu Pawan Kotwal who instructed the then Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar to implement his directions and hand over the possession of the land to the applicant (Sharma) within a period of 15 days failing which the contempt proceedings under law would be initiated against the defaulting officials.

However, the land still remains under the illegal occupation of the former official, Sharma said.

Deputy Commissioner (Kishtwar) Ghulam Nabi Balwan, when contacted, said, "I am aware of the case and the land belongs to Ram Rattan as per the records but there are some hurdles in getting it vacated.
Former minister and Andhra Pradesh State Cooperative Bank (APCOB) Chairman Pinnamaneni Venkateswara Rao escaped with minor injuries while his wife and driver died when the car they were travelling in turned turtle near Tukkuguda here, police said today.

The incident occurred on the Outer Ring Road at around midnight yesterday. Rao along with his wife Satyavani were on their way to Hyderabad from Vijayawada, Pahadisharif Police Station Sub-Inspector Sudhakar said.

The rear left wheel of the vehicle came off and the driver Tenali Das lost control after which the SUV hit the railing before turning turtle. Satyavani and Das (both aged 52) were killed on the spot, Sudhakar said.

According to the police, Rao suffered minor injuries as he was wearing the seat belt and remained inside the car while his wife and the driver, who were not wearing the seat belts, were thrown out following overturning of the SUV.

Rao, a native of Krishna district, has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital here.
Four members of a banned militant group, including a regional commander, have been arrested in Bangladesh for the brutal murder of a liberal university professor last month and one of them has confessed to the crime, police said today.

Police said the the four operatives of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) took part in the April 23 murder of Rajshahi University teacher Rezaul Karim.

"Of the four, three were directly involved in the attack while the other was waiting with a motorcycle," Rajshahi metro police commissioner Mohammed Shamsuddin told reporters.

One of the men who was arrested on Sunday from Bogra town has been identified as Maskawat Hasan Sakib alias Abdullah, the "operational commander of JMB for Rajshahi region.

"Maskawat Hasan Sakib alias Abdullah admitted his links to Rezaul Karim's murder and gave his confessional statement at the Metropolitan Magistrate's Court yesterday," Shamsuddin told PTI over phone.

Police said the three others were arrested in Rajshahi city yesterday, but did not disclose their identities for "in the interest of investigation".

"Abdullah took part in the killing. The others, who have been arrested, are also JMB activists. They provided help and logistic support," BD quoted Shamsuddin as saying.

"The motorcycle used by the attackers at the time of the murder has been seized. A machete and a dagger were also found," he said.

"We've reached the main point (of the investigation). Petitions will be filed for the remaining three to be taken into custody for interrogation," he added.

Outlawed JMB has carried out a series of bomb attacks across Bangladesh, killing scores of people including two judges, prompting a massive anti-militant campaign.

Police earlier had said four people, including a leader of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student front of the Jamaat-e-Islami, had been arrested over the murder.

Suspected Islamists hacked Karim to death using machetes near his house in the northwestern city.

Karim was the second professor of the same university to be killed in nearly identical manner in past two years.

US-based private SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic State claimed the killing.

"ISIS' Amaq Agency reported the group's responsibility for killing Rajshahi University professor Rezaul Karim for "calling to atheism" in Bangladesh," it had said in a tweet.

Bangladesh, however, ruled out existence of foreign Islamists outfits like IS and alleged that fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami was patronising the killing spree to portray the country as an abode of foreign militants.

Police has intensified investigations into a series of attacks on secularists and liberal intellectuals, bloggers and minorities including gay activists against the backdrop of growing criticism for failure to track down the assailants.

(Reopens FGN 18)



In the past two days police arrested three Rohingya Muslims, who took refuge in Bangladesh in view of reported persecution by authorities in neighbouring Myanmar, for their alleged involvement in the murder of a Buddhist monk in southwestern Badarban hill district last week.

The assailants slaughtered 70-year-old Buddhist monk Mawng Shoi Wuu, chief of the monastery located in the isolated and rugged Naikkhangchari area of Bandarban hill district.

Police on Sunday arrested 37-year-old Shariful Islam alias Shihab from Kushtia over the killing of the country's first gay magazine editor and his friend.

Police identified him as a member of outlawed Ansarullah Bangla Team, which according to the Site Intelligence Group was the Bangladesh affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

Xulhaz Mannan, 35, editor of a gay magazine, and a 25-year-old fellow activist Mahbub Tonoy were hacked to death in an apartment here on April 25 by up to seven attackers carrying machetes and guns.
French President Francois Hollande today said he would not withdraw the labour market reforms which have sparked two months of street protests and led to an unsuccessful attempt to bring down the government.

"I will not give way because too many (previous) governments have backed down," the president said in an hour-long interview with Europe 1 radio.

France is facing a week of strikes in protest at a package of reforms the government says will make the notoriously rigid labour market more flexible, but which opponents say will erode job security.

Hollande said he defended the right of people to protest, but insisted the reforms were necessary.

"I prefer that people remember me as a president who made reforms rather than a president who did nothing," he said.

Hollande also promised tougher action against troublemakers who have infiltrated street protests against the reforms, damaged property and provoked confrontation with riot police.

Many of the demonstrations against the reforms have descended into violence.

"It will not be accepted," Hollande said, promising more arrests and bans on protesting for others.

"Demonstrating is a right, but smashing things up is a crime," he said.

The president said more than 1,000 people had already been arrested and that 350 police officers had been injured in the violence.

The Socialist government last week survived a vote of no-confidence, which was called by the centre-right opposition, after it forced through the labour market reform bill without parliament's approval.

The draft law will now be debated in the Senate, the upper house of parliament.

A defiant Hollande said the law "is going to go through because it has been debated, agreed on and amended".

Many unions and student groups say the reform will do little to address France's jobless rate, which has been stuck at 10 per cent overall, and nearly 25 per cent for young people.

With less than a year to go until the presidential election, Hollande defended his assertion a month ago that France was "doing better".

"When I came up with this turn of phrase, I did not mean that everything is getting better," he said.

"But things are effectively getting better for France. It's not a campaign slogan, it's the reality."



Hollande, who has some of the lowest poll ratings of any post-war French president, has said he will decide by the end of the year whether to stand for re-election next May.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced it will commit USD 80 million over the next three years to close gender data gaps and help accelerate progress for women and girls around the world.

The initiative will promote gender equality and support the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Alongside the Gates Foundation's commitment, partners across governments, non-profits and philanthropic organisations have also agreed upon a new statement of principles regarding gender data and its importance for accelerating development outcomes.

"By adopting the SDGs the world agreed to achieve gender equality by 2030. But we cannot close the gender gap without first closing the data gap," Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said in her keynote speech today at the Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen.

"We simply don't know enough about the barriers holding women and girls back, nor do we have sufficient information to track progress against the promises made to women and girls. We are committed to changing that by investing in better data, policies and accountability," she added.

The Gates Foundation's new USD 80 million commitment will support efforts that:Fill critical gender data gaps, including knowing how much time women and girls spend on unpaid work around the world, and what implications this has on their life chances and choices, such as completing education, getting jobs or starting businesses.

The funds will also help Improve the accuracy and reliability of data collection, which can reveal at a large scale who owns assets like land, property or credit.

They will equip decision makers with more timely and clearer evidence about programmes and interventions that are working and those that are not, so they can be redesigned quickly and more effectively.

Moreover, the financial commitment will support civil society in holding leaders to account for the commitments they've made to women and girls, helping maintain the political will to achieve gender equality.

It will also amplify and strengthen organisations and platforms that keep gender equality at the center of global and national development efforts.
A court in the German city of Hamburg today banned the author of a poem lampooning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from publicly reciting passages from his work.

The court ruled that only six lines of the 24-line poem by German comedian Jan Boehmermann could be recited, offering the Turkish leader a partial legal victory.

The poem accused Erdogan of bestiality and paedophilia and has caused a storm in Germany over freedom of speech.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has come in for criticism after she authorised possible criminal proceedings against Boehmermann.

Any prosecution of the comedian would be launched under the rarely enforced section 103 of Germany's criminal code -- insulting organs or representatives of foreign states -- which carries up to three years in prison



Last week, the affair gathered still more publicity after a lawmaker from Merkel's Christian Democrat party recited the offending parts of the poem in parliament in a bid to condemn its content as an attack on Erdogan's "honour".

Boehmermann's own recital of his so-called "Defamatory Poem" on national television in March sparked a diplomatic firestorm after he admitted the work flouted Germany's legal limits to free speech and was intended as a provocation.

Merkel then authorised criminal proceedings against the comedian after Turkey requested he be prosecuted under the lese majeste law, a move which saw some of the chancellor's critics accuse her of kowtowing to Erdogan.

Boehmermann responded to Merkel's move by saying the German leader had "filleted me, served me up to a neurotic despot for tea and turned me into a German Ai Weiwei," in reference to the Chinese dissident artist.
As Naxal violence continued unabated, the Centre has conveyed a meeting of top civil and police officers of 10 Maoist-hit states on May 24 to discuss the security situation in the affected areas.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh will chair the day-long meeting and Chief Secretaries and DGPs of Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh will attend it.

The meeting will review the situation in the Maoist-hit states and deliberate on how to make the ongoing anti-Naxal operations more successful, a Home Ministry official said.

While 106 districts in the 10 states are affected by Maoist activities in varying degrees, 35 districts in seven states are the most affected.

The official said the security forces have achieved greater success in tackling the Maoists in recent times and there was 30 per cent decline of Naxal violence this year.

Altogether, 76 Naxal cadres were killed between January and April this year in comparison to 15 killed in the corresponding period of 2015.

As many as 665 Maoists were arrested and 639 surrendered in the first four months of 2016 and 435 Naxal were arrested and 134 others surrendered in the corresponding period of 2015.

Maoist violence saw 226 deaths in 1,088 incidents of violence perpetrated by the rebels in entire 2015.

In 2015, of the 226 deaths, 168 were civilians and 58 were security personnel.

As many as 89 Maoists were also killed and 1,668 were arrested and 570 cadres surrendered before authorities during the year.

According to a recent Parliamentary Standing Committee report, Naxal activities continue to be a matter of concern with 35 districts in seven states being badly-hit.

"Left Wing Extremism (LWE) remains an area of concern for internal security of the country.

"CPI (Maoist) continues to be the most potent among the various LWE outfits in the country and accounts for more than 80 per cent of total LWE violence incidents and resultant deaths," the report said.
Two government organisations, one of the largest financial institutions and a top IT firm have been among the targets of an advanced cyber espionage group conducting long-term espionage campaigns against high-profile targets in India, as per cyber-security firm Symantec.

The security firm has identified a number of attacks over a two-year period, beginning in April 2014, by this group named 'Suckfly'.

While Symantec didn't name the victims, it said these include "one of India's largest financial organisations; a large e-commerce company and the e-commerce company's primary shipping vendor; one of India's top five IT firms; a US healthcare provider's Indian business unit; and two government organisations".

In a blog, Symatec said the attacks occurred in several different countries, but its investigation revealed that the primary targets were individuals and organisations primarily located in India.

Indian targets show a greater amount of post-infection activity than targets in the other regions, it added.

"This suggests that these attacks were part of a planned operation against specific targets in India... Suckfly spent more time attacking the government networks compared to all but one of the commercial targets," it added.

Symantec said one of the Indian government organisation is "linked to departments of India's central government and is responsible for implementing network software for different ministries and departments".

The high infection rate for this target is likely because of the organisation's access, technology, and information that it has on other Indian government organisations, it said.

"Suckfly's attacks on government organisations that provide information technology services to other government branches is not limited to India. They have conducted attacks on similar organisations in Saudi Arabia, likely because of the access that those organisations have," it said.

Symantec said all of these targets are large corporations that play a major role in India's economy.

"By targeting all of these organisations together, Suckfly could have had a much larger impact on India and its economy. While we don't know the motivations behind the attacks, the targeted commercial organisations, along with the targeted government organisations may point in this direction," it added.

Suckfly allegedly has the resources to develop malware, purchase infrastructure, and conduct targeted attacks for years while staying off the radar of security organizations.

During this time, they were able to steal digital certificates from South Korean firms and launch attacks against Indian and Saudi Arabian government organisations.

"There is no evidence that Suckfly gained any benefits from attacking the government organizations, but someone else may have benefited from these attacks. The nature of the Suckfly attacks suggests that it is unlikely that the threat group orchestrated these attacks on their own," it added.

Symantec said Suckfly is expected to continue to target organisations in India, and similar organisations in other countries to provide economic insight to the organisation behind Suckfly's operations.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare Ltd today reported an 8.18 per cent decline in its standalone net profit for the March quarter at Rs 180.68 crore.

The company had posted a net profit of Rs 196.78 crore for the corresponding period a year ago, GSK said in a BSE filing.

Net sales during the period under review was Rs 1,052.83 crore, down 9.63 per cent from Rs 1,165.06 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal.

For the full fiscal, GSK's standalone net profit rose 17.70 per cent to Rs 686.91 crore as against Rs 583.60 crore in 2014-15.

However, its net sales declined 0.72 per cent to Rs 4,106.61 crore in 2015-16 from Rs 4,136.44 crore a year ago.

In a separate filing, GSK said that its board in a meeting held today recommended a dividend at the rate of Rs 70 per equity share of Rs 10 each.

Shares of the company today settled 1.20 per cent lower at Rs 6,086.00 per scrip on BSE.
Gujarat Civic Finance Minister Saurabh Patel has written to Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, requesting him to introduce Air-India flights on the Kandla-Mumbai and Kandla-Delhi routes.

"Lack of air connectivity is hampering development of Kandla, which houses Kandla Port and entire eastern region of Kutch district which has been booming with industrial and commercial activities," Patel said in a letter to Raju.

"Kandla's poor air connectivity has a negative impact on the Port and SEZ, hampering the movement of high value goods. With the Mundra SEZ, the air services from Kandla becomes imperative," Patel said.

The nearest airport to Kandla is at Bhuj at a distance of about 60 kms. From Bhuj, Air India runs a single flight while Jet Airways operates two flights a day, which is inadequate to meet the ever increasing demand of about 3,000 medium and large-scale industries located in Kandla, he said.

"The air traffic is so high in the region that these three flights find it difficult to meet the passenger demand. It compels them to either go to Rajkot or Ahmedabad to catch flights for Mumbai and Delhi," Patel said.

He said the two routes will be profitable for the national carrier as there are no other airline services operating on them.

A delegation of Federation of Kutch Industries association (FOKIA) and Kutch Timber Merchants Association will meet chairman and managing director of Air India Ashvin Lohani in Delhi tomorrow and put forth their request.
Pakistan today told the US that it has the credentials to become the full member of the nuclear materials export control regimes, including the NSG, as the two nations discussed their respective concerns over nuclear and missile developments in South Asia.

The two sides held the 8th round of Pakistan-US working group on Security, Strategic Stability, and Nonproliferation (SSS&NP), which is part of the bilateral Strategic Dialogue.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller co-chaired the meeting held here.

According to the joint statement, the delegations had a productive exchange of views on issues of mutual importance, including strategic export control regimes, nonproliferation, and regional stability and security.

The US delegation recognised Pakistan's significant efforts to harmonise its strategic trade controls with those of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and other multilateral export control regimes as "both sides agreed on the value of Pakistan's continued engagement, outreach and integration into the international non-proliferation regime".

"The Pakistan delegation expressed its confidence regarding Pakistan's credentials to become full member of the export control regimes, particularly the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)," it said.

Pakistan's assertion came a day after China harped on the need for consensus in the 48-member NSG, where it is reportedly, pushing for Pakistan's entry despite US' strong backing for India to join the elite body.

The joint statement also stated that both sides committed to continue cooperation related to export control capacity-building under the US Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) programme.

"Pakistan stressed the need for access to peaceful uses of nuclear technology as a socio-economic imperative. Pakistan also indicated its interest in cooperation with the US on peaceful applications of Nuclear Science in areas such as health, agriculture and water," it said.

The US underscored the need to commence negotiations on a treaty dealing with fissile materials for use in nuclear weapons.

Pakistan underlined its preference for a broader Fissile Material Treaty (FMT) that addresses the asymmetries in existing stocks and highlighted that its position will be determined by its national security interests and the objectives of strategic stability in South Asia.

Both sides recognised their interest in strategic stability and discussed their respective concerns over nuclear and missile developments in South Asia.

"In that context, Pakistan also expressed concerns on the



growing conventional imbalance and reiterated its longstanding proposal for Strategic Restraint Regime (SRR) in South Asia and its readiness to pursue measures in the region aimed at building confidence and avoidance of arms race," the statement said.

The two sides also emphasised the importance of meaningful dialogue and progress in this area and expressed the hope for lasting peace in South Asia and the resolution of outstanding disputes through peaceful means.

The US expressed its interest in exploring such nuclear science cooperation with Pakistan.

The delegations reaffirmed the high importance that both countries attach to preventing the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery to states as well as non-state actors.

In this regard they noted that both have consistently supported and implemented United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540.

Both delegations agreed to remain engaged in discussions on an objective Comprehensive Review of the UN Security Council Resolution 1540, scheduled later this year.

The United States underscored its continued efforts to realise the agenda set forth in President Barack Obama's 2009 Prague speech, while both sides noted the high priority that arms control has for the international community.

The US also outlined its nuclear stockpile reductions, explained its efforts to seek congressional approval to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and reaffirmed its commitment not to conduct further nuclear test explosions.

Pakistan reaffirmed its consistent stance that it will not be the first in its region to resume nuclear testing and expressed its support for the objectives of CTBT which it has manifested through support for CTBT-related resolutions in the United Nations General Assembly.

They also underscored the importance of preventing the risk of global nuclear terrorism and reaffirm their participation in the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT).

The delegations also discussed issues related to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and committed to continue such consultations.

The delegations also emphasised their shared desire for a successful BWC Review Conference in November and agreed to continue working together to that end.
Gujarat-based ice cream maker Havmor is looking to more than double its sales to Rs 1,000 crore in next four years by expanding to new markets.

The company, which is setting up a new ice cream facility at Faridabad with an investment of Rs 80 crore, also plans to set up another unit in South to cater to the markets there.

"We are aiming to have Rs 1,000 crore sales by 2020. The company is growing between 25 and 30 per cent every year and we would achieve it," Havmor Ice Cream Managing Director Ankit Chona told PTI.

Havmor also has plans to expand its sales network to 13 states by the year end and as part of that it has entered Delhi-NCR market today.

In 2015-16 fiscal, the company had a turnover of around Rs 450 crore, of which 85 per cent was contributed by ice cream business and rest by restaurants and fast food chains.

The company operates in 8 states and plans to expand to 13 more by adding Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, UP, Chhattisgarh and Haryana by the end of this year.

"We have plans to invest Rs 100 crore in next three years in our production capacity. Besides, we would also be investing Rs 30 crore every year on deep freezers and store additions," Chona said.

The company is planning to have 350 distributors by this year and expand it to 500 by the end of 2017.

"The investment would be composition of debt and internal accruals," he said.

According to him, the domestic ice cream industry is worth Rs 8,000 crore in which the branded market is between Rs 4,000-5,000 crore and rest is with unorganised sector.

"Havmor has around 10 per cent market share of the branded segment, which is growing at 20 per cent per annum," he said.

The company has plans to spend around Rs 35 crore on marketing/branding this fiscal, where it would spend around 70 per cent on ATL and rest 30 per cent on BTL activities.
The Bombay High Court today granted interim protection from arrest till May 25 to Asif Balwa and six other businessmen who are facing charges of alleged money laundering along with former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal in some cases, including the Rs 100-crore Maharashtra Sadan scam.

All the seven had challenged the non-bailable warrants issued against them by a special court and later also sought pre-arrest bail from the high court.

After hearing their counsel Mahesh Jethmalani, I P Bagadia and Sirish Gupte, Justice Ajay Gadkari restrained the police from arresting the seven applicants till May 25.

The seven accused, apprehending arrest on money laundering charges, are Sanjiv Jain, Praveen Jain, Chandrakant Sarda, Jagdish Purohit, Rajesh Mistry, Vipul Karkaria and Asif Balwa.

According to Enforcement Directorate, the seven businessmen allegedly conspired with Bhujbal to divert the kickbacks received by him through their group of companies.

They argued that the alleged offences with which they have been charged with are non-cognisable offences and warrants could not have been issued against them at the first instance because they were not arrested during interrogation.

The lawyers also cited a Gujarat High Court judgement in a similar case in which the accused had been granted pre-arrest bail despite a ban on section 45 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Besides, the Supreme Court has stayed warrants against accused in a similar case, they argued.

Besides Bhujbal, his nephew Sameer Bhujbal has also been arrested on money laundering charges.

ED had told the special court earlier that it attached properties of Bhujbals worth Rs 131.86 crore, while remaining properties worth Rs 708.30 crore were yet to be identified and attached.

Also, ED had twice conducted searches at nine premises, including properties and offices, belonging to Chhagan Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer and few others.

ED had on March 30 this year filed a 11,500-page charge sheet naming Chhagan Bhujbal, Pankaj, Sameer, corporates like D B Realty, Balwa group of companies, Neelkamal Realtors and Builders Private Limited, Neelkamal Central Apartment LLP and Kakade Infrastructure.

The agency filed 2 FIRs against Bhujbals and others under anti-money laundering laws, based on FIRs filed by Anti-Corruption Bureau, to probe alleged irregularities in the construction of the state guest house 'Maharashtra Sadan' in Delhi and the Kalina land-grabbing case here.
The Bombay High Court today refused to grant bail to two men who were recently convicted by a special POTA court for their complicity in the multiple bomb blasts that had rocked Mumbai between December 2002 and March 2003, claiming 13 lives.

Ateef Mulla and Hasib Mulla, convicted on March 29, had sought bail on the ground that liberty was granted to them by the special court earlier during the period of trial. On the same ground, they should be given bail now, the duo argued.

However, the vacation bench of Justices Ajay Gadkari and M S Karnik asked the two convicts to approach the regular bench of the high court after the summer vacation gets over on June 7.

The special court had convicted 10 out of the 13 accused in connection with the multiple blasts. While three convicts Farhan Khot, Wahid Ansari and Muzammil Ansari were awarded life imprisonment, seven others, including Ateef Mulla and Hasib Mulla, were given jail terms ranging from two to ten years.

Twelve people were killed in Mulund train blasts on March 13, 2003. Prior to that, on December 6, 2002, several persons were injured in a blast at McDonald's at Mumbai Central station, while a person died in a blast in a market in Vile Parle (East) on January 27, 2003.

In a combined charge sheet filed against 15 accused in the Mulund, Vile Parle and Mumbai Central blast cases, police had charged them with offences under POTA, Explosive Substances Act and preparation to wage war against the nation and criminal conspiracy under Indian Penal Code.
A Hindu school headmaster in Bangladesh was beaten up and made to do sit-ups in the presence of a local lawmaker for allegedly making disparaging statement against Islam, prompting the government to launch a probe into the incident.

Shyamal Kanti Bhakta of Piyar Sattar Latif High School in Bandar Upazila was beaten up by local people after some unidentified persons using the megaphone of a mosque propagated that Bhakhta made offensive comments about Islam while he was punishing a Muslim student for not studying.

Bhakta was rescued by police after he was beaten up and made to do sit-ups holding ears in the presence of ruling Awami League lawmaker Selim Osman.

The MP claimed that the punishment was the only way to save the teacher from the wrath of the mob.

Bhakta has denied making any statement against Islam and claimed that some people in school management held grudges against him.

The traumatised teacher was then admitted at a local hospital under police protection.

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid termed the humiliation of the headmaster as "unacceptable and inhumane", and said that action would be taken after the three-member inquiry committee submitted its report.

Education official AKM Nurul Amin, who heads the three-member inquiry committee, said that during the initial investigations it was found that Bhakhta had beaten up a student, "but we also received information that the attack on him was part of a conspiracy".

"The loudspeaker announcement that provoked the mob to assault Bhakhta was false...We learned about the conflict between Bhakhta and the management committee. We will give a detailed account in the probe report," he added.

The 10th grade student, who was slapped by the teacher, later told media that Bhakhta did not made any offensive comments about the religion. "I went to the managing committee to seek justice as he slapped me, but the sir (Bhakhta) did not make any remark about the religion," the student said.

Meanwhile, law minister Anisul Huq today said the government was determined to bring to justice perpetrators of public humiliation of the headmaster.

"Those who were involved in the incident must face punitive actions...Forcing someone to do sit-ups is crime under the penal code," Huq said.

Last month, two Hindu teachers were jailed for six months for making blasphemous comments about Islam under a colonial-era law that makes insulting any religion a crime in the Muslim-majority country.
Hugh Hefner has been sued for allegedly "conspiring" to allow Bill Cosby to commit sexual assault on young women at his Playboy mansion.

Former model Chloe Goins, 26, filed a federal civil suit at United States District Court in California's Central District against the embattled comedian last year (15), claiming she was just a teenager when Cosby allegedly forced himself upon her at a party held at Hefner's Playboy mansion in 2008.

In the former dispute, she claimed she felt dizzy and sick after Cosby gave her a drink and escorted her to a room.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office declined to file criminal charges in the case at the end of last year , and Goins voluntarily dismissed her federal lawsuit without prejudice in February.

Since the matter was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice, this gave Goins and her legal team the opportunity to open up the case at a later date.

And now Goins and her lawyers are taking advantage of the opportunity, as they have re-filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court and while she still accuses Cosby of the same actions, she added the 90-year-old Playboy boss as a defendant, claiming he assisted his longtime friend in the alleged assault by telling her to lie down after the actor gave her the spiked drink.
FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has received fair trade regulator CCI's nod to sell its rice exports business to Delhi-based LT Foods.

The deal, announced in March, allows transfer of the brands and inventory to LT Foods for Rs 25 crore, which owns Dawat basmati rice brand.

In a tweet, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said it has approved "acquisition of rice business of HUL by LT Foods".

HUL's decision to sell the business is in line with its strategy to exit non-core operations while continuing to drive its growth agenda in the core packaged foods segment, the company had said.

The rice export business, primarily carried out under the brands Gold Seal Indus Valley and Rozana, will be sold to LT Foods Middle East DMCC, a group company of LT Foods.

HUL began exporting premium Basmati rice in 1985 under the brand Gold Seal Indus Valley to various countries in the Middle East and Europe, which was subsequently extended to other brands and geographies.

The brands registered a turnover of Rs 51 crore, audited financials for 2014-15 showed.
Pop star Justin Bieber says his Purpose Tour cannot happen in Argentina.

The 22-year-old musician did not explain why he could not perform in the country, but mentioned that his lawyers passed along the verdict from the Argentinian government.

"Argentinian beliebers I would like nothing more than to bring the #purposetour there but until the legal conditions change there I can't.

"If things were to change I would love to come but at this time I cannot. For everyone else in South America I look forward to seeing you. Argentina I do love you. It is in fact one of my favorite places to tour. I wish this was not the case. My lawyers say it is what it is. Sorry Argentina . I love you," he tweeted.

Bieber found himself in hot water there in 2013 when he was seen as disrespecting the country's flag during a concert, and again last year when an Argentinian judge issued an arrest warrant for him related to an alleged assault of a photographer.

The arrest warrant was revoked afterwards.
Delhi High Court today asked the three municipal corporations here to apprise it about the preventive steps taken by it with regard to breeding of dengue mosquitoes in the national Capital.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath directed the civic bodies to file an additional affidavit in this regard explaining the steps proposed to be taken by them to contain the vector-borne disease.

"All the three corporations shall file an additional affidavit explaining the preventive steps taken by them and steps proposed to be taken with regard to the breeding of mosquitoes," the bench said.

The court was hearing a plea filed by law student Gauri Grover who has sought lodging of FIR against directors of hospitals which had denied treatment to a seven-year-old boy who died of dengue and whose parents subsequently committed suicide last year.

In her petition, she had alleged that the boy had died due to the callous attitude of the hospitals.

The high court had earlier asked the Centre and Delhi government on another plea by advocate Arpit Bhargava to explain the steps taken by them to contain the disease while voicing concern over the rise of dengue cases.

It had also asked the three municipal corporations and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to explain the steps taken by them in this regard.

The Delhi government had earlier told the bench that it has taken adequate steps to treat dengue patients.

The petitioner had contended that the suicide note left by the parents of the child "clearly establishes that they were prompted to commit suicide due to the callous attitude of hospital authorities which led to death of their only son".
An event of senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor was marred by internal rumblings in party's city unit coming out in open.

The moment Tharoor entered the Congress Bhavan in Shivajainagar area, supporters of Vishwajeet Kadam, President of Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress, started raising slogans in his favour, alleging that Kadam was not taken into confidence while organising the programme and the party protocol was not followed.

Tharoor was here to deliver a speech on 'Social Media and Political Communication'.

The programme was organised by Shehzad Poonawala, the newly appointed secretary of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).

Kadam's supporters did not allow Poonawala and city Congress chief Ramesh Bagawe to start the programme.

Tharoor, who rose to speak, tried to pacify the gathering and said, "Vishwajeet is my friend and we often meet in Delhi and I appeal all of you to calm down."



The former Union Minister also said Kadam was not in in the city and would be coming late night.

"And I will certainly meet him (Kadam) before leaving the city," Tharoor added.

After repeated pleas by Tharoor, Kadam's supporters, allowed him to speak. Kadam's supporters raised slogans once Poonawala and Bagwe rose to speak.

Kadam's supporters even tore posters of the event outside the Congress Bhavan.

Kadam did not comment on the episode but said the party workers not only hailed him but also hailed Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Tharoor.

Meanwhile, in his speech, Tharoor explained how BJP stole the show in 2014 elections using social media effectively and exhorted the party workers to exploit platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to spread its ideology.

"Till 2013, I was the only politician, who had over 10,000 followers on Twitter, however, thereafter, BJP went ahead by using these platforms more effectively," he said, adding Congress was left behind in the race.

(REOPENS BES51)



Meanwhile, Tharoor also said we are all together and



united.

However, Kadam later said the party workers who had gone to hear Tharoor, had expressed their emotions during the event.
Interpol today issued a fresh Red Corner Notice against chief of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror outfit Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf in connection with the attack on IAF base in Pathankot.

The fresh Red Corner notice was issued after the NIA secured an 'open-ended' non-bailable warrant against Azhar and Rauf for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror strike on the strategic Indian Air Force base at Pathankot on the intervening night of January one and two.

Seven security personnel were killed and bodies of four terrorists were recovered from the scene of encounter which lasted nearly 80 hours.

The fresh Red Corner notice is being seen as a mere formality as Pakistan has not yet acted on the arrest warrants earlier issued against the two.

An Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) is already pending against 48-year-old Azhar for being allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind attacks on Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir state assembly. Similar warrant is pending against 41-year-old Rauf in connection with the IC-814 hijacking case of 1999.

The NIA had also moved in for issuance of RCN against two others -- Kashif Jaan and Shahid Latif -- in this case as they are alleged to be the handlers of the JeM terrorists who had infiltrated India on the intervening night of December 30-31.

The fresh warrants were issued on the basis of evidence presented by the NIA before a Special court in Chandigarh which included telephonic conversation between the terrorists and the Jaish handlers like Jaan and Latif.

The video of Rauf was also presented before the court. In the video, which was uploaded on a website in Pakistan, Rauf had claimed responsibility for the attack and complimented his boys for it. The video was later removed and the website also vanished.

NIA had sought voice samples of Azhar and three others from Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which came to India for probing the Pathankot attack.

India had pitched for banning Azhar at the UN but the move was vetoed by China.

Pakistan, after the return of the JIT in the first week of April, has not replied to various letters rogatory seeking legal assistance in probing the Pathankot attack.
Iran's parliament today voted through a law obliging the government to demand damages from the United States for 63 years of "hostile action and crimes", state television reported.

"The government has the duty to take the necessary measures seeking compensation for material and moral damages caused by the United States" to the country and Iranians over the past 63 years, the text reads.

It cites "material or moral damage" caused by the US during the coup against nationalist leader Mohammad Mossadegh (1953), in the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), in the destruction of oil platforms in the Gulf and in espionage against the Islamic republic.

Parliament did not specify a sum, but Vice President Majid Ansari said during the debate that "Iranian courts have already ruled that the US pay USD 50 billion in damages for its hostile actions" towards the country.

The law was passed by the conservative-dominated outgoing parliament in response to a US Supreme Court decision last month.

On April 20, the US body ruled that Iran must hand nearly USD 2 billion in frozen central bank assets to the survivors and relatives of those killed in attacks it has been accused of organising.

These attacks include the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia.

The ruling affects around 1,000 Americans.

On May 10, President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran was preparing international legal action to recover the nearly USD 2 billion in frozen assets.

"We will not allow the United States to swallow this money so easily," he told a crowd of thousands in the southeastern city of Kerman.

The Iranian funds are frozen in New York.

Iranian officials have complained that the United States is not doing enough to encourage investment in Iran, despite the landmark nuclear accord with world powers that resulted in sanctions being lifted.
Coinciding with World Environment Day, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will launch Tiger Express on June 5 for travellers to explore tiger sightings at Bandhavgarh and Kanha national parks in Madhya Pradesh.

"Sighting of tigers has always been a huge attraction for travellers and wildlife enthusiasts from India and abroad alike. The Tiger Express has been chalked out to make it an affordable and glitch-free experience for those who want to have a brush with India's famed wildlife," said IRCTC CMD AK Manocha.

The IRCTC will provide a six-day tour package, including accommodation in AC rooms of three star or equivalent hotels for three nights (one night in Bandhavgarh and two nights in Kanha in Mogli Resort), sightseeing, food, safaris, inter-city transfers and travel insurance.

Manocha said, "We have tried to leverage this allurement as a tourism product with huge potential and more such innovative products are in the pipeline."



The tariff has been fixed for single occupancy at Rs 49,500 I-AC, Rs 45,500 for double occupancy, Rs 44,900 for triple occupancy and Rs 39,500 for child with bed (5-11 years).

The fares for those travelling in AC 2-tier is Rs 43,500 for single occupancy, Rs 39,000 for double occupancy, Rs 38,500 for triple occupancy and Rs 33,500 for child with bed (5-11 years).

According to IRCTC, all the rates are valid for Indian citizens only. An additional surcharge of Rs 4,000 per person will be charged from foreigners for the safari booking at Bandhagarh and Kanha. Also, it is mandatory to carry the same ID proof during the entire trip, the number of which was given at the time of booking.

The train would leave Safdarjung station at 2.30 PM on June 5. On Day 2, travellers will arrive at Katni station in the morning, check in a hotel and then proceed for evening safari (Khitauli Zone). On Day 3, passengers arrive at Kanha and they will go for evening safari (Mukki Zone) in Kanha. On Day 4 after morning safari and lunch at the hotel, evening is being kept free for travellers.

On Day 5, they leave for Jabalpur (135 km from Kanha) for a visit to Dhuadhar waterfall in Bedhaghat. In the evening, they will proceed to Jabalpur station to board the train for Safdarjung station and arrive New Delhi in the evening of Day 6.

Tickets for the 'Tiger Trail Circuit' can be booked online at www.Irctctourism.Com.
A detained Jama'atul Mujahideen (JMB) "operational commander" has confessed to his involvement in the brutal murder of a liberal university professor in Rajshahi city last month, police said on Tuesday.

"Maskawat Hasan Sakib alias Abdullah admitted his links to Rezaul Karim's murder and gave his confessional statement at the Metropolitan Magistrate's Court yesterday," Rajshahi's police commissioner, Mohammad Shamsuddin said.

Shamsuddin said police will hold a press conference to give more details on the investigation progress later today.

He described detained Sakib as JMB's "operational commander" for Rajshahi region.

Outlawed JMB has carried out a series of bomb attacks across Bangladesh, killing scores of people including two judges, prompting a massive anti-militant campaign.

Media reports earlier said police arrested Sakib from northwestern Bogra town in connection with the April 23 murder of Karim, an English literature professor of state-run Rajshahi University who was known for his love for music.

Suspected Islamists hacked him to death using machetes near his house in the northwestern city.

Karim was the second professor of the same university to be killed in nearly identical manner in past two years.

US-based private SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic State claimed the killing.

"ISIS' Amaq Agency reported the group's responsibility for killing Rajshahi University professor Rezaul Karim for "calling to atheism" in Bangladesh," it had said in a tweet.

Bangladesh, however, ruled out existence of foreign Islamists outfits like ISIS and alleged that fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami was patronising the killing spree to portray the country as an abode of foreign militants.

Police visibly intensified investigations into a series of attacks on secularists and liberal intellectuals, bloggers and minorities including gay activists against the backdrop of growing criticism for failure to track down the assailants.

In the past two days police arrested three Rohingya Muslims, who took refuge in in view of reported persecution by authorities in neighbouring Myanmar, for their alleged involvement in the murder of a Buddhist monk in southwestern Badarban hill district last week.

The assailants slaughtered 70-year-old Buddhist monk Mawng Shoi Wuu, chief of the monastery located in the isolated and rugged Naikkhangchari area of Bandarban hill district.

Police on Sunday arrested 37-year-old Shariful Islam alias Shihab from Kushtia over the killing of the country's first gay magazine editor and his friend.

Police identified him as a member of outlawed Ansarullah Bangla Team, which according to the Site Intelligence Group was the affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

Xulhaz Mannan, 35, editor of a gay magazine, and a 25-year-old fellow activist Mahbub Tonoy were hacked to death in an apartment here on April 25 by up to seven attackers carrying machetes and guns.
Chairman of the newly-constituted Public Accounts Committee K V Thomas today met a delegation of PAC of Bhutan and appreciated that the Parliament's watchdog in that country enjoys a Constitutional status unlike in India.

Meeting the five-members delegation of Public Accounts Committee of Bhutan National Assembly/Council led by Chairperson of the Bhutanese PAC, Pema Dakpa, Thomas also appreciated the dominance of opposition members in the PAC of Bhutan National Assembly and National Council.

The last PAC, which was also headed by Thomas here had made a strong recommendation to empower the Parliament's watchdog.

A sub-committee, set up to strengthen the PAC with BJP MP Nishikant Dubey as its convenor had suggested that the PAC, considered the mother of parliamentary committees, should not only be examining CAG reports but "also select issues suo motu".

A press statement from Lok Sabha said that another interesting fact of PAC of Bhutan is the holding of hearings in public.

"The Chairperson also lauded the system of appointment of the Royal Audit Authority in Bhutan, where the King or Druk Gyalpo appoints from a list of eminent persons recommended jointly by Prime Minister, Chief Justice of Bhutan, Speaker, Chairperson of National Council and Leader of opposition," the statement said.

The visiting delegation deeply appreciated the comparative analysis of the two PACs and the interaction saw good practices from both sides being shared. The delegation evinced keen interest in the working of the PAC of Indian Parliament.
Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah feels his co-star Kalki Koechlin from the upcoming movie "Waiting" is perfect to play the role.

Directed by Anu Menon, "Waiting" features Naseeruddin portraying the character of an old-school Philosophy professor while Kalki, 32, plays a modern advertising professional.

"The thought of working with Kalki was delicious and I have to say she is utterly fantastic. She was absolutely the right choice for this part," Naseer said in a statement.

The film chronicles the story of both the characters who grapple with grief.

Shiv and Tara strike an unlikely friendship when they meet each other in a hospital while nursing their respective comatose spouses.

The "Ishqiya" star has earlier worked with Kalki in the Anurag Kashyap-directed "That Girl in Yellow Boots".

"Waiting" is scheduled to release on May 27.
Days after the arrest of a man claiming to be his personal assistant for allegedly demanding Rs 30 crore as bribe in a land allotment case, Maharashtra Revenue minister Eknath Khadse today held a closed-door meeting the state BJP chief Raosaheb Danve here.

The meeting between the two BJP leaders that lasted for over forty minutes, was held at the state BJP headquarters in the city. However, both the leaders declined to reveal what transpired at the meet.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Danve said, "State working president of the federation of Mali community organisations, Anil Mahajan, joined the party today. Since Mahajan is from Jalgaon, I had invited Khadse for the function."



Khadse said, "I am a disciplined party worker and came to the party office on invitation of the state party president."



Both the leaders evaded questions over the raging controversy around ACB's action on Gajanan Patil, who claimed to be the PA of the minister.

Patil was arrested on Friday for demanding Rs 30 crore from complainant Ramesh Jadhav, an economist, who had sought an NOC from Khadse's office regarding the land allotment in Kalyan taluka in Thane district. The plots were allotted to Transport Department.

Earlier, during informal discussions, Danve, who was a former Union Minister, shared his experiences regarding how people try to corrupt people around ministers.

"When I was Union Minister, one day I found that someone had sponsored my cook's air travel. After pursuing the matter, we realised that the sponsor wanted to keep a tab on my movements," Danve said.

"People around ministers are not necessarily corrupt. But, often several people are out there to influence people around us. We have to venture very carefully," he added.

It is being speculated in political circles that the factionalism in BJP has ignited the controversy around Khadse and few of his cabinet colleagues are fanning it. Danve, however, categorically denied any such reports.

Meanwhile, social activist Anjali Damania has demanded that the state government should seize the Sonata Limousine "illegally possessed" by Khadse's son-in-law Dr Pranjal Khelwalkar.

"Will BJP Govt sieze Sonata Limo of Dr Pranjal Khelwalkar, Son in law of Eknath Khadse? Limo is not legal," Damania tweeted.
A 57-year-old lawyer was shot dead allegedly by two unidentified men in full public view in southeast Delhi's Jamia Nagar area this evening.

The deceased has been identified as M M Khan, an assistant legal advisor with the NDMC. A case of murder has been registered in connection with the incident, which is suspected to be the fall-out of a personal rivalry, a senior police official said.

The incident took place around 7.45 PM when Khan was heading back home in his car which was intercepted by a motorbike at a busy street in Jamia Nagar. The assailants on the bike were wearing helmets and shot at Khan from quite a close range.

Khan sustained a bullet injury in his chest and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died.

Khan's relatives told police that he had been receiving calls from unknown people during odd hours of the day. Police have recovered his mobile phone and the call data will be analysed, the official said.

His body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Khan was working as an assistant legal advisor with the NDMC for more than five years.
The Police today claimed channel journalist Akhilesh Pratap Singh was shot dead by activists of the ultra outfit Trutiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) for not meeting their demands for levy.

Addressing a press conference here, Chatra district Superintendent of Police Anjani Jha said one person arrested today in this connection turned out to be a local representative of Simaria BJP MLA Ganesh Ganju.

Police was still in search of the shooter in the case who was identified as Munesh Ganju, mastermind of the incident Mukesh Ganju and another TPC ultra, Jha said adding the accused had demanded Rs seven lakh levy for a contract, which the journalist had reportedly bagged.

The murdered journalist used to do some contract work for DVC in Rajpur police station limits, he said.

The Police had already arrested Birbal Sao, a native of Mayurhund block, and Jhaman Kumar of Lawalong yesterday.

Suraj Sao, the representative of MLA Ganesh Ganju, was arrested today, the SP said.

In the mean time, MLA Ganju today demanded for CBI probe into the killing of journalist Akhilesh Singh (35), who was shot dead by unknown assailants near Dewaria panchayat secretariat on May 12, triggering widespread condemnation of the attacks on journalists across the country.

To ensure a fair and impartial probe, I would request you to recommend a CBI probe into the killing of the journalist to provide justice to the family members as well as the journalist fraternity, Ganju in a letter to Chief Minister Raghubar Das, said.

No innocent should be implicated in the case and culprits should not go free, he said.

Earlier, Chief Minister Das had asked Director General of Police D K Pandey to arrest the culprits at the earliest.

A delegation of local journalists had met Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar and Superintendent of Police Anjani Jha following the incident and demanded adequate compensation for the family of the victim.
At least 81 people were killed by lightning strikes in Bangladesh in two days during the recent spell of thunderstorms, a rare high casualty in the country attributed to climate change by the authorities.

"Such a high casualty figure in lightning just in two days is rare not only in Bangladesh but also in the world," disaster management minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya told a media briefing at his office.

"The intensity of lightning has increased in recent years due to climate change sparking a massive public fear," he said.

Secretary of the ministry Shah Kamal said that the government included lightening in the list of natural disaster since August last year in view of its growing intensity claiming 81 lives on May 12 and 13 alone in 26 districts.

Most of the deaths occurred in rural parts of north and central Bangladesh.

According to official count, lightning killed 17 people last year.

Kamal said the Science and Technology Ministry was asked to carry out a research on the cause of the frequent lightning causing high number of deaths.

He said the lightning which generally accompanies massive rains and storm and usually continue for 30 to 45 minutes when the people could avoid risks of being exposed to the disaster by staying indoors in line with weather forecasts.

He distributed a one-page guideline suggesting lightning precautions that advised people to use robber-sole shoes, sit down in down headed posture if anyone is in open field, avoid shelter in tin-roofed sheds and take refuge under concrete roofed structure, stay away from rivers and water bodies, avoid metallic touches, avoid use of electronic gadgets.

Experts and meteorologists said they recorded increased frequency of lightning this year and identified high temperature to be a factor for the phenomenon.
Merger and acquisition activity in India is set to retain its momentum through this year, as deal pipeline remains healthy and is likely to increase further in the next 12 months, says a survey.

According to EY's 14th Global Capital Confidence Barometer (CCB), 95 per cent of the Indian respondents affirm belief of M&A activity to remain stable or improve further through 2016.

The uptick in business sentiments with regards to M&A activity was driven by improving domestic macroeconomic fundamentals and expectations around distressed asset sales to gain strength despite concerns regarding volatility around commodity prices and currency fluctuations globally.

Moreover, Indian executives' positive outlook on credit availability and corporate earnings is also expected to encourage corporates to pursue inorganic growth with an eye on driving market expansion.

A healthy deal pipeline also contributed to this bullish outlook, with 54 per cent of the respondents citing that they currently have at least three deals in their pipeline. Besides, 50 per cent of the Indian respondents expect their deal pipeline to increase through the year.

"The previous year was stable for the M&A activity in India and that momentum is expected to accelerate this year," Amit Khandelwal, National Director and Partner, Transaction Advisory Services, EY said, adding that despite growth concerns around the global economy, Indian corporates remain positive about the domestic deal market.

As per the survey, majority of the Indian respondents prefer the domestic market for M&A.

India ranks as the top destination by choice for Indian companies, followed by the US and the UK, reflecting the strong expectations around domestic M&A over the next 12 months, the survey said.

The expected improvement in liquidity scenario, on the back of recent monetary policy easing by the RBI, should stimulate private investments in the country and encourage corporations to actively plan their acquisition strategy, the survey said.

"In the domestic market, we are also likely to see a spurt of divestment deals this year, as debt-ridden corporates will focus on deleveraging their balance sheets by selling their non-core assets," Khandelwal added.
Madhesis and demonstrators from other minority groups today clashed with police in front of Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli's official residence, leaving several of them injured as the protest over the new Constitution entered the fourth day.

Tension erupted as the riot police stopped protesters, seeking more rights and representation in Nepal's new Constitution, from moving towards the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar to press for their demands.

Three of the agitators had to be admitted to hospital after the clash, said the agitating groups. Several others received minor injuries.

Hundreds of riot policemen were guarding the PM's residence since early morning to stop the cadres of Federal Alliance, a grouping of 29 political parties, to reach the spot.

After protesting outside Singha Durbar, the country's main administrative centre, for two consecutive days, the Federal Alliance decided to picket outside PM's residence.

Around 500 to 600 people gathered in the area for staging sit-in. Madhesi leaders Mahendra Raya Yadav, Sharad Singh Bhandari and Upendra Mahato also joined them.

Oli yesterday warned that the government will not keep quiet if the protests become violent.

The major demands of Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, include re-demarcation of the seven province model of federal structure, inclusiveness and proportionate representation of marginalised groups and ethnic minorities including the Madhesis, indigenous groups and dalits in all the state bodies.

Meanwhile, extending support to the agitating ethnicgroups, Nepali Congress General Secretary Shashanka Koirala has asked the government to resolve the issues raised by the protesters.

Talking to reporters, Koirala said that their genuine demands should be addressed through peaceful means of dialogue.

Koirala also said that his party was not involved in a conspiracy to topple the incumbent government led by Oli. He, however, said that the government would be formed and dissolved through democratic process.

Protesters want the government to re-write the Constitution to meet their demands. The alliance started their Kathmandu-centric fresh protests on Saturday.

Madhesis earlier had launched six-month-long agitation from September to February in which more than 50 people were killed. The agitation had also crippled the landlocked country's economy as supplies from India were blocked.

Nepal had accused India of imposing an "economic blockade", which India strongly denied.

The alliance has this time changed its strategy and focused their protest in the capital city in an attempt to draw attention of the government and other stakeholders to their demands.
The Maharashtra cabinet today decided to streamline water distribution as well as demand management, and supply water from new dams using closed pipelines, instead of the present system of using open canals.

The draft of the new water supply policy was approved at a meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by CM Devendra Fadnavis here.

This close-conduit system will help reduce leakage, theft, evaporation and loss of water, ensuring more water is available for end users, such as farmers, in times of recurring water scarcity.

Water would henceforth be distributed from dams through pipelines instead of canals. The measure comes in the backdrop of an estimate that almost 50 per cent water is lost while being distributed through canals.

Another benefit of the underground pipelines is that there won't be any land acquisition cost involved, Water Resources minister Girish Mahajan said. Earlier, project costs increased due to higher compensation for land owners, he said.

The state government is turning to a pipeline-based network due to factors such as land acquisition, losses in the conventional system and problems in developing command areas, Mahajan said.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sources water for Mumbai from dams using pipelines.
Maharashtra Government has requested the members of Strong Cities Network of the United Nations to train the state police force in cyber security, MoS for Home Ranjit Patil said today.

The minister represented Mumbai at a recent meeting of the global body.

"The UN has identified 35 top cities for the network and Mumbai is one of them. Mayors or political representatives who are responsible for security of these cities, along with police officials, attended the meeting at Turkey on May 11 and 12.

"Comprehensive discussions regarding security of the cities as well as the global strategy formed the core part of the meeting," Patil said.

Launched at the United Nations in September 2015, the Strong Cities Network (SCN) is the first ever global network of mayors, municipal-level policy makers and practitioners united in building social cohesion and community resilience to counter violent extremism in all its forms.

He said engaging with the youth to prevent them from falling prey to the terror network was one of the important issues that were discussed at the meeting.

"We apprised the international body of our efforts regarding communal harmony - the mohalla committees etc.," the minister said.

Patil said they also visited vocational training institutes at Turkey to understand their efforts in the field of skills development.

"We should be able to use some of these concepts at industrial training institutes (ITI) across the state," said Patil who also heads the Skill Development department.

He said the government is planning to introduce a few new trades across the ITIs and is actively seeking industry's intervention for that purpose.

"We want to make all the institutes self sufficient in all aspects - from intake to placements - for which several old trades will have to be shut down and new trades will have to be brought in," the minister added.
The government of the has decided to sever 40-year-old diplomatic ties with Iran, saying the country's policies in the Middle-East are detrimental to peace and security in the region.

The foreign ministry said in a statement today night that peace in the Middle-East is also linked to the island nation's own peace, stability and security.

The decision by the Indian Ocean archipelago nation, whose population is predominantly Sunni Muslim, reflects its increasing closeness to Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, the long-time rival of Shiite-dominated Iran. Last year, Saudi Arabia opened an embassy in the .

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran earlier this year after Iranians protesting the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric stormed Saudi diplomatic posts in Tehran and Mashhad.
A man has been arrested by Gangavati town police in Koppal district of north Karnataka for allegedly posting a morphed photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a social media site.

The photo showed Modi bowing to the feet of Telangana Legislative Assembly member Akbaruddin Owaisi from All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party.

Owaisi, known for his inflammatory speeches, is the younger brother of Hyderabad MPAsaduddin Owaisi.

Several BJP activists had complained about the post to police, following which one person, a resident of Gangavati in Koppal district, was arrested yesterday.

Police said he has been booked under section 153A ofthe Indian Penal Code (promoting enmity between differentgroups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth,residence and language, and doing acts prejudicial tomaintenance of harmony).

The accused had been remanded to judicial custody till May 18, officials added.
In a setback to BJP which dominated the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the party managed to win only from three seats while the AAP made its debut by winning five seats and the Congress wrested four seats in the bypolls to 13 wards.

The AAP fell short of its expectations of a "clean sweep" in the polls, which was billed as a barometer of Kejriwal government's popularity in Delhi, while Congress's victory was seen as the indication of party's revival in the city after it drew blank in the last assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Delhi.

One Congress rebel won as an Independent from the Bhati ward in South Delhi.

The MCD, which was trifurcated in 2012, has been a BJP-ruled body for nearly a decade. Out of the 13 wards, seven were previously held by BJP, one by RLD, and five by Independents.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal thanked the people for helping the party emerge as the largest party in MCD bypolls.

"MCD ruled by BJP-Cong. Outsider AAP wins max seats in byelection. Thnx Delhi for reaffirming faith. Ab MCD election mein sabhi seat jeetni h," he said in a twwet.

Congress was ecstatic with its win in four wards.

"It's a very big victory for us," said Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken pointing out that all the four wards won by the party were not won by it even in 2007 and 2012 MCD elections.

He also expressed hope that party rebel Rajender Singh Tanwar will join Congress bringing the party's tally on par with AAP.

"Rajender is expected to join Congress. It is also noteworthy that our candidate from Bhati ward Joginder Tanwar was runner up in the election," Maken said.

Out of the thirteen wards, AAP won from Matiala, Tekhand, Nanakpura and Vikas Nagar wards.

Congress candidates won in Quamaruddin Nagar, Munirka, Khichripur and Jhilmil wards.

Congress candidate Yogita Rathi won from the all-women candidate ward Munirka while party candidates Anand Kumar and Pankaj defeated ex MLAs fielded by BJP from Khichripur and Jhilmil wards in East Delhi Municipal Corporation.

BJP, which had won 7 out of the 13 wards in 2012 MCD elections, won Wazirpur, Nawada and Shalimar Bagh (North) wards.
A leading medical charity that suffered massive losses when US helicopter gunships mistakenly struck its clinic in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz is criticizing the United States for failing to pay compensation to the wounded and families of the Afghans killed in the assault last October.

Doctors Without Borders says Washington should "urgently address" the issue even as the Afghan government prepares to rebuild the hospital with millions of dollars donated by the US military.

The organization, known by its French initials MSF, has decided at least for now not to resume operations in Kunduz, where it ran the only trauma hospital in an increasingly violent part of the country, said Guilhem Molinie, the MSF representative for Afghanistan.

The Pentagon said the sustained attack was a mistake caused by human error. After a months-long investigation, the United States dismissed allegations by MSF that the incident amounted to a war crime, and exonerated all involved of any criminal action.

President Barack Obama apologized for the attack, which was one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in the 15-year war in Afghanistan.

But while the Pentagon report, released on April 29, said no criminal charges had been leveled against US military personnel for mistakes that resulted in the attack, about 16 American military personnel, including a two-star general, were disciplined.

A dozen survivors interviewed by The Associated Press since the Oct 3 assault on the MSF hospital which treated wounded Taliban and government fighters alike are convinced the bombing was no accident.
A village which was once notorious for drunken brawls with brewing country liquor common in houses has now turned into a model village by brewing tea.

The brainchild of former school teacher and village headman D L Nongspung, the Mawlyngot Tea Grower's Society has 20 farmers who have transformed the village with a cooperative model to produce over 3000 kgs of organic green tea leaves annually in 50 hectares of land.

Since the last two years they are even exporting green tea to Australia.

A decade ago, Mawlyngot, located about 45 km from Shillong, was infamous for alcoholism. The women produced a brand of rice and millet liquor known as "Pyrsi" in the local Khasi language.

Now the same women have switched over to brewing the delicate flavours of green, white and orthodox black tea, branded as "Urlong" which means "Dreams come true" in their language.

A mother of nine children, 46-year-old Mortabon Umsong is one such woman.

"As young girls we were frightened to step out due to drunkards roaming around. The situation was more acute during the weekly markets," she told PTI.

With initial funding from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, tea saplings were planted in 2003 and after four years plucking of leaves began. Later on, they found support from World Vision India (WVI) for setting up a tea processing unit.

"One of the most significant impacts that we have seen with the shifting of occupation from liquor to tea plantation is that alcoholism, conflict, broken family and other social evils prevailing in this village have reduced tremendously over these years," WVI officials said.

Out of the 20 tea farmers, 11 are women.

Indashisha Suting says she and her husband both toil hard on their two hectare plot of land from morning till evening to produce the tea crop.

After plucking, the leaves are then brought to the co-operative's tea processing factory in the village where the labourers produce finished tea and do the packaging.

Their white tea, in particular, is the most rewarding one which is sold at Rs 11,000 a kg in the retail market.

Nongspung said as a result the economic condition of the village folks have improved which is reflected in the improvement in village infrastructure.

Making it tough for liquor addicts, Mawlyngot village's tribal chief has already restricted brewing and selling of alcohol in the area.

Locals say that alcohol consumption, as a result, has decreased tremendously in the village as tea is now the favourite beverage.

The success of the project is such that seven villages in the East Khasi Hills district have now approached the cooperative society to help them replicate their model.

World Vision has already distributed 60,000 tea saplings in Umtong village alone where labourers are clearing uncultivated and fallow land along the slopes.

Phiwtinoris Nongrum, 36, who used to grow potatoes and broomsticks, says seeing the success of tea crop in the neighbouring village they are now switching over to tea plantation.
A group of youths out on bail in an alleged harassment case, thrashed the complainant and her mother in public view, less than 24 hours after they were granted bail, at central Delhi's Anand Parbat area, police said today.

While three of the accused - Sonu, Chunnu and Govinda - were arrested again and produced before a court, which sent them to a 14 days' judicial custody - two others, Bunty and Shankar, are still at large.

The incident took place at Punjabi Basti in Anand Parbat area where a 19-year-old woman, Meenakshi, was stabbed to death by a neighbour July last.

The recent chain of incidents started this Saturday when the woman complained to the police about a group of five men often harassing her.

The group used to meet at a tea stall near her house.

Based on the woman's complaint, the police registered a case under IPC Sections 354 D (stalking), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), and arrested all five accused, DCP (Central) Parmaditya said.

Under provisions of law, the accused were granted bail.

On Sunday evening, they met at the same tea stall and the complainant confronted them which led to a fight between her and the group.

During the fight, Sonu attacked the woman with a belt and when her mother came to her rescue, the group attacked her too. They were attacked with a stick and belt in full public view in the evening hours.

A purported video clip of the incident in which the women could be seen being assaulted was also shown on TV channels earlier today.

Locals called up police and a fresh case was registered under IPC Sections 354 (outraging modesty of a woman), 354 B (criminal force to any woman or abetting such act with the intention of disrobing or compelling her to be naked), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation), Parmaditya said.

A search operation was launched and three of the accused were arrested yesterday morning, he said, adding efforts are on to nab the others.
President Enrique Pena Nieto proposed today a constitutional reform to legalize same-sex marriage across Mexico following a Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to such unions.

"This way, equal marriage will be clear in our constitution," Pena Nieto said at an event marking the national day against homophobia.

Mexico City has authorized gay and lesbian marriages since 2009 and three of the nation's 31 states have followed suit. A fourth state, Campeche, has approved legislation but it has yet to be implemented.

The Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling last year declaring that it was unconstitutional for Mexican states to ban same-sex marriage.

While the "jurisprudence" issued by the court does not oblige states to change their laws, it requires courts to rule in favor of same-sex couples whose marriages were rejected.

Elsewhere in Latin America, Colombia became the fourth South American country to allow same-sex marriage when the constitutional court definitively legalized it last month.

Argentina was the first in South America to legalize same-sex marriage, in 2010, followed by Uruguay and Brazil three years later.
A conference on the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, due to be held on May 30 in Paris, has been postponed, French President Francois Hollande said today.

"(US Secretary of State) John Kerry cannot come on May 30 so it has been delayed. It will take place in the summer," he told French radio.

Hollande said it was vital for France to take "a strong initiative" in the dispute.

"If not... What will happen? Settlement building, attacks," he said.

The original date for the conference falls on the US Memorial Day holiday honouring members of the armed forces who died in combat.

"We're in discussions right now with the French about any possible alternative date that might better work for the secretary," State Department spokesman John Kirby said yesterday, though he added that Kerry's agenda is currently "jammed".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was in Jerusalem and Ramallah on Sunday to present the French peace initiative to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Ayrault received support from the Palestinians but objections from Israel, with Netanyahu questioning French "impartiality" after Paris voted in favour of making Palestine a UNESCO member five years ago.

"We are going to work will all the actors, the big countries and neighbouring nations, to create the parameters that will allow the Israelis and Palestinians to return to the negotiating table," Hollande said Tuesday.

A staunch ally of Israel, Washington has traditionally brokered direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians and played down multilateral initiatives, especially within the United Nations.

The United States has regularly called for a "two-state solution" to the Middle East crisis since the last US-brokered talks collapsed in April 2014.
Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) party today demanded that the sensational highway robbery allegedly committed by Assam Rifles personnel be handed over to CBI.

A press statement issued by MPC said though the party had full faith in the investigating capabilities of the state police, the alleged involvement of "powerful people including influential top officials" could result in exertion of political pressure on the investigators.

The dacoity of smuggled 52 gold bars worth Rs 14.5 crore by alleged Assam Rifles personnel on December 14 last on the outskirts of Aizawl had created a furore in the state.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Additional SP of CID (Crime) arrested a number of people, including suspended Commandant of the 39 Assam Rifles Colonel Jasjit Singh, former student leader Lalmuanawma Mathipi, non-tribal businessman Bulaki Chand Baid, two other civilians and eight Assam Rifles jawans in the case.

Thirteen persons, many of them armed with sophisticated weapons had waylaid a vehicle used for smuggling 52 gold bars worth around Rs 14.5 crore in the outskirts of Aizawl on the fateful day.

According to the complaint filed by the driver of the MUV, the interceptors decamped with all the gold and also forcibly took away a cell phone and Rs 75,000 in cash.

The suspended Commandant Col Jasjit Singh, who was arrested on May 5 was remanded to 48-hour police custody by a local court yesterday.
Expressing concern over the delay in arresting culprits in the brutal rape and murder of a Dalit woman in Perumbavoor near here, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes has asked the Kerala government to hand over the investigation in the case to CBI.

"I have asked the state government to recommend a CBI probe into the rape and murder. It is a matter of concern that the culprits have not been arrested so far," Commission's Chairman P L Punia told PTI over phone from New Delhi.

Punia, who had visited the victim's mother in hospital and her house in Perumbavoor earlier this month, said the state police had told him that the culprits involved in the crime would be arrested soon.

"But they have failed to nab the culprits even two weeks after the murder. I feel that the state police investigation is not going in the right direction. So I have strongly asked the state government to recommend a CBI probe into the case," he said.

Punia said he had on Friday last written to the state government seeking CBI probe into the rape and murder of the 30-year-old law student on April 28 in her house.

"I have also sought an Action Taken Report on the steps taken by the state government in giving Rs 10 lakh compensation it announced for the victim's family and providing a government job for the victim's sister," he said.

Meanwhile, Kerala State Police Complaints Authority Chairman, Justice K Narayana Kurup, today criticised the way the police handled the investigation in the initial stage.

The authority had sent showcause notices to five senior officers related to the complaints about "lapses" in the investigation, he said.

The rape and brutal murder of the woman became an issue in the just concluded assembly elections in the state with the opposition attacking the UDF government over the handling of the case.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today called for unification of socialist and secular parties to achieve a "Sangh-mukt Bharat" (RSS-free India).

Comparing the socialists and the RSS activists, Kumar said while the former were rich in ideology, the latter were equipped with a strong organisation.

Addressing a function to mark the 82nd foundation day of Congress Socialist Party which was found in Patna, he made a call for all socialists to unite.

Kumar, who is also president of the JD(U), said he does not have any claim to the post of Prime Minister.

"I am not that fool," the chief minister, who played a crucial role in forming the Grand Secular Alliance in Bihar, said.

"Socialist thinking has been very strong from the beginning and it has long term influence but organisation has never been strong ... Shuru se milna-tutna laga raha (from the beginning coming together and than departing has been the rule of socialists)," Kumar, a disciple of Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayprakash Narayan, said.

Kumar had played an important role in unification of splinter parties of erstwhile Janata Parivar under Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav before Bihar poll but that did not yield any result.

"Socialists never paid attention to form a strong political organisation. Socialists should be cautious now," he said.

"Bihar has presented an example of unity. It has shown strength in the form of Grand Secular Alliance," he said.

Social activist Medha Patkar, socialist leader and freedom fighter G G Parikh, general secretary of Hind Mazdoor Sabha Harbhajan Singh Sidhu, Rashtriya Sewa Dal's Sadashiv Magdum and former MP of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh Abdul Rahman attended the function at Anjuman Islamia hall, where the Congress Socialist Party was formed 82 year ago.

Karnataka MLA B R Patil, social worker Sandeep Pandey and Bapu Hedushetty of Centre for Socialist study of Bengaluru, among others, were present in the function.
World power talks on ending the Syrian conflict broke up with no clear breakthrough today as new faction-fighting erupted and the death toll continued to mount.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov said the Syria contact group they co-chair had agreed to bolster a shaky ceasefire.

But underlying disagreements between Washington and Moscow on how to handle the crisis were on plain display, and the United Nations failed to name a date for new peace talks.

Meanwhile, human rights monitors said fierce new clashes between the rebel Jaish al-Islam and Al-Qaeda-backed factions had left 50 fighters and two civilians dead.

And United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura said he could not invite Bashar al-Assad's regime and the Syrian opposition back to peace talks until there was a "credible" ceasefire.

Kerry said the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) had agreed there would be consequences for parties breaching the truce and vowed to maintain pressure on Assad.

But Lavrov restated the Russian position that Assad's army is the best placed local faction to fight the Islamic State "terrorist" group and that Moscow would support it.

The evident divisions between Russia and the United States have cast a pall on efforts to agree a framework under which Syria would "transition" away from Assad's rule.

And Kerry admitted the August 1 date set by the UN Security Council for agreement on the political framework was a "target" not a deadline, apparently softening the US stance.

Nevertheless, Kerry said the ISSG had agreed to strengthen its system for monitoring the ceasefire and that violators risked being expelled from the process.

Washington regularly accuses Assad's forces of violating the truce and of bombing civilians, whereas Russia accuses rebel factions of carrying out massacres.

"We have agreed consequences for any side's actions that have an agenda other than that of trying to reach an agreement and trying to reach peace."



The top US diplomat again accused Assad's forces of deliberately starving besieged areas and said UN humanitarian agencies would be ordered to drop food.

From June 1, he said, if UN road convoys are denied access to areas, the ISSG will mandate "the World Food Program to immediately carry out ... Air bridges and air drops."



Lavrov did not dispute Kerry's account of the agreement, but said Moscow's emphasis was on the fight against the Islamic State group and others he deemed terrorists.

"We don't support Assad, we support the fight against terrorism," he said, stressing that the strongman is the leader of a recognised UN member state.

"On the ground we don't see any more real and efficient force than the Syrian army, even given all its weaknesses.
No fresh untoward incident has been reported from strife-torn areas of Azamgarh, which witnessed communal clashes on Saturday, even as security personnel in "large numbers" will remain there as a precautionary measure.

Situation in Azamgarh is now under control and no fresh incident has been reported from anywhere, IG (public grievance) Ashok Muttha Jain told newspersons here.

As a precautionary measure, Rapid Action Force (RAF), Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and police in large numbers will remain deployed there, he said.

On Saturday last, members of two communities clashed with each other following which houses were set ablaze.

Seven people were arrested and FIR was lodged against 20 unnamed persons.
has named a career diplomat with broad experience in negotiating with rivals South Korea and the United States as its new foreign minister, according to a diplomatic letter from Pyongyang.

North Korea's Embassy in London informed the British government yesterday that former Vice Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has been appointed as the country's new foreign minister.

Some Seoul analysts say Ri's appointment could be part of a bid to revive long-stalled diplomacy and improve ties with the outside world after Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test in January led to criticism and tough sanctions.

Critics say has previously tried diplomacy after ratcheting up animosity in an attempt to win concessions and aid.

Ri has served as the North's top envoy to long-stalled six-nation disarmament talks on his country's nuclear weapons program and participated in talks with the United States in the 1990s. He also served as the North's ambassador in London.

In 2011, he met South Korea's top nuclear envoy in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of a regional security conference and agreed to work toward a resumption of the nuclear talks.

The agreement was considered a breakthrough at the time, but the nuclear negotiations are still stalled and have not been held since late 2008.

The North Korean message didn't say what happened to departing foreign minister, Ri Su Yong. But South Korea's spy agency said today that Ri Su Yong was believed to have been promoted to a vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party after giving his top diplomat job to Ri Yong Ho. The agency didn't elaborate.

Both Ri Su Yong and Ri Yong Ho were awarded high-level posts during a recent Workers' Party conference that was held for first time in 36 years. If Ri Su Yong's promotion is correct, he replaces Kang Sok Ju, a foreign policy specialist who negotiated a deal with the US in 1994 to freeze and ultimately dismantle North Korea's nuclear reactor in exchange for economic aid.
Small increments of stockpile growth and multiple warhead missiles will ratchet up a triangular nuclear competition among China, India and Pakistan, a new book has said while warning that there are no realistic prospects for banning such arsenal.

With China beginning its long-awaited deployment of the DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missile, India and Pakistan are likely to respond by placing multiple warheads atop some of their missiles, the book titled 'The Lure and Pitfalls of MIRVS: From the First to the Second Nuclear Age' said.

The book, co-edited by Michael Krepon, co-founder of the Stimson Center, and Shane Mason, says that in the second nuclear age, no less than the first, there are no realistic prospects for banning multiple-warhead missiles.

China has started to deploy such missiles, and India and Pakistan are likely to cross this threshold as well.

The motivations behind these steps will determine how extensively nuclear arsenals will grow and how pernicious the effects of stockpile growth will become, the book said.

"The good news is that China, India, and Pakistan won't go overboard on MIRVs like the United States and the Soviet Union. The bad news is that even limited deployments will further complicate the triangular nuclear competition in Asia," Krepon said.

The book warns that if the growth of warhead totals and missile accuracy presages moves by Beijing and New Delhi toward warfighting strategies of deterrence, then the second nuclear age will become far more dangerous and prospects for reducing the salience of nuclear weapons on affairs will be undermined.

According to Krepon, the triangular nuclear competition in Asia will differ greatly from the arms race between the United States and the erstwhile Soviet Union.

China will likely continue to build its arsenal at a moderate pace, adding fewer than 200 warheads to its arsenal over the next 10-15 years  perhaps one half as a result of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV).

But even small increments of stockpile growth and multiple warhead missiles will ratchet up the triangular nuclear competition among China, India, and Pakistan, Krepon said.

Krepon concludes that success in dampening this competition will require improved relations and nuclear risk reduction measures between China and India, and between India and Pakistan.

Most importantly, China and India can avoid the lure and pitfalls of MIRVs by continuing to avoid counterforce nuclear targeting strategies.

"If decision makers in China, India, and Pakistan wish to avoid repeating the missteps of the United States and the Soviet Union during the first nuclear age, they will limit the extent to which multiple warheads are placed atop missiles," Krepon said.

"They will proceed at a slow pace  and reject the lure and pitfalls of Cold War-era counterforce targeting strategies," he said.
The administration has opposed the Republican-controlled Congress' move to block $ 450 million in aid to Pakistan for failing to "demonstrate its commitment" and taking action against the Haqqani network, saying it will "complicate progress" in bilateral ties.

A White House statement in this regard along with other objections of the administration to National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) -2017 came as the bill made its way to the House of Representatives from House Armed Services Committee.

The White House asserted that it shares the view of the lawmakers with regard to the Haqqani network, but such a move would "unnecessarily complicate progress" in bilateral ties.

The House is likely to vote on HR 4909 later this week.

According to NDAA 2017, of the total amount of reimbursement and support authorised for Pakistan during the period beginning on October 1, 2016, and ending on December 31, 2017, $ 450 million would not be eligible for a national security waiver unless the Secretary of Defence certifies that Pakistan continues to conduct operations against Haqqanis.

"The Administration objects to section 1212 (of HR 4919), which would make $ 450 million of CSF (Coalition Support Fund) to Pakistan ineligible for the Secretary of Defence's waiver authority unless the Secretary provides a certification to the Congressional defence committees," the White House said in its statement.

"We share the Committee's concerns regarding the threat posed to our forces and interests in Afghanistan by the Haqqani Network, and we continue to engage with Pakistan at the highest levels regarding the need for concerted action specifically against the group," the White House said.

"However, the restriction in section 1212 would unnecessarily complicate progress in our bilateral relationship on this issue and would limit the Secretary of Defence's ability to act in the US national security interest," it added.

Under this new proposed provision, the Defence Secretary also needs to certify that Pakistan is demonstrating commitment to prevent the Haqqani Network from using North Waziristan as a safe haven and is actively coordinating with Afghanistan to restrict the movement of terrorists, including the Haqqani Network, along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

There is similar certification requirement in the current fiscal 2016 ending on September 31, 2016, but the amount is $ 300 million. Defence Secretary has not been able to give necessary certification for the release of such a fund to Pakistan so far.

The House Armed Services Committee says that it will continue to review the reimbursements made to Pakistan and how it comforts with the future of the US policy, including key counter-terrorism and security objectives, in the region.

The Administration has opposed any move to either restrict or condition US military aid to Pakistan arguing that its ties with Islamabad are very important.
Barack Obama's visit to Hiroshima next week has reignited an emotive debate over former US president Harry Truman's epoch-making decision to drop the first atomic bomb.

On April 25, 1945, thirteen days after Franklin Roosevelt's death thrust Truman into the White House, the strained new commander-in-chief got a startling top secret briefing.

"Within four months we shall in all probability have completed the most terrible weapon ever known in human history, one bomb of which could destroy a whole city," war secretary Henry Stimson said in a hand-delivered memo.

Until that moment, Truman had no idea about the Manhattan Project to build the world's first atomic bomb -- despite being Roosevelt's vice president and a former senator who made his name investigating wartime defense contracts.

Within four months, the atomic bomb had been successfully tested, targets had been selected, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing an estimated 214,000 people, and Japan's Emperor Hirohito had surrendered.

The speed, circumstances and repercussions of Truman's decision remain contentious.

That is true not least in Japan, where a majority of Obama's hosts still believe the mass bombing of civilians was unnecessary and perhaps even a crime.

Meanwhile commentators nervous that Obama's trip is tantamount to an admission of guilt, have urged him not to apologise.

"When Mr Obama visits Hiroshima on May 27 he should place no distance between himself and Harry Truman," wrote Wilson Miscamble, a Notre Dame University history professor.

"Rather he should pay tribute to the president whose actions brought a terrible war to an end."



For Truman's supporters, "Give 'em hell Harry" had little option.

By late Spring 1945, American and Russian forces had met at the Elbe, Adolf Hitler was surrounded and the war in Europe was finally ending.

But the Pacific was exacting an ever bloodier toll. Japan showed no signs of surrender, despite heavy losses and a seemingly inevitable defeat.

According to historian and biographer David McCullough, at that point not a single Japanese unit had surrendered during the war.

For Truman, a veteran of the Great War, the bomb, first and foremost, appeared to offer a way out of a brutal ground invasion of Japan.

"Operation Downfall," as the mainland invasion was dubbed, could have involved at least one million US troops and as many as 2.5 million Japanese troops.

With recent battles in Okinawa and Iwo Jima fresh in mind, US military planners believed the operation would cost a quarter of a million lives and extend the war by a year or more.

At the end of July, with the bomb now successfully tested, Truman gave Japan one last chance.
With a statewide hue and cry over the safety of Sri Jagannath temple's Jagamohan, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today took up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his immediate intervention to ensure quick repair work.

"It (condition of Jagamohan) is a very serious matter for all of us," Patnaik told the Prime Minister over phone, according to an official release issued by the Chief Minister's Office here.

"The Prime Minister assured the CM he will give necessary instruction to the ASI for taking it up in an urgent manner," the release said.

Though Patnaik had earlier written a letter to Modi and drawn his attention on the condition of the Jagamohan, the prayer hall in the 12th century shrine, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) allegedly delayed the repair work, sparking anxiety among the people.

The matter took a new turn this week when chief of the technical core committee of ASI, G C Mitra who was looking after the conservation of the temple resigned from his post.

After Mitra's resignation, a member of the committee N C Pal also said the Jagamohan required immediate repair for the safety of the temple as well as devotees.

The Gajapati King of Puri Divyasingha Deb also expressed concern over the distressed condition of the Jagamohan and urged both the Centre and the state government for its restoration on a war-footing basis.

Describing the condition of Jagamohan as "alarming", Gajapati said the responsibility for its repair and restoration has been taken up by the ASI.

It seems they were delaying it, Deb told reporters.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the Centre would soon send a delegation headed by the Union Culture Secretary to inspect structural stability of Jagannath Temple in Puri, specially the safety of the Jagamohan.

The central team will include Director General, ASI, other senior officers and engineers of IIT-Chennai. The team will hold discussions with all the stakeholders including Odisha government for repair of Jagamohan.
An Amtrak engineer whose speeding train jumped the tracks along a curve in Philadelphia last year, killing eight people, was distracted by radio transmissions, a US official briefed on the investigation has said.

Engineer Brandon Bostian told investigators three days after the May 12, 2015, crash that he recalled radio traffic that night from a commuter train operator who said a rock had shattered his windshield. The official was unable to say whether those were the transmissions that distracted Bostian, but the engineer spoke about no other radio chatter when interviewed by federal investigators, according to material released previously by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The official was not authorised to comment publicly because the probe is still underway and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

The revelation came a day before the NTSB is scheduled to meet to detail the probable cause of last year's fatal derailment. The cause won't be determined officially until the board's vote at the conclusion of that meeting.

NTSB spokesman Peter Knudsen said the agency would not comment ahead of today's hearing.

Bostian's attorney didn't immediately return an email sent after business hours yesterday. An Amtrak spokesman said the agency will have a comment after today's hearing.

The official briefed on the report's findings yesterday said that investigators also believe there were some issues with the train's emergency windows and several people were killed because they were ejected through those windows.

The investigation also found police transported many of the injured people to the hospital instead of waiting for ambulances, the official said. The NTSB is expected to recommend that engineers be retrained about distractions and recommend the city wait for ambulances to take injured people to the hospital at mass-casualty incidents.

The city's emergency management office is finalising a revised mass-casualty plan that will continue to allow police to transport victims but will aim for better coordination with the fire department, spokeswoman Noelle Foizen said.

Investigators are looking into why the train from Washington, DC, to New York was going double the 50 mph limit around a sharp curve about 10 minutes after leaving Philadelphia's 30th Street Station.
An online platform launched by the Chinese police to rescue abducted children, helped to rescue a two-year-old girl, some 32 hours after she was snatched from her parents.

The girl went missing on Friday while she and her family were changing trains in Hengshui, a city in north China's Hebei Province.

Police identified a man suspected of snatching the girl on the railway station's CCTV and broadcast his description via both traditional mediaand the new Ministry of Public Security (MPS) platform.

The suspect, a native of Anyang City, Henan Province, was arrested in the provincial capital of Zhengzhou.

Further investigation into the case is under way.

More than 5,000 police officers can provide updates on missing children via the app "Tuanyuan" -- "reunion" in Chinese -- developed by Alibaba, state-run Xinhua agency reported today.

Police everywhere can now share information and work together via the app, said Liu Zhenfen, chief risk officer of Alibaba.

The new system went live on May 11 and already has more than 1,50,000 followers.

Users near to where a child disappears receive push notifications, including photos and descriptions.

The scope of these push notifications will be expanded over time, depending on the success of the system.

"If the child has been missing for one hour, the push notifications are sent within a radius of 100 km; after two hours, 200 km; three hours, 300 km and thereafter, 500 km," Meng Qingtian of the MPS anti-trafficking squad said.

Childtrafficking has emerged as a major challenge for the Chinese governmentinthe recent years.

According to unofficial data two lakhchildrengo missinginChinaevery year and over six lakh missing childrenwere yet to be traced.

The abducted children mostly from the migrant labour families were sold to child less couples or initiated into criminal activities by organised gangs.

Many people passed on information about the missing toddler to the police via the platform, despite it only being on trial at the time, Meng said.

This directly helped police to find the missing girl within two days.

Meng said the platform will bring together more mobile apps, encouraging the public to help in anti-trafficking work and reunite more stolen children with their families.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vist to the US, the Pentagon has said it is "looking forward" to enhancing relations with India, and that there are opportunities to further expand military co-operation between the two countries.

"The (US Defence) Secretary (Ashton Carter) believes there are still opportunities for us to further expand the cooperation between the United States and India on military issues. They are issues of consequence for India, security issues that are of consequence to the United States," Pentagon Press Secretary, Peter Cook told reporters at a press conference yesterday.

"We have shared security interests in that part of the world. And I think the Secretary is confident that the strong relationship we have right now will only build in the future, so," Cook said in response to a question.

The Defence Secretary, he said, is "looking forward" to the visit of Prime Minister Modi in June.

"He met with the Prime Minister when he was in India, and looks forward to enhancing and building on that visit and the strong relationship that he has been able to maintain with Minister Parrikar since he took over as Secretary," Cook said in response to a question.

Carter was in India last month, during which he held talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar and met the Prime Minister. Describing the trip as successful, Carter said there were some in-principle agreements reached at that time with regard to military-to-military relationship.

"I think the Secretary feels very good about where things are with regard to that relationship, and his relationship with Minister Parrikar. I think he sees this as an opportunity for future cooperation between the United States and India on military issues," Cook said.

During his visit, Carter became the first US Defence Secretary to board an Indian aircraft carrier.

"I think he was very appreciative of the warm welcome he received, and the substantive discussions that took place while we were in India," Cook said.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, the Pentagon has said there are opportunities to further expand bilateral military co-operation and it is looking forward to enhancing relations with India.

"The (US Defence) Secretary (Ashton Carter) believes there are still opportunities for us to further expand the cooperation between the United States and India on military issues. They are issues of consequence for India, security issues that are of consequence to the United States," Pentagon Press Secretary, Peter Cook told reporters at a press conference yesterday.

"We have shared security interests in that part of the world. And I think the Secretary is confident that the strong relationship we have right now will only build in the future, so," Cook said in response to a question.

The Defence Secretary, he said, is "looking forward" to the visit of Prime Minister Modi in June.

"He met with the Prime Minister when he was in India, and looks forward to enhancing and building on that visit and the strong relationship that he has been able to maintain with Minister Parrikar since he took over as Secretary," Cook said in response to a question.

Carter was in India last month, during which he held talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar and met the Prime Minister. Describing the trip as successful, Carter said there were some in-principle agreements reached at that time with regard to military-to-military relationship.

"I think the Secretary feels very good about where things are with regard to that relationship, and his relationship with Minister Parrikar. I think he sees this as an opportunity for future cooperation between the United States and India on military issues," Cook said.

During his visit, Carter became the first US Defence Secretary to board an Indian aircraft carrier.

"I think he was very appreciative of the warm welcome he received, and the substantive discussions that took place while we were in India," Cook said.

(Reopens FGN 37)



"We urge all Americans to join us in standing with our friends in India as they defend themselves against terrorism and work with the United States to create a more peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region," it said.

Ahluwalia said India and the US share many values and interests, particularly a commitment to democracy, pluralism, and human rights.

"They also stand shoulder to shoulder against terrorism and in opposition to aggressive attempts to change the status quo or resolve territorial disputes in the Indo-Pacific. This letter is intended to encourage further dialogue between our two countries and to demonstrate the broad-based desire for an enhanced strategic relationship between Washington and Delhi," he said in response to a question.
Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif met top Chinese leadership and assured them to provide full security to the ambitious $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through restive Balochistan province.

Gen Sharif, who is in China on a two-day official visit, yesterday met Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President of the Central Military Commission Fan Changlong, the highest military official of the People's Liberation Army which is headed by President Xi Jinping.

During his meeting with Li, Sharif appreciated Pakistan's profound friendship with China and stressed that the Pakistani side expects achievements from the CPEC and is ready to provide security for cooperation.

Gen Sharif discussed with Chinese officials the measures to improve military cooperation, exponentially enhance training exchanges, defence technology and intelligence sharing and security of the CPEC, Pakistan military spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa said.

Li met Sharif to enhance bilateral economic and security ties, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

Military-to-military relations have reinforced China-Pakistan ties, especially economic cooperation, Li said, calling on both sides to strengthen high-level contact and deepen exchanges in various fields.

The economic corridor is not only a flagship project between the two sides, but also conducive to development and prosperity of the whole region, Li said.

Pakistan is readying a special force of 4,000 security personnel to protect Chinese nationals working at various projects in Punjab province, including the CPEC project.

Already over 17,000 security personnel from the army and other security forces have been engaged to ensure foolproof security of Chinese nationals working across the country.

The ambitious 3,000-kilometre CPEC project was launched last year to link western China to southern Pakistan through a network of roads, railways and pipelines.

Sharif's trip to Beijing followed last month's visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who held extensive talks with top Chinese leaders and military officials.

His visit comes in the backdrop of assertions by Pakistan that it will raise its concerns at the level over India's successful test of supersonic interceptor missile.

Expressing concern over India's interceptor missile test, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said it will disturb the balance of power in the region.

He added that Pakistan will continue to upgrade its defensive capabilities by acquiring advanced technology.

India is enjoying the cooperation of the US, as Washington thinks a strong New Delhi is vital to contain China, he was quoted as saying by the Dawn.

Pakistan would raise its voice at the level against these developments, Aziz said.
Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif met top Chinese leaders and military officials here and discussed ways to enhance bilateral economic and security ties.

Gen Sharif, who is in China on a two-day official visit, yesterday met Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President of the Central Military Commission Fan Changlong, the highest military official of the People's Liberation Army which is headed by President Xi Jinping.

Li met Sharif yesterday to enhance bilateral economic and security ties, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

Military-to-military relations have reinforced China-Pakistan ties, especially economic cooperation, Li said, calling on both sides to strengthen high-level contact and deepen exchanges in various fields.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC), estimated to cost about $46 billion, is not only a flagship project between the two sides, but also conducive to development and prosperity of the whole region, Li said.

On his part, Sharif appreciated Pakistan's profound friendship with China and stressed that the Pakistani side expects achievements from the CEPC and is ready to provide security for cooperation.

Pakistan military spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa said Gen Sharif discussed with Chinese officials the measures to improve military cooperation, exponentially enhance training exchanges, defence technology and intelligence sharing and security of the CEPC.

Sharif's visit to Beijing comes in the backdrop of assertions by Pakistan that it will raise its concerns at the level over India's successful test of supersonic interceptor missile.

His trip followed last month's visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who held extensive talks with top Chinese leaders and military officials.

Expressing concern over India's interceptor missile test, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said it will disturb the balance of power in the region.

He added that Pakistan will continue to upgrade its defensive capabilities by acquiring advanced technology.

India is enjoying the cooperation of the US, as Washington thinks a strong New Delhi is vital to contain China, he was quoted as saying by the Dawn.

Pakistan would raise its voice at the level against these developments, Aziz said.

Pakistan is also peeved over the US refusal to finance eight F-16s fighter jets.

Also, the India-China ties too faced problems over Beijing blocking New Delhi's move in the UN to ban Pakistan- based Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar, who is accused of masterminding the Pathankot terrorist attack.
Pakistan will explore other options to meet its defence needs if the deal for F-16s did not materialise with the US, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif today said, after America expressed its inability to fund the USD 700 million deal with its tax payers' money.

"Pakistan is an independent and sovereign state and it could acquire defence related products from other suitable markets of the world," Asif said.

He said F-16 jet fighter has been very successful in counter terrorism operations and hoped that the US would resolve the issue of supply of F-16 to Pakistan without further delay.

"F-16 fighter jets have successfully been used in Zarb-e-Azb operation, and Pakistan has made major contributions in the war on terror and denying the F-16s to Pakistan will amount to denying those contributions," Asif was quoted as saying by The Nation.

He made the comments in the backdrop of a two-day international conference titled 'Refugee crisis and its ramifications for global and national security' organised by South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI) University in collaboration with the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), National Security Division and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

The US State Department had expressed its inability to fund the USD 700 million deal with American tax payers' money.

The US asked Pakistan to "put forward" its "national funds" to buy eight F-16s after some top Senators put a hold on the use of American tax payers' money to partially finance them.

Now Pakistan has time till May end to avail the American offer to procure F-16s. Any delay in the acceptance of the offer, would result in increase in cost of F-16s. Pakistan was to pay only USD 270 million for the jets.
Shahbaz Taseer, the son of slain Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer who was recently rescued by Pakistani security forces, has said he was repeatedly tortured by militants during his nearly five year-long captivity.

The 33-year-old said that he was held captive by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

"They used to flog me. I was flogged about 500 in three days, then they cut my back with blades and removed nails from my hands and feet," he said in an interview with BBC Urdu.

Shahbaz was recovered by security forces from a hotel on the outskirts of Kuchlak town in Quetta in March after being abducted in 2011 from Lahore.

He said he was not given food for days and was not given treatment while suffering from malaria.

Once the captors also stitched his mouth.

"They used to torture me for making films and used to tell me their plans in advance. Like they would tell me that they will remove my nails tomorrow.

"I used to pray the whole night," Shahbaz said.

He said he was initially kept in Mirali area of North Waziristan and them moved to Dattakhel area of same district. Later, he was moved to Afghanistan by Taliban who imprisoned him in their jail.

He also said that differences cropped up between IMU and Taliban over the issue of allegiance with the Islamic State (ISIS) group.

"Following the dispute, Afghan Taliban attacked the Uzbeks and eliminated their whole group - their leadership. For three days, only death lived there," he said.

He did not give much details of his release but said that he travelled on a motorbike for eight days from Afghanistan to reach Pakistan's Kuchlak area, from where he was picked by Pakistan army.

Shahbaz's abduction came some seven months after his father was killed by his own police guard Mumtaz Qadri for seeking reforms in Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws.

Just 10 days before Shahbaz was rescued, Qadri was hanged on February 29 at Adiala Jail Rawalpindi after President Mamnoon Hussain rejected his mercy plea.
A Pakistani university has banned 'one-on-one' sittings of boys and girls on campus by terming it against Islamic 'cultural' norms, in a case of moral policing.

The Sargodha University Lahore campus yesterday issued a circular banning the 'one-on-one' sittings of male and female students in classroom, cafeteria or any other place in the campus.

"In view of our cultural and religious bindings and complaints by parents, inappropriate interaction between male and female students is hereby strictly prohibited within the university premises," the notice states.

"We have imposed ban on sittings of male and female students together in 'couple form' on the complaints of parents. Parents have objected to the boys and girls sitting together especially in classroom," Sargodha University Director Mian Javed said.

"He said considering the complaints of parents and some students the varsity administration and its board have unanimously decided to place a ban on 'one-on-one' sittings of boys and girls," he said, adding the boys and girls can sit together in group form (three or more) for 'academic discussions'.

Javed further said Pakistan is an Islamic state and "we have to discourage this culture (of boys and girls sitting together)."



Sargodha University is first public sector institute which has imposed this kind of ban in recent times.

Ali Ahtasham, a student of Sargodha University, said that the administration has actually given in to the pressure of a student wing.

"The extremists elements on campus earlier had thrashed some boys for sitting with girls," he said.

In Punjab University, the Islami Jamiat Tulba often thrash male students for sitting with girls but the administration did not ban 'couple' sittings.
Pakistan said Tuesday it has expressed "serious concern" to the UN over a draft bill in the Indian Parliament over the map of and called upon the world body to uphold its resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in "violation of international law".

Wrong depiction of the map of India could land the violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and impose a fine up to Rs 100 crore, according to the draft 'Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016'.

"Pakistan has expressed serious concern to the United Nations Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, through letters by our Permanent Representative in New York, with regard to the Indian government's efforts to introduce a controversial 'Geospatial Information Regulation Bill' in the Indian Parliament," the Foreign Office (FO) said.

It further said that "in violation of UNSC resolutions, the official map of India has been depicting the disputed territory of Jammu and as part of India which is factually incorrect and legally untenable".

Through the passage of this Bill, the Indian government would penalise the individuals and organisations who depict Jammu and as a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, the FO said.

"The letter calls upon the United Nations to uphold the UNSC resolutions and urge India to stop such acts which are in violation of international law," the FO said.

"We have urged the international community and the United Nations to fulfill their commitment with the people of Jammu and Kashmir by holding an independent and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices," it said.
Shiv Sena corporator Ravindra Phatak today filed his nomination for the biennial elections to Maharashta Legislative Council from Thane Local Authorities constituency, scheduled to be held on June 3.

Phatak, who has filed his nomination as the candidate of the Shiv Sena-BJP-RPI combined, will be contesting the polls against sitting MLC and deputy chairman of state Legislative Council, Vasant Davkhare.

Sena, BJP and RPI leaders today held a meeting at the party election headquarters 'Surya'.

District guardian minister Eknath Shinde told reporters that they are confident that Sena-BJP-RPI alliance candidate will surely win the polls this time.

"We will not leave any stone unturned to capture this seat," he said.

Today was the last date for filing of the nominations.

There are a total of around 1,060 voters. The model code of conduct is already in force in Thane and Palghar districts.

Davkhare, who has been winning the election for the last three terms and is seeking re-election this time too, filed his nomination last week in the presence of NCP state president Sunil Tatkare.

MP Rajan Vichare, Kapil Patil, Chintaman Wanga, and Srikant Shinde, mayors and MLAs of both districts, presidents of the civic bodies were also present at the meeting.
Philippine anti-poaching patrols have detained two Chinese and three Vietnamese fishing vessels along with more than three dozen crew members in the extreme north of the country, officials said today.

The arrests near tiny islands off the main island of Luzon came as a maritime dispute between Manila and Beijing simmers in the South China Sea.

Two Chinese fishing vessels that were fraudulently flying the Philippine flag were detained along with their 25 crew members off the island of Sabtang yesterday, coastguard and fisheries officials told AFP.

"The presumption in these types of cases is that they are here to commit illegal fishing," said Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources director James Asis Perez.

The vessels were escorted to the port of Basco and the crews were held on board as investigators waited for interpreters, said Basco coast guard officer Mark Jun Rubio.

Perez said the bureau and the coast guard also arrested 18 Vietnamese fishermen on three boats for illegally fishing in Philippine waters last week.

He said authorities have asked state prosecutors to file illegal fishing charges against the Vietnamese, who were detained on Thursday off Calayan island, 122 kilometres south of Sabtang.

Poaching carries a fine of up to USD 1 million under Filipino law, Perez said.

No charges have so far been filed against the Chinese fishermen.

The Philippines, along with Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan, is in dispute with China over its expansive claims to most of the South China Sea.

The Philippines has taken China to a UN-backed tribunal over the dispute, with a ruling expected in the middle of this year. Beijing has said it does not recognise the case.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to "drag" the name of "Nehru-Gandhi family" into the controversial AgustaWestland deal in tune with the NDA government's agenda to "malign" their image on the issue, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh alleged here today.

He alleged that it was the BJP's strategy to "defame" the members of the Nehru-Gandhi family as well as the Congress "as they (NDA Government) could not prove anything linking them in the case during the past two years".

Singh said the then UPA government had blacklisted the Italian firm (Finmeccanica) as soon as it suspected foul play in the (VVIP chopper) deal.

"As soon as the UPA came to know about the (AgustaWestland) scandal, the contract was cancelled. AgustaWestland was blacklisted. A CBI probe was ordered. A case has been filed. Whatever has to be done, the UPA government did its job.

"There is no charge on the Nehru-Gandhi family members in the Italian court. Even Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said there were no names mentioned by the court. But Narendra Modi is trying to drag Nehru-Gandhi family into the issue," the AICC general secretary told reporters here.

"Why CBI so far could not establish who took bribes? he questioned in response to the BJP's barbs on the issue.

Referring to the NIA move to drop all charges against Sadhvi Pragya Singh and five other accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, he said, "ever since the BJP came to power it is assumed that the persons who are associated with 'Sangh Parivar' would be given the clean chit".

He alleged that the ruling BJP has gone to the extent of "discrediting" slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare who had probed the blast case.

NIA had also given up charges under the stringent MCOCA law against all the other 10 accused including Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit in the case.

Singh alleged the ruling TRS government in Telangana has failed to fulfill the promises it had made during the Assembly elections.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Uttam Kumar Reddy announced on the occasion that the Congress would not maintain any media relations with a Telugu newspaper and a television channel that are said to be owned by "the people close to TRS".

He alleged the concerned media house has been airing biased without taking all versions.
Interpol and its European counterpart today warned of growing concerns that radical Islamists could be using illegal people smuggling networks to sneak into Europe or even fund their attacks and activities.

And in a joint report unveiled today, the two police agencies said those preying on desperate refugees had raked in up to USD 6 billion (5.2 billion euros) last year. That had turned the migrant flow into one of the largest money-earners for organised crime on the continent.

"Terrorists may use migrant smugglers' resources to achieve their goals," said the report by the global police body Interpol based in Lyon and Europol in The Hague.

"There is a growing concern that illegal immigration routes and networks may be used by radicalised foreign fighters wishing to return to the EU, or by terrorist organisations as a source of funding for their activities."



Although no regular links between criminal gangs and terror groups have been proven "some incidents have been identified involving terrorists who have made use of migratory flows to enter the EU."



It pointed to the November 13 attacks in Paris, after which it was revealed that two of the attackers had entered Europe through Greece as part of an influx of refugees from Syria.

More than a million people snuck into the European Union in 2015, most of them fleeing conflicts in the Middle East as well as poverty in Africa.

"More than 90 percent of all migrants reaching the European Union use the facilitation services of a migrant smuggling network at some point throughout their journey," said Europol director Rob Wainwright.

"This is a clear indication that organised crime networks are profiting from mass migration."



The report calculated that each migrant had "paid an average of USD 3,200 to 6,500 (EUR 3,000- 6,000)".

"This would result in an average turnover of USD 5 to 6 billion in 2015."



Both agencies warned that in the future "an increase in the number of migrants trying to reach the EU is expected."



"In Libya alone, around 800,000 migrants are waiting to travel to the EU," it said.
Police tonight seized 141 cartons of cordin cough syrup worth Rs 11.50 lakh from a house located in Om Nagar area under town police of Bihar's Araria district.

Acting on a tip off police raided the house at Om Nagar area and arrested its landord Tun Tun Poddar for storing the drug, Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar Porika said.

The seized drug belongs to Jain agency which has stored it in the house of Tun Tun Poddar, the SP said adding that an FIR has been lodged against agency's own Alok Jain for further action.

Sources said that the sale of cough syrup is on the rise ever since the prohibition was implemented in the state on April 1 last.

People, who used to consume liquor, are using cough syrup as intoxicated material.

The state government has put the drug under restricted sale.
Over 2,000 projects involving Rs 10 lakh crore investment, which were stuck for years and some of them in key sectors, have been given environmental clearance in the last two years, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said today.

Javadekar also said that in line with the government's policy of ease of doing business the average waiting period for approval of projects has been brought down to 190 days from 600 days during the UPA regime and the aim now is to slash it further to 100 days.

Some of the projects cleared by the Environment Ministry in the last two years were in important sectors such as roads, railway network, pipelines, irrigation canal, and they remained stuck for approval for many many years. The Modi government completes two years in office on May 26.

Calling it a kind of "revolution", the minister said the projects given the go ahead by his ministry will generate millions of jobs and spur India's economic growth to a great extent.

"We have cleared over 2,000 projects. This has unlocked Rs 10 lakh crore investment and it has the potential of creating direct employment of millions of jobs. This is not a small thing. The projects were unnecessarily languishing. Now there is no pendency," Javadekar told PTI in an interview.

Listing initiatives to make the process of granting environmental clearance, he said approvals were accorded strictly following policy decision and principle of standardisation and decentralisation.

"Earlier average waiting period for project approval was 600 days. Now it has come down to 190 days without compromising on any environmental condition and actually making environmental condition more stringent. This is in a way revolution," he said.

The Minister said the Centre has not discriminated against any state while clearing the projects and all the state governments were happy as they have been made partner in the decision making process.

The Minister said the forest cover in India has been



increased by 3,500 sq km in the last two years



"We have increased forest cover by 3,500 sq km. It is forest cover within forest area and outside forest area. We have increased mangrove by 1,000 sq km. It is not a small achievement. It shows our direction and commitment," said Javadekar.

He said priority was being given to make the decision making process transparent and it has yielded very positive result.

After taking over as Environment Minister, Javadekar had said he felt the Ministry had become a "road block" Ministry as hundreds of projects were kept pending during the UPA rule.

Asked what would be the amount of investment by foreign entities out of Rs 10 lakh crore, Javadekar could not give a direct reply, saying such details are kept by ministries of Finance and Commerce.

The Minister said the process of giving clearance to defence projects have been categorised under "general" to make the approval faster.

"We accorded general approval for defence infrastructure within 100 km of Line of Actual Control(LAC) at the border(with China). The files of border roads which were pending in my Ministry have been done away with.

"We have taken a policy decision of dencentralisation. Projects of 40 hectares and below and linear projects will be taken up at 10 offices instead of one ministry," he said.

Javadekar further said, "Our mantra is sustainable development so we must care for environment. We have made environmental conditions, pollution norms more stringent. It is development without destruction."



Asked about projects waiting for environmental clearance, the Minister said there is practically no pendency at the level of the Ministry.

"At our 10 regional centres, there is very less pendency. At the state level, there is pendency somewhere. We are tackling it with each state, taking them into confidence to speed up the process," he said.
A pass percentage of 87.74 per cent in Plus Two board exams was today recorded in Puduchery and Karaikal regions of the Union Territory.

As many as 12,533 students out of the 14,285 appeared for the examination held in March this year, Chief Minister N Rangasamy said releasing the results here at a press meet.

Puducherry does not have a separate Board of Higher Secondary Education and adopts the curriculum of neighbouring Tamil Nadu for schools in Puducherry and Karaikal regions.

The overall pass percentage had fallen by 0.41 this year compared to 88.15 per cent.

As usual, girls fared better than boys with a pass percentage of 90.95.

D Martin of Petit Seminaire Higher Secondary School here emerged the first ranker with 1,185 marks while the second rank has been shared by H.Gayathri of Sri Sankara Vidhyalaya HSS here and M.Thameena Kathiya of Nirmala Ranee Girls HSS Karaikal who scored 1,183 marks each.
Members associated with various private school bodies in Haryana today refused to meet state government representatives to discuss the issues regarding Rule 134 (A) of Haryana School Education Rules which provides for 10 per cent quota for students from economically weaker sections.

They demanded that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar or Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma should invite them to hold talks.

"We refused to meet Additional Chief Secretary P K Das today. We want either CM Khattar or Education Minister to hold talks with us to resolve the issue related to 134 (A)," President of Federation of Private School Association of Haryana, Kulbhushan Sharma said here.

The Haryana government had invited representatives of various private schools for talks with Das and other officials here.

"We had held last meeting with Education Minister in November and then it was decided that a sub-committee will be formed to discuss issue related to 134 (A). But so far, the sub-committee has not been formed," Sharma alleged.

Associations which boycotted the meeting includ Federation of Private School Association of Haryana, Haryana Sanyukt Vidya Sangh, Haryana Progressive Schools Council, Public Schools Welfare Association, Karnal Independent Schools Association, Yamunanagar Progressive Schools Council, he said.

The school representatives also decided to ghearo the residence of Khattar in Karnal on May 25.

Private schools which were on strike this month have been demanding scrapping Rule 134 (A) and implementation of Right to Education Act under which 25 per cent of the seats are reserved for weaker sections in private schools at the entry level.

Rule 134 (A) of Haryana School Education Rules, mandates schools to give 10 per cent reservation to economically weaker section (EWS) students between classes two and 12.

School owners said it is difficult to give admission to students in intermediate classes as private schools had limited seats.

Moreover, there was no compensation policy from the government for these students hence the other 90 per cent students would have to bear the additional burden.

"We are saying the government should give money directly to parents instead of schools," he said.

He said schools were demanding Rs 2,500 per student as compensation. "But the government is offering us Rs 200-300 per student which is a cruel joke with poor students," Sharma said.

On May 14, owners and teachers of various private schools had gheraoed the residence of Haryana Health minister Anil Vij in Ambala in protest against the rule.
Arunachal Pradesh Governor J P Rajkhowa has called for strengthening the age-old traditional, historical and cultural ties with the people of Assam.

Addressing the first joint meeting of Assam Arunachal Pradesh Cultural Coordination Mission (AAPCCM), which has been initiated by him to promote amity among people of the two neighbouring states, Rajkhowa suggested for cultural exchange programme presentations at different locations of the state, starting from Itanagar, Pasighat and other places.

He suggested for joint training on dances, singing and musical instruments, while involving renowned cultural personalities like Bengia Hemanto and others, a Raj Bhawan release said.

The Governor advised for exchange of traditional cuisines during such events for the artists and others and involvement of various cultural organisations, including Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) regional office in Guwahati.

Rajkhowa, who initiated 'Sampriti', a cultural presentation of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam by the ICCR in October last year, emphasised that sharing of each other's cultural richness, exchange of thoughts and person to person interaction would cement the age-old relationship and communal harmony, which at times is disturbed by unpleasant incidences.

He wished there would be involvement of larger numbers of school children, youth and general public to send a strong message of goodwill among them, the release said.

The Assam Team of the AAPCCM was led by Uma Kanta Borah, chief coordinator of Sanskritik Maha Sabha, accompanied by its convener Debeswar Kalita and members Pabitra Kumar Sarma, Pradeep Borah and Binod Borah, while the Arunachal Pradesh team was led by Art and Culture secretary Sonam Chombay and director, Jomnya Siram.

As advised by the Governor, the details were worked out by the members and it was decided to conduct the event in November with various cultural items of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and also fusion of dances, songs and musical instruments participated by cultural troupes from both states, the release added.
Anurag Kashyap's "Raman Raghav 2.0" premiered in Cannes Directors' Fortnight to a rousing reception.

The dark, disturbing neo-noir thriller is part of the parallel Directors' Fortnight, one of the more exciting sections at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.

The director and one of the film's two lead actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui fielded questions from the audience after the press screening.

Four other members of the cast - Vicky Kaushal, Amruta Subhash, Shobhita Dhulipala and Anuschka Sawhney - were in attendance.

Speaking outside the screening venue, Edouard Waintrop, Directors' Fortnight head and artistic director, described "Raman Raghav 2.0" as "classic Mumbai noir".

Taking off from a true story of a serial killer, who terrorized Bombay in the mid-1960s and took a toll of 41 lives, the film tells a contemporary story built on the mind games played by the criminal and a coke-snorting, insomniac police officer.

"For years I had in mind a period film based on the case, but making it would have needed a lot of money," Kashyap told the audience.

"So, we rewrote it as a story set in present times. The film explores the dark side of people and by extension of the society they live in. It incorporates details from the true Raman Raghav case (of half a century ago)."



Siddiqui, who anchors "Raman Raghav 2.0" with a powerfully disquieting portrayal of a demented man who kills for the heck of it, had the bound script for five years, Kashyap revealed.

"It was a challenging role," said Siddiqui.

"I had to work hard to get into the mind of a serial killer. Before the shoot, I went away from Mumbai for two days to internalize the man's thought process. By the end of it, I was at times scared of myself."



"Raman Raghav 2.0", slated for release in India in June, is Kashyap's third film in five years to make it to Directors' Fortnight.

In 2012, the two-part "Gangs of Wasseypur", which also had Siddiqui in a key role, was unveiled in the prestigious parallel section.

The very next year, "Ugly", which probed the grimy underbelly of Mumbai, premiered in Directors' Fortnight.

Given the positive reactions it has garnered in Cannes, "Raman Raghav 2.0" seems poised to pull Mumbai's leading independent auteur out of the "Bombay Velvet" trough.
The AAP government today informed the Delhi High Court that the brother of Hyderabad University Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, who had committed suicide, is not interested in taking up the job offered to him on compassionate grounds.

The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath by Delhi government which also sought dismissal of the PIL against their decision to award a job to the brother of Rohith.

"Respondent number 4(Vemula's brother) has written to us that he does not want the job offer on compassionate grounds. Hence the writ petition has become infructuous. Therefore, the same is not maintainable," Delhi government's Additional Standing Counsel Gautam Narayan informed the bench.

The court, however, directed the government to file a short affidavit with regard to the submission made before it in connection with the averments made in the writ petition within two weeks and fixed the matter for further consideration on July 13.

The petition by advocate Avadh Kaushik had challenged the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's February 24 decision, notified on March 3, to award a group 'C' government job to Rohith's brother, Vemula Raja Chaithanya Kumar, as well as government accommodation on out of turn basis, saying it was "illegal, arbitrary and politically motivated".

As per the Delhi Cabinet, the decision was taken on a representation received from Rohith's brother seeking support for himself and his family by way of employment.

The petition contends that no such representation was received from Rohith's family.

The petitioner alleged that Cabinet decision was "illegal, arbitrary, motivated, discriminatory and unjustifiable and unfair exercise of discretion without any mandate of law, statute, policy and guidelines".

The plea also contended that the decision was "in clear violation of law of land and public policy thereby infringing and abridging the legal and fundamental rights of the public at large in general and Delhi youth in particular who are trying to get the job on their own merits".

It said there was no need to give a job on compassionate grounds to the kin of Rohith as he "was neither a resident of Delhi nor was a government employee under Delhi administration or for that matter, under any government organisation, and he was also not a student in any University/college connected or affiliated to Delhi in any manner and even no offence or any wrong act whatsoever had been committed against him in Delhi".
A Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) here has awarded Rs 30 lakh as compensation to a Delhi resident who got partly disabled in a road accident in 2014.

MACT Presiding Officer Naveen Arora directed the insurer of the vehicle involved in the accident to pay compensation of Rs 30,14,225 to south-Delhi resident Rajender considering the 67 per cent permanent disability suffered by him.

"As per the statement of doctor, the petitioner shall not be able to work even in future with this kind of disability, hence, his functional disability in my opinion can be taken as 100 per cent as he shall not be able to work in future," the tribunal observed.

According to the petitioner, on August 4, 2014, he was riding pillion with Om Prakash on a scooty and the front wheel of the vehicle fell into a ditch, injuring both.

Om Prakash, against whom the petition was filed, stayed away from the proceedings and failed to explain how he was not negligent in driving.

The tribunal directed ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd, the insurer of the scooty, to pay the compensation amount to the victim.

It, however, said that the insurance company shall have the right to recover the amount from the accused scooty rider after it was submitted that he was not having a valid driving licence.

"Balancing the 'twin interest' of the insurance company at one hand and the third party i.E. Petitioner ..., it is directed that the insurance company shall pay the compensation awarded to the petitioner within the time given in this award and shall have the right to recover the same from respondent no. 1 (Om Prakash)," the tribunal said.
The 25-day long Third Year Summer Training Camp organised by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh began at Reshimbag here, senior RSS functionary Dattatreya Hosabale said today.

The annual camp known as 'Sangh Shiksha Varg' commenced here at Reshimbag yesterday.

It provides an opportunity to the participants to "know, understand and experience Bharat", Hosabale said.

Over 800 young swayamsevaks drawn from all the states are participating in this training camp.

"This summer training camp presents a 'mini Bharat' in itself as swayamsevaks drawn from various provinces, speaking different tongues, having varied food and clothing habits and coming from different climates stay together for 25 days. Thus, providing a chance to interact, learn and understand the real 'Bharat'," he said.

The functionary said RSS was not just known for its uniform or prayers but for its comprehensive, all-encompassing attitude towards the diversity in Bharat and its attempt to understand and experience the unity in that diversity.

The RSS literature is available in each language spoken in Bharat. The system of Sangh Shiksha Varg is same all over the country yet it includes the distinguishing features of those different provinces, he said.

Hosabale said the training imparted to swayamsevaks at the camp empowers them to experience Bharat with all its diverse peculiarities and distinctions, a press release from Vishwa Samwad Kendra of RSS issued here said.

The camp will conclude on June 9 with the address by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
RSS today pay glowing tributes to Nirankari saint Baba Hardev Singh, who died in a road accident in Canada last week, saying his contribution towards society, mankind and spiritual world would remain unforgettable.

In their joint condolence message RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and his deputy Suresh Bhayyaji Joshi said his demise has caused an irreparable loss to the spiritual world.

"The departure of the Nirankari Baba is like an irreparable loss to a valuable asset of the spiritual world. His life in the Indian saintly tradition enlightened lakhs of people and will continue to do so for ages and his works in the service of humanity will continue to be carried out. On behalf of all RSS Swayamsevaks, we pray that his soul may rest in peace," they said in their message.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad also paid homage to the Nirankari saint and spiritual leader Baba Hardev Singh, with its leaders doing the last 'darshan' and offering their condolences in Burari.

VHP International vice president Om Prakash Singhal expressed sorrow on the untimely demise of the leader who dedicated his entire life to world peace and humanity. He prayed to God to inspire everyone to follow his path and wished the departed soul may rest in peace.

Baba Hardev Singh, head of Nirankari Mission, was killed in a road accident in Canada on May 13.
Actress Ruby Rose has responded to fans after being kicked out of a New Orleans restaurant for throwing chips at a bartender.

At the time, the restaurant owner, Seung Hong, said that the bartender initially thought the actress had thrown a chip at him by accident, and that he then asked her if everything was okay, but "she picked up a handful of French fries and threw them at him".

"It was the first time I've ever had to ask someone to leave, and it was Ruby Rose," he added.

The Australian actress has since hit back in a Facebook post, saying she "waited 60 minutes for fries and over 90 minutes for food that never actually arrived".

The 30-year-old actress also accused the bartender of mocking her when she declined his offer of free drinks because she's "sober".

The "Orange Is the New Black" star wrote: "My assistant, tour manager and myself arrived at an establishment last night for dinner before my show in New Orleans.

"We waited 60 minutes for fries and over 90 minutes for food that never actually arrived. When I asked about it, the bartender offered us drinks. I explained I'm sober, but thank you.

"He then made some really rude and vulgar comments to the table. When someone makes repeated derogatory jokes about the sobriety I worked so hard to achieve, it's hard not to react emotionally.

"So I threw a singular fry at him. Then he came back as we were getting ready to leave and continued making awful comments, so I continued with the fries.
The Russian military is constructing a new army base in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, within the protected zone that holds the archaeological site listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site and without asking for permission from relevant authorities, an American heritage organization and a top Syrian archaeologist said today.

The American School of Oriental Research's Cultural Heritage Initiative posted pictures from the satellite imagery and analytics company DigitalGlobe that show the construction on the edge of the ancient site that was damaged by the Islamic State group, which held Palmyra for 10 months.

Syrian troops backed by Russian airstrikes captured Palmyra in March and fighting continues miles away until this day.

Russian demining experts have detonated hundreds of bombs left behind by the extremists at and near the site since the town was captured. A top Syrian archaeologist said the presence of Syrian and Russian troops in Palmyra is important to prevent IS from coming back.

Maamoun Abdulkarim, head of the Antiquities and Museums Department in Damascus, told The Associated Press that the Russians are building small barracks that includes offices and clinics.

Abdulkarim said his organization was not asked for permission but added that IS is close to the town and the presence of Russian and Syrian troops is important to ensure that the site remains in government hands.

"We refuse to give permission even if it was for a small room to be built inside the site whether it is for the Syrian army, Russian army or anyone else," Abudlkarim said by telephone from Damascus. "We will never give such permission because this will be in violation of the archaeology law."



Since Russia began launching airstrikes in Syria in September 2015, Moscow has tipped the balance of power in favor of President Bashar Assad's forces. Earlier this year Russia said it was scaling back its presence in Syria.

Before IS captured the town in May 2015, the Syrian army was known to have minor military presence inside the site.

During the Islamic State group's 10 months in Palmyra, the militants destroyed the Temple of Bel, which dated back to A.D. 32, the Temple of Baalshamin, which was several stories high and fronted by six towering columns, and the Arch of Triumph, which was built under the Roman emperor Septimius Severus between A.D. 193 and A.D. 211.

"During the time of war, sometimes archaeological authorities don't have a say but security decisions dictate the orders," AbdulKarim said. "Once the situation improves and peace is reached, then we will openly call for removing" the barracks.
A trial in Saudi Arabia of 32 men, almost all Shiites, accused of spying for Iran makes a mockery of justice in the Sunni Kingdom, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday.

The accused are an Iranian, an Afghan and 30 Saudis, all but one of them from the country's Shiite minority, the New York-based watchdog said.

cited Taha al-Haji, a Saudi lawyer who represented a group of the defendants until March, as saying the men were suddenly brought to trial in February.

"He said he believes the timing may relate to ongoing hostility between Iran and Saudi Arabia", it said in a statement.

Riyadh regularly accuses Tehran of "interference" in the region, where the two countries support opposite sides of the wars in Yemen and Syria.

Relations worsened when Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran after demonstrators in Iran burned the Saudi embassy and a consulate to protest the Saudi execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

described the spy trial as "a mockery of justice" that has violated the basic due process rights of the accused, all of whom except one have been detained since 2013.

"Authorities have not permitted defendants to meet with lawyers or provided all of the court documents necessary to prepare a defence," it said.

said prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against 25 of the 32 accused.

Haji said defence lawyers had asked the court to halt an ongoing local media smear campaign against their clients, which they said would lead to an unfair trial.

The charge sheet includes a number of offences constituting "high treason" but there are also charges "that do not represent recognisable crimes", the watchdog said.

These include "supporting demonstrations," "distorting the reputation of the kingdom," and attempting to "spread the Shia confession" in Saudi Arabia, it said.

"Criminal trials should not be merely legal 'window-dressing' where the verdict has been decided beforehand," Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW, said in the statement.

She added that "being a Shia Muslim should not be a crime, and Saudi courts should stop treating it as such.
Shares of three associate banks of SBI today surged up to 13 per cent on reports that the lenders have proposed merger with the parent bank.

The scrip of State Bank of Mysore soared 12.76 per cent to Rs 426.70, and that of State Bank of Travancore rallied 9.87 per cent to Rs 399.10 on BSE.

State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur too rose by 4.22 per cent to Rs 508.95.

Shares of State Bank of India however, ended the day on a flat note, down 0.08 per cent at Rs 177.05.

After over five years of hiatus, associate banks of SBI, including State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, have proposed to merge with the parent lender.

The respective boards have proposed merger with State Bank of India (SBI), the parent, in a meeting held today.

Top lender SBI in a statement released after the close of market said that it has sought government's approval for the merger of five associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank with itself.

SBI has five associate banks -- State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Hyderabad.

Among these, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Travancore are listed.
A branch manager of State Bank of India in Tamil Nadu has been sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment by a CBI special court for causing a loss of Rs 66.31 lakh to the bank by sanctioning loan to a couple.

K Chandrasekaran, manager of SBI's Kalkulam Branch in Kanniyakumari district, was also slapped with a fine of Rs 35,000 by CBI court judge S Ganesan.

The Judge also sentenced co-accused Sindhukumari to seven years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 13 lakh.

He, however, acquitted her husband R S Money, a CBI release said.

According to the prosecution, Chandrasekaran had sanctioned loans between 2006 and 2008 to Sindhukmari and money by not following norms and procedures, which caused a loss of Rs 66.31 lakh to the bank.
The Supreme Court today refused to accord urgent hearing to a plea seeking a direction to restrain the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) from issuing appointment letters to selected candidates for various posts including teachers in the varsity.

The plea was mentioned before a vacation bench of Justices A M Sapre and Ashok Bhushan which said that their is no urgency and the matter will come up for hearing in regular course.

Ramesh Kumar Mishra, counsel for petitioners Ashraf Mateen and others, said that it is urgent matter as appointment letters are being issued to different selectees by Vice Chancellor whose own appointment is under challenge before the apex court.

"There is no urgency in the matter. You are creating problems for others. Matter will come up for hearing in regular course," the bench said.

The petitioners who are Associate/ Assistant Professor serving at the AMU have in the petition sought quashing and setting aside the notification convening General Selection Committee (GSC) for various academic posts in Department/ Faculties of Engineering and Management of the varsity.

They have further challenged the recommendations of the committee made on June 25, 2015, by which the eligibility criteria for appointment for the post of Associate Professors have been allegedly arbitrarily watered down in violation of binding UGC Regulations 2010.

The selection of professors is to be done in various centres of AMU including at Kerala, West Bengal and Bihar.

"During pendency of challenge to his own appointment before this Court the present Vice Chancellor is in hurry to make selection and appointment of Cadre and CAS posts by prescribing lower qualifications, enabling unqualified and unfit persons to occupy said posts," the plea said.

The petition further said that "the committee prescribed qualifications reducing the minimum teaching experience from eight to five years and making the mandatory PhD qualification merely desirable for the post of associate professor."



Earlier, the apex court had asked whether a university can term itself a minority institution, while hearing the plea seeking a direction to quash the appointment of AMU vice-chancellor Lt Gen (Retd) Zameeruddin Shah.

An alumni of the university has filed the appeal



challenging the Allahabad High Court's October 16, 2015 order holding there was "nothing wrong with the procedure" adopted in the appointment of present VC whose tenure ends next year and a search is already on for his successor.

The appointment of Shah as VC of AMU on May 11, 2012 was challenged on the ground that according to the regulations of University Grants Commission (UGC), the VC ought to have worked for at least 10 years as a professor in a university or on an equivalent post in a research or academic institute.

It has been argued by the petitioner before the high court that the regulations - which pertained to minimum qualifications and maintenance of standards in higher education - had become binding on the AMU when it had adopted these on December 6, 2010.
In the wake of recent journalist deaths, scores of mediapersons today urged the government to provide them better safety provisions as well as pay adequate compensation to their families in the event of their demise due to attacks or any other untoward incident while being on duty.

During a meeting held by the Press Club of India (PCI) and Indian Women Press Corp (IWPC), journalists took a strong exception to the recent killing of two journalists- Rajdeo Ranjan in Bihar and Akhilesh Pratap Singh in Jharkhand.

They urged the government to enact a law that not only offers protection to journalists but also enable their families to be given adequate compensation in the event of their demise.

"The journalists demanded that different methods be explored including approaching the Supreme Court to force the state and the Centre governments to enact this law that should also bring contractual journalists under the ambit of the Working Journalists Act," an official statement said.

"The meeting felt that there should be a time-bound program and the PCI and the IWPC should immediately draft a resolution and with other journalist bodies launch a campaign with Parliamentarians and the civil society to sensitise them to repeated attacks on mediapersons," it added.
Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma has suggested shifting of Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Kanubhai Gandhi and his wife Shiva Lakshmi Gandhi, who are currently staying in an old age home here, to a better location following visit to the place on the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sharma had visited Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram at Gautampuri in South Delhi on Sunday after Modi took note of media reports about the octogenarian couple staying there.

In a report, submitted to Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Sharma had said that the old age home was not in a good condition compared to the stature of the couple and room was small for them, a source said.

The Minister also said that there was no dedicated doctor and caretaker for Kanubhai (87) and his 85-year-old wife, he added.

Sharma also suggested that the couple may be shifted to some better location where they could have a dedicated team of doctor and caretakers for them, the source said.

Modi had directed the authorities to ensure that the couple has a comfortable stay after a conversation with Kanubhai on Sunday.

After over four decades of stay in the United States, Kanubhai and his wife had returned to India in 2014 and spent about a year-and-a-half in various Ashrams in Gujarat before checking into Delhi ashram on May 8.

Kanubhai is the eldest son of Mahatma Gandhi's third son Ramdas.

Kanubhai left India at the age of 17 and studied at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later worked at NASA's Langley Research Centre. His wife holds a doctorate in biochemistry.
Normal life was hit in all five hill districts of Manipur today in the 48 hours shutdown called by Joint Action Committee (JAC) against Anti-tribal Bills.

The shutdown that began from midnight is supported by tribal bodies, including United Naga Council (UNC) and Zeliangrong Youth Front.

There is no report of any violence from any of the districts. Educational establishments remained closed, business activities were not conducted and inter-district bus services and other vehicular movement came to a halt, police said.

In Churachandpur district, a large number of police personnel were placed at strategic points in the headquarter town of Lamka as tribal volunteers turned out in large numbers to enforce the shutdown, the police said.

In Senapati and Tamenglong districts too a large number of volunteers enforced the shutdown and burnt tyres to prevent any vehicular movement. Similar activities were also reported in Chandel district, a police officer said.

The shutdown was also strongly supported by the ethnic tribes of Ukhrul district, where life was hit, said police.

JAC has called the shutdown to protest against the May 9 meeting of all political parties and its subsequent decision to send a delegation to Delhi to pressurize the Centre to enact as acts the three bills passed by Manipur state assembly on August 30 last year.

The three Bills - The Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015, The Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2015 and The Manipur Shops and Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015 were passed by Manipur assembly to implement Inner Line Permit system (ILP) in the north eastern state and safeguard the identity of all communities in the state from illegal immigration from neighbouring countries.

However, it was not accepted by sections of the tribal people, which lead to calling of general strikes, allegations and counter-allegations.
An alleged activist of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) has been arrested in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan, police said here today.

"We caught the SIMI activist Imran Khan in a case of 2008," ADG-ATS Alok Tripathi said, adding Khan was held a couple of days ago and is under police custody till tomorrow.

The SIMI activist will be produced in the court day after tomorrow on May 19, he added.
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will lead a 25-member business delegation to Myanmar with an aim to boost trade and economic ties between the two nations.

"Nirmala Sitharaman will be the first Minister from India to visit Myanmar after the change of regime in Myanmar. She will lead a high level CEO delegation to Myanmar from May 18-20, 2016," an official statement said.

The Minister will participate in the India Myanmar Business Conclave being organised by India at Yangon as part of its 'Act East' policy.

The delegation includes Naushad Forbes (President CII), Rakesh Mittal (Bharti Enterprises), Shobana Kamineni (Apollo Hospitals), Arundhati Bhattacharya (State Bank of India), and Madhu Kannan (Tata Sons), among others.

Leading business persons from Myanmar including many ministers shall attend the conclave, the statement said.

During the two-day visit, the delegation is expected to deliberate on various sectors including agriculture, manufacturing and employment, IT, health, education, SEZs, industrial zones and finance.

Sitharaman is also scheduled to have bilateral interactions with many ministers of the new Myanmar government including Myanmar Minister for Commerce Than Myint and Minister for Industry U KhinMaung Cho.

Bilateral trade between the countries stood at USD 2 billion in 2014-15.

Myanmar witnessed a victory by the National League for Democracy led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the elections held in November 2015.
Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor once again opted for a Ralph & Russo champagne gown on the day two of the Cannes Film Festival.

The custom made ensemble had a dramatic floral silk organza cape, which the 30-year-old Indian beauty paired with a pair of Ferragamo stilettos, and some bling on her fingers.

Sonam kept the make-up subtle by opting of pink eye-shadow and lips, while keeping her hair in a bun.

"@sonamakapoor wears a custom Ralph & Russo champagne silk crepe gown with embellished silk organza cocoon cape," the fashion house posted on Twitter.

Praising her attire, her father Anil Kapoor tweeted, "Sonam Kapoor's Breathtaking Attire at Day 5 of Cannes."



In her first red carpet appearance at the Cannes Film Festival this year, Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor had opted for Ralph & Russo's white elaborate gown.

This is Sonam's sixth year at the Cannes Film Festival. Her latest film "Neerja", a biopic on braveheart flight attendant Neerja Bhanot, will be screened in the market of the festival here.

She will also be a part of the prestigious amfAR gala on May 19.

Her Indian counterpart Aishwarya Rai Bachchan walked the red carpet on May 13 and 14. This year marked the former Miss World's 15th visit to the French Riviera.
Three more persons, including the main accused Gautam Goyani, were today arrested in connection with the Surat triple murder case, police said.

Gautam alias Golden and two other accused, Bhadresh Patodiya and Kishan Khokhar, were arrested from Kim town in Surat district.

Police said eight persons were involved in the murder, of which seven have been arrested so far.

Another accused Ganesh Goyani is yet to be arrested, police said.

Yesterday, police had arrested Komal Goyani. Komal is the sister of Golden.

Three persons-- Bharat Togadia, a relative of VHP international working president Pravin Togadia, along with Balu Hirani and Ashok Patel, were murdered on last Saturday.

Police had said that trio was murdered as the accused were trying to extract Rs 50 lakh that Balu Hirani, one of the three victims, owed to Komal for clearing a disputed land in Amreli's Bagasara village.
The Telangana Government today announced Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of Army jawan Santosh Kumar, from Navgambasti in Adilabad district, who died while discharging his duties in Siachen on December 24.

According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office, the amount will be handed over to Kumar's wide Naga Mani.

It said a job will be provided to one of the family members recommended by Kumar's wife.
Tata Steel today said it has dropped plans to merge group firms Tata Metaliks and Tata Metaliks DI Pipes with it due to delay in regulatory and statutory approvals among other factors.

"Committee of Directors approved the proposal of the company to file appropriate application before the Bombay High Court seeking recall of the order dated August 21, 2015 sanctioning the scheme of amalgamation between Tata Metaliks and Tata Metaliks DI Pipes with the company," Tata Steel said in a regulatory filing.

The scheme was recommended by the committee of directors, which was constituted and duly authorised by Board of Directors, in April 2013 and approved by the members of the company at the court convened meeting in May 2014, it added.

In terms of the scheme, swap ratio of public shareholders was 4 equity shares of Rs 10 each of Tata Steel for every 29 equity shares of Rs 10 each held in Tata Metaliks, it said.

The scheme is currently not effective since the petition filed by Tata Metaliks with the Calcutta High Court for approval of the scheme is pending for disposal.

Accordingly, Tata Metaliks has been advised to consider withdrawing the scheme with a leave to re-file a fresh scheme for merger of Tata Metaliks DI Pipes with Tata Metaliks.

"The decision is based on careful consideration of various factors including inordinate delay in obtaining requisite regulatory and statutory approvals," Tata Steel Group Executive Director (Finance and Corporate) Koushik Chatterjee said.

Other factors include significant dilution in intended synergies that were envisaged in April 2013, he added.

"Tata Steel continues to strategically support Tata Metaliks in its journey towards making it a profitable and value creating company for the future. With today's decision, Tata Metaliks will continue to operate as a subsidiary of Tata Steel," he said.

"The proposed amalgamation is intended to enhance synergies through integrated operational and cost efficiencies , simplified corporate structure and supply chain integration," Tata Metaliks said in a regulatory filing.
Facing a tax demand of Rs 22,100 crore from the Indian government, UK-based telecom major Vodafone today said it has not made any provision, hoping for a successful claim under the Dutch Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) or the UK BIT.

"Should a further demand for taxation be received by VIHBV or any member of the Group as a result of the retrospective legislation, we believe it is probable that we will be able to make a successful claim under the Dutch BIT and/or UK BIT," Vodafone said.

It added that the company did not carry a provision for this litigation or in respect of the retrospective legislation as on March 31, 2016, or previous reporting dates.

Vodafone had disputed the tax order over its acquisition of 67 per cent stake in Hutchison, now called Vodafone India, arguing that no tax was due as the transaction was conducted offshore.

But the income tax department, taking refuge under the retrospective amendment in 2012, contends that tax is due and has sent notices to the company.

"On February 4, 2016, Vodafone International Holdings BV (VIHBV) received a reminder of an outstanding tax demand of Rs 221 billion. The latest reminder threatens enforcement action if the demand is not satisfied," Vodafone said in a statement.

The statement said VIHBV served its notice of arbitration under the Dutch BIT on April 17, 2014, formally commencing the Dutch arbitration proceedings.

In March, Vodafone had moved ICJ after arbitrators appointed by it and the government of India failed to reach a consensus on selection of a neutral/presiding judge of the three-member panel.

The president of the International Court of Justice will now appoint the third arbitrator.

On June 15, 2015, Vodafone Group and Vodafone Consolidated Holdings served a trigger notice on the Indian government under the UK BIT in respect of retrospective tax claims under the Finance Act, 2012.

The Vodafone case relates to the retrospective amendment of I-T laws carried out by the UPA government in 2012 to overturn the Supreme Court verdict that had favoured Vodafone.

The basic tax demand for Vodafone was Rs 7,990 crore, but the total outstanding, including interest and penalty, is estimated to have risen to over Rs 20,000 crore.
Three persons, who had escaped from police custody along with a dreaded criminal in Nagaur last year, were arrested today, police said.

The absconders, Subhash Moond, Hanuman Singh and Vijay Pal, were arrested after the police chased down their SUV in Sikar district, SP Sikar Akhilesh Kumar said.

A foreign made pistol and 110 live cartridges were recovered from their possession, he said.

Kumar said the accused were involved in several criminal cases.

Moond, who carried a cash reward of Rs 50,000 on his head, had escaped with notorious criminal Anandpal from police custody while being taken back to Ajmer from a court in Nagaur in 2015, IG Ajmer Malini Agrawal said.

Hanuman Singh had driven the vehicle in which Anandpal, Subhash Moond and another criminal Srivallabh had escaped, she said, adding Vijay Pal was also present in the vehicle.

"These are important catches," Agrawal said.

Sikar SP Akhilesh Kumar said the accused used to roam in the SUV and never stayed for a long period at one place.

They had all the items of daily use inside the vehicle so that they can move around without having to stop anywhere, he said.

The criminals had escaped allegedly with the help of some policemen. Twelve policemen, including the SHO of Parbatsar police station in Nagaur district were suspended for dereliction in duty in the case.

Though many aides of Anandpal have been arrested so far, the ganglord is still at large, police said.

Anandpal, who carries a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, is involved in over two dozen cases in Didwana, Jaipur, Sikar, Sujangarh, Churu, Sanganer among others. He is also the main accused in high profile murder cases like Jivan Ram Godara murder case of Didwana (Nagaur) and Gopal Fogawat murder case of Sikar district.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra today stressed the timely completion of black topping of Srinagar-Sonamarg road in view of ensuing annual Amarnath yatra which is scheduled to commence on July 2.

Vohra was interacting with Chief Engineer Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Brigadier A K Das who called on him at Raj Bhavan here, an official spokesman said.

In response to a query, the Governor was informed that the black topping of the Srinagar-Sonamarg road would be completed before the end of June.

Brig Das briefed the Governor about the latest status of the different road projects being executed under the Project Beacon.

"Governor stressed the timely completion of all work on this road, as also the maintenance of the Sonamarg-Neelgrath- Zojila axis keeping in view the ensuing tourist season and the Shri Amarnathji Yatra, 2016," the spokesman said.

Lauding the 'good work' being done by the BRO in developing and maintaining the road network in the difficult and hilly terrain of Jammu and Kashmir, which provides connectivity to the people living in the remote areas, the Governor emphasised the crucial importance of the various construction works being completed strictly within the envisaged time schedules and maintained in a satisfactory status.

Meanwhile, the Governor who is also chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, chaired a second meeting in as many days to review the ongoing preparations for the 48-day Yatra.

The Governor reviewed the various ongoing arrangements for the Yatra, including the registration of Yatris, provision of heli-services for the pilgrims, provision of Telecom Services in the Yatra area, appointment and deployment of Camp Directors and Additional Camp Directors, provision of Insurance cover to the registered Yatris and status of ongoing works, the spokesman said.

Yesterday, the Governor held a meeting with senior security officials for the smooth conduct of the upcoming annual Amarnath Yatra.
The attorney of Donald Trump has threatened to sue The New York Times for publishing an allegedly inaccurate story on how he treated women that showed the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in a negative light.

The 69-year-old real estate tycoon's attorney hinted that filing a law suit against The New York Times is a distinct possibility".

"I think that is a distinct possibility. I haven't talked to him about it personally, but, you know, when he's attacked like that and things are said falsely, he definitely fires back," Trump Organisation assistant general counsel Jill Martin was quoted as saying by CNN.

Another Trump attorney, however, said "I don't think that this is going to end up in litigation," but called on The Times to retract the story and apologise.

"They (The New York Times) need to do a retraction and they need to actually be fair, because they're destroying their paper," Trump Organisation general counsel Michael Cohen said.

Over the last few days ever since The New York Times published its major investigative report in which it claimed to have interviewed dozens of women to reflect on the relationship that Trump had with women over the last few decades.

Trump has been very critical of the daily both on Twitter, other social media and in his interviews to other media outlets.

Rowanne Brewer Lane, his former girlfriend, and one of the women interviewed by the newspaper for its story has accused that The New York Times "spun" her words.

The New York Times has said it stands by its story.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's temperament makes him a "dangerous proposition" to be the US commander-in-chief and his ideas could put the world on the path of a nuclear arms race, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton's close aide has said.

"It is very, very difficult to pin down where he stands on a lot of these policies," Clinton's Senior Foreign Policy Advisor Jake Sullivan said when asked about his views on Trump's foreign policy proposals during a discussion at the Asia Society here yesterday.

In the conversation with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on foreign policy, Sullivan slammed Trump for his continuously oscillating views on how he would deal with other nations, including major powers like Russia and China, saying he does not have the temperament to be an effective commander-in-chief.

"He'll say on the one hand, the Chinese are eating our lunch, and on the other hand, we have all the leverage in the world to make the Chinese do whatever we want," Sullivan said.

"On the one hand, we should sit down with the Russians ...On the other hand, if I need to, I'll just shoot down Russian fighter jets. He says on the one hand, the United States can do whatever it wants, wherever it wants, to achieve whatever purpose it wants. On the other hand, we're doing too much and we can't do all that. We have to stop," Sullivan said.

Sullivan, who has also served as a national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, said Trump's world views can put America at great risk.

Sullivan said he views Trump as someone "unlike any candidate that we have seen before, who looks to be close to securing the nomination of a major party, in that the ideas he's putting forward and the temperament he has displayed behind them make him a dangerous proposition to be US commander-in-chief."



He said Trump's support on various occasions for nations getting more nuclear weapons can spark an arms race, in turn increasing the chances of such weapons falling in the hands of terrorists.

Trump's views that more countries should be able to obtain nuclear weapons has the "very real risk of sparking a nuclear arms race, and also makes it increasingly likely that terrorists will get their hands on nuclear weapons, which is the greatest threat that the United States faces", Sullivan said.

He also slammed Trump for his views that America should order its military officers, "against the law, to kill the families of terrorists".

"He has said many things along those lines. When you add up the totality of this, however you slice it, whichever pieces you accept or discard, the picture that is painted is one of a tremendously dangerous risk," Sullivan said.

In a statement, the Clinton Campaign said nobody is



better at proving Trump's foreign policy would be disastrous than the 69-year-old tycoon himself.

"With one short interview on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Trump set off a media firestorm in the UK, stoking fears about the potential fraying of our decades-long special relationship, and what that would mean for the UK's national security and standing in the world," the campaign said.

"Trump continues to demonstrate that his reckless, shoot-from-the-hip approach to foreign policy would make the country and the world far less safe. He casts aside our most important allies when their leaders criticise his dangerous proposals, and heaps praise on our adversaries if they say a kind word about him," it said.

"Simply put, this is not a man who has the temperament or the steady hand to be our commander-in-chief. Check out the reaction in the UK to Trump's alarming comments about our ally, as well as the latest updates on his love affair with Putin below," the Clinton Campaign alleged.

Sullivan, while talking about a future Hillary Clinton administration, said it would like to see political stake by China to help bring about stability in Afghanistan.

He stressed that a strong Beijing that is "playing by the rules" is very much in the interests of the US.

"An area of substantial overlapping between the US and China is how we think about this problem of terrorism and violent extremism and trying to see how the Chinese can take on a more meaningful role in helping deal with the problem of terrorism and violent extremism," Sullivan said.

He said a Clinton administration would like to see not just an economic stake by China in Afghanistan but also a political one where it helps in bringing about stability in the war-torn nation.

"On the issue of bringing long term stability in Afghanistan, a country very much in China's neighbourhood, in which China has a stake economically and in which we would like China to also have a stake politically, for them to have a political commitment to helping bring about a better future for Afghanistan," he said.

In the conversation with Rudd on Clinton's foreign policy priorities, Sullivan said Clinton is "very much committed" to a deep relationship with Beijing and "a strong, thriving China that is playing by the rules and is participating responsibly in the international order is very much in the interests of the US."



As a country that is gaining in power and influence in the world, Sullivan said China has a "deeper stake" in a stable, secure and "rules-based" orderand "therefore has some responsibility" towards it.

Beijing should have greater means to help "contribute to the protection and advancement of that order," Sullivan said.

"The country, because of the historic challenge posed by rising powers, also has a special responsibility to reassure its neighbours and others of its intentions," he said.

Sullivan emphasised that Beijing has "not fully lived up



to all" of its responsibility in the international system "but I don't mean that as a statement of lecture but that has to be a part of the conversation going forward".

He stressed that whether it is the G20 or a future economic architecture for the Asia Pacific, "China has an incredibly important role to play and the more that we can get on the same page for what the common rules for the road are," the better it will be for the two countries as well as for the region.

Asked if whether the US and China are "enemies for life", he said such a scenario would be a "catastrophe" not only for the two nations but for the whole world.

"US and China have the wherewithal with responsible stewardship to build a cooperative, positive, constructive relationship that serves the interests of both countries, the region and the world. That does not mean it won't have a mix of cooperation and competition," Sullivan said.

"It does not mean that there won't be times that the US takes a firm line on activities the that we think are wrong that the Chinese are undertaking. It does not mean that there will not be tensions over certain things as we go foreword but a deep fundamental commitment to get a US-China relationship right has to be one of the core principles of the American foreign policy," he said.

He also underscored that getting the US-China relationship right means the two find a way to work together effectively to advance their own interests but also manage the relationship in a way that benefits everybody.
A day after various exit polls predicted Opposition CPI(M)-led LDF coming to power in Kerala, ruling Congress-led UDF leaders shrugged it off and expressed confidence of getting a "comfortable" majority.

KPCC President V M Sudheeran said UDF had contested to win. "We will win and we will rule," he said.

Sudheeran said he had spoken to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, UDF leaders and DCC office bearers today. "All of us are confident that it will be a victory for UDF," he said.

Asked how many seats they were expecting to win, he declined to give any number. "We have a clear idea how many seats we will win. UDF will get a good majority for the continuation of the government. We have no doubt about that," he said.

CPI(M) General secretary Sitaram Yechury said in Delhi the next government in Kerala will be of LDF. "Exit polls are exit polls. We have seen in the past what these polls have said," he said.

Asked about the front's Chief Ministerial candidate, Yechury said, "We have told earlier. We will sit down and decide. Let the results be out."



CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat said they do not generally go by the exit polls as they are "unreliable".

However, from feedback received yesterday, LDF is headed for a big win in Kerala and will get over 85 seats, he said.

Sudheeran said the fight to form the government was between UDF and LDF. But when Prime Minister Narendra Modi compared Kerala to Somalia and attacked Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her Italian roots, the fight turned out to be between Congress-BJP, he said.

Kerala Congress(M) supremo and former Finance Minister K M Mani, who was forced to resign over the Bar bribery scam, also exuded confidence about UDF's victory.

"These are only exit polls. The people's survey will be out on May 19. I have no doubt UDF will win with a good and comfortable majority," he said, adding the Front was not seeing the BJP-BDJS presence as a "small" factor.

Mani, who contested from Pala for the 13th time in a row, said he was confident he would win with a good majority.

In Poonjar, where former government chief whip P C George had given a tough fight to both UDF and LDF, Mani said it would be a sure win for the Congress-led front.

IUML leader and Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty said UDF certainly had the upper hand and would come back to power.

BJP President Kummanam Rajasekharan alleged there was a secret pact between UDF and LDF in four constituencies in Thiruvananthapuram district itself.
Four men were arrested today in raids across the UK for their alleged involvement in terror-related activities, including conspiracy to fund terrorism.

"They were arrested at separate residential addresses in south London on suspicion of conspiracy to provide terrorism funding (contrary to Section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977)," Scotland Yard said in a statement.

Two men, both aged 24, suspected of funding terrorism were arrested by detectives from the Metropolitan Police Service's Counter Terrorism Command (SO15).

A third man, aged 25, was arrested a short time later, at another south London address, on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs (believed cannabis).

All three men are currently in custody at south London police stations.

Officers are continuing their search of the addresses, as well as searching a further two residential addresses in the same south London area.

Meanwhile, in a separate operation, officers in Birmingham held a 21-year-old man at a property in the Handsworth area on suspicion of preparing to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "Officers are continuing to carry out searches at the address. The arrest was pre-planned and intelligence-led. There was no immediate threat to public safety.
Expanding their footprint in UP, UK visa service was today started in Lucknow, which will encourage more people from the state to visit Britain for tourism, study and investment purpose, British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith said.

"I am delighted to visit the most populous state to find out how UP and UK can work more closely together," he said welcoming the first batch of applicants at the visa centre which was inaugurated today.

"The UK already has more visa application centres in India than any other country and I am pleased that we are expanding our footprints in UP. There has been a growing demand for UK visas from the state and we hope that it will encourage more people from UP to think of the UK for tourism, study, trade and investments," High Commission press release quoted him as saying.

"New visa centre was announced during the UK Immigration Minister's visit to India. During the visit he had also announced a number of other improvements including a new application form for visitors and allowing first time visitors to use the priority visa service," said Nick Crouch UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) regional director of South and Southeast Asia.

The new visa service will be available on the third Tuesday of every month and will allow people to apply for UK visa in Lucknow for the first time.

These improvements have been well received and are all part of UKVI's strategy to make it quicker and easier for Indian citizens to apply for UK visas, Crouch said.

The British High Commissioner also met Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to discuss how the UK and UP could work more closely together.
The ruthlessness of Britain's dog trade has been exposed by a documentary which shows farmers keeping hundreds of bitches locked in giant sheds for breeding dogs, the country's favourite pet, on an industrial scale.

One farm exposed in a shocking undercover BBC Panorama investigation was found to have a licence for 300 breeding dogs.

The farm, in County Cavan, Ireland, is believed to ship puppies to the UK.

The puppies are generally removed from their mothers far too early and sent by rail or van to 'dealers' or pet shops to satisfy the public's growing demand.

Samantha Poling, a Scottish investigative journalist, currently working for BBC Scotland and BBC Panorama, said she found barns filled with dogs of all breeds, shrieking in cages, with no bedding or water bottles.

Using night vision cameras, she filmed the barns which were filled with dogs.

"Every breed, every age, every size. Many cowering in the corners, others shaking in the cages, with little or no bedding. What I'd discovered was a puppy farm - inspected and licensed by the local authority - where dogs were being farmed on an industrial scale," Poling wrote in the Independent.

At the puppy farm, Poling discovered a massive complex of barns. There were breeds of all kinds: Spaniels, Schnauzers, Dachshunds, Poodles.

She found that none of the runs she filmed had drinking bowls. Instead, there was a system of pipes. In order to access drinking water, the dogs would have to press their nose and mouth against the nozzle. A system usually only seen in battery pig farming, she says.

Mike Radford, an animal welfare legalisation expert, said: "It is treating dogs as though they were agricultural animals.

"I am appalled... It raised fundamental questions about the local authority's role. I would suggest it is failing," Radford was quoted as saying by The Sun.

When bred to her limit, a female dog can produce 5,000- pounds-worth of pups a year.

Many 'puppy farm' puppies come with complete pedigrees, but, a pedigree in itself, is not necessarily an indication of quality.

Dr John Bradshaw from the University of Bristol said: "This is a production facility run on an industrial scale to produce a very valuable commodity."



Cavan County Council, the authority responsible for licensing this farm, told the BBC that six inspections had been carried out in the last 12 months.

They say they "hadn't encountered any direct evidence of any welfare problems during inspections".

Further, the facility was "generally compatible" with dog breeding legislation.

The owner of the farm, Raymond Cullivan, did not respond to the BBC's requests for a comment, the report said.
Liquor firm United Breweries has withheld dividends payable to its beleaguered Chairman for the financial year 2015-16, following the directions of Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT).

The board of the company, in its meeting held on May 13, 2016, had recommended 115% dividend, which is Rs 1.15 per equity share of Re 1 for the financial year ended March 31, 2016.

UBL said it has been directed by Debt Recovery Tribunal, Karnataka to hold the dividends arising out of "shares in the company held by a director (including his joint holdings) and United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd, without its prior permission" without naming the director.

Accordingly, the company would withhold payments of proposed dividend on aforesaid shares, which is subject to approval by the shareholders in the ensuing annual general meeting," it said in a regulatory filing.

On the basis of his own holding of 2,13,53,620 shares in UBL as on March 2016, the dividend payable to Mallya is Rs 2.4 crore for the last fiscal.

UBL's nine promoter entities, including Mallya, have 8,11,88,930 shares in the company and the total dividend payable would be Rs 9.33 crore.

When contacted, a UBL spokesperson declined to comment on details.

UBL also informed that it has received another order from the income tax department requesting it to create a charge in favour of the central government for "any amount due or likely to be due" as tax demand of Rs 679.80 crore relating to defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

"The company has accordingly withheld payment of Rs 161 lakh relating to director commission payable to the aforesaid director," it said.

On March 7, the Debt Recovery Tribunal had barred Mallya from accessing $75 million (Rs 515 crore) exit payment from Diageo till the loan default case with SBI is settled while the ED registered a money laundering case against him in another default case.

Mallya is currently in the UK, amid tightening of the noose by various enforcement agencies and lenders who are trying to recover over Rs 9,000 crore dues from Kingfisher and its guarantors. His passport has been revoked and non-bailable warrant has been issued against him.





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The US today said it would lift some of its major sanctions on Myanmar to demonstrate its strong support for the political and economic progress made by new civilian government in the southeast Asian country which underwent over five decades of repressive military rule.

However, US President Barack Obama issued an executive order to continue national emergency with respect to Myanmar arguing that the country continues to "pose and unusual and extraordinary threat" to the national security and foreign policy of the US.

In a major development, the Treasury issued regulatory amendments intended to support trade with Myanmar; facilitate the movement of goods within Myanmar; allow certain transactions related to US individuals residing in Myanmar; and allow most transactions involving designated financial institutions.

Noting that Myanmar has made significant progress across a number of important areas since 2011, including the release of over 1,300 political prisoners, and a peaceful and competitive election among others, Obama in a communique to the Congress said, "despite these strides, the situation in the country continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."



Obama said concerns persist regarding continued obstacles to full civilian control of the government, the ongoing conflict and human rights abuses in the country, particularly in ethnic minority areas, and military trade with North Korea.

But he noted the US remains committed to working with both the new government and the people of Burma to ensure that the democratic transition is irreversible.

As such the Department of Treasury announced to lift sanctions from seven state-owned enterprises and three government owned banks.

It also added a general license authorising transactions related to US individuals residing in Burma, extended and expanded an existing general license authorising trade-related transactions, and updated an existing general license authorising certain banking services.

"These steps will help to facilitate trade with non-sanctioned businesses and, in turn, help the people and Government of Burma achieve a more inclusive and prosperous future," said Adam J Szubin, Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

Taken in concert with the regulatory amendments to allow most transactions with designated financial institutions, this leaves few US restrictions remaining related to banks in Myanmar.

To incentivise further democratic reforms and maintain pressure on targeted individuals and entities and the military, certain sanctions remain in place, the Treasury said.

As such, the Treasury identified as blocked and added to its list of sanctions six companies that are owned 50 per cent or more by Steven Law or Asia World Co Ltd.
A group of 41 prominent scholars, including several Indian-Americans from across the US have written to the California Department of Education opposing proposals to change "India" to "South Asia" in the state text books.

Signed by distinguished academics such as Barbara McGraw of Saint Mary's College of California, Diana Eck of Harvard University and Gerald James Larson of Indiana University, the letter called for a "representation of India and Hinduism that is consistent with the manner in which other cultures and religions are portrayed, and one which avoids Eurocentric biases".

In the letter dated May 5, this group of academicians under the name 'Social Science and Religion Faculty Group' (SSRFG) termed the recommendations to use "South Asia" in place of ancient India "anachronistic" and "not historical".

A copy of the letter accompanied a statement.

The group argued that the term "South Asia" is a post World War II geopolitical designation to account for the breakup of British India.

The academics pointed out that textbook narrative "refers to all other ancient geographical areas by their ancestral terms China, Japan, Egypt, Greece, etc". Only "India" is recommended for a change".

Earlier this year, the California Department of Education's (CDE) Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) had proposed to accept several changes to the textbook framework suggested by another group of academics named 'South Asia Faculty Group' (SAFG), the statement said.

The suggestions included replacing references to 'India' before 1947 with "South Asia" and "Hinduism" with "ancient Indian religions.

The group was led by academics Kamala Visweswaran of University of California, San Diego, and Robert Goldman of University of California, Berkeley, it added.

In its seven-page letter, SSRFG questioned these edits and said that SAFG's views did not constitute scholarly consensus as claimed by the latter.

The academics of SSRFG while welcoming "robust academic debate about the politics of India" in the academia cautioned that the debate is not "appropriately addressed in a K-12 textbook Framework narrative in California".

Calling into question the suggestion to replace the word "Hinduism" with "ancient Indian religions" the letter said "if anyone were to argue that Hinduism did not exist then as what we today refer to as "Hinduism", that would be an unfounded erasure of history on the grounds of semantics," said a statement issued on behalf of SSRFG.

Meanwhile, Harvard scholar Nathan Glazer has also called for using the term "India" for ancient Indian civilisation.

Writing as a response to the debate in New York Times he



said, "for ancient India, as known to the classical Greeks and to Alexander, and to Greek and Roman geographers, to Portuguese adventurers, to 17th and 18th century British, French and Dutch merchants, to British imperialists, what other term, or some equivalent, would serve? They could not conceive of it as "South Asia".

"They knew it as a distinctive civilisation, stretching from the Indus to the Ganges, from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean (and should we change that name, too?), with its own ancient languages, and classic texts, and religions descended from them," Glazer wrote.

The California Department of Education (CDE)'s Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) will be hearing the matter on May 19th where it would finalise its framework narrative for its school textbooks.

The narrative would be submitted to the State Board of Education (SBE) for its approval later this year, the press statement said.
The newly-elected AAP councillors today called on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who congratulated them for their victory in MCD bypolls.

Kejriwal, who is also AAP's national convener, asked the winners to work hard and serve Aam Aadmi in the best possible manner.

Out of the 13 wards, AAP won five seats in the bypolls which are Matiala, Tekhand, Nanakpura, Vikas Nagar and Ballimaran wards.

After AAP won five seats, Kejriwal thanked the people for helping the party emerge as the largest party in MCD bypolls.

MCD, which was trifurcated in 2012, has been a BJP-ruled body for nearly a decade. Out of the 13 wards, seven were previously held by BJP, one by RLD and five by Independents.

One Congress rebel won as an Independent from Bhati ward in South Delhi.
Union Minister and LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan today rubbished Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's statement that rule of law prevailed in Bihar saying there is a "collusion between VIP law-breakers and the state government".

The Opposition has been attacking the state government over recent murder of a youth in Gaya, allegedly by the son of now suspended JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi, and killing of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in Siwan.

Paswan demanded imposition of President's rule in Bihar.

In the context of surrender of Manorama Devi this morning, Paswan was asked as to why VIPs breaking laws were not arrested and they chose to surrender, he said, "It is due to a collusion between the state government and them (the VIP law-breakers)."



Dismissing Nitish Kumar's defence on law and order situation Paswan asked, "Will a CBI inquiry recommendation bring back journalist Rajdeo Ranjan?"



Flanked by BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, Paswan said, "Not only Siwan strongman Mohammad Shahbuddin, profile of every criminal has increased under the present government."



"Earlier telephone calls to shield a criminal used to come from one place, but it is now made from two places," the Minister said in an apparent dig at former political rivals Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad.

Earlier LJP's Parliamentary Board chief Chirag Paswan had met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and made a demand for imposing Central rule in the state.

Asked why ally BJP is not pressing for imposition of President's rule in Bihar though his party has been, Paswan said, "I am supremo of my party and talk about its view. Other parties have their own views."



Paswan said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is touring different state in pursuit of his prime ministerial ambitions but the governance in Bihar has been a "casualty".
Burkina Faso's military prosecutor denied reports that an arrest warrant for ex-president Blaise Compaore, currently living in neighbouring Ivory Coast, has been cancelled.

Chief prosecutor Armand Ouedraogo said last month that the warrant for Compaore had been cancelled over procedural irregularities, because it had been issued without first being formally requested by the state prosecution.

However, a senior prosecutor for the military court, who asked not to be named, told AFP that "the arrest warrant against Blaise Compaore has not been cancelled. I can even say that it was never cancelled".

Compaore has been living in Ivory Coast since he was overthrown in a popular uprising in October 2014 after ruling Burkina Faso with an iron fist for 27 years.

Burkinabe authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in December for his alleged role in the mysterious 1987 killing of his comrade, ex-president Thomas Sankara.
A wave of bombings struck outdoor markets and a restaurant in Shiite-dominated neighborhoods of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 69 people, officials said the latest in a string of attacks in and around the Iraqi capital that have left more than 200 dead in the past week.

The four separate bombings were a further challenge to the beleaguered government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is struggling to prove that his forces can maintain security in Baghdad and elsewhere.

One of the bombings Tuesday struck an outdoor market in the heavily Shiite district of Sadr City, a frequent bombing target.

In the wake of the blast, influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose support runs deep in the district named after his father, issued a statement Tuesday to his followers, saying the attacks "are the clearest evidence that your government has become unable to protect and provide you with security."



Fighters with al-Sadr's militia, Saraya Salam, deployed to the streets of Sadr city following the bombing, another indication of a lack of confidence in Iraq's official security forces.

In an online statement, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility only for the deadliest bombing of the day, which took place in Baghdad's northeastern Shaab neighborhood and where at least 34 people were killed and 75 others were wounded.

In that attack, a roadside bomb first exploded outside the concrete blast walls surrounding an open-air market, followed by a suicide bomber who blew himself up as people gathered to help the victims of the first explosion, a police officer said.

The IS statement said the attack was carried out by an Iraqi who targeted members of Shiite militias. The Associated Press could not verify the authenticity of the statement but it was posted on a militant website commonly used by extremists.

Later in the afternoon today, a suicide car bombing hit a crowded outdoor market in Sadr City, killing 18 people and wounding 35 others. Sadr City has been one of the worst-hit districts as the Islamic State group has increasingly employed terrorist attacks against Iraqi civilians far from frontline fighting.

The attack came less than a week after a massive truck bomb in a crowded market here killed more than 60 and wounded over 80 on May 11.

Al-Sadr led anti-government protests last month that peaked with the breaching of the Green Zone, the highly fortified compound in the heart of Baghdad that's home to many ministries and foreign embassies.
Women and Child Development Ministry will create a national-level advisory council for women to advice government on the issues related to their entrepreneurship as the current business chambers are largely "male-dominated".

WCD minster Maneka Gandhi, during an interaction with reporters after releasing the draft National Policy for Women 2016 today, said the ministry will create 'Women Entrepreneur Council'.

"For years I have been watching ASSOCHAM and FICCI and both of them are really male-dominated with two bankers as women representatives. Where are the women...They only are the wives and form subsidiary committees.

"So, we thought of making a strong advisory council to the government made only of women which advices government on entrepreneurship, work timings, unorganized sector and other things like that," she said.

The council will emerge from the Ministry's online platform called 'E-Mahila Haat' launched recently to promote women entrepreneurship. Women will be voted on the website and the districts or states with highest votes will form the council.

"In the E-Mahila Haat we let women make anything including goods and services and put their products on the site free of cost. We help them get buyers and thousands of women have joined it and they have already sold 2.5 lakh items within the short time. More people are joining every day," Gandhi said.

"Once we get lakhs of women in this, which we will get in four to five months, they each get a vote. That vote will then translate into voting for district, state and the national women's entrepreneur council. This will come out of this site (mahila-e-haat), hopefully in a year when it stabilises," the Minister said.
Peeved at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation drawing water from reservoirs in their area, the scarcity-hit villages from Shahapur in neighbouring Thane district today threatened to stop the water supply to Mumbai if government fails to ensure adequate water for them.

Around 300 people, led by local BJP leader Santosh Shinde, who had embarked on the "Jaldindi Padyatra" on March 14 to register their protest against BMC, today reached Mumbai after covering the distance of around 75 km and met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Submitting their 10-point demands to CM, the group, including women, requested him that they be adopted by the BMC so that entire Shahapur taluka will become tanker-free.

"Through this padyatra, we demand adequate water provision for us too, otherwise, we will have no choice but to stop the supply of water which is being diverted to Mumbaikars from our soil," Shinde said while addressing the gathering at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.

He said they have submitted their demands to Fadnavis and are hopeful that their problems will get resolved soon.

The outskirts of Shahapur tehsil have four reservoirs of Bhatsa, Tansa, Modak Sagar and the Middle Vaitarna which supply 2,960 million litres of water to Mumbai every day through pipelines.

Shinde also added that they are not opposing the water supply to Mumbaikars per se.

"We are only highlighting our problems by asking that when there is water around us, why we are dying thirsty...We have nothing to drink...We have to walk kilometres to fetch a bucket of water," he said.

Shravan Telam, a resident of Kasara who reached Mumbai after walking 95 kms in blazing sun, said the water which is supplied to Mumbaikars for a day will suffice them for the whole year. "We want to convey this message to the state government," he added.

BJP MP Kapil Patil (Bhiwandi) also accompanied the protesters and urged the Chief Minister to do the needful to solve their woes.

"I along with representatives of the affected residents suggested the CM to convene a meeting involving all the stake-holders such as the officials of the BMC, irrigation and water supply departments, to which the CM readily agreed," Patil told PTI.

Underlining the gravity of the situation in the region, Patil said, "All the industrial units have been shut (in view of water scarcity) which has led to severe unemployment among youths, which needs to be addressed immediately.
A 65-year-old woman was killed and three others were injured when the SUV carrying them collided with a truck at Kashyappur under Uluberia police station in Howrah district today, police said.

Four persons, including two women, were going from Marishda in East Midnapore district to Kolkata airport.

The accident occurred on NH-6 when their SUV rammed into a moving truck killing Amala Singh on the spot and injuring the three others, police said.

The three are hospitalised.

Local people put up road blockade for over an hour to protest against the incident.
World and regional powers agreed today to try and turn Syria's shaky pause in fighting into a comprehensive cease-fire as a step toward ending the five-year war that left hundreds of thousands dead and fueled the rise of Islamic extremists.

Outlining other results, US Secretary of State John Kerry said participants set a June 1 deadline for the resumption of humanitarian aid to areas cut off from the outside world.

If land routes remain blocked, food aid will be air dropped and international pressure will be increased on those blocking such relief, he said.

Such pressure will also be applied to stop indiscriminate use of force by the Syrian military, Kerry added, without specifying what pressure the powers could apply.

But beyond such pledges the meeting did not devise any concrete ways to resolve the main problem standing in the way of peace - factional divisions. Without that, progress in ending the violence and reducing Syria's human misery can only be marginal and temporary.

Kerry said as much to reporters, declaring that to end the conflict "a variety of competing interests are going to have to be reconciled."



"Those involved in this conflict with competing agendas are going to have to prioritize peace," he said.

One key division continues to be the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Going into the talks, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier repeated the position held by the West and the Saudi-backed opposition that a peace agreement should outline steps leading to the end of his rule.

"This is necessary because there can be no lasting future for this country with Assad," he told reporters. "This is why we must start negotiations here in Vienna ... About what a transition government could look like."



Kerry did not directly mention Washington's public position that any comprehensive peace agreement must set a timetable for Assad's removal, saying only that "without a negotiated solution, Assad and his supporters will never end the war."



And he questioned suggestions that Assad was immune from international pressure to agree to a settlement. Any such conclusion by the Syrian leader is "without any foundation whatsoever, and it's very dangerous."



In a nod to Moscow, Assad's key international backer, Kerry said Russia "has made it very clear" that Assad has signed on to commitments that include participation in peace talks, constitutional change and elections.

"But he has yet to live up to the first one, which is to participate fully in the Geneva talks on a political transition," he said.

The diplomats also called on all parties to dissociate themselves from the Islamic State and the al-Qaida affiliate, known as the Nusra Front, Kerry said.
Senior envoys from world and regional powers gathered once again in Vienna today in an effort to salvage stumbling efforts to halt Syria's civil war.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov -- diplomacy's odd couple, at loggerheads over much else in the world -- are chairing the meeting, which began shortly after 0700 GMT.

At the gathering, the 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) will renew its call for a nationwide ceasefire and immediate humanitarian access to besieged areas.

But headaches were likely to persist over the third plank of the plan -- a call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime and the rebels to agree on a framework for a political transition.

US officials travelling with Kerry say Washington still insists Assad should go, with an August 1 deadline for settling on the framework under which he does so.

But the Syrian president, bolstered by military support from Russia and Iran, has shown no sign he is prepared to leave.

"There is no lasting future for Syria with Assad," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier as he arrived for the Vienna talks.

"That's why we need to discuss, under the auspices of the UN, what a transition government could look like and put things on the right track," he added.

So far, UN-mediated peace talks in Geneva under international envoy Staffan de Mistura have made little headway and now even Washington's allies privately doubt the August 1 date will be met.

"The target for August is to have a framework in place, a framework agreed, for a political transition," a senior State Department official told reporters in Vienna ahead of the meeting.

"We're talking to the Russians, trying to get a better environment for the political negotiations," he said. "Particularly on the regime side."



The opposition coalition, the official said, had been more open about how they would like to see the deal negotiated but Assad's people -- while publicly backing talks -- have not engaged.

"The regime is just not there, and I think that's really the key to it," he said.
The United Nations has raised only 16 per cent of the USD 1.8 billion needed to help war-torn Yemen, a "shockingly low" level of response to a funding appeal, a senior UN aid official said today.

Returning from a fact-finding mission to Yemen, John Ging said the crisis was worsening, with some 7.6 million people in urgent need of food aid and 2.5 million displaced from the conflict.

The impoverished country descended further into crisis last year when a Saudi-led coalition began an air campaign to push back Huthi rebels, who still retain control of the capital Sanaa.

The UN's director for humanitarian operations, Ging said the United States and Britain topped the list of donors to the UN aid appeal to Yemen, contributing USD 76 million and USD 54 million respectively.

Saudi Arabia, which is leading the air campaign in support of Yemen's government, last year contributed $245 million to the aid effort, but did not renew its contribution this year.

None of the Gulf countries are offering aid to the UN effort, said Ging, stressing that the donations in response to the appeals have "no strings attached".
India and WHO inks pact for promotion of traditional medicines

The agreement will help implementation of the 'WHO Traditional and Complementary Medicine Strategy: 2014-2023' and global promotion of traditional Indian systems of medicine

The agreement will help implementation of the 'WHO Traditional and Complementary Medicine Strategy: 2014-2023' and global promotion of traditional Indian systems of medicine

Ministry of AYUSH has signed a Project Collaboration Agreement (PCA) with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva on May 13, 2016 for cooperation on promoting the quality, safety and effectiveness of service provision in traditional and complementary medicine.



The PCA aims to support WHO in the development and implementation of the WHO Traditional and Complementary Medicine Strategy: 2014-2023 and will contribute to the global promotion of traditional Indian systems of medicine.



The PCA for the period 2016-2020 will deliver for the first time WHO benchmark document for training in Yoga, and WHO benchmarks for practice in Ayurveda, Unani and Panchakarma. These will contribute significantly to the strengthening of national capacities in ensuring the quality, safety and effectiveness of traditional medicine including in establishing regulatory frameworks for traditional medicine products and practice and promote their integration in national systems.



Shripad Naik, Minister of State of AYUSH, reiterated the high priority attached by the Government of India for the promotion of traditional medicine both in India and abroad and highlighted the numerous initiatives undertaken to functionally integrate AYUSH in Indias national health programmes and for achieving universal health coverage.



The minister also mentioned that the initiatives and activities undertaken by India within the country align with the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023. He added that India, in fact, sets a unique example for adopting a pluralistic health care delivery system that allows every recognised medical system to develop and be practiced with a view to provide integrated and holistic services.



The PCA with WHO is a further recognition of Indias rich experience in the development and governance of traditional medicine. It will pave the way for Indias long-term collaboration with the WHO in fostering the global promotion and integration of AYUSH systems of medicine including through the inclusion of Ayurveda and Unani in the International Classification of diseases and the International Classification of Health interventions.

BS B2B Bureau
As a part of expansion strategy, Gujarat-based milk ice cream brand Havmor will open 10 exclusive ice cream parlours in New Delhi by June 2016 and another 25 by the end of the year, informed Ankit Chona, Managing Director, Havmor Ice Cream.

Apart from this, the brand will also invest Rs 100 crore over the next three years to set up its manufacturing facility at Faridabad with a production capacity of 100,000 litres of ice cream per day. The first phase of the factory is aimed to be completed by early December 2016, which will be used for production and distribution across the northern market. With the new facility - along with its two existing plants in Gujarat - the company's production capacity will reach 350,000 litres of ice cream per day.

Delhi is Havmor's eighth market in India, said Pradeep Chona, CMD, Havmor Ice Cream. It already has over 30,000 retail outlets in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Telangana.

The company currently offers 160+ flavours of ice cream across mass market and premium ranges. Some of the interesting flavours that are innovations from its R&D unit are the saffron pine nut, whisky-flavoured and the Chotta Bheem range of ice creams, said Ankit Chona.

The total industry is expected to grow to Rs 7,000 crore by 2018, said Ankit Chona, which also includes the frozen dessert segment.

The company's offerings are in the form of cones, 98 per cent fat free, 100 per cent sugar free, ice cream cakes, ice cream sandwich and many others in the price range of Rs 10 to Rs 350.

Incorporated in 1944, the company says it did sales of Rs 450 crore in the previous fiscal and aims to increase the turnover to Rs 1,000 crore by 2020. Twenty per cent of the company's sales comes from exclusive retail outlets and the rest from general trade stores, informed Ankit Chona.
Government on Monday said that trading of the Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) will begin by month-end and the fourth tranche of the scheme will be launched thereafter.

The decision to launch the trading of the SGB by May-end was taken at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das recently to review the progress of the gold related schemes.

"On the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme, it was discussed that tradability of the bonds will be started by the end of May and fourth tranche of the SGB will be launched soon," a Finance Ministry statement said.

It was also decided to ask the banks to put concerted efforts to mobilise more gold under the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) to help the government achieve the objectives of the scheme.

Under the GMS, it said, total gold collected under Short Term Bank Deposit (STBD) and Medium and Long Term Government Deposit (MLTGD) is 2,891 kgs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched these schemes on November 5.

There are 46 collection and purity verification centers (CPTCs), eight refiners and one jeweler certified/accredited by the BIS.

Das further asked the banks to put concerted efforts to mobilise more gold under the GMS in order to achieve the scheme's objectives and increase the number of tripartite and bipartite agreements with CPTCs and refiners.

He directed the Banks and Indian Bankers Association (IBA) to rope in the eligible jewelers to act as CPTCs in the scheme especially in the areas where CPTC's presence is negligible.

Banks were also directed to adopt a practical approach while asking for guarantees or collaterals from the CPTCs, it said.

It was decided that IBA in association with World Gold Council will design an exhaustive media campaign which will be supported by the government.
The mergers of public sectors bank are back on the agenda. And this time it looks real.

Taking the lead is the country's largest bank, the State bank of India (SBI). In a board meeting on Tuesday, the bank discussed the possibility of acquiring its five associate banks. But bank has also issued a caveat that the "discussion is purely exploratory at this stage and not certain".

In fact , the call would be taken by the owner or the government. "A proposal seeking an in-principle approval to start negotiations with associate banks will be submitted to the Central government," says SBI.

SBI's associate banks include State Bank Of Bikaner & Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Travancore.

In addition to these five banks, the SBI board members also discussed the possibility of acquiring India's first bank targeted at women - Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB). "SBI would explore this acquisition once the Central government gives an in-principle approval to start negotiations with BMB," says SBI.

Why is merger not a good idea at this juncture ?



A Forced Merger --- Clearly , this is a forced merger by the government, which is pushing for consolidation in the public sector banking space. The current chief Arundhati Bhattacharya has earlier gone on record that the merger of associate banks is not a priority at the current juncture.

Current challenges far more important than a merger -- It's a fight for survival for PSBs as the digital banking initiatives rolled out by private banks and fintech companies are giving a tough fight to government banks. In fact, many banks are yet to wake up to this reality. In fact, Bhattacharya was pulling all the resources to face the current challenges where she has launched a mobile wallet, digital branches and also tied up with Reliance Industries for a payment bank.

Not much gain in terms of size--- While the SBI do get the banks cheap as valuations are down , but in terms of balance sheet, the SBI already has a size where the difference between the SBI and the second player is as high as Rs 12 to Rs 13 lakh crore. But a merger of associate banks brings all sorts of challenges in terms of people, technology, product and branch integration, which takes many years. The entire management bandwidth would go on resolving the merger pangs.

4) Biting off more than it can chew -- so far SBI has merged only two associate banks in the last 8-9 years. Bank of Saurashtra was merged in 2008 followed by State Bank of Indore in 2010. The merger proposal was discussed in later years, but was not pursued further as other pressing issues came in. The merger of all the five associate banks is too bold a decision. In fact, the government also looks very keen to merge the newly set up Mahila Bank with SBI.

5) Capital and NPA challenges -- Clearly, the PSBs are passing through a difficult period with deteriorating asset quality and fast receding capital base. The banks need capital for absorbing many of the losses out of stressed assets. Given the merger of associate banks , there is likely to be pressure on the bank's valuation in the market in the medium to longer term. This would create newer challenges for the SBI, which was so far much better than the other PSBs in terms of performance.




Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on Monday allayed fears over nonperforming assets (NPAs) of public sector banks (PSBs) saying they have reached the peak level and the situation would get better with improvement in the six stressed sectors, including steel, power, highways and sugar.

At the Indian Women Press Corps event here, Jaitley said, "With the provisioning in the last few quarters taking place, at least, transparency has come about. You cannot conceal the balance sheets of the banks. So, whatever was the actual position, it has peaked. Once the balance sheet improves in some of the sectors, I think it will start tapering down and therefore, the peaks probably have been reached or thereabout."

There is also a heavy concentration of NPAs among select corporate houses, including Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines (KFA). The banks are facing an uphill task in recovering the money from Mallya as he is holed up in the UK. Mallya is facing money laundering charges as well as recovery of Rs 9,400 crore of loans to his defunct KFA.

Jaitley said the investigative agencies will make every endeavour to bring Mallya back to face the law. Last week, Britain told India that it cannot deport Mallya, but could consider an extradition request for him. "There are two separate procedures- one is deportation another is extradition.

UK in deportation has conventionally never been helpful. They always take a plea that once somebody has entered with legitimate travel documents, they don't deport that person," Jaitley explained. "Then they expect you to go through the extradition process, which is as per the law. The requirement is once you file a charge sheet in court, you start the extradition process and that the due process of law is taken forward. I think the agencies will make every endeavour under the options available," the finance minister added.
The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) Business Chairman, Martin Stapleton, has written to banks challenging them to engage actively with their farmer customers to support them in tackling the short-term cashflow pressures that will be experienced by farmers across many sectors in 2016.



The IFA is calling on banks to extend working capital to farmers and the agri-supply sector, as well as more flexible and affordable restructuring options to alleviate cash-flow difficulties.



Mr Stapeton said, "There is a very important role for the banks to play in reducing the fears that customers may have about approaching their bank. I have made clear to the banks that they must be proactive in communicating with their farmer customers."

He added, "In particular, I have asked them to write directly to their customers to alert them to the supports that are available, and to assure them that the bank is aware of the external factors contributing to the cashflow difficulties on farms this year."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

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It was announced on Friday that Moodys rating agency has upgraded Irelands sovereign rating one notch to A3, with a positive outlook.



This upgrade continues the recent trend of each of the major ratings agencies successively raising Irelands sovereign rating. The driving force behind Moody's positive assessment is the continuing and material improvement in Ireland's economic growth which has become more broadly-based.

Furthermore, the performance in reducing Irelands public debt ratio over the past year and improving the funding base of the banking sector with a sounder funding base represents a reduced risk to the State.



Moodys believes that while a UK exit from the EU would have negative repercussions for Ireland, the risk would be manageable for the economy.



Commenting on the upgrade, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said, "The fact that Irelands economic growth rate is the highest in the EU and that the public finances have been placed on a sustainable footing is a clear factor in Moodys decision to upgrade Irelands rating to A3 with a positive outlook."

He added, "It matches similar decisions by the other major ratings agencies to rank Ireland clearly at Investment grade. This proves Ireland is progressing in the correct direction."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

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A British exit from the European Union could hurt the credit ratings of other EU countries with close trade or financial ties to Britain, including Germany, France, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands, Fitch said on Monday.

The ratings agency has already said it will review Britain's rating, currently AA+ with a stable outlook, if the "Out" campaign wins June 23's referendum, something it stressed was not its "base case" scenario.

If it does happen though, it would create widespread uncertainty for the whole European bloc as governments and businesses try to get to grips with the breakaway process.

"We would not expect to take any immediate negative rating actions on other EU sovereigns if the UK left," Fitch said in a report published on Monday.

"But negative actions would become more likely in the medium term if the economic impact were severe or significant political risks materialised."

The economic damage caused by Brexit would be lower for the EU than for the UK, but it would still be palpable, it added.

In pure trade terms, the most exposed countries would be Ireland, Malta, Belgium, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Luxembourg, for which exports of goods and services to Britain account for at least 8 percent of GDP.

Strong links between their own and the British banking systems could mean Germany, France and Spain are also hit hard.

The magnitude of the impact would depend primarily on what post-exit trading arrangements are made between Britain and the EU and on the potential political repercussions elsewhere in the 28-country bloc.

"Brexit would create a precedent for countries leaving the EU," Fitch said. "If the UK were to thrive outside of the EU, it might encourage other countries to follow suit."

An "Out" vote could precipitate Scotland leaving the UK, Fitch said, which might intensify secessionist pressures in regions like Catalonia in Spain.

Fears that more countries might leave could widen bond spreads for peripheral countries, potentially increasing the average cost of debt and making it more challenging to reduce governments' debt-to-GDP ratios, the rating agency added.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who heads the Eurogroup of finance minister told Reuters last week some countries might deliberately try to make Brexit negotiations messy, to make it "very, very difficult and unattractive for others to contemplate going down the same road".

"I'm sure that there will be some that would argue that, OK, this is a matter of fact, let's deal with it, and others that will be very concerned about what happens in other EU countries," Dijsselbloem, who is Dutch finance minister, said.

Fitch said that if Britain leaves the bloc it joined in 1973, political risks would increase in the EU.

"It is not predictable exactly how these would play out, but tail risks could be material and potentially lead to negative rating action," the rating agency said. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie

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It was announced today that Ryanair will create over 1,000 new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers in 2016.

Over 450 of these new jobs will be located at Ryanairs 13 UK airport bases to support its 14 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, an investment of over $1.4bn in the British economy.

These new jobs will bring to more than 3,500 aviation professionals that Ryanair employs directly in Britain, in addition to sustaining thousands of support jobs at Ryanairs 18 UK airports.



Welcoming the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon George Osborne MP, to its new European Training Centre today, Ryanairs CEO Michael OLeary called for a strong Remain vote in the European Referendum on 23rd June next. OLeary commented, "The single market has enabled Ryanair to lead the low fare air travel revolution in Europe, as we bring millions of British citizens to Europe each year, and welcome millions of European visitors to Britain, and we are calling on everyone to turn out in large numbers and vote Remain on the 23rd June."

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne added, "Im delighted to be at Ryanair today to hear about their plans to create 450 new highly skilled jobs this year in the UK, and welcome their call for Britain to remain part of the European Union. Todays announcement is just another example of how British jobs and livelihoods directly benefit from being part of the European Union."



Source: www.businessworld.ie
The Inaugural Business 2 Business Awards took place last week at the Marker Hotel in Dublin.

The award categories cover everything from business banks to IT, with the overall Grand Prix awarded to the best of the category winners.

Any organisation or individual based in Ireland is eligible for the awards, with candidates being judged based on a number of different factors, such as innovation, service, and professionalism.

The awards were hosted by Bobby Kerr and the judges included several high-ranking Irish business professionals, such as Professor Andrew Burke, Dean of Trinity Business School and Chair of Business Studies and Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland and Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce.



Aer Lingus took home the award for Business Airline of the Year and Eir won the award for Business Telecoms of the Year. Cpl won the Grand Prix and also the award for Recruitment Firm of the Year.



Cpl CEO, Anne Heraty said, "Winning one award is a huge achievement, to win both is amazing. As a growing business, to receive this sort of recognition not only amongst our competitors but also amongst our peers is a wonderful endorsement."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

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IKEA have today revealed plans to open their first Order and Collection Point in Ireland as part of its expansion programme in the Irish market.



The company claims it is part of a strategy to test and explore new sales channels that make IKEA more accessible to customers.



The new Order and Collection Point will not carry the full product range to take home, but customers will be able to order from the full range available at the IKEA Dublin Store for home delivery or for collection at the collection point. In addition, a small range of products will be available for customers to take home on the day of their visit.



The new service will act primarily as a planning studio to plan and order more complex purchases such as kitchens, wardrobes and sofas.



IKEA Dublin Carrickmines Order and Collection Point will be located in The Park, Carrickmines and is expected to open in summer 2016. Recruitment for a team of 30 multi-skilled co-workers has now begun.



IKEA Order and Collection Development Manager, Jack Jackson says, "We want to make our products and services available to more people and we are really excited to be bringing this unique new format to the south side of Dublin."

He added, "Located just off Junction 15 of the M50, IKEA Dublin Carrickmines Order and Collection Point will be highly accessible via the Luas Green Line, through public bus service and by vehicle with ample car parking facilities available."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
An organisation comprising some of the biggest suppliers of medicines in Ireland has claimed medicine pricing negotiations will only succeed if reformers with a track record of change are at the talks table, otherwise patients and taxpayers will get a bad deal.

The Healthcare Enterprise Alliance (HEA), who have put forward proposals to save the State almost 130million in its medicines budget, have yet to engage with Government on the next medicines agreement which will set drug prices for the next four years.



HEA President, Sandra Gannon said, "The Department of Health and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform are seeking to strike a deal with branded pharma companies, excluding reformers who have a track record of delivering change. The logic of segregating the pharmaceutical market into branded and generic companies is outdated. Most companies have a presence in both categories."

She added, "Competition and innovation are the biggest drivers in delivering more sustainable and accessible medicines to patients. We have seen in recent years what can be achieved by bringing a reforming ethos to medicine prescribing, dispensing and pricing."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
The International Congresses and Conventions Association (ICCA) have today released their latest rankings which show that Dublin is rising six places to enter the global top twenty for hosting conferences and conventions.



Business tourism is one of the highest yield sectors in tourism, worth over 580m a year to the economy and the sector generates 20,000 jobs in Ireland.

Business tourists or international delegates are valued at two to three times that of a leisure tourist and on average each delegate will extend their stay to nearly three days on top of their business commitment.



Already in the first three months of this year, Failte Ireland has secured conferences worth 45m for Ireland and identified over 190 new leads to follow as the tourism authority seeks to grow the business tourism sector in Ireland.

The agency works closely with a wide variety of suppliers from Convention Bureaux to Professional Conference Organisers, Destination Management Companies to venues, hotels and academic institutions in order to increase the number of meetings in Ireland.



Failte Irelands Head of Business Tourism, Miriam Kennedy says, "These solid results reflect the hard work on the ground from everybody involved in Irelands conference sector. We are certainly punching above our weight with Dublin and Ireland ranking ahead of larger and more established destinations."

She added, "We are still hungry for more business and have ambitious growth plans for Dublin and regional centres such as Cork, Limerick, Kerry and Galway. Throughout this year we will be chasing every lead and pitching for every potential win to ensure we continue to rise up the rankings."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
The Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) has today called on the Taoiseach to ensure that a minister with direct responsibility for the SME sector and a brief to develop indigenous small and medium enterprises is re-appointed.



The ISME claim the new Government must shift the focus from the 'multinationals at all costs' approach to adopting a policy that also assists in the promotion of indigenous enterprise and in particular the development of SMEs.



ISME Chief Executive, Mark Fielding says, "SMEs account for 99% of all business entities and Government needs to show its commitment to the Irish SME sector, which employs over 850,000, generates over 12 billion for the exchequer annually, by re-appointing a SME minister with direct responsibility for developing, stimulating and incentivising indigenous business."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

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Maxol Hearse Road, Donabate, officially opened this month following an extensive refurbishment and investment of 2 million. It led to the creation of 25 full and part time jobs in a welcome boost to the local area.



This latest achievement follows the creation of at least a further 70 jobs in the Fingal area with the opening of Maxol Mulhuddart in early April. This is Maxols flagship site, and a milestone in many respects with brand new food franchises introduced to enhance the existing award-winning food offering.



Maxol welcomed Brendan Ryan TD to its new site at Donabate in North East Dublin on Friday, where the local politician was warmly greeted by Maxols Chief Executive, Tom Noonan, along with Maxol Licensees, Fergal and Ger Ralph and their Donabate staff.



Brendan Ryan TD commented, "It really is fantastic to see a multi-million Euro investment made in the Fingal area by a reputable Irish family-owned company such as Maxol. It is great for both the community in terms of supporting employment but also in the provision of excellent products and services to both locals and visitors alike."

CEO of The Maxol Group, Tom Noonan added, "This is all part of Maxols wider development plan, which includes a particularly heavy investment in the Leinster area due to its high population density. Weve an incredible 7 sites in total opening this year in Leinster alone, 3 of which are already up and running and 4 more will be opening shortly."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

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Chief executive officers of S&P 500 companies on average made 335 times more money than the average rank-and-file worker last year, down from a multiple of 373 in 2014, according to a union study released on Tuesday.

The figures released annually by the AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. federation of labor unions, are likely to gain attention. Pay disparities, which have persisted despite a steady American economy that has reduced the joblessness rate to around 5 percent and raised wages somewhat, have fueled political debate.

The average production and non-supervisory worker made around $36,900 last year, up from roughly $36,000 in 2014, according to a statement from the AFL-CIO.

Meanwhile the average CEO of an S&P 500 company made $12.4 million last year, down from $13.5 million in 2014. An AFL-CIO spokeswoman said the lower average CEO compensation figure reflected how for many the present value of future pension benefits declined.

Union leaders said the figures showed how pay decisions do not favor the average worker. "The income inequality that exists in this country is a disgrace," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement. "We must stop Wall Street CEOs from continuing to profit on the backs of working people."

The high levels of executive pay have drawn criticism from both Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump in the current U.S. presidential campaign.

Nonetheless, top shareholders have overwhelmingly supported management on executive compensation decisions, according to the advisory "say on pay" votes most public companies hold annually.

Starting in 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will require public companies to disclose the ratio of the pay of their CEO to the median compensation of their employees. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Cade Austin, 30, arrested and charged with attempted murder and other charges. Police claim Austin crashed his vehicle and then brandished a handgun and shot at paramedics before being shot himself.

LOGAN  Cade Austin has pleaded guilty to attempted murder and aggravated assault, for shooting at first responders during a traffic accident near Lewiston, last winter. The 31-year-old Preston, Idaho man appeared in 1st District Court Tuesday morning accepting a plea deal that will cancel a four-day trial that was scheduled for June.

Austin stood next to his public defender, Bryan Galloway, as he pleaded guilty to attempted murder and aggravated assault, both amended to second-degree felonies. As part of the deal, prosecutors dropped the remaining charges.

On December 15, Austin was driving a Pontiac Sunfire, northbound on US-91, when he ran off the road, striking a gas line and coming to a stop in a bar pit. He then brandished a handgun and exchanged gunfire with an EMT who arrived on the scene to treat him.

Austin continued to wave the gun around inside the vehicle while drinking alcohol from a bottle. He was later pulled from the car by SWAT team members after losing consciousness. He was transported to a hospital by ambulance and treated for gunshot wounds to the chest and right shoulder.

During Tuesdays hearing, prosecutor Spencer Walsh told the court that toxicology results showed Austin had a blood alcohol level of .412 after the accident.

Outside the courtroom, Galloway said the level of alcohol in Austins system played a substantial part in working out the plea agreement with prosecutors.

It would have been a question of whether he could even formulate the intent to kill somebody, given how much alcohol he had going through his system at that time, said Galloway. Im no expert on that. We would have had to have experts come in and give their professional expert opinion as to how that would have affected his thought process and if he could have even formulate that intent.

Austin spoke only briefly during Tuesdays hearing, telling Judge Kevin Allen that he understood the ramifications of his guilty plea and that he was not being coerced.

Galloway said he is hopeful that the judge will show some leniency at the time of sentencing.

Hopefully getting Cade back on his feet. His family looks forward to getting him back and going in the right direction. Hopefully it wont be something that sets him back to far in life and I think he still could be a very productive member of society.

Judge Allen scheduled sentencing for June 27. Austin is being held in the Cache County Jail without bail and could face up to 15-years in prison.

<hr /><p style=text-align: center;>will@cvradio.com
Syrian activist Mazen Darwish's stand for transitional justice

Published on May 14, 2016

Story by Lucas TRIPOTEAU Translation by: Catherine Combes

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The Syrian lawyer, former detainee and current president of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, was in Brussels to talk about post-conflict Syria.

On Wednesday, May 11th, a dozen people attended the general conference organized by the CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies) on post-conflict Syria and the reconstruction of the country.

While three participants shared their views on the legal and political tools the various external powers could use to put an end to the conflict and commented on the reasons why past negociations failed, Mazen Darwish was the most eagerly awaited of the speakers.

Syrian lawyer and Human Rights advocate, he was arrested on February 16th, 2012 in Syria, and was detained for almost three and a half year before national authorities released him on August 10th, 2015. Now as president of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, he travels the world to make his voice heard and draw attention to the civil war that's been raging in his country for five years.

He received the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize in 2015, and he was able to meet with representants of the European Commission and of the International Federation for Human Rights before his talk at the CEPS conference

The need for transitional justice

While it might seem premature or overly optimistic to talk of post-conflict Syria, given how entangled the situation still is, it is crucial to prepare for it in order to avoid total chaos like what we can observe in Lybia today. That was the central theme of the conference, and the reason why Mr. Darwish was invited to participate in it, since he had already expressed his thoughts on the matter. He highlights two main points: transitional justice and responsibility.

Transitional justice is similar to the process that went on after the 2011 revolution in Tunisia. This is not the revenge of one part of the society on another one, as there can be no peace without justice, in Mr. Darwish's eyes. It is about drawing consequences from an oppressive regime without endangering the institutional balance of the state. In no way can this be the justice of a dominant group of "winners" at the expense of an other group. Transitional justice aims at rebuilding the country, gradually and in a non-violent fashion.

Mr. Darwish admits that "acknowledging responsibilty [of all, not just of the defeated party] and transitional justice are key to finding reconciliation in Syria". According to him, that is the only political solution that can save the country from the crisis it experiences now and allow all communities to live together peacefully. If such a solution cannot be found, minorities will end up being marginalized and their safety will be jeopardized.

 The European Union needs to help rebuild Syria

Another issue was extensively discussed during the conference: the involvement of foreign powers in the conflict. Like the other speakers, Mr. Darwish was critical of them and reminded that, beyond an internal battle within Syrian society, the crisis is a "regional war in which foreign countries defend their own interests". Still, in his view, "the European Union is geographically close to Syria and ought to be fully involved in peace talks and the reconstruction of the country".

That necessitates the elaboration of an ambitious plan: " We need to come up with a Marshal Plan for Syria, on an economic, political and social level". All foreign powers need to work together, Russia included, since it is a central actor in the Middle East.

Commenting on the involvement of foreign powers, Mazen Darwish stressed that it has to be thought about in relation to the refugee crisis and the way Western countries, especially the European Union, have been dealing with it. Refugees "are fleeing from oppression and terrorism, but also from future retaliation [...] We need to take those issues into account when discussing the waves of refugees coming to Europe".

According to Mr. Darwish, the problem with the EU approach is that it fails to act at the root of the problem. In reference to the agreement recently signed between the European Union and Turkey, he says: "I fully understand that the refugee crisis is preoccupying, but we need to deal with the specific reasons that caused Syrians to flee to Europe. The European Union needs to be aware of what is happening in Syria, and to move away from short-term solutions to the crisis to look at its long-term causes."

He ends mentionning the refugees who have already left Syria. "Another preoccupying element is the situation of the refugees who have arrived in Europe and neighboring countries. We need to create a positive, welcoming environment for them", especially economically and socially.

Story by Lucas TRIPOTEAU

Translated from L'activiste syrien Mazen Darwish pour une justice transitionnelle
From housing economist Tom Lawler:



Based on publicly-available state and local realtor/MLS reports released through today, I project that US existing home sales as estimated by the National Association of Realtors ran at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.44 million in April, up 2.1% from Marchs preliminary pace, and up 5.8% from last Aprils seasonally adjusted pace. On the inventory front, national home listings typically show a sizable seasonal increase from March to April, and local realtor/MLS data suggest that was the case last month. However, these data suggest that this Aprils increase was noticeable smaller than last Aprils gain, and I project that the NARs estimate for the number of existing homes for sale at the end of April will be 2.10 million, up 6.1% from Marchs preliminary estimate but down 5.4% from last April.



Finally, local/realtor/MLS data suggest that the NARs estimate of the median existing single-family home sales price in April will be up by about 6.0% from last April.



While home sales in most areas of the country last month were higher than last April, there were a few notable exceptions. For example, homes sales in both the Portland, Oregon area and in the Denver, Colorado area  which have been hot and where home prices have increased substantially over the past two years  were down from a year ago last month. In both areas the months supply of homes for sale has been incredibly low, and in both areas active listings increased sharply on the month, though from extremely low levels. Existing home sales were also down sharply from a year ago in the Bay Area of California, where prices have also increased sharply over the past few years and where the months supply of homes for sale has been extremely low. Realtors blame last months slow sales pace in these areas not simply to the low overall inventory of homes for sale, but mainly to the exceptionally low inventory levels of affordable homes for sale.



In Texas, the sizable divergence in sales trends by different areas continued, as residential sales in the North Texas area (which includes the Dallas-Fort Worth area) last month were up by over 14% YOY, while sales in the Houston area were down by almost 2% YOY.



CR Note: The NAR is scheduled to release April existing home sales on Friday, and the consensus is for 5.40 million SAAR.
Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Assistant City Manager Mark Van Vleck shows a tuberculated pipe to Mayor Nelda Martinez and City Councilman Rudy Garza as he talks about long-term solutions to the water problems the city is facing. City manager Ron Olson resigned Tuesday over the boil water notice.

By Matt Woolbright and Kirsten Crow of the Caller-Times

Early Tuesday morning, City Manager Ron Olson decided it was time to step down.

Several hours later, the news of his resignation would be announced during the City Council meeting. An email sent to council members notified them of the development shortly before the meeting.

In part, the water boil advisory that went into effect Friday drove the decision. It is the third in 10 months.

Olson doesn't believe anyone in the water department is negligent. Ultimately, he  as the manager of city operations  should be accountable, he said.

"If it happens here, I'm the guy who is ultimately responsible," said Olson, who has served as the city of Corpus Christi's manager for five years. "And that's true of this situation, too."

It wasn't the entire reason  he had already been thinking about stepping down, starting around last summer, Olson said.

He had begun to question "how much good I can do for the time I'm put in here," he said.

"The first several years I was here, it seemed like we were on an accelerated pace of improving things, and that pace slowed down," Olson said. "And it just got me thinking about, am I doing as much good as I'd hoped to be able to do."

Olson was a finalist in July for the city manager job in Henderson, Nevada, a city of about 300,000, but withdrew his name from consideration. Earlier this year he signed a three-year contract extension to continue work at the city of Corpus Christi.

It's expected his office will be empty by Wednesday evening. Olson is taking his accrued leave, which will likely amount to three or four months.

His departure is the fourth of the top five executive positions among city employees. Former assistant city managers Wes Pierson, Susan Thorpe and Gustavo Gonzalez resigned from their posts in November, January and February, respectively. Deputy City Manager Margie Rose is the only remaining employee from that group.

In the past five years, there have been strides made in the city's internal operations and financial condition, and progress in discussions related to street work and consolidation of the wastewater treatment plants, among other big-ticket items, Olson said.

Under Olson's leadership, the city accomplished more in three years than it had the past 10, said Mayor Nelda Martinez.

His resignation was a surprise, but the council will regroup, she added.

Olson thanked the mayor and the council in a news release, writing that he wanted to "gratefully acknowledge the many fine people I have worked with over the past five years."

"I will always treasure the associations and friendships that have blessed my life," he wrote.

He doesn't have firm plans, Olson said, and he hasn't decided whether he will retire.

"I've been doing this a long time and it's kind of hard to let go of it," Olson said. "I think I still have a contribution to make, so I'm going to seriously think about getting another job."

It's expected discussion about hiring a new city manager will appear on next week's council agenda.

Now is an opportunity to evaluate, Olson said.

"It's a good time for the City Council to ask themselves how they want to govern, what kind of partnerships they want to have with each other and with the new city manager ... and what is it that they want to accomplish," he said. "I think they are going to have to ask themselves and answer those questions as they make those decisions on the next appointment."

Twitter: @reportermatt

Ron Olson Resignation Letter 5 16 16 by callertimes

IN OTHER BUSINESS, THE COUNCIL:

Approved on first reading a rezoning request for Salvation Army that will enable the nonprofit to construct transitional housing at its existing property at 1820 Buford St. The property currently includes a gym, chapel and baseball fields. The council will need to affirm the vote on second reading to finalize the rezoning.

Approved sale of Fountain Park at 4938 Moody to Seaside Builders for $70,000, and Mt. Vernon Park at 5151 McArdle Road to Corpus Christi Retail Venture and Corpus Christi Area Council for the Deaf for about $1.76 million.

Began reviewing potential amendments to the taxi cab ordinance.

Approved a waiver that allows Uber supporters to begin gathering signatures immediately to petition for an alternative ride-hailing ordinance to appear on the November ballot
Contributed photo Corpus Christi police are looking for this man who they believe made a hole in a jewelry store wall and took about $500,000 in jewelry.

SHARE Contributed photo Corpus Christi police are looking for this man who they believe made a hole in a jewelry store wall and took about $500,000 in jewelry.

By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times

Corpus Christi police are looking for a man who made a hole in a wall to get into a jewelry store and took about $500,000 worth of property.

According to a Corpus Christi police news release, about 5:20 a.m. Monday the owners of the business arrived at the store in the 6300 block of South Padre Island Drive and found a hole in the back concrete wall.

After looking at surveillance video, she found a man had made the hole and he went through all of the jewelry cases inside.

The man left the store through the hole he made, the release states.

The man was not identified or located. No arrests have been made Tuesday, police said.

Twitter: @CallerNatalia
GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Annie Saavedra places a flower on a wreath in honor of her father police officer James Saavedra from the Port of Corpus Christi during the 10th Annual Coastal Bend Peace Officer's Memorial on Monday at the Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center

SHARE GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Members of the Nueces County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division salute during the 10th Annual Coastal Bend Peace Officer's Memorial on Monday at the Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Police officer Eryca Gonzalez from the Corpus Christi Police Department sings the national anthem Monday during the 10th Annual Coastal Bend Peace Officer's Memorial at the Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Senior officer Gary Williams from the Corpus Christi Police Department plays taps Monday during the 10th Annual Coastal Bend Peace Officer's Memorial at the Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Police officer Veronica Martinez places a flower on a wreath Monday in honor of fallen officers during the 10th Annual Coastal Bend Peace Officer's Memorial at the Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center

By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times

Annie Saavedra, 13, sat in the front row and quietly waited to hear her father's name.

When she heard it, she got up from her seat, walked up to the stage and placed a red carnation on a wreath in his honor.

Her father, James Saavedra, died in the line of duty in 2007 after being shot during a training accident.

She said even though she was young and does not remember much, she can tell what type of man her father was by all the people who honored him Monday.

"This event is beautiful. It's beyond words," Annie Saavedra said. "I know my dad was a good man and I want to honor him and do this every year."

James Saavedra was one of several officers remembered Monday during the 10th annual Coastal Bend Regional Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony.

The purpose of the ceremony is to honor peace officers who have died in the line of duty.

About 200 Corpus Christi police officers, Nueces County Sheriff deputies, Port police officers, Border Patrol agents and other agencies attended the ceremony at the Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center.

Corpus Christi Police Chief Mike Markle said he feels fortunate to lead a department that is supported by residents.

"This is a time when we remember those who gave their lives to protect their community," Markle said. "And this is a time when we express our gratitude to the friends and family of those who have fallen and let them know that their loved ones will never be forgotten."

Rachel Wright, Annie Saavedra's mom, said being part of the memorial is always bittersweet.

She said every year her three children take turns placing a flower on the wreath to honor their father.

"It's amazing to see all officers come together and honor all officers who have fallen," Wright said. "It brings back memories and I feel the pain again of losing my husband but I always want my children to see that officers will always do this for their dad."

Mayor Nelda Martinez said officers provide freedom from everyday disorder that affects communities.

"These men and women have earned our gratitude because of what they have done to serve our community," Martinez said. "And today we have in our thoughts and prayers not just those that have made the ultimate sacrifice but also their families.

We know it's also a sacrifice they have made."

Twitter: @CallerNatalia
Contributed photo Photo showing Port of Corpus Christi, Harbor Bridge, SEA District.

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By Chris Ramirez of the Caller-Times

Forty-eight Hillcrest property owners so far say they want to sell, said the consultant coordinating the real estate acquisition and relocation program associated with the Harbor Bridge replacement project.

That number is expected to grow.

Del Richardson, program manager for the effort, unveiled the numbers Tuesday during a Port of Corpus Christi commission meeting.

In all, more than 500 document packets were sent on May 5 to property owners in Hillcrest, a historically black neighborhood on Corpus Christi's Northside. Those packets included information on relocation options for property owners.

A total of 292 cards were mailed back acknowledging having received the letter. A total of 48 "letters of interest" were received from owners indicating they wanted to sell their property, Richardson said.

"It's been a very busy month of May," she said.

The port has agreed to spend up to $20 million to move property owners from the Hillcrest neighborhood to make way for the replacement of the Harbor Bridge. The Texas Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the bridge project, says the new span's path is expected to impact Hillcrest.

The port hired Richardson's consulting group, Del Richardson & Associates, in April to handle the efforts to relocate residents. Property owners have three years from the time they receive their letter to decide whether to move.

In addition to those letters, property owners received two other documents  one that allows them to request for more information, another that asks them if they wanted to participate in what's known as the "volunteer restrictive covenant." Choosing the latter option means the property owner intends to hold on to their home during the five-year-long bridge construction.

The Rev. Adam T. Carrington, a co-chair of the Citizens Alliance for Fairness & Progress, a grass-roots group, said some in the neighborhood have been confused by the documents. They are being advised to only request more information on the program.

Carrington expected the number of owners wishing to sell their property to climb in the coming months.

"If a person has neighbors on either side of them selling, they may sell too, if it works out for them," Carrington said.

Daniel Pena, another alliance member who has owned his home on Hulbirt Street for more than two decades, thinks details of the relocation program seem to have changed without notice.

He was concerned property owners who choose to be relocated as part of the program will be made to pay money out of their pockets.

"You're talking about people who may have inherited their family's house and may not have ever bought a home before," Pena said. "We thought they (the program) were going to take care of everything ... but that may not be the case."

Richardson said her firm now has eight people working on its staff for the program and is waiting to receive permits to open its office on Port Avenue. Plans are underway for several outreach programs, including an event on May 24 at the Oveal Williams Senior Center.

Ground breaking on the bridge replacement project is anticipated for late spring or early summer.

Twitter: @Caller_ChrisRam

IN OTHER BUSINESS

Port of Corpus Christi Commissioners:

Approved the purchase of six vehicles to replace aging and worn SUVs in the port's fleet. The purchases would be done through the Buy Board Cooperative Purchasing Program. The total cost to purchase the vehicles was $178,572.

Heard from North Beach residents about the Harbor Bridge replacement project. Early drafts of the plan show northbound traffic from the new span emptying at Beach Avenue and U-turning left onto a frontage road parallel to the highway, away from North Beach's residential and business areas. Carrie Robertson Meyer and Ron Graban were concerned the offramp traffic will bottleneck and will be unsafe, and want the city to improve North Beach's residential roads to better handle the traffic. No action was taken, but Commissioner Wayne Squires said he wanted port staff to "look at the issue" to see what, if anything the port could do to address the concern.

Awarded a construction contract to JE Construction Services for roadway improvements at the Bulk Terminal at Avery Point and Rincon Road. JE Construction Services, based in Corpus Christi, also had been contracted earlier to perform repairs to the bridge at Oil Dock 11. Its bid of $303,510.70 on this new project was the lowest among six the port received on April 22.
Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times David Mullins walks through the water on Kostoryz Road to see if it was too deep to drive through on Monday.

SHARE Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Blaine Withers (left) and Lynn Withers said that they have never seen flood waters this bad at their home on Flour Bluff Drive on Monday. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times A woman walks through flood waters with children on Glenoak Drive on Monday. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times A dog swims through flood waters at a home on Flour Bluff Drive on Monday. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times A man walks through the water on Kostoryz Road on Monday.

By Julie Garcia of the Caller-Times

julie.garcia@caller.com 361-886-3774

After a band of storms dumped more than a foot of water on some parts of the Coastal Bend, you'd think the worst is over. But you might be wrong.

Widespread rain storms are expected in Corpus Christi and surrounding areas starting Tuesday afternoon and continuing through Thursday night, said Tyler Castillo, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service-Corpus Christi. This weather could produce high winds and large hail, and about 3 inches of rain.

More than 13 inches of rain fell in parts of Corpus Christi during a nearly 24-hour storm causing minimal flooding in some parts of the area to massive drainage issues in others. Lightning strikes caused thousands of households to lose power for about 15 hours.

The delay in restoring power was the lightning itself, said Omar Lopez, spokesman for AEP Texas.

"We want to be safe. What slowed us up considerably last night was lightning. Once that was a factor, our crews had to stop working," Lopez said. "A lot of equipment hit by lightning is being fixed today. (The rain) was certainly a big hindrance last night."

The parts of town hit hardest were Flour Bluff and the southeastern part of Corpus Christi, according to the weather service's local observers. Flour Bluff received 13.44 inches of rain by 7 a.m., and the Southside of town along Oso Creek received 12.29 inches.

The city's emergency operations center was activated at midnight, and city crews started making high water rescues of people trapped in their vehicles and homes in low-lying areas.

Corpus Christi Police Department made about 30 vehicle rescues and seven home rescues because of rising waters Sunday night, said Billy Delgado, emergency management coordinator for the city. Corpus Christi Fire Department assisted in 50 high water rescues, said Asst. Chief Randy Paige.

"If you drive through deep water, your car is going to stall out. (People) have to understand how serious it is. There are cars floating around, and people are still taking risks," said city public affairs officer Kim Womack.

Flood streets cut access to certain areas of the city for hours and prompted school officials across South Texas to either delay or cancel classes. Flour Bluff canceled classes, while Corpus Christi ISD, Aransas Pass, Gregory-Portland, Port Aransas and West Oso delayed start times by a few hours.

A sewage overflow of 400,000 gallons flooded the La Volla Creek from a wastewater line near the city's Greenwood Wastewater Treatment Plant at Saratoga Boulevard and Greenwood Drive, according to the city. The waters will continue to be monitored to determine pollution levels as weather conditions allow, and the city will release an advisory when it's safe to resume normal use of the creek.

Numerous homes in Aransas Pass and Ingleside were flooded, and aerial photos showed most of the streets and yards under water. The area received 12 inches of rain in five hours and had roadway damage caused by washouts and sinkholes, according to a city news release.

About 30 high water rescues were performed from motorists and people in their homes, and the city's emergency operation center expects to stay open to assess the progress of city crews pumping out standing water and the sewer treatment facility.

Staff writers Natalia Contreras, Beatriz Alvarado and Fares Sabawi contributed to this report. Twitter: @Caller_Jules
The battle for the nearly 1.3 billion smartphone users in markets across Asia Pacific is fierce and will only intensify. According to Forresters Mobile Mind Shift research, Asia Pacific is flush with shifted usersthose customers who rank high in their desire to be served on their mobile device. In fact, data supports that mobile experiences have become central to the lives of more than 60 percent of the worlds population.

Companies looking to target the mobile-first customers of Asia Pacific, need to be aware that mediocre mobile experiences will no longer be enough. Brands seeking to serve these customers in their mobile moments of need and win over a profitable 'share of thumb' must innovate to ensure that they deliver differentiated and relevant experiences. Where customers today face an abundance of choice when choosing which brands to interact with on their mobile phones, there is little disagreement that consumer expectations of their mobile experiences then continue to rise in parallel.

Low barriers to entry mean very little emotional and financial commitment to 'try' new mobile experiencesleading to what Forrester sees as hyperadoption. However, where theres hyperadoption, there is also hyperabandonment. To keep customers connected to their brands, companies must rapidly and continually enhance their mobile experiences, in an effort to appease the hyperabandonment urges of their customers.

But just being innovative isnt enough to ensure that consumers will adopt and use your mobile appyou also need to deliver a great mobile experience that dispenses clear value, optimises efficiency, and simplifies presentation.

Mobile innovators that deliver clear value

Taxi-hailing apps have become immensely popular around the world as they fill a gap in the market that creates immediate value for the customer. For example, Chinese taxi-hailing apps like Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache gained a foothold in the market over their global competitors by creating unique features to allow relevant local pay options and foster passenger loyalty through a post-ride Lucky Money random rewards systemessentially a point redemption and couponing play.

Similarly, Go-Jek in Indonesia helps solve the long-standing issue of the countrys relentless traffic jams and creating jobs in a slowing economy. A standalone app, Go-Jek allows people to find a motorbike (also known as an Ojek) by GPS and hire its services. Customers can place orders through their mobile phones to find motorbikes near them and get the drivers to run errands. Whether its a massage from a professional masseuse or a favourite dish from a local food stall, orders are delivered immediately; the customer never has to step outside and can pay for the whole experience through the Go-Jek mobile wallet.

Other mobile innovators cross-reference user location, communications record, and online behaviour to provide contextualised content in a customers mobile moments of need. Chinese users of the Shopping Guide mobile app receive real-time product promotions as they walk the aisles in Homemart and Carrefour stores, allowing them to easily locate the products they are looking for by using the store navigation guide embedded in the app. Navitime Japan also provides real-time detailed indoor and outdoor navigation services to subscribers for stations and buildings in 32 areas throughout Japan.

Mobile innovators that optimize efficiency

The value proposition of some mobile experiences is about simplifying common tasks. For example, Dominos Pizza Enterprises, the Australian franchise of Dominos Pizza, streamlines the pizza ordering scenario by offering convenient SMS messaging integration. Users simply text a pizza emoji or the word pizza to order their pre-saved favourite. The apps Live Pizza and GPS Driver Tracker allow customers to track the progress of their pizza from preparation to delivery.

Likewise, GoGoVan, a location-based van service that makes P2P and small-business deliveries in Singapore, provides fast and reliable value. On top of renting the time of a larger vehicle to move or deliver furniture, plants, or other bulky items, the service includes the driver and delivery staff. A progress bar on the mobile site clearly guides the user through the process, from order tracking, to payment.

Japanese messaging platform Line is also able to efficiently provide compelling utility and convenience within an existing experience that users are already familiar with. It currently partners with Japanese banks such as Mizuho to deliver balance and transaction history data by simply sending a request sticker via chat. Yamato Transports Kuroneko shipping service also corresponds with the recipient via Line chat to arrange and reschedule parcel delivery times. Customers can then pay for services offered within the messaging environment using LinePay.

Mobile innovators that simplify presentation

In a departure from the content-heavy, graphics-scarce mobile sites that characterised websites in Asia Pacific just a few years ago, companies are now simplifying and enlarging their icons and adding graphics for a softer, more sophisticated presentation. This is evident in hotel room aggregators such as Hong Kong's HotelQuickly and South Korea's DailyHotel where a simplified design with clear pictures of clean rooms and facilities are key to being successful at marketing hotel rooms. HotelQuickly leaves key functionality such as filter date and map icons at the top of the screen; DailyHotel offers more details by dragging the map upward.

iChangi, the mobile app for flight information into and out of Singapore's Changi airport, has also simplified its presentation, prioritising flight arrival and departure information on the home screen while offering a simple one-click pathway to more detailed information if needed.

Some mobile innovators also incorporate intuitive touch gestures that smooth task completion. For example, Bank of New Zealand's YouMoney banking app helps customers better manage their personal finances by organising funds by their intended purpose. The user interface reduces the process for transferring funds from one account to another or paying a bill to a simple drag-and-drop motion. With icons representing different account types and regular payees, YouMoney customers simply drag one icon over another and then enter the amount to transfer or pay. The improved convenience of YouMoney has been positive for customers, resulting in increased savings rates and a 20 percent drop in late credit-card payments. India's MagicBricks real-estate brokerage site minimises the amount of user touchpad input by providing easy, sequential, gesture-based browsing of properties by budget and markets.

Drop what youve been doing and focus on the mobile experience

As competition continues to push companies across Asia Pacific to innovate in the mobile space, firms that prioritise their mobile experience will reap the benefits of sustainable adoption and customer loyalty.

Global customer experience (CX) leaders, and in particular UX design-led companies like Apple, will delay product launches not because something doesnt work on a technical or functional level, but because the user experience is not quite right.

While very few companies prioritise their mobile experience to this degree, companies that have successfully embedded design in their DNA will prioritise mobile user experience above all else. Very simply, they recognise that a superior mobile user experience will be a differentiator that pays dividends over the long term.

Ryan Hart is a principal analyst at Forrester
Many of the data-driven marketing programmes in play today are not true predictive marketing approaches, according to Powell.

Often they are built around providing insights into whats happened in the past, and whats worked or not worked, he said. However, being data-driven is about using data to steer the organisation and move it forwardsomething very few companies have been able to do.

But Powell is confident that soon enough, there will be dramatic change, so that instead of just talking about predictive marketing, more organisations will actually start to use predictive analytics and the tools that are now available to make data-driven marketing a reality.

Yet some challenges still prevent marketing teams from fully reaping the benefits of data-driven marketing. One of these is gaining access to all available information and dealing with the complexities that come with it.

Powell noted that most of the first- and third-party data required by marketers often sits in disparate repositories and applications, which makes it difficult to bring all that information together in a single view.

Sometimes marketers are only looking at 30 percent of their data, while historic datawhich is vital in offering a complete pictureis sitting in backups or archives, he said.

The key to solving this is to have a way to bring all that information together in one platform, allowing data points to communicate with one another, at a speed that makes sense for the business.

Powell added that it is also imperative for marketers to intelligently manage and model this datasorting incomplete forms from insightful consumer data and legacy information to ensure it is in a consistent formatin order to gain a more holistic view of behaviour and trends.

Only then will they be able to be smarter about their marketing investments, allocation of resources and where to invest in high-value activities, he added.

Marketers also cite the industry's lack of professional data-analysis skills, which companies need to live and breathe a data-driven marketing approach. Businesses often find they are lacking the right personnel who can analyse and translate insights from the data collected.



Chris Powell

Powell sees it as a a critical step for organisations looking to get data-driven marketing programmes off the ground and truly gain that deep analysis that drives business outcomes.

For us, it meant hiring a team of five data scientists, who have been instrumental to our successes, he said. I see that as one of the key first steps in overcoming barriers, in order for companies to take advantage of data-driven marketing techniques, they first need to tap on the right talent.

For Powell and his team, the actionable point is key.

If you are just looking at pretty graphs, numbers and charts but cant take the next step to drive an outcome, in reality youre still looking in the past, he said. To truly adopt a data-driven marketing approach, you need to bring in professionals who can provide those forward-looking actionable insights.

Powell reports that conversations with customers have taken a seismic step in a different direction over the past 12 to 24 months.

Where organisations used to be focused largely on cost control and risk avoidance when it came to their data, they are now increasingly focused on bringing value to their business through data.

They come to Commvault to help them understand what they need to do to get their data right, and be able to activate it to drive value, as opposed to thinking of risk avoidance and cost control, he said.

Companies are realising that the environment they are managing their information across has dramatically changed to include private and public cloud, as well as several mobile devices including BYOD, he added.

Powell said that marketers should be capturing as much data as possible from as many resources as they can access. Conversations with customers are happening everywherethrough the call centre, in branches, in social media, in mobile chats and through owned media such as websites.

The more data that is informing our marketing strategies, the greater the accuracy in decision-making and the more value we can add to business success, he added. But this takes the right talent to deliver a robust analytics capability where you have professionals who know how to analyse the data and provide real, actionable insights.

Bringing in new talent and mindsets

According to Powell, one common misconceptionor mistakeis continuing with the traditional mindset to justify marketing spend based on the results of campaigns or initiatives that have already happened.

Data-driven marketing completely turns this upside down. Its a major shift that should enable a company to rethink everything it does and how it does it, based on future insight, rather than whats worked in the past.

This insight, through propensity modelling, determines the likelihood of an activity or response taking place, he said. This means we can be smarter marketers, and invest in those areas the data says are likely to return higher and speed the time to value.

Commvaults own data-driven journey began in 2015, when the company hired a group of data scientists to put together predictive models and analytics, and applied these to its online engagement and sales pipeline activity.

Powell shared that predictive analytics has been instrumental for the marketing team in dramatically increasing the value it can add to the organisations success.

Being able to clearly identify 80 percent of the visitors to our website has equipped us with valuable information that helps shape how we could target each individual within our target segments, said Powell. Not only that, we can now combine our web session engagement data with sales pipeline activity, and work with sales to ensure they are focusing their efforts on opportunities with high value and a high likelihood of closing.

Powell notes that there is seldom talk of how marketers can manage their data intelligently to obtain full value from data-driven marketing.

If a business lacks a comprehensive data-management strategy to fully understand and utilise any data it comes into contact with, then data is nothing more than the proverbial white elephant, costing the company more and more each year as the complexity of managing it rises exponentially, he said.

Prioritising storage-management resources is an important aspect of this, as some data needs to be retained for many years, or by legislation needs to be destroyed after a certain time, whilst others may just be important for a few days, he added.

The ability to draw secure data from a remote location is also often understated, Powell added. As marketing decisions are made on-the-go, having quick access to this data can often be the differentiator when making a decision off-site, on-the-go and in real-time.

State of play in Asia

APAC marketing director Claire Larsen shared that the data and information management software company has had a presence in the region for 13 years now, across 19 countries in Asia, including Australia, China, India, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

Its regional hub is located in Singapore, and clients include stock exchanges, telecommunications companies, government agencies, engineering and healthcare organisations.

Larsen reports that in response to a changing landscape, the company has seen a huge change the past year in its marketing mix, with an increasing focus on digital platforms.

Since last year, weve been embarking on a digital rebranding of our corporate assets as well as our marketing efforts globally, she said. This ranges from the revamping of our website, to an increase in the use of data to drive our marketing efforts, ensuring our earned, owned and paid media are aligned.

Larsen declined to disclose how much the company spends on marketing efforts in the region, but said that in terms of investments, it has made a significant shift toward digital.

Where traditionally the bulk of our marketing spend was on large-scale events, this year has seen that reduced down to 5 percent, while digital will rise to 50 percent of our marketing budgets, she added.

As part of its efforts, Commvaults website is now available in many local languages across APAC, providing more accessibility to online visitors from regions such as China, Korea and Japanmarkets the company views as growth opportunities.

We consider our online presence as a reflection of our physical shopfront, said Larsen. No one enters an outdated-looking shop expecting great and modern products.

Here the companys use of data-driven decision-making comes into play.

It all comes down to practising what we preach to our customers, she said, adding that Asia is such a diverse region that each market has a different awareness or marketing challenge.

With social-media channels alone, agility and adaptability is required across the region, with the landscape more complex than EMEA or Americas, which predominantly focus on LinkedIn and Twitter.

In APAC, Chinas social presence is on WeChat, while in Malaysia, Thailand and India, Facebook is key for being socially savvy as a business, said Larsen. Weve needed to remain agile and flexible in tailoring our social strategy to these markets.

How the company delivers its message to its target audience also varies by market. For example, the leader countries in big data initiatives tend to be Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, so executives can have quite thought-provoking and visionary conversations with customers in these countries.

On the other hand, while not the earliest adopters, there is an incredible opportunity for Commvault in China, Japan and India where major society shifts such as urbanisation, infrastructure and information consumption will soon drive strong growth for data-management needs, she added.

Asked about priorities in the coming months, Larsen said marketing initiatives will continue to ramp up in the region, and programmes will focus on the key conversations customers are interested in hearing about, such as modern data management, infrastructure modernisation, information management and application lifecycle management.

Our focus as a marketing team is duplicating success across the region, she added. What worked in China can be repurposed in Singapore, for example, with some minor tweaks to tailor to local needs.

She added that Commvault considers APAC a key emerging market, and are investing in expanding the team and resources across the region, including marketing and partner marketing.

Our business is very channel focused, so a key priority this year is to ensure we have robust approaches to how we market with and market to our partners, enabling them to be more successful with us, Larsen added.
| BY Lynchy |

Anthony Gregorio, CEO Havas Worldwide Australia, has announced today the appointment of Alex Carr as managing Director of Havas Worldwide Sydney after 6 years in his executive director role at Saatchi & Saatchi.

Carrs career spans a huge variety of categories from FMCG to automotive, telecommunications, travel, alcohol, retail, to name a few. He has worked with heavyweight clients such as P&G, Land Rover, Optus, Sony, Lion Nathan, Vodafone, and Tourism Australia, and has overseen a wealth of award winning work that has driven sustainable growth for his clients, and picked up an array of awards along the way.

(Phil Johnston, Alex Carr, Steve Coll, Anthony Gregorio)

Says Gregorio: We are delighted to attract someone of the caliber of Alex to join Steve and Phil and help continue the momentum of the agency in Sydney. Hes got first class credentials at top agencies with a wealth of quality brand experience. Plus, hes a super nice bloke.

This is an exciting time for the agency as we grow and embrace change. We have produced some great work this year for clients like the Doug Pitt Fair Go Bro campaign for Virgin Mobile and No more bad photos for Sony. Our recent new business wins include Peugeot and Virgin Mobile, and we won 4 Cannes Lions at this years awards, equal 4th in Australia. Now with the name change of the agency, this is the beginning of the next chapter.

Says Carr: I cant wait to join an agency that has real momentum. Havas WW is producing a mix of modern, collaborative creative work that is working its socks off. I am sure that together with Ant, Steve and Phil we can continue to excel in 2013 and have a bloody good time doing it. Im really looking forward to meeting the wider agency and getting stuck in.
| BY Ricki Green |

Photoplay Films has announced the signing of award-winning New Zealand film and television director Brendan Donovan for commercial representation in Australia and New Zealand.

Making the move across to advertising, Donovan is the director behind VCCPs recent Ancestry Come Find Me campaign, and brings with him a sophisticated visual style and understanding of storytelling. In the campaign, he brought to life the challenging stories of Australias early pioneer settlers, which required strong performance and talent direction.

Says Donovan: The success of the Ancestry campaign came down to the success of its storytelling. The actors were imbued with a deep background story that is emotive and believable and we are pulled into the story because of their performances.

Donovans work as a writer and director on the New Zealand Trade campaign, We Do Things Differently, as well as the award winning films Aftershock and The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell, illustrate his strong performance direction and unique cinematic style. His popular TV series The Insiders Guide to Love also received mainstream attention with audiences across Australia.

Donovan is excited about the move into commercial content and is attracted by the industrys growing demand for high quality content production in the online sphere.

Says Donovan: Advertising is going through a golden age of online content that seeks to reward people with great stories, craft and execution. Consumers now expect a high level of engagement and you can only win their emotional investment by appealing to their appetite for strong, unique storytelling.

Says Oliver Lawrance, executive producer, Photoplay Films: I was immediately drawn to Brendans Ancestry campaign. Its powerful, potent storytelling. Im extremely impressed with the performance direction but also the simplicity in the execution and art direction. Brendan is seriously talented. 
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Method

In small glass measure, whisk together broth, soy sauce, vinegar, fish sauce and sugar; set aside.



In wok or large skillet, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; cook onion, garlic and Thai pepper, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in red pepper; cook, stirring, until peppers are tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in pork; cook, stirring and breaking up with spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.



Stir in broth mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until no liquid remains and pork is beginning to brown and turn crisp, about 7 minutes. Stir in lime juice.



Meanwhile, in separate skillet, heat remaining oil over medium heat; cook eggs, until whites are set but yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes. (Sprinkle with salt, if using.)



Serve eggs over pork mixture; sprinkle with green onion. Serve with lime wedges.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 2:02AM

Even your image search these days arent safe from ads. Google is introducing Shopping ads into image search results, so if youre looking through new bags and jewelry, for example, youll see items that you can buy on the spot. Aside from that, Google is boosting its local inventory ads. It now shows you whether a retailer has in-store pickup and a stores knowledge panel will turn inventory into something thats searchable, which could help save you time since you find out earlier if its worth making a trip to a particular store.

Source: Google Inside AdWords | Via: Engadget

Update as of 12:10 p.m., May 17

Google Canada has clarified that only local inventory ads are available in the country. Shopping ads aren't currently available.




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Three college students who first met while attending a Catholic high school in Florida have launched a scholarship fund to help others experience faithful Catholic education at a Newman Guide college. As we went off to different colleges, we kept in touch and found time to catch up whenever we returned []
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
The Haryana Board class 12 results 2016 will be declared by Board of School Education Haryana (BSEH) today i.e. May 17.

Students who had appeared for state board examinations can download their results by visiting the official website.

Students can follow the steps given below to check the results:

Visit the official website

Thereafter, click on the 'result' tab

Click on Senior Secondary Examination Result 2016

Fill in the required details including register number and name in the space provided

Click on the 'submit' button

Results will appear on the screen

Candidates can take a printout of the results

About 2.5 lakh students appeared for class 12 board examinations, conducted at 1,482 centres across the state. The state board exams were held between March 8 and March 29, 2016.

About Haryana Board :

The Haryana Board of School Education (HBSE) was set up in the year 1969. The board is authorised to conduct the public examinations for middle, matric (secondary or high school) and senior secondary school (academic and vocational) levels in the state of Haryana.
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-K) has signed an MoU with Curtin University, Australia in an effort to enable students to pursue dual doctoral degree programme (DDDP).

According to the MoU, students who are pursuing doctoral degree at IIT-Kharagpur are also eligible to apply for DDDP only if they meet the academic requirements of both IIT Kharagpur and Curtin University.

If a student is offered admission by Curtin University, he/she is expected to stay for an year at the Curtin University. During their stay, the students will be provided with required financial support from IIT-Kharagpur which also includes international travel and local expenses.

Why study in Australia

Likewise, doctoral students from Curtin University can take up similar programme at IIT-K as an exchange programme.

Though the programme will be offered in all areas of work, initially the emphasis is given to the following areas: sustainability, future of cities, smart cities, engineering asset management and mining, earth and energy.

Also Read:
A young Canadian woman drove her Toyota Yaris into a lake in Tobermory, Ontario, Canada, because her GPS told her so.



To her defense, though, Ontario Provinvial Police (OPP) said that Weather conditions at the time showed it was raining, dark and foggy. Combining weather conditions and the driver being new to the area; a fully submerged vehicle was the result.

The unnamed 23-year old driver may have made an honest mistake, but luckily for her, she avoided making a second one. Const. Katrina Rubinstein-Gilbert told reporters that the fast-thinking woman quickly rolled down her window and climbed out of the Yaris before it submerged and swam some 30 meters (about 100 feet) to safety in 40-degree-Fahrenheit water, before calling for help.

Aside from being cold, the young woman was not injured, but the same cant be said about her Toyota hatch which was pulled out of the water the following day.

Shes in really good spirits, said Rubinstein-Gilbert . Of course a little embarrassed, but taking it all in stride.

Facebook photos via Tobermory Press Inc.




The time for retirement has come for the current generation of RRs Phantom with the company launching the last 50 Coupe and Drophead models in a special Zenith Collection form.



These already sold-out models will be tailored to their customers tastes and will come with unique features, including a new glass shelf housed in the tailgate, a large champagne fridge and a bespoke version of the companys picnic hamper.

The armrests are now laser engraved with the locations where each models concept debuted, with Villa DEste decorating the Drophead versions and Lake Geneva the Coupe ones.

A drawer on the dashboard now houses a numbered plaque in a polished aluminum case, showing the limited character of these models. Rolls Royce has also added in there a piece of metal extracted from the Phantoms assembly line in Goodwood, along with the exact coordinates from where the metal came from.

The speedometer is housed in brushed steel, the leathers color is darker on the rear compartments of the cabin, highlighting the driver-centric character of these models and the famous Starlight headliner has been tailored also to bath the driver and front passenger in a warm and inviting celestial glow.

Rolls Royce drew inspiration from models of its past to create unique paint schemes, including a Madeira Red with Jubilee Silver and a Midnight Blue with Arctic White that were inspired by Phantoms of the 1930s.

Production of the current Phantom series is now coming to an end, with Rolls Royce already spotted out testing the eighth generation model which will be the first to use an all-new aluminum structure.

The British company didnt share any info on the pricing of these celebratory Zenith versions but given the brand sees them as true collectors pieces, its probably safe to say that there are a lot of zeros involved.

PHOTO GALLERY
The emission cheating crisis that recently unraveled in the automotive business had various officials question the integrity of different car makers, suspecting them of using manipulative software in order to pass standard tests.



The latest accusation comes from the South Korean government, which believes that Nissans UK-built Qashqai SUV diesel models had uses a so-called defeat device to turn off its exhaust reduction system under regular driving temperature.

In a statement issued by Nissan, Jonathan Adashek, Chief Communications Officer at Nissan confirmed that the 814 Nissan Qashqais sold in Korea have been correctly homologated as required by the by the Korean Ministry of Environment (MOE):

The testing and conclusions reached by the MOE are inconsistent with those of other regulators who have themselves carried out stringent testing. Authorities in the EU have concluded that the Nissan vehicles they tested  including the Qashqai  were fully compliant with homologation standards.

The Qashqai sold in Korea complies with  and has been homologated to  European Euro 6 standards and Korean regulations permit the importation and sales of vehicles that comply with these standards.

However, according to Reuters, the South Korean ministry said its investigation applied to new Qashqai models with Euro 6 engines, and that it would test older models with Euro 5 engines.

The ministry went on saying that it would fine Nissan 330 million won ($279,920), and order a recall for all the models sold in the country so far.

PHOTO GALLERY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rennie Sloan, 404-420-5129, rennie.sloan@cartercenter.org

New Research Shows Lack of Implementation of First-Line Treatment for Young Children with ADHD

ATLANTANew research about the needs of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, will be discussed during the 21st annual Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum on May 20, 2016, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Carter Center in Atlanta. This event is open to the public, but registration is required. (More details below.)

The Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum, established in 1995, is held each May to address a timely mental health policy issue facing the state. Service providers, policymakers, advocates, and consumers from across Georgia are invited to participate in open discussions on diverse topics.

For the past five years, the Georgia Forum also has been an opportunity to update local stakeholders on the settlement agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and the State of Georgia in 2010. This year, the status of the agreement and recently missed deadline to overhaul the state's mental health system will be addressed. The state had committed to move almost 700 patients with developmental disabilities out of psychiatric hospitals into community settings by July 1, 2015. More than 200 of these patients remain in the hospitals.

In addition, the forum will provide a panel focused on preschool treatment of ADHD, the barriers to recommended treatment, and steps being taken to break down those barriers here in Georgia.

Finally, there will be an opportunity to learn about partnerships to establish school-based mental health systems in the state, using Murray County as an example.

Agenda

8:30  9:00 a.m. Registration/Breakfast 9:00  9:10 a.m. Welcome Thomas Bornemann, Ed.D

Director, The Carter Center Mental Health Program 9:10  9:20 a.m. Opening Remarks Rosalynn Carter

Chair, The Carter Center Mental Health Task Force 9:20  9:50 a.m. Keynote Coleen Boyle, PhD, MSHyg

Director, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 9:50 - 10:05 a.m. BREAK 10:05 a.m.  Noon Panel I: Voices Across Georgia: Addressing the Treatment Needs of Young Children with ADHD Moderator: Christy Doyle, PhD, Director, Office of Behavioral Health, Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice and Chair, Interagency Directors Team Melissa Danielson, MSPH, Statistician, Child Development Studies Team, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ann DiGirolamo, PhD, MPH, Director, Center of Excellence for Children's Behavioral Health, Georgia Health Policy Center, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University Susanna Visser, DrPH, MS, Lead Epidemiologist, Child Development Studies Team, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionQ&A Noon  1:00 p.m. Lunch 1:00  2:00 p.m. Panel II: Update on the DOJ Settlement Moderator: Thomas Bornemann, EdD, Director, The Carter Center Mental Health Program Frank Berry, MS, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Respondents: Josh Norris, JD, Director of Legal Advocacy, Georgia Advocacy Office Thomas Bornemann, EdD, Director, The Carter Center Mental Health ProgramQ&A 2:00 - 2:15 p.m. BREAK 2:15  3:45 p.m. Panel III: Establishing School-based Mental Health Partnerships: A Guide for Schools and Providers Moderator: Jana Pruett, LCSW, Center of Excellence for Children's Behavioral Health, Georgia Health Policy Center, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University Stephanie Pearson, PhD, Clinical Director, Office of Children, Young Adults and Families, DBHDDRachel McCrickard, LMFT, Community Relations Director, APEX Project Coordinator, Georgia H.O.P.E. Judge Gregory Price, JD, Floyd County Juvenile CourtJill Rogers, EdD, ESS Coordinator, Murray County SchoolsQ&A 3:50  4:00 p.m. Closing Remarks

Rosalynn Carter, Chair, The Carter Center Mental Health Task Force

Editor's Note:

Media wishing to attend the Georgia Forum must RSVP by May 19 at 5 p.m. to Rennie Sloan (404-420-5129, rennie.sloan@cartercenter.org).

The general public are encouraged to register to attend the event, which will take place in the Ivan Allen Pavilion of The Carter Center at 453 Freedom Parkway.

Learn more about the Carter Center's Georgia mental health crisis efforts.

During the forum, you can follow the conversation on Twitter using #GaMH16.

###

"Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope."

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
Photo: Contributed

To celebrate Asian Heritage Month, the Okanagan Asian Heritage Society will be hosting a community showcase at Parkinson Recreation Hall on Saturday, May 21 from 6-9 p.m.

This annual free event will feature cultural stage shows, Asian heritage exhibitions, interactive activity booths and a wide variety of authentic Asian cuisine. The Okanagan Sikh Temple and Cultural Society, The Okanagan Filipino Canadians Dance Team, The Japanese Childrens Choir (Kodomo-kai), The Chinese Art Troupe, Kees Tae Kwon Do and The Okanagan Korean Cultural and Knowledge Society will be participating.

asianheritage.ca.

The event will provide an opportunity for the Kelowna community to have an authentic Asian dinner at one of several food booths.

The Okanagan Chinese Canadian Association will serve traditional Chinese dumplings along with bubble tea provided by Mrs. Liang at their food booth.

The Okanagan Filipino Canadians will prepare pancit (stir-fried noodles), lumpia (fried spring rolls), along with puto (steamed rice cakes) as a side dish.

The Kodomo-kai Childrens Choir will provide assorted sushi rolls in their groups food booth.

At the Korean food booth, there will be several authentic Korean dishes available such as bulgogi (beef and stir-fried noodles) and kimchi (spicy fermented cabbage) served with steamed rice.

Heegu Yoon is the volunteer executive chef who leads the Korean food preparation for OKCK, the Okanagan Korean Culture and Knowledge Society, one of the participating organizations in the Asian Heritage events. Heegus food has always received wonderful reviews and feedback from the public.

I started cooking jigae (Korean soup) when I was in Grade 5, and my father always told me what a good job I did. Growing up in a rural area, I am more accustomed to a rustic style of cooking using simple ingredients to create dishes with strongly defined flavours," said Yoon.

Yoon and her family arrived in Winnipeg from Seoul, South Korea in 2006. She then moved to Kelowna in 2010 with her husband, Sung-il Hwang, and her four children and opened the restaurant Sushi Zen in Rutland in 2015.

Yoon is the volunteer executive chef who leads the Korean food preparation for all OKCK events.

Yoons husband, as a formally trained Japanese chef, creates unique and artistic Japanese dishes, particularly sushi and sashimi rolls with elaborate plate presentations.

Along with Heegus many years of experience preparing Korean food, Sushi Zen offers a wide array of classic Japanese selections that have a flavour all their own. As co-owners of their local business, they are passionate about sharing their culinary creations and expanding the international palate of the Kelowna community.
Photo: Google Maps

The City of Kelowna wants your views on traffic calming measures in the Rutland area.

The new measures in northeast Rutland would include the area east of Rutland Road between McCurdy Road and Highway 33.

Residents in the area have voiced their concerns about traffic issues, so the neighbourhood has been selected to undergo a neighbourhood traffic management plan.

A public information session to discuss the plan is scheduled for Wednesday, May 25, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Rutland Arena to seek input.

Concept drawings and traffic calming options will be available for viewing.

City representatives and a consultant will also be on hand to answer questions.

Those residents unable to attend the open house can view the display panels online and provide feedback from May 25 to June 8 at kelowna.ca/cityprojects.
Photo: Thinkstock.com

UPDATE: 3:23 p.m.

The Community Against Preventable Injuries is defending its anti-drinking and boating campaign.

While there appears to be only 15 ice chests across the entire province displaying the anti-drinking and boating message, the group states there is more to the campaign.

B.C. liquor stores will also be rolling out signs in all stores in July, which Laura Lombardi with Preventable estimated would reach millions of people.

In addition to this, Preventable is reaching audiences across the province through our TV mass media 15 second spot on water safety, she stated in a release. As well, Preventable will be mounting a wide-reaching social media campaign to go along with the boating safety message.

She says Preventable will look into getting more ice chest wraps after Mondays launch, as the wraps were paid advertising. As more wrap advertising becomes available, Preventable and the BCLDB will be looking into securing spaces in the Interior of the province.

Its important to note that the public education materials will be in all 198 BC Liquor Stores throughout B.C., said Lombardi. Depending on the impact of this years campaign, efforts may be expanded to include inland lakes in future years.

The ice-chests and the point-of-sale messaging represent those times, and will encourage British Columbians to reflect on their attitudes toward safe boating and water activities, and to use appropriate behaviour to decrease their risk of injury, enjoy the wonderful waterways that BC has to offer, and to come home safely," said spokesperson Ian Pike.

A new campaign for boating safety this summer by the B.C. government wont include the Okanagan.

In 2013, the BC Coroners Service announced Okanagan Lake claimed more lives than any other body of water in the province. As just over 40 per cent of drownings were recorded in the Interior region that year  with the majority taking place in Okanagan Lake.

Just in time for the long weekend, the province along with BC Liquor Stores and The Community Against Preventable Injuries, have announced a concept that will see 15 ice coolers in high-traffic marinas around the province wrapped with an image of an overturned boat and the message: "If you think drinking and boating is a good mix, have a word with yourself.

However, none of these coolers will be placed in the Okanagan.

Instead the province has decided to focus the campaign in the Vancouver and Vancouver Island areas.

The goal of the campaign is to shift public attitudes toward drinking and boating. Drinking and boating is illegal, high-risk and can lead to fines and imprisonment.

Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Morris says many boaters are unaware that drink for drink, a boat operator becomes impaired twice as fast as someone drinking indoors due to various stress factors, such as sun and wind.

"Operating any vehicle while impaired by alcohol is not just a bad idea  it's against the law, whether you're on the water or the road, he said. Keep in mind that the statistics related to drowning and hypothermia also account for alcohol-affected passengers. You don't have to be at the tiller or the wheel to lose your life in a boating tragedy."

There are 48 deaths per year in B.C. due to water activities with 42 per cent being alcohol related.

Preventable injuries spokesman Dr. Ian Pike says this campaign encourages British Columbians to stop and think about their attitudes and behaviours before boating under the influence.

It educates us on some of the staggering statistics and reminds us that drinking and boating don't mix, he said.

Its estimated 160 people per year are hospitalized due to injuries from water activities, half of these deaths and hospitalizations take place in the summer months of June to August.
Photo: Contributed

The City of Kelowna is reinforcing the fire ban blanketing the region.

Citing the hot and dry forecast throughout the region, the city is reminding people that open fires are now prohibited in all zones of the Kamloops Fire Centre, including Kelowna. The ban is to help prevent human-caused wildfires.

"Campfires and barbecues are not allowed in city or regional district parks, with the exception of barbecues on beaches," the city said. "Smoking is banned from all city and regional parks."

The fire danger rating ranges from moderate to high.

Since April 1, Kamloops Fire Centre crews have responded to 36 wildfires.

Anyone who sees smoke or fire in any park should immediately call *5555, the B.C. Wildfire Management Branch or 911.
Photo: Contributed

RCMP are confirming a 15-year-old pedestrian was hit by a vehicle on Thursday.

The incident happened at the intersection of Gordon Drive and Cameron Avenue about 3:30 p.m.

According to Const. Steve Holmes, the boy was taken to hospital with a broken leg, but was not listed as in critical condition.

Little other information was available about this incident, it is unclear if the victim was in a crosswalk when he was hit.

In a news tip to Castanet, it was suggested the teen attended K.L.O. Middle School and was walking home from class.
Photo: Castanet Staff Vancouver Aquatic Centre.

Diving into indoor pools often means diving into water laced with chemicals and other unpleasant substances.

UBC researchers are looking for ways to reduce energy use and minimize potential health concerns in community pools.

In a study that will examine large-scale indoor pools across the Lower Mainland, researchers will examine how pool design impacts chemical exposure experienced by swimmers. They will also explore ways to reduce that exposure in the most energy efficient way possible.

This project is a mix of civil engineering and toxicology, said Professor Rehan Sadiq, associate dean of engineering at UBCs Okanagan campus and the studys lead investigator. Pools are a popular yet complicated indoor environment to manage, and we believe this study will help identify the most desirable ways pools can be built and operated.

As part of the study, the group will be looking for ways to reduce the presence of chemical compounds in the air and water that are found in indoor pool environments, compounds such as chloramineswhich occur when the sweat, saliva or urine of swimmers are mixed with disinfectants and trihalomethanes, both of which are considered to potentially have a negative impact on human health.

While the evidence shows the benefits of swimming outweigh the risks, as engineers, we would like to minimize those risks, said UBC researcher Roberta Dyck. As water in swimming pools is not regulated like drinking water, were also hoping we can encourage some stronger standards that will create greater consistency in pool environments.

In addition to data collection and sampling, computer modeling will be used to examine various types of pool equipment, such as ventilation and water pump systems.

The project has attracted a number of community and industry partners as well as various B.C. municipalities.

The research will also inform the operations of UBC Vancouvers new $40 million aquatic centre, which is expected to have over 600,000 annual visits when its completed later this year.
Photo: Contributed

It will be a sign of the times.

Those behind the redevelopment of the former Paramount Theatre site say theyll be investing $100,000 into refurbishing the trademark Paramount sign  and bringing it back to its glory days.

Were going to dress it up and make it look like it did 30 years ago, Doug Porozni, president of Ronmor Developers, told Kelowna city council Monday.

The theatre, which opened on Bernard Avenue in 1949, closed earlier this year.

Council on Monday approved a development permit that will morph the theatre into the Craft Beer Market, a 482-seat pub  with 204 of those seats located on an open-air rooftop patio.

Its expected the first beers will be raised in the pub in spring 2017.

Coun. Luke Stack said it's obvious Kelowna residents feel attachment to the theatre.

I think we all feel that we own a piece of it, he said. Were all intent on keeping things like the Paramount sign.

Porozni said the developer will also be keeping the marquee signs intact. Inside the building, they intend to preserve the original 1946 ceiling and the thick metal fire doors.

The flooring and seating will have to be removed, as the floor is currently on an angle.

The building facade itself will undergo a major facelift.

Mayor Colin Basran said hes disappointed to see the theatre go, and he added having a cinema is a strong part of the downtown experience.

This proposal certainly touched a nerve with a number of people in our community, he said.

However, he said the developer has struck a good balance between the old and the new.

Coun. Charlie Hodge summed up the feeling in the room, telling the developer Welcome to Kelowna. Dont change the sign.
Photo: Castanet Staff - File photo

Should hybrid vehicle owners be entitled to free parking in Kelowna?

That was up for debate Monday, as city councillors weighed in on everything  from the availability of electric vehicles locally to hybrid trucks being an eventual game changer.

Right now, the citys Eco-Passes are only offered to drivers of plug-in electric vehicles. The passes allow for two hours of free on-street parking each day.

At the meeting Monday, councillors debated offering the same perk to those driving hybrids with fuel consumption of less than 6L/100 km.

In the end, they voted to allow hybrids free parking, too.

Coun. Charlie Hodge said he was in support of a city staff proposal to include fuel-efficient hybrids in the eco-pass program.

I believe in incentives  the carrot rather than the stick, he said.

One of the major challenges to getting an electric car is a lack of availability in Kelowna, said Coun. Luke Stack.

I went to seven lots and couldnt find an electric vehicle I could touch, he said.

Stack lamented that people are still hooked on big trucks.

Although people are changing the way theyre thinking, were not there yet, he said. I dont think Kelowna residents are inspired yet as much as they need to be.

Meanwhile, Coun. Brad Sieben said he believed the 6L/100 km marker was the right benchmark.

He said those who truly want to find an electric vehicle will find one, despite local supply.

He also pulled out his crystal ball and took a shot at predicting the future of the auto industry.

Once the hybrid truck comes out, that is a game changer. Ill be the first in line to buy one, he said.

Coun. Ryan Donn argued hes usually one to stay ahead of the curve, but wasnt in favour of changing the current policy to include hybrids. He said hed rather see effort put into creating infrastructure.

The city said participation in the Eco-Pass program has grown from 43 active permits in the first year to 1,062 permits in 2015. If every active permit holder used their Eco-Pass once per week for two hours, lost parking revenue to the city could be more than $138,000 annually, staff noted.
Photo: David Wylie

UPDATED: 10:15 p.m.

Kelowna firefighters responded to a 911 report of a house fire on the 400 block of Roepel Road in the Mission around 6:30 p.m. Monday.

"Smoke was coming from the eaves but once the crew got into the residence, they found fire in the basement bathroom," said platoon captain John Kelly.

Kelly said the bathroom was destroyed and there was heat and smoke damage to much of the basement, while the smoke made its way to other parts of the house as well.

However, the fire was "quickly knocked down" with no injuries to the firefighters or the homeowners, said Kelly.

The RCMP and FortisBC also attended the scene.

UPDATE: 7:30 p.m.

An ambulance has arrived on the scene of a house fire on Roepel Road.

Smoke that was billowing out of the building is clearing, said a Castanet reporter at the scene.

UPDATE: 7:10 p.m.

Emergency crews, including fire, police and FortisBC, are on the scene of a house fire on the 400 block of Roepel Road in the Mission, off Lakeshore Road.

Smoke is billowing out of the structure and one emergency crew member said it is still "a tense situation."

The fire department was called to the scene around 6:30 p.m.

Kelowna firefighters are on the scene of a reported house fire on the 400 block of Roepel Road in the Mission.

There was a report of flames in the basement.

Castanet will update as soon as information becomes available.
Photo: Castanet Staff - file photo

Emergency crews in Kelowna plucked a man from a small sandbar Monday evening after a report he was drowning.

The Kelowna Fire Department was called out to a report of a man drowning at the mouth of Mission Creek at about 5:15 p.m.

The marine rescue boat and the Swift Water Rescue Team were sent to help.

"A male had been fishing in the creek and was swept away by the strong current, and was in distress," said KFD platoon Capt. Scott Cronquist in a news release. "A person that was kayaking nearby came to the males aid and assisted him getting him to a small sandbar."

A firefighter was ferried out to the island by the kayaker and put a life jacket on the victim.

"The victim was cold but uninjured," said Cronquist.

The kayaker transferred the man to the rescue boat, which took the man to awaiting paramedics.

"The Kelowna Fire Department would like to remind people that at this time of year with the run off, that Mission Creek can be extremely dangerous and people should stay out of the creek and away from its banks," he said.
Photo: RCMP

Police are searching for an armed suspect following an early morning robbery at a 7 Eleven.

Const. Jesse ODonaghey says a man entered the convenience store, about 3:25 a.m., requested cigarettes and lottery tickets from the lone clerk. Then it is alleged the suspect brandished a knife and demanded the contents of the cash register.

The suspect fled the store, located on Bernard Avenue and Gordon Drive, with an undisclosed amount of cash.



The suspect is described as:

Caucasian male;

35 to 45 years-of-age;

Darker complexion;

Light brown goatee;

Hazel eyes;

5 foot 9 inches tall;

Wearing a dark coloured hoodie and a t-shirt with a picture of Jimi Hendrix's face



While visibly shaken, the clerk was not physically injured during the incident.



The RCMP continue to investigate and seek the publics assistance in identifying their suspect.



Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477or text CRIMES (274637) ktown.
Photo: File photo

A longtime member of the Independent Soldiers gang and his girlfriend were set to appear Tuesday in a Kelowna courtroom.

Donahugh Fredrick McWhirter, 43, and his girlfriend, Brittany Marie Stinn, who are both from Lake Country, were arrested in January by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C.

RCMP at the time said CFSEU had been looking into a Kelowna-based Independent Soldier allegedly recruiting new members for a planned resurgence of the gang.

Following their arrest, police raided a home on the 3000 block of Jolinda Court in Lake Country.

During the raid, police seized a prohibited, high-powered handgun, a 20-gauge shotgun, AR-style .22 calibre rifle, assorted ammunition, a crossbow and drug paraphernalia.

McWhirter faces 10 charges, including multiple counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and unauthorized possession of a firearm.

Stinn is now before the courts on five charges, including two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and three counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm.

McWhirter and Stinn will appear in Supreme Court for a pre-trial conference, which could last several days.
Photo: Contributed

Castanet readers have a lot of heart.

In 10 days, Castanet readers have raised more than $30,000 for the victims of the devastating wildfire in Fort McMurray. That money will also be matched by the federal government  doubling its impact.

You can still donate through the Castanet Cares campaign by clicking on the picture or following this link. The campaign is in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross, to help the fire-ravaged Northern Alberta city.

"A lot of people in Okanagan have ties to Fort McMurray," said Jon Manchester, Castanet's Director of Content. "We wanted to show that we care, and our readers came through in a big way. Our heartfelt thanks to those who have generously donated."

Your support helps provide comfort kits, blankets, meals, shelter beds and more.

Kelowna has a special connection to the disaster unfolding in Alberta. Residents fought through a firestorm in 2003, when more than 200 homes were destroyed by the Okanagan Mountain Park wildfire.

The Fort McMurray wildfire has destroyed more than 2,400 structures.

We rebuilt, and Fort Mac will, too.

Having been in Kelowna during the 2003 wildfire response, I know people in the Okanagan will have a special empathy for how it feels to flee from a raging wildfire. The Canadian Red Cross is proud to once again be providing support to people in need, this time in Fort McMurray. We thank Castanet and its readers for helping raise funds to assist thousands of people in the days and months ahead," said Kimberley Nemrava, Canadian Red Cross vice-president for B.C. and Yukon.
Photo: Okanagan College

A Kelowna automotive dealer is revving up support for the trades at Okanagan College with a donation of $100,000.

Orchard Ford and Kelowna Ford Lincoln have pledged $100,000 to assist in outfitting a new student lounge at the college's expanded trades facility in Kelowna.

The lounge will feature a mural depicting a Ford GT50  a nod to dealer principal Dan Assams father, Norm, who owned a classic GT40 and for whom the lounge will be dedicated.

My father was a big supporter of education and training, said Assam. Helping staff advance their skills was important to him, as was giving back to the community. This gift honours and celebrates his legacy, and we hope it will inspire the next generation of automotive tradespeople training at Okanagan College.

The valleys automotive dealers and collision repair shops have been among the strongest supporters of the renovation and expansion project, contributing more than $850,000 to the Colleges Bright Horizons campaign.

This gift sends a powerful message to students at the college that local employers are behind them," said campaign chair Dennis Gabelhouse.

Founded in 1983 by Norm Assam, Orchard Ford remains a family owned and operated dealership (as is Kelowna Ford Lincoln) with Assams son carrying on his fathers legacy. The two dealerships employ 20 Okanagan College-trained Red Seal automotive service technicians, with another six on staff who are currently completing apprenticeship training.

Industry support is absolutely vital to what we do, said athe colleges dean of trades and apprenticeship, Steve Moores. Quality learning environments support quality instruction and the proof is in the pudding in our students accomplishments.

The new complex will allow the college to accommodate more than 2,700 students each year and comes at a critical time for training as BC faces a potential shortage of skilled labour over the next decade. It is projected that more than 160,000 job openings will exist for trades and technical workers by 2022, with more than 10,000 needed in the Thompson Okanagan region alone by 2024.

To date, the Bright Horizons campaign has raised more than $6.2 million toward its $7 million goal.
If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,...
THE PNG Auditor-General has described the office of the Public Curator as a national disgrace.

The Public Curator is the trustee for properties of deceased or mentally incapable people and insolvent estates.

The Auditor Generals report to parliament revealed that nearly 20,000 estates were unresolved, some more than 15 years after the office took responsibility for them.

The report also said over 700 properties had been mishandled or could not be found or accounted for.

It also said money, property and other assets had been misused and misapplied by both the Public Curator and the office of the Attorney-General.

In response, former public curator, Paul Wangun, blasted the Public Accounts Committee: This is a good case of shooting the messenger. Im the one that initiated the audit. The office was in a mess when I was appointed, there were no audits done since independence.

I tried to clean up the mess by initiating an audit of accounts, yet the auditor general and PAC are hitting back at me. I deserved to be praised not attacked, Mr Wagun said.
Angola: sales in decline

ICR Newsroom By 17 May 2016

Sales figures for the Angolan cement market are in decline. The market is down 35 per cent YoY in 2016. With sales figures for 2014 and 2015 being 5.9Mt and 5.2Mt, respectively, the Angolan Cement Association has forecast 2016 sales at a mere 3.8Mt if the current oil price remains unchanged.

As reported in The Global Cement Report (11th Edition), an effect on the growth was expected following the collapse in global oil prices from 2014. Last month Angola turned to the IMF to help cope with the fall-out from low crude oil prices. This was the second time in seven years that Angola looked to the IMF for help.

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Tanzania: Tanga Cement seeks to cut costs as profits fall

ICR Newsroom By 17 May 2016

Tanga Cement has said that it will concentrate on cutting costs in an effort to counteract falling revenues, the Citizen reports.

The company, whose profit fell to TZS8.24bn (US$3.8m) in 2015, held its annual general meeting this week. Speaking at the event, Board Chairman, Lau Masha, said: "Improving operational efficiency and containing production costs continues to be a major focus for the company... we have spent a lot of money in the last few years so as to ultimately reduce costs and become the most competitive cement producer in the region".

Tanga Cement also said that interruptions in electricity supply had affected its performance in 2015. Mr Masha told the AGM that as a result the company had invested in back-up generation capacity to ensure it could continue production when electricity supplies were irregular.

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Armenia: Hrazdan exempt from fines

ICR Newsroom By 17 May 2016

The Armenian government has been successful in pushing through a bill exempting Hrazdan cement plant from fines, accumulated by its failure to pay taxes and other mandatory payments.



Artsvik Minasyan, economy minister, argued that the bill would both create a competitive field and have a positive impact on economic activity in the region. He said the reactivation of the idle plant will save approximately 500 jobs.



The total debt of the Hrazdan cement plant is estimated at AMD935m (US$1.9m). The bill forgives only the fines, standing now at AMD510m (US$1.06m). According to Mr Minasyan, the debts were a result of economic crisis and poor management.

To prevent the plant from going bankrupt, full owners VTB Bank (Armenia) provided it with a loan of US$4.6m for resuming operations. Mr Minasyan said this loan would enable to plant to ensure production of about 200,000t of cement per year. In 2015 the plant produced approximately 80,000t of cement.

Published under
Many former colonial states, as well as the communist states, were very actively opposed to colonialism in any form. Their position was that all colonial regimes were inherently racist and exploitative and invariably involved the systematic denial of basic human rights.

During the 1960s Australia was under significant international pressure from the United Nations to cease being a colonial power and the incoming Whitlam Labor government (1972-75) responded to that pressure.

SIL Bolkin clearly believes that Australia's unduly hasty exit from Papua New Guinea arose from a realisation that the country was not going to be a viable nation state. The truth is somewhat different I think.

I think most historians would agree that this view was substantially correct.

Of course, the largest communist power, the Soviet Union, was itself a de facto colonial power through its domination of the Baltic States and Eastern Europe, but this did not prevent it from criticising other powers, especially the United States, for being "imperialists".

Within Australia, the vast majority of the population knew little or nothing of PNG as it was in the 1960s and 1970s, and cared even less. At the time, I seem to recollect that there were less than 40,000 Australians who were residents of PNG, the large majority of them appalled by the haste with which self-government and then independence were to be granted.

Their concerns were shared by many Papua New Guineans, notably those living in the highlands. However, these worries were dismissed as being the product of self-interest in the case of the Australians and ignorance in the case of the highlanders. So the independence juggernaut rolled on, promoted by Michael Somare and others, with plenty of support from Gough Whitlam and others in Canberra.

I have no doubt whatsoever that Whitlam and his advisers sincerely believed that PNG could be a viable state and that Michael Somare and his colleagues would have strongly reinforced this belief at every opportunity, not least because they believed it themselves.

To his dying day Gough Whitlam believed that granting independence to PNG was perhaps the finest thing he ever achieved in politics. Always fond of the grand gesture, it suited Whitlam's temperament and ego to play the role of the wise and magnanimous statesman granting PNG its freedom from the colonial yoke.

So it was in this way that PNG passed largely out of sight and mind in Australia. I doubt that it occurred to any Canberra-based politician or bureaucrat that PNG was, in practice, desperately under-prepared for the task of governing itself.

After all, the bureaucrats would have reasoned, if a relative handful of kiaps, police, didimen, teachers, medicos and clerks could govern the place on a shoestring budget, why couldn't Papua New Guineans do it too?

So, in a sense, Sil Bolkin is right that the country was abandoned to its fate, but not because PNG was thought to be non-viable or ungovernable. It was, in fact, the complete reverse: it was thought to be a comparatively easy task to create a viable nation state because the efforts of a small, thinly spread and poorly funded colonial administration made it seem so.

This major error in judgement so long ago has now come back to bite PNG and may, in the fullness of time, come to bite Australia as well.
MICHAEL DOM

TODAY these daughters of Papua New Guinea have shown us the resilience of Papua New Guinean women to the tyranny of fear, bred by years of brutality at the hands of their men.

They are fearless to oppression.

They will pick themselves up when we beat them.

They will care for our children when we leave them.

They will put family first over their own freedoms.

They still love and pray for their men to change.

Who can resist such a power? If God is not with them, then He is not God.


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Luxury hotels in the historic center for a Catholic family. Only luxury hotels can provide a paradisiacal vacation for a big Catholic family. A high-level vacation for families, children and not only. The gorgeous views, divine service, and the best location are all luxury hotels. Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, and more. Everyone will find their place in this corner of paradise.

Popular destinations

Breckenridge, CO, United States

In Breckenridge, Colorado, there are plenty of places to visit, whether you're a nature lover or thrill seeker. For nature lovers, the Blue River runs right through town and there are plenty of trails to explore. If you're looking for a thrill, Breckenridge is home to some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the country. There's also plenty of shopping and dining options in town, so you'll never run out of things to do.

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Savannah, GA, United States

Savannah, Georgia is a beautiful city with lots of places to visit, including Forsyth Park, River Street, and the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace. Another place to visit is the Savannah History Museum, which is jam-packed with interesting exhibits on the history of the city.

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Naples, FL, United States

Naples is known for its stunning white sand beaches and crystal-clear waters. Its also home to a wide variety of attractions, including world-class golf courses, vibrant nightlife, and interesting cultural experiences. Here are five places to visit in Naples, Florida:  Naples Pier: Stroll along the pier and enjoy panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico.  Fifth Avenue South: This popular shopping and dining district is home to eclectic boutiques, award-winning restaurants, and lively bars.  The Ritz-Carlton, Naples: This luxurious resort is set on 26 acres of pristine waterfront property and offers superb amenities, including a world-class spa and championship golf course.  The Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens: This zoological park is home to more than 700 animals representing 150 species, including flamingos, lemurs, and tigers.  Tin City: This eclectic shopping and dining district is housed in a series of restored waterfront warehouses and features eclectic shops, galleries, and award-winning restaurants.

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Louisville, KY, United States

Louisville is in the heart of Kentucky and is known for being the home of the Kentucky Derby. There are a lot of great places to visit in Louisville, including the Louisville Zoo, the Muhammad Ali Center, and the Frazier History Museum. There are also a lot of great restaurants and bars in Louisville, and it's a great place to visit for a weekend getaway.

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Galveston, TX, United States

Galveston is a Texas coastal town that is rich in history and offers visitors a variety of places to visit and things to do. Some of the most popular attractions include the Moody Gardens, Schlitterbahn Waterpark, and Historic Downtown. There are also a number of museums and other historical landmarks, as well as plenty of shopping and dining options.

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Omaha, NE, United States

The birthplace of Warren Buffett, Omaha, Nebraska, is a great place to visit. There are plenty of things to see and do in Omaha, from touring the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium to visiting the Durham Western Heritage Museum. Other popular tourist destinations in Omaha include the Joslyn Art Museum, the Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium, and TD Ameritrade Park.

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Columbus, GA, United States

Columbus is a charming small town in Georgia that is worth a visit. There are several places to visit in Columbus, including the Riverwalk, the Chattahoochee River, the National Infantry Museum, and the Coca-Cola Space Science Center. The Riverwalk is a beautiful walkway along the Chattahoochee River that is perfect for a relaxing stroll or a bike ride. The Chattahoochee River is a great place to go fishing, swimming, or kayaking. The National Infantry Museum is a museum dedicated to the infantry of the United States Army. It is a must-see for history buffs. The Coca-Cola Space Science Center is a museum dedicated to space science. It is perfect for kids and adults alike.

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Anchorage, AK, United States

Anchorage is a great place to visit if you're looking for an adrenaline rush. From skiing and snowboarding in the winter to rafting and fishing in the summer, Anchorage has something to offer everyone. In addition to its outdoor activities, Anchorage also has a variety of cultural and historical attractions, including the Anchorage Museum and the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.

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Portland, OR, United States

Portland is a city that is located in the US state of Oregon and it is known for its art scene, food, and coffee. There are a lot of interesting places to visit in Portland, such as the Portland Art Museum, where you can see a variety of art from all over the world. Another place to visit is the Powell's City of Books, the largest independent bookstore in the world. If you're looking for a place to eat, Portland has no shortage of amazing restaurants, such as Pok Pok, which serves Thai cuisine, and Le Pigeon, which serves French cuisine. And, of course, no trip to Portland would be complete without trying some of the city's famous coffee, such as Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

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Florence, Italy

No trip to Italy is complete without a visit to Florence. This historic city is home to some of the country's most famous attractions, including the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and Michelangelo's David. There's also plenty to see and do outside of the city center, including the picturesque Tuscan countryside and the vibrant university town of Arezzo.

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Asheville, NC, United States

Asheville is a city in western North Carolina. It is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Buncombe County. Asheville is home to the Biltmore Estate, the largest private home in the United States. The city of Asheville proper had a population of 84,236 in 2010. The city is known for its art deco architecture, mountain scenery and outdoor activities, and as the birthplace of American novelist Thomas Wolfe. It is also home to the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, the second largest craft brewery in the United States.

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Long Beach, CA, United States

There's plenty to do in Long Beach, California without ever having to leave the city limits. If you're looking for a little adventure, head to the Aquarium of the Pacific for a glimpse of the ocean's creatures or take a walk on the boardwalk at Rainbow Harbor. If you're more of a history buff, the Queen Mary is a must-see. This retired ocean liner is now a hotel and museum with plenty of stories to tell. And no trip to Long Beach is complete without a visit to the iconic Vincent Thomas Bridge.

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Cincinnati, OH, United States

Cincinnati is a city located on the Ohio River in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. The city was founded in 1788 and named after the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization of Revolutionary War officers. Cincinnati is a major U.S. city and the metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million people. The city is well-known for its German heritage, Oktoberfest celebration, and its variety of chili dishes. Cincinnati is home to three major sports teams: the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals, MLB's Cincinnati Reds, and the NBA's Cincinnati Cavaliers. The city is also home to the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. The city's historic neighborhoods include Over-the-Rhine, Mount Auburn, and Hyde Park. Cincinnati is a popular tourist destination and offers a variety of attractions and places to visit, including the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, the Newport Aquarium, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

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Laughlin, NV, United States

Laughlin, Nevada is a great place to visit if you're looking for a fun and affordable vacation. There are plenty of casinos and resorts to choose from, as well as plenty of outdoor activities and attractions. Be sure to check out the local nightlife, and don't forget to take a trip down the mighty Colorado River.

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Anaheim, CA, United States

Anaheim, California is home to both Disneyland and California Adventure Park. The parks are just a short walk away from each other, and make for a great day of exploration. Anaheim is also home to the Anaheim Angels and the Anaheim Ducks, so there's always a game to catch. If you're looking for something a little more low-key, Anaheim has a great shopping district and a variety of restaurants to choose from.

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Santa Cruz, CA, United States

Santa Cruz is a great place to visit! There are so many places to see and things to do. Some of my favorite places to visit are the Boardwalk, the wharf, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. The Boardwalk is a great place to go for a walk, ride on the amusement park rides, and eat some of the delicious food. The wharf is a great place to go for a walk, eat some seafood, and listen to the street performers. The University of California, Santa Cruz is a great place to visit to learn about the history of the area and to see some of the beautiful architecture. I highly recommend visiting Santa Cruz if you are looking for a fun and interesting place to visit!.

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Eugene, OR, United States

Eugene, Oregon is a great city to visit with a lot of places to see and things to do. One of the most popular attractions is the University of Oregon campus, which is home to a number of museums and a large football stadium. The city also has a vibrant arts scene, with a number of theaters and art galleries. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy the dozens of parks and hiking trails in the area, and there are also a number of wineries and breweries in the area.

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Branson, MO, United States

There's plenty to see and do in Branson, Missouri, from state parks and amusement parks to theaters and shopping. Here are some of the most popular places to visit: Silver Dollar City is a theme park with rides, shows, and craftsmen demonstrations. is a theme park with rides, shows, and craftsmen demonstrations. The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Theatre puts on a variety of shows, including "The Legend of the Shepherd of the Hills" and "The Catfish Fry." puts on a variety of shows, including "The Legend of the Shepherd of the Hills" and "The Catfish Fry." Table Rock State Park has fishing, swimming, and hiking trails, as well as a nature center. has fishing, swimming, and hiking trails, as well as a nature center. The Titanic Museum features a half-sized replica of the ship, along with exhibits about the history of the Titanic. features a half-sized replica of the ship, along with exhibits about the history of the Titanic. Branson Landing is a shopping and entertainment complex on the waterfront. There's something for everyone in Branson, Missouri  come visit and see for yourself!.

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Panama City Beach, FL, United States

The white sand beaches and emerald waters of Panama City Beach, Florida, are a popular tourist destination. The city is home to numerous hotels, resorts, and restaurants, as well as amusement and water parks. Visitors can also enjoy fishing, kayaking, and surfing.

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Monterey, CA, United States

Monterey is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, United States. It stands at the southern end of Monterey Bay, on the Pacific coast. The city is also the home of the Naval Postgraduate School. Monterey is the largest city in the Central Coast region of California. The main attractions in Monterey are the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, and the downtown area.

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Norfolk, VA, United States

Norfolk, Virginia is a great place to visit for its historical places and military bases. Some places to visit in Norfolk are the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk Botanical Garden, and the Norfolk Naval Station.

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Palm Springs, CA, United States

Palm Springs is a vibrant city located in the Coachella Valley and is known for its year-round sunshine, resort atmosphere and Mid-Century Modern architecture. Top places to visit include the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Palm Springs Art Museum, Indian Canyons and Moorten Botanical Garden. For a truly unique experience, be sure to check out the Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale  the worlds largest vintage furniture and design event.

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Rochester, NY, United States

Rochester is a city in western New York State and is the county seat of Monroe County. Rochester is known for its annual festivals, including the Rochester International Jazz Festival, the Rochester Fringe Festival, and the Holiday Folk Fair International. Places to visit in Rochester include the George Eastman Museum, the Strong National Museum of Play, the Rochester Museum and Science Center, and the Seneca Park Zoo.

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Pigeon Forge, TN, United States

Visit the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge for a unique experience. This museum is dedicated to the Titanic, one of the most infamous ships in history. Tour the ship and learn about the passengers and crew who were on board. You can even see the actual artifacts recovered from the shipwreck. If you're looking for a little more excitement, head to Dollywood. This amusement park is home to roller coasters, a water park, and plenty of other rides and attractions. Plus, the park is themed around the life and music of Dolly Parton. No trip to Pigeon Forge is complete without a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains. These mountains offer a variety of activities, including hiking, fishing, and horseback riding. Plus, the natural beauty of the area is simply breathtaking.

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Jacksonville, FL, United States

Jacksonville is less than an hour's drive from the beaches of Amelia Island and St. Augustine, and a little more than two hours from Orlando. The city has a lot to offer visitors, including a riverwalk, museums, and a vibrant arts scene. Jacksonville is also home to the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team.

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Minsk, Belarus

Minsk, the capital of Belarus, is a city that has something for everyone. If you're looking for a little history, Minsk has plenty of it, with churches and monuments dating back to the 12th century. If you're looking for a lively nightlife, Minsk has that, too, with plenty of bars, clubs, and restaurants. And if you're looking for a little nature, Minsk has parks and gardens to enjoy. Here are just a few of the places you can visit in Minsk: The Holy Spirit Cathedral, one of the oldest churches in Minsk, is a must-visit for history buffs. The National Library of Belarus is a huge library with more than 18 million items in its collection. The Opera and Ballet Theatre is a beautiful building that hosts performances of both opera and ballet. The Victory Park is a large park with a war memorial, a children's playground, and a lake. And for a little bit of nature in the heart of the city, the Botanical Garden is a great place to relax and take a break from the hustle and bustle of Minsk.

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Jaipur, India

Jaipur is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. It is the capital of the state of Rajasthan and is known for its palaces, forts and temples. Some of the places to visit in Jaipur include the Amber Fort, the City Palace, the Jantar Mantar Observatory and the Hawa Mahal. Jaipur is also a great place to shop for traditional Indian handicrafts.

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Chicago, IL, United States

Chicago is a city full of culture and history. There are plenty of places to visit, such as the Willis Tower, Buckingham Fountain, and the Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicago is also home to many restaurants and bars, so there is something for everyone.

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Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland is a beautiful city located on the north island of New Zealand. There are many places to visit in Auckland, including the Sky Tower, the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and the Auckland Domain. The beaches in Auckland are also worth visiting, especially Karekare and Piha. Auckland is a great place to visit, and I highly recommend it!.

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

If you're looking for a city that's got it all, Amsterdam should be your go-to destination. From the city's lively and vibrant nightlife to its charming and quiet neighborhoods, Amsterdam has something for everyone. Be sure to check out the Anne Frank Huis, the Rijksmuseum, and the Van Gogh Museum, as these are some of the most popular attractions in the city. And if you're looking for a little bit of nature, be sure to take a walk or bike ride through Amsterdam's many parks.

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Berlin, Germany

There are so many great places to visit in Berlin that it can be hard to know where to start. From the iconic Brandenburg Gate to the fascinating Reichstag Building, there's something for everyone in this vibrant city. If you're looking for a bit of history, make sure to check out the Berlin Wall Memorial or the DDR Museum. And for those looking for a bit more fun, there's always the Alexanderplatz Christmas Market or the Zoologischer Garten. No matter what your interests, Berlin is a city you won't want to miss.

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Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is a city of contrasts with its gleaming temples and skyscrapers, chaotic markets and tranquil canals. While it's a popular tourist destination, Bangkok is a city that can be enjoyed by visitors of all ages. Some of the top places to visit in Bangkok include the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, the floating markets and the Chatuchak Weekend Market.

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Bruges, Belgium

Bruges is a city in Belgium that is worth visiting. It is full of medieval charm and there are a lot of things to see and do. Some of the places to visit include the Markt, the Belfry, and the Begijnhof.

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Brussels, Belgium

Brussels is a city in Belgium that is best known for its chocolate, waffles, and beer. But there is much more to see and do in Brussels than just indulge in the local cuisine. There are a number of interesting historical landmarks to visit, such as the Grand Place and the Atomium, as well as a variety of parks and gardens. And, of course, Brussels is also a great city to explore on foot.

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Budapest, Hungary

Budapest, Hungary's capital, is a city of thermal baths and medival, baroque and art nouveau architecture. Crowded with tourists, the city is bisected by the Danube River into the hilly Buda and the more developed and flat Pest. Among the main places of interest are the neo-Gothic Parliament, the Chain Bridge linking Buda and Pest, the Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion on the Buda bank, and the State Opera House and Heroes' Square on the Pest side.

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Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Home to some of the best beaches in Mexico, Playa del Carmen is a favorite tourist destination for visitors from all over the world. With its lively nightlife, gorgeous coastline and ample shopping opportunities, there's something for everyone in this tropical paradise. Don't miss the opportunity to visit some of the area's most popular attractions, such as the ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum and Coba, or the eco-friendly Turtle Beach. With its friendly people, delicious food and stunning scenery, Playa del Carmen is a place you'll never want to leave.

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Denver, CO, United States

Denver is a great city for visitors. There are so many places to see and things to do. Some of the top places to visit include the 16th Street Mall, the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver Art Museum, and the Colorado State Capitol. There are also plenty of great restaurants and shops to explore. Denver is definitely a city worth visiting!.

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Dublin, Ireland

Dublin is a city located in Ireland. It's a city full of culture, with plenty of places to visit. Some popular tourist spots are the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, and the Dublin Castle. There are also plenty of pubs and restaurants to discover.

Dublin Luxury Hotels

Dusseldorf, Germany

Dusseldorf, Germany is a city with many different places to visit. The city has a mix of old and new buildings, and a variety of activities to do. The best places to visit in Dusseldorf are the Konigsallee, the Rhine Tower, and the Oktoberfest. The Konigsallee is an open-air shopping mall that has many high-end stores. The Rhine Tower is the tallest building in the city and offers great views of Dusseldorf. The Oktoberfest is a week-long festival that celebrates German culture and food.

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Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Edinburgh, Scotland is a beautiful city to visit. The architecture is very old and unique, and there are plenty of historical places to visit, like Edinburgh Castle. There are also plenty of parks and gardens, and lots of shops and restaurants.

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Rome, Italy

Rome is a city rich in history and filled with beautiful places to visit. Make sure to stop by the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon. Also be sure to visit St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel while in Rome. If youre looking for a little more nature in your trip, head to the Villa Borghese gardens or the Janiculum Hill for some wonderful views of the city. And of course, no trip to Rome is complete without a gelato!.

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New York, NY, United States

There are many amazing places to visit in New York State. Some of my favorites are the Niagara Falls, the Adirondack Mountains, and the Finger Lakes. If you're looking for a city break, New York City is definitely worth a visit. There's endless things to see and do, from touring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to visiting world-famous museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History. No matter what your interests are, you'll be able to find something to enjoy in New York State.

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London, United Kingdom

London is a city rich in history and full of amazing places to visit. Some of my favorite places are Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London. There is so much to see and do in London, you could spend weeks here and never run out of things to do. If you're looking for a city full of culture and history, London is the place for you.

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Madrid, Spain

Madrid is one of the most beautiful and culturally rich cities in the world. From the Royal Palace to the Prado Museum, theres plenty to see and do in Madrid. If youre looking for a little bit of nature, Madrid has plenty of parks, like the Buen Retiro Park, to relax in. And dont forget to try some of the delicious tapas and wine while youre in town.

Madrid Luxury Hotels

Memphis, TN, United States

The birthplace of rock 'n' roll, Memphis is a city rich in history and culture. From Graceland to Beale Street, there are plenty of places to visit in Memphis. Be sure to check out Sun Studio, where rock 'n' roll was born, and the National Civil Rights Museum, which tells the story of the African-American civil rights movement. Memphis is also home to some amazing food, so be sure to try some of the city's famous barbecue and soul food.

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Miami Beach, FL, United States

There is much to explore in Miami Beach, from the famous Art Deco district to the vast beaches and crystal-clear waters. Outdoor enthusiasts will love the opportunities for fishing, kayaking, and paddleboarding, while history buffs can explore the ancient burial mounds at Miami Beach. Shoppers and foodies will find plenty to keep them busy, with vibrant neighborhoods like Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive offering unique boutiques and award-winning restaurants. And of course, no trip to Miami Beach is complete without a visit to world-famous South Beach.

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New Orleans, LA, United States

You can't visit New Orleans without trying some of the local food. Beignets, Po' Boys, and gumbo are just a few of the must-try dishes. While you're in town, be sure to check out the French Quarter, Jackson Square, and St. Louis Cathedral. If you're looking for some nightlife, Bourbon Street is the place to be. And, of course, no trip to New Orleans is complete without a visit to Mardi Gras!.

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Milan, Italy

Milan is a city located in the Lombardy region of Italy. It is a popular tourist destination because of its historical and artistic heritage. Some of the places you should visit while in Milan are the Duomo, La Scala, and Castello Sforzesco.

Milan Luxury Hotels

Naples, Italy

Naples is one of the most beautiful and historic cities in Italy. There are countless places to visit, such as the Royal Palace, the Museum of San Martino, and the Church of Gesu Nuovo. Naples is also home to excellent shopping and dining options. Be sure to enjoy a cup of coffee at one of the city's many cafes and take a stroll through the picturesque streets.

Naples Luxury Hotels

Paris, France

Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It's home to iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum, as well as a thriving nightlife and restaurant scene. If you're looking to explore all that Paris has to offer, here are some of the top places to visit: The Eiffel Tower: This iconic landmark is a must-see in Paris. Climb to the top for stunning views of the city, or take a ride on the elevator to the bottom for a closer look at the structure. The Louvre Museum: This world-famous museum is home to some of the most famous works of art in the world, including the Mona Lisa. The Notre Dame Cathedral: This beautiful cathedral is one of the most famous landmarks in Paris. Make sure to climb to the top for some amazing views of the city. The Champs-Elysees: This famous avenue is a popular destination for shopping and dining. Be sure to wander down the street and take in all the sights and sounds. The Arc de Triomphe: This towering arch is another iconic landmark in Paris. Climb to the top for some amazing views of the city.

Paris Luxury Hotels

Paris Luxury Villas

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is a city rich in history and culture. There are plenty of places to visit, including the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, and the Old Town Square. There are also plenty of restaurants and bars to enjoy, and the nightlife is vibrant. Prague is a truly unique city and a must-visit for anyone traveling to the Czech Republic.

Prague Luxury Hotels

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Located on the easternmost tip of the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana is known for its beautiful beaches and turquoise waters. This paradise is a favorite destination for travelers looking for a Caribbean getaway. Punta Cana is home to a wide variety of resorts and activities, from enjoying the sand and surf to golfing, spas, and shopping. Nature lovers can also explore the areas jungles, caves, and waterfalls.

Punta Cana Luxury Hotels

Punta Cana Luxury Resorts

Punta Cana Luxury Villas

Marbella, Spain

If you're looking for an idyllic and luxurious Spanish escape, look no further than Marbella. Located on the country's Costa del Sol, Marbella is home to stunning beaches, top-notch resorts, world-class golfing, and much more. A visit to Marbella is the perfect way to experience all that Spain has to offer.

Marbella Luxury Hotels

Marbella Luxury Villas

Marrakesh, Morocco

Marrakesh is a city in Morocco that is full of culture and history. There are several places to visit in Marrakesh, including the Palace of the Bahia, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, and the Saadian Tombs. The souks (markets) are also a must-see, where you can find everything from souvenirs to spices to traditional clothing. Be sure to enjoy a meal in one of the many restaurants or cafes in Marrakesh; the food is delicious and the atmosphere is always lively. Marrakesh is a wonderful city to explore and definitely worth a visit!.

Marrakesh Luxury Hotels

San Francisco, CA, United States

San Francisco is a popular tourist destination, and for good reason. There are plenty of things to see and do in this vibrant city. Here are some of the top places to visit: 1. Fisherman's Wharf: This neighborhood is home to a variety of shops and restaurants, as well as a popular pier where you can enjoy views of the bay. 2. The Golden Gate Bridge: This iconic bridge is a must-see for any visitor to San Francisco. 3. Alcatraz Island: This former federal prison is now a popular tourist attraction. It's a must-see for fans of history and crime dramas. 4. Chinatown: This colorful neighborhood is home to some of the best food in San Francisco. Be sure to check out the Dragon Gate entrance. 5. The Mission District: This trendy neighborhood is home to hip restaurants, bars, and art galleries.

San Francisco Luxury Hotels

Moscow, Russia

Moscow, Russia is a beautiful city with plenty of places to visit. Some of the most popular tourist attractions are the Kremlin, Red Square, and Saint Basil's Cathedral. Other great places to see include the Bolshoi Theatre, Gorky Park, and the Tretyakov Gallery. There are also many churches and other historical buildings to explore. Moscow is a lively city with a lot of culture and nightlife. There is something for everyone to enjoy in Moscow.

Moscow Luxury Hotels

Venice, Italy

Venice is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The city is built on a lagoon in northeast Italy and is known for its canals and gondolas. There are many places to visit in Venice, including the Grand Canal, St. Marks Square, and the Rialto Bridge. Venice is also home to many museums, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

Venice Luxury Hotels

Vienna, Austria

Vienna, Austria is a city with a long and rich history. There are many places to visit in Vienna, including the Hofburg Palace, the Ringstrasse, and St. Stephen's Cathedral. Vienna is also home to some of the world's best shopping, including the Karntner Strasse and the Graben. Finally, no visit to Vienna is complete without experiencing the city's world-famous nightlife.

Vienna Luxury Hotels

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich is a marvelous city located in the heart of Switzerland. It is a city that has something to offer for everyone. From amazing restaurants and beautiful architecture to exciting nightlife and gorgeous parks, Zurich has something for everyone. Some of the most popular places to visit in Zurich include the Bahnhofstrasse, which is the city's most famous shopping street, the Lindenhof, which is a beautiful park with amazing views of the city, and Grossmunster, which is a stunning Romanesque church. Zurich is also home to some of the best museums in the world, including the famed Museum of Art and the Swiss National Museum. With its mix of old-world charm and modern amenities, Zurich is a city that is definitely worth exploring.

Zurich Luxury Hotels

Acapulco, Mexico

If you're looking for a Mexican vacation spot with plenty of history and culture to explore, Acapulco is a great option. From the archeological wonders of the ancient city to the stunning coastal views, there's something for everyone in Acapulco. Plus, with its temperate climate, it's a great escape from colder winter weather.

Acapulco Luxury Hotels

Acapulco Luxury Resorts

Acapulco Luxury Villas

Nashville, TN, United States

One of the United States' most interesting places to visit is Nashville, Tennessee. There's plenty to see and do there, from the Grand Ole Opry to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Music is a big part of the city's history and culture, so be sure to catch a show while you're in town. Other popular attractions include the Ryman Auditorium, the Parthenon, and the Jack Daniel's Distillery. Nashville is also a great place to eat, with a wide variety of restaurants serving up everything from barbecue to Mexican food. So if you're looking for an exciting and diverse city to visit, be sure to add Nashville to your list.

Nashville Luxury Hotels

Nashville Luxury Villas

Atlanta, GA, United States

What's not to love about Atlanta? From the iconic Georgia Aquarium to the World of Coke, from the Fox Theatre to Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta offers a wealth of destinations for tourists. Sports fans will want to check out the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and history buffs will enjoy the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. Braves fans can take a tour of SunTrust Park, and shoppers will enjoy the many boutiques and malls in the city. There's also a great restaurant scene in Atlanta, and music lovers will want to check out the many venues offering live music. Whether you're looking for a fun family vacation spot or a place to explore on your own, Atlanta is a great choice!.

Atlanta Luxury Hotels

Miami, FL, United States

The Magic City is a top tourist destination for a reasonthere are endless things to do in Miami! From exploring the trendy neighborhoods and dazzling beaches to soaking up the Latin culture and nightlife, Miami is jam-packed with amazing places to visit. Here are a few of our favorites: 1. Wynwood Walls: This outdoor art exhibit is a must-see for any art lover. The colorful murals are awe-inspiring and definitely Instagram-worthy. 2. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens: This estate is dripping with luxury and opulence, from the grandiose architecture to the expansive gardens. It's the perfect place for a day of relaxation. 3. South Beach: This world-famous beach is a must-visit for any sun-seeker. The crystal-clear water and soft sand make for the perfect day-long beach getaway. 4. Little Havana: Experience Cuban culture at its best in Little Havana. From delicious food to lively music and dance, there's something for everyone in this vibrant district. 5. Art Deco District: This district is home to Miami's most iconic architecture. Take a stroll down the charming streets and admire the colorful buildings that make Miami so unique.

Miami Luxury Hotels

Miami Luxury Villas

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is a must-see destination in Japan. There are endless places to explore in this city - temples, shrines, gardens, and more. The Shinjuku district is a great place to start, with its neon-lit streets and myriad shops and restaurants. For a taste of traditional Japan, visit the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa or the Imperial Palace. Nature lovers will enjoy the Hamarikyu Gardens or the Hama-rikyu Teien Garden. And for a unique experience, take a trip to Mount Fuji.

Tokyo Luxury Hotels

Tokyo Luxury Villas

Buenos Aires, Argentina

There are plenty of places to visit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some popular tourist destinations include the obelisk, the Casa Rosada, and the Puerto Madero district. Every barrio (neighborhood) has its own unique culture and flavor. San Telmo, La Boca, and Palermo are some of the most popular barrios. There are also many parks and plazas, such as Plaza de Mayo and Plaza de la Republica, that are worth checking out.

Buenos Aires Luxury Hotels

Hamburg, Germany

One of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany is Hamburg. From the lively and colorful harbor district to the grandiose City Hall, there is plenty to see and do in Hamburg. Some of the other popular places to visit include the Reeperbahn district with its pubs and nightlife, the Planten un Blomen botanical gardens, and the architecturally stunning Rathausmarkt square.

Hamburg Luxury Hotels

Lisbon, Portugal

The capital of Portugal, Lisbon is a city of fascinating contrasts. From its coastal location, visitors can enjoy stunning ocean views, while its hilly, narrow streets are home to a maze of charming traditional homes and lively nightlife. A city of 7 hills, Lisbon is a bustling metropolis with something for everyone. Here are some of the top places to visit: The Belem Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Lisbons most iconic landmarks. This 16th-century fortress and lighthouse is a must-see for visitors. The Alfama district, with its winding streets and tile-roofed homes, is the oldest district in Lisbon. This is the perfect place to get lost and explore the citys history. The Lisbon Zoo is a great place to enjoy a day out with the family, with over 2,000 animals from around the world. The Christ the King statue, located atop a hill in the suburb of Almada, offers impressive views of Lisbon and the river Tagus. The Lisbon Oceanarium, located in the Parque das Nacoes district, is home to more than 12,000 marine creatures and is one of the largest aquariums in Europe.

Lisbon Luxury Hotels

Lisbon Luxury Villas

Malaga, Spain

Malaga is an attractive seaside city in southern Spain with a long history. There are many places to visit in Malaga, including the Gibralfaro Castle, the Alcazaba fortress, and the Malaga Cathedral. Malaga is also home to a variety of museums, including the Picasso Museum. The city is well known for its beaches, and there are many delightful places to relax and enjoy the sun and the sea.

Malaga Luxury Hotels

Malaga Luxury Villas

Munich, Germany

When planning a vacation to Munich, Germany, be sure to include these top places to visit: The Marienplatz is a must-see square in the city center, featuring a beautiful Glockenspiel show and the Old and New Town Halls. The Englisher Garten, Europes largest city park, is a great place for a relaxing stroll or a picnic. OlympiaPark is home to the famous 1972 Olympic Stadium as well as a huge amusement park. The Frauenkirche is a stunning church in the old town with a Glockenspiel of its own. Beer lovers will want to visit the Hofbrauhaus, the worlds most famous beer hall. For a bit of history and culture, check out the LudwigMaximilians-University and the Deutsches Museum. There is so much to see and do in Munich  these are just a few highlights!.

Munich Luxury Hotels

Granada, Spain

Granada is a city in southern Spain that is known for its Moorish architecture and history. The city is home to the Alhambra, a palace and fortress that was constructed in the late 1300s. Visitors can also enjoy the citys many churches, including the Cathedral of Granada. Granada is also a convenient base for exploring the other cities and towns in Andalusia.

Granada Luxury Hotels

Bucharest, Romania

Bucharest is a city full of history and culture. There are many places to visit, such as the Palace of Parliament, which is the world's largest civilian building. Other places to visit include the old city center, which is full of charming streets and buildings, and the Botanical Garden, which is the largest botanical garden in Romania.

Bucharest Luxury Hotels

Bologna, Italy

Bologna, Italy is a beautiful city with plenty of places to visit. Some popular tourist destinations include the Piazza Maggiore, the Tower of Asinelli, and the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca. There are also plenty of museums and churches to explore, and the city is full of charming restaurants and cafes. Bologna is an excellent destination for a vacation, and there is something for everyone to enjoy in this amazing city.

Bologna Luxury Hotels

Porto, Portugal

Porto is a port city in Portugal that is well known for its wine. It's also a city with a long and rich history. There are many places to visit in Porto, including the old city center, the Dom Luis I Bridge, and the Clerigos Tower. Porto is also home to the famous Port wine caves, which are a must-visit for wine lovers.

Porto Luxury Hotels

Cologne, Germany

Cologne, located on the Rhine River in western Germany, is a city well worth visiting. The city has a long and rich history, dating back to the time of the Roman Empire. Some of the city's most popular tourist attractions include the Cologne Cathedral, Hohenzollern Bridge, and the RheinEnergieStadion. Additionally, Cologne is home to a wide variety of museums, shops, and restaurants. In fact, the city has been ranked as one of the best places to live in Germany. So, if you're looking for a great European city to visit, be sure to add Cologne to your list.

Cologne Luxury Hotels

Istanbul, Turkey

If you're looking for an exotic and affordable vacation destination, look no further than Istanbul, Turkey. Filled with historical places to visit and bargains to be found, Istanbul offers something for everyone. Be sure to visit the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and the Blue Mosque while you're there. Don't forget to bargain for the best prices when shopping in the bazaars, and enjoy some delicious Turkish cuisine while you're at it. Istanbul is sure to leave you with a lasting impression.

Istanbul Luxury Hotels

Istanbul Luxury Villas

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai is a fascinating and exotic city that offers visitors a mix of traditional Middle Eastern culture and modern, cosmopolitan life. There are plenty of places to visit in Dubai, from the towering skyscrapers of Downtown Dubai to the luxury shopping malls and luxurious hotels of the Palm Jumeirah. Don't miss a chance to experience an Arabian night out on an epic dhow cruise, or take a trip out into the Arabian Desert to see the stunning sand dunes.

Dubai Luxury Hotels

Dubai Luxury Resorts

Dubai Luxury Villas

Antwerp, Belgium

Antwerp is a city located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital of the province of Antwerp and has a population of over half a million people. Antwerp is a popular tourist destination due to its many historical buildings, museums, and art galleries. Some of the most popular places to visit in Antwerp are the Cathedral of Our Lady, the City Hall, the Rubenshuis, and the Antwerp Zoo.

Antwerp Luxury Hotels

Lyon, France

Lyon is a beautiful city in the south of France that is full of culture and places to visit. Some of the most popular places to visit in Lyon are the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere, the Place Bellecour, and the Vieux Lyon. The Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere is a beautiful cathedral that is a must-see when visiting Lyon. The Place Bellecour is a large square in the heart of Lyon that is full of restaurants and cafes. The Vieux Lyon is a district in Lyon that is full of old buildings and is a great place to wander around and take in the sights.

Lyon Luxury Hotels

Athens, Greece

If you find yourself in Athens, there are definitely some spots you won't want to miss. The Acropolis, Parthenon, and Olympic Stadium are all essential stops, but there are plenty of others, too. If you're looking for a bit of history, the National Archaeological Museum is a must-see, while nature lovers will enjoy a visit to the botanical gardens. If you're looking to relax, take a walk along the beach in Glyfada or head to the Plaka district for a charming and picturesque setting. No matter what you're interested in, Athens has something for you.

Athens Luxury Hotels

Athens Luxury Villas

Helsinki, Finland

While in Helsinki, make sure to visit these popular tourist destinations: The Senate Square and Lutheran Cathedral The Sibelius Monument Ateneum Art Museum Market Square Helsinki Zoo.

Helsinki Luxury Hotels

Vilnius, Lithuania

The capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, is a picturesque city with a rich history. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is full of charming churches, narrow streets, and pretty squares. There are also lots of museums and other places of interest to visit, including the Hill of Crosses, Gediminas Tower, and the Presidential Palace. Vilnius is a great city to explore on foot, and there are plenty of cafes, restaurants, and bars to enjoy in the evening.

Vilnius Luxury Hotels

Reykjavik, Iceland

A city of remote beauty, Reykjavik is teeming with interesting places to visit. One of the worlds most northern capitals, Reykjavik offers stunning landscapes and a wealth of cultural experiences. From the iconic Hallgrimskirkja church to the popular Golden Circle tour, theres plenty to see and do in Reykjavik. Be sure to check out the citys lively nightlife scene, too  you wont be disappointed!.

Reykjavik Luxury Hotels

Glasgow, United Kingdom

Some of the most popular places to visit in Glasgow include the Gallery of Modern Art, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the Riverside Museum, and the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. There are also many wonderful parks and gardens to explore, including the Botanic Gardens and Glasgow Green. For those interested in history and architecture, there are many fascinating old buildings to see, such as the Glasgow Cathedral and the University of Glasgow. And for those looking for a lively nightlife, Glasgow has no shortage of pubs, clubs, and restaurants.

Glasgow Luxury Hotels

Los Angeles, CA, United States

As the birthplace of Hollywood and home to some of the world's most recognisable landmarks, there's no shortage of places to visit in Los Angeles. Start by exploring the city's iconic neighbourhoods like Beverly Hills and Hollywood, then venture out to attractions like the Griffith Observatory, Venice Beach and Disneyland. And don't forget to savour the city's world-famous cultural scene, with its abundance of museums, theatres and restaurants.

Los Angeles Luxury Hotels

Los Angeles Luxury Villas

San Diego, CA, United States

San Diego is a city located in California and is a major tourist destination. One of the main reasons people visit the city is for its many beaches. Coronado Beach, Mission Beach, and Pacific Beach are some of the most popular and are all within close proximity to the city center. Other attractions in San Diego include the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego, and the USS Midway Museum. Restaurants, bars, and shopping can be found throughout the city, and world-renowned museums, like the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, are also located in San Diego.

San Diego Luxury Hotels

San Diego Luxury Resorts

San Diego Luxury Villas

Washington, DC, United States

Washington, D.C. is a city full of history and places to visit. Some popular places to visit are the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and the Smithsonian. D.C. is also home to a number of monuments and memorials, like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. There are also a number of museums in D.C., like the American History Museum and the National Air and Space Museum.

Washington Luxury Hotels

Cancun, Mexico

Cancun is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico. Aside from its beautiful beaches, there are plenty of places to visit and things to do in Cancun. Some of the most popular attractions include the ancient ruins of Chichen Itza, the eco-park Xcaret, and the nightclubs and bars in the resort district.

Cancun Luxury Hotels

Cancun Luxury Resorts

Cancun Luxury Villas

Virginia Beach, VA, United States

Virginia Beach is one of the top tourist destinations on the East Coast. From the Virginia Beach Boardwalk to the miles of sandy beaches, there's something for everyone to enjoy. There are also plenty of restaurants, shops, and other attractions to keep visitors busy. Some of the most popular places to visit in Virginia Beach include: The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center : This aquarium is home to more than 20,000 animals, including sharks, dolphins, and rays. : This aquarium is home to more than 20,000 animals, including sharks, dolphins, and rays. The Virginia Beach Boardwalk: This 3.5-mile boardwalk is one of the most popular attractions in Virginia Beach. It features a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and amusements. This 3.5-mile boardwalk is one of the most popular attractions in Virginia Beach. It features a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and amusements. First Landing State Park: This park offers miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as a beachfront area for swimming and sunbathing. This park offers miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as a beachfront area for swimming and sunbathing. Cape Henry Lighthouse: This lighthouse is one of the oldest in the country and offers stunning views of the Chesapeake Bay. There are plenty of other things to do in Virginia Beach, including dolphin and whale watching tours, kayaking, and golfing. Whether you're looking for a fun family vacation or a romantic getaway, Virginia Beach is sure to please.

Virginia Beach Luxury Hotels

Virginia Beach Luxury Resorts

Beijing, China

If you're looking for an amazing cultural experience, be sure to add Beijing, China to your travel bucket list! With beautiful temples, charming hutongs (traditional alleyways), and a lively food scene, there's something for everyone in this bustling city. Plus, Beijing is home to some of the most iconic attractions in China, like the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. So if you're looking for an unforgettable East Asian adventure, be sure to add Beijing to your list!.

Beijing Luxury Hotels

Seoul, South Korea

Seoul is a metropolitan city that is home to over 10 million people. It is a city full of culture, history, and a vibrant nightlife. There are plenty of places to visit in Seoul, including the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, and N Seoul Tower. The Jeongdongne district is a must-see for anyone interested in art and culture, and the Itaewon district is a great place to go for a night on the town.

Seoul Luxury Hotels

South Lake Tahoe, CA, United States

Known for its dramatic lake and mountain scenery, South Lake Tahoe offers visitors plenty of places to visit and things to do. Some of the most popular attractions include floating down the river on a tube, hiking the trails in the summer and skiing or snowboarding the slopes in the winter. The city also has a variety of restaurants and nightlife options, as well as casinos for those looking to try their luck.

South Lake Tahoe Luxury Hotels

South Lake Tahoe Luxury Resorts

Daytona Beach, FL, United States

Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. It is approximately 40 miles northeast of Orlando, and 85 miles southeast of Jacksonville. The city is known as "The World's Most Famous Beach." Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Fun Coast region of Florida. The Daytona Beach area is a popular tourist destination. It is well known for its beaches, sports events, and motorsports. Daytona Beach was the birthplace of NASCAR and home to its first track, Daytona International Speedway. Dayton Beach also features a large number of tourist-oriented businesses, such as motels, restaurants, and bars.

Daytona Beach Luxury Hotels

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The coastline of Rio de Janeiro is breathtaking, and the views from Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain are unforgettable. Rio's world-famous beaches are the perfect place to relax and enjoy the sun and the surf. The city's rich culture and history can be experienced in its many museums and in the lively nightlife. Rio is also a great place to shop for souvenirs.

Rio de Janeiro Luxury Hotels

Rio de Janeiro Luxury Villas

Jaco, Costa Rica

Jaco is a town on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. It's about an hour drive from San Jose and is a popular spot for surfers, sunbathers, and tourists. There are a number of beaches in the area, as well as restaurants, bars, and hotels. If you're looking for a place to relax and enjoy the Costa Rican sun and beaches, Jaco is a great option.

Jaco Luxury Hotels

Oslo, Norway

Oslo, Norway is a city with plenty of places to visit. You can find the peace and tranquility of nature parks and green spaces, experience the city's vibrant nightlife, or take in the historical and cultural sights. Here are a few of the top places to visit in Oslo: The Royal Palace: Oslo's Royal Palace is the official residence of Norway's king and queen. The palace is open to the public year-round, and offers a glimpse into the lives of the royal family. Oslo's Royal Palace is the official residence of Norway's king and queen. The palace is open to the public year-round, and offers a glimpse into the lives of the royal family. Vigeland Park: Considered one of Oslo's most popular tourist destinations, Vigeland Park is home to over 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. The park is a great place to spend a sunny day outdoors. Considered one of Oslo's most popular tourist destinations, Vigeland Park is home to over 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. The park is a great place to spend a sunny day outdoors. The Maritime Museum: This museum is home to a variety of exhibits on Norway's maritime history. Visitors can explore everything from Viking ships to modern submarines. This museum is home to a variety of exhibits on Norway's maritime history. Visitors can explore everything from Viking ships to modern submarines. The National Gallery: The National Gallery is Norway's largest art museum, and home to a vast collection of paintings and sculptures from the country's most famous artists. The National Gallery is Norway's largest art museum, and home to a vast collection of paintings and sculptures from the country's most famous artists. Aker Brygge: Aker Brygge is a popular waterfront district in Oslo, home to a variety of bars, restaurants, and shops. The area is a great place to people watch and enjoy the view of the Oslo Fjord.

Oslo Luxury Hotels

Lima, Peru

If you're looking for a city that's bursting with culture and flavor, Lima, Peru is the place for you! This vibrant destination is home to some of the most amazing places to visit in all of South America. From ancient ruins to lush rainforests, there's something for everyone in Lima. Here are just a few of the must-see attractions in this amazing city: The Larco Museum is one of Lima's top tourist destinations. This incredible museum is home to one of the largest collections of pre-Columbian art in the world. The Historic Center of Lima is a must-see for any history lover. This vibrant area is home to some of the oldest architecture in Lima, including the iconic San Francisco Monastery. If you're looking for a little bit of jungle in the city, head to the Parque de la Reserva. This lush park is home to beautiful gardens, a zoo, and even a butterfly farm! No trip to Lima would be complete without a visit to Machu Picchu. This ancient Inca citadel is one of the most iconic sites in all of South America.

Lima Luxury Hotels

Ankara, Turkey

Ankara is the cultural and political center of Turkey. The city is home to many museums, including the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, and is a popular destination for tourists. The Citadel, the Ataturk Mausoleum, and the War of Independence Museum are all popular tourist destinations in Ankara. The city is also home to a vibrant nightlife and is a popular destination for students.

Ankara Luxury Hotels

Birmingham, United Kingdom

There are plenty of great places to visit in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Some of the most popular places to go include the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and the Black Country Living Museum. These places are all great for tourists, as they offer a variety of attractions, including beautiful gardens, interesting art, and a recreation of an old-fashioned town. Additionally, there are plenty of other great places to visit in Birmingham, such as the Jewellery Quarter and the German Christmas Market.

Birmingham Luxury Hotels

York, United Kingdom

With a rich history that spans back over 1,000 years, York is a must-visit destination in the United Kingdom. Explore the city's medieval architecture and narrow cobblestone streets, or enjoy a leisurely walk along the River Ouse. Visitors can also enjoy a variety of cultural experiences, such as the York Minster cathedral, the Jorvik Viking Centre, and the National Railway Museum. There are also plenty of shops and restaurants to enjoy in York.

York Luxury Hotels

Inverness, United Kingdom

Inverness, Scotland is a must-see destination on any traveler's list. Filled with rolling green hills, historical sites, and plenty of outdoor activities, there's something for everyone in this charming town. Start by exploring the city center, which is home to a variety of shops and restaurants. Make sure to check out the Inverness Castle, which offers commanding views of the area, and the Inverness Cathedral, a beautiful example of medieval architecture. Outside of the city center, there are plenty of other attractions to explore. The Loch Ness Monster is said to make its home in the loch here, and visitors can take boat tours to hunt for the mythical creature. If you're looking for a more active adventure, take a hike in the hills or go fishing on the loch. No matter what you choose to do, Inverness is a beautiful and welcoming town that is sure to charm you.

Inverness Luxury Hotels

Marseille, France

The Vieux Port (Old Harbor) is the oldest port in France. It is a beautiful place to visit with its sailboats, restaurants, and cafes. The Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica is also worth a visit. It offers stunning views of the city. If you're looking for a more lively atmosphere, head to the La Canebiere. It's a wide avenue with plenty of shops and restaurants.

Marseille Luxury Hotels

Marseille Luxury Villas

Honolulu, HI, United States

Honolulu is a city located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, United States. It is the most populous city in the state of Hawaii and the county seat of the City and County of Honolulu. Honolulu is the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the world and is located in Honolulu. Other places to visit in Honolulu include Diamond Head, the USS Arizona Memorial, and Hanauma Bay.

Honolulu Luxury Hotels

Honolulu Luxury Resorts

Honolulu Luxury Villas

Bar Harbor, ME, United States

Famous for lobster and stunning ocean views, Bar Harbor is a popular destination in Maine. There are plenty of things to do in the town and its surroundings, including hiking, biking, whale watching, and exploring Acadia National Park.

Bar Harbor Luxury Hotels

Colorado Springs, CO, United States

There are many places to visit in Colorado Springs. Garden of the Gods is a popular park with beautiful rock formations. Pike's Peak is a 14,115 foot mountain that offers great views and outdoor activities. The Broadmoor is a world-renowned resort with lovely gardens and a championship golf course. Royal Gorge Bridge is the world's highest suspension bridge and a popular tourist spot.

Colorado Springs Luxury Hotels

Fort Myers Beach, FL, United States

Just an hours drive from the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach is a popular tourist spot, especially in the winter when the snowbirds migrate down. The seven-mile-long beach is known for its white sand and clear water and is a popular spot for swimming, sunbathing, fishing, and kayaking. There are also a number of restaurants and bars in the area, as well as a few stores.

Fort Myers Beach Luxury Hotels

Biloxi, MS, United States

There are plenty of places to explore in Biloxi, Mississippi  from the citys iconic Beaches to the picturesque Bay Saint Louis. Venture into the citys downtown area to check out the many shops and restaurants, or take a walk along the shoreline. No matter what you choose to do, youre sure to have a great time in Biloxi.

Biloxi Luxury Hotels

Palermo, Italy

If you're looking for a city with a rich and diverse history, Palermo is the place for you. This coastal city in Italy is teeming with medieval architecture, churches, and cathedrals. Be sure to check out the Teatro Massimo, the largest opera house in Europe, and the Palazzo dei Normanni, the seat of the Sicilian government. Don't miss out on the city's vibrant nightlife and vast array of restaurants that serve up some of the best food in the country.

Palermo Luxury Hotels

Palermo Luxury Villas

Manila, Philippines

The capital of the Philippines, Manila is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant culture. There are plenty of places to visit in Manila, including the walled city of Intramuros, the Rizal Park, and the Manila Bay. The city is also home to a large number of churches, including the Manila Cathedral and the San Agustin Church. Manila is a great city to explore on foot, and there are plenty of restaurants and shops to enjoy.

Manila Luxury Hotels

Zermatt, Switzerland

Zermatt is an alpine village in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is famous for its ski resort, mountaineering and hiking trails. The views of the Matterhorn from Zermatt are iconic. The village is car-free, making it a cyclists' and pedestrians' paradise. There are many places to visit in Zermatt, including the village's beautiful churches, impressive museums, and great restaurants.

Zermatt Luxury Hotels

Basel, Switzerland

Basel is a city located in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine. Basel has a population of about 176,000 and is the third most populous city in Switzerland. Basel has many interesting places to visit, including the Basel Munster, the Basel Rathaus (town hall), the Basel Zoo, and the Munsterhof, the old town square. Basel also has a number of art museums, including the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Fondation Beyeler, and the Schaulager. Basel is a great city to visit, and I highly recommend it!.

Basel Luxury Hotels

Copenhagen, Denmark

There are a number of places to visit in Copenhagen, Denmark. Some of the most popular tourist destinations include Tivoli Gardens, Nyhavn, and the Rosenborg Castle Gardens. Tivoli Gardens is a beautiful amusement park that has something for everyone. It is perfect for a day of fun with family or friends. Nyhavn is a charming canal district that is popular for its brightly colored houses and lively atmosphere. Visitors can enjoy a relaxing cruise down the canal or take a seat in one of the many cafes and restaurants. The Rosenborg Castle Gardens are home to a majestic castle as well as beautifully landscaped gardens. There is plenty to see and do in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Copenhagen Luxury Hotels

Steamboat Springs, CO, United States

Steamboat Springs is located in northwestern Colorado. The town is named for the steamboats that traveled up the Yampa River in the 1800s. Today, the town is a popular tourist destination, known for its skiing, snowboarding, hiking, and rafting.

Steamboat Springs Luxury Hotels

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and is home to many tourist attractions. Some popular places to visit in Abu Dhabi include the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Ferrari World Theme Park, and the Yas Island Waterpark. There are also a number of museums and shopping malls in Abu Dhabi, making it a great destination for those looking for a mix of culture and leisure.

Abu Dhabi Luxury Hotels

Abu Dhabi Luxury Resorts

Abu Dhabi Luxury Villas

Bogota, Colombia

There's a lot to see and do in Bogota. Some of the top places to visit include the historical La Candelaria district, the cobblestone streets of Plaza de Bolivar, the Monserrate mountain, the Bogota Botanical Garden, and the Gold Museum. La Candelaria is home to many brightly-colored colonial buildings, churches, and plazas. Plaza de Bolivar is the center of Bogota and is surrounded by important landmarks like the Presidential Palace and the National Capitol. The Monserrate mountain is a popular tourist destination due to its stunning views of Bogota. The Bogota Botanical Garden is the largest in Colombia and features a wide variety of plants and trees. The Gold Museum is home to the largest collection of Pre-Columbian gold artifacts in the world.

Bogota Luxury Hotels

Cebu, Philippines

Due to its location and its rich history, there are plenty of places to visit in Cebu. Some of the most popular tourist destinations include the Cebu Taoist Temple, the Fort San Pedro, the Yap-San Diego Ancestral House, and the Magellan's Cross.

Cebu Luxury Hotels

Cebu Luxury Resorts

Lagos, Portugal

Lagos is a small town in Portugal with a population of around 22,000. It's located in the Algarve region and is a popular tourist destination. Some of the places to visit in Lagos are the beaches, the old town, and the Marina. The beaches are beautiful and there are a lot of them to choose from. The old town is a maze of narrow streets and alleyways with lots of shops and restaurants. The Marina is a great place to walk around and watch the boats.

Lagos Luxury Hotels

Medellin, Colombia

Some places to visit in Medellin, Colombia are: the Botanical Garden, the Ethnographic Museum, the Jardin Botanico, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Park of Lights, and the San Pedro Claver Church.

Medellin Luxury Hotels

Genoa, Italy

While there are many places to visit in Genoa, one of the must-sees is the city's cathedral. Dedicated to San Lorenzo, the church features an intricate Gothic facade and a Renaissance interior. If you're looking for a place to take in some stunning views, head to the Genoa Aquarium, which is located on the promenade stretching along the city's harbor.

Genoa Luxury Hotels

Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Vietnam. Its a bridge town thats best explored on foot. The narrow streets are a mix of Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese architecture. There are tailors, artisans, and lantern shops galore. The food is also some of the best in Vietnam. Be sure to try the local specialties, like Cao Lau and White Rose dumplings.

Hoi An Luxury Hotels

Hoi An Luxury Resorts

Baku, Azerbaijan

Baku, Azerbaijan is a city with a lot of culture and history. There are a lot of places to visit, like the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the Maiden Tower. There are also a lot of great restaurants, like the Flame Club, which has a great atmosphere and delicious food.

Baku Luxury Hotels

San Luis Obispo, CA, United States

San Luis Obispo is a city located in the central coast of California. It's known for its natural beauty, relaxed vibe, and abundance of things to do. Some of the top places to visit in San Luis Obispo include the Madonna Inn, Hearst Castle, and the Paso Robles wine country. The city is also home to a variety of beaches, parks, and other attractions. In addition, San Luis Obispo is a great place to live, with plenty of restaurants, shops, and other amenities.

San Luis Obispo Luxury Hotels

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. The city is located on the west coast of the island and is the administrative, commercial, and industrial center of Sri Lanka. Colombo is also the center of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, with numerous Buddhist temples. There are a number of places to visit in Colombo, including the Galle Face Green, the Dutch fort, the Pettah Bazaar, and the Sri Lankan National Museum.

Colombo Luxury Hotels

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The city of Yogyakarta in Indonesia is home to some of the most stunning temples and historical landmarks in the country. The city is also a great place to enjoy traditional Javanese culture and cuisine. Some of the must-see places in Yogyakarta include the Borobudur Temple, the Prambanan Temple, and the Sultan's Palace.

Yogyakarta Luxury Hotels

Cefalu, Italy

Looking for a beautiful and historic place to visit in Italy? Look no further than Cefalu. This town is teeming with history and stunning architecture, and its location on the coast makes it the perfect place to relax and take in the stunning scenery. Don't miss the Duomo di Cefalu, a 12th century Norman church that is definitely worth a visit, or the Palazzo dei Normanni, a former royal palace.

Cefalu Luxury Hotels

San Jose, CA, United States

San Jose, California, is home to a variety of tourist destinations. Some popular places to visit include the Winchester Mystery House, the Tech Museum of Innovation, and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. There are also a number of lovely parks, such as Kelley Park and Plaza de Cesar Chavez, that are well worth a visit. San Jose is also home to a number of great restaurants, so be sure to check out the local cuisine. Whatever your interests, San Jose has something to offer visitors.

San Jose Luxury Hotels

Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in China. There are many places to visit in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Victoria Peak, and the Temple Street Night Market. Hong Kong is also a great place to shop, with many high-end malls and markets.

Hong Kong Luxury Hotels

Hong Kong Luxury Resorts

Orlando, FL, United States

Orlando is a city in the central region of Florida, in the United States. The city is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the metropolitan area also known as Greater Orlando. Orlando is well known for its theme parks, including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Orlando. Other tourist destinations in Orlando include the Holy Land Experience, the Orlando Science Center, and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. Orlando is also home to the University of Central Florida, one of the largest universities in the United States.

Orlando Luxury Hotels

Orlando Luxury Resorts

Orlando Luxury Villas

Philadelphia, PA, United States

If youre looking for a place thats rich in history and culture, Philadelphia is the place for you. The city is home to numerous iconic landmarks, including the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Theres also a great variety of museums and other attractions to explore, such as the Philadelphia Zoo and the Please Touch Museum. And, of course, Philly is the birthplace of Americas favorite sandwich, the cheesesteak. So why not visit Americas most historic city and see for yourself what all the fuss is about?.

Philadelphia Luxury Hotels

Nice, France

France is known for its many beautiful places to visit, and Nice is no exception. With its stunning coastline and mild climate, Nice is a popular tourist destination. Some of the most popular places to visit in Nice include the Promenade des Anglais, the Castle Hill, and the Old Town. There is also a wide variety of shops and restaurants to enjoy in Nice. If you're looking for a beautiful and relaxing place to visit in France, Nice is definitely worth considering.

Nice Luxury Hotels

Nice Luxury Villas

Singapore, Singapore

Singapore is a popular tourist destination, brimming with cultural and natural attractions. From award-winning restaurants to serene gardens and pristine beaches, there is much to explore in this diverse city-state. Here are some of the top places to visit in Singapore: 1. Marina Bay: This iconic waterfront district is home to stunning architecture, world-class landmarks, and a vibrant nightlife. 2. Gardens by the Bay: These stunning gardens feature a mix of plants from around the world, as well as towering sculptures and a biodome. 3. Chinatown: This lively district is home to traditional Chinese shops and restaurants, as well as vibrant street markets. 4. Little India: This neighborhood is known for its vibrant culture and colorful temples. 5. Sentosa Island: This resort island is home to sandy beaches, lush rainforests, and a variety of entertainment options.

Singapore Luxury Hotels

Singapore Luxury Resorts

Nottingham, United Kingdom

Nottingham is a city in the East Midlands of England. It is one of the United Kingdom's major cities, with a population of over 321,000. The city is home to two universities, Queen's Medical Centre, and seven football grounds. Nottingham is known for its lace-making and bicycle manufacturing. The city has a rich history, dating back to the Bronze Age. There are plenty of places to visit in Nottingham, including the Nottingham Castle, the Sherwood Forest, and the National Ice Centre. The city also has a lively nightlife, with a variety of pubs and bars.

Nottingham Luxury Hotels

Cannes, France

Cannes is a city located in the south of France. Some of the places to visit in Cannes are the Palais des Festivals et des Congres, the Boulevard de la Croisette, and Le Suquet.

Cannes Luxury Hotels

Cannes Luxury Villas

Park City, UT, United States

Park City, Utah, offers visitors a wealth of places to visit and things to do. Main Street, with its charming shops and restaurants, is a must-see. The Park City Museum tells the town's fascinating history, and the Park City Utah Temple is a beautiful sight. For outdoor enthusiasts, there's plenty of skiing and snowboarding in the winter and hiking and mountain biking in the summer. And don't forget to visit the Olympic Park, where the 2002 Winter Olympics were held.

Park City Luxury Hotels

Park City Luxury Resorts

Port Angeles, WA, United States

If you're looking for a quaint, small town to visit in the US, Port Angeles is worth a stop. Located in the state of Washington, it's right on the Pacific coast with stunning views of the Olympic Mountains. There's plenty of things to do in the area, from hiking and fishing to whale watching and enjoying the local restaurants and breweries.

Port Angeles Luxury Hotels

Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States

If you're looking for a fun-filled Florida getaway, look no further than Fort Lauderdale! With its miles of pristine beaches, world-famous shopping and vibrant nightlife, there's something for everyone in this seaside city. Here are some of the top places to visit in Fort Lauderdale:  Las Olas Boulevard: This popular shopping and dining district is home to some of Fort Lauderdale's most upscale boutiques and restaurants.  The Beach: With its wide, sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters, Fort Lauderdale's beach is a major draw for visitors.  The Everglades: Just a short drive from Fort Lauderdale, the Everglades are home to an abundance of wildlife, including alligators, bald eagles and manatees.  The Broward Center for the Performing Arts: This world-class performing arts center is home to a variety of theater, dance and music performances. So what are you waiting for? Book your trip to Fort Lauderdale today!.

Fort Lauderdale Luxury Hotels

Fort Lauderdale Luxury Resorts

Myrtle Beach, SC, United States

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is a popular tourist destination. There are plenty of places to visit in the area, including amusement parks, beaches, and golf courses. Myrtle Beach also has a lively nightlife, with plenty of bars and restaurants.

Myrtle Beach Luxury Hotels

Myrtle Beach Luxury Resorts

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg is one of the most visited places in Austria. It is a city rich in history and culture. There are many places to visit, such as the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the Mirabell Palace, and the Salzburg Cathedral. There are also many hiking trails and parks to enjoy.

Salzburg Luxury Hotels

Pattaya, Thailand

Pattaya is an amazing city with plenty of places to visit and things to do. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand, Pattaya offers something for everyone. There are lovely beaches, interesting temples, great shopping, and exciting nightlife. With its moderate climate and affordable prices, it's no wonder Pattaya is a favorite destination for tourists from all over the world.

Pattaya Luxury Hotels

Pattaya Luxury Resorts

Pattaya Luxury Villas

Dallas, TX, United States

Dallas is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the ninth most populous city in the United States and the third most populous city in the state of Texas. Dallas is also the main city of the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the United States. The city's prominence arose from its historical importance as a center for the oil and cotton industries, and its position as a major transportation hub for the South. Dallas is home to the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League and the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. The city's economy is primarily based on banking, commerce, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare and medical research, and transportation. The city is home to the world's largest airline hub and the third largest cargo airport in the United States.

Dallas Luxury Hotels

Kolkata, India

Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. The city is located on the east bank of the Hooghly River. It is the second most populous city in India, after Mumbai, and the third most populous metropolitan area in India, after Mumbai and Delhi. The city is notable for its colonial architecture, art and culture, and for its overwhelming poverty. Kolkata is home to the Indian Museum, the Calcutta Stock Exchange, the National Library of India, and the Indian Statistical Institute.

Kolkata Luxury Hotels

San Antonio, TX, United States

San Antonio is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Texas. There are plenty of places to visit in this city, from the well-known River Walk to the exquisite Spanish missions. If you're looking for a fun place to spend the day, you can't go wrong with San Antonio.

San Antonio Luxury Hotels

Seattle, WA, United States

There are many wonderful places to visit in Seattle, Washington. Some of the most popular attractions include Pike Place Market, the Seattle Space Needle, and the Museum of Pop Culture. There are also many parks and gardens, such as Volunteer Park and Seattle Chinese Garden, as well as plenty of restaurants and shops. Located on the other side of the world, Western Australia is a great place to visit for those looking for something different. Some of the most popular attractions include Rottnest Island, the Margaret River region, and Monkey Mia. There are also plenty of beautiful parks and gardens, such as Kings Park and Botanic Garden, as well as restaurants and shops.

Seattle Luxury Hotels

Liverpool, United Kingdom

Liverpool is a city located in North West England and is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom. The city is known for its football teams Liverpool and Everton, The Beatles, and its maritime history. Liverpool is a popular tourist destination and is home to various tourist attractions including Mersey Ferry, Liverpool Cathedral, and Albert Dock.

Liverpool Luxury Hotels

Malmo, Sweden

Malmo is Sweden's third largest city with a population of over 310,000. It is located in the province of Scania on the country's southern tip. Malmo is a vibrant city with a strong arts and cultural scene. There are plenty of places to visit in Malmo, including the Malmo Castle, the Botanical Gardens, and the Turning Torso skyscraper. Malmo is also home to a large shopping district and a lively nightlife.

Malmo Luxury Hotels

Gothenburg, Sweden

Goteborg, Sweden's second largest city, is a major port on the country's west coast. It's a popular tourist destination, known for its lively nightlife, beautiful architecture and delicious seafood. Some of the city's highlights include the Liseberg amusement park, the Botanical Garden, and the charming old town district. Goteborg is also home to a large number of museums, including the Volvo Museum, the Maritime Museum and the Universeum science center.

Gothenburg Luxury Hotels

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia and is a city full of culture and history. There are many places to visit in Ljubljana, such as the castle, the old town, and the cathedral. The city is also home to many museums, art galleries, and parks. Ljubljana is a great city to explore on foot, and there are many restaurants and cafes to enjoy.

Ljubljana Luxury Hotels

Sydney, NSW, Australia

Australia is a vast country with plenty of stunning places to visit, but Sydney is undoubtedly one of the most popular tourist destinations on the continent. From the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge to the beautiful beaches and lush national parks, there's something for everyone in this lively city. There's also a thriving food and nightlife scene, so you'll never run out of things to do in Sydney.

Sydney Luxury Hotels

Sydney Luxury Villas

Melbourne, VIC, Australia

There's a lot to love about Melbourne  its lively arts and culture scene, its parks and gardens, its diverse range of restaurants and cafes, and its stunning architecture. Here are some of the best places to visit in Melbourne: - Federation Square: This iconic square is a great place to people-watch and take in the city's impressive architecture. It's also home to a number of museums and galleries, including the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the National Gallery of Victoria. - Queen Victoria Market: This vibrant market is a must-visit for foodies and shoppers alike. It's the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere, and offers a vast array of fresh produce, meat, seafood, and souvenirs. - Melbourne Cricket Ground: If you're a sports fan, be sure to check out the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is the largest cricket stadium in the world. It's also home to the Australian Football League, and has hosted a number of major sporting events, including the Commonwealth Games and the Rugby Union World Cup. - Royal Botanic Gardens: These beautiful gardens are a great place to relax and take in some of Melbourne's natural beauty. They're home to a number of different gardens, including the Australian Garden, the Sculpture Garden, and the Japanese Garden.

Melbourne Luxury Hotels

Melbourne Luxury Villas

Vancouver, BC, Canada

The top places to visit in Vancouver are Stanley Park, Granville Island, Gastown, and Chinatown. These are all must-see attractions that offer an array of activities, scenery, and history. Stanley Park is a world-famous urban park that features greenery, beaches, gardens, and a stunning view of the North Shore Mountains. Granville Island is a vibrant neighbourhood with unique shops, restaurants, and art galleries. Gastown is the city's oldest neighbourhood and is home to charming cobblestone streets and funky boutiques. Chinatown is one of the largest and most vibrant Chinatowns in North America and offers delicious food, interesting history, and vibrant culture.

Vancouver Luxury Hotels

Toronto, ON, Canada

From the CN Tower and Hockey Hall of Fame to the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Distillery District, there are plenty of amazing places to visit in Toronto, Canada. With something for everyone, Toronto is a great city to explore. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your trip today!.

Toronto Luxury Hotels

Montreal, QC, Canada

Montreal is a vibrant city with something for everyone. There are plenty of places to visit, including the Notre Dame Basilica, the Olympic Stadium, and Mount Royal. The city is also home to a lively arts and culture scene, with theatres, art galleries, and music venues. Montreal is a great place to visit year-round, with festivals and events happening throughout the year.

Montreal Luxury Hotels

Seville, Spain

Seville is one of the most visited places in Spain for a plethora of reasons: its stunning architecture, tapas bars, flamenco and great weather. The Giralda Tower is a must-see when in Seville as is the Plaza de Espana. Andalusian culture is heavily present in the city and is best experienced by wandering the narrow streets and alleyways, popping into a lively tapas bar for a drink and some snacks or enjoying a flamenco show.

Seville Luxury Hotels

Seville Luxury Villas

Ocean City, MD, United States

Ocean City is a seaside resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, on the Atlantic coast. It is well known for its long promenade, its fishing, and its crab cuisine. There are plenty of places to visit in Ocean City, including the boardwalk, amusement rides, shopping, and restaurants. You can also visit the Assateague Island National Seashore, which is home to wild horses, or head to the nearby town of Berlin for more shopping and dining options.

Ocean City Luxury Hotels

Cambridge, MA, United States

If you're looking for a quintessential New England town to visit, Cambridge, Massachusetts is the place for you. With its elaborate architecture and Colonial history, Cambridge is a lively town with plenty of things to see and do - perfect for a weekend getaway. Some of the places you won't want to miss include the Harvard University campus, the charming and lively shops and restaurants in Harvard Square, and the leafy paths of the Cambridge Common.

Cambridge Luxury Hotels

Laguna Beach, CA, United States

Laguna Beach, California is a place known for its stunningly beautiful coastline, excellent restaurants, and art galleries. But there's more to Laguna Beach than meets the eye. Here are some of the best places to visit in Laguna Beach: Crystal Cove State Park: This state park is known for its coves, tidepools, and bluffs. It's a great place to go hiking, swimming, and snorkeling. Heisler Park: This park is a great place for a walk or a picnic. It's also home to some of the best views of the Pacific Coast. Downtown Laguna Beach: This charming downtown area is home to art galleries, boutique shops, and excellent restaurants. Aliso Beach: This beach is known for its excellent surfing and swimming conditions. It's also a great place to take a walk or enjoy a picnic.

Laguna Beach Luxury Hotels

Hot Springs, AR, United States

In downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas, you'll find historic buildings, antique shops, and art galleries. For nature lovers, there are also plenty of places to visit, including the Garland County Arboretum, Ouachita National Forest, and Hot Springs National Park. Spa enthusiasts can enjoy a relaxing day in one of the area's hot springs. And no trip to Hot Springs is complete without a visit to the world-famous Bathhouse Row.

Hot Springs Luxury Hotels

Sedona, AZ, United States

There are many places to visit in Sedona, Arizona. Among the most popular are the Chapel of the Holy Cross, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, and Boynton Canyon. The town's unique red-rock formations and ancient ruins offer plenty of photo opportunities. Visitors can also enjoy hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Sedona is a great place to relax and take in the natural beauty of the Southwest.

Sedona Luxury Hotels

Sedona Luxury Resorts

Boulder, CO, United States

Boulder, Colorado is a breathtaking city nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The city is home to stunning views, ample outdoor recreation, and a lively arts scene. Outdoor enthusiasts will love exploring the city's many trails, parks, and open spaces. History buffs will enjoy checking out the city's museums and historic sites. Culture seekers will appreciate the city's many theaters, art galleries, and restaurants. No matter what your interests, you'll find something to love in Boulder.

Boulder Luxury Hotels

Key West, FL, United States

Key West is a small island off the coast of Florida that is filled with history, charm, and fun places to visit. Its lush tropical setting and the laid-back vibe of the island make it a popular destination for those looking for a relaxing getaway. There are plenty of places to explore in Key West, from the charming historic district to the crystal-clear waters of the Florida Keys. Here are some of the top places to visit in Key West: -The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum: This iconic museum is dedicated to the life and work of Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Key West for over 20 years. -Duval Street: This lively street is the heart of Key West's nightlife and is home to many bars and restaurants. -The Southernmost Point: This landmark is located at the end of Duval Street and is the southernmost point in the continental United States. -The Key West Lighthouse: This picturesque lighthouse is a popular spot for tourists and offers stunning views of the island. -The African American Heritage House: This museum is dedicated to the history and culture of African Americans in Key West. -The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory: This attraction is home to over 2,000 butterflies and a variety of other tropical plants and animals.

Key West Luxury Hotels

Key West Luxury Resorts

Key West Luxury Cottages

Key West Luxury Villas

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden is a city with many places to visit. One place is the Vasa Museum, which is home to a ship that sunk in 1628 and was raised from the ocean floor 333 years later. The ship is preserved and on display in the museum. Another place to visit is the Royal Palace, the official residence of the Swedish monarch. The palace is open for tours, and visitors can see the royal apartments, the throne room, and the Hall of State.

Stockholm Luxury Hotels

Destin, FL, United States

Looking for a place to visit in Florida? Look no further than Destin! This city is home to beautiful beaches, wonderful restaurants, and plenty of places to shop. No matter what you're looking for, you can find it in Destin. Be sure to check out the Destin Harbor and the fishing pier for amazing views and plenty of things to do. If you're looking for a place to relax, head to the beach and enjoy the sun and sand. There's something for everyone in Destin, so be sure to visit this amazing city!.

Destin Luxury Hotels

Destin Luxury Resorts

Ashland, OR, United States

There are many places to visit in Ashland, Oregon. Some of the most popular places are the Shakespeare Festival, Lithia Park, and Mt. Ashland. The Shakespeare Festival is a great place to see some of the best plays in the world. Lithia Park is a beautiful park with a river running through it. Mt. Ashland is a great place to go skiing in the winter.

Ashland Luxury Hotels

Seaside, OR, United States

One of the most beautiful places on the Oregon Coast is Seaside. With its wide, sandy beach and majestic promenade, Seaside is a popular tourist destination. There are plenty of places to eat and shop, and the Seaside Aquarium is a must-see. Visitors can also enjoy fishing, whale watching, or just taking a leisurely stroll along the beach.

Seaside Luxury Hotels

Newport, RI, United States

Newport is a picturesque town located in southern Rhode Island that is home to some of the most visited tourist destinations in the United States. The city is known for its miles of beaches and historic mansions that line the coast. Some popular places to visit in Newport include the Cliff Walk, the Breakers Mansion, the Museum of Yachting, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Newport Luxury Hotels

Siena, Italy

Siena, Italy is a popular tourist destination, thanks to its well-preserved medieval city center. The city is famous for its art, food, and wine. Siena is located in the heart of Tuscany, making it the perfect base for exploring this beautiful region of Italy. Don't miss the Duomo (cathedral), the Piazza del Campo, and the Torre del Mangia.

Siena Luxury Hotels

Reno, NV, United States

Home to the University of Nevada, Reno and a wide variety of cultural and natural attractions, Reno is a great place to visit. Some of the top places to see in Reno include the Nevada Museum of Art, the Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center, and the Reno Events Center. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy hiking and skiing at Lake Tahoe and biking and kayaking on the Truckee River. In addition, Reno is home to a diverse array of restaurants and nightlife venues.

Reno Luxury Hotels

Atlantic City, NJ, United States

Atlantic City is a popular East Coast tourist destination, known for its boardwalks, beaches and casinos. There are plenty of places to visit in Atlantic City, from the Boardwalk Hall and the Absecon Lighthouse to the Atlantic City Aquarium and Lucy the Elephant. For a more thrilling experience, head to one of the city's casinos, where you can try your hand at blackjack, slots, roulette and more. Atlantic City also offers a wide variety of restaurants, from seafood spots to pizza places, so you're sure to find something to your taste. And if you're looking for some nightlife action, the city has you covered there too. Atlantic City is definitely a place worth visiting!.

Atlantic City Luxury Hotels

Atlantic City Luxury Resorts

Lake George, NY, United States

Looking for a place to visit in upstate New York? Look no further than the stunning Lake George. This picturesque locale is located in the heart of the Adirondacks and is known for its pristine beauty and terrific recreational opportunities. Visitors can enjoy hiking, biking, boating, fishing, and skiing, among other activities. Don't miss the chance to take in the spectacular views from the summit of Prospect Mountain or from the water's edge.

Lake George Luxury Hotels

Buffalo, NY, United States

If you're looking for a city that has it all, Buffalo is the place to be. From its vibrant downtown district to its abundance of parks and nature preserves, there's something for everyone in Buffalo. Here are some of the top places to visit in Buffalo: 1. The Buffalo Zoo - One of the top zoos in the country, the Buffalo Zoo is a must-visit for animal lovers of all ages. 2. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery - Buffalo's answer to the Louvre, the Albright-Knox is home to some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. 3. The Buffalo-Niagara Heritage Village - This living history museum offers a glimpse into what life was like in Buffalo in the 1800s. 4. The Buffalo River - Take a walk or bike ride along the Buffalo River, one of the city's most picturesque areas. 5. Delaware Park - This large park is home to a variety of attractions, including a zoo, a golf course, and a nature preserve.

Buffalo Luxury Hotels

Rochester, MN, United States

Rochester, Minnesota is a city with plenty of places to visit. There's the Mayo Clinic, the Apache Mall, and several other shopping areas, as well as a variety of restaurants. There are also a few parks and golf courses. For those who love the outdoors, Rochester is also close to several state parks and the Mississippi River.

Rochester Luxury Hotels

Duluth, MN, United States

If you're looking for an amazing place to visit, Duluth, Minnesota should definitely be at the top of your list. This city is home to some of the most beautiful scenery in the United States, and there are plenty of things to do here that will keep you entertained for days on end. Some of the most popular places to visit in Duluth include the Aerial Lift Bridge, the Glensheen Mansion, and Chester Creek Park. Additionally, there are a number of excellent restaurants and shopping areas in the city, so be sure to explore everything that Duluth has to offer.

Duluth Luxury Hotels

Maputo, Mozambique

Maputo is the capital of Mozambique and a city full of culture and history. There are many places to visit in Maputo, such as the Jose Eduardo dos Santos Museum, the Maputo Cathedral, and the Rua da Independencia. Maputo is also home to the Maputo Bay, which offers beautiful beaches and great seafood.

Maputo Luxury Hotels

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, located on the northeast coast of Spain, is a renowned tourist destination and one of the most popular cities in the world. There are plenty of places to visit in Barcelona, such as the Gothic Quarter, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Parc Guell, La Sagrada Familia, and more. The city is also home to a lively nightlife and some of the best restaurants in the country.

Barcelona Luxury Hotels

Barcelona Luxury Villas

Split, Croatia

Split is a city on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. It is the second-largest city in Croatia and the largest city in Dalmatia. It has a population of over 200,000 inhabitants. The metropolitan area, which includes the City of Split and the surrounding towns, has a population of over 330,000. Split is a popular tourist destination and is the home of the Diocletian's Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other popular tourist destinations include the Riva, the Peristyle, the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, and Sustipan.

Split Luxury Hotels

Split Luxury Villas

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik is a city on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, a seaport and the administrative center of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Dubrovnik is nicknamed "The Pearl of the Adriatic".

Dubrovnik Luxury Hotels

Dubrovnik Luxury Villas

Byron Bay, NSW, Australia

Byron Bay is a magical place. It's no wonder that it's one of the most popular destinations in Australia. The town is set in a beautiful location, surrounded by rolling green hills and the bright blue ocean. There's plenty to do in Byron Bay, whether you're looking for a relaxing beach holiday or an adventure-filled trip. Some of the top places to visit in Byron Bay include the iconic lighthouse, the stunning beaches, and the lush rainforest. There's also a great nightlife and plenty of restaurants and cafes to enjoy. If you're looking for an amazing Australian getaway, be sure to add Byron Bay to your list!.

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Wellington, New Zealand

If you're looking for a little slice of heaven on earth, look no further than Wellington, New Zealand. With its gorgeous landscape and plethora of activities, there's something for everyone here. Whether you're a nature lover or a city slicker, Wellington has something special to offer. Top Wellington attractions include the Zealandia eco-sanctuary, the cable car up to the Botanic Gardens, and the sprawling Te Papa museum. For those who love getting out into the great outdoors, there are plenty of hiking and biking trails, as well as lovely seaside towns and villages to explore. And of course, no trip to Wellington would be complete without trying some of the delicious local cuisine  be sure to sample a traditional Maori hangi feast! So what are you waiting for? Book your flight to Wellington today and start planning your perfect holiday!.

Wellington Luxury Hotels

Saint Louis, MO, United States

If you're looking for a fun place to visit with a rich history and plenty of things to see and do, look no further than Saint Louis, Missouri. This vibrant city is home to a variety of interesting attractions, including the Gateway Arch, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. There's also no shortage of restaurants and shopping options in Saint Louis. So, whether you're looking for a place to explore new cultures and cuisines or you're just looking for a place to have some fun, Saint Louis is a great option.

Saint Louis Luxury Hotels

Bloomington, IN, United States

The city of Bloomington, Indiana is home to a variety of attractions and places to visit. The Indiana University campus is a popular destination, as is the city's historic downtown district. Monroe County Courthouse
May 17, 1936

Bids were received at the State Department of Correction, Albany, Thursday afternoon for the contracts covering electric elevator and refrigerator at Auburn Prison.

Low bidder on the elevator contract was the Graves Elevator Co. Inc., of Rochester, at $2,875. Carbondale New York Co. of New York City ranked lowest of six bidders for the refrigerator work, at $41,470 and $33,670, respectively on the two specifications.

May 17, 1961

Sixth grade students at Seward School yesterday presented a "Seward Day" play honoring former Secretary of State William H. Seward who was born on May 16.

Members of Thomas Socci's class participating in the play were Thomas Solon, Anne Lounsbury, Martin Nodzo, Kathy Bennett, Theodore Kastick, Marcia Bright, Sharon Stanton, Frank Eldredge, Samuel Bingo, Steven DePasquale, Roland Stanton and Michael Luska.

May 17, 2006

In a show of appreciation to the facility that helped save his life, Auburn farmer Donald F. Doody has donated $100,000  his retirement savings  to Auburn Memorial Hospital. Doody suffered a serious accident while working on his dairy farm in 1994.

In a letter to hospital administrator Brendan McGrath, Doody credited Dr. Thomas Sullivan for his survival and ability to go on living a productive life. Doody's donation will be used to support AMH's 2006 capital equipment budget.

May 17, 2011

Organizers of an annual musical theater festival set to begin next summer unveiled the official name, logo and slogan for the event today. The event will be called the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival, with the slogan stating, "On, Off and Beyond Broadway."
The Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau will be hosting 15 tour operators and agents from Britain as part of Brand USAs MegaFam fourth annual tour Tuesday.

Joanne Hudson, the communications specialist for the Flagstaff CVB, said to be a part of Brand USAs MegaFam tour is a great honor. The CVB frequently gets smaller media tour groups that come through the city, she said.

The tour operators and agents on the MegaFam tour include representatives from some of Britons largest tour companies, including Thomas Cook, STA Travel and American Airlines.

Brand USA is the national version of a convention and visitors bureau, she said. Its mission is to encourage tour operators and tourists to visit the US. There are seven groups visiting 19 different U.S. states as part of the MegaFam tour.

The group visiting Flagstaff visited Grand Canyon National Park, Tusayan, Bearizona and Williams on Monday. They will brunch at Little America in Flagstaff Tuesday morning and spend half the day touring downtown by AZ Pedal Tour bike before leaving for Phoenix.
The Flagstaff City Council could reach a final decision on a settlement agreement between the city and the Hopi Tribe over the sale of reclaimed wastewater to Arizona Snowbowl.

A discussion and possible vote on the agreement is on Tuesdays Council agenda. The copy of the agreement that Council discussed in March and the document on the agenda for tonight are identical.

The Hopi Tribal Council has already signed off on the agreement, but the Flagstaff Council postponed a decision after several councilmembers raised questions about the cost of the system, how it worked and why other tribes and Snowbowl werent included in the agreement.

Council has held several executive sessions with staff and the City Attorneys Office since March. Those meetings are closed to the public due to the discussion of legal matters. Councilmembers are not allowed to discuss specifically the legal advice in executive sessions.

Mayor Jerry Nabours and Councilmember Jeff Oravits said they werent sure what would happen at Tuesdays meeting. The agreement could pass as written or a councilmember could add an amendment to the agreement.

The agreement, if approved by Council, would end the 2011 lawsuit the Hopi Tribe filed against the city due to the sale of reclaimed wastewater to Snowbowl. In that lawsuit, the tribe claimed that the contract with Snowbowl was illegal, infringed upon their water rights and created a public nuisance. A court dismissed most of the arguments in the Hopis lawsuit in December 2011, but in January 2014, the court reinstated the Hopis public nuisance claim.

Under the agreement, the city will spend $1.6 million to build an earthen filtration system in Thorpe Park that will further filter the reclaimed wastewater going to Snowbowl from the citys reclaimed wastewater system,. The city will be responsible for the $181,000 per year in operations and maintenance of the system.

The system is designed to further reduce the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and contaminants of emerging concern," such as residual pharmaceuticals, for as long as the city provides Snowbowl with reclaimed wastewater for snowmaking. While the city is not required to test the water coming out the other end of the earthen filtration system, the agreement does require the city to provide the Hopi with a copy of the quarterly wastewater quality reports it sends to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

There is no discussion in the agreement of either the Hopi Tribe or Snowbowl helping to pick up the tab on the construction or maintenance of the system. Snowbowl paid the city approximately $100,000 this past winter for reclaimed wastewater for snowmaking.

In return, the Hopi Tribe would have the court dismiss the remaining part of its case with prejudice, which means that the tribe would not be able to refile the case. The agreement does not dismiss the citys case against Snowbowl. Each party would have to pay its own court costs and attorneys fees.
WASHINGTON  Rape and domestic violence against Native women have reached epidemic proportions, but the hotlines that could help are often unprepared for the unique cultural needs of tribal women who may live in rural areas with little support and a bewildering legal system.

But that could be changing.

Sometime this year, the National Domestic Violence Hotline expects to take the first call at a hotline created specifically to respond to tribal victims.

The hotline, four years in the making, will be staffed either by tribal women or specially trained advocates who can answer calls from Native women to help them  problem-solve around these issues, said Katie Ray-Jones, CEO of the national hotline.

I think our commitment from the hotline side just accelerated so quickly because of the number of stories, heartbreak, hardship, the lack of hope that many women were feeling, Ray-Jones said about the first meeting with Native leaders. (It) just became crystal clear to us that we need to do something.

With the help of the National Indigenous Womens Resource Center, the tribal hotline will offer crisis intervention, safety planning assessments and referrals to local resources tailored to Native women.

Leanne Guy, executive director of the Southwest Indigenous Womens Coalition, said it was important to have a tribal-specific hotline where people answering the phone understand cultural nuances, how tribal governments function and what its like living on a reservation where police may be understaffed, underfunded and serving a large, rural area.

Oftentimes, whether it be language barriers or cultural sensitivity issues, folks arent as comfortable calling the national hotline as they would be a Native hotline, Guy said.

Its the same as going into a non-Native program for services. Theres just a connection that you look for but you wont find if its a non-Native program, she said.

Guy said people who arent familiar with tribes or living on reservations may make the mistake of lumping them all together.

Each tribe has their own language and culture and government, infrastructure, Guy said. Theyve got their own ways of doing things and each has their own capacity to respond to domestic violence. Some tribes are in a better place and some tribes are trying to figure it out.

Jessye Johnson, spokeswoman for the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, said women who call her coalitions hotline would be referred to a culturally specific resource if the woman identifies herself with a tribe. Currently, Johnson said, her coalition often reaches out to the Southwest Indigenous Womens Coalition for guidance.

Mainstream programs in big, urban areas dont have those cultural pieces that are really important, Johnson said. Their needs are met more holistically in those tribal-specific programs.

There is a definite need. The National Congress of American Indians reported that 34 percent of Native women will experience rape in their lifetimes and 39 percent will be victims of domestic violence. The Justice Department says the rate of domestic violence against Native women is 2.5 times the national average.

Ray-Jones said the National Domestic Violence Hotline is also expanding its digital presence so victims can access services online and through social media.

I just got goose bumps right now thinking about it, Ray-Jones said about the start of the tribal hotline. You work so hard to get the resources in place to launch a critical service.
PHOENIX  Michele Keller has been out of prison for nearly a decade.

She was convicted three times  twice for possession of drugs and once for attempt to sell.

Since her release in 2007, Keller has worked hard to achieve most of her goals. She got a job. She bought a new car. She watched her home be built from the ground up. She hopes to graduate this year with two associates degrees in social work and substance abuse counseling from Pima Community College.

One thing Keller still doesnt have: the right to vote.

Under Arizona law, one-time offenders automatically regain the right to vote after completing their sentence and paying all fines and restitution. Repeat offenders must wait two years to apply for restoration to the county court that sentenced them. They must have completed their sentence, parole and probation time and paid all fines and restitution. Its then up to a judge to accept or deny their request.

Keller said she still needs to pay about $1,800 in fines out of $4,000 total, which she said has been a struggle.

Survival is a first priority  housing, a job, paying bills, she said. Once you feel stable, then you say, I need to voice my opinion. I think that once Ive completed parole, they should say, She did good; she did well, that should be enough.

Since 2013, Arizona state Sen. Martin Quezada, D-Phoenix, has proposed legislation that would restore voting rights for all ex-offenders despite the number of offenses  and without paying fines and restitution. In January, the Arizona Senate again killed the bill without giving it a hearing.

As a community we have an obligation to help them (former felons) reintegrate into society, Quezada said. One way to do that is to give them the right to vote.

But state Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said Quezadas bill wasnt given a hearing because he said there should not be blanket restorations for felons of varying offenses. Theyve shown they cant obey the law, he said. It goes on a case-by-case basis. They must show they are truly reformed.

Kavanagh added that the current requirement for former felons to pay all fines and restitution is a necessary consequence of their actions. When the wrongs are righted, then they will be welcomed back with open arms, he said.

Last month, Virginias Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe restored the right to vote to more than 200,000 Virginians who completed their sentence and parole and probation time. In February, the Maryland General Assembly restored the right to vote to nearly 40,000 ex-offenders.

Quezada said many other states are moving in this direction, which shows that this isnt just a crazy idea Im having.

It makes sense and throughout our nation people are realizing this is something we should be doing, he said.

Keller holds a full-time position as an instructional specialist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. She is a single mother and receives no child support from her ex-husband.

Though her time is limited, she said other alternatives to the restoration process, such as community service, would be easier than struggling to pay.

I think that if there was a way to do outreach and to give back that could help people who cant afford to pay the fines, Keller said.

But according to Quezada, the Republican majority in Arizona has little interest in alternatives. They have been trying to suppress the vote as much as humanly possible, he said. They only want certain people voting.

Alessandra Soler, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, said she has heard of cases where applications are denied for not paying the fines, both large and small.

Judges were denying applications because they owed something ridiculous like $1, Soler said. We dont think that its fair or democratic to link your right to vote with your ability to pay.

Donna Leone Hamm, a retired Arizona judge and executive director of Middle Ground Prison Reform, said there are no classes or informational pamphlets handed out in prison to inform felons of their civil rights, such as regaining the right to vote. Middle Ground, along with the Maricopa public defenders office, hosts a workshop four or five times a year to help former felons with the restoration process, which Hamm said is often misunderstood.

If you asked most prisoners, What do you need to do to get your rights restored? they would have no idea, Hamm said. The first-time offenders we speak to here (at Middle Ground) have no idea that their rights are automatically restored.

An ACLU Arizona 2008 survey also tested the knowledge of all 15 county election officials on Arizona laws about the restoration of voting rights to former felons.

What we uncovered is that the vast majority of county election officials either misunderstood the law or had no basic understanding of what the process is to restoring your voting rights, the ACLUs Soler said.

In a phone interview, Dianne Post, an Arizona attorney for 26 years with expertise in civil rights cases, said there are efforts being made to inform former felons of their rights. But it takes initiative by the ex-offenders to find it.

They are told every time theyre convicted (of their rights) when they receive their sentence, Post said. But years later when you get out of prison nobody remembers what the hell they were told during the sentencing hearing.

She said there are ex-offenders who want their rights back and that they shouldnt continue to be punished. I think many of them do want to vote, Post said. You break the law and you did your punishment, and when your punishment is over, you should be done.

Post added that the reformation of rights helps integrate ex-offenders into society as useful and worthy citizens. When you think youre a piece of crap and nobody cares, well then you dont care yourself, she said. If you dont care about yourself, then you dont care what you do and youre likely not to follow the rules.

Some studies have shown that voter and civic participation could curb recidivism. The Florida Parole Commission conducted a study which showed that only 11.1 percent of the nearly 31,000 individuals who had their rights restored in Florida committed new crimes.

Associate professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota, Christopher Uggen, and associate director of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University, Jeff Manza, published Voting and Subsequent Crime and Arrest: Evidence from a Community Sample in the Columbia Human Rights Law Review in 2004. In it, the authors state, We might expect a relationship between political participation and recidivism for a number of reasons.

One of those reasons is that it facilitates the development of an identity as a productive and responsible law-abiding citizen. The study featured a sample of 1,000 people in the Youth Development Study in Minnesota that tracked criminal behavior and voting. It found that nearly 12 percent of the non-voters became incarcerated between 1997 and 2000, compared to less than 5 percent of voters.

In Michelle Kellers home, photos of her 6-year-old daughter fill the white spaces on her walls.

Bible verses cover what little surface is left.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, Keller reads one of them aloud. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Keller plans to reapply for a behavioral health position at Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, after she said she was first denied the job because of her criminal background.

Ive been out since 2007 and have been clean since 2005 and Im still fighting, Keller said, adding that shell continue to pay for her right to vote. Im a fighter. I want to fight for whats right.
A pair of high-speed car chases had two very different outcomes over weekend. As one tractor trailer driver sat behind bars Monday, the search continued for a Colorado murder suspect who outran Flagstaff police in a pursuit through the citys east side and onto the interstate.

Kenneth Ray Bastidos, 29, is wanted on a first-degree murder warrant for a deadly shooting that occurred May 4 at a motel in Adams County, Colo. An Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter spent Monday scanning the woods around the Flagstaff area for the suspect, who eluded police following a 10-minute pursuit on East Route 66 and near the Flagstaff Mall. He was last seen around 2:30 p.m. Sunday heading westbound on Interstate 40 at the Interstate 17 interchange.

Officers staked out a local hotel Sunday night after someone reported seeing a car that resembled the suspect's vehicle, but it turned out to be a false alarm. One day after the chase, FPD officers were unsure whether Bastidos might still be in Flagstaff.

We dont know where he went, said FPD spokesperson Sgt. Margaret Bentzen.

Bentzen said Bastidos had just driven into Flagstaff from New Mexico with a woman when the couple separated over some sort of disagreement. The woman called the police from a hotel located in the 2900 block of East Route 66 at about 1:15 p.m. Sunday to inform them that she was traveling with a wanted suspect out of Colorado. He was not at the hotel with her.

At about 2:10 p.m., an FPD officer located the suspects Toyota Corolla on East Seventh Avenue in Lower Greenlaw Estates. The officer turned on lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the vehicle near East Lakin Drive and North Steves Boulevard but the suspect fled at high speed eastbound on East Route 66. The car sped to East Marketplace Drive and onto South Mall Way before circling around to Country Club Drive and onto westbound I-40.

There were so many people in the area at that time, she said. Were really lucky nobody got hurt.

FPD policy usually requires officers to break off a pursuit if it poses a significant risk to other drivers and pedestrians. In this case, Bentzen said, the officers and their supervisors decided to continue chasing Bastidos because he was suspected of murder, making him a greater potential threat than the chase itself.

The suspects speed and aggressive driving, as well as heavy traffic that failed to yield for the pursuing officers, caused FPD to lose sight of the Corolla multiple times, Bentzen said. She said DPS took over once the suspects vehicle went onto I-40, but DPS spokesperson Bart Graves said by the time troopers were called, the Corolla was gone.

Bastidos is described as a Hispanic male, 5 feet, 8 inches tall, 180 pounds, with black-brown hair. He was last seen driving a white 2014 Toyota Corolla with a temporary paper license plate in the back window with the number CO 888-ZVE. The cars most distinguishing feature is a black-colored aftermarket front bumper.

Bentzen said investigators are still trying to determine how Bastidos got the vehicle, but it was not listed as stolen. She also said there is a chance he has already ditched the car and picked up a different one.

FPD officers picked up Bastidos female passenger after she called police, but they had no reason to hold her. She is not wanted in connection with the May 4 Colorado homicide.

Federal, Colorado and New Mexico law enforcement agencies are also involved in the investigation. FPD is asking for the publics assistance in locating this vehicle and the driver. Bentzen cautioned that anyone who sees Bastidos should use caution. The suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous and has threatened suicide by cop.

If he is sighted, do not approach him. Call 911, she said. Well be there as quickly as possible.

Anyone who wants to provide information regarding Bastidos whereabouts but wishes to remain anonymous may call Silent Witness at 774-6111 or (877) 29-CRIME, submit a tip online at www.coconinosilentwitness.org, or text the word Flagtip along with your information to 274637 (CRIMES). Rewards of up to $2,000 are given for information that leads to an arrest.

Meanwhile, Arizona Department of Public Safety officials have identified the man accused of leading police on a chase from Kingman to Ash Fork Sunday morning as 36-year-old Raul De La Rosa Giron of Texas.

DPS spokesman Raul Garcia said in a press release that De La Rosa Giron was booked into Coconino County Jail on suspicion of aggravated assault on a police officer, felony flight, resisting arrest and driving under the influence of drugs. He was arraigned in Coconino County Superior Court Monday.

DPS was originally called Sunday morning after drivers reported a tractor trailer driving at nearly 100 mph and passing vehicles recklessly on the shoulder of Interstate 40, Garcia said.

Troopers from Mohave and Yavapai counties attempted to stop the vehicle with stop sticks, used to deflate tires, and the vehicle was successfully stopped near Ash Fork. De La Rosa Giron then fled the vehicle on foot, and held his cell phone as though it were a weapon, Garcia said.

One trooper fired at De La Rosa Giron four times but did not hit him, Garcia said. De La Rosa Giron was apprehended by a DPS canine.
State Attorney General Mark Brnovich is warning Arizona business owners about a mail scam.

The Attorney Generals Office recently received complaints that small businesses were receiving mailings that claimed they owed money for annual minutes or annual corporate minutes. The forms are designed to look like legitimate government documents from the Arizona Corporation Commission but are not.

The mailers often include the words notice or statement and give a deadline to respond. Some include a blank form that asks for the names of the officers and directors of the business, as well as other contact information. They also ask for a payment of $125 to $150 dollars. Once a victim pays the fee, they receive boilerplate minutes that are actually of little or no value.

The Attorney Generals Office is urging all business owners to carefully read any mailers that appear to be government documents. It is also reminding them that annual reports for Arizona corporations are filed electronically with the Arizona Corporation Commission, which does not mail a reminder that a report is coming due. Anyone with questions for the Corporation Commission can call (602) 542-3026 or 1-800-345-5819, or visit www.azcc.gov.

Victims of consumer fraud can contact the Arizona Attorney Generals Office at 1-800-352-8431 or file complaints online at www.azag.gov/complaints/consumer.
PHOENIX -- Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Monday that could result in longer jail time for some protesters even as it gives additional rights to others.

Ducey penned his approval to HB 2548 which was originally crafted to forbid state universities and community colleges from unlawfully restricting a student's right to speak. Rep. Paul Boyer, R-Phoenix, said he wanted to be sure that "noncommercial expressive activity'' was protected on campuses, backed by the threat of a lawsuit.

The law will likely mean of reassessment of the campus assembly rules at Northern Arizona University and Coconino Community College, both of which require prior notice and advance permits for outdoor rallies. (See related story.)

But the final version of the measure signed by the governor allows judges to impose six-month jail terms on protesters who stop traffic headed to political rallies. The same penalty would apply to those who, after ignoring a warning, block anyone from heading to government meetings or hearings.

Ducey also signed HB 2615 which spells out that, with limited exceptions, community colleges and state-run universities cannot limit where the right of free speech can be exercised. The legislation applies to common areas of campuses and not inside the buildings themselves.

Rep. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, said the measure is a direct outgrowth of his experience when he was younger trying to hand out material about his church at Glendale Community College. He said college officials shunted students off to a designated "free speech zone,'' a place that was nowhere near the people his group was trying to reach.

The new laws could most immediately affect a federal court lawsuit filed last year by two students at Paradise Valley Community College who said the school was illegally requiring groups to get permits and provide prior notice before any activities on campus. They also are objecting to a college policy that restricts those who want to demonstrate or hand out literature to certain areas of campus.

College officials have denied they are violating anyone's rights.

But the most controversial provisions appear to be those aimed at protesters off campus.

It was crafted by Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, after protesters blocked Shea Boulevard in March to prevent Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump from getting to a rally in that community as well as keep people from hearing him speak. While it tied up traffic and several people were arrested, the event went on.

Kavanagh pointed out that existing law provides for a penalty of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine for blocking traffic.

He said that's fine for someone who is "being rowdy on Mill Avenue'' in Tempe. But Kavanagh argued -- and his colleagues agreed -- that something more is appropriate for those who intentionally block access to government meetings, hearings and campaign events.

The new law, which takes effect Aug. 6, subjects those individuals to up to six months in jail and a $2,500 fine.

"These bills protect free speech throughout our college campuses and also ensure an individual's right to engage in free speech isn't shut down by someone else who disagrees with his or her perspective,'' Ducey said in a prepared statement.

And gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said just having the enhanced penalty on the books should help.

"That hopefully will create deterrent for people intruding on others' abilities,'' he said.

"There's a balance here of everyone getting their voice heard,'' Scarpinato said. "And if someone is physically preventing someone from participating in exercising their constitutional rights, that is unacceptable.''

Whether the measure is legal, however, remains to be seen.

Sen. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, said lawmakers cannot decide that a person's motive for blocking traffic makes him or her subject to a harsher penalty. In fact, Farley said an argument could be made that the people blocking traffic were exercising their own First Amendment rights.

"One man's blocking a political event is another man's expression of political beliefs,'' he said during Senate debate. Farley predicted the enhanced penalty will be struck down by the courts.

Kavanagh, however, had a different take on it.

"To stop somebody from going to a political rally to hear a candidate is not furthering the First Amendment,'' he said. "It is suppressing that person's First Amendment right to assembly.''

The governor also said that part of the university experience is to be able to express diverse views, "openly, without fear of retribution or intimidation, and to be exposed to other views and perspectives, even if they aren't politically correct or popular.''

The section of HB 2548 that deals with campus free speech has some teeth.

It allows the attorney general or any student whose "expressive rights were violated'' to bring a lawsuit in court. If a judge finds there was a violation, he or she must issue an injunction against the school and is required to have the offending institution pay "reasonable court costs and reasonable attorney fees.''
PAGE  Two 39-year-old Page residents were injured in a one-vehicle rollover Saturday morning, Page Police reported Monday.

The accident was reported at 11:42 a.m. at milepost 552 on northbound Highway 89, a police news release said. The occupants of the vehicle were ejected from their vehicle. The Page Police and Fire Departments, along with assistance from the National Park Service, Coconino County Sheriffs Office, Arizona Department of Transportation and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, responded.

The victims were treated for injuries at the scene and then transported by ambulance to the Page Hospital. One of the males was treated and released that day. The other person was flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah for further treatment. He was listed in stable condition.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing.
On behalf of current and future home and property owners throughout the country, nearly 8,900 realtors last week traveled to Washington, D.C. where they advocated important real estate issues during the 2016 Realtor Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.

Members of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors (GCAR) attended meetings and visited with regulators and lawmakers on Capitol Hill to discuss the legislative and regulatory environment and its effect on residential and commercial real estate. Of utmost importance in the meetings was protecting real estate-related tax policies, which are vital to expanding homeownership to more Americans.



It is imperative we connect with our lawmakers to ensure they understand the issues that face the real estate industry, markets and their constituents  many of whom are home and property owners, said Nathan Walldorf, president of GCAR. Realtors are on the ground every day fighting for home and property owners in their communities, and we demonstrated we will do the same here in our nations capital with our elected officials.



While in Washington, Mr. Walldorf and fellow GCAR members met with Senator Bob Corker, Senator Lamar Alexander, and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann on Capitol Hill to influence public policy decisions that will directly affect consumers ability to own, buy and sell real estate. The group also discussed key issues with Georgia elected officials such as Rep. Tom Graves and Sen. Johnny Isakson.

Specifically, realtors urged legislators to preserve current real estate-related tax policies and extend the Mortgage Forgiveness Tax Relief Act, which prevents distressed homeowners from receiving excessive income tax bills on forgiven home loan debt.

Other pressing matters included reforming key Federal Housing Administration condo rules and ensuring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage guarantee fees are not extended, increased or diverted away for unrelated government spending.

Congress is considering legislation that will have a very real impact on the industry, market and buyers and sellers, so it is important our elected officials hear from us, said Mr. Walldorf. Through the voice and strength of the Realtor party, we made it clear where we stand on key issues that affect home and property buyers, sellers and investors right here in Chattanooga.

During the week-long conference, realtors also had the opportunity to explore the latest industry innovations and get up to date on how new products are transforming the real estate business by visiting the almost 120 exhibitors showcasing the newest real estate products and services for the industry during the trade expo.
More than 30 countries and 700 business leaders are expected to attend the international event Centrallia in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on May 25-27.



Centrallia, a global business-to-business forum, will provide a platform for our local businesses that are seeking new opportunities in international trade. The five local businesses that are participating either have a strong international footprint or are ready to grow their business through exports, said Ivette Rios, senior small business advisor at the Small Business Development Center.

Joining Ms. Rios for this event will be Debi Crabtree, Village Virtual; Julio Valladares, Roadtec; John Beatty, Beaty Fertilizer; Ken Eudy, Mesa Technologies; and Dan Levan, Energy Efficiency and Sustainability (EES) Consulting (EES).



"Centrallia is about growing your business, forming new partnerships and exploring the global market. The event is ideal for businesses looking for opportunities in manufacturing, transportation and logistics, agribusiness, information and communication technologies, environmental industries; energy, resources and mining; construction/infrastructure, and innovation and R&D," officials said.



Chattanooga's vibrant and innovative economy increasingly attracts businesses and workers from all over the world. Village Virtual is well positioned to offer services to experts who need language learning or to help prepare students and adults for the cultural shift to American language and life. We are excited to explore this new area of service and learn how we can support the international interest in our local economy, said Ms. Crabtree, Virtual Village LLC.



Mr. LeVan, managing director of EES says, EES reduces companies energy loads, considers production of clean energy, and sustains resilient energy management with projects that result in 20% IRR or better. We are predominately North American based, but open to international opportunities.



Since our founding in 1988, we have primarily supported clients throughout the U.S. As we expand our reach, we are looking outside the U.S. to additional international clients. We believe that Centrallia offers an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with potential customers and to better understand how we can support their goals, said Mr. Eudy, Mesa Technologies.



"Participants will learn from international trade experts and world-class keynote speakers," organizers said. "More than 95 percent of previous attendees said Centrallia resulted in new business opportunities or leads. The proven 'match-making' system supplies a full pre-event and post-event support program aimed to help small and medium sized businesses be successful and make connections to grow their business locally."



For more information about opportunities in business, contact the Tennessee Small business Development Center at 423-756-8668.
The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Thursday, May 12:

The victory of Sadiq Khan of the Labour Party, a Muslim who grew up in a public-housing project, over Zac Goldsmith, a Conservative and heir to a fortune, in last Thursdays contest for mayor of London conveys a number of messages.

The first is evidence of tolerance on the part of the voters of London. In the global city of 8.65 million, about 12 percent of the population is Muslim. Khan, the son of a bus driver of Pakistani origin, took 57 percent of the vote, to Goldsmiths 43 percent.

Even though the speeches in the campaign included some nasty religious and ethnic rhetoric, it is likely that Khan won because his experience addressed two of Londoners apparent major concerns  housing and transportation. A member of Parliament since 2005, he had served as minister of transport in an earlier Labour government and had previously made a career as a human rights lawyer. Goldsmith, a member of Parliament since 2010, inherited millions from his father, the financier and politician Sir James Goldsmith.

Khan, 45, will succeed the current mayor, Boris Johnson, a Conservative. In that sense the new mayors political party can take consolation from his victory, given that it in general took a beating in Thursdays elections, particularly in Scotland. The current major political scrap in the United Kingdom turns on different politicians views on the question of whether it should stay in or exit the European Union. Johnson and the unsuccessful candidate, Goldsmith, favor Brexit, in opposition to the position of Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, reflecting discord in the party. The referendum is scheduled for June 23.

Khans victory would seem to strengthen the hand of those favoring that Britain remain in the EU.

His victory has to be seen as a triumph of reasonableness over what was called the politics of fear in the London elections. He has not hesitated to take dead aim at the position of U.S. presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump, who has said he favors barring the entry of Muslims into the United States, at least in the short run. Khan has called Trumps an ignorant view of Islam and says he plans to visit the United States, wishing to learn from mayors of large cities, before the possible inauguration of Trump in January.

Blowing the whistle on the TSA

The following editorial appeared in The Orange County Register on Friday, May 13:

The problems at the Transportation Security Administration are legion: the molestation of air travelers, the failure to detect mock explosives or banned weapons 67 out of 70 times in a covert test of security procedures last year, the mishandling of classified or sensitive information, the extremely long lines at security checkpoints, the silly rules about removing our shoes and which toiletries cannot be brought aboard a plane that cow us into submission but do not make us any safer, the theft of passengers belongings and the general waste of taxpayers money.

But the troubled agency also has serious personnel issues, which several whistleblowers brought to light at a recent House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing. The hearing was called in response to charges of unqualified and vindictive senior managers, wasteful projects, improper bonuses for senior managers, sexual harassment of female employees and retaliation against employees who reported security lapses or misconduct by supervisors. This retaliation included involuntary reassignments to other airports, demotions, bogus misconduct investigations of the whistleblowers and terminations.

TSA employees are less likely to report operational security or threat-relevant issues out of fear of retaliation from supervisors who fear further retaliation from their chain of command, testified Mark Livingston, a program manager in the TSAs Office of the Chief Risk Officer, who was demoted after reporting incidents of employee hazing and sexual harassment. No one who reports issues is safe at TSA.

The whistleblowers testimony provides yet another reason to abolish the TSA and make airlines responsible for their own security. Competition among the airlines would help set the proper balance between safety and efficiency, based on passenger preference and demand, writes Benjamin Powell, economics professor and director of the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University, in a recent column for the New York Post. The same competitive process would also weed out unnecessary procedures that add little to safety while increasing delays.

Unlike the monopolistic TSA, if a private security company is wasteful, ineffective or tolerates widespread abuse of its employees, it can always be fired and replaced with a more competent competitor. Besides, based on what we have seen in the TSA the past 15 years, private companies could hardly do any worse.

Whats in a name? Budweiser wants to find out

The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Thursday, May 12:

Later this month, Budweiser, that most American of fermented beverages, will get a new name: America. Its part of a marketing scheme, America Is In Your Hands, running through the presidential election. Its a brilliant notion. While we encourage adults to consume in moderation, this years campaign is enough to drive one to drink.

American sales of Budweiser have been declining for years, as drinkers reject its bland, processed taste for the earthy flavors of craft beer. The real Budweiser was born in the Bohemian city of Ceske Budejovice. For Americans to taste it, they must seek out an elixir called Czechvar. A trademark dispute more than 100 years old has forced the Czech brewer to adopt that label here.

But the lawyers at Anheuser-Busch InBev  the brewing behemoth formed after Brazils AmBev merged with Belgiums InBev and bought the American brand started by Germans in St. Louis in the 1850s  have done their homework: Theres no cost or copyright violation in naming the beer America. It would be sporting of them to assign a portion of the proceeds to, say, paying down the U.S. national debt, but thats not the American way.

A white nationalist for Trump

The following editorial appeared in the Los Angeles Times on Thursday, May 12:

In its latest stranger-than-fiction move, Donald Trumps presidential campaign selected a self-described white separatist to be one of his California delegates at the Republican National Convention.

William Johnson, who has written a book calling for African-Americans and other nonwhites to lose their U.S. citizenship and be deported, is on the official list of 169 delegates submitted by the Trump campaign to the secretary of States office.

In an ordinary campaign year, this might be shocking news. This year, less so. The response from Trump campaign officials when Mother Jones magazine called them out on it was essentially: Oops. Trumps California campaign director put out a statement saying that Johnson was included in the delegate list by mistake.

But, really, this is a pretty significant goof-up considering that Johnson makes no secret about being chairman of the American Freedom Party, which seeks to represent the political interests of White Americans. Johnson conducted robocalls with a white nationalist message in support of Trump during the primaries. Trump was even questioned on the trail about accepting contributions from white supremacists, and he said he would return them. Johnsons $250 donation was sent back.

Even if it was an honest mistake, oops is an insufficient response from a candidate who has screwed up this badly  especially one who has already been accused of racism and xenophobia for his comments about Mexicans and Muslims, and whose campaign has flirted with white nationalists in the past. Trumps son appeared on a white nationalist radio show. Trump himself has retweeted comments from white nationalists. Each time, the explanation is: oops. Trump was also slow to disavow an endorsement from KKK leader David Duke.

Candidates shouldnt have to disavow every unpalatable person who supports them. But in this case, it was Trumps own campaign that selected Johnson, and as a result, the candidate owes voters a clear explanation. Will Trump state clearly and unequivocally that he does not want the support of white supremacists; that he rejects their ideology and sees no place for hate, racism or ethnic division in the United States? Or wont he? California Republicans ought to watch and listen closely, and ask themselves: Is this the man to lead the GOP?
A report on 2015 Chicago-area retail sales backs up some retailers' take on lackluster first-quarter financial results: Consumers, still cautious about spending, are willing to part with their cash but aren't that interested in accumulating more stuff.

Retail sales in the Chicago area rose 3.4 percent last year to $120.1 billion, according to a report released last week by Melaniphy & Associates, a Chicago-based retail and real estate consultancy.

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Firm president John Melaniphy III said that was slower than the roughly 4.9 percent growth he had expected after 4.8 percent gains in 2013 and 2014.

"We really think that habits and spending patterns have changed since the recession, and the consumer is more cautious today despite improvements in employment, wages and household wealth and credit availability," Melaniphy said.

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Sales at general merchandise stores  a category including department and big-box stores  rose by just half a percent, apparel store sales rose 1 percent and drugstore and miscellaneous retailer sales shrunk 1.7 percent. Sales at bars and restaurants, on the other hand, jumped 6.7 percent, according to the report.

"Closets are full, and the consumer is less focused on apparel and more on experiences like eating out," Melaniphy said.

Many of the miscellaneous retailers, which include everything from sporting goods retailers to jewelry stores and bookstores, are mall-based, so if department stores and big boxes aren't the draw they once were, other mall shops likely will see less traffic too, Melaniphy said.

Food and grocery stores also fared well, with 5.3 percent sales growth, according to the report.

Melaniphy attributed that to grocers like Mariano's expanding and filling empty stores when Dominick's closed.

People who bought groceries at mass merchandise stores like Wal-Mart  counted in the general merchandise store category  during the recession may also be spending more at independent grocery stores now that the economy is recovering and low gas prices mean more disposable income, he said.

Home improvement stores topped pre-recession 2007 sales for the first time in 2015, while furniture and electronics stores sales remained 3.3 percent below their 2007 level, according to the report.

People who were less inclined to invest in home improvement projects when home values fell post-recession may be starting to take on more of those projects, Melaniphy said.

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The sales figures in the Melaniphy report are calculated from Illinois Department of Revenue sales tax data.

The city of Chicago itself recorded higher growth in retail spending, up 5.4 percent to $28.1 billion, than surrounding suburbs. Cook County overall saw retail sales rise 4.3 percent in 2015, followed by Kane County, where sales were up 4 percent. In Lake County, retail sales rose just 0.3 percent, according to the report.

Before the recession, retailers had been looking for locations in suburbs expected to see significant growth, Melaniphy said. With relatively little new home construction in the suburbs since, they're now looking for established retail markets already capable of supporting a successful store, he said.

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Twitter @laurenzumbach
Employee Paola Rueda applies makeup for customer Marcelina Bell on April 29, 2016, at the opening of the new Sephora mini shop, a cosmetics store-within-a-store inside the J.C. Penney store at Ford City Mall in Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Maybe a store divided can stand?

Macy's, Kohl's, Nordstrom and J.C. Penney all reported drops in comparable-store sales compared with the first quarter of last year, blaming online competition and shoppers' continued reluctance to spend.

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One strategy traditional retailers are taking to fill too-big stores and spice up offerings is handing over some of that space to other sellers.

Retailers from Macy's to RadioShack are experimenting with everything from pop-up shops to mini stores staffed by another company's employees. The idea of opening stores-within-stores isn't new, but it does seem to be "taking on more importance than in the past" as retailers look to maximize profits and make stores more enticing, said Arnold Aronson, partner and managing director of retail strategies at consulting firm Kurt Salmon.

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Employee Paola Rueda applies makeup for customer Marcelina Bell on April 29, 2016, at the opening of the new Sephora mini shop, a cosmetics store-within-a-store inside the J.C. Penney store at Ford City Mall in Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

"The retail industry is really struggling and losing share to the online world, so any clever new ways to still pay your bills and deliver a return at the end of the day is really powerful," said Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst with Forrester Research.

But the stores-within-stores strategy, while smart, is probably better seen as a boost for department stores that "still have life in them" than a rescue for foundering retailers, she said.

"For those that really need to rationalize a lot of stores, I don't think stores-within-stores will save them," she said.

Here's how some companies are handling stores-in-stores:

Hundreds line up to outside J.C. Penney at Ford City Mall in Chicago on April 29, 2016, at the grand opening of the Sephora mini store. Customers hoped to receive coupons and freebies at the cosmetics store's opening. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

J.C. Penney

The department store chain doesn't initially seem like a likely partner for beauty giant Sephora, Mulpuru said, but the 10-year-old partnership seems to be working.

J.C. Penney said Sephora was one of its best-performing divisions in the most recent quarter, and CEO Marvin Ellison said the new Sephoras were expected to be one of the company's "2016 sales drivers" in a Friday statement on J.C. Penney's first-quarter results.

More than half of J.C. Penney stores have a Sephora inside, and 60 more will open by mid-June, including one at Ford City Mall.

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On its opening day last month, about 600 people lined up to be among the first to visit the Sephora mini shop, a brightly lit, black-and-white striped box-shaped area sitting just behind the shoe department, and have a shot at winning a gift card.

"It gives beauty junkies a reason to come in, but our core customers come too," said Angela Swanner, senior vice president for Sephora inside J.C. Penney.

Elaina Castillo, 28, whose family arrived at 5 a.m. and was first in line, is a J.C. Penney shopper who said she loves makeup and wanted to check out the new products.

But the new Sephora attracted at least one new customer: Aimet James, 22, who said she probably wouldn't shop J.C. Penney at all without Sephora.

"Maybe my mom would," James said.

Swanner said J.C. Penney employees run the mini stores, but they get ongoing training from Sephora and have more beauty expertise than typical J.C. Penney workers.

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Macy's

Macy's has been leasing space to other retailers for decades but is "more strategic" about those partnerships now, said Macy's spokesman Jim Sluzewski.

"We look at it from the customer standpoint  what do they expect to find but don't see," he said. "In a lot of cases we can fill it ourselves, but in some cases we make the call that we're just not as well-equipped as someone else."

Before signing a licensing deal with Sunglass Hut about seven years ago, Macy's sold sunglasses but didn't have the connections to get the best brands, Sluzewski said. In exchange for a cut of sales, Macy's gave Sunglass Hut departments in all its stores, with Sunglass Hut-selected inventory and Sunglass Hut salespeople.

Sunglasses sales have tripled, Sluzewski said.

He estimated Macy's has similar agreements with about a dozen companies, including Finish Line, Lids and LensCrafters. It's not that Macy's can't sell the products those retailers specialize in  the department store has just decided a specialist can provide better service, has better access to hot merchandise, can better predict what products will be top sellers, or some combination of the three, he said.

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Araceli Montalvo, of Elmwood Park, came to the Macy's on State Street specifically for the Barbara's Bookstore amid the kitchen products on the department store's lower level. Montalvo, looking for a book to help her 9-year-old daughter with a school project, said the stores made Macy's feel "like a one-stop shop."

"Especially now that you can't find bookstores everywhere, it's convenient," she said.

Some licensees are in all stores, others in just a few. The company also plans to expand Macy's-owned brands to more of its stores, including cosmetics chain Bluemercury and off-price concept Backstage.

Each Macy's only leases out a single-digit percentage of its square footage, Sluzewski said.

Still, the outsiders have a meaningful impact on Macy's bottom line. Last week, the retailer reported comparable-store sales of Macy's-owned merchandise were down 6.1 percent in the first quarter of 2016. Add in sales from the licensed stores-within-stores, and sales declined about a half percent less.

"The truth is for today's world, most of our stores have a lot of space," Sluzewski. "That can be reallocated to a license partner that brings in new traffic and new energy."

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Nordstrom

At the Nordstrom at The Shops at Northbridge on Michigan Avenue, the first display greeting customers walking in on the third floor last week touted not typical Nordstrom merchandise, but skin care products from Australian brand Aesop.

It was part of Nordstrom's ongoing series of pop-up shops, dubbed Pop-In@Nordstrom, which feature new products each month in certain stores and online.

"We know customers want newness in fashion, and we hope to have the brands our customers want," said Nordstrom spokesman Dan Evans.

In addition to the rotating series of temporary pop-ups, Nordstrom tries to appeal to customers with growing brands and new designers, like those featured in its in-store "Space" boutiques, or sections for brands not found in other department stores, including Madewell and U.K. apparel company Topshop, Evans said.

Highlighting different, frequently changing products is a way to encourage customers to make repeat trips, but Aronson said a retailer like Nordstrom will be cautious about who it invites to share its space. At The Shops at Northbridge, Space and the Aesop pop-up were both marked off with open-walled displays with signs explaining the shops' concepts.

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"They're very conscious about maintaining their brand identity and how the store resonates with customers. A patchwork quilt doesn't work for a major department store," Aronson said.

RadioShack

When RadioShack came back from bankruptcy, most stores came with a new mini Sprint store inside.

Out of the 1,700 RadioShack stores where General Wireless assumed the lease after purchasing the RadioShack brand, 1,400 set aside some space for Sprint, most of which are also staffed by Sprint employees, said RadioShack's Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer Michael Tatelman.

"From a business perspective, there are a ton of efficiencies  shared labor, shared rent, demand creation and advertising," Tatelman said. "This is something where one plus one should equal two and a half."

He said RadioShack is pleased with the results so far and is open to considering similar partnerships with other retailers looking to open small stores or kiosks.

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RadioShack wanted to be in the mobile business, and people buying a new smartphone tend to want accessories, many of which RadioShack sells. But there are advantages to outsourcing, Tatelman said.

Sprint representatives have extra expertise to help customers with their products and services, he said. Sprint also handles all the merchandising, an advantage when it comes to smartphones, a "hit business" where retailers don't want to be on the hook for inventory that lingers on shelves when a new, better product comes out, he said.

Best Buy

Every Best Buy store now has at least one store-within-a-store, including Apple, Windows, Verizon or AT&T stores, Sony home theater stores, and Samsung stores focused on mobile devices or home theater equipment, said spokesman Ryan Stanzel.

Stanzel said the partnerships with those companies have helped Best Buy renovate stores and provide better customer assistance since each is staffed by employees with particular expertise in the company's products. Samsung says it hosts "skills workshops" at its Best Buy-based Samsung Experience Shops.

Best Buy likely won't see a big increase in the number of stores-in-stores, but the company does see an opportunity to work more closely with the vendors it hosts to provide more help, service and classes, Stanzel said.

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Thurgood Marshall, who served as the NAACPs chief legal counsel through Brown v. Board of Education and who later became the first black Supreme Court justice, is pictured here in 1958 on the steps of the Supreme Court. (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON  Poor, black and Hispanic children are becoming increasingly isolated from their white, affluent peers in the nation's public schools, according to new federal data released Tuesday, 62 years after the Supreme Court decided that segregated schools are "inherently unequal" and therefore unconstitutional.

That landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education began the dismantling of the dual school systems - one for white kids, one for black students - that characterized so many communities across the country. It also became a touchstone for the ideal of public education as a great equalizer, an American birthright meant to give every child a fair shot at success.

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But that ideal appears to be unraveling, according to Tuesday's report from the Government Accountability Office.

The number of high-poverty schools that serve primarily black and brown students more than doubled between 2001 and 2014, the GAO found. The proportion of such schools -- where more than 75 percent of children receive free or reduced-price lunch, and more than 75 percent are black or Hispanic -- climbed from 9 percent to 16 percent during the same period.

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The problem is not just that students are more isolated, according to the GAO, but that minority students who are concentrated in high-poverty schools don't have the same access to opportunities as students in other schools.

High-poverty, majority-black and Hispanic schools were less likely to offer a full range of math and science courses than other schools, for example, and more likely to use expulsion and suspension as disciplinary tools, according to the GAO.

The GAO conducted its study during the past two years at the request of Democratic lawmakers including Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott, the ranking Democrat on the House education committee, and Michigan Rep. John Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the House judiciary committee.

Conyers and Scott were scheduled to speak at a news conference Tuesday afternoon to announce legislation that would make it easier for parents to sue school districts for civil rights violations.

Scott said the GAO report provided evidence of an "overwhelming failure to fulfill the promise of Brown."

"Segregation in public K12 schools isn't getting better; it's getting worse, and getting worse quickly, with more than 20 million students of color now attending racially and socioeconomically isolated public schools," he said in a statement Tuesday.

The resegregation of schools during the past two decades has for the most part happened quietly, in the shadows of loud battles over standardized testing, teacher evaluations, charter schools and Common Core academic standards.

Segregation has returned to the forefront of education policy discussions only recently, amid broad public debates about race, racism and widening inequality.

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The persistence of racial divisions in the nation's public schools was underscored Friday when a federal judge ordered a Mississippi district to integrate its middle and high schools, capping a legal battle that had dragged on for five decades.

As the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi put it, Cleveland, Miss. - a town of 12,000 bisected by railroad tracks that divided white families from black - has been running an illegal dual system for its children, failing year after year to reach the "greatest degree of desegregation possible."

Now Cleveland must consolidate its schools, integrating all its students into one middle school and one high school.

"The delay in desegregation has deprived generations of students of the constitutionally-guaranteed right of an integrated education," Judge Debra Brown wrote in her decision.

The Rev. Edward Duvall, an African-American parent of two children in Cleveland's public schools, said he favored consolidation because it would save money, leaving more funding for classrooms and programs. But that wasn't the only reason: "We can break down this wall of racism that divides us and keeps us separated," he said, according to court documents. "And we could create a new culture in our school system that's going to unite us and unite our whole city."

While schools in Cleveland have never fully desegregated, many other school districts did integrate following the decision in Brown v. Board. But since the 1990s, hundreds of school districts have been released from court-ordered desegregation plans, making way for renewed divisions by race and class.

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In 1972, just 25 percent of black students in the South attended the most segregated schools, in which more than 90 percent of students were minorities, according to a 2014 ProPublica investigation. But in districts that emerged from court oversight between 1990 and 2011, more than half of students now attend such segregated schools, ProPublica found.

The investigation found fault with a Justice Department that, starting with the Reagan administration, pulled back from pressuring districts on desegregation and was "no longer committed to fighting for the civil-rights aims it had once championed."

At the same time as federal courts were relinquishing oversight of school desegregation, the nation's overall student population was changing, becoming poorer and less white. More than half of students are now low-income, as measured by eligibility for subsidized meals. Hispanic students have replaced black students as the largest minority group in schools, accounting for 25 percent of the overall student population.

But the growing number of minority and low-income children in the nation's schools does not mean that their segregation is inevitable, according to Education Secretary John King Jr.

Just weeks after assuming the helm of the U.S. Education Department in January, King began calling on communities to find ways to diversify their schools.

"We should do more to implement smart strategies that achieve socioeconomic diversity in schools," he said, speaking to educators in Philadelphia. "We value that diversity, because that diversity can support academic achievement and because it is a helpful path to ensure the kind of resource equity that we need."

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King was more pointed this month, speaking of a "systematic lack of investment in high-needs communities and high-needs kids" that is made possible by policy choices that create segregated housing and segregated schools.

"The lack of concern for poor people is deeply disturbing," King said.

Advocates for desegregation as an essential tool for closing the nation's persistent achievement gap have criticized the Obama administration for giving lip service to the issue without taking meaningful steps to address it.

Obama's current proposed budget, unlikely to win approval from a GOP-led Congress, includes a $120 million grant program meant to help local communities diversify their schools, such as through magnet programs or dual-language classrooms that could draw middle-class families into high-poverty schools.

There are still plenty of challenges associated with such efforts. Officials in one urban district told the GAO that their popular magnet schools had to deny admission to some minority students in order to maintain diversity. And they poured so many resources into those schools that the traditional neighborhood schools - which enrolled large concentrations of minority students - suffered.
A greater focus on health and well-being is driving sales of products like home air purifiers, with many people thinking these devices will make indoor air cleaner.

Sales of these products are forecast to see a compounded annual growth rate of around 10 percent in 2015-2020, according to a 2015 report published by TechSci Research.

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RELATED: TRENDING LIFE & STYLE NEWS THIS HOUR

But health experts say the machines are mostly unnecessary unless a person has a lung condition like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They advise homeowners to take other steps to clear the air before investing in one of these devices, especially since ongoing maintenance and expense are required to ensure that the units work properly.

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Adjust your expectations. Dr. Clayton Cowl, chair of the division of preventive occupational and aerospace medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and a pulmonologist, said buyers need to understand the limitations of air purifiers.

"I think it's a waste of money for people who feel that sticking (one) in their home is suddenly going to rid them of all respiratory diseases. That they'll never be ill, and that's all they need, and they're completely protected. That is not the case," he said.

Patti Solano, director of lung health for the Lung Association in Greater Chicago, said air purifiers won't clean the entire home, either. Portable air purifiers, the most common, at best can improve a room.

The Honeywell HPA300 air purifier. (Honeywell)

But for people who have lung conditions, investing in better filters for their furnace and buying a portable air purifier can help, Solano said.

She said the best air purifiers use true high-efficiency particulate air (true HEPA) filters, which are proven to trap 99.97 percent of particles of 0.3 microns in size.

"We're looking at these more for patients who have asthma, COPD, anyone that might have any kind of lung disease. These do help," she said.

True HEPA filters, as opposed to "HEPA-type" filters, can trap most pollens, dust and pet dander, she said. Additionally, some air purifiers have carbon filters to remove tobacco and cooking smoke.

Ed Perratore, senior editor for home and appliance at Consumer Reports, said that in its tests, the best-performing air purifiers were the Honeywell HPA300 ($300, 435-square-foot room) and the Whirlpool Whispure APK1030K ($349.99, 500-square-foot room).

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What to watch for. Solano said that, because there are so many different models on the market, buyers need to do their homework. She said the Environmental Protection Agency's website has a thorough review of what shoppers should consider on its Indoor Air Quality page.

Perratore, Cowl and Solano said homeowners should stick to filter-type air purifiers and avoid those that use ozone to clean the air.

"It can act as a respiratory irritant. So it paradoxically does harm as opposed to actually helping," Cowl said.

Solano said ozone is used extensively for water purification and helps decontaminate unoccupied space from certain chemicals and biological contaminants  for instance, after a fire  but she pointed out that ozone in water is not the same as ozone in air.

Aside from fan speeds, Perratore said that, in its testing, Consumer Reports found there's little need to pay more for any special features on portable air purifiers.

Fan speeds are important because portable air purifiers are noisy, and they're usually used in bedrooms. However, Perratore said that, when the devices are used on low speeds, they sometimes aren't as efficient. The two top Consumer Reports picks work well on high and low speeds.

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Solano, Cowl and Perratore said the units work best when they're in rooms where the door is shut and are cleaned as well as possible to remove lung irritants. The filters must be changed regularly.

The maintenance and cost of these devices may make them a last resort for people without lung diseases, Perratore said. True HEPA filters for the Honeywell and Whirlpool units are $35 and $99, respectively. Then there's the energy cost to run the units, he added.

There are also limits to what portable air purifiers can catch. EPA notes that large particulates like dust mites and cockroach allergens may not be caught by these units. And Cowl said people who suffer from seasonal allergies may not get that much relief from having the air purifiers around.

"I don't think any air filtration system will completely prevent that," he said.

Other options. Before buying an air purifier, Cowl, Solano and Perratore suggested checking out other options for cleaning indoor air. Better furnace filters can trap pollutants, Cowl said, but those must be changed regularly too. Look for the minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) for air filters. This rating (1 to 20) is a standard for overall effectiveness. The higher the MERV rating, the more particulates the filter will screen out. True HEPA filters are rated between 17 and 20.

However, Cowl said, many furnaces aren't designed to use true HEPA filters, so they may cause the furnace to work harder.

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Pillow and mattress encasements can limit dust mites in the bed, Solano said. And keeping a clean home is half the battle.

"Open the windows, dust, vacuum with a HEPA vacuum; that would be the best thing. These are other things you can really do besides getting (an air purifier)," she said.

Debbie Carlson is a freelance writer.

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An airplane flies over homes along South Avenue in Schiller Park last summer. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Elmhurst officials say a new plan to rotate night-time operations at O'Hare International Airport around different runways in order to "spread the pain" of aircraft noise evenly over surrounding communities is likely to bring more traffic over Elmhurst, hurting city residents.

"We have made our opposition to the rotation plan clear," Mayor Steve Morley said following a report on the matter from city manager James Grabowski during Monday's City Council meeting.

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"But we're one vote of 12 (communities)," he said, referring to the Suburban O'Hare Commission, where Elmhurst is what Morley called a "non-paying member."

The Fly Quiet proposal was crafted by the Chicago Aviation Department, with input from the Federal Aviation Administration and community groups. The FAA is expected to give final approval and implement the plan starting this summer, affecting 45 arrivals and 35 departures daily from about 10:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.

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In a meeting last fall, FAA operations manager Paul Litke explained to residents and city officials that over the last couple of years, O'Hare has shifted to primarily an east-west traffic flow. About 70 percent of the time, Litke said, the airport is in a west flow configuration, with arriving planes headed west toward the airport and departing planes headed west away from the airport.

About 30 percent of the time the airport is in east flow configuration, with arriving planes heading east to the airport and departing planes headed east away from the airport.

Litke noted that much of the aircraft traffic and resulting noise over Elmhurst has come from departures on a diagonal runway, Runway 22 Left, which sends departing aircraft southwest over the city.

Litke said that the east-west flow would result in reduced use of 22 Left for departures.

"What that means for you is less noise," he said.

Ald. Mark Mulliner thought the city had a deal with the FAA about that.

"The agreement was east-west flow would reduce flights over Elmhurst," Mulliner said.

But the new rotation plan appears to put 22 Left back into the mix for aircraft use on a rotating basis.

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Under the proposal, runways picked for nighttime air travel would change week to week  for example, in week one, the east-west runway 10L/28R would be used, then a diagonal runway in week two, then back to east-west, with adjustments made depending on weather and other factors. The plan would be tested for six months, then reviewed and tweaked as necessary.

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Second Ward Ald. Bob Dunn, who helped organize last fall's meeting with the FAA, noted that the new plan is a trial program, but that the issue looms large for 2nd Ward residents who live along the flight path southwest of the airport. Dunn reported that with the opening last October of the new 10 Right east-west runway, resident complaints dropped sharply.

At last fall's meeting, Christina Drouet, FAA regional executive manager, took up the issue of noise, showing slides of noise footprints around the airport past, present and future.

The FAA calculates noise levels using a day-night average method (DNL) that assumes that night-time noise is perceived as louder than daytime noise. According to Drouet, areas with noise levels of 65 DNL or above qualify for federal money for noise abatement or soundproofing.

No areas of Elmhurst reach the 65 DNL threshold either at present or in future projected traffic patterns. Drouet acknowledged though that there has been some pressure to lower the 65 DNL threshold, perhaps to 55 DNL.

Dunn concluded the city should take a wait-and-see position on the new plan. "We need to remain vigilant," he said. "I'm eager to see if we notice any difference."

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Some northwest suburban communities, including Palatine and Des Plaines, are also concerned that the plan will bring more air traffic and noise over their communities. Chicago got more than 4 million noise complaints in 2015.

Mary Wisniewski of the Chicago Tribune contributed to this article. Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Lucille Msall helped form the National Down Syndrome Congress and was its president from 1978 to 1979. (Family photo)

Lucille Msall believed that everyone could learn if given the opportunity. As a teacher of special-needs students and then as an activist in the community for children with Down syndrome, she worked to make a difference for the most vulnerable.

Msall was one of the founders of Beacon Therapeutic School, past president of the National Association for Down Syndrome and a founding member and past president of the National Down Syndrome Congress.

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"She said careerwise her greatest joy was helping people to read," said her son Laurence, president of the Civic Federation in Chicago. "She believed in the ability of everyone, and she believed that everyone deserved an education and could be educated and she set out to prove it."

Msall, 87, died Sunday of complications from Alzheimer's disease at St. Joseph Village in Chicago, her son said. She was formerly of Oak Park.

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Lucille Rose Kotewa was born to Polish immigrant parents in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood. After she graduated from Lourdes High School, she studied psychology at Loyola University Chicago and became active in social justice issues on campus and in the city.

During her junior year she met Emil Msall, whom she married in 1950. Eighteen years and seven children later, she received a bachelor's degree from Loyola.

Even before getting her degree, Msall was active in tutoring and teaching children with special needs. Both out of her home and in the homes of her pupils, Msall helped teach the skills they were not being taught in public schools at the time, her son said.

"There were no educational requirements. There were not special education classes or programs. These parents had to fend for themselves, and my mother took notice of that. She was there from the beginning; teaching them skills she knew they were capable of but weren't provided anyplace else," her son said.

In 1968, Msall helped start Beacon Therapeutic School, which remains in operation today.

A year later she had her ninth child, Christianne, who was born with Down syndrome. She became involved in the National Association for Down Syndrome and served as its president from 1974 to 1975.

She also helped form the National Down Syndrome Congress. Msall was the first recording secretary of that group and went on to become the organization's president from 1978 to 1979. In the late 1970s, she was invited by President Jimmy Carter to participate in a White House conference on mental retardation.

"She was a strong advocate for people with Down syndrome that they should live as normal a life as anyone else and they shouldn't be shunted away in an attic or shunted away in an institution but rather should become full, active citizens," said Janice Starr, who was active in the National Down Syndrome Congress with her late husband, Raymond Hillman Starr.

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"She was a very strong leader. She took the initiative. She had a strong presence, and people came into her orbit and motivated to follow her lead," Starr said.

Msall and her family moved from the South Side of Chicago to Oak Park in 1975 to give daughter Christianne an opportunity to attend a mainstream school. Christianne Msall went on to attend National Louis University and completed a certificate program, fulfilling a life's goal for her mother.

"All nine of my parents' living children attended college. There were high expectations in my family," Laurence Msall said. "In our family, the question after high school was, where are you going to college?"

Each of Msall's children was expected to learn a musical instrument, become involved in outside activities such as 4-H or the Scouts and to take on part-time jobs.

"We had paper routes or we mowed lawns or we shoveled snow," her son Michael said. "As we got older, she made sure that we were involved in helping those more needy. She wanted us to become involved in projects that would increase our awareness and to address some of the inequities in the community."

In late 1989, Msall became a rehabilitation counselor for the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services, a job she held until 2003.

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"She wanted to provide services for people with other challenges to finding jobs. That is what she focused on: helping people become independent and have an opportunity for fuller lives, including employment," Laurence Msall said.

Her husband died in 2001.

Other survivors include seven daughters, Anita, Karin Fischer, Mary Rogers, Camille, Madeleine, Christianne, and Julianne Pegler; a sister, Joan Vinkler; and 17 grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Giles Catholic Church, 1045 Columbian Ave., Oak Park.

Patricia Trebe is a freelance reporter.
William R. Anixter was an executive in the wire and cable products distribution field who in 1957 co-founded a forerunner to Glenview-based distribution giant Anixter International.

"He had no pretensions about him at all," said former Highland Park Mayor Ray Geraci, who oversaw advertising at Anixter for more than a quarter century. "I really feel the thing that distinguished Bill the most was that he was a people person and was really down to earth. He was a character who socialized with everybody."

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Anixter, 92, died of complications from a fever May 8 at a retirement community in Arizona, said his nephew, Jim. He had divided his time between homes in Winnetka and Arizona for many years, but recently moved full time into a retirement community in Arizona.

Born in Chicago and raised on the West Side, Anixter attended the now-shuttered Western Military Academy in downstate Alton for high school. He served in the Army during World War II and attended Northwestern University on the GI Bill before going to work as a sales representative at Thor Corp.

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Anixter and his brother, Alan, started Anixter Bros. in 1957. Each pitched in $5,000 that they borrowed in part from their mother, Zelda. The firm went public in 1967 and by 1982, sales exceeded $500 million. The company had a broad reach as the leading nationwide independent distributor of wire and cable. William Anixter was executive vice president and Alan, who died in 2005, was president.

"They had a vision where they created (an industry) called wire and cable specialists," Jim Anixter said. "A lot of people were stocking building cable, but they were the B, C and D products, and founded a whole new industry. They were like the godfathers of the wire and cable distribution specialists (industry)."

"They were Amazon before Amazon existed, the first real-time inventory hub-and-spoke distribution network in the country," said his daughter Julie.

In 1986, with Anixter Bros. generating more than $700 million in sales, the brothers decided to sell the company to Sam Zell's Chicago-based Itel Corp., which later changed its name to Anixter Inc. and then to Anixter International.

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Several years later, William Anixter left the firm and joined his nephew's Northbrook-based firm, AZ Wire and Cable, where he served as its board chairman. He never retired.

Around the office, Geraci said that Anixter was "something out of Damon Runyon."

"When he said, 'Hey pal,' he meant it," Geraci said. "His door was always open to everyone. He was fantastic."

Anixter was a founding member of Briarwood Country Club in Deerfield. He also of was a member of the board of the Armand Hammer United World College in New Mexico and the Foundation for the Boys and Girls Club of Scottsdale, Ariz.

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Anixter's first wife, Barbara, died in 1967. He is survived by his second wife, Nancy; two sons; Greg and Jason; three other daughters; Carol, Amy Anixter Scott and Mari; and seven grandchildren.

Services were held in Arizona.

Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
My take on the issue: When you stop calling these women spinsters, the problem will vanish. Compare the connotation of "spinster" to the connotation of "Bachelor." He is having fun, free, and alive. She is desperate, lonely, and lost. I hate the word spinster. Let's remove it from our dictionary and replace it with another word: bachelorette, maybe?

Al Monitor

Girls dressed up in traditional Egyptian clothes pose for a picture on the historical El-Moez street of Islamic Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 17, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih)

In a first of its kind in the history of the Egyptian parliament, the National Security Council announced May 3 that the "issue of spinsters constitutes a national security issue that should be confronted. This has left analysts divided, with some arguing that it is a quintessentially social and economic  i.e., not security-related  issue, while others believe it poses a dangerous threat to the national security of the country.

Egypt suffers from a pressing social crisis known as "spinsterism." When a woman passes the age of 30 without getting married, it is viewed negatively by society. In some regions, such as rural villages and in Upper Egypt, the threshold age to qualify as a spinster may be even younger. Gloom reigns behind closed doors in many Egyptian homes whose families have been struck by grief and sadness because of societys view of the spinster. She is often caught between the pity of her friends and malicious gossip of her enemies. And the older the woman gets, the more anxious her family grows and the more frantic their search for the sought-after husband. With the mediation of friends and family, they offer the girl as a candidate for marriage to a local young man in what is commonly known as a "salon marriage." The more unsuccessful this attempt to seal a marriage is, the worse the girls psychological state may be.

As the problem has escalated over time, the number of spinsters in Egypt now stands at more than 8 million, an estimated 40% of women of a marriageable age. Egyptian media outlets have begun to report on the issue, and the local film industry has recently produced a film on the subject, titled Two daughters from Egypt. With no visible change in Egyptian society, the crisis has now reached the parliament and a committee no one imagined would ever tackle the issue: the National Security Council.

Col. Ashraf Gamal, a member of the National Security Council, told Al-Monitor in this regard, There is a phenomenon that has become an issue of national security, insofar as it constitutes a threat to the institution and stability of the Egyptian family, owing to the negative psychological effects it has on the family. Among its other negative ramifications for national security are the proliferation of crimes of rape and sexual harassment, which stem from sexual frustration or [people] entering into illicit [sexual] relations. As a result of this, another phenomenon  no less dangerous  has arisen: Egypts 'street children.' [And another consequence has been] the spread of theft in order to raise the necessary dowry payments required for marriage.

Gamal said, The current National Security Council has a new, unconventional vision. We believe that the concept of national security must be more broadly conceived than just what affects the army, the interior or homeland security. Our broader notion of national security is to not concentrate solely on the center and neglect the periphery that feeds the center. Everything  both small and large  that affects Egyptian society is the concern of national security. Our role will not be limited to the issues of spinsterism; rather, we have plans for the return of values and morals to Egyptian society. One might say, 'What business are values and morals of yours? Youre not responsible for society.' But to them I would say that if old Egyptian values and morals returned, the crime rate would decline. For example, the Egyptian woman used to wear whatever clothes she liked  whether they were short or provocative  without it resulting in sexual harassment. And that was because society was once blessed with values that  among other things  stipulated that a man would never accost women in the street.

Gamal added that there are a number of representatives within the Legislative Security Committee who are working on studies and communications with all affected parties concerning the spinster crisis. They coordinate with a number of other committees in parliament, such as the Committee of Solidarity and the Family and Religious Committee. The goal is to cut to the core of the problem and enact legislation that can be implemented and will contribute to ending the problem of spinsterism.

Maj. Gen. Fouad Allam, the deputy of the State Security Service and former administrator of the Port Said security, rejected the suggestion by the National Security Council. He told Al-Monitor, Spinsterism is a social and economic issue that must be dealt with through improving the social and economic conditions that encourage marriage  for example, [by providing] real work and inexpensive housing to young men whose value can be paid over long periods. Likewise, changing societys culture in regard to the ballooning cost of dowries. [The solution is] not to enact new laws that cannot possibly be implemented.

Allam added, If the National Security Council intervenes in the issue of spinsterism under the slogan that it affects national security, then it must also intervene in the spreading phenomenon of divorce, which has a deeper, more corrosive impact on the Egyptian family and which is causing a generation of children to grow up under difficult circumstances. With 240 divorces every day, Egypt is now among the top-ranking countries in the world in terms of divorce rates  in other words, a new divorce every six minutes. This is whats really affecting national security, without inspiring the committees concerned with national security stepping up to fight it. Instead theyre combating a phenomenon through specialists so that these committees do not deviate from their main role in defending national security.

Abdelhamid Zaid, a professor of political sociology at Fayoum University and a former member of parliament, told Al-Monitor that the phenomenon of spinsterism has no relationship to national security. There is a group of young men who cannot get on the marriage train at an early age  during a certain period  because of social and economic conditions that are tied to the decline in wages at a time when the cost of marriage is rising and basic expenses such as providing suitable housing and furniture are becoming more costly. This has laid the groundwork for other [social] disputes concerning matters like the cost of wedding ceremonies, electronic appliances and the gold [traditionally] offered to the bride.

Zaid said that national security is a real issue and that 70% of voters lack basic reading and writing skills, and they elect people solely on the basis of their partys symbol. (Egyptian ballots include an image of the party symbol for illiterate voters.) This results in the election of representatives who lack the ability to set priorities and do not know what the country needs at any given time. As a result, he said, proposals are put forth on issues such as the national security being threatened by spinsters at a time when society is fighting the threat of terrorism.
A sample image of the new Illinois' drivers license which has new security features required to meet the government's Real ID requirements. (Illinois Secretary of State)

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced Tuesday that his office will begin upgrading security features this week to driver's licenses and identification cards, a step toward compliance with the federal Real ID law.

By the end of July, applicants will no longer be issued a new permanent driver's license or ID card at the end of the application process at driver's license offices. Instead, they will receive a temporary paper license or ID valid for 45 days, officials said.

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Photos of applicants will be submitted into a facial recognition system, and a permanent license or ID will be mailed in about 15 days at no additional fee to the applicant.

"These changes are designed to further enhance our efforts to protect Illinoisans from fraud and identity theft," White said. "These changes are required by the United States Department of Homeland Security to meet the Real ID requirements."

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Three driver's license offices will start the transition in mid-June, although officials did not specify which ones. Some safe-driver renewal applicants will start receiving the new driver's licenses this week.

The system will cost the state an additional $8.3 million in vendor and postage costs a year, said Nathan Maddox, White's senior legal adviser. The state plans to use a fund dedicated to driver's license upgrades to pay for the new system.

"We have been making steady progress in implementing Real ID," Maddox said. "We've met approximately 84 percent of the requirements."

Illinois is among 27 states either not in compliance or taking steps to comply with the Real ID Act. Under this act, stricter identification is required to pass through airport security and enter federal buildings. Homeland Security earlier this year postponed the deadline for states to comply to 2018.

Homeland Security also will accept the temporary paper document in conjunction with an old driver's license or ID card to board an aircraft until the permanent card arrives in the mail.

Congress passed the law in 2005 after a 9/11 Commission recommendation to take steps that would make it tougher to counterfeit government-issued IDs.

Critics of Real ID, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, have complained that it is a blatant invasion of privacy and would make people vulnerable to identity theft.

Ed Yohnka, director of communications at American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, said he believes Illinois and other states have been doing a good job protecting peoples' identities, and switching to a national identification card would do more harm than good.

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"Congress ought to pull the plug on this," he said. "It creates a national identification system that puts people at a greater risk of having their identity stolen.

"They talk about this in terms of it being for safety and security, but there is no evidence that it adds any of those things," Yohnka said. "But what we do know is that it creates this powerful dynamic that can be used for surveillance.

"Once you have this national database, the only natural thing to do next is to take it and begin to use it to track people," Yohnka said. "Then you are just creating a huge surveillance system, and that's the real danger."

Yohnka said if Real ID is developed, the government would have the potential to track what people buy and where they go.

White contends the extensive process will rule out and prevent any possible fraud and identity theft before applicants receive their driver's license or ID card.

Applicants will have their photograph taken at a local office and a digital copy will be submitted immediately to Springfield for comparison in a pool of several million digital photos, according to Jim Burns, inspector general for the secretary of state's office.

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"We have in Illinois one of the better facial recognition systems in the country," he said.

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"Those digital photos will match up in our facial recognition system, and if we have a problem ... it will immediately kick up, whereas the old counter service, they would already be out the door and it might be 48 hours later that you discover a problem with it," Burns said.

Not only does the license use facial recognition, it also has secure parameters because of laser technology engraved into the card versus plastic with preprinted laminate, said Michael Mayer, the director of the driver services department.

"We control that laser document, and it's all done at one secure location instead of 126 other facilities that are out there," Mayer said. "So you don't have the variations, you have the same consistency on that driver's license."

Burns said under the old system, people would leave the counter and walk out with a license, and employees at the driver's license office had to do a lot of work.

"They had to be on their toes in case they saw something that didn't look right," he said. "The equipment at those facilities could produce a good amount of quality documents but could not produce a document anywhere close to the new license that we are going to have under the new system."

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amyers@tribpub.com

Twitter @alexisomyers
At least 13 people, including a 4-year-old boy, have been wounded in shootings Wednesday across the South and West sides, police said.

The 4-year-old boy was walking with his mother in the 1500 block of South Trumbull Street about 6:50 p.m. Wednesday when they saw a group of people arguing on the street, and then heard gunshots. When the mother and son got back home, the son told his mother he had been shot. The boy went to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition with a gunshot wound to his foot.

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A 6-year-old boy who was nearby during the same incident got a cut on his hand and was treated at the scene. Police initially said he had been shot, but that was later determined to be incorrect.

In other shootings:

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At 11:10 p.m., a 25-year-old man was seriously wounded in a South Austin shooting, police said. He was in a parked car in the 5200 block of West Harrison Street when someone fired shots from another vehicle, hitting him in the stomach. He took himself to Loretto Hospital and later was transferred to Stroger Hospital in serious condition.

At 9 p.m., a 30-year-old man was shot in the leg in West Chatham, police said. He was shot in the leg while he was in the 8800 block of South Yale Avenue; police said he gave investigators conflicting stories about what happened during the shooting. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, and his condition was stabilized.

At 7:30 p.m., a 21-year-old man was shot in Lawndale. He was walking in the 4000 block of West 21st Place when he heard gunfire and realized he had been shot. He got himself to Mount Sinai Hospital, and his condition was stabilized.

At 5:47 p.m., a 27-year-old man was shot in the right knee while exiting a vehicle near 130th Place and Champlain Avenue. He got himself to MetroSouth Medical Center in good condition.

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Earlier, three men were shot in the Austin neighborhood in two separate attacks.

A 19-year-old man was shot in the foot in the 200 block of South Lavergne Avenue about 5:15 p.m. and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital for treatment, police said. The man was standing on the corner talking to friends when a light-colored van drove up. The occupants of the van got out with weapons, and the victim fled on foot. As he was running away, he heard shots and felt pain in his foot. He was taken to Mount Sinai, where his condition was stabilized.

Another Austin neighborhood shooting happened about 4:05 p.m., police said. That left two people wounded. The two men walked into West Suburban with gunshot wounds. A 19-year-old was shot on both sides of his buttocks, and a 22-year-old was shot once in the buttocks. They were shot in the 4900 block of West Walton Street about 4:05 p.m. Neither man is cooperating with investigators, police said.

An 18-year-old man was shot in the Near West Side neighborhood about 3:30 p.m. He was wounded in the arm and walked into Mount Sinai. He's in good condition. Police said he was shot near Jackson Boulevard and Western Avenue.

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Two men were shot in the West Englewood neighborhood at 3:05 p.m. They were on a porch in the 5600 block of South Wolcott when a red minivan pulled up and someone fired several shots, police said. A 25-year-old man was shot in the face and the left leg. He was transported to Stroger, where his condition was stabilized. A 20-year-old man was shot in the right leg and was also taken to Stroger, and his condition was stabilized.

About noon, a 24-year-old man was shot in the leg in the Park Manor neighborhood, police said. The man was hit in the left leg while in the 400 block of East 71st Street. He was taken to St. Bernard Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, police said.



Around 9:15 a.m., a 23-year-old man was hit in the left leg in the 500 block of West 119th Street in the West Pullman neighborhood, police said. He was listed in good condition.

Earlier Wednesday, a boy walked into Comer Children's Hospital with a gunshot wound to his abdomen he suffered Tuesday about 9 p.m. He was shot near 78th Street and King Drive, police said. The boy, 15, was in a parking lot when someone pulled a gun from a bookbag and shot him, police said.
Twenty minutes after a man was shot dead in Chicago's Old Irving Park area, a row of neighbors stood at the scene holding out their phones.



"That's the whole body, right there," said Jonathan Valentin, narrating the live video he was recording on Periscope.



The man he was filming had been found dead in the doorway of a Moroccan restaurant at Pulaski Road and Elston Avenue on Monday night.



The man, 28, had been shot in the head, ran across Elston and collapsed. Police covered his body with a white sheet. Only the soles of his sneakers were visible.



Acquaintances said he was an Uber driver who lived most of his life in Morocco and Spain. He likely had run to the Moroccan restaurant for help after being shot, they said, adding that he had no family in the United States.



Authorities have not released his identity.



"I'd never heard anything like this around here," Valentin said. "No gangbanging, nothing. This is the type of s--- you hear out west, people getting shot. ... You can't even find drugs around here."



Valentin and his three roommates, all in their 20s, moved to Old Irving Park a few months ago from the South and West sides.



"I moved from a bad neighborhood thinking this was a good neighborhood," said Teresa Cruz, 26, who until recently lived in the Bush neighborhood on the South Side.



And it is much more diverse  different kinds of people living in relative peace, she said.



"Arabs, Hispanics, blacks, whites," said Valentin, who moved from the Humboldt Park neighborhood.



An officer had them step back to the sidewalk: "Please back up," he said. "Give this guy a little peace now."



A woman in a headscarf who has lived in the area for nearly a decade walked up and spoke quietly to the officer.



"Of course you're safe," he responded. "It's just a random act."



The woman stood with Valentin and Cruz and told them she has seen the neighborhood grow less stable in the past few years.



"I see a lot of teenagers and drugs," she said. "They walk around dizzy."



"There's drugs around here?" Valentin asked, his eyes wide.
SPRINGFIELD  Political posturing over the state budget stalemate rolled on at the Capitol on Tuesday, as both Democratic and Republican legislative leaders emerged from a rare closed-door meeting with Gov. Bruce Rauner declaring they'd received concessions from the other side.

Democratic Senate President John Cullerton said he was assured by the Republican governor that he would support a tax increase to help balance the state's books. House GOP leader Jim Durkin said Republicans had won agreement from Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan to "open negotiations" on finding pension savings as well as allowing local governments to limit collective bargaining and changing the workers' compensation system to cut costs for businesses.

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Those desperate for any sign of optimism with two weeks left in the spring session were quickly disabused of that notion by Madigan. The Southwest Side power broker sent out a statement saying Rauner's "continued insistence on passage of his agenda that hurts the middle class is a clear indication he's not interested in passing and implementing comprehensive, full-year budgets that do not decimate needed services relied upon by the people of Illinois."

The veteran speaker then gathered his troops on the House floor to pass a bill that fully funds tuition grants for low-income college students, one of the few areas of state government that has been starved of dollars as a result of the budget impasse. The move was a not-so-subtle sign Madigan is prepared to continue his trench warfare with Rauner that started a year ago.

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Rauner repeatedly has indicated he'll only approve new spending during the budget impasse if it comes from special funds or savings generated from cost-cutting inside government. Madigan's tuition bill pays for the grants straight out of the state's checking account. If the measure goes to Rauner, it'll put him in the position of having to flip-flop on his position on spending, or veto it and take the corresponding blame for denying money to struggling students. Rauner already vetoed a bill to fund the tuition grants in February, prompting blowback from angry students.

And so the political games that have marked a budget stalemate in its 11th month continued.

Tuesday's meeting was only the second time this year that Rauner and legislative leaders have sat down to discuss the budget stalemate. The meeting came after a group of rank-and-file lawmakers and Rauner officials negotiated a plan to balance the state's books by raising taxes and cutting spending.

Under the proposal, the state would bring in roughly $5.4 billion through an income tax increase and other tax hikes, including a soda tax, and state spending would be cut by roughly $2.5 billion. The plan, however, did not include any of the items that Rauner has insisted must be part of a deal for him to agree to a tax increase.

Rauner's wish list is an ever-shifting combination of bills that includes cutting costs and regulations on businesses, reducing the rights of workers and limiting the ability of elected officials to hold onto power. Key components include allowing local governments to freeze property taxes and fill the corresponding budget hole by limiting collective bargaining rights that set worker pay and benefits; changing the workers' compensation system so that employees face tougher standards to prove an injury happened on the job; and establishing term limits for elected officials.

After the meeting, Durkin said Republicans had identified the collective bargaining changes and workers' compensation issue as must-haves for any budget deal, and also insisted on cost savings in state pension systems. That's another idea Rauner has sometimes offered up as a way to save the state money but which was not among his original legislative requirements.

Durkin said Madigan had "come around for the first time in many months" by agreeing to dispatch lawmakers to a working group to negotiate on those items.

"This is a reversal of the speaker that we've been hearing for the past year," Durkin said. "So I believe we've made progress."

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Cullerton, meanwhile, tried to sidestep the fight between Madigan and the Republicans. He portrayed his role in the meeting as seeking assurance from Rauner that he'd agree to raise taxes as part of a still-theoretical grand budget bargain, even though Rauner frequently says he could be on board with an unspecified tax hike if he gets his legislative agenda.

"I just wanted to make sure that he was committed to being supportive of that, and he indicated that he was," Cullerton said. "He said he wants reforms, too, and so I think we're going to continue to have meetings to talk about the reforms that he wishes to impose as well."

Madigan, however, sent out a statement that restated the arguments he's been making against the governor's so-called turnaround agenda for a year now, saying Rauner should set aside "his nonbudget agenda that attempts to lower the wages and standard of living of middle-class families."

Madigan already had indicated how the meeting with Rauner was probably going to go when he said in a Monday interview with WUIS public radio that the governor's office "pretty much dictated the content" of budget discussions with rank-and-file lawmakers and that it would be "a very interesting exercise" to subject the budget proposal to the scrutiny of the full legislature.

Those comments were a reminder that Madigan controls a large majority in the House, and a deal isn't possible without his buy-in. Further illustrating that point, before Madigan had even walked into the governor's office Tuesday morning, he'd lined up a vote on the college tuition grant bill, which easily cleared the House. The bill must be approved in the Senate before it would go to Rauner's desk.

The legislation earmarks an additional $227 million for a program that provides scholarships to low-income students.

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The move comes after Rauner and lawmakers agreed to an earlier bill that freed up $170 million for the program, which represented just 43 percent of the funds originally set aside for the Monetary Award Program.

"We all know the funding passed a few weeks ago is not enough," said Madigan, who argued Republicans were content to only partially fund the program.

Republicans shot back that there was no way to pay for the additional spending, saying it'll only add to the state's growing backlog of bills.

"Why you are doing this bill right now baffles me," Durkin said. "Anybody who is watching, this money is not going to get to you."

Durkin said lawmakers should instead work toward a larger budget deal, noting the meeting between leaders just hours earlier.

"I believe we made progress," Durkin said. "Let's let that progress and negotiations continue."

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Democrats had other ideas.

After they had passed the tuition grant bill, they called votes on legislation to freeze property taxes, an item on Rauner's legislative wish list. The bill doesn't include the language Rauner has requested that would allow local governments to save on costs by setting limits on collective bargaining. That language is included in a separate amendment, and Democrats have spent the past year voting to approve the property tax freeze while rejecting the collective bargaining provisions. It's a trick designed to allow Democrats to go on record supporting the property tax freeze, which is popular with voters, while forcing Republicans to cast protest votes against it.

House lawmakers spent much of the rest of the day debating whether it was the 17th or 18th time Democrats had called the legislation for a vote.

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cbott@tribpub.com
A PetSmart worker in San Mateo, California, was arrested after a 1-year-old dachshund died following a grooming session, police said Monday.

Juan Zarate, 38, of San Francisco, was working Sunday at the pet supply store when the dog was dropped off to be groomed, according to the San Mateo Police Department.

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Three minutes later, Zarate walked out of the grooming office holding the dog and told the 47-year-old owner that his dog was suffering a medical emergency.

"The dog was visibly bleeding from the mouth and having trouble breathing," police said in a statement.

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An on-site veterinarian immediately noticed the dog was struggling to breathe and tried to provide emergency measures.

But it was too late.

The small dog with a reddish, brown coat died minutes later.

An X-ray performed later showed it had two broken ribs and punctured lung, police said.

Officers determined Zarate's actions were deliberate and likely contributed to the dog's death, police said. He was taken into custody on suspicion of felony animal cruelty.

The Peninsula Humane Society will perform a necropsy on the dog to determine a cause of death.

"This is a tragic case of animal cruelty and thus, led to decisive action in the arrest of the alleged offender," police said. "As you know, the pets in our community can't speak for themselves, so its inherent on all of us to be alert to the signs and symptoms of animal cruelty and neglect."
A charge of first-degree murder has been filed against Jason Stockley, who left the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in 2013, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce said in a news release. (Harris County Sheriff's Office)

As Jason Stockley and another officer pursued Anthony Lamar Smith through the streets of St. Louis, their police SUV reached speeds of more than 80 mph, according to a probable-cause statement.

During that December 2011 chase, Stockley was caught saying "going to kill this motherf----, don't you know it," according to the court document, which also claims that Stockley told the other officer to hit Smith's car as it slowed.

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Stockley, prosecutors say, approached the driver side of Smith's vehicle and fired several times, killing Smith.

Now, nearly 4 1/2 years later, Stockley, who is white, is facing a criminal charge in the fatal shooting of Smith, who was black.

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A charge of first-degree murder has been filed against Stockley, who left the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in 2013, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce said in a news release.

The 35-year-old former officer now lives in Texas, according to the probable-cause statement, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that he was arrested Monday and was being held without bail. A message left for his attorney was not immediately returned Tuesday morning.

"We believe we have the evidence we need to prove Mr. Stockley's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law," Joyce said in a statement.

Smith was killed after what the Post-Dispatch described as a "suspected drug transaction and high-speed chase." As Stockley and his partner pursued Smith's vehicle, Stockley's statements were captured on an internal police video, according to the prosecutor's news release.

"As Smith's car was slowing to a stop, Stockley is also heard telling the other officer to 'Hit him right now,' at which point the driver slams the police SUV into the victim's car," the release states. "Stockley then approached Smith's car on the driver's side and shot five times into the car, striking the victim Anthony Smith with each shot."

A gun retrieved from Smith's car was tested by a lab, but only Stockley's DNA was found on the firearm, the release noted.

The shooting was investigated years ago, but charges weren't filed at the time.

"I'm disappointed because I know what fine public servants the vast majority of police officers are, and this kind of conduct on the part of this former officer doesn't reflect the excellent work I see from them every day," Joyce told the Post-Dispatch. "So it's disappointing in that regard, but it's important that people understand that if you commit a crime, and we have the evidence to prove it, it doesn't matter to us what you do for a living. Our job is to hold people accountable if we have the evidence. And in this case, we do."

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In March, investigators from the police department's internal-affairs division got in touch with the circuit attorney's office "to review the matter with additional evidence developed through both the SLMPD and the FBI," the news release stated.

"Joyce believes she now has the evidence she needs to pursue charges," it reads. "She will take this matter to a grand jury in the coming weeks for its review."

The news that Stockley has been charged comes just weeks after activists pushed for action in the fatal 2011 shooting, the Post-Dispatch reported.

The Justice Department is also taking a look at the case, though the federal agency's findings haven't yet been released, according to the circuit attorney's office.

"I just want the justice for my daughter," Christina Wilson, the mother of Smith's daughter, told KMOV-TV, a CBS affiliate.

The murder charge against Stockley was announced amid an ongoing national conversation around race, policing and criminal-justice reform, with activists and some law enforcement agencies taking a closer look at the use of force and officer-involved shootings. The national debate over police tactics raged following the 2014 death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American who was fatally shot by a white officer in Ferguson, Mo., a St. Louis suburb.

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On Tuesday, Justice Department officials announced that they will conduct a broad review of the practices and policies at the North Charleston Police Department, where a former officer is facing murder and civil rights charges in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man during a traffic stop in the South Carolina city. The announcement comes less than a week after a former North Charleston police officer, Michael Slager, was indicted on a civil rights charge in the April 2015 shooting of Walter Scott.

A Washington Post database project found that more than 900 people were fatally shot by police in the United States in 2015. More than 360 fatal police shootings have been recorded in The Washington Post's database this year.

The Post-Dispatch noted:

"One of the first cases Joyce prosecuted was a second-degree murder charge against a former city police officer for the 1999 beating death of a burglary suspect on the roof of a pawnshop. A jury acquitted the officer, Robert Dodson.

" 'The conviction rate on these cases nationally is 10 percent, and very rarely are they charged because of how laws are set up, and it's rare to get a guilty verdict,' Joyce said."

In a statement, Police Chief Sam Dotson called Joyce's decision "the culmination of years of investigative work."

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"The department spent countless hours on this case, all in an effort to ascertain the true facts of what occurred on December 20, 2011," Dotson said in the statement. "I hold my officers to the highest standards. Stockley's actions were in no way representative of the dedicated service of the men and women who serve on this department."
Twenty-four-year-old Jubal Alexander had been living in his pickup truck, parked under a farm-to-market road in southeast Texas, according to local news reports.

He was saving money to pay bills while working nights as a pipe-fitter at an area chemical plant, family and friends told ABC News. And, they said, he was never in any trouble.

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Alexander was discovered dead earlier this month, police said.

When they stumbled upon the grisly scene, they found Alexander slain in the front seat of his truck. His head had been removed - and was nowhere to be found.

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"They cut my son's head off and they took my son's head. Who would do that?" his father, who was not named, told ABC affiliate KTRK. "They won't even let me see him."

The Brazoria County Sheriff's Office is investigating after deputies were called May 3 about a headless body in a blue Chevrolet pickup parked at the Austin Bayou Boat Ramp on FM 2004 in Brazoria County, not far from Houston.

Deputies told CBS affiliate KHOU that a fisherman said he had been on the water all day and realized the truck had not moved.

Capt. Chris Kincheloe of the Brazoria County Sheriff's Department told the Port Arthur News that authorities searched the grounds using cadaver dogs and the waters in boats but could not find Alexander's head.

"We have absolutely no idea of the motive, but the mere fact that we have an unexplained homicide causes concern," he told the newspaper.

Authorities said the victim was later identified through fingerprint analysis as Jubal Dee Alexander from Port Arthur, Texas. Alexander had been seen just a few days earlier, when he had dinner with his father in nearby Angleton, according to KTRK.

"He wanted me to be proud of him, so he worked exceptionally hard," the father told the news station. "His shift was a 10-hour, maybe a 13-hour shift. He worked all night long."

Alexander's family told KTRK that it did not appear that he had been robbed because his wallet - filled with cash - was still inside the truck, along with Alexander's guitar.

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"I want people to know," he told the news station. "I don't want this to be swept under the rug or die in a cold case."
On May 11, the nonpartisan Kansas Center for Economic Growth posted an analysis that concluded "Neighboring states have had more income tax revenue to make the public investment that improves quality of life. They've been able to support schools, safe communities, health care, roads and other essentials. Kansas, meanwhile, is seeing income tax revenue 11.6 percent below before the tax cuts were enacted. ... Whether looking at private-sector job growth or all job growth, Kansas is getting beat."
As the leading edge of Canadian-source high pressure advances south over the Chicago area Tuesday, northeast winds will pick up, gusting over 20 mph. The combination of cool high pressure and the winds off the chilly waters of southern Lake Michigan will keep temperatures in the 50s areawide. Clearing skies and diminishing winds will allow temperatures to drop into the upper 30s away from the lake overnight with patchy frost possible in colder locations such as the Fox River Valley.

It will be a little warmer Wednesday under sunny skies with the center of high pressure overhead. Thursday readings will work their way back into the middle 60s, as the high pressure moves off to the east and a light southerly flow returns. Cloudiness and rain look to spread over our area later Friday with conditions improving from the west Saturday, as low pressure moving out of the southern plains passes to our south.
Community Unit School District 308 will continue to provide some special education services to the newly-formed Plano Area Special Education Cooperative.

Under an agreement recently approved by the Oswego-based District 308 school board, the district will provide access under some conditions for students in the new co-op to two deaf and hard of hearing programs, the STARS program for students with autism spectrum disorders and its therapeutic day school, known as the Opportunity School.

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The agreement comes after District 308 moved to withdraw from the Kendall County Special Education Cooperative, and the remaining five districts voted to dissolve the co-op at the end of June. School districts in Plano, Newark and Lisbon have formed the new Plano Area Special Education Cooperative, while Yorkville Community Unit School District 115  the second largest district in the Kendall County co-op  is planning to provide many special education services itself.

District 308 was the largest of the Kendall County co-op districts.

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Under the agreement between the Plano-area co-op districts and District 308, the districts in the cooperative must submit student information and other records to District 308, which will then notify the district whether the student has been accepted into a program.

Under the agreement, eligible students in the Plano area co-op can continue to attend the STARS program if they were enrolled in the 2015-16 school year. The district will continue to provide access to its Opportunity School for eligible students, its deaf and hard of hearing classroom program for eligible students in preschool, elementary and middle school, and itinerant program for eligible students through 12th grade.

The district will provide access to each program through the 2016-17 school year and the 2017 extended school year, according to the agreement.

Under the agreement, District 308 will charge each Plano-area co-op district tuition for students placed in its deaf and hard of hearing classroom program, the STARS program and the Opportunity School. Plano-area districts will be charged a fee for students placed in the deaf and hard of hearing itinerant program and for individual aides a student might require under their learning plan.

The Plano-area co-op districts will be responsible for paying for students' transportation and evaluations for students, according to the agreement.

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Twitter @srfreish
Caleb Hanie runs off the field after a game against the Chargers at Soldier Field on Sunday, November 20, 2011. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Barrington Hills police Tuesday identified the 35-year-old Barrington Hills resident who died Monday night, after the vehicle he was driving crashed into a ditch. Authorities also identified the two passengers who were treated for non-life threatening injuries as former Chicago Bears players.

Salvatore DiMucci, 35, of the 100 block of Brinker Road, Barrington Hills, died of multiple traumatic injuries after a 2015 Mercedes-Benz he was driving struck a tree and crashed into a ditch on Goose Lake Drive, west of Brinker Road, said Police Chief Richard Semelsberger.

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Barrington Hills police also said the 30-year-old resident from Rockwall, Texas, a passenger in the car, was former Bears backup quarterback Caleb Hanie. The other passenger authorities identified was Joseph LaRocque, 30, of Agoura Hills, Calif., a former linebacker the Bears drafted in 2008.

Hanie is best known to Bears fans for playing in the 2011 NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers after starter Jay Cutler left with an injury.

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At 9:45 p.m., Barrington Hills police responded to the single-vehicle crash. DiMucci was transported to St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, where he later died, Barrington Hills police said earlier Tuesday. Hanie and LaRocque were taken to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington with non-life threatening injuries, police said.

"They were coming back from having dinner in South Barrington," Semelsberger said. "We don't have a toxicology report back yet. It could take a few weeks."

The Cook County medical examiner's office and Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team are assisting Barrington Hills police with the crash. Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District provided emergency treatment at the scene.

tshields@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @tshields19
Over the objections of neighbors, the village of Frankfort allowed a new 3,500 square foot home to built in the 100 block of Oak Street, which replaced a small, older home. Members of the Old Town Homeowners Association plan to survey all neighbors to determine what, if any, regulations should be adopted in their neighborhood. (Susan DeMar Lafferty / Daily Southtown)

It is difficult to define "character" in a residential area, and even more challenging to regulate it.

But as new homes replace the old ones in Downtown Frankfort, homeowners here are looking for answers to resolve this continuing conundrum. The Old Town Homeowners Association will survey all 320 households in the old downtown area, "so we know what all the people want, not just 30 people," said association President Mark Adams.

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"Do they like the style of new homes going in? If not, what can we do about it?" he said.

In an effort to build consensus among themselves, the group held a meeting May 10, which was attended by 30 homeowners, and will continue to meet at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every even-numbered month at the Founders Center to discuss and define the "character" they want for downtown. Soon they will develop a website to keep all residents informed about what is happening in their neighborhood.

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Since at least four old homes were torn down in recent months in the downtown historic area of Frankfort, several residents fear that a more modern look will gradually replace the old charm that attracted them to the area.

Adams admitted there is a "greater sense of urgency," these days as some believe that the new homes don't always reflect the character and charm that many neighbors want to maintain.

But he wonders if they are the majority or just a "vocal minority."

Homeowners need to figure out if they want the village to impose restrictions and regulate the size and style of homes, or allow neighbors to oversee building plans via an architectural review committee, or do nothing at all, he said.

In December, the Village Board approved a two-story, 3,500-square-foot home in the 100 block of Ash Street, rebuffing residents' request for a moratorium on such large houses. It granted a variance to allow the home to take up 22.3 percent of the lot, exceeding the village's limit of 20 percent.

The variance process has worked well, because it creates a "higher level of scrutiny" by the Plan Commission and Village Board, said Jeff Cook, Frankfort's development services director.

Variances are often allowed to preserve mature trees, or deviate from the architecture or allow a different type of building material, he said.

The village does not want to impose regulations on an existing neighborhood and has left that up to those who live there.

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Some time ago, the village created an historic residential zoning district, but it was never implemented because some homeowners felt it was too restrictive, he said.

There may be one or two homes that people said could have been done differently, but nothing has been "clearly out of character," Cook said.

He acknowledged that it's a "challenge" to reach consensus in existing areas, but village officials remain open to new ideas, Cook said. "There are many different viewpoints on what is appropriate."

Should garages be placed in the rear or be limited in size? Should new homes not exceed the footprint of the old one? Should the village require new homes to have front porches? How do new homes compare to others on the block?

"We hate to be restrictive. We don't want to push people away," Adams said.

Personally, his major concern is the "new modern looking home that does not match the existing architecture of homes that are here," he said. "What does that entail? I don't know.

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"People are looking for a good design, one that blends in seamlessly. It has to start with a good design," he said, citing homes built by Gander Builders, which "puts energy into the design ahead of time."

"If it's done properly, the builder wins and the residents win because we have maintained the character and charm of the area," Adams said.

In new subdivisions, developers often impose covenants and restrictions on the neighborhood to dictate the minimum size of a home, and types of fencing, sheds and pools that will be allowed.

But in Downtown Frankfort, where homes were built from 50 to 100 years ago, "We cannot think of downtown as a subdivision," Adams said. "That is our hurdle."

The Old Town homeowners have successfully worked with the village to require fencing around demolition sites, and watering of the land to keep dust, dirt and asbestos fibers from going airborne.

And neighbors were pleased when Gander Builders decided to salvage the wood, flooring and windows from the old Krusemark home in the 200 block of Oak Street to be used in the new home being built there.

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"We are taking small steps and we'll eventually get there, but it may be too late," Adams said.

Cook said he has met "many times" with Old Town homeowners on this issue.

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"There is definitely a lot of debate about what is desired to be regulated versus what can be regulated," he said. "Without a clear goal, we can't get there."

For example, the village can't require that the new home be the same size as old home. It has never limited the size of the home, he said, adding that "some of our oldest homes are the largest ones."

The village does not regulate the number of garages, but prefers smaller driveways to give the downtown a more "pedestrian feel," he said. Their concern is whether the new homes meet all the regulations currently in place.

It also does not want to allow a developer to split a large lot in two.

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"Blocks would quickly change when there is money to be made. That would destroy the block," he said.

"Things change with time. Character comes from the homes, the design of the block, mature trees, maintenance of property, the people who live there and its proximity to downtown," Cook said.

slafferty@tribpub.com
The Roman Catholic Church reacts slowly and deliberately to change, but Pope Francis last week once again showed how a few words have the power to shake things up.

After meeting with about 900 superiors of women religious orders on Thursday in Rome, the pope said during a question-and-answer session that he was receptive to the notion of expanding the role of women in the Catholic Church.

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Specifically, the pope was asked whether he would form an official commission to study the possibility of ordaining women as deacons. Pope Francis said he thought that was a good idea.

"It would be useful for the church to clarify this question. I agree," the National Catholic Reporter and Catholic News Service, which had reporters in the audience, quoted Pope Francis as saying.

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As has happened on several occasions during his papacy, an off-the-cuff remark by Pope Francis has sent the equivalent of verbal shock waves around the globe. In 2013, he responded to a question about ministering to homosexuals by asking, "Who am I to judge?"

The pope later explained that he was talking about treating all people with dignity and mercy. At times in response to the pope's statements, other Vatican officials have had to clarify that a statement by the pope does not reflect an immediate change in official church doctrine.

Yet the pope's words about the role of women in the church have inspired many of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. A leader of a women's religious order based in the south suburbs reacted with excitement to the pope's response.

"I was very pleased with that," said Sister Mary Elizabeth Imler of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Frankfort. Imler also is vice president for mission integration and university ministry at the University of St. Francis in Joliet.

"Pope Francis did not say he would try to change things," Imler said. "He said he would allow people to explore how our thinking has changed."

My 90-year-old mother is a lifelong Catholic. She remembers the pre-Vatican II days when priests said Mass in Latin standing at an altar with their backs to the congregation.

She used to sing with the church choir back then and remembers once when choir members came down from the loft for Communion, a female literally stepped out of line and set foot on the altar. The priest saying Mass was furious, as women were not permitted on the altar back then.

Today, women walk on the altar as lectors and as ministers of Holy Communion. Women also play an indispensable role in the administration of parishes. At St. Julie Billiart Church in Tinley Park, for example, women fill the roles of business manager, pastoral associate, director of religious education and director of music and liturgy.

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"I think (Pope Francis) calls us and challenges us to respect the role of women and to continue to increase the role of women in decision-making," said the Rev. Louis Tylka, pastor of St. Julie Billiart.

"The idea of deaconesses is in line with many things he's done," Tylka said. "As women push further along in positions of leadership, the pope is open to discern where the spirit leads us."

Most churchgoers understand the Catholic Church is not a democracy; it's an institutional hierarchy. People don't get to "vote" on whether women should be ordained, or whether priests should be allowed to marry, or other rules governing the faith.

Women are not ordained as deacons or priests in the Catholic faith, unlike in other Christian denominations. Catholic women may not give a homily at a Catholic Mass or preside at baptisms, weddings and funerals, as deacons can.

"A parish wouldn't function without women," said the Rev. Anthony Talarico, pastor of Holy Ghost Church in South Holland. "Whether that would include ordained ministry or not is a whole other question."

Before Catholics get too excited about the possibility of women serving as deacons, it's important to place the pope's remarks in context. On Friday, a day after the pope's remarks, the official Vatican spokesman seemed to walk back the statement by Pope Francis.

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"One must be honest: The pope did not say he intends to introduce a diaconal ordination for women and even less did he speak of the priestly ordination of women. In fact, talking about preaching during the Eucharistic celebration, he let them know that he was not considering this possibility at all," the U.K.-based Catholic Herald quoted the Rev. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office as saying.

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The religious order women to whom Pope Francis spoke made note that there is historical precedent for female deacons in the Catholic Church. According to numerous reports, historians agree there is "abundant" evidence women served as deacons in the first centuries after Jesus Christ lived, including passages in scripture.

Pope Francis reportedly told the religious women that scholars are uncertain what role deaconesses performed in the early days of the faith, but that they weren't ordained as male deacons have been since Vatican II.

I'm all for studying the question of women as deacons and admire the bold leadership that Pope Francis exhibits. I applaud the important roles many women perform in ministry and administration within the Catholic faith.

That said, I don't expect I'll meet a female Catholic priestess or listen to a homily delivered by a woman during my lifetime.

At least I can say that during my lifetime, women have been permitted to walk on the altar during Mass.

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A Kane County judge Monday afternoon approved a temporary restraining order preventing an Elgin-area school board from destroying the recording of a closed-session meeting, from more than two years ago, that one board member thinks may have violated state open meetings law.

The School District U46 Board was scheduled to vote Monday night on destroying the recording of the closed meeting held January 24, 2014. Board member Jeanette Ward filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order Monday morning in Kane County.

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A hearing on the order was scheduled for 3 p.m., but started closer to 4 p.m. because the school district attorney was running late.

"We will have to write something out and do so quickly," said Judge David R. Akemann when he ruled to approve the order shortly after 4 p.m. The school board meeting was set to start at 6 p.m.

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The temporary order is only to preserve the record from destruction, not requiring Ward to have access to the recording, Akemann said in his ruling. That matter, the judge said, should be decided another time. In the meantime, maintaining the record is a simple matter of status quo, he said.

"This is a case of public interest," Akemann said. "If the record is destroyed, then the plaintiff will never be able to access this."

The school board votes routinely on whether to destroy older closed-session recordings.

Since Ward became a school board member in May 2015, she has asked multiple times to review the recordings of closed sessions during which board members analyzed the performance of then-superintendent Jose Torres, who resigned in August 2014, and in which the board conducted a "self evaluation" of its own operations with the help of counselors from the Illinois Association of School Boards, the Courier-News previously reported. One of the recordings, from a closed meeting held on May 13, 2013, had already been destroyed.

Attorney Patricia Whitten represented the district and attorneys Mike Adams and Raymond J. Sanguinetti represented Ward.

Ward "got wind" that the recordings in question may have violated open meetings law and believes it is her duty to find out whether they did, Adams said.

After Ward's original requests, the board voted 4-3 to create a policy specifying when a board member can hear old closed-session recordings. That policy states that the whole board must vote during an open meeting whether to approve a request such as Ward's, and that the board should determine whether the items discussed during the closed session are "germane" to the board's current business.

"Pursuant to that policy, the board considered Ms. Ward's request and decided not to allow her to listen to that recording," Whitten said.

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Adams said the board "adopted that policy to frustrate her request."

In October, the board split on whether to let Ward access the recordings.

In the motion for the restraining order, Ward's attorneys argued that it was her fiduciary duty to the school district she serves to review the recording and investigate claims that it violated open records law. They also argued that she was unable to inform herself in order to vote on the whether the recording should be destroyed if she couldn't listen to it.

"She cannot know whether them of that closed session recording accurately reflect the contents of the verbatim record unless she is able to listen to the verbatim record and thus determine the sufficiency of those minutes," Adams said.

But it would be wrong for a board member to review the recording without the board's approval, Whitten argued.

Sanguinetti declined to say what on the recordings Ward thinks may violate open meetings law.

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In the motion and in the hearing Monday, Adams brought up a bill that passed the Illinois House of Representatives in April which would make any and all minutes and verbatim recordings of meetings closed to the public prior to a newly elected official's term available to that official for review, regardless of whether those materials were confidential.

"I've read what you have to say about the bill, but the court has to act on what the law is and not what it might become," Akemann said.

Before the hearing started, Whitten asked Ward's attorneys to drop the injunction because the school board president believed she could get enough votes to remove the item from tonight's agenda, making the restraining order unnecessary.

Including the president and Ward, two more votes would be needed to remove the item.

"She knows the vice president is in favor of not having this on the agenda tonight," Whitten said. "No doubt there would be a fourth vote to remove."

But the order was the only way to make sure the records didn't get destroyed, and the plaintiffs would be doing their client a disservice by not seeking relief in court, Adams said.

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hleone@tribpub.com
Evanston has signed on for another year of membership with Chicago's North Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau (CNSCVB), this time at higher dues.

Aldermen approved a city allocation of roughly $78,810 to CNSCVB at their City Council meeting on May 9 covering a membership period running from July 1 through June 30 of next year.

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CNSCVB is a convention and visitor bureau working with Evanston as well as a number of North Shore communities, promoting tourism and special events in those towns. Evanston is one of the charter members of the group, joining up when it was established in 2008.

The $78,810 membership fee represents a more than $15,000 increase from a year ago, staff pointed out in a memo. The higher contribution is a direct result of a new hotel, the Hyatt House Chicago/Evanston, at 1515 Chicago Ave., coming on board.

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CNSCVB's formula takes into account when a new hotel property "is built that adds inventory to the city," said Gina Speckman, CNSCVB's executive director, in a letter to the city, requesting the fiscal year membership dues. "The Hyatt House Chicago/Evanston Hotel joined the bureau last summer and has been actively engaging in our programs and selling the property well in advance of its opening."

Speckman highlighted a number of gains Evanston has made in hotel occupancy and tourism during the last fiscal year in a presentation to the city's Economic Development Committee on April 27.

Over the past fiscal year:

The occupancy of Evanston hotels increased by 4 percent and the average daily room rate charged was up $4.90.

The bureau co-hosted the One State Together in the Arts conference that took place last September at the Hotel Orrington, underwriting the buses which took all the attendees to all the different neighborhoods for the four or five different tours during the conference..

The group also worked with Chicago Architecture Foundation's Open House whose program expanded for the first time last year beyond Chicago to include sites in Evanston as well. Local architect Jack Weiss had made an important connection brining the group here.

In two days, more than 16,000 Evanston site visits were made, and visitors hailed from 704 different zip codes, Speckman said.

"We really knew how important this event was because it was very well funded, they had a lot of advertising, ad sponsors support and social media," Speckman said, "and if we could get them to venture outside the city limits of Chicago and come up to Evanston we would piggyback on all that branding."

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bseidenberg@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @evanstonscribe
Frank Mack, 56, was charged last week with predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and aggravated criminal sexual abuse, according to Glenview police. (Glenview Police Department / Handout)

A 56-year-old Chicago man was charged with sexual assault last week after a 2013 incident that occurred in Glenview, police said.

Frank Mack, of the 200 block of West Van Buren Street, was arrested in the 200 block of South Wacker Drive on May 11 and charged with felony predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and felony aggravated criminal sexual abuse, according to a May 14 statement from the Glenview Police Department.

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The incident was reported in 2013, but the case was reopened in April after Glenview detectives received new information, police said.

Mack posted $20,000 bond after his May 13 hearing, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. He was assigned a court date of June 10.

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Mack did not return requests for comment.
The environmental groups and local officials that have long opposed the Route 53 extension are calling Lake CountyBoard Chairman Aaron Lawlor's disavowal of the project the "final nail in the coffin" and are proposing a shift toward building a new transportation plan for the county.

The proposed Route 53 extension has all along been "unneeded, unaffordable and unfair," said Barbara Klipp, a Grayslake resident and executive director of the Midwest Sustainability Group, who used the nail/coffin analogy in calling Lawlor's move "bold and courageous."

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"This highly controversial project will increase traffic congestion, increase our taxes in Lake County, waste taxpayers money and disrupt our quality of life," Klipp said. "It's not even a legitimate economic development plan. It's a 1950s 'Field of Dreams' economic development plan in a 21st century economy that will create irreversible urban sprawl and destruction of the open space we hold so dear."

The show of support at Prairie Crossing in Grayslake came a day after Lawlor issued a lengthy statement saying he thinks a combination of likely litigation over the project, continuing legislative gridlock in Springfield and right-of-way still needing to be purchased means that the extension wouldn't happen on the timeline proposed by the Illinois Tollway Authority.

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That would drive up the cost  estimated last year at between $2.3 billion and $2.65 billion in 2020 dollars  and lead the tollway authority to look for ways to trim costs, Lawlor said. He added that he's concerned the first things to go would be the environmental protections and other standards identified in a 2012 report authored by an advisory committee that Lawlor helped lead.

A spokesman for the Illinois Tollway Authority, which has budgeted $5.8 million this year toward an estimated $40 to $50 million environmental impact study, declined to comment.

Tollway Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom said in December that the study was a "good next step" in evaluating the feasibility of building the highway as a part of the Tollway system. Some local leaders that have expressed support for the study said they were surprised by Lawlor's move.

Lawlor said Tuesday that he has reached out to Gov. Bruce Rauner's office, asking him to block any hiring for the study and to direct transportation planning toward other proposals, such as keeping the land purchased by the state for the extension as a greenway, constructing a new trail for pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles and investing in existing transportation networks and transit offerings.

The governor's office also declined to comment.

The consensus that the tollway authority said was needed to move the project forward isn't there, Lawlor said, pointing to environmental groups and the village of Hawthorn Woods, which had long opposed the extension but had taken a wait-and-see attitude when the latest proposal took shape five years ago.

Leaders in Hawthorn Woods as well as Kildeer, Long Grove, Mundelein and Round Lake went public with concerns over the planning process last June, including the possibility of creating a regional planning authority to review development concepts within a one- or two-mile radius of the route's centerline.

The groups backing Lawlor hope that Lawlor's reversal on Route 53 means the end of the decades-long fixation on the extension of that highway.

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Other transportation projects have been "held hostage" by "this delusional zombie road," former Long Grove Village President Tony Dean, who has long opposed the extension, said at the Tuesday gathering.

"We know that we need road improvements desperately in this county," Lawlor said. "We know we need transit improvements desperately not just in this county but in this region. The question becomes as we refocus what is the best way to do that."

The focus should be on making the county a desirable place to live for young professionals so that when companies consider relocating they know the talent is there, said Karthik Chandramouli, a Mundelein resident and technology entrepreneur who also is a member of the environmental group Livable Lake County.

"The answer to our economic growth challenges isn't more suburban office parks, more strip malls, more roads, all of them islands that are disconnected from the surrounding communities," he said. "We all know that long-term economic growth is really something that's earned. It isn't a simple formula. It requires investment in kids and education, because we know companies pick their locations where they can get the best talent."

emcoleman@tribpub.com

Twitter @mekcoleman
Antiques appraiser Mark Moran looks up a warthog tusk in one of his data bases at a program for the Waukegan Historical Society Sunday in Bowen Park. (Denys Bucksten / Lake County News-Sun)

Professional appraiser Mark Moran scrutinized antiques for three hours Sunday at a Waukegan Historical Society event.

People paid $10 to get Moran's appraisal on items that included a model tin fire truck made by Buddy L in the 1920s, a small oil painting Moran appraised at "tens of thousands of dollars" and a 1930s can of baking soda valued at $150.

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In all, 50 people brought at least one item for Moran to appraise, with his assessments ranging in value from $10 to tens of thousands, Moran said.

Moran, an appraiser for more than 30 years, didn't hesitate to give a detailed explanation upon seeing items for the first time.

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Armed with decades of knowledge, a small flashlight, an appraisal database wired to a 32-inch monitor and a quick wit, Moran had audience members in Bowen Park's Jack Benny Center for the Arts leaning forward in their seats, laughing and bursting into applause.

Antiques appraiser Mark Moran examines the markings on an antique dollat a Waukegan Historical Society program Sunday at Bowen Park. (Denys Bucksten / Lake County News-Sun)

An apologetic woman claimed she forgot to bring an antique John Ward of London watch, but her notes provided a tale beginning about 1750. The watch was carried by her grandfather's great, great-grandfather, Dag, a foot soldier in Napoleon's army in 1812, the woman explained.

Reading from her notes, the woman said, "The regiment was left to fight a rear-guard action while the main army retreated. They were cut off from the main regiment by the Cossacks, and the survivors managed to walk to Finland and into central Sweden, in the dead of winter, and there (Dag) was captured by a blonde, watch and all."

Moran, from Iola, Wis., said he was impressed with the Waukegan event.

"The quality of stuff I've seen today is better than what I usually come across at many of my programs," he said. "We've had wonderful paintings, bronzes, statuary, and some good furniture. So it's been a really good program, and it speaks to a history of prosperity (in the Waukegan area) that people were buying better quality items for over 100 years."

Typical of Moran's skill as an appraiser and entertainer was his advice to a man who though his antique was worth three times what Moran appraised it at.

"If you can get $1,200, get it firmly and smile and then run," Moran said.

He told the upbeat audience in the theater that in the antiques trade, "There is the talking price and the walking price  out the door."

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Eugene Bryant of Waukegan brought an antique silver toasting fork and other items he obtained from a sister who lives in Alabama. Bryant said he found the program interesting, hearing the appraisals and the stories that went with them.

"You might have something similar yourself, or you've seen it before and it will give you an idea," Bryant said.

Antiques appraiser Mark Moran examines the paint and texture of a bust at a Waukegan Historical Society event Sunday at Bowen Park. (Denys Bucksten / Lake County News-Sun)

Chris Lanning, also from Waukegan, handed Moran a large empty can of Doctor Price baking soda, circa 1930, which he paid $10 for on eBay.

Moran said the original paper label on the can was in good condition and valued the item at $150.

Lanning, a member of the Historical Society Board of Directors, said the event "was the best outcome (the historical society) has had so far" for an antiques-appraisal event.

"Over the years it keeps growing more and more," Lanning said. "People see the stuff all the time on television, like 'Antiques Roadshow,' and when people see items at our events they've seen on TV, it incites their curiosity and gets their attention."

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Denys Bucksten is a freelancer for the News-Sun
The Illinois Supreme Court is coming to Benedictine University in Lisle Thursday to hear oral arguments -- its first time at an educational institution.

It will be only the third time in recent years that the court has convened for arguments outside of Springfield and Chicago. The change of venue is the result of an initiative of the court and Chief Justice Rita Garman to bring the judicial system to the people it serves.

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"We are very much looking forward to our visit to Benedictine University. Such visits serve not only the purpose of making the work of the judicial branch more accessible and transparent, but also an educational purpose," Garman said, in a release. "I am delighted that the Illinois Supreme Court has the opportunity to bring the work of the court to the students and faculty of Benedictine University and other schools and to the people of DuPage County and the surrounding area."

The cases before the court that day involve First Amendment rights and the statute of limitations on wrongful death litigation. In People v. Minnis, a trial court ruled the Sex Offender Registration Act was unconstitutional after a defendant was charged with violating the act when he failed disclose his Facebook page. The statute requires sex offenders register all "Internet sites maintained by the sex offender or to which the sex offender has uploaded any content or posted any messages or information."

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The state is appealing the trial court's ruling that the law is too broad and does not limit the type of speech or communication an offender is required to report and register. Because the trial court ruled on the constitutionality of the law, the appeal is taken directly to the Supreme Court, rather than being heard first by an appellate court.

The other case, Randall W. Moon v. Clarissa F. Rhode, centers on whether the discovery rule applies in a wrongful death case. The rule allows the statute of limitations to begin from the time the suing party became aware of an actionable claim.

In this case, the lower courts rule ruled in favor of the defendant, concluding that the discovery rule does not apply to actions brought under the Wrongful Death Act, which has a two-year statute of limitations. The plaintiff will argue the discovery rule applies and he had two years from the date on which he discovered the defendant's allegedly negligent conduct to file the wrongful death complaint.

Three dozen schools in DuPage County are expected to either attend the arguments at Benedictine or watch them streamed live at https://livestream.com/blueroomstream.

The arguments start at 10:30 a.m. in the university's Daniel L. Goodwin Hall of Business at 5700 College Road in Lisle. A limited number of seats will be available in the 600-seat auditorium. Those wishing to attend are urged to arrive early and display a valid ID. Doors to the auditorium will close at 10 a.m. Entry into Goodwin Hall will be through the north entrance only.

It's been two years since the Supreme Court heard arguments outside Springfield. The last time was in May 2014 in the Third District Appellate Courthouse in Ottawa.

Before that, the court met in the Fifth District Appellate Courthouse in Mount Vernon as part of events honoring Abraham Lincoln in September 2008.

The Supreme Court also convened in its Chicago courtroom for five court terms between 2013 and 2014 while its now-110-year-old building in Springfield underwent a restoration. The Supreme Court building in Springfield reopened in September 2014.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart speaks about crime's impact on economic development to members of the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce May 16 at Dominican University in River Forest. (Steve Schering / Pioneer Press)

The way the state houses and rehabilitates inmates needs an overhaul, which could include expanded partnerships with businesses and business owners, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said.

Speaking to more than 100 members of the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce at Dominican University on May 16, Dart spoke of the issues he faces at the Cook County Jail and its effect on local economics.

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"Eighty-five percent of the people that enter our jail are not going to prison," Dart said. "Eighty-five percent of them are going right back to the community they came from. Where can we help all these people who are streaming back into the communities so they can be better off than when they came in?"

Dart said he spoke to an inmate who said he would most likely return to the jail, citing his felony conviction as an obstacle toward landing a job.

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"He said 'I can always get a job selling dope,'" Dart said.

Dart cited various partnerships he has pursued that teach inmates a variety of skills designed to help them upon leaving the prison system.

More than 100 members of the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce listen to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart speak about crime's impact on economic development May 16 at Dominican University in River Forest. (Steve Schering / Pioneer Press)

"We have a chef who has been coming to our jail for three years who teaches our inmates to make Italian food," Dart said, adding he's received a pizza oven and van donation, which he expects to be used to sell pizza in front of the jail.

"We run three farms out there, where we teach the guys all about farming, the environment and how to sell things," Dart said. "We taught them how to operate heavy machinery and to become [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] certified. They ripped down 105 different buildings in Cook County, some of which have been abandoned for decades. It was us trying to think outside the box to teach a skill that was transferable."

According to Dart, more than 50 percent of the people who leave the prison system return to it within three years.

"You think about that from a business standpoint, a business that fails over 50 percent of the time," Dart said. "That is our state prison system. That's not sustainable, and that's not working."

Dart also noted most inmates inside his prison are nonviolent offenders, and said partnerships with businesses, such as those represented by the OPRF Chamber, could lead to better programming for inmates.

"There is nothing in there that's working the way you want it to work," Dart said. "It's going to require a lot of people to become involved who never thought it would become their issue."

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With regards to crime affecting local business, Oak Park Deputy Police Chief Anthony Ambrose felt partnerships between the police and its business community are key in ensuring the success of the village.

"Technology is great, but you need to have police officers go into the businesses, introduce themselves, let people know they're there on a daily basis, learn about the businesses, learn about the clientele and be the face of our police department," Ambrose said.

River Forest Police Chief Greg Weiss cited the "broken windows theory," where small problems such as broken windows or cracked sidewalks eventually lead to larger problems such as "attracting the wrong people." It's a theory Ambrose agreed with.

"Once you let something fester, it's too hard to go back and change it," Ambrose said. "It's why you have to be proactive. You businesses are our eyes and ears. If we don't see it, you're going to see it or your customers are going to see it."

While overcrowded and underserved prisons do affect society, local real estate agent David King of David King & Associates said he has not seen it impact the local area yet.

"In Oak Park and River Forest, we have not seen that to be an issue when we are leasing or selling a building to a business, but it's clearly an issue for some of our neighboring communities," King said. "Sheriff Dart is right in that you can't arrest your way out of this. Things like this really get people talking. Getting people together to have this discussion is a good thing."

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sschering@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter: @steveschering
Jane Hamilton will read from and discuss her new book, The Excellent Lombards, May 22 at the River Forest Public Library. (Leslie Brown / Handout)

A former Oak Parker whose critically acclaimed books have been selected for Oprah's Book Club will speak at the River Forest library.

Jane Hamilton will read from and discuss her new book, "The Excellent Lombards," May 22 at the River Forest Public Library. The library and River Forest Township jointly coordinated the event.

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Carla Sloan, River Forest Township supervisor, said a township employee who went to Oak Park and River Forest High School with Hamilton reached out to her regarding a possible stop in River Forest.

"Sure enough, Jane was more than happy to come," Sloan said. "It's a real treat for us."

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Hamilton, the author of "A Map of the World" and "The Book of Ruth," said her father was a longtime Oak Park Public Library board member, and she, too, served on her local library board for years.

"I'm indebted to libraries, so I'm always happy to be in libraries," Hamilton said.

Thinking back on her youth in Oak Park, Hamilton recalled treasured children's librarians at both the school and public libraries. In "The Excellent Lombards," the main character's mother is a librarian, Hamilton added.

Hamilton credits her own journalist mother, suffragette grandmother and generally bookish family with helping shape her as a writer, along with the "very rich world" she grew up in, enjoying the freedom to explore Oak Park and Chicago as a child.

"I got a lot of bookish love and attention," she said.

Returning to the area will be emotional for Hamilton, who said goodbye to her childhood home in Oak Park when her mother moved to Evanston several years ago.

"Leaving Oak Park was very wrenching, even though we were so grown up," she said.

Hamilton, who lives on an apple orchard in Wisconsin, said she'd been thinking about issues of succession with a family business  who stays, who goes, who ends up inheriting the business. "The Excellent Lombards" explores that topic from the point of view of a girl whose family owns an apple orchard.

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"I put them in the body, the soul, of a child observing," Hamilton said.

Although the experience of writing each of her books has been different  and one hasn't necessarily prepared her to write the next  Hamilton said she typically writes several drafts.

"I wrote so many drafts, I can't even tell you," she said of her most recent novel.

Hamilton said she looks forward to connecting with readers in River Forest, as she often forgets how readers enlarge her own sense of her books, and appreciates that such events expose her to that.

"It's wonderful to hear readers speak about the books," she said. "It's a privilege to be able to talk about the joys of reading."

Mary Kay Stiff, head of adult services for the library, said officials anticipate a good-sized crowd for the Hamilton event.

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"She's definitely someone who has a big following, and she also happens to be local," Stiff said.

Stiff said the event is first-come, first-serve, with a room capacity of 70 people.

"People might want to get here early," she added.

The event begins at 2 p.m. May 22 at the River Forest Public Library, 735 Lathrop Ave. in River Forest. Copies of "The Excellent Lombards" will be available for purchase. For more information, visit www.riverforestlibrary.org.

Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
The Park Ridge City Council voted 6-0 to forcibly annex what is known as the Park Ridge VFW property at the northwest corner of Higgins and Canfield roads. (Jennifer Johnson / Pioneer Press)

Park Ridge aldermen on Monday took the first step toward annexing a piece of unincorporated property on which new development is planned.

The City Council voted 6-0 to forcibly annex what is known as the Park Ridge VFW property at the northwest corner of Higgins and Canfield roads. The council also agreed to schedule a special meeting on Monday to cast a final vote formalizing the annexation.

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Representatives of Canfield Higgins LLC, which has been identified by city officials as both the owner and the "prospective buyer" of the property, had asked the City Council not to annex the land until after it was rezoned by the Cook County Board and a development plan was approved by the county as well.

In April, city staff and Canfield Higgins began negotiating a legal agreement outlining the types of development that would be suitable to the city and allow for voluntary annexation within 180 days of the agreement's approval.

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But on Monday, aldermen expressed concerns about whether the developer would follow the city's rules on signage, stormwater management and other codes  language that was not included in the drafted agreement.

Hubert Cioromski, of Canfield Higgins LLC, told the City Council he had "no problem" following the city's requirements and having that written into the binding agreement.

Aldermen did not agree with this option.

"I'm concerned there is something we might miss," 6th Ward Ald. Marc Mazzuca said. "I think the cleanest and easiest way at this point is forcible annexation."

Annexing the land would require the owner to follow all Park Ridge zoning laws when building something new, city officials said.

Cioromski said development plans call for a "local, community-based" bank to replace the VFW building, in addition to some as-yet undetermined retail. Cioromski said he wanted to pursue the development with Cook County instead of Park Ridge because he felt it would be faster.

"We've already been going through the process with the county for months," he said, expressing concerns that he will now lose prospective tenants.

Aldermen reportedly learned in March that Canfield Higgins was asking Cook County to rezone the property from residential to an "industrial" classification, allowing for a wide range of uses. VFW representatives told the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate in March that the building had been sold to the development corporation.

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The Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals was scheduled to hear the rezoning request in June.

jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter: @Jen_Pioneer
Barbara Dill-Varga, assistant superintendent for curriculum and development at Maine Township High School District 207, left, and Tracey Landry, director of curriculum and instruction at Grayslake Community High School District 127, share ideas while working on a proposal for a grant created by Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. (Rick Kambic / Pioneer Press)

Vernon Hills High School student Jolie Boulos says her lifelong goal is to make water clean and accessible for everyone.

Under a proposal being worked on by a group of area high school administrators, Boulos would have the opportunity to learn the core skills that will allow her to reach her goal while researching and participating in hands-on activities in the field of water purification.

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The proposal for more project-based, individualized learning for local high school students is one of 348 finalists in a contest started by Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Nonprofit group "XQ: The Super School Project" says it was created to push schools to meet Powell Jobs' challenge of designing a new model for high schools. The group will divide $50 million between at least five proposals from across the country to bring their vision to life.

If they win, officials say the money would go toward the project and would impact students at the nine high schools. They refer to their project as the GAIN Academy, and students from all nine campuses would network with each other either in person or digitally.

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Maine Township High School District 207 worked on the proposal with Grayslake Community High School District 127, Leyden High School District 212 and High School District 128, which includes both Libertyville and Vernon Hills High Schools.

Barbara Dill-Varga, assistant superintendent of curriculum for Maine Township High School District 207, helped develop GAIN Academy after learning about the challenge from Laurene Powell Jobs, for educators to re-imagine what high schools can be.

"It's really centered around helping students pursue things they are interested in beyond school, but related to work they could do to create solutions to real world problems," Dill-Varga said of the team's project.

Under the concept, students would have an opportunity to work together formulating ideas for fixing global or local problems, she explained.

"If we win, we're not going to build a brick-and-mortar school," Dill-Varga said. "What we want to do is create an environment linking our five school districts and allowing students to work together in interdisciplinary teams with teachers and community members."

Boulos will soon be enrolled at Northwestern University and won't benefit if her school wins, but she was asked to speak with a panel of administrators last week and share her perspective as part of the application process.

"This provides a way for students to use the information they're learning and apply it to a real world situation instead of taking all of those separate subjects that are seemingly meaningless to one another," Boulos said. "This brings everything together into something with true meaning."

The group was recently named one of 348 nationwide finalists, and administrators from three of the districts gathered on May 10 to work on the next step, which involves providing financial and staffing records that demonstrate their plan's sustainability.

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Even if the team does not win the competition, having students concentrate on specific global solutions can always be incorporated into high school classes, Dill-Varga said.

"Maybe we could work with the other five districts and research together; maybe we could build a common project and connect with mentors around the world or in the U.S.," she said.

Under their proposal, a four-period block of time would be created where four teachers per grade level would work with students on their topics. The rotation would be structured to allow students to spend time learning the English, social studies, math and science aspects of their project. A new group of 60 students would be formed with each new freshman class and travel the four years together, according to the proposal.

"We've envisioned having students progress from addressing these issues locally in their own communities while they're still learning how to address an authentic audience and ask for change, then hopefully doing something on a national level and eventually international," said Rita Fischer, District 128 assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

As students move through the grade levels, their block of time would involve less instructional classroom supervision and more out-of-school time with professionals who have partnered with the school or at an important event, Fischer said.

"When you think about college, you say 'I'm going to take these 10 courses to get this major,' " Dill-Varga said. "We'd rather define the skills and aptitudes needed for that occupation or goal and get you those experiences, rather than helping you check off 10 things on a list."

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Students at any level would be considered for the program, and classes would be taught to their strengths, Dill-Varga said.

Boulos and other students who helped with the proposal gave the administrators feedback on the evolving idea, including concerns over the lack of social opportunities that comes with being in the same class for four hours a day all four years, scheduling conflicts with other classes and how a lack of Advanced Placement classes could be perceived by colleges.

Administrators said they don't yet have an answer for the socialization concern, but they were open to making the block more flexible so that students could come and go in order to attend desired classes.

rkambic@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @Rick_Kambic

jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com

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Twitter: @Jen_Pioneer
The city of Portage is being asked to cover almost $1,600 in legal fees for the work of a Chicago law firm to access emails and texts between members of the Porter County Council and Board of Commissioners.

"I'm appalled that taxpayer money was used for trying to check the emails of the county commissioners and the council. I was shocked at that. That isn't how we spend tax dollars," said Councilwoman Sue Lynch, D-at large, adding invoices go through the city's Board of Works.

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A May 10 invoice from the Chicago office of Bingham Greenebaum Doll and addressed to the office of Mayor James Snyder details legal expenses from April 18 to April 29 totaling $1,562.09. The invoice includes $795 for three hours of work for "research and analysis of powers of County Commissioners and County Council."

Snyder did not respond to requests for comment via email and telephone, but two members of the City Council were not happy that the city was being billed for the legal work.

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Lynch called the legal bill "irresponsible spending. There's no basis to be charging the taxpayers to spy on the county commissioners' emails."

She questioned the purpose of the records request, and said she didn't know if the State Board of Accounts, which audits the city's spending, would find the transaction justifiable.

"I think it's kind of immature of the mayor to go to that length. We have other business in the city that's more important than that," she said.

Councilman Collin Czilli, D-5th, hadn't seen the invoice but was familiar with the matter, and said it concerned him.

"To me, it's not a city matter and the city shouldn't be paying for it," he said. "It's not something the city or any city entity should be paying for."

The press release, signed by all 10 members of the county's two elected bodies, came out on April 8 as a response to remarks made by Snyder about the county's finances. The Post-Tribune published the release as a letter to the editor on April 10.

County officials received a public records request from Bingham Greenebaum Doll in late April for any emails and texts between commissioners and council members concerning Portage's wheel tax and the creation of the release put together by the two bodies, said Scott McClure, the county's attorney.

"There's no explanation of why they want it, which is not required," McClure said, adding he didn't think all of the requested information was subject to the state's Access to Public Records Act.

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Members of the council and the commissioners discussed putting out the press release during a joint public meeting on April 5 to discuss the county's foundation for handling the proceeds from the sale of the county hospital.

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
The religious metaphor of the shepherd and the flock was never more appropriate than for those who managed the First Baptist Church of Hammond.

But this is that other darker, cruel shepherd-flock cliche, not the genteel, spiritual version that implies loving guidance and protection of the innocent.

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The darker interpretation offers a flock comprised of sheep shaped and groomed to be fleeced. Shorn. Plucked. Left bald and bare.

It helps the shearers that sheep are compliant while they're been fleeced. The same is true for humans bilked by Ponzi-scheme con artists. They don't know what's happening until it's too late.

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Lots of bald sheep at First Baptist Church of Hammond these days.

The issue there is not religious faith at the church once the nation's 14th largest with 20,000 members. It's moral depravity. Again.

And once again, a federal judge in Hammond must unravel the evil legalities.

Is this a church victimized by criminals, a church that mindlessly enabled crimes without protecting members or was it a full partner in crime?

The church's credibility barely survived firebrand pastor Jack Schaap who enunciated the denomination's core evangelical demand for sexual integrity, stringent gender roles, ennobled "manliness" and then seduced a teenage girl under his spiritual care.

Schaap considered this a lapse in judgment. Federal prosecutors viewed it differently. So he's serving 12 years in federal prison for taking the teen across state lines for sex. His sentence was a generous gift. He could have gotten 20 years.

But the stench of Schaap lingers. And the soiled remnants of his legacy now are woven deeper.

Christian anger at moneychangers in the temple would not have worked at First Baptist. The church itself functioned as the moneychanger.

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Former deeply-imbedded church couples Joseph and Crystal Elwell, and Deborah and Robert Baldwin have left the state, but not before suing the church for allowing a designated financial adviser to scam $400,000 in their family savings.

In their view, Thomas Kimmel was a financial schemer given free access to gullible Baptist churchgoers. Elwell might have been less credulous, because he was a paid missionary.

Kimmel was a 1975 First Baptist convert and deacon, Vietnam combat veteran and career salesman. He was Schaap's money man in the quick-buck ministry.

And a crook.

That's not in question.

He's now serving 22 years in federal prison for bilking 300 churchgoers around the country of $16 million in a scheme that pedaled high-interest used car loans. Kimmel took $1.9 million in commissions, some of it from the four Hammond church members. The victims say Schaap grabbed 1 percent commission, and Kimmel took 10 percent.

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When the business of the church itself is crookedness, some spiritual values might go unattended.

To the very end of his teary 2014 trial in North Carolina, Kimmel claimed to be a misunderstood servant of God. What worked on 300 credulous churchgoers did not work on a federal judge.

First Baptist's official defense now is that people who run the church, determine its rules and enforce its theology are different than "the church" itself. Because Kimmel seems to have been employed in Schaap's inner circle, this seems an unappealing position.

Kimmel hopscotched the country hosting Prosperity Gospel conferences about "God's Plan for His Money," usually under Baptist auspices because First Baptist is nationally famous as a mega church.

He primed the pump for suckers by spending grandly on charities and good deeds. But he always took more.

Under the usual terms of engagement, you'd feel sorry for the local victims. But these took the deal with promises they'd make 12 percent interest on the investment without risk.

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Cons often bait the hook, and Kimmel sold this "no risk" idea perfectly. Plus, he had God's guarantee on his side.

But inherent in "guaranteed something-for-nothing" investments is an implicit desire to take easy money (usually someone else's money) without working. It's a form of corruption, too.

The high-rate lender went belly up and took employees to prison with it. Nobody at First Baptist minded plucking credit-short customers desperate for any car.

Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Not much Christian charity involved in that deal.

The Elwells and Baldwins also depended on the dubious theory that Christians would never cheat Christians.

In a nuanced universe of moral ambiguities that First Baptist often reviled, the Elwells and Baldwins were perfect rubes because untested faith grooms easy marks.

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They had boundless, unquestioned faith. And money to spend.

Sheep don't ask questions, either.

Fleecing always works better when the sheep are placid.

David.Rutter@live.com
Three finalists hoping to fill the soon to be vacant principal position at Niles North High School have met with students, parents, teachers and staff at the school but the school district will not fill the position until it first selects a new superintendent, officials said this week.

Following last weeks meeting with the three finalists for the principal job, students, parents, teachers and staff gave consultants conducting the principal search written feedback on the three candidates, said Phil Ehrhardt, a senior associate with BWP & Associates, which is heading up the nationwide superintendent and principal search for Niles Township High School District 219.

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"We get all the stakeholders together to do that," said Ehrhardt.

He also said the district will not make a final decision on filling the Niles North principal until it first hires a new superintendent.

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"This (principal) search was strategically placed so it would run a couple of weeks behind the superintendent search so that when the superintendent is hired they would have some input into the final (principal) selection," said Ehrhardt.

The school district has interviewed about 30 people from across the country for the superintendent position but have yet to make a final decision, officials said.

Niles Township High School District 219 has been without a permanent superintendent since late last year when superintendent, Nanciann Gatta, left the district following an internal investigation into administrator perks and spending. In addition Niles North High School principal Ryan McTague is leaving at the end of the school year to become the superintendent of McHenry School District 156.

When the new superintendent is hired they will be given the written feedback on the three principal candidates gather from the stakeholders groups, Ehrhardt said.

"Obviously we want that person to be involved," he said.

Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
A Song Dynasty (960-1279) calligraphic letter of 124 characters was sold for 207 million yuan ($31.7 million) to Chinese media mogul and art collector Wang Zhongjun at a Beijing auction on Sunday night.

The letter, titled Jushi Tie, by Zeng Gong written in 1080.

The letter, titled Jushi Tie (A Letter on Happenings), was composed by the famed politician and scholar Zeng Gong on Sept 27, 1080, during his 12-year service in local administrations.

In the letter, he thanks an unidentified friend for being supportive in the long term. Between the lines, however, he also shows a dissatisfaction at being unable to implement his political ideas in the royal court.

Zeng is ranked among the "eight masters of prose of the Tang (AD 618-907) and Song dynasties". Very few of his writings still exist.

Once owned by Belgian collectors Guy and Myriam Ullens, the letter was auctioned at 108.6 million yuan in Beijing in 2009.

The participation of Wang, who bid over the phone, surprised many people, since he is known for being an ardent buyer of contemporary Chinese and, recently, Western art. He spent $29.9 million on a Picasso painting, Woman With a Hairbun on a Sofa, at a Sotheby's sale in New York in May last year.

The letter by Zeng Gong topped the Grand View auction of classical Chinese paintings, staged by China Guardian Auctions, which grossed 1.11 billion yuan in total.

In the same sale, a calligraphic album in running script by the Ming calligrapher Song Ke was sold for 92 million yuan to Zhang Xiaojun of Shanxi province. An album of calligraphic Buddhist sutras, poems and paintings by intellectuals from the Tang and later dynasties sold for 57.5 million yuan.

The Grand View auction of classical Chinese ink art, held twice a year, is seen as a barometer of China's art market.

Luan Juli, general manager of China Guardian's Chinese painting department, said after the sale that classical Chinese art will play a bigger role in supporting the whole art market.

The most expensive classical Chinese ink art sold at auction is Di Zhu Ming, a calligraphic hand scroll by Song Dynasty master Huang Tingjian that fetched 436.8 million yuan in Beijing in 2010.
Gov. Pete Ricketts on Monday suggested that Nebraska public school leaders should ignore an Obama administration directive urging them to allow transgender students to use bathrooms matching their gender identities.

The policy pronouncement is "basically an opinion (that) does not have the authority of law," Ricketts said during his monthly statewide call-in radio broadcast.

Schools should "reject this bullying by the Obama administration," the governor said.

Ricketts' pronouncement followed on the heels of a resolution adopted by the Republican state convention on Saturday that encourages the Legislature to restrict the use of public restrooms based on biological gender at birth.

The administrative directive issued by the Department of Education and the Justice Department proposes guidelines to ensure that transgender students "enjoy a supportive and non-discriminatory school environment."

Ricketts said the Obama administration should concentrate more of its attention on "growing jobs and creating opportunities for American families."

On a separate issue, he told a caller he would be open to consideration of a "stand-your-ground law" in Nebraska. Such state laws generally remove the duty to retreat before using what could be deadly force in what may be viewed as self-defense.

"I agree with the principle (of) defending property and family," the governor said.

Asked about his meeting with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at an Omaha rally earlier this month, Ricketts said he endorsed Trump at the event because "we've got to have party unity."

Ricketts told the caller Trump was "very charming personally."
Miners check and repair equipment at the Xinyuan coal mine belonging to the Yangquan Coal Industry Group Co. Ltd. in Shanxi Province on February 7 [Photo: Xinhua]

President Xi Jinping Monday called for "unswerving efforts" to advance supply-side structural reform, as China's economy still faces strong headwinds, despite of a mild rebound in the first quarter reflected by economic indicators.

There may be difficulties and risks, but local authorities should not shy from the task, Xi told a meeting of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs. The Chinese economy faces cyclical problems as well as challenges of scale, but the structural and supply-side problems are the most serious, he was quoted by China Central Television as saying.

Local governments are busy making and releasing detailed measures to implement supply-side structural reform as authorities bid to counter ongoing economic headwinds and address issues such as excess capacity, housing overhang, and state-owned enterprises with poor profitability.

Xi reiterated the focus should be on measures to cut excessive industrial capacity, destock, de-leverage, lower corporate costs and improve weak links.

The core of the reform is to push the reform of State-owned enterprises, accelerate the transformation of government functions, and deepen fundamental reforms, such as those in the pricing, fiscal and taxation, financial and pension fields, the president added.

The market and government should both better play their roles to balance the reforms, he stressed.

Xi made the comments following publication of an article by People's Daily on May 9 citing an "authoritative figure" who analyzed the causes of China's economic woes and offered the prescription of supply-side reform.

On May 10, People's Daily published the text of a speech that Xi delivered to principal ministerial and provincial officials in January, when he had said that China's economic future will hinge on supply-side structural reforms.

"Xi's reiteration of supply-side structural reform reflects policymakers' judgment of the current situation," said Dong Yuping, an economist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "Supply-side structural reform is the key to solving the problems facing the economy," he told China Daily.

Supply-side reform, which should focus on "allowing the market to play a decisive role", must be pushed to add to the long-term vitality of the Chinese economy, said Dong.

Niu Fengrui, director of the Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China has yet to effectively implement the supply-side reform agenda. "That's why Xi has repeatedly called for strengthening of efforts to push the reform," Niu said.

China's economic growth dipped to 6.9 percent last year, the slowest in 25 years. Although economic indicators showed a mild rebound in the first quarter, the April data show the momentum of recovery has eased.
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Chinese tourists in the Akihabara electronics shopping district in Tokyo. [Photo: China Daily]

Japan is ready to ease visa requirements for Chinese citizens as part of its plan to attract 40 million foreign tourists every year by 2020.

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on its website earlier that the 5-year multi-entry visas will be extended to 10 years, particularly for Chinese business people, academics and artists.

Meanwhile, single-entry visa application procedures will be simplified for students from 75 universities under the direct supervision of the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Visa requirements for certain applicants will also be lowered.

According to a Japan Times report, the plan was adopted at a meeting of the Ministerial Council on the Promotion of Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Country.

The newspaper also says that the new visa rules are expected to be carried out before this summer.

The announcement came after Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida's meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing last month, the first since one was held in Seoul in November 2015.

Russians and Indians are also on the list of beneficiaries in this visa easing policy.
Liu Yunshan, president of the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, urged officials to keep up to speed with Party theories in an address at the school's spring semester opening ceremony on Monday.

Liu stressed an ongoing education campaign that focuses on study of the Party Constitution and rules as well as speeches by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

He urged officials to apply what they learn to solve real problems and help boost the country's reform and development.
The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) has increased the compensation standard for individuals wrongfully imprisoned or detained by the state.

The new standard for state compensation has been set at 242.3 yuan (37.1 U.S. dollars) per day, up 22.58 yuan from the 2015 compensation standard, according to a statement published by the SPP on Monday.

The adjustment of the standard was based on the increase in the average annual salary of state employees, which stood at 63,241 yuan in 2015.

Under Chinese law, wrongfully imprisoned or detained individuals are due compensation for each day they are deprived of their freedom,calculated according to the average salary per day of the staff of the state in the preceding year.
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A driver for Chinese ride hailing app Didi Chuxing in the southern city of Shenzhen has been arrested for robbing and murdering a passenger, local police said on Monday.

The victim, a 24-year-old female teacher at a local primary school.[Photo/weibo]

The 24-year-old suspect, surnamed Pan, was registered as a driver for Didi Hitch -- a hailing service that matches drivers and passengers who share similar routes.

According to police, Pan confessed to driving the victim, a 24-year-old female teacher at a local primary school, to a remote area and robbing her and murdering her on the night of May 2.

Didi said the car was registered on its platform with an authentic ID, driver's license and plate, but it bore a falsified license plate on the day of the murder.
An emissions plan proposed by the Beijing environmental authorities has been scrapped, a move that experts believe will save automakers from repetitive research and testing costs.

The Fourth Ring Road in Beijing in a morning rush hour. (Zhuo Ensen/For China Daily)

The city's draft, which was released in November for public opinion, has been aborted as the Ministry of Environmental Protection is working on national standards, said Wei Honglian, an official in charge of the vehicle emissions department at the ministry.

The Beijing plan was based on California's Low Emission Vehicle III standards, while national standards that have been adopted for decades in China follows the European standard.

Beijing's environmental authorities did not comment on the scrapped plan and a Beijing official advocating for local emissions standards turned down interview requests, according to Caixin magazine.

Despite much secrecy around the plan's abandonment, experts say one thing is clear - automakers will be heaving a sigh of relief.

If the Beijing plan went into effect, automakers would have had to prepare their cars to meet two sets of standards, which would entail a great deal of spending on research and development, said Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association.

"Chinese brands have a narrower profit margin and a stricter budget. To prevent cost hikes, they might have to wait until the national standards are implemented, but that will affect their supplies of vehicles to dealers and result in the shrinkage of the market share of Chinese cars."

Wu Jian, deputy head of GAC Automotive Engineering Institute, said the biggest problem resulting from two sets of standards mean automakers have to choose between two technical solutions.

"Because you cannot work out two solutions for one model. The cost is unreasonably high."

Cui said even if cars were able to meet two sets of standards at the same time, testing all cars available in the market twice would cost billions of yuan, resulting in "a huge waste of money".

Dong Yang, executive vice-president of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said local emissions standards go against the interest of consumers.

He said the potential increase in R&D costs from multiple standards could have led to customers paying more to own a vehicle.

Dong is one of the earliest opponents of Beijing's local emissions plan.

"I agree with the stricter than current emissions standard applied in Beijing, but not Capital VI, as it is illegal," Dong wrote on his blog after the draft was released in November.

He said quality fuel supplies are vital to meeting emissions standards.

Cui also suggested that national standards should not be updated too often as it usually takes at least three years to develop a model.

The National V standards was implemented in April in 11 provinces and municipalities in eastern China and will not take effect nationwide until Jan 1, 2018.

"If the standards are implemented two years after they are finished, they will be able to better meet the requirements."

Some are demanding more time.

"If the authorities publicize the VI standards in 2016, they should not implement it before 2022," said Yan Ping, chairman of Yuchai, China's largest internal combustion engine producer.
Two Russian students and a French teacher from Shanghai Jian Qiao University in the Pudong New Area rescued a girl from the Silian River near the school on Saturday evening after she attempted to commit suicide, school authorities told Shanghai Daily yesterday.

The French teacher, identified only as Bastien, who had just arrived at the university on Saturday, saw someone struggling in the river around 8pm when he was talking with the two students, Roman Chaikovskii and Kirll Karpuk, on the balcony of his dorm, Xi Lijun, a school official, told Shanghai Daily.

Both students are 21 years old and arrived in Shanghai in March to study at the university's international design school.

As it was dark, the teacher was not sure what the girl was doing, but she was moving up and down in the water, suggesting she was not a strong swimmer, Xi said.

Bastien rushed to the riverside with the two students to get a closer look.

Chaikovskii jumped into the river to grab the girl, and Karpuk and Bastien helped to pull the girl to the riverbank, according to Xi.

The girl told the school's security director, surnamed Xu, that she had been a student at a nearby secondary vocational school, but quit last year.

"She said she was roaming around after seeing former classmates in the vocational school and jumped into the river to commit suicide because she was depressed," Xu said.

"But she regretted her decision when she was in the water and held onto a net until our students and teacher managed to pull her back to land."
Chinese scientists on Monday proposed an international scientific cooperation program for Earth observation to support the Belt and Road Initiative.

The "digital Silk Road" proposal was put forward at an international symposium in Beijing on Earth observation for the Belt and Road. The event was attended by over 300 Earth observation scholars and experts from more than 40 countries and regions along the Belt and Road, as well as international organizations such as UNESCO.

Guo Huadong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said space-based Earth observation technology will help enhance people's understanding of the Belt and Road in a faster, broader and more accurate way.

The "digital Silk Road" program will hopefully provide statistics and environmental information for the Belt and Road Initiative and support decision making, Guo said.

Fu Bojie, another CAS academician, expressed hopes that Earth observation technology may be used to promote research on natural resources in countries along the Belt and Road, paving the way for more bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

This "digital Silk Road" program will be scientific, open and cooperative and will welcome more countries, organizations and scholars to participate, according to Guo.
Rice tasting is both an art and a science for Zhu Zhiwei and his team at the China National Rice Research Institute.

Tasters prepare for a rice tasting session at the China National Rice Research Institute in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo / China Daily]

It's a complicated process, and the procedure for tasting a single sample of cooked rice takes about three hours. As the chief rice tasting analyst, Zhu scrutinizes about 900 samples of cooked rice each year.

"Three samples a day is the maximum amount with which you can maintain a high level of judgment," said Zhu, 41, who is also the deputy director of the Rice Quality Inspection and Supervision Testing Center at the Ministry of Agriculture.

Similar to wine tasting, assessing the quality of cooked rice involves judging its appearance, smell and taste. Appearance includes its shape and "whether the rice grains are pure white", Zhu said. The scent is scrutinized both before and after the rice is cooked.

Tasting requires the use of another variety of rice as a control sample. Thai fragrant rice and Japanese Koshihikari rice are most commonly used. The Thai rice is typically used as a control sample for long-grained Indica rice varieties, while the Koshihikari variety is used to assess Japonica rice varieties of short and medium oval grains.

Indica and Japonica are two major rice varieties cultivated in Asia, especially China, and account for more than 80 percent of the global rice trade.

The rice grains are assessed for tenderness, viscosity and elasticity.

"You take a very tiny bite to feel the viscosity and elasticity of the rice grains. Then you look for sweetness as you chew," Zhu said.

The rice tasters evaluate after each step. To optimize the process, they carefully measure the amount of water used to cook the rice. Indica varieties, for example, would lose their natural shape if boiled in too much water. "The ratio of rice to water during the cooking process is a crucial element in ensuring the quality of cooked rice," Zhu said.

The final analysis requires that the cooked rice be allowed to cool, after which the tasters determine whether the grains maintain their taste through the process.

China has not yet drafted a national standard on cooked rice tasting, but the institute's researchers carefully follow a set of procedures and standards to judge rice quality. Japan is the only country that has a national standard on the tasting of rice varieties.

It generally takes about three months to train a rice taster, as experience must be accumulated through the tasting of numerous samples. "The more samples you taste, the more sensitive you become. You also need to keep thinking during the tasting process," Zhu said.

Different people taste the same rice varieties differently, so using the right control sample is also important. "If the control sample is not good, then the tasting results will be poor for sure," he said.

After years of experience, tasters can identify the area where a rice grain has been cultivated from the first bite.

Consumers looking to choose rice that suits their taste can follow some simple rules of thumb, Zhu said.

"First, take a look at the rice grains. If the grains are crystal clear, then the rice will not be good to eat. You always look for the grains that carry a light earth yellow color," he said. "Second, use a plastic bag to store the rice for five minutes. If the rice still smells fresh after five minutes, then that is an indicator that it is good to eat."
China may introduce more protective measures to ease prosecutors' professional worries, as their careers involve a lot of uncertainty, said the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) on Monday.

Procuratorial organs will perfect a mechanism to exempt prosecutors from responsibility if they legally carry out their duties, said the SPP in a statement after a conference.

The SPP said it will try to find better measures to help and compensate prosecutors if they are harmed because of their work. It will also help prosecutors clear their names if they are wrongly accused.

Previously, prosecutors were held collectively accountable for malpractice or other disputes, even when acting in accordance with the law.

The SPP added it will also reform the salary and promotion system for prosecutors.
TransCanada Corp. plans to dig up and replace sections of its Keystone pipeline found to not meet federal strength standards so the company can begin pumping oil at higher pressure.

Work, slated to begin this month and extend through 2017, will happen in Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Illinois and Missouri. The 30-inch pipeline first went into operation in June 2010.

Most oil pipelines in the United States, including Keystone, operate at 72 percent of the minimum pressure that could cause a deformation in the system, which is known as specified minimum yield strength.

TransCanada in 2007 got permission to run its Keystone pipeline at 80 percent, in mostly rural areas, but with a laundry list of safety specifications and conditions. TransCanada spokesman Terry Cunha said in an email that running at the higher pressure allows us to be more efficient with our operations to meet customer expectations and demands.

And it could mean more money for TransCanada, said Richard Kuprewicz, president of the independent pipeline industry consulting company Accufacts Inc.

They can run it at higher flows, and higher flows means more profit, Kuprewicz said.

There was a pipeline boom going on when the Keystone was being constructed in the mid to late 2000s. At the same time, commodity metal prices spiked.

During the boom, several newly constructed pipelines failed stress tests. An investigation by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of seven pipelines found that between 2007 and 2009 a number of pipe mills made substandard steel pipe for pipeline companies.

Those pipes failed to meet government strength standards and could potentially deform under stress causing a leak.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued an advisory warning pipeline companies of the defective materials. A report by the nonprofit watchdog group Plains Justice detailed the federal investigation and criticized the Pipeline Safety Administration for not doing enough to address the issue.

After building the Keystone, TransCanada did an in-line inspection which found the pipeline to be safe but did identify some areas that would need to be replaced based on post-construction guidelines for low yield strength, Cunha said. The work has to be done before TransCanada could begin running the Keystone at the higher operating pressure.

The sections of the pipeline to be replaced range from nine to 40 feet long. The Keystone will be shut down for short periods, typically 24 hours and no more than twice in a four-week period, for work to be done.

TransCanada is working closely with its contracted shippers to minimize the impact to capacity during this maintenance work, Cunha said.

In Nebraska, work will happen in Stanton, Platte, Colfax and Cedar counties.
Taibei Zoo denies an earlier report that the giant panda Tuantuan has died of canine distemper, an acute infectious disease.

Giant panda Tuan Tuan eats food at the Taipei Zoo, southeast China's Taiwan, Jan. 23, 2011. A celebration was held in Taipei Zoo Sunday to mark the second anniversary of receiving two giant pandas Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan from the Chinese mainland. The Chinese mainland sent Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan (together meaning "reunion"), as a gift to Taiwan in December 2008. [Photo: xinhua]

According to a recent local media report in Taiwan, the giant panda Tuantuan is safe and sound in the zoo and the announcement of the death of the panda earlier this morning is a rumour.

Tuan Tuan is one of a panda pair which were sent to Taiwan by the Chinese mainland as a gift in 2008.
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China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang arrived in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Tuesday to attend the Belt and Road Summit.

Zhang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will also inspect the Hong Kong SAR during the three-day trip.
A father and son suffered tongue tingling and throat burning after they drank some hot chocolate in a McDonald's store in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality yesterday.

The 46-year-old father, who drank more than his four-year-old son Niuniu, was diagnosed with damage to multiple organs.

It turned out that the McDonald's working staff mistook diluted disinfectant for hot water and used it to make the drink, according to a report by the Chongqing Evening News.

The McDonald's store where the incident happened [Chongqing Evening News]

The father, surnamed Feng, bought a "Happy Meal" for his son Niuniu at noon. After a sip of hot chocolate, Niuniu stuck his tongue out and shook his head. "I thought the drink was very hot so I asked him to wait a while," recalled Feng.

When Niuniu was about to finish off his lunch, Feng realized the drink was almost untouched. So he gulped a third of it. Ten seconds later, his tongue tingled and his throat burnt.

He turned to the working staff for help and was told that the drink might actually be diluted disinfectant.

The father and son were rushed to hospital.

Slight damage was found in Feng's liver, gallbladder, spleen, and stomach. The child was generally all right but was advised to stay for observation.

McDonald's confessed that it was responsible for the incident.

According to the personnel accompanying Feng to the hospital, the kitchen was under disinfection when Feng ordered their meal. One of his colleagues poured diluted disinfectant into a kettle that usually contains hot water and left it there for sterilization. Another colleague didn't notice and made Feng's hot chocolate with the liquid.

The paper called local food safety authorities about the incident at about 4:50 p.m. Two law enforcement officials went to the store a half hour later.

Complaining that the store didn't actively report the incident, they summoned its manager and other personnel involved for further investigation.

China's food safety law stipulates that any incident concerning food safety shall be reported to local authorities within two hours. Establishments that destroy evidence shall stop operation and be fined 2,000100,000 yuan (US$306-15,340); business licenses can be revoked if grave consequences result.
Anjin investments, a China-Zimbabwe joint venture, on Tuesday refuted local media reports that it had smuggled 3.7 million carats of diamonds worth 200 million U.S. dollars from Zimbabwe to China.

"The figures are factually inaccurate," Anjin board member Munyaradzi Machacha told a press conference in Harare.

Machacha said the company exported 3.37 million carats worth 112 million dollars, but the process was in strict accordance with Zimbabwean laws.

The export permits were duly signed by the government ministry in charge of the procedures, he added. "It was an ordinary export that met all requirements, including the remittances to government of all taxes and fees from the sale proceeds."

Anjin is one of the seven companies that were forced by government recently to stop operations in Zimbabwe's diamond rich Chiadzwa region after refusing to be consolidated into one company in which the state holds 50 percent shares.

Diamonds have become a key sector to Zimbabwe's economic development since the discovery of rich diamond reserves at Chiadzwa in 2006. But output began to drop about three years ago over diminishing alluvial reserves and depressed global prices, prompting the government to force consolidation to increase transparency and accountability of the diamond sector.
The China-Arab States Cooperation Forum has approved of the Doha Declaration at its seventh ministerial meeting held in Doha, Qatar.

In the declaration, Arab countries voiced their support for China's stance on the South China Sea issue, saying that they appreciate China's efforts to resolve territorial and maritime disputes with neighboring countries through dialogue and negotiation. Arab leaders also agreed that the signatories of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea should have the right to choose their own approach to resolving the situation.

The Doha Declaration reflects a huge achievement for Chinese diplomacy. Also, given that Arab nations tend to seek a unified position on major diplomatic issues, China's stance is being understood and supported by more and more countries.

An important international organization, the Arab League consists of 22 member states, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt  traditional allies of the United States  as well as the UAE, Qatar, Algeria, Libya and Yemen.

Prior to the Arab League, China's stance on the South China Sea has been publically supported by a number of countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Russia, India, Poland, Belarus, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as smaller states such as Gambia and Fiji.

China rejected a UN arbitration panel's deliberations on a territorial dispute with the Philippines in the South China Sea. But the Chinese government has been consistent on its stance that the Chinese side will not accept the results of the arbitration panel, whether it's for or against China.

Through international arbitration, the Philippines wished to be granted the ownership of the reef islands it has been illegally occupying, hoping that arbitration would help them find a legal foundation.

But, in fact, Chinas stand is that territorial disputes are not in the jurisdiction of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, and as for maritime delimitation, China announced its disclaimer in line with the convention as early as 2006.

However intricate the Philippines' appeal may have appeared, it is in fact a dispute over territory and maritime delimitation. Therefore, China's position on such an arbitration case is reasonable and legitimate.

This is why the Doha Declaration jointly issued by the Arab League and China is a timely statement. It shows that the international society supports China's stance on the South China Sea as well as its approach to settling disputes.

Wang Jin is a doctorate student of international relations with the School of Political Sciences at the University of Haifa.

The article was translated by Chen Boyuan. Its unabridged version was published in Chinese.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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The Japanese government will further ease visa requirements for Chinese citizens as part of its plan to attract 40 million foreign tourists every year by 2020.

The plan was adopted at a meeting of the Ministerial Council on the Promotion of Japan as a Tourism-Oriented Country on Friday, Japan Times reported.

The newspaper also reported that the new visa rules are expected to be carried out before this summer.

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on its website late last month that 5-year, multi-entry visas will be extended to 10 years, particularly for Chinese businessmen, academics and artists. Visa requirements for certain applicants will also be lowered. Previously, multiple-entry individual visas were issued to high-income Chinese tourists with a 5-year validity.

Meanwhile, single-entry visa application procedures will also be simplified for students from 75 universities under the direct supervision of the Chinese Ministry of Education. These include registered undergraduates and post-graduates, as well as alumni who graduated from the 75 schools within 3 years.

The announcement came after Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida's meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, last month in Beijing, the first since one held in Seoul in November 2015.

Liu Junhong, a researcher at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the easing of Japan's visa policies is aimed at boosting the country's sluggish economy, which is reeling from deflation and weak demand.

Japan remains one of the favorite overseas destinations for Chinese holidaymakers. Data from the Japan National Tourism Organization showed that the number of Chinese tourists to Japan more than doubled last year to reach 5 million.

More noticeable for local retailers is the spending power of Chinese tourists, who accounted for more than 40 percent of the total spending of foreign visitors to Japan in 2015.

Russians and Indians are also on the list of beneficiaries in this visa easing policy.

Prior to Japan, many other countries have issued 10-year visas for Chinese citizens. Back in November 2014, the US government started issuing multi-entry business and tourist visas valid for up to 10 years in China.

The United Kingdom and Australia are also considering the extension of their visa validity to 10 years.
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China on Monday slammed a recent European Parliament resolution refusing to grant China market economy status, saying the move was not constructive.

"As the world's second largest economy and biggest trade partner for more than 130 countries, China has become a bedrock for protecting global free trade. We don't want people to continue to look at China through colored glasses," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

China has offered a stable and reliable market and abundant jobs for the European Union (EU). China hopes the EU can view China's development objectively, respect World Trade Organization rules and deliver on its WTO obligations, Wang said at a joint press conference with his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault, after their talks.

The WTO obligations Wang mentioned include the "surrogate country system," a term used by the EU in anti-dumping investigations, under which costs of production in a third country are used to calculate the value of products from non-market economies.

"WTO members should end the practice by December 11, 2016 under the agreement signed when China joined the World Trade Organization. It is an obligation for all the WTO members, not subject to any member's criteria at home," Wang said.

"Whether the EU grants market economy status to China or not, it needs to deliver on its WTO obligations rather than dodge them," Wang said.

The two foreign ministers said China and France will continue to expand cooperation and explore new opportunities in finance, sustainable development, agriculture, food as well as in third markets.

China and France have great expectations for bilateral cooperation in climate change and international affairs, including within the Group of 20 and on the Syria issue, according to the two foreign ministers.

Wang said China will continue to facilitate a political settlement of the Syria crisis.

France and China agree the Syria crisis will be resolved not through military means, but through political settlement featuring dialogue and adherence to UN resolutions, Ayrault said.

Ayrault said President Francois Hollande is looking forward to attending the G20 summit in Hangzhou in September and that France is willing to work with China to ensure the event is a success.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong and State Councilor Yang Jiechi also met with Ayrault on Monday afternoon, pledging to cooperate more in economy, trade, technology and people-to-people exchanges.
Republican members of Congress, the governor, state legislators, and education officials say the Obama administration's threat to pull funding from public schools over bathroom policy is an overreach.

Gov. Pat McCrory, General Assembly leadership, and Republican congressional members condemned the letter from Obama's Departments of Education and Justice threatening local school districts with possible loss of federal funding if they don't conform to federal rules regarding transgender students and school bathrooms.McCrory said the federal edict affectsHe called on the federal courts and Congress "to stop this massive executive branch overreach, which clearly oversteps constitutional authority."The executive branch "does not have the authority to be the final arbiter" of the law, McCrory said.Meanwhile, all 10 Republican members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of Education John King requestingLt. Gov. Dan Forest issued a statement reminding North Carolina public schools in receipt of the president's letter thatHe said North Carolina would notState Board of Education Chairman Bill Cobey said there would be no board action compelling local school districts to comply with Thursday's White House directive to allow transgender students in K-12 public schools and universities to use bathrooms and locker rooms of the gender with which they identify themselves even if it does not correspond to their biological anatomy.Cobey said of the federal demand letter.said U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger, a Republican representing the state's Ninth District.Pittenger said.said Congressman Richard Hudson, a Republican representing the Eighth District.Yet Obama and and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch issued Thursday's letter anyway, saying that their departments interpret the word "sex" in federal Title VII, barring employment discrimination, and Title IX, barring discrimination based on sex at universities accepting federal funds, to include an individual's perception of their "gender" regardless of biological reality. The Department of Education also released a document containing "emerging practices" to help school systems deal with transgender students.A student's parent or guardian may notify a school that a student's gender identity has changed from previous records, and the school must begin treating that student according to that gender, according to the letter. No medical diagnosis or treatment requirement is necessary.McCrory and the General Assembly filed suit Monday against the Justice Department for attempting to make the state open girls bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers to men, and vice versa. The Justice Department countersued hours later. Those actions stemmed from the state's passage of House Bill 2, which struck down a local Charlotte ordinance allowing men to use women's facilities.The Obama administration announced Thursday that it was not going to halt federal funding to North Carolina as it had threatened, but just hours later disclosed it was sending out the nationwide compliance letter.The UNC System has been threatened with $1.4 billion in loss of funding for not complying with HB2, and its Board of Governors met in special session Tuesday to hire legal representation for the matter.Cobey said.In the meantime, and amid the turmoil,Cobey said.that there has ever been a problem or complaint in North Carolina public schools regarding transgender students, Cobey said.He said he doesn't believe the administrationor special education instruction.Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, responded in a prepared statement:Berger said.House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, was equally combative.Moore said in a news release.First District Democratic Congressman G.K. Butterfield, however, supported the sweeping federal mandate.Butterfield said.Butterfield said.Republican Fifth District U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, disagreed.she said.Sixth District Republican Congressman Mark Walker said,The White House's actionWalker said.Like his GOP colleagues, Third District U.S. Rep. Walter Jones said this wasby the Obama administration.Republican Congressman Mark Meadows, representing the 11th District, said the president's overruling state and local bathroom safety policies isIssuing the order only days after the federal government filed a lawsuitMeadows said.As of this writing, Republicans U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, and Democratic U.S. Reps. David Price of the Fourth District, and Alma Adams of the 12th District, had not responded to requests for comment on the federal letter.
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China vowed further support for Afghanistan's political reconciliation process and national construction during an official visit by Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) holds talks with visiting Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Premier Li Keqiang made the remarks while holding talks with Abdullah at the Great Hall of the People on Monday afternoon.

Calling Afghanistan a priority in China's neighborhood diplomacy, Li said China is committed to consolidating and developing bilateral strategic cooperative partnership and supporting Afghanistan's efforts to safeguard its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security.

Li praised Afghanistan's firm support on issues related to China's core interests. China is willing to work with Afghanistan to deepen bilateral cooperation in politics, economy, security, and culture as well as in international and regional affairs.

Li said China is willing to help Afghanistan map out a national infrastructure construction plan and implement investment cooperation projects the two sides had agreed on.

China will also support its enterprises to cooperate with Afghanistan in industrial capacity, strengthen interconnectivity in information industry, enhance cooperation in agriculture, education and between localities, and help Afghanistan train talent for social and economic development, the premier said.

He added that China backs the Afghan government's continued efforts to advance the inclusive "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" political reconciliation process and supports the country in participating in regional cooperation. Li also called on Afghanistan to continue to take effective measures to create a secure environment for bilateral cooperation.

Abdullah said China is an important neighbor and friend, and Afghanistan attaches great importance to development of bilateral relations. He reaffirmed support to China on issues concerning its core and major interests, and thanked China for its long-term assistance to Afghanistan's national reconciliation and economic reconstruction.

Abdullah welcomed Chinese companies to increase investment in his country. He said Afghanistan is willing to further expand bilateral cooperation in areas including infrastructure construction, housing assurance, mineral resource exploitation, information and telecommunications, agriculture, education, defense, and regional interconnectivity.

He pledged to provide security assurance for bilateral economic cooperation.

After the talks, the two sides signed deals on cooperation in economy, technology, interconnectivity and trade.

Abdullah is paying his first official visit to China from May 15 to 18 since taking office.
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Somalia militant group, Al-Shabaab attacked a military base in Halgan village in Hiiran region,central Somalia on Sunday night but were repulsed by African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali forces.

Halgan commissioner Guhad Abdi told Xinhua on Monday that the forces were able to resist and push the militants away.

"Our soldiers fought back Al-Shabaab attack last night after the militants attempted an attack on Halgan village which is under our control," said Abdi.

Abdi said the attack lasted for a short period and there were no casualties confirmed yet.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

Ethiopian troops under the AMISOM mandate operate in the area alongside Somali forces.
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Saudi Arabia on Monday accused Iran of "politicizing" the Hajj and held it responsible for barring its citizens from performing the ritual this season, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Iran announced on Thursday that its citizens would miss the Hajj this year, after Tehran failed to reach an agreement with Riyadh on arrangements for its pilgrims to join the annual ritual in September.

In a meeting on Monday, the Saudi Cabinet was briefed that Iranian hajj affairs officials refused to sign the deal.

"Saudi Arabia welcomes all pilgrims and does not stop any Muslim from visiting the holy cities," the Cabinet said.

It added that Iran's decision to ban its citizens to perform Hajj this year is aimed to "politicize" the ritual and exploit it in underestimating the Saudi efforts to serve pilgrims and ensure their safety and stability.

Iranians were among other pilgrims who died in stampede in last year's Hajj.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had also condemned the Iranian move.

GCC Secretary General Abdullateef Al Zayani said on Friday that Hajj is a sacred duty for all Muslims and shouldn't be linked with political stances or disputes between countries.

In January, Saudi Arabia cut its diplomatic ties with Iran following attacks on its mission in the country during angry protests against the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.
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Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III will face charges once he steps down from office, a lawmaker warned Monday.

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate said Aquino, along with Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and other members of his cabinet, would face complaints in relation to the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which was declared by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional in 2014.

DAP was implemented by the Aquino government to accelerate spending in order to pump-prime the economy in late 2011 until 2013.

Zarate said different groups have already been preparing all the documents needed to file the cases.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said that for the past six years, Aquino and the members of his cabinet have served the Filipinos truthfully and in accordance with the constitution and laws.

Under the law, a sitting president is immune from any suit. Aquino ends his six-year term on June 30.
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Philippine presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte said Monday that he would offer some cabinet posts to members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Presumptive Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte (C) poses for photos with members of his political party during a press conference in Davao Province, the Philippines, May 16, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Duterte, in a televised news conference from Davao City, said he would ask the leftists to lead the agencies such as the Departments of Agrarian Reform, Environment and Natural Resources, Labor and Employment or Social Welfare and Development.

"Those are the only departments that I can concede to them," he said.

When he was still campaigning for presidency, Duterte had been keeping in touch with CPP founding Chairman Jose Ma. Sison, who has been in exile in the Netherlands.

He was also planning to resume the peace process with the leftist group. The formal peace talks with the CPP-New People's Army- National Democratic Front bogged down in 2011 under the Aquino administration.

Duterte said he would appoint Jesus Dureza as his peace adviser, while party-list Representative Silvestre Bello III as the chief negotiator with the leftist group.
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Israel announced that its security forces arrested a Gazan man Monday as he attempted to smuggle weapons into Gaza via a fishing boat.

A military spokesperson said in a statement that Israeli forces arrested Salim Jamal Hassan Na'aman, "Israeli Navy arrested Na'aman after his vessel deviated from the designated fishing zone."

Further investigation revealed that Na'aman was involved in the smuggling of weapons, ammunition, and materials used for rocket manufacturing, according to Israeli military.

The shipment was allegedly intended for Hamas, the Islamist group controlling Gaza, along with other militant groups in Gaza.

"Na'aman provided information regarding Hamas' naval operational plans, its intention to use fishermen to disguise terrorist activity, and the role of fishermen and smugglers in Hamas' smuggling route between the Gaza Strip and Egypt," the spokesperson said.

The arrest comes a week following four days of fire exchange close to the Gaza-Israel border, including mortar rounds fired at soldiers near the border and Israeli artillery shells and air strikes which killed a Palestinian woman in her home.

It was the worst flare-up in two years, ever since the deadly 51-day Israeli offensive against the Strip.
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South Africa Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in the South Sudan capital, Juba on Monday to help bolster the reunification efforts within the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement(SPLM).

The reunification will be done under the signed November Arusha document after the party split, plunging the youngest country into more than two years of civil conflict.

SPLM Secretary of Information, Bol Makueng told Xinhua that Ramaphosa who is in the country as President Jacob Zuma's Special Envoy is holding separate talks with President Salva Kiir's faction and former rebels led by first-Vice President Riek Machar.

"They are meeting with people separately. On our side they asked us on the challenges and progress so far made and we told them we have made progress on the re-unification efforts. The Arusha Agreement has been included in the constitution," Makueng revealed.

The two rival parties signed the August 2015 peace deal under UN pressure that leaves President Kiir and returns Machar as deputy but the SPLM-In-Opposition (SPLM-IO)led by the latter cites the controversial creation of 28 states and drafting of the SPLM constitution and manifesto prior to their return to Juba as violation of the peace deal and the Arusha pact.

The former spokesperson of the SPLM-IO advance team, William Ezekiel, welcomed Ramaphosa's visit but said a lot of issues remain contentious despite having formed the transitional unity government in April.

"We still have challenges on the issue of creation of 28 states. We came to Juba as part of the reunification agreement but to our surprise the government went ahead to unilaterally draft the SPLM party constitution and manifesto. We were not part and parcel of that process," Ezekiel decried.

He added government continues to dispute and deny them cantonment areas in greater Bahr El-Ghazal and Equatoria regions and cautioned that provocative clashes like the recent fighting between their forces and the South Sudan Liberation Army (SPLA) in North-Rubkoena, Unity State may continue unabated if ceasefire mechanism is not respected by the two parties.

"As long as there is no clear mechanism on ceasefire, the clashes will continue," he warned.

However, Makueng dismissed SPLM-IO claims of being locked out in the internal drafting of key SPLM documents and revealed that key armed opposition figures like Chief Negotiator, Taban Deng Gai and the former political detainees under the Arusha Agreement participated in the process in Juba.

"The person who was not there in Juba was Riek Machar. I thought the SPLM-IO is an institution and if Taban Deng was there then the armed opposition was represented in the process," he assured.

He added among the crucial amendments decided on in Arusha by the various factions included departure from voting by hands to secret ballot and also scrapped the five percent appointees by the Chairman within the party.

"It was discussed in the national liberation council that voting was not to be by hands but by secret ballot. They also scrapped the 5 percent appointees by the party chairman," Makueng said.

Conflict broke out in December 2013 after president Kiir accused his deputy Machar of plotting a coup, which he denied leading to fighting that has killed tens of thousands, uprooting more than 2.3 million from their homes and 200,000 leave in UN protection camps.
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Security forces on Monday launched an offensive to liberate a town from Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a military commander said.

The troops and allied paramilitary Sunni tribal units, covered by Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition aircraft, began in the morning their advance in three routes toward the IS-held town of Rutba, some 370 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Ali Ibrahim Dab'oun, commander of Jazera and Badiyah Operations, said in a press release.

Dab'oun, whose command is responsible for security of the western desert in Anbar province, said that his troops are moving on the main roads leading to the town as explosive experts are defusing roadside bombs planted by IS militants.

Meanwhile, security forces killed two suicide bombers as they tried to attack the advancing forces, Dab'oun said, adding that he expects fierce clashes in Rutba on Tuesday.

The operation is also designed to reopen the international road between Baghdad and Amman, the capital of the neighboring Jordan, he added.

Last December, government troops recovered Ramadi, the provincial capital of Iraq's largest province of Anbar.

Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitary units have been battling IS militants for regain control of territories in northern and western Iraq that have been seized by the IS since June 2014.
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Russia sent three tons of humanitarian aid to a girls' boarding school in Damascus, the Russian news agency TASS reported on Monday.

The aid, including sweets and biscuits, was sent to the girls' boarding school where live some girls who have lost their parents in the Syrian conflict, said Colonel Sergey Istomin, a Russian representative in Syria.

Before the Syrian conflict, there were 54 orphan girls living and studying in the boarding school, now the number has risen to 730, according to Shahid Fallyuh, a children's welfare director.

A cease-fire brokered by Russia and the United States, which came into force on Feb. 27, has brought relative calm to the war-ravaged country.
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with visiting Pakistani Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on Monday to enhance bilateral economic and security ties.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Pakistani Army Chief General Raheel Sharif in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Military-to-military relations have reinforced China-Pakistan ties, especially economic cooperation, Li said, calling on both sides to strengthen high-level contact and deepen exchanges in various fields.

Economic cooperation and security collaboration between the two should be pushed forward "like two wheels," according to the premier.

Li also hopes China and Pakistan will increase communication and coordination on global and regional issues to safeguard peace and promote common development and prosperity.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is not only a flagship project between the two sides, but also conducive to development and prosperity of the whole region, stressed Li, saying China appreciates the strong support from Pakistan's government and military.

The premier said the two countries will share opportunities and overcome challenges through joint efforts to benefit the two peoples.

The Pakistani army appreciates Pakistan's profound friendship with China, Raheel Sharif said, stressing the Pakistani side expects achievements from the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor and is ready to provide security for cooperation.

Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Fan Changlong also met with Raheel Sharif on Monday to promote military-to-military ties between the neighboring countries.
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.
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The Chinese Embassy in the United States on Monday refuted an editorial by The Washington Post on the South China Sea dispute, denying false accusations and clarifying historical facts and the Chinese stance.

In a letter called "Provocations in the South China Sea" to the Post, Zhu Haiquan, spokesman for the Chinese embassy, wrote that Huangyan Island "is Chinese territory and was not seized from another country."

The letter was in response to the May 9 editorial, titled "Dangerous Rocks in the South China Sea," which alleged that Huangyan Island, or Scarborough Shoal, was "seized" by China from the Philippines four years ago.

The spokesman cited as evidence the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the 1900 Treaty of Washington and the 1930 Convention Between the United States and Great Britain, which give the western limit of the Philippine territory as 118 degrees east longitude, adding that this was also reaffirmed by the Philippine Constitution in 1935.

"China's islands and reefs in the South China Sea, including Huangyan Dao, are all west of that line," Zhu pointed out.

He went on to reject the editorial's accusation that China has refused to abide by international law by not participating in the arbitration case filed by Manila to a United Nations tribunal.

"By not accepting or participating in the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, China is acting in accordance with international law," Zhu stated.

In 2006, the Chinese government exercised its right under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and made a declaration that excludes compulsory arbitration, the spokesman noted, adding that more than 30 countries have made similar declarations.

China supports and advocates for the "dual track" approach initiated by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to handle the South China Sea issue: maintaining peace and stability in the region while resolving disputes through negotiations and consultations between the states concerned, wrote Zhu.

In his letter, the spokesman also advised the United States not to become a "dangerous rock" in the region, as it actually has no territorial claim in the South China Sea.

South China Sea has in recent years become a source of tension between China and the United States, with Washington continuously sending warships and aircraft to waters and airspace adjacent to Chinese islands and reefs, and actively enhancing military ties with regional countries like the Philippines.

"We hope the United States will help foster a favorable environment for dialogue and negotiation. U.S. alliances should not infringe on China's sovereignty and legitimate rights," Zhu commented.

Encouraging the United States to "flex its muscles" in the region is "dangerous and counterproductive," said the spokesman.

"It will be viewed by some countries as a blank check to embolden their own provocative actions, undermining diplomatic efforts and further escalating tension," he elaborated.
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Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton said on Monday her husband, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, would not serve in her cabinet if she wins the election.

Clinton shook her head and mouthed "No" on the campaign trail in Paducah, Kentucky when asked if her husband would be in her cabinet, according to ABC News.

The negation came one day after Clinton said on Sunday at a rally in Covington, Kentucky, that she planned to put Bill Clinton "in charge of revitalizing the economy."

"He knows how to do it," said Clinton. "Especially in places like coal industry and inner cities and other parts of our country that have really been left out."

At another campaign event earlier May, Clinton said she would bring her husband "out of retirement" to creat jobs.
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Climate officials from around the world returned to the negotiation table on Monday to write a "rule book" for the Paris Agreement, a historic pact they clinched at the end of last year in France to fight global warming.

By adopting the Paris Agreement, nearly 200 countries agreed to jointly take actions to limit global temperature rising well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to keep global warming under 1.5 degree Celsius.

Details of how to implement the agreement, however, was left for further negotiations.

"The whole world is united in its commitment to the global goals embodied in the Paris Agreement, as well as to the means by which to achieve them," said Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, at the opening plenary of the new round of talks in Bonn, Germany.

"Now we must design the details of the path to the safe, prosperous, climate neutral future to which we all aspire," she said.

When officials leave Bonn in May 26, they are expected to have in their mind clearer pictures of various issues, including regular reviews and "ratchet up" of countries' climate actions and transparency of developed countries' financial support to developing countries.

Researches showed that even if all current climate action plans of countries were fully implemented, the world is on a path towards a temperature rising of about 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.

"We have no time to lose, because the world is waiting for us to implement the Paris Agreement," said Segolene Royal, French environment minister and president of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris.

Figueres said she is confident that the pace of negotiations will be faster than in past years as countries now understand the threat of climate change and opportunities of transforming their economies.

A proof is the record number of countries which have already signed and ratified the Paris Agreement. Currently, 177 nations have signed the pact, 16 among them have completed their domestic ratification procedures.

However, analysts warned that old quarrels between the developed and developing countries might re-emerge despite an overall trend of collaboration.

In a press conference later on Monday, the European Union's chief negotiator Elina Bardram reiterated that the EU will not revise its targets of reducing carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020 and at least 40 percent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, targets which some developing countries and environment activists said were too low as the bloc had already reduced its emissions by 19 percent by 2013.

"The EU's 2030 climate and energy framework is a very very ambitious policy," she argued.

Financial support to developing countries is another hot topic of the negotiations.

On Monday, the BASIC group and a larger "G77+China" bloc which represents over 130 developing countries also urged developed countries to fulfill their 2009 commitment of providing 100 billion U.S. dollars per year by 2020 to developing countries.

"For our endeavors to be achieved, enhanced and adequate financial and technology support as well as capacity building must be provided to allow for effective action both pre-2020 and beyond," said "G77+China" in a joint statement.

Salaheddine Mezouar, Morocco's Foreign Minister and incoming President of the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech told negotiators that he expected the annual climate summit in November to be an occasion when a road map for concrete and predictable provision of the 100-billion-U.S.-dollar would be prepared.

"If COP21 is a COP of commitment, our ambition is to ensure that COP22 becomes a COP of action," he said.
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The United Nations and its humanitarian partners said that more than 118,000 people have fled conflict in Afghanistan during the first four months of this year, a deputy UN spokesman said Monday.

In Kunduz, northeastern Afghanistan, more than 22,400 people have been displaced in April alone, Farhan Haq said at a daily news briefing here.

"Humanitarian partners reported that insecurity and access constraints remain the major challenges to the delivery of assistance," he said.

A total of 20 million U.S. dollars from the Common Humanitarian Fund has been allocated to provide emergency trauma services as well as lifesaving aid for displaced communities, he said.

The newly formed Afghan government is facing severe tests in 2016, and it must manage its difficult transition by overcoming political, economic and security challenges, a top UN official in the Asian country said in March.

"In 2016, Afghanistan is being as severely tested as it was in 2015, by the task of managing its difficult transition with its interrelated political, economic and security challenges," Nicholas Haysom, the UN secretary-general's special representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, said while briefing the UN Security Council on the current situation in Afghanistan.

"For 2016, survival will be an achievement" for the new government, he said, adding that "Some may criticize this benchmark as being low, but survival does not mean inaction, or merely treading water," but active engagement in confronting the five challenges.

The Taliban, emboldened by its military successes in Kunduz and elsewhere, will continue to test the Afghan security forces across the country, he noted.

Yet in this first year of independent command, the Afghan security forces have largely held their own in the face of continuing high rates of attrition, he added.

The Taliban have been battling the government for 15 years and after the United States and its NATO ally formally ended their combat mission at the end of 2014, the emboldened insurgents have been spreading their footprint across the country.

Currently, Afghanistan is also confronting extremists from the Islamic State group.

"The stakes are high, not least because the loss of a provincial capital, even if temporarily, would have significant repercussions for the National Unity Government's political standing," the UN envoy said.
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A Chinese envoy to the UN said Monday that the search for durable solution to the Kosovo issue needs to continue, so as to maintain security and stability of the Balkans and Europe at large.

Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the world body, told a Security Council meeting that the security situation in Kosovo is generally stable, though "elements of complexity and uncertainty remain."

China commends the efforts carried out by the government of Serbia in searching for the political solution to the Kosovo question and welcomes that the high-level political dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina has achieved progress and that existing agreements are being implemented, said Wu.

"We support the continued efforts by both parties to maintain a pragmatic and constructive dialogue, effectively protect the legitimate rights of different ethnic groups in Kosovo and promote national reconciliation," he said.

"We hope that parties refrain from taking any actions that might escalate or complicate the situation and continue to search for durable solution to the question of Kosovo in an effort to maintain security and stability of the Balkans and Europe at large," he added.

The envoy said that China hopes the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and the Kosovo Force will enhance their coordination and play a positive, constructive role in finding a proper solution of the Kosovo issue.

Zahir Tanin, the UN Secretary-General Special Representative in Kosovo and head of the UNMIK told the council that despite some positive developments, Kosovo still faces the hard realities caused by unemployment, inequality, the challenges of developing a productive economy to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), overcome legacies of impunity, and weaknesses in its rule of law institutions.

Kosovo is the subject of a long-running political and territorial dispute between Belgrade and Pristina. Serbia categorically refuses to recognize Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in 2008, though most leading European countries and the United States have exchanged diplomats with Kosovo.
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The 22nd Chinese naval escort taskforce arrived Monday at the Simon's Town naval base of South Africa for a four-day friendly visit.

The 22nd Chinese naval escort taskforce arrived Monday at the Simon's Town naval base of South Africa for a four-day friendly visit. [Photo/Xinhua]

The visiting taskforce is comprised of supply ship Taihu, guided missile destroyer Qingdao and frigate Daqing.

A welcome ceremony was held by the South African Navy at 10 a.m. local time at the naval base near Cape Town.

During the visit, the Chinese navy will conduct friendly exchanges with the South Africa Navy, including mutual visits and open day for public visit. After the port call, the taskforce will conduct joint exercise with the South Africa Navy in South Africa's coastal waters.

South Africa is the first leg of the taskforce's visit after it completed a four-month escort mission for merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somali coast.

Authorized by the United Nations, the Chinese navy has started dispatching warships to the region for escort missions since December 2008.

The visit also marked the fourth of its kind made to South Africa by Chinese Navy ships. As the country's second largest city, Cape Town is where South Africa's parliament is located. It is also an important meeting point for international shipping routes.
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An Australian teenager who was stopped from travelling to Syria has been arrested for planning a terror attack on the home soil.

Australian authorities on Tuesday arrested an 18-year-old man for allegedly seeking to make a foreign incursion after his passport was cancelled in February and then subsequently planning and seeking a firearm to commit a terror attack on home soil.

"Ensuring the safety of the Australian community has and will be the focus of counter-terror related activity," Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner, national security Neil Gaughan told reporters in Sydney.

Though the man was acting alone, police will allege the 18-year-old "does have associations with some of the people that have already been put before the courts," New South Wales state Police deputy commissioner for specialist operations, Catherine Burn said.

It's believed that the man is an associate of those already in custody on other terror related charges in connection to terror related attack on police accountant Curtis Cheng last year.

"What is concerning is we're still seeing people wanting to do an attack in our country," Burn said.

While police allege the 18-year-old was planning travel to Syria to engage in "hostile activities", the arrest is not related to the five men arrested and charged with terror related offences on Monday for attempting to travel to Syria, via Indonesia and the Philippines by boat.

Australian authorities on Tuesday conducted multiple raids in Melbourne in connection to those arrests.

"We do have international obligations to stop these people from travelling offshore," Gaughan said.

It's believed approximately 100 people had left Australia for Syria to fight alongside organizations such as Islamic State (IS).

Australia, a close ally in the U.S. war on terror, has been on heightened alert for domestic terror plots since September 2014.

"We're living in a changed environment, it's a dynamic world at the moment and we do have to be constantly aware of this threat," Burn said.

"As we all know, youth are vulnerable, particularly around the (radicalised)," Burn said, urging Australian parents and the community to be vigilant about their child's behavior.
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A Syrian opposition group fired at multiple targets in various places in the country, including the capital of Damascus in the past 24 hours, breaking the ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia, a Russian reconciliation center in Syria said Tuesday.

The Jaysh al-Islam group fired at government troops near the villages of Djobar, Arbil, Haouch al-Farah and Duma, as well as the capital district of Harasta al-Basal, said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

However, the ceasefire has been observed in most provinces of the country, the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria said.

Syria has been mired in civil war since March 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fighting many opposition factions and extremist groups, such as the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front.

A U.S.-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force in Syria on Feb. 27. It was supported by Damascus, as well as by dozens of opposition groups.
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An Afghan district police chief had been killed along with five police personnel following a Taliban ambush attack in the country's eastern province of Paktika, a local police official said on Tuesday.

"The police Chief of Khoshamand district, Kahko Shinwari, and five Afghan National Police members died following an armed attack which took place along a main road in the district late on Monday," deputy provincial police Chief Abdul Rauf told Xinhua.

Shinwari was travelling from provincial capital Sharan to the district in a two-vehicle convoy before the clash. Five policemen of the convoy were also wounded in the attack in the mountainous province, some 155 km south of Afghan capital, the police chief added.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since early April when the militant group launched its annual rebel offensive in different areas of the country.

The Taliban urged civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as the legitimate targets by militants besides warning people not to support the government. Endit
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Two militants were killed Tuesday in two separate gunfights with Indian troops in restive Indian controlled Kashmir, officials said.

A militant yet to be identified was killed in the ongoing gunfight at village Zoonareshi in frontier Kupwara district, about 125 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Another militant belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant outfit was killed at Tehlipora village of Shopian district, about 65 km south of Srinagar.

"One militant was killed in Shopian, while another one was killed in Kupwara," Col N N Joshi, Indian military spokesman told Xinhua. "The Shopian gunfight has stopped this morning, while the search operation in Kupwara is still going on."

Police officials said the gunfight at both places triggered after joint contingents of police and military cordoned off the places on specific intelligence information about presence of militants.

The slain militant in Shopian was identified as Farooq Ahmad Sheikh, a local cadre of HM.

Unconfirmed reports said two other militants managed to break off the cordon and escaped during initial exchange of fire in Shopian.

Hundreds of people in the morning attended funeral prayers of Sheikh, locals said. People including women and children gathered to mourn his killing. The mourners shouted pro-freedom and anti-India slogans as militants body mounted on stretcher was taken for burial.

The Shopian town and adjacent areas observed a complete shutdown to protest the killing.

Joshi said two assault rifles were recovered from the gunfight sites in Kupwara and Shopian.

Police said, on Monday, a top militant was killed and two others were arrested in a frontier village of Chaprian in Poonch district. The militant according to police was killed after he slipped into a gorge in a police chase.

Meanwhile, suspected militants shot dead a man in Kulgam district for his alleged links with intelligence agencies. The man was fired upon in his village on late Monday evening. Reports said his sister is a member of village level body and a grassroots level political worker associated with ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

Militants in the region usually target families and individuals for their possible links with Indian police and defense agencies. Even people having associations with pro-India political parties are targeted at times.

A guerrilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Gunfights between the two sides takes place intermittently across the region.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their Independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.
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The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan have reiterated their commitment to a ceasefire between the two countries and the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in a multilateral meeting here Monday, according to a joint statement.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with the foreign ministers of the co-chair countries of the Minsk Group under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) such as Russia, the United States and France on Monday in the Austrian capital Vienna.

The leaders and foreign ministers reiterated that there can be no military solution to the conflict. The co-chairs insisted on the importance of respecting the 1994 and 1995 ceasefire agreements.

To reduce the risk of further violence, they agreed to finalize in the shortest possible time an OSCE investigative mechanism.

The presidents also agreed to continue the exchange of data on missing persons under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to which they committed during a summit in Paris in October 2014.

In addition, the two leaders agreed on the next round of talks, to be held in June at a place based on mutual agreement.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter dispute over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988, when the enclave dominated by ethnic Armenians claimed independence from Azerbaijan and declared to join Armenia.

Peace talks have been held since 1994 when a ceasefire agreement was reached, but there have been occasional minor clashes.

In early April, new clashes took place in the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in numerous casualties on both sides.
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Cracks further appeared within Taliban rank as infighting between supporters of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor and his opponents headed by Mullah Mohammad Rasoul have killed 15 fighters from both sides in the western region of Afghanistan since Sunday, officials said Tuesday.

In the latest fighting between the two groups in Obe district of Herat province with Herat city as its capital 640 km west of national capital Kabul city, at least five militants have been killed on Tuesday, a local official confirmed.

"The clash erupted between Mullah Sia Khan, a Taliban commander loyal to Mullah Akhtar Mansoor and his rival commander Mullah Toofan of Mullah Mohammad Rasoul's faction in Niak village of Obe district in the wee hours of Tuesday which lasted for hours and leaving five insurgents dead," district police Chief Shir Agha Alkozai told Xinhua.

All those killed in the fighting belonged to Akhtar Mansoor's faction, the official added.

Taliban militants haven't commented on the subject.

This is the second bloody fighting between the two rival factions in the western region over the past three days.

On Sunday, seven militants were killed from both sides as clash flared up in Balamurghab district of the western Badghis province, according to Balamurghab district governor, Ahmad Zia Akazai.

Militants loyal to Mullah Rasoul also publicly executed three fighters from Mansoor group in Balamurghab district on Monday after capturing them, Akazai asserted.

More than 200 fighters from both factions have been killed due to infighting in parts of Afghanistan over the past several months, some 100 of them only in Shindand district of Herat province over the past couple of months, according to local media reports.

Since confirmation of the death of Taliban former leader Mullah Mohammad Omar in August last year, Omar's deputy Mullah Akhtar Mansoor succeeded him. However, his rival Mullah Mohammad Rasoul challanged Mansoor's leadership over Taliban outfit and since then fighting occasionally erupts between the two groups in parts of the country.

Militants loyal to Mullah Rasoul, according to local officials and media reports, gathered in Jawand and Qadis districts of the western Badghis province couple of days ago and announced Jihad, or holy war against Mansoor's supporters.

Meantime, local political analysts believe that continued internal differences and infighting between Mullah Mansoor's supporters and his opponents would weaken Taliban positions and eventually enables government forces to shrink militants' foothold in the conflict-hit country.
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A French-sponsored international conference to re-launch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks stand postponed from May to the summer, French President Francois Hollande announced on Tuesday.

In an interview with local broadcaster Europe 1, Hollande said the gathering, initially scheduled for May 30, would be delayed as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry cannot come on that date.

"(The summit) will take place in the course of the summer," he added.

"This summit is necessary because if nothing happens, if there is no strong French initiative, then terrorist attacks and conflicts are going to continue," Hollande noted.

The planned international gathering in Paris aiming to end the deadlocked of the Middle East peace process is to include the Middle East Quartet (the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations) and many Arab countries.

While Israel and Palestine would not initially participate, the conference aims to lay the groundwork for future peace talks involving both parties.

In Ramallah, Palestinian leaders welcome French initiative to resume peace talks. However, in the rival camp, Israeli officials opposed the planned conference demanding to start direct negotiations without preconditions.

The last round of peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian authorities broke down in April 2014 after the two sides failed to resolve their deep disputes on Israeli settlements, Palestinian state borders and security.
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Kilis, a Turkish border city grappling with a population of Syrian refugees larger than its own, has high hopes for the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit slated for May 23-24 in Istanbul.

When Kilis became the capital of the namesake province in 1996, its infrastructure was designed to meet the needs of a population up to 115,000 by 2023.

Things have not turned out as expected, however. The city is now hosting some 130,000 Syrians fleeing from their war-torn country over the past five years.

The municipality used to collect 40 tons of garbage before the influx, now the figure has skyrocketed to 160 tons per year.

The need for purified water has tripled to 30,000 cubic meters daily, while the number of funeral services has risen to 1,600 from 700 per year.

The public green space per capita, meanwhile, has dwindled to only 1.1 square meters.

"Suddenly we have been left with a population of refugees, which has outnumbered our own population of 93,000," Mayor Hasan Kara told Xinhua over the phone.

"Imagine a man who weighs 70 kilos and the next morning he wakes to a day when he weighs 700 kilos more," he spoke of the dire situation facing his city using a metaphor. "Imagine the physiological and psychological trauma to him."

"We do not share the same language with them," the mayor said, adding "Our traditions, our culture and all are different."

Turks and Syrians in the city, however, have been able to cohabit.

"Turkish people have been sharing their homes, their jobs, their foods and even their fresh air with Syrians without hesitation," said Kara.

City officials and Turkish NGOs are also organizing workshops and vocational training courses to help the newcomers to build a new life.

"From cooking to English language, from computer to several handcraft classes, we have different offerings for them," noted Kara. "But now we're not able to support them on our own anymore."

Neither the infrastructure nor the superstructure of the city is capable of handling this sudden increase in population, the mayor said.

Making things worse, rockets have been fired continually from northern Syria on Kilis since mid-January, killing some two dozen people.

"I'm calling on the UN World Humanitarian Summit to hear our voice," said Kara.

The mayor is hoping to raise 100 million euros (123 million U.S. dollars) to be used to improve the infrastructure, including sewer and water purification systems, and to create more public green space.

The city has so far not got any support or donation from the international community, apart from a solid waste compactor machine worth 250,000 euros (307,800 dollars).

According to Kara, as the average cost per month for one Syrian refugee in his city is around 1,000 Turkish liras (339 dollars), the municipality is struggling to help the refugees survive.

Turkey is currently sheltering some three million Syrians and Iraqis, an undertaking that has cost the Turkish government 10 billion dollars.

In a recent statement, Turkish President RecepTayyip Erdogan said that with the spending of Turkish NGOs and municipalities combined, the cost has already exceeded 20 billion dollars.

Now all are turning to the World Humanitarian Summit for concrete steps to address the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.

The summit will bring together some 6,000 participants, including heads of state and government, private sector representatives and NGOs for the first time, to discuss how to handle the crisis in a better way.

"The participants will exchange views in order to see how we can deliver improved services and determine how we can spend already collected money more efficiently following the summit," said Herve Verhoosel, spokesman for the summit.

"Every country will have a chance to make its own commitments and it doesn't have to be a merely financial matter," he told Xinhua.

Representatives of Turkish NGOs argue that "empowering of local communities" would be a better way to cope with humanitarian crises like the one besetting Kilis.

Sema Gene lKaraosmanoglu, executive director of Turkish NGO "Support to Life," told Xinhua that "localization of humanitarian assistance" would be the strongest and most important message that could be sent from the summit.

She said that in the current humanitarian aid system, a great majority of global funding actors are positioned far from the effected people.

"It is striking to see that less than two percent of the total funding goes to local actors who are in direct contact with the effected populace," she noted.

In her view, for humanitarian aid to be effective, more resources should be channeled to local actors "who provide the most effective aid to people in need."

The suggestion was echoed by Kerem Kinik, president of the Turkish Red Crescent, which has set up 17 tent cities and 8 container cities inside Turkey hosting a total of 264,865 Syrian refugees.

"We're expecting increased level of direct funding to local actors who are facing directly with the humanitarian crisis," Kinik told the press on Tuesday. "So the structure must empower the small- and medium-size NGOs."

Verhoosel indicated that the demands of NGOs could be at the heart of the summit, saying "The participants will decide what is working and what is not and also what needs to be improved."
Yang Hua, second from left, poses

with his family. (Photo: China Aid)

China Aid

By Brynne Lawrence

(Guiyang, GuizhouApril 21, 2016) A lawyer received permission to meet with an incarcerated pastor on Friday, despite previous government refusal.

Authorities granted Chen Jiangang permission to meet with his client Yang Hua, the incarcerated pastor of Huoshi Church, on April 22. This allowance comes after Chen and another lawyer, Zhao Yonglin, were repeatedly denied meetings with Yang. They last met with him on March 23.

Authorities took Yang into police custody on Dec. 9, 2015, charged him with the crime of obstructing justice after he deterred officials from destroying church data and sentenced him to five days in administrative detention. On Dec. 15, they claimed he gathered a crowd to disturb social order and held him for an additional five days. When his wife arrived at the detention center to pick him up on Dec. 20, however, she saw him wearing a black hood and being herded into a vehicle without a license plate.

She later learned that his charge had been changed to illegally holding state secrets and that he was being transferred to criminal detention. On Jan. 22, officials altered the charge once more to divulging state secrets and formally arrested him.

China Aid will update this story as more information becomes available.

China Aid reports on abuses, such as those experienced by Yang Hua, in order to promote religious freedom and rule of law in China. If you would like to get involved in supporting Yang Hua, please consider signing the petition for his release or visiting www.freeyanghua.org to learn more.

China Aid Contacts

Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director

Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.chinaaid.org
A Chinese mobile phone user uses the taxi-hailing and car-service app Didi Chuxing on his Apple iPhone smartphone in Jinan city, east China's Shandong province, 22 February 2015.[Photo/IC]

Listing could be biggest by a Chinese company since Alibaba's record 2014 offering

Apple Inc may not need to wait that long before it reaps the benefits of investing $1 billion in Chinese car-hailing service Didi Chuxing.

Didi is targeting an initial public offering in New York next year, according to industry sources.

The timing will depend on how its battle with Uber Technologies Inc in China plays out, they said. Such a move may put the Chinese app ahead of its US rival in going public, with Uber having said it wants to hold off as long as possible.

China's biggest ride-hailing app, Didi is in the process of raising about $3 billion of funding, including Apple's $1 billion contribution, which has swelled it's valuation to about $26 billion, sources have said.

Already backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd, Didi has reached break even in about half of the 400 Chinese cities it operates in as Uber spends heavily to win both drivers and riders.

"It's great timing because the company is on a tear in terms of winning market share and users, and that may not last forever, " said Li Yujie, an analyst with RHB Research Institute Sdn in Hong Kong.

"Didi could be facing some pressure from investors who want to see their investment returns."

Formally known as Xiaoju Kuaizhi Inc, Didi declined to comment on any potential IPO in an e-mailed statement.

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook posted a picture on his Twitter account, showing him using Didi's taxi hailing service together with Didi President Jean Liu. The post drew hundreds of comments.

At Didi's current valuation, a US IPO could be the biggest by a Chinese company since Alibaba's record offering in 2014.

The company is among a list of ride-sharing apps including Uber and Lyft Inc that could conduct a public offering. Didi hasn't decided on which exchange and which banks to hire yet, said sources.

Didi was created last year when separate apps backed by Tencent and Alibaba merged after brutal competition drove up losses. The firm now has 14 million registered drivers in China.
A ready-to-drink bottled coffee sold at a supermarket in Fuzhou, Fujian province.CHEN HAO/CHINA DAILY

China will continue to offer potential for high growth to coffee beverage players, experts said.

For, new consumers are being continually attracted to support the ready-to-drink or RTD coffee and coffee pod machines, they said.

Hope Lee, senior analyst of Euromonitor International, said increasingly, coffee beverage players are looking beyond younger consumers and white-collar workers in big cities to expand the market. Some people in second-tier cities have already picked up the habit of drinking coffee.

"The expanded consumer base is now an attractive platform for brand owners, although 'the journey of nurturing coffee drinking' is still an ongoing challenge," said Lee.

In terms of channel development, food service sales of RTD coffee are still limited as consumers are habituated to drinking tea and other beverages. RTD coffee is not the most suitable complementary beverage for Chinese taste buds, he said.

However, Euromonitor International's hot drinks database shows that sales of hot coffee have started to take off and outpaced retail sales in volume growth terms.

With RTD coffee expected to record a net sales increase of around $1.6 billion for 2015-20, this huge potential has attracted a great deal of investment from major players.

China's RTD coffee market will grow from the current 6.65 billion yuan ($1.02 billion) to a forecast of 18.6 billion yuan by 2020, according to Euromonitor International.

Nestle SA led the market with 58.1 percent share in 2015, followed by Suntory Holdings LTD at 12.6 percent and Uni-President Enterprises Corp at 5.2 percent.

While Nestle's market share rose from 56.4 percent in 2014, Suntory and Uni-President have seen a decline in their share from 14.2 percent and 6 percent respectively.

Lee said Coca-Cola re-entered the category with its Georgia brand. Its marketing has improved the brand image and the product's visibility. Nestle's Nescafe, a strong category leader, hired Chinese actress Angela baby for TV advertisements, which boosted sales. Starbucks and Ting Hsin (PepsiCo's local distributor and bottler) agreed to jointly produce and distribute RTD coffee.

Suntory and Hui Yuan also set up a joint venture to market RTD coffee and RTD tea. In 2015, Hui Yuan was the largest local player in off-trade volume sales terms.

In terms of flavor, the most popular one is latte, accounting for over 54 percent of off-trade volume sales in 2015.

Freshly brewed coffee at specialist shops is tempting consumers to seek the same pleasure at home. So, they are investing in expensive coffee pods. Some buy one during their overseas trips while overseas versions of local e-commerce websites sell imported machines. A typical home espresso machine could cost upwards of 1,500 yuan. Retail sales of such appliances surged in 2015.

Nestle dominates the segment of pods with its Nespresso and Dolce Gusto series. The Lavazza range earned some market share in 2015. Pod sales are expected to account for over half of fresh ground coffee sales by 2020, suggesting that some consumers may choose to "leapfrog or skip" the standard format and directly trade up to pods.

In the wider consumer market, this is not uncommon. For example, Chinese consumers migrated to mobile phones despite very limited availability of land lines. So, Nestle is planning to launch new products to meet local Chinese consumers' needs, such as chocolate milk tea.

Paul Bulcke, CEO of Nestle Group, said the company is targeting long-term growth in the country. "China as a key market holds an important position in our global strategic development plan."

The company invested 50 million yuan in setting up the Nescafe Coffee Center to promote the development of China's coffee industry.

Despite Nestle's dominance, it was You Ji Jia (Shanghai) Food Trading Co Ltd that posted the strongest sales growth in 2015, underpinned by specialty coffee mixes, including instant cappuccino and cafe latte.

Instant coffee is, and will continue to be, the mainstay of the coffee market in China through 2020, according to Euromonitor International.
WASHINGTON -- China, the top buyer of US Treasury securities, cut its holding in March, the latest data from the US Treasury Department showed on Monday.

China reduced its holding of the treasuries by $7.7 billion to $1.2446 trillion in March, following an increase of $14.4 billion in February.

Japan, the second largest foreign holder of US treasuries, increased its holding by $4 billion to $1.1371 trillion in March.

In March, overall foreign holdings of US Treasury securities rose to $6.287 trillion from February' s $6.2362 trillion.
BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has demanded "fertile soil" for innovation and entrepreneurship and called for more efforts to discover and support inventors.

He made the remarks in an instruction to the opening of the 7th national congress of the China Association of Inventions, praising the great inventions throughout Chinese history.

"Currently, China is pushing ahead with mass innovation and entrepreneurship under an innovation-fueled growth strategy, which is expected to unleash the great creativity of ordinary people," said Li.

Innovation can nurture new technologies, new industries and new business types to deliver sustained and healthy economic growth, said the premier.
Offering set to issue up to 525 million shares and raise 1.8 billion yuan

China Nuclear Engineering Corp, the country's major nuclear construction giant, has got approval for an initial public offering.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission said in a statement that CNEC will issue no more than 525 million shares on the A-share market, accounting for one-fifth of the total shares after the IPO.

CNEC, which claimed to be the only company working nonstop in the nuclear construction industry for the past three decades, still has to wait for a final permit released by CSRC, which is likely to be given on the second half of this year, experts said.

The offering is set to raise 1.8 billion yuan ($286 million), CNEC said earlier, and it plans to use the raised funds for nuclear power projects, purchase of nuclear construction equipment, and nuclear engineering research projects.

The company's net profit was 913 million yuan last year, an increase of 24.4 percent compared to a year earlier.

The Beijing-based company has completed the construction of nuclear islands of 24 nuclear units in the sites such as Hongyan River of Liaoning province, Taishan of Guangdong province and Sanmen of Zhejiang province.

The company had been preparing for its listing in 2010, but that the process was delayed by Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011.

CNEC has developed its own nuclear technology high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, an indigenous nuclear technology, jointly with Tsinghua University.

In 2015, it signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to promote this homegrown fourth-generation nuclear technology in the Middle East country.

Gu Jun, president and general manager of CNEC, said the agreement was a major step toward the nuclear export, and will bring other possibilities for nuclear cooperation between China and other partners along the Belt and Road Initiative, which includes more than 60 economies along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

To cash in on the country's trillion-dollar industry, Chinese nuclear power companies are all flocking to the capital market to finance their nuclear power projects both at home and abroad.

China General Nuclear Power Group, the country's largest nuclear operator, listed its assets of applied nuclear science and technology on the A-share market through acquisition of China Dalian International Cooperation.

lvchang@chinadaily.com.cn
A technician at YZYBio, a biopharmaceutical company based in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province. China's market for biological medicine and devices is expected to grow significantly.GUAN XIN/CHINA DAILY

General Electric Healthcare Co, a leader in the high-end medical devices market, said it is bullish on the long-term growth of the biopharmaceutical market in China, and the market for biological medicine and devices is expected to grow significantly.

Last year, China reported about 4.3 million new cancer cases, and that number accounts for 20 percent of global new cancer cases. The rising cancer rates have posed a major health problem for the country, according to a report by the American Cancer Society.

GE Healthcare recently unveiled its first modular biopharmaceutical factory, which consists of 62 modules, in a biotech zone in Wuhan, Hubei province. China became the first country to receive GE's cutting-edge factory that was prefabricated in Germany, where it took 18 months to complete construction. The multinational healthcare provider also plans to put more top R&D effort into China.

"Local manufacturing in China is a more affordable way to provide modern therapies for deadly diseases like cancer, a leading cause of death in China," said Jan Makela, general manager of BioProcessing Life Sciences at GE Healthcare.

"Biological medical products are considered as a critical way to fight against major diseases such as cancer and diabetes," he added.

"Putting the factory into operation will accelerate the development of biopharmaceutical industry in China, and assist pharmaceutical manufacturers in speeding up manufacturing and launching of biological medicines."

JHL Biotech, a biological products manufacturer in Taiwan that is backed by Silicon Valley venture capitalists, bought the factory. The company will manufacture biological medicines and monoclonal antibodies for late-stage clinical trials and commercial supply.

"We hope to work with GE to build JHL into a world-class biopharmaceutical factory, accelerate capacity improvement in Asia and meet potential market demand. In addition, we will be able to manufacture the one-time largest number of cells in Asia after the facility was put into operation," said Racho Jordanov, CEO and co-founder of JHL Biotech.

The global biological medicine market is currently estimated to be worth $200 billion, taking up 20 percent of the overall medicine market, and the biological medicine sector sees a growth rate of around 10 percent to 12 percent annually.

China is still in the early stages of developing biopharmaceutical manufacturing. In China, where biological medicine currently takes only 4 percent of the domestic medicine market, the growth rate is seen as being exponential in coming years. By 2019, the biological medicine market in China is expected to reach $350 million, surging from $44 million in 2009, according to a study of the Global Biosimilars Market that was published in 2014.

Last year, China announced the national initiative "Made in China 2025", which was designed to transform the nation from a manufacturing giant of quantity into a world power of manufacturing quality.

zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn
Ground staff tow in a Boeing 737 jet after landing at King County International Airport in Seattle, Washington.BLOOMBERG

BOC Aviation Ltd, the aircraft leasing unit of Bank of China Ltd, has attracted investors including Boeing Co and the Chinese sovereign wealth fund to buy shares in its $1.1 billion initial public offering in Hong Kong.

China Investment Corp and the Silk Road Fund have agreed to each invest $100 million in the offering, while Oman Investment Fund will buy $50 million of stock, according to terms for the deal obtained by Bloomberg.

Boeing, the world's biggest planemaker, committed $30 million, and Chinese billionaire Guo Guangchang's Fosun International Ltd will purchase $35 million of shares, the terms show.

Spurred by strong economic growth in the past decade and rising incomes in the world's two most-populous countries, China and India, Asia is on course to beat the US as the biggest plane-leasing market, according to Airbus Group SE and Boeing.

That potential has lured billionaires such as Li Ka-shing and budget-carrier pioneer Tony Fernandes to the industry, where returns from multiyear contracts can exceed those of airlines.

"Aviation is a growth sector, so they are clearly raising capital to fund expansion," said Zhang Qi, an analyst with Haitong Securities Co in Shanghai.

"Going public is also a way to diversify risks. It would be too risky for a company to just depend on debt and loan instruments alone."

Domhnal Slattery, chief executive officer of Dublin-based lessor Avolon Holdings Ltd, said in an April interview that China will become the "single-most important market" for plane-leasing companies over the next five years.

Bohai Financial Investment Holding Co, the leasing arm of Hainan-based conglomerate HNA Group, completed its $7.6 billion acquisition of Avolon in January.

With this IPO, BOC Aviation will become the second dedicated Asian air lessor to go public, after smaller competitor China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings made its debut in Hong Kong in July 2014.

BOC Aviation and its controlling shareholder are offering a combined 208.2 million shares in the IPO at a fixed price of HK$42 apiece.

The company has agreed to sell shares to 11 cornerstone investors, who will take up 52 percent of the base offering, the terms show.

China Development Bank Corp will invest $60 million in the share sale, while China Life Insurance Co and Chinese private-equity firm Hony Capital Ltd will each purchase $50 million of stock, the terms show.

BOC International Holdings Ltd and Goldman Sachs Group Inc are joint sponsors of the offering. BOC Aviation management will meet investors through May 23, according to the terms. The company aims to begin trading June 1.
Passengers leave Nantong Railway Station in Jiangsu province on Sunday.[Photo by Xu Congjun/China Daily]

A new railway operating plan has increased the country's passenger and freight train capacity, according to China Railway Corp.

Passenger train capacity has been increased by 8 percent and freight train by 9 percentthe largest such adjustment for 10 years, the company said.

Under the new plan, 2,100 pairs of bullet trains are now operating out of a total of 3,400 pairs of passenger trains. One-third of the additional 300 pairs of passenger trains are operating in central and western areas, connecting small cities.

The additional bullet trainsmore than 100 pairsare running mainly in Beijing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Guizhou.

Huang Xin, deputy director of China Railway Corp's Transportation Service Department, said that compared with previous upgrades in recent years, the new plan has added more trains running at normal speeds, connecting medium-sized and small cities.

The country's longest rail line now runs for nearly 5,000 kilometers, connecting Qiqihar in Heilongjiang province with Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Travel time on more than 100 lines has been shortened by at least an hour, Huang said, adding that it has been cut to 10 hours from 14 hours on a line running between Jilin and Beijing.

The number of lines connecting China with Europe and Central Asia has risen from 45 to 62, while the number of high-speed cargo lines, with trains running at 120 km/h, has increased from 193 to 251.

Sixty-nine lines have been added to connect tourist areas.

Three pairs of trains have been added between Beijing and Zhangjiakou in Hebei provincehost cities for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The one-way trip takes less than 3 hours.

Peng Guiyang, a transportation expert at Guangzhou Railway Corp, said the new plan aims to meet the nation's surging demand for transportation.

Last year, China had 19,000 km of high-speed rail lines in operation, and the national network carried more than 2.5 billion people.
WENCHANG, Hainan - China's fourth space launch center, the Wenchang satellite launch center in southern Hainan Province, is preparing for its maiden launch mission.

Components of a Long March-7 carrier rocket arrived at a port in Wenchang on Saturday and were transported to the center by road, according to space officials on Monday.

Assembling and testing will be conducted according to the mission's schedule, officials said.

The construction of the Wenchang satellite launch center started in 2009 and was completed in November 2014. With two launch pads, the Wenchang center is believed to be capable of launching China's new generation Long March-7 carrier rocket.
BEIJING - Chinese scientists on Monday proposed an international scientific cooperation program for Earth observation to support the Belt and Road Initiative.

The "digital Silk Road" proposal was put forward at an international symposium in Beijing on Earth observation for the Belt and Road. The event was attended by over 300 Earth observation scholars and experts from more than 40 countries and regions along the Belt and Road, as well as international organizations such as UNESCO.

Guo Huadong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said space-based Earth observation technology will help enhance people's understanding of the Belt and Road in a faster, broader and more accurate way.

The "digital Silk Road" program will hopefully provide statistics and environmental information for the Belt and Road Initiative and support decision making, Guo said.

Fu Bojie, another CAS academician, expressed hopes that Earth observation technology may be used to promote research on natural resources in countries along the Belt and Road, paving the way for more bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

This "digital Silk Road" program will be scientific, open and cooperative and will welcome more countries, organizations and scholars to participate, according to Guo.
China's hypersonic glider will probably be used to infiltrate enemies' missile defenses and conduct precision strikes against inland targets, according to a defense industry magazine.

The glider is widely known by foreign observers as the Wu-14 or DF-ZF.

In the latest issue of Modern Ships, a cover story discusses the design, technological level, operational restrictions and development difficulties of the next-generation strike platform. The story is titled "China's Wu-14 will not be a carrier killer, it has another important mission".

Zhang Chuanhua, the author, from the Research Institute of Modern National Defense and Security in Beijing, wrote, "Through meticulous analysis, we concluded that the Wu-14 is not suitable for anti-carrier operations, and its real function will be much more important than hitting an aircraft carrier."

According to Western media reports, the Wu-14 is probably China's most advanced weapon that is still being developed. It will reportedly be able to fly at nearly 12,360 km/h and be able to avoid detection and missile defense interceptors.

The Washington Free Beacon, a website in the United States, reported last month that China launched a ballistic missile on April 22 from the Wuzhai missile test center in Shanxi province to test a Wu-14.

It was the revolutionary glider's seventh successful test flight, the report said, adding that the process was tracked by US satellites.

Earlier reports by Chinese media quoted military analysts as saying that the glider could be used to sink aircraft carriers. However, the Modern Ships article says that engineers will have to overcome a number of technological problems to enable the Wu-14 to hit ships.

For instance, its hypersonic speed will create a plasma field around the vehicle that will disrupt its radar detection of an aircraft carrier, and there is no solution to this problem so far, according to Zhang.

"Therefore, its best and most reasonable function will be to act as a strategic nuclear deterrent vehicle, as it is able to perform extensive maneuvers to bypass missile defense systems," Zhang said.

Shao Yongling, a senior colonel and a professor of military strategy at the PLA Rocket Force Command College, told China Daily the Wu-14 cannot have been designed to hit an aircraft carrier. It can travel so fast that there is almost no time for it to adjust its course during flight, Shao said.

"On the other hand, its ultrafast speed and superlong range make it a perfect vehicle to strike distant ground targets. ... It can replace intercontinental ballistic missiles."

Gao Zhuo, a military observer in Shanghai, said the glider's operational mechanism is different from that of an anti-carrier ballistic missile. The Wu-14 is still undergoing tests and is subject to technical changes, he added.
Results expected to be released within 20 days, expert who witnessed exam says Results of an independent autopsy of a 29-year-old man who died after being taken into police custody earlier this month is expected to be released within 15 or 20 days of the examination, according to an expert who witnessed it.

Zhang Huiqin, a forensic medical expert at People's Public Security University of China, was asked by the family of the dead man, Lei Yang, to witness the autopsy. The examination was carried out on Friday and lasted more than 10 hours, concluding at about 2 am on Saturday, Zhang said.

Lei, a new father and a postgraduate at Renmin University of China, was held by plainclothes police officers on May 7 in Beijing's Changping district for allegedly soliciting prostitution at a foot massage shop. He died within two hours after being detained.

Beijing Mingzheng Forensic Identification Center conducted the autopsy. The center, which was founded in 2007, is located at Peking University Health Science Center and describes itself on its website as a nongovernment lab recognized by more than 60 countries and territories.

"A lot of work is ahead, including toxicological and pathological tests. I've done a lot of autopsies in my life, and this is the longest and most thorough one I've ever witnessed," Zhang said. "The family entrusted the work to me and society believes in me. I won't let them down."

The entire process was witnessed by medical experts, lawyers and prosecutors. Changping police officers were excluded from the autopsy to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Lei's death has raised public concerns over the degree of force used by police officers in detaining Lei, as well as questions about how quickly the family was notified after he died and the amount of information provided.

Lei was detained at 9:14 pm, the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau said. According to the police account, Lei resisted arrest, and several officers were needed to restrain him.

Lei left home between 8:30 and 9 pm to meet relatives at Beijing Capital International Airport, his wife said.

En route to the police station with Lei in his car, officer Xing Yongrui said he noticed Lei had "stopped resisting and was very quiet". He took the man to a hospital, arriving at 10:05 pm. Lei was pronounced dead at 10:55 pm.

Xing said no excessive force was used.

Police said that DNA collected from a condom at the scene matched Lei, and that statements from other suspects, including a woman who allegedly provided sex to Lei, supported their suspicions.

Lei's wife made more than 40 phone calls to her husband after he failed to meet the relatives as planned. She said she was not told about Lei's death until about 1 am. The police said they had difficulty identifying him.
Hundreds of Taoist priests kneel down on the stone steps on their way to the pilgrimage to Li Er at the golden-domed Taoist temple at the top of Laojun Mountain, Luoyang city, Central China's Henan province, May 15, 2016. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Hundreds of Taoist priests from across China knelt down on the stone steps to pay their respects to Li Er, the founder of Taoism, at a golden-domed Taoist temple at the top of the 2200-meter-high Laojun Mountain in Luoyang city, Central China's Henan province, May 15, 2016.

The mountain is the holiest place for the Taoist priests, since Li Er secluded himself at the mountain on the eighth day of a fourth lunar month in ancient times. Therefore, Taoist priests from around China come to pay their respects to their ancestor at the mountain every year.
Editor's note: Free flow of information on the internet is the ideal state. When the internet began connecting people and became important in people's economic and social life across the world, users realized that the internet had all things of real life, both good and bad. Many countries, including Western nations, have started internet control to protect their citizens, economies and regimes. They have begun to regulate the internet in some way, with a number of them censoring defamatory speech or monitoring copyright infringement.





The United States

Jan 8, 2016, US government officials talked with executives from Silicon Valley's leading companies on the fight against Islamic State on the internet. After the talks, Twitter shut down 125,000 accounts connected to IS.Sept 2011, to ease the pressure of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement, the US government told Twitter to delete key words such as #occupywallst. The Twitter account of the Project for Civil Justice Fund was suspended.
Zhang Dejiang (R), chairman of China's National People's Congress, followed by Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, arrives for a three-day visit in Hong Kong May 17, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

HONG KONG - China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang arrived in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Tuesday to attend the Belt and Road Summit.



Zhang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will also inspect the Hong Kong SAR during the three-day trip.
Mickey waves at tourists during a train-themed parade in Shanghai Disney resort on May 13. [Photo/IC]

People aged 41 to 50 are more willing than any other age group to go to Shanghai Disneyland, which is due to open on June 16, according to survey reports released on Monday.

Such results are based on two reports on domestic tourists of Shanghai Disneyland, published respectively by the Shanghai Consumer Council (SCC) and Yang Xiong, director of Shanghai Center for New Consumption Studies and head of Institute of Sociology under Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS).

"The results are very interesting and unexpected," said Yang, because as many as 89.2% of Chinese in their 40s would choose to visit Disneyland, even higher than the younger generation.

The age group finding was not the only surprising one. "The group with an annual income of 70,000 to 100,000 yuan ($10,738-15,340) shows less interest than the low-and-middle income group, " he said.

The reports show that the lower the income earned by survey respondents, the more willing they are to tour Disneyland. 85.7% of people with income below 50,000 yuan desired to do so while the rate among people with income of above 100,000 yuan is 78.4%.

This demonstrates the trend that Disneyland has become less of a luxury product and has broader appeal among consumers, Yang said.

The SCC report also indicates that Shanghai Disneyland attracts tourists from other provinces and municipals more than the locals.

39.5% residents in Shanghai said they would want to visit Disneyland, while the rate for other parts of China is as high as 63%. 13.2% of all respondents have already purchased tickets.

June to August, the first three months the resort is open, is the most popular time for visits.

Yang is very optimistic about the "long tail effect" of Shanghai Disneyland. "It's different from the World Expo and will push forward experiences and development of all aspects in Shanghai."

The SCC report is based on random face-to-face interviews with 1880 Shanghai residents and 3500 valid online questionnaires from residents from other provinces, regions and municipalities. Yang explains his results are part of their overall household survey into the 25 million resident population of Shanghai.
Beijing's plan to construct ventilation corridors will not involve the large-scale demolition of houses, nor will it spread pollution to neighboring provinces, according to a planner involved with the project.

The municipal government announced in February that it would build five 500-meter-wide ventilation corridors in the capital, connecting parks and green spaces and promoting airflow in a bid to reduce pollution.

"The primary task of the ventilation corridors plan is to make sure existing corridors don't get blocked by new buildings, which would worsen air flow," He Yong, a senior planner with Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning and Design, told the Economic Information Daily.

"It doesn't mean that we will tear down many buildings. We just want to make sure the city's development is more reasonable and sustainable."

According to the plan, the five corridors will be spread all over the city, including a central axis that runs from the Olympic Green in the north through to the government center of Zhongnanhai at the heart of the capital.

In addition, the planner has also designed 10 second-tier 80-meter-wide corridors and is working on a plan for third-tier smaller ones, He said.

One of the functions of these corridors is to reduce the urban heat island effect, which results from structures blocking airflow as well as excess heat produced by energy consumption and activity in the city.

He said some blockages, such as the wholesale market at Shilihe in the city's southeast, are likely to be relocated in the future.

"Ideally, the corridors of different levels will be connected to each other and form a comprehensive ventilation system," He said, adding that this exchange of air will not blow smog to neighboring provinces.

Wang Kai, deputy director of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, said it takes comprehensive measures to improve ventilation in a city - in addition to limiting the development of skyscrapers, it also requires more green areas and water features.
A father and son suffered internal organ injuries and were hospitalized on Monday after drinking hot chocolate at a McDonalds restaurant in Southwest China's Chongqing, where an employee mistakenly added disinfectant instead of hot water to the drink.

Feng Lili, 46, took his four-year-old son to a drive-through McDonald's near the Yuan Yang subway station in the Yubei District Monday at noon. They ordered a kid's meal, which included a hot chocolate.

The son took a sip first and refused to drink it anymore. Feng thought maybe the drink was too hot and asked the son to wait until it cooled down. After the son finished the meal, Feng found the drink almost untouched and decided to drink it himself, according to Chongqing Evening News.

"I had a gulp of the drink and it tasted a little bit sour," Feng was quoted as saying. "I thought it might be Sprite in it. But when I took a second sip, I found something was wrong."

After about 10 seconds, Feng felt burns on his tongue and throat. He returned to the restaurant and took what was left of the drink to the counter and told employees about his sickness.

McDonald's staff admitted that a colleague mistakenly added disinfectant instead of hot water to Feng's drink while the store was doing its routine disinfection of kitchen utensils.

The store explained that the hot water bottle was full of disinfectant at the time, but the staffer thought hot water in it and poured it into Feng's drink.

The father and son then went to Daping Hospital with the McDonald's workers.

The doctor diagnosed that both were poisoned by the disinfectant, which injured their alimentary canals.

According to the Chongqing Liangjiang Food and Drug Administration, the son has recovered and the father is still in the hospital under medical observation.

"The McDonald's staff did mistakenly add 250 grams of disinfectant (deliquated Cyanuric acid sodium chloride) into Feng's hot chocolate (80 ml taken)," according to the statement by the food and drug authority.

The investigation on this incident is still underway.

"McDonald's has been dedicated to providing our customers with safe and high-quality food and we sincerely apologize for the misconduct at our store," McDonald's said in a press statement released to China Daily Tuesday afternoon.

"We will take active action to solve the problem with the customer and strengthen our management and staff training to prevent incidents like this from happening again."

Feng declined to comment on the incident.

Deng Rui contributed to the story.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang(R) meets with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and discussed bilateral cooperation on Monday.

Li said the Chinese government attaches great importance to relations with France and is ready to expand bilateral nuclear energy cooperation, increase two-way investment, jointly explore markets in third countries, and strengthen communication and coordination on regional and international affairs.

Li also briefed Ayrault on China's economic and financial situation as requested. He said China has seen stable economic and financial performance this year, with good momentum in structural adjustment and transformation, as well as controllable debt levels.

He said China's development is still facing multiple difficulties and challenges as the world economy experiences a sluggish recovery. However, China is capable, through comprehensive reform and opening up, of keeping economic performance within a reasonable range, maintaining sound economic fundamentals, preventing systemic financial risks and maintaining financial stability.

Ayrault expressed optimism about China's economic development prospects and confidence about future development of France-China relations and cooperation.

He said France is willing to strengthen high-level, people-to-people and cultural exchanges with China and promote cooperation in areas including nuclear energy and electricity.
Making "additions" to other countries' statements has become a new fashion in Japanese diplomacy, China said on Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei accused Japan of falsifying Kuwait's stance on the South China Sea issue, saying that the "additions" are aimed at confusing the public, and only expose Japan to ridicule.

"They lack one important ingredient - honesty," Hong said at a news conference in Beijing.
The arrival of Japan's new ambassador to China, Yutaka Yokoi, in Beijing on Sunday may reflect a new spirit in Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's China policy.

Having served as consul general in Shanghai and chief minister at the Japanese embassy in China previously, Yokoi already has connections with the country. Yokoi's command of the Chinese language and knowledge of China will be beneficial for his job, as a common tongue enables people to communicate directly and helps build friendliness.

At a farewell party seven Japan-China friendship groups threw in Tokyo on Friday, Yokoi told his audience that building trust remains the crux of the issue. He also spoke of his parents. His mother went to Northeast China in the 1940s to marry his father who was working at a Japanese company there. During her stay in China, his mother made friends and played mahjong, a popular Chinese pastime, with local people.
The poster of TV documentary A Bite of China. [Photo/cntv.com]

Chinese TV documentary A Bite of China will premiere on Channel Two in Romania later this month.

The documentary will hit Romanian TV screens from May 22 and will be broadcast weekly.

"I'm glad to see that such an excellent documentary will be screened by the National Television and I believe it will be well received by viewers," said channel director of Romanian Television.

Xu Feihong, Chinese ambassador to Romania, said that A Bite of China will provide a platform for Romanian audience to learn more about Chinese traditions and food culture.

The first season of A Bite of China, which consisted of seven episodes, first aired on China Central Television in 2012 and attracted high ratings during its broadcasts, drawing an estimated 100 million viewers in China.
International Museum Day falls on tomorrow. Have you planned a museum visit yet? With the theme of "Museums and Cultural Landscapes", there will be a series of activities to celebrate the day.

According to the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, 97 museums will open to the public for free on that day, and 91 theme activities will be held in Beijing. Here are some recommendations selected from those.

A painting, among the 36 most precious treasures of the museum, is on display at a press conference for the upcoming Int'l Museum Day. [Photo/cri.cn]

The Capital Museum

May 18

Admission: Free

The museum will put forward a "Museum Night" event in collaboration with Beijing Volunteer Federation. Tomorrow night the museum will keep all its exhibition halls open and invite over 1,000 volunteers from all walks of life to experience the night tour in the museum. Besides, the museum will also have interactive activities including oracle bookmark making, and writing on bamboo slips.

As May 18 also marks the 10th anniversary of its new museum building, it plans events to reward its followers on Weibo, and will send books to its readers who share their memories of the museum online.
Japanese artist Kyosuke Hayashi's passion for jian zhan pottery has set him on a journey of exploration to create a new type of chinaware. His creations are now in the collections of the Palace Museum in Beijing and the British Museum in London. Photos by Cai Hong/China Daily

Japanese craftsman re-creates a rare style of Song Dynasty porcelain that has been long lost in China. Cai Hong reports in Tokyo.

In 2007, the Japanese ceramic artist Kyosuke Hayashi brought his reproduction of rare chinaware to Beijing for an exhibition. His Chinese counterparts greatly admired the replica but were also a little bit embarrassed as no one in the country could re-create it.

The rare piece Hayashi reproduced is jian zhan, which literally means tea bowls fired in kilns. The craft originated in Southeast China's Fujian province during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

China's ceramic experts commended Hayashi's reproduction for achieving a similar scale of beauty to the jian zhan ware the Song masters achieved.

"It is amazing that the potters 800 years ago had a very good command of the technique," says Hayashi, adding that ceramic-making methods reached their pinnacle in the Song Dynasty.

Hayashi's creations, referred to as yohen tenmoku in Japanese, with yohen literally meaning "changed by the fire/flame", are now in the collections of the Palace Museum in Beijing and the British Museum in London.

Born in 1962 in Toki, central Japan's Gifu prefectureone of the country's major ceramic producersHayashi has won many awards for his pottery and ceramic works in Japan.

The jian zhan have patterns of starburst sparkles embedded in a black glaze. Within each star is a navy blue color of glistening mother-of-pearla shiny substance that forms the inside of certain mollusk shells.
World's oldest tea will go on display starting on May 18 at a museum in Hanyang, northwest China's Shaanxi province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Tea unearthed from the 2,100-year-old tomb of an emperor will be displayed at a museum in northwest China next week.

Zhang Yun, deputy director of the Hanyang Mausoleum Museum in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, said that small bits of the tea, recently recognized by the Guinness World Record as the world's oldest, will be exhibited at the museum starting May 18.

He said the tea was mixed with grains when it was first discovered in 2005 at the Hanyang Mausoleum. The site was the graveyard of Emperor Jing (188-141 BC), also father of Emperor Wu, whose reign ushered in one of the most prosperous periods in Chinese history.

However, it was not until 2015 when archaeologists from the Shaanxi Provincial Archeological Research Institute were able to ascertain the fossilized plant remains were tea. Experts with the Chinese Academy of Sciences used new microfossil plant analysis techniques to examine the samples.

"The analysis results showed that the remains were all dried tea sprouts when they were buried," said Yang Wuzhan, a research fellow with the institute.

It was the first evidence of tea consumed by a Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) emperor, he said, adding that the findings are of great importance to research on the history of Chinese tea culture.

Rowan Simons, attestation officer from the Guinness World Record, on May 6 conferred the certificate to recognize the discovery as the world's oldest tea.

He said it has long been known that China is the home of tea, and the world record gives us a deeper understanding of China.

In ancient China, tea had more and different uses than we have now. It was drunk as a beverage, cooked in meals, and even used as herbal medicine.

Ancient Chinese liked to be buried with their favorite things so they could enjoy them in the next world. Other items found at Emperor Jing's burial site include pottery figurines, an army of ceramic animals and several chariots as well as animal remains, including cows, sheep, dogs, pigs, deer, rabbits and birds.

Related:

Long history of the blackened leaves
Hotpot restaurant chain Haidilaou has announced new menu offerings that aim to achieve a balance between taste and nutrition. Photos provided to China Daily

Even the most popular restaurants feel pressure to refresh their menus. Haidilao will offer new dishes, and plans to update its offerings often, Liu Zhihua finds at a tasting.

China's largest hotpot restaurant chain recently announced it would update its main menu every three months starting from June, reflecting the fact that diners now have a much shorter attention span about new dishes, even though they are devoted to classics.

Haidilaou Hotpot - whose restaurants are hits for their service and delicious Sichuan-style hotpots - organized a grand tasting event for hundreds of loyal customers earlier this month. Guests were invited to sample and rate 20 new dishes and two new soups. It was the first time that Haidilao has held such a customer tasting party since it opened its first branch in Mianyang, in Sichuan province, in 1994.

Among the offerings at the tasting event are cow marrow, boar belly, boar leg, peanut sprout, asparagus and venison that are unusual in a hotpot restaurant.

Vegetarian options include some of my favorites on the new menu - surprises such as black corn, arrowhead tubers, and so-called "purple cabbage" (a hybrid of Chinese cabbage and red kraut), and vegetarian "baodu", or beef triple, a classic meat dish in Sichuan-style hotpot, this version made from beans.

There are also innovative desserts, including mushroom-shaped steamed buns, walnut-shaped steamed buns, and taro porridge.

All the dishes were created to achieve a balance between taste and nutrition, the company says, because customers have become increasingly aware of food safety and nutrition.
A formation of the Nanhai Fleet of China's Navy finished a three-day patrol of the Nansha islands in the South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is expected to rule on the unilateral arbitration case submitted by the Philippines on its territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea in a few weeks.

Despite Beijing's consistent stance that the South China Sea islands and reefs mentioned in the arbitration case do not fall into the Philippines' territory and it is fully within its rights not to participate in the case, Beijing should brace itself for fending off international pressure following the ruling, since it is widely believed that the ruling may be unfavorable to China.

However, the numerous restrictions the court faces also mean China should not be over-pessimistic about its ruling. For example, the court enjoys no jurisdiction over sovereignty disputes or maritime demarcation, and China declared in 2006 that it excluded compulsory arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Such factors should be taken into consideration before the court rushes to a make a ruling on the Philippine's case.

In the run-up to the ruling, the Unites States, however, has gone all out to pressure China into accepting whatever ruling the court delivers.

A series of White House and Pentagon officials, including US President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Commander of the US Pacific Command Harry Harris, have successively urged China to comply with the international order that is based on "laws and rules", although the US itself is one of the few countries which has not ratified the UN sea convention.

China should rebuff such "international pressure" and make use of available international occasions to clarify its stance and prove the "inefficacy" of the forced arbitration case.

Unofficial channels, such as academic exchanges, should also be used to make China's reasonable voice heard to the outside world.

--Beijing Times
US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter (L), together with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, speaks to press during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 25, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua]

We have no idea what the wording is like in the classified version. But the text of the Pentagon's unclassified 2016 report on China's military and security developments has already provoked "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" from Beijing.

Washington may believe that Beijing is overreacting, since the Pentagon's latest annual report to the US Congress is by and large business as usual.

But Beijing, too, sees Washington as overreacting: Not only does this year's report devote considerably more space to the South China Sea issue, but it portrays Chinese moves there as "coercive", misrepresenting Chinese actions and intentions.

This may not seem like a big deal, given the lingering tension in the South China Sea, and given the fact that mutual finger-pointing has become the new normal for the Pentagon and its Chinese counterpart; particularly since they are conscious of and serious about negotiating the potential risks of escalating tensions.

On Thursday, one day prior to the report's release, the chairmen of the two countries' Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke to each other via a video teleconference and committed to communicating more frequently to "address key issues".

Such contact, along with the formulation of a shared code of conduct for the two militaries' unexpected encounters, assure us that, risky as they look, the tense encounters between the two countries' naval and air forces are being managed professionally so as to not lead to unwanted outcomes.

That explains our belief that the biggest danger does not lie in those physical standoffs. Instead, it lurks in the quiet accumulation of negative mutual perceptions, and the subsequent potential for misjudgment.

That is why we should not underestimate the contradictory ways Beijing and Washington describe what is happening in the South China Sea.

Certainly there is no easy way to undo the confusions surrounding the South China Sea, at least before a certain degree of consensus is maneuvered on the causation at work.

But the picture would appear clearer if Beijing made its case more solid from the perspectives of both history and international law, and Washington stopped refusing the basic truth that Beijing is not making new, aggressive territorial claims, nor is it acting forcefully unprovoked.

It would help, too, if the US could appreciate Beijing's dilemma: It cannot afford inaction in the face of provocations; nor does it want any dispute to ruin what it cherishes for regional peace and development.

More importantly, the US should not categorically ignore that Beijing persistently appeals for negotiations to resolve the disputes.
A doctor thaws frozen eggs at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University in Guangdong province in July. Zou Wei / for China Daily

A female student at Beijing Institute of Technology received a text message requesting she donate an egg to help infertile women, for which she would be paid 8,000 ($1,226) to 40,000 yuan within 15 days according to height, appearance and education level. Beijing News commented on Monday:

It is illegal in China for women to donate their eggs. Any form of commercializing the donating or providing of eggs is against the law. In addition, as admitted in the request, the donation is specifically aimed at producing boys. If the fetus proves to be a girl, it will be aborted within 50 days. Gender selection is also illegal.

But such an offer might appeal to some university students willing to ignore the illegality and the risks.

Even putting aside the illegality, there are health risks to be considered. Egg retrieval needs a certain dose of injections for ovarian stimulation before the operation, which may damage the donor's ovaries.

For young women, a large dose might produce more than 20 eggs each time, which could enlarge her ovaries, and in some cases, it could cause bleeding or even necrosis, meaning she will become infertile.

China has not opened-up in this area yet. The law needs to advance with the times and fully regulate egg donations and surrogacy. But it takes time.
Staff members unload parcels from a plane of China Southern Airlines at the Wuhan International Airport in Wuhan city, Central China's Hubei province, August 8, 2013. [Photo/IC]

Two porcelain bowls, which the owner claims were worth about 260 million yuan ($39 million), were broken when he was transporting them on a flight from Shanghai to Tianjin in March. The airline says it will compensate him at its fixed rate of 100 yuan per kilogram because they were in the baggage and not declared as valuables or fragile articles. Beijing News commented on Monday:

It is understandable that the law limits the compensation for lost or damaged baggage to 100 yuan per kilogram or less, as air delivery is not without risks.

However, according to the law on civil aviation, the limited compensation does not apply to passengers whose luggage is damaged through carelessness by the carrier.

More than a decade ago, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislative body, approved the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, which stipulates that a passenger can receive up to 10,900 yuan in compensation for lost luggage.

Yet the rule is yet to be adopted, so carriers can limit the compensation they pay for lost or damaged luggage.

Still, using the 100-yuan-per-kilogram rule, which has not been revised in over 10 years, to refuse to properly compensate passengers, constitutes a violation of consumers' rights, even though the passenger failed to declare the valuables in the baggage.
Yutaka Yokoi,Japanese ambassador to China.

The arrival of Japan's new ambassador to China, Yutaka Yokoi, in Beijing on Sunday may reflect a new spirit in Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's China policy.

Having served as consul general in Shanghai and chief minister at the Japanese embassy in China previously, Yokoi already has connections with the country. Yokoi's command of the Chinese language and knowledge of China will be beneficial for his job, as a common tongue enables people to communicate directly and helps build friendliness.

At a farewell party seven Japan-China friendship groups threw in Tokyo on Friday, Yokoi told his audience that building trust remains the crux of the issue. He also spoke of his parents. His mother went to Northeast China in the 1940s to marry his father who was working at a Japanese company there. During her stay in China, his mother made friends and played mahjong, a popular Chinese pastime, with local people.

The task Yokoi faces in Beijing, however, will not be easy.

The two countries still have various unsettled issues to resolve, including their territorial dispute over the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. Japan is also further estranging China by poking its nose into the South China Sea issue.

Still, domestic politics may be the real challenge Yokoi faces.

He is the first of the "China school" of diplomats, officers trained for years in the Chinese language in China to hold the ambassadorship. The embassy has played a limited role in the Abe administration, which has preferred to tackle bilateral issues through national security chief Shotaro Yachi.
Chinese students take part in the first examination of the national college entrance exam, also known as gaokao, at a school in Guiyang city, southwest China's Guizhou province, on June 7, 2014. [Photo/IC]

With less than one month before the national college entrance examination, the news that Jiangsu province would offer some of its college enrollment quota to students from less developed regions created panic among students and parents in the East China province.

The education authorities later stated that the 38,000 university places being offered to students from the central and western regions would not mean fewer students from the province would be enrolled in colleges.

Both the education authorities and some media outlets are responsible for the angry response to the news, as the former failed to give a clear explanation about the reform, while the latter misinterpreted it.

Lacking a detailed explanation about the change, many parents and students assumed it would mean the quota for students from the central and western regions would be at the expense of children in Jiangsu.

The education authorities should have made clear when they released the news that only 9,000 of the 38,000 students will be recruited as undergraduates, and the remainder will be enrolled for junior college education and vocational training.

Jiangsu's actual college enrollment quota from the province may only be reduced by 5,000 at most, and the reduction for key universities may be only 2,000 to 3,000, with colleges in other provinces recruiting more students from Jiangsu province to compensate for this.
A sailor is taking part in the fire drill on the Chinese patrol vessel "Haixun 01" on April 8, 2016 in the South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

WASHINGTON - The Chinese Embassy in the United States on Monday refuted an editorial by The Washington Post on the South China Sea dispute, denying false accusations and clarifying historical facts and the Chinese stance.

In a letter called "Provocations in the South China Sea" to the Post, Zhu Haiquan, spokesman for the Chinese embassy, wrote that Huangyan Island "is Chinese territory and was not seized from another country."

The letter was in response to the May 9 editorial, titled "Dangerous Rocks in the South China Sea," which alleged that Huangyan Island, or Scarborough Shoal, was "seized" by China from the Philippines four years ago.

The spokesman cited as evidence the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the 1900 Treaty of Washington and the 1930 Convention Between the United States and Great Britain, which give the western limit of the Philippine territory as 118 degrees east longitude, adding that this was also reaffirmed by the Philippine Constitution in 1935.

"China's islands and reefs in the South China Sea, including Huangyan Dao, are all west of that line," Zhu pointed out.

He went on to reject the editorial's accusation that China has refused to abide by international law by not participating in the arbitration case filed by Manila to a United Nations tribunal.

"By not accepting or participating in the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, China is acting in accordance with international law," Zhu stated.

In 2006, the Chinese government exercised its right under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and made a declaration that excludes compulsory arbitration, the spokesman noted, adding that more than 30 countries have made similar declarations.

China supports and advocates for the "dual track" approach initiated by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to handle the South China Sea issue: maintaining peace and stability in the region while resolving disputes through negotiations and consultations between the states concerned, wrote Zhu.

In his letter, the spokesman also advised the United States not to become a "dangerous rock" in the region, as it actually has no territorial claim in the South China Sea.

South China Sea has in recent years become a source of tension between China and the United States, with Washington continuously sending warships and aircraft to waters and airspace adjacent to Chinese islands and reefs, and actively enhancing military ties with regional countries like the Philippines.

"We hope the United States will help foster a favorable environment for dialogue and negotiation. US alliances should not infringe on China's sovereignty and legitimate rights," Zhu commented.

Encouraging the United States to "flex its muscles" in the region is "dangerous and counterproductive," said the spokesman.

"It will be viewed by some countries as a blank check to embolden their own provocative actions, undermining diplomatic efforts and further. escalating tension," he elaborated.
President of the Philippines Benigno Aquino (R) holds talks with visiting US Defense Secretary Ash Carter at the presidential palace in Manila April 14, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

MANILA - Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III will face charges once he steps down from office, a lawmaker warned Monday.

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate said Aquino, along with Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and other members of his cabinet, would face complaints in relation to the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which was declared by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional in 2014.

DAP was implemented by the Aquino government to accelerate spending in order to pump-prime the economy in late 2011 until 2013.

Zarate said different groups have already been preparing all the documents needed to file the cases.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said that for the past six years, Aquino and the members of his cabinet have served the Filipinos truthfully and in accordance with the constitution and laws.

Under the law, a sitting president is immune from any suit. Aquino ends his six-year term on June 30.
VIENNA - China hopes all sides could work together to achieve a real ceasefire in Syria at the upcoming International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting, China's envoy said here Tuesday.

Major world countries and regional powers are gathering in Vienna on Tuesday, trying to find a way to end the country's civil war.

"We hope all sides could together make efforts to achieve a real ceasefire and make further progress in humanitarian aid (in Syria)," Xie Xiaoyan, China's envoy to the ISSG talks, told reporters before the meeting.

"This is a critical moment. We realize the role of the ceasefire and more openness to humanitarian access. No matter how difficult these issues are, we should all realize how important it is. We should also have patience. Incremental progress will be made, and final solutions will come," he said.

The international community has been calling for a sustainable ceasefire in Syria, as peace in the country is broken sometimes.

Years of civil war in Syria have led to humanitarian disasters and many Syrians have fled to other countries and regions, triggering a refugee crisis in the European Union (EU) and the rise of the Islamic State.

The ISSG, co-chaired by Moscow and Washington, was formed in November 2015 to end the Syrian war. The EU, the Arab League, China, Iran, Turkey and the United Nations are also members of the group.
People take part in a rally against Money Politics at the west lawn of Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, on April 17, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - With estimated record spending, the 2016 presidential election will be one of the most "money-burning" in the US history, which demonstrated that "money politics" is eroding the US political systems.

Bloomberg has predicted that 10 billion US dollars will be spent on the 2016 US election, which has outnumbered the 2015 gross domestic product (GDP) of 30 percent of all the countries worldwide.

According to the Federal Election Commission, the expenditure spending for or against presidential, House or Senate candidates have exceeded more than 1.6 billion dollars by May 10.

In fact, interest groups, soft money and lobbying are lawfully permitted in the US political culture.

Moreover, the ruling of the US Supreme Court in the cases regarding Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, has overturned decades of restrictions on corporations' campaign spending and invalidated aggregate contribution limits, leading to unlimited influx of capital into the US political life.

In the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case, the US Supreme Court prohibited the government from restricting independent political expenditures by a nonprofit corporation.

In the case of McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court reversed a decision that imposed a limit on contributions an individual can make over a two-year period to national party and federal candidate committees.

"Money politics" has resulted in a situation where the US politics is fully influenced by big billionaires and their proxies, while the will and appeal of the general public have no way to express.

Aquene Freechild, co-director of the Public Citizen's Democracy Is For People Campaign, told Xinhua recently that "it was about a crisis for American Democracy. People are feeling more left out in the process, that their voice doesn't count, that their vote is not being counted, that our government is being intentionally obstructed and broken."

Public Citizen is a Washington-based public interest group that co-sponsored the week-long Democracy Spring protests in 30 cities across the United States in mid-April, including the one held in front of the Capitol Hill.
(Photo : ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images) Medical workers wait for disinfection after medical aid on 'suspected case' during anti-MERS drill at Qingdao Port on June 18, 2015 in Qingdao, Shandong province of China. East China's Qingdao City launched an anti-MERS drill where medical workers should simulate that they got a container ship which carried MERS suspected cases.

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China launched on Sunday what the nation's police called the Emergency Response System (ERS), which is designed to improve the overall effectiveness of authorities in their search for missing children.



The creation of the ERS is the result of a collaboration between the Chinese police and China's Internet companies, China Daily reported.



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The ERS is similar to Amber Alert, a system that is used in the United States for broadcasting information on missing children.



Police officers who are assigned to a particular case first post information on the missing child using an internal system developed by e-commerce giant Alibaba.



The information is then posted Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter.



According to Chen Shiqu, Deputy Inspector of the Ministry's Criminal Investigation Bureau, the identities of the officers who are working on a case are verified at each level of the system to ensure the veracity of the posted information.



Chen pointed out that China's Emergency Response System aims to simplify complicated police reporting procedures, and enable officers do their jobs more efficiently.



"In the past, the broadcast range of child abduction information was limited, as it was posted only in places where the kids were lost," he said.



"But now it is extended and covers cyberspace, which is a quicker way to find missing children," he added.



Chen Jianfeng, director of the bureau's anti-abduction office, explained that the system helps dispatch information in a more timely and effective manner by specifying the message's broadcast range.



As a gauge of its effectiveness, information posted on the ERS is broadcast within an hour to areas that are 100 kilometers away from the place where a child went missing.



The message's range is then extended to more than 500 kilometers if a child goes missing for more than three hours.



The Weibo account of China's Emergency Response System has already attracted more than 90,900 followers.



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Tagschina, China Emergency Response System, Amber Alert
(Photo : Cornell University) The Earth in 5 billion years

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Astronomers should devote more attention to exploring massive red giant stars, or old stars about to die, when they hunt for signs of extraterrestrial life, including the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.



This counterintuitive approach in the search for advanced alien intelligence was postulated by a new paper just published in the Astrophysical Journal. In the paper, co-authors Lisa Kaltenegger and Ramses Ramirez drew-up a list of 23 red giant stars within 100 light years of Earth as probable targets for scientists searching for extraterrestrial life.



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"We're basically providing observers with a navigational map of the habitable zone for any star," said Ramirez, a research associate at the Carl Sagan Institute. "It's a tool for finding all potentially habitable planets."



"I hope that this will actually spark an effort by people who look for planets, to also look at these old stars now," said Kaltenegger, an associate professor of astronomy and director of the Carl Sagan Institute.



"Because if you could find signatures of life on such an evolved planet -- a de-frozen planet -- that would tell you that (life) could get started subsurface, and that would be an amazing part of the story."



Their reasons for suggesting a closer focus on red giants is these types of stars might remain capable of supporting life. It can take as long as nine billion years for a red giant to finally explode. Considering the Earth is just 4.5 billion years old, the odds of a red giant with planets capable of supporting alien life - including intelligent life - isn't that farfetched.



The authors pointed to our solar system as an example of this possibility. The solar system's habitable or Goldilocks zone includes only the Earth and Mars. When the sun turns into a red giant some five billion years now, the sun will massively expand and consume both Mercury and Venus.



Because of its close distance to the red giant sun, the Earth will become uninhabitable. The new habitable zone will now include only two planets: Jupiter and Saturn. Scientists are convinced some form of primitive organisms might already be swimming in the frozen seas of the Saturnian moon Enceladus and the Jovian moon Europa.



The study surmises the red giant sun five billion years from now will thaw the ices in the frozen moons and might trigger the same processes that led to the explosion of life on Earth.



Kaltenegger said humans five billion years from now could escape to the moons of Saturn or Jupiter when Earth becomes uninhabitable.



"People keep saying, 'When our sun becomes a big hot star, then we have to move to Mars or other places.' But really for the first time, we have actually calculated where that place is and when," said Kaltenegger.



"If you want to go planet-hopping, you'll want to know when you want to be where, and that's basically what we figured out."



Kaltenegger and Ramirez used models of stars and their evolution that already exist to determine where the habitable zone of a star will move to as the star transforms into a red giant. This made it possible to calculate a star's luminosity and its temperature, which also influences the location of the habitable zone.



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TagsEarth, red giant star, Sun, Lisa Kaltenegger, Ramses Ramirez, Astrophysical Journal
(Photo : Getty Images) Philippines' President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has said he wants to pursue friendly relations with China and will start direct talks with Beijing to solve their conflict over territorial claims in the South China Sea.

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Newly-elected Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has extended an offer of friendship to China as he expressed willingness to start direct talks with Beijing to resolve their territorial dispute in the South China Sea.



Duterte met with Beijing's ambassador to Manila on Monday, his first public appearance after a week's rest in his Davao City hometown and since winning the elections by a landslide.



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China, for its part, has congratulated the newly-elected leader and expressed eagerness to work with him and the new government to improve Beijing-Manila bilateral ties which have been strained in the past years over maritime issues in the South China Sea..



"We had a very good conversation," Ambassador Zhao Jianhua told reporters after the meeting."The Chinese side is looking forward to working with him and his team to further enhance our bilateral relationship."



Bilateral ties between the two countries have been badly damaged under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III after the Philippines filed a territorial case against China before the international Permanent Court of Administration (PCA) in the Hague.



"Well, ties have been cold. But I would rather be friendly with everybody," Duterte told reporters when asked if he would pursue closer ties with China.



The international arbitration tribunal is expected to hand down its verdict this month on the South China Sea territorial case filed by Manila against Beijing and thr ruling is widely expected to go against Beijing.



Invalid



The Aquino administration challenged China's claim to the disputed waters of the major international waterway three years ago, asking the court to strike down China's claim as invalid.



China is claiming almost the entirety of the South China Sea, even waters approaching the Philippine coasts and cutting through the exclusive economic zones of some Southeast Asian nations.



Beijing has ramped up its reclamation work on contested reefs in the sea, turning them into artificial islands.



In 2012, China took control of the Philippine-claimed Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing area with waters well within Manila's exclusive economic zone.



Duterte said he will pursue multilateral talks with the US and claimant states in the South China Sea row, but reiterated that he will hold direct talks with Beijing if the multilateral talks fail.



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TagsPresident-elect Rodrigo Duterte, friendly relations, South China Sea, Permanent Court of Administration, President Benigno Aquino III, china
A Long March-2D rocket with Chinas Yaogan-30 "remote sensing satellite" launches from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

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Doubts persist as to the true mission of China's Yaogan-30 "remote sensing satellite" that lifted-off suddenly and secretly from a launch site long known as a base for launching China's spy satellites.



Chinese official media said Yaogan-30 is a "remote sensing satellite" to be used for experiments, land surveys, crop yield estimates and disaster relief. The satellite was launched May 15 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi desert by a Long March-2D rocket.



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NASA and U.S. intelligence sources, however, assert Yaogan-30 is really an electro-optical observation satellite based on the military Jianbing-6 electro-optical satellite series. Satellites of this class are equipped with electronic intelligence (ELINT), electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar-sensing equipment to conduct military spying on a global scale.



The Jianbing-6 series to which Yaogan-30 belongs carry high resolution optical sensors that have a resolution of between one to three meters. They are placed in sun-synchronous orbits that provide favorable illumination for their spy missions.



Similar satellites were Yaogan-2 launched on May 25, 2007; Yaogan-4 launched on December 1, 2008; Yaogan-7 launched on December 9, 2009; Yaogan-11 launched on September 22, 2010 and Yaogan-24 launched on November 20, 2014. China launched the first Yaogan series satellite, Yaogan-1, in 2006.



All these satellites and Yaogan-30 were launched by Long March-2D rockets from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The military mission of Yaogan-30 probably explains why this satellite was launched without Chinese media being told about it beforehand, claims Western analysts.



The United States Strategic Command has given Yaogan-30 the codename 01-74.



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Tagschina, Yaogan-30, remote sensing satellite, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, NASA, Jianbing-6, United States Strategic Command
The House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives has issued a subpoena ordering Dr. LeRoy Carhart to answer questions regarding botched late-term abortions at his Maryland clinic. He allegedly sent at least five women to the hospital within a span of about five months due to complications after abortive attempts.

Carhart's clinic, Germantown Reproductive Health Services (GRHS), is one of the few abortion facilities in the United States that performs third-trimester abortions.

Subpoenas have also been issued to staff of his abortion clinic, and other providers who are associated with him.

Carhart will be summoned to court for personal testimony on June 13.

One of the women who died because of abortion complications was Jennifer Morbelli, who was 33 weeks pregnant at the time. Her preborn daughter, named Madison, had a seizure-causing fetal anomaly, which made Morbelli and her family to take the decision of ending the baby's life.

In April this year, two women were also sent to the hospital for complications within a gap of 5 days, while in March, Carhart's clinic sent an underage girl to an emergency medical center after a botched abortion. Abortion complications were also reported from his clinic in January and February this year.

Live Action, an anti-abortion clinic founded in 2004, said that he was suspected of violating laws, and malpractice since 1991.

A clinic employee had filed a complaint against Carhart in 1991, accusing him of altering a patient chart, refusing to follow proper infection control procedures, and falling asleep while administering an injection.

After some years, two other women staff came forward and alleged that several of his employees used illicit drugs and narcotics found in his clinic, and that his clinic remained in unhygienic conditions, with surgical instruments often having blood stains on them.

In 2011 and 2012, his clinic was investigated for dumping biohazardous waste, which included patient records, information about birth-control prescriptions, bloody refuse, partially-full bottles of IV drugs which are classified as controlled substances. The violation of patient confidentiality was reported to the Board of Health by Operation Rescue, a pro-life Christian organization.

Democratic Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Jerrold Naddler, Diana DeGette, Jackie Speier, Suzan K. DelBene, and Bonnie Watson Coleman have written a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, telling him to stop investigations and end "unjustified witch hunt against researchers and doctors." They also called for disbanding the panel.

But Marsha Blackburn, the chair of the House investigative panel confirmed that the women were sent to the hospital from Carhart's clinic during the last six months.

"Public reports indicate at least five women have been sent to the hospital since December while seeking an abortion in this clinic. The clinic is one of the few in the nation that performs abortions during the third trimester," said Blackburn.

"Reports regarding the Germantown clinic are deeply troubling, both for the sake of babies whose lives are ended so close to - and possibly even after - birth and for the sake of the women who have been rushed from that clinic to the hospital with increasing frequency," she added.

In 1991, he became target of violence by miscreants claiming to be "anti-abortionists" who set fire to Carhart's family farm, killing his dog, cat, and 17 horses.

In 1992, four horses and two dogs were removed from his property by Humane Society as they were found to be severely malnutritioned because of neglect, and were kept in a barn with insanitary conditions.
Though 55 percent of the millennials aged between 18 and 30 are likely to be "Bible skeptics," youths who do trust the Bible follow it better than older Christians, according to a new study by American Bible Society (ABS), InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and Barna Group.

Also, the percentage of teens under 17 who don't believe Bible (45 percent) is less than millennials who are skeptics.

Millennials and teens who read the Bible are frequent church-goers and say that their faith is very crucial to their lives.

About 40 percent of elders (born before WW II), 40 percent of baby boomers (born after WW II), and 51 percent of Gen-Xers (born between early 1960s and mid-1970s) identified themselves as Bible skeptics.

The study showed that practicing millennials maintain a high view of scripture, with 96 percent believing it is the Word of God, and the same number believing that it contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life.

About 71 percent of the Bible-loving millennials said that scriptures were their top source of moral truth. Among them, 39 percent said that they have discovered absolute moral truths and standards from the Bible. Only 16 percent relied on church for direction, and fewer (14 percent) depended on parents for moral guidance.

About 45 percent of non-Christian millennials think that Bible is just a book with teachings from men, but about 21 percent of them read Bible to feel closer to God.

"The good news is that, while more millennials are turning skeptical toward the Bible, we still see them reaching out to God during times of difficulty and to feel closer to God. For Christian ministries like American Bible Society, this means there is still an opportunity to encourage more millennials to engage with the Bible and experience its life-changing message," said Andrew Hood, managing director of communications at American Bible Society.

About 32 percent of all millennials said they never read the Bible regularly, and 26 percent said they read it at least once a week, which is less than the average of all adults in the US (38 percent).

But 26 percent of millennials -- compared to 18 percent of all adults -- said they increased their Bible application over the past year.

62 percent of non-Christian millennials have never read the Bible. When they see someone reading Bible in public, it evokes a sense of alienation among 21 percent of them, while 22 percent think those reading the Bible are politically conservative. 15 percent think public Bible readers are provocative. Only 7 percent felt encouragement and another 7 percent felt joy when they saw someone reading Bible.

27 percent of non-Christian millennials increased their Bible reading since last year after seeing changes in someone because of reading the Bible. In contrast, the same number have a very negative view of Bible, saying that they believe the Bible is a dangerous book of dogma, which has been used to oppress people over the centuries.

Practicing millennials have been engaged with the Bible on social media as well. About 81 percent posted scripture online last year, of whom 30 percent did that only few times a year, 25 percent a few times in a month, while 13 percent did it few times a week and another 13 percent wrote Bible verses or messages daily on digital platforms.

"Many Christians and Christian leaders are concerned about the next generation of Christians," says David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group. "And for good reason. There is certainly a well-documented trend of Millennials leaving church or turning away from their faith. However, this current study on perceptions of the Bible gives church leaders some very good news about the Good Book: Active young Christians are holding true to historical and orthodox views on the Bible. In many ways, their commitment to the Bible stands in stark contrast to typical stereotypes of younger Christians."

"For the most part, the Bible is flourishing in the screen age, particularly among the faithful," he went on. "Practicing Christian Millennials, in particular, are eager to see Bible-based content on the big screen and to engage with the Bible on the little screen by reading Scripture online and posting it to social media."
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, a college campus ministry with chapters in over 640 campuses, has announced on Monday that Tom Lin will become its next president, making him the first Asian American to serve in the position. His term will begin on August 10.

Weve got so many men and women, ethnic minorities, who serve in leadership at InterVarsity, Lin told Christianity Today. Weve worked at it, and weve continued to learn and grow. We never say weve arrived, but this is a significant moment for InterVarsity. It is significant  for any large, North American evangelical organization to have a non-white president.

Lin has been serving in several capacities in the ministry for many years since he began his career in 1994, beginning with planting chapters in universities, going overseas to start college ministries in Mongolia, and serving as the vice president and director for missions since 2011. Lin has also directed IVFs major triennial conference called Urbana for two years in 2012 and 2015.

In a statement, InterVarsity said that Lin has every qualification InterVarsity could want in a president.

His resumewhich includes degrees from Harvard and Fuller Seminary, as well as roles as a campus staff member, a missionary, a pastor, and a vice president in InterVarsityis impeccable. He knows how to strategize, lead, catalyze, and plant. His yes is yes, and his no is no.

But what perhaps makes him most qualified to serve as our next president, the statement continues, is his history of continually saying yes to Gods call on his life, even when it meant saying no to his personal dreams and plans.

As president, Lin will be leading over 40,000 college students, 38 percent of which identify as an ethnic minority.

InterVarsity features separate chapters of ethnicity-specific ministries, such as Black Campus Ministries, Asian American Ministries, Latino Fellowship, and Native Ministry. Lin planted Asian American ministry chapters in his alma mater Harvard University as well as in Boston University.
The Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Christian community will be gathering in Washington, D.C. in June to engage with elected officials regarding the needs of the AAPI community as well as to learn about resources they can receive from the government.

This year makes the ninth time that Korean Churches for Community Development (KCCD) has hosted a summit for the AAPI Christian community, addressing the needs of AAPI individuals and training them to understand the resources available to them on the government level. For the past two years, a portion of the summit included a White House briefing, during which White House staff shared some of the initiatives of the federal government, and the attendees had time to ask questions or address specific needs.

Such a summit is significant because it allows the AAPI community more opportunities to get on the radar of the mainstream community and particularly to get the attention of the government, explained Hyepin Im, the president and CEO of KCCD.

We want them to see us because they forget about us, Im said. And when they see us, they could include us when theyre making those policy decisions or funding decisions.

Our words have power, but if we do not even raise our voice, others will, she added. If we dont speak up, our community will be voiceless.

Though the White House briefing is tentative on the schedule for this years summit, Im says that there will be opportunities for dialogue with elected officials during the summit sessions.

During the summit, rather than them just talking to us about what theyve been doing, well have opportunity for more conversation and dialogue, Im explained, adding that that will allow members of the AAPI community voice their interests and needs.

Speakers who will be featured at this years summit include Tony Suarez, the executive vice president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Jannah Scott, the deputy director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Mark Brinkmoeller of the U.S. Agency for International Development; Congresswoman Grace Meng, representing the sixth district of New York; Congressman Ed Royce, representing the 39th district of California; and Congressman Mark Takano, representing the 41st district of California; among others.

KCCD has also had a Young Ambassadors program for the summit since 2014, which allowed college students to also participate. This year, the summit will also be open to high school students.

Our individual voice might seem small, but small voices coming together can make a difference and be an influence on our community, said Rev. John Jongdai Park, a co-chairman of the board of KCCD.

This year's summit will take place from June 6 to 8 at Gallaudet University. For more information, visit aapifaithalliance.org.
Many Christians believe in God fundamentally because they sense his presence. But what if you dont sense his presence? Or what if it comes and goesat times deserting you and leaving you doubting? What should we do when certainty proves elusive? Should we commit to living a devout Christian life only if we are absolutely convinced that Christianity is true?

Blaise Pascal, a 17th-century thinker, famously addressed these very questions. An influential mathematician, scientist, and inventor, Pascal was also deeply religious. In his early 30s, he had a religious experience so powerful that he kept a written description of it stitched into his coat until his death at 39. Pascal left behind a major, unfinished work of apologetics, but notes for the project were found among his belongings, compiled by editors, and published as the Pensees.

In one of his notes, Pascal makes several attempts at a pragmatic argument that one should commit to living a devout Christian life even without certainty that God exists. Pascals wager, as the argument is called, can be summed up in a single sentence: For those who choose the way of Jesus, there is much to gain and comparatively little to lose.

Whats to be gained? Infinite happiness in heaven, as the wager is often presented. But a much stronger version goes beyond mere self-interest: if Christianity is true, then living a Christian life brings joy to God and can help other people in their journeys toward God. On the other hand, Pascal argues, if Christianity is false, one really hasnt lost all that much. True, the person living a Christian life has a demanding moral code to follow, but that life has many benefits of its own. And anyway, the ...

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The controversial founder of one of Europe's largest Protestant churches is battling some in his church leadership over his reaction to multiple affairs.

Sunday Adelaja, a Nigerian pastor who leads the charismatic Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, has admitted to having affairs with parishioners. The confession came one month after he posted a video on his blog titled Sexual Sin Is Not Enough to Take You to Hell.

The female parishioners revealed the affairs to other area pastors, who then took the information public, according to the Council of Bishops of Christian Evangelical Churches of Ukraine. (English version here.) The leaders warned Ukrainian Christians about Adelaja, also noting previous allegations that he bilked investors of $100 million in a Ponzi scheme called King's Capital.

Earlier, a website called ZimEye claimed to have exposed Adelaja by having an undercover reporter pose as a prophet ...

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Virginia Ministry Celebrates 6,000 Churches Built or Under Construction in 81 Countries Contact: Lisa Cherry,



HAMPTON, Va., May 17, 2016 /



Dois Rosser, founder of POMOCO, established ICM in 1986 at the age of 65. His daughter, Janice Rosser Allen, is ICM's CEO and Executive Chair. The ministry's purpose is to equip Christian congregations in Third World areas with churches, Bible study materials, and resources for outreach and mercy ministries. To date, ICM has established relationships with 190 indigenous ministry partners who oversee projects in the field.



The 6,000th church was approved for construction in the rural, Hmong-speaking community of Bao Yen in North Vietnam (pictured). Nearly a third of the congregation's 285 members are children, who will benefit from children's ministry programs the new building will facilitate. The congregation has desired a chapel for years, but lacked resources to build one on their own. This church will give them a safe place to gather as a community and establish their presence in the community as followers of Christ, allowing them to reach others with the Gospel message. The legitimacy that comes with having a house of worship is vital in countries like North Vietnam, where Christian persecution remains a reality.



"Our vision is to use any available method to share the Gospel, nurture believers and advance the Kingdomnation by nation. Just as Jesus told His disciples, He tells us today to 'go and tell them who I am.' The tools He has given ICM are being used to do precisely that. We are going into all the world as He opens doors, using the vehicle of His Church and His Word to tell them who He is. I stand in complete amazement at the greatness of God and the power which brings all of this into being. It can only be of God," says Rosser.



In October, ICM will hold a special event to celebrate 30 years in ministry. Its goal is to reach 10,000 church projects built or under construction by 2020.



International Cooperating Ministries is a ministry of the Rosser Foundation, a public charity tax-exempt 501(c)(3), located at 1901 N. Armistead Avenue in Hampton, Va. For information, visit

Share Tweet Contact: Lisa Cherry, International Cooperating Ministries , 800-999-3892, lcherry@icm.org HAMPTON, Va., May 17, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- International Cooperating Ministries (ICM), a Virginia nonprofit with only 43 employees in the U.S., now has 6,000 church projects built or under construction in 81 countries. The ministry, which is preparing to celebrate its 30th anniversary, reached its 5,000 project milestone only 18 months ago, near the end of 2014.Dois Rosser, founder of POMOCO, established ICM in 1986 at the age of 65. His daughter, Janice Rosser Allen, is ICM's CEO and Executive Chair. The ministry's purpose is to equip Christian congregations in Third World areas with churches, Bible study materials, and resources for outreach and mercy ministries. To date, ICM has established relationships with 190 indigenous ministry partners who oversee projects in the field.The 6,000th church was approved for construction in the rural, Hmong-speaking community of Bao Yen in North Vietnam (pictured). Nearly a third of the congregation's 285 members are children, who will benefit from children's ministry programs the new building will facilitate. The congregation has desired a chapel for years, but lacked resources to build one on their own. This church will give them a safe place to gather as a community and establish their presence in the community as followers of Christ, allowing them to reach others with the Gospel message. The legitimacy that comes with having a house of worship is vital in countries like North Vietnam, where Christian persecution remains a reality."Our vision is to use any available method to share the Gospel, nurture believers and advance the Kingdomnation by nation. Just as Jesus told His disciples, He tells us today to 'go and tell them who I am.' The tools He has given ICM are being used to do precisely that. We are going into all the world as He opens doors, using the vehicle of His Church and His Word to tell them who He is. I stand in complete amazement at the greatness of God and the power which brings all of this into being. It can only be of God," says Rosser.In October, ICM will hold a special event to celebrate 30 years in ministry. Its goal is to reach 10,000 church projects built or under construction by 2020.International Cooperating Ministries is a ministry of the Rosser Foundation, a public charity tax-exempt 501(c)(3), located at 1901 N. Armistead Avenue in Hampton, Va. For information, visit www.icm.org
Presidential Candidates Challenged to Civility



CHARLESTON, S.C., May 17, 2016 /



The movement, which started at First Baptist Church of Charleston, has gained momentum across the country and even into United Kingdom. The purpose is very simple. On this one day do not say anything negative about any person, Christian organization or group and if possible say something nice.



The observance grew out of a little book, Say Something Nice; Be a Lifter, created by the founder, Mitch Carnell. The celebration was adopted by First Baptist Church. The Charleston Baptist Association. The Charleston/Atlantic Presbytery and CBF of South Carolina quickly joined as did the Catholic Diocese of Charleston. Since then Disciples of Christ, Episcopal, Lutheran and Methodists churches have joined. Here are the pledges the candidates were asked to sign.



Civility Challenge One: I pledge that on June 1, 2016 and/or June 5, 2016, I will refrain from saying anything ugly, demeaning or derogatory to or about anyone especially any of the other candidates running for the presidency of the United States.



Civility Challenge Two: I pledge that on June 1, 2016 and/or June 5, 2016, I will say something nice, uplifting or encouraging to or about at least one person running for the presidency of the United States. I understand that remarks related to physical characteristics are off limits for this exercise.



Rev. Garry Hollingsworth, Executive Director/Treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention said, "It is timely for you folks to encourage this kind of cooperation among God's people since we face so many spiritual challenges in this state and our nation."



The Most Reverend Robert E. Guglielmone, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston (all of South Carolina,) enthusiastically endorsed the annual celebration. He said, "The decline of civility is at an epidemic level in our society and unfortunately has invaded our religious life. The disrespect shown to Christians by other Christians is far from what Jesus wants for His people."



There is nothing to buy or join. Simply do it. Free materials are at

Share Tweet Contact: Mitch Carnell, 843-556-2310CHARLESTON, S.C., May 17, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- For the 10th Anniversary observance of Say Something Nice Sunday on June 5 2016, the steering committee sent a letter to each of the presidential candidates asking her or him to take a pledge of civility for either Say Something Nice Day on June 1 or Say Something Nice Sunday on June 5th. Each one was asked to respond by May 20.The movement, which started at First Baptist Church of Charleston, has gained momentum across the country and even into United Kingdom. The purpose is very simple. On this one day do not say anything negative about any person, Christian organization or group and if possible say something nice.The observance grew out of a little book, Say Something Nice; Be a Lifter, created by the founder, Mitch Carnell. The celebration was adopted by First Baptist Church. The Charleston Baptist Association. The Charleston/Atlantic Presbytery and CBF of South Carolina quickly joined as did the Catholic Diocese of Charleston. Since then Disciples of Christ, Episcopal, Lutheran and Methodists churches have joined. Here are the pledges the candidates were asked to sign.Civility Challenge One: I pledge that on June 1, 2016 and/or June 5, 2016, I will refrain from saying anything ugly, demeaning or derogatory to or about anyone especially any of the other candidates running for the presidency of the United States.Civility Challenge Two: I pledge that on June 1, 2016 and/or June 5, 2016, I will say something nice, uplifting or encouraging to or about at least one person running for the presidency of the United States. I understand that remarks related to physical characteristics are off limits for this exercise.Rev. Garry Hollingsworth, Executive Director/Treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention said, "It is timely for you folks to encourage this kind of cooperation among God's people since we face so many spiritual challenges in this state and our nation."The Most Reverend Robert E. Guglielmone, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston (all of South Carolina,) enthusiastically endorsed the annual celebration. He said, "The decline of civility is at an epidemic level in our society and unfortunately has invaded our religious life. The disrespect shown to Christians by other Christians is far from what Jesus wants for His people."There is nothing to buy or join. Simply do it. Free materials are at www.fbcharleston.org . Click on Messages/Resources at the top of the page. Scroll down on the right to Say Something Nice Sunday. There are Bible references, devotionals, art work and the purpose. Churches and individuals are encouraged to create their own materials.
home World Cuban political prisoner honored for upholding religious freedom

Cuban author and artist Armando Valladares received a medal from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty on Thursday, May 12 in New York for choosing to stand up for religious liberty.

A former political prisoner, Valladares was awarded the Canterbury Medal, the most prestigious award given by the organization.

Valladares was imprisoned when he was 23 because he would not put a sign on his desk that expressed support to Fidel Castro. He refused to say the words "I am with Fidel Castro," and throughout his incarceration he still did not utter them. He also refused to sign a document admitting he was wrong and the Revolution was right, which led to him being brutally tortured.

"When I was 23 years old, I refused to do something that seemed at the time very small. I refused to say the words: 'I am with Fidel Castro," he said at the awarding ceremony. "After years of torture and watching many of my cellmates die, I still refused to say those words."

His defiance cost him a 30-year sentence in prison. He endured eight years in solitary confinement and many years in a labor camp. He would not wear the prison uniform while he was serving time, thus becoming a "plantado." He went through hunger strikes that adversely affected his health and caused him to be paralyzed for years.

While enduring hardship in prison, Valladares painted and wrote poems using whatever material he had on hand. His wife smuggled his works outside the country and had them published to critical acclaim.

In 1982, after spending 22 years in jail, Valladares was released, primarily due to a strong international campaign for his freedom.

As he accepted the Canterbury Medal, he recalled how God allowed him to stand up for what is right.

"I'm not an extraordinary man. In fact, I'm quite ordinary, but God chose me to be something quite extraordinary," he said.

He was instrumental in the release of many political prisoners under Castro's regime when he became U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in 1986.

After his release, Valladares wrote a book entitled, "Against All Hope: A Memoir of Life in Castro's Gulag." It became a New York Times bestseller and was translated into 18 languages.
home World Iraq will have no more Christians in five years, warns Asyrrian priest

There might no longer be Christians in Iraq in five years' time because of the persecution they face in the hands of the Islamic State terror group, said an Assyrian priest.

"Everyone sees himself outside Iraq in a few years," Father Martin Hermis Dawood told The Telegraph. "They have lost their hope of staying. In five years, you will see only a few families who are unable to leave, maybe a few priests."

Dawood said that he used to tell the members of his congregation to be strong, to stay together, and to hope in the midst of sectarian violence in the country. However, he changed his advice following the arrival of IS otherwise known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh.

"I tell them one thing," he told the publication, "if you are thinking about leaving, go now, do not wait."

The number of Christians in Iraq, according to estimates, is down to less than 400,000, a huge decline from 1.3 million two decades ago. They largely have no choice but to flee, otherwise they would suffer the consequences. In 2014 in Mosul and surrounding areas, for instance, the residents were made to choose -- either pay extra tax or leave. Those who decided to leave had their homes and properties confiscated. Those who refused to either pay or leave were often imprisoned and even tortured.

"All Christian families living in Iraq, including those who have never met Isil, they are thinking about leaving Iraq," said Dawood. "When I know that something has happened to Christian families in Mosul, I will think it will happen to me as well, if not today, then tomorrow."

According to the priest, the Christians in his country suffer even for events that take place abroad. For instance, when a cartoon of the prophet Mohammed was published in the Netherlands, gangs assaulted Christians in Iraq.

"We know very well that not every Muslim here is a terrorist, but there is a culture rising, not only here in Iraq, but in the Middle East," he said. "There's a struggle happening in the whole world and we will be burned in this fire in the future."

The fight against Daesh is still ongoing, and a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defence said that the terror group continues to lose ground in Iraq and Syria. In a report by ABC, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said that the Islamist have already lost around 45 percent of the territory it used to occupy in Iraq and somewhere between 16 and 20 percent in Syria. The Iraqi government is more optimistic in its estimates, as spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said, according to Reuters, that ISIS used to occupy 40 percent of Iraqi territory in 2014 but it is now down to 14 percent.

There are some Iraqi Christians, however, who say that they might not want to return even if their homes are liberated.
home World ISIS targeting children with new mobile app; App teaches Arabic alphabet with military themes

The Islamic State (IS or also known as ISIS) has recently launched its very first mobile application targeted exclusively at children, teaching them Arabic letters and words, including jihadist terminology.

According to the The Guardian, the terrorist group's propaganda outlet "Library of Zeal" released on Tuesday, May 10 a mobile application called Huroof, which translates to alphabet or letters in Arabic, through the Islamic State Telegram channels and other file sharing websites. The militant group provided a downloadable link as well as screenshots of the app during the launch.

Huroof's design is clearly intended for children, whom ISIS refers to as "cubs" (while the group refers to their adult militant members as "lions"). The app is full of colorful illustrations of stars, flowers and balloons, as well as images of a tank, gun, cannon, bullet, and rocket where the children or the "cubs" are taught its Arabic words.

"The app has games for memorizing and how to write the Arabic letters in addition to including a nasheed (a cappella Islamic songs) designed to help teach the alphabet. The lyrics in the nasheed are littered with jihadist terminology, while other games within the app also include militaristic vocabulary with more common, basic words," reported Caleb Weiss from the Long War Journal. Weiss also noticed that the app is limited to Android devices only.

"ISIS's use of technology has helped it attract more militants around the world. With its latest mobile app, ISIS is apparently now trying to get young children invested in its mission long before they've grown to adulthood," Fortune reported.

Huroof is only one of the latest undertakings where ISIS utilized technology to their advantage. The Ghost Security Group, a group of hackers, reportedly discovered in December 2015 an Android-based application spreading propaganda news and videos about ISIS. The hacking group also claimed to have shut down more than a hundred thousand terrorist online accounts.

Meanwhile, the messaging app Telegram announced in November last year that they blocked ISIS-related channels after users flagged the company concerning the militant group's use of Telegram's public channels.
home World Jesus' baptism site to be cleared of mines

Access to the site where Jesus is believed to have been baptized had long been restricted because of the land mines left after the 1967 war, but a new project now aims to clear the area of explosives.

"It is a source of much pain that a traditional site of the Baptism of Christ is now a site scarred by the debris of war," Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said in a statement. "In making the land safe again, the HALO Trust is bringing a symbol of hope to a region that struggles with deeply-held divisions. At the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of reconciliation, so it is an inspiration to see HALO's work helping communities to overcome these divisions. Everybody wants to see this land returned to use by the local Churches as a place of peaceful prayer and worship: HALO is reaching across the divide to make this vision a reality."

HALO Trust, a British mine clearance organization, had previously cleared mines in areas along the West Bank of the River Jordan. It was approached by the Israeli National Mine Action Authority to also remove explosives planted at the site of Jesus' baptism, and Israeli and Palestinian authorities and eight Christian denominations have given the group their nod of approval.

"At a time when many religious sites are being destroyed in the Middle East, the clearance of these churches by the HALO Trust offers a powerful symbol of hope," said Mor Severios Malke Mourad, Archbishop of the Syrian Orthodox church in Jerusalem. "The Syrian Orthodox church supports HALO's deminers in their task, which will enable us to conduct mass and prayer in safety."

According to HALO Trust, since the 1967 Day War, seven churches that belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Franciscans, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Syriac Orthodox Church, as well as the Roman Catholic Church have been inaccessible because the site, known as Qaser al-Yahud, consists of a minefield that measures 136 acres. The Wall Street Journal reports that bombs were planted there because Israel wanted to prevent attacks from across the border. In 1994, a peace treaty was signed between Israel and Jordan, but while the area has been relatively peaceful, the place has not been totally safe to visit. Part of the area was demined in 2011, but estimates suggest that there are still around 3,000 antipersonnel and antitank mines, as well as improvised explosives, the number of which is yet unknown.

"The Franciscan church has long tradition of worship at Qaser al-Yahud, particularly at Epiphany," said Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custos of The Holy Land. "Whilst we continue to do so today, our access has been limited due to the deadly legacy of landmines. We look forward to the day when, thanks to HALO, we will be able to celebrate the sacrament of Christ's baptism in safety."

Also to be cleared of mines is a piece of property that is owned by the Armenian Orthodox church.
home US Man arrested for choking 8-year-old girl in Chicago restaurant bathroom

A man is being held by police for choking an eight-year-old girl unconscious in a restaurant bathroom in Chicago on Saturday, May 14.

The man, 33-year-old Reese Hartstirn, reportedly followed the girl inside the women's restroom at Jason's Deli in South Loop.

Police said the girl and her mother were both inside the restroom but were using separate cubicles. The man saw them while they were entering the bathroom and went in, intentionally targeting the girl. He choked the girl until she lost consciousness, according to reports.

When the girl's mother heard her scream, she hurried toward her and saw the man carrying her unconscious daughter. He apparently tried to lock the door of the stall to keep the girl's mother out.

The people in the restaurant helped and held the man down until police arrived. The girl, on the other hand, was rushed to Comer Children's Hospital.

Hartstirn was arrested and charged with aggravated battery of a child, aggravated kidnapping, battery causing bodily harm and aggravated assault of a police officer. He was detained at the Central District station without bond.

The restaurant management praised the quick action of the police and thanked the customers who helped contain the situation.

Meanwhile, some customers have varying reactions to the incident. One of them said she was saddened about what happened to the girl.

"I don't get why people do things like this. I really wish I could understand it, but I don't," she said.

Another customer expressed concern over the safety of children.

"This is at a restaurant," the customer said. "You want your kid to be able to go to a bathroom in a restaurant and feel safe and not be scared."

She added that with people like Hartstirn roaming around, "You got to wonder what you can do to make it better."

The incident raised concerns about the safety of children in light of the federal government's recent directive that public schools provide an environment for transgender students that is "supportive and nondiscriminatory."

In Chicago, the Commission on Human Relations has issued an ordinance prohibiting discrimination against gender identity.
home World More than half a million refugees at risk as Kenya looks to shut down refugee camps

More than half a million refugees are at risk as Kenya has announced its plans of closing down its refugee camps in Dadaab and Kakuma. A Christian humanitarian agency warns this could be a deadly move leading to thousands of deaths among the refugees.

The Kenyan government plans to repatriate the refugees to their original countries or resettle them to third-party countries sometime in November until May next year.

"People who already live on the edge of death will most certainly die if the world doesn't respond immediately to this pending crisis," warned Vernon Brewer, founding president of the U.S.-based World Help group. He recounted witnessing the sufferings the Somali refugees had to go through every day, but also acknowledged that the world's largest refugee camp must have borne considerable weight on the Kenyan government.

"We commend Kenya for all it has done till now with what has a at times a been dismal support from the international community. Perhaps Kenyan officials would not feel compelled to take such drastic action if the international community were to provide more support to humanitarian and security services?" Brewer suggested.

The government has already used the issue of closing down the refugee camps before in order to gain political advantage during elections. However, this time the Department of Refugee Affairs has already been dissolved and replaced by a task force assigned for the closure of Dadaab, which holds 350,000 refugees, making it the world's largest refugee camp.

Eleven non-governmental organizations working in Kenya have come together in a joint statement released Tuesday, May 10, urging the Kenyan government to reconsider its decision. The eleven signatories include the International Rescue Committee, World Vision, the Danish Refugee Council, Jesuit Refugee Service, Action Africa, Help International, the Lutheran World Federation, OXFAM, the Refugee Consortium of Kenya, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Heshima Kenya.

Mwenda Njoka from Ministry of the Interior told the Voice of America that the main reason behind the forthcoming closure is concerns over security. He recalled the terrorist attack made on Westgate Mall in September 2013 and shared that some of those responsible had links to Dadaab refugees. However, a senior refugee researcher for Human Rights Watch, Gerry Simpson, refutes the allegation saying there's "not a single shred of evidence" to support it.
home World Muslim council welcomes Christian churches' opposition to making Liberia a Christian nation

In recognition of the position taken by the council of churches that rejects the proposal to make Liberia a Christian nation, the country's National Muslim Council has restored its membership with the Interreligious Council of Liberia.

"We see the decision of the Liberia Council of Churches as grounded in historical and humanistic discourses, and a commitment to making Liberia a bastion for peaceful coexistence irrespective of race, creed, ethnicity or religion," Front Page Africa Online quotes. "We hold that the foresight shown by the Council of Churches reveals that there remains Christian Leaders of compelling moral obligations to peace and stability in Liberia, who must be supported in their moral leadership to promote peaceful coexistence in Liberia."

Proposition No. 24, which proposes to make Liberia a Christian nation, was made by the Constitution Review Committee and, according to Daily Observer, the Joint Legislative Committee on Good Governance, the Judiciary, and Election & Inauguration has approved it for referendum. It will reportedly be considered by the National Legislature, but the council of churches has already announced early this month that they are opposed to the idea.

"Instead, we strongly believe that furthering our collaboration and interfaith dialogue with all those united with us by faith and humanity will strengthen our harmonious relationship and create a peaceful society for mutual coexistence irrespective of race, creed, ethnicity or religion," said Episcopal Bishop Jonathan B. B. Hart, as quoted by Front Page Africa Online in earlier report.

Proposition No. 24 had reportedly sparked disagreements, which threatened the 25-year effort of the Inter Religious Council of Liberia to arrive at peace in the country. The National Muslim Council of Liberia said during its Special Executive Committee meeting on May 11 that the LCC's position shows their commitment to promote peace and harmony, and they expressed that the Muslim Council will "remain a force to foster national unity, peace, stability and development in Liberia."
home World Norway breached domestic & international laws in taking children from Christian parents, say dozens of lawyers

Norway's act of separating the Bodnariu children from their Christian parents to prevent them from allegedly being "indoctrinated" has been called out by more than a hundred lawyers from the United States and abroad as well as members of the European Parliament as a serious transgression against humanitarian and moral laws in both international and domestic scopes.

"We find the facts of this international incident unacceptable not only on legal grounds but also on humanitarian and moral grounds. We view these transgressions as grievous breaches of domestic and international law... Therefore, it is important that Norway immediately release the children back to their biological parents," read a letter signed by more than 100 lawyers and parliamentarians and sent to Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.

The five children ranging from ages three months to nine years old were seized and separated from their parents, Marius and Ruth Bodnariu, on November 16 and 17 in 2015 by the Barnevernet or Norwegian Child Protective Services and placed in different foster homes away from their home, said Marius' brother, Daniel Bodnariu.

The youngest child was already returned in early April. However, Barnevernet has already filed court documents to terminate the parents' rights for the remaining children after the couple's appeal was rejected on November 27.

"For two months Marius, an information technician, and Ruth, a pediatric nurse, were not permitted to have any contact with their children a including their youngest, Ezekiel, whom Ruth was still nursing when he was taken away," the nonprofit legal group Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) reported.

The children were taken based on the daughter's school principal who worried that they were being raised by "radical" Christians who "sincerely held Christian beliefs."

HSLDA Director of Global Outreach Michael Donnelly expressed that those who knew Marius and Ruth see them as caring and responsible parents so there are no legitimate concerns about their parenting styles and that the Barnevernet's acts are ruthless.

Houston-based Peter Costea asserted that this action was motivated by the couple's religious faith and called the acts as nothing short of criminalizing Christianity.
home US ObamaCare contraceptive battle sent back to lower courts by Supreme Court

The appeal filed by religious non-profit groups against the contraception directive by the Human Services Department was heard by the Supreme Court in March, but the highest court in the United States decided to send the case back to the lower courts.

"In light of the positions asserted by the parties in their supplemental briefs, the Court vacates the judgments below and remands to the respective United States Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fifth, Tenth, and D. C. Circuits," reads the per curiam opinion.

The petitioners are mainly groups that provide their employees with health insurance. The issue is with the requirement to cover certain contraceptives, which the religious groups find to be against their faith. There is an option to submit a form to either the federal government or the insurer that states their objection to contraceptive coverage on the basis of religion, but the complainants find that submitting this form "substantially burdens the exercise of their religion, in violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993."

"Following oral argument, the Court requested supplemental briefing from the parties addressing 'whether contraceptive coverage could be provided to petitioners' employees, through petitioners' insurance companies, without any such notice from petitioners," the opinion says. "Both petitioners and the Government now confirm that such an option is feasible."

In essence, according to The Washington Times, the court is saying that the two parties can work out a compromise wherein women can have contraceptive coverage without having to require their employers -- religious institutions where they work -- to violate their religious beliefs.

The move by the court is seen as a victory by religious liberty advocates although the opinion emphasizes that the court is by no means endorsing either side of the case. It is, on the other hand, deemed as a defeat by the allies of President Barack Obama, and it is surmised that if there were nine judges instead of eight, the decision might have been different.

In a concurring opinion, Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor said that the lower courts are given the opportunity to reconsider the sides of both parties "in light of petitioners' new articulation of their religious objection and the Government's clarification about what the existing regulations accomplish, how they might be amended, and what such an amendment would sacrifice."
home US President Barack Obama speaks about transgender-friendly bathroom policies

President Barack Obama has spoken about the guidelines regarding LGBT-friendly bathroom policies that was issued to public schools in the United States on Friday.

"We're talking about kids," the president said on Monday during an interview with BuzzFeed News. "Anybody who has been in school, in high school, who has been a parent should realize that kids who are sometimes in the minority, kids who have a different sexual orientation or are transgender are subject to a lot of bullying, potentially. They're vulnerable."

On May 13, public schools received a letter from the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights that gives schools guidance on how to address transgenders in the campus. It says that it does not add anything to what is already written the law, but it "provides information and examples to inform recipients about how the Departments evaluate whether covered entities are complying with their legal obligations."

Among the items in the letter are definitions of terms, namely gender identity, sex assignment at birth, transgender, and gender transition. It specifies that school staff and contractors must address transgenders using names and pronouns based on the student's gender identity. Moreover, students must be allowed to use restrooms and other similar facilities consistent with the gender they identify with rather than the one that is written on their birth certificates.

"A school may provide separate facilities on the basis of sex, but must allow transgender students access to such facilities consistent with their gender identity," the letter reads. "A school may not require transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity or to use individual-user facilities when other students are not required to do so. A school may, however, make individual-user options available to all students who voluntarily seek additional privacy."

This is in high contrast to the stance of some government officials, particularly those in North Carolina. The state has had its fair share of critics because of its bathroom law that prohibit people from using restrooms, locker rooms, and similar facilities that do not correspond with their sex at birth. The Department of Justice has given North Carolina a deadline to comply with LGBT-friendly bathroom policies, saying that the state's law is a violation of federal civil rights laws.

NC Gov. Pat McCrory sued Attorney General Loretta Lynch and U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta for "radical reinterpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which would prevent plaintiffs from protecting the bodily privacy rights of state employees while accommodating the needs of transgendered state employees." The DOJ had responded by likewise taking legal action against the state.

While refusing to comment on the lawsuits, Obama said, "I think it's part of our obligation as a society to make sure everybody is treated fairly and our kids are all loved and protected."
home World Samoa considering amending constitution to include Christian values and traditions

The prime minister of Samoa has called for a review of the republic's constitution, a proposal that the council of churches has welcomed. However, the secretary general of the council suggested that they should go beyond incorporating Christian priciples and ban Islam from entering the country altogether.

"We are not going too far, no," said Samoa Council of Churches Secretary General Reverend Ma'auga Motu, as quoted by Radio NZ. "We are still wanting our own people to be prevented from this kind of influence, even though there are so many people who are good people but still there are some dangerous people among them who might come and threaten our peace."

According to another Radio NZ report, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said that the proposed changes came after his office was advised of the danger of Islamic extremists, who could disrupt the country's stability.

There is a small Muslim community in the country, and while the current constitution protects their and other citizens' right to practice any religion, there is no statute that prevents the government from establishing an official state religion.

Christianity is mentioned only in the country's preamble, but Samoa's ruling party is considering amending the constitution so that Christian tradition, values, and principles will be legally recognized in its supreme law. The prime minister reportedly said that Christianity is ingrained in the country's culture and traditions and that Samoa is a nation that is Christianity-based.

Samoa's people, in a 2011 estimate reported in the CIA World Factbook, is composed of 57.4 percent Protestant, 19.4 percent Roman Catholic, 15.2 percent Mormon, and 1.7 percent Worship Centre. Other Christians comprise 5.5 percent of the population, other religions make up 0.7 percent, while no religion and unspecified are 0.1 percent each.

While they the Samoan government is considering amending the country's contitution, they have also expressed that they will accept majority of recommendations given to them by the United Nations following a human rights review. Among the 91 or 129 recommendations they will reportedly accept are: addressing sexual violence and establishing a register for sex offenders; protecting the land rights of indigenous people; and reducing gender-based violence.

Matters of sexual orientation and identity were difficult, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chief Executive Peseta Noumea Simi, since elements such as culture and social fabric need to be taken into account. Nonetheless, Samoa is determined to move forward.
home US Woman caught trying to flush her newborn baby down toilet; Charged with child endangerment

A woman who tried to flush her baby down the toilet after giving birth in a hospital bathroom is facing criminal charges for endangering the child's life.

On the evening of May 8, the woman, 22-year-old Ashley Hautzenrader, reportedly went inside a bathroom at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and gave birth.

She then attempted to flush the baby down the toilet. However, when doing that failed, she placed the baby in a pillowcase and threw it in the trash.

Police said Hautzenrader claimed she was not aware of her pregnancy until after she delivered the baby. She also claimed she did not know that the baby was alive when she tried to flush it down the toilet.

"The defendant thought the baby was dead, due to it not crying and attempted to flush the baby down the toilet," Officer Eli Hotchkin said.

Apparently, Hautzenrader did all these things on her own.

Hospital staff found the baby in the trash, who was alive when it was discovered. Police searched for and found Hautzenrader, who later confessed to the crime. She told police she believed the baby had died so she put it in the trash can.

Authorities did not disclose if the child's mother was a patient at the hospital. The baby's age at the time of its delivery is also not yet known.

Jail administrator Bill Deatsch said Hautzenrader was arrested on May 8, and was released the following day. She was reportedly in a good condition at the time of her arrest and required no medical attention.

She faces a charge for child endangerment. If found guilty, she could be imprisoned for up to two years.

She is under pretrial supervision in which she needs to check in regularly with the Iowa Department of Corrections and abide by certain rules.
50 more Christians, including women and children, slaughtered by Islamist terrorists in the Congo

More Christians are being targeted and slaughtered by an Islamist terror group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a predominantly Christian nation in Africa.

This May alone, about 50 Christians have been mercilessly killed by Islamist jihadists, CBN News reports.

In one incident, the militants stormed the eastern region of the Congo on the night of May 4, slaughtering some 34 people, including eight women and four children, according to Agence France-Press (AFP).

"Between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., the enemy managed to get past army positions and kill peaceful residents in their homes, slashing their throats," local administrator Bernard Amisi Kalonda told AFP.

Two days later the militants attacked again, killing 13 people, including two members of the Church on the Rock mission.

The terrorists belong to the Muslim Defence International, which has been operating in the Congo for more than 20 years. In 2014, the group began an intensified campaign to kill more Christians. Since then, the terrorists have killed more than 500 people in the eastern part of the country, United Nations sources say.

The unrelenting violence in this region of the Congo, which is more than 95 percent Christian, has forced many people to flee their homes.

The ever increasing level of danger has forced the Church on the Rock to shut down its missions and schools.

"We are heartbroken, questioning our faith, half-terrified, but determined and carrying on," Church on the Rock's founder Mike Anticoli told World Watch Monitor.

"We may be targeted due to the fact that we train local leaders and aspiring missionaries from several churches and denominations," he said.

On Saturday, a confidential report to the United Nations Security Council revealed that a Congolese army general recruited, financed and armed elements of a Ugandan Islamist group to kill civilians while he was in charge of a military operation targeting the rebels, Reuters reports.

A panel of U.N. experts, who monitor sanctions on Democratic Republic of Congo, said "it has become clear that FARDC (Congolese army) officers were involved in recruiting and supplying armed groups involved in the killings (of civilians)."

More than 500 people have died in a wave of attacks in eastern Congo since October 2014, rights groups say. The Congolese government has blamed most of those on the Allied Democratic Forces.
Abortion row: What happened and why is the Royal College of Midwives in trouble?

A huge row has erupted over a campaign to decriminalise abortion.

MPs, midwives, various Christian groups and members of the public have waded in to slam the Royal College of Midwives' decision to support a call for the limit on abortion to be scrapped.

I thought abortion was already decriminalised in the UK?

Technically abortion is illegal in the UK with exceptions. An abortion may be carried out within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy if two doctors agree the mother's mental or physical health would be less damaged by terminating the pregnancy than continuing. Abortions are rarely, if ever, declined within the first 24 weeks if the mother wants one.

Under a few circumstances a pregnancy can be terminated beyond 24 weeks but that is the exception rather than the rule. This can only happen if there is a grave risk to the life or the permanent health of the mother, or if the child would be born with disabilities. In any of those cases an abortion may be carried out until birth.

So what is the change being proposed?

The current suggestion is to decriminalise abortion completely. Launched in February the 'We Trust Women' campaign wants the "abortion time limit to be removed from criminal law".

This would mean anyone could have an abortion for any reason right up until birth.

However on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Dr Suzanne Tyler said there was no evidence to suggest that "decriminalising abortion will increase the number of late terminations".

Why is this controversial?

The 24 week limit was set in 1967 because that was considered the point it was viable for a baby to survive outside the womb. As such it was decided that any point beyond that, a foetus was a person and should not be killed. Due to medical advances since the 60s, several babies have been born before 24 weeks and survived. This has led to calls for the 24 week limit to be cut as viability has changed.

However this proposal would remove the question of viability altogether and scrap any sort of limit.

Critics fear this would allow abortions of perfectly healthy foetuses right up to birth for the convenience of the mother or because they were found to have the "wrong" sex. Labour MP Robert Flello said he was "utterly and completely appalled by this abhorrent proposal" and Democratic Unionist Party MP Jim Shannon called the campaign "absolutely disgraceful".

Christian groups have also waded in to attack the campaign. Nola Leach, chief executive of CARE, said life was precious "from conception" and added that "abortion is not in the best interests of the mother or the unborn child".

Who is running the campaign?

The campaign was first launched by Britain's biggest abortion provider, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS). Their "We Trust Women" campaign calls for limits on abortion to be "relegated to history".

One of the most controversial aspects to the row is the decision of the midwives' union, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), to back the campaign without consulting its members. The union represents almost 30,000 midwives and many have expressed their outrage at the decision.

Fury mounted further after it emerged that Professor Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the union, is also chairman of the abortion provider BPAS. She had been a trustee of the charity for five years but became chairman in 2014 and so carries ultimate responsibility for its strategy.

According to the Mail, which uncovered the link, BPAS has become increasingly political with Warwick as chair and aims to "expand our advocacy for the decriminalisation and destigmatisation of abortion throughout the UK", internal papers revealed.

More than 20,000 have signed a petition on CitizenGo demanding Warwick withdraws RCM's support and consult members before any other formal positions are taken. A statement on the website branded the campaign "extremist" and added: "Only China (that beacon of human rights and dignity), North Korea (another beacon of human rights and dignity), Vietnam and Canada have such permissive abortions laws."

Who has objected?

A number of politicians and charities have expressed their outrage at both the campaign and RCM's decision to endorse it.

Conservative MP and member of the health select committee Andrew Percy said Warwick had a "clear conflict of interest" and added: "It's pretty disgusting."

Crossbench Catholic peer Lord Alton said RCM's support was "shocking". Midwives "who have a high calling  bringing babies into the world" were "being frogmarched into carrying out terminations", he said.

Dr Peter Saunders, chief executive of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said it was "bitterly ironic that the RCM, the supposed champion of safe childbirth and antenatal care, should be backing a campaign seeking to legalise the killing of unborn children up until birth." Saunders called for Warwick to resign and said her duel role was "an extraordinary abuse of power".

Nola Leach from CARE added it was an "absolute disgrace" for RCM to back the campaign. "The RCM is supposed to represent all midwives and many of them are understandably appalled at the stance being taken. What sort of message does the RCM's stance on abortion send to pro-life midwives?

"Midwives are trained to help save lives and to safely deliver unborn babies into the world but now, the RCM is advocating and campaigning for abortion on demand, right up until birth. It is utterly inconsistent."

As well as charities and politicians, a number of individual midwives have also waded in.

Sally Carson, a midwife from Chester said in the Mail: 'Midwives are for delivering live babies wherever possible and trying to preserve the lives of those born prematurely. These babies are not tumours that they can just remove.'

Another midwife Michelle Viney added it was "shocking" RCM did not consult its members.

What do the Royal College of Midwives say?

A statement on the union's website called newspaper reports "distorted and sensationalist". The charity's spokesman said: "This is not about being for or against abortion. It is about being for women and respecting their choices about their bodies."

The statement continued: "Our recent statement on abortion set out our belief that abortion should be removed from the scope of the criminal law. We do not believe that it is right that it is still the case that women who choose to have an abortion can be criminalised and face prison.

"This is a position adopted with the full knowledge and support of the RCM board, which is an elected body made up entirely of registered UK midwives."
Alabama becomes 5th state to outlaw dismemberment abortion, leaves other foetus killing methods legal

Alabama has passed a law that bans dismemberment abortion, otherwise known as dilation and extraction (D&E) abortion, while leaving other forms of killing unborn children legal.

Alabama becomes the fifth state to ban dismemberment abortions following similar measures taken in Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Mississippi. Similar legislation is pending in Idaho, Louisiana, Missouri, and Nebraska, according to LifeSite News.

However, the new Alabama law does not ban other abortion methods, as it "does not include an abortion which uses suction to dismember the body of the developing unborn child by sucking fetal parts into a collection container." Suction aspiration abortions are common in the first trimester, the Christian News Network reports.

Gov. Robert Bentley signed into law SB 363, which was passed by the state House of Representatives in a 74-26 vote last week and by the state Senate last month, Under the new law, it is illegal "for any individual to purposely perform or attempt to perform a dismemberment abortion and thereby kill an unborn child unless necessary to prevent serious health risk to the unborn child's mother."

Also exempted from the law are abortions performed because of rape or incest.

Those found guilty under the law will be fined $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than two years, or both.

It defines dismemberment abortion as a method where the purpose is to cause death to the unborn child through extraction of one body piece at a time from the uterus through the use of clams, grasping forceps, tongs and scissors.

Planned Parenthood criticised the bill as a way of banning second trimester abortions completely in the state.

"The goal is to make abortion inaccessible in any circumstance across the country, all under the guise of concern for women's health," said Nikema Williams, vice-president of public policy for Planned Parenthood Southeast.

The Alabama legislature also passed SB 205, which bans the establishment of abortion clinics within 2,000 feet of a K-8 public school.

"The Alabama Department of Public Health may not issue or renew a health center license to an abortion clinic or reproductive health center that performs abortions and is located within 2,000 feet of a K-8 public school," the bill reads.

As a result, two abortion clinics in Huntsville and Tuscaloosa, located within 2,000 feet of a school, may be forced to close down. The two clinics performed 72 percent of abortions in Alabama in 2014, Reuters reports.
Archbishop of York on EU Referendum: I haven't heard a cogent argument for Brexit

The Archbishop of York will support staying in the European Union in the most significant intervention on the referendum debate by a Church of England figure.

His stance, revealed by the Times, is at odds with the Archbishop of Canterbury who has not taken a position, and the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey who has announced his support of Brexit.

Sentamu is near the end of a six-month sabbatical where he has completed a 2,000 mile walking pilgrimage around his diocese. The pilgrimage will end this Sunday and the outspoken archbishop has said one of his first tasks will be to intervene on the ethical issues raised by the referendum. "I won't sit on the fence," he told the Times.

He added that he was unlikely to waver from his position in 1975 when he voted to remain in the single market. "I haven't yet heard a cogent argument for why we should be out," he said.

The Church of England has remained neutral on the issue and Justin Welby has not taken a side: "I don't think there is one correct Christian view, one way or the other," he said.

However other factions in the church have made public announcements. The Church in Wales and the Church of Scotland have both openly backed Remain with the moderator of the general assembly in Scotland saying continued EU membership represented "real progress and hope".

The Catholic Church in England and Wales has also publicly remained neutral but a number of prominent figures have said they supported remaining, including the most senior leader, Cardinal Vincent Nichols. He said Brexit would cause "complex problems" and said the Catholic stance towards the EU was "largely supportive".

Until Sentamu indicated which way he leant, the most significant Anglican figure to take a stance had been Lord Carey of Clifton, the former Archbishop of Canterbury. He wrote in the Mail: "For the British in particular, it is the loss of sovereignty and the inability of Britain or indeed any member state to reform and restore the democratic freedom of the nation state which have made the impositions of the EU such a running sore for many people.

"It is likely that a significant number of British people will always resent the loss of sovereignty and will be dragged eternally against their will into any further pooling of power in Brussels."

He added: "We now have no choice but to take back control of our border."

Athough no public stance has been taken by the Church of England, a number of current bishops have expressed their personal opinion. The bishops of St Albans, Burnley, West Yorkshire and the Dales and Worcester and the Bishop in Europe have warned against leaving the EU.

There is also a Christians for Britain and a Christians for Europe group, who argue for Brexit and Remain respectively.
Bodnariu children removed 'illegally' from Christian family, 100 lawyers tell Norway PM

More than 100 lawyers and politicians have written to the Norwegian Prime Minister to ask for the immediate release of children seized from the Christian Bodnariu family.

The letter is signed by attorneys from the US and around the world as well as several members of the European Parliament (MEPs). They say the decision to remove the five children was based on the family's Christian faith and was illegal.

"We find the facts of this international incident unacceptable not only on legal grounds but also on humanitarian and moral grounds. We view these transgressions as grievous breaches of domestic and international law," the letter read.

"Therefore, it is important that Norway immediately release the children back to their biological parents."

Last November Norway's state child protection service, known as the Barnevernet, removed the children. The parents, Ruth and Marius, have admitted spanking their children as punishment, which is illegal in Norway.

However it seems the decision to remove the children was also partly based on their Christian faith, according to the letter.

The signatories said they were "deeply disturbed" that the children's seizure was "motivated by the family's Christian faith".

It reads: "Barnevernet's own documents attest to the fact that the family's faith and religious values were at the core of the officials' discussions when debating the children's seizure."

The letter adds: "Barnevernet disapproved of the parenting style of the parents because, it concluded, it was 'based on the Bible."

The youngest of the children has now been returned but the others remain in custody with the parents allowed only sporadic, supervised contact.

The trial has sparked international protests with tens of thousands demanding the children be returned. Last month over fifty marches took place around the world with activists accusing the Barnevernet of removing the children without justification.
British trust called in to clear mines from site of Jesus' baptism

A British charity is appealing for nearly 3 million to help remove more than 1000 mines that surround churches at Qasr Al-Yahud near Jericho on the West Bank, one of the most sacred sites in the Christian world.

James Cowan, chief executive of the Halo Trust, told the BBC: "Our purpose is to help the Christian communities, the seven denominations here, help the Israelis, help the Palestinians to clear this site for all mankind. I believe it has an immediate value here, but has a purpose much more broadly across the world."

The site is on the River Jordan and is where Jesus is thought to have been baptised by John the Baptist, as described in Matthew 3.

More than 300,000 pilgrims visit the site each year, and many baptisms take place.

But nearby there are churches built more than 1000 years ago, and representing several ancient Christian denominations, that are currently unusable due to the 136-acre area surrounding them having been mined with explosives during the 1967 six-day war.

The site was closed after the war, but the area used for baptisms reopened in 2011. However, parts of the site are still unusable. Restorations overseen by the Israeli Civil Administration and the Israeli Ministry of Tourism began after the millennium.

It will take up to 20 months to clear all the mines. The aim is for it to achieve national park status, and to be safely accessible to all who wish to visit.

The Halo Trust has been granted approval by both the Israeli and Palestinian authorities and all eight Christian denominations to begin mine clearance at the site. The Israeli National Mine Action Authority approached the trust after successful mine clearance projects elsewhere in the West Bank.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: "It is a source of much pain that a traditional site of the Baptism of Christ is now a site scarred by the debris of war. In making the land safe again, the Halo Trust is bringing a symbol of hope to a region that struggles with deeply-held divisions. At the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of reconciliation, so it is an inspiration to see Halo's work helping communities to overcome these divisions. Everybody wants to see this land returned to use by the local Churches as a place of peaceful prayer and worship. Halo is reaching across the divide to make this vision a reality."
Christians slam controversial bikini company that claims to have out-lived Jesus

Christians have criticised a bikini company that celebrated "outliving Jesus" with a woman posing next to a crucifix.

Despite the opposition, the owner of the family business said he did not regret his choice for the ad campaign.

Posters celebrating Ta-Bou's 38th anniversary went up across Switzerland, and featured a smiling model posing with a crucifix. A caption read: "Unlike Jesus or Alexander, we will continue..."

Jesus Christ died at 33, according to Biblical accounts.

Swiss Evangelical Alliance spokesman Thomas Hanimann said: 'Quite aside from the fact that this advert is meant to offend religious feeling, it is a load of nonsense.

'It is a shame that the company and the marketing experts responsible for it did not want to go more deeply into the question of belief which it seems for them was a taboo.'

A spokesperson for the Swiss Reformed Church, Nicolas Mori said: "In terms of content the advert is completely wrong.

"The label 'Jesus' did not cease to exist after 33 years. In fact, in contrast, for the last 2,000 years, humanity has been busy with the business of the Son of God.

"And not only until now, but for a considerable time into the future this will continue to be the case. This bikini label will almost certainly vanish faster than the cross in the church."

Gianni De Nicola, the boss of the business, said: "I don't have any problem sleeping at night. We want to fight for ethics in textile production and that is what counts."

The model in the poster is his daughter, Valeria De Nicola, who also designed some of the bikinis.

Ta-Bou has caused controversy in other advertising campaigns.

In 1994, the company ran an advert with the slogan: "16 years old and Tabou? No..."

In 2003 an advert displaying a woman with her legs open was banned as sexist and denigrating for women.

"Jesus actually died for everybody including this attractive young lady," said Simon Spengler, who is in charge of communication and culture at the Catholic Church in Zurich.

"1.2billion people worldwide believe in his name. Ta-bou therefore have a bit of catching up to do. I don't really believe that they are going to achieve that."
EU referendum: Poll shows massive lead for Remain camp

The "remain" camp held a 15-point lead over its "leave" rivals in Britain's EU referendum campaign, according to the latest poll from ORB for the Telegraph newspaper, published on Monday.

The poll found that among all respondents, support for remaining in the union stood at 55 per cent, while that for the so-called Brexit option was at 40 per cent.

Britons will vote on June 23 on whether their country should remain in or leave the 28-member bloc.

The "remain" camp held an eight-point lead over its "leave" rivals in a separate ICM poll for the Guardian newspaper, also published on Monday.

The poll was reported as some US banks said a Brexit could result in them giving up parts of their business in the EU altogether.

The option is an extreme scenario under consideration by some Wall Street firms if the terms of an exit, currently a matter of speculation, leave financial services companies in Britain unable under their current set-ups to do business inside the EU, according to discussions Reuters had with several US banks and their lawyers.

The scenarios being studied by taskforces at US banks underscore the extent to which the London operations of non-European banks are linked to business on the continent.

In particular focus are the banks' market operations, as trading of most European securities is regulated at the EU level but conducted by many investment banks mainly out of London.

The five largest US banks employ 40,000 people in London, more than in the rest of Europe combined, taking advantage of the EU "passporting" regime that allows them to offer services across the bloc out of their British hubs.

Having to reorganise business in order to set up new continental European outposts  which US banks say is a worst-case scenario that they are being forced to consider  would be so costly that it would make some rethink their commitment to the bloc altogether.

"The costs may lead some banking groups to reassess how important Europe is in the context of their global business and what sort of presence they wish to maintain post-Brexit," said Edward Chan, a partner at the law firm Linklaters, which has been advising banks on contingency arrangements.
Lifeway director Ed Stetzer to head Billy Graham Center for Evangelism

Ed Stetzer, currently executive director of the Southern Baptist Convention's LifeWay Research, has been appointed to lead the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism (BGCE) at Wheaton College.

He has been appointed to the Billy Graham Distinguished Endowed Chair for Church, Mission and Evangelism and will also serve as publisher of Evangelical Missions Quarterly. According to the college, Stetzer will also spearhead new iniatives including the creation of a National Evangelism Leaders Fellowship.

Stetzer is a prolific author and well-known conference and seminar leader who has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches and trained pastors and church planters. During the 2015-2016 academic year, he was an Adjunct Professor of Evangelism for Wheaton College Graduate School and Senior Fellow of the BGCE.

He is also been serving as Teaching Pastor of Grace Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee, a church he founded in 2011.

Wheaton College President Philip Ryken said: "Ed Stetzer is a dynamic communicator and brilliant researcher who brings a genuine knowledge of the gospel and a deep understanding of contemporary culture to his new place of service. His work at Wheaton College will help raise up a new generation of passionate, generous-hearted evangelists who make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ. It will also help Wheaton build stronger networks with churches across America and around the world."

His appointment was also welcomed by Will Graham, grandson of Billy Graham and BGCE board member. Graham referred to Stetzer's "rich background and selfless service", saying: "The spiritual climate of the United States is much different than when my grandfather began his evangelistic ministry in 1947. We are now a post-Christian country, one in which an increasing number of people consider themselves atheist or "unaffiliated." More than ever, it is imperative that we be strategic, focused and intentional in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to a world that has lost its way and is yearning for hope in the midst of despair and chaos."

Stetzer said: "It is a distinct privilege to be part of the Wheaton team. This newly created Billy Graham Chair, combined with the convening power of the Billy Graham Center, will provide us a unique opportunity to serve the Church, helping Christians know and engage their culture in the name of Christ. I look forward to being part of this family and serving the Church together."
Megachurch pastor stabbed and robbed during home invasion in North Carolina

A pastor at a North Carolina megachurch has been robbed and stabbed in his home by an intruder.

When Matt Bentley of Forest Hill Church in Charlotte opened the door of his home Wednesday afternoon, an intruder who was already inside attacked him, according to friends, CBN News reports.

The assailant "just kind of bum-rushed him, kind of swinging, asking for keys, wallet, phones,'' the victim's roommate Hudson Hower told news station WSOC-TV Thursday afternoon.

The suspect stabbed Bentley four times on the arms, side and face before driving off with the pastor's vehicle. None of the wounds were life-threatening and the pastor was out of the hospital by Thursday morning, Hower said.

Church communications director Stacey Martin said the pastor is "in good spirits'' and feeling lucky to have survived the vicious attack.

As news of the attack spread in the community, Martin said a groundswell of support poured in. "So he's being loved on, cared for well, being covered in prayer.''

Police later identified the man who broke into Bentley's home as 25-year-old Corey Edgerton, who has a rap sheet for break-ins in Wake County and was wanted by probation officers as an absconder.

Edgerton, who was set to make his first court appearance in the case on Thursday, was charged by police with robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and assault with serious bodily injury.

Bentley is a ministry leader and a musician who prepares the congregation for worship at the Forest Hill Church's Ballantyne campus, one of the church's six locations throughout North Carolina. The church is affiliated with 39 outreach programmes and services that serve homeless men and women, low-income families, students, those struggling with addiction, as well as victims of domestic violence, according to The Christian Post.

TV news reports say this was the second time the same church was "struck by a difficult situation." Former lead pastor Gentry Eddings, who was replaced by Bentley, reportedly lost his two sons in a car crash.
Pakistan: Christian woman abducted and forced to marry Muslim kidnapper

A 24-year-old Christian woman has been abducted and forced to marry her kidnapper in Pakistan, according to the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA).

Maryam Mushtaq was walking back from college in Lahore at around 13.30 with her younger brother when she was grabbed by two masked Muslim men and abducted on Thursday.

Mushtaq was forced into the back of a white Corrola in front of her brother Romail,11, while they shouted abuse and threats at him.

Her mother, Mussarat, 53, reported the kidnapping to local police.

Two days later, the police told Mussarat that her daughter had not been kidnapped, but rather had married the Muslim man who supposedly abducted her.

Muhammad Ali, 32, had shown the police a certificate of his marriage to Maryam, on which her religion is listed as Islam.

"Maryam like the rest of us attends church every week there is no way she would give up her whole life and salvation to marry a Muslim man. Jesus has always been the centre of her life," Mussarat told BPCA.

'Three years ago my husband died of cancer, two years ago Maryam's sister died. Now kidnappers have taken away my daughter, I am devastated," she said.

'Maryam had a good relationship with her brother Romail and remaining sister Khusboo, 23, they would know if she had been interested in this man. None of them have ever even seen him before."

She had recently returned to study at an adult learning college to become a teacher to help support her family.

There is going to be a hearing today but because of the legal process in Pakistan, even if it goes to trial, it is unlikely that the girl will be released, Wilson Chowdhry, chairman of the BPCA, told Christian Today.

"Yet again an innocent Christian girl has been kidnapped and forced into Islamic marriage. We do not know the depravity or the brutality she has had to face but her entrapment will have a sordid edge to it no doubt," Chowdhry said.

"Police have responded relatively quickly, but had to in circumstances of a traumatic daylight abduction that was witnessed by many. The abductors are known and yet the girl still has not been returned to the family and it is feared that corrupt police could collude with the kidnappers if bribed significantly.

"A justice system that does not permit the release of an abductee to her family is indicative of a flawed and failing rule of law. May God grant this poor woman freedom and a chance to fulfil her ambition of becoming a teacher, where she might be able to teach love and hope where so much cruelty exists."
Paralysed US Supreme Court dodges decision on Obamacare birth control

The US Supreme Court on Monday failed to resolve a major case involving the Obamacare law's mandatory birth control coverage, telling lower courts to reconsider the matter after tossing out their rulings favouring President Barack Obama.

The court, which is deadlocked following the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, did not rule on the merits of the legal challenge by Christian employers who objected to the 2010 healthcare law's requirement that they provide female workers with medical insurance paying for contraceptives.

It threw out seven rulings by federal appeals courts around the country that had backed the Obama administration.

The justices handed at least a short-term victory to the religious employers, primarily Roman Catholic organisations.

The decision suggested a possible compromise for the lower courts that would allow women to get contraception coverage without violating the religious rights of employers, by having the government arrange coverage directly with health insurers rather than requiring employers to sign off on it.

Among the employers challenging the contraception mandate were the Roman Catholic archdioceses of Washington and Pittsburgh, the Little Sisters of the Poor order of nuns, and Christian colleges.

Another organisation, Priests for Life, attacked the Supreme Court's move. Its national director Fr Frank Pavone said: "One of the key issues at stake in the 2016 elections is religious freedom, and the persistent effort of the Obama administration to force priests and other believers to violate their faith by providing abortion-inducing drugs and contraceptives in their health care insurance."

He added that the action by the Court "does not make the issue go away, nor will it make voters forget the stark political differences between those who respect religious freedom and those who do not."

Gretchen Borchelt of the National Women's Law Center said: "We are disappointed that the court did not resolve once and for all whether the religious beliefs of religiously affiliated nonprofit employers can block women's seamless access to birth control."

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Pope Francis: Christianity and Islam must integrate in Europe

The idea of conquest "inherent in the soul of Islam" is also present in Christianity, according to Pope Francis, who warned against colonialism when talking about the Christian root of Europe.

Speaking to the French Catholic newspaper La Croix in a wide-ranging interview about the migration crisis and the role of Christians within it, Pope Francis did not shy away from challenging the church to engage with Islam, celebrating Sadiq Khan's election as London Mayor.

Concerning migration, Francis said it is "fair and responsible" to ask whether Europe has the capacity to accept so many migrants, but that "the deeper question is why there are so many migrants now."

He seemed to reject links between Islamic extremism within Europe and Islam itself, rather focusing on the way Europe has "ghettoised" migrants.

"The worst form of welcome is to 'ghettoize' them. On the contrary, it's necessary to integrate them. In Brussels, the terrorists were Belgians, children of migrants, but they grew up in a ghetto. In London, the new mayor took his oath of office in a cathedral and will undoubtedly meet the Queen. This illustrates the need for Europe to rediscover its capacity to integrate," he said.

Pope Francis made a distinction between ISIS and Islam, claiming that fear has been misplaced onto Islam, when it is better attributed to "ISIS and its war of conquest, which is partly drawn from Islam."

This idea of conquest, he said, was not absent from Christianity:

"It is also possible to interpret the objective in Matthew's Gospel, where Jesus sends his disciples to all nations, in terms of the same idea of conquest."

In this context, Francis suggested the west "question ourselves about the way in an overly Western model of democracy has been exported to countries such as Iraq, where a strong government previously existed. Or in Libya, where a tribal structure exists."

Christianity's contribution to culture should not be through "colonial enterprise", he said, but one "of Christ in the washing of the feet".

Rather than claiming that Europe is "Christian", the Pope urged that we "speak of roots in the plural because there are so many.

"When I hear talk of the Christian roots of Europe, I sometimes dread the tone, which can seem triumphalist or even vengeful," he said.

"Yes, Europe has Christian roots and it is Christianity's responsibility to water those roots. But this must be done in a spirit of service as in the washing of the feet. Christianity's duty to Europe is one of service."

Speaking about the issue of church and state relations, Pope Francis openly supported a strict separation, while suggesting that strong laws are crucial to ensure religious freedom is maintained.

"We are all equal as sons (and daughters) of God and with our personal dignity. However, everyone must have the freedom to externalize his or her own faith," Francis said.

"If a Muslim woman wishes to wear a veil, she must be able to do so. Similarly, if a Catholic wishes to wear a cross. People must be free to profess their faith at the heart of their own culture not merely at its margins."
Pope Francis: States should be secular, but protect religious freedom

States must be secular, according to Pope Francis, and "Confessional states end badly."

Speaking to French journal La Croix and responding to a question about "laicite", the French system of the separation of Church and state, Francis said: "I believe that a version of laicite accompanied by a solid law guaranteeing religious freedom offers a framework for going forward. "

He added: "If a Muslim woman wishes to wear a veil, she must be able to do so. Similarly, if a Catholic wishes to wear a cross. People must be free to profess their faith at the heart of their own culture, not merely at its margins."

France imposed a ban on Muslim women wearing a burqa to veil their faces in public in 2010. The ban was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights in 2014.

A move by Marks and Spencer to introduce "burkini" swimsuits was criticised by France's women's rights minister, Laurence Rossignol, who said: "What's at stake is social control over women's bodies. When brands invest in this Islamic garment market, they are shirking their responsibilities and are promoting women's bodies being locked up."

Pope Francis said in his La Croix interview: "The modest critique that I would address to France in this regard is that it exaggerates laicite. This arises from a way of considering religions as sub-cultures rather than as fully-fledged cultures in their own right.

"I fear that this approach, which is understandable as part of the heritage of the Enlightenment, continues to exist. France needs to take a step forward on this issue in order to accept that openness to transcendence is a right for everyone."

Asked what he thought of France, the Pope said: "It is the eldest daughter of the Church, but not the most faithful!" He said he was fascinated by: "On one hand, that exaggerated laicite, the heritage of the French Revolution, and on the other hand, so many great saints."
Pope Francis: West should not try to export its democracy to Iraq, Libya

Pope Francis has criticised Western powers for trying to export their own brand of democracy to countries such as Iraq and Libya without respecting indigenous political cultures, according to an interview published on Monday.

Speaking to France's Roman Catholic newspaper, La Croix, Francis also said Europe should better integrate migrants and praised the election of the new Muslim mayor of London as an example of where this had been successful.

"Faced with current Islamist terrorism, we should question the way a model of democracy that was too Western was exported to countries where there was a strong power, as in Iraq, or Libya, where there was a tribal structure," he said.

"We cannot advance without taking these cultures into account," the Pope said.

"As a Libyan said recently, 'We used to have one Gaddafi, now we have 50", Francis said in reference to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who was deposed and killed in 2011.

Francis has frequently attacked what he calls "cultural colonialism", in which Western countries seek to impose their values on developing ones in return for financial aid.

The Pope said that "ghettoising" migrants was not only wrong but was also misguided in the fight against terrorism.

He cited the militant attacks in Brussels in March when three suicide bombers killed 32 people, in which "the terrorists were Belgians, children of migrants, but they came from a ghetto".

By contrast, the Pope praised this month's election of Sadiq Khan as the first Muslim mayor of London.

"In London, the new mayor was sworn in in a cathedral and will probably be received by the Queen. This shows the importance for Europe to regain its ability to integrate," Francis said.

Ten days ago, the Pope lambasted Europe over what he sees as its inadequate response to the influx of migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle-East and Africa.
Texas, Arkansas officials defy Obama admin order for public schools to allow transgender boys in girls' restrooms

Top state officials in Texas and Arkansas have announced that they will not implement the new policy of the Obama administration allowing transgender individuals to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity in all U.S. public schools.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said they will not follow the order even if Washington withholds federal education funding to public schools in the state for defying the directive.

"He says he's going to withhold funding if schools do not follow the policy. In Texas, he can keep his 30 pieces of silver. We will not yield to blackmail from the president of the United States," he said, according to CBS News.

Patrick said he will order school superintendents that they should "not enact this policy," which is opposed by 70 to 80 percent of the schools.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said the joint letter from the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education on the transgender issue "is offensive, intrusive and totally lacking in common sense."

He accused the federal government of meddling in control of public schools in the state.

"As Governor, I recommend that local school districts disregard the latest attempt at social engineering by the federal government and continue to use common sense to ensure a safe and healthy environment in Arkansas schools," he said, adding that the letter is not legally binding so there is no fear that federal money could be withheld from schools.

In the letter released last Friday, the Education and Justice Departments said based on Title IX's implementing regulations, transgender students must be allowed to access facilities such as restrooms, locker rooms, shower facilities and housing consistent with their gender identity.

On restrooms and locker rooms, the letter said, "A school may provide separate facilities on the basis of sex, but must allow transgender students access to such facilities consistent with their gender identity."

It specifically prohibits schools from requiring transgenders to use facilities that do not correspond to their gender identity or to use individual user-facilities when other students are not required to do so.

"A school may, however, make individual-user options available to all students who voluntarily seek additional privacy," it said.

Texas' Port Neches-Groves Superintendent Dr. Rodney Cavness is defiant, telling 12News that "I got news for President Barack Obama. He ain't my President and he can't tell me what to do."

He said the guidance letter "is going straight to the paper shredder."

"I have 5 daughters myself and I have 2,500 girls in my protection. Their moms and dads expect me to protect them. And that is what I am going to do. Now I don't want them bullied... but there are accommodations that can be made short of this. He (President Obama) is destroying the very fiber of this country. He is not a leader. He is a failure," he said.
Why Britain's EU referendum is a moment of crisis for Europe

When I was 13, my geography teacher gave our class a questionnaire asking: "Do you consider yourself: (A) English; (B) Scottish; (C) British; (D) European; or (E) Other?" I answered 'D' without any hesitation.

No-one else in my class gave this answer. When my teacher asked why, I explained that in our history class we had learned how nationalist ideologies had divided Europe into dangerous factions during the 1930s. Nationalism had led to the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich, culminating in the horrors of the Second World War and the Holocaust. Nationalism sowed seeds of fear and Europe reaped a harvest of hate.

Even at that young age I was frightened that history might repeat itself. I took comfort in the realisation that the European nations had learned the painful lessons of the 20th century and had discovered a new vision of integration and cooperation, embodied in the institutions of the European Union. Peace, freedom and democracy were assured.

I don't have this same assurance now.

In Russia a dangerous dictator with expansionist aspirations has emerged. Vladimir Putin has facilitated the emergence of a powerful and effective Trojan Horse of Eurosceptic, nationalist parties in the heart of the European Parliament.

Recently in Germany far-right parties, which support Putin and his efforts to erode European solidarity, have made major gains in the regional elections. Putin is building a parallel vision of Europe, scattered into isolated nationalistic factions that are too weak and divided among themselves to be able to resist his intentions to re-establish Russian dominance over Eastern Europe.

Popular sentiment in Britain, driven by a powerful tabloid press, seems to be riding on the crest of a populist wave of anti-EU sentiment. If Britain were to leave the EU there would be much rejoicing in the Kremlin and in the offices of extremist parties throughout Europe. But Brexit could easily trigger a series of unforeseen consequences that could result in the collapse of the entire European Union. Such a collapse could happen just as rapidly and unexpectedly as the implosion of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Let's cast our minds back to the situation in Europe in May 1945. After the genocide carnage inflicted on Europe by Germany, the political reconciliation that was achieved was nothing short of miraculous. It was made possible by men and women acting out of Christian conviction, who were inspired by a vision of a united Europe as a beacon of hope and unity in a continent that had been torn apart by centuries of war.

The European Union, from its foundation to the present day, is the most powerful antidote against the degenerative and inhuman forces of nationalism and xenophobia that the world has ever seen. Governments of EU countries that have attempted to stoke populist nationalistic sentiment in order to restrict democratic rights and civil liberties have been kept in check by the European Union. The EU has become a bulwark of democracy and freedom and a space of civility, decency and courtesy throughout the world.

The EU's Christian foundations

Although outwardly secular, the institutions of the EU are embedded in Christian values of solidarity, tolerance, respect, compassion and freedom. Many people, including Christians, do not realise that the original founders of the EU were Christians who were inspired by a vision of reconciled nations.

One of these key founders was a Christian  the Foreign Secretary of France, Robert Schuman. In 1950, Schuman issued a declaration in which he stated: "We are called to bethink ourselves of the Christian basics of Europe by forming a democratic model of governance which through reconciliation develops into a community of peoples in freedom, equality, solidarity and peace and which is deeply rooted in Christian basic values." This Schuman Declaration, which set out a vision of all the European nations living in peace and mutual solidarity, laid the foundations of what was to become the European Union.

The movement for reconciliation and solidarity led to something that had never happened before in history: the 27 nations of Europe lived together in peace.

This kind of positive vision that underlies the European Union is often clouded by the tabloid caricatures of a monstrous bureaucratic system that 'interferes' in the lives of British people. The result of such distortions is that the quiet work of the EU in facilitating social and cultural renewal as well as religious understanding goes unnoticed. Through my work and studies in Germany and the Netherlands and my involvement in the Erasmus Programme and the Ecumenical Youth Council of Europe, I have had an opportunity to see close up the work that the European Union does behind the scenes. I have seen for myself how the EU offers a framework of inter-state solidarity in which Europeans are not united by the cult of a flag or a nostalgic fetish for a utopian past. Europeans are bound together not by nationalism but by a shared commitment to the rule of law, which guarantees freedom and universal human rights.

Another regrettable feature of the current debate is the total domination of economic factors when in fact the most critical arguments revolve around values and traditions. European civilisation  although far from perfect  also denotes a cultural identity that has deep roots in the Christian tradition.

Have we forgotten the immense contribution that the European Union has made after the Second World War towards securing peace, reconciliation and even prosperity among the diverse nations of the continent? If Britain leaves the EU, it could trigger a domino effect. In next year's elections, the National Front's Marine Le Pen (another admirer of Putin, who refers to Le Pen as Europe's "greatest politician") could become President of France. Le Pen, whose party has been funded by Russian banks linked to Vladimir Putin, is running on a far-right agenda that campaigns for France's exit from the EU.

A Brexit would add great momentum to Le Pen's campaign and may lead to other countries withdrawing from the EU. Anti-EU sentiment is growing in Hungary, where the President, Viktor Orban, may be emboldened to make good his intention to leave the EU and seek an alliance with the Kremlin. The Czech Republic, which has a similarly pro-Putin president, would probably follow suit. This would trigger a constitutional crisis that would lead to the break-up of Europe into nationalistic enclaves, each doing what is right in its own eyes. Europe will again be teetering on the brink of a precipice of war and nationalistic hatred.

The EU is currently under a concerted attack by an unholy alliance of communists, hardline demagogues and neo-Nazi parties. Right-wing political parties and associations such as PEGIDA in Germany, UKIP in England, the National Front in France, and Geert Wilder's neo-fascist, Islamophobic Party for Freedom in the Netherlands are on the rise. In Slovakia the ultra-nationalist fascist Marian Kotleba refers to foreigners and refugees as "parasites". Kotleba, who despises the EU, has recently won a significant regional election in Slovakia. He was head of a banned neo-Nazi party which allegedly celebrates Adolf Hitler's birthday and looks back nostalgically on the Nazi puppet state that ruled Slovakia during World War II.

I'm now afraid that these extremists are winning and that those of us who believe in solidarity, peace and reconciliation among the nations are going to lose. We are about to enter a new age in which nationalism triumphs over solidarity.

We might think that we are now living in a civilised world and that we can take peace for granted, but this would be a huge mistake. The EU does not get the credit it deserves for preserving peace among nations that for centuries before had been cutting each others' throats.

I do not believe that the EU is free from the seduction of anti-Christian forces. But in the light of its role in facilitating peace and reconciliation in Europe, I would tentatively argue the EU was established in the providence of the "God of peace" in order to promote peace, security and the general welfare of the world. The EU offers a model of international solidarity and a bulwark against xenophobia, nationalism, fascism and racism.

Coalition of dark forces

This is a view which is informed by sustained prayer and reflection on the broader trends in Britain and Europe today. So I must state plainly that I believe the current efforts to destroy the European Union are ultimately inspired by the kinds of "principalities and powers" to which the author of Ephesians alluded. A coalition of dark forces, incarnated in xenophobic, nationalistic and neo-Communist and neo-Nazi parties, has recognised an opportunity to destroy the EU institutions of civility, democracy and solidarity, which have preserved peace and freedom in Europe for more than 70 years.

Scripture teaches that Satan, the enemy of God and humanity, prowls around like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8) looking for opportunities to mar and deface God's good creation by sowing the seeds of mistrust, fear and hatred among peoples and nations. These seeds came to a devastating bloom during previous eras of European history, in particular during the Thirty Years' War (1618-48), the Napoleonic Wars (1803-15) and the two European wars of the 20th century (1914-18 and 1939-45). The powers and principalities were unleased in all their destructive fury in the 1930s, when most European nations were governed by political extremists on the right and left.

These forces demolished the trans-national structures, such as the League of Nations, that were in place to ensure the future of a free and democratic world. In the 1930s in Europe, small-mindedness, stupidity, ignorance and apathy triumphed over tolerance, wisdom, enlightenment and solidarity.

I believe that Satan now has seen an opportunity in this uncertainty over the future of the EU once again to sow his seeds of nationalism and xenophobia on the continent of Europe. I am not in any way suggesting that the leaders of the Brexit campaign are demon-possessed or that they are campaigning for a cause they know to be evil  nor, for that matter, would I ever claim that those who defend the EU are angels of light. Likewise, I am not claiming that the EU is inherently good. I regard the EU itself as neither benign or malign, but as having a role ordained in God's economy to promote good and deter evil.

Nor do I question the integrity of most of the Brexit campaigners. I respect their motives. However, I feel compelled to warn of the catastrophic long-term consequences that could result from a British withdrawal from the European Union.

The problem is that the Leave campaign has a clear strategy of accusing anyone who warns of the dangers of leaving the EU as engaging in "scaremongering". In the 1930s there were people in Britain who accused the likes of Winston Churchill of scaremongering when he issued dire warnings about the rise of Hitler and its implications for world peace.

After all, the appeasers said: "Hitler isn't so bad. He just wants to restore German national pride and, like us, he hates communism. And who cares about Czechoslovakia anyway?"

So I do feel a Christian obligation to warn of the dire consequences that would ensue from a Brexit. Sir Edward Grey said almost exactly 100 years ago: "The lamps are going out all over Europe and we shall not see them lit again in our life-time." I'm afraid there is now a risk that we are about to enter another period of prolonged political and spiritual darkness in Europe.

There is a real danger that politicians are not spiritually equipped to grasp the cultural or geo-political consequences of withdrawing from the EU. Many Christians, too, do not have a proper understanding of the tectonic spiritual shifts that are taking place in the world.

I hope readers will at least consider carefully the case I've tried to make about why, from a Christian perspective, it is essential that solidarity and hope prevail over nationalism and fear.

Dr Joshua Searle is tutor in Theology and Public Thought at Spurgeon's College.
Why Syria's refugees need trauma counselling as much as food and shelter

Thirty-year-old Saraa is crying. She lives in one room in Irbid in Jordan with her six children. That includes twins aged nine months.

She fled her home in Deraa in Syria, in a bid to save her children's lives. She's done that, but at huge emotional cost.

"The war destroyed me emotionally," she says. "When I first came here I was so broken and so aggressive. I had no-one to turn to and no-one to talk to.

"I used to scream at my children and I used to hit them sometimes. I'd hit my 12-year-old and then I'd go and cry in the corner, telling myself, 'Why did I hit her?'"

Saraa is among tens of thousands of people who have taken part in trauma counseling in Jordan, run by Bible Society volunteers.

The scheme was first devised by the American Bible Society in 2001. It now runs in 76 countries (including Jordan and now Lebanon) and it is in 183 languages. It's used by more than 100 different organisations.

In group sessions people look at big questions such as "Why is there suffering?", "Where is God in suffering?", rape as a weapon of war and how to care for traumatised children.

They also have the chance to talk about their own experiences  perhaps for the first time  and to look at what the Bible has to say about all of these things.

Naomi Dunn, Bible Society's international advocacy support officer says: "Trauma healing works because it helps people find hope in their darkest moments. It's not about burying the pain or forgetting what has happened, but about building a new identity that acknowledges the past without having to be defined by it, and then looking ahead to a better future.

"The Bible is vital to this as it helps people find meaning and purpose, knowing that they are loved and not alone."

In Irbid, Saraa is one of 10,000 people who have taken part in the trauma healing programme over the last three years.

We sit on the floor in her one-room home. I ask her what difference it has made.

"I'm a lot more calm and have more patience," she says. "It affected me greatly, just knowing how to deal with my anger.

"At first we used to ask God, 'Why are you leaving us? Why are you putting us through this?' But I've learned that God will get us through this in the end. He cares for us."

Everyone who wants to comes along to the group sessions, whether they are Christian or Muslim. Jordan's population is 97 per cent Muslim and three per cent Christian. So working with people from both backgrounds is completely normal to the Bible Society of Jordan.

In fact, it's very obvious that the counseling is not about evangelism or even faith, it's about pouring out your heart, being listened to and finding hope.

The Bible Society of Jordan's programme co-ordinator for trauma healing, Haya Khoury, says: "Trauma healing is much needed. The refugees have been through so much. They have been raped, threatened, their houses have been destroyed.

"I imagine myself living a good life and then living in a camp in another country, not having any food. How traumatised can you get?

"The need for trauma healing is as big as the need for food and shelter."

The worst thing for Saraa is that she doesn't have her parents with her. They are in their fifties but Saraa refers to them as being "old".

"My children are young: my parents are old. As soon as the bombing started I left my parents behind and came here alone with my children."

With six children to bring up, she's desperate for her mother's help. "My most important wish is for me to see my Mum once more," she says. "But I am thankful that we came to Jordan and found good people to support and welcome us."
10 things to know about Georgia OKeeffe

A closer look at the life, loves and landscapes of one of the most significant artists of the 20th century  the mother of American modernism

1

She was the daughter of a dairy farmer One of the most sophisticated artists of the 20th century, Georgia O'Keeffe grew up in small-town Wisconsin and was named after her maternal grandfather, George Victor Totto, a Hungarian count. By the age of 10, she had decided to become an artist, but her traditional art education discouraged her and at 21, she abandoned the idea, assuming she would never distinguish herself in the strict realist tradition of her teachers.

Open a larger version of this image Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986), Abstraction, 1917. Watercolour on paper. 15 34 x 10 78 in (40 x 27.6 cm). Sold for $1,134,000 in American Art on 17 May 2022 at Christie's in New York

2

OKeeffe was one of the first American pure abstract artists

She took up painting again in 1912 after four years as a commercial artist. Now aged 25, she attended a summer school at the University of Virginia. Her tutor introduced her to the ideas of Arthur Wesley Dow. Dow was influenced by studies of Japanese art, emphasising composition and design like the Post-Impressionists. OKeeffe moved to Canyon, Texas to teach at a local college from August 1916 through February 1918. While in Canyon, OKeeffe painted some of her most celebrated early watercolours, including her iconic Evening Star series and Abstraction (1917), which evoke the starry Texan sky.

3

She got her first show by post In the early 1910s, OKeeffe became exposed to the works of European modernists like Picasso and Braque at 291, the New York gallery owned by Alfred Stieglitz, the famous photographer. In late 1915, she posted a series of charcoal drawings to her friend, Anita Pollitzer, who took them to Stieglitz. He considered them the purest, finest, sincerest things that had entered 291 in a long while. When OKeeffe arrived at the gallery in April 1916, she discovered her work was already on view but allowed the drawings to remain. Her first solo show took place at the gallery in April 1917.

4

It was love at first sight between OKeeffe and Stieglitz They corresponded frequently, and on 10 June 1918, she moved to New York City. They began living together almost straight away, despite Stieglitz being 23 years her senior and already married. Through him, she met many significant American modernists, including Charles Demuth, Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, John Marin, Edward Steichen, and Rebecca Salsbury James, who was married to photographer Paul Strand and would later accompany OKeeffe on her momentous first trip to New Mexico in 1929.

5

From 1918 onwards Stieglitz created a series of photographs of OKeeffe... ...most of them nude studies. As well as being works of personal devotion, his images were a conscious attempt to market OKeeffe, linking her sexuality and her art. She became seen as a liberated, modern woman  and a media personality.

6

In August 1918 she first visited Lake George in the Hudson River Valley From 1918 to 1934, the couple would spent part of each summer and autumn at Stieglitzs family 36-acre estate along Lake George in upstate New York. Although O'Keeffe is often associated with the barren landscape of her beloved Southwest, she was extremely productive during her time at Lake George, producing about 200 paintings over this period. In addition to the famous flowers, leaves and landscapes, she also produced strikingly modern and emotionally invested architectural paintings of the farm buildings on the Stieglitz property. The area around Lake George was an important landscape for OKeeffe, its vast panorama and openness allowing her the space to experiment with colour and form, and between abstraction and representation. She often referred to Lake George as perfect.

7

O'Keeffe shunned Freudian interpretations of her abstract paintings For OKeeffe, the flower was a tool through which she could explore varying languages of abstraction and representation, responding to nature as opposed to her inner self. In the summer of 1924, OKeeffe began painting beds of blue and purple petunias at the Stieglitzs country house, the flowers filling the canvas entirely. It led to her first large-scale flower painting, Petunia, No. 2 (1925). She also painted the New York skyline in works such as New YorkNight (1926) and Radiator BldgNight, New York (1927), often from their marital home  the 13th floor of the Shelton Hotel at 49th and Lexington, where the couple lived for 12 years. In part due to her Stieglitz-created public image, Freudian interpretations had begun to attach themselves to OKeeffes work by the mid-1920s. OKeeffe rejected such interpretations throughout her career.



8

She fell in love with a mountain In 1929, OKeeffe began visiting New Mexico. She visited Ghost Ranch, north of Abiquiu, for the first time in August 1934. Taken by the landscape, she eventually purchased two properties, in Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu, to split her time across the New Mexico seasons, where she was permanently living by 1949. Wandering about the desert, OKeeffe would turn surrounding objects into paintings. The view of the wide open desert backed by the Cerro Pedernal mountain, as in Red Hills with Pedernal, White Clouds (1936), became her favourite subject. It's my private mountain, she explained. It belongs to me. God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it. Over the years, she received many distinguished visitors at Ghost Ranch, including Charles and Anne Lindbergh, Joni Mitchell, Allen Ginsberg and Ansel Adams.





Open a larger version of this image Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986), Abiquiu Trees VII, 1950-53. Oil on canvas. 10 18 x 12 18 in (25.7 x 30.8 cm). Sold for $1,134,000 in American Art on 17 May 2022 at Christie's in New York

9

She was the first woman to receive a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, New York OKeeffes reputation continued to grow, and she painted arrangements of rocks and bones superimposed on a desert background, as in Summer Days (1936), now in the Whitney Museum, New York, and other found objects, such as horns and feathers. In 1940, she was given a retrospective at the Art Institute of Chicago, and in 1946, she became the first female artist to be afforded a retrospective at MoMA. In 1970, OKeeffe was feted in a further retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, which travelled to the Art Institute of Chicago and the San Francisco Museum of Art.
Melissa Phillip/Staff

Three Houston-area companies were among 123 businesses that received the president's "E" Award or "E Star" Award for exporting excellence Monday during a ceremony in Washington.

Axistrade and CECA Supply and Services won the "E Star" Award and EN-FAB won the "E" Award. The "E" Award recognizes businesses with a sustained increase in export sales over a four-year period, and the "E Star" Award is for companies that previously earned the "E" Award.
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When Amir Ansari took on the arduous task of converting a 111-year-old structure into a bar and restaurant, he may not have anticipated just how complicated the years-long process would be.

The once dilapidated, 2,850-square-foot house at 3015 Bagby required extensive improvements to meet the city's standards for a dining establishment. Now Ansari, a Houston bar owner who bought this property in 2009, is just weeks away from launching his bar with restaurant, Sterling House.

After purchasing the place and contacting Houston's Historic Preservation Office, he learned that the home once belonged to the Sterling family (former Texas Governor Ross Sterling, along with his brother, Frank, were among the founders of Humble Oil, a precursor to ExxonMobil). Ansari, whose late mother, Fay, had urged him to restore the home and honor its history, said he hopes to have it designated a landmark in coming months.

RELATED: Former Texas governor Ross Sterling's mansion listed for sale

The owner himself worked on some of the exterior renovations and construction, even dealing with a termite infestation that forced him to replace all of the building's siding and exterior features. The interior was handled by Ansari's good friend and local interior designer Kim Atlas Harrington, who transformed the historic residence into a sleek, stylish space.

Construction and the lengthy process of obtaining the appropriate city permits  add to that the personal struggles with which Ansari was contending  led him to consider leasing out the property rather than debuting his own establishment.

So a few years ago he began shopping around the building  Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) permit included  to potential tenants who might want to set up a bar or restaurant. The problem was that most of those who showed interest were first-time operators, and Ansari was seeking an established restaurant owner with a brand. That encouraged him to scrap the leasing option and pursue this endeavor.

Karaoke and trivia nights

"Sterling House will be a neighborhood bar with amazing food," Ansari says. "A healthy fresh twist on finger and bar food with one of the best burgers I've ever had. No freezer, everything is prepared daily."

Ansari, who's helped to launch nightlife establishments Eighteenth Cocktail Bar, Vintage and Antique, brought on chef Lindsey Lee Hirsch, a French Culinary Institute graduate, to consult on and design the menu. His childhood friend Paul de la Cruz, who's already been integral in helping to manage construction, will lead front-of-house operations. Also helping lead the operations team are Joy Kennedy and Ansari's cousin, Kamyar Ansari.

SEE ALSO: Jerry Built Burgers opens May 30 in Memorial City

Sterling House will offer 12 to 16 mostly local beers on tap, a large Prosecco and rose selection and about 10 to 14 specialty cocktails.

"Upstairs we will have DJs, Karaoke, Trivia nights, bingo, and rent the space out for private events," Ansari adds. "We are (also) talking to many local chefs about doing pop ups."

Following a soft opening phase, Ansari says he hopes to have a smoothly running operation within four to five weeks.

"We are so, so happy we were able to save this house for our community," he says.
One of the people involved in a road-rage brawl Saturday in northwest Harris County has filed a report with authorities.

The fight occurred on Texas 6 near U.S. 290, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
The state taxpayer-funded assault on cancer has reached the halfway mark, nine years after the $3 billion initiative was approved by the Legislature and three years after a series of scandals threatened its existence.

At a news conference at the Capitol Tuesday, leaders of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas touted the effort's achievements, one day before its governing board is set to approve grant allocations that will push the cumulative award total to more than $1.5 billion. Those achievements include the treatment of some 5,600 patients in 84 new clinical trials and the hiring of 110 top cancer scientists expected to enjoy careers of 15 to 30 years.

"We've already brought over 2,000 years of future research to Texas," said Wayne Roberts, the agency's chief executive officer. "They will be CPRIT's legacy and Texas' gift to the world."

CPRIT leaders also partly attributed Texas' declining death rates from cancer to the $155 million it has awarded for programs to prevent cancer. They noted that the rate has dropped 13 percent  a reduction of about 3,300 deaths - between 2008 and 2013, the latest year for which statistics are available.

The initiative was approved by voters in November 2007, after a bill to create the agency sailed through the Legislature amid lofty rhetoric about what it would mean for Texas to deliver cures for cancer. The agency was launched in 2009 and gave its first grants in 2010.

It was almost dismantled in 2013, following the mismanagement of three grants totaling $56 million. Top elected officials shut it down for 10 months and only restored its funding to the budget at the 11th hour, following passage of a reform bill that removed its board and put in place more stringent safeguards.

On Tuesday, the institute's leaders stressed that the agency has regained momentum in the fight against cancer. Among the achievements: 2.8 million in prevention and early-detection services delivered to Texans in all 254 counties; the generation of $1.12 billion in venture capital follow-up funding to companies funded by CPRIT product development grants; an institute-funded discovery that could lead to a blood test for early detection of pancreatic cancer; and the direct creation of 4,700 jobs.

The institute has until Aug. 31, 2020 to award grant money, after which its future is uncertain. In 2015, legislation was introduced calling on the agency to develop a plan for "self-sufficiency," a possible signal the program may not be renewed. The bill, however, did not pass.
It was only a matter of time before a fashion magazine joined the outpouring of tributes to Prince, with a cover honoring the legend, who died suddenly at age 57 on April 21.

We just thought it would be a U.S. fashion title.
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A legal battle between two West Houston fire and emergency service entities continues after a final court ruling was delayed until November.

The West I-10 Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Services District 48 have clashed over ownership of assets since July 2015. A longtime partnership between both departments ended in August when ESD 48 began providing its own emergency response instead of contracting the West I-10 department.

This month, state district Judge Elaine Palmer ordered a continuance of the case at the request of West I-10 and the district, which are awaiting separate litigation regarding ownership of several fire trucks that won't conclude this month.

The West I-10 VFD "is a handful of people trying to make a mess," said ESD 48 spokesperson Simon Vandyk, who once worked for that department. "They keep playing word games."

The battle stems from disagreements and personal feuds that started in 2014. The district, which funded the primarily volunteer fire department, wanted to draw more experienced emergency services personnel by hiring staff through its own payroll while allowing them to work through the fire department, Vandyk said.

West I-10 has been fighting for its existence ever since, believing that ESD 48 mismanaged the changes and that West I-10 owns all of the fire and emergency assets because it operated under a fee-for-service contract for ESD 48.

The few left in West I-10 VFD continue to fight because they believe they have been wronged, said Jose Ramirez, West I-10 captain and board president.

"We continue to believe that the vehicles are owned by West I-10 and were purchased with funds West I-10 earned by providing services to the ESD 48," Ramirez said in an email.

As the legal fight has dragged, ESD 48 has established itself as a dependable emergency service unit while West I-10 has ceased to operate as the stations, vehicles and equipment it retained collect dust.

ESD 48 roughly extends south from Clay Road to the Fort Bend County line and east from Katy Fort Bend Road to as far as the Barker Dam.

In a temporary injunction in August 2015, ESD 48 received three stations, three fire trucks, three ambulances and three first-responder vehicles. West I-10 retained possession of two stations, six fire trucks, three ambulances and other emergency vehicles and equipment.

The district has since purchased three fire trucks and has had to replace most of its equipment, spending more than $3 million in tax-funded dollars doing so, according to Vandyk. It has also operated a temporary station but will open a new station on Morton Road in July.

The district's crew has grown to about 190 members, of which approximately 40 are full-time fire and EMS personnel, 80 are part-time and 70 are volunteers. About 85 percent of West I-10's crew transferred to work at ESD 48, Vandyk said.

ESD 48 said it has achieved an Insurance Service Office rating of "3," which is the same rating that West I-10 operated under. ISO ratings affect property insurance premiums residents pay and are ranked from 1 to 10, with 1 being the best.

Meanwhile, West I-10 has halted operations and does not provide mutual aid for other local departments.

In April, Palmer ordered West I-10 VFD to release three of the fire trucks in its possession to ESD 48 after the district provided evidence that money from tax revenue was used to purchase them. West I-10 VFD filed an appeal to the order.

West I-10 VFD believes ESD 48 breached a three-year contract signed in 2014 when it decided to take over emergency services. But ESD 48 personnel said the contract's year-to-year existence was based on the district approving a budget for the volunteer department, which it stopped doing last year.

"The West I-10 board thought this whole thing was an attempt to get rid of their volunteers. They were convinced (ESD 48) wanted to destroy their program," Vandyk said. "Not a single department has taken them up for mutual aid. Why? Because brothers know what's going on behind the scene. For all of the drama, we are a better fire department and the community is better-served."

West I-10 offered mutual aid to ESD 48 that the district did not accept, according to Ramirez. He said his department still plans to exist again.

"ESD 48, if you are so concerned about safety and the citizens, why would you not sign a mutual-aid agreement that would make all of our assets available to you? It doesn't cost you anything," Ramirez said. "Our goal is to continue our 36 plus years of exemplary service to the greater Katy area with the assets purchased with funds earned by West I-10 for the provision of fire suppression and emergency medical services to the residents of ESD 48."

In the local elections on May 7, three incumbents on the ESD 48 board of commissioners easily defeated three opponents, striking another blow to West I-10 VFD personnel who had hoped for a change of leadership at the district. The victory also signaled approval from residents with the district's emergency services.
Since the Lone Star College System passed a $485 million bond in 2014, expansion projects have started across the system.

LSC-Tomball and LSC-University Park are two of the system's six colleges undergoing expansion with bond funds.

Though the first phase of the bond started in February 2015, the two colleges have only recently made headway in completing projects in the first phase.

For LSC-Tomball, the first few projects are the 20,000-square-foot build-out on the third floor of the Health Science Building, which is about 3 miles southeast of the main campus, and acquiring an oil rig for its new off-campus LSC-Oil and Gas Training Center.

The three-story Health Science Building was first completed in 2011, but only two of its three stories were built out. The intention was to complete the building with funds from a future bond. With the passage of the 2014 bond, the college is able to complete the building, which houses LSC-Tomball's surgical technology, occupational therapy assistant, nursing and pharmacy technology programs.

The third-floor build-out will provide more instructional space and allow popular programs like pharmacy technology to expand and move to the third floor.

"They're in desperate need of expansion," said LSC-Tomball President Lee Ann Nutt of the pharmacy technology program. "The domino effect of the pharmacy program moving up to the third floor allows for the reconfiguration of the second floor."

The move is expected to free up space for the surgical technology program, which is another growing health science program, to expand on the second floor.

The board of trustees approved the cost of the build-out during its regular board meeting in March.

While the build-out is of an existing structure, LSC-Tomball is working on developing curriculums and a new facility to house its oil and gas workforce programs on an old 18-acre oil field near the college. The site is off N. Humble Lake Road near Texas 249. Currently, the college is in talks to acquire a working oil rig through a corporate donation and has a five-person team inspecting potential rigs for the college. Even if the rig is donated, the college has to assess the cost of transporting the rig, too.

"There's always cost associated with accepting donations," Nutt said.

Lone Star College System set aside about $4.5 million of its 2014 bond for the creation of the steel tower and platforms at LSC-Tomball. New students and those in existing programs to become floor-hand roustabouts, field service technicians, oil and gas drilling, etc. will be able to gain firsthand experience on a rig.

Along with the rig, the college plans to construct a 30-seat classroom to complement the field training. Students will be exposed to courses on electrical technology, commercial wiring, engineering, pneumatics and hydraulics among other topics.

The oil and gas training center comes at a time of global consolidation and layoffs in the industry, which has shed more than 250,000 jobs between 2014 and late 2015. The most recent impact of low oil prices is The Woodlands-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp., which laid off employees in March for the first time since oil began its steep drop in mid-2014. The company laid off nearly 20 percent of its company-wide workforce, and some of those laid off were at its headquarters of The Woodlands Waterway.

But Nutt isn't too concerned about the current downturn. She's seen the industry cycle down and back up before and believes that once the program opens, which could happen as early as the fall of 2017, the oil and gas industry will be bouncing back and in need of skilled labor.

"The answer is resoundingly that the timing is perfect," Nutt said. "One of the reasons is it's a win-win for the college and for the companies from the donation perspective because they can donate equipment and get tax benefit for that. ... Secondly, it's actually if our timing works out just right, if we're smart with our timing and planning, we'll be able to time the opening and operation of our center around the time that people suspect (the industry) will come back."

Job openings for roustabouts are expected to grow by more than 27 percent from 2012 to 2022 in the Gulf Coast region, according to data from the Houston-Galveston Area Council.

LSC-Tomball nudges up against LSC-University Park, right across from the former Compaq campus off Texas 249, and it, too, is expanding. Projects underway at the college include a 50,000-square-foot instructional science building, a 25,000-square-foot build-out of the workforce certification assessment center and 55,000-square feet of campus-wide renovations. Construction is expected to be complete in the spring of 2017.

The instructional science building will offer laboratory space for chemistry, biology and physics. The campus has reached critical capacity for lab space, and the new building will provide much-needed space for students.

University Park is a new campus that opened in 2010. Since then enrollment has boomed, even increasing by 20 percent in 2015 over 2014 with 11,000 students enrolled last fall, according to Lone Star College.

Though phase one is on track, funding for phases two and three for system-wide expansion plans may be delayed. Lone Star College System delayed its second round of bond sales, which was scheduled for this spring, with the hope of selling in the summer. The delay comes as property appraisal values across the college's taxable area - greater north Houston and Montgomery County - is expected to fall. To ensure the college keeps its promise to taxpayers of not raising its tax rate to fund the bond, the college is watching the economy closely and could further delay bond sales and projects.

"Lone Star College understands the need to be held accountable to taxpayers. We closely monitor real estate assessed value and develop several budget projections based on different scenarios," said Chancellor Steve Head, who oversees the college system, adding that the sale and use of bonds will depend on the economy.
A new state-of-the art science lab is under construction in northwest Houston.

Lone Star College-University Park broke ground recently on a $15.4 million science center.

The 50,000-square-foot, three-story science building will house 12 labs, including biology, chemistry and anatomy, all stocked with technologically advanced equipment.

"The Center for Science & Innovation will reflect our innovative culture at LSC-University Park," said campus President Shah Ardalan. "Our students will benefit from the state-of-the art instructional science laboratories and spaces we have designed for collaboration."

More Information More details What: Center for Science and Innovation Where: LSC-University Park Timeline: Construction started in April. Expected to open in the fall of 2017 Cost: $15.4 million See More Collapse

In addition to a new space for science courses, the center will have many learning opportunities for the entire community, Ardalan said.

The center will feature an indoor, 3-D geology teaching wall. The wall, which will rise three stories around the elevator, will show the earth's rock layers.

The college will encourage area schools to take field trips to the new center as a learning opportunity for students from kindergarten through 12th grade, said Veronique Tran, dean of the division of math and sciences at LSC-University Park.

"The (center) will be ideal for hosting summer science institutes for teachers and K-12 outreach events to excite students about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers and other community education events," Tran said.

The new science center, expected to be complete for the start of fall 2017 classes, will help the University Park campus meet demands of a growing enrollment, now at 11,685 students, Ardalan said. The campus has an enrollment capacity of 15,000 students.

The number of students grew by 20 percent in the fall compared with a year ago and is expected to grow by additional 15 percent to 20 percent in fall 2016, Ardalan said. And he expects the number to continue to rise in 2017.

Class space is tight at University Park, as the campus has worked to keep up with student demand and area growth.

The facility is funded through a $485 million bond for the Lone Star College System passed by voters in 2014.

The center is being built with a focus on the importance of collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking.

The first floor will include a learning commons area, open 40 hours a week, where students can get extra help from faculty members and work collaboratively with peers.

The campus calls this area the "science hotspot." It is a spinoff of a pilot math program started on the campus in spring 2015.

Faculty members spend office hours in that area and are available for any student who needs extra help.

The space has collaboration pods where six students can gather around tables and hook up laptops.

The building will also include a third-floor observation deck for the lab portion of the new astronomy courses offered at the campus.

Students in stellar and planetary astronomy take telescopes to the fourth-floor of a parking garage to view the night sky for the observation portion of courses. Once the science building is complete, the third-floor deck will be their laboratory instead.

The third-floor deck will also be used for community events.

The campus is hoping to raise funds to build an observation dome on top of the deck that would feature high-powered telescopes that could be used by students and the community.

"With private donor and corporate support, we hope to raise additional funds for special features of the building," Ardalan said. "Those who invest will be investing with us in the future of our community."
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Carl Wunsche Sr. High just isn't like other schools.

The career academy in the Spring Independent School District doubles as a training ground for future employment, complete with mentorship, internship and cooperative learning programs.

And that means students must learn to dress for the part - wearing professional outfits for campus milestones, said TeKedra Pierre, the school's medical academy coordinator.

The campus requires students to practice sporting their best attire with regularity - holding Professional Dress Tuesdays every week.

More Information Want to know more? For more information about donating to the Wunsche Closet, contact TeKedra Pierre at tpierre@springisd.org. Professional attire is good condition may be dropped off at Carl Wunsche Sr. High School, 900 Wunsche Loop in Spring. To contact the school, call 281-891-7650. See More Collapse

Many students, however, do not have access to the appropriate clothes, Pierre said.

"A lot of our students are on free and reduced lunch," she said. "That alone lets us know there is a need. And we're a career academy, so the need here is very relevant."

A parent suggested that the school keep a few items around to give to students who otherwise could not afford to buy their own professional wardrobe.

"From there it just took on a life of its own," Pierre said.

Teachers and staff donated clothes, and members of the business community also started reaching out.

"It started in my office with a box, a bag and a few hangers," Pierre said. "Then the district found out, and it grew from there."

Soon her office started to resemble a closet.

"But it was a good conversation piece," she said with a laugh.

Whenever someone would ask her why clothes were strewn about, she could tell them about the need for more donations.

Soon, the school recognized that a dedicated space for storage was becoming a top priority and an empty classroom in the back of the building was transformed into the "Wunsche Closet."

Now students in need are able to visit the closet to "shop" for business attire, including suits, ties, dresses, skirts, belts and shoes to use for their campus-related activity.

"We want them to have confidence when they wear the clothes," Pierre said. "And the clothes are theirs to keep."

Anyone may donate to help keep the Wunchse Closet well-stocked with a variety of sizes by simply dropping off clothing in good condition at the school's front desk.

Students sign up for an appointment to visit the closet, either by stopping by Pierre's office or through a referral from another teacher. They could walk away with an entire ensemble or a few accessories that finish off an outfit they already have.

Pierre said that this service not only provides students with clothes for their internship interviews and upscale campus events but also helps them gain expertise in what appropriate dress is for such occasions.

"We want our students to be prepared," Pierre said. "We also want our students to be comfortable asking for what they need."

Daniella Trujillo, 16, said she recently visited the closet and tried on clothes with a few friends.

"There were all kinds of sizes," she said. "It was really beneficial for us."

The junior said that finding professional outfits can be difficult.

"Plenty of my friends freak out, because they don't have professional clothes and they don't want to spend $100 out of their pockets," she said.

Trujillo said the closet has made a difference on campus. "It's very helpful," she said. "Everyone knows about it, and most of us are very excited about it. It's always nice to be able to dress well."

Pierre said students feel proud and more confident when they are dressed appropriately in their internships, presentations and interviews.

"The last thing they need to be concerned about is whether they have something to wear," she said.

Karen Garrison, spokeswoman for Spring ISD, said that the school's effort to provide for the students is inspiring. She added that community involvement has made it clear to students that both their teachers and neighbors care about their success.

"When community support is combined with that of teachers, administrators and parents, it is very powerful and encouraging to our students," Garrison said. "The Wunsche Closet is a great example of those forces coming together."
Before the crack of dawn, John Alton has already secured his hairnet, slipped on his apron and gotten to work cooking enough chicken tenders, spinach and rice to feed 250 seniors.

Alton, who is attending culinary school by night, is the kitchen manager for Meals on Wheels Montgomery County, a nonprofit that prepares and delivers meals to homebound seniors throughout the county.

For him, cooking takes more than just a recipe; it takes a formula. First, he has to look at what ingredients are available from the bulk grocer that week. Next, he must ensure that each meal is nutritious and well-balanced, including a protein, a fruit or vegetable and a starch. And last, but not least, he considers what the seniors like. Pork patties, he learned, were not a hit. Using his rubric, Alton and the other staff members put together 1,250 meals a week, though they have the capacity to make 8,500 if they had the funding.

"We get a lot of positive feedback," said Allison Hulett, the organization's executive director. "He cares about how it tastes."

With the smell of battered chicken and the sound of Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" filling the industrial kitchen at the South County Community Center in The Woodlands, Alton distributes the food into neatly portioned trays and seals them with plastic, before passing them on to the program's operations specialist, Andre Bailey.

Bailey then organizes the meals into red and blue coolers, labeled by route for the 180 volunteers to pick up and deliver by hand in time for lunch.

Filling the gap

Montgomery County is home to more than 62,000 people older than the age of 65. Many, as they grow older, find it increasingly difficult to shop for and prepare their own meals, but are otherwise healthy enough that they're not ready to move into a nursing home, Hulett explained. Meals on Wheels' mission is to fill in that gap and provide the help that these seniors need to continue to live independently.

The organization points to a study by Brown University researchers that found that states that spend money on providing meals for seniors have a reduced number of relatively healthy seniors in nursing homes, according to a 2012 Boston Globe article. They also refer to a 2014 study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine that found that more than half of seniors who come into hospital emergency rooms are either malnourished or at risk for malnutrition.

"It's a public health issue," Hulett said.

Climbing life expectancy rates have put a strain on Social Security and retirement funds, making seniors more financially vulnerable, material from the organization says.

Meals on Wheels has crunched the numbers: a year's worth of meals, at about $1,300, costs less than a week in a nursing home or a day in the hospital. By helping seniors be well-nourished, thus letting them stay at home longer, Meals on Wheels reasons that they are saving taxpayer money that is used to subsidize medical costs.

"Food is medicine," Hulett said.

While bringing well-balanced meals to seniors in need is the primary mission of Meals on Wheels, most volunteers use the drop-off time to give the seniors some much needed personal attention.

Special delivery

"It's more than just a UPS delivery," Hulett said, explaining how many volunteers go above and beyond to form relationships with the seniors, sometimes bringing them additional groceries and special gifts.

Meals on Wheels volunteers have the dual responsibility of bringing food and keeping a consistent check on the seniors' well-being. Hulett said that volunteers are sometimes the ones to call for medical help or Adult Protective Services when the seniors are in need.

And many volunteers form a connection with the seniors on their route.

"When we have to change the route (and send different volunteers), we hear about it," Hulett said. "They get really attached to their volunteers."

In 2015, Meals on Wheels served 736 seniors, about half of whom live in The Woodlands, but still had more than 400 on a waitlist as of last October. While the organization has the capacity to serve many more, the funds to buy the food fall short, Hulett said.

The programs are funded primarily through grants, which account for 48 percent of the organization's revenue, and support from the Houston-Galveston Area Council, which accounts for 31 percent, but Hulett said the organization is now turning to the community to help eliminate the waitlist. So far, donations have helped shrink the waitlist down to 286 seniors, but Hulett hopes to get enough financial support to feed each senior who needs it.

Program manager Sharma Brown says she hears heartbreaking stories on a regular basis about seniors struggling to make ends meet. Most recently, one elderly woman called asking for meals for her husband because she was too tired from helping him get up and dressed in the morning to cook lunch.

"They deserve that (help)," Brown said.
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A 56-year-old Beaumont woman died after she was struck by a vehicle Monday on Eastex Freeway that collided with another vehicle that had pulled over to change a flat tire.

Beaumont police identified her as Linda Ann Renfro, according to police Sgt. James Guedry.

A man who had been assisting with the tire change is in Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in stable condition with serious injuries.

Police responded to the collision at 1:42 p.m. in the 8200 block of Eastex. Two people were reported to have fallen over the guardrail on the overpass, a height of more than 14 feet.

Responding officers said a driver with a flat tire pulled over to change it. Several other vehicles stopped to offer help. Another vehicle lost control, striking the rear of one of the vehicles.

A police spokesman said he advises people to "ruin your rim," even if it means driving on the flat to a safer spot for help.

The crash led police to shut down part of the freeway, resulting in a long traffic tie-up just before afternoon drive time.

Guedry said a red Chrysler minivan with the flat tire had pulled to the shoulder of the freeway near Chinn Lane.

Guedry said bystanders pulled over to assist. As they stood near the van, another driver "lost focus and lost control" and hit a vehicle behind the minivan.

He said it wasn't immediately clear if Renfro and the man were hit by the car or if the crash forced them to jump over the guardrail.

From where they fell, the bridge is 14 feet, 6 inches from the ground. At its highest point, the bridge is 15 feet, 5 inches.

"It's a pretty good distance," Guedry said. "I think this sends out a message. If you have a flat, find a safe place to change it. On top of a bridge really isn't a safe place, especially with this (rainy) weather."

Hal Watson Jr., whose Dallas-based Watson Engineering Corp. investigates and reconstructs traffic accidents, said the safest thing to do when a vehicle stalls on a highway is to call the local police department for protection.

Watson noted that economic factors make it difficult to allow wider shoulder lanes on overpasses.

"It happens all the time, especially nowadays with the distractions that we have," Watson said of accidents after roadside breakdowns.

"We're seeing a lot of these kinds of accidents. I've seen this over the years, even with professional drivers like truckers drifting into the shoulder lane.

"It is a dangerous situation."

In January, a 25-year-old Orange County man was killed while checking the tire pressure on a Chevrolet Malibu at Interstate 10 and the Laurel Street exit.

The accident happened after dark Sunday, Jan. 24, around 10 p.m. The driver of a Ford Escape, 27-year-old Kendrick McCloney, switched lanes when he struck Clinton Meadows.

McCloney, of Beaumont, faces a pending intoxication manslaughter charge in Meadows' death.

Watson said he would not recommend changing a tire near oncoming traffic without the safety net of a police officer or tow company shielding the scene.

The crash Monday caused bumper-to-bumper northbound traffic for miles, from Lawrence Drive to the I-10/Eastex interchange.

"If you've got to ruin your rim, ruin it," Guedry said. "Drive somewhere safe because it's not worth it to be on top of a bridge trying to change a flat on these slick, wet roads."

BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/BrandonKScott
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An Italian paramedic has allegedly committed a crime that even Tony Soprano might consider cruel and cold-hearted.

Claudio Bevilacqua, 43, is accused of stealing James Gandolfini's Rolex Submariner watch when he came to the assistance of the dying actor in Rome in June 2013, NBC News reports.
The U.S. Supreme Court shot down a request by the city of Houston to review a lower court's ruling awarding $150,000 to a police officer who had sued the city on retaliation claims.

A jury had previously awarded Houston Police Officer Christopher Zamora $378,000, but that verdict was later reversed due to a decision in an unrelated Supreme Court case, forcing lawyers for the plaintiff to retry the case.

The Supreme Court's decision to deny a writ of certiorari ended one chapter in a years-long legal battle that began when Houston Police Officer Christopher Zamora's father and other Hispanic officers sued the city, citing racial discrimination.

A federal judge still must decide how much the city must pay in attorneys' fees and future compensatory damages, which would easily rise above $1 million, according to Kim Ogg, the lead lawyer in the case.

"It's a very important verdict because any governmental agency willing to violate its own police officers' rights is likely to be willing to violate citizens' rights," Ogg said, adding that the case "has implications for law enforcement across the nation, that the 'code of silence' will not be allowed to be used against police officers as employees when they want to report wrongdoing within their ranks."

Through his lawyers, Zamora had argued that commanders had transferred him out of an elite investigative unit to night patrol as retaliation after his father and other officers filed the discrimination lawsuit.

"Government needs to promote the reporting of wrongdoing, not retaliate against it," said Randall Kallinen, an attorney representing Zamora.

City officials have not yet responded to requests from the Chronicle for a comment on the case.
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For new college grads looking to start their careers, Texas is the place to be.

Finance site WalletHub released a ranking of the top 150 cities to get started in once you have that degree in hand. The Lone Star State came out on top with four cities in the top 10, including Houston at No. 9 overall and No. 2 for professional opportunities.

However, the No. 1 city overall isn't in Texas. That honor goes to Salt Lake City.

RELATED: Many Texas cities among the best for Hispanic entrepreneurs

Other Texas cities making the top 10 include Austin (No. 2), Amarillo (No. 8) and Corpus Christi (No. 10).

Houston ranks No. 1 for highest starting salaries, followed by Durham, N.C.; San Jose, Calif., and Dallas.

Breaking out into the top 30: Irving comes in at No. 12 overall, Dallas at 17, followed by Plano at 20, Fort Worth at 21 and San Antonio at 26.

RELATED: Top 15 American cities for young college grads

The WalletHub ranking is a 0-to-100 scale with 100 being most favorable. The site looked at the availability of entry-level jobs, median starting wages, diversity of jobs and the frequency of raises. Data from the U.S. Census, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development were used to come up with the ranking as well as the site's own data.

On the other end of the spectrum, Detroit ranks as No. 150, last on WalletHub's list. The Motor City also ranks at 147 out of 149 cities for professional opportunities and quality of life.

For new career seekers who dream of California, the website warns against moving to Fresno (No. 149), Moreno Valley (148), Modesto (144) or Glendale (143). Glendale, Arizona, isn't far behind its California counterpart, at No. 140.

Brownsville is the lowest-ranking Texas city, at No. 101.
SAN ANTONIO  Investigators with the San Antonio Police Department have not ruled out foul play in the disappearance of a 29-year-old woman who has not been seen in more than two weeks.

Bianca Carrasco was last seen in the 1600 block of Walnut Creek on May 1, according to SAPD.
This week marks the 70th anniversary of the former Soviet Union's first test site for its space exploration program, established May 13, 1946.

While it would be another 15 years before the U.S. space program set up the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, that head start for the Soviets didn't stop NASA from getting to the moon first and fulfilling a national goal set in 1962 by President John Kennedy. Delivered at Rice Stadium in Houston, Kennedy's remarks are sometimes referred to as the "We choose to go to the moon" speech.
AUSTIN -- Nine child-advocacy groups on Tuesday called for Gov. Greg Abbott to form a task force to study school policing, citing a spate of recent episodes in which officers were accused of using excessive force.

The groups said the study could recommend any changes to state law that are necessary to stop the problem, in time for the Legislature to address the issue when it convenes in January 2017.

The letter also urges the governor to end participation in a U.S. Department of Defense program that provides military weapons for school police officers to use in K-12 public schools.

"We would like to work together to ensure all students are able to learn in safe school environments and school police have clearly defined roles and effective training," the group stated in a letter to Abbott.

Abbott's office said it will take the letter and the groups' request under advisement.

Among recent high-profile incidents in Texas schools cited for the concerns: an officer slammed a six-year-old Abilene ISD student into a desk; a 12-year-old San Antonio ISD student was pushed face first to the ground by a school officer; and a 2013 incident in which an officer used a Taser on a Bastrop ISD high school student who had broken up a fight, causing him to fall to the ground and suffer a traumatic brain injury.

"We all want to make sure students are in class learning and staying safe," said Lauren Rose, director of Youth Justice Policy at Texans Care for Children, a nonprofit, multi-issue children's policy organization.

She said a state task force "should develop clear policies that will better support students, police and teachers. We need to provide officers the support and guidance they need so students are safe and officers can avoid another cell phone video gone viral."

Deborah Fowler, executive director of Texas Appleseed, echoed the sentiment. Students and parents "shouldn't have to wait for another lawsuit or troubling video to surface before we take action," she said.

In their letter, the organizations emphasized these incidents "highlight the need for a robust dialogue around the appropriate role of law enforcement officers in our schools and the need for all school police officers to receive youth-specific training."

In 2015, the Texas Legislature began requiring school police in districts with more than 30,000 students to undergo training on working with youth and serving on a school campus. About half of Texas students attend classes in districts with fewer than 30,000 students.

The groups include Texas Appleseed, TexansCareforChildren, AmericanCivilLibertiesUnionofTexas, Children'sDefenseFund-Texas, Grassroots Leadership, MentalHealthAmerica-Texas,

MexicanAmericanLegalDefenseFund, NationalAllianceonMentalIllness-Texas and the Texas Organizing Project.
If youre worried about little gray guys with no hair and amygdaloid eyes, Hillary Clinton wants to help. Last week, in an interview with late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel, Clinton said that she planned to follow up on inquiries made years ago by her husband, and bare what the government really knows about visiting aliens.

The principal question: Are a few such cosmic beings  or at least some of their spacecraft  under wraps at Area 51, Nevadas creepy, cryptic military facility? Inquiring minds want to know.

Of course they do. But I doubt that Clinton can provide a satisfactory answer.

First, the back story. For decades, surveys have shown that roughly one-third of the populace will raise their hand if asked do you think Earth is being visited by extraterrestrials? Thats a hundred million Americans, and of course some of them have political influence. When Bill Clinton was president, the wealthy philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller sponsored, and then promoted, a document that described what was called the best evidence for alien craft. He met with Bill Clinton in 1996, and encouraged him make a deep dive on the subject. Clinton tried to learn if cosmic creatures were warehoused at Area 51, but said he came up empty.

Now we have UFO redux. Hillary is being urged by her campaign manager, John Podesta, to think again. Or at least, to ask again. Podesta, who was Bill Clintons Chief of Staff and more recently Counselor to President Obama, now chairs Hillarys campaign. Hes long pushed for disclosure of any government information germane to the UFO question, and for over two decades has made this a minor leitmotif for the Clintons.

So what is Hillary going to do that her husband didnt? Well, maybe nothing more than to simply look into the subject again. But, Kimmel upped the ante. What if Hillary finds that the government really does have proof of aliens?

Well, if there is something there," Clinton responded, unless its a threat to national security, I think we ought to share it with the public.

In other words, tell it like it is. Clinton is siding with those who clamor for disclosure, a code word for the government coming clean and admitting to the public what it really knows about UFOs. The thesis is simple: the question of alien presence will be settled if the feds simply open their files.

But that premise is weak. An extraordinary claim (were being visited) is defended with a resort to hidden information. Suppose someone tells you theyve found a cure for cancer. Would you believe them if they also said that the crucial proof was hidden for decades by a malevolent government?

Theres also a subtle bias in the disclosure approach. The very term implies that there is something to disclose.

But what if theres not? Things go wrong anyway. In 1970 the Air Force ended Project Blue Book  its investigation of UFOs  saying that it had found nothing of interest in the many reports it collected. Did that put claims of saucer-sailing visitors to bed? No, it merely spawned a conviction that the Air Force investigation was rigged or that the real UFO evidence was in the relatively small collection of unexplained cases.

In 2009, the British Ministry of Defence shuttered its UFO hotline. The number of reported sightings had reached two or three a day, and the burden of dealing with them was considered insupportable. The MOD said that after more than a half-century of taking hotline tips, they had learned nothing of either military or scientific value. They also released tens of thousands of related government documents. Nonetheless, youre living in dreamland if you think that all members of the British public have now dismissed the idea that Earth is hosting extraterrestrials.

So disclosure is a mirage unless the answer is the right one. If the governments response to Hillarys queries is theres nothing at Area 51 but military aircraft, do you really expect that those whose psyches are invested in the alien visitation story are going to buy it?

Not likely. Theyre not going to hand over their swords and abandon the idea of aliens on Earth. Given the inherent problem of proving a negative, I doubt theyll ever come to this conclusion. Ever.

And even if you dont share my skepticism, note that Hillarys response to Kimmel had a qualifier as obvious as a circus parade. She said that yes, shell share whatever information she finds unless its a threat to national security.

Even a fourth grader will realize this is a handy excuse to hold back information. Not that she necessarily would. Its just that any statement saying that there are no alien bodies at Area 51 is immediately suspect. It wont settle any arguments.

Clinton may just have been kidding around with Kimmel. And on the practical side, given the large number of people who believe that Earth has house guests, maybe this was just a gambit to influence some voters to favor her candidacy.

But one thing you can bet on: Area 51 and its putative store of extraterrestrial paraphernalia isnt about to become an open book. And for the UFO folks, that might be a good thing. After all, its value isnt that it actually houses aliens or alien artifacts, but that it might.

Dr. Seth Shostak is Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California
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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More international undergraduates are coming to Canada to study than to the United Kingdom (UK), with tighter immigration rules in the UK cited as one of the main reasons why the country has now been overtaken by Canada in the competition for these students.

The findings come from an all-party parliamentary group in the UK, which recently determined that immigration strategy has led to many international students choosing to study in other countries, such as Canada. The group echoes recent warnings made by UK politicians and academics that by including international students in targets to cut net migration, there is a risk in putting them off coming to the UK in the first place.

Meanwhile, the new government of Canada has increased overall immigration target levels and announced that it aims to find ways to make the immigration process simpler and more straightforward for international students once they have completed their studies in Canada. The Liberal government of Canada is generally perceived as being pro-immigration, and it is believed that immigration target levels may increase again over the coming years of the governments mandate.

Immigration Minister John McCallum recently stated that Canada must do more to attract students to this country as permanent residents, adding that they are the cream of the crop in terms of potential future Canadians.

Such positive, welcoming rhetoric from the Canadian Immigration Minister is quite different from comments and proposals made over recent years by peers in other developed countries, such as the UK and the United States. Last year, the UK Home Secretary, Theresa May, was forced to defend a government plan to expel international students from the UK after graduation. The UK government aims to move towards zero net student migration, with foreign students finding it extremely difficult to remain in the country once they graduate.

In contrast, depending on the study program and the Canadian province in which an international student is studying, he or she may have multiple options for pursuing permanent resident status. After a permanent resident has resided in Canada for a certain period, he or she may then apply for Canadian citizenship.

For example, a graduate from a Canadian educational institution, who then goes on to gain work experience in Canada, may be eligible for Canadian permanent residence under more than one federal immigration program (the Federal Skilled Worker Class and the Canadian Experience Class), as well as multiple Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), many of which encourage graduates to apply under specific streams. In some cases, individuals who graduated from an institution one province may even be eligible to apply under a PNP in another province.

Other factors

Aside from immigration strategy, there are multiple reasons why Canada is increasingly favoured as a study destination. With quality and more affordable tuition, employment options (both during and after the study period), safe cities, and as a pathway to Canadian permanent residence, Canada is becoming a more popular study destination than ever before.

Moreover, an increasing number of Canadian education institutions are quickly gaining global renown for the breadth of research and learning opportunities on offer.

To learn more about the specific advantages that studying in Canada can offer, compared with competitor countries, consider the following:

Canada is a vast, diverse nation with different living and learning environments. To learn more about provinces and locations for studying in Canada, click here.

Transfer programs allow international students in Canada to begin studying at a college, but later transfer to a university.

Foreign spouses or common-law partners of international students can also come to Canada with an open work permit.

International students in Canada can work off-campus while studying, allowing them to gain an income, build up valuable Canadian work experience, and make professional connections that can help kick-start their career.

Upon graduation, international students in Canada may obtain a Post-Graduation Work Permit for up to three years. This open work permit allows graduates to work for any employer in Canada.

Canada wants its cohort of international students to build their careers in Canada. Therefore, there are many ways for students to obtain Canadian permanent resident status after completing studies in Canada.

For individuals who may be ineligible to apply for Canadian permanent residence currently, studying in Canada presents a pathway to immigration.

According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), there was an 83 percent increase in the number of international students in Canada between 2008 and 2014. In addition, 95 percent of international students would recommend Canada as a study destination, and more than half of all international students plan on applying for permanent residence. Students in Canada told the CBIE that their top three reasons for coming to Canada to study were:

the quality of the Canadian education system;

Canadas reputation as a tolerant and non-discriminatory society; and

Canadas reputation as a safe country.

A striking contrast

When it comes to how it treats international students, there is a stark contrast between Canada and its competitor nations in the developed world. This is particularly the case for undergraduate students, says Attorney David Cohen.

While some people may be surprised that Canada is now attracting more of them than the UK, we really shouldnt be all that shocked. All the positive factors are in place for students to be attracted to Canada. It is an exciting time for Canadian schools and businesses, who can benefit from the worlds best and brightest coming here. Further, Canada as a country benefits from the consistent arrival of young minds with new, innovative ideas.

CanadaVisa.com offers a range of tools and resources to help international students get started on their plans to study in Canada. To begin using these tools and resources, click here.

 2016 CICNews All Rights Reserved
Government of Canada Aims to Pass Changes to Canadian Citizenship Act Into Law by July 1

Government of Canada Aims to Pass Changes to Canadian Citizenship Act Into Law by July 1

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Canada is moving closer to bringing new measures into law that would allow immigrants to apply for Canadian citizenship earlier and more easily than is currently the case. Changing the existing Citizenship Act is considered a centrepiece of the new Liberal governments legislative agenda.

The chair of the House Immigration Committee, MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj, said this month that he hopes the bill, known as C-6, will pass into law in time for Canada Day, which falls each year on July 1.

This would have great symbolic relevance, as Canadians are proud of their citizenship and the status, rights, and freedoms that it provides. Canada encourages new immigrants to consider becoming naturalized citizens and join the Canadian family. Canadian citizens may apply for a Canadian passport, vote in elections, stand for public office, and leave and re-enter Canada freely without being bound by residency obligations. Canada also recognizes dual citizenship, allowing immigrants to acquire Canadian citizenship without having to lose the citizenship they already hold.

Among the proposed amendments is a reduction in the amount of time permanent residents have to live in Canada in order to become eligible to apply for citizenship, from four out of six years to three out five years. Further, certain applicants who spent time in Canada on temporary status would be able to count a portion of this time towards the three-year requirement. The proposed amendments would also repeal the intent to reside provision and remove language proficiency requirements for certain applicants.

In addition, the new legislation would repeal a contentious provision that revoked citizenship from dual Canadian citizens convicted of terrorism, treason or espionage. With a majority government in place, it is expected that the proposals will become law in the near future. The only major potential stumbling block is how the bill may be treated in the Senate, with Immigration Minister John McCallum among a group of politicians who have expressed wariness over how the Conservative-dominated Senate may handle the bill.

Background

In June, 2014, the previous Conservative government of Canada brought into law the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act (also known as bill C-24). Among other measures, this controversial legislation made eligibility requirements for immigrants more onerous than had previously been the case. It also allowed the government to revoke citizenship in certain cases.

The now-governing Liberal Party of Canada, which came into office last November, made a public pledge in its election manifesto to repeal the unfair elements of Bill C-24 that create second-class citizens and the elements that make it more difficult for hard-working immigrants to become Canadian citizens.

Proposed changes to the Citizenship Act

The proposed changes to the Citizenship Act run the full gamut of the act, from how an individual may become eligible for citizenship to the rights bestowed once citizenship is conferred on the person.

Repeal of revocation provision

Current act: Authority to revoke citizenship for certain acts against the national interest of Canada. These grounds include convictions of terrorism, high treason, treason or spying offences, depending on the sentence received, or for membership in an armed force or organized armed group engaged in armed conflict with Canada.

Proposed amendment: Repeal national interest grounds for revocation.

Repeal of intention to reside provision

Current act: Applicants must have the intention to reside in Canada if granted citizenship.

Proposed amendment: Repeal intent to reside provision.

Physical presence in Canada

Current act: Physical presence for 4 out of 6 years before the date of application.

Proposed amendment: Physical presence for 3 out of 5 years before the date of application.

Counting temporary status

Current act: Time spent in Canada as a non-permanent resident may not be counted.

Proposed amendment: Applicants may count each day they were physically present in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person before becoming a permanent resident as a half-day toward meeting the physical presence requirement for citizenship, up to a maximum of one year of credited time.

Less burdensome annual physical presence requirement

Current act: Minimum of 183 days physical presence in 4 of the last 6 years.

Proposed amendment: Repeal the minimum 183 days physical presence in 4 of the last 6 years.

Fewer people need to prove language proficiency

Current act: Applicants aged 14-64 must meet language requirements and pass knowledge test.

Proposed amendment: Applicants aged 18-54 must meet language requirements and pass knowledge test.

Canadian income taxes

Current act: File Canadian income taxes, if required to do so under the Income Tax Act, for four taxation years out of six years, matching physical presence requirement.

Proposed amendment: File Canadian income taxes, if required to do so under the Income Tax Act, for three taxation years out of five years, matching proposed new physical presence requirement.

Conditional sentence now a bar

Current act: Time spent serving a conditional sentence order can be counted towards meeting physical presence requirements. Convicted individuals who are serving conditional sentence orders (sentences served in the community with certain conditions) are not prohibited from being granted citizenship or taking the oath of citizenship.

Proposed amendment: Time spent under a conditional sentence order cannot be counted towards meeting the physical presence requirements; and those serving a conditional sentence order are prohibited from being granted citizenship or taking the oath of citizenship.

Canadian citizenship oath

Current act: Provision prohibiting applicants from taking the oath of citizenship if they never met or no longer meet the requirements for the grant of citizenship, but does not apply to applications received before June 11, 2015.

Proposed amendment: Provision prohibiting applicants from taking the oath of citizenship if they never met or no longer meet the requirements for the grant of citizenship also applies to applications still in process that were received prior to June 11, 2015.

New provision to counter fraud

Current act: No explicit authority for citizenship officers to seize fraudulent documents related to the processing of applications.

Proposed amendment: Authority to seize documents provided during the administration of the Citizenship Act if there are reasonable grounds to believe they are fraudulent, or being used fraudulently.

The right move at the right time

The public appetite  among Canadians and current and prospective immigrants alike  is for a Canada that is open, positive and welcoming. The very notion of citizenship is a big part of that, and it is great to see the new government taking initiative on this within months of taking office, says Attorney David Cohen.

Very soon, it is likely that we will be back to telling foreign workers and international students that they can land in Canada and think of their long-term future here. We will be back to seeing Canadian citizenship as a global responsibility, rather than as something that is so fixated on the person being physically present in Canada.

For current immigrants who want to obtain Canadian citizenship, the question now becomes one of preparation. A thorough and accurate application is required in order to satisfy the authorities that you are eligible to obtain citizenship.

For prospective immigrants who are wavering on whether to pursue permanent resident status, including foreign workers and students in Canada on temporary status, these changes may sway the decision in favour of pursuing that goal more deliberately than before. I would encourage such individuals to assess their Canadian immigration options as soon as possible.

To find out more about applying for Canadian citizenship in light of the proposed changes to the Citizenship Act, please send an email to citizenship@canadavisa.com. Please include information about your time as a Canadian permanent resident.

To learn more about Canadian citizenship, click here.

To find out if you are eligible for any of over 60 Canadian immigration programs, please fill out a free online assessment

 2016 CICNews All Rights Reserved
Designed to withstand tornadoes, earthquakes and even bomb blasts, a castle-like southwest Missouri home that was meant to last forever must be torn down and erected again, its owner argues in an ongoing lawsuit.

Pensmore, a 72,000-square-foot home, might not be as invincible as expected because a key ingredient in the concrete was diluted, according to the lawsuit filed by owner Steven T. Huff last year in federal court in Springfield.

Huff said he learned of that in 2014, when a man who said he was an employee of the company that mixed the concrete stood outside the castles gates and doggedly asked to speak to a representative, the Springfield News-Leader reported.

He described how he tried to stop the scam, but defendants threatened his job, the lawsuit said. Concerned about how he would feed his family, he continued to participate in it, until, as he described it, his conscience would not allow it.

Construction was halted and tests confirmed the mans claims, said Gabriel Berg, an attorney representing Huff in the lawsuit.

Huff is seeking $63 million from two companies that helped build the residence near Highlandville, which the Christian County assessor says is worth just under $6 million.

Monarch Cement Co. of Humboldt, Kansas, and its Springfield subsidiary, City Wide Construction Products, routinely cut the amount of Helix mixed into the castles concrete and likely sold the leftover material, the lawsuit claims. Helix, an alternative to rebar developed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is the key to Pensmores exceptional structural integrity design, the lawsuit said.

Michael Callahan, the attorney for the two companies being sued, disputed the lawsuits claims.

(The companies) are known for their high-quality products and longtime commitment to customer service, Callahan wrote in a statement. They will defend their hard-earned reputations against the plaintiffs allegations all the way through trial, if necessary.

The physical structure has been finished, Berg said, but it has not been finally furnished. The home has two elevators, 13 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, a billiard room, a home theater, a music room and a 1,600-square-foot library. Blueprints submitted in 2007 show the main level and second story span 44,641 square feet.

Huff wanted it to serve as a sustainable model of disaster- and blast-resistant construction that could potentially last forever, he said.

He says Romans were pretty good at building structures that last a long time, Berg said. But instead, he added, Huff wants the companies to tear it down and build it back up right, Berg said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Former Massey Energy CEO Donald Blankenship is headed to prison even as he appeals his conviction for conspiring to flout mine-safety laws in connection with the worst U.S. coal industry disaster in almost 40 years.

The federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday turned down Blankenships bid to stay out of prison while it weighs his challenges to a jurys 2015 finding that he plotted to speed up production at a West Virginia mine by ignoring safety rules. An explosion linked to a build up of coal dust ripped through the Upper Big Branch Mine in 2010 and killed 29 workers.

The ruling means Blankenship, who owns a mountaintop castle in West Virginia, must report to a federal prison in California sometime on Thursday. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons hasnt publicly specified where the former CEO will be imprisoned.

Im happy the system is making Mr. Blankenship start serving his sentence, Judy Jones Petersen, sister of one of the miners killed in the 2010 blast, said Thursday. I hope he spends the next year reflecting on how his greedy behavior created an environment that wound up taking the lives of 29 workingmen.

Exceptional Circumstances

Federal prosecutors in Charleston, West Virginia, had opposed Blankenships request to stay free on a $1 million bond, saying U.S. law only allows service of criminal sentences to be delayed for exceptional circumstances. Blankenships case didnt meet that test, the prosecutors said.

William Taylor, Blankenships lead defense lawyer, didnt immediately return a call for comment on the appeals courts decision.

The former CEO was convicted on a misdemeanor conspiracy charge, which carried a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $250,000 fine. Blankenship has already paid the fine, according to court filings. Jurors acquitted him of two felony charges which carried more substantial jail time.

The conviction capped a five-year effort by federal prosecutors to hold Blankenship accountable for safety violations that led to the explosion at the mine about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of the state capital of Charleston.

Blankenships lawyers contend in his appeal the government didnt prove the former CEO committed criminal acts, including intentionally violating mine safety laws, and that U.S. District Judge Irene Berger didnt properly instruct jurors on what constituted reasonable doubt about his guilt.

Substantial Questions

Those issues raised enough substantial questions about his guilt that the appeals panel shouldve let Blankenship remain free, his lawyers said.

To know that he is going to be put behind bars is a relief to me, said Gary Quarles, whose son was killed in the Upper Big Branch explosion. I had been wondering how long this was going to go on with his lawyers, his money and everything.

The case is U.S v. Blankenship, No. 16-4193, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit (Richmond).

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
When a settlement is reached in a personal injury lawsuit, a written settlement agreement is prepared, and, if medical expenses for the injured party have been paid by Medicare, a Medicare Set-Aside Account (MSA) may be created to reimburse Medicare for past, and potentially future, medical payments.

The purpose of a MSA is to ensure that Medicare will not pay bills for plaintiffs injuries where there is other insurance available. The rationale is that since plaintiff received settlement money from an insurance company to cover future medical expenses, Medicare wants to ensure that a portion of the settlement money is spent on injury-related care before the taxpayers start paying through Medicare.

Attorneys and claim representatives need guidance to advise clients and comply with Medicares demands. This article discusses the ramifications of a recent federal decision, Aranki v. Burwell, as well as other federal and state cases on personal injury settlements when dealing with the issue of the potential need for MSAs for future medical expenses.

History

Until 1980, Medicare was the primary payer for all services covered by Medicare except those covered by workers compensation. In 1980, in an effort to shift costs from the Medicare program to private payers, Congress enacted the Medicare Secondary Payer Act (MSPA), 42 U.S.C.  1395y(b), which made Medicare a secondary payer to certain plans, including liability insurance. Regulations implementing the nuts and bolts of the MSPA have been codified at 42 C.F.R. Part 411. As the secondary payer, Medicare provides coverage for any amount not covered by a primary payer or primary plan. Under the MSPA, a primary payer includes a tortfeasor and the tortfeasors private insurer.

The importance of MSAs in todays litigation realm

There is no federal rule or statute that requires the creation of MSAs for future medical expenses in third-party personal injury actions. Attorneys and claim representatives need guidance to advise clients and comply with Medicares demands. Some commentators believe that MSAs for future medical expenses are required in personal injury actions where the injured party is either a Medicare recipient or is Medicare eligible. Others believe no such requirement exists, reasoning that the federal government has no right to claim an interest in future medical expenses as part of a settlement given the absence of any enforceable regulations. So what is the answer?

Case law and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services policy memoranda

A recent case out of the U.S. District Court in Arizona, Aranki v. Burwell, makes it very clear that MSAs are not required for future medical expenses in personal injury cases, unlike such requirements in workers compensation cases. The following is an excerpt from the Aranki case:

To comply with the provisions outlined in the MSP statute, in workers

compensation cases CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)

mandates the creation of a Medicare Set Aside (MSA) account.

(42 C.F.R. 411.) The purpose of a MSA is to allocate a portion of a workers compensation award to pay potential future medical expenses resulting from

the work-related injury so that Medicare does not have to pay. However, no

federal law or CMS regulation requires the creation of a MSA in personal injury settlements to cover potential future medical expenses.

The Aranki case involved the issue of whether a MSA is necessary in a medical malpractice case. The court held the case was not ripe for review because no federal law mandates CMS to decide whether plaintiff is required to create a MSA. As such, the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to hear this case. As the court noted, there may be a day that the CMS requires the creation of MSAs for future medical expenses in personal injury cases, but that day has not yet arrived.

Those having to deal with MSAs and future medical expenses in liability settlement cases can also look to other recent court decisions for some guidance. For example:

Berry v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (2015) The parties asked the court to determine whether there was a need for a MSA in connection with a settlement. Specifically, the parties sought a determination that CMSs interests had been adequately taken into account by the settlement to which the parties had agreed. The Berry court found there was no need for a MSA as part of the settlement of this case. Based on the evidence of plaintiffs treating medical providers and correspondence from CMS, Medicare had been reimbursed for all conditional payments that it made for plaintiffs accident-related treatment. Since it was not reasonably anticipated that plaintiff would receive any future accident-related treatment, the court found that Medicare would not be called upon to pay for such are in the future.

Tye v. Upper Valley Med. Ctr. (2014) The Ohio Supreme Court decided that the parties were not required to set aside any portion of the settlement proceeds for future benefits which may be paid or payable to Medicare. In its decision, the Court noted several reasons for its holding, including: (1) the plaintiffs injuries were paid by a private health insurance carrier, (2) the private health insurance carrier would continue to pay plaintiffs medical expenses in the foreseeable future, and (3) Medicare did not have an established policy or procedure in effect for reviewing or providing an opinion regarding the adequacy of the future medical aspect of a liability settlement.

Warren Frank v. Gateway Ins. Co.(2012) The United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana held Medicare does not currently require or approve MSAs when personal injury lawsuits are settled.

Sipler v. Trans Am Trucking, Inc. (2012) The court determined that no federal law requires set-aside arrangements in personal injury settlements for future medical expenses.

Big R Towing, Inc. v. David Wayne Benoit, et al.(2011) The United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana found that a set-aside for future medical expenses in a liability case was appropriate.

Along with the above case law, CMS policy statements offer additional guidance in terms of when to set up a MSA account for future medical expenses. Although these statements do not have the force of law, they do reflect a body of expertise and informed judgment to which courts may properly resort for guidance. (See Anderson v. Burwell, (2016) F.Supp.3d (U.S. Dist. MI))

CMS policy memoranda

CMS has issued several policy memoranda on how Medicares interests must be protected in liability cases. In 2011, CMS issued a 3-page handout with internal guidance addressing liability settlements and MSAs where no future injury-related care was required. Although not legal authority, the handout provides some guidance when dealing with parties respective responsibilities with respect to future medical expenses. With respect to the obligations of plaintiffs counsel, the handout advises that when a plaintiff attorney determines decides that a settlement is intended to pay for future medicals, he or she should see to it that those funds are used to pay for otherwise Medicare-covered services related to what is claimed and/or released in the settlement.

According to Medicare Regional Coordinator Sally Stalcup:

There is no formal CMS review process in the liability area as there is for

Workers Compensation, however Regional Offices do review a number of

submitted set-aside proposals.If there was/is funding for otherwise

covered and reimbursable future medical services related to what was

claimed/released, the Medicare Trust Funds must be protected. If there

was/is no such funding, there is no expectation of 3rd party funds with

which to protect the Trust Funds. Each attorney is going to have to decide,

based on the specific facts of each of their cases, whether or not there is

funding for future medicals and if so, a need to protect the Trust Funds.

They must decide whether or not there is funding for future medicals.

If the answer for defense counsel or the insurer is yes, they should make sure

their records contain documentation of their notification to plaintiffs counsel

and the Medicare beneficiary that the settlement does fund future medicals

which obligates them to protect the Medicare Trust Funds. It will also be part

of their report to Medicare in compliance with Section 111, Mandatory Insurer Reporting requirements.

On September 30, 2011, CMS Acting Director Charlotte Benson issued a policy memorandum outlining the possible requirement of MSA funds in liability cases. This memo provided first-time guidance for MSA amounts related to liability insurance settlements, judgments, awards, or other payments. In discussing settlements of injuries related to liability insurance, the memo states:

Where the beneficiarys treating physician certifies in writing that treatment

for the alleged injury related to the liability insurance settlement has been completed as of the date of the settlement, and that future medical items

and/or services for that injury will not be required, Medicare considers its

interest, with respect to future medicals for that particular settlement,

satisfied. If the beneficiary receives additional settlements related to the underlying injury or illness, he/she must obtain a separate physician

certification for those additional settlements.

In late 2014, the United States Department of Health & Human Services (the federal agency CMS reports to and takes direction from) issued the following:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has no current plans

for a formal process for reviewing and approving Liability Medicare Set-Aside

Arrangements. However, even though no formal process exists, there is an obligation

to inform CMS when future medicals were a consideration in reaching the Liability

Settlement, judgment, or award as well as any instances where a liability judgment

or award specifically provides for medicals in general or future medicals.

Similar to the 2011 CMS handout discussed above, this letter is not legally binding, but is useful for attorneys handling the issue of future medical expenses and settlements.

To what extent are attorneys responsible for establishing MSAs for future medical expenses?

As of the date of this article, there is no statutory requirement that attorneys establish MSAs in liability settlements if the plaintiff is not a Medicare beneficiary. Personal injury settlements are clearly distinct from workers compensation settlements. As one court noted, in contrast to the workers compensation scheme that generally determines recovery on the basis of a rigid formula, often with a statutory maximum, tort cases involve noneconomic damages not available in workers compensation cases, and a victims damages are not determined by an established formula. (Sipler v. Trans Am Trucking, Inc. at p. 638) However, that does not mean attorneys can ignore this issue and then plead ignorance. Medicares interests must still be protected, which may involve setting up a MSA. Otherwise, the attorney may face severe penalties of up to $1000 per day, per claim.

When MSAs are required

For a MSA to be appropriate, (1) the plaintiff must be a Medicare beneficiary and (2) it must be determined that plaintiff will incur future care related to the underlying lawsuit or injury which would otherwise be covered by Medicare. If these two requirements above are met, then the parties should determine what amount of the settlement should be allocated to future medical care.

According to the Garretson Resolution Group (GSG), we now have some clarity about what the federal government considers material when it comes to future medical expenses under the MSPA. GSG, a neutral private provider of services to parties settling personal injury claims involving MSA and MSA custodial account services, has recently published a guide on how to handle future medicals in 2016 and under the MSP Statute. The 20-page guide lays out what GSG considers to be the best practices on the future medicals issue today. GSG explains the best practice is to (1) identify whether the amount of compensation from the primary plan exists within the settlement award, (2) identify the exact amount of compensation for future medical expenses, and (3) ensure Medicare is not billed until that amount is exhausted.

Arguments for and against establishing these accounts for future medical expenses

For MSAs

At present, there is a heated debate among practitioners over whether MSAs are even required. Federal law explicitly states that if dealing with a recovery in a personal injury case, the interest of Medicare must be considered. (42 U.S.C. 1395y(b)(2)) By setting up MSAs, parties will avoid costly penalties if Medicare determines the parties improperly billed Medicare, including double damages in a claim by the U.S. for recovery of conditional payments, as well as a debt collection action by the Department of Treasury. MSs are cost effective, are easily accessible, and bring finality to the liability claim. They are not required by law, but it is a reasonable approach that parties can adopt to protect themselves from MSP liability. As noted, if MSA accounts are not set up but should have been, the attorney may face fines of $1000 per day, per claim. The $1000 per day, per claim fine is associated with the reporting requirements of Section 111 of the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act (MMSEA) and has no direct correlation with MSAs. (See When to Use a Liability Medicare Set-Aside Arrangement (LMSA) by Roy A. Franco)

Against MSAs

As noted above, there is no federal regulation nor does the United States Code specifically require that MSA fund be created. The federal regulations dealing with Medicare as a secondary payer to post-settlement medical expenses apply only to workers compensation cases. Medicare does not currently have an established policy or procedure in effect for reviewing or providing an opinion regarding the adequacy of the future medical aspect of a liability settlement or recovery of future medical expenses incurred in liability cases.

Based on CMSs policy memoranda and recent case law, there seems to be a distinction being drawn between cases that require a MSA and those that do not. MSAs are not required where (1) the claimant is being compensated only for past medical expenses, and future medical expenses are not at issue; and (2) the claimant is not receiving Medicare, nor is expected to do so in the near future. Those against MSAs argue that a requirement to have personal injury settlements specifically apportion future medical expenses would prove burdensome to the settlement process and, in turn, discourage personal injury settlements. Medicare may refuse to pay future medical expenses related to the claim for which a responsible reporting entity has already assumed liability. Some believe that MSAs increase cost of the claim; however, MSA supporters remind those who oppose MSAs that the Medicare Set Aside comprises a portion of the settlement amount, and therefore there are no increased costs.

While no regulation or statute currently requires the creation of a MSA for future medical expenses in a third-party injury settlement, given the current trends as discussed in this article, it would seem prudent to create a MSA in any case that involves a reasonable likelihood of future injury-related medical care arising out of the underlying events covered by the settlement. The wise practitioner or claim professional should make this part of his or her settlement checklist in personal injury cases.

Richard M. Williams, partner with Gray Duffy, LLP, has more than 35 years of complex litigation experience. His practice covers a breadth of litigation matters including product and premises liability, catastrophic and other personal injury, public entity defense, professional negligence, real estate, intellectual property, employment and unfair business practices. He successfully represents a wide range of clients including insurance companies, business service firms, collection services, higher education organizations, major grocery stores, school districts, contractors, steel manufacturers and property management firms.
State lawmakers hope to offer relief to thousands of Louisiana drivers who collectively owe millions of dollars to the Office of Motor Vehicles in unpaid fines from lapsed insurance coverage.

Its not clear yet what form that relief might take, but House and Senate members have filed bills in each chamber trying to address drivers concerns.

Louisiana drivers are required to have insurance on their vehicles. The OMV is currently owed more than $265 million in unpaid fines issued to drivers with lapsed coverage, leading the state Office of Debt Recovery to revoke drivers licenses and seize tax refunds and bank accounts. Some drivers claim theyre now insured, but cant pay the old fines to reinstate their licenses.

The Senate transportation committee, without objection, advanced three bills Thursday attempting to ease drivers debts. They include amnesty guidelines, payment programs and an improved notification system, and now head to the full Senate for consideration.

More than 125,000 state drivers are listed as owing fines in an OMV database that dates back to 1986. Fines range from $125 to $525 for each violation.

Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, presented a bill Thursday to create a pilot amnesty program she hoped would relieve some of the stress. It would cap drivers debts at a fraction of their full amounts. The OMV would clear the records of drivers who pay and reinstate licenses after they show proof of insurance.

Ive received tons of phone calls (about the fines), Barrow said, adding she wants to grant drivers grace.

Sen. Dale Erdey, R-Livingston, wants to offer relief too, but he said lawmakers need to be realistic and take a hard look at what the OMV needs to operate in the real world. A recent fiscal note showed Barrows bill could cost the OMV more than $160 million in lost revenue.

OMV Commissioner Karen St. Germain said the cash-strapped offices on-going attempt to collect a total of $440 million owed in fines is not a money grab.

Sen. Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, was not so sure and echoed critics concerns about an unfair collection process. He suggested the OMV may improperly accuse drivers of having not paid fines when the drivers didnt receive collection letters, had already sold the vehicles listed with expired insurance or were registered in other states where theyve moved.

My contention is that I think were having a case of judge, jury (and) executioner with the constituents money without them even potentially knowing that they were even being brought to trial, the committee chair said Thursday.

Cortez pushed for an improved system as he presented a proposal to require that all notices of final debt include the total amount owed and all of a drivers payment options.

Rep. Denise Marcelle, R-Baton Rouge, said her House-backed bill would provide some of those payment options by creating installment plans for drivers to pay outstanding fines. The proposal would not negate debts, but allow drivers to become licensed while they work to repay their violations.

As of now, OMV personnel have some discretion when reviewing payments, but lack the authority to reissue licenses in exchange for partial payment made through a plan, St. Germain said.

Senators agreed each bill needed some work before reaching final legislative passage, but Sen. Gerald Long, R-Winnfield, echoed Barrows call for grace for those burdened by debts.

Theres a significant part of our lives that we believe in second chances and new opportunities, he said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thousands of Texas homeowners victimized by severe weather may also be victims of a wide-ranging conspiracy involving door-to-door solicitors, public insurance adjusters and attorneys, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in Dallas.

The lawsuit claims that individuals, companies and law firms purportedly representing residents with property damage insurance claims are actually operating a pyramid scheme to collect unlawful and fraudulent fees that can make completing the repairs almost impossible.

According to court documents, the scheme typically begins when a door-to-door solicitor working on behalf of a roofing contractor claims that his company can get the homeowners insurance company to pay for property damage, such as a new roof. After the initial insurance payment arrives, the solicitor keeps the funds and brings in a so-called public adjuster to inspect the home and seek additional payment from the insurance company, charging a fee of 10 percent of the total claim plus other expenses.

The solicitor also tells the homeowner that a lawyer must be hired to get still more payments from the insurance company, adding a 25 percent to 40 percent fee for any recovery. Having never met or even spoken with the homeowner, the attorney then files a lawsuit against the insurer without the homeowners knowledge, agrees to a mediation, and settles the matter without the approval of or consultation with the homeowner. When a settlement check finally arrives, the payment often is not enough to pay for roof repairs because of deductions to cover the fees and expenses of the attorney, public adjuster and solicitor.

This is a very real and deceitful scheme that is carried out in this state every day by those who are supposed to be helping homeowners, not ripping them off, said attorney Mark Ticer, who represents Dallas resident Juan Guerra in the lawsuit.

Guerra was approached in 2014 by a representative of Arlington-based roofing contractor Lambcorp, who said the company could handle his insurance claim for a new roof. Guerra turned over the payment from his insurer to Lambcorp, which demanded that he hire Arlington-based National Claims Negotiators LLC, a public adjusting firm, and the San Antonio law firm of Speights & Worrich to obtain additional payments from his insurer.

Guerra still has not received the new roof he was initially promised by the solicitor, nor have the insurance proceeds taken by Lambcorp been returned to him.

This lawsuit is bringing to light an elaborate web of conspirators and con artists who are lining their pockets at the expense of innocent and unsuspecting homeowners, with a goal of bringing accountability, honesty and integrity back into the system, said attorney Van Shaw of the Law Offices of Van Shaw in Dallas, co-counsel for Guerra and the proposed class.

Dallas attorney Steven Badger of Zelle LLP has been vocal on behalf of the insurance industry in responding to the dramatic increase in hail damage lawsuits. In addition to his work defending insurance companies, Badger represents a group of homeowners in a class action lawsuit against North Texas roofing contractor Lambcorp alleging the unauthorized practice of public adjusting and other improper conduct. The Guerra class action was filed as an intervention into Badgers lawsuit, as it also named Lambcorp as a defendant.

Ticer and Shaw say the lawsuit also exposes a troubling increase in Texas of an illegal practice called barratry, which includes the improper solicitation of potential cases by individuals not associated with the lawyer handling the matter.

Such conduct is unfortunately becoming increasingly common, but Texas law provides victims of barratry a private right of action against the violating lawyers, said Ticer.

The allegations of solicitation and barratry set forth in Guerras lawsuit are typical of what those of us involved in defending these lawsuits believe is going on all across Texas, Badger said.

Badger expects to see additional barratry lawsuits filed in the months ahead. Each and every week I am contacted with concerns about Texas attorneys and their door-to-door canvassers following the same model described in the Guerra lawsuit.

Badger said he is encouraged to see well-known plaintiffs attorneys like Mark Ticer and Van Shaw taking steps to address apparent illegal conduct by other attorneys. Mark and Van should be commended for their willingness to take on this important issue.

The case is Guerra v. Jorge Garcia, Vivian Armas, et al., No. DC-15-03338, in the 134th District Court in Dallas.
Glenn Renwick, president and chief executive officer, will retire after more than 15 years as CEO and almost 30 years with the company, effective July 1, 2016. The Progressive Corp. announced that Tricia Griffith, currently Personal Lines chief operating officer, will succeed Renwick as CEO and president and will join the board of directors.

Renwick will continue as executive chairman of the board.

Stephen Hardis, lead independent director of Progressives board of directors, said the transition is the result of a process initiated by Renwick several years ago. He said the leadership change comes at a time of strength for the company.

Under Glenns leadership, Progressive has become one of the most successful, innovative and respected insurance companies, said Hardis

Renwick joined Progressive in 1986. He was named CEO of insurance operations in 2000 and has served as the CEO of the parent company since 2001. He has served in a variety of operating roles during his tenure at Progressive, including product manager, the head of the companys marketing organization and business technology leader.

The Progressive Corp. announced that ,Renwick was given the additional role of chairman following the death of previous chairman Peter Lewis in November, 2013.

Since Renwick became CEO in 2000, the companys market capitalization has increased by approximately 155 percent to more than $19 billion and written premiums have more than tripled. Renwick, a former Bell Labs engineer, made Progressive a leader in e-commerce and telephone direct sales, online price comparisons, and consumer technologies including the usage-based Snapshot, which monitors drivers driving habits. In 2008, Progressive received a U.S. patent for one of its methods of processing vehicle damage claims, which it calls its concierge level of claims service. Progressive holds several other patents, including three for its usage-based insurance programs and one for its online policy servicing capabilities. .

In 2015, Renwick expanded the insurers business and its ability to bundle personal lines products with the acquisition of home insurer ARX Holding last year. It was the first carrier to offer its auto customers pet injury coverage.

It has been a privilege to lead this extraordinary organization  surrounded by the smartest, most entrepreneurial, and innovative people in the insurance industry, said Renwick.

Progressive has had a combined distribution model, selling both directly y phone and online as well as through independent agents, a strategy that has not sit well with all independent agents over the years. It has supported its channels with aggressive advertising that rivals that of exclusive agent auto insurers such as GEICO, State Farm, Allstate and Nationwide.

Over the years, some independent agents have questioned Progressives commitment to the independent agency distribution channel even as the company was among the largest sellers of auto insurance through agents. In 2004, the company launched a new branding effort expressly for independent agents and brokers: Drive Insurance from Progressive. But the company dropped the separate Drive brand name in 2007 and gathered all sales under the Progressive name in 2007.

Renwicks successor, Griffith, joined Progressive as a claims representative in 1988 and has served as Personal Lines chief operating officer, responsible for the companys personal lines, claims and customer relationship management groups, since April 2015. She held several managerial positions in the claims division before being named chief human resources officer in 2002. In 2008, she returned to claims as the group president, overseeing all claims functions. Before her current position, she served as president of Customer Operations, overseeing claims and the customer management group, which comprises the companys contact center group (sales and delivery), as well as the customer experience, systems experience and workforce management groups.

Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes. Home insurance is underwritten by select carriers, including American Strategic Insurance Corp. and subsidiaries (ASI), our majority owned subsidiaries. Progressive is the fourth largest auto insurer in the country.
Homes located near a gas well blowout that spewed the nations largest-known release of methane had higher levels of toxic metals that could have caused symptoms Los Angeles residents have suffered from for months, public health officials said.

Tests found barium, manganese and vanadium more frequently and in higher concentrations in dust in homes located near the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said Friday.

The contaminants could be responsible for eye, nose, throat and skin irritation, but are not expected to cause long-term problems, the report said.

Some 8,000 families moved out of their San Fernando Valley homes after the gas well blowout in October, with many people complaining of persistent headaches, nausea and nosebleeds. Even after Southern California Gas Co. permanently sealed the well nearly four months later, a survey found a majority of homes continued to report health problems.

Health officials initially attributed symptoms to the stinky odorant added to make the gas detectable, but ailments such as rashes and bloody noses were not known to be caused by that chemical.

Its really interesting to see all these metals come out to confirm theres probably more than one reason people have become sick, said Alexandra Nagy, an environmental activist who wants the facility shut down.

The unusual patterns of metals found appear to have come from the well where gas is stored in a vacant oil field deep underground, said Michael Jerrett, chairman of the Environmental Health Sciences Department at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Some of the metals are trace elements of oil, and barium was an ingredient in the muddy brine used in unsuccessful attempts to plug the high-pressure leak, said Jerrett, who performed environmental testing in Porter Ranch homes.

During attempts to plug the well, an oily mist was sprayed into the air and residents received robocalls telling them to stay inside.

In a sense, we have a fingerprint that there was something that intruded into a large portion of houses related to hydrocarbons, Jerrett said, though he couldnt say for sure that the well was the source. Barium would be the most direct link to the well leak itself.

Health officials suggested residents take several measures to thoroughly clean and ventilate homes.

SoCalGas, which expects the leak to cost $665 million, mostly for relocation costs, said the report showed its safe to return home. Thousands of families remain uprooted.

It is time for the residents who chose to remain relocated to exit the relocation program, and for the community as a whole to return to normal, the company said in a statement.

Jerrett said hes going to recommend that several homes where elevated levels of cancer-causing benzene and hexane, a neurotoxin, be tested further.

The report said its possible other contaminants are present in homes and ambient air, noting that the facility is the single-largest emitter of formaldehyde in the region.

It also said methane levels continue to be higher than expected and could be coming from another source.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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The Berea city council discusses charter amendments at recent meeting

(Alan R, Bell, special to cleveland.com)

BEREA, Ohio - The city's Charter Commission has proposed a series of charter amendments, including extending the terms of council members and the council president from two to four years. In order for the amendments to make the November ballot, the proposals must be approved by August 1.

The amendments were submitted to City Council on Monday.

Starting in 2019, the charter commission is proposing that all members and the president be elected to a four-year term of service. Currently, council members are elected to a two year term. According to the proposal, each member should live in the city for no less than two years prior to being elected. The five different ward council members will be required to reside in that specific ward for the duration of their term in office.

The Charter Commission also wants to allow alternative methods of notice for meetings to be established. Special meetings may be called by the mayor or any three members of council. The proposed ordinance wants at least 24 hours of written notice to be delivered personally to the residences of the council members.

Nominations for municipal elective offices shall be initiated by filing nonpartisan petitions. Another proposed change wants to modify petition signature requirements for elected officials. It is proposed that council at large and mayoral candidates must have 100 valid signatures. To be eligible for a ward position, a candidate must obtain 50 signatures from residents in that ward.

Another amendment would expand the power of the planning commission. The commission is responsible for the zoning and building codes of the city. The commission will be able to vary, modify, and grant exceptions in certain cases without council's approval.

The final ordinance will deal with clarifying the use of the word gender in the city's charter. Council agreed to schedule a special work session on May 23 to discuss all of these issues in detail.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Add 70 more apartments to the new-construction lineup in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, where a local developer team recently started demolishing an old industrial building on an otherwise residential street.

A four-story apartment complex is slated to replace the brick building at 3007 Clinton Ave., eliminating a longtime source of neighborhood angst and ending a redevelopment battle that dragged on for two years. Apartment pre-leasing will start in the winter. The first renters could arrive next May.

At a May 6 ceremonial groundbreaking, members of the project team and the former property owner remarked on the challenges and opportunities posed by development in Ohio City, where apartments, restaurants, bars and other businesses have proliferated since the recession.

In the late 1960s, investors behind the locally-owned Storer Meat Co. bought the Clinton Avenue property, where they housed a mix of manufacturing, storage, packaging and distribution for more than four decades. But those industrial uses increasingly clashed with the surrounding neighborhood and prompted a constant chorus of complaints from nearby residents fed up with truck traffic and noise.

Demolition was well under way Tuesday on Clinton Avenue, where a local developer team is planning a 70-unit apartment building on a longtime industrial site.

Robert Gutwein, president of Storer Meat Co., sold the building last year to a partnership between residential developer Chad Kertesz; developer Fred Geis and his son, Ethan; and Kevin Brokaw, director of development for the Geis Cos.

"We appreciate everybody's patience with us through these last few years, while we were trying to move on," Gutwein said.

He moved his business, which sells sausages, hams and other products under the Five Star brand, just 1.5 miles south to Clark Avenue in late 2015.

The Geis-Kertesz partnership has largely razed the former meat-distribution facility and plans to replace it with a U-shaped building, comprising three studio apartments, 48 one-bedrooms, 17 two-bedrooms and two larger two-bedroom units with dens. The project also will include 76 parking spaces, 70 of them indoors and six outside.

Brokaw wouldn't discuss rental rates for the apartments, which will range in size from roughly 500 square feet to 1,800 square feet. At Mariner's Watch, a similar apartment building that opened on Detroit Avenue last year, tenants are paying an average of $1,795 a month, or $1.89 per square foot.

Unlike Mariner's Watch, which sits on a major corridor, the Clinton Avenue project encountered pushback from a handful of neighbors who believed the apartment building was too big and too close to adjacent historic homes.

After the city's Board of Zoning Appeals approved variances - exceptions related to the size and placement of the building - for the project in March 2015, those neighbors filed an appeal in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

Last month, a judge reversed the zoning board's decision, saying the body wasn't specific enough about its reasons for giving the variances a green light. But that decision didn't stop the apartment project, thanks to a more sweeping land-use change implemented late last year.

In the fall, Cleveland City Council signed off on new zoning for more than 30 properties south of Clinton Avenue. The rezoning basically made the lawsuit over the variances moot, paving a path for the developers to proceed over the objections of residents who wanted to see townhouses or single-family homes built on the site.

Like other residential projects in Cleveland, the Clinton Avenue apartments will take advantage of property-tax abatement, which the city grants to developments and redevelopments that meet certain green-building standards.

"It was a long process," Brokaw said of getting to a groundbreaking, "but we're very happy to contribute to the neighborhood and continue to help it grow in the direction that most of the neighbors want it to grow."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland City Council has done its part in a statewide campaign to bring back Ohio's renewable energy standards and energy efficiency mandates.

Council on Monday night approved a resolution asking for the immediate return of the state rules requiring power companies to help their customers use less power and to sell more power generated by clean technologies such as wind and solar.

Council's action follows a report released a week ago by clean energy advocates who claimed consumers would save $3.4 billion over the next 14 years if the wind industry were not hobbled by Ohio's opposition to further wind development.

The

was produced by the non-profit Wind Energy Foundation in conjunction with the American Wind Energy Association. It was reviewed by the Cleveland-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Click

to download the full report.

Lawmakers a year ago "froze" the renewable and efficiency standards at 2014 levels following a lobbying campaign by FirstEnergy and other Ohio utilities.

After a study committee of lawmakers last fall recommended an indefinite freeze, key GOP lawmakers in late April and earlier this month introduced legislation to extend the freeze either another three years, or permanently.

Gov. John Kasich, involved in his presidential campaign at the time, said a permanent freeze would be unacceptable. At least twice during his campaign, Kasich told voters he supported wind and solar, though not the 2008 Ohio law that requires renewable energy to account for 12.5 percent of all power sold in the state by 2025.

A group of nine institutional investors, several of them religiously affiliated, with more than $15 billion in investments under their management, wrote to Kasich less than a week ago urging him to strongly oppose legislation extending the freeze because it will hurt the state and many of the businesses operating here.

The nine argued:

"Ohio attracted $1.3 billion in private clean energy investment from 2009 to 2013 and was predicted to generate an additional $3 billion over the next 10 years." The two-year freeze has created policy uncertainty both for companies and investors that will erode the initial investments.

"Ohio's energy efficiency programs were the cheapest and most cost-effective in the nation."

One of the new proposed bills would limit Ohio's ability to develop strategies to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan.

"If Ohio is going to attract tech giants such as Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft to build data centers in the state, it must remain competitive with other states that are aggressively recruiting companies by fostering a clean energy economy."

The institutional investors who signed the letter were Calvert Investments, Friends Fiduciary, Region VI Coalition for Responsible Investment, Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Western Province Leadership, Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Congregational Leadership, Sisters of the Humility of Mary, Trillium Asset Management, Unitarian Universalist Association, and Walden Asset Management.

Each of the recently introduced bills to extend the freeze, Senate Bill 320 and House Bill 554, has had one introductory hearing, but further action at this point will probably be delayed until November.

Legislation of some sort must be approved by year's end or the original state standards approved in 2008 will come back to life on Jan. 1, 2017, because the freeze legislation passed last year was only a two-year freeze.

Cleveland opposed the two-year freeze legislation and a bill introduced a year earlier that would have effectively eliminated the 2008 law. The city in 2008 also set renewable energy standards for Cleveland Public Power.

Council's resolution notes that as of this year more than 100,000 Ohioans are working in "clean energy businesses" and that efficiency standards have saved customers about $1.5 billion.

In testimony delivered to Council's Finance Committee on Monday, Samantha Williams, a Chicago-based attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, argued that Ohio's cities must "step in and take a clear, unwavering position" on the issue as state lawmakers and the governor work through what appears to be "a disconnect."

"The stakes are considerable. Most notably, Ohio stands to lose investment dollars. Before the freeze, the state enjoyed an investment of $1.3 billion in the clean energy sector. Today, that has all but come to a halt with the uncertainty in the state energy law," she said.

"It makes sense for Ohio to leverage its strengths in manufacturing and position itself as a player in this new economy. Bringing back the state clean energy law is one step in the right direction. The current freeze has been two years too long, and we now need to move forward," Williams concluded.

Edited by the author on May 18 to clarify the source of the wind energy report and to include links to the study. The article initially attributed the report to the American Wind Energy Association rather than the foundation.
Cleveland Heights Police Car

Cleveland Heights police said a pizza delivery driver was carjacked late Saturday on Elbon Road.

(File photo)

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Several men carjacked a pizza delivery driver late Saturday in Cleveland Heights, police said.

The men stole the Marco's Pizza employee's 2011 Kia just after 11 p.m. on Elbon Road near Hartwood Road, according to a police report.

No arrests have been made, police said.

The 34-year-old driver, who works at the pizza chain's South Euclid location, was not harmed.

The driver had just parked his car in front of a house when three or four men approached him. One man pulled out a pistol and ordered the driver to empty his pockets, the report says.

The men took a pizza, the driver's keys and a bag containing credit cards receipts and approximately $40 in cash. The men then left in the Kia.

Several residents of the Elbon Road house told officers they had not ordered pizza, the report says.

Officers searched the area but could not find the Kia.

If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- New charges were filed Monday against two men accused in the 2015 triple-homicide shooting at a Warrensville Heights barbershop and the killing of one of the witnesses in the case.

Douglas Shine Jr. and Kevin McKinny, brothers, are suspects in both shootings.

Shine was originally charged in a February 5, 2015 shooting at Chalk Linez barbershop in Warrensville Heights that killed Walter Barfield, Brandon White and William Gonzalez. He's now charged with aggravated murder in the death of Aaron Ladson, a witness in the case who was killed in his driveway.

McKinny was originally charged in Ladson's death. He is now also charged in the barbershop deaths.

The indictment says that Shine recruited McKinney to kill Ladson, and also charges the two with covering up evidence in that second shooting.

On April 15, just over two months after the barbershop shootings, Shine learned that Ladson was a witness in the prosecutors case against him.

The two communicated using a cellphone in the days leading up to June 4, when police say McKinney opened fire on Ladson as he stood in the driveway of his Harvard Avenue home.

Ladson's brother, Brandon White, was one of three people shot in the Feb. 5, 2015 shooting at the barber shop.

Prosecutors believe heroin kingpin Tevaughn "Big Baby" Darling orchestrated the barbershop massacre that targeted a group that he was feuding with known as the LA Gunnaz gang, prosecutors said.

Darling's attorney, Ralph DeFranco, filed a motion on April 24 to have Ladson, whom he also represented, released from house arrest in a separate drug case.

Prosecutors would later file a motion in a drug case against Darling claiming DeFranco became an "unwitting accomplice" in the assassination plot.

DeFranco withdrew from Darling's case, but blasted the prosecutor's claims.

"The suggestion that Counsel's efforts to have Mr. Ladson released on bond were somehow connected to his eventual demise is ludicrous and completely without merit," DeFranco wrote.

Darling has not been named as a conspirator in the Chalk Linez or Aaron Ladson shootings and was sentenced last month to 14 years in prison on drug charges.

The conspiracy charge in Ladson's death mentions two unnamed co-conspirators.

McKinney now faces a 33-count indictment including multiple aggravated murder and murder charges in both the Chalk Linez shooting and in Ladson's death. Shine faces 47 felony counts, including specifications that could lead to a death sentence if he is convicted.
Question: An injured patient alleges that her eye doctor was negligent in failing to adhere to national treatment guidelines and in not using modern medical equipment. The encounter took place in a rural setting, with the nearest hospital 100 miles away.

In her malpractice lawsuit, which of the following choices is incorrect?

A. One of the doctors defenses may be the locality rule.

B. The plaintiffs strongest argument is that community standards should parallel national standards for a specialist doctor such as an ophthalmologist.

C. Her expert witness must be a practicing ophthalmologist from the area.

D. The expert must be familiar with the local standards but does not have to practice there.

E. It all depends on what the state statute says, because the locality rule is not uniform settled law.

Answer: C. In traditional medical tort law, courts would rely on the standard of the particular locale where the tortious act took place, the so-called locality rule. This was based on the belief that different standards of care were applicable in different areas of the country, e.g., urban vs. rural. The rule can be traced to Small v. Howard,1 an 1880 Massachusetts opinion, which was subsequently overruled in 1968.

Dr. S.Y. Tan

Factors favoring the trend away from a local standard toward a national standard include conformity in medical school and residency curricula, and prescribed board certification requirements. Internet access and telemedicine have further propagated this uniformity. Finally, two additional facets of modern medicine  continuing medical education and published clinical practice guidelines  are at odds with a rule geared toward local standards.

One argument against the locality rule is that undue reliance on an outdated mode of practice will perpetuate substandard care. In an older New York malpractice case where a newborn became blind, the pediatrician cited local custom to defend the prolonged use of oxygen to treat preterm infants, despite evidence that this practice might have serious consequences. However, the court of appeals held that the pediatricians superior knowledge of the increased risk of hyperoxygenation should have enabled him to use his best judgment instead of relying on the indefensible local custom.

Under a strict version of the locality rule, otherwise qualified expert witnesses may be excluded if they are not practitioners in the locale in question. Still, some courts may allow out-of-state experts to offer their opinions. This has been especially helpful to plaintiffs who are far less likely to be able to secure willing local experts, given the reluctance of many physicians to testify against a fellow doctor in their community.

Take Tennessee as an example. It once excluded the expert testimony of an orthopedic surgeon from Johnson City because the expert witness testified about the national standard and did not have actual knowledge of the standard of care in Nashville, the community where the alleged malpractice occurred.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals later ruled that expert witnesses had to have personal or firsthand knowledge of the community standard of care, and that interviewing other physicians in the area did not suffice. It subsequently clarified that an expert witness need not actually practice in the same or similar locale, and that professional contact with physicians from comparable communities, such as through referrals, would be acceptable.

Two well-known cases touching on the locality rule bear summarizing: In Swink v. Weintraub,2 Mrs. Swink bled into her pericardium during repair of a defective pacemaker electric lead. She died as a result, and her family pursued a wrongful death action, alleging negligence including delayed pericardiocentesis and surgical intervention.

The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, awarding damages in the amount of $1,047,732.20. On appeal, the defendants argued that North Carolinas locality rule extended to all aspects of a negligence action, and that the trial court erred in admitting expert opinions without regard to whether those opinions reflected the same or similar community standard of care.

But the court of appeals disagreed, emphasizing that compliance with the same or similar community standard does not necessarily exonerate a defendant from an allegation of medical negligence. The court said liability can be established if the defendant did not exercise his best judgment in the treatment of the patient or if the defendant failed to use reasonable care and diligence in his efforts to render medical assistance.

In McClure v. Inova Medical Group, a Virginia jury found that a family practice resident had failed to meet the Virginia community standard of care when he did not order the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test in a 53-year-old patient who was subsequently diagnosed with prostate cancer. The doctor had discussed the risks and benefits of PSA testing, but the patient declined taking the test. Jurors sided with the plaintiffs argument that according to the local or statewide standard, Virginia doctors simply ordered the test as a matter of routine for men older than 50 years without necessarily discussing risks and benefits. The court awarded $1 million to the patient.3
"I say, give me a break. This is the first time I can ever recall that you have to asterisk a Buffett buy," the " Mad Money " host said.

In other words, they didn't attribute the position to even count under the name of the Oracle of Omaha.

Within minutes of learning about Berkshire's 9.81 million-share position in Apple, Cramer heard rumors that it wasn't a position under Warren Buffett . Many thought it was either under Todd Combs or Ted Weschler, two investment managers who help oversee the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio.

Any time there is anything positive said about Apple , the stock quickly becomes condemned. There was no clearer example of this, to Jim Cramer, than the $1 billion stake that Berkshire Hathaway just took in the company.

Cramer admitted that Apple's stock has been a dog in the past year. Still, he remains strong in his position that the stock should be owned, not traded. He thinks it is a great company with amazing prospects.

Read more from Mad Money with Jim Cramer

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But what seemed strange to Cramer was that the same people who claim to love it also have antipathy toward it. Analyst Tony Sacconaghi rated Apple as an outperform for ages. Yet, his commentary on the conference call and his research made Cramer think he loathes it.

"It is the most faux buy recommendation I can ever recall," Cramer said.

None of the positives surrounding the stock seem to resonate. Instead, investors are focusing on CEO Tim Cook's fence-mending trip to China and his upcoming trip to India. Instead of noticing how easy it was for Cook to invest $1 billion in Didi, the Uber of China.

Cramer thinks nothing matters right now for the stock because the reluctant bulls on Apple must downgrade it before the stock can stabilize. It is part of the process that when a company misses, there is a sea of downgrades, a lower share price, and then when the worst is built in  it is upgraded.

"Until that happens, all I can say is, the love-hate affair with Apple will continue," Cramer said.
"Please call a few times more and wait in patience," it reads. "We will get back to you and make arrangements accordingly."

In a longer version of the ad, potential workers are encouraged to "hurry to apply," and warned that the company's jobs hotline may be busy because "so many applicants are dialing in."

On the website for Foxconn 's Zhengzhou, China, factory, a job advertisement on the homepage reads, "Foxconn Zhengzhou is hiring a large number of ordinary workers. Welcome to join Foxconn: Age between 18-40. Overall monthly salary: 3,800 renmimbi. Start working immediately."

Apple 's top Taiwanese suppliers have started mass-hirings, with reports in Taiwan that the companies were recruiting staff in preparation for building the iPhone 7 series.

Taiwan's Economic Daily News reported on Tuesday that Foxconn, which is also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, and Pegatron , another Apple supplier, had ramped up hiring as they prepared to assemble the newest model iPhones.

The report noted that hiring at both suppliers had kicked off their recruitment seasons at least a month earlier than in previous years in which Apple has launched new iPhones, and that it was the first time in two years that Foxconn had started recruiting on the mainland as early as May.

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6S Plus were launched in September, and speculation about the release of an iPhone 7 series of phones has heated up this month, with Macworld.co.uk recently reporting that Apple was expected to launch an iPhone 7 as well as an iPhone 7 Plus that could possibly be called the iPhone Pro.

Most reports have put the likely release date in September.

The Economic Daily News reported that the design of the iPhone 7 was more complex than previous models, which meant that suppliers needed to start work on the new phone's parts earlier than on previous iterations, which assembling staff needed more training than previous.

Foxconn did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. Pegatron declined to comment.

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An automated business run on computer code, with no human input beyond its anonymous backers, has raised the equivalent of $120 million in digital currency.

The financial support for the vehicle, called The DAO, makes it the most advanced embodiment yet of an idea that has long captivated idealists: automatic companies that operate without managers or boards of directors, making them the purest form of shareholder governance.

The DAO  an acronym of decentralised autonomous organisation, the name given to such entities  has been set up to invest in other businesses, making it a form of investor-directed venture capital fund.

"There are no humans controlling it, it's just the code," said Simon Jentzsch, a German software developer who was one the people behind the idea. "There is no one who will take money for favouring one or other contract. You will have the wisdom of the crowds."

As of Monday, The DAO had raised 10.7m units of a digital currency called Eth, said to be worth $120 million. Its investors will vote on what to do with the money after fundraising ends on May 28, after choosing between proposals submitted to its website.
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The hit to the U.K. economy from leaving the European Union (EU) that has been forecast by bodies ranging from the International Monetary Fund to the Bank of England is "rotten propaganda," a former U.K. finance minister and member of the Brexit camp told CNBC on Tuesday. Norman Lamont is a veteran of the U.K.'s ruling center-right Conservative Party and among those leading the campaign to persuade Britons to vote to leave the EU in June 23's referendum. This week, he poured scorn on the flurry of well-respected economic bodies and economists that have warned in recent weeks about the dangers of a so-called Brexit. Those raising concerns include U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, the U.K.'s National Institute of Economic and Social Research, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Monetary Fund. Lamont told CNBC that the various bodies were suffering from "groupthink." "We've got a whole series  OECD, IMF, Bank of England, the (U.K.) Treasury  they are more or less the same people who talk to each other all the time. There is a lot of groupthink here. It doesn't mean they are right," he said on Tuesday.

The U.K. Treasury estimated in April that Britain would be worse off by 4,300 ($6,192) per household per year after 15 years outside the EU, a forecast Lamont called "rotten propaganda."

"Who can really tell whether the economy is going to grow faster or slower in 15 years' time?" he said. Lamont served under Margaret Thatcher, one of the U.K.'s most influential prime ministers. Both were long-term skeptics of the EU and, as Chancellor, Lamont helped negotiate the U.K.'s opt-out from joining the euro. He threw his support behind the campaign to leave the EU in March this year.

Why the referendum?

The so-called Brexit referendum stems from the promise of current U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron to hold a public vote on leaving the EU if awarded a second-term as leader  which he was in 2015. The vote will take place on June 23 and is expected to be close run.

Membership of the EU, which the U.K. joined in 1973, guarantees freedom of movement of goods, services, people and capital among the 28 countries in the region that belong. Countries contribute to the EU budget in proportion to the size of their economies and must comply with certain union-wide regulations. Its proponents say the union has played a key role in maintaining peace and economic prosperity following the devastation of World War II. As Europe's second-biggest economy, the U.K. is one of the biggest contributors to the EU budget, contributing around 8.5 billion in 2015. This is controversial among the British public, which has long been more skeptical of membership than the other major economies in the union, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Other points of contention include the perceived loss of sovereignty from overseas policymakers. In addition, high levels of migration into the U.K. from typically far poorer EU members have raised concerns about loss of jobs to British-born citizens and greater burden on public services. The prime minister is actually in favor of remaining in the union  as are the majority of Conservative politicians that have publicly expressed a view. However, a sizable minority have come out in favor of a Brexit, including Boris Johnson, the former London Mayor and potential future party leader, and Zac Goldsmith, who failed in his mayoral bid this month.



Boris Johnson

Earlier this year, Cameron attempted to hammer out a "special status" for the U.K.in the EU that would make continued membership more appealing to the British public. Concessions included setting a minimum time threshold for EU migrants to the U.K. to start claiming social benefits. However, his efforts seemed to do little to assuage the public's concerns. A handful of politicians in the U.K.'s main opposition Labour Party have come out in favor of a Brexit but the vast majority wishes to remain. On Friday, Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF, said Brexit would be costly in both the short- and long-run for the U.K. and that possible outcomes ranged from "pretty bad to very, very bad." The IMF is set to detail its exact forecasts of the cost to the U.K. on June 16  just a week ahead of the referendum. Some "leave" campaigners have criticized the IMF and the Bank of England of overstepping their mandates by commenting on what is arguably a domestic political issue.
The solution from eyeSight Technologies allows a user to simply place their finger in front of the VR headset and move it around. A user will see a little dot through their headset and when they want to select an option, they can simply tap the air in front of them to select.

A start-up that makes technology to allow you to control devices touch-free with gestures has raised $20 million to accelerate its products, including a new product that allows consumers to make selections on a virtual reality (VR) headset by touching thin air.

eyeSight's solution uses existing camera capabilities on smartphones that plug into VR headsets like the Gear VR or Google Cardboard. A company that produces VR headsets powered by mobile does not need to build new hardware. Instead, eyeSight can embed a code in an app or within the smartphone's software to give users the ability to use gesture control.



The funding will help eyeSight commercialize its solutions and also get a foothold in China with Kuang-Chi now on board as an investor.

"Today our problem as a company is there are so many opportunities and because we are pretty unique, it's hard to handle everything. So one use of the funding is to expand the eyeSight team both commercial and technically," Gideon Shmuel, chief executive of eyeSight, told CNBC in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Shmuel said the company also has a "ton of opportunity in China" and it will look to establish a team of 15 in the country.

"We are in discussions with a few manufacturers in China (about embedding our technology) but it's something we kept quiet about, it's work in progress," the CEO said, adding that he cannot talk about specifics because the discussions are still ongoing.

The company is not only focused on VR. Its solutions can work on a number of devices from smartphones to tablet screens. So-called internet of things devices, like smartwatches or connected fridges, are a big area of focus for the company. EyeSight currently has a product called Singlecue which is a hub that users can connect their smart home devices to and control with touch-free gestures.

Another area eyeSight wants to focus on is the auto space and developing tools to allow drivers to control features of their car through touch-free gestures.

EyeSight has been striking partnerships with key device manufacturers. Its technology is in Samsung's Artik 10 internet of things chip. With fresh funds and the backing of a large Chinese conglomerate, the Israeli start-up is hoping to strike further partnerships.
Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:

Home Depot  The home improvement retailer reported adjusted first-quarter profit of $1.44 per share, 8 cents above estimates, with revenue also beating analyst forecasts. Home Depot also raised its full-year forecast for earnings and comparable store sales.

LendingClub  The online lender issued a letter to investors, saying an outside auditor has found no additional problems among its 673,000 outstanding loans, beyond the documentation issues identified in 361 loans last week that led to the departure of the company's CEO.

Intel  CLSA initiated coverage on the chipmaker's shares with an "underperform" rating, saying that declining growth in the semiconductor industry requires a different approach and more focus on individual companies.

Hertz Global  The car rental giant's Chief Executive Officer John Tague reported the purchase of 66,000 shares of Hertz stock. Those purchases were made on last Friday and yesterday, according to an SEC filing.

Viacom  Viacom founder Sumner Redstone has the power to remove CEO Philippe Dauman from the trust that controls his media holdings, according to Reuters, but he does not have the same ability regarding his daughter Shari Redstone.

Syngenta  The agricultural chemical company's takeover by ChemChina will reportedly be scrutinized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Reuters reports the USDA is joining the government panel reviewing the planned $43 billion deal in this country.

Pandora Media  Pandora is being urged to explore a sale by hedge fund Corvex Management, which has disclosed a 9.9-percent stake in the online music streaming company.

Office Depot  The office supplies retailer is mulling a possible sale of some of its European operations, after its takeover by larger rival Staples was called off last week.

Alphabet  The Google parent is accelerating a push into the ride-sharing business, unveiling a new app that enables commuters to carpool.

Clorox  Clorox increased its quarterly dividend by 4 percent to 80 cents per share. The household products company's payout will go to shareholders of record as of July 27 and will be paid on August 12.

Twitter  Twitter will stop counting photos and web links in its 140-character limit.

Alaska Air , Virgin America  The two companies have been asked by the Justice Department for more information about Alaska Air's $2.6-billion acquisition of its rival airline. The two companies say they are cooperating fully with regulators as they move to complete the deal.
European stocks finished in negative territory on Tuesday with major benchmarks dragged lower by the autos industry.

The pan-European STOXX 600 closed flat, down narrowly by 0.1 percent provisionally, after trading higher for most of the session. Major indexes traded in different directions with the FTSE 100 ending narrowly higher and the German DAX drifting lower.

An HSBC note out Tuesday afternoon cut the autos industry to an "underweight" from a "neutral". Stocks like Peugeot and BMW came under heavy pressure and damped sentiment across the region.

Shares of Italy's Fiat Chrysler finished 6.6 percent lower after Exane BNP Paribas downgraded the stock to "underperform". Volkswagen was also in the red after Citigroup cut its price target for the stock.

European markets had initially followed the lead set by markets in Asia, with the FTSEurofirst 300 index hitting a two-week high in the morning session. U.S. stocks traded lower on Tuesday, meanwhile, weighed by a reversal in oil prices.

Mining stocks bucked the trend, helped along by a tick-up in commodities. Anglo American shares closed up over 3 percent while BHP Billiton and Glencore were also in positive territory.
Kate Spade has a new last name, Valentine, and a new company, Frances Valentine. But the design motivation that made her a household name has not changed. "It has to have an emotional tug," said Kate Valentine, formerly Kate Spade, while sitting next to her partner and husband, Andy Spade, for an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday. Frances Valentine, a high-end maker of shoes and handbags, shipped its first collection to retailers in February. Kate and Andy Spade first started Kate Spade, the company, in 1993. They grew the brand into a worldwide powerhouse, before selling a majority stake to luxury department store Neiman Marcus in 1999. About eight years later, Kate Spade was sold to the group known then as Liz Claiborne for $125 million. Kate and Andy Spade left the company they founded shortly thereafter. Subsequently, Liz Claiborne transformed itself into the Kate Spade & Co. that trades on the New York Stock Exchange.

"When we sold the company in 2007, it was really to focus on our family. It really was. It was a grind. I had just had a baby," Kate Valentine said.

"Creatively, I felt like we had completed our task," added Andy Spade, who started in 2008 the branding company Partners & Spade. Over the years, he's worked with established brands like Target and J.Crew and start-ups like Warby Parker. Andy Spade said he learned a lot from that experience, especially on the social media side. "People can talk about advertising and branding" and those are important, said Valentine. But it really "has to be about design" at the core.

When we sold the company in 2007, it was really to focus on our family. Kate Valentine, nee Spade Frances Valentine co-founder
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Goldman Sachs has taken a renewed bullish stance on internet services in China and the opportunities that are available for investors, after six years of showing little interest in the sector.

"For the first time since 2010, we have a high degree of confidence in the long term growth and potential (operating) profit pool for China internet," a team of analysts, led by Piyush Mubayi, said in a research note released on Tuesday.

The bank said the "total addressable market" could involve revenues of approximately $10 trillion by the end of 2020 and an "immense online profit opportunity" of around $70 billion in the same time period if the industry is "run solely to maximize profitability." Sectors include gaming, online advertising, e-commerce, cloud computing and internet finance.

The big names in the report are hardly surprising, with the investment bank singling out major players such as Tencent , Baidu , and Alibaba . Tencent is an internet service provider headquartered in Shenzhen and is the "dominant gaming platform in China," according to the bank. It also has a "powerful social network" asset in Weixin.

The stock has popped 636 percent in the last five years but the analysts suggest another 24 percent upside for the next twelve months with a "conviction buy" rating. Alibaba is expected to rally 30 percent in the next year via its dominant position in Chinese e-commerce. Meanwhile, Baidu is described as the "default search engine" in the country with a 38 percent fillip to its share price expected in the next year.

Other notable firms it includes are Ctrip, JD.com, NetEase and VIPShop.

China has a population of over 1.3 billion and a government paper last year said it had 649 million internet users by the end of 2014 (with 557 million of those using handsets), according to Reuters. This is double the amount of people living in the United States.

The demographics look good but China has been at the epicenter of many market tremors in the last year as slowing growth in the country - and how the central bank deals with that - has spread ripples across the globe. Stock markets in Shanghai have seen steep one-day falls and have dragged down the major U.S. benchmarks.

This may offer some caution for investors reading Goldman Sachs' research, but over the longer term many economists remain bullish on the world's second-largest economy. Certain American firms looking to muscle in on the Chinese market could however cause some disruption.

John Lund | Getty Images
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On a clear afternoon in late April, Google's newly anointed cloud queen, Diane Greene, took a drive to Menlo Park's Sand Hill Road, home to Silicon Valley's most prominent financiers. Famous for co-founding computing innovator VMware , Greene no longer has to hit up venture capitalists for money. Rather, five months into her new gig Greene took two hours out of her Tuesday to visit with a group of high-growth start-ups backed by Andreessen Horowitz. Engineering heads and founders from companies including Slack, Pinterest, Mixpanel and Databricks gathered in a conference room at the luxurious Rosewood Sand Hill hotel for coffee, cookies and a lengthy discussion on the future of the cloud, according to multiple attendees, who asked not to be named because the event was private.

Marc Andreessen, the venture firm's co-founder, was there with his own set of questions. His fund invested in Greene's last company, Bebop, which Google bought for $380 million in November principally to hire Greene. The meeting could have been awkward. Of the nine companies in attendance, all but one rely on Amazon Web Services, Google's main rival in cloud computing, the attendees said. The other uses IBM's SoftLayer. But Greene, who was joined by Google's vice president of cloud platforms Brian Stevens, expects as much. "Any company that went to the cloud over three years ago, they went to Amazon," Greene said in an interview earlier this month at the TiEcon Entrepreneurship Conference in Santa Clara, where she was a keynote speaker. "Back then it was still early days for us."

Greene declined to comment on the Andreessen meeting and was talking generally about Google's position in the market. A spokesperson for Andreessen also declined to comment and said only that the firm regularly hosts meetings for its portfolio companies. Greene and the Google Cloud Platform face a steep climb in cloud infrastructure. Amazon and Microsoft have big head starts in capturing an ever-increasing amount of customers' computing and storage needs. Google's progress under Greene will be a hot topic at the Google I/O developer conference from Wednesday through Friday, near the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California. Here's the challenge: AWS is a decade old, generates $10 billion in annual revenue and has established a dominant position by managing Netflix's streaming service, building a cloud for the CIA and serving over 1 million customers. Meanwhile, Microsoft's Azure service gets to piggyback on the software maker's footprint in offices around the world and its massive enterprise sales force.

Greene can handle the market share problem. Even though Google commands only 4 percent of the industry's revenue, based on data from Synergy Research Group, the pie is quickly growing. According to Gartner, the cloud infrastructure market will climb 31 percent a year to $61.9 billion in 2020, up from $16.3 billion in 2015. In Greene's corner is an engineering juggernaut like none other, a company in parent Alphabet stuffed with $75 billion in cash, a $10 billion annual capital expenditure budget and a vast network of highly sophisticated data centers. Open source projects, big data tools, analytics software and artificial intelligence projects are on full display across the sprawling Silicon Valley campus.

Greene likes to geek out on subjects like Kubernetes, Google's open-source container technology unveiled in 2014 to help developers scale, deploy and tweak their applications across machines and clouds. It's GCP's fastest growing product. "Customers love that we're so committed to open source and open APIs," Greene said. Application program interfaces, or APIs, are a way for companies to let outside developers easily access their technology. Read MoreWall Street's ongoing struggle to make sense of the cloud Pushing back against Google's cloud momentum is a deep skepticism over whether a company that generates 90 percent of its revenue from placing ads in search results, YouTube videos and mobile apps, can win the hearts, minds and wallets of the enterprise. Google, let's not forget, is built on giving stuff away to consumers in return for their personal data. Tracking users' whereabouts, behaviors and preferences enable the company to target you with relevant ads in search results and all over the web and establish deep pattern recognition to predict what you want based on how people with similar attributes act. How can that very same company be trusted to lock down a corporation's most sensitive data  contracts, business relationships, intellectual property  so that its key assets are inaccessible to anyone, including Google?

Urs Holzle, Google's senior vice president for technical infrastructure, speaks about the Google Cloud Platform during a conference on June 25, 2014, in San Francisco. Stephen Lam | Getty Images

"In one world, you're taking advantage of consumers, and in the business world it's the exact opposite," said Gordon Ritter, a partner at venture firm Emergence Capital, an early investor in Salesforce.com and many other cloud software companies. "It's going to be really interesting to see how that DNA shifts."

Ritter is quick to acknowledge that he wants Google to succeed because Emergence's portfolio companies, like Andreessen's, thirst for alternatives. Too much control in the hands of Amazon is a scary proposition, particularly as AWS adds technology that increasingly competes with venture-funded database technology and business intelligence vendors. Ritter shouldn't have trouble getting an Andreessen-esque meeting for his companies. In April, Greene lured Alison Wagonfeld away from Emergence, where she was an operating partner, to run marketing for the Google cloud. "We have a very firm line in," he said.

Beyond the technical and philosophical hurdles, Greene has to build a world-class enterprise sales, service and support organization that rivals traditional names like Oracle and IBM . At the same time, she has to educate the world's leading corporations on how they can use Google's 16 years of machine learning expertise to their advantage. Google has struggled to crack the enterprise in its decade of selling cloud applications like e-mail, spreadsheets and presentations to businesses. It's been on the market with web hosting and app developer tools for eight years and launched GCP in 2011. The needle has barely budged. Morgan Stanley estimates Google's cloud infrastructure generated about $500 million in revenue last year, a small fraction of AWS. Whether or not Greene can dent Amazon's lead, she is at least viewed as bringing the enterprise credibility that's been sorely lacking. As Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson wrote in a March 23 report, "Alphabet has the infrastructure in place to support this initiative, now it is Greene's time to execute and bring it all together."

Cloud infrastructure revenue Year Sales Growth 2016 $22.4 bln 37% 2017 $30.2 bln 34% 2018 $39.4 bln 31% 2019 $49.9 bln 27% 2020 $61.9 bln 24%

Source: Source: Gartner

In addition to hiring Wagonfeld, Greene elevated Nan Boden, who joined Google in 2013, to oversee partnerships. In February, she brought in former VMware executive Jason Martin to help build a professional services operation, and she's aggressively bulking up her sales staff. Greene has done this before. At VMware, she and her husband Mendel Rosenblum, a Stanford University computer science professor, created the virtual machine, giving businesses remote control of their data centers in a precloud world. She knows that nothing matters more in gaining the trust of enterprises than security and reliability. Greene is so addicted to this stuff that her first day on the job took her not to Mountain View or one of Google's key satellite offices, but to the small Midwestern town of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Why? To see a giant Google data center.

Google Data Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa Source: Google

Completed in 2008, the Council Bluffs facility is Google's biggest with over 115,000 square feet of space. Google said last year that it will invest another $1 billion expanding its operation there, on top of the $1.5 billion it's already spent, taking advantage of some healthy state tax incentives. The company plans to open 12 additional data centers across the globe through 2017.

Greene toured the Council Bluffs space, checking out the generators, cooling systems and how all the servers are racked and wired. Retina scans are required to enter. She described the building's physical and virtual security in her keynote at TiEcon.

Read More Google skeptic says key issue is being ignored When entering the front gates, if an unauthorized vehicle tries to tailgate its way in, it gets captured by a giant net, she told the audience. On the inside, if you're unable to "zero out a disk," or delete all its contents, it gets put through a metal shredding machine. "You have this incredible physical security," she said. "And then you have all the automated tools which we're increasingly going to be able to bring to applications and customers for detecting any kind of threat and increasingly applying machine learning." Greene spoke to a packed conference room for a half hour. That wasn't nearly long enough for about a dozen attendees who followed her out the door, through the exhibit hall, out the exit and all the way to the black car waiting for her in the parking lot.



I was trying to help him find someone to run this thing. I felt it was really important for Google to bring this to the world. Diane Greene head of Google cloud

She's a hot commodity, certainly hotter than she expected to be last year at this time.

Greene was running a stealthy start-up called Bebop that she'd started a few years earlier. She was approaching 60, had made a fortune from co-founding and running VMware for 10 years, suffered through a prickly departure, and was enjoying life working with a few friends. But as a Google board member and with a deep history in infrastructure, she got to know Urs Holzle, Google's eighth employee and the guy responsible for configuring much of the company's most complicated backend technology. "The more we talked, he was, I now realize, recruiting me," she said on stage. "I was trying to help him find someone to run this thing. I felt it was really important for Google to bring all this to the world."

Now she's out evangelizing, and she has some case studies to bring with her. Digital music service Spotify relies on GCP and boasts about BigQuery, a low-cost, high-powered data warehouse. Domino's Pizza slashed 80 percent off ad serving and operations costs after deploying Google analytics tools to better understand, across devices, user behavior. Snapchat is a vocal advocate, Home Depot recently became a customer, and just last month Google and Autodesk partnered to deliver technology that more quickly renders 3-D images for Autodesk's media customers. Autodesk remains a big-time AWS spender, counting on Amazon's infrastructure as it migrates from desktop software to the cloud. The Google deal, which is targeted at specific types of Autodesk clients, is a critical example of where Greene sees the world headed. Cloud infrastructure is no longer just about the bare metal that computing giants use to host other companies' computing and storage. That's turned into a pricing war and one Amazon will never lose. CEO Jeff Bezos said in his recent shareholder letter that AWS has dropped prices 51 times.

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Cloud is now about the many different types of projects that can run on the supercomputers, benefiting from the software engineering at Google and Amazon as well as a new generation of internet companies. Some of that stuff may work better on AWS, and other workloads will go to Google or Microsoft, but success doesn't rely on owning 100 percent of a company's cloud needs. "We're all living in a multicloud world," said Aaron Levie, CEO of collaboration software provider Box , which has partnerships with AWS and IBM's cloud to take advantage of the scale they provide. "They simultaneously are each going to have their own distinct value proposition." Box doesn't yet have a deal with GCP, but there's good reason to think one is coming in the future as Google's product matures and performance rivals AWS. Similarly, Rackspace , a provider of managed cloud services to support companies with their IT needs, is looking for ways to work with Google.

Last year, Rackspace announced deals to support AWS and Azure and expects to do the same with Google "at the right time, when the demand is there from business customers," said Taylor Rhodes, CEO of the San Antonio-based company. Separately, the two companies announced in April that they're working together to create an open server system based on a new IBM processor. "I'm super partner-oriented," Greene said. "That's how I built VMware." The money is there to be had. By 2019, 86 percent of workloads will be in the cloud, according to data from Cisco , and 56 percent of that will be in public cloud data centers, up from 30 percent in 2014. Read MoreBox CEO on Facebook possibly entering cloud race Among early-stage start-ups, Google is gaining traction. Erik Benson, a partner at venture firm Voyager Capital in Seattle, said about half his companies now run on Google's cloud, compared to five years ago when the "de facto standard was AWS." Google incentivizes start-up developers with $100,000 in credits for a year, which presented an attractive opportunity for Cloudtenna. Founded in 2012, the Sunnyvale-based company is building enterprise search technology that lets customers find, view and virtually share any in-house file. When customers send documents and collaborate on projects, the work is happening in the Google cloud even though the actual files are typically being stored in a company's physical data centers. Cloudtenna tried out computing services from Amazon and Microsoft before landing on Google about a year ago.

Cloudtennas search technology. Source: Cloudtenna
It's 2001, it's a Friday night, and I'm enjoying a well-earned sip or two of a Raspberry-flavored wheat beer after a hard week of college.



The pub in question was the Greenwich Union, in southeast London. Only just opened in 2001, it housed some of the finest offerings from the local Meantime Brewing Company.



These beers were unpasteurized and brewed in small batches, they offered taste and flavor, and swiftly became a way of Greenwich life. This was our beer.



Fast forward to 2016 and the brewery is on the cusp of changing hands for the second time in quick succession. Amid surging demand for craft beers in general, these beverages are gaining in popularity all over the world. A funding package from HSBC last year helps it to sell to the U.S and doubles its beer production. The company then admits that it's London Lager is sometimes brewed in the Netherlands. This is not our beer, purists complained, this is a sell-out.
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Oil market watchers have been keeping a close eye on Saudi Arabia ever since it announced last month that it could very well increase oil production if and when it wanted to, but analysts at Energy Aspects explained on Tuesday that the major oil producer could be calling the market's bluff. Saudi Arabia threatened to boost its already record-breaking oil output following the failure of a meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC producers in Doha in April to discuss a possible freeze of global oil production at current levels in an effort to support low oil prices. The talks failed, mainly after Iran said it would not participate in a freeze, leading other Middle Eastern producers, such as Saudi Arabia, to refuse to do so unilaterally. Following the failure, Saudi's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned that the kingdom could immediately increase output by more than a million barrels a day to 11.5 million.



An worker on offshore oil rig 'Marjan 2' in March 2003, located in the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia. Reza | Getty Images

Saudi Arabia is already widely blamed for a glut in supply in global oil markets as it, and the wider OPEC group, decided in November 2014 to defend its market share in the face of rival producers rather than to support prices, leading to a global decline in oil prices. Oil prices fell on that threat and while they have since rebounded on outages in Canada and Nigeria, Saudi Arabia has been closely watched for any signs it is actually preparing to ramp up production. Changes at the top of Saudi's oil ministry and industry have only heightened those expectations, including a well-publicized IPO of its state oil company Saudi Aramco (whose Chief Executive Amin Nasser suggested last week that the company was ready to meet any call on it) and a replacement of its oil minister, with the influential long-time oil minister Ali al-Naimi replaced by Aramco chairman Khalid al-Falih.

Empty threats and obstacles

Any increase is unlikely to happen anytime soon though, according to analysts at energy consultancy firm Energy Aspects, which published a noted on Tuesday suggesting that there is no reason to fear an imminent change of Saudi policy.

In fact, Energy Aspects said that Saudi Arabia would not even be producing its usual amount of around 10.2 million barrels a day (mb/d), according to OPEC monthly reports, this month and was unlikely to reach a high of 12.5 mb/d  Saudi Arabia's reported full production capacity, according to Saudi Aramco's Nasser  by the end of 2017. "A lot has been happening in the oil market lately. Yet, what has caught everyone's attention amidst this drastic U-turn in balances is Saudi Arabia. Undoubtedly these are uncertain times, but Saudi Arabia will not be producing 11 mb/d this month (especially since it has maintenance) and will not be reaching 12.5 mb/d by end-2017. Oil rigs have been falling, and output has been remarkably steady at 10.2 mb/d since August 2015," Energy Aspects' team said in the note.

The research consultancy also stated that any potential increase would not only take time, but would need more oil infrastructure, such as oil rigs, and that markets had generally jumped to conclusions about Saudi Arabia's oil output plans. "Moreover, Saudi Arabia has made no announcements that it will increase productive capacity. And while it would like to be prepared for a higher call on its crude as non-OPEC supplies fall fast, increasing capacity takes time. The 1.5 mb/d increase in productive capacity to 12.5 mb/d took six years to complete, by 2010. Even increasing production and maintaining it at 11 mb/d or higher needs more rigs, much like sustaining output at 10 mb/d required 20 more rigs," it said. In addition, Energy Aspects said that even the IPO of Saudi Aramco was "fraught with challenges, and has hardly generated interest amongst investors while several of the recent reforms may soon be reversed." "Of course, change is occurring, but the lack of institutional capacity to undertake such deep reforms means it takes time to implement such changes, and there will be plenty of obstacles along the way."

Assumptions being made

The note blamed the media for its "perilous habit" of "boiling everything down to a soundbite, hardly helps, with various comments, taken entirely out of context, adding further fuel to the fire" and said that there was nothing concrete to suggest oil output was about to rise.

It said that a number of expectations about Saudi Arabia's oil strategy were being based on assumptions and conjecture, rather than fact. "Saudi Arabia will not change its policy of accommodating others (but) it does not mean (new energy minister) Al-Falih will purse the opposite policy of increasing production to flood the market. He has even taken to Twitter to reiterate that Saudi Arabia will continue with stable oil policies  if only the market would listen."
"We believe that leaving the union could be damaging to the UK economy and to the city," Gorman said at the bank's meeting in Purchase, New York on Tuesday.

At Morgan Stanley's annual meeting, CEO James Gorman took an opportunity in his speech to caution voters in the UK about the gravity of the decision they were preparing to undertake.

Most of Wall Street is opposed to a Brexit , and more bank CEOs are speaking out about it.

As the vote in the UK draws closer, Wall Street is regarding the possibility that the British might quit the European Union next month as increasingly real.

Gorman declined to explain how the bank would respond to a Brexit scenario, but reminded reporters after the shareholder meeting that Morgan Stanley would have two years after the vote to make changes to comply with any new regulations.



"Every bank has to put together a contingency plan," he said after the meeting. "We're not taking any action yet."



Gorman's comments come as a number of prominent Britons have banded together and spoken out against a vote to leave the EU. But a Brexit would also likely prove damaging on Wall Street and elsewhere for banks.

Industry analysts and experts say that banks with a strong presence in the UK would have to relocate key offices, should the measure pass when it comes up for a vote June 23. Because the UK is a part of the EU, London is one of the key cities for bank regulators, as well as banks themselves.

Read MoreDavid Cameron rejects idea of Brexit 'neverendum'

Further, a Brexit could fuel rising cost of capital, which would make it tougher to do deals.

Wall Street executives have had to throw together plans for how to manage their way around a potential regulatory headache in the event that Britons ultimately decide to quit the governing collective.

Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat said some operations might be shuttled to new EU cities, including the bank's European trading business, when asked during the bank's April earnings call. how he might respond to a Brexit.


The Obama administration is finally giving employers the rules of the road for structuring wellness programs that won't violate health privacy and discrimination regulations, nearly a year after first proposing them. "We now have rules. And I think it's very important to underscore that," said Kathryn Wilber, American Benefits Council senior counsel for health policy. "Employers want certainty. They want to be able to offer plans to employees and not worry about being out of compliance."

The new guidelines offer a balance between employers' efforts to reward workers for improving their health, and regulations that protect health privacy, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, said Jenny R. Yang, chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. They also prevent discrimination based on health conditions, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, she said.



Employee wellness programs guidelines wont violate health privacy and discrimination regulations. Braun S | Getty Images

"The commission worked to harmonize HIPAA's goal of allowing incentives to encourage participation in wellness programs with  provisions that require that participation in certain types of wellness programs is voluntary," Yang said in a statement. She added that the rules try to "provide important safeguards to employees to protect against discrimination." The rules come almost two years after the EEOC sued three large employers, including industrial conglomerate Honeywell , charging that their wellness health screening programs punished workers who opted out of participation.

A spokesman for Honeywell cautiously welcomed the clarity offered by the new guidelines.





"While we are still reviewing the EEOC's wellness rules that were posted today, they don't appear to contain any major surprises that would be objectionable from our standpoint," said Robert Ferris, director of external communications at Honeywell. "We would have liked even more flexibility  especially with respect to tobacco incentives  but at least we can continue to promote and administer our wellness programs without any further threat of litigation." Benefits experts said the EEOC guidelines now align more closely to the Affordable Care Act, which allows companies to offer financial incentives worth no more than 30 percent of a health plan value, for undergoing health screenings. The ACA allows larger incentives for smoking cessation programs than the EEOC, which caps anti-smoking incentives at 30 percent. "The rules recognize the value of incentives to participate in wellness programs," said Leslie Anderson, a partner at health benefits firm Mercer. "Wellness programs that ask employees or their spouses to complete health risk assessments or undergo biometric screening will need to comply with the notice and other rules required by the EEOC, including the 30 percent incentive limit."

In order to comply with health privacy and nondiscrimination laws, the EEOC said employers must also notify workers of what will happen with the health data, and assure them of confidentiality by encrypting their private information, and provide notice if there is a data breach. The wellness screening programs must also be voluntary. Critics, including officials from AARP, say the financial incentives put too much pressure on low-wage workers to take part and could work against older workers.


Brian Dally, CEO of Groundfloor, the first online real estate lending platform catering to smaller retail investors, pins the recent industry tumult on the dominance, allure and sugar high of the over-reliance on institutional capital, and believes that the solution lies in an industry-wide cultivation of retail capital. According to Dally, "Inherent to retail capital is certain structural safeguards for investors, platforms and borrowers alike that our industry would do well to acknowledge and model going forward."

I couldn't agree more.

In fact, many in the industry are also now starting to realize that the scalability of marketplace lending will ultimately depend upon the retail investor and his appetite for tax-deferred yield. The very same discovery was made decades earlier by a young mutual fund industry which was able to scale into a multi-trillion dollar market simply by aligning with the novel IRA and 401(k).



A similar growth opportunity exists for marketplace lending  if it can figure out a compliant and efficient way to engage the retail investor and penetrate the $14 trillion retail retirement market. This will require a modern self-directed retirement product technologically capable of seamlessly integrating with online platforms; regulatory support; new distribution partners and solutions; and a commitment to investor and financial advisor education.
Pandora 's stock rose more than 6 percent Tuesday as the music streaming company faces pressure from an activist investor to sell some of its assets.

"We have become increasingly concerned that the company may be pursuing a costly and uncertain business plan, without a thorough evaluation of all shareholder value-maximizing alternatives," Corvex Management, a hedge fund run by Keith Meister, said in a Monday letter to Pandora shareholders. "Despite its many strengths, the company has been unable to date to translate its great product into a great business with an attractive public market valuation."

Corvex disclosed a 9.9 percent stake in Pandora on Monday, making it the largest single shareholder in the company.
The reasons behind President Barack Obama's campaign to keep the U.K. inside are simple. Britain is America's best friend in the EU. On most economic questions such as free trade or dealing with the financial crisis, Britain's views largely accord with Washington's. If the UK left, that would weaken America.



Many people say Britain must voice its views within the EU to help shape Europe's development. Prime Minister David Cameron probably got as good an EU deal as anyone could. But whatever barriers Britain erects against integration, the EU will always find ways around them. Look how the European Court of Justice undermined the UK opt-out from the charter of fundamental rights.

EU supporters say you have to be in the EU to trade with it. That argument is wrong. There isn't a high tariff around the single market. Switzerland is not in the EU and it exports more per capita to the EU than the U.K. does. U.S. exports to the EU, since 2011, have been higher than Britain's.

The G-20 communique suggesting Brexit could lead to a world economic "shock" may have worried voters. Yet any effect on confidence will be short-term. And remember that the G-20 includes not just four EU members but also the EU itself. After the long crisis over the euro  an undertaking that has caused Europe immeasurable economic and now political damage  it is presumptuous for the EU to talk about 'shocks' to the world economy.
It's time to boost spending on new roads, airports, water works and other U.S. infrastructure.

That campaign promise is a reliable applause line for American voters dodging potholes, waiting in long lines at airports and worried about their drinking water.

Rebuilding America won't be easy. Across the 50 states, rising costs of operating and maintaining transportation, power and water systems are consuming a larger share of overall spending.

And many in the workforce now handling this are approaching retirement, creating a potential shortage of skilled workers to take over those jobs, according to Joseph Kane, a researcher at the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program.

"There is a real retirement crisis as many of these workers are aging and reaching the end of their careers," he said. "We need millions of these rail workers, highway workers, logisticians, cargo agents, through the country to fill long-term positions. But right now there is an overemphasis on the short-term construction work."

Kane analyzed dozens of job titles directly associated with long-term positions operating and maintaining infrastructure, assigning them a "knowledge score" based on the requirements of the job. Many of those long-term positions require a high skill level that generates higher wages than short-term work.
A newly-minted alliance among eight major Asia-Pacific budget carriers could translate into cheaper prices for customers, according to one of the founding members.

Campbell Wilson, chief executive of Singaporean carrier Scoot, told CNBC's Street Signs on Tuesday that lower prices were a possibility if the alliance succeeded in boosting airlines' bottom lines.

"To the extent that it augments our traffic, increases our load factors, and makes us more profitable, then yes of course," he said, when asked about reduced fares.

Scoot, Tigerair Australia, The Philippines' Cebu Pacific and its subsidiary Cebgo, South Korea's Jeju Air, Vanilla Air of Japan, Thailand's Nok Air and NokScoot announced on Monday that they had formed the "Value Alliance," which reports called the world's biggest grouping of budget airlines.

Under the scheme, customers will be able to book flights with any of the eight member carriers on any one of their websites, as well as get access to a wider list of destinations and routing options.

"This [alliance] is in recognition that the eight members are strong in their home markets, but their brand reach isn't as universal as we would all like. So by working together, we can leverage on each other's home market distribution and the trust each has built there."
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Singapore's start-up scene received a boost on Thursday, after the government said it will provide funds to four large local enterprises to match their investments in fledgling local companies. Vivian Balakrishnan , Singapore's minister of Foreign Affairs announced the National Research Foundation (NRF), a department within the Prime Minister's Office, will commit 40 million Singapore dollars ($29.28 million) in total to match the investments made by each of the four companies: Property giant CapitaLand, agribusiness group Wilmar International, tech company DeClout and logistics player YCH Group. The funds form the third installment of the NRF's Early Stage Venture Fund (ESVFIII), announced in September 2015. The ESVF program was first launched in 2008, with the aim to translate public research into viable products, services and businesses. The NRF invests on a 1-to-1 match basis, of up to S$10 million per fund, to venture capital funds that invest only in early-stage local high-tech start-ups.

Suhaimi Abdullah - Getty Images

In the first two rounds of the ESVF funds, the funding from the NRF mostly went to venture capital funds, while in this round, the investors are all large, local enterprises. The presence of large corporations has both pros and cons, the NRF's chief executive officer, Low Teck Seng, told the media. "If I'm a start-up looking to partner large local enterprises, I can look forward to the infrastructure support they can provide me. I can look forward to the networks they can bring along with them, either from the supply chain angle as well as the market angle. That's very important. Often, as a start-up, I'm looking to see how I can scale up as quickly as possible, if I have already proven my worth," said Low. On the flip side, Low said companies may face challenges if the product or service competes with what's already in existence. The four local enterprises said they were looking to invest in tech start-ups existing in a wide spectrum of industries, from internet of things, to fintech and property to plantation management.
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Retail's blame game is starting to show some cracks, as big first-quarter revenue beats from Home Depot and TJX proved that consumers are still willing to shop at a physical store  so long as you give them a good enough reason. Home Depot on Tuesday said its comparable sales jumped 6.5 percent in the first quarter, beating Wall Street estimates, as the number of transactions in its stores increased 4.1 percent. The amount of transactions in a given quarter is a metric retailers often cite to identify traffic trends. Meanwhile, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods parent TJX blew past consensus same-store sales estimates of 3.2 percent, reporting 7 percent growth in that metric. The company even called out strength in apparel, a category that contributed to the weak results released by department stores last week. CEO Ernie Herrman credited the off-price chain's big beat to "very strong customer traffic, which drove the comp increases at every division." "This tells us that our strategies to bring consumers exciting values on an eclectic and ever-changing mix of the right fashions and brands, sourced from across the globe, are working," he said.

Herrman's comments hit right on what many analysts contend is a key difference for TJX, which along with Home Depot, has not seen its business model crumble during the rapid rise of Amazon . Each company has its own defense against the online retailer. For TJX, its constant flow of new merchandise and the thrill of the hunt continues to appeal to bargain-hungry shoppers who want name-brand goods  particularly millennials. At Home Depot, many of its products are bulky to ship, making its merchandise categories less appealing to potential competitors. Its stores also offer a few extra features that can't be replicated online. "Generally speaking you need service," Brian Nagel, an analyst at Oppenheimer, told CNBC. "If I'm going to Home Depot, I need people to tell me what to buy." He added there's often an immediacy to the company's products, explaining that many shoppers visit its stores when something in their home has broken, or when they're in the middle of a project and quickly need more supplies. Home Depot executives did acknowledge that about 25 percent of the company's merchandise is at greater risk to online competition due to its easy-to-ship small packaging and high value. That includes power tools and faucets. However, management said these categories continue to generate solid sales.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon Getty Images
Sumner Redstone has the power to remove Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman, but not his daughter Shari, from the trust that will control his $40 billion media empire after his incapacitation or death, according to two sources familiar with the matter. There is no evidence that Sumner Redstone is considering replacing Dauman. But the fact that Shari Redstone has a more secure position on the seven-person trust, which has not previously been reported, could embolden her in efforts to wield more influence at Viacom as it struggles with falling ratings.

Shari Redstone, who sits on Viacom's board, voted against Dauman's elevation to executive chairman of Viacom to replace her father in February, arguing that a member of the Redstone trust should not serve as executive chair of Viacom or CBS , the other media company majority owned by her father. Sumner Redstone supported Dauman taking the new role.

Philippe Dauman and Sumner Redstone Peter Kramer | Getty Images

A spokesman for Dauman and Viacom declined to comment. Shari Redstone declined to comment through a spokeswoman. Leah Bishop, Redstone's estate lawyer at Loeb & Loeb, did not reply to requests for comment.

The matter of standing on Redstone's trust may end up being moot. If Redstone dies or is incapacitated and the trust takes effect, the only way a trustee can be replaced is if they die or if the beneficiaries of the trust - Redstone's five grandchildren - appeal to a judge. That effectively puts Shari Redstone and Dauman on a level footing.

But while Sumner Redstone is alive and able, and he retains ultimate power over his empire, it raises the question of who has the most influence over him.

Shari, who at times has been estranged from her father, has recently been spending 30 percent to 40 percent of her time with him at his Los Angeles mansion, a spokeswoman for her said in response to a question.

In April, Redstone gave Shari and a friend of the family authority over his health care if he becomes incapacitated, sources have told Reuters, replacing Dauman and Viacom's chief operating officer, Thomas Dooley.

At the same time, Dauman still has deep ties to Sumner Redstone, who has called Dauman "the wisest man I've ever known" and "a great friend." The two men have worked together for more than 30 years.

Dauman said in a court declaration late last year that he spoke with Redstone several times a week over the phone and visited him monthly.

Balance of power unclear

The Sumner M. Redstone National Amusements Inc Trust owns about 80 percent of Redstone's privately held movie theater company, National Amusements Inc, which in turn owns 80 percent of the voting rights in both Viacom and CBS.
For those of us accustomed to thinking of China as a dynamic, prosperous and constructive power, these developments are hard to digest. Back in 2013, the Rhodium Group, a consultancy with a focus on China, argued the liberal case: "The losses China would incur by reversing its hard-won market reforms far exceed any economic or political dividends from taking such a path" as excluding foreign suppliers. Most business people still feel that way, and it is certainly true.

The evidence, however, suggests that President Xi Jinping does not regard economics as a priority. Indeed, he has specifically denounced "Western capitalist values." What do these values represent if not personal freedom and economic progress? Xi has stated it explicitly: he rejects capitalism, as westerners might think of it, as his prime objective.

His real priorities are more evident in the country's foreign policy. The centerpiece of Xi's policy is the building and militarizing of artificial islands in the South China Sea, with an eye to annexing a 300,000 square mile triangle bounded by China's Hainan Island to the west, the southern tip of Vietnam and Manila in the east.

Why is China antagonizing literally all its major trading partners with this strategy? China is under no threat in the South China Sea, and the gains, beyond political control, are negligible. The venture fails any reasonable cost/benefit analysis. As a point of comparison, the U.S. Gulf of Mexico produces about $25 billion of oil and gas revenues per year, perhaps $30 billion if other economic activities are added. The South China Sea is considered less promising.

On the other hand, China exported $2.3 trillion goods and services in 2015. A loss of only 1 percent of this trade would offset the full economic benefit of the South China Sea. Why risk it?
Even when they do manage to deal with issues, positive policy proposals are presented in a facile manner, frequently with untruths and a complete unwillingness to face up to the likelihood of success versus failure. Donald Trump's critics have loudly proclaimed that most of his ever-changing policy proclamations are impossible to carry out.

Trump and his supporters have said the same about some of his competitors' plans, and will undoubtedly try to use the same arguments against Clinton. The only way for voters to actually judge these arguments is negative campaigns. Positive ads will not expose the elisions. Only negative ones have any hope of blasting holes and exposing the policy weaknesses of a candidate's pie-in-the-sky plans.

But that is not the biggest benefit of negative ads. They are simply more truthful and fact-based than negative ones. Vanderbilt University Professor John Geer, the author of In "Defense of Negativity: Attack Ads in Presidential Campaigns," has noted that negative ads may be unpleasant but they end up presenting vastly more factual information60 percent more on averagethan the shiny happy positive variety.

What negative ads do is present a strong policy contrast for voters, giving them a chance to draw a real distinction between the two candidates. Negative ads distort informationcontext is always left out and they take the absolute worst possible interpretation of any action by an opponent. But they are usually very issue-based and much more precise and detailed than the positive and glowing ads in favor of a candidate.
"I'm happy doing what I'm doing," said Portman , a first-term senator who's considered vulnerable. "I've got my own re-election." Portman serves on the Senate Finance, Budget, Homeland Security, and Energy committees.

On "Squawk Box" last week, former Vice President Dan Quayle said Trump should pick Portman as a running mate. "Look at his background  congressman, trade representative, OMB director, U.S. senator  he's got it all."

Portman, also from the swing state of Ohio and himself mentioned as a possible Trump vice presidential pick, said on " Squawk Box " he is not interested but supports Trump for the White House now that Kasich is out.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich , who dropped out of the Republican presidential race earlier this month, would make a good running mate for Donald Trump , Sen. Rob Portman told CNBC on Tuesday.

Facing a stiff challenge from former Democratic Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Portman said Republicans need to win Ohio at the top of the ticket and down the ballot. President Barack Obama won Ohio in 2008 and 2012.

"People are frustrated" with the lack of economic growth during Obama's presidency, Portman said. "Trump and Bernie Sanders are different sides of the same coin."

The delegate math is not favoring Sanders, even though he's won three out of the last four Democratic presidential primaries. On Tuesday's he's expected to win in Oregon, while Clinton hopes for victory in Kentucky.

"Trump is going to be the change agent," Portman said. "Hillary Clinton is going to be the status quo. Bernie Sanders is not going to be in the mix."

Portman feels it's more important than ever for Republicans to unite, saying it looked like last week's meeting of Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan went well, though Ryan has not endorsed Trump.

"Paul's got to do what he's got to do. He does have some good points on some of the policy differences. I think they'll work those out," said Portman.

The senator said he has his own policy agreements and disagreements with Trump. Portman said he supports Trump's desire to crack down on China's currency manipulation, but not Trump's call in the face of terrorism concerns to temporarily ban Muslim travelers from entering the United States.

"I don't know how you'd implement that. I don't think it's right. I don't think it's constitutional to have a religious test," Portman said.
Qatar Airways will expand service in the United States wherever it is needed, and is not concerned about a possible Donald Trump presidency, its CEO said Tuesday.



The presumptive GOP nominee has called to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the U.S. However, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker believes Trump only said that for political gain.



"I don't think Trump means what he says. He does not realize that he has a lot of investment in Muslim countries and at the same time there is a very huge Muslim population in the United States," he said in an interview with CNBC's "Closing Bell."

"Like all politicians, he says everything but once he gets elected, he will change his mind."

The Middle Eastbased airline is growing rapidly in the United States, with its latest route between Atlanta and Doha set to take off June 1. The move has ruffled the feathers of some U.S. carriers like Delta, which is based in Atlanta.
The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, has signed up with social media groups such as Tinder, Facebook and Twitter in a bid to persuade young people to vote in the referendum on the U.K.'s membership of the European Union.

CNBC contacted Number 10 Downing Street who confirmed that Mr. Cameron addressed senior figures from the tech community on Friday last week over reaching out to potential voters.

The marketing campaign is to attract under 40's, singles and ethnic minorities who are tipped to be more likely to vote for the U.K. to remain a part of Europe.

The Prime Minister's press office told CNBC that the meeting was part of an ongoing strategy to engage younger voters.

"We are always looking for ways to try and encourage people to register to vote."

According to media reports, youth campaign group Bite the Ballot, Google and Buzzfeed were also at the meeting.

In March, Tinder launched a feature called "Swipe the Vote" that helped users identify a political preference in the US presidential race.
Walmart Pay expanded its reach to around 1,000 stores on Tuesday as it rolled out in Texas and Arkansas.

Wal-Mart Store's mobile wallet allows customers to use their smartphone to pay for in-store purchases.

"We really saw a need for Walmart Pay, not to just join the mobile payment wars, but really to create a better shopping experience for our customers and eliminate those points of friction at the register," Molly Blakeman, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart, told CNBC.
Years of neglect have led to big problems for Washington, D.C.'s Metro system, and repairs need to be made now, the system's general manager told CNBC on Tuesday.



The beleaguered Metro is the second-busiest system in the country, with 700,000 riders a day. In January of 2015, a woman was killed when black smoke filled a tunnel after an electrical malfunction. The system also suffered a 24-hour shutdown in March and just last week, a fireball erupted on the tracks just after a train pulled away.



"It has taken decades, to be frank, of deferred maintenance and investments just not being made and we cannot wait any longer. We have to deal with these issues," said Paul Wiedefeld, CEO and general manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro), in an interview with "Power Lunch."

A yearlong safety and maintenance upgrade will begin next month to get the system back to "good repair," he said.



But it's going to take more than just the coming repairs to keep the system running smoothly.

"This is a multi, multibillion-dollar investment that has not been maintained over time and it will take multi, multibillions of dollars to maintain it into the future," he said. "That's just the reality of these large infrastructure systems that we have around the country."
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Following the lifting of international sanctions, Iran has high hopes that its oil industry can be a key pillar in its plan to return to economic prosperity, but a senior official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to warn the country that it has greater challenges ahead. In a speech due to be given on Tuesday by David Lipton, the first deputy managing director of the IMF will warn that Iran can no longer rely on its main export commodity  oil  to be the source of its growth in future. "I speak here today at a pivotal moment for Iran's economy," Lipton is expected to say during the speech at the Central Bank of Iran on Tuesday. "With important sanctions lifted, your country has a new opportunity to deepen its integration into the global economy. That process has the potential over time to support faster growth and rising living standards for Iranians." "But positive results depend on overcoming two major obstacles as well. The first is navigating a difficult global economic situation. And the second is building a competitive and flexible domestic economy that will serve as a suitably strong platform for growth," he will say, adding that only a non-oil based economy will bring Iran "sustainable growth."



Copyright Anek | Moment | Getty Images

Iran returned to the global economic stage in January when years of sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic for its disputed nuclear program were lifted, heralding a resetting of historically tense relations between the country and the West, particularly the U.S. Since the lifting of restrictions on Iran's banking and industrial sectors, the country has scrambled to get its economy back on track and oil is seen as a large component of that aim. However, the member of the 12-country oil producer group OPEC has rejoined the global oil market at a time of turbulence and low prices brought on by the failure of demand to keep pace with a glut in supply. Iran and fellow OPEC member, the influential Saudi Arabian kingdom  countries which already have a traditionally tense relationship as they vie for influence in the Middle East on religious and geopolitical grounds  have also fallen out recently over Iran's ambitions to ramp up oil production as it tries to accelerate growth. Read More Saudi Arabia vs Iran: Blame game begins after Doha

Lipton will warn Iran that oil should not be viewed as a panacea, however. "Like other oil exporters, Iran has to manage the transition to lower oil prices. Although the impact of lower prices will be partly mitigated by higher oil export volumes, there are limited prospects for a large increase in Iran's oil revenue because of high global output and weak demand."

Reorienting the Iranian economy

In January, the IMF predicted that Iran's real gross domestic product (GDP) could grow 4 to 5.5 percent in 2016 due to its higher oil output, lower costs for trade and its restored access to foreign assets but Lipton is to warn that the global economy remains weak and that Iran should look closer to home for growth.

"The bottom line for Iran is that in the near future the global economy is unlikely to be the driving force to lift up emerging economies that it was in the past," he will state. "Emerging and developing economies will still account for the lion's share of world growth. But their prospects remain subdued, particularly for two reasons that are important to Iran: the sharp fall in commodity prices led by oil, and China's economic rebalancing." Read More Power and a 'brutal' battle against Iran: What the Saudi reshuffle REALLY means

As such, Lipton will suggest that while Iran "will gain from pursuing integration with the global economy, your ultimate success depends on what you do at home."
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China's "steel dumping" has antagonized Europe and the U.S., but a senior figure at one giant mining company preferred to encourage the country's still-high demand for metals and alloys rather than blame it for low prices. The world's second-biggest economy is under fire for oversupplying the market with very cheap base metals, and steel in particular  a similar criticism to the one leveled at Saudi Arabia for maintaining high oil output despite the slump in crude prices. The U.S. has hit China with massive dumping penalties of over 200 percent and the European Commission (the executive wing of the European Union) has launched an inquiry into Chinese subsidies for steel. This comes after India's Tata Steel decided to pull out of the U.K., indirectly threatening 40,000 jobs, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research. However, the senior vice president of Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel Group took a different line on the issue on Tuesday.



METAL FUTURES



Andrei Bougrov told CNBC it was better to embrace China's demand for metals by partnering with it on projects, rather than to decry its perceived role in lowering prices. "They (Chinese) are a competitor, but at the same time they are very good neighbors and we are blessed by having a neighbor like that, with a lot of ambitious programs for purchase of base metals," the Moscow-educated executive told CNBC on Tuesday. "They (the Chinese) do buy nickel and copper and some other stuff  but we don't feel that competition as being bitter or lethal, particularly against the backdrop of a slowdown in the Chinese economy." Norilsk Nickel Group claims to be the world's largest producer of nickel and palladium and one of the leading miners of platinum and copper . It also produces silver and gold .

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The company has agreed to sell a 13 percent stake in a Siberian copper project to a consortium of Chinese investors as it streamlines its operations. It is also in talks with China about other projects. "It will take probably another year or two before you would be really seeing signs of recovery (in the Chinese economy) and coming back to previous levels. Whilst we are waiting for that, of course watching very closely, we are inviting them to become our equity partners," Bougrov said. "You don't choose your neighbors, right, so you have to be friends," he added separately. Norilsk held its annual strategy day on Tuesday and reported it had released $3 billion of unproductive capital over the last three years.
Imagine being pulled over by the cops while driving, being asked for your license, and you pull out your  smartphone.

For British motorists, this could soon happen following a sneak preview a new prototype for a mobile license from the head of the country's driving authority.

In a tweet last week, Oliver Morely, chief executive of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) tweeted a picture of an iPhone with a U.K. driving license in Apple's Wallet app.

TWEET

Morely followed up to explain that it was just a prototype and there was no timeline for its introduction. He added that it was not a replacement for the current photocard.

TWEET



The DVLA is trying to make driving license more digital. In the U.K. a driving license consisted of the photo identification card as well as a paper counterpart. Last year, the authorities abolished the paper part of the license and moved it online.

Britain is not the first country to experiment with smartphone licenses. Last year, the U.S. state of Iowa trialed the use of mobile driving licenses.

And other pieces of identification are also looking to go digital. Earlier this year, DeLaRue said it's working on digital passports.
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Google's search division may have changed the world, but another division of Alphabet will soon be worth more, an angel investor told CNBC's "Squawk Alley" on Tuesday. "I think there's a chance that YouTube will eventually be more valuable to Google than the search franchise," entrepreneur and angel investor Jason Calacanis said. "I know that sounds crazy given what an amazing juggernaut and money-printing machine the search franchise is. But it is a truly international business and people are spending a large amount of time on it, and they're combining the branding of video-based advertising ... with the ability to target specific groups of people."

Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images

YouTube is "six Twitters and a Tesla on top" in terms of how much money Google has made from it, said Calacanis, a dot-com era entrepreneur who most recently founded Inside.com. Netting as many as 30 billion total views a day, YouTube could be worth $67 billion to $86 billion, according to Bernstein Research analyst Carlos Kirjner. He estimates average users spend 40 minutes a day on YouTube, according to his report, published Tuesday. Despite Alphabet's more segmented structure, Google doesn't disclose YouTube's precise value. But Calacanis said "it's definitely the best acquisition ... in the history of tech, that's for sure."


UTICA, N.Y.  The Kelberman Center, an affiliate of Upstate Cerebral Palsy, announced it has appointed Michael Tucker as director of special projects.

Tucker, who has 20 years experience in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities, has served as a mentor at the Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support and coordinated the development of a Texas network for the national Association for Positive Behavior Support, according to a news release from the Kelberman Center.

In his new role at the Kelberman Center, Tucker oversees multiple projects in the nonprofit agency including a partnership program with Syracuse University, which pairs intellectually and developmentally disabled Syracuse University (SU) students with a Kelberman Center peer mentor. The peer mentors are SU students who provide support in and out of the classroom, according to the release.

Tucker has a masters degree in clinical psychology from Fordham University.

The Kelberman Center, which is headquartered in Utica and has an office in Syracuse, says its a regional center for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Its services include evaluation and diagnosis, individualized education and services, social and life-skills enhancement, and training and research.

Contact The Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com
In 1859, Colburn was one of nine numismatists depicted on the Numismatic Gallery series of medalets issued by American Numismatic Society founder Augustus B. Sage.

Jeremiah Colburn was one of the most important figures in the history of numismatics in America.

The Joys of Collecting column from the May 30, 2016, Weekly issue of Coin World:

The American Numismatic Society launched the American Journal of Numismatics, the first periodical in the hobby, in May 1866. It expired as a magazine in the early 20th century (after which monographs were issued at intervals).

Back issues have a treasure trove of information you can read for free on the Newman Numismatic Portal on the Internet. Check it out.

Last week in this column I left off with 1870. The magazine was a financial drain to the ANS, so the members sent it off to Boston, where it was continued, now quarterly instead of monthly, by the Boston Numismatic Society.

Connect with Coin World:

It landed in a nest of skilled writers and researchers, including printer William T.R. Marvin, and various others including Jeremiah Colburn, William Sumner Appleton, and Samuel Abbott Green.

Colburn is one of the great unsung heroes in American numismatics  a pioneer who as early as 1856 contributed coin articles to the Boston Transcript and was the first (to my knowledge) to write in detail about varieties of early copper cents.

Born in 1815, the only date for which there are no cents, he started collecting in 1830.

In 1859, he was one of nine numismatists depicted on the Numismatic Gallery series of medalets issued by Augustus B. Sage.

Over a long period of years, including in the AJN, Colburn laid the foundation for much of the information we now take for granted.

The magazine did not miss a step with the move to Boston, and it continued reporting news of coins, tokens, medals, and paper money  including reports of auctions, new discoveries, and more, together with a measure of human-interest items, news, fillers, and occasional jokes.

There was a hiccup when on Nov. 9 and 10, 1872, a great fire wiped out much of the Boston business district, taking with it the in-press current issue of the AJN, which did not appear until early the next year.

I will leave it up to you to read the AJN online.

In 1907 the magazine was retrogifted to the ANS by the Boston Numismatic Society.

In the meantime the society was planning its own version of Kubla Khans Xanadu  to be built in New York City. More next week.
New commemorative coins from Romania have been criticized by the American ambassador to Romania for featuring a bank governor who reportedly promoted anti-Semitism during the 1930s.

The National Bank of Romania is again receiving criticism for issuing a coin with with what the U.S. government calls anti-Semitic tones.

The United States Embassy in Bucharest issued a statement May 13 criticizing the National Bank of Romanias decision to honor former interwar National Bank governor Mihail Manoilescu through the release of 2016 coins bearing his image. The statement was on behalf of American ambassador to Romania Hans G. Klemm.

The bank on April 15 issued three commemorative coins honoring three past bank governors, including Manoilescu. The copper 1-lei coin, silver 10-lei coin and gold 100-lei coin all show busts of the three historic leaders on their reverse.

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According to the embassy, Manoilescu was an active promoter of and contributor to fascist ideology and anti-Semitic sentiment in Romania, which ultimately led to the countrys darkest period.

The bank fired back, noting in a May 13 statement that the coins are part of a larger coin program that began in 2015 to showcase the history of the National Bank of Romania and the prominent figures who held office as governor over the years.

The bank statement said, This issue is dedicated to the activity of three central bank governors and marks the anniversary of a significant number of years since their birth  175 years since the birth of Ion I. Campineanu, 140 years since the birth of Ion Lapedatu, and 125 years since the birth of Mihail Manoilescu. The three governors held office at different historical times.

While the U.S. Embassy acknowledged Romanias right to celebrate the traditions of its institutions, the statement from the embassy added, These celebrations should not include images of people who have been condemned by history and, through honoring them, validate them. Doing so runs counter to Romanias establishment of democratic institutions, its embrace of the rule of law, and its protection of fundamental human rights.

Manoilescus inclusion in the set was based solely on his performance as governor of the NBR during the height of the Great Depression, the bank said, and Romanian commemorative coins are by no means and under no circumstances, intended to hurt anybodys feelings, and all the less so to stain the memory of any community or convey messages that may be construed as offending, xenophobic or discriminating.

The bank promised to take steps and create procedures to avoid any unfortunate situations in the future, but this is the second time since 2010 that a commemorative coin from Romania has been criticized for honoring someone with an anti-Semitic past.

In 2010, Radu Ioanid, the international archives director at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, called for a coin honoring Patriarch Miron Cristea to be withdrawn.

The coin bearing Cristeas image was part of a collectors series of five coins showing the patriarchs of Romania.

During his tenure as prime minister in 1938 and 1939, Cristea stripped citizenship from 37 percent of the nations Jewish residents, affecting more than 225,000 people.

The United States Ambassador to Romania said the bank stoked anti-Semitism with the earlier coin, but the bank said the coin was only intended to celebrate the anniversary of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Despite significant criticism, the bank steadfastly refused to withdraw the Cristea coin.
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By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal

A 34-year-old former youth minister pleaded guilty Tuesday to sex offenses involving children, the office of the Shelby County District Attorney General said.

Criminal Court Judge W. Mark Ward sentenced Luke Cooke to 11 and a half years in prison, which will run concurrent to a sentence of the same length in federal court.

Cooke pleaded guilty to the rape of a 14-year-old boy in January 2003 and fondling an 8-year-old boy in May 2006 in Memphis.

He previously pleaded guilty to charges of interstate transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity involving a child.

"Cooke fled to China later in 2006 when allegations of sexual misconduct arose," the state said in a news release. "He lived there and then travelled through Morocco, Spain and elsewhere before he was apprehended at the Turkey/Albania border in April of last year."
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By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal

Authorities extradited a 37-year-old man from Texas to Memphis in a 1999 rape case this week.

Ronnie Simpson was tracked to a homeless shelter in Austin and taken into custody April 18 on a warrant for aggravated rape. He was booked Monday into the Shelby County Jail, the office of the Shelby County District Attorney General said in a news release.

"On March 12, 1999, a 28-year-old woman told police she was walking in the Orange Mound area of Grand and Zanone when a man she knew only as 'Shun' struck her in the head with a handgun, pulled her clothing off and raped her," the state said. "A year later, Simpson was arrested and in 2001 pled guilty to charges of especially aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, a sentence that expired in February of 2013."

DNA from the 1999 rape kit was uploaded into the Combined DNA Index System on March 4, 2014, and a match was made about a month later. Simpson was indicted March 1, 2016 after a further investigation, the state said.
May 16, 2016 - Donald Gwin listens to testimony from the woman he is accused of raping during his trial in Judge Bobby Carter's court. Gwin is charged with choking and raping a woman at knifepoint after she walked into her apartment with groceries. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal

A Shelby County man wearing an ankle monitor raped, robbed and choked a woman in her apartment after she walked inside carrying groceries, the woman testified Tuesday.

The woman identified 22-year-old Donald Gwin as the man who attacked her August 28, 2014 at the Country Squire Apartments in the area of Walnut Grove and Germantown Parkway.

In August 2014, Gwin was serving two years of probation for sexual battery.

In the current case, the victim testified she had grabbed as many grocery bags as she could and walked up to her apartment. She kicked the door closed behind her and went into the kitchen.

When she turned around, she saw a man standing there.

She thought maybe he was in the wrong apartment, but the man didn't say anything. She heard him lock the door, and she tried to run past him. He had a knife and said "no."

"I could see the blade," she said.

She offered the man money and begged him not to rape her.

After the man assaulted her, he took a purse, cell phone and debit cards.

He threatened her saying he'd been to jail before. He pointed to his ankle to prove it, she testified.

Gwin was previously indicted on a charge of aggravated rape.

In that case, the victim told police she was leaving her apartment Feb. 23, 2012 in the area of Dexter and Germantown Parkway when Gwin approached her. He asked if he could look for a phone charger he might have left when he was visiting her boyfriend.

According to an affidavit, once inside the apartment the man grabbed the victim, put a knife to her throat and assaulted her.

Gwin pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of sexual battery on April 3, 2014, and was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence.

In the trial this week, Gwin is charged with aggravated rape, robbery, burglary and assault. He pleaded not guilty, said attorney Eric Mogy.

DNA evidence collected from the scene matched Gwin and the victim positively identified Gwin, said Assistant District Attorney Cavett Ostner. After the attack, a nurse noted injuries to the victim's neck.

During the crime, she was thinking about survival, the woman said.

She said she thought, "if I live, if I make it to see my baby tonight, I am telling somebody."
Photo by David Lindsey, Stop Hurting Overton Park public Facebook group

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By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal

Memphis City Council chairman Kemp Conrad said Tuesday that the council wont vote on an ordinance cementing an Overton Park greensward compromise until July, after mediation ends.

The ordinance, which received the second of three required public readings Tuesday, is a placeholder that will codify the results of an ongoing mediation between the Overton Park Conservancy and the Memphis Zoo over the zoos use of the greensward for parking on peak attendance days.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has given the mediation until the end of June to produce results. At his direction, and with the OPC and zoos approval, he earlier this month had city crews restripe North Parkway to create on-street parking spaces to help relieve some of the demand for greensward parking.
July 31, 2015 - Visitors relax in the Grand Lobby of the Memphis Cook Convention Center. The city of Memphis may spend $50 million to $60 million over the next couple of years as part of a larger, long-term overhaul of the Cook Convention Center in Downtown. Two ordinances will be discussed Tuesday to fund the improvements, one to raise hotel and motel occupancy taxes 1.8 percent to 3.5 percent and the other to create a $2 per room and per night surcharge on stays of up to 30 days. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal)

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By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal

A Memphis City Council committee on Tuesday voted to recommend temporarily using hotel room tax revenue to pay for a new $1 million roof at the Memphis Cook Convention Center.

If the City Council approves the plan at its meeting tonight, the convention center would be able to tap the roughly $1.5 million collected from a hotel room tax between January and June for the roof repairs, which Chief Financial Officer Brian Collins said were needed immediately.

Beginning July 1, the tax revenue would only be used as originally intended: to pay off the debt on the yet-to-be-issued bonds for an estimated $50 million renovation of the convention center. The renovation is expected to start at the end of this year or early next, and take 18-24 months.
March 11, 2016  A resolution to sell the vacant Central Police Station, located at 128 Adams Ave., for $1.1 million is to be considered by the Memphis City Council on Tuesday. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal)

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By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal

The Memphis City Council voted Tuesday to sell the old Central Police Station in Downtown to NCE Realty & Capital Group, which plans to redevelop the historic building for a new boutique hotel.

NCE Realty, the only bidder, bought 128 Adams for $2 million, up from its initial bid of $1.1 million.

Two other companies, MG Capital and Suna Investments, approached the city, but dropped out before Tuesdays City Council meeting.
SHARE John J. Duncan Jr. John J. Duncan Jr.

By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal

WASHINGTON  U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., the senior member of Tennessee's congressional delegation, said Tuesday he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The Knoxville Republican said the cancer was discovered six or seven months ago during a routine medical exam. Follow-up tests showed the cancer is isolated, he said, and doctors have decided at this stage no treatment is necessary.

"I don't feel sick," he said.

The U.S. Capitol physician first noticed something was amiss when a test showed Duncan's prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, was higher than usual, the congressman said. The doctor ordered a biopsy, which confirmed the cancer.

Duncan said he underwent an MRI and other follow-up tests at George Washington University Hospital, which indicated the cancer had not spread.

"I feel good," he said. "I haven't missed any work, other than to do the regular (medical) appointments."

Still, Duncan said, he took the diagnosis seriously because his father, former U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Sr., died of prostate cancer in 1988. Duncan Sr. was 69 at the time of his death, just a year older than his son is now.

Duncan said he has to schedule a follow-up visit with his physician in a few months, "but all of the indications so far have been good."

Duncan, who represents Tennessee's 2nd Congressional District, was elected to succeed his father during a special election in 1988. A social and fiscal conservative, he is probably best known outside of Tennessee for being one of only seven Republicans in Congress to vote against going to war with Iraq in 2002.

He is running for another two-year term in November.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, other than skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. One in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and about six of every 10 cases are diagnosed in men 65 or older.

Prostate cancer can be serious but is often treated successfully and is usually not a fatal diagnosis, according to the cancer society's Web site.
The Tennessee State Capitol (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

By Richard Locker and Joel Ebert, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

NASHVILLE  One day after sending a letter to Gov. Bill Haslam to express opposition to the federal government's directive on transgender bathrooms, Republican lawmakers began considering the idea of holding a special session over the controversial guidance and officially sent a letter to the state's attorney general asking him to take the issue to court.

State Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, wrote the letter to Attorney General Herbert Slatery. It was signed by 13 Senators and 20 House members, all of whom Republicans. In the letter, Bowling accused the Obama administration of "mobocracy" and "bullying" to "accommodate students with gender identity disorder at the expense of the mentally healthy enrollment."

Bowling is up for re-election this year, and faces opposition in both the August Republican primary and the November general election.

Slatery's office confirmed it received Bowling's letter.

"Our Office is just as concerned with the joint guidance letter issued by the Education Department and the DOJ as the Governor and many state legislators are. It is the most recent, and all too familiar, example of federal agencies (not Congress) telling states and now universities and local education boards what to do," Slatery said in a statement.

"We are monitoring the predictable litigation that has resulted. To the extent that our Office can assist and advance the best interests of our State, we will do so."

Slatery received the letter around the same time that House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada sent out a survey to his fellow Republicans in the House asking them whether they supported holding the special session.

Casada, R-Franklin, said the directive, announced by the Obama administration on Friday, concerned him because he believes it is unconstitutional.

"I want our school systems to know that they can tell the (American Civil Liberties Union), who would bring lawsuits, or the Department of Justice, that the state of Tennessee is going to stand with them," he said, pointing out that was speaking on behalf of the Republican caucus.

In two hours after Casada sent out the survey, he said 16 out of the 22 respondents were supportive of holding a special session. Five members were "a flat no" and one was undecided, he said.

It would take two-thirds of members in both chambers  66 in the House and 22 in the Senate  to call for a special session. Republicans hold 73 seats in the House 28 in the Senate.

Adam Kleinheider, a spokesman for Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, said he is not aware of any effort in the Senate to survey members about the prospect of a special session, which Casada admitted would be unnecessary if Slatery publicly expressed plans to oppose the directive.

Last year, Haslam called lawmakers into a special session to take on Insure Tennessee, the governor's plan to provide health care to more than 200,000 Tennesseans.

Republicans previously considered calling a special session after the Supreme Court's 2015 same-sex marriage decision.

The latest developments came after 26 of the 28 Republican state senators sent a letter to Haslam on Monday urging him to join other states "in legal action if necessary" to oppose the Obama administration's action. That letter was authored and circulated by Sen. Mark Green, R-Clarksville, a likely candidate for governor in 2018.

Bowling's letter is addressed to the attorney general, who would file any legal challenge. It also asks Slatery to notify all Tennessee school districts that the federal guidance is nonbinding.

"When the constitution and/or the law do not result in the advancement of their far left social agenda, they seem to resort to their preferred tactic: bullying," Bowling's letter reads. "Bullying through the threats of withholding the legal return of our pass through dollars and bullying through their unique deployment of mobocracy seem to be interchangeable weapons in the arsenal used to achieve assumed unilateral authority."

It says that "the sovereign states" of North Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas have filed legal arguments "against this current federal overreach."

"Creating directives in the absence of legal authority of supporting laws must be challenged. In ever increasing ways, the federal administration has devolved into the antithesis of the rule of law," the letter says. "Our children's future must not be held hostage by an overreaching federal government."

Also on Tuesday, Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, began circulating an online petition asking Tennesseans to sign onto a letter she plans to send to Haslam on the issue.

On Friday, the U.S. departments of education and justice issued a the guidance letter notifying public school districts across the nation how the Department of Education intends to enforce Title IX, the federal law that bars discrimination in education, in regard to the emerging transgender restroom issue. The letter says schools should allow transgender students to use the restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.

While the guidance letter does not carry the force of law, it does threaten the loss of federal education money because Title IX is tied to federal funding. "This guidance further clarifies what we've said repeatedly  that gender identity is protected under Title IX," U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. said Friday.

Haslam issued a statement Monday saying that he disagrees with the directive and that such policies should continue to be made at the local level. But he stopped short of the angry rhetoric directed at the Obama administration by some top state officials elsewhere.

"The White House itself has said what they issued last week is not an enforcement action and does not make any additional requirements under the law. Congress has the authority to write the law, not the executive branch, and we disagree with the heavy-handed approach the Obama administration is taking," the governor's statement said. "Decisions on sensitive issues such as these should continue to be made at the local level based on the unique needs of students, families, schools and districts while working closely with the local school board counsel, understanding that this is an emerging area of law that will ultimately be settled by the courts."
FILE - In this May 12, 2015 file photo, emergency personnel work at the scene of an Amtrak train derailment that killed eight people in Philadelphia. The engineer, Bartlett native Brandon Bostian, was distracted by radio transmissions, a U.S. official briefed on the investigation said Monday. (AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek, File)

SHARE In this Aug. 21, 2007 photo, Amtrak assistant conductor, Brandon Bostian stands by as passengers board a train at the Amtrak station in St. Louis. (Huy Richard Mach/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

By Michael Balsamo, Associated Press

NEW YORK  An Amtrak engineer whose speeding train jumped the tracks along a curve in Philadelphia last year, killing eight people, was distracted by radio transmissions, a U.S. official briefed on the investigation said Monday.

Engineer Brandon Bostian, who was from Bartlett, told investigators three days after the May 12, 2015, crash that he recalled radio traffic that night from a commuter train operator who said a rock had shattered his windshield. The official was unable to say whether those were the transmissions that distracted Bostian, but the engineer spoke about no other radio chatter when interviewed by federal investigators, according to material released previously by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The official was not authorized to comment publicly because the probe is still underway and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

The revelation came a day before the NTSB is scheduled to meet to detail the probable cause of last year's fatal derailment. The cause won't be determined officially until the board's vote at the conclusion of that meeting.

NTSB spokesman Peter Knudsen said the agency would not comment ahead of Tuesday's hearing.

Bostian's attorney didn't immediately return an email sent after business hours on Monday. An Amtrak spokesman said the agency will have a comment after Tuesday's hearing.

The official briefed on the report's findings Monday said that investigators also believe there were some issues with the train's emergency windows and several people were killed because they were ejected through those windows.

The investigation also found police transported many of the injured people to the hospital instead of waiting for ambulances, the official said. The NTSB is expected to recommend that engineers be retrained about distractions and recommend the city wait for ambulances to take injured people to the hospital at mass-casualty incidents.

The city's emergency management office is finalizing a revised mass-casualty plan that will continue to allow police to transport victims but will aim for better coordination with the fire department, spokeswoman Noelle Foizen said.

Investigators are looking into why the train from Washington, D.C., to New York was going double the 50 mph limit around a sharp curve about 10 minutes after leaving Philadelphia's 30th Street Station.

Early in the investigation, the NTSB focused on whether the Amtrak train had been hit with a rock or other projectile minutes before the crash.

Bostian told investigators he was concerned about the welfare of the commuter train's engineer and "a little bit concerned" for his own safety, but he never indicated in either NTSB interview that his train had been struck.

"There's been so many times where I've had reports of rocks that I haven't seen anything, that I felt like it was unlikely that it would impact me," Bostian told investigators, adding that he figured whoever damaged the commuter train had probably left the area by the time he rolled through.

Trains operating in the Northeast are frequent targets of rock-throwing vandals. Other nearby trains reported being hit by rocks that evening not long before the derailment. A grapefruit-sized dent was found in the windshield of Amtrak 188's locomotive.

The lack of clarity on what caused the train to speed has frustrated crash victims, some of whom have racked up millions of dollars in hospital bills and are continuing to rehabilitate from injuries. Dozens of victims have sued Amtrak for compensation.

Bostian, regarded by friends for his safety-mindedness and love of railroading, has been suspended without pay since the crash. A letter from Amtrak in the NTSB files shows he was suspended for speeding.

Bostian worked as a reporter for the Bartlett Express, the suburb's weekly newspaper, while he was a student at Bartlett High.

At the time of the accident, acquaintances in the suburb recalled him as a quirky guy with a great sense of humor. Everyone remembered Bostian's love of trains.

Bostian attended the University of Missouri after high school with an interest in journalism, but he had a love of trains Stefanie McGee called "epic."

"He loved trains," said McGee, editor of the Express when Bostian worked there. McGee, now the Bartlett city clerk, added at the time of the wreck: "I can't express how much he loved trains."

Barbara Fitzpatrick remembered Bostian's passion and talent for journalism from her days as the faculty adviser to Bartlett High's Panther's Prey newspaper. But his love of trains and railroads superseded his passion for writing.

"He really and truly was a great journalism student," Fitzpatrick said. "If I gave him an assignment, he followed through to the Nth degree."

But, Fitzpatrick later added: "I would joke with him: 'Why am I training you to be a journalist, when you want to work with trains?' He would just say: 'I love my trains. That's what I like.' There wasn't anything he couldn't tell you about trains."

Suburban team leader Clay Bailey contributed to this report. The AP's Michael R. Sisak in Philadelphia also contributed.
In this May 13, 2015 photo, the landscaped front of East Side High School in Cleveland, Miss., could possibly undergo a name and mission change depending on the results of a five-day hearing in federal court in Jackson starting Monday. A judge could settle whether one Mississippi town's two middle schools and two high schools are merged into one each as part of a 49-year-old desegregation lawsuit. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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By Jeff Amy, Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss.  After 51 years of litigation and three earlier plans to desegregate schools in a Mississippi Delta district, a federal judge says more work is still needed.

U.S. District Judge Debra Brown ruled Friday that the town of Cleveland must merge its two high schools and two middle schools.

"The delay in desegregation has deprived generations of students of the constitutionally guaranteed right of an integrated education," Brown wrote in a 96-page opinion. "Although no court order can right these wrongs, it is the duty of the district to ensure that not one more student suffers under this burden."

Jamie Jacks, a lawyer for the district , said school board members would meet Monday night to discuss their options. She said board members believed they proposed constitutional options to keep open two high schools, although one local plan would have combined middle schools.

"The district's plans allowed for student and parent choice," Jacks wrote in a statement. "If the board appeals, it would request that the existing open enrollment plan continue while the appeal is pending."

Merging black and white schools was a common desegregation method in the 1960s and 1970s, and the opinion is a reminder that desegregation lawsuits never ended in some places. As recently as 2014, the U.S. Justice Department was still a party to 43 such suits in Mississippi alone. A previous judge approved an open-enrollment plan, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a more thorough examination.

Gary Orfield, who directs the Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that remedies like Brown's are unusual today.

"Nobody could tell you with absolute certainty, but I do think this is somewhat uncommon," Orfield said.

Brown ordered the district to merge East Side High, where all but one student is black, with Cleveland High, where 48 percent of students are white and 45 percent are black. Similarly, the district must merge D.M. Smith Middle, where all but two students are black, with Margaret Green Junior High, where 41 percent of students are white and 54 percent are black. Across the entire 3,700-student district, about 29 percent of students are white and 67 percent are black. The state counts the remainder as Asian or Hispanic.

"The court concludes that the continued operation of East Side High and D.M. Smith as single-race schools is a vestige of discrimination and that, therefore, a plan which allows such continued operation must be rejected," the judge wrote.

Brown wrote that the district provided only "weak" evidence that it could voluntarily draw white students to East Side High, and none at all that it could draw white students to D.M. Smith. She ordered both sides to submit proposed transition plans within 21 days.
Elisa Hodges Goss, new principal at Walls Elementary (left), and Bryon Williams, new principal at Southaven Intermediate.

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By Ron Maxey of The Commercial Appeal

New principals will take over at two DeSoto County schools July 1.

School board members Monday named Elisa Hodges Goss as principal of Walls Elementary, and Bryon Williams will become principal at Southaven Intermediate.

Principal reassignments are typically timed to take effect at the beginning of the academic year on July 1, ahead of classes starting in August.

At Walls, Goss replaces Rebecca Kelley, who is retiring in June from the principal's position she has held since 2006.

Goss has been assistant principal at Hernando Middle since 2013. She began her education career in 1998 as a teacher in Paris, Tennessee. She taught U.S. history, English and algebra in a special education resource environment.

She moved to DeSoto County Schools in 2002 as a teacher at Horn Lake Middle before becoming assistant principal at Lewisburg Elementary in 2007. She eventually moved to Hernando Middle.

At Southaven Intermediate, Williams replaces Susan Williams, who is not related. Susan Williams asked to return to a teaching position.

Bryon Williams began teaching in 2002 in Batesville, Mississippi. From 2003 to 2012, he taught third and fourth grade in Memphis while working on a master's degree in Educational Leadership through Arkansas State University. In 2012, he became assistant principal at DeSoto Central High in Southaven.

Schools Superintendent Cory Uselton said 15 candidates applied for the two principal slots.

"Our principal interview committee recommended the most qualified candidates to me, and I recommended them to the school board," Uselton said.

Uselton also thanked Kelley and Susan Williams for their service.

"They have both been my former colleagues and have helped make DeSoto County School District what it is today," Uselton, a principal at DeSoto Central High before becoming superintendent, said.
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By Jennifer Rubin

Breitbart, the rightwing website that has served as a cheering section for Donald Trump's campaign (even going so far as to smear its own reporter, Michele Fields, who accused Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski of manhandling her), created a firestorm in social media Monday morning with this headline: "Bill Kristol: Republican Spoiler, Renegade Jew."

The column attacking Kristol for helping to spearhead a third candidate effort is another in a long line of Breitbart's tortured defenses of Trump's scandals and rhetoric. (This one even attempts to excuse Trump's citation of the National Enquirer for the loony accusation Sen. Ted Cruz's father was connected to the JFK assassination).

I asked the Trump campaign for comment on the piece, and also its view as to why so many commenters on blogs and supporters of Trump in social media openly express white nationalist and/or anti-Semitic views. No candidate is responsible for all its supporters, but Trump's big following among such groups (and the likes of David Duke) point to the degree to which his anti-immigrant remarks and radical policies, such as his ban on all Muslims, resonate with racists.

The Breitbart incident and the loud presence of anti-Semites among his social media following add to the perception that even among Republicans, Trump's support in the Jewish community will sink dramatically after Republicans made some gains in 2012. At a candidates' forum last year, Trump raised eyebrows and incredulous stares at the Republican Jewish Coalition when he resorted to a series of anti-Semitic stereotypes of Jews as sharp negotiators. There he accused the group of not wanting to support him because he did not want their donations (back when he was self-funding his campaign).

His defenders counter that Trump's daughter converted to Judaism (and is raising her children as Jews) and that Trump has expressed strong support for Israel. They have had less success explaining away Trump's argument the U.S. should be "neutral" in Israel's negotiations with the Palestinians.

Trump's problems with Jewish voters extend to the Republican Jewish Coalition, which nominally endorsed him, and is focusing on down-ballot races. In emails and conversations with Right Turn, longtime RJC members and supporters have expressed their horror at the rise of Trump and its implications for GOP support in the Jewish community.

To some degree, Trump's problem with Jewish voters is not unlike his problem with women, Hispanics, African Americans, college-educated voters and the chunk of the GOP that voted for other candidates. Many voters, regardless of religion, object to his bigoted and misogynistic language, extreme positions, ignorance on policy issues and penchant for lying about matters large and small.

Two other factors aggravate Trump's standing with Jewish voters. First, Trump's authoritarian tendencies, his mass rallies evoking a cult of personality (complete with oath-taking), threats to punish the media and infatuation with Vladimir Putin and other international strongmen evoke strong images in the minds of many Jewish voters of the European fascist movements of the 1930s and, more recently, South American tin-pot dictators. Trump's nativism and xenophobia make him toxic with a good deal of the American Jewish community for whom such sentiments have invariably been associated with governments hostile to Jews.

Second, a large portion of pro-Israel voters of both parties (accurately or not) view Hillary Clinton as an improvement over President Barack Obama on Israel. She's gone out of her way to challenge Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on his false accusations about Israel's conduct during the Gaza War and to denounce the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. She's at least rhetorically taken a harder line on Iran and expressed a desire for more cordial relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Given that Jewish voters usually vote overwhelmingly Democratic, she is likely to regain any lost ground Democrats suffered among Jewish voters during the Obama era.

In sum, Breitbart's headline reflects the implosion of that outlet's journalistic reputation and confirms suspicions that Trump is welcoming to bigoted supporters. Moreover, it reminds us that as Trump becomes synonymous with the GOP, the Republican Party as a whole risks not only a lopsided defeat but permanent alienation from the increasingly diverse electorate. There is a price to be paid for welcoming a noxious figure like Trump.

Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for the Washington Post.
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Microsoft today opened the preview of its Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to all enterprise IT professionals after testing the service with an invite-only group of companies for the last several months.

ATP, like similar services from security-centric vendors -- including Arbor Networks, FireEye and Symantec -- means to detect ongoing attacks on corporate networks, then follow up to investigate the attack or breach and provide response recommendations.

Rather than serving strictly as an early-warning system, Microsoft's ATP -- again, like others of its ilk -- will be most useful in post-breach scenarios as companies struggle to deal with the fall-out.

Microsoft announced Windows Defender ATP in early March, even though it was not immediately available to firms outside the inner circle of then-current testers, much less available as a for-pay subscription.

The Redmond, Wash. company broke the news two months ago because code associated with ATP was shortly to show up in preview builds of Windows 10 delivered to Windows Insider participants, Yusuf Mehdi, who runs marketing for the firm's operating systems and devices group, said in a late-February interview with Computerworld.

Microsoft has not divulged a likely launch date for the service or its cost, but ATP will, in tune with the company's push towards service revenue, be offered as a subscription.

Because ATP currently relies on data gathered only from installed Windows 10 previews -- build 14332, which shipped three weeks ago, and later previews -- its launch will almost certainly be after the mid-year Anniversary Update debuts. It's most likely to arrive months after that, when the same upgrade is promoted to the corporate-grade "Current Branch for Business" (CBB) release track.

Microsoft specifically named the Anniversary Update as including the "end-point behavioral sensor" required by Windows Defender ATP.

IT administrators who want to try Windows Defender ATP must register at a Microsoft website. The preview will be free, and requires the selected participants to agree to receive an undisclosed amount of communiques and marketing materials through the beta test period.

When the service officially launches, it will be available only to firms with Windows 10 Enterprise -- the most sophisticated and expensive SKU (stock-keeping unit) within the franchise -- Mehdi said in February. There are no plans to backtrack to 2009's Windows 7, the current standard OS in business, to pull data from those machines.

"The focus is on Windows 10," Mehdi said.
Googles I/O developer conference starts Wednesday and some big announcements are expected during the opening two-hour keynote, likely around virtual reality, Android and the Internet of Things.

In a change of pace, the show is being held outdoors at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California, and Google has advised the press to pack sunscreen along with laptops and mobile devices. Here are five questions I want company executives to answer during the course of this year's keynote.

Whats the companys plan for the Internet of Things?

Google has made some big bets on the Internet of Things, with its Brillo and Weave developer tools, along with its acquisition of Nest in 2014. Then, theres the OnHub wireless router Google announced last year. Its clear that the company is interested in playing a major role as part of the growing world of internet-connected devices, but its been a while since weve heard anything major from the company in the IoT realm.

There are also concerning signs out there. A recent profile of the Nest team showed a group consumed by infighting and plagued by missed deadlines. I/O would be a big stage for Google to show off something new and interesting from the Nest team, though it might be a bit out of place among the more developer-focused offerings.

One way or another, Id expect the company to spend some time talking about the Internet of Things, considering how it unites a lot of Googles interests, including cloud service backends and Android.

What cool new features can we expect from Android N?

Unlike in previous years, when Google would release its first developer preview for the next version of Android at I/O, the company has already made an alpha version of its next major update available for download.

With those bits has come some understanding of what to expect from the next version of Android, including mouse input, a floating window mode, and new emoji. But Id still expect Google to reveal more about whats coming in N later this year, especially if the company has more hardcore, developer-focused features up its sleeve.

Why should enterprises buy into Googles digital workplace?

The company has been pushing even harder to try and get businesses to buy into its version of a workplace powered by Google services and hardware. I/O would be a good time to unveil developer tools aimed at business users, and make more of a pitch to people who might be on the fence about going all in on Google Apps for Work or Google Cloud Platform.

The latter likely wont make much of an appearance, considering that the GCP Next conference just took place in San Francisco a couple of months ago. But last years I/O contained some GCP news, and it seems likely that would warrant at least a footnote at this conference.

What does it have planned for virtual reality?

Google has been making some serious moves in the virtual reality realm. Amit Singh, the companys former head of Google for Work, announced last week that he was switching his focus to virtual reality. The companys former head of Android PR has moved over to the virtual reality side of the house, too.

Its clear that Google is planning to make some big moves in that space. The company just quietly added VR support to its YouTube app for iPhones, so Apple smartphone users can watch videos through a Google Cardboard virtual reality viewer. Its rumored to be working on an Android VR product, though exactly what that will do isnt yet known.

VR is big business these days, with companies including Facebook, Samsung and HTC working on virtual reality hardware. Especially with its background in Android and YouTube, Google seems well-suited to become an even bigger player in the VR market than it is already.

Why in the world are we outside?

Googles guide to the conference suggests that attendees bring both sunscreen and a light jacket, since well be outside all day for the sessions. Unlike past years conferences that were set inside convention centers, the company is hosting this years I/O outdoors at the Shoreline Amphitheater.

Its not yet clear why thats the case, though. Observers have speculated that there might be some sort of aerial display with drones taking place, but the Federal Aviation Administration hasnt posted any advisories for the event.

Shoreline is also right by Googles offices in Mountain View, so other people have guessed that there could be something afoot with the companys self-driving cars. Or maybe Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin just want to work on their tans.

Whatevers going on, well find out on Tuesday. Stay tuned.
Apple yesterday updated OS X El Capitan to version 10.11.5, patching nearly 70 vulnerabilities as it began to wind down changes prior to the next iteration launching later this year.

OS X 10.11.5 offered few non-security bug fixes and no new features; in other words, it was a typical late-life refresh of an edition.

Apple on Monday also patched the older OS X Mavericks (from 2013) and OS X Yosemite (2014), and issued updates to both iTunes and the firm's Safari browser.

Of the 67 security flaws fixed in El Capitan, a dozen also applied to Mavericks and 14 to Yosemite, according to Stephen Brown, director of product management at Salt Lake City-based LANDESK, which makes systems and asset management software.

More information on the specific components patched yesterday was available on Apple's website.

Brown called out a few of the fixes in an email to Computerworld. The one QuickTime vulnerability, now patched, "is interesting in that social engineering could be employed to get a user to click on a video file, such as using a headline of the day that would be enticing to watch, such as 'Funny Quotes from Donald Trump,' and bad things ensue," wrote Brown.

As it refreshed Safari to version 9.1.1, Apple patched seven vulnerabilities in the browser, the most dangerous of which could be used to hijack a Mac whose user had steered to a malicious website. Safari 9.1.1 is the latest edition for El Capitan, Yosemite and Mavericks.

Safari is also being run through a beta program of its own with the Technology Preview, a first for Apple, which jumped into the early-look game two months ago. Apple delivered the fourth Safari preview last week.

Apple only patches the current version of OS X and the two prior. With its annual release schedule, that means Apple supports an operating system edition for approximately three years.

When OS X 10.12 launches -- probably this fall -- Apple will drop the oldest of the supported editions, Mavericks, just as last year it retired 2012's Mountain Lion from all support.

About one in five Macs ran an unsupported version of OS X in April, according to data published two weeks ago by analytics vendor Net Applications.

iTunes 12.4, which patched just one security flaw, sported several UI (user interface) changes that Apple touted as resulting in a simpler design.

For several years, Apple has issued just five updates to each edition of OS X -- the final OS X 10.10.5, for instance, shipped in mid-August 2015, six weeks before the debut of El Capitan But with several months to go before the next version appears, it's almost certain that the Cupertino, Calif. company will deliver at least one more update, perhaps a pair.

Apple traditionally announces the newest version of the Mac's operating system at its June Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), quickly offers developers and users preview code, then months later, ships the final.

Some recent signals hint that at WWDC, which is to kick off June 13, Apple will rebrand OS X as MacOS to move its nomenclature to the format of its other operating systems, including iOS, tvOS and watchOS.

The updates to El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Safari and iTunes can be downloaded from the Mac App Store.
Cybercriminals can call on an extensive network of specialists for "business" expertise, including people who train and recruit, launder money, and provide escrow services, according to HPE.

The cybercriminal underground includes people who provide human resources functions, like recruiting and background checks, but also specialists who help market and sell exploit kits and compromised data and others who serve as middlemen in anonymous transactions, according to The Business of Hacking white paper from Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Cybercriminals are increasingly taking a business-based approach toward their activities, with some organizations developing in-house training, disaster recovery, and other business functions, and others contracting for those services in the underground marketplace, said Shogo Cottrell, a security strategist with HPE Security. Cybercrime is maturing as a business model, he added.

"They are following the money, in a sense," Cottrell said. Cybercriminals are embracing the "traditional sound business practices of increasing your revenue, reducing your costs, maximizing your profit."

Some criminal hacking businesses offer 24-by-seven telephone support, others offer money-back guarantees on their products, Cottrell said.

These traditional business models, with marketing teams focused on the reputation of the cybercriminal groups, help build up the groups' reputations in the criminal underground, Cottrell said.

It's hard to maintain trust and a reputation in the cybercriminal community, "given that there's a lot of paranoia and there's a lot of distrust," Cottrell said. With a marketing team, "they can market the things they're doing a put a good face in front of the underground public."

The HPE paper identifies advertising fraud and extortion as types of cybercrime that have high payout potential while requiring relatively little effort and involving low risk to criminals. Hacktivism and credit card fraud are relatively easy and low risk but offer low payout potential.

Organized crime and intellectual property theft, on the other hand, offer large paydays, but can be difficult to pull off and can be risky.

The HPE paper recommends that businesses take several steps to disrupt cybercriminals. Businesses can disrupt hacker profits by using end-to-end encryption on their sensitive data, and by deploying application security tools, the white paper says.

"Attackers prefer easy targets, so deploying any technologies to harden your assets will have dramatic results," the paper says.

Many businesses suffering breaches still fail to deploy basic security measures, such as patching software and two-factor authentication, Cottrell said. Hackers conduct their own risk analysis on potential targets; if a company looks difficult to attack, they will move on, he said.

Honeypots or deception grids -- realistic duplications of a business' network set up to trap attackers -- can also be effective, HPE said. These duplicated networks are "complex but may represent the future of getting ahead of the attackers and disrupting them," the paper says.

Businesses being attacked by cybercriminals shouldn't rely on government action, however, the paper says. While many countries are enacting harsher punishments for cybercrime, there's an enforcement problem in some parts of the world, the paper notes.

Harsh penalties in some countries are "driving attackers to operate in ... more lenient countries to reduce their risk," HPE says.
The U.S. has warned of fragmentation of the Internet if China goes ahead with proposed rules that would require compulsory registration of Internet domain names in China through government-licensed providers.

The regulations for the administration of Internet domain names would also forbid the registration of websites containing any one of nine categories of broadly and vaguely defined prohibited content, and create a blacklist of forbidden characters in the registration of domain names, adding an extra layer of control to Chinas Great Firewall, two top U.S. officials in charge of Internet policy and administration, wrote in a statement Monday.

Today, more than 700 million people have access to the Internet in China, more than any country in the world. Several of the most valuable Internet-based companies call China home, wrote Lawrence E. Strickling, assistant secretary of commerce and administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and Daniel Sepulveda, Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy at the Department of State.

The statement comes ahead of an expected hearing by a Senate Commerce Committee on a plan for ending U.S. oversight of key technical Internet functions in favor of a global multi-stakeholder governance model.

The NTIA, an agency located in the Department of Commerce, said in March 2014 it planned to let its contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to operate key domain-name functions expire in September 2015, passing the oversight of the agency to a global governance model. Concern that control of the Internet could pass to governments, some of them dictatorial, has led to hesitation and delays over the plan.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions, which include responsibility for the coordination of the DNS (Domain Name System) root, IP addressing and other Internet protocol resources, are operated by ICANN under contract with the Department of Commerce. ICANN submitted in March to the U.S. its plan for the transition.

But some senators like Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, are critical of former ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade for agreeing to co-chair a high-level advisory committee for the Chinese governments World Internet Conference. ICANN has said that Chehade will take up his new role later this year, much after his leaving his job at ICANN in March.

The draft Internet domain name regulations, published in March by the Chinese government, would require all Internet domain names in China to be registered through government-licensed service providers that have a presence in the country, besides imposing additional regulations on the provision of domain name services.

The move appears to be in line with the aim of Chinas government to have greater control over the domestic Internet. The country already censors a large number of websites in the country besides blocking U.S. sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The focus of concern of the two U.S. officials is a vaguely defined new article 37, which has been interpreted as banning Internet Service Providers in China from providing Internet access to domain names that are registered with a registrar abroad, hence cutting off Chinas Internet from the rest of the world.

While Chinese authorities have clarified that the intent of the article would be to prohibit access to Chinese-registered domain names that are acquired from registries/registrars that are not in compliance with Chinese regulations, concerns remain that the language in its current form is vague and open to differing interpretations, according to the statement.

Critics of the draft rules are also opposed to requirements for forced data localization and real name verification for the registration of Internet addresses.

By creating its own rules for domain name management, China is threatening to fragment the Internet, which would limit the Internets ability to operate as a global platform for human communication, commerce, and creativity, the officials wrote. Chinese officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Tribune Publishing Co., a major newspaper chain, is laying off as many as 200 IT employees as it shifts work overseas.

The firm, which owns the Los Angeles Times, The Baltimore Sun, Chicago Tribune, Hartford Courant and many other media properties, told IT employees in early April that it's moving work to India-based Tata Consultancy Services.

Interestingly, the Tribune IT employees were notified within weeks of a similar announcement involving IT employees at the McClatchy Company, another major newspaper chain.

McClatchy, which owns the Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee and many other newspapers, is laying off between 120 and 150 IT employees. That company hired Wipro, an IT service provider also based in India.

The impact of these IT outsourcing decision may go beyond the job losses. It could affect coverage of this controversial issue.

The Los Angeles Times, in particular, in columns and editorials, was critical of Southern California Edison's offshore outsourcing of IT jobs. The utility hired India-based vendors, including Tata Consultancy Services, and then cut some 500 IT jobs.

"Information technology workers at Southern California Edison have found themselves in the unhappy position of training their own replacements, thanks to a plan by the utility to outsource their jobs to two India-based staffing companies," the Times wrote in an editorial last year; the editorial focused on the use of H-1B visa workers in offshore outsourcing. Along with Tata, Southern California Edison also hired Infosys.

The editorial noted that the H-1B visa "was designed to help American businesses fill specialized positions, not to displace American workers."

For Tribune and McClatchy reporters and editorial writers, the actions of their parent companies to offshore jobs may complicate coverage. Businesses turning to offshore outsourcing may now be able to throw any criticism back in the faces of these publications: "But you are doing it, too."

Tribune Publishing employed 7,165 full- and part-time employes at the end of 2015.

IT employees at Tribune Publishing say they received warning of the outsourcing late last year. In April, they were told that over an 18-month period, Tribune would be moving to information technology outsourcing across its business, according to employees contacted.

Some employees were offered a "transition bonus" to help with the transfer of work to the contractors. The layoffs are expected to occur over the summer and into the fall. Some employees will be offered jobs with Tata.

It was not clear whether Tata is using H-1B workers on site. In-person training is just beginning, but it has been standard practice in this industry to use some visa workers. Employees reported training replacements via Web sessions with India-based staff.

In response to a query from Computerworld, a Tribune Publishing spokesperson emailed this statement about the outsourcing: "We have made the strategic decision to outsource key functions of our legacy information technology department to create a more agile operating environment and to drive our overall business transformation. This decision will allow us to better serve our customers, improve our systems and capabilities and create more opportunity for innovation. We thank all of our dedicated employees for their commitment to a seamless transition."
One month ago, I wrote about why the Government should reject Tobacco Retailer Licencing (TRL)  a putative bid to crack down on black market smokes which would in fact heavily penalise legitimate retailers, especially small shops.

Small businesses are less able than their larger competitors to absorb the costs and uncertainty involved in a new regulatory regime. They are also far more dependent on tobacco revenue than supermarkets.

The extent of that dependency has been highlighted by a new survey by Tobacco Retailers Alliance, according to which 68 per cent of local retailers derive more than 20 per cent of their total revenue from tobacco; 31 per cent more than 30 per cent of their revenue; and 15 per cent over 40 per cent of their revenue.

These figures do not include smokers additional spend, much of which would be lost if smokers had to buy tobacco elsewhere  according to Retail Newsagent magazine 39 per cent of visits to convenience stores is tobacco-driven, and the average revenue contribution of a smoking shopper is double that of their non-smoking counterparts.

As I wrote last time: If you need to go to a town centre or out-of-town complex for your cigarettes, chances are youll do the rest of your shopping whilst youre there.

As a result of these findings, no fewer than 98 per cent of local retailers surveyed see a potential loss of tobacco sale rights as a threat to their business, and 87 per cent believe that losing the right to sell tobacco would force them to close their shop.

Of course, business is only one part of a broader set of considerations the Government must weigh when passing new legislation.

Yet it would surely be foolish to disregard the voices of those who find themselves at the front line of the struggle with black market tobacco products  not least because the entire British legislative system is designed around the model of each side making its case as best it can so that the Cabinet can make the best decision possible.

Yet Anna Soubry, the Small Business Minister, declined in February to meet the TRA to discuss their concerns.

Its hard to see a good reason for this: meeting a trade body which represents tens of thousands of small businesses is surely pretty fundamental to the job of a Small Business Minister. Apparently tobacco retailers plan to seek a meeting today or, failing that, picket her office.

Soubrys reluctance to engage with tobacco sellers might have its roots in her year as Public Health minister, in which she was an enthusiastic champion of all manner of anti-smoking measures including plain packaging and Minimum Tobacco Pack Sizes (MTPS), the EUs incoming ban on ten packs of cigarettes.

But when ministers move they ought to leave such baggage at the door of their new office. It is the Department of Healths job to present the case for further tobacco controls, and the Department of Business (BIS) to represent those who might be adversely affected.

After getting needlessly blind-sided by the problems of Port Talbot steelworks and BHS, BIS is not giving the impression of a department in command of its brief. Its ministers should be bending over backwards to combat that impression, rather than allowing ideological cross-contamination from other departments to stop them doing their job.
Close

The space research agency, NASA, has recently given a green signal to various projects including the inflatable space habitats and deep space sleep chambers for the future Mars missions. The deep space sleep chambers will induce cryosleep and thus help the astronauts sleep for longer-duration on their missions. The main reason behind this is to save on the resources needed by the scientists during the space journey.

"To help mitigate the effects of aging on long-duration space travel, a group of engineers is working to develop a deep sleep chamber," reported Design & Trend. "This could lay the foundation for future cryosleep chambers and other forms of suspended animation. The proposed chamber is designed to medically support astronauts who are in a deep sleep."

Further, few reports suggest that over the next two years, research scientists will examine the side-effects of the long-duration sedation on the organs of the human body. It is also reported that the researchers will also try to find out how to neutralize the bone loss and muscle deterioration that occurs during the deep sleep.

In addition to the deep space sleep chambers, NASA's scientists are also working on the inflatable space habitats, which would be built in space by the robots. "These Growth-Adapted Tensegrity Structures (GATs) would be built in space by robots and would be able to grow and evolve as needed," reported Gizmodo. "The project will explore the possibility of setting up the first outpost just beyond the Moon, and if successful it would eventually be seen throughout the Solar System."

Besides, there are reports that NASA is also working on the concept called as Magnetoshell, which would help the astronauts to land on the Mars without crashing or burning up. This magnetic space shell is expected to toss a magnetic field around the Mars-destined spacecraft.

"As the spacecraft will fall through the planet's atmosphere, the resulting interaction would almost act as a second set of brakes, slowing down the craft enough that the actual landing protocol would need less fuel," reported E&T Magazine.

Meanwhile, Motherboard reported that the deep space habitat concept is currently being researched by the NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts program and will soon move into development phase. According to the associate administrator of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, Steve Jurczyk, the phase II of the projects has been designed to enable the scientists to research more in the unrealistic areas.

"The NIAC program is one of the ways NASA engages the U.S. scientific and engineering communities, including agency civil servants, by challenging them to come up with some of the most visionary aerospace concepts," said Steve, as reported by Space. "This year's Phase II fellows have clearly met this challenge."

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Custodians Of Love

By Swapnil Dhanraj

17 May, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Regressive social laws wield much more power over self-choice marriages/ love marriages today. Even few powerful politicians and educated parents do not dare to come out and demand action against social killings of young people, and marriage outside ones caste. Many young people who are trapped in the unbearable and restricted rules of love and marriage are manipulated by the society and system. The continuous violence against couples and unlawful existence of Khap Panchayat in hidden forms remains a challenging domain.

The recent Marathi film Sairat released on 29th April 2016, selected for 66th International Film festival of Berlin, is a free-spirited story of a couple whose love cannot transcend the boundaries of social hierarchies. This is an epic love story that takes a critical look at the structural reality of caste hierarchy. Sairat (passion, zeal) ,unlike other Marathi films that begin to run around in circles after a point, has quite differently portrayed the reality of two lovers who come from different social locations and their struggle in facing the outside worlds restriction on their love. Besides the love story the film makes a strong comment on the social structures of our society which reminds us of the killings of young couples due to violation of the principles of a community or a religion.

Nagrajs film powerfully delineates the beautiful side of love and heinous reality of caste. In the first part of movie love blossoms between Archana and Parshya and a romantic chemistry is portrayed. The Second half of the movie gives a radical departure from the first part where the rosy love story takes an ugly turn leading to a social drama. Their love is not accepted, but with the growing obstacle they face their relationship grows stronger. The girl, Archana( played by Rinku Rajguru) belongs to an affluent political family of the Patil (a Maratha landlord) in the village who is raised in all comforts. On the contrary the hero, Parshya (played by Akash Thosar) belongs from a lower caste fisher community who helps his father catch the daily quota of fish.

Sairat breaks away the notions of traditional gender roles shown in typical Bollywood and Marathi films where heroine is helpless and ultimately rescued by the hero in the end. The movie has described the rebel capabilities of a woman in a relationship to save her love. It has totally reversed the traditional gender role of a woman rooted in the mainstream cinema, especially in the Brahminical Marathi film industry. Sairat gives us a dashing girl who is fearless while staring at a guy till he gets uncomfortable, a girl who rides a Royal Enfield and drives a tractor, takes initiative by inviting the boy for a few private moments and she is the one who says I love you while taking the lead. Here we have the heroine who rescues the hero from police detention, saves the hero from the goons by brandishing a gun, and shows her courage by eloping with the guy by playing a true cohort. The film breaks away from the onerous devise of patriarchy embedded in the mainstream cinema of our times which imitates the patriarchal notions and other social evils in our society.

After the realization strikes the two that the society is uncomfortable with their unity they elope to explore the desired companionship. Thenceforth, the journey of Archna and Parshya takes a new turn. The film is important because of its social message and it has something to prove. People in love cannot leave behind their social baggage and walk into a relationship is the principal message the film delivers. While struggling to create their own world Archana gets a job at a bottling plant and Parshya makes small earnings working as a Dosa vendor and mechanic in Hyderabad. They finally get married and have an adorable kid and save enough to buy a flat. In the end it seems that they were going to live like a happy couple forever. Well this is not the end. One day her brother who comes to visit her at her place with his men and kills Archana and Parshya in the end.

Sairats remarkable achievement is that it leaves us with a questioning mind. It gives you a test of violent realities of the killings of the youth who dared to love and transcend the social hierarchies. The film has obviously hurt the caste ego of the dominant Maratha castes in Maharashtra which has resulted in casteist vilification of the film and its director on social networking websites. However, the film is still doing well and has broken a few records in the Marathi film Industry. Todays condition in our society as the film describes is far harsher and rigid in many unforeseen ways where young people attempt to escape it. Their attempts however come to a tragic end either by committing suicide or by the hegemonic Khap Panchayats. Sairat traces the links between the regressive social laws of the Indian society in the lives of men and women in love. In the end the film demands that we examine who the real culprit in the situation is  love or social hierarchies.

Swapnil Dhanraj  PhD student at Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. I specialize in political sociology and my interest areas include marginalized communities, urban development, and cultural nationalism.














Boris Johnsons Hitler Comparison

By Dr. Binoy Kampmark

17 May, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Hitlers main aim was to create an empire in the east and violently subjugate Europeans. Any connection between that and the EU is simply laughable.- Lord Bramal, The Guardian, May 16, 2016

Had he lost it? Perhaps not entirely. Former London Mayor Boris Johnson is spending his time drumming up support for a British exit from the EU, and making waves doing so. These waves, as his admirers and detractors know all too well, tend to vary in terms of size and velocity.

A closer examination of BJs recent statements on the subject of aggressive EU expansion and consolidation do not suggest total madness, but nor do they suggest total originality. Tease through the mad undergrowth, and a few shoots of sensible appraisal can be found: centralised cores of imperial power are not necessarily such a good idea, notably in the European context. Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods.

Ideas of a unified Europe have been thrown about with various degrees of enthusiasm over the centuries, but now, Johnson finds a loss of interest in the European idea, a general waning that has assumed the form of a battering ram in various populist reactions. (This, in a sense, is a true Tory speaking.) For him, fundamentally, what is lacking is the eternal problem, which is there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe. There is no single authority that anybody respects of understands. That is causing this democratic void.

Boris has long argued that much of this problem lies with the Romans, who were very much in the business of imperial rule over various nationalities spanning a continent. Pan-European hegemony has been a thriving stable of ideas ever since. His unqualified love for the Greek city states, notably Athens, continues despite a liberal counterfeit quality.

Any inspiration must lie with Eurosceptic Nicholas Ridley, who told then editor of The Spectator Dominic Lawson after resigning in an anti-European huff in 1990 that he was not against giving up sovereignty in principle, but not to this lot. You might as well give it to Adolf Hitler, frankly.

Johnson has also injected a degree of patriotic necessity into his campaign. Britons, he argues, should become the separatist heroes of Europe again, saving the rotting corpse from itself, and offering an example to follow. That example is obvious: a more fractured vision of political existence that might, just might, retain a few tinctures of democratic sentiment.

Not all on his side of the Tory aisle agree with this call to arms, co-opting the likes of Hitler in the EU slander games. Conservative MP and grandson of Winston Churchill called Johnson the unchallenged master of the self-inflicted wound. Stumbling to a political suicide, the former Mayor has made it a habit of pulling the carpet from under his own feet  and others who decide to take the road with him.

Sir Eric Pickles, the Conservative former communities secretary, began seeing a Ken Livingstone double  at least in terms of using inappropriate Hitler analogies. If the last few weeks tell us anything: it is rarely a help to mention Hitler in support of an argument by an ex-mayor of London.

Other Tories such as former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine see the entire Boris rationale as ludicrous, if not chilling. If he were to be successful in his ambition to cut us off from Europe, the flag would fly in Frankfurt and Paris in his honour. For Heseltine, the doom lies in the issue of financial protection  Britains financial services industry would take a battering. Far better for Britain to be in the mess doing something, than outside the mess doing nothing at all.

Johnson, in his sometimes awkward fumbling, occasionally hits gold, even if it is gold smeared by a good degree of dirt. The issue of stifling managerialism, and one that arises from institutional atrophy, is all too evident in EU governance. It has enslaved the sovereign ideal to a financial one, and reduced the social welfare notion to a rump.

After the idea, the fall; after the inspiration, the dull gloom. The EU has gone into a state of decline, dooming the democratic project in different ways. (It can be argued that it was never even democratic in aspiration to begin with.) What Boris tends to neglect along the way are other historical aspect of the debate, the sort that tend to be lost in the war of analogies. History is itself filled with its own misuses.

The Boris formula, for all its appeal to raw populism and Bulldog resistance, is not coherently one of improvement. As Heseltine reminds us, being absolutely sovereign  the Britain of 1940, for instance  comes with its own problems, its own dangers before the ambitions of other powers and intentions. Peace [after the Second World War] was hard won. Europe came together to ensure it must never happen again.

How that togetherness is fashioned remains the old question, and it will not come from the addled mind that is Boris Johnson. For one thing, he has given a sense about what good Tory fractiousness looks like.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com














April 2016 Hottest On Record As 'Climate Emergency' Grows



By Nadia Prupis

17 May, 2016

CommonDreams.org

This April was the hottest on recordand the seventh month in a row to break global temperature averagessetting up 2016 to be the hottest year ever, NASA has reported.

April was 1.11C hotter than previous averages between 1951 and 1980, which NASA uses as a barometer for measuring climate change, according to figures the agency released over the weekend. NASA also found that April was the third month in a row that the record-breaking jumps in temperature were reached by the largest increases yet.

In fact, 2016 may not only be the hottest year in recorded history, but also by the widest margin, scientists say.

"The interesting thing is the scale at which we're breaking records," Andy Pitman, director of the ARC Center of Excellence for Climate System Science at the University of New South Wales in Australia, told the Guardian on Monday. "It's clearly all heading in the wrong direction."

"Climate scientists have been warning about this since at least the 1980s," Pitman said. "And it's been bloody obvious since the 2000s. So where's the surprise?"

In February, when this latest trend of record-breaking increases began, scientists referred to it as "shocking" and a "climate emergency." The new numbers come just as global leaders gather in Bonn, Germany this week to follow up on the historic Paris agreement signed in April to curb global greenhouse gas emissions. But researchers say the new record is casting fresh doubts that the deal will be able to stave off irreparable climate change in time to prevent catastrophic consequences.

The Paris target of keeping emissions under 1.5C is "wishful thinking," Pitman said. "I don't know if you'd get 1.5C if you stopped emissions today. There's inertia in the system. It's putting intense pressure on 2C."

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Printer Friendly Version Monsanto And The Poisoning of Europe: An Open Letter To

The EFSA Chief Attorney About Re-licensing Glyphosate in The EU By Colin Todhunter 17 May, 2016

Countercurrents.org This week, a Standing Committee of plant scientists from 28 member states in Europe is likely to endorse the European Food Safety Authoritys (EFSA) findings so that the European Commission (under pressure from Monsanto, Glyphosate Task Force and others) can re-authorise glyphosate for another nine years. This is despite the WHO classifying glyphosate as being probably carcinogenic to humans. An open letter from campaigner Rosemary Mason to Dirk Detken, Chief Attorney to the EFSA, follows the brief background article you are about to read. In the letter, Mason highlights the regulatory delinquency concerning the oversight of glyphosate in the EU. The evidence provided by Mason might lead many to agree that processes surrounding glyphosate 'regulation' in Europe amount to little more than a cesspool of corruption. There are around 500 million people in the EU. They want EU officials to uphold the public interest and to be independent from commercial influence. They do not want them to serve and profit from commercial interests at cost to the publics health and safety. However, what they too often get are massive conflicts of interest: see here about the revolving door problem within official EU bodies, here about the European Food and Safety Authoritys independence problem and here about 'chemical conflicts' in the EC's scientific committees for consumer issues. And they get governing bodies that are beholden to massive corporate lobbying: see here about the fire power of the financial lobby and here about who lobbies most for TTIP, with agribusiness being the biggest lobby group behing this secretive and corrupt trade deal that is attempting drive a policy agenda above the heads of the European people and contrary to their wishes (see this on TTIP as well). Regulators turn a blind eye to the deleterious effects of products that pose a serious systemic risk to the public: see here about the glyphosate toxicity studies youre not allowed to see and here case closed by EFSA on Roundup, despite new evidence. And they also give the nod to products based not on independent research but on a companys statements or secretive studies taken at face value and then deliberately keep the public in the dark: for example, see here about Roundup and birth defects. What people get are public institutions that serve a corporate agenda: see here about the black book on the corporate agenda of the EC. Last year, Arthur Nelson noted that as many as 31 pesticides with a value running into billions of pounds could have been banned in the EU because of potential health risks, if a blocked EU paper on hormone-mimicking chemicals had been acted upon. A study by Sebastian Stehle and Ralph Schultz found that 44.7 % of the 1,566 cases of measured insecticide concentrations (MICs) in EU surface waters exceeded their respective regulatory acceptable concentrations. The meta-analysis challenges the efficacy of the regulatory environmental risk assessment conducted for pesticide authorisation in the EU. Our food and agriculture system is in big trouble. Its in big trouble because the global agritech/agribusiness sector is poisoning it, us and the environment with its pesticides, herbicides, GMOs and various other chemical inputs. This is made possible because of the agro-chemical industrys lavish funds, massive lobbying, slick PR, compliant politicians and scientists and its undermining and capture of regulatory and policy decision-making bodies that supposedly serve the public interest. The situation in the US is possibly even worse and with TTIP on the horizon, Europeans could be in line for exposure to even more chemicals. Some 34,000 pesticides are currently registered for use in the US. Drinking water is often contaminated by pesticides, and more babies are being born with preventable birth defects due to pesticide exposure. Chemicals show up in breast milk of mothers. Illnesses are on the rise too, including asthma, autism and learning disabilities, birth defects and reproductive dysfunction, diabetes, Parkinsons and Alzheimers diseases and several types of cancer. The link with pesticide exposure is becoming increasingly evident. Elected politicians and public servants are allowing this to happen. In 2014, the authors of the report The record of a Captive Commission concluded that the outgoing Barraso II ECs trade and investment policy revealed a bunch of unelected technocrats who cared little about what ordinary people want and negotiate on behalf of big business. The report state that the European Commission had a one-sided relationship with agribusiness on GMOs and pesticides. Far from shifting Europe to a more sustainable food and agriculture system, the opposite had happened, as agribusiness and its lobbyists continued to dominate the Brussels scene. The report noted that the industry had been exerting strong pressure to prevent action by the EU on endocrine disruptors and pesticides. Failure to expose and challenge the corruption, lobbying, back-room free trade deals and revolving door that exists between agribusiness and decision-making/regulatory bodies will result in these corporations continuing to prosper at everyone elses expense. Open Letter from Rosemary Mason to Dirk Detken, Chief Attorney to the European Food Safety Authority (For the sake of convenience, this is an edited version of the original letter and has been reformatted in places) Dear Dirk Detken, Humans and the environment are being poisoned by thousands of chemicals of that have never been tested by regulators in the combinations in which farmers use them today. Regulation of pesticides is controlled by the agrochemical industry. It has a financial interest in advising farmers to use as much and as many pesticides as possible. This week a Standing Committee of plant scientists from 28 member states in Europe is likely to endorse EFSAs findings so that the European Commission (under pressure from Monsanto, Glyphosate Task Force and Crop Protection Organisations) can re-authorise glyphosate for another nine years. 1) Glyphosate is toxic to humans Pesticide regulators and Monsanto maintain that glyphosate only affects plants, fungi and bacteria, not humans. Regulators claim it is non-toxic to humans because of the enzyme that glyphosate affects is only present in plants, fungi and bacteria and not in animals and humans. This is scientific nonsense. Pesticide scientists and plant scientists have based their assessment of herbicides on complete ignorance of human gut physiology. Humans and animals have exactly the same pathway as in plants; mammals can only absorb nutrients via the bacteria in their gut; the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is the collective genome of organisms (i.e. bacteria) inhabiting our body (see this). 2) Environmentalists launch legal case against Monsanto and EU regulators over glyphosate assessment April 26 2016 Viennese lawyer Dr Josef Unterweger says: If there has been deliberate manipulation of the new licensing procedure for glyphosate with the intention of approving a carcinogenic substance, then this would be defrauding 508 million EU citizens. For this reason Dr Unterweger is pressing charges on behalf of Munich Environmental Institute and the six environmental organisations: Global 2000, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe, PAN Germany, PAN UK, Generations Futures (France), WeMove Europe, and Nature & Progres Belgique. A report will also be submitted to OLAF, the European anti-fraud office. Have EFSA and the EU Commission received a copy of the lawsuit? 3) Ignoring evidence about glyphosate in South America I probably dont need to remind you of the email I wrote to you on 22/10/2012 about EFSA and the Seralini paper on rat tumours (see this) I said: As Senior Attorney to EFSA, I presume that your CEO Ms Catherine Geslain-Lanuelle must, on occasions, take your advice. Perhaps you would like to point out to her the trail of disasters to human health and the environment that has followed the planting of GM maize and Roundup Ready crops in both Latin America and the US since they were first grown in 1996. These statistics are real, not theoretical laboratory ones. Are these the disasters that she would want to see repeated in Europe? I had no reply. I noted that the German Rapporteur Member State (BfR)/Glyphosate Task Force had excluded all papers from Argentina/Paraguay reporting cancers, birth defects, reproductive problems and DNA changes in their Renewal Assessment Report. 4) Conflicts of interest The German RMS (BfR) has members of industry serving on it. Le Monde revealed that one third of the Members of the BFR Commission on Pesticides and their Residues are directly employed by the chemical industry; others came from the dubious bee institutes. The satirical comment from Le Monde was, that in Germany: people from the pesticide industry give expert safety advice on their own products. Walter Haefeker President of the European Professional Beekeepers Association (EPBA) confirmed this: Federal authority for Consumer Protection and Food Safety: BVL (Bundesamt fur Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit), during a presentation in 2015, in Berlin, at the world s largest agricultural products fair, Die Grune Woche, the Director of the Department for the Admission of Plant Protection (Pesticide Regulation Authority), Dr. Karsten Hogardt, stated that the BVL sees itself as: a service for its clients, the plant protection industry. In this role it is advised by an expert group of risk managers including many from the pesticide industry. It is shocking and disgraceful, that no independent scientists are allowed in the regulation, or licensing, of pesticides in Germany. They were correct. The BfR Committee for Pesticides and its residues had two members from Bayer and two members from BASF. Bayer manufactures Super Strength Glyphosate and BASF supplies a chemical component of glyphosate. The WHO/JMPR (WHO Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues held jointly with the FAO Panel of Experts on the Use of Pesticides in Agriculture) met to make the final decision about the registration of glyphosate in September 2015 based on IARCs full report; at least three had conflicts of interest Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) wrote to the World Health Organization (WHO) with the list of eight members of this Committee. They complained that three members had conflicts of interest. Angelo Morettiresigned in 2011 from EFSA after he had failed to declare conflicts of interest because he had shares in a company that helped companies needing to comply with EU Regulations. Prof Alan Boobis is Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Europe, Vice Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of ILSI Europe and a Member of the Board of Trustees. He had served as a WHO expert on Pesticides Residues on the WHO/JMPR Committee when glyphosate was granted approval in 2002. Dr Roland Solecki, Head of the BfR, was one of the eight experts on the WHO/JMPR even though BfR had said: In BfRs opinion, it would be inexpedient if BfR as the composer of the assessment report on glyphosate would comment on the IARC monograph. 5) Members of the Office of the European Ombudsman appear to be protecting industry On 06/03/2016, I sent a letter to the EU Ombudsman Janet OReilly: Maladministration and criminal collusion with the agrochemical involved in the renewal of glyphosate registration. I received a reply on 13/05/2016, five days before the vote on the re-registration of glyphosate: Complaint 378/2016/JVH After a careful examination of your complaint, it seems that this condition is not met, because you do not appear to have made any administrative approaches either to the European Food Safety Authority or to the European Commission, in relation to your complaint. I regret to have to inform you, therefore, that I am not entitled to deal with your complaint. On 12/10/2015, I wrote an Open Letter to the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority. On 07/12/2015, I sent the Health Commissioner an Open Letter to the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed asking for a copy be sent to the Committee. On 16/02/2016, I sent letter to Bernhard Url: Glyphosate causes cancer and birth defects. 6) Glyphosate, which Monsanto claimed isnt metabolized, was found in MEPs urine (see this) The recent Green Partys MEPs test was inspired by a German study Urinale 2015, which sampled glyposate concentrations in urine from more than 2,000 participants. The study found that the scale of the glyphosate problem is enormous, with detected concentrations in urine between five and 42 times over the maximum value of residues for drinking water in Europe, the Green Party pointed out. No less than 99.6 percent of all citizens who took part in this survey had higher residue levels. This means that virtually all citizens are contaminated with glyphosate. A number of other studies have detected glyphosatethe most widely applied pesticideworldwidein feminine hygiene products, everyday food items and, yes, human bodies. As veteran reporter Carey Gillam says in the article: What Killed Jack McCall? A Farmer Dies; A Case Against Monsanto Takes Root: Monsanto has deliberately concealed or suppressed information about the dangers of its product, said environmental and chemical pollution attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is assisting in litigating glyphosate cases. This is big. Its on every farm in the world. There are now hundreds of court cases against glyphosate (and PCBs) for causing non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and since Anthony Samsel obtained the secret sealed files from the US EPA under Freedom of Information about Monsantos knowledge in the 1970s that glyphosate caused cancer and cataracts in animals, he is in great demand as a witness. [In her letter, Mason then goes on to outline the track record of Monsanto in relation to PCBs and its own internal memos that proved it knew about the toxicity of PCBs as far back as 1970 but continued production. She also notes US EPAs close links with Monsanto and the failure to protect the public interest.] I look forward to hearing that the Standing Committee for Plants, Animals, Food and Feed has rejected EFSAs Report on glyphosate and that the European Commission heeds the Appeal by the International Society of Doctors for the Environment to immediately and permanently ban, with no exceptions, the production, trade and use in all the EU territories of glyphosate-based herbicides and the four insecticides as assessed by IARC (see here). Yours sincerely, Rosemary Mason 16/05/2016

Colin Todhunter is an independent writer







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Who Is The More Vicious Liar: Trump, or Obama?

By Eric Zuesse

17 May, 2016

Countercurrents.org

There was a drastic refocus by U.S. President Barack Obama away from being anti-jihadist and toward being anti-Russian, after his first Presidential term ended and as soon as his second Presidential term began; but the signs that Obama presented during his re-election campaign in 2012 were in exactly the opposite direction  that he was going to reduce, not increase, American armaments against Russia.

A major reason why the American people re-elected U.S. President Barack Obama, instead of elected a new President Mitt Romney, was Romneys having said of Russia, on 26 March 2012,

Russia, this is, without question, our number one geopolitical foe. They  they fight every cause for the world's worst actors.  Russia is the  the geopolitical foe.

Not just a geopolitical foe, but the geopolitical foe. (Wow! In a world with growing jihadist movements, such as Al Qaeda and ISIS?)

Obama responded to that at the re-election campaigns end, by springing this upon Romney during a debate, on 22 October 2012:

Governor Romney, I'm glad that you recognize that Al Qaida is a threat, because a few months ago when you were asked what's the biggest geopolitical threat facing America, you said Russia, not Al Qaida; you said Russia. In the 1980s, they're now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because, you know, the Cold War's been over for 20 years.

Obamas campaign had very successfully presented himself as having killed Osama bin Laden and many other Al Qaeda leaders; and, though no polling has been done on whether the American public considered jihadists (fundamentalist-extremist Islamists who seek a global Caliphate) to be our number one geopolitical foe, or Russia to be that instead, the poor polling that has been done relating to that matter, suggests the majority of Americans would have selected jihadists, not Russia, as being our number one geopolitical foe; and, in the final analysis, the 2012 Presidential contest exit polls did show Obama (who was publicly less hostile toward Russia than Romney and the Republicans were) with a 42% to 36% advantage over Romney on the national-security question: "Who Do You Trust To Handle International Crisis? The exit polls showed Obama winning the total vote by around 50% to 48%; so, International Crisis went for Obama, and against Romney, considerably more than did the overall exit-polled Presidential vote, and this at least suggests that Obama not Romney gained from this public disagreement over our number one geopolitical foe."

Regarding the incident on 26 March 2012, when Obama spoke with Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev at the South Korean Nuclear Security Summit, Politifact reported:

In March 2012, at a summit in South Korea, Obama was caught in a "hot mic" incident. Without realizing he could be overheard, Obama told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he would have more ability to negotiate with the Russians about missile defense after the November election. "On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved, but its important for him [the incoming President Putin] to give me space," Obama was heard telling Medvedev, apparently referring to incoming Russian president Vladimir Putin. "Yeah, I understand," Medvedev replied. Obama interjected, saying, "This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.

So: Obama was telling Putin there, through Medvedev, that his next Administration would soften its stand on Americas installing in eastern Europe, near and even on Russias borders, missiles that are designed to disable Russias ability to retaliate against a U.S. nuclear first-strike  the U.S. ABM or anti-ballistic-missile system.

Obama wasnt lying only to Americas voters; he was shown there privately lying to Putin, by indicating to Medvedev that instead of becoming more aggressive (by his planned ABMs) against Russia in a second term, hed become less aggressive (by negotiating with Putin about the matter  as you can see there, the nub of it was George Herbert Walker Bushs lie to Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990).

The missile system to disable Russias retaliatory force is extremely aggressive (the termination of the nuclear balance  called Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD  replacing that by nuclear weapons as instruments of conquest), and Putin had been constantly making clear that he wouldnt accept it without hiking Russias armaments so as to counter it, if Obama goes forward with it.

Obamas double-lie there  both to Americans in public, and to Putin in private  was as vicious as can possibly be imagined, because it could produce a nuclear war, which is something that neither the American people want, nor the Russian people want, nor Vladimir Putin wants, even if Barack Obama might (and hes certainly playing a bold game of poker over it, which is the most vicious part of this entire affair).

But actually, Obamas lie was even worse than this, because, from the very moment when he entered the White House in 2009, he already was hoping to invade Syria so as to eliminate Russias ally there, Bashar al-Assad. And, furthermore, Obama at the very start of his second term began preparations to overthrow another key Russian ally, the democratically elected President of Russias next-door neighbor Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych. The coup in Ukraine started being implemented on 1 March 2013, which was well before the excuse for it (Yanukovychs 20 November 2013 turn-down of Ukrainian membership in the EU) had even occurred; so, the lie that Obamas anti-Russian sanctions are because Russia accepted Crimeas return to Russia, after Obama actually stole Ukraine from its former Russian alliance, after Yanukovych rejected the EUs offer to sell, to Ukraine, EU membership for a cost of $160 billion to be borne solely by Ukrainians, after Obama had set all of that up almost immediately after his second term began, is actually a string of lies by Obama about what he was doing and about what Putin was doing, and about what it all meant  and means.

And then, when Obama did spring his coup, in February 2014, which was an extremely violent coup, it was very reasonably seen to be a dangerous threat to the regions of Ukraine (Crimea and Donbass) that had voted over 75% for the man whom Obama had just overthrown, and they seceded in Crimea and in Donbass, because not only of the very real threat (and the Obama-regimes ethnic-cleansing campaign against Donbass), but because they saw no legitimacy in their being ruled by their enemies, who are fake proponents of democracy, but actually aspiring global dictators.

Does there exist any lying by Donald Trump which trumps that? I have never been a Republican, but I certainly wont vote for Hillary Clinton, who, in all details, has been similar to Obama on each of these matters, only even more reckless about her aggression than Obama has been  she was the Administrations super-hawk.

On 9 January 2012, the geostrategist F. William Engdahl presented relevant immediate background for Obamas lie asserting his alleged disagreement with Romney about Russia, when Engdahl headlined Why Washington Wants Finito with Putin, and he opened (and he was one of the first Westerners to have read correctly the tea leaves on this):

Washington clearly wants finito with Russias Putin as in basta! or as they said in Egypt last spring, Kefaya  enough!. Hillary Clinton and friends have apparently decided Russias prospective next president, Vladimir Putin, is a major obstacle to their plans. Few however understand why. Russia today, in tandem with China and to a significant degree Iran, form the spine, however shaky, of the only effective global axis of resistance to a world dominated by one sole superpower [to clarify: dominated by U.S.-based international corporations]. On December 8 several days after election results for Russias parliamentary elections were announced, showing a sharp drop in popularity for Prime Minister Putins United Russia party, Putin accused the United States and specifically Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of fuelling the Russian opposition protesters and their election protests. Putin stated, The (US) Secretary of State was quick to evaluate the elections, saying that they are unfair and unjust even before she received materials from the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (the OSCE international election monitors-w.e.) observers.

Obamas hostility against Russia, and his reasons for it, were known to his targets, but in Americas democracy, were not only kept secret from the electorate, but Obama blatantly lied to them about the matter, and he won re-election on the basis of lies such as this  lies such as his calling Romney on ugly designs that Obama too (though secretly) held.

Its not enough for Americas voracious aristocracy to control their own country; theyre determined to control all others, regardless of how much bloodshed and misery (all otherwise entirely unnecessary, including in Libya  which, likewise, under Gaddafi, had been friendly toward Russia) theyre creating in the process. And thats what the most vicious lying is really all about: to hide their psychopathic intent, and their fundamental ugliness, as they go about their dirty-work.

Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of Theyre Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRISTS VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.












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A job advertisement has set tongues wagging about whether a popular company is finally set to expand into Kent.

Uber, an app which directly connects passengers with drivers is already an ever-present in many British cities and is currently advertising for drivers in Dartford.

A spokesman for Uber said they are looking for drivers to help keep up with demand in London and they have no plans to expand into Kent at the moment.

However, they left the door open for future possibilities.

"We are always looking for opportunities, it could be we do (expand into Kent) at some point," the spokesman added.

To operate in the area Uber would still have to apply for a Private Hire Licence from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.

What is Uber and how does it work?

Uber is an app available on Android and iOS which connects passengers and drivers directly rather than traditionally through a booking system or hailing a taxi in the street.

The app utilises GPS to connect you with your nearest driver.

You can request a number of different types of vehicle, pay by card and it gives you information on how much fares will be.

You can also rate drivers and passengers using a five star system.

Can you still get an Uber to Tunbridge Wells?

The answer is yes. Reporter Joe Middleton has taken an Uber back to Tunbridge Wells from South London after a night out. However you can't currently order an Uber within Kent.
SHARE Michael Howell

By Shannon Hall of the Courier and Press

The man accused of killing a woman in Evansville and taking her body to Warrick County before leading police on a multicounty chase made his initial appearance in a Vanderburgh County court Tuesday.

Michael Damien Howell, 28, of Dale, had been jailed in Warrick County since early April. He was moved to Vanderburgh County this week.

Howell appeared in Vanderburgh Superior Court on Tuesday via video conference, and Judge Robert Pigman appointed a public defender for him. Howell will remain in the Vanderburgh County jail with no bond.

Vanderburgh Co. probable cause affidavit for Michael Howell

Warrick Co. probable cause affidavit for Howell

In Vanderburgh County, he has been charged with murder and two counts of intimidation.

Howell is accused of murdering 30-year-old Beverly Karns in Evansville and taking her body to Warrick County, where he wrecked a vehicle about noon April 9 on Indiana 68, according to court documents.

Two adults told the Evansville Police Department that Karns and Howell knew each other, and were at a house in the 600 block of Maxwell Street in Evansville along with several children, according to a police news release.

"The adults heard a gunshot and went into the front room and saw Karns' body on the floor and Howell was holding a handgun," the police release states. "When they said they were going to call the police, Howell told them not to. Both feared Howell would kill them and the kids if they called the police, so they did not call 911. Howell placed Karns' body into the back of her truck and fled the scene."

Later, in Warrick County, Howell fled the wrecked vehicle and encountered a witness, who Howell allegedly shot in the leg.

While deputies were en route to the wreck on Indiana 68, Howell allegedly ran up a nearby driveway and stole a vehicle at gunpoint, according to Warrick County Sheriff's Office reports.

Howell took the vehicle and led deputies on a pursuit through Spencer, Warrick and Dubois counties before surrendering in Holland, according to police reports.

Deputies found Karns' body at the crash scene in Warrick County with a single gunshot in her head.

Howell's charges in Warrick County include attempted murder, robbery, auto theft, resisting law enforcement and criminal recklessness, all felonies.

Howell will appear again in Vanderburgh Superior Court at 1 p.m. June 21.

He is also scheduled to appear in Warrick Circuit Court at 9 a.m. July 18.

The Warrick County court appointed Rick Martin as his attorney. Howell's bond was set at $75,000 cash in Warrick County.
By Megan Erbacher of the Courier and Press

After a recommendation from Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. Superintendent David Smith, board members approved firing a Bosse High School teacher who was recently suspended.

Former Bosse Band Director Kevin Hulsey's contract was terminated for "immorality and insubordination," according to district spokesman Jason Woebkenberg.

Hulsey, 43, was suspended April 22 after an Evansville police investigation in which officers said there would be no criminal charges filed.

At a May 2 school board meeting, Smith said Hulsey's case was "still running its course" because according to law Hulsey could request a conference with the superintendent within five days of his suspension. Smith said law required the school district set a conference within 10 days of the teachers' request. There are no statutory guidelines when that conference must be scheduled, he said.

Woebkenberg said Smith and Hulsey met on May 9.

Since 1996, Hulsey had worked as an EVSC teacher and music instructor. He is a 1991 Bosse graduate.

In 2012, Hulsey was named high school teacher of the year in the Outstanding Educators of the Year awards, sponsored by the Courier & Press.

Nothing concerning the April 22 suspension or Hulsey's ultimate termination was discussed during Monday night's public meeting. Exact details in the case, including the specific reason for his suspension, haven't been made public.

In other news Monday night:

EVSC board members approved a new online vendor to "enhance" communication with students and families. The switch from Blackboard Connect 5 to SchoolMessenger will take place over the summer, Woebkenberg said, with an expected completion date at the start of school.

Blackboard Connect 5 will soon stop providing support for current users.

Woebkenberg said SchoolMessenger will include new websites for all schools and the district, a phone notification system, customizable app for mobile devices, social media capability and secure student email addresses.

According to the vendor's website, it was created in 1999 and is based out of California. About 55,000 schools use SchoolMessenger.

"After investigating options, we feel the new vendor will provide us with a much improved product that will strengthen our communication now and in the future," Woebkenberg said.

Switching to SchoolMessenger will save the EVSC $7,000 annually with a yearly fee of $66,000.

"Not very often you get a new product at a lesser price," Woebkenberg said.

The board also approved several food service contracts proposed by EVSC Chief Operating Officer Rick Cameron, including:

Aunt Millies/A & D Distributors for bakery products for the 2016-17 school year for $110,243.

Prairie Farms with a contract of $941,132 for dairy escalator/de-escalator services.

Farm Boy received two contracts, one for food, staples and supplies for $3,245,866.25; and another for paper and plastic products for $234,508.90.

And Smart Systems was awarded a contract for $52,465 based on combined total for price, product specifications, service and training/education.

EVSC Chief Technology Officer Stacy Mauser presented information to board members on buying electronic devices for fourth grade students, with an expected implementation to occur not long after school starts in the fall. After testing different devices, and despite not yet knowing what software will be necessary for future assessments, Mauser felt confident in proposing iPads.

Notebooks will stay in grades 5-12. This school year, classroom carts and 2,400 Lenovo ThinkPad 11e laptops were purchased for fifth grade students. The goal is to do the same for fourth grade, but with iPads. The devices will be paid for with Common School funds.

Mauser expects to have more specific information at the next board meeting.
Photos by DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Storm, a two-month-old kid, leaps into the air for the umpteenth time at his home, Artisan Homestead, in Poseyville, Ind., Monday morning.

SHARE Scott LaMar of Poseyville, Ind., milks on of the American Alpine goats he and his wife, Jerrilee, raise on their place, Artisan Homestead, Monday morning. The couple take turns milking the four goats. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Ava waddles her way into a round of petting by owner Jerrilee LaMar of Poseyville, Ind., with Storm, a two-month-old goat, keeping busy with a piece of grass to chew Monday morning. LaMar jokes that the goose is her "lap goose" since he will gladly park in anybody's lap to be petted. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS The Tom turkey is happy enough to show off his plumage to the next-door chickens Monday morning. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS Jerrilee and Scott LaMar of Poseyville, Ind., created their business, Artisan Homestead, little by little over time. The two make their own soap to sell using goat milk and try to be as self-sufficient as possible.

By Zach Osowski, zach.osowski@courierpress.com

For small, family-operated farms and businesses, it can be hard to get a product to a large group of people. Small, local farmers markets are usually the lone opportunity they have to get customers; opportunity for growth is hard.

On Saturday, some small farmers and producers, including one from Poseyville, will have an opportunity to make connections on a much bigger scale.

Indiana Grown, a program aimed at promoting Indiana-made products, and iPickHere, a regionally focused initiative designed to connect buyers with sellers, are hosting the first ever On the River festival in Evansville on Saturday.

The free festival runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will work in conjunction with Evansville's River Run, going on at the same time.

A super farmers market of sorts, On the River is being billed as an event for farmers and families. There will be plenty of activities on the Riverfront and lots of vendors from all over the Hoosier state showcasing their Indiana-made wares.

Jerrilee LaMar, owner of Artisan Homestead in Poseyville, will be in the middle of it all with her homemade goat soap. LaMar has been making and selling soap made from goat's milk for about six years. What started as a family decision to try and be more self-sufficient has turned into a growing part-time business.

LaMar said they got the goats for their milk and cheese, but a few years ago, when her daughter had a skin rash that refused to clear up, LaMar decided to make some soap.

"I had heard soap made from goat's milk had some great healing properties," she said. "And sure enough it cleared it right up."

What started out as a summer-time operation for the family has slowly grown. LaMar said she would make soap for family members who couldn't get enough of it. Then she expanded to friends who wanted to try it and then started getting requests as the word spread. Now she sells at farmers markets in the area, and her and her husband are in the process of converting an old log cabin on their farm into a full-time store.

"I'll have people stop by the house occasionally," she said. "But we don't have a full-time store yet. Hopefully we get that done soon."

In addition to the goat milk, LaMar also uses herbs and honey from the farm in the soap. It's a process that she says took awhile to get right.

"It was a difficult thing to master," she said. "There's a lot of heat involved and if you don't time things right, the milk caramelizes. It was a lot of trial and error."

LaMar said she joined Indiana Grown just a few months ago because of its reputation for helping small operations. She said other groups don't seem to pay as much attention to little producers, but Indiana Grown was different.

Now, thanks to her involvement in the group, she has the opportunity to expand her customers base.

Part of Indiana Grown's initiative is to get local products into stores such as Kroger and others, but LaMar said she's fine with staying small. As a nursing instructor at the University of Evansville, LaMar jokes she doesn't have time to go into soap making full-time.

Plus, she said she enjoys meeting customers face-to-face  something that would be impossible if her business grew too large.

"I take a lot of pleasure in repeat customers," she said.

She'll have the chance to make even more customers during the On the River festival, where Indiana Grown officials are expecting between 5,000-6,000 vistors. LaMar is the only Indiana Grown vendor from the Southwest Indiana area, with some vendors coming from as far away as Fort Wayne.

David King, director of Indiana Grown, said the group was excited to partner with iPickHere. He said events across the state help them grow their membership, which is nearing 500 businesses.

"We try to help with as many events as we can," King said. "It gives consumers an opportunity to see Indiana products and gives producers a chance to showcase their farms."

Karen Conway, the founder of iPickHere, said she is thrilled to have vendors from all over Indiana converging on Evansville.

"We partnered with Indiana Grown to emphasize the exciting local food movement happening throughout the state," Conway said.
Tables at a recent gun show in Louisville

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By Chris Kenning, Courier Journal / USA TODAY Network

Inside a cavernous Kentucky Exposition Center hall last weekend, hundreds of gun show attendees picked through aisles of tables topped with handguns, rifles, shotguns and boxes of ammunition.

Amid displays of beef jerky, brass knuckles, survival guides and Donald Trump Make America Great shirts, gun buffs browsed through firearms ranging from pink-metal handguns marketed to women to Uzi semi-automatic weapons.

Behind folding tables were both licensed firearm dealers, some with large signs, and unlicensed private sellers, whose sales do not require a federal background check.

The latter were targeted by President Barack Obamas January executive actions on guns, which in part sought to tighten the so-called gun show" or "private sale loophole by clarifying existing rules on who is required to obtain a federal firearms license to sell. The idea: To ensure all people who should be registered as dealers are actually registered as dealersand, in turn, boost background checks and keep more guns out of the wrong hands.

After a news conference that brought Obama to tears, some gun control advocates said it could be of particular use in states such as Kentucky, which is not among 18 states with their own requirements for background checks on gun sales by unlicensed sellers.

But more than four months after announcing the clarifications, the impact appears to be light as a result of what some argue are still-vague guidelines on what it means to be engaged in the business of selling firearms, and few obvious signs of more aggressive enforcement.

Several non-licensed sellers, including one selling more than two dozen guns, expressed confusion and lack of concern as to whether he needed a license. Youd need a lawyer to figure it out, said the man, who declined to give his name.

William Henry, who was selling half a dozen guns from his personal collection as a private seller, said he didnt need one but doubted the clarified rules had pushed many larger private sellers to get licenses. Thats despite the penalty for dealing in firearms without a license of up to $250,000 in fines and five years in jail.

At the show, three investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sat at a table offering educational brochures but said they were not walking around checking vendors.

"Were not just going to arbitrarily check someone to make sure they have a license" but investigators will pursue tips, said George Huffman, a spokesman for the Louisville ATF office.

The New York Times reported this year that the ATF had no plans to accelerate investigations, arrests or prosecutions. Officials with the U.S. Attorneys Office in Louisville could not yet identify any cases directly related to the clarified guidance but said they continue to prosecute in cases when people are not properly licensed.

ATF officials in Washington said it was too early to tell if federal firearms licenses had increased as a result of the push. Nearly 200 new ATF agents will be hired nationally as part of Obama's push, Huffman said.

While the impact may take more time to emerge, Daniel Webster, head of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy & Research, said hed like to see authorities going after those clearly earning a substantial amount selling guns without a federal license.

Gun show groups such as the National Association of Arms Show, and the organizer of the recent Louisville gun show, did not respond to requests for an interview.

With Congress thus far unwilling to approve universal background checks, Obama has sought to respond to mass shootings in California and elsewhere with executive actions.

The clarified seller rules were part of measures announced that included more rapidly identifying stolen guns, hiring more background check examiners and improving the flow of criminal and mental health information from states.

While the National Rifle Association has dismissed the licensing push as not amounting to much, saying it may only instill fear in sellers, others have argued the move was important given the numbers of guns sold at shows and online.

Theres real history of egregious behavior at gun shows and online, said Jonas Oransky, counsel at the group Everytown for Gun Safety, which works to end gun violence. There really should be change in enforcement now that ATF has issued this strong new guidance.

The federal guidance summarized case law and clarified the rules but still doesnt specify a threshold on gun sales to require a license. Instead, it offers guidance on who is engaged in the business, including those who repetitively buy and sell to make profits or sell guns in new packaging, but not those who make intermittent sales from a collection, including hobbyists.

It takes into account all the "facts and circumstances" of the gun seller: whether he or she has business cards, accepts credit card payments, makes a profit, or sells guns in their original packaging or shortly after acquiring them.

Yet there is still vagueness in the definitions that allow some examples of higher-volume sellers at gun shows, advocates said.

Everytown argues that background checks are important given the role gun sellers play: federal law bars felons, domestic abusers and people with severe mental illness from possessing guns, and since 1998, dealers have stopped nearly 2.5 million gun sales to prohibited people.

The FBI ran 3.2 million background checks from Kentucky in 2015, up from about 2.5 million in 2014, federal statistics show. State officials have said in the past that those also include monthly checks on existing concealed permit holders.

Some with groups such as the American Firearms Retailers Association have said the clarified rules on licensing sellers could "level the playing field" for businesses that must comply with background checks.

But many at the gun show last weekend said such checks would not prevent those intent on harming others from getting a gun and make it harder to buy and sell.

Such rules are not going to stop acts by criminals, gun show buyer Jim Walling said.
By John Martin of the Courier and Press

Crowding at the Vanderburgh County jail continues to worsen, with inmate population reaching a whopping 680 on Monday, Sheriff Dave Wedding said.

The lockup on Harlan Avenue was built with 512 beds, and capacity is considered to be about 540.

Local officials have blamed the surge on several factors, including a change to state law. Low-level felons who have at least a year yet to serve once their cases are adjudicated must remain in county jails rather than be transported to Indiana Department of Correction facilities, Wedding said.

Other reasons for the soaring numbers are widespread drug and alcohol addiction, a lack of incarceration alternatives and backlogs on the court calendar.

To ease crowding, Wedding said 25-30 inmates are to be transported to other Southwestern Indiana jails. He mentioned Pike and Daviess counties as possibilities, although Posey County is not available, because its jail is also crowded.

Local officials will continue to discuss the problem, Wedding said. There are no current plans to expand the county jail, though it was built with the capability to add a third pod. The jail has two X-shaped pods with 256 beds each.

"We're going to continue to work with the judges," Wedding said.
SHARE 411 E Franklin Street in Evansville, Indiana

By Thomas B. Langhorne of the Courier and Press

The city will spend as much as $6,000 in the next two weeks to demolish a burned vacant and blighted house owned by an Evansville Fire Department captain's dissolved company.

Building Inspector Ron Beane doesn't think the dissolved Canlar LLC  which operated out of a West Side house where Capt. Larry Charles Wildt Jr., once lived with his now ex-wife, Candy  will reimburse his agency for the emergency demo. That usually doesn't happen in these cases, Beane said. The two-story house at 411 E. Franklin St., is burned beyond repair. But the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Building Commission will go through the motions of billing Canlar and putting a lien on the property if not reimbursed.

Wildt confirmed Tuesday that the bill won't be paid.

"The LLC is defunct, so the LLC has no assets," he said. "I was never the owner of the house. The LLC was the owner."

The LLC was meant to maintain rental properties.

Canlar remains the dilapidated structure's owner of record, although it stopped paying county property taxes in 2013. It is the same year the Wildts' divorce was filed. Wildt said Canlar "went under" in 2013, but state records say it officially dissolved Feb. 5. County records indicate the taxes on Wildt's other properties are paid.

In Indiana, a property owner who is willing to part with a structure can avoid paying code enforcement fines, repair orders, even demolition. All the owner has to do is skip paying at least three consecutive seasonal installments of county property taxes  18 months  and the property goes to tax sale. The former property owner pays nothing.

According to Vanderburgh County Treasurer's Office data, Canlar owes $3,823.13 in back taxes. That's in addition to several unpaid trash, unsafe building and weed liens. The property went to the county's 2015 tax sale, but no one was willing to pay its total tax lien.

The County Commissioners will take title to it and hundreds of other properties that didn't sell at tax sale and deed them over to Evansville's new land bank.

The Courier & Press' ongoing Who Owns That? project has found property investors often take advantage of state and local laws that allow them to stop paying property taxes as a strategy to get local government to take the property and pay for the demolition. Those investors simultaneously pay taxes on properties they wish to retain.

NO DIFFERENCE

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Making the case that the land bank would help save $26.8 million that city agencies estimate they would otherwise spend tending to blighted houses, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke last year cited an Evansville Fire Department report stating that 10 percent of fire runs go to abandoned houses. Fewer police and fire runs to vacant, blighted and abandoned structures obviously would save money, the mayor said.

Such fires risk damage to other property as well as injury to firefighters, city officials say. The City Council just invested $1.7 million in the land bank to clean up vacant structures.

Fire Department spokesman Dan Grimm said investigators haven't determined the cause of the fire at 411 E. Franklin on Friday, noting that neighbors said police recently chased several people out of the partially boarded up structure. No firefighters were injured while suppressing the blaze that damaged the house.

The Evansville Fire Department sees no particular significance to the fact that one of its captains is associated with the blighted house that burned, Grimm said.

"I'm not sure why the fact he was a firefighter is even relevant, or a police officer. It seems that the media in general is pretty quick no matter what the issue is, to point out a police officer or firefighter or an EMS person when that really has no bearing on the ownership of something or what they've done," Grimm said.

Citing drunken driving as an example, Grimm said he sees no difference between a law enforcement officer being arrested on that charge and anyone else.

"When they're off-duty, no I don't. As long as they're not breaking drug policies and coming to work drunk and smell(ing) of alcohol, I mean, I think everybody is entitled to their own time off.," he said.

FIRE CAPTAIN SPEAKS

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Wildt said Canlar LLC failed  and its taxes weren't paid  because the company was hit by a series of calamities. He said he and his then-wife were going to maintain rental properties as Canlar, but several tenants at 411. E. Franklin left them holding the bag for thousands of dollars in unpaid rent and damages. Then his teenaged daughter suffered kidney failure and required a kidney transplant from him. Her medical issues required much traveling back and forth to Louisville, Kentucky.

Meanwhile, Wildt said, vandals and thieves broke in to 411 E. Franklin and took appliances. He said he put the building up for sale and found a buyer: an individual from the Jeffersonville-New Albany area whose name he cannot recall.

"He gave me a down payment on it, went over and changed the locks, made two payments on it  and I never heard from him again. I had no way of getting into (the building)," Wildt said.

County records indicate the unknown person never took title to the property.

Wildt said his finances were further tapped when he got divorced and had to make payments to his ex-wife.

"Long story short, I couldn't afford it," he said.

Wildt said he washed his hands of the structure and is "not aware of anything that goes on over there." He hasn't visited the property since 2014, he said.

WHAT ABOUT HOME OWNERS INSURANCE?

"When that guy gave me the down payment on it and everything else, he was going to do that," he said. "I walked away from it when he gave me down payment. I was done."

The Courier & Press reported Monday that Treasurer's Office data show Wildt claims a homestead exemption at the residence where he and his ex-wife lived and another for a house where he now lives alone. But the Treasurer's Office clarified this week that Wildt is not illegally claiming two homestead exemptions, having reported the divorce and establishing that he and his ex-wife live separately in the two houses. Each of them claims a single homestead exemption, the county said.
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Joseph Filipczak

Evansville

It's amazing that the Republican leadership finally realized that we have a presidential election every four years. They were so unprepared that it is sickening. Were they just going to abdicate the election to Hillary Clinton or any other Democrat and do nothing about it?

If Mitt Romney had campaigned against Barack Obama the way he was laying into Donald Trump, he may well have been president today. I find this very disturbing and disappointing. No wonder people are looking for someone different who is not hidebound on ideology as if he has to pass a litmus test to be qualified.
Security News

Sources: Firemon Executive Exodus Sees CEO, CTO And CISO Departures

Sarah Kuranda

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FireMon has seen an executive exodus in recent weeks, with the departures of three of the network security intelligence and management company's top executives, multiple sources told CRN.

The departures include CEO Jim Lewandowski, who joined in the Overland Park, Kan.-based company last June. He was originally hired as president and COO, but transitioned into the CEO role in July, replacing co-founder Jody Brazil.

Sources said Firemon has also lost CTO Brandy Peterson, who joined the company in April 2015 from FishNet Security, as well as CISO Mark Carney, who was promoted into the role in January after serving as general manager for FireMons security analytics platform Immediate Insight.

[Related: FireEye CEO Dave DeWalt To Step Down, Kevin Mandia To Take Top Leadership Role]

One source said two of the three executives had lined up positions with other channel companies.

FireMon did not respond to CRN requests for comment on the three departures, but Chairman of the Board Gary Fish confirmed them in an email to CRN.

Fish said Lewandowski "was not working out" in his role as CEO and "it was decided he wasn't a fit for the business."

Lewandowski did not immediately reply to a request for comment from CRN.

Fish said both Peterson and Carney had been contemplating leaving FireMon when their positions were created, so their departures were not unexpected. "Both of these gentlemen have worked for me for many years and they remain friends of both mine and FireMon, and we are very supportive of them and their new employers," Fish said.

Fish said in an email that the changes will be good for FireMon, and the company will look for new executives to "keep the strong momentum going."

"We view recent changes as a positive step for FireMon and remain very excited and confident about the business moving forward," Fish said.

FireMon was created in 2004 when it was spun off from FishNet Security, now part of Optiv Security and founded by Fish. One source with knowledge of the situation said FireMon has had a "tough road" from a momentum and culture perspective since it landed a majority investment from Insight Venture Partners in 2014. However, the source said FireMon is seeing success and business is growing, despite the internal challenges.

Some partners said they're starting to feel the effects of the executive turnover and changes at the security vendor.

One partner, who did not want to be named, praised Brazil, but said he has seen the company falter in its sales approach since Brazil began to serve as chief product strategist. The partner said he has some deals in the pipeline, but hasn't landed any net new business this year.

Fish said the company has already started a retained search for a new CEO, a search he said he will be assisted by private equity firm Insight Venture Partners and himself personally. He did not specify plans for the CTO and CISO roles.
Port of Adria, operator of the Port of Bar, Montenegro, welcomed its first scheduled cruise call in 2016 with the Thomson Celebration calling in the port on May 11. Port of Adria is a subsidiary of Global Ports Holding, worlds largest cruise port operator.

Passengers of Thomson Celebration were welcomed with local offerings and folk dances pierside.

It is our please to be able to provide today necessary infrastructure, in accordance with the international standards, to host cruise passengers. Port of Adria has all conditions for accommodating large ships. Our intention is to enhance these conditions in the future, said Sedat Kara, acting CEO of Port of Adria.

Municipality President, Zoran Srzentic, emphasized the significance of development of cruising for local economy. We recognize the significance and possibilities for Bar economy if, apart from commercial operations, our port would be able to attract cruisers as well. These are the first, but certainly important steps in this direction. Therefore, as local government, in cooperation with public companies, we would like to provide necessary support for partners in this process.

From the first days of doing business in Montenegro, Global Ports Holding includes Bar as new destination in its promotional activities. We believe that Bar and Montenegro have great potential in terms of cruise tourism development. We shall continue to promote Bar in order to increase the number of cruisers and create opportunities for local economy. I believe that good impressions of this first visit shall result in Bar obtaining a significant place on the Adriatic cruise itinerarie,s said Arpak Demircan, Deputy CEO of Global Ports Holding.
Acclaimed childrens boutique Adrian East will be popping up on Greenwich Avenue for one month starting on Thursday.

A destination of upscale Manhattan moms, the brand will be taking over the former Grahams Toys space at 60 Greenwich Ave. The boutique already has two permanent New York brick-and-mortar locations on Madison Avenue and in Bronxville, and will use this pop-up shop as a trial for a potential permanent location in the future.

Formerly known as Fiersons, Adrian East is known for the quality and selection of its clothing for children of all ages. The curated collection will feature high-end items from places like Italy, Spain and Portugal, as well as the private collection of the owner, also named Adrian East. In fact, East recently received two shipments from Europe specifically for the pop-up store in Greenwich.

I have styles that will only be available at the Greenwich pop-up, East said.

While she typically carries major European brands like ValMax, Chloe and Tartine et Chocolat, she also focuses on exposing customers to smaller labels that may not be as familiar to American audiences. From summer dresses to seersucker pants, the available items will range in style, fabric, price and size.

Greenwich Avenue may be packed with luxury brands, but most arent geared toward children, according to East. The store-owner, who was born and raised in Connecticut, has been told for years to be in the Greenwich market. Many of her Bronxville customers hail from Fairfield County, and the pop-up makes shopping much easier for them, if only temporarily.

As it happened, some realtors who were familiar with the brands and quality of the clothing in my stores had been speaking to a retailer in Greenwich who had stated that they could use some more childrens stores in the town, East said. The realtors thought of me immediately, called and suggested I give it a try. The timing was just finally right.

If all goes well, according to East, the store could make a permanent move to the Avenue. Her pop-up is the perfect way to gauge traffic and assess need in the region. Through a combination of sales generated during the pop-up, feedback and rent price, she will ultimately determine if a brick-and-mortar location would make sense.

Is there really a need for the store, does it fill a void, will there be enough traffic to support it or are people finding things on the internet? she asked.

With a close date on June 19, Greenwich residents will have 30 days to visit the pop-up shop. The pop-up will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays to Saturdays, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Megan.Dalton@scni.com; 203-625-4411
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BRIDGEPORT  Starting in 2017, the Bridgeport schools could send tuition bills of $2,100 per child to 18 school districts that send their students to the citys interdistrict magnet schools.

The action follows a tweak in a state law that has long allowed host districts to charge tuition.

For Bridgeport, which is facing a monumental budget crisis, the change would potentially mean an additional $1.2 million in revenue in the 2017-18 school year.

It would also mean hefty bills for districts like Shelton, Stratford and Trumbull that send a total of 405 students to Bridgeports magnet schools. In all, 578 out-of-district students attended Bridgeport magnet schools in 2015-16.

The plan must be approved by the Bridgeport school board.

Stratford Schools Superintendent Janet Robinson said being charged almost $400,000 for the 192 students it sends to Bridgeport would have a huge impact on her school budget.

More Information District Students attending Bport. magnet schools Proposed tuition 2017-18 Ansonia 1 $2,100 Derby 8 $16,800 Easton 16 $33,600 Fairfield 75 $157,500 Hamden 2 $4,200 Milford 55 $115,500 Monroe 31 $65,100 Naugatuck 1 $2,100 New Haven 2 $4,200 Newtown 1 $2,100 Norwalk 2 $4,200 Oxford 1 $2,100 Redding 1 $2,100 Seymour 2 $4,200 Shelton 117 $245,700 Stratford 192 $403,200 Trumbull 96 $201,600 West Haven 3 $6,300 Subtotal 606 $1,272,600 minus preK * -28 $-58,000 Total 578 $1,213,800 Source: Bridgeport Public Schools| *PK students are excluded based on state guidance A hefty bill for magnet tuition Shelton$245,700 Stratford$403,200 Trumbull$201,600 See More Collapse

We have very little in discretionary dollars now, Robinson said. This will mean cuts to our programs at the same time we have no control over this expenditure.

Lorraine B. Rossner, assistant superintendent in Shelton, was surprised by the possibility that Bridgeport could start charging for Shelton students, which currently number 117.

I will have to look into this, Rossner said.

Loretta Chory, chairwoman of the Trumbull Board of Education, a district that sends 96 students to Bridgeports interdistrict magnet schools this year, said it would be a concern when and if it happens.

Certainly, were going to follow the law, Chory said. It could become an important discussion in next years budget process.

Different times

Host districts, except those in the Capital Region, have always had the option to bill other districts for tuition, state officials said, but some, like Bridgeport, did not realize it until the law allowing the charge was tweaked in this years session of the General Assembly. The change in the law requires the district to give a years notice to school districts that it intends to charge tuition. It also requires approval from the state Commissioner of Education.

Bridgeport, in turn, now expects to receive a bill from Norwalks Center for Global Studies at Brien McMahon High School.

Julie Parham, director of global studies, sent a letter to Bridgeport earlier this month saying it intended to charge the district $3,000 per pupil, or $210,000 altogether for 70 Bridgeport students, starting in 2016-17.

CGS can no longer cover the cost of its program ... solely on state and local funding, Parham wrote in a letter to Fran Rabinowitz, interim superintendent in Bridgeport.

Marlene Siegel, chief financial officer for Bridgeport schools, quickly wrote back telling them that was not allowed without the one-year advance notice required in the new legislation.

In the past, the district has simply accepted the amount of money it received from the state to run the interdistrict schools.

This year, Bridgeport gets $7,085 for each out-of-district student and $3,000 additional for each in-district student.

These are different times, Siegel told members of the school boards finance committee last week as she introduced the plan. The committee is working to make $240 million worth of anticipated expenses somehow fit into the $227 million operating budget it expects to receive from the state and city for the coming fiscal year.

The committee promised to take the idea up at its next meeting so that if approved, notices can go out by June to make the one-year notice requirement.

Effort at integration

There are more than 70 interdistrict magnet schools. They were created to lessen racial and ethnic isolation, primarily around urban centers. State law continues to prohibit inter-district magnet schools in the greater Hartford region from charging tuition. Those schools are impacted by the court-ordered efforts at integration that followed a legal challenge known as Sheff v. Oneill.

The law also prohibits districts from reducing its level of participation from one year to the next, state officials said.

In Bridgeport, relatively new to the interdistrict magnet school concept  Discovery Magnet School was opened in 2011, Fairchild Wheelers three science magnet high schools are in their third year. All four accept roughly 30 percent of their student populations from outside the district.

Discovery has students coming from nine communities besides Bridgeport. Fairchild schools have students coming from 17 other school districts.

Siegels plan would not stop at the 2017-18 school year, but actually would set three years of fees that go up through 2019-20 when the per pupil fee would increase to $3000.
DANBURY  The domestic-violence charge against former mayor and city Democratic Party leader Gene Eriquez came moments after his wife accused him of punching her in the face, kicking her in the back and slapping the side of her head, police said.

Eriquez was accused of hitting his wife in the back with a kitchen bowl, pushing her down the hallway and tripping her on the stairs as she was running away, according to a police report.

The 63-year-old Eriquez was arraigned Monday on a misdemeanor charge of third-degree assault and was ordered to stay away from his home and his wife until his next court date in late June.

His attorney told Judge Dan Shaban that Eriquez could not be more sorry about the incident early Sunday.

My client is extremely embarrassed, attorney Michael McGetrick said in court. Hes extremely remorseful.

The lawyer told the judge the former six-term mayor has a clean record and has every intention of holding onto his 38-year marriage.

Hes never been arrested before, McGetrick said. He wants to work on his marriage. He wants to stay in his marriage.

Eriquez refused to speak with a reporter outside court Monday and did not return repeated messages requesting comment.

According to an incident report, police were called to the Eriquez home shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday. Eriquez had come home drunk, the report said, and he and his wife began arguing over money.

When his wife tried to call police, Eriquez chased her down, grabbed her cellphone and threw it down the hallway, the report said. She was eventually able to retrieve the phone, lock herself in a bedroom and call 911, police said.

The victim told police her face felt sore where she had been punched and both her arms felt bruised. The arresting officer noted she had a red mark and swelling on her nose and forehead, but she told police she did not want medical attention and declined to speak with a domestic-violence advocate.

Eriquez was too drunk to give a statement, according to the police report. He was escorted by police to a relatives home in the city and told not to return to his home or have contact with his wife.

On Monday, news of Eriquezs arrest was greeted by city Democratic leaders with a mix of caution and alarm.

City Councilman Tom Saadi, the minority leader, said the allegation was troubling.

I want to be very clear that domestic violence is simply unacceptable, no matter who is involved, Saadi said. If the allegations are true, then Mr. Enriquez should tender his resignation as chairman of the Danbury Democratic Town Committee.

Fellow Democratic City Councilman Benjamin Chianese agreed.

Domestic violence is terrible and we are all against any domestic violence, he said. If the allegations are true, we are going to recommend that the chairman does resign.

Eriquez was Danbury's mayor from 1989 until 2001, when he decided not to run for a seventh term. Recently, after Democrats failed to challenge GOP mayor Mark Boughton for a record eighth term in 2015, Eriquez replaced Joseph Walkovich as the Democratic Town Committee chairman.

The Democratic Party vice-chairman on Monday said the committee has endorsement meetings Tuesday and Wednesday, but that he didnt know whether Eriquez would preside over them.

On behalf of myself and others on the town committee, we are supportive of Gene and our hearts and prayers go out to him and his family, said Gary Goncalves. We dont know anything more than what we have read, there is nothing to be done until we know more.

Chianese agreed that Democrats knew little so far of the facts of the domestic violence allegation, but he went further than Goncalves.

I would think someone in that (chairman) position or even my (elected) position charged with something that drastic would step aside, Chianese said. If it happened to me, I would step down.

Twice in the past Eriquez has crashed his car with the odor of alcohol on his breath and has not been given field sobriety tests, according to police reports.

In 2003, he crashed his jeep into the Western Connecticut State University parking garage on White Street.

Police investigating the crash found him bleeding heavily, slurring his words and smelling like alcohol, but made no arrest.

In 2008, Eriquez crashed into a telephone pole on East Pembroke Road, knocking out power to 500 people. Police smelled alcohol on the former mayors breath. He was given a verbal warning.

rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342
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After 13 seasons on the hit show CBS crime drama NCIS, Fairfield native Michael Weatherly will leave the series tonight.

Weatherly, who grew up in Fairfield and attended Fairfield Country Day School played Special Agent Tony DiNozzo since 2003.

The show about Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents in Washington, will air on CBS at 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

In January, the 47-year-old Weatherly tweeted the news that he was leaving the series that also starts Mark Harmon. DiNozzo is a wonderful, quixotic character & I couldnt have had more fun playing him over the past 13 seasons. Les Moonves & CBS gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. I will miss the amazing crew & cast, who are like family to me, & to the fans all over the world - THANK YOU, its been a fantastic ride!

According to IMDb, Michael Manning Weatherly, Jr. was born on July 8, 1968 in New York City, to Patricia (Hetherington) and Michael Manning Weatherly Sr. Raised in Fairfield, CT, he left college to pursue a career in acting. He also had a great passion for music, and played in a band while pursuing his acting career.

Michael Manning Weatherly Sr. made a fortune as the first to import Swiss Army knives to the United States.

Michael Weatherly Jr. attended Boston University, American University in Washington DC, American University in Paris for one semester and Menlo College (studied communications) before dropping out of college to pursue an acting career.

Weatherlys first acting role was in an uncredited role on "The Cosby Show," as Theo's roommate. After he moved to Los Angeles, he landed a regular role on the FOX television series Significant Others. then starred in the short-lived television series Jesse opposite Christina Applegate. His next significant role on television would be on the show Dark Angel alongside Jessica Alba.

IMDb said, In 1995 he married actress Amelia Heinle, who appeared with him in The City (1995) and Loving (1983). Unfortunately, their marriage ended in divorce in 1997, despite the birth of their son August in 1996. Michael resides in Los Angeles. After getting divorced, he wed Bojana Jankovic in September 2009.

According to TVLine.com, Weatherly will start in a new CBS series this fall named Bull. According to the Longline of the series its a drama inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw as the founder of one of the most prolific trial consulting firms of all time. Brilliant, brash and charming, Dr. Bull (Michael Weatherly) is the ultimate puppet master as he combines psychology, human intuition and high tech data to learn what makes jurors, attorneys, witnesses and the accused tick.
The nations uninsured rate dropped to 9.1 percent in 2015, making it the first year in American history in which less than one in 10 Americans lacked health insurance. Connecticuts uninsured rate was even lower  at 4.9 percent  down from about 7 percent from the year before.

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the latest National Health Interview Survey, which gives estimates on health insurance coverage, based on data for 103,798 people. According to the report, 28.6 million people of all ages (or 9.1. percent of the population) were uninsured at the time of the survey  7.4 million fewer people than in 2014.

The report also showed that the percentage of adults age 18 to 64 who were uninsured fell from 16.3 percent in 2014 to 12.8 percent in 2015. In Connecticut, that number dropped from 10 percent in 2014 to 7.6 percent in 2015, the CDC report said.

The drop of those uninsured is significant for a lot of reasons, said Angela Mattie, professor and chairman of Quinnipiac Universitys Department of Healthcare Management. This is good news and will eventually lead to people seeking care that is more cost-effective and more appropriate to their needs, she said.

More Information Fewer uninsured Here are some key facts from the National Health Interview Survey report on the uninsured. In 2015, the percentage of people uninsured fell to 9.1, from the 2014 uninsured rate of 11.5. That's a decline of about 7 million people. Amongs adults 18 to 64, 12.8 percent were uninsured in 2015, 18.9 percent had public coverage, and 69.7 percent had private insurance coverage. The uninsured rate in this age group fell roughly 10 percent from 2010, when it was 22.3 percent. In Connecticut, the overall uninsured rate was 4.9 percent. The percent of people 18 to 64 in Connecticut without insurance fell from 10 percent in 2014 to 7.6 percent in 2015. See More Collapse

Mattie said those without insurance tend to delay care, resulting in higher costs when they cant wait any longer. They also tend to go to the emergency room for non-emergency care because they dont have a regular care provider.

Bridgeport Hospital Chief Medical Officer Michael Ivy echoed those thoughts.

This is progress, he said of the drop in the uninsured. People who are insured get better care than those who are not.

Ivy said medical costs are a leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States.

One of the questions here is, will this (drop in uninsured Americans) result in fewer medical-related bankruptcies down the road? he said.

In a statement, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell credited the Affordable Care Act  the sweeping health care reform legislation also known as Obamacare  for the drop in uninsured rates.

Todays report is further proof that our country has made undeniable and historic strides thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Burwell said in the statement. She also mentioned that, since the bills passage, premiums for employer coverage, Medicare spending, and health care prices have risen at exceptionally slow rates. Our country ought to be proud of how far weve come and where were going.

But Mattie said theres still work that needs to be done. She pointed to Gov. Dannel P. Malloys recent budget, which reduced tax reimbursements to many state hospitals, forcing them to make due with less money. She also mentioned that the health care delivery system is too fragmented, and that there isnt enough money spent on preventative care.

Ivy agreed, but said the new numbers are a positive development.

There is a lot of health inequity in the United States, he said. This is a step toward correcting that.
A study by Forester Research predicted that about 63 million people, (43 percent of the U.S workforce) will telecommute this year. This is 29 million more than the figure we had in 2009.

Obviously, most organizations are breaking free from geographical restrictions. They are rather taking advantage of tax and labor costs by hiring staff out of their states and sometimes in different countries.

Working with remote teams however, comes with certain challenges. There is usually the challenge of meeting the same goals at the same time. And most importantly the challenge of having a particular team lagging behind because of the lack of supervision, or maybe because of the time zone difference.

But that doesnt mean remote teams are not worth having. There are many times when distance between different teams in your organization is inevitable. At such times, how can you manage your team so that they can still remain productive and deliver the expected result?

Below are five ways to help you do that:

1. Foster the bond between your teams.

To be able to work well together and get efficient results, you need to foster a good relationship between your teams. This is because their attitudes will affect their work flow at the end of the day.

Open a chat room and leave it perpetually open. Apps like Slack or HipChat can be used here. Encourage your team members to be in constant communication with each other, both formally and informally. Keep them informed on how the company is doing and make sure everyone is involved in important events and projects.

If you do this, they will have a better working relationship with themselves. They will not feel as if they are working separately either, but are truly a part of your company. This attitude will increase their output at the end of the day.

Related: 4 Ways to Manage Remote Employees

2. Limit the time your team spends on each task.

Parkinsons law states that, "work expands to fill the time available for its completion". In other words, all your tasks will take the time you allotted for it, no matter how long or short.

Use this law to your advantage. Assign shorter time frames to the accomplishment of each task you give to your remote team.

Related: 5 Ways to Ensure Remote Employees Feel Part of the Team

3. Respect each teams time zone.

It is not enough to set deadlines, do this smartly. It is easy to get carried away and set deadlines based on your own time zone forgetting that your remote team is in another time zone. Make sure your deadlines are set according to your teams respective time zones.

To make your team very productive, use complementary work schedules. In the traditional setting, teams work together at the same time and accomplish tasks together. In this case, train your team to work in cycles.

A team staying in a location that is faster by seven hours for instance should not be made to work at odd hours. Having a rigid work schedule will hinder your remote team's productivity.

And when it comes to your virtual meetings or conference calls, always choose an overlapping period. At this period, everyone is supposed to be working no matter their location.

4. Keep proper track of work done.

Having a virtual team with flexible work schedule can make your team members get lazy.

Assuming you pay your team based on number of hours worked, then you need to put up a system to monitor this. In the normal setting, you can see when your staffs get to work and when they leave the office for their lunch break. But in a virtual setting, this is impossible.

Related: 5 Lessons From 5 Years of Managing Remote Workers

Timedoctor comes in handy for situations like this. It will help you know the time your team comes in and leaves. More than that it will show you the applications your team members use, the websites they visit and if a team member is working or chatting with friends on Facebook.

You can equally use project management tools like Basecamp to track your team's progress on important initiatives.

5. Keep communication lines are clear and specific.

To enhance productivity, keep your communication lines open at all times. But apart from that make sure that your messages are very clear, specific and easy to understand.

To make things better, employ video chat apps like Skype for your chats. You should also maximize video conferencing tools like Google Hangouts or GoToMeeting from time to time. This will enable you to read facial expressions and pick up on body language.

Lastly, let your team make it a habit to keep a regular update of the work they have done. They can use documentation tools like Google Docs to make this effective.

Related:



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
We go to press at a time when the capital markets are again volatile and depending on when you are reading this article, your ability to grow your business may be affected by market factors beyond your direct control. So whats a brilliant entrepreneur like you supposed to do?

We have a few general suggestions for founders given our many decades of experience working with startup businesses in many different industries and geographies.

Raise capital as if this round is your last.

A choppy market highlights the importance of assuming that your most recent round of fundraising will be your last. Everyone delights in ambitious growth plans and, when well-executed, there is nothing more fun to watch. But budgets and operating plans must prepare for the need to be cash flow positive from operations in case the capital markets are shut (and shut for an extended period of time). Someone from the senior management team or board may be selected to play the tough role of devils advocate.

Related: How the Global Stock Market Selloff Will Affect Crowdfunding

Always be ready.

Good housekeeping is advisable throughout the life of a company, and especially in challenging economic times. CEOs hunker down and focus on sales, new products, recruiting and other key business matters. But we submit it is equally important, and not time-consuming when done as part of routine maintenance, to keep your legal house in proper order.

Mistakes crop up mostly through inattention. Your checklist will need to be customized but think about the following. Ensure that your business is using the correct corporate form (C corp., LLC, partnership); key documentation is executed and in the proper entity name (not a founders name); and both your companys intellectual property and the arrangements governing your use of everyone elses intellectual property are current and appropriate. Update and check your cap table to ensure that it is correct. Resolve any lingering disputes. Complete blank forms.

Related: Raising Capital Through Regulation A+? You Still Need to Market Your Socks Off

Pick great partners.

We see, consistently over time, businesses that survive bear markets because leadership has been surrounded by great internal senior teams, employees, boards, patient investors and outside professionals. And, conversely, we see great opportunities sabotaged when human capital is poorly functioning. We stress the need for supportive and supporting partners who will help connect to customers and other third parties (whether your business is B2B, B2C, or a hybrid). Think carefully through your selection process when times are good and, in this context, past behavior by your potential partners (good and bad) frequently reveals what their future behavior will be during stressful times.

Always look to combine.

We know you intend to remain independent forever, grow a great durable business and leave your mark on history. But, regardless of market conditions, we think it is prudent to be aware of and open to M&A activity. In any market, bear or bull, you should scan the horizon for new partners and collaborators. In the same way that companies keep their eyes open for strong talent even when they are not hiring, it is sensible to be apprised of activity in your sector and open to prospects which might present themselves. Private companies should generally resist, in bear markets, putting out the For Sale sign but, instead, should think about how to partner or joint venture.

Occasionally your ability to showcase your strength leads to a sale of the company but it is from a position of cooperation and, in that regard, you can humbly point out areas of your own companys weakness and your new business partners complementary strengths.

Management matters.

You had a great vision for a business. You did everything right (and did your best to have a financial cushion). But something has gone wrong and you are running out of cash, without time or the ability to raise fresh funds. Now what? Well, even in a bear market, angel investors and venture capital and private equity firms, make decisions based in part on the team running the company (and investors expect multiple pivots in your business).

We routinely continue and expect to see smaller companies bought to acquire talent. In tough times, you must do your best to show grit, hold firm and evidence your strengths as a team by continuing to make smart and measured choices -- chief among which is not selling at the wrong price. By remaining calm and focusing on what matters most to the long-term success of the enterprise, you put yourself in the best possible position to survive. And, if not this time, then for your next venture.

Related: Is It Ever OK for Founders to Sell Off Their Company Shares?

Get match ready.

Even if times are now tough, the sun will come out again. We always see strong businesses taking advantage of the lull between bull markets. Operationally, tougher times give rise to chances to trim fat -- reevaluate your real estate and relocate to better value space. Its a good time to look back at hiring during the preceding period of rapid growth and select the talent thats best suited to move forward -- there is an opportunity to garnish real loyalty from employees who are kept on and to shed excess without negative public relations implications. The lull may permit you to tidy contractual arrangements, IP and corporate governance matters for agreed-upon flat fees. The work done in this period can make your venture both more efficient and more attractive for the future.

Lead the market.

So enough with the negativity. Even (perhaps especially) during difficult economic times, many businesses choose to buy rather than build. Having picked the right partners (see above), you may be able to act upon your market map and grow your business. Great companies get funded, even if valuations are disappointing in the short term and you should continue to be aggressive. As in all difficult situations, opportunity abounds.

Related:

How to Engineer Growth in Mobile Apps

What to Consider When Evaluating Potential PR Partners

5 Tips for Driving Valuable Customer Experiences Through Company Culture



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
Takeaways from the DeSantis-Crist debate

Democrat Charlie Crist came out swinging against Republican incumbent Ron DeSantis in the only televised debate in the Florida gubernatorial race.
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
Following the recent addition of 'twerk' and 'crowdfund' to the Oxford English Dictionary, here is a further selection of brand new words:

Nabkin: A small square piece of cloth or paper, used for cleaning the mouth or fingers, secretly stolen from the person sitting next to you.

Nadirection: Worst possible directions to a particular place. 'Excuse me, do you know the way to the sea?' 'Yes, I believe it's at the top of that hill over there.' 'Thank you for that nadirection.'

Naffected: Behaviour or speech that affects to be common. 'I find the younger royals a little naffected.'

Nagazine: Glossy journal or periodical that can't help telling its readers how to behave.

Nambee-Pambee: Stinging winged insect that collects nectar, produces honey and generally flounces about.

Following the recent addition of 'twerk' and 'crowdfund' to the Oxford English Dictionary, Craig Brown has offered a selection of brand new words

Nannysecond: Length of time after starting a meal that it takes for your partner to point out that you've got food on your chin.

Narcissister: Female sibling who is desperately fond of herself.

Nastyrtium: A deeply unpleasant herbaceous flowering plant.

Naybour: Person who lives next door and complains every time you want to do anything.

Neanduhthal: Species of human which lived in Europe 150,000 years ago and was remarkably thick.

Nearbuy: Shop just around the corner.

Nebucodnezzar: The most prominent fish of the Neo-Baby-lonian Empire.

Necessitea: Aromatic leaf-based beverage that demands to be drunk.

Needull: Thin threadable pin with extremely blunt end.

Negligents: Male public conveniences that don't seem to have been cleaned for a fortnight. 'I always avoid the negligents in the park.'

Negligibull: Hornless male bovine animal, which stands in the corner of a field, keeping himself to himself.

Negotihate: An attempt to reach an amicable agreement with someone you dislike.

Negotist: A person who considers himself the least important person in the room.

Neighbrrr: Someone who lives next door and always gives you a chilly reception.

Neighbore: Someone who lives next door and goes on and on and on.

Neighburr: Someone who lives next door and leaves their phone off the hook.

The word 'twerk' was added to the Oxford English Dictionary after the famous Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke performance (pictured) in 2013

Netwerk: To link up with like-minded business people with the aim of dancing in a sexually provocative manner.

Nesprayso: Coffee-making apparatus that spurts coffee over everyone who uses it.

Newflangled: Daring pastry innovation from a Great British Bake Off contestant.

Newscurseter: TV reporter who keeps swearing on camera.

Newsflush: Embarrassing news report. 'We were greeted with a newsflush about the Duchess of York's latest business venture.'

Nicoteen: Youngster who has taken up smoking.

Nincompooper-scooper: Scooping device for cleaning up dog mess, much given to dropping offending item on to operator's shoe.

Nobble Prize: Award that is made annually, but which is then withdrawn.

Nogligee: A woman's semi-transparent dressing gown still stained with an egg-based cocktail from a week ago.

Noodull: Thin strip of pasta, not tasting of anything.

Nookey: Small piece of shaped metal designed for gaining entry to a love nest.

Nota Benny: Anything taken in by the odd-job man at Crossroads Motel, circa 1972.

Noteboo: A pad or journal containing a major surprise.

Notepauper: Very cheap stationery.

Nougaarrggh: Sticky sweet comestible that removes a tooth without warning.

Nouvelle quizine: Something very tiny on your dinner plate that you can never quite put a name to.

Nuants: Subtle difference between one insect and another.

Nudissed: Naked person who finds himself or herself subject to strong criticism.

Nuisants: Small, wingless insects determined to go where they are not wanted.

Numbskill: A daft person who nevertheless has one exceptional talent. 'Would I be right in thinking Charlotte Church is a bit of a numbskill?'
Boy George must be getting desperate. The Chancellor yesterday wheeled out Ed Balls and Vince Cable to support the Remain campaign.

It cant have escaped his attention that both Labours Balls and the Lib Dems Cable lost their seats at the last election. If voters werent prepared to return either of them to Parliament, why does he think people will take any notice of what they have to say about the EU?

Not so long ago, Osborne was warning anyone who would listen that a Labour government with Balls in the Treasury would be a sure-fire recipe for economic disaster.

Boy George must be getting desperate. The Chancellor yesterday wheeled out Ed Balls and Vince Cable to support the Remain campaign

Balls came to prominence as Gordon Browns bag man and is credited with writing that hilarious speech about post neo-classical endogenous growth theory, which he copied from an episode of Bill And Ben, The Flowerpot Men.

Weve already had Gordon banging on about why we should vote Remain. Bringing on the monkey when the organ grinder has left the stage smacks of After The Lord Mayors Show. That sound you can hear is a rather large barrel being scraped.

Balls was also up to his neck in the MPs expenses scandal. He and his wife Pixie Balls-Cooper flipped their address three times to maximise their allowances and claimed 14,000 in travel expenses for their children.

With uncontrolled immigration one of the main issues in the referendum, it is also worth reminding ourselves that Pixie announced grandly that the Balls family would be inviting a Syrian refugee family to share one of their own two beautiful homes  a promise she has subsequently reneged upon.

And here we were thinking the reason Ed hadnt been seen in public for the past few months was because he was busy redecorating the spare room for their new lodgers.

As for Cable, he spent five years in Coalition trying to scupper the Tories. While Business Secretary, he flogged off the Royal Mail for a song, costing taxpayers billions of pounds in lost profit.

He made no secret of the fact that he thought he would make a much better Chancellor than Boy George. By all accounts, Osborne rubbished St Vinny in return at every opportunity.

Yet now George would have us believe that when it comes to the EU, Cables is a voice we should take seriously. You also have to wonder whats in it for Cable and Balls.

I should imagine that Osborne is the Tory that their parties members despise the most  the man they see responsible for the savage cuts in public spending and tax cuts for the rich. How will Labour and Lib Dem voters react to the spectacle of their boys hobnobbing with one of the pillars of the Bullingdon Club?

There hasnt been a line-up like it since Ken Clarke and Michael Heseltine shared a pro-EU platform with Tony Blair after the 1997 election. Euro-fetishism does throw up some strange bedfellows.

Cable has been shunted off to the Lords, so hes already set up for life. Maybe Balls fancies a crack at becoming a European Commissioner, the traditional lucrative sinecure for failed domestic politicians and the main reason so many of them favour Britains continued enslavement.

The EU is a purely political project, by politicians, for the enrichment of politicians, freed from the need for accountability to the great unwashed.

Frankly, I found it difficult to suppress a belly laugh when I switched on Sky News to see Osborne, Cable and Balls striding towards the microphone like a low-budget remake of Reservoir Dogs.

It wasnt just the sight of these bitter political rivals lining up together in common cause to badger the British people into submitting to decades more membership of an anti-democratic, corrupt European superstate.

It was the choice of venue, too, which tickled me. Osborne had decided to hold the press conference in an aircraft hangar, in front of a Ryanair plane.

He had also enlisted the support of Ryanair owner Michael OLeary, arguably the most hated businessman in Britain this side of Philip Green, famous for treating his mug customers with undisguised contempt.

Only yesterday it emerged that the airline could face court action over the outrageous hidden charges it imposes on passengers, including an extortionate 160 to change a name on a ticket at check-in.

More than 5,000 people have signed up to a class action against Ryanair, which is accused of wrongly levying charges totalling 315 million over the past six years.

I wonder how many of them will be willing to trust Irishman OLearys judgment about the need for Britain to stay in the EU.

Away from yesterdays circus, Osborne is clearly pinning his hopes on the public buying Bank of England governor Mark Carneys doomsday warning about the consequences of voting Leave.

It is reported that Carney sees the Bank as a stepping stone to his ultimate ambition of becoming Prime Minister of his native Canada.

In which case, someone should ask him: if the EU is such a wonderful utopia, does he think Canada should apply for membership? After all, if Australia can enter the Eurovision Song Contest, why shouldnt Canada join the EU?

There hasnt been a line-up like it since Ken Clarke (right) and Michael Heseltine (left) shared a pro-EU platform with Tony Blair (centre) after the 1997 election

Half of them speak French already. The Quebecois would feel more at home in Europe than they do alongside their fellow English-speaking Canadians.

If not the EU then, given that his countrys main trading partner is America, does Carney think that Canadas laws and immigration policies should be dictated by unelected bureaucrats and judges in Washington DC?

Maybe if the U.S. could wave through to Toronto all those illegals crossing the Mexican border, Donald Trump wouldnt have to bother building his wall.

Somehow, though, I dont think advocating surrendering Canadas sovereignty to the United States would be much of a vote winner.

The other man with Prime Ministerial ambitions of his own is, of course, George Osborne. But one thing which is becoming patently clear is that win or lose, hes not going to get the job when Call Me Dave calls it a day.

Desperately posing alongside washed-up rivals like Balls and Cable in an attempt to bully the British people into voting Remain is hardly going to endear him to a majority of Tory MPs, let alone the overwhelmingly anti-EU activists in the wider party.

Maybe if the U.S. could wave through to Toronto all those illegals crossing the Mexican border, Donald Trump wouldnt have to bother building his wall

But he knows that to win the referendum, the Government will have to rely on Labour and Lib Dem voters.

The truth is that whatever happens on June 23, Ed Balls stands a better chance of becoming Prime Minister than Osborne.

Still, Boy Georges new best friend Christine Lagarde, the former French finance minister, can always fix him up with a job at the IMF.

Vote Leave!

Todays edition of Mind How You Go meets Here We Go Looby Loo comes from Greater Manchester. Assistant Chief Constable Rebekah Sutcliffe has been suspended after getting involved in a heated spat with a female superintendent, Sarah Jackson.

Both had been drinking at a Senior Women in Policing conference when an argument broke out over which of them had the most attractive breasts.

According to eye-witnesses, the row revolved around accusations that one of them was surgically enhanced. ACC Sutcliffe is said to have got her breasts out to prove they were real.

She is now being investigated over an allegation of bullying.

The news came as police evacuated Manchester Uniteds Old Trafford ground on Sunday because of a bomb scare.

There is no truth in the rumour that Supt Jackson was on duty at the match and there were fears that her implants might explode.

OH MR PORTER, WHAT SHALL I DO In other news, Boy Georges pet Northern Powerhouse project is in jeopardy. The costly high-speed railway line HS2, designed to improve journey times between the North and London, is already in financial trouble. Reports now suggest that because of a spiralling price tag, the line will have to end at Crewe. Why not just scrap it altogether and spend the 55 billion it is going to cost on high-speed internet instead? HS2 is beginning to resemble a parody of the old music hall song: Oh, Mr Porter, what shall I do? I wanted to go to Manchester, but Ive ended up in Crewe.

Funny how all those feminists currently screaming about women being ordered to wear high heels arent so vocal when it comes to Muslim women being forced to dress like Darth Vader.

Dylan Thomas is supposed to have been a hard-drinking hellraiser. But according to his doctors just-released notes, the poet couldnt drink more than four pints in a session.

Can he really have become falling-over drunk after little more than a sniff of the barmaids apron? It certainly doesnt fit his image.

Theyll be telling us next that Eric Pickles is anorexic.
Culture Secretary John Whittingdales pathetic failure, inter alia, to force the BBC to disclose the earnings of top earners, must be good news for Private Eye editor Ian Hislop, 55.

The anti-establishment satirist (so called) is allegedly paid 20,000 for every episode of Have I Got News For You  ie, 400,000 a year.

And hes been on it for 26 years. Worth every penny, say his friends. Besides, they add, Radio 4s Eddie Mair is said to earn even more.

Culture Secretary John Whittingdales (left) pathetic failure to force the BBC to disclose the earnings of top earners, must be good news for Private Eye editor Ian Hislop (right)

The Queen winning a Tesco gift card prize, at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, is a long-awaited publicity coup for the supermarket.

Theyd been close to getting the royal nod in 1999 during the state visit of Hungarys late President Goncz, who died last year aged 93.

He wanted HM to accompany him to a Tesco store.

She sniffed a PR plot and pulled out. Goncz in retirement liked to check out the bargains at Tescos store near Budapest airport.

Donald Trump is interviewed tonight by Fox Newss Megyn Kelly, 45, pictured below, the reporter he vilely suggested was menstruating after she criticised his campaign for the US presidency.

Why publicise him further? Because his nastiness has done neither any harm.

He has the Republican nomination locked up.

Shes in line to succeed Barbara Walters as Americas top female current affairs star.

Donald Trump is interviewed tonight by Fox Newss Megyn Kelly, 45, (pictured) the reporter he vilely suggested was menstruating after she criticised his campaign for the US presidency

The Queens off-the-cuff remarks about ill-behaved Chinese guests are quickly forgotten  a blessing for Earl Peel, 68, HMs senior adviser.

He introduced police commander Lucy DOrsi to the Queen, saying she had been seriously undermined by the Chinese tell your story.

Which the officer did, while Peel stood beside cameraman Peter Wilkinson, listening to the Queens comments, knowing they were being recorded.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa perched with the Queen during her 90th birthday extravaganza.

Encouraged by the Prime Minister  he seeks trade deals with the Middle East nation  HM is helping to rehabilitate the king internationally after his police were accused of civil rights abuses in 2013.

The rich desert monarch generously helps finance the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Kirstie Allsopp is asked (by Stylist magazine) what has she never understood.

Celebrity saints such as Angelina Jolie might say fear of migrants, rape in war zones or other popular concerns.

Miss Allsopp, 44, says: People who dont plump cushions! They get sat on and crushed, and look messy. Why wouldnt you plump them back up? I dont get it.

My heroine.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove claims hes gripped by The Archers storyline about pregnant Helen Titchener, remanded in custody for stabbing husband Rob, telling Radio Times: Helens story has brought welcome attention to the real problems many women face from coercive and controlling men.
What the blazes has got into the Royal College of Midwives? (file photo)

What the blazes has got into the Royal College of Midwives?

I ask because, to the horror of many of its wonderful members, its chief executive, Cathy Warwick, wants to scrap the time limit on abortion  a move that would pave the way for terminations of fully developed unborn babies.

It would be lovely not to get personal about this, but I cant help thinking that Professor Warwick has taken leave of her senses.

My perspective is shaped by personal experience. I speak as a woman who has had no fewer than seven pregnancies, only three of which resulted in what the medical profession calls live births.

Today I am lucky enough to have three beautiful young children, but the heartache of losing multiple pregnancies through miscarriage transformed the way I view the unborn child  from the very first magical flickers of life in the womb, to the remarkable alien-like creatures of five or six months gestation that evolve ever more recognisably into tiny humans.

The thought of deliberately killing a healthy unborn child at this stage makes me feel sick.

I didnt always see it this way. When the subject of abortion came up during my student years, I would blithely declare that, should I be unfortunate enough to find myself saddled with an unwanted pregnancy, I would have no compunction in hotfooting it to the nearest Marie Stopes clinic.

I remember the exact words I used: early pregnancies were just a bunch of cells.

The life-changing experience a decade later of watching a bunch of cells slowly but surely evolve into a little boy  my son  and the dark despair I felt in the years that followed when four of my subsequent pregnancies failed, gave me a remarkable new appreciation for what many people of religious faith call the sanctity of life.

I realised that a foetus, however tiny, is a person-to-be.

As it stands, the law in this country allows abortion until the 24th week of pregnancy, unless there are exceptional medical grounds for a later termination.

That is already far more lax than in many other parts of the EU, where the law varies but the limit is generally around 12 weeks gestation. In the UK, the cut-off point is based on the so-called viability of the foetus, meaning its prospect of survival outside the womb.

As neonatal care has advanced, dramatically improving survival rates among premature babies, this limit has been the subject of impassioned debate.

It is no longer unusual for babies born towards the end of the second trimester (which ends at 27 weeks gestation) to survive. Indeed, a handful born as early as 22 weeks have clung on to life.

Its worth pointing out that the available statistics only tell some of the story, as they are based on very sick babies who make it to specialist neonatal units in time.

We have no way of knowing the potential outcomes of aborted healthy babies.

Calls for a reduction in the legal limit for abortion have been led, most recently, by the Tory MP for Mid-Bedfordshire, Nadine Dorries, who introduced a Private Members Bill in the Commons in 2006, calling for a reduction in the legal time limit for abortion to 20 weeks.

She has described in graphic detail how, as a young nurse, she watched an aborted baby lying in a bedpan struggling to breathe. After that she vowed to try to alter the barbaric practice of late terminations.

During her campaign in 2006, she highlighted the ugly truth about how late abortions are carried out.

It involves dismembering the foetus bit by bit inside the uterus before it is pulled out. Surgical forceps are used to crush the skull, spine and pelvis so that they are small enough to come out.

To avoid botched jobs, like the one Ms Dorries witnessed, a lethal injection is first placed into the babys heart through the mothers abdominal wall.

How much the foetus itself suffers is a matter of debate.

Following a shocking 1984 film called The Silent Scream, which purported to show the ultrasound image of a foetus being aborted, its mouth apparently wide open in agony, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists commissioned a panel of experts to examine the question.

Today I am lucky enough to have three beautiful young children, but the heartache of losing multiple pregnancies through miscarriage transformed the way I view the unborn child (file photo)

They concluded that unborn babies cannot feel pain until 26 weeks gestation  safely beyond the current abortion time limit. That they may suffer terribly after this point cuts no ice with Professor Warwick.

What she is suggesting is a total free-for-all, based on the notion that women can be trusted to make their own reproductive choices.

She seeks to sanitise a proposal with grotesque practical implications for the medical profession, and terrible potential physical and emotional consequences for mothers-to-be, in the politically correct language of respecting womens rights over their bodies.

Amid the mounting outcry over her proposal, it is worth considering what role midwives are supposed to represent.

The word midwife literally means with woman.

Almost all these amazing, dedicated professionals see their job as helping mothers-to-be bring new life into the world. To this end, they work long, exhausting shifts on understaffed hospital wards for mediocre rates of pay.

As a fan of Channel 4s One Born Every Minute, I know even those who have been in the business for decades stick with it, despite diminishing NHS resources progressively undermining the quality of care they can provide.

This is because they share the joy and wonder of the new parent as a newborn baby takes its first breath.

Does Professor Warwick propose that her members should also fulfil their calling to be with women undergoing late terminations? And are they to apply the same standards of care to mother and child?

Rightly, midwives observe rituals for stillborn babies, whose bodies are treated with the utmost sensitivity and respect. Precious foot and handprints made; photographs taken; funerals arranged.

What does Professor Warwick propose her members do with the bodies of unwanted babies terminated in late pregnancy? Are they simply to be tossed into a bin marked hospital waste and sent off to the incinerator?

Becoming a mother would probably have been enough to change my views on abortion (file photo)

Furthermore who is going to carry out the grisly medical procedures? The majority of doctors are deeply reluctant to perform late abortions, even when the unborn baby is profoundly sick, deformed, or suffering from a life-limiting condition.

While medics in one part of a hospital battle valiantly to save the life of a much wanted premature baby, does Professor Warwick propose that surgeons on the other side of a curtain scrub up to end the life of a baby at a later stage of gestation, which is perfectly healthy but deemed surplus to requirements?

Will the poor, vulnerable women Professor Warwick wants to bestow with the right to end a late pregnancy recuperate from their operations on maternity wards, alongside happy new mothers, or are hospitals to have dedicated foeticide units?

Becoming a mother would probably have been enough to change my views on abortion.

There is nothing like feeling the first magical flutters of an unborn baby moving  and seeing it develop, through the ultrasound scans women are offered on the NHS  to remind a woman that her tummy is swelling to accommodate a living being that cannot simply be jettisoned, however bad the morning sickness.

The dreadful experience of desperately willing a series of tiny unborn babies to cling onto life inside me meant I could never again take that bunch of cells for granted.

The fate of each of my new pregnancies would be revealed via periodic ultrasound scans, starting just a few weeks after conception, when it becomes possible to detect a heartbeat.

Lying in the sonographers room, hoping against hope that he or she would find that tiny sign of life, I would wait for the verdict: life or death.

Eventually, after four devastating losses, and thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, I got the news I so longed to hear: this ones going to make it.

Happily there is no prospect of anyone in Westminster taking up Professor Warwicks call for a change in the law.

As Ms Dorries discovered to her cost, it is a brave politician who wades into the debate. For taking a principled, heartfelt stance, she was vilified by prochoicers, had obscenities daubed on the windows of her house and was sent dismembered dolls through the post.

Meanwhile, many members of the Royal College of Midwives are dissociating themselves from their chief executive.
David Cameron had banned ministers from speaking in favour of pulling out and instructed backbench MPs to ignore the overwhelmingly Eurosceptic views of their constituency members

Right up to the Brussels summit in mid-February, the Prime Minister claimed he would consider campaigning for Britain to leave the EU if he didnt achieve fundamental reform.

If we cant secure these changes, I rule nothing out, he said.

Naturally enough, many were suspicious.

David Cameron had banned ministers from speaking in favour of pulling out and instructed backbench MPs to ignore the overwhelmingly Eurosceptic views of their constituency members, suggesting his mind was made up.

Nevertheless, Downing Street insisted nothing had been settled and that the Brussels meeting would be decisive.

But as the Mail reveals today, this was little more than a charade. While talking tough in public, Mr Cameron had already begun orchestrating the Remain campaign behind closed doors.

A leaked letter shows that more than a week before the summit, he and Rupert Soames, boss of giant security firm Serco (which, by the way, benefits from Government contracts worth 3billion) were plotting how big business could be mobilised to hammer home the supposedly dire consequences of Brexit.

This, it appears, was the beginning of Project Fear.

Of course Mr Cameron has well and truly nailed his colours to the mast since then, warning that we risk penury and a European war if we leave the EU. But shouldnt he have come clean with the voters from the start?

The referendum is the most important decision Britain has faced for a generation. We deserve an honest debate, rather than one that has been skewed from the start.

In the same contemptuous vein, George Osborne ramped up the rhetoric again yesterday, dismissing those who want to leave the EU as raving conspiracy theorists, who think the economists and world leaders warning against Brexit are merely part of some global stitch-up.

Next thing we know, [they] will be accusing us of faking the Moon landings, kidnapping Shergar and covering up the existence of the Loch Ness monster, the Chancellor quipped.

Most amusing. But isnt the real reason people distrust economists simply that they are so frequently wrong?

Many of those now telling us that Brexit spells catastrophe, also once said the UK should ditch the pound and join the euro. What a disaster that would have been.

And even the Chancellors own apocalyptic claim that quitting would cost every British family 4,300 by 2030 is based on highly dubious forecasts.

In the same contemptuous vein, George Osborne (centre) ramped up the rhetoric again yesterday, dismissing those who want to leave the EU as raving conspiracy theorists

How can he pretend to know what the state of the UK, European and world economy will be in 14 years time? The way its going, the tottering eurozone may have collapsed by then.

According to the latest polls, nearly half the electorate intend to vote Leave in the referendum. It is they, not a bunch of politicians and foreign economists, whose opinions will count on June 23.

The vast majority dont believe in wild conspiracy theories. What they do believe is that the EU is hopelessly corrupt and anti-democratic and that Britain would thrive outside it.

A very flawed review

Is the independent review of anti-Semitism within Labour about to descend into farce?

Its chairman Shami Chakrabati admitted she has become a party member and vice-chairman David Feldman belongs to a group of academics who have dismissed the allegations as a witch-hunt.

To cap it all, former London mayor Ken Livingstone, who caused an uproar by saying Hitler was a Zionist, will not even give evidence.
Shes a mum-to-be, something that for many women would put an end to their normal routine.

But Sydney beach babe Charlotte Connell is bucking the trend, continuing on with her regular lifestyle and hitting the surf every morning throughout her pregnancy.

The 32-year-old from Bondi, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, has surfed regularly since falling pregnant, continuing to do the thing she's loved for more than half her life.

Riding the wave: Charlotte Connell, 32, has continued to surf down at Bondi beach throughout her pregnancy, taking precautions to keep both her and her baby safe

Ms Connell, who is currently seven months into her first pregnancy, thought early on that she would be forced to ditch her surf board.

However she says the key to maintaining her regular lifestyle has been listening to her body.

While being able to surf has been great, she says her number one priority has always been the health of both her and her future 'grom'.

'I guess Ive really learnt to listen to my body and all the medical advice I've been given,' Ms Connell said.

'I expected to give up surfing a month or two ago but I've changed to a beginner board which has helped, plus I've got a really supportive community who look out for me.'

Hang Ten! The expectant mother looks thrilled to have caught a wave as she surfs as part of the One Wave program

Surf's up! Having been first introduced to surfing by her father in her teens, Ms Connell said it's more than likely her child will also be a regular by the beach

Expecting: Ms Connell (right) and partner Chris Little are expecting the birth of their baby in August

What a view: An avid surfer, Ms Connell has continued with her hobby throughout her pregnancy despite initially expecting she would have to pack up her surf board

The surfer and environmentalist has been enjoying Australia's water since she was 14 years old.

After testing out the waters early on in her pregnancy, Ms Connell said her body reacted well, and now at 28 weeks in, she doesn't look like hopping off the board anytime soon.

'I feel confident in the water, but I know my limits and I only go out when the surf''s small these days,' she said.

'When I first started telling people I was pregnant, everyone had an opinion, but my body is my body.

'It has been doing a big job growing a little 'grom', but I know when to enjoy myself and when to take it easy.'

Ms Connell's photos of not only her surfing, but also beautiful beaches, oceans and colourful community work have been a hit among friends on her Instagram.

'I use it as part of One Wave, an organisation I'm a part of where on Friday mornings we dress up in funny fluro outfits and create a supportive community for people with mental health issues and also raise money for surf lessons for people with mental health,' she said.

'Im a big supporter for Movember and social media is such a good way to get a message out there. Plus now that I'm pregnant I can use it to share stories and keep in contact with all my friends and family out there.

Relaxed: The 32-year-old takes time out from the water to enjoy the views at beautiful Bondi beach

Smile! Ms Connell spends Friday mornings by the beach with One Wave, a group that helps people with mental health issues get into surfing

Not long to go! Ms Connell has less than three months remaining until she is due to have her first child

Ms Connell works for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a non-profit organisation established to address the problem of unsustainable fishing in Australia.

She says preparing to bring a child into the world has made her more dedicated than ever to the importance of healthy oceans.

'The MSC does great work on ocean sustainability for future generations and I know my partner and I want this little grom to live in a world full of fish and sealife,' she said.

'My dad taught me how to surf at age 14 or 15 and thats the best father daughter experience I couldve had and I know whether it's a girl or a boy there's a fair chance this one will love the water too.'

'I know my partner and I want this little grom to live in a world full of fish and sealife': Ms Connell works with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a non-profit organisation established to address the problem of unsustainable fishing in Australia

Dressed up! Ms Connell meets former Prime Minister Julia Gillard as part of her work raising funds for Movember, a charity close to her heart

For now though, with just 12 weeks until her due date, Ms Connell says she'll continue to focus her attention on her pregnancy, something she claims 'has been great so far'.

'I guess thats the thing with pregnancy, theres no two pregnancies the same,' she said.

'Everybody can give you advice but you've got to be in tune with own body and be careful. Everyone talks about the glamorous side but there's a not-so glamorous side too.

'I guess things such as having less energy is hard, but overall it's a very rewarding experience.'
If you've ever stared at the cocktail menu and avoided ordering a fancy sounding drink because you're not sure how to pronounce it correctly, help is now at hand.

The team at cooking supplies website Sousvidetools.com have put together a handy infographic detailing how to pronounce 20 popular drinks correctly.

As well as cocktails, bon viveurs will be grateful for the guide to pronouncing Moet & Chandon champagne and Courvoisier brandy to save their blushes at the bar.

Scroll down for video

The team at cooking supplies website Sousvidetools.com have put together a handy infographic detailing how to pronounce 20 popular drinks correctly

When it comes to cocktail the national cocktail of Brazil, the Caipirinha, is notorious for leaving revellers tongue tied.

If you're ordering the blend of cachaca, sugar and lime, you should pronounce it Kai-Pee-Reen-Ya to ensure the bar tender understands.

Cachaca, a liqour made from sugar cane also poses problems of it's own if it happens to come up in conversation.

The fact it doesn't sound anything like the spelling makes matters even more tricky.

You might have ordered the popular Chinese larger Tsingtao while eating out, but don't let the 'Ts' confuse you - it's pronounced Ching-Dow

According to the team at Sous Vide Tools it should trip off the tongue as Ku-Shah-Suh.

Another cocktail that might leave you feeling tongue tied is the Daiquiri, a blend of rum, fruit juice and sugar, which is said as Da-Kih-Ree.

'The biggest mistake made here is trying to pronounce the "qu",' according to Sous Vide Tools.

If you're ordering the blend of cachaca, sugar and lime, you should pronounce it Kai-Pee-Reen-Ya

'Just as you would with quinoa, it's Kih. Don't pronounce the first "i" either.'

Mai Tai is fairly straightforward for most people who know that it's My-Tie.

Meanwhile, Angostura Bitters which is a common ingredient in cocktails is pronounced An-Guh-Stoo-Rah.

Courvoisier brandy is Kur-Vwa-Syay which should be easy for anyone with a basic grasp of French

Angostura bitters which is a common ingredient in cocktails is pronounced An-Guh-Stoo-Rah

But don't fall into the trap of saying 'May Tay' when referring to the cocktail made from rum, fruit juice and orgeat.

The boulevardier is a sophisticated mix of bourbon, sweet vermouth, and campari so you don't want to ruin the impression you'll make in ordering one by refering to it as Boulevar-Deer.

Its correct pronounciation is Bou-Levard-Ee-Ay.

Resist the temptation to say May Tay when ordering a Mai Tai - it's My-Tie

To say Daiquiri (left) correctly, don't pronounce the 'qu' or the first 'i'

Another upmarket cocktail you won't want to get wrong is the Vieux Carre, a blend of cognac and rye whiskey.

'Any non-French may struggle with the French "R",' according to the Sous Vide Tools team.

'However, anyone who has studied French at school hopefully won't struggle too much with this sophisticated, spirits-driven cocktail.'

Of course cocktails aren't the only tipples to leave drinkers tongue tied.

The Boulevardier is a sophisticated mix of bourbon, sweet vermouth, and campari and is pronounced Bou-Levard-Ee-Ay (left) while the Vieux Carre is Vee-Uh-Car-Ay

Make sure you say Cure-A-Soh, and as an added bonus you now know the name of the island country in the southern Caribbean Sea the liqueur is named after

Liqueurs such as Curacao, known for its distinctive blue colour, also pose problems.

From here on in make sure you say Cure-A-Soh, and as an added bonus you now know the name of the island country in the southern Caribbean Sea it's named after.

The Italian bitter liqueur Cynar is named after the artichokes it's made from, and should be pronounced Chee-Nahr.

The Italian bitter liqueur Cynar is named after the artichokes it's made from, and should be pronounced Chee-Nahr

Drambuie isn't too difficult to say once you know it's Dram-Boo-Ee

Another well known liqueur, Drambuie, isn't too difficult either once you know how.

The golden drink made from scotch whiskey, honey, herbs and spices is pronounced Dram-Boo-Ee.

And don't let an easy one like St Germain trip you up.

While it sounds French, the elderflower-flavoured liquer is actually a German liqueur that's recently been gaining popularity.

The correct way to say it is Sahn-Jer-Mahn.

It sounds French, but St Germain is a German liqueur flavoured with elderflowers that's recently been gaining popularity (left) and it's pronounced Sahn-Jer-Mahn

The key to getting it right is not adding an 'itch' at the end of Glenfiddich, but saying Glen-Fiddikh instead

Back to France, one of its famous brandies Courvoisier, founded in 1809, looks tricky but should be easy enough for anyone with a rudimentary grasp of French.

Kur-Vwa-Syay is the correct thing to say when ordering a glass, while you should also beware when it comes to asking for Glenfiddich.

The key to getting it right is not adding an 'itch' at the end, but saying Glen-Fiddikh instead.

Of course, many people prefer a nice glass of wine to cocktails and spirits and they must make sure not to run into trouble either.

Merlot is commonly mispronounced as mer-lotte, but as long as you stick to Mer-Loh you can't go wrong

If you've ever stumbled over Pinot Noir before, the right description is Pee-noh Nwahr

You might be tempted to say Rice-ling when asking for your favourite glass of white, but Riesling's correct pronunciation is Reece-ling

Merlot is commonly mispronounced as mer-lotte, but as long as you stick to Mer-Loh you can't go wrong.

Pinot Noir can also cause problems if you're not familiar with French, so if you've ever stumbled over it before, the right description is Pee-noh Nwahr.

You might be tempted to say Rice-ling when asking for your favourite glass of white, but Riesling's correct pronunciation is Reece-ling.

For those with sophisticated tastes who are likely to be ordering champagne, make sure you know that a bottle of Moet & Chandon is Mo-Wett and Shan-Dawn.

But even ordering a humble beer can go wrong if you're not well versed.
Advertisement

Over the past seven years the drag scene has exploded, as programmes like RuPaul's Drag Race have catapulted the once niche art into the public eye.

A colourful new book, snapped by photographer Magnus Hastings, showcases the many different forms of the art, from the extremely effeminate cabaret star to the trashier tribute acts to some of the world's most famous women.

British photographer Hastings says the coffee table book's title, Why Drag?, stands up as he asked each of the queens he met about how they became attracted to the idea of dressing up.

Magnus Hastings has photographed drag queens from across the globe, asking them to explain why they do drag. Pictured left to right: Kennedy Davenport says 'Drag was my escape', Jenna Skyy asks 'What else is there?!' and Kalexis Davenport says 'drag is a blessing'

Their hilarious and heartwarming responses feature alongside the colourful images in the book.

Magnus says he hopes that by asking his subjects to explain their art he will be able to scratch below the surface and reveal some of the more emotional aspect of dressing up - but he admits it was a complete accident.

Speaking to the MailOnline he said: 'The Why Drag? question gives it a whole other layer and that was quite by accident.

'I was playing around with images mocking up a book and I had some dead space as the template was for a square book so I just quickly came up with that question because it was so broad in a way, you can take it as you like.

But he says that 'it's become a big part of the book, offering a glimpse beyond the make up and into these incredible creatures.'

The photographer has been developing the series for over a decade capturing the icons of reality TV and underground drag royalty,featuring the likes of Bianca Del Rio and Courtney Act.

Magnus has presented his collection of colourful photographs in a coffee table book called Why Drag? Pictured: Courtney Act during the process of getting ready

Courtney Act, an Australian drag queen who appears on the cover of the book, appeared in series six of Rupaul's Drag Race

When asked why she does drag Courtney said: 'To hold and know the power of a woman is something so amazing that I dont think a woman could ever understand because they cannot know life without it'

Describing himself as a 'child of drag' Magnus says that his passion for the performance art came at a young age.

'I grew up an all singing and dancing, cross dressing at any opportunity' explains Magnus 'I a little boy who would pilfer his sisters shoes and clothes and put on plays for my somewhat exasperated parents. I always played the female lead and would relegate my sister and step sister to the supporting roles.'

Over time the photographer says that he grew out of cross dressing himself, eventually finding a calling in documenting drag rather than being on stage himself.

Magnus continued: 'I grew out of it though, some might say was shamed out if it. Either way by adolescence that had stopped. But years later when I arrived in Sydney and into the incredible drag culture there, I felt as if i found my way home, had found my place.'

Other Rupaul contestants featured in the book include Detox (left) and Sharon Needles (right). Detox says 'drag allowed ME to be ME' and Sharon adds 'to me, Sharon Needles is a temporary demonic possession, which no priest or clergy can expel'

Although Magnus is pleased to see drag being bought to the masses he worries it is becoming 'softer'. Pictured: Jackie Beat says 'being a cartoonlike character that is neither male nor female makes it possible for me to say practically anything'

Throughout the book previous winners and contestants of the American TV series, Rupaul's Drag Race. And although it has not yet made its way on to UK soil its launch on Netflix has seen drag catapulted into the eyes of a whole new audience.

However, Magnus worries that with drag becoming more popular it may lose some of its charm. He continues: 'The more mainstream it gets the more its sharp edges are removed . Drag is punk rock and pushes boundaries and i am watching it soften for a mainstream palette , or at least the edgier stuff is not showcased in the same way.'

Although this is a small concern for Magnus, the photographer admits that it is a far cry from the lack of tolerance that the drag world once suffered with him recalling the struggles he had with trying to publish Why Drag.

Surprisingly, Magnus revealed to the MailOnline that drag queens face prejudice from the LGBTQ community as well as from outside it. Pictured: Jiggly Caliente Brooks, a Rupaul contestant, says of drag 'Its my way to express and transform myself into the music that I love'

Misty Meaner (far left) says 'drag just felt right' and Mocha Lite (pictured with Misty) adds she 'gets to be a mobile gallery'. Manilla Luzon (right) who featured in series three of Rupaul says 'I need all the help I can get from corsets, wigs, and makeup to make me feel pretty'

When Magnus began working on the book ten years ago, publishers recommended a psychiatrist write the foreward. Cynthia Lee Fonatine, who appeared in season eight of Rupaul says drag enables her to 'show off my talent, my inner passion, and my internal desire'

He said: 'I first went to meet with a publisher 10 years ago. They asked me who would buy such a book transvestites and homosexuals? and then suggested the foreword by written by a psychiatrist. I made my excuses and left.'

He continued to say that the prejudices that some drag queens suffer can come from within the LGBTQ community as well as from those outside it.

The photographer added: 'There is non acceptance within the gay community too. There is still a notion that 'camp gays are a lesser type thing in some circles with this terrible idea that if you cant tell someone is gay then they are more valuable.

Heidi Glum, pictured left says: 'Ive made many mistakes and learned from them all, but when I fell into drag it just seemed right' Misty Violet pictured right, says: 'drag allows me to take a leap off the cliff of the mundane and dive into the world of sparkle and fantasy'

'It all stems form self hate. I used to grimace when men use she when referencing other men, now i think its hysterical. I used to roll my eyes at those super camp guys and now I just adore them and drag i guess is a similar thing it is totally unapologetic.'

Magnus continued to say that the increasing popularity of drag is enormously beneficial to younger members of the LGBTQ community who in the past have struggled for role models and more importantly, representatives.

He continued: 'I do think that it has been a wonderful thing to know that some of those bullied misfits across the world can see a light at the end of the tunnel that they might not have seen before this surge in popularity.'

Why Drag? photographs by Magnus Hastings, foreword by Boy George. Published by Chronicle Books (35.00)
Right now Cannes, France is crawling with glamorous models and actresses who are in the seaside town for the annual film festival.

We're still five days away from the announcement of the top prize winners, but we've already seen a bevy of award-winning beauty looks on the red carpets.

From Kristen Stewart's grunge-meets-glam eye looks to Blake Lively's Disney princess-worthy updo, below, FEMAIL hands out accolades for the best hair and make-up from the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

Read on below to see all of the most head-turning beauty moments

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Belle of the ball: Newly bleached blonde Kristen Stewart, 26, is among the stars who have had major beauty moments on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet this week in France

BEST HUMIDITY-PROOF HAIRSTYLE: KENDALL JENNER

The model's raked-back hair look was as sexy as it was practical.

To get the slick look, hairstylist Jen Atkin applied the nourishing Christophe Robin Regenerating Mask with Rare Prickly Pear Seed Oil throughout the lengths and filled out Kendall's hairline with Color Wow Root Cover Up.

Sleek and sultry: Kendall Jenner, 20, stunned with a slicked-back look over the weekend

BEST USE OF GLITTER: EVA LONGORIA

The 41-year-old literally sparkled on the red carpet.

Make-up artist Charlotte Willer applied particles of gold above a swipe of L'Oreal Paris Superstar Liner on each eye.

Putting on the glitz: Eva Longoria, 41, spiced up a neutral smoky eye look with gold glitter

BEST SMOKY EYE GAME: KRISTEN STEWART

To give her several head-to-toe Chanel ensembles an edge, make-up artist Lucia Pica told Vogue.com that she smudged Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner around the Cafe Society actress' eyes.

The result was various versions of 'grungy' eye looks throughout the past seven days. We say: Keep 'em coming!

Grunge meets glam: Kristen has appeared with various smudgy eye looks throughout the festival

BEST REINVENTION OF THE CHIGNON: RILEY KEOUGH

Jen Atkin dreamt up a fresh take on the classic chignon for the 26-year-old actress - who's in Cannes promoting her film American Honey - by fishtail braiding a low ponytail before twisting it into a bun.

A twist on a classic: To give her low chignon texture, hairstylist Jen Atkin fishtail braided Riley Keough's, 26, hair before securing it into a bun

BEST CAT EYE: KRISTINA BAZAN

The Kayture blogger opted for a sultry, dark look for the Money Monster premiere last Thursday.

To achieve the Cleopatra-level smoky eye, make-up artist Karim Rahman swept LOreal Paris Colour Riche Mono in Noir Cest Noir over the lids and lined the eyes with LOreal Paris Smokissime Liner in Black.

How catty: Blogger Kristina Bazan, 22, opted for all black, from her Elie Saab gown to her daring cat eye

BEST SOURCE OF SHORT HAIRSTYLE INSPIRATION: MARION COTILLARD

Who knew such a simple style could look so chic?

Keeping in line with Marion's sleek, metallic Dior gown, hairstylist Adir Abergel pulled back the French actress' shiny, straight bob into a low ponytail.

Short and sweet: Marion Cotillard, 40, wore her bob pulled back into a sleek low ponytail at the festival

BEST RISK-TAKING LOOK: AISHWARYA RAI

The Indian actress is not in Cannes to play it safe. On Friday, she hit the red carpet with a bright blue smoky eye, and then went for a matte purple lip on Sunday.

The pastel hue divided the Internet over the weekend, with some praising the bold choice and others expressing their disapproval, though Aishwarya didn't seem too concerned with the critics.

'I enjoy fashion and I treat it like art,' she told the Indian Express of her red carpet look.

Turning heads: Aishwarya Rai, 42, complemented her pink and purple gown with a seriously bold lip color that had the Internet abuzz

BEST CINDERELLA MOMENT: BLAKE LIVELY

The expecting actress has had a number of head-turning red carpet moments over the past week, but her Disney Princess-esque Vivienne Westwood Couture gown at the premiere of Slack Bay (Ma Loute) on Friday is the most memorable yet.

Blake's blonde hair was swept back in an undone updo (use L'Oreal Paris Elnett Satin Hairspray Volume to mimic the texture) and accessorized with a gorgeous crystal hairpiece, crowning her the official belle of the ball.

A Cinderella story: Blake LIvely, 28, looked like a Disney princess come to life with her pale blue Vivienne Westwood Couture gown and her hair swept into an ethereal updo complete with a crystal headband

BEST '90s THROWBACK: LILY DONALDSON

Wearing a leather choker and a vampy red lip, the model made grunge look glam at the premiere of Woody Allen's Cafe Society last week.

To keep the dark lip color daytime-appropriate, she paired it with a light shimmery eyeshadow and radiant skin.

The lady is a vamp: Lily Donaldson, 29, paired a dark red lip with a shimmery eye look at the premiere of the film Cafe Society

BEST BRAID GAME: GAIA WEISS

Taking cues from the French actress' character on the series Vikings, hairstylist Alexandre Reboul concocted two showstopping braided looks for her for the Cannes red-carpet circuit.

In the details: Up-and-coming actress Gaia Weiss, 24, appeared with two intricate braided looks during the festival that we can't stop staring at

BEST RED CARPET GLOW: BELLA HADID

With her hair slicked back, all eyes were on the model's enviable cheekbones.

To achieve the luminous, sculpted look, make-up artist Patrick Ta highlighted and contoured with Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow palette.

Lessons in contouring: Bella Hadid's, 19, cheekbones won the red carpet last Wednesday

BEST OLD-HOLLYWOOD WAVES: JESSICA CHASTAIN

The Huntsman: Winter's War actress brought the glamour to the premiere of Money Monster last week with her loosely-waved bob and bejeweled Alexander McQueen dress.

Hairstylist Renato Campora said he was inspired by the gown's 1920s vibe.
The fashion week features designs schools from around the world

The show was part of China

They say that fashion can be deadly, and that certainly looks to be the case at this year's China Graduate Fashion Week.

Models in one of the shows on Monday walked the runway wearing gas masks and breathing apparatus that channeled Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.

One model, who wore a mask attached to clear tubes and a plastic box strapped onto her back, was dressed in a clear gown that had a pair of lungs sewn to the front.

Deadly: Out there looks were on display during the first two days of China's Graduate Fashion Week

Smog couture: Outfits included gas masks and what appeared to be breathing apparatus as accessories, as well as steampunk elements

Cutting edge: The fashion week is held annually in Beijing and features shows, lectures and exhibitions

The looks from the show started out very dark and monochrome, with black and grey featuring heavily.

One dress seemed to be steampunk inspired, with the model wearing a leather shoulder covering jacked embellished with gears, as well as a leather and metal gas mask.

Two male models also wore half-masks that could have been costume pieces from Mad Max Fury Road, with skeleton like features and exposed teeth.

Masked: There were also large flowing gowns that evoked both modern (left) and classical (right) styles

Apocolyptic: Some of the masks (above) looked like they could be costume pieces from films like Mad Max

Faceless: The looks were on display during days one and two of the fashion week and set an edgy tone

The outfits were on display during the shows for the Zhejiang University of Science and Technology School of Apparel Design and Jianghan University Graduate Show.

The fashion week is held every year in Beijing and features collections from both Chinese and international fashion schools. The looks were on display during days one and two of fashion week.

It is unclear who the young designers who created the collections are, only their design schools.

Talented: The monochrome theme was seen in shows by students from Zhejiang University of Science and Technology and Jianghan University

Layer up: A different look was on display during a show for Wuhan Textile University, with bright colours and heavy fabrics used (above)

Own it: The China Graduate Fashion week is held every year, with 32 universities and over 900 graduates involved

During a Wuhan Textile University Graduate Show on day two of fashion week, a completely different design aesthetic was on display with bright geometric colours and layering used.

The Wuhan show saw models walking in heavy fabrics and knits, with the clothes overwhelming their small frames.
Just when you thought you'd seen every trick in the book, think again.

Lily, a cunning little girl and future master of disguise, has written a letter to her mother, in an attempt to deceive her and find out what presents she should expect for her birthday.

The youngster used a gorgeous handwritten note - complete with scribbled-out spelling mistakes - to try and pull the wool over her mum's eyes, posing as her father who had 'forgotten' what presents they had bought their daughter.

'Dear Wife what Did you get Lilly for a surprise.': The efforts of one little girl to find out what she could be expecting for her birthday were nothing short of adorable

'Dear Wife,' Lily's letter begins.

'What did you get Lily for a surprise again. I forgot.'

'Please reply here...'

Making sure there was enough space for her mother to list the gifts, a hopeful Lily provided three hand drawn lines in the middle of the note.

Finally, with one last sincere effort to convince her mother that the note was written by her father, the youngster signs off with 'Love: Don'.

The note became a sensation after it was posted online by 2Day FM's Rove and Sam this week.

Unfortunately for young Lily her handwriting and a number of crossed-out spelling mistakes may have led to her downfall, however many commented that the idea of a father forgetting what presents had been bought was well and truly possible.

Regardless, her efforts definitely brought a smile to the face of not just her parents, but everyone who has read it.

'Love: Don': Despite the scribbled-out spelling mistakes, Lily made one last effort to convince her parents the letter was legitimate by signing off with her dad's name

Earlier this year a child attempted to forge a note on behalf of her teacher to convince her parents that she had another week off school, with her efforts going viral.

A social media user shared the handy work of her cheeky little girl Cara, who handed her parents a letter 'from the school' that she 'found in the letterbox'.

'The school compnay is taking a brake so the kids will get one more week of school off and we will need your child to sign their name here [sic],' the note read.

Despite being cleverly written in two different colours - black for the information and blue for her signature - and completed with a pink princess stamp, Cara's efforts weren't enough to fool her cluey parents.
A teenage girl is winning fans on social media for her accurate recreation of looks from iconic films.

Annelies van Overbeek, 17, from Puurs, Belgium shares pictures of her take on looks from films on her Instagram where she has 18,000 followers.

Ms van Overbeek said it all started after she cut her hair into a pixie style and had people tell her she looked like actress and fellow Belgian Audrey Hepburn.

Old Hollywood : Annelies van Overbeek (left) has been compared to actress Audrey Hepburn

Pearl Earring: Ms van Overbeek doing her version of Scarlett Johansson in the film Girl with a Pearl Earring

From day to Knightley: She's had lot of attention for recreating iconic looks such as Keira Knightley in Pride and Prejudice

'I wasn't very familiar with anything old Hollywood related at all, but when I looked her up I fell in love with the elegance of vintage silver-screen glamour,' she told ABC News.

Her Instagram account proves her adaptability and versatility to recreate looks from different eras.

Some of her looks include Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, Scarlett Johansson in the film The Girl With A Pearl Earring and Keira Knightly in Pride and Prejudice.

Southern Belle: Ms van Overbeek has shown her adaptability and versatility in her character lookalikes

Disney Princess: She's also done a take on Belle from Beauty and the Beast complete with blue bow and book

Young and Beautiful: She has most recently done her recreation of Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby

She has recreated the iconic look of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With The Wind capturing the essence of 19th century Southern America.

The 'girl with big dreams and a vivid imagination' has also shared her version of Disney princess Belle from Beauty and The Beast - complete with book and blue bow.

Her most recent post is her take on Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby as portrayed by British actress Carey Mulligan in the 2013 Baz Luhrmann remake.

Ms van Overbeek said recreating a look can take up to one to two hours to complete depending on how elaborate the hairstyle is.

Edwardian look: Aside from fashion from films Ms van Overbeek has also done her take on period fashion

Tiny waist: 'Thank the Lord for corsets': she captioned on her vintage spring dress look

Classic TV: She said she had to use face tape to get the similar eyebrows to Twin Peaks character Audrey Horne payed by Sherilyn Fenn

Flapper girl: The 17-year-old has also recreated other styles including this vampy 1920s flapper look

She also added that the eyebrows are the most difficult part of creating her version of a character.

'They make such a difference to the look! Luckily I have pretty good eyebrows, because they're very long so I can brush them into any shape I want.'

Aside from doing famous film characters, she has also recreated a vampy 1920s flapper look, 1960s, Gregorian and Regency styles.




Analysis of name records has revealed when certain names went in and out of style, with Lauren, Madison and Crystal some of the 'trendiest' names.

The report, conducted by MooseRoots, looked at which names had more than a 700 per cent increase in any year, compared to the average frequency which babies were given that name.

Somewhat surprisingly, girls were much more likely to be given a 'fad' name, with only five of the top 30 trendy names traditionally given to boys.

Popular: The 'trendiest' baby names have been revealed after data showed which names spiked in popularity in which years

Shake it off: Taylor was at its most popular in 1994, just a couple of years after Taylor Swift (above) was born

TOP FIVE TRENDY BABY NAMES Shirley in 1935

Ashley in 1987

Debra in 1955

Sophia in 2012

Linda in 1948

The top name, the one which increased the most in popularity in one year, was Shirley. Shirley was the most popular name for little girls in 1935, with a 1,298 per cent increase.

The huge spike is attributed to the popularity of American child star Shirley Temple, who became famous in the early 1930s.

Other older names that were trendy include Joan in 1932, Judith in 1940, Carol in 1945, Judy and Sharon in 1946, and Linda in 1948.

Good ship lollipop: Shirley has been deemed the most trendy baby name after a huge spike in popularity just a couple of years after Shirley Temple (above) started in Hollywood

What's in a name? The report revealed that girls were much more likely to have a 'trendy' name, with only five boys names in the top 30

The late 80s was also a peak time for trendy baby names. In 1987 Ashley, Jessica and Amanda all sure huge surges in popularity.

Lauren was most popular in 1989, as was Brittany. Whilst Taylor Swift was born in 1989, her name reached peak popularity five years later in 1994.

Other celebrities were also born around the time when their names skyrocketed in popularity. Jessica Biel was born in 1982, whilst the name Jessica was at its most trendy in 1987.

Common? Amy was most popular in 1975, just a year after actress Amy Adams was born

Say my name: Data from the NSW Government shows similar results to the report, showing names like Lauren (above) and Amanda peaking in popularity in the late 1980s

Amy became trendy in 1975, just a year after actress Amy Adams was born. For boys names, Jason was at its most popular in 1974, just a few years before Jason Segal was born.

Data from the NSW Government about the popularity of baby names in Australia echoes the findings of MooseRoots.
Drama has unfolded at Fashion Week after style influencers jammed in to a boiling hot lift, only for it to get stuck between floors.

Members of the fashion pack jammed in to the lift at One Hot Yoga studio in Sydney's Potts Point early Tuesday afternoon after seeing a fashion installation by Australian designer Christopher Esber.

But on their way down the lift malfunctioned, and a video posted by Today show presenter Richard Wilkins' son Christian showed the stylish crowd were stuck between floors, the lift's doors open.

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Don't panic, pout! Drama has unfolded at Fashion Week after guests, including Richard Wilkins' son Christian, jammed in to a boiling hot lift, only for it to get stuck between floors

'We're stuck in a lift at fashion week': Despite the drama, the stylish crowd still managed to pout playfully for the camera

Drama: Among those stuck was Wilkins, who spent most of the time in the lift Snapchatting

'We're stuck in a lift at fashion week,' Christian Wilkins wrote on Twitter.

The socialite posted an eight-second Snapchat selfie video from inside the lift as a siren goes off in the background.

While Christian, who was wearing Aviator sunglasses and a neck tie, mouthed 'what the f***', other people stuck in the lift could be heard explaining what was going on.

'Between the floors, the doors are already open,' a woman can be heard saying.

Passing the time: Rather than fly in to a panic, the seemingly unfazed It Crowd took selfies and shared their experience on social media

But the drama was not confined to the four-walls of the claustrophobic lift.

Outside the doors, on a sweltering level three, the fashion pack witnessed a model nearly faint as the heat appeared to get the better of her.

Witnesses say the model was taken outside, away from the 'boiling' heat of the stuffy yoga studio.

Crush: Grazia Australia tweeted a picture of the crowd waiting to get into the lift before it broke down

Mass exit: While the event-goers were stuck in a lift, the rest of the fashion pack were forced to leave via the emergency stairs

There's always time for a selfie: Behind Christian, other stuck guests used the time to snap some selfies

After the show, while the lift drama was unfolding, the rest of the fashion pack was stuck on level three.

As the people stuck in the elevator bashed on the door in a bid to raise the alarm, fashion blogger Margaret Zhang, Lindy Klim and Australian designer Tony Maticevski were just some of those waiting in the packed room to leave by the emergency stairs.

Grazia Australia tweeted about the incident alongside a photo of the packed room, and wrote: 'This is a crush. If there's a fire, we're all dead' #GRAZIAOverheard in a yoga studio at Christopher Esber.'

Ties in knots: The drama of the day took away somewhat from Christopher Esber's collection

Midnight hues: The Australian designer presented a mainly monochrome collection of oversized pants and three-quarter length dresses

Standing out: The collection included bold cut outs (left) and oversized knots on otherwise firm fitting dresses (right)

The drama took away somewhat from the installation that showed the latest designs by Australia's Christopher Esber.

Bold cut outs and over-sized knots were the point of difference for the primarily monochrome designs, with one skirt featuring large circular cut-outs down the side of the leg.

The collection saw a pop of glitter with the inclusion of heavily beaded dark grey sleeves on simple white tops.

Black-and-white: One model wore an off-white top with a high neck, bared shoulders and voluminous sleeves (right) while another wore a black top with a plunging neckline, finished with a net (right)

Pop of glitter: The otherwise monochrome designs were lifted with a heavily beaded dark grey sleeve
Khalil received a standing ovation as a powerful orchestra played Sorry by Justin Bieber

Australian designer Steven Khalil dazzled with his couture collection, as the stars squeezed in to the front row

Bec & Bridge, By Johnny, Alice McCall, and Karla Spetic were the fashion crowd's favourites

Day three of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia kicked off with a show by Australian label Manning Cartell

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As the sun rose on day three of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, the fashion pack descended for a jam-packed day of ready-to-wear Resort and Couture shows.

Australian label Manning Cartell stunned with a ready-to-wear collection, the burnt orange, yellows, rust and khaki colours of the clothes a beautiful contrast to the sparkling Sydney Harbour behind.

But it was renowned Australian designer Steven Khalil who ultimately stole the show with his jaw-dropping 2017 couture collection.

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Simply breathtaking: Australian designer Steven Khalil stole the show on Tuesday with his couture collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia

Classic couture: A bride in an enormous gown walked down the runway to an orchestra version of Justin Bieber's Sorry

Purple hues: A lace purple gown skimmed the floor and was embellished with soft feathers across the chest and sleeves

Rubbing shoulders, literally: The celebrity guests were crammed into the front row, with Samantha Jade, Jules Sebastian, Nikki Phillips, Terry Biviano and Demi Harman jostling for space

After a day that was dominated by ready-to-wear presentations, Khalil's dramatic designs of gowns was an exciting interruption to Fashion Week proceedings, and gave a glimpse of what we are sure to be seeing on the red carpet for the next year.

Celebrities jostled for a seat in the over-packed front row, as they quite literally rubbed shoulders with the person next to them. Jules Sebastian, Samantha Jade, Nikki Phillips and Terry Biviano were seen squeezing close together on a jam-packed bench.

The stars gave Khalil a standing ovation after the show, which featured a bride walking down the aisle to an orchestra playing Justin Bieber's Sorry, and gowns of feather, Italian Organza, beading and embroidery.

Red carpet winners: The show gave a glimpse of what we can expect to see on the red carpet this year

Touch of sparkle:Sheer dresses embellished with shots of silver across the bodice featured throughout

Classic to modern: From midriff-baring capers, to feathered frocks and classic full-skirted dresses, Khalil showed a varied collection

All that glitters: A gold beaded gown (left) and metallic silver pleated design (right) dazzled the audience

This was just the second time Steven Khalil - who last week made headlines for dressing Eurovision runner-up Dami Im - has showcased at MBFWA, and he did not disappoint.

This new collection combined the brands classical elements of couture with a modern and innovative edge.

This collection is very special to me and embodies the traditional spirit of my design but also where I feel I want the brand to move forward in the future, Khalil said.

Dressing the part: Australian TV host Carissa Walford (left) wore a stunning dress by Alice McCall at the show while Samantha Jade (centre) also chose to rock a design by Alice McCall, this time a black crystal embellished mini, Demi Harman (right) wore head-to-toe black

So sheer: The collection included a series of sheer designs in all white (left) and black and silver (right)

Gorgeous: The fashion pack squeezed in to the front row to take in the beautiful couture collection that featured a white gown with a sweeping train

Pretty in pastel: Soft blue designs added to the feminine feel of the show, with white flowers and off the shoulder designs a recurring theme

Steven Khalil's show was a highlight in what was an overwhelmingly brilliant day of fashion.

While Monday saw the runway studded with bizarre fashion pieces, Tuesday saw an enticing mix of ready to wear collections.

Croatian born designer Karla Spetic, who credits Beyonce and Solange as her supporters, was the first of back-to-back shows held at Sydney venue Carriageworks. The designer stunned with a collection of lavender print designs, that were both delicate and feminine in their feel.

By Johnny and Bec & Bridge were also crowd favourites, but while there lots of hits, there were a few misses.

BEST:

Soft and pretty: Bec & Bridge continued with earthy colours including suede pants (left) and silk flared tops (right) as well as all-white dresses that fit in with the resort wear theme (centre)

Flash of flesh: The Australian label, founded by Becky Cooper and Bridget Yorston, dared to bare with beautiful swimwear

What a start: Manning Cartell kicked off day three with a beautiful show under the Harbour Bridge at Sydney's Milsons Point, the Opera House visible in the distance

Clash and contrast: Graphic stripes, rich hues, and vibrant colour clashes were the key themes for the stunning show

Lilac and lavender: Australian designer Karla Spetic featured a dainty lavender print throughout her collection on skirts, dresses and jumpsuits, at her show at Carriageworks

Sweet and simple: Models wore understated ponytails with side partings and fresh, natural make up for the show

Stunning: By Johnny also showed metallic and black designs that drew the attention of the fashion pack

Monochromatic: Australian label By Johnny was another fashion win, as models walked the runway in patterned designs with a touch of metallic

Gorgeous: Fashion blogger Nadia Fairfax stunned in a design by Manning Cartell on Tuesday morning (left), while Anna Heinrich stunned in a soft orange jumpsuit as she linked arms with her boyfriend Tim Robards (right)

Wearable: Bianca Spender's collection of highly covetable ready to wear pieces was a crowd favourite

Hits: Leather, embroidery and cut-outs were the theme for Jennifer Kate

WORST:

The mad hatter: Millinery owner, Chantelle Ford rocked two unusual headpieces during Fashion Week Australia

Billowing tunics: Australian designer Akira Isogawa, who was born in Kyoto Japan, showcased a range of interesting resort wear for men

Pastel frills: Australian label MacGraw included mini and floor-length dresses in soft white and pastel pink that were made up entirely of frills

Frock and roll: MacGraw continued their collection with a line of heavily printed dresses with bib-like detailing on the chest

Interesting choice: Australian designer Christopher Esber showed bright blue wide leg pants paierd with a white netted top
A mother-of-two who longed to be pregnant again, but couldn't afford a third child, decided to carry a complete stranger's baby as an alternative.

Marcie Goldfarb, 38, from California also knew she didn't have the patience for another baby and after seeing friends struggle to conceive she looked into surrogacy and ended up having a baby girl for a gay couple she'd never met before.

Throughout the pregnancy she became close friends with the baby's fathers and since their daughter Alexandria was born, they have spoken almost every day.

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Mother-of-two Marcie Goldfarb, 38, from California wanted another pregnancy but didn't have the patience or money for a third child, so she became a surrogate for a gay couple

After agreeing to be a surrogate, Marcie became pregnant on her third round of IVF

'I always said I wouldn't mind being pregnant again. I just didn't want to take the baby home after I'd had two kids already,' Marcie explained.

'We just knew we couldn't have more kids, as California is expensive, and I wouldn't have the patience for three children.

'I had a lot of friends having a hard time getting pregnant and I never struggled, so I just thought it would be great to help somebody. When an opportunity came along I was really excited.'

Marcie said she'd enjoyed wonderful pregnancies with her own children, Hunter, now seven and Presley, three.

Baby Alexandria - named by her dads - was delivered on February, 25, 2016, via a Caesarean section at the Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta, California, weighing 8lbs 6oz

Marcie said her children Presley (left) and Hunter (right) see baby Alexandria as part of the family

Surrogacy was something she had always wanted to do, but she never thought it would become a reality.

But in July 2013, she was approached by her friend Stefanie Eisenberg, who knew a gay couple looking to have a child.

She was immediately excited by the offer, and with her husband Chris, 39, fully supportive, she met up with the pair and decided to help them.

'We went for dinner and clicked when chatting,' she said.

Marcie with her friend Stefanie (right) who introduced her to the surrogate couple

The mother-of-two said she looked on her pregnancy like a scientific experiment to distance herself from bonding

After sickness in the first few weeks, Marcie sailed through the rest of her pregnancy

Alexandria's fathers send pictures to Marcie all the time and they speak almost every day after growing close during the pregnancy

'I just knew we were going to do it.'

After agreeing to be a surrogate, Mrs Goldfarb was tasked with completing all the necessary paperwork, and undergoing medical checkups, including ultrasounds to ensure her ovaries and uterus were healthy.

She also had a psychological evaluation, which included being assessed to make sure she was in a happy and healthy marriage.

When she was given the go-ahead by the IVF doctor, she began IVF in April 2014.

Alexandria's fathers will introduce the surrogate mother as Auntie Marcie, when she's old enough to understand

Marcie's three-year-old daughter Presley listening to the baby's movements during the pregnancy

Presley has a go at scanning her mum's tummy during an ultrasound

A second round followed in January 2015. Then, on the third round in June of the same year, she fell pregnant.

Speaking of her pregnancy, she said: 'During the first few weeks, I felt sick, but after that I felt great.

'I loved feeling the baby moving around. I never had a bad pregnancy.

'Whenever it moved it was exciting, but for me it was not like my own babies.

'There was definitely a separation. I looked at it a bit like a science experiment.

The proud surrogate mother said it wasn't hard to hand Alexandria over to her fathers as she was always conscious that she wasn't her own child

Marcie would love to be a surrogate again but as the cut off age is 40 she accepts that it probably won't happen

'When it's your own, you're thinking, "Oh, look at their hands and feet". But, this time, I was asking technical questions, so it was a different experience to my own.

'And obviously this time, we were not preparing baby stuff at home.'

Baby Alexandria - named by her dads - was delivered on February, 25, 2016, via a Caesarean section at the Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta, California, weighing 8lbs 6oz.

Marcie just before she gave birth to Alexandria in February this year

Pre-school teacher Marcie now also works part-time for Same Love Surrogacy, a company which assigns surrogates and egg donors to same sex couples

Alexandria pictured with Marcie when she was just a few weeks old

'It was not hard for me to give the baby up, I knew she wasn't mine,' Mrs Goldfarb said.

'Watching her dads with her was amazing. They're going to have her call me Auntie Marcie.'

'Through the pregnancy, I became really close friends with the fathers.

'Now they send me pictures of their baby, Alexandria, all the time and we talk pretty much every day.

'My kids love her and they consider her family.'

Pre-school teacher Marcie now also works part-time for Same Love Surrogacy, a company which assigns surrogates and egg donors to same sex couples.
For those who can't bear the thought of waking up at 5am to hit the gym, a solution may soon be on its way.

A company is planning to turn a London bus into a spin class studio, so that you can do your workout on the way to work.

Fitness brand 1Rebel says the bus will pick up and drop off exercising commuters at four locations across the city.

Fitness brand 1Rebel is planning to turn a London bus into a spin class studio, so that you can do your workout on the way to work

Authorities have not approved the mobile spin studio yet, but the team hopes it will launch later this summer.

Co-founder James Balfour said: 'It is an absolute no-brainer for us that we can create more efficiency in peoples routines by transforming their commute.

'For those who want the components of a class, but perhaps dont have the time to commit during the day, this provides a great solution for them to maximise time they would otherwise be spending just travelling to work.

An impressive illustration of the proposed spin studio shows a bus fitted out with two rows of exercise bikes instead of seats.

Authorities have not approved the mobile spin studio yet, but the team hopes it will launch later this summer

The bus will pick up and drop off commuters at four points, in the north, east, south and west of the city

The 45-minute classes will cost between 12 to 15 each, with the opportunity to stop off at a 1Rebel studio for a quick shower before work.

Those who are interested can already sign up to be in first in line for tickets, with the bus picking up and dropping off from Angel, Stratford, Kensington High Street and Clapham Common.

1Rebel, which is popular with the likes of Millie Mackintosh, currently aims to give its customers a boutique gym experience.

It currently offers high intensity fitness sessions on a pay-as-you-train basis. There are three types of classes you can choose from: Ride, Reshape and Rumble.
A teacher has hit out at parents who spoil their children in a furious rant that's sweeping the internet.

Jonas Harrysson, from Ronneby, Sweden, said he's noticed that mollycoddled children are increasingly bad mannered and ungrateful not to mention 'getting worse and worse' at dealing with boredom.

The lengthy rant, which was written in Swedish, has been shared more than 16,000 times on Facebook and many parents have praised the teacher for his honesty, although others criticised him for judging as he doesn't have children of his own.

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Jonas Harrysson hit out at parents who spoil their children in a rant that is sweeping the internet

The lengthy rant, which was originally written in Swedish but translated above, has prompted a furious response after being shared on Facebook over 16,000 times

In the post, Jonas wrote: 'I have worked with kids for almost 16 years and there are several things that I've noticed children getting worse and worse at.

'No.1. Children find it very difficult to be bored! There constantly needs to be something going on.

'Please stop spoiling and servicing your children. It's not dangerous for them to be bored sometime.'

Jonas also complained that many children lacked manners nowadays, asking: 'What happened to PLEASE!?'

Parents hit back at the teacher, saying that he should not judge others without having children of his own

He added that parents should teach their children how to be a good friend and share, instead of focusing on making sure they are able to read and count before they start school.

'I have no children at the moment, but if I do sometime in the future I plan to teach them to play, to be good friends, to show gratitude and to be bored from time to time,' he wrote.

But parents have hit back at the criticism, saying that the teacher should not judge without having children of his own.

But some agreed with Jonas, saying that some parents could learn from what he had to say

Leslie Colpetzer Brink wrote: 'Please update AFTER you've had children. I'm not saying there aren't some kids out there needing to learn manners and how to 'entertain' themselves, but really?

'You don't have your own children! I LOVE how people, including you, feel as though they are the authority on raising children when they don't have children of their own.

'Trust me, the visions of having amazingly well behaved children will not always be reality.

'It's easier to judge when you think you know what you're talking about. The problem is....you won't truly know until you're a Dad. Just sayin'.'

'CHILDREN FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO BE BORED': TEACHER'S RANT IN FULL I have worked with kids for almost 16 years and there are several things that I've noticed children getting worse and worse at. No.1. Children find it very difficult to be bored! There constantly needs to be something going on. Please stop spoiling and servicing your children. It's not dangerous for them to be bored sometimes. No 2. I've met many parents who are soooo proud that their kids can read and count before starting preschool. Well, I hate to break it to you, but reading and counting, they'll learn to do soon enough. Teach them instead to play, to be a good friend, and to share. My third point is that many children find it difficult to show gratitude, both to other kids and towards adults. Can they get an 'another one' is unfortunately often a first question  and 'we only get one!?' is a common complaint I hear. What happened to PLEASE!? And thanks for dinner, and thanks for the ride, and so on? I have no children at the moment, but if I do sometime in the future I plan to teach them to play, to be good friends, to show gratitude and to be bored from time to time. Once they've learned those things, then I'll teach them to read and count :)

Lauren Leigh Mordecai added: 'I am so glad someone said this! Easier said than done!! I think its disgusting telling parents they shouldn't be proud of their children

'Mine are polite, entertain themselves and always make friends if we go out etc, but I was still stupidly proud of my son when he first read and wrote his and my sisters names for the first time, and so what!'

But some agreed with Jonas, saying that some parents could learn from what he had to say.

Donna Seckman wrote: 'I found your comments to be very truthful. Children do have to be entertained - they have not learned how to be patient and wait, without having an electronic device in front of them.

'Many children do not have good manners any more (it is a rarity). Sharing and being a compassionate friend is just as important as reading and knowing your ABC's'.

And Joyce Woods said: 'I imagine he has a good idea of children's needs. Those who are raising today's children might learn something today.'
She developed an infection after and ended up in hospital

A final-year architecture student documented the last month of her tough degree showing her mental and physical decline with a series of selfies.

Eleni Mitzali, 22, averaged just four hours of sleep a night during the last 42 days of her final year at Nottingham University by drinking coffee, energy drinks - and taking selfies.

She took a photo every day to prove just how difficult it was, which began showing her as a fresh-faced youngster and ended with her looking exhausted.

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Elena Mitzali documented the last month of her tough degree showing her mental and physical decline with a series of selfies, pictured on day one

Eleni averaged just four hours of sleep a night during the final 40 days, pictured on day three, left, and day four, right

Eleni's decline starts slowly, left on day five and right on day six, but the bags under her eyes have already increased

The hard-working student's efforts paid off, as she graduated last year with an impressive 2:1 - despite ending up in hospital just after finishing.

Speaking to student newspaper The Tab, she said: 'The thing they don't tell you going into architecture school is that you will be crushed to the absolute smallest version of yourself.

'For months I felt my happy personality whittle down to a laptop-slaving robot who would cry at least once a week.

'So naturally, like the selfie addict I am, I documented my sleepless journey to the finish line.'

Her selfies included pictures of the student in bed, drinking wine and studying in the library.

Elena felt broken down during her finals, pictured on day seven, left, and day eight, right, and would cry once a week

Eleni pouts as she struggles through day 10 of her finals and is usually a 'selfie addict' so documented her journey

Eleni, pictured left on day 11 and feeling upbeat on day 14, was surviving on little sleep and energy drinks

The results of Eleni's strict work regime are showing on day 16 with her skin looking dull and dark circles under her eyes

Eleni, posted a selfie on day 21 to Snapchat, said 'I was scared with what the lack of sleep and added caffeine was doing to me, but with 42 days to go there was no looking back'

Eleni kept going with selfies and looked extremely tired on day 24, left, and day 25, right

Eleni appears out of it on her day 26 selfie, left, and is struggling to keep her eyes open on day 27, right

Eleni, who now lives in New York, said: 'During the last couple months of my degree I looked like I was dying - and inside I was.

'I was scared with what the lack of sleep and added caffeine was doing to me, but with 42 days to go there was no looking back.

'So naturally, like the selfie addict I am, I documented my sleepless journey to the finish line.'

Eleni offered advice to anyone considering doing the degree that it's a lot of hard work, and on one occasion she spent 15 hours in the studio staring at her computer trying to do work.

To help her keep awake, Eleni necked four cups of coffee and two energy drinks, as well as taking pills to help her study harder.

She added: 'Getting a degree in architecture isn't exactly easy - in fact, it's the hardest thing I've ever done.

On day 29 Eleni looked miserable for her review day and said she had worked for 26 hours straight

On day 31 Eleni had seven hours sleep, left, much more than her average and was starting to count down, right on day 34

By day 36, left, Eleni looks broken and the results of her hard work are clear, right on day 37

Eleni necked four cups of coffee and two energy drinks, as well as taking pills to help her study harder, pictured left on day 38 and right on day 39

On the home straight, Eleni stared into the camera on day 40 with her hair messily tied up, and right posted a shot of a fellow coursemate asleep while she worked on day 41

When Eleni handed in her final work on day 42, she let down her hair to 'party hard' with friends

But the strain of her workload took its toll and she was admitted to hospital with an infection

'My eyes were as bloodshot as they were after I broke up with my four-year boyfriend.

'Within 30 seconds of handing in my final project I was on the studio floor crying my eyes out - but this time it was because it was finally over.

'Sadly the after effects of my unhealthy lifestyle were not.'

Eleni had pushed herself to breaking point and developed an infection.

She said: 'My body was struggling to keep itself alive and even though I started getting back to my usual habits - like sleeping and eating - it wasn't enough.

'A week after hand-in I had emergency surgery because of an infection.'
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She normally maintains a stoic front, but the Queen couldn't help being overcome by emotion as she joined wounded veterans to pay tribute to fallen soldiers this morning.

Her Majesty, 90, was seen wiping away a tear during a service for soldiers killed while serving in the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire.

As a tear slipped down her right cheek, the monarch placed a gloved hand to wipe it away discreetly.

She then laid a wreath at the new memorial with the message: 'In memory of the glorious dead. Elizabeth R.'

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The Queen, 90, was seen wiping away a tear during a service for soldiers killed while serving in the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire. It was an emotional morning for the Queen who last shed a tear in public when the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997

Normally utterly composed, the monarch was seen wiping her eyes in an unguarded moment - a departure from her perfectly polished public persona

The Queen laid a wreath at the monument with a message that read: 'In memory of the glorious dead.'

The emotional moment occurred as the Queen returned to her seat after unveiling the new monument.

As she joined the assembled crowd in a hymn, the tear slipped down her cheek and it seemed to take some time to regain her composure as she shut her eyes for a few moments afterwards.

The emotional display was something of a surprise, as the Queen is not known to display her feelings in public on a regular basis.

In fact, the only time she has cried publicly before was when the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997.

As well as unveiling the memorial, featuring a lion cast in bronze, the Queen laid a wreath marking the regiment's sacrifice

In an unusual turn of events, the Queen became emotional at a ceremony to honour war dead this morning

The emotional moment was a departure from the monarch's normally composed public persona

Family and friends of fallen service personnel also attended the ceremony at the National Memorial Arboretum where the Queen unveiled a bronze lion memorial.

To begin with she was in typically good spirits as she arrived at the Arboretum in an elegant blue coat with a matching floral trimmed hat.

As always she was perfectly co-ordinated with a blue and white floral dress underneath.

In addition to unveiling the memorial, featuring a lion cast in bronze, the Queen laid a wreath marking the regiment's sacrifice.

The Queen, the Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment, also met officers from the regiment at the 150-acre arboretum, operated by the Royal British Legion.

It seemed to take the royal a few moments to compose herself after becoming tearful

The Queen joined wounded veterans today to unveil a memorial paying tribute to soldiers killed while serving in the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire

The Queen joined members of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment in song at the ceremony

The Queen during a service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire

She unveiled the new bronze memorial, a heraldic 'Lion of England' to commemorate the 32 people who have died whilst serving with the Regiment since its formation.

She praised the work of the memorial's creators and spent several minutes chatting to stonemason Nick Johnson and sculptor Georgie Welch, who crafted the lion from clay before it was cast at a Gloucestershire foundry.

The tribute to the regiment, which recruits in Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester, is seated on a plinth of Cumbrian stone featuring a carving of a glider.

The new bronze memorial, a heraldic 'Lion of England', commemorates those who have died whilst serving with the Regiment since its formation

The Queen looked in typically good spirits as she chatted with assembled guests

She may have recently celebrated her 90th birthday but the Queen is as energetic as ever

The heraldic lion faces north-west in tribute to the origins of the regiment, of which the Queen is Colonel-in-Chief.

Speaking after the service, Ms Welch, who is based in Wiltshire, said of the tribute: 'It was five-and-a-half months in the making in clay before it went to the foundry.

'The Queen said it was very lifelike and that it had a real look of power. She also said it looked fearless. I was so nervous I couldn't stop my knees shaking, but the Queen was absolutely charming.

Mr Johnson, from Westbury in Wiltshire, said he was honoured to have worked on the tribute.

'It couldn't get any better,' he said. I don't think you can get any higher honour than to meet the Queen.'

The Queen unveils a plaque during the service at the National Memorial Arboretum

The Queen signs the visitor book following a service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, in tribute to soldiers from the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment

Following the unveiling, the Queen added her signature to a dedication in the visitors' book

The Queen meets Invictus Games athlete Luke Reeson who won a gold medal in the competition organised by her grandson Prince Harry

Following the unveiling she wrote in the visitors book, adding her signature, Elizabeth R, to the dedication: The visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday 17th May 2016 for the dedication of The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment Memorial.'

The monarch was then introduced to injured servicemen and women, including Invictus Games gold medallist Corporal Luke Reeson.

The National Memorial Arboretum is the UK's year-round centre of Remembrance, a place which honours the fallen, recognises service and sacrifice, and fosters pride in the UK.

THE UNCLE THE QUEEN NEVER MET WHO FELL DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR The Queen is the colonel in chief of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment and her grandsons Princes William and Harry have recently served in the RAF and the Army respectively. However the royal links with the armed forces also have tragic associations. Her uncle Captain Fergus Bowes-Lyon, the brother of the Queen Mother was killed during the First World War during the Battle of Loos in northern France in 1915. His body was never found, causing considerable anguish for the Royals. However, last year the MoD - who continue to perform excavation work in the region - informed Her Majesty that they'd tracked Captain Bowes-Lyon's remains to a mass grave. Captain Bowes-Lyon was just 26 when he was killed in battle. He was son of the 14th Earl of Strathmore, the fourth of the Queen Mother's five older brothers, and the uncle Queen Elizabeth II never met. He fought as a Captain in the Black Watch and died commanding an attack at the heavily fortified Hohenzollern Redoubt. As he and his comrades came under heavy German artillery fire his leg was blown off, and as he collapsed to the ground he was shot in the chest and shoulder. The brave captain died an hour later as his sergeant tried desperately to keep him alive until medical assistance arrived. His final resting site was unknown. That, on top of his death, had a profound impact on the Queen Mother and her family, with the chaos of war meaning his burial spot was left unrecorded. Prince George, the Duke of Kent, was the father of the Queen's cousins Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael of Kent, and the fifth child of King George V. He served in the Royal Navy until 1929 but transferred to the RAF when World War II broke out. In 1942, he died, aged 39, along with 14 others when the plane he was travelling in crashed into a hillside near Caithness, Scotland. His death marked the first time in 500 years that a member of the Royal family died on active service.

It is a living and lasting memorial with more than 300 dedicated memorials across the 150 acre site.

The Arboretum was opened by the Duchess of Kent in 2001 in the presence of more than 1,000 veterans.

Philip Atkins, Leader of Staffordshire County Council said: 'It is an honour to welcome Her Majesty The Queen back to Staffordshire for this special dedication.

'She has visited the county on many occasions and it is always a pleasure to show her the great work being done, particularly at the National Memorial Arboretum.

The monarch was perfectly co-ordinated in a blue hat and coat with a matching floral dress

The new bronze memorial, a heraldic 'Lion of England', will commemorate those who have died whilst serving with the Regiment since its formation

'We are very proud to have the Arboretum in Staffordshire, which continues to be a symbolic place to learn, remember and commemorate and will continue to achieve its aim of becoming a world-class centre of remembrance.

The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment which recruits in North-West England, was formed in 2006 after an amalgamation of the King's Own Royal Border Regiment, the King's Regiment, and the Queen's Lancashire Regiment.

This morning's engagement proves that the Queen is showing little sign of slowing down, despite recently reaching her 90th birthday.

It was announced that the monarch would be passing on some of her royal patronages to younger family members to share her workload.

However, she continues to be as active as ever with official engagements most days of the week.

On Sunday she enjoyed yet another celebration of her birthday at Windsor Castle, with an extravagant concert documenting her life.

Pop stars such as Kylie and James Blunt performed at the event, which was based around the Queen's horses.
The mother-of-three graduated from the Wharton School of business at the University of Pennsylvania in 2004

There may be a new baby in the house, but Ivanka Trump's two eldest children are still ecstatic to spend some quality time with their dad.

After a long day of work, Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner, 35, received a warm welcome from his daughter Arabella, four, and son Joseph, two, who clearly couldn't wait to give him a hug.

Ivanka, 34, took to Instagram on Monday evening to share a sweet photo of Arabella and Joseph enjoying a piggyback ride from their father as he lovingly balanced both of them on his back.

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Doting dad: Ivanka Trump took to Instagram on Monday evening to share this photo of her husband Jared Kushner, 35, giving their daughter Arabella, four, and son Joseph, two, a piggyback ride

Stunning image: Ivanka shared this precious photo of Arabella cuddling with her newborn brother Theodore James on Sunday morning

'It's all fun and games when Dad gets home,' Ivanka captioned the image, ending her message with a heart emoji.

Jared, who is the chief executive of Kushner Companies and publisher of Observer Media, looks dapper in a white button down shirt as he smiles for the camera.

Meanwhile, Arabella and Joseph are donning corresponding striped pajamas as they pose with their arms wrapped around their father's neck.

Despite their busy schedules, family time is of the utmost importance to Ivanka and Jared, who wed in 2009.

The happy couple just welcomed their third child, a son named Theodore James, into the world on March 27, and while Ivanka recently revealed at the Forbes Women's Summit that a fourth child isn't out of the question, she has her hands full right now.

Motherly duties: The 34-year-old posed for this candid photo of herself holding Theo in a baby sling on Friday morning

'Ask me in another year!' she said Thursday. 'I haven't totally ruled it out but I have my hands full. It's a wild, chaotic, exhausting time in my life.'

On Sunday, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization took to Instagram to post a photo of Arabella lying in bed with her arm protectively wrapped around Theo.

'Sunday morning cuddles #blessed,' she captioned the stunning black and white image.

Arabella and Theodore are both wearing their pajamas in the photo, which sees Arabella's cheek resting on the infant's head as they both lie facing each other.

Ivanka also shared a snaphot of three cardboard boxes filled with fresh produce as she revealed she and her children went vegetable picking after they got out of bed.

All together: Ivanka joined her father Donald (second from right) and her 10-year-old brother Barron (far right) for her sister Tiffany's graduation from the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday

Sisterly love: Ivanka proudly took to Instagram on Sunday evening to share this photo and congratulate her only sister on her major milestone

Later that day, Ivanka joined her father Donald, her stepmother Melania, and her 10-year-old brother Barron in Philadelphia for their sister Tiffany's college graduation at the University of Pennsylvania.

The special day undoubtedly brought back memories for Ivanka, who graduated from the Wharton School of business at the University of Pennsylvania in 2004.

Tiffanywho is Donald's only child with his second wife Marla Maplespaid homage to her big sister's eponymous clothing and accessories line by receiving her diploma in a pair of taupe Ivanka Trump flats featuring a pointy-toe and lace-up front.

Ivanka, who looked elegant in a black turtleneck and a tan coat, took to Instagram to commemorate the milestone, posting a photo of herself giving Tiffany a kiss on the cheek as the graduate posed in her cap and gown.

Always on the go: Ivanka immediately headed back to work and started looking at design plans after speaking at the Forbes Women's Summit on Thursday

'So proud of my beautiful and brilliant sister @tiffanytrump on her graduation today. We all love you very much. #graduation,' she wrote.

The loving mother and sister often shares photos of her family on Instagram, and since the birth of her youngest son, Ivanka has posted numerous pictures of Arabella and her son Joseph bonding with their new baby brother.

And while they clearly adore baby Theo, Ivanka admitted at the Forbes Women's Summit last week that they are still adjusting to the newest addition to their family.

'We are getting our sea legs,' she explained. 'We're still in the novelty phase. Arabella is very confident but Joseph is a bit more of a momma's boy.

Beautiful couple: Ivanka and Jared, who wed in 2009, posed on the red carpet at the 2016 Met Gala earlier this month

Newest addition: Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, 35, recently posed with Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore for their first family portrait since his birth in March

But on thing is for sure, Ivanka is busier than ever. After speaking at the Forbes Women's Summit on Thursday morning, she headed back to her office and worked through the afternoon.

The on-the-go mom didn't even change before she took her three children to her niece Kai Trump's ninth birthday party that evening.

Despite her incredibly hectic day, Ivanka was up at 8am the next morning, posing with Theo in the kitchen of her Park Avenue apartment.
She's never one to shy away from a bold outfit choice, and today Queen Maxima of the Netherlands made sure all eyes were on her as she stepped out in a bright yellow dress on her 45th birthday.

The Dutch royal wasn't celebrating at a glitzy party, however; she was visiting the World Forum in The Hague for the first anniversary congress of the Federation of the Dutch Pension Funds.

On what was a rare appearance out without her husband King Willem-Alexander, Maxima seemed keen to make an impression.

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Queen Maxima of the Netherlands made sure all eyes were on her as she stepped out in a bright yellow dress on her 45th birthday

No birthday cake here: The Dutch royal on an official visit to the World Forum in The Hague to mark the first anniversary of the Federation of the Dutch Pension Funds

She wore an eye-popping yellow midi dress with an intricate floral design and flared sleeves, believed to be from her favourite Dutch designer Natan.

She paired her frock with a matching yellow clutch and pointed suede courts, with her blonde highlighted locks swept worn loose and swept into a side parting.

The mother-of-three completed her outfit with a pair of silver drop earrings and a collection of bracelets.

She wore the same dress last year when meeting President Benigno S. Aquino of the Philippines in Manila.

The World Forum, located in the Dutch coastal city, was today officially celebrating the first anniversary congress of the Federation of the Dutch Pension Funds (Pensioenfederatie). The organisation claims on its website to look after the pension interests of some 5.6 million participants in the country.

Show stopper: Queen Maxima wore an eye-popping yellow midi dress with an intricate floral design and flared sleeves, believed to be from her favourite Dutch designer Natan

The Queen paired her frock with a matching yellow clutch and pointed suede courts, with her blonde highlighted locks swept worn loose and swept into a side parting

Maxima, who is mother to Princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane, was born in Argentina and married into the Dutch royal family in 2002, after meeting her husband-to-be in Seville in 1999.

Despite apparently having no idea he was heir to the throne when the pair first met, she later became Queen consort when her husband was crowned in April 2013.

Last month the close-knit family made a group public appearance when they came out en masse to celebrate the national holiday King's Day in the city of Zwolle.

Maxima put on a typically colourful display in a fuscia pink top and cardigan worn over a floral A-line skirt from Natan.

Maxima, who is mother to Princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane, was born in Argentina and married into the Dutch royal family in 2002, after meeting her husband-to-be in Seville three years earlier

Busy lady: Last month the close-knit family made a group public appearance when they came out en masse to celebrate the national holiday King's Day in the city of Zwolle, and she also recently visited Bavaria and France

It has been a busy few weeks for the Dutch royals, with the 48-year-old monarch and his wife recently returning from working holidays in Bavaria and France.

During their tour they had the chance to visit an art gallery in Munich, as well as trip to BMW's exhibition centre to discuss ways to increase sustainable urban mobility.

Maxima appeared to have opted for a more pared back fashion choice after donning a grey coat earlier this month with a beaded pattern that onlookers suggested strongly resembled the swastika.
Prince William tried his hand as a paparazzo as he took a snap of fashion designer Ralph Lauren on a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital today.

The 33-year-old royal was asked by a patient to snap the pair on her phone and he willingly obliged.

The Duke of Cambridge was opening a pioneering new breast cancer research centre at the hospital alongside the iconic American designer, who has donated a large amount of money towards the project.

The prince earlier revealed that he is looking at schools for Prince George as chatted to women benefiting from the research carried out there, including Kathryn England, 59, from Morden.

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Snap happy: The Prince couldn't resist snapping photographs of designer Ralph Lauren on his phone

The prince was also seen using a hand sanitiser at the hospital in Fulham, west London

The 33-year-old royal was speaking to staff and patients as he opened a pioneering new breast cancer research centre at the hospital alongside the iconic American designer, who has donated money towards it

Prince William visited the Royal Marsden Hospital in London today with fashion designer Ralph Lauren (right)

The pair were there to open the new centre for breast cancer research, which is named after the designer

She told him about her grandchildren and asked him how his own children were. The prince replied that they were 'noisy' but 'lovely' and added that he was 'just trying to sort out schools now.'

Prince George currently attends the Westacre Montessori Nursery close to the couple's Norfolk mansion, Anmer Hall, but they have indicated they may move back to London when George, two, starts school.

George will be three in July but because he will be one of the youngest in his school year he will start school the September after he turns four in 2017.

William attended Wetherby School in London from the age of four, before moving onto Ludgrove School in Berkshire - where he made some of his closest friends even today - and eventually Eton College.

Prince George on his first day at the Westacre Montessori nursery school near Sandringham

William told breast cancer patient Kathryn England (left) that he was looking at schools for George

The Duke of Cambridge also added that his household was 'very noisy' at the moment. He is pictured here with Professor Stephen Johnston (left)

Kate was enrolled at the age of four at her local church school, St Andrew's, near the village of Pangbourne in Berkshire before eventually going to boarding school, Marlborough College.

Kathryn, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015, said afterwards: 'It was amazing to meet him. He was very personable and easy to talk to.'

She added about William's comments on his children: 'He said they were fine.

'He said his household is very noisy at the moment. He said he was looking at schools. I suppose for George he would be.'

William became President of the Royal Marsden in 2007, taking over the Presidency from Princess Diana who held the role from 1989 until her death in 1997.

William became President of the Royal Marsden in 2007, taking over the Presidency from Princess Diana

Diana was a huge supporter of the Royal Marsden during her lifetime and was often photographed there for the cause so close to her heart.

Since taking up the mantle William has also visited regularly both publicly and privately and notably watched two live operations there in 2013.

The prince was joined by Ralph Lauren and his wife Ricky Anne Loew-Beer to tour the centre named after the fashion designer following his generous donation.

The Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research (RLCBCR) provides a world-class facility for breast cancer research, staffed by internationally renowned clinicians and scientists working with the latest in cancer research technology.

Diana was a huge supporter of the Royal Marsden during her lifetime and was often photographed there

Ralph Lauren said it was 'wonderful' to see the centre open following his donation to the hospital

William visited the laboratories and met members of the research and clinical teams, and then met patients in the Medical Day Unit, who are participating in trials supported by research undertaken at the centre.

Kathryn has been taking part in a trial called the PALLET trial which involves giving patients hormonal treatment which meant in her case she didn't have to have chemotherapy.

She said: 'Because I had the drug my life continued. No chemo.'

William also spontaneously posed with other cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in the day centre, even taking a photograph for one women as she posed with Ralph Lauren.

The pair visited the laboratories and met members of the research and clinical teams

He then met patients in the Medical Day Unit, who are participating in trials supported by research undertaken at the centre

Ralph Lauren said it was 'wonderful' to see the centre open. He joked about showing William around: 'He goes wherever I go, I go wherever he goes, I follow him.

'It was nice to see him again, nice to be here and see the patients. When you're far away you don't get a chance to see it but when I come here I feel like I've done something.'

The fashion designer said about funding breast cancer research: 'A good friend of mine in America had breast cancer. She said I haven't got any support from anyone and I said "I'm going to help you".

'She didn't make it but I got hooked into really feeling very strongly about breast cancer. I have a daughter and a wife and it's a family situation. Your mother might have it or your sister might have it but the family goes through it so it involves everybody.'

The Duke of Cambridge spoke Consultant Medical Oncologist Professor Stephen Johnston about the research

William spontaneously posed with other cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in the day centre, even taking a photograph for one women as she posed with Ralph Lauren

The new 3.9 million centre incorporates four strands of pioneering breast cancer research that will draw upon new technological advances and allow much more rapid and in-depth analysis of patients' disease.

The aim is to identify molecular differences between tumours that allow the optimal treatment of individual breast cancer patients.

By tailoring the treatment to the individual, the aim is to reduce recurrence and mortality from the disease as well as eliminating unnecessary toxicity.

During today's visit William was told about a pilot study beginning at the end of the year which could - if it proves successful - lead to a blood test being used to detect if any cancer remains in a woman's body once she has been given the all clear.

He spoke to breast cancer patient Patricia Cook during his visit to the Royal Marsden earlier today

Ralph Lauren said he was pleased to get a chance to see the patients. He said a good friend of his in America had suffered from breast cancer

This could eventually lead to reductions in the number of women relapsing from breast cancer, which is currently about 20 per cent of patients.

This trial was described to William by Dr Nicholas Turner, consultant medical oncologist based at the new research centre.

He said afterwards: 'What we've done here is we can show that you can use technology to try and pick up residual cancer after women have been treated for primary cancer where they may of course have been cured but there is a risk of going onto develop [cancer again].'

He said the technology could enable scientists to answer 'the fundamental question of who is at risk of relapse after they have finished treatment for their primary cancer'.

Prince William and Ralph Lauren listened intently as the doctors explained the trials they were running

During today's visit William was told about a pilot study beginning at the end of the year

Dr Turner added: 'We're picking up tiny amounts of DNA in the blood so you have to know what you're looking for.

'We have a mutation that's only in that cancer so that's how we know the the cancer DNA is there.

'So if we can still pick that up after surgery we know there's got to be cancer cells left behind somewhere.'
A creative has hit back at Sainsbury's and demanded they 'restock our kitchens' after the supermarket chain appealed for an artist to work for free.

The original advert, which ran in a local newspaper, asked for an 'ambitious artist' to decorate the canteen of its branch in Camden, north London - but rather than payment, it offered them the opportunity to have their 'work recognised'.

It sparked the unnamed person to create their own parody in response, which has gone viral on Twitter, asking the corporation to give free food and 'gain experience in the food industry'.

An artist has hit back at Sainsbury's and demanded they 'restock our kitchens' after the supermarket chain asked for an artist to work for free

The supermarket chain asked an artist to volunteer to decorate their Camden branch's canteen (stock photo)

The artist based the advert on Sainsbury's own post with the headline: 'Artists are looking for a supermarket to volunteer their skills.'

The anonymous post has been shared over Twitter with more than 1,000 retweets after it was shared by @ThatSabineGirl with the caption: 'A brilliant response by an artist to a corporation asking artists to work for free.'

Mimicking the upsides the supermarket used in their advert, it said: 'Artists are looking for a well-stocked supermarket to voluntarily restock our kitchens.

'[They will] gain particular experience in the food industry whilst satisfying our need to feed ourselves and live comfortably.

'We seek to find a diverse supermarket, so we can encourage suppliers of food from all ethnic cuisines to apply.

'Artists are giving you the one opportunity to build your reputation through the creative community.

'We are looking for the market to bring their own style to transform our kitchen shelves into an environment that allows positivity and inner peace through the scopes of being able to feed ourselves.'

Twitter users posted the parody advert and one came up with their own artwork in response drawing a stickman

The ad continued by pointing out that it would give a 'basic human right to survive on our sought-after skillsets' and emphasise that 'they don't have to work on an empty stomach'.

But by giving food they would get the 'brand recognised' although 'no qualifications or experience is required as we are simply intrigued and excited about the free stuff you can offer us'.

The parody post has been shared on Twitter with many people supporting the anonymous artist's view against the company, worth 5.2billion.

Mark Chambers wrote: 'Just the right response to Sainsbury's for an artist to "volunteer their skills." Get a grip Sainsbury's.'

Charlotte H agreed and posted the artist's mocking advert, adding: 'What were you thinking?'

While one user, under the name @BigHairyMarty posted his own reply and even added some bonus free artwork for the store.

He wrote: 'Here's some voluntary artwork that Sainsbury's can use for an advert. A happy customer with a bag of shopping.' He added his doodle of a stickman in Biro on torn out brown paper.

Many people had been outraged by the advert. Mike Rickard wrote: 'Obviously a huge corporation like Sainsbury's can't afford to pay an artist. What was your last quarter profits again?'

While Becca Miller added she was 'disgusted' at the attitude because of the hardships of being a self-employed artist.

Sainsbury's advertised for an artist to 'gain experience' by volunteering their skills to paint the canteen

Twitter users were 'disgusted' by the idea and pointed out the company had enough money

Artist Conor Collins posted on Twitter: 'I am looking for a company worth 150,000,000 to feed all of my artist friends in Manchester.'

In the post, he suggested the company 'take some of the millions you fork out to your CEOs and pay for someone to do work for you so that the concept of "starving artist" wouldn't have to be a thing'.

Rhys Jennings added on Twitter: 'What a blunder. Imagine if this was a call for a plumber or electrician.'

Sainsbury's has since apologised after placing the advert calling for an artist to decorate the staff quarters for free.

The advert said the artist could 'bring their own style to transform our canteen into an environment that allows positivity and inner peace through the scopes of your imagination'.

'By crafting your ideas into a reality for our company, you are recreating what is originally a basic canteen to salvage the energy of our staff members.'

A spokeswoman for Sainsbury's apologised for the store's 'error of judgment', saying: 'We're discussing this with our store in Camden. The advert was placed in the local paper following a colleague discussion around ways to improve the canteen and offer an opportunity to the local community.
Her bodyguard carried her bags as she ran errands

She was said to be 'devastated' after breaking up with her boyfriend of two years, entrepreneur Manuel Fernandez, 48, two months ago.

But defiant Sarah Ferguson, 56, is continuing about her everyday business as usual and holding her head high.

The Duchess of York was spied shopping in Mayfair today - while her bodyguard carried her three handbags for her.

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Sporting a black dress cut just above the knees, thin black tights and a navy double-breasted blazer, the Duchess accessorised her outfit with two overlapping necklaces, a bold watch and gold hoop earrings

Sarah Ferguson's long red hair was tucked behind her ears, the natural curls looking striking against the navy jacket. She finished off the look with a pair of shiny black pumps

Sporting a black dress cut just above the knees, thin black tights and a navy double-breasted blazer, the Duchess accessorised her outfit with overlapping necklaces, a bold black watch and gold hoop earrings.

She also wore shiny black pumps - an ideal footwear choice for a day of shopping.

Her long red hair was tucked behind her ears, the natural curls creating a striking contrast against her dark fitted jacket.

The former wife of Prince Andrew looked engrossed as she spoke on the phone while walking down the high street.

The Duchess, who recently split from her entrepreneur boyfriend of two years, handed over her bags to her bodyguard to carry

Her bodyguard continued to hold the three handbags while Fergie took a phone call

Sarah has been pictured a few times since her break up from Manuel and appears to be putting on a brave face.

She was reported to have been dating the half-Irish half-Spanish internet entrepreneur since being introduced by a mutual friend in early 2014 and, despite the eight-year age gap, insiders say she was 'besotted' with him.

They made several public appearances together at a string of high-profile events and, last September, the couple attended Sir Bob Geldof's wedding in the South of France.

People close to the pair insisted they were just friends, even after they were spotted holidaying in Cannes together last May, followed by a trip to Asturias, Spain, in June.

Following the split, a source told The Sun: 'Manuel's not been around for several weeks and apparently he finished it with her. She's been very tearful and weepy.'

Besotted: The Duchess and Manuel attend a charity gala in Cap d'Antibes, France, in May 2015

The Duchess lived at Royal Lodge in Windsor with her former husband, Prince Andrew, but finally moved out of the home in August 2015 - nearly 20 years after their divorce.

Manuel, meanwhile, has devoted his life to campaigning against domestic violence following the brutal murder of his 50-year-old sister Maria Stubbings in 2008.

In a rare interview with the Daily Mail in 2002, Fergie confessed her fears that she may never find Mr Right.

She said: 'I think any man who took me out would have to take on an awful lot, really.

'There's the public scrutiny, a mad family - the Fergusons, I mean, not the other family - and two granddaughters of Her Majesty.
A cosplaying hunk who bears a striking resemblance to Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid has won the hearts of thousands online.

Leo Camacho, a professional cosplayer living in Los Angeles, has hit the web in a big way after showcasing his resemblance to the handsome Disney character, as well as displaying his impressive talent for dressing up as other good-looking guys from the Disney canon online.

His efforts, which also include versions of Jack Sparrow and Aladdin, have gained him over 70,000 followers on Instagram.

Impressive turn: Los Angeles resident and professional cosplayer Leo Camacho has become an online sensation for his costume skills in portraying many Disney characters

Remarkable likeness: In particular, Leo has gained some attention for his resemblance to Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid

Down to the details: Even Leo's eyes and brows are incredibly similar to those of the Disney Prince

In order to achieve the most accurate portrayal of the characters he takes on, he tries to stick to ones that he already has some features in common with.

Talking to Buzzfeed, Leo explains: 'Im not a very talented seamstress I see how much of it I can build from already existing elements that I can buy on Amazon or find at a thrift store.

'If I still need to go deeper, Ill find a way to make it maybe with EVA foam, or tap into the extensive network of extremely talented prop/costume designers out there.'

More to go: Elsewhere on his Instagram page, which boasts over 70,000 followers, he also takes on characters like Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean

Ready for lift off: Leo cuts a dashing figure as pilot Poe Dameron from the newest Star Wars installment

Enlisting some help: Leo says he is 'not much of a seamstress' so relies on thrift store finds and other designers to complete his looks

For his inimitable Eric impression, Leo requires little more than a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a red cummerbund and a pair of blue pants - his features and dark eyebrows do the rest.

A close up shot of Leo in costume even reveals that his eyes are nearly the exact same shade as the Disney Prince's.

In other photos, Leo is seen donning a wig with beaded braids, a bandanna and a vest to become a picture-perfect Jack Sparrow, or pulling a laser gun out of his bright orange flight suit as Star Wars' Poe Dameron.

He even slicks on some eyeliner and swashbuckling garb for a turn as Colin O'Donoghue's Hook from Once Upon a Time, complete with pointy appendage and earrings.

Pulling it off: He also uses a bit of eyeliner and a swashbuckling outfit to become the Once Upon a Time character Killian 'Hook' Jones, played by Colin O'Donoghue

Other avenues: Aside from the Instagram page, Leo also runs a YouTube channel with videos documenting his cosplay career

According to his followers, his resemblance to the young Killian 'Hook' Jones is even more striking than his Eric impersonation.

'Look at that handsome Hook!' wrote one fan. 'The best Killian cosplay I've seen!'

Aside from his popular Instagram page, Leo also runs a cosplay-dedicated YouTube channel, where he not only runs through some of his ingenious outfits, but also vlogs about his daily life and muses on his favorite Disney moments.

He also shares videos recorded with his girlfriend, which is likely a disappointment to many of his fans - including the more than 22,000 subscribers to his channel.
They seem to appear right before a big date or an important interview.

These under-the-skin spots can be the most painful, taking weeks to work their way to the surface.

Now, an aesthetician has found a four-step technique that gets those deep-seated spots out.

In a video that will make you shudder, an aesthetician pierces an unidentified woman's spots with a needle in order to clear them of oil and sebum - and prevent future inflammation.

Not for the squeamish, it shows blood spurting from her pimples as they are pricked.

The four-minute video, which has been viewed more than 4,000 times, was uploaded to the Australian YouTube channel Dr GuruS2.

It has emerged the channel is owned by a woman called Ness D Ho, who has no medical or dermatology training.

But dermatologists told MailOnline the therapy being shown is a standard procedure known as 'comedonal extraction' - and is normally carried out by aestheticians rather than dermatologists.

Doctors told MailOnline it should always be carried out by a trained person with sterile equipment - otherwise it can lead to scarring and infection.

In the clip, eerily soothing music plays in the background - presumably to create a calming environment for spot removal.

An aesthetician wearing blue gloves rubs at a woman's face with a blackhead extractor, also known as a comedone extractor- a flat circular tool.

Once they have located blackheads and whiteheads below the surface, they prick them with a needle until the spot bleeds.

They make three or four incisions in pimples on the woman's face, wiping away the blood with a tissue.

Then, using the comedone extractor, they press down on the spot, squeezing it until a bubble of blood and oil comes out.

This video shows an aesthetician demonstrating a technique to pop pesky under-the-skin spots - by locating them with a blackhead remover tool and piercing them with a needle

The eye-watering clips shows the aesthetician plunging a needle into the pimple until a bubble of blood and oil spurts out. Dermatologists warned the procedure should always be carried out by a trained individual

Applying pressure with a tissue, next they stick cotton wool on the burst pimples.

In the background, strange elevator music plays - presumably for a soothing effect.

Dr Anjali Mahto, consultant dermatologist and spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation told MailOnline this is a standard procedure, normally carried out by an aesthetician.

She said: 'The patient is having comedones extraction in this video - this is the removal of blackheads and whiteheads.

This procedure must be carried out by a trained person. 'There is otherwise a risk of infection, scarring and inflammation with worsening of acne Dr Anjali Mahto, consultant dermatologist and spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation

'A sterile needle can be used for piercing a whitehead before extraction.

She continued: 'It is a recognised procedural technique for comedonal acne but is used more often by aestheticians rather than dermatologists.

'Theoretically, it will reduce the number of future inflamed lesions but must be carried out by a trained person.

'There is otherwise a risk of infection, scarring and inflammation with worsening of acne.'

But Dr Emma Wedgeworth, a consultant dermatologist and spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation said she was 'not an advocate of this procedure.'

She said: 'It could well leading to scarring, particularly in darker skin types.

'Its not tackling the root cause of the problem. You can extract all you like, but the spots will just keep recurring.
A chemical found in tin cans, till receipts and sunglasses is feeding the obesity epidemic, scientists fear.

A study found children exposed to high levels of bisphenol A in the womb were fatter by the age of seven.

It is feared that the chemical, which is found in many everyday items, alters the programming of the unborn childs metabolism, causing problems in the years to come.

A building block of many common plastics, bisphenol A is found in the linings of tin food cans, as well as cans of fizzy and alcohol drinks.

Almost all pregnant women had detectable levels of the chemical BPA present in their urine, the Columbia University study found

It has been banned from babies bottles but is still found in some refillable water bottles, as well as plastic food containers, sunglasses, CD cases, lottery tickets and shop receipts.

It can leach into food or be breathed in or absorbed through the skin and has been blamed for health problems chemical has from fertility problems to diabetes, heart disease and asthma.

In the latest study, US researchers measured levels of bisphenol A in more than 350 women when they pregnant and tracked, measured and weighed their children until they were seven.

Some 94 per cent of the women had the chemical in their bodies during pregnancy  and the higher the level, the fatter their child at the age of seven.

The find couldnt be explained away by the chubbiest children eating more foods tainted by bisphenol A, suggesting the damage is done in the first months of life.

For reasons that are unclear, girls seemed to be particularly affected, the journal Environmental Health Perspectives reports.

After adjusting for socioeconomic and environmental factors, researchers found seven year olds exposed to higher concentrations of BPA in the womb had more fat tissue, or adiposity

Lead researcher Dr Lori Hoepner, of Columbia University in New York, said: This study provides evidence that prenatal exposure to BPA may contribute to developmental origins of obesity as determined by measures of body fat in children.

Colleague Dr Andrew Rundle said: The evidence that prenatal bisphenol A exposure is associated with measures of obesity in children may be an important underlying factor in the obesity epidemic.

Chemicals like bisphenol A may alter the babys metabolism and how fat cells are formed early in life.

Those who are concerned are advised to health are swapped canned food for fresh or frozen varieties and avoid microwaving food in polycarbonate plastic food containers  often marked with a 7 on the bottom  as the chemical can leak out of the plastic at high temperatures.

However, Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, urged mothers-to-be not to panic.

He said that while research into chemicals is important, any effect is small compared to the impact of the womans diet in pregnancy and the childs diet as he or she grows up.




Internet services have been blocked until May 18 in Uttar Pradeshs Azamgarh district, after communal tension gripped the villages in eastern UP.

Clashes between two communities have left several injured, including a few policemen.

According to the state police, this is the first time the internet has been suspended for more than 72 hours in Uttar Pradesh.

Communal tension gripped parts of eastern UP, following clashes between members of two communities.

Police said the block is a precautionary measure to restrict rumour-mongering and to keep a check on online communications.

The clash that broke out on Saturday continued till the next day, and led to random firing between the two groups.

Besides the local villagers, others injured in the firing include two Superintendents of Police, a circle officer, a Senior District Magistrate, and several policemen who faced the bullets as they tried to bring the rioters under control.

Additional armed forces were deployed to check the violence on the streets.

A group of sleuths in Lucknow has been monitoring social media to keep tabs on divisive content being circulated by anti-social elements to incite the two warring communities.

Due to deteriorating law and order situation, the police had to suspend the internet services in Azamgarh district on Monday. Miscreants started circulating volatile content, which was aimed at provoking and spreading rumours. Internet services will remain suspended till May 18, a senior officer associated with content monitoring told Mail Today.

According to Azamgarh Police, the situation started because of enmity between two men named Musafir and Danish, from Khudadadpur village in Azamgarh, .

A few days back, Musafir was allegedly attacked by Danish, after which police intervention was sought and a complaint was registered.

Police said that on Saturday night, a few Muslim men allegedly set Musafirs house on fire, which gave the incident a communal colour.

A dedicated team in Lucknow is monitoring online content and has been deleting defamatory material along with videos, images, and messages which could further spark tension.
Thousands of part-time landlords and those renting out holiday homes, spare bedrooms and properties to earn extra cash are running the risk of substantial fines for flouting gas safety laws, research suggests.

One in five part-time landlords - those whose rental properties are not their main source of income - have either failed to hire an expert to perform a gas safety check on their property in the last year, or have used a contractor who is not Gas Safe-registered, British Gas claims.

The Health and Safety Executive body says landlords are responsible to keep their tenants safe. Failure to have a gas check each year could result in an unlimited fine, or even a custodial sentence.

Gas fears: According to research, one in five amateur landlords do not know the rules around gas safety for their tenants

However, the likelihood of a fine is unclear.

The body has not divulged any figures to This is Money as to how many landlords have faced penalties or prisons sentences for not protecting their tenants.

But with landlords currently caught in the crosshairs from a number of crackdowns, this could be yet another way they are hit in the future if they do not play by the rules.

Earlier in the year, landlord Dean Taylor was given an Improvement Notice at Harrogate Magistrates Court by HSE for non-provision of a gas safety certificate for appliances in his property after a complaint from a tenant.

LANDLORD GAS RULES According to HSE, it's the duty of a landlord to make sure gas appliances, fittings and flues provided for tenants are safe. They are responsible for the maintenance and repair of flues, appliances and pipework provided for tenants use by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Although there is no prescribed timeframe for these duties, good practice would be the demonstration of regular, annual maintenance checks and subsequent repairs. Landlords are responsible for ensuring an annual gas safety check is carried out within 12 months of installation of a new appliance or flue which they provide and annually thereafter by a Gas Safe Registered engineer. They must keep a record of the safety check for two years and issue a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check being completed and issue a copy to any new tenants before they move in.

Mr Taylor did not comply with the notice and during the investigation another of his properties was found to also not have a gas safety certificate.

He was given 240 hours of community service and instructed to pay full HSE costs of 2,767.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Julian Franklin said: 'If you rent property out, you must comply with requirements of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations, including the need to have a gas safety certificate. Gas appliances should be regularly checked, as faulty appliances can kill.'

Gas safety checks pick up a range of problems including faulty boilers and are vital in helping to prevent gas leaks, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Failure to carry out gas safety checks can result in fatalities. However, the British Gas survey shows 35 per cent of part-time landlords are unaware they could be putting their tenants' lives at risk.

By contrast, 80 per cent have made the effort to communicate with tenants about non-life threatening issues, including rules for pets and parking regulations.

Almost 40 per cent of those surveyed are unaware that gas safety checks are a legal requirement or that they are obliged to have a valid Gas Safety Certificate (CP12).

More than a quarter of amateur landlords surveyed had no idea the gas safety check should take place once a year.

Growing army: The number of part-time landlords and holiday home owners has boomed in recent years

Barry Sheerman MP and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group, said: 'It is shocking that 38 per cent of landlords in the 'non-traditional' rental sector - which includes holiday lets, Airbnb accommodation, and lodgers - do not know that they are legally obliged to have a safety check conducted on all gas appliances in their premises.'

Nearly half of part-time landlords expect to earn between 4-8,000 from renting their property or room in the next year.

Meanwhile, more than a third think flouting the rules will result in no more than a 1,000 fine, despite the reality of an unlimited fine and in the worst case scenario, imprisonment.

Sheena Anker, British Gas engineer, said: 'Although they may only rent out a room or property for a few weeks each year, it's crucial for part-time landlords to ensure that their tenants are kept safe, and to stay on the right side of the law.

'I've visited properties and seen unsafe appliances which either haven't been serviced in years or have been installed by illegal gas fitters.

'Worryingly, tenants are often oblivious to the danger they are in. To stay safe, tenants should ask landlords for a copy of the Gas Safety Certificate, following a check from a Gas Safe-registered engineer.'
The chairman of AIM-listed Caledonia Mining was left red-faced and around 17,000 out of pocket yesterday after his broker sold his entire shareholding in the firm without his knowledge.

American Leigh Wilson, 70, who first joined the Toronto and London-listed firm in 2008, was forced to announce that his broker had sold 75,200 shares  his entire stake  for around 33,000 between February 26 and March 2.

The average sale price of the shares was around 63 cents a share. But to add further to his embarrassment shares in the firm that operates a gold mine in Zimbabwe have risen more than 45 per cent since then, meaning Wilson has missed the chance of making an extra 17,000.

In the driving seat: Leigh Wilson was forced to announce that his broker had sold his entire shareholding

And to add to his woe Wilson will have to buy back shares in the open market to build up his stake.

It is seen as bad form for a member of the board to have sold shares in a business as it sparks concerns from shareholders that they are no longer committed to the company but Caledonia said Wilson was not aware of the sale of all his shares until last Friday.

Wilson has held a series of jobs in the financial sector including at Union Bank of Switzerland, running Paribas Groups North America division in the 1980s, and is chief executive of New Century Home Health Care.

He received the Mutual Fund Trustee of the Year Award from Institutional Investor Magazine ten years ago.

He rejoined Caledonia as a non-executive in 2012 and became chairman in 2013.

Caledonia reported a 5.4 per cent first quarter rise in gross profits last week and production rose more than 8 per cent to 10,822 ounces. It plans to produce 50,000 ounces this year, a 16 per cent rise on the previous year.
The Government has confirmed it will sell its remaining stake in Lloyds Banking Group back to the public within the next 12 months after market turmoil forced Chancellor George Osborne to postponed the move in January.

Just over 9 pent of Lloyds is still in state hands after the bank was bailed out by taxpayers to the tune of 20billion at the height of the financial crisis in 2008.

Plans for the share sale were outlined in a statement by Harriet Baldwin, economic secretary to the Treasury, who also confirmed Lloyds had made a further 130million dividend payment to the Government.

Public offer: The Government will offer up shares in Lloyds Banking Group to the public within the next 12 months

Ms Baldwin said: 'The 130million weve received today marks another milestone in governments plan to recover the money taxpayers were forced to put into Lloyds during the financial crisis.

'The government has already recovered over 80 per cent of its original investment in Lloyds and todays dividend payment takes the amount weve recovered from the bank to over 16.8billion.

'I am determined to build on this success by making Lloyds shares available to the public this year, so that we can build a share-owning democracy and continue to reduce our national debt.'

In January, Osborne poured cold water on plans to offer up shares in Lloyds to the public again, saying 'now is not the right time.'

Osborne said 'turbulent markets' needed to 'calm down' before any sale of the shares could go ahead.

Officials had previously hoped to have the bank's shares put up for sale in a 2billion retail offer by the Spring.

In the general election campaign the Chancellor said he wanted to sell the Government's remaining stake within 12 months and with a 5 per cent discount to retail investors.

Putting the breaks on: In January Chancellor George Osborne cited market turmoil as the reason behind his decision to put the breaks on a public offer of Lloyds' shares

In practice, this would have meant that the Government would have only been able to make a profit on the shares if the market priced them at 77p.

In February, Lloyds revealed it suffered a 7 per cent fall in statutory pre-tax profits to 1.64billion, after taking a 2.1billion hit from the payment protection insurance scandal.

Despite the reported losses, Lloyds said it would pay out 2billion in shareholder dividends. The bank's shares are currently up 1.15 per cent or 0.77p to 67.44p.
After 21 years the Scott dairy farm business in rural Victoria is on the brink of collapse under the weight of increasing debts from its milk payment contract with co-operative Fonterra.

Chloe Scott, 16, and her mother Melissa have been forced to move out of the family's Boorcan home, leaving her father Brendan to work the property alone and deal with mounting costs.

Earlier this month, in the wake of a global price crash, both Fonterra and industry giant Murray Goulburn announced they would be slashing the raw milk price paid to farmers by up to 10 per cent.

In many cases farmers will have to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars because their milk did not sell at the same high price it was bought by processors.

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Dairy farmer Brendan Scott pictured this week on his Boorcan property. His daughter Chloe has pleaded with politicians to step in and solve the milk price debacle and stop farms going bust

Chloe Scott, 16, has taken her family's plight to Canberra politicians through a petition calling for the government to intervene in the milk pricing crisis

The Scott farm at Boorcan in Victoria's western districts now has just 48 head of cattle compared to 170 about 18 months ago

Chloe Scott started an online petition to save family business. The Scott's Boorcan property in the Victorian western districts is linked with NZ co-op Fonterra

16-year-old Chloe Scott (left) has challenged Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce (right) to intervene in Australia's milk price crisis which is pushing many dairy farmers to the brink

After 21 years the Scott dairy farm business in rural Victoria is struggling under the weight of increasing debts

Earlier this month both Fonterra and industry giant Murray Goulburn announced they would be slashing the raw milk price paid to farmers by up to 10 per cent causing chaos in the dairy farming community

Now the world's largest dairy exporter, Fonterra has announced it will lift the price of farmgate milk again

The dairy processing giant Fonterra revealed its plan on Tuesday to increase the price it pays farmers for raw milk just weeks after it announced a serious reduction in pricing

Reports have been circulating through the Victorian farming community that the pressure of mounting repayments is so bad that it has led to suicides in South Gippsland and Warrnambool.

'Its definitely been heard of, a lot of rumours are around like that, there's a lot of that going on,' Miss Scott said.

'They (farms) are our family's livelihood, I am worried for him [her father] because he is out on his own, he has already fallen off a tank, but he seems to be coping.'

Chloe Scott's online petition calling on the Federal government to intervene has attracted great support

Under a separate plan to solve the milk prices crisis shoppers would pay up to 50 cents extra per litre for milk as desperate dairy farmers push for a 'milk levy'

Mother and daughter are now in Ballarat where Melissa has found some much-needed work.

Miss Scott has urged the Federal government to intervene by way of a Change.org petition which has already attracted almost 63,000 supporters.

THE MILK PRICE WAR Murray Goulburn co-operative was formed in 1950 and is Australias biggest dairy producer with 2600 dairy farmers NZ-based Fonterra was founded in 2001 and is the worlds largest dairy exporter and has 1200 Australian dairy farmers April 27 Murray Goulburn (MG) downgrades profit forecast $39-42million down from $63m in February MG price for milk solids cut from $5.60 a kilogram to $4.75-$5 after overestimating value. The lower price is backdated to 2015 meaning farmers had to pay back the overpayments MG listed units price crashes from $2.14 to $1.24. May 5 Fonterra also slashes gate prices from $5.60 per kg to $5 May 16 Class action launched against Murray Goulburn alleging investors were misled Lobby group Farmer Power calls for 50 cent dairy levy to be passed onto farmers May 17 Fonterra announces partial about-face with plans to increase payments for milk supplied in May/June MG unit price falls again to historic low of 85 cents Advertisement

In it she states: 'I am only 16 years old and have grown up on a dairy farm my entire life, but the massive cuts to milk prices - slashed by 10 per cent and more - have had significant and horrible impact on finances and our lives.'

'Right now I am doubtful whether I will be able to continue to attend school, whether we go bankrupt or even be able to live life normally.'

Like many of his colleagues Mr Scott has been forced to reduce his cattle numbers significantly.

His daughter said that from a herd of about 170 he now works just 48.

'Its been little bit stressful for me, I shouldnt really be worrying about it,' she added.

'I am worried for dad and how he's coping and what is going to happen in the future.

'My petition asks for Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce to step in and take action early to right this horrific wrong and to review the milk pricing system.'

As Murray Goulburn faces a class action by investors over the price war, Fonterra announced on Tuesday they would increase the gate price - for some farmers who have already sold off stock that announcement may have come too late.

Daily Mail Australia has requested further comment from Fonterra.

Farmers, meantime, hope that a 'milk levy' is a potential long-term solution.

It would mean shoppers may be forced to pay up to 50 cents extra per litre, with the extra amount to be passed onto farmers.

Last month, Australia's biggest dairy supplier Murray Goulburn, which is renowned for its Devondale milk brand, announced it was no longer feasible to pay its suppliers from $5.60 to $6 per kilogram for milk and would drop prices to $4.75 to $5 per kilo.

The world's largest dairy export company Fonterra slashed its prices from $5.60 per kilogram to $5.

Murray Goulburn blamed the stronger Australian dollar and poor sales of adult milk powder in China for its woes.

Chloe Scott and her mother Melissa have been forced to leave the family farm in Boorcan for Ballarat as tough times have taken their toll on the dairy business

The wide expanses of the Scott property at Boorcan in the western districts of Victoria

It acknowledged that its suppliers would be hit hard by the lower milk price, especially given the very dry conditions in many areas.

Murray Goulburn chairman Phillip Tracy said growth in sales of adult milk powder in China had been extremely strong in the first half of fiscal 2016.

As a result of the increased demand in the first half, management significantly lifted forecast sales in the second half and increased production, but growth slowed.

Murray Goulburn consequently had to reduce sales forecasts and was left holding excess stock as a result of increased production.

Murray Goulburn acknowledged that its suppliers would be hit hard by the lower milk price, especially given the very dry conditions in many areas

Australia's biggest dairy supplier Murray Goulburn recently announced it was no longer feasible to pay its suppliers $5.60 per kilogram for milk

President of Farmer Power Chris Gleeson said if each shopper were to pay an extra $50 per year on milk, the dairy industry 'crisis' would be solved.

President of Farmer Power Chris Gleeson said if each shopper were to pay an extra $50 per year on milk, the dairy industry 'crisis' would be solved.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce pledged to do more to help the Victorian farmers impacted by the move.

'I understand their hurt. I'm going to try and get down there. We're going to try and see what further we can do,' he said.

On Tuesday evening The Project host Waleed Aly pleaded with viewers to start buying branded milk to help keep Australia's dairy farms afloat.

The host, who was last week awarded a Gold Logie, described his message as his 'greatest call to arms'.
A tiny Vermont college that has faced financial troubles since it was headed by the wife of Bernie Sanders will close at the end of the month, officials have announced.

Burlington College has been struggling under the weight of its $10million purchase of property and buildings it made in 2010 from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington during Jane Sanders' presidency.

President since 2004, she wanted to double the then-200 student school enrollment by 2020. Sanders left the private liberal arts college in 2011. A request to the Sanders campaign for comment from Jane Sanders drew no immediate response.

Officials at Burlington College announced on Monday that the small liberal-arts school would be closing later this month due to 'crushing' debt. A building on campus pictured above in February 2015

The college had been dealing with $11million debt since striking a major land deal in 2010 under then President Jane Sanders, wife of presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders

Last year, the college sold most of the land it had purchased on the Lake Champlain shore, widely considered the most valuable undeveloped real estate in Burlington, to a developer for $7.65million. The college was able to bring their debt down from $11million to $2million with this deal, but it wasn't enough for the school to regain its financial footing.

Bernie and Jane Sanders pictured above on April 30 in Washington DC. Mrs Sanders was president of Burlington College from 2004 until 2011

It was placed on probation by its accrediting agency in 2014 for a lack of sufficient financial resources. Its lender in April told the college its line of credit would not be renewed, cutting off the stream of funds it needed to continue operations.

'These hurdles are insurmountable at this time,' Dean of Operations and Advancement Coralee Holm said in a statement. 'It is with a great sense of loss to the educational community that Burlington College's progressive and unique educational model will no longer be available to students.'

At a press conference on Monday, two days after its senior class of 55 students graduated, school officials blamed the closing on 'crushing weight of debt'.

'This is a great loss to the higher-ed community,' President Carol A. Moore said at the news conference.

Moore and Holm added that they were 'heartbroken' by the school's closure, and the fact that about 30 staff will lose their jobs.

Neither directly criticized Sanders for her part in the school's debt, but they said that the land deal was the main reason for the school's financial troubles.

'I believe the vision was enrollment would grow, which it did, but not at the level that would have allowed us to manage the financial debt we had incurred. So here we are,' Holm said.

Sanders purchased the land from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, in hopes of expanding the school's campus to create new 'offices, labs, kitchens, and lounges' as well as a new kitchen, gym, cafe and housing for 17 students.

But enrollment did not grow and the land was essentially useless.

Mrs Sanders is currently supporting her husband on the campaign trail as he fights Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Burlington developer Eric Farrell purchased the college's North Avenue campus to turn into housing and a park.

The school, founded in 1972, held graduation ceremonies on Saturday. Holm said the school will officially close on May 27 and that its current students would be able to finish their degrees at other schools in the area.

Mrs Sanders bought 32 acres of Lake Champlain lakefront property in 2010 in a bid to double enrollment. Above, a building on campus

The plan to attract more students to the school failed though. The school resold the property this year, but it wasn't enough to save the school from financial ruin

Jane Sanders, like her husband, grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, but dropped out and moved back to Brooklyn after marrying her first husband, David Driscoll. The couple later moved to Vermont when Driscoll was moved by his then employer, IBM.

In Vermont, the future Mrs Sanders finished her college degree at Goddard College, majoring in social work.

Jane divorced her first husband while living in Vermont, and met Bernie Sanders in 1981, 10 days before he was elected Mayor of Burlington. They married seven years later.

In her early career, Mrs Sanders worked as a social worker in the Juvenile Division of the Burlington Police Department, as a community organizer and for VISA (Volunteers in Service to America).

She then worked as a political and educational consultant, before being named president of Burlington College in 2004.
If there's one way to annoy your housemate it's by terrifying the living daylights out of them with a scary mask.

A young American man decided to do just this as a hilarious prank on his female friend.

He can be seen on camera wearing a skintight black suit showing off the ghoulish white mask with bared gnashers and thick, black hair.

Stuff of nightmare: The young American joker can be seen on camera wearing a skintight black suit showing off the ghoulish white mask with bared gnashers and thick, black hair

Hiding: He waits patiently in the corner, a bladeless Edward Scissorhands-type spectre as the girl enters and can be heard moving around in the adjoining room

Practising his creepy moves, he proceeds to hide behind a pillar in his living room as his roommate can be heard arriving.

He waits patiently in the corner, a bladeless Edward Scissorhands-type spectre as the girl enters and can be heard moving around in the adjoining room.

Eventually she strides unsuspectingly into the lounge... just as the man leaps out at her with a roar, arms held out wide.

The terrified girl lets out an almighty scream of pure fear throwing her shopping bags into his face for self-defence.

Any minute now... Eventually she strides unsuspectingly into the lounge

ARGHHH: He leaps out at her with a roar, arms held out wide

Get away! The terrified girl lets out an almighty scream of pure fear throwing her shopping bags into his face for self-defence

Realising almost immediately that it's just her friend behind the creepy mask she starts pummelling the sofa in frustration yelling, 'I hate you, I hate you!'

As her shouts turn to laughter - no doubt as the residual panic subsides - she cries, 'I just s**t my pants!'

The man, who removes his mask proving he's just a normal human being, kills himself laughing as the girl falls to the floor in hysterics.

Hopefully she manages to get her own back on him one day!

Hysterics: Realising almost immediately that its just her friend behind the creepy mask she starts pummelling the sofa in frustration yelling, 'I hate you, I hate you!'

Laughing: As her shouts turn to laughter - no doubt as the residual panic subsides - she cries, 'I just s**t my pants!'
A rural Alaskan man will serve a minimum of 198 years for fatally shooting two state troopers with an assault rifle when they tried to arrest his father in a rural village.

Nathanial Kangas, 22, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Sergeant Scott Johnson, and Trooper Gabe Rich in May 2014.

The jury also returned special verdicts on each murder charge, saying the officers were both in uniform and were clearly identifiable as officers performing their duties when murdered.

The sentence for each murder count is a mandatory 99-year prison term without the possibility of parole. Alaska does not have the death penalty.

Nathanial Kangas, right, was found guilty on Monday of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Sergeant Scott Johnson, and Trooper Gabe Rich in May 2014

Victims' family, friends, and law enforcement, including Village Public Safety Officer Mark Haglin, right, console each other after guilty verdicts were handed down to Nathanial Kangas

A hearing was scheduled Friday to set a sentencing date.

The officers were shot at Kangas' home in the village of Tanana, about 130 miles west of Fairbanks, as they attempted to arrest Kangas' father.

Defense attorney Greg Parvin argued that Kangas was not guilty of premeditated murder and said the he was trying to protect his father.

Rich and Johnson, both of whom had appeared on a cable TV reality show Alaska State Troopers, were attempting to arrest Kangas' father, Arvin Kangas, for threatening Village Public Safety Officer Mark Haglin the night before.

Arvin Kangas was previously convicted of evidence tampering for manipulating the troopers' bodies and guns after they died to make it appear as if the officers had drawn their weapons during the arrest attempt.

He was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Personal audio recorders worn by both troopers continued to record for hours after their deaths.

Key portions of those recordings were played to the jury, which picked up sounds of holsters being unsnapped and gun slides being racked after the troopers were already dead.

Gabriel Rich, left, and Patrick Johnson were killed when they tried to arrest Arvin Kangas in Tanana, Alaska. The two appeared on a cable TV realityshow Alaska State Troopers

Arvin Kangas, (pictured center) had allegedly threatened Village Public Safety Officer Mark Haglin the night before the troopers tried to arrest him

The prosecution's case was presented over three days last week, but defense attorney Greg Parvin didn't call a single witness.

He instead presented his case during closing arguments. He didn't deny that Nathanial killed the two troopers, but he said the jury should return a verdict of manslaughter because he didn't intend to do so.

District Attorney Greggory Olson countered that Nathanial Kangas did act intentionally, and he noted the elder Kangas wasn't shot even though he was underneath the troopers as they struggled on the floor.

Parvin also said his client had been saturated in vitriol and hate by his father, a member of the anti-government 'Athabascan Nation' movement.

Parvin said his client was brought up to despise law enforcement and shot the troopers because he believed they were there to kill his father.

Superior Court Judge Paul Lyle told the jury that 'defense of others' was not a legal justification.

No roads lead to the Kangas' village of Tanana, and travel there is mainly limited by aircraft.

Because of its location, about two miles west of the junction of the Tanana and Yukon rivers, the village served as trading post for Koyukon and Tanana Athabascans long before European contact, according to a state website.

Residents continue to live a traditional Athabascan lifestyle, including hunting and fishing for their food.
Bill Clinton has three events on the island on Tuesday in support of wife Hillary

He told volunteers that were down around the mouth 'everybody knows the Clintons and...we started off at a real disadvantage' but he could still win

two hospitals in and around San Juan

Bernie Sanders is leaving no stone - or island - unturned as he searches for votes in the final stretch of the Democratic primary.

Sanders brought his 'underdog' campaign to Puerto Rico on Monday, as he ran around the territory's capital city, San Juan, and its suburb shopping his anti-Wall Street message.

The U.S senator visited two hospitals, had two town halls and held a rally at the Rio Piedras Campus of the Teatro de la Universidad in San Juan.

The territory has 60 pledged delegates, more than any other contest in June aside from California and New Jersey.

Sensing the importance of the late primary, Hillary Clinton dispatched husband Bill, to Puerto Rico this week, as well. He has three events on the Caribbean island Tuesday.

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Bernie Sanders is leaving no stone - or island - unturned as he searches for votes in the final stretch of the Democratic primary. He's seen here this morning n San Juan, Puerto Rico

At his second town hall of the day, at Escuela Juan Ponce de Leon Montessori in Guaynabo, Sanders also received a tour from one of the public school's students, 11-year-old Jack Hernandez

'This the playground?' he asked the boy, who told him the dilapidated, concrete school yard was indeed the play area. 'Needs a little work,' the senator added

The senator's supporters presented a dreary outlook during a stop at a field office today as they detailed the hurdles he faces in Puerto Rico leading up to the June 5 vote.

'We've been working here for a month, I think my voice reflects that. We all believe in the...political revolution for Puerto Rico,' one man told him. 'We have no resources in Puerto Rico. We are working very hard with nothing,

Sanders promised him 'we're gonna get you the resources' and asked what the word on the street was about his candidacy.

The gentleman offered a mixed bag.

'That people don't know you, but the people that know you and have heard the message, they just go with the message, and you have been saying that for years, if people hear this message they will follow it,' the man told him

Another man chimed in and said that despite the deficit, 'you have very loyal followers.'

Sanders took the feedback in stride and told them, 'What we're running up against, which is a real difficulty, everybody knows the Clintons.'

'We started off at a real disadvantage, but what I would say that when we began this campaign over a year ago, we were in a similar position, in that very few people outside of my own state of Vermont knew who I was.

'But the more people learn about our message....the more support we're getting,' he said. 'So our job is to give you the resources, and we will.'

The Democratic contender told them, 'We want to win this thing.'

A livestream of his first event of the day, at the Fundacion Luis Munoz Marin in a suburb of San Juan, had 17,000 viewers.

'That's pretty good,' he asserted. 'But that's what we have to build on, I agree.'

Giving his down in the mouth volunteers another pep talk, he said, 'We think we have the message to win here....we start off as a significant underdog, but if we can get the excitement and energy that we're seeing all over the United States, I think we can win here.'

Sanders later told DailyMail.com in response to a question about his complaints about the Democratic Party and the Clinton machine, 'Right here, in PR, the Clintons have obviously very very high name recognition.'

Bill Clinton was president for two terms. Hillary Clinton won Puerto Rico when she ran for president in 2008, he noted.

'So she has run a major campaign. That's what we're up against, and we have done well in overcoming that in the 50 states and we're starting back here.'

He added, 'I think the point that people are making is: we have the message, and we are just going to have to now get the volunteers and do it all over the island.

'And if we do that I think we're gonna do just fine.'

He said later at a rally, 'I know that I am running against someone who is widely known on the island.

'I know that we have an uphill battle, ' he added as they booed Clinton.

But on June 5, Puerto can 'go on record' saying that it wants a political revolution, Sanders said.

Sanders also stopped at a hospital in San Juan on Monday. He was greeted by local officials and the ACLU

Sanders unveiled a plan on Monday while in Puerto Rico to have the Federal Reserve restructure the territory's $70 billion of debt. 'If the Federal Reserve could bailout Wall Street, it can help the three and a half million American citizens in Puerto Rico,' Sanders said

This sign denouncing Hillary Clinton was posted at a gate outside of Sanders' town hall on Monday morning in San Juan

Sanders unveiled a plan on Monday while in Puerto Rico to have the Federal Reserve restructure the territory's $70 billion of debt.

'If the Federal Reserve could bailout Wall Street, it can help the three and a half million American citizens in Puerto Rico,' Sanders said.

Wall Streets is full of 'vulture funds' and 'vulture capitalists,' he repeatedly said, as he accused them the financial juggernauts of cutting health care and pensions for Puerto Ricans.

'These people really have no shame,' he declared at his evening rally.

Sanders also promised residents of the territory during his trip that he'd prioritize a binding referendum that gives them the option of statehood, independence or a redefined legal status.

'No matter what that decision is, clearly I think there needs to be a new relationship between the United States and the Puerto Rican people,' he said at his Guaynabo event.

He told his audience, 'A lot of people today perceive that they are in a colonial status. Yes?'

They agreed.

At his second town hall of the day, at Escuela Juan Ponce de Leon Montessori in Guaynabo, Sanders also received a tour from one of the public school's students, 11-year-old Jack Hernandez.

'This the playground?' he asked the boy, who told him the dilapidated, concrete school yard was indeed the play area. 'Needs a little work,' the senator added.

Another student later brought up deforestation to him and the case of a CVS pharmacy flattening a local park, and wondered what Sanders would do as president to make sure children have creative spaces like parks to play in.

'I do not know that particular CVS, but I do know that you're absolutely right and that children need creative and beautiful playgrounds,' Sanders told his young questioner.

He told the school child that his plan to revitalize the nation's infrastructure extends to parks.

'When we talk about building infrastructure, it means giving children the parks and the playgrounds that they need to enjoy themselves and to play and to learn,' he said.

Sanders promised the student, 'We will together build nice parks.'
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The most expensive apartment in Australia has just hit the market with a staggering price tag of $27.5 million.

The East Perth penthouse boasts six king-sized bedrooms, eight bathrooms and three kitchens and views of the city skyline from its waterfront location.

The Brown Street penthouse came on the market last week and was designed for the owner, property developer Ian Johnson and his wife, to live in.

The previous record was set by a $25 million Melbourne penthouse bought off-the-plan last year.

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The Brown Street penthouse came on the market last week and was designed for the owner, property developer Ian Johnson and his wife, to live in

New owners will also enjoy the luxury of having their own private rooftop pool, sundeck, steam room, Bali-inspired al fresco area, gym and private lift

The most expensive apartment in Australia has just hit the market with a staggering price tag of $27.5 million, beating the previous record set last year

The East Perth penthouse boasts six king-sized bedrooms, eight bathrooms and three kitchens and views of the city skyline from its waterfront location

The previous record for the most expensive apartment in Australia was set by a $25 million Melbourne penthouse bought off-the-plan last year

Agent Brent Compton, of Ray White South Perth, told Domain that at 1900 square metres, the apartment could be the biggest in Australia as well as the most expensive

Agent Brent Compton, of Ray White South Perth, told Domain that at 1900 square metres, the apartment could be the biggest in Australia.

'There is nothing comparable to this penthouse in Australia,' he says.

'This is a big unit close to the ground, close to the water. It's one-of-a-kind in Australia.'

It's so close to the water in fact that Mr Compton claims you can go fishing without even leaving the property.

'Because it's on the water's edge, you could literally throw a fishing line off one of the balconies, land straight in the water and catch a fish.'

Mr Compton adds that he is aiming for a record setting sale price.

'Nothing would give me greater joy than to set a new benchmark for the country in penthouse sales,' he says. 'It'll be fantastic for Perth but also it would be fantastic for confidence across Australia to achieve a figure like this.'

Agent Brent Compton said nothing would give him greater joy than to set a new benchmark for the country in penthouse sales

Agent Brent Compton thinks if the sale price is achieved it would be fantastic for Perth and for confidence across Australia

Mr Johnson has an overseas buyer in mind for his property, advertising the penthouse on Chinese-language sites and using a Chinese-subtitled video on the Ray White page

Estate agent, Mr Compton says the property is very good opportunity for someone looking for privacy, security, prestige and luxury in a standout position

For the $27.5-million price tag, the potential new owner will have a temperature-controlled wine cellar, a home office with fireplace and a sound-proofed home theatre

A penthouse in Melbourne's tallest apartment tower sold for a record $25 million to a businessman based in China last year.

Mr Johnson clearly has a similar buyer in mind for his property, advertising the penthouse on Chinese-language sites and using a Chinese-subtitled video on the Ray White page advertising the property.

Estate agent, Mr Compton says he has already had overseas buyers showing interest in the penthouse

'Per square metre, it is an incredibly good buy,' he told Domain. 'It's a very good opportunity for someone looking for privacy, security, prestige and luxury in a standout position.'

For the $27.5-million price tag, the potential new owner will have a temperature-controlled wine cellar, a home office with fireplace and a sound-proofed home theatre.

They'll also enjoy a private rooftop pool, sundeck, steam room, Bali-inspired al fresco area, gym and private lift.

Agent Brent Compton, of Ray White South Perth, says the penthouse was designed exclusively for the owner himself whom is also the developer

The penthouse appears to feel like a house, covering to different levels. It has six King size bedrooms, eight bathrooms and three kitchens

The luxurious East Perth penthouse has views of the City, Claisebrook Cove, the new stadium, Crown Casino & Parklands
Shocking footage of a group of women brawling in front of police officers has prompted community elders in far-north Queensland to call on authorities to 'take action'.

The video shows a number of young women in the far-north Queensland community of Aurukun swinging punches at each other as onlookers film.

Barefoot and bare-knuckled the a pair throw punches before another woman steps in to take one of the fighter's place.

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Shocking footage has emerged of a group of young women fighting on the street in Aurukun in far-north Queensland as police watched on

A number of police officers can be seen standing by their vehicles, but appear to make no attempt to break up the fight.

Later in the footage a police officer can be seen speaking to one of the onlookers, as the fist fight continued behind him.

Aurukun elder Phyllis Yunkaporta has called for police to 'take action' amid concerns of increasing violence in the far-north Queensland community.

'Put these street fighting events as public nuisances now. It impacts on the very lives of our youngsters because they stand there and see the fighting happening,' she told the ABC.

'It's cemented into their young brains that this is the way to go.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Police for comment, and it is not clear whether any arrests were made after the fight.

Barefoot and bare-knuckled the a pair throw punches (left) before another woman steps in to take one of the fighter's place (right)

Aurukun elder Phyllis Yunkaporta has called for police to 'take action' amid concerns of increasing violence in the far-north Queensland community

One officer could be seen talking to onlookers as the brawl continued in the background

Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Taylor said there were some situations where it was not safe for officers to intervene.

'Because of the numbers of people there and because of the delicacy around making sure that they don't have the crowd turn on them,' he told the ABC.

Mr Taylor said there are instances where police would try and negotiate a solution, and said it was 'unfair' to suggest police condone the fights.

'It's a very complex situation I don't think it's fair to say that police are just condoning it. There's no way that the police condone fair fights, I can't get that point over strong enough.'

The emergence of the video - which was uploaded online in February - comes just a week after teachers were evacuated from Aurukun over concerns for their safety.

At one point he was seen speaking to a woman who was watching the fight

The Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA) was temporarily shut down by Education Minister Kate Jones because of the safety concerns.

Things came to a head when youths tried to break into the home of two CYAAA teachers early last Sunday morning.

But when police did not respond immediately to the disturbance, the school's principal took it on himself to intervene.

'As the principal was getting into this car, he was approached by a group of teenagers, including one brandishing an axe,' Education Queensland's Regional Director Deborah Dunstone told the ABC.
Residents of an exclusive suburb are lining up to strip off and get hot and sweaty for the latest fitness fad - nude yoga.

It's become so popular since it was introduced in Westmere, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, last month that classes are full and organisers are looking for a new, larger venue.

They attend a class every Tuesday evening, where they disrobe in a dimly lit room and take part in an hour-long session.

Even those a little nervous beforehand or taking part for the first time seem to get into the swing of things quickly - as described in a testimonial on Nude Yoga Auckland's website.

Auckland Nude Yoga has been so popular since it started in April that the organisers are already looking for a bigger venue, after having classes booked out (stock image)

Every Tuesday evening in Auckland's Westmere suburb, people gather in a dimly lit room to strip off and take part in nude yoga (stock image)

The organiser for Auckland Nude Yoga, who wished to remain anonymous, said he received 'countless' emails about the classes every week, from both men and women (stock image)

'As nervous as I was, the instructor was very welcoming. After I undressed, I wrapped a towel around me and had a seat on my mat. When class started, the lights were dimmed and I removed my towel. After a few minutes, I was completely comfortable.'

The organiser for Auckland Nude Yoga, who wished to remain anonymous, said he received 'countless' emails about the classes every week, from both men and women, the New Zealand Herald reported.

More than 100 people had signed up since the classes had started in April.

Getting naked had the benefits of easier range of movement, but also works wonders for self esteem, the organiser said.

In 2015, nude yoga also became increasingly popular in places like Perth, in Western Australia

People taking part in a nude yoga class, lit by candles, in Perth last year. Auckland Nude Yoga's organiser says it's a great was to make people more confident about their bodies

'Everybody has something that they aren't comfortable with and there are so many images in society of body 'perfection' that we assume we need to look a certain way to be 'normal'. The feedback from people is amazing when they share with you how they feel more confident and their insecurities are becoming less and less part of their mind. It's about all shapes and sizes, all people are welcome.'

The nude yoga website also specifies that it's 'not a peep show' and anyone behaving inappropriately will be kicked out by the instructor.

It assures that by the end of a session, 'you'll find you won't even notice anyone else in the room, especially in the candle glow light'.

WHY GO NUDE? It positively enhances the self reflection of your body image.

It can help eliminate your insecurities and fears.

Being unrestricted by clothes helps you align into the postures better and safer.

Saves you time and money on purchasing and washing your yoga attire.

Source: Auckland Nude Yoga

Another explanation on the website reads: 'Being naked can bring up many of your inner issues, vulnerabilities and sometimes fears! By facing these feelings in a safe and supportive environment, we can overcome these and find comfort within ourselves'.

Despite the organiser telling the NZ Herald nude yoga was new to New Zealand and potentially controversial for 'conservative kiwis', it was popular in Sydney where it had been running for years.

In 2015, nude yoga also became increasingly popular in places like Perth.

The organiser also said it was only Western culture which associated nudity with sex.

Although the rest of the world didn't, he kept the fact he ran the classes 'low-key'.

'I also have a corporate reputation which pays my bills.'

The nude yoga website also specifies that it's 'not a peep show' and anyone behaving inappropriately will be kicked out by the instructor (stock image)
Bill Shorten's campaign bus is supposed to help promote his cause but in recent days it has been attracting unwanted publicity by getting stuck on a hotel driveway, while on another occasion commuters tried to board it.

The Australian reports that the bus got wedged as it tried to back out of a hotel driveway, leaving Hastings River Drive in Port Macquarie banked up for a couple of kilometres with traffic.

Word soon got out and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester, later shared a photo of the bus apparently broken down, with a tow truck on the opposite side of the road.

Bill Shorten's campaign bus got stuck entering a hotel driveway, leaving Hastings River Drive in Port Macquarie banked up with traffic

'Omen? Labor bus comes to a grinding halt in Port Macquarie,' he tweeted.

NSW senator Sam Dastyari was soon in damage limitation mode and brushed over the incident.

'It's a big bus,' tweeted Dastyari. 'Everyone offered to help. Ppl are nice in NSW!'

The bad publicity continued when commuters tried to board the vehicle after it pulled up at a bus stop in front of Grafton Shopping World with some of them trying to get aboard to get home only to realise they'd have to wait a while longer.

Called the 'Bill Bus', it has a large picture of the Opposition Leader's head on it's outside

Commuters tried to board the vehicle after it pulled up at a bus stop in front of Grafton Shopping World

The bus has Labor's campaign slogan 'Bill Shorten and Labor, We'll Put People First' on it

'People have been trying to stop us and hail us down, so I think we might have to start giving people free rides,' Senator Dastyari joked to the Clarence Valley Daily Examiner.

'We provide rides from town to town,' the senator tweeted afterwards. 'It's policy 101 of Labor's 100 positive policies.'

Called the 'Bill Bus', it has a large picture of the Opposition Leader's head on it's outside and features Labor's campaign slogan 'Bill Shorten and Labor, We'll Put People First'.

The campaign bus has had people using memes on social media to poke fun at it

The mishaps also generated a few laughs on social media.

'Can you confirm Keanu Reeves is on the #billbus?' tweeted Sky News Canberra producer James O'Doherty.

Even Senator Dastyari could see the funny side tweeting: 'I'm no quitter - but when the #billbus was challenged by the Surfer's party bus to a race - even I knew to say no.'
A baby bison that was put in a car by tourists because it looked like it was cold and needed help had to be put down, officials at Yellowstone National Park said on Monday.

The father and son, who were visiting Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, loaded the animal into their trunk last week and drove it to a ranger station after taking a photograph that prompted a backlash on social media.

The newborn had to be euthanized because its mother had rejected it as a result of 'interference by people', officials said.

'In this case, park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the newborn bison calf with the herd. These efforts failed,' the park said in a statement on its website.

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A baby bison (pictured) that was put in a car by tourists because it looked like it was cold and needed help had to be put down, officials at Yellowstone National Park said on Monday

'In this case, park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the newborn bison calf with the herd. These efforts failed,' the park said in a statement on its website (file photo)

'The bison calf was later euthanized because it was abandoned and causing a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway.'

A woman who saw the tourists load the baby bison in their car told East Idaho News: 'They were demanding to speak with a ranger. They were seriously worried that the calf was freezing and dying,' said Karen Richardson, one of several parents chaperoning a group of fifth-graders on a field trip.

The image of the incident was shared on Facebook by Richardson, who stumbled upon the duo as they were looking for a ranger.

She uploaded the image with the caption: 'Dear tourists: the bison calf is not cold and it is not lost. Put it back!'

Rob Heusevelet, who was chaperoning a fifth-grade school trip to Yellowstone's Lamar Buffalo Ranch with Richardson, advised the men to remove the bison from their SUV.

'They didn't care,' Heusevelet said. 'They sincerely thought they were doing a service and helping that calf by trying to save it from the cold.'

Rangers were summoned and the father and son, who are said to be from another country, were reportedly fined for the act.

Heusevelet said that rangers followed the pair back to where they had found the lone bison in the 2.2million acre park, and the animal was released.

Critics shared the picture of the calf in the car on Twitter, scolding the 'stupid' and 'idiotic' tourists.

The park gave a further explanation on why they had to euthanize the calf.

'In order to ship the calf out of the park, it would have had to go through months of quarantine to be monitored for brucellosis.

'No approved quarantine facilities exist at this time, and we dont have the capacity to care for a calf thats too young to forage on its own.

Rob Heusevelet, who was chaperoning a fifth-grade school trip to Yellowstone's Lamar Buffalo Ranch with Richardson, advised the men to remove the bison from their SUV. File photo of the park

Impending threat: Rangers have warned about the dangers of getting too close to the national park bison. Pictured is a still taken from a video in 2014 which shows a bison charging at a group of children

'Nor is it the mission of the National Park Service to rescue animals: our goal is to maintain the ecological processes of Yellowstone. Even though humans were involved in this case, it is not uncommon for bison, especially young mothers, to lose or abandon their calves.'

The statement added that abandoned calves 'typically die of starvation or predation'.

Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times.

The park is home to 4,900 of the animals, which it says injure more people than any of its other animals.

The park berated visitors for taking selfies and recording video near the bison, flouting regulations demanding people stay at least 25 yards away.

'Bison can run three times faster than humans can sprint and are unpredictable and dangerous,' they explained.

'Visitors must give the animals enough space and alter their own behavior to avoid interacting with an animal in close proximity.

'Do not approach wildlife, no matter how tame or calm they appear.

'Always obey instructions from park staff on scene.'
her death and will prepare a report for the coroner

The brother of a teenage girl who leapt from a moving van during an argument with him has posted a moving tribute for his sister following her death.

Carmen Pua suffered serious injuries after projecting herself from the back seat of a graffiti-covered van travelling at speeds of 60 kilometres during a fight with her brother Kevin Pua last Wednesday.

Mr Pua, from Durack, a south-west suburb of Brisbane, posted an image of himself clutching his sister's hand as the 17-year-old lay in a coma with chest and head injuries at Princess Alexandra Hospital two days after their family made the heartbreaking decision to turn off her life support.

He asked for Ms Pua to 'watch over' him and their loved ones as he made an eerie promise to 'make it up' to her.

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Carmen Pua (left) suffered serious injuries after projecting herself from the back seat of a graffiti-covered van travelling at speeds of 60 kilometres during a fight with her brother Kevin Pua (right) last Wednesday

Mr Pua posted an image of himself clutching his sister's hand as the 17-year-old lay in a coma with serious chest and head injuries two days after their family made the heartbreaking decision to turn off her life support

'I will be there in the future to see you again and I promise to make it up to you from now on,' he wrote just after midnight on Tuesday.

He said the teen, who 'left this world way too early', was in a better place, adding that those who die young no longer feel pain and are free from suffering.

'People suffer in this world everyday and life is actually really long... we starve, pay tax , work our life away, study, get sick, feel pain and so much more,' Mr Pua wrote.

'While the people that die young get to be in paradise forever,' he added.

He thanked their friends for supporting him and explained that while he could not bring the flowers they gifted into the intensive care unit where his 'beautiful baby sister' was being treated, he knows she would have loved them.

Mr Pua posted a candid image of his sister two days following her death on Sunday

He thanked their friends for supporting him and said that while he could not bring the flowers they gifted into the intensive care unit where his 'beautiful baby sister' was being treated, he knows she would've loved them

Ms Pua suffered serious injuries and lay in a coma for four days after projecting herself from the back seat of a graffiti-covered van travelling at speeds of 60 kilometres

Her grieving friends have also told of the last moments they shared with the 'kind-hearted' teenager as she lay unconscious in hospital fighting for her life.

'Your last day on life support today. I went and touched you for one last time, I sat by your bed for hours and hours... You were so peaceful,' one friend wrote, adding Ms Pua was the type of person to do anything to make her friends smile.

'You fought so hard. Today really made me question how is this fair. Where was God when I was praying for you to wake up,' another asked.

Her brother posted a status on social media to advise her friends she was in a coma following the incident, where he also said that he loved his sister very much and begged the teen to wake up.

Her grieving friends have told of the last moments they shared with the 'kind-hearted' teenager as she lay unconscious in hospital fighting for her life

'Your last day on life support today. I went and touched you for one last time, I sat by your bed for hours and hours... You were so peaceful,' one friend wrote

The 17-year-old was sitting in the back seat of the graffiti-covered vehicle with her grandmother as the trio headed along Progress Road, Richlands on Wednesday night

'She's in a coma right now and will be under the intensive care unit, please pray for her and sorry I won't be explaining any more,' he wrote.

Mr Pua told reporters of the frantic attempts to save his sister who was found 20 metres from their car on Progress Road, in Richlands, with serious head and chest injuries.

He said he was only minutes from home, with Ms Pua and their 71-year-old grandmother sitting in the back seat, when they started to have an argument.

'Just had a brother and sister talk, give her a bit of a lecture and she didnt want to listen,' he told Seven News.

Mr Pua told reporters of the frantic attempts to save his sister who was found 20 metres from their car on Progress Road, in Richlands, with serious head and chest injuries

He said he was only minutes from home, with Ms Pua and their 71-year-old grandmother sitting in the back seat of the graffti-covered van, when they started to have an argument

Mr Pua (left and right with Ms Pua) said he had no idea his sister was about to launch herself out the rear door

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating the incident and will prepare a report for the coroner

He said he had no idea that the 17-year-old was about to launch herself out the rear door.

'It shocked everybody, didn't expect that to happen,' Mr Pua said.
A gay nurse who featured in a controversial safe sex campaign has been accused of raping a 14-year-old boy who claims he went to the man for guidance.

Anthony Gillespie, 32, pleaded not guilty in the Brisbane District Court on Monday for allegedly molesting the schoolboy in a car, at Gillespie's home and on a trip to Bali in January last year.

The nurse at Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital faces charges of rape and indecent treatment of a child, Courier Mail reported.

Anthony Gillespie, 32, featured in a controversial safe sex campaign in 2011 with his long-term partner (advertisement pictured)

The nurse at Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital faces charges of rape and indecent treatment of a child. He plead not guilty

In an interview with police, which was played in court on the first day of the hearing, the 14-year-old boy told police he had gone to Mr Gillespie 'for help' because he was gay, but became what felt like his 'personal prostitute'.

The boy said he pretended to enjoy their sexual encounters.

'He said if anyone finds out about us we would be in big trouble,' he told police. 'He knew exactly what he was doing, he knew I was underage.'

The boy told police Mr Gillespie had asked him if he wanted to stop, but that he said 'no' even though he wanted it to be over.

The 14-year-old boy told police he had gone to Mr Gillespie (pictured with long-term partner) 'for help' because he was gay, but became what felt like his 'personal prostitute'

'He said if anyone finds out about us we would be in big trouble,' the boy told police. 'He knew exactly what he was doing, he knew I was underage'

The court heard the pair had said they loved one another, but the boy told police he was lying because he 'didn't want to upset' Mr Gillespie.

The hearing continues.

Mr Gillespie was photographed with his long-term partner as part of a safe sex campaign in 2011 to promote the use of condoms.

The advertisements were temporarily taken down when the campaign became the target of a coordinated response from Australian Christian Lobby.

The photographs were then reinstated across Brisbane bus shelters.
The street performer who caught fire as she tried to balance candles on her body during a lunchtime performance is in a stable condition in hospital.

The woman, who is believed to be in her 20s, was performing her routine for City of Melbourne officials who were assessing its safety before granting her a busker's permit.

Her costume caught fire as she twirled batons with torches attached to either end and she dropped to the ground in agony just after midday on Monday.

Passers-by and the council representatives assessing her routine attempted to put out the flames by tossing Coke Zero on her burning skin and patting her down with their own clothes.

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This is the moment passers-by tried to save a street performer who had caught fire as she danced with torches during a lunchtime show in Melbourne's Southbank by pouring soft drinks on her burning skin

She was taken to The Alfred Hospital with serious burns to her legs and back and is now in a stable condition, Yahoo7 reported.

Shocking footage taken after the incident showed office workers tossing soft drinks and items of their own clothing on her burning skin in attempt to stop the flames.

Some thought the woman's screams were part of an elaborate act, they said.

'At the start we thought it was part of the act but then she started screaming,' Jack Joplin told the Herald Sun.

A video obtained by the newspaper taken moments before the accident showed the woman performing a dance while twirling a long black stick with torches attacked at either end.





A City of Melbourne council spokesman confirmed safety officials and a representative from the Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Association were assessing her act for safety at the time.

Passers-by attempted to put out the flames engulfing her body by throwing drinks on her and patting her down with their own clothes (above)

Officer workers said they thought the flames were part of the woman's routine when she first caught fire. Above, they try to put out the fire before paramedics arrive

The woman was seen moments earlier performing her routine in a crop-top and long brown skirt (above)

'Earlier today during a Circle Act busking safety assessment at Freshwater Place, a performer suffered from burns as a result of performing her act.

'The performer was taken to hospital via ambulance,' they said.

An Ambulance Victoria spokesman told Daily Mail Australia the woman was in a serious condition when taken to hospital at around 12.30pm.

'We were called to a report of a person who was on fire at around 12.30. We assisted a woman, believed to be in her 20s, who had suffered burns to her legs and back.

'She was taken to The Alfred Hospital in a serious condition.'

The Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Association was not available for comment on Monday afternoon.

Agency for Clinical Innovation Burn Injury Network Manager Anne Darton told Daily Mail Australia that the sugary or acidic content of soft drinks like Coke Zero won't cause any harm, but it will not help either.

'It's always better to smother the flame with clothing, we always recommend 20 minutes of cold running water and there's no way you can pour soft drink for 20 minutes,' Ms Darton said.

'A can of Coke is not going to put out someone on fire efficiently. But I don't blame bystanders for doing that as a reaction.'
Nurses will be trained to fill in for doctors in a bid to cover extreme staff shortages, it was claimed last night.

Senior nurses will be expected to make decisions usually reserved for junior doctors, as well as administering drugs and tests to patients.

The plans will encourage every hospital and many GP surgeries to develop advance practice nurses to deal with a lack of junior doctors.

NHS Employers, the organisation that oversees staffing across the Health Service, is behind the scheme.

Nurses will be trained to fill in for doctors in a bid to cover extreme staff shortages, it was claimed last night (file photo)

Candace Imison, director of policy at the Nuffield Trust, drew up the plan and commended hospitals and GP surgeries where nurses have substituted doctors in an accompanying report.

They will be prescribing certain drugs, they will be ordering tests and X-rays and taking decisions about how to manage patients on wards, she said.

It comes a day before a deadline for a resolution on the contract dispute between ministers and junior doctors.

Members of the British Medical Association and the Government have been locked in negotiations to try to prevent a fresh round of strikes. Last month saw the first all-out strike, with tens of thousands of doctors refusing to work even in A&E departments over two days.

On Saturday, BMA junior doctors committee chairman Dr Johann Malawana told members that the union was trying to rediscover the common ground with ministers, adding: Now that were talking, lets keep talking.

Candace Imison, director of policy at the Nuffield Trust, drew up the plan and commended hospitals and GP surgeries where nurses have substituted doctors in an accompanying report (file photo)

But the optimism doesnt hide the fact that hospitals are desperate for well-trained staff as they deal with rising numbers of older and sicker patients.

Under the newly proposed plans, healthcare assistants will take blood pressure and temperatures to make nurses available for more complex tasks, The Times reported.

Miss Imison said multiple thousands of nurses would take part in the new training, to assist 54,000 junior doctors.
Melbourne's Montague Street bridge has claimed another victim after a truck ran into the underpass.

Commuters on Tuesday morning posted photos of the crash's aftermath in South Melbourne.

One witness told Daily Mail Australia no one was injured but the truck driver was 'fuming'.

Melbourne's Montague Street bridge has claimed another victim after a truck ran into the underpass

'The trucky... dropped a lot of f-bombs, and a lady cyclist assisted in calming him down,' she said.

Photographs showed the truck had failed to clear the second part of the bridge.

The impact of the crash ripped a large hole in the truck's cabin and bent it backwards.

It appears the incident happened about 9am.

Commuters on Tuesday morning posted photos of the crash's aftermath in South Melbourne

One witness told Daily Mail Australia no one was injured but the truck driver was not pleased

A Victoria Police spokesman said they were not aware of the incident but urged people to contact them when they were involved in an accident.

The notoriously low bridge has been the scene of many accidents.

Last month, two trucks slammed into the underpass within four hours of each other.

Before that in the same month, a bus sparked commuter chaos when it crashed into the bridge.

The impact of the crash ripped a large hole in the truck's cabin and bent it backwards

It comes after a string of accidents at the same bridge, including one involving a bus carrying 15 people

A second bus carrying 15 people, including the driver, also hit the bridge back in February.

Dramatic photographs of the accident showed emergency service crews working desperately to free people trapped on-board.

The bus company also came under fire after the accident because a man was seen trying to cover its name with duct tape in an effort to 'protect the brand'.
Leave campaigners said it demolished claims by George Osborne

The cost to Britain of mass immigration is 16.8billion every year, a report claims today.

The figure includes a 1.2billion annual net cost of migrants from Europe, who consume far more in public services and benefits than they pay in taxes.

Today's report - based on figures from the official Labour Force Survey - was seized on by campaigners for Britain to quit the European Union.

They said it demolished claims by George Osborne and the Treasury that EU immigration is a benefit to the nation's finances. Last year alone, there were 800,000 arrivals  or one every 40 seconds.

The campaign group Migrationwatch compared the amount paid in income tax, national insurance, VAT and other taxes by migrants with the cost of providing them with health, education, policing, roads and other services.

The research found the gap between the contributions made by migrants from the EEA  which is the EU, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway  and the amount consumed by its citizens was 1.2billion last year, or over 3million a day.

For migrants from outside the EEA, the bill was 15.6billion. Experts explain the gap by the fact that the non-EEA migrants will include people who arrived here as asylum seekers, who are less likely to go on to get well-paid jobs.

Lord Green of Deddington, the chairman of Migration Watch, said: 'This report shows that EU migration, taken as a whole, is not making the positive fiscal contribution that has so often been claimed.

'Furthermore, it is adding to the rapidly increasing pressures on housing and public services. It also contributes to our population increase of half a million every year  roughly a city the size of Liverpool.'

Ex-Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith, who is campaigning for Brexit, said: 'We know that uncontrolled migration is placing a huge strain on the NHS, schools, and other public services. That's a challenge for councils to cater to - as well as a cost to families, who struggle to gain fair access to the services that their taxes pay for.

'Not only that, uncontrolled migration also hits people's pockets because it puts downward pressure on wages as well as increasing competition for jobs. Now, this report lays bare the wider financial cost to taxpayers, which runs to the billions every year - including 1.2bn from European immigration alone.

'It's time to take back control of our borders, and implement a fairer immigration policy - one that works for the UK.'

The Migrationwatch report separately dismisses as 'nonsense' last week's claim by the Treasury that EEA nationals pay five times more in taxes than they get back.

The figures were based on the fact that the migrants paid around 3billion in income tax and national Insurance, but got back only 0.5billion in child benefit and tax credits.

Crucially, however, this does not consider the cost of schools, hospitals or other public services.

Migrationwatch said: 'They only compare receipts of income tax and National Insurance with payments of child benefit and tax credits. The same comparison shows the UK general population paying six times more than they get.

'While on the one hand the comparison does not include taxes like VAT and excise duties, on the other hand it doesn't include housing benefit or any other DWP payments, and most importantly does not include the cost of any public services whatsoever. This is nonsense. No one would describe this sum as a net fiscal contribution

'If the calculation were carried out for the UK population as a whole it would give a 'net fiscal contribution' of over 220 billion. If that were so, the UK would not be in deficit!'

Ex-Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith, who is campaigning for Brexit, said: 'We know that uncontrolled migration is placing a huge strain on the NHS, schools, and other public services'

The 16.8billion relates to migrants who have arrived in Britain from the EU at any date.

A second section of the report looked at only migrants who had arrived since 2001. This found that migrants from Poland and other Eastern European countries were costing 2.8 billion a year.

However, this was counter-balanced by a positive net contribution of the same amount by migrants from the 'old' EU, which includes the likes of France and Germany.
A mother-of-three who was battling aggressive lung cancer tragically died just two hours after marrying her husband.

Tracy Glover and her partner of five years John McKeowen married on Saturday in front of family and friends at their home in Thames on New Zealand's North Island.

But the 42-year-old sadly lost her battle with lung cancer just two hours later, the New Zealand Herald reports.

Terminally ill Tracy Glover married John McKeowen on Saturday at their New Zealand home after she spent six months battling lung cancer. Two hours after they wed, Tracy lost her battle with cancer

Ms Glover had been bedridden in their home for the past month due to the cancer and she couldn't eat or drink in the week leading up to the wedding.

Her husband, who wasn't even sure if Ms Glover would make it to the wedding, said it was an emotional day celebrating their marriage and then mourning her death.

'I was building a casket and making a wedding ring at the same time, not knowing what she was going to use first,' he told the newspaper.

'She could have passed two hours before, you know, and that would have been okay. I love her and I'd acted as a husband anyway and she had acted as my wife so it is just a bit of paper at the end of it, which is meaningful, of course.'

John McKeowen proposed last month on a trip to the beach. Tracy wasn't well enough to leave their camper van so he took a photo of his proposal and showed it to her on his phone

Tracy Glover (pictured holding their young son Keenan) and her partner of five years John McKeowen were well known faces of the Steampunk movement in Thames

The couple had spoken about getting married but then Ms Glover gave birth to their son Keenan in August.

She was subsequently diagnosed with aggressive lung cancer, which spread to her hip, shoulder and liver in November.

The couple got engaged last month.

Family friend Robert Craig, who set up a fundraising page to help support the family earlier this year, told stuff.co.nz the wedding was beautiful.

'The ceremony was amazing, but it was like a shockwave going through the crowd once Tracy passed away,' Mr Craig said.

'While they were together they obviously loved each other and the amount of good they did for people was amazing. She will be missed.'
EU countries are more likely to be attacked by terrorists because of the Turkey visa waiver scheme, opening up Europes borders to 75 million more citizens, officials have warned.

Terrorists and organised criminals will seek to exploit the scheme by trying to obtain Turkish passports as soon as the visa waiver programme comes into force, according to the European Commission.

A Commission report, seen by the Telegraph, reportedly said there would be increased mobility into the Schengen area of criminals and terrorists who are citizens of Turkey or who are foreigners based in Turkey.

EU countries are more likely to be attacked by terrorists because of the Turkey visa waiver scheme, opening up Europes borders to 75 million more citizens, officials have warned

The report added: The proposed visa liberalisation for Turkish citizens travelling to the EU could potentially have an impact on the terrorist risk in the EU in as far as the movement of terrorists of Turkish citizenship to and and from the Schengen area is concerned.

Britain is outside the Schengen area so would not have to open its borders in the same way.

But critics of the scheme fear that the waiver will mean the fingerprints of those who once required visas will no longer be stored.

Suspect individuals being allowed to travel to the Schengen territory without the need to go through a visa request procedure would have a greater ability to enter the EU without being noticed, the report said.

The deal removes an extra layer of security which allowed counter terrorism experts to sift through a database.

The European Commission has also proposed visa free travel for people in Kosovo, Ukraine and Georgia.

Its report said: Visa liberalisation could also have an impact on undetected entry into the EU of persons from Kosovo who return from war zones where they had joined terrorist networks.

Some 300 fighters in Syria and Iraq come from Kosovo, the highest per head of population in Europe.

The European Commission has also proposed visa free travel for people in Kosovo, Ukraine and Georgia

The visa waiver scheme could also allow the Turkish mafia, with its selling of weapons, sex slaves and drugs, direct territorial expansion towards the EU.

Despite its concerns, the European Commission believes that reforms to the Turkish judiciary, police and counter-terrorism will mitigate the risks.

Passport office staff in Turkey will be given ethical codes on anti-corruption.

The report warns that as soon as Turkey is part of the scheme, people from other nationalities will try to obtain Turkish passports by using fake identities or fraud.

This possibility may attract not only irregular migrants but also criminals or terrorists.

A European Commission spokesman said: Visa liberalisation is always conditioned and can be withdrawn if it is abused. Thats why the visa rules already have a suspension clause which the Commission is now making quicker and easier to trigger.
Now Ms Enright is urging others to check kangaroos if they spot them

The tiny joey is healing well and they are planning to name it 'Angel'

She found a baby kangaroo in its pouch and decided to

A kindhearted mother and her young family have become the unlikely carers of a new-born joey after its mother was struck by a car.

Chloe Enright spotted a dead kangaroo on the side of the road in Dunsborough on the southwest coast of Western Australia and her instincts told her to turn around.

She discovered a new-born female joey in the kangaroos pouch, rushing to the animals aid by wrapping it up in blankets and driving it to the nearest vet.

Chloe Enright got a gut feeling to turn around after spotting the dead kangaroo hit on the side of the road before discovering a tiny joey in its pouch

She rushed to the tiny joey's aid by wrapping it up in blankets and driving it to a local vet

Ms Enright told Daily Mail Australia that the tiny survivor is healing quickly at her home, where her children are nursing it back to health.

'My daughter Lilly wants to name her Angel because she says the angels brought her to us,' she said.

Her Facebook post reveals the remarkable circumstances that led to the joey's rescue.

This morning after we visited our friend Finns house we drove past a dead kangaroo on commonage, the post reads.

Something told me I needed to go back. Inside the kangaroos pouch was a baby joey. Her mum was still warm but she was gone.

I gently pulled the baby joey out and the children and I took her to the vet for some much needed milk, the post reads.

The mother and her young children are now nursing the tiny survivor back to health at their Dunsborough home

Ms Enright's young son Harry cuddles the rescued joey on the way to the vet

The joey is must be fed at regular intervals through the night and day until it reaches 18 months

Ms Enright's Facebook post reveals the remarkable circumstances that led to the joey's rescue.

The young mother then went to wildlife rescue organisation, FAWNA, to pick up the supplies needed to nurse the joey to good health.

She urged motorists to stop and check if they pass struck kangaroos because they could be carrying vulnerable joeys which need to be rescued.
A two-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by an employee as she was being nursed to sleep at a daycare centre in Sydney's inner west.

Max Rowe was allegedly caught in the act when a colleague walked past a room at the centre in Croydon Park on May 13, 2015 and saw him with his hand allegedly on the girl's genital area,Fairfax Media reported.

Rowe allegedly quickly pulled his hand away and turned in the direction of the co-worker who had a 'clear and unobstructed' five-second view of the alleged act as she opened the door.

A two-year-old girl who was being nursed to sleep at a daycare centre in Sydney's inner west was allegedly sexually assaulted by an employee (stock image)

The 25-year-old is charged with using his position of authority and trust at the childcare facility to abuse the young girl in vulnerable circumstances while she was having a nap.

Rowe faced Burwood Local Court on Monday and will fight the charges, pleading not guilty to indecently assaulting someone under 16.

The accused employee worked at the daycare centre five days a week and was the caretaker for two to five-year-old children.

According to police facts, the then 24-year-old, of McGraths Hill, was lying down with the 2-year-old girl in the playroom and was tasked with helping her fall asleep.

Rowe faced Burwood Local Court (pictured) on Monday and will fight the charges, pleading not guilty to indecently assaulting someone under 16

His colleague went to make a call in a nearby office before catching Rowe with his hand allegedly on the outside of the girl's tights.

The child's parents were later notified and Child Abuse Squad detectives arrested Rowe and charged him.

Rowe is expected to face court on Tuesday after the hearing was adjourned.
Police are searching for heartless thieves who stole a $25,000 vase as well as another containing the ashes of the victim's father from a home in Melbourne.

A Victoria Police statement said that the one-off George Owen Worcester potpourri vase, made in 1890, was taken from a home at Alsace Street in Brunswick East between last Monday and Wednesday.

Police believe that the thieves forced open the front door to get in, but in their haste to get out they left behind a vase lid which will now significantly reduce its value on the black market.

The one-off George Owen Worcester potpourri vase (pictured) was made in 1890 and is worth $25,000

The second vase stolen contained the ashes of the victim's father and has enormous sentimental value to the 57-year-old man.

'It's difficult enough to lose a parent but to have their ashes stolen is just heartless,' Detective Senior Constable Jamie Cunningham said.

'The vase will have next to no value to anyone but the victim, so at the very least we'd be hoping that someone can do the right thing and return it or provide information as to its current whereabouts.

'We'd also like to hear from anyone who witnessed anyone unusual around the property or any other suspicious activity in the area between 9 May and 11 May.

But a vase's lid (pictured) was left behind in the thieves' haste to get out of the house

'It might just seem like a small detail but we're appealing for anyone with any information that could lead to the identification of the offenders or the whereabouts of the vases to come forward.'

It is described as having a reticulated lid and knop turquoise ground, gilded and jewelled reticulated body on a triform reticulated base.

The potpourri vase has been described as having an inscription under the base which reads'2034 Perforations Mark A for 1890'.
Bloodied corpses lie on the ground, both dismembered and whole

Shocking footage purportedly released by ISIS shows a fighter desecrating the graves of Christians.

The clip displays a man on crutches in military gear showing off about the damage he has caused as he stands next to the smashed Christian cemetery in the city of Deir ez-Zor in Syria.

Shards of stone and wood litter the dry earth, while in the background two wooden coffins appear to be completely destroyed and are now just a mound of material.

The clip shows a man on crutches in military gear showing off about the damage he has caused as he stands next to the smashed Christian cemetery in in the city of Deir ez-Zor in Syria

Shards of stone and wood litter the dry earth, while in the background two wooden coffins appear to be completely destroyed and are now just a mound of material

After the ISIS fighter limps off the disturbing footage pans to show the dead bodies of those who attempted to stop the them.

The bloodied corpses are strewn on the ground - some remain intact while other seem to be in pieces, a boot here, a torso there.

Discarded clothes also lay on the ground and draped over the stone.

The video, released by the Islamic State's Amaq News Agency, was allegedly filmed in the Syrian region of Wilayat Al Khayr.

According to website Heavy, the agency commented: 'Islamic State fighters assault the Christian cemetery west of Deir ez-Zor city, killing 10 Syrian regime soldiers after being besieged there since yesterday.'

The video, released by the Islamic State's Amaq News Agency, was allegedly filmed in the Syrian region of Wilayat Al Khayr

After the ISIS fighter limps off the disturbing footage pans to show the dead bodies of those who attempted to stop the them

Wilayat al-Khayr is a (Syria-Iraq) border province of the Islamic State, primarily made up of the city Deir Ezzor and its fertile surroundings.

According to Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) it is often referred to and translated 'State of Goodness'.

In 2014 the area was a focal point of Islamic State activity.

The video was released on ISIS terrorist channels on May 16.

The bloodied corpses are strewn on the ground - some remain intact while other seem to be in pieces, a boot here, a torso there
A former children's show host has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from allegations that he sexually abused children during a Louisiana camping trip in 1979.

Frank John Selas III, 76, entered the plea Monday during his arraignment in a Rapides Parish, Louisiana courtroom, according to KALB.

In the late 1970s, Selas hosted the 'Mr. Wonder' show on KNOE-TV in northern Louisiana.

He allegedly fled to Brazil in 1979 and vanished for decades after parents accused him of abusing their children on a camping trip in Kisatchie National Forest in central Louisiana.

Frank Selas, aka Frank Szeles, hosted children's show Mr. Wonder in the late 1970s. He pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of child sexual abuse and rape on Monday

Selas, who had changed his name to Frank Szeles, was arrested in San Diego in January and indicted in February.

He is charged with two counts aggravated rape, three counts sexual battery, and eight counts indecent behavior with a juvenile.

He pleaded not guilty to all 13 counts in the hearing. Szeles' attorney, Mike Small, said his client is innocent.

'What Mr. Szeles and I look forward to is a two-sided jury trial at which the state can present its evidence, I can present mine, and I can cross examine their witnesses,' he told KALB. 'I am convinced that once that process plays out the jury will come back with not guilty verdicts to all 13 counts and the indictment.'

When asked by a reporter why he went on the run for 40 years if he's innocent, the attorney said that would be dealt with during the trial.

Selas was on the run for 37 years before he was finally apprehended in San Diego last month (mug shot left). His lawyer says he is innocent of all charges

Selas, aka Mr. Wonder, pleaded not guilty to all of his charges when he was arraigned in a Louisiana court on Monday (above)

'That's part of the innuendo,' he said. 'That's part of the publicity that has been released that will be addressed in due time. It's not going to be addressed here today. But we want to address that, we look forward to addressing that, but we look forward to addressing it at the appropriate time and in the appropriate venue. And with all due respect to my colleagues and friends that are here, this isnt the place or the time.'

At the time of his arrest in February, he told police they had the wrong man, and he was never Mr. Wonder.

Authorities say the former children's show host had settled in the San Diego area by 1985. When he vanished at age 39, his car was found abandoned in Dallas, Texas, and it's believed he traveled to Rio de Janeiro.

Selas' family attorney in February, Marc Carlos, read a statement from the family that pleaded for privacy.

Mr Wonder was a popular children's show in the last 1970s airing in northern Louisiana - according to those who saw the show it was the live children in the audience who were the real draw

'Despite the allegations, for 37 years, Frank Szeles has been a husband, father and grandfather and has always provided for his family,' he said. 'He is well-loved, respected and supported by his family and friends and the community here in San Diego.'

Selas was married at the time he disappeared - and his wife, Maria, was reportedly 'evasive' with police. She was living with Selas when he was arrested, and was working at an elementary school, according to Heavy.com.

Carlos said the developments were 'a shock to everyone'.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office has said investigators identified seven alleged victims in Louisiana as a result of the 1979 investigation, which led to an arrest warrant but not an indictment.

In San Diego, the man known to neighbors as Frank Szeles was a former Cub Scouts leader who advertised swim lessons and other activities for young children from his home in Bonita - about 10 miles southeast of downtown San Diego.

The Boy Scouts of America said he was removed from his position several years ago for failing to comply with the organization's 'youth protection policies and procedures' after a parent made an unspecified complaint that didn't relate to scouting.

The Scouts would not elaborate further, according to the Washington Post.

He was also running a business, Szeles Enterprises, that advertised swimming lessons, Cub Scouts trips, day camps and 'High Adventure Field Trips' for children.

At the time Selas disappeared, he was 39, the approximate age of the photo above, he would spend the next 37 years at large

His time at large also racked up allegations of sexual abuse.

Selas also belonged to a Mormon congregation in San Diego, but the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said it removed him from 'all positions related to children' for failing to comply with the church's child protection policies.

Investigators in Louisiana believe Selas lived in other places - including Chicago; Darien, Connecticut; South Royalton, Vermont; and Sheffield, Massachusetts - after he returned from South America in the early 1980s.
sites virtually in the next three years

One of Australia's greatest wartime mysteries could be unlocked in as little as three years - as scientists work to create a 3D reconstruction of the final hours of HMAS Sydney.

The location of the HMAS Sydney wreck was unknown until 2008, when the ship was discovered about 200 kilometres off the west coast of Australia.

The ship sank in 1941 after an intense battle with the German raider Kormoran and was considered Australia's greatest naval disaster after all 645 crewmen died.

Researchers have now collected images and data of the ship and fed them into supercomputer 'Magnus', in an effort to recreate the ship's final moments.

One Australia's greatest wartime mysteries, the HMAS Sydney, could one day be toured virtually as a 3D underwater experience

The location of the HMAS Sydney (pictured) wreck was unknown until 2008, when the it was discovered about 200 kilometres off the West Australian coast

Research engineer Dr Andrew Woods told the Daily Mail Australia that the site is difficult to access - being 2.5 kilometres underwater.

'The project was highly ambitious and very risky but all of our dreams are slowly coming true and the early results are looking fabulous.

'We have around half a million photographs from the expedition and around 300 hours of high definition video, much of that in 3D.

'In the underwater environment it is not possible to just stand back and take one photograph of the whole shipwreck  in clear water the maximum visibility is around 20m whereas the HMAS Sydney is 171m long,' he said.

He added that the volume of data they collected presented obstacles for the team.

'The process of generating 3D models from the photographs we've taken is very computationally intensive,' Dr Woods said.

'The time it would take to process half a million photographs using our conventional techniques, using our standard computers, would take about a thousand years, so we needed to do something to bring that time down to something achievable.'

With 3D printing technology,people could one day experience of seeing an item that's still sitting on the ocean floor

Research engineer Dr Andrew Woods said that there are around half a million photographs from the expedition

Pawsey Supercomputing Centre has the most powerful supercomputer in the southern hemisphere called 'Magnus'

Researchers use the supercomputer to run photos and video through a piece of pattern recognition software, these photos are then stitched together to show the wreckage in 3D

Dr Woods' dilemma was solved with the introduction of the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre and the most powerful supercomputer in the southern hemisphere, Magnus.

Using the supercomputer, researchers run photos and video through a piece of pattern recognition software, these photos are then stitched together to show the wreckage in 3D.

David Satterthwaite from the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre told Daily Mail Australia that it was an honour to see the supercomputer used to benefit Australia's culture and history.

'You allow the ability for people to see or experience things they wouldn't otherwise be able to either for physical restrictions, political restrictions or any other kind of restriction, and so it quite an interesting use of Magnus.'

Dr Woods says the public could soon tour around the historic wreckage 2.5 kilometres underwater, without even getting wet.

'The results of this project will feed into a major exhibition at the Western Australia Museum in Geraldton, Perth and Fremantle as well as partner institutions including the Australian National Maritime Museum.'

The torn-off bow of HMAS Sydney. Researchers have collected images like this to uncover the mystery surrounding the ships final moments

Dr Andrew Woods says the project was highly ambitious and very risky but all of their dreams are slowly coming true and the early results are looking fabulous

Dr Woods hopes that one day 3D reconstruction could help also create physical reproductions of artifacts from the sea floor using 3D printing.
A NSA agent stationed in Britain with her husband admits she struggled to understand what the natives were saying, but would get over their language issues with a pint of ale at her local pub and a plate of fish and chips.

According to a new trove of 166 files released by whistleblower Edward Snowden, and published by the Intercept, the computer scientist worked in the spy base at RAF Menwith Hill in Yorkshire.

She penned an article for an internal newsletter on what it was like to be stationed abroad with the agency as part of the NSA's bid to get employees to considered moving to outposts around the globe.

A NSA agent stationed in Britain with her husband admits she struggled to understand what the natives were saying, but would get over their language issues with a pint of ale at the local pub, The Flying Dutchman in Summerbridge, Yorkshire (pictured)

The member of the software development team said during her posting she claimed that speaking 'English' is a different beast.

Throughout her stay she claims she learned: ' I speak "American" and not "English" and definitely not "Scottish!"'

The issues came during weekend trips north of the border to Edinburgh and North Wales

She then named her favorite pub, The Flying Dutchman in Summerbridge, and her favorite beer, Theakstons Old Peculiar.

Her thoughts on the British were published in a the second of a two-part article called 'Spanning The Globe...Misawa to Menwith Hill'.

It was included in SIDtoday, the online newsletter of the NSA's Signals Intelligence Directorate, in October 2003 and described the couple's transition from working in Misawa in Japan to Menwith Hill.

Discussing her favorite off-base activities, she said: 'Our favorite ramen shop (next to Viking's) has been replaced by our local pub (The Flying Dutchman in Summerbridge), tempura has been replaced by fish and chips, and Sapporo Beer by Theakstons Old Peculiar.

According to a new trove of 166 files released by whistleblower Edward Snowden, and published by the Intercept , the computer scientist worked in the spy base at RAF Menwith Hill in Yorkshire (pictured)

In the article, the couple revealed how they had moved from Japan to be stationed in Britain and had swapped tempura for fish and chips (pictured)

'Georgia coffees hot from the vending machine will never be replaced, but tea at Betty's is a pleasant substitute.

'100 Yen stores have been replaced by the January Sale at Harrods, and Tokyo never had a chance against London.

'We do wish there was a way to package and export the relaxing and warming effects of the onsen (Japanese communal hot bath).

She also admitted that they would miss Cadbury chocolate.

Menwith Hill is the biggest surveillance and interception facility in Europe.

The base analyses satellite signals as well as mobile phone and electronic data from private individuals, governments and corporations.

In 2013, it was reported that the US was listening in on the phone conversations of dozens of world leaders, including the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Documents leaked by Snowden the same year revealed how spies based at Menwith Hill managed to intercept Dmitry Medvedevs calls as the former Russian president visited Britain for the G20 summit in 2009.
A Mississippi grand jury has indicted a former firefighter on a first-degree murder charge in the shooting of a waitress who had asked him not to smoke at a Waffle House.

Harrison County Assistant District Attorney Crosby Parker tells The Sun Herald that 45-year-old Johnny Max Mount will be arraigned the week of June 6.

Mount is accused in the slaying of Julie Brightwell, 52, who was shot to death November 27 in Biloxi.

Ex-firefighter Johnny Max Mount (left), 45, was indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the shooting of Waffle House waitress Julie Brightwell (right), 52, last year

Harrison County Assistant District Attorney Crosby Parker tells The Sun Herald that Mount (pictured) will be arraigned the week of June 6

Mount is accused in the slaying of Julie Brightwell, 52, who was shot to death November 27 in Biloxi at Waffle House (scene pictured)

Police have said Mount was sitting at the Waffle House counter when Brightwell told him he couldn't smoke in the restaurant.

Testimony at a preliminary hearing shows he was smoking an e-cigarette.

Mount allegedly shot Brightwell, who had worked for Waffle House for eight years, in the head.

Several customers were inside the eatery at the time of the shooting and the surveillance cameras inside captured pictures as it happened.

Witnesses said that she spent some of her final moments inside the restaurant asking patrons how they enjoyed their Thanksgiving.

Police have said Mount was sitting at the Waffle House counter when Brightwell told him he couldn't smoke in the restaurant. Witnesses said that she spent her final moments asking patrons how they enjoyed their Thanksgiving

Customer Richard Bonin told The Sun Herald that Brightwell served him and two friends just before she was shot, and asked them if they had a good Thanksgiving.

'She told us she was tired, but she was making the whole conversation about us,' he said.

Mount is being held on a $2million bond. He resigned from the Biloxi Fire Department in 2002 after he was hit by a car on US 49 in Gulfport and lost a leg.

Rebecca Berry, a Mount family friend, told the newspaper that Mount suffered a traumatic brain injury in the accident, along with other injuries.

'He was a good person,' she said. 'He wasn't a monster. I don't know - something just snapped. I don't know of any other volatile things that he's ever done. I know his mother is devastated.'
A transgender police officer who transitioned from female to male on the job says it was 'smooth sailing' compared to what he expected.

On Tuesday, Constable Mairead Devlin, 22, raised a rainbow flag outside Brisbane's police headquarters for the first time, as a symbolic gesture reflecting the hard work within the organisation, including its LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) Support Network.

The Caboolture-based officer said he felt 'humbled and proud' after raising the flag on Tuesday to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, but added there was always more work to be done.

Constable Mairead Devlin, 22, is based in Caboolture, Queensland, and transition from female to male while on the force, after revealing to colleagues he was trans in 2014

Const Devlin pictured before realising he was trans after joining the police force. He let his colleagues know in 2014 before transitioning to be a man, and says everyone was supportive

Constable Devlin raises a pride rainbow flag outside the Police Headquarters in Brisbane on Tuesday to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Const Devlin, who joined Queensland Police Service (QPS) in 2014 and transitioned from female to male on the job, said he found a 'staggering amount' of support.

'I'm yet to come across someone who has expressed a negative opinion of what I'm doing,' he said.

'It's been really smooth sailing compared to what I expected.'

He told Daily Mail Australia he found out he was trans in December 2014, after being in the force for four months, and told his colleagues.

'I didn't know I was trans when I joined [the police],' he said.

'Everyone was really good. They didn't necessarily know what to do with what I was telling them, but everyone supported me.'

Const Devlin with his sister after transitioning to a man, a process he says was 'smooth sailing' and easier than expected

Acting Deputy Commissioner Mike Condon said the event was a 'historic and public demonstration' of support for the workforce's diverse nature.

'If we don't understand that diversity within the organisation, how can we better serve our people across the state?' he said.

Sergeant Michael Gardiner, the co-ordinator of the support network, described the flag ceremony as a 'simple and minor thing' that would mean much more to LGBTI members of the QPS.

'They see this as a massive step forward for us for acceptance and I know it reflects the diversity and inclusiveness of the service,' he said.

Asked about encounters with bigotry in or outside the workplace, Const Devlin agreed there was more work to be done, but said most negative attitudes came down to a lack of education.

He said he was eager to take part in further diversity training and education.

Const Mairead raising the pride flag. For the first time in Queensland Police Service history the LGBTI pride flag is being flown outside the police headquarters as part of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia celebrations

For those in the LGBTI community, he said there were a lot of supporters and allies within the force.

'There's always a person behind the badge.'

Australian Christian Lobby Queensland director Wendy Francis has criticised QPS for engaging in 'rainbow politics' and questioned whether it should be taking sides on issues such as same-sex marriage or the Safe Schools program.

Mr Condon said it had nothing to do with politics.

'This is about ensuring we're seen as a workplace of choice where people can join our organisation - regardless of who they are - and feel free to operate and act professionally as police officers to serve the community,' he said.
Former prep school graduate convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old freshman girl as part of a game of sexual conquest called Senior Salute will again be free pending appeal.

Owen Labrie's bail was revoked in March after he admitted violating his curfew. He appealed to the state Supreme Court, which last week returned the matter to the trial court.

On Monday, a Merrimack County Superior Court judge said he'd allow Labrie to be released with electronic monitoring via GPS.

Labrie's attorney argued for his release saying that being locked up for two months has been a 'life-changing' experience for him and that he will comply with any additional conditions.

Former prep school graduate, Owen Labrie, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old freshman girl as part of a game of sexual conquest called Senior Salute, will again be free pending appeal and now required to use electronic monitoring via GPS. He's pictured in court on Monday

Labrie's attorney, in arguing for his release, said that being locked up for two months has been a 'life-changing' experience for him and that he will comply with any additional conditions. Labrie was arrested in 2014 for the sexual assault. He's pictured in court in 2015

'He's gone through a wave of emotions, from being sad about his situation to being scared, being nervous, being bored at times ... but it's all been a learning experience,' attorney Jaye Rancourt said.

But Deputy County Attorney Catherine Ruffle argued that little has changed since the judge's original order.

'The only thing that's changed is the defendant doesn't like it in jail,' she said.

Ruffle said she was concerned about the 20-year-old returning to live with his mother in Tunbridge, Vermont, because his mother likely knew he was violating curfew.

And she said Labrie could pose a public safety risk given that he has not undergone a psychosexual evaluation.

Deputy County Attorney Catherine Ruffle argued that Labrie (pictured in March) could pose a public safety risk given that he has not undergone a psychosexual evaluation

Labrie's attorney said that requirement was part of his sentence he has not started serving.

Labrie was 18 when he was arrested in 2014 days after graduating from St Paul's School in Concord.

During his trial, he testified that he and the girl had consensual sexual contact, but he denied having sexual intercourse with her.

He acknowledged he had boasted to the contrary to friends, in profane emails and social media posts that were shared with the jury.

The encounter between Labrie and the girl took place in a nearly deserted building with a roof that had a panoramic view of the school's 2,000-acre campus.

After a brief time on the roof, the girl testified, Labrie led her to a dark mechanical room, they consensually kissed and touched each other and he raped her.

The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence said it worries the judge's decision will discourage crime victims from coming forward.

'When there is a lack of respect for our court system, people should be held accountable,' coalition community relations director Maureen McDonald said.

'When offenders do not face consequences for their actions, victims are the ones that pay the price.'

Labrie had been bound for Harvard University and had planned to take divinity classes before his arrest put everything on hold.
Wendell Pierce (pictured in a police mugshot) is accused of grabbing a woman by the hair and smacking her head at an Atlanta hotel on Saturday

Wendell Pierce says he was the one being dragged against his will during a row with a female Bernie Sanders supporter that got him arrested for battery.

The Wire actor, 52, was arrested outside the Loews Hotel at 3.30am Saturday, an Atlanta Police Department spokesperson told Daily Mail Online.

He is accused of grabbing the alleged victim by the hair and smacking her head during the apparent row.

But Pierce says the woman and her friends actually tried to pull him inside their hotel room as he was trying to get away, TMZ reported on Monday.

The 28-year-old woman claims that she and two friends had been sitting in the 23rd story hallway when Pierce exited the elevators accompanied by his girlfriend.

They had begun talking but as the conversation turned to politics, Pierce got 'upset', according to a police report obtained by DailyMail.com.

The woman says that Pierce, who has backed Hillary Clinton, followed her to her room, put his arm in the door and grabbed her hoodie so hard it ripped and came off.

But the actor says that, while he did follow the woman and her friends to their room during their discussion, he stayed outside.

Instead, he claims the group tried to pull him inside while he attempted to run away.

Jail records show Pierce was charged with simple battery and a misdemeanor offense.

He has been released on a $1,000 bond.

Both Pierce and the woman declined medical help after the emergency services arrived.

A source said the couple went back into their hotel room and called police.

Pierce is in Atlanta to shoot the upcoming movie One Last Thing, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The actor - best known for his role on The Wire as Detective Bunk Moreland and his appearance in Confirmation alongside Kerry Washington - was a guest at the hotel, police said.

'The incident did not rise to anything significant so no special notification was made... it was treated like any other arrest a patrol officer conducts,' cops told Daily Mail Online.

'Mr Pierce made no indication he was famous nor did the officer inquire,' an officer added.

Meanwhile, Pierce has pulled out of a graduation ceremony at a prestigious New Jersey college following his arrest.

Rutgers University-Newark announced Monday that he would no longer be speaking at Wednesday's event as he did not want to create a distraction.

TV news anchor Soledad O'Brien will take his place.

Pierce, 52, who played Detective William 'Bunk' Moreland in HBO's long-running hit series The Wire (pictured) says the woman and he friends actually tried to grab him into their hotel room against his will

The actor, who recently portrayed Justice Clarence Thomas in the drama Confirmation (pictured), got 'upset' during a political confirmation with three people, according to a police report

Pierce has pulled out of a graduation ceremony at Rutgers University-Newark (left, file picture) after his arrest. TV news anchor Soledad O'Brien (right) will take his place at the ceremony on Wednesday

Pierce has previously voiced his support for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and said Sanders' plans for the United States were 'empty'.

He has praised Clinton for her 'clarity of purpose, a clarity of the platform and policies', compared to Sanders.

The actor has also tweeted about his work for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation campaign, which was created by the Clinton Foundation.

Last fall, after being asked on Twitter to 'pick one candidate worthy to consider', Pierce replied 'Hillary Clinton'.

But he has also tweeted favorably of Sanders. After asking for specific details on Sanders' policy plans, Pierce wrote in mid-February: 'I appreciate and share Sen. Sanders beliefs.'

Efforts to reach a representative for Pierce were unsuccessful.
Rapper and poet Kate Tempest brought audience members to tears on Monday night after a powerful performance critiquing the world after religion and society's greed on panel discussion Q&A.

The British wordsmith gripped viewers as she recited her poem 'Progress' in her typical blunt and fiery delivery in a summary of the program's topic of the night  free speech and its relationship to religion, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Ms Tempest's impassioned speech comes just a week after Q&A audience member Duncan Storrar made comments about the struggles of low income earners and questioned the lack of tax breaks for those considered to be poor.

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Kate Tempest, (pictured) a British rapper and poet, brought audience members to tears on Monday night after a powerful performance of her poem 'Progress' on Q&A

In her typical blunt and fiery delivery, Ms Tempest (pictured) summarized the discussion panel's topic of the night - free speech and its relationship to religion

Ms Tempest will perform her work at the Sydney Writer's Festival, which began on Monday.

'Once there was a purpose, so I hear there was a God,' her poem began.

'It made it all less worthless and it gave us the because we'd all been searching for  unarguable truth, a reason to be kind and just, a reason for the noose that sent the sinner off to sinner land and made us all feel better and the knowledge that the righteous would be right and just forever.'

'if our morals ever shook, we look no further than the book but gradually we felt the pressure, it became the great oppressor and without god the wars seem crueler, life seemed stranger, art seemed foolish, death seemed bleaker now than ever.'

Ms Tempest (pictured) will continue to perform her work at the Sydney Writer's Festival, which began on Monday

She mentions the obsession with screens, either from a television or a phone and how children are 'perma-plugged into its promise' (pictured)

Ms Tempest closed her eyes and she continued, talking about greed in society and the lack of morality.

She mentions the obsession with screens, either from a television or a phone and how children are 'perma-plugged into its promise.'

'They used to burn women who had epileptic fits, they were tied to a stake and they'd proclaim you a witch, now they'll put you on the screen if you've got nice t**s but you will be torn apart if you let yourself slip, and they'll draw red rings around your saggy bits and they'll flick through the pictures as they eat bags of chips, cause you can either be a beauty or a beast or a b***h,' she said.

Ms Tempest's (pictured) impassioned speech comes just a week after Q&A audience member Duncan Storrar made comments about the struggles of low income earners

Similar to Mr Duncan's comments on May 9, Ms Tempest closes her poem by critiquing the treatment of those deemed less desirable.

'Yes the world is your playground, go and get your kicks  as long as you're not poor or ugly or sick. We never saw it coming, just like all the best tricks, because once we had the fear, but now we have the fix.'

Viewers took to social media to express their shock and admiration for Ms Tempest's poem.

Viewers took to social media to express their powerful emotional reaction to Ms Tempest's poem (pictured)

'Listening to Kate Tempest is an inspirational punch to the face. She's just incredible,' one man said.

'Kate Tempest amazing thoughts last night on Q&A particularly brilliant poem too,' a woman commented.

'Amazing woman, gutsy and inspired,' another said.
A man convicted of murder after he shot his girlfriend in the head in a jealous rage when he realised their relationship was ending has appealed against his sentence.

Queensland man Christopher Charles Koani is serving life behind bars after pleading guilty of murdering his 26-year-old girlfriend Natalie Leaney at their Logan unit in March 2013.

However, defence lawyer Angus Edwards claimed Koani did not act deliberately when he killed Ms Leaney because the gun he used 'had a tendency to misfire', The Courier Mail reported.

Queensland man Christopher Charles Koani (left) has appealed against his conviction after he was sentenced to life behind bars over the tragic death of Natalie Leaney (right) who was killed when she was shot in the head

'It was not a willed discharge of the gun... this was a gun that could fire without the trigger being pulled,' Mr Edwards told three Court of Appeal judges on Tuesday morning.

In the moments leading up to Ms Leaney's death, she had told Koani she wanted to leave him after being together for six months as police found a smashed vase on the floor, the appeal court heard.

During the week-long trial in November last year, Koani had tried to plead guilty to manslaughter as the defence had testified he didn't mean to kill his girlfriend and his rifle had fired unexpectedly.

But the jury rejected the claims and Koani was convicted of murder in the Brisbane Supreme Court.

The hearing continues.

Ms Leaney's mother Deborah has revealed the family had been given a 'life sentence of heartache'

Last year, Ms Leaney's grieving mother Deborah revealed the family had been given a 'life sentence of heartache'.

She said her daughter used to call her daily at 3.30pm to check in and catch up on the day's news.

'(Now) 3.30 comes and goes each day and with it an incredible sadness,' she said.

Family gatherings are also difficult because they serve as a reminder of the hole left by her daughter's death.

'We are not complete,' Deborah read.

'Natalie's absence haunts us.'
A teenage girl who took a short cut through a bush track to school on Friday was repeatedly punched and kicked in the head by a heavily tattooed man, according to police.

The girl, 17, was running late for school when she opted to deviate from her normal walking route to Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College the Central Coast in New South Wales, police told The Daily Telegraph.

The man, who is described to be in his 20s or 30s, suddenly attacked the teenager she she walked while listening to music on her headphones at around 8am, police said.

A teenage girl, 17, who took a short cut through a bush track (pictured) to her school in Tuggerah Lakes around 8am on Friday was punched and kicked in the head repeatedly by a heavily tattooed man

He pushed her to the ground and began kicking her in the head before the girl began to scream, causing the man to run away, according to officers.

The girl was taken to hospital and treated for a cut to her ear and facial bruising.

The girl said that she didn't get a good look at the man because he approached her from behind but told police he had dark hair, numerous tattoos and was wearing a black hoodie and trousers.

Officers are still searching for the man, who another student said they saw loitering around the bush path earlier that morning.

Daily Mail Australia has called the NSW Police Department for comment.
A deaf Victorian woman charged with murder will soon find out whether a jury believes she's fit to stand trial or not.

Two of three mental health experts who have assessed Georgia Fields believe she is unfit for trial over the alleged murder of Robert Wright, the Victorian Supreme Court has heard.

Fields was charged with murder in June last year, along with Jake Fairest and Warwick Toohey, after Mr Wright, 36, fell to his death from the balcony of his flat in the Melbourne suburb of Ringwood on January 15, 2015.

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Georgia Fields is one of three accused killers of deaf and mute man Robert Wright. But she may not be deemed fit to stand trial

The victim and all three accused are profoundly deaf.

The accused trio have each entered a plea of not guilty, by reason of mental impairment, and Fairest has since been found unfit to stand trial. A jury is now being asked to consider Fields' capacity.

Fields, 19, has a number of conditions that could impact on her ability to understand and participate in a trial, the court was told on Monday.

The most significant is low intelligence, but her deafness and some autistic-type behaviours will also be taken into account.

Ms Fields is a profoundly deaf teenager who was charged with the murder of Mr Wright who plunged from his Melbourne balcony

Forensic psychologist Dion Gee and neuropsychologist Peter Dowling believe Fields is not fit to stand trial.

Dr Gee said her general cognitive functioning was borderline and 'just above the cut off' for diagnosis of an intellectual disability.

Fields didn't have a great understanding of court proceedings or realise what she needed to tell her lawyers, he told the jury on Monday.

Dr Dowling said Fields had the reading ability of a mid-primary school student, and didn't really understand the term 'plea'.

Robert Wright died in hospital after he fell about 12 metres from an apartment balcony

Mr Wright, 36, fell to his death from the balcony of a flat in the Melbourne suburb of Ringwood

Psychiatrist Lester Walton believed Fields was fit to stand trial. He said she understood the difference between right and wrong.

'She is well aware she must face trial, come to court and evidence will be given about what her role was,' Dr Walton told the court.

In June 2015 the Victorian Supreme Court heard that Fields, her boyfriend Warrick Toohey, 36, and Jake Fairest, 26, of Boronia, were allegedly captured on CCTV using Auslan sign language to plot Mr Wright's demise in a train, and in the foyer and lift of the Ringwood apartment he shared with Toohey.

Fields and her co-accused were allegedly captured on CCTV using Auslan sign language to plot Mr Wright's demise in a train

Fields allegedly told the others 'I think falling's better', Justice Stephen Kaye said in the June 2015 hearing.

The trio are accused of restraining Mr Wright in his loungeroom before he was dropped off the balcony, though the court heard Fields was not physically involved.

Justice Kaye said the group, who are also charged with theft, allegedly took Mr Wright's iPad, bankcards and ID into Toohey's bedroom and were lying on the bed when police arrived.

The hearing continues on Tuesday.
A disabled man who spends $110,000 a year for care has been told he couldn't be helped into bed until morning after his carer's shift was mistakenly cancelled.

Jarrod Marrinon had friends over for cake and drinks on Saturday night to celebrate his 28th birthday, and was expecting his support worker to arrive at his St Kilda, Melbourne home at 11pm to help him into bed.

But the carer never showed and the man, who has lived with leukodystrophy since he was 18-months-old, was instead forced to get his friend over at 1.45am after a 'disgusting' response from Independence Australia.

Disabled man Jarrod Marrinon (pictured) was left 'high and dry' on Saturday night when his support worker was mistakenly told the shift had been cancelled. Mr Marrinon was instead asked his friend over at 1.45am to help him into bed

On Monday, Mr Marrinon made a public complaint on Facebook and shared an image (pictured) of his 'wonderful friend' and 'champ' in his scrubs at 1.45am after Nathan had just finished an eight hour shift

Mr Marrinon had phoned the company at 11.15pm to check if the carer was coming, only to discover his 'support worker was told that the shift was cancelled by mistake'.

'After an hour and a half of back and forth phone calls the response was disgusting,' he said. 'I picked up the phone at 12.30am to have after hours tell me: "We have exhausted all of our options and we are unable to get anyone to come out. If you like we can get someone to put you to bed in the morning".

'If I waited until the morning to be put to bed I would have had s*** or p*** in my pants, my knees and back would be killing me and I would most likely be out of action for a few days, not to mention my great night with friends ruined,' Mr Marrinon said.

Instead, the 28-year-old contacted friends who might be able to give a hand.

'My wonderful friend Nathan who just finished an eight hour shift at one of Melbourne's busiest Emergency departments got in his car and did the 15 minute job that a statewide agency couldn't do,' Mr Marrinon (right) said (Nathan left)

'My wonderful friend Nathan who just finished an eight hour shift at one of Melbourne's busiest Emergency departments got in his car and did the 15 minute job that a statewide agency couldn't do.

'People with disabilities shouldn't have to have organised a backup plan for when paid services make reckless mistakes.

'Friends shouldn't have to help there [sic] friends in to bed.

'I am now seriously considering taking my $110,000 elsewhere and get what I pay for.'

On Monday, Mr Marrinon made a public complaint on Facebook and shared an image of his 'wonderful friend' and 'champ' in his scrubs at 1.45am.

The complaint has caused outrage with disability and queer rights activist Jax Jacki Brown sharing the story on Twitter, writing: 'My friend @jarrodsopinion was left high and dry when support worker failed to show up for shift. It's a disgrace!'

'People with disabilities shouldn't have to have organised a backup plan for when paid services make reckless mistakes,' Mr Marrinon wrote

The original Facebook post has been shared more than 500 times, liked by more than 2,000 people and has more than 200 comments  most of which were mortified at Independence Australia's response and praising Nathan for being such a great friend.

Mr Marrinon told Daily Mail Australia the best solution would be to have support workers on standby to avoid such 'disgusting' incidents.

Independence Australia told Daily Mail Australia they took 'full responsibility for the breakdown in communication and process that resulted in Mr Jarrod Marrinon going without in-home support services'.

'We have apologised to Mr Marrinon and are reviewing our processes to ensure that an event of this nature does not occur again.

'We take our responsibilities to our clients extremely seriously and are disappointed that on this occasion we failed Mr Marrinon. As a not-for-profit social enterprise, Independence Australia provides more than 560,000 hours of care each year to support around 1,300 Victorians living with a disability.'

Victorian Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing Martin Foley told Daily Mail Australia he was 'sad to hear of the distress caused to Jarrod'.

The original Facebook post (pictured) has been shared more than 500 times, liked by more than 2,000 people and has more than 200 comments  most of which were mortified at Independence Australia's response and praising Nathan for being such a great friend

'It is situations like this that show why the NDIS [National Disability Insurance Scheme] is necessary.'

Mr Marrinon is a community radio broadcaster and runs a theatre group for people with disabilities

'The current system is broken and it does not serve people with disabilities well enough, even when a person has a support package, there is clearly some way to go to ensure providers offer high quality reliable care.'

Victorian Greens disability spokesperson Colleen Hartland said this was 'not an isolated incident, nor with just one organisation'.

'People with disabilities are often placed in unacceptable situations.'

'With the changes NDIS will bring to the disability sector, there will be instability during the transition years and its the clients who are likely to suffer from understaffing or financing issues within service organisations.'

Ms Hartland said the culture needed to be changed.

'People with disabilities deserve respect and should be able to live independently without enduring such hardships.'

Mr Marrinon is a community radio broadcaster at 3CR and runs a theatre group for people with disabilities.

Leukodystrophy refers to a group of conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord which worsens with age.
The CIA inspector general says it has mistakenly deleted its only copy of the controversial 6,700-page report detailing the CIA's 'enhanced' interrogation methods, a report that is often referred to as a 'torture report'.

The report has still not been made public, despite a years-long battle led by Former Chair and current ranking Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the American Civil Liberties Union to do so.

On Monday, Yahoo News first reported that the CIA inspector general had 'mistakenly' deleted both the electronic and hard copy of the Senate report, deleting an uploaded version of the report and then accidentally destroyed a disk that contained the report.

The inspector general is supposed to be the CIA's internal watchdog.

Learning of the deletion, Feinstein wrote to CIA head John Brennan and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, demanding the agency immediately send another copy to the inspector general.

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein led up the Senate investigation into CIA torture methods and is pushing for the 6,700-page 'torture report' to be declassified - but an appeals court recently disagreed

'Your prompt response will allay my concern that this was more than an 'accident,'' she reportedly wrote to the powerful duo.

On Friday, a federal appeals court rejected the ACLU's attempt to get the document released, upholding a lower court decision that the document is a congressional record exempt from disclosure laws.

A copy of the report apparently exists in another office of the CIA, but Feinstein was alarmed that the report was deleted by the internal office that is supposed to be overseeing CIA conduct.

'Its breathtaking that this could have happened, especially in the inspector generals office - theyre the ones that are supposed to be providing accountability within the agency itself. It makes you wonder what's going on over there?' Douglas Cox, a City University of New York School of Law professor who specializes in tracking the preservation of federal records, told Yahoo News.

CIA Director John Brennan appears on Meet the Press on May 1 - he was given a dressing down by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who was astonished that his agency lost the inspector general's only copy of a controversial 'torture report'

The 'torture report' looks into CIA methods of interrogating suspected terrorists, including controversial waterboarding, which was ostensibly banned by the Bush administration in 2006 and again by the Obama administration in 2009.

In 2015, a 500-page summary of the 6,700-page document was declassified, and it concluded that waterboarding was not conducive to gaining information from terrorism suspects.

Presumptive presidential GOP nominee Donald Trump, however, has indicated he would bring the torture method back.

'I love it, I love it,' Trump said of waterboarding during a rally in Indiana in April. 'The only thing is, we should make it much tougher than waterboarding, and if you don't think it works, folks, you're wrong.'

The CIA's internal 'watchdog' is the inspector general's office - which deleted a digital and hard copy of the Senate's controversial 'torture report' which detailed such interrogation methods as waterboarding

The ACLU, which is seeking release of the full report under the Freedom of Information Act, says the document 'describes widespread and horrific human rights abuses by the CIA.'

One CIA source told Yahoo News that the mistakes that led up to the erasure of the document was 'out of the Keystone Cops.'

The 'accident' was reportedly disclosed to the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Justice Department last summer. But it wasn't reported to the federal judge who, at the time, was overseeing the ACLU lawsuit - nor was it revealed to the public until now.

A CIA spokesman, Dean Boyd, told Yahoo News not to worry - the CIA has another copy of the report locked in a vault. 'I can assure you that the CIA has retained a copy,' he wrote.
An 18-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly planning an imminent terrorist attack in Sydney and hoping to flee the country to flee to Syria join the fight with Islamic State.

Tamim Khaja was arrested in Macquarie Park in Sydney's north on Tuesday by Australian Federal Police and NSW Police,7 News reported.

Police were searching his family home on Tuesday afternoon.

It's alleged the man had been looking at possible sites to launch an attack and was attempting to acquire a firearm after he was blocked travelling to Syria in February to engage in 'hostile activities'.

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Tamim Khaja was arrested in Macquarie Park in Sydney's north on Tuesday by Australian Federal Police and NSW Police

Police were searching Mr Khaja's home about 4pm on Tuesday afternoon after the arrest

Mr Khaja has been charged with allegedly planning a terrorist attack and preparing for foreign incursions, charges which carry a maximum term of life imprisonment.

'We have taken swift action to ensure the safety of the community and we are satisfied that any threat to the community posed by the individual has been mitigated,' AFP Acting Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

'This young person's life changed today. When he made those decisions he took two weeks ago, he's now looking at life in prison.'

Mr Khaja was allegedly stopped from leaving the country at Sydney Airport in February when his passport was cancelled, and went on to instead plan an attack in Sydney, police say.

He was allegedly planning a terrorist attack (AFP Acting Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan, right, and NSW Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn, left, address media)

Police would not confirm which sites he had allegedly been planning to target, but that they would likely be 'institutions of authority'.

Attorney-General George Brandis confirmed Mr Khaja was targeting public buildings representing authority, he told media from Brisbane on Tuesday.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Gaughan said police were satisfied he was acting alone.

However, it was confirmed the 18-year-old was an associate of others before the courts.

Mr Khaja has been known to police for some time.

Mr Khaja has been charged with allegedly planning a terrorist attack and preparing for foreign incursions, charges which carry a maximum term of life imprisonment in a joint AFP and NSW police operation. He allegedly attempted to leave Australia in February but his passport was cancelled

His lawyer told 7 News he will not apply for bail.

About 4pm on Tuesday, police were searching the family home in Macquarie Park, according to 7 News.

Mr Khaja is no longer in school but is a former student of Epping Boys High School.

The arrest was not related to raids in Melbourne on Tuesday morning, police confirmed, after five men allegedly planned to travel to Indonesia by boat.

NSW Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn said the people they are seeing preparing attacks were 'getting younger and younger' with school students 'vulnerable to radicalisation'.

She called on a holistic approach from families, schools, community groups to help tackle radicalisation because 'police cannot do this alone'.

'Watch for signs,' Deputy Commissioner Burn said. 'There is always a sign when people are behaving differently on their path to radicalisation.'
He has since defended his stance and recently called it 'a suggestion'

Trump called to ban Muslims from entering the US in December last year

Angelina Jolie slammed Donald Trump's comments against Muslims on Monday - saying the billionaire's stance did not match her vision of America.

The actress and refugee envoy of the United Nations gave an impassioned plea for refugees at the BBC in London.

She closed her eyes and shook her head in disapproval when someone asked her what she thought of Trump's stance on Muslims, CNN reported.

'To me, America is built on people from around the world coming together for freedoms, especially freedom of religion. So it's hard to hear this is coming from someone who is pressing to be an American president,' Jolie, 40, said.

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Angelina Jolie slammed Donald Trump's comments against Muslims while addressing the refugee crisis at the BBC in London on Monday (pictured)

Trump said in December last year that Muslims should be banned from entering the United States.

His comments came one month after the terror bombings that killed 130 people in Paris, France.

The billionaire has since stood by his proposal, saying on MSNBC's Morning Joe earlier this month that he didn't care if it hurt him in the general election.

'I'm doing the right thing when I do this. And whether it's Muslim or whether it's something else, I mean, I have to do the right thing, and that's the way I've been guided,' he said.

Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal, who served as Saudia Arabia's ambassador to the US from 2005 to 2007, urged Americans not to vote for Trump earlier this month.

'For the life of me, I cannot believe that a country like the United States can afford to have someone as president who simply says, 'These people are not going to be allowed to come to the United States,''' Turki said during a foreign policy dinner in Washington, DC according to the Huffington Post.

Trump said on Friday that his proposed ban was a 'suggestion' and that he remained 'flexible' on the issue - while insisting he wasn't softening his position.

'I'm not the president right now so anything I suggest is really a suggestion,' he told NBC.

'I'm not softening my stance at all but I'm always flexible on issues. I am totally flexible on very very many issues and I think you have to be that way.'

Trump (pictured last week in Washington, DC) said in December that Muslims should be banned from entering the US. He has since said he remained 'flexible' on the issue - while insisting he wasn't softening his stance

Jolie (pictured on Monday at the BBC) closed her eyes and shook her head disapprovingly when someone asked what she thought about Trump's views on Muslims

Jolie spoke for 17 minutes about the refugee crisis on Monday, expressing her concern that the support system is breaking down.

'Over 60million people are displaced today - more than any time in the last 70 years. That is one in every 122 people,' she said.

'This tells us something deeply worrying about the peace and security of our world. It says that for all other advances this type of human insecurity is growing faster than our ability to prevent or reverse it.'

The actress also praised a Polish schoolgirl who asked the actress a question on how to improve the integration of young immigrants.

Paulina, 12, moved to the UK with her family six years ago and now attends the Thomas Aveling School in Rochester.

She drew a smile from the Hollywood star.

'Well, that is a lovely question,' Jolie replied. 'I think I would say that the best thing you can do, especially at your age, is that school is hard regardless with fitting in, so the greatest thing is to be a real friend.'

Paulina, 12, a Polish schoolgirl who moved to the UK with her family six years ago, earned praise from Jolie by asking how to improve the integration of young immigrants

Jolie (pictured being interviewed by the BBC's Mishal Husain on Monday) spoke for 17 minutes about the refugee crisis on Monday, expressing her concern that the support system is breaking down

Jolie and the UN's special envoy for refugees accused European countries of neglecting their responsibilities to the humanitarian crisis triggered by the five-year civil war in Syria.

She took aim at politicians for 'preying on the fear' that uncontrolled migration can cause - and hinted that she wanted British voters to back staying in the European Union during a referendum in June.

The actress condemned European leaders for taking part in a 'race to the bottom' over their response to the refugee crisis engulfing the continent as she urged them to reject 'isolationism'.

She said concerns over uncontrolled migration had allowed a politics of fear to grow and countries were 'competing to be the toughest in the hope of protecting themselves whatever the cost or challenge to their neighbors'.

Her comments were immediately attacked by Eurosceptics, who hit out at Jolie for appearing to 'tell us how to vote in the referendum'.

Jolie said on Monday: 'After so many years of failed attempts by governments and leaders to do the right thing we are angry, we feel cheated and we feel confused.

'We are starting to think that maybe it is simply not possible to make a lasting difference.

'But the worst possible choice we could now make is to decide to step back from the world.

'The last time there was this number of refugees was after World War Two, when nations came together to forge the United Nations, the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

'I believe this is again that once-in-a-generation moment when nations have to pull together.

The actress (pictured at the BBC on Monday ) launched a blistering attack on the EU's response to the refugee crisis and condemned member states for taking part in a 'race to the bottom' over accepting migrants

She added: 'It would be naive to think that we can protect ourselves selectively, alone, from challenges in a globalized world, by pulling away from other countries or peoples.

'As with any global problem in the 21st century, uncoordinated national responses are not the answer. An unstable world is an unsafe world for all.

'There is no barrier high enough to protect from such disorder and desperation. If your neighbor's house is on fire you are not safe if you lock your doors.

'Isolationism is not strength. Fragmentation is not the answer. Strength lies in being unafraid: in working with others, and living up to our highest ideals.'

Urging EU leaders to work closer together to find a solution to the hundreds of thousands of refugees who have fled to the continent, Jolie said: 'I believe this is again that once-in-a-generation moment when nations have to pull together.

'How we respond will determine whether we create a more stable world, or face decades of far greater instability.'

Jolie appeared to criticize German Chancellor Angela Merkel for opening Germany's borders to Syrian refugees, saying the move only added to the EU's disorderly response to the humanitarian crisis.

Asked whether Ms Merkel's response to the crisis was pragmatic, the actress said: 'It was a beautiful, beautiful thing that said something to the world. But I do think we need to have a real order, and we need to be explaining how things are being done in a clear way.'

'It is also important that the process is clear so that people in the receiving country understand and have better confidence in the system.'

Jolie, the UN's envoy for refugees (pictured visiting a Syrian refugee camp) accused European countries of neglecting their responsibilities to the humanitarian crisis triggered by the five-year civil war in Syria
Animal control officers took a novel approach to rooster catching in New Zealand after they fed thirteen rogue roosters whiskey to bring them under control.

The gang of birds had been reported to authorities by people living close to a park in Westport, on the South Island's West Coast, where the birds had taken up residence and were annoying them with their early morning crowing.

But after initial attempts to capture them failed, animal control officers resorted to unorthodox methods, according to Stuff.co.nz.

Thirteen rouge roosters in Westport, New Zealand, have been captured after authorities fed them whiskey and got them drunk in order to catch them (stock image)

An animal control officer sacrificed some of his own finest Kentucky whiskey and laced some barley with it (stock image)

Mayor for the region, Garry Howard, said the birds had taken a liking to a tree and would just go higher up when attempts were made to capture them(stock image)

Mayor of the region, Garry Howard, said the birds had been 'strutting their stuff' after being dumped in the Westport Domain.

'Three renegade roosters took a liking to a magnolia tree across from the domain in a residential area and our animal control staff were forced to climb the tree but it hasn't worked, the roosters are just going higher,' he told Stuff.

So animal control staff set up a cage at the bottom of the tree, but it was stolen.

'We asked Mr Google about how to catch roosters and he came up with the idea to give them a bit of whiskey. Our animal control officer sacrificed some of his own finest Kentucky whiskey and we have laced some barley with it and we are getting results,' Mr Howard said.

The technique resulted in the capture of all but one of the falling-down drunk roosters.

However, Mr Howard was confident the 'rebel rooster' would be caught.

As for the others, some had gone to a 'heavenly' home and some had been re-homed in a rural area.

The technique resulted in the capture of all but one of the falling-down drunk roosters (stock image)

Mr Howard, said the birds had been 'strutting their stuff' after being dumped in the Westport Domain (stock image)
Police have raided homes in Melbourne's north and north-west linked to the five men who were charged over an alleged plot to sail to Indonesia before heading to Syria to join Islamic State.

Counter-terrorism police have carried out 'a number of warrants' as part of Operation Middleham.

'This operational activity is not linked to any increased threat or danger to the community,' a Victoria Police spokesman said.

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Police have raided homes in Melbourne's north and north-west linked to the five men who were charged over a alleged plot to join Islamic State. Above is a police officer at a home in West Footscray

Police at a West Footscray home, where one of the men's mothers live, were seen looking in tin sheds, 9News reported.

One neighbour said police had been at the house last week.

Another resident Gordana Zivanovac told the ABC a 'very nice family' lived in the house that was raided.

'The boys, everyone, very nice. They always say hello,' she said.

'I'm sorry for the mother.'

The raids come just days after five men were charged with allegedly planning to get to Indonesia in a small fishing boat so they could join Islamic State in Syria.

Counter-terrorism police are carrying out 'a number of warrants' as part of Operation Middleham - the investigation looking into the men who allegedly tried to sail to Indonesia in a boat before heading to Syria

The men, including Islamic preacher Musa Cerantonio, were arrested near Cairns on Tuesday towing a seven-metre fishing boat en route to Cape York in far North Queensland from Melbourne

The men, including Islamic preacher Musa Cerantonio, were arrested near Cairns on Tuesday towing a seven-metre fishing boat en route to Cape York in far North Queensland from Melbourne.

Two other men were Shayden Thorne, brother of well-known Islamic preacher Junaid Thorne, and Kadir Kaya.

The group face a maximum penalty of life in jail if found guilty.

Police said they were unable to comment any further as the matter was before court.

A Facebook page, with more than 600 followers, has been set up to get donations for 'legal fees' to release the five men 'from the shackles of the unbelievers'.

One of the men were seen near the boat before they were caught. A Facebook page, with more than 600 followers, has been set up to get donations for 'legal fees' to release the five men

The group appeared to act casual as they refueled and bought items from a roadhouse before they were arrested

The video footage obtained by 7 News shows Mr Cerantonio (right) allegedly leading Mr Kaya and Mr Thorne on the first leg of their mission from Melbourne to Cape York

The five, who are all from Melbourne and include Islamic preacher Musa Cerantonio, were arrested near Cairns last Tuesday towing the seven-metre vessel en route to the tip of Cape York.

They allegedly planned to go by boat to Indonesia and then on to Syria.

Over the weekend, the five were charged with making preparations for incursions into foreign countries to engage in hostile activities.

They face a maximum penalty of life in jail if found guilty.

The men appeared before the Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday where Australian Federal Police successfully applied for their extradition to Victoria.

The group is expected to appear before a Melbourne magistrate on Thursday.

The Brothers Behind Bars page calls on donations to pay for food and rent for the men's family and says details of a bank account will be available next week.

'We need not emphasize on the importance of showing your support and solidarity to these brothers and their families,' one post says.
The husband of a pregnant woman who died in a car crash while on her way to give birth survived with all of his limbs shattered - and is now recovering while the baby girl's condition continues to improve.

Matt Rider, 34, was driving his wife Sarah Iler, 26, on the Interstate 55 in the direction of the hospital as she was about to give birth last week.

Rider is not the child's biological father but wrote on Facebook that he couldn't wait to welcome the little girl, and Iler was extremely excited to become a mother according to a Go Fund Me set up for the family.

But a tanker truck crashed into a Nissan SUV, which in turn hit the couple's vehicle, a red Chevrolet Blazer.

The tanker truck then crashed into the Chevrolet, which overturned, throwing Rider and Iler - and killing the mother-to-be on impact.

Sarah Iler (left), 26, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, died in a car crash on the I-55 on Wednesday morning while on her way to give birth. Her daughter Maddyson (right) was born shortly after

Iler's husband Matt Rider (pictured), 34, was driving her to the hospital when the crash happened. He survived with fractures to all of his limbs (right) and some of his ribs

Iler was already dilated and one day past her due date at the time of the crash.

Rescuers gave her CPR to save her little girl and doctors later delivered the baby during an emergency C-section, the Southeast Missourian reported.

Iler's daughter, Maddyson, was born weighing four pounds and 15 ounces and was initially in critical condition.

Doctors first put her on a ventilator but she has now started breathing on her own.

Maddyson also opened her eyes and grabbed a nurse's finger.

She was taken off the cooling blanket, a device used to protect newborns who were deprived of oxygen during birth against brain damage.

The little girl continues to make small improvements while the family wait for the results of her MRI, according to an update posted on the Go Fund Me page.

Doctors previously said Maddyson could suffer from long-term brain and lung damage - but it was too early to determine exactly how she could be affected.

Rider had several surgeries, a couple of hours apart from one another, after the crash. He has now left the ICU and has spoken to Maddyson on the phone, but hadn't seen her as of Thursday

Even though he isn't Maddyson's biological father, Rider (pictured left with Iler and right in a Facebook shot) had written recently that he couldn't wait to welcome the baby

A tanker truck crashed into a Nissan SUV, which in turn hit the couple's vehicle, a red Chevrolet Blazer, around 8:04am on the I-55 near the Diversion Channel bridge (file picture)

Meanwhile, Rider, who had recently reconciled with Iler after being estranged for a time, is recovering too.

He survived the crash with fractures to all of his limbs and some of his ribs.

Rider has been transferred to a hospital in Saint Louis and had several surgeries a couple of hours apart from one another, his friend Shannon Keys said in a Facebook update.

He hadn't seen Maddyson as of Thursday.

Iler's two sisters and their mother told the Southeast Missourian they did not know yet who would take care of the little girl.

Kasandra, one of Iler's sisters, said they hadn't visited Rider in the hospital in St Louis and had kept in touch via pictures instead.

Maddyson was born at the Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, about 115 miles away.

Rider, who has struggled to come to terms with the loss of his wife according to Keys, got out of the ICU and has spoken to Maddyson on the phone.

Rider wrote on Facebook last month that he couldn't wait to welcome Maddyson even though he wasn't her biological father.

'I thank God for Sarah every day,' he added in his post.

Iler, who once worked as a cashier at Taco Bell, did not have life insurance according to her family.

'The thought never once entered my head that that baby might die,' Kasandra told the Southeast Missourian.

'I felt my sister gave her life to save this baby. That's how God wanted it. We've been calling her our little miracle.'

Iler (pictured along with her pregnant belly in two shots shared by Rider on Facebook) died on impact but rescuers gave her CPR to save her baby. Doctors performed an emergency C-section to deliver Maddyson
Labor leader Bill Shorten got more than he bargained for when a woman in a wheelchair manhandled him and placed a smacking kiss on the lips.

The opposition leader met the locals of Adelaide during his federal election campaign as he walked through the city streets on Tuesday.

And among them was Margo Carey who gave him a brief talking-to about tram access for people with a disability before demanding a smooch from the politician.

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Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is kissed by Margo Carey as part of the 2016 election campaign in Adelaide

'Come on a proper kiss,' Ms Carey said.

As Mr Shorten leaned in to give the woman a peck on the cheek, Ms Carey grabbed and pulled him closer and planted a big kiss on the lips.

'Good on you Margo,' a blushing Mr Shorten said.

When asked why she wanted a kiss from Mr Shorten, the 49-year-old woman said: 'Because I'm an attention seeker'.

The cheeky encounter comes just one day after Mr Shorten's campaign bus broke down, leaving Hastings River Drive in Port Macquarie banked up for a couple of kilometres with traffic.

The Labor leader got more than he bargained for when an Adelaide woman manhandled him on Tuesday
One of two brothers who were charged with murder in the presumed killing of a missing Washington state couple has been taken into custody.

Snohomish County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Shari Ireton says 49-year-old Tony Clyde Reed crossed into the United States from Mexico and was arrested Monday by US Marshals in San Diego.

Ireton said the whereabouts of Reed's brother, 53-year-old John Blaine Reed, remain unknown.

Surveillance video linked the Reed brothers to the dumping of the couple's cars over an embankment north of Seattle, according to police.

Tony Reed, 49, (left) was arrested on Monday after he crossed into the US from Mexico and turned himself in, but the whereabouts of his brother John Reed, 53, (right) remain unknown. The Reed brothers were charged with murder in the presumed killing of a missing Washington state couple

Investigators believe he fled with his brother to Ellensburg and then Mexico after killing Patrick Shunn, 45, and his wife, Monique Patenaude, 46, according to the Seattle Times.

Neighbors reported Shunn and Patenaude, missing in April when their livestock was left unattended.

John Reed, who remains at large, lived next to the couple.

The Sheriffs Office continues to seek tips on his whereabouts, Ireton wrote in a news release late Monday.

No bodies have been found and crews over the weekend continued searching rough ground in the Oso area, where the couple's cars were found, according to Ireton.

Investigators believe Tony Reed fled with his brother to Ellensburg and then Mexico after killing Patrick Shunn, 45, and his wife, Monique Patenaude, 46 (pictured). Neighbors reported Shunn and Patenaude missing on April 12 when their livestock was left unattended

The couple's vehicles were found on April 14 after being dumped over an embankment. Police believe the two are dead but no bodies have been found and crews over the weekend continued searching rough ground in the Oso area

Earlier this month the two brothers were spotted in Mexico.

Search warrant records filed on May 2 by sheriff's investigators in Snohomish County Superior Court said several sightings of the Reed brothers in Mexico were reported as recently as April 21, the Seattle Times reported.

Records also showed investigators got a warrant for data for an iPhone used to make two unanswered calls on April 17 to a friend of the brothers in Phoenix.

The calls were made to the friend, described in records as a former Arlington, Washington, resident, after the Reeds 'fled his place' on their way to Mexico.

The friend, who hasn't been charged with any crimes, allegedly gave the brothers $500 cash and an Acura.

In April investigators questioned a woman who lived with Tony Reed in Ellensburg, Washington, who couldn't find her iPhone.

Investigators said that her phone was used by the brothers and that data from it could help lead them to the Reeds by tracking their movements.

The documents did not give details of the sightings in Mexico.

The couple's wrecked cars were found in woods about four miles from their home

This satellite image shows the homes of the missing couple and John Reed, who remains at large. Police continue to seek tips on his whereabouts. Earlier this month the Reed brothers were reportedly spotted in Mexico, according to officials

The couple's vehicles were found on April 14 after being dumped over an embankment.

Detectives concluded the couple had been killed after they searched the vehicles and the home where John Reed recently lived.

Records filed earlier this month include court orders freezing bank accounts of the brothers' parents, whom authorities say were given at least $96,000 in cashier's checks by John Reed.

Recently obtained warrants allow investigators to search wells and other areas of the missing couple's property and Reed's former land. Investigators have received approval to search another neighbor's property where detectives previously recovered a shotgun and all-terrain vehicle apparently left by John Reed.

Another warrant allows detectives to recover evidence from the ATV that authorities say the brothers may have used when disposing the couple's bodies.
Donald Trump has closed to within 3 percentage points of Hillary Clinton in a new national tracking poll from NBC News, gaining 2 points on her in the past week.

Trump has already closed to within the margin of error in a Reuters poll, trailing her last in last Thursday's 5-day rolling average by just 1.2 percentage points.

In the NBC News weekly tracking poll, conducted online by the SurveyMonkey company, Trump and Clinton hold strong command of their bases. But The billionaire Republican has a strong 8-point advantage among self-described 'independent' voters.

Those voters, the unwashed middle of the nation's political bell curve, will be the most sought-after and most heavily targeted in the general election, with both sides trying to capture their attention and win their loyalty  especially in the crucial swing states where either Clinton or Trump could prevail.

Unlike in past election cycles, however, 'independent' voters and 'moderate' voters don't overlap neatly.

RIGHT WHERE HE WANTS HER: Donald Trump is closing in on Hillary Clinton, narrowing her lead to just 3 points nationally in a new online NBC News poll

CRUCIAL MIDDLE: Independent voters, those who identify neither as Republicans nor as Democrats, will be a crucial battleground in November's tug-of-war, and Trump is winning them by 8 points

ALL ABOUT THAT BASE: Hillary Clinton is winning with women, blacks, Hispanics, poor voters and college graduates

Clinton is beating Trump handily among self-described 'moderates,' by a 53-39 gap.

That suggests that 'independent' voters this year are spread all across the political spectrum and not confined to that group who are torn between opposing political poles.

Instead they appear to be a more ideologically diverse group, and their strong preference for Trump suggests that there may be a rich vein of right-leaning 'independents' who aren't firmly in the Republican fold  perhaps because they're not frequent voters  but are now warming to his message.

In other news sure to buoy Team Trump, the BNC News poll found Republican voters trust him more than House Speaker Paul Ryan to lead the GOP.

The size of that margin, a 58-39 spread, will give Trump new leverage as he tries to persuade moderate Republicans to fall in line behind him.

That group favors Trump over Ryan, as do the segments of the party that are more conservative.

READY FOR HIS CLOSE-UP: The polling results come against a backdrop of national anticipation as Fox prepares to air a prime-time interview with Fox News Channel host Megyn Kelly that could set the news agenda for weeks

Ryan, the Republicans' vice presidential nominee in 2012, has said he is not yet ready to endorse Trump or embrace his policy goals. The two men met in Washington last Thursday.

In the general election matchup, Clinton is head-and-shoulders above Trump with blacks and Hispanics, leading him with those groups by 75 and 37 per cent, respectively.

Trump is winning among white voters by 14 points, however, a number large enough to cancel out his deficit among the smaller numbers of minority ballot-casters.

Gender appears to be even more crucial than race in the polling numbers, however.

Clinton is leading Trump by 15 points among women. Trump's 11 point edge among men isn't enough to erase it.

That same four-percent gap between the Democratic edge with women and the Republican advantage with men played out in the 2012 presidential election, with Barack Obama occupying the same position Clinton is in today  and winning.

Clinton also leads Trump among college-educated voters and those from the poorest households.

Trump outperforms her among less-educated groups, and in households that earn more.

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN? Republican and Republican-leaning voters told SurveyMonkey that they trust Donald Trump far more than Paul Ryan to be the head of the GOP

HE'S STILL THIRD IN LINE TO THE OVAL OFFICE: Ryan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, has met iwth Trump but hasn't warmed to him enough to deliver an endorsement

The NBC News/SurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll sampled the opinions of 14,100 adults who fill out surveys on the online platform. Of that group, 12,507 of them said they are registered to vote.

While SurveyMonkey says it has access to a pool of nearly 3 million Americans, it may not be a representative sample of American voters since less than 1 per cent of the nation's population has any chance at all of being surveyed.

SurveyMonkey itself reports that 'the biggest challenge of non-probability sampling is recreating the same kind of non-biased results that probability sampling gives you.'
Teacher Robert Pimentel was jailed for 10 years for molesting four girls

The families of 30 children sexually assaulted by two pedophile elementary school teachers have reached an $88million settlement with a Los Angeles school district.

Eighteen students at De La Torre Elementary School in Wilmington settled for $58million while 12 at Telfair Avenue Elementary in Pacoima will be paid $30million.

They were molested by veteran teachers Robert Pimentel at De La Torre or Paul Chapel at Telfair Avenue, with some of the children in third and fourth grade at the time of the sickening abuse.

A lawsuit brought by the parents of the abused children claimed Los Angeles Unified School District initially did not take complaints about the teachers seriously enough.

The families of 30 children sexually assaulted by pedophile elementary school teachers Robert Pimentel (left) and Paul Chapel (right) have reached an $88million settlement with a Los Angeles Unified School District

Pimentel, 60, was jailed for 12 years in 2014 after he was convicted of four counts of committing a lewd act on a child.

He was accused of molesting 10 girls under the age of 14 in 2011 and 2012 but was sentenced on the lesser charges after accepting a plea deal.

Three of the girls he abused were his students - of which at least one was in his fourth-grade class - and the other was a child he knew outside of school.

Harrowing victim statements read to a court during his sentencing revealed how the girls felt 'embarrassed' by the abuse and that they felt they had lost their innocence to a man who was supposed to protect them.

Pimentel had been teaching for 38 years before he was removed from the classroom in 2012.

The school's principal was taken out of the school after his arrest following complaints about how the case had been handled.

Chapel, 55, was jailed for 25 years in 2012 after his conviction for sexually abusing 13 eight-year-old students.

The twisted teacher molested the children in his classroom, forcing the third-graders to sit on his lap as he fondled and kissed them.

Eighteen students molested at De La Torre Elementary School (pictured) in Wilmington settled for $58million

A total of 12 former students at Telfair Avenue Elementary School (pictured) in Pacoima will be paid $30million

Chapel's horrific abuse went on for five years, from 2006 to 2011, before he was caught that year.

But it was not until 2012 that some of the parents were told their children had been sexually assaulted - and they only did so then after reporters began investigating abuse at schools in Los Angeles.

School district officials repeatedly ignored claims that Chapel was behaving inappropriately around children, according to court documents.

It was also alleged that he was allowed to remain in the classroom for six weeks after the first reports of abuse were made by a parent.

Teacher Mark Berndt was jailed for 25 years for blindfolding students and spoon-feeding them cookies laced with his semen

It later emerged that he had earlier quit his role at a private school after allegedly making lewd comments during a sex education class.

He was also tried for another alleged molestation charge in 1997 in which he was accused of abusing an eight-year-old who was staying at his home.

The case was dropped after a lack of physical evidence, with no proof other than the child's testimony.

Pimentel and Chapel's convictions were not connected, however they were settled at the same time because the parents were represented by the same law firm.

The families will receive about $3million apiece from the settlement.

'These historic settlements occurred because of overwhelming evidence that the district ignored warnings, employee reports and parent complaints that both of these horrible men were molesting dozens of children in the classroom,' the parents' attorneys said.

'These reports made their way to the highest levels of district leadership where they were either ignored entirely or actively suppressed and the predators allowed to remain in the classroom.'

Gregory McNair, an attorney with the school district, said the settlement was finalized over the weekend.

'We're glad that we're able to resolve both of these cases so we can avoid potentially painful litigation and put these cases behind us,' Mr McNair told the Los Angeles Times.

'We're turning a corner here because we've resolved the last two very large cases that were involving the district.'

The school and district officials named in the lawsuit have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Creepy: Berndt (pictured with school children), 65, was fired and officials then paid him $40,000 to drop his appeal - a move that was heavily criticized

The teacher at Miramonte Elementary School (pictured) in Los Angeles ruined the lives of the young children, with some so traumatized that they were no longer able to socialize and refused to eat anything sweet

Both cases came to light in the aftermath of the case of Mark Berndt, who was jailed for 25 years for blindfolding students and spoon-feeding them cookies laced with his semen.

The teacher at Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles ruined the lives of the young children, with some so traumatized that they were no longer able to socialize and refused to eat anything sweet.

The allegations against him came to light in 2011 when a drugstore photo technician noticed dozens of photos of blindfolded third-graders and reported them to the police.

Berndt, 65, was fired and officials then paid him $40,000 to drop his appeal - a move that was heavily criticized.

After his arrest, the school district temporarily removed all 76 of the school's teachers, along with staff and administrators. A total of 43 were re-hired when the school re-opened.

Complaints were made about Berndt in the 1990s but these were allegedly ignored by school district officials.
A cyclist has been hospitalised with head injuries after he was struck by oncoming traffic while fleeing police.

Police saw the man in Melbourne's Coburg at 8am on Tuesday morning and approached him over outstanding warrants, but he took off into traffic on his bicycle, when he was struck by a red hatchback.

Images from the crash scene show the mangled bicycle strewn on the footpath alongside the red hatchback.

A spokesperson from Royal Melbourne Hospital told Daily Mail Australia the man is under police guard in a stable condition with minor injuries.

A cyclist who was approached by police had taken off into oncoming traffic when he was struck by a red hatchback (pictured)

Witnesses from the scene of the crash say the man was moving but was bleeding from injuries on his arm, reports Herald Sun.

'I saw a guy lying on the floorHe was still moving, but he was bleeding. He had gashes on his arms, ' said Ali Taleb.

Another witness, Dino Spourgitis, said the car which hit him was seriously damaged in the accident,according to The Age.

'He went into the windscreen, the fender was dented in and the glass shattered,'

Victoria Police said that Professional Standards Command has been notified as per standard procedure.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

The man was approached by officers on the corner of Spry St and Sydney Rd (pictured) in Melbourne's Coburg
Coles has been accused of 'hypocrisy' by launching a more expensive range of milk to support struggling farmers but leaving its cut price cartons on shelves for shoppers to choose between.

The supermarket announced on Tuesday it would introduce its new products to stores in August, with an extra 20 cents per litre sold to go towards a 'fighting' fund for the flailing dairy industry.

It will continue to sell its $2 2litre cartons, leaving the choice up to customers whether or not to buy from the more expensive range.

Critics slammed the supermarket, which sparked a price war with Woolworths in 2011 by launching their budget dairy products, accusing it of passing the back to price-conscious shoppers when it came to supporting farmers.

Coles are giving shoppers a choice between its budget milk range and a new, more expensive home brand of the same quality that will finance a fund to support for struggling dairy farmers

Peter Strong from the Council of Small Business said the move would cost customers more and the chain nothing extra, slamming the fund as 'hypocritical'.

'This is such hypocrisy and it's not costing them any money at all,' he told the ABC, recalling how it reduced its prices in 2011.

'In Australia the fragility of the sector has come from Coles and Woolworths and what they've done to the sector,' he added.

Coles refused to comment on claims it was passing the buck to shoppers to decide whether or not to support the dairy industry.

Admitting that the price of the new range had not yet been established, the supermarket insisted it would not reap any profits from increased prices.

'We will continue to offer Coles Brand milk at $2 for 2 litres alongside the new brand to offer our customers a choice.

'This is the model we have used in South Australia and Western Australia, where the SADA Fresh and WA Farmers First brands have been extremely successful in raising funds to support the dairy,' a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

The supermarket giant have pledged to donate 20 cents per litre plus any profits to struggling dairy farmers

This comes five years after the Westfarmer owned chain slashed the price of its milk to $1-a-litre, launching a 'price war' between it and rival Woolworths. Above an advertisement for a $2 two litre carton in 2011

The amount farmers receive for their milk varies across the country by state, with those in Victoria earning the least at 47c per litre in 2015.

Consumers were quick to criticise the chain's attempts to bail out farmers, with many taking to social media to claim why it did not pay farmers more in the first place.

'Does anyone else see the irony of Coles selling new milk line to help dairy farmers?' one man asked.

'Wouldn't it be easier to pay a realistic price for milk products in the first place?' said another drawing attention to the supermarket chain's $1-a-litre range.

The new range has not yet been named or branded, but the contents of the carton will not differ from that currently sold under the Coles home brand label, which will remain on shelves.

Social media users labelled the move as 'ironic' following efforts to slash the price of milk in previous years

John Durkan, Coles managing director, said in a statement that the chain was focused on helping sustain the dairy industry amid a global down-turn in demand for milk.

Mr Durkan said he hoped the initiative would be up and running sooner rather than later so farmers could start reaping the financial benefits.

'It's important that we have a vibrant dairy farming sector, and we can only have that if we work together to ensure the long term health of the industry,' Mr Durkan said.

According to The Australian, Coles makes around 34 cents a litre on its home brand milk products.

The new range has not yet been named or branded, but the contents of the carton will not differ from that currently sold under the Coles home brand label

Coles reportedly makes around 34 cents a litre on its home brand milk products and would continue to benefit from lower farm gate prices, despite its efforts to 'support' the dairy industry through its new brand in the current global downturn

Simone Jolliffe, Australian Dairy Farmers president, said she would welcome 'revisitation' on milk pricing but remains cautiously optimistic about Coles' offer.

'We need to fully understand the details around what Coles is offering. We're certainly keen to hear what that is and how it's going to help farmers,' she told Perth Now.

President of Farmer Power Chris Gleeson said if each shopper were to pay an extra $50 per year on milk, the dairy industry 'crisis' would be solved.

Farmers Brendan and Melissa Scott, along with their 16-year-old daughter Chloe, from rural Victoria, have been left on the brink of collapse under the weight of increasing debts from milk payment contract with Fonterra.

'Right now I am doubtful whether I will be able to continue to attend school, whether we go bankrupt or even be able to live life normally,' Chloe said (Pictured: the Scott's dairy farm)

Farmers Brendan and Melissa Scott, along with their 16-year-old daughter Chloe (pictured), from rural Victoria, have been left on the brink of collapse under the weight of increasing debts from contract with Fonterra

Simone Jolliffe, Australian Dairy Farmers president, said she would welcome 'revisitation' on milk pricing but remains cautiously optimistic about Coles' offer

In the wake of a global price crash, hundreds of farmers are being forced to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars because their milk did not sell at the price it was bought for by processors.

THE MILK PRICE WAR Murray Goulburn co-operative was formed in 1950 and is Australias biggest dairy producer with 2600 dairy farmers NZ-based Fonterra was founded in 2001 and is the worlds largest dairy exporter and has 1200 Australian dairy farmers April 27 Murray Goulburn (MG) downgrades profit forecast $39-42million down from $63m in February MG price for milk solids cut from $5.60 a kilogram to $4.75-$5 after overestimating value. The lower price is backdated to 2015 meaning farmers had to pay back the overpayments MG listed units price crashes from $2.14 to $1.24. May 5 Fonterra also slashes gate prices from $5.60 per kg to $5 May 16 Class action launched against Murray Goulburn alleging investors were misled Lobby group Farmer Power calls for 50 cent dairy levy to be passed onto farmers May 17 Fonterra announces partial about-face with plans to increase payments for milk supplied in May/June MG unit price falls again to historic low of 85 cents Advertisement

'I am only 16 years old and have grown up on a dairy farm my entire life, but the massive cuts to milk prices - slashed by 10 per cent and more - have had significant and horrible impact on finances and our lives,' Chloe told Daily Mail Australia.

'Right now I am doubtful whether I will be able to continue to attend school, whether we go bankrupt or even be able to live life normally.'

The Scotts, like many other dairy farmers, have been forced to cut their herd, brining numbers down from 170 to just 48.

The 16-year-old has taken her family's plight to Canberra politicians through a petition calling for the government to intervene in the milk pricing crisis which threatens to bankrupt their business

Murray Goulburn, Australia's biggest dairy supplier, has faced criticism after slashing the price it pays farmers for milk from $5.60/kg to between $4.75 and $5 last month.Its competitor Fonterra shortly followed suit, sparking outcry among farmers in Victoria - the worst hit state.

Both companies are being investigated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission agricultural committee for the cuts which were prompted when Chinese markets failed to take in as much milk as forecast.

Now farmers are being asked to pay retrospective debt, with the distributors claiming they are owed money from earlier in the financial year when prices were higher.

The Project's Waleed Aly asked viewers to support farmers by eating more cheese. 'This may be the greatest call to arms I have ever made. Eat more cheese!
Iran is accusing Kim Kardashian of being a secret agent - and she need do is post her selfies.

The Muslim country's agency charged with protecting its women and young people from the ravaging influences of Western culture, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp, has targeted the reality show star for her provocative selfies, reports Vanity Fair.

'Ms. Kim Kardashian is a popular fashion model so Instagrams CEO tells her, Make this native, the agency's spokesman, Mostafa Alizadeh, announced on an Iranian news program. 'There is no doubt that financial support is involved as well. We are taking this very seriously.'

Kim Kardashian is known for her provocative selfies on Instagram and they have drawn the attention of the Iranian regime

Kim Kardashian, known for her erotic Instagram selfies, is the subject of an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp report on her ploy to corrupt Iranian youth

Kim Kardashian, above, is the queen of Instagram selfies, and Iran isn't happy about it, accusing her of negatively influencing their young

The original selfie taker, Kim Kardashian, is being accused of nefariously influencing the young people of Iran

According to Vanity Fair, the agency claims Kardashian works for Instagram in a conspiracy 'target[ing] young people and women' and influencing them to shed their Muslim values by posting their own selfies on the popular photo sharing network.

Iran has begun to crack down on locals who post glam shots to social networks as well.

The Revolutionary Guards say they have warned 170 individuals, 29 of whom are being targeted for prosecution as part of 'Operation Spider 2', reports the magazine.

The agency accuses those accounts of 'promoting a culture of promiscuity, weakening and rejecting the institution of family, ridiculing religious values and beliefs, promoting relationships outside moral rules, and publishing the private pictures of young women.'

Some models, such as married couple Elnaz Golrokh (left) and Hamid Fadaei (right), have fled the country to avoid prosecution.

Model Elnaz Golrokh reportedly fled Iran as they began to crack down on glamorous but 'immoral' selfie-takers

Male model Hamid Fadaei (above), who is married to model Elnaz Golrokh, was reportedly arrested - he now lives in Dubai

Police have arrested eight models in a new crackdown targeting 'un-Islamic acts' such as women exposing their hair.

One famous beauty, Elham Arab, known for her wedding-dress portraits, was interrogated on camera at the Iranian Revolutionary Court with her blonde hair hidden under a black chador.

She was charged with 'promoting western promiscuity' and forced to give public 'self-criticism.'

Some of the Instagram posters have fled the country.

Prosecutor Javad Babaei accused models of 'making and spreading immoral and un-Islamic culture and promiscuity' during an address on state television on Sunday (pictured, Niloofar Behboudi)

Elham Arab (right) was interrogated on camera at the Iranian Revolutionary Court with her blonde hair hidden under a black chador (left)

One model and makeup artist, Elnaz Golrokh, posts beautifully filtered selfies of her new life in Dubai and advertises protein supplements, Daniel Wellington watches, and beauty products. She has 638,000 followers.

Golrokh is married to male model Hamid Fadaei, who also reportedly ran from the selfie-hating regime and now lives it up in Dubai. He has 201,000 followers and also hawks Daniel Wellington watches.
A woman who once worked as the head of construction at Trump Tower in New York bashed The Donald's attitude towards women on Monday - and said he didn't have what it takes to be president.

Barbara Res, whom Trump hired in the 1980s, told the New York Times the billionaire had the wrong temperament for the position.

She described how she saw him change as his success grew, saying he became 'very full of himself' and began acting like a different person.

'I couldn't imagine him ever doing a job where he would be beholden not to one person but 300 million,' she said. 'I think he thinks he's going to be king.'

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Barbara Res (pictured during a CNN interview last week), who once worked as the head of construction at Trump Tower in New York, told the New York Times the billionaire had the wrong temperament to be president

Res told the BBC last week she would 'certainly not' vote for Trump and called him a 'very angry man' on CNN.

She told the New York Times Trump appeared to be under the impression that the position of president would grant him more power than it actually does.

'I don't see him getting away with all these things that he says he's going to do,' she said according to The Hill. 'This is not a monarchy; it's a democracy.

'I don't think he has the temperament necessarily for this kind of work,' she added. 'He's not necessarily, in my mind, presidential material.'

The New York Times ran a long story last week detailing Trump's questionable behavior towards women over the years.

'He is a lot more complicated than the cartoon character. The top people in his company were women, like Barbara Res,' architect Alan Lapidus told the newspaper.

'For any company to hire a woman as chief of construction was actually startling. I dont know of a single other developer who had a woman in that position.

'Thats why, in spite of the comments he makes now  and God knows why he says these things  when he was building his empire, the backbone was women.'

Trump hit back on Twitter, calling Res 'nasty' and implying she was ungrateful. He has boasted about being one of the first in the construction industry to hire women - without mentioning Res by name

Res told the New York Times Trump used to act more respectfully towards women and treated her like his male employees, but that his attitude changed later on

'He was very full of himself and overwhelmed by his own success, and he was phenomenally successful at that time. ... He was just a different person,' Res (pictured far right) said on Monday

Res, who supports Hillary Clinton, said during her interview on Monday that she was 'very surprised' to hear Trump's recent remarks about women.

The likely GOP nominee hit back at Res on Twitter on Monday, calling her 'nasty' and saying she was ungrateful.

'I gave a woman named Barbara Res a top NY construction job, when that was unheard of, and now she is nasty. So much for a nice thank you!' the billionaire tweeted.

He added in a second message: 'What Barbara Res does not say is that she would call my company endlessly, and for years, trying to come back. I said no.'

Trump has also dismissed the Times article as a 'hit piece'.

Trump has boasted in the past about being one of the first in the construction industry to hire women - without mentioning Res by name.

She told the New York Times he used to act more respectfully towards women and treated her like his male employees.

But that his attitude changed after she left, she added.

'He was a different guy. He was a celebrity; he was big-time. He never went anywhere without a bodyguard,' Res said. 'He was very full of himself and overwhelmed by his own success, and he was phenomenally successful at that time. ... He was just a different person.'
Donald Trump today called Tony Blair's decision to invade Iraq a 'disaster' and said prime ministers would get more respect if they stood up to US presidents.

The billionaire politician used Mr Blair's relationship with George W Bush to claim Britain's leaders have spent too much time pleasing Washington rather than 'working for the people'.

Mr Trump also said Tony Blair should be worried about the publication of the Chilcot Inquiry report next month because he 'did a 'terrible job'.

He told Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain: 'It can only be a disaster. You shouldn't have come in. But you did'.

Controversial: The Republican nominee called Tony Blair's decision to invade Iraq was a 'disaster', adding: 'Your country shouldn't have gone in. But you did'

Too close: Trump believes that Mr Blair put his relationship With George W Bush above the interests of the British people

Fighting back: Lord Sugar accused Trump of talking 'garbage' about him - and said he was doing the same to the America people to become president

When asked if Mr Blair should be tried for war crimes he said: 'I don't see it as war crimes but he will go down in history as someone who did a terrible job.

'Small time': Mr Trump said he chose Lord Sugar to host the Apprentice in the UK but he probably wasn't rich or successful enough

'This was truly a bad decision, probably his worst decision. But you folk were brought into it, I don't know why you were allowed to be. You guys got involved like we did and now look it it'.

Today he also decided to blast Lord Sugar, who hosts the UK version of his Apprentice show but has been highly critical of the Republican's campaign to be president.

Trump said: 'He's small time. Don't forget he that Sugar works for me. Every time he makes money from that show he pays me'.

The billionaire suggested that Lord Sugar probably wasn't rich or successful enough to host the show.

He said: 'When we first chose him he was so low on the economic scale he didn't even fit the role. He was a very low level person'.

Lord Sugar fought back today and said: 'Loads of people at BBC know that @realDonaldTrump was talking garbage on @GMB to @piersmorgan. He also spouts garbage to USA electorate'.

Mr Trump also denied claims that he saw Princess Diana as the 'ultimate trophy wife' and 'bombarded' her with flowers following the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles.

Broadcaster Selina Scott said last year the billionaire businessman pursued the Princess of Wales to the point of 'stalking' in the mistaken belief he 'had a shot' with her.

He said: 'It was totally false - so false. I met her once in New York.

'I did respect her but no interest from that standpoint. But I did meet her once and I thought she was lovely'.

When Piers Morgan asked how much money Trump had, following scrutiny over his finances, Trump said: 'If you look at the financial it's way over $10billion, which is a damn good job.'

Denial: Trump denied claims he saw Princess Diana (pictured left with William) as the ultimate trophy wife and bombarded her with flowers

Angry: Donald Trump told Piers Morgan yesterday that London Mayor Sadiq Khan is 'ignorant' and said he should take an IQ test

His comments came a day after he called London Mayor Sadiq Khan 'ignorant' and in need of an IQ test because he criticised his proposal to ban Muslims from entering America.

Hitting back: Sadiq Khanm pictired today, was on GMB this morning and invited Trump to visit London and meet his family

He also admitted that he is unlikely to have a 'very good relationship' with David Cameron and said Mr Cameron's anger at his immigration policy was proof 'he's not willing to address the problem either'.

Mr Khan was on Good Morning Britain this morning and said again: 'With the greatest respect, your views on Islam are ignorant'.

He also invited him to visit London and meet his wife and two daughters.

He said: 'I invite Donald Trump to come to London: meet my wife and my daughters; meet my friends and my neighbours; meet Londoners... who are British, they are Londoners, they are Muslim...

'If I can educate the presumptive Republican presidential nominee about Islam, I'm happy to do so.'

David Cameron has also reiterated his criticism of Donald Trump as the maverick billionaire warned the row could damage Britain's special relationship with the United States.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister said yesterday: 'Mr Cameron continues to believe that preventing Muslims from entering the US is divisive, stupid and wrong.'

The spokesman said Mr Cameron would 'work with whoever is president of the United States'.

But he added: 'The Prime Minister has made his views on Donald Trump's comments very clear. He disagrees with them, and I haven't got anything further to add.'

Mr Cameron first criticised Mr Trump in December, when the tycoon called for 'a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States' to help counter terrorism.

But in his first public response to Mr Cameron's attack, the Republican presidential candidate said: 'It looks like we're not going to have a very good relationship. I hope to have a good relationship with him but it sounds like he's not willing to address the problem either.

'When I made that statement six months ago there was a clamour, but only by politicians.

'Millions of people were calling in, saying Donald Trump is right  people that live in Great Britain, people that live all over the world, were saying Donald Trump is right. We have a terrible problem with Islamic terrorism, the world is blowing up, and it is not people in Sweden doing the damage.'

Asked about Mr Cameron's criticism during the interview for Good Morning Britain on ITV yesterday, he denied being divisive, describing himself as 'a unifier'.

Trump rows back from his own claims he could have 'nailed' Lady Diana and says he had 'no interest' in wooing her

Donald Trump today denied he had any interest in wooing Princess Diana despite once claiming he could have 'nailed' her.

The billionaire has been accused of becoming infatuated with the royal after she split up with Prince Charles, believing he had a 'shot' at romancing her.

He also said she 'was crazy' but he 'could have slept with her' anyway.

During the 1990s, Trump was a regular guest on controversial DJ Howard Stern's radio show, where the pair would often discuss the attractiveness of women.

Outspoken: Remarks made by Donald Trump, left in 1991, on the Howard Stern show resurfaced this year - and when asked if he could have slept with Diana, right in 1990, he said he thinks he could have

Audio of one live radio interview, shock jock Howard Stern asked him 'People think it's egotistical of you to say you could've gotten with Lady Di?'

He went on: 'You could've gotten her, right? You could've nailed her', to which Trump replied: 'I think I could have'.

During that conversation, he told Stern he believes he could have slept with her and described her as having 'supermodel beauty.'

While in a different appearance on the show in 2000 he said she was crazy, but added they were 'minor details' and he still would have slept with her without hesitation.

He added: 'She had the height, she had the beauty, she had the skin.'

He also said that she had written to him to thank him for a 'favour' - but refused to say what that was.

Today he denied he had any romantic interest in her and denied there was any flirtation or affair.

He said: 'Totally false. It was so false. I liked her, I met her in New York once standing on the line and we were all shaking hands and that was the only time I ever met her.

'I read that story that I was calling her or something, it was so false. I could tell you so many stories that are so false. I did respect her but no interest from that standpoint. But I did meet her once and I thought she was lovely'.

'Bombarded': The then Princess of Wales is said to have confided in veteran broadcaster Selina Scott, telling her that Trump 'gives me the creeps'. She is pictured with Prince Charles and the couple's son William in 1983

British broadcaster Selina Scott said the billionaire businessman pursued the Princess of Wales to the point of 'stalking' in the mistaken belief he 'had a shot' with her.

But Miss Scott, 67, who has a long-running feud with Mr Trump, claimed he actually gave Diana 'the creeps'.

Writing in the Sunday Times, she said: 'He bombarded Diana at Kensington Palace with massive bouquets, each worth hundreds of pounds.

'Trump clearly saw Diana as the ultimate trophy wife. As the roses and orchids piled up at her apartment she became increasingly concerned about what she should do. It had begun to feel as if Trump was stalking her.

'When she died in the tragic accident in Paris in 1997 Trump told friends his biggest regret was that they hadn't dated. He said that he always thought he had a chance of romance and would have had a 'shot' with her.

However, Trump's spokesman said at the time that they liked each other a lot but nothing ever came of it.

Donald Trump reignites row with Lord Sugar after British businessman said he was like Hitler

Donald Trump's row with 'small time' rival Lord Sugar was sparked because the British businessman said he was the new Hitler.

Lord Sugar compared Trump to the Nazi leader because of his proposal to ban Muslims from America if he becomes president in November.

He said: 'Those pied piper messages of Donald compared to Hitler in the 1930s - I think you will see some similarities'.

War of words: Apprentice host Lord Sugar has been rowing with Donald Trump for years over politics and money

Today Trump responded with a string of insults about Sugar and his wealth.

He said: 'He's a small timer. Don't forget Sugar works for me. Everytime he makes money he pays me. I think he's doing a nice job, has he still got the show [The Apprentice] going, it's okay?

'I know he went to my club and he liked my food. When we first chose him he was so low on the economic scale that he didn't fit the role very well. I think he made more money on The Apprentice than he has.'

The men have been rowing for years despite their links to The Apprentice.

In 2012 Trump used Twitter to demand that the Government drop plans for a wind farm near one of his golf courses and Sugar replied: 'The Scottish don't want you!'

Trump then said: 'If you think ugly windmills are good for Scotland you are an even worse businessman than I thought and, in my opinion, should not be doing The Apprentice.'

He went on: 'Sugar  unlike you, I own The Apprentice. You were never successful enough to do The Apprentice but I approved you anyway. Without my show you'd be nothing!

'Keep working hard so I make plenty of $ with your show. You have little persona'.
Police say a black University of Iowa student lied about being the victim of a racially motivated beating and that he instigated at least one of several alcohol-fueled fights.

Marcus Owens told police that he was jumped by three white men in an alley on April 30 who hurled racist abuse at him and physically attacked him.

The 19-year-old said he suffered damage to his eye socket, a cut lip and chipped front teeth in the 'racially motivated' attack. Owens was later treated for his injuries at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

But police on Tuesday that they had evidence Owens, from Naperville, Illinois, had lied.

Marcus Owens told police that he was attacked April 30 by three white men who hurled racial slurs as they damaged his eye socket (right) and chipped his front teeth (left)

Investigators says they obtained surveillance video from the alleyway which showed the student had been the instigator of a fight which began inside a bar and continued outside.

Owens will not be charged, and police won't seek restitution to cover the cost of the investigation. He and his family issued an apology.

The alleged hate crime had stoked distrust among some minority students at Owen's college after he reported it earlier this month.

Students took to social media to express safety concerns and question why they learned about the alleged hate crime from a TV station, not the university.

University of Iowa officials had also condemned the assault and moved to offer support services to Owens and any other affected student.

But police said his report was false after investigators obtained surveillance video showing Owens had been the instigator of fights that started inside a bar and continued outside

The alleged hate crime had stoked safety concerns and distrust among some minority studentsat his school, the University of Iowa

University vice president for student life Tom Rocklin had said he was 'deeply concerned and saddened by the report that this was a hate crime' after Owens made the false report.

Three percent of the 32,000 students enrolled at Iowa were black as of last fall, university statistics show.

But a two-week investigation by Iowa City Police found the heavily intoxicated Owens had strated the fight at the the Eden Lounge, Chicago Tribune reports.

'It became clear at some point that the community, not Marcus, was the victim in this event and it was important to us to get the truth out there,' said Capt. Troy Kelsay,.

Owens's family apologized for the false statement, and any 'misundertsanding or anxiety stemming from Marcus's involvement in a violent incident.'

'Marcus Owens and the entire Owens family would like to issue their deepest apologies to Marcus's friends, the Iowa City community, the University of Iowa, and the Iowa City Police Department for the misunderstandings and anxiety stemming from Marcus's involvement in a violent incident in downtown Iowa City on May 1,' the letter said.

'Just as we have learned many life-changing lessons, we hope too that the community will continue to examine the many issues raised by this unfortunate incident.'
Police are hunting a masked assailant who repeatedly attacked a group of homeless people with Molotov cocktails.

The victims were staying at homeless refuge at Woolloomooloos Tom Uren Place when they were targeted in two separate incidents in February, police say.

Police have put out CCTV footage of the disturbing attacks which show one man running from the flames as they engulf his bedding at the refuge.

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Police are hunting a masked assailant who repeatedly threw Molotov cocktails at a group of sleeping homeless people

Police were called to the spot at 11pm on February 18 after reports that explosives were being thrown at the group.

At 1.10pm the following day, another Molotov cocktail was thrown at the same spot by a person wearing a mask. No one was hurt during either of the attacks.

Kings Cross police have released the CCTV footage in the hope that members of the local community may be able to assist in the identification of those depicted in the footage.

Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

CCTV footage of the disturbing attacks which show one man running as the flames from the explosive engulf his bedding
A 21-year-old man, who was left fighting for his life in hospital, has opened up about his terrifying ordeal of how he had to learn to eat and walk again after taking a psychedelic drug.

New Zealand man, known only as Michael, has recalled his near-death experience after trying the powerful drug NBOMe  a chemical which has similar psychedelic effects to LSD.

The former university student was with a friend in a forest near the Ashley River, north of Christchurch, last year when he took the substance that almost claimed his life, NZ Stuff reported.

New Zealand man Michael (pictured) was left fighting for his life in hospital after taking a psychedelic drug

And within seconds, he started convulsing and had become incoherent.

'The last thing I remember was having a full out-of-body experience like I left my body and.. I felt like there was some other force putting me on the scales deciding whether I should live or die,' he said.

The young man was airlifted to Christchurch Hospital in a life-threatening condition where he was placed in an induced coma for 10 days.

His family and friends were told to prepare of the worst to come  but more than a week later, Michael defied the odds after he miraculously woke from the coma.

The 21-year-old tried the powerful drug NBOMe  a chemical similar psychedelic effects to LSD (stock image). The synthetic hallucinogenic substance are often sold in blotter tabs by drug dealers

The young man was airlifted to Christchurch Hospital in a life-threatening condition where he was placed in an induced coma for 10 days (stock image)

'The biggest thing was walking into the room when he finally did recover consciousness and seeing his eyes light up and [hearing] the words: 'I love you Dad'. I'll never forget that,' Michael's father said.

By telling his story and sharing a photograph of him in hospital, Michael hopes his experience could warn other young people about the dangers of taking psychoactive substances.
A man accused of raping a three-year-old girl while her brother slept next to her was confronted by their distraught family as he appeared in court on Tuesday to be charged with assaulting her.

The young girl's family hurled abuse towards Philip Arthur Dalton, 43, at Bunbury Courthouse, south of Perth, where he was charged with three child sex offences.

One relative yelled: 'She was only three years old, she was only three years old,' as Dalton faced the court, Yahoo news reported.

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Philip Arthur Dalton, 43, was confronted by the girl's family at Bunbury Magistrates' Court, WA (above), where he was charged with three child sex offences

Dalton, from Merriden, Wheatbelt, intended to apply for bail and police made clear they would resist the application.

The matter was adjourned whilst Dalton sought legal advice from the duty lawyer. During an adjournment another reportedly screamed: 'I hope you f****** die you pr**k.

They had to be restrained by police, Perth Now claimed.

When court recommenced, Dalton did not seek bail but reserved his right to do so at a later date.

Dalton has been charged with three child sex offences including aggravated sexual penetration of a child under 13 against the girl. He is yet to plea.

On Tuesday Bunbury Courthouse heard how he was linked to the alleged crime by DNA.

Court was adjourned for three weeks for the man, who also faces a burglary charge, to seek legal advice.

The man allegedly entered the room where the girl was sleeping next to her five-year-old brother in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Police patrolled the Western Australia town where they live afterwards. Dalton will appear before magistrates again in June.

The man has not yet responded to the charges. Police in Bruce Rock (above) searched the area over the weekend
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Two teenagers have been injured in a single-car crash when the Honda Integra wrapped around a tree after losing control while 'speeding', police believe.

Emergency services were called to Frederick Road in Cecil Hills, south-west Sydney, shortly before 12.30pm on Tuesday.

The 17-year-old boy driving remained trapped inside the vehicle for a further hour-and-a-half before he was freed with leg injuries, while a 17-year-old passenger was treated for minor head injuries.

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A single-car crash has left a 17-year-old passenger with minor head injuries and a 17-year-old driver with leg injuries

Emergency services were called to Frederick Road in Cecil Hills, south-west Sydney, about 12.30pm on reports of a single-car crash

The passenger had reportedly managed to free himself prior to the arrival of emergency services. The speed limit along Frederick Road in Cecil Hills is 50 kilometres per hour.

The driver was freed by Fire and Rescue NSW about 2pm on Tuesday.

Both teenage boys were treated by NSW Ambulance Paramedics and were taken to Liverpool Hospital.

Duty Officer Inspector Paul Martin told Daily Mail Australia it's believed the vehicle had lost control about 100 metres back from impact with the tree.

He said: 'Initial inquiries show that he was speeding.'

Insp Martin said police were still interviewing witnesses, while doctors are still assessing the extent of the injuries suffered by the driver's lower legs.

Both 17-year-old boys remain at Liverpool Hospital.

Police had earlier encouraged drivers in the area to use a different route to avoid congestion.

A distressed woman runs at the scene of a single-car crash which injured two 17-year-old males on Tuesday

A NSW Police spokesperson could not confirm the cause of the crash to Daily Mail Australia

Concerned witnesses watched on following the single-car crash about 12.30pm on Tuesday as the 17-year-old driver was freed

The Honda Integra wrapped around a tree at high speed on Frederick Road in Cecil Hills, south-west Sydney

The passenger had reportedly managed to free himself prior to the arrival of emergency services about 12.30pm Tuesday

Fire and Rescue NSW worked to free the trapped driver on Tuesday in Cecil Hills, south-west Sydney
An elderly Polish couple downed Tequila shots and raved until 5am on a visit to one of London's biggest techno clubs.

The as yet unidentified octogenarians waltzed to the tune of pounding underground house after buying tickets for the WetYourSelf night at celebrity favourite Fabric.

Despite walking with a crutch, the husband and wife pair from Warsaw shunned the club's exclusive VIP area in favour of letting loose amongst the hundreds of ravers on its main dancefloor - most of whom were at least 60 years younger.

The as yet unidentified octogenarians waltzed to the tune of pounding underground house after buying tickets for the WetYourSelf night - promoted by DJ Jacob Hansen (left, with the couple) - at celebrity favourite Fabric

Promoter and DJ Jacob Hansen, 35, was playing live when he saw the couple descend down the stairs and into the heart of the party.

He told the Evening Standard: 'I thought they were lost. They didn't speak English really.

'I thought they were maybe relatives of someone from the club, but then I spoke to the people on the door and they said they had tickets.

Despite walking with a crutch, the husband and wife pair from Warsaw shunned the club's exclusive VIP area in favour of letting loose amongst the hundreds of ravers on its main dancefloor - most of whom were at least 60 years younger. Here the main is pictured dancing with a younger clubber

'I ran down to welcome them to the club. They had two tequila shots and she gave me a high five.'

Having their back story translated by a Polish clubber, Hansen learned that the pensioners were in the city after visiting their daughter in Watford, Hertfordshire.

Before jetting into Britain, they read a newspaper review of Fabric and decided it was right up their street.

So they both bagged 6 tickets and had a taxi take them to the club's front door for Sunday night's 10pm opening.

Once spotted by Hansen, the pair were given usually costly VIP treatment on the house - with all their drinks promised as complimentary.

DO YOU KNOW THE COUPLE? Email euan.mclelland@mailonline.co.uk or phone 0207 615 0629

After downing Tequilas, the dancing duo then moved onto their favoured tipple, tea, while kicking back in the club's top floor VIP suite.

Chatting with Hansen, they explained how they frequent clubs in the Polish capital most weekends.

They had also planned their entire evening in London - earmarking the first Tube back to Watford at 6am as being their best way home.

After getting back to his decks, Hansen returned upstairs to entertain the elderly pair once more.

Having their back story translated by a Polish clubber, Hansen learned that the pensioners were in the London club (pictured) after visiting their daughter in Watford, Hertfordshire. They said they are regulars on the Polish techno circuit

However, by that point they had moved out of their VIP surroundings, opting instead to hit the club's main dancefloor surrounded by ravers.

Hansen added: 'They were really sweet, they were on the balcony with their hands together ballroom dancing.

'They wanted to join in the party. They weren't interested in upstairs.

'She was really slow so he went a bit more into the dancefloor and got some dances with the young girls.

'At 5am they came and said they'd like to leave so we got them a taxi.

'They were really happy, they loved the crowd, it was really, really great.'
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who walked off his combat outpost in Afghanistan and spent five years in captivity, will be court-martialed under a new commander-in-chief.

A military judge decided Tuesday to delay Bergdahl's trial from August until February to provide time for resolving disputes over the defense team's access to classified documents.

Bergdahl, now 30, sat attentively in his dress blue formal uniform, his infantry cord looped under the epaulet on his right shoulder, during the brief hearing that also saw him looking like his old self compared to his time under Taliban capture.

The soldier from Hailey, Idaho, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The latter charge is relatively rare and carries the potential of life in prison.

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New president: A military judge decided on Tuesday that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl (pictured before court), will be court-martialed under a new commander-in-chief

More time: The judge decided to delay Bergdahl's trial until February to provide time for resolving disputes over the defense team's access to classified documents. Above he is pictured leaving court Tuesday

Healthy: The Taliban captured Bergdahl (pictured left looking thin) after he left his post in Afghanistan in 2009. He was freed years later, but is now (pictured leaving court Tuesday) facing charges for his actions

A February start would mean the court-martial could make headlines only weeks after the new commander-in-chief is sworn in as president.

Given the shape of the campaign so far, that will likely mean either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be in charge of the military.

Bergdahl's defense says the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has already damaged his chances for a fair trial by calling him a 'dirty, rotten traitor,' who 'should have been executed.'

The judge, Col. Jeffrey Nance, also ruled that media organizations could hire a stenographer to capture courtroom discussions during the trial, and he gave Army prosecutors one week to provide reporters covering the case with online access to court documents.

The judge postponed deciding a dispute that could influence how much punishment Bergdahl could face if convicted.

The Army's primary investigating officer last year recommended against Bergdahl facing jail time, saying there is no evidence that any service members were killed or wounded searching for him in Afghanistan. A preliminary hearing officer recommended against a bad-conduct discharge.

Bergdahl (pictured leaving court Tuesday), now 30, faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The latter charge is relatively rare and carries the potential of life in prison

A February start would mean Bergdahl's court-martial could happen weeks after the president is sworn in. Given the shape of the campaign now, that likely means either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump

But those recommendations were scrapped in December by the general overseeing the case. Gen. Robert Abrams, who leads the Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, instead sided with an Army lawyer's recommendation for a general court-martial.

Bergdahl's defense lawyers contend that the Army lawyer's advice to Abrams was so incomplete that it misled the four-star general. Nance did not explain why he opted against taking up the issue Tuesday.

Bergdahl was quickly captured after walking off his combat post in Afghanistan in 2009, and held as a prisoner by the Taliban and its allies until President Barack Obama exchanged five Guantanamo Bay detainees for his safe return, saying the US 'does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind.'

Obama's decision was harshly criticized. Some members of Congress said it jeopardized national security.

Trump has targeted Bergdahl for scorn dozens of times on the campaign trail, saying among other things that he should have been thrown from a plane.

The charges of desertion and endangering troops against Bergdahl (pictured in this undated photo) stem from his decision to leave his outpost in Afghanistan in 2009

His release from the Taliban was secured by President Barack Obama who exchanged five Guantanamo Bay detainees for his safe return. Above he is pictured while being held by the Taliban

The defense's complaints about Trump have no bearing on the case right now, according to Rachel VanLandingham, a former Air Force lawyer who teaches at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles.

But if he is elected in November and keeps up his harsh comments, the defense could more effectively argue that a President Trump is unfairly pressuring Army brass for a conviction, she said.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials have been notified that threats against Bergdahl continue.

'Given the many incendiary comments that have been broadcast and otherwise disseminated about Sgt. Bergdahl, his immediate commander at Fort Sam Houston has taken measures to ensure his physical safety when leaving the installation,' his attorneys wrote in February.

A spokesman at the Texas post declined to describe these measures, citing security considerations. But as 'a group of soldiers, battle buddies, we all look out for each other,' Sgt. Maj. Matt Howard said.

Bergdahl can come and go the same as any other soldier from Fort Sam Houston, where he works a desk job in a headquarters unit, handling 'a lot of administrative work that needs to be done. Paperwork, moving stuff from place to place, things like that,' Howard said.

Law enforcement officials have been notified that threats against Bergdahl continue as he is currently at Fort Sam Houston working a desk job. Bergdahl is pictured leaving court Tuesday above
A two-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a daycare worker as she was nursed to sleep at a childcare centre in Sydney's inner west.

Max Rowe, 25, was allegedly caught with his hand on the girl's genital area on May 13, 2015, Fairfax Media reported.

Police facts claimed a co-worker had an 'unobstructed' five second view of the alleged act when she opened the door.

He faced Magistrate Suzanne Seagrave at Burwood Local Court on Monday charged with one count of indecently assaulting a person under 16 years of age.

Max Rowe is accused of indecently assaulting a two-year-girl as she was being nursed to sleep. He denies the allegations

He pleaded not guilty on Monday, accompanied by lawyers. His bail conditions were not varied.

According to a police fact sheet seen by Fairfax Media, the accused employee worked at the daycare centre full time and took care of children aged between two and five.

The 24-year-old was lying down with the infant and tasked with helping her fall asleep.

According to the report, his colleague went to make a call in a nearby office before catching Rowe with his hand allegedly on the outside of the girl's tights.

Rowe faced Burwood Local Court (pictured) on Monday and will fight the charge, pleading not guilty to indecently assaulting someone under 16

The child's parents were later notified and Child Abuse Squad detectives arrested Rowe and laid charges.

Mr Rowe was expected to face court on Tuesday for hearing.
A tourist has been killed after banging his head on the wall while having 'vigorous sex' with a transsexual escort in Thailand.

The naked body of a foreigner was found in a hotel room in the resort city of Pattaya on the country's eastern Gulf coast in the early hours of Sunday morning.

There are reports in Thailand that the unidentified male, aged between 40 and 45, struck his head on a wall during a 'wild' sexual encounter.

A tourist has been killed after banging his head on the wall while having 'vigorous sex' with a transsexual escort in Thailand

Pictures have emerged of a 22-year-old sex worker standing next to the body of the victim in the hotel room with police.

According to the Thai website Pattaya One News, which cited a local blogger, police were called to the scene at about 5am.

The sex worker reportedly told officers that the tourist, who was said to be drunk, had paid 3,000 baht (58) for for 'short time shenanigans' after meeting earlier that night.

Pictures have emerged of a 22-year-old sex worker standing next to the body of the victim in the hotel room with police

Police are examining the possibility that the man's injuries were caused when he tripped and fell because he was drunk.

The man has yet to be identified and his nationality is not yet known.
Six men have been arrested and face a year in behind bars if

Six men have been arrested by Mexican police for allegedly setting a dog on fire and leaving it to die in agony while others looked on and laughed.

The incident took place last month in the town of Santo Domingo in central Mexico's State of San Luis Potosi.

Shocking smartphone footage caught the moment the poor dog was turned into a living fireball.

The dog was seen running around in a desperate attempt to get away from the pain while fireworks exploded around it.

The incident took place last month in the town of Santo Domingo in central Mexico's State of San Luis Potosi

Flames burned for almost a minute, to the amusement of the people present.

The poor animal met its fiery death after it had been most likely covered in a flammable liquid before being set alight.

The video was then posted online and shocked Mexican social media users, before it went viral around the world.

Mexican citizens started a worldwide online petition demanding justice and calling for the people in the video to be prosecuted for animal cruelty.

The plea was published on the international petition website change.org and quickly gathered more than 125,000 supporters.

The flames were burning for almost a minute, to the apparent amusement of the people present

Now, local police have started an investigation and have already tracked down six men aged between 22 and 39.

The prime suspects were identified as J. Matilde, 22, Anastasio, 28, Alvaro, 24, J. Guadalupe, 39, Jorge Luis, 38, and Juan Gerardo, 30.

The men have been arrested and are currently facing animal cruelty charges.
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At a glance, it looks like an ordinary photograph of the Houses of Parliament. But upon closer inspection, there is also a war veteran - rendered invisible using a clever painting technique so they blend into the background.

Photographs of four military veterans have been published as part of a campaign calling on the Government to count former members of the armed forces in the national census.

This is because Britain knows more about who claims Jedi as their religion than how many former soldiers there are, the Royal British Legion said.

It said having a clearer picture of current and former military personnel, which is estimated to make up a tenth of the population, will help direct care and support for them.

Chris Simpkins, director-general of the Legion, said: As a nation we promise to provide lifelong care and support for those who serve our country, yet we currently know more about the UKs Jedi Knight population than we do about our own armed forces community.

By adding questions to the 2021 UK census we can help public bodies and charities to deliver the best services they can for our armed forces community where they are needed most.'

Four veterans were painted invisible to blend into several landmark backgrounds to highlight the count them in campaign. Other pictures show the veterans hidden at a library in Manchester, a cafe in Plymouth and a rugby ground in Cardiff.

'Invisible': Veteran Darren Fuller, 39, was painted head to toe to blend in with the Houses of Parliament in London. It was part of a Royal British Legion campaign launched to highlight that the Armed Forces community is not adequately accounted for in the current UK census

Count them in: Body artist Carolyn Roper painted Darren Fuller (left) and fellow veteran Frank Simpson (right), 61, using a clever technique to make them blend into the background. Mr Simpson stood in the Portico Library in Manchester to highlight the RBL's latest campaign

Goal: The initiative was launched because Britain knows more about who claims Jedi as their religion than how many former soldiers there are, the Royal British Legion said. The charity said the next census in 2021 should include questions on the military community

Unseen: Four veterans were painted invisible to blend into several landmark backgrounds, such as the Houses of Parliament, to highlight the count them in campaign. Other pictures show the veterans hidden at a cafe in Plymouth and a rugby ground in Cardiff (pictured)
A woman whose grandfather repeatedly raped her mother has revealed her 'worst fears' came true after her sister told her she was a child of incest.

Lois Buch, from Brisbane, was adopted when she was a little girl and although felt 'truly loved,' became curious about her birth mother as she got older and the pair decided to meet up in Sydney in 1992.

However, after her birth mother passed away from cancer a few years later, one of her sisters told her the truth about her father.

'She told me that my biological grandfather was my father. So my birth mother had been raped over many, many years, right through her childhood,' Ms Buch said.

Lois Buch (pictured), revealed her 'worst fears' came true after discovering she was a child of incest and her grandfather repeatedly raped her mother

Ms Buch's (pictured as a little girl) birth mother passed away a few years after they reunited, but it was not until she was in her 40s that she discovered the truth about her father

'It really was my worst fear'.

Up until that point, Ms Buch had believed her mother fell pregnant to a 'boy she went to high school with,' news.com.au.

The Brisbane woman was also shocked to discover her mother had not only fallen pregnant to her grandfather once, but twice.

The second child, her sister, had also been put up for adoption.

After finding out the distressing truth about her father, Ms Buch said she went straight to the doctor to ask if 'anything was wrong' with her.

The practitioner assured her there was only a six per cent chance a child of incest will be born with a disability if both parents are physically fit.

Ms Buch said the youngest of her birth mother's 'many' siblings was her age and assumed their stories 'might be connected'.

Ms Buch (pictured with her adoptive family)was adopted when she was a little girl and although felt 'truly loved,' became curious about her birth mother as she got older and the pair decided to meet up in Sydney in 1992

After finding out the distressing truth about her father, Ms Buch said she went straight to the doctor to ask if 'anything was wrong' with her

She then sent one of her aunties a Facebook message asking her to 'be brave' and reveal the truth about her family.

'I immediately tried to take it back as soon as i sent it,' Ms Buch told SBS's Insight program on Tuesday.

'But she replied within 24 hours and said "I will tell you, but you need to see me face to face and you need to prepare yourself for the worst".'

Ms Buch said she had met her grandfather a few times when she was younger, but 'never got a chance to confront him,' before he died.

'I had met my biological grandfather on a number of occasions without knowing what impact he had in my being here,' Ms Buch said.

'But, I don't think it's denial, I just think I just don't identify with what he did because what he did was a crime.'

She said he was always the 'quiet man sitting in the corner,' and never looked her in the eye.

No charges were ever laid against her biological grandfather.
The 'American Dream' is alive and well, according to new data which suggests billionaires in the United States are far more likely to be self-made than in Europe, with a new generation of the super-rich being generated by finance and technology.

The Peterson Institute for International Economics, a think-tank based in Washington DC, has analysed data from 20 years of Forbes' World's Billionaires lists and found some stark differences between wealth in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Their report suggests the super-rich in the U.S. were more dynamic than their European counterparts - two-thirds of American billionaires were self-made men or women, compared with less than half in Europe.

Larry Ellison's fortune is estminated to worth $48bn, placing fifth on the rich list. Mark Zuckerberg was ranked 21st with a fortune of $28.5bn

The figures (as shown in thes graphs) suggest those who have inherited wealth in Europe often come from families who have been rich for generations, whereas many U.S. billionaires are either self-made or the progeny of self-made billionaires

The companies owned and run by American billionaires were on average 20 years younger than their European cousins - 42, compared to 61.

These firms include Silicon Valley's big boys - Microsoft, Oracle and Apple - and the internet's major players, Facebook, Amazon and Google.

The newest kids on the block were Jan Koum and Brian Acton, who jointly founded WhatsApp.

The report found there were 56 self-made tech billionaires in the U.S. (12 per cent of the total), compared to Europe where there are just 17, who make up only 5 per cent of the total.

But an even bigger driver of wealth in the U.S. has been finance, 40 per cent of the growth in the American billionaire population is down to hedge funds and other finance-related industries, compared to just 14 per cent in Europe.

A hundred years ago the wealthiest men in the U.S. were Andrew Carnegie, John D Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J P Morgan, who made their money in banking, steel, oil or the railroads.

Wealth in Europe tends to be older and based in more traditional industries such as automobiles, oil, fashion, textiles and shipping.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos (pictured) is one of a new generation of U.S. self-made billionaires. He became $2bn richer in a single day last week, when Amazon's stock price jumped

The analysis by the Peterson Institute, based on data from Forbes' billionaire lists, suggests that overall inherited wealth is being over taken by the self-made super-rich

Classic examples of European 'old money' billionaires were The Duke of Westminster, Gerald Grosvenor ($13billion), and L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, whose $36billion was the focus of a high-profile criminal trial in France last year, where eight people were convicted of exploiting her.

More than 20 per cent of Europe's inherited fortunes dated from four or more generations ago, compared to less than one in ten Americans who were born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths.

The co-authors of the report, Caroline Freund and Sarah Oliver, said: 'Wealth is increasingly self-made, even in the advanced countries.

'The relatively rapid growth in the number of self-made billionaires and their wealth alleviates some concerns raised by the economist Thomas Piketty about returns to capital growing faster than income, which would cause fortunes to become more concentrated over time if capital remained in the same hands.

The rich keep getting richer - in the last 20 years there has been a big rise in the super-rich. Most have bounced back without much trouble from the global financial crisis in 2008/2009

'In fact, extreme wealth is created and destroyed at a nearly constant rate in the United States, such that the median age of the businesses behind American fortunes is about the same now as in 2001.

'There is somewhat less dynamism in the other advanced economies, especially Europe, where fortunes are older and aging over time,' they added.

Some of the tycoons on the Forbes' list of billionaires arguably fall into the list of both inherited and self-made, for example Donald Trump and the considerably less well known Abigail Johnson.

She is the CEO of Wall Street mutual fund Fidelity Investments, which was founded by her grandfather, but she has increased the company's wealth considerably and was ranked by Forbes as the 19th most powerful woman in the world last year.

Earlier this year a report from Oxfam found the 62 richest people in the world owned as much as the poorest 3.6billion.
The Tories' election guru has delivered a stark warning that Boris Johnson and Brexit supporters must stop squabbling and focus on voters as polls showed Remain extending its lead.

Sir Lynton Crosby, who masterminded David Cameron's surprise victory last May, said the Leave campaign was 'running out of time' and needed 'dramatically' to step up its efforts ahead of the referendum.

He highlighted the row over who will take part in televised debates as an example of a 'process' row that does not sway the wider electorate.

The latest EU referendum poll by ORB was conducted on May 16

The assessment came as research by ORB for the Daily Telegraph found backing for EU membership had gone up four points over the past month to 55 per cent.

By contrast support for Leave had dropped three points to 40 per cent.

In another frantic day as the referendum battle heats up:

David Cameron has made a keynote speech to business leaders condemning 'myths' about the benefits of cutting ties with Brussels.

Nigel Farage has said he wants another referendum to be held unless Remain wins by a huge margin on June 23.

Insurance group Lloyds of London has come out for Remain, arguing its business would be severely damaged if we leave the EU.

Czech supermodel Eva Herzigova has become the latest celebrity to lecture Britons on which way to vote, saying Brexit would be 'disastrous'.

Writing in the Telegraph, Australian consultant Sir Lynton warned that 'time may be running out for the Leave camp to make the case for Brexit as the Remain campaigns position is consolidating and the electorate becoming more polarised over Britains membership of the EU..

He insisted Leave had to achieve 'more cut through', and pointed to the pro-EU campaign's seven-point advantage on which side was perceived as 'having a clear vision for Britain'.

Remain also has a 13-point lead on who is running the best campaign and has the clearest message, and a huge 21-point lead when people are asked who they have heard from most.

'This last attribute should be a clear warning for the Leave campaign that it needs to dramatically step up its efforts if it is to reach, retain and motivate its supporters before polling day,' Sir Lynton said.

'Perhaps some of those behind the scenes of the Leave campaign should spend less time arguing about whether Nigel Farage should have a TV platform and more time finding and delivering a clearer and simpler message in support of their case.

'Something which seems missing as they get bogged down in process stories.'

Sir Lynton said there was 'slightly better news' for Leave if turnout ended up being low.

David Cameron addresses a World Economic Forum event in central London today

Stripping out those who were not definitely intending to vote put Remains share held steady at 51 per cent, while Leave dipped by a single point over the month to 45 per cent.

'The contrast between the population as a whole, where Remain has a strong lead, and only those who are most likely to vote where Remain has a steady if unspectacular lead, shows that if the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign does not have a sufficiently strong grassroots network to get people to the polls, many voters could wake up to a surprise on June 24,' Sir Lynton wrote.

Sir Lynton - who has run campaigns for former London Mayor Mr Johnson as well as Mr Cameron - said concerns about immigration were the Brexit camp's 'strongest suit'.

Some 51 per cent of voters believing that leaving would improve the UKs immigration system.

Czech supermodel Eva Herzigova joins lectures on Brexit

Eva Herzigova starred in the traffi-stopping 1994 'Hello Boys' adverts for Wonderbra

Supermodel Eva Herzigova has become the latest foreign figure to lecture the British people over the EU referendum.

The Czech - known for starring in the 'Hello Boys' Wonderbra adverts in the 1990s - said it would be 'disastrous' if we voted to leave.

The endorsement comes after Abba star Bjorn Ulvaeus waded into the debate at the weekend saying Brexit would make him 'sad'.

International big hitters such as US President Barack Obama have previously sparked fury among leave campaigners by advising the electorate to stick with Brussels.

Herzigova is among more than 30 Czechs who signed an open letter pleading for the UK to stay in the EU.

'Without the British legacy of democratic institutions, entrepreneurial spirit, common sense and pragmatic approach to problem-solving, the West as we know it would be much weakened, politically and spiritually,' it said.

'Britain, under the exit scenario, would fare no better. It would be stranded in the middle of the Atlantic, unable to draw on the synergies of the European project. It would be left alone to deal with the ever-present threats of nationalism, populist politics, migration issues and ethnic intolerance. Closing its doors to workers from the EU, it would have to look for manpower, most likely less qualified and less adaptable, in other parts of the world.'

However, the missive - also signed by Cold War dissidents and renowned conductor Jiri Belohlavek - also acknowledges that 'many Europeans, in the East and in the West, are frustrated with the decreasing ability of the EU to cope with the current problems'.

British playwright Tom Stoppard - who was born in the Czech Republic - was sent the open letter by former ambassador to London Michael Zantovsky and has made it public.

Stoppard told the Guardian: 'A lot of the debate in this country is about the arithmetic and it is as well to be reminded that arithmetic isn't everything. Geopolitics in the 21st century weigh more heavily than they ever have done.'

In an interview to coincide with the Eurovision song contest - which Abba won with Waterloo in 1974 - Bjorn said: 'It would really make me sad if Britain would leave and what that would mean. It's like someone you love leaving you. It's emotional.'
Passengers travelling through Birmingham airport are 10 times more likely to have their luggage lost or damaged than at Bristol airport, it has been revealed.

A Freedom of Information request found 1,477 complaints had been made by travellers to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the industry regulator, over the past five years.

It showed Birmingham airport as being the worst for lost and stolen baggage, followed by Manchester, London Heathrow and Gatwick.

Birmingham Airport gets more complaints about damaged luggage from travellers than any other in the UK

Of the 1,477 complaints, 644 related to 'damaged' bags, 479 to 'lost' bags, 182 to 'combined lost and damaged' luggage and 172 to stolen property.

At Birmingham, a total of 96 complaints have been made to the CAA about the airport over the past five years, which works out at one in 484,918.

In March, father-of-two Raf Sabir, 41, ended up with his luggage in 'absolute tatters' after flying business class on Birmingham's debut Emirates A380 service while returning from Dubai.

This graphic shows the worst airports for lost and damaged luggage, with Birmingham receiving one complaint for every 484,918 passengers compared to Bristol with one for every 5,160,128

In the Midlands alone, passengers are five times more likely to have their luggage lost or damaged at Birmingham airport than at East Midlands airport, in Leicestershire.

Manchester airport, the second worst offender, had one complaint for every 684,810 passengers followed by Heathrow - Europe's biggest airport - with 702,200.

By contrast, Bristol airport only received one complaint for every 5,160,128 passengers passing through the West Country hub.

Responding to the figures uncovered the Daily Mirror, a spokesman for Birmingham airport said: 'All airports have different profiles of passengers, destinations and airlines.

'Those with more low cost airlines or business passengers won't handle as many hold bags as those with more long-haul flights and charter services.

'There are more than nine million hold bags annually handled from Birmingham Airport but this CAA data does not state which end of the route the damage or loss occurred.'

Baggage handlers are typically employed by third party agencies based at airports.

Complaints are first directed to the airlines, which take on responsibility for loss or damage to property.

A Manchester Airport spokesman said luggage was the responsibility of handling agencies subcontracted by airlines once it passed security.

The Freedom of Information request also revealed the worst airlines for damaged luggage, with Emirates receiving the highest number of complaints with 129.

This was followed by British Airways with 107, Turkish Airlines with 92 and Ryanair with 85.

A spokesman for Emirates told the Mirror: 'Emirates works closely with third party ground handling services in every airport.

'All passenger luggage is treated with utmost care, and in the rare instance of a bag being lost or damaged in transit, Emirates' customer service team is on hand to help our passengers resolve any issues.'

Bristol airport only received one complaint for every 5,160,128 passengers passing through it

Earlier this year, a separate report found Gatwick and London were the worst airports for flight delays during the peak summer travel season.

Nearly half (43 per cent) of all flights from Gatwick suffered a delay of 15 minutes or more, while 32 per cent of departures at Luton were held up during the busiest summer ever in 2015, according to a Civil Aviation Authority study of traffic at 24 UK airports.

London  home to three of the five busiest airports  fared the worst in the report, which also revealed that delays are becoming longer and more frequent.
The man in charge of the search for MH370 finally conceded today that it might never be found.

Australian search co-ordinator Martin Dolan indicated the chances of finding the aircraft in the next few weeks had been virtually exhausted.

Mr Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, said: 'We are at the point of the search where we have to contemplate the possibility we won't find it.

'The families will be upset  disappointed.'

Australia, China and Malaysia have commissioned the teams to search 120,000 sq km of the southern Indian Ocean and there were about 15,000 sq km left, with the search due to end in July.

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Mystery: The man in charge of the search for MH370 (pictured) finally conceded that it might never be found with only two months until the search in the Indian Oceans is completed

He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the only chance of the hunt continuing would be the discovery of significant new evidence.

This suggested that even the confirmation of aircraft pieces said to be from the Boeing 777 being found off Africa after apparently drifting there would not be enough to maintain the search.

His comments are certain to devastate the mainly Chinese families of those on board the Malaysia Airlines jet that vanished more than two years ago.

Nothing that could be linked to the aircraft has been found in the actual search area, with families of passengers becoming more frustrated as the weeks, months and now the years have rolled by.

Investigators carry the fragment of wing from the beach on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Mr Dolan said the only chance of the hunt continuing would be the discovery of significant new evidence

Experts are trying to determine whether one of the pieces of wreckage, left, comes from a Boeing 777, right. The fragment would suggest for the first time that the body of the plane was torn apart when it crashed

Sara Bajce, whose US partner Philip Wood was on the aircraft when it took off from Kuala Lumpur airport for a night flight to Beijing in March 2014, said today she believed there had been a cover-up by the authorities.

She told the ABC: 'They are clearly hiding something.'

She said the plane flew for a very long time over Malaysian airspace, but the Malaysian military were saying that they didn't see it  or they thought it was friendly.

'I don't believe that. The Malaysian military is quite sophisticated. They've got one of the best radar coverage systems in this part of the world.'

With hope dwindling among the relatives of the 239 passengers and crew today, respected US aviation observer Jeff Wise questioned what  or who  had caused the jet's satellite communication system to shut down before becoming active again.

His comments are certain to devastate the mainly Chinese families (above) of those on board the Malaysia Airlines jet that vanished more than two years ago

'Logging on and off the satcom is not something airline pilots are trained to do,' Mr Wise observed today.

'It couldn't have happened accidentally. Independent researchers have spent months trying to figure out a way that the SDU  the satellite data unit  could have logged off and back on again without human intervention, without success.

'So it must have been intentional.'

But with the pilots apparently not being trained to complete such a complex operation, Mr Wise says the temporary shut-down suggests the plane was 'not hijacked by one of its own pilots for the purposes of committing suicide (another popular theory)'.

Instead, says Mr Wise, 'the SDU re-logon suggests the plane was taken over by a passenger or passengers with a sophisticated knowledge of aircraft electrical systems.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for a series of bombing in Shi'ite neighbourhoods of Baghdad which have killed at least 69 people.

Tuesday's attacks targeted outdoor markets and are the deadliest attacks so far as ISIS, which is 100 per cent Sunni and considers Shi'ites to be heretics, tackles the Iraqi Army and Shia militias in areas north and west of the Iraqi capital.

ISIS put out an online statement claiming responsibility for a callous attack in the Sha'ab district of north east Baghdad, which killed at least 34 people and wounded 75 others.

Security forces and citizens inspect the scene after a suicide car bombing hit a crowded outdoor market in Baghdad's Shi'ite neighbourhood of Sadr City, which has been a frequent target of Sunni extremists

Eighteen people were killed when a suicide bomber blew up a car in Sadr City (pictured). The attack left 35 people wounded

A roadside bomb exploded outside the concrete bomb-proof walls of an open-air market and, as people crowded around to help the victims, a suicide bomber blew himself up, causing the majority of the casualties.

ISIS, in a statement posted on a website often used by militants, claimed the suicide bomber was an Iraqi who targeted members of Shi'ite militias.

A few minutes after the Sha'ab attack, a suicide bomber driving a car killed at least 18 people and wounded 35 others when he targeted Sadr City, a Shia-dominated eastern suburb.

Security forces inspect the scene after a bomb exploded at an outdoor market in Baghdad's mainly Shia neighbourhood of Sha'ab on Tuesday

Fresh fruit is strewn across the floor after the bombing of an open air market in Shaab. It was one of three districts hit by bombings on Tuesday

Another car bomb also devastasted a fruit and vegetable market in Dora, another Shi'ite neighbourhood in southern Baghdad, killing at least eight people and wounding 22 others.

A fourth explosion in the north eastern suburb of Habibiyah killed nine people and wounded at least 18. It is understood a suicide bomber walked into a restaurant before triggering his device.

Markets and mosques are the most common targets for ISIS, which is seeking to undermine the Iraqi government's efforts to maintain security inside the capital since the departure of US forces in 2011.

Since 2014 ISIS has controlled large swathes of Sunni-dominated northern and western Iraq, including the country's second-largest city, Mosul.

Four bombings claimed at least 69 lives across the Iraqi capital on Tuesday. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in Sha'ab, which had the biggest death toll

This year it has been forced back by the Iraqi army, Shi'ite militias and Kurdish forces and the Iraqi government claim it now controls only 14 per cent of the country.

But a wave of bombings in the last week in Baghdad have killed around 200 people and shown ISIS is by no means a spent force.

ISIS mounted a dawn attack on Sunday on a natural gas plant at Taji, north of Baghdad, killing 14 oil workers.

An Iraqi man carries steel pellets at the site of a suicide bombing in Shaab. The pellets were designed to maximise the number of deaths and injuries caused by the bomb

The Iraq Body Count website claims the number of civilians killed since the US and its allies invaded Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein is between 158,219 and 176,786.

Iraq has been riven by sectarian conflict since Saddam was deposed and later executed.

Supporters of the powerful Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the central Green Zone two weeks ago and since then the Iraqi parliament has been suspended.

The government of prime minister Haider al-Abadi is trying to push through legislation which it claims would stamp out Iraq's entrenched corruption.

Markets, like this one in Shaab (pictured), are always an easy target for bombers in Baghdad as they can guarantee maximum casualties

Citizens inspect the scene after the bomb in Shaab

Security forces are on the scene in Shaab. The bombing killed at least 34 people

Citizens inspect the scene after Tuesday's explosion. The incident comes as Iraqi troops battle ISIS
Donald Trump today denied he had any interest in wooing Princess Diana despite once claiming he could have 'nailed' her.

The billionaire was accused of becoming infatuated with the royal after she split up with Prince Charles, believing he had a 'shot' at romancing her.

In one interview he said she 'was crazy' but he 'could and have slept with her' anyway.

Today he said rumours of him wanting her to be his 'ultimate trophy wife' were 'false'.

Outspoken: Remarks made by Donald Trump, left in 1991, on the Howard Stern show resurfaced this year - and when asked if he could have slept with Diana, right in 1990, he said he thinks he could have

During the 1990s, Trump was a regular guest on controversial DJ Howard Stern's radio show, where the pair would often discuss the attractiveness of women.

Audio of one live radio interview, shock jock Howard Stern asked him 'People think it's egotistical of you to say you could've gotten with Lady Di?'

Trump made the comments while appearing on controversial DJ Howard Stern's radio show during the 1990s

He went on: 'You could've gotten her, right? You could've nailed her', to which Trump replied: 'I think I could have'.

During that conversation, he told Stern he believes he could have slept with her and described her as having 'supermodel beauty.'

While in a different appearance on the show in 2000 he said she was crazy, but added they were 'minor details' and he still would have slept with her without hesitation.

He added: 'She had the height, she had the beauty, she had the skin.'

He also said that she had written to him to thank him for a 'favour' - but refused to say what that was.

Today he denied he had any romantic interest in her and denied there was any flirtation or affair.

He said: 'Totally false. It was so false. I liked her, I met her in New York once standing on the line and we were all shaking hands and that was the only time I ever met her.

'I read that story that I was calling her or something, it was so false. I could tell you so many stories that are so false. I did respect her but no interest from that standpoint. But I did meet her once and I thought she was lovely'.

British broadcaster Selina Scott said the billionaire businessman pursued the Princess of Wales to the point of 'stalking' in the mistaken belief he 'had a shot' with her.

But Miss Scott, 67, who has a long-running feud with Mr Trump, claimed he actually gave Diana 'the creeps'.

Love life: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with his third wife Melania Trump, pictured together in April

'Bombarded': The then Princess of Wales is said to have confided in veteran broadcaster Selina Scott, telling her that Trump 'gives me the creeps'. She is pictured with Prince Charles and the couple's son William in 1983

Writing in the Sunday Times, she said: 'He bombarded Diana at Kensington Palace with massive bouquets, each worth hundreds of pounds.

'Trump clearly saw Diana as the ultimate trophy wife. As the roses and orchids piled up at her apartment she became increasingly concerned about what she should do. It had begun to feel as if Trump was stalking her.

'When she died in the tragic accident in Paris in 1997 Trump told friends his biggest regret was that they hadn't dated. He said that he always thought he had a chance of romance and would have had a 'shot' with her.
She has been found safe and well renting a home in the area, they added

A police source says she simply moved to Broolyn 'to get away from it all'

Kidd's mother traveled from Louisville, Kentucky to search for her daughter

Her Facebook was deleted and phone and bank account numbers changed

Nayla Kidd, 19, has been missing since May 5

A teenage girl who deleted her Facebook, changed her bank accounts and disappeared from Columbia University has been found 'safe and well' in Brooklyn, it is reported.

Nayla Kidd, 19, disappeared on May 5 from the university's New York City campus, missing all her finals.

Her mother's concern worsened when it emerged the teenager had deleted her Facebook page, and changed her bank account and phone numbers.

However, a police source has told the New York Daily News she had been found safe and renting an apartment in Brooklyn.

'Basically, she just wanted to get away from it all. She didn't want to be at school anymore.'

The 19-year-old Louisville, Kentucky native had last been seen on the Ivy League school's Morningside Heights campus at 5pm on May 5, police said.

Kidd, who is a sophomore at Columbia's School of Engineering and Applied Science, missed all her finals since vanishing, which raised red flags for her mother.

'Someone whos just so bright, so creative, just talented beyond measure - at the age of 15 she built a super computer, shes published in scientific journals...'

'For her to just drop the ball, I just feel something happened,' her mother, La Creis Kidd, told Pix11.

The distraught mother traveled from Kentucky to help search for her daughter, and even hired a private investigator.

Her family created a Facebook page to gather information on her disappearance, which was updated today confirming she had been found.

It stated: 'Nayla is found!!!! The family would like to thank everyone for your prayers and support. The family would like to have this time to heal.'
Police would be 'sitting ducks' if terrorists attack key sites outside of cities, ministers have been warned.

Senior figures in the Police Federation said shortages of armed officers meant it would take too long time for them to get to key infrastructure in rural areas.

John Apter, head of the Hampshire branch, said firearms response could be as far as 70 miles away from some sites.

Rural and coastal areas include a number of potential targets such as power plants and refineries.

There are also concerns about gun attacks in isolated places.

Nuclear sites are guarded by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, whose officers are routinely armed.

The Ministry of Defence Police, who also carry weapons, are responsible for facilities such as the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston in Berkshire.

The number of armed officers in England and Wales has fallen sharply

Figures released last month showed that the number of firearms officers in England and Wales plunged by nearly a fifth in five years.

After the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels the Government announced plans to train more.

But the Police Federation of England and Wales warned yesterday that forces were struggling to recruit firearms officers to respond to the heightened terror threat because officers fear they will be hung out to dry and arrested for murder if they shoot a suspect.

Home Secretary Theresa May is due to address the body's annual conference later.

Mr Apter told Radio 4's File on Four programme: 'Being realistic, if a firearms unit was coming from the middle of the county you are still talking about 30 miles away - you are not talking about a few minutes,' he said.

He said the delay would be even greater if the officers had to come from as far away as 70 miles.

'So the only officers that you have available are unarmed and vulnerable officers and they are the officers that are saying to me that in a terrorist situation they would be sitting ducks,' he added.

Prime Minister David Cameron announced in April that more armed officers were to be stationed across the country to deal with a Paris-style attack.

Forces are training around 1,500 extra personnel as part of counter-terrorism efforts, with 400 ready to be deployed to cities outside London around the clock.

Police minister Mike Penning told the BBC 143 million had been committed over the next five years to provide 'a national uplift in armed policing capability'.

Police Federation chairman Steve White has warned that while 40 per cent of officers were worried about being attacked at work and more than a third experienced physical attacks at least once a month, few officers wanted to be armed because they feared being criticised for pulling the trigger.

He said: Before we even start talking about recruiting the extra 1,500, we are struggling to fill the vacancies we have currently got because of the lack of understanding and protection that officers would have if they had to discharge their firearm.'
A ghostly figure believed to be Queen Isabella, the 'She-wolf of France' and her pet wolf has been caught on camera by ghost hunters in the ruins of an English castle.

The haunting image was taken by members of the Essex Ghost Hunting Team at the medieval Castle Rising in Norfolk, where the queen spent much of the last 30 years of her life in the mid-1300s.

Paranormal investigator Andy, who did not want to give his surname, 54, said he had heard sounds of a 'long dress swishing along the stairs' outside the room just moments before the picture was taken.

This ghostly figure believed to be Queen Isabella, the 'She-wolf of France' and her pet wolf has been caught on camera by ghost hunters in the ruins of an English castle

The haunting image was taken by members of the Essex Ghost Hunting Team at the medieval Castle Rising (pictured) in Norfolk, where the queen spent much of the last 30 years of her life in the mid-1300s

The picture, taken using a full spectrum camera, which allows the photographer to capture infra-red light, similar to night vision and is said to show a shadowy figure of a woman and a dog-like shape.

It was captured in the White Room, one of the upper rooms thought to be haunted by the queen, who was the wife of English king Edward II. Isabella is not thought to have owned a wolf, but the ghost hunters believe the figure of the animal comes from the fact she was dubbed the 'She-Wolf of France'.

Andy, from Witham, Essex, said the team had heard the sound of a wolf howling multiple times through the night but their voice recorders did not pick up any of these noises.

Paranormal investigator Andy, (left) who did not want to give his surname, 54, took the photograph of what he believes is the medieval queen (right)

The picture, taken using a full spectrum camera, which allows the photographer to capture infra-red light, similar to night vision and is said to show a shadowy figure of a woman and a dog-like shape

Andy said the team had heard the sound of a wolf howling multiple times through the night but their voice recorders did not pick up any of these noises

'I was in the White Room, which is a lovely room thought to be where she spent a lot of her time sewing and so on,' he said. 'There were around seven of us in the room at the time.

'My friend turned to me and whispered "can you hear anything?" so I listened carefully and it sounded just like the sound of a long dress swishing over the stones coming up the stairway outside.

'I decided to take a picture to see what I might capture and then realised that there was what appeared to be a figure stood in the middle of the room.

'When I looked at it on the small lens I didn't initially think much of it.. It was definitely interesting and I showed everyone but it wasn't until later when we looked at the picture on a computer that I realised just what I had caught on camera.

'There is a clear figure that from the clothing and the shoulder pads looks like someone wearing medieval dress. They even look to have something on their head, like a Queen might wear.

'But what is most striking is the fact there is a dog-like shape at her feet. It is very clear and considering that she was known as the "wolf Queen", it made everyone think that what I had captured could have been the ghost of Queen Isabella.

Andy said he was not scared by seeing the figure in his photo, but said making the discovery was exciting

Andy (pictured) from Witham, Essex, has been a paranormal investigator for more than 30 years

'There was a lot of excitement that night when people saw the picture. Everyone was talking about it as it is quite striking.'

Queen Isabella, portrayed as having had an unlikely affair with William Wallace in Mel Gibson's 1995 film Braveheart, earned her fearsome reputation due to the rumour that she had arranged the murder of her husband Edward II.

However it was the 18th Century poet Thomas Gray's bloodthirsty depiction of her ripping apart her husband with 'unrelenting fangs' that brought the She-Wolf moniker into popular culture.

Isabella's ghost has long-been rumoured to haunt the upper floors of the castle.

Andy, who has been a paranormal investigator for more than 30 years, has sent the picture to the former head custodian of Castle Rising Norman Fahy, who inspected the image and could find no evidence of tampering.

'I was not scared by what I captured on the camera,' Andy said. 'When I am doing an investigation there is a lot of adrenaline so it is more exciting than anything.

Ghost hunters Alan (left) and Andy (right) believe the photograph shows the ghost of the famous queen

Queen Isabella is said to haunt the White Room (pictured) where she spent a lot of her time sewing

'My aim with our paranormal investigations is to find proof of life after death. At the end of the day this is just a picture. It is evidence to a degree but it is not clear, so I do not take it as the proof I'm looking for.

'However it is a very exciting image to capture and has provoked a lot of debate among the ghost hunting community, so I was very pleased to get it

'There is no explanation for what caused the figure to appear in our mind, none whatsoever. We doubt every image like this and are always sceptical from the outset. We all dismissed it at first but once we saw the level of detail in the figure and the wolf, everyone went crazy. Many people said it was the best potential ghost capture they had ever seen.'

Full spectrum cameras are regularly used among ghost hunters as they are believed to capture the entire light spectrum including UV and infra-red.

The image was captured during a late-night investigation at the castle in April 2015, which lasted from around 7pm until 3am.

Castle Rising was built around 1138 by William d'Aubigny II and was used by Isabella as one of her main residences until her death in 1358, when it passed to her grandson Edward, the Black Prince.
Sadiq Khan today invited Donald Trump to visit him and his family in London to learn about Islam.

London's new mayor has been engaged in a war of words with the Republican White House nominee amid a continuing fallout over his plan to 'shut down' Muslim immigration to the US.

Mr Trump has insisted Mr Khan is 'ignorant' about the plan and claimed he would create an exception for the Muslim mayor.

Mr Khan yesterday repeated his belief the policy was 'divisive and dangerous' and suggested it would lead to Mr Trump's defeat at the US general election in November.

Mr Khan today told ITV's Good Morning Britain he wanted to engage with Mr Trump to try and change his mind.

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Sadiq Khan, pictured on today's GMB show with Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, invited Donald Trump to London to meet his family and ease his concerns about Muslims

He said: 'I invite Donald Trump to come to London: meet my wife and my daughters; meet my friends and my neighbours; meet Londoners... who are British, they are Londoners, they are Muslim.

'If I can educate the presumptive Republican presidential nominee about Islam, I'm happy to do so.'

Mr Khan warned the billionaire tycoon risked making the world 'less safe' by creating a 'clash of civilisations.

He said: 'Are you doing the job of Daesh and the extremists for them by saying the West hates Islam?'

Mr Trump has insisted he is intending only to tackle a 'real problem'.

He said: 'I have many Muslim friends ... I was with one the other day, one of the most successful men, he's Muslim and he said, 'Donald you have done us such a favour, you have brought out a problem that nobody wants to talk about'.'

Rejecting claims he was anti-Muslim, he told interviewer Piers Morgan: 'Absolutely not. I am anti-terror.

'There's something going on that's not good, there's something going on that's very bad, there's something that you are not understanding and maybe the Mayor of London is not understanding.'

David Cameron has continued to refuse to apologise for branding Mr Trump 'divisive, stupid and wrong' when the politician made his proposals in the wake the California terror attack last year.

Mr Trump continued his war of words with Sadiq Khan and David Cameron in an ITV interview with Piers Morgan this week, branding the London Mayor 'ignorant'

Mr Trump has warned he will struggle to build a 'good relationship' with the Premier if an apology is not forthcoming.

But a Downing Street spokesman said yesterday: 'The Prime Minister has made his views on Donald Trump's comments very clear. He disagrees with them, and I haven't got anything further to add.

'He continues to believe that preventing Muslims from entering the US is divisive, stupid and wrong.'

The Number 10 spokesman said that Mr Cameron was 'committed to maintaining the special relationship' whoever wins the presidential election.

'He has been clear that he will work with whoever is president of the United States,' said the spokesman.

No proposal had been made for a phone call between the PM and Mr Trump, but Downing Street would be willing to consider it, the spokesman added.

David Cameron, pictured on the stump for the referendum campaign, has refused to apologise for attacking Mr Trump as 'stupid, divisive and wrong'
Tivy is accused of victimizing at least five other underage youths and

Celebrity chef Matthew Tivy is reportedly resigned to spending five years in jail and is seeking a plea bargain after allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old boy in a parking lot.

The New York Post claims attorneys for Tivy, 54, have been discussing a deal whereby he would plead guilty to a single count and accept a five-year sentence.

Tivy was arrested in October for allegedly having sex with several minors, including a Bronx high school student, and distributing child pornography.

Celebrity chef Matthew Tivy (pictured in 2008) was accused of having a penchant for at least six young boys, according to a lawsuit filed in a Manhattan court

He pleaded not guilty in December but his lawyers have not commented on the Post's claims.

The FBI claim Tivy had sex with a boy, who was then 15, in a Best Buy parking lot in 2014.

Sources close to the plea bargain negotiations told the Post the FBI wanted him to serve 10 years and said an aggravating factor was that he had allegedly reached out to under-age boys online even after being arrested.

Tivy was the culinary genius behind the Cafe Du Soleil (pictured) on the Upper West Side but he is understood to be no longer involved in the restaurant

The source said the length of sentence depended on the risk of him abusing children again.

Tivy, the former owner of Cafe Du Soleil on the Upper West Side, was said to have a 'depraved sexual interest between himself and [plaintiff] as well as five other minors,' according to a lawsuit.

The lawsuit said the alleged victim, suffered severe injuries, including but not limited to mental, psychological and emotional trauma.'

The minor's lawyer Royce Russell said last month his client continued to suffer from his alleged interactions with Tivy.

'He is a minor and he doesn't have the full capacity to understand, emotionally, what has occurred,' Russell said.

'He will be forever living with this and dealing with this.'

Tivy allegedly first met the Bronx victim when he was 14 or 15 years old and arranged a meeting with him December 30, 2014, outside a Best Buy.

Documents in the case describe how Tivy (pictured) first met the alleged Bronx victim when he was 14 or 15 years old and arranged a meeting with him December 30, 2014, outside a Best Buy
Counter-terrorism police have made three arrests linked to Syria in a series of raids.

Officers in Birmingham held a 21-year-old man at a property in the Handsworth area today on suspicion of preparing to travel to the war-torn nation to join Islamic State.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: 'Officers are this morning continuing to carry out searches at the address.

'The arrest was pre-planned and intelligence-led. There was no immediate threat to public safety.'

A 21-year-old man Birmingham has been arrested on suspicion of planning to join ISIS. File photo

In a separate operation, officers from Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command arrested two men in south London at around 5.30am for allegedly raising funds for terrorism in Syria.

The suspects, both aged 24, were taken to police stations in south London while their homes were searched.

Police also held a third man, aged 25, on suspicion of possession of cannabis with intent to supply in a raid on another address.

Officers searched the raided properties as well as another two residential addresses in the same area.

The number of terrorism-related arrests reached a record high last year when police detained 299 suspects, 100 of whom were charged.

The number has fallen slightly over the past year, although the number of under-18s and women suspected of terror crimes rose.

The rise in people being arrested and convicted has led Justice Secretary Michael Gove to look at plans to open a so-called 'jihadi prison' which would hold only terror offenders.
Comedian Tom Ballard has also publicly supported the campaign

The defence used by murderers still exists as a defence in QLD and SA

A Catholic priest has labelled Australia an 'international disgrace' as he campaigns for the removal of the 'gay panic' defence which 'belongs in the dark ages.'

Father Paul Kelly from Brisbane has started a petition calling on the 'revolting law' which is still valid in Queensland and South Australia to be abolished.

The 'gay panic' defence which allows a killer's convictions to be downgraded from murder to manslaughter has successfully been abolished in Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria while New South Wales limited the law in 2014.

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Brisbane priest Father Paul Kelly has called on Queensland and South Australia to abolish the 'gay panic' defence

Father Kelly has gained over 244 thousand signatures for his petition to reform the law on change.org.

In 2008 the provocation defence was used during the trial of Wayne Ruk who was killed in Father Kelly's churchyard.

The two men accused of his murder Jason Pearce and Richard Meerdink, claimed Mr Ruk made a homosexual pass at Pearce while they were sitting on a bench and as a result both men received lenient manslaughter sentences.

Pearce walked out after four years in prison and Meerdink will soon be up for parole.

The campaign launched by Father Paul Kelly on change.org has gained over 244 thousand signatures

Comedian and gay rights campaigner Tom Ballard has also joined the campaign to abolish the 'gay panic' defence

'It's disgusting - this law is still valid in both QLD and South Australia. In these two Australian states, if someone who you think is gay makes a pass at you, the sheer panic you could feel is partial justification for murder,' Father Kelly wrote.

'I've made it my mission to see this revolting law abolished - it belongs in the dark ages.

'I have no words to describe how offensive, harmful and dangerous it is that two of our governments uphold that a person can be panicked enough by gay people to justify murder.'

Comedian and gay rights campaigner Tom Ballard also joined the campaign saying the law justified violence.

'If any of those straight men were so offended by my advances they proceeded to stab me multiple times and then dump my body in a wheelie bin, I'd like to think the justice system would prosecute them to the full extent of the law,' comedian Tom Ballard said.

The 'gay panic' defence was also used in South Australia last month in a successful appeal for the retrial for Michael Joseph Lindsay, over the murder of Andrew Negre.

Michael Joseph Lindsay along with his co-accused Luke Hutchings, were convicted of murdering Andrew Negre by slitting his throat, stuffing his body in a wheelie bin and dumping it in a bush in March 2011, after the man allegedly made a sexual comment to Lindsay.

Andrew Negre was killed in 2011 after his throat was slit and his body was dumped in a bush. Michael Joseph Lindsay has successfully appealed for a retrial using the 'gay panic' defence

Since the petition the Queensland Attorney General Yvette D'Ath introduced a bill which aims to abolish the defence in the state by the end of the year.

But South Australia is still considering how to address the issue, reported ABC.

'The society believes that while some reform to provocation law is warranted, the law should still recognise that in some extraordinary circumstances people can lose control in a manner that does not warrant a murder conviction,' South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said.

'An example is a woman who has been a long-suffering victim of domestic abuse and after yet another attack suddenly loses control, lashes out and kills her partner.
Supermodel Eva Herzigova has become the latest foreign figure to lecture the British people over the EU referendum.

The Czech - known for starring in the 'Hello Boys' Wonderbra adverts in the 1990s - said it would be 'disastrous' if we voted to leave.

The endorsement comes after Abba star Bjorn Ulvaeus waded into the debate at the weekend saying Brexit would make him 'sad'.

International big hitters such as US President Barack Obama have previously sparked fury among leave campaigners by advising the electorate to stick with Brussels.

Eva Herzigova is best known for featuring on the traffic-stopping Wonderbra billboards in the 1990s

The Brexit campign received a stark warning from the Tories' election guru today to stop squabbling and focus on voters as polls showed Remain extending its lead.

Sir Lynton Crosby, who masterminded David Cameron's surprise victory last May, said the Leave campaign was 'running out of time' and needed 'dramatically' to step up its efforts ahead of the referendum.

He highlighted the row over who will take part in televised debates as an example of a 'process' row that does not sway the wider electorate.

Writing in the Telegraph, Australian consultant Sir Lynton said ORB research showed backing for EU membership had gone up four points over the past month to 55 per cent.

He warned that 'time may be running out for the Leave camp to make the case for Brexit as the Remain campaign's position is consolidating and the electorate becoming more polarised over Britain's membership of the EU'.

The pro-EU campaign's seven-point advantage on which side was perceived as 'having a clear vision for Britain' demonstrated that Leave needed to achieve 'more cut through'.

Herzigova signed an open letter along with more than 30 other prominent Czechs

Remain also has a 13-point lead on who is running the best campaign and has the clearest message, and a huge 21-point lead when people are asked who they have heard from most.

'This last attribute should be a clear warning for the Leave campaign that it needs to dramatically step up its efforts if it is to reach, retain and motivate its supporters before polling day,' Sir Lynton said.

Meanwhile, Mr Cameron has made a keynote speech to business leaders condemning 'myths' about the benefits of cutting ties with Brussels.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage has also said he wants another referendum to be held unless Remain wins by a huge margin on June 23.

Herzigova is among more than 30 Czechs who have reportedly signed an open letter pleading for the UK to stay in the EU.

'Without the British legacy of democratic institutions, entrepreneurial spirit, common sense and pragmatic approach to problem-solving, the West as we know it would be much weakened, politically and spiritually,' it said.

'Britain, under the exit scenario, would fare no better. It would be stranded in the middle of the Atlantic, unable to draw on the synergies of the European project. It would be left alone to deal with the ever-present threats of nationalism, populist politics, migration issues and ethnic intolerance. Closing its doors to workers from the EU, it would have to look for manpower, most likely less qualified and less adaptable, in other parts of the world.'

However, the missive - also signed by Cold War dissidents and renowned conductor Jiri Belohlavek - also acknowledges that 'many Europeans, in the East and in the West, are frustrated with the decreasing ability of the EU to cope with the current problems'.

British playwright Tom Stoppard - who was born in the Czech Republic - was sent the open letter by former ambassador to London Michael Zantovsky and has made it public.

Stoppard told the Guardian: 'A lot of the debate in this country is about the arithmetic and it is as well to be reminded that arithmetic isn't everything. Geopolitics in the 21st century weigh more heavily than they ever have done.'

In an interview to coincide with the Eurovision song contest - which Abba won with Waterloo in 1974 - Bjorn said: 'It would really make me sad if Britain would leave and what that would mean. It's like someone you love leaving you. It's emotional.'
Khan claims robbers who 'tied him up and blindfolded him' started it

Chris Noble, Bianka O'Brien and her baby son Jude died in the blaze

Khan was allegedly caught on camera filling three containers with petrol

Adeel Khan accused of starting fire at his store in Rozelle, Sydney, in 2014

A convenience store owner blamed for a fire that killed three people was allegedly caught on camera filling up cans with almost 40 litres of petrol at a service station just days before the deadly blaze, a court has heard.

Adeel Khan, 44, is accused of murdering Chris Noble, 27, Bianka O'Brien, 31, and her 11-month-old son by deliberately starting a fire in his store in Rozelle, Sydney, on September 4, 2014.

The three victims were sleeping in units above the store at the time.

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Adeel Khan (seen above being escorted to a prison van on Monday) denies starting a fire in his Sydney convenience store which killed three people living in the units above

Khan was allegedly caught on camera at a service station buying petrol just days before the deadly fire

During a trial in the NSW Supreme Court, prosecutors presented a video they claim shows the 44-year-old filling up four containers with 38.8 litres of petrol

During a trial in the NSW Supreme Court, prosecutors presented a video they claim shows the 44-year-old filling up four containers with 38.8 litres of petrol, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Forensic experts and a woman who works at the service station also gave evidence in the trial on Tuesday.

The court had earlier been told the 44-year-old was in debt at the time of the deadly fire, with almost $400,000 owed in bills and to 'financial institutions'.

It comes after Khan last week denied starting the blaze, claiming instead it was the work of three 'criminals' who blindfolded him.

The blaze obliterated the convenience store and surrounding building, forcing emergency crews to search through the debris 'brick-by-brick'(above)

Chris Noble (pictured) sent a text message to his mother to tell her he loved her shortly before his death

He also dismissed allegations he was struggling financially at the time.

Khan was discovered by emergency services in the early hours of the morning lying beneath the rubble of the building having been unable to escape the fire.

His lawyer also denied the prosecution's suggestion his client may have started the fire for financial gain.

Bianka O'Brien and her son Jude were also killed in the fire. Emergency services found the mother lying across her baby's body to try to protect him from the flames

Khan's wife arrives at the NSW Supreme Court to hear is first day of evidence last week

'It is very much in issue that the accused was under such financial stress that would provide motive for him to destroy his business,' he said.

The prosecution also told the jury they would be given the option to consider an alternative charge of manslaughter instead of murder.

The court was earlier told how he was likely to have known there were people sleeping above the store when he set fire to it.

Chris Nobles parents Liz and Ross (centre) arrived with family for the second day of the trial last week

Ms O'Brien's husband John arrived wearing sunglasses and clutching a coffee to hear Khan's evidence

Senior Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi QC argued he was motivated to start the blaze in the hope of receiving an insurance payout and being able to cut his lease short amid financial strife.

'The accused was so intent on meeting his own needs and his desire to free himself from the lease obligations and repay his debts, he was prepared to put at serious risk the lives of any other people who happened to be in the vicinity,' he told the court.

Relatives of those killed in the fire wept as they heard how Ms O'Brien, a 31-year-old mother, lay across her baby's body to try to protect him from the flames when she died.

Mr Noble was able to send his mother a text message moment before he died to tell her he loved her.

Khan was was originally due at court in October but has been in in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with serious injuries since the explosion. Above, fire fighters sort through debris after the explosion in September

The fire caused an explosion which destroyed the building, leaving the residents upstairs unable tp escape.

'He obviously knew he was trapped and was going to die, because in the few seconds before he was killed ... he sent a text message to his mother saying, "I love you"' Mr Tedeschi said.

Khan denies three counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and three counts of manslaughter.
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If the thought of dusting fills you with dread, perhaps this 'wipe-clean' basement apartment could be the dream home.

The bizarrely-decorated east London property is covered in dark blue tiles all the way through and has been likened to 'living in a swimming pool'.

It features a double bedroom, toilet and open plan living room and kitchen, and is being advertised on the SpareRoom property website for 900 a month.

This 'wipe-clean' basement apartment is covered in dark blue tiles all the way through and has been likened to 'living in a swimming pool'

The Walthamstow flat not only has blue tiles throughout, but also has a similarly patterned floor - giving it the appearance of a dingy hospital ward.

Matt Hutchinson, director of SpareRoom, told the Evening Standard: 'It's certainly not something you see every day.

'This wipe-clean Walthamstow pad might appeal to someone who doesn't like dust, but it could be tricky to shake the feeling you're living in a swimming pool.'

Sharon Taylor of Viva Tiling, said the unusual tiling would likely have set back the owner thousands of pounds.

She added: 'We usually get asked to decorate bathrooms or kitchens. If you do have something in the living room or a bedroom it's usually a feature wall, using 3D tiling or something unusual.

'To have the whole thing done is very strange. It might make it easy to clean but it must be quite oppressive as well.'

Odd design: The bizarrely-decorated east London property features a double bedroom, toilet and open plan living room and kitchen, and is being advertised on the SpareRoom property website for 900 a month. The Walthamstow flat has blue tiles throughout (pictured)
A bikini brand has angered Christians with an advert celebrating its 38th anniversary by saying the label has lasted longer than Jesus Christ.

The posters, which were put up across Switzerland, featured a model posing next to a crucifix.

According to the Bible, Jesus lived for 33 years before being executed on the cross.

Taboo territory': A bikini brand has angered Christians with an advert featuring a model posing next to a crucifix to celebrate its 38th anniversary by saying the label has lasted longer than Jesus Christ

The adverts also boasted about having lasted longer than Alexander the Great, who died aged 32.

Nicolas Mori, who was the Swiss Reformed Church spokesman for the canton of Zurich, said: 'In terms of content the advert is completely wrong.

'The label "Jesus" did not cease to exist after 33 years. In fact, in contrast, for the last 2,000 years, humanity has been busy with the business of the son of God.

'And not only until now, but for a considerable time into future this will continue to be the case. This bikini label will almost certainly vanish faster than the cross in the church.'

Swiss Evangelical Alliance spokesman Thomas Hanimann said: 'Quite aside from the fact that this advert is meant to offend religious feeling, it is a load of nonsense.

'It is a shame that the company and the marketing experts responsible for it did not want to go more deeply into the question of belief which it seems for them was a taboo.'

In hot water: The company also faced controversy after this 2003 advert of a woman with her legs spread was banned as sexist and denigrating to women

Simon Spengler, who is in charge of communication and culture at the Catholic Church in Zurich, added: 'Jesus actually died for everybody including this attractive young lady.'

He said: '1.2billion people worldwide believe in his name. Ta-bou therefore have a bit of catching up to do. I don't really believe that they are going to achieve that.'

The boss of the family-owned business, Gianni De Nicola, said: 'I don't have any problem sleeping at night. We want to fight for ethics in textile production and that is what counts.'

He said that the model on the posters was his daughter Valeria De Nicola, who is also the designer of some of the bikinis that they sell.

It is not the company's first venture into taboo territory.

In 1994, the company also faced criticism after advertising with the slogan '16 years old and Tabou? No...'

A 2003 advert in which a woman had her legs spread in an inviting pose was banned as sexist and denigrating to women.

And in 1994 they faced further controversy after advertising with the slogan '16 years old and Tabou? No...'

Gianni De Nicola said that he had only been given positive feedback on their latest campaign.

He added: 'I admit not everybody understands it, but they all realised that it is very significant.
Eight families living in Nixip Refugee Camp have now pressed charges

He paid the boys 35p to 1.20 to have sex with him in the camp toilets

The cleaner, known as E. E., is said to have raped as many as 30 boys

The victims of an alleged paedophile rapist who preyed on refugee boys in a migrant camp in Turkey has revealed how he would lure them in with promises of 'fun' and money.

The man, a 27-year-old cleaner named only as 'E.E.', reportedly attacked at least 30 boys between eight and 12 for more than three months unimpeded at Nizip Refugee Camp in Antep, Turkey.

One of his young victims told a Turkish court how he offered him just 35p for sex, and when the boy refused, the attacker raped him in a bathroom.

Crimes: The 27-year-old alleged paedophile reportedly raped young Syrian boys after luring them in with promises of money and 'some fun' (pictured are Syrian refugee children at the Nizip refugee camp last month)

'E. E. called me and took me to the toilet. He offered me 1.5 liras for sex. I refused. Then he abruptly removed my trousers and raped me,' the young boy told the court, RT reports.

'A few days later, he called me again, but I ran. The next day, he grabbed me again, dragged me to the toilet and did the same thing.'

Another victim said: 'E.E. called me and told me to meet him in the toilet for 'some fun' and promised to give me 10 liras.'

The man's alleged crimes - for which he would pay the boys a couple of lira - were only exposed after police noticed him taking children to 'blind spots' around the camp, out of sight of the cameras.

E.E. is alleged to have raped the first boy in the toilet in September, offering him somewhere between 35p and 1.20 to have sex with him, Turkish newspaper BirGun reported.

The cleaner is alleged to have raped 30 boys aged between eight and 12 in the Nizip Refugee Camp toilets over the course of three months

The man's alleged crimes - for which he would pay the boys a couple of lira - were only exposed after police noticed him taking children to 'blind spots' around the camp, out of sight of the cameras

Syrian women sitting in front of container home at the Nizip container city housing 1340 women and more than two thousands children who fled war in their country

He continued to target boys at the camp, which has 14,000 refugees living within its boundaries, until the start of this year.

Eight families have now decided to press charges - the rest of the boys' parents are said to be too scared to make a fuss.

E.E. from Bozova, southeast Turkey, is currently standing trial for child-sex crimes, with the verdict expected on June 1.

Since the news of the rapes came to light, Turkish journalists and opposition politicians have been banned from visiting the camp and speaking to families of the victims, RT also reports.

Camp authorities in Nizip Refugee Camp have also been accused of trying to cover up the sexual assaults.

His alleged crimes were only exposed after police noticed him taking children to 'blind spots' around the camp, out of sight of the cameras. Pictured: Angela Merkel at the camp in April

'There are 85 cameras in the camp and 14 were pointed at the scenes where the sexual assaults took place,' Erk Acarer, the BirGun reporter who first broke the story newspaper, said.

But strangely when the court asked for the video recordings, the camp authorities replied that all 14 cameras were broken and were not able to record anything'

The revelation is another blow to German Chancellor Merkel's attempts to assuage fears over the deal struck with Turkey which will see refugees returned to the country after arriving in Europe.

Merkel, along with European Council President Donald Tusk and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, visited the camp on April 23 - International Children's Day, singing the camps praises.

While there, they opened a child protection centre.
A severed human head found 'covered in blood' and discarded in a quarry skip was that of a woman in her 30s or 40s, according to a stunned worker who made the grim discovery.

Police launched a nationwide investigation after the body part was uncovered at about 3pm yesterday in Mepal, near Ely, Cambridgeshire. Officers are treating the death as 'suspicious'.

Today, a quarry worker, who asked not to be named, claimed his colleague spotted the head lying on top of a skip and believed it to belong to a woman in her 30s or 40s, possibly with brown hair.

It is believed one theory police are working on is that the head had belonged to a body possibly dumped in rubble at a road construction site 40 miles away in Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire.

A police vehicle enters Block Fen Drove site at Mepal, near Ely, Cambridgeshire, where a severed head was discovered in a skip. The worker who discovered the body part said he believed it to be that of a woman

A worker at the site made the discovery yesterday afternoon, prompting a nationwide police investigation

A rail project is currently taking place on the land by infrastructure specialists, Murphy.

It is not yet clear how the body part got from the building site to the quarry but it is thought it may have been transported in landfill.

A post-mortem examination is set to be carried out this morning, according to police.

The quarry worker said: 'My colleague collected the skip where he saw nothing out of the ordinary, and put a cover over the top to stop anything falling out during transit.

'When he got back to our site, he took the cover off and spotted something straight away.

'He said, 'what on earth is that', and his first thought was that it was a manikin's head.

'But then he realised it had eyebrows and hair, and suddenly clicked that it was actually a woman's head.

'He said it had blood all over and was covered in dirt, but didn't look like it had disintegrated.

'He described the features of the head looking female and said she looked in her 30s or 40s, but he couldn't be 100 per cent.

'He thought she had dark hair but it could have been dirty blonde and just covered in so much muck.

'He called the managers and it was all passed over to the powers that be.'

The man described how the site is used for waste disposal with materials transported in and out of the site to locations across the UK.

This includes the contents of skips that contain industrial material and landfill.

He claimed the skip containing the head arrived from Bedfordshire on Monday lunchtime and was filled with a soil substance.

Lorries continue to trundle in and out of the quarry entrance as the police get to work on identifying whether the head belongs to a male or female

The quarry in the village of Mepal, Cambridgeshire, where police are currently investigating the discovery of a human head

But he told how it wasn't the first time body parts or bones have appeared in skips that end up on site.

'Every now and again body parts turn up, mostly animal body parts,' he said.

'A bone isn't that scary but this was like something out of the movies. We've never come across a head before.

'It's the part of the body you would think people would try and get rid of.

'Other parts of the body don't identify much but the hands and the head can reveal a person's identity.

'Someone must have gone to the site and dumped the head at some point. You wouldn't put it in your own skip would you?

'He said she hadn't deteriorated much though so she couldn't have been there long.

'It has come as a shock to us because at the end of the day, none of us want to think about that as the way we end up once we're gone.

'You can't help but feel for the poor person's family and wonder how she ended up where she did.'

The worker said his colleague had been 'knocked for six' by the discovery, which has led to the area being sealed off.

A couple who live next to the site in Sharnbrook, where the head is believed to have come from, said they see a number of lorries coming in and out daily dropping off gravel for building works and taking loads away.

They said there can be up to one lorry every 15 minutes when builders are filling in with aggregate.

Specialist forensic teams were today searching Network Rail land and a JCB digger could be seen scouring a landfill site beneath the village's historic viaduct.

Police have confirmed they are trying to work out how long the head has been lying inside of the skip

People with information that may help the investigation are urged to get in touch with police officers

Trains were still passing overhead nearby to the closed-off site and a number of police vehicles were also in the site car park.

A police spokesman said: 'We were called at about 3pm yesterday afternoon with reports of the discovery of a human head at a quarry in Mepal.

'Officers from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit are conducting enquiries, both locally and across the county borders.'

Police are also trying to work out how long the head had been at the Block Fen Drove site.

It is understood the head is so damaged that it may be tricky to immediately identify it.

Detective Inspector Jerry Waite, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit (MCU), said: 'We are conducting enquiries both locally and across the county borders, and would urge anyone with information about the finding to contact us.

'At this stage we do not know if the head is male or female, however we have got officers carrying out searches at a site in Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, as we believe this is where the remains may have come from.'

Tests are currently being carried out on the head for clues on how it came to be in the skip.

A spokesman for Mick George Ltd, the company that runs the quarry, confirmed that staff were helping police.

He said: 'We are working closely with the police and providing them with all the information they need to undertake their investigations. At this point we cannot provide any further comments.'

A spokeswoman for Murphy said the company could not comment on the matter while police investigations were ongoing.

The road leading to the quarry where police are investigating the discovery of a severed human head

Building work at the National Rail site is currently being carried out to reinforce the viaduct with steel as it hasn't been worked on in 70 years.

Work started roughly a year ago and is due to last for at least 18 months. Workmen have already built a temporary road down a field to the viaduct.

It is believed they were extending the road so drivers would find it easier to turn around but work was then halted.

The neighbour next to the site, who has lived in the house for 17 years, but didn't wish to be named, said: 'There's been forensics and I've seen someone walking with a couple of black bags.

'It's a big concern. I feel very sorry for those men.'

The land where the viaduct is, is owned by farmers J Hurley and Sons.

Jim Hurley, 76, who has been a farmer for almost 70 years said: 'We own the piece of land at the bottom where the viaduct is and we are tenants of the piece at the top.

'I'd been working when my nephew came over and said parts of a body have been found which was a bit shocking.'

Speaking from his tractor, he added: 'It's a bit grim really. A quiet little place like this when we are working away, it's quite unexpected.'

The owner of J Hurley and Sons, Michael Hurley, 48, said he hasn't been told anything about what was going on but said the police had more important matters to deal with.

He added: 'It's shocking really but we don't really know anything or what is going on.
It comes weeks after Lochie Connaughton, 16, died after crashing scooter

He was riding from tourist hub Kuta to Sanur when the accident occurred

A firefighter holidaying with colleagues has been tragically killed after his scooter crashed into a garbage truck in Bali.

Adrian Newton, 42, was riding a scooter to Sanur from popular tourist hub Kuta on the Indonesian resort island, when he struck the truck from behind as it was attempting to do a U-turn early on Tuesday.

The Melbourne man was reportedly in Bali on holiday with a group of firefighters, according to the Herald Sun.

Adrian Newton, 42, was riding a scooter to Sanur from popular tourist hub Kuta on the Indonesian resort island, when he struck the truck from behind as it was attempting to do a U-turn early on Tuesday

Motorbikes are a popular form of transport for locals and tourists on the Indonesian island. Above is a stock image

Police said the driver of the garbage truck was questioned and have reported the matter to the Australian consulate.

The head of forensics at Sanglah Hospital, Ida Bagus Putu Alit, said the 42-year-old Australian had suffered a fracture to his jaw, a broken wrist and bruising to his abdomen.

'We couldn't smell alcohol from the outside and so we can't tell if he's under the influence of alcohol. To make sure of that, autopsy is needed,' Alit told reporters.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has been contacted for comment.

Mr Newton had previously worked on exchange as a firefighter in Richmond, Canada.

The United Firefighters Union said Mr Newton's death would be a tragic for his colleagues, according to The Age.

Police said the driver of the garbage truck was questioned and have reported the matter to the Australian consulate. Pictured is Mr Newton

United Firefighters Union secretary Peter Marshall (pictured) said Mr Newton's death would be a tragic for his colleagues

'Adrian Newton was a highly regarded officer with specialist rescue qualifications ... he served Victoria as a career firefighter in the CFA and the in the MFB,' United Firefighters Union secretary Peter Marshall said.

'Firefighters are a tight-knit team and his loss will impact on many who have known and worked with him. Our deepest condolences to his family.'

Friends of Mr Newton have taken to Facebook to post tributes to the 'avid snow boarder, surfer and thrill seeker' they knew as 'Newts' and 'Noodles'.

'Today is an example for people to live and enjoy life. Learn to be mindful and be in the movement [sic],' one man said.

'Don't let lifes [sic] buffet pass you by without getting a taste of everything.

The Melbourne man was reportedly in Bali on holiday with a group of firefighters. Above is a stock image

The tragedy comes just weeks after 16-year-old Lochie Connaughton (pictured) 'lost control' of a scooter and drove into a concrete separator while driving out of the basement of the Marriot's Stone Hotel in Kuta

'I say this as a tribute to Adrian Newton "Newts" "Noodles" the man lived life and enjoyed every second he had on this planet .

'Everyone who has met Adrian is better for the experience and will never forget him and his ferocious appetite for adventure and fun.

'A life lived to the fullest. Enjoy the never ending green room "newts" may the waves be long and plentiful.'

The tragedy comes just weeks after 16-year-old Lochie Connaughton 'lost control' of a scooter and drove into a concrete separator while driving out of the basement of the Marriot's Stone Hotel in Kuta.

The teenager, from the Orange Central West region of New South Wales, was holidaying with his parents.




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This is the huge storage centre in a remote part of Spain where passenger jets are kept while awaiting repairs - and another chance to fly again.

The ghostly industrial airport, located 3,000ft above sea-level near the town of Teruel in eastern Spain, holds dozens of aircraft from around the world at any one time.

Aircraft - including giant Boeing 747s - are flown to the facility for repairs and refitting and, in some cases, to be stripped for their parts. Airlines also sometimes use the giant storage area to keep their aircraft on standby if market forces have prompted a lower demand in their services.

The facility's location was chosen for its dry continental climate, according to CNN, while it is also situated between the cities of Valencia and Madrid with Barcelona further north.

Director Alejandro Ibrahim told CNN that the unit was also used in the field of research and that there are plans for a pilot training centre on site.

The facility experienced an influx of jet planes last year amid a crisis in the Russian aviation industry. Already at capacity with nearly 100 aircraft, there are plans afoot to extend the site so 200 can be kept there at the same time.

Pictures show the huge storage centre in a remote part of Spain where passenger jets are kept while awaiting repairs - and another chance to fly again

Mothballed: Close to a hundred aircraft, including giant Boeing 747s, are stored at the facility with some in for repair and others to be scrapped

Some of the planes are from the Russian airline Transaero (pictured) which reportedly ceased operation in October last year

Capacity: A picture taken from distance shows the scale of the passenger jet storage facility which can handle up to a hundred planes at a time

On standby: While some planes are in for repair, airlines often use the facility to store their aircraft while demand for their services picks up

The ghostly industrial airport, located 3,000ft above sea-level near the town of Teruel in eastern Spain, holds dozens of aircraft from around the world at any one time

Aircraft - including giant Boeing 747s - are flown to the facility for repairs and refitting and, in some cases, to be stripped for their parts

Airlines also sometimes use the giant storage area to keep their aircraft on standby if market forces have prompted a lower demand in their services

The facility's location was chosen for its dry continental climate while it is also situated between the cities of Valencia and Madrid with Barcelona further north

Director Alejandro Ibrahim said that the unit was also used in the field of research and that there are plans for a pilot training centre on site

The facility experienced an influx of jet planes last year amid a crisis in the Russian aviation industry. A Transaero aircraft is pictured above

Already at capacity with nearly 100 aircraft, there are plans afoot to extend the site so 200 can be kept there at the same time

Ready for action: While some of the planes are taken to the facility to be scrapped, others are simply waiting to be used by their airline

Line up: Demand for such facilities is high and a site in France is already full. The location in Spain is seen as being ideal because of the dry conditions in the area

The site was chosen because of the large amounts of space available in the area and the dry conditions in the mountains

The facility experiences an influx of aircraft last year amid a crisis in the Russian aviation industry. It includes a number of Transaero planes (pictured)

According to CNN, Transaero and UTAir had a 'terrible' 2015 with UTAir axing the majority of its fleet and Transaero ceasing operation

The airstrip is in a valley surrounded by huge mountains in a remote part of eastern Spain. Aircraft from all over the world come to the facility

On standby: UTair Aviation is a Russian airline operating scheduled domestic and some international passenger services

Spacious: The storage facility, at a location high in the mountains of eastern Spain, even keeps giant Boeing 747s (pictured)

Sprawling: The massive facility is situated between Valencia and Madrid while Barcelona is also accessible to the north east

Eerie: The ghostly facility is situated in a remote location and features a huge collection of giant aircraft, including this Jumbo Jet

The site also holds a number of planes from the Colombian airline Avianca, which has its headquarters in Bogota

Such has been the demand for the facility, that the owners of the site are already considering expanding it so that it can store 200 planes

A Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet belonging to the Russian company Transaero can be seen in storage at the facility in eastern Spain

Dozens of aircraft are awaiting their fate at the giant facility, which is surrounded by snow-capped mountains in eastern Spain

Atmospheric: The outlines of planes at the unit can be seen against the stunning backdrop of a sunset in eastern Spain
An unusual friendship between a cat and a baby bearded dragon has amassed thousands of fans online.

In the adorable footage, Baby the cat and Charles the bearded dragon can be seen cuddling each other to sleep.

Owner Cheyenne March, 20, was worried her cat would gobble the baby lizard up as a small snack when they first met nine months ago.

An unusual friendship between this cat and a baby bearded dragon has amassed thousands of fans online

Charles the bearded dragon and Baby the cat became friends when Charles approached the feline for a cuddle

But after Charles the bearded dragon went for a cuddle with Baby the cat, aged four, the pair immediately became inseparable.

They are best friends and do everything together, from going for walks outside to cuddling one another until they fall asleep.

Their unlikely friendship has now attracting thousands of fans across social media.

Cheyenne, a navy housewife from Johnstown in Pennsylvania, USA, believes Charles likes the warmth from Baby and Baby likes the texture of Charles' body.

She said: 'I thought that could never be friends but remarkably they really seem to care for one another.

'I thought the cat would try to attack the tail of Charles our bearded dragon but it never happened and now it's a real surprise that they're so close.

Owner Cheyenne March, 20, from Pennsylvania, was initially worried that Baby the cat would eat her new scaly housemate

'I thought the cat would try to attack the tail of Charles our bearded dragon but it never happened and now it's a real surprise that they're so close' said Mrs March

'The first time they saw one another the cat rubbed against our bearded dragon.

'Then when the cat was asleep in a ball the lizard left my lap and climbed in for a cuddle.

'Now they share a little cat hut while they have naps and I often find them cuddling on the sofa fast asleep.

'They go outside together for little strolls, watch birds together from the window, stare down our postman and then cuddle up to go for a nap - they're absolutely adorable.

'I thought it was so cute when I first saw them together, I would never have guessed that they would be so close.'

They share a cat hut when they nap and even go for walks together, supervised by their owner

'They watch birds together from the window, stare down our postman and then cuddle up to go for a nap - they're absolutely adorable' said navy housewife Cheyenne
This is the shocking moment an Indian MP falls into a sewer while giving a TV interview.

The unfortunately named Poonam Madam, 40, was speaking to locals in Vododara city of Gujarat when the road caved in.

Madam and four other people standing next to her plunged into the eight-foot deep sewer running underneath.

The name drain: Indian MP Poonam Madam gives a TV interview moments before she falls into a sewer

Disappearing act: Madam desperately tries to cling onto locals as she plunges through the road into the sewer

She suffered a four-inch gash on her head plus injuries to her shoulder and legs.

Two other people were also reported injured in the accident.

A spokesman for Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai said: 'A team of doctors attended to her immediately and administered stitches and further treatment.

Swallowed up: Rescuers look through the gaping hole in the road where Poonam Madam had been standing

Madam and four other people standing next to her plunged into the eight-foot deep sewer running underneath

'She has hurt her left shoulder but has not sustained a fracture.

'All in all, her condition is stable, her vitals normal, and she is conscious and there is nothing to worry about.'

The sewer was covered by a loosely fit, thin concrete layer.

Madam is pulled from the sewer a four-inch deep gash on her head plus injuries to her shoulder and legs
Adrien Brody downplayed the allegations of sexual abuse that have been made against Woody Allen and Bill Cosby and director Roman Polanski's rape conviction in a recent interview.

The Oscar-winning actor was a guest on Dirty, Sexy, Funny with Jenny McCarthy on Monday when the host asked him about working with both Allen and Polanski in the wake of a joke French comedian Laurent Lafitte made about the two men last week.

'Life is very complicated,' said Brody. 'I look to collaborate with artistic people and to go into an endeavor without judgment and to hopefully be treated with the same.

'It's an artistic pursuit, and Polanski for instance had a very complicated and difficult life.

'It would be unfair of me to delve into something as complicated as the past that was brought up in the media.'

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Speaking out: Adrien Brody defended his decision to work with directors Roman Polanski and Woody Allen in an interview on Monday (above)

Reason: 'I look to collaborate with artistic people and to go into an endeavor without judgment and to hopefully be treated with the same,' said Brody (l to r: Brody, Owen Wilson, Lea Seydoux, Woody Allen, Frederic Mitterrand, Rachel McAdams and Michael Sheen at the 2011 premiere of Midnight In Paris at Cannes)

Sex offender: Polanski (above with brody at the 2003 Cesar Awards) was convicted of rape in 1977 after admitting to having sex with a 13-year-old girl, fled the country a year later and is remains a fugitive

McCarthy went on to ask Brody if he believed that there should be a separation between the personal and professional lives of these directors, to which he replied; 'Well, to a certain extent. I mean, again, people make mistakes in lives.'

The conversation then turned to Bill Cosby, who unlike Allen has watched his career be destroyed by allegations of rape.

'I don't even read about these things, to be honest I choose not to indulge this kind of fodder,' said Brody.

'I think there's a lot of catastrophe in this world and a lot of cruelty and a lot of carelessness.

'Of course it's horrible what comes out sometimes, and people have done things in their lives that may be inexcusable, but it's not something to focus on.'

It was at the premiere of Allen's Cafe Society during the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday that Lafitte compared Allen and Polanski in a joke, saying to the American director: 'Youve shot so many of your films here in Europe and yet in the U.S. you havent even been convicted of rape.'

The comment seemed to be more aimed at Polanski, who is a fugitive from the United States after pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a minor following a 1977 incident.

The director admitted to having sex with a 13-year-old girl and served 42 days in prison, but after his release a judge rejected his plea deal and he fled to Paris in early 1978 where he continues to live before he could be sentenced to more time behind bars.

There have been attempts to extradite him since but they have all failed

He has continued to work steadily overseas since then, and even won a Best Director Oscar for his film The Pianist in 2003. Brody also won in the Best Actor category.

Nine years later, Brody worked with Allen for the first time, playing the role of Salvador Dali in Midnight In Paris.

Statement: 'People have done things in their lives that may be inexcusable, but it's not something to focus on,' said Brody of Allen and Bill Cosby (above at a court hearing in February)

Winners: Both Polanski and Brody won Oscars for The Pianist (Brody above in a still from the film)

Recent role: Brody worked with Allen, who was accused of molesting his 7-year-old daughter, on the 2011 film Midnight In Paris (above in still from the film)

Brody is not the only star to defend their decision to work with Allen, with Kristen Stewart doing the same in an interview last week before the premiere of Cafe Society.

The 26-year-old actress, who shot to fame with the Twilight series, said she spoke with her co-star Jesse Eisenberg before she took the job, having known him from their work on the films Adventureland and American Ultra.

'I was like, "What do you think? We dont know any of these people involved. I can personalize situations, which would be very wrong,"' said Stewart in an interview with Variety.

'At the end of the day, Jesse and I talked about this. If we were persecuted for the amount of s*** thats been said about us thats not true, our lives would be over.

'The experience of making the movie was so outside of that, it was fruitful for the two of us to go on with it.'

The interview came as Allen's estranged son lashed out at actors who choose to work with the director.

Dream team: Kristen Stewart and Blake Lively both defended their decisions to appear in Allen's new film Cafe Society in recent interviews (above on Wednesday night at the Cannes Film Festival)

Angered: Their interviews came as Allen's estranged son Ronan Farrow (above in April 2015) lashed out at actors who choose to work with the director

Ronan Farrow chided those who work with Allen in an essay he wrote for The Hollywood Reporter.

'Actors, including some I admire greatly, continue to line up to star in his movies. "It's not personal," one once told me,' wrote Farrow.

'But it hurts my sister every time one of her heroes like Louis C.K., or a star her age, like Miley Cyrus, works with Woody Allen.

'Personal is exactly what it is  for my sister, and for women everywhere with allegations of sexual assault that have never been vindicated by a conviction.'

He went on to write: 'Tonight, the Cannes Film Festival kicks off with a new Woody Allen film. There will be press conferences and a red-carpet walk by my father and his wife (my sister).

'He'll have his stars at his side  Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Steve Carell, Jesse Eisenberg. They can trust that the press won't ask them the tough questions.

'It's not the time, it's not the place, it's just not done.'

Farrow's essay came one week after a cover story on the acclaimed auteur in the same magazine
The 23-year-old woman who was bitten by a shark off the coast of Florida, posed for pictures at the hospital after doctors finally unlatched the fish's jaw of razor-sharp teeth from her arm.

The woman - who has not been identified by name - was bitten by a baby nurse shark at Red Reef Park on Sunday.

While the shark almost immediately died, it's teeth remain sunk into the woman's flesh, and doctors had to carefully unlatch the dead shark's jaw from the woman's arm at the hospital.

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Freed: The 23-year-old woman who was bitten by a baby nurse shark off the coast of Boca Raton, Florida on Sunday is pictured above smiling in her hospital bed after doctors unlatched the dead shark's jaw from her arm

After having her arm successfully freed from the shark's clenched jaw, she posed for a picture on her hospital bed, smiling and holding up a plastic bag with the dead fish, surrounded by three male friends.

Friends shared the picture on social media on Sunday. One friend spoke out to WFTS, saying his friend was 'handling [the shark bite] like a champ'.

They buried the two-foot-long shark the same day.

Pictures released by the Boca Raton Fire Department show the woman at the beach in a swimsuit, the shark's teeth still clinging to her forearm.

Jaws: The woman - who has not been identified by name - was bitten on Sunday by a baby nurse shark that died soon after leaving the water. But its jaw remained stuck on her forearm

Provoked? She remained calm and had to be taken to the hospital with a splint supporting the weight of the animal on her arm. A witness said the woman and her friends had been holding the shark up by its tail

The 23-year-old remained calm after she was bitten off the coast of Red Reef Park on Sunday afternoon, and little blood was involved in the accident.

Eleven-year-old witness Nate Patrick told the the Sun Sentinel that he saw the woman and her friends 'holding the shark by its tail' and 'messing with it' before the animal lashed out.

He defended the nurse shark, which can grow up to 14 feet, and said: 'Sharks are the most humane thing ever. So it wouldn't bite them if they hadn't been messing with it.'

Nurse sharks are slow-moving and have strong jaws along with razor-sharp, serrated teeth.

According to National Geographic, the animals will bite defensively if they are stepped on or bothered by humans.
An Australian volunteer has reportedly been killed while working with Kurdish forces in Iraq to clear landmines.

The death of a Westerner had been 'confirmed' on Tuesday evening, with reports saying the person was part of the 'demining effort' in Daquq, south of Kirkuk.

'Australian demining volunteer killed in Daquq, Kurdistan, south of Kirkuk, while inspecting mined areas,' the BBC reported.

An Australian volunteer has reportedly been killed while working with Kurdish forces in Iraq to clear landmines (stock image)

It is thought the person was volunteering for Kurdish forces operating in the area, possible YPG or Peshmerga.

If the person was volunteering with YPG, they would be the third Australian to die while with the group.

Former Canberra postman Ashley Johnson was shot dead while fighting against ISIS in Syria with YPG last year, while Reece Harding died after stepping on a IED.

Daily Mail Australia contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.

More to come

Military forces take part in training exercises to clear mines in northern Iraq (stock image)
Theresa May today demanded the Police Federation clean up their act as she accused them of buying holiday homes with subscription fees and failing to stand up for domestic violence victims.

In a hard hitting speech to the annual Police Federation conference, the Home Secretary demanded police officers continue to reform their union or face legislation to force change.

Shortly before her speech, delegates held a minute's silence to remember Hillsborough and Mrs May urged them to use the memory of the disaster as a 'touchstone' to drive them to help victims.

The Home Secretary said victims of domestic abuse were 'still being let down' by a failure to use new laws properly.

Home Secretary Theresa May told the Police Federation conference today it had to continue reforming to make sure it properly stood up for justice

Mrs May said she had been forced to call in two years of accounts for 'questionable and opaque' spending

She said: 'Branches spending tens of thousands of pounds on presents for retiring Federation representatives, gifts that ordinary rank and file officers would never expect to receive.

'Other items like 10,000 on an annual plain clothing allowance in one branch which defy explanation.

'The fact some branches own what appear to be holiday homes within an overall property portfolio worth 31million.

'Member subscriptions are not a slush fund for the Fed or pocket money for its officials and I am sure ordinary members of the Federation will be as concerned about how their money is being spent as I am.'

RURAL POLICE COULD BE SITTING DUCKS FOR TERROR ATTACKS, MINISTERS WARNED The number of armed officers in England and Wales has fallen sharply Police would be 'sitting ducks' if terrorists attack key sites outside of cities, ministers have been warned. Senior figures in the Police Federation said shortages of armed officers meant it would take too long time for them to get to key infrastructure in rural areas. John Apter, head of the Hampshire branch, said firearms response could be as far as 70 miles away from some sites. Rural and coastal areas include a number of potential targets such as power plants and refineries. There are also concerns about gun attacks in isolated places. Nuclear sites are guarded by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, whose officers are routinely armed. The Ministry of Defence Police, who also carry weapons, are responsible for facilities such as the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston in Berkshire. Advertisement

Four police federation officials have been arrested on suspicion of fraud.

And Mrs May added: 'Irrespective of whether criminality has taken place or individuals have acted inappropriately or not they remind us of the continuing need for the Federation to change the way it operates.

'So I intend to consult the Federation on amending its regulations to require all expenditure above a defined amount - as set by the Federation itself - be agreed by the national officers of the Federation and the national board.'

Mrs May told delegates too often the police did not properly look after victims.

She told delegates new domestic violence laws are 'not being used anywhere near as systematically as they could be'.

The Home Secretary said: 'Victims of abuse are still being let down and reports are not being taken seriously enough.

'The right skills, training and commitment to protect the vulnerable are still not held by every single police officer.

'While the new powers that have been introduced are effective, they are not being used anywhere near as systematically as they could be.'

She said there are still instances of 'shameful attitudes' that Sir Tom's watchdog Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) found when it looked at the issue in 2013.

'We continue to see examples of the same shameful attitudes that HMIC uncovered in 2013. We know of officers who develop inappropriate relationships with victims of domestic abuse.

'They have ignored their professional duty and their moral responsibility.'

Mrs May told the Federation Hillsborough should be the 'touchstone for everything you do'.

'I do not believe there can be anyone in this hall who does not recognise the enormity of those verdicts, nor can there be anyone in policing who does not now understand the need to face up to the past and right the wrongs that continue to jeopardise the work of police officers today.'

Police officers were told Hillsborough should be a 'touchstone' for everything they do as a reminder of the importance of getting justice for victims

Mrs May continued: 'Because historical inquiries are not archaeological excavations, they are not purely exercises in truth and reconciliation, they do not just pursue resolution; they are about ensuring justice is done.

'Justice: it's what you deal in, it is your business, and you, the police, are its custodians.

Federation chairman Steve White insisted his organisation was not 'crying wolf' as it raised new protests about funding cuts

Federation chairman Steve White sought to draw a line under the kind of 'gladiatorial contest' that creates 'distrust and suspicion'.

He assured the Home Secretary the body would work with the Government to deliver improvements in policing.

However, he hit back at allegations that the organisation was 'crying wolf' over the impact of cuts.

'If I sound like the boy who cried wolf, well the word on the street is that there have been verified sightings of the wolf,' he said.

The conference observed a minute's silence to remember the 96 people who died in the Hillsborough disaster.

Mr White said: 'Sadly, like every organisation, errors are made. Nowhere more so than at Hillsborough 27 years ago.'

Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham told the BBC: 'I think it is exceptionally tough to be a police officer right now.

'We are in the sixth year of cuts to frontline budgets and here are more years of cuts to come.

'We are in a situation where there is a growing terror threat and then of course we have revelations about policing in the past so it is difficult right now.

'So rather than going to Bournemouth to beat them up I think we do need to offer them a vision that they can believe in and move forward with.'

Mrs May has had a stormy relationship with the Police Federation in six years as Home Secretary.

She was heckled and booed in 2012 after telling officers they should stop pretending police were being picked on.

Then in 2014 she shocked those gathered by laying down the law to the Federation and hitting them with a raft of surprise reforms.

The Home Secretary launched another broadside last year, accusing the organisation of 'crying wolf' and 'scaremongering' over the impact of austerity.

Domestic violence victims are being 'let down' by a failure of the police to properly use new laws, Theresa May warns

Mrs May, pictured at today's conference, warned there was still a 'shameful' attitude among some officers toward domestic violence

Police forces across the UK face investigation over their handling of domestic violence as the Home Secretary claimed victims are 'still being let down'.

Addressing the Police Federation's annual conference today, Theresa May said she has asked watchdog chief Sir Tom Winsor to scrutinise the issue.

New domestic violence laws are 'not being used anywhere near as systematically as they could be', Mrs May also told delegates.

She said: 'Victims of abuse are still being let down and reports are not being taken seriously enough.

'The right skills, training and commitment to protect the vulnerable are still not held by every single police officer.

'While the new powers that have been introduced are effective, they are not being used anywhere near as systematically as they could be.'

She said there are still instances of 'shameful attitudes' that Sir Tom's watchdog Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) found when it looked at the issue in 2013.

'We continue to see examples of the same shameful attitudes that HMIC uncovered in 2013. We know of officers who develop inappropriate relationships with victims of domestic abuse.

'They have ignored their professional duty and their moral responsibility.'

Mrs May referred to previous findings by inspectors of 'significant failings' that were letting victims down.

She said: 'Officers who couldn't spot dangerous patterns of abuse.

'Victims who weren't treated with dignity and respect. And the shameful attitude of some officers towards victims who had suffered violence and psychological abuse.

'The officers who accidentally recorded themselves calling a victim 'a bitch' and 'a slag'.

'The victim who overheard the responding officer say: 'It's a DV, we'll be a few minutes and we'll go to the next job'.'
Another hearing into a man telling his boss to 'kiss [their] a***' was denied

A worker who was fired for telling their boss to 'shove his roster up his a***' will receive compensation from his former employer, after a tribunal ruled the outburst was not a 'valid reason' to be sacked.

The Fair Work Commission ruled in favour of the casual staff member with Test-Rite Imports Australia in western Sydney after he was fired in October last year, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The employee got into a heated altercation with his boss when he was told how to correctly use equipment.

A worker who was fired after telling their boss to 'shove his roster up his a***' will receive $3850 in compensation from his former employer

Fair Work Commission Deputy President Jeff Lawrence said the comment did not warrant a sacking, adding: 'there have been a lot worse things said by an employee to an employer representative which have not led to dismissal'.

Mr Lawrence also ordered the worked be paid $3850 for his unfair dismissal.

However, another worker who launched a tirade at their boss and told them to 'kiss [his] a***' was not so lucky when they appeared before the commission.

A hose technician with Steelcon Cava got into an argument with his boss over whether he was entitled to have the company pay for his food on a lunch break.

The Fair Work Commission ruled in favour of the casual staff member with Test-Rite Imports Australia in western Sydney after he was fired in October last year (stock image)

Another worker who launched a tirade at their boss and told them to 'kiss [his] a***' was not so lucky when they appeared before the commission (stock image)

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the worker believed he was only to be told he had to fork over his own money for meals.

The man then said to his boss, 'kiss my a***', before his employer allegedly started shouting:

'f*** off, you're finished here, get out of here'.

The man claimed he was sacked directly as a result of the argument, however his boss told the commission the worker quit.
David Harmes has been jailed for eight years for grooming children online by pretending to be top stars on Skype

A sex predator who pretended to be fashion blogger Zoella Sugg to groom young children online has been jailed for eight years.

David Harmes lured young girls into performing sex acts by posing as popular celebrities he thought would appeal to them.

He claimed to be fashion icon Zoella as well as a member of boyband Bars and Melody and a modelling agent.

The 20-year-old, from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, would contact victims across the UK by Skype using the false identities and coerce them into sex acts.

He would tell besotted fans to pose in swimwear and underwear to 'score points' to be in with a chance of winning tickets to see or meet the stars he pretended to be.

He then claimed they had 'missed out by a point or two' before getting them to perform sex acts.

During other online conversations, Harmes posed as a dance school talent scout and a modelling agent - claiming he could get them contracts in glossy magazines.

Police said 294 girls, mainly from across the UK but also from abroad, were duped into 'degrading and humiliating acts' over a five year period - which included them stripping off in front of Harmes and posing in underwear.

He also filmed them carrying out sexual acts before distributing them online. He set up 24 separate Skype and other accounts targeting victims who had posted videos to YouTube.

Harmes admitted 35 offences against 28 victims, aged eight to 18, and also asked for a further four offences to be taken into consideration.

The offences include causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and making and distributing indecent photographs of a child. He did not meet up with any of the victims.

One of the stars who Harmes pretended to be was fashion blogger Zoella. She knew nothing of his crimes

Harmes was jailed for eight years at Chester Crown Court on Monday and ordered to serve five years behind bars and three years out on licence.

Judge Roger Dutton told him: 'You had a perverted sexual desire to coerce and persuade children to do foul things. These offences had a profound impact on not only the children but also the parents of the children who should have been safe in their own home'.

None of the famous people he pretended to be knew anything about his activities.

DC Simon Ledger of Cheshire Police, said: 'Harmes duped young girls into thinking they were talking to people they looked up to and in some cases posed as a modelling agency representative so that he could manipulate them for his own pleasure.

'It is a timely reminder that while the internet is an amazing tool, it has a darker side which we need to be mindful of and shows just how imperative it is that parents are aware of the sites their children are accessing and who they are communicating with.

'People like Harmes have no qualms with using the internet to their own perverse means.'

Harmes pretended to be celebrities he thought would appeal to young children such as Bars and Melody

Wendy Newton, senior crown prosecutor with the Mersey Cheshire Crown Prosecution Service, added: 'Harmes ruthlessly exploited these children for his own sexual gratification.

'The girls, some as young as eight and nine, thought they were being offered the opportunity to be part of a modelling or dance company or were being given the chance to talk to a member of a famous pop group or fashion blogger.
Passengers are asked to show up three hours early for domestic flights

More than 400 passengers missed their flights on Sunday due to the TSA

Airports, the TSA and state government officials are trying to find solutions

Thousands of travelers have missed flights this year due to TSA wait times

One airport is even using miniature therapy horses to reduce stress

They have resorted to various methods including clowns, music and food

U.S. airports are trying to keep

Thousands of people nationwide missed flights this year due to cutbacks causing hours-long snaking TSA lines.

Now, the airports are sending in the clowns - literally - along with miniature therapy horses, musicians, snacks and sweets to keep passengers' tempers from boiling over.

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport has relied on Seven Oaks Farm Miniature Therapy Horses program to bring little 'unicorns' to reduce waiting travelers' stress.

The horses and their handlers provided by the Hamilton, Ohio-based program have visited the terminals multiple times during the last month.

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Airports across the country have resorted to using different methods to entertain and relax their travelers, who have been waiting on hours-long TSA lines

'Horsin' around': Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport has used miniature therapy horses Dakota (pictured, left) and Denver (pictured, right) to reduce stress among passengers in the airport

'Animals help reduce stress and anxiety levels and put smiles on people's faces.

'Unlike service animals, who are working and should not be touched, therapy animals can be patted and hugged.

'We figured this is Kentucky, after all, so we need horses,' said Mindy Kershner, a spokeswoman for the airport.

People have posted images of the ponies to social media, and seem to be enjoying having the little animals company.

'This ADORABLE little gal was trotting through the CVG airport today. I added this to my Christmas wish list. Who doesn't need a therapy unicorn?!!' one person wrote on Instagram.

Meanwhile in California, San Diego International Airport has brought in Fern Street Circus as a part of its performing arts residency program.

The airport chose to use the horses because 'animals help reduce stress and anxiety levels and put smiles on people's faces,' an airport spokesperson said

Most airports use therapy dogs, but because the airport is in Kentucky, they chose to use the mini therapy horses

For the next eight months the airport will be offering performances, rehearsals and workshops.

The performances, which began May 11, according to the San Diego International Airport website, currently take place in the pre-security area of terminal two, but as various performers come through the airport their location in the terminal will change.

'They are creating content inspired by the traveler experience, so they will constantly be visible, trying out new ideas and interacting with passengers.

'We certainly think they will be at the checkpoints often, as people waiting in line are a great audience for them,' airport spokesman Jonathan Heller told NBC News.

Other airports are using musical performers to entertain their passengers waiting in seemingly endless lines.

Other airports, like HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport, are using music to soothe travelers in line

San Diego International Airport has brought in Fern Street Circus (pictured) as a part of its performing arts residency program to keep passengers in the pre-security area entertained

The circus includes clowns, music and gymnastics to keep the long lines smiling during hours-long wait times

Sea-Tac Airport is expanding its post-security music program to the pre-security areas, as the program grows in popularity.

It is also dipping into it coffers to hire extra staff workers to help TSA with some checkpoint duties, such as bin loading and unloading, NBC News reported.

HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport is also adding some musical performers to the pre- and post-security areas.

When the wait times get significantly worse, they bring out the snack food and drinks to keep passengers satiated and patient.

Denver International Airport is relying on keeping its travelers happy by giving out snacks while people wait TSA lines

The TSA is attempting to come up with strategies to reduce the excruciating wait times that are the result of budget cuts

'Passengers in the world's most traveled airport should not be surprised if they find themselves welcomed, offered a bottled water and provided information by ATL's general manager,' said airport spokesman Andy Gobeil.

Denver International Airport is following Atlanta's lead and dishing out sugar to keep its passengers sweet.

Hershey's Kisses, Peppermint Patties and lollipops have been handed out to those struggling with long wait times.

The TSA is attempting to come up with strategies to cut down the long wait times.

Some suggestions include moving canine units to the busiest hub airports, increasing budgets for staffing and overtime.

Meanwhile at the Atlanta airport Delta Air Lines is testing out fast-loading, radio frequency identification bins at two checkpoint lanes, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Another suggestion coming from senators is for airlines to drop baggage check fees for the summer.

They also are encouraging people to join the TSA PreCheck program for expedited checkpoints.

Airports experiencing the severe wait times are reporting the delays on their websites and tweeting when the wait is particularly bad.

More than 400 passengers missed their flights on one night thanks to TSA security lines of up to three hours on Sunday at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, as the growing crisis at the agency causes travel chaos across the nation.

Some suggestions to reduce the wait times include moving canine units to the busiest hub airports and increasing budgets for staffing and overtime

Airports experiencing the severe wait times are reporting the delays on their websites and tweeting when the wait is particularly bad

Dozens of the passengers were forced to sleep on cots at the nation's third-busiest airport Sunday night, because extremely long security lines kept them from making their flights.

And the lines didn't improve Monday morning, as the lines wound back and forth through the hallways during the early morning rush when passengers were told to expect waits of as long as three hours for international flights.

Even in the afternoon, wait times at the nation's busiest hours were more than 30 minutes long.

The TSA last week warned travelers to expect delays across the nation after they cut their staff numbers and the number of travelers increases.

At O'Hare, the nation's third-busiest airport, some 4,000 passengers have missed flights since February due to an understaffed TSA and record flight sales, according to American Airlines.
A teen with links to Melbourne's notorious Apex gang has been sentenced to detention for pointing a gun at a driver's head during a carjacking.

Issac Gatkuoth, 19, was sentenced to 20 months of youth detention by the Victorian County Court on Tuesday.

The teen had pleaded guilty to armed robbery and being a prohibited person carrying a firearm following an armed carjacking in Frankston in November.

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A teen with links to Melbourne's notorious Apex gang was in a stolen BMW that killed Melbourne mother of two Amanda Matheson (pictured), 47 last November, has been sentenced to detention

Gatkuoth, then 18, was in a stolen BMW with four others on November 5 when they followed another car and rammed it from behind in Frankston, the court heard.

This prompted the car's two male occupants to approach the BMW.

Gatkuoth, wearing a smiley mask, walked up to the driver and pointed a sawn-off shotgun at his head while ordering him to hand over his keys.

The man, fearing for his life, backed away and begged the teen not to shoot him before his car was driven away, followed by the BMW.

The luxury vehicle was later involved in a fatal head-on crash in Mordialloc that killed a 47-year-old woman.

Gatkuoth was arrested two weeks later and admitted to police his part in the carjacking.

The notorious gang are known for brutal carjackings, home invasions and mass brawls. Chaos descended on Melbourne's CBD during Moomba celebrations in March when scores of Apex gang members arrived in the city taunting police and attacking onlookers

Judge Mark Taft said he would have given Gatkuoth a longer sentence had it not been for positive reports from teachers about his prospects for rehabilitation.

'I do not know if you will change your ways,' he said.

The judge warned the 19-year-old that if he committed further violent offences, he would likely face time in an adult prison.

'Our community will not accept or tolerate hijackings, use of firearms, and intimidations,' Mr Taft said.

He said he understood Gatkuoth's formative years in Sudan amid widespread violence, the disappearance of his father and death of two brothers, had been 'wretched'.

'That however does not excuse your violent conduct,' the judge said.

'Having been exposed to violence, you should be the last person to inflict violence upon others.'
A student has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a fellow pupil in the face with scissors during classroom fight.

The victim, who was not identified, suffered a half inch puncture wound and a cut across the jawline, it was claimed.

Once police arrived at the scene of the attack at John B Connally High School, the Pflugerville, Texas, the student was arrested.

Police visited the school and arrested the teenager after he stabbed a fellow pupil in the face with scissors

The incident at John B Connally High School (pictured), in Pflugerville, Texas, required police intervention

Steve Scheffler, a spokesman for the Pflugerville school district, told Statesman the wound was minor and he was treated by the school nurse but later taken to hospital as a precaution.

'The principal made a note to say how proud he was of the quick response of the school resource officer and the staff with regard to the incident and how they responded.'

He was not sure if the student would return to school tomorrow, saying officials would 'look at the situation and decide what's appropriate'.

Latonya McKinney, the mother of a student at the school, told Fox7 she was worried sick about her own child.

She said: 'There's a mother or a father who sent their kid to school today. You don't go around saying, "Is my child going to be injured today?".
The death of a young mother-of-two who died following liposuction and buttocks augmentation cosmetic surgery was caused by fat clots of the lungs and heart.

Heather Meadows, 29, who had traveled from West Virginia to the Encore Plastic Surgery, Hialeah for treatment Thursday was rushed to Larkin Community Hospital's Palm Springs Campus, where she died.

Darren Caprara, director of operations for the medical examiner's department, has since revealed the primary cause of death and said Monday that fat particles clogged the arteries of Meadows lungs and heart, causing the organs to fail.

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Heather Meadows, 29, died during a cosmetic surgery procedure at Encore Plastic Surgery, Hialeah Thursday

Meadows, who had traveled from West Virginia, 'suffered medical complications' and was rushed to Larkin Community Hospital's Palm Springs Campus, where she died. She leaves behind a six-year-old son (right) and a new born girl (left)

The secondary cause of death has been reported as 'complications from lipid transfer, indicating that the fat particles that killed Meadows likely entered her bloodstream through a vein during a fat transfer procedure', according to medical examiners.

A heart defect also contributed to her death, reported NBC Miami.

Hours after Meadows had been rushed to hospital, the south Florida surgery remained open, according to the Miami Herald.

Hialeah Police Department last week said that an investigation had been launched into her death, which is listed as accidental.

But Mara Gambineri, a health department spokeswoman told the Miami Herald that she could neither confirm nor deny the investigation, which, she said, is not made public until 10 days after a probable cause finding.

Meadows' mother said that she is distraught and is taking care of Meadows' two young children.

She also said she was unaware of her daughters' heart defect, which is said to have contributed to her death.

Her mother added that she plans to take legal action and has hired a local attorney to investigate Meadows' death independently.

The licensed clinic has no active complaints, according to health officials but Miami Herald linked Encore to the death of a 51-year-old woman who died shortly after buttocks augmentation surgery in 2013.

The surgery was performed at Vanity clinic whose doctors, Orlando Llorente and James McAdoo, are also affiliated with Encore.

Both doctors have a clear license without complaints on file but Llorente has a violent criminal history, according to ABC's Local 10.

Hours after Meadow's death the south Florida surgery on 1738 W 49th St (pictured) remained open

Dr Orlando Llorente (left) charged with kidnapping and attempted murder in a case of domestic violence that involved water-boarding. James McAdoo is a doctor at Encore surgery

He was arrested in 2013 and charged with kidnapping and attempted murder in a case of domestic violence that involved water-boarding.

Llorente's girlfriend told police he tortured her for 12 to 16 hours in a Miami apartment but authorities later dropped the charges due to lack of evidence.

Meanwhile, there was an order of emergency restriction of license filed against another doctor who was affiliated with Encore Plastic Surgery back in February.

Dr. Osakatukey 'Osak' Omulepu, formerly of Vanity Cosmetic Surgery and Spectrum-Aesthetics Center for Cosmetic Surgery, was accused of injuring four patients, ages 29 to 35, last year, according to Florida Department Health records.

I'm not having surgery here. Are you kidding me? This is a chop shop Antoinette from New York, scheduled for surgery at Encore

The botched surgeries resulted in hospitalizations from three days to three months and indicated that Omulepu 'will cause significant harm to his patients' and presented an 'immediate serious danger' if not restricted.

One woman who was scheduled for a procedure the morning of Meadow's death said she cancelled it after hearing about Heather's death, but the surgery was planning on going ahead with it.

Antoinette from New York told WSVN: 'They were calling me this morning to come in earlier to have surgery when they knew this happened.

'I'm not having surgery here. Are you kidding me? This is a chop shop.'

She said her surgery would have cost about $8,000 less than at other clinics. She has since been refunded her $4,000 payment.

While Marianela Sanchez, an Encore Plastic Surgery patient, said she underwent breast augmentation nine months ago and was still suffering.

Sanchez told Local 10: 'I'm still in pain,' and added that she had to deal with blood clots and has undergone two surgeries to correct 'mistakes.'

Antoinette from New York (pictured) had been planning on having surgery that day but cancelled after she heard of Meadow's death
The former girlfriend of infamous siege gunman Rodney Clavell has been found guilty of killing a well-known midwife and mother-of-three during a hit-and-run accident while high on drugs.

Samantha Magdaleine Farrer, collided with Kathleen Heraghty, 48, on Fleurieu Peninsula's Inman Valley road, south of Adelaide on December 27, 2013.

But Farrer, 39, has requested to be spared jail due to being a mother of a 10-month-old son, reported The Advertiser.

Samantha Magdaleine Farrer has been found guilty of killing a mother-of-three during a hit-and-run accident while high in drugs

Well-known midwife Kathleen Heraghty (pictured) was training for a triathlon when she was hit by Ms Farrer

'He has never been separated from his mother, and he doesn't have any carer other than his mother,' Gilbert Aitken said on his client's behalf.

'This is a relevant sentencing question, and something I will be concentrating on in terms of my submissions  the effects of imprisonment upon a child.'

South Australia's prison system has recently been called on creating specialist detention for mothers and babies due to its lack in facilities addressing such matters.

Farrer, who had pleaded not guilty to causing the death had not slept for 24 hours and tested positive for methamphetamine after she hit Ms Heraghty.

Despite desperate efforts by emergency staff Ms Heraghty died at the scene of the accident.

Farrer was reportedly driving to visit father in a friend's Holden Commodore sedan when she fatally struck Ms Heraghty, who was training for a local triathlon at the time of the accident, before fleeing the scene.

Farrer has requested to be spared jail due to being a mother of a 10-month-old son

The court heard Samantha Magdaleine Farrer (pictured) was high on methamphetamine when she fatally hit a mother-of-three

The court was shown an image of the damage caused to Kathleen Heraghtys bike after she was hit

The court was shown images of the vehicle which had sustained substantial damage, including a dented roof and a shattered front windscreen.

An image of the bicycle was also presented showing the wheel destroyed and the body of the bike dented.

Prosecutor Amelia Cairney accused Ms Farrer of gross negligence resulting from the fact she was driving high on the deadly drug.

'The prosecution case is that the accused's activity of driving... in her failing to see the cyclist and manoeuvre around her, was down to the gross defective outlook on her part, which is explained by her methamphetamine intoxication,' she said.

The court heard Ms Farrer had recorded a drug blood level of 0.43 when she was arrested, which experts say would have seriously affected her driving.

Farrer is the former girlfriend of Rodney Clavell, who shot himself during a dramatic siege inside an Adelaide CBD brothel in June 2014.

Farrer's vehicle, a friend's Holden Commodore sedan, was also damaged sustaining a dented roof and a shattered front windscreen

Ms Farrer is the former girlfriend of Rodney Clavell (pictured), who shot himself during a dramatic siege inside an in June 2014

Ms Farrer (pictured in 2014) had pleaded not guilty to the charges of causing death by dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident after causing death




Donald Trump fired back Tuesday morning against a new ad from a Hillary Clinton-supporting super PAC that framed a vulgar moment about job outsourcing from one of of his New Hampshire rallies as though it were an attack on women.

Priorities USA Action, which has raised more than $67 million to benefit Clinton's presidential run, debuted the ad Monday night in the swing states of Florida, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia.

It consists mostly of a series of women, wearing t-shirts that feature exaggerated Trump facial expressions, lip-syncing five of the billionaire Republican's more cringe-worthy lines about females.

The cherry on the sundae is Trump blaring: 'And you can tell them to go f*** themselves,' a line he uttered  almost  during a Feb. 4 rally in New Hampshire, about companies leaving the U.S. for Mexico.

Trump never actually dropped the F-bomb, mouthing the word but remaining silent as he complained about U.S. job losses due to companies fleeing America for cheaper sources of labor.

But the ad 'bleeped' the silence, suggesting that he had said it with gusto.

By Tuesday Trump was firing back on Twitter.

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THE F-BOMB THAT WASN'T: Donald Trump mouthed the word 'f***' but never voiced it during a Feb. 4 rally, telling companies that flee the U.S. for Mexico to 'go f*** themselves'

THE F-BOMB THAT WAS: In a new ad from a Hillary Clinton-backing super PAC, the vulgar moment comes to life as an elderly woman lip-syncs it and a 'bleep' is heard  but the ad's context portrays it as a comment about women, not about jobs and outsourcing

'The pathetic new hit ad against me misrepresents the final line,' he complained. '"You can tell them to go BLANK themselves"  was about China, NOT WOMEN!'

Actually, it was about Mexico.

'We're going to bring businesses back,' he said Feb. 4, in the clip the super PAC used in its ad. 'We're going to have businesses that used to be in New Hampshire, that are now in Mexico, come back to New Hampshire.'

'And you can tell them to go f*** themselves,' he added, mouthing the critical word instead of voicing it. 'Because they let you down. And they left.'

In two additional tweets, he laid the blame at Clinton's feet  even though her campaign is forbidden by law from coordinating with Priorities Action USA.

'Crooked Hillary Clinton put out an ad where I am misquoted on women. Can't believe she would misrepresent the facts! My hit was on China,' he vented, again confusing China for Mexico.

The two countries have become interchangeable in Trump's complaints about trade deficits and international job-poaching.

'Amazing that Crooked Hillary can do a hit ad on me concerning women when her husband was the WORST abuser of woman in U.S. political history,' he added in another Twitter blast to his audience of more than 8.2 million followers.

Priorities Action USA's high-end sources of funding in the 2016 election cycle include $7 million from liberal financier George Soros, $7 million from hedge fund managed James Simons, another $7 million from media proprietor Haim Saban and his wife, and $1 million each from Dreamworks executives Stephen Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

DONALD ON DEFENSE: Trump fired back on Twitter after the ads started running in four swing states, so angry that he confused Mexico with China

KEEPING UP WITH TRUMP: 'Does she have a good body? No. Does she have a fat a**? Absolutely,' Trump is heard saying about Kim Kardashian in the new ad

The new ad's Trump-speak includes now-familiar quotes including one critical of Fox News host Megyn Kelly, whose wide-ranging interview with the real estate tycoon is scheduled to air Tuesday night on Fox broadcast stations.

'You can see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever,' Trump's voice intones in a reprise of his post-debate complaints last year about how she grilled him onstage.

'Does she have a good body? No. Does she have a fat a**? Absolutely,' Trump is heard saying in a second lip-sync moment in the ad.

That quote was lifted from his comments about Kim Kardashian during a 2013 radio interview with shock-jock Howard Stern.

A second Trump comment, this one from a 2005 Stern broadcast, also made the cut.

Shes really cute, I have to tell you, shes really bouncy, really cute, Trump told Stern of actress Eva Longoria. 'Shes about 5-foot-1. Do you like girls that are 5-foot-1? They come up to you-know-where.'

Only the last two sentences were included in the ad.

DESPERATE: 'A person who is very flat-chested is very hard to be a 10,' Trump once said of 'Desperate Housewives' co-star Nicollette Sheridan

SHORT PEOPLE: Trump told Howard Stern of actress Eva Longoria: 'Shes about 5-foot-1. Do you like girls that are 5-foot-1? They come up to you-know-where'

After reprising a 2006 joke Trump cracked on 'The View' about the prospect of his daughter posing for Playboy  'If Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her'  the ad moves on to the Republican front-runner rating one of the stars of 'Desperate Housewives,' Nicollette Sheridan.

'A person who is very flat-chested is very hard to be a 10,' he told Stern.

Then comes the faux F-bomb moment, seen and heard after a roundup of denigrating comments about women.

'Does Donald Trump really speak for you?' a narrator asks as the ad closes.

Guy Cecil, the super PAC's co-chair and chief strategist, blasted Trump on Tuesday while not denying that the anti-China moment was lumped in with a series of comments that Clinton supporters see as anti-woman.
Britain is 'overwhelmed with uncontrollable migration from the European Union,' a government minister said today  but she was immediately shouted down by Labour for scapegoating immigrants.

Energy minister Andrea Leadsom said the 'out-of-touch immigration has to stop' because it was putting too much strain on public services and forcing down pay for low-paid workers.

In a fiery debate ahead of June's EU referendum, the pro-Brexit Tory minister said Britain must leave the Brussels club to fill a skills shortage that has been caused by open door immigration from the EU.

In a fiery debate ahead of June's EU referendum, the pro-Brexit Tory minister Andrea Leadsom (pictured left alongside fellow Leave campaigners Nigel Farage and author Dreda Say Mitchell) said Britain must leave the Brussels club to fill a skills shortage that has been caused by open door immigration from the EU

But Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who was representing the Remain camp in the live debate, immediately accused her of trying to blame migrants for the cuts to public services.

He insisted the UK was 'dependent on migrant Labour' and quoted HMRC figures that showed migrants paid 3billion but took 0.5 billion in benefits.

And Ms Leadsom was even turned on by a fellow Brexit campaigner during the Mirror debate, with author and broadcaster Dreda Say Mitchell demanding she apologise for using language that was reminiscient of the way African migrants were spoken about in the past.

Ms Leadsom sought to clarify her remarks, insisting: 'There's not a racist bone in my body'.

Ms Mitchell also objected to Ukip leader Nigel Farage's language on migrants.

In the debate the Ukip leader attacked the Labour government's failure to impose transitional controls on migrants from the then new Eastern European countries in 2004.

Energy minister Andrea Leadsom (pictured far left alongside Nigel Farage, author Dreda Say Mitchell, host Mark Austin, former Labour minister Lord Mandelson, former Labour spin doctor Ayesha Hazarika and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell) said the 'out-of-touch immigration has to stop' because it was putting too much strain on public services and forcing down pay for low-paid workers.

Lord Mandelson accused Ukip leader Nigel Farage of 'showing his true colours' after he told the former Blairite Cabinet minister: 'You wanted to rub our noses in diversity didn't you?'

He told the former Blairite Cabinet minister Lord Mandelson: 'You wanted to rub our noses in diversity didn't you?'

Lord Mandelson condemned Mr Farage for using the language while 'sitting next to a black person' and said: 'You've shown your true colours and you owe her an apology'.

In another frantic day as the referendum battle heats up:

EU IMMIGRATION SYSTEM HAS 'DISCRIMINATION AT ITS CORE' CLAIMS EMPLOYMENT MINISTER Priti Patel (pictured) said the EU's freedom of movement rules meant we had no choice but to prioritise European citizens over non-EU nationals The EU's immigration system has 'discrimination and prejudice at its core,' the Employment minister Priti Patel said today. She said the EU's freedom of movement rules meant we had no choice but to prioritise European citizens over non-EU nationals. But if voters back Brexit in June's referendum the UK Government would be able to pursue an immigration policy that treated all migrants equally and allowed people to enter Britain based on their merits. Ms Patel, one of the five Cabinet ministers backing Brexit, insisted controlled immigration 'can only now be achieved outside the European Union'. In a speech to the Institute of Directors this afternoon, she said: 'As is stands today it is a system with discrimination and prejudice at its core. 'We discriminate against those outside the EU who might want to advance a case to come to Britain and we have a prejudice  all be it one born of treaty obligation not interest  towards anyone from another EU member state coming to live in Britain. Ms Patel added: 'Let me be clear: control of immigration does not mean no immigration. It means a British Government accountable to a Parliament elected by the people devising a system that is in our national interest. 'A system that allows us to discriminate equally in favour of people from around the globe on their merits  what they can bring, what our nation needs.'

Ms Leadsom said Britain's energy security will be threatened if we stay in the EU

Mr Johnson warned that the government's living wage was having a 'magnetic' effect on migration from Europe

David Cameron made a keynote speech to business leaders slamming 'myths' about the benefits of cutting ties with Brussels

Nigel Farage has said he wants another referendum to be held unless Remain wins by a huge margin on June 23

Insurance group Lloyds of London has supported EU membership, arguing its business would be severely damaged if we leave

Czech supermodel Eva Herzigova has become the latest celebrity to lecture Britons on which way to vote, saying Brexit would be 'disastrous'

Ms Leadsom's initial comments came when the six panelists were discussing the impact of EU migration on public services.

She said: 'Here we are overwhelmed with uncontrollable migration from the European Union. The point is we don't have the people we want to have. We have a skills shortage.'

She added: 'This is us being Little Europeans. It's not us being globalist at all. This out-of-control immigration has to stop'.

Earlier Ms Leadsom used a speech to warn Britain's energy security will be threatened if we stay in the European Union.

The energy minister said plans being drawn up by the European Commission would force the UK Government to gain permission before negotiating new gas deals with non-EU partners and would also legally bind Britain into guaranteeing the energy supply of other EU countries.

These plans could shoot-up energy bills for households and small businesses in Britain, Ms Leadsom warned.

She rubbished warnings by her own boss, the Energy Secretary Amber Rudd, who six weeks ago claimed that Brexit would deliver an 'electric shock' to the energy market in the UK.

In a sign of the deep divisions within the Government, a source close to Ms Leadsom has told MailOnline that Ms Rudd has cut contact with her departmental colleague since her speech this morning.

In March Ms Rudd claimed energy bills would soar by 500 million a year if we left the EU, adding: 'The thing about the gas market is you don't know what shocks and what changes there can be to it.'

But in a remarkable rebuttal to her boss's claims, Ms Leadsom said today that Brexit would threaten 'absolutely none' of the three 'critical considerations' at the forefront of Britain's energy policy.

Setting out the 'real threat out continued membership of the EU will have on our energy security,' Ms Leadsom said: 'The European Commission's 'Winter Package', contains a number of proposals which make painfully clear the direction of travel in EU energy policy.

'Two of those suggestions pose a potential threat to our continued energy security.

'First, we will be required in future to ask the Commission for approval before negotiating new gas deals with international partners, leaving us possibly reliant on a group of unelected Eurocrats, further diminishing our freedom to act in our own best interests, and certainly delaying our ability to respond in an emergency.

'But secondly, and of deep concern, there is a specific proposal by the Commission to require member states to take on legal responsibility for each other's gas security.

'To quote directly from the Commission's report: 'under the so called solidarity principle, an EU country in trouble would see gas supplies to its households and essential services ensured by neighbouring EU countries'.

The lights could go out in Britain if we STAY IN the European Union, warns energy minister Andrea Leadsom

Britain's energy security will be threatened if we stay in the European Union, energy minister Andrea Leadsom warned today.

She said plans being drawn up by the European Commission would force the UK Government to gain permission before negotiating new gas deals with non-EU partners and would also legally bind Britain into guaranteeing the energy supply of other EU countries.

These plans could shoot-up energy bills for households and small businesses in Britain, Ms Leadsom warned.

She rubbished warnings by her own boss, the Energy Secretary Amber Rudd, who six weeks ago claimed that Brexit would deliver an 'electric shock' to the energy market in the UK.

In a sign of the deep divisions within the Government, a source close to Ms Leadsom has told MailOnline that Ms Rudd has cut contact with her departmental colleague since her speech this morning.

Energy minister Andrea Leadsom (left) rubbished warnings by her own boss, the Energy Secretary Amber Rudd (right), who six weeks ago claimed that Brexit would deliver an 'electric shock' to the energy market in the UK

'Leaving the EU will give us freedom to keep bills down, to meet our climate change targets in the cheapest way possible, and of course, keep the lights on,' she said in a speech in central London.

Under the European Commission's 'Winter Package' proposals all 28 EU member states would 'take on legal responsibility for each other's gas security'.

This would ensure that EU member states that face having their gas supplies cut - due to political disputes with countries such as Russia or contracts expiring, for example, - would see its gas supplies guaranteed by fellow member states.

In March Ms Rudd claimed energy bills would soar by 500 million a year if we left the EU, adding: 'The thing about the gas market is you don't know what shocks and what changes there can be to it.'

But in a remarkable rebuttal to her boss's claims, Ms Leadsom said today that Brexit would threaten 'absolutely none' of the three 'critical considerations' at the forefront of Britain's energy policy.

NIGEL FARAGE ADMITS HE'LL 'MISS THE CHAUFFEUR-DRIVEN MERCEDES TRIPS IF BRITAIN LEAVES THE EU Asked what he'd miss the most if Britain voted to leave the EU, Nigel Farage (pictured at a live EU debate this afternoon) joked: 'Ill miss the chauffer driven Mercedes picking me up at the airport' Nigel Farage has admitted he will miss the 'chauffeur-driven Mercedes' trips he receives as a leading member of the European Parliament if Britain votes to leave the Brussels club in June's referendum. The Ukip leader defended claiming the generous EU allowances available to MEPs, saying he did so to expose the 'farce' of EU waste. Asked what he would miss most if he got his way and Britain quit the EU, Mr Farage told a live Mirror debate today: 'Oh Ill miss the chauffer driven Mercedes picking me up at the airport; Ill miss the pile of invitations on my desk to lunch and dinner and champagne receptions; Ill miss the lifestyle. 'There are 10,000 people working for the EU in Brussels who earn more than David Cameron. 'Thats the clue  wonder why politicians and bureaucrats love it? Its because they do very nicely out of it.' Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, a fellow panelist on the debate on EU membership, challenged Mr Farage on why he claimed the generous hand-outs. Mr Farage replied: 'Because Ive used it to publicise and lead this fight for the British people to have a referendum and I hope we win and end this farce.' Fellow panelist Ayesha Hazarika, a former Labour spin doctor who is backing the Remain campaign, joked that the biggest benefit of leaving the EU would be seeing 'a lot less of Nigel [Farage] on Question Time,' drawing laughs from the Ukip leader, who said: 'You would, you would'. Asked what he saw as the biggest benefit of leaving the EU, Mr McDonnell, another pro-EU campaigner, said: 'It would most probably bring down the Tory Government but even though thats my objective in 2020 I would not want to risk our economy and the wellbeing of our population to do that.'

'Leaving the EU will give us freedom to keep bills down, to meet our climate change targets in the cheapest way possible, and of course, keep the lights on,' she said in a speech in central London.

Under the European Commission's 'Winter Package' proposals all 28 EU member states would 'take on legal responsibility for each other's gas security'.

This would ensure that EU member states that face having their gas supplies cut - due to political disputes with countries such as Russia or contracts expiring, for example, - would see its gas supplies guaranteed by fellow member states.

Setting out the 'real threat out continued membership of the EU will have on our energy security,' Ms Leadsom said: 'The European Commission's 'Winter Package', contains a number of proposals which make painfully clear the direction of travel in EU energy policy.

'Two of those suggestions pose a potential threat to our continued energy security.

'First, we will be required in future to ask the Commission for approval before negotiating new gas deals with international partners, leaving us possibly reliant on a group of unelected Eurocrats, further diminishing our freedom to act in our own best interests, and certainly delaying our ability to respond in an emergency.

'But secondly, and of deep concern, there is a specific proposal by the Commission to require member states to take on legal responsibility for each other's gas security.

'To quote directly from the Commission's report: 'under the so called solidarity principle, an EU country in trouble would see gas supplies to its households and essential services ensured by neighbouring EU countries'.

Britain, she said, was a world leader in the development of new, low carbon technologies and its emissions reduction ambitions, set out in the UK Climate Change Act of 2008 was 'world leading'.

The 'vast majority' of Britain's electricity, she said was home grown, while 24 per cent of electricity came from renewable sources.

She said: 'No one can reasonably claim that our electricity would somehow be switched off by a European politician trying to punish the UK for voting to leave.'

The UK she argued was on a 'very secure supply footing' for gas, with 40 per cent of gas supplies coming from North Sea reserves, and the rest mostly coming from Norway and the Middle East.

Unlike some other EU member states, she added, Britain was not dependent on Russia for gas.

Leaving the EU, she argued, 'could really help the UK bill payer' through 'getting away from the huge restrictions' of EU State Aid rules.

The need to get EU State Aid approval if Britain wanted to make any policy choices about its energy mix was, she claimed, a 'huge thorn in my side every day'.

In a firm rebuttal of claims by pro-EU campaigners that Brexit would threaten Britain's key energy goals, Ms Leadsom concluded: 'Put simply, the lights will not go out, bills will not go up, and decarbonisation will not stall as a result of leaving the EU.

'Where electricity and gas are concerned, ongoing security of supply will always be a red line for the UK.'

Meanwhile the pro-Brexit Cabinet minister Priti Patel used a speech this afternoon to warn that the EU's immigration system has 'discrimination and prejudice at its core'.

The Employment minister said the EU's freedom of movement rules meant we had no choice but to prioritise European citizens over non-EU nationals.

But if voters back Brexit in June's referendum the UK Government would be able to pursue an immigration policy that treated all migrants equally and allowed people to enter Britain based on their merits.

Ms Patel, one of the five Cabinet ministers backing Brexit, insisted controlled immigration 'can only now be achieved outside the European Union'.

In a speech to the Institute of Directors this afternoon, she said: 'As is stands today it is a system with discrimination and prejudice at its core.

'We discriminate against those outside the EU who might want to advance a case to come to Britain and we have a prejudice  all be it one born of treaty obligation not interest  towards anyone from another EU member state coming to live in Britain.

Ms Patel added: 'Let me be clear: control of immigration does not mean no immigration. It means a British Government accountable to a Parliament elected by the people devising a system that is in our national interest.

'A system that allows us to discriminate equally in favour of people from around the globe on their merits  what they can bring, what our nation needs.'

Project Fear hits a new low: Now Cameron claims Isis terror chief and Putin would be 'happy' if we vote for Brexit

David Cameron has claimed that Isis would be 'happy' if Britain votes to leave the EU in the referendum.

The Prime Minister referred to the leader of the terrorist group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as he ramped up his warnings about the security dangers of quitting the union.

The remarks will cause fury among Brexit supporters who have been condemning the premier for his 'Project Fear' approach to the referendum battle.

David Cameron said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Isis head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi would be 'happy' about Britain leaving the EU

Last week Mr Cameron suggested that Europe could slide into war if the UK decides to cut tie with Brussels on June 23.

He has also argued that attacks on the streets of London would be more likely if we were outside the EU.

Addressing a World Economic Forum event at the Mansion House in central London today, Mr Cameron set out a series of 'myths' he wanted to bust about how things would be better outside the EU.

Among them was the idea that there could be a 'bonfire' of regulations without the influence of Brussels.

Answering questions from journalists afterwards, the premier expanded on his concerns about security if we were not members of the bloc.

Namechecking al-Baghdadi alongside Vladmir Putin as beneficiaries from Brexit, Mr Cameron said:'It is worth asking the question: Who would be happy if we left?

'Putin might be happy, I suspect al-Baghdadi might be happy.

'Our friends around the world are giving us a very clear message, they are saying 'it's all up to you, it is your sovereign choice'.

The leader of the Isis terrorist group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

'But our friends in Australia and New Zealand and America and all around the world and all round Europe, they are saying 'it's all up to you, its all your choice, but we would like you to stay, we think it's good for us and it's good for you'.'

Mr Cameron also laid into Nigel Farage for suggesting there should be a second EU referendum if the Remain side did not secure two-thirds of the vote.

'I think when people start arguing for a second referendum before you have even had the first one, that clearly demonstrates you are leaving the argument. And I think the Leave campaign are losing the argument,' he said,

'I'm absolutely clear: a referendum is a referendum. It is a once in a generation, once in a lifetime opportunity.

'And the result determines the outcome. If we vote to stay, we stay and that's it. And if we vote to leave, we leave, and that's it. You can't have neverendums.'

The premier also sought to clarify his previous comments about the danger of war in Europe post-Brexit.

'I never said that if we left on Thursday, world war three would break out on Friday,' he said. 'The point I made, and make again today, is simply this: when you have got a continent that has had so much conflict, and so many problems, when you have found a way of working together, through Nato and through the EU, you should think very, very carefully before giving it up.'

Mr Cameron addresses the World Economic Forum event in central London today

'Biggest stitch up since the Bayeux Tapestry!' Boris Johnson lashes out after leaked letter reveals PM was plotting anti-Brexit campaign during EU renegotiation

A pact between David Cameron and big business to scare Britain into staying in the EU was exposed

Boris Johnson has lashed out at David Cameron after a leaked letter revealed the Prime Minister secretly plotted with big business to fight Brexit.

The former London Mayor said the revelation showed Mr Cameron's EU renegotiation bid was 'fiction' as he had already decided to campaign for a remain vote.

The secret 'mobilisation' plan involved asking FTSE 500 companies to put in their annual reports warnings about the dangers of Brexit.

The strategy was discussed in a letter from Serco boss Rupert Soames to Mr Cameron 11 days before the latter's renegotiation deal with the EU was complete. This followed a meeting a few days earlier.

The PM had been telling the Commons that he 'ruled nothing out' unless he won concessions from the EU.

Responding to the claims today Mr Johnson said they made Britain look like a 'banana republic'. Serco has multi-billion-pound contracts with the Government.

'This is the biggest stitch up since the Bayeux Tapestry,' Mr Johnson said. 'It stinks to high heaven. FTSE 100 chiefs are seeing their pay packets soar while uncontrolled immigration is forcing down wages for British workers.

'Now we learn that some fat cats have been secretly agreeing to campaign for remain while angling for lavish Government contracts. It makes us look like a banana republic. And it is also now beyond doubt that the so called renegotiation was a fiction designed to bamboozle the public. It was a meaningless mime, a ritual, a kabuki drama in which the outcome was utterly preordained. This is not the far-reaching and fundamental reform we were promised.'

The talks between Mr Cameron and Mr Soames  an EU supporter who is the brother of the Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames  took place in early February.

A leaked letter Mr Soames sent to Mr Cameron afterwards, dated February 8, reveals the explosive topic of their conversation.

It states: 'There were two points I thought I might follow up on. The first is how to mobilise corporates to look carefully at the risks Brexit represents.

'I am working with Peter Chadlington and Stuart Rose (the head of Britain Stronger in Europe) with a view to contacting FTSE 500 companies who have annual reports due for publication before June and persuading them that they should include Brexit in the list of key risks. All public companies are required to set out in their annual report an analysis of key risks.'

Pro-Europeans: Rupert Soames (left) with his Tory grandee brother Nicholas (right)

Later that month, global security firm Serco was one of 200 businesses to sign a public letter in support of EU membership.

Lord Chadlington is regarded as one of Mr Cameron's oldest political allies and is the chairman of the Prime Minister's local constituency association.

He donated 10,000 to Mr Cameron personally to fund his 2005 run for the Conservative leadership. He has donated more than 60,000 to the party since then.

Last night, No10 said it did not comment on leaked documents.

The meeting took place shortly before Mr Cameron delivered a speech on February 8 on the need for sweeping prison reform.

Mr Soames argued in the letter that the private sector only having 15 per cent of the prisons market was a 'wasted opportunity'.

Tory MP Steve Baker said: 'This is proof that big corporates are being asked to gang up on hard-working British families to try to bully them into staying in the EU. There is a coordinated attempt to use company reports as campaigning documents.'

And Labour Leave campaigner Gisela Stuart said: 'Today George Osborne accused the Leave campaign of inventing conspiracies. Now we see that David Cameron is knee deep in one.

'There are serious issues for the Prime Minister to answer. We now know he has been doing deals with businesses to exaggerate the risk of a vote by the UK to leave the EU.

Prime Minister David Cameron (left) and Boris Johnson, as voters trust Mr Johnson to tell the truth about Europe more than they trust Mr Cameron, a new poll revealed yesterday

He must now tell us urgently how many businesses has he cut secret deals with? Who are they and what were they promised in return?' Mr Baker added: 'This should come as no surprise  big corporates do well out of the EU because they can afford well-paid lobbyists and lawyers to stitch up the rules.

'The same cannot be said for hard-working families who have to wait longer for NHS treatment and have seen living standards fall.'

Serco denied there was any link between support for the EU and trying to secure state contracts.

The company said: 'We have contracts worth around 130million a year with European institutions such as the European Commission and the European Space Agency, and it is part of a strategy to build the business we do with European institutions. We believe that if Britain left the EU, it would be more difficult for us to win EU government contracts, and we regard this as a risk to the business.'

Yesterday, Mr Johnson also attacked big businesses over the way they are lobbying to keep Britain inside the EU.

He said: 'There is a parade of big businesses coming out from Downing Street signing letters saying that they agree with every jot and tittle of EU regulation.

'Well, of course they agree with an open-border immigration policy because it means they don't, for instance, have to worry too much about us getting local people.

'They think they can just get a steady supply of unskilled or skilled labour from abroad and what is the result?' Mr Soames, who is the grandson of Winston Churchill, said he would argue 'ferociously' for the UK to remain in the EU whatever the result of the PM's renegotiation.

He was also a signatory to No10's pro-EU business letter in February this year.

In recent years, Serco has secured contracts worth 3.2billion to run private prisons in England and Wales. It has also won contracts with the Home Office worth 704million to run immigration removal centres and accommodation for asylum seekers.

Since joining the company in 2014, former Eton pupil Mr Soames has been entitled to a salary and pension worth more than 1.1million a year. He can also pocket an annual bonus of up to 1.275million.

Last night, the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign seized on comments by Daniel Hannan MEP, who sits on Vote Leave's campaign committee.

Mr Hannan said the UK could adopt a model similar to Switzerland or Norway.

Remain campaigners said this would mean continuing to allow the free movement of EU migrants.

LLOYD'S OF LONDON BOSS COMES OUT FOR STICKING WITH BRUSSELS Insurers have warned that leaving the EU would be 'damaging' for the economy. Lloyd's of London chairman John Nelson said Brexit could hamper investment. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme 80 per cent of its capital came from outside the UK. 'One of the attractions in investing in Lloyd's is Lloyd's is part of the EU and that we contribute to the UK being probably the most popular country in Europe in terms of inward investment,' Mr Nelson. 'The risks of staying in for Lloyd's are completely trumped by the three main issues in terms of staying in: one is the passporting rights we have within Europe; secondly is the third party, third country trade agreements that the EU have, which we operate under; and thirdly for Lloyd's, 80 per cent of our capital comes from outside the UK.' Mr Nelson denied that regulation could be cut if we left the EU, saying rules would still apply on doing business on the continent. 'Lloyd's is a big influence in terms of EU regulation as a member of the EU, and we would lose that influence if we came out,' he added. Mr Nelson said the centuries-old London insurance market would 'survive' Brexit. 'We have contingency plans in place if we do leave, but there is no question it would make life much more difficult, much more inefficient,' he said. 'Lloyd's is the most global organisation in the UK, 85 per cent of our business is conducted outside the UK in 200 countries. 'I can tell you that it will damage our business and everybody else's; 44 per cent of our exports, as you know, from the country go to the EU, that would undoubtedly be affected.'

Czech supermodel Eva Herzigova joins lectures on Brexit

Eva Herzigova starred in the traffi-stopping 1994 'Hello Boys' adverts for Wonderbra

Supermodel Eva Herzigova has become the latest foreign figure to lecture the British people over the EU referendum.

The Czech - known for starring in the 'Hello Boys' Wonderbra adverts in the 1990s - said it would be 'disastrous' if we voted to leave.

The endorsement comes after Abba star Bjorn Ulvaeus waded into the debate at the weekend saying Brexit would make him 'sad'.

International big hitters such as US President Barack Obama have previously sparked fury among leave campaigners by advising the electorate to stick with Brussels.

Herzigova is among more than 30 Czechs who signed an open letter pleading for the UK to stay in the EU.

'Without the British legacy of democratic institutions, entrepreneurial spirit, common sense and pragmatic approach to problem-solving, the West as we know it would be much weakened, politically and spiritually,' it said.

'Britain, under the exit scenario, would fare no better. It would be stranded in the middle of the Atlantic, unable to draw on the synergies of the European project. It would be left alone to deal with the ever-present threats of nationalism, populist politics, migration issues and ethnic intolerance. Closing its doors to workers from the EU, it would have to look for manpower, most likely less qualified and less adaptable, in other parts of the world.'

However, the missive - also signed by Cold War dissidents and renowned conductor Jiri Belohlavek - also acknowledges that 'many Europeans, in the East and in the West, are frustrated with the decreasing ability of the EU to cope with the current problems'.

British playwright Tom Stoppard - who was born in the Czech Republic - was sent the open letter by former ambassador to London Michael Zantovsky and has made it public.

Stoppard told the Guardian: 'A lot of the debate in this country is about the arithmetic and it is as well to be reminded that arithmetic isn't everything. Geopolitics in the 21st century weigh more heavily than they ever have done.'

In an interview to coincide with the Eurovision song contest - which Abba won with Waterloo in 1974 - Bjorn said: 'It would really make me sad if Britain would leave and what that would mean. It's like someone you love leaving you. It's emotional.'
The four defendants have all been remanded custody, awaiting hearings

Officers arrested the students in the small town last Thursday morning

Teen noticed the boys talking about their plans online and

Four Kansas students have been accused of plotting to kill their classmates by bombing their own middle school.

The boys, who have not been named, have all be charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree according to Haysville Police Chief Jeff Whitfield.

Police were alerted to the mass shooting and bomb plot at Haysville Middle School, in Segdwick County, by another student.

The teenager had noticed the four boys talking about the mass murder scheme in an online chat room and had been so concerned they had reported it to a parent - who informed the authorities.

Four Kansas students have been accused of plotting to kill their classmates by bombing Haysville Middle School, in Segdwick County

Their posts indicated they were planning to bomb and shoot people on police grounds, school officials said.

Police arrested the four eight graders on the morning of Thursday May 12.

News of the plot has shocked the small community of Haysville, a suburb of Wichita, where the boys live.

Haysville graduate Nick Mast said the murder scheme, whether real or not, was a terrifying prospect.

'I don't know what would really scare some kids to want to blow up a school,' Mast told KSN.com. 'That's a really crazy thing to talk about. Even talking about it is bad. You don't even know if they would have done it and you don't want to wait and see if it would happen.

On Monday, they were charged with conspiracy to commit murder - which carries a lengthy sentence if they are convicted.

It was not immediately clear if they were charged as adults, or if they have attorneys.

Police were alerted to the mass shooting and bomb plot at Haysville Middle School, in Haysville, Segdwick County, by another student

The four defendants were remanded in custody at a juvenile detention center while they await hearings.

Haysville Police Chief Whitfield said that while authorities respected the students' right to free speech online, 'there is a line that gets crossed.'

He added that he encouraged parents to always monitor what their children were doing online.

Between 2013 and October 2015, there have been at least 185 school shootings in America - an average of nearly one a week.

Last year saw one of the deadliest mass shootings in Oregon's history when a student at at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, opened fire on his classmates killing eight students and a teacher.

Witnesses said he had made his victims stand-up and say if they were Christian before telling them: 'Good, you'll see God in a second' and shooting them in the head. If students answered anything other than Christian they were shot in the body.

After his bloody rampage was reported to police he was then killed in a gunfight with officers with one source saying: 'He appears to be an angry young man who was very filled with hate'.

On Monday, three Santa Monica, California, officers  Jason Salas, Robert Sparks and Capt. Raymond Bottenfield  were honored for their response to a 2013 rampage on a community college campus that left five people dead.

Confronting 23-year-old gunman John Zawahri in the campus library of Santa Monica College, the officers shot and killed him when he pointed his assault weapon at them.
A $3,000 watch belonging to James Gandolfini was stolen by a paramedic while The Sopranos star lay dying from a heart attack in Italy, a court has heard.

The American actor, 51, died after collapsing in the Boscolo Luxury Hotel Exedra during a family trip to the capital Rome in June 2013.

Paramedic Claudio Bevilacqua has been accused of taking a $3,000 Rolex Submariner watch while Mr Gandolfini was fighting for his life.

Sopranos star James Gandolfini's $3,000 watch was stolen by a paramedic as he lay dying from a heart attack in Italy, a court has heard

Watch in question? Gandolfini could regularly be seen in photos with the silver Rolex, left. A $3,000 Rolex submariner is pictured right

Prosecutors claim the 43-year-old swooped as paramedics were working at the scene, according to the Daily Telegraph.

He did not attend the start of the trial and has yet to enter a plea. The trial has been delayed until November.

Two members of the hotel security team had noticed his watch was missing and Mr Gandolfini's family later filed an insurance form reporting it as having been stolen.

Mr Gandolfini was born in New Jersey and was best known for his role as mob boss Tony Soprano in hit HBO show The Sopranos.

He had been on holiday with wife Deborah Lin and his 13-year-old son Michael when he collapsed in the bathroom of his suite. He was found by his devastated son.

The actor had spent the day sightseeing in Rome ahead of an expected flight to Sicily to collect an award at the Taormina Film Festival.

The American actor, 51, died after collapsing in the Boscolo Luxury Hotel Exedra during a family trip to the capital Rome in June 2013

Futile: Despite desperate attempts to revive Gandolfini, he was pronounced dead 20 minutes after he arrived at a local hospital. Pictured is an ambulance outside the hotel he was staying at on the day of his death

Despite desperate attempts to revive him, the actor was pronounced dead some twenty minutes after his arrival at a local hospital.

The actor was laid to rest later the same month.

Gandolfini and Lin married in her native Honolulu, Hawaii in 2008 after dating for more than two-years.

Although he was said to be worth $70 million, reports emerged shortly after his death suggesting his estate would be bled dry by the federal government.
The Swiss prison guard currently under house arrest for helping her Syrian rapist lover escape is appealing for permission to have conjugal visits in jail.

Angela Magdici, 32, opened the cell door for serial rapist Hassan Kiko, 27, during a night shift at Limmattal prison in Zurich, and vanished with him while her colleague was taking a nap.

The couple were arrested in Romano di Lombardia, a small town close to Milan, in March after a month on the run.

Serial rapist Hassan Kiko, 27, (left) broke out of prison with the help of Angela Magdici, 32, (right)

Kiko, pictured, was jailed for four years for raping a 15-year-old girl in a friend's car

Both were extradited to Switzerland where Magdici, is on bail awaiting trial, and Kiko is back in prison.

As Kiko is a convicted rapist he is nowtallowed bail, however, Magdici has now applied for permission to visit him for a few hours.

Her lawyer Urs Huber, 53, said: 'Frau Magdici is just as much in love now as she was then.'

Mr Huber confirmed that an application that would allow them to spend a few hours together in pirson had been made.

The application for conjugal visits has be approved by the High Court which usually delegates the decision to the local prosecutor who will recommend whether it can take place not.

Swiss police have now arrested Magdici and her Syrian rapist lover Kiko after they broke out of prison

Huber said he was cautiously optimistic that Angela Magdici and Hassan Kiko would be allowed to carry on with their love life in the near future.

On arriving back in Switzerland, she had declared that Kiko was the man of her life. She said: 'I have never met a man who is so honest, full of feeling and so funny.'

Magdici had become fascinated with Syria and started reading the Koran before helping her Syrian asylum seeker love break out of prison in February.

Magdici walked out on her husband, Vasile, 25, after she cleaned out their bank accounts.
An Amtrak engineer's head injury kept him from remembering what happened in the deadly train derailment in Philadelphia, investigators heard, as they ruled on the probably cause of the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB, met in Washington on Tuesday to accept 13 findings which they said led to the tragic accident last year that killed eight people.

Investigators found that Brandon Bostian's attention had been diverted by a radio report that a disabled commuter train nearby had been hit by a rock, shattering its windshield.

They said the train sped up and entered a sharp curve at 106 mph  more than twice the posted speed limit  when it crashed on May 12, 2015, killing eight people.

Scroll down for video

Investigators believe Brandon Bostian could not recall the details of what happened in the run up to the deadly derailment in Philadelphia last year because he sustained a head injury in the accident

The National Transportation Safety Board voted Tuesday to accept 13 findings which they said led to the derailment in Philadelphia last year (pictured) that killed eight people

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Steve Jenner said that the decision to speed up made sense for someone thinking they had already passed the curve.

While lawyer Thomas Kline wondered if Bostian sped up to get through the approaching area, where the commuter train had just been attacked with rocks, to try and avoid stones being thrown at his own vehicle.

Bostian had told investigators that he didn't remember what happened between pushing the throttle to pick up speed and then braking when he felt the train going too fast into the curve.

National Transportation Safety Board chief medical officer Mary Pat McKay said Tuesday that Bostian had sustained head injuries as he was thrown around the cab of his locomotive when it overturned.

While he couldn't recall speeding up, the driver said he remembered hearing the radio transmissions that night and had been concerned about the welfare of that train's engineer and for his own safety.

The National Transportation Safety Board met Tuesday to accept 13 findings which they said led to the derailment last year that killed eight people (pictured NTSB investigator Ted Turpin, right, talks with Steve Jenner, Ph.D., human performance investigator at the meeting in Washington)

Investigators heard evidence that the train had sped up shortly before it entered a sharp curve at 106 mph  more than twice the posted speed limit (pictured is an Amtrak Cab Signal Aspect which warns the limit is 45mph)

A photograph, shown at the meeting, reveals a window which separated from the train car during the derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Philadelphia

Investigators found that Brandon Bostian's attention had been diverted by a radio report that a disabled commuter train nearby that had been hit by a rock, shattering its windshield

The railroad has apologized for the crash and an emotional Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman told Congress afterward that Amtrak was responsible

A member of the Board says an Amtrak engineer went 'from distraction to disaster .... in a matter of seconds' before the deadly Philadelphia crash that killed eight people.

Bostian, who has been suspended without pay since the crash for speeding, did not attend the hearing. He and his lawyer did not immediately return calls and emails seeking comment.

NTSB member Robert Sumwalt said Tuesday at a hearing that the potential for human error should be backstopped by technological systems such as Positive Train Control, which would have slowed the train even if the engineer tried to speed up on a curve.

However, Kline and co-counsel Robert Mongeluzzi believe Bostian was reckless in driving twice the speed limit with hundreds of lives at stake.

They compared it to motorists who would be considered reckless if their minds drifted and they doubled their speed.

Federal officials have said the evidence showed no issues with the tracks, signals or the locomotive and they didn't find any signs that the train had been stuck by a rock or that the engineer was using his cellphone.

The National Transportation Safety Board voted Tuesday to accept 13 findings they said led to the derailment in Philadelphia last year that killed eight people.

They found that not only was Bostian likely disorientated by the news about the commuter train, but that injuries were exacerbated by inadequate requirements for passenger protection.

Authorities had ruled out cellphone use on Bostian's part, as well as drugs or alcohol.

'Excluding all the other suspects that we looked at, the best we could come up with was that he was distracted from this radio conversation about the damaged train and forgot where he was,' NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said.

Investigators also say that the train's emergency windows dislodged as the train cars slid on their sides, killing four people who were ejected.

Hart said that speed controls on the tracks would have also provided a technological safety net.

Eight people were killed and about 200 aboard the Washington-to-New York train were injured in the incident in May last year

A member of the Board says an Amtrak engineer went 'from distraction to disaster .... in a matter of seconds' before the deadly Philadelphia crash that killed eight people (pictured in May last year)

'Unless PTC is implemented soon,' he warned, 'I'm very concerned that we're going to be back in this room again, hearing investigators detail how technology that we have recommended for more than 45 years could have prevented yet another fatal rail accident.'

Had Positive Train Control been in use along the stretch of track, 'we would not be here today,' added Ted Turpin, an NTSB investigator.

Amtrak says it will carefully review federal regulators' findings on the probable cause of the tragic train derailment in Philadelphia.

Their recommendations include for Amtrak to research into seat belts in railcars and ways to secure luggage that can become missiles in a derailment. Training for railroad crew members on multitasking; and the use of new equipment and procedures to help engineers keep track of their location in spots where there is no Positive Train Control were also advised.

In a statement, Amtrak said it has 'taken full responsibility for and deeply regrets the tragic derailment' and will carefully review the NTSB findings and recommendations and quickly adopt them where appropriate.

Amtrak noted that Positive Train Control is already in place on most of its portion of the Northeast Corridor and that it has also installed inward-facing video cameras on locomotives.

The company says its goal now is to fully understand what happened and how they can prevent similar incidents in the future.

Eight people were killed and about 200 aboard the Washington-to-New York train were injured in the incident in May last year.

Duy Nguyen, of Teaneck, New Jersey, a passenger who suffered a cut on his head and fractures in his back, attended the NTSB hearing. The Temple University professor said he was stunned by the findings.

'The part that doesn't make sense is how does one accelerate when you're distracted?' Nguyen said. 'The inclination is to slow down.' He added: 'Part of me is mad at Amtrak. Part of me is resigned that there's something that happened and you have to endure and survive and move on.'

Aaron Levine, 80, the oldest survivor of the derailment, emerged with his shoulders and ribs crushed, a punctured lungs and spinal fractures that left him partially paralyzed.

He spent three weeks in an induced coma and it took months before he could walk or move his hands.

Investigators said the train entered a sharp curve at 106 mph  more than twice the posted speed limit  when it crashed (pictured)

Amtrak says it will carefully review federal regulators' findings on the probable cause of the tragic train derailment in Philadelphia

Aaron, an active lawyer, art collector and world traveler, and his 77-year-old wife, Barbara, of Washington, DC, were heading to New York for an art show when the train left the tracks.

'It wasn't an act of God. It was an act of stupidity,' he said of the derailment.

He admitted that he felt suicidal after the crash as he lay in intensive care in Philadelphia and even called one of his sons and asked him to research assisted suicide. When his son refused, Aaron threatened to jump out of the window.

'My son said, 'You can't get to the window,''' Aaron said. 'After that happened, I kind of had my mind set  I decided to live.'

Barbara, thrown from her aisle seat, had her pelvis fractured in five places.

Robert Hewett, 58, who also survived the crash, said Thursday on the anniversary of the derailment that the past year has been 'terrible' - an endless series of doctors' appointments, physical therapy and nightmares.

He was texting his wife, Judy, about vacation plans from his seat in the front car of the train when the car started to tip.

He remembers being thrown from his seat and hitting the luggage rack before crashing headlong into another passenger.

When he regained consciousness, Hewett was on a pile of rocks, unable to move. First responders eventually found him and transported him to a Philadelphia hospital, where he spent the next seven weeks in a medically-induced coma.

Aaron Levine, 80 (pictured right with his wife Barbara, left) is the oldest survivor of the derailment. He spent three weeks in an induced coma and it took months before he could walk or move his hands

Robert Hewett, 58, (left) who also survived the crash, said Thursday on the anniversary of the derailment that the past year has been 'terrible' while Duy Nguyen (right) suffered a cut on his head and fractures in his back in the crash

'I have pain 24/7,' Hewett told reporters at a press conference through labored breaths, explaining that his rib cage has not fully healed and that his lungs cannot fully expand. 'The two outcomes for me were paralyzed for life, or death.'

The railroad has apologized for the crash and an emotional Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman told Congress afterward that Amtrak was responsible. The train's engineer has said he couldn't explain why the train kept accelerating after he applied the brake.

Hewett said he plans to watch the hearing on television from his home in New Jersey. He said no one from Amtrak, including the train's engineer, has apologized or contacted him since the crash.

'This was something that never had to happen,' he said. 'His actions could have been easily prevented.'

Amtrak has installed PTC on all the track it owns on the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington. A 56-mile stretch from New Rochelle, New York, to New Haven, Connecticut, is owned by other railroads and is expected to have automatic controls installed by the end-of-2018 deadline.

Before the NTSB voted on its conclusions, T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, the board's vice chairman, strongly urged the panel to put more blame on the lack of Positive Train Control.

'Eight people have died, dozens more have been injured  life-changing injuries  because the government and industry have not acted for decades on a well-known safety hazard,' Dinh-Zarr said. 'I ask: Why does our probable cause focus on a human's mistake and what he may have been distracted by?'

The NTSB has pushed for Positive Train Control since the 1970s.

Over the past 20 years, the NTSB has cited the lack of Positive Train Control as a contributing factor in 25 crashes, including deadly wrecks in Chatsworth, California, in 2008 and New York City in 2013.

PTC had, in fact, been installed at the Philadelphia accident site but was still being tested at the time of the crash.




An elementary school teacher has likened accommodating the needs of a girl with learning difficulties to appeasing Adolf Hitler.

Amy Kosco, a teacher at Tenth Street Elementary School in Wyoming, Pennsylvania, compared checking the girl's homework to the Allies allowing Hitler to annex parts of Czechoslovakia in 1938.

Kosco has since apologized for her remarks - but the young girl's mother, Holly Miller, says the apology came months too late and has called for the teacher to be fired.

Ms Miller's daughter is 12 years old but was 10 or 11 at the time the emails were sent.

Elementary school teacher Amy Kosco (left) compared accommodating Holly Miller's (right) daughter, who has special needs, to appeasing Adolf Hitler

Ms Miller, 31, wrote to school principal Jon Pollard in October 2014 asking for help testing her daughter, who suffers from ADHD, anxiety, panic attacks and learning difficulties, the Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice reported.

The concerned mother asked Mr Pollard whether it would be possible for teachers to email her weekly, check her daughter's homework at her desk, test her in small groups and sign a weekly planner.

Mr Pollard emailed teachers to advise them, but Kosco shot back: 'SO we are continuing to follow the policy of appeasement. Look how that worked out with Hitler.'

In the build-up to the outbreak of the Second World War, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom signed the Munich Agreement allowing the Nazis to occupy the Sudetenland in 1938.

The appeasement of Hitler was seen as a betrayal of the Czechs who were then overrun by the German forces.

After Mr Pollard confirmed the action the school would take, Kosco accused the young girl of being 'ignorant and insolent'.

'There is absolutely nothing positive I can say to this. Shame on this district. It would be nice if we spent this much extra time on the regular Ed and gifted students,' she said.

Kosco also accused the young girl of being 'ignorant and insolent' in her emails to school principal Jon Pollard

'You know, those that are going to amount to something. This mom is absolutely nuts and the child is ignorant and insolent!

'I've never been so discouraged with a job in my life. Our kids are truly screwed.'

She also said the situation was a 'nightmare', adding: 'I'm just so FRUSTRATED.'

The emails were uncovered by Ms Miller a year after they were sent after she obtained copies of them through an open records request.

The single mother vented her anger on Facebook, saying Kosco 'shouldn't be allowed around children'.

She wrote: 'To the teacher that bullied my little girl, insulted her, and said she doesn't deserve help because she will amount to nothing due to having ADHD,

'I, as a mom seeing my daughter struggling, came to you and the school to ask for help. You said horrible things and didn't care about my child at all. I needed you to show her school was safe and teachers cared about her.

I asked for the school to do very simple things to keep her on track. I asked that her homework be checked at her seat, to check her homework notebook to be sure it's all written down, and small group testing to give her a quite place that she could ask for help without being afraid.

'These things were already happening for other students. The school is who suggested these things. I thought that she'd finally be able to deal with her anxiety and do well.

'I'll never understand how a teacher could possibly be such an ugly person, saying such ugly things,' she added.

'Disabled children deserve to have an education, a safe school environment and teachers that care. Don't you ever say that disabled kids will amount to nothing again.'

Wyoming Area School District Superintendent Janet Serino said there would 'consequences' for Kosco but did not tell Daily Mail Online what they were.

Wyoming Area School District Superintendent Janet Serino said there would 'consequences' for the Tenth Street Elementary School (pictured) teacher - but did not reveal what they are

'We had done something about it when it was brought to my attention last October,' Serino told the Citizens' Voice.

Kosco - who earned $43,445 in the 2013-14 school year - did not comment when contacted by Daily Mail Online, but earlier apologized for her words.

'I truly regret what I wrote in that moment of frustration,' she said.

'The fact of the matter is, that no matter what the situation, I care for all of my students. I have always been given the students with learning challenges, because I have always believed that every child has it in them to do amazing things.

'Again, I am truly sorry for any hurt that my words have caused. I will definitely learn and grow from this experience.'

Kosco was first asked by Ms Miller to apologize in October 2015, but only did so after the emails were published by a local newspaper.
Look, Mary Berry! See? We're getting rid of her. And her recipes ... gone.

Like a matador with a big red cape, the BBC is swooshing around the fact they are binning recipes in the hope that you  the predictable bull  will get mad and start charging down this stupid idea.

Calm yourself. The BBC is trying to protect its dangly bits from your horns and distract you from The Real Story.

The reason you should be snorting from the nose is the BBC foisting a whole day of European propaganda on voters during an election campaign.

Moralising: Angelina Jolie-Pitt, pictured yesterday, told us our attitude of isolationism was irresponsible

Cue Angelina Jolie-Pitt and her best concerned face, moralising about refugees. How we are part of a race to the bottom, vilifying poor refugees, practising the politics of fear and separation.

To be fair to the woman, she looks good on camera and can read an auto-cue with the best of them. It's almost as if she were reading words from a script, cast as the leading lady in a political campaign to Remain.

She told us our attitude of isolationism was irresponsible, that trying to fragment the problem denied our international responsibility.

If those in favour of Brexit were allowed an opinion, we might have been able to point toward our tremendous foreign aid contributions, paid for by British workers. We might have been able to flag the 920 million we donated to Syrian refugee camps or our pledge to donate 2.3 billion by 2020.

Auto-cutie Angelina reminded us ignorant Brexiteers that our desire to separate ourselves from the failed super-state of Europe was akin to Britain committing a bizarre act of self-immolation:

'If your neighbour's house is on fire, you are not safe if you lock your doors.'

I'd inform Ms Jolie-Pitt that if my neighbour's house contained fifteen asylum seekers from Syria I wouldn't feel safe just locking my doors either.

The Germans have just created an app to teach these men about cute European customs around sex  like it being consensual  and how women are actual people, not just cooks with handy holes.

Distraction: Like a matador with a big red cape, the BBC is swooshing around the fact they are binning recipes

If Angelina Jolie wasn't enough to change the views of the undecideds on Europe, the BBC had a few other punters up its organic cotton sleeves.

With the hashtag #WorldOnTheMove the BBC managed to avoid putting a hashtag to its real motive: #VotesOnTheMove.

I was unfortunate enough to catch an extended interview (for 'extended' read 'tedious') on the World at One with Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

He wanted us to be clear the ONLY reason for people to migrate to Europe was to flee from war or famine.

The idea economic migrants come here to capitalise on the generosity of the British taxpayer was so amusingly ridiculous he even let out a chuckle  a chuckle no doubt funded by British contributions to his bunch of cronies.

Tedious: Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, pictured right at a refugee camp in Turkey

When did the United Nations last do something which made you feel it was a force for good? All I see is a bunch of administrators telling us when dastardly deeds have been committed and failing to do anything about it.

Most recently, 'The UN can confirm Assad has engaged in biological warfare.'

That's just about as helpful as The Met Office's hind casts, where they tell you what the weather was yesterday. They pride themselves on the accuracy of their hind casting. And you pay for all those short-trousered blighters, too.

I will confess my relationship with the United Nations is not great. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said I am personally responsible for incitement to commit genocide, arguing that a former column of mine used 'language very similar to that employed by Rwanda's Kangura newspaper and Radio Mille Collines during the run-up to the 1994 genocide'.

They wanted me charged with inciting genocide. Me!

I remain surprised they have so little on their to-do list that my column is their priority when half the world is at war and the other half is trying to break into Britain.

Influx: All of Turkey is about to receive visa-free travel in Europe. Pictured, the Turkish capital of Istanbul

Just to complete the BBC's days of #VotesOnTheMove, there was a drama entitled Where Shall I Go, What Shall I Do?

The message was clear. Go to your polling booth. Vote Remain. Given the BBC is incapable of providing balance, I have decided to offer some of my own.

We need to leave Europe. Because if our neighbour's house burns down, we don't want to burn down with it. Thankfully we have the English Channel as a firebreak and we need to step-up the controls at our ports to reinforce it.

We need to Leave because 31,000 migrants have already crossed from Libya into Italy and are headed our way. You might not be hearing much about them yet, but 6.5 million more are gathered at the Libyan coast just waiting to cross.

All of Turkey is about to receive visa-free travel in Europe. That's the equivalent of handing out British passports to the Islamic State.

And we need to Leave because to Remain is to accept the rule of Germany over a European superstate which will swallow up the UK.

Perhaps the BBC will stop the propaganda now? I doubt it.
In the dock: Bookkeeper Valentine Bufalo, 37, stole 117,000 by diverting cash meant for HMRC into her own account and filed fake tax returns to cover her tracks

A bookkeeper has admitted stealing more than 117,000 in a tax scam by diverting huge sums into her bank account instead of sending it to HMRC.

Italian Valentine Bufalo, 37, from south-west London, scammed SDG Consulting Ltd out of the cash while she worked for B&A Partners in 2012 and 2013.

Bufalo today admitted stealing a total of 117,033.76 between March 2012 and February 2013 in 18 batches.

The cash was put into her own account and then she created a paper trail of fake VAT returns to cover her tracks.

One prosecution source said that Bufalo had taken the cash because she 'wanted to have a higher standard of life in London.

She has also previously admitted a string of fraud offences, totaling another 119,000, by setting up fake companies to claim back VAT.

But the elaborate fraud was a failure and she never received the cash.

The bilingual bookkeeper, who has lived in the UK for a decade, faces a lengthy jail term for her crimes

She was remanded in custody for a month ahead of her sentencing on June 20 because a judge fears she will try to flee the country.

judge Robert Rhodes QC warned Bufalo that she was likely to face a lengthy prison spell.

He said: I am remanding you in custody for sentence on Monday 20 June.

You are inevitable facing a substantial term of imprisonment for these serious matters.

There is substantial grounds for believing that you would fail to answer to bail and would commit further offences.

Bufalo stole the money when she had been employed to work on the client account for SDG a bookkeeper after joining administrative consultants B&A in February 2010.

She was responsible for PAYE and VAT tasks as well as making payments on the companys behalf.

Businesses set aside the money to pay for taxes - and these can be payable to HMRC monthly, annually or when presented with a bill.

Scam: Bufalo was supposed to pay the correct amounts of tax to HMRC for a company - but instead of sending it to the taxman just put it into her own account and then created a paper trail to hide it

Bufalo had paid the money. which should have gone to the taxman, into her personal bank account before submitting a false VAT return on SDGs behalf.

Bufalo resigned shortly afterwards and it was not until she had left the company that her employer B&A noticed anything was wrong.

When finally confronted by the allegations Bufalo claimed there had been a problem with the SDG account.

Bufalo continually pleaded not guilty to the thefts until her trial was due to begin, where she changed her plea.

It can also be revealed that on October 26 last year Bufalo admitted submitting false VAT returns for fake companies that she had created.

Over a six month period she created a number of shell companies in order to try and get VAT repayments but ultimately never received any of the 119,898 she had hoped for.

Bufalo, of Wandsworth, admitted 18 counts of theft while one of intending to pervert the course of justice was left to lie on the file.
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An explorer whose stuffed toy rabbit was stolen from his car in 2010 has chosen a unique travel companion for his mission to recover his furry friend.

For the past three years Peter Franc, from Sydney, has journeyed to 30 countries with a toy pig, known as Travel Piggy, snapping multiple photos in picturesque locations across the globe.

The 35-year-old interface designer has captured pictures of his plush pig pal relaxing with camels in the Gobi Desert, admiring the view at Mount Everest and trying to keep warm at Dettifoss waterfall in Iceland.

An explorer whose stuffed toy rabbit was stolen from his car in 2010 has chosen a unique travel companion for his mission to recover his furry friend

For the past three years Peter Franc, from Sydney, has journeyed to 30 countries with a toy pig, known as Travel Piggy, snapping multiple photos in picturesque locations, including this one at Cappadocia in Turkey

Mr Franc positions the small pig in the corner of each photograph and the toy is often dwarfed by iconic buildings, watering holes and landscape.

Travel Piggy has rested on the grass outside the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest and smiled for the camera as he posed in front of a sky filled with hot air balloons in Cappadocia, Turkey.

The toy appeared to have battled with the extreme conditions over the years of travel and whilst he was plush and clean at the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, he was looking worse for wear as the pair reached Lake Baikal in Russia.

The small pink toy was snapped relaxing with some camels in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia during his travels across the globe

Travel Piggy has even rested on the grass outside the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest

Mr Franc's toy also endured some death-defying heights and at Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park, Thailand, appeared to be dangling from a helicopter above the clear water

The pair also took some time to explore their home country and snapped a photo in front of iconic Uluru in the Northern Territory's Red Centre desert

Mr Franc positions the small pig in the corner of each photograph and the toy is often dwarfed by iconic buildings, including Big Ben in the heart of London

While most of the photographs are snapped with the stuffed toy facing the camera, in Meteora, Greece he was pictured behind a GoPro overlooking the spectacular rock formations

Travel Pig and companion Mr Franc often take some time to soak up some culture and the toy was pictured here in Wroclaw, Poland

Mr Franc and his companion enjoyed many cultural landmarks including the Hollywood sign, Eiffel Tower and Big Ben.

While most of the photographs are snapped with the stuffed toy facing the camera, in Meteora, Greece he was pictured behind a GoPro overlooking the spectacular rock formations.

But it was back to business at the terraces in Pamukkale, Turkey as Travel Piggy mingled in the sun with tourists and locals.

The toy appeared to have battled with the extreme conditions over the years of travel and whilst he was plush and clean at the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, he was looking worse for wear as the pair reached Lake Baikal in Russia (pictured)

It was back to business at the terraces in Pamukkale, Turkey as Travel Piggy mingled in the sun with tourists and locals

The plush toy did not seem to shy away from watering holes, taking a picture close to the water's edge at the Blue Eye natural spring in Albania

The stuffed pig's counterpart, known as Travel Bunny, was stolen from Mr Franc's (pictured) car six years ago in Italy and the pair are hopeful a reunion is on the horizon

Dark clouds and strong winds made the German flags fly as Travel Piggy posed in front of the Reichstag in Berlin

Although he did not reach the summit, the stuffed toy managed to snap an impressive photo at Mount Everest in Nepal

Mr Franc and his companion enjoyed many cultural landmarks including the Hollywood sign, Eiffel Tower (pictured) and Big Ben

Mr Franc's toy also endured some death-defying heights and at Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park, Thailand, appeared to be dangling from a helicopter above the clear water.

The stuffed pig's counterpart, known as Travel Bunny, was stolen from Mr Franc's car six years ago in Italy and the pair are hopeful a reunion is on the horizon.

Travel Piggy appeared to have had a shower by the time the pair reached Conwy Castle in Wales

He smiled as he was dwarfed by St Stephen's Catherdral in Vienna, Austria during the three-year expedition

Travel Piggy kept his distance from the pyramids in Egypt and is hoping to soon find his counterpart, Travel Bunny

The stuffed toy dangled over the forest at the Great Wall of China on a foggy day during the epic journey

The pig also managed to photobomb a picture of a mother and toddler posing at the world famous Mayan ruins in Chichen Itza, Mexico

The little pig toy was pictured trying to keep warm at Dettifross waterfall in Iceland

A selfie stick was used by travel pig to achieve an impressive shot of the city of Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic

The stuffed pig's counterpart, known as Travel Bunny, was stolen from Mr Franc's car six years ago in Italy and the pair are hopeful a reunion is on the horizon




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The male protester who was seen being brutally beaten by Kenyan riot police during a protest in Nairobi survived the ordeal, despite reports claiming he passed away in hospital.

Boniface Manono, 36, was pictured fleeing from a building as a policeman in riot gear first beat him with a wooden baton, before following him into the street, kicking him as he lay on the ground, before appearing to stamp on his head.

Shocking scenes of violence erupted on Monday as police fired tear gas to break up demonstrations urging electoral reforms ahead of the general elections next year.

Manono, who insists he wasn't actually protesting but was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, says he was recovering at his uncle's house when he was shocked to hear that he had 'died' on the radio, followed by a TV news report at lunch.

'I was shocked to hear them saying I was dead,' he told Capital FM. 'My uncle was also in shock. He spoke to my family and told them that I was not dead.

'I thank God that I am alive. I could have died. When I saw the way I was kicked this afternoon actually it shocked me that it was so bad.'

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Boniface Manono is seen running out of a building as he is chased by baton-wielding police officers during a protest staged by supporters of the opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) against Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in downtown Nairobi, Kenya

Manono, 36, recognized by his green shirt and plaid cap, is followed by the police officer who kicks him as he is lying in the street; he says he was repeatedly kicked in the back and thighs, eventually losing consciousness

In a shocking display of brutality, the Kenyan riot policeman then appears to lift his boot-clad foot to stomp on the man's head; Manono says thankfully he didn't receive any blows to the head however

Suffering from injuries to his thighs, hip and back, he explained that journalists helped him stand up after the police left. His uncle then came to pick him and he recovered at home, although he subsequently went to hospital after the interview.

He also insisted he was simply going about his business, only to end up in the demonstration, running when riot police tear gassed some of the crowd.

'I started running away and that's when one policeman hit me on the leg and I fell on the pavement.

'From there I could feel the thorough beating. I was kicked on my back so many times. Most kicks fell on my backbone and on my hips and legs.'

Despite pictures that appear to show the contrary, he said he was not kicked in the head, and the only blow near there was one on the shoulder.

Police were caught on camera beating some protesters who had gathered outside the offices of Kenya's electoral commission in the capital Nairobi.

In the horrifying scenes that ensued, officers then chased them through downtown streets and alleyways.

Some protesters hid in nearby buildings but riot police flushed them out toward waiting colleagues who then beat them with wooden clubs and kicked them as they tried to flee.

There have been several such protests in recent weeks.

Protests were also held in other Kenyan towns including Kisumu and Kisii, with police there firing tear gas to break up the crowds, local media reported.

Raila Odinga, a former prime minister who lost his latest bid for the presidency in 2013, accuses the commission of being biased towards President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Some protesters hid in nearby buildings but riot police flushed them out toward waiting colleagues who then beat them with wooden clubs and kicked them as they tried to flee

There were battles in the streets between anti-riot police and demonstrators and hundreds of protesters were forced to run away from the police during the clashes in Nairobi, Kenya

He has demanded that a new slate of commissioners be named ahead of the next election in August 2017.

Kenyatta beat Odinga by more than 800,000 votes to win the presidency in 2013.

Odinga and civil society groups accused the electoral commission of a series of irregularities that they said skewed the results.

The election nonetheless passed off peacefully, in contrast to the country's disputed 2007 elections which degenerated into fierce inter-ethnic violence that killed more than 1,100 people after Odinga's supporters challenged his defeat by Mwai Kibaki.

The next election in August 2017 is shaping up as a rematch of the 2013 election, with 71-year old Odinga expected to try to unseat Kenyatta, 54.

Paul Wanjama, police chief for Nairobi central police station, said officers detained at least 15 demonstrators who will be charged tomorrow

Violence: Riot police kicked protesters during the clashes, which had started ahead of next year's general election

The protests are led by opposition leader Raila Odinga (not pictured), who lost the most recent election in 2013 to President Uhuru Kenyatta. He said polls in 2017 cannot be free and fair if the current election commission remains in place

Protesters were seen running from water canons after Kenya's opposition supporters demonstrated in Nairobi

Opposition protesters led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga had gathered outside the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission building

Paul Wanjama, police chief for Nairobi central police station, said officers detained at least 15 demonstrators who will be charged tomorrow. He did not say what charges they face.

Odinga said polls in 2017 cannot be free and fair if the current election commission remains in place and called for the commissioners to be removed from office.

'We have said now and again and we repeat here: (Electoral Board) commissioners must get out of office, they cannot be trusted to conduct a credible election,' said lawmaker James Orengo, one of the protest leaders, to a crowd of about 500.

Odinga was about to address the crowd when the police intervened, forcing the gathering to disperse.

Kenya does not hold its next presidential and parliamentary polls until August 2017, but politicians are already trying to galvanise their supporters in a nation where violence erupted after the 2007 vote and the opposition disputed the 2013 result.

The opposition CORD coalition, led by Odinga, has accused the IEBC of bias and said its members should quit. IEBC officials have dismissed the charge and say they will stay.

'For free and fair election, IEBC must go,' read a banner held aloft by one demonstrator.

An injured man, covered in blood, crawls out of a building after he was beaten by baton-wielding police officers

Opposition supporters staged a protest two weeks in a row against the country's electoral body in an attempt to push for the reforms ahead of the next year's general elections

A riot police officer kicks a man while other officer beats him with a baton as they chase supporters. Officers armed with batons confronted hundreds of protesters outside the offices of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the third clash over the issue in less than a month

Several opposition supporters, some carrying rocks, flee from exploding tear gas grenades fired by riot police

Kenyan police fired tear gas and beat protestors with truncheons to prevent opposition demonstrators from storming the offices of the electoral commission to demand its dissolution

A man is knocked off his motorbike by Kenyan riot police officers. The area has seen similar violent protests in recent weeks

As numbers grew, police fired tear gas and water cannon from trucks parked nearby at protesters. One witness reported seeing a protester carrying a bag of stones, while others threw them at police ranks. Police struck some protesters with batons.

Last week, police fired tear gas and water cannon at hundreds of protesters, some of whom threw stones. Police also used tear gas to disperse a protest last month.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is expected to seek re-election next year for a second and final term, has urged opponents not to take to the streets.

Despite the 2013 legal challenge, that vote proceeded smoothly and Odinga accepted the court ruling in a nation where ethnic loyalties usually trump policy among voters.

After the disputed 2007 vote, about 1,200 were killed in ethnic fighting. Western diplomats have urged the authorities to work carefully with citizens to ensure peaceful.

Kenya's main opposition party also said that its leader Raila Odinga's car was hit by a bullet during protests against the electoral commission today.

Violent scenes: Kenyan riot police officers raise batons over a man during a demonstration (left) and officers try to detain a suspected supporter of the Kenya's opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (right)

Policemen beat a protester inside a building during the clashes. Kenya does not hold its next presidential and parliamentary polls until August 2017, but politicians are already trying to galvanise their supporters

An elderly woman caught up in the clashes holds her hands in the air as a riot policeman approach amidst clouds of tear gas

Opposition supporters, some carrying rocks, flee from clouds of tear gas fired by riot police, during a protest in downtown Nairobi

Politicians are trying to galvanise supporters - in a nation where violence erupted after the 2007 vote and the opposition disputed the 2013 result

Horrifying: A man injured and distressed man runs away from tear gas following clashes with Kenyan riot police officers

Kenya's main opposition party also said that its leader Raila Odinga's car was hit by a bullet during protests against the electoral commission today

The leader of the opposition, Raila Odinga, had last week instructed his supporters to turn up in large numbers for a peaceful demonstration against Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) - but the events took a violent turn

As numbers grew, police fired tear gas and water cannon from trucks parked nearby at protesters. Witnesses reported seeing a protester carrying a bag of stones, while others threw them at police ranks

An opposition supporter is beaten with a wooden club by riot police as he tries to flee, while two other officers stand nearby
A Maryland man has been arrested by authorities for his brother's death.

29-year-old Jacobi Williams has been accused of killing his sibling Rashaad Tate.

Tate, 32, was shot and his body was set on fire, according to police.

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A Maryland man has been arrested by authorities for his brother's death. 29-year-old Jacobi Williams (left) has been accused of killing his sibling Rashaad Tate (right).

Tate, 32, was shot and the victim's body was set on fire, according to police

Prince George's County Police announced the arrest on Monday in a news release.

They said: 'On March 23, 2016, at about 5:20 am, patrol officers were called to the 5000 block of Hil Mar Drive in Forestville.

'The victim, Rashaad Tate, was found outside. He had been shot and also set on fire.'

According to police: 'Preliminarily, detectives believe the fatal shooting stemmed from an earlier dispute.'

Authorities said that Williams has been charged with first- and second- degree murder.

He's being 'on a no-bond status,' police said.

Bob Adams had told NBC Washington: 'I've been living here ever since they built these houses.

'This is like the first homicide that I'm familiar with over here.'

Prince George's County Police said: 'Preliminarily, detectives believe the fatal shooting stemmed from an earlier dispute.' Rashaad Tate is seen left and right in these Facebook images
Belgian authorities spotted Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam posing on Facebook with an ISIS flag three weeks before the November 13 massacre - but failed to follow it up, it has been claimed.

Although the national terror threat centre was told about the photo in October, security officials failed to take a closer look, according to Belgian media.

The revelation is the latest example of failures by Belgian police in the months leading up to the attacks in the French capital on November 13 that killed 130 people.

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Belgian authorities spotted Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam (left) posing on Facebook with an ISIS flag three weeks before the November 13 massacre - but failed to follow it up, it has been claimed. Abdeslam is pictured right in the white hooded top during his arrest

Belgian broadcaster RTBF also reported that Abdeslam was known to have been in contact with the ringleader of the attack Abdelhamid Abaaoud in early 2015 when Abaaoud was already recognised as being a key figure in the terror group.

Both Abdeslam and Abaaoud, as well as several others involved in the attacks, are from the district of Molenbeek in Brussels.

Last month, a parliamentary panel heard that Belgian police abandoned a probe into Abdeslam and his brother Brahim six months before the Paris attacks, despite flagging them as priority terror suspects.

There are also reports that Abdeslam was known to have been in contact with the ringleader of the attack Abdelhamid Abaaoud (pictured) in early 2015 when Abaaoud was already recognised as being a key figure in the terror group

The revelation is the latest example of failures by Belgian police in the months leading up to the attacks in the French capital on November 13 that killed 130 people

This allegedly allowed Abdeslam to go ahead with preparing the attacks. His brother Brahim would eventually blow himself up in a Paris cafe on the night of the massacre.

Salah Abdeslam, the sole surviving suspect in the November 13 terror attacks, was arrested in Brussels on March 18 after four months on the run as Europe's most wanted man.

He is now in France awaiting trial over his alleged role in the killings.

Abdeslam has also been linked to several jihadists directly involved or implicated in the bomb attacks in Brussels on March 22, just four days after his arrest.




She's previously lashed out at Trump, calling him worse than Voldemort and comparing his national spokesman to a Death Eater

British writer warned banning someone because of offensive comments 'c

Petition was launched after the Republican's proposed ban on Muslims

Rowling was referring to a recent petition to ban Trump from the UK

But Trump has her full support to come to the UK 'and be offensive and bigoted there', she said at the PEN Literary Awards Gala

' and almost everything he says '

It is fair to say that J.K. Rowling, who once deemed Trump 'worse than Voldemort', is not The Donald's biggest fan.

But the Harry Potter author said that while she disagrees with 'almost everything' the presumptive GOP presidential nominee has to say, she will vigorously defend his right to say it.

The celebrated writer was speaking about freedom of speech during her appearance at the 2016 PEN Literary Awards Gala in New York City on Monday night.

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J.K. Rowling (at the 2016 PEN Literary Awards Gala in New York City on Monday night) said that while she disagrees with 'almost everything' the presumptive GOP presidential nominee has to say, she will vigorously defend his right to say it

During her speech, she referred to a recent petition in her home country to ban Trump from entering the UK after he proposed a ban Muslims entering the United States.

'Now I find almost everything that Mr Trump says objectionable,' Rowling told the audience, at the American Museum of Natural History.

'I consider him offensive and bigoted. But he has my full support to come to my country and be offensive and bigoted there.'

The best-selling author said that Trump's freedom to make 'bigoted' remarks, 'protects my freedom to call him a bigot. His freedom guarantees mine.'

She warned that attempts to repeal any of those freedoms, however well intentioned, means 'we have set foot upon a road with only one destination.'

During her speech, Rowling (right) referred to a recent petition in her home country to ban Trump (left) from entering the UK after he proposed a ban Muslims entering the United States

Mr Trump's claims about Muslims and proposal to ban those of the Islamic faith from entering the US drove a petition to stop him entering the UK

Rowling explained that if she was to back a travel ban of Trump, because of his offensive comments, then she would have 'no moral grounds on which to argue that those offended by feminism or the right for transgender rights or universal suffrage should not oppress campaigners for those causes.'

'If you seek the removal of freedoms from an opponent simply on the grounds that they have offended you, you have crossed a line to stand along tyrants who imprison, torture and kill on exactly the same justification,' she added.

This is not the first time that Rowling has lashed out at the Republican candidate.

In December, she described Trump as being worse than Lord Voldemort - the evil arch nemesis of Harry Potter in her fantasy franchise.

Rowling was responding to tweets which compared the billionaire to Voldemort after he proposed a ban on Muslims coming to America.

'How horrible,' she wrote on Twitter. 'Voldemort was nowhere near as bad.'

This is not the first time that Rowling has lashed out at the Republican candidate. In December, she described Trump as being worse than Lord Voldemort - the evil arch nemesis of Harry Potter in her fantasy franchise

In Harry Potter, Death Eaters roam the world pursuing their dark magic while casting fear and panic among wizarding folk all the while in servitude to He Who Must Not Be Named (pictured Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort)

The tweet was 'favorited' more than 38,000 times - and garnered more than a few responses.

'How could they be confused?' tweeted David Griffith (@theplaguedoc).

'One is a malevolent monster with legions of fanatics & none of his own hair. The other is a wizard.'

Will Hackney (@WRHackney) added:'President Voldemort is sounding a lot better than President Trump at this point.'

'At least Voldemort was an equal opportunity psychopath,' wrote @Cafferkey_Sean.

While Rena (@Crimson_Silk) noted: 'It's a bit of an insult to Voldemort, tbh.'

It wasn't long until the memes began either - with a picture of the Dark Lord wearing a wig, and a campaign poster for endorsing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

The following month, J.K. Rowling used another Harry Potter reference to attack Trump's campaign spokesperson after she asked if there were any 'pure breeds' left.

Katrina Pierson had tweeted in 2012, during Barack Obama's election campaign: 'President Obama's dad born in Africa, Mitt Romney's dad born in Mexico. Any pure breeds left?'

The tweet sparked controversy after it resurfaced in January this year, garnering plenty of snarky tweets in response.

But the author blew them all out the water by responding 'Death eaters walk among us.'

The term Death Eaters is the name given to the followers of Lord Voldemort, the evil wizard in Rowling's Harry Potter series.

The Death Eaters roam the world pursuing their dark magic while casting fear and panic amongst ordinary wizarding folk all the while in servitude to Lord Voldemort.

They practiced the Dark Arts and thought anyone who was not 'pure-blood' (a witch or wizard with no Muggles in their family) was inferior to them.
Belmarsh maximum security jail is 'like a jihadi training camp' where extremists 'brainwash young prisoners to spread the terror message across the whole prison system', a former inmate claims.

The source revealed that a group of jihadists who call themselves 'the brothers' or 'the Akhi (Arabic for brother) appear to 'almost have the run of the prison'.

Not only that but 'governors, prison officers and imams all know about this', according to the whistleblower, a Muslim university graduate recently been released from a sentence for bank fraud.

Claim: Belmarsh maximum security jail (pictured) is 'like a jihadi training camp' where extremists 'brainwash young prisoners to spread the terror message across the whole prison system', a former inmate claims

He told the Evening Standard that London's Belmarsh prison, home to many convicted terrorists and terror-related offenders, was 'the worst'.

The source added: 'The problem is that Belmarsh is also a holding prison and so young people who are brainwashed and indoctrinated then go out into the wider prison system and create wider Akhi networks.'

The revelations come ahead of tomorrow's Queen Speech, when a number of new measures to tackle extremism and wider reforms of the prison system are expected to be announced by the Government.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman confirmed that there are 28 inmates being held in Belmarsh for terrorism or terror-related offences.

But the spokesman would not discuss Belmarsh's policy of allowing prisoners held on terror-related offences to mix freely with other inmates, and whether this would be reviewed.

EXTREMISTS WHO HAVE BEEN HELD IN BELMARSH MAXIMUM SECURITY JAIL The jihadi extremist who murdered Lee Rigby was moved from HMP Belmarsh to Frankland in County Durham after fears that he was trying to radicalise other inmates. Michael Adebolajo later complained about being segregated from other Muslim prisoners, writing to support group Muslim Prisoners who said: The guards at Frankland are worse than Belmarsh for treatment of Muslims. This move is deliberate. Adebolajo was at Belmarsh when he lashed out at officers who were trying to escort him to his cell in July 2013. His head reportedly hit a window but he refused medical attention afterwards. Michael Adebolajo (pictured left), the jihadi extremist who murdered Lee Rigby (right), was moved from HMP Belmarsh to Frankland in County Durham after fears that he was trying to radicalise other inmates He later tried to seek compensation from the taxpayer after his teeth were knocked out. The five officers involved in the incident were suspended on full pay during a six-week police investigation. They were cleared and returned to work. Adebolajo and his accomplice Adebowale murdered Fusilier Rigby near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, South-East London, in May 2013. They knocked Rigby down in a car and then hacked him to death with knives and a cleaver. Both of the attackers were found guilty of Rigbys murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Adebolajo was given a whole life order and Adebowale was ordered to serve at least 45 years. Belmarsh was also home to hate preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri, before he was extradited to the US in 2012 at the end of an eight-year legal battle Belmarsh was also home to hate preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri, before he was extradited to the US in 2012 at the end of an eight-year legal battle. It was in London that Hamza began his rise to public notoriety as the Finsbury Park mosque imam, where he arrived in 1997. One year later, in 1998, he helped organise hostage-taking of 16 mostly British tourists in Yemen. Three Britons and an Australian killed in rescue mission. In 2000, he set up a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon, sending volunteers and money to Afghanistan to support al Qaeda and the Taliban. He firmly placed himself on the national radar in 2001 after speaking out in support of Osama bin Laden following the September 11 attacks. His inflammatory speeches led to the Charity Commission suspending him from his position at Finsbury Park Mosque the following year. In 2003, legal moves begin to get Hamza deported to Yemen, a move which he appealed. In 2004 Hamza was arrested on a US extradition warrant over charges of conspiring to take hostages in Yemen, funding terrorism, and organising a terrorist training camp in Oregon. Charged with 15 offences under the Terrorism Act, temporarily staying US extradition. In 2006, Hamza was jailed for seven years at the Old Bailey after being found guilty of 11 of 15 charges, but the courts still battled to have him extradited. He was finally extradited in October 2012, and appeared in a U.S. court, indicted under the name Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, where he pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges. In May 2014, Hamza was convicted of all 11 charges on terrorism offences at Manhattans Federal Court and sentenced to life in prison. Advertisement

A Ministry of Justice Prison Service spokesman said: 'There is no evidence to back up these specific claims about HMP Belmarsh  where our hard-working staff successfully manage a very challenging group of prisoners.

'But we are not remotely complacent about the risks that Islamist extremism poses in prisons. That is why the Secretary of State commissioned a review of how the prison system deals with this issue.'

It is not the first time concerns have been raised about the number of Islamist extremists being locked up in British prisons for terror offences.

Revelation: He said that a group of jihadists who call themselves 'the brothers' or 'the Akhi (Arabic for brother) appear to 'almost have the run of the prison'

Earlier this year it was claimed that some are deliberately getting custodial sentences so that they can target this pool of disaffected young men.

In turn, there is growing evidence of the spread within prisons of Muslim gangs who wield so much power that other prisoners feel coerced into converting or doing as they bid in other ways.

Belmarsh prison has the most Muslim inmates, 248 of 868  or more than 28 per cent.

If our prisons are going to be filled with more terrorism offenders, then I think they will also get even more full with radicalised individuals, warns Jonathan Russell, head of policy at counter-extremism think tank Quilliam.

There is a significant danger that our prisons will become net exporters of extremism, when, surely, if we are arresting terrorists, they should be net reducers.

And if we dont get it right, the very real danger is that when people come out they will be further radicalised and further hardened to commit violence.

Indeed, so pressing is the problem that the Government has announced it is considering the possibility of setting up jihadi jails  prisons which solely house Islamist extremist terrorists.

In February, David Cameron hinted at this radical new approach as he described tackling religious extremism as the new front in prisons.

We have about 1,000 prisoners who have been identified as extremists or vulnerable to extremism, he said. Some of these individuals are preying on the weak, forcing conversion to Islam, and spreading their warped view of the world.

I am prepared to consider major changes, from the Imams we allow to teach in prison to changing the locations and methods of dealing with prisoners convicted of terrorism.
An Indiana high school is in the line of fire after a class photo was posted online showing some students doing the Nazi salute.

The photo, posted to Twitter on Friday, shows a Cathedral High School German class, along with their teacher. Some of the students - roughly six - are doing the Nazi salute.

The principal of the Indianapolis school, Dave Worland, has since apologized for the photo, saying that it was the senior class who were celebrating their time together.

'These are students that have been taking German for four years,' Worland told WTTV.

Offensive: The photo, posted to Twitter on Friday, shows the Cathedral High School German class, along with their teacher. Some of the students - roughly six - are doing the Nazi salute

Worland says that students had recently watched a political movie called The Wave and had intended to do a gesture from the film.

WHAT IS 'THE WAVE'? The Wave is a 1981 film about an American High School experiment where students learn how easy it is to be seduced by the same social forces which led to the horrors of Nazi Germany. It is the idea of a history teacher, who declares himself the leader of the new movement. Suddenly the entire school is under the spell of The Wave. The movie was based on a legitimate social experiment called The Third Wave undertaken by history teacher Ron James in Palo Alto, California, in April 1967. Advertisement

However some of the students did the controversial salute.

The Wave was based on a 1967 social experiment that tried to establish how the German people could accept the actions of the Nazis

Worland says the students and their parents will be required to attend a meeting and day-long sensitivity training with the school's director of diversity.

The seniors will graduate on Sunday.

'I think the key to it is correcting it, recognizing it when we make a mistake,' Worland told the station.

'Whether it's a student, an adult, myself, whoever, we need to own up to those things.

'From my seat as the Principal, I would reach out personally and apologize to (everyone in the community) that that's not who we are, that's not in our mission, that's not how we operate.'

'It was inappropriate and was unacceptable,' said Cathedral High School Dave Worland

Lindsey Mintz, Exectutive Director of the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council, issued a statement on what happened, saying the community is 'shocked'.

'The Nazi salute is offensive and is an immediate symbol of hate and intolerance,' the statement said.

'Acts like this cannot be taken lightly or dismissed; which is why we appreciate the swift reaction of school administrators to denounce and address this incident in a serious manner.

'We have reached out to school officials as well as to the Catholic Diocese, and look forward to being a resource as they work to help the entire student body understand the significance and danger of displays of this nature, as well as to help maintain a respectful school climate.'
A 27-year-old marketing employee with six-years experience continues to struggle to find a job as employers perceive her disability as a hindrance.

Sydneysider Zoe Brissett was born with cerebral palsy and a hearing impairment and as a result is shunned by employers who are yet to see employees with a disability as an attribute.

In a bid to evade unnecessary judgement Ms Brissett avoids mentioning her disability until the job interview, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.

Zoe Brissett, 27, avoids telling employers about being born with disabilities in a bid to not be judged

'It comes down to the lack of understanding from employers. Many of them don't see the person, they see the disability,' Ms Brissett said.

'Whereas if I turned up at the interview without disclosing, at least they have a chance to see me for who I am and hear what I can offer them. The minute I mention disability before the interview, the attitude changes.'

A report from the Australian Human Rights Commission noted that workplace discrimination continues to exist with one candidate unsuccessfully applying for 170 jobs despite being a graduate in both commerce and business.

At one interview, Ms Brissett overheard a recruiter say: 'Don't worry about the next candidate, we are only doing the interview to be seen as doing the right thing.'

Randy Lewis father to a 27-year-old with autism and a former executive at US pharmaceutical giant Walgreens, stressed Australia needs to change its perception of employees with disabilities

On Tuesday, the Australian Network on Disability, an employment support organisation, attempted to create awareness by addressing the issue during a national conference.

Keynote speaker Randy Lewis, father to a 27-year-old with autism and a former executive at US pharmaceutical giant Walgreens, told attendees to not underestimate what people with disabilities are capable of.

Since increasing the number of workers with disabilities at Walgreens to 45 per cent, the Walgreen model has been used by a number of companies.
A popular Taiwanese model tragically drowned after she suffered a bout of asthma while taking part in an underwater photoshoot, it has been reported.

Model Olivia Ku, 25, was said to already be unconscious when her body was pulled from the waters near Hengchun Township, in Taiwans Pingtung County.

Local authorities said further investigation was necessary to determine the exact cause of the accident.

However, it has been suggested Ku removed her breathing apparatus for aesthetic effect, forcing the young woman to hold her breath underwater.

Model Olivia Ku, 25, was unconscious when she was pulled from the water during the photoshoot in Taiwan

The 25-year-old wife and mother was an avid amateur diver with at least three years of experience. Here she is pictured during a previous dive

The catwalk model (pictured) reportedly suffered an asthma attack after removing her breathing gear during the photoshoot

Veteran divers said the mishap could have been avoided if professional divers were at the site (pictured) during the photoshoot

The rumours have neither been confirmed nor denied by members of the local coast guard, who have handed the case over to a prosecutor assigned to survey the diving site following Kus death.

Ku, together with representatives from her modelling agency Eelin, had visited the popular tropical tourist site for the photo session when the incident occurred mid afternoon.

Reports said firefighters and members of the local coast guard rushed Ku to hospital where attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful.

Ku, a native of Taiwanese capital of Taipei, was reportedly an avid amateur diver with at least three years of experience.

She often shared photos of herself on social media while volunteering to dive in the waters to help pick up refuse from the seabed.

Veteran divers who knew Ku said the mishap should have been avoided, as the Eelin modelling agency should have had professional divers on site during the photoshoot in case of such emergencies.

Ku is survived by her husband and young daughter.
A Pennsylvania couple is facing multiple child abuse charges after their two-month-old twin daughters were both found with broken or fractured legs.

Michael Shales, 30, and his wife, Melissa Shales, 25, have been charged with felony endangering the welfare of a child, conspiracy and aggravated assault in Bucks County after a police investigation that started in March.

The investigation began when Melissa Shales called 911 to report that one of her two daughters was having difficulty breathing after she choked on a piece of cloth on March 21, Philly.com reported.

The father reportedly told a neighbor that his daughter had choked on cotton and then he stuck a pair of pliers down her throat in an attempt to remove it.

Michael Shales (left), 30, and his wife, Melissa Shales (right), 25, have been charged with felony endangering the welfare of a child, conspiracy and aggravated assault after their twin infant daughters were found with broken or fractured legs

Investigation started when Melissa Shales called 911 to report one of the girls was having problems breathing. When police arrived to their apartment (pictured), they found it in 'deplorable living conditions'

The infant who had trouble breathing was taken to the hospital and found with fractures to her leg, lacerations to her mouth and genitals. The other twin also had prior fractures as doctors determined all the children (pictured) were malnourished

Once it was removed, the infant still had trouble breathing and that's when they called 911.

When authorities arrived to their apartment building, they found it in 'deplorable condition' with used diapers, rounds of rifle ammunition scattered on the floor, toys, tools, clothes, and dirty dishes.

According to NBC 10, police also found a .223 rifle lying on the floor that was easily accessible to the children in the home.

According to the affidavit, the baby girl was taken to St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, however, she had to be transferred to the intensive care unit of St. Christopher's because her injuries were so severe, Philly.com reported.

Police were notified by a doctor of severe injuries that she suffered including fractures of her leg, lacerations on her mouth and genitals. They were all declared by the doctor to be 'non-accidental.'

In addition, the doctor told police that her broken leg was so severe that left untreated she could have died, Philly.com reported.

The baby girl was taken to St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, however, she had to be transferred to the intensive care unit of St. Christopher's (pictured) because her injuries were so severe

The other twin and their three-year-old son were taken to the hospital for evaluation after the shocking injuries were found on the girl.

According to Philly.com, doctors found injuries on the other twin consistent with 'pulling, twisting, or shaking.'

Doctors also found evidence of prior fractures to the second baby girl's legs, Fox 29 reported.

According to NBC 10, the babies were determined to be undernourished as well as their brother.

Melissa Shales 'admitted to doing certain things out of anger to the children in front of Michael to get a reaction out of him,' Philly.com reported of the affidavit.

One of the twins still remains hospitalized and the second infant and her brother are in the custody of the Child Family Services in Bucks County.
A man who had been issued a Florida mental health warrant Facebook live-streamed a dramatic four-hour stand off with police, while he hid in his house wielding a gun.

Tampa police were called to Adam Mayo's property on May 9 after his mother became concerned for his safety, a spokesman told Mail Online.

Judy Mayo had alerted police after her son had told her he had stopped taking his psychiatric medication and had sent her photos of a gun.

Adam Mayo (left), who had been issued a Florida mental health warrant live-streamed a dramatic four-hour stand off with police, while he hid in his house wielding a gun (right)

Tampa police (pictured outside his home) were called to Adam Mayo's property on May 9 after his mother became concerned of his welfare. He filmed the dramatic stand off on Facebook

Adam Mayo, 35, is known to police, who have been called to his house on several occasions, Tampa police spokesman Stephen Hegarty told Mail Online.

Two Tampa officers arrived at the house on E Jean Street, Tampa, on a Baker Act warrant at around 3 pm that day.

The Baker Act is also known as the Florida Mental Health Act of 1971, which allows the involuntary institutionalization and examination of an individual.

After noting green laser marks coming from a window of Mayo's home - which indicates that someone is likely pointing a weapon - the officers called for back up.

A TRT practical response swat team then arrived on the scene but Mayo refused to come out.

At around 4pm, Mayo began his Facebook live broadcast.

From inside his darkened home Mayo shouts over the barking of his three dogs: 'Yeah, you better call for backup!'

He adds: 'They seriously don't get it. They say you have to go talk to a doctor about medication'.

Mayo then zooms into a container of cannabidiol, a chemical found in cannabis plants that is used for therapeutic purposes.

Throughout the standoff, Mayo insists that CBD is the only drug he needs.

The police negotiator repeatedly tells Mayo that no-one wants to hurt him and that they just want him to come out.

At one point, Mayo uses the barrel of his black handgun to part the curtain and shouts to police: 'Miss, you got a body bag ready? I know you got your guns drawn! I'm going to start shooting if you don't leave!

Adam Mayo, 35, is known to police, who have been called to his house (pictured) on several occasions, Tampa police spokesman Stephen Hegarty told Mail Online

After noting green laser marks coming from a window of Mayo's home - which indicates that someone is likely pointing a weapon - the officers call for back up

Mayo (left) says to the camera: 'They seriously don't get it. They say you have to go talk to a doctor about medication'. Mayo then zooms into a container of cannabidiol, a chemical found in cannabis plants that is used for therapeutic purposes (right)

'You're not taking me nowhere! I'm not willing to shoot an officer unless you try to come take me!'

A sound of breaking glass is then heard as police fire a tear gas canister through his window. Mayo screams and a gunshot is heard.

He shouts: 'Okay, I'm surrendering! I'm surrendering! Can you relax?'

But more breaking glass is heard as more gas canisters break through the windows. He screams again and retreats into the bathroom.

Mayo tells the camera: 'Stop, please, please! I told you I put the gun down! I got pets in here, you  bastards!'

He adds: 'Listen, man, y'all need to relax out there! You broke my window, and I pulled the trigger, didn't I? I don't want to shoot nobody.'

In the final video post, Mayo seems to have calmed down as he asks the negotiator to apologize.

He opens the front door and films the driveway where a dozen SWAT members stand next to a BearCat with guns pointed at him.

A sound of breaking glass (pictured) is then heard as police fire a tear gas canister through his window. Mayo screams and a gunshot is heard. At the end of the video Mayo opens the front door and films the driveway where a dozen SWAT members stand with guns pointed at him (right)

Mayo is then handcuffed and put into the back of a patrol car.

As well as his Facebook friends, Tampa police had also been watching his livestream videos.

But Hegarty told Mail Online that the videos were 'not of tremendous benefit'.

Hegarty said: 'It gave us an idea of where he was in the house and that he had a gun. But we knew both those things already.

'Any extra intelligence is always beneficial but this was no great advantage.'

Mayo's mother Judy told Tampa Bay online: 'When he's taking his medicine, he's kind, decent, intelligent and loving.

'But he starts to believe he doesn't need the medication and stops taking it.'

Mayo was taken to a secure psychiatric unit for evaluation but was not given any criminal charges.

Mayo's mother Judy told Tampa Bay online : 'When he's taking his medicine, he's kind, decent, intelligent and loving. Pictured, Mayo with his dog and at his home
A flight attendant was knocked out, another one was injured and several passengers vomited after extreme turbulence caused chaos on a Southwest plane last night.

Flight 147 from Boston to Chicago had only been in the air for minutes on Monday evening when it was rocked by severe turbulence.

The flight crew was sent flying, with one attendant knocked unconscious and another steward injuring his arm after crashing into a seat.

At least five people threw up as passengers felt a sensation of the plane dropping out of the sky, with the pilot quickly turning the plane back and landing at Logan Airport.

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A flight attendant was knocked out, another one was injured and several passengers vomited after extreme turbulence caused chaos on Southwest flight 147. Pictured, passengers Brett Boddy and Katelynn Breedlove

Flight 147 from Boston to Chicago had only been in the air for minutes on Monday evening when it was rocked by severe turbulence. Pictured, nurse Sherry Sanchez who helped injured flight crew

The plane, which had 133 passengers and five crew on board, was travelling from Boston to Chicago Midway Airport when it was suddenly struck by the turbulence.

Passenger Katelynn Breedlove told NBC Chicago that panic gripped the plane moments after take-off.

'It felt like we were falling and it freaked me out. We were like, "we don't what's going on" and then they wanted medical attention in the back and we were like "what happened?".'

Brett Boddy told the station that the were 10 seconds of strong G-forces followed by 10 seconds where it felt like the plane was 'floating'.

Nurse Sherry Sanchez, from Chicago, was among the passengers of the Southwest flight and sprang into action after the turbulence hit.

'There was another girl who was about 23 years old and she passed out,' Ms Sanchez said.

'There were about four or five people throwing up. The other flight attendant fell into the side of the chair and hurt his arm but he didn't break it or anything. It was pretty scary for everyone on the plane.'

Podiatrist Dr Nathaniel George, who was also on board, said he treated one of the flight attendants before returning to his seat.

Turned back: The pilot of flight 147 turned the plane around and landed back at Logan Airport. Pictured is a map showing the plane's path as it turned back to Boston

The Southwest plane landed 52 minutes after take-off, with ambulances awaiting passengers and crew on the runway (file picture)

Passenger Butch Mohoi said a member of the crew was knocked out by the violent shaking.

'I'm kind of just happy to be back quick. Everybody was just kind of, "Ah!" and then it was over,' he told ABC 7.

'A guy in the back of the plane started hollering right away. "I need help back here. I need help. I need medical help." His buddy, the other flight attendant, got knocked out I guess.'

Teacher Angela Gordon, from Chicago, said passengers rallied together as the pilot turned the plane back to Logan Airport.

'Thankfully there were a lot of people able to help,' she said. 'Everyone came together and supported one another, but were all exhausted.'

The plane landed 52 minutes after take-off, with ambulances awaiting passengers and crew on the runway.

The two crew were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

All 133 passengers were put on another flight, which landed in Chicago four-and-a-half hours late.

A Southwest spokesman said: 'The pilot in command of Southwest Airlines flight 147 from Boston to Chicago-Midway initiated an air return after encountering strong turbulence and receiving notification that two flight attendants had experienced injuries.

'The flight landed safely in Boston where customers were deplaned with no serious injuries reported. The flight crew was taken to a local hospital for further medical attention.
As voters from two more states head to the polls this Tuesday, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton won't be making a peep.

The expected Democratic nominee has no public events today and press has not been advised of any campaign events tomorrow.

She'll be laying low as she's likely to get walloped by rival Bernie Sanders in Oregon, while Kentucky voters could hand Clinton another loss as well, as the former secretary of state hobbles her way through the end of the Democratic primary calendar.

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Sen. Bernie Sanders (left) could rack up two more wins tonight against Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton (right) in Oregon and in Kentucky

Hillary Clinton decided to play ball in Kentucky, with her campaign running television and radio ads in the state, and the candidate personally visiting three times - but she won't be speaking from there tonight

After a string of wins under a month ago  in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Connecticut  that allowed Clinton to pivot toward the general election, voters in Indiana, and then in West Virginia, essentially told the frontrunner not-so-fast, with Sanders snagging the majority of pledged delegates in both contests.

This led to a recalibration within the Clinton campaign, which initially wasn't going to spend any more money on the primary elections.

Instead, her campaign paid for radio and television ads to run in the state's major markets.

They dispatched more than a dozen surrogates to the Bluegrass State, according to CNN.

And Clinton personally visited the state three times, making 11 campaign stops in an attempt to sway voters her way.

Kentucky holds a closed primary, which could help Clinton, as independents allowed to vote in the Democratic primaries have heavily favored Sanders.

There's been limited polling in the state, but the last poll, conducted in early March, had Clinton up five points too.

That being said, she could also experience a repeat of what happened in West Virginia where comments she made about putting the coal industry out of business  along with the miners too  had gone viral, killing her chances with Democratic voters who were connected with the industry.

Instead, Hillary Clinton is laying low this election day as she hobbles closer to the Democratic nomination, which she's still expected to win despite Bernie Sanders' late stage wins

Sen. Bernie Sanders has said he plans to stay in the race, spending yesterday in Puerto Rico, where voters don't head to the polls until June 5

While Kentucky's coal industry is not nearly as big as the one in West Virginia, it's still an important piece of the state's economy.

The perception that Clinton was anti-coal handed her a loss in West Virginia of 51.4 to 35.8 percent.

Meanwhile, in tonight's other primary  Oregon  Sanders is expected to have an easy win, though the little polling that was conducted in the state had Clinton ahead.

Nate Silver's model at 538.com gives Sanders a 15-point advantage, which is less than the about 45 point win he received next door in Washington State, because Oregon holds a primary, not a caucus and only Democrats can participate.

The Democratic electorate in Oregon is whiter than that of Kentucky, which gives Sanders an edge in the Western state too.

Moving beyond tonight, Sanders has no intention of throwing in the towel, even though these late stage wins won't really change the delegate math.

After spending time in Kentucky over the weekend, Sanders spent his Monday in Puerto Rico on a whirlwind island tour.

Puerto Rico has the most pledged delegates still on the table after California, the biggest delegate prize, and New Jersey, which comes in second.
A Sydney teenager has been ordered to stand trial on charges of planning an elaborate terrorist act and preparing for foreign incursions.

Tamim Khaja, 18, is accused of plotting a terrorist attack in May and preparing to travel to Syria for ' hostile activities' between January 29 and February 27.

The Macquarie Park resident was allegedly in the process of trying to obtain a firearm and had been sizing up public buildings when he was arrested in May.

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Tamim Khaja (pictured), a Sydney teenager suspected of planning a terrorist attack, had allegedly tried to purchase a suicide vest prior to his arrest on Tuesday

Khaja's lawyer waived his right to a committal hearing and did not request bail in Parramatta Local Court on Tuesday.

However Magistrate Garry Still ordered the matter to the District Court on December 16, where the 19-year-old is expected to appear via AVL.

Khaja also allegedly tried to travel to Syria but was stopped at Sydney Airport because his passport had been cancelled.

Police believe he was acting alone in planning a terror attack in Sydney.

Tamim Khaja, 18, was arrested in Macquarie Park in Sydney's north, while he was trying to purchase a gun.

Khaja allegedly attempted to buy a 'suicide vest' over the internet, according to the Daily Telegraph.

It was earlier revealed the teenager was scouting for targets in Sydney that involved buildings representing authority.

AFP Acting Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan said it's believed the teen was acting alone, although he has links to others already facing terror-related charges.

'We have taken swift action to ensure the safety of the community and we are satisfied that any threat to the community posed by the individual has been mitigated,' Mr Gaughan told reporters on Tuesday.

The man has been under surveillance since he tried to board an international flight from Sydney Airport in February, but was stopped because his passport was cancelled.

Tamim Khaja, 18, was arrested in Macquarie Park in Sydney's north, while he was trying to purchase a gun.

Khaja allegedly attempted to buy a 'suicide vest' over the internet, according to reports

Attorney-General George Brandis said authorities had not acted until relatively late so more evidence could be gathered.

The man was 'in the process' of acquiring a weapon, he told reporters in Brisbane.

'The judgment of the police was that he was intending to put it to use imminently,' Senator Brandis said.

Tamim Khaja was arrested in Macquarie Park in Sydney's north on Tuesday by Australian Federal Police and NSW Police

Police were searching Mr Khaja's home about 4pm on Tuesday afternoon after the arrest

It was the ninth time since the terrorism alert level was heightened in September 2014 that authorities had thwarted such a plot, he said.

Last month, a 16-year-old western Sydney boy was arrested on the eve of Anzac Day accused of trying to source a gun for an April 25 terror attack.

The man arrested on Tuesday is expected to face Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday charged with one count of planning a terrorism attack and one of preparing for foreign incursions.

He was allegedly planning a terrorist attack (AFP Acting Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan, right, and NSW Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn, left, address media)
Two men were removed from a flight from Birmingham Airport because a British couple thought they looked like terrorists and refused to board, it has been claimed.

Monarch flight ZB5408 to Rome was delayed for more than 90 minutes following the incident on Sunday, which the pilot allegedly told passengers was an act of total racism.

The airline said the two men - whose nationality is unknown - left the Airbus A321 voluntarily, police attended the scene and the concerned passengers decided to travel the next day instead.

Taken off: Monarch flight ZB5408 to Rome was delayed for more than 90 minutes following the incident on Sunday, which the pilot allegedly told passengers was an act of total racism (file picture)

Passenger Marsha De Salvatore, an American woman who lives in Rome, told The Local that a man in front of her in the queue to go on board kept saying to his wife: Im not getting on the plane.

She added that 30 minutes after the flight was due to leave, the pilot told passengers that the two men and their luggage had been taken off the plane because of a complaint by other passengers.

She said: It was crazy. Not only was the plane delayed but I witnessed the sad reality of racism as these men were escorted off a boarded plane because others suspected them to be terrorists.

Ms De Salvatore said there was no panic on board the flight - which was due to leave at 4.30pm and eventually departed at 6.05pm - and added that the crew were very reassuring.

But she continued: While Im happy that safety measures are in place, these people need to be careful about who they wrongly accuse.'

Flying out of Birmingham: The airline said the two men left the plane voluntarily, police attended the scene and the concerned passengers decided to travel the next day instead (file)

A Monarch spokesman told MailOnline: Monarch can confirm that two passengers voluntarily offloaded themselves from this flight and that police were in attendance for two further passengers who subsequently chose to travel the following day. Following an additional security check, the flight left 90 minutes later.

These men were escorted off a boarded plane because others suspected them to be terrorists Marsha De Salvatore, passenger

Superintendent Kerry Blakeman, from West Midlands Police, said today: Officers were called just before 6pm on Sunday to reports of two passengers acting suspiciously on a plane at Birmingham International Airport.

Due to time constraints of the flight the decision was made to remove the two passengers from the plane to carry out enquiries.

We always follow up reports of suspicious behaviour, in this case although the call was made with good intent after completing the security checks we had no concerns and the two men travelled the following day. Like in any other situation, we would always encourage people to report suspicious activity to us on the 101 number, or by calling 999 in an emergency.

Last month a man was left feeling 'violated' after being escorted from an easyJet flight to London by armed police because a fellow passenger told staff she 'didn't feel safe' with him on board.

Meghary Yemane-Tesfagiorgis was told by the captain he had to get off shortly before the plane was due to take off from Rome and was allegedly questioned by Italian authorities for 15 hours.

Monarch has been operating scheduled flights for more than 40 years and has routes from London Luton, London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds Bradford airports in the UK.
A 39-year-old woman who fatally shot a mother-of-two to steal her newborn baby has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Catherine Joann Goins pleaded guilty to charges of murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery and kidnapping on Friday, in exchange for prosecutors dropping the death penalty.

The woman from Hixson, Tennessee was arrested in September 2014, after shooting Natalia Roberts, 30, in the head at her ex-boyfriend's home in Catoosa County, Georgia.

Twisted plot: Catherine Goins, 37 (left), pleaded guilty to charges of murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery and kidnapping on Friday, in connection to the shooting death of mother-of-two Natalia Roberts (right)

Lured to her death: Prosecutors said Goins lured Roberts to her ex-boyfriend's house (pictured) in La Fayette, Georgia, under the pretense of wanting to sell her some baby clothes

Video Courtesy WDEF

Prosecutors claimed that Goins lured Roberts to the home with a Craigslist advertisement for baby clothes, and then shot her to kidnap the woman's two children - a three-week-old baby and a three-year-old child.

Immediately after her arrest, Goins claimed that she thought Roberts was a burglar and shot her in self-defense.

Catoosa County Sheriff Gary Sisk told the Times Free Press that Roberts' family, who are now raising her two children, were consulted about the plead deal and are fine that prosecutors decided not to push for execution.

'They're a good, Christian family,' Sisk said. 'They had to come to terms with (the plea deal). And this is the way they felt they were led to go.'

At her sentencing hearing on Friday, Roberts mother Leah Sharp took the stand to give a victim impact statement.

In her speech, Sharp said that dealing with her daughter's loss has been difficult, but she has decided to forgive Goins for what she has done.

'I forgive you... I forgive you,' Sharp said. 'For taking my precious daughter, I forgive you.'

Roberts (pictured far right with friends) was shot in the head as she descended a staircase into a room where Goins said she kept the baby clothes. Goins then fled the home with Roberts' two children, a three-week-old baby and a three-year-old child

When Goins' ex-boyfriend came home from work, he found Roberts' body (pictured) and called 911

Investigators say Goins was trolling for a pregnant woman to steal a baby from in September 2014, when she wrote a Craigslist advertisement, claiming to be selling baby clothes.

Roberts, who had just given birth three weeks before, answered the ad and agreed to meet with Goins at a home in La Fayette, Georgia, where Goins' ex-boyfriend Tony Richards lived.

Goins called Richards that day and said that she needed to come by the home and get some things. Since he would be working, Richards said he would leave a key for her to get in.

Roberts showed up at 227 Smoketree Circle sometime between 11am and 1pm, and Goins allegedly directed her down a narrow staircase to where the baby clothes were allegedly stored.

But before Roberts reached the bottom of the staircase, Goins shot her in the back of the head with a .380 caliber handgun - killing the woman instantly.

Roberts then called Richards and claimed that she had just shot an intruder. Her ex-boyfriend told her to call 911, but instead, Goins got in Roberts car with the victim's two children and took off.

Goins initially faced the death penalty for her crimes, but after agreeing to plead guilty, prosecutors decided to seek life in prison without parole as a sentence. Above Goins' ex-boyfriend's home

When Tony Richards returned home, he discovered a woman's lifeless body on his property and called 911.

He then contacted Goins and convinced her to return.

By the time police officers responded to the crime scene, the suspect had made her way back to the La Fayette home.

When interviewed by police, Goins reportedly said she was at Richards' house when she heard a noise.

She ran to the bedroom, grabbed a gun and shot at a 'darkened shadow' in the hallway.

Goins was apparently so obsessed with becoming a mother that she faked pregnancies before and even wore a prosthetic belly.

At the time of her arrest, police said that Goins' most recent boyfriend (who may or may not have been Richards) broke up with her after discovering that she had been lying to him about being pregnant.

When she was arrested, Goins' neighbors told the Times Free Press that she had looked very pregnant.

'She looked like she was ready to have that baby any minute,' said Dorothy Hyder.

Another neighbor, Jo Soos, says Goins had told her two times before she was pregnant, but neither of those times did she ever have a child.
Donald Trump took a new swipe at Bill and Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, tweeting a double-barreled insult about the former president's economic record and his penchant for messing around.

Hillary said Sunday that she plans to put her husband in charge of revitalizing the American economy if she wins the White House.

Trump said the former secretary of state should be able to do the job herself  and hinted that the famously randy Bill could bring a host of troubles with him if he returns to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

'Crooked Hillary said her husband is going to be in charge of the economy.If so, he should run,not her,' Trump tweeted. 'Will he bring the "energizer" to D.C.?'

That's a reference to Julie McMahon, a Clinton neighbor in Chappaqua, New York, who reportedly carried on a years-long love affair with the former president, visiting when his wife wasn't around.

NO HOLDS BARRED: Donald Trump name-checked one of Bill Clinton's alleged mistresses on Tuesday in a mocking tweet that suggested his reported paramour Julie McMahon could come to Washington with the former president if his wife Hillary wins the White House in November

NO SHAME: Julie Tauber McMahon (right), reportedly earned the nickname 'The Energizer' from Bill Clinton's Secret Service detail after her repeated visits to his Chappaqua, New York home while Hillary was away

NOT MESSING AROUND: Trump's social media attacks on 'Crooked Hillary,' his pet name for Mrs. Clinton, have become more and more pointed and aggressive

Her drop-ins became such a hot topic of conversation among Bill's Secret Service detail, according to Ronald Kessler's 2014 book 'The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of Presidents,' that she got her own call-sign nickname.

'The Energizer' was a play on the bunny in the Energizer battery commercials  an electronic toy that 'keeps going and going and going.'

Agents told Kessler that they were under orders not to stop, approach or question his blonde paramour.

McMahon was in the news last week after a Wall Street Journal report identified a company partially owned by McMahon as the beneficiary of $2 million from the Clinton Global Initiative.

'It's a bombshell  there's no doubt about it,' Trump said Friday.

'It's a rough story and a lot of people know about it, and people have been talking about it for a couple of years,' he told a Fox News Channel audience.

PACKAGE DEAL, PART II? Bill Clinton touted his wife's strengths in 1992, telling Americans they were getting two for the price of one  and now Hillary wants to return the favor by mentioning Bill as n economic czar

The company, Energy Pioneer Solutions, is 2- percent owned by McMahon.

The alleged financial and romantic hanky-panky is what got Trump in a lather on Tuesday.

Hillary said Sunday in Kentucky that 'I'm going to put [Bill] in charge of revitalizing the economy because you know, he knows how to do it. And especially in places like coal country and inner cities and other parts of our country that have been really left out.'

Trump, however, has railed against Bill Clinton's less-productive economic moments  including the North American Free Trade Agrement, which he says cost the U.S. millions of jobs as companies chased cheap labor into Mexico.

'How can Crooked Hillary put her husband in charge of the economy when he was responsible for NAFTA, the worst economic deal in U.S. history?' Trump wrote Tuesday on Twitter.

Mrs. Clinton has not spelled out exactly what her husband would do as her economic czar, where he would work, or what limits if any would be placed on his issue portfolio.

The President of the United States typically relies on a range of advisers for guidance on the economy. Most are on the public payroll and some, such as the Secretaries of Treasury and Commerce, are subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

LET BILL DO IT: Hillary's reintroduction of her more famous husband's economic bona fides came in response to criticism she received after pledging to uproot the coal mining industry  a job-killing move that cost her dearly in Appalachia primary battles

KEEPS GOING AND GOING AND GOING: McMahon reportedly had drop-in privileges at the Clinton home in upstate New York, with Secret Service agents being told not to approach her, stop her or question her

Trump has telegraphed his willingness to go after the Clintons on personal issues, including the Monica Lewinsky scandal, as a way to hit back at Hillary Clinton for charging him with sexism.

'She's been playing the woman card and I have to hit her back whenever she does that. It's all nonsense ... Nobody has more respect for women then a do,' he said.

The financial commitment to a company stocked with close Clinton pals came at the 2010 conference of the Clinton Global Initiative, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a document from the time and people familiar with the matter.

In another boost for the firm, Clinton personally intervened with then Energy Secretary Stephen Chu, the paper reported. The feds gave the company an $812,000 grant, the Energy Department said on its web site.
A man accused of murdering his ex-wife in broad daylight after they left a Melbourne court has told his trial he can't remember how she was stabbed six times.

Craig McDermott is on trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria after pleading not guilty to murdering his partner of 18 years, Fiona Warzywoda, in Sunshine on April 16, 2014.

On Tuesday, McDermott told the Supreme Court his ex-partner might have been stabbed by accident, or she could have stabbed herself after the pair left Sunshine Magistrates Court earlier that day.

Craig McDermott allegedly stabbed his former partner, Fiona Warzywoda (pictured) to death in broad daylight outside a Melbourne shopping centre after the pair left a court

On Friday, McDermott told the Supreme Court his ex-partner might have been stabbed by accident, or she could have stabbed herself after the pair left Sunshine Magistrates Court earlier that day

The couple had attended the court about a month after having separated.

The Supreme Court has been told McDermott and Ms Warzywoda left court about midday and drove separately to a nearby shopping centre, with Ms Warzywoda going to her solicitor's office and McDermott walking around with his son.

He says she came at him with a knife and he put his hand out to block it, before a struggle ensued.

'I don't know how I got the knife off of her,' McDermott told the court on Tuesday.

McDermott could not recall how Ms Warzywoda suffered six stab wounds.

He did not intend to kill her, he told the court.

'I remember going for the knife until I had the knife in my hands, and then I walked off or run off, or whatever it was,' McDermott said.

It was possible Ms Warzywoda was stabbed by accident, or that she stabbed herself, McDermott said.

It was possible Ms Warzywoda was stabbed by accident, or that she stabbed herself, McDermott said

McDermott said it happened after he tried to talk to Ms Warzywoda.

He said he ran from the scene because he was shocked and scared.

Prosecutors allege McDermott purchased the knife before going to a cafe and watching Ms Warzywoda's car.

'When she returned to the car from the solicitor's office, he moved quickly toward her and stabbed her with a knife,' crown prosecutor Brendan Kissane, QC, has told the jury.

The trial continues.
Uplifting drone footage has captured the moment an endangered sea turtle returns to crystal clear waters after nesting on a beach in Costa Rica.

The Leatherback Trust, a non-profit organisation based in Santa Cruz, films the olive ridley turtle from above.

The drone camera latches on to the turtle and slowly follows it swimming away from the shore, making for some rather hypnotic footage.

Uplifting drone footage has captured the moment an endangered sea turtle returns to crystal clear waters after nesting on a beach in Costa Rica

The Leatherback Trust, a non-profit organisation based in Santa Cruz, films the olive ridley turtle from above

The drone camera latches on to the turtle and slowly follows it swimming away from the shore, making for some rather hypnotic footage

The olive ridley, named so because of the colour of its shell, peacefully makes its way into the deep blue sea with minimal interruption.

The water is perfectly clear and the turtle can be easily made out.

After around seven minutes the Leatherback team decide they have followed the turtle far enough and return the drone back to the beach.

They then posted the video of the sea creature on Facebook on May 17.

The organisation wrote: 'Feel like your Tuesday is swimming against the current? Watch this olive ridley return to the sea after nesting.'

The species is listed as vulnerable by the WWF because they only nest in a small number of places including the Gulf of California and the Mesoamerican Reef in the Caribbean Sea.

The olive ridley, named so because of the colour of its shell, peacefully makes its way into the deep blue sea with minimal interruption

On The Leatherback Trust website they list the five main dangers that turtles face, including: development, fishing, nest disturbance, pollution, and climate change.

Last year a mob of irresponsible tourists prevented the olive ridley turtles in Costa Rica from laying their eggs.

Crowds swarmed the Ostional Wildlife Refuge, in northwestern Guanacaste, and disrupted the nesting ritual of the animals.

Gathering in their hundreds, the visitors stood in the turtles way as they swam ashore and even placed children on top of them to take photos.
It was a court ruling that sparked outrage around the world.

Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail in Saudi Arabia for insulting Islam, a verdict later upheld by the country's supreme court.

Badawi received the first 50 lashes outside a mosque in the Red Sea city of Jeddah in January and later revealed it was 'miraculous' he had survived the ordeal.

Scroll down for video

Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail for insulting Islam

His wife Ensaf Haidar, the President co-founder, Raif Badawi Foundation for Freedom (RBFF), has launched a worldwide campaign to secure his freedom.

Here, in an excerpt from her new book 'Raif Badawi, The Voice of Freedom: My Husband, Our Story' (Other Press) Ensaf describes the horror of watching footage of her loved one being whipped in public....

The new year began with an act of violence. On 7 January 2015, two masked men stormed the editorial offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris and shot 11 journalists.

The next day, I spoke to Raif. I had spoken to him from prison several times before but will never forget that call as long as I live. 'Have you heard about the attack in Paris?' I asked him. 'No.' Raif clearly had something else on his mind. 'Ensaf, I need to tell you something. Will you promise me that you'll be brave  and not tell the children?' 'Yes, of course.' I sat down on a kitchen chair.

Raif's wife Ensaf Haidar, has now wrote a book, where she has described the horror of watching footage of her husband being whipped in public

I nervously fumbled a cigarette from the pack in front of me. 'Tomorrow they're going to start enforcing my sentence. One of the prison warders told me.' It took me a moment to understand what he was telling me. 'Yes, Ensaf. The first 50 lashes. I'll get them in front of the big mosque in Jeddah.'

I didn't know what to say. Over the past few weeks I had completely repressed the idea that Raif was actually going to be whipped in addition to his prison sentence. I simply couldn't imagine the authorities going ahead with it. 'That's impossible,' I struggled to say.

'I'm afraid so, Ensaf,' Raif said. What was I supposed to say? What do you say when the person you love tells you that he's going to be abused in the most horrible way? 'Don't worry. I'm tough,' he said, apparently quite cheerful. 'I can take pretty much anything. I'll call you as soon as I can. OK?' 'OK,' I replied.

I didn't sleep that night. I calculated the time difference between Canada and Saudi Arabia  and tried to determine the moment when that terrible day for Raif would begin.

Ms Haider with her husband in Saudi Arabia. Badawi received the first 50 lashes outside a mosque in the Red Sea city of Jeddah in January and later revealed it was 'miraculous' he had survived the ordeal

When would the prison warders wake him? When would they lead him in front of the mosque in handcuffs? Had they already started? In the morning, before the children woke up, I confiscated all the computers, tablets and telephones in the apartment, and I unplugged the television.

I told the children that we were going to have a few media-free days because they were watching too much television and spending too much time on the internet.

They sulked a little but accepted it. But when I told them they weren't to go to school that day, but spend the day with my friends Sylvie and Jane and Jane's dogs, they were very excited. 'Oh, great!' said Dodi, who is very fond of the creatures.

As soon as she had set off with them, I checked my Facebook page. It was full of declarations of solidarity with Raif and me: our friends were shocked at what was due to happen today. Lots of people had shared my message and passed it on. 'It's a scandal,' they wrote. Or 'Stop this inhuman regime.'

Ms Haider struggled over whether to tell her children about the treatment of their father in Saudi Arabi

Many also drew parallels with the attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices: 'Both are acts of violence aimed at gagging journalists.' And there were many other comments of that kind.

Then I turned on the television and waited for the lunchtime news. My husband was the second item, immediately after the events in France. I was disconcerted to see his familiar picture behind the face of a blonde newsreader.

It felt terrible, hearing her talk about Raif as if he was a random foreign news event. The whole day was one big nightmare. I called my friend Mireille. 'Have they done it?' I asked her. 'Yes,' said Mireille. 'In public, in front of a big crowd of people. So we have witnesses. Soon it will be all over the net.' 'There's also supposed to be a video,' she warned me. 'Someone filmed Raif's lashes on their phone.'

Ms Haidar, the President co-founder, Raif Badawi Foundation for Freedom (RBFF), has launched a worldwide campaign to secure his freedom

It wasn't hard to find. By now some of my Facebook friends were referring to it. It also appeared immediately on YouTube when you searched for 'Raif Badawi' and 'lashes'. It was as if I was being operated by remote control. With trembling hands I clicked on the video to set it in motion. I saw Raif's delicate frame from behind, in the middle of a big crowd of people. He was wearing a white shirt and dark trousers, and his hair hung down to his shoulders. He looked thin. His hands were cuffed in front of his body. I couldn't see his face. The men around him were wearing the usual white gowns and shouting 'Allahu Akbar'.

The man himself could not be made out in the video. But I saw clearly that he was striking Raif with all his might. Raif's head was bowed. In very quick succession he took the blows all over the back of his body: he was lashed from shoulders to calves, while the men around him clapped and uttered pious phrases. It was too much for me. It's indescribable, watching something like that being done to the person you love. I felt the pain they were inflicting on Raif as if it was my own.

The men I had seen in the video might as well have put me in a square and flogged me. But worst of all was the feeling of helplessness. I sat on my sofa, wrapped my arms around my legs and wept. I don't know how long I sat there for. The phone rang several times, but I didn't answer. How was Raif now, I wondered. How severe were the wounds that he had suffered from this brutal abuse? Had they broken his bones? The violence of the blows almost made me suspect as much. Did he get medical treatment for his wounds? If only I could have done something for him!

I managed to keep the children away from the internet, from television and from the newspaper kiosks in Sherbrooke all weekend. On Sunday evening, however, the subject was still in the headlines, and I wondered whether I would even be able to send the children to school the next day. I woke them up at half past seven on the dot, as always. But as we were sitting together in the kitchen over cornflakes and maple syrup my phone rang. 'Ms Haidar,' asked a woman's voice. 'Can you talk?' It was the principal of the school. She wanted me to come in.

I hurried over. Even in the playground I noticed the other children looking at me and whispering. The principal had already assembled a council of teachers, a social worker and the school psychologist. 'Thanks for coming,' she said to me. 'It's important that we think together about how to ensure that your children don't suffer any harm from this. 'The teachers and I, along with the psychologist, will talk to the pupils. We will ask them not to talk to your children explicitly about the subject when they come back. We'll say: We'd like you to meet them quite normally. Don't be either particularly curious or overly kind or even sympathetic.'

'That's a good idea.'

Mr Badawi received his first 50 lashes in front of a mosque in Jeddah with footage of it appearing online, pictured

'And you must also use today to talk to your children. 'You've got to tell them what's happened.'

'But I can't do that!' 'They'll find out anyway,' she argued. 'Children talk to each other. You can't stop them doing that.' 'It's better if they find out from you,' Robert, the social worker, tried to convince me.

He offered to come home with me and jump in when I couldn't cope any more.

Once I got home, I called the children together in the sitting room again. They already guessed that my serious face didn't bode well. 'I need to tell you something,' I said, and tried to find the right words. 'Something bad happened this weekend.' 'Is it about Dad again?' Dodi asked suspiciously. 'Is that why we aren't allowed on the internet?' 'How is he?' Najwa  already surprised that her father hadn't phoned over the weekend as he usually did  asked anxiously. 'He's fine,' I lied. 'Everything's great, but ... the prison warders are very bad people. They, they ' I couldn't go on because with every word I wanted to say I immediately felt the tears welling up. And I didn't want to burst out crying in front of them.

A group with Ms Haider, centre, hold a demonstration to demand that Mr Badawi be freed from a Saudi prison

Robert leapt in and picked up the thread of the conversation for me. 'They've beaten your father,' he told the children. They stared at him. 'They have hurt him very badly. But now he's better again.' My children reacted very strangely to this new revelation. They didn't react at all. They stayed quite still and didn't ask any questions. Robert did his best to explain what had happened. But the children behaved as if they hadn't heard their words at all. 'We need to give them time to process all this,' Robert said. The children took that time: they fell ill. All three complained of stomach pains and nausea. They didn't go to school for several days. But they remained persistently silent, even among themselves.

No one in our house ever talked about the subject again.

For almost a week we heard nothing more about Raif. Then all of a sudden we received the call we were so desperate for. If I'm not mistaken it was a Thursday again when Raif was allowed to call us. His voice was weak, but he was trying to make it sound firm. 'All OK where you are? How are you and the children?' he asked. I immediately started to cry. 'But Ensaf,' he said soothingly. 'You're not going to weep in front of the children?' 'How are you?' I sniffed. 'Are you in great pain?' 'It's all fine.

After the public outcry after the first 50 whips, Mr Badawi has since not been whipped again

The wounds heal slowly.' 'Are you receiving medical treatment?' 'Yes, a doctor examined me. He gave me a note saying that I'm not yet fit enough to be whipped again.' 'Thank God,' I said. Even if it didn't tell me anything good about Raif's physical state, at the same time it was positive news: at least this week they wouldn't be torturing him anymore. He couldn't tell me how things would go after that. 'Raif,' I said, 'the whole world is talking about your fate.' I took a deep breath. 'The children know about it, too.' Again the tears came. 'There was nothing I could do about it. Believe me, I would rather have spared them all that too.'

This time Raif's reaction was very understanding. He didn't level any accusations at me. 'You're doing what you can. It's all my fault,' he said. 'How are they?' 'They're strong,' I lied, 'and full of fight.' 'Did you expect anything else? They're your children after all.'

My children and I are grateful for every day when they don't whip Raif again. After the first 50 lashes  and the international public outcry that followed  the men with the whips in Riyadh did not at first dare to repeat the punishment. Since then our little flat in Sherbrooke has turned into a campaign office for Raif's liberation. It's here that we receive journalists and stay in contact with activists all over the world who are standing by us. Raif's face smiles from the banner over our sofa, while we get together to make posters for the next demonstration. The children eagerly join in.
Suits just dont look as good without them': Jenny Brown of St Albans High School for Girls described high heels as the 'final flourish for formal wear'

The headmistress of a 16,800-a-year girls school today described high heels as the 'final flourish for formal wear', adding that suits just dont look as good without them'.

Jenny Brown, headmistress at St Albans High School for Girls in Hertfordshire, waded into the controversy over a 27-year-old receptionist who was sent home on the first day of a new job when she refused to wear stilettos.

Mrs Brown added that she wore heels all the time, but conceded that it is certainly not healthy to clamp your toes into a ludicrous, masochistic machine for hours on end.

Her comments follow the news that Nicola Thorp was told to go and buy heels when arriving for a temp role at a London office of accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers in black flat shoes.

Mrs Brown wrote in the Daily Telegraph today: I still love my high shoes. They are the final flourish for formal wear - suits just dont look as good without them.

They are beautiful in their tapering leanness, their sinuous arches and the magic physics of them; holding with perfect precision and pressure such weight on a pinpoint heel.

Is it about stature and part of the uniform of formality and control? Or is it an outdated weapon in the battle of the sexes; a symbol of oppression and defeat? Both probably.

She added that she wants girls at her school to feel confident in footwear that makes them comfortable and feel free to work in whatever shoes they think are stylish and comfortable.

Education: St Albans High School for Girls in Hertfordshire, which was founded in 1889 and is affiliated to the Church of England, is a selective, independent day school for girls aged four to 18

Miss Thorp said she was laughed at when questioning the sexist dress code, but her petition calling for a legal ban on forcing women to wear heels at work has reached 135,000 signatories.

Set up on the Governments petitions website, it passed the 100,000-signature mark last week  the point at which it must be considered for a debate in Parliament.

Campaign: Nicola Thorp, 27, was told to go out and buy heels when arriving for a temp role at a London office of an accountancy firm in black flat shoes

Responding to the petition, Business Secretary Sajid Javid indicated that he supported the sentiments behind the campaign  but appeared to rule out a change in the law.

Portico, the temping firm that provides receptionists for PwC, originally defended its policy, saying its appearance guidelines ensured that staff were dressed consistently.

But it has since backed down, announcing: With immediate effect all our female colleagues can wear plain flat shoes.

Miss Thorp said she had received sexist abuse on social media following the story, but it had made her realise we dont live in a society where women are equal.

St Albans High School for Girls, which was founded in 1889 and is affiliated to the Church of England, is a selective, independent day school for girls aged four to 18.

It has 310 pupils in its preparatory school, 480 girls in its senior school and 160 sixth formers. Its motto is initium sapientiae timor Domini (the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord).
A takeaway boss was left fighting for his life after being savagely beaten by a thug because his 6.50 Peri Peri chicken was taking too long to cook.

Hannan Kabir, manager of the Royal Grill in Southend, was viciously attacked in a sickening three-minute assault.

The father-of-one, 37, was taken to hospital with a broken nose and heavy swelling, but was discharged after being patched up.

Weeks later he was rushed back to hospital after blood started to gush from his mouth, nose and ears - filling a basin with more than two inches of blood.

Hannan Kabir, manager of the Royal Grill in Southend, was viciously attacked in a sickening assault

Reliving the brutal assault, Mr Kabir said: 'He was swearing so much. He picked up a menu holder and threw it at my head.

'He came inside the counter and started punching me. I tried to protect my head, but most of them hit me in my head and face. I don't know how many times he punched me but it went on for three minutes.'

Doctors bandaged his nose and told him an X-Ray was not necessary - but they had failed to realise he had torn and ripped arteries.

Weeks later he started to bleed 'uncontrollably' and his wife called an ambulance.

'The artery and some of my vessels were ripped and I had surgery in there', he said.

'I was really fighting with death, it was uncontrollable.'

Mr Kabir then spent six days in a specialist unit recovering from his injuries. He is still plagued by memory loss and painful headaches after the attack.

He also had to quit his job and is now struggling to make ends working part-time in a supermarket.

The suspect (pictured) is described as being of Indian or Pakistani appearance, about 45 to 50 years old, and about 5ft 9in tall

Essex Police have urged any witnesses to the attack on February 13 to come forward.

A spokesman said: 'A man entered the store at about 5pm and placed an order for food.

'He left after being served and returned at about 7pm.

'He was verbally aggressive and assaulted the staff member.

'The suspect was described as being of Indian or Pakistani appearance, about 45 to 50 years old, and about 5ft 9in tall.

'He was of large build, had short dark hair and wore a hat, sweater and jeans.'

Denise Townsend, associate chief nurse at Southend Hospital, said: 'We are sorry that Mr Kabir is unhappy with the care he received.
Supreme Court had ruled that segregation was unconstitutional in 1954

But the district complained less schools would affect education in the area and would see white parents putting their children in private school

Case first brought against the district 50 years ago said it

Judge said consolidating the institutions was only way

A Mississippi town has been ordered to desegregate its high schools and middle schools - 62 years after the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Debra Brown ruled Friday that the town of Cleveland must merge its mostly black schools with historically white institutions - ending a five-decade long battle for desegregation.

'The delay in desegregation has deprived generations of students of the constitutionally guaranteed right of an integrated education,' Brown wrote in her opinion, seen by DailyMail.com.

'Although no court order can right these wrongs, it is the duty of the district to ensure that not one more student suffers under this burden.'

A Mississippi town has been ordered to desegregate its high schools and middle schools - 62 years the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional (pictured is East Side High School, where all but one student is black)

East Side High would be consolidated with Cleveland High School (pictured) which has a much higher population of white students

Cleveland School District enrolls 3,600 students - around a third of whom are white and two thirds are black, CNN reports.

But the town's abandoned Illinois Central Railroad tracks still serve as the line of demarcation between the virtually all black schools on the east side, and the whiter populations in the west, according to the federal court opinion.

The case against what is now the Cleveland School District was brought by parents and guardians of 131 minority children 50 years ago.

It alleged that the schools district had continued to operate schools 'on a racially segregated basis', despite the Supreme Court's ruling more than a decade earlier.

Parents had complained that their children were being ostracized for attending a school on the 'wrong' side of the tracks.

In a statement, the U.S. Justice Department said people had testified that 'the stigma long associated with the district's black schools and the sense among black children in the community that white children attended better schools.

U.S. District Judge Debra Brown (right) ruled Friday that the town of Cleveland must end desegregate it schools which have an uneven division of black and white students depending on which side of the town's old railroad they happen to be on (pictured, left, is a racial breakdown of the town's schools)

The town's abandoned Illinois Central Railroad tracks (center line) still serve as the line of demarcation between the virtually all black schools on the east side, and the whiter populations in the west, according to the federal court opinion

'Parents of all racial backgrounds testified that they want their children to learn in a diverse environment to prepare them to encounter the world today.'

Brown's proposal would see East Side High School, where all but one student is black, combined with the more diverse Cleveland High, while D.M. Smith Middle, which is 95 per cent African-American, is integrated with Margaret Green Junior High which has around a 30 per cent white population.

THE RACIST LAWS OF SEGREGATION: JIM CROW The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in place up until 1965 enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. They enforced the segregation of public schools, public places, public transportation, as well as restrooms, restaurants, and drinking fountains for white and black people. Named after a popular 19th-century minstrel song that stereotyped African Americans, 'Jim Crow' came to personify the government-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation in the United States.

Consolidation used to be common practice in the 1960s and 1970s as a way of tackling desegregation.

But it is unusual for the practice to still be considered a necessity in 2016.

'This failure, whether born of good faith, bad faith, or some combination of the two, has placed Cleveland in the unenviable position of operating under a desegregation order long after schools in bastions of segregation like Boston, Jackson, and Mobile have been declared unitary,' Brown continued.

The federally proposed plan would see the consolidation begin at the start of the next academic year.

'Six decades after the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education declared that 'separate but equal has no place' in public schools, this decision serves as a reminder to districts that delaying desegregation obligations is both unacceptable and unconstitutional,' Vanita Gupta, the head of the Justice Department's civil rights division, told CNN.

'This victory creates new opportunities for the children of Cleveland to learn, play and thrive together.'

The Supreme Court ended segregation in schools in 1954 while all legally-enforced public segregation was abolished by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (pictured: a sign in Jackson, Mississippi which reads 'Waiting Room For Colored Only)

The desegregation battle in Mississippi has been raging for decades. Most famously, more than 3,000 federal soldiers had to be brought in to quell a huge riot in 1962 after James H. Meredith, an African American, was escorted onto the University of Mississippi campus

District officials had opposed the proposal saying less school would damage educational opportunities and claimed that white parents would take their children to private schools if it went ahead.

They claimed that they could persuade more white students to the mostly black schools without the need to merge institutions.

While Brown acknowledged schools were likely to suffer a drop in white enrollment, she said it was 'insufficient, in the absence of an alternative constitutional plan, to reject consolidation.'

She has now ordered the district to present transitions plans within 21 days.

The civil rights battle against segregation of all forms in Mississippi has been raging for decades.

Most famously, more than 3,000 federal soldiers had to be brought in to quell a huge riot in 1962 after James H. Meredith, an African American, was escorted onto the University of Mississippi campus.

The violence claimed the lives of two men but did not stop Meredith from enrolling and he began classes - amid continuing disruption - the very next day.

Civil rights activists and hard-line segregationists continued to clash but after the university riots, the unity of white segregationists began to crumble.

D.M. Smith Middle, which is 95 per cent African-American, (pictured) will be integrated with Margaret Green Junior High which has around a 30 per cent white population

The legal battle, running for 50 years, alleged that the schools district had continued to operate schools 'on a racially segregated basis' (pictured is Margaret Green Junior High which will be integrated with D.M. Smith)

But six decades on, a report Tuesday by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office found that segregation is actually worsening in certain areas.

The study found that stubborn disparities persist in how the country educates its poor and minority children. Schools with higher rates of African American and Hispanic students often offer fewer math, science and college prep classes, while having higher rates of students who are held back in ninth grade, suspended or expelled.

'Segregation in public K-12 schools isn't getting better. It's getting worse, and getting worse quickly,' Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia said.

The analysis, he said, confirmed that America's schools are largely segregated by race and class, leaving more than 20 million students 'attending racially and socioeconomically isolated public schools.'
Dozens of passengers had to spend the night at O'Hare Sunday due to long security lines caused by TSA

Whether passengers are flying to Timbuktu or Detroit - they're being asked to show up at least three hours before their flight at Chicago's O'Hare airport.

Security lines at the nation's third-busiest airport have been spiraling out of control due to an understaffed Transportation Security Administration and record flight sales.

The problem is especially bad in the American Airlines terminal at O'Hare, where more than 100 passengers were forced to sleep on cots Sunday night after missing their flights in the extremely long security lines. And that's just a fraction of the 400 passengers that missed their flights that day.

The TSA is now promising to immediately send dozens of new screeners to the airport as a stop-gap, but in the meantime the Chicago Department of Aviation is suggesting that all passengers flying out of O'Hare or Midway arrive at least three hours before their flight departure time - whether they are flying internationally or domestically.

That's an hour more than the two hours the TSA suggests passengers arrive at the airport before domestic flights. The TSA has always recommended passengers arrive at the airport three hours before international flights.

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The Chicago Department of Aviation sent out a message on Tuesday, asking passengers flying out of city airports to show up three hours before their flights. Above, the security lines at O'Hare on Monday

Three hours is more than the two hours the TSA recommends passengers arrive at the airport before domestic flights. Above, a line of travelers waiting to get through security at O'Hare on Monday

Line have been stretching for hours at O'Hare and Midway this year, due to record flight sales and an understaffed TSA. Above, a line at O'Hare on Monday

Also on Tuesday, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin announced that 58 new security officers and four bomb-sniffing dogs were being transferred to O'Hare as soon as possible to help alleviate the lines

In a statement, Sen Durbin said that he had spoken with Homeland Security Secretary Director Jeh Johnson about the security meltdown at Chicago's airports and was assured that TSA was moving as fast as possible in hiring and training new officers.

'As summer approaches, the number of people traveling increases dramaticallythat means long lines at airport security checkpoints.

'Protecting the safety of passengers remains priority number one, but poor planning and inadequate funding have led to huge lines and unreasonable delays at airports in Chicago and across the country.

'We need more security officers and more screening lines open and running to bring down wait times,' Durbin said.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, of New York, has also put his team on the issue, proposing that the TSA add more security dogs, which could cut wait times in half.

John Mica, a Florida Republican who sits on the House Transportation Committee, suggested the TSA should tailor screeners' schedules to fit the volume of passenger traffic, rather than conforming to shift schedules.

Dozens of passengers spent the night in the airport Sunday night after missing their flights due to the long security lines

The TSA has pledged to add 800 more screeners by June, but the union that represents these workers says they need at least 6,000 new hires

American Airlines reports that 4,000 passengers have missed flights at O'Hare since February

While the TSA says they are hiring 800 new security screeners to address the backed up lines, the union that represents these workers say they actually need 6,000 new hires in order to make a difference.

TSA staffing numbers have been down due to federal budget cuts, and the impact has been unignorable.

Since February alone, some 4,000 passengers have been stranded at O'Hare after missing their flights, American Airlines revealed.

The TSA cut its airport screener staff by 10 per cent in the past three years with the assumption the PreCheck program would speed up the process.

But the program requires an $85 to $100 fee every five years, and applicants need to pass an interview before they are allowed to go through faster lanes, where passengers don't have to take off their shoes or remove laptops and liquids from their bags.

Last week, Congress agreed to shift $34 million in TSA funding forward, allowing the agency to pay overtime to its existing staff.

The money will also go towards hiring 768 screeners by June 15 to bring numbers up to the congressionally mandated ceiling of 42,525.

Last week, Homeland Security Director Jeh Johnson asked fliers to be patient as the government tackles the TSA employee shortage.

'Our job is to keep the American people safe,' Johnson said at a news conference. 'We're not going to compromise aviation security in the face of this.'

With fewer staff, stricter security procedures, and a record number of fliers, the perfect storm has been brewing for months.

Airlines have been warning customers to arrive at the airport two hours in advance, but with summer travel season approaching even that might not be enough.

Johnson said the TSA is working with airlines to enforce limits on carry-on bags and their size.

Passengers often flout carry-on regulations to avoid paying the $25 checked bag fee most airlines charge, which only contributes to the problem.
A Maine police sergeant looking for speeders managed to unwittingly capture a fireball streaking across the sky on his dashboard camera.

The bright flash - visible from several states early Tuesday - was apparently left by a meteor burning up as it passed through the earth's atmosphere.

Portland police Sgt. Tim Farris was parked in front of the Central Fire Station when his camera captured the meteor lighting up the sky.

The shocked officer was heard saying: 'Oh, my God!'

Star bright: The bright flash spotted in Portland, Maine - but visible from several states early Tuesday - was apparently left by a meteor burning up as it passed through the earth's atmosphere

Fireball: The incredible footage of the moment was actually captured accidentally on a police dash cam

This video was caught by a Cumberland Police Department dash camera. It shows the sky lighting up, but the meteor is just off screen

Portland police Sgt. Tim Farris was parked in front of the Central Fire Station when his camera captured the meteor lighting up the sky

'You never know what you are going to see on duty,' the department said in a Facebook posting.

'Sgt. Farris was looking for speeders while parked in front of the central fire station and was able to observe some visitors 'from away' ... far away.'

The American Meteor Society reported sightings in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and parts of Canada.

Officials at the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire say they also received reports of the meteor, but fog prevented it from being seen from the mountain's summit.

As one witness told Boston.com: One of the most amazing things Ive ever seen in the night sky.

'I was driving east on the mass pike heading home when there was flashing behind me, then the sky in front of my car started to light up.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So it's no surprise that these black bears are looking for something to eat upon waking up from hibernation.

The animals can currently be seen in Lake Tahoe, California, munching on grass, and even breaking into cars.

On Friday, two California black bears were filmed by photographer David Miller getting into a car in a South Lake Tahoe driveway. The young bears were seen exploring the car.

It's bear season in the region, which means the furry creatures have invaded the residential California suburb. They can be found walking down residential neighborhoods, munching on grass, and even breaking into cars (left and right)

Wildlife educator Toogee Sielsch of the Bear League told CW39: 'It`s an exciting time right now. Bears are out!'

The Bear League works to promote harmony between bears and humans.

Sielsch explained: 'This is their home.They're moving through their corridors of travel.

'But we live here now. So it's part of our job to enjoy them being there and try not to bother them.

'But when they encroach on our side, instead of having to trap them or anythingwe just show a little force.'

By 'force' Sielsch is referring to the technique used by the Bear League, known as humane aversion technique, whereby a person makes loud aggressive noises directed at the bears to scare the creatures away from their homes and into their natural forest habitat.

Family outing: Wildlife educator Toogee Sielsch of the Bear League told CW39 : 'It`s an exciting time right now. Bears are out!'

South Lake Tahoe resident Tammy Hoy told Fox 40 that she had been watching a mother and her two cubs roam her neighborhood.

South Lake Tahoe resident Tammy Hoy told Fox 40 that she had been watching a mother and her two cubs roam her neighborhood.

Hoy said: 'They're so fun to watch. We've never seen a mama with babies that small.'

But, she said the bears in her neighborhood were not getting into garbage or trying to break down doors, but simply wandering around eating grass.

Sielsch said that the bears are happy feasting on spring grass, but if people leave human or pet food out - or leave cars unlocked - problems may arise.

The bears are so numerous right now because they have just come out of their hibernation season.
One of Donald Trump's biggest boasts is that he's attracted a flurry of new voters to the Republican primaries, which could remake the electoral map and help him win the general election in November.

But a new analysis conducted by Politico, found that the presumptive GOP nominee's statement is only half right.

Trump has attracted a slew of new Republican primary voters to the polls since voting began in February, but these voters were already reliably voting for the GOP in presidential general elections, the analysis found.

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Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has suggested that he will win in November because of the many new voters he's attracted to the polls

While turnout among Republican primary voters has seen a spike, a Politico analysis found that many 'new' primary voters are those who already vote for GOP candidates in the general election

The analysis found that there's little evidence of Donald Trump motivating Democrats to switch parties and vote Republican more than they usually do each four years

'All he seems to have done is bring new people into the primary process, not bring new people into the general-election process,' Alex Lundry, the director of data science for Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign, told Politico. 'It's exciting that these new people ... are engaged in the primary but those people are people that are already going to vote Republican in the [fall.]'

'It confirms what my suspicion has been all along,' Lundry added.

While not every state has released sophisticated voter tallies from the primaries, the Politico team found that in Iowa, which held the nation's first contest, a caucus, which Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won on the Republican side, turnout increased by 50 percent.

But figures from the state party show that 95 percent of those GOP caucusgoers had voted in one of the last four presidential elections and 80 percent had voted in three out of the four.

In short: these voters are already trained to go to the polls and pick a Republican from the ballot.

In South Carolina, which gave Trump his first victory in the South, numbers from the state GOP showed that first-time voters accounted for 8.4 percent of the GOP electorate. The larger number, about 25 percent, were first-time Republican primary voters, who had selected the party's candidate in general elections before.

Only 50 percent of the time has the party with greater turnout in the primaries been the one whose nominee has won the general election, when there are open primaries on both sides of the aisle

In Florida, the March 15 contest that knocked home state Sen. Marco Rubio out, turnout was up by 40 percent, but only 6 percent of those hadn't voted in the 2012 presidential election or the 2014 midterms and were registered to vote.

'There is no question he brought some people out, but relatively speaking it's not a huge number when it comes to the general election,' explained University of Florida political scientist Daniel Smith, who crunched the Florida numbers for Politico.

That's about 142,000 voters, Politico pointed out, which is more than the 537 votes that won the state for President George W. Bush in the year 2000, but those margins aren't enough to necessarily flip a more historically blue state over to the Republican column.

Trump has repeatedly said this is something that he can do, eyeing places like Pennsylvania, and even his super blue home state of New York.

He points to Democrats switching party allegiances to come out and vote for him instead.

But there's not much evidence supporting this brag either.

For example, in South Carolina, the number of Democrats switching and voting in the Republican primary was almost exactly the same number who did so four years before.

Basically, Trump's appearance on the ballot didn't make a difference in crossover voting, something that naturally occurs.

The Republicans can still boast that their turnout is higher and their voters have headed to the polls earlier, to vote in the primaries, but that doesn't predict a GOP win in the fall

It's still a good thing for Republicans that their voters turned out in bigger numbers and earlier than before, but those things don't reliably predict a general election win.

'It's very hard to say that anything that happens in the primary season has that much of an impact on the general,' Drew DeSilver, who studies presidential voter turnout at the Pew Research Center, told Politico.

In the past six election cycles in which candidates from both parties were competing in open primaries, only three times did the party with the higher voter turnout's candidate win.

That's because the amount of voters who come out in the primaries is just a fraction of the electorate who show up and vote in the general.

Even with his record-setting totals, Trump has only amassed about a quarter of the votes he'll need in the fall.

President Obama won re-election with 65.9 million votes. Trump has amassed in the primaries about 11 million.
A rainbow flag has been spotted flying high outside the MI6 headquarters in London today.

Showing its support for the LGBT community, Britain's spy agency hoisted the colourful symbol to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

It is not the first time the agency has shown its solidarity with gay rights, after erecting a rainbow flag outside its headquarters in June last year to show its support for Gay Pride.

Showing its support for the LGBT community, Britain's spy agency hoisted the rainbow flag outside its headquarters in Vauxhall, London, to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

It is not the first time the agency has shown its solidarity with gay rights, after erecting a rainbow flag outside its headquarters in June last year to show its support for Gay Pride. Pictured: The colourful flag erected today

In 2014, the agency also produced a recruitment poster in collaboration with LGBT campaign group Stonewall. And it has previously supported British troops by raising a flag to mark Armed Forces Day.

In recent years, MI6 has tried to shrug off its image as an all-boys club, thanks at least in part to the success of the James Bond films.

While Bond may be into fast cars, lethal gadgets, and gorgeous women, MI6 insists the top quality for recruits is 'empathy', as staff need to be able to easily get on with people from diverse backgrounds.

MI6 has signed up to Stonewall's diversity champions programme, which aims to make workplaces 'gay friendly' and ensure employers comply with equalities legislation.

GCHQ also promoted its LGBT credentials last year by lighting up its doughnut-shaped headquarters in rainbow colours.

The current flag display marks International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

MI6 has signed up to Stonewall's diversity champions programme, which aims to make workplaces 'gay friendly' and ensure employers comply with equalities legislation. Pictured: The rainbow flag at MI6 today

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia was created 12 years ago to draw attention to the fight against discrimination experienced by LGBT people. Pictured: The MI6 headquarters in Vauxhall

The day, which falls annually on May 17, was created 12 years ago to draw attention to the fight against discrimination experienced by LGBT people.

The movement is now celebrated in more than 130 countries, including 37 where same-sex acts are illegal, with 1,600 events carried out by more than 1,280 organisations in 2014 alone.

Earlier this year, MI6's fellow intelligence agency - MI5 - was ranked first out of more than 400 organisations by rights group Stonewall in a 2016 Workplace Equality Index for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees. Just six years ago, MI5 was ranked at 134th in the index.

'People can only give the best they can give when they feel supported, valued and treated with respect by their colleagues,' Andrew Parker, the director general of MI5, said at the time.

In recent years, MI6 has tried to shrug off its image as an all-boys club, thanks at least in part to the success of the James Bond films. Pictured: The MI6 headquarters under attack in the film, James Bond: Skyfall

'Diversity is vital for MI5, not just because it's right that we represent the communities we serve, but because we rely on the skills of the most talented people whoever they are, and wherever they may be,' Parker said.

British spies in MI5 and other services such as MI6 and GCHQ have for years been trying to ditch the perception that they are male-dominated bastions of reaction.

The accolade from Stonewall, complete with a rare public comment from one of Britain's most powerful spy chiefs, helps MI5 pitch itself as a modern spy service.
It is believed the cubs were frozen to make glue for its healing qualities

Four tiny tiger cubs were found frozen in Nam Dinh province in Vietnam

These shocking photographs show four tiny tiger cubs which have been frozen so they can be sold to make glue.

The glue, believed to contain healing qualities, is made from the meat, skin, claws and bone from the frozen animals.

Police in Nam Dinh province in Vietnam have arrested a wildlife trafficker, named locally as Pham Van Tu, 26, as he attempted to sell the cubs.

These shocking photographs show four tiny tiger cubs which have been frozen so they can be sold to make glue

He claimed he purchased the cubs from a market at the border of Vietnam and Laos for VND2 million (60), reports the Daily Express.

The trafficker planned to sell them for VND8 million (250) after looking for a buyer on Facebook.

He is accused of being a member of a wildlife trafficking ring and has been taken into custody for questioning.

Gangs in the southeast Asian country have been seen blatantly advertising tiger parts and clubs on social networks as part of the illegal trade.

Tragically, it is believed there could be as few as 30 wild tigers in Vietnam and Laos.

Dr Pieter Kat, a scientist at LionAid, told the Express: 'There is no doubt that Vietnam's wild tiger populations have declined to perhaps a handful now surviving.

Tragically, it is believed there could be as few as 30 wild tigers in Vietnam and Laos (stock photo)

'This decline can undoubtedly be attributed to poaching for tiger products.
A middle school principal in New Mexico has been suspended after reportedly posting the names of failing students on a poster in an attempt to motivate them.

Central Consolidated School District (CCSD) spokesman James Preminger told the Farmington Daily Times that J. Kaibah Begay, principal of Tse Bit'a'i Middle School in Shiprock, is on paid administrative leave.

'The school told the administration,' Preminger told the newspaper. 'Once they told us, we had the poster taken down immediately.'

J. Kaibah Begay (above), principal of Tse Bit'a'i Middle School in Shiprock, is on paid administrative leave. She reportedly posted the names of failing students on a poster in an attempt to motivate them

Begay (pictured) only became principal at the school, which has roughly 483 students in sixth through eighth grades, this year. She put the poster up on Monday morning before it was taken down Tuesday afternoon

Begay only became principal at the school, which has about 483 students in sixth through eighth grades, this year.

She put the poster up on Monday morning before it was taken down around Tuesday afternoon.

The poster displayed the names of more than 100 students at the school who allegedly would not be promoted to the next grade level, the newspaper reported.

Officials have appointed George Schumpelt, the CCSD human resources director, as acting principal until the last day of school which is May 27.

A letter informing parents of the poster was sent out Wednesday by Interim Superintendent Colleen Bowman.

In it, she said the incident was being investigated in order to make sure nothing like it ever occurred again.

The poster displayed the names of more than 100 students at Tse Bit'a'i Middle School (pictured) who allegedly would not be promoted to the next grade level

'These steps are to ensure that this will not happen again and that all school district personnel are familiar and knowledgeable of its academic policies and procedures,' Bowman wrote in the letter.

Preminger also said that Bowman on Thursday apologized to student.

'The superintendent wants to build students' self-esteem, confidence and identity and have it be part of the learning environment,' Preminger told the newspaper.
A British jihadi who fled the country to become a fighter in Syria has revealed how he was compelled to go there to avenge the killing of children but misses home comforts such as the bakery Greggs.

The fighter, who is only known as Abu Abdullah Britani, gave an interview for an online news organisation who grilled him on why he would swap a relatively comfortable life in the UK for the battlefield in northern Syria

In the interview, Britani, has his face covered by a scarf and wears sunglasses to conceal his identity.

British jihadi Abu Abdullah Britani who fled Britain to travel to Syria saying he was compelled to go there to avenge the killing of children

He tells the YouTube channel Face The Truth that he had been in Syria for a while and he felt it was his duty as a Muslim to go there and fight.But when he is asked by American journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem if he plans to return to the UK, he says no, although admits he misses some home comforts.

Speaking in a London accent, he says: 'No I wouldn't like to return and I definitely don't plan to return.

'I miss home. I miss some of my friends, some of my family, some of my family will be watching this. I miss Greggs.

'I miss some foods. But for me you know, these are material. I wouldn't want to make decisions based upon my stomach.'

He also told the interview on the YouTube channel Face The Truth that he misses friends and family back home as well as bakery Greggs

Britani also revealed that he had been wounded in battle but often found that the Syrian army fled the field before the jihadis had reached their position

He also adds that he was compelled to travel to Syria to avenge the 'rape of sisters, and the killing of children' even though he admitted it was bloodthirsty.

Britani also revealed that he had been wounded in battle but often found that the Syrian army fled the field before the jihadis had reached their positions.

'Usually,' he said, 'things are pretty calm until zero hour. Most of the firing is at us. When we are going into a big offensive we do have weaponry and artillery but in general the regime has a lot of the fire power, especially from the air.'

'When the opportunity arises the military leaders send the brothers in group by group. Usually by the grace and mercy of Allah we don't have to do too much. The regime can not cope in battle with the brothers. The brothers have a lot of courage.'

He declined to say which jihadi force he was with but made it clear that he preferred Al Nusra, the Al Qaeda franchise fighting in Syria, to the Islamic State.

During the interview he kept his face covered with a scarf and sunglasses as he did not want to put his family in danger

He said he thought the media chose to magnify the Islamic State's reputation and that this had prompted a lot of people to see all foreign fighters in a negative light.

He added: 'When the battle kicks off there are a few injuries and deaths - then Allah causes the enemies to be so scared that they flee and we go forward. In some cases we have to retreat when there are too many losses and there seems to be no way in.'

Amazingly Britani, who is married with two children, says that before the battle is about to start he can find time to sleep: 'Sometimes you feel at rest and able to snooze. Because of (the long) waiting for an order I have fallen asleep even with the bombs and the tanks.'

But he admits: 'I'm afraid...yes I have been hit before..... it hurts. But the big worry for myself is the brothers....this doesn't stop us because it makes us remember Allah more and give us strength. If I didn't feel that fear I would be worried.'
Yevgeniy Savenok charged with two counts of first degree murder

The husband of a 23-year-old pregnant woman who was stabbed to death in her home has been charged with two counts of first degree murder.

Yevgeniy 'Eugene' Savenok fled the Eden Prairie home with his two children in an SUV before surrendering to police at a hospital Saturday, where he told authorities: 'I have just killed my wife'.

Authorities said that Lyuba's younger sister witnessed the attack and called police, who arrived to find Lyuba with multiple stab wounds and a kitchen knife stuck in her chest.

Savenok, 30, has been been held at Hennepin County Adult Detention Center in Minnesota since that time and was given the murder charges today, which includes the death of their son, who survived for several minutes after being born prematurely.

But his mother died not long after police were called to their home on 17000 block of Park Circle, over a domestic-disturbance incident.

The husband - who was a 'star wrestler at Wheaton college - remains jailed in lieu of $5 million bail ahead of an appearance before a judge Wednesday.

Investigators said that Savenok admitted stabbing his wife at least seven times in her torso and upper chest and reportedly told them he thought about stabbing her the night before while returning from a trip to Chicago.

He added that he believed she was going to take his children from him and her death was 'probably my only way out.'

Lyuba Savenok's brother, Aleksandr Katane, said his sister was a loyal wife and a loving mother to her children, Vivienne, 3, and Matthew, 4. She was 26 weeks pregnant at the time of her death, according to her brother.

Yevgeniy Savenok (right with wife) fled the Eden Prairie home with his two children in an SUV before surrendering to police at a hospital Saturday. Savenok graduated from Wheaton College in 2009 with an honors degree and online records indicate that he was on the school's wrestling team (far right)

Lyuba Savenok, 23, was stabbed to death Saturday at her home in Eden Prairie. She was pregnant and had two children, Vivienne aged 3 (left) and Matthew, aged 4 (right)

Savenok (right) - also known as Eugene - remains jailed in lieu of $5 million bail ahead of an appearance before a judge Wednesday

Savenok, from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, died on Saturday morning, not long after police were called to her house (pictured) over a domestic-disturbance incident

The couple had been married nearly six years.

Neighbors of the Savenok family said Saturday that the couple had moved to the yellow two-story house a year ago and 'mostly kept to themselves'.

Eden Prairie police spokesman Greg Weber said police had been called to the house for a domestic disturbance at least one other time in the past year and that the husband was facing charges in connection with that incident.

The couple had a long history of domestic problems, which included multiple calls to authorities both in Minnesota and Illinois, where they had lived previously.

Lyuba Savenok had even filed an order for protection while they lived in Dupage County, Illinois, which was granted by authorities.

In the August 2014 order, Savenok described how her husband had hit her during sex and broken a window in a rage. He had also pulled her to her feet by her hair and left her with a bloody nose following a 45-minute wrestling bout.

However, she withdrew the order about 10 days later, documents show.

Lyuba also filed for divorce late 2014 but withdrew the petition in April 2015, records show.

Savenok graduated from Wheaton College in 2009 with an honors degree and online records indicate that he was on the school's wrestling team.

Prior to this, he had attended Wheaton Warrenville South High School, online records show.

Sgt Becker told MailOnline that a weapon had been recovered at the scene but would not specify what it was.

Happier times: Lyuba and Yevginy (pictured center) on their wedding day back flanked by friends; her brother said the couple had been married for nearly six years

Loving mother and wife: Her Instagram and Facebook pages are filled with adorable pictures of her two children as well as shots from her wedding day

Savenok's brother, Aleksandr Katane said his sister's 'greatest passion was being a mom and doing everything she could to enrich their lives.' Her social media pages are filled with adorable pictures of her two children.

Mr Katane also shared a message on the social media site and directed mourners to a GoFundMe page that has been set up in her honor. It has already attracted $51,510 in donations.

He wrote: 'We wish to honor Lyuba and her son and bury them in a beautiful place where they may be visited by friends and family.

'Lyuba's greatest passion in life was to enrich her children's lives. With your help her immediate family will care for Matthew and Vivienne and do everything in their power to set them up for success.'

The funds will be used to help with funeral expenses and to help with raising and providing for her son Matthew, 4, and daughter Vivienne, 3.

ORDER FOR PROTECTION FILED BY LYUBA AGAINST EUGENE IN ILLINOIS The order for protection against Yeveginy Savenok, filed in DuPage County, lists the following incidents: Aug. 1, 2014: 'Hit me during sex. I yelled, pushed him off and called the police. He broke a window out of rage.' Aug. 10, 2014: 'Wrestled and hit me repeatedly (45 min), left bruises and bloody nose.' Aug. 25, 2014: 'Pulled me up by the hair.' Aug. 27, 2014: 'With the increase of incidents and the severity of them, I've gotten his parents and my parents involved as well as our church. I overheard him talking to his dad on the phone yesterday, telling him that the only way this will end is me in the hospital or him in jail. He has taken freedoms away from me such as my phone and my forms of identification, as well as use of our cars to keep me feeling alone and helpless and scared. He doesn't intend on stopping and I don't know when to expect his next outlash and its very emotionally difficult to live under the pressure.'

Savenok's said: 'Her greatest passion was being a mom and doing everything she could to enrich their lives'

Sgt Becker told MailOnline that a weapon had been recovered at the scene but would not specify what it was. Pictured: The Savenok couple in happier times

Police spokesman Greg Weber said Saturday that police had been called to the house for a domestic disturbance at least one other time in the past year. Pictured: Mourners gather at a home for the vigil

A candlelight vigil led by her brother was held for the 23-year-old at sunset yesterday at Clover Meadow in Chaska.

Lyuba was born in Valga, Estonia, in 1993, but lived most of her life in Eden Prairie and Chaska.

She enrolled in the University of Minnesota at the age of 16 and had only just begun work as a realtor back in February.

Her company Keller Williams Realty Elite posted a tribute to her on their Facebook page.

'Yesterday our KW Family lost a bright and talented up and coming real estate star.

'We want to say: Thank you sweet Lyuba for the short time we had together at work.

'Your amazing spirit, energy and positivity were exactly the kind of attitude and culture we celebrate. You will be missed.- KW Realty Elite.'

Tributes were left on her most recent Facebook post, which came on May 6, a black-and-white video featuring her two children and her husband.

'When you're the star of the week at school and you get to bring some special guests. This kid brought his little sister and papa. Just a little something ot pull on those heart strings on Friday,' she wrote.

Several people wrote under the video, including Agnes Savenok, who said: 'So so tragic and heart breaking. Enjoy the angels singing Lyubachka. You will be terribly missed.'

Mr Katane shared a message on the social media site and directed mourners to a GoFundMe page that has been set up in her honor. It has already attracted $51,510 in donations

Tragic loss: A candlelight vigil led by her brother was held for the 23-year-old at sunset Sunday at Clover Meadow in Chaska

Community in mourning: Brother Katane said her greatest passion 'was to enrich her children's lives'

The couple had a long history of domestic problems, which included multiple calls to authorities both in Minnesota and Illinois, where they had lived previously. Pictured, police at the scene of the incident Saturday
The Washington Redskins' newly-signed tight end Vernon Davis was accused by his fiancee of cheating on her with a 20-year-old.

Davis' fiancee Janel Horne made the accusation in an Instagram post, Total Pro Sports reported Monday.

'When you give a man your all, 15 yrs, 3 kids, and you sacrifice your life and then he cheats on you with a 20 yr old child and lies on you @vernondavis85,' Horne wrote in the caption to a picture that shows Davis and his alleged mistress.

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Vernon Davis is pictured with his family in this Instagram snap. Long-time fiancee Janel Horne, left, accused Davis of cheating in a social media post

Janel Horne accused her partner Vernon Davis of cheating in this Instagram post

Vernon Davis had been seeing his fiancee Janel Horne, right, for 15 years, she wrote in the Instagram post

Before signing a one-year deal with his hometown team the Redskins in March, Davis played for the Denver Broncos for one season. Prior to that he played for the San Francisco 49ers for nine seasons

Since Monday, Davis, 32, has made three Instagram posts on his own account. In one, he wrote 'When people do these things we should hold hands and pray for them,' along with a picture of a Bible quotation that mentions stealing and lying.

A grinning selfie posted Monday generated a lively discussion among believers and non-believers in the cheating accusations.

'On your way to pick up your 20 year old side chick from day care?,' one user remarked.

'Don't listen to the negative comments, @vernondavis85,' another user wrote. 'Everyone goes through ups and downs - some worse than others. Just keep rolling with the punches, man.'

Davis and Horne have at least two young children together: In 2013, Sports Illustrated reported the couple had a son named Jianni and a daughter named Valleigh.
This is the shocking moment a brutal fistfight broke out in the South African parliament.

Security guards ejected opposition lawmakers in an ugly fracas that underlined heightened political tensions over Jacob Zuma's presidency.

About 20 members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party - dressed in their uniform of red workers' overalls - were wrestled from their seats by plain-clothed guards.

They had refused to let Zuma speak and furiously shouted down the Speaker, Baleka Mbete.

This is the shocking moment a brutal fistfight broke out in the South African parliament

Security guards ejected opposition lawmakers in an ugly fracas that underlined heightened political tensions over Jacob Zuma's presidency

As Zuma looked on impassively, the radical leftist lawmakers fought to stay in the chamber until they were physically removed through a side door.

Before the guards moved in, the EFF members, led by their firebrand 'commander in chief' Julius Malema, yelled that it was the president who should be thrown out.

'He broke his oath of office. Zuma is the one who must go,' they shouted.

Outside parliament, Malema told reporters and cheering supporters: 'Zuma will never find peace in this parliament. Every time he comes here the same thing will happen.

'These bouncers must know that if they give violence, we will respond with violence. We are not scared.'

The disruption was the latest in a series of showdowns in parliament as pressure mounts on Zuma to resign or be axed as president by the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

He has been urged to step down by senior ANC veterans of the anti-apartheid struggle, which brought liberation icon Nelson Mandela to power in 1994.

But Zuma retains widespread loyalty in the party, and ANC lawmakers have regularly rallied to his defence.

About 20 members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party - dressed in their uniform of red workers' overalls - were wrestled from their seats by plain-clothed guards

As Zuma looked on impassively, the radical leftist lawmakers fought to stay in the chamber until they were physically removed through a side door

In April, they easily defeated an opposition move to impeach him.

The EFF, which was also ejected from parliament two weeks ago in similar scenes, says that it does not recognise Zuma as president in the wake of two recent court cases.

In March, the country's highest court found that Zuma had violated the constitution over the spending of millions of dollars of taxpayers' money on his private rural residence at Nkandla in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal.

In April another court said he should face almost 800 corruption charges relating to a multi-billion-dollar arms deal that were dropped in 2009, shortly before he became president.

A packed public gallery watched the scuffles in parliament Tuesday, with scores of supporters of the opposition Democratic Alliance wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with Zuma's picture and the slogan: 'Accused No.1'.

Zuma has been wounded by months of scandals, including his sacking of two finance ministers in four days in December which rocked the markets and saw the rand currency plummet.

South Africa faces local elections in August and, if the ANC suffers a major drop in support, Zuma could lose support within the party and not serve out the last three years of his final term.

Before the guards moved in, the EFF members, led by their firebrand 'commander in chief' Julius Malema, yelled that it was the president who should be thrown out
Royal Air Force fighters have intercepted Russian jets approaching Estonia for the second time in a week, the Ministry of Defence said.

The Typhoons were scrambled to meet five unidentified aircraft in international airspace along the country's borders on Tuesday.

They shadowed two Su-27 Flanker fighters and an IL-20 'Coot-A' reconnaissance aircraft north of Estonia before two more Su-27s were detected and met, the MoD said.

This is the moment that Royal Air Force fighters intercepted Russian jets approaching protected airspace in Estonia for the second time in a week, the Ministry of Defence confirmed today

The Typhoons were scrambled to meet five unidentified aircraft Russian planes (pictured) in international airspace near the Baltic State's borders on Tuesday

The Russian Coot-A communication aircraft 'were operating without transmitting recognised identification codes nor were they communicating with regional air traffic control centres,' according to the MoD

A spokesman said the Russian aircraft 'were operating without transmitting recognised identification codes nor were they communicating with regional air traffic control centres'.

It comes after an incident on Friday when Typhoons from Amari air base in Estonia intercepted three Russian transport aircraft approaching the Baltic in similar circumstances.

Today they were detected along Estonia's northern and western borders, above the Baltic Sea.

Four RAF jets were last month deployed to join the Baltic Air Policing mission - which sees Nato members help others who do not have their own policing capabilities - and will remain there until the end of August.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: 'We will continue to secure the Baltic skies on behalf of Nato and our allies.'

Tuesday's incident (pictured) comes after an incident on Friday when Typhoons from Amari air base in Estonia intercepted three Russian transport aircraft approaching the Baltic in similar circumstances

Four RAF jets shadowed two Russian Su-27 Flanker fighters (pictured) and an IL-20 'Coot-A' reconnaissance aircraft north of Estonia before two more Su-27s were detected and met, the MoD said

During the RAF's previous deployment to the air policing role over the Baltic States Typhoons were scrambled 17 times, intercepting more than 40 Russian aircraft, the MoD said.

The lead pilot, who was not named by the MoD, said: The lead Typhoon pilot said: 'The Baltic Control and Reporting Centre had radar contact on the unidentified aircraft and ordered us to scramble.

'As always we were airborne in minutes and intercepted and identified the variety of Russian military aircraft. We remain on standby all day, every day to respond to any requests of this nature. This is what we do.'
A man drove onto the National Mall in Washington, DC, Tuesday afternoon, claiming to have been exposed to anthrax bacteria.

The man, who is not being named by police, said that the had come into contact with the substance on a farm in Virginia, and had collected samples and driven to Washington in order to warn people.

He has been swabbed for anthrax, confirmed to be free of contamination and does not pose a threat to the public, police told WTOP.

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Warning: Police say the man (pictured) claimed to have been infected with anthrax bacteria at a Virginia farm, then took samples and drove to the National Mall in Washington, DC to 'warn' people

Detained: Police detained the man, but said he was not a threat to the public and was co-operating. He was tested and found not to be contaminated with anthrax

Robots: Police robots were used to inspect the man's pickup truck (pictured), but it was deemed safe

'He was clear of any infection, and just to be clear, theres no threat to the public from this man; hes not threatening us in any way,' US Park Police spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Rose told the station.

The man contacted police before arrival in Washington, DC, to tell them that he had seen the substance being spread on a field by a farmer in rural Virginia.

He then drove to Washington in a white, four-door pickup truck, entering the National Mall at around 3pm from 3rd Street, near the Capitol Reflecting Pool and Ulysses S Grant Memorial.

Passersby then called police, who detained him shortly afterward.

Officers wearing gas masks were filmed talking to the man, then wrapping him in a silver blanket.

Although the man has been confirmed not to be infected with anthrax, he will have to be decontaminated before being sent to a hospital.

The officers who communicated with him will also be decontaminated.

His truck, which has been inspected for dangerous substances by a police robot, was given the all-clear but remains on the Mall.

Roads around 3rd Street have been closed to pedestrians and traffic.

Anthrax is an infection caused by Bacillus anthracis, a type of bacteria. Symptoms can include lesions on the skin due to contact, or serious damage to internal organs if swallowed or inhaled, potentially causing death.
Jamycheal Mitchell, 24, starved to death in his jail cell after guards cut off his food and water for months, his family have claimed

A mentally ill man starved to death in his jail cell after guards cut off his food and water for months, his family have claimed.

Jamycheal Mitchell, 24, was found dead in prison in Portsmouth, Virginia, in August, four months after he was arrested for stealing $5.05 in candy and a soda from a 7-Eleven store.

His family claim the bipolar and schizophrenia sufferer was left to die by jail staff who repeatedly denied him meals.

A lawsuit filed by Mitchell's aunt claims he spent most of his final weeks naked after having his clothes taken away from him and that he had smeared his cell with feces and urine.

It also claims the inmate was dragged along the ground by guards who sprayed him with mace and stood on as he laid in his cell crying.

Mitchell was 'nearly cachetic' - meaning his body was so malnourished it would reject food - when he died and had lost nearly 40 pounds in his four months behind bars, the lawsuit states.

'He was unrecognizable - that's how bad it was. He was unrecognizable. [He was] probably about 90 pounds and looked 70 years old,' his aunt Roxanne Adams told WTKR.

Ms Adams is suing 39 different defendants - including Hampton Roads Regional Jail, prison healthcare provider NaphCare and Virginia's mental health department - for at least $60million.

She accuses them of willful neglect and depriving her nephew of his civil rights.

Mitchell was arrested in April 2015 after stealing a bottle of Mountain Dew, a Snickers and a Zebra Cake that were worth $5.05 from a 7-Eleven.

He was denied bail because there were no beds free at nearby hospitals specializing in mental health, but a report later found that there were beds available every single night he was incarcerated, CNN reported.

The bipolar schizophrenic man was said to be 'very psychotic' and 'delusional' and was found to be in need of psychological help, but he turned it down.

A report in May found that Mitchell would yell for hours from his cell but still he was deemed able to make his own decisions about his care.

Mitchell, 24, was found dead in prison in Portsmouth, Virginia, in August, four months after he was arrested for stealing $5.05 in candy and a soda from a 7-Eleven store

He was taken to Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Portsmouth, Virginia, where a doctor found that he was still psychotic and noted that he was heard 'singing and yelling incomprehensibly'.

Mitchell 'LACKED the capacity to assist counsel in preparing a defense', the doctor wrote.

A judge ordered that Mitchell be sent to a mental hospital but an investigation later found that the facility never received the paperwork, according to the lawsuit.

Mitchell was allegedly regularly denied his medication while in prison and had did not take any of the drugs he needed during his final month, his family claim.

Jail officials have claimed he refused to take the drugs but his family say he was not mentally stable enough to make such a decision.

The lawsuit also says nurses were told by jail staff to ignore Mitchell's needs because he was 'crazy'.

Mitchell was so delusional by June that he thought a nurse was the president and doctors were unable to assess him at later check-ups because he was so aggressive, his family claim.

He was taken to a hospital in July because his legs and feet were swollen and was found to have a condition most commonly seen in people suffering from severe malnutrition.

By this point he had lost 33 pounds since arriving in prison.

Mitchell died at Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Portsmouth, Virginia, after losing nearly 40 pounds during four months there, his family claim

The lawsuit claims Mitchell smeared feces and urine all over his cell.

He was left naked after guards took his clothes, shoes, mattress and bed sheets from him after he tried to flush his clothes down the toilet, the family also claim.

They say he was left with just a 'metal sheet' to sleep under at night.

'Day after day, he stood cold and naked at the doorway to his cell. He did not have any shoes to insulate his feet from the frigid cement floor,' the lawsuit states.

'He explained to another detainee that he stood at the doorway because he felt that there was some warmth provided by the overhead light,' it also claims.

Another inmate, Dominique Vaughan also claims in the lawsuit that guards would sometimes not allow Mitchell to have food or water.

Other convicts were made to clean Mitchell's cell, with one saying it smelled like 'something had died' inside.

Fellow inmate also claimed Mitchell was dragged on the ground, sprayed with mace and stood on while he laid in his cell crying.

Vaughan found Mitchell unable to move three days before his death but guards refused to help, the lawsuit claims.

When Ms Adams saw her nephew's dead body, he was so gaunt that she did not recognize him.

'Beloved Jamycheal, despite his struggles with mental illness, had been a vibrant young man who loved music and always made people laugh. In his place was a withered figure the family could hardly recognize,' the family said in the lawsuit.

The jail refused to comment to CNN.

Virginia's Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services (DHBDS) spokeswoman Maria Reppas said: 'Throughout the past few months, the DBHDS has recognized and taken a number of steps to reduce the forensic waitlist.

'Serving individuals with mental illness who are involved in the criminal justice system is a multifaceted process, and we will continue to work with other state and local entities to ensure that this populations needs are effectively served.'

A NaphCare spokesman said: 'The investigative reports of his death suggest gaps and failures within the state's mental health system prevented Mr Mitchell from receiving the inpatient care he needed.
Police in Massachusetts have appealed for help in tracking down an armed robber who remains at large after holding up a bank in Lakeville on Monday.

Authorities say the armed man entered the Bridgewater Savings Bank on Main Street at 11:35 a.m. and demanded cash.

The man grabbed a female employee by the neck and held a gun to her head as he waited for another staffer to hand over his demands.

Police shared photos of the robber on Tuesday as they continue to hunt him.

Terrifying ordeal: Massachusetts police say the armed man entered the Bridgewater Savings Bank in Lakeville and demanded cash, grabbing a female employee by the neck and holding a gun at her head

Have you seen this man?: Police shared photos of the robber on Tuesday as they continue to hunt him

Wanted: A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of this individual

Police in Massachusetts have appealed for help in tracking down an armed robber who remains at large after holding up a bank in Lakeville on Monday

Armed: The man was wearing a grey hoodie, a black beanie and was armed with a gun. Police said he also a tattoo on his left hand and wrist that resembled a bar code

The surveillance images show the man, who is sucking a lollipop, holding the gun to the head of the hostage, who keeps her hands in the air.

Other images show the robber pointing his weapon at another female employee.

Police hope the pictures will lead to an identification of the suspect.

They are offering a reward for any information leading to the man's arrest.

Bridgewater Savings Bank CEO James Lively told CBS Boston the incident as 'very traumatic'.

'This was an armed robbery were a weapon was shown and employees were threatened with harm,' he said in a statement.

'As you may imagine, this was upsetting to the customers and staff.'

Scene: Authorities say the armed man entered the Bridgewater Savings Bank on Main Street in Lakesville at 11:35 a.m. and demanded cash

The man was aged about 30 and was about 5 feet 8 inches tall.

He was wearing a grey hoodie, a black beanie, sweatpants and black sneakers.

He was armed with a gun and robbed the bank of an undisclosed amount of money, police said.

He also a tattoo on his left hand and wrist that resembled a bar code.
A family of baby bears brought traffic to a standstill in rural North Carolina this weekend, when they decided to cross the road.

Travis Platek and his mother Lesley were driving home from the grocery store Sunday morning when a baby black bear darted out in front of the car on Highway 184.

They immediately stopped the car to let the bear pass and scamper into the woods on the other side of the road.

But then to their surprise, the cub's mother and three more of her babies emerged from the right side of the road and followed suit.

Video has surfaced showing the moment a family of bears brought traffic to a standstill as they crossed a road in North Carolina

A Banner Elk, North Carolina family witnessed the bear family cross the road and posted video of it on Facebook

'Look at yall! How cute!' Lesley exclaims in the background of the recording.

Lesley, a volunteer at nearby Grandfather Mountain, later uploaded it to the state park's Facebook page where it has been viewed more than 850,000 times since.

'Folks around here know that black bears usually have two to three cubs, so four is unusual,'Jesse Pope, executive director of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, told the Charlotte Observer.

The mother bear and her four babies ran across the road and ten scampered up a wooded hillside

'Look at yall! How cute!' Lesley Platek exclaims in the background of the recording.
A Texas man who spent 19 years in prison for the killing of a friend has been freed after a witness said he lied and a bloody palm print at the crime scene was linked to another person.

John Earl Nolley, 42, walked out of the Fort Worth courtroom on a personal recognizance bond Tuesday while his innocence claims are being considered.

Nolley was sentenced to life in prison in 1998 after being convicted in the stabbing death of Sharon McLane in Bedford.

His conviction was based largely on testimony from a 'jailhouse snitch' who later said he was lying. New test results show the palm print does not belong to Nolley or the victim.

John Earl Nolley, 42, has been freed after spending nearly 19 years in prison. He was freed on Tuesday because a witness said he lied and a bloody palm print at the crime scene was linked to another person. Nolley (center) hugs his brother LaMarcus Nolley as his sister Mia Nolley hugs them. His mother Alice Samuel stands at right

Nolley (pictured) was sentenced to life in prison in 1998 after being convicted in the stabbing death of Sharon McLane in Bedford. His conviction was based largely on testimony from a jailhouse snitch who later said he was lying. New test results show the palm print does not belong to Nolley or the victim

Nolley (left in 1997) was arrested in 1997, months after McLane was found stabbed to death. Details on what allegedly went wrong during the first trial are expected to become public on Monday. Nolley is pictured (right on Tuesday) standing outside the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center

Nolley was surrounded by family members and local exonerees when he was released from custody on Tuesday.

An agreement was reached between Nolley's legal team and the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office for his release on a personal recognizance bond because of issues with a key state witness, as well as the withholding of evidence, WFAA reported.

'This is a good example of exactly what we set out to do with our Conviction Integrity Unit,' Criminal District Attorney Sharen Wilson told the station.

Wilson confirmed that the case 'is not an exoneration' but 'an example of how both changes in forensic technology and flaws in the process' can lead to different conclusions over time.

She told WFAA that the Conviction Integrity Unit is working to 'prevent a reoccurrence of this issue' by establishing a new policy on the use of jailhouse informants.

Gary Medlin, Nolley's attorney, also told WFAA that the case has been prolonged enough and it's time Nolley is let go.

'I didn't even think it would be a conviction [at the time],' he told WFAA. 'If I'd been given all the material we would've won.'

One source said a lot of the issues with the case stemmed from a 'jailhouse snitch' witness that prosecutors used during the subsequent trial

Nolley was released from prison but he will not be exonerated until a separate process is conducted by the courts to determine his actual innocence, which can take months or years

More details regarding the alleged flaws during the first trial are expected to be released on Monday.

Months after McLane had been found stabbed to death, Nolley was arrested in 1997.

His case was based largely on the testimony of a jailhouse informant that prosecutors used during the trial.

John OBrien, who had a long criminal record, claimed that Nolley confessed to him while they were both in jail .

But the alleged confession didnt match the crime as OBrien claimed the murder was committed in the course of a robbery, but there was no evidence that any of McLanes property was stolen, according to the Innocence Project.
Hillary Clinton won the Kentucky primary by a hair, with her rival Bernie Sanders taking Oregon, in the last set of Democratic primaries in May.

The close results, 46.75 per cent to Clinton compared to 46.33 for Sanders, mean there is no hint the candidate will be confirmed before the end of next month.

Taking the stage in Carson, California, Sanders almost immediately downplayed his rival's slim Kentucky win, suggesting it only happened because of the commonwealth's closed Democratic primary system, where his friendly independent voters can't vote.

'In a closed primary, something I am not all that enthusiastic about, where independents are not allowed to vote, where Secretary Clinton defeated Barack Obama by 250,000 votes in 2008, it appears that we're going to end up with about half of the delegates,' he said.

Later in the speech, Sanders' wife Jane walked onstage to inform the candidate of the Oregon results. That was a more comfortable victory of 54.55-45.55.

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Hillary Clinton (pictured at a rally on Monday night) won last night's Kentucky primary by a hair, but lost to her rival Sanders in Oregon

Clinton takes a selfie with supporters at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky yesterday

Sen. Bernie Sanders (pictured looking downcast at a rally in California on Tuesday) racked up another win against Democratic frontrunner Clinton in Oregon, while the results in Kentucky gave Clinton a very slim win

Bernie Sanders took Oregon and downplayed a slim loss in Kentucky, telling his supporters that the closed primary system hurt him and that he'd still get half the commonwealth's delegates

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With 99 percent of the votes counted, Clinton and Sanders were virtually neck and neck in Kentucky. Despite the tight finish, Hillary already claimed to have won the Bluegrass State

With 72.5 percent of the votes counted in Oregon, Bernie Sanders eased to victory

Hillary Clinton decided to play ball in Kentucky, with her campaign running television and radio ads in the state, and the candidate personally visiting three times - but she didn't speak from the state

After Kentucky's secretary of state said on CNN that Hillary Clinton would be the 'unofficial' winner of the state, the Democratic frontrunner sent out this tweet

'I am getting to like the West coast,' Sanders said.

Clinton, fearing two more embarrassing losses, didn't speak publicly on Tuesday night.

Instead she tweeted a response to the positive Kentucky results.

'We just won Kentucky! Thanks to everyone who turned out. Were always stronger united,' she wrote.

The night was a long one in Democratic politics with early Kentucky returns favoring Clinton and then Sanders sneaking ahead.

When the polls in Western Kentucky closed, networks were unable to make a projection, with the two rivals flip-flopping to the top position all night.

The race remained uncalled nearly three-and-a-half hours after the last Kentucky polls closed with 99 percent of the vote in.

Kentucky's Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, a Clinton supporter who previously ran for U.S. Senate against Sen. Rand Paul, appeared on CNN and said she was only waiting on votes from two precincts and there wouldn't be enough votes to overrule Clinton's some-1,800 vote edge.

'That is what it looks like right now,' Lundergan Grimes said of a razor thin Clinton win.

'Hillary Clinton will be the unofficial nominee on behalf of the Democratic Party here in the commonwealth of Kentucky,' the state official noted.

It was nearly midnight on the East coast when the race was more officially called.

During his rally, Sanders sent a warning to the Democratic Party and ticked off a number of reasons why Clinton shouldn't be the nominee, including her Wall Street-financed speeches and the fact that she has a super PAC

There was a huge crowd in Carson where Sanders spoke a she looks ahead to the state's primary on June 7

Sanders' supporters remained positive as he spoke in California, with the Democratic race for president still slightly within his reach

A security guard stands alongside the stage as Sanders speaks to his faithful supporters

One of Bernie's supporters places her hands in the shape of a heart as she listens to the candidate speak

Lundergan Grimes noted that any complaints about the votes tallies have to be filed within a week and then the state can order a manual recheck of the voting machines, though Sanders' campaign told CNN that the senator would not be contesting the results.

In Oregon, both Democrats and Republicans concluded voting today by mail-in ballot and Sanders had an early lead and then a quick result.

Onstage in California, Sanders doubled down and recommitted to the race, even though the delegate math overwhelmingly favors Clinton.

'We are in until the last ballot is cast,' he reaffirmed to his huge crowd.

'I think we're going to win here in California,' Sanders also said.

He gave hope to his supporters saying he thought he could still win and said he planned to take the fight all the way to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

He also fired back at the larger Democratic Party, as many top members were up in arms about the behavior of some of Sanders' supporters in Nevada today.

Over the weekend, at the Nevada State Democratic Convention, Sanders supporters threw chairs and threatened the state party chair calling her a 'b****' and a 'p****.'

Sanders, in a statement he put out today, called Democrats' claims that his supporters were violent 'nonsense,' aggravating party officials including DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

She went on CNN and said that Sanders' response to the chaos 'was anything but acceptable. It certainly did not condemn his supporters who were acting violently, who were engaged in intimidation tactics and instead added more fuel to the fire.'

During his rally, Sanders sent a warning to the Democratic Party and ticked off a number of reasons why Clinton shouldn't be the nominee, including her Wall Street-financed speeches and the fact that she has a super PAC.

Even though the candidate didn't make an appearance, Hillary's fans in Bowling Green, Kentucky, came out in force to celebrate her narrow victory

'Let me also say a word to the leadership of the Democratic party,' Sanders said to loud boos from the crowd.

'And that is, that is, that the Democratic party is going to have to make a very, very profound and important decision, it can do the right thing and open its doors and welcome into the party people who are prepared to fight for real economic and social change,' he continued.

'Or the other option, the other option for the Democratic Party, which I see as a very sad and tragic option is to choose to maintain its status quote structure, remain dependent on big money campaign contributions and be a party with limited participation and limited energy,' he said, not mentioning Clinton's name during this stanza.

He also criticized the Democrats for 'allowing a right-wing extremist Republican Party to capture the votes of a majority of working people in this country.'

'Now I come from the working class of this country and I will be damned, I will be damned if we will allow the Republican Party  whose job is to represent the rich and the powerful  to win the votes of working class America,' Sanders said.

Donald Trump spent his evening on Twitter, without any Republican competitors left, trolling Hillary Clinton for the closeness in the Kentucky race

With his own nomination practically locked up, Donald Trump trolled Clinton, noting the closeness of the Kentucky race.

'Do you think Crooked Hillary will finally close the deal?' Trump tweeted. 'If she can't win Kentucky, she should drop out of the race. System rigged!'

After a string of wins under a month ago  in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Connecticut  that allowed Clinton to pivot toward the general election, voters in Indiana, and then in West Virginia, essentially told the frontrunner not-so-fast, with Sanders snagging the majority of pledged delegates in both contests.

Instead, her campaign paid for radio and television ads to run in Kentucky's major markets.

They dispatched more than a dozen surrogates to the Bluegrass State, according to CNN.

And Clinton personally visited the state three times, making 11 campaign stops in an attempt to sway voters her way.

Kentucky's closed primary probably did aid Clinton, as independents allowed to vote in the Democratic primaries have heavily favored Sanders.

That being said, any gains Clinton likely got from her voter pool being pure Democrats was likely erased by controversial comments she made about coal.

Quotes she said about putting the coal industry out of business  along with the miners too  had gone viral, which killed her chances in West Virginia and hurt her in Kentucky too, which had voted for her in large margins back in 2008, when she was losing the Democratic primary to now-President Barack Obama.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (pictured on stage alongside his wife Jane) has said he plans to stay in the race, spending yesterday in Puerto Rico, where voters don't head to the polls until June 5

Meanwhile, in Tuesday night's other primary  Oregon  Sanders had an easy win.

Oregon's primary was conducted by mail-in ballot only.

The Democratic electorate in Oregon is whiter than that of Kentucky, which also likely gave Sanders an edge.

Even before the results were in, Sanders had no intention of throwing in the towel, even with the nearly impossible delegate math.

After spending time in Kentucky over the weekend, Sanders spent his Monday in Puerto Rico on a whirlwind island tour.

Puerto Rico has the most pledged delegates still on the table after California, the biggest delegate prize, and New Jersey, which comes in second.
Detectives have launched an investigation after a mosque was burnt to the ground overnight.

Geelong Mosque went up in flames at 2.15 on Wednesday morning, and investigators are treating the fire as suspicious.

Police were told a nearby resident heard what they believed to be a 'bang', at the Bostock Avenue property, and then noticed the mosque alight.

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Geelong Mosque, south-west of Melbourne, went up in flames at 2.15 on Wednesday morning

The place of worship was entirely gutted by fire, with most of its roof burnt off

Sheikh Muhammad Salem of the board of imams Victoria with Imam Shykh Mohammad Ramzan are seen here outside the Mosque on Wednesday

It took seven fire crews an hour to get the blaze under control, and firefighters were forced to battle the blaze from the outside amid fears it could collapse, 9News reported.

No one was injured and a crime scene has been established. An arson chemist and detectives are expected to further investigate the scene on Wednesday.

The mosque represents more than 8000 Muslim Families located throughout Greater Geelong, according to their website.

The place of worship was a venue where community members could come together for 'meetings, seminars, classes and community gatherings'.

It took seven fire crews an hour to get the blaze under control

A former Anglican Church - the building is now used as a mosque

The mosque represents more than 8000 Muslim Families located throughout Greater Geelong
The BBC was accused of a cynical stunt last night after it made a dramatic U-turn on axing its popular Recipes website following a public outcry.

The broadcaster formally announced in a review published yesterday that it would close its online database of 11,000 recipes.

But the move prompted strong criticism from politicians and BBC presenters, and more than 140,000 people signed a petition calling for the site to be protected.

BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis tweeted: Did someone actually sit down and think right, whats the one cut we can make which will displease everyone and save no money?

A BBC source confirmed last night that the massive public reaction had led to accelerated plans to move the recipes to the separate Good Food site, which is owned by the corporations commercial arm, BBC Worldwide.

Critics of the publicly-funded broadcaster had suggested that the announcement of the Recipes sites closure was a tactic by BBC bosses to provoke a calculated reaction from the public.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: It was all a stunt from the BBC, I dont think it ever intended to cut Recipes. It was all a distraction to disguise the fact it wasnt doing enough elsewhere.

Fellow Conservative MP Conor Burns, a former member of the culture, media and sport select committee, added: The idea that if savings need to be made within the BBC, they should be taking recipes off a website, something that is designed deliberately to provoke a hostile reaction to any change suggested by the Government to the BBC, is irresponsible and silly and they should get a grip.

Its like saying you need to do some work on the paintwork of a car and saying, Thats outrageous, Im going to take all the seats out, its just stupid.

The BBC yesterday outlined in its Online Creative Review how it will cut or scale back services over the next 12 months to make 15million of savings, including by:

Axing the Travel website and the development of the Travel app;

Closing the Newsbeat website, aimed at 16 to 24-year-olds, and the accompanying app, and featuring Newsbeat content on BBC News Online instead;

Ending the science-focused iWonder service;

Closing the online News Magazine, which offers in-depth news and life-style features, and replacing it with long-form journalism based on current affairs.

However, the archiving of BBC recipes, which would have resulted in them disappearing from Google, received by far the most attention.

BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis tweeted: Did someone actually sit down and think right, whats the one cut we can make which will displease everyone and save no money?

BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker tweeted: Has there ever been a more pointless thing than removing recipes from a website that loads of people enjoy? #bbcrecipes.

24HOUR NEWS CHANNELS TO FACE MERGER Running a 24-hour news channel takes an immense amount of manpower and money  and the BBC runs not one but two. As part of a radical overhaul of its news coverage, the broadcaster announced yesterday that it is considering a merger of BBC News and BBC World News. It is one of six proposals in a study on the future of BBC News, which aims to make 80million of savings. The BBC also said it has launched a review into the cost of its star news presenters, and has set a target of cutting spending on them by 10 per cent. In a bid to address changing audience demands and technologies, it intends to improve its news services for users of mobile devices, including better video reports. No firm decisions have been made on how BBC News will work in the future because the proposals will be taken to the BBC Board in July.

Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine tweeted: Have told my wife I have absolutely nothing I can cook tonight because they are AXEING #BBCRecipes.

Comedy writer Graham Linehan called it petty vandalism.

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott also questioned the plan, writing on Twitter: Can someone explain how removing recipes from the BBC website saves money?

Justine Roberts, chief executive and founder of Mumsnet, wrote a letter to the BBCs director of strategy and digital, James Purnell, about the outpouring of disappointment from her websites users.

Earlier, James Harding, the BBCs director of news and current affairs, had defended the planned cuts saying: We will stop doing some things where were duplicating our work, for example on food, and scale back services, such as travel, where there are bigger, better-resourced services in the market.

Responding to the outpouring of anger at the proposals, a senior BBC source said last night: There has been a massive public reaction to our plans on recipes.

We intended to move the content from the news site to BBC Good Food. We have accelerated our plans to do that.
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For 1,300 years, the legend of a lost Egyptian city was exactly that  a legend. The earliest Greek historian, Herodotus, said the metropolis of Thonis-Heracleion derived its name from being the place where Heracles, the mythical strongman, first set foot on Egyptian soil.

And Helen of Troy  the most beautiful woman in ancient mythology  supposedly visited the place with her lover, Paris, 3,000 years ago.

But the city itself wasnt exposed to the world until 2000, when a French archaeologist swam deep down into the Mediterranean, two miles off the Egyptian coast near the city of Alexandria.

There he found the Egyptian Atlantis, a city that for 500 years from the 7th century BC was the most important Mediterranean trading port in Egypt.

Towering: The 16ft statues of an Egyptian king and queen, pulled from the city of Thonis-Heracleion in the depths of the Mediterranean

Rescue operation: Three divers examine the underground world of treasures that was discovered at the ancient site near Alexandria

What the Frenchman found was a huge undersea world of toppled temple columns, statues of Egyptian gods and hieroglyphics etched into ancient slabs, seen only by shoals of fish for centuries.

At the end of the 2nd century BC, this thriving city was hit by a triple whammy of earthquakes, floods and geological subsidence.

Archaeologists have worked out that the earth beneath the major temples actually turned to liquid, thanks to a geological process called liquefaction, and most of the citys glittering buildings and statues went spiralling down to the bottom of the sea.

A few hardy Christian souls clung on in the remnants of the city until it all slipped beneath the waves in about AD800.

Today, the murky waters of Abukir Bay, at the mouth of the Nile, are thick with sediment, and at first it was hard to work out what the huge chunks of stone half-buried in the seabed in 30ft of water might be.

On closer examination, they found a stupendous collection of statues of pharoahs and deities, glittering golden plates and coins, 69 shipwrecks and more than 700 anchors  all miraculously preserved in their undersea grave, safe from looters and vandals.

Discovery: The city itself wasnt exposed to the world until 2000, when a French archaeologist swam deep down into the Mediterranean, two miles off the Egyptian coast near the city of Alexandria

Crossover: This 6ft statue of the Egyptian bull god Apis dates from the time of the Roman Emperor Hadrian - Romans often adopted local deities when colonising a new region

Worship: Archaeologists have worked out that the earth beneath the major temples actually turned to liquid, thanks to a geological process called liquefaction, and most of the citys glittering buildings and statues went spiralling down to the bottom of the sea

Miraculous: Archaeologists found a stupendous collection of statues of pharoahs and deities, glittering golden plates and coins, 69 shipwrecks and more than 700 anchors

Ever since, some of the great treasures carved by the ancient Egyptians, and the Greeks and Romans who followed them, have been unearthed at Thonis-Heracleion. And now they are on display in a new exhibition at the British Museum in London.

Greeting you, as you enter, is a 17ft red granite statue of Hapy  Egyptian God of the Nile, whose waters swallowed up the rest of the benighted city 1,300 years ago. In his arms, the 4th century BC statue has an offering table, to hold gifts for the god whose name he bears.

Since the city was an international harbour, a huge variety of antiquities were found. They were so two-a-penny there was even a statue tip: among its many treasures is a smiling bust of the Egyptian king, Nectanebo II, who ruled Egypt in the mid-4th century BC. One sphinx plucked from the seabed presented a particularly curious riddle. Its human head was found in a temple, while its lionshaped body was discovered 650ft away.

Archaeologists think the sphinx was amputated by a passing trawler  looking for fish, not multi-million-pound antiquities.

The best of all the statues are a beautifully carved and beautifully preserved king and his queen, standing side by side, both 16ft tall. They towered over visitors at a preview of the show.

Find: Some of the great treasures carved by the ancient Egyptians, and the Greeks and Romans who followed them, have been unearthed at Thonis-Heracleion

Rising from the depths: A 17ft-high statue of the Nile god Hapy (left) was discovered in seven pieces and had to be carefully winched up from the seabed, reassembled and cleaned. Pictured, right, is an Egyptian tablet that raised new taxes

Thought to have been carved in the 3rd century BC, they guarded the entrance to the temple of Amun-Gereb  the god who granted the pharaohs their legal right to rule Egypt.

The range of finds is staggeringly wide and exotic. A pile of 6th-century BC sarcophagi, or stone coffins, were found under 5ft of sediment. Intriguingly, they were for animals  the falcon and the ibis, the two birds venerated by the Egyptians. Just like human mummies, the birds were wrapped up in a tight cloth binding.

Some things are a bit more familiar to us.

As the saying goes, the only two things you can be certain of in this world are death and taxes  and the Egyptians were no different. One huge monument, in immaculate condition, is inscribed with what you might call tax-raising hieroglyphics.

These declare that the pharaoh Nectanebo has issued a royal decree, charging taxes on imports and exports passing through the port of Thonis-Heracleion.

The tax  10 per cent  paid for a temple in honour of Neith, Nectanebos mother.

Saved from the sea: The range of finds at the ancient site is staggeringly wide and exotic, and includes artefacts from the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans

History: After the Greeks, the Romans came, conquering Egypt in 30 BC, when the future Emperor Augustus defeated Mark Antony and deposed his lover, Cleopatra

Our politicians are a rum lot, but they havent started taxing us for temples honouring their mothers. Yet.

In 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, turning this thriving port into a Greek city, and leaving it stuffed with Greek treasures.

After the Greeks, the Romans came, conquering Egypt in 30 BC, when the future Emperor Augustus defeated Mark Antony and deposed his lover, Cleopatra.

A statue of a priest from the Roman era was discovered still standing in the sand, clutching a jar which was sacred to Osiris, the Egyptian god of the dead.

The Romans often adopted local gods like Osiris when they set up new colonies.

All in all, you get a super-sharp picture of life in Thonis-Heracleion, across the three great civilisations of Egypt, Greece and Rome.

That is, until this bustling, metropolitan Mediterranean hub plunged into its watery grave.

For centuries this sunken treasure house slumbered beneath the hazy waters of the Mediterranean until, one extraordinary day in 2000, an archaeologist happened to come swimming by.
Kelly Aldinger, 49, from Leigh Valley, Pennsylvania, has been arrested after she was caught having sex with a 17-year-old student in a cemetery

A 49-year-old married substitute teacher has been arrested after she was caught having sex with a 17-year-old student in a cemetery in broad daylight.

A police officer found mother Kelly Aldinger from Leigh Valley, Pennsylvania, with the boy at 1pm on May 6.

The local church leader, who was placed Easton High School, has been charged with institutional sex assault and had apparently been in a relationship with the teenager for months.

She was arraigned Tuesday morning and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail.

If convicted, Aldinger faces up to seven years in prison. Statutory rape charges do not apply because the age of consent in Pennsylvania is 16

The pair began their relationship in 2015 when the boy was in middle school when he was 16. He was Aldinger's student at one point.

According to Leigh Valley Live, Aldinger was working at Easton High School, was employed by Sour 4 Teachers, and is also a leader at her local church.

Source 4 Teachers spokesman Owen Murphy said Aldinger was suspended indefinitely from teaching.

He added: 'The safety of students is always Source 4 Teachers' top priority.

Aldinger is seen walking from Northampton County Court on Tuesday following her arraignment after she was caught having sex with the boy in the middle of the day

A police officer found Aldinger and the boy in this cemetery at 1pm on May 6. She has been charged with institutional sex assault and had apparently been in a relationship with the boy for months

'We are cooperating with the district and law enforcement to provide any necessary information or assistance they need to perform their investigation and resolve this matter.'

The school district also said they have launched an investigation into what happened.

According to reports she previously headed a Palmer Township church's council. She served as the council's president as recently as last fall at St. Paul's III Lutheran Church.
Gave her a sexually transmitted disease which was discovered by doctor

The rape of a three-year-old girl in her family home by a man high on methamphetamine was only revealed after a doctor found she had a sexually transmitted disease.

Her attacker was a guest of her parents in Whangarei, New Zealand, when the attack took place.

His offending was discovered in 2015 after a doctor's tests revealed she had gonorrhoea, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The three-year-old girl was raped by the man in her family home in Whangarei, New Zealand, while he was high on meth (stock image)

The man's name has been suppressed as the victim's family were concerned identifying him would reveal her name as well (stock image)

The offenders said he'd been 'amped up on meth and couldn't remember anything' about the rape (stock image)

A urine sample revealed the man also had the disease.

In a pre-sentencing report the man said he'd been 'amped up on meth and couldn't remember anything' about the rape.

He appeared in the Whangarei District Court last week and was sentenced to nine years, nine months jail with a minimum non-parole period of five years.

Judge Duncan Harvey said it was one of the most serious rapes he had ever seen.

'There's no other way to describe this better than heart-breaking. Your actions have done so much harm. Only time will tell how much damage has been done.

'Given her age there was nothing she could have possibly done to resist you. You raped this little girl when you knew you had an STD and you just didn't care,' the NZ Herald quoted him as saying.

The offender's name was suppressed because the family feared naming him would reveal the girl's identity.

Judge Duncan Harvey said only time would tell how much damage had been done to the young girl (stock image)
Talks of driverless cars and plans to limit access to children for fanatics

Thousands more to be allowed out with tags near to time of their release

Low risk criminals to only be jailed in week so they can continue working

Thousands of criminals will be fitted with satellite tags and allowed out of jail during the week so they can work, under a shake-up of the justice system unveiled today.

In one of the most sweeping reforms of the Queen's Speech, the Prime Minister will pledge to turn Britain's packed jails into 'places where lives are changed'.

In a move likely to alarm some on the Tory Right, lower-risk criminals with jobs will only serve jail time at the weekends.

Thousands of criminals will be fitted with satellite tags and allowed out of jail during the week so they can work, under a shake-up of the justice system unveiled today. File image

The policy is to be announced in the Queen's Speech (pictured, last year), along with plans for a British Bill of Rights to replace the Human Rights Act, and proposals to limit fanatics' access to children

During the week, they will be free to carrying on working  if employers agree  to avoid them becoming unemployed and wrecking families.

Their movements will be monitored by satellite tags, which have been beset by technology problems, to be trialled initially in eight police areas.

Thousands more inmates with tags will also be allowed out in the day towards the end of their sentences in order to do work placements. Courts will also be expected to make far greater use of community punishments as an alternative to jail.

Mr Cameron will say of prisons: 'No longer will they be warehouses for criminals; they will now be places where lives are changed.'

However his 'rehabilitation revolution' will face scrutiny from Tory MPs, checking it is not a cover for sending fewer hardened criminals to jail.

Other legislation in the Speech which will attract controversy includes:

A British Bill of Rights to replace Labour's Human Rights Act;

An Extremism Bill designed to stop Islamist fanatics gaining access to children;

Laws to enable driverless cars, already trialled in the UK, to be insured under ordinary policies, and moves to establish a UK space port.

Mr Cameron will seek to rebut charges his Queen's Speech will be a 'damp squib' by promising the 'biggest shake-up of prisons since Victorian times'

iPADS AND SKYPE FOR PRISONERS The study into prison education, seen by the Guardian, recommends greater use of 'in-cell technology, such as iPads, so prisoners can learn independently'. File image Inmates should be given iPads and allowed to speak to their families over Skype, a review commissioned by Michael Gove is expected to suggest today. The study into prison education, seen by the Guardian, recommends greater use of 'in-cell technology, such as iPads, so prisoners can learn independently'. The review, conducted by Dame Sally Coates, is due to be published alongside radical reforms which David Cameron has made the centrepiece of the Queen's speech. Dame Sally will recommend allowing offenders to use technology to communicate with loved ones face to face, saying: 'Keeping in touch with friends and family is a key factor in maintaining an individual's wellbeing and has been shown to reduce reoffending.' She will call for a Teach First style programme in prisons but also criticise blanket security practices that in effect ban internet use in prisons. Tablets, such as iPads, could be preloaded with educational material, and have access to some 'white-listed' sites.

Mr Cameron will seek to rebut charges that his Queen's Speech will be a 'damp squib' by promising the 'biggest shake-up of prisons since Victorian times'. In a speech earlier this year, he said: 'Satellite tracking will be ground-breaking for the criminal justice system ... opening up radical new sentencing options.

'Prisoners can go out to work in the day and return in the evening. They could help ... offenders with a full-time job to keep it.'

Today he will add that prisons have been left to 'fester' for too long, saying this has 'reinforce[d] the cycle of crime, increasing the bills of social failure that taxpayers must pick up.' Currently 46 per cent of prisoners commit another crime within 12 months of release. Ministers say this costs taxpayers an estimated 13billion a year.

Six prisons  including Wandsworth jail in South London  will also be given freedom from State control in a plan similar to Michael Gove's 'free schools' programme. Governors will be able decide how their budget is spent and whether to opt-out of national contracts. Nine new-build prisons will be established with similar freedoms.

Mr Cameron will say the Speech 'sets out a clear programme of social reform', adding: 'This is a Government, and this is a country, that sees the best in all, and wants to give everyone the chance to rise up and make the most of themselves.'

Justice Secretary Michael Gove said: 'Prisons must do more to rehabilitate offenders.

'By trusting governors to get on with the job, we can make sure prisons are places of education, work and purposeful activity. These reforms will reduce re-offending, cut crime and improve public safety.'

Meanwhile, a review commissioned by Mr Gove is expected to say convicts should be given iPads and allowed to speak to their families over Skype.

The study into prison education, seen by the Guardian, recommends greater use of 'in-cell technology, such as iPads, so prisoners can learn independently'.

The review, conducted by Dame Sally Coates, is due to be published alongside the radical Queen's Speech reforms.

Dame Sally will recommend allowing offenders to use technology to communicate with loved ones face to face, saying: 'Keeping in touch with friends and family is a key factor in maintaining an individual's wellbeing and has been shown to reduce reoffending.'

She will call for a Teach First style programme in prisons but also criticise blanket security practices that in effect ban internet use in prisons.

Tablets, such as iPads, could be preloaded with educational material, and have access to some 'white-listed' sites.
Emma Carey, 18, (pictured) went to hospital after the drink went down the wrong way after a friend cracked a joke and she couldn't stop coughing

A teenager learned she had life-threatening blood clots caused by the contraceptive Pill after choking on a mug of hot chocolate.

Emma Carey, 18, had to go to hospital after the drink went down the wrong way as a friend cracked a joke and she couldn't stop coughing.

Tests showed the mishap would not have any lasting effect but revealed a cluster of clots in a lung. Doctors warned she had been facing 'sudden death' despite only starting to take the Pill a couple of weeks earlier.

'It was the scariest thing that anybody could have said to me. I was basically told I was a ticking time bomb,' she said.

The freak discovery happened after the musical theatre sixth-form student tried to suppress her laughter on April 21 when having a gulp of her Cadbury Highlights fudge drink.

Emma, from Caddington, Bedfordshire, said: 'We were just sitting there talking about things we did when we were little.

'My mum and my friend Kathryn said something funny about a time when I was seven or eight and I just started laughing mid-sip. I couldn't stop laughing and tried not to spit it out but it ran down my throat and it felt like being stabbed in the chest.'

The coughing continued for an hour, but two hours later she was still struggling to breathe, with pains in her throat and chest.

Her family assumed she had scalded her throat and she was taken to A&E at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.

After staying overnight she was greeted with the news she had blood clots in her right lung.

Doctors made the link with her contraception after learning she had been prescribed the combined hormone Pill just two weeks earlier.

She added: 'It took a while to sink in. I was initially shocked. I didn't think anything like this could happen to me.

'On the one hand I'm really lucky they found them so quickly. But I was only on the pills for two weeks, so it is quite scary they could develop so fast.'

The case is the latest involving the third generation combined Pill, which is taken by about a million British women.

The freak discovery happened after the musical theatre sixth-form student tried to suppress her laughter on April 21 when having a gulp of her Cadbury Highlights fudge drink

Containing synthetic versions of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, it has grown in popularity because of the reduced chance of side effects including breast tenderness, weight gain and hair growth.

But it poses a deadly risk to about 12 in every 10,000 women  six times higher than those who don't take the Pill.

Last year Sophie Murray, 16, of Accrington, Lancashire, died after an 8mm clot lodged in her lung. Another victim was Fallan Kurek, 21, of Tamworth, Staffordshire, who developed a clot in her lung seven months after beginning a course of Rigevidon, the same brand Emma Carey used.

Tests showed the mishap would not have any lasting effect but revealed a cluster of clots in a lung. Doctors warned she had been facing 'sudden death' despite only starting to take the Pill a couple of weeks earlier

The teenager learned she had life-threatening blood clots caused by the contraceptive Pill (pictured) after choking on a mug of hot chocolate

Last month, former model Natalie Lovatt, 19, was revealed to have nearly died after a clot formed in her brain a week after being prescribed the Pill.

Days later it emerged ballerina Maria Santa, 17, died after complaining her head felt like it was 'about to explode'.

A coroner said the teenager, from Manchester, was fit and the 'only risk factor was being on the oral contraceptive Pill'.

Gedeon Richter, which manufactures Rigevidon, said similar products had been used safely for 20 years by millions of women.
A motorist has had a lucky escape after a sharp bamboo pole pierced through his chest.

The man was on his electric scooter in Ruijin city, China, when he got too close to a truck carrying bamboo canes on the evening of April 28.

The bamboo, which narrowly missed his heart and punctured one of his lungs, was successfully removed by doctors.

Horrifying: The man was riding his motorbike in Ruijin City when he smashed into a bamboo pole

Shocking: The six foot bamboo pole pierced his lung and narrowly missed his heart

According to Jiangxi News, the unidentified man wasn't paying attention when he was riding his vehicle and rammed straight into a bamboo cane on the truck.

The bamboo pole was reported about two metres long (6.5 feet).

The local fire brigade was called to the scene and cut off part of the bamboo.

The man was then taken to hospital where he was treated.

According to doctors, the man had a punctured lung and the cane narrowly missed his heart.

He underwent a two-hour-long surgery procedure to remove the bamboo.

The man is still in hospital recovering from the ordeal.

This isn't an isolated case.

In 2011, a teenager in the US was rushed to hospital with bamboo impaled through his neck.

He had been playing a game with friends using a bamboo stick. Doctors managed to remove the stick after surgery.
Terrifying footage released shows the moment a woman steals a newborn baby from a maternity ward in northern China on May 15.

The incident, which took place at Huanan County, Heilongjiang Province, prompted a giant man hunt with police finally locating the suspected kidnapper and arresting her, reports the People's Daily Online.

Police reunited the mother with her child following its discovery.

Tragic: Footage shows the kidnapper walking around the corridors of the hospital with the baby

Kidnapper on the loose: The woman was pictured leaving the hospital on the afternoon of May 15

Back in his mother's arms: After the woman's arrest, the newborn was reunited with his mother

According to reports, the baby's mother had gone downstairs to fetch some water and come back to find her baby missing.

Surveillance footage shows the kidnapper entering the maternity ward and leaving with a baby in her arms before leaving the hospital building.

She can then be seen getting into a car right outside of the hospital.

The next time she is seen on CCTV, the woman is entering a hotel with the baby.

They were then picked up by a black jeep that drove them to a storage room.

Police tracked them down and raided the room discovering the baby lying next to her.

According to Chinese media, the suspect was arrested on May 16 and the baby was returned to his parents after being examined by a doctor.

Thief: The child was stolen from the hospital in Huanan County, north China's Heilongjiang province

Caught on camera: Surveillance footage captured the woman's journey with the stolen child
Have you ever wondered why the inside of your mouth can get itchy, but your stomach can't? You can feel pain inside your stomach, but it never itches.

If this confuses you, you are not alone.

It is one of the differences between pain and itching that scientists are still trying to understand and have been discussed in the book Touch: The Science of the Sense that Makes Us Human.

You can feel pain inside your stomach, but it never itches and yet your skin can both itch and feel pain. If this confuses you, you're not alone. It is one of the differences between pain and itching that scientists are trying to understand and have been discussed in the book Touch: The Science of the Sense that Makes Us Human

Although still not fully understood, the two sensations are more similar than you might think.

'Some who believe that an itch is a pattern rather than a unique type of touch contend that it is merely a particular type of pain,' said author Professor David Linden, professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Itching and pain have some similarities, he explains.

Both can be triggered by force, chemicals and heat, and both can be sometimes relieved by anti-inflammatory drugs.

Pain and itching are both related to attention, anxiety and expectation, and they are signals of things on our bodies that should be avoided.

Itch sensations trigger reflexes that protect us from disease-carrying insects. In a similar way, pain acts as a warning signal that alerts us to noxious mechanical and chemical stimuli that are potentially tissue damaging

ITCHING VERSUS PAIN: HOW SIMILAR ARE THEY? SIMILARITIES Both can be triggered by force, chemicals and heat. Both can be sometimes relieved by anti-inflammatory drugs. Pain and itching are both related to attention, anxiety and expectation. They are signals of things on our bodies that should be avoided. They share a common pathway in the spinal cord, called the spinothalamic tract. Patients who insensitive to pain are insensitive to itch and both activate similar sensory areas. DIFFERENCES When we feel an itch and respond by scratching to get the bug off the skin. But pain brings about a very different behaviour. When we feel pain the reaction is an urge is to pull the body part away and keep it away. Scratching, which can induce pain, relieves itch, at least for a short time. Drugs such as opiates may suppress pain, but they make itch worse. Scratching, which can induce pain, relieves itch, at least momentarily.



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'For example, acute pain acts as a warning signal that alerts us to noxious mechanical, chemical and thermal stimuli, which are potentially tissue damaging,' said Professor Linden.

'Likewise, itch sensations trigger reflexes that may protect us from disease-carrying insects.'

They share a common pathway in the spinal cord, called the spinothalamic tract.

Patients who are insensitive to pain are also insensitive to itch and they both activate similar sensory areas in the brain.

If itching is a special form of touch, then scientists say they expect to find sensory neurons that can be electrically stimulated to give rise to an itch

But there are some crucial differences between the two sensations, for example they produce very different responses.

When we feel light touch, we feel an itch and respond by scratching to get the bug or other irritant off of the skin.

But pain brings about a very different behaviour, the urge is to pull the injured body part away and to keep it away.

'Behaviourally, pain initiates a withdrawal response but itching induces attention towards the area of stimulation,' Dr Hongzhen Hu from the Centre for the Study of Itch at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis told MailOnline.

Drugs such as opiates may suppress pain, but they make itch worse.

Scratching, which can induce pain, relieves itch, at least momentarily.

If itching is a special form of touch, then scientists say they expect to find sensory neurons that can be electrically stimulated to give rise to an itch.

'Elevated pain signalling can inhibit itch sensation so there is some level of communication between the two pathways,' Dr Hu said.

'Although the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying pain and itch are not fully understood, there are cells in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and spinal cord that are selectively involved in itching without affecting the pain responses.'

A study conducted by a separate team at Dr Hu's university in 2014 found serotonin lies at the intersection of pain and itch.

Zong-Qiu Zhao and colleagues were interested in the role of the chemical messenger serotonin in itch and pain.

They found that when the mouse scratched an itch, the pain caused the release of serotonin. The serotonin caused pain relief, but then activated a type of serotonin receptor which made the mice itch.

SEROTONIN AT THE INTERSECTION OF ITCH AND PAIN Zong-Qiu Zhao and colleagues were interested in the role of the chemical messenger serotonin in itch and pain. Serotonin is often referred to in relation to psychiatric conditions and mood. But chemical messengers, or neurotransmitters, have different effects depending on where they are released. In the brain, serotonin plays roles in mood, circadian rhythms and hallucinations. In the tummy, serotonin helps control whether or not you end up with diarrhoea. And in the skin, serotonin can play a role inhibiting pain and exacerbating itch. Zhao and colleagues used mice to study serotonin's role in the skin by watching to see how much the mice scratched. They found that when the mouse scratched an itch, the pain caused the release of serotonin. The serotonin caused pain relief, but then activated a type of serotonin receptor which made the mice itch. Serotonin is often referred to in relation to psychiatric conditions and mood. But chemical messengers, or neurotransmitters, have different effects depending on where they are released Advertisement

But there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding the links between pain and itching, including why painful stimuli can suppress itching and how some people experience chronic itching but not pain.

'We are interested in understanding how specific molecules and cells in the skin initiate itch, especially chronic itch, but not pain,' Dr Hu told MailOnline.

'We investigate how skin cells communicate with pruriceptors, itch mediating receptors, to generate a specific itch response.'

'Other labs in our centre for the study of itch investigate itch mechanisms at the levels of primary sensory neurons, spinal cord, and brain,' he said.
The find is a rare one as similar buildings do not usually survive

Was set apart from other buildings and medieval street to prevent fires

The remains of a medieval kitchen where cooks may have prepared meals for hungry pilgrims, has been discovered in Suffolk.

The rare 14th Century building was discovered on the site of Guildhall Feoffment School, which itself was built on an 11th century road system in Bury St Edmunds.

While the flint and mortar outline of the cold store or kitchen building was uncovered, its thought the kitchen was originally made of timber with a tiled floor and roof.

The remains of a medieval kitchen where cooks may have prepared meals for hungry pilgrims, has been discovered in Suffolk. An aerial shot of the remains of the building is shown above

Robert Brooks, Project Officer at the site, told MailOnline: 'The theory that the stone foundations are the remains of a kitchen or possibly a cold food store is not based on any particularly strong evidence.

'It is hypothesised that the walls might have been a kitchen simply because the foundations represent a building that was not clearly connected to a house.

'This sort of layout was a deliberate tactic used to minimise risk to the house from the fires in a kitchen, particularly for buildings of this age.'

It measured 14 feet long and 11 feet wide (4.2metres long and 3.4 metres wide).

The building unusual find in the town, as many contemporary structures had less substantial foundations and as a result have not survived.

The rare building and artefacts such as this pottery fragment from a storage jar was discovered on the site of Guildhall Feoffment School. It's possible to see strengthening strips and decoration on the jar, which would have had a lid and is an example of sandy greyware, dating to the medieval period

A lead 'boy bishop token' dating to 1470 to 1539 as found at the site. These were issued by a boy bishop - an elected choirboy - could be spent or exchanged. The inscription reads: SA[NC]T[US NIC]HOLAVS.O. The reverse (right) shows a long cross with 3 pellets in each quarter

While the flint and mortar outline of the cold store or kitchen building was uncovered, its thought the kitchen was originally made of timber with a tiled floor and roof. Some of the many fragments of 13th-15th century roof peg tile (left) and glazed floor tile (right) are shown

WHO WAS SAINT EDMUND? Saint Edmund, also known as Edmund the Martyr, was the reason pilgrims flocked to Bury St Edmunds. A king of an area of East Anglia, he was killed by the Great Heathen Army of Danes in 869 AD. Little is known about St Edmund, who is thought to have lived in East Anglia and was briefly mentioned in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. The story goes that he refused the Danes' demand to renounce Christ and was beaten, shot with arrows and beheaded as a result. According to one legend, his head was thrown into the forest, but recovered after a crying wolf alerted searchers to its whereabouts.

Mr Brooks said: 'They [medieval kitchens] are not something that we find too frequently, although that is largely because even those at castles and other rich houses were often built quite flimsily and subsequently do not leave much trace.'

It is not known whether the kitchen was used for a particular house, but meals cooked there may have been served to pilgrims who flocked to the abbey in Bury St Edmunds.

They came to see the burial place of the Anglo-Saxon martyr-king Saint Edmund, who was killed by the Great Heathen Army of Danes in 869 AD.

Little is known about St Edmund, who is thought to have lived in East Anglia and was briefly mentioned in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle.

The story goes that he refused the Danes' demand to renounce Christ and was beaten, shot with arrows and beheaded as a result.

According to one legend, his head was thrown into the forest, but recovered after a crying wolf alerted searchers to its whereabouts.

Fragments of medieval jugs from Hedingham in Essex were found at the site, including a rim of a stamped strip jug. One is decorated in a combed or reeded style (right), whilst the others have applied roundels (left)

A complete, plano-convex spindle whorl made of stone, for working wool into yarn, was found . It dates to the 13th to 15th century. Bury St Edmunds was a centre for Pilgrims visiting the relics of St Edmund who is said to have been shot with arrows when he refused to renounce Christ (illustrated in manuscript right)

ARE MEDIEVAL KITCHENS RARE? Mr Brooks said: 'They are not something that we find too frequently, although that is largely because even those at castles and other rich houses were often built quite flimsily and subsequently do not leave much trace. 'Also, many medieval town houses have not been archaeologically investigated as the houses and/or plots of land are still inhabited and as such have not been excavated. 'However, there are many known examples of kitchens, from those associated with rural peasant houses, to relatively wealthy merchant houses (which this site may potentially have been), and also from royal residences.

Whatever the case, the abbey of Bury St Edmunds, which held his relics, was among the richest Bendictine monasteries in England until the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1539.

The Abbot set up roads at the core of the old town where a market also thrived thanks to the influx of pilgrims.

Mr Brooks said the 'kitchen' could also have been a small craft or industrial building or outhouse.

'Even privies were sometimes built in a similar style, though these tend not to be as large,' he added.

'The structure was built over a metre into the ground, which is somewhat unusual and this is why it was thought that it might have been a cold store.'

Archaeologists from Suffolk Archaeology also found a series of pits for chalk quarried between the 12th and 14th centuries to extra lime for building.

The pits were filled with rubbish, shedding light on everyday life in medieval times.

Discarded items recovered on the dig include a games counter, pottery, chain, spindle and roof tiles.

A copper alloy chain made up of twisted figure of eight wire links was found at the site. One terminal ends in a simple hook, whereby the link has been left open rather than closed. It may be the chain for a chatelaine - a belt used for carrying keys and other small items and is thought to date to the 15th or 16th centuries

Mr Brooks said: The 'kitchen' structure had been quite ruthlessly demolished.

'Floor tiles, further pieces of flint and mortar wall, and roof tiles were recovered from inside the foundations, having been apparently thrown back in after the structure had gone out of use,' so original features were destroyed.

The experts recorded two post holes and timber settings, 'which may he base for a set of steps or some sort of stand within the building,' he said.

'A section of the wall that was later filled in was possibly a chute for lowering goods into the room, operating like a coal chute in a normal cellar.

'Typically you would expect a hearth or fire setting within a kitchen, as well as possibly evidence of a spit and there would normally be heavily sooted pottery remains, which would be typically interpreted as cooking vessels. No evidence for such activity survived here.'

This image shows five fragments of late medieval bone button or bead making waste. The discs were drilled from both sides as the central ridge is visible inside in each hole
It is enough to make you feel dizzy, but the International Space Station passed a significant milestone in its lifetime this week, completing its 100,000th orbit around Earth.

Since the first module of the ISS launched 17 years ago, the station has racked up more than 2.6 billion miles as it constantly falls around the planet in low-Earth orbit - equivalent to 10 round trips to Mars, or almost one way to Neptune.

In a recorded a video message for YouTube, US astronaut Jeff Williams said: 'This is a significant milestone and is a tribute to this international partnership, made up of the European Space Agency, of Russia, Canada, Japan and the United States.'

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This week the International Space Station made its 100,000th orbit of Earth. NASA says the combined orbital distance is akin to travelling more than 2.6 billion miles - or almost to Neptune

The Flight Engineer highlighted the 15 and a half years of continuous human presence on-board, with more than 220 crew members from around the partner nations visiting or living on the orbital outpost.

'It's a tribute to the teams that designed it, that put it together,' added Williams, giving a nod to the crew on the ground which keep things running smoothly.

He added: '100,000 orbits, the journey continues.'

The ISS officially started its 100,000th loop of the planet on Monday morning at 6:10am (GMT). Each orbit of the planet takes about 90 minutes, with 16 orbits making up one day on the station.

In a video message from the ISS, US astronaut and current crew member Jeff Williams (pictured) said: 'This is a significant milestone and is a tribute to this international partnership, made up of the European Space Agency, of Russia, Canada, Japan and the United States'

ORBITAL MILESTONE REACHED Early yesterday morning, the International Space station embarked on its 100,000th orbit of Earth. Since the first module of the ISS launched 17 years ago, the station has racked up more than 2.6 billion miles - equivalent to 10 round trips to Mars, or almost one way to Neptune. Each orbit of the planet takes roughly 90 minutes, with 16 orbits making up one day for the crew aboard the station.

Astronauts have been living continuously aboard the 250-mile-high complex since 2000.

Construction began in 1998, and since then 222 people have lived or visited there, the vast majority of them men, according to NASA.

Altogether, there have been 47 permanent crews representing the US, Russian, Canadian, Japanese and European space agencies.

The current crew - Expedition 47 - comprises two Americans, three Russians and the UK's Tim Peake.

They recently achieved a photographic milestone, snapping the 3 millionth picture taken over the years from the scientific outpost.

Major Peake used Twitter to congratulate the station and crews past and present, he wrote: 'Today the ISS completed its 100,000th orbit of our beautiful planet Earth - congratulation space station.'

The Expedition 47 crew poses for the 3 millionth image taken aboard the International Space Station. On the front row, from left to right are Esa's Tim Peake, NASA's Tim Kopra and Roscosmos cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko. On the back row, from left to right, are Roscsomos' Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin and NASA's Jeff Williams

British astronaut Tim Peake is one of the crew members of Expedition 47, currently aboard the station. Major Peake tweeted his congratulations from the ISS (pictured)

Nasa also teamed up with Snapchat to celebrate the station's achievement, streaming video from the ISS as part of its 'Day in Space' story.

As part of the social media feed, US astronaut Commander Tim Kopra featured in the videos as users were given a tour of the station and how the crew go about their daily lives.

Jeff Williams also tweeted a video highlighting snaps dating back to the first expedition crew.

Celebrating the 100,000th orbit of Earth from the International @Space_Station.https://t.co/AxKWvago8x  Jeff Williams (@Astro_Jeff) May 16, 2016

Over the course of the space station's lifetime astronauts have captured an incredible array of photos of earth's surface.

A recent timelapse video offered viewers an astronaut's eye view of Earth, as seen from the International Space Station.

The video is made up of still snaps taken from the ISS as it tears through space at more than 17,500mph (27,600kph), orbiting 250 miles (400km) above the Earth's surface.

Lightning flashes can be seen in the thick storm clouds below, and the atmospheric halo burns blue-green to orange, reflecting the multiple sunrises and sunsets the crew experience each 24-hour period.
If you spend more time watching Netflix than you do with your friends  youre not alone.

A new report reveals the average subscriber in America spends one hour and 40 minutes a day binge watching, compared to the 38 minutes a day spent on socializing and communicating.

This statistic suggests that Netflix fans are on the couching with remote in hand twice as much than they are hanging out with real-life human friends.

A new report reveals the average subscriber spends one hour and 40 minutes a day binge watching, which is compared to the 38 minutes a day spent on socializing and communicating. This statistic suggests that fans are on the couching with remote in hand twice as much more than they are hanging out with human friends

WHAT DO THE NUMBERS SAY ABOUT NETFLIX? Cordcutting.com calculated numbers from Netflix earlier this month and found members spend even less time reading, relaxing and think or exercising. The average subscriber spends one hour and 40 minutes a day binge watching, which is compared to the 38 minutes a day they are socializing and communicating. This statistic suggests that Netflix fans are spending twice as much time cuddled on the couch with their remote than they do hanging out with friends. The average American workouts for just 17 minutes a day, so, according to the calculations, Netflix members spend about six times more surfing through movie and show titles.

Cordcutting.com calculated numbers from Netflix earlier this month and found members spend even less time reading, relaxing and think and exercising - Americans actually watch more Netflix than all of these combined.

The average American works out for just 17 minutes a day, so, according to the calculations, Netflix members spend about six times more time surfing through movie and show titles.

This addiction to Netflix may all come down to science, as the firm has done extensive research to create thumbnail images that are sure to pull a viewer in.

The firm knows that if they do not capture the users attention within in 90 seconds that person will put down the remote and head off into the real world to do other activities.

In a blog post, Netflix wrote that the pictures have the biggest influence on what people choose to watch, and captures '82 percent of their focus while browsing Netflix.'

Netflix is like a giant Rolodex of images, but the window for grabbing someones attention is much smaller - a user only spends about two seconds looking at each show or film they come across.

Nick Nelson, Netflix's global manager of creative services, explained in a blog post that research conducted in early 2014 found artwork was 'not only the biggest influencer' for a user's decision about what to watch, it also constituted over 82 percent of their focus while browsing Netflix.

'We also saw that users spent an average of 1.8 seconds considering each title they were presented with while on Netflix,' Nelson wrote.

Cordcutting.com calculated numbers from Netflix earlier this month and found members spend even less time reading, relaxing and think and exercising -- actually users spend more time on Netflix than they do all the activities combined

'We were surprised by how much impact an image had on a member finding great content, and how little time we had to capture their interest.'

As part of its research, Netflix learned that what works in one country will not work in the next and changes them depending on demographics, including nationality and gender.

The average American workouts for just 17 minutes a day, so, according to the calculations, Netflix members spend about six times more surfing through movie and show titles

The firm found that different pictures will gain more attention in Germany, the US, the UK and Brazil, which is mainly due to racial identity.

It has also identifies several other strategies: show close-ups of emotionally expressive faces; show people villains instead of heroes; don't show more than three characters.

If you spend more time watching Netflix than you do with your friends  youre not alone. New statics reveal the average person watching 1 hour and 40 mintues a day watching the streaming site, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Survey, Americans only spend 38 minutes socializing

The addiction to Netflix may all come down to science, as the firm has done extensive research to create thumbnail images that are sure to pull a viewer in. If the firm doesnt capture users attention within in 90 seconds, it knows that person will put down the remote and head off into the real world

'Over the last few years, we have worked hard to learn how a winning combination of technology and creative helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster,' Netflix writes. 'It is clear that an image can move people in powerful ways.'

Netflix has found that 'images that have expressive facial emotion that conveys the tone of the title do particularly well.'

It also adds: 'Artwork featuring recognizable or polarizing characters from the title tend to do well. Selecting the best artwork has improved the Netflix product experience in material ways.'
As smart devices continue to integrate with many facets of daily life, the debate over their place in the classroom has grown increasingly relevant.

Now, a study conducted at the United States Military Academy just might put an end to the uncertainty.

In a recent investigation, researchers found that students who were permitted to use laptops or tablets in the classroom performed worse than those who did not  and those with higher initial GPAs were most heavily affected.

As smart devices continue to integrate with many facets of daily life, the debate over their place in the classroom has grown increasingly relevant. Now, a study conducted at the United States Military Academy just might put an end to the uncertainty

THE EFFECT OF DEVICES IN CLASS West Point researchers found that using a laptop or tablet in the classroom had caused an overall drop of roughly one-fifth of a standard deviation. Students who were allowed unrestricted use of their laptops or tablets performed with a .18 percent reduction, while those with modified tablet access saw a .17 percent drop. This equates a 1.7 point drop on the 100 point scale. And, the negative effects were seen most heavily in male students, and those who came into the class with a high GPA. The researchers say that both unrestricted and modified use may affect students in a number of ways. It could lead to distractions, in which students are checking social media or even doing homework for another class, and it may reduce students abilities to effectively take notes. And, the researchers say professors may even change their own behaviour, interacting differently with the class in response to students using devices. Advertisement

While some argue that laptops aid students in note-taking and comprehension, many say that they are just another form of distraction.

To get to the bottom of the issue, researchers investigated the effect of laptops and tablets on student performance in an introductory economics course at the USMA, also known as West Point.

The research focused on classroom settings in which students have the option of using a laptop or tablet for note-taking, not those where these devices were used deliberately for classroom instruction.

In the study, led by Susan Payne Carter, Kyle Greenberg, and Michael S. Walker, researchers set up a randomly selected control group of technology-free students.

These students were not allowed to use a laptop or tablet at their desks.

The rest of the class was then divided into one of two randomized treatment groups.

The first treatment group was permitted to use laptops and/or tablets for purposes relating to their lesson.

If the student was obviously distracted, professors could intervene and stop them from using the device.

In the second group, students could only use tablets, and these were required to remain face-up and flat on the desk, making the screen easily visible to the professors.

According to the researchers, the first treatment group simulated a standard college class, where students are able to use technology at will, while the second group replicated the intended use of such technology.

When it came time for final exam scores, the researchers found that using a laptop or tablet in the classroom had caused an overall drop of roughly one-fifth of a standard deviation.

The results for the two treatment groups were nearly identical, they say.

The researchers say that both unrestricted and modified use may affect students in a number of ways. It could lead to distractions, in which students are checking social media or even doing homework for another class, and it may reduce students abilities to effectively take notes

Those who were allowed unrestricted use of their laptops or tablets performed with a .18 percent reduction, while those with modified tablet access saw a .17 percent drop.

This equates a 1.7 point drop on the 100 point scale.

And, the negative effects were seen most heavily in male students, and those who came into the class with a high GPA.

The estimated effects of our two treatments are nearly identical, suggesting that even allowing students to use computer devices in a manner that is conductive to professor monitoring (e.g. tablets flat on the desk) can have harmful effects on classroom performance, the authors write.

The researchers say that both unrestricted and modified use may affect students in a number of ways.

It could lead to distractions, in which students are checking social media or even doing homework for another class, and it may reduce students abilities to effectively take notes.

And, the researchers say professors may even change their own behaviour, interacting differently with the class in response to students using devices.
Researchers were able to identify 82 per cent of people from their records, highlighting the privacy indications for users

This 'non-personal' data has been captured in bulk by security agencies

While the contents of your phone calls and text messages may be secure, the extra data your phone sends out could be giving away far more than you think.

As tech firms and privacy campaigners fight against government requests to hack into phones and message content, security agencies have been quietly collecting basic phone logs on citizens.

But researchers in the US have shown that even the most basic phone data, which omits the content of calls and messages, can be used to reveal an alarming amount of personal information of users, including where you live, who you're married too and even your religion.

Even the most basic phone data, which omits the content of calls and messages, can be used to reveal an alarming amount of personal information of users, a new study finds. Researchers in the US have shown that telephone metadata was 'densely interconnected' and 'easily reidentifiable'. Stock image

In 2013 it emerged that the National Security Agency had been collecting basic call logs on US citizens, a controversial policy which threatened personal security.

While officials stated that the vast data captured was not of a sensitive nature, but simple call logs such as which number called which and when, the process raised concerns of infringement of privacy and civil liberty.

In a study published this week, a team at Stanford University in California has used simple phone metadata available from databases to join the dots and identify key information about the users.

Using public sources they were able to show that telephone metadata was 'densely interconnected' and 'easily reidentifiable',

The study was based on data collected from 823 volunteers, including more than 250,000 calls, one million text messages and Facebook information. Stock image

SERIOUS PRIVACY INDICATIONS In 2013 information leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowdon revealed that the agency was amassing basic data on citizens' private phone calls. The NSA had been collecting bulk phone data from US citizens under the USA Patriot Act, but played down the sensitive nature of the metadata - which included basc call logs. A team at Stanford University were able to use phone metadata from more than 800 volunteers to use it to join the dots and identify key information about the phone's user. They used an Android smartphone app to collect call data from volunteers, including more than 250,000 calls, more than one million text messages, as well as information from their Facebook accounts. By using this approach, researchers were able to re-identify phone numbers with limited resources, working out the identity of 82 per cent of people. But they could even identify much more personal information, such as who they were in a relationship with, and even make accurate guesses about more sensitive information such as their health and religion.

Initially, the NSA was able to use 'three hops' to follow phone records.

Starting with a single phone number, security analysts could make a single hop to gather log information on who that initial number called, the second hop being from those recipients to who they called, and on again.

From this data analysts could build up a huge interconnected web of which numbers were calling which.

But the approach is being scaled back to a two hop approach. Despite this apparent scaling down, the approach could still, in theory, enable the NSA to branch out and gather metadata on 25,000 individuals, starting from a single phone number.

The Stanford team used an Android smartphone app to collect metadata from 823 volunteers, which included basic data on more than 250,000 calls, more than one million text messages, as well as information from their Facebook accounts.

By using this approach, researchers were able to re-identify phone numbers with limited resources.

For example, they could cross reference the numbers a phone had called against registered businesses from publicly available databases. From this they could work out the area, which could be cross-referenced against Facebook, yelp, Google Places and other services to work out a name for 82 per cent of people.

But beyond this, they could identify who they were in a relationship with, and even make accurate guesses about more sensitive information such as their health and religion.

While the Stanford team carried out the project with limited resources, the findings raise serious security concerns that agencies who are well funded and resourced, and who have access to vastly more personal records, could use advanced machine learning to build a much more complete picture of someone.

The findings are published in Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences.
Legend says King Arthur was taken to the Isle of Avalon after he was injured in a battle with his enemy Mordred before disappearing.

But now a historian claims to have found where the great British ruler is buried - in a field in Shropshire.

Graham Phillips, who has been researching the life of King Arthur for years, says he has found evidence that suggests the medieval leader was buried outside the village of Baschurch.

Forget Avalon! A historian claims to have found where King Arthur is buried - in a field in Shropshire. An aerial photograph of the site, known as The Berth, is shown above

He claims to have narrowed down the king's tomb to one of two locations - an earthworks just outside the village thought to be an old fort, dubbed 'The Berth' and the site of a former chapel.

He is now calling on English Heritage to allow an investigation The Berth, while he is also interested in looking at the site of a former chapel.

Mr Phillips claims to have narrowed down the king's tomb to one of two locations. An illustration of King Arthur is pictured above

Mr Phillips, from Stafford, who explains his theory in his latest book The Lost Tomb of King Arthur, says his investigations follow on from his previous works which say King Arthur lived at the Roman fortress at Wroxeter.

It's traditionally thought the king led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders wielding his sword, Excalibur and was born at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall.

Mr Phillips said: 'From my research he came from Shropshire, not the south-west of England as everybody else says.

'In the Oxford University Library there is a poem from the Dark Ages which refers to the kings from Wroxeter who were buried at the Churches of Bassa - and when you think about anywhere in Shropshire that sounds similar, you think of Baschurch.

'There is a place that matches the description just outside the village, an earthworks known as The Berth, which were two islands in a lake, though obviously the lake has now gone.'

Mr Phillips, who describes himself as a historical detective, says although no excavations have taken place, some outline work has found a pit containing a large piece of metal.

He believes this may be King Arthur, buried with his shield, just as monarchs were laid to rest at that time.

He said: 'At the moment I'm trying to get permission from English Heritage for an archaeological dig, but they don't often give that because they want to protect the site.

'With technology moving forward, in the not-so-distant future we may be able to see what is in there without digging.

'But I believe it is absolutely necessary because otherwise other people might go there and destroy the site.'

Mr Phillips is calling on English Heritage to allow an investigation The Berth (pictured from above), while he is also interested in looking at the site of a former chapel

Mr Phllips is also keen on another site, a country lane in the village called Birch Grove where evidence of an old chapel was found back in the 1930s.

He added: 'In some versions of the tale of King Arthur he died on an island, but was brought back to shore for burial.

'So it is possible and when they found the remains, they found part of a gravestone with Latin writing that appears to translate to 'Here Lies'.

'It would be easier to get permission to dig there because it is not protected, so that could take place very soon.'
For anyone who sometimes mixes up the names of their children with the dog, there may be less to worry about than you might fear.

Researchers have found the mistake is a common problem caused by the way the brain files memories rather than a sign of senility or increased absent mindedness.

But it only happens to the names of people you know well, according to the research, which found 'misnaming' follows predictable patterns.

Mixing up the names of members of your family, and the pets (stock image pictured) may not be a sign of early senility, but simply a common mistake caused by the way the brain sorts names into categories

The team of neuroscientists found the problem can afflict everyone because of the way the brain works.

Writing in the journal Memory and Cognition, they say that names are grouped together in particular categories.

One group could be specific family members, which can include the pet dog if they are part of the same circle.

Among people who know each other well, the wrong name is usually plucked from the same relationship category, the study finds.

Friends call each other by other friends' names, and family members by other family members' names. And that includes the family dog.

The experts found phonetic similarity between names helps fuel mix-ups. A stock image of people laughing are shown. Names with the same beginning or ending sounds, such as Michael and Mitchell or Joey and Mikey for example, were more likely to be swapped

In effect, when the brain goes to get a name out of a file, it can accidentally take out another name from the same category.

But while this may lead to parents calling their child by the dogs name, this is less likely to happen with a cat's name, the researchers said.

Professor David Rubin, a neuroscientist at Duke University in North Carolina who led the work, said: 'It's a cognitive mistake we make, which reveals something about who we consider to be in our group. It's not just random.'

ARE YOU FAT AND FORGETFUL? The physical health effects of being obese are well known but being overweight can also have a significant impact on a person's mental well-being. Researchers have found a direct link between a high body mass index (BMI) and poor episodic memory. Episodic memory is the ability to recall past events and the experts believe excess weight may change the structure and function of the brain to and its ability to perform certain tasks.

The researchers studied five separate surveys of more than 1,700 people to identify particular patterns of memory.

They found phonetic similarity between names helps fuel mix-ups too.

Names with the same beginning or ending sounds, such as Michael and Mitchell or Joey and Mikey for example, were more likely to be swapped.

So were names that shared phonemes, or sounds, such as John and Bob, which share the same vowel sound.

The survey found people frequently called other family members by the name of their dog but not their cat.

Co-author Samantha Deffler added: 'I'll preface this by saying I have cats and I love them.

'But our study does seem to add to evidence about the special relationship between people and dogs.

'Also, dogs will respond to their names much more than cats, so those names are used more often.

'Perhaps because of that, the dog's name seems to become more integrated with people's conceptions of their families.'
Palaeontologists from China have described their discovery of what might be the oldest multicellular life on Earth.

A large number of fossils have been recovered from mudstone deposits known as the Gaoyuzhuang formation, dated to 1.56 billion years old.

Measuring up to 11 inches (30cm) long and three inches (8cm) wide, these 'macroscopic eukaryotes' - relatively large multi-cellular organisms - have been found in four distinct shapes.

Palaeontologists in China have found what may be the world's oldest multi-cellular organism. The Gaoyuzhuang macroscopic fossils (pictured) show well-preserved cellular structure and have been dated to 1.56 billion years ago

The research, published in Nature, could force a re-drawing of the tree of life.

The discovery shows that complex evolution had already taken place a billion years before the Cambrian Explosion  the time 542 million years ago when most plants and animals first appeared.

WHAT IS EUKARYOTIC LIFE? Every complex organism living on the Earth is made of eurkaryotic cells from plants to animals and even fungi. These cells have genetic material that is bound within a membrane along with other organelles such as mitochondria or chloroplasts. They are thought to have first emerged on Earth when prokaryotic cells such as bacteria began incorporating other cells into them. They were thought to have first emerged between 1.6 billion and 2.1 billion years ago but may not have started forming complex organisms until much later.

The researchers were led by Shixing Zhu of the Tianjin Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, and found 167 individual fossils with dimensions greater than 15x3mm from fossil beds in northern China.

These were mainly in four different elongated shapes, including linear with parallel sides, cuneate (tapered on one end), oblong, and tongue-shaped.

The researchers note that the linear and cuneate fossils may be different parts of the same organism, but are confident that the tongue-shaped fossils are unique.

These show evidence of a holdfast  an anchor point where it would be held to the rock in the warm shallow Mesoproterozoic seas.

The researchers note that this also provides circumstantial evidence for at least limited cell differentiation  another key stage of evolution.

The variety of long shapes is significant because it means these were not merely mats of algae, but in fact resembled the plants that evolved much later in the Earth's history.

Measuring up to 11 inches (30cm) long and three inches (8cm) wide, these 'macroscopic eukaryotes' - relatively large multi-cellular organisms - have been found in four distinct shapes (pictured)

In other words, as Professor Zhu said: 'They indicate that simple macroscopic multicellularity evolved early in the eukaryotic domain.'

Perhaps the most startling conclusion from the research is that these organisms probably used photosynthesis.

'On the basis of the comparisons with modern organisms, the thalli were most likely photosynthetic, although one can imagine a possible osmotrophic alternative', said Professor Zhu.

The years before the Cambrian Explosion are sometime referred to by evolutionary scientists as the 'boring billion'.

But Zhu said this is a misleading caricature, and this very early, low-oxygen world demands much further investigation.
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Using Nasa airborne radar, Scientists have generated maps that reveal New Orleans and its surrounding areas are sinking at 'highly variable rates'.

The highest rates were found upriver along the Mississippi near industrial areas and in Michoud - both experienced annual drops of up to two inches.

Although the study names multiple contributing, researchers found the major culprits behind the drop in elevation were groundwater pumping and dewatering.

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Using Nasa airborne radar, Scientists generated maps that reveal New Orleans and surrounding areas are sinking at 'highly variable rates'. Although the study names multiple factors as contributors, researchers found the major culprits were groundwater pumping and dewatering. Scroll down for video Map shows ground elevation movements in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, from June 2009 to July 2012

WHAT DO THE MAPS REVEAL? The highest rates were found upriver along the Mississippi near industrial areas and in Michoud, both regions saw annual drops of about two inches. Other notable drops in elevation were found in New Orleans' Upper and Lower 9th Ward in Metairie, where the measured ground movement could be related to water levels in the Mississippi. And an annual 1.6 inch drop was observed at Bonnet Carre Spillway east of Norco, which is the area's last line of protection against springtime river floods blowing over the levees. In the case of New Orleans, it is mostly caused by groundwater pumping and dewatering  surface water pumping to lower the water table, which eliminates standing water and soggy ground.

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, UCLA and the Center for GeoInformatics at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, collaborated on the study, which covered the period from June 2009 to July 2012.

Other notable sinking was found in New Orleans' Upper and Lower Ninth Ward in Metairie, where the measured ground movement could be related to water levels in the Mississippi.

And an annual 1.6 inch drop was observed at Bonnet Carre Spillway east of Norco, which is the area's last line of protection against springtime river floods blowing over the levees.

Experts call this drop in evaluation 'subsidence', as it is when the Earth sinks as a response to geological or man-induced causes.

In the case of New Orleans, it is mostly caused by groundwater pumping and dewatering  surface water pumping to lower the water table, which eliminates standing water and soggy ground.

Other contributing factors include withdrawal of water, oil and gas, compaction of shallow sediments, faulting, sinking of Earth's crust from the weight of deposited sediments and ongoing vertical movement of land covered by glaciers during the last ice age.

JPL scientists and lead author Cathleen Jones say the results of this research could greatly improve existing models of subsidence for the Mississippi River Delta, which could give officials the upper hand when formulating plans for future events.

'Agencies can use these data to more effectively implement actions to remediate and reverse the effects of subsidence, improving the long-term coastal resiliency and sustainability of New Orleans,' Jones said.

'The more recent land elevation change rates from this study will be used to inform flood modeling and response strategies, improving public safety.'

The maps were generated with data from Nasa's Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR).

This technology uses what is called interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), which compares radar images of Earth's surface over time to map surface deformation with centimeter-scale precision.

An annual 1.6 inch drop was observed at Bonnet Carre Spillway east of Norco, which is the area's last line of protection against springtime river floods blowing over the levees. Subsidence rates around Norco, Louisiana, and the location of flood protection levees (white). Experts call this drop in evaluation 'subsidence', which when the Earth sinks as a response to geological or man-induced causes

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, UCLA and the Center for GeoInformatics at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, collaborated on the study, which covered the period from June 2009 to July 2012. The team found Norco, Upper and Lower Ninth Ward, Michoud, and Bonnet Carre Spillway in the metropolitan area of New Orleans experienced the most elevation drop in the region

Surface elevation changes from all sources were also measured, in addition to human and natural, deep seated and shallow.

UAVSAR's spatial resolution makes it ideal for measuring subsidence in New Orleans, where human-produced subsidence can be large and is often localized, said researchers.

Jones said another key advantage of this study is that UAVSAR enabled better resolution of small-scale features than previous studies.

'We were able to identify single structures or clusters of structures subsiding or deforming relative to the surrounding area,' she said.

Up-to-date GPS position information for the industrial and urban areas were provided by the Center for GeoInformatics, which helped the team develop the rate of ground movement at specific locations.

Other factors contributing to sinking include withdrawal of water, oil and gas, compaction of shallow sediments, faulting, sinking of Earth's crust from the weight of deposited sediments and ongoing vertical movement of land covered by glaciers during the last ice age. The red stars represent locations where levees breached during Hurricane Katrina -- areas that will experience problems the more they sink

This study isn't the first to reveal New Orleans' fate or other coastal regions that are said to be slowly sinking into the ocean.

Last year, a team released findings that suggest the only way to save coastal areas is to make extreme carbon cuts and shift to renewable fuel.

Scientists have already established that if we do nothing to reduce our burning of fossil fuel up to the year 2100, the planet will face sea level rise of 14-32 feet (4.39.9 meters), said lead author Ben Strauss, vice president for sea level and climate impacts at Climate Central.

To bring this issue home for people in the United States, the study pinpoints at-risk land where more than 20 million people reside.

Shockingly, the research found that 414 US cities already have 'lock-in' dates  and New Orleans seems to be the most at risk.

In the case of New Orleans, the sinking is mostly caused by groundwater pumping and dewatering  surface water pumping to lower the water table, which eliminates standing water and soggy ground. The map shows the location of water wells active in 2012, local industry and the Bonnet Carre Spillway. The highest subsidence forms a bowl within the refinery site to the south of the river

'Even in a best-case carbon emissions scenario, 98 percent of populated land in New Orleans would be below the future sea level,' Strauss said.

'So it's really just a question of building suitable defenses or eventually abandoning the city.'

In the past century, more than 1,880 square miles of Louisiana land has turned into open water - an area nearly the size of Delaware.

And the loss does not seem it will end anytime soon, with an estimated 17 square miles disappearing on average each year, according to the US Geological Survey.
How would an Earth-like planet behave if it formed in the Alpha Centauri star system?

The question has become a crucial focus point as scientists turn their sights to Earths stellar neighbours in hopes to find alien life.

According to new simulations, Nasa researchers estimate a planet could exist in an orbit around either of Alpha Centauris binary stars for a billion years, given the right conditions.

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According to new simulations, Nasa researchers estimate a planet could exist in an orbit around either of Alpha Centauris binary stars for a billion years, given the right conditions. Pictured above, Alpha Centauri is shown on the far right, toward the bottom. To the naked eye, the binary stars of Alpha Centauri appear as one

HOW AN ALIEN WORLD COULD FORM According to numerical simulations by Nasa researchers Billy Quarles and Jack Lissauer, an Earth-like planet could exist in an orbit around either of Alpha Centauri's binary stars for a billion years. This could be possible for planets 'tilted by up to 40 relative to the binary orbital plane when the semimajor axis of the orbit is less than 2 AU [astronomical units], twice the distance from the Earth to the Sun. Beyond this distance, the planet would become unstable due to the influence of the nearby second star. But even further than this, the researcher explains that retrograde orbits could be stable, meaning the planet orbits opposite to the direction of the stars about their centre of mass. In another possible scenario, a planet could form within the orbital plane of the binary system and operate with an eccentric orbit. While the climate of an Earth-like planet orbiting either of the Alpha Centauri binary stars would be very different than our own, and one would definitely want to arrive in the right season, the researchers say these seem stable. Advertisement

Three stars make up the Alpha Centauri star system  the binary stars Alpha Centauri A and B, and Earths nearest stellar neighbour, Proxima Centauri.

Proxima Centauri is the closest star to Earth after the sun and sits just 4.3 light-years away, or roughly 25 trillion miles.

Just last month, a radical project called Breakthrough Starshot revealed its plans to send tiny nanocraft to the three-star system, flying on sails pushed by beams of light through the universe

The $100m project was created by famed cosmologist Stephen Hawking, along with Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, and Mark Zuckerberg, and could reach Alpha Centauri within 20 years of its launch.

But as these projects work to determine the feasibility of such missions, its become increasingly important to understand how an Earth-mass planet would behave if it formed within the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri A or B.

Scientists at the Nasa Ames Research Center used numerical simulations to investigate this, which revealed that a single Earth-mass planet could orbit around either of these stars for a billion years.

The simulations by Nasa researchers Billy Quarles and Jack Lissauer demonstrate the possible orientations of such a world, and explain how this, along with the size of the orbit, could play a role in astronomers chances at observation.

In a recent explanation on the work, Quarles writes that, an Earth-like world can exist in an orbit for a billion years tilted by up to 40 relative to the binary orbital plane when the semimajor axis of the orbit is less than 2 AU [astronomical units], twice the distance from the Earth to the Sun.

Beyond this distance, the planet would become unstable due to the influence of the nearby second star.

But even further than this, the researcher explains that retrograde orbits could be stable, meaning the planet orbits opposite to the direction of the stars about their centre of mass.

In another possible scenario, the planet could form within the orbital plane of the binary system and operate with an eccentric orbit.

The Alpha Centauri star system is made up of the binary stars Alpha Centauri A and B, and Proxima Centauri. Alpha Centauri Bb, also pictured, was once thought to orbit Alpha Centauri B. This has now been called into question, and may instead represent flaws in data analysis

Just last month, a radical project called Breakthrough Starshot revealed its plans to send tiny nanocraft to the three-star system, flying on sails pushed by beams of light through the universe. Pictured above, Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri are seen as the bright stars. Proxima Centauri is circled in red

While the climate of an Earth-like planet orbiting either of the Alpha Centauri binary stars would be very different than our own, and one would definitely want to arrive in the right season, the researchers say these seem stable.

Plotting the possible orbits of an Earth-like alien planet, and understanding how extreme they can get, is crucial to designing the proper methods of discovering them, the Nasa researcher explains.

In the past, astronomers searching for habitable planets in Alpha Centauri detected a possible Earth-like planet which would have existed on a scorching three-day orbit around Alpha Centauri B.

But, this was later re-examined and many researchers now consider it to be a ghost, falsely detected by flaws in the data analysis.

As the research progresses, Quarles writes that observational techniques will improve, leading to greater possibility of confirming the existence of alien planets, even in the most hostile environments.
The theory that KIC 8462852 is the home of aliens living in a 'Dyson sphere' is getting weaker every day.

Interest in the star, which is 1,480 light-years away, began last year when Yale scientists found unusual fluctuations in its light.

Now a new study claims that the signals were in fact caused by the breakup of 30 massive Halley-like comets which blocked the starlight from view.

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A series of bizarre readings from a star called KIC 8462852 is baffling scientists. Some have speculated it may be an alien 'dyson sphere' megastructure. Now a new study claims that the signals were in fact caused by group of breakup of 30 massive Halley-like comets which blocked the starlight from view

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 - nicknamed Tabbys star - 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.

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

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. As such, it claims a Dyson's sphere (stock image pictured) is unlikely

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.

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.

Other possible structures include artificial space habitats, or a planet-sized occulting object intended to provide a long-lasting signal to other galactic inhabitants.

A third theory suggested the possibility of a planetary collision.

But a new study by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Massachusetts now dismisses this claim.

Astronomers studied the star using the Submillimeter Array and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

They wanted to track down dust associated with a possible planetary collision, according a report in Discovery, but they found none.

The result is consistent with the break up of huge comets that would block the starlight from sight - although how such a huge amount of comets would disintegrate is unknown.

The latest results follow a study earlier this month by Vanderbilt University which found the observations of KIC 8462852 were tainted by the inconsistent use of telescopes on Earth.

It said the 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.

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)
Travelling on an escorted tour means experts are on hand to take care of the details, leaving you free to enjoy the worlds most memorable locations.

Here the Mail on Sunday share the most interesting and best-value escorted tours.

Roam to Rome

Leger Holidays Picturebook Italy tour (leger.co.uk, 01709 787 316) explores the villages scattered around Lake Garda as well as Venice, Rome, Florence and Pisa.

Departing September 19, with additional dates available, the 12-day tour costs from 879pp half-board. A number of optional excursions are available, including sightseeing tours of Rome, and a cruise on Lake Garda.

Bay of plenty: Vietnam's stunning Halong Bay which is known for its emerald waters and towering limestone islands

Canadian club

Go wild with Canadian Affairs new Rocky Mountaineer & Alaska Cruise Extravaganza tour (canadianaffair.com, 0203 424 6306).

From pretty Banff, take a train west through the Rocky Mountains to Vancouver, where you will board the Holland America Line for a cruise up the Inside Passage to Alaska. The 14-day tour costs from 2,485pp, including flights and transfers.

The View in Peru

Travelspheres Epic Peru (travelsphere.co.uk, 01858 897945) lets you explore the settlements of ancient civilisations.

Taking in the Andean peaks and Colca Canyon (one of the worlds deepest), you will also travel to Cuzco, capital of the Incas and see the citadel of Machu Picchu. With departures from July 7, the 15-day tour costs 2,749pp including flights.

Argentina adventure

Abercrombie & Kents Family Argentina (abercrombiekent.co.uk, 01242 547701) escorted tour takes in the landmarks of Buenos Aires and includes a day on a polo estancia, an icy scramble on El Calafate glacier and hiking and kayaking in the Ibera Natural Reserve.

The 14-night tour costs from 5,925pp, based on two adults and two children under 12 travelling together, including flights.

The Deep South

Archers Holidays (archersdirect.co.uk, 0800 668 1892) has announced a 2017 Elvis 40th Anniversary Memorial tour of Memphis and Nashville.

Join fans at Graceland for the annual candlelit vigil, have a guided tour of the house and visit Elviss birthplace in Tupelo and the Sun Studios. Departing August 12, 2017, the nine-day tour costs 2,470pp, including return flights. This years nine-day Elvis & The Southern Sounds tour costs 1,743pp, departing May to November.

Archers Holidays has announced a 2017 Elvis 40th Anniversary Memorial tour of Memphis (pictured) and Nashville

Vietnam views

Cruising the Red River, a new tour from Audley Travel (audleytravel.com, 01993 838 100), is a chance to explore Northern Vietnam on a river ship.

Sail the Red River delta from Hanoi to Halong Bay, then head for Highland Vietnam. Departing October 30 and including two nights in Hong Kong and one in Hanoi, Audley Travels 16-day tour costs from 3,750pp, including international flights and transfers.

Thrilling Scandinavia

Costsavers Highlights Of Scandinavia tour (costsaver.trafalgar.com/uk, 0800 533 5619) introduces you to the regions top spots.

Explore Copenhagen, before seeing Hans Christian Andersens birthplace in Odense. Cross the Baltic Sea to Oslo for the wooden houses in Bergen and marvel at the 127-mile Sognefjord. Theres Sweden too, with lush forests, Lake Vanern and stylish Stockholm. Available from May until October, the 12-day tour cost from 1,284pp, excluding flights.
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Fourteen months ago adventurous couple Chanel Cartell and Stevo Dirnberger quit their jobs, sold everything they owned and began travelling the world.

Visiting 31 countries to date, the South African couple have encountered plenty of animals during their global journey- some of them very friendly - so they decided to capture these adorable creatures on camera.

And it seems that while not every animal is particularly photogenic, on the whole they were all happy enough to get up close and personal, striking poses for the photographers.

Cartell and Dirnberger explained how they capture their humorous shots: 'We have always been passionate about animal portraiture. In order to get the style of picture we were after, we would use a wide-angle lens and we'd need to get really close to the subjects, which is tricky in itself.

'You then use the camera's continuous shooting function, and hope that the eyes remain in focus - this is the most important part.

'We've photographed highland cows and alpacas in Austria, bunnies and pigs in Sweden, lemurs, crabs and quokkas in Australia, and dogs and cats in nearly every country we've been to we've been to,' they added.

Fourteen months ago adventurous couple Chanel Cartell and Stevo Dirnberger quit their jobs and began travelling the world. This spectacular image shows an inquisitive bovine putting its nose in the camera, surrounded by a green meadow

The couple have visited 31 countries to date and have encountered and photographed plenty of animals along the way, including this cheeky alpaca pictured flashing a toothy grin in Salzburg, Austria

It's a hard life: This sleepy cat seems more content with having a nap upside down than posing for Chanel and Stevo from Johannesburg

Bliss: A goat basks in the sun with its eyes closed. The image was captured on the couple's trip to Bergen, Norway

This brown horse was caught with its mouth open in Umbertide, Italy, during the couple's worldwide adventures

Messy pup: A drooling bulldog splashes water out of its bowl as it has a thirst-quenching drink in the heat

Udderly gorgeous: A pair of cows get up close and personal with the photographer in Salzburg, Austria

Making friends: This cute quokka was captured on Rottnest Island, which is located off the coast of Australia near Perth

Hogging the limelight: A muddy pig curiously pokes its dirty snout in the camera in Kolasen, Sweden

Work it: Two beady-eyed alpacas in Salzburg, Austria look at ease being the centre of attention in these images

A munching bunny is more interested in eating its greens than being on camera. The scene was captured in Jarpen, Sweden

This single-toothed goat had not problem in posing through the slats of its enclosure in Salzburg, Austria

Meanwhile another goat wanted to get involved with the photo-taking process and got close to the action

This adorable deer didn't seem afraid and instead approached the couple in Munich, Germany creating an adorable shot

While not every animal was born to model, some certainly posed more than others, such as this candid canine

When the pair were in Sydney, Australia, they managed to take a perfectly-timed image of this big-eyed lemur enjoying a morning snack

This sniffing horse was photographed in Engelberg, Switzerland and appears to show the hoofed animal smiling

A confused dog stopped in its tracks to see why a camera was being focused on it, which led to this heartwarming shot

When the duo visited Greece, they stopped by Hydra Island where they encountered this beautiful wide-eyed feline

Back on the farm, a goat was photographed mid-bleat with his mouth open, which features as part of the mug shot collection

Don't be sheepish: Two intrigued lambs venture close to the lens to see what all the fuss is about in Obertrum, Austria

These two cats look nonplussed as they are caught on camera by the travelling pair. The right image was taken in Orvieto, Italy

This orange-coloured crab was photographed while it was going about its business in Perth, Australia

Park life: Two drooling canines were more than happy to pose in front of the camera (left and right)

Adorable: This munching squirrel was seen enjoying a snack in a grassy area of London, England

Farmyard fun: A cow and a goat make their debut in the photography series. Chanel and Stevo use use a wide-angle lens and get close to the subject to get the best shots

Swanning around: This large bird does not seem afraid of swimming right up to the camera to get a close look
She wowed at the Opening Gala Dinner at Cannes Film Festival last week.

But Dutch beauty Doutzen Kroes jetted out the following day - only to arrive back at Nice airport again on Monday.

The stunning Victoria's Secret model, 31, looked stylish in jeans and a grey jacket as she touched down on French soil before heading to her hotel balcony to get snap happy with her camera phone.

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Cannes I come back? Douzen Kroes, 31, jetted back into Nice just four days after leaving - and got into a selfie frenzy on the balcony on arrival on Monday

Her flight gear was stylish as ever as the blonde beauty sauntered through the airport in a billowing blue and white stripped shirt and form-fitting jeans.

She layered the look adding a grey jacket on top which was left open for a casual feel.

The mother-of-two went for comfy and cool footwear, opting for white trainers for her journey.

Selfie queen: Doutzen was too busy taking selfies to enjoy the view as she began a picture frenzy

Poses: Doutzen gave Kim Katdashian a run for her money with her selfie taking antics on the balcony

Entranced: The supermodel looked deep in thought as she looked out onto her balcony

Relaxed: The Dutch beauty caught up with a pal in Cannes on Monday

Just hours earlier she had arrived at Nice airport, before being ferried to her plush hotel on La Croisette in style.

The beauty kept her flawless complexion free of make-up for her flight, though partly shielded her face beneath a pair of over-sized sunglasses.

Her blonde locks were left to fall freely around her face as she sashayed through the terminal alongside her sizable entourage.

Striking: The Dutch star showed off her natural beauty by wearing minimal make-up in the sun

The look was a stark contrast to that the model sported last Wednesday evening, when she lead the glamour at the Cannes Opening Gala in a revealing black gown.

The mother-of-two posed up a storm in the black dress which had a velvet top that connected to a flowing front-split skirt and showcased her enviable frame to perfection.

She let the dress take full attention as she swept her hair into a chic half-up do and wore black heels.

Glad to be back: Douzen jetted back into Nice just four days after leaving the south of France

Catwalk icon: Her flight gear was stylish as ever as the blonde beauty sauntered through the airport

Trendy: She looked relaxed in a billowing blue and white stripped shirt and form-fitting jeans

Power dresser: Doutzen looked sharp with her grey studded taxi jacket thrown over her shoulders

Back again: But for how long? Doutzen keeps her fans guessing what her next moves will be
She loves to make an effort - and a scene.

So it's perhaps unsurprising that, two decades on from earning the Playboy Playmate of the Year title, Victoria Silvstedt is still commanding attention.

The stunning Swede, 41, is currently in the French Riviera for the annual Cannes Film Festival and turned heads while attending a charity gala on Monday.

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The leggy platinum blonde was heading down the dock to board a speedboat, where she ensured she was the centre of attention.

Sporting a a floor-length blue dress with sheer panels, the model and socialite managed to be both covered-up and on show.

Featuring a plunging neckline which enhanced her cleavage, the 5ft10in model carried a fur stole and a pair of silver heeled shoes.

She kicked off the shoes before stepping down onto the boat with the help of a crewmate.

Clearly enjoying the limelight, Victoria playfully flirted with onlookers and gave them a wave before disappearing into the skyline.

Wearing her hair in a dramatic centre-parting with huge curls, her hair was as big as her persona.

Recently, Victoria revealed to Stumped Magazine about the reasoning behind her fun-filled red carpet display where she admits to playing up to the camera.

'Im just speaking from my own experience, being tall, blonde, buxom and Swedish and most people think not too bright. Its obvious that people think that.

'You know I dont mind it. Im just kind of playing it up and enjoying it. I make fun of myself too. I honestly dont really care. Some girls are really sensitive about that, but I know who I am and I have fun. So what if I look like this.'
The Philanderer, GB Shaw

Richmond's Orange Tree Theatre

Rating:

Words  thousands of em. That, as ever, is the problem with GB Shaw. He was 37 when he wrote The Philanderer and it is seldom performed. All those words become an obstacle.

The Philanderer becomes a battle between two women - silky Grace Tanfield and the other woman, Julia Craven

He devised two endings, one happy, one more acid and containing a storyline about divorce, which in late Victorian times was risque.

The Orange Tree Theatres interesting production gives us both. The show lasts almost three hours.

Director Paul Miller has opted for modern dress. This makes it unstuffy but we may consequently be less struck by how go-ahead Shaw was for his era.

He was looking at, among other things, feminists, drippy men, amoral theatre critics and scientists frustrated by sentimental anti-vivisectionists.

The action opens with suave Leonard Charteris (Rupert Young in jeans and a tie) kissing silky Grace Tranfield (Helen Bradbury).

He: Is this your first love affair? She: Have you forgotten that Im a widow?

Does Charteris love Grace or does he pursue her simply to provoke the jealousy of his other woman, Julia Craven (Dorothea Myer-Bennett)? The story becomes a battle between the two women.

Along the way we meet their fathers. And when Julia is courted by dry Dr Paramore (Christopher Staines) she presumes that if she marries him it might make Charteris long for her.

There are moments of deft comedy: a scene in a London club for unwomanly women and unmanly men; and the moment when Dr Paramore learns, to his distress, that a fatal liver disease he discovered is a scientific non-event.

The two women are well matched, Miss Myer-Bennett fiery as the jealous termagent Julia, Miss Bradbury cool and amused as lofty Grace.

Is that a tattoo on one of her hands? Grace would surely never have stooped to a tattoo.

Shaw, in his way, raises various arguments about feminist attitudes to marriage, never quite coming down on any side.
After photos emerged of him kissing a brunette in Cannes, it was assumed that Scott Disick had reunited with his 20-year-old rumoured girlfriend Christine Burke.

But Dailymail.com can now reveal that the 32-year-old reality star's Cannes make-out partner is actually Swedish model Ellen Robinson.

The 5ft 9in beauty was pictured lying underneath the father-of-three and ex of Kourtney Kardashian as he showered her with kisses on Monday.

French kiss: Scott Disick's make-out partner has been revealed to be 20-something Ellen Robinson and not rumoured girlfriend Christine Burke as previously thought

Brunette beauty: The Swedish model bears a striking resemblance to both Kendall Jenner and Christine Burke

Ellen, who bears a striking resemblance to both Christine and Kendall Jenner, is listed on the Zone Models website under 'New Faces'.

While she hasn't shared any Instagram images from her trip to the south of France, the leggy beauty has shared several Snapchats, including a poolside snap nearly identical to one Scott posted on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Christine has been in Hong Kong documenting her trip on Snapchat. She even went a step further to tell her 'haters' that she was not in Cannes.

She captioned one of her videos 'paired w/ reading a bunch of hate... guys I'm clearly not in Cannes please chill.'

In the pictures of Scott and Ellen's lovefest, 'Lord Disick' is seen wearing a shirt unbuttoned almost to his navel and a gold pendant plunging almost as far, as he clambers on top of the 20-something stunner.

New squeeze: Swedish model Ellen is listed on the Zone Models website under 'New Faces'

Moving in: Wearing a shirt unbuttoned almost to his navel and a gold pendant plunging almost as far, the father-of-three could be seen clambering on top of the young stunner

Exposed: Ellen wore a form-fitting LBD, baring both her midriff and cleavage

The brunette beauty wore a form-fitting LBD, baring both her midriff and cleavage.

But their steamy session in the cabana certainly wasn't a private one, as another couple mimicked their clinch lying right beside them.

Earlier in the day Disick relaxed by the pool of his rented luxury villa in the hills of Cannes with a bevy of bikini-clad beauties sipping drinks with him.

Girls' night: Ellen has shared several Snapchats of her antics in Cannes

Flirty poolside fun: The model also snapped a picture of her stunning Cannes accommodations (right), the same spot that Scott posted a photo from on Sunday

Party time: Scott, Kendall and Kris are all in the south of France for the star-studded film festival - with Lord Disick appearing to have the most fun of the lot

Foursome: But their steamy session in the cabana certainly wasn't a private one, as another couple mimicked their clinch lying right beside them

Busy boy: Earlier in the day Disick relaxed by the pool of his rented luxury villa in the hills of Cannes with a bevy of bikini-clad beauties sipping drinks with him

That same night the perma-tanned one was spotted out with Jenner as they headed to the festival's Chopard dinner.

Just 24 hours earlier Jenner and Disick were seen heading out together once again, this time to Gotha Nightclub - the same club Ellen partied at according to her Snapchat.

The model filmed DJ Steve Aoki delighting the crowd.

Despite being photographed several times with his ex Kourtney, family insiders insist the two - who have never been married - are not getting back together.

They split in July of last year amidst reports his partying lifestyle had gotten too much for her, along with the publication of photos of him cosying up to one for his ex-girlfriends.

You got the wrong girl: Meanwhile Christine Burke made it clear to her followers that she was not living it up in Cannes. The 20-year-old has been in Hong Kong over the past week

Jenner lookalike: Christine was pictured out with Scott in March, sparking rumours that they were a couple

Family affair: That same night the perma-tanned one was spotted out with Kourtney's sister Kendall as they headed to the festival's Chopard dinner

Making the rounds: Just 24 hours earlier Jenner and Disick were seen heading out together once again, this time to Gotha Nightclub - the same club that Ellen partied at




They're some of the biggest names in Australian fashion.

So it comes as no surprise that Australia's Next Top Model judges Jennifer Hawkins, Megan Gale and Alex Perry attended Australian fashion week on Monday.

The fashion-forward trio stood out amongst the crowd while taking in the Swarovski show at Carriageworks in Sydney.

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Famous judges: The Australia's Next Top Model stars attended Fashion Week in Sydney

As photographers swooped around the famous stars, all three struck their best model poses as former Marie Claire Editor Jackie Frank also joined in for the group selfie.

Dressed in all black, Hawkins looked chic and classy while wearing a strapless designer jumpsuit and her shiny blonde mane in loose waves.

Her bright red lips offered a pop of color which complimented the overall look.

Runway ready: Models Jennifer and Megan were dressed to impress as they posed alongside Alex and Marie Claire Editor Jackie Frank

Megan oozed elegance while wearing a black and white ensemble topped off with a pulled back hairdo and smouldering smoky eye makeup.

Perry, who is set to mark ten seasons on the hit reality TV series this year, kept it casual but looked suave and sophisticated at the star-studded event.

The high-end fashion designer stepped out in black trousers paired with a black leather jacket atop a grey sweater and dark shades.

It girls: Jennifer, Megan and Cheyenne wowed fans in this stunning Instagram photo

The Fox8 network recently announced that the Megan, a Perth-born supermodel, would be joining Australia's Next Top Model.

'I've loved working on the show in a guest capacity over the years and to now join the series as a permanent judge is both an honour and a privilege,' the mother of one said in a statement.

'I look forward to working with the girls and sharing some of my own experiences about what it takes to be a successful working model.'

Also joining the show as mentors this season are models Cheyenne Tozzi, and Stenmark twins Jordan and Zac Stenmark.

The show is set to air later this year.
He spent the day with his ex Kourtney Kardashian last week as they try to remain amicable for the sake of their three children.

But on Monday Scott Disick enjoyed an afternoon as he soaked up the sun while lounging poolside in Cannes as Kourtney, 37, watched their kids in Los Angeles.

And the 32-year-old reality star had quite the eye-popping view as he was surrounded by a bevy of scantily clad bikini babes.

Good company: Scott Disick, 32, relaxed poolside at his luxury villa in Cannes surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women on Monday

The self-proclaimed 'Lord Disick' relaxed on a chaise lounge at his luxury villa alongside several women.

Leaving little to the imagination, the cluster of females paraded around the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star in their tiny two-pieces.

The father-of-three was seen happily watching one girl - who donned a white string bikini top and black barely there thong bottoms - although he was later spotted kissing rumoured girlfriend Christine Burke.

His estranged partner was left in Los Angeles caring for their three kids - Mason, six, Penelope, aged three and Reign, one.

Main attraction! Scott had quite the eye-popping view as one woman showed off her enviable bikini bod

Tiny two-piece! The girl left little to the imagination in a white string bikini top and barely there thong bottoms

Leaving little to the imagination: The bikini babe paraded around the pool in her tiny two-piece

The former flames have tried to remain amicable since their split last July for the sake of their kids and enjoyed an afternoon together last week in Calabasas with daughter Penelope.

Kourtney has been determined to change Scott - who is known for his hard partying ways - to 'get his life in the right direction for himself,' she stated during an episode of E!'s KUWTK last week.

'[Scott] needs to grow up,' she said to her momager Kris Jenner and three sisters - Kim and Khloe, and Kylie.

Quite the vision: Lord Disick happily flirted with one girl, before he was spotted kissing rumoured girlfriend Christine Burke

Flirting in France? The pair seemed friendly as they playfully chatted with each other while his ex Kourtney Kardashian stayed in Los Angeles caring for their three children

'[Scott] needs to grow up': Scott and his ex Kourtney have clashed in the past over his behaviour

All smiles: Scott appeared in good spirits as he flirted with the woman

Following a month long stay in a rehab facility last October, Disick appeared to have been a changed man.

But Kourtney and Scott clashed over his plans to make a New Year's Eve nightclub appearance in Las Vegas.

However Disick continued with his plans to ring in 2016 surrounded by scantily clad dancers at 1Oak nightclub in Sin City despite his exes wishes.

Taking in the view: Scott and two of his friends partied with the large group of women

Pool party! The father-of-three enjoyed the afternoon with several bikini clad beauties

Lap of luxury: Several other women enjoyed the private villa with Scott and a few of his buddies

The pair reportedly disagreed over his scheduled appearance in Vegas, with the mother-of-three fearing it could trigger another downward spiral.

And although Scott and Kourtney have clashed over his behavior in the past, the pair have frequently been spotted out lately appearing like friendly exes.

Earlier this month the brunette beauty opened up during a candid interview with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb on the Today show.

'We're not getting back together right now,' Kourtney said. 'But I don't know what the future holds in life, in God's plan.'

Swim: Another gorgeous brunette enjoyed a dip in his pool
The Great British Sewing Bee (BBC2)

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Eating Well With Hemsley And Hemsley (C4)

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Everybody loves a slice of Victoria sponge. Tell me your mouth doesnt water a little at the thought of that moist cake, with its sweet layer of cream and jam.

Does the world offer anything better with a cup of tea? But now, during the extended celebrations for the Queens 90th birthday, there should be something else  the Elizabeth cake. Someone should invent it.

In 100 years, even if were all living on Mars, people would still be eating it in the monarchs honour.

The winner of last years Bake Off, Nadiya Hussain, had the chance to devise the recipe when she was commissioned last month to produce Her Majs birthday cake.

Instead, she baked a heap of what looked like wonky hat boxes made from Battenberg. The Queen could barely cut it, never mind eat it.

Christopher Stevens reviews last night's television and tuned in to The Great British Sewing Bee on BBC2 (pictured) and Eating Well With Hemsley And Hemsley on Channel 4

But we mustnt complain because Nadiya has become a bit of a national treasure, the shy mother whose confidence grew until she had everyone, Mary Berry included, in tears. BBC bosses would love to find more Nadiyas  and The Great British Sewing Bee (BBC2) is another possible source.

However, Rumana is no shy, stay-at-home mum. Shes a 27-year-old junior doctor. Considering the strike action by her NHS colleagues, you have to hope the producers are not asking the amateur seamstresses to stay late at weekends  otherwise theres a risk shell have them all downing their needles and walking out.

Last years Sewing Bee played a TV ace with its winner, Lieutenant Colonel Neil Stace, who taught himself to stitch hems under fire in Bosnia. He was cheerful, talented and energetic, and he carried the show to its best viewing figures ever.

But Lieutenant Colonels with nimble thimbles, like winsome Muslim bakers, are hard to come by. This years home dressmakers are mostly women  just three men, and one so incompetent hes already out of the competition.

Another of the blokes is surely favourite to be ousted next.

The third man, Jamie, stands a better chance. Calling him the Third Man makes him sound rather thrilling, like a spy, though, in fact, hes a stay-at-home dad.

Personalities who stood out more among the women included mother of three Charlotte, who wears sleeveless dresses to show off her tattoos, and Martinique-born Ghislaine, who says she prefers sewing in her undies.

She remained fully dressed throughout, of course  were not ready for The Great British Kit Off.

Presenter Claudia Winkleman tries to inject excitement into the challenges by snarling and roaring around the arena, a former leather tannery in Bermondsey, South London. She cant simply call out One hour left  she has to bellow, like a giant in a fairy story.

Claudia Winkleman (pictured) presents The Great British Sewing Bee on BBC2

In other words, none of it is really working.

Claudias going hoarse, the male contestants are mere make-weights, even the head judge, Savile Row designer Patrick Grant, who last year sported a smart military moustache, is now scruffily unshaven with a double chin. Time to zip up the Sewing Bee.

You wont catch Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley making their own clothes. Theyre bound to have a perfectly adorable little woman to do that for them.

DOUBLE-TAKE OF THE NIGHT: Last week, Steve Backshall was winched by a crane over the Aussie rainforest on ITVs Fierce, before stalking the prehistoric cassowary bird. Wild Australia (ITV) did exactly the same with Ray Mears  the winch and the cassowary. Doesnt anyone check these things?

The sisters, who present healthy recipes on Eating Well With Hemsley And Hemsley (C4), are the sort of chi-chi chefs who buy all their produce at the farmers market and know the stall-holders so well they greet them not just by name, but with air kisses.

The sisters dont use organic free-range eggs. Thats not posh enough. They have biodynamic eggs  lord knows what that means, except you probably pay an extra quid per half-dozen.

This week they were showing us how to cook comfort food to give you that huggy feeling, with ingredients such as brilliant asparagus. Where they acquired this hyper-intelligent vegetable was not explained, but you can be sure it is asparagus that went to private school.
She has been making a host of bold style statements during her Cannes trip.

And Pixie Lott made no exception as she shared a red carpet smooch with long-term boyfriend Oliver Cheshire at the star-studded Chopard Wild Party on Monday night.

The 25-year-old Boys And Girls hitmaker, who is attending The 69th Cannes Film Festival, went for a frilly pink gown with her hair in wild blonde curls while Oliver, 27, opted for a casual suit.

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Head turner: Pixie Lott took the plunge in a low-cut pastel pink frilled gown and wild curls as she attended the star-studded Chopard Wild Party in Porto Canto, Cannes, on Monday night

Pucker up baby! The pop princess, 25, was joined by her model boyfriend Oliver Cheshire, 27, with the pair sharing a tender smooch on the red carpet at the A-list event

Pixie was rubbing shoulders with the likes of Kendall Jenner, Adriana Lima and Kate Moss at the bash so was no doubt keen to make a sartorial statement.

Her gown had a retro vibe as it boasted a plunging neckline framed in frills which extended the entirety of the floor-sweeping number - highlighting her diminutive stature.

Sheer sleeves gave the nightwear-inspired look a sexy feel - yet the whole ensemble was still laden with suggestion that the Essex-born beauty was headed to bed.

She accentuated the outfit with subtle yet glamorous accessories including small studded earrings and a heavily embellished boxy clutch bag.

A handsome pair: The 25-year-old Boys And Girls hitmaker went for a frilly pink gown with her hair piled atop her head in wild blonde curls while Oliver, 27, opted for a casual suit

Stunning from all angles: Her gown had a retro vibe as it boasted a plunging neckline framed in frills which extended the entirety of the floor-sweeping number - highlighting her diminutive stature

He's a lucky man! Oliver posed with Pixie and model Lottie Moss, 18, the half-sister of catwalk queen Kate inside the Chopard bash

A main focus of the look was her retro-inspired hair with a newly-styled perm worked into a dramatic piled up style pinned up on top of her head.

Pixie chose not to pair her lipstick with her dress exactly, opting instead for a slightly darker pink which afforded the look an edgy feel due to the contrast in colours.

Her eyes were heavily outlined while she gave her brows an extremely strong outline - a fashionable look inspired by the likes of Cara Delevingne.

Boogie nights: Lottie and Pixie - real name Victoria Louise Lott - seemed in great spirits as they got their groove on to the music inside the party

Elegant star: A main focus of the look was her retro-inspired hair with a newly styled perm worked into a dramatic piled up style pinned up on top of her head

The look of love: Pixie and Oliver have been dating for five years and regularly attend glamorous high-profile events together

Handsome Oliver, who is taking the fashion world by storm, looked extremely dashing in an open neck white shirt layered under a black suit.

He left his socks at home and sported a pair of brown brogues with nothing underneath - a strong statement to make for such a smart soiree.

Pixie's Cannes wardrobe has arguably been the most outrageous of her superstar colleagues as she has sported an array of wild ensembles - no doubt hoping to turn the heads of her peers.

Genetically-blessed: The attractive couple looked lovely as they posed up a storm inside

Working it: Pixie's Cannes wardrobe has arguably been the most outrageous of her superstar colleagues as she has sported an array of wild ensembles - no doubt hoping to turn the heads of her peers
The popular Carry On movies are making a comeback after 25 years, it was revealed last night.

It is believed that two new films, Carry On Doctors and Carry On Campus, will be set for release in 2017.

However it was reported that Barbara Windsor, who appeared as a goodtime girl in nine Carry On movies between 1964 and 1974, and Jim Dale, another surviving original, will not make appearances.

Carry On Again Doctor, starring Barbara Windsor as Goldie Locks and Jim Dale as Doctor James Nookey

The new films are being written by Tim Dawson and Susan Nickson, who have previously written popular BBC sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.

It is believed the storyline for the films, which will be the first in the series since Carry On Columbus in 1992, has been decided but the cast has not yet been confirmed.

Twenty-nine original Carry On films and one compilation film were made between 1958 and 1978 at Pinewood Studios.

A source told The Sun: This has been on the cards for some time. All being well with work on the script it will start shooting in October with a release pencilled in for 2017  which will coincide with the 25th anniversary on the last film.

Carry on Cleo starring Kenneth Williams as Julius Caesar. Twenty-nine original Carry On films and one compilation film were made between 1958 and 1978 at Pinewood Studios

Theres a brilliant team behind this and theyre determined to make it a success.

They want it to be a fresh start in terms of the cast, so it will be a completely new set of characters but with the old cheekiness of the past films.

Theres a real rise in nostalgia with old series coming back  such as Dads Army, Porridge and Ab Fab. Now definitely feels like the right time to do it justice.

The two films will be produced by Jonathan Sothcott who told The Sun it was an exciting project.

He added: Carry On is part of our DNA  anyone who is under 60 and has been brought up in this country knows these films.

Apart from James Bond theres no other identifiable British movie brand like it.

Brian Baker, who was left the rights by his close friend Peter Rogers who died in 2009, added: Im very excited for the project to go into production and to have the chance to honour Peters work.

Between 1958 and 1979 there were 29 Carry On films made, most with variations of the same leading cast as well as numerous notable guests.
The weeks big revelation on Made In Chelsea came from Rosie  never a good sign and so it proved.

Im obsessed with cheese! she announced, oblivious to the social shame as she was seen by her friends securing another fix (a chunk of Jahlsberg on a stick).

I live and breathe cheese! the poor wretch continued, illustrating why she never has even the flimsiest storyline about hooking up with anyone like all the others.

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Love at last? Despite rejecting Toff last year, Richard made a move as he asked her out for dinner

Admittedly, anyone admitting to eating ANYTHING on Made In Chelsea was fairly startling.

But as confessions go, eating cheese was small potatoes, particularly after last weeks show - an episode of such carnage, duplicity, and bitter betrayal it was destined to be forever remembered as the War of the Maldives and more like GoT than MiC.

According to Stephanie Pratt, this had featured West Londons snootiest girl gang both ostracizing and persecuting their holiday host (or perhaps hostess) in a manner that was nothing less than a modern, blonde, version of The Crucible. Or at least it would have been if she had heard of it.

It had culminated in the devastating break-up between Sam and Lucy Watsons sister after the Machiavellian, Maldive-ian, menacing by Ms Pratt drove her to tell Sam about her hanky panky in Hong Kong.

Edam in Chelsea: Rosie announced her love for cheese at Toff's sophisticated cheese and wine party

Somehow Rosies penchant for wolfing down a nice Stinking Bishop just didnt cut it.

You might have thought Made In Chelsea was cheesy - and whiny  enough without Toff staging a cheese and wine party.

But there she was congratulating herself for throwing a cheese and wine party and wearing a long dress -simultaneously.

Guilty party: Tiffany Watson was seen crying after the truth came out her fling in Hong Kong

Feeling hurt: Last week, Sam said that he 'despised' Tiffany for sleeping with another man while she was on holiday

How sophisticated am I?! she giggled.

If this is something you have to ask, youve answered your own question: not very.

Richard was so overwhelmed he suggested because weve done the cheese thing, maybe we should do dinner.

Dont over do it old chap. The excitement might be too much for us.

Toff was also bearing in mind that last year Richard had tossed her to one side in favour of Stephanie, which wasnt as much fun as it sounds.

Try before you buy ! confirmed Toff, who wasnt as dumb as she looked. Well not quite.

Kiss and makeup: The young couple appeared to quickly over come their differences and rekindle their on/off relationship

Richard IS very odd! I cant deny that, declared Toff. You need to find someone who is weird. Who you can be weird with, counseled Victoria  and lets face it, on this topic she should know.

As for Frankies relationship with Jamie, even she was skeptical, describing it with the phrase: same old, same old

Talk about giving it the hot sell

She had heard rumours that Jamie had hooked up with a girl during a night-out with Sam.

I dont think I did! I was very drunk ! he blustered, protesting at the accusation even though he himself didnt know (or care) if it was true.

Repercussions from the Battle of the Maldives meanwhile were minimal.

Back to his old tricks: Jamie admitted that he couldn't remember whether he'd 'hooked up' with another girl while on a night out

Sam and Lucy Watsons sister got back together almost immediately despite his aggrieved bleating to all and sundry about her betrayal.

I just didnt think she had it in her locker. Were a joke! he told his sister Louise.

Youre not a joke ! she stressed. Are you going to speak to her at all?

If theres one certainty in life it was this.

No one mentioned the way Stephanie had threatened Lucy Watsons sister into confessing.

How are you? she asked Ollie Locke when she bumped into him at the hairdressers - without actually having her hair done. Ive been crying every day. Im just tired of going to all my friends and asking them what Ive done wrong.

Drained: Stephanie told Ollie that her ongoing feud with the MIC girls had made her exhausted and she needed a break

What indeed?

She was going out of town. I need a break, she explained. You know, after the Maldives. Im exhausted.

Well she would be  after all that bitching.

So instead we were left with petty feuds and fall-outs like the one between Victoria and Mark-Francis over what she called The Rosie Situation, which sounded like the new Jason Bourne film.

He actually did upset me ! she told Tallulah (about Mark-Francis not Jason Bourne). He made me cry! Victoria exclaimed, which shocked even her. Im not going to fall out with him about it no. Im just going to let it go, she assured Tallulah.

You know Mark and I had a bit of an argument, Victoria then told Toff later, letting it go albeit gradually.

'The Rosie situation': Victoria told Tallulah about her argument with Mark Francis over Rosie

She brought it up when she saw Mark-Francis, referring to it as their little squabble. I was a tiny bit upset, she reiterated. You were a little bit mean. But its done. It wasnt something I was going to discuss with you.

Poor Mark-Francis had to physically hug her to shut her up.

With Sam and Lucy Watsons sister re-united, it fell to the Thompsons to provide the only incident by turning on Lucy Watson with a passion that was not so much brave as Kamikaze.

Best pals: Mark-Francis shared a hug with Victoria after their 'little squabble'

Seeing it unfold nee-ow, said Louise, trying to sound as posh as the other gals. Hits a liddle bit more-haw sord-aird than I thought. The amount of arguments Sam and Lu-cair haff had! They haff been actual-air dis-grayyyyyy-ceful.

Sams big showdown with Lucy Watson started badly  ie, far too nicely.

I dont want things to be weird with us, she told him, being uncharacteristically (eerily) placatory.

Happily, this didnt last long.

Revelations: Louise expressed her disgust at Tiffany's behaviour towards her little brother

Stop trying to look for someone else to blame! she complained when he banged on about the way she had accused him of being unfaithful when she knew her sister had cheaded on him.

Youve got deep rooted issues with me and I think its weird ! Lucy Watson retorted, effortlessly ignoring his point.

Why cant you just say sorry?! Sam wailed  the obvious answer being because it wasnt in the script.

Showdown: Lucy Watson faced Sam in the wake of her sister's cheating revelation

Why cant you just grow up?! she snapped back, magnificently irritatingly.

If you come at me like that again I will go f**king huge on you! he harrumphed, sounding and looking more like Nigel Farage than ever.

Predictably, Lucy Watson didnt bat an elegant eyelash.

Dont threaten me Sam ! she warned him, icily which in her case was worse than the heat of her rage.

#BeAfraidBeVeryAfraid
After supporting her husband during his appearance at the Supreme Court last week, Roxy Jacenko ditched the courtroom for front row seats at Mercedes Benz Australian Fashion Week 2016 on Tuesday.

Before the show, the Sydney PR maven took to her social media sites to give fans a glimpse of her designer wardrobe before heading to the By Johnny show.

Preened to perfection, the mother-of-two was dressed in a blue military-style blazer, by Balmain, a crisp white T-shirt and a tailored pair of Current Elliott jeans.

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All suited up! Roxy Jacenko ditched the courtroom for front row seats at the Mercedes Benz Australian Fashion Week 2016, where she headed to the By Johnny show on Tuesday

She styled her daytime getup with a large designer Hermes holdall and with a delicate diamond encrusted bracelet, while her talons were painted in a light pink shade.

Posing in front of a mirror inside a lift, the 34-year-old captioned her Instagram picture: To @by_johnny we go.

On Sunday, Roxy and her four-year-old daughter Pixie oozed style and glamour in their designer outfits at the Fashion Week opening show in Sydney.

Mingling: The blonde PR maven mingled with other guests at the show

Casual chic: Preened to perfection, the mother-of-two was dressed in a blue military-style blazer, by Balmain, a crisp white T-shirt and a tailored pair of Current Elliott jeans

Her red Gucci frock showed off her lean and slender frame, with the number falling in pleats around her calves while it buttoned at the front.

She was also sporting a pair of platform heels with ankle straps and her signature blonde locks fell in loosely around her face.

Roxy was originally expected to appear at her partner Oliver Curtis insider trading trial on Tuesday morning, which was scheduled to hear evidence from his former best friend, John Hartman.

But the New South Wales Supreme Court hearing was postponed for the second day in a row because of a sick juror. The trial will continue at a later date.

In good spirits: The mother-of-two appeared in good spirits despite her personal drama

Style star: The PR maven took to her social media sites to give fans a glimpse of her designer wardrobe

On Sunday, Roxy and her four-year-old daughter Pixie oozed style and glamour in their designer outfits at the Fashion Week opening show in Sydney

'Wingman': The girls snapped away before leaving for the show, which Roxy referred to as their favourite

Prosecutors allege Mr Curtis conspired with his former best friend to commit insider trading offences between 1 May 2007 and 30 June 2008.

The alleged offences netted the pair a reported $1.433 million, prosecutors told the New South Wales Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Just prior to jury selection, the 30-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charge telling Justice Lucy McCallum and potential jurors: 'Not guilty, your honour.'
It's a bad habit that many people struggle to kick.

But Ryan Gosling seems to have found the best way to quit smoking once and for all, and according to him, it actually works.

The 35-year-old actor told Australian radio hosts, Kyle And Jackie O, on Tuesday that he 'smoked himself out' whilst filming The Nice Guys, in which he plays a private investigator Holland March, who is addicted to cigarettes.

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'I never want another cigarette again!' Ryan Gosling told KIIS FM on Tuesday that he 'smoked himself out' whilst filming The Nice Guys, in which he plays a private investigator who is heavily addicted to cigarettes

Admitting he was a smoker in real life before filming, the father-of-two revealed he has since quit after being turned off by smoking too much.

'I use to, but in this movie I smoked myself out,' he laughed, adding: 'I never want another cigarette again!'

'It really is the greatest way to quit - it's hard to come by - you really have to get a film where you have to smoke all the time, but I highly recommend it if you are trying to quit,' he went on.

'I smoked myself out': The 35-year-old actor revealed he has since quit after being turned off by smoking too much during filming

'I use to': Ryan had no qualms admitting her was a smoker in real life before the film

'It really is the greatest way to quit': Ryan explained that the film helped him kick the habit, saying: 'I highly recommend it if you are trying to quit'

As well as smoking a lot for the film, the Hollywood star also revealed he drank a lot too - largely due to the influence of his co-star Russell Crowe.

'In terms of the drinking, I am supposed to be drunk all the time in the film, but it actually worked out because I went out with Russell right before we started shooting, so I was still drunk the entire shoot,' he said.

He went on to add: 'So I never had to play drunk once, I was 'Scooby Doo-py' all day long thanks to him!' he joked.

'I was still drunk the entire shoot': As well as smoking a lot for the film, the Hollywood star also revealed he drank a lot too, largely due to the influence of his co-star Russell Crowe

During the chat, Ryan spoke of the close friendship he formed with the Australian star during filming, and says Russell introduced him to some iconic Aussie traits.

'God bless him he tried to teach me about Rugby,' the actor said.

'He was also pumping me with these Australian ginger beer and vodka while he was trying to teach me,' he added.

Kyle was quick to interject, saying: 'That's not very Australian! I don't think I know anyone who drinks that!'

However, Ryan wasn't having any of it, responding: 'Hey listen to me... If Rusty says it's Australian, it's Australian! You understand?'

'God bless him he tried to teach me about Rugby': During the chat, Ryan spoke of the close friendship he formed with the Australian star during filming

The two stars are currently on the promotional trail for The Nice Guys.

Russell plays a contract killer to Ryan's private investigator in the film, with the pair working together to solve the mysterious disappearance of a porn star in 1970s Los Angeles.
Michael Scofield is back... and he's back in jail.

The first trailer for the reboot of Prison Break has revealed Wentworth Miller's brooding jailbird is alive and well.

The structural engineering supremo is believed to have died when the hit show ended with season four back in 2009.

Life sentence: The first trailer for Prison Break reboot reveals Wentworth Miller's Michael Scofield is alive... and back in jail

But the new clip for Fox's revival miniseries has shown he has somehow survived, but is yet again incarcerated, this time in Morocco.

The clip opens with Scofield's young son - also Michael - quizzing his mother Sara (The Walking Dead's Sarah Wayne Callies) about his late dad, who they believe died when the boy was just a toddler.

'What was my father like? My real father,' he asks.

'He was like a storm appearing suddenly out of a clear blue sky,' she says, as flashbacks show their meeting back in season one when she was a prison doctor. 'And then disappeared just as quickly.'

Bereaved: The clip opens with Scofield's young son - also Michael - quizzing his mother Sara (The Walking Dead's Sarah Wayne Callies) about his late dad, who they believe died when the boy was just a toddler

Memories: 'He was like a storm appearing suddenly out of a clear blue sky,' she says, as flashbacks show their meeting back in season one when she was a prison doctor. 'And then disappeared just as quickly.'

Inappropriate: The two first hooked up in season one, when Scofield had allowed himself be imprisoned in order to help break his brother out

'The storms, they can come back, can't they?' the child not very cryptically asks.

And true enough, a brief scene appears to show someone taking a grainy photo of Scofirld with a pinhole camera - with the photo ending up in the hands of Theodore 'T-Bag' Bagwell (Robert Knepper)

'Looks like your brother might just be alive,' the former inmate tells Scofield's brother Lincoln Burrows, played by Dominic Purcell.

There he is: A brief scene appears to show someone taking a grainy photo of Scofirld with a pinhole camera

Bag man: The photo ends up in the hands of Theodore 'T-Bag' Bagwell (Robert Knepper)

Proof: 'Looks like your brother might just be alive,' the former inmate tells Scofield's brother Lincoln Burrows, played by Dominic Purcell

'If you're playing me, I'll kill you,' he replies.

Lincoln then passes the photo on to his brother's widow, who is reluctant to believe her eyes.

'I know you want it to be true - I want it to be true,' she tells him. 'But we've got to trust what we know.'

'There's only one way to find out,' he replies.

Denial: Lincoln then passes the photo on to his brother's widow, who is reluctant to believe her eyes

Visiting hours: Lincoln then travels to Morocco and enters the prison, only to come face to face with the brother he thought dead

Rescue effort: 'Michael, we're here to get you out,' he promises

Lincoln then travels to Morocco and enters the prison, only to come face to face with the brother he thought dead.

'Michael, we're here to get you out,' he promises.

The mini-series appears to go back to the root premise that made it so popular, except this time its the older brother trying to help the younger escape.

Scofield appears to recruit his two cell-mates into the plan, while Lincoln gathers help outside the walls, part of which includes shutting down the city's power grid.

Return the favour: The mini-series appears to go back to the root premise that made it so popular, except this time its the older brother trying to help the younger escape

Falsely accused: In the original, Lincoln was sentenced to death for murdering the Vice Presidents brother, a crime he did not commit

Man with the plan: His little brother then pulls off an armed robbery and allows himself get arrested, but not before formulating an elaborate plan for busting his bro out from the inside - which includes having the prison's blueprints tattooed all over his body in cleverly disguised artwork

'When those lights go black we're going to disappear from this place like ghosts,' Scofield tells his cellmates.

In the original, Lincoln was sentenced to death for murdering the Vice Presidents brother, a crime he did not commit.

His little brother then pulls off an armed robbery and allows himself get arrested, but not before formulating an elaborate plan for busting his bro out from the inside - which includes having the prison's blueprints tattooed all over his body in cleverly disguised artwork.

Also returning to the series, which will last nine episodes, are Amaury Nolasco as Fernando Sucre , Rockmond Dunbar as Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin, and Paul Adelstein as former secret service agent Paul Kellerman.
The upcoming series of Real Housewives Of Sydney has left fans guessing who may be joining the set since it was given the great light earlier this month.

And on Tuesday a corporate bookmaker revealed their top socialites who may be appearing on the reality show.

The bookmaker has Christa Billich, a 'guest star' on the several episodes of The Real Housewives of Melbourne (RHOM), as the most likely to be cast.

Could it be? And on Tuesday a corporate bookmaker revealed their top socialites who may be appearing on the reality show Real Housewives Of Sydney, including socialite Christa Billich

Christa is married to Sydney artist Charles Billich and last year they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.

The blonde is known best friends with Melbourne's Housewives Gamble Breaux and Gina Liano as she regularly shares snap of the threesome spending time together.

Despite having the connections in the right places, Christa revealed she thinks the RHOM has a mafia scent.

In the mix: Christa is married to Sydney artist Charles Billich and last year they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary

The best of friends: The blonde is known best friends with Melbourne's Housewives Gamble Breaux and Gina Liano (pictured) as she regularly shares snap of the threesome spending time together

Casting: Also expected to be cast is Gordana Willesee-Poljak, ex-wife of TV presenter Mike Willesee and former fiancee of celebrity chef Jason Roberts.

'It feels a bit like a mixture of Days of Our Lives meets Underbelly,' she told the Daily Telegraph in 2014.

Also expected to be cast is Gordana Willesee-Poljak, ex-wife of TV presenter Mike Willesee and former fiancee of celebrity chef Jason Roberts.

The make-up artist and tattooed beauty brushed shoulders with the law in 2014 when she was caught driving while suspended.

At the time Gordana represented herself in court and retained her licence while receiving a nine-month good behaviour bond.

Her dark side: The make-up artist and tattooed beauty brushed shoulders with the law in 2014 when she was caught driving while suspended

On the list: Then there's Lisa Oldfield who was on the panel of failed Nine Network chatfest The Catch-Up and is married to former One Nation politician David Oldfield

When asked about the possibility of joining the cast, she told the Daily Telegraph 'I'm considering it'.

'If the opportunity has come to me, it has come to me for a reason and I think it could be a fantastic random opportunity to help me live an even straighter life because I'll be on show,' she explained earlier this year.

Then there's Lisa Oldfield who was on the panel of failed Nine Network chatfest The Catch-Up and is married to former One Nation politician David Oldfield.

Lisa once revealed she had a troubled life and was heavily involved in drugs.

The past: Lisa once revealed she had a troubled life and was heavily involved in drugs

Making the cut: If the bookmakers are correct the three women will be joined by, all or in part, Lanoplips founder Kirsten Carriol

'Every Friday and Saturday night, I would take an ecstasy tablet. But eight hours after I'd taken it, it was horrible,' she told Woman's Day in 2007.

If the bookmakers are correct the three women will be joined by, all or in part, Lanoplips founder Kirsten Carriol, former models Amanda Cameron and Michelle Walsh and hairdresser Jo Bailey's business partner Marilyn Koch.

Earlier this month the Daily Telegraph reported Skye Leckie was also among those on the producers' wishlist, as secret meetings were held with number of ladies over lunch in the posh suburb of Woollahra.

The wife of ex-Seven Network boss David Leckie, seemed to confirm reports, telling The Telegraph: 'I've heard I've been on the list since day one but I don't know, you've caught me unawares.'

Beauty queen: Daily Mail Australia understands cosmetic beauty therapist, TV commentator and Miss Universe Australia beauty adviser Matty Samaei is still be in talks for a spot on the show

No go? While Daily Mail Australia can confirm Roxy Jacenko (left) will not be part of the series, it's not known if former WAG Nation star Terry Biviano (right) will be part of the show

Daily Mail Australia understands Matty Samaei, a cosmetic beauty therapist and TV star who is the beauty adviser and a judge for the Miss Universe Australia pageant, is also among contenders.

While Daily Mail Australia can also confirm Sydney-based PR maven Roxy Jacenko will not be on the show, it's not yet certain whether former WAG and shoe designer Terry Biviano will be among the mix.

According to RHOM star Lydia Schiavello, the first season of the RHOS will be shot before a fourth season of Melbourne is filmed.

'There is and will be, I'm pretty sure about that, a fourth season but we don't know if Sydney will be filmed first before Melbourne,' Schiavello told AAP.
They've been flaunting their love on social media since debuting as a couple earlier this year.

And it appears the romance between Lincoln Lewis and his girlfriend Chloe Ciesla is stronger than ever as the blonde model shared a romantic photo of the pair in Perth this week.

Hugging each other as they lean in for a kiss, the good looking couple are seen standing on a rock in front of a beach at sunset in the photo captioned: 'Just you and me.'

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Loved up: Lincoln Lewis' model girlfriend Chloe Ciesla shared a sweet snap of the couple in Perth on Tuesday

The 18-year-old model further expressed her love for the actor by adding a heart emoji.

Lincoln and Chloe can't stop broadcasting their romance on Instagram, often mentioning each other in their posts.

Taking to Instagram in March, the son of former professional rugby league star Wally Lewis shared a photo of him and 18-year-old Chloe locking lips, the caption next to the photo simply reading: 'This one'.

Cute: Lincoln shared a photo of him and Chloe on Instagram in March and the pair have been inseparable since

Bikini babe: Stunning Chloe is certainly not shy to flaunt her runway ready figure on her social media page, with plenty of bikini photos making the cut

It looks like the former Home And Away star may very well have met Chloe in her home state of Western Australia while recently there as a tourism ambassador for the state.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia last year about what he looks for in a girlfriend, Lincoln said it was more about a lady's personality as opposed to just physical appearance.

'Just someone with a great sense of humour, someone who's very down-to-earth and normal,' Lincoln told Daily Mail Australia at the 2015 Dally M Awards in Sydney.

Beach babe: Chloe, 18, is signed with Vivien's Model Management in Perth and 10 years Lincoln's junior

'You want someone who can make you laugh. You want someone you can have a very good, deep chat with and not talk about the more material things in life, it's all about the deeper stuff.'

He then added: 'And someone I can go to the beach with and have a good feed with'.

Signed with Vivien's Model Management in Perth, the stunner is certainly not shy to flaunt her runway ready figure on her social media page, with plenty of bikini photos making the cut.

Perth beauty: It looks like Lincoln may very well have met Chloe in her home state of Western Australia while recently there as a tourism ambassador for the state

Back in 2014, Lincoln was linked to former Miss World Australia Courtney Thorpe.

At the time, The Daily Telegraph reported that the pair were an item, with Courtney saying: 'Im really enjoying spending time with him  we really enjoy each others company.

Meanwhile, Lincoln previously dated Home And Away co-star Rhiannon Fish for two years, but the Summer Bay sensation split in 2012.

The hunky House Husbands star was then rumoured to have hooked up with Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice.
She has been busy spending the past few days rubbing shoulders with some of the Australias biggest fashion designers during this years Fashion Week.

And it appears as if Anna Heinrich has taken in some inspiration from the fashionistas, by stepping out in Sydney in no less than four rather eye-catching ensembles on Tuesday.

When she attended Bec & Bridge's show with boyfriend Tim Robards, the 29-year-old opted for a pastel orange one-shouldered jumpsuit which featured a daring thigh-high split on the legs.

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Quite the charm! Anna Heinrich continued the trend of wearing each designer to their runway show - here pictured at Bec & Bridge's Fashion Week show with boyfriend Tim Robards

Anna continued to sport the same loosely curled hairstyle as she had throughout the day and accessorised with a pair of oversized earrings, finishing her look with strappy tan heels.

Meanwhile, her handsome partner Tim wore a grey suit with a partially unbuttoned shirt underneath his jacket and brown leather dress shoes.

The pair put on a loved up display at the event which was held at Sydney's Carriageworks after the blonde beauty attended By Johnny and Manning Cartell's runway shows solo.

Quick change! In total, the 29-year-old beauty slipped into four very different outfits in less than 24 hours at Fashion Week on Tuesday

Leggy display! She had opted for a pastel orange one-shouldered jumpsuit by the Australian brand that featured a daring thigh-high split on the legs

Too cute: The pair put on a loved up display at the event which was held at Sydney's Carriageworks after the blonde beauty attended By Johnny and Manning Cartell's runway shows solo

Handsome! Tim sported a grey suit with a partially unbuttoned shirt underneath his jacket and brown leather dress shoes

Earlier in the day, Anna was seen sitting front row at the fashion event for By Johnny, an upgrade from the second-tier seating she and Tim received in February at the David Jones Autumn/Winter collections launch.

The pretty blonde gave her full attention to the runway show as she was seen intently filming and taking pictures of the designer's collection.

In a head-turning ensemble, Anna wore a colour-block midi-dress by the Australian brand, pairing it with strappy heels that laced up at the ankle.

With her glossy locks in loose curls, the TV star added a pop of colour with a plum lipstick which complimented the burgundy panelling on the dress.

Centre of attention! Anna is back in front after the beauty was seen sitting front row at the By Johnny Sydney Fashion Week 2016 event on Tuesday

Poll position: It's a step up for the 29-year-old, after the lawyer and hunky boyfriend Tim Robards were relegated to second row seats at David Jones' Autumn/Winter collection launch earlier this year

Documenting the day: The blonde beauty gave her full attention to the runway show and was seen intently filming and taking pictures of the designer's collection as the models walked by

What happened? Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich missed out on front row seats at David Jones Autumn/Winter launch in February

Beauty! Anna wore a colour-block midi dress by the Australian designer, pairing it with strappy heels that laced up at the ankle

It had been a busy day for the lawyer who had attended the Manning Cartell show in a black netted skirt and top ensemble by the designer, giving a peek of her long legs with an asymmetrical hemline and see-through material.

She flaunted her toned arms in the sleeveless top that featured a high neckline and black underlay.

Anna let the detailed outfit do the talking, opting for a loose curl in her blonde locks and sleek eyeliner and lashings of mascara to accompany her bronzed cheeks.

The striking star completed her look with a black sunglasses, a suede envelope clutch and the same strappy heels she sported at By Johnny.

Costume change:Earlier in the morning, the lawyer sported a different outfit as she attended the Manning Cartell show in a black netted skirt and top ensemble by the designer

So cute! It's the third day Anna has been seen posing for the cameras after she attended the Misha Collection event to see Bella Hadid walk with partner Tim Robards on Monday (pictured)

But finally for the Jennifer Kate preview, which was held at Byron Kennedy Hall, Anna worked her magic in a chic monochrome number with detailed printing.

She oozed elegance as she posed for pictures, flashing her pearly whites while smouldering in front of the camera lens.

Meanwhile, Anna recently revealed the pressures of actually running between shows with different outfits can be a challenge.

I'm actually wearing a lot [of outfits] and I'm actually quite stressed about it, she told Yahoo Lifestyle, before adding: I'm going to be running to the car and changing in there - not that glamorous.
As an astute businesswoman Michelle Bridges knows a thing or two about multitasking.

And The Biggest Loser trainer was doing just that as she stepped out to take her baby boy Axel out for a stroll in Sydney on Monday.

The 45-year-old was seen pushing the tiny tot in his stroller all while chatting on the telephone and keeping a close eye on her pet dog, who tagged along with a Frisbee.

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She's got her hands full! Makeup free Michelle Bridges was seen taking her son Axel and her pet pooch out for a stroll in Sydney on Monday

Michelle, who welcomed her first child with partner Steve 'Commando' Willis on December 19, sported a pair of black yoga trousers and a thermal zip-up jacket with faux fur trimmings.

The mother-of-one opted for a barefaced look as she strolled along a quiet street, and chose to pound the pavement in a pair of sensible joggers.

With her caramel tresses pulled back into a neat ponytail, the personal trainer kept a low profile with a pair of dark sunglasses.

Exceptional juggling skills: The 45-year-old personal trainer was seen pushing her tiny tot in his stroller all while chatting on the telephone and keeping a close eye on her adorable pet dog

Meanwhile, Axel looked at ease as his personal trainer mother pushed him along.

At one stage during their outing, the famous trio drew the attention of a fan who gushed over the cherubic tot.

More recently, Michelle celebrated her very first Mother's Day.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the InStyle & Audi Women Of Style event in Sydney on Thursday, the fitness entrepreneur admitted it was a 'pretty special' moment shared not only with her partner and their five-month-old son but also her own mother.

Star studded appeal: At one stage during the outing, the famous pair drew the attention of a fan who gushed over the cherubic tot in his pram

'It was nice to be with my mum and be a mum - [it was] pretty special,' she confessed.

'It was fantastic, it was very low key.'

Michelle then revealed she had been serenaded by her boys first thing in the morning, saying: 'I had a song sung to me by both Axel and Steve.'

As she recounted the festivities, Commando admitted it was something that just came to him. 'I woke up and it was just in my head - I don't know why - and I just started singing it,' the ex-army man told Daily Mail Australia with a laugh.

Watchful eye: Michelle also made sure her pooch - pictured carrying a Frisbee and styled with a bandanna around his neck - walked side-by-side the pram

'And you know when you hear a song and you might not even like it but you just hear yourself singing it over and over,' he added, with Michelle pipping up to admit: 'I loved it'.

Commando also touched on the special meaning of Mother's Day for him. '[It's] What's important in life and family and friends and sharing in those special moments, that's what's important.

'And as much as you might get caught up in things like this, which are fantastic, where are your roots and who is a part of that because that's your inner circle,' he added.
She has vehemently denied she was sacked following her recent comeback on EastEnders as Sam Mitchell, claiming she was only ever contracted to work for two weeks.

But Danniella Westbrook admitted she was 'upset' that she wasn't asked to film any scenes with Barbara Windsor and Ross Kemp (Peggy and Grant Mitchell) when she did return.

Talking to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain, the 42-year-old said, 'I would have liked to have been there longer. I was upset.

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Not happy: Danniella Westbrook admitted she was 'upset' that she wasn't asked to film any scenes with Barbara Windsor and Ross Kemp (Peggy and Grant Mitchell) when she returned to EastEnders

'I would have expected to work with Barbara and Ross but I didn't have one scene. It would have been nice to have done something together.'

Talking once again about those 'sacking' rumours, Danniella was quick to refute them.

'Were you two hours late to set all the time?' Piers asked her.

'No. Only one day when I broke down on the M25. But I couldn't help that,' she replied.

Part of the family: The 42-year-old star wanted to film scenes with Ross and Barbara, pictured with Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell), saying, 'I would have liked to have been there longer'

In her element: Danniella was in great spirits during her interview on the breakfast show, rocking a casual ensemble comprising a leather jacket and pastel trousers

'Did your boyfriend come with you on set every day?' he followed.

'No, he drove me into work on Saturday morning, but that's it.'

Piers added: 'And how were things on set?'

'Yeah friendly,' she said. 'I enjoyed it. I would like to go back in some ways because I am comfortable there, but my dream job would be Emmerdale.

'I would love to have an affair with a Dingle.'

Short-lived: Danniella refuted the 'sacking' rumours, insisting she was only contracted to appear on the show for two weeks

The television appearance comes after Danniella launched a defiant tirade against reports she was axed from the hit BBC show.

Taking to Twitter on Monday morning, the actress hinted that she's moving onto bigger and better things as she confirmed that she was only ever instructed to film 'a few episodes' on the BBC One programme.

On Sunday, her representative slammed reports in The Sun claiming that a host of backstage problems led to the former Celebrity Big Brother star being told she cannot return to the BBC soap.

Soap ambitions: Danniella said, 'I enjoyed it. I would like to go back in some ways because I am comfortable there, but my dream job would be Emmerdale'

Speaking out: The television appearance comes after Danniella launched a defiant tirade against reports she was axed from the hit BBC show

But Danniella had her own point to make on Monday morning, when she said: 'I was happy 2 go back 2 Eastenders 4 a few episodes. But I'm ready to call another soap home now .. A move north maybe'

She added: 'The c*** story a supposed source has given is just that C***! I came back for the 4 episodes they needed me for & my last day was Saturday'

Resuming her role as Sam Mitchell, the 42-year-old actress returned to film scenes for her on-screen mother Peggy's funeral over the past two weeks.

The famed Mitchell family, including Danniella's character Sam and her two brothers Phil and Grant, played by Steve McFadden and Ross Kemp respectively, have been united for the funeral.

Gone: Resuming her role as Sam Mitchell, the 42-year-old actress returned to film scenes for her on-screen mother Peggy's funeral over the past two weeks, but she insists she was only asked to do a few

Happy to be back: Danniella teased a soap return of a different variety on Monday morning, as part of Twitter tirade

Only a short contract: She clarified that her contract with EastEnders had only been a short one as she hit back at a newspaper story

Danniella continued: 'I had two weeks work 2 do @bbceastenders a funeral to shoot. Nothing with Peggy or grant. I was not sacked or axed I just did 4 episodes'

Danniella's spokesperson told MailOnline on Sunday: 'She didn't get fired she worked her full contract. It's absolute lies. She was not fired she fulfilled her contract and she was booked for two episodes and that is what she shot.'

The soap star also spent her weekend dismissing the reports with a tweet that read: 'Laughing all morning at the bulls*** stories flying about.. Believe what you like. I did what I was contracted to do and that's that.'

Happy to be home: A representative for the star slammed reports in The Sun claiming that a host of backstage problems led to the former Celebrity Big Brother star being told she cannot return to the BBC soap

Laughing it off: She seemed to see the funny side of the source quotes

All will be revealed: She is due to chat with Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday

She will also have the chance to set the record straight on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, telling her social media fans that she will 'on the sofa with Piers Morgan and all will be [revealed] about today's @bbceastenders story'

Her fans were quick to make the assumption that Danniella's 'move up north' referred to a new role in ITV soap Emmerdale, but she has remained schtum on the subject.

Prior to her EastEnders return, Danniella voiced her desire to make a full-time comeback, as the funeral for Peggy, portrayed by soap legend Barbara Windsor, would only be a brief stint.

Yet sources reported to The Sun On Sunday that Danniella frequently showed up late for filming with her 23-year-old toy boy George Arnold in tow - leading to his eventual ban from set.

Taking a break: The actress was seen having a cheeky cigarette and browsing her mobile phone in between takes while filming the funeral scene

Back again: Danniella's return comes after six years of being off screen, since her many returns following her first appearance in the soap as feisty Sam in 1990 (pictured after returning to the soap in 1999)

An insider stated: 'It was her last day of filming on Saturday and she won't be back. This is a huge opportunity lost for Danniella.'

It was reported the actress will only star in two episodes of the show due to what bosses allegedly deemed 'unprofessional behaviour' behind the scenes - yet Danniella has hit out at the reports.

Shortly before rubbishing the claims, Danniella simply took to Twitter to post to her 218,000 followers: 'Really enjoyed my flying visit back @bbceastenders looking 4 ward 2 your all watching at the end off June #HoildayTimeNow'

Danniella's return comes after six years of being off screen, since her many returns following her first appearance in the soap as feisty Sam in 1990.

'Flying visit': Far from addressing the reports, Danniella simply took to Twitter to post to her 218,000 followers: 'Really enjoyed my flying visit back @bbceastenders looking 4 ward 2 your all watching at the end off June #HoildayTimeNow'

Last seen on screen: The actress has been in and out of the soap for over two decades, with her well-documented battle with cocaine addiction being the focus of her many departures (pictured during her last return in 2009)

The actress has been in and out of the soap for over two decades, with her well-documented battle with cocaine addiction being the focus of her many departures.

Before her return to screens she candidly revealed she was hoping bosses will make her a regular fixture and pull in her Celebrity Big Brother co-star Darren Day as her husband.

The blonde beauty explained on Loose Women: I'm super excited to go back [to 'EastEnders']. It's going to be so nice having all of the original Mitchells back together.

It's going to be great. To be honest, I'd love to come back to 'EastEnders' full time. It would be fun if Darren Day could play my on-screen husband.

Back in the day: Before her return to screens she candidly revealed she was hoping bosses will make her a regular fixture and pull in her Celebrity Big Brother co-star Darren Day as her husband




She was detained for an hour and fined for verbally abusing Eurostar security staff in Paris last week.

And Cara Delevingnes mother Pandora has revealed that she often wishes her little girl would just come home.

The 23-year-olds bizarre meltdown made headline news on Monday and her loving mother recently explained that she believes that her daughter lives a strange life.

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Concerned: Cara Delevingnes mother Pandora has revealed that she often wishes her little girl would just come home

In an interview with Times2, the 56-year-old explained: She has a very strange life. One minute shes surrounded by friends, the next shes all on her own jetting across the world.

Everyone thinks they know her, but they dont and its quite a lonely life. Sometimes I wish my little girl would just come home.

She continued: Then I remember shes not my little girl any more. Shes her own woman, Cara, and I respect her for that.

Cara reportedly had a 'full-on meltdown' when her bag was searched during a routine security check before a Eurostar journey on May 5.

Not so typical family: The 23-year-olds bizarre meltdown made headline news on Monday and her loving mother recently explained that she believes that her daughter lives a strange life

Family love: The 56-year-old explained, She has a very strange life. Everyone thinks they know her, but they dont and its quite a lonely life. Sometimes I wish my little girl would just come home'

Bystanders told the Sun that the budding actress shouted 'f*** you' at a female security officer during the 'bizarre' incident in Paris' Gard du Nord station.

She was reportedly taken to a private room before emerging more than an hour later with red eyes, as if she had been crying.

It is understood Miss Delevingne was travelling back to London on the 3.50pm Eurostar service ahead of her sister Poppy's 30th birthday party.

The model-turned-actress was later seen arriving at celebrity hotspot the Chiltern Firehouse as they celebrated the socialite's milestone.

But according to reports, Cara was almost late for the party after she was delayed in security in Paris.

Giving her independence: Pandora continued, Then I remember shes not my little girl any more. Shes her own woman, Cara, and I respect her for that

She reportedly swore at a member of staff after her luggage was selected for a random security check before shouting at another officer who was sent to try and calm the situation.

One onlooker told the Sun: 'It was a full-on meltdown in the middle of security. There were at least 20 people around and she didn't seem to care who saw.

'It was like she thought she didn't have to abide by the same rules as everyone else just because she's famous.

'Cara was with a friend who was trying to calm her down, but it wasn't working. She shouted "let him do his f**king job, it's ridiculous".'

The model later 'prayed' on her knees as if willing the situation to be over, the source said.

'Meltdown': Cara reportedly swore at a member of security staff in Paris as she travelled to London for sister Poppy's party, pictured

She was taken to a private room before emerging more than an hour later, it is claimed. The model reportedly apologised to security staff as she made her way to the train.

Cara was later seen arriving at the Chiltern Firehouse with her mother Pandora and father Charles ahead of her sister's birthday party.

Cara was dressed down in jogging bottoms and a camouflage jacket, while her parents matched each other in extravagant oriental dress.

Routine check: The 23-year-old reportedly shouted 'f**k you' at a female security officer during the 'bizarre' incident in Paris' Gard du Nord station (pictured in file image). She later apologised as she boarded the train

There didn't appear to be a theme in place for the bash - considering the low-key looks of attendees Kate Moss, Sadie Frost and Stella McCartney - but the Delevingnes seemed to have made a special effort to co-ordinate.

It was the supermodel's first chance to celebrate Poppy's birthday as she was away filming new movie Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets on the day itself.
She's one of Australia's biggest modelling exports.

And Shanina Shaik took to social media on Tuesday to proudly announce that she is coming home for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia 2016 to open the Oscar de la Renta show.

The 25-year-old posted a throwback image of herself strutting the catwalk for the internationally revered designer during his Fall 2012 collection.

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Big news: Shanina Shaik announced she is coming home for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia 2016 to open the Oscar de la Renta show. Pictured at Elton John AIDS Foundation's Oscar Viewing Party in February

Shanina captioned the image: 'So excited to be opening the Oscar de la Renta show in Sydney on Friday! Thanks team #ODLR and #Etihad, see you soon @fashionweekaus! #RunwaytoRunway #ODLR Fall 2012'.

The lithe beauty is no stranger when it comes to sashaying along down the catwalk and will be walking exclusively for the Dominican-born designer.

Oscar de la Renta will be the closing show for Australian Fashion Week on Friday night and Shanina's appearance on the catwalk will be a huge draw card.

Memories: The 25-year-old posted a throwback image of herself strutting the catwalk for the internationally revered designer during his Fall 2012 collection showing in New York

Homecoming: The Australian supermodel is currently being flown back to Sydney by Etihad Airways, who have signed on as the global airline partner for Fashion Weeks around the globe

Shanina is currently being flown back to Sydney by Etihad Airways, who have just signed on as the global airline partner for Fashion Weeks around the globe.

An announcement was made on the Etihad website in April explaining: 'Etihad Airways will become the official airline of fashion week events in New York, London, Milan, Berlin, Sydney and Mumbai'.

The leggy brunette has been documenting her recent travels on board the luxury aircraft, including a selfie as she departed Abu Dhabi before revealing she was on the way home.

Luxury: Etihad is now the official airline for fashion week and Shanina has documented her time on-board the extremely lavish aircraft

The Melbourne-born beauty walked the catwalk for department store giant Myer's Autumn Winter launch in February.

She is no stranger to the Australian Fashion Week scene either, having walked in several shows throughout the 2012 showcase.

According to Vogue Australia: 'De la Renta is set to show an exclusive-for-Sydney curated resort collection at Carriageworks on Friday'.

This is the first time that the luxury American fashion designer has a presented a collection in the Australian market.
Toni Garrn turned a blind eye to the perils of a thigh-high split once again on Monday night, all in the name of high glamour.

She stepped out in a slinky silver gown that parted right up one side, but found it hard to balance her near-fashion fail with holding boyfriend Chandler Parsons' hand.

Luckily for model Toni, she had time for two outfits in one night, as she and the Dallas Mavericks player party hopped across Cannes to the Chopard Party from The Heart Fund Generous People Gala.

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Cute couple: Toni Garrn (left) and boyfriend Chandler Parsons (right) party-hopped across Cannes on Monday night

Toni put her long legs on display in her first ensemble of the night, looking lithe with a silver dress that skimmed over her catwalk credentials.

Her boyfriend looked slick in all black, giving a suited and booted ensemble a Riviera edge without socks inside his shiny loafers.

He had whipped off his polka dot tie and now left his collar ever-so-coolly open for their second stop of the night.

Near-miss: She narrowly avoided another wardrobe malfunction as she held onto her hemline

Holding hands: The duo held hands as they left the Chopard Party on the French Riviera

Party hoppers: She looked glamorous, while he had unbuttoned his shirt and taken his tie off

Group outing: The duo were joined by a female companion as they held hands

Glam: In her black heels, she showed off the backless aspect to her glamorous dress

For Toni, the devil was in the detail and she had pinned her hair up and changed her lipstick to suit her second outfit.

Earlier in the evening, the cute couple arrived at a gala party at the Cannes Film Festival in matching black attire.

She'd chosen to leave her legs bare this time, plumping for a hemline that skimmed off inches above the knee.

Earlier that night: The duo had previously attended The Heart Fund Generous People Gala

Sexy sheer blouse: Toni had made a quick change out of her sheer blouse number

Yet more sexy was her sheer blouse that flashed through to a classic triangle bra - and of course, her incredible abs.

Toni caused quite a commotion when she attended her first red carpet premiere of this year's Cannes Film Festival, on Monday night.



The blonde beauty risked a very public wardrobe malfunction while attending the Loving screening at the Palais des Festivals.

So sexy! Toni caused quite a commotion when she attended her first Cannes Film Festival red carpet of this year, on Monday night, stepping

Leggy display: The blonde beauty, 23, risked a very public wardrobe malfunction while attending the Loving premiere at the Palais des Festivals

Going braless for the occasion, she ensured she was the centre of attention as she manoeuvred the dress's awkward side-split to display her thighs.

But at point she seemed to protect her modest as it risked giving onlookers more than they bargained for.

Fortunately, she managed to side-step any red carpet accidents and cut a classy figure.

The German star was a special guest at the official screening of the acclaimed drama, which is centered on an interracial couple in 1958 Virginia.

Starring Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga, Jeff Nichols directs the movie which is expected to be a big hit.

Not shy: Going braless for the occasion, she ensured she was the centre of attention as she manoeuvred the dress to display her thighs

Careful! At point she seemed to protect her modest as it risked giving onlookers more than they bargained for
She made a fashionably late arrival at the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival.

But Poppy Delevingne certainly knows how to turn heads, making a serious statement as she attended the Chopard Wild Party at Port Canto in the South of France on Monday night.

The 30-year-old model stunned in a sparkling silver gown with racy cut-outs on the side to party the night away at the glitzy event.

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Silver sensation: Poppy Delevingne looked incredible in a spangled silver gown to attend the Chopard Wild Party at Port Canto in the South of France on Monday night

Poppy showcased her fantastic figure to its best advantage in the daring dress, featuring a low-cut, scoop neckline.

She upped the glamour thanks to sexy cut-out panels on the hips, revealing her flat stomach and slender waist.

The striking blonde complemented the stunning, floor-length gown with a pair of emerald embellished earrings.

Wow moment: Poppy showcased her fantastic figure to its best advantage in the daring dress, featuring cut-out panels on the hips

It's all in the details: The striking blonde complemented the stunning, floor-length gown with a pair of emerald embellished earrings

Models united: Poppy joined forces with supermodel turned humanitarian, Petra Nemcova, on the red carpet

Poppy wore her platinum locks in a sleek style, parted at the middle, setting off her evening attire with a slick of bright red lipstick.

She had only jetted into Cannes earlier in the day, looking incredibly stylish as she arrived at her hotel earlier in the day.

The beauty's outing comes after her mother, socialite Pandora Delevingne, has revealed a decades-long battle with heroin addiction and depression that's so crippling, that she has contemplated suicide.

Stunning: Poppy, pictured with Charlotte Tilburya and Josephine de La Baume, wore her platinum locks in a sleek style, parted at the middle, setting off her evening attire with a slick of bright red lipstick

New BFFs: Poppy joined forces with socialite Paris Hilton, partying in style together

Going under! The striking blonde hopped under a security tape as she made her way into the bash

Pandora - who is a mother to Poppy, Cara, 23, and Chloe - admitted her battle with drugs affected her relationship with her children - admitting that she was forced to move out of the family home at 'low points'.

Mrs Delevingne is set to reveal all in a new tell-all memoir, Shadows On My Wall, which is currently being edited while the 56-year-old looks for a publisher.

She told Times 2: 'A year ago I was lying on a mattress in a room with a swinging light bulb above me and I just wanted to die.'

Glamorous: Paris Hilton looked sensational in a white dress with pretty lace detailing at the bust

Excited: The hotel heiress was in great spirits as she prepared to party the night away
She's one of the world's most in-demand models and is a professional in front of the camera.

So Karlie Kloss naturally couldn't resist taking a few selfies as she posed on the balcony of the famous Martinez Hotel in Cannes during the 60th annual Film Festival on Monday.

The 23-year-old beauty was in her element as she took a few sneaky snaps on her phone in full view of the fans assembled below her.

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Snap happy: Karlie Kloss couldn't resist taking a few sneaky selfies as she posed on the balcony of the famous Martinez Hotel in Cannes during the 60th annual Film Festival on Monday

Karlie looked incredible in a stripy, off-the-shoulder crop top with loose sleeves and a matching skirt.

The high-rise, demure number was cut to mid-calf and showed off a small amount of skin at the waist.

The catwalk sensation set off her look with a pair of cat eye tortoiseshell shades and her best accessory - her beaming smile.

French Riviera chic: Karlie looked incredible in a stripy, off-the-shoulder crop top with loose sleeves and a matching skirt

Gorgeous: The catwalk sensation set off her look with a pair of cat eye tortoiseshell shades and her best accessory - her beaming smile

Living it up: Karlie was in her element as she posed on the balcony, blowing kisses to the crowd assembled

Elegant: Karlie's demure skirt was cut to mid-calf and showed off a small amount of skin at her waist

Double trouble: Karlie was later pictured with fellow model Doutzen Kroes as they were seen boarding a boat in order to get to Roman Abramovich's Mega Yacht Eclipse

Happy: The pair looked classy and sophisticated in classic fashion as they giggled

Sunglasses on: They cut the picture of elegance as they made their way onto the vessel

Taylor Swift's BFF looked like she was having a blast as she took in the sights from her vantage point.

Karlie looked simple miaow-vellous as she touched down in Nice, France on Monday.

The star wore a red T-shirt which had a cat's face emblazoned on the front of it, teamed with a lycra striped pencil skirt, draping a leather jacket over her shoulders.

Purry nice: Karlie looked simple miaow-vellous as she touched down in Nice, France on Monday ahead of her attending the Cannes Film Festival

Purr-fect: The star wore a red T-shirt which had a cat's face emblazoned on the front of it and a thigh-split striped skirt

Her caramel locks were tied in an easy-to-wear ponytail and she wore a feline-shaped pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses, sticking to the theme.

Treating the street like a catwalk, Karlie carried a Valentino box bag in her hand, which had a chic gold chain strap.

She completed her look with a pair of white low heels which had a black detail at the front and a sexy crossover ankle strap.

Cat's the way to do it: Her caramel locks were tied in an easy-to-wear ponytail and she wore a feline-shaped pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses, sticking to the theme

Arm candy: She carried a Valentino box bag in her hand with the chic gold chain strap just visible

Flashing her pearly whites: She showed off her natural beauty as she continued to smile at the cameras

It seems there was a host of other models arriving on the day with pretty Barbara Palvin also touching down in a chic monochromatic ensemble.

She teamed a simple white T-shirt with black jeans and a black jacket as she happily signed autographs for fans inside the airport.

Wearing her raven locks in a slicked back ponytail, she let her natural beauty shine through as she shunned heels for a pair of sensible white brogues.

Sign here please: It seems there was a host of other models arriving on the day with pretty Barbara Palvin also touching down in a chic monochromatic ensemble

Simple yet chic: She teamed a simple white T-shirt with black jeans and a black jacket as she happily signed autographs for fans inside the airport

The ex-girlfriend of One Direction star Niall Horan carried a comic book style Karl Lagerfeld bag on her arm.

Victoria's Secret model Izabel Goulart wore a camel cape coat over a simple blouse and black jeans.

Matching her nude heels to her coat, the brunette beauty added a pop of colour to her ensemble with a bright purple designer bag on her arm.

Gorgeous: Victoria's Secret model Izabel Goulart wore a camel cape coat over a simple blouse and black jeans

Working her magic: Matching her nude heels to her coat, the brunette beauty added a pop of colour to her ensemble with a bright purple designer bag on her arm

Making a return to the French Riviera was Dutch supermodel Doutzen Kroes, who had only flown out of Nice last Thursday after just two days in Cannes.

The mother-of-two, 31, is in Cannes as her role as a L'Oreal spokesmodel.

Back again? Dutch supermodel Doutzen Kroes was back in Nice on Monday after flying out of France the previous Thursday
Her character in Sex And The City famously never failed to miss a trick when it came to a fashionable outfit.

And Sarah Jessica Parker proved that she's no different at PEN America's annual Literary gala on Monday night, as she stepped out in a swish floral dress.

Arriving at the event solo, the 51-year-old actress flaunted her fashion credentials to the max breezy, retro-inspired A-Line dress.

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Spring style: Sarah Jessica Parker proved that she's no different at PEN America's annual Literary gala on Monday night, as she stepped out in a swish floral dress

The Hocus Pocus actress ensured that her turn on the red carpet was a memorable affair, thanks to her cream midi dress.

Keeping to a demure and dainty spring theme, the garment allowed Sarah to show a hint of skin and subtly show off her fantastic figure whilst retaining her modesty.

She rounded her outfit off with a pair of purple stilettos, which featured bow embellishments and complemented the pale and bright colours in her dress.

She also continued her complementary colour theme with her jazzy clutch, which featured a horse-tail embellishment.

Retro inspiration? Arriving at the event solo, the 51-year-old actress flaunted her fashion credentials to the max breezy, retro-inspired A-Line dress

Making sure she made a statement with her accessories, the Golden Globe-winning actress wore a trio of sparkling necklaces, whilst she also wore matching silver bracelets on her arms and a plethora of diamond-encrusted jewellery.

Wearing her long blonde hair in a perfectly coiffed centre-parting, Sarah allowed her locks to tumble in gentle waves down past her shoulders.

Choosing to keep to a simple and natural palette of make-up, she allowed her naturally striking looks to come to the fore.

Floral fashionista: The Hocus Pocus actress ensured that her turn on the red carpet was a memorable affair, thanks to her cream midi dress

And if followers of fashion were wodnering where she'd got the inspiration for her outfit, the Hollywood star recently revealed she get many of her ideas in the shower.

During an appearance on The Rachael Ray Show, she said: 'The greatest place that I get my most productive thinking done, is in the shower. Is it the quiet?'

Speaking of past successes conjured up during her time in the shower, she explained: 'Actually, when [Mikhail] Baryshnikov came [to play Aleksandr Petrovsky] on Sex and the City.

'It was in the shower, literally, because we were looking for someone bigger than Big. And I had danced with him years ago, and I was like, "Baryshnikov!" But it wouldn't have happened had I not been in the shower. I'm convinced.'
When you are battling to be the best in the MasterChef Australia kitchen you really need to make your dishes 'pop'.

And that is exactly what Nicolette Stathopoulos, 19, did when she smashed the competition in the popcorn challenge and then beat professional chef Braden White in a cook-off.

The student, who is the youngest in the competition, was awarded an immunity pin after serving up a confit salmon with crispy skin which was scored 26 out of 30 by the judges in a blind test.

Impressive result: Nicolette Stathopoulos, 19, (right) smashed the competition in the popcorn challenge and then beat professional chef Braden White (left) in a MasterChef Australia cook-off

Braden, who is the head chef at The APO, Brisbane, was left looking disappointed after losing by just one point with his Mulloway with white onion puree dish.

He said: 'I feel a little bit sad that I've lost. But I'm also super happy and super proud of Nicolette. She did a fantastic job today. She's a great cook. You know, the sky's the limits for her.'

Judge George Calombaris, who scored Nicolette a nine out of 10, told her: 'You should be laughing, smiling and happy, because this is amazing.

Thrilled: The student, who is the youngest in the competition, was awarded an immunity pin

Put his reputation on the line: Braden, who is the Head Chef at The APO, Brisbane, was left looking disappointed after losing by just one point with his Mulloway with white onion puree dish

Winning dish: Nicolette served up a confit salmon with crispy skin which was scored 26 out of 30 by the judges in a blind test

'You deserve it. You won it fair and square. And now you're going to learn about how powerful this pin really is.'

Judge Matt Preston thanked Braden for putting his reputation on the line.

'Braden, thank you so much. You put yourself out there. And more than that, you give your time to teach both Nicolette and also our contestants what you know, and you share that,' he said.

Nicolette went head-to-head with Braden in the tense cook-off after beating her fellow contestants Anastasia Zolotarev, 26, Con Vailas, 31, in a popcorn challenge.

She had a 15-minute head start against the professional chef and was able to choose the key ingredient for the cook-off.

Nicolette voiced her concern about cooking against Braden, who is the former executive chef of Ricky's River Bar.

Popcorn battle: Anastasia Zolotarev, 26, Nicolette Stathopoulos, 19, and Con Vailas, 31, (l-r) went head-to-head in a battle for immunity from elimination

Snap, crackle and POP! Judge Matt Preston said that the challenge will either 'excite or confound you'

'Putting on the chef whites, I'm so nervous. It's so early on in the competition. It's gonna be so tough cooking against a professional chef. But I also feel so proud of myself,' she said.

When it was revealed that she could choose to cook with either fish or shellfish, she looked worried.

She said: I'm feeling terrible right now. I see fish everywhere. I'm really not confident with seafood.

'Seeing that Braden's from Queensland, he's obviously cooked with a lot of seafood. I'm really scared.'

Braden also felt the pressure after he was reminded that he was putting his reputation on the line.

'I need this fish to be perfect. If I win today, I get to walk out of this kitchen with my head held high,' he said.

Young talent: Nicolette smashed the competition in the popcorn challenge

Delicious: Nicolette won an earlier challenge after serving up a popcorn parfait with popcorn crumb and butter gel

Earlier in the show, Anastasia, Con and Nicolette were tasked to make a stand-out dish using popcorn in 60 minutes.

Matt said: 'It will excite or confound you.'

'We don't want snap! We don't want crackle! We want pop!'

Nicolette won the challenge after serving up a popcorn parfait with popcorn crumb and butter gel.

She said: 'I love popcorn. I love going to the movies. I love buttered popcorn, I love lightly salted and sweet popcorn. I love everything about popcorn.'
He appears to be enjoying his triumphant return to the Cannes Film Festival after his Academy Award success immensely.

And judging by Leonardo DiCaprio's high spirited appearance at the Heart Fund party on Monday night, his good mood shows no sign of ending anytime soon.

Making a low-key arrival at the event, the 41-year-old actor looked to be in high spirits as he sat at a table with a group of friends laughing and joking the night away - all the while toking on his vaper.

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The King of Cannes? Judging by Leonardo DiCaprio's high spirited appearance at the Heart Fund party on Monday night, his good mood in Cannes shows no sign of ending anytime soon

Arriving at the event in his usual low-key attire, the actor went for a smart yet casual Riviera-inspired outfit.

Choosing to throw on a navy open-neck shirt, Leonardo added a dark blazer to the mix - opting for a suave style that was still summery.

But despite the gala's suave evening dress code, the Oscar-winner couldn't be parted from his trademark flat cap.

Vaping the night away: Making a low-key arrival at the event, the 41-year-old actor looked to be in high spirits as he sat at a table with a group of friends laughing and joking the night away - all the while toking on his vaper

Wearing the dark hat pulled down over his brow, the actor remained relatively low-key, as he reclined in a chair surrounded by friends.

Adding a further ragged and rugged edge to his look, the Revenant star kept his famous features unshaven and rocked a bristly goatee.

Chatting away with his group, Leonardo looked to be enjoying the conversation around the table.

A low-key arrival: Arriving at the event in his usual low-key attire, the actor went for a smart yet casual Riviera-inspired outfit

Trademark style: Wearing the dark hat pulled down over his brow, the actor remained relatively low-key, as he reclined in a chair surrounded by friends

Boy will be boys when it comes to banter: Chatting away with his group, Leonardo looked to be enjoying the conversation around the table

And... RELAX: The actor appeared in his element as he enjoyed the star-studded party

Sitting back and taking tokes on his vaper, the Wolf of Wall Street star also enjoyed a tipple from the table - presumably a fine French wine.

Cracking-up as his friends shared some jokes, the actor appeared in his element as he enjoyed the star-studded party.

And while the enigmatic actor was most certainly the centre of attention on his table, he wasn't the only famous face in attendance at the event.

Spotted someone? And while the enigmatic actor was most certainly the centre of attention on his table, he wasn't the only famous face in attendance at the event

Paris Hilton made sure she stole the show when it came to the style stakes on the red carpet, slipping into a risque plunging gown which made the most of her slender figure.

The 35-year-old hotel heiress arrived alongside her brother Byron, who opted for a sleek modern look in a stone suit.

other notable guests at the event included one of Leo's old flames, Toni Garrn, who stunned in semi-sheer LBD.

While the likes of Victoria Silvstedt, Mischa Barton, Hofit Golan and Russian actress Inna Zobova also made striking turns on the red carpet.

Cannes you believe it! Paris Hilton made sure she stole the show when it came to the style stakes on the red carpet, slipping into a risque plunging gown which made the most of her slender figure

Stylish siblings: The 35-year-old hotel heiress arrived alongside her brother Byron, who opted for a sleek modern look in a stone suit.

Beautiful people: Model Toni Garrn sported a sheer LBD as she posed alongside handsome boyfriend Chandler Parsons

Racy lacy: Stunning Swede Victoria Silvstedt sported a green gown which made the most of her famous assets

Wild at heart: Actress Mischa Barton wowed in a cheetah print black and silver number with a plunging neckline
Her personal life has been veering towards the dramatic side, following her recent revelation that she cheated on boyfriend Sam Thompson.

But, away from SW3, Made In Chelsea star Tiffany Watson appears to be having the time of her life, as the reality TV star is currently lapping up the sunshine in Sri Lanka.

The 22-year-old personality made sure to keep her fans on Instagram up to date with her holiday activities as she shared a few posts, as well as showing off her stunning bikini body.

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Utter bikini babe! Tiffany Watson showed off her slight curves in a tiny bikini as she soaked up the sun in Sri Lanka on Tuesday

Tiffany - the younger sister of Chelsea star Lucy Watson - looked lovely in a skimpy two-piece swimsuit in a post made on Tuesday.

Complete with a halterneck-style triangle top and the tiniest of briefs, the peach and white swirl-printed bikini was a flattering look for the slight Tiffany, who showed off her lithe, toned thighs, whittled waistline and lightly curved hips.

Standing in a pretty, tropical courtyard, she also donned a pair of turquoise flipflops and round reflective shades, her pale blonde locks swept back to keep the heat off her neck.

Along with the sexy snap, she wrote: 'Happiest when in a bikini, wearing @bahimibeachwear.'

Taking shelter: Another snap on the 22-year-old Made In Chelsea star's Instagram page showed her flaunting her lovely long, lean legs in a tiny playsuit

Another new image on her Instagram page from her getaway showed her sat inside her accomodation, once again flaunting her gym-honed legs in a pretty little printed jumpsuit.

And, despite her love-life dramas, Tiffany also posted a snap of herself cuddling up to her beau Sam - presumably taken before her getaway - as they kissed and made in up the latest episode of the show, which aired on Monday.

Last week, Tiffany packed up her finest bikinis and beach wear items as she fled London for the sunnier shores of Sri Lanka, where she has been staying in capital city Colombo.

And on Friday she certainly got her fans talking as she shared a shot of herself in a striking black bikini set.

The gym-honed reality TV personality was yet to venture into the water, as she showed off her svelte figure in the pretty scallop edged strapless bikini in an envy-inducing Instagram snap.

All is well: Following her love-life dramas, Tiffany and boyfriend Sam Thompson all seem to be well - she also shared a snap of the two of them cuddled up together, presumably taken in London

With a large pair of black sunglasses to block out the bright rays, she looked like she was enjoying the serene setting, a stark contrast from the hustle and bustle of King's Road.

Wearing her blonde hair loose around her shoulders, the reality show star was already looking tanned from an earlier break to the Maldives with MIC pal Nicola Hughes, which aired on E4 last Monday.

The pretty pair shared snaps of their getaway on social media, with Nicola in a vibrant pink two-piece, the perfect shade to offset her bronzed skin, while also exposing her seriously taut abs.

Infinate paradise: Tiffany was making sure her swimwear got plenty of use, as she soaked up the sun in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo on Friday

The girlfriend of Alex Mytton later shared a pose against an idyllic ocean backdrop as she wrapped her arms around Tiffany.

Her trademark blonde locks cascaded in a voluminous, yet sleek, style around her make-up free face, concealed beneath a pair of stylish aviator shades.

Tiffany arguably rocked the more sultry bikini style of the two in a floral number that boasted daring cut-outs around the waist.

Sizzling! She's isn't afraid to put the time in when it comes to her gym-honed physique and Nicola Hughes couldn't resist flaunting the results of her hard work on social media last week

Besties: The first of the two saw the blonde beauty share a pose against an idyllic ocean backdrop as she wrapped her arms around co-star and friend Tiffany

'Take me back @tiffanyc_watson,' she captioned the envy-inducing image, though that was just the first of the envy-inducing shots as she later posted a sexy solo snap.

The second shot depicted Nicola standing along the beach in the same two-piece, though her toned torso was more prominent as the sunny rays reflected against the curves of her stomach.

Despite possessing the body most girl's long for, the reality star opted for a more modest caption, simply writing: 'Peaceful'.

Not again: The pain of Tiffany's betrayal was renewed for Sam Thompson on last Monday's episode of Made In Chelsea

Although Tiffany and Sam have made up now, it was all drama just one week ago on the hit E4 show, with their romance hanging in the balance.

The girls' getaway wasn't always quite so tranquil, particularly for Tiffany who made a shocking revelation.

Previously dumped by boyfriend Sam after she admitted to kissing another man while in Hong Kong, Tiffany confessed that their intimacy didn't end there.

Renewing the pain of the betrayal for Sam during last Monday night's episode, she revealed that she had, in fact, slept with the mystery man during her trip.

An understandably devastated Sam was seen telling his tearful partner: 'I despise you, you've done this again and again.'

Devastated: Sam previously dumped her over the revelation that she kissed another man while in Hong Kong

The blonde reality star found herself revealing the whole truth during a group trip to the Maldives which had been organised by Stephanie Pratt, but ended up doing more harm than good for the American beauty and her British troop.

The explosive conversation took place towards the end of the show as Sam approached a visibly upset Tiffany.

She began by saying: ' Stephanie has been threatening me about something. It wasnt just a kiss in Hong Kong and I shouldnt have lied about it.

See Made In Chelsea updates as Tiffany Watson admits she cheated on Sam Thompson

I'm so sorry: Tiffany admitted that she had, in fact, slept with the mystery man during her trip

'Theres no excuse for what Ive done and I should have told you.'

Sam couldn't hide the horror in his face as he reacted to her news replying: ' Oh Tiff, You f****d him, I cant do through this all over again.'

Tiffany sobbed: 'Im sorry, I know in myself that Ill never do anything like that again. I know it. There is nothing else ever to come out.'

But the damage had been done as Sam replied: ' Im so frightened about what Im going to have to go through again now. I cant trust you.'

Distraught: An understandably devastated Sam was seen telling his tearful partner, 'I despise you, youve done this again and again'

Horrible end: The blonde reality star found herself revealing the whole truth during a group trip to the Maldives which had been organised by Stephanie Pratt

The dramatic events were kicked off by a conversation that Tiffany had with Stephanie earlier in the day where Stephanie admitted she wasnt sure why she was still guarding Tiffanys secret.

The petite blonde admitted, I feel terrible every day about that lie, to which Stephanie quipped, Really? Because you were playing the victim the whole time.

Tiffany fought back saying: 'You threatened to tell that secret, what friend does that?'

Drama in paradise: The dramatic events were kicked off by a conversation that Tiffany had with Stephanie earlier in the day where Stephanie admitted she wasnt sure why she was still guarding Tiffanys secret

Unpopular: The petite blonde admitted, I feel terrible every day about that lie, to which Stephanie quipped, Really? Because you were playing the victim the whole time

The episode started with Sam and Tiffany revealing their excitement for the upcoming trip to the Maldives with Stephanie, Louise Thompson, love birds Binky Felstead and JP Patterson as well as Alex Mytton and his girlfriend Nicola Hughes.

Stephanie didn't enjoy the trip she had envision as she endured a tense talk with Louise admitting: I care about you but Im getting tired of having to keep trying so hard.

And the following morning saw her clash with Nicola as she let the emotions from the night before take over and stop her from listening to the Irish beautys thoughts about her friendship situations.
She recently showed off her enviable figure in a beautiful Steven Khalil gown at the Logie Awards earlier this month.

But it was back to work for Pia Miller who covered up her famous curves when she shot new scenes on the set of Home And Away on Monday.

The soap star was dressed in character as sultry Summer Bay police officer Katarina Chapman as she was seen arresting fellow actress Jessica Falkholt.

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An arresting sight! Home And Away policewoman Pia Miller handcuffs actress Jessica Falkholt in scenes filmed on the set of Palm Beach

You're nicked! Pia, who plays Summer Bay police officer Katarina Chapman, arrests actress Jessica Falkholt on set

Showing off her law enforcement skills, the beauty was snapped chasing down her co star who plays a female perpetrator during a tense scene in the fictitious town of Summer Bay.

But Jessica's character couldnt escape from Pia's clutches - the actress managed to grab a hold of the perpetrator before patting her down and slapping on a pair of silver handcuffs.

The mother-of-two was later joined on set by fellow soap star George Mason who plays Martin Ashford.

Running hard: Jessica, who plays a law breaker on an upcoming episode, tried to out maneuver Pia

Gotcha: Jessica was pictured in white distressed jeans, boots and a chambray shirt tied up at the waist

Arresting development: Pia pattered down the lawbreaker before slapping on a pair of handcuffs

Work uniform: The 32-year old soap star was dressed in a bulletproof vest, blue trousers, steel capped boots, a cap and a light blue shirt with police emblems emblazoned on the sleeves

It appeared Georges character had been in some sort of accident or physical altercation as he showed off a bloodied face with scratches and bruises.

Days earlier, Pia revealed that feeling great is all about what's on the inside, and not how incredible an outfit is.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the brunette beauty said for her, feeling sexy has nothing to do with the clothes and that she often feels her best in jeans and a T-shirt.

Dashing display: The mother-of-two was seen jumping out of the car quickly to chase down the lawbreaker

Waiting for backup: The 32-year-old is seen with the law breakers on the side of the road

'It is not about what you look like and it is not about what you are wearing,' she said.

'Sexiness comes from feeling good within yourself and feeling comfortable and confident (whether) that means you are in a pair of denim shorts or white ripped jeans or in an awesome frock.'

She added that she loves getting dressed up when the occasion calls for something glamorous, and that it can make her feel 'powerful'.

Dangerous scene: The mother-of-two was later joined on set by fellow soap star George Mason (pictured in the scrub) who plays Martin Ashford

Ouch: It appeared Georges character has been in some sort of accident or physical altercation as he showed off a bloodied face with scratches and bruises

However, she said she is at her most comfortable and feels her best when wearing something slightly more casual.

Pia recently wowed in a black strappy designer gown at the 58th Annual TV Week Logie Awards in Melbourne.

The soap star, who was nominated Best New Talent, showed off her gym-honed figure in the off-the-shoulder bandeau dress and wore her trademark brown tresses in loose waves.

She attended the awards ceremony with her 13-year-old son Isaiah.

Stunning appearance: The soap star attended the 58th TV Week Logie Awards with her 13-year-old son Isaiah




She's back in the UK after an idyllic break in Dubai.

But on Tuesday, Megan McKenna was clearly still feeling nostalgic about her recent holiday as she shared a very seductive and flattering throwback snap that was perhaps originally meant for her boyfriend's eyes only.

The TOWIE star and girlfriend of Pete Wicks, 23, oozed sex appeal in the saucy shot, posted on her Instagram page, much to the delight of her 1.1m followers.

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Saucy! Megan McKenna looked incredibly sexy as she reclined on a bed in a bikini on her getaway in Dubai from last week, in an image she shared on Instagram on Tuesday

With her enviably long, toned legs stretched out in front of her - one knee bent up as she reclined on a bed - she certainly looked in the mood for some bedroom fun.

And, as she did throughout much of her gorgeous getaway, Megan was clad in a just a barely-there black bikini with a kimono thrown on top.

Her brunette mane was styled into a huge style, curling over her shoulders as she pouted into the camera lens, the snap presumably taken by her handsome partner and TOWIE co-star Pete.

Along with the image, she wrote: 'Throwing it back to last week on the yacht even tho it's not a Thursday... #Yachtday #meganxmisspap.'

Eye-popping: Megan shared another steamy selfie with her Instagram followers on Friday as she snapped a picture of her ample cleavage whilst shooting her new clothing line in Dubai

As well as it being a romantic getaway for the busy reality TV star, who appeared in Celebrity Big Brother in January, it was also a working trip, as on Friday she took part in a photoshoot for her new clothing line for Miss Pap.

On Friday, while soaking up the sun in the luxury resort - but away from Pete as she got to work - she couldn't resist snapping a steamy selfie from behind the scenes before she prepared to model her clothing

Looking down at the lens with her mouth parted in a glossy seductive pout, the TOWIE star was a vision of beauty in the picture, which she captioned: 'Day 3 #meganxmisspap.'

Hot stuff: The stunning star revealed that her romantic getaway with Pete Wicks would contain even more tanning sessions as she shared another bikini selfie with her Instagram fans on Friday

Clad in a plunging black bodysuit, Megan showed off her ample cleavage in the sizzling snap, barely containing her chest in the skimpy fabric.

Wearing her chestnut locks loose and in waves, she framed her pretty face with the voluminous curls, which shrouded a pair of large hooped earrings.

Megan also shared another bikini selfie with her Instagram fans on Friday.

The reality starlet showcased her enviable six pack in a lime green bikini as she reclined on a sun lounger in the blazing heat.

The brunette beauty had to shield her eyes with her left hand while Pete took the snap which perfectly highlighted her deep tan.

Soaking up the sun: The 23-year-old TOWIE star showcased her enviable six pack in a lime green bikini as she reclined on a sun lounger in the blazing heat

Megan hasn't wasted any chance to show off her bronzed glow as she shared a sultry snap of herself soaking up the rays while in the sea on Thursday.

The reality starlet flaunted her incredible figure in the skimpy two-piece, which offsets her tan to perfect with its vibrant red hue.

The reality star once again proved that her glamorous sense of style even extends to her swimwear as she posed in the remarkably clear waters in the alluring bikini.

When in Dubai: Megan couldn't stop herself from sharing multiple snaps as the pair lounged around through the day

The halter-neck design comprises of thick straps, each of which feature gold buckle detailing and sizable pink gems, while her bottoms are just about visible through the transparent sea.

The typically heavily made-up star looks to have stripped back on the make-up in favour of a more natural look for her day at the beach, her hair swept into an easy up-do.

Meanwhile, it looks like Megan and Pete's holiday isn't short of romance as the couple continue to gush over one another on social media.

Pete, 27, appeared to be admiring his girlfriend's body as they spent the day lounging on the beach on Wednesday.

Life's a beach! Megan hasn't wasted any chance to show off her bronzed glow as she shared a sultry snap of herself soaking up the rays while in the sea on Thursday

'I love Dubai': The TOWIE star then shared another snap of herself standing in the clear water

Copycat: Pete was sure to share his own snap from the same spot writing, 'The sun life...#Dubai'

Sharing a snap of Megan's pert posterior as she lay on her front in nothing but a stringy patterned bikini, the reality star couldn't help but boast.

'Best view in Dubai...' he captioned the shot, which depicted the former Celebrity Big Brother star viewing her phone as she continued to top up her already golden tan.

But the snap is just the latest in a string of doting pictures Pete has shared during their loved-up getaway.

Smitten kittens: It looks like Megan McKenna and Pete Wicks' Dubai getaway isn't short of romance as the couple continue to gush over one another on social media.

The look of love! Pete, 27, also shared a sweet selfie in which Megan appeared to be embracing the natural look as her freckles were clearly visible along her nose and across her cheeks

On Tuesday, the Essex heartthrob posted a sweet selfie of the pair, in which Megan looked to be embracing her natural beauty by wearing minimal make-up, allowing her freckles to shine through.

Her voluminous brunette locks were swept into a heavy side-part and were left to cascade along one side of her face as her boyfriend tenderly nuzzled his head into hers for the snap.

What a beaut... @megan_mckenna_ ,' he wrote alongside the amorous image.

Drinks o'clock: The couple spent their Monday night sipping on cocktails at one of the city's many nightspots

Taking in the sights! Megan shared a snap of the loved-up duo posing in front of the Burj Al Arab hotel on Tuesday

The snap saw Megan wearing the same sequinned green bikini that she sported earlier in the week, with the beauty and her new man manipulating the embellishments so that is spelled out Pete's initials 'PW'.

She added a caption on the shot reading: 'When your bikini top can make your Bfs initials #owned #PW' - marking one of few public proclamations that the long-haired hunk as her boyfriend.

The trip marks the first holiday the couple have enjoyed together, though it isn't the first bit of sun they've seen in recent weeks.

Megan recently soaked up the rays in Miami as part of a girls' holiday, while Pete enjoyed a trip to the Mexican Riviera resort of Cancun with his male pals.
Her supermodel younger sister has ruled the red carpet at the A-list packed Cannes Film Festival.

Now Kendall Jenner has competition in town as Kim Kardashian made a late arrival in the French Riviera on Tuesday.

The stunning superstar, 35, looked amazing despite jetting straight from an awards show in New York on Monday night.

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Because she Cannes! Kendall Jenner has competition in town as sister Kim Kardashian made a late arrival in the French Riviera on Tuesday for the Cannes Film Festival

Dressed to kill in a seriously slinky silk dress, she paired the low-cut number with a more demure cream cardigan and a pair of matching suede boots.

Already strutting her stuff on the red carpet, the reality TV queen worked the cameras as she walked into the exclusive Martinez hotel, where she joins mum Kris Jenner and Kendall.

Kim was surrounded by burly security guards as she sported a pair of shades.

It's a hectic week for the mother-of-two, who will appear AmFar Gala in Cannes, then heading to London for a Vogue 100 appearance before ending her whirlwind European trip with Valentino's birthday in Italy.

French fancy: The stunning superstar, 35, looked amazing despite jetting straight from an awards show in New York on Monday night

Red carpet ready: Dressed to kill in a seriously slinky silk dress, she paired the low-cut number with a more demure cream cardigan and a pair of matching suede boots

I'm here! Already strutting her stuff, the reality TV queen worked the cameras as she walked into the exclusive Martinez hotel, where she joins mum Kris Jenner and Kendall

Her appearance comes hours after she was the proud recipient of a Webby Award.

The 35-year-old arrived to the ceremony, held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York, in a stunning ensemble where she was honoured with the brand new Break The Internet Award, and vowed to post 'nude selfies until I die'.

Kim, who has over 70 million Instagram followers, 45 million Twitter followers, and a hugely successful mobile game, Kim Kardashian's Hollywood - is the first-ever recipient of the accolade at the annual Webby Awards in recognition of her 'bold and creative' use of online platforms.

When Kim was presented with the award by author, journalist and internet commentator, Kara Swisher, she made a five-word acceptance speech as she stated: 'Nude selfies until I die.'

Busty: The dress made the most of the star's body, including her generous assets

Sensational: The beauty looked amazing considering her long flight from New York, where she had attended the Webby Awards

Security! Kim was surrounded by burly security guards as she sported a pair of shades.

Belle of the ball: Kendall has led the glamour at an array of uber-glitzy events, including the two parties thrown by Chopard and Hand of Stone premiere

Announcing the honour, Webby organisers said: '[The award is given] in recognition of her unprecedented success online and the bold and creative ways she has used the Internet, social media, apps and video to connect with a truly global audience.'

A further post on the Webby Awards' official website reads: 'The Webby Awards are excited to honour Kim Kardashian West with the inaugural Webby Break The Internet Award for her unparalleled success online.

'It would be difficult to underestimate the importance of Kim Kardashian West's impact on the Internet.

While Kim was winning awards for her web skills, the Kardashian/Jenner clan has been represented by Kendall and Kris in France.

Kendall has led the glamour at an array of uber-glitzy events, including the two parties thrown by Chopard and Hand of Stone premiere.
She spent six months in South Africa filming the BBC series, Our Girl.

But despite just getting back to the UK last month, Michelle Keegan had no time to relax as she was launched straight back into filming dramatic new content for the programme.

On set in Manchester on Tuesday, the 28-year-old actress - who plays Corporal Georgie Lane - gave CPR to a young girl who had been knocked off her bike in a road traffic incident for the emotive scenes.

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Back in business: Despite just jetting back to the UK from South Africa last month, Michelle Keegan had no time to relax as she was launched straight back into filming dramatic new content for Our Girl on Tuesday

Crouched over the child, Michelle sprung into action, putting on a convincing display as she checked the girl's airwaves and cleared a space for her head.

Joined by her handsome co-star, the pair worked together to help save the child as hordes of extras played concerned passers-by.

As the second season will reportedly be set in Kenya, Michelle's character was no doubt on army leave in the scenes.

Saving lives: On set in Manchester on Tuesday, the 28-year-old actress - who plays Corporal Georgie Lane - gave CPR to a young girl who had been knocked off her bike in the emotive scenes

Tense times: Crouched over the child, Michelle sprung into action, putting on a convincing display as she checked the girl's airwaves and cleared a space for her head

Team effort: Joined by her handsome co-star, the pair worked together to help save the child as hordes of extras played concerned passers-by

Clad in a pair of cropped skinny jeans, the former Coronation Street star showed off her shapely pins in the figure-hugging garment which she teamed with khaki trainers.

Layering up in a black suede jacket, Michelle also wore a grey T-shirt and blue patterned scarf, whilst a large green bag hung from her shoulder.

Wearing her chestnut coloured locks swept back in a half up style, she finished off the look with a pair of small gold hooped earrings.

Brits not abroad: As the second season will reportedly be set in Kenya, Michelle's character was no doubt on army leave in the scenes

Brunette beauty! Wearing her chestnut coloured locks swept back in a half up style, Michelle also donned a pair of small gold hooped earrings

Traumatising: The girl had been involved in a road traffic incident for the intense scenes

Leggy lady! Clad in a pair of cropped skinny jeans, the former Coronation Street star showed off her shapely pins in the figure-hugging garment which she teamed with khaki trainers

Michelle took over the lead role from Lacey Turner, who will reprise her character of Molly Dawes but in a minor capacity due to her hectic filming schedule with EastEnders.

Speaking about the second season of Our Girl, a BBC spokesperson announced: 'It wont be an easy posting as [Georgie] has to earn the love and trust of her fellow soldiers, and the greater respect of her commanding officer, while working alongside aid workers in the worlds biggest refugee camp.

'Kenya will be full of surprises that will challenge Georgie professionally and personally.'

Leading lady: Michelle took over the lead role from Lacey Turner, who will reprise her character of Molly Dawes but in a minor capacity due to her hectic filming schedule with EastEnders

Look away Mark! Michelle was filming scenes with her co-star who appears to be her on-screen boyfriend

Happier times: The pair had to pretend to be oblivious to the immediate danger

Got to dash! The pair leapt into action when they witnessed the crash and helped save the day

Running in style: The duo sprinted through the streets as they filmed the new scenes

Dynamic duo: The pair made for quite the team as they sprinted through the streets together

The shows creator, Tony Grounds, penned the new season, which is expected to air later in the year.

Speaking about the success of the first season - which aired in 2014 - the writer admitted he believed the female-led cast was a hit with the viewers.

'The viewers have taken this to their hearts,' he told the Radio Times. 'We've got a young, diverse female audience which is fantastic  we're the only ones with a female lead and our cast is incredibly diverse.'

Tough times: Michelle's character will have to earn the love and trust of her fellow soldiers, and the greater respect of her commanding officer, while working alongside aid workers in the worlds biggest refugee camp

Coming soon: Michelle will be seen in the second season, which is expected to air later this year
She partied the night away at The Harmonist's star-studded bash during the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival on Monday evening.

And Kate Hudson was still living it up the following day as she enjoyed a boat ride with Roman Abramovich's wife Dasha Zhukova and a group of friends on Tuesday, departing from the famous Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc.

The 37-year-old actress was impeccably dressed for the occasion, teaming a black cut-out KORE SWIM bathing suit with a statement skirt.

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All abord! Kate Hudson was joined by a group of friends including Roman Abramovich's wife Dasha Zhukova as she jetted off from the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cannes on Tuesday

Kate showcased her fashionable flair in the flowing, stripy maxiskirt with a high-waisted cut.

The Bride Wars star carried a large designer bag and wore a bright blue denim shirt over her shoulders like a cape.

The blonde, who was also joined by fashion journalist Derek Blasberg, styled her hair in a loose plait and hid behind a pair of statement shades.

Chic: Dasha was ready for a day on the water, slipping on a loose white jumper over her swimwear and donning a straw hat to protect herself from the sun

Funky style: The blonde styled her hair in a loose plait and hid behind a pair of statement shades by Illesteva

Effortless style: The Bride Wars star carried a large designer bag and wore a bright blue denim shirt over her shoulders like a cape

Dasha was ready for a day on the water, slipping on a loose white jumper over her swimwear and donning a straw hat to protect herself from the sun.

The How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days actress has been enjoying the sights of Cannes in between her glamorous evening appearances.

Kate has been hitting the designer boutiques as well as the parties, kicking things off with the Vanity Fair and Chopard after-party on Saturday.

Living it up: The How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days actress has been enjoying the sights of Cannes in between her glamorous evening appearances

Laid-back: The gang were also joined by fashion journalist Derek Blasberg

Keeping it casual: Dasha looked incredible in a simple white cable knit jumper

In good company: The gang were joined by several staff members on board the speed boat

Earlier this week, Kate praised the women of Hollywood, saying that she looked to her own mother, Goldie Hawn, as a trailblazer in the film industry.

Kate told WWD: 'In Hollywood, everyone wants to build you up and tear you down. My mother had a driver who came to the house to take her to work and I hated it.

'He would take my mother away. But what it taught me was how hard she worked to create opportunities for other women. She was a trailblazer in Hollywood.'

Party lifestyle: Kate has been hitting the designer boutiques as well as the parties, kicking things off with the Vanity Fair and Chopard after-party on Saturday

Helping hand: The brunette was given a helping hand off the boat and onto the jetty
He's famous for enjoying a night out with his boys.

And Leonardo DiCaprio was certainly looked the likely ring-leader of an excursion to a nightclub in Cannes on Monday evening.

After putting in an appearance at the Heart Fund bash, the 41-year-old actor blazed a trail through the town; even picking up a bevy of beauties, which appeared to include Paris Hilton.

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Leader of the pack: Leonardo DiCaprio was certainly looked the likely ring-leader of an excursion to a nightclub in Cannes on Monday evening

Heading off for a night on the town, Leo was accompanied by his two best pals Lukas Haas and Tobey Maguire; who looked more than happy to let the Wolf of Wall Street star lead the way.

Striding ahead of his friends, the Oscar-winning actor looked to have changed out of the smart casual outfit he'd rocked at the party - opting instead for jeans, a short sleeved shirt and trainers.

However, he'd made sure to keep his staple flat cap, which as usual he wore pulled down low over his brow.

A new addition to the squad: After putting in an appearance at the Heart Fund bash, the 41-year-old actor blazed a trail through the town; even picking up Paris Hilton along the way

Mystery admirers? The group were accompanied by a veritable array of beautiful women

And while the Revenant star is said to be dating Polish beauty Elsa Kawalec, the model didn't appear to be in Cannes with Leonardo.

Though while she was no doubt busy with work elsewhere, the actor wasn't short of female company, as Paris Hilton joined his gang for the evening alongside a bevy of other beautiful women.

Paris - who had been at the Heart Fund bash with her brother - had also gone in for an outfit change, and donned a form-fitting sheer nude mini dress.

Lad on tour? Heading off for a night on the town, Leo was accompanied by his two best pals Lukas Haas and Tobey Maguire; who looked more than happy to let the Wolf of Wall Street star lead the way

Leading the way: Striding ahead of his friends, the Oscar-winning actor looked to have changed out of the smart casual outfit he'd rocked at the party - opting instead for jeans, a short sleeved shirt and trainers

The usual suspects: Leo was accompanied by his BFF Lukas Hass, who appeared to be enjoying the company of one beauty in particular

And while the blonde hotel heiress, a notable party lover herself, appeared to have pulled out all the stops with her after-party wardrobe, two other mystery ladies appeared to be fashionistas in their own rights.

While one sported peroxide hair and a colourful kaftan, another sported a long dark hair with a blunt fringe and a black star-spangled jumpsuit.

Chatting away to each other the group were clearly up for a night on the tiles, however, Leonardo seemed slightly preoccupied with his thoughts - strolling along with a stern expression on his face.

Flying solo? While the Revenant star is said to be dating Polish beauty Elsa Kawalec, the model didn't appear to be in Cannes with Leonardo

Flanked and outnumbered? Though while she was no doubt busy with work elsewhere, the actor wasn't short of female company, as Paris Hilton joined his gang for the evening alongside a bevy of other beautiful women

Mind on the task at hand? Chatting away to each other the group were clearly up for a night on the tiles, however, Leonardo seemed slightly preoccupied with his thoughts

Earlier on in the evening he'd appeared in high spirits at the Heart Fund party on Monday night, his good mood shows no sign of ending anytime soon.

Making a low-key arrival at the event, the actor looked to be in high spirits as he sat at a table with a group of friends laughing and joking the night away - all the while toking on his vaper.

Arriving at the event in his usual low-key attire, the actor went for a smart yet casual Riviera-inspired outfit.

The King of Cannes? Judging by Leonardo DiCaprio's high spirited appearance at the Heart Fund party on Monday night, his good mood in Cannes shows no sign of ending anytime soon

Choosing to throw on a navy open-neck shirt, Leonardo added a dark blazer to the mix - opting for a suave style that was still summery.

But despite the gala's suave evening dress code, the Oscar-winner couldn't be parted from his trademark flat cap.

Wearing the dark hat pulled down over his brow, the actor remained relatively low-key, as he reclined in a chair surrounded by friends.

Vaping the night away: Making a low-key arrival at the event, the 41-year-old actor looked to be in high spirits as he sat at a table with a group of friends laughing and joking the night away - all the while toking on his vaper

Adding a further ragged and rugged edge to his look, the Revenant star kept his famous features unshaven and rocked a bristly goatee.

Chatting away with his group, Leonardo looked to be enjoying the conversation around the table.

Sitting back and taking tokes on his vaper, the Wolf of Wall Street star also enjoyed a tipple from the table - presumably a fine French wine.

A low-key arrival: Arriving at the event in his usual low-key attire, the actor went for a smart yet casual Riviera-inspired outfit

Trademark style: Wearing the dark hat pulled down over his brow, the actor remained relatively low-key, as he reclined in a chair surrounded by friends

Boy will be boys when it comes to banter: Chatting away with his group, Leonardo looked to be enjoying the conversation around the table

And... RELAX: The actor appeared in his element as he enjoyed the star-studded party

Cracking-up as his friends shared some jokes, the actor appeared in his element as he enjoyed the star-studded party.

And while the enigmatic actor was most certainly the centre of attention on his table, he wasn't the only famous face in attendance at the event.

Paris Hilton made sure she stole the show when it came to the style stakes on the red carpet, slipping into a risque plunging gown which made the most of her slender figure.

Spotted someone? And while the enigmatic actor was most certainly the centre of attention on his table, he wasn't the only famous face in attendance at the even

The 35-year-old hotel heiress arrived alongside her brother Byron, who opted for a sleek modern look in a stone suit.

other notable guests at the event included one of Leo's old flames, Toni Garrn, who stunned in semi-sheer LBD.

While the likes of Victoria Silvstedt, Mischa Barton, Hofit Golan and Russian actress Inna Zobova also made striking turns on the red carpet.

Cannes you believe it! Paris Hilton made sure she stole the show when it came to the style stakes on the red carpet, slipping into a risque plunging gown which made the most of her slender figure

Stylish siblings: The 35-year-old hotel heiress arrived alongside her brother Byron, who opted for a sleek modern look in a stone suit.

Beautiful people: Model Toni Garrn sported a sheer LBD as she posed alongside handsome boyfriend Chandler Parsons

Racy lacy: Stunning Swede Victoria Silvstedt sported a green gown which made the most of her famous assets

Wild at heart: Actress Mischa Barton wowed in a cheetah print black and silver number with a plunging neckline
Tori Spelling was 'surprised' by Dean McDermott's sweet proposal of re-marriage in front of the Eiffel Tower and their four little ones.

The 43-year-old reality star and her husband topped even that by getting matching tattoos while celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in Paris.

Tori and Dean popped into the Tin Tin Tatouages tattoo parlor to get their upper inner arms inked with the romantic French saying, 'Tout mon coeur, Tout ma vie,' which means 'My whole heart, my whole life.'

Anniversary tattoos: Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott carried on the 10th wedding anniversary celebration in Paris by going in for matching tattoos at the Tin Tin Tatouages parlour

The couple couldn't wait to show off their new anniversary tats and, with the writing on the arms still pink and tender, flexed their biceps for a few photos.

While Tori wore a black short-sleeved T-shirt, Dean kept his shirt off as they proudly put their love phrase on show.

Tori was the picture of calm composure during the tattooing process, lying back with left arm outstretched as the ink artist worked.

No gain without pain: The 43-year-old reality star was the picture of calm composure as the tattoo artist inked her arm with the French phrase, 'Tout mon coeur, Tout ma vie,' which means 'My whole heart, my whole life'

Smiling through: Dean got inked with the same French saying and smiled through the process

Here we are, madam: Dean opened the door as he and Tori arrived at the popular Tin Tin Tatouages parlour

The pair flew to France a few days earlier as their marriage hit the 10-year mark, with Dean surprising Tori with a third proposal at the Cafe de LHomme, the Eiffel Tower towering in the distance.

Dean arranged to have the proposal photographed by Michael Simon with the couple's four children in attendance, .Stella, who turns eight next month, Liam, nine, Hattie, four, and Finn, three.

Tori told Simon that it was all the work of Dean 'to have the terrace all reserved and private for us, and told me we were going to get coffee and hot chocolates for the kids.

Are you ready for this? The couple looked ready for their next adventure

Guests of honour: Tin Tin the tattoo parlour owner posed with the couple during their visit

'And then surprised me when he got down on one knee and presented me with an antique engagement ring.'

This was actually Dean's THIRD proposal to Tori with his first proposal taking place on December 24, 2005. They said 'I do' the following May.

Dean's second proposal happened the following year on December 25, 2006.

Will you marry me? Dean surprised Tori with a third proposal in Paris

It hasn't been smooth sailing for the couple, who hit a serious snag in winter 2013 following Dean's affair while he was shooting a movie in Canada.

It erupted into a scandal with the drama flaring in several episodes of True Tori that saw the mother-of-four dealing - or not dealing - with the emotional upheaval.

But all that seems to be in the past and the couple seem happier than ever.
She's Marks & Spencer's golden girl but Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was a walking, talking advert for their 'art of being' campaign on Tuesday because she was just, everything.

Looking flawless in a floral dress, the British model sauntered out of a business meeting at M&S HQ in London with a head full of plans for future campaigns together, no doubt.

Rosie, 29, had her hair tied up to reveal her full pout as she stepped out into the sunshine with oversized sunglasses tipped on her nose.

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Fashion fan: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was seen leaving M&S headquarters in London on Tuesday

Rosie cleverly sampled a mixed and matched multiple seasons with her ensemble, layering a floaty, summer-ready dress over suede boots that looked better suited to winter.

She nipped in her lithe figure with a bow at her middle and carried a classic handbag on one elbow to set off the day look.

Just that day, M&S lingerie model Rosie had learned that her Rosie For Autograph Eau De Parfum at M&S had been named Best New Celebrity Fragrance of 2015 by The Fragrance Foundation.

Glamorous: She looked effortlessly elegant with her hair pulled back and sunnies on

Golden girl: The blonde is a lingerie model, designer and make-up extraordinaire for the high street giant

Celebrating the honour, she tweeted: Such a lovely surprise today finding out... big thank you to the organisation for this honour!'

Having launched the perfume in January 2015, the blonde bombshell also added a make-up capsule collection to the line this January.

Rosie solidified her next season with the high street fashion giant this week when she shot the forthcoming collection of lingerie.

Making plans: Rosie was probably making yet more grand plans for her future with the business

Top seller: Rosie's original underwear line sold three times more than expected in 2011

Teasing: She teased her latest shoot with the brand on SnapChat earlier this month

Behind the scenes: Her lingerie collection will be launched again for the new season

Posing in her underwear, she teased behind the scenes content urging her fans to check out her Snapchat for a better look at her forthcoming Autograph for Marks & Spencer line.

Rosie previously modeled for lingerie giant Victoria's Secret between 2006 and 2010, but her debut lingerie collection for M&S sold three times more than expected at launch in 2011.

In fact, the 33-piece collection of silk lingerie sets, camisoles and French knickers and kimono-style robes became their fast-selling underwear line of all time.

Winner, winner: Her recent perfume line has also been recognised by The Fragrance Foundation. this week
Earlier this week he blamed the 38,000-strong chef shortage in Australia on laziness in the youth of the country.

And after celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge felt the fury of social media users, mainly parents who objected to his claims, he took to Facebook to post his own fiery expletive-filled rebuttal on Monday.

The My Kitchen Rules judge blasted critics writing: 'I know ur [sic] little Johnny works hard and is a great kid !!!!! But his mate Larry pops 10 pingers on the sat and 4 bongs on the Sunday,' he began.

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Heating things up: Colin Fassnidge took to Facebook to post his own fiery rebuttal on Monday after mothers complained when he blamed the shortage of chefs in Australia on lazy youths

He carried on: 'Then he's at work and cooks the f****** bejesus out of the broccoli til it resembles a brown soup which get sent back and I have to write a sorry email (w terrible spelling) via ur golden Johnny.

'And f*****g Larry went out all weekend, and now the 2 little f*****s want Tuesday off (eccky Tuesday) and I'm paying for them, I should have just gone to double bay w them on sat [sic].

'And we could of all watched Netfix all day Tuesday!!!!!! But thanks to all the johnnys mums for their comments today,

'Now make sur [sic] he's brushed his teeth and nothing under the bed!!!... Tomorrow's Tuesday, he's off sick !!!!! Get well soon Johnny,' the rant concluded.

Blasted: The My Kitchen Rules judge and restaurateur posted an expletive-filled rant on his Facebook claiming that youngsters will take drugs before work and make mistakes and regularly call in sick

His initial claims sparked widespread social media reaction and in an interview with The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday revealed that it has opened the door for discussion.

'I think our industry is, especially at our end, it's about love and passion, and to get to the level we are at, none of it would be without love and passion,' the celebrity chef explained.

Colin is a passionate supporter for youth entering into hospitality industry and runs free TAFE classes and takes students on for work experience to get their foot in the door.

Discussion: His initial claims sparked widespread reaction and revealed to The Daily Telegraph that it has opened the door for discussion. Pictured with chef Matt Moran in 2014

The social media storm started after the My Kitchen Rules star and restaurant owner said younger generations just aren't willing to work too hard and tackle life as a chef.

'A lot of young people don't want to work hard,' Colin explained to The Daily Telegraph in an interview published on Monday.

'It's now all about kids with tweezers wanting to put dots on plates. So when they start out, they're like "oh, this is hard," he explained.

Feeling the pinch: The article also reported that Justin Hemme's restaurant group Merivale is feeling the strain and struggling to recruit 50 chefs

The article also reported that Justin Hemme's restaurant group Merivale is feeling the strain and struggling to recruit 50 chefs.

The company's human resources manager Kate Tones told the publication they have at least 47 positions to fill.

Colin also said he has had to stop from himself opening other restaurants as he worries about having a lack of staff due to the shortage.

His comments about lazy young workers were met with anger as Twitter users took to the social media platform to blast him one wrote:

'What Chefs like Colin Fassnidge don't get is young people leave the CHEF industry because they wont stand the abuse they get..'

Sparking fury: His comments about lazy young workers were met with anger as Twitter users took to the social media platform to blast him
She unsurprisingly isn't adverse to putting her long legs on full display.

And Kimberley Garner once again ensured that her endless pins were the main attraction when she arrived in style to the 69th Cannes film festival on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old star made sure all eyes were on her as she touched down in the glamorous city by helicopter.

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Leggy display: Kimberley Garner once again ensured that her endless pins were the main attraction when she arrived in style to the 69th Cannes film festival on Tuesday

The former Made in Chelsea star pulled out all of the stops in a floor-length white gown which boasted a daring thigh-high split that ran the risk of flashing a little too much when she descended down some steps.

The risque number boasted spaghetti straps and a low-cut neckline, with the fitness enthusiast highlighting her incredibly slender waist with a leather belt that was adorned with multiple silver buckles that toughened up the otherwise feminine garment.

She extended the buckle theme to her choice of necklace as she rocked a choker style design that ran down between the bust.

Here she is! The 26-year-old star made sure all eyes were on her as she touched down in the glamorous city by helicopter

Bit of all white! The former Made in Chelsea star dazzled in a floor-length white gown which boasted a daring thigh-high split that ran the risk of flashing a little too much when she descended down some steps

Strike a pose! The photogenic star was characteristically snap happy upon landing as she and her pal almost instantaneously posed for some pictures alongside their impressive mode of transport

Proving her lithe legs don't need too much help when it comes to the art of elongating, Kimberley ditched her typically preferred stilettos for a tan sandal that boasted a smaller block heel and gold studded detailing.

Her blonde locks were left to cascade around her face in an effortlessly sleek style, while her make-up palette was minimal as the TV personality instead opted to let her sun-kissed skin do most of the work.

Seemingly excited for the glamorous adventures that lay ahead, Kimberley seemed in high spirits as she gracefully descended from her helicopter alongside her companion.

Dare to bare: The risque number boasted spaghetti straps and a low-cut neckline

Figure envy: The fitness enthusiast highlighted her incredibly slender waist with a leather belt that was adorned with multiple silver buckles that toughened up the otherwise feminine garment

Buckle up! Kimberley extended the buckle theme to her choice of necklace as she rocked a choker style design that ran down between the bust

What a gent! A member of the helicopter crew was kind enough to tote Kimberley's belongings as they made their way to the airport

Best foot forward: Proving her lithe legs don't need too much help when it comes to the art of elongating, Kimberley ditched her stilettos for a tan sandal that boasted a smaller block heel and gold studded detailing

Stunning: Kimberley's blonde locks cascaded around her face in an effortlessly sleek style, while her make-up palette was minimal as the TV personality instead opted to let her sun-kissed skin do most of the work

The photogenic star was characteristically snap happy upon landing as she and her pal almost instantaneously posed for some pictures alongside their impressive mode of transport.

Meanwhile, Kimberley recently revealed that she rejected the chance to return to Made in Chelsea and claimed that she felt like a 'caged animal' while on the hit E4 reality series.

'I did get called in and they did speak to me about coming back. I sometimes joke with my boyfriend, and after a few minutes we're like, "Absolutely not,"' she told OK! Online.

'I looked at that holiday and thought, oh my goodness, I so want to be in the Maldives right now. I felt a little bit jealous.

'[But] I've done those trips before and they are not very fun. It's beautiful, but you feel like you're a caged animal. There is so much drama that it's like being on a bad holiday.'

Shut down! Meanwhile, Kimberley recently revealed that she rejected the chance to return to Made in Chelsea and claimed that she felt like a 'caged animal' while on the hit E4 reality series

Not interested: 'I did get called in and they did speak to me about coming back. I sometimes joke with my boyfriend, and after a few minutes we're like, "Absolutely not,"' she told OK! Online
She has been dating Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos III for almost six years.

And on Wednesday Australian model Jessica Hart, 30, showed off glimpses of what appeared to be a diamond ring worn on her left hand.

The 30-year-old former Victoria's Secret Model was spotted making her way through Nice Airport, in France, for the 69th Cannes Film Festival, wearing a sparkler on what appeared to be her wedding ring finger.

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Is that an engagement ring? Jessica Hart flashed a diamond ring on her fourth finger on her left hand as she made her way out of Nice Airport Wednesday

Bling: The 30-year-old former Victoria's Secret Model wore a sparkler on what appeared to be her wedding ring finger

Looking every inch the stylish jet-setter, the beauty was snapped wearing sexy brown trousers teamed with an off-white shirt and a caramel trench coat.

Keeping in theme, the Sydney native teamed her off-duty look with a pair of thigh-high heeled boots, a striped scarf and a matching hat.

The model held onto her phone as she walked through the busy terminal with a brown tote bag slung over her right shoulder.

She styled her long blonde locks out and straight, while ditching make-up to let her natural looks shine through.

First class arrival: The Australian was snapped wearing tight brown trousers teamed with an off-white shirt and caramel trench coat

Keeping in theme: The Sydney native teamed her off-duty look with a pair of thigh-high heeled boots, a striped scarf and a matching hat

The sister of fellow model Ashley relocated to the US to pursue her modelling career and currently lives with her beau, Greek shipping heir, in New York's trendy East Village.

They have been non-stop by each others side and are often seeing enjoying romantic getaways around the Mediterranean.

The couple met in 2010 and since then their romance has gone from strength-to-strength.

In 2014 she first sparked engagement rumours when she stepped out with some very serious-looking bling on her ring finger.

Budding relationship and career: Jessica relocated to the US to purse her modelling career and currently lives with her beau, Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos III, in New York's trendy East Village

Stavros, who is estimated to have a net worth of $100 million, previously dated Paris Hilton and has been linked to Lindsay Lohan and Mary-Kate Olsen.

Before Jessica dated Stavros she lived in a $1 million Battery Park apartment with Tamarama band member and fellow Australian Nicolas Potts until their 2010 break-up.

The Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Jessica's representatives for comment.

The model has carved out a successful career in the spotlight as well as a reputation as successful businesswoman.

Her makeup brand, Luma Cosmetics, is gathering momentum and is now stocked in 300 stores.

Au naturel: The catwalk star styled her long blonde locks out and straight, while ditching make-up to let her natural looks shine through

Why so shy? The beauty looked a little weary after her flight, keeping her head down as she made her way out of the airport

Bundled up:She kept warm in her trench coat and scarf as she made her way to 69th Cannes Film Festival

Holding on: The beauty held onto her phone as she walked through the busy terminal with a brown tote bag slung over her shoulder

Speaking to the Collective Hub in February, she admitted that she wanted to create a naturally derived product that enhanced features - not covered them up.

She she told the monthly publication: 'I wanted it to be all natural. [Women] don't look twice when it comes to chemicals and fragrances and it's so close to your face.'

Having walked the runways for top fashion houses including Marc Jacobs, Victoria's Secret, Sonia Rykiel and Rag & Bone the Sydneysider knows a thing or two about makeup.

'I've touched and played with so much make-up in my time and I know it doesn't have to be necessarily be expensive or good,' she told the Collective Hub.
Anthony Kiedis looked a picture of health as he left a sushi restaurant with his band mate Michael Peter Balzary, also known as Flea, on Sunday in Malibu.

That was the day after Kiedis was rushed to the hospital after claiming he was suffering from complications from an intestinal flu.

The illness forced the 53-year-old to cancel two Red Hot Chili Peppers shows - Saturday night's Weenie Roast and Tuesday's iHeart Radio concert.

Back on his feet: Anthony Kiedis looked healthy leaving a sushi restaurant on Sunday after cancelling two Red Hot Chili Peppers gigs due to a stomach bug

The rock group were due to headline the iHeartRadio gig in Burbank on Tuesday night, with ticket holders still hopeful the band might retake the slot now that the frontman appeared to be on the mend.

But even though his stomach seemed strong enough to handle raw fish, the latest statement on the band's website said the gig was still 'postponed.'

The Los Angeles natives had been due to headline KROQ's annual Weenie Roast in Irvine, on Saturday, but was forced to cancel just minutes before going on stage when Kiedis was rushed to hospital suffering 'extreme stomach pain'.

Bassist Flea told the 16,000-strong crowd that the band members were 'devastated', and apologized for not being able to play their set.

Healthy: Fans will be relieved to see the 53-year-old back on his feet, as he met bandmate Flea

Cancelled: The rock group were due to headline the iHeartRadio gig in Burbank on Tuesday night, with ticket holders still hopeful the band might retake the slot now that the frontman appeared to be on the mend

'We are devastated about it. We're really sad. We love you so much. We live to rock... But unfortunately there's a medical thing that happened and he needed to deal with it,' he said.

RHCP drummer Chad Smith later tweeted: 'NO one's more disappointed than us that we couldn't perform tonight. Sending love and a speedy recovery to my brother Anthony [sic].'

In a brief statement on their website, the band said they 'would like to extend their gratitude to the fans for the outpouring of well wishes,' adding: 'Anthony is expected to make a full recovery soon.'

No dice: But even though his stomach seemed strong enough to handle raw fish, the latest statement on the bands website said the gig was still 'postponed'

Last minute: The Los Angeles natives had been due to headline KROQ's annual Weenie Roast in Irvine, on Saturday, but was forced to cancel just minutes before going on stage when Kiedis was rushed to hospital suffering 'extreme stomach pain'

The Weenie Roast gig was the first of a string of appearances at major festivals including Japan's Fuji Rock, Roskilde in Denmark, and Reading and Leeds in England, to promote their first album in five years.

The Chili Peppers, among leading figures in the alternative rock boom of the 1990s, said that its 11th studio album, The Getaway, would come out on June 17.

The Chili Peppers immediately put out a single from the album - Dark Necessities - which opens with a Bass solo by Flea before building over five minutes.

Sorry: Bassist Flea - real name Michael Peter Balzary - told the 16,000-strong crowd that the band members were 'devastated', and apologized for not being able to play their set

Bad start: The Weenie Roast gig was the first of a string of appearances at major festivals including Japan's Fuji Rock, Roskilde in Denmark, and Reading and Leeds in England, to promote their first album in five years
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It was march of the supermodels at the latest premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday as Karlie Kloss and Adriana Lima put on some very sexy shows.

Brazilian beauty Adriana showed legs and cleavage in a black and white maxi dress with thigh-high split as she arrived at the official screening of Spanish movie Julieta.

The Victoria's Secret pin-up, 34, posed up a storm for the photographers as she arrived on the Croisette for the premiere of Pedro Almodovar's latest film.

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March of the supermodels: Karlie Kloss (left) and Adriana Lima (right) arrive at the Cannes Film Festival screening of new Spanish movie Julieta on Tuesday

The mother-of-two had her long raven locks pulled back in a tight, high ponytail with emerald earrings and smoky eyes completing her look.

She was in good company with former VS colleague Karlie also taking the same sartorial style with a high slit in her futuristic silver number.

The 6ft 1in American completed her look with a pair of gold strappy sandals, black clutch bag and a cute bow in her backcombed blonde hair.

Black and white: The mother-of-two showed off her slim legs and chest in a clingy dress with delicate beading

All that shimmers: The statuesque American looked straight off the set of a sci-fi film in her unusual silver and gold dress

The two clotheshorses were joined on the red carpet by a host of their modelling contemporaries, including Petra Nemcova, Barbara Palvin, Izabel Goulart and Lara Stone.

Karlie and Adriana both jetted in to the French Riviera on Monday for the second week of the festival and are expected to attend the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS benefit on Thursday night.

Stunner: The Brazilian supermodel had her long raven locks pulled back in a tight, high ponytail with emerald earrings and smoky eyes completing her look

Jet-setter: The supermodel arrived in France on Monday and is expected to attend the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS benefit on Thursday night

Julieta is the 20th film from Spanish film-maker Pedro Almodovar.

The movie tells the story of a woman struggling to keep her sanity as her teenage daughter runs away.

The drama, which stars Emma Suarez and Adriana Ugarte as older and younger versions of the lead character Julieta, is screening In Competition at this year's festival.

Model student: The 23-year-old took time out of studying computer science and coding as an undergraduate to attend the festival

Sizzling! Brazilian model Izabel Goulart commanded the red carpet at the star-studded screening in a lingerie-inspired ensemble

Pretty in pink: Lengths of blush-hued brushed silk made for her sweeping tie-waisted duster coat which dramatically trailed inches behind her

Elegance personified: Lara Stone wore a swishing, finely-pleated dress, which was was sweeping the floor in length and boasted extremely delicate beaded details atop a scooped neck and sleeveless shape

Pink to make the boys wink: Barbara Palvin stuck to the favoured Cannes uniform of underwear as outerwear as she slipped into a racy powder pink dress seemingly inspired by a night dress. The gown boasted fussy detailing which looked phenomenal on her frame

Dazzling: Petra Nemcova was a vision in a dazzling metallic gown with intricate pleated detailing
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen spent two years seeking out the perfect location for their first East Coast boutique, The Row.

And the 29-year-old actresses-turned-fashion entrepreneurs finally found that spot on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which will soon launch its grand opening.

The twins were spotted at their retail store on Sunday with Mary-Kate's husband, Olivier Sarkozy, as they put the final touches on the flagship store.

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Ready to launch: (L-R) Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen were spotted putting the final touches on their New York boutique The Row on Sunday

The sisters were dressed similarly in dark wool coats and both carried large black crocodile skin The Row handbags which retail for around $30,000.

And both covered their eyes with sunglasses with Mary-Kate going for yellow-coloured shades and Ashley opting for retro rose-coloured lenses.

Ashley wrapped a cosy red scarf around her neck and her sister with a mustard yellow.

Helping hubby! Mary-Kate brought along her husband, banker Olivier Sarkozy, 46, so he could oversee the project as well

Perfect fit! The 29-year-old actresses-turned-fashion entrepreneurs spent two years seeking out the exact location for their first East Coast boutique, The Row

The sisters spent two hours inside their boutique, changing interior elements, designs and selecting floral arrangements.

Mary-Kate brought along her husband Olivier, 46 - whose half-brother is Nicolas Sarkozy, former President of France - so he could oversee the project as well.

She married the banker in an intimate private ceremony in front of 50 guests in Manhattan in November.

The multi-talented duo co-founded luxury fashion brands The Row, Elizabeth and James, and the more affordable lines Olsenboye and StyleMint.

Seeing red! Ashley donned rose-coloured shades and a matching crimson scarf

Pricey purse! Mary-Kate carried a large black crocodile skin The Row handbags which retail for around $30,000

Mary-Kate and Ashley halted their acting careers a decade ago.

Neither one has a public Instagram account but they debuted their first public selfie last month when they took over the account of beauty retailer Sephora for a day, as they promoted their Elizabeth And James brand.

In February, the twins revealed to WWD that they are opening their first Elizabeth And James store in July.

The 3,000-square-foot boutique, which will be located at The Grove in Los Angeles, will carry clothes, accessories, jewelry and fragrance from the line.
As if it wasn't already obvious how opulent her lifestyle is, Kim Kardashian gave a little tour of her private jet on Monday.

The reality star was jetting off to Cannes for a variety of events this week as she explained to fans about the sleeping arrangements.

The 35-year-old KUWTK star posed in the sleek aircraft amid plush beige seats as she captioned 'cramped'.

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Globe trotter: Kim Kardashian showed off her private jet in social media posts on Monday as she jetted to Cannes

In a Snapchat clip Kim said: 'Ok guys i'm gonna show you my bedroom for the night' she said as she toyed with her brunette locks with the phone in selfie mode.

'Look how cute, this will be where I sleep, my room' she told fans as she pointed her phone at a bed which consisted of seats folded down with sheets and pillows.

Kim shared a variety of snapchats for the trip which came straight after she attended the Webby Awards in New York.

'Global express on our way to Cannes! Kim posted several Snapchats from inside the plane

'Look how cute, this will be where I sleep': Kim revealed her bed on the plane as she embarked on the 8 hour flight to Cannes

The whole gang: Kim pointed out where her pal Simon Huck would be sleeping

So the star was clearly hoping to get a little shut-eye on the eight hour journey.

She also asked her social media followers what they thought of her look as she she explained she was wearing no fake eyelashes, no hair extensions, no lipstick and no jewelry.

Kim then teased her makeup artist Mario who she accused of being lazy when he did his glam work on her face.

In another clip the E! star shows off a selection of stunning diamonds sitting on her hand breathtakingly ranging in price from $5-28 million.

It looks like the wife of Kanye West was having a meeting with a diamond broker after landing in the Mediterranean resort.

'What do you guys think of my look tonight?' Kim told her fans that she went without false eyelashes, extensions and lipstick for the awards ceremony

Top this! Kim wore a tank or two that showed off her generous cleavage

Ready to go: The star posed on the steps of the jet when she arrived, still wearing the black gown she wore for the Webby Awards in New York on Monday

While in Cannes Kim looked at some diamonds which she revealed ranged in price from $5-28 million. The small pink jewel on the right being the most expensive

It's a hectic week for the mother-of-two, who will appear AmFar Gala in Cannes, then heading to London for a Vogue 100 appearance before ending her whirlwind European trip with Valentino's birthday in Italy.

At the Webby Awards she was honoured with the brand new Break The Internet Award.

Kim, who has over 70 million Instagram followers, 45 million Twitter followers, and a hugely successful mobile game, Kim Kardashian's Hollywood - is the first-ever recipient of the accolade at the annual Webby Awards in recognition of her 'bold and creative' use of online platforms.

When Kim was presented with the award by author, journalist and internet commentator, Kara Swisher, she made a five-word acceptance speech as she stated: 'Nude selfies until I die.'

Just having a browse: The reality star appeared to be meeting with a diamond broker

Out and about: Kim was seen at Hotel Martinez in a white satin dress and suede boots as she got situated in Cannes on Tuesday

All dolled up: The reality maven with her mother Kris Jenner at the De Grisogono Party at the annual 69th Cannes Film Festival at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc
He may be one of America's most famous TV stars, but in Europe he is a tourist.

John Stamos and his girlfriend Caitlin McHugh continued their PDA-packed European vacation in Paris on Tuesday.

The 52-year-old actor and the brunette beauty, 32, were spotted kissing and taking selfies as they toured the City Of Love.

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Tourists: John Stamos and his girlfriend Caitlin McHugh continued their PDA-packed European vacation in Paris on Tuesday

Selfies: The stylish duo were both dressed in mostly black for their touristy outing. The couple were seen walking around the Eiffel tower, and the Jardin du Luxembourg as well as the Champs-Elysees

John and his lady took in all the main tourist attractions.The couple were seen walking around the Eiffel tower, and the Jardin du Luxembourg as well as the Champs-Elysees.

During their sightseeing adventure, the pair appeared to be enjoying their romantic holiday.

They locked arms on their leisurely stroll and made time for plenty of kisses.

At one point Caitlin grabbed John's face with both hands and pulled him in close. The actor puckered up and closed his eyes under a pair of gold rimmed aviator sunglasses.

French kisses! The 52-year-old actor and the brunette beauty, 32, were spotted walking close as they toured the City Of Love

The stylish duo were both dressed in mostly black for their touristy outing.

John donned trousers and a matching sweater which he covered up with a large overcoat and various other layers for the brisk day.

He finished off his dark ensemble with a pair of black dress shoes.

Caitlin coordinated with her famous man by wearing a shorter black double-breasted jacket over a grey sweater.

Plenty of photos: Although she carried a professional camera around her neck, John took snaps of the pair with his cell phone. At one point, the lovebirds smiled to themselves as they assessed the vacation pics

Her skinny jeans showed off her lean legs which were further accentuated by a pair of chic flat over-the-knee leather boots.

A bare-faced Caitlin teamed the laid back look with a pair of black-rimmed glasses and donned a black beanie over her long straight tresses.

Although she carried a professional camera around her neck, John took photos of the pair with his cell phone.

Silly Stamos: Caitlin was later seen holding a red long-stemmed rose as she lovingly looked at her beau. Before the happy pair ventured to the French capital they were spotted in southern Italy's Positano. This comes soon after the news that his show Grandfathered was canceled

At one point, the lovebirds smiled to themselves as they assessed John's selfie taking skills.

Caitlin was later seen holding a red long-stemmed rose as she lovingly looked at her beau who wore a silly grin on his handsome face.

Before the happy pair ventured to the French capital they were spotted in southern Italy's Positano, a cliffside village on the Amalfi Coast.

This romantic European holiday comes soon after the news that his FOX comedy Grandfathered was canceled after only season.
She's rumoured to have began a romance with British multi-millionaire Robert Tchenguiz.

And Chloe Sims did little to dispel speculation on Tuesday as she soaked up the rays on board the entrepreneur's yacht in Cannes.

The 33-year-old reality star put on a sizzling display while on the lavish vessel as she stripped down from her little black dress and into a neon bikini.

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She's rumoured to have began a romance with British multi-millionaire Robert Tchenguiz and Chloe Sims did little to dispel speculation on Tuesday as she soaked up the rays on board the entrepreneur's yacht in Cannes

Cavorting around the yacht, the TOWIE star showcased her ample assets in a vibrant coral two-piece.

The halter-neck design boasted spaghetti straps and scalloped detailing which flattered her incredibly pert bust.

The briefs were just as scanty in nature, with the dainty straps showcasing her slender hips to perfection.

The 33-year-old reality star put on a sizzling display while on the lavish vessel as she stripped down from her little black dress and into a neon bikini.

Cavorting around the yacht, the TOWIE star showcased her ample assets in a vibrant coral two-piece

The halter-neck design boasted spaghetti straps and scalloped detailing which flattered her incredibly pert bust

Chloe looked to keep her skin free of make-up for her day at sea, though partly concealed her face beneath a pair of over-sized black shades.

Her blonde locks were tied into an easy braid, while a few strands were left free to frame her face as she sauntered around the boat alone.

Upping the racy nature of her look. Chloe was seen unstrapping the neck of the two-piece in the bid to avoid dreaded tan-lines, though almost risked spilling out of her top in the process.

The briefs were just as scanty in nature, with the dainty straps showcasing her slender hips to perfection

Upping the racy nature of her look. Chloe was seen unstrapping the neck of the two-piece in the bid to avoid dreaded tan-lines, though almost risked spilling out of her top in the process

Chloe looked to keep her skin free of make-up for her day at sea, though partly concealed her face beneath a pair of over-sized black shades

Flaunting her extensive beachwear collection before hopping onto the boat, Chloe was spotted taking in the sights in a thigh-grazing black sundress that boasted colourful fringed detailing around a back-flashing cut-out at the rear.

While the TV personality has not confirmed a romance with the Iranian-born tycoon, they have certainly set tongues wagging in recent weeks.

The duo have spotted out and about in the South of France countless times together - although there is no confirmation that the two are romantically linked.

Chloe's blonde locks were tied into an easy braid, while a few strands were left free to frame her face as she sauntered around the boat alone

Flaunting her extensive beachwear collection before hopping onto the boat, Chloe was spotted taking in the sights in a thigh-grazing black sundress

The summery garment boasted colourful fringed detailing around a back-flashing cut-out at the rear

Chloe has wasted no time hitting the party scene since arriving in Cannes

Chloe arrived in the star-studded city - which is currently hosting the 69th International Cannes Film Festival - on Saturday

According to The Mirror, a representative for the star shut down rumours of a relationship, and insisted that the two are just friends who enjoy spending time together.

'They arent dating. Chloe is very close to Roberts sister, Lisa, and they are all hanging out and having fun together in Cannes,' her spokesperson told the publication.

MailOnline have contacted a member of Chloe's team for comment.

The TV star held a stoic expression as she looked out over the marina

Chloe looked to have already achieved a subtle sun-kissed glow during her getaway

The star looked to feel at home on board the vessel as she wandered around bare foot

Despite the balmy climates, Chloe still chose to sip on a hot beverage

The star gracefully descended down the steps of the vessel

She wasn't adverse to pulling a pose or two as she leaned against a metal bar and flashed a smile

While the TV personality has not confirmed a romance with the Iranian-born tycoon, they have certainly set tongues wagging in recent weeks

Chloe and Robert have spotted out and about in the South of France countless times together - although there is no confirmation that the two are romantically linked

According to The Mirror, a representative for the star shut down rumours of a relationship, and insisted that the two are just friends who enjoy spending time together
He's one of Hollywood's most famous playboys.

And Leonardo DiCaprio was certainly living up to expectations as he partied at Gotha Club in Cannes on Monday night.

The 41-year-old was pictured putting on a flirtatious display as Victoria's Secret model Georgia Fowler could not keep her hands off of the movie hunk while he puffed on a vape pen.

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The Great Gatsby: Leonardo DiCaprio was seen partying in Cannes at Gotha Club with Victoria's Secret model Georgia Fowler on Monday night

The Oscar winner wore his trademark flat cap and a button down shirt as he chatted with models and a man wearing a tuxedo.

Leo was joined by his BFF Tobey Maguire, who was dressed in a simple long sleeve shirt and jeans at the club where Steve Aoki was scheduled to perform.

Ms Fowler was reported last year to have dated One Direction singer Harry Styles in a short-lived romance. Also among Leo's party was Nadine Leopold (who is another Harry Styles ex girlfriend).

Earlier in the evening the duo were spotted partying with pal Lukas Haas and Paris Hilton.

Catch Me If You Can: Leo looked relaxed and at ease as the beautiful party-goer could not keep her hands off of him

This (party) Boy's Life: The now 41-year-old showed no signs of slowing down

Blowing up a smoke screen: The Oscar winner puffed on his vape pen during the outing

Live by night: Leo also showed his playful side as he performed the pinky dance

And while the Revenant star is said to be dating Polish beauty Elsa Kawalec, the model didn't appear to be in Cannes with Leonardo.

Earlier this year, it was reported Leonardo had been getting cosy with British model Roxy Horner, who he had previously been linked to months earlier, as well as Rihanna, following months of speculation about their friendship.

The same month, it was also claimed he was dating Victoria's Secret Pink model Chelsey Weimar, 19.

Out of your element? The movie hunk was joined by an older gentleman in a tuxedo

Pawn Sacrifice: Tobey Maguire was also on hand to party with his BFF Leo

Lit! The actor appeared to be enjoying both the music and the light show

Fans of the actor claimed his house could be seen in photos on Chelsey's Instagram account and they were also spotted at Malibu restaurant Nobu in late March.

Leonardo's last proper relationship was with model/actress Kelly Rohrbach, which ended last December after six months of dating.

Prior to Kelly, Leonardo has dated a host of leggy blondes - predominantly models - including Toni Garrn, Erin Heatherton, Bar Refaeli, Blake Lively and Gisele Bundchen.

Tell me more Jack! The ostensible model looked to be in pure bliss as Leo whispered in her ear

Something to talk about: The two had eyes only for each other

Chatty: The flirtatious pair were surrounded by fellow revelers, which included Nadine Leopold (who also dated Harry Styles)

You're so sweet! Leo flashed a grin as the brunette clung to him

From strength to strength: Ms Fowler was reported last year to have dated One Direction singer Harry Styles in a short-lived romance (pictured in September)

Though he's a regular attendee of the Cannes Film Festival, Leonardo finally became an Oscar-winning actor this February.

After three unsuccessful Best Actor nods and one Best Supporting Actor nomination, the star can now claim ownership of the former title.

He therefore puts himself in a whole new category of leading men, meaning that talks surrounding his next role are no doubt rife as film makers, actors and directors gather in the south of France.

Get closer! The hunk appeared to indicate he could not hear the beauty over the roar of the beat so she leaned in for an intimate whisper

Popping! The club appeared to go wild as the beat dropped

Party time: Leo's suited companion did not appear to be a fan of the music
It's her job to strut down the catwalk in impossibly high heels and bold fashion creations.

But it all got a bit much for model Petra Nemcova at the premiere of Juliette at Cannes on Tuesday night as she took a tumble while on the red carpet.

The 36-year-old Czech beauty was a vision in a dazzling metallic gown with intricate pleated detailing as she arrived at the Palais des Festivals.

Head over heels: It all got a bit much for model Petra Nemcova at the premiere of Juliette at Cannes on Tuesday night as she took a tumble while on the red carpet

Good sport: But the beauty managed to see the funny side as she recovered

The sweeping ball gown, designed by Safiyaa, boasted a pewter hue and delicate folds in the material which captured the light perfectly - providing a futuristic vibe to the ensemble.

But clearly the mass of material caused problems for Petra who seemed to trip over one of the folds of her dress.

Rather than begrudge her moment of misfortune, the blonde beauty gracefully laughed off the incident and continued her sartorial crusade among her fellow models.

Showing off her slender limbs, the asymmetrical neckline of the dress acted to not only highlight her supermodel frame but also give the outfit a further edge.

Halping hand: The model had a little assistance from a chivalrous gent

Stunning: The 36-year-old Czech beauty was a vision in a dazzling metallic gown with intricate pleated detailing at the 69th Film Festival

Taking a tumble: Clearly the mass of material caused problems for Petra who appeared to trip over one of the folds of her dress

Spectacular: The sweeping ball gown, designed by Safiyaa, boasted a pewter hue and delicate folds in the material which captured the light perfectly - providing a futuristic vibe to the ensemble

Dazzling: Showing off her slender limbs, the one-shouldered neckline acted to not only highlight her supermodel frame but also give the outfit a further edge

Nipped in at her incredibly slim waist with the help of a plated belt, the gown was the perfect utensil to exhibit her frame.

The model, who was also clutching a Swarovski bag, was attending the premiere of Julieta - the 20th film from Spanish film-maker Pedro Almodovar.

The movie tells the story of a woman struggling to keep her sanity as her teenage daughter runs away.

The drama, which stars Emma Suarez and Adriana Ugarte as older and younger versions of the lead character Julieta, is screening in competition at this year's festival.

Star studded: The model was attending the premiere of Julieta - the 20th film from Spanish film-maker Pedro Almodovar
A week after her return and more than twenty years after her debut appearance, Barbara Windsors long goodbye to EastEnders was finally over as Peggy Mitchell pegged it, as we knew she would but probably not as wed expected.

Despite all the best endeavours of her sons Phil and Grant (who had flown over urgently from Portugal) there was no sentimental family farewell or bedside vigil as Peggy slipped away peacefully in her sleep.

Rather than a one-hour Special, there was only an extra five minutes.

The end: Barbara Windsors long goodbye to EastEnders was finally over as Peggy Mitchell pegged it, as we knew she would but probably not as wed expected

The former landlady of The Vic maintained she was going out as I have lived  like a queen (appropriately) but this was, typically, Peggy putting a brave face on it.

In reality her exit was more sobering. She died alone and effectively committed suicide  or offed herself as Grant put it less delicately.

Grant had promised they would be there for her night and day if she waited until they could find a specialist or a hospital to help deal with her cancer.

Well have time to say all the important things ! he emphasised. You wont be alone mum.

But in fact, she never said goodbye to her boys. So there were no heart-wrenching/soppy speeches as there usually are in soap with Peggy leaving farewell letters instead after leaving them believing she had agreed to change her plans by handing over her pills for safe-keeping.

Subtle exit: Despite all the best endeavours of her sons Phil and Grant there was no sentimental family farewell or bedside vigil as Peggy slipped away peacefully in her sleep

But she had another bottle and was last seen sitting by the window taking them one by one before the camera panned over the darkness of Albert Square, the credits rolled without the famous theme music, and a ticking clock stopped to signify it was over.

It was all surprisingly subtle  which was something considering the episode included Peggy having a heart-to-heart with the Ghost Of Pat Butcher, arguing with Grant, and Grant promising Phil a war.

It started with the arrival of the prodigal son just in time for dinner, as Peggy put it.

His mum didnt comment on Grants strange appearance, with Ross Kemp wearing even more foundation than Dame Barbara and looking less like the no-nonsense hard man Vic Mackay from The Shield as he used to and more like the eunuch Varys from Game Of Thrones.

Phil and Grant immediately went into attack mode, adopting the first of several Grunt Offs.

Making his return: Grant had promised they would be there for her night and day if she waited until they could find a specialist or a hospital to help deal with her cancer

Ow long you staying? demanded Phil.

Thats nice. I just walked through the door and you want to know when Im leaving, growled Grant.

Grant/Kemp spoke mostly in his trademark staccato sentences, frowning like a confused bulldog.

Its a flying visit. A couple of hours.

A couple of hours?! At least give us a couple of episodes!

It took them only five minutes after theyd re-united for Phil, Grant, and Peggy to have a good old-fashioned barney. Peggy told Grant about the cancer coming back and her plan to give in  not having more chemotherapy and saying goodbye with a letter.

A letter ! How luvverly ! he scoffed bitterly.

This aint about you ! Phil growled to which, as ever, Grant threatened to hit him before storming out in tears.

Fight! Phil and Grant immediately went into attack mode, adopting the first of several Grunt Offs

Peggy wanted to go to The Vic, not for a G&T but to toast Martin and Stacey, she said. Wish them happiness and joy  a sign that her brain really had been affected.

I need some air, Phil told her, which translated as: I need some vodka.

Having discovered his mother was dying of cancer, Grant then found out from Sharon that his bruvver Phil had cirrhosis of the liver. Welcome back to Walford ! Ross Kemp was probably longing for the warzones of Afghanistan and the Congo and the gangland terrors of Compton, Rio, and Mexico. They were less depressing.

As Peggy tottered into the pub her vision became distinctly blurry  a feeling weve all experienced.

Back at home her sons were talking in their own particular manner  arguing about the way Phil had spent the rainy day money Grant had lent him and how he was always their mums favourite.

Bad news: Having discovered his mother was dying of cancer, Grant then found out from Sharon that his bruvver Phil had cirrhosis of the liver

Why do you always get it so easy Grant, eh? You walk in here like you own the gaff, thinking you know it all ! demanded Phil, shoving him. Why dont you ponce off back to the Algarve because I dont need you here.

Sort yourself out or I will hurt you ! warned Grant, just before Phil went to punch him and receiving a blow for his troubles that was worryingly close to his liver.

As she had done so many times before  but for one last occasion  Peggy sat them down and set them straight, telling them she made her choice.

What?! To off yourself? cried Grant.

I am not offing myself ! Peggy insisted.

Yes you are. Its giving up and its wrong. And Im not going to let you do it.

Its in my bones and its in my brains. Im losing myself, Peggy protested plaintively.

Saying her goodbyes: As she had done so many times before  but for one last occasion  Peggy sat her sons down and set them straight, telling them she made her choice

I would do anything for you mum but not this, swore Phil. Youre making out its romantic and easy and simple but it aint. Its not like going to sleep or just slipping away. Its horrible, its terrible and its cruel.

They seemed to have all agreed there was another way and were playing appy families again.

Have you boys made up? Peggy asked. Cos just in case you didnt know it, you boys are my world.

And you are ours mum, Phil assured her. Ahhhh !

But before he left Grant told Phil in no uncertain terms they were not OK  mostly in staccato sentences.

That was just for mum. Mum wont know. No one else will know. Just you. And me. And when the time comes and I dont have to play nice. Then Im going to bring you a war. Here. Have a drink. Fill your boots.

So much for their brothers reunion...

Look who it is! The highlight of the episode was just before the lowpoint when back at home, Peggy found the Ghost Of Pat Butcher sitting on her stairs - or thought she did

The highlight of the episode was just before the lowpoint when back at home, Peggy found the Ghost Of Pat Butcher sitting on her stairs - or thought she did.

In her bright pink satin jacket and too much lipstick, Pat looked like the Joker, only scarier.

Oh I might have known it was you - with your earrings rattling like Marleys bleeding chains! Peggy scoffed affectionately.

What ?! These are me favourites ! I think I look smashing! roared the great Pat St. Clement.

Yeah you do, but look at the state of me though, said Peggy sadly. Im like a little old bird that has fallen out of its nest...Anyway shift yourself, you mad old tart. Ive got stuff to do.

Upstairs in her bedroom, she put on her make-up, did her hair, and put her jewellery on.

The way she reflected: How beautiful it all is ! How much Ive loved it ! was truly touching before the rather darker remark am I doing the right thing? Will they ever forgive me, the kids? Am I going to break their hearts?

Old friends: In her bright pink satin jacket and too much lipstick, Pat looked like the Joker, only scarier

Oh Peggy, you know the answer to that dont you? her friend told her as warmly as someone who was dead could do.

Peggy confessed that while she wasnt before, now the time had come she was frightened.

But Im being eaten alive. And it hurts, and I just cant wait. I dont want to be that little old lady in bed being looked after and people saying oh remember Peggy Mitchell. Now shes all skin and bones and helpless. No, not me.

Finally she was ready or as ready as shed ever be.

Well, what do you reckon? she asked.

Not bad for a bottle blonde! the Ghost Of Fat Pat Cabs told her straight.

Final preparations: Upstairs in her bedroom, Peggy put on her make-up, did her hair, and put her jewellery on

Ooh you bitch ! squealed Barbara Windsor, classically.

You cow! answered Pat (ditto)

It was just like old times...

Oh my dear friend. You will never leave me will you? trembled Peggy.

No sweetheart. Not for one single second.

Thank you, said Peggy.

And with that, the final ritual of taking her pills started. It was the emotional exit of a soap legend more than a suicide.
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She had jetted into France just hours earlier after an eight-hour overnight flight from New York.

However, Kim Kardashian showed no signs of jetlag and looked immaculate as ever as she stole the show at the star-studded De Grisogono party on the French Riviera on Tuesday night.

The mother-of-two, 35, displayed her famous curves in a shimmering chainmail gown with flowing train as she arrived at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes.

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Stealing the show: Kim Kardashian looked amazing as she arrived at the De Grisogono at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes on Tuesday night

Glaring good looks: Far from dancing around in party mode, Kim maintained her steely pout usually reserved for selfies

The reality TV star was dripping in diamond jewellery, with her raven locks pinned back in a tight bun. After recently boasting of her tremendous weight loss she was flaunting the fruits of her gym-honed labour as she sizzled on the red carpet.

Just days before the bash Kim shared her delight with fans as she revealed she is back to her pre-baby weight of 135.8lbs, five months after giving birth to son Saint. Her astounding couture gown was the perfect outlet to show off her fabulous frame.

In a nod to the jeweller hosting the event, Kim was dripping with diamonds including a pair of dazzling teardrop earrings with an eye-wateringly huge emerald ring which dazzled on her perfectly manicured finger.

The mother-of-two showed no signs of jetlag and looked immaculate as ever as she stole the show at the De Grisogono party

Smoke gets in your eyes: The reality TV star went for heavily smoky eyes and her signature contouring make-up

Laden: Kim's love of cosmetics was blatantly apparent as she went for heavy contouring paired with a smokey eye and strong brow

Her date for the night... In lieu of her husband Kanye West, Kim spent the night on the arm of De Grisogogono creative director Fawaz Gruosi

In lieu of her rapper husband Kanye West, Kim spent the night on the arm of De Grisogogono creative director Fawaz Gruosi. The businessman looked dashing and debonair in a white dinner jacket with a black bowtie and trousers.

Kim's make-up was naturally preened to perfection, given her candid love of all things cosmetic. Giving a nod to the wildly popular love of contouring, Kim's face was mapped out with an array of shades creating the perfect foundation for flawless bone structure.

Her tresses were slicked into an impossible tight chignon, elegantly curled into a bun at the back of her naturally flawless person. The slicked back hair helped highlight her smokey shadow laden eyes which were outlined to show their almond shape.

Finishing her perfect beauty regimen was her strong brow - an extremely fashionable look which helps define and shape the face perfectly.

Glimmering girl: Just days before the bash Kim shared her delight with fans as she revealed she is back to her pre-baby weight of 135.8lbs, five months after giving birth to son Saint. Her astounding couture gown was the perfect outlet to show off her fabulous frame

Later on: Kim arrived on the French Riviera earlier on Tuesday, despite appearing at an awards ceremony in New York on Monday night

Lucky guy! Fawaz was no doubt overjoyed to have one of the world's most famous, and beautiful, women on his arm

All eyes on her: Kim glistened and glittered as she posed with her head over her shoulder

Getting along nicely: Kim and Fawaz were deep in conversation with a host of other guests as the party got into full swing

Kim arrived on the French Riviera earlier on Tuesday, despite appearing at an awards ceremony in New York on Monday night.

It's a hectic week for the mother-of-two, who will appear AmfAR Gala on Thursday, then heading to London for a Vogue 100 Festival appearance before ending her whirlwind European trip with Valentino's birthday in Italy.

Her appearance comes hours after she was the proud recipient of a Webby Award, where she spoke about her excitement about becoming an aunt again when brother Rob welcomes a baby with his fiancee Blac Chyna. She told People: 'Everyone is doing really great. Everyone is super excited.'

In demand: Kim has gone from New York to Cannes and will be expected in London and Italy later this week

Train reaction: Kim needed some assistance to prepare her train from her chainmail dress for the black carpet

Hey there: Kim appeared to be over the moon when she caught up with the creative director

Stand by your brand: Kim posed proudly next to the jewellers name - obviously glowing with pride to front such a high-class event

What a body! Kim's figure looked simply sensational as she turned every which way, displaying her phenomenal form at all angles

Pert posterior: Kim looked incredible from every angle as she was guided down some steps

Working her magic: Kim appeared to be perfectly body confident as she showed off her slim post-baby figure

Holding on tight: Kim was never far from Fawaz's arm as they strutted around the bash arm-in-arm

Up close and personal: Her tresses were slicked into an impossible tight chignon, elegantly curled into a bun at the back of her naturally flawless person. The slicked back hair helped highlight her smokey shadow laden eyes which were outlined to show their almond shape

Inseparable: Kim and Fawaz were never far apart, making for a fine pair thanks to their evening finery

All that glitters: She couldn't seem to take her eyes off the glittering array of jewels that were displayed at the event

Fancy seeing you here! Once inside the bash, Kim caught up with family friend Bella Hadid who looked busty and chic

Terrific trio: Bella grabbed the arm of Fawaz for a brief chat as Kim looked out at the festivities at the party

Good genes: Kim also had the company of her mother, Kris Jenner, who seriously held her own in an elaborate gown

All white on the night: Kris showed off her figure in a very tight white gown with silver embellishments across the chest

Keeping up with the Kardashians! Kris Jenner and daughter Kim Kardashian enjoyed a girls' night out in Cannes

Hitching it up: The reality star was pictured adjusting her outfit, making sure she didn't have a faux pas

The biggest she's ever seen: Kim visibly gasped when Fawaz pulled out his massive rock

Snapping away: Kim, Bella and Kris took some time aside to pose for some video content together for Snapchat

Pout of this world: The girls all looked incredibly glamorous as they enjoyed their night out together

Selfie Queen: Kim appears to have perfected the art of posing for a photograph as she looked perfect from every angle

Two of a kind: Kris dazzled in white whilst Bella looked lovely in black as they rubbed shoulders with the other guests at the party

The 35-year-old arrived to the ceremony, held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York, in a stunning ensemble where she was honoured with the brand new Break The Internet Award, and vowed to post 'nude selfies until I die'.

Kim, who has over 70 million Instagram followers, 45 million Twitter followers, and a hugely successful mobile game, Kim Kardashian's Hollywood - is the first-ever recipient of the accolade at the annual Webby Awards in recognition of her 'bold and creative' use of online platforms.

When Kim was presented with the award by author, journalist and internet commentator, Kara Swisher, she made a five-word acceptance speech as she stated: 'Nude selfies until I die.'

Joining Kim at the bash was her mother Kris Jenner, who has spent the past few days on the Riviera with her model daughter Kendall Jenner and Scott Disick. The mother-of-six, 60, showed off her figure in a very tight white gown with silver embellishments across the chest.

Natural beauty: Meanwhile, also at the De Grisogono party was Victoria's Secret model Chanel Iman, who showed off her lithe figure in a daring olive cut-out dress with thigh-high split. In yet another nod to the dazzling event she packed on glimmering gold accessories

Stunning: Her hair was styled into slick Hollywood waves which cascaded over her shoulder in an elegant style while her make-up was flawlessly finished with a slick of nude lipstick layered under gloss to perfect her dazzling look

All that jazz: Chanel gave yet another nod to the dazzling event she packed on glimmering gold accessories

Incredibly chic: Bella Hadid shone bright at the jewellery bash as she slipped into a bedazzled pinstripe suit with a flesh-flashing bustier underneath

Quirky: She also shone at the party in an unusual pinstriped trouser suit with a very revealing tasselled blouse

Gorgeous girl: Also representing the model contingent was Bella Hadid, who had jetted in from Australia where she was modelling at Sydney Fashion Week. The 19-year-old supermodel shone bright at the jewellery bash as she slipped into a bedazzled pinstripe suit with a flesh-flashing bustier underneath

A dazzling display: Bella made the most of her statuesque frame as she sported the dazzling black two-piece which featured a tailored suit jacket and flared trousers

Busty babe: The clue was in the detail with the stunning suit as the entirety of the two-piece was given the bling factor with a delicate trim of dazzling silver chains

Knows how to pose: Bella's doe-eyed stare no doubt captivated the red carpet as she dazzled in her suit

Meanwhile, also at the De Grisogono party was Victoria's Secret model Chanel Iman, who showed off her lithe figure in a daring olive cut-out dress with thigh-high split. In yet another nod to the dazzling event she packed on glimmering gold accessories.

Her hair was styled into slick Hollywood waves which cascaded over her shoulder in an elegant style while her make-up was flawlessly finished with a slick of nude lipstick layered under gloss to perfect her dazzling look.

Also representing the model contingent was Bella Hadid, who had jetted in from Australia where she was modelling at Sydney Fashion Week. The 19-year-old supermodel shone bright at the jewellery bash as she slipped into a bedazzled pinstripe suit with a flesh-flashing bustier underneath.

Bella made the most of her statuesque frame as she sported the dazzling black two-piece which featured a tailored suit jacket and flared trousers. The clue was in the detail with the stunning suit as the entirety of the two-piece was given the bling factor with a delicate trim of dazzling silver chains.

Famous faces: Other A-Listers at the annual party, held during the 69th Cannes Film Festival at the luxurious Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc included Robert De Niro and his wife Grace Hightower

A good looking pair: Robert's wife Grace made the most of her age-defying figure in a black gown with a defining bustier and a glamorous full bodied skirt

Long time love: Even after 19 years of marriage, Robert and Grace appear to be the image of love

Green with envy? TOWIE star Chloe was no doubt awestruck to party with the likes of a Kardashian so ensured she dressed to impress in a sultry backless gown with green sequins all over

Robert De Niro looked dashing in a navy suit with light catching sheen while his stunning wife Grace Hightower, 61, made the most of her age-defying figure in a black gown with a defining bustier and a glamorous full bodied skirt.

While the very top of the A-list were headed to the party, some more unlisted celebrities trod the carpet such as British reality stars Chloe Sims and Mark Francis Vandelli.

TOWIE star Chloe was no doubt awestruck to party with the likes of a Kardashian so ensured she dressed to impress in a sultry backless gown with green sequins all over. She was joined yet again by millionaire property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz who she has been partying with throughout Cannes.

Made In Chelsea star Mark Francis was also flying the flag for the reality contingent as he smartened things up in a white dinner jacket. He posed with glamorous brand ambassador Amanda Cronin who slipped into a glamorous silver gown.

TOWIE wowie: Chloe was joined yet again by millionaire property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz who she has been partying with throughout Cannes

Reunion: Paris Hilton partied at the same extravagant bash as her old bestie Kim Kardashian

Wave your hands in the air! Paris seemed to be having the time of her life as she reclined on a white sofa

Strike a pose! The heiress seemed to be loving the chance to pose for snaps and happily obliged

Two's company! The heiress cosied up to a pal as they threw a series of poses together on the sofas

Party girl: Paris looked phenomenal back in her old stomping grounds - the Cannes Film Festival

Model material: (L to R) Toni Garrn, Siran Manoukian and Mischa Barton gave the rest of the guests a run for their money in their thigh-split gowns by Siran

Velvet dream: Toni looked incredible in her low-cut high thigh-split Siran gown which trailed down to the floor

Stunner: Milla Jovovich showed off some serious leg as she worked her magic at the venue

Leggy lady! The gown featured a daring thigh split that showed off one of her lean legs which were elongated by suede heels

Glamour girls: Mischa channelled old-school Hollywood glamour (L), while model Barbara Palvin stuck to all-black

Mellow yellow: Actress Godeliv Van Den Brandt wowed in a dazzling yellow dress which featured a long train and bust flashing top

Feathered fancy: Actress and fashion designer Georgina Chapman oozed sophistication in a chic feathered top

Reality bites: Made In Chelsea star Mark Francis was also flying the flag for the reality contingent as he smartened things up in a white dinner jacket. He posed with glamorous brand ambassador Amanda Cronin who slipped into a glamorous silver gown

Glamourpuss Caprice dazzled in a perilously plunging sequinned gown which showed off an abundance of cleavage. She pulled her blonde tresses into a side parting with lustrous curls falling over her shoulder.

She caught up with socialite Hofit Golan at the event, who was wearing a dangerously semi-sheer number which had black embellishments keeping everything in place.

Swedish beauty Victoria Silvstedt stuck to her tried and tested over the top glamour look. Giving a generous glimpse of her generous cleavage in an entirely sheer gown, the blonde beauty sizzled in the cornflower blue ensemble.

Glitzy: Model Caprice caught up with socialite Hofit Golan, who was wearing a dangerously semi-sheer number which had black embellishments keeping everything in place

Wowing the crowd: Glamourpuss Caprice dazzled in a perilously plunging sequinned gown which showed off an abundance of cleavage. She pulled her blonde tresses into a side parting with lustrous curls falling over her shoulder

Glamour girl: Swedish beauty Victoria Silvstedt stuck to her tried and tested over the top glamour look. Giving a generous glimpse of her generous cleavage in an entirely sheer gown, the blonde beauty sizzled in the cornflower blue ensemble

Show-stoppers: Ivana Trump (L) and Massimo Gargia pulled out all the stops in their very glitzy ensembles

Party time: Chris Tucker appeared to be in great spirits as he danced around in a grey polka dot suit
Brie Larson is set to play Jeannette Walls in the upcoming film adaptation of her memoir The Glass Castle.

The 26-year-old Room actress spent an afternoon at the hairdresser and stepped out of a Los Angeles salon on Monday with a new 'do.

She ditched her signature blonde locks and revealed fiery red tresses as she gears up for her new role.

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Mane attraction! Brie Larson, 26, debuted new red tresses as she stepped out of a Los Angeles hair salon on Monday

The Oscar-winning actress showed off her slim physique in a monochrome ensemble with skinny black jeans.

She paired the form-fitting denims with a black tank which she tucked into the trousers, highlighting her slender waistline.

Her hair fell in soft waves just past her shoulders and she hid her eyes from the California sun behind movie star shades.

New look: The Oscar-winning actress ditched her signature blonde locks as she gears up for her role in The Glass Castle

Slim physique: The Room actress showed off her slender figure in a monochrome ensemble with tank top tucked into skinny black jeans

The newly engaged actress kept her accessories to a minimum with a dainty gold Loquet London necklace and ring, but she made sure not to skip her diamond engagement ring.

Larson became secretly engaged to her musician boyfriend Alex Greenwald in March but the news was revealed after she wore her ring after her recent SNL performance.

The beauty confirmed the news to UsWeekly that following Monday and insiders revealed that Greenwald proposed while the pair were on vacation in Tokyo.

Tell-all: Larson is set to play Jeannette Walls in the upcoming film adaptation of her memoir The Glass Castle

Brie is set to begin filming in early June in Montreal, Canada as the American writer and journalist, best known as a former gossip columnist for MSNBC.com.

Walls' memoir, The Glass Castle recounts the unconventional, poverty-stricken upbringing she and her siblings had at the hands of their deeply dysfunctional parents.

The role was originally intended for Jennifer Lawrence but the actress had to turn it down due to schedule restrictions and Brie stepped in.

Naomi Watts and Woody Harrelson will play Rose Mary and Rex Walls, Jeannette's parents, with Destin Daniel Cretton set to direct.
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She's been the belle of the ball at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

And on Tuesday night, Kristen Stewart was back on the Palais des Festivals red carpet for the premiere of another new film, Personal Shopper.

The actress had another quirky ensemble ready for her big night, showing off her legs in one of her favoured mini dresses, which she teamed with dramatic red eye makeup.

The belle of Cannes: Kristen Stewart was back on the Palais des Festivals red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday for the premiere of another new film, Personal Shopper

Kristen, 26, looked incredible in her thigh-skimming dress which highlighted her long, toned legs.

The white number featured dramatic tulle sleeves which looked like feathered wings as Kristen strutted down the vast red carpet.

The style savvy star also turned heads with her choice of makeup, adding a bold pop of colour to her look with a sweep of shimmering red across her eyes.

Seeing red: The actress had another quirky ensemble ready for her big night, teaming a white dress with dramatic red eye makeup

Finishing touches: She styled her platinum blonde crop into tight curls and added a statement glittering ear cuff

It was all about the finishing touches for Kristen as she added a statement glittering ear cuff and Messika jewellery and sparkling diamond rings to her out-there look.

The fashion forward actress styled her platinum blonde crop into tight curls, while a pair of towering ankle strap heels finished off her premiere look.

Personal Shopper sees Kristen plan an American fashion assistant in Paris who half-believes she's in contact with her dead twin brother.

Leading lady style: Kristen, 26, looked incredible in her thigh-skimming dress which highlighted her long, toned legs

Breaking out the poses: The white number featured dramatic tulle sleeves which looked like feathered wings as Kristen strutted down the vast red carpet

International talent: (LtoR) German actor Lars Eidinger, French director Olivier Assayas, Austrian actress Nora von Waldstatten, French actress Sigrid Bouaziz and Norwegian actor Anders Danielsen Lie joined Kristen at the premiere

At a press screening Monday night, a handful booed the film, although critics praised her performance in the psychological drama.

Booing is a long-held custom at Cannes, though many jeered or divisive films have gone on to become beloved.

'It happens to me once in a while where people just don't get the ending,' said director Olivier Assayas at Tuesday's press conference for the film. 'For me, it's the closest I can get to a happy ending. I'm sorry I can t get much further.'

Joker of the pack! Kristen has her co-workers laughing as she broke out some poses for the cameras

Ready for her close up: The stunning actress certainly went for an eye-catching look for another major look in Cannes

Why so serious? Kristen went from joker to sultry siren as she worked the crowds at Cannes

Creepy tale: Personal Shopper sees Kristen plays an American fashion assistant in Paris who half-believes she's in contact with her dead twin brother

Shrugging off the boos: At a press screening Monday night, a handful booed the film, but Kristen and co seemed in great spirits the night after the screening

Ready to work this: The actress has been showcasing a number of quirky looks during her hectic week in Cannes

Still smiling: Kristen seemed to be in the party spirit as she led the fun with her co-stars and director Assayas, who she previously worked with on Clouds of Sils Maria

'Everybody did not boo,' Kristen added. 'Let's be clear.'

This is not the only film that busy Kristen is plowing her energy into this week, since Cafe Society has also premiered this week, and she's due to appear in Untitled Lizzie Borden Project later this year, too.

Austrian actress Nora von Waldstatten joined Kristen and director Assayas at Tuesday's premiere, giving the US actress a run for her money in a glam grey satin dress covered in glittering embellishment.

French actress Sigrid Bouaziz also dressed to the nines for the Cannes night out, showing off her svelte figure in a black and white textured mini dress accessorised with statement earrings.

Busy schedule: This is not the only film that busy Kristen is plowing her energy into this week, since Cafe Society has also premiered this week, and she's due to appear in Untitled Lizzie Borden Project later this year, too

Copying her moves: Lars Eidinger joined in the fun as the stars had some fun with the photographers

Rock star: Kristen looked in great spirits despite her very busy Cannes schedule

Good to see you! Kristen was welcomed by General Delegate of the Cannes Film festival Thierry Fremaux

Old friends: The Cannes regular had a warm hug ready for Fremaux as they met at the top of the stairs

Strike a pose: Kristen and her co-stars and director made for a stylish group on the festival red carpet

Fashion forward: The Twilight actress has had her pick of designer dresses during her busy Cannes week

Having her moment: Kristen posed for some final snaps before heading inside to enjoy her night

Showing some love: Kristen's good friend Riley Keough wowed in a deep green sparkling gown for the premiere

Young talent: Riley cosied up with rising star, American Honey actress Sasha Lane at the glittering premiere

Another fashion fan: Chloe Sevigny put on a typically stylish show in a pretty white strapless number with a thigh-skimming hemline

Birds eye view: Chloe looked gorgeous in her figure-hugging mini teamed with slicked back locks

Movie night: Australian actor Nicholas Hamilton, actress Samanta Isler, Charlie Shotwell, Viggo Mortensen, Shree Crooks, director Matt Ross and actress Annalise Basso hit the premiere
It's a film based on a rebellious single father who is determined to 'stick it to The Man' by raising his children in the deep forest of the Pacific Northwest.

So when Australian actor Nicholas Hamilton and his Captain Fantastic co-stars stepped out at their latest film's screening on Tuesday, they brought the attitude of the film with them.

The 16-year-old joined Viggo Mortensen, director Matt Ross, and the movie's younger stars, Shree Crooks, 11, and Charlie Shotwell, eight, playfully gave their middle fingers to photographers.

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Sticking it to The Man! Nicholas Hamilton (right) and Viggo Mortensen (middle) flipped the bird on the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday

Dressed in a classic tuxedo, the teen looked smart as he posed alongside his co-stars and enjoying a chat with Samantha Isler, who also stars in the film.

The young actor is experiencing rising fame due to his role in the thriller Strangerland with Hugo Weaving and Nicole Kidman.

His latest project Captain Fantastic is about an unconventional husband and wife who decide to raise their children away from the rest of society.

Looking sharp! Dressed in a classic tuxedo, the teen looked smart as he posed alongside his co-stars

Family snap: Captain Fantastic is about an unconventional husband and wife who decide to raise their children away from the rest of society

When the mother becomes ill and dies, the father (played by Mortensen) is forced to leave the comfort of his paradise and the children must tackle the challenges of the big world.

The film has recently been accepted into the Sydney Film Festival, with Mortensen praised as giving one of the best performances of his career.

Meanwhile Nicholas is an award-wining actor already at his tender age, taking out the title of Best Actor at 2013's Tropfest for his role in Time.

One of his best? The film has recently been accepted into the Sydney Film Festival, with Mortensen praised as giving one of the best performances of his career

The teen has been excitedly sharing snaps to his Instagram of his trip to the French film festival.

Sharing a snap of his Cannes pass, he wrote in the caption: 'The Australian Contingent of #CaptainFantasticMovie have completed our journey and have landed at the #FestivalDeCannes!! #Cannes2016'.

In another photo, he shared a snap of the TV screen on the plane with the caption: 'Bring it on baby! @festivaldecannes #CaptainFantasticMovie #Cannes2016'.
Injured Aussie Maxwell out of IPL

Glenn Maxwell on Tuesday became the fifth Australian to pull out of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but his injury is unlikely to keep him out of an upcoming West Indies tour.

The hard-hitting batsman suffered a strain in his left abdomen playing for the Kings XI Punjab and is returning home as a precaution.

Australia team physiotherapist David Beakley said it did not appear serious enough to prevent him playing in the West Indies tri-series, which Australia open in Guyana on June 6 against South Africa.

Kings XI Punjab's Australian batsman Glenn Maxwell has suffered a strain in his left abdomen and is returning home as a precaution Dibyangshu Sarkar (AFP/File)

"From the information we have so far, the injury doesn't appear to be something that will prevent Glenn from participating in this tour," he said.

"But we are keen to give him the necessary time to recover before departing to the West Indies at the end of this month."

Maxwell's departure from India follows Australian captain Steve Smith (wrist), Mitch Marsh (side strain), John Hastings (ankle) and Shaun Marsh (back) also returning home early.

Smith and Mitch Marsh are also expected to be fit for the West Indies while Hastings has been replaced by Scott Boland. Shaun Marsh was not named due to the impending birth of his child.
No breakthrough at Syria talks as violence rages

World power talks on ending the Syrian conflict close with no clear breakthrough Tuesday as new faction-fighting erupted and the death toll continued to mount.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov said the Syria contact group they co-chair had agreed to bolster a shaky ceasefire.

But underlying disagreements between Washington and Moscow on how to handle the crisis were apparent, and the United Nations failed to name a date for new peace talks.

The Syrian war erupted in 2011 and has claimed more than 270,000 lives Karam Al-Masri (AFP/File)

Meanwhile, human rights monitors said fierce new clashes between the rebel Jaish al-Islam and Al-Qaeda-backed factions had left 50 fighters and two civilians dead.

United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura said he could not invite Bashar al-Assad's regime and the Syrian opposition back to peace talks without a "credible" ceasefire.

Kerry said the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) had agreed there would be consequences for parties breaching the truce and vowed to maintain pressure on Assad.

But Lavrov restated the Russian position that Assad's army is the best placed local faction to fight the Islamic State "terrorist" group and that Moscow would support it.

Divisions between Russia and the United States have hampered efforts to agree a framework under which Syria would "transition" away from Assad's rule.

And Kerry admitted the August 1 date set by the UN Security Council for agreement on the political framework was a "target" not a deadline, apparently softening the US stance.

Nevertheless, Kerry said the ISSG had agreed to strengthen its system for monitoring the ceasefire and that violators risked being expelled from the process.

Washington regularly accuses Assad's forces of violating the truce and of bombing civilians, whereas Russia accuses rebel factions of carrying out massacres.

"We have agreed consequences for any side's actions that have an agenda other than that of trying to reach an agreement and trying to reach peace," said Kerry as he again accused Assad's forces of deliberately starving besieged areas and said UN humanitarian agencies would be ordered to drop food.

From June 1, he said, if UN road convoys are denied access to areas, the ISSG will mandate "the World Food Program to immediately carry out ... air bridges and air drops."

- 'We don't support Assad' -

Lavrov said Moscow's emphasis was on the fight against the Islamic State group and others he deemed terrorists.

"We don't support Assad, we support the fight against terrorism," he said, stressing that the strongman is the leader of a recognised UN member state.

"On the ground we don't see any more real and efficient force than the Syrian army, even given all its weaknesses."

The Russian minister also accused certain other members of the ISSG of opposing strikes on the Al-Qaeda affiliate the Al-Nusra Front, which is not party to the ceasefire.

"It means that Al Nusra is being looked upon as a means to contain the current regime. This is a dangerous development," he warned.

Lavrov also denied that the ongoing ceasefire violations show that Moscow has less influence over its Damascus ally that was once thought.

"As to whether Assad is ignoring our advice and our work with him or not -- no, he is not ignoring it," he said.

But Lavrov also recalled that the UN Security Council resolution that endorsed the peace plan had laid out that this transition could take up to 18 months -- and only after the framework is agreed.

The Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said the ISSG talks had "made clear that the responsibility for Syria's suffering lies with the Assad regime."

Noting that in countless towns Syrians were "crying out for humanitarian access" HNC Spokesman Salem al-Meslet said that "Assad is not only blockading those towns, but also blocking the path to a political solution, which is the only way to end the suffering."

- Fighting continues -

For his part, De Mistura said his UN-mediated talks in Geneva would have little purpose if the killing continues.

"The exact date, I am not at the moment revealing that," he said, referring to a possible resumption of indirect talks between the warring parties.

"Intra-Syrian talks will be credible when there is a credible cessation of hostilities and credible progress on the humanitarian side."

Following the news conference the full ISSG released a joint statement agreeing to bolster the ceasefire, send humanitarian relief and push the political process.

But Washington's allies in the process, especially the Arab states backing Syria's rebels, are increasingly frustrated at Assad's apparent determination to stay on.

"There is no lasting future for Syria with Assad," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

Acting through the ISSG, Washington and Moscow chivvied the warring parties into a shaky ceasefire in late February, but pockets of violence remain.

- Brutal crackdown -

The Syrian war erupted in early 2011 after Assad's forces launched a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests, and has since claimed more than 270,000 lives.

Millions have been driven from their homes and a wave of refugees has joined a flow of migrants struggling to escape to Europe, causing a humanitarian and political crisis.

On the ground, US allies like Saudi Arabia and Turkey back some of the rebel factions, while Russia has dispatched war planes and advisors and Iran troops to back Assad.

A Syrian rebel fighter holds a position on the frontline against regime forces in the village of Bala, on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, on May 15, 2016 Abdulmonam Eassa (AFP)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) speaks to US Secretary of State John Kerry ahead a joint press conference in Vienna, Austria, on May 17, 2016 Leonhard Foeger (Pool/AFP)

Getting aid to civilians trapped in the fighting

A Red Cross aid convoy was refused entry to Syria's Daraya Omar haj kadour (AFP/File)
Two Mexicans extradited to US in killing of agent

Two Mexicans have been extradited to the United States and charged with involvement in the 2011 murder of an immigration and customs agent, justice officials said.

The two men face murder charges in the 2011 killing of Jaime Zapata, and attempted murder charges against another agent, a Justice Department statement said.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were aboard an armored vehicle near San Luis Potosi, Mexico when gunmen with the Los Zetas drug cartel opened fire, killing Zapata and wounding Avila.

ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata was shot and killed in Mexico by members of the Los Zetas drug cartel

Jesus Ivan Quezada Pina, 28, and Alfredo Gaston Mendoza Hernandez, 33, appeared before a magistrate in Washington. They are being held without bond.

Four other suspects including a cartel commander have pleaded guilty in the same cases. They were among five extradited over the affair.

The commander, Julian Zapata Espinosa, has testified that there was a mix-up, and that when the US agents refused to get out of the vehicle, the gang opened fire thinking the men were with a rival drug cartel.
Coal spill risk to Australia's Great Barrier Reef: study

Any major coal spill on Australia's Great Barrier Reef could kill some colourful corals within two weeks and stunt the growth of fish and seagrass, a new study revealed Tuesday.

While coal spills are rare, environmentalists have been increasingly concerned about the risks to the reef from ships carrying the commodity mined in Queensland state through its waters.

The study, published in Nature Scientific Reports, is the first to examine the effect of fine coal particles on tropical marine organisms.

A major coal spill on Australia's Great Barrier Reef could kill some colourful corals within two weeks and stunt the growth of fish and seagrass Sarah Lai (AFP/File)

"Results demonstrate that chronic coal exposure can cause considerable lethal effects on corals, and reductions in seagrass and fish growth rates," it said.

In experiments in which marine species were exposed to varying levels of fine coal particles, the researchers found that it had a "smothering" impact on corals, co-author Mia Hoogenboom told AFP.

Hoogenboom, from Australia's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, said there was a stickiness to coal dust which formed a film on coral which light struggled to penetrate.

"From our study it was the coral that was the most vulnerable, where we saw extensive mortality of the coral tissue," she said.

"For the sea grass and the fish we saw lower levels of mortality but we did see significant impacts on their growth rates."

Kathryn Berry, who led the experimental research, said corals exposed to the highest concentrations of coal dust died within two weeks.

"Corals exposed to lower concentrations of coal lasted longer, but most of them also died after four weeks of exposure," she said in a statement.

Berry said while some fish and seagrass died from coal dust exposure, it was more likely to stunt their growth by half compared to how they would have grown in clean water.

The reef is suffering its worst bleaching in recorded history with 93 percent of corals affected due to warming sea temperatures. Any coal spill would add to problems caused by farming run-off, development and the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish.

A catastrophe was averted when the Chinese-registered coal carrier Shen Neng 1 foundered in the marine park in 2010. But the huge ship gouged a three kilometre-long (1.8 mile) scar in the reef and was stranded for nine days before salvagers could refloat it.

Queensland state Environment Minister Steven Miles moved to reassure people, saying the reef was "the most strictly regulated shipping area in the world".

The transit of coal through the World Heritage-listed marine park was not, he stressed, the biggest threat to the reef.

"The main localised threats are sediment and nutrient run-off from the land and the big long-term threat is climate change," he said in comments cited by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Shipping is something we need to very closely regulate but we shouldn't let us distract us from what the main threats are."
Obama Hiroshima trip stirs debate on Truman's fateful choice

Barack Obama's visit to Hiroshima next week has reignited an emotive debate over former US president Harry Truman's epoch-making decision to drop the first atomic bomb.

On April 25, 1945, thirteen days after Franklin Roosevelt's death thrust Truman into the White House, the strained new commander-in-chief got a startling top secret briefing.

"Within four months we shall in all probability have completed the most terrible weapon ever known in human history, one bomb of which could destroy a whole city," war secretary Henry Stimson said in a hand-delivered memo.

The Japanese city of Hiroshima is shown three months after the atomic bomb was dropped by B-29 bomber Enola Gay in 1945

Until that moment, Truman had no idea about the Manhattan Project to build the world's first atomic bomb -- despite being Roosevelt's vice president and a former senator who made his name investigating wartime defense contracts.

Within four months, the atomic bomb had been successfully tested, targets had been selected, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing an estimated 214,000 people, and Japan's Emperor Hirohito had surrendered.

The speed, circumstances and repercussions of Truman's decision remain contentious.

That is true not least in Japan, where a majority of Obama's hosts still believe the mass bombing of civilians was unnecessary and perhaps even a crime.

Meanwhile commentators nervous that Obama's trip is tantamount to an admission of guilt, have urged him not to apologize.

"When Mr Obama visits Hiroshima on May 27 he should place no distance between himself and Harry Truman," wrote Wilson Miscamble, a Notre Dame University history professor.

"Rather he should pay tribute to the president whose actions brought a terrible war to an end."

- 'Kamikaze spirit' -

For Truman's supporters, "Give 'em hell Harry" had little option.

By late Spring 1945, American and Russian forces had met at the Elbe, Adolf Hitler was surrounded and the war in Europe was finally ending.

But the Pacific was exacting an ever bloodier toll. Japan showed no signs of surrender, despite heavy losses and a seemingly inevitable defeat.

According to historian and biographer David McCullough, at that point not a single Japanese unit had surrendered during the war.

For Truman, a veteran of the Great War, the bomb, first and foremost, appeared to offer a way out of a brutal ground invasion of Japan.

"Operation Downfall," as the mainland invasion was dubbed, could have involved at least one million US troops and as many as 2.5 million Japanese troops.

With recent battles in Okinawa and Iwo Jima fresh in mind, US military planners believed the operation would cost a quarter of a million lives and extend the war by a year or more.

At the end of July, with the bomb now successfully tested, Truman gave Japan one last chance.

Meeting with Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill at Potsdam, the three leaders called for Tokyo to "surrender unconditionally" or face "prompt and utter destruction."

The allies waited eagerly for a response, which was given by Japanese premier Kantaro Suzuki.

"Mokusatsu" he said when asked by reporters, using a word that would become infamous.

The phrase can mean "no comment," but in this instance was translated as "not worthy of comment."

"US officials, angered by the tone of Suzuki's statement and obviously seeing it as another typical example of the fanatical Banzai and Kamikaze spirit, decided on stern measures," a National Security Agency report on the dangers of mistranslation later noted.

- Where and when? -

Within Truman's inner circle there were voices against using the bomb, including Dwight Eisenhower, the future president who was then a wartime general.

"I was one of those who felt that there were a number of cogent reasons to question the wisdom of such an act," he later wrote.

But there is little evidence that Truman ever seriously considered forgoing the fruits of a $2 billion program that Roosevelt had nurtured in secret for years.

More likely he saw the weapon as a terrible, but useful extension of already terrible conventional weapons.

Neither did there appear to be a recognition that dropping the bomb would catalyze an arms race with the Soviet Union that would define the next half century.

"What American leaders did discuss extensively, and sometimes heatedly, were the questions associated with how, where and when to use the bomb," wrote historian Sean Malloy.

"Should it be used against Germany or Japan? What targets within those countries might be appropriate for such a weapon? Should there be a warning or demonstration first?"

When the bomb was dropped, Truman made little immediate mention of civilian casualties and a few days later even described Hiroshima as a "military base," spurring questions about whether he realized the scale of destruction.

But the White House is quick to scotch suggestions that Obama will revisit the broader issue of whether the bomb should have been dropped at all.

Asked whether Obama would make the same decision as Truman, aide and spokesman Josh Earnest said "I think what the president would say is that it's hard to put yourself in that position from the outside."

"I think what the president does appreciate is that president Truman made this decision for the right reasons. President Truman was focused on the national security interests of the United States... on bringing an end to a terrible war. And president Truman made this decision fully mindful of the likely human toll."

"I think it's hard to look back and second-guess it too much."

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Adrian LEUNG (AFP)

The crew of the B-29 "Enola Gay" plane which dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945
China threats, popular hopes pour pressure on Taiwan's Tsai

When Tsai Ing-wen takes office as Taiwan's president Friday she steps onto a tightrope between voter dreams of national pride and a Beijing that wants the island on a short leash.

Tsai's election victory reflected public desire for a president who would put self-ruling Taiwan first, not "sell out" to China, which still sees the island as part of its territory.

Her political message revolves around the importance of Taiwanese identity, and has resonated with voters fed up with living in Beijing's shadow.

When Tsai Ing-wen takes office as Taiwan's president on May 20 she steps onto a tightrope between voter dreams of national pride and a Beijing that wants the island on a short leash Sam Yeh (AFP/File)

An eight-year rapprochement with China under outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang brought trade deals but little cheer for ordinary Taiwanese, stretched by low salaries and high living costs.

There was also growing concern that economic ties were a back-door route to the erosion of Taiwan's sovereignty.

"Tsai should take a tougher stance on China," East Lin, a 32-year-old restaurant manager from Taipei, told AFP.

"The worst thing China could do is to start a war, but that seems very unlikely. I believe Tsai can uphold Taiwan's sovereignty without causing things to worsen irreversibly."

Tsai has pledged to diversify economic partnerships and seek a higher profile for Taiwan internationally, where it is sidelined from major organisations due to Chinese objections, a sore point for many Taiwanese.

"I hope Tsai can secure more support in the international community to help Taiwan fend off China's interference," said 20-year-old college student Ken Lai.

"She should also reduce the economic reliance on China to rid Taiwan of its control so Taiwanese people can decide our future."

But Tsai will have to counterbalance the defensive role her supporters want her to play with keeping Beijing at bay.

The thaw under Ma was enabled by his acceptance that Taiwan was part of "one China", with different interpretations on each side.

Tsai, whose Democratic Progressive Party is traditionally pro-independence, has never accepted that notion, although she has pledged to maintain the "status quo" with Beijing.

- Isolation fears -

China has already been making life difficult for Taiwan since Tsai was elected in January.

Taiwanese fraud suspects have been deported from Malaysia and Kenya to the mainland in a move that infuriated Taipei, which argued they should be tried on home turf.

Tourist numbers from China have also dropped with speculation Beijing is actively turning off the taps.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) recently said responsibility for any cross-strait crisis "must be shouldered by those who change the status quo", a thinly veiled threat to Tsai not to rock the boat.

Beijing has also warned against any attempt to formally declare independence.

Although Taiwan has developed into a fully fledged democracy since splitting with the mainland in 1949 after a civil war, it has never officially declared a breakaway.

Observers agree China relations will cool further once Tsai takes power, but Beijing is unlikely to unleash dramatic measures that would force Tsai to lean closer to Washington -- Taiwan's greatest ally and leading arms supplier.

"Tsai's priority is not to provoke China, to give it any excuse to attack, while reducing Taiwan's economic dependence on the mainland," said Fan Shih-ping, of National Taiwan Normal University.

Her vision for kickstarting the island's ailing fortunes includes developing it as a research and development hub for industries including defence and green energy, and building economic partnerships with Southeast Asia and India.

However, there are concerns frosty relations with China will be economically damaging.

"I hope Tsai can focus her energy on boosting the economy. Taiwan needs stable ties with China as it's our main trade partner and the world's biggest market," said Angelia Chen, a 44-year-old businesswoman.

Despite Tsai's reassurances, some still fear she will take things too far.

"Taiwan is weak in the international community and if she pushes for independence, Taiwan will be further marginalised" as Beijing would rally its allies against the island, said college student Kuo You-hsuan, 19.

"I hope she will maintain the status quo and peace with China."

Taiwan president AFP (AFP)
Top China official promises to 'listen' to Hong Kong

One of China's most powerful officials said he would listen to political demands from Hongkongers in a conciliatory start to a visit Tuesday that has stirred anger in a city resentful of Beijing's tightening grip.

The three-day trip by Zhang Dejiang, who chairs China's communist-controlled legislature, is the first by such a senior official in four years and comes as concerns grow in semi-autonomous Hong Kong that its long-cherished freedoms are under threat.

While Zhang is ostensibly visiting to speak at an economic conference on Wednesday, the trip is widely seen as a bid to take the temperature in an increasingly divided city with a fledgling independence movement.

Pro-democracy activists from the League of Social Democrats demonstrate outside the Central Government Headquarters in Hong Kong, on May 17, 2016 Isaac Lawrence (AFP)

It has infuriated opponents, critical of a massive security operation that involves thousands of police and barricades protesters into designated areas out of Zhang's sight.

Police shoved back protesters gathered near the residence of the city's leader Tuesday night where Zhang was due to have dinner.

Seven members of pro-democracy political party the League of Social Democrats were arrested earlier after putting up protest banners, with three still detained.

A leading pro-democracy activist was also wrestled to the ground by police outside Zhang's hotel.

Wednesday will see several protest groups rally near the harbourfront convention centre where Zhang is due to speak.

Zhang arrived just before noon at Hong Kong airport where he was met by city leader Leung Chun-ying and a brass band.

In a short speech on the tarmac Zhang pledged to listen to a variety of political views.

"(I will listen to) people from all walks of life about any suggestions and demands regarding the implementation of 'One Country, Two Systems'," said Zhang, referring to the semi-autonomous system under which Hong Kong has been governed since being handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

He also said he would listen to "any suggestions and requests regarding the nation and Hong Kong's development".

Zhang declared he had brought a "caring heart" as well as "hearty greetings and good wishes" from China's President Xi Jinping.

At a meeting with lawmakers later Tuesday, Zhang said Beijing was satisfied with the work of the Hong Kong government.

"I feel that the future is bright for Hong Kong," he added.

He will meet four veteran pro-democracy lawmakers Wednesday evening, a rare move observers say is designed to defuse frustrations over stalled political reform.

- 'We won't back down' -

Hong Kong has been semi-autonomous since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997, with freedoms unseen on the mainland.

But since mass rallies in 2014 for fully free leadership elections failed to win concessions, young campaigners have become increasingly frustrated.

Demosisto, a new party launched by student leaders behind the pro-democracy protests, is campaigning for a referendum to decide the city's future. It demanded in a statement posted on Facebook that Beijing allow Hong Kong "greater self-determination".

The party added "the Hong Kong people are resolute in determining our fate, and... any tokenistic diplomacy to beat us into submission will not be accepted as legitimate".

Authorities have cordoned off the convention centre with water-filled plastic barricades and paving stones have been glued down to prevent protesters using them as missiles.

Police are even patrolling Lion Rock hill overlooking the city, where pro-democracy banners have regularly been unfurled.

But activists from the League of Social Democrats managed to hang a banner calling for universal suffrage on a nearby hillside Tuesday morning.

Another, demanding the "end of Communist Party dictatorship", was hung on a highway from the airport into the city.

After its members were arrested over the banners, a Facebook post on the party's website said it would not back down.

"We are against the interference of Hong Kong affairs by the Chinese Communist Party," the post said.

A small group of pro-democracy protesters including student leader Joshua Wong chanted and held up signs calling for universal suffrage and self-determination near Zhang's hotel.

High-profile activist Nathan Law tried to breach the barricade and was tackled to the ground by police.

A rival group of pro-China demonstrators waved national flags nearby.

Zhang's visit is expected to help Beijing gauge whether city leader Leung should stand for another term -- his current stint ends in March 2017.

Like all Hong Kong leaders, Leung was chosen by a 1,200-member committee stacked with Beijing loyalists.

Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying (left) looks on as China's parliamentary speaker Zhang Dejiang addresses the media after arriving at the semi-autonomous city on May 17, 2016 Philippe Lopez (AFP)

Police try to confiscate a flag during a League of Social Democrats protest outside the Central Government Headquarters in Hong Kong, on May 17, 2016 Isaac Lawrence (AFP)

Hong Kong authorities erected large barricades to deter mass protests ahead of the arrival of China's Zhang Dejiang Isaac Lawrence (AFP)

A woman walks over pavement reinforced with glue to prevent the bricks from being dug up and used as projectiles during expected protests in Hong Kong Isaac Lawrence (AFP)
Duterte's death-by-hanging plan faces Philippines hurdle

A plan by Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte to restore the death penalty faces strong opposition, including from the dominant Roman Catholic Church, officials and analysts said Tuesday.

The tough-talking politician vowed Monday to introduce executions by hanging after he takes office on June 30 as part of a ruthless law-and-order crackdown that would also include ordering military snipers to kill suspected criminals.

After putting to death seven convicted criminals by lethal injection in 1999-2000, the Philippines abolished the death penalty in 2006 following stiff opposition from the Catholic Church, the religion of 80 percent of Filipinos.

Philippines President-elect Rodrigo Duterte's plan to restore the death penalty faces strong opposition Ted Aljibe (AFP/File)

"As people of faith, we do not adhere to capital punishment because we do not have the right to judge who should live and who should die," said Father Lito Jopson, head of the Catholic bishops' communications office.

Duterte's landslide May 9 election victory does not sway the bishops' stance, Jopson told AFP.

"It is not based on popularity... but rather on complete moral principles of the Catholic faith and faith demands we respect all persons' human dignity," Jopson said.

Duterte said he would ask Congress to reintroduce capital punishment for drug trafficking, rape, murder, robbery and kidnapping-for-ransom, among other offences.

While many newly-elected members of Congress have joined Duterte's ruling coalition, passing such a law is by no means assured, political science professor Javad Heydarian of Manila's De La Salle University told AFP.

"Duterte at this point has tremendous political capital and crime-busting is the centrepiece of his campaign," Heydarian said.

"But he will face major pushback by human rights groups, the Catholic Church and likely... the outgoing President (Benigno Aquino), who once described his successor as a dictator in the making," the professor added.

The plan itself is opposed by the Commission on Human Rights, an independent government body which Duterte cannot abolish and whose current officials he cannot replace. It reviews proposed legislation affecting civil liberties.

"We will do our best to lobby against the reimposition of the death penalty," said Banuar Falcon, chief of the commission's international division.

Leni Robredo, who is leading the nearly completed electoral count for vice president, also said Tuesday she opposes capital punishment.
Mideast conference in Paris May 30 postponed: Hollande

A conference on the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, due to be held on May 30 in Paris, has been postponed, French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday.

"(US Secretary of State) John Kerry cannot come on May 30 so it has been delayed. It will take place in the summer," he told French radio.

Hollande said it was vital for France to take "a strong initiative" in the dispute.

Palestinians clash with Israeli security forces in the West Bank village of Kfar Qaddum Jaafar Ashtiyeh (AFP/File)

"If not... what will happen? Settlement building, attacks," he said.

The original date for the conference falls on the US Memorial Day holiday honouring members of the armed forces who died in combat.

"We're in discussions right now with the French about any possible alternative date that might better work for the secretary," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday, though he added that Kerry's agenda was currently "jammed".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was in Jerusalem and Ramallah on Sunday to present the French peace initiative to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Ayrault received support from the Palestinians but objections from Israel. Netanyahu questioned French "impartiality" after Paris voted in favour of making Palestine a UNESCO member five years ago.

"We are going to work with all the actors, the big countries and neighbouring nations, to create the parameters that will allow the Israelis and Palestinians to return to the negotiating table," Hollande said Tuesday.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said on Twitter that Hollande's announcement of the delay was "further evidence of the failure of the (peace settlement) option and the project of (Palestinian president) Mahmud Abbas".

A staunch ally of Israel, Washington has traditionally brokered direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians and played down multilateral initiatives, especially within the United Nations.

The United States has regularly called for a "two-state solution" to the Middle East crisis since the last US-brokered talks collapsed in April 2014.

The Palestinians plan to submit a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank, but previous attempts have met with a US veto.
Booker triumph ushers in new era for South Korean writers

South Korean writer Han Kang's Booker prize marks a major victory for a decade-long effort to drag one of Asia's oldest but, until recently, least-known literary traditions into the global market.

Literary merits aside, the success of Han's novel "The Vegetarian" was aided by a number of factors that have coincided with South Korea's emergence as an increasingly prominent player on the global cultural stage.

An institute dedicated to translating new works, a fresh breed of writers with a more international outlook and a new generation of talented, dedicated translators have all played their part -- and, publishing insiders say, will all share in Han's triumph.

Korean author Han Kang signs a copy of her Booker Prize-winning novel "The Vegetarian" Leon Neal (AFP)

"It's going to have an enormous impact," Seoul-based independent literary agent Joseph Lee said.

"For the writers, it will provide motivation and confidence that our literature has potential in the overseas market.

"For the publishers, it will push them to focus on discovering good writers and strong works and to approach the foreign market with a clear strategy," Lee told AFP.

Han shared the 50,000 ($72,000, 63,500 euro) cheque that accompanied the Man Booker International Prize with her British translator Deborah Smith.

Described as "lyrical and lacerating" by chairman of the judges Boyd Tonkin, "The Vegetarian" traces the story of an ordinary woman's rejection of convention from three different perspectives.

- Translator deficit -

A dearth of capable translators, coupled with an equally limited number of works suitable for foreign readers, had long stymied efforts to find a wider audience for Korea's literary output.

"Korea is a high-context culture, with every Korean sharing a deep social, cultural, philosophical knowledge that can make its literature impenetrable to outsiders," said Charles Montgomery, who runs the website Korean Literature in Translation.

A former professor at Dongguk University in Seoul, Montgomery said selecting works for translation used to be done by government officials who favoured classic, representative fiction that fitted a national narrative but had little to no appeal for foreign readers.

This changed with the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI), which was set up in 1996 but only came into its own in the past 10 to 15 years, with an annual budget of $10 million and 80 employees.

Although still a government body, the LTI has championed new writers and, crucially, allowed translators to choose the books they would like to work on.

- Opening doors -

"LTI has really opened the door to an awesome generation of new translators, and made it possible for them to come to Korea and study their craft," Montgomery said.

The institute also holds annual workshops, flying in foreign publishers and editors from the United States, Russia, Japan, Singapore and Britain.

LTI president Kim Seong-Kon has lofty ambitions, stating in an interview in 2012 that it was "about time" a Korean writer won the Nobel literature prize.

For some time, South Korea has looked, with a degree of envy, at the international celebrity of authors like Turkey's Orhan Pamuk or Japan's Haruki Murakami.

Like Japan in the 1970s and 80s, the country is now riding something of a cultural wave with the growing visibility and popularity overseas of its TV dramas, pop music, cinema and food.

"Literature perhaps is the last piece of that," said Montgomery.

The first breakthrough came in 2012, with the Man Asia Literary Prize awarded to Shin Kyung-Sook's "Please Look After Mom".

Some conservative Korean critics sniffed at Shin's success, arguing that her novel was overly sentimental and shamelessly targeted a foreign readership.

- Tearing up the rulebook -

Han's translator Smith said a traditional Korean reverence for intellectualism had proved a heavy burden and a barrier to innovation and experimentation.

"It produced somewhat austere prescriptions as to what constitutes 'proper' literature -- a rulebook that the younger generation have been all too happy to tear up," Smith wrote in the latest issue of the Asia Literary Review quarterly.

The Korean literary establishment still expects writers to follow a well-worn career path, starting with a "debut" short story published in one of a handful of influential literary journals.

The literary gatekeepers are, according to Smith, "too often older, male critics" whose tastes are firmly rooted in the 1970s and who struggle with the character-driven, direct-experience narratives of younger writers.

"Despite all the dynamics surrounding contemporary Korean literature, one thing seems certain: the tide has well and truly turned," Smith said.

Korean author Han Kang shared the prize with her British translator Deborah Smith (L) Leon Neal (AFP)

The six contenders for the 2016 Man Booker International Prize, which went to "The Vegetarian" by South Korean writer Han Kang Leon Neal (AFP/File)
Iran MPs want US to pay damages for 'hostile action'

Iran's parliament on Tuesday voted through a law obliging the government to demand damages from the United States for 63 years of "hostile action and crimes", state television reported.

"The government has the duty to take the necessary measures seeking compensation for material and moral damages caused by the United States" to the country and Iranians over the past 63 years, the text reads.

It cites "material or moral damage" caused by the US during the coup against nationalist leader Mohammad Mossadegh (1953), in the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), in the destruction of oil platforms in the Gulf and in espionage against the Islamic republic.

Iranian women walk past an anti-US mural painting in front of the former United States embassy in Tehran on November 3, 2002 Atta Kenare (AFP/File)

Parliament did not specify a sum, but Vice President Majid Ansari said during the debate that "Iranian courts have already ruled that the US pay $50 billion in damages for its hostile actions" towards the country.

The law was passed by the conservative-dominated outgoing parliament in response to a US Supreme Court decision last month.

On April 20, the US body ruled that Iran must hand nearly $2 billion in frozen central bank assets to the survivors and relatives of those killed in attacks it has been accused of organising.

These attacks include the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia.

The ruling affects around 1,000 Americans.

On May 10, President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran was preparing international legal action to recover the nearly $2 billion in frozen assets.

"We will not allow the United States to swallow this money so easily," he told a crowd of thousands in the southeastern city of Kerman.

The Iranian funds are frozen in New York.
Son of slain Pakistani governor narrates horrific kidnap ordeal

The son of a murdered Pakistani governor has described in chilling detail how he was flogged, shot and had his nails pulled out by Islamic militants during almost five years in captivity.

But Shahbaz Taseer, in his first interviews since he returned home in March, said he never abandoned hope he would one day see his family again.

Taseer, who was kidnapped in his home town of Lahore in 2011, described his horrific ordeal in Pakistan's tribal areas and in Afghanistan in interviews with the BBC's Urdu service and CNN.

Shahbaz Taseer, son of the assassinated governor of Pakistan's Punjab province Salman Taseer, pictured at a house in Quetta in an image released by Pakistan's Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on March 8, 2016

He said his kidnap was orchestrated by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan -- a group long associated with Al-Qaeda which is blamed for high-profile terror attacks in Pakistan including the 2014 storming of Karachi airport.

"I was tortured for about a year in these extravagant Hollywood-style movies they would make for my family to put pressure on them, pressure on the government," Taseer told CNN on Tuesday.

"For example they pulled my fingernails out -- it started off with them lashing me with rubber whips.

"They would carve my back open with blades and throw salt. They sewed my mouth shut and starved me for a week. They shot me in my leg. They cut flesh off my back. I bled for seven days and they wouldn't give me any help for seven days."

Taseer, who is in his early 30s, described his survival as a "personal victory". He said patience and the hope of eventual release sustained him.

"People, friends and family say you are very brave, you came back, it was very heroic. But these are not things I can say about myself. What I can say about myself is that I learnt to be very patient."

- Unexpected help -

Prior to Taseer's account, few details were known about his capture or time in detention.

His father Salmaan Taseer was governor of Punjab province but had been shot dead just months earlier by his own bodyguard for his opposition to the country's blasphemy laws. Critics say these are routinely used to persecute minorities.

Salmaan's death made him a liberal icon and put his family in the crosshairs of Islamist militants who have been waging an insurgency against the state since 2004.

Shahbaz Taseer told the news organisations the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan was seeking a huge ransom and the release of 25 fighters -- demands that could never be met.

But in 2015 conflict broke out between it and the Afghan Taliban, who took custody of Taseer after defeating the Uzbeks.

According to Shahbaz his new captors were not interested in a ransom but instead "sentenced" him to further jail time, before, he says, "I met someone there who helped release me."

He trekked from the central Afghan province of Uruzgan to the southwestern Pakistan town of Kuchlak, where he was able to phone for help from a roadside restaurant.

Since March Shahbaz and his wife Maheen have lit up Twitter with their funny and loving account of their relationship and of his return to civilization.

He said: "You spend four and a half years thinking you will never see the people that you love. The faces that you love fade away, and you know, here I am. I'm taking it one step at a time and enjoying my friends and my family."
North Korea appoints new foreign minister

North Korea has appointed as its new foreign minister a career diplomat at the centre of managing relations with the United States and South Korea for more than 20 years.

Ri Yong-Ho's appointment was confirmed in a diplomatic note sent to the British government by the North Korean embassy in London on Monday, an embassy official said.

Ri, 59, who was promoted from vice minister, was Pyongyang's former representative to the now-stalled six-party talks aimed at curbing the North's nuclear weapons programme.

Ri Yong-Ho (L), then North Korea's army chief, is seen with supreme leader Kim Jong-Un (R) in this picture from 2011

North Korea formally withdrew in 2009 from the talks process, which also involved South Korea, the United States, Russia, China and Japan.

Beijing wants the talks revived but Washington, Seoul and Tokyo all insist Pyongyang must first take some tangible step towards denuclearisation.

Given his past experience with the talks, Ri's appointment could signal a North Korean push to try and get the process back on track.

As the new foreign minister, he replaces Ri Su-Yong, formerly the North's long-time representative to the UN mission in Geneva who is seen as an influential political mentor to supreme leader Kim Jong-Un.

Ri Su-Yong was promoted to the ruling party politburo at a recently concluded party congress, and also appointed the party's vice chairman for international affairs.

Ri Yong-Ho began taking part in North Korean negotiations with Washington over its nuclear programme in 1995 and was a member of a delegation that visited the United States in 2000.
US warns Americans against travel to North Korea

The State Department has urged Americans to avoid all travel to North Korea, warning that US citizens making the trip risk long and "unduly harsh" imprisonment if they fall foul of laws in the hermit state.

At least 14 US citizens have been detained by Pyongyang over the past decade, according to Washington.

"The State Department strongly urges US citizens to avoid all travel to North Korea due to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea's system of law enforcement, which imposes unduly harsh sentences, including for actions that in the United States would not be considered crimes," according to a statement Monday.

Kim Dong-Chul was sentenced to 10 years hard labour on charges of subversion and espionage by a North Korean court in April 2016

In one recent well-publicized case, 21-year old American student Otto Warmbier was arrested in January for allegedly stealing a propaganda sign from a tourist hotel in Pyongyang. He was sentenced in March to 15 years' hard labor.

Last month North Korea sentenced a detained Korean-American, Kim Dong-Chul, to 10 years' hard labor on charges of subversion and espionage, China's official Xinhua news agency said.

"North Korea has detained those who traveled independently and those who were part of organized tours.

"Being a member of a group tour or using a tour guide will not prevent North Korean authorities from detaining or arresting you," the statement cautioned.

"Efforts by private tour operators to prevent or resolve past detentions of US citizens in the DPRK have not been successful."

The State Department went on to say that Americans traveling to North Korea, against the advice of the State Department, "should have no expectation of privacy".

"All electronic and multimedia devices including USB drives, CDs, DVDs, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, Internet browsing histories and cookies are subject to search for banned content," read the statement, which added a long list of actions seen as harmless in the US but which could be deemed serious offenses in North Korea.

"Possession of any media, either physical or electronic, criticizing the DPRK government or its leaders is considered a criminal act punishable by long-term detention in hard labor camps and heavy fines."

Other activities that could be "treated as crimes" include "showing disrespect" to the country's past or current leaders, "entering North Korea without proper travel documentation," and "proselytizing or carrying out religious activities."

In addition to imprisonment for activities which might be treated as criminal, "numerous foreigners have been held in North Korea for extended periods of time without being formally charged with any crimes," the State Department said.

US student Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years' hard labor for stealing a propaganda sign from a tourist hotel in Pyongyang

The Korean peninsula remains the world's last Cold War frontier and the two countries remain technically at war since the 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce and not a formal peace treaty Kim Jae-Hwan (AFP/File)
Baghdad attacks kill at least 48 people

Attacks including suicide bombings killed at least 48 people in Baghdad on Tuesday, the second time in a week the Iraqi capital has been hit by a deadly spate of bombings.

The attacks bring the toll for violence in and near Baghdad to more than 150 people killed in just seven days.

The unrest highlights the continued existence of significant flaws in Baghdad security procedures that have gone largely unaddressed even as US-led forces train Iraqi forces for the fight against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

Iraqis check the damage after a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle in northern Baghdad's Sadr City on May 17, 2016 Ahmad al-Rubaye (AFP)

The deadliest attack hit the Sadr City area in northern Baghdad, where a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle, killing at least 24 people, security and medical officials said.

IS issued a statement claiming the attack and confirming that it was carried out by a suicide bomber who detonated a car bomb.

Another attack hit the Shaab area, also in northern Baghdad, killing at least 21 people.

Interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said it was carried out by a female suicide bomber, while a police colonel said a roadside bombing was followed by the suicide attack.

But the IS statement claiming the attack said the bomber was a man, whom it identified as Abu Khattab al-Iraqi.

The assailant hurled hand grenades and then detonated a suicide belt, it said.

Attacks by female suicide bombers have become rare in Iraq in recent years.

In some of the deadliest attacks by women in Iraq, two mentally handicapped women wearing suicide vests killed nearly 100 people at Baghdad pet markets in early 2008.

Two women also detonated explosives at one of Iraq's holiest Shiite sites the following year, killing more than 60 people, while a 2010 attack on Shiite pilgrims by a female bomber left over 40 dead.

In a third attack in the capital on Tuesday, a car bombing in the Rashid area of southern Baghdad killed at least three people, officials said.

- Baghdad security flaws -

The Baghdad attacks also wounded a total of more than 120 people on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the arrest of the security official responsible for the Shaab area, his office said.

It did not mention similar action against officials in other areas that have been hit by attacks.

The premier also directed Iraq's Joint Operations Command and the interior ministry to intensify intelligence efforts to "to uncover terrorist cells responsible for the criminal bombings in Baghdad," according to another statement from his office.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in Rashid, but IS has claimed a series of other attacks in and near Baghdad.

The jihadists carried out triple car bombings in Baghdad that killed at least 94 people, and a further 12 died in attacks on a police station west of the capital and a gas plant to its north.

Attacks in the city decreased following a June 2014 IS offensive that saw its fighters focus on holding territory and fighting battles in other areas.

But Iraqi forces have regained significant ground from IS, and the frequency of attacks in the capital has increased in recent weeks.

While thousands of Iraqi security personnel have been trained by US-led coalition forces to fight IS, major security flaws persist in Baghdad.

Fake bomb detectors are still in widespread use across the city despite the fact that the man who sold them to Iraq was sentenced to jail for fraud three years ago.

And while checkpoints around the capital cause major traffic jams, they have a questionable impact on security, as checks of document and searches of vehicles are cursory if they take place at all.

New attacks highlight the continued existence of significant flaws in Baghdad security procedures Thomas Saint-Cricq, Kun Tian (AFP)

Security forces gather at the site of a suicide bombing in the Shaab area of northern Baghdad on May 17, 2016 Ahmad Al-Rubaye (AFP)
Tunisian gays live in limbo shadowland

As the world marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on Tuesday, in Tunisia the issue may have emerged from the shadows but many of those it affects have not.

Despite the rainbow flag flying briefly on the main avenue in the capital recently, homosexuals are the subject of both social and legal discrimination.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, long taboo in the conservative Muslim state, have improved gradually since the 2011 revolution that sparked the Arab Spring.

"Shams" vice president Ahmed Ben Amor is campaigning for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Tunisia Fethi Belaid (AFP)

And after the uprising resulted in greater freedom of speech, several associations emerged including Mawjoudin (We exist) and Shams (Sun).

However, being openly gay in Tunisia is still a no-no for most homosexuals in a country that hands down lengthy prison sentences for the "offence".

The debate burst onto the public scene last spring with calls for homosexuality to be decriminalised. Under Section 230 of the country's Penal Code, those convicted of sodomy or lesbianism face up to three years in jail.

After a court last September sentenced a youth to a year behind bars for homosexuality, then-justice minister Salah Ben Aissa made a controversial call for Article 230 to be scrapped.

This was cited as one reason for his sacking the following month.

"I don't see why we have to live in hiding. Our private life is our own business," Shams vice president Ahmed Ben Amor told AFP.

At the age of 19 he was ostracised by his family and expelled from high school for declaring his homosexuality.

- 'Get out of here!' -

Braving the open hostility of a large segment of the population, LGBT associations have now begun to emerge into public view and even hold open meetings.

Rainbow flag in hand, activists marched in Tunis on January 14, the anniversary of the 2011 revolution.

But their presence was not welcomed by all: dozens of people shouted at the marchers to "Get out of here!" and police had to escort the activists to safety.

Today, homosexuality has become a recurring topic in Tunisian media. To hear people speak publicly of homosexuality was "unthinkable some time ago", said academic Wahid Ferchichi, who heads the Tunisian Association for the Defence of Individual Liberties.

According to sociologist Mohamed Jouiri, "the post-revolution context allowed a minority to express and assert its existence".

He said that "the situation for homosexuals in Tunisia is much better than in other Arab countries", despite remaining very difficult.

"When you're gay in Tunisia, you live with two faces," a young homosexual in the northern city of Bizerte told AFP.

"When you are with straight people, you don't show that you are different because of the risk of violence. And of course there is also another risk -- the law."

In December, rights groups called on Tunisia to repeal anti-homosexuality laws after six students were jailed for three years after being forced to undergo anal examinations.

NGOs have denounced the use of such tests as cruel, inhuman and degrading.

- 'Forced to dance naked' -

In March, an appeals court reduced the sentence to one month in jail and also overturned a five-year ban on them entering the central city of Kairouan where they were first convicted.

If President Beji Caid Essebsi judged the five-year ban to be archaic, before it was lifted, he did not speak out against the original prison sentence and categorically ruled out decriminalising homosexuality.

"That will not happen," he said in an interview with Egyptian television. "I reject it," he said of Article 230 being repealed.

Every day, homosexuals in Tunisia suffer from profound social rejection and hostility.

"Being gay in Tunisia is worse than having the plague," said Mohamed Ali, 22, one of the six students in the Kairouan case.

He is still traumatised by the anal examination he underwent in the presence of two police officers, as well as his treatment in prison in Sousse where he said he was attacked and ridiculed.

"Inmates forced me to dance naked while amused guards looked on, doing nothing," he said.

The debate in Tunisia may now itself have come out of the closet, but reactions to it show there is a long way to go to the end of the rainbow.

One video circulating on the Internet shows an imam in Sfax, the country's second largest city, saying in a sermon that men convicted of sodomy should be sentenced to death and executed by throwing them off a tall building and then stoning them.

In parliament, one lawmaker from the Islamist party Ennahda, Abdellatif Mekki, defended homosexuality being illegal and said authorising the Shams association endangered the social peace and was "a major sin".

And progressive parties -- when they do not oppose homosexuality outright -- are ultra-cautious, fearing the impact of public opinion.
India's Modi to visit Iran, seeking to boost trade

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Iran this week, seeking to boost trade with the oil-rich country after international sanctions were lifted this year, it was announced Tuesday.

Iran was India's second largest supplier of crude oil until 2011/12, when sanctions forced New Delhi to reduce its dependence on the Gulf state.

The Ministry of External Affairs said Modi would meet President Hassan Rouhani during a two-day visit starting Saturday.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to embark on a two-day visit to Iran starting Saturday Arun Sankar (AFP/File)

The visit will allow the two countries to "expand bilateral cooperation and mutually benefit from new opportunities in the wake of lifting of secondary sanctions against Iran earlier this year," it said.

Earlier this year India approved a $150 million project to develop the Iranian port of Chabahar, which will provide a transit route to resource-rich Afghanistan that bypasses neighbouring Pakistan.

Analyst Manoj Joshi said it would also give India access to the wider region including Russia, with which it recently signed a string of energy deals.

India imports 80 percent of its oil and its energy needs are growing.
Yemen government threatens to quit peace talks, warns UN envoy

Yemen's government threatened Tuesday to quit peace talks with Iran-backed rebels, giving the UN envoy a "last chance" to make them comply with UN resolutions.

"We have informed the UN special envoy to bring a document signed by the rebels in which they recognise the basic references and UN Security Council resolutions," Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, who heads the government delegation, told a press conference.

"If they sign and comply, we will go back to the talks ... If they don't comply, the talks will then have no meaning... They become a waste of time," Mikhlafi said.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi speaks to the press at the Yemeni embassy in Kuwait City on May 17, 2016 Yasser al-Zayyat (AFP)

He said the document should include a clear acknowledgement by the rebels of UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and of the legitimacy of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and his government.

The minister said his team will remain in Kuwait City until the weekend and then take a decision, adding this was a "last chance" for UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to salvage the talks.

"The talks have made no progress" after almost four weeks of negotiations with the Shiite Huthi militia and their allies, he said.

The foreign minister's threat came hours after the government delegation suspended its participation in the UN-brokered negotiations for the second time this month.

Mikhlafi said the rebels had repeatedly refused to discuss key issues and insisted on power-sharing first, in violation of UN resolutions.

- 'Torpedoed the talks' -

Earlier, Mikhlafi charged on Twitter that the Huthis who control the capital had "torpedoed the talks completely," by backtracking on commitments.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed later said in a statement that the talks "faced some serious challenges today" after the government team suspended participation.

He however insisted that "all challenging issues should be addressed at the negotiation table."

"I reiterate that all parties fully recognise UN Security Council resolution 2216 and the issue of legitimacy," Ould Cheikh Ahmed said.

The government wants the Huthis to comply with a Security Council resolution ordering them to pull out of territory they occupied in a 2014 offensive and surrender heavy arms they captured.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he continued meetings with the rebel delegation on Tuesday.

"I am confident that with the goodwill of the parties, we are still in a strong position to be able to bring about a comprehensive settlement to the conflict in Yemen," he said.

The pullout comes two days after the UN envoy said he was optimistic about achieving a peaceful settlement in the war-torn country.

The two delegations were on the verge of finalising a deal to release half of the detainees and prisoners they hold before the start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in early June.

The United Nations estimates that more than 6,400 people have been killed and 2.8 million displaced in Yemen since March last year.

A major stumbling block at the talks in Kuwait City remains the form of government that would control Yemen in a transitional period.

The rebels want to share power with Hadi while his delegation insists he is the legitimate UN-backed head of state.
Saudi executes Pakistani drug smuggler

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday put to death a Pakistani man convicted of drug smuggling, bringing to 93 the number of executions in the kingdom this year.

Mohammed Ishaq Thawab Gul had been found guilty of trafficking heroin into the kingdom, the interior ministry said.

Most people put to death in the Gulf country are beheaded with a sword.

According to rights group Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia had the third-highest number of executions last year -- at least 158 Hassan Ammar (AFP/File)

Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, although 47 people were put to death for "terrorism" on a single day in January.

According to rights group Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia had the third-highest number of executions last year -- at least 158.

That was far behind Pakistan which executed 326, and Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran, which executed at least 977, said Amnesty whose figures exclude secretive China.

Rights experts have raised concerns about the fairness of trials in Saudi Arabia and say the death penalty should not be applied in drugs cases.
Indian police arrest man over Facebook post

Police in southern India said Tuesday they have arrested a man for posting a doctored image on Facebook showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi bowing before a controversial Muslim leader.

Mohammed Mehboob, 25, was arrested on Sunday on charges of "promoting enmity between religious groups" after workers for Modi's party in southern Karnataka state's Koppal district complained about the post.

"We acted on a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and arrested him," the investigating officer Kali Krishna told AFP, referring to Modi's Hindu nationalist party.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses audience at the Maritime India Summit 2016 in Mumbai on April 14, 2016 Punit Paranjpe (AFP/File)

The image showed Modi touching the feet of Akbaruddin Owaisi, a controversial Muslim legislator from neighbouring Telangana state who has been prosecuted for making derogatory remarks about Modi in the past.

In March, police in central India arrested two Muslim men on charges of obscenity over a doctored image of Mohan Bhagwat, a leader of the controversial Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Clinton claims Kentucky, Sanders takes Oregon in Democratic duel

Hillary Clinton claimed a narrow victory in Kentucky as she sought to put away Bernie Sanders, but her resilient rival for the Democratic presidential nomination bounced back to snatch a win in Oregon.

With the Kentucky race too close for most US networks to call a winner, Clinton declared victory shortly after Kentucky's secretary of state Alison Lundergan Grimes announced on CNN that Clinton was the unofficial winner in her state.

"We just won Kentucky! Thanks to everyone who turned out," Clinton tweeted.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has a commanding lead in the all-important national delegate count Michael Mathes (AFP)

With 99.8 percent of Blue Grass state precincts reporting, Clinton led Sanders by 46.8 percent to 46.3 percent -- a margin of less than 2,000 votes.

Should the results hold, the win would blunt Sanders's momentum and help Clinton move closer toward clinching the Democratic presidential nomination.

But the psychological win was short-lived. Half an hour after polls closed in Oregon, US networks projected Sanders the winner there, besting Clinton 53 percent to 47 percent.

"We just won Oregon, and we're going to win California," Sanders told thousands of supporters in Carson, California as he predicted victory in the nation's largest state, which votes on June 7.

Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist, declared he would not be forced out of the race by narrow Clinton wins.

"It appears tonight that we're going to end up with about half the delegates" in Kentucky, Sanders told the raucous rally.

"Let me be as clear as I can be... We are in 'til the last ballot is cast," he said to a huge roar.

Clinton has a commanding lead in the all-important national delegate count and is marching toward vying for the presidency in the November 8 general election despite her string of recent primary losses.

Victories in Kentucky and Oregon would have definitively halted her slide and helped reverse the narrative that her campaign is showing significant weakness ahead of an almost certain showdown with Donald Trump, the Republican Party's presumptive nominee.

Trump -- the last man standing in the GOP race -- was projected Oregon's Republican winner, moving closer to the 1,237 delegates he needs to officially claim the party's mantle in 2016.

Sanders had counted on a Kentucky victory to build on his win last week in neighboring West Virginia as he battles to keep his long-shot nomination bid alive.

West Virginia and Kentucky are linked to coal, as is much of Appalachia -- the largely white, long-struggling eastern US region where many feel they have been left behind in the lukewarm recovery from the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

Clinton saw Kentucky as an opportunity to appeal to working-class white men -- a demographic where the former secretary of state has lagged behind both the celebrity billionaire Trump and Sanders.

John Spenlau, 28, speaking to AFP outside a voting station in Louisville, said he voted for Sanders because he represented the best hope for "continued change" and the fight against income inequality, among other problems.

"Hillary would be a more stable candidate but I think that Bernie continues to push the envelope, towards a few more of the social programs that I believe in," Spenlau said.

- Closing the deal -

Clinton defeated Barack Obama in Kentucky's primary in 2008, and her husband Bill Clinton was the last Democrat to carry the Bluegrass State in a general election.

Republicans were gleeful over her inability to close out the Democratic nomination race against Sanders, who at the beginning of the campaign was given long odds against the better-funded, universally recognizable former first lady.

"While Republicans move toward unifying the party for the general election, Hillary Clinton remains bogged down in a nasty, protracted primary fight and will have to rely on a rigged system of superdelegates to get across the finish line," said Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, in a statement

On Sunday, playing up her husband's popularity, the former first lady appeared to indicate Bill would play a role in her administration if she were elected, promising to put him "in charge of revitalizing the economy." She later said she would not give him a cabinet position.

As voting got underway, Trump fired off a series of nasty tweets at Clinton.

"Crooked Hillary can't close the deal with Bernie Sanders. Will be another bad day for her!" Trump wrote.

The Clintons have struggled to contain the damage from comments Hillary made in March, when she said she vowed to put many coal miners "out of business" in the transition to cleaner energy.

In recent appearances she has struck a more inclusive tone, and it may have helped her squeak by in Kentucky.

"We need to take coal country, coal miners and their families with us and not leave them behind," Clinton told supporters on Monday.

Clinton, 68, barnstormed Kentucky on Sunday and Monday, shaking hands, taking selfies, offering hugs -- even chatting with Trump supporters at a smoke-filled diner in the southwestern city of Paducah.

"I will not vote for you. I will never vote for you," disabled veteran Dianna Dooley, 66, told her.

Clinton kept her composure, saying: "That's OK. You vote for whoever you want."

Table showing the number of delegates acquired by the contenders for the US presidential nomination Philippe Mouche (AFP)
Dodging murder, building bombs: An 'angrier' Mandela seen in new film

A new film shows a rarely examined side of Nelson Mandela's life training as a fighter across Africa where he dodged at least one assassination attempt before a tip from a CIA spy led to his arrest in 1962.

British director John Irvin has brought a sneak preview of the film "Mandela's Gun" to the Cannes film festival after four years of chasing down revelations about the anti-apartheid icon's life as a young revolutionary.

One leak from the long-awaited film this week showed to what extent the West was keen to stop Mandela from launching an armed rebellion against South Africa's apartheid regime at a time when the Cold War was in full swing.

"Mandela's Gun" explores the anti-apartheid icon's life as a young revolutionary Trevor Samson (AFP/File)

Former diplomat and CIA operative Donald Rickard told Irvin he had tipped off apartheid authorities, leading to the arrest of Mandela who the Americans believed was "completely under the control of the Soviet Union".

Irvin told AFP he had travelled all the way to America to track down Rickard -- who has since died -- and record the interview which was first reported by Britain's The Sunday Times newspaper.

Irvin said the CIA had informants within the African National Congress (ANC) and "a lot of people knew that he (Mandela) was in town" after his return from months abroad receiving military training and drumming up support for the armed struggle.

"I think there are at least three, maybe four substantial revelations" in the movie, said Irvin.

In Ethiopia, where Mandela was trained in "weapons, mines (and) bombs", the filmmakers tracked down a former bodyguard who had been approached by Western intelligence services to "eliminate him", Irvin said.

"The mistake they made in auditioning him was that he was a deeply religious man and when it came to the moment of action his conscience cobbled him, he couldn't do it, and reported to authorities," he added.

"The diplomats and others who were in on the conspiracy were asked to leave the country. More than that we cannot find out."

- First South African actor -

Irvin said the movie, which should be released by the end of 2016, is the first of about 18 films on Mandela's life to cast a black South African actor, Tumisho Mashe, in the main role.

Over the years the icon, who died in 2013 aged 95, has been portrayed by British and American actors such as Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover and Idris Elba.

The movie came about, and got its title, from an old South African mystery: what happened to the Makarov pistol that Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie gave Mandela?

The gun was the first weapon of the armed struggle, a route the ANC decided to take in 1961 with the launch of its armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe after peaceful resistance to apartheid failed.

"It has enormous significance historically," said Irvin, who said the filmmakers never did find the gun, but stumbled on a much wider story which took them to Ethiopia, Algeria, Botswana, Tanzania and the US.

Algeria, which is helping produce the film, is where Mandela received "probably the most important aspects of his political education and the most important in terms of leadership," the filmmaker said, citing Mandela's widow Graca Machel.

"He was given a very vivid experience of combat" in Algeria which was in the middle of its war of independence from France.

The Mandela shown in the film "is a much angrier man than the man who came out of prison 27 years later. He is a dedicated revolutionary, impetuous, thoughtful, well-educated, well-read, but he's angry."

- 'Unfinished' revolution -

Mandela emerged from prison in 1990 and became the country's first black president in 1994, and his attitude of reconciliation towards his former oppressors made him an international peace icon.

The movie comes at a time when South Africa, 21 years after the end of apartheid, is undergoing an enormous amount of soul-searching.

Dogged by corruption scandals, the ANC under Jacob Zuma has been accused of betraying Mandela's legacy by former anti-apartheid stalwarts such as Desmond Tutu.

And many young South Africans, still struggling to access education and jobs, are questioning whether Mandela made too many concessions to white South Africans, still seen as controlling land and business.

"I hope this film will aid and abet the soul- searching," said Irvin, saying that there was a danger of Mandela being "deified" to such an extent that his legacy no longer seems real.

"I think he represents a revolutionary spirit and I think that revolution is unfinished," he said.

"I think the film will be a very, very potent reminder of what the promise was and I hope it will inspire the government to get a move on."
India minister slams police over horrific rape, murder

Indian women's minister Tuesday accused police and forensic experts of incompetence over the brutal rape and murder of a young student, a case that echoed the 2012 gang-rape of a Delhi student that sparked mass protests.

Women's and children's minister Maneka Gandhi accused police of dithering in their investigation into the attack on the student which was so vicious that she was found lying in blood, her intestines hanging out.

Gandhi said an independent probe into the case by India's national commission for women found glaring problems with the way in which forensic experts were handling the assault.

The fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi in 2012 unleashed a wave of public outrage across India Noah Seelam (AFP/File)

"The crime scene had been contaminated on all fundamental levels," Gandhi told reporters in New Delhi of the probe's findings.

The postmortem had been conducted by a junior staff member, the investigation found, and the suspected murder weapon improperly handled by numerous people, the minister said.

The 30-year-old law student from the lowest Dalit caste was killed late last month in her home in southern Kerala state, sparking protests.

The attack drew comparisons with the fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus in Delhi in 2012, which shone a global spotlight on frightening levels of sexual violence against women.

It led to an overhaul of India's rape laws, including the speeding up of trials, tougher penalties for offenders and improved policing, but high numbers of assaults persist.

Gandhi said she was concerned about the way in which forensic experts were still handling such cases three years after the death of the Delhi student.

"One of the things that should emerge from this is the need for strengthening of forensics."

Gandhi said the Kerala victim's family had complained to police before her death of threats and harassment from neighbours and others.

"They (police) were told they were going to be raped, they were told they were going to be killed, they had reported it to the police and the police said just go away," Gandhi said.

She said she feared police were dragging out the case because of the political implications in opposition-Congress ruled Kerala which has been holding state elections.

Kerala police have said they detained three people for questioning over the attack.

The minister made the comments as she released an overhaul of policies for women including increased measures to halt violence and stem high levels of trafficking of women and children.
Egypt's Sisi sees 'real opportunity' for Israel-Palestinian deal

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Tuesday there is now a "real opportunity" for an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement that would also lead to warmer ties between Egypt and the Jewish state.

In a live televised speech also addressed to the Palestinians and Israelis, Sisi urged them to draw hope from the "real and stable peace" between Israel and Egypt.

"There is an Arab initiative, there is currently a French initiative, and there are American efforts" to broker an Israeli-Palestinian settlement, he said.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (right) meets Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in Cairo on May 9, 2016 Thaer Ghanaim (PPO/AFP/File)

In 1979, Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel.

"Maybe some people can say this peace is not warm," Sisi said. "I tell them a warmer peace will be achieved if we were able to resolve the issues of our Palestinian brothers."

The Egyptian leader urged Israeli parties and leaders to "please, reach an agreement so a solution can be found" and called for "a real reconciliation, and quickly" between Palestinian factions, offering Cairo's full support.
DR Congo surgeon warns of 'unbearable atrocities' in country's east

A leading Congolese surgeon who treats women sexually abused during conflict warned Tuesday of "unbearable atrocities" being committed in the country's east including the mutilation of babies and the disemboweling of pregnant women.

Denis Mukwege, who is the subject of an acclaimed 2015 film about his efforts to help women raped by the military and militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said that more than 600 people had been killed since October 2014.

"The images of these mass atrocities are unbearable: pregnant women who have been disembowelled, mutilated babies, human beings bound and butchered with knives," he wrote in a message to AFP.

Belgian director Thierry Michel's film "The Man Who Mends Women" follows the efforts of Congolese surgeon Denis Mukwege (pictured) to repair the physical and psychological injuries of the victims of sexual violence Emmanuel Dunand (AFP/File)

Mukwege, who is director of the Panzi Hospital that he founded in 1999 in Bukavu in the east of DRC, called for "radical change of the current system".

He said that the "crimes and cruelties that have plagued the east of the DRC for 20 years had been reborn with a new intensity".

The region has suffered chronic unrest for two decades fuelled by ethnic differences and claims to land, along with bids for control over valuable natural resources and rivalry between regional powers.

New York University's Congo Research Group published a report in March detailing a series of massacres of civilians since October 2014, claiming that soldiers from the regular army participated in the killings.

DR Congo has been in crisis since President Joseph Kabila's re-election in late 2011 in polls marred by irregularities and massive fraud.

Tensions are running high in the country amid opposition fears that Kabila, in power since 2001, may refuse to leave office at the end of his term this December.

The UN has criticised the recent wave of arbitrary arrests of opposition activists and protesters in the country.

Mukwege's intervention came on the same day as celebrations were being held to mark the 19th anniversary of the date when Kabila's father, Laurent-Desire Kabila, came to power.

Mukwege said the Congolese people feel "abandoned" but hoped that they "are mobilising to achieve the long-awaited change".

Mukwege received the 2014 Sakharov Prize for human rights awarded by the European Parliament for his commitment to women raped during conflict.

Belgian filmmaker Thierry Michel's "The Man Who Mends Women" follows Mukwege's efforts to repair the physical and psychological injuries of the victims of sexual violence.

The film was controversially banned by DRC authorities who claimed there was a "clear intent to harm and sully the image of our army".

Soldiers of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) patrol a street in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo on April 21, 2016 Pablo Porciuncula (AFP/File)
Nigerian union faction orders strike over petrol price rises

Nigeria's government on Wednesday warned against "illegal strike action" after some union members vowed to press ahead with a national strike over petrol price rises despite a court injunction.

A disgruntled faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said it would ignore the order and walk out to force the government to reinstate prices at 86.50 naira ($0.43, 0.38 euros) per litre.

Prices were raised by 67 percent last week to 145 naira per litre because of a lack of foreign exchange for fuel importers to pay for supplies, which has caused pumps to run dry.

Petrol prices were raised by 67 percent last week because of a lack in foreign exchange for fuel importers to pay for supplies Pius Utomo Ekpei (AFP/File)

Talks broke up between the NLC, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the government late on Tuesday, with most delegates agreeing to back the rises, pending further discussions.

But a group of disgruntled NLC members called the talks a "dead-end" and said the strike would hold.

There were some reports of disruption on Wednesday but businesses, including banks and markets, largely appeared to be open as usual.

- Attendance registers -

Federal government secretary Babachir David Lawal said all workers should "respect the laws of the land and... desist from participating in an illegal strike".

Strikers would not be paid and attendance registers have been opened at all government offices, he said in a statement.

Lawal said Nigeria's security services had been ordered to "ensure unimpeded access to offices, work places and markets".

"Acts of intimidation, harassment, including barricading of gates, locking up of offices, blocking of roads and preventing workers from carrying out their lawful duties will be met with appropriate response by the law enforcement agencies."

A judge at the National Industrial Court in Abuja on Tuesday issued a temporary injunction against strike action after an application by justice minister Abubakar Malami.

Malami submitted in court papers that a strike would cost the country "billions of naira" and cause "untold hardship and unimaginable security problems/challenges".

- Rising prices -

The global slump in oil prices since mid-2014 has hit Nigeria's economy hard, with the government dependent on crude export sales for 70 percent of its revenue.

The situation has weakened the naira currency, caused a shortage of foreign currency that fuel importers require to pay for supplies, and driven up the cost of living.

In April, inflation was 13.7 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Renewed militant attacks on oil pipelines and facilities in southern Nigeria have led to a cut in production to 1.4 million barrels per day, well below budget estimates of 2.2 million bpd.

Nigeria consumes 45 million litres of petrol per day but a lack of domestic refining capacity means crude has to be exported and refined petroleum products imported.

The government has kept prices low at the pump by paying the difference in market price to suppliers.

But that subsidy policy has been seen as unsustainable because of the cash crunch and corruption in the system.

- 'No other option' -

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said on Tuesday the government had "no choice" but to raise petrol prices, adding: "What can we do if we don't have foreign currency, we have to import fuel".

Joe Ajaero, from the NLC faction that decided not to strike, said a committee had been set up to "iron out" outstanding issues with the government related to the hardships faced by ordinary people.

"We have asked the government to cushion the effects of the price increase on the people as well as make petrol readily available since people were already buying above the 145 naira cap," he said.

"Government has to increase the minimum wage to 90,000 naira because of the multiplier effects of the petrol price hike on foodstuffs, goods and services.

"If at the end of two weeks these issues are not resolved we may have to review our position and begin to sensitise and mobilise the people for a showdown," he told AFP.

The hike in petrol prices triggered a dash for the pumps, causing them to run dry Pius Utomi Ekpei (AFP)
US eases sanctions on Myanmar citing democratic progress

The US announced Tuesday it was easing economic sanctions on Myanmar after the country returned power to an elected civilian government after more than five decades under repressive military control.

The transfer of power to a civilian-led government steered by Aung San Suu Kyi and her pro-democracy party last year is a "historic milestone," said US Treasury Under Secretary Adam Szubin.

"Our actions today demonstrate our strong support for this political and economic progress," he said in a statement.

A senior US administration official said the election of a civilian government in Myanmar was "an objective long sought-after" by the sanctions policy Romeo Gacad (AFP/File)

A senior US administration official said the election of a civilian government was "an objective long sought-after" by the sanctions policy.

The new actions remove restrictions on regular trade and financial activities of Americans living in Myanmar, also called by its former name Burma.

They also remove from the sanctions blacklist three banks, making it legal for Americans to do business with any bank in the country.

And seven state enterprises previously blacklisted for being part of the former milliary regime are being delisted mostly because they are now reporting to civilian ministries under the new government, the Treasury said.

The actions will remove tough constraints on Americans wanting to invest and trade in the resource-rich Southeast Asian country.

"These steps will help to facilitate trade with non-sanctioned businesses and, in turn, help the people and government of Burma achieve a more inclusive and prosperous future," said Szubin.

The Treasury left in place sanctions on a number of individuals especially associated with the previous regime, and businesses, including some gem miners.
Mauritania anti-slavery activists freed after court order

Two anti-slavery activists in Mauritania, one of them a former presidential candidate, walked out of jail with "head high" Tuesday after the country's supreme court downgraded the crimes they were convicted of last year and ordered their release.

"We left prison with head high, without ever giving into attempts at compromise or submission to power," Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid told reporters after being freed along with Brahim Ould Bilal.

He said during their incarceration the pair had received "propositions" from those in power "in exchange for our freedom that we rejected," adding that he would reveal details at a later time.

Anti-slavery campaigner Ould Abeid (C), runner-up in the 2014 presidential elections and leader of the Abolitionist Movement in Mauritania, was sentenced to two years in jail

Earlier their lawyer Brahim Ould Ebetty told AFP that they were released as the law gave them "the right to their opinion."

Ould Abeid, runner-up in the 2014 presidential elections and leader of the Abolitionist Movement in Mauritania, had been sentenced to two years in jail along with Ould Abetty for a public order offence and belonging to a non-authorised organisation following an anti-slavery protest.

The supreme court downgraded those offences to failing to disperse when ordered to do so by officers of the law, a charge which carries a maximum one-year jail sentence, meaning they have already served their time.

"The two men should be freed immediately," the court judgement read.

Hundreds of activists who had gathered to call for the men's release later appeared in front of the prison where they are being held to celebrate.

The crowd applauded as the two men stepped out of the prison in the late afternoon, a spokesman for the anti-slavery NGO told AFP.

Despite being officially abolished in 1981, slavery is still deeply entrenched in the vast, largely desert nation where local black populations were enslaved by settlers centuries ago.

Slave status is also often passed on from generation to generation, according to rights groups.

It is believed the activists were arrested while trying to educate people about land rights in the west African country, where descendants of slaves are often forced to give up a portion of their crops to traditional masters.

Alioune Tine, Amnesty International's West and Central Africa director, described the court's decision as "an enormous relief and welcome news" in a statement.

Tine said he hoped for momentum behind other freedom of speech cases, such as that of blogger Cheikh Ould Mohamed Ould Mkheitir, currently on death row for blasphemy.

"This ruling should now provide an opportunity for the Mauritanian authorities to stop its crackdown on human rights defenders and release other prisoners of conscience," Tine said.

Ould Ebetty said the two lower courts that had sentenced the men and then upheld their sentences had "legally misclassified the facts," a mistake he said has been rectified by the supreme court.

- Legal shift -

In August 2015, Mauritania adopted a new law making slavery a "crime against humanity" and doubling the maximum prison term to 20 years.

The country in December also set up three specialist slavery courts and decreed last month that March 6 would be national day for the fight against slavery.

On Monday the first sentences were handed down at one of the new courts against two men in southeastern Mauritania.
Victim tells ICC of 'suicidal thoughts' after CAR rape ordeal

A war crimes victim told Tuesday how she still has "suicidal thoughts" after being abducted as a teenager and repeatedly raped during a four-year ordeal by troops commanded by Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) convicted Bemba in March of a slew of war crimes in the Central African Republic in its first-ever case focusing on sexual violence as a weapon of war.

War crimes judges based in The Hague are holding three days of hearings to determine their sentence, which will be handed down at a later, as yet unscheduled, date.

Former Congolese vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba has been convicted on five charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity and is awaiting sentence Peter Dejong (Pool/AFP/File)

"I am deeply depressed. I have suicidal thoughts," said the witness, who was only identified as "Victim 555" testifying by videolink from the Central African Republic's capital, Bangui.

"I was continuously raped," she said, after she was abducted by Bemba's Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) private army.

Bemba sent 1,500 of his private force to CAR to quell an attempted coup against then president Ange-Felix Patasse between October 2002 and March 2003.

The woman, who was 15 or 16 when she was abducted, at times came close to breaking down as she told how she was kept by a rebel soldier against her will for more than four years -- even after the soldiers returned to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

When she finally managed to flee and returned to the CAR she found she was stigmatised by the experience, particularly because her aunt was also abducted and raped by the soldiers and later died of AIDS.

"I have been branded as a (rebel) wife... given that my aunt was HIV positive and died, I too was seen as HIV positive," the witness said.

She added she had had four children by four different men, with the youngsters still living with her in the CAR.

After a lengthy trial which opened in November 2010, the judges found Bemba guilty of five counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity saying he had retained "effective command and control" over his troops.

They agreed with the prosecution that MLC troops had carried out a rampage of rape and murder in CAR which deliberately targeted civilians.
Syria rebel clashes 'leave 52 dead' in Eastern Ghouta

At least 50 fighters and two civilians were killed Tuesday in clashes between rival anti-regime groups east of Syria's capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The powerful Jaish al-Islam, or Army of Islam, has been locked in clashes with rival factions led by Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate in the opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said nearly three weeks of fighting had killed more than 500 fighters and a dozen civilians.

The Syrian war, which erupted in early 2011, has claimed more than 270,000 lives Abdulmonam Eassa (AFP)

One of the slain civilians has been identified as the only specialist gynaecologist still practising in Eastern Ghouta.

"This is absolutely a power struggle," Abdel Rahman told AFP.

Eastern Ghouta is the largest rebel bastion in Damascus province, and Jaish al-Islam had long been dominant in the district.

The Saudi-backed faction is one of the key rebel players in the High Negotiations Committee, which represents Syria's opposition in UN-backed peace talks.

But Jaish al-Islam has recently been challenged by Faylaq al-Rahman and Jaish al-Fustat, both led by Al-Nusra Front, Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate.

Residents and local officials have tried to mediate an end to the clashes and have staged protests urging the rival forces to stop the bloodletting to no avail.

On Tuesday, a Jaish al-Islam spokesman said his faction was ready to put an end to the fighting based on an initiative by HNC head Riad Hijab.

"But our brothers in Faylaq al-Rahman completely rejected this initiative," Islam Alloush said in a statement.

Syria's fractured armed opposition movement has been ravaged by infighting, particularly between jihadist groups and their rivals.
French Mayotte islanders force foreigners from their homes

More than 500 foreigners chased from their homes on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte are being cared for by volunteers, local groups said Tuesday.

Hundreds of families, most from the neighbouring archipelago nation of the Comoros, have had to sleep in the open for two nights after being forced out by local people, they said.

Since Sunday they have been camped out in a square in the island's capital, Mamoutzou.

Gendarmes talk with evicted inhabitants in the village of Koungou in the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte on May 15, 2016 Ornella Lamberti (AFP/File)

Local groups on the island had forced them out even though most of them are there legally.

Groups hostile to the foreigners handed out leaflets calling for the action and denouncing what they said was clandestine immigration and blaming them for crimes committed on the island.

Local associations and Red Cross workers helping the families said they were trying to arrange emergency accommodation for a total of 527 people.

Local authorities have condemned the expulsions and the destruction of the families' makeshift homes, known as bangas.

Mayotte, part of the wider Indian Ocean archipelago of the Comoros, opted to remain under French rule when the other islands chose independence in 1975.

Recent weeks however have seen unrest in Mayotte. Protesters have called for more French investment in the island, where the per capita GDP, at just 7,900 euros ($8,950), is a quarter of that of mainland France.

That is still substantially more than neighbouring Comoros, from where many people come in search of work.

People demonstrate at a barricade blocking the access to the village of Bandrele on the French Indian ocean island of Mayotte on April 13, 2016, during the second week of a general strike launched by a unions Ornella Lamberti (AFP/File)
Nigeria's Yobe state reveals level of Boko Haram destruction

Boko Haram violence has cost Yobe state in northeast Nigeria nearly $150 million since 2009, the state government said on Tuesday.

"Yobe state has incurred losses worth over 30 billion naira ($149 million, 131 million euros) from the Boko Haram insurgency," Abdullahi Bego, spokesman for governor Ibrahim Gaidam, told AFP.

The estimation includes reconstruction costs, he added.

A rally on February 25, 2015 in remembrance of 59 secondary school students of Federal Government College massacred by Boko Haram Islamists a year ago in Buni Yadi, Yobe State

Neighbouring Borno state -- the epicentre of the Islamist violence that has left at least 20,000 dead -- in March estimated its losses at $5.9 billion.

More than 2.6 million people have been made homeless by the conflict, with 2.0 million internally displaced to camps and host communities within Nigeria.

Bego said there were currently nearly 310,000 registered internally displaced persons in the state, representing some 14 percent of the total number of IDPs.

"This number excludes those who moved in with relatives and friends inside and outside the state and are not captured on our database," he added.

Education has been badly hit: 128 students were killed in attacks at five public schools in Yobe, including in Buni Yadi, where Boko Haram killed boys as they slept at a boarding school in February 2014.

Some 1,098 health centres and classrooms were destroyed in Yobe, as were 5,162 vehicles and 109,267 livestock.

"In terms of human loss the destruction is quite enormous. We don't have exact figures but the number runs into thousands," said Bego, describing reconstruction as a "daunting challenge".

"Hundreds of towns and villages have been sacked and destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents, forcing residents to vacate their homes."
Prosecutor seeks 18 years in jail for migrant disaster boat skipper

An Italian prosecutor on Tuesday requested an 18-year prison term for the alleged captain of a migrant boat which sank off Libya in April 2015, killing as many as 800 people, Italian media reported.

The accused skipper, Mohammed Ali Malek, claims he was a migrant himself and had been made to steer the boat by the real traffickers.

Other survivors of the worst disaster in the Mediterranean since World War II have testified that he was the captain of the boat from the outset and that he was helped by a Syrian first mate, Mahmoud Bikhit, for whom prosecutors have asked for a six-year jail sentence.

Mohammed Ali Malek (L) -- alleged to be the captain of the boat that overturned off the coast of Libya in April 2015 killing as many as 800 people -- and first mate Mahmoud Bikhit (C) Alberto Pizzoli (AFP/File)

The trial in the Sicilian port of Catania was adjourned until next month, when the defence will present its case against the charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and facilitating illegal immigration.

Italy's coastguard last week began an operation to raise the ship from the seabed so that the roughly 600 corpses thought to be inside it can be identified if possible, before being given decent burials.

The operation was suspended at the end of the week due to bad weather and the navy has not released any details of when it will resume.

The perilously overcrowded migrant boat sank on the night of April 18-19 last year after running into a Portuguese freighter which had gone to its rescue. The collision sent panicked passengers stampeding to one side, causing the vessel to keel over.

Only 28 people survived and their testimonies suggest over 800 people were on board when the ship left Libya.

Fifty bodies were recovered in the hours following the sinking and a further 171 have since been brought up from around the wreck.

The Italian government has earmarked space in Sicilian cemeteries for burials after forensic expert log DNA, fingerprint and other details to see if any of the victims can be identified.
WHO calls emergency meeting on yellow fever outbreak

The World Health Organization will hold an emergency meeting Thursday on the yellow fever outbreak that has hit hardest in Angola but risks spreading further if vaccinations are not ramped up.

Such meetings from the UN agency are often held before the declaration of an international health emergency, as happened amid the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and the current surge in neurological disorders linked to the spread of Zika virus in the Americas.

WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told AFP the meeting had been called to underscore the severity of the yellow fever outbreak and to re-emphasise the need for mass vaccination against the viral disease.

The percentage of people immunised against yellow fever remains low in many parts of Africa, even though the vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective and relatively cheap

As of May 12, Angola had reported 2,267 suspected yellow fever cases and 293 deaths in an outbreak that began in December and is most heavily concentrated in the capital Luanda.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has registered 44 suspected cases, both from a local outbreak and from patients who carried the virus from neighbouring Angola.

Eleven people have tested positive for yellow fever in China after returning from Angola, highlighting "the risk of international spread through non-immunised travellers," WHO has said.

Several cases have also been reported in Uganda.

The percentage of people immunised against yellow fever remains low in many parts of Africa, even though the vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective and relatively cheap.

WHO has sent 11.7 million doses to Angola and there are plans to vaccinate 2.2 million people in DR Congo.
World response to UN aid appeal for Yemen 'shockingly low'

The United Nations has raised only 16 percent of the $1.8 billion needed to help war-torn Yemen, a "shockingly low" level of response to a funding appeal, a senior UN aid official said Tuesday.

Returning from a fact-finding mission to Yemen, John Ging said the crisis was worsening, with some 7.6 million people in urgent need of food aid and 2.5 million displaced from the conflict.

The impoverished country descended further into crisis last year when a Saudi-led coalition began an air campaign to push back Huthi rebels, who still retain control of the capital Sanaa.

Yemeni women and children arrive to receive cash transfers provided by UNICEF (United Nations Children's Emergency Fund) as part of its disbursement program in Sanaa, on April 23, 2016 Mohammed Huwais (AFP/File)

The UN's director for humanitarian operations, Ging said the United States and Britain topped the list of donors to the UN aid appeal to Yemen, contributing $76 million and $54 million respectively.

Saudi Arabia, which is leading the air campaign in support of Yemen's government, last year contributed $245 million to the aid effort, but did not renew its contribution this year.
Court-martial delayed until 2017 for infamous US 'deserter'

The court-martial for Bowe Bergdahl, the US Army sergeant held captive in Afghanistan for five years before being freed in a prisoner swap, has been delayed until next year, officials said.

The February 6, 2017 start date to Bergdahl's trial was set during a brief hearing Tuesday at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the Army said in a statement.

The trial was initially due to start in August, but a military judge delayed proceedings to allow legal teams more time to prepare.

Army Sargent Bowe Bergdahl, pictured on December 22, 2015, will face trial in February 2017 Sara D. Davis (Getty/AFP/File)

In its statement, the Army noted the date could be subject to further change.

Bergdahl, 30, disappeared from Combat Outpost Mest-Malak in Paktika Province, Afghanistan on June 20, 2009.

After departing, the soldier was quickly captured by militants from the feared Haqqani faction, a Taliban-lined outfit blamed for many deadly attacks on US soldiers.

Bergdahl's disappearance triggered a massive search operation.

He was eventually released to US special forces in 2014 in a swap for five Afghan Guantanamo Bay detainees.

If convicted on a charge of desertion, Bergdahl could serve up to five years in prison, receive a dishonorable discharge, lose his rank and forfeit all pay.
Donors promise $15 billion to Ivory Coast

International donors and partner countries of the Ivory Coast meeting in Paris Tuesday promised more than $15 billion (13 billion euros) by 2020 to help finance the country's development.

The Ivory Coast consultative group is meeting for two days of talks to seek financial aid for an ambitious 2016-2020 "national development plan" for the world's top cocoa producer.

At the end of the first day, attended by Ivorian Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan, representatives of financial institutions and donor countries promised $15.4 billion in loans and donations, almost double Abidjan's initial goal.

The development plan reflects Ivory Coast's ambition to become an emerging economy by 2020 with lower poverty rates Issouf Sanogo (AFP/File)

"This is in appreciation of the work already accomplished by the government of (President) Alassane Ouattara," Duncan told reporters, thanking the country's donors.

Last month, the UN Security Council lifted the last remaining sanctions on Ivory Coast in the latest sign the West African country has bounced back from turmoil after it was wracked by crises under former president Laurent Gbagbo, in office from 2000 to 2011.

Some 3,000 people died during five months of unrest after an election in late 2010, when Gbagbo refused to step down following his defeat to Ouattara.

Gbagbo is currently on trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity over the violence.

The main contributor to the country's development funding announced Tuesday, the World Bank, promised up to $5 billion through various financing bodies.

Former colonial power France said it would provide more than $1.5 billion.

The development plan reflects Ivory Coast's ambition to become an emerging economy by 2020 with lower poverty rates and "a better redistribution of the fruits of growth," the government said.

The Paris conference is set to continue Wednesday with private investors looking at business opportunities in the country.

Ivory Coast's important tourism sector took a hit in March when gunmen from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb killed 18 people at a beach resort.
Itzhak Perlman joins North Carolina boycott

Itzhak Perlman, one of the biggest names in classical music, on Tuesday joined the growing boycott of North Carolina over a law that restricts rights for transgender people.

The Israeli American violinist and conductor canceled a concert Wednesday with the North Carolina Symphony in the state capital Raleigh.

"As my fans know, I have spent a lifetime advocating against discrimination towards those with physical disabilities and have been a vocal advocate for treating all people equally," he wrote on Facebook.

Itzhak Perlman has canceled a concert with the North Carolina Symphony in the state capital Raleigh, joining a growing boycott over a law that restricts rights for transgender people Jack Guez (AFP/File)

The southern state in March passed a law known as HB2 that requires transgender people to use public restrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate.

Perlman quoted US Attorney General Loretta Lynch who said that the law was about more than bathrooms but instead concerned "dignity and respect" toward fellow citizens.

"I couldn't agree more and will look forward to returning to North Carolina when this discriminatory law is repealed," Perlman wrote.

The North Carolina Symphony said it would not perform without Perlman and said the institution "welcomes all people with our hearts and minds open."

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen was the first prominent artist to launch a boycott and has been followed by Pearl Jam and the Cirque du Soleil circus.

Pop superstar Beyonce went ahead with a concert last week but pledged support to activists fighting against the law.

North Carolina's Governor Pat McCrory has backed the law after the state's largest city, Charlotte, attempted to pass an ordinance protecting the rights of transgender people.
Review: An app comes to life in "The Angry Birds Movie"

It's hard not to have a few biases going into "The Angry Birds Movie ." In the most cynical view of what gets made in Hollywood, an addictive app might just be at the bottom of the pile, languishing there in suspicious squalor with movies adapted from board games and amusement park rides.

Comic books get away with the "it's really about characters" justification. Even some video games have an essential story behind them. A puzzle game, though? You can't even pretend.

The clever ones use this starting point as a blank slate on which to create something that is maybe cool, unexpected, or just not terrible. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are the current masters of this, implausibly crafting compelling stories out of the bleakest source material.

This image released by Sony Pictures shows the character Red, voiced by Jason Sudeikis, in a scene from "The Angry Birds Movie." (Sony Pictures via AP)

"The Angry Birds Movie" doesn't quite achieve the relative superiority of "The Lego Movie," but it's definitely not terrible and even surprisingly fun and heartfelt at times.

It's the directorial debut of veteran animator Clay Kaytis ("Frozen," ''Tangled") and storyboard artist Fergal Reilly ("Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," ''The Iron Giant"), who are working off a script from "The Simpsons" alum Jon Vitti. The concept is simple: how did the angry birds get so angry?

The short answer is they're not angry by nature, more by circumstance. And at first, the angry ones are sort of the outcasts of this happy, bright little society of flightless birds and endless avian puns ("pluck my life").

The story is centered on Red (Jason Sudeikis), a loner bird who is consistently aggravated by the minor inconveniences and annoyances of life on Bird Island  like someone sneezing close to his popcorn, or a kid kicking a ball against his house.

His bad luck and short temper land him in group therapy for anger management alongside some other volatile types like the manic Chuck (Josh Gad), the dimwitted Bomb (Danny McBride), and the bruiser Terence (whose grunts are supposedly the work of Sean Penn  an even more dubious distinction than Vin Diesel as Groot). And they all try to work through their issues with the free spirit instructor Matilda (Maya Rudolph).

Meanwhile, some pigs arrive by ship.

Even typing that sentence feels about as inorganic as the actual plot development, but, "Angry Birds" has to get to a place where the birds are fighting pigs, so why not make it a colonialization parable?

At first it's just a few pigs, led by Leonard (Bill Hader)  they're fun and have gadgets and fire and party supplies. Then more come and then even more, and suddenly Bird Island is overrun by pesky pigs. Red is suspicious of their intentions, but everyone else is buying the snake oil. It's only when the pigs abscond with the town's unhatched eggs that the masses realize they've been had.

The beginning is definitely the strongest, as we explore the humor and oddities of Bird Island and its quirky inhabitants. It starts to go downhill when the pigs arrive, although there is a fairly enjoyable diversion when Red, Chuck and Bomb go off in search of the mythical Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage) for help.

By the final showdown, the plot has lost most of its narrative steam, but that's more a disclaimer for the parents than the tots who will likely delight in the unruliness.

Oh, and if it's not obvious by now, the film is bursting with talent like Kate McKinnon, Titus Burgess, Keegan-Michael Key, Tony Hale and Billy Eichner. What should be a fun bonus, though, might end up being more of a distraction for some trying to figure out the owner of that vaguely recognizable voice.

Ultimately, "The Angry Birds Movie" does a decent job exploring the merits of anger. It's no "Inside Out," but it has heart and life, which isn't too shabby for any film  app or not.

"The Angry Birds Movie," a Columbia Pictures release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for "rude humor and action." Running time: 97 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

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MPAA Definition of PG: Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr

This image released by Sony Pictures shows the character Red, voiced by Jason Sudeikis, in a scene from "The Angry Birds Movie." (Sony Pictures via AP)

This image released by Sony Pictures shows the characters Chuck, voiced by Josh Gad, left, and Red, voiced by Jason Sudeikis, in a scene from "The Angry Birds Movie." (Sony Pictures via AP)

This image released by Sony Pictures shows the characters Red, voiced by Jason Sudeikis, from left, Chuck, voiced by Josh Gad and Bomb, voiced by Danny McBride in a scene from "The Angry Birds Movie." (Sony Pictures via AP)

This image released by Sony Pictures shows the characters Chuck, voiced by Josh Gad, from left, Bomb, voiced by Danny McBride, Matilda, voiced by Maya Rudolph and Red, voiced by Jason Sudeikis, in a scene from "The Angry Birds Movie." (Sony Pictures via AP)

This image released by Sony Pictures shows the character Bomb, voiced by Danny McBride in a scene from "The Angry Birds Movie." (Sony Pictures via AP)
Nevada Democrats: Sanders campaign has violent streak

LAS VEGAS (AP)  Nevada's Democratic party on Monday warned the Democratic National Committee that Sen. Bernie Sanders' supporters have a penchant for violence and may seek to disrupt the party's national convention in July, as they did during the Nevada convention Saturday.

The allegation is the latest fallout from a divisive Nevada Democratic convention that had to be shut down because security at the Paris Las Vegas hotel could no longer ensure order on Saturday night. The gathering closed with some Sanders supporters throwing chairs; later, some made death threats against state party chairwoman Roberta Lange.

Sanders' backers had been protesting convention rules that ultimately led to Hillary Clinton winning more pledged delegates. Clinton won the state's caucuses in February, 53-47, but Sanders backers hoped to pick up extra delegates by packing county and state party gatherings.

In a Saturday, May 14, 2016 photo, supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders react as U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., speaks during the Nevada State Democratic Partys 2016 State Convention at the Paris hotel-casino in Las Vegas. The Nevada Democratic Convention turned into an unruly and unpredictable event, after tension with organizers led to some Bernie Sanders supporters throwing chairs and to security clearing the room, organizers said. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; LAS VEGAS SUN OUT

Sanders had released a statement Friday night asking supporters to work "together respectfully and constructively" at the convention. But the state party alleged in its letter to the co-chairs of the DNC Rules and By-laws committee, "The explosive situation arose in large part because a portion of the community of Sanders delegates arrived at the Nevada Democratic State Convention believing itself to be a vanguard intent upon sparking a street-fight rather than attending an orderly political party process."

Michael Briggs, a Sanders campaign spokesman, said, "We do not condone violence or encourage violence or even threats of violence." He added that the campaign "had no role in encouraging the activity that the party is complaining about. We have a First Amendment and respect the rights of the people to make their voices heard."

On Saturday, Sanders backers shouted down the keynote speaker, Sen. Barbara Boxer, and others they thought were tilting the rules in Clinton's favor. Protesters shouted obscenities and rushed the dais to protest rulings. The letter by the state party's general counsel, Bradley S. Schrager, warns that similarly chaotic scenes could unfold in Philadelphia, site of the Democratic National Committee's July convention.

"We believe, unfortunately, that the tactics and behavior on display here in Nevada are harbingers of things to come as Democrats gather in Philadelphia in July for our National Convention," Schrager wrote. "We write to alert you to what we perceive as the Sanders campaign's penchant for extra-parliamentary behavior  indeed, actual violence  in place of democratic conduct in a convention setting, and furthermore what we can only describe as their encouragement of, and complicity in, a very dangerous atmosphere that ended in chaos and physical threats to fellow Democrats."

Several Sanders backers have condemned some of the threats against Lange and other actions Saturday. Former state assemblywoman Lucy Flores, a current congressional candidate, said in a statement: "There were actions over the weekend and at the Democratic convention that very clearly crossed the line. Progressives need to speak out against those: Making threats against someone's life, defacing private property, and hurling vulgar language at our female leaders."

State party offices remained closed Monday for security reasons after Sanders supporters posted Lange's home and business addresses, email and cell phone number online. Copies of angry and threatening texts to Lange were included with the letter.

Lange said she'd been receiving hundreds of profanity-laced calls and texts from inside and outside of the U.S., threatening her life and her family. Lange said the restaurant where she works has received so many calls it had to unplug the phone.

"It is endless, and the longer it goes the worse it gets," Lange said in an interview. "I feel threatened everywhere I go."

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Associated Press Congressional Correspondent Erica Werner in Washington contributed to this report.
Australian teen accused of plotting terror attack in Sydney

SYDNEY (AP)  A teenager was arrested on Tuesday after Australian police alleged he had been planning to launch a terrorist attack in Sydney.

The 18-year-old was expected to be charged with planning a terrorist attack, the Australian Federal Police said. They said another charge  preparing to enter a foreign country to engage in hostile activities  was expected to be filed in connection with an earlier attempt by the teen to travel to Syria. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

"The planning was occurring now and we would say that an attack was probably imminent," New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn told reporters.

Australian Federal Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan, right, announces that a teenager has been arrested amid allegations he had been planning to launch a terrorist attack in Sydney, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, while New South Wales Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn listens. The Australian Federal Police said that the 18-year-old would be charged with planning a terrorist attack and preparing to enter a foreign country to engage in hostile activities. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

The teen had been making arrangements to get a firearm, Australian Federal Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan said. Officials believe he was working alone, and his arrest means there is no longer any threat to public safety linked to the alleged plot, Gaughan said.

Burn and Gaughan declined to detail what the teen's alleged plans involved, including what sites were the proposed targets.

The teen, who had been on authorities' radar since last year, was stopped at Sydney airport in February when he attempted to travel to Syria, Gaughan said. His passport had been canceled and he was prevented from leaving the country.

Since then, the teen had been under police surveillance, Attorney-General George Brandis told reporters.

Australia's government raised the country's terror threat level in 2014 in response to the domestic threat posed by supporters of the Islamic State group. Police have since conducted dozens of raids they say have been aimed at thwarting multiple terror plots around Australia, including an alleged plan to attack government buildings and a naval base in Sydney.

Many of those arrested have been teenagers, including a 16-year-old who was charged with plotting a terrorist attack on an Australian Veteran's Day ceremony in April.

"We are still seeing people planning and preparing for such attacks and unfortunately, that group of people are getting younger and younger," Burn said.
North Korea names ex-nuclear envoy as new foreign minister

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea has named a career diplomat and ex-nuclear envoy with broad experience in negotiating with rivals South Korea and the United States as its new foreign minister, according to a diplomatic letter from Pyongyang.

North Korea's embassy in London informed the British government Monday that former Vice Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has been appointed as the country's new top diplomat.

Some South Korean analysts say Ri's appointment could be part of a bid to revive long-stalled diplomacy and improve ties with the outside world after Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch in February led to international criticism and tough sanctions.

In this Monday, Jan. 19, 2015, photo, North Korea's senior nuclear negotiator Ri Yong Ho, prepares to deliver a statement to the media in Singapore. North Korea has named Ri Yong Ho, a career diplomat with broad experience in negotiating with rivals South Korea and the United States as its new foreign minister. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

Critics say that North Korea turns to empty diplomatic gestures only after ratcheting up animosity in an attempt to win concessions and aid. North Korean diplomats also reportedly take a back seat to the generals and their hard-line policies in tense times.

Ri's appointment probably won't ease the nuclear standoff anytime soon. The North has dismissed an insistence in Seoul and Washington that talks can resume only after Pyongyang follows through on past nuclear disarmament pledges.

Ri has served as the North's top envoy to stalled six-nation disarmament talks on his country's nuclear weapons program and participated in talks with the United States in the 1990s. He also served as the North's ambassador in London.

In 2011, he met South Korea's top nuclear envoy in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of a regional security conference and agreed to work toward a resumption of the nuclear talks. The agreement was considered a breakthrough at the time, but the nuclear negotiations are still stalled and have not been held since late 2008.

North Korea's ruling elite includes another person called "Ri Yong Ho" in English, though his name in Korean is slightly different from the new foreign minister's. This other Ri Yong Ho served as the country's army chief before his abrupt dismissal in 2012, and has not appeared in the North's media since.

North Korea's diplomatic letter did not say what happened to the departing foreign minister, Ri Su Yong. But South Korea's spy agency said Tuesday that it believes Ri Su Yong was promoted to vice chairman for international affairs of the ruling Workers' Party after giving his top diplomat job to Ri Yong Ho. The agency didn't elaborate.

With a wealth of experience handling important jobs and participating in crucial talks with the United States and other nations, Ri Yong Ho is likely to be a more skilled negotiator than his predecessor, said Koh Yu-hwan, a professor at Seoul's Dongguk University.

Ri Su Yong had a close relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Ri Su Yong was North Korean ambassador to Switzerland, where Kim studied as a teenager. But as foreign minister, he didn't show much depth as a negotiator and often did nothing more than parrot Pyongyang's official lines, Koh said.

In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Ri Su Yong held firm to North Korea's longstanding position that the U.S. drove his country to develop nuclear weapons as an act of self-defense. But he said North Korea was ready to halt its nuclear tests if the United States suspends its annual military exercises with South Korea.

Both Ri Su Yong and Ri Yong Ho were awarded high-level posts during this month's Workers' Party conference, which was held for the first time in 36 years. If Ri Su Yong's promotion is correct, he replaces Kang Sok Ju, a longtime foreign policy specialist who negotiated a deal with the U.S. in 1994 to freeze and ultimately dismantle North Korea's nuclear facilities in exchange for economic aid.

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Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.

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Follow Hyung-jin Kim on Twitter at twitter.com/hyungjin1972

In this Monday, Jan. 19, 2015, photo, North Korea's senior nuclear negotiator Ri Yong Ho, center, delivers a statement to the media in Singapore. North Korea has named Ri Yong Ho, a career diplomat with broad experience in negotiating with rivals South Korea and the United States as its new foreign minister. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
Distracted engineer blamed in deadly Amtrak wreck

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Amtrak engineer whose speeding train ran off the rails in Philadelphia last year was apparently distracted by word that a train nearby had been hit by a rock, federal investigators concluded Tuesday, pinning most of the blame on him for the wreck that killed eight people.

"He went, in a matter of seconds, from distraction to disaster," National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said.

At the same time, the NTSB said a contributing factor was the railroad industry's decades-long failure to fully install positive train control, GPS-based technology that can automatically slow trains that are going over the speed limit.

FILE - This Aug. 21, 2007 file photo shows Amtrak assistant conductor Brandon Bostian outside a train at the Amtrak station in St. Louis. Bostian was the engineer during the fatal May 12, 2015 Amtrak passenger train derailment in Philadelphia. The National Transportation Safety Board is scheduled to meet Tuesday, May 17, 2016, to detail the probable cause of last year's fatal derailment. (Huy Richard Mach/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File) EDWARDSVILLE INTELLIGENCER OUT; THE ALTON TELEGRAPH OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

Had positive train control been in use along that stretch of track, "we would not be here today," said Ted Turpin, an NTSB investigator.

Engineer Brandon Bostian heard about the rock-throwing on the radio and was apparently so preoccupied by it that he lost track of where he was and accelerated full-throttle to 106 mph as he went into a sharp curve with a 50 mph speed limit, investigators said at an NTSB hearing to pinpoint the cause of the May 12, 2015, derailment. About 200 people aboard the Washington-to-New York train that night were injured.

Bostian, who has been suspended without pay since the crash for speeding, did not attend the hearing. He and his lawyer did not immediately return calls and emails seeking comment.

Ron Kaminkow, an Amtrak engineer who also serves as secretary of the industry union consortium Railroad Workers United, said the board's conclusion underscores the need to put two engineers on trains. "If one buys into this theory, having another engineer or conductor would've prevented the wreck," he said.

As for what this could mean for Amtrak and Bostian, the railroad has already taken responsibility for the tragedy, and its liability is capped under federal law at $295 million, which could easily be exhausted, given the number of deaths and serious injuries.

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office is helping the NTSB on the investigation, but a spokesman would not comment on the possibility of criminal charges.

The hearing included a spirited discussion over how much blame to assign to the lack of positive train control. In the end, the NTSB cited that as a secondary factor.

But NTSB chairman Christopher Hart warned that unless the technology is put fully in place soon, "I'm very concerned that we're going to be back in this room again, hearing investigators detail how technology that we have recommended for more than 45 years could have prevented yet another fatal rail accident."

Among other things, the NTSB also recommended research into train seat belts and ways to secure luggage that can become missiles in a derailment; training for crew members on multitasking; and new equipment and procedures to help engineers keep track of their location in spots where there is no positive train control.

In a statement, Amtrak said it "deeply regrets the tragic derailment" and will carefully review the NTSB findings and recommendations and quickly adopt them where appropriate. Amtrak noted that positive train control is already in place on most of its portion of the Northeast Corridor.

The problem of people throwing rocks at trains is so common that train crews have a term for it: "getting rocked." But it is a danger railroads are almost powerless to stop. No one was ever arrested in the rock-throwing in Philadelphia.

Bostian told investigators that just before the wreck, he was listening to radio traffic from a Philadelphia commuter train operator who said a rock had shattered his windshield. At one point, Bostian passed the commuter train on an adjoining track.

He told the NTSB that he was concerned about the welfare of the commuter train's engineer and "a little bit concerned" for his own safety, but he never indicated his own train had been struck, too. And the NTSB concluded it wasn't hit, despite early suspicions triggered by a dent discovered in Bostian's windshield.

Investigators said they believe Bostian was accelerating because he thought he had already passed the sharp Frankford Junction curve. After the curve is a straightaway where the speed limit climbs to 110 mph.

Authorities ruled out cellphone use on Bostian's part, as well as drugs or alcohol.

"Excluding all the other suspects that we looked at, the best we could come up with was that he was distracted from this radio conversation about the damaged train and forgot where he was," Hart said.

Bostian told investigators he couldn't remember some of what happened that night  probably because of a blow to the head suffered when his locomotive overturned, NTSB medical officer Mary Pat McKay.

Thomas Kline, a lawyer for passengers injured in the crash, questioned the NTSB findings and said he wonders whether the engineer speeded up to get through the area quickly and avoid getting "rocked."

Duy Nguyen, of Teaneck, New Jersey, a passenger who suffered a cut on his head and fractures in his back, attended the NTSB hearing. The Temple University professor said he was puzzled by the findings.

"The part that doesn't make sense is how does one accelerate when you're distracted?" Nguyen said. "The inclination is to slow down."

Bostian was known among his friends for his safety-mindedness and love of railroading. Before the crash, he apparently commented in an online forum for train enthusiasts, lamenting that railroads hadn't been fast enough to adopt Positive train control.

The NTSB has pushed for Positive train control since the 1970s. Over the past 20 years, the board has cited the lack of such technology as a contributing factor in 25 crashes, including deadly wrecks in Chatsworth, California, in 2008 and New York City in 2013.

Amtrak has now installed PTC on all the track it owns on the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington. A 56-mile stretch from New Rochelle, New York, to New Haven, Connecticut, is owned by other railroads and is expected to have automatic controls by the end-of-2018 deadline.

At the time of the Philadelphia crash, the technology had been installed at the accident site but was still being tested.

Before the NTSB voted on its conclusions, T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, the board's vice chairman, strongly urged the panel to put more blame on the lack of Positive train control.

"Eight people have died, dozens more have been injured  life-changing injuries  because the government and industry have not acted for decades on a well-known safety hazard," Dinh-Zarr said. "I ask: Why does our probable cause focus on a human's mistake and what he may have been distracted by?"

The investigation also pointed up the need to make passenger trains safer. In the derailment, the train's emergency windows dislodged as the cars slid on their sides, and four people were ejected and killed, according to investigators.

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Associated Press writers Maryclaire Dale and Errin Haines Whack in Philadelphia contributed to this story.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Christopher Hart opens a NTSB meeting in Washington, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, on the derailment of Amtrak passenger train in Philadelphia last year. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Christopher Hart speaks with the media following a NTSB board meeting in Washington, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, to determine the cause of the derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Philadelphia last year. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman speaks with the news media following a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) meeting in Washington, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, on the derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Philadelphia last year. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

A photograph of the Amtrak Cab Signal Aspect is displayed on a video monitor during the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) meeting in Washington, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, on the derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Philadelphia last year. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Duy Nguyen, 40, of Teaneck, N.J, speaks with reporters about his experienced, and injury, while he was a passenger aboard an Amtrak passenger train that derailed in Philadelphia last year, during the National Transportation Safety Board NTSB) meeting on the derailment, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) votes on a motion to adopt an explanation for the derailment of an Amtrak passenger train that derailed in Philadelphia last year, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, during their board meeting in Washington. Board members, from left are; T. Bella Dihn-Zarr, Ph.D. vice chair, Christopher Hart, chairman, Robert Sumwalt, member, and Earl Weener, Ph.D., member. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman speaks with the news media following a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) meeting in Washington, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, on the derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Philadelphia last year. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator Ted Turpin presents his report at the NTSB meeting in Washington, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, on the derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Philadelphia lat year. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

FILE- In this Wednesday, May 13, 2015 file photo, emergency personnel work at the scene of a Tuesday night derailment in Philadelphia of an Amtrak train headed to New York. The National Transportation Safety Board is scheduled to meet Tuesday, May 17, 2016, to detail the probable cause of last year's fatal derailment. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
PICTURED: Chilean fishermen struggle amid toxic algal bloom

CHILOE ISLAND, Chile (AP)  This string of islands off Chile's coast was once best known for its dramatic landscapes, rich wildlife, quaint stilt homes and colonial-era churches. But today, it is getting attention for something far less picturesque  a toxic algal bloom that is threatening its marine life and the livelihoods of the fishermen who depend on it.

"They killed our ocean," said Marisol Millaquien, who has been out of work for weeks due to the foul-smelling blue-green algae that has coated coastal waters with a harmful scum known as a "red tide."

Simply referred to as the "quiet catastrophe" by local fishermen, Chile's worst-ever red tide of toxic algae has prompted the government to declare an emergency zone along the southern coast that encompasses these islands known for some of the region's best bird watching.

In this May 7, 2016 photo, early morning sun rays glitter on the water where boats are anchored in the fishing village Quetalmahue, Chiloe Island, Chile. Chiloe is best-known for its wildlife, stilt homes and preserved churches. But today, it is also known for what fishermen here call a "quiet catastrophe"i due to a toxic algal bloom threatening the livelihood of many in this archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Algal blooms can be lethal to fish, birds and other marine animals, emitting a toxin that paralyzes the central nervous system. Consumption of shellfish from red tide areas can also poison humans.

The view from Millaquien's stilt home is desolate: Dozens of abandoned ghostly boats, dead birds and shellfish fill the landscape. "I'm 46. I've seen red tide before, but never like this," she said.

Like many residents, she doesn't believe scientists who say the environmental disaster was caused by warmer temperatures stemming from this year's El Nino weather phenomenon.

Instead, she blames commercial salmon farms in Chile that she accuses of dumping contaminated fish near the coast. Millions of salmon died earlier this year due to another algal bloom that asphyxiated fish by decreasing oxygen in the water.

"We can't catch anything now. Not even to eat, to survive," lamented the single mother of three. "Any plague could have hit us before but we would have been fine as long as we had enough seafood."

Fishing is the backbone of the economy for many communities along Chile's long coast. Millaquien says she's worried about the residents of Chiloe and how food scarcity is creating tensions among her otherwise tight-knit community.

"Some are depressed. Marriages have split up. And it all has to do with this, because there's hunger. Children lack milk, there are bills to pay and no one can wait," she said.

Experts say the red tide could linger for months.

Meanwhile, food and gasoline have been scarce after small-scale fishermen blocked the island from the mainland, lighting flaming barricades for days to demand more compensation from the government.

But Millaquien says she is not likely to receive any government help. Despite her years of catching seafood, she doesn't appear on the official registry among those eligible for compensation.

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Associated Press writer Eva Vergara in Santiago, Chile, contributed to this report.

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Follow AP photographers and photo editors on Twitter: http://apne.ws/15Oo6jo

In this May 9, 2016 photo, shellfish washed ashore blanket the shore in Cucao, on Chiloe Island, Chile. The government has declared an emergency zone along Chile's south and in Chiloe as it deals with the country's worst ever "red tide," which can be lethal to fish and other marine forms with a toxin that paralyzes the central nervous system. Consumption of shellfish from red tide areas can poison humans as well. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 10, 2016 photo, small scale fisherwoman Marisol Millaquien sips on a cup of mate, an herbal tea, in her home in the fishing village Quetalmahue, on Chile's Chiloe Island. Like many other residents, she's in disbelief of scientists who say that the red tide environmental disaster that's killing fish was caused by warmer temperatures stemming from this year's "Godzilla" El Nino weather phenomenon. Instead, she believes that commercial salmon farms in Chile are to blame for dumping contaminated fish near the coast. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 10, 2016 photo, small scale fisherwoman Marisol Millaquien fires up a wood stove in her home in the fishing village Quetalmahue, on Chile's Chiloe Island during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. "We can't catch anything now. Not even to eat, to survive," Millaquien, a single mother of three said. "Any plague could have hit us before but we would have been fine as long as we had enough seafood." (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 10, 2016 photo, small scale fisherwoman Marisol Millaquien stands on the shore backdropped by idle boats in the fishing village Quetalmahue, on Chile's Chiloe Island, during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. "They killed our ocean," said Millaquien, who has been out of work for three weeks due to a toxic algal bloom that is threatening the livelihood of many in this archipelago located in the Pacific Ocean. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 10, 2016 photo, small scale fisherwoman Marisol Millaquien arrives to work at a local fish and seafood plant, in a Quetalmahue fishing village in Chiloe, Chile, during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. Millaquien says she's worried about the residents of Chiloe and how food scarcity is creating tensions among her otherwise tight-knit community. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

This May 10, 2016 photo shows a seafood stall temporally closed for business due to the red tide crisis effecting sea creatures, making them too toxic to consume, in Ancud, Chiloe island, Chile. Millions of salmon died earlier this year due to another algal bloom that asphyxiates fish by decreasing oxygen in the water. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 10, 2016, Marco, the 19-year-old son of fisherwoman Marisol Millaquien, prepares to take out a boat on an expedition, in hopes of providing food for the dinner table, in Quetalmahue, on Chile's Chiloe Island, during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. The view from Millaquien's stilt home is desolate: dozens of abandoned ghostly boats, dead birds and shellfish. "I'm 46. I've seen red tide before, but never like this," she said. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

This May 10, 2016 photo shows a padlocked seafood stall temporally closed for business effected by the red tide crisis that makes sea creatures too toxic to consume, in Ancud, Chiloe island, Chile. Experts say the red tide could linger for months. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 8, 2016 photo a dead sea lion lies on the shore of Mar Brava, in Ancud in Chile's Chiloe Island, during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. Chiloe is best-known for its wildlife, stilt homes and preserved churches. But today, it is also known for what fishermen here call a "quiet catastrophe" due to a toxic algal bloom threatening the livelihood of many in this archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 9, 2016 photo, residents shout anti-government slogans as they protest in Ancud, Chile's Chiloe Island, during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. The government has offered about $220 a month to some 5,000 local fishermen as compensation, but they're demanding twice that, saying the offer isn't enough to cover basic needs. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 10, 2016 photo, diver Jose Luis Cifuentes covers his face in exhaustion and frustration saying he has no money to buy food, inside his mother-in-law's home in Ancud, Chiloe Island, Chile, during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. Chile is among the world's top suppliers of salmon and fishing is the backbone of the economy for many communities along the country's long coast. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 11, 2016 photo, diver Jose Luis Cifuentes walks to his boat in the fishing village Quetalmahue, in Chiloe island, Chile, during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. Even though Cifuentes has been on strike for three weeks, he regularly scoops out water from his boat to keep it from water rot. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 11, 2016 photo Jose Luis Cifuentes jumps out of his boat after removing water that had gathered inside his boat in the fishing village Quetalmahue, in Chiloe Island, Chile, during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. Even though Cifuentes has been on strike for three weeks, he regularly scoops out water from his boat to keep it from water rot. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 12, 2016 photo, diver Jose Luis Cifuentes, shoulders his five-year-old stepson Martin, as he walks with his young sister-in-law Escarleth Araneda, to a protest in Ancud, in Chiloe Island, Chile, during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. Food and gasoline have been scarce after small-scale fishermen blocked the island from the mainland, lighting flaming barricades for days to demand more compensation from the government. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

This May 10, 2016 photo shows a direction road sign defaced with a spray-painted message that reads in Spanish, "Crisis in Chiloe", near a barricade set up by small scale fishermen, at the entrance of Ancud, in Chiloe island, Chile. A toxic algal bloom is threatening the coast's marine life and the livelihoods of the fishermen who depend on it. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 7, 2016 photo, the carcass of a seabird lies on the shore of Mar Brava, in Ancud, Chile's Chiloe Island. The government has declared an emergency zone along Chile's south and in Chiloe as it deals with the country's worst ever "red tide," which can be lethal to fish and other marine forms with a toxin that paralyzes the central nervous system. Consumption of shellfish from red tide areas can poison humans as well. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

This May 10, 2015 photo shows a storefront window emblazoned with a message that reads in Spanish "Chiloe defends its sea, its land, and its people" in Ancud, in Chile's Chiloe island, during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. The government has offered about $220 a month to some 5,000 local fishermen as compensation, but they're demanding twice that, saying the offer isn't enough to cover basic needs. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 10, 2016 photo, diver Jose Luis Cifuentes, takes part in a protest in Ancud, on Chile's Chiloe Island, during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. Food and gasoline have been scarce after small-scale fishermen blocked the island from the mainland, lighting flaming barricades for days to demand more compensation from the government. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 10, 2016 photo, Marco Cifuentes carries his boat anchor and a medicinal plant called "matico" for his mother, as he walks in the waters at the edge of the fishing village Quetalmahue, in Chile's Chiloe island. Cifuentes' mother said she mixes the medicinal plant with mate to calm her nerves which she says has caused them to frazzle because of the "red tide" environmental crisis. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 7, 2015 photo idle fishing boats are anchored in the waters of the fishing village Quetalmahue, in Chile's Chiole Island. Simply referred to as the "quiet catastrophe" by local fishermen, Chile's worst-ever red tide of toxic algae has prompted the government to declare an emergency zone along the southern coast that encompasses these islands known for some of the region's best bird watching. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this May 6, 2016 photo, a fisherman places a Chilean national flag in his boat that is serving as a barricade, blocking a road in Ancud in Chile's Chiloe Island, during the country's worst ever "red tide" environmental disaster. Food and gasoline have been scarce after small-scale fishermen blocked the island from the mainland, lighting flaming barricades for days to demand more compensation from the government. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Hong Kong under tight security for Chinese official's visit

HONG KONG (AP)  Hong Kong authorities rolled out a massive security operation on Tuesday as they braced for protests during a top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous city, where tensions are rising over Chinese rule.

Thousands of police officers were deployed as Zhang Dejiang, China's third-highest-ranking Communist Party official, began his three-day "inspection visit" to the former British colony. Zhang, chairman of the National People's Congress, China's ceremonial parliament, is the most senior Chinese official to visit Hong Kong since then-President Hu Jintao came in 2012.

The stepped-up security, including officers keeping watch on a mountain peak far from the city center, reflects official unease about possible disruptions as Hong Kong's political atmosphere grows increasingly turbulent.

Pro-democracy activists carry pictures of the visiting Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, Zhang Dejiang, along with detained Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaob and his wife Liu Xia, as they march to the Government House where the dinner is held for Zhang in Hong Kong, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Hong Kong authorities rolled out a massive security operation on Tuesday as they braced for protests during a top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous city, where tensions are rising over Chinese rule. The picture reads "Zhang Dejiang, get out of Hong Kong", " Release Liu Xiaob immediately". (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Discontent over Beijing's tightening grip on Hong Kong has risen since pro-democracy street protests rocked the Asian financial hub in late 2014, and calls for independence from radical political groups have become commonplace.

After arriving at the airport, Zhang, who's also the Chinese official in charge of Hong Kong affairs, touched on the city's fraying ties with the mainland, saying he would listen to "suggestions and requests from various sectors of society on ... the development of the country and Hong Kong."

Zhang is scheduled to deliver a speech at a business conference Wednesday morning. He's also expected to hold a rare meeting with four pro-democracy lawmakers, who said they would urge him to get rid of the city's unpopular Beijing-backed leader, Leung Chun-ying, and revive political reform efforts.

Around 6,000 police officers are on duty for Zhang's visit, the South China Morning Post reported. Officers were even dispatched to the summit of Lion Rock, one of Hong Kong's tallest peaks, the Apple Daily newspaper said. However, they failed to prevent activists from unfurling a pro-democracy banner lower down the mountainside.

Police set up hundreds of plastic water-filled safety barriers on the streets surrounding the downtown convention center where Zhang will speak and the hotel next door where he's staying.

In another sign of official nervousness over the visit, authorities glued together sidewalk paving stones to prevent them from being ripped up and hurled by protesters. Pavers were thrown during a February riot involving a pro-independence group that left 90 people injured.

Police in the neighboring mainland city of Shenzhen arrested a Hong Kong man involved in a plot to use a drone to disrupt Zhang's visit, China's official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.

The chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, Zhang Dejiang, right, speaks to media next to Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying after arriving at Hong Kong's airport, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Hong Kong authorities have rolled out a massive security operation as they brace for protests during a top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous Chinese region. Thousands of police officers were deployed Tuesday as Zhang Dejiang began a three-day trip to Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

A pro-democracy protester wears a dunce cap to oppose Cultural Revolution in China as another hold a yellow umbrella to demand genuine universal suffrage in Hong Kong, on the road to the Government House in Hong Kong, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Hong Kong authorities rolled out a massive security operation on Tuesday as they braced for protests during a top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous city, where tensions are rising over Chinese rule. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Pro-democracy activists burn a letter to the visiting chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, Zhang Dejiang, on the road to the Government House where the dinner is held for Zhang in Hong Kong, Tuesday, May 17, 2016 as they demand the Chinese government to end the one party rule and return power to the people. Hong Kong authorities rolled out a massive security operation on Tuesday as they braced for protests during a top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous city, where tensions are rising over Chinese rule. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Pro-democracy activists scuffle with police officers on the road to the Government House where the dinner is held for the visiting chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, Zhang Dejiang, in Hong Kong, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Hong Kong authorities rolled out a massive security operation on Tuesday as they braced for protests during a top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous city, where tensions are rising over Chinese rule. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, Zhang Dejiang, right, walks with Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying after arriving at Hong Kong's airport, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Hong Kong authorities have rolled out a massive security operation as they brace for protests during a top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous Chinese region. Thousands of police officers were deployed Tuesday as Zhang Dejiang began a three-day trip to Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, Zhang Dejiang, center, walks with Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, left, after arriving at Hong Kong's airport, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Hong Kong authorities have rolled out a massive security operation as they brace for protests during a top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous Chinese region. Thousands of police officers were deployed Tuesday as Zhang Dejiang began a three-day trip to Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Police officers stand guard in front of the hotel where Zhang Dejiang, chairman of China's National People's Congress, will stay during his visit to Hong Kong, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Hong Kong authorities rolled out a massive security operation on Tuesday as they brace for protests during the top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous city, which has been the scene of rising discontent with Chinese rule. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Body guards escort a car with the chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, Zhang Dejiang at Hong Kong's airport, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Hong Kong authorities have rolled out a massive security operation as they brace for protests during a top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous Chinese region. Thousands of police officers were deployed Tuesday as Zhang Dejiang began a three-day trip to Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Police officers stand guard as the chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, Zhang Dejiang is arriving at Hong Kong's airport, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Hong Kong authorities have rolled out a massive security operation as they brace for protests during a top Beijing official's visit to the semiautonomous Chinese region. Thousands of police officers were deployed Tuesday as Zhang Dejiang began a three-day trip to Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Man sought in disappearance of Washington couple arrested

SEATTLE (AP)  One of two brothers who were charged with first-degree murder in the presumed killing of a missing Washington state couple was taken into custody Monday in San Diego, authorities said.

Snohomish County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said Tony Clyde Reed, 49, crossed into the United States from Mexico and was arrested by U.S. Marshals.

Reed had arranged to be taken into custody, she said. He has been booked into the San Diego County jail and Ireton said she didn't yet have information about extraditing Reed to Washington state.

FILE - These undated booking photos provided by the Snohomish County Sheriff Office shows Tony Reed, left and John Reed. Authorities say one of two brothers who were charged with murder in the presumed killing of a missing Washington state couple, Patrick Shunn and his wife, Monique Patenaude, has been taken into custody in San Diego. Snohomish County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Shari Ireton says 49-year-old Tony Clyde Reed crossed into the United States from Mexico and was arrested Monday, May 16, 2016, by U.S. Marshals in San Diego. (Snohomish County Sheriff Office via AP, File )

The whereabouts of his brother, 53-year-old John Blaine Reed, remain unknown.

On April 12, neighbors reported Monique Patenaude, 46, and her husband, Patrick Shunn, 45, missing when their livestock was left unattended.

Detectives concluded the couple had been killed after they searched the vehicles and the home near the couple's where John Reed recently lived.

Ireton said Monday night that authorities continue to search for the missing couple.

"We're definitely glad to have one in custody," she said. "We're hoping for more information about the bodies."

Surveillance video linked the Reed brothers to the dumping of the couple's cars over an embankment north of Seattle, authorities said.

Authorities have said they had no information about any issues between John Reed and Shunn and Patenaude but noted that others had described a property dispute between them.

The Reeds have been described as armed and dangerous during the search.

John Reed's car was found previously in central Washington, and detectives said the brothers had taken their parents' red Volkswagen.

John Reed tried to cash a check for $96,000 on April 14 before he went on the run from police, according to court documents filed in April. The brothers had not been identified as suspects at the time. Ireton has said the bank wasn't able to cash the large check but issued five smaller cashier's checks to John Reed. One check had been cashed before authorities put a hold on them.

Authorities had said the brothers could have been heading for Mexico. Detectives found a car in Phoenix that had been driven by the Reeds and said the suspects took another car with an Arizona plate.

A license plate reader captured that plate near Calexico, California and the Reeds themselves had been spotted in the country several times, authorities said.

Tony Reed has dozens of arrests and twice was under state supervision  from 1989 to 1991 on drug charges, and from 1994 to 2003 for three misdemeanors, one count of attempting to elude police and one count of third-degree assault.
The 'untouchables' of Yemen caught in crossfire of war

SANAA, Yemen (AP)  They are Yemen's untouchables.

They call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, shunned by others. They live in shantytowns on the outskirts of cities, are often refused schooling and work menial jobs like shoe-shining or street cleaning or turn to begging. Other Yemenis have traditionally called them the "Akhdam," or "servants."

In a country where belonging to a tribe is vital to guaranteeing protection, status and livelihood, their community  which some estimates say numbers nearly 3 million people  is without a tribe and ignored by the government.

In this April 25, 2016 photo, a boy from the community who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," stands near his hut in a slum area of Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. Vulnerable with no tribal protection, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

As a result, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war that is pitting the government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, against Shiite rebels known as Houthis and forces loyal to Yemen's ousted president.

Their neighborhoods have been pounded both by coalition airstrikes and Houthi shelling, shattering their makeshift homes cobbled together from sheets of metal, cardboard and blankets.

Many have been thrown into a state of constant displacement, with no one to take them in. Some tell of fleeing from strikes by one side, only to be hit again by another of the many factions and combatants in the conflict. Yemeni groups distributing humanitarian aid ignore them, they say.

"We are naked. We have nothing," Houssna Mohammed said, choking back tears as she stood at the charred remains of her shack in a slum of the Marginalized in the western city of Taiz. She said her home was burned down in March when a mortar hit her neighbor and the fire was blown to her shack.

Walid Abdullah, a 20-year-old member of the Marginalized, said his home district in Taiz, al-Jahmaliya, was hit early on in the war by shelling. The whole community of 200 families fled to al-Rahda, another town in Taiz province. Later they had to flee again when Saudi airstrikes hit al-Rahda.

Now he is in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, and he says his family is spread around multiple slums in the city. In the airstrikes, he lost his only source of income, a motorbike he offered for rent. "Now I have nothing," he said.

An estimated 9,000 people have been killed in the past year of fighting in Yemen, and more than 2.4 million have been driven from their homes. The death toll among the Marginalized is difficult to verify because few pay attention to them. One advocacy group, the Yemeni Organization Against Discrimination, said it has documented more than 300 killed, including 68 children and 56 women. Yahia Said, the head of the organization, said the true number is likely much higher.

The origins of the Muhammasheen are unclear. Popular tradition has it that they are the descendants of Ethiopian soldiers who invaded Yemen in the 6th century. Other theories suggest they were African peoples who were among the first to inhabit coastal cities in Yemen.

Official government statistics have put their population at around 500,000, but Marginalized activists say they number around 3 million. UNICEF has estimated they amount to about 10 percent of the population, or 2.6 million.

For generations, they have been treated as a permanent underclass. Yemenis call them unclean and tell their children not to mingle with them. One common proverb among Yemenis goes, "Clean your plate if it is touched by a dog, but break it if it's touched by a Khadem."

Activists say schools and hospitals often turn them away. They say women in the community are vulnerable to sexual abuse by other Yemenis, who are confident courts won't prosecute them or that their tribes will intimidate the Marginalized into silence. In contrast, if a Marginalized man is believed to be fraternizing with an outside woman, his entire community can be driven from their homes as punishment.

The children of the Marginalized who defy social stigma and attend schools often face harassment from teachers and fellow students. Said recalled how, when he was in first grade, his teacher accused the blacks of Yemen of being the descendants of those who tried to destroy the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site, located in Mecca. It was a reference to a historical incident in which an Ethiopian Christian king of Yemen is said to have sent an army with elephants to destroy the Kaaba.

"Imagine 70 students looking at me in disgust," Said remembered.

Saleh al-Bair studied political science at universities in the Soviet Union and Cuba in the 1990s, one of the few Marginalized to gain access to education abroad. Yet he now works as a shoe shiner in Sanaa.

He said that even before the war, his community had no rights.

"If you go to court, the judge won't summon me using my name but would say, 'servant.' So what kind of justice would you expect after that?" he said.

In 2014, UNICEF conducted a survey of more than 9,000 Marginalized families in the city of Taiz, site of one of their largest communities. It found high levels of poverty and low levels of education, all far worse than national averages. Only half the children were in school, 80 percent of the adults and nearly 52 percent of 10-14-year-olds were illiterate. More than half the children under 1 year old had not been immunized.

Buthaina al-Iryani, social protection specialist at UNICEF, said that the agency distributes cash to the families of the Marginalized in Sanaa and Taiz due to their urgent needs. But she acknowledged, "This is a drop in the ocean."

Now after a year of war, they have completely fallen off the social hierarchy.

More than ever, begging has become their only source of revenue. Barefoot children with matted hair, faces covered in dust, are seen sleeping on streets while their mothers cloaked in black extend their hands to pedestrians, begging for money.

"The humanitarian situation is miserable," said Noaman al-Houzifi, the head of the National Union of the Marginalized. While others have tribes or wealthy relatives to help or host them if they have to flee their homes, "for the Marginalized, they have nothing."

He and other Marginalized activists say local operators distributing humanitarian aid pass them over.

"Even the blankets distributed by the aid and relief groups, the Marginalized are excluded from receiving such help," said Misk al-Maqmari, a 25-year-old Marginalized activist running a local group called Enough.

At hospitals, Marginalized wounded in fighting are often not given beds or treatment and are left to die, she said. "As if they are animals. Even animals have rights."

___

Michael reported from Cairo.

In this April 25, 2016 photo, a girl from the community who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," peers through a curtain of her hut, in a slum area of Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. Vulnerable with no tribal protection, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

In this April 25, 2016 photo, a family from a community who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," who fled the city of Taiz due to the ongoing civil war, sit inside their home in a slum area of Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. Vulnerable with no tribal protection, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

This April 25, 2016 photo, shows a shantytown where people who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized" live, in Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. Vulnerable with no tribal protection, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

In this April 25, 2016 photo, a family from a community who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," who fled the city of Taiz due to the ongoing civil war, pose for a photo inside their home in a slum area of Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. Vulnerable with no tribal protection, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

In this April 27, 2016 photo, children play in a shantytown where people who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," live, in Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. Vulnerable with no tribal protection, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

In this Monday, April 25, 2016 photo, Hassen Mohammed Najy, from a community who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," who fled the city of Taiz due to the ongoing civil war, sits with his children inside their home in a slum area of Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. Vulnerable with no tribal protection, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

In this April 25, 2016 photo, Juma'ah Mohammed, from the community who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," who fled the city of Taiz with her family due to the ongoing civil war, carries her daughter as she stands near her family's hut in a slum area of Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

In this April 25, 2016 photo, a man from the community who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," sits outside his hut as he chews qat leaves, an amphetamine-like stimulant, in Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. Vulnerable with no tribal protection, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

In this April 25, 2016 photo, a boy from the community who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," stands near his hut in a slum area of Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. Vulnerable with no tribal protection, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

In this April 25, 2016 photo, a man from the community who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," looks from a window of his hut in a slum area of Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. Vulnerable with no tribal protection, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

In this Monday, April 25, 2016 photo, the Hassen Mohammed Najy family, from a community who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," who fled the city of Taiz due to the ongoing civil war, sit inside their home in a slum area of Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. Vulnerable with no tribal protection, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

In this April 25, 2016 photo, Saeed Ghailan Mohammed, 60, from a community who call themselves the "Muhammasheen," or "the Marginalized," who fled the city of Taiz due to the ongoing civil war, stands inside his hut in a slum area of Sanaa, Yemen. They are Yemen's untouchables, a dark-skinned ethnic group that for centuries has been consigned to the bottom of Yemen's social scale, faced with discrimination and racism, and shunned by others. Vulnerable with no tribal protection, they have been hit particularly hard in Yemen's civil war. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
Newsletters released from secretive National Security Agency

WASHINGTON (AP)  In-house newsletters from the clandestine National Security Agency have been released by an online news site  part of the mountain of documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

The Intercept, whose founding editors were the first to publish documents leaked by Snowden, released on Monday the first batch of nine years' worth of the newsletters, which offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the NSA's work. The newsletters reveal efforts to eavesdrop on a Russian crime boss, the search in Iraq for possible weapons of mass destruction and help with interrogations at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

An article in the May 2003 newsletter describes how NSA spent "many months" obtaining the phone number of a Russian organized crime figure so his calls could be intercepted. The State Department asked the NSA for information on the boss of the Tambov crime network in Russia  a figure known only as "Mr. Kumarin"  and whether he had any ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The man later was convicted of fraud and money laundering and sentenced to 14 years behind bars.

FILE- In this Feb. 17, 2016, file photo, former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, center, speaks via video conference to people in the Johns Hopkins University auditorium in Baltimore. The Intercept, an online news site whose founding editors were the first to publish documents leaked by Snowden, released on Monday, May 16, the first batch of nine years' worth of the newsletters, which offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the NSAs work. (AP Photo/Juliet Linderman, File)

In a newsletter article published Dec. 22, 2003, an NSA liaison officer recounts a temporary duty assignment at Guantanamo Bay where the task was to provide intelligence to support Defense Department, CIA and FBI interrogations of detainees picked up off battlefields.

The job entailed relaying information back to NSA, based at Fort Meade in Maryland. But sometimes, NSA would share "sensitive NSA-collected technical data" to help the interrogators.

According to Intercept, "Neither the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on the CIA's detention and rendition program (which confirmed the existence of two CIA facilities at Guantanamo) nor a 2008 Senate Armed Services Committee report on detainee abuse by the military addresses the role of the NSA, at least in the heavily censored versions that have been made public."

It was serious business, but in their off hours, NSA liaisons at scenic Guantanamo Bay could visit the "Tiki Bar," or enjoy water sports, such as sailing and snorkeling.

"Learn how to operate a boat in a weekend," the liaison wrote. "Become a certified open-water scuba diver within weeks. ... The local dive shop has all the gear and tips to ensure a perfect outing."

In a more taxing assignment, the newsletter reports on a rendition where six Algerians, linked to a plan to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo, were moved from Bosnia to Guantanamo in early 2002. The U.S. rendition program involved secretly sending foreign captives to other countries that have more lax practices for the humane treatment of detainees.

A Bosnian judge ordered the Algerians released for lack of evidence, but the U.S. persuaded the Bosnian government to turn them over to U.S. custody.

An NSA staffer wrote about the movement in the newsletter, as part of a series replete with stories about working overtime for the agency.

As soon as they were released, the Algerians were to be transported from Sarajevo to another Bosnia city and then on to Guantanamo. The staffer's job was to watch the route for a possible ambush from a military convoy.

The Algerians' release "was delayed for several hours due to a large demonstration outside the building they were being held in," and "the convoy did not leave Sarajevo until after midnight," she wrote.

One of the Algerians, Lakhdar Boumediene, went on to file a lawsuit that led to a landmark decision in June 2008 that Guantanamo detainees had the right to challenge their detention in federal court.

Other tales came from NSA's work in Iraq. NSA staffers worked to research the locations for weapons of mass destruction material, although claims about Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction proved to be false.
Tokyo 2020 bid leader questioned in Japan's parliament

TOKYO (AP)  One of the leaders of Tokyo's winning bid for the 2020 Olympics told the Japanese parliament Tuesday that he cannot reveal the details of a contract with a Singapore firm that has enmeshed the bid in a French bribery investigation.

"We looked into the content of this contract but this is a confidential matter," Tsunekazu Takeda said under questioning from lawmakers. "So, I understand that I am not allowed to unveil the content without gaining approval from the counterpart."

French prosecutors have said that 2.8 million Singapore dollars ($2 million) was apparently transferred from Japan to the Singapore account of a company called Black Tidings.

In this Monday, May 16, 2016, photo, shoes, umbrellas and other belongings are seen outside the door of an apartment registered to a Singaporean company "Black Tidings" in Singapore. The leader of Tokyo's winning bid for the 2020 Olympics was summoned to the Japanese parliament Tuesday to explain the payment he has acknowledged making to a firm, Black Tidings, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

The account holder, Ian Tan Tong Han, has been closely tied to the son of former IAAF President Lamine Diack, who is facing corruption charges.

Diack, once one of the most influential men in sports, was a member of the International Olympic Committee. He is under investigation in France, barred from leaving the country while the probe continues.

Takeda, now president of the Japan Olympic Committee, acknowledged last week that the payments were made, but he said they were consulting fees for services such as bid planning, international lobbying advice and media analysis.

Japanese Olympics Minister Toshiaki Endo urged the involved parties to explain the issue to the public.

"I understand there is a matter of confidentiality but we would like for them to investigate this issue ... and handle it in a way that could gain understanding from the people of Japan," he said.

In this Monday, May 16, 2016, photo, the residential block where an apartment registered to a Singaporean company "Black Tidings" is seen in Singapore. The leader of Tokyo's winning bid for the 2020 Olympics was summoned to the Japanese parliament Tuesday to explain the payment he has acknowledged makingvto a firm, Black Tidings, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
UK rural police fear being sitting ducks in terror attacks

LONDON (AP)  Rural police in Britain are warning they'd be "sitting ducks" in a terror attack because there aren't enough trained firearms officers in isolated areas.

A police federation leader, John Apter, says firearms officers could be as far as 70 miles (110 kilometers) away in an emergency. Such areas include potential targets such as power plants and oil installations.

Britain's government has announced that it will train more firearms officers in light of attacks in France and Belgium. But Apter told the BBC that unarmed officers are "saying to me that in a terrorist situation they would be sitting ducks."
Modest goals set in bid to save Syria truce, peace talks

VIENNA (AP)  Seeking to salvage and reinforce a shaky truce, world and regional powers agreed Tuesday to try to turn the faltering pause in Syria's fighting into a comprehensive cease-fire and boost humanitarian aid deliveries with the hope of restarting peace talks.

But underscoring the difficulties in ending the five-year war that has left hundreds of thousands dead and fueled the rise of Islamic extremists, the more than 20 nations were not able to outline specific penalties for non-compliance with the truce and the U.N. special envoy for Syria was unable to announce a date for the resumption of negotiations on a political transition.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the participants set a June 1 deadline for the resumption of humanitarian aid to areas cut off from the outside world. Reading from a joint statement issued by the International Syria Support Group, he said that if land routes remain blocked, food aid will be air dropped and international pressure will be increased on those preventing such relief from getting through. Such pressure will also be applied to stop indiscriminate use of force by the Syrian military, Kerry added, without specifying what pressure the powers could apply.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, right, arrive for a meeting in Vienna, Austria, Monday May 16, 2016. (Leonhard Foeger/Pool Photo via AP)

The group also broadly agreed that "persistent non-compliance" with the truce could result in rebel forces being excluded from the agreement.

But beyond such pledges, the meeting did not devise any concrete ways to resolve the main problem standing in the way of peace  factional divisions. Without that, progress in ending the violence and reducing Syria's human misery can only be marginal and temporary.

Kerry said as much to reporters, declaring that to end the conflict "a variety of competing interests" are going to have to be reconciled.

"Those involved in this conflict with competing agendas are going to have to prioritize peace," he said.

One key division continues to be the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Moscow opposes any attempt to forge a peace settlement that is conditional on his removal.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said his country's support of the Syrian regime did not constitute backing for Assad.

Instead, he said Russia supports "the fight against terrorism, and we don't see a better alternative to doing that than the Syrian army."

Britain nonetheless called for more leverage on Assad from Moscow, while Germany repeated the position held by the West and the Saudi-backed opposition that an agreement should outline steps leading to the end of the Syrian leader's rule.

"What we now need to see the Russians doing is calling their client to order and making sure that the Assad regime delivers on the obligations that Russia is making on its behalf in these meetings," said British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier asserted the Syrian leader must bow out "because there can be no lasting future for this country with Assad."

Kerry questioned suggestions that Assad was immune from international pressure to agree to a settlement, implying that unspecified other means could be applied if the Syrian leader remains obstinate.

If Assad "has reached a conclusion that there is no Plan B, he has done so without any foundation whatsoever, and it's very dangerous, dangerous," Kerry said.

In a nod to Moscow, Assad's key international backer, Kerry said Russia "has made it very clear" that Assad has signed on to commitments that include participation in peace talks, constitutional change and elections.

"But he has yet to live up to the first one, which is to participate fully in the Geneva talks on a political transition," he said.

The diplomats at the talks also called on all parties to dissociate themselves from the Islamic State and the al-Qaida affiliate, known as the Nusra Front, Kerry said.

Those comments reflect international concerns about attempts by Islamic radicals to form alliances with Syrian rebels, a worry Lavrov said all participants at the talks share.

"In particular, we have the problem of al-Nusra," he said. "It is changing, it makes alliances with groups in the cessation of hostilities."

The talks, which included foreign ministers or other senior officials from more than 20 countries and organizations, were convened after discussions meant to reduce differences between rival factions sputtered last month in Geneva as fighting flared.

The current effort to end the five-year Syria conflict was largely spearheaded by Kerry and Lavrov, backed by major global and regional powers that formed the International Syria Support Group.

A truce brokered by the U.S. and Russia sharply reduced violence in March, but that truce has been steadily eroding. The Vienna conference was called after U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura appealed last month to Washington and Moscow to directly intervene in putting the Syria dialogue back on track.

The Geneva talks foundered after the Western- and Saudi-backed opposition suspended formal participation in the indirect talks with Assad's envoys to protest alleged government cease-fire violations, a drop in humanitarian aid deliveries and no progress in winning the release of detainees in Syria.

Reflecting the lack of substantive progress in Vienna, de Mistura did not say when the Geneva talks would reconvene but warned of further delay in trying to end a war that has claimed about 300,000 deaths, left about 12 million people homeless and made refugees of 5 million Syrians.

"We cannot wait too long," he said. "We want to maintain momentum."

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrives for Syria talks in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. World and regional powers are meeting in Vienna to overcome stubborn divisions among Syrian factions that have led to the rise of Islamic extremists and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives since violence turned to war five years ago. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, right, arrive for a meeting in Vienna, Austria, Monday May 16, 2016. (Leonhard Foeger/Pool Photo via AP)

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, center, arrives for Syria talks in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. World and regional powers are meeting in Vienna to overcome stubborn divisions among Syrian factions that have led to the rise of Islamic extremists and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives since violence turned to war five years ago. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)
Wildfire-fighters warn 2016 could be bad in California

California could face a dangerous and difficult wildfire season in 2016 despite a relatively wet winter, federal officials warned Tuesday.

Most of the rest of the nation is expected to see an average summer, but even that means thousands of wildfires, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said after a briefing from the U.S. Forest Service, which is part of his department.

A five-year drought has left 40 million dead and dried-out trees in California, including 29 million that died last year alone, Vilsack said.

FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2015 file photo, timber burns in the First Creek fire near lakeside structures on the western shore of Lake Chelan near Chelan, Wash. The nations primary wildfire-fighters are getting ready for the 2016 season, which is expected to be worse than average in Hawaii, Alaska and the Southwest. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will meet with regional forest officials Tuesday, May 17, 2016, to discuss plans and preparations. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

"This creates a tremendous hazard, potential hazard, for fires and firefighting this year," he said.

An El Nino weather pattern brought near-normal snowfall to parts of California last winter, but its forests need much more rain and snow to recover fully from the drought, Vilsack said.

Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said Southern California didn't benefit from the El Nino as much as the state's northern mountains.

He said the effects of drought will continue to kill California's trees for at least three more years.

Tidwell and Vilsack said the Forest Service  the primary federal wildfire-fighting agency  has 10,000 firefighters ready nationwide, along with more than 350 aircraft and 900 fire trucks.

Wildfires are increasing in number and intensity in the U.S., and the wildfire season has grown by 78 days since 1970, Tidwell said.

Last year, wildfires burned a record 15,800 square miles. Seven Forest Service firefighters died and 4,500 homes were damaged or destroyed.

Vilsack and Tidwell said climate change was responsible for the worsening fires.

"This is not weather," Tidwell said. "This is climate change. That's what we're dealing with."

Vilsack and Tidwell's warnings about the 2016 season largely echoed what forecasters at the National Interagency Fire Coordinating Center said two weeks ago when they issued their outlook for the summer months.

They said Hawaii, Alaska, California and other parts of the Southwest face an above-average threat. The potential for significant fires will be below average for much of Texas, the South and the southern Midwest, they said.

Sounding frustrated and impatient, Vilsack repeated his plea Tuesday for Congress to pay the cost of fighting the worst fires from disaster emergency funds, not the Forest Service budget.

The Forest Service says the largest 1 or 2 percent of wildfires account for about 30 percent of the costs.

Firefighting consumed more than half the Forest Service budget last year, draining money from forest management and other programs, Vilsack said. Fires will soon eat up two-thirds of the agency's budget, he said.

"Congress has an affirmative responsibility and duty to fix this problem," he said.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said money alone isn't enough. He said environmental regulations and lawsuits keep the Forest Service from culling enough fire-prone trees from the forests.

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Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/dan-elliott.

File - In this Sept. 15, 2015 file photo, a firefighting plane drops a load of fire retardant over a smoldering hillside, in Middletown, Calif. The nations primary wildfire-fighters are getting ready for the 2016 season, which is expected to be worse than average in Hawaii, Alaska and the Southwest. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will meet with regional forest officials Tuesday, May 17, 2016, to discuss plans and preparations. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

File - In this Sept. 15, 2015 file photo, firefighter Jeff Ohs walks below a scorched hillside and buildings at the Harbin Hot Springs resort, ravaged in a wildfire several days earlier, near Middletown, Calif. The nation's primary wildfire-fighters are getting ready for the 2016 season, which top forest officials say is expected to be worse than average in Hawaii, Alaska and the Southwest. In 2015, wildfires burned a record 15,800 square miles nationwide, with seven Forest Service firefighters losing their lives in the line of duty. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
Battling sides drag Hitler, IS into Britain's EU debate

BRUSSELS (AP)  Britain's referendum campaign grew increasingly edgy Tuesday after Prime Minister David Cameron suggested that a British EU exit would make the Islamic State group happy and the EU president lashed out at London's ex-Mayor Boris Johnson for comparing the bloc's aims to those of Adolf Hitler.

The arguments sparked allegations of rhetorical excess from both sides and prompted European Council President Donald Tusk to finally enter the referendum debate, deriding Johnson's comments.

Tusk said that "when I hear the EU being compared to the plans and projects of Adolf Hitler I cannot remain silent."

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron addresses members of a World Economic Forum event focusing on Britain's EU referendum in London, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool)

"Such absurd arguments should be completely ignored if they hadn't been formulated by one of the most influential politicians of the ruling party," Tusk said in Copenhagen.

Johnson argued over the weekend that the 28-nation bloc was creating a super-state that mirrors the attempt of the Nazi leader to dominate the European continent.

Britain holds a "leave or stay in" referendum on June 23 on its always cantankerous relationship with the EU, and the campaign has become increasingly edgy.

In a speech Tuesday aimed at bolstering arguments for remaining in the EU, Cameron said "it is worth asking the question: Who would be happy if we left?"

He said Russian President Vladimir Putin "might be happy" and that he suspected IS leader Abu Bakr "al-Baghdadi might be happy."

Cameron said that friendly countries around the world "are saying 'we would like you to stay, we think it's good for us and it's good for you.'"

Johnson countered that "it's a bit much ... to say our allies are Putin and Daesh," another name for the Islamic State group.

In Britain, the EU institutions and its leaders in Brussels have long been seen as the source of all things bad related to the bloc. Because of it, Tusk and others have taken a hands-off approach in a campaign that is also vital to the future of the EU itself.

That changed for Tusk when Johnson, the most prominent British politician on the "leave" side, said the past 2,000 years of European history have been dominated by doomed attempts to unify the continent, including those of Napoleon and Hitler.

"Boris Johnson crossed the boundaries of a rational discourse, demonstrating political amnesia," said Tusk.

Britain's "stay" camp described Johnson's comments as a desperate effort take the focus off the economic impact that such a rupture would create and shift it to the more populist theme of sovereignty issues.

By evoking World War II, Johnson reminded much of the country of its "finest hour"  the moment that Britain acted as the bulwark to halt Nazi tyranny  and he stressed the value of sovereignty over being part of a multinational effort to run Europe's affairs.

Tusk said, however, that "the EU still remains the most effective firewall against the ever-dangerous and often tragic conflicts among the nations of Europe."

"The only alternative for the Union is political chaos, the return to national egoisms," Tusk said.

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Jill Lawless reported from London.

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron addresses members of a World Economic Forum event focusing on Britain's EU referendum in London, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool)

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, right, and European Council President Donald Tusk talk during their meeting in Copenhagen Tuesday, May 17, 2016. The two had talks concerning the migrant crisis, the economical situation in Europe and the Russian/Ukrainian conflict. (Jens Dresling/POLFOTO via AP) DENMARK OUT

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, right, and European Council President Donald Tusk walk together as they meet in Copenhagen Tuesday, May 17, 2016. The two had talks concerning the migrant crisis, the economical situation in Europe and the Russian/Ukrainian conflict. (Jens Dresling/POLFOTO via AP) DENMARK OUT

FILE - In this Tuesday, March 22, 2016 file photo, Boris Johnson arrives for a meeting at Downing Street in London. Ex-London Mayor Boris Johnson has compared the European Unions aims to those of Adolf Hitler, arguing that the 28-nation bloc is creating a superstate that mirrors the attempt of the Nazi leader to dominate the European continent. Johnsons remarks in The Sunday Telegraph on Sunday, May 15 elicited outrage on the part of those campaigning to remain in the EU ahead of a June 23 vote on whether to stay or go. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file)

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron addresses members of a World Economic Forum event focusing on Britain's EU referendum in London, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool)
Traditional Romanian food gets boost from EU

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  Traditional foods enjoyed by generations of Romanians  including Transylvanian cheese, plum jam and succulent salami, a favorite of the son of late Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu  are getting an unexpected boost thanks to the European Union.

Last month, the EU officially recognized Ibanesti white cow's cheese, a feta-style cheese produced by farmers in the pastures in northwest Transylvania. Earlier that month, Sibiu salami, the local king of the smoked sausages, also was recognized.

The specially cured sausage was first produced in Transylvania during the 19th century and was prized as an expensive delicacy in the late days of communism as food began to be rationed. Harder in texture than other salamis, it was first made in 1845 and commercially produced by Italian Filippo Dozzi in 1910 in the mountain resort of Sinaia, where it still is made today. Even now, it is the most expensive Romanian salami, costing about 90 lei ($22.70) a kilogram, or $10.32 per pound.

In this picture taken on Friday, March. 18, 2016 a platter of Sibiu salami, the local king of the smoked sausages, is presented to the media during a press conference, in Bucharest, Romania. Traditional foods enjoyed by generations of Romanians from Transylvanian cheese, plum jam and succulent salami, a favorite of the son of late Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu, are getting an unexpected boost thanks to the European Union. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) ROMANIA OUT

It's often served on a platter with Ibanesti or other similar white cheeses together with olives, bacon fat or raw onions as appetizers at parties, weddings and celebrations.

The first Romanian product to earn the coveted EU benefit was magiun of Topoloveni, a slow-cooked plum jam with no added sugar, which has been served to Romania's troops on NATO bases since 2009 instead of sugary conserves. Another traditional product hoping for EU recognition is smoked bighead carp from the Barsei region in Transylvania.

It's a rare piece of good news for Romanians to digest about their prized products. More often, Romanians get news of food controllers dishing out fines for expired meat and other fresh foods sold in markets and supermarkets, or salami that is found to contain soya, colorants and flour.

The benefit of the EU officially recognizing a food produced in a limited geographic area is that producers can apply for European funds to promote the item abroad.

But only cheese produced from cows that graze in the rich pastures of Ibanesti or Sibiu salami, and made only by five designated factories in central Romania, are given the license. It's said that sow meat and a special mold give it a special taste.

The EU has about 1,400 registered local food product brands, most in Italy, France and Spain.

In this picture taken on Friday, March. 18, 2016 a young woman poses holding a piece of Ibanesti cheese with basil, a feta-style cheese produced by farmers in the pastures in northwest Transylvania, during a press conference, in Bucharest, Romania. Traditional foods enjoyed by generations of Romanians from Transylvanian cheese, plum jam and succulent salami, a favorite of the son of late Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu, are getting an unexpected boost thanks to the European Union. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) ROMANIA OUT

In a picture taken on Friday, March. 18, 2016 a platter of Ibanesti cheese, a feta-style cheese produced by farmers in the pastures in northwest Transylvania, together with olives and bell peppers is presented to the media during a press conference, in Bucharest, Romania. Traditional foods enjoyed by generations of Romanians from Transylvanian cheese, plum jam and succulent salami, a favorite of the son of late Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu, are getting an unexpected boost thanks to the European Union. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) ROMANIA OUT

In this picture taken on Friday, March. 18, 2016 a platter of Sibiu salami, the local king of the smoked sausages, is presented to the media during a press conference, in Bucharest, Romania. Traditional foods enjoyed by generations of Romanians from Transylvanian cheese, plum jam and succulent salami, a favorite of the son of late Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu, are getting an unexpected boost thanks to the European Union. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) ROMANIA OUT

In this picture taken on Friday, March. 18, 2016 jars of magiun of Topoloveni, a slow-cooked plum jam with no added sugar, are stacked during a press conference, in Bucharest, Romania.Traditional foods enjoyed by generations of Romanians from Transylvanian cheese, plum jam and succulent salami, a favorite of the son of late Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu, are getting an unexpected boost thanks to the European Union. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) ROMANIA OUT

In this picture taken on Friday, March. 18, 2016 a basket containing Ibanesti cheese, a feta-style cheese produced by farmers in the pastures in northwest Transylvania, is presented to the media during a press conference, in Bucharest, Romania.Traditional foods enjoyed by generations of Romanians from Transylvanian cheese, plum jam and succulent salami, a favorite of the son of late Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu, are getting an unexpected boost thanks to the European Union. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) ROMANIA OUT

In this picture taken on Friday, March. 18, 2016 a case containing Sibiu salami, the local king of the smoked sausages, is presented to the media during a press conference, in Bucharest, Romania. Traditional foods enjoyed by generations of Romanians from Transylvanian cheese, plum jam and succulent salami, a favorite of the son of late Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu, are getting an unexpected boost thanks to the European Union. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru) ROMANIA OUT
Hungary: Bill Clinton comments about dictatorship offensive

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)  Bill Clinton's comments about Hungary and Poland wanting "authoritarian dictatorship" are offensive, unacceptable and unfair, officials from the two Eastern European countries said Tuesday.

Speaking last week at a rally in New Jersey in support of wife Hillary's U.S. presidential campaign, Bill Clinton said Hungary and Poland "would not be free" if not for the United States.

The two countries "have now decided this democracy is too much trouble," Clinton said. "They want (Russian President Vladimir) Putin-like leadership. Just give me an authoritarian dictatorship and keep the foreigners out."

FILE - In this Thursday, May 5, 2016 file photo, former President Bill Clinton speaks in Portland, Ore., while campaigning for his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is banking on his strong base of progressive Oregonian supporters in the primary on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in his hopes of beating the odds and taking his campaign all the way to the Democratic National Convention. Front-runner Hillary Clinton - who suffered a big primary loss in Oregon against President Barack Obama in 2008 - sent Bill Clinton twice but has not visited herself. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been criticized before by the Clintons for perceived authoritarianism, while Poland has a new right-wing government that the European Union says is eroding democracy and the rule of law.

"No one, not even Bill Clinton, can allow himself to offend the Hungarian people in this way," Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said, noting that the Hungarian government was chosen in a democratic election. "Bill Clinton may not like the decision of the Hungarian people, but this is no reason for the former American president to offend them."

Poland also rejected Clinton's remarks, but tried to put them into context.

"The opinion of President Bill Clinton is unfair," said Rafal Sobczak, head of the Poland Foreign Ministry spokesman's office. "We understand, however, that it was voiced in the context of the internal electoral campaign in the U.S."

"We would like to stress, however, that this is not the official position of the American administration," Sobczak said in an email to The Associated Press.

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Study: Migrant-smuggling worth up to $6 billion in 2015

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  Smuggling networks cashing in on the huge flow of migrants into Europe had an estimated turnover last year of up to $6 billion, international law enforcement agencies said Tuesday.

They said that the number of people trying to reach the European Union is expected to increase, with some 800,000 waiting in Libya to cross the Mediterranean. More than 1.2 million people applied for asylum in the EU last year.

A summary published Tuesday of a joint Europol and Interpol report also warned: "There is an increased risk that foreign terrorist fighters may use migratory flows" to sneak into Europe. It noted that two extremists involved in the deadly rampage in Paris on Nov. 13 last year entered the EU through Greece as part of the influx of migrants from Syria.

A migrant mops the floor inside a former terminal building at the old international airport, which is used as a shelter for over 3,500 refugees and migrants, in southern Athens, Monday, May 16, 2016. A United Nations envoy for human rights has criticized the European Union's response to the refugee crisis, for showing a "lack of vision," operating under legal ambiguity, and backing the detention of newly-arrived migrants - including children - in Greece. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Europol said an estimated 90 percent of all migrants entering the European Union have their trip facilitated by smugglers, sometimes helped by corrupt officials paid off to ensure boats are released and vehicles allowed to pass borders.

Europol Director Rob Wainwright said the report "describes the huge role played by organized-crime networks in the migration crisis and sends a clear message to the EU and its member states that we must combat these networks in the strongest possible terms."

The report was drawn up following a meeting earlier this year of law-enforcement officials in The Hague and is intended to help shape future crime-fighting strategies.

It says the turnover of smuggling networks likely was $5-6 billion based on the number of arrivals last year who were helped by smugglers and how much the migrants paid  an average of $3,200-$6,500 per person.
Bail bondsman helps police catch teenage kidnapping suspects

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  A Florida bail bondsman was in the right place to help stop three teenagers accused of kidnapping a man from the parking garage of a Tampa condominium complex.

Rod Fisher, the proprietor of Fisher Bail Bonds, was returning from a court date Monday afternoon when he saw a man in a shirt and tie stumble out of a car carrying a gun, the Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/1WBeeqy) reported. Two others got out of the car before ducking back inside and taking off.

Fisher called 911 and followed the speeding car, not knowing that the man was a victim of a foiled kidnapping.

"I don't know what I've got here," Fisher told the 911 operator. "But it looks like a carjacking."

According to police, the victim had wrestled the gun from the teenage abductors moments earlier.

"He's sitting there with a shirt and tie on," Fisher said. "This guy looked like a regular guy."

Police said the victim, 26-year-old Adhemar Perez, was getting out of his car earlier that afternoon in the parking garage at the Quarter at Ybor, when he was approached by teenagers, who demanded cash and an iPhone from him at gunpoint.

The group forced Perez into the trunk, then got in and drove off, before then forcing him into the back seat.

About 3 miles away, Perez went for the gun, grabbing it, and jumped out the door as the teenagers tried to stop him, police said. In the struggle, one of them dropped a cellphone, which Perez picked up, and dialed 911 after the teens sped off.

Meanwhile, Fisher followed the car for nearly 20 minutes.

"This is what I do for a living," Fisher said. "It just happened right in front of me."

The teens eventually abandoned the car and were arrested on charges of carjacking and kidnapping. Two are 15. One is 13.

Murphy, the general manager at the Quarter at Ybor, said he does not know how the teens gained access to the garage. The complex uses private security, but only at night.

"We've never had such a crime in our community," Murphy said.

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US builders increase home construction in April

WASHINGTON (AP)  Builders ramped up construction of new homes in April, suggesting that the market remains solid despite sluggish economic growth at the beginning of the year.

Housing starts climbed 6.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.17 million units, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. The increase makes up for much of March's 9.4 percent drop in starts, a decline that partially reflected the volatile swings in residential construction on a monthly basis.

Ground breakings are running ahead of last year's pace, largely because of a dramatic increase in the construction of single-family houses, especially in the Midwest and South. Relatively few existing homes are listed for sale, creating an incentive for developers to expand supplies through building during a period of low mortgage rates.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, file photo, a worker walks past a "Sold" sign at a construction site of new townhouses, in Houston. On Tuesday, May 17, 2016, the Commerce Department reports on U.S. home construction in April. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File)

But a slow economy and turbulent stock market has overlapped with construction slipping so far this year in the West, where housing is generally more expensive.

"This was a decent report and shows that housing will continue to be one of the stronger pillars of the U.S. economy, as long as rates stay relatively low and job growth continues," said Jennifer Lee, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.

Starts rose 22.2 percent in the Midwest and 14.1 percent in the South last month but dropped 10 percent in the West and 7.6 percent in the Northeast.

During the first four months of the year, home construction has advanced 10.2 percent. Single-family houses account for much of that gain. Apartment construction_a major driver of growth in recent years as more Americans shifted to rentals_has dipped slightly so far this year, although the sector drove much of the gains in April.

Applications for permits to build new homes, an indicator of future activity, rose 3.6 percent in April to an annual rate of 1.12 million.

The residential market has yet to fully recover from the dramatic crash brought about by a flood of subprime mortgages nearly a decade ago. Home construction remains well below its annual pace of roughly 1.5 million during the 1990s, a reflection of both higher housing costs and the damaged financial credit that remains more than 6  years after the recession officially ended.

But builders expect customers to come back into the market as home values rebound.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index released Monday held at 58 in May for the fourth straight month.
No. 8 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland pulls out of French Open

PARIS (AP)  Eighth-ranked Belinda Bencic of Switzerland has pulled out of the French Open after dealing with a back injury since March.

Bencic's withdrawal was announced by the clay-court Grand Slam tournament on Tuesday.

She will be replaced in the main draw by Lauren Davis of the United States.

Bencic has not won a match since beating, coincidentally, Davis at Indian Wells, California, two months ago. Since then, Bencic has lost three times in a row and missed events, including the Fed Cup.
Medical charity MSF urges US to pay Afghan hospital victims

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  A leading medical charity that suffered massive losses when U.S. helicopter gunships mistakenly struck its clinic in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz is criticizing the United States for failing to pay compensation to the wounded and families of the Afghans killed in the assault last October.

Doctors Without Borders says Washington should "urgently address" the issue  even as the Afghan government prepares to rebuild the hospital with millions of dollars donated by the U.S. military.

The U.S. military has, in fact, paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars to wounded survivors and relatives of those killed in the Kunduz attack, with payments of $6,000 for each person killed and the wounded receiving $3,000.

In this Oct. 15, 2015, file photo, U.S. soldiers walk into the charred remains of the Doctors Without Borders, MSF, hospital in the northern city of Kunduz, Afghanistan. The leading medical charity that suffered massive losses when U.S. helicopter gunships mistakenly struck its clinic in Kunduz is criticizing the United States for failing to pay compensation to the wounded and families of the Afghans killed in the assault last September. MSF said Washington should "urgently address" the issue -- even as the Afghan government prepares to rebuild the hospital with millions of dollars donated by the U.S. military. (AP Photo/Najim Rahim, File)

However U.S. officials have said the payments were not compensation, but condolence gestures, and representatives of the victims have said the payments were inadequate to make up for their losses. The payments that Doctors Without Borders is urging Washington to make are separate from that, the charity said.

The organization, known by its French initials MSF, has decided  at least for now  not to resume operations in Kunduz, where it ran the only trauma hospital in an increasingly violent part of the country, said Guilhem Molinie, the MSF representative for Afghanistan.

The Pentagon said the sustained attack was a mistake caused by human error. After a months-long investigation, the United States dismissed allegations by MSF that the incident amounted to a war crime, and exonerated all involved of any criminal action.

President Barack Obama apologized for the attack, which was one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in the 15-year war in Afghanistan.

But while the Pentagon report, released on April 29, said no criminal charges had been leveled against U.S. military personnel for mistakes that resulted in the attack, about 16 American military personnel, including a two-star general, were disciplined.

A dozen survivors interviewed by The Associated Press since the Oct. 3 assault on the MSF hospital  which treated wounded Taliban and government fighters alike  are convinced the bombing was no accident. They have said that the attack was sustained and focused on destroying the main hospital building. Doctors Without Borders has said it provided the GPS coordinates of the Kunduz clinic to all parties in the conflict in Afghanistan.

The Afghan government has accepted $5.7 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to rebuild the Kunduz facility. According to the U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland, construction could begin on the same site later this year.

"The money has been transferred to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and military engineers have begun assessing the site as they work on designs for the new facility," he said.

That work should be finished by September, he said, adding that an Afghan company would be contracted to build the infrastructure and the U.S. would not be equipping it.

Meanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has ordered that the hospital be rebuilt on the same site as the MSF clinic that was destroyed, said Wadidullah Majroh, director of international affairs at the Ministry of Public Health in Kabul. The president's office did not respond to requests for further information.

Molinie, the MSF representative in Afghanistan, told the AP that the medical charity was not involved in discussions on the rebuilding of the clinic and received no funds from the U.S. or the Afghan government.

As a condition for resuming activities in Kunduz, MSF sought guarantees there would be "no military interference or use of force against MSF medical facilities, personnel, patients and ambulances," Molinie said.

But no guarantees have been offered so far.

The organization also wanted agreement from Afghan authorities, the U.S. military and all combatant groups fighting in Afghanistan that "MSF staff can safely provide medical care to people based on medical needs, without discrimination, and regardless of their religious, political or military affiliations," he said.

"We have not yet made a decision on resuming medical activities in Kunduz," Molinie said.

"It is extremely difficult to understand why adequate compensation has still not been offered to the families who have lost their sole breadwinner and to victims whose injuries are so severe they will struggle to earn an income," Molinie added.

He stressed that the Kunduz "victims feel disregarded and insulted," and that the issue of compensation payments "needs to be urgently addressed by the U.S."

The MSF hospital was attacked by a U.S. Air Force special operations AC-130 gunship during a firefight as U.S. advisers were helping Afghan forces retake Kunduz from the Taliban, who had captured the city on Sept. 28 and held it for three days.

Afghan officials, including the then-acting defense minister and the national security adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar said at the time the hospital was being used as a base by Taliban fighters. No evidence has emerged to support the assertion.

MSF's policy of treating combatants on all sides of a conflict has drawn criticism from some in Afghanistan who say that by treating Taliban fighters, Doctors Without Borders enables them to return to the battlefield. The United Nations has said the vast majority of casualties from the war in Afghanistan  11,002 killed and wounded in 2015  are caused by the insurgents.

Those killed in the Kunduz airstrike were all Afghans, including hospital staff, patients and caretakers, mostly relatives of patients. Another 27 staff were wounded. The hospital was incinerated and MSF immediately ceased operations in Kunduz. Some staff were subsequently transferred to Kunduz's government-run hospital.

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Associated Press writer Karim Sharifi contributed to this report.

In this Oct. 15, 2015 file photo, an Afghan National Army soldier stands guard at the gate of the Doctors Without Borders, MSF, hospital in the northern city of Kunduz, Afghanistan. The leading medical charity that suffered massive losses when U.S. helicopter gunships mistakenly struck its clinic in Kunduz is criticizing the United States for failing to pay compensation to the wounded and families of the Afghans killed in the assault last September. MSF said Washington should "urgently address" the issue -- even as the Afghan government prepares to rebuild the hospital with millions of dollars donated by the U.S. military. (AP Photo/Najim Rahim, File)

In this Oct. 16, 2015, file photo, an employee of Doctors Without Borders, MSF, walks inside the charred remains of the organization's hospital after it was hit by a U.S. airstrike in Kunduz, Afghanistan. The leading medical charity that suffered massive losses when U.S. helicopter gunships mistakenly struck its clinic in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz is criticizing the United States for failing to pay compensation to the wounded and families of the Afghans killed in the assault last September. MSF said Washington should "urgently address" the issue -- even as the Afghan government prepares to rebuild the hospital with millions of dollars donated by the U.S. military. (AP Photo/Najim Rahim, File)
Bloody anti-crime purge may haunt next Philippine president

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Nine years ago, Father Amado Picardal helped bury a teenager from a slum family who was gunned down by motorcycle-riding assassins in the southern Philippine city of Davao. The death was among hundreds in the large port city blamed on an anti-crime purge some believed was secretly run by its mayor, Rodrigo Duterte.

Memories of that violence flashed back in the Roman Catholic priest's mind when the tough-talking mayor triumphed in last week's presidential election on a pledge to replicate his Davao crime-busting style in the rest of the Philippines.

"I felt sad and depressed," Picardal said of Duterte's rise.

In this Wednesday, May 11, 2016 photo, residents walk past giant tarpaulins of presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte at his hometown in Davao city, southern Philippines. A bold campaign promise to eradicate crimes and corruption within six months and his iron-fist approach to law and order helped catapult the longtime mayor to the presidency, but Duterte's anti-crime reputation is also a political baggage that would haunt him now as he comes under the spotlight. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

A Duterte presidency is "very frightening," he said in an interview, adding that human rights groups will need to keep a close watch and document any violations, especially extrajudicial killings, in the next six years under Duterte's presidency.

From his 22 years as mayor to the presidential campaign trail, Duterte has never minced words about his deadly objective for criminals. But he has generally denied the existence of death squads in his city.

However, investigations by the Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines, a senior U.N. official, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and a group led by Picardal that opposed summary executions have concluded otherwise.

Clarita Alia, a vegetable vendor and the mother of the young man that Picardal helped bury in Davao in 2007, said she is willing to testify if a case against Duterte goes to court. Three other sons of hers who were suspected of crimes she said they did not commit were also killed by motorcycle-riding hitmen.

Duterte's bold campaign pledge to end crime and corruption within six months, his iron-fisted approach to law and order and his public threat to kill all criminals helped catapult the longtime mayor into the presidency. But his tough anti-crime reputation may now haunt him as he comes under a national and international spotlight and tries to achieve his promise.

A former prosecutor who experienced the legal complexities of battling criminals, Duterte was first elected mayor in 1988. Nicknamed "Duterte Harry" after the Clint Eastwood character with little regard for rules, he served as hundreds of suspected criminals, drug dealers and addicts were gunned down or fatally stabbed in a wave of brazen attacks by motorcycle-riding gunmen dubbed by the media as the "Davao Death Squads," or the DDS.

On the final day of campaigning 10 days ago, he made clear he would continue to employ his hard-line approach to crime as president.

"All of you who are into drugs, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you," Duterte told a huge crowd in Manila. "I have no patience, I have no middle ground, either you kill me or I will kill you idiots."

But he has denied any role in gangland-style killings, at one point blaming warring gangs for the violence.

Investigators say they have found no hard evidence of a direct role by Duterte in the vigilante-style killings, saying not one witness has come forward to testify against him, possibly for fear of reprisals.

In a report, the Commission on Human Rights said 206 people, mostly suspected criminals and including 19 minors, were slain in shootings and stabbings attributed to the death squads from 2005 to 2009 alone, adding that there were witnesses to at least 94 of the killings.

"Nobody wanted to testify," said Loretta Ann Rosales, who headed the commission at the time. "There was a measure of fear. We can't prove his criminal liability because nobody would say that he ordered the killings."

Phelim Kine of the U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch said it found no hard evidence of any direct role by Duterte in 28 death-squad killings, mostly from 2007 to 2008, that it investigated.

"What is unquestionable is that we found evidence that Davao city officials and police were directly involved and that evidence merits a thorough investigation by the Philippine authorities," Kine said, adding that his group wasn't aware if the government had acted on the findings.

In its 2009 report, Human Rights Watch said many of the killers were former Marxist rebel hitmen or targeted criminals who turned into DDS gunmen to avoid death. It said they were armed with .45 caliber pistols and paid to carry out the executions by their "boss."

The boss "provides members of a death squad team with as little as the name of the target, and sometimes an address and a photograph. Police stations are then notified to ensure that police officers are slow to respond, enabling the death squad members to escape," the human rights group said.

"The motive appears to be simple expedience: courts are viewed as slow or inept. The murder of criminal suspects is seen as easier and faster than proper law enforcement," it said.

Philip Alston, then the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions who looked into the Davao violence, said in a 2008 report that it would be a "polite euphemism" to describe the killers as "vigilantes" given the "shocking predictability" with which they killed their victims, adding many of them didn't even wear masks.

"One fact points very strongly to the officially sanctioned character of these killings: No one involved covers his face. The men who warn mothers that their children will be the next to die unless they make themselves scarce turn up on doorsteps undisguised," Alston said.

Rosales said the Philippine human rights commission asked the Ombudsman, which prosecutes officials for wrongdoing, to investigate Duterte in 2012 for possible administrative liability "for his inaction in the face of evidence of numerous killings committed in Davao City and his toleration of the commission of those offenses."

Her commission cited the country's constitution, local laws and international conventions that bind the Philippine government and its officials to protect human rights and effectively investigate and prosecute violators.

That attempt failed, however, when Duterte was let off by a Philippine legal doctrine that absolves newly elected officials from administrative liabilities they may have committed in past terms, Rosales said. Duterte was reelected mayor in 2013.

The Supreme Court struck down that doctrine last year due to complaints that it had blocked the prosecution of officials accused of wrongdoing and corruption.

Although Duterte was cleared, 21 high-ranking police officials who were not covered by the doctrine were found guilty of "simple neglect of duty" by the Ombudsman in 2012 for failing to stop death squad assaults in their areas that killed 720 people from 2005 to 2008.

Each officer was fined the equivalent of one month of salary, according to the Ombudsman's office.

Despite his brash campaign rhetoric, Duterte will find it hard to bring his Davao crime-fighting style to the rest of the country because of the oversight of Congress, the judiciary and other agencies that check abuses. The world will be watching too, said Picardal, who was assigned to Davao for many years until he moved to Manila in 2011.

"There are checks and balances," he said. "The eyes of the nation and the world are on him."

The 61-year-old priest said he understands that the nearly 16 million Filipinos who voted for Duterte for president have a legitimate yearning for change because of their exasperation over crime and corruption. Some may not even be aware that the killings in Davao were real and not just Duterte's bluster, he said.

But for those who were aware and glossed over the deadly violence that blighted Davao, Picardal said he hopes they will examine their conscience and not yield to desperation.

"What I'm afraid of is that we'll become a nation where a lot of people have lost a sense of right and wrong," he said.

In this May 13, 2016 photo, Filipino Catholic priest Father Amado Picardal gestures during an interview at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines office in Manila, Philippines. Nine years ago Picardal helped bury a teenager from a slum family who was gunned down by motorcycle-riding assassins in the southern Philippine city of Davao. It was whispered that the man behind the killing was none other than Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who was running a clandestine anti-crime purge in his vast port city. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

In this Wednesday, May 11, 2016 photo, a resident walks past a campaign poster of presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte heralding his anti-criminality and anti-drugs platform is displayed along with souvenir T-shirts along a street at his hometown in Davao city, southern Philippines. A bold campaign promise to eradicate crimes and corruption within six months and his iron-fist approach to law and order helped catapult the longtime mayor to the presidency, but Duterte's anti-crime reputation is also a political baggage that would haunt him now as he comes under the spotlight. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

In this May 13, 2016 photo, Filipino Catholic priest Father Amado Picardal goes over his files on his computer during an interview at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines office in Manila, Philippines. Nine years ago Picardal helped bury a teenager from a slum family who was gunned down by motorcycle-riding assassins in the southern Philippine city of Davao. It was whispered that the man behind the killing was none other than Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who was running a clandestine anti-crime purge in his vast port city. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Judge to decide if Georgia immune from slave descendant suit

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP)  A federal judge said Tuesday she will decide soon whether Georgia agencies are immune from a lawsuit claiming discrimination and neglect have eroded one of the last Gullah-Geechee communities of slave descendants on the Southeast coast.

Residents and landowners from the tiny Hogg Hummock community on remote Sapelo Island filed a suit against the state and McIntosh County last December in U.S. District Court. The suit says the enclave of about 50 black residents is shrinking rapidly as landowners are pressured to sell because they pay high property taxes yet receive few basic services. Reachable only by boat from the mainland, Sapelo Island has no schools, police, fire department or trash collection.

Attorneys for the state have asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit. They argue the Department of Natural Resources, which manages most of Sapelo Island, and other agencies are immune under the 11th Amendment, which grants states broad protection from lawsuits in federal court.

FILE - In this Wednesday, May 15, 2013 file photo, J.J. Wilson 9, rides a school bus to catch a ferry to the his school on the mainland from his home in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. Eight children catch a ferry in the morning to attend school on the mainland since the last school operating on the island closed in 1978. Slave descendants known as Gullah, or as Geechee in Georgia, live in small island communities scattered over 425 miles of the Southern Atlantic coast, where their ancestors worked on plantations before they were freed by the Civil War. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood told attorneys during a short hearing Tuesday that she planned to rule on the immunity issue within 30 days. Other arguments for dismissal, including county attorneys' claim that whites on Sapelo Island deal with the same tax rates and lack of services as black residents, will be decided later if necessary.

"By June 16, you will know where you stand as far as the immunity defenses," Wood said.

Lawyers for the Sapelo Island landowners have argued in court filings that Georgia agencies have given up their constitutional immunity rights by accepting federal funding for Community Development Block Grants and other programs that by law prohibit discrimination.

They also say immunity should not apply to the McIntosh County sheriff and board of tax assessors, which are also named in the lawsuit. The county's attorneys argue the sheriff and assessors should be considered "arms of the state."

Slave descendants known as Gullah, or as Geechee in Georgia, live in small island communities scattered over 425 miles of the Southern Atlantic coast, where their ancestors worked on plantations before they were freed by the Civil War. Hogg Hummock, also known as Hog Hammock, is one of the last such communities from North Carolina to Florida.

Scholars say separation from the mainland caused these people to retain much of their African heritage, from a unique dialect to skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and basket weaving. But isolation also caused Gullah communities to shrink.

FILE - In this Thursday, May 16, 2013 file photo, Sharron Grovner stands in the backyard of her home in the Hog Hammock community of Sapelo Island, Ga. "As we get older, we doubt what the future holds," says Grovner. "In 15, 20 years, I hope and pray that we'll still be here." Slave descendants known as Gullah, or as Geechee in Georgia, live in small island communities scattered over 425 miles of the Southern Atlantic coast, where their ancestors worked on plantations before they were freed by the Civil War. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

FILE - In this Sunday, June 9, 2013 file photo, Rev. Dr. Robert Brown, 89, left, and Eddie Wilson, 65, ride a ferry from the mainland to attend a church service for the 129th anniversary of St. Luke Baptist Church on Sapelo Island, Ga. Slave descendants known as Gullah, or as Geechee in Georgia, live in small island communities scattered over 425 miles of the Southern Atlantic coast, where their ancestors worked on plantations before they were freed by the Civil War. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

FILE - In this May 16, 2013 file photo, a utility pole stands in the middle of a marsh at sunset on Sapelo Island, Ga. Residents and property owners in one of the few remaining Gullah-Geechee communities of slave descendants on the Southeast coast are suing a variety of state and county agencies, accusing them of discrimination and neglect. The lawsuit alleges landowners on Sapelo Island pay high property taxes while receiving few basic services from surrounding McIntosh County or the state of Georgia. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
Complaint: US Border and Customs officers abusing residents

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Residents along the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso and New Mexico face repeated verbal and physical abuse from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Customs officers, including accusations of being prostitutes and the seizure of their legal documents without cause, according to a complaint filed Tuesday by a coalition of advocacy groups.

In a complaint submitted to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General, advocates say officers used excessive force, verbal abuse, humiliating searches and intimidation to coerce individuals into surrendering their legal rights.

The complaint, filed on behalf of 13 people, also said the officers have harassed border crossers with legal documents and threatened retaliation when the residents promised to report the violations.

FILE - This Jan. 17, 2008 file photo, South bound vehicles leave El Paso, Texas and enter Juarez, Mexico at the Bridge of the Americas international port of entry. Immigrant advocates are complaining about U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers' actions toward residents along the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso and New Mexico. A coalition of advocacy groups said Tuesday, May 17, 2016, that they filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alleging at least 13 residents have experienced abuse, including being falsely accused of being prostitutes to having legal document seized for no reason. (Rudy Gutierrez/El Paso Times via AP, File) OUT EL PASO, EL DIARIO OUT, JUAREZ, MEXICO, EL DIARIO DE EL PASO OUT

In one case, officers last year falsely accused Amanda Rodriguez Varela, 51, a women's right advocate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, of being a sex worker and suggested she has a sexually transmitted disease before detaining her at the Paso del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso, the complaint said.

"The CBP officers threatened her with criminal charges for prostitution and belittled her work for gender equality. One said that her work was a 'waste of time'," documents said. The complaint said Varela was forced to sign an English-language document that officers later revised to say she admitted she was a prostitute  a claim she strongly denies.

In a 2014 case, the complaint said officers forced an eight-month pregnant Michelle Fierro, 25, to wait in car for six hours at the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, Port of Entry while her brother-in-law was interrogated. The brother-in-law had a valid visa but Fierro, a U.S. citizen, was denied water, food or the use of her cellphone, the complaint said.

"Fierro suffered from gestational diabetes and was later diagnosed by her doctor as being dehydrated as a result of the prolonged detention," the complaint said.

A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press.

According a statement on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's website, Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske is leading the agency toward a more transparent and accountable approach to enforcement and workforce integrity.

"At the direction of the Commissioner, CBP commissioned independent review of CBP complaints and discipline systems in September 2014 to improve the agency's accountability and transparency in these areas," the statement said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico Regional Center for Border Rights and other groups in New Mexico and Texas want the allegations investigated.

"When unprofessional or downright cruel CBP officers humiliate, discriminate and physical or verbally abuse them, their mistreatment and lack of accountability offends American values of equality and justice," Cynthia Pompa, field organizer at the Regional Center for Border Rights, said.

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Christian Kern sworn in as new Austrian chancellor

VIENNA (AP)  Christian Kern has been sworn in as Austria's new chancellor, just over a week after his predecessor resigned amid falling support and dissent in his party.

The 50-year-old Kern, who previously ran Austria's national railway, was sworn in Tuesday by President Heinz Fischer. He is also taking over the leadership of the Social Democrats, the biggest party in the governing coalition, from ex-Chancellor Werner Faymann.

Kern described himself as "a newly minted politician" who wants to overcome persistent squabbling in the coalition government with the conservative People's Party.

Designated new Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern smiles during a news conference after hearings with the Social Democrats, SPOE, in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Kern will be inaugurated later on Tuesday by Austria's President Heinz Fischer. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

Fatigue with governing parties, along with concern over the migrant crisis, has helped push the Euroskeptic right-wing Freedom Party higher in polls.

Kern acknowledged that the mood in Austria is poor and said "we have to turn around this bad mood."

Austrian President Heinz Fischer, right, swears in the new Chancellor Christian Kern, left, during the inauguration ceremony at the Hofburg palace in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)
Bill to strip Turkish legislators of immunity clears hurdle

ISTANBUL (AP)  A significant majority in Turkey's parliament voted on Tuesday in favor of a divisive, government-backed constitutional amendment that would strip legislators of their immunity from prosecution, increasing the chances that it becomes law.

The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that 348 lawmakers in the 550-seat assembly voted in favor of the amendment in Tuesday's first round of secret balloting.

The bill, which was proposed by the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been the subject of intense debate with committee sessions on the issue ending in blows. While it would lift the immunity of all legislators, critics say it primarily targets pro-Kurdish legislators.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of opposition Republican People's Party, addresses his lawmakers at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, May 17, 2016.Turkey's parliament is discussing a controversial immunity amendment, which was drafted by the ruling party after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party of being an arm of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

The amendment was proposed by the ruling party after Turkey's president accused the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party, or HDP, of being an arm of outlawed Kurdish rebels and repeatedly called for their prosecution on terror-related charges.

A minimum of 330 votes are needed in a second ballot on Friday to pave the way for a referendum on the amendment. Should it get the support of more than 367 lawmakers in that vote, it would pass directly without the need for a referendum.

The votes coincide with a wave of violence in Turkey's southeast following the collapse of a more than 2-year peace process between the state and the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party, or PKK.

The HDP, which backs Kurdish and other minority rights, denies accusations that it is the political arm of the PKK, considered a terrorist group by Ankara and its allies. The party has urged the government to end security operations in the southeast and to resume peace efforts.

Tuesday's vote was seen as an indicator of the bill's chances to become law. If it passes, 138 lawmakers whose dossiers have been sent to the parliament speaker would risk prosecution. Of 667 legal files, 405 concern HDP lawmakers, according to Anadolu Agency and a Turkish official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

Supporters and lawmakers cheer Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of opposition Republican People's Party, as he addresses at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Turkey's parliament is discussing a controversial immunity amendment, which was drafted by the ruling party after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party of being an arm of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Supporters listen to Selahattin Demirtas, the leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, the HDP, at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Turkey's parliament is discussing a controversial immunity amendment, which was drafted by the ruling party after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the HDP of being an arm of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Lawmakers applaud as Devlet Bahceli, the leader of opposition Nationalist Movement Party, addresses at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Turkey's parliament is discussing a controversial immunity amendment, which was drafted by the ruling party after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party of being an arm of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Devlet Bahceli, the leader of opposition Nationalist Movement Party, addresses his lawmakers at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, May 17, 2016.Turkey's parliament is discussing a controversial immunity amendment, which was drafted by the ruling party after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party of being an arm of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Devlet Bahceli, the leader of opposition Nationalist Movement Party, addresses his lawmakers at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Turkey's parliament is discussing a controversial immunity amendment, which was drafted by the ruling party after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party of being an arm of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Selahattin Demirtas, the leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, the HDP, addresses his lawmakers at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Turkey's parliament is discussing a controversial immunity amendment, which was drafted by the ruling party after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the HDP of being an arm of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Selahattin Demirtas, the leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, the HDP, addresses his lawmakers at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Turkey's parliament is discussing a controversial immunity amendment, which was drafted by the ruling party after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the HDP of being an arm of the outlawed Kurdish rebel group.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Bill Clinton stumps for wife in Puerto Rico as primary nears

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Former U.S. President Bill Clinton promised Puerto Ricans on Tuesday that his wife Hillary Clinton will fight for equal treatment of the economically struggling U.S. territory if she's elected president.

He also said she backs immediate action to restructure the island's $70 billion public debt as the local government warns it is running out of money for essential services.

"She believes that the United States has failed to provide truly equal and adequate treatment to the people of Puerto Rico," he said to applause from a crowd clutching umbrellas under a searing sun. "This country is supposed to work for everyone, and that includes the people of Puerto Rico."

FILE - In this Thursday, May 5, 2016 file photo, former President Bill Clinton speaks in Portland, Ore., while campaigning for his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is banking on his strong base of progressive Oregonian supporters in the primary on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in his hopes of beating the odds and taking his campaign all the way to the Democratic National Convention. Front-runner Hillary Clinton - who suffered a big primary loss in Oregon against President Barack Obama in 2008 - sent Bill Clinton twice but has not visited herself. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

Clinton visited the island ahead of the June 5 primary, and officials say the Democratic presidential candidate herself will come before the vote. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders visited on Monday.

Clinton said his wife would seek to reduce Puerto Rico's dependence on oil to lower expensive power bills and that she supports the right of Puerto Ricans to vote in presidential elections since they're U.S. citizens. She also has called for a vote to decide the future of the island's political status.

"She thinks it's time to resolve the status question once and for all with no ambiguity," he said.

The island is struggling with a worsening, decade-long economic crisis that has prompted an exodus of more than 200,000 Puerto Ricans in the past five years. Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress has stalled on a bill that calls for creation of a fiscal oversight board to help Puerto Rico manage its debt.

Puerto Ricans are not allowed to vote in U.S. presidential elections, but they can participate in U.S. primaries. May say they plan to, given the island's economic woes.

"The situation has gotten out of control," said Glenda Marrero, a 41-year-old health care administrator who has not picked a candidate yet.

Tellymar Pineiro, a 21-year-old student, was looking forward to voting in a primary for the first time.

"I'm doing it for the island's well-being," she said. "We have lost faith in ourselves."

Puerto Rican Democrats will choose 67 delegates to the party's national convention.

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The Senate has passed legislation that allows families of Sept. 11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia, rejecting the fierce objections of a U.S. ally and setting Congress on a collision course with the Obama administration.

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), approved by voice vote, had triggered a threat from Riyadh to pull billions of dollars from the U.S. economy, if the bill is enacted.

If it became law, JASTA would remove the sovereign immunity, preventing lawsuits against governments, for countries found to be involved in terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

It would allow survivors of the attacks, and relatives of those killed in the attacks, to seek damages from other countries.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate passed legislation Tuesday, May 17, 2016, that would allow families of Sept. 11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia

Veiled threat: Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister (pictured May 9), told Washington that Saudi Arabia would be forced to sell up to $750bn in treasury securities and other assets in the U.S. before they could be frozen by American courts

The legislation, sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., gives victims' families the right to sue in U.S. court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks that killed thousands in New York, the Washington, D.C. area and Pennsylvania.

The House still must act on the legislation.

Relatives of Sept. 11 victims have urged the Obama administration to declassify and release U.S. intelligence that allegedly discusses possible Saudi involvement in the attacks.

Passage of the bill on Tuesday sends the message that the United States 'will combat terrorism with every tool we have available, and that the victims of terrorist attacks in our country should have every means at their disposal to seek justice,' Cornyn said.

Schumer said that any foreign government that aids terrorists who strike the U.S. 'will pay a price if it is proven they have done so.'

Senate Democrats had firmly supported the legislation, putting them at odds with the Obama administration.

The White House has said the bill could expose Americans overseas to legal risks, and spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday efforts to revise the legislation fell short in addressing the administration's concerns about preserving sovereign immunity.

Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. The senate passed the bill despite a White House veto threat and fierce objections from the U.S. ally

'Given the concerns that we've expressed, it's difficult to imagine the president signing this legislation,' Earnest told reporters at the White House.

Schumer was confident the Senate had the necessary two-thirds vote of the chamber to override a presidential veto.

'We don't think their arguments stand up,' the New York lawmaker said at a news conference after the Senate action.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chairman of the Senate subcommittee that controls foreign aid, had blocked the bill from moving to the Senate floor until changes were made to ensure the legislation didn't backfire on the United States.

Graham's apprehension was rooted in the possibility a foreign country could sue the United States if the door is opened for U.S. citizens to take the Saudis to court. Graham released his hold earlier this month, clearing the way for Senate action.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, also had warned that the legislation, if passed, would alienate Saudi Arabia and undermine a longstanding yet strained relationship with a critical U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Schumer said it is false to claim that the bill encourages retaliation or litigation against the United States.
A box of human ashes and a neatly folded, framed American flag have left a south Alabama police chief scrambling for clues, four weeks after they surfaced beside a highway.

A power line crew found the small pine box with a rusted lock in grass along the road about four weeks ago - but the find was only reported last week.

At least four people have inquired about the box, including a Tennessee man who said his father's remains and a flag were stolen from his truck a few months ago, Florala Police Chief Sonny Bedsole said in a phone interview Tuesday.

But Bedsole said he had a few leads but still no answers to explain how the ashes and the flag ended close to a highway near the Florida line.

A box of human ashes and a neatly folded American flag in a framed case (pictured) showed up mysteriously near a south Alabama highway four weeks ago and have left a police chief scrambling for cues

Bedsole has emailed photos of the box and flag  folded military-style  to those who inquired and is waiting to hear back.

The flag is displayed in a framed case, much like a shadow box.

'We took it out of the case to see if there was a name or business card or anything to go by, and of course there was nothing in it,' Bedsole said.

Florala, a town of about 2,000 people, is just north of the Alabama-Florida line.

The remains were found not far from US 331, a popular route for drivers heading to and from the Florida Panhandle, Bedsole said.

That means whoever left the items might be from out of state.

'We get a lot of traffic headed to the beach that comes through here,' Bedsole said.

One theory is that the remains belong to a military veteran, since the flag was folded in the customary way for servicemen and women.

Bedsole remains convinced that 'somebody somewhere knows this box that contains these ashes, what it looks like'.
UN official: Peace treaties need to address indigenous women

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Indigenous women are disproportionately the victims of violence in conflict zones and peace treaties must take into account their unique status by including clauses to protect this twice marginalized population, a United Nations special investigator said Tuesday.

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the U.N. special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people, painted a devastating picture of the plight of indigenous women in conflicts, where fighting often leaves indigenous people caught between opposing armies that tend to disrespect their rights and often use sexual violence as a weapon.

"Rape has been used as a common instrument to weaken the communities and when conflict happens, women are the ones who stay in the communities. I have been to many communities where there are no men left, there are only women and children left and therefore when the military comes it is the women who are the ones who suffer the brunt of their ire," said Tauli-Corpuz, who is also an indigenous leader from the Kankanaey Igorot people of the Philippines

Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine, left, vice-chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Victoria Tauli Corpuz, center, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, center, and Rosalina Tuyuc, right, founder of the National Association of Guatemalan Widows, hold a press conference, Tuesday May 17, 2016 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

While the situation varies from country to country, Tauli-Corpuz said indigenous people are often accused of siding with insurgents and that when the conflict ends, indigenous people often fear that demobilized guerrillas will return to their areas and violate their land rights.

Speaking at the 15th Session of the U.N.'s Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Tauli-Corpuz said she hoped that in the future peace treaties could include clauses about the rights of women as well as the cultural and land rights of indigenous peoples.

She said treaties should also envision the creation of truth and reconciliation commissions in order to end the impunity that often exists, as well as provide mental health support for victims of violence.

Tauli-Corpuz said that the few examples where indigenous people have been able to protect themselves in the crossfire has usually involved them taking matters into their own hands by kicking out insurgents seeking to occupy their native lands and persuading the army not to set up positions in their territory.

Rosalina Tuyuc, founder of the National Association of Guatemalan Widows, said even when the war ends the problems often don't.

"We women are pushing the culture of peace and not the culture of war because it's not just about militarization. What also affects us is this economic vision of development that does not respect life, Mother Earth or culture. Many of our cultural rights are now being violated three times more than during the armed conflict," Tuyuc said.

Rosalina Tuyuc, founder of the National Association of Guatemalan Widows, speaks during a press conference at the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Tuesday May 17, 2016 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Rosalina Tuyuc, founder of the National Association of Guatemalan Widows, speaks during a press conference at the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Tuesday May 17, 2016 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Clinton, Sanders in tight Ky. race; Sanders, Trump win Ore.

WASHINGTON (AP)  Bernie Sanders won Oregon's presidential primary and battled Hillary Clinton to a neck-and-neck outcome in Kentucky on Tuesday, vowing to soldier on as Clinton sought to blunt his momentum ahead of her likely general election matchup against Republican Donald Trump.

The race in Kentucky was too close to call, but Clinton wrote on her Twitter feed: "We just won Kentucky! Thanks to everyone who turned out. We're always stronger united." With almost all the votes counted, Clinton held a narrow lead of less than one-half of 1 percent as she tried to avoid ending the primary season with a string of losses to the Vermont senator.

Trump won the sole GOP contest in Oregon, where Sanders was declared the winner shortly after the polls closed in the liberal-leaning state.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., pauses while speaking at a rally on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in Carson, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Rallying supporters in California, Sanders said he would end up with about half of the delegates in Kentucky and promised to press forward even though he would need to win about two-thirds of the remaining pledged delegates to overtake Clinton.

"Before we will have the opportunity to defeat Donald Trump, we're going to have to defeat Secretary Clinton," Sanders said to cheers in Carson, California.

Clinton holds a commanding lead of nearly 300 pledged delegates over Sanders and a dominant advantage among party officials and elected leaders known as superdelegates. The outcomes in Kentucky and Oregon did not dramatically change the delegate count and the former secretary of state remains on track to clinch the nomination on June 7 in the New Jersey primary.

Tuesday's elections took place amid new questions about party unity following a divisive weekend state party convention in Nevada. Supporters of Sanders tossed chairs and made death threats against the Nevada party chairwoman at the event in Las Vegas, arguing the party leadership rigged the results of the convention in favor of Clinton.

In a sign of the tensions between the two sides, Sanders issued a defiant statement Tuesday dismissing complaints from Nevada Democrats as "nonsense" and said his supporters were not being treated with "fairness and respect."

In California, Sanders urged the party to be welcoming to voters who are "prepared to fight for real economic and social change." Addressing the party's leadership, Sanders declared, "Open the doors, let the people in."

Trump won the only Republican contest in Oregon. The billionaire businessman picked up nine delegates earlier Tuesday in Guam, which held its territorial convention in March, and had 1,143 delegates heading into the Oregon contest  fewer than 100 delegates short of the 1,237 he needs to clinch the nomination.

For Democrats, 55 delegates were up for grabs in Kentucky and 61 delegates were at stake in Oregon. Clinton and Sanders will each pick up at least 27 delegates in Kentucky, with one delegate remaining to be allocated pending final vote tallies. In Oregon, Sanders will receive at least 28 delegates and Clinton at least 24 with the remaining delegates awarded according to vote tallies.

The Sanders campaign did not immediately say whether it will challenge the results in Kentucky, which does not have an automatic recount.

In Kentucky, the former secretary of state visited black churches, a small-town diner and held rallies on Sunday and Monday in an effort to break up Sanders' momentum after his recent victories in Indiana and West Virginia.

Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, was the last Democrat to carry the state in a presidential election  he won Kentucky in 1992 and 1996  and the former first lady tried to emphasize those ties in the days leading up to the primary.

"I'm excited about the primary but we've got to turn a lot of people out," Clinton told a packed diner in Paducah, Ky., on Monday. "I'll tell you this. I'm not going to give up on Kentucky in November. I want to help to bring back the kind of economy that worked for everybody in the 1990s."

Nearing the end of a long primary slog, the two Democratic candidates are preparing for June 7 primaries in California, New Jersey and four other states and then the District of Columbia primary on June 14. When pledged delegates and superdelegates are combined, Clinton is now about 96 percent of the way toward securing the Democratic nomination.

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Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver, Catherine Lucey in Paducah, Ky., and Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

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Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/KThomasDC

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves as he walks onto the stage during a rally on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in Carson, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

FILE - In this May 15, 2016 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign stop in Louisville, Ky. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton sought to avoid primary losses in Kentucky and Oregon on Tuesday, aiming to blunt the momentum of challenger Bernie Sanders ahead of a likely general election matchup against Republican Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

FILE - In this May 6, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Eugene, Ore. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton sought to avoid primary losses in Kentucky and Oregon on Tuesday, aiming to blunt the momentum of challenger Bernie Sanders ahead of a likely general election matchup against Republican Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Regional bank approves $50M loan to struggling Suriname

PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP)  A regional development bank has approved a $50 million loan to help stabilize Suriname's commodity-based economy.

The Caribbean Development Bank announced Tuesday that it approved the loan to "urgently address the country's fiscal imbalances."

The small South American nation has been hit by the drop in world prices for the gold, bauxite and oil.
Militias fight IS in Libya

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP)  A Libyan militia spokesman says militias from the western city of Misrata are battling Islamic State militants and have seized vital checkpoints after a brief takeover by the IS.

Mohammed Shamia told The Associated Press Tuesday that the Misrata forces captured three areas south of Misrata including Abu Grain. He said warplanes have bombed IS forces withdrawing from their positions.

Shamia said six Misrata militia fighters were killed and 17 injured. Clashes are ongoing, nearly 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Sirte, the IS stronghold in Libya.
Opposition candidate concedes loss in Dominican Republic

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP)  The leading opposition candidate for president of the Dominican Republic grudgingly conceded his loss Tuesday, accusing the winner and his ruling party of taking advantage of the power of the state to ensure their victory.

Luis Abinader listed a litany of alleged abuses as he spoke to supporters following his loss to President Danilo Medina in Sunday's election.

Abinader said Medina had the advantage of state resources, including the ability to grant or take away public-sector jobs. He pointedly noted that ruling party appointees dominate the court that oversees the election and control the Congress, which altered the Constitution so the incumbent could run for a second consecutive term.

President Danilo Medina, center, waves as he arrives at his party headquarters for a victory rally in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Monday, May 16, 2016. Medina celebrated after winning what appeared to be a resounding re-election victory, with preliminary results showing that he easily had enough votes to avoid a runoff with his closest competitor. (AP Photo/Tatiana Fernandez)

The businessman, who ran for vice president in 2012 but has never held elective office, also accused the ruling Party of Dominican Liberation of using tricks such as paying people not to vote to reduce the opposition. Given all that, Abinader said he did better than expected, winning about 35 percent of the vote.

"You should be aware that there were many Dominicans who did not vote for you," he said in a remark aimed at the president.

Medina received 62 percent of the vote, enough to avoid a runoff. His party also appeared to have retained the control of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies that it has had for a decade.

An Organization of American States observer team blamed new fingerprint scanning machines for widespread delays and criticized the election finance system for now limiting private contributions and favoring established parties over upstarts. The team also said people were seen buying voter identification cards outside polling stations.

The OAS, however, didn't question the outcome of the election.
Senate approves Sept. 11 legislation despite Saudi threats

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would allow families of Sept. 11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia, rejecting the fierce objections of a U.S. ally and setting Congress on a collision course with the Obama administration.

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, approved by voice vote, had triggered a threat from Riyadh to pull billions of dollars from the U.S. economy if the bill is enacted.

The legislation, sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., gives victims' families the right to sue in U.S. court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks that killed thousands in New York, the Washington, D.C., area and Pennsylvania.

FILE - In this March 16, 2016 file photo, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate passed legislation Tuesday, May 17, 2016, that would allow families of Sept. 11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia despite a White House veto threat and fierce objections from the U.S. ally. The legislation, sponsored by Cornyn and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., gives victims' families the right to sue in U.S. court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks that killed thousands in New York, the Washington, D.C. area and Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The House still must act on the legislation.

Relatives of Sept. 11 victims have urged the Obama administration to declassify and release U.S. intelligence that allegedly discusses possible Saudi involvement in the attacks.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir denied earlier this month that the kingdom made any threats over the bill. He said Riyadh had warned investor confidence in the U.S. would shrink if the bill became law.

"In fact what they (Congress) are doing is stripping the principle of sovereign immunities, which would turn the world for international law into the law of the jungle," Al-Jubeir said in a May 3 statement.

The Treasury Department said Monday that Saudi Arabia in March held $116.8 billion in Treasury debt.

Passage of the bill sends the message that the United States "will combat terrorism with every tool we have available, and that the victims of terrorist attacks in our country should have every means at their disposal to seek justice," Cornyn said.

Schumer said that any foreign government that aids terrorists who strike the U.S. "will pay a price if it is proven they have done so."

Senate Democrats had firmly supported the legislation, putting them at odds with the Obama administration. The White House has said the bill could expose Americans overseas to legal risks, and spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday efforts to revise the legislation fell short in addressing the administration's concerns about preserving sovereign immunity.

"Given the concerns that we've expressed, it's difficult to imagine the president signing this legislation," Earnest told reporters at the White House.

Schumer was confident the Senate had the necessary two-thirds vote of the chamber to override a presidential veto.

"We don't think their arguments stand up," the New York lawmaker said at a news conference after the Senate action.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chairman of the Senate subcommittee that controls foreign aid, had blocked the bill from moving to the Senate floor until changes were made to ensure the legislation didn't backfire on the United States.

Graham's apprehension was rooted in the possibility a foreign country could sue the United States if the door is opened for U.S. citizens to take the Saudis to court. Graham released his hold earlier this month, clearing the way for Senate action.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, also had warned that the legislation, if passed, would alienate Saudi Arabia and undermine a longstanding yet strained relationship with a critical U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Schumer said it is false to claim that the bill encourages retaliation or litigation against the United States.

"We're not busy training people to blow up buildings and kill innocent civilians in other countries," Schumer said.

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Associated Press writers Matthew Daly and Josh Lederman contributed to this report.

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Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rplardner
California mom files appeal to keep child on life support

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  A California mother filed an emergency appeal on Tuesday in an effort to keep her toddler on life support after a lower court's order expires on Friday.

Jonee Fonseca asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to override last week's decision by U.S. District Court Judge Kimberly Mueller in Sacramento.

Mueller rejected ordering Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Roseville to keep 2-year-old Israel Stinson on life support, but she gave the family time to appeal.

Two hospitals have determined he is brain dead, but Fonseca wants time to find another facility for him.

"If Kaiser is wrong and Israel is not brain dead, then disconnecting life support on Friday at the close of business will be an error that is irrevocable," Fonseca's attorneys wrote.

They asked the appeals court to order Kaiser to keep the toddler on life support while the judges take more time to consider the case. If they decline, the appeal asks them to at least keep him on life support while the family seeks emergency relief from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Fonseca said Israel moved in response to her touch and voice even after he was declared brain dead.

Her attorneys said she has life-flight transportation ready to move him if she can find another facility that will take him.

"Ms. Fonseca is not asking in this emergency motion for years or even months - just enough time to brief the serious questions she has raised and give her son a chance to live," the attorneys wrote.

The hospital's chief of staff, Dr. Chris Palkowski, repeated after Mueller's decision that the toddler's brain death is irreversible. He said in a statement Tuesday that Kaiser is reviewing the legal documents while the hospital's staff continues to support the family.

Israel first went to the University of California, Davis Medical Center following what appeared to be an asthma attack. At UC Davis, he went into cardiac arrest and was later found to be brain dead.

Two more evaluations at Kaiser Permanente also determined he was brain dead.

Fonseca's federal lawsuit argues that state law doesn't allow patients to bring in their own doctors to challenge the finding of death, and that ban violates due-process rights under the U.S. Constitution.
UN warns that 7.6 million Yemenis are "one step" from famine

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The director of U.N. humanitarian operations warned Tuesday that 7.6 million people in conflict-torn Yemen face severe food shortages and are "one step" from famine.

John Ging, who just returned from Yemen, told a news conference that there has been "a shocking fall off" in support from the donor community over the last few months for the millions of Yemenis who need food, clean water and basic health care.

The U.N. appeal for $1.8 billion to help more than 13 million Yemenis this year is just 16 percent funded, he said, despite Yemen being declared one of the U.N.'s highest-level humanitarian emergencies.

Ging urged governments facing multiple demands for assistance not to forget Yemen. He said the United States, United Kingdom, European Commission and Japan had contributed to the 2016 appeal.

The biggest change from 2015, Ging said, was the absence of a contribution from Saudi Arabia which donated $245 million to last year's U.N. appeal. He said the donor base for Yemen must be expanded, saying Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and many other countries were being contacted. He stressed that any contributions from parties to a conflict can't have strings attached.

A major focus of the U.N. humanitarian summit in Istanbul next week is humanitarian financing, he said, because U.N. appeals which cover minimum needs are being less than 50 percent funded and new ways must be found to provide life-saving support.

In the Yemen conflict, a Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition supporting the internationally recognized government is battling Shiite rebels known as Houthis and their allies. The Houthis have held Yemen's capital, Sanaa, since September 2014, and their advance across the Arab world's poorest country brought the Saudi-led coalition into the war in March 2015. Ging said over 6,000 people have been killed, including 930 children.

Yemen's Foreign Minister Abdul-Malik al-Mekhlafi late Tuesday announced the suspension of peace talks held in Kuwait after weeks of no progress, saying the rebels refuse to accept the legitimacy of the country's internationally recognized president.

Ging said over 10 million Yemenis need basic health care and over 7.6 million "are severely food insecure"  which "on the international index of food insecurity is one step below the level of famine."

"So it's a very fragile situation, and it's a huge number of people that are in that status," he said.

"The nutrition situation in Yemen is also very acute," Ging said. "From January to April this year, over 56,000 children were found to be suffering from severe acute malnutrition."

He said the total number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition is almost 180,000, but the U.N. has only been able to reach 32 percent of them.
Mom sues school district to stop transgender bathroom use

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)  A Florida parent is suing to stop schools from allowing students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identities.

The Florida Times-Union (http://goo.gl/sgkBd6) reports that Wryshona Isaac filed the lawsuit against Duval County Public Schools on Tuesday. Isaac is the mother of four students who attend the schools.

The suit alleges the district is not providing a safe environment for Isaac's children.

School administrators announced Friday that they would comply with a directive from President Barack Obama's administration that public schools must permit transgender students to use facilities consistent with their chosen gender identity. A day earlier, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a civil rights complaint against Marion County Public Schools for limiting students to using bathrooms corresponding to their gender at birth.

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Texas inmate freed after new evidence in friend's slaying

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP)  A Texas man who spent 19 years in prison for the killing of a friend has been freed after a witness said he lied and a bloody palm print at the crime scene was linked to another person.

Forty-two-year-old John Earl Nolley walked out of Fort Worth courtroom on a personal recognizance bond Tuesday while his innocence claims are considered.

Nolley's conviction was based largely on testimony from a jailhouse snitch who later said he was lying. New test results show the palm print does not belong to Nolley or the victim, Sharon McLane.

John Nolley, center facing camera, hugs his brother LaMarcus Nolley as his sister Mia Nolley hugs them following John Nolley's release from prison, at the 213th District Court, in Fort Worth Texas. Nolley, who had been found guilty of murder in 1998, was released from custody after almost 19 years behind bars due to new evidence. Nolley's mother Alice Samuel stands at right. (Paul Moseley /Star-Telegram via AP) MAGS OUT; (FORT WORTH WEEKLY, 360 WEST); INTERNET OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Maldives cuts diplomatic ties with Iran

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  The government of the Maldives said Tuesday it has decided to sever 40-year-old diplomatic ties with Iran, saying the country's policies in the Middle East are detrimental to peace and security in the region.

The Maldives foreign ministry said in a statement that peace in the Middle East is also linked to the island nation's own peace, stability and security.

The decision by the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago nation, whose population of 341,000 is predominantly Sunni Muslim, reflects its increasing closeness to Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, the long-time rival of Shiite-dominated Iran. Last year, Saudi Arabia opened an embassy in the Maldives and has offered cash grants to the government and started negotiations on investments.

The Islamic Summit held last month in Turkey called on Iran to pursue a policy based on the principle of "good neighborliness, non-interference in their domestic affairs, respect for their independence and territorial sovereignty, (and) resolving differences by peaceful means in accordance with OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) and the UN Charters," the foreign ministry statement said.

"The Maldives calls on Iran to show more commitment and tangible results in implementing the recommendations of the OIC," it said.

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran earlier this year after Iranians protesting the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric stormed Saudi diplomatic posts in Tehran and Mashhad.

Currently the two countries are entangled in a row over the annual pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites in Saudi Arabia known as the hajj. Iran has said it will not send its citizens to this year's hajj. citing safety concerns, after 464 of its pilgrims were killed in a stampede last year.
David Hyde Pierce joins Bette Midler in 'Hello, Dolly!'

NEW YORK (AP)  Former "Frasier" star David Hyde Pierce will play opposite Bette Midler in the upcoming Broadway revival of "Hello, Dolly!"

The musical tells the story of matchmaker and schemer Dolly Levi who receives her toughest challenge yet when a rich grump seeks a suitable wife. It's a musical version of Thornton Wilder's play "The Matchmaker."

The show features a rousing score by Jerry Herman that's bursting with joy and tunes like "Put On Your Sunday Clothes," ''Before the Parade Passes By" and "It Only Takes a Moment."

FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2016 file photo, actor David Hyde Pierce attends the New York Film Critics Circle Awards in New York. Pierce will play opposite Bette Midler in the upcoming Broadway revival of "Hello, Dolly!" Performances on Broadway begin on March 13, 2017, with an official opening night of April 20, 2017. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Pierce was last on Broadway directing the romantic comedy musical "It Shoulda Been You."
Venezuela opposition rejects Maduro's state of emergency

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)  Venezuelan opposition leaders are rejecting a 60-day state of emergency declared by President Nicolas Maduro.

Maduro declared the state of emergency over the weekend, giving himself decree powers to intervene in the economy and protect national sovereignty. He said the expanded powers were needed to guard against U.S. meddling in the socialist country.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles called the move unconstitutional Tuesday because Maduro acted unilaterally. Capriles said Venezuelans should reject the decree.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles shows the Official Gazette government publication during a news conference at his office in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, where he called for Venezuelans to ignore an economic and state of emergency decree, if put into place by Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, saying it's unconstitutional and a violation of international conventions and of the OAS Inter-American Democratic Charter. Maduro threatened Saturday to take over idle factories and jail their owners following a decree granting him expanded powers to act in the face of a deep economic crisis. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Capriles, a two-time presidential candidate, is expected to lead a march through the streets of Caracas on Wednesday to support calls for a voter referendum on whether to oust Maduro from office.

The opposition has filed a petition with enough signatures to authorize conducting a broader petition drive on holding a recall referendum.

But on Tuesday, Maduro called that initiative "optional." He went on to accuse the opposition of working with the U.S. to orchestrate a coup against him.

Thousands of people tried to march to the electoral body last week, but were turned back by police who used tear gas.

A majority of voters tell pollsters they want to see Maduro gone. They handed the opposition a landslide victory in congressional elections in December, but state institutions have blocked the opposition-controlled congress from passing any legislation.

On Tuesday, Maduro said the congress had lost its legitimacy.

"I don't expect anything good from congress. It's a matter of time before it disappears, because it doesn't represent our national interest," he said.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles holds up a small copy of Venezuela's constitution during a news conference at his office in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, May 17, 2016, where he called for Venezuelans to ignore an economic and state of emergency decree, if put into place by Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, saying it's unconstitutional and a violation of international conventions and of the OAS Inter-American Democratic Charter. Maduro threatened Saturday to take over idle factories and jail their owners following a decree granting him expanded powers to act in the face of a deep economic crisis. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press conference at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Maduro accused the United States of sabotage plans against Venezuela, saying they aim to create a scenario of violence to justify a foreign military intervention to remove him from power. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Cameron faces Tory backlash over EU vote 'big business stitch-up'

David Cameron is facing intense pressure from within Tory ranks over "shocking" claims he misled parliament following a "stitch-up" with big business over EU referendum campaigning .

Prominent Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg called for an inquiry into the allegations and warned the Prime Minister faced having to resign if they were true.

Boris Johnson claimed the alleged pact between Mr Cameron and the corporate world over campaigning for Remain in the June 23 vote " stinks to high heaven".

David Cameron is facing intense pressure from within Tory ranks over EU referendum campaigning

It comes after a leaked letter from Rupert Soames, chief executive officer of outsourcing company Serco, to the premier about campaigning in the run-up to the June 23 referendum emerged.

In a missive, seen by the Daily Mail, that was sent on February 8, the executive said he was looking at how to "mobilise corporates" during the campaign.

The letter followed a meeting between the Serco boss, who is the brother of Conservative MP Sir Nicholas Soames, and Mr Cameron days earlier.

It states: "There were two points I thought I might follow up on. The first is how to mobilise corporates to look carefully at the risks Brexit represents.

"I am working with Peter Chadlington and Stuart Rose (the head of Britain Stronger in Europe) with a view to contacting FTSE 500 companies who have annual reports due for publication before June and persuading them that they should include Brexit in the list of key risks.

"All public companies are required to set out in their annual report an analysis of key risks."

Updating MPs on the progress of the EU renegotiations on February 3, Mr Cameron said: "L et me say again that if we cannot secure these changes, I rule nothing out."

Mr Rees-Mogg said it was a "real scandal" and warned that "if Parliament was misled then historically it's led to resignations".

"It's outrageous, it's a real scandal because assuming it's true ... then Parliament was misled and if Parliament was misled then historically it's led to resignations," he told the Bruges Group in central London.

"I think to be organising the Remain camp when saying that you've ruled nothing out, not just to MPs but to the British people, is shocking and I think we need an inquiry to find out whether this was going on. We need to see emails from Downing Street.

"It is a scandal of the highest order."

Asked if Mr Cameron should resign, he added: "If the Prime Minister has misled Parliament that is fundamentally unconstitutional. We need to find out if it's true.

"If it can be proved ... of course any minister has to go. But I do still say if, I'm not calling for this."

Mr Johnson criticised the premier's "meaningless" negotiations, insisting it was now beyond doubt the deal was a " fiction designed to bamboozle the public".

He said: " This is the biggest stitch-up since the Bayeux Tapestry. It stinks to high heaven.

"FTSE 100 chiefs are seeing their pay packets soar while uncontrolled immigration is forcing down wages for British workers.

" Now we learn that some fat cats have been secretly agreeing to campaign for Remain while angling for lavish Government contracts. It makes us look like a banana republic.

"And it is also now beyond doubt that the so-called renegotiation was a fiction designed to bamboozle the public.

"It was a meaningless mime, a ritual, a kabuki drama in which the outcome was utterly preordained. This is not the far-reaching and fundamental reform we were promised.

"The only safe way to take back control of our borders and our democracy is to Vote Leave on June 23."

Ukip leader Nigel Farage said of the PM: "I think increasingly in this referendum campaign he's looking like Dishonest Dave."

Mr Cameron, meanwhile, gave a "myth-busting" speech on Brexit to members of the World Economic Forum at the Mansion House.

The Prime Minister dismissed claims by the Leave camp that quitting would lead to a bonfire of regulations as "very, very weak" and insisted three million jobs were linked to membership.

Striking a deal on services from outside the EU would take longer than an agreement on goods because other countries, such as Italy, would want to gain advantage from Britain's exit, he warned.

"We may have a deficit in the sale of goods when it comes to the EU but we have a very large surplus when it comes to services and one of the things that I think we should fear is that, of course, if we left the EU they might offer us a deal on goods, but it might take a very long time before they offered a deal on services," he said.

"You can almost imagine the thrill and excitement of service businesses in Italy, France and Germany and elsewhere, saying okay, let's cut a deal with Britain on trade in goods but hold back the trade in services so we can fill all of those insurance and banking and other service industries at which Britain is so good."

A spokesman for Serco said the company would not comment on the row.

Mr Johnson, speaking during a visit to a recycling company near Stafford, said the claims need a full explanation given the apparent "collusion" between the Government and Remain-backing firms.

He told reporters: "The most unsettling thing about this is that this exchange took place while the Prime Minister was nominally considering walking away from the negotiations and prepared to leave.

"What it shows, to my mind, is a colossal stitch-up."

He said the "fat cats" wanting to remain in the EU had been shown "conspiring, it seems, to campaign for Remain while angling for lavish contracts - you've got to wonder what's going on".

Mr Johnson went on: "I think the more clarity we have about that the better."

He added: "When you've got what looks like collusion between the Government and big Remain-backing businesses, on the surface of it it seems to be suggesting that in exchange for support for Remain there is consideration to be given to the awarding of lavish public sector contracts, I think people will wonder what's going on.
Old Trafford bomb scare all my fault - security firm boss

The Premier League season will finally end, two days after the bomb scare which forced Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium to be evacuated.

The Red Devils' match with AFC Bournemouth was postponed when a suspicious device was discovered close to kick-off on Sunday afternoon.

On Monday, Chris Reid, managing director of Security Search Management & Solutions, which carried out a terror training drill at the stadium earlier in the week, said he took full responsibility for the blunder, which is reported to cost the host club millions in lost revenue.

Chris Reid, managing director of Security Search Management and Solutions Ltd at his home in Biggin Hill in Kent

Speaking outside his home in Biggin Hill, south-east London, the retired Scotland Yard police officer said: "This mistake is entirely mine. I have to take full responsibility for leaving a training item behind on Wednesday."

He added: "I am absolutely devastated that a lapse in my working protocols has resulted in many people being disappointed, frightened and inconvenienced. Nothing I can say will rectify that."

Security Search Management & Solutions was hired by Deacons Canines to carry out practical training exercises at the stadium last week.

Mr Reid told reporters that after the exercise for five dog handlers he had checked a number of fake items into his bag, having previously recorded their position on a "trapping sheet".

He said: "Unfortunately an item that was placed in the male WC was not recovered, as I had a similar item that I had not used. I saw this and made the mistake in thinking that the item in the WC had been brought back when found by the attendees as had other items I had checked into the bag.

"This item concerned was a mock-up of a pipe bomb, it was approximately eight inches long, brass fittings at each end, a length of black flexible lead and a mobile phone taped to the pipe with black tape.

"The item had a small white label on it which said: 'Training aid if found contact ssms and my telephone number'."

He said he had been at home when events involved and watched it on television.

Mr Reid added that he had been contacted by people since saying "please carry on" with his work.

Asked it if had been a "blunder", he said: "I wouldn't say blunder. It's very difficult to say that, it's easy to say that and people will say, 'Yes it was'.

"However, there was something found and they dealt with it in the way they should have done, whether it should have been found sooner is completely another issue.

"It would be obvious to say yes they should have found it. But I don't know - the rooms may have been locked after I left, without being checked, and why should they be?"

United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward had earlier revealed that the device had been recorded as having been removed.

Manchester's police and crime commissioner Tony Lloyd said that the Red Devils needed to be "up front" with answers about the "shambolic" security scare at Old Trafford.

Mr Lloyd, who is also the mayor of Greater Manchester, said the club's reputation and public safety had come under scrutiny after Sunday's evacuation.

He said: "'Fiasco' is the right word. It was shambolic.

"Of course, United are a huge organisation. It wasn't, I think, the fact they're the world's richest club - that they are.

"It was the fact that the security had missed something that in the end ought to have been found."

United are currently in sixth and could only qualify for the Champions League if they win by 19 goals - a Premier League record.
An exhibition by street artist Banksy will go on display in Rome, featuring paintings, prints and sculptures from international private collections.

The unauthorised exhibition called War, Capitalism & Liberty features a print of supermodel Kate Moss in the style of Andy Warhol, as well as the artist's black and white stencilled sandwich board-wearing monkeys declaring: "Laugh now but one day we'll be in charge."

The Kate Moss Collection was based on Andy Warhol's iconic Marilyn Series, with original prints fetching tens of thousands of pounds at auction.

Kate by Banksy is one of the paintings by the secretive street artist on display at an exhibition of his work in Rome (Hot Cherry/PA)

Fans of the artist, whose true identity is still not publicly known, will need to travel to the Palazzo Cipolla museum in Italy's capital, where the artwork will be on display from May 24 to September 4.

War, Capitalism & Liberty has been curated by Stefano Antonelli, Francesca Mezzano and Acoris Andipa and aims to examine how Banksy explores social and political events through his artwork.

Art dealer Mr Andipa said: "This is the largest collection of work by the artist known as Banksy, a corpus of over 120 works including sculptures, stencils, and other artistic expressions, all strictly from private collectors and, therefore, absolutely not removed from the street.

"The work critically examines contemporary issues of war, consumerism and politics, and this is the first time a major collection of artwork by the artist, now considered the world's best street artist, has been curated from private international collectors by an independent and important museum."

Although this exhibition has no endorsement from the artist himself, Banksy has frequently curated his own shows and performances, starting with a exhibition in 2000 at the Severn Shed in Bristol.

The anonymous artist also created a documentary, Exit Through The Gift Shop, in 2010, and in 2013 set up a street stall in New York selling cut-price canvases to passers-by.

Recently he created Dismaland - a large-scale "bemusement park" - and produced murals in Calais addressing the refugee crisis.

Mr Antonelli said: "On the threshold of a world living in deep transformations, this exhibition analyses the progress of iconography and fundamental expressions of our civilisation, through the work of the most controversial and popular contemporary artist and activist: an anonymous British artist who calls himself Banksy.

"Since the 1990s, the artist known as Banksy has used public space to express and exhibit his work, freeing the potential of graffiti and laying down a new blueprint for street art. Advances in internet technologies and image-sharing platforms have consecrated him as an idol for a new generation which has given him a worldwide fame.

"In the history of Western art, no other artist has managed to bring themes of this magnitude to the attention of a global audience."

Keep It Real by Banksy (Hot Cherry/PA)

Riot Cop (Hot Cherry/PA)

The Folco Collection (Hot Cherry/PA)
Greek parliament to vote on bailout reforms on Sunday

ATHENS, May 16 (Reuters) - Greece's parliament will vote on a new package of tax hikes and reforms demanded by its international lenders on Sunday, two days before euro zone finance ministers assess whether Athens qualifies for much-needed bailout loans.

The bill would increase value added tax by 1 percentage point to 24 percent, raise tax on fuel, tobacco and alcohol, liberalise the sale of banks' non-performing loans and detail the set-up a new privatisation fund, government officials said.

It will also include details on a contingency mechanism to impose tighter austerity measures, which will be activated only if Greece misses its fiscal targets, the officials said on Monday.

The vote is expected to test Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' left-led government, which has a thin majority of 153 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament. Athens says that if activated, the contingency measures will not hurt the poor.

Passing the reforms before the Eurogroup meeting on May 24, is a demand of international lenders to wrap up the review which will unlock the next tranche of funds that Athens will use to pay IMF loans, state arrears and ECB bonds maturing in July.

Talks between Greece and the lenders -- the European Stability Mechanism, European Commission, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund -- over the reforms have dragged on for months.

The delays have been mainly due to a rift between EU and IMF lenders over Greece's fiscal progress and the sustainability of its debt. The IMF believes that without debt relief or additional measures Athens will miss a bailout targets for 3.5 percent of GDP primary surplus in 2018.

Euro zone finance ministers have offered to grant Greece debt relief if the country delivers on all reforms agreed under its latest bailout.

Athens, which aims to tap markets in 2017, hopes that substantial debt relief will help attract investors and convince Greeks that their sacrifices are paying off after seven years of belt-tightening.
Rwanda inaugurates 26 MW plant using methane from Lake Kivu

KIGALI, May 16 (Reuters) - Rwanda inaugurated a power plant on Monday which uses methane gas from Lake Kivu, officials said, adding 26 megawatts (MW) to the grid in a country where only a quarter of the population is connected to an electricity supply.

The KivuWatt plant developed by U.S. company ContourGlobal is the first phase in scheme to add more than 100 MW exploiting the lake's methane. The firm now plans to add 75 MW in three 25 MW instalments between 2018 and 2019.

Rwanda is aiming to give 70 percent of its 11 million people access to power from the grid, or off-grid supplies, by 2018, up from about 25 percent now. Broader access to power is seen as vital to lifting economic growth in Rwanda and across Africa.

"26 MW won't address our energy or power problems but it is an indication of what is possible," President Paul Kagame said at the inauguration of the plant.

Before the addition of the KivuWatt plant, Rwanda's installed capacity was 186 MW. The government has said it plans to more than double that to 563 MW by 2017-2018.

The power plant and methane processing cost $200 million, financed by a private partnership with help from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and development funds, officials said.

Rwanda's Infrastructure Ministry has said Lake Kivu, which it shares with neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, could support production of up to 700 MW. Congo has said it wants to exploit the lake's methane resources as well.
Colombia not enforcing U.S. trade deal labor standards -unions

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - Colombia has failed to enforce worker protections in a free trade agreement with the United States, U.S. and Colombian labor unions said on Monday, raising questions about similar provisions in the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

In a complaint filed with a division of the U.S. Labor Department, the unions said threats and acts of violence against trade unionists in Colombia were neither properly investigated nor prosecuted.

The AFL-CIO and four Colombian unions said in the complaint that since the U.S.-Colombian trade deal took effect in 2011, some 99 Colombian workers and worker advocates were killed as they tried to exercise their rights. Six workers were kidnapped, and 955 death threats were received, the complaint said.

The unions, including those representing many of Colombia's oil workers and farm workers, also said the Colombian government ignored protections for workers who want to unionize and allowed the rampant use of subcontractors in violation of union contracts.

The complaint said the oil and sugar sectors were among the businesses where workers remain oppressed.

"The failure to enforce fundamental labor rights artificially distorts the cost of labor in the oil sector because Colombian companies face different conditions of competition than they would face were the laws effectively enforced," the unions said in the complaint filed with the Labor Department's Office of Trade and Labor Affairs.

The free trade deal was to guarantee Colombian workers the right to freely unionize and collectively bargain with employers. The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal has similar provisions but also requires all 12 members, which include Vietnam, Malaysia, Mexico and Peru, to establish minimum wages, working hours and occupational safety requirements.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka called the TPP labor provisions negotiated last year a "near carbon copy" of those in the Colombian trade deal and said they, too, would probably fail, driving down wages and standards in the United States

"Four years after the U.S.-Colombia trade deal took effect, anti-union blacklists persist, 99 more worker advocates have been assassinated and employers continue to create obstacles to workers' right to unionize," Trumka said in a statement.

He said the U.S. Congress should reject the TPP and "not rely on empty promises that Mexico, Malaysia and Vietnam will eventually protect working people."

The Colombian Labor Ministry did not immediately respond to calls and messages seeking comment.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman declined to comment on the specific complaint by the unions. However, he told Reuters in Peru on Monday that while Colombia has made progress on enforcing labor standards, "there still is certainly work to be done."

However, Froman added that the TPP has stronger protections than the Colombia deal, including minimum wage and safe workplace requirements, as well as specific action plans for Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei that are part of the trade deal itself.
Argentine wheat exports leap on Macri policies; plantings seen up

By Hugh Bronstein

BUENOS AIRES, May 16 (Reuters) - Argentine wheat exports more than doubled in the first quarter, government data showed, as farmers rushed to sell stockpiles ahead of an expected jump in plantings spurred by the open-market policies of new President Mauricio Macri.

The surge in Argentine supply is hitting an oversaturated world market and putting downward pressure on wheat prices already near their lowest levels in six years.

Days after his December inauguration Macri ditched trade and currency controls as part of his plan to reset the economy. Growers wasted no time selling stocks that had piled up after years of interventionist policies under the previous government.

Argentina, the world's 10th biggest wheat exporter, shipped 3.13 million tonnes of the grain in the first three months of 2016 versus 1.53 million in the same 2015 period, according to figures from Argentina's SENASA food inspection agency. Industry groups see production ramping up over the course of the year.

"We are expecting an increase in planting area of close to 30 percent and it could be more," said David Hughes, head of the ArgenTrigo wheat industry chamber, on 2016 acreage. "This would imply production of 15 to 16 million tonnes, which would mean exports of around nine to 10 million."

The planned seeding expansion comes despite record-high global wheat stocks poised to rise even further as the United States, European Union, Russia and Ukraine forecast bumper harvests.

Macri eliminated a 23 percent tax that had been placed on wheat exports along with a years-old policy of restricting the amount of wheat allowed to leave the country.

Wheat planting in Argentina starts in June. The country consumes about 6 million tonnes of wheat domestically each year, including about 1 million tonnes milled and exported as flour.

The Argentine Rural Society, or SRA, which represents large-scale farms, expects a 27 percent increase in planting.

"This would increase wheat area to 4.7 million hectares, which should bring production to more than 14 million tonnes," said SRA economist Ernesto Ambrosetti.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects Argentine wheat output in the 2016/17 season of 14.5 million tonnes and exports of 8.5 million.

A poll of more than 1,500 growers conducted by Argentine farm group CREA showed growers intended on average to increase wheat sowing by 33 percent versus the 2015/16 crop year.

"More area means more production, and also more investment in fertilizer and technology. So we will be on the international market with more wheat (when harvesting of the 2016/17 crop ends) this January," said CREA board member Santiago del Solar.

The Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said it may raise its estimate of a 25 percent wheat planting increase, depending on the pace of recovery of farm areas flooded by April storms.
Son of ex-Honduran president pleads guilty to U.S. drug charge

By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) - The son of former Honduras President Porfirio Lobo pleaded guilty on Monday to conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, a year after his arrest in Haiti as part of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration probe.

Fabio Lobo, 44, faces a mandatory 10-year minimum prison term when he is sentenced on Sept. 15, and could get up to life behind bars following his plea to a single count of conspiring to import cocaine.

At a hearing in federal court in Manhattan, Lobo admitted to participating in a drug trafficking scheme that federal prosecutors said also involved Honduran police officers.

"I knew that it was illegal," Lobo said.

Lobo's father was elected president of Honduras in late 2009 after a military coup ousted then-President Manuel Zelaya. Porfirio Lobo left office in January 2014, when Juan Orlando Hernandez assumed the presidency.

At the time of his son's arrest, Porfirio Lobo said he hoped his son was innocent, "but if he is guilty, he should take responsibility for his actions."

Prosecutors said that in 2014, Lobo agreed to help two DEA sources posing as Mexican drug traffickers transport a multi-ton load of cocaine through Honduras so the drugs could be sent to the United States.

The goal, prosecutors said, was to profit from facilitating drug-running through Honduras. The notoriously violent Central American country has long served as a major transshipment point for U.S.-bound cocaine smuggled out of South America.

As part of the scheme, Lobo introduced the confidential sources to a "high-ranking official" who declined to participate in the deal and Honduran police officials who agreed to help facilitate it, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emil Bove said in court.

Lobo was arrested in May 2015 in Haiti, where he had agreed to travel to receive payment for the drug deal, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's office said in a statement.

"Whether you are a street-level dealer, a member of a cartel, or the son of a former foreign president, drug dealing is drug dealing," Bharara said. "It is a serious federal crime for which you will be prosecuted."

Manuel Retureta, Lobo's lawyer, said outside of court that his client "made a mistake" by getting close to individuals involved in large-scale drug trafficking.
Deadly attack on Haiti police headquarters as tensions escalate

By Joseph Guyler Delva

PORT-AU-PRINCE, May 16 (Reuters) - Gunmen stormed a police headquarters in southern Haiti on Monday leaving at least six killed in a shootout and a related accident in an apparent uprising attempt days after the volatile country missed a deadline to sign in a new president.

The police chief for Haiti's southern region, Luc Pierre, said gunmen in military fatigues attacked at night in the coastal city of Les Cayes. They seized automatic weapons and killed a policeman before officers shot one of them dead.

"Gunmen in military fatigue attacked police headquarters around 2:30 a.m., they beat several police officers and took away a number of weapons," Pierre said, adding that several policemen had been wounded, one seriously.

Under a political agreement struck in February after the impoverished Caribbean nation failed to hold a runoff election, a provisional president was chosen on condition he held the delayed vote in April and hand over power by May 14.

Both deadlines were missed, and an election will only be held after a commission evaluates fraud allegations in the first round, a process likely to take weeks despite U.S. and U.N. pressure.

Suspicions about Monday's attack turned to Guy Philippe, a former coup leader wanted by U.S. authorities on cocaine trafficking charges, who this year threatened an uprising against any interim government.

Philippe denied on Monday any involvement in the attack.

One of the gunmen who was captured, Remy Teleus, told reporters that he was among more than 50 men mobilized by Philippe to take over police headquarters and the southern region.

"I was not among those who stormed the police headquarters, but I am part of a group commissioned by Guy Philippe to take over police headquarters," Teleus said, adding that the plan had not been to kill police but that the situation turned ugly.

Philippe, who is running for senate, called for peaceful protests to pressure interim President Jocelerme Privert to complete the botched elections.

Four of the gunmen died when their vehicle crashed as they were fleeing. Others wounded in the accident were arrested.

Supporters of former President Michel Joseph Martelly, who left office without an elected successor in February, have demonstrated to demand a speedy runoff.
Oil extends gains, U.S. crude at seven-month high on supply concerns

By Aaron Sheldrick

TOKYO, May 17 (Reuters) - Oil futures rose for a second straight session on Tuesday, with U.S. crude hitting a seven-month high, as the market focused on supply disruptions that prompted long-time bear Goldman Sachs to issue a bullish assessment on near-term prices.

Crude oil prices have rallied for most of the past two weeks due to a combination of Nigerian, Venezuelan and other outages, declining U.S. output and curtailments of Canadian crude after fires in Alberta's oil sands region.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were up 67 cents at $48.39 a barrel at 0635 GMT, the highest since October.

Brent crude futures were up 37 cents at $49.34 a barrel, near the six-month high of $49.47 reached on Monday.

Outages throughout May will average 3.2 million barrels per day (bpd), Energy Aspects analyst Amrita Sen said in a research note.

"The longer these outages, the quicker the pace of rebalancing," Sen said.

"Although refining margins remain weak, we maintain our view that persistent crude stock draws (will) begin by end Q2 16," she said.

The disruptions triggered a U-turn in the outlook for the oil market from Goldman Sachs. The U.S. bank, which had long warned of global storage hitting capacity and of another oil price crash to as low as $20 a barrel, now sees U.S. crude trading as high as $50 in the second half of 2016.

A further bullish note was sounded by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) when it said shale oil output is expected to drop in June for an eighth consecutive month.

Shale output is expected to fall by nearly 113,000 bpd to 4.85 million bpd, as the nearly two-year slump in prices continues to undermine profitability for drillers, the EIA report released on Monday shows.

Oil prices were also drawing support from fires burning around the Canadian oil sands hub of Fort McMurray.

The fires were growing and moving rapidly north late on Monday, forcing firefighters to shift their focus to protecting major oil sand facilities north of the city, officials said.

A dozen work camps south of the major projects faced mandatory evacuation notices.
Japan to struggle to overcome G7 rift on yen, fiscal policy

By Leika Kihara and Tetsushi Kajimoto

TOKYO, May 17 (Reuters) - A weekend gathering of G7 finance leaders may expose a rift on issues ranging from currency and fiscal policies within the close-knit group of advanced economies, dashing Japan's hopes of mustering a coordinated policy response to spur global growth.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi will be among Group of Seven finance leaders gathering in Sendai, northern Japan on May 20-21.

Japan has failed to bridge differences with the United States on the yen, with Washington dismissing Tokyo's concerns that recent yen rises are excessive and instead pushing for agreements against currency market interventions.

The rift may be evident at the weekend G7 meeting, diminishing prospects of an agreement beyond reiterating the importance for exchange-rate stability.

There is also no consensus on how much fiscal stimulus the global economy needs with Germany resisting calls from Japan and the United States for bigger spending.

Japanese policymakers are taming market expectations, saying Tokyo never intended the G7 nations to agree on joint fiscal action it sees as only possible in times of crises such as the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.

The G7 will likely settle with a vague agreement on the need to deploy a "balanced" dose of monetary, fiscal and structural policies, officials involved in the negotiations say.

The result could be another meeting in which officials claim progress in pushing an agenda of structural reforms, rather than concrete steps to avoid a global recession.

"It's just a way to say you did something when you did very little," said Tamim Bayoumi, a visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute, a Washington think tank for international economics.

While no communique will be released, Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso hopes to lay the grounds for a G7 leaders' summit to be held next week, where measures to address stagnant global growth will be high on the agenda.

For Japan's currency mandarins, the top priority in Sendai is to garner a G7 agreement on the importance of "exchange-rate stability," officials with knowledge of the negotiations say.

That will give Tokyo justification to intervene in the currency market if it considers any yen gains as excessive.

It may also be the most the G7 nations can agree on given differences between Tokyo and Washington on what is defined as excessively volatile yen moves.

Lew said on Friday his views have not changed on Japan's currency policies since a G20 meeting in April, when he told Aso that markets were "orderly" despite a rising yen.

He also said Japan has relied too heavily on monetary policy and needed to focus more on boosting domestic demand and pursuing structural reforms.

Japan insists that recent yen gains have been speculative and that a U.S. Treasury report including it in a new currency watch list did not constrain its currency policy. Aso has repeatedly threatened to intervene to stem yen rises.

"The United States will probably keep emphasising that countries shouldn't resort to competitive currency devaluations, while Japan will argue that excess volatility is undesirable," said a G7 source familiar with the negotiations.

"But no country, including the United States, will disagree strongly that exchange-rate stability is important," he said.

Japan had hoped to garner a G7 agreement on the need to ramp up fiscal spending but has received a cool response from Germany, which insists on fiscal discipline.
Australia defers backpacker tax hike after rural opposition

By Colin Packham

SYDNEY, May 17 (Reuters) - Australia will review a planned tax hike for foreign travellers who work in the country, following complaints from farmers in the lead up to a federal election that their supply of "backpacker labour" at harvest times may dry up.

The ruling conservative government, which is counting on the support of rural voters in the July 2 poll, will defer the tax increase and hold a review of labour force issues in rural and regional communties, Assistant Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer said.

Under the proposal, foreign travellers on working holiday visas would have paid tax of 32.5 percent on every dollar earned from July 1, when previously they paid no tax on income up to A$18,000 ($13,100), the same as locals.

Farmers said the change would discourage holiday workers who make up the bulk of fruit pickers at harvest times, threatening the country's fruit industry, which is set for record exports of A$2.27 billion ($1.66 billion) next season.

Australia has encouraged backpackers to work on farms with special visas allowing them to stay for a second year if they do three months work in rural Australia.

But overseas workers had been targeted as an area to raise revenue as Australia looks to rein in ballooning budget deficits.

"[The review] is looking at much broader issues around labour force, particularly in rural and regional communities and how it affects our farmers but also our tourism sector as well," O'Dwyer said.

Australia's A$34.8 billion international tourism industry was also threatened by the higher tax, with young travellers potentially deciding not to stay as long.

In total backpackers spend A$4.3 billion a year, worth about 12 percent of all international tourist spending.
Failed hack via SWIFT on Vietnam bank tried to send funds to Slovenia - c bank

HANOI, May 17 (Reuters) - Vietnam's central bank said on Tuesday a failed hacking attempt on Tien Phong Bank (TPBank) using the SWIFT messaging system sought to fraudulently transfer 1.2 million euros ($1.36 million) to a Slovenian bank late last year in one transaction.

The thwarted transfer on Dec. 8 was the only hack attempt via SWIFT detected by TPBank and no other Vietnamese lenders, or the central bank itself, have been affected, Le Manh Hung, head of the State Bank of Vietnam's Information Technology Department told Reuters in an interview.

Interpol was immediately informed of the Dec. 8 attack, Hung said.
NASA launches near-space monitoring balloon from New Zealand

WELLINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - NASA successfully launched a super pressure balloon from New Zealand's South Island Wanaka Airport Tuesday to conduct near-space scientific investigations.

The launch marks the fifth attempt to get the massive balloon airborne, with previous bids thwarted by bad weather, NASA said in a release.

Long-duration balloon flights at constant altitudes play an important role in providing inexpensive access to the near-space environment for science and technology.

The 532,000 cubic metres (18.8 million cubic feet) balloon is expected to circumnavigate the globe about the southern hemisphere's mid-latitudes once every one to three weeks, depending on wind speeds in the stratosphere, NASA said. The aim is for it remain airborne for more than 100 days.

According to NASA the balloon's operational float altitude is 33.5 kms (20.8 miles) and it will be visible from the ground, particularly at sunrise and sunset, in the southern hemisphere's mid-latitudes, such as Argentina and South Africa.

NASA's balloon experts at its Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility and NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, will control balloon flight operations throughout the mission.
Budget airlines set to soar in Southeast Asia's open skies

By Siva Govindasamy

SINGAPORE, May 17 (Reuters) - Low-cost airline groups and manufacturers of smaller passenger aircraft will be among the main winners after Southeast Asia's open skies agreement finally came into effect last month, although airport capacity constraints could limit the benefits.

Ratification of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) open skies agreements by Indonesia and Laos in April lifts restrictions on capacity and competition, allowing airlines to launch unlimited flights from their home to any point in the region subject to airport slot availability.

Hubs like Singapore, which have a clear expansion plan, could gain from an increase in air services, as will budget carriers which are ideal for a region where no two points are more than a few hours apart, say analysts.

"Airlines can launch any number of international flights as the market can support," said Alan Tan, an aviation law professor at the National University of Singapore. "Travellers can thus look forward to more flights at more competitive prices."

Dominant low-cost airlines like Malaysia's AirAsia , Indonesia's Lion Air, and Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific plan to do just that.

AirAsia, for example, wants more international flights from the Philippines and Indonesia, a spokeswoman said. This will help its affiliates, which have found it tough to break into the domestic market in those countries.

"Improved connectivity in the region will be a boon to tourism and strengthen ASEAN as an economic union," the spokeswoman said.

Full service airlines like Thai Airways, Garuda Indonesia and Philippine Airlines, which have lost market share to budget carriers over the last decade, say they plan to use their long-haul network to connect passengers to their Southeast Asia services.

The Singapore Airlines group has an additional advantage, given its ability to operate services using two premium brands and two low-fare subsidiaries, analysts say.

The opening up of regional destinations can also boost manufacturers of 70-130 seater aircraft, like Brazil's Embraer , Canada's Bombardier and ATR, a joint venture between Airbus and Italy's Finmeccanica.

These planes can serve some routes more profitably than the larger Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s, they say.

"Many of the region's airlines are beginning to recognise the potential advantage of right-sizing and the ratification of ASEAN open skies, we feel, will simply accelerate the process," said Mark Dunnachie, who leads Embraer's aircraft sales in the Asia-Pacific.

HUBS LIMIT GROWTH

While there will clearly be winners from the open skies deal, the full gains could be limited by airport constraints.

Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, and Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport serve Southeast Asia's three biggest domestic markets of Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia respectively.

All have reached full capacity with congestion and delays the norm, creating spillover problems for smaller airports in those countries as well.

"Unlimited flight capacity is meaningless if airport and slot congestion remains unaddressed by governments," Tan said.

Singapore's Changi Airport is the exception. Despite having relatively little domestic traffic, it has three terminals which can handle 66 million passengers and served 55 million in 2015, the most in Southeast Asia. Work has begun on two more terminals.

Such long-term national aviation policies are needed due to the lengthy gestation period for terminals and runways, said Vinoop Goel, Asia Pacific director for airports at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a global airline trade body.

IATA estimates that ASEAN countries can add almost 25 million jobs and $298 billion to the region's GDP by 2035 if they invest in aviation infrastructure. This is up from 11.6 million jobs and $144.4 billion to GDP in 2014.
PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - May 17

SOFIA, May 17 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-- The parties of the ruling centre-right coalition will have to decide how to proceed with the president veto on the election code. The nationalist Patriotic Front has warned it will withdraw its support for the ruling if the government supports the veto, which was imposed due to restrictions on the voting abroad. (Trud, Standart)

-- The average monthly salary has increased 8.4 percent on an annual basis in the first quarter to 952 levs ($550.61), statistics office data showed. (Trud, Standart, Capital Daily)

24 CHASA - Police in the central city of Pazardzhik has fined a woman for wearing a full-face veil after the town voted to ban wearing such veils on public spaces to prevent tension among communities and boost security.
Romania - Factors to watch on May 17

Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Tuesday.

DEBT TENDER

Romania sold a planned 300 million lei ($75.75 million) worth of July 2017 treasury bonds on Monday, with the average accepted yield at 0.75 percent, central bank data showed.

COMPANY RESULTS * Romanian state-owned power utility Electrica said its net profit posted a 11.8 percent rise on the year to 142 million lei ($35.84 million) in the first quarter. * Romanian state-owned power grid operator Transelectrica said its net profit decreased by 21.6 percent to 99 million lei ($24.99 million) in the first quarter against 126 million lei in January-March 2015.

* Romanian state-owned gas pipeline operator Transgaz said its first-quarter net profit fell 13 percent on the year to 172.5 million lei ($43.59 million), against 199.3 million lei in January-March 2015.

CEE MARKETS

The Polish zloty firmed 1.0 percent and government bond prices gained early in the session on Monday after Moody's kept the country's rating unchanged but shifted its outlook to negative from stable on Saturday as expected.

PROSECUTORS

Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors asked the senate to approve an investigation into leftist senator Titus Corlatean on Monday for his part in preventing the diaspora to vote in the 2014 presidential election when he was foreign minister.

For the long-term Romanian diary, click on

For emerging markets economic events, click on

For an index of all diaries, click on
Rebel Nagorno-Karabakh says its soldier killed by fire from Azerbaijan

YEREVAN, May 17 (Reuters) - A soldier from the breakaway region of Nagorgo-Karabakh which is controlled by pro-Armenian separatists was killed overnight as a result of shooting from Azerbaijan's side, Nagorno-Karabakh's defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred shortly after midnight, roughly at the time when the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed in Vienna on the need for a ceasefire and a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
As Brexit vote looms, U.S. banks review their European commitments

By Anjuli Davies and Rachel Armstrong

LONDON, May 17 (Reuters) - If Britain votes to leave the European Union in June, some U.S. banks could give up parts of their business in the bloc altogether.

The option is an extreme scenario under consideration by some Wall Street firms if the terms of an exit, currently a matter of speculation, leave financial services companies in Britain unable under their current set-ups to do business inside the EU, according to discussions Reuters had with several U.S. banks and their lawyers.

The scenarios being studied by taskforces at U.S. banks underscore the extent to which the London operations of non-European banks are linked to business on the continent.

In particular focus are the banks' market operations, as trading of most European securities is regulated at the EU level but conducted by many investment banks mainly out of London.

The five largest U.S. banks employ 40,000 people in London, more than in the rest of Europe combined, taking advantage of the EU "passporting" regime that allows them to offer services across the bloc out of their British hubs.

Having to reorganise business in order to set up new continental European outposts - which U.S. banks say is a worst-case scenario that they are being forced to consider - would be so costly that it would make some rethink their commitment to the bloc altogether.

"The costs may lead some banking groups to reassess how important Europe is in the context of their global business and what sort of presence they wish to maintain post-Brexit," said Edward Chan, a partner at the law firm Linklaters, which has been advising banks on contingency arrangements.

BENEFITS OF INTEGRATION

European integration has served U.S. investment banks well. The move to a single currency made it easier to take on the bloc's own banks, benefiting from economies of scale by trading in euros rather than competing with, say, Societe Generale for franc-denominated business or with Deutsche Bank in deutschmarks.

The big five U.S. banks have all been gaining market share while European investment banks restructure. In the first quarter, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley took the top three positions for investment banking fees in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), according to Thomson Reuters data.

But it is outside the euro zone, in the City of London, that they base their EU businesses. The investment bankers heading up M&A advisory teams for the likes of Italy and France all tend to live in London rather than Rome or Paris.

Of the just under 6,500 staff who handle Goldman Sachs International's broker-dealer services for all of EMEA, a region that brings in around 35 percent of group revenue, fewer than 1,000 are based outside Britain.

These UK outposts have increased in importance since the 2008 global financial crisis, when banks tried to simplify their international structures into a few main hubs.

The major U.S. banks also use their London entities to help them avoid the brunt of new U.S. trading rules brought in with the Dodd-Frank regulation, booking swap trade agreements with non-U.S. counterparties in Britain rather than in America.

Now, the prospect of an exit from the European Union has spurred these banks into action, albeit only on paper for now.

Four Wall Street banks told Reuters how, with the outcome of the vote and its consequences wide open, they have been drawing up contingency plans as part of their own risk planning and at regulators' behest.

One bank said it had a central taskforce of 20 people drawn from each business unit and functions such as human resources and information technology.

The alert level has not reached that of the Greek debt crisis, when a similar committee would sit every two or three days, but the group does meet weekly.

MARKET ACCESS

If Britain were to remain a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), which gives Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein access to the EU's single market, its financial companies would retain passporting rights for EU countries, although Britain would have no say in the formulation of EU rules.

But if Britain quit the EEA, UK-based firms wanting to operate in the EU would face an "equivalence" test to prove to Brussels that their home rules are as strict as those in the EU.

They would also probably need a locally capitalised subsidiary in the EU, more expensive than running a branch.

Leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson has said Britain could create a "Britzerland", based on Switzerland's bilateral treaties with Brussels.

However, Swiss financial institutions do not enjoy passporting rights within the EU, and Swiss investment banks, like their American peers, base most of their EU operations in London.

The bank with the 20-strong taskforce currently has no established entity in mainland Europe to conduct capital markets business from.

An executive said it would have to consider whether it was worth the trouble of creating a parallel broker-dealer operation within the euro zone with billions of dollars in capital.

Other U.S. banks say the region is too important to turn their back on, but that a messy post-Brexit agreement would require a major reorganisation.

JP Morgan Securities Plc, the London subsidiary that houses most of the bank's capital markets business in EMEA, says its analysis shows that, under some scenarios, its UK-based subsidiaries "might not be able to perform new business with European Union-based clients directly". To keep that business, it would have to change its legal entity structure and its booking model.

JP Morgan International Bank Plc, which looks after the group's private banking clients in EMEA, said it might be required to "transfer existing and new business with continental European clients into a European Economic Area affiliate".

HUGE UNDERTAKING

Chan, the Linklaters lawyer, said a reorganisation like the one JP Morgan is hypothesising could costs millions:

"New regulated entities will need to be licensed, capitalised and funded. People will need to be moved, real estate will need to be found, IT and other systems will need to be procured, and not every location will have the right infrastructure."

Some banks hope they could move just a few staff to smaller, existing units they already have in the euro zone, and obtain new licences.

JPMorgan, for example, has a smaller banking entity in Frankfurt and a unit housing asset management business in Luxembourg.

Citigroup has said it might have to reallocate certain businesses back into the EU, but would not "hot foot" it out of Britain.

It does have a large banking subsidiary in Dublin, but that could not accommodate its broking or trading businesses in the region, which under U.S. regulation have to be housed in entities separate from deposit-taking operations.

There are, in any case, concerns that EU regulators would be reluctant to let banks keep the bulk of their staff in London. Officials at the European Central Bank have already indicated they would want euro-denominated trading - most of which happens in London - to move inside the euro zone in the event of a Brexit.

Despite the growing nervousness, the U.S. banks say they have not yet made any firm investments in alternative outposts or property in the euro zone, preferring to wait for the vote.

Real estate agents in Frankfurt and Paris say there has been no rise in demand from banks, with prime rents in the City of London up 7.7 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, compared with 1.3 percent growth in Frankfurt and zero in Paris.

"Banks are doing a lot of internal planning for various different business streams, but they need to balance this against the fact that the cost and effort could be unnecessary if there is a 'Remain' vote - and also, if there is a 'Leave' vote, we do not know what the future regime will look like," said Michael Thomas, partner at the international law firm Hogan Lovells.
Poland - Factors to Watch May 17

Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Tuesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 2 hours):

SWISS FRANCS

Poland's central bank could provide Polish banks with Swiss francs to help them pay back their liabilities mostly to foreign owners if the FX loans were converted into zlotys, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (DGP) said quoting a presidential aide.

PENSION FUNDS

Poland plans to launch a program aimed at boosting Poles' savings that could involve changes in pension funds, Poland's state-run press agency PAP quoted the deputy prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki as saying.

RATING

Deterioration of the government's fiscal position as well as a significant cooling of investment climate would be a burden for Poland's debt credibility, Sarah Carlson, vice-president and senior credit officer for the Sovereign Risk Group at Moody's, told Rzeczpospolita daily.

BZ WBK

The Polish Banco Santander unit, appointed Michal Gajewski as new chief executive officer, the bank said late on Monday. Gajewski will replace Mateusz Morawiecki, who resigned last year to become deputy prime minister.

COAL MINING

Poland's biggest coal mining group PGG should reduce headcount by half and output by 40 percent to provide a return on investment to the state-run utilities, which injected cash to the miner, Rzeczpospolita daily said quoting WiseEurope think tank.

GETIN

Poland's billionaire Leszek Czarnecki is looking to sell its Belarusian bank Idea Bank Bialorus, Puls Biznesu daily said quoting unnamed sources.

****Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.****
Vienna-Germany's Steinmeier says Syria talks to focus on ceasefire, aid

VIENNA, May 17 (Reuters) - Talks on Syria between major powers on Tuesday aim to restore a ceasefire across the country and get aid into besieged areas to encourage opposition groups to return to negotiations in Geneva, Germany's foreign minister said.
Slovenian bank was recipient named in failed Vietnam cyber-heist

By Martin Petty and Mai Nguyen

HANOI, May 17 (Reuters) - Cyber-criminals unsuccessfully tried to send money from a Vietnamese bank to a Slovenian one in December, but there have been no other cases of attempted fraudulent transfers identified in Vietnam, a top central bank official there said on Tuesday.

Le Manh Hung, head of the State Bank of Vietnam's (SBV) Information Technology Department, told Reuters the Dec. 8 transfer - for 1.2 million euros ($1.36 million) via the SWIFT network - was the only attempt to steal funds detected by Tien Phong Bank (TPBank).

Other Vietnamese banks and the SBV have not been hit, and the name of the Slovenian bank was not known, he said. It was also not clear how many accounts were listed as recipients.

The Slovenian central bank said it had no information on the matter and was not informed about it by official bodies. The Slovenian police had no immediate comment.

Unlisted TPBank revealed the interrupted cyber heist in response to Reuters inquiries on Sunday. It involved the use of bogus SWIFT messages, the technique at the heart of a massive theft in February from the Bangladesh central bank.

SWIFT, a linchpin of the global financial system, is used by about 11,000 banks and financial institutions for transactions. The two attacks on banks will likely increase scrutiny on the security of its network.

Interpol was immediately informed of the attack via its representative in Vietnam, Hung said.

There was no financial loss and TPBank found the bogus transfer through its own reconciliation system, he said.

TPBank has not said which bank the funds were headed to and Hung said he did not know the identity of the Slovenian partner.

Hung said TPBank was hit because a third-party vendor it had used to connect to the SWIFT money transfer system was likely infected with malware. The vendor's Internet servers were based in Singapore, he said, adding he did not know the identity of the vendor provider.

OTHER METHODS

SWIFT has declined comment on TPBank's claims. On Thursday, it had said a unnamed commercial bank was targeted by a malware attack similar to the one at Bangladesh Bank.

But SWIFT said in mid-May the malware it had found was used to remove traces of fraudulent transactions, not to conduct the transaction, adding the attackers had used other methods it did not identify to send the fraudulent transfer requests. (http://bit.ly/1TezgHe)

Hung said it was the vendor that had been compromised, rather than TPBank's own systems. TPBank has declined Reuters requests for further comment.

TPBank, founded in 2008 by Vietnam's top technology firm FPT Corp, is considered one of the communist country's most modern and tech-savvy banks and it this month received the "Best Internet Banking" prize from The Asian Banker.

In February, in one of the world's biggest ever cyber-heists, hackers tried to steal nearly $1 billion from Bangladesh Bank's account at the New York Federal Reserve. Most orders were blocked but $81 million was transferred to accounts in the Philippines and most of the money remains missing.
AstraZeneca asthma drug hits goal, to enter competitive market

By Ben Hirschler

LONDON, May 17 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca's drive to rebuild its portfolio of new medicines received a boost with positive results for an experimental biotech drug for severe asthma that the company previously flagged as a potential $2 billion-a-year seller.

Benralizumab, which is likely to reach the market next year, was well tolerated and succeeded in reducing asthma attacks in two pivotal late-stage clinical trials, the drugmaker said on Tuesday.

While it will be entering a competitive market, behind recently approved treatments such as GlaxoSmithKline's Nucala and Teva's Cinqair, AstraZeneca thinks benralizumab has the potential to be the best in class.

Analysts are not yet convinced and consensus annual sales forecasts for benralizumab currently stand at just $450 million by 2021, according to Thomson Reuters Cortellis, well below the $2 billion predicted by AstraZeneca in 2014.

The company gave its bullish forecast for benralizumab, along with many other pipeline products, at the time of Pfizer's unsuccessful attempt to acquire it.

Tom Keith-Roach, head of AstraZeneca's respiratory, inflammation and autoimmune business, declined to give an update on sales expectations but told Reuters that the drug's unique mechanism of action should position it well against rivals.

Benralizumab works directly against cells in the body driving inflammation called eosinophils, leading to their rapid depletion, while rival medicines work less directly.

Deutsche Bank analyst Richard Parkes said the market for severe asthma drugs could grow to be worth more than $7 billion a year and detailed results on benralizumab, potentially at a medical meeting in September, would be important in determining its commercial potential.

AstraZeneca said it planned to submit benralizumab for regulatory approval in the United States and Europe in the second half of 2016.

Like the other injectable asthma drugs, AstraZeneca's product is designed for patients who have a history of severe attacks despite taking existing medications.

AstraZeneca badly needs new drugs to drive future sales growth as it struggles with a wave of patent expiries on older medicines, such as its cholesterol fighter Crestor and stomach acid pill Nexium.

Most attention is focused on its oncology drug portfolio but the company also has a long history in respiratory medicine and sees it as an important therapeutic area for the future.
Syrian rebels fear assault on besieged Daraya as residents starve

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Lisa Barrington

AMMAN/BEIRUT, May 17 (Reuters) - Rebel fighters and officials in a besieged Syrian town on the outskirts of Damascus believe government forces are preparing an assault after they turned back an aid convoy last week.

Daraya, situated close to a large air base and just a few kilometres (miles) from President Bashar al-Assad's palace, had seen little violence since a broader cessation of hostilities agreement came into effect at the end of February.

But, with the truce rapidly unravelling across Syria, government forces began shelling the town on Thursday after refusing entry to the first aid convoy it would have ever received.

Known for its peaceful protests in the early days of the uprising against Assad, Daraya has been besieged and regularly bombed since 2012.

"Large convoys of (government) troops are moving from the airport and from Ashrafiyat Sahnaya (the next town south)," said Abu Samer, spokesman for the Liwa Shuhada al-Islam rebel group.

"We are prepared to repel their assault but our main fear is for the civilians besieged in the town who face severe shortages of food."

A Syrian military source denied rebel accounts of troop deployments, saying nothing had changed in the area.

Despite there being only around 8,000 residents and about 1,000 fighters left in the town, the Syrian army has not been able to establish control of the area.

"Our monitoring showed there were heavy vehicle deployments on the southern edge of the city," said Liwa Shuhada al-Islam head Colonel Said Naqrash.

"The regime is continuing to pour in more equipment, fighters... All these movements indicate that the regime is planning something."

Daraya is controlled by two main rebel groups, Liwa Shuhada al Islam and Itihad al-Islami Ajnad al-Sham, drawn from local residents. Radical Islamist fighters are not believed to be among them.

"The Free Syrian Army is abiding by the ceasefire and only repelling attacks," said Daraya activist Fadi Dirani.

Abu Yamen, a member of the town council, said such concentrations of troops had not been seen since before the truce.

BURNT CROPS

The United Nations said this month that Syria's government was refusing U.N. demands to deliver aid to hundreds of thousands of people.

They include the residents of Daraya, where the struggle for survival has become even more desperate since government forces cut its link with neighbouring rebel-held Mouadamiya about six months ago.

"The army has burnt the wheat and barley," Naqrash said.

In April, a group called Women of Daraya wrote an open letter saying the town was on the verge of starvation, with people cooking "soups made purely of spices in order to stave off hunger."

The aid convoy blocked last week would have been the first delivered since the siege began.

But even then it was not allowed to contain food, only medical and other aid, and residents launched an online campaign ahead of the expected delivery with the slogan: "We cannot eat medicine".

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said clashes broke out around the besieged town and government forces started shelling after the convoy was turned back.
France's Hollande postpones Middle East conference to summer

PARIS, May 17 (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday an international conference due in late May in Paris to relaunch peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis had been postponed but would take place this summer.

With U.S. efforts to broker a two-state accord in tatters and Washington focused on its November presidential election, Paris has lobbied countries to hold a conference before then to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault had proposed May 30 for the talks, but U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is not available on that date, Hollande told Europe 1 radio.

"John Kerry cannot come on May 30. It's postponed, it will take place, it will take place in the course of the summer," he said in an interview.

"This initiative is necessary because if nothing happens, if there is no strong French initiative, then colonisation, attacks, terrorist attacks and several conflicts are going to continue," he added.

He also voiced regret about a resolution passed by the United Nations cultural body UNESCO last month that failed to acknowledge Jewish ties to Jerusalem's holiest site and caused anger in Israel,

"There was an unfortunate amendment put forward by the Jordanians ... which blurred this text," Hollande said of the decision which concerns the site known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or the al-Aqsa compound and to Jews as Temple Mount. The resolution only used the Arabic terms for the site.
Bangladesh arrests Islamist militant over killing of professor

DHAKA, May 17 (Reuters) - Bangladesh police have arrested an Islamist militant charged with the murder of a professor amid a surge in deadly attacks against liberal activists and other minorities in the South Asian nation, a senior officer said on Tuesday.

Rezaul Karim Siddiquee, 58, an English professor at Rajshahi University, was hacked to death on his way to work last month. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing of the professor for his "calling to atheism".

Police however arrested a member of the banned militant group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, thought to have been lying low since six of its leaders were hanged in 2007.

The suspect was arrested on Sunday and pleaded guilty in court, Rajshahi city police chief Mohammad Shamsuddin said. A defence lawyer was not immediately available for comment.

"Four members of the local group took part in the killing mission," Shamsuddin told a news conference, adding a search was on for three others.

The Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people has seen a series of attacks over the past year in which atheist bloggers, academics, religious minorities and foreign aid workers have been killed.

Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent has also claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, including the killing of two gay rights activists last month. But police say home-grown militant groups are behind the violence.

Dozens of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen members have been arrested and at least five killed in shootouts since November, as security forces step up a crackdown on militants seeking to make the moderate Muslim nation a sharia-based state.
Libyans agree in principle on unified oil structure-minister

VIENNA, May 17 (Reuters) - Rival Libyan factions have reached an agreement in principle to have one oil organisation for the strife-torn north African OPEC member, the foreign minister of the new U.N.-backed unity government said on Tuesday.

"These institutions can only be managed centrally. That's why it was agreed that both institutions from east and west be united, so that there is only one oil company, one investment company and one central bank," Foreign Minister Mohammed Siyala told reporters in Vienna.

"The first steps to achieve this are being taken now, there is an agreement on the basic points and principles and now we're waiting for the implementation."
Finland says refugees can return to safe Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia

HELSINKI, May 17 (Reuters) - Finland tightened restrictions on giving residence permits to asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia on Tuesday, saying it was now largely safe for them to return to their war-torn homes.

Authorities in Helsinki, where anti-immigration political groups have been on the rise, said security had improved to such an extent that refugees would generally not be at risk in any parts of the three countries, despite the running conflicts.

There was no immediate reaction from refugee agencies. But the statement by the Finnish Immigration Service came in the face of a string of international assessments of the scale of the ongoing bloodshed and refugee crisis.

"It will be more difficult for applicants from these countries to be granted a residence permit," the immigration service said in a statement.

"It is currently possible for asylum seekers to return to all areas in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia without the ongoing armed conflicts as such presenting a danger to them only because they are staying in the country."

Asylum seekers would now only be allowed to stay if they could prove that they were individually at risk.

Somalia has been slowly recovering from more than two decades of war. But the government is still fighting an Islamist insurgency by the militant group al Shabaab, which regularly launches gun and bomb attacks in the capital Mogadishu and other cities.

Islamic State still holds key cities and vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq which it seized in 2014.

Despite battlefield setbacks over the past year, the militants have continued to attack civilians in areas under goverment control including a string of attacks last week in and around the capital that killed more than 100 people.

The Taliban launched a spring offensive in Afghanistan last month, vowing to drive out the Western-backed government in Kabul and restore strict Islamic rule.

Finland's centre-right coalition government - which includes nationalist Finns party - has tightened its immigration policies since the influx of asylum seekers last year.

Groups of self-proclaimed patriots have launched regular patrols and marches, saying they want to protect locals from immigrants.
London office rents to rise more slowly, says Land Securities

By Esha Vaish

May 17 (Reuters) - Land Securities Group Plc, Britain's largest listed property developer, expects London office rents to rise, albeit at a slower rate than the last two years, its chief executive said, as the amount of empty space across the capital increases.

The property firm does not intend to build speculatively as occupier demand is not rising fast enough to match the huge amount of new space coming onto the market, Chief Executive Robert Noel told Reuters.

"We're entering into an era of above-average development completions with no above-average demand, so the balance will move back towards the occupier," Noel said on Tuesday.

"Vacancy is at or around all-time lows, but it has just started to pick up."

The company's views were predicated on Britain sticking with the EU, as a Brexit would hurt occupier demand and could reduce commitments around new constructions particularly in London, the builder warned.

Land Securities, along with rival British Land Company Plc , was one of the first to build speculatively after the 2008 financial crash, betting by restarting construction of its famed "Walkie Talkie" skyscraper in 2010 that the London office market would face a shortage of space.

The building is today fully let.

The developer still has 500,000 square feet left to let from construction it did as part of its speculative build programme started in 2013.

"We believe Land Securities has one of the best management teams in the sector, who are rightly de-risking the portfolio as the cycle matures to maximise long-term value creation," Liberum analysts wrote in a note.

Benefiting from strong demand, Land Securities posted a rise in its asset value and hiked its full-year dividend.

Adjusted diluted net asset value per share, which reflects the value of a property company's buildings, rose 10.9 percent to 1,434 pence in the year ended March 31.
Sri Lanka's torrential rains drive more than 130,000 from homes

COLOMBO, May 17 (Reuters) - Flash floods and landslides in Sri Lanka, triggered by more than three days of heavy rain, have forced more than 130,000 people to leave their homes for higher ground and killed at least 11, disaster officials said on Tuesday.

Troops have launched rescue operations in inundated areas of the Indian Ocean island, with boats and helicopters deployed to pull to safety more than 200 people trapped in the northwestern coastal district of Puttalam, officials said.

"This is the worst torrential rain we have seen since 2010," said Pradeep Kodippili, a spokesman for the country's disaster management centre, adding that many incidents were still flowing in from the 19 districts hit, among Sri Lanka's 25.

Flooded roads and fallen trees led to traffic jams in the capital, Colombo. Trains were halted as water submerged railway tracks, officials said. Families living beside rivers used boats to negotiate their way to safety.

A DMC bulletin reported a total of eight deaths, ascribing four to landslides, and one each to floods, electric shock, a lightning strike and an uprooted tree.

But it did not reflect three further deaths in a landslide in the central district of Kandy, the DMC spokesman added.

Eight people have reported missing and nine have been injured, the bulletin said.

Transport disruptions included the diversion of three Colombo-bound international flights, which went instead to Sri Lanka's second airport in its south and Cochin airport in nearby south India.

Flooding and mass displacement due to torrential rains are common in Sri Lanka.

The rains are expected to disperse slightly, weather officials said, as a low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal that brought them moves away, but strong winds will persist a few days longer.

In 2014, a landslide caused by heavy rains killed at least 16 people in a hilly tea plantation area and more than 100 went missing.
Libyan factions agree in principle on unified oil structure -foreign minister

VIENNA, May 17 (Reuters) - Rival factions have agreed in principle to have one oil organisation for strife-torn Libya, the foreign minister in the new U.N.-backed, national unity government said on Tuesday.

The West is counting on the unity government to gradually end armed anarchy in the OPEC member state, tackle Islamic State militants and stop new flows of migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe, though the new leaders still lack effective control over the capital city Tripoli.

"These institutions can only be managed centrally. That's why it was agreed that both institutions from east and west be united, so that there is only one oil company, one investment company and one central bank," Foreign Minister Mohammed Siyala told reporters in Vienna.

"The first steps to achieve this are being taken now, there is an agreement on the basic points and principles and now we're waiting for the implementation."

Libya, an OPEC member, will resume oil shipments from the port of Marsa El Hariga after a deal reached at talks in Vienna between rival oil officials representing the east and west of the country, Libyan oil sources said on Monday.

Exports from Marsa El Hariga have been blocked for two weeks due to a standoff between the rival national oil corporations in the east and west of the vast OPEC member state.

Asked on Tuesday about the time frame for the first oil exports, Siyala said:
Saudi Arabia aims to salvage white elephant financial district

By Angus McDowall

RIYADH, May 17 (Reuters) - The plan to build a financial district from scratch was viewed by Saudi Arabia's neighbours as among the glossiest excesses of the kingdom's oil boom profligacy: a white elephant in the making, unlikely to attract tenants and possibly never even to be completed.

The creators of the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) envisaged a kind of mini-Dubai, a haven for foreign financial services and investors as well as local banks and companies currently doing business from offices all over Riyadh.

But more than 10 years later -- and a year after it was supposed to be finished -- most of the 1.6-million-sq-metre district on the edge of Riyadh is still a construction site, and no businesses have moved in.

Reform-minded Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said last month he wants to salvage the $10 billion project. The Public Investment Fund, reimagined as the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, will be based there and sources have said it will also own the project.

According to the prince's "Vision 2030", KAFD will become a "special zone" with internationally competitive regulations, an easier visa regime and a direct connection to the airport, steps he hopes will "increase the chances of ... success".

Another change is to increase the amount of residential use from the 1.7 million sq metres now designated for office space. According to a 2015 report by real estate analyst Jones Lang LaSalle, rents are bottoming out in Riyadh's current 2.5 million sq metres of office space but prices for residential units are rising.

Potential tenants and investors are both hopeful and sceptical about the plan.

"The potential is amazing. The inside is impressive. I'd like to live there," said one Dubai-based expatriate who does business in Saudi and who has toured the site. "As an urban space it's interesting, with its design and architecture."

He questioned how successful the project could be in the current economic climate, however. The main contractor is Saudi Binladen Group, the biggest construction firm in the kingdom, which has been struggling since last year.

"It will not be finished. Decision-making is very slow (on the project, and) people don't have cash," he said. Like other business people interviewed for this story, he didn't want to be named expressing an opinion about such an important royal initiative.

A senior Saudi former banker expressed similar concerns.

"If the plan does create a genuine free zone and makes things smoother for newcomers, it'll be 'bingo!'" he said, but added that a recovery in the oil-dependent economy was key.

Another senior Gulf banker said his firm had no plans to move into the complex despite its "impressive" looks, and expressed concern that banks might only be able to rent, rather than own, buildings there.

MORE RESIDENTIAL SPACE

Inside the district last week, swallows swooped between palm trees and sparrows pecked among decorative desert shrubs near the almost completed conference centre. The parts that are finished include sections of its stone-paved "wadi" walkway and distinctive glass towers. From high in one tower, swimming pools and children's playgrounds could be seen on other roofs.

Jacob Kurek, a partner at the firm responsible for the KAFD masterplan, Danish firm Henning Larsen, said the original plans were flexible enough to transform space earmarked for offices into residences or retail space. A direct link to the airport would be easy to install via Riyadh's new metro, which will have a station at KAFD, he said.

Other changes, such as a different regulatory regime, visa exemptions and any blunting of Saudi Arabia's strict social restrictions, would be more complicated, however.

At the moment, visas can take many days to arrange and require a complex process of invitation by a sponsor and plenty of supplementary documentation. Setting up a business means getting permissions from many government departments.

Mustafa Alani, a security expert with close ties to the Saudi Interior Ministry, said visa exemptions could work like the waiver programme in the United States, or like residence permits issued by free zones in the United Arab Emirates.

"It's not a visa, but it's not a free walk-in either. There might be a geographical restriction," he said, suggesting those who enter on the special visas might be forbidden to leave KAFD, or be limited to the Saudi capital.

According to rules dictated by Saudi Arabia's powerful conservative clerics, women must wear an ankle-length cloak in public and are forbidden from driving. Men and women who are not related may not mingle unchaperoned. Cinemas, music concerts and dancing are banned and alcohol and pork are illegal. Businesses must shut for half an hour during each of five daily prayers.

Saudi Arabia has found ways to accommodate foreigners, however. Expatriate compounds, hidden behind high walls, protected by army gun emplacements, to which Saudi nationals are usually forbidden entry, allow foreigners to dress and behave much as they do in the West.

Such extreme segregation could not work for a project like KAFD, which is also marketed at Saudi businesses and residents.

But there are other examples of areas that Saudis can visit that enjoy a special status and do not require strict Islamic dress codes or forbid gender mixing, like Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter.

For one Western business executive now living in Dubai, the social restrictions, especially those on women, were among the most important factors in any decision to move to Saudi.
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Duterte readies for Philippine peace talks restart as rebel team arrives

By Manuel Mogato

DAVAO, Philippines, May 17 (Reuters) - Groundwork is being laid for a resumption of peace talks between the Philippine government and Maoist rebels, an aide to incoming President Rodrigo Duterte and a negotiator said on Tuesday, as a renewed push to end the conflict gathered pace.

The National Democratic Front (NDF), the political wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), is preparing to discuss a framework for dialogue and has already dispatched an advanced delegation to Davao City, where Duterte has been mayor for 22 years, they said.

Duterte won the largest share of the votes in the May 9 presidential election, according to an unofficial count by a poll watchdog, although the official result has yet to be confirmed.

On Monday, he said he would give four cabinet positions to the communists, including responsibility for an agency tasked with allocating land to poor farmers.

Land usage has been a factor in the on-off, four-decade conflict between government troops and Marxist guerrillas that has killed 40,000 people.

Duterte also offered a portfolio to exiled CPP founder Jose Maria Sison, who welcomed the olive branch but said he would decline a post for himself.

Jesus Dureza, a former congressman and aide to Duterte, said NDF spokesman Fidel Agcaoili was in Davao as the incoming government was preparing its position on the peace process.

"We are still preparing the new government's peace roadmap," Dureza, who will be Duterte's adviser on peace talks when he takes office on June 30, told Reuters.

Manuel Quinob, a peace advocate who has been involved in earlier negotiations, told Reuters talks were scheduled with Agcaoili.

Efforts to end the leftist insurgency stalled in 2011 when the government refused to free political prisoners.

Political analysts say chances of progress in restarting dialogue are helped by Duterte winning the presidency as he has good relations with the political left.

Duterte has promised to guarantee the safety of Sison, the CPP founder and former Catholic priest Luis Jalandoni if they return to the Philippines. The two senior rebel leaders live in exile in the Netherlands and have sought asylum there.

Sison, who was Duterte's political science professor when he was at university, was freed by late President Cory Aquino in 1986 and fled to Europe.

In an interview with CNN Philippines on Monday, Sison said he was "very proud" of Duterte and welcomed his moves to seek rapprochement.

Experts say one bone of contention could be Duterte's support for releasing hundreds of political prisoners.
Egypt's Sisi offers mediating role in Israel-Palestinian peace talks

CAIRO, May 17 (Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised Israel on Tuesday warmer ties if it accepts efforts to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, urging Israeli leaders not to waste an opportunity to bring security and hope to a troubled region.

In an impromptu speech at an infrastructure conference in the southern city of Assiut, Sisi said his country was willing to mediate a reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions in an effort to pave the way toward a lasting peace accord with the Israelis.

"If we are able to solve the issue of our Palestinian brothers it will achieve warmer peace ... I ask that the Israeli leadership allow this speech to be broadcast in Israeli one or two times as this is a genuine opportunity," Sisi said.

"I say to our Palestinian brothers, you must unite the different factions in order to achieve reconciliation and quickly. We as Egypt are prepared to take on this role. It is a real opportunity to find a long-awaited solution."

French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday an international conference due in late May in Paris to relaunch peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis had been postponed but would take place this summer.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told France's foreign minister on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a French initiative for an international conference to try to revive peace talks.

Egypt was the first of a handful of Arab countries to recognise Israel with a U.S.-sponsored peace accord in 1979, but Egyptian attitudes to their neighbour remain icy due to what many Arabs see as the continued Israeli occupation of land that is meant to form a Palestinian state.
CASPER, Wyo.  A French Canadian who put a bison calf in his car at Yellowstone National Park because he thought the animal was cold told a park ranger he realized what he did was wrong.

The man who took the calf is identified as Shamash Kassam of Quebec in documents filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of Wyoming. Park officials cited Kassam for disturbing wildlife. He was fined $110 and is required to appear in court June 2 at the Yellowstone Justice Center.

Yellowstone officials euthanized the bison calf after the human interaction caused the animal to be rejected by its herd, the park said Monday.

According to the citation, Kassam told a park ranger he saw the baby bison in the middle of the road near Buffalo Ranch. Kassam said the calf was wet and shivering. He said he did not see any other bison in the vicinity and he waited 20 minutes to see if any adult bison would come back for the calf. Kassam said the animal appeared to be seeking warmth from his cars engine.

Kassam told the park ranger he picked up the calf because otherwise it would have been roadkill, the citation states. When the ranger made contact with Kassam at the Buffalo Ranch, he saw the calf lying in the back of Kassams Toyota Sequoia.

The park ranger told Kassam that park visitors are not permitted to intervene with wildlife and that by removing the calf he was preventing the mother from locating it and possibly altering its ability to survive in the wild.

Kasam stated that he understood what he did was wrong and he would never pick up or disturb any wildlife again, the citation states.

The ranger located a bison herd near where Kassam had picked up the calf and released the calf back into the herd, according to the citation. The ranger then notified National Park Service bison management.

Rangers repeatedly tried to reunite the calf with its herd, according to a statement released by Yellowstone. The efforts failed, and the calf was later euthanized because it was abandoned and approaching people and cars along the road.

Human interference can cause mothers to reject their offspring, the park said.

Yellowstone released a statement Monday after receiving criticism for euthanizing the calf. In order for the calf to leave the park, it would have had to spend months in quarantine to be monitored for brucellosis, a disease that causes bison, elk and cattle to miscarry. No approved quarantine facilities exist, and the park said it doesn't have the capacity to care for a calf that's too young to forage on its own.

"Nor is it the mission of the National Park Service to rescue animals: our goal is to maintain the ecological processes of Yellowstone," the statement said. "Even though humans were involved in this case, it is not uncommon for bison, especially young mothers, to lose or abandon their calves. Those animals typically die of starvation or predation."

A Yellowstone spokeswoman said the park would like visitors to respect wildlife and to know and follow the safety regulations.

The visitors put themselves in danger because adult animals are protective of their young and will act aggressively to defend them, the park said. Last year, five visitors were seriously injured when they approached bison. Bison harm more visitors to Yellowstone than any other animal.

Park regulations require visitors to stay at least 25 yards from all wildlife and at least 100 yards from bears and wolves.
France postpones Middle East peace conference to June

PARIS/VIENNA, May 17 (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday an international conference due in late May in Paris to help relaunch peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis would be postponed to ensure the United States would attend.

With U.S. efforts to broker a two-state accord in tatters and Washington focused on its November presidential election, Paris has lobbied major powers to hold a conference that would set the groundwork to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table before the end of the year.

Paris has grown frustrated over the absence of movement toward a two-state solution since the collapse of U.S.-brokered talks in 2014 and argues that letting the status quo prevail was, as one French diplomat, called it "waiting for a powder keg to explode".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault had proposed May 30 for the talks, but U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is not available on that date, Hollande told Europe 1 radio.

"John Kerry cannot come on May 30. It's postponed, it will take place, it will take place in the course of the summer," he said.

"This initiative is necessary because if nothing happens, if there is no strong French initiative, then colonisation, attacks, terrorist attacks and several conflicts are going to continue," he added.

A French diplomatic source said the meeting would take place before Ramadan, which begins around June 6, and that the United States had made some constructive proposals to the meeting's agenda. He declined to elaborate.

The gathering of ministers is set to include the Middle East Quartet - which comprises the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - the Arab League, the U.N. Security Council and about 20 countries, without Israeli or Palestinian participation.

Diplomats say that meeting will package all economic incentives and other guarantees that various countries have offered in previous years to create an agenda for an autumn peace conference.

Ayrault went to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on Sunday to sell the intuitive to the parties concerned.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Ayrault that he remained opposed to the initiative.

He questioned Paris' impartiality after it voted for a resolution passed by the United Nations cultural body UNESCO that failed to acknowledge Jewish ties to Jerusalem's holiest site and caused anger in Israel..

Hollande voiced regret about that resolution.

"There was an unfortunate amendment put forward by the Jordanians ... which blurred this text," Hollande said of the decision which concerns the site known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or the al-Aqsa compound and to Jews as Temple Mount. The resolution only used the Arabic terms for the site.

"I promise to be extremely vigilant when the next resolution is put forward in October," he said. "I will look at it personally. It's not possible to call into question the fact that these holy sites belong to three religions," he added.
Kenya rips down shoddy buildings after deadly collapse

By Edmund Blair and John Ndiso

NAIROBI, May 17 (Reuters) - Kenya's authorities tore down a badly built residential block in a poor Nairobi district on Tuesday, one of more than 250 shoddy buildings that could now face demolition after a six-storey structure collapsed this month killing 51 people.

Nearby, residents of another condemned block in Mathare scrambled to wrap up utensils and other items in bed sheets and stuffed plastic bags with clothes as workers ripped out door and window frames to prepare for machinery to destroy the structure.

The Kenyan authorities have identified 258 buildings considered structurally at risk and which could be pulled down, leaving thousands of people to find new homes in a city already struggling to keep pace with its growing population.

"We have tried to find another place to stay but we've not been able to," said Esther Awinja, carrying an infant on her back and hauling her belongings in a sheet out of the entrance where an X sprayed in red paint indicated the block's fate.

"The only option I have now is to live in another home that is cracking and that is likely to put our lives in danger," she said, as workers moved in to pull out rudimentary fittings.

Kenyan authorities are stepping up evictions of poorly built buildings after a six-storey block in Huruma district - which lies next to Mathare - collapsed on April 29 after days of rain.

Officials said it had been condemned before it crumbled and said it was not clear why it had not been pulled down.

The death toll of 51 people could have been more if some residents had not seen cracks and fled shortly before it fell.

"For all those buildings that will be found to be defective, the owners will be required to demolish them," Land, Housing and Urban Development Minister Jacob Kaimenyi said in a May 5 statement. If owners failed to comply, the government would carry out the demolition and bill them, he added.

Yet knocking down dangerous buildings also adds to the housing shortage in Nairobi, which is estimated to have a population of more than 4 million, almost double 15 years ago.

SPRAWLING CITIES

Keeping pace with housing for a growing population is a challenge afflicting cities across Africa, where millions of people every year are leaving the fields and pouring into cities to find jobs, spawning spontaneous and ill-planned new suburbs.

In Nigeria's sprawling commercial hub, Lagos, a church hostel collapse in 2014 crushed 115 people. A new agency set up to prevent further collapses shows the scale of the problem of bad construction, urging residents not to build on roads, power cables, pipelines and waterways.

In Cairo, builders often pile new floors onto existing structures with little planning or reinforcement of foundations, making collapses a fairly frequent event.

Of the 10 million people added to Africa's urban population each year, about two thirds end up in slums, according to U.N. Habitat, which held a meeting in March in Nigeria about ways to improve living conditions in Africa's slums.

"Finding adequate financing for the informal settlements sector is a huge challenge," Sipliant Takougang, Cameroon's Housing and Urban Development Minister, told the meeting.

In Nairobi, 55-year-old community leader Pastor Patrick Lumumba has watched decades of rapid growth in Huruma, where new arrivals from the countryside race to find a roof over their heads and pay little attention to safety.

"They get into houses that are cheap," he told Reuters, standing on the mound of rubble of the collapsed building last week. "If the house is built badly, they won't mind, because their main interest is to get a place to live."

A few streets away, dozens of survivors from the Huruma collapse were camped in a local authority hall as they looked for new homes. Several described how they escaped being crushed.

"STRUCTURALLY SUSPECT"

The downpour that brought the Huruma block down also caused traffic jams that saved Tuitai Perez, 35, who lived in the block but was unable to get home from work before it fell down. His pregnant wife was sheltering at a friend's with their child, also saving them from disaster.

But Perez, who moved to Nairobi five years ago from west Kenya, could barely afford the monthly rent of 4,500 Kenyan shillings ($45) for his family's room in the doomed building, and rents have now shot up even further since the collapse.

"I still don't have a way forward," he said.

Finding new homes may become tougher still as the Nairobi authorities audit structures. The housing minister said on May 5 that more than 2,600 buildings had been examined, with 226 found to be "structurally suspect" and needing immediate tests. Another official said last week the number had risen to 258.

Officials say demolitions have been prevented or delayed in the past by lengthy legal challenges by owners or intervention from local politicians siding with the pleas of residents.
Democrats Clinton, Sanders split nominating contests in Oregon, Kentucky

By Ginger Gibson and Emily Stephenson

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - Democrat candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders each picked up primary wins on Tuesday in yet another demonstration of how divided the party is in the drawn-out national race to win the nomination for November's general election.

Clinton narrowly defeated Sanders in Kentucky, a state where she was not expected to win. Sanders bested her in Oregon, a state that played to his strengths.

In Kentucky, the two candidates will likely split the 55 delegates up for grabs. In Oregon, Sanders will take only a handful more of the 61 delegates that were awarded.

Clinton's sizeable lead in delegates means it is likely she will eventually be her party's nominee, but she remains more than 100 delegates short of sealing the deal. The Democratic primary now hits a two-week lull, with the final set major contests, including California, scheduled for June 7.

Clinton, who spent the past two days campaigning in Kentucky, would like to lock up the nomination and turn her attention to the Nov. 8 general election and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Trump has begun to organize his general election campaign. On Tuesday, he signed a joint fundraising agreement with the Republican National Committee. The agreement allows him to raise $449,400 from a single donor by splitting the funds between his campaign, the RNC and state Republican parties.

Trump, who eschewed donations in the political system through the primary, has thus far insisted on mostly self-funding his campaign. The shift to a more traditional fundraising approach could draw the ire of some supporters.

Trump, in an interview with Megyn Kelly that aired on Fox News Tuesday night, said he did have regrets about his actions during the Republican primary process.

"I could have used different language in a couple of instances, but overall I'm happy with the outcome," Trump said.

NEVADA STILL RANKLES

Sanders supporters became angry when Nevada state party officials chose to end their convention and block efforts to award the U.S. senator from Vermont more delegates than he initially won in the February caucus. Clinton won the caucus.

The Nevada incident was a warning about the potential for fireworks at July's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Clinton's campaign continued to express confidence that she would be able to unify the party.

"Hillary Clinton is grateful to the thousands of Nevadans who came out to participate in the caucuses and convention process," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said.

"She believes every voice should be heard and no one should be intimidated, harassed or threatened in this process. When the primary process is complete, our party must come together and ensure a Democrat is elected to serve as our next president," Mook said.

Sanders on Tuesday joined his supporters in criticizing the Nevada Democratic Party after Saturday's events.

One Sanders supporter threw a chair, unhappy about being blocked in a rules vote that was part of the effort to help the senator win more delegates to the national convention. Others drew chalk graffiti on a party building, while the state's party chairwoman has been receiving death threats.

Sanders framed Nevada's incident as a warning.

"If the Democratic Party is to be successful in November, it is imperative that all state parties treat our campaign supporters with fairness and the respect that they have earned," Sanders said in a statement on the Nevada incident.

Sanders - who said he condemns violence and personal harassment of individuals - leveled some of the same complaints his supporters did, arguing that state party Chairwoman Roberta Lange did not allow a headcount on a disputed rules change. He also argued that 64 delegates to the state convention were not given a hearing before being ruled ineligible.

THREATS OF VIOLENCE

The state party disputed the Sanders campaign's interpretation of the events. It said some delegates did not show up at the convention and others were disqualified because they were not registered as Democrats in time.

"The Sanders campaign is continuing to be dishonest about what happened Saturday and is failing to adequately denounce the threats of violence of his supporters," the Nevada Democratic Party said in a statement.

Sanders supporters began circulating a picture of Lange on the internet that included her cellphone number and encouraged others to contact her to express their unhappiness.

Lange said on MSNBC she had been receiving death threats, including many containing vulgar language. Public messages sent to her Twitter account included a barrage of derogatory statements.

MSNBC played some of the voicemails, including one saying "people like you should be hung in a public execution."

"What you heard is a few of the thousands of emails and texts and Facebook messages and Twitter messages that I've gotten," Lange said on MSNBC. "Threats to my family, to my grandson, to my husband.

Sanders' continued presence in the race is prompting concerns among Clinton allies that he will damage her ability to take on Trump and hurt her in the fall.

But Sanders supporters shrug off that worry, arguing that Trump is such a flawed candidate that Clinton will easily dispatch with him if she faces him in the Nov. 8 election.

Clinton's camp seems to agree.

"Ultimately, we are confident that the passion and energy from the primary will be united in a common purpose - to move forward the ideals of our party and keep the White House out of Donald Trump's hands," her campaign manager Mook said.
Greece, partners sign off Trans-Adriatic Pipeline to widen gas supply

By Angeliki Koutantou

ATHENS, May 17 (Reuters) - Five countries in south-east Europe formally signed off on the construction of a pipeline which will transport Caspian gas to European markets in an attempt to ease their reliance on Russia.

The 870-km (540-mile) Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is part of the so-called "Southern Corridor" that will link Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz II field with Italy, crossing through Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea. It is the largest endeavour to bring new supply sources to European consumers.

"The energy map of south-east Europe is being redefined and this turns Greece into an energy hub of the region," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said at an inauguration ceremony in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Tuesday.

The 5-billion-euro project will cross through Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea. European regulators cleared the project in March as part of Europe's drive to secure energy supplies.

Around 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year of Azeri gas should reach Europe by 2020 through TAP as well as the South Caucasus Pipeline through Georgia and the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) through Turkey.

"We are inaugurating an important part of one of the largest and most complex projects in the history of energy industry," said Georgian Prime Minister Georgy Kvirikashvili.

"Georgia, as a transit country, reiterates its commitment to the diversification of energy supplies to Europe."

TAP is owned by BP, Azeri state energy firm SOCAR, Italy's Snam, Belgian company Fluxys, Spain's Enagas and Axpo. Construction is expected to begin this summer.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is considering financing of up to 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) for TAP, which would be the largest loan it has granted.

Total project costs - which include drilling, offshore platforms and terminals as well as pipelines - are $45 billion and the entire pipeline route will span 3,500 km, with TAP the final link into Europe.

Cash-strapped Greece has been seeking to boost its role as a regional energy hub and has said that TAP fitted well with another gas pipeline scheme, Interconnnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), and a planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) project off the northern Greek city of Alexandroupolis.
Turkey to take action on border town if it receives no help, Erdogan says

ANKARA, May 17 (Reuters) - Turkey will take it upon itself to deal with attacks on the border town of Kilis if it receives no outside help, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, in a sign Ankara may be willing to act against Islamic State on its own.

"We will overcome the Islamic State. We will solve that issue ourselves if we don't receive help to prevent those rockets from hitting Kilis," Erdogan told an international meeting of ministers in Istanbul.
New Austrian leader won't rule out ties to far-right

VIENNA, May 17 (Reuters) - Austria's designated chancellor, Christian Kern, said his Social Democrats (SPO) would prefer to keep governing with the conservatives and would not sell their soul just to remain in power but he did not rule out ties with the far-right Freedom Party.

"Let's cross that river when we come to it," he told his first news conference on Tuesday since being named chancellor.

"My plan is not to lead the SPO into opposition, the opposite is true, but at the end of the day we need an identity and for us it is absolutely unimaginable to work with parties who incite against people and minorities," he said.

The 50-year-old head of Austria's state railway is set to be sworn as is chancellor later on Tuesday after the SPO united behind him to replace Werner Faymann.
France says major powers want Syria peace talks to start again in June

VIENNA, May 17 (Reuters) - France's foreign minister said on Tuesday that major world powers had agreed if possible to push for a resumption of Syrian peace talks in Geneva by the start of June.
Canada wildfire rages near oil sand facilities, extending shutdowns

By Nia Williams

CALGARY, Alberta, May 17 (Reuters) - A massive wildfire raged near Fort McMurray, Alberta on Tuesday and threatened major oil sands production facilities, forcing the evacuation of thousands of workers and prolonging a shutdown that cut Canadian oil output by 1 million barrels a day.

The fire jumped a critical firebreak late Monday where plants and trees had been removed to stop its spread, moving north of Fort McMurray into oil sand camp areas. Some 8,000 workers were evacuated in the heavily forested northern part of the province.

The wildfire was taking a toll on the province's economy, with one study estimating the lost oil production would cut gross domestic product (GDP) by more than C$70 million a day.

The uncontrolled blaze covered 355,000 hectares (877,224 acres), up from 285,000 hectares on Monday. The fire on Tuesday burned a 655-room lodge for oil sands workers about 35 km (20 miles) north of Fort McMurray and threatened other housing.

High temperatures and winds were working against firefighters, and the fire was forecast to move to the east, putting oil operations in its path, officials said.

None of the oil sands have caught fire, and the industry was redoubling efforts to ensure facilities were well-protected, said Alberta wildfire manager Chad Morrison.

"Because of the cleared vegetation, lots of gravel on site and because they have an industrial firefighting service on site that understands this ... we feel fairly confident the sites themselves will be OK," Morrison told a news conference.

The lost Canadian production of 1 million barrels a day represents about one-quarter of total Canadian output. Canadian crude oil prices strengthened in light trading on Tuesday and Global oil prices touched a six-month high, with the Alberta outages among factors lending support.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said westerly winds were expected to push the fire closer to facilities operated by Suncor Energy Inc, one of the area's biggest operators, and Syncrude, majority owned by Suncor, on Tuesday.

Suncor started an orderly shutdown of its base plant operations and said its Firebag facility will move to minimal essential personnel, while Syncrude has evacuated the majority of its workforce to Edmonton but left a minimum staff of some 100 people at its Mildred Lake upgrader and Aurora Mine.

The fire also threatened Enbridge Inc's Cheecham crude oil tank farm south of Fort McMurray, but Notley said the fire line built there has held and winds were blowing away from the facility.

TransAlta Corp's Poplar Creek cogeneration power plant, operated by Suncor and providing power to its site, was also shut by early Tuesday due to the wildfire.

17 WILDFIRES IN PROVINCE

In Ottawa, federal Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr said he planned to have talks soon with energy companies to assess the damage from but gave no further details.

Prior to the latest setback, lost oil production was expected to average about 1.2 million barrels a day for 14 days, or roughly C$985 million ($763 million) in lost real GDP, according to the Conference Board of Canada.

Notley said the Conference Board's numbers were in the range of the government's estimates.

The premier added that the province has not underestimated the fire and had the resources to fight the fire. There are nearly 1,800 firefighters fighting 17 wildfires across the western Canadian province, with four of them out of control.

Canada has declined help from allies including the United States and Australia. Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Ottawa had full confidence in Alberta's ability to fight the blaze.

Fort McMurray's roughly 90,000 residents were forced to flee nearly two weeks ago as the fire raged through neighborhoods and destroyed about 10 percent of the city's structures.

With new explosions in the city damaging 10 homes and hot spots still a risk, Notley is not yet allowing residents to return.
Turkey to take action on Syria border if it receives no help -Erdogan

ANKARA, May 17 (Reuters) - Turkey will act alone to deal with attacks on the town of Kilis near the Syrian border if it receives no outside help, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, in a sign of Ankara's growing frustration with rocket fire from Islamic State-held territory.

"We will overcome the Islamic State. We will solve that issue ourselves if we don't receive help to prevent those rockets from hitting Kilis," Erdogan told a meeting in Istanbul in comments broadcast live on television.

"We knocked on all doors for a safe zone at our southern border. But no one wants to take that step. If the world fails to agree on decisive action against terrorist organisations, the world will no longer be a safe place," he said.

Kilis has come under frequent rocket fire from an Islamic State-controlled area of Syria for months, leaving 21 people dead and some buildings destroyed. Turkish and U.S.-led coalition forces have responded with shelling and air strikes, killing dozens of militants in northern Syria.

But Turkish officials say Ankara needs more help from the coalition in protecting the border, citing the difficulty of hitting mobile targets with howitzers.

Turkish concern over possible Islamic State attacks deeper inside its territory has also increased. Police issued a nationwide warning for Thursday's national holiday, with military facilities seen as prime targets.
Al Qaeda says targeted senior Yemeni army commander-recording

DUBAI, May 17 (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's branch in Yemen claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing last week that killed eight people and wounded a senior army commander in the eastern part of the country in an internet posting on Tuesday.

Khaled Batarfi, an al Qaeda leader who was freed from prison last year when Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) seized Mukalla, also criticised the United Arab Emirates over its role in freeing the Hadramout provincial capital from the militants.

General Abdul-Rahman al-Halili, commander of Yemen's First Military Region which has its headquarters in the city of Seyoun, was wounded last week when a suicide bomber targeted his convoy while he was on a trip to inspect his forces in the Wad Hadramout area.

Batarfi, speaking in an audio recording about a campaign that forced al Qaeda from Mukalla last month, said his group had chosen "to fight the enemy as we want, not as he wants".

"As such, God has facilitated for us to target the commander of the First Military Region in Hadramout and to target Zubaidi and Shalal in Aden," Batarfi said.

He was referring to a previous attack on May 1 on the governor of neighbouring Aden province, Aydarous al-Zubaidi, and the provincial security chief, Shelal Ali Shayyeh.

No one had claimed responsibility for either of these two attacks.

AQAP and its militant rival, Islamic State, had exploited the Yemen war to expand their control and enlist new recruits in a campaign that drew concern in the United States and in the Saudi-led Arab alliance that had been trying to shore-up President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi against his Iran-allied Houthi enemies.

Concern about militant threats has spurred U.N.-sponsored peace talks between the Houthis and Hadi's government now underway in Kuwait.

The talks are aimed at an agreement that would allow the Houthis and troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to evacuate cities they control in northern Yemen and for the formation of a new, more representative government.
A total of 552 female walleye were spawned, with approximately 79 million eggs collected, during Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' annual walleye spawn egg-take on Fort Peck Reservoir in April.

The work began in late March and was completed by April 21. During that time 1,674 male walleye were also captured. The heaviest fish weighed was a 15.7-pound female. Another female measured only 29.6 inches but weighed 14.4 pounds.

The condition of some of the larger walleye was very impressive this spring, said Heath Headley, Fort Peck Reservoir biologist. This is likely due to the high numbers of cisco, an important forage species, which weve had over the last couple of years. This abundance of food led to good growth and excellent egg production.

Roughly 39 million eggs remained at the Fort Peck Multi-Species Fish Hatchery, which in turn raised approximately 19.5 million fry.

Eight to 10 million fry will be put into Fort Peck Hatchery ponds to raise to fingerlings, said Wade Geraets, Fort Peck Fish Hatchery manager. The rest of the fry will be stocked into Fort Peck Reservoir and other allocated bodies of water around the state.

The other 40 million eggs traveled to the Miles City Hatchery where about 8.1 million fry were stocked into hatchery ponds and 8.7 million fry were stocked into Fort Peck Reservoir at Hell Creek.

Overall, the weather was favorable to the walleye spawning efforts.

Although there were a few cold fronts that passed through, water temperatures remained in the upper 40s, which is near the ideal spawning temperature for walleye, Headley said.

During egg-take efforts in the past, some cold fronts have been severe and long lasting.

"During those poor years, only 38-48 million eggs were collected, Headley said.

More than 100 volunteers from all over the state assisted with this seasons effort.

We wouldnt be able to set all the trap nets, collect fish, and spawn them on a daily basis unless we had help, Headley said.

In addition to walleye eggs, roughly 2.5 million northern pike eggs were collected early in the effort. One hundred thousand northern pike fry were put into a Fort Peck hatchery pond, and the remaining fry were stocked into ponds in Regions 6 and 7.
Walgreens makes overdose drug prescription-free in New Mexico

May 17 (Reuters) - Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc said on Tuesday it would no longer require a prescription for the opioid antidote naloxone at all of its pharmacies in New Mexico.

Naloxone, administered by injection or nasal spray, can be used in the event of an overdose to reverse the effects of heroin and other opioid drugs.
Thailand issues arrest warrant for Buddhist abbot in graft investigation

By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Pairat Temphairojana

BANGKOK, Thailand, May 17 (Reuters) - Thai authorities issued an arrest warrant for an influential Buddhist abbot on charges of money-laundering and receiving illegal donations, justice ministry officials said on Tuesday.

Religious institutions in predominantly Buddhist Thailand have come under repeated scrutiny in a series of sex and money scandals, prompting calls from many for reform. The country's divisive political backdrop has also caused fissures within Thai Buddhism.

Police and his lawyer said the warrant for Phra Dhammachayo was issued after he failed to report several times for questioning. Lawyers and doctors have said he was too ill to attend.

Phra Dhammachayo is abbot of Wat Phra Dammakaya, a monastery famed for its giant UFO-shaped golden stupa some 50 km (30 miles) north of Bangkok.

"We will go back to the temple to notify Phra Dhammachayo," lawyer Sumpun Sermcheep said. "We reaffirm that he is really ill."

Police would ask Phra Dhammachayo to turn himself in within a week, said Paisith Wongmuang, chief of the Department of Special Investigations, Thailand's equivalent of the FBI.

Run by the Dhammakaya sect, the temple has for years been dogged by allegations of corruption, which it has steadfastly denied.

The leading candidate for the role of the supreme patriarch, who is being selected following the death of the incumbent, has ties to the Dhammakaya sect.

The selection process has become a proxy for the colour-coded politics that Thailand's junta has quashed since taking power in 2014, in a bid to end a decade of political violence.
Egypt's Sisi lends backing to Israel-Palestinian peace efforts

CAIRO, May 17 (Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised Israel on Tuesday warmer ties if it accepts efforts to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, urging its leaders not to waste an opportunity to bring security and hope to a troubled region.

In an impromptu speech at an infrastructure conference in the southern city of Assiut, Sisi said his country was willing to mediate a reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions to pave the way toward a lasting peace accord with the Israelis.

"I say we will achieve a warmer peace if we resolve the issue of our Palestinian brothers... and give hope to the Palestinians of the establishment of a state," Sisi said.

"I ask that the Israeli leadership allow this speech to be broadcast in Israel one or two times as this is a genuine opportunity... We are willing to make all efforts to help find a solution to this problem."

French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday an international conference due in late May in Paris to relaunch peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis had been postponed but would take place this summer.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told France's foreign minister on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to the French initiative, born of French frustration over the absence of movement toward a two-state solution since U.S.-brokered talks collapsed in 2014.

Israel is concerned that the conference would seek to dictate terms, but Netanyahu welcomed Sisi's remarks from which he said he drew "encouragement".

"Israel is willing to participate alongside Egypt and the other Arab states in advancing the diplomatic process and stability in the region," he said in a statement.

A Palestinian official also welcomed Sisi's remarks.

"We welcome any efforts aimed at ending the Israeli occupation," Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, told Reuters.

Egypt was the first of a handful of Arab countries to recognise Israel with a U.S.-sponsored peace accord in 1979, but Egyptian attitudes to their neighbour remain icy due to what many Arabs see as the continued Israeli occupation of land that is meant to form a Palestinian state.

Sisi, who rarely speaks publicly about foreign policy, offered the 2002 Arab peace initiative as a potential way ahead.

The initiative offered full recognition of Israel but only if it gave up all land seized in the 1967 Middle East war and agreed to a "just solution" for Palestinian refugees.

But he also urged the Palestinians to unite ahead of talks.
DRC opposition leaders urge U.S. sanctions on Kabila

By Jonathan Landay

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - Opposition leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo have called on the United States to impose sanctions on President Joseph Kabila to force him to abide by the Constitution and hold an election due this November to choose his successor.

"We believe that the imposition of sanctions will force Joseph Kabila to reconsider his position and to leave power on the 19th of December this year," said Olivier Kamitatu, a leader of the G7 opposition coalition said in a meeting with Reuters on Monday. "It's high time to block this man."

Critics accuse Kabila, in power since 2001 and barred by the Constitution from seeking re-election in November's election, of trying to delay the vote to cling to power. The government has said it is unlikely to be able to organize the election in time because of budgetary and logistical constraints.

This is the first time that opposition leaders have publicly urged Washington to make good on warnings that it is considering slapping sanctions on Kabila under a 2014 executive order signed by U.S. President Barack Obama.

Sanctions that could include travel bans and freezes on U.S. assets also should be imposed on members of Kabila's inner circle, including his security chief and justice minister, and others involved in crackdowns on the opposition, the opposition leaders told Reuters.

Kamitatu said he and four of his colleagues came to Washington to lobby for sanctions. "If we organize sanctions against Kabila and his clique, we can get good results for democracy," he said.

Several U.S. lawmakers and officials have expressed concern that Congo could explode in serious violence if Kabila refuses to hold the election.

"The situation is very tense. It's a time-bomb," said Francis Kalombo, a lawmaker in Kabila's ruling coalition who fled to France in 2015 after opposing another term for the president. "That's why we're asking the United States to intervene."

Kabuila's government won a ruling last week by the Congo's highest court that Kabila would retain his post if an election is not held.

The opposition leaders charged that Kabila - who they said controls the courts - wants to retain power and pointed to the suppression of opposition gatherings in support of Moise Katumbi, a leading candidate to succeed Kabila. The government accuses him of hiring foreign mercenaries, including former U.S. soldiers, to destabilize Congo.
Fighting among Syrian rebels kills more than 50 -British monitor

BEIRUT, May 17 (Reuters) - Fighting between insurgent groups east of Damascus killed more than 50 people on Monday, bringing to more than 500 the number of people killed in rebel infighting since late April, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The fighting pits Jaish al-Islam, which is part of the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC), against rival faction Failaq al-Rahman, and is threatening Jaish al-Islam's dominant position in Eastern Ghouta just outside Damascus.

Jaish al-Islam, which runs the civil administration in the region and has some 7,000 fighters there, suffered a blow in December when its leader, Zahran Alloush, was killed in an air strike.

Failaq al-Rahman controls several towns slightly closer to Damascus, also in Eastern Ghouta, with about 2,000 fighters. Its allies in this particular fight include Islamists, some al Qaeda-linked, but the group itself is more moderate.

Some of the more moderate rebel groups have fought alongside al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front during Syria's five-year civil war because of the group's strength on the battlefield against government forces and their allies.

In a statement on Monday, Jaish al-Islam accused Failaq al-Rahman of rejecting an initiative tabled by HNC coordinator Riad Hijab to end the bloodshed in Eastern Ghouta.

A statement by a local body which the Observatory said was close to Failaq al-Rahman on Tuesday criticised Jaish al-Islam for failing to withdraw from a town in the area, under an agreement reached between the two sides a week ago.

The statement said Jaish al-Islam had launched a new assault nearby on Tuesday.

Several attempts at ending the fighting have failed.

Jaish al-Islam has accused Failaq al-Rahman of wrecking attempts to stop the fighting by launching its own attacks.

The clashes began on April 28, when Jaish al-Islam's positions in the Eastern Ghouta came under attack, the Observatory said. It said nine civilians including three children had been killed in the fighting since then.

Failaq al-Rahman has been backed in the fighting by a group known as the Fustat Army, whose fighters include members of the Nusra Front, the British-based Observatory says.

Each side has captured dozens of fighters, it said.

During the rebel infighting, government forces have attacked some areas of Eastern Ghouta and made advances there, the Observatory has reported.
Major powers fail to agree new date for Syria peace talks

By Lesley Wroughton and Lisa Barrington

VIENNA/BEIRUT, May 17 (Reuters) - Major power foreign ministers failed to agree a new date to resume Syrian peace talks at a meeting on Tuesday, and the opposition said it would not come back to Geneva negotiations unless conditions improved on the ground.

A pessimistic atmosphere pervaded the meeting in Vienna between countries that support President Bashar al-Assad and his enemies, all of which have committed to reviving a ceasefire and peace process that have been unravelling since last month.

In a joint statement after the meeting attended by the United States, European and Middle East powers that oppose Assad as well as Russia and Iran which support him, the powers called for a full cessation of hostilities and access for aid.

In stronger language than in the past, they warned the warring factions that if they repeatedly broke the truce they risked forgoing the protection of the Feb. 27 cessation of hostilities agreement sponsored by Washington and Moscow.

They also directed the U.N.'s World Food Programme to air drop food, medicine and water to besieged communities starting on June 1 if humanitarian access was denied by either side.

But they did not agree on a date for peace talks to resume. The Geneva talks broke up last month after the opposition delegation quit, accusing the government of ignoring the ceasefire, and recent weeks saw an intensification of fighting, particularly near Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura told a news conference there was still a strong desire to keep the peace process moving.

"We want to keep the momentum. The exact date, I am not at the moment revealing it because it will depend also on other facts," he said. He noted that the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins in early June, was coming soon.

The main opposition High Negotiations Committee said it was not willing to return to negotiations without a full ceasefire and access for humanitarian aid.

"I don't think there will be results, and if there are any results they will not be sufficient for the Syrian people," HNC chief negotiator Asaad al-Zoubi told Reuters ahead of Tuesday's Vienna meeting. "The HNC has said that if aid does not reach everybody, if the sieges aren't lifted and if a full truce does not happen, there will be no negotiations."

After Tuesday's meetings, the opposition said the powers had rebuked Assad by demanding that aid should reach towns his forces were blockading.

"The Vienna Communique listed towns where our fellow Syrians are starving under siege and crying out for humanitarian access," HNC spokesman Salem al-Meslet said in a statement. "Assad is not only blockading those towns, but also blocking the path to a political solution, which is the only way to end the suffering."

But HNC member Bassama Kodmani told Reuters the powers must do more to silence the guns: "We cannot be bombed while we're talking about a peaceful arrangement and a peaceful transition."

Local truces in individual areas, which have been attempted in recent weeks, would not be a solution. "Peace talks cannot take place while one front is burning and another is quiet," she said.

NO PEACE WITHOUT SETTLEMENT

Washington, which wants Assad to leave power, has worked closely on diplomacy with Russia, which joined the war last year to support him. That has alarmed some of Assad's opponents. Some diplomats and former officials say Washington may have underestimated Moscow's desire to keep Assad in power.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, standing beside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and de Mistura at Tuesday's news conference, made clear Washington still wanted Assad out.

Russia needed to use its influence over Assad to secure a transition in Syria, Kerry said.

"This war will not end for him or for his people without a political settlement."

Gesturing to Lavrov, Kerry said Assad had made a series of commitments to Moscow that he was prepared to negotiate, but had not kept his word.

"I think he should never make a miscalculation about President Obama's determination to do what is right at any given moment of time where he believes he has to make that decision," Kerry said.

Lavrov repeated Moscow's line that it was not fighting on behalf of any particular ruler in Damascus: "We don't support Assad. We support the fight against terrorism."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said progress was needed urgently on the ground.

"If nothing happens in terms of respecting the ceasefire or humanitarian aid, then it will no longer be about discouragement, but despair. We are in an extremely fragile period."

AID, VIOLENCE

The United Nations said this month that Syria's government, which has been on the front foot in the war since its Russia intervened last year, was refusing U.N. demands to deliver aid to hundreds of thousands of people.

Tuesday's talks discussed ways to stop the violence by separating al-Nusra Front, al Qaeda's wing in Syria, from other opposition fighters in some areas like Aleppo.

Ayrault said France had told moderate opposition groups "they must be extremely clear with regard to groups like al-Nusra. There must be no ambiguity".

Nusra, along with Islamic State, is not a party to the ceasefire. Western and Arab states accuse the Syrian government and Russia of using links between rebels and Nusra as a pretext to launch offensives against other opponents of Assad.

De Mistura is trying to meet an Aug. 1 deadline to establish a transitional authority for the country that would lead to elections in 18 months, as agreed in a December U.N. Security Council resolution. Kerry said in Vienna that if progress in talks was made, the timeframe would be respected.

FATE OF ASSAD

However, the U.S. administration's failure to convince Moscow that Assad must go is fuelling European and Arab frustration at being sidelined in efforts to end the five-year civil war, diplomats say.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said it was perhaps time to consider alternatives, including ramping up military aid to rebels, if Assad's government continued to flout international agreements.

In the past weeks, several hundred civilians have been killed in air strikes and rebel bombardments in Aleppo province alone, while fighting has taken place in other parts of Syria, including Idlib, Deir al-Zor and around Damascus.

As the talks took place, rebel fighters and officials in the besieged town of Daraya on the outskirts of Damascus said they believed government forces were preparing an assault.

Last week government forces refused entry to what would have been the first aid convoy to reach the town. Troops began shelling the town on Thursday, ending a lull that had prevailed since the ceasefire took effect. Residents say they are on the verge of starvation.

"Large convoys of (government) troops are moving from the airport and from Ashrafiyat Sahnaya (the next town south)," said Abu Samer, spokesman for the Liwa Shuhada al-Islam rebel group.

"We are prepared to repel their assault but our main fear is for the civilians besieged in the town who face severe shortages of food."

A Syrian military source denied rebel accounts of troop deployments, saying nothing had changed in the area.
Italy seeks 18 years for alleged captain in migrants shipwreck

ROME, May 17 (Reuters) - Italian prosecutors on Tuesday demanded that the man they say captained a migrant boat that sank killing up to 800 people be sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of manslaughter and international people smuggling.

Only 28 people survived the disaster in April last year and hundreds of bodies are still trapped in the hull of the sunken fishing boat, which the Italian navy is trying to raise. It has already collected 118 bodies from the sea floor.

Outrage over the incident prompted European Union leaders to bolster its own search-and-rescue mission in the Mediterranean just days after the boat went down.

In the past two years, more than 320,000 boat migrants have arrived on Italian shores and an estimated 7,000 died in the Mediterranean as they sought to reach Europe, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Sicilian prosecutors Andrea Bonomo and Rocco Liguori urged a judge in the Catania court to convict 27-year-old Mohammed Ali Malek. The Tunisian says he was not the boat's captain and paid for passage like everyone else, according to his lawyer Massimo Ferrante.

The prosecutors also sought a six year jail term for 25-year-old Syrian Mahmud Bikhit, who survivors said was Ali Malek's cabin boy. Bikhit also denies any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors say Ali Malek mishandled the grossly overloaded fishing boat, which left from Darabli, Libya, carrying men, women and children from Algeria, Somalia, Egypt, Senegal, Zambia, Mali, Bangladesh and Ghana.

They say he caused the boat to collide with a Portuguese merchant ship that was coming to its aid.

As the passengers rushed away from the side of the boat which had struck the merchant ship, the vessel capsized and sank within minutes.
A German court has banned a comedian's satirical poem which jokes about Turkey's President Erdogan watching child porn - saying it is abusive and libellous.

Jan Boehmermann recited a poem on television in March suggesting Tayyip Erdogan engaged in bestiality and watched child pornography.

The comedian's actions prompted the Turkish leader to file a complaint with prosecutors that he had been insulted and asked a court in Hamburg to bar re-publication of the poem.

Jan Boehmermann (left) recited a poem on television in March suggesting Tayyip Erdogan (right) engaged in bestiality and watched child pornography

In its injunction, which applies to the whole of Germany,the court marked in red 18 of the poem's 24 verses,which it said were 'abusive and defaming.'

It said its decision, which may be appealed, was based onthe need to find a balance between preserving the right toartistic freedom and the personal rights of Erdogan.

'Through the poem's reference to racist prejudice andreligious slander as well as sexual habits the verses inquestion go beyond what the petitioner (Erdogan) can be expectedto tolerate,' the Hamburg court wrote.

The six verses the court did not ban, include references toTurkey's treatment of minorities.

Erdogan, a crucial partner for Merkel in tackling Europe'smigrant crisis, had demanded Germany press charges againstBoehmermann.

The comedian's actions prompted the Turkish leader to file a complaint with prosecutors that he had been insulted and asked a court in Hamburg to bar re-publication of the poem

The court said its decision, which may be appealed, was based on the need to find a balance between preserving the right to artistic freedom and the personal rights of Erdogan (pictured)

Chancellor Angela Merkel has drawn criticism for allowingprosecutors to pursue the case against Boehmermann.

Under Germany's criminal code, insults against foreignleaders are not allowed but the government can decide whether toauthorise prosecutors to go ahead.

The affair, which has turned into a diplomatic spat, hasopened Merkel to accusations she has become too accommodatingtowards Erdogan in pursuing a controversial European Union dealwith Turkey to stem the flow of refugees into Europe.

Critics had already accused her of ignoring human rightsviolations and actions against journalists in Turkey, acandidate for EU membership.

An MP of Merkel's conservatives read the poem out inparliament last week.

Merkel is widely seen as causing the problem in the firstplace in describing the poem to Turkish Prime Minister AhmetDavutoglu as 'deliberately insulting', something she herself hassaid was 'in retrospect a mistake'.
Obama speaks by phone with incoming Philippines president -U.S. official

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by telephone on Tuesday with Rodrigo Duterte, the incoming president of the Philippines, a key treaty ally of the United States in Asia, a U.S. official said.
Obama speaks to Philippines' president-elect, stresses human rights

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama called incoming Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday to congratulate him on his election win, stressing that their countries' alliance was based on a commitment to human rights and the rule of law, the White House said.

U.S. officials have signaled that Washington is ready to work with Duterte despite allegations of human rights abuses in the city he led as mayor for over two decades.

Obama's deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, told a Washington seminar earlier on Tuesday that the U.S. administration was aware there was some "controversy" surrounding Duterte and "statements that drew attention in the past," but he did not elaborate.

Obama offered his congratulations to Duterte as the "presumptive president-elect."

He won the largest share of the votes in a May 9 presidential election, according to an unofficial count by a poll watchdog, although the official result has yet to be confirmed.

Obama "highlighted the enduring values that underpin our thriving alliance ... and the longstanding ties between our two peoples, including our shared commitments to democracy, human rights, rule of law, and inclusive economic growth," the White House said.

Washington hoped "to build on progress made with the last administration" in the Philippines, Rhodes said.

"This is a new government and we'll want to hear from them directly what their priorities are," he said when asked about the election, adding that Washington wanted to see continued efforts to respect the rule of law and combat corruption.

Duterte has been criticized for allowing a spree of vigilante killings under his administration in Davao city, and critics fear he could let them happen on a larger scale as president.

He has denied ordering any of the killings, but has not condemned them.

Washington has steered clear of the controversy, however, which analysts say reflects the reality of U.S. national security interests given China's increasingly assertive stance in Asia and maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

Duterte's vows to restore law and order resonated with voters, but his incendiary rhetoric and advocacy of extrajudicial killings to stamp out crime and drugs have alarmed many people.

Rhodes noted U.S. support for Manila efforts to resolve its territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea through international arbitration, and a recent deal allowing a greater U.S. military presence in the Philippines.

"We believe that now as much as ever it's important that the U.S. and Philippines are seen working together," he said.
Now done with their classroom learning about fish and their habitat, about 850 Billings-area elementary school students will be at Lake Elmo State Park for the next two days. The students will be fishing, viewing fish up close, learning about water safety and being exposed to other angling skills that could serve them the rest of their lives.

I enjoy getting outdoors, and I like to have fun while Im outdoors, said Jesus Nuno, a fifth-grader at Bitterroot Elementary School, one of the students enjoying Kids Fishing Day on Tuesday. The event is part of a yearlong aquatics education course offered by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

I dont get to fish much, he said, and Ive never fly-fished.

Under the tutelage of Kevin Davis, a member of Magic City Fly Fishers, students attempted to cast into plastic hoops anchored near the Lake Elmo shoreline.

He told students that groups like his seek to impart the joy of fly-fishing to youth as well as the importance of conservation.

That way, when youre my age, theyll still be out here, he said.

Nearby, Fish, Wildlife and Parks fisheries technicians Earl Radonski and Brad Olszewski were standing knee-deep in the lake, holding up fish theyd recently caught. They peppered their talk with questions for students on what species they were displaying and probing for what students knew about the various species, both native and introduced.

As fisheries biologists, we have to find out how different species are doing in different rivers and streams, Radonski told students. We base our regulations on what we find to help determine which species you can keep (when you catch them) and which ones you cant keep.

For example: Sauger are native to the Yellowstone River, but theyre not currently plentiful, and so were concerned about it, and we make regulations tighter, Radonski said. But we find a lot of smallmouth bass and catfish, so in our regulations, youll see you can keep more of those.

Then the pair began holding fish aloft, offering up quick fish facts as quickly as they could put one away and grab the next. Virtually all the fish survived the humiliation of being caught; some squirmed while on display.

A brown trout that died after being caught probably entered the lake through an irrigation ditch. Fish biologists can examine its scales under the microscope to identify the fishs age, Radonski said.

A shorthead redhorse sucker is a strong fish and a good fighter, he told the group. Not too many people catch them.

Tiger muskies  no more than 400 of them, and the sterile cross between muskie and northern pike  are introduced into Lake Elmo to control the sucker population. We want you to be able to catch nicer, bigger rainbow trout, Radonski told students.

Holding a yellow perch aloft, Radonski asked students if they remembered the species. You dissected this in your classroom, he reminded them, and some students nodded.

Simple arithmetic, he said, can help young anglers differentiate between white crappie and black crappie, which look a lot alike: crappie with seven or more spines are black, and those with fewer than seven spines are white.

Bob Gibson, information and education manager for the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks Billings office, said that each student will go home with a spinning rod and reel, courtesy of a number of area angling groups.

He and program partners have spent an hour each month visiting classrooms, teaching prospective anglers about fish identification, insects, fly-tying, fish population estimating and the signs of fish health.

He said if history is any measure, about a half-dozen students will catch a fish each of the three days the event is offered. Most will have the good sense to throw it back after theyve hooked it, he said.

We encourage catch-and-release, he said, but its up to their teachers if they want them to try to take them home in their backpacks.
Mexico's president proposes allowing same sex marriage nationally

MEXICO CITY, May 17 (Reuters) - Mexico's president on Tuesday proposed allowing same sex marriage nationally, the latest in a series of progressive policies in a traditionally conservative country.

The presidency said on Twitter that President Enrique Pena Nieto had "announced the signing of a reform initiative which includes the recognition of the right to get married without any form of discrimination."

Same sex marriage is currently permitted in Mexico City, as well as in several states including Coahuila, Quintana Roo, Jalisco, Nayarit, Chihuahua and Sonora.

Mexico's Supreme Court said last year that laws restricting marriage to a man and woman were unconstitutional and a Supreme Court judge urged states to legalize gay marriage.

However, many state legislatures have not changed their statutes to comply, meaning couples must file legal challenges case by case to get married. Gay marriage is still banned under local laws in many of Mexico's 31 states.

The president's office asked Congress to change Mexico's constitution to guarantee adults the right to marry without restrictions based on gender, sexual preference, or other reasons.

Both the presidency and Pena Nieto's Twitter avatars were overlaid with the rainbow flag of gay pride to mark the international day against homophobia and transphobia.

Banners on Pena Nieto's Twitter account read #Sinhomofobia or #Nohomophobia.

The announcement came just weeks after Pena Nieto proposed relaxing laws on marijuana.

Grappling with deadly drug cartel violence, Pena Nieto last month sent a proposal to Congress to permit the use and importation of marijuana-based medicines. He also proposed raising the amount that marijuana users can legally carry to 28 grams from 5 grams.

Growing and selling marijuana is illegal in Mexico but is the mainstay business of violent drug gangs. Pena Nieto has not said where consumers would be able to obtain the marijuana they would be allowed to carry.
Yemeni government suspends participation in peace talks, demands guarantees

KUWAIT, May 17 (Reuters) - The Yemeni government on Tuesday suspended its participation in U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait and said it would only return if its opponents, the Houthis, committed to withdraw from cities they have seized since 2014 and hand over weapons.

A wide gap still separates the Iran-allied Houthis and the Western-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after nearly a month of peace talks in Kuwait intended to end a year of war that has killed more than 6,200 people, half of them civilians.

The talks centre on government demands for the Houthis to hand over their weapons and quit cities captured since 2014 and the formation of a new government that would include the Houthis. The Saudi-backed Hadi government is currently based in the southern Yemeni port of Aden while the Houthis retain control of the capital Sanaa.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi said the government delegation had decided to suspend its participation in the consultations after the Houthis informed them they did not recognise Hadi's legitimacy.

"We will not return until we get a letter from them that commits them to the U.N. Security Council resolutions, the Gulf initiative and the outcome of the (national) dialogue ... the issue of legitimacy is not subject to discussion," Mekhlafi told a news conference in Kuwait city.

"If they do not make such a commitment, then there is no point for these talks to continue and as such they (the Houthis) bear responsibility," he said.

Mekhlafi accused the Houthis of plundering Yemen's foreign reserves, which he said had stood at $4 billion in 2014, but he said the government delegation had no plan to leave Kuwait, allowing further scope to diplomacy.

Osama Sari, an activist in the Houthi group, said the government's decision to suspend its participation in the peace talks had "unmasked its bad intentions".

The peace talks began last month after a shaky ceasefire was consolidated, easing the almost daily clashes in the country.

Representatives of the warring sides formed joint political and security committees last week but have made little progress toward a full ceasefire or political transition plan.

Yemen's civil war escalated when an armed push by the Houthis pushed the Hadi government into exile on March 26, 2015.
Donors pledge more than $15 bln to fund Ivory Coast development plan

ABIDJAN, May 17 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast secured more than $15 billion in financial pledges at a donor meeting in Paris on Tuesday, nearly double the amount it was seeking to help fund an ambitious five-year development programme, according to a government statement.

It had been seeking nearly 4.5 trillion CFA francs ($7.9 billion) from bilateral donors and multilateral institutions to fill an expected funding gap.

Ivory Coast has recovered from a 2011 civil war to boast one of Africa's fastest growing economies and is aiming to invest a total of about 30 trillion CFA francs in the next four years to foster economic development and reduce poverty.

"The declared amount of contributions has reached ... $15.4 billion ... demonstrating the full adhesion of the international community (to the development programme)," the statement from Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan said.

The World Bank doubled its financial commitment to Ivory Coast to $5 billion compared to the previous four-year development plan, it said.

Since emerging from a decade of political turmoil following the 2011 conflict, Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa grower, is increasingly attracting foreign investors.

Under the stewardship of President Alassane Ouattara, who won re-election in a landslide victory in October, its economy has expanded by an average of about 9 percent in each of the past three years.
Possible measures under Brazil's new leader to rescue economy

May 17 (Reuters) - Brazil's interim President Michel Temer has vowed to pursue business-friendly reforms to restore confidence and help lift Latin America's biggest economy out of its worst recession in decades.

Here are some of the possible measures that Temer will seek, according to his ministers and advisers.

Central Bank Independence

Temer will consider changing the constitution to give the central bank formal independence. However, Temer's advisers say there is no consensus about this move and see little chance of any action to grant the bank complete autonomy during his government.

Pension and Labor Reform

The government plans to propose a pension reform in 30 days to delink social security benefits from minimum wage increases and set a minimum age of retirement. This would require constitutional changes, needing the votes of three-fifths of both chambers of Congress.

A planned labor reform would also increase outsourcing.

New Concessions and Privatizations

Sell state assets to private investors and expand concessions to business groups for infrastructure and logistic projects. The administration aims to bolster concessions in public housing, basic sanitation and urban transportation and offer investors better terms on those projects, said Wellington Moreira Franco, a close adviser to Temer who is in charge of the government's concession program.

Foreign Ownership in Airlines

Temer is considering allowing foreign owners to acquire a controlling stake in local airlines to inject fresh capital into the struggling sector.

Local Content Rules

Relax domestic-content rules in key sectors such as oil and gas to bolster investment.

Roll Back Petrobras Participation

The government will support legislation that reduces state-run oil company Petrobras' control over some of the country's most promising offshore oil resources. Some Temer advisers also want to speed up and include more assets in Petrobras' plan to divest $57.7 billion through the end of 2018.

Spending Caps

Temer could set limits on public spending growth after a sharp increase in current spending as well as obligatory expenditures. His government could also consider changing the constitution to reduce the amount of funds in the budget earmarked for education and health.

Tax hikes

Temer initially has ruled out reviving the CPMF banking transaction tax to rebalance the fiscal accounts. Still, Temer could be forced to raise the financial transaction tax (IOF) or the Cide fuel tax later in his presidency to close a massive budget gap.

Simplify tax system
GRAINS-Prices soar as more fund money flows into commodities

By Tom Polansek

CHICAGO, May 17 (Reuters) - U.S. grain and soy futures jumped on Tuesday as investors sunk money into commodities, extending a run-up in prices linked to poor weather that has hurt harvests in South America.

Commodity funds were net buyers of up to 14,000 corn contracts and 11,000 soybean contracts, a hefty amount that helped lift nearby soy futures to their highest price since November 2014, traders said.

Front-month soybean meal reached its highest price since July 2015 as funds bought an estimated 5,000 lots. The most actively traded meal contract hit levels not seen since December 2014.

The gains were "really more of a capital flow issue more than anything else," said Steve Erdman, president of broker EFG Group in Chicago.

"It's money seeking returns," he said.

July soybeans, the nearby and most-active contract, closed up 1.5 percent at $10.80-1/4 a bushel at the Chicago Board of Trade. July meal surged 2.2 percent to $369.10 per short ton.

July corn ended up 0.8 percent at $3.97 after touching the highest price for a most-active contract in almost a month. July wheat gained 1.5 percent at $4.81-3/4 following a move to $4.84-1/2, a two-week high for the most-active contract .

Commodity funds bought up to 5,500 wheat contracts, traders said.

Renewed interest in commodities from investors and concerns about shrinking South American harvests have catapulted prices higher over the past two months, after the most actively traded soybeans hit a six-year low in November. Crop damage from poor weather is expected to shift export demand to the United States from rival shippers Brazil and Argentina.

In Brazil, growers of winter corn must renegotiate delivery contracts for forward sales, curtailing exports of the grain, after dryness caused severe losses, specialists said.

Farmers there will begin harvesting the winter crop in the coming weeks, and the heaviest losses are expected in the leading two producer states of Mato Grosso and Goias, which together account for half of the national output.

Still, global crop supplies remain ample after strong harvests in recent years, said Jim Gerlach, president of A/C Trading in Indiana.

"This is more to do with money flow than potentially running out of anything," he said about Tuesday's gains.

In the energy sector, U.S. crude oil futures hit seven-month highs.
Libyan unity gov't forces retake checkpoint south of Misrata -spokesman

TRIPOLI, May 17 (Reuters) - Libyan military forces said on Tuesday they recaptured one of the main checkpoints south of the city of Misrata from Islamic State, reversing some of the gains the militant group made earlier this month.

Seven members of the armed forces were killed and 19 were wounded, including three who died in a mine explosion as they took control of the checkpoint of Abu Grain, Misrata hospital spokesman Aziz Issa said.

Islamic State fighters had overrun the Abu Grain checkpoint, town and several nearby villages after carrying out coordinated suicide bomb attacks on May 5.

Abu Grain is about 140 km (85 miles) west of Islamic State's Libyan stronghold of Sirte, on the main road leading south from the port city of Misrata.

The military has yet to take full control of the area, however.

"There are skirmishes from time to time against the militants," said Mohamed al-Gasri, a spokesman for an operation room set up by Libya's U.N.-backed unity government. "We will keep making progress to clean Abu Grain town of those militants".

The unity government arrived in Tripoli in late March. Western states hope it will replace two rival administrations that have competed for power in Libya since 2014 and unite the armed brigades that supported them to take on Islamic State.

The new government has moved to establish itself in western Libya with the backing of brigades from Misrata, which gained power due to its central role in the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The new government's operations room says it is preparing an offensive to recapture Sirte, which has been controlled by Islamic State since last year.

The unity government, however, has so far struggled to win formal backing from factions in eastern Libya, where military forces also say they are preparing for an offensive against Sirte.
This week, Tim Cook will become the first Apple CEO to travel to India. Yes, not even Steve Jobs travelled to India while he was Apple's top boss. In the recent past, Apple has made it abundantly clear that India is a key growth market for it and its importance is evident by the fact that its sales have tapered off in a market like China.

The news of Cook's visit comes after Apple uncharacteristically announced an investment of $1 billion in the Chinese ride-sharing service Didi. This also highlights that compared to China, India remains a vastly small market for the company. So why is Tim Cook coming to India?

Cook could probably be meeting the PM to push through the plan for refurbished iPhones in India.

1. One of the reasons being cited for Cook's visit is that he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Cook could probably be meeting the PM to push through the plan for refurbished iPhones in India, which has currently been stopped in its tracks by the environment ministry.

2. Cook, who will be meeting Modi a second time after the PM's 2015 visit to Silicon Valley, is expected to announce an incubator along the the lines of the Digital India and Start-Up India missions. The development wouldn't be too dissimilar from what Apple has done in China.

3. Apple has got the permission to open its iconic stores in India. Reports suggest that the stores will be opened by the end of 2017 in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. Cook would probably be shown some of the possible locations being decided upon.

4. Cook may visit Hyderabad, where the company is set to launch an elaborate research centre with a team dedicated to working on Maps. Apple's Maps are greatly lacking in India and if the company wants to build on its services division, which has been doing very well, it will need to be successful in the Indian market.

5. Tim Cook could also meet executives from Indian telecom firm Reliance Jio, which is expected to launch the most broad ranging 4G network in India. In his recent earning report, Cook cited the lack of 4G as one of the main reasons behind the low penetration of the iPhone in India.

If Cook manages to nail a bundling deal with Reliance for the iPhone, Apple will be well placed to capture a great chunk of the market.

6. Apple's Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn has been scouting for locations in Maharashtra to set up a facility to manufacture iPhones. Cook is expected to meet up with Foxconn executives for the factory. Apple desperately needs to make iPhones in India to bring their price down so that it can better compete with the likes of Xiaomi in the subcontinent.
A woman has been charged with criminal child endangerment after being involved in a car accident while possibly intoxicated.

Michelle Ann Kosich, 26, appeared Monday in Yellowstone County Justice Court and was charged with one felony count of criminal child endangerment.

Justice of the Peace David Carter held Kosich in lieu of a $2,500 bond and ordered her to be placed on 24/7 alcohol monitoring.

According to charging documents, at about 6:30 p.m. Monday, Billings police responded to a crash at the intersection of 32nd Street West and Central Avenue. A woman had crashed into the back of another car as it waited in a line of traffic at the intersection. The woman was identified as Kosich and a 1-year-old child was in the back seat of her car.

Kosich was arrested after officers suspected she was intoxicated. It is unclear who took custody of the 1-year-old.
Police have arrested a man in connection with an assault that left a 17-year-old girl in the hospital with a broken jaw.

Johnnie Lafountain, 19, was taken into custody after an "exhaustive" investigation, according to Lt. David Cardillo with the Billings Police Department.

A juvenile male was also arrested and is in custody at the youth detention facility.

The case involves Redwillow Horsecapture, a Billings Senior High student who was attacked on May 6 on the Rims.

Horsecapture told police that she remembered getting hit in the face by a man she didn't know. The attack happened at about 10 p.m.

Horsecapture was taken to St. Vincent Healthcare the following morning. Doctors screwed a plate into her jaw and wired it shut.

Lafountain is facing a pending felony assault charge. The Yellowstone County Attorney's Office could file official charges in court within days.

In a release, Cardillo said that the investigation is still ongoing but the department is not seeking other suspects.

Horsecapture, a junior, lives with her grandparents, Daniel and Lorna Knowshisgun, who recounted the attack during an interview with The Gazette last week.
A man charged with trafficking two women across the Western United States was arraigned Monday in Yellowstone County District Court.

Lavondrick Terelle Hogues, 29, appeared before Yellowstone County District Court Judge Russell Fagg and pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated promotion of prostitution. Hogues is being held at the Yellowstone County Jail in lieu of a $25,000 bond after being arrested in New Mexico.

According to charging documents, Hogues was identified as the man "pimping" two women arrested in December for prostitution. The two women had traveled through New Mexico, Texas and North Dakota before being caught in Billings.

One of the women was a 17-year-old and was extradited to New Mexico for a parole violation. She was immune from charges of prostitution due to a 2015 Montana legislative change that allows for underage victims of human trafficking to not be prosecuted for prostitution or other nonviolent offenses.

The other woman, Phylicia Zubia, 21, was arrested and charged with aggravated promotion of prostitution. From jail, Zubia called Hogues to report her arrest, according to charging documents. A search of Zubia's cellphone also showed conversations between herself and Hogues regarding her location, activities, the men she and the 17-year-old had sex with, how much money they had made and how much they spent.

In the text messages Hogues "made comments to the effect that (the women) 'better get to making some money,'" and told Zubia to delete their texting conversations, according to documents.

Since her arrest, Zubia has reported being the victim of human trafficking. Her trial is set for June. Zubia is using an affirmative defense. Senior Deputy County Attorney Robert Spoja said this defense is similar to a plea of justifiable homicide, in that, at trial Zubia would only contest the criminality of her actions.

Sexual exploitation

Hogues' prosecution reflects a shift during the past two legislative sessions regarding the way sexual exploitation cases are being handled in the state.

The same bill that decriminalized the acts of minors subjected to human trafficking also created the affirmative defense, which allows for victims to be identified as such, even if they committed illegal acts while being trafficked. This not only protects them from criminal prosecution, but allows them to receive victim services in the state.

Montana Division of Criminal Investigation Agent Gary Seder said the new laws have also changed how agents handle investigations into sex work crimes.

"It's a historical change in the agent's intent when they go to these hotel rooms," Seder said. "Agents used to go to the room, get the girl, arrest the girl, maybe push the girl to turn on her pimp, but probably not."

Now agents may sit with women for two to 12 hours, talking to them, learning what their lives are like and trying to get them to see they are victims, Seder said.

Seder, who investigated Zubia, said the victims he speaks with often won't admit they have a pimp. In the search warrant he issued to search Zubia's cellphone, Seder said Zubia and the 17-year-old were investigated as victims of human trafficking first.

"Women tell us, 'I'm here on my own, I make my own money,'" Seder said. "It's been pumped into their heads by the men who are controlling them."

The Montana Attorney General's office has made a concerted effort to catch human traffickers. In 2015, Montana's sex trafficking laws were given an "A" rating in an analysis of state laws performed by the American Center for Law and Justice and Shared Hope International. This was an upgrade for Montana, which received a "D" rating in 2014 and 2013 and an "F" in 2012 and 2011.

Assistant Attorney General Ole Olson, who is prosecuting Hogues, said the new laws defining what makes a victim became much more broad in the past legislative session.

"We look at their circumstances and what would compel them, not you or I, to stay," Olson said. This includes the threat of economic harm that might come to a victim of human trafficking.

More charges

Since these laws were put into place, the state DCI has brought charges against five people for human trafficking-related crimes, charges are pending against two other people and five cases are under investigation.

Seder said the typical human trafficking cases he deals with involve a man and a woman traveling through multiple states and advertising online. In the cases he sees, the women are being trafficked through Hawaii, California, Nevada, Washington, Utah and Montana.

Seder said he has seen a drop in activity in North Dakota that he attributes to the slowdown in the Bakken oil field.

The relationship between the man and the woman might imitate a romantic relationship, Seder said. The women will often tell investigators the men with them are either their boyfriends or their husbands.

Olson said the biggest challenge to prosecution is finding proof the men knew what was going on.

"They'll tell us 'What she does, she does on her own,'" Olson said.

Agents use cell phone records and travel receipts to build their case against the pimps. In the Zubia case, agents only began an investigation into Zubia after it was discovered the two women were travelling without a pimp and that she had recruited the 17-year-old girl from New Mexico.

Seder said pimps will sometimes use a "bottom girl" who has been with him for a long time to recruit a second girl to travel with. The older woman will train the younger one while the pimp profits off both women. Seder said it is more typical for a pimp to travel with one woman in order to maintain his control over her.

Chief of the Investigations Bureau John Strandell said the public can help in identifying victims of human trafficking. After Seder conducted a training for gas station and motel clerks in Yellowstone County, the trafficking hotline got one to two calls a week reporting possible trafficking.

Helping victims

Pat Freeland, along with her husband, runs a Montana shelter for victims of human trafficking in a town they don't want to name. Freeland said the couple began the shelter four years ago after they heard a young girl tell her story about being trapped, chained and starved while she was trafficked. Freeland said all she and her husband had was their home, but they called and asked if they could help the girl.

That was the first time they took someone in, Freeland said. Since then, they have had multiple girls stay with them and continue to be a resource for victims.

"Keep your eyes open," Freeland said. "The police have to have citizens call them, they can't just stop people. But, if it looks different, if something doesn't look right, call, and the police can stop them and ask for identification. If you're supposed to be travelling with this woman, prove it."

According to Attorney General Tim Fox, the "best weapon against this global $32 billion per year criminal industry is public awareness."

To learn more, people can visit the Office of the Attorney General's website. There are resources as well as tips on what to look for when trying to identify a human trafficking victim.
On Friday and Saturday, the Montana Pavilion at MetraPark will no doubt be one of the most bustling places in Billings.

To date, more than 700 volunteers have agreed to one or more two-hour shifts to put together at least 150,000 meals that will fill the bellies of starving children around the world.

The large-scale food assembly event is being coordinated by SAGE Co-op Homeschool students, who have since February raised money, prayed, arranged hospitality and logistics, marketed and convinced volunteers to help out their cause.

The group is partnering with the Minnesota-based Christian relief agency Feed My Starving Children, which is sending a semi-trailer three-quarters full of rice, vegetables, soy-based protein and vitamins and minerals, all palletized and ready for assembly.

Each bag of MannaPack Rice serves six people and costs 22 cents.

Volunteers will pour the raw ingredients into bags, seal, and then box them. Feed My Starving Children will ship the meals to one of about 70 countries the nonprofit agency serves.

This weekends effort  the agency calls them MobilePack Fundraisers  will be the first ever in Montana.

Keith Lauver of Red Lodge, whose children are part of the homeschool co-op, said that most of the co-ops 80 or so children caught the vision just after learning about the opportunity in February. Over the weekend, youth fanned out at area churches to enlist volunteers; at Faith Chapel in Billings, 100 people said theyd turn out for the event.

Lauver owns a food company, Cooksimple, that makes products that in some ways bear resemblance to theirs. We make mixes sold in groceries that make it easy to cook dinner.

These kids couldnt be more excited, Lauver said of the event organizers, and theyve proven to be adept at lining up volunteers.

Even though were looking at 700 volunteers, he said, we shouldnt have to turn anybody away over the weekend.

Food-packing efforts begin at 6 p.m. Friday, concluding at 8 p.m. Two-hour shifts are available on Saturday, at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Visit the groups Facebook site, sage fmsc, to learn more about the event or to register.

Feed My Starving Childrens website is at www.fmsc.org.

We encourage families with children as young as 5 to work the event, Lauver said. We need adults to be with kids under 8, so that way they can have fun together.

Cindy Broadbent, who founded the SAGE Co-op Homeschool, praised students' efforts.

"They've really taken the project and run with it," she said. "The design is to give them a leadership role along with a parent, and that's what they've done."

One fundraiser has proven especially effective, Lauver said. Students were given a tube full of M&Ms and told they could chow down their treats  for a price. The tubes are just wide enough to hold quarters. Students were asked to fill the tubes with all the quarters they could collect or donate  around $14 worth. That, he noted, is enough to feed about 60 children.

Lauver said he and his son Elijah attended a Feed My Starving Children event in Phoenix two years ago. When it was over, Elijah asked his father, Why cant we do something like this in Montana? To which his father replied, Why not? His brothers, Cullen and Gabriel, are also heavily involved in organizing the event being billed as Montanas Food Fight.

Last year, Feed My Starving Children used more than one million volunteers to package nearly 273 million meals. The agency is completely donor funded. Ninety-two cents of every dollar goes directly to feeding hungry children.

While this weekends effort will indeed be mighty, it will pale in comparison to a record volunteers set last weekend in Virginia, where 5 million meals were packed, boxed and shipped.

But it's going to be a wonderful start, and organizers may try again next year if this weekend goes well.

These students will be filling a fundamental and critical nourishment need, Lauver said. They have caught the vision. One of them said, My grandmother gave me $10 over the weekend! Another said, I have a piggy bank full of quarters!' They just got it, that kids need food, and they as children can help. They are so fired up that we decided as parents to just support them and show them that the world can be a better place.
HELENA  The Democratic candidate for Montanas lone U.S. House seat wants six debates across the state with her opponent incumbent U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau, who announced her candidacy last fall, asked for the debates in a letter to Zinke that was sent Friday.

I recognize that none of us want to have a debate about debates, but its important to agree upon and quickly set a realistic number of debates between now and the general election, she wrote.

Zinke campaign spokeswoman Heather Swift said they'd received the letter.

"We ... look forward to working with Montana media organizations on several debates. The people of Montana deserve to hear their candidates' take on the most important issues like the fallout of the nuclear Iran Deal, Syrian refugees coming to Missoula and the future of coal jobs."

Juneau proposes a series of debates over the summer and fall in Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Butte, Pablo and Glendive. She wants each moderated by an independent news or community organization.

She wrote about Glendive being an important location, echoing the infrastructure needs brought on by a booming and now-declining oil play, something many candidates have referenced this election.

Juneau also wrote of the Pablo location: I cant recall there ever having been a congressional debate held on any of Montanas seven recognized Indian reservations. Thats unfortunate and something we can change this election cycle. I propose that we hold a debate halfway between Missoula and Kalispell in Pablo at the Salish Kootenai College.

In 2006, then U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R, and his challenger Monica Lindeen, D, scheduled a debate at Fort Peck Community College in Poplar, according to an Associated Press story previewing the event.

In 2014, Zinke said he would pull out of a debate against Democratic candidate John Lewis in Billings, but then changed his mind and agreed to participate in the debate.

Zinke said he had a scheduling conflict. The debates sponsors, The Billings Gazette and Yellowstone Public Radio, changed the format to a forum with Lewis, but then Zinke said he changed his plans to accommodate the event.

The two also debated in Kalispell and Bozeman.

Juneau is the fist American Indian woman elected to statewide office in Montana, and would be the first American Indian congresswoman if elected.
HELENA  A federal judge on Tuesday struck down Montana's campaign contribution limits, just three weeks before the state's primary.

U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell said in an order the state's contribution limits in state law are unconstitutional.

The move is reminiscent of 2012, when Lovell also ruled the state's contribution limits unconditional. That stood for a week before the limits were reinstated by a federal appeals court.

This time, groups including American Tradition Partnership PAC, Montana Right to Life PAC and Lake and Beaverhead Counties Republican Central Committees filed to halt the limits before the June 7 primary. On Monday Lovell canceled a bench trial set for next week and said he would decide the case on briefs and arguments filed by the state and attorneys for the plaintiffs.

Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl on Tuesday afternoon said the order ends limits set by a 1994 initiative. Motl said that means he's required to reinstate the limits that were in place before then, adjusted for inflation.

The new limits on what individuals and political committees can give in the 2016 election are, including general and primary:

$1,990 for governor/lieutenant governor.

$990 for other statewide offices.

$530 for District Court judge, Public Service Commission and state Senate.

$330 for all other elected offices, including the House.

However, GOP attorney Matthew Monforton said the limits put in place Tuesday constitute "defiance yet again by Commissioner Motl of a federal court order. He should anticipate renewed litigation if he continues to give the finger to Judge Lovell."

Monforton said Lovell's ruling should mean there are no caps on contributions from any source. There could be other individuals or political groups that may join new litigation if Motl doesn't lift the limits.

Motl emphasized trying to create stability in this election cycle in light of the order. He called for reasonable self-control and respect and said he expects people and committees to honor the new limits.

He hopes to avoid "the chaos that came into Montana's elections in 2012," when then-candidate for governor Rick Hill, who was also a plaintiff in the 2013 suit, took in $500,000 from the state Republican Party during the week without contribution limits.

The Office of the Commissioner of Political Practices won't try to stay the court's order on individual or political committee contribution limits, Motl said. That's an effort to give people, candidates and committees "stability."

The Commissioner's office started contacting candidates Tuesday afternoon to notify them of the change. The ruling lifted all limits on campaign contributions from political parties to candidates.

Motl didn't rule out an appeal on political party contributions, but wouldn't give a timeline of when that could happen. In 2012, his office filed an emergency repeal, and the limits removed then were restored in nine days.

Republican governor candidate Greg Gianforte will stick to the new caps, said campaign spokesman Aaron Flint.

"We are abiding by the campaign limits that have been in place, and are calling on the other candidates to do so. We are also asking Commissioner Motl to clarify what this ruling means moving forward with immediate instructions."

Gianforte is running against Gov. Steve Bullock, whose campaign called the Tuesday ruling "wrongheaded." Spokesman Eric Hyers said it is an opportunity for Montanans to unite and demand fair elections. Bullock's campaign said it will adhere to the contribution limits in place before the Tuesday ruling.

Those limits are lower than whats in place now. Per election, individuals and political action committees could give $660 to candidates for governor, $330 to a candidate for other statewide office and $170 to a candidate for other public office.

Going forward, we challenge every candidate in Montana to follow the legal limits for all contributions, including their own contributions, Hyers said. Montana cannot afford to go back to the days of the Copper Kings when millionaires and billionaires could literally buy elections. We need one set of rules for everyone."

Then-Attorney General Bullock filed a stay to appeal Lovell's 2012 ruling. He called on Attorney General Tim Fox to do the same this election. Fox's office said Tuesday it is still reviewing the decision and did not have a comment on how it will proceed.

In his ruling, Lovell wrote that defendants including Motl, as well as Fox and Lewis and Clark County Attorney Leo Gallagher, did not prove the cap on donations helps prevent quid pro quo corruption or the appearance of such.

The judge also said the limits don't let candidates amass enough money to wage effective political campaigns.

Motl had previously threatened to but never filed an enforcement action against Hill after he spent the $500,000 from the state GOP in 2012.

Monforton said he's been assured Hill will no longer be at risk of action from Motl's office.

"This is a good day for Rick and Betty Hill, who have been harassed for years by an overzealous commissioner for simply doing what a federal judge told them they could do."

Lovell wrote: "The court remains at a loss as to how Commissioner Motl will prove that Hill could be liable for accepting the alleged illegal contribution after ... (the court) declared the contribution limits unconscionable and unenforceable," Lovell wrote. "The commissioner's prosecutorial grounds in that matter appear shaky at best and, more likely, non-existent."

Limits are necessary, Motl said, because a 2012 initiative passed by 74 percent of voters that prohibited corporate contributions and expenditures in state and national elections. "They want the campaign limits to be reasonable and in the reach of the average Montanan," he said.
LONDON - England - If David Cameron is found guilty and convicted of the crime of misleading parliament in the run-up to the EU referendum he could be forced to resign as PM or expelled from the Conservative party.

The Prime Minister has committed the highest constitutional crime by deliberately misleading parliament during his make-believe EU negotiations.

Under Britains constitution, misleading parliament is the knowing contempt of parliament and ministers are punished with expulsion from their post and party. In the 1960s the Profumo affair was instrumental in bringing down the government of Harold MacMillan.

READ FULL LEAKED SERCO SOAMES TO PM LETTER HERE

There is no trust in David Cameron any more, not among the people or the House.

The leaked Serco letter is proof that David Cameron not only misled the people during his little EU negotiation charade, but he also misled parliament by holding an EU Referendum whilst cynically making dodgy deals with corrupt business leaders behind everyones back.

Camerons EU renegotiation bid was fiction as he had already decided to campaign for a remain vote.

The secret mobilisation plan involved asking FTSE 500 companies to put in their annual reports warnings about the dangers of Brexit.

The strategy was discussed in a letter from Serco boss Rupert Soames to Mr Cameron 11 days before the latters renegotiation deal with the EU was complete. This followed a meeting a few days earlier.

The PM had been telling the Commons that he ruled nothing out unless he won concessions from the EU.

There is no going back now in trust. David Cameron is in contempt of the constitution and parliament with his blatant lies and corrupt behaviour.

He only has one alternative now and that is to resign immediately pending a serious investigation into his misconduct.

The procedure for expulsion is that a motion is moved, generally by the Leader of the House, that  be expelled from this House. It is customary, depending on the circumstances, that a Member be ordered to attend to offer an explanation. However, if it is apparent that no possible excuse could be given, then the order to attend is not made.

Should the Member be already in prison for the offence, then the prison governor may be ordered to bring the Member before the House: however in the case of Mr Baker (see below) no order for attendance was made. An expelled Member may seek re-election to the House, even within the term of the same Parliament that elected him, a principle established in 1782 as a result of the case of John Wilkes, who was expelled three times and once had his return amended in favour of his defeated opponent.

There have been three instances this century of expulsion: Horatio Bottomley (Independent, South Hackney), was expelled in August 1922, after being convicted of fraudulent conversion of property and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

Garry Allighan (Labour, Gravesend) was expelled on 30 October 1947, for lying to a committee and for gross contempt of the House after publication of an article in the Worlds Press News accusing Members of insobriety and of taking fees or bribes for the supply of information.

Peter Baker (Conservative, South Norfolk) was expelled on 16 December 1954, after being sentenced to seven years imprisonment for forgery. In this instance, the motion for expulsion need not have been moved: under the provisions then still in force of the Forfeiture Act 1870, he would have been automatically disqualified.

These provisions were amended by the Criminal Law Act 1967. A person convicted of treason is disqualified for election to, or if already a Member of sitting and voting in, the House or its Committees. (Forfeiture Act 1870, amended by the Criminal Law Act 1967). This disqualification remains in force until either the sentence has expired or a pardon has been granted.

The provisions of the Forfeiture Act have only once been invoked. In 1903 Arthur Lynch (Nationalist, Galway City) was convicted of high treason for fighting against the Crown in the Boer War. The House was advised by the then Attorney General (Sir Robert Findlay), that as Mr Lynch was automatically disqualified by the Forfeiture Act, it was not necessary for the House either to consider the judgement or move a motion for expulsion. Instead the House immediately proceeded to discuss and move a motion for a new writ for a by-election (see HC Deb, 4th Series, vol 118, c1121 1148, 2 March 1903). Lynchs sentence to death was commuted to penal servitude for life. He was released on licence in 1904 and received a free pardon from the Crown in 1907. He returned to the House as Member for West Clare in 1909, until his retirement in 1918. He unsuccessfully contested Battersea South for Labour at the 1918 General Election.

Members may of course be de-selected by their constituency or national party, or asked to resign immediately according to the practice of the parties concerned. The parliamentary party may withdraw the whip, which effectively isolates a Member from the party machinery within the House, or indeed expel the Member from the Party.

The most recent occurrence of this was the expulsion of the Member for Brent East (Mr Ken Livingstone) from the Labour Party for standing as an independent in the election for London Mayor. A Member does not lose his or her seat as a result and continues to sit, either as an independent, or as a Member of a different political party if they so choose.
A group of Billings nurses is finding new ways to serve the community and on Monday raised money to assist homeless teens.

Billings Nurses Helping Our Teens Succeed sold baked goods and scrubs in the Billings Clinic cafeteria with all proceeds going to local-focused organizations. It was the first fundraiser since the nonprofit formed in January.

So far the organization consists entirely of Billings Clinic staff. But all Billings-area nurses are welcome and anyone who supports their mission can donate, said Brenda Doherty, board of directors president.

Some people want to volunteer but they dont know how to get started, Doherty said. So another one of our goals is to help nurses, or anybody, get involved and volunteering.

Doherty joined fellow volunteers Tonda Thomas and Suzanne Graeve behind a table covered in brownies and homemade cupcakes baked by another Billings Clinic nurse. All sales benefited organizations like Tumbleweed, a Billings agency that provides services to runaways and homeless teens.

Doherty said there are a lot of resources already available in Billings but many organizations lack funding to expand services. Tumbleweed operates two homes for teens with nowhere to go, but space is limited. Billings doesnt have a homeless shelter for youth like some cities. Many homeless teens couch surf or are in temporary living situations. One of the nurses long-term goals is to help fund additional housing for teens in need.

Monetary donations can be made at any Western Security Bank, and the nurses are planning a July 28 yard sale at 3727 Hayden Drive.
The Billings Fire Department isnt likely to provide ambulance service anytime soon.

That came out of a far-ranging discussion the city council had with Fire Chief Paul Dextras during Mondays budget session.

But it could be, Dextras said, that changes occurring under Obamacare could one day mean that department health care providers  doctors, physician assistants and nurses  provide in-home care to the citys elderly residents, those who take the majority of ambulance trips to the hospital.

One reason for not getting into the ambulance business for now  even though fire engines are routinely dispatched along with AMR ambulances, the private provider that serves Billings residents  is that its often difficult to collect ambulance fees, and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates arent nearly enough to cover the cost of ambulance service.

There are fire departments who right now have doctors, PAs and nurses who provide care in-home and bill for it, Dextras told the city council. Over time we will probably look at using our paramedics in a little more aggressive manner. We want progress, but it will be at an incremental pace.

The bottom line, he said of taking on a greater role providing medical transport services, is will it enhance the level of care to the city?" Dextras said. "A lot of departments have ambulance transport in their department, and it works well for them, but for now, this is what works best for us.

"But we need to keep looking at how our services are provided and how we can work  either internally or with a third party  to improve those services.

Firefighters who work in the citys seven fire stations are paid the same whether theyre responding to alarms or sitting in the fire station, Dextras noted. Do people feel better if a fire engine shows up a minute or two before the ambulance? I would say yes, because they are having a bad day.

Whether to augment the current service is a moving target that needs to be evaluated regularly, he said.

Planning and Community Services Director Candi Millar, whos retiring from her position in about two months, said the departments code enforcement division will need beefing up in the years to come  and could benefit from the leadership of a full-time manager. Currently, the departments zoning coordinator, Nicole Cromwell, is also in charge of code enforcement.

The number of code enforcement cases has shot up over the past three years, from 3,028 in 2013 to 4,113 in 2014 to 4,517 in 2015.

Millar said she also has an idea to begin spending down the Building Divisions $2.3 million reserve, which is 116 percent of its operating budget, or 16 percentage points higher than state law allows.

Her solution is to purchase each of the divisions six building inspectors a larger car then they currently drive  a Ford Focus.

Theyre all over 6 feet tall, she told the city council.

The May 2014 hailstorm was a main cause of driving the Building Divisions reserve up so high. More than 10 times the number of roofing permits  9,757 that year versus 915 the year before  were awarded.

So much in fees was coming in, Millar said, that the cost of a roofing permit was reduced from $45 to $25, but that wasnt enough, she said.

Lisa Harmon, executive director of the Downtown Billings Alliance, presented upcoming plans for the Downtown Business Improvement District, which is changing the way it assesses property owners, who pay a sliding scale depending on how many services theyre provided.

The new plan amounts to small increases for a number of property owners, said Randy Hafer, whos board chair of the Downtown Billings Business Improvement District.

We want that service, which includes, depending on which zone the property is in, increased police presence and snow and graffiti removal. It is critical for our livelihood.

More than 21,000 people work downtown. Each year they take home paychecks worth more than $1 billion, Harmon said.

Ninety-six percent of the companies within the downtown business improvement district are classified as small businesses and are locally owned, she said.
Earlier this month, Montana candidates and the small staff of the Commissioner of Political Practices made history: For the first time, all statewide and state district political candidates were required to file their campaign finance reports electronically.

The new system worked. Amazingly, 312 candidates for Legislature and Public Service Commission successfully filed their reports on or before May 9. Only 27 missed the deadline. Additionally, county office candidates who expected to spend or receive more than $500 filed under the new electronic reporting rule.

The rule stems from the Disclose Act of 2015, which passed with support from Democrats and some Republicans. It was sponsored by Sen. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip, and backed by Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock. The law allows the commissioner of political practices to require electronic campaign finance reporting, which Commissioner Jonathan Motl did last fall through a process that involved public hearings.

Electronic filing is nationally recognized by open government advocates as fundamental to public information. Previously in Montana, only statewide candidates had to file electronically. Legislative candidates and others could file hard copy reports, or email documents to the COPP. Both of those methods delayed public access to information that had to be scanned in manually. It took many hours of staff time just to get all the paper reports online several days later. Once online, those scanned reports werent searchable.

With the online filing system that debuted this month, reports are publicly accessible immediately upon filing. The reports are searchable by candidate, contributor and expenditure.

What can voters learn on the website of the Montana Campaign Electronic Reporting System?

Who has donated how much to a candidate.

What and how much the candidate has spent money on.

Loans made to the campaign.

How much the candidate has spent overall and how much is left in the campaign bank account.

For example: The latest filings by gubernatorial candidates show that Gov. Steve Bullock has $748,047 in the bank for primary campaign spending and $382,729 for the General Election. His main challenger, Greg Gianforte reported having $115,232 in his primary account and $246,826 on hand for the General Election.

Once the three COPP staff members who handle campaign reports got the electronic platform up and running, they focused on making the data more searchable, according Motl. He expects the COPP site will be searchable later this week for political action committees that must report spending.

Over the next reporting periods, we will provide guides for public and press to access information, Motl said.

The comprehensive online filing has been accomplished with no additional funding from the 2015 Legislature.

Motl praised his staffs dedication to making the filing system work for everyone. Candidates were encouraged to phone in with questions and concerns. Staff members provided answers. Now the public, even those who are voting early, can check into the money behind the candidates.

Another round of campaign finance reports will be due before the June 7 Primary Election. Statewide candidates are required to report again on May 23, while legislative and other state district candidates, and county office candidates must report again by May 26 on contributions and expenditures through May 21. Theres also a post-primary report due in late June. General Election reports are due at the beginning and end of October and in late November.

Find answers to your campaign money questions at the COPP website: www.politicalpractices.mt.gov. Another great resource is followthemoney.org, a service of the private, nonprofit National Institute for Money in State Politics, which is based in Helena.
Montanans have a fundamental choice right now that will dictate how competitive our energy economy will be for decades to come. Do we take charge of our energy future, or do we bury our heads in the sand and wait to see what happens?

The thing is, our energy economy is in crisis. More than half of all electricity generated in Montana is exported to buyers in Oregon, Washington and California. The majority of that is coal-powered electricity. But demand for coal-powered electricity is drying up as West Coast states gradually phase more renewable energy into their portfolios.

Our first instinct might be to dig in and protect the status quo. But if we sit around complaining and resisting for too long, the market for our electricity is going to dry up before our eyes. Then well have to figure out what Montana looks like without all that energy revenue and those energy jobs.

At the same time, Montanas clean energy resources are abundant but underutilized. Our wind resource is second best in the nation, but were only 21st in terms of wind energy development. And while solar provides only a small fraction of Montanas electricity today, the cost of solar power has dropped by half in the last five years, putting energy self-reliance within reach for Montana homeowners and businesses and kicking off a boom in the solar market around the country. Nationwide there are three times as many jobs in solar as there are in coal mining, and solar jobs are growing 10 times faster than the national average employment rate. Thats an opportunity Montana cant afford to pass up.

Together, wind, solar, and energy efficiency have the potential to meet demand while creating jobs in Montana, diversifying our energy portfolio, and keeping Montana competitive in the energy industry for decades to come.

Coal isnt going away tomorrow, but Montana has a narrow window of opportunity to prepare for the future. Montanas major energy customers are telling us what type of energy they will buy 10 and 20 years from now. California plans to obtain 50 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Oregon will reach 50 percent by 2040, and its two largest utilities are required to phase out of coal-fired electricity by 2035. And in Washington state, lawmakers have created a fund to pay for the retirement costs of Colstrip Units 1 and 2.

As these states phase out coal powered electricity, they will be demanding more clean energy. Where will they buy it from? Well, thats kind of up to us.

The biggest challenge to building a clean energy economy isnt cost or logistics. Its finding the political courage to recognize and engage in this new energy economy. Coal has been an important part of Montanas economy for a long time. But we have to separate the big picture debate (old vs. new, coal vs. renewable) from the situation right here in Montana. We cant sell our coal power. What can we sell instead?

For Montanans, clean energy is the solution.

Thats why the Montana Renewable Energy Association and Renewable Northwest launched a new campaign called Charge! last month. Charge! is about focusing the conversation on whats really driving change in Montanas energy economy and taking control of our energy future. The question isnt whether things are changing, its how to respond. Fortunately, Montanas next energy boom has been here all along, blowing through our fields and shining down on our rooftops.

We can take advantage of a new energy boom that creates thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars in new revenue. Or we can settle for nothing. The choice is ours. Go to ChargeMT.org and tell us what you think.
A Miles City woman accused in a meth trafficking scheme that involved at least 10 ounces of pure meth admitted federal charges on Monday.

Teal Cherie Harris, 24, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Susan Watters in Billings.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich said in court records that a federal Drug Enforcement Administration investigation found that Harris was a key member of a meth ring that included co-defendants, Michael Vincent Villalobos, Roper Ray Blankenship and Devin Allen Mitchell.

With help from a confidential informant, the DEA learned that Villalobos used his drug connections in California to have meth mailed to him and associates, Rubich said. Villalobos sent proceeds to California and had more meth shipped to Montana.

On Nov. 18, 2015, Harris picked up a package of meth that was addressed to her and she delivered it to Villalobos, Rubich said. The same day, investigators, working with the informant, make a controlled buy of three and three-quarters of an ounce of meth from Villalobos in Forsyth.

Villalobos, Harris and Mitchell were then arrested Nov. 23 in Dickinson, N.D., after picking up another package mailed from California, Rubich said. The package had been addressed to Harris. The package contained 10 ounces of pure meth, he said.

A plea deal calls for a second count to be dismissed at sentencing. Harris faces a minimum mandatory five years to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.

Watters set sentencing for Sept. 21. Harris remains in custody.

Mitchell has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy count and is to be sentenced on June 7. Villalobos and Blankenship have pleaded not guilty to charges.
POWELL, Wyo.  The hospital in Powell has sought bankruptcy protection in response to about 20 lawsuits over surgeries performed by an orthopedic surgeon who used to work there.

Powell Valley Healthcare's board of directors approved filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday. The board said in a statement the lawsuits from former patients of Dr. Jeffrey Hansen prompted the bankruptcy filing.

In court filings, Hansen and the hospital have denied any wrongdoing or negligence.

"These lawsuits are being brought by former patients of Dr. Hansen for services rendered back in 2013 and prior years," the PVHC board said in a prepared statement. "The lawsuits have nothing to do with the current medical staff or care being provided by the medical staff and PVHC to its patients."

Hansen was employed by Powell Valley Healthcare from 2006 until 2014. He resigned after being suspended.

Bill Patten, former chief executive officer for Powell Valley Healthcare, said in 2014 that Hansen was suspended "because of patient safety concerns."

Since August 2014, 20 former patients have filed lawsuits accusing Hansen of malpractice. They're seeking a combined total of more than $70 million in damages.

The patients allege they received substandard medical care from Hansen and claim Powell Valley Healthcare was too slow to suspend him and negligent in giving him medical credentials.

Two other patients filed malpractice suits in 2012 and 2013 against Hansen and Powell Valley Healthcare that resulted in confidential settlements.

The board's statement on Monday says that the litigation has "caused a tremendous strain in personnel time and finances."

While operating under Chapter 11, Powell Valley Healthcare will remain in control of its hospital and the day-to-day operations of Powell Valley Hospital, Powell Valley Clinic, Powell Valley Care Center and The Heartland. No layoffs or staff reductions are planned, the statement said.

According to the Wyoming Board of Medicine, Hansen remains licensed in Wyoming and has provided the board with an address in Montana. An attempt to reach Hansen on Tuesday for comment was not immediately successful.
Rhiannon Makohoniuk knows how valuable it can be to learn from people who share similar challenges and triumphs. One such experience for Rhiannon was the 2015 Canadian University Queer Services Conference (CUQSC) at Ryerson University in Toronto.



Naturally, Rhiannon, who is now vice-president, internal for the Dalhousie Student Union, was thrilled when the DSU was selected to host the 2016 edition of CUQSC here in Halifax.



Its a mix between service providers, student union people, people working within campus pride centres or gender centres, and just community members who are interested, she says of the roughly 130 people who participated in events and workshops from May 12-15. The conference brings together people from across the country who are doing this work, specifically on campuses, to get on the same page, share skills with one another and share knowledge



Its the first time its been held at Dal and the first time in the Maritimes.



The conference was headlined by DarkMatter, a performance art duo who delivered a performance of #ItGetsBitter, which mixed elements of spoken word, comedy, fashion and nursery rhymes in an exploration of life as a trans person of South Asian descent.



A variety of social events and a comprehensive range of workshops  covering issues from neurodiversity to activism to self-care  rounded out the four-day conference.



It really covers a wide spectrum, Rhiannon says. People can kind of choose their own adventure based on what interests them the most.



A collective effort



According to Rhiannon, hosting CUQSC required months of planning, with event organizer Tameera Mohamed leading a large planning committee that included members of the DSU, South House, DalOUT and other local post-secondary institutions. About 30 to 40 volunteers helped out during the conference itself.



Its been an amazing collective effort, says Rhiannon, who co-facilitated an anti-oppression workshop and led another about transmisogyny.



Rhiannon says CUQSC represents an important learning opportunity for each attendee.



Theres this realization you have in these types of spaces that you dont need to reinvent the wheel, because other people are doing similar things in their own communities and on their own campuses, she says. Crowdsourcing those skills and that knowledge can really help to build our communities individually, but also the queer and trans community across the nation.



Rhiannon adds that hosting the conference was a major milestone for the DSU and the university.



Feminist issues are student issues and so are queer and trans issues, so I think its awesome for the DSU to be at the forefront of creating this programming for queer and trans students and opening it up on our campus in a larger way to create national-level dialogues.
POWELL, Wyo.  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 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. 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.
State Bank of India has sought the governments permission to begin the process of merging its associate banks with itself.

Mumbai: State Bank of India has restarted the process of merging its associate banks, including assets and liabilities and the Bhartiya Mahila Bank on Tuesday afternoon  a development if successful will create one of biggest banks in the world.

The total turnover the five associate banks is Rs 9.6 lakh crore whilst their total deposits is Rs 5,900 crore and advances Rs 3,97,000 crore. SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattachraya said with the merger the balance sheet size will soar to Rs 37 lakh crore from Rs 28 lakh crore currently. We would like do it as quickly as possible but there are processes involved including approval from stakeholders, central government and the RBI, she said, adding that the cost of funds will also reduce.

SBI has five associate banks  State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Travancore.

Stressing that this is purely exploratory at this stage and not certain, Indias largest lender said a proposal seeking an in-principle approval to start negotiations with associate banks will be submitted to the central government.

A decision would be taken only after evaluating all the relevant considerations, it said.

The talk of merging the five associate banks has been going on for nearly a decade. However, it was put off after the crash of big US banks in 2008. There is a debate on whether banks are too big to fail. It has been picked up even in India.

However the government is keen to have at least two big banks that can be global players and also finance infrastructure projects. So discussion on merger of banks has been ongoing. Workers unions of associate banks, however, have been opposing the merger.

The 7,000 employees of the five associated banks of the State Bank of India, however, will go on a one-day strike on May 20 to protest against the takeover of associate banks by SBI.

Mr Devidas Tuljapurkar, central committee member of the All India Bank Employees Association said the five banks held their board meetings on Monday without any prior intimation even to the five workmen directors of the banks and despite their protest.

SBI also added: there is no certainty in relation to our completing the acquisitions, but the bank, as a matter of good corporate governance to ensure complete transparency, are intimating this decision.

Indias largest bank had merged with itself two other associate banks  namely the State Bank of Saurashtra and the State Bank of Indore in 2008 and 2010 respectively. All of these associate banks, with exception of State Bank of Travancore are headed by managing directors whilst Travancore is headed by a general manager who has been given additional charge.
Veteran actor Anupam Kher says he wants to have his own house in Shimla and set up a film city as symbol of love for the town, where he lived before moving to Mumbai for career in Bollywood. Kher, 61, was here to perform his play Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha along with Neena Gupta that is directed by veteran Rakesh Bedi, at the third Manohar Singh Memorial Drama Festival at historic Gaiety Theater, where he started his acting career from. We have been living in a rented house all along and I want to have a house of my own in Shimla, which is also the cherished dream of my mother, he told reporters. Setting of film city or opening a film Institute is also my dream and I have written to the successive governments thrice as the task cannot be accomplished without the support and encourage of the government, Kher said.

Very excited to perform our play #MeraWohMatlabNahiTha in Shimla in half hour in memory of Manohar Singh ji.:) pic.twitter.com/dGwbo7KiBr  Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) May 17, 2016

The actor also shared his memories with his late father spent in Shimla on Twitter.

Today's show of #MeraWohMatlabNahiTha is in memory of my father PushkarNath Ji's happy times spent in Shimla.:) pic.twitter.com/3WcHGvM7ZG  Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) May 17, 2016

The actor-producer, who is espousing the cause of displaced Kashmiri Pandits said, The efforts made by us have produced some positive results and I am pursuing the matter vigorously and hopeful of good results. While strolling on the Mall Road, Kher went down the memory lane and recalled many events and just stopped at Alfa Restaurant on Scandal Point and said, This is the place where my father gave me a treat after I failed in my Board examination and told me not to get disheartened by failures and work hard to achieve the goal.

Kher said that with concrete structures mushrooming in the town, number of vehicles increasing adding to pollution and disturbing the serene environs, the town has changed a lot in past few years. For him, however, the biggest change in the town has been his father's demise, which happened a few years ago. My father, who passed a few years ago is not here in Shimla and I will always miss him and remember with gratitude. My father was a clerk and today I am being interviewed and this is what I tell the people that anything can be achieved by sheer hardwork," the actor said.
Director Deepak Tijori said, "The impromptu kiss did take Kajal in a shocking zone, and she did back off calling for a cut, but later on once I had explained to her the significance of the lip lock, she surrendered herself to the script,"

Kajal has apparently never done an on screen kiss, whether it be South films, or Bollywood. Since Deepak Tijoris Do Lafzon Ki Kahani is anyways a love story Kajal was not prepared, nor aware of a kissing scene whilst they were filming in Malaysia, and it was a shock to her when Randeep grabbed her and smooched her, while enacting the scene.

It seems Randeep Hooda caught Kajal Aggarwal completely unaware while doing a scene in Malaysia.

Kajal and Randeep were doing a highly emotionally volatile scene between them, and Randeep being the actor breed, got carried away in the moment of the character, and just grabbed Kajals face, and went for the lip lock. Kajal immediately withdrew herself from the scene, and backed off.

Although she did not say anything to her co-actor Randeep, keeping in mind his sensibilities as an actor, she called for a cut and just went aside. Deepak eventually had to go and pacify Kajal, where she asked him to delete the shot that was canned, and go for a clean take.

On asking Deepak he clarified Well I do remember Kajal had told me that she does not do kissing scenes on screen, as she is a huge south Indian movie star, and this would impact her career in South movies. But let me tell you there was no intention to malign her or kiss her out of force, but it was the emotional moment between two lovers as per the script, and I generally prefer actors doing scenes impromptu, so Randeep followed the emotional quotient of the scene, and made a go at it. Sure it did take Kajal in a shocking zone, and she did back off calling for a cut, but later on once I had explained to her the significance of the lip lock, she surrendered herself to the script, and went on to do the scene with all the passion she could put in.

It was a furious moment between Deepak and Kajal, but as they say alls well that ends well, and so we finally get the South Indian queen doing her first ever Bollywood lip lock on screen.
Even as Ram Gopal Varmas Hindi flick Veerappan, a remake of his Kannada film Killing Veerappan is gearing up for release, we hear of the shocking revelation in it that the forest brigand had a plan to kidnap the countrys biggest superstar  Rajinikanth. If sources are to be believed, the biopic on the notorious sandalwood smuggler, who was killed by Tamil Nadus STF includes a scene which deals with Veerappans plot of kidnapping Rajini in a similar vein to his kidnapping of the Kannada matinee idol Dr Rajkumar.

It is said that the director came to know about this plan while he was researching the project. Meanwhile, in a series of tweets RGV has disclosed many things about Veerappan. In one of his tweets he has said, Veerappan used to think he is more famous than Rajinikanth and at one point he demanded a film to be made on him as a part of his ransom. He further added, Veerappans demand was to get a much bigger film made on him than Shekar Kapurs Bandit Queen because he was much bigger than Phoolan Devi. Whats even more unbelievable than Veerappan is the reality of how he was actually hunted down, (sic) read another.

RGV says that he did extensive homework, gathering information based on interviews with ex-gang members and inputs from mediators and cops from the Special Task Force, who were involved in the hunting down of the smuggler.
Traditionally, health and well-being is measured with the so-called medical model, which is based on physical health and the absence of disease. (Representative Image)

Mental health factors like loneliness, and sensory factors like hearing loss, can matter more to someone's well-being and risk of death than traditional measures like cancer and high blood pressure, a new study suggests.

Particularly in caring for older adults, doctors should consider more than just physical health, the researchers say. "Were a mosaic of all of these traits," said lead author Martha McClintock, of The University of Chicago. "In order to see the picture of health, you need to look at them together."

Traditionally, health and well-being is measured with the so-called medical model, which is based on physical health and the absence of disease. McClintock and her colleagues adapted the medical model to create what they call the comprehensive model, which includes medical, physical, psychological, functional and sensory factors.

To compare the two models, they used 2005-2006 data from the U.S. National Social Life, Health and Aging Project on a nationally representative sample of people ages 57 to 85.

According to the medical model, about two-thirds of the U.S. population in that age group is generally healthy. But in the comprehensive model, half of that population has health problems that increases their risk of death or incapacitation over the next five years.

The comprehensive model also identified two groups left out of the medical model: people with poor mental health, and those with healed bones that were broken after age 45. Between 14 and 19 percent of people in those classes would likely be dead within five years, compared to 6 to 16 percent of people in generally good health.

These two health classes "comprised a quarter of the U.S. population of people this age that were not predicted by the medical model at all," McClintock told Reuters Health.

The newer model also showed a complex relationship between obesity and old age. For example, obesity in older people without other health issues appears to confer little risk, but that's not true for people with other conditions like diabetes and poor mental health.

The researchers also report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science that diagnoses like cancer and high blood pressure, and behaviors like smoking, might not always have as big an impact as some mental health and sensory issues.

This doesn't mean that cancer, high blood pressure and smoking aren't important, said McClintock, but factors like loneliness and poor hearing were better predictors of being dead or incapacitated within five years.

She said the findings challenge the idea of chronological aging, when people progress from stage 1 to stage 2 and so on. Instead, she said, aging is more like a water system.

"I think of it as were going down a river as we age," said McClintock. "When were young adults or middle aged, were pretty much in the same boat, but then with aging the stream splits up (and) we start zigging and zagging on different pathways." Her team is working to confirm these findings among Baby Boomers, who would have grown up in a different era than the people in this study.

In the meantime, she said, older people can use this knowledge to find a healthcare team trained to think of health as constellations of conditions. They should tell their doctors about more than just their physical health, she advises, and should visit an audiologist and get a home safety study done. They can also become more socially active by joining community groups.
Felony charges of prostituting women have been dropped against a man who allegedly tried to chew off his fingertips to conceal his identity after he was arrested.

The charges were dropped Monday after the prosecutor lost contact with the alleged victims.

Thurman Stanley pleaded guilty to lesser misdemeanor drug, trespass and false information charges.

Burleigh County Assistant State's Attorney Julie Lawyer said the victims left the state right away, but she had remained in contact with them until recently.

She said she was disappointed with the outcome of the case.

"We're limited in what we can do with the witnesses we have sometimes," she said.

Stanley served 137 days in jail prior to Monday's hearing. South Central District Judge James Hill sentenced him to time served for giving a fake name to police and possessing a grinder and baggies for marijuana. He also got 30 days each for trespassing at the Ramada hotel and possessing marijuana, which is included in his time served.

His attorney, William Thomason, demanded a speedy trial in February. A jury trial had been scheduled for today.

Stanley will be extradited to Pennsylvania to face charges of recruiting and retaining prostitutes. Lawyer said her office filed the extradition paperwork Monday.

An affidavit from early January alleged that Stanley, 39, had two women working for him as prostitutes. In interviews, one of the women said he brought her to North Dakota from Pennsylvania. Both women said they turned their earnings over to him, and one said he provided her with protection.

Police confronted Stanley in a hotel room after a manager reported possible prostitution at the hotel, according to the affidavit. Stanley lied about his name to law enforcement and later tried to chew off his fingertips to conceal his identity, according to the document.

Thomason could not be immediately reached for comment.
Ghaziabad: A 45-year-old jilted woman allegedly hurled four litres of acid on a 28-year-old veterinary doctor on Monday morning in Vaishali area of the Ghaziabad district in Uttar Pradesh. The victim was admitted to a private hospital and is in a critical condition.

The alleged acid attack took place at around 8 am at the dog care clinic in Sector 4 of Vaishali area where the victim, Amit Verma, worked as a veterinary doctor.

According to Vermas roommate and friend Deepak, the veterinary doctor was lying on a couch in the clinic when the accused woman barged into the room and threw a bucket of acid on him.

Since the clinics door was open, she sneaked into the living room and threw acid on Amits face and other parts of the body. She immediately fled from the clinic while Amit was shouting in pain. I took him to a private hospital nearby and immediately informed the police, said Deepak.

The police reached the hospital as Verma was being treated for his burns. However, the police could not record the victims statement as he was unable to speak.

The patient has sustained 40 per cent burns on his face, chest, abdomen and arms. He is currently under observation, said Dr Sunil Dagar of Yashoda Hospital in Kaushambi.

The UP police said that the victim is a native of Aligarh and his family was informed about the incident. He had joined the dog care clinic in Vaishali on April 26 and had been living in the house adjacent to it since then. According to Deepak, before joining the clinic, Verma was working as a veterinary doctor at a slaughter house in Meerut. Amit was staying at a rented accommodation and he developed a close relationship with the 45-year-old landlady. However, when he left Meerut and shifted to Vaishali in Ghaziabad, it didnt go down well with the woman, he said.

Deepak added that the woman followed him to Vaishali and met him over three times in the past 18 days.

As soon as Amit was injured, I had asked him who did it and he uttered the words Aunt after which I realised that it is the same landlady who had been pursuing him for long. She had called the Amit for more than 100 times between Saturday and Sunday, but Amit did not respond to any of her calls, said Deepak. The woman left behind a purse with an identity card of another woman to confuse the police. Things will be clearer once the victims condition is better, said Gorakhnath Yadav, SHO, Indirapuram police station.

(THIS STORY ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN THE ASIAN AGE AS MAY THE CASE BE)
BENGALURU: An inebriated top sales executive of a private company crashed his Delhi-registered high-end BMW car into an autorickshaw, leaving four people injured near Indiranagar, late on Sunday night.

High drama prevailed at the Indiranagar traffic police station after the accused driver refused to undergo an alcometer test and tried to throw his weight around, saying he was an influential person in the city. The police identified the accused driver as Samrat Chadha, a vice-president (sales) with a reputed firm.

The police said that the accident took place on Saturday night around 11 pm on G.M. Palya Road and based on a complaint filed, an FIR was registered a little after midnight.

The injured  Manikantha, Manjunath, Govardhan and the auto driver, Sudha Mohan were rushed to a private hospital, where they are said to be out of danger. They were heading for a religious function at J.B. Nagar from New Thippasandra when Samrat, who was driving the car rashly, collided with the autorickshaw head on. The impact overturned the auto and threw three passengers out of the vehicle.

Passersby rushed the injured to a private hospital at Malleshpalya, and also alerted the Indiranagar traffic police, who detained Samrat. It took about four hours for the police to complete the alcometer test and the results were positive. We subjected him to a medical test and he was found to be drunk.

Even alcometer readings indicated that the alcohol level in his blood was more than the permissible limit. The police let him free as he had suffered injuries. The local police have been directed to arrest him soon, said a police officer.
Mumbai: The CBI probing the Sheena Bora murder case sought more time on Tuesday to file its reply on the desire expressed by prime accused Indrani Mukerjea's former driver Shyamvar Rai to turn approver in the case.

The Special Judge HS Majahan adjourned the case until June 6 after special CBI prosecutor Kavita Patil sought more time.

Rai had on May 11 sought to turn approver, saying he wants to "disclose all truths" as he had taken part in the crime.

He had also written a two-page letter to the court seeking pardon. The agency had earlier sought time till today to file its reply. Rai was the first accused to be arrested in the case in August 2015.

The murder came to light after Rai was picked up in connection with an arms case and later spilled the beans on the crime.

He had last year recorded his confessional statement before a magistrate under section 164 of CrPc, which unlike the police statement is admissible in the trial.

Indrani, her husband and media baron Peter Mukerjea, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and Rai are accused in the case.

Sheena (24), Indrani's daughter from earlier relationship, was strangulated inside a car in April 2012. Her body was found in a forest in Raigad. The crime is allegedly linked to certain financial dealings.

Indrani, Khanna and Rai were arrested in August last year and Peter in November. According to the CBI, Peter was part of the murder conspiracy.

While Peter (59) and Khanna are lodged in Arthur Road prison, Indrani (43) is in Byculla womens' jail and Rai in Thane jail.
New Delhi: The Pakistani JIT Friday concluded its six-day discussions with NIA on the probe into the Pathankot terror attack even as the visiting officials recorded statements of witnesses and collected DNA report of slain terrorists.

On the proposal for an NIA team's visit to Pakistan, the Joint Investigating Team (JIT) has welcomed it, saying mutually convenient dates will be worked out.

The team was given a detailed presentation on the probe conducted so far and it was taken to the crime scene in Pathankot.

It has also been handed over some more documents which included DNA report of the four terrorists killed in the 80-hour gun battle with security forces.

The Pakistani team, headed by Additional Inspector General of Police, Counter Terrorism Department, Muhammad Tahir Rai and including ISI's Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed, began their day by recording the statements of witnesses in the case,

National Investigation Agency (NIA) sources said.

The team arrived in India on March 27. They recorded statements of 16 witnesses, including Superintendent of Police-rank officer of Punjab Salwinder Singh, his jeweller-friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal.

The three were kidnapped by the Pathankot attack perpetrators belonging to the banned Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1.

The Pakistani JIT had asked NIA to hand over swabs of the four terrorists, identified as Nasir Hussain (Punjab province), Abu Bakar (Gujranwala) and Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum (both from Sindh).

However, the Indian anti-terror probe agency handed over to the visitors the DNA report of the terrorists and asked them to match those with their family members, the NIA sources said.

Besides recording the statement of the three, the JIT also spoke to the caretaker of a shrine visited by Singh before he was kidnapped, policemen and residents who spotted the vehicle of the police officer after it was abandoned by the attackers.

Statements of doctors who conducted the post-mortem on the bodies were also recorded.
New Delhi: India has told United Nations (UN) that Jaish-e- Mohammed chief Masood Azhar was one of the handlers of the terrorists who attacked the Pathankot airbase in January 2016 and that his outfit received arms training from Taliban.



In its failed bid to have Masood designated as terrorist by the UN, India has conveyed to the world body that he and his terrorist group JeM have continuously engineered terror attacks against India, the latest instance being the strike on Pathankot airbase on January 2.

Read: Masood Azhar issue at UN: India to raise issue with China



The attack was engineered by terrorists belonging to JeM and credible evidence has emerged that the handlers of the terrorists were senior leaders of JeM, including Masood Azhar, according to the Draft List Entry submitted in the UN.



Further, incriminating material has also been recovered from the dead terrorists disclosing their links to the terrorist organisation, it said.



Masood had a meeting with Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and decided to "avenge" the hanging of Afzal Guru, who was convicted for the 2001 attack on Parliament.

Read: Pathankot attack: NIA to seek access to JeM chief Masood Azhar, others



"A decision was taken in the meeting for possible cooperation with the Taliban to train terrorists for this purpose. There are credible intelligence reports that elements of JeM have actually received training in tactics, use of weapons and psychological warfare from the Taliban," the draft said.



At the behest of Pakistan, China had blocked India's bid to have Azhar designated as terrorist by the UN in the aftermath of the Pathankot strike.



Pushing its case for incorporating Masood's name in the al Qaeda Sanctions List, India has told the UN that Masood is a Pakistan-based international terrorist and a leader of JeM and its chief financier, recruiter and motivator.



The JeM chief has been "participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of supplying, selling or transferring arms and related material to recruiting for and otherwise supporting acts or activities of al Qaeda, Harkat-ul-Mujahidin and JeM", the draft said.

Read: JeM chief conducted recruitment drive in UK: report

In 1993, Masood first came to the notice of the Indian authorities when he came into contact with leaders of Al-Itihaad Al-Islamiya, an al Qaeda-aligned Somali terror group which had requested money and recruits from Harkat-ul- Mujahidin, a terrorist group based in Pakistan with which Masood was closely associated.



Masood had visited Somalia during that time and facilitated recruitment of Yemeni mercenaries to Somalia.



In 1994, Masood surfaced in Jammu and Kashmir to mediate between various feuding factions of terrorist groups active in the state. He was arrested in February 1994.



However, in 1999, Masood had to be released after his brother Abdul Rauf along with a few others hijacked an Indian Airlines plane and taken to Kandahar in Afghanistan, which was then under the control of Taliban.
Jaipur: Students studying in Class 8 in schools of Rajasthan will not be told who Jawaharlal Nehru was.

The new social science textbook for Class 8 does not mention Nehru either as a freedom fighter or as the first Prime Minister of independent India, according to a media report.

Not yet available in the market but uploaded on the website of publisher Rajasthan Rajya Pathyapustak Mandal (http://www.rstbraj.in) the new textbook mentions Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Patel, Veer Savarkar, Bhagat Singh, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and revolutionary Hemu Kalani, but has no mention of Pandit Nehru.

In the new chapter on National Movement, there is no mention of Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Madan Mohan Malviya or other freedom fighters. Interestingly, Mahatma Gandhis assassination by Nathuram Godse has also been avoided.

Meant for use in schools of the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education, the textbook revision has been carried out as part of curriculum re-structuring by the State Institute of Education Research and Training (SIERT), Udaipur.

However, School Education Minister Vasudev Devnani claimed he had no idea of Nehrus omission from the textbook. The government and I have nothing to do with it. I am yet to see the new textbooks. The syllabus is created by an autonomous body and the government does not interfere in it at all, he said.

But Devnanis recent comments tell a different story. He had said that the Rajasthan government was redesigning textbooks to ensure that no Kanhaiya Kumar was born in the state. He had also said that he wanted the curriculum would have a new set of agendas like teach the child about the veer and veerangana of Rajasthan; make the child proud of Indian culture and create an ideal citizen and a patriot.

Additionally, Emperor Akbar would no longer be called Akbar the Great. The great suffix would instead be used for Maharana Pratap. The change is reflected in the Class 8 textbook for medieval history.

The history section of the textbook has been written by eight authors, mostly faculty from government schools.

Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot slammed the exclusion of Nehru from the textbooks. This is taking saffronisation to the next level. The BJPs ideological bankruptcy has stooped to such levels that it is erasing the countrys first Prime Minister from school history books. But they should know that this does not mean they can erase Nehrus memory and his contribution from the nations collective conscience. We will oppose this attempt to alter the nations history, he was quoted as saying.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi raked up the issue of imposition of Emergency in 1975 and told party MPs that the younger generation should be apprised on its anniversary on June 26 (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: As the Modi government completes two years in office on May 26, it has planned a month long campaign where ministers and MPs will highlight "achievements" and also apprise people of measures that were stalled due to "obstruction" by Congress-led opposition in Parliament.

At a meeting of BJP Parliamentary Party on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raked up the issue of imposition of Emergency in 1975 and told party MPs that the younger generation should be apprised on its anniversary on June 26 on how an attempt was made "to crush democracy and who were the people behind it".

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters that in the meeting Modi spoke about the two years of NDA government and said that all ministers will travel to 200 main "nerve centres" across the country and inform people about their achievements.

"The Minister and MPs will also apprise the people about the laws and welfare measures which were not allowed to be passed in Parliament because of obstruction of some people and the damage that happened because of this. People will be told about who are the people who have caused this obstruction," Rudy said.

The Modi government has been accusing the Congress of obstructing several of its reform measures.

Rudy said that MPs of the party will spend at least one night in their constituencies while they would hold interactions with people in adjoining constituencies and other areas.

The minister also said the Prime Minister spoke about how an attempt was made to "crush democracy" during Emergency and emphasised that the younger generation needs to be apprised of this.

In the meeting, the newly nominated members to the Rajya Sabha including Subramanian Swamy, Navjot Sidhu were also introduced, Rudy said.

Rudy was also asked by reporters for his comments on the questions raised by Congress and Aam Aadmi Party over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degrees.

"Congress and AAP's claims are a bundle of lies. All the facts have been put in public domain. If even after that they want to raise questions, it shows their intentions are not right. This is nothing but petty politics," he said.
AAP, which has kicked off the 'Goa Jodo' campaign ahead of elections, will take the drive to next level after Kejriwal's rally on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)

Panaji: In view of Assembly elections in Goa next year, Aam Aadmi Party is mulling to organise a volunteers' meet next week, a day after Delhi Chief Minister and party convener Arvind Kejriwal's scheduled rally in the coastal state.

"We are planning a volunteers' meet on Monday a day after Kejriwal's public rally. The meet is still being finalised," AAP's media coordinator for Goa, Rupesh Shinkre told PTI on Tuesday.

Kejriwal is scheduled to address his first ever public meeting after formation of AAP at Campal Ground in Goa. AAP, which has kicked off the 'Goa Jodo' campaign ahead of elections, will take the drive to next level after Kejriwal's rally on Sunday.

"'Goa Jodo' campaign will go to next level after Kejriwal's public meeting. Wait for the announcement...we have a lot of things lined up to reach to the people," Shinkre said. After romping home in Delhi Assembly elections last year, the AAP has not set its eye on the coastal state with Kejriwal earlier stating in an online video that 'it's time to change Goa'.

Goa is ruled by the BJP-led government with Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party as its alliance partner while the opposition bloc comprises 14 MLAs, including three Independents, nine legislators from Congress and two from Goa Vikas Party.
A case was earlier registered by Thane police against Rane, his personal assistant Tushar Panchal and bodyguard Manish Singh under IPC sections for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting Congress president of Chiplun taluka, Sandeep Sawant, in April (Photo: Twitter)

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to grant pre-arrest bail to former Congress MP Nilesh Rane, son of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane, in a case of alleged assault and kidnapping filed by a party worker from Chiplun in Ratnagiri district.

Justice Ajay Gadkari asked him to surrender before police on or before May 23 while allowing Rane to withdraw his anticipatory bail petition.

"I am of the view that this is not a fit case to grant anticipatory bail," the Judge ruled after perusing a police reply opposing Rane's plea for liberty and also while going through the FIR lodged against him.

The police said in a written reply that there were serious allegations against Rane and his custodial interrogation was needed as investigations were still on.

When the court said it was not inclined to grant Rane pre-arrest bail and was about to dismiss his petition, his lawyer Rajendra Shirodkar sought to withdraw the plea with a rider that Rane would surrender to police.

The court allowed him to withdraw the petition and asked him to surrender within a week. The judge gave his ruling after hearing public prosecutor Arfan Sait and Rane's counsel Shirodkar on granting pre-arrest bail to Rane.

A case was earlier registered by Thane police against Rane, his personal assistant Tushar Panchal and bodyguard Manish Singh under IPC sections for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting Congress president of Chiplun taluka, Sandeep Sawant, in April.

A sessions court had earlier rejected Rane's plea for pre-arrest bail. Aggrieved, Rane moved the high court with a plea for anticipatory bail.

According to the FIR, Nilesh Rane and his accomplices had allegedly kidnapped Sawant and assaulted him on way to Mumbai for not attending a rally called by Rane at Chiplun in Ratnagiri district to demand reservation for the Maratha community.

Sawant was allegedly confined to a house at Andheri in Mumbai and later let-off, the complaint alleged. Sawant had told Rane that he could not attend the rally because his mother had taken ill in a nearby village and he had to rush there to be with her.
More than 8.8 lakh students wrote the exam in 2,421 centres.

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Higher Secondary Examination Board announced the Tamil Nadu HSC Results 2016 on Thursday.

Students can know their results from following website: www.tnresults.nic.in.

Over 8.8 lakh appeared for the examinations in 2,421 centres. Plus-2 exams were held from March 4 to April 1. The evaluation work was over in the third week of April.

In order to check their results, they have to register their date of birth and register number to seethe results. Students can also check their results in their respective schools, district collector's offices and all central and branch libraries free of cost.

Students who fail in their board exams can apply for instant exam which will be conducted in June. SSLC results will be released on May 25. More than 11 lakh students wrote the exam.

So far 1.75 lakh students registered online for the engineering counselling. This year the registration started on April 15.

According to the sources from Anna University, the common medical entrance test (Neet-2) may delay the engineering counselling this year. The counselling dates will be finalised in a week.
Chennai: Chennaiites, who awoke to pleasant weather on D-Day, voted briskly in the morning with the 35 per cent mark recorded around noon. Where the voters played truant was in the posh areas of south and central Chennai when people seem to have decided post-lunch to take the day off altogether. The citys final poll percentage was about 60.47 per cent, a dip of about 7 per cent compared to the 2011 assembly polls.

Earlier in the day, the poll mood had been infectious with chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, DMK president and former CM, M. Karunanidhi, DMDK leader Vijayakanth and M K Stalin voting in Chennai along with the cine stars who attracted a lot of attention, but the momentum faded after 3 pm with booths running dry without voters. In fact, polling and normal life went hand in hand in constituencies like R K Nagar, Royapuram, Perambur and Harbour and the usual election fervour was totally absent just before poll closing time.
Bureaucrats have been asked to draw up a blueprint in 10 days to put an end to projection of women as "commodity" in advertisements, an official said. (Photo: PTI)

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh has asked government departments in the state to stop depiction of women in poor light in advertisements. Bureaucrats have been asked to draw up a blueprint in 10 days to put an end to projection of women as "commodity" in advertisements, an official said.

The state government may also bring a legislation to remove such hoardings, the official said. Chouhan has often voiced concern over such advertisements in his public addresses and had once even got hoardings featuring scantily dressed women removed in the state capital.

Significantly, putting an end to the undignified portrayal of women in ads was part of the 51-point declaration adopted at the recent International Conference on "Living the Right Way" held on the sidelines of Simhastha-Kumbh in Ujjain district.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released the declaration at the concluding session of the meet. Chouhan, at a meeting on Monday, also asked Chief Secretary Anthony de SA to take steps for implementation of the other resolutions of the document as well.

The chief minister directed the officials to ensure that 50 other resolutions, including formation of happiness department in the state, planting of saplings along banks of Narmada and Kshipra rivers, inclusion of lessons in school syllabus to inculcate the spirit of respect for all religions, moral values promotion in schools, to promote Ayurvedic system of medicine and appointment of Yoga teachers in schools, are translated into action.
The SpiceJet flight from Kochi to Mumbai initially got delayed by 75 minutes, which led to a series of confusing events. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: In a strange incident that happened on Saturday night, 40 SpiceJet passengers, on their way to board a flight from Kochi to Mumbai, saw their airline take off without them while they were still in a bus.

The confusion was discovered only after the passengers raised an alarm to the bus driver, who alerted the airline ground staff and crew.

Air traffic control then proceeded to inform the pilot, who turned around the Boeing 737 to pick up the remaining passengers.

The SpiceJet flight from Kochi to Mumbai initially got delayed by 75 minutes, which led to a series of confusing events.

When the passengers were being transported from the terminal to the plane, there was a sudden downpour, which led to the bus halting for over 30 minutes.

There were two SpiceJet aircrafts parked ahead - the Boeing 737 bound for Mumbai and a Q400 that was heading to Chennai. When they saw the bigger aircraft moving, they urged the driver to take them to their flight, fearing it might be the one flying to Mumbai.

"We were worried that this was our flight, since ours was the Mumbai flight and so it would be operated by the bigger aircraft. But since it's not possible that they would leave passengers behind, we weren't sure," a passenger said.

The bus driver then took passengers to the Chennai-bound flight and seeing their boarding passes, they were informed that they got the wrong flight. Meanwhile, the Boeing 737 stated to taxi towards the runway.

The passengers caused an outrage which made the crew call back the flight from the runway in a frenzy and remaining travellers finally boarded the plane.

P Mohanan, a former ICAO security auditor, said, "In 1985, Air India's Kanishka bombing took place only because the terrorists had checked-in their bags, but they didn't board. Since then passenger-baggage reconciliation has been made mandatory. Even if one passenger has not boarded and his/her bag has been checked in, it has to be removed before the plane can depart. This is a major security breach and an inquiry should be conducted."

The aircraft, which was scheduled to take off at 8:10pm, finally departed at 10pm.
The Pathankot air base was attacked by heavily armed terrorists reportedly having allegiance to the Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist organisation based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in which four terrorists and three security forces personnel were killed. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has for the first time sent a formal request to Islamabad for permission to visit Pakistan to carry forward its probe into the January Pathankot airbase attack carried out by Pak-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

According to a report in The Indian Express, the NIA was prompted to take this step after Pakistan failed to send any reply to the Letters Rogatory sent to Islamabad.

NIA sources revealed to the newspaper that the agency has sent a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs and they would forward it to Pakistani authorities.

Read: Pathankot probe: India will send NIA to Pak at an appropriate time, says MEA

The investigating agency wants to record statements of chief accused and JeM chief Masood Azhar, his brother brother Abdul Rauf, and Shahid Latif and Kashif Jaan who are the alleged handlers of the Pathankot terrorists.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) last month said that an Indian team would be sent to Pakistan at an appropriate time without giving any timeline for such a visit.

The Centre had asserted that the visit of Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in Pathankot terror attack probe case was on the basis of reciprocity and government is in touch with the authorities of the country on the matter.

Read: Pathankot probe: Pak JIT winds up probe in India

The Pakistani team, headed by Additional Inspector General of Police, Counter Terrorism Department, Muhammad Tahir Rai and including ISI's Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed had visited India in March to carry their probe into the terror attack.

The team arrived in India on March 27. They recorded statements of 16 witnesses, including Superintendent of Police-rank officer of Punjab Salwinder Singh, his jeweller-friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal.

The three were kidnapped by the Pathankot attack perpetrators belonging to the JeM on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1.
Two elders collapsed at polling stations in southern districts before casting their votes in the Assembly elections on Monday.

Madurai: Two elders collapsed at polling stations in southern districts before casting their votes in the Assembly elections on Monday. However, braving heavy rain, people including many elders and first time voters took active part in election since early morning with six southern districts of Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Sivaganga, Ramanthapuram and Virudhunagar witnessing 65 to 72 per cent polling till 5 pm.

Subramanian (70) collapsed when he was waiting in the queue to vote at Thiru.Vi.Ka Higher Secondary school in Madurai. Though officials in the polling station rushed him to Government Rajaji Hospital, he died on the way.

In another incident, Kuruvamma Rajalakshmi (70) fell down near the polling station at Gopalapuram in Aruppukottai to-wn. Polling personnel ga-ve her first aid at the Primary Health Centre there. She died on the way to the Government Hospital at Aruppukottai.

Though heavy rain hampered polling in the morning in Ramanthapuram, Sivaganga, Theni and hill areas in Dindigul districts, voters in Madurai and Virudhunagar actively participated in polling.

It's the only weapon for me to punish politicians who failed to serve the people, said 80-year-old Parusuraman who was taken to the polling station by his grandchildren in the rain at Avaniyapuram.
Modi is likely to address the rally in Saharanpur, a Western UP district, and party chief Amit Shah too will take part in multiple events in the state during the period. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh will be at the centre of BJP's celebration of Narendra Modi government's second anniversary with the Prime Minister set to address a rally in the state on May 26 and almost all senior ministers scheduled to visit it during an over 15-day exercise.

The state, which the party had swept in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, is crucial to its electoral fortunes and it is investing a lot of political resources there to return to power in the Assembly polls scheduled for early next year.

Modi is likely to address the rally in Saharanpur, a Western UP district, and party chief Amit Shah too will take part in multiple events in the state during the period. "Most of the ministers will go to the state. They will address public meetings, press conferences, convention of workers besides holding other events as part of the exercise," BJP General Secretary Arun Singh said.

Aiming to ensure the presence of senior party leaders and ministers in maximum states, the party has constituted about 30 teams of four to five members each and every team will visit six places in as many states, he said.

One team will include a cabinet minister, a minister of state, one party office-bearer apart from a member or two from the state unit concerned. Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Patna, Dehradun, Mumbai and Pathankot and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will go to Bhopal, Lucknow and Amritsar among other places.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to visit Jaipur, Pune, Hyderabad and Chandigarh among other places. The Lok Sabha MPs, including ministers, have also been asked to vist their constituencies. The party has prepared a list of government's "achievements" which will be the main talking points of these leaders.
HYDERABAD: Out of the 76 witnesses examined so far during the trial in the Macca Masjid bomb blast case in the NIA special court at Nampally, no one has identified the accused, including Lokesh Sharma (who is also facing trial in Malegaon blast case).

However, crucial witnesses are yet to be examined in the case, said sources. The blast at Macca Masjid on May 18, 2007, had killed nine and injured 58.

NIA special public prosecutor Mr N. Harinath said, So far 76 witnesses have been examined, of them, around 30 were victims who were injured in the blast. The victims spoke about attending the prayers, and when and how the blast took place. Other witnesses were the cellphone and SIM card sellers who deposed in the NIA court, which is the fourth additional MSJ court. So far no witness has identified the accused. But crucial witnesses in the case are yet to be examined.

He added that two of the accused in the Mecca Masjid case are also accused in the Malegaon blast case.

List of accused

1 Devendra Gupta @ Bobby

2 Lokesh Sharma @ Ajay Tiwari

3 Nabakumar Sarkar @ Swamy Asimanand

4 Bharat Mohanlal Rateswar @ Bharat Bhai

5 Rajendhar Chowdary

6 Sandeep V Dange (absconding)

7 Ramchandra Kalsangra
The counter intelligence sleuths of Telangana State had earlier warned about the ISIS Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind (Army of the Caliph in India) network. (Representational Image)

Hyderabad: Lone wolf attacks still pose a serious threat in South Indian cities like Hyderabad, warned intelligence agencies. After successfully unearthing ISIS modules, TS counter intelligence sleuths are now trying to identify possible lone wolves.

A top TS intelligence official said, In January we busted a big module and conducted raids across the country with the help of the National Investigation Agency and arrested 15 people. However, due to Internet radicalisation we still fear that there are several individuals waiting for an opportunity to carry out attacks. We cant rule out lone wolf attacks in any city in India including Hyderabad.

Infographics

The counter intelligence sleuths of Telangana State had earlier warned about the ISIS Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind (Army of the Caliph in India) network. The groups terror modules have a bomb-maker, an electricity specialist and an information security analyst who can hack into systems and foot soldiers.

What is proved worldwide is that there is no need for a group. A lone wolf can carry out attacks by using information available on the Internet. He/she can make IEDs, procure weapons and carry out attacks, said an Intelligence official.

One Shafi Armar alias Yousuf was killed recently in Syria. Shafi Armar was handling Indian operations till his death. His death may have temporarily affected ISIS operations in India, the official said.
CHENNAI: After India Today editor Rajdeep Sardesais tweet, Many others too have raised doubts over the exit polls and questioned all the associated excitement. Interesting exit poll coverage. My own take, pollsters I think may well have got one state wrong. Lets see which one, tweeted Bhupendra Chaubey of CNN-News18 past midnight and shortly later, added: Assam, WB trends are clear. But what about Tamil Nadu. No one has a clue. Was it an issue less election? #PollOfPolls2016.

Recalling that the DMK had polled around 24 per cent in 2014 with its ally Congress getting a little under five per cent, poll analyst Dr Sumanth C Raman wonders from where this alliance would get the huge ten-plus swing to catapult it over the rival AIADMK.

Was there a perceptible anti-incumbency mood? he told DC. DMK supporters retort saying that the 10 per cent swing in favour of their party is not impossible since this is a state election whereas 2014 was for the Lok Sabha.

People went to the booths on Monday with the option of choosing Kalaignar as CM whereas the Parliament poll was for electing the PM, argued DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan, former MP. Many look at the exit polls as timepass rather than any serious exercise.
New Delhi: The BJP-led NDA seems to have landed into a fresh controversy over yoga yet again. If it was controversy over Surya Namaskar last year, this year its over the proposal to chant Om and a Sanskrit shloka on the International Yoga Day on June 21. Cutting across party lines, the Opposition has accused the Centre of trying to push through its communal agenda through yoga.

The ministry of Ayush under health ministry has proposed Om chanting and recital of some Vedic mantras before the 45-minute yoga session to be performed as part of the International Yoga Day. A common yoga protocol approved and circulated by the ministry of ayush said: Yogic practice shall start with a prayer or prayerful mood to enhance benefits of the practice.

Read: Chanting 'Om' on International Yoga Day not compulsory, says ministry

A debate was also raging over a letter issued by the UGC, asking vice-chancellors of all universities to ensure wide participation of students and teachers on yoga day. The letter, issued by the publication officer, website division, UGC, Jaspal S. Sandhu states, You are also requested to ensure these activities in the affiliated colleges.

He concludes the letter saying, I request your personal indulgence in celebrating yoga day... on June 21 in a befitting manner. Senior Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit lashed out at the government, saying, Chanting Om seems suspicious because the word Om has inclinations towards one particular religion. It is silly to impose the Om chanting and the whole debate about it being scientifically important stands no relevance.

However, Anil Kumar Ganeriwala, joint secretary, ministry of ayush, said that nothing has been changed in the Yoga protocol (since what was issued last year).
Lucknow: Mr Amar Singh and Mr Beni Prasad Varma will the Samajwadi Partys candidate for the upcoming biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha. Mr Beni Varma had returned to the Samajwadi Party from the Congress less than a week ago and Mr Amar Singhs six year expulsion from the party ended in January this year.

Announcing this at a press conference here on Tuesday, senior party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav said that the central parliamentary board of the party which met here on Tuesday morning had authorised the party president Mulayam Singh Yadav to take the final decision about the names.

He said that other names finalised for Rajya Sabha were Mr Reoti Rama Singh, Mr Sukhram Singh Yadav, Mr Vishambhar Nishad, Mr Arvind Singh and Mr Sanjay Seth.

Mr Sanjay Seth is a controversial builder from Lucknow whose name had been rejected by the UP Governor when the party had included his name for nomination to the Uttar Pradesh legislative council.

According to party sources, the candidature of Mr Amar Singh was strongly opposed by Professor Ram Gopal Yadav and Mohd Azam Khan but the two leaders later left the decision to Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Mr Shivpal Singh Yadav, however, denied that there was any opposition to any name and said that the entire parliamentary board supported the party presidents decision. Mr Shivpal Singh Yadav also declared the partys official candidates for the UP legislative Council.

The legislative Councils names include Mr Balram Yadav, Mr Shatrudh Prakash, Mr Jagjivan Prasad, Mr Ram Sundar Das, Mr Yeshwant Singh, Mr Kamlesh Pathak, Mr Bukkal Nawab and Mr Ranvijay Singh.

BSP likely to change its candidates-in-waiting

The proverbial sword in now dangling over the heads of the candidates-in-waiting for the assembly polls in the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). BSP president Mayawati has convened a meeting of all party MLAs and coordinators in Delhi on May 20 to take stock of the situation.

She will make a seat-to-seat assessment of the progress made by party candidates and those who have failed to make an impact in their constituencies will be replaced. The BSP, it may be recalled, had finalised candidates for over 300 seats in UP in 2014, immediately after the Lok Sabah elections.

Candidates on the remaining seats were cleared in 2015 and almost all candidates have already campaigned in their respective constituencies for over a year now even though the party has not made their names official as yet.

This is the right time to review each seat because if the candidate has failed to connect with the voters till now, chances are that he will not be able to do so in the next few months, said a party functionary.
Sooraj Pancholi is accused of abetting the suicide of his girlfriend-actor Jiah Khan.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to suspend the trial of actor Suraj, accused of abetment to suicide of his former girl friend Jiah Khan on June 3, 2013.

A vacation Bench of Justices Abhay Manohar Sapre and Ashok Bhushan, however, granted liberty to Zias mother Rabia Amin to approach the Bombay High Court and said as and when such a petition is filed the High Court should expedite the hearing of the case.

Appearing for Rabia, senior counsel Jayant Bhushan argued that Rabia had lost faith in the trial as the trial judge was proceeding with the hearings even in the absence of the special public prosecutor.

The trial court had asked the assistant public prosecutor to argue on Pancholis plea for a clean chit despite the fact that the APP had nothing to do with the case and was not prepared to make his submissions.

Counsel urged the court to restrain the trial court from passing any order on discharge petitions when the trial resumes later this month. The Bench, however, refused to entertain the petition.

According to Rabia, on her petition for constituting an SIT to conduct further probe, the Bombay High Court had initially stayed the trial on February 26, but refused to extend it further.
Absconding JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi, whose son Rocky Yadav was arrested in connection with the killing of a Gaya youth in an incident of road rage, surrendered in a court on Tuesday and was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. (Photo: PTI)

Patna: Suspended JD (U) MLC Manorama Devi finally surrendered before the Gaya court on Tuesday after her petition for anticipatory bail was rejected on Monday. She was sent to 14 days of judicial custody by the court on Tuesday immediately after she surrendered.

Manorama Devi had gone into hiding after warrant of arrest was issued against for illegally possessing liquor bottles at her residence. The police had also filed a case of child labour against her after an under-age boy was found working as a domestic help at her house during raids.

I have full faith in the judiciary, Suspended JD (U) MLC and Rocky Yadavs mother said after she surrendered before the court Tuesday morning. She also denied allegations that liquor bottles were recovered from her house during raids. While terming charges against her as politically motivated she said, truth will come out soon, all charges against me are false.

Manorama Devi is the mother of Rocky Yadav who had allegedly murdered Aditya Sachdeva in Gaya on May 7. The police may seek her remand from the court to probe her involvement in trying to suppress facts related to Adityas murder. The police also believe that she and her husband Bindi Yadav tried to help their son Rocky evade arrest.

Rocky Yadav was arrested on May 10 from one of the factories of his father Bindi Yadav who is also in Jail. She surrendered a day after CM Nitish Kumar promised stern action against those involved in the Aditya case.

Chief Minister had said, Those who are involved in the case will not be spared I dont care who the person is. The JD (U) had suspended MLC Manorama Devi from the party immediately after her son was arrested and liquor bottles were recovered from her house on May 10.
Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh has ruled out any possibility of imposing prohibition in the state. Senior UP minister Shivpal Singh Yadav told reporters that a ban on liquor would lead to massive corruption in the state.

Look what is happening in Bihar  people are still consuming liquor on the sly. It is being sold in a clandestine manner. Whenever liquor has been banned, the liquor mafia and some officials make good money. We want that the revenue should go into the state exchequer and not into private pockets, he said.

Bihar CM had urged UP CM to impose prohibition in UP. He had said that his efforts to ensure a complete ban on liquor were disturbed by UP since people in the border areas were crossing into UP to consume liquor.
Vikas Swarup said that the JIT's visit to investigate the Pathankot air base attack was held in a very constructive and cooperative environment. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: With Pakistan claiming that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has not made any request to visit the country to conduct the Pathankot terror attack probe, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said the next step will be considered at an appropriate time.

"The investigations are going on in both countries. We will consider the next step at an appropriate time," MEA official spokesperson Vikas Swarup told the media here.

Swarup said the JIT visit to investigate the Pathankot air base attack was held in a very constructive and cooperative environment. "We welcome cooperation to combat terrorism in all its forms," he added.

Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria had earlier said that he was not aware of any official request with regard to the Indian NIA team's visit to the nation.

Meanwhile, commenting on the controversy over the death of Indian prisoner Kirpal Singh, Swarup said, "Through our High Commission in Pakistan, we have asked the Government of Pakistan to take all necessary steps for ensuring safety, security and well-being of all Indians in Pakistani custody. This has been reiterated in light of what happened with Kirpal Singh.

The mystery over Kirpal Singh's death continues as the post-mortem conducted at Amritsar Medical College could not arrive at a conclusion over the cause of this death.

The autopsy, which was conducted by a team of three doctors, says there were no external or internal injury marks on the body.

However, the heart and stomach were missing as they had been taken out during the first autopsy conducted at Jinnah Hospital in Lahore.

The Pakistani officials claimed that he died of a heart attack but Indian authorities suspect that he was murdered.

The Indian prisoner died in a Pakistani's Kot Lakhpat Jail on April 11 under mysterious circumstances. Kirpal Singh's family members have alleged torture and foul play.

In 1991, Kirpal Singh was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Pakistani authorities for allegedly spying and conducting terrorist activities in Pakistan.
New Delhi: The Indian agencies have sought voice samples of Jaish-e-Mohammed operatives, including JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar who is said to have masterminded the Pathankot terror strike.

We have asked for voice samples of Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf as also the voice sample of Khayyam Baber (mother of terrorist Nasir, killed during the Pathankot attack), NIA chief Sharad Kumar said after the meeting.

Nasir was said to have spoken to his mother during the attack. On Thursday, the visiting Pakistan joint investigation team (JIT) will begin recording the statements of the witnesses in the Pathankot terror attack case, including a Punjab superintendent of police. The process is expected to carry on for two days. However, no direct questioning of the witnesses would be allowed.

We have identified all the four terrorists and handed over the names to the Pakistani side. We now want them to confirm our investigations in the case, he said. On Wednesday, the NIA handed over statements of witnesses and the report of the post-mortem examinations of the terrorists to the Pakistani probe team.

JIT representatives said some suspects in the case have been detained in Pakistan and they have shared the details with the NIA. The Pakistan JIT, headed by additional inspector-general of police (counter-terrorism

department) Muham-mad Tahir Rai, and including the ISIs Lt. Col. Tanvir Ahmed, told their Indian counterparts that they needed effective evidence to act against the culprits in Pakistan.
New Delhi: Wrong depiction of the map of India could land the violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and fine upto Rs 100 crore.

This measure has been envisaged by the government against the backdrop of instances where certain social networking sites showed Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as part of Pakistan and China respectively.

Recently, 'Twitter' had shown the geographical location of Kashmir in China and Jammu in Pakistan triggering protests from the Indian government after which it was corrected.

Read: Twitter goofs up on location service; shows Jammu in Pakistan

According to the draft 'The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016', it will be mandatory to take permission from a government authority before acquiring, disseminating, publishing or distributing any geospatial information of India.

"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.

"Whoever acquired any geospatial information of India in contravention of the law shall be punished with a fine ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 100 crore and/or imprisonment for a period upto seven years," according to the draft bill.

Geospatial Information means geospatial imagery or data acquired through space or aerial platforms such as satellite, aircrafts, airships, balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles including value addition or graphical or digital data depicting natural or man-made physical features, phenomenon or boundaries of the earth or any information related thereto including surveys, charts, maps, terrestrial photos referenced to co-ordinate system and having attributes.

The government also proposed to set up a Security Vetting Authority to carry out security vetting of the Geospatial Information of India in a time bound manner and as per the regulations framed by an apex committee.

The Security Vetting Authority shall consist of an officer of the rank of Joint Secretary to the government of India or above as chairman and two members--one a technical expert and the other, a national security expert.

"Any person who wants to acquire, disseminate, publish or distribute any geospatial information of India, may make an application alongwith requisite fees to the Authority for security vetting of such geospatial information and licence thereof to acquire, disseminate, publish or distribute such Geospatial Information in any electronic or physical form," the draft bill says.

The draft bill will ensure that online platforms like Google will have to apply for a license to run Google Maps or Google Earth in India.

According to the draft bill, the Security Vetting Authority, on receipt of an application and after examining the application in terms of the guidelines, shall either grant the licence or reject the application as the case may be.

If a licence is granted and the licensee fails to comply with the terms and conditions of this Act, rule, regulation or guidelines or order made there under, the Enforcement Authority may, after making such inquiry as may be thought fit, revoke the licence granted to such licensee.

The licensee shall be supplied with the security vetted Geospatial Information, by the Security Vetting Authority, within a period mutually agreed upon, based on the quantum and nature of the subject matter to be vetted, on best effort basis.

"Licensee shall not acquire, publish, disseminate or distribute any geospatial information of India through any media or by any means, unless such geospatial information are security-vetted by the Security Vetting Authority.

"Licensee shall display the insignia of the clearance of the Security Vetting Authority on the security vetted geospatial information by appropriate means such as water-marking or licence as relevant, while disseminating or distributing of such geospatial information," the draft bill says.

Licensee will indemnify the Security Vetting Authority for any consequential loss or damages whatsoever that might be caused to any person or agency in India or abroad, due to the use or supply of security vetted geospatial information.

The Act will extend to the whole of India and also applies to citizens of India outside India, persons in the service of the government, persons on ships and aircrafts, registered in India, any person who commits an offence beyond India.

No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against the central government or apex committee or Security Vetting Authority or Enforcement Authority on whom powers have been conferred pursuant to this Act, for anything which was done or purported to be done in good faith in pursuance of this Act or for any rule or regulation made under this Act, the draft says.
New Delhi/Bengaluru: The Supreme Court's order to have a single entrance test NEET for admissions to medical and dental colleges was on Monday welcomed by almost all states, though some of them, including Karnataka, flagged concerns over holding it in the current year as the Centre kicked off the consultation process on the issue.

Amid reports that the Centre may bring an ordinance to bypass the apex court's ruling making NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) mandatory, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda held deliberations with state health ministers on the common gateway during which some states sought more time to implement it.

Mr Nadda said the future course will be thought of "soon" as the Centre was committed to bringing in transparency in medical education system and remove alleged malpractices.

Health ministers and representatives of 18 states and Union Territories attended the meeting.

The Union Health Minister said although most states are in favour of NEET "in principle", some have talked about logistical issues that are "impeding" its implementation. "These states have desired for some more time. We will need more discussions with the state governments on NEET, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sits on a mat as he performs yoga along with thousands on Rajpath, in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI/File)

New Delhi: A fresh controversy broke out on Tuesday over the UGC's directive asking universities and colleges to follow Ayush ministry's yoga protocol that begins with chanting of 'Om' and some Sanskrit sholakas during Yoga Day celebrations on June 21.

While Congress criticised the BJP-led government for being "insensitive", saying yoga, a great discipline of ancient India, does not belong to the saffron party, JD(U) termed it as yet another attempt to "impose the communal agenda" on Indian masses.

"Yoga is a great knowledge of ancient India. It is not something that belongs to BJP. It should be made more acceptable system for the people to practice...Probably this government is unconcerned about these sensitive aspects," Congress spokesperson P C Chako said.

Senior JD(U) leader K C Tyagi flayed the government, saying, "This is again (an attempt) to impose the communal agenda on Indian masses. We are opposed to that. How can you say to a Muslim, Sikh, Christian to say 'Om'. For me, I am a Hindu and I have no problem, but how can you ask people of other religion (to do it). This is again communalism... the divisive agenda of RSS. We condemn it."

In his letter to universities last week, UGC secretary Jaspal S Sandhu had sought the "personal indulgence" of Vice Chancellors in celebrating yoga day in their varsities as well as affiliated bodies.

"I request you to draw action plan for International Day of Yoga and also ensure wide participation of students and teachers of your esteemed University in the yoga day celebrations," the senior UGC official said in his letter along with the Ayush ministry's 45-minute protocol for practising yoga.

The protocol starts with a two-minute prayer preceded by chants of 'Om' and some Sanskrit Shlokas and followed by 18 minutes of yoga postures and pranayam.

As per the protocol, participants would sit in a meditative pose for 9 minutes and there would be 'Shanti Paath' towards the end.

However, the government and BJP insisted last year's protocol has been maintained and no changes have been made. "There is no compulsion to chant 'Om'," a senior Ayush Ministry official said.

BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said, "There is no compulsion. Some people are linking yoga to religion while it is essentially meant for holistic well being. It should be a matter of pride that the UN celebrates Yoga Day and about 196 countries follow it. The dirty tricks department of the Congress is behind the controversy."

RJD and CPI(M) also slammed the Modi government, alleging it was adopting a sectarian attitude which was not good.

RJD spokesman Manoj Jha said, "In terms of the broad democratic ethos, you cannot force me to do something. If I say I do yoga not because of any other reason (but) simply because I believe in physical activity more and not in chanting 'Om', that kind of freedom is in tune with the idea we have seen... We are making nasty compromises on that. These kind of indicators which emanate from the highest office, they unsettle us. That's a dangerous thing."

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said the government has no right to make chanting of 'Om' mandatory. "This is not going to work. They just want to push a very sectarian agenda. Their agenda is known to everybody and that is to try and impose religion and religious belief on other communities or those who are non-believers. Nobody is going to accept this," she added.

Actor Anupam Kher said the International Yoga Day has brought reputation to India. "It was performed in more than 100 countries. We have given yoga to the world. And 'Om' is attached with Yoga. It would be better if it is not made a controversy."

Last year also, a similar proposal had created a controversy after which a clarification was issued by the Ayush Ministry that chanting 'Om' was not compulsory.
Bengaluru: The S.S.L.C results, which were announced on Monday, brought a dip of 2 percent in the pass rates in 2016, a first in three years. All major districts have seen a sharp decline in the pass percentage, as compared to last year.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Kimmane Rathnakar, who released the results, said that the pass percentage for the April 2016 exam stands at 79.16%. In was 81.82% in 2015 and 81.20 in 2014. As usual, girls have done better than boys. The pass percentage for the boys stands at 75.84, while that of the girls is 82.64%, he said.

Udupi, which had secured the top spot in 2015 with a whopping 93.37% pass rate has slipped to second place this year, with 89.52%. Mangalore stands third, with a pass percentage of 88.01, the minister explained. Last year, Gadag stood in the bottom spot with a pass percentage of 66.74%. Bellary has taken its place in 2016, with just 56.68%, he added.

He urged the students who have not cleared the exam  and their distressed parents  not to lose hope. KSEEB will conduct the supplementary examination from June 20 for all the unsuccessful candidates. Referring to students from the three schools that were not allowed to write the exam this year, he said, They will be allowed to appear for the supplementary next month.

Highlights

The senior most person to clear the SSLC examination is Mrs. Manjula. Her date of birth is 26-01-1968 and her SSLC score is 223

52 schools have recorded zero pass percentage including three government institutes.

Out of the 2,707 differently-abled students who took the exam, 1,647 have been successful.

More rural students cleared the examination compared with their urban counterparts.

Dates to remember

May 25 is the last date to apply for supplementary examination.

May 26 is the last date to apply for revaluation/ retotaling/ photo copy of answer scripts.

Rs. 700 is the fee for revaluation per subject. Rs.150 is the fee for retotaling per subject and Rs. 300 for photocopy per subject.

This is how they made it to the top

Shwetha S, a student from St Sophia Convent in Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru who secured 624/625 said, "I want to serve the country as an IAS officer. I have done very well in the exam, but I regret missing that one mark. It would have fetched me 100% overall. Apart from academics, I love to dance.

Supreetha MA, from Holy Child English School, BSK III stage, who also secured 624/625 said, "I want to become an engineer. I am very happy with my results. I studied for eight hours everyday, without going for any kind of private tuition. I am very grateful to my mother, who guided me through the process.

Shwetha S from St. Sophia Convent High School, Bengaluru (left) and Supreetha M.A. from Holy Child English High School, Bengaluru who have scored 624 out of 625, in Bengaluru on Monday.

Pramatha Dixit, from Poorna Prajna school in Yelahanka, who got 623 out of 625, said, I didnt take any private tuition because I had good teachers in school. I studied for about three hours a day and made it a point to pay attention in class. She used the internet to get additional information, never limiting herself to the prescribed textbooks. Since I looked up additional content, I found the questions very easy. My parents have been very supportive as well. She studies Carnatic music and also loves essay writing, in which she has participated in national-level competitions and bagged several awards. These hobbies keep me active and refreshed, she said.

Swathi N, a student from Sri Vani girls high school in Rajajinagar who secured 98.56 percent (616/625) said, "I referred to question papers from previous years and went through the textbook thoroughly. I would study for about five hours everyday. She would wake up at 3 am everyday and get in several hours of learning before going to school at 9 am. My parents encouraged me and my teachers supported me as well, clearing all my doubts. I never did any sort of combined studies either, I prefer to work alone. Swathi wants to be a doctor and will study PCMB in PUC.

Poor and orphan students shine in SSLC examination

Every year, hundreds of underprivileged and orphaned children write the SSLC exam and despite overwhelming odds, make it through with flying colours.

At Bosco Mane, an NGO working with young children at risk, the seven students who wrote the exam this year have made it through with first classes and distinctions. Four out of the seven are girls: Kavya secured 79 percent while, Sumithra secured 78 percent, Shobha Rani secured 61 percent and Gayathri secured 54 percent. Among the boys, Bharath secured 60 percent while Ahkilesh secured 57.4 and David secured 53.4.

Sumithra who secured 78 percent said, I dont have a mother and my father is a daily wage labourer. He couldnt afford to take care of me and educate me as well, so he sent me to BOSCO. I had very little interest in academics and was pleasantly surprised to get these marks. Its very encouraging, though, I have seen my capacity for the first time. Now, I know I want to continue studying.

Fr Mathew Thomas of BOSCO Mane, said that all the children come from very difficult backgrounds. We have supported these kids by giving them a place to stay and funding their education. Some of the children have also been rescued from slums, which we often do> We are very happy that our children have done well in the SSLC exam. Migrant labourers daughter secures firstclass in SSLC.

Kavitha, a daughter of a migrant labourer, has managed 64% (402 out of 625). She lives at Sparsha Trust, an organization that rescues child labourers. She came to Bengaluru four years ago with her father, said a volunteer from Sparsha. She worked with her father as a daily wage labourer in Gulbarga and came to the city looking for another job. Thats when her father heard about the trust and decided to have her enrolled. She was a dropout student and we put her in a government school in Sanjeevini Nagar, where she studied from Class 6 to Class 8. She completed Class 10 at the Government High School in Hebbal, the volunteer explained. We are very happy for her as her hard work has paid off. She used to study for several hours everyday and help other children in the shelter as well. She has earned her good results.
New Delhi: A day after high-voltage debate on AgustaWestland issue, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy was targeted in Rajya Sabha on Thursday by Congress members who wanted to know how he got access to sensitive and secret files of CBI and ED and whether he had authenticated the documents quoted by him.

Deputy Leader of Congress Anand Sharma raised a point of order, saying sensitive documents of CBI and ED had been referred to when Swamy spoke in the House on Wednesday.

The House "must know how an honourable member or rather less honourable member" was given access to sensitive and secret files, which he has refused to authenticate and place on the table of the House, Sharma said.

Read: Agusta deal: Take action if you have evidence, don't threaten us, Cong tells govt

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said the Rule will take its own course if Swamy had not complied with his ruling that all documents he was quoting must be authenticated by him and placed on the table of the House. "It (the ruling) has to be complied with... That has to be complied with," Kurien said.

As Congress members protested, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Swamy had authenticated and placed on the table of the House the documents he had quoted. Swamy has taken care of the issue, Naqvi said.

Read: Gautam Khaitan admits receiving money from AgustaWestland via shell company

Later, another Congress member Jairam Ramesh wanted to know whether the documents, which were quoted by Swamy to target the opposition party, were authenticated or not.

"Yesterday you had asked a member of the House to authenticate documents. Have all those documents been authenticated and made available to the House? Have all those authenticated documents been submitted to the House," he asked the Deputy Chairman.

Read: Does Agusta report say Cong leaders took bribe? Ahmed Patel asks BJP

Ramesh alleged that the member was making "innuendos" on the basis of those papers. Kurien said he will get it examined.

Ramesh, however, persisted asking "How much time it will take? You say you will expunge (unparliamentarily comments) but can you expunge them from YouTube, from the live television? He has not authenticated till now."

Kurien said he will ask the Rajya Sabha Secretary General to put up a note in this regard.

Read: Agusta rocks August Houses: Who benefitted, asks Parrikar

Swamy, a newly-nominated member, had yesterday said he was quoting Italian court's documents to allege that a bribe of 30 million euros was paid in the Rs 3600 crore deal for 12 VVIP choppers. Out of this, 6 million euros went to IAF personnel, 8.4 million euros to bureaucrats and Rs 125 crore to 'AP', Swamy had claimed.

Congress members had insisted then on authentication of whatever he was reading from.

Read: At whose behest changes were made in Agusta chopper deal: Amit shah asks Cong

He replied that he was reading from the same note that Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi read from and that if he were to authenticate, then Singhvi also should do so as there cannot be separate rules for different people.

In the midst of exchanges, Kurien had said both will have to authenticate.
Kerala Governor P Sathasivam shows the ink mark after casting his vote at Jawaharnagar LP School in Thiruvananthapuram. Wife Saraswathi Sathasivam looks on. (Photo: PEETHAMBARAN PAYYERI)

Thiruvananthapuram: For the first time ever in the state, the Governor has exercised his franchise. Governor P Sathasivam, who had all along been averse to remain a dormant figurehead, chucked convention and came out with his wife Sarswathy Sathasivam to cast vote. None of his 22 predecessors had cast their vote in the state though some had reportedly travelled to their home state to vote.

However, Governor P Sathasivam, in keeping with his no-nonsense maverick style of functioning, got his and his wifes votes transferred to the state from Tamil Nadu. The Governor, decked up in a full-sleeved pastel pink shirt and dark blue trousers, arrived at booth number 68 at Jawahar Nagar Government LP school at Vattiyurkavu in Thiruvananthapuram with wife in toe.

His voting serial number was 1267. Like any ordinary voter, he stood in queue and patiently waited for his turn. Vattiyurkavu is witnessing an intense three-cornered fight between K Muraleeharan (Congress), T N Seema (CPM), and BJP (Kummanam Rajasekharan). Governors have normally kept away from voting invoking the neutral argument.

However, Sathasivam offered a compelling duty-centric counter. Coming out of the polling booth and holding up his ink-stained index finger, he said: As the first citizen, I have a duty to perform and I voted today. I request everyone to cast their vote.
New Delhi: Congress MP Shantaram Naik gave a notice for breach of privilege against BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in Rajya Sabha for allegedly submitting a "printout" of a website report to level allegations against its leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, in the AgustaWestland issue.

In his notice addressed to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, the Congress leader said: "Since Swamy has authenticated a website page printout, in which the names of Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel, Oscar Fernandes have been mentioned, it means and implies that the very allegations are made by Swamy also."

Read: Agusta face-off: Swamy provokes again, Cong calls him BJP's 'new gift'

Naik gave the notice under rules 187 and 188 of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States and appealed to the Rajya Sabha Chairman that it be admitted and referred to the Privileges Committee for "appropriate" action against Swamy.

"Swamy did not authenticate any letter from Christian Michel (alleged British middleman and prime accused in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case) as he was not in possession of any such letter. Further question of Sonia flying in Mi-8 choppers does not arise as she did not hold any official post.

Read: Agusta deal: How did Swamy get sensitive confidential info?, asks Congress

"Swamy mischievously quoted abbreviations AP and said he is a political secretary...All these innuendos amply insinuate a particular specific person most irresponsibly and without authenticating any document.

"Swamy did not produce any certified copy of the judgement on which he relied extensively, which he should have done and authenticated," Naik said in the notice. AP, it was alleged, stood for Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Read: Agusta deal: CBI can question 'driving force' behind deal, says Subramanian Swamy

Referring to an interview of Italian Judge Marco Maria Maiga by a news channel on the issue, the Congress leader said, "Swamy relied on the transcript of this interview".

"Swamy mischievously relied on and authenticated an inadmissible document, by all standards, to misguide the House, thereby committing another breach of privilege," he said.

Read: Agusta face-off: Why delete my comments, Swamy challenges in House

Making clear the party's intent to move a privilege motion against Swamy, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh had a few days back said: "Swamy has made baseless allegations and spoken big lies in Rajya Sabha on May 4. We will not allow him to go scot-free."
Kochi: Despite the drizzle playing a spoilsport on Monday morning, Kerala witnessed high turn up of youngsters in the Assembly Election. The young Keralites were all excited to cast their vote and some had even travelled from distant hostels to exercise their precious right.

Many youngsters had a firm view, ideology and knowledge as to whom to support. Some came in the early morning itself as they had other plans for the latter part of the day. Many of the first-time voters were accompanied by their family while many others were in a rush to speedily end the whole thing and to proceed for their routine jobs. While most youngsters preferred a party that was corruption-free many others felt the need for a party that was welcoming to the youngsters.

"We welcome new voices, for they can bring about changes in society, Antony Varkey, an engineering student from Kottayam, said. What's the purpose of voting if you cast your vote as a NOTA?he had some novel ideas about the use of vote as a tool. If you are against a particular candidate vote for his opponent as that would reduce his chances of winning," he said.

Election is very important, said Sojov George, an arts student from Kothamangalam. Your vote is your only say in a democracy. It doesn't matter whether you cast a NOTA or not but what matters is that one should not keep himself away from elections."

One must never refrain from voting as it leaves a space for the undeserving candidate to get elected, he pointed out. NOTA is never a good option as the majority candidate wins even if NOTA has the majority, said Kalyani Santosh, a degree student from Ernakulam. "I am least concerned about the candidate. I vote for the candidate of the party which I support.

There were many youngsters who stayed back from voting, too. Nothing is going to change even if we vote or not, said freelance artist Shanoon P.B. Many others had come just to witness and experience the whole thing. I just wanted to know how it feels like. I support the party that my family supports, said Shruthy Vargheese, a school student.

The social media also went alive with selfies and groupfies taken at polling booths. The heated debates and discussions as to who will win also run wild in the social media platform.
The partys state executive also adopted a resolution directed Congress leaders and cadre to boycott Namaste Telangana newspaper since it was only promoting the TRS and maligning the Congress.

Hyderabad: The TPCC has decided to strengthen the party at the organisational-level and also take up mass agitations against the failures of the two-year-old TRS government.

Addressing the day-long extended state executive and coordination committee meetings of the TPCC held at the Gandhi Bhavan, AICC general-secretary Digvijay Singh asked the party leaders to prepare plans of action to highlight the TRS governments failures.

The party has decided to split into 10 groups, each headed by a senior leader. Each group will be given a district where the party will take up mass agitations as well as steps to strengthen its base.

All these groups will act independently and take up issues concerning that particular district with overall coordination from the TPCC. The partys state executive also adopted a resolution directed Congress leaders and cadre to boycott Namaste Telangana newspaper since it was only promoting the TRS and maligning the Congress.

Another resolution asking the party leaders not to entertain T News, the TV channel by giving interviews or take part in analysis programmes, as it only promotes the TRS and the family members of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Among the other resolutions adopted are not to readmit leaders who ditched the Congress for other parties.

Mr Singh later told newsmen that the Congress, being the main Opposition party in the state and being responsible for creation of Telangana state, has more responsibility towards the people of the state and will take up mass agitations to raise all people-centric issues.

He said that the TRS government has not been able to implement the promises it made to the people, including providing 12 per cent reservations each to Muslims and tribals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs a high-level meeting with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on drought and water scarcity in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

Hyderabad: AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured to resolve the issue pertaining to granting of Special Category Status to AP and implementation of the assurances given in the AP Reorganisation Act.

After his meeting with the PM in Delhi, Mr Naidu said he has categorically told Modi that Centre should grant special status to AP. He asked the PM to solve all issues in a time-bound manner and was assured that they would be done, Mr Naidu told journalists. However, the press release issued by the Prime Ministers Office did not speak about this.

The press release from PMO only mentioned drought-related issues. Mr Naidu said he asked the PM and as well as Union finance minister Arun Jaitley to release funds for Polavaram, capital city construction and outstanding revenue deficit arrears to AP.

The CM said the state government has spent Rs 1,450 crore on Polavaram project and Centre has released only Rs 850 crore. He said that Polavaram project will not get completed as per the schedule unless Rs 1,000 crore is spent every year.

For the financial year 2014-15, the revenue deficit was Rs 16,200 crore but the Centre has released only Rs 2,800 crore.

Mr Naidu said he told the PM to keep the promise on granting special status to AP. During a discussion on states bifurcation in Parliament, BJP had said that special status to AP should be not for five years but for 10 years, Mr Naidu pointed out.
Angered by the attitude of the AP minister, Mr Harish Rao warned him of noncooperation by TS in finding solutions for AP related issues it if does not withdraw its letter to the Raichur collector.

Hyderabad: Demanding withdrawal of a letter written by the Kurnool district collector to his counterpart in Raichur, Karnataka, over taking up improvements works on the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme, TS irrigation minister T. Harish Rao on Tuesday issued a veiled threat to the AP government of non-cooperation if it was not done.

Mr Harish Rao telephoned his AP counterpart Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao for the second time in 10 days and invited him for talks on the RDS project. However, Mr Uma Maheswara Rao refused, saying that all inter-state disputed should be be debated and resolved at a more appropriate level i.e. the Apex Council headed by Union water resources minister Uma Bharathi.

Angered by the attitude of the AP minister, Mr Harish Rao warned him of noncooperation by TS in finding solutions for AP related issues it if does not withdraw its letter to the Raichur collector. He also said TS will lodge a complaint with the Krishna River Management Board against the AP governments stand over the RDS issue.

Mr Harish Rao had met Karnataka irrigation minister M.B. Patil three weeks ago in Bengaluru and sought speeding up of RDS works so that TS would get its rightful share as per the inter-state agreement. The head works of the inter-state project is in Raichur district.

Mr Patil had told Mr Harish Rao that Karnataka cannot go ahead with taking up the works unless AP agrees to take up improvement works. It was then that Mr Harish Rao had first telephoned Mr Uma Maheswara Rao and invited him for talks.

That time too, Mr Uma Maheswara Rao had told Mr Harish Rao that he could only speak to him after the Apex Council meeting which was requested by AP.
CHENNAI: The last word has not been said on the exit polls. After most of them late on Monday predicted its defeat, the AIADMK camp should be upbeat now after the Thanthi TVs exit poll said the party is likely to win 111 seats out of the total of 234 (less 2 where the poll has been put off to May 23) whereas the rival DMK alliance could bag 99 seats.

The AIADMK supporters woke up Tuesday a lot more cheerful following tweets from Rajdeep Sardesai, consulting editor, India Today group, seemingly regretting his excitement of Monday evening when he was convinced that the DMK would emerge the winner after the votes are counted on May 19.

Infographics

Later in the night, at 11.16 pm to be exact, he tweeted:I fear one of the axis My India exit poll figures may miss the mark. Now, dont ask me which state! #exitpoll.

And he did provide his answer later, tweeting at 7.25 am on Tuesday: Would never discount amma! Lets wait till 19th. Rajdeep, perhaps, did not sleep through the night before that confession. Many others too have raised doubts over the exit polls and questioned all the associated excitement.
New Delhi: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who triggered protests from Congress on Wednesday after he attempted to drag Sonia Gandhi into the AugustaWestland helicopter row, made controversial remarks again in Rajya Sabha today much to the Chairs irritation.

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien immediately expunged his comments and warned him of action if he continued to provoke unnecessarily.

Expunging Swamy's reference to the Constitution of another country that triggered vociferous protests from Congress members, Kurien also ordered the media not to report the remarks.

Read: AgustaWestland deal: Why is your name on Italy list? BJP asks Sonia

Trouble broke after Chaudhary Munavver Saleem (SP) in the Zero Hour mention referred to Swamy being part of the movement in 1970s to protect the minority status of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

Swamy got up to clarify saying he had no objection to minority education institutions but the Constitution prohibits the State from financing them.

He was countered on this by the Opposition to which he responded by dragging the name of another country, a reference that led to agitated Congress members rushing to the Well.

Read: AgustaWestland deal: No brush-by with Italian PM, says Arun Jaitley

Kurien said he was expunging the reference to the Constitution of another country but that did not satisfy Congress members who continued to shout slogans against Swamy.

The BJP MP, who was sworn in only on Monday, insisted since his name had been taken by another member, he had the right to reply and again went on to refer to the country, drawing sharp rebuke from the Chair. "I will take action against you. Subramanian Swamy you are unnecessarily provoking. I will have to take action against you... you are provoking," Kurien said.

Read: Why no CBI raids against Cong leaders, Kejriwal asks Narendra Modi

Congress members sought action against Swamy with Jairam Ramesh saying he was "needling and provoking" by bringing in reference to another country. "This is deliberate."

Read: Not afraid, have nothing to hide: Sonia Gandhi on VVIP copter scam

With Congress members continuing to protest, Kurien asked them to return to their seats and said it was a deliberate attempt to subvert the Zero Hour.

Asked by the Chair what the problem was when the remarks have been expunged, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said "the problem is the new gift of BJP. Problem is not on this side."

He said Swamy is just two days old in the House and his remarks have already been expunged twice. "There are 365 days in a year, how many times are you going to expunge his words," he asked the Chair.

Azad said Swamy does not know the difference between street language and parliamentary words. "He does not allow his hair to grey so he can learn and mature."

As Kurien asked Congress members resume their seats, they wanted the Chair to ask Swamy to take his seat first. "You cannot direct me like that. You are shouting on nothing. I have expunged (the remarks) then and there. It cannot be reported, it cannot come on TV channels," Kurien said.

Read: VIP chopper scam: Amit Shah attacks Sonia Gandhi

With the protests continuing, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi twice went up to Swamy to convey something.

Kurien then called Naqvi to his chair and spoke to him about the continued pandemonium. Naqvi then went up to Swamy who then resumed his seat. Azad also went up to the agitating party members and prevailed upon them to resume their places.

As Congress members returned to their seats, Swamy was up on his feet again. Kurien asked him to resume his seat. "You sit down now. Come and meet me in Chamber later."

Earlier soon after new member Navjot Singh Sindhu took oath and listed papers laid, Swamy again tried to raise the VVIP helicopter deal but Congress members shouted him down. "I am not going to mention that lady's name," Swamy said in apparent reference to him yesterday dragging Sonia Gandhi.

When Kurien asked Swamy under what rule was he raising the issue, Swamy said he wanted to raise a matter of public importance under rule 167.

Kurien then told the BJP MP that Rule 167 is for discussion in House, the procedure for which is that once notice is given, the Chairman decides whether to allow a discussion on the matter raised.

If Chairman selects the notice, the member is informed, he said asking Swamy to contact the office of the Chairman on fate of his notice. Order was then restored and Zero Hour taken up.

Saleem in his Zero Hour mention sought continuation of minority status of AMU and said this should be decided on the floor of Parliament rather than in courts.

Earlier during their protest against Swamy, Congress members shouted 'CIA Agent' to counter him while the BJP member shot back chanting 'ISI, ISI'.

Amid protests from Congress, Kurien said shouting in Well will not produce results. When Anand Sharma (Cong) asked how Swamy was allowed to speak on a pre-approved Zero Hour mention by another member, Kurien said if a members name is mentioned, he has a right to explain his position.

Azad however said his party had no objection to the clarification but what Swamy said was "totally out of context." Naqvi countered Azad's use of words against Swamy, saying "we have been headmasters of the school they (Congress) go to."

Later in the Zero Hour, when Deputy Chairman P J Kurien asked JD(U) member Pavan Varma to speak on the issue he wished to raise, Naqvi stood up to say that it should have been Swamy's turn as his name was there on the list.

"His name is there on the list, how can it be changed at the last minute," Naqvi asked the Chair. Kurien replied that the list Naqvi was referring to was not the final one.

Not satisfied with the reply, Naqvi said it is not expected that the Chair would discriminate between members and said the BJP member has the right to speak.

Kurien then responded by saying that "ministers should not make such complaints" and added that they should rather find out the factual position. "I know the factual position better," Kurien added.

However as Naqvi continued to persist, Kurien remained firm and said "if you or Subramanian Swamy have complaints, you can approach the chairman."

Naqvi said he was just requesting the Chair as Swamy's name was there in the list. Kurien responded by saying that there appeared to be a "communication gap" between him and the minister, even as he proceeded to ask JD(U) member Varma to raise his issue.
How do I silence thee? Let me count the ways. I could silence you with a bullet through your head, like the daily Hindustans senior reporter Rajdev Ranjan was silenced in Bihar last week. Like Akhilesh Pratap Singh, reporter for a local television channel, was silenced in Jharkhand last week. Or I could silence you by dangling handcuffs in your face, promising to clap you in jail if you made the powers that be uncomfortable. Like the Supreme Court promised last week. Responding to petitions filed by Subramanian Swamy, which Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and several others joined (called Subramanian Swamy vs Union of India), the court ruled in favour of continuing to criminalise defamation.

In short, it approved of Section 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code that make defamatory words, signs, visible representations and even irony punishable by up to two years in prison, or a fine or both. And in the process of announcing that these laws  put in place by the British much before the Indian Constitution was written  were indeed constitutionally valid, the Supreme Court also seemed to suggest that ones reputation was a fundamental right and far more precious than rights like freedom of speech and expression. And by endorsing defamation as a criminal offence, the court effectively told us that harming ones reputation would not be just an offence against a private individual, it would be a crime against society and the State would have to step in and punish the offender.

Thats tough. First of all, ones reputation is a social construct dependent on available information  and in an information age, in a nuanced world, reputations are ever changing, even if in minute ways. And free speech allows us to go beyond reputation and see the real picture. A big corporation with a reputation of having impeccable standards can be revealed to be dangerously substandard in certain aspects. A big leader with a clean reputation can turn out to be hugely corrupt. An adorable socialite can be a cold-blooded murderer. By criminalising inconvenient words and opinions, we are blocking the path to truth.

We are helping to muzzle the media and to censor public opinion. When protecting your reputation gets right of way over the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression, our democracy may be derailed. Second, in criminalising defamation there is a disturbing disinterest in truth. Not only do you regard the mask to be more important than the face, you also do not care if the one accused of defaming the face is telling the truth. If a report reveals ugly things about a powerful person, it is not enough for the reporter to prove that his facts are right. He is still guilty of the crime of defaming the person. Only if he can prove that his revealing such ugly facts is in the interest of the public, that it does some public good, will he be let off. So never mind the national motto written in courtrooms  no satyamev jayate for you. Truth may not prevail. Its mounam sarvartha sadhanam. Silence gets you places.

Third, defamation is usually not a security issue or danger to society or an offence against the State. If someone feels he has been defamed he could fight the person responsible in court, in a civil case. But making it a criminal offence, where the case is not between two citizens but between the State and the accused, seems like bringing in the cannon when a pistol would do. One would expect the State to have better things to do than use public funds to protect the reputations of certain citizens.

Especially because criminal defamation the world over is used by the powerful to stifle dissent and criticism. It encourages self-censorship of the press and shuts out inconvenient truths. And from that point of view, this judgment fits in rather well with the general climate of silencing. Take the charge of sedition. According to reports, in the first quarter of the year there were 11 new sedition cases, involving 19 people, ranging from JNU students like Kanhaiya Kumar right up to national politicians like Rahul Gandhi. There have been 15 attacks on journalists. And several threats to journalists around the country, as well as scores of defamation cases.

Literature is suspect too. The ministry of human resources development has introduced a form for Urdu writers of books that the government may buy, in which they must declare the content will not be against the government or the country. The governments preferential interest in Urdu writers  in their innocent belief that Urdu is the language of Muslims  is clearly part of the cute retro sentiment of Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan. Maps are suspect as well. The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016 has been drafted with a view to censoring maps. Whoever depicts, disseminates, publishes or distributes any wrong or false topographic information of India can be charged.

This would target printers, publishers, the media and filmmakers, of course, but would also include netizens posting on social media, and anyone else scribbling a map anywhere. Apparently there will be an official sarkari organisation that will monitor maps, and whose prior permission you would need to publish maps of India. If there are mistakes  be warned  you could be looking at seven years in prison and up to Rs 100 crores in fines.

The attempt to silence is perhaps best seen in the hydra-headed attacks on dissent that led to the amazingly resilient student protests on university campuses  from the University of Hyderabad and Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi to Jadavpur University in Kolkata and Allahabad University. The upholders of the law in black coats have physically attacked Mr Kumar and reporters covering his bail plea in court to show that dissent is not allowed, even in court. How do I silence thee? Let me count the ways.

But there is always hope. Last year, in the Shreya Singhal vs Union of India case, the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of the IT Act. This section had criminalised offensive speech and had led to a host of young and not so young people being arrested for sharing innocuous stuff like cartoons, satire, political comments or arch remarks on the Internet. Generally the Supreme Court doesnt disappoint. So when it does, it leaves us stunned.
The lower voter turnout in the Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry Assembly elections of 2016 as compared to 2011 is baffling. It appears the Election Commission of India as well as societys rigorous push for greater public participation in voting is running into a wall of reluctance, if not quite apathy, on the part of voters. A plethora of reasons is being trotted out by onlookers who see voter indifference, lack of a wave for or against governments, polls during summer holidays, EC inefficiency in updating the rolls, and sheer lack of will on the part of all the young voters to register themselves to vote.

Even more surprising is the greater urban apathy to the 2016 election, as particularly evidenced in Chennai where the abysmal 60 per cent turnout was a mirror image of the Lok Sabha poll of 2014 when Bengaluru notched up very similar figures. While the greater urbanisation of most constituencies in India and bigger turnouts there were said to have favoured change in 2014, the performances of two major metropolitan centres in the south pose a challenge to politicians as well as the agencies entrusted with running the voting process.

Rain in Tamil Nadu on polling day may have had contributed to lower voter turnout. Initial analysis of poll booth behaviour seems to indicate that the emerging generation has not taken wholeheartedly to the thrill of a debut vote. In India, more and more youth are becoming eligible to vote. A foolproof online voting system may be decades away and populous India is not the place for compulsory voting, which is why expertise in analysing and solving the riddle is awaited.
At his weekly media briefing on May 12, the external affairs ministrys erudite spokesman read out details of foreign secretary S. Jaishankars visit to Bangladesh and immediately threw the floor open to questions. There were many. But not a single reporter asked him why President Maithripala Sirisena of Sri Lanka, another neighbour of equally huge strategic importance and ancient ties to India, would be dropping in for dinner with Prime Minister Narendra Modi within barely 24 hours of that briefing.

Shortly afterwards, the MEA posted information on its website. Carefully, it highlighted the play part of Mr Sirisenas working visit first. The President would drop in at the Ujjain Kumbh and Sanchi. A terse, last sentence finally mentioned the dinner, but gave no details. And the note ended with the customary line on how bilateral ties will be further strengthened. Given that Mr Sirisenas India transit had already been well-publicised in the Sri Lankan media and later by the news wires for days, the MEAs reticence couldnt have been South Blocks usual practice of awaiting an official confirmation from a guest before announcing his visit.

After all, Mr Sirisena and Mr Modi are no ordinary politicians meeting to break ordinary Britannia bread. Both had changed the political landscape of their respective country by winning elections and defeating longstanding previous regimes over the past two years. Further, and if the fanfare of publicity over the sheer number of bilateral visits at the highest levels over the previous year is anything to go by, relations with Sri Lanka seemed at least as high on the list of Mr Modis priorities as those with Indias eastern neighbours.

The enthusiasm was mirrored in Colombo too. After India-Sri Lanka relations had sunk to their lowest level under his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa (and in Indias case, under UPA) Mr Sirisena made India his first official overseas destination and so did foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera. This was followed by a flurry of mutual visits, by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mr Modi, Sushma Swaraj and others.

Mr Sirisenas early moves reassured India: Colombo froze the controversial $1.5 billion Port City project to be built by China near Colombo harbour, a crucial transit point for 80 per cent of mercantile shipping to and from India. And though the BJP government is not dependent on coalition partners in Tamil Nadu, most of whom hold rabidly anti-Sri Lankan and pro-Tamil Eelam views, Mr Sirisena also promised India a speedy solution to guarantee maximum autonomy for his countrys minority Tamils.

To India, all this seemed satisfactory enough. Even the barrage of criticism from Sri Lankans of Indias interference through its insistence on full implementation of the 30-year-old, and admittedly outdated, 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution to guarantee devolution to Tamil provinces, did not faze South Block. Pragmatic MEA diplomats privately admit that they would not be inflexible should Colombo and the provincial government in Jaffna achieve mutual consensus on any other formula.

But what was the urgency for Mr Sirisenas flying visit to India? Other than the much-publicised fishermens issue (of trespassing in each others territorial waters), were these key matters discussed at all? It is obvious to observers that the initial bonhomie between Mr Sirisena and Mr Modi is now showing familiar signs of stagnation. Delhi and Colombo didnt tell the media anything about the visit because there isnt much to tell. At least nothing that will boost public perception and ensure future votes for either Mr Modis BJP, eagerly awaiting a debut in Tamil Nadu, or Mr Sirisenas rainbow coalition, struggling to contain what a high-ranking Colombo source calls his biggest headache, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, from steadily eroding his governments popularity.

Tamil autonomy, that over at least the previous 37 years has been the burning issue in Sri Lanka and for Tamil Nadu coalition partners in New Delhi, has simply fallen off the map in both capitals for now, said the source.

On the other two fronts, there has indeed been movement, but not to Indias liking. Mr Sirisena and Mr Wickremesinghe have revived their debt-ridden countrys ties with China. The Port City project is to recommence. China will also create a Special Economic Zone in the southern port of Hambantota, which it had built and allegedly has free run of for its warships.

Sri Lanka will be part of Chinas Maritime Silk Route. Beijing will continue to supply military equipment to the island nation. And despite Colombos assurances to India that Chinese nuclear submarines will not dock there again as they twice did in late 2014, there are few believers in New Delhi, given Sri Lankas nearly $8 billion debt to China and Chinas continued policy of offering soft loans to countries of strategic interest to its String of Pearls strategy.

In Sri Lanka, there is unprecedented hatred for Indians due to reasons both genuine and fantasised: ranging from Indias training of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the 1980s to Nitin Gadkaris intention of building an environmentally-damaging road bridge to Sri Lanka. Visions of billion-man Indian vanar senas overrunning the small country due to a proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and taking all jobs, are rampant in the Sri Lankan media. As is the worry over poor quality Indian goods flooding their markets. (Unsurprisingly, quality doesnt seem to matter to Sri Lankans in the case of cheap but flimsy Made in China wares. An FTA is also being negotiated with that country.)

Whether Mr Rajapaksas faction, as alleged, or close allies Pakistan and China too are behind spreading these rumours, is a question yet to be explored.

Finally, the Colombo source noted, there is a third, under-publicised talking point of some urgency to India: the United States own growing interest in strategic ties with Sri Lanka since 2009, despite its enhanced relationship with New Delhi.

Given all this, India is left with one thing which both competing superpowers dont have in Sri Lanka: cultural cousinhood, a commonality of the two great faiths of Hinduism and Buddhism. Turning the tides of an ocean of burning strategic importance in its favour while balancing its own relations with both the US and China will not be easy for India. But one thing is for sure: it will take much more than riverside religious jamborees and secretive dinner dates.
ROSS also monitors the law around the clock to notify users of new court decisions that can affect a case.

Washington: The worlds first artificial intelligence lawyer has been employed by a law firm in the US, which will use the robot to assist its various teams in legal research.

The robot called ROSS is built upon Watson, IBMs cognitive computer. With the support of Watsons cognitive computing and natural language processing capabilities, lawyers can ask ROSS their research question and the robot reads through the law, gathers evidence, draws inferences and returns highly relevant, evidence-based answers.

ROSS also monitors the law around the clock to notify users of new court decisions that can affect a case. The programme continually learns from the lawyers who use it to bring back better results each time. BakerHostetler, a US-based law firm, will license ROSS for use in its Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Creditors Rights team.

At BakerHostetler, we believe that emerging technologies like cognitive computing and other forms of machine learning can help enhance the services we deliver to our clients, said Bob Craig, Chief Information Officer.

ROSS Intelligence, the company that built ROSS, began out of research at the University of Toronto in 2014 with the goal of building an artificial Intelligence legal research assistant to allow lawyers to enhance and scale their abilities.

Just ten months after they began teaching ROSS bankruptcy law, the company has been commercialising its first offering.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Liquor firm United Breweries has withheld dividends payable to its beleaguered Chairman Vijay Mallya for the financial year 2015-16.

New Delhi: Liquor firm United Breweries has withheld dividends payable to its beleaguered Chairman Vijay Mallya for the financial year 2015-16 following the directions of Debt Recovery Tribunal.

The board of the company in its meeting held on May 13, 2016 had recommended 115 per cent dividend, which is Rs 1.15 per equity share of Re 1 for the financial year ended March 31, 2016.

UBL said it has been directed by Debt Recovery Tribunal Karnataka to hold the dividends arising out of "shares in the company held by a director (including his joint holdings) and United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd, without its prior permission" without naming the director.

"Accordingly, the company would withhold payments of proposed dividend on aforesaid shares, which is subject to approval by the shareholders in the ensuing annual general meeting," it said in a regulatory filing.

On the basis of his own holding of 2,13,53,620 shares in UBL as on March 2016, the dividend payable to Mallya is Rs 2.4 crore for the last fiscal. UBL's nine promotor entities, including Mallya, have 8,11,88,930 shares in the company and the total dividend payable would be Rs 9.33 crore.

When contacted, UBL spokesperson declined to comment on details. UBL also informed that it has received another order from the income tax department requesting it to create a charge in favour of the central government for "any amount due or likely to be due" as tax demand of Rs 679.80 crore relating to defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

"The company has accordingly withheld payment of Rs 161 lakh relating to director commission payable to the aforesaid director," it said. On March 7, the Debt Recovery Tribunal had barred Mallya from accessing USD 75 million (Rs 515 crore) exit payment from Diageo till the loan default case with SBI is settled while the ED registered a money laundering case against him in another default case.

Mallya is currently in the UK, amid tightening of the noose by various enforcement agencies and lenders who are trying to recover over Rs 9,000 crore dues from Kingfisher and its guarantors. His passport has been revoked and non-bailable warrant has been issued against him.
The She Safe app is available for download for both Android and Apple operating systems. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: She Safe, an app developed exclusively for womens safety was launched by the Society for Cyberabad Security Council (SCSC) on Tuesday. It was launched by the chairman of SCSC Cyberabad and Cybera-bad police commissioner, C.V. Anand.

SCSC general secretary Bharani Kumar Aroll said the app would transmit an emergency message at the touch of a button. If the user hits a button on the app, a call will be forwarded to police by dialling 100. It also doesnt need any cellular connection for making that emergency call, he said.

Cyberabad police commissioner C.V. Anand said a dedicated desk at command will be alerted immediately after they get the alarm. The app also forwards the location of the victim via GPS coordinates. The command control staff will also provide patrol vehicles the location of the victim, he said.

Its not just that. The app will also send messages to contacts on ones phone and will also divert alerts to the Whatsapp profiles of Hyderabad and Cyberabad police.

The She Safe app is available for download for both Android and Apple operating systems. To register, one must upload a photograph and list emergency contacts. Speaking at the executive committee meeting, Mr Anand also appreciated the SCSC for installing 150 CCTV Cameras in and around the IT Corridor.

The system continues to be a key resource in the fight against crime in the city. The commissioner also praised She Shuttle buses and the SHE Shuttle app, which he said promoted safer travel in the city.

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Mumbai: HTC has been launching a lot of phones lately and by the looks of it, it has no plans of slowing down. The company is all set to introduce the Desire 628 Dual SIM, according to a listing on the companys Vietnam website.

While only images and speculated specifications were doing rounds on social media a few days back, the companys listing has confirmed the arrival of the device, either this month or the upcoming one.

According to previous leaks, the handset will have a predominantly plastic built, and will employ rounded edges. One of the highlighting facets on this device is BoomSound speakers with the ability to play 24-bit audio.

While the specs sheet for the Desire 830 and 628 are more or less identical, there are subtle differences in size, processor, and camera. In terms of display, the device has a 5-inch HD screen; just a bit smaller than the Desire 830.

As the name suggests, the smartphone comes along with support for dual SIMs. In terms of connectivity, it comes equipped with 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Users can expect the new device to run on Android Marshmallow (V6.0), with the companys native Sense UI on top.

Under the hood, the smartphone will feature an unspecified 1.3 GHz Octa-core SoC, which is rumoured to be a MediaTek MT6753, but nothing is concretely mentioned. It also gets 3GB RAM for faster multitasking.

Moving on to the camera, the handset gets a 13MP primary camera setup with f/2.0 aperture and a 5MP front snapper with f/2.4 aperture. The Desire 628s camera is a little scaled down in comparison to the Desire 830s 4MP Ultrapixel camera.

The storage option is also good on this device; it accompanies internal storage of 32GB which can be expanded to 2TB via microSD support. The handset also comes with a 2200mAh battery with fast charging functionality.

Internal storage is set to reach 32GB, which can be expanded to 2TB with the help of a microSD card. The phones components will draw power from a 2200 mAh battery with fast charging support.

The company has not yet confirmed when the device will be launched but it is most likely to be released in Vietnam first, followed by other parts of the world including China.

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Gregoire, 41, a former television host in Quebec, pointed out that she only has one aide to help manage her official duties, noting she must also find time to raise her three young children. (Photo: AP)

Toronto: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus wife Sophie, is being attacked by opposition parties and social media for wanting extra staff to help manage her official duties.

Sophie Gregoire was quoted last week in the Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil as saying she feels overwhelmed by the crush of requests from groups that either invite her to speak or ask her to help promote their causes.

Gregoire, 41, a former television host in Quebec, pointed out that she only has one aide to help manage her official duties, noting she must also find time to raise her three young children.

Conservative lawmaker Jason Kenney noted that Laureen Harper, the previous Prime Ministers wife, never complained about her duties. Conservative lawmaker Candice Bergen wondered how the government could hire more staff for Gregoire when there are Canadian families struggling to make ends meet. And Leftist New Democrat lawmaker Niki Ashton said in Parliament it shows how out of touch the governing Liberals are with the realities that working women face today.

The hashtags #PrayForSophie, #SophieStrong, and #JeSuisSophie are appearing on Twitter.

Trudeau spokesman Olivier Duchesneau said Monday that Gregoire receives an extraordinarily high volume of correspondence and invitations. He said they are looking at new ways to make sure she is supported at the official events she attends, as well as making sure that correspondence from Canadians across the country is triaged and answered in a timely manner.

Its been the tradition in Canada that the Prime Ministers wife gets support in performing official activities, Duchesneau said. He mentioned her involvement in anorexia and bulimia awareness events, the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards Gala, and the Womens Festival, among other recent activities.

She also participates in official events and international visits with the Prime Minister. In addition, she is the official spokesperson of Fillactive, a foundation that provides opportunities for girls between the ages of 12 to 17 to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle. On top of that, she is the Honorary Chair of the National Arts Centre Gala. She promotes many other causes through public appearances, keynote speeches, and media opportunities, he said.

Gregoire also accompanied her husband in March to a White House State Dinner hosted by President Barack Obama.

Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said Gregoire brought this attention on herself by posing provocatively with Justin in Vogue and by the interviews she has given. That is why she receives so many letters asking her to do this and that.

Wiseman said that unlike the U.S. first lady, the Canadian Prime Ministers wife has no official role or title. He noted many previous wives of prime ministers were more anonymous. He said they had aides, but didnt seek out a profile.

Shes drawing this attention. Now shes saying because I get all this attention I need this support, Wiseman said. She just happens to be married to the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister was previously criticised by opposition parties after taking office late last year for using taxpayer money to pay for two nannies who help care for his children. A spokeswoman for Trudeau said at the time that the nannies would be named as part of the household staff and that Trudeau would not expand the staff of the Prime Ministers residence.
The newborn, who weighed 4 pounds and 15 ounces and was full-term when she was born, was immediately put on a ventilator. (Photo: Pixabay)

Cape Giraradeau, United States: Missouri doctors managed to deliver a baby whose mother was killed in a crash on her way to a hospital to give birth.

Sarah Iler and the baby's father, Matt Rider, were headed Wednesday from Cape Girardeau, where they lived, to a hospital in Poplar Bluff, a city about 60 miles southwest where she grew up, when his SUV was struck by a tractor trailer, the Southeast Missourian reported.

The collision pushed the SUV into the median, and Iler and Rider were ejected, Cape Girardeau police Sgt. Adam Glueck said Monday. Upon arriving at the scene, officers began performing CPR on Iler in an attempt to save her and the baby, but Iler was declared dead upon arrival at a Cape Girardeau hospital, he said.

Doctors, though, performed an emergency cesarean section and delivered her daughter, Maddyson.

The newborn, who weighed 4 pounds and 15 ounces and was full-term when she was born, was immediately put on a ventilator. She was able to come off of it on Friday.

Iler's sister, Kasandra Iler, said Maddyson opened her eyes and grabbed a nurse's finger. Still, doctors don't yet know if she suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen after her mother's death, relatives said. A hospital spokeswoman would say only that the baby is in fair condition.

Matt Rider suffered extensive injuries but is recovering. He was flown to a St. Louis hospital with several broken bones. He has been upgraded from critical to fair condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Iler's family has set up a gofundme.com account to raise $5,000 for her funeral expense. More than $4,200 had been raised as of Monday morning.

"She had her whole life ahead of her," Iler's mother, Patricia Knight, told the newspaper. "And now the baby has to grow up without her mother."
According to Krepon, the triangular nuclear competition in Asia will differ greatly from the arms race between the United States and the erstwhile Soviet Union. (Photo: Representational Image)

Washington: Small increments of stockpile growth and multiple warhead missiles will ratchet up a triangular nuclear competition among China, India and Pakistan, a new book has said while warning that there are no realistic prospects for banning such arsenal.

With China beginning its long-awaited deployment of the DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missile, India and Pakistan are likely to respond by placing multiple warheads atop some of their missiles, the book titled 'The Lure and Pitfalls of MIRVS: From the First to the Second Nuclear Age' said.

The book, co-edited by Michael Krepon, Co-founder of the Stimson Center, and Shane Mason, says that in the second nuclear age, no less than the first, there are no realistic prospects for banning multiple-warhead missiles.

China has started to deploy such missiles, and India and Pakistan are likely to cross this threshold as well. The motivations behind these steps will determine how extensively nuclear arsenals will grow and how pernicious the effects of stockpile growth will become, the book said.

"The good news is that China, India, and Pakistan won't go overboard on MIRVs like the United States and the Soviet Union. The bad news is that even limited deployments will further complicate the triangular nuclear competition in Asia," Krepon said.

The book warns that if the growth of warhead totals and missile accuracy presages moves by Beijing and New Delhi toward warfighting strategies of deterrence, then the second nuclear age will become far more dangerous and prospects for reducing the salience of nuclear weapons on international affairs will be undermined.

According to Krepon, the triangular nuclear competition in Asia will differ greatly from the arms race between the United States and the erstwhile Soviet Union.

China will likely continue to build its arsenal at a moderate pace, adding fewer than 200 warheads to its arsenal over the next 10-15 years -- perhaps one half as a result of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV).

But even small increments of stockpile growth and multiple warhead missiles will ratchet up the triangular nuclear competition among China, India, and Pakistan, Krepon said.

Krepon concludes that success in dampening this competition will require improved relations and nuclear risk reduction measures between China and India, and between India and Pakistan.

Most importantly, China and India can avoid the lure and pitfalls of MIRVs by continuing to avoid counterforce nuclear targeting strategies.

"If decision makers in China, India, and Pakistan wish to avoid repeating the missteps of the United States and the Soviet Union during the first nuclear age, they will limit the extent to which multiple warheads are placed atop missiles," Krepon said.

"They will proceed at a slow pace -- and reject the lure and pitfalls of Cold War-era counterforce targeting strategies," he said.
The White House asserted that it shares the view of the lawmakers with regard to the Haqqani network, but such a move would "unnecessarily complicate progress" in bilateral ties. (Photo: AP)

Washington: The Obama administration has opposed the Republican-controlled Congress' move to block USD 450 million in aid to Pakistan for failing to "demonstrate its commitment" and taking action against the Haqqani network, saying it will "complicate progress" in bilateral ties.

A White House statement in this regard along with other objections of the administration to NDAA-2017 came as the bill made its way to the House of Representatives from House Armed Services Committee.

The White House asserted that it shares the view of the lawmakers with regard to the Haqqani network, but such a move would "unnecessarily complicate progress" in bilateral ties.

The House is likely to vote on HR 4909 later this week. According to NDAA 2017, of the total amount of reimbursement and support authorised for Pakistan during the period beginning on October 1, 2016, and ending on December 31, 2017, USD 450 million would not be eligible for a national security waiver unless the Secretary of Defence certifies that Pakistan continues to conduct operations against Haqqanis.

"The Administration objects to section 1212 (of HR 4919), which would make USD 450 million of CSF (Coalition Support Fund) to Pakistan ineligible for the Secretary of Defense's waiver authority unless the Secretary provides a certification to the Congressional defense committees," the White House said in its statement.

"We share the Committee's concerns regarding the threat posed to our forces and interests in Afghanistan by the Haqqani Network, and we continue to engage with Pakistan at the highest levels regarding the need for concerted action specifically against the group," the White House said.

"However, the restriction in section 1212 would unnecessarily complicate progress in our bilateral relationship on this issue and would limit the Secretary of Defense's ability to act in the US national security interest," it added.

Under this new proposed provision, the Defence Secretary also needs to certify that Pakistan is demonstrating commitment to prevent the Haqqani Network from using North Waziristan as a safe haven and is actively coordinating with Afghanistan to restrict the movement of terrorists, including the Haqqani Network, along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

There is similar certification requirement in the current fiscal 2016 ending on September 31, 2016, but the amount is USD 300 million. Defence Secretary has not been able to give necessary certification for the release of such a fund to Pakistan so far.

The House Armed Services Committee says that it will continue to review the reimbursements made to Pakistan and how it comforts with the future of US policy, including key counter-terrorism and security objectives, in the region.

The Obama Administration has opposed any move to either restrict or condition US military aid to Pakistan arguing that its ties with Islamabad are very important.
A French Canadian who put a bison calf in his car at Yellowstone National Park because he thought the animal was cold told a park ranger he realized what he did was wrong.

The man who took the calf is identified as Shamash Kassam of Quebec in documents filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of Wyoming. Park officials cited Kassam for disturbing wildlife. He was fined $110 and is required to appear in court June 2 at the Yellowstone Justice Center.

Yellowstone officials euthanized the bison calf after the human interaction caused the animal to be rejected by its herd, the park said Monday.

According to the citation, Kassam told a park ranger he saw the baby bison in the middle of the road near Buffalo Ranch. Kassam said the calf was wet and shivering. He said he did not see any other bison in the vicinity and he waited 20 minutes to see if any adult bison would come back for the calf. Kassam said the animal appeared to be seeking warmth from his cars engine.

Kassam told the park ranger he picked up the calf because otherwise it would have been roadkill, the citation states. When the ranger made contact with Kassam at the Buffalo Ranch, he saw the calf lying in the back of Kassams Toyota Sequoia.

The park ranger told Kassam that park visitors are not permitted to intervene with wildlife and that by removing the calf he was preventing the mother from locating it and possibly altering its ability to survive in the wild.

Kasam stated that he understood what he did was wrong and he would never pick up or disturb any wildlife again, the citation states.

The ranger located a bison herd near where Kassam had picked up the calf and released the calf back into the herd, according to the citation. The ranger then notified National Park Service bison management.

Rangers repeatedly tried to reunite the calf with its herd, according to a statement released by Yellowstone. The efforts failed, and the calf was later euthanized because it was abandoned and approaching people and cars along the road.

Human interference can cause mothers to reject their offspring, the park said.

Yellowstone released a statement Monday after receiving criticism for euthanizing the calf. In order for the calf to leave the park, it would have had to spend months in quarantine to be monitored for brucellosis, a disease that causes bison, elk and cattle to miscarry. No approved quarantine facilities exist, and the park said it doesn't have the capacity to care for a calf that's too young to forage on its own.

"Nor is it the mission of the National Park Service to rescue animals: our goal is to maintain the ecological processes of Yellowstone," the statement said. "Even though humans were involved in this case, it is not uncommon for bison, especially young mothers, to lose or abandon their calves. Those animals typically die of starvation or predation."

A Yellowstone spokeswoman said the park would like visitors to respect wildlife and to know and follow the safety regulations.

The visitors put themselves in danger because adult animals are protective of their young and will act aggressively to defend them, the park said. Last year, five visitors were seriously injured when they approached bison. Bison harm more visitors to Yellowstone than any other animal.

Park regulations require visitors to stay at least 25 yards from all wildlife and at least 100 yards from bears and wolves.

Disregarding these regulations can result in fines, injury and even death, the release said. The safety of these animals, as well as human safety, depends on everyone using good judgment and following these simple rules.
Unlike with most other major owners of US debt, the Treasury Department kept Saudi Arabia's precise holdings secret since the 1970s. Till now, Saudi's holdings were lumped together with that of other oil exporting nations, including Venezuela and Iraq (Photo: AFP)

Washington: Oil-rich Saudi Arabia was the 13th largest holder of US debt at USD 116.8 billion by March, the Treasury Department has announced, ending four decades of keeping the sensitive figure secret.

Saudi Arabia stockpiled USD 116.8 billion of US Treasuries as of March, the Treasury Department said on Monday, making the Gulf country the 13th largest foreign holder of US debt, though well behind the USD 1 trillion-plus owned by China and Japan each.

Unlike with most other major owners of US debt, the Treasury Department kept Saudi Arabia's precise holdings secret since the 1970s. Till now, Saudi's holdings were lumped together with that of other oil exporting nations, including Venezuela and Iraq. The Treasury Department has now disclosed precise holdings by specific countries that were previously grouped together.

A Treasury official told CNNMoney the move was made following a review aimed at trying to provide more "comprehensive and transparent" data.

It is also possible that Saudi Arabia owns even more US debt than what was revealed on Monday, the report said.

That is because Saudi Arabia's central bank listed owning USD 587 billion of foreign reserves as of March. Typically, central banks park the majority of their foreign reserves in US Treasuries. In other words, the numbers don't really add up, the report said.

The Saudi mystery had taken on greater significance in recent months. Since the end of 2014 the Saudis have burned through more than USD 130 billion of foreign-exchange reserves -- most likely including US debt -- to help cope with the crash in oil prices.

The Treasury Department said Saudi Arabia's US debt holdings of USD 116.8 billion are down from USD 123.6 billion in January.

Additionally, rising tensions between the US and Saudi Arabia led the kingdom to make a recent shocking threat.

Saudi Arabia threatened to sell off American assets if the US Congress passed a bill that would allow 9/11 terror attack victims to sue foreign governments.

A Saudi source at the time told CNNMoney that the kingdom was "serious" about this threat.

Dumping a vast sum of US Treasuries at once could cause the securities to tank, potentially destabilising global financial markets.

The new Treasury report also showed that the Cayman Islands, a country of less than 60,000 people, owned USD 265 billion of US Treasuries as of March.

That's the third-highest sum in the world and a reflection of the nation's status as a major tax haven. The Cayman Islands does not have a corporate tax, encouraging multinational companies to store vast sums of money there to avoid taxes, the CNN report said.

Likewise, Bermuda, another popular tax haven, is sitting on USD 63 billion of US debt. Previously both the Cayman Islands and Bermuda were lumped together in a group of Caribbean banking centre nations.
Acting in his role as UN special envoy for global education, Brown said the fund hopes to reach many of the estimated 20 million school-age refugees and displaced persons around the globe who are being denied an education as part of the largest population of displaced girls and boy since 1945. (Photo: AP)

United Nations: Former British Prime Minster Gordon Brown on Monday announced the creation of the United Nations first humanitarian fund for the education of refugee children.

Acting in his role as UN special envoy for global education, Brown said the fund hopes to reach many of the estimated 20 million school-age refugees and displaced persons around the globe who are being denied an education as part of the largest population of displaced girls and boy since 1945.

Brown said the number of children who are missing out on schooling due to displacement is becoming a global crisis that will haunt the world for generations.

When we ask ourselves what breaks the lives of once thriving young children, its not just the Mediterranean wave that submerges the life vest and its not just the food convoy that does not arrive in Syria, its also the absence of hope - the soul crushing certainty that there is nothing to plan or prepare for, not even a place in school, Brown said, speaking by telephone to reporters at the UN.

The initiative, entitled Education Cannot Wait, will be formally launched at next weeks World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul and seeks to raise $3.85 billion from some 100 donors in the public and private sectors over the next five years.

The initiative, which has been in the works for three years, was inspired by the refugee crisis in Syria, but funds will be available for refugees around the globe.

Brown said that the vast majority of people fleeing the war in Syria remain in the region and if parents believed their children could get an education there, they would be more likely to stay in place, rather than undertake the risky passage to Europe.

We must meet our responsibilities to those people who are in Europe, who are refugees and asylum seekers, but we must at the same time recognize the biggest problem and the biggest number of people who need help, particularly children who need help, are in the region themselves. And if we do not act they will become victims of child labour, child trafficking and child marriage and they will be a discontented generation of young people, a lost generation, Brown said.
The 14-year-old girl was set upon by a gang of drunken men and boys as she walked home from school on the western island of Sumatra. (Representational Image)

Jakarta: Indonesia is considering microchipping convicted child rapists after the brutal gang rape and murder of a schoolgirl sparked demands for tougher punishments, authorities said Friday.

The 14-year-old girl was set upon by a gang of drunken men and boys as she walked home from school on the western island of Sumatra.

Her battered body was found three days later in woods, tied up and naked. Seven teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were jailed this week over the assault, while five men have been arrested and are awaiting trial.

The attack happened in April but came to public attention this month when activists started posting about it on social media, and has sparked a national debate on sexual violence.

President Joko Widodo has pledged to swiftly push through a decree introducing tougher laws, and a justice ministry spokesman confirmed that one of the measures under consideration was for microchips.

Local media reported that the microchip could be implanted in rapists ankles.

The microchip will be fitted before the criminals are released from prison, and is needed to monitor and locate them after they are freed, said Asrorun Niam Sholeh, head of government-backed rights group the National Commission for Child Protection, who has been involved in discussions on the new laws.

The decree could be signed in the coming days, he added.

Chemical castration and heavier jail terms for child rapists are also among new measures that could be introduced.

The government announced last year it would begin chemically castrating child sex offenders after a string of high-profile attacks, but introduction of the punishment had been delayed.

A presidential decree allows the government to quickly bring in new laws without first getting parliaments agreement.

The schoolgirl case in Indonesia has drawn comparisons with the fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus in Delhi in 2012, which sparked mass protests and led to an overhaul of Indias rape laws.
Beijing: China on Monday harped on the need for consensus for entry into the the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

This years consensus which has long upheld by the international community and was also reaffirmed in last years NPT review session, Chinese foreign ministry spokes-man Hong Lei said here.said skirting any references to Pakistan which has received a number of China-made nuclear reactors including the two of 1,100 MW being installed in Karachi plant.

India, Pakistan, Israel and South Sudan are among four UN member states which have not signed the NPT.
Police alleged that the teen was scouting for possible sites in Sydney to launch an attack and had been trying to get a firearm.

Sydney: An Australian teen was on Tuesday arrested on charges of plotting a terror attack in Sydney and attempting to stage incursions abroad.

18-year-old Tamim Khaja, of Macquarie Park in Sydney's northwest, who was arrested in Parramatta by Joint Counter Terrorism Team, is expected to appear at Sydney Central Local Court on Wednesday. Both offences carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

He was arrested for plotting an "imminent" terror attack in Sydney and had tried to leave the country in February, police said.

"Since that time, he has been under the surveillance of the relevant authorities who have decided this morning to act to prevent an imminent terrorist event," Attorney-General George Brandis told reporters, without giving details of potential targets. Brandis said, the 'areas of concern' were public buildings representing authority.

Police alleged that the teen was scouting for possible sites in Sydney to launch an attack and had been trying to get a firearm.

He tried to board an international flight from Sydney Airport in February, they said. However, he was stopped because his passport had been cancelled.

He will be charged with planning a terrorist act and preparing to travel to Syria, Australian Federal Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan said.

"We have taken swift action to ensure the safety of the community and we are satisfied that any threat to the community posed by the individual has been mitigated," he said.

"This young person's life changed today. When he made those decisions he took two weeks ago, he's now looking at life in prison. It's believed the teen was acting alone," Gaughan said.

The teenager has links to others who are already before the courts on terror-related charges, he said.

His arrest is not related to raids conducted in Melbourne this morning of properties linked to five men arrested last week and charged over a plan to travel by boat to Indonesia in a bid to join the ISIS.
"Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods," said Johnson. (Photo: AFP)

Copenhagen: European Council President Donald Tusk on Tuesday criticised the former conservative mayor of London Boris Johnson for having "crossed boundaries" by saying the European Union was behaving like Adolf Hitler.

"I cannot stay silent," Tusk told reporters in Copenhagen. Johnson, a leading campaigner for Britain to leave the EU, had "crossed boundaries" of acceptable political debate, Tusk said.

"Such absurd arguments should be completely ignored if they hadn't been formulated by one the most influential politicians of the ruling party. Boris Johnson crossed the boundaries of a rational discussion, demonstrating political amnesia," Tusk added.

Johnson made his controversial remarks concerning the UK referendum set for June 23 during an interview with the Sunday Telegraph on May 15.

"Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods," said Johnson, a populist figure known for his rhetorical flourishes and historical allusions.

Tusk, while promising not to intervene in the British political debate, felt that Johnson's comments were irresponsible.

"The EU may be blamed for many things, but it still remains the most effective firewall against the ever dangerous and often tragic conflicts among the nations of Europe," he said.
Cameron also vowed that the referendum will be a "once in a lifetime" event, rubbishing statements by some Leave campaigners raising the prospect of another referendum in the future (Photo: AP)

London: British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday warned that Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists would be happy if Britain was to vote to leave the European Union (EU) in the crucial June 23 referendum.

Cameron, who was addressing a World Economic Forum event in London, highlighted on the negative impact of Brexit, which would be welcomed only by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the chief of ISIS.

"Who would be happy if we left? Putin might be happy. I suspect al-Bagdadi might be happy," he said.

Read: David Cameron joins Tinder to reach out to young people for Brexit vote

His latest comments, alluding to making the UK more vulnerable to terrorists in the event of an EU exit, will be described as scaremongering by the Leave camp, which says Brexit would give the UK greater control over its borders.

The Cameron-led Remain campaign maintains that the UK already has the power to check all passports, with a pan-European security network providing additional security.

Cameron also vowed that the referendum will be a "once in a lifetime" event, rubbishing statements by some Leave campaigners raising the prospect of another referendum in the future.

"I'm absolutely clear that the referendum is the referendum. It is a once in a generation, once in a lifetime opportunity. The result determines the outcome - if we vote to stay, we stay, and that's it. If we vote to leave, we leave, and that's it. We can't have 'never-endums'," he said.

He was responding to comments made by UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage that there could be strong demand for a re-run of the EU referendum if the Remain camp wins by a narrow margin on June 23.

"In a 52-48 referendum this would be unfinished business by a long way. If the Remain campaign win two-thirds to one-third that ends it," he said.

The opinion polls are running neck-and-neck currently, with both camps at a nearly 50-50 vote. The campaigning by both sides will intensify in the coming weeks in an attempt to swing any undecided votes.
Guzman, who has escaped twice from maximum-security prisons, was unexpectedly transferred on May 7 from a lockup near Mexico City to a penitentiary in Ciudad Juarez, at the US border.

Mexico City: A Mexican judge has approved a second US extradition request for drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, officials said Monday, giving the government about a month to confirm the decision.

A Mexico City judge ruled in favor of the request, based on drug trafficking, money laundering and murder charges lodged in a US federal court in Texas, the Judicial Council said in a statement.

The foreign ministry now has 20 working days to decide whether to extradite the Sinaloa drug cartel kingpin, and his lawyers would then have 30 days to file an appeal.

Earlier this month, a judge endorsed an extradition request based on cocaine charges in California, but the foreign ministry has yet to issue a decision on that ruling.

Guzman's lawyer has vowed to fight extradition unless US authorities negotiate good prison conditions for his client.

But a US government official has said that there would be no deals made with Guzman and that US authorities expect the extradition to happen in several months, or by the end of the year.

Guzman, who has escaped twice from maximum-security prisons, was unexpectedly transferred on May 7 from a lockup near Mexico City to a penitentiary in Ciudad Juarez, at the US border.

His transfer raised speculation that his extradition was imminent, but Mexican authorities said it was due to security upgrades at the Altiplano prison, from where Guzman had escaped in July 2015 before his recapture in January.
For Novembers election, though, Trump is trailing on PredictIt with 40 cents against Clintons 59 cents. (Photo: AP)

New York/Wellington: Erik Duhaime is a passive stock market investor, but he isnt afraid to short Donald Trump or go long on Hillary Clinton.

The 28-year-old from Cambridge, Massachusetts, trades on PredictIt, an online political stock market that allows users to wager small amounts of money on yes or no predictions about whether an event will occur. That includes who will win the US presidential election in November.

This is probably one of the ways I restrain myself from being active in the stock market, said Duhaime, a PhD student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, who checks the site a few times a week for fun.

PredictIt, which was launched in 2014, now has more than 30,000 traders registered, up from 19,000 at the end of 2015, and has received shout-outs from pundits and presidential campaign advisors alike. Users must be US residents and registered voters.

PredictIt says it is not like an online gambling site because it mainly exists to supply its data to universities for academic research, one of the main reasons the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission allows it to operate legally, according to a letter issued by the regulator in 2014. It is jointly run by Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, and a Washington-based political consulting firm Aristotle International Inc.

Unlike mainstream financial markets, bets are not big: The CFTC caps each participants position at $850 per market, and the average deposit when people sign up is just $100.

The regulator hasnt been as friendly to such betting sites in the past. In 2012, the CFTC filed a civil complaint against the now defunct Intrade for violating a ban on off-exchange options trading. The Ireland-based market also allowed people to wager money on yes or no questions, but it wasnt tied to an academic institution and didnt have a cap on the maximum amount that could be traded.

Market beats polling

Predictions markets like PredictIt and a similar venue run by the University of Iowa have emerged as an alternative to polling for election forecasters. PredictIt is bigger than the Iowa Electronic Markets, which has only about 2,000 active traders with access to its political markets.

Polling is very expensive, said David Rothschild, an economist at Microsoft Research who runs a predictions-market aggregator called PredictWise, which draws heavily from PredictIt. Its a slow process. Its not very flexible.

Knowledge of polls does also feed into betting decisions on PredictIt. Predictions markets translate this and other information into probability, said Rajiv Sethi, professor of economics at Barnard College. The basic intuition is that its a wisdom of crowds effect.

For example, Trumps chances of securing the Republican nomination for the presidential election swung dramatically on the site over the past three months as the primary season progressed. A Trump share shot from 30 cents in early February when he lost to rival Ted Cruz in the Iowa primary to 80 cents a month later when Trump dominated on Super Tuesday. They then lost half their value by early April as Cruz appeared to regain momentum with a big win in Wisconsin. With Cruz and another rival, John Kasich, now out of the race, Trump had risen to 94 cents by Monday.

For Novembers election, though, Trump is trailing on PredictIt with 40 cents against Clintons 59 cents.

While PredictIts precision has yet to be closely examined by academics, other predictions markets such as the Iowa Electronic Markets, have proven to be just as accurate as polls, experts who have studied them said.

PredictIt markets go beyond topics related to US elections. Users also put the probability of a North Korea hydrogen bomb test this year at only 29 cents, and a British exit from the European Union by 2017 at just 30 cents.

The idea for PredictIt was first thought up in the mid-1990s by Lew Evans, professor of economics at the University of Victoria.

It took until 2008, for the market, called iPredict in New Zealand, to get up and running.

Early on, it focussed primarily on New Zealand politics, and research showed iPredict out-performed the majority of polls in predicting the results in two of New Zealands last three general elections. However, new anti-money laundering laws in New Zealand put an end to iPredict last year after the cost of verifying users identities to comply with the rules threatened to blow through iPredicts shoe-string budget.

Primary party

PredictIt attracts everyone from campaign volunteers to political junkies.

In mid-April, about 30 PredictIt traders gathered at a bar in New York to watch the states primary results roll in.

I think its a good source of collective wisdom, said Brian Hegarty, who was at the event.

Hegarty, who worked for Kasichs campaign, reads political news, but also relied on picking up information through his campaign experience. That didnt always translate to a bet in favour of Kasich. He said he put money on Republican candidate Marco Rubio to win the Minnesota caucus because he had overheard someone who was working for the Florida senator express confidence about Rubios chances. It turned out to be one of the few states Rubio won before dropping out in mid-March.

Duhaime, the MIT student, said he usually bets against candidates he believes are likely to flame out.

For me, Trump was one of those people, he said. I shorted Trump way back in July, and it hasnt been fun watching.

After Trumps win in Indiana in early May, Duhaime was down nearly $1,000, about a third of the money he put into PredictIt.

I still think it was a one in a hundred thing, Duhaime, who doesnt identify as a Democrat but is a fan of President Barack Obama, said of the Trump phenomenon. Obviously Im bummed, but Im sort of more concerned for other reasons.
One key division between the powers continues to be the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (Photo: AP)

Vienna: World and regional powers agreed on Tuesday to try and turn Syria's shaky pause in fighting into a comprehensive cease-fire as a step toward ending the five-year war that left hundreds of thousands dead and fuelled the rise of Islamic extremists.

Outlining other results, US Secretary of State John Kerry said participants set a June 1 deadline for the resumption of humanitarian aid to areas cut off from the outside world. If land routes remain blocked, food aid will be air dropped and international pressure will be increased on those blocking such relief, he said.

Such pressure will also be applied to stop indiscriminate use of force by the Syrian military, Kerry added, without specifying what pressure the powers could apply.

But beyond such pledges the meeting did not devise any concrete ways to resolve the main problem standing in the way of peace - factional divisions. Without that, progress in ending the violence and reducing Syria's human misery can only be marginal and temporary.

Kerry said as much to reporters, declaring that to end the conflict "a variety of competing interests are going to have to be reconciled." "Those involved in this conflict with competing agendas are going to have to prioritize peace," he said.

One key division continues to be the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Going into the talks, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier repeated the position held by the West and the Saudi-backed opposition that a peace agreement should outline steps leading to the end of his rule.

"This is necessary because there can be no lasting future for this country with Assad," he told reporters. "This is why we must start negotiations here in Vienna ... about what a transition government could look like."

Kerry did not directly mention Washington's public position that any comprehensive peace agreement must set a timetable for Assad's removal, saying only that "without a negotiated solution, Assad and his supporters will never end the war."

And he questioned suggestions that Assad was immune from international pressure to agree to a settlement. Any such conclusion by the Syrian leader is "without any foundation whatsoever, and it's very dangerous."

In a nod to Moscow, Assad's key international backer, Kerry said Russia "has made it very clear" that Assad has signed on to commitments that include participation in peace talks, constitutional change and elections. "But he has yet to live up to the first one, which is to participate fully in the Geneva talks on a political transition," he said.

The diplomats also called on all parties to dissociate themselves from the Islamic State and the al-Qaida affiliate, known as the Nusra Front, Kerry said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Iraqi oil workers resumed work at a natural gas plant north of Baghdad, two days after a coordinated IS dawn assault left at least 14 people dead (Photo: Representational Image)

Baghdad: A wave of bombings struck outdoor markets and a restaurant in Shiite-dominated neighbourhoods of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 69 people, officials said - the latest in deadly militant attacks far from the front lines in the country's north and west where Iraqi forces are battling the Islamic State group.

In an online statement, IS claimed responsibility only for the deadliest bombing of the day, which took place in Baghdad's northeastern Shaab neighborhood and where at least 34 people were killed and 75 others were wounded.

Read: 94 dead in triple Baghdad car bombings claimed by ISIS

In that attack, a roadside bomb first exploded outside the concrete blast walls surrounding the open-air market, followed by a suicide bomber who blew himself up as people gathered to help the victims of the first explosion, a police officer said.

The IS statement said the attack was carried out by an Iraqi who targeted members of Shiite militias. The Associated Press could not verify the authenticity of the statement but it was posted on a militant website commonly used by extremists.

Tuesday's bombings were just the latest in a wave of attacks in Baghdad and surrounding areas that has left more than 200 dead over the past week. The attacks, many claimed by IS, come as the group has lost significant chunks of territory to Iraqi ground forces over the past year.

As the Islamic State militants are pushed back along front lines, the group is increasingly turning to insurgency-style attacks to detract from their losses, Iraqi and coalition officials say.

Iraq is also in the midst of a political crisis that has gridlocked the country's government. While Iraqi security officials say they are concerned political instability is distracting from the fight against IS, some analysts say the extremist group is launching the attacks at a time of political crisis in an attempt to further delegitimize the Iraqi government.

Shortly after the Shaab attack, a parked car bomb struck a fruit-and-vegetable market in the Shiite-dominated neighborhood of Dora, in southern Baghdad, killing eight people and wounding 22 others, a police officer said.

In Baghdad's sprawling eastern Shiite district of Sadr City, a suicide car bombing hit a crowded outdoor market, killing 18 people and wounding 35 others. In northeast Baghdad, a suicide bomber targeted a restaurant in the Habibiya neighborhood, killing nine and wounding 18.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

Commercial and public places in Shiite-dominated areas are among the most frequent targets for the Sunni militants seeking to undermine the Iraqi government efforts to maintain security inside the capital. But the Islamic State has not confined its latest attacks only to Baghdad.

Earlier Tuesday, Iraqi oil workers resumed work at a natural gas plant north of Baghdad, two days after a coordinated IS dawn assault left at least 14 people dead there, a senior Oil Ministry official said.

Sunday's spectacular attack in the town of Taji, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Baghdad, saw a suicide car bombing at the facility's main gate, followed by several IS fighters breaking into the plant where they clashed with security forces for hours before the attackers were repelled.

The dead included six civilians and eight security forces while 27 Iraqi troops were wounded. Closed-circuit television images showed an explosion that sent thick black smoke rising above the plant. As flames engulfed the facility and nearby palm trees, pedestrians were seen running for cover. The top of one of the gas-processing units was blown off.

Clashes lasted for hours before Iraqi troops managed to repel the attackers.

On Tuesday, work at the plant's three production lines returned "to normal levels," said Deputy Oil Minister Hamid Younis.

The plant was back to full capacity of producing 30,000 cooking gas cylinders a day, he said, adding that Sunday's attack had only damaged two gas storages and a few pipelines. Iraqi state TV showed workers in navy blue overalls filling metal and plastic cylinders on conveyor belts and forklift trucks loading cylinders into trucks.

In 2014 after the Islamic State group blitzed across Iraq and declared an Islamic caliphate on the territory it holds in Iraq and Syria, the extremists were estimated to hold nearly a third of Iraqi territory. Since then Iraq's government says the group's hold has shrunk to just 14 percent of Iraq.

However, despite battlefield successes against IS, Iraq's political leadership is in disarray. Parliament has not met for more than two weeks after supporters of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed Baghdad's highly fortified Green Zone. The breach followed repeated delays to government reform legislation that lawmakers claimed would fight Iraq's entrenched corruption.
Hejratullah Akbari, provincial police spokesman, said that two vehicles were targeted around 10 am local time in Mullah Quli area (Photo: AFP/ Representational Image)

Kabul: At least 20 Taliban insurgents were killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province on Tuesday.

The airstrike was carried out earlier on Tuesday in Dasht-e-Archi district targeting two vehicles of the Taliban insurgents, reports the Khaama Press.

Hejratullah Akbari, provincial police spokesman, said that two vehicles were targeted around 10 am local time in Mullah Quli area. Akbari said that preliminary reports suggested a number of Taliban commanders were also among those killed in the airstrike.

Kunduz is among the relatively volatile provinces in the region were anti-government armed militant groups are actively operating. In a bid to capture key parts of Kunduz province, the Taliban militants launched a major offensive during the recent weeks.
Rezaul Karim Siddiquee, 58, English professor at Rajshahi University, was hacked to death on his way to work last month. (Photo: AP)

Dhaka: Bangladesh police arrested an Islamist militant charged with the murder of a professor amid a surge in deadly attacks against liberal activists and other minorities in the South Asian nation, a senior officer said on Tuesday.

Rezaul Karim Siddiquee, 58, English professor at Rajshahi University, was hacked to death on his way to work last month. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing of the professor for his calling to atheism.

Police however arrested a member of the banned local militant group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, thought to have been lying low since six of its leaders were hanged in 2007.

The suspect was arrested on Sunday, Rajshahi city police chief Mohammad Shamsuddin said.

The Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people has seen a series of attacks over the past year in which atheist bloggers, academics, religious minorities and foreign aid workers have been killed.

Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent has also claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, including the killing of two gay rights activists last month. But police say home-grown militant groups are behind the violence.

Dozens of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen members have been arrested and at least five killed in shootouts since November, as security forces step up a crackdown on militants seeking to make the moderate Muslim nation a sharia-based state.

In 2005, the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen set off nearly 500 bombs almost simultaneously on a single day, including in Dhaka. Subsequent suicide attacks on courts killed 25 people and injured hundreds.
When her family reported the incident, the police said that Maryam was not being held against her will, but had married the man who kidnapped her. (Representational image)

Lahore: A Christian woman, who was abducted in Pakistan last year, was allegedly forced to marry her Muslim captor, according to her family.

Maryam Mushtaq, a 24-year-old student, was kidnapped in Lahore last May when she was walking with her younger brother on her way back from college. She was bundled into a car by two Muslim men in front of her 11-year-old brother.

When her family reported the incident, the police said that Maryam was not being held against her will, but had married the man who kidnapped her.

He mother, Mussarat Mushtaq, had reported the abduction and also gave information about the kidnappers' vehicle and licence plate number to the police. However, two days later, the police informed that her daughter was not kidnapped but married.

A 32-year-old man named Muhammed Ali, who Maryam's family claims is the kidnapper, went to the police station and produced a marriage certificate. However, the family refused to believe that Maryam, a devoted Christian, would voluntarily marry a Muslim, and are certain that she is being held against her will.

Three years ago my husband died of cancer, two years ago Maryam's sister died. Now kidnappers have taken away my daughter, said devastated Mussarat Mushtaq.

She was a good, intelligent, hard working girl; she went back to college to improve her chances for employment so that she could support her family. The kidnappers have destroyed her future," she said, adding that "Jesus has always been the centre of her life, there is no way she would give up her whole life and salvation to marry a Muslim man."

The British Pakistani Christian Association (BCAP), which has been helping the family, said that police are bringing Maryam and Ali to court for a hearing this week. However, as she is still living with her abductor, the BCAP fears that she may be forced to tell the court that her marriage is lawful.
Pakistan's assertion came a day after China harped on the need for consensus in the 48-member NSG, where it is reportedly, pushing for Pakistan's entry despite US' strong backing for India to join the elite body (Photo: AFP)

Islamabad: Pakistan on Tuesday told the US that it has the credentials to become the full member of the nuclear materials export control regimes, including the NSG, as the two nations discussed their respective concerns over nuclear and missile developments in South Asia.

The two sides held the 8th round of Pakistan-US working group on Security, Strategic Stability, and Nonproliferation (SSS&NP), which is part of the bilateral Strategic Dialogue.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller co-chaired the meeting held in Islamabad.

According to the joint statement, the delegations had a productive exchange of views on issues of mutual importance, including strategic export control regimes, non-proliferation, and regional stability and security.

The US delegation recognised Pakistan's significant efforts to harmonise its strategic trade controls with those of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and other multilateral export control regimes as "both sides agreed on the value of Pakistans continued engagement, outreach and integration into the international non-proliferation regime".

"The Pakistan delegation expressed its confidence regarding Pakistan's credentials to become full member of the export control regimes, particularly the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)," it said.

Pakistan's assertion came a day after China harped on the need for consensus in the 48-member NSG, where it is reportedly, pushing for Pakistan's entry despite US' strong backing for India to join the elite body.

The joint statement also stated that both sides committed to continue cooperation related to export control capacity-building under the US Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) programme.

"Pakistan stressed the need for access to peaceful uses of nuclear technology as a socio-economic imperative. Pakistan also indicated its interest in cooperation with the US on peaceful applications of Nuclear Science in areas such as health, agriculture and water," it said.

The US underscored the need to commence negotiations on a treaty dealing with fissile materials for use in nuclear weapons.

Pakistan underlined its preference for a broader Fissile Material Treaty (FMT) that addresses the asymmetries in existing stocks and highlighted that its position will be determined by its national security interests and the objectives of strategic stability in South Asia.

Both sides recognised their interest in strategic stability and discussed their respective concerns over nuclear and missile developments in South Asia.
Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid termed the humiliation of the headmaster as "unacceptable and inhumane", and said that action would be taken after the three-member inquiry committee submitted its report (Photo: AFP/ Representational Image)

Dhaka: A Hindu school headmaster in Bangladesh was beaten up and made to do sit-ups in the presence of a local lawmaker for allegedly making disparaging statement against Islam, prompting the government to launch a probe into the incident.

Shyamal Kanti Bhakta of Piyar Sattar Latif High School in Bandar Upazila was beaten up by local people after some unidentified persons using the megaphone of a mosque propagated that Bhakhta made offensive comments about Islam while he was punishing a Muslim student for not studying.

Bhakta was rescued by police after he was beaten up and made to do sit-ups holding ears in the presence of ruling Awami League lawmaker Selim Osman. The MP claimed that the punishment was the only way to save the teacher from the wrath of the mob.

Bhakta has denied making any statement against Islam and claimed that some people in school management held grudges against him. The traumatised teacher was then admitted at a local hospital under police protection.

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid termed the humiliation of the headmaster as "unacceptable and inhumane", and said that action would be taken after the three-member inquiry committee submitted its report.

Education official AKM Nurul Amin, who heads the three-member inquiry committee, said that during the initial investigations it was found that Bhakhta had beaten up a student, "but we also received information that the attack on him was part of a conspiracy".

"The loudspeaker announcement that provoked the mob to assault Bhakhta was false...we learned about the conflict between Bhakhta and the management committee. We will give a detailed account in the probe report," he added.

The 10th grade student, who was slapped by the teacher, later told media that Bhakhta did not made any offensive comments about the religion. "I went to the managing committee to seek justice as he slapped me, but the sir (Bhakhta) did not make any remark about the religion," the student said.

Meanwhile, law minister Anisul Huq on Tuesday said the government was determined to bring to justice perpetrators of public humiliation of the headmaster.

"Those who were involved in the incident must face punitive actions...forcing someone to do sit-ups is a crime under the penal code," Huq said.

Last month, two Hindu teachers were jailed for six months for making blasphemous comments about Islam under a colonial-era law that makes insulting any religion a crime in the Muslim-majority country.
Arrested for killing gay magazine's editor and his friend, police have identified Shariful Islam as a member of outlawed Ansarullah Bangla Team (Photo: AFP)

Dhaka: A detained Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) "operational commander" has confessed to his involvement in the brutal murder of a liberal university professor in Rajshahi city last month, police said on Tuesday.

"Maskawat Hasan Sakib alias Abdullah admitted his links to Rezaul Karim's murder and gave his confessional statement at the Metropolitan Magistrate's Court yesterday," Rajshahi's police commissioner Mohammad Shamsuddin said over phone. Shamsuddin said police will hold a press conference to give more details on the investigation progress later on Tuesday.

He described detained Sakib as JMB's "operational commander" for Rajshahi region. Outlawed JMB has carried out a series of bomb attacks across Bangladesh, killing scores of people including two judges, prompting a massive anti-militant campaign.

Media reports earlier said police arrested Sakib from northwestern Bogra town in connection with the April 23 murder of Karim, an English literature professor of state-run Rajshahi University who was known for his love for music. Suspected Islamists hacked him to death using machetes near his house in the northwestern city.

Karim was the second professor of the same university to be killed in nearly identical manner in past two years.

US-based private SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic State claimed the killing.

"ISIS' Amaq Agency reported the group's responsibility for killing Rajshahi University professor Rezaul Karim for "calling to atheism" in Bangladesh," it had said in a tweet.

Bangladesh, however, ruled out existence of foreign Islamists outfits like IS and alleged that fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami was patronising the killing spree to portray the country as an abode of foreign militants. Police visibly intensified investigations into a series of attacks on secularists and liberal intellectuals, bloggers and minorities including gay activists against the backdrop of growing criticism for failure to track down the assailants. In the past two days police arrested three Rohingya Muslims, who took refuge in Bangladesh in view of reported persecution by authorities in neighbouring Myanmar, for their alleged involvement in the murder of a Buddhist monk in southwestern Badarban hill district last week.

The assailants slaughtered 70-year-old Buddhist monk Mawng Shoi Wuu, chief of the monastery located in the isolated and rugged Naikkhangchari area of Bandarban hill district. Police on Sunday arrested 37-year-old Shariful Islam alias Shihab from Kushtia over the killing of the country's first gay magazine editor and his friend. Police identified him as a member of outlawed Ansarullah Bangla Team, which according to the Site Intelligence Group was the Bangladesh affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

Xulhaz Mannan, 35, editor of a gay magazine, and a 25-year-old fellow activist Mahbub Tonoy were hacked to death in an apartment here on April 25 by up to seven attackers carrying machetes and guns.
Zakhilwal's comments come ahead of a key meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) which has been pushing for a political solution towards insurgency in the country. (Photo: AFP)

Kabul: Afghan ambassador in Islamabad, Omar Zakhilwal, has said that Kabul wants the Taliban to be declared irreconcilable as they have publicly refused to engage in talks.

"We expect the QCG meeting to agree on an implementation of the roadmap the group had agreed upon it's meeting on February 6," the Express Tribune quoted him, as saying while referring to the quartet call for the Taliban to shun violence and join direct talks by the first week of March.

"The roadmap is precisely about the steps the QCG members were to take in their respective domains both during peace talks, if they commenced, as well as if the Taliban refused to join talks. Now since the Taliban have publicly refused to join talks and opted for more violence the second scenario is applicable," he added.

Zakhilwal's comments come ahead of a key meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) which has been pushing for a political solution towards insurgency in the country.

"They must be declared 'irreconcilable' and action must be taken against them as was agreed in the roadmap." he said.

The quartet made up of Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, and the United States, is scheduled to meet on May 18, 2016, in Islamabad. Special envoys of the four countries are likely to attend the meeting, according to reports. Afghanistan at present is still debating on whether or not Kabul should take part in the meeting as some government officials have little hope from the quartet process.

QCG's efforts received a serious blow after the insurgent group refused to engage in 'direct talks' with Afghan government officials and instead announced its annual spring offensive.

Ambassador Zakhiwal had travelled to Kabul following his meeting with Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif where they agreed to reopen the Torkham border crossing. On being asked if Kabul still wanted to pursue dialogue, Zakhilwal said that his country had never shut doors on peace negotiation. Zakhilwal pressed that he still believed Islamabad could play an important and constructive role in support of peace in Afghanistan.

"I also believe Pakistan's civilian and military leadership genuinely desires to move forward in that direction and hope that institutions downward are in line with that thinking and supportive of those positions," he said.
Child trafficking has emerged as a major challenge for the Chinese government in the recent years. According to unofficial data two lakh children go missing in China every year and over six lakh missing children were yet to be traced (Photo: File)

Beijing: An online platform launched by the Chinese police to rescue abducted children, helped to rescue a two-year-old girl, some 32 hours after she was snatched from her parents.

The girl went missing on Friday while she and her family were changing trains in Hengshui, a city in north China's Hebei Province.

Police identified a man suspected of snatching the girl on the railway station's CCTV and broadcast his description via both traditional media and the new Ministry of Public Security (MPS) platform. The suspect, a native of Anyang City, Henan Province, was arrested in the provincial capital of Zhengzhou.

Further investigation into the case is under way. More than 5,000 police officers can provide updates on missing children via the app "Tuanyuan" -- "reunion" in Chinese -- developed by Alibaba, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

Police everywhere can now share information and work together via the app, said Liu Zhenfen, chief risk officer of Alibaba. The new system went live on May 11 and already has more than 1,50,000 followers.

Users near to where a child disappears receive push notifications, including photos and descriptions. The scope of these push notifications will be expanded over time, depending on the success of the system.

"If the child has been missing for one hour, the push notifications are sent within a radius of 100 km; after two hours, 200 km; three hours, 300 km and thereafter, 500 km," Meng Qingtian of the MPS anti-trafficking squad said.

Child trafficking has emerged as a major challenge for the Chinese government in the recent years. According to unofficial data two lakh children go missing in China every year and over six lakh missing children were yet to be traced.

The abducted children mostly from the migrant labour families were sold to child less couples or initiated into criminal activities by organised gangs.

Many people passed on information about the missing toddler to the police via the platform, despite it only being on trial at the time, Meng said. This directly helped police to find the missing girl within two days.

Meng said the platform will bring together more mobile apps, encouraging the public to help in anti-trafficking work and reunite more stolen children with their families.
Gen Sharif, who is in China on a two-day official visit, on Monday met Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President of the Central Military Commission Fan Changlong, the highest military official of the People's Liberation Army which is headed by President Xi Jinping. (Photo: AFP)

Beijing: Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif met top Chinese leaders and military officials and discussed ways to enhance bilateral economic and security ties.

Gen Sharif, who is in China on a two-day official visit, on Monday met Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President of the Central Military Commission Fan Changlong, the highest military official of the People's Liberation Army which is headed by President Xi Jinping.

Li met Sharif yesterday to enhance bilateral economic and security ties, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday. Military-to-military relations have reinforced China-Pakistan ties, especially economic cooperation, Li said, calling on both sides to strengthen high-level contact and deepen exchanges in various fields.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC), estimated to cost about USD 46 billion, is not only a flagship project between the two sides, but also conducive to development and prosperity of the whole region, Li said.

On his part, Sharif appreciated Pakistan's profound friendship with China and stressed that the Pakistani side expects achievements from the CEPC and is ready to provide security for cooperation.

Pakistan military spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa said Gen Sharif discussed with Chinese officials the measures to improve military cooperation, exponentially enhance training exchanges, defence technology and intelligence sharing and security of the CEPC.

Sharif's visit to Beijing comes in the backdrop of assertions by Pakistan that it will raise its concerns at the international level over India's successful test of supersonic interceptor missile.

His trip followed last month's visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who held extensive talks with top Chinese leaders and military officials.

Expressing concern over India's interceptor missile test, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said it will disturb the balance of power in the region.

He added that Pakistan will continue to upgrade its defensive capabilities by acquiring advanced technology. India is enjoying the cooperation of the US, as Washington thinks a strong New Delhi is vital to contain China, he was quoted as saying by the Dawn.

Pakistan would raise its voice at the international level against these developments, Aziz said. Pakistan is also peeved over the US refusal to finance eight F-16s fighter jets.

Also, the India-China ties too faced problems over Beijing blocking New Delhi's move in the UN to ban Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar, who is accused of masterminding the Pathankot terrorist attack.
Shahbaz was recovered by security forces from a hotel on the outskirts of Kuchlak town in Quetta in March after being abducted in 2011 from Lahore. (Photo: Twitter)

Islamabad: Shahbaz Taseer, the son of slain Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer who was recently rescued by Pakistani security forces, has said he was repeatedly tortured by militants during his nearly five year-long captivity.

The 33-year-old said that he was held captive by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

"They used to flog me. I was flogged about 500 in three days, then they cut my back with blades and removed nails from my hands and feet," he said in an interview with BBC Urdu.

Shahbaz was recovered by security forces from a hotel on the outskirts of Kuchlak town in Quetta in March after being abducted in 2011 from Lahore.

Read: Pak to probe circumstances of release of governor's son

He said he was not given food for days and was not given treatment while suffering from malaria.

Once the captors also stitched his mouth. "They used to torture me for making films and used to tell me their plans in advance. Like they would tell me that they will remove my nails tomorrow.

"I used to pray the whole night," Shahbaz said. He said he was initially kept in Mirali area of North Waziristan and them moved to Dattakhel area of same district.

Read: Kidnapped son of slain Pakistani governor reunites with family

Later, he was moved to Afghanistan by Taliban who imprisoned him in their jail.

He also said that differences cropped up between IMU and Taliban over the issue of allegiance with the Islamic State (ISIS) group.

"Following the dispute, Afghan Taliban attacked the Uzbeks and eliminated their whole group - their leadership. For three days, only death lived there," he said.

Read: Pakistani man lights up twitter with account of Taliban captivity

He did not give much details of his release but said that he travelled on a motorbike for eight days from Afghanistan to reach Pakistan's Kuchlak area, from where he was picked by Pakistan army.

Shahbaz's abduction came some seven months after his father was killed by his own police guard Mumtaz Qadri for seeking reforms in Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws.

Just 10 days before Shahbaz was rescued, Qadri was hanged on February 29 at Adiala Jail Rawalpindi after President Mamnoon Hussain rejected his mercy plea.
Sargodha University is first public sector institute which has imposed this kind of ban in recent times. (Representational Image)

Lahore: A Pakistani university has banned 'one-on-one' sittings of boys and girls on campus by terming it against Islamic 'cultural' norms, in a case of moral policing.

The Sargodha University Lahore campus on Monday issued a circular banning the 'one-on-one' sittings of male and female students in classroom, cafeteria or any other place in the campus.

"In view of our cultural and religious bindings and complaints by parents, inappropriate interaction between male and female students is hereby strictly prohibited within the university premises," the notice states.

"We have imposed ban on sittings of male and female students together in 'couple form' on the complaints of parents. Parents have objected to the boys and girls sitting together especially in classroom," Sargodha University Director Mian Javed said.

"He said considering the complaints of parents and some students the varsity administration and its board have unanimously decided to place a ban on 'one-on-one' sittings of boys and girls," he said, adding the boys and girls can sit together in group form (three or more) for 'academic discussions'.

Javed further said Pakistan is an Islamic state and "we have to discourage this culture (of boys and girls sitting together)."

Sargodha University is first public sector institute which has imposed this kind of ban in recent times. Ali Ahtasham, a student of Sargodha University, said that the administration has actually given in to the pressure of a student wing.

"The extremists elements on campus earlier had thrashed some boys for sitting with girls," he said. In Punjab University, the Islami Jamiat Tulba often thrash male students for sitting with girls but the administration did not ban 'couple' sittings.
The resolution moved in the Senate, the Upper House of the parliament, by ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party Senator Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qayyum was passed on Monday.

Islamabad: Pakistan's Senate has unanimously adopted a resolution asking the government to prepare a dossier on "Indian interference" in the country and send it to other nations and international institutions.

The resolution moved in the Senate, the Upper House of the parliament, by ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party Senator Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qayyum was passed on Monday.

According to a report in Express Tribune, the resolution calls on the Pakistan government to prepare "a full dossier about the Indian interference in Pakistan's internal affairs fomenting unrest, instability and terrorism."

It also calls for sending these dossiers to "key international countries and institutions."

The Senate's move comes more than two months after Pakistani authorities claimed to have arrested an alleged Indian spy in its restive Balochistan province on March 3.

Pakistan claims Kulbhushan Jadhav crossed over into the country from Iran. It has handed over evidence regarding Yadav's arrest to key world powers, including the US and the UK, but they have yet not responded.

Pakistan last month said it has briefed envoys of the Arab and ASEAN countries about Jadhav's alleged "confession about Indian sponsored subversive activities and terrorist financing to destabilise Pakistan".

India has acknowledged Jadhav as a retired Indian Navy officer, but denied the allegation that he was in any way connected to the government.
The house of a Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General was burgled and ransacked when the 57-year-old was on a trip to Shimla with her family.





The incident came to the fore when Central Revenue Audit officer K Ganga returned to the Bapa Nagar house in south Delhi late on Sunday. A case was filed with Tilak Marg police station on Monday.



Ganga and her family members had left for Himachal Pradeshs Shimla district at 7 am on May 12. The complainants peon Sanjay Singh was at the house and he also had the keys of the house, said a police officer.



Singh, however, went to his house in Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr district on May 13. Ganga told the police that Singh had informed her about his trip well in advance.

Ganga returned home at around 10.30 pm on Sunday. She was shocked to find the broken lock of the main door, the officer added. The house was ransacked, and the locks of several briefcases were also found broken.



The rear door of the house was locked from outside, but the grill of a window was damaged. A call was made to the police control room at around 1.30 am on Monday.

On the basis of Gangas complaint, an FIR under sections 380 (theft in dwelling house) and 457 (lurking house-trespass) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered with Tilak Marg police station.



Ganga stated that some gold jewellery and silverware were missing. A crime team has inspected the house and also analysed the CCTV footage, but no arrest has been made so far.



Crime rate up in summer

The police said that summer months are peak time for burglaries as Delhiites leave for outstation trips to avoid the heat. According to police, crime rates increase approximately 10 % in May, June and July. Over 2,500 cases of house theft have been filed in the first four months of this year.


Seven security personnel were injured in a clash with Asaram Bapus supporters at Parliament Street police station early on Monday.





Asarams supporters, however, blamed police for the violence and claim that 15 members of their group, including women, were injured and were treated at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.



Asarams supporters were demanding the release of the self-styled godman lodged at Rajasthans Jodhpur Central Jail since September 2013. He was arrested when a 16-year-old girl accused him of sexually assaulting her.



On Sunday, over 3,000 Asaram supporters gathered at central Delhis Jantar Mantar. Carrying placards and banners, they claimed that Asaram was framed in the case.



At around 10.30 pm, around 500 members of the group moved towards the nearby police station at Parliament Street. Anticipating violence, police personnel from nearby police stations and paramilitary forces were told to report there.



At 12.30 am on Monday, police told the protesters to leave the area, telling reminding them that they did not have any role in Asarams arrest.



The group was requested to clear the area on which they turned violent. They started pelting stones in which six police vehicles were also damaged, said a police officer.



According to police, the SHO of Barakhamba Road police station and a woman constable were among the 7 injured. The condition of 3 of them is stated to be serious. They are being treated at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.



A case of rioting under Indian Penal Code was filed with Parliament Street police station on Monday. Asarams supporters alleged that police resorted to a lathicharge, but senior police officers denied it.



Sources said that Asarams supporters now plan to hold a protest march over the incident. They are holding meetings at Asarams ashram in central Delhis Karol Bagh to decide the further course of action. Asaram was arrested from his ashram at Indore in Madhya Pradesh and taken to Jodhpur on September 1, 2013.


Equities jumped for a second straight session as the BSE Sensex rose 120 points to 25,773.61 after investors raised their exposure following exit polls that showed BJP coming to power in Assam for the first time.



A higher closing in other Asian markets and a firm opening in Europe after crude oil prices pushed towards USD 50 a barrel added to the positive sentiment.



Broader markets too joined the bull run as BSE small-cap and mid-cap indices ended 0.19 per cent and 0.13 per cent higher, respectively.



Shares of Sun TV zoomed 9.76 per cent to Rs 431.65 after exit polls gave DMK-Congress alliance a comfortable majority in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Owner of Sun TV, Kalanithi Maran is considered to be close to top DMK leaders.



Exit polls at the end of polling in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Union Territory of Puducherry showed BJP winning Assam elections for the first time.



"Polls also suggest an improvement in BJP's seat tally in West Bengal and Kerala, which is likely to enhance the central government's ability to push through legislative reforms," said Shreyash Devalkar Fund Manager  Equities at BNP Paribas Mutual Fund.



However, profit-taking towards the fag-end trimmed most of the session's gains.



The benchmark BSE Sensex resumed higher at 25,756.14, but succumbed on profit-booking at improved levels and slipped to a low of 25,733.76 before ending 120.38 points or 0.47 per cent higher at 25,773.61.



The NSE Nifty after re-testing the crucial 7,900-mark to hit a high of 7,940.10, finally settled 30 points or 0.38 per cent higher at 7,890.75.



Stocks of state-run oil companies such as BPCL, HPCL and Oil India turned buyers fancy and rose by up to 3.66 per cent following a hike in prices of petrol and diesel.



Overseas, Europe edged up on rally in commodity stocks as key indices in France, Germany and the UK rose by 0.21 per cent to 0.67 per cent.



From Asia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan firmed up by up to 1.65 per cent while China-based shares slipped by 0.2 per cent.

Back home, out of the 30-share Sensex pack, 19 scrips ended higher.



Major gainers were ONGC (3.72 pc), Axis Bank (3.32 pc), HDFC (2.44 pc), Asian Paints (1.92 pc), Maruti (1.77 pc), M&M (1.75 pc), GAIL (1.17 pc), ICICI Bank (1.00 pc), Hero MotoCorp (0.86 pc), L&T (0.79 pc) and TCS (0.64 pc).



However, NTPC fell by 2.18 per cent followed by HUL (1.38 pc), Adani Ports (1.29 pc) and Tata Motors (0.68 pc).



Among BSE sectoral and industry indices, oil&gas rose 1.18 per cent followed by realty (0.79 pc), auto (0.59 pc), capital goods (0.55 pc), finance (0.51 pc), consumer durables (0.49 pc), energy (0.38 pc), IT (0.25 pc) and bankex (0.24 pc) while power fell by (0.39 pc) followed by telecom (0.30 pc) and FMCG (0.16 pc).



The market breadth remained positive as 1,304 stocks ended higher, 1,301 closed lower while 181 ruled steady.



The total turnover rose to Rs 2,673.07 crore from Rs 2,260.38 crore yesterday.
The horrific ordeal was narrated by Shahbaz himself in his first interviews after he recently returned home in March from the clutches of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and later the Afghan Taliban.





"They used to flog me. I was flogged about 500 in three days, then they cut my back with blades and removed nails from my hands and feet," the 33-year-old told BBC Urdu about his captivity by the IMU, an outfit long associated with Al-Qaeda blamed for high-profile terror attacks in Pakistan including the 2014 storming of Karachi airport.





He said he was not given food for days and was not given treatment even while suffering from malaria.





Once the captors also stitched his mouth.





"They used to torture me for making films and used to tell me their plans in advance. Like they would tell me that they will remove my nails tomorrow.





"I used to pray the whole night," Shahbaz said.





"They would carve my back open with blades and throw salt. They sewed my mouth shut and starved me for a week. They shot me in my leg. They cut flesh off my back. I bled for seven days and they wouldn't give me any help for seven days," he told CNN in a separate interview.





Shahbaz, who was abducted in 2011 from his hometown Lahore, said he was initially kept in Mirali area of North Waziristan and them moved to Dattakhel area of same district. Later, he was moved to Afghanistan by Taliban who imprisoned him in their jail.





He also said that differences cropped up between IMU - whom he described as known in militant circles for being "ruthless, merciless and the best fighters" - and Taliban over the issue of allegiance with the Islamic State (ISIS) group.





"Following the dispute, Afghan Taliban attacked the Uzbeks and eliminated their whole group - their leadership. For three days, only death lived there," he said.





Describing his survival as a "personal victory", Shahbaz said patience and the hope of eventual release sustained him.





"People, friends and family say you are very brave, you came back, it was very heroic. But these are not things I can say about myself. What I can say about myself is that I learnt to be very patient.





"When the kidnappers would call my mother, it was not me speaking to her; it was them. I was just their vehicle. I knew she couldn't speak freely either. But I learned to focus on her voice. I loved hearing her voice," he said.





"You can take the miracle how you want," he said, and describes himself as "walking back from the dead to celebrate my father."





"You forget the faces of the people you love," Shahbaz said, "and then suddenly you have your life back. It's such an amazing feeling. To see my wife, To have breakfast with my mother, drive with my brother or to watch a football game with friends."





Shahbaz's abduction came some seven months after his father was killed by his own police guard Mumtaz Qadri for seeking reforms in Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws.





Just 10 days before Shahbaz was recovered, Qadri was hanged on February 29 at Adiala Jail Rawalpindi after President Mamnoon Hussain rejected his mercy plea.





Shahbaz said his new captors, the Taliban were not interested in a ransom but instead "sentenced" him to further jail time, before he "met someone there who helped release me."





He said he had been sentenced and jailed for two years, but his fortunes took an unexpected turn when he was freed by a member of the Afghan Taliban.





"It's insane you can find humanity where there is none," Shahbaz said.





He said that he trekked from the central Afghan province of Uruzgan to the outskirts of southwestern Pakistan town of Kuchlak in Quetta, where he was able to call up his mother following which he was recovered by security forces.





Sporting long hair and a straggly beard, Shahbaz was unrecognisable, suspected of being a member of the Afghan Taliban himself. He was refused help and then serendipitously was pitied by an actual Afghan Taliban who offered him his phone.





"It came out of the blue and with such urgency, I couldn't believe it!" his mother Aamna Taseer said as she praised her brave son.





"When I was with my kids, I wept for the first time in four and a half years.

"The wait was finally over," she said.





Shahbaz Taseer, the son of Pakistan's slain governor of Punjab province Salmaan Taseer, has given a chilling account of brutal torture during his half a decade-long captivity by ruthless Uzebk militants who flogged him, cut off his flesh and pulled out his nails.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's temperament makes him a "dangerous proposition" to be the US commander-in-chief and his ideas could put the world on the path of a nuclear arms race, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton's close aide has said.





"It is very, very difficult to pin down where he stands on a lot of these policies," Clinton's Senior Foreign Policy Advisor Jake Sullivan said when asked about his views on Trump's foreign policy proposals during a discussion at the Asia Society here yesterday.



In the conversation with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on foreign policy, Sullivan slammed Trump for his continuously oscillating views on how he would deal with other nations, including major powers like Russia and China, saying he does not have the temperament to be an effective commander-in-chief.



"He'll say on the one hand, the Chinese are eating our lunch, and on the other hand, we have all the leverage in the world to make the Chinese do whatever we want," Sullivan said.



"On the one hand, we should sit down with the Russians ...on the other hand, if I need to, I'll just shoot down Russian fighter jets. He says on the one hand, the United States can do whatever it wants, wherever it wants, to achieve whatever purpose it wants. On the other hand, we're doing too much and we can't do all that. We have to stop," Sullivan said.



Sullivan, who has also served as a national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, said Trump's world views can put America at great risk.



Sullivan said he views Trump as someone "unlike any candidate that we have seen before, who looks to be close to securing the nomination of a major party, in that the ideas he's putting forward and the temperament he has displayed behind them make him a dangerous proposition to be US commander-in-chief."



He said Trump's support on various occasions for nations getting more nuclear weapons can spark an arms race, in turn increasing the chances of such weapons falling in the hands of terrorists.



Trump's views that more countries should be able to obtain nuclear weapons has the "very real risk of sparking a nuclear arms race, and also makes it increasingly likely that terrorists will get their hands on nuclear weapons, which is the greatest threat that the United States faces", Sullivan said.



He also slammed Trump for his views that America should order its military officers, "against the law, to kill the families of terrorists".



"He has said many things along those lines. When you add up the totality of this, however you slice it, whichever pieces you accept or discard, the picture that is painted is one of a tremendously dangerous risk," Sullivan said.



In a statement, the Clinton Campaign said nobody is better at proving Trump's foreign policy would be disastrous than the 69-year-old tycoon himself.



"With one short interview on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Trump set off a media firestorm in the UK, stoking fears about the potential fraying of our decades-long special relationship, and what that would mean for the UK's national security and standing in the world," the campaign said.



"Trump continues to demonstrate that his reckless, shoot-from-the-hip approach to foreign policy would make the country and the world far less safe. He casts aside our most important allies when their leaders criticise his dangerous proposals, and heaps praise on our adversaries if they say a kind word about him," it said.



"Simply put, this is not a man who has the temperament or the steady hand to be our commander-in-chief. Check out the reaction in the UK to Trump's alarming comments about our ally, as well as the latest updates on his love affair with Putin below," the Clinton Campaign alleged.



Sullivan, while talking about a future Hillary Clinton administration, said it would like to see political stake by China to help bring about stability in Afghanistan.



He stressed that a strong Beijing that is "playing by the rules" is very much in the interests of the US.



"An area of substantial overlapping between the US and China is how we think about this problem of terrorism and violent extremism and trying to see how the Chinese can take on a more meaningful role in helping deal with the problem of terrorism and violent extremism," Sullivan said.



He said a Clinton administration would like to see not just an economic stake by China in Afghanistan but also a political one where it helps in bringing about stability in the war-torn nation.



"On the issue of bringing long term stability in Afghanistan, a country very much in China's neighbourhood, in which China has a stake economically and in which we would like China to also have a stake politically, for them to have a political commitment to helping bring about a better future for Afghanistan," he said.



In the conversation with Rudd on Clinton's foreign policy priorities, Sullivan said Clinton is "very much committed" to a deep relationship with Beijing and "a strong, thriving China that is playing by the rules and is participating responsibly in the international order is very much in the interests of the US."



As a country that is gaining in power and influence in the world, Sullivan said China has a "deeper stake" in a stable, secure and "rules-based" order and "therefore has some responsibility" towards it.



Beijing should have greater means to help "contribute to the protection and advancement of that order," Sullivan said.



"The country, because of the historic challenge posed by rising powers, also has a special responsibility to reassure its neighbours and others of its intentions," he said.



Sullivan emphasised that Beijing has "not fully lived up to all" of its responsibility in the international system "but I don't mean that as a statement of lecture but that has to be a part of the conversation going forward".



He stressed that whether it is the G20 or a future economic architecture for the Asia Pacific, "China has an incredibly important role to play and the more that we can get on the same page for what the common rules for the road are," the better it will be for the two countries as well as for the region.



Asked if whether the US and China are "enemies for life", he said such a scenario would be a "catastrophe" not only for the two nations but for the whole world.



"US and China have the wherewithal with responsible stewardship to build a cooperative, positive, constructive relationship that serves the interests of both countries, the region and the world. That does not mean it won't have a mix of cooperation and competition," Sullivan said.



"It does not mean that there won't be times that the US takes a firm line on activities the that we think are wrong that the Chinese are undertaking. It does not mean that there will not be tensions over certain things as we go foreword but a deep fundamental commitment to get a US-China relationship right has to be one of the core principles of the American foreign policy," he said.



He also underscored that getting the US-China relationship right means the two find a way to work together effectively to advance their own interests but also manage the relationship in a way that benefits everybody.


Delhi Secretariat was abuzz on Monday with talk of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal releasing the draft of an Assembly resolution seeking full statehood for Delhi.





As the social media became active discussing the possibility of Kejriwal making public his vision on statehood, some AAP functionaries indicated that the matter may be taken up after the results on Tuesday of municipal corporation bypolls. Polling was on Sunday.



The Chief Minister may address the media later this week before releasing the draft document, said a Kejriwal aide.



Once the draft resolution is released in public domain, the AAP government is planning to appoint a core group to receive public suggestions, he said.



The thorny issue of control over police could be tackled by having two separate forces, one guarding the NDMC area and the other for the rest of the city, said an AAP functionary.



The Kejriwal government is also demanding greater say in matter related to land  something which currently falls in the domain of Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.

Any change in the scheme for division of power between the elected Delhi government and the Centre would need enactment of law in Parliament.



Earlier, in the month Kejriwal said a draft bill for statehood of the national capital was ready.



Draft bill for statehood of Delhi ready. Will be soon placed in public domain for comments and suggestions from the public, the AAP leader had said in a tweet.

According to former Delhi Chief Secretary Omesh Saigal said the issue of statehood had been raised by earlier Delhi governments but despite discussions not much headway could be made.



He said the concept of keeping the NDMC area under central control and the remain area under the elected government was floated by the Congress government but there was no unanimity on it.



A majority of parliamentarians want the central government to control Delhi Police and ensure their security in the national capital, he said.



Any change in the distribution of powers will now require a constitutional amendment and the MPs will have a say in it, he said.



Kejriwal had prominently included full statehood for Delhi in the manifesto for the last Assembly polls. The BJP, however, made a tactful U-turn ahead of the February Assembly polls in 2015 and dropped the demand for full statehood for Delhi from its manifesto, claiming the issue needed wider discussion between stakeholders.



The then deputy prime minister L K Advani tabled the Statehood of Delhi Bill, 2003 in the Lok Sabha but the matter did not proceed further.


WILLISTON  Details remain murky surrounding the shooting death of two men Tuesday morning at a Williston apartment complex, although police say they have identified the victims. Their names will not be released until their families are notified.

The men, both in their early 20s, were from out of state, but had a substantial group of friends in Williston. A number of those friends arrived at Renaissance Heights apartments in the hours following the shooting, and, after speaking with detectives, several broke down sobbing.

Police say the victims were found in the living room area of a fifth floor apartment around 11:20 a.m., after several 911 callers reported hearing nine to 16 shots inside the building.

A man and a woman, both of whom are residents of the apartment and were present at the time of the shooting, were detained and questioned by police, but as of Tuesday night, no charges were filed.

A small boy was also inside the residence when the men were shot, Sgt. Detective Amy Nickoloff of the Williston Police Department said.

Three handguns were in plain sight when officers arrived at the scene, and several more firearms were seized after Williston police and agents with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation obtained a search warrant for the apartment.

A motive is still unclear, and although police arent yet sure how or if those involved knew each other, they do not believe the shooting was a home invasion, or done in self defense. There is no search for a gunman, Nickoloff said.

The two victims, who did not live at the complex, were let in by someone with access to the buildings locked front doors.

Residents of the fifth floor were evacuated before noon, and were not allowed back in until the evening.

Williams County Coroner Frank McCoy says the bodies will be taken to Bismarck for autopsies by the state forensic medical examiner.
A man has been arrested by Gangavati town police in Koppal district of north Karnataka for allegedly posting a morphed photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a social media site.





The photo showed Modi bowing to the feet of Telangana Legislative Assembly member Akbaruddin Owaisi from All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party.



Owaisi, known for his inflammatory speeches, is the younger brother of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.



Several BJP activists had complained about the post to police, following which one person, a resident of Gangavati in Koppal district, was arrested yesterday.



Police said he has been booked under section 153A of the Indian Penal Code (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence and language, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony).



The accused had been remanded to judicial custody till May 18, officials added.
Interpol today issued a fresh Red Corner Notice against chief of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror outfit Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf in connection with the attack on IAF base in Pathankot.





The fresh Red Corner notice was issued after the NIA secured an 'open-ended' non-bailable warrant against Azhar and Rauf for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror strike on the strategic Indian Air Force base at Pathankot on the intervening night of January one and two.



Seven security personnel were killed and bodies of four terrorists were recovered from the scene of encounter which lasted nearly 80 hours.



The fresh Red Corner notice is being seen as a mere formality as Pakistan has not yet acted on the arrest warrants earlier issued against the two.



An Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) is already pending against 48-year-old Azhar for being allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind attacks on Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir state assembly. Similar warrant is pending against 41-year-old Rauf in connection with the IC-814 hijacking case of 1999.



The NIA had also moved in for issuance of RCN against two others -- Kashif Jaan and Shahid Latif -- in this case as they are alleged to be the handlers of the JeM terrorists who had infiltrated India on the intervening night of December 30-31.



The fresh warrants were issued on the basis of evidence presented by the NIA before a Special court in Chandigarh which included telephonic conversation between the terrorists and the Jaish handlers like Jaan and Latif.



The video of Rauf was also presented before the court. In the video, which was uploaded on a website in Pakistan, Rauf had claimed responsibility for the attack and complimented his boys for it. The video was later removed and the website also vanished.



NIA had sought voice samples of Azhar and three others from Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which came to India for probing the Pathankot attack.



India had pitched for banning Azhar at the UN but the move was vetoed by China.

Pakistan, after the return of the JIT in the first week of April, has not replied to various letters rogatory seeking legal assistance in probing the Pathankot attack.


A fresh controversy broke out today over the UGC's directive asking universities and colleges to follow Ayush ministry's yoga protocol that begins with chanting of 'Om' and some Sanskrit sholakas during Yoga Day celebrations on June 21.





While Congress criticised the BJP-led government for being "insensitive", saying yoga, a great discipline of ancient India, does not belong to the saffron party, JD(U) termed it as yet another attempt to "impose the communal agenda" on Indian masses.



"Yoga is a great knowledge of ancient India. It is not something that belongs to BJP. It should be made more acceptable system for the people to practice...Probably this government is unconcerned about these sensitive aspects," Congress spokesperson P C Chako said.



Senior JD(U) leader K C Tyagi flayed the government, saying "This is again (an attempt) to impose the communal agenda on Indian masses. We are opposed to that. How can you say to a Muslim, Sikh, Christian to say 'Om'. For me, I am a Hindu and I have no problem, but how can you ask people of other religion (to do it). This is again communalism... the divisive agenda of RSS. We condemn it."In his letter to universities last week, UGC secretary Jaspal S Sandhu had sought the "personal indulgence" of Vice Chancellors in celebrating yoga day in their varsities as well as affiliated bodies.



"I request you to draw action plan for International Day of Yoga and also ensure wide participation of students and teachers of your esteemed University in the yoga day celebrations," the senior UGC official said in his letter along with the Ayush ministry's 45-minute protocol for practising yoga.



The protocol starts with a two-minute prayer preceded by chants of 'Om' and some Sanskrit Shlokas and followed by 18 minutes of yoga postures and pranayam.



As per the protocol, participants would sit in a meditative pose for 9 minutes and there would be 'Shanti Paath' towards the end.



However, the government and BJP insisted last year's protocol has been maintained and no changes have been made.



"There is no compulsion to chant 'Om'," a senior Ayush Ministry official said.



BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said, "There is no compulsion. Some people are linking yoga to religion while it is essentially meant for holistic well being. It should be a matter of pride that the UN celebrates Yoga Day and about 196 countries follow it. The dirty tricks department of the Congress is behind the controversy."





RJD and CPI(M) also slammed the Modi government, alleging it was adopting a sectarian attitude which was not good.





RJD spokesman Manoj Jha said,"In terms of the broad democratic ethos, you cannot force me to do something. If I say I do yoga not because of any other reason (but) simply because I believe in physical activity more and not in chanting 'Om', that kind of freedom is in tune with the idea we have seen... We are making nasty compromises on that. These kind of indicators which emanate from the highest office, they unsettle us. That's a dangerous thing."





CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said the government has no right to make chanting of 'Om' mandatory.





"This is not going to work. They just want to push a very sectarian agenda. Their agenda is known to everybody and that is to try and impose religion and religious belief on other communities or those who are non-believers. Nobody is going to accept this," she added.





Actor Anupam Kher said the International Yoga Day has brought reputation to India. "It was performed in more than 100 countries. We have given yoga to the world. And 'Om' is attached with Yoga. It would be better if it is not made a controversy."





Last year also, a similar proposal had created a controversy after which a clarification was issued by the Ayush Ministry that chanting 'Om' was not compulsory.




Member of Legislative Council Go Madhusudhan has sought public apology from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G Parameshwara for using defamatory words against former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.





Speaking to media persons, here, on Tuesday, he said, both Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara should remember that the founder of their party, Indira Gandhi, was a convict in the jail after the emergency and even now their high-command  Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi  are on bail in the National Herald case, before telling the media that they do not need lessons from the one who went to jail, refering to Yeddyurappa.



Yeddyurappa was in jail as his bail was cancelled, not because he was convicted in any case. Siddaramaiah should not speak about jail because if he had not destroyed the Lokayukta institution, most of his ministers in the Cabinet would have been behind the bars, Madhusudhan added.



Recalling the controversy over Siddaramaiahs expensive watch, sunglasses, shoes and dothies; and also nepotism cases; Madhusudhan said, let the chief minister try to understand the problems of the people, coming out of his stylish lifestyle.



The results of the Assembly elections in five states, which will be declared on Thursday, will be another step towards a Congress-free India as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While the BJP is all set to form the government in the very difficult Assam, the party will open its account in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal, but the Congress is expected to lose power in Kerala, he said.




Can you fly an iPhone to the stars? In an attempt to leapfrog the planets and vault into the interstellar age, a bevy of scientists and other luminaries from Silicon Valley and beyond, led by Yuri Milner, a Russian philanthropist and Internet entrepreneur, announced a plan recently, to send a fleet of robot spacecraft no bigger than iPhones to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system, 4.37 light-years away.



If it all worked out  a cosmically big if that would occur decades and perhaps $10 billion from now  a rocket would deliver a mother ship carrying a thousand or so small probes to space. Once in orbit, the probes would unfold thin sails and then, propelled by powerful laser beams from the Earth, set off one by one like a flock of migrating butterflies across the universe.



Within two minutes, the probes would be more than 600,000 miles from home  as far as the lasers could maintain a tight beam  and moving at a fifth of the speed of light. But it would still take 20 years for them to get to Alpha Centauri. Those that survive would zip past the star system, making measurements and beaming pictures back to Earth.



Much of this plan is probably half a lifetime away. Milner and his colleagues estimate that it could take 20 years to get the mission off the ground and into the heavens, 20 years to get to Alpha Centauri and another four years for the word from outer space to come home. And there is still the matter of attracting billions of dollars to pay for it.



I think you and I will be happy to see the launch, Milner, 54, said in an interview, adding that progress in medicine and longevity would determine whether he would live to see the results. We came to the conclusion it can be done: interstellar travel, Milner said. He announced the project, called Breakthrough Starshot, in a news conference in New York last week, 55 years after Yuri Gagarin  after whom Milner is named  became the first human in space.



The English cosmologist and author Stephen Hawking is one of three members of the board of directors for the mission, along with Milner and Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder.



What makes human beings unique? Hawking asked. He went on to say, I believe that what makes us unique is transcending our limits. Hawking added, Today we commit to the next great leap in the cosmos, because we are human and our nature is to fly.



The project will be directed by Pete Worden, a former director of Nasas Ames Research Centre. He has a prominent cast of advisers, including the Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb as chairman; the British astronomer royal Martin Rees; the Nobel Prize-winning astronomer Saul Perlmutter of the University of California, Berkeley; Ann Druyan, an executive producer of the TV miniseries Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and the widow of Carl Sagan; and the mathematician and author Freeman Dyson, of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.



There are about 20 key challenges we are asking the worlds scientific experts to help us with  and we are willing to financially support their work, Worden said in an email.



A detailed technical description of the project appears on the projects website. Estimating that the project could cost $5 billion to $10 billion, Milner is initially investing $100 million for research and development. He said he was hoping to lure other investors, especially from international sources. Both Nasa and the European Space Agency have been briefed on the project, Worden said.



Most of that money would go towards a giant laser array, which could be used to repeatedly send probes towards any star (as long as the senders were not looking for return mail anytime soon) or around the solar system, perhaps to fly through the ice plumes of Saturns moon Enceladus, which might contain microbes  tiny forms of life.



In a sense, the start of this space project reflects the make-it-break-it mode of Silicon Valley. Rather than sending one big, expensive spacecraft on a journey of years, send thousands of cheap ones. If some break or collide with space junk, others can take their place.



Interstellar travel is a daunting and humbling notion, but Alpha Centauri is an alluring target for such a trip: It is the closest star system to our own, and there might be planets in the system. The system, which looks to the naked eye like one star, consists of three: Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, which circle each other, and Proxima Centauri, which may be circling the other two. In recent years, astronomers have amassed data suggesting the possibility of an Earth-size planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B.

It would take Voyager 1, humanitys most distant space probe, more than 70,000 years to reach Alpha Centauri if it were headed in that direction, which it is not.



A surprising way



Milner was initially sceptical of an interstellar probe. But three trends seemingly unrelated to space travel  advances in nanotechnology and lasers and the relentless march of Moores Law, making circuits ever smaller and more powerful  have converged in what he called a surprising way.



It is now possible to fit the entire probe with computers, cameras and electrical power, a package with a mass of only one gram. That, Loeb said, is about what the guts of an iPhone, stripped of its packaging and displays, amount to.



Power would come from a tiny radioactive source like americium, the element in smoke detectors. Propulsion would come from foil sails that would unfold to catch laser light.



The laser is the most intimidating and expensive of the challenges. It would have to generate 100 gigawatts of power for the 2 minutes needed to accelerate the butterfly probes to a fifth of the speed of light (subjecting its tiny innards to 60,000 times the force of normal gravity). That is about as much energy as it takes for a space shuttle to lift off, Loeb said, and about 100 times the output of a typical nuclear power plant.



To achieve that energy would require an array about a mile across combining thousands of lasers firing in perfect unison. Moreover, to keep the beam tightly focused on one probe at a time would require an adaptive optics system that compensated for atmospheric turbulence  something astronomers know how to do over a span of 10 metres, the size of a big telescope mirror now, but not over a mile.



Posing another challenge is the design of the sails, which would have to be very thin and able to reflect the laser light without absorbing any of its energy. Absorbing as little as one part in 100,000 of the laser energy would vaporise the sail. Another challenge might simply be to the imagination. Nobody knows what the Starshot fleet might find out.



Looking is very different from going and visiting, Loeb said. As he noted, referring to recent physics experiments, Nature teaches us that its imagination is better than ours.




In order to streamline the patent regime, the government has modified rules by offering an option of Tatkal for expeditious clearance of applications by startups or those entities that opt for India as a place for first filing of patent.





The government also plans to significantly cut down the time period for grant of patents to two-and-half years immediately and one-and-half years by March 2018, from the existing 5-7 years.



As per the modified patent rules, entities can choose the fast clearance route for obtaining patent by paying additional fees if they select India as International Search Authority or International Preliminary Examining Authorities and file their applications in India first.



The move is aimed at popularising India as a patent filing hub so that more companies file applications in India, said Rajiv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, DIPP. He said benefits of modified rules will be available only to new applicants.



Also startups which meet the prescribed criteria can use the Tatkal route for getting faster clearance of their patent applications.



The fees for start-ups will be same as individuals and not as companies, Aggarwal clarified.



Under the faster clearance route, application fees for individuals and startups have been kept at Rs 8,000 while for companies, it could be as much as Rs 60,000.



Under normal circumstances, initial patent filing cost ranges between Rs 1,600 and Rs 8,800.



To clear the backlog of patent applications, the revised rules provide for refund of fees in the case of withdrawal of an application. As many as 2.37 lakh patent applications are pending with the government.



The rules provide for full refund of patent application fees and refund of 90% of the fee paid for request for examination (RQ).



The RQ fees in general range between Rs 4,000 to Rs 60,000 and could go up depending on the number of pages. The application fees have been waived and that will help unclog the queue as there are a lot of applicants who are not withdrawing despite knowing that the application is not commercially viable, Aggarwal said.



Citing Japan where the patent withdrawal rate is about 15%, he said about 10% of the pending applications could be withdrawn because of this modification.



The department is also working towards completing within 18 months the process between RQ and the first examination. Thereafter, within 12 months, the patent would be granted.




The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has asked the engineering and other technical institutions to update their syllabus with the new knowledge and make them industry compliant.





Human Resource Development Minister Smriti informed netizens about the move during her first-ever interaction with them on social networking site Facebook on Tuesday.



The AICTE is appealing to institutions to update their syllabus so that students can benefit from new knowledge and become industry compliant, the Union Minister said responding to Facebook user L N Mittal.



She was on a visit to Gujarats Maghrol village, which she has adopted under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.



Mittal, a PhD from BITS Pilani and an academician from Panchkula, Haryana, expressed concern over the opening of more and more private engineering colleges in the country, saying they had become business centres in the garb of degrees (awarding institutions).



He also underlined that good polytechnics were being converted into engineering colleges while it was important to open more ITIs and polytechics in the country, urging the minister to look into his suggestions.



We have now allowed engineering institutions to start skill-based education in second shift using the same infrastructure, the Union Minister maintained in her response to the concerns raised by Mittal.



Raji Jairaj urged Irani to constitute a team of young as well as older seasoned academicians for setting standards for the National Eligibility Test conducted by the UGC, claiming that students still had to answer questions in the nationwide test that were way too irrelevant.



I will meet the UGC Chairman (Ved Prakash) tomorrow and forward your suggestion, Irani told the Fb user.


After nearly two months of campaigning for the Assembly elections, party cadre in Tamil Nadu have a new task at hand - keeping vigil at counting centres across the state capital where electronic voting machines (EVMs) are kept in the safe rooms. The EVMs will be taken out on Thursday for counting of votes.





Despite a four-tier security layer, including paramilitary forces, in place in the counting centres, functionaries from various parties assembled on Tuesday morning to keep an eye on the venues.



"We were not forced to do this. It is our duty to ensure that the results are clean, C K Vilvam, senior AIADMK functionary of Harbour constituency in Chennai, said. Vilvam also deputed his sons Vivekanandan and Vijay to keep watch at a counting centre at Queen Marys' College near Marina beach here.



Giridharan, DMK youth leader, stationed at the counting centre in Anna University, said the "close watch" will be on till Thursday. "More cadres will be coming at night since there are chances of EVMs being tampered with, he said.



Giridharan said cadres on the night shift were specifically instructed to keep an eye on Opposition party workers.



The party workers are not provided tents or rooms. "We do not provide any facility inside the campus because it is not their (cadres) job to look after the EVMs. They have to stay only at permissible areas outside the campus and should not cause any inconvenience either to officials or security personnel till the counting is completed, an election observer who did not wish to be named said.



Some party workers also see the vigil as an opportunity to assert their loyalty to the party.




The Centre on Tuesday asked Karnataka to expedite implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission and mandatory reforms to be undertaken under the Smart City project.



The state needs to give stress on Swachh Bharat Mission. The target (in 2015-16) has not been achieved. The Centre's contribution for the construction of toilets under the mission is 40%. The state should share the balance and take up toilet construction, said Secretary to Union Urban Development Ministry, Rajiv Gauba. He was speaking at a meeting to review the progress of Swachh Bharat mission, Amrut Cities and Smart City projects, here on Tuesday.



Earlier, Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) N Manjula informed the meeting that Swachh Bharat Mission was proceeding in a slow pace in Karnataka. A total of 9,000 individual toilets and 785 public toilets have been constructed in the state against the target of 1.4 lakh and 4,000 respectively in 2015-16. Of the Rs 350 crore sanctioned by the Centre, only about Rs 100 crore has been utilised. However, Karnataka has done well as far as solid waste management is concerned, she added.



Mahendra Jain, Additional Chief Secretary to Karnataka Urban Development department, said that Rs 5,300 provided by the Centre per toilet was inadequate.



The actual cost of toilet construction is much higher. Hence, the Centre should increase its funding. The state had received 2.5 lakh applications for construction of toilets of which about 1.80 lakh applications have been approved. But, the less government funding is not motivating people to take up the construction, he pointed out.



Chief Secretary Arvind Jadhav directed the DMA to revise the action plan for construction of public toilets. The plan should be based on the current population, not the 2011 census data, he said.



DMA Director Manjula further said the state government would soon unveil a waste-to-energy policy. About 200 metric tonne-capacity waste-to-energy plants will be developed in each of the 4 revenue divisions to begin with, including Bengaluru.


Suspended Janata Dal (United) MLC Manorama Devi, against whom an arrest warrant had been issued but had been evading arrest for the last one week, surrendered in Gaya court on Tuesday.





Though she pleaded not guilty and had been framed at the behest of the BJP, the ruling party legislator was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.



Manoramas son Rocky, charged with killing a 19-year-old boy Aditya in a road rage incident in Gaya, is already in jail. Her husband Bindi Yadav, a history-sheeter, too is languishing in jail in the same case.



Manorama was on the run ever since police raided her Anugrah Puri Colony residence in Gaya looking for the fugitive Rocky.



The police stumbled upon 6 bottles of liquor while raiding her residence. Though the cops initially did not press charges against her, but within hours of her suspension from the JD(U), the Bihar government issued orders to arrest her following the recovery of Indian Made Foreign liquor from her house. Since then, Manorama Devi is reported to have gone underground.



When Nitish Kumar on Monday said for how long can one run away from the long arms of law, the absconding MLC deemed it fit to surrender before the court on Tuesday. I have been framed. The allegation of keeping liquor in my house is also fabricated one as I dont drink at all, said Manorama.



She has been charged under Section 47 of the Bihar Excise (Amendment) Act, 2016, following which the process to confiscate her house is also on. Under the new Excise Act, if liquor is found in someones house, the house could be sealed and

auctioned.



Adityas mother happy



Meanwhile, Chanda Sachdeva, mother of slain Aditya, hoped her family would get justice soon. With the surrender of Manorama Devi, we are now hopeful of early justice. We are thoroughly satisfied with the Bihar police investigation and, therefore, never sought a CBI probe into the killing, she said.




Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said he would again recommend the name of Justice S R Nayak for the post of Lokayukta and send it to Governor Vajubai Vala. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a programme at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah said it not was just the file pertaining to Justice Nayaks appointment, the Governor had also returned other files without giving his assent. The government will give suitable replies to his queries and send the files back to him, he said.



Governor Vala recently returned an ordinance bill on the setting up a university for rural development and panchayat raj.



Sources in the government said the Governor had returned the ordinance bill, suggesting that an in-depth debate was necessary for setting up the university. He has asked the government to table the bill in the next session of the state legislature, instead of taking the ordinance route.



The university will impart training and education in subjects related rural development and panchayat raj. The bill was passed in the Legislative Assembly in the previous session. But the Upper House is yet to debate it. The Governor had also recently returned another ordinance bill pertaining to providing reservation to SCs/STs in government contracts. When reporters drew his attention to allegations about Excise Minister Manohar Tahsildars son taking bribe for transferring forest officers, the chief minister said if there was any evidence to prove the charges, then action would be initiated. An inquiry will be ordered if there are documents to support the charges, he said.



When his comments were sought to state BJP president B S Yeddyurappas remarks that the Congress government was not functioning effectively, Siddaramaiah said such comments should not be taken seriously because Yeddyurappa was always finding fault with others.



Zameer praises Siddu

Chamarajpet JD(S) MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan, who shared the dais with Siddaramaiah on the occasion, praised the chief minister.



The MLA said he had been the Chamarajpet MLA for the past decade. The previous chief ministers have attended various functions held at Victoria Hospital, but none had spent more than 30 minutes there.



But Siddaramaiah stayed here for two hours and interacted with the doctors. I have not seen such a chief minister, he said. Siddaramaiah said Zameer had good qualities. He has been our man despite being with the JD(S), he said.
With Rahul Gandhis full support, Prashant Kishors role as the poll strategist for the Congress appears undiminished.





Senior Congress leaders in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have clarified to the party high command that they are not putting hurdles in Kishors work to turnaround the partys fortunes in the 2 states.



Kishor is learnt to have demanded a free hand in running the campaigns in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.



Differences between a section of Congress leaders and Kishor came to the fore after Punjab unit chief Captain Amarinder Singh lashed out at the strategist for meeting expelled leaders Jagmeet Singh Brar and Bir Devinder.



Congress leaders were already upset at Kishors suggestions that either Rahul or Priyanka be projected as the chief ministerial face for the Uttar Pradesh elections. AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry had rejected reports suggesting an elevation for Priyanka Gandhi in the party.



After Amarinders outburst, the AICC rushed to pacify Kishors detractors by making it clear that his role was limited to suggesting relevant points for the manifesto and the election campaign in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. I want to make it clear that Prashant Kishor has no role in organisational matters. He has no role in the distribution of party tickets for the upcoming elections, AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmed said on Monday.



Privately, senior Congress leaders were of the opinion that Kishor should have been a little discreet in his meetings, particularly with the party rebels or expelled leaders. If such interactions are made public, it definitely causes heartburn among committed Congressmen, a senior leader said. At the same time, AICC leaders interacting with Kishor have conveyed to the party high command on the assistance provided to the strategist from time to time.



Privilege notice against Swamy



Congress leader Shantaram Naik on Tuesday submitted a privilege notice in the Rajya Sabha against Subramanian Swamy for trying to link party chief Sonia Gandhi to the AgustaWestland scam, DHNS reports from New Delhi.



Though Swamy had refrained from taking names during his speech in the Upper House on May 4, Naik argued that the documents authenticated by the BJP leader carried the names of Sonia and her aides Ahmed Patel and Oscar Fernandes, which amounted to levelling allegations.



Naik also questioned the veracity of the documents submitted by Swamy contending that the BJP leader had not submitted the certified copy of the Italian court judgment, but had merely referred to printouts of a report on a website.


Interpol on Tuesday issued a fresh Red Notice against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf in connection with the Pathankot terror strike.





Azhar already has a Red Notice against him for the attacks on Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir state assembly while Rauf has one for the IC-814 hijacking case of 1999.



Official sources said the fresh notice was issued on the basis of NIA securing an open-ended non-bailable warrant against them for conspiring to carry out the terror strike on the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot on January 2, 2016.



The NIA had last month forwarded a dossier along with the non-bailable warrant issued by the special NIA court in Punjab's Mohali to the CBI, which is the nodal agency representing Interpol in India, for issuance of the red notice.



Dossier on conversations



The dossier included a telephonic conversation between the terrorists and the Jaish handlers and a video of Rauf in which he claimed responsibility for the attack.

This video was later removed from the internet.



India is not expecting a miracle on Pakistan acting on the red notice, sources said, adding they have changed their stand on allowing a reciprocal visit by NIA to Islamabad to probe the Pathankot attack.



The Joint Investigation Team of Pakistan visited India in March-April but Islamabad has so far not responded to India's request for a reciprocal visit.



Official sources said New Delhi is still waiting for a response from Pakistan on the visit by an NIA team there to review progress in the Pathankot investigation.



Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had raised the issue with his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry last month.



They said India is ascertaining Pakistan's response and details will be worked out

subsequently.



Terror diaries



Azhar already has a Red Notice against him for the attacks on Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir state assembly



Official sources said the fresh notice was issued on the basis of NIA securing an open-ended non-bailable warrant against them for conspiring to carry out a terror strike on the strategic Indian Air Force base at Pathankot.
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Tuesday refuted the reports of her ouster, calling them baseless.





The Gujarat chief minister was reacting on the sidelines of her visit to Indore and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, where she attended the ongoing Simhastha Mahakumbh. The denial comes a day after she had said, Keep calm, you will come to know.



Several media outlets have carried news stating that Anandibens exit as Gujarat chief minister and probable posting as Punjab governor was imminent. The media reports started appearing post her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and her Cabinet colleague Nitin Patels meeting with BJP national president Amit Shah. Some of the reports said that Nitin Patel could be her replacement.
An army officers letter to Haryana governor has brought to light the dilemma of a soldier who protects the countrys borders when his family is not safe back home.





A soldier goes to the battlefield leaving behind his family at home with the confidence that some law and order prevails back home to guard his loved ones. If he is ready to give all for his country, the least the administration can do to reciprocate his selfless service is ensure protection and justice to the ones he leaves behind, Major Chikkara said on Monday a letter seeking swift justice.



Major Sushil Chikkara, currently posted in Agra, could not save his father and younger brother from a gangster back home in his native village in Haryana, despite alerting the police in Sonipat about the threat to his family members.



On May 12, Major Sushil lit the funeral pyre of his father and brother who were brutally killed from point blank range by a gangster in cold blood for not supporting his brother in the Panchayat elections in the village few months ago.



Unfortunately, days after the incident, the accused gangster, who has killed three and injured one in the village in the last one month, is still at large. The incident has sparked outrage from several quarters, including ex-servicemen.



Major Chikkaras father Jagbir Singh and brother Anil, 25, of Karewari village were killed by Kannu Chikkara. On the day the officer lost his family, he called up the Sonipat SP from Agra intimating the threat to his family. The police, however, is denying inaction or laxity in the case saying the father-son duo were not at home when the SP rushed a police team headed by a DSP to the village.



Talking to DH, Col R S Sandhu, a retired Ordinance Corps officer, lamented the incident saying its high time the civil administration takes proper care of soldiers and their families. How do you think a brave officer will feel inspired on duty when such incidents occur back home, he said.



Meanwhile, Capt Rashita Sharda, wife of the officer, said she has written a letter to the President seeking justice and directions to the state government for action against the police chief for inaction. She said the police has not visited their house once since the incident.



One of the officers school mate posted, And since this is not a soldiers battlefield (the border), he is relying on the police authorities concerned to nab the miscreants and deliver swift justice...They (soldiers) protect the borders, but who protects their loved ones?"




The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Bombay High Court to decide expeditiously on a plea for an SIT probe into the death of actor Jiah Khan.





A vacation bench of Justices A M Sapre and Ashok Bhushan, however, refused to stay the trial court proceedings against Bollywood actor Sooraj Pancholi in the case relating to the death of the actress on June 10, 2013.



Rabia Khan, the mother of the deceased, sought stay on the lower court proceedings, contending that the CBI concurred with the finding of the Mumbai police that it was a suicide and not homicidal death.



Senior advocate Jayant Bhushan, appearing for her submitted that the CBI, due to reasons best know to them, has been vehemently opposing the appointment of special public prosecutor in the case by Maharashtra government.



The trial in the lower court is not proceeding in a proper manner and there is the likelihood of accused (Sooraj) being discharged in the case, the counsel claimed.



He said that investigation be handed over to the SIT as CBI has also in its charge-sheet said that the death was not homicidal despite forensic evidence suggesting otherwise.



The bench, on its part, asked Rabia to approach Bombay High Court with her fresh application.



The apex court directed the High Court to hear Rabia's plea expeditiously on June 7, the date already fixed in the case.



Earlier, the Bombay HC had refused to extend the stay granted on trial against actor Sooraj. The high court had on February 25 stayed the trial against Sooraj.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and the defence authorities have locked horns over ownership of 3 acres of land which can be used to solve the parking problem around the metro station.



The disputed land is situated on Cubbon Road, opposite Defence Canteen and adjacent to Chinnaswamy stadium. This piece of land was used by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for construction of Metro around MG Road.



The BMRCL claims that the land belongs to the state government and they plan to use the land for construction of Metro office and parking lot for its commuters. But defence officials say that the land belongs to them.



A defence ministry official who didnt wish to be named told Deccan Herald, The entire stretch on either side on the Cubbon Road belongs to the defence. This includes the said area and the stadium. But now the case is before the state government.



BMRCL General manager (Finance) and Chief Public Relations Officer, U A Vasanth Rao, said, The land is a part of Metro site and we are planning to construct a parking lot and Metro office. But since land ownership with defence authorities has become an issue, we have knocked on the governments door.



The Army-Civil Coordination Committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Arvind Jadhav is looking into the disputed land case now.



Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department Mahendra Jain said both the Army and state government have claimed ownership of the land. We have to look into the records. The matter is being referred to the revenue department to verify records.



If the land is utilised for parking, the traffic menace and unregulated parking around the CBD can be eased. People can park their vehicle here and use public transport. Some space can be used for putting up a bus stop.



Further, parking can be restricted on MG Road, Cubbon Park, Church Street, Commercial Street and surrounding areas, explained a senior traffic police official.



V Ravichandar, a Bengaluru-based civic activist and member of Bengaluru Blue Print Action Group said it is worthwhile to use land wherever possible to ease mobility.


Private schools in the city have, in many cases, refused to admit candidates who were selected in the first list through the lottery process under the Right to Education (RTE) quota.



Reason: The schools say that they have not been given the list of students who are eligible. Add to it, several private schools claimed that even their school codes have been mismatched by the officials of the Education department.



Speaking to Deccan Herald, Shashi Kumar D, general secretary, Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools, said, We had informed the department of Education about the mismatched school codes much before the RTE lottery, but it has not been changed so far.



Kumar added that the password and ID that the schools ought to get are yet to be given to them. If they had given us the code and password, we would have known the list of candidates to be admitted in our schools. Also, we would have known the number of applications received by the schools, he said.



Kumar questioned as to whether the Education department was trying to cover up the reason behind the confusions that have emerged this time. For instance, all five applications submitted by the same parent was accepted by the online process.



Education department officials got into damage control mode saying that they are aware of the issue and that they had considered several applications only tentatively and would do a re-check on the same.



Forced to wait

Several students selected under the RTE quota were forced to wait to get admissions because of the prevailing confusion.



Bharath was one among several students picked in the first round of RTE lottery. He secured a seat in a private school in Rajajinagar 1st Block. When the parents approached the school, his parents were told that the school had not received a final list of candidates.



Later, the Block Education officer had to intervene, do a document verification and have the school management convinced, said Yogananda of the RTE Students and Parents Association.



Ajay Seth, principal secretary, Department of Public Instruction, said that the list to be given to schools in Bengaluru would be ready by Sunday.



Another round of verification is being done in cases where there was confusion with regard to the pin code, Seth added.


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Credit Suisse reiterated its 'outperform' rating on Inmarsat while downgrading rival Eutelsat to 'neutral' after its substantial profit warning.

The Swiss bank admitted its positive view over the past 18 months on the outlook for global satellite revenue growth has proved overly optimistic, mainly due an underestimated impact of a weakening global economy on certain regions such as Latin America and Africa and rising competition from Intelsat in LatAm.

"While we still see positive growth trends in certain segments, particularly 4KTV and US government spend, we acknowledge that these trends are coming through slower than we had imagined 18 months ago."

"Having capacity in the right place increasingly important. Going forward exposure to different end users and the allocation of future satellite capacity to different geographies will increasingly drive our satellite stock views, rather than a one size fits all approach."

Eutelsat now looks increasingly exposed to Latam and Africa and applications such as global data services and professional video that are increasingly under pressure.

The more positive rating on Inmarsat was maintained but Credit Suisse analysts cut their target price to 1,060p from 1,186p to reflect the delay to the introduction of key GlobalXpress products and ongoing economic headwinds in maritime.

After a weak quarter, the FTSE 100 group recently cut its 2016 revenue guidance by $50m but maintained its 2018 revenue outlook. Growth concerns have been raised in the market due to tough conditions in maritime that outweigh the pleasing return to growth in government revenue.

Inmarsat also notified of larger agreed Ligado payments out to 2018, now expecting to receive $337m over the three-year period that is around $35-40m per year above consensus.

Third rival SES was also maintained at 'outperform' and its target price also reduced to 25 from 29 as it is seen as having similar revenue exposure to Eutelsat in Latam and Africa, though its exposure to commoditised point-to-point data services is lower than Eutelsat in both regions.

UBS has downgraded Halma to 'sell' from 'neutral' with the health and safety technology group's shares tottering at 25-year highs and at a 49% premium to the engineering sector.

"If the world is better than expected Halma will likely underperform versus the group as it is less cyclical and if the economic outlook weakens we still see absolute downside risks," UBS said.

Acknowledging the FTSE 250 group's strong organic growth track record amid a declining sector, the Swiss bank noted that Halma has previously endured organic sales weakness in recessionary phases as its niche portfolio reduces its risks but does not completely remove them.

Consensus forecasts point to a 6% per annum ongoing sales growth, meaning that the risk of organic growth exceeding that "looks very limited" and acquisitions have generally fallen short of matching organic growth.

With deal sizes appearing on the rise, UBS stressed that striving for more

acquired growth increases the risks.

Analysts set a price target of 785p based on discounted cash flow, reasoning that even if management targets to grow at 15% per annum via organic and acquisitions are delivered, it would still only see 2020 expected EPS rise by 25% and Halma's EV/EBITA ratio in year-five back in line with its 20 year average.

"Looking at it another way, the share is pricing in stable margins and perpetuity growth of 3.5-4% per annum", which is 1.5-2 times the rate of perpetuity growth priced in for most of the other stocks covered by the same analysts.

Canaccord Genuity reiterated a buy rating and target price of 210p for Taylor Wimpey on Tuesday after the housebuilder announced enhancements to its dividend policy.

Taylor Wimpey has increased its ordinary dividend to around 5% of net assets to be paid through the cycle from 2017 and announced a special dividend of 300m to be paid in July 2017.

The group also raised its guidance on operating profit margins to 22% between 2016 and 2018, compared to 20.3% in 2015.

Last month the company said its trading had not been affecting by uncertainty surrounding the 23 June European Union referendum.

Canaccord said: Comments on current trading are consistent with what we recently heard from the group. Overall core principles of the group's strategy remain, with the group committed to driving further operational improvement.

Over the next 14 months the shares offer dividends per share of c.22.5p - which implies a c.12% yield.
Travelling around Londons more suburban boroughs at night was set to get easier, after it was revealed on Tuesday that Transport for London had doubled some evening services on the London Overground.

The Overground - which provides a tube-style service on Network Rail tracks, on a doughnut network encircling the capitals core - has increased a number of key services after 2200, as extra trains have come into service.

Mike Stubbs, director of London Overground, said the news would be welcomed by customers.

The East London line is becoming increasingly popular, particularly at night, with many enjoying what London has to offer.

To meet this increase in demand we have boosted frequency by 50% on some late night services, significantly increasing capacity.

Routes receiving the upgrade include services between Dalston Junction and New Cross, Dalston Junction and Clapham Junction, Highbury & Islington and Crystal Palace, and Highbury & Islington and West Croydon.

Between 2200 and 2330, there are now four trains per hour on the routes instead of the previoustwo.

It is the second capacity improvement on the Overground in the last year, after trains on the services main routes had an extra carriage added, increasing their length to five cars.
1330: Three-month copper futures are down by 0.1% to $4,628 per metric tonne in LME tradng.

1330: US housing starts jumped by 6.6% month-on-month in April to reach an annualised pace of 1.172m, according to the Department of Commerce. Economists had forecast a rate of 1.125m. Housing permits, a lead indicator for starts, grew by 3.6% month-on-month, hitting an annualised rate of 1.116m (consensus: 1.135m).

1330: The consumer price index advanced at a 0.4% month-on-month pace in April, following a rise of 0.1% in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists had anticipated a reading of 0.3%. In comparison to a year ago, the rate of increase in CPI accelerated from 0.9% in March to 1.1% in April, just as expected by economists.

0930: UK CPI rose far less than economists had anticipated in April, advancing by 0.3% year-on-year against consensus calling for no change versus Marchs print of 0.5%. Prices also undershot by a wide margin at the core level, with the year-on-year rate of gains dipping from 1.5% to 1.2% (consensus: 1.5%). So-called negative base effects accounted for much of the downward surprise, analysts at Barclays said, weighing on prices for transport and clothing & footwear prices as well as for those of housing, electricity, gas & other fuels . FTSE 100 up 57.79 points to 6,209.90.

0930: House prices in the UK advanced at a 9.0% year-on-year clip in March after a gain of 7.6% in the month before.

0915: Chinese rebar futures ended the Tuesday session up by 0.54% to 369.5 yuan ($315.72) per tonne on the Dalian Commodities Exchange.

0900: Stocks have started the morning on the up, led by gains in shares of housebuilders Taylor Wimpey and Berkeley Group, with the former having enhanced its dividend payments policy and revised up its financial targets for the coming three years. Also acting as a favourable wind for the sector are the latest favourable Brexit poll results from ORB for The Telegraph. Canaccord has also reiterated its buy stance on shares of the former. Anglo American for its part is seeing some follow-through buying from yesterdays upgrade out of BofA, alongside a bounce in Inmarsat. On the economic side of things, UK house prices growth accelerated to 9.0% year-on-year in March, according to official data, up from the 7.6% rise seen in the month before. Monthly UK and US CPI will be in focus today. FTSE 100 up 54.69 points to 6,205.79.
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Franklin County officials slam Ohio election security mandate

Franklin County commissioners, all Democrats, criticized GOP Secretary of State Frank LaRose's election security mandates and their $375,000 cost.
 Haaretz Expunges Khader Adnan's Islamic Jihad Affiliation | Main | Touro Human Rights Institute Documents Legal Assault on Israel 

June 03, 2015

Baltimore Sun Gives Islamic Circle a Free Pass

The Baltimore Suns Muslims work to dispel myths about Islam? (May 26, 2015) omitted important details regarding the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). Mentioning the organizations laudatory work helping victims of Baltimore's April riots as well as its upcoming convention, the paper failed to give readers key ICNA background.

Omitted by The Sun were ICNAs roots as a subsidiary of the Islamic Society of North America, itself a spin-off of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Egyptian-based, Sunni Brotherhood seeks to spread sharia (Islamic law) globally. Part of a network of groups stemming from the Brotherhood or its North American initiatives, ICNA originated in 1968 as an offshoot of the Islamist Muslim Student Association.

The Islamic Circle has a history of questionable associations and rhetoric (Tablighi Jamaat: Jihads Stealthy Legions,? Middle East Quarterly, Winter, 2005). For example, in 2009, five young men from an ICNA Alexandria, Va. mosque were arrested in Pakistan for seeking to join the Pakistani Taliban. ICNA stated that extremism has no place in Islam, and ICNA works tirelessly to oppose extremist and violent ideology.? But the Anti-Defamation League termed ICNAs joint anti-extremism effort with MSA bogus.

If sincere, an ICNA anti-extremism campaign would have represented an about-face from the groups 1997 Southeastern Conference, which honored Lawrence Nicholas Thomas (also known as Jibril Abu-Adam)a U.S. citizen and convert to Islamfor traveling to Pakistan and dying while fighting for Lashkar-e-Taiba (ICNAs Search for Radicalism Should Start Within,? Dec. 15, 2009, The Investigative Project on Terrorism). Lashkar-e-Taiba later was designated by the U.S. government as an al Qaeda support organization.

ICNAs rhetoric also has been troubling. A December, 1997 article in the groups magazine, The Message, glorified Abu Adams decision to join the terrorist affiliate and exhorted others to follow his example. More recently, at a December 2010 joint conference with the Muslim American Society, ICNA featured several speakers who, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), made anti-Semitic and conspiratorial remarks, portraying Jews as a privileged group with undue power.?

ADL also noted that a December, 2009 conference featured calls to destroy Israel (Muslim-American Organizations Anti-Radical Effort A Sham, ? Jan. 11, 2010, ADL). The writings of Anwar al-Awlakian American-born leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula later killed by a U.S. drone strikewere featured at that conference along with speeches by Rafiq Jaber, former president of the Islamic Association of Palestinean affiliate of Hamas, another U.S.-listed terror organization. Raed Salah, the leader of Israels Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement who served jail time in Israel for financing Hamas, was listed as a conference speaker although he apparently did not attend.

A convention of 20,000 people certainly was newsworthy. That being so, Sun coverage of the Islamic Circle of North America should have provided readers fuller disclosure of groups activities, associations and rhetoric.by Sean Durns

(A shorter version of this SNAPSHOT was submitted to The Baltimore Sun as a letter to the editor but neither posted online nor published in the print edition.)

Posted by ER at June 3, 2015 05:56 PM

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CHICAGO (AP)  A San Francisco Board of Supervisors member says the city has had preliminary discussions with George Lucas' representatives about building his museum on an island in San Francisco Bay, instead of in Chicago.

A plan to build the Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts along Chicago's Lake Michigan waterfront is on hold due to a parks group's lawsuit. Lucas' wife, Mellody Hobson, recently said that the lawsuit has prompted a search outside the city for a place to build the museum.





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 AFP's Lopsided Account of Slain Palestinian Teen | Main | Washington Post Notes Israels Cyber Strength 

May 17, 2016

ICNAs Selective Outrage on Bangladesh Violence



The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), a non-profit organization that claims to represent the interests of Muslims in America, has selectively condemned violence in Bangladesh. Although ICNA denounced the execution of Maluana Motiur Rahman Nizami, a Bangladeshi Islamist, the organization has been silent about Islamist attacks against secular writers and religious minorities in the country.

ICNA called the execution of Nizami another shameful act of judicial killing which is part of the ongoing brutal persecution of political opponents by Sheikh Hasinas [Hasina Wazed, the current prime minister of Bangladesh] government.?

The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), a Washington D.C.-based organization that monitors extremist groups, noted that Nizami was a top leader of Bangladeshs Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party and a former president of its student affiliate, Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba Pakistan. He was also a permanent member of the Muslim World League, a Saudi-funded organization created in 1962 for the global propagation of Wahhabi Islam.?

IPT noted that ICNAs strong condemnation of Nizamis execution and those of other JI-tied Bangladeshi Islamists in the past stands in sharp contrast to the Islamist groups notable silence following recent horrific terror attacks in Bangladesh that have included the hacking to death of a Bangladeshi academic, gay rights activist, Hindu tailor, and Sufi leader. Some of these attacks have been linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaida, raising the total number of terrorist slayings of secular bloggers and critics of radical Islam in Bangladesh to 20 since 2013.?

ICNA has shown a willingness to speak with many in the U.S. news mediawho often treat the group as a credible source, failing to fully identify the Circles radical roots, associations and activities (see, for example Baltimore Sun Gives Islamic Circle a Free Pass,? CAMERA, June 3, 2015).

As CAMERA has noted, the Islamic Circle is a subsidiary of the Islamic Society of North America, a Muslim Brotherhood spin-off. The Egyptian-based, Sunni Brotherhood seeks to spread sharia (Islamic law) globally. ICNA is part of a network of groups, including the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) that stemmed from the Brotherhoods North American initiatives.

In 2010, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) noted that a December 2009 ICNA conference featured calls to destroy Israel and distributed the writings of Anwar al-Awlakian American-born leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula who was later killed by a U.S. drone strike.



ICNAs magazines have featured interviews with terrorist leaders in Pakistan and encouraged jihadi recruitment in Kashmir. In December 2009, five young members of a JI mosque in Virginia were arrested and convicted on terrorism charges after trying to join a Pakistani terrorist group.

In Dec. 6, 2010 report, IPT pointed out that a 2010 ICNA Members Hand Book spelled out that the organizations ultimate goal is the Establishment of Islam as the sole basis of global society and governance. It also encourages members to deceive people in its proselytizing campaign to help fulfill this goal.?

Nizami was a violent man. IPT reported that he was convicted in 2014 by a Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal for leading a secret killing squad called Al-Badar Bahini, which was created by the JI under orders from Pakistani intelligence? during Bangladeshs 1971 war.

The Islamic Circles selective outrage over violence in Bangladesh is newsworthy. Media failure to note it is worrisome.





Posted by SD at May 17, 2016 11:56 AM

ICNA claims that Nizami was denied a fair trial. Other sources report that his trial was not up to international standards. It is important to note, however, that Nizami who was convicted of war crimes, was a leader in the organization called Jamat i Islami, which is well understood to be guilty of a genocide of approximately 3 million people during Pakistan's civil war in the early 1970s.

He was also chief of the Al Badr Brigade, a paramilitary organization that engaged in terrible acts of violence.

Posted by: A Reader at May 18, 2016 02:34 PM

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Chinese firm invests in 600 Wall St. tower

Image courtesy Kwan Henmi Architecture Planning [enlarge]

SEATTLE  Chinese development firm China Vanke Co. will invest in Laconia Development's planned 43-story apartment tower at 600 Wall St. in Seattle, according to a press release from Mayor Ed Murray's office.

The partnership was announced at a forum during Murray's recent trade mission to China.

Kwan Henmi Architecture & Planning of San Francisco is the architect.

Laconia, which is based in Walnut Creek, California, developed a 335-unit apartment building called Cielo on First Hill that opened in early 2015.




A local graduation ceremony was held recently in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Letterkenny for students who completed an Autism studies course through University College Cork (UCC).

24 students from Donegal completed the Certificate in Autism Spectrum studies NFQ Level 6 at UCC. The students were made up from HSE staff and Education staff working in the autism sector and parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in Donegal.

The course modules consisted of Autism in a Historical and Contemporary context, Policy and Practice, Autism Mental Health and Wellbeing, Strengths and Challenges of Autism and Interventions and Supports across the Lifespan.

Bernadette Galligan, a parent who completed the course, said while she had personal experience of dealing with her child with autism, she now has a greater insight into how they experience the world and feel better equipped in dealing with it. I had not studied for a long long time and now I feel I could impart my knowledge to others comfortably.

Joanne Dowds, HSE Social Care Worker, said the course augmented the knowledge she has in the area and given her a broader perspective on dealing with people with autism and their families.

Mary Harte, who organised the course and asked UCC to Donegal, said they decided to host a local graduation ceremony in conjunction with UCC in recognition of their individual achievements in obtaining the certificates.

I am delighted to wholeheartedly congratulate everyone here today. This course provided an excellent opportunity to both parents and to staff from the HSE and the education sector to train together and to enhance their skills and knowledge base in the field of autism studies, she said.

Dr Seamus O Tuama Director Adult Education UCC, who presented the awards said that Adult Continuing Education in UCC has been delivering programmes to communities across Ireland for 70 years now. Our mission is to provide educational opportunities for communities and groups, breaking down barriers and ensuring a positive educational experience. We are fully committed to County Donegal and hope to see many more programmes delivered in the area.

Siobhan Murray Course Coordinator for Donegal speaking at the ceremony said: It is our aim, as a result of the success of last years programme that this course will run again in September as a two-year part time Diploma in Autism Studies.

We are also proposing to run a one-year part time 'Certificate in Mental Health and the Community. Both these programmes are now open for enrolment. We have a number of other Certificate/ Diploma Programmes also available. This is a wonderful opportunity to upskill while also gaining a University qualification in Donegal.

Pictured:

Some of the students who completed the Certificate in Autism Studies, Front row: lecturers on the course, Dr. Seamus O' Tuama, Director & Cliodhna O' Callaghan, Education Officer ACE at UCC. Photo Clive Wasson

Special Needs Assistants from Errigal College. Photo Clive Wasson
Halloween creatures  owls, crows and bats  all live at Crossroads, and that makes us very happy, for these scary animals make a positive contribution to the habitats of the preserve. We don't even mind black cats, IF they are kept indoors. Feral and outdoor cats are exceedingly harmful to wildlife ... and that's not a superstition! But to tamp down superstitions, we at Crossroads will spend the week demystifying Halloween creatures.

On October 28, 2022, at 6 p.m. will be our Evening with Owls. The Open Door Bird Sanctuary will be at Crossroads, offering a one-hour presentation followed by the opportunity to meet and greet live birds. Learn all about owls and the other incredible birds in the care of the Sanctuary!

Down through the centuries, in many cultures throughout the world, owls have been associated with evil and death. Truth is, owls probably are not smart enough to be evil. But researchers agree that owls are about as dim as the nighttime forests in which they hunt.

Owls don't need to be smart. They have everything else going for them. They are muscular. They fly silently. Their huge eyes enable them to see in the dark. Their beaks and talons are strong and wickedly sharp. But their sensitive ears are what make owls extraordinary hunters.

Most people assume that the plumicorns (a.k.a. "horns) of an owl are its ears. Not so.

The actual ears lie under feathers on the sides of the head, and they aren't symmetrical. Because one ear is higher than the other and the ears are unequal in size, sound is different from different directions, helping owls locate prey, which they do almost unfailingly, even in total darkness.

Owls do not smell their prey. As with most birds, the sense of smell is insignificant, if it exists are all. Great Horned Owls frequently prey on skunks. Enough said.

But well-developed intelligence? Researchers have observed owls beating their wings on bushes to try to flush out little birds. Is this learned behavior? Is it problem-solving?

Maybe.

For the most part, owls do not have a lot of problems to solve. They appropriate abandoned nests of other birds, so they don't need building skills. They are stealthy by nature, and they pounce on and usually catch anything they hear, so they don't need hunting techniques.

In spite of ghost stories, legends of American First People, and superstitions from Europe and India, hooting owls do not foretell impending death, although their nocturnal calls are spooky. We hear them now and then this time of year, but we will regularly hear those eerie calls at Crossroads in January or February.

In contrast to owls, crows are noisy all year round and they are amazingly intelligent. They can learn. They can remember. They can solve problems. They can even identify individual humans. And they detest owls, though whether this is innate or learned behavior is not clear.

Those curious about crows will want to attend the Crossroads Book Club on Wednesday, October 26, at 10:00 a.m. This month, the book Crow Planet, Essential Wisdom for the Urban Wilderness by Lyanda Lynn Haupt will explore the fascinating world of these remarkable birds. The program is free and open to all, whether or not they have read the book.

So bring the family to our program on owls, learn about crows at the Crossroads Book Club, or learn about bats at our pre-school Junior Nature Club on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. or our Family Science Saturday program at 2:00 p.m. Costumes are encouraged but not required at Junior Nature Club and Science Saturday, and adult visitors are welcome.
New SAMC CEO Rick Sutton was in Colorado before taking the Dothan hospital helm recently, but you wont have to introduce him to sweet tea.

Sutton and his wife, Bonnie, are Mississippi natives. Rick hails from Southaven while Bonnie is from Greenwood. Rick Sutton also holds a bachelors degree in business administration from the University of Mississippi.

With his two oldest sons now out of college, Sutton said he was looking to return to his Southern roots when the Dothan opportunity presented itself.

We appreciate the culture and the value of the people here, Sutton said Monday during an informal meeting with media members. This was the perfect setting for me.

In addition to the location, Sutton said he was looking for a multi-hospital setting. Medical Center Barbour is also under the auspices of SAMC. Sutton said the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM), another arm of SAMC, provided another asset.

Sutton takes over the reins of SAMC at a time when healthcare is undergoing significant change. Sutton acknowledged the challenges.

What is happening now in healthcare is a shift from what had been a volume-driven model to one of value, Sutton said. The problem right now is the industry has one foot in each. Our challenge is no different than those being faced all across the country, and that is to be efficient and provide great care in the volume world, but transition to the value world.

Sutton said he does not plan any immediate significant changes at SAMC.

One thing I have learned is you do not jump in and make changes immediately, Sutton said. A lot of things are working well here, but opportunities exist just like in any other organization.

Sutton characterized ACOM as a big plus for the Wiregrass.

Its first-class. It is a great advantage that we can train students right here and then send them off to residency. What we want to do is create a great experience for our students right here so when they go out to residency, they have fond memories about where they were trained.

Sutton most recently served as Banner Healths Senior Executive for its Northern Colorado operations from 2013-2016. He served as CEO at Banners North Colorado Medical Center from 2008-2013 and McKee Medical Center from 2005-2008. He also had leadership positions at Banner hospitals in Arizona and Nebraska.

Prior to joining Banner Health, he was the administrator, Facility Resource Division, at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in South Bend, Indiana, from 1999-2001. From 1986 to 1999, Sutton served in various healthcare management and administration positions in the United States Army.
Houston County Sheriffs deputies recently arrested a convicted sex offender and charged him with the possession of 42 images of child pornography.

Court records show Houston County Sheriffs investigators arrested 54-year-old Burtrand Russell Leverette and charged him with 42 counts of felony possession of child pornography and four felony counts of the possession of obscene matter.

Records show deputies charged Leverette with four counts of uploading a picture of what appeared to be a nude girl under the age of 17 to a website.

Records show deputies charged Leverette with the possession of 42 images of a nude girl less than the age of 17.

Leverette was booked into the Houston County Jail and held on bail totaling $750,000. Leverette also has two pending felony sex offender registration notification act violations against him.

One of those charges, one is for attempting to cover up the sex offender identification part of his Alabama ID, according to records.

According to the Alabama sex offender registry, Leverette was convicted of felony electronic solicitation of a minor and indecent exposure in Dale County in December 2011.
dpa ElectionsData

With dpa ElectionsData you get access to a unique collection of data. Via a programming interface (Rest-API), your developers can access detailed information, candidate profiles and live results for all national elections in the European Union and important international elections, like the US Midterm elections etc.

The data pool also includes all heads of state and government as well as about 20,000 elected members of parliament throughout the EU. In addition to their data (name, party, constituency or list position), we collect social media profiles and official websites of individuals and parties.
 ICNAs Selective Outrage on Bangladesh Violence | Main | 'Stabbing Intifada' Declines, Tribune Papers Tell Half the Story 

May 17, 2016

Washington Post Notes Israels Cyber Strength



The Washington Posts Cyber-city rises from the desert in Israel? (May 15, 2016) highlighted Israels growing power in the realm of cyber-securitya strength made possible, in part, through innovation and cooperation.

The Post reported that in the middle of the Negev Desert, in southern Israel, a cyber-city is rising to cement Israels place as a major digital power.? Beersheba, population 200,000 and home to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, will concentrate some of the countrys top talent from the military, academia and business in an area of just a few square miles.?

Beersheba houses a technology park that includes global companies such as PayPal, Lockheed Martin and Deutsche Telekom, among others. Unit 8200, a signals intelligence arm of the Israeli military (roughly analogous to the U.S. National Security Agency), will soon be located at the park. The Shin Bet, Israels domestic security agency, will also take up residence at the complex adjacent to Ben-Gurion University.

The school will work with these global companies and Israeli military and security agencies to complete a cyber emergency response team.

In 2014, Israel launched the response team, as part of the National Cyber Security Authority, to respond to crises. Growing cyber threats to Israel, including those emanating from Iran, have helped to provide an incentive. As The Post article detailed, constant attacks, virtual as well as physical, against the Jewish state, as well as cross-pollination? from different sectors, have helped propel Israeli growth in cyber.

The Post quoted Nadav Zafrir, a former head of Unit 8200, on the combined potency provided of private and public entities:

What you get out of that is the research capabilities that academia brings, the real-world knowledge that the [tech firms] bring, the hands-on experience that the military brings, alongside the entrepreneurial ability that the start-ups bring.? The Post seems to concur, concluding that no other country is so purposefully integrating its private, scholarly, government and military cyber-expertise.?

These different organizations reflect Israels emphasis on cyber-security as well as its unique approach to the problemsand opportunitiesposed by threats emanating online.

Eviatar Matania, the head of the National Cyber Bureau, told The Post that Israel gains an advantage over other countries? through a high-tech and innovation-driven culture that emanates, in part, from cyber-security. According to Matania, the result is that Israel sees the cyber realm not just as a threat to mitigate, but also as one of our economic engines.?

As CAMERA has noted ("Defense One: Israel is a Rising Cyber Super Power,? Feb. 2, 2016), Israel currently has more than 300 cybersecurity companies and accounts for 20 percent of the worlds private investment in cyber. An estimated $6 billion in cybersecurity technology is exported by the Jewish state.

It seems likely that Israels strength in cyber will continue to grow. By the end of 2017, The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are hoping to establish a cyber-command to merge the missions of attack and defense.?

The elite cyber-units recruit at an early age. The Post noted that the cream of the computer science and math crop are scouted by the elite military cyber-units when they are as young as 14.? Military cyber-officers mentor students at four Israeli high schools that offer advanced math and computer science curriculum. After serving Israel, cybersecurity specialists will have an opportunity to work for private companies, including those housed at Beersheba.

IDF Capt. Rotem Bashi, who heads a cyberdefense unit, told The Post, the next war will be in cyberspace.? If soas this Washington Post article detailedIsrael intends to be ready.

Posted by SD at May 17, 2016 12:42 PM

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 Iranian Military Admits Anti-Israel Missile Test | Main | ICNAs Selective Outrage on Bangladesh Violence 

May 17, 2016

AFP's Lopsided Account of Slain Palestinian Teen

When a media outlet reports on a fact sheet published by a big international NGO, what is its responsibility to readers? Do journalists have an obligation to flag shortcomings in NGO reports? AFP, apparently, thinks not.

In a widely published article, AFP summarized a UNICEF fact sheet claiming that "25 Palestinian children killed in 3 months." The UNICEF provides identifying details (date and location) in just two out of the 25 alleged cases. AFP faithfully relays UNICEF's flawed account of one of the two cases:

UNICEF cited the example on October 25 in Hebron in the West Bank of a 17-year-old girl who was "taken by IDF (Israel Defence Forces) soldiers for a search, shot with at least five bullets and killed". "Israeli authorities said that she had attempted to stab a policeman, however an eyewitness stated that she was not presenting any threat at the time she was shot, and was shouting that she did not have a knife," it said.

Relying solely on the UNICEF report, AFP failed to fulfill its duty to independently fact-check. A quick search reveals that Amnesty International, which has no great love for Israel, noted this relevant information concerning the Oct. 25 Hebron incident:

A photo of Ershieds body shows a knife lying near the body, and the Israeli police spokesperson has stated that she attempted to stab a border policeman.

In other words, there is a photograph that supports the Israeli account of events, a photograph that AFP ignored.

In recent months, following terror attacks, the publication - official or otherwise - of photographs showing the weapons used in the attack have been commonplace. Despite such evidence, Palestinians frequently insist that slain terrorists are innocent. In an attempt to explain the contrary photographic material, a bizarre conspiracy theory claiming Israeli forces plant knives on dead Palestinians thrives in Palestinian social media, and is even embraced by some Palestinian officials.

That UNICEF failed to note the photograph does not exonerate AFP from its responsibility to note the photograph of the knife. Whether or not AFP subscribes to outlandish anti-Israel conspiracy theories, it carries an obligation to its readers to fully present the facts, even when its NGO sources don't.

Posted by gs at May 17, 2016 02:39 AM

I wholeheartedly agree. One correction though. UNICEF is an organisation affiliated to the transnational UNO - not an NGO. (Definition:A non-governmental organization (NGO) is any non-profit, voluntary citizens' group which is organized on a local, national or international level)

Posted by: Paul at May 17, 2016 05:47 AM

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Nissan has expanded its recall of vehicles affected by the potentially deadly Takata airbags to include its Nissan Tiida city car.

The recall affects 41,154 C11 Tiidas built in Thailand between 2006 and 2012 have been caught up in the global recall, taking Nissan Australia's total Takata impacted cars up to approximately 257,000.

As with the previous recall, this latest round is due to airbags built by Takata that may have a faulty inflator, which could rupture when deployed and send metal fragments throughout the cabin causing serious injuries or fatalities. At least seven deaths have been linked to the Takata problem overseas.

When parts become available Nissan will contact affected owners to arrange a replacement front driver's airbag at no cost.

Nissan recently recalled more than 40,000 Navaras in Australia earlier this year.

The recall has hit most major car makers are the world including Toyota, Honda, Mercedes-Benz among others, and is could include more than 100 million vehicles globally.

Honda earlier this week also flagged that a further 21 million vehicles may be recalled worldwide, including Australian vehicles.

Anyone who has further questions about these recall actions can call Nissan Australia on 1800 988 334 or go to www.nissan.com.au/ownerfirst.
What is it?

The entry point to Volkswagen's dual cab Amarok range. The Core Edition was introduced at the start of 2015 sitting beneath the Trendline, HIghline and Ultimate models.

What it isn't?

Fancy. This is on the workhorse end of the dual cab spectrum. While these type of vehicles are popular as both workers and family haulers this one is aimed at business buyers who need to carry a lot of human cargo; courtesy of the spacious back seat.

What does it say about me?

That you're willing to take a punt in life. Volkswagen has struggled to make a big impact in the ute market since becoming the first European brand to take on the big Japanese players. The Amarok only accounted for 5.7 per cent of the 4x4 ute market in 2015 which left it at the bottom of the sales charts.

What colours does it come in?

There are eight to pick from - white, green, silver, beige, blue, grey, black and brown.

If it were a celebrity, who would it be?

Scott Cam, like The Block host the Amarok Core is a hard worker that is trying to find a voice in a crowded market.

Why would I buy it?

Because the Amarok, even in this base form, is one of the nicest dual cab utes to drive. The steering is the most car-like in the class and the ride is good both with and without a load in the tray.

Does it cost too much?

The Amarok Core may be the entry-level model but this TDI420 model starts at $45,990 plus on-road costs, which is in the ballpark but it is light on equipment. However, read the next question...

Will I get a deal?

That is a big 10-4. Volkswagen is currently offering the Core for $39,990 drive-away, which represents a saving of approximately $10,000.

Is it safe?

It may score a five-star ANCAP crash test rating but Volkswagen has taken advantage of a loophole in the system and skipped on potentially life-saving rear curtain airbags. That puts it behind rivals like the Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50 and Toyota HiLux which all offer airbag coverage to the rear occupants.

How's the cabin ambience?

Simple but effective. The interior is basic but well laid out and offers excellent storage - with a large central console box, two cupholders, a storage shelf at the bottom of the dash and another one on the top - so it's easy to get comfortable. That feeling is also helped by the spacious and supportive seats. But the presentation is plain with drab-looking grey plastic dominating and there are plenty of blank switches to highlight the fact you're missing out on some goodies.

What's the stereo like?

It's also a basic affair with no modern touchscreen, just a low resolution mono-colour display. However, it does have a CD players, SD card reader and USB input. Bluetooth is also standard.

Does it go?

At first a 2.0-litre four-cylinder may not sound strong enough to pull a dual cab ute along comfortably, but thanks to the twin-turbochargers, the Amarok Core has no trouble getting motivated. There's excellent pulling power through the lower and middle part of the rev range. Without any load the Amarok is actually pretty sprightly. The slick eight-speed automatic transmission helps ease the progress too, seamlessly finding the right ratio for any given situation.

Does it like corners?

As mentioned earlier the Amarok is near the head of the class when it comes to dynamics. The nicely sorted steering and composed ride mean the Amarok is responsive in the bends; at least by ute standards.

What about bumps?

The ride finds a good balance to be comfortable both with and without a load in the back. Obviously, being a ute it lacks the refinement of an SUV, with noticeable jittering over small bumps but it has no trouble absorbing big impacts.

What about its capability?

The Core has a payload of 1051kg, which is competitive in this class, and the tray can take a standard builder's pallet. It is rated to tow up to 3000kg braked (750kg unbraked).

What about service stations?

Using a claimed 8.3-litres per 100km means the Amarok is highly competitive in the ute class. For example, the Ford Ranger's 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel uses 8.9L/100km but produces less power and torque (110kW/375Nm).

Would you buy one?

The Amarok is nice to drive and the current drive-away deal makes it a very tempting proposition. But the lack of airbag protection for rear passengers is a deal-breaker for me, particularly when I can get several rivals that offer the extra safety. The Amarok is also due for a major update towards the end of 2016 which will bring a new V6 engine.

What else should I consider?

There's plenty of competition in the ute market these days. The Ford Ranger is the reigning Drive Ute category champion at Drive Car of the Year. It's twin-under-the-skin Mazda BT-50 is another good option. As is the venerable Toyota HiLux and good value Mitsubishi Triton. A new Holden Colorado is on the way soon, so you can either try and pick up a run-out bargain or wait for the new and improved model.

The Spin

"Tough comes from within."

The Translation

Volkswagen had to resort to the 'Naked Ute' campaign to get people to consider its workhorse against its more established rivals.

2016 Volkswagen Amarok Core Edition TDI420 pricing and specifications

Price: $45,990 plus on-road costs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel

Power: 132kW at 4000rpm

Torque: 420Nm at 1750rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive

Fuel use: 8.3L/100km

Click here to read all the latest Volkswagen news and reviews.
Game-changing soft-starts act as complete control systems

At the recent Hannover Fair, the New Zealand soft-start specialist AuCom announced a game-changing range that, it predicts, will challenge industry approaches to fixed-speed motor control. The EMX4i low-voltage soft-starts offer the option of plugging in application-specific cards.

By incorporating a new smart-card technology, we have extended the EMX4 beyond motor control to act as a complete system, able to connect and respond to entire industrial applications, explains AuComs CEO, Brent Archer.

The new range, he adds, is smaller, more powerful, and packed with new control and protection features, and has been developed as the ideal partner for premium-efficiency IE3 motors.

The first smart card available gives the soft-starts enhanced facilities for pumping applications. It allows sensors to be connected directly to the controller, avoiding the need for extra components. The card can also deal with different causes of water hammer by providing a choice of ramp profiles for each type. It can help to prevent rapid changes in flow rate or direction, or water column separation and closure. Timers and scheduling functions are built in.

AuCom is planning to talk to industrial equipment manufacturers to develop new smart cards to meet the requirements of particular industries or applications. It sees the smart cards as an exciting way for equipment manufacturers and resellers to innovate and compete.

AuCom's says that its new soft-starts will challenge traditional approaches to fixed-speed motor control

An internal bypass allows the new soft-starts operate with an efficiency of 99.5% while running at full speed. AuCom says that this equates to a reduction of wasted energy of 80% compared to VSDs being used where they are not needed. It points out that about 80% of motor applications operate most efficiently at fixed speeds.

The soft-starts support constant-current and current-ramp starts and offer adaptive control of starting and stopping. Other functions include kickstarting, coast-to-stop, DC and soft braking, forward and reverse jogging, and soft-tripping. Protection is provided against current imbalances, under- and over-currents, phase or power losses, and incorrect phase sequences. Communications options include Modbus RTU and TCP, Profibus, DeviceNet, ProfiNet and Ethernet/IP.

The EMX4i soft-start family spans motor currents from 24580A with inline or inside delta connections. They are available in versions for 200525V and 380600/690V AC supplies.
The answer to the question in my Question Time about the place called Mountpleasant near the seafront in the middle of Blackrock has caused me to reflect on how much the seaside village of Blackrock has changed during my lifetime. When I was a child over sixty years ago, the place I knew as Blackrock stretched from McGuigan's Rock to the Pavilion Ballroom at the other end of the village. Only a few hundred people lived along that stretch of roadway but it is now covered with fashionable dwellings and housing estates which are probably home to more than four thousand people. Which makes me wonder why the local authorities did not make it a part of the urban area back in 1946 when the last major changes in the boundaries of the town were made?

Maybe it is just as well, however, that this area was not swallowed by Dundalk as the town itself seems to have lost its local government power due to the abolition of the Town Council back a few years ago. Not that Blackrock gained a lot of recognition in that period in terms of economic growth and jobs and it is still really only a dormer area for people who earn their livings elsewhere. It has even lost what was once its big summer season earners in the form of the Swimming Pool and, at one time, three dance halls.

Maybe I was wrong to consider that Blackrock was only that mile long strip of roadway along the seafront back in 1946. Charlie McCarthy tells me that Blackrock hardly existed at all by the middle of the nineteenth century and was really only a very small village around the Square area in 1850 which was quite difficult to reach by any decent roadway at the time. At the end of World War 11 there were quite a lot of business people from Dundalk buying up plots of land to built second homes in the Haggardstown area which was always closely connected with the seafront at Blackrock and it was then that housing estates of the area began to be developed.

What really caused the village of Blackrock to become boom as a recreational area was the Strand horse racing which was patronised by the gentry of the County at the end of the nineteenth century. This, in turn, was greatly influenced by the officer class among the Cavalry regiments who were stationed at the Dundalk Military Barrack who encouraged the growth of the sport. These wealthy people then fostered the growth of small hotels along the seafront to cater for their refreshment needs.

The Tempest's Annual of the start of the twentieth century lists no fewer than six hotels at Blackrock, which was nearly as many as existed in the town of Dundalk itself; and there were probably many more guest houses that kept visitors during the summer months.

Another activity relating to the military that once took place on Blackrock Strand was the practising of cavalry charges. Peader Roe, son of the Third Editor and owner of the Dundalk Democrat and father of the Sixth Editor, once told me that he could recall sitting on McGuigan's Rock (a feature now almost indistinguishable in the present landscape) and watching the cavalry horses charging across the sands. Some of the men and horse that took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava must have raced across that strand.
Record numbers of Vipers to snake around Silverstone

As tradition dictates, this summers Silverstone Classic (29-31 July) will be home to a huge number of enthusiastic car clubs all celebrating significant model or marque milestones with vast displays and glittering track parades.

Recent events have exulted in record breaking birthday cavalcades of E-type Jaguars, Ferrari F40s, Porsche 911s, Ford Mustangs and Grand Prix racing cars. This years highlights will include an unprecedented gathering mighty Dodge Vipers, one of Americas most iconic muscle cars.

Originally conceived by Chrysler in the late eighties to be a modern day Cobra, the venomous Viper RT/10 Roadster first went on public sale in January 1992. While the finish of the dramatically styled two-door roadster was pretty spartan (there were no windows or exterior door handles!), it came with a Lamborghini-inspired 8-litre V10 engine and thus walloping 160+mph performance. A true US classic was born.

Four years later came a slightly more powerful and refined second generation Viper plus a GTS coupe version for road and track. Also in 1996, the United Kingdom Viper Club was formed and, thus, it is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a record-breaking display at the 2016 Silverstone Classic.

The Classic weekend is going to be the biggest event for us in whats a very special year, enthused Adrian Swift, President of the UK Viper Club. We have at least 16 Vipers coming from Europe to join us at Silverstone and expect to have more than 30 Vipers in Saturdays track parade. It will be the largest number of Vipers that has ever been gathered together at one spot in the UK!

Its not only the UK Viper Club that will be out in force in July; a colossal number of car clubs now make the Silverstone Classic the base for their annual celebrations, and 2016 is set to be no different. Owners and enthusiasts will be marking 50 years of the iconic Lamborghini Miura, 70 years of Allard and 80 years since the introduction of the evergreen Morgan 4/4  a car that is still being crafted in Malvern today making it the longest single model production run in automotive history.

Amongst all these varied celebrations, the retro-styled Nissan Figaro will be honoured 25 years since its launch. The distinctive little convertible has acquired a cult following in the UK, and is sure to be a standout feature at the Silverstone Classic.

Homegrown classics enjoying their weekend in the spotlight include the Lotus Esprit turning 40 this year, the Jaguar XK8 celebrating its 20th birthday, plus the Triumph GT6 and Vitesse 2 Litre, which are both 50. In fact, wherever you turn within Silverstones vast infield, there will be huge club displays and festivities taking place.

And its not too late for others to join the party either  but time is running out. Special Car Club Packages are available until the end of May. These offer members of registered car and bike clubs the chance to purchase two adult tickets plus a coveted infield display parking pass at a significantly discounted price. Club registration is free and full details can be found on the official website: silverstoneclassic.com/whats-on/clubs.

Whether drawn by the record numbers of Vipers or the myriad of other attractions at the worlds biggest classic motor racing festival, visitors must buy their tickets in advance. Adult admission starts at just 42 and sticks to the Classics widely-praised access all areas policy. This provides admission to both National and Wing race paddocks, trackside grandstands, the vintage funfair, air displays and the live music concerts which this year include chart-toppers The Boomtown Rats, Reef and The Stranglers.

Full details of all tickets  as well as hospitality packages, special family offers and weekend festival camping  can be found on the events official website: silverstoneclassic.com.
MINI Seven to make exclusive world premiere at Goodwood Festival of Speed

This years Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 23-26) will host the global debut of the first design model of the current generation of MINIs, MINI Seven.

Taking its name from the very first Mini, the 1959 Austin Seven, MINI Seven has been designed to fuse the brands classic heritage with modern design and technology.

MINI Seven joins the current MINI Hatch range in 5-door or 3-door form and features specially designed exterior and interior looks unseen before on this generations model line-up.

The new car, which will also feature a bespoke option pack called MINI Seven Chili, will be unveiled for the very first time at Goodwoods Moving Motor Show on Thursday, June 23.

As well as the world premiere of MINI Seven, MINI will also have the new John Cooper Works Challenge Edition going up the famous 1.16-mile Hillclimb course in the First Glance category during the main FOS days.

The Festival of Speed will also represent MINI CHALLENGE racer Charlie Butler-Hendersons debut as MINIs newest brand ambassador, since working hard to defend his title as the CHALLENGE champion in 2015.

MINI will also have brand ambassador and Dakar Rally ace, Harry Hunt on hand to drive the MINI ALL4 Racing car, in which he finished 10th in this years Dakar at his first attempt on the worlds toughest road race.

BMW Group  BMW, MINI, Rolls Royce and BMW Motorrad  will celebrate its illustrious sporting past and the diversity of its brands at this years Festival of Speed, with BMW taking centre stage as the Honoured Marque.

BMW and MINI will continue the centenary celebrations at Goodwood, during which they will focus on the future of mobility. As part of this, MINI will showcase its Vision Vehicle, created through partnerships with three pioneering experts in the fields of design, art and interactivity.

The week-long exhibition celebrating 100 years of the BMW Group, which is free to the public will showcase its three innovative vision vehicles to the Roundhouse in Camden from 18th  26th June.
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(Photo: REUTERS / Erik De Castro)Pope Francis smiles as he waves to residents during a motorcade in Tacloban city, after holding a mass near the airport, January 17, 2015. An emotional Francis, wearing a plastic poncho over his vestments to protect him from the wind and rain on Saturday, comforted survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, the Philippines' worst natural disaster that killed about 6,300 people 14 months ago

Filipino leaders are normally respectful to the leader of the Catholic Church, where 80 percent of the 100 million people are followers.

But not the Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte, who gave Donald Trump a run for money when it comes to insulting people in an election campaign and has backtracked after saying he would apologize for insulting Pope Francis..

Duterte will be sworn into office on June 30 for a six-year term, and says he was raised as a Catholic.

But he has said he will not personally apologise to Pope Francis for calling him a "son of a whore," The Telegraph reported.

That was after Duterte's spokesman has said on May 12 a trip to Rome was in the works, during which the president elect would "explain to the Pope and ask for forgiveness." He didn't include a schedule, but said that it was one of Duterte's "top priorities," according to Crux.

Duterte has earned the nickname "The Punisher" for his colourful language and anti-crime platform, and had previously said he would travel to the Vatican to say sorry for the jibe.

When he was announcing he would run for president, Duterte hit out at Pope Francis for the traffic jams his visit last year caused in Manila.

"It took us five hours to get from the hotel to the airport. I asked who was coming. They said it was the Pope. I wanted to call him: 'Pope, son of a whore, go home. Don't visit anymore'," said Duterte.

He announced on May 15 that he had changed his mind and decided to send a letter instead.

"No more, that's enough," he told reporters when asked if we would go ahead with the trip, Agence France-Presse reported.

The 71-year-old Duterte was the long-time mayor of southern Davao city. He swept to victory in the May 9 presidential election following an aggressive campaign in which he peppered speeches with foul language showing disrespect for figures of authority.

VOW TO KILL CRIMINALS

The tough-talking former mayor has vowed to kill 100,000 criminals and feed them to the fish.

His pledge to clean up the Philippines with his uncompromising stance on crime, includes bringing back the death penalty and issuing security forces with "shoot to kill" orders.

The Catholic Church is a strong opponent of the death penalty.

Some of his comments encouraging rape have enraged Filipinos and his comments on women make some of those made by Trump pale in the shade.

"I was angry because she was raped, that's one thing. But she was so beautiful, the mayor should have been first, what a waste."

The taunt was reported to have drawn only a smattering of laughter from the crowd and despite Catholic leaders condemning his remarks they had little impact on his popularity.

Duterte had later said he "did not intend to attack the Pope" and that his anger was directed at the government for causing too much disruption to people's lives during the visit.
MAS Scholarship Recipients 2016.jpg

Photo: Supervisor Randy Bosarge (Dist. 5), Supervisor Ken Taylor (Dist. 3), Nyaia Liddell, Board President Melton Harris, Jr. (Dist.2), Catherine Hasty, Supervisor Barry Cumbest (Dist. 1), Supervisor Troy Ross (Dist. 4) during May 16, 2016 scholarship presentation.

(Nicole Grundel)

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi-- At Monday's meeting, the Jackson County Board of Supervisors presented Catherine Lynn Hasty and Nyaia Liddell with $500 scholarship checks as the Jackson County recipients of the Mississippi Association of Supervisors County Employee Scholarship.

"We are very proud of these two young women and wish them well as they further pursue their education," President Melton Harris, Jr said.

Hasty newly graduated with honors from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and will be attending the University of Southern Mississippi in the Fall with the intent to major in Marketing. Liddell will be graduating from Moss Point High School later this month and will attend Tougaloo College majoring in Biology, with the end goal of one day becoming a Veterinarian.

The MAS County Employee Scholarship program has allocated over 70 scholarships to dependents of current or retired county employees around the state.

According to Derrick Surrette, Executive Director of MAS, "The MAS County Employee Scholarship program is one way that our Association can give back to the employees of our counties. We hope to have an even greater response to the program next year."

The Mississippi Association of Supervisors is a nonprofit support association for Mississippi's 82 counties. Since its inception in 1928, MAS has been committed to the improvement of county government across our state. MAS members have been instrumental in implementing efficient and effective grassroots government that serves the general welfare not only of the counties themselves, but of the entire state.

For more information on MAS, visit www.mssupervisors.org.
transport puppies.jpg

Jackson County Animal Shelter director Joe Barlow, along with Dr. Megan Craven, Audrey Brickson, Brooke Monk hold several puppies who were among the more than 70 dogs and cats transported to the Atlanta Humane Society Tuesday in what was the first-ever transfer of animals by the Jackson County facility since supervisors approved the transfers on May 2.

(Jackson County photo)

GAUTIER, Mississippi -- More than 70 dogs and cats from the Jackson County Animal Shelter were loaded onto a transport trailer Tuesday bound for Atlanta, Ga., to find new homes.

The 44 dogs and 28 cats were headed for the Atlanta Humane Society, which will work to find "forever" homes for the animals. Tuesday's transport marked the first in which the Jackson County facility has participated since supervisors approved the transfer of animals "in the best interests of the shelter" at their May 2 meeting.

"This transport is the result of lots of hard work and dedication of several people," said county administrator Brian Fulton. Fulton worked with former Jackson County shelter director Diane Robinson to craft the resolution allowing animal transfers.

Earlier this year, Robinson left Jackson County to take a job with the Atlanta Humane Society.

"It was all worth it and it seems only appropriate that the first transport be with Diane," Fulton said. "We know the animals are in great hands."

Shelter staff and volunteers worked together to get each animal vetted and health certificate prepared for the six-hour trek to Atlanta. Each animal had to be vaccinated, given a physical and checked and given preventive medications for worms and fleas.

Dogs were additionally tested for heartworms -- although a positive test did not necessarily make them ineligible for the trip. The Atlanta Humane Society covered the cost of testing and vaccinations and will spay/neuter the animals, as well as treat them for any issues, before putting them up for adoption.

"There is a lot of work that goes into a transport and I'm very proud of everyone who came together to make this happen and thank the board for approving the transport resolution," said Joe Barlow, director of the Jackson County facility.

"But as exciting as it is to see so many lives saved, I would be remiss not to bring attention to the sad reality that the shelter and our fosters still have several great dogs and cats that need homes. And by the end of the week we will be full again. I can't stress enough the importance of spaying and neutering."

Tuesday's transfer may have been the first for the Jackson County shelter, but it's far from the last. Already the Atlanta facility has committed to future transfers, while Barlow and adoption coordinator Maridee Mallette are reaching out to other rescue organizations across the county to form transfer partnerships.
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran said Tuesday that while she has had discussions with business owners over the possibility of installing parking meters in the downtown area, she does not foresee that coming to fruition.

"I don't like the idea of parking meters," Moran told The Mississippi Press. "Frankly, I think they're an eyesore."

While parking meters are not the likely solution, however, the issue of public parking in the downtown business district is again becoming an issue. With the overwhelming success of the new Off The Hook restaurant and bar on Government Street bringing more people to the area -- particularly at night and on weekends -- parking is at more of a premium than ever.

Moran noted that with Off The Hook having an entrance to its deck area off DeSoto Street, which runs parallel to Government, more people are parking in the DeSoto parking lots and along the street -- in some cases, on the public sidewalk and the nearby open grass lot owned by Blossman Gas.

"Blossman's doesn't want people parking there," Moran said. "This is a good problem to have, this kind of demand to be in our downtown area."

Moran said the key to solving the parking issue is striking a balance between parking for downtown employees and parking for customers. Employees are taking up many of the spaces in the public parking lots off DeSoto and Cash Alley, and others, leaving customers to scramble for remaining spots.

Ideas such as a city-owned tram to shuttle employees from parking areas outside of the immediate downtown area, or a parking garage have been floated in the past, but those are likely cost-prohibitive for the city.

But Moran said the city is willing to listen to virtually any suggestion.

"At this point, no idea is a bad idea," she said. "We're just trying to look at ways to address the issue."

Tim Wold

Tim Wold, owner of Off The Hook, said he simply wants the city to come up with a plan and wants his fellow business owners to get involved in the process.

"That's my biggest issue -- there is no plan," Wold said. "I ask city officials what the long-term plan is and they look at me like I'm stupid, why would I ask such a thing?

"I'd like to see a one-year plan, a five-year plan and a 10-year plan. I'd like to see someone put in charge of compiling a study -- whether it's a city planner or an outside agency. I want to see someone taking care of this who is in a non-political capacity."

Wold acknowledged that employees from his business and many others are indeed taking up a large number of downtown parking spaces. To find a solution to that problem, he wants the business community to come together.

"It doesn't do us any good if half of us are involved and half not," he said. "Then all the half involved are doing is freeing up more parking for the half who are not."

Wold was listed on the agenda for Tuesday night's Ocean Springs aldermen meeting to address the parking issue.

He agreed with the mayor's assessment that a shortage of parking due to demand is a good problem to have, "but it's still a problem, one that we've had for a long time. It's not going to go away."

Moran said she's like to see the city commission a parking study, one which will determine the parking ratio downtown -- how many parking spaces per square foot of heated and cooled retail space.

"We need a parking assessment," she said. "How many employees are downtown? What are their hours? Where do they park? There's a lot of information we need in order to find the most equitable solution for everyone."
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.

05:00, 25 OCT 2022
We have lost a true lesbian pioneer in the passing of Leslie Cohen. Whether opening the first upscale lesbian club Sahara in NYC in 1976 ...
The Intelligent Economist (oxymoron?) lists the 100 best economics blogs for 2016:

If youre looking for practical, insightful and educational economics blogs, youve come to the right place. Here are the 100 best economics blogs online, listed in no particular order. Today, as you know, theres no shortage of high-quality economics blogs on the web. But we decided to separate the wheat from the chaff and give you the absolute cream of the crop. Whether youre new to economics, or have an interest in a range of economics topics like econometrics and macroeconomics, or simply want to keep up with global economics, these economics blogs give you the rundown, insights and explanations you need to get a good understanding of economics.

Emphasis added to make sure you notice that theses are IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER--so we consider ourselves #1.

Here are the environmental blogs that found their way onto the list:

83. Environmental Economics: Environmental Economics is a blog intended for a wide audience and approaches its arguments with an easy to understand writing style. The two authors, Tim Haab and John Whitehead are both Economics Professors. 87. An Economic View of the Environment: An Economic View of The Environment is a blog by Robert Stavins, who is a professor at Harvard University and is the Director of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program. His posts paint a comprehensive view of global environmental issues from an economic standpoint. 95. Environmental and Urban Economics: This site by Matthew Kahn, a leading American educator in the field of environmental economics is self described as a blog that addresses environmental and urban issues from an environmental perspective. This is a great read for economists interested in the environment. 100. Aguanomics: David Zetland is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Leiden University College in Den Haag, the Netherland and the creator of Aguanomics. This is a blog dedicated to a discussion of the economic and political factors affecting the way we manage water.

Of course these are IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER (but I include the number rankings, just in case).

There are other blogs on the list that occasionally touch on environmental issues, but these are the four that seem to be dedicated to environmental and resource issues.

HT: Matt Kahn via Twitter
SEATTLE AND NEW ORLEANS - In a phase 2 clinical trial of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab as a first-line systemic therapy for advanced Merkel cell carcinoma, or MCC - a rare, aggressive type of skin cancer - the clinical response rate was similar to that typically seen with standard chemotherapy, but the duration of the response appeared to be markedly longer. There are currently no therapies that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for this cancer.

An objective response was observed in 56 percent of patients (14 of 25) who received pembrozilumab, and 12 of the initial 14 responses (86 percent) were ongoing at the latest follow-up in the multicenter study.

"Merkel cell carcinoma often responds to chemotherapy, but the responses are transient. Prior studies have shown that most patient's tumors have progressed by three months from starting chemotherapy, and over 90 percent of patients develop progressive disease within 10 months. In the pembrolizumab trial, 86 percent of patients who responded are still experiencing excellent disease control more than six months after starting therapy," said Dr. Paul Nghiem, affiliate investigator of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and professor of medicine, Division of Dermatology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

This study will be presented on April 19 at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2016 and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

MCC is 35 times less common than melanoma, but on average, it is about three times more likely to be deadly. About 2,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

A virus that is often present on normal skin -- the Merkel cell polyomavirus -- plays a role in the development of about 80 percent of MCC cases; others result from exposure to ultraviolet sunlight. Pembrolizumab produced a durable response in patients whose MCC had been caused by the virus or by sunlight. It acts by removing the "brakes" present on tumor-specific immune cells called T cells, thereby allowing the T cells to kill the cancer cells.

Nghiem said the researchers believe the immune system is likely "seeing" different targets in the virus-positive and the virus-negative patients. In virus-positive tumors, the immune system may readily detect and target viral proteins. In contrast, virus-negative tumors have large numbers of mutations caused by sunlight that can change normal proteins in cells. With these proteins no longer appearing as "self," the immune system can see and attack the tumors.

###

The study was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute and involved the NCI's Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program and the Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network. It was carried out by investigators at the University of Washington; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Kimmel Cancer Center; Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University; Merck Research Laboratories; the University of California, San Francisco; Mt. Sinai Medical Center; Yale University; Stanford University; Cancer Research and Biostatistics; and The Ohio State University.

Nghiem, first and co-corresponding author, is a consultant for EMD Serono Inc. and receives funding from Bristol-Myers Squibb to perform biomarker studies in MCC clinical trials. Dr. Suzanne L. Topalian, professor of surgery and oncology and associate director of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is co-corresponding author.

Nghiem is a leading expert on MCC and a pioneer of immunotherapy for the disease. His research has identified genetic mutations that may drive MCC and shed light on the Merkel cell polyomavirus. As a practicing physician, he treats patients with MCC and other skin cancers at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the cancer treatment arm of Fred Hutch, UW Medicine and Seattle Children's.

Editor's note: For researcher bios, photos and more, please visit fredhutch.org/media.

At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutchs pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer with minimal side effects. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nations first and largest cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Womens Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Private contributions are essential for enabling Fred Hutch scientists to explore novel research opportunities that lead to important medical breakthroughs. For more information visit fredhutch.org or follow Fred Hutch on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
ATS 2016, SAN FRANCISCO - Adult patients who were admitted to U.S. intensive care units had higher mortality if they were extubated overnight. The results reported at the ATS 2016 International Conference may discourage hospital administrators from expanding the practice of overnight extubations in ICUs, which the lead author noted are rapidly being transformed to provide continuity of care.

"Overnight extubations is of specific relevance today as physician presence in U.S. ICUs overnight (either onsite or remotely) is increasing," said Hayley Gershengorn, MD, lead author and assistant professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and attending physician at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "One of the goals of this movement has been to transform ICUs into truly '24 hour operations' in which the same level of care is available throughout the day. Our results demonstrate more information is needed before we can say it is in our patients' best interest to make extubation a service we provide all of the time."

The researchers completed a retrospective study comprising 32,760 patients admitted to76 ICUs, where they received mechanical ventilation to help them breath. One-fifth of the patients in the study (18.2 percent) were extubated overnight, which the researchers defined as between 7:00 p.m. and 6:59 a.m. Patients who were extubated overnight were typically diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, sepsis, trauma or other neurologic disease. Among ICU admissions, mortality rates were 28.2 percent in patients who were extubated overnight and 15.9 percent in patients who were extubated during the day.

This study is believed to be the first to investigate the frequency of overnight extubations in the U.S. "Our results raise concern that this practice may be harmful," cautioned Dr. Gershengorn.

"Prospective studies are needed to evaluate this issue further. Specifically interesting will be the results of such prospective investigations on patient subgroups as there may well be some patients - for example surgical patients with short durations of mechanical ventilation - in whom overnight extubation is safe and effective."

###

Abstract 6193

Nighttime Extubations Are Associated with Worse Outcomes for U.S. Intensive Care Unit Patients

H.B. Gershengorn1, D.C. Scales2, A. Kramer3, H. Wunsch2

1Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Montefiore Medical Center - Bronx, NY/US, 2Sunnybrook Hlth Sciences Ctr - Toronto, ON/CA, 3Prescient Healthcare Consulting - Charlottesville, VA/US

Abstract Body

Rationale

Little is known about the timing of extubations across U.S. intensive care units (ICUs). A single center study found patients extubated overnight had a lower likelihood of reintubation and had similar rates of hospital mortality compared to those extubated during the day. Whether this finding is generalizable is unknown.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study of mechanically ventilated (MV) adults (age 18+) admitted to U.S. ICUs in the APACHE Outcomes database from 2010 to 2013. We defined "nighttime" as 7:00pm-6:59am. Using standard summary statistics, we evaluated patient characteristics associated with and frequency of nighttime extubations across ICUs; using multilevel multivariate regression analyses (clustered by individual ICU), we identified factors associated with extubation overnight. Finally, we created propensity-matched pairs of patients extubated during the nighttime vs daytime (with MV duration ?12 hours) and compared outcomes--rates of reintubation, ICU/hospital mortality, and ICU/hospital length of stay (LOS)--using Chi square and Mann-Whitney U tests.

Results

Our cohort consisted of 32,760 patients across 76 ICUs; 5,965 (18.2%) were extubated overnight. Rates of nighttime extubation varied across ICUs (median (interquartile range): 15.2% (10.1-20.6%)). Patients extubated at night were more commonly elective surgery patients (35% of nighttime vs. 19% of daytime, p<0.001), had primarily cardiovascular diagnoses (35% vs. 21%, p<0.001), and had MV duration <12 hours (50% vs. 17%, p<0.001). After multivariable adjustment, patient factors associated with nighttime extubation were: diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, sepsis, trauma, or neurologic disease (compared to respiratory disease); higher acute physiology score; absence of MV on ICU admission; and MV duration <12 hours. We created 2,963 propensity-matched pairs who were well balanced on baseline characteristics (Table). Patients extubated overnight were more commonly reintubated within 24 (5.1% vs. 3.4%, p=0.001) and 48 hours (6.0% vs. 4.8%, p=0.033), but not at any time (7.9% vs. 7.4%, p=0.46). Mortality was higher in patients extubated overnight (ICU: 28.2% vs. 15.9%, p<0.001; hospital: 32.9% vs. 21.0%, p<0.001) and LOS was shorter (ICU: 4.0 vs. 4.4 days, p<0.001; hospital: 9.3 vs. 10.4 days, p<0.001).

Conclusions

Approximately one-fifth of MV patients in U.S. ICUs are extubated overnight. Patients extubated at nighttime are more likely to be reintubated and have higher ICU and hospital mortality than patients extubated during the day.

Session: C95 Outstanding Epidemiology and Health Services Research in Critical Care

Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 3:15?3:30 p.m.

Location: Room 3003/3005 (West Building, Level 3), MOSCONE CENTER
ATS 2016, SAN FRANCISCO - A streamlined approach to tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis requiring a single sputum sample and providing rapid, accurate results to patients proved feasible in rural Uganda, according to research presented at the ATS 2016 International Conference.

At four community health centers, patients learned the same day as their visit if their sputum was positive for TB when analyzed using fluorescence microscopy. If negative, the sputum was sent immediately to a lab, where it was reanalyzed using GeneXpert MTB/RIF (Xpert), a much more sensitive test. Xpert results were reported back to the health center via automated text messaging.

The goal of the pilot was two-fold (1) to test the feasibility of this approach in a country where TB is endemic and (2) to assess its ability to increase the numbers of patients tested and initiated on treatment for TB, said lead author Priya B. Shete, MD, clinical instructor and research fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. Before the study, patients were typically required to provide two sputum samples, often on separate days, and microscopic analysis was rarely completed the day of the patient's visit.

Access to Xpert testing relied on sputum being transported on average once per week to a testing facility with results brought back the following week.

Of the 822 patients referred for TB testing, researchers found:

12 percent had TB, of whom 75 percent were diagnosed using fluorescence microscopy and 25 percent were diagnosed using Xpert.

67 percent testing positive for TB using fluorescence microscopy began treatment within 1 day.

67 percent testing positive for TB using Xpert began treatment, on average, within 6 days.

20 percent testing positive for TB did not start treatment.

The researchers are now expanding their study to 20 Ugandan health centers, where they will measure cost effectiveness of the approach and test different tools for further increasing treatment initiation rates, including sending text messages to the patient and offering financial incentives to patients. Although the cost of TB diagnosis and treatment is free in Uganda, as it is in most countries where the burden of TB is high, Dr. Shete said direct and indirect costs are often "catastrophic for patients in Uganda with chronic cough." Those costs include lost wages, childcare and transportation.

Dr. Shete added that performing rapid molecular testing on-site, which may be possible with newer technology, could be needed to maximize diagnosis and treatment initiation rates.

The researchers were encouraged that pilot clinics increased the percentage of TB testing for patients whose symptoms were consistent with TB. In previous studies, researchers found that only 21 percent of such patients were worked up for TB.

"Clinicians in Uganda can see 50 to 100 patients a day, so they often can't focus on one disease," Dr. Shete said. "We identified people at each clinic, however, who could focus on TB and worked with the clinic to improve the training of all clinicians who might see TB patients. The results are promising, but there is more work to be done."

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Abstract 11955

Feasibility of a Streamlined SIngle-saMPLE (SIMPLE) TB Diagnosis and Treatment Initiation Strategy in Uganda

P.B. Shete1, T. Nalugwa2, K. Farr1, C. Ojok2, M. Nantale2, L. Chaisson3, D. Dowdy4, A. Katamba2, D. Moore5, A. Cattamanchi1

1San Francisco General Hospital- University of California San Francisco - San Francisco, CA/US, 2Makerere College of Health Sciences -Kampala/UG, 3Johns Hopkins University - Baltimore, MD/US, 4Johns Hopkins - Baltimore, MD/US, 5London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - London/UK

Background

In high burden countries, many patients with tuberculosis (TB) who present to community health centers are lost to follow-up before TB can be diagnosed or treated, leading to ongoing transmission. A primary reason is that the standard approach of collecting sputum specimens over multiple days for microscopic examination is not only insensitive but also inconvenient and costly for patients. We report on the feasibility of a patient-centered, SIngle-saMPLE (SIMPLE) TB diagnosis strategy.

Methods

The SIMPLE TB diagnosis strategy includes: 1) Single-sample LED fluorescence microscopy (analysis and reporting of two smear results from the initial specimen within two hours) and 2) Daily transport of smear-negative sputum samples to GeneXpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) testing sites. In a single-arm interventional pilot study, we evaluated the feasibility of these components of the SIMPLE TB diagnosis strategy at four community health centers in Uganda. Using data from TB laboratory and treatment registers, we evaluated process measures that reflect implementation of each intervention component and TB diagnosis outcomes.

Results

Of 822 consecutive patients referred for TB testing, 465 (57%) were female and their median age was 37 years (IQR 26-48). Overall 100/822 (12%) patients were diagnosed with TB. Two smears from the initial spot specimen were analyzed and reported on the same-day for 779/822 (95%) patients. Overall, 73 (9%) were smear-positive (68 on sputum1/smear1, 3 on sputum1/smear2 and 2 on sputum2). Of the 71 smear-positive patients identified from the first sample, 31 (44%) started treatment on the same-day, 16 (23%) on the next day, and 12 (17%) did not start treatment. Sputum was transported to an Xpert testing site within one business day of the initial visit for 670/706 (95%) patients with negative smear results from the first sputum sample. Xpert results were positive for TB in 27 smear-negative patients (incremental TB yield 27%), of whom 18 (67%) initiated therapy (mean time to treatment initiation 6 days, 95% CI 1.7-8.3 days).
BOSTON - Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have identified an enzyme that is significantly elevated in mouse models of systemic lupus erythematosus and in blood samples of patients with lupus. Published online today in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, the new findings demonstrate that inhibition of the SHP-2 enzyme can significantly diminish lupus symptoms - including skin lesions, enlarged spleen and kidney failure - and suggest that development of a SHP-2 inhibitor drug could offer a new therapeutic approach for this often debilitating disease.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes widespread inflammation and tissue damage to organ systems throughout the body. There is no cure for the disease, which primarily strikes young women in their 20s and 30s and affects an estimated 1.5 million individuals in the United States and at least 5 million worldwide.

"SHP-2 can lead to an overproduction of cytokine molecules," explained senior author Maria Kontaridis, PhD, Interim Director of the Basic Cardiology Research Program in the CardioVascular Institute at BIDMC and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS). "In patients with lupus, we know that cytokines trigger inflammation, contribute to immune cell dysfunction, and lead to organ damage."

Kontaridis, whose mother battled lupus for more than 25 years - has spent more than a decade studying genetic mutations in a class of enzymes known as protein tyrosine phosphatases. Her previous work has revealed that mutations in these proteins alter cellular signaling pathways, leading to the development of a group of rare congenital heart diseases known as RASopathies. Several years ago, after learning that more than 50 children with a RASopathy disorder called Noonan syndrome had also developed lupus, Kontaridis hypothesized that there might be a correlation between phosphatase activity and systemic autoimmunity.

Preliminary tests of lupus mouse models revealed that SHP-2 enzyme activity was elevated four-to-six-fold compared with a group of control mice. "We then validated this finding in humans by examining blood cells isolated from lupus patients and found SHP-2 activity was also significantly higher than normal," said first author Jianxun Wang, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Kontaridis laboratory and an Instructor in Medicine at HMS.

The investigators next conducted a series of biochemical analyses to identify the mechanisms by which SHP-2 is involved in the development of lupus and made use of a novel inhibitor of the SHP-2 enzyme to show that its inhibition could lead to the amelioration of the disease. "The mice were remarkably changed as a result of the drug treatment," said Kontaridis. "The animals' lifespans were increased, characteristic skin lesions were eliminated, the enlarged spleens were reduced in size - and most remarkably - the kidneys were normalized."

When the investigators went on to study what was happening at the molecular level, they discovered that SHP-2 predominantly affected the proliferation of double-negative T cells, candidate markers of immune dysregulation.

"We know these T cells are responsible for the secretion of specific cytokines, and we think these cytokines are what induce the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the target tissues in animal models of lupus," said Kontaridis. "We identified two specific cytokines regulated by SHP-2 in lupus - IL17 A/F and interferon gamma - both of which we think mediate the pathogenicity of SLE and cause the disease-associated inflammation and organ damage."

"Treatment of patients with SLE has lagged behind other conditions and, unfortunately, is still limited to the use of immunosuppressive drugs," said George Tsokos, MD, Chief of Rheumatology at BIDMC and a coauthor on the paper. "The identification of novel targets such as this one shows promise that the development of a small molecule drug inhibitors, such as for SHP-2, will allow for the initiation of clinical trials in patients with lupus."

"My own mother's 26-year long battle with lupus motivated me and inspired this investigation," said Kontaridis. "Our findings, and others like this, give great hope that one day soon there will be newer and better treatment options available for the millions of patients that suffer with this disease."

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This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01-HL102368, R01-HL1114775, R01-CA152194, R01-CA69202, R01-NIAID42269; R01-AR060849), the Alliance for Lupus Research Foundation, GSK and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Division of Cardiology.

In addition to Kontaridis, Wang and Tsokos, study coauthors include BIDMC investigators Masayuki Mizui, Michele Finnell, Cox Terhorst, and Vasileios C. Kyttaris; Li-Fan Zeng and Zhong-Yin Zhang of Indiana University School of Medicine, and Roderick Bronson of Harvard Medical School.

About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding.

BIDMC is in the community with Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth, Anna Jaques Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Lawrence General Hospital, Signature Healthcare, Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare, Community Care Alliance and Atrius Health. BIDMC is also clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Jackson Laboratory. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit http://www.bidmc.org.
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., May 17, 2016 -- A new study has found both the cause and a solution for the pesky tendency of perovskite solar cells to degrade in sunlight, a research breakthrough potentially removing one roadblock to commercialization for this promising technology. In a key finding, researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have found those degraded devices exhibit self-healing powers when given a little time in the dark. The team determined that photo-degradation in perovskite cells is a purely electronic process due to charge accumulation without chemical damage to the crystal structure and therefore can be reduced, while the cells' self-healing properties allow them to rebound in the dark.

"We can stabilize the device performance by controlling the environmental temperature," said Wanyi Nie, lead researcher on the paper published today in Nature Communications. "The degradation of the devices can be suppressed by simply lowering the temperature by few degrees, that is, from 25 degrees Celsius to 0 degrees Celsius."

The team, lead by Aditya Mohite from the Los Alamos "Light to Energy" team in the Material Synthesis and Integrated Devices group, is exploring organometallic halide semiconducting perovskite solar cells. They are promising because of their high power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 20 percent and the low fabrication costs -- the perovskite material is synthesized via a low-temperature solution process. While achieving high PCE is important, the successful transition from a proof-of-concept experiment to actual market-viable photovoltaic technology requires the device to operate with stability under continuous sunlight, of course, and in the air and humidity of outdoor conditions.

The problem of stability against ambient air/humidity can be circumvented through encapsulation schemes, but the photo-stability of the perovskite-based devices remained an open question. As noted in the literature, these solar cells will undergo degradation with constant light soaking even when the device is under vacuum. Such degradation over time with solar illumination could undermine the commercialization of perovskite-based solar cells.

The new paper, "Light-activated photocurrent degradation and self-healing in perovskite solar cells" (DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11574), co-authored by Wanyi Nie and Jean-Christophe Blancon, describes the photo-degradation process. "What we found in this study is that under constant 1-sun illumination the large-grain perovskite solar cells degrade majorly in terms of the photocurrent," Nie said. "But what's interesting is that the devices can self-heal when sitting in the dark for a short while."

By performing extensive device and spectroscopy characterization, the team found that sunlight triggers the activation of meta-stable trap states at relatively low energy deep in the perovskite bandgap, which results in the trapping and captures of photo-generated charge carriers. Over time, trapped carriers can further accumulate in the device, reducing the photocurrent. On the other hand, placing the solar cell devices in the dark for several minutes allows for "evacuation" of these trapped charges, thus leading to the recovery of the pristine device performances upon the next operation cycle. The team also found that these processes are strongly temperature dependent, and that temperature control over a range of a few tens of degrees can either circumvent the activation of the photo-degradation mechanisms or speed-up the self-healing process.

After exploring several possible physical mechanisms to explain the microscopic origin of the formation of these trap states, joint experimental and theoretical investigations concluded that the most possible scenario is the creation of small polaronic states involving lattice strain and molecular re-orientations of the organic cation present in the perovskite lattice.

"Although several theoretical works have predicted the important role of the organic cation (CH3NH3) in organometallic halide perovskite, it is one of the first joint experimental-theoretical reports on the observation of its impact on the properties of perovskite materials and devices," Blancon said. "Our understanding of the organic cation is still primitive, but our work demonstrates its utmost importance in the photo-stability of perovskite devices and calls for further investigations in the future."

Most importantly this study will provide researchers across the world a first solution to the photo-stability issue in perovskite devices, and future research is now underway toward improvements and the long term technological viability of perovskite-based photovoltaics.

Hybrid perovskite materials, crystalline semiconductors that can be processed from solution at low temperature, have excellent opto-electronic properties that have enabled a wide variety of device applications. Los Alamos has been one of the leaders in the hybrid perovskite photovoltaic research community. By solving the stability problem, the team is ready to apply the material in other applications related to US energy security.

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The paper's Los Alamos authors are Wanyi Nie, Jean-Christophe Blancon, Amanda Neukirk, Hsinhan Tsai, Sergei Tretiak, Jared Crochet, Gautam Gupta and Aditya Mohite. From Brookhaven National Laboratory are Kannatassen Appavoo and Matthew Sfeir; from Rutgers University is Mannish Chhowalla; from Purdue University is Mohammad Alam; from Universite de Rennes 1, France is Claudine Katan; and from INSA de Rennes, France is Jackie Even.

The work at Los Alamos National Laboratory was supported by DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences and by the Los Alamos Laboratory Directed Research and Development program. This work was done in part at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, a DOE Office of Science User Facility at Los Alamos. Computational and the DFT calculations performed used resources provided by the Los Alamos Institutional Computing Program, supported by the US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration. The work at Purdue University was supported by a Bay Area Photovoltaic Consortium (BAPVC). The work in France was supported by Cellule Energie du CNRS (SOLHYB- TRANS Project) and the University of Rennes 1 (Action Incitative, Defis Scientifique Emergents 2015). This research used resources of the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, which is a US DOE Office of Science Facility, at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

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.
Imagine burglars have targeted your home, but before they break in, you've already moved and are safe from harm.

Now apply that premise to protecting a computer network from attack. Hackers try to bring down a network, but critical tasks are a step ahead of them, thanks to complex algorithms. The dreaded "network down" or denial of service message never flashes on your screen.

That's the basic idea behind new research by George Mason University researchers, who recently landed some $4 million in grants from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). George Mason's researchers are leading an effort that includes Columbia University, Penn State University and BAE Systems.

"Our research is vital as a real-world solution to these attacks, which are one of the most critical cybersecurity threats today, crippling online businesses with downed websites, financial losses and damaged client relationships," said Angelos Stavrou, who leads the research team and teaches in Mason's Management of Secure Information Systems Program.

Mason is positioning itself at the forefront of cybersecurity research.

"It definitely gives us a leg up because we're looking at the next generation of defense," saidDaniel Fleck, who's part of Mason's Center for Assurance Research and Engineering.

Widespread problem

Cyber criminals take down a website by overwhelming it with traffic. The most common approach is to flood a server with requests because servers can only handle so much traffic before shutting down.

Denial-of-service attacks hit record highs last year, up nearly 150 percent, according to cybersecurity firm Akamai. These attacks last between 6 and 24 hours and cost $500,000 or more, another survey notes.

Responding to this threat is akin to an arms race, Fleck said. Companies and governments put scores of servers into play to fight off the attacks. Seconds count for mission-critical systems, especially for the military. Hackers step up their efforts to counter the numerous servers.

"It's an arms race no one wants to be in," he said.

Researchers feel your pain

Fleck knows what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a denial-of-service attack. "It happened to me a couple of days ago," Fleck said. "It's very frustrating. I need to get something done and I can't. As a security person, I'm always wondering if it's a security problem."

What's next

Mason researchers are working on the next step in fending off computer hackers. It's a method called "shuffling" in which hackers and regular users are quickly separated through a series of splits that eventually isolate the bad actors.

Solving one problem means another will spring up, making the field an exciting one.

"In security, you actually have an adversary," Fleck said. "You wonder what they're going to do when you solve the problem."

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For more assistance, please contact Michele McDonald at 703-993-8781 or mmcdon15@gmu.edu.

About George Mason

George Mason University is Virginia's largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls more than 34,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility.
AMES, Iowa - Not long after Marriott announced plans to buy Starwood Hotels and Resorts, a Chinese insurance group offered to sweeten the deal setting off a brief bidding war. Marriott eventually secured the merger, but only after agreeing to pay more than its original offer.

The deal is a perfect example of why David King, an associate professor of management in Iowa State University's College of Business, says firms need to recognize the threat of competitive retaliation when acquiring another business. In an article published in California Management Review, King and Svante Schriber, an assistant professor at the Stockholm Business School, offer strategies to help firms avoid or lessen the risk.

"There are multiple ways that competitors can essentially reduce the deal's value. Other firms can easily make a competing bid with no interest in actually winning just so the acquiring firm has to pay more money," King said. "By knowing and paying attention to the competitive dynamics, firms that are making acquisitions can make better choices."

The Marriott deal is just one example. In January, Meredith Corp. agreed to walk away from a merger with Media General, allowing Nexstar Broadcasting to buy Media General. King says there is plenty of evidence of competitors disrupting corporate mergers, but few researchers have explored the issue. In the case of Marriott, it must find a way to recoup the additional money paid for Starwood, and Meredith is now back at square one, he said.

"Meredith has to come up with a new path forward and will have to repeat a lot of the work it did before the deal went bust," King said. "Meredith did receive a break-up fee, which will help ease the pain, but it will need to do something to be viable."

Mergers create a lot of uncertainty, and research has shown these deals rarely add to the firm's value. However, King says acquisitions can increase market power and maintain value the firm might have lost had it not pursued the merger.

What can firms do?

The fact that firms must essentially "handover their playbook" to comply with public disclosure requirements for government regulators and shareholders gives an advantage to competitors, King said. In their paper, he and Schriber outline 10 tactics that apply to different stages of an acquisition, starting with the period in which a firm selects a company to acquire to the final shareholder approval, as well as five tactics for integration once the acquisition is complete. Some key recommendations to lessen vulnerability to competitive retaliation include:

Limit media exposure - do not disclose more information than required for government and/or shareholder approval.

Recognize all stakeholders - give attention to employees, shareholders and customers to ease concerns and uncertainty.

Confidentiality - guarantee that information is not carelessly shared in an environment where it can be easily overheard by competitors.

Be strategic - pursue friendly or smaller deals that present less competitive risk.

King says it's unnecessary to employ all 15 tactics as some are counterproductive to others. Instead, it is important for a firm to tailor the response to its situation. Increasing awareness of these dynamics can help firms make better deals and prevent information from falling into the hands of competitors.

"There are multiple options within the existing system to limit the vulnerability," King said. "Companies need to be careful. It's not just the firm's public disclosures that can help the competition. Anyone that wants to research it can find the information."

Researchers say competitors can look at records for private jets to track activity of corporate executives. They also talked with executives who learned of a competitor's deal after overhearing a conversation in public, and another case in which details outlining the merger were left on a whiteboard in a legal office. King, a retired Air Force officer, says in the military they played white noise when discussing a sensitive deal. The precaution may seem extreme, but King says "it pays to be paranoid" when pursuing multimillion-dollar deals.

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Last December, you may remember that the U.S. Senate passed the Strengthening Education Through Research Act through unanimous consent. Its designed to reauthorize the structure of education research at the Institute for Education Sciences. At the time, because the House had passed a similar version of education-research reauthorization in 2014, during a previous session of Congress, there was a decent chance that SETRA would cross the finish line.

There was also optimism because Congress had just passed ESSA, and SETRA was essentially seen as politically innocuous compared to ESSA.

But in the ensuing months, after being referred to the House education committee, the bill has stalled . Why?

At least part of the answer might have to do with a separate education law, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA. Congress has been wrestling for some time with reauthorizing and updating FERPA, which many see as outdated in the current school environment that often emphasizes a variety of data collected about students. But FERPA is a political hot potato, because of concerns among some privacy advocates that current data-collection practices play too fast and loose with important, personal information about students, and that these should be reined in or subject to more rigorous oversight in some fashion by a reauthorized FERPA.

The House education committee held a hearing about student-data privacy and education research issues in March . Various attempts to overhaul the law in Congress have, not unlike SETRA, run aground. While some giving testimony, including an education researcher and state education department official, stressed the importance of data collection to their work, a privacy advocate argued that parents should have more information about what kind of data on their child are being collected, and should also have the right to opt out of having their childs data stored in state information systems.

At the hearing, Rep. John Kline, R-Minn. and the House committee chairman, noted his concerns about the extent to which parents and school officials were aware of the extent of data collection.

Education Research: Hostage or Not?

Essentially, privacy advocates concerns on these issues are impacting SETRAs prospects as well as debates about FERPA, said Michele McLaughlin, the president of Knowledge Alliance, which has supported SETRA. But in her view, SETRA is not an appropriate vehicle to hash out how Congress should handle student privacyMcLaughlin said she believes SETRA is ultimately being held hostage for FERPA.

Their concerns overall were for FERPA, not with SETRA per se, McLaughlin said, referring to privacy advocates. I think that community was listened to.

McLaughlin also said that in her view, privacy advocates concerns ultimately apply to K-12 vendors and not to education researchers.

But Rachael Stickland, the co-founder and co-chair of the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy who testified at the March House hearing and expressed concerns about current data-collection practices, said that while her groups primary focus is indeed making changes to FERPA, because SETRA references FERPA, SETRA is an important part of the overall conversation.

Our concern is that if were going to move forward with SETRA, we at least think they should be in tandem, or maybe as a priority, looking at FERPA and approving that, before we authorize another law to continue and expand federal research, Stickland said.

Stickland also expressed concerns about SETRAs ongoing support for state longitudinal data systems, and how SETRA includes a reference to research on social and emotional learning, something her group is particularly concerned about with respect to student privacy.

The New Evidence-Based Policy Commission

Theres another potential factor that may be holding up SETRAs progress, and FERPAs for that matter: the new Commission on Evidence-Based Policy that President Barack Obama signed into existence in March.

The commission will take a big inventory of available data, figure out how to protect personal data in federal research programs, and decide whether and how to create a federal database of information across agencies for research and other purposes.

The commission has 18 months to make final recommendations to Congress.

Given that it will be some time before the commission completes its work, its mere presence for now may be dampening enthusiasm to push through bills related to education research and privacy.
Female cancer patients of reproductive age could preserve their fertility during radiation and chemotherapy through treatments that target the DNA damage response in oocytes (the cells that develop into eggs), an approach that works in animal models.

Jackson Laboratory Assistant Professor Ewelina Bolcun-Filas, Ph.D., and Terri L. Woodward, M.D., assistant professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, describe the method in "Prolonging Reproductive Life after Cancer: The Need for Fertoprotective Therapies," an opinion article in Cell Press Trends in Cancer.

"The good news is that more young women are surviving cancer," Bolcun-Filas says, "reflecting the advent of better and more efficient therapies. But, many cancer treatments increase the risk of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and infertility." And while assisted reproductive technologies can address infertility, she says, they fail to preserve ovaries' natural function, which has an important role in women's health that goes beyond reproduction.

Many cancer treatments cause DNA damage, not only in cancer cells but also normal tissue such as in ovaries. The natural response to this damage is thought to be the elimination of damaged oocytes through apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Recent studies in mice by Bolcun-Filas and other researchers demonstrate that targeting proteins involved in apoptosis protects oocytes and prevents infertility in females exposed to radiation.

For the Trends in Cancer article, the researchers reviewed findings demonstrating how cancer therapies induce apoptotic death in oocytes, and how this knowledge could be applied to design better fertoprotective treatments.

"A better appreciation of oocyte response to radiation and anticancer drugs will uncover new targets for the development of specialized therapies to prevent ovarian failure," the researchers state.

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The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with more than 1,700 employees. Headquartered in Bar Harbor, Maine, it has a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, a facility in Sacramento, Calif., and a genomic medicine institute in Farmington, Conn. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.
Decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant just got one step closer. Japanese researchers have mapped the distribution of boron compounds in a model control rod, paving the way for determining re-criticality risk within the reactor.

To this day the precise situation inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant is still unclear. "Removing fuel debris from the reactor contaminant vessel is one of the top priorities for decommissioning," says lead author Ryuta Kasada of Kyoto University.

Stainless steel tubes filled with boron carbide are used to control energy output in boiling water reactors, including at Fukushima Daiichi, as boron absorbs neutrons resulting from splitting atoms. With such control rods functioning properly, nuclear fission occurs at a steady rate. In an extreme situation, such as during the Fukushima accidents, where overheated vapors come in contact with the rods, boron reacts with surrounding materials like stainless steel to create molten debris.

"When melting happens, phenomena like relocation occur such that the boron atoms -- trapped in the debris -- accumulate towards the bottom of the reactor," explains Kasada. "This can lead to a lack of control agents in the upper core structure and thus a higher risk of re-criticality in those areas."

"It's crucial to get a picture of how boron atoms are distributed inside the reactor, so that we know which areas have higher risk of re-criticality. It's also important to know the chemical state of boron, as some boron compounds can affect the formation of radioactive materials released to the environment."

Kasada and colleagues filled a model control rod with steam at 1250 degrees Celsius to imitate conditions of a severe nuclear accident. The team then mapped the distribution of molten boron debris and simultaneously determined its chemical state with a soft x-ray emission spectrometer, in which they combined a new diffraction grating with a highly-sensitive x-ray CCD camera, equipped to a type of scanning electron microscope. The boron compounds -- including boron oxide, boron carbide, and iron boride -- each showed different peak structures on the x-ray spectrum.

"Previously this was only possible to visualize in large synchrotron radiation facilities. We've shown that the same is possible with laboratory-sized equipment."

"This finding demonstrated on a micro-scale what needs to be done in Fukushima," says Kasada. "This can't yet be applied in the field, but in the meantime, we plan to visualize the chemical state of other elements so as to create a sound materials base for decommissioning Fukushima."

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The paper "Chemical State Mapping of Degraded B4C Control Rod Investigated with Soft X-ray Emission Spectrometer in Electron Probe Micro-analysis" will appeared 10 May 2016 in Scientific Reports, with doi: 10.1038/srep25700

Kyoto University is one of Japan and Asia's premier research institutions, founded in 1897 and responsible for producing numerous Nobel laureates and winners of other prestigious international prizes. A broad curriculum across the arts and sciences at both undergraduate and graduate levels is complemented by numerous research centers, as well as facilities and offices around Japan and the world. For more information please see: http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en
BAR HARBOR, MAINE - Wound healing is not a one-size-fits-all process. MDI Biological Laboratory Assistant Professor, Vicki P. Losick, Ph.D, has recently discovered a new healing mechanism, which she has called wound-induced polyploidy (WIP).

The typical response of organisms to healing is to grow more cells through cell division to compensate for the cell loss that occurs as a result of injury, disease or aging. But the cells in many higher organisms, including humans, have a limited capacity to divide. WIP maintains the size and functional capacity of injured or diseased tissue by enlarging existing cells, rather than by making more of them.

The fact that some cells grow in size -- a phenomenon called cellular hypertrophy - in response to injury has been known for some time. But what wasn't previously known is that these cells are a mechanism to respond to injury, and that their size is due to polyploidization, or an increase in the amount of DNA: instead of the usual two sets of chromosomes, polyploid cells have three or more.

Losick collaborated with Albert S. Jun, M.D., a professor at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, on her research. Jun is the co-author of Losick's recent paper, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.

"The MDI Biological Laboratory is committed to the discovery of new therapies to repair and regenerate tissue," said President Kevin Strange, Ph.D. "Rather than taking a disease-by-disease approach, however, we are focused on the common mechanisms underlying these processes. Dr. Losick's discovery of a new mechanism for healing is a significant contribution to the field that has wide-ranging therapeutic potential."

The MDI Biological Laboratory is an independent, non-profit biomedical research institution focused on increasing healthy lifespan and increasing our natural ability to repair and regenerate tissues damaged by injury or disease. The institution develops solutions to complex human health problems through research, education and ventures that transform discoveries into cures.

Losick originally identified the mechanism regulating WIP in the fruit fly. With Jun's help, she has now shown that WIP occurs in mammals. Using a mouse model of a human eye disease, Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy, she discovered that cells enlarge by polyploidization to precisely compensate for cells that are lost, indicating that the extra-large cells are likely playing a beneficial role, not pathological one as previously thought.

"Our findings suggest that the cellular damage caused by cell loss or wounding leads to different mechanisms of tissue repair - cell proliferation or cell growth -- depending on context," said Losick. "Now that we have discovered that WIP is a widely used part of the body's healing arsenal, we can look for genes or drugs that promote healing by boosting the body's ability to generate these extra-large cells."

Since joining the MDI Biological Laboratory faculty, Losick has continued her studies of WIP in the fruit fly at the Kathryn W. Davis Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine. The goal of her research is to further characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying WIP with the aim of developing therapeutic agents that can promote healing through the manipulation of these pathways.

Losick's work with fruit flies reflects the MDI Biological Laboratory's goal of studying the processes of aging and regeneration in simple organisms with which humans share many of their genes. Unlikely as it may seem, about 75 percent of known human disease genes have recognizable matches in the fruit fly. Fruit flies also deliver fast results because of their short lifespans and are easy and inexpensive to work with.

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The MDI Biological Laboratory, located in Bar Harbor, Maine, is an independent, non-profit biomedical research institution focused on increasing healthy lifespan and increasing our natural ability to repair and regenerate tissues damaged by injury or disease. The institution develops solutions to complex human health problems through research, education and ventures that transform discoveries into cures. For more information, please visit mdibl.org.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - One year after they graduate, women with Ph.D.s in science and engineering fields earn 31 percent less than do men, according to a new study using previously unavailable data.

The pay gap dropped to 11 percent when researchers took into account that women tended to graduate with degrees in fields that generally pay less than fields in which men got their degrees.

The rest of the pay gap disappeared when the researchers controlled for whether women were married and had children.

"There's a dramatic difference in how much early career men and women in the sciences are paid," said Bruce Weinberg, co-author of the study and professor of economics at The Ohio State University.

"We can get a sense of some of the reasons behind the pay gap, but our study can't speak to whether any of the gap is due to discrimination. Our results do suggest some lack of family-friendliness for women in these careers."

The importance of helpful family policies is supported by the fact that single and childless women tended to have less of a pay gap than those who were married and those who had children. About equal percentages of men and women were married or partnered. And more men than women in the study (24 versus 19 percent) had children. But it was the married women with children who saw the lower pay.

"Our results show a larger child-gap in salary among women Ph.D.s than among men," Weinberg said.

"We can't tell from our data what's going on there. There's probably a combination of factors. Some women may consciously choose to be primary caregivers and pull back from work. But there may also be some employers putting women on a 'mommy track' where they get paid less."

Weinberg conducted the study with Catherine Buffington and Benjamin Cerf of the U.S. Census Bureau and Christina Jones of the American Institutes for Research. It appears in the May 2016 issue of the American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings.

The researchers had data, not previously available to scientists, on 1,237 students who received Ph.D.s from four U.S. universities from 2007 to 2010 and were supported on research projects while in school.

This data included federal funding support the Ph.D. graduates received as students, the dissertations they wrote (this told researchers what scientific field they studied) and U.S. Census data on where they worked and how much they earned one year after graduation, as well as their marital and childbearing status. Names and identifying characteristics were stripped from the data before the scientists had access to it.

Results showed clear differences in what men and women studied, with women clustered in the lower-paying fields. Overall, 59 percent of women completed dissertations in biology, chemistry and health, compared to only 27 percent of men.

Meanwhile, men were more than twice as likely to complete dissertations in more financially lucrative fields like engineering (45 versus 21 percent), and were 1.5 times more likely to study computer science, math or physics (28 versus 19 percent).

"We don't know why women are in the fields that tend to pay less," Weinberg said.

"Perhaps that's just what interested them. Or were they guided there at a young age by teachers or parents? Or did they try a more male-dominated field but have bad experiences that drove them out? We just don't know."

Men and women had different experiences during school, as well. Women tended to be on smaller research teams.

"If you're on smaller teams, you may get more interaction with faculty members who can help you," Weinberg said. "But it also might mean that you're on less prestigious projects and will have a smaller professional network when you graduate."

For the average female graduate student in the study, more than 20 percent of the faculty members on her team were women, compared to fewer than 10 percent for male graduate students.

"We're not sure if this difference is due to the choice of the students themselves or segregation, or a combination of both," he said. "There needs to be further study of that."

Once they graduate, the differences between men and women with Ph.D.s continue. While industry tends to pay the largest salaries, women are more likely than men to work in government and academic settings. In fact, women in the study were 13 percentage points less likely than men to work outside of academia and government.

Even when they worked in industry, women still didn't have equal pay with men.

"Both men and women earn the most in industry, but the pay gap between the sexes is even larger there than it is in academics and government," he said.

Weinberg said he expects much more will be learned from this data in the future. Since this study was completed, the number of universities providing data has grown from four to 16. The researchers hope that this will expand to 150 institutions within a few years.

The data will be made available to other researchers under strict security and confidentiality protections and with all personally identifiable information removed, he said.

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The study was funded in part by grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institute on Aging and the Sloan and Kauffman foundations.

Contact: Bruce Weinberg, 614-292-5642; Weinberg.27@osu.edu

Written by Jeff Grabmeier, 614-292-8457: Grabmeier.1@osu.edu
Paris, France - 17 May 2016: Using optimal frequency domain imaging (OFDI) to guide percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with second-generation drug eluting stents (DES) achieves equivalent clinical and angiographic outcomes to intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided PCI at 12 months, show results from the OPINION study reported in a late-breaker session at EuroPCR 2016.

IVUS is an imaging modality used to assess lesion morphology during PCI and several studies have reported that IVUS guidance in PCI might be helpful to improve outcomes. OFDI is the most recently developed optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology that uses light rather than ultrasound to give high-resolution imaging.

"OPINION is the first study to compare clinical outcomes with OFDI and IVUS to assess lesion morphology during PCI with second-generation drug-eluting stents," explains study author Takashi Kubo, from Wakayama University, Wakayama, Japan.

The OPINION study researchers randomised 800 patients (mean age 68 years) scheduled for PCI using DES to either OFDI-guided PCI or IVUS-guided PCI at 42 centres in Japan. Patients underwent PCI using drug-eluting stents with resorbable polymer in de novo native coronary artery lesions. They were followed-up with angiography at eight months and the primary endpoint was target vessel failure assessing during clinical follow-up at 12 months.

Results of the non-inferiority study reported at EuroPCR 2016 showed a similarly low rate of target vessel revascularisation, a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related MI and clinically driven target vessel revascularisation, at 12 months in patients undergoing OFDI-guided PCI (5.2%) as in those randomised to IVUS-guided PCI (4.9%).

"The clinical outcome in both OCT-guided PCI and IVUS-guided PCI was excellent," reports Dr Kubo. He suggests the study results contribute to defining the clinical value of OCT guidance in PCI. "Our results might influence the next ESC guidelines, which currently give a class IIb recommendation for OCT. OCT use during PCI should have a class IIa recommendation," he says.

Commenting on the findings Takashi Akasaka, Professor of Medicine at Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan, says, "There has previously been no direct comparative data for OCT/OFDI-guided PCI and IVUS-guided PCI. The OPINION study succeeded in demonstrating that OCT-guided PCI resulted in equivalent clinical and angiographic outcomes at 12 months to IVUS-guided PCI."

Professor Akasaka considers the clinical outcome with both imaging strategies was very good, with a low rate of target vessel revascularisation. "Thus, the OPINION study may contribute to define the clinical value of the OCT guidance in PCI." He agrees that the findings mean that OCT/OFDI-guided PCI should be given a class IIa recommendation.

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CONTACT: Takashi Kubo, from Wakayama University, Wakayama, Japan;

EuroPCR 2016 session: Tuesday 17 May 11.20-12.20, Late-breaking trials, registries and innovations; Main Arena

Help for journalists to cover EuroPCR 2016

For any press-related inquiries, please contact: EuroPCR Press Coordinator, Isabelle Uzielli iuzielli@europcr.com

Register and attend EuroPCR 2016 as a journalist

Press registration for EuroPCR is open to accredited journalists, free of charge. Journalists must hold a valid press card and/or provide a letter of assignment from a recognised publication. To register as press go to http://www.europcr.com/page/press/960-press.html

EuroPCR press releases

EuroPCR press releases can be found at http://www.pcronline.com/

Attend press briefings

For the press briefing schedule check http://www.europcr.com/page/press/960-press.html

EuroPCR abstracts

Abstracts are available online at http://www.pcronline.com/eurointervention/AbstractsEuroPCR2016_issue/abstracts-europcr-2016/

Notes to Editors

What is EuroPCR?

EuroPCR, the official annual meeting of the European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI), a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology, is the world-leading course in interventional cardiovascular medicine. PCR has established a distinctive format for educational activities in the field of cardiovascular interventions. Beyond its flagship course in Paris that gathers more than 12,000 participants every year, PCR organises annual courses in Singapore, London UK, Dubai EAU, Johannesburg RSA, Istanbul Turkey, Chengdu China and Tokyo Japan. For further information on EuroPCR, AsiaPCR/SingLIVE, PCR London Valves, GulfPCR-GIM, AfricaPCR, PCR Istanbul Peripheral, PCR-CIT China Chengdu Valves, PCR Tokyo Valves & PCR, please contact: Anne-Sophie Lartigau at aslartigau@europaorganisation.com.

For more information, please visit http://www.pcronline.com/Courses/EuroPCR and follow us on Twitter #EuroPCR
Paris, France - 17 May 2016: Half of transcatheter heart valves may undergo degeneration within 10 years, according to estimates from the first study investigating the long-term durability of these valves in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) reported at EuroPCR 2016.

"TAVI is increasingly being performed in younger patients and in those at lower surgical risk. As a result, life expectancy after transcatheter heart valve implantation will increase. But the durability of these valves has been assessed only over the short- and intermediate term," explains lead author Danny Dvir, from the Centre for Heart Valve Innovation, St Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada.

The research group carried out the first long-term evaluation of transcatheter heart valves. They evaluated 704 patients (mean age 82 years) who underwent TAVI more than five years ago between April 2002 and May 2011 in two centres: Vancouver (Canada) and Rouen (France). A total of 378 patients were followed up with repeat echocardiographic examinations for up to 10 years, after excluding patients who died within 30 days of TAVI, those with device failure immediately after TAVI and those having valve-in-valve procedures. Implanted valves included: the Edwards SAPIEN XT (36%), the Edwards SAPIEN (50%) and the Cribier-EdwardsTM valves (14%).

One hundred patients survived at least five years after TAVI and were investigated for valve degeneration, which was defined using central lab adjudicated criteria of moderate/severe intravalvular regurgitation and/or aortic stenosis (mean gradient > 20mmHg) that did not appear within 30 days of the TAVI procedure.

Over this time the study identified 35 cases of valve degeneration. Approximately two-thirds of the failed valves were associated with intravalvular regurgitation and the remained third with valvular stenosis. A few rare cases also showed a mixture of stenosis and regurgitation. Dr Dvir noted that a significant number of valves showed degeneration between five and seven years after TAVI.

Based on their findings the research group reported that the Kaplan-Meier estimate for the eight-year rate of structural valve degeneration was approximately 50%. They noted that

"Physicians performing TAVI in younger patients and in those expected to survive long after the procedure should be aware that the long-term rate of THV degeneration is not negligible, at least for first-generation THV devices," advises Dr Dvir. He suggests, "Physicians must be mindful of the limitations of the THV they implant and whether patients can be safely treated by another transcatheter approach, such as valve-in-valve, if a THV fails years later."

For the future, Dr Dvir says, "We hope that the next-generation THV devices than the valves used in this study. Unfortunately we currently have no data to suggest what the durability of new THV devices will be they have been used in clinical cases for less than five years."

Commenting on the new findings, Pieter Kappetein, from Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, says, "This is extremely important data and addresses the concerns that many people had when transcatheter heart valve were introduced: will they last as long as surgical bioprostheses? Can we therefore expand the indication to younger patient?" He adds, "Hopefully, the new generation of TAVI will last longer and there might also be a need for self-regenerating tissue-engineered heart valves. He concludes, "Expansion of TAVI indication should only take place in the confines of a randomised trial."

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Contact: Danny Dvir, St Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada; email danny.dvir@gmail.com

EuroPCR 2016 session: Tuesday 17 May 11.20-12.20, Late-breaking trials, registries and innovations; Main Arena

Help for journalists to cover EuroPCR 2016

For any press-related inquiries, please contact:

EuroPCR Press Coordinator, Isabelle Uzielli iuzielli@europcr.com

Register and attend EuroPCR 2016 as a journalist

Press registration for EuroPCR is open to accredited journalists, free of charge. Journalists must hold a valid press card and/or provide a letter of assignment from a recognised publication. To register as press go to http://www.europcr.com/page/press/960-press.html

EuroPCR press releases

EuroPCR press releases can be found at http://www.pcronline.com/

Attend press briefings

For the press briefing schedule check http://www.europcr.com/page/press/960-press.html

EuroPCR abstracts

Abstracts are available online at http://www.pcronline.com/eurointervention/AbstractsEuroPCR2016_issue/abstracts-europcr-2016/

Notes to Editors

What is EuroPCR?

EuroPCR, the official annual meeting of the European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI), a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology, is the world-leading course in interventional cardiovascular medicine. PCR has established a distinctive format for educational activities in the field of cardiovascular interventions. Beyond its flagship course in Paris that gathers more than 12,000 participants every year, PCR organises annual courses in Singapore, London UK, Dubai EAU, Johannesburg RSA, Istanbul Turkey, Chengdu China and Tokyo Japan. For further information on EuroPCR, AsiaPCR/SingLIVE, PCR London Valves, GulfPCR-GIM, AfricaPCR, PCR Istanbul Peripheral, PCR-CIT China Chengdu Valves, PCR Tokyo Valves & PCR, please contact: Anne-Sophie Lartigau at aslartigau@europaorganisation.com.

For more information, please visit http://www.pcronline.com/Courses/EuroPCR and follow us on Twitter #EuroPCR
Results from LEADERS FREE sub-study in acute coronary syndromes report for the first time

Paris, France May 17, 2016: Patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) who are at high risk for bleeding have significantly lower rates of target lesion revascularisation and fewer adverse events after undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a polymer-free biolimus-A (BA9) drug-coated stent than with those receiving a bare metal stent (BMS) in results from a sub-study of the LEADERS FREE trial reported for the first time in a late-breaker session at EuroPCR 2016.

"Patients with acute coronary syndromes have a high risk of bleeding after PCI because of the medication they are taking, but they have never previously been systematically studied," explains lead author Christoph Naber from the Contilia Heart and Vascular Center, Essen, Germany.

Previous research [1] shows that at least one in six patients undergoing PCI is at high risk for bleeding and they are typically treated with bare-metal stents followed by one month of dual antiplatelet therapy to minimise their risk of bleeding. However, this carries a higher risk of restenosis and need for a further intervention than PCI with a drug-eluting stent. The LEADERS FREE trial investigated use of a polymer-free and carrier-free drug-coated stent that transfers umirolimus (also known as biolimus A9), a highly lipophilic analogue of sirolimus, into the blood vessel wall over a one-month period.

Dr Naber reported new results from a prespecified sub-study of 659 patients with acute coronary syndromes: 554 having had a non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and 105 an ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI). They were randomised to receive either the polymer-free BA9-coated stent or to a bare metal stent. All patients received one month of dual antiplatelet therapy.

Results at 12 months follow-up showed patients receiving the polymer-free BA9-coated stent had less than half the rate of clinically driven target lesion revascularisation compared to those receiving a bare metal stent (3.92% vs 8.96%, p=0.009). They also had a significantly lower risk of adverse events, which was a composite of cardiac death, MI and stent thrombosis (6.92% vs 9.32%, p=0.049).

"The most important take-home message is that using a BA9-coated stent plus one month of dual antiplatelet therapy not only improves the efficacy of PCI in patients with ACS and high risk of bleeding compared to use of a bare metal stent but also increases safety, with less cardiac death, myocardial infarction and stent thrombosis," says Dr Naber.

"Current guidelines may need to be revised and bare metal stents can no longer be recommended for these patients," he suggests. "Given the lack of data for second-generation drug-eluting stents with shortened dual antiplatelet therapy the polymer-free DA9-coated stent is currently the device with the strongest evidence supporting its use in this group of patients."

Results from the study as a whole, for a total of 2466 patients, reported last year in the New England Journal of Medicine [2] showed a 50% lower rate of target lesion revascularisation in patients randomised to the drug coated stent compared to those receiving the bare metal stent and a one-month course of dual antiplatelet therapy (hazard ratio 0.50, p<0.001).

Commenting on the new results from the ACS sub-study, the EuroPCR discussant Thomas Cuisset, from University Hospital, La Timone, Marseille France, points out, "The benefit of the drug coated stent over the bare metal stent was even greater in patients with ACS than in the study population as a whole." He adds, "The information from this sub-study is key because this specific population has not been included in previous clinical studies and, until now, treating these patients was like working in a 'data-free' zone."

For the future, Dr Cuisset suggests, "The respective roles of new-generation drug eluting stents, drug coated stents and potentially fully resorbable devices will require further investigation. Also, the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy used with the drug coated stent in this study should probably not be extrapolated to other populations, including those at low bleeding risk."

The LEADERS Free trial was supported by Biosensors Europe.

###

Contact:

Christoph Naber

Contilia Heart and Vascular Center

Essen, Germany

email: c.naber@contilia.de

EuroPCR 2016 session: Tuesday 17 May 11.20-12.20, Late-breaking trials, registries and innovations; Main Arena

[1] Urban P, Abizaid A, Chevalier B et al. Am Heart J 2013; 165: 704-9 [2] Urban P, Meredith IT, Abizaid A et al. NEJM 2015; 373: 2038-47

Help for journalists to cover EuroPCR 2016

For any press-related inquiries, please contact:

Isabelle Uzielli

EuroPCR Press Coordinator

iuzielli@europcr.com

Register and attend EuroPCR 2016 as a journalist

Press registration for EuroPCR is open to accredited journalists, free of charge. Journalists must hold a valid press card and/or provide a letter of assignment from a recognised publication. To register as press go to http://www.europcr.com/page/press/960-press.html

EuroPCR press releases

EuroPCR press releases can be found at http://www.pcronline.com/

Attend press briefings

For the press briefing schedule check http://www.europcr.com/page/press/960-press.html

EuroPCR abstracts

Abstracts are available online at http://www.pcronline.com/eurointervention/AbstractsEuroPCR2016_issue/abstracts-europcr-2016/

Notes to Editors

What is EuroPCR?

EuroPCR, the official annual meeting of the European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI), a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology, is the world-leading course in interventional cardiovascular medicine. PCR has established a distinctive format for educational activities in the field of cardiovascular interventions. Beyond its flagship course in Paris that gathers more than 12,000 participants every year, PCR organises annual courses in Singapore, London UK, Dubai EAU, Johannesburg RSA, Istanbul Turkey, Chengdu China and Tokyo Japan.

For further information on EuroPCR, AsiaPCR/SingLIVE, PCR London Valves, GulfPCR-GIM, AfricaPCR, PCR Istanbul Peripheral, PCR-CIT China Chengdu Valves, PCR Tokyo Valves & PCR, please contact: Anne-Sophie Lartigau at aslartigau@europaorganisation.com.

For more information, please visit http://www.pcronline.com/Courses/EuroPCR and follow us on Twitter #EuroPCR
Given that the most important societal needs require multidisciplinary collaboration between researchers and decision makers, a suitable environment has to be provided in the first place. A proposal, prepared by a Finnish consortium and published in the open access journal Research Ideas and Outcomes, suggests a new, open virtual work and modeling platform to support evidence-based decision making in a number of areas, while also abiding by the principles of openness, criticism and reuse.

The Finnish consortium, led by Prof. Pekka Neittaanmaki, University of Jyvaskyla, and bringing together Timo Huttula and Janne Ropponen, Finnish Environment Institute, Juha Karvanen and Tero Tuovinen, University of Jyvaskyla, ?Tom Frisk, Pirkanmaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, Jouni Tuomisto, National Institute for Health and Welfare, and Antti Simola, VATT Institute for Economic Research, acknowledge that, "it is not enough that experts push data to politicians."

"There must be practices for mutual communication: experts must answer policy questions in a defendable and useful way; decision makers must more clearly explain their views using evidence; and there must be ICT tools to support this exchange," the authors explain. "The focus is on end-users."

Unicorn is to combine shared practices, tools, data, working environments and concerted actions in order to aggregate open information from multiple databases, and create tools for efficient policy studies.

The consortium have already developed and tested prototypes of such practices and tools in several projects, and insist that they are now ready to apply their experience and knowledge on a larger scale. They are also certain that open data and models are deservedly the "mega trend" nowadays.

"Unicorn directs this trend to paths that are the most beneficial for societal decision making by providing quick, reliable and efficient decision support," they say.

"Significant saving of resources will be manifested with improved data collection, analyses and modeling. Also, the quality and amount of assessments that can be done to support work."

"The major challenges related to evidence-based decision making actually are about changing the practices of researchers and decision makers," according to the authors. Therefore, they see their project as a demonstration of the needed shifts.

Although the approach is applicable in all areas, the researchers are to initially implement them in environment, human health, and regional economy, "as they are complex and challenging enough to offer a good test bed for general development."

Having already been submitted to the Strategic Funds of Academy of Finland in 2015, the Unicorn environment proposal has been rejected due to overambitiousness and low commercial potential. However, the authors are confident that the Unicorn environment along with its growing community of developers can, in fact, meet a great success. They are currently looking for further funding suggestions and forming new consortiums.

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Original source:

Neittaanmaki P, Huttula T, Karvanen J, Frisk T, Tuomisto J, Simola A, Tuovinen T, Ropponen J (2016) Unicorn-Open science for assessing environmental state, human health and regional economy. Research Ideas and Outcomes 2: e9232. doi: 10.3897/rio.2.e9232
In a study appearing in the May 17 issue of JAMA, Giancarlo Natalucci, M.D., of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and colleagues randomly assigned 448 preterm infants born between 26 weeks 0 days' and 31 weeks 6 days' gestation to receive either high-dose recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) or placebo (saline) intravenously within 3 hours, at 12 to 18 hours, and at 36 to 42 hours after birth.

Although outcome in very preterm infants has improved in recent decades, they still experience significant long-term neurodevelopmental delay. Among several pharmacological candidates to prevent brain injury or improve development, EPO has been shown to be among the most promising. An association has been reported between early high-dose rhEPO and a reduced incidence of white and gray matter injuries assessed by cerebral magnetic resonance imaging in a group of very preterm infants.

Among the preterm infants in the study (average gestational age, 29 weeks; average birth weight, 1,210 g [2.7 lbs.]), 228 were randomly assigned to rhEPO and 220 to placebo. Neurodevelopmental outcome data were available for 365 (81 percent) at an average age of 23.6 months. The researchers found that cognitive development, as assessed with the Mental Development Index, was not significantly different between the rhEPO group and the placebo group. No differences were found between groups in secondary outcomes such as motor development, cerebral palsy, hearing or visual impairment, and anthropometric growth parameters.

"To the best of our knowledge, this study evaluated the largest population to date of very preterm infants treated with high-dose rhEPO during the first days of life. It is possible that rhEPO does not have a neuroprotective role," the authors write.

"Follow-up for cognitive and physical problems that may not become evident until later in life is required."

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(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.5351; this study is available pre-embargo at the For The Media website.)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
In a study appearing in the May 17 issue of JAMA, Andrew M. Ibrahim, M.D., of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues compared the surgical outcomes and associated Medicare payments at critical access hospitals vs non-critical access hospitals.

Critical access hospital designation was created to help ensure access to the more than 59 million people living in rural populations. Previous reports suggest these centers provide lower quality of care for common medical admissions. Little is known about the outcomes and costs of patients admitted for surgical procedures.

This study included a review of 1,631,904 Medicare beneficiary admissions to critical access hospitals (n = 828) and non-critical access hospitals (n = 3,676) for 1 of 4 common types of surgical procedures: appendectomy, gall bladder removal, removal of all or part of the colon, and hernia repair. The researchers compared risk-adjusted outcomes and adjusted for patient factors, admission type (elective, urgent, emergency), and type of operation.

Patients (average age, 77 years) undergoing surgery at critical access hospitals were less likely to have chronic medical problems, and they had lower rates of heart failure (7.7 percent vs 10.7 percent), diabetes (20 percent vs 22 percent), obesity (6.5 percent vs 10.6 percent), or multiple co-existing diseases (percent of patients with 2 or more comorbidities; 60 percent vs 70 percent). After adjustment for patient factors, critical access and non-critical access hospitals had no statistically significant differences in 30-day mortality rates (5.4 percent vs 5.6 percent).

Critical access vs non-critical access hospitals had significantly lower rates of serious complications (6 percent vs 14 percent). Medicare expenditures adjusted for patient factors and procedure type were lower at critical access hospitals than non-critical access hospitals ($14,450 vs $15,845).

"This study had 2 principal findings regarding how surgical care is delivered at critical access hospitals. First, the study found that performance of 4 common surgical procedures at critical access hospitals was associated with no difference in 30-day mortality and lower complication rates compared with non-critical access hospitals," the authors write.

"Second, despite the reimbursement structure for critical access hospitals established in the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, there was no evidence of higher expenditures for common surgical procedures. Both of these findings contrast previously published literature about nonsurgical admissions in these same settings and inform legislators about the valuable role critical access hospitals provide in the U.S. health care system."

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(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.5618; this study is available pre-embargo at the For The Media website.)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
The Atlantic magazine holds its second annual Education Summit Tuesday and Wednesday, with a jam-packed schedule that seemingly addresses every hot topic in K-12 and higher education with a speaker or panel discussion lasting no more than a half-hour each.

The magazine says it will illuminate the most pressing debates in the education world today, from cradle to college.

Day one is May 17, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre at George Washington University in Washington. (Im sorry, but I refuse to use the The before the universitys name.)

The first day is all about K-12, from the broad view (Education in a Changing America: A Wide-Angle Lens) to the specific (The Future of Common Core, The Tragedy of Detroit Public Schools, Two Hundred Million Dollars Later: The Story of Newark.)

The first day is also when the winner and semi-finalists of the The Atlantic and the College Board Writing Prize will be announced. The contest is for high school essays that insightfully analyze and interpret a meaningful work of art. The semi-finalists get one-on-one sessions with members of The Atlantics editorial staff, while the winner gets $5,000 and publication in the September issue of the magazine.

Day Two, on May 18, is only a half-day, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., devoted to higher education, with panels such as Why Does College Cost So Much?, The Age of the Adjunct, and Whats the Point of College?

Theres actually an hour set aside for Race, Speech, and Campus Protests, but lest audience members accustomed to the relatively short sessions become bored, that hour is broken up into The Students Take and The Administrators Take.

I dont mean to criticize the tight agendas. Ive been to countless education conferences and panel discussions over the years, and all too many have been overly long and unfocused. So The Atlantic, whose live conferences are a big part of its business, may just know what it is doing with a packed, fast-moving agenda full of half-hour sessions.

The conference will be livestreamed at TheAtlantic.com/Live. Besides some high-profile speakers, there will be quite a few editors and writers from The Atlantic as moderators or participants, but also journalists from other outlets, including Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times and Education Weeks Andrew Ujifusa.
Among critically ill patients, expectations about prognosis often differ between physicians and surrogate decision makers, and the causes are more complicated than the surrogate simply misunderstanding the physicians' assessments of prognosis, according to a study appearing in the May 17 issue of JAMA.

In 2010, it was estimated that nearly half of U.S. adults near the end of life were unable to make decisions for themselves about whether to accept life-prolonging technologies. Family members or other individuals are asked to serve as surrogate decision makers for these often difficult decisions. Douglas B. White, M.D., M.A.S., of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, and colleagues examined the prevalence of and factors related to physician-surrogate discordance about prognosis in intensive care units (ICUs). The study included surveys and qualitative interviews conducted in 4 ICUs at a major U.S. medical center involving surrogate decision makers and physicians caring for patients at high risk of death.

Two hundred twenty-nine surrogate decision makers and 99 physicians were involved in the care of 174 critically ill patients. Physician-surrogate discordance about prognosis (defined as a difference between a physician's and a surrogate's prognostic estimates of at least 20 percent) occurred in 122 of 229 instances (53 percent). In 65 instances (28 percent), discordance was related to both misunderstandings by surrogates and differences in belief about the patient's prognosis; 17 percent were related to misunderstandings by surrogates only; 3 percent were related to differences in belief only; and data were missing for 12.

Seventy-five patients (43 percent) died. Surrogates' prognostic estimates were much more accurate than chance alone, but physicians' prognostic estimates were statistically significantly more accurate than surrogates'. Among 71 surrogates interviewed who had beliefs about the prognosis that were more optimistic than that of the physician, the most common reasons for optimism were a need to maintain hope to benefit the patient (n = 34), a belief that the patient had unique strengths unknown to the physician (n = 24), and religious belief (n = 19).

"There are at least 2 clinical implications of our findings. First, given the high rates of discordance about prognosis, clinicians communicating with surrogates of patients with advanced critical illness should routinely check in with surrogates about their perceptions of prognosis prior to engaging in decision making about goals of care," the authors write.

"Second, when clinicians recognize that surrogates' expectations about prognosis diverge from their own, they should explore the possibility that causes other than misunderstanding may be contributing, such as a belief that the patient is stronger than average, a belief that expressing optimism will improve the patient's outcome, or a belief that religious rather than biomedical considerations will determine the patient's outcome. This is important because interventions to reconcile discordance about prognosis may differ for misunderstandings compared with differences in belief."

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(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.5351; this study is available pre-embargo at the For The Media website.)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Note: Also available pre-embargo at the For The Media website is an accompanying editorial, "Communication With Family Caregivers in the Intensive Care Unit - Answers and Questions," by Elie Azoulay, M.D., Ph.D., of Hopital Saint-Louis, Paris, and colleagues.
Today's automotive industry is rapidly shifting towards lighter weight designs and materials to improve vehicle fuel economy. In fact, the key to improve a vehicle's energy efficiency is the use of lightweight materials in vehicle manufacturing and this is why composite materials are widely used in car bodies, these days.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT, Europe's biggest research and development organization, and the Ulsan Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in Ulsan, South Korea will work together on developing and processing composite materials for lightweight and eco-friendly vehicles.

In the morning of May 10th, the official signing ceremony of the framework agreement for the establishment of Fraunhofer Project Center for Composites Research took place at UNIST.

With the official launch of a Korean branch of Germany's Fraunhofer research group, the City of Ulsan will become South Korea's first supporter of this exciting initiative.

The Fraunhofer Project Centre (FPC) for Composites Research@UNIST (FPC@UNIST) represents a unique and unprecedented partnership bringing together a Korean university, a German industry, and Korean government.

Following Canada, this is the second branch that has been approved by the headquaters of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Along with the Canadian branch, this new Korean branch of Fraunhofer will play an important role as the stronghold for the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT).

Located on UNIST campus, this new project center will be headed by Frank Henning, Deputy Director, Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT). The center will focus on developing lightweight composites at this testing-ground facility through full industrial-scale trials.

The City of Ulsan expects that this partnership with the Fraunhofer ICT will allow UNIST to take a seat at the cutting edge of innovation in the automotive sector.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have identified key risk factors associated with patient readmission within 30 days after pediatric neurosurgery in a recent study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.

Of the 9,799 eligible neurosurgical procedures performed at 50 hospitals across the United States in patients younger than 18 years old, 11.2 percent were followed by an unplanned hospital readmission within 30 days.

The study looks at specific surgical procedures performed, such as cerebral spinal fluid shunt replacement or CSF shunt revision, as well as patient demographics and postoperative complications like surgical site infection.

Investigators used this study to determine baseline readmission rates for a variety of pediatric neurosurgical procedures. More than 10 factors were identified as increasing risk for patient readmission in this population. Readmission rates are often used as a metric to judge hospitals on the quality of care received by patients.

"One of the important findings from this study is many of the risk factors for readmission are not under the control of the surgeon or the hospital," said Brandon Rocque, assistant professor in the UAB Department of Neurosurgery. "This calls into question the appropriateness of using a simple readmission rate as a measure of hospital quality."

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Pediatric database contains prospectively collected patient data from 50 participating hospitals.

Four surgical procedures were associated with the higher rates of readmission, including CSF shunt revision, repair of the myelomeningocele larger than 5 cm in diameter, CSF shunt replacement and craniectomy to remove a particular type of brain tumor. Postoperative infections, specifically surgical site infection, were the strongest predictor of hospital readmission.

Other independent risk factors for hospital readmission that were identified include postoperative pneumonia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, Native American race, long-term steroid use, need for oxygen supplementation or nutritional support, seizure disorders, and long operative times.

Health professionals can modify some of the risk factors, such as infection. Others, such as the need for oxygen supplementation or nutritional support, cannot be modified; but their presence can identify patients "who could benefit from discharge planning or direct efforts to facilitate safe hospital discharge without readmission."

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About UAB

for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, the University of Alabama at Birmingham is the state of Alabama's largest employer and an internationally renowned research university and academic medical center; its professional schools and specialty patient-care programs are consistently ranked among the nation's top 50. UAB's Center for Clinical and Translational Science is advancing innovative discoveries for better health as a two-time recipient of the prestigious Center for Translational Science Award. Find more information at http://www.uab.edu and http://www.uabmedicine.org.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a separate, independent institution from the University of Alabama, which is located in Tuscaloosa. Please use University of Alabama at Birmingham on first reference and UAB on all subsequent references.

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/uabnews TEXT: http://www.uab.edu/news TWEETS: http://www.twitter.com/uabnews
A contagious form of cancer that can spread between dogs during mating has highlighted the extent to which dogs accompanied human travellers throughout our seafaring history. But the tumours also provide surprising insights into how cancers evolve by 'stealing' DNA from their host.

'Canine transmissible venereal tumour' (CTVT) is a cancer that spreads between dogs through the transfer of living cancer cells, primarily during mating. The disease usually manifests as genital tumours in both male and female domestic dogs. The cancer first arose approximately 11,000 years ago from the cells of one individual dog; remarkably, it survived beyond the death of this original dog by spreading to new dogs. The cancer is now found in dog populations worldwide, and is the oldest and most prolific cancer lineage known in nature.

In a study published today in the journal eLife, an international team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge studied the DNA of mitochondria - the 'batteries' that provide cells with their energy - in 449 CTVT tumours from dogs in 39 countries across six continents. Previous research has shown that at occasional points in history, mitochondrial DNA has transferred from infected dogs to their tumours - and hence to tumour cells in subsequently-infected dogs.

In the new study, the researchers show that this process of swapping mitochondrial DNA has occurred at least five times since the original cancer arose. This discovery has allowed them to create an evolutionary 'family tree', showing how the tumours are related to each other. In addition, the unusual juxtaposition of different types of mitochondrial DNA within the same cell unexpectedly revealed that cancer cells can shuffle or 'recombine' DNA from different mitochondria.

"At five distinct time-points in its history, the cancer has 'stolen' mitochondrial DNA from its host, perhaps to help the tumour survive," explains Andrea Strakova, from the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, co-first author of the study. "This provides us with a set of unique genetic tags to trace how dogs have travelled the globe over the last few hundred years."

In the evolutionary 'family tree', the five main branches are known as 'clades', each representing a point in history when mitochondria transferred between dog and tumour. By mapping tumours within these clades to the geographical location where they were found, the researchers were able to see how the cancers have spread across the globe. The distance and speed with which the clades have spread suggests that the dogs commonly travelled with human companions, often by sea.

One branch of the CTVT evolutionary tree appears to have spread from Russia or China around 1,000 years ago, but probably only came to the Americas within the last 500 years, suggesting that it was taken there by European colonialists. Conquistadors are known to have travelled with dogs - contemporary artworks have portrayed them both as attack dogs and as a source of food.

The disease probably arrived in Australia around the turn of the twentieth century, most likely imported inadvertently by dogs accompanying European settlers.

One of the most surprising findings from the study related to how mitochondrial DNA transfers - and mixes - between the tumour and the host. The researchers found that mitochondrial DNA molecules from host cells that have migrated into tumour cells occasionally fuse with the tumour's own mitochondrial DNA, sharing host and tumour DNA in a process known as 'recombination'. This is the first time this process has been observed in cancers.

Maire Ni Leathlobhair, the study's co-first author, explains: "Mitochondrial DNA recombination could be happening on a much wider scale, including in human cancers, but it may usually be very difficult to detect. When recombination occurs in transmissible cancers, two potentially very different mitochondrial DNAs - one from the tumour, one from the host - are merging and so the result is more obvious. In human cancer, the tumour's mitochondrial DNA is likely to be very similar to the mitochondrial DNA in the patient's normal cells, so the result of recombination would be almost impossible to recognise."

Although the significance of mitochondrial DNA recombination in cancer is not yet known, its discovery is now leading scientists to explore how this process may help cancer cells to survive - and if blocking it may stop cancer cells from growing.

Dr Elizabeth Murchison, senior author of the study, said: "The genetic changes in CTVT have allowed us to reconstruct the global journeys taken by this cancer over two thousand years. It is remarkable that this unusual and long-lived cancer can teach us so much about the history of dogs, and also about the genetic and evolutionary processes that underlie cancer more generally."

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The research was funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Leverhulme Trust and the Royal Society.

Reference

Strakova, A et al. Mitochondrial genetic diversity, selection and recombination in a canine transmissible cancer. eLife; 17 May 2016; DOI: 10.7554/eLife.14552
New evidence from the largest-yet series of experiments on use of body-worn cameras by police has revealed that rates of assault against police by members of the public actually increased when officers wore the cameras.

The research also found that on average across all officer-hours studied, and contrary to current thinking, the rate of use-of-force by police on citizens was unchanged by the presence of body-worn cameras, but a deeper analysis of the data showed that this finding varied depending on whether or not officers chose when to turn cameras on.

If officers turned cameras on and off during their shift then use-of-force increased, whereas if they kept the cameras rolling for their whole shift, use-of-force decreased.

The findings are released today across two articles published in the European Journal of Criminology and the Journal of Experimental Criminology.

While researchers describe these findings as unexpected, they also urge caution as the work is ongoing, and say these early results demand further scrutiny. However, gathering evidence for what works in policing is vital, they say.

"At present, there is a worldwide uncontrolled social experiment taking place - underpinned by feverish public debate and billions of dollars of government expenditure. Robust evidence is only just keeping pace with the adoption of new technology," write criminologists from the University of Cambridge and RAND Europe, who conducted the study.

For the latest findings, researchers worked with eight police forces across the UK and US - including West Midlands, Cambridgeshire and Northern Ireland's PSNI, as well as Ventura, California and Rialto, California PDs in the United States - to conduct ten randomised-controlled trials.

Over the ten trials, the research team found that rates of assault against officers wearing cameras on their shift were an average of 15% higher, compared to shifts without cameras.

The researchers say this could be due to officers feeling more able to report assaults once they are captured on camera - providing them the impetus and/or confidence to do so.

The monitoring by camera also may make officers less assertive and more vulnerable to assault. However, the researchers point out these are just possible explanations, and much more work is needed to unpick the reasons behind these surprising findings.

In the experimental design, the shift patterns of 2,122 participating officers across the forces were split at random between those allocated a camera and those without a camera. A total of 2.2 million officer-hours policing a total population of more than 2 million citizens were covered in the study.

The researchers set out a protocol for officers allocated cameras during the trials: record all stages of every police-public interaction, and issue a warning of filming at the outset. However, many officers preferred to use their discretion, activating cameras depending on the situation.

Researchers found that during shifts with cameras in which officers stuck closer to the protocol, police use-of-force fell by 37% over camera-free shifts. During shifts in which officers tended to use their discretion, police use-of-force actually rose 71% over camera-free shifts.

"The combination of the camera plus the early warning creates awareness that the encounter is being filmed, modifying the behaviour of all involved," said principle investigator Barak Ariel from the University of Cambridge's Institute of Criminology.

"If an officer decides to announce mid-interaction they are beginning to film, for example, that could provoke a reaction that results in use-of-force," Ariel said. "Our data suggests this could be what is driving the results."

The new results are the latest to come from the research team since their ground-breaking work reporting the first experimental evidence on body-worn cameras with Rialto PD in California - a study widely-cited as part of the rationale for huge investment in this policing technology.

"With so much at stake, these findings must continue to be scrutinised through further research and more studies. In the meantime, it's clear that more training and engagement with police officers are required to ensure they are confident in the decisions they make while wearing cameras, and are safe in their job," said co-author and RAND Europe researcher Alex Sutherland.

Ariel added: "It may be that in some places it's a bad idea to use body-worn cameras, and the only way you can find that out is to keep doing these tests in different kinds of places. After all, what might work for a sheriff's department in Iowa may not necessarily apply to the Tokyo PD."

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For the first time, scientists are looking at real data -- not computer models, but direct observation -- about what is happening in the fascinating region where the Earth's magnetic field breaks and then joins with the interplanetary magnetic field.

They don't know exactly what this new window of science will open to us -- that's the thrill of discovery and, for some, the scary part, too.

But enormous amounts of data now are arriving daily -- and publicly accessible -- from NASA's $1 billion Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, called MMS for short, which was launched in March 2015.

It's a giant leap for plasma physics.

University of Delaware professors Michael Shay and William Matthaeus, both in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, are among scores of scientists involved in the project, which aims to understand magnetic reconnection, a process that produces powerful phenomena including solar flares and large releases of plasma from the sun's corona. (See video in which they discuss the mission.)

On May 12, 2016 on its website, the journal Science published the team's first analysis of data received from the MMS sensors. Shay is among 52 listed authors, with J.L. Burch of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, the principal investigator.

The list of represented institutions includes NASA, half a dozen universities in the United States, and research programs in the United Kingdom, Austria, Sweden, France and Japan.

Shay says the single event analyzed in the Science article showed more similarities with simple simulations than many scientists expected to see. But this is one event out of thousands, Shay stressed, so it is just the beginning.

"This is going to dominate my research field for many years," Shay said. "And we'll still be looking at the data in 20 years."

Shay's primary contribution is in calculating and defining the parameters of the regions the team is studying -- the electron diffusion regions, areas where the Earth's magnetic field breaks and reconnects with the interplanetary magnetic field. It is in those regions that scientists hope to learn how reconnection occurs.

Using four identical spacecraft, flying in formation, the MMS Mission makes it possible to get high-resolution measurements of the particles and the electric and magnetic fields at the electron scale, with time stamps marked in milliseconds.

To do it, the spacecraft sensors gather measurements of the plasma and the electric and magnetic fields within a very narrow (2-kilometer) and fast-moving area (50 kilometers per second) where the Earth's magnetic field and the solar wind meet. Those areas are called electron diffusion regions. Magnetic reconnection, which releases kinetic energy and heat, is most likely to be observed in those regions.

Understanding the area where the reconnection occurs has been, until now, a matter of computer modeling and laboratory work. With these instruments now on duty, direct observation is possible.

But no one knows what the mission might ultimately reveal.

"This mission really reinforces the notion that science is a collective process," Shay said. "Discoveries of this magnitude are not often driven by breakthroughs by a single individual, but instead by many scientists collaborating together."

Shay and Matthaeus both were at Cape Canaveral, Florida, to witness the mission launch in March 2015. Four identical spacecraft went into orbit, where they now fly in formation collecting data.

Each is equipped with an array of instruments including plasma analyzers, energetic particle detectors, magnetometers, electric field instruments, and a system that prevents the spacecraft's charging process from interfering with those measurements.

After several months of calibrating and verifying the data during the commissioning phase of the mission, the scientific process started in September, with high-resolution data arriving in significant quantities.

Only about 4 percent of the data collected can be transmitted back to Earth, so making wise choices about what to download is an essential part of the process. It is a two-step arrangement, with an automated system in place to recognize certain patterns as significant and a "scientist-in-the-loop" who does an additional evaluation and selection.

The first phase of the mission is focused on what is called the magnetopause area, the place where the force of the sun's solar wind and the Earth's magnetic field are balanced. The second phase will focus on the far side, what is known as the geomagnetic tail.

By mid-December, the spacecraft had crossed the diffusion region more than 2,000 times, and researchers believe at least half of those crossings were made during magnetic reconnection events. It is in that area that magnetic energy is converted to particle kinetic energy.

"All in all, the data we have gotten so far has just been astounding," Burch said at the time. "Now we're sifting through those observations and we're going to be able to understand the drivers behind magnetic reconnection in a way never before possible."

Shay said the scientists had regular teleconferences for several months to talk about -- and sometimes argue about -- how to interpret the data and met in San Antonio, Texas, in early November for a few days.

Magnetic reconnection has been explored many times in the past, but never at the high time/space resolution that the MMS Mission offers.

"On one hand, you have an expectation about the way things will be," Shay said, "but measurements of nature are always surprising, with new physics that we didn't or even couldn't anticipate."

That's the thrill and the challenge of science, he said.

"You think you have an idea that can explain things and the next day you might get information that says that whole idea is wrong. As with any creative process, it's both exhilarating and sometimes honestly frustrating. It's very exciting, not necessarily comfortable. But it is wonderful working with all of these scientists -- just a pleasure."

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Holidays abroad may hold the key to tackling Scotland's vitamin D deficiency, research suggests.

People who take foreign breaks have higher levels of vitamin D in their blood, which has been linked to wide-ranging health benefits, a study has found.

Farmers also have higher levels of the vitamin -- which is produced in the skin after exposure to sunlight -- according to the findings. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh surveyed the vitamin D levels of around 2000 people in Orkney -- 1 in 10 of the population -- as part of the ORCADES study.

The team were interested to see whether widespread vitamin D deficiency in Orkney might explain why rates of multiple sclerosis are higher there than anywhere in the world.

They were surprised to find that average vitamin D levels are higher in Orkney than mainland Scotland.

The highest levels were seen in farmers and people over 60 years of age who take regular foreign holidays.

Vitamin D is known to be associated with good bone health. It has also been linked to wide-ranging health benefits including lower blood pressure, reduced heart disease risk and better chances of surviving cancer.

Deficiency in vitamin D has been strongly linked to diseases including multiple sclerosis.

Studies have yet to prove that vitamin D is responsible or whether it serves as a marker for how much sun exposure a person has had. Scotland has one of the world's highest rates of MS with Orkney being the worst affected.

Dr. Jim Wilson, who led the study at the University of Edinburgh's Usher Institute, said: "It was surprising to see that levels of vitamin D were not worse in Orkney, and if anything they were better than in Mainland Scotland. It would appear that poor vitamin D status, while common enough, cannot explain the excess of Multiple Sclerosis we see in Orkney."

Emily Weiss, a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh who was involved in the study, said: "It was interesting to find that the traditional occupation of farming was associated with higher levels of blood vitamin D in Orkney. This may be because farmers are outside and utilising even the smallest window of vitamin-D strength sunshine.

"We also found that farmers in our Orkney cohort tended to be older, suggesting that the traditional way of life is changing, leaving younger people potentially more exposed to MS risk factors such as vitamin D deficiency."

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The research is published in the journal PLOS ONE and was funded by the Shetland and Orkney Multiple Sclerosis Research Project.
Raresh Pascali, instructional associate professor in the Mechanical Engineering Technology Program at the University of Houston, has been named the 2016 recipient of the Ross Kastor Educator Award.

The award, named for a longtime drilling engineer with Shell Oil Co., is presented by the petroleum division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. It recognizes dedication to improving engineering and science awareness for students and improving educational opportunities for future industry leaders.

Pascali came to UH in 2005 with a mandate to grow the College of Technology's mechanical engineering technology program. At the time, the program had only about 100 students.

The program has almost 800 students today, including 250 at the University's campus in northwest Houston, where Pascali is the coordinator for the mechanical engineering technology program. He previously was a senior lecturer and assistant department chair for the marine engineering department at Texas A&M University.

Pascali said enrollment began to climb when requirements for the program were raised and the curriculum strengthened. That led to higher passing rates on the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, the first step in earning an engineering license.

"Other students saw that," he said, and the program became more appealing. Tougher standards also created a more cohesive student body.

"In the face of meeting the demands of the curriculum, they bond," he said.

Neil Eldin, interim dean of the College of Technology, said Pascali's selection for the award is a testament to his work in raising the program's profile. "As our program has spread to satellite campuses, the Mechanical Engineering Technology Program has not only grown in enrollment, it also has become more rigorous," he said. "Raresh's efforts have paid off."

Pascali not only developed several new courses aimed at preparing students to work in the oil and gas industry, Eldin said, but also has served as the coordinator for the program at the northwest campus and as faculty advisor for the student organization.

Kastor, who died in December at the age of 93, also taught mechanical engineering part-time at UH, both in the College of Technology and in the Cullen College of Engineering. He and Pascali worked together to develop the first drilling course in the Mechanical Engineering Technology Program.

The oil bust has temporarily dampened the job market for entry-level engineers, but Pascali said his students still find that oil and gas jobs offer the best entry-level wages. They also offer some of the biggest challenges.

Pascali started his career in aerospace engineering, but he said offshore oil and gas production, where operations are conducted under intense high temperature-high pressure conditions, is just as complex.

"That's unmatched for difficulty," he said.

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When you touch your phone's screen, you might not realize that you've set off a molecular chain reaction.

Your fingertip sends a jolt of electricity (albeit tiny) that disturbs rows of molecules meticulously assembled at the screen's surface and dictates the action, whether it's opening a new window or typing the next word on your text message.

But what if those molecules could be jostled more easily and rapidly snap back in formation, enabling quicker touches and swipes--and on smaller screens to boot?

University of Iowa chemistry researchers are taking such an approach by examining how molecules in an electrically charged fluid (called an ionic liquid) are disrupted at the liquid's surface and how quickly they reassemble themselves. In a paper published online this month in the American Chemical Society journal Langmuir, the UI team reports that the molecules reassemble without having to be prodded into position. But their complete reorientation takes time, and the layer of molecules affected by surface disturbances is thicker than previously known--in some instances at least 100 times thicker. The results help better define the potential uses of ionic liquids, from touch screens to energy use and storage.

"One aspect that makes our finding intriguing is the molecules show the ability to self-assemble," says Scott Shaw, assistant professor in the UI Department of Chemistry and corresponding author on the paper. "That would make the process of making a capacitive touch screen simpler. Right now, the molecules (in touch screens) are forcibly arranged in hundreds of layers. Rather than doing that layer upon layer, we could put (an ionic liquid) drop on the surface, and the molecules would self-organize. And that could make the process faster and cheaper."

What makes ionic liquids attractive for potential commercial use is they carry charges and have a natural urge to be orderly. Think of them like soldiers who yearn to be in a precise formation at all times. Because of their negative and positive charges, molecules in ionic liquids could respond to external forces more quickly than other materials--whether it's the tap of a finger or an electrical impulse from a battery pack--and order themselves over longer distances from the surface point.

But how these molecules arrange themselves at the interfacial region--the area where molecules are affected by contact with the surface--and how deeply the ripple from that contact penetrates the molecular assembly has been something of a mystery.

Shaw's team found highly ordered layers of ionic liquids extending to 1,000 nanometers, or 1 micron, from solid or vapor surfaces. Previous studies had shown molecules in ionic liquids order to an upper limit of 50 nanometers.

"The chemical models that guide the community's understanding and definition of the interfacial region of (ionic liquids) are evolving even as the reported thicknesses and magnitude of the interfacial region is diverging," the authors write. "Our most recent results add a new and intriguing layer of intricacy to this field."

The researchers discovered the expanded interfacial layer through "dumb luck," Shaw says. Radhika Anaredy, a graduate student in Shaw's lab, had been using a slowly rotating disc to examine how gravity and shearing could be employed to produce thinner interfacial regions. Frustrated one evening, Anaredy turned off the disc and left the lab. When she returned the next morning and measured the ionic liquid film, she was surprised to see the interfacial layer was 700 nanometers, far thicker than she, or anyone else, expected.

That's when the researchers figured out the molecules simply needed more time to complete their assembly. In fact, when testing other ionic liquids, Shaw's group observed that the self-ordering begins nearly instantaneously, but the molecules in the entire interfacial region aren't completely organized for 25 minutes to two hours, depending on the liquid.

"Typically, these measurements are done over 30 seconds or two minutes," Shaw explains. "No one's ever sat around and waited for these things to hang out and arrange themselves."

Of course, a touch screen that takes any appreciable time to react wouldn't be very useful.

"The trick is to make the reordering much faster," Shaw says. "Right now, it takes at least 20 minutes. We'll need to make it much, much faster."

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The American Chemical Society's Petroleum Research Fund and the Iowa Energy Center, created by the Iowa General Assembly, funded the work.
ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 17, 2016)--The overall health of Chesapeake Bay improved in 2015, according to scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. The largest estuary in the nation scored a C (53%) in 2015, one of the three highest scores since 1986. Only 1992 and 2002 scored as high or higher, both years of major sustained droughts.

"We'd expect to see improvements after a drought year because nutrients aren't being washed into the Bay, fueling algae blooms and poor water quality," said Bill Dennison, Vice President for Science Applications at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "However, in 2015 stream flow was below normal, but nowhere near the drought conditions in 1992 and 2002. Thus, the high score for 2015 indicates that we're making progress reducing what's coming off the land."

The overall score for the Chesapeake Bay Health Index for 2015 was 53%, compared with 50% in 2014 and 45% in 2013. There were strong improvements in many regions throughout the Bay, such as the Choptank River, Upper Eastern Shore, Lower Western Shore, and the Rappahannock River. There were no regions that had lower scores in 2015 compared to 2014. Improvements could be related to a number of factors, including several years of moderate weather, sewage treatment upgrades, use of winter cover crops by farmers, and reductions in atmospheric nitrogen deposition.

"We know why the Bay became degraded and what we need to do to restore it. This report card shows what's possible when we take action," said Donald Boesch, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "The positive results give us confidence that even greater improvements will be realized if pollutant loads are further reduced as committed."

Most of the indicators comprising the Chesapeake Bay health index improved in 2015. Chlorphyll a -- a measure of phytoplankton concentration, which can lead to reduced water clarity and reduced dissolved oxygen levels -- had improving scores throughout the Bay. Improvements in water quality contributed to the resurgence in aquatic grasses, one of the most important habitats in the Chesapeake Bay, providing a home for key species such as blue crab and striped bass.

Total nitrogen levels continued to improve throughout the Bay, corresponding to reductions in nitrogen entering the Bay being measured at monitoring stations. Dissolved oxygen--the amount of oxygen available in the water for the Bay's creatures to survive--remained steady, while the benthic index of biotic integrity--what's happening to life on the bottom of the Bay--showed improvement.

"The Hogan Administration applauds the hard work of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the positive news of the Chesapeake Bay report card," said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles. "Marylanders are helping to protect the land, water, air, and natural resources and that's leading to a healthier Bay for all. We will make even more progress if we continue to innovate and partner with all sectors within the watershed, from agriculture to energy and transportation, and from the Conowingo Dam to the streams, wetlands, and aquifers that help define our national treasure."

The one indicator that declined was total phosphorus, which had a lower score from the previous year. Excess phosphorus can lead to algae blooms, which reduce the amount of oxygen in the water available for Bay organisms.

Striped bass, bay anchovy and blue crab are ecologically, economically and socially important fish species in the Chesapeake Bay. While the Fisheries Index (an average of all three species' scores) is variable over time, it increased from 67% in 2014 to a 73% in 2015, which is a moderately good score. Striped bass held steady with a 98% score while both blue crab (47%) and bay anchovy (73%) improved. Bay anchovy are the most abundant schooling fishes in the Bay, providing an important food source for top predators, like striped bass. Fisheries indicators can have large variation from year to year since these species move throughout the Bay and are highly managed.

"The information being released today by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science is very positive and consistent with the trends the Chesapeake Bay Program has been witnessing over the past few years," said Nick DiPasquale, director of the Chesapeake Bay Program Office. "We should take the opportunity to celebrate these results, but we should also recognize that the long term success of our work to restore water quality and the health of this vitally important ecosystem will depend on stepping up and sustaining our efforts over the long-term to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution discharges to streams and rivers throughout the watershed."

###

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Integration and Application Network produces several annual report cards to assess the health of Chesapeake Bay waterways to enhance and support the science, management and restoration of Chesapeake Bay. For more information about the 2015 Chesapeake Bay Report Card including region-specific data and downloadable graphics, visit chesapeakebay.ecoreportcard.org.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

For 90 years, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science has led the way toward better management of Maryland's natural resources and the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. From a network laboratories located across the state, UMCES scientists provide sound advice to help state and national leaders manage the environment, and prepare future scientists to meet the global challenges of the 21st century.
In many corners of the media, response to Fridays Obama administration guidance about how schools should treat transgender students made it seem as if the directions came with no warning or precedent.

Among other things, that guidance put schools on notice that, under the the Department of Educations interpretation of Title IX, they must allow transgender students to access restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity.

But followers of school law and transgender student advocacy will tell you that the federal agency already enforced this interpretation in the past and that many schools were already making such accommodations.

Many States Already Have Laws About Transgender Students

Even without the federal push, many states have already required their schools to honor the gender identity of transgender students in decisions like pronoun use, facilities access, and response to bullying.

In many states, transgender students have won courtroom battles under state-level anti-discrimination laws that apply specifically to schools or more general state policies that list gender identity as a protected class.

Increasingly, states are explicitly addressing discrimination against LGBT elementary and high school students, the Human Rights Campaign says on its website. These protections can be in the form of statutory law, regulation or ethical codes of conduct for teachers.

In this interactive map from the organization, the states with school non-discrimination laws and policies that include gender identity are in dark brown.

Schools Have Acted on Their Own to Respond to Transgender Students Needs

Even in states without anti-discrimination laws, many schools have often worked on a case-by-case basis to meet the needs of what experts call a small but growing number of transgender students.

In 2014, I wrote about a new California law related to transgender students that survived a recall attempt by opponents. But, even before that law took effect, the Lost Angeles Unified School District had been working for years under its own policy to accommodate students gender identities:

Without a legally prescribed method for educators to determine whether a student is legitimately transgender, students are likely to "game the system" and invoke it to use whatever school restroom they want, the law's opponents say. But the 640,000-student Los Angeles Unified School District, which has had a policy for transgender students that is very similar to AB 1266 since 2005, has never had a problem with it, said Judy E. Chiasson, the district's diversity program coordinator. "Being transgender is not something that one does willy-nilly," she said in an interview with Education Week. "If someone was going to try to declare themselves transgender just so they could sneak into the girls' restroom for lecherous reasons, we would absolutely intervene." The district's principals design accommodations for transgender students on a case-by-case basis, typically after meeting with their parents, said Ms. Chiasson, who said she assists with fewer than 10 consultations with transgender students in a year. The district doesn't track how many students it accommodates under the rule, she said. "

And schools have said the same in states that are viewed as less progressive. For example, when South Dakotas legislature debated a rule that would have restricted facilities access based on biological sex, schools there said they had already worked on a case-by-case basis to meet the needs of transgender students. That law ultimately passed the legislature before it was vetoed by the governor, who said he favored local solutions to the issue.

Even in North Carolina, the first state to pass state-level restrictions on facilities access in public buildings and schools, schools have not changed their policies to comply with the new state bathroom bill, known as H.B. 2, education Superintendent June Atkinson told McClatchy newspapers after the federal guidance was issued Friday. Several school boards have spoken against the bill or filed resolutions in opposition.

In Wake County schools, for example, transgender students are able to use the bathrooms that match their gender identities in most instances, the news agency reports.

Opposition to Transgender Student Guidance

Thats not to say that it doesnt matter that the Obama administration issued these instructions to the nations schools or that everyone supports the move.

Transgender student advocates pointed to persistent problems, such as a transgender boy who was suspended for using the boys bathroom , in calling for the guidance.

But opponents argue the Obama administration made a big statement by releasing the rule, especially after a week of battling with North Carolina over its law. If schools are already addressing the issue, there isnt a need for the federal rule, some have said.

A quick assessment of reactions from conservative lawmakers shows that they believe one or more of the following:



The federal interpretation of Title IX is incorrect;

This issue is best left to state or local decision makers; or

Schools should restrict restroom and locker room access based on biological sex.

And, while many professional education groups supported the new guidance, some expressed hesitation Friday. The National School Boards Assocation, for example, issued this statement:

On April 10, NSBA issued a comprehensive guide, 'Transgender Students in Schools,' to help school districts navigate the unsettled law on gender identity and Title IX. Decisions impacting the day-to-day activities within our nation's schools are inherently local and NSBA's guidance seeks to inform those local decisions by clarifying existing law. The guidance issued today by the Departments of Education and Justice adds another voice to an ongoing conversation about how gender identity is addressed, and expresses an interpretation of Title IX that is unsettled law. A dispute about the intent of the federal law must ultimately be resolved by the courts and the Congress."

Photo: The doors to public restrooms are propped open at a office complex in Anaheim, Calif. --Chris Carlson/AP

Related reading:

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A narrow offshore shelf, a dredged ship channel and fresh river water combine to keep the bay flushed, but that could change as the climate warms

EUGENE, Ore. -- May 17, 2016 -- A study of the 15-mile length of Coos Bay, from the ocean to the city of the same name, finds the bay is free of toxic levels of reduced oxygen that often affect other Oregon locations.

The narrow offshore continental shelf combines with the deep-dredged ship channel to help maintain safe oxygen levels during summertime wind changes and reduced rainfall that curtails freshwater discharge from the Coos River, says Dave Sutherland, a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences.

The research is good news for today's fishing industry in the region, said Sutherland, the study's lead author. More importantly, he added, the study provides a foundation for monitoring and projecting how changing climate conditions may raise the chances of oxygen depletion, or hypoxia, in the future.

"This region of the coast is understudied," said Sutherland, who leads the UO's coastal oceanography research group. "This research was really about getting a wealth of baseline information so that we can figure out what is happening now and use it to help us prepare for what may happen in the future. The system is working now but could change based on weather conditions. "

The study -- published in the journal Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science -- was based on almost two years of monthly water samples gathered in the estuary and reviews of 50 years of similar records (1957-2007) kept by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Data gathered included acidity, salinity, temperature and levels of dissolved oxygen.

The UO study also incorporated measurements taken since 2002 by the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and since 2011 by the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Suislaw Indians.

Lowest readings of dissolved oxygen were found in late summers, as is the case in other estuaries along the Oregon coast, when incoming salty seawater settles longer in the estuary and warmer, drier conditions reduce the amount of fresh water from the Coos River.

With stagnant seawater, biological processes become important as microscopic organisms known as phytoplankton, which consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen, die off, Sutherland said.

"As phytoplankton die, they sink to the bottom where all the oxygen gets depleted and you get low-bottom hypoxia," he said. That leads to stress on cool-water fish such as salmon. Bottom dwellers -- crabs, oysters, worms, clams, sponges and rockfish -- face potentially lethal effects.

Early in the summer, upwelling occurs: Prevailing winds blow the ocean's surface water away from shore and cold, nutrient-rich but low-oxygen deep water rises, making for the chilly summertime wind.

"At the end of summer, the Coos River and other rivers along the coast that feed the estuaries generally dry up," Sutherland said. "Without precipitation, there is little flushing of the estuaries from the rivers, and there is little net exchange besides tidal movements."

In Oregon coastal estuaries to the north of Coos Bay, the offshore shelf is much wider. Combined with the wind, seawater remains longer in the shallower estuaries as the summers get dry, making for stagnant conditions, less flushing and more lethal hypoxic conditions.

"Despite recent alarm about inner-shelf hypoxia on the Oregon coast, there appears to be no hypoxia currently in the main channel of Coos Bay, and there is little evidence of past hypoxia in the estuary," Sutherland and co-author Molly A. O'Neill wrote in their conclusion.

That could change, however, if climate change makes the region hotter and drier and chokes off the flushing action of fresh water from the river, Sutherland said.

The study began as a graduate thesis for O'Neill, who earned her master's degree in 2014. Together, she and Sutherland collected their monthly samples from Coos Bay from a small research vessel made available for the UO's Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, located in Charleston just inside the ocean end of the bay.

Sutherland expanded that effort and continues to study the region. The research, which will be featured in a five-panel display dedicated to UO research in the new Charleston Marine Life Center, provides basic data that could help feed mitigation efforts to battle hypoxia in the region and elsewhere.

###

Oregon Sea Grant, via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Sea Grant Program, supported the study by way of a grant routed to Sutherland through his membership in the UO's Environmental Science Institute. The Oregon Legislature and National Science Foundation also provided funding.

Source:

Dave Sutherland

assistant professor of geological sciences

541-346-8753

dsuth@uoregon.edu

Note: The UO is equipped with an on-campus television studio with a point-of-origin Vyvx connection, which provides broadcast-quality video to networks worldwide via fiber optic network. There also is video access to satellite uplink and audio access to an ISDN codec for broadcast-quality radio interviews.

Links:

Paper: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771416300427 DOI:10.1016/j.ecss.2016.01.042

Sutherland faculty page

Oceanography lab

Department of Geological Sciences

UO Environmental Science Institute
More than half of the family and friends making decisions for critically ill patients have significantly different estimates for the patient's survival than their doctor--but that's not only because of a misunderstanding, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers report in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The majority of those differences also were due to the decision maker holding fundamentally different and overly optimistic beliefs about the patient's prognosis. The research team anticipates that this finding will help in training physicians to better communicate with the family and friends of patients so they can make the best decisions for their loved one.

"It isn't a bad thing for a patient's family and friends to have hope that they will recover," said lead author Douglas B. White, M.D., M.A.S., professor in the Pitt School of Medicine's Department of Critical Care Medicine, and director of the department's Program on Ethics and Decision Making. "However, it is problematic when those overly optimistic expectations result in more invasive treatments in dying patients and delayed integration of palliative care that can alleviate suffering."

Between 2005 and 2009, Dr. White and his colleagues surveyed 229 people who had agreed to be the "surrogate decision maker" for hospitalized patients in four intensive care units at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, where Dr. White previously was a faculty member. These surrogates were typically family members or friends of the patient. They also surveyed the physicians caring for the patients for which the surrogates were making decisions.

The researchers asked both the surrogates and the doctors to estimate the chances that the patient would survive hospitalization on a scale of 0 (no chance of survival) to 100 (definite survival). They did not know each other's answers.

In 53 percent of cases, the answers differed by more than 20 percent. The surrogates were usually more optimistic than the doctors, however the doctors' estimates of the patient prognosis were ultimately far more accurate.

The researchers then asked the surrogates to guess what they thought the patient's doctor answered. Generally, the surrogates would guess somewhere in between their estimate and the doctor's real estimate. That revealed that the surrogates understood they were being more optimistic than what the doctor had been communicating to them.

The surrogates explained this in many ways, the most common being that they believed if they maintained hope, then the patient would do better than expected, or that they knew the patient better than the doctor and believed the patient had strengths the doctor didn't know about. They also often had an optimism grounded in religious beliefs.

"As doctors, we want to provide the best possible care for our patients. In critically ill patients, that means we must do a better job communicating with the people who are making decisions for our patients," said Dr. White, who also holds the UPMC Endowed Chair for Ethics in Critical Care Medicine. "Given the results of this study, we're working to develop and test interventions both to improve the comprehensibility of the prognosis doctors give to surrogates, and to better attend to the emotional and psychological factors that may influence the surrogate's expectations for their loved one's outcome."

###

Additional researchers on this study are Natalie Ernecoff, M.P.H., Praewpannarai Buddadhumaruk, R.N., M.S., and Seoyeon Hong, Ph.D., all of Pitt; Lisa Weissfeld, Ph.D., of Statistics Collaborative in Washington D.C.; J. Randall Curtis, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Washington; and John M. Luce, M.D., and Bernard Lo, M.D., both of the University of California, San Francisco.

This research was supported by National Institutes of Health grants KL2 RR024130 and R01 HL094553; and by the Greenwall Foundation.

About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

As one of the nation's leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top 10 recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1998. In rankings recently released by the National Science Foundation, Pitt ranked fifth among all American universities in total federal science and engineering research and development support.

Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region's economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see http://www.medschool.pitt.edu.

http://www.upmc.com/media
A University of Texas at Arlington engineer is working with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute to assess whether scanning lasers can accurately measure microtexture of aggregates, which are used in asphalt and concrete mixtures.

Roger Walker, a professor of computer science and engineering, is leading the two-year, $671,011 project, which is funded through the Texas Department of Transportation. The agency currently uses camera-based systems to assess aggregate characteristics.

"These lasers will enable TxDOT to more accurately measure the microtexture of the aggregates," Walker said. "The laser system also will measure aggregate shape and angularity, offering important insights into which materials and mixes work best on Texas roads. This could ultimately affect sustainability, cost and safety."

Walker's project will determine the viability of replacing the current camera system with lasers. The data generated in the study will be crucial for the development of new adhesive systems that make binding asphalt and concrete better and longer lasting.

Hong Jiang, chair and Nedderman professor of the Computer Science and Engineering Department, said Walker's work is representative of how UTA is advancing sustainable urban communities and data-driven discovery under the Strategic Plan.

"Dr. Walker's collaboration with TxDOT uses reliable data to make long-term decisions on our roads," Jiang said. "This research could lead to a much more efficient and less costly way in which to test pavement." UTA's collaboration with TxDOT is extensive. The University has been awarded more than $19 million in TxDOT contracts research grants during the last two-plus decades.

Anand Puppala, associate dean of research in the College of Engineering and civil engineering professor; Sahadat Hossain, civil engineering professor; Stefan Romanoschi, civil engineering associate professor; Mohammad Najafi, civil engineering professor in practice; Stephen Mattingly, civil engineering associate professor; Siamek Ardekani, civil engineering professor; and Xinbao Yu, civil engineering assistant professor; have all had projects with the state agency.

Under a TxDOT grant, Puppala is using giant lightweight geofoam blocks below roads to strengthen the earth beneath those roads. The research could help slow down the settling of those roads.

Under another TxDOT grant, Hossain is installing large, recycled plastic pins to shore up clay soils on slopes that support some Texas highways.

Under another TxDOT grant, Romanoschi built a pavement testing machine that he uses to test recycled pavement durability.

Walker's collaboration with the Texas Transportation Institute in the area of pavement testing dates to the 1980s. During his UTA career, he has brought in more than $9 million in research funding and has had more than 60 peer-reviewed publications.

Walker founded the Computer Science and Engineering undergraduate degree at UTA and served as the first chair of the department. He also has worked as a computer engineer for Control Data Corp., a systems engineer for Radio Corp. of America and the White Sands Missile Range, and as a manager of information systems for Houston-based McClelland Engineers. p align="center">###

About The University of Texas at Arlington

The University of Texas at Arlington is a Carnegie "highest research activity" institution of more than 51,000 students in campus-based and online degree programs and is the second-largest institution in The University of Texas System. U.S. News & World Report ranks UTA fifth in the nation for undergraduate diversity. The University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is ranked as the top four-year college in Texas for veterans on Military Times' 2016 Best for Vets list. Visit http://www.uta.edu to learn more, and find UTA rankings and recognition at http://www.uta.edu/uta/about/rankings.php.
HOUSTON - (May 17, 2016) - The New York Life Foundation has awarded a three-year, $1.55 million grant to The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Trauma and Grief (TAG) Center for Youth to establish the GIFT (Grief-Informed Foundations of Treatment) network, a multi-site practice-research network that will refine, evaluate and validate assessment tools for grieving children to identify the appropriate support or intervention needed.

The development of the GIFT network will be led by Julie Kaplow, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the TAG Center for Youth in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Medical School at UTHealth.

"We are so appreciative of this investment from the New York Life Foundation. It could not have come at a better time, as we are well positioned to begin to implement, evaluate, and disseminate our new bereavement-informed assessment tools and training curriculum," Kaplow said. "Now, with the New York Life Foundation's support, we have the ability to do this on a much larger scale through the GIFT Network. The bereavement field is in need of establishing guidelines for 'best practices' for bereaved youth, and the Foundation is helping to make this a reality."

Loss of a loved one growing up is more common than many may realize. According to grief experts, 1 in 20 Americans will lose a parent before age 16 and the majority of children will experience the loss of a family member or friend by the time they complete high school. Yet the field of youth bereavement has been relatively unexplored, Kaplow said. For more than a decade, she has been researching childhood grief with co-investigators Christopher M. Layne, Ph.D., and Robert S. Pynoos, M.D., M.P.H., of the UCLA/Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress and UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The project will include convening a scientific advisory board of internationally recognized experts to recommend cutting-edge methods for validating, field-testing and refining new bereavement-related assessment tools created by Kaplow, Layne and Pynoos.

"Typically, bereaved children adapt to their 'new normal' and experience positive adjustment over time," Kaplow said. "But there is an important minority of kids who become stuck in their grief. We don't know what that exact number is because very few longitudinal studies of bereaved youth have been conducted and rigorously validated assessment tools for childhood grief have not yet been established."

"As a longtime funder of childhood grief, we are excited to partner with the UTHealth/TAG Center on this important initiative to improve the way that grieving children are assessed and supported," said New York Life Foundation Vice President Maria Collins. "This project signals our new commitment to focus on research/evaluation in the childhood bereavement field - a critically needed step to advance understanding and support of grieving children."

"This funding is recognition of the important work of Dr. Julie Kaplow in the area of childhood bereavement and grief, and a testament to the New York Life Foundation's dedication to the issue," said Barbara J. Stoll, M.D., dean and the H. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professor in the Medical Sciences at McGovern Medical School. "We are so very grateful to the foundation for this critical support."

The GIFT network will recruit and train community agencies, grief support facilities, schools and academic institutions to work in partnership using best-practice theory, assessment tools, interventions and training curricula. By sharing their assessment data, the partnering sites will help build one of the largest data repositories of bereaved children to date, including data that will help researchers determine best practices for screening, evaluating, and, for those who need it, treating bereaved youth.

UTHealth will serve as the "hub" of the GIFT Network, responsible for oversight of the entire project, while closely collaborating with UCLA, responsible for curriculum development and scientific advisory board oversight. Current collaborating sites in Houston include Bo's Place and Houston Independent School District Psychological Services (covering 288 schools throughout Houston). Kaplow anticipates recruitment of several other sites in Texas including the Children's Bereavement Center in San Antonio and Mending Hearts Grief Center in College Station, as well as a number of sites in Michigan including the Detroit School-Based Health Collaborative (nine school-based mental health clinics) and the University of Michigan Trauma and Grief Clinic in Ann Arbor, a satellite clinic of the UTHealth TAG Center.

The New York Life Foundation is the leading corporate funder of childhood bereavement and has invested more than $25 million to date in support of grieving children and their families.

"Over the past several years, we've worked with our partners to help develop and build the emerging field of bereavement support," said Collins. "But much remains to be done for all grieving children to receive the care they need. The work of this grant will arm care providers with better tools to identify and deliver support or service to children who are acutely suffering the burden of grief."

###

About The New York Life Foundation

Inspired by New York Life's tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided $217 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. The Foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of educational enhancement and childhood bereavement. The Foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees, agents, and retirees of New York Life through its Volunteers for Good program. To learn more, please visit http://www.newyorklifefoundation.org.

About The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)

Established in 1972 by The University of Texas System Board of Regents, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) is Houston's Health University and Texas' resource for health care education, innovation, scientific discovery and excellence in patient care. The most comprehensive academic health center in The UT System and the U.S. Gulf Coast region, UTHealth is home to schools of biomedical informatics, biomedical sciences, dentistry, nursing and public health and John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Medical School. UTHealth includes The University of Texas Harris County Psychiatric Center and a growing network of clinics throughout the region. The university's primary teaching hospitals include Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital and Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital. For more information, visit http://www.uth.edu.
Scientists from Austria, Finland and Hungary are using laser scanners to study the day-night rhythm of trees. As it turns out, trees go to sleep too

Most living organisms adapt their behavior to the rhythm of day and night. Plants are no exception: flowers open in the morning, some tree leaves close during the night. Researchers have been studying the day and night cycle in plants for a long time: Linnaeus observed that flowers in a dark cellar continued to open and close, and Darwin recorded the overnight movement of plant leaves and stalks and called it "sleep". But even to this day, such studies have only been done with small plants grown in pots, and nobody knew whether trees sleep as well. Now, a team of researchers from Austria, Finland and Hungary measured the sleep movement of fully grown trees using a time series of laser scanning point clouds consisting of millions of points each.

Trees droop their branches at night

"Our results show that the whole tree droops during night which can be seen as position change in leaves and branches", says Eetu Puttonen (Finnish Geospatial Research Institute), "The changes are not too large, only up to 10 cm for trees with a height of about 5 meters, but they were systematic and well within the accuracy of our instruments."

To rule out effects of weather and location, the experiment was done twice with two different trees. The first tree was surveyed in Finland and the other in Austria. Both tests were done close to solar equinox, under calm conditions with no wind or condensation. The leaves and branches were shown to droop gradually, with the lowest position reached a couple of hours before sunrise. In the morning, the trees returned to their original position within a few hours. It is not yet clear whether they were "woken up" by the sun or by their own internal rhythm.

"On molecular level, the scientific field of chronobiology is well developed, and especially the genetic background of the daily periodicity of plants has been studied extensively", explains Andras Zlinszky (Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences). "Plant movement is always closely connected with the water balance of individual cells, which is affected by the availability of light through photosynthesis. But changes in the shape of the plant are difficult to document even for small herbs as classical photography uses visible light that interferes with the sleep movement." With a laser scanner, plant disturbance is minimal. The scanners use infrared light, which is reflected by the leaves. Individual points on a plant are only illuminated for fractions of a second. With this laser scanning technique, a full-sized tree can be automatically mapped within minutes with sub-centimeter resolution.

"We believe that laser scanning point clouds will allow us to develop a deeper understanding ofplant sleep patterns and to extend our measurement scope from individual plants to larger areas, like orchards or forest plots," says Norbert Pfeifer (TU Wien).

"The next step will be collecting tree point clouds repeatedly and comparing the results to water use measurements during day and night", says Eetu Puttonen. "This will give us a better understanding of the trees' daily tree water use and their influence on the local or regional climate."

###

This study was published in an open access article in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science: Puttonen, E., Briese, C., Mandlburger, G., Wieser, M., Pfennigbauer, M., Zlinszky, A., Pfeifer N. (2016). "Quantification of Overnight Movement of Birch (Betula pendula) Branches and Foliage with Short Interval Terrestrial Laser Scanning". Frontiers in Plant Science, 7:222. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00222

Further information:

Norbert Pfeifer

Department fur Geodasie und Geoinformation

TU Wien, Osterreich

T: 43-1-58801-12219

norbert.pfeifer@tuwien.ac.at

Eetu Puttonen,

Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (FGI)

National Land Survey of Finland, Finnland

eetu.puttonen@nls.fi

Andras Zlinszky

Centre for Ecological Research,

Ungarische Akademieder Wissenschaften

zlinszky.andras@okologia.mta.hu
It is well known that the dog days of summer in St. Louis are hot, humid and hazy. On the warmest of these days, the air arrives from the south, bringing with it high temperatures, moisture and natural forest emissions of chemicals, known as hydrocarbons, from the Ozark Plateau. The hydrocarbons can interact with human-influenced emissions, and in the presence of sunlight, create a cocktail of pollutants -- including ozone -- that are hazardous to human health.

A team of engineers in the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis collaborated with researchers at the University of Minnesota to study the late-summer air quality in the St. Louis area. They found that the way that isoprene, a natural hydrocarbon compound emitted from broadleaf deciduous trees, such as oak, is processed in the atmosphere at night can have a big impact on the ozone in the atmosphere the next day.

Brent Williams, the Raymond R. Tucker Distinguished I-CARES Career Development Assistant Professor, and Jay Turner, associate professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering, both in the School of Engineering & Applied Science; and Dylan Millet, associate professor in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota, and other members of their research teams discovered the phenomenon after studying data from the St. Louis Air Quality Regional Study (SLAQRS), which took place in 2013 at the St. Louis-Midwest Supersite core monitoring station in East St. Louis, Ill.

Results of the study were recently published online in Environmental Science & Technology and are the first to show this phenomenon.

"Here we are looking at ground-level ozone, which is different than the ozone high up in the stratosphere that protects us from UV radiation," Williams said. "What often isn't talked about is that we do need a little ozone here on the ground as well to kick start chemical reactions that clear pollutants out of the atmosphere.

"However, too much ozone will damage materials and even your lungs. That's why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set limits for ozone concentrations in the atmosphere, which can't exceed 70 parts per billion averaged over an eight-hour period."

The EPA considers April 1-Oct. 31 "ozone season" for the St. Louis region, when ozone pollution is more of a problem because of the sunlight and heat. Ozone forms from the combination of nitrogen oxides emitted from combustion sources such as vehicles or power plants, hydrocarbons from natural or human-influenced sources and sunlight. Ozone concentrations generally peak when temperatures are highest during the afternoon hours.

Trees in forests emit isoprene, an organic hydrocarbon tied to photosynthesis strongly dependent on light and temperature and emitted during the daylight hours. St. Louis is downwind of the deciduous forests of the Ozark Plateau, a major isoprene source region nicknamed the "isoprene volcano," because it has the largest emission rates of isoprene in the U.S., Williams said.

Turner and collaborators previously conducted a field study that examined the isoprene emissions from the isoprene volcano.

During the SLAQRS study, southerly winds brought to St. Louis emissions from the Ozark region, however, isoprene had largely underwent chemical reactions and had faded away prior to arriving in St. Louis during the daylight hours. Isoprene that was emitted at the end of the day did not react away and was transported into St. Louis overnight.

The team found that if human-influenced emissions of nitrogen oxides were in low abundance in the air at night, isoprene remained in the atmosphere until daybreak, when it reacted with the sunlight and created a burst of ozone production, in stark contrast to the typical peak of ozone levels in mid-late afternoon and extending the daily high-ozone period. That pushed the ozone measurement over 70 parts per billion for a short period, increasing the potential for ozone standard exceedances, Williams said.

However, on nights when nitrogen oxides were in large abundance in the atmosphere, they reacted with ozone left over from the daytime and created nitrate radicals. When the sun rose the next morning, those nitrate radicals had reacted with the isoprene overnight to eliminate it -- and ozone -- from the atmosphere. In this case, the presence of nighttime nitrogen oxides prevents excess ozone formation the next morning, whereas daytime nitrogen oxides still produce ozone.

The phenomenon likely applies to other cities downwind of forests. Nitrogen oxides still contribute to daytime ozone formation and should be controlled to limit ozone formation, but regulatory agencies should be aware of this nighttime chemistry that influences morning ozone levels, Williams said.

"We have to control what we can to prevent detrimental health impacts," Williams said. "With the three key ingredients to ozone production, we can control nitrogen oxides and some of the hydrocarbons from combustion sources, but we can't do anything about the hydrocarbons that forest is emitting, nor should we attempt to change the amount of sunlight.

"An understanding of this chemistry will help to predict elevated morning ozone periods and could even be factored into air quality alerts and awareness efforts," Williams said.

###

Millet D, Baasandorj M, Hu L, Mitroo D, Turner J, Williams B. Nighttime chemistry and morning isoprene can drive urban ozone downwind of a major deciduous forest. Environmental Science & Technology, online publication March 24, 2016. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b06367.

Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute.

The School of Engineering & Applied Science focuses intellectual efforts through a new convergence paradigm and builds on strengths, particularly as applied to medicine and health, energy and environment, entrepreneurship and security. With 88 tenured/tenure-track and 40 additional full-time faculty, 1,300 undergraduate students, more than 900 graduate students and more than 23,000 alumni, we are working to leverage our partnerships with academic and industry partners -- across disciplines and across the world -- to contribute to solving the greatest global challenges of the 21st century.
The results of the water test can be instantly broadcast using a mobile app already developed by the research team

TORONTO, May 17, 2016 - Tragedies like the E. coli outbreak in Ontario's Walkerton in May 2000 could be averted today with a new invention by researchers at York University that can detect the deadly contaminant in drinking water early.

"We have developed a hydrogel based rapid E. coli detection system that will turn red when E. coli is present," says Professor Sushanta Mitra, Lassonde School of Engineering. "It will detect the bacteria right at the water source before people start drinking contaminated water."

The new technology has cut down the time taken to detect E. coli from a few days to just a couple of hours. It is also an inexpensive way to test drinking water (C$3 per test estimated), which is a boon for many developing countries, as much as it is for remote areas of Canada's North.

"This is a significant improvement over the earlier version of the device, the Mobile Water Kit, that required more steps, handling of liquid chemicals and so on," says Mitra, Associate Vice-President of Research at York U. "The entire system is developed using a readily available plunger-tube assembly. It's so user-friendly that even an untrained person can do the test using this kit."

Traditional methods of testing for E. coli contamination involves collecting water samples to send to an appropriate microbiological lab where the bacteria is cultured before a plate count is done to detect E. coli presence.

The testing device uses the porous hydrogel matrix, developed by Mitra's team at his Micro & Nano-scale Transport Laboratory that cages specific enzymatic substrates that release certain enzymes in E. coli cells. These enzymes then chemically react with the substrates to change colour. If there is no E. coli, the colour of the hydrogel won't change, as there is no chemical reaction.

The results of the water test can be instantly broadcast using a mobile app already developed by the team.

The breakthrough invention has resulted in forming of Glacierclean Technologies Inc, an Innovation York spinoff company, in partnership with York U. "We have received a significant number of queries from related industries. We strongly believe that the product is in a unique position as the only one available in the market for rapid detection of E. coli," says Naga Siva Gunda, president and CTO of Glacierclean, talking of the commercialization plan for affordable rapid E. coli detection tool, adding that the company has recently hired a CEO.

This innovation is the cover feature titled "A hydrogel based rapid test method for detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in contaminated water samples" in the current issue of Analyst. The journal, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, explores fundamental discoveries, inventions and applications in the analytical and bioanalytical sciences.

###

York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our 52,000 students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world's most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university - our 11 faculties and 24 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide.

Media Contact: Gloria Suhasini, York University Media Relations, 416 736 2100 ext. 22094, suhasini@yorku.ca
[UPDATED Monday 12:16 p.m.]

Washington

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday unanimously set aside lower court rulings in the Affordable Care Act contraceptive-mandate cases, which involve a number of religious schools and colleges along with other religious organizations.

In an unsigned opinion in Zubik v. Burwell (Case No. 14-1418) read by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. in the courtroom, the court said there were enough hints of progress toward a possible agreement to the dispute in supplemental briefs filed by the religious organizations, on one side, and President Barack Obamas administration, on the other side. The dispute is over what steps the religious groups must take to opt out of offering required contraceptive coverage.

The case stems from the health laws requirement that most large employers must offer group health plans with minimum essential coverage, which has been interpreted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to include coverage of contraception.

Churches and some other religious organizations (church auxiliaries and the religious activities of religious orders) are exempt from the contraceptive mandate, but HHS declined to exempt many other religious employers, including schools, colleges, nursing facilities, and other nonprofits. Those include elementary and secondary schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

Under the disputed accommodation, those organizations must opt out of the program by informing the federal government in writing of their religious objections or face fines. The religious groups, which have moral objections to offering certain forms of contraception, contend that the governments accommodation would make them complicit in providing such care.

After the eight-member Supreme Court appeared divided during March 23 arguments, the court sought to play mediator by asking for supplemental briefs on whether contraceptive care could be provided to the employees of the religious groups through their insurance companies, without any notice required from the religious groups.

The briefs that followed from the two sides were viewed as inching toward the justices suggested compromise, with some lingering roadblocks.

In the Supreme Courts unsigned per curiam decision on May 16, the court said the religious groups have clarified that their religious exercise is not infringed where they need to do nothing more than contract for a plan that does not include coverage for some or all forms of contraception, even if their employees receive cost-free contraceptive coverage from the same insurance company.

And, the high court opinion continued, the federal government has confirmed that the challenged procedures for employers with insured plans could be modified to operate in the manner posited in the Courts order while still ensuring that the affected women receive contraceptive coverage seamlessly, together with the rest of their health coverage.

The Supreme Court said the parties have offered significantly clarified views.

Although there may still be areas of disagreement between the parties on issues of implementation, the importance of those areas of potential concern is uncertain, as is the necessity of this courts involvement at this point to resolve them, the per curiam opinion states.

Thus, the justices unanimously sent all of the cases raising the question back to their respective federal appeals courtsseven in totalincluding some cases that arrived at the high court after the first set had been taken up for argument.

The court expresses no view on the merits of the cases, the opinion said. In particular, the court does not decide whether petitioners religious exercise has been substantially burdened, whether the government has a compelling interest, or whether the current regulations are the least restrictive means of serving that interest.

The opinion said the federal government may not impose taxes or penalties on the religious groups involved for failure to provide the relevant notice because the government is on notice with respect to them because of the groups lawsuits.

The opinion was perhaps a way for a Supreme Court whose bench was shortened by the February death of Justice Antonin Scalia to not only steer the parties toward a compromise, but also to push the case off its docket until after the elections and the question of who will fill Scalias seat.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor filed a concurrence, joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to warn lower courts that todays opinion does only what it says it does. She said the federal appeals courts should not assume the Supreme Court favors one approach or another to guarantee seamless contraceptive coverage to women.

Early reaction to the decision was mixed.

Gretchen Borchelt, vice president for reproductive rights and health at the National Womens Law Center, which backed the Obama administrations stance in the case, said: We are disappointed that the court did not resolve once and for all whether the religious beliefs of religiously-affiliated non-profit employers can block womens seamless access to birth control. Eight of nine Circuit Courts of Appeals have already upheld womens access to birth control no matter where they work. We are confident that the governments birth control accommodation once again will prevail.

Meanwhile, David Cortman, a lawyer with the Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents several religious colleges in the case, said the Supreme Court was right to protect the Christian colleges and other groups from not having to pay fines or fill out forms authorizing the objectionable coverage. The government has many other ways to ensure women are able to obtain these drugs without forcing people of faith to participate in acts that violate their deepest convictions. We look forward to addressing the remaining details as we advance these cases in the lower courts.
Making Matters Worse: An Illustrative DUI

Some news stories read like a small-time crime primer, an illustration of how not to handle legal problems. This case arising out of Orange, California is one of those, a suspected DUI involving a driver on a suspended license who failed to appear in court on a prior reckless driving charge.

Stephanie Marie De Rosas, 32, was arrested on suspicion of DUI last week, reports KTLA5, after she was involved in a three-car crash with one fatality. While DUI is relatively common, De Rosas's checkered past, and most importantly her failure to face facts and resolve the prior matter, means more trouble for her.

Failure to Appear

When you ignore a criminal case, it doesn't go away. In fact, it haunts you at the worst times, like next time you get in trouble. Technically, De Rosas' prior reckless driving charge can't be used against her to prove DUI in the current case. But failure to resolve the matter and willingness to ignore the court leads to more trouble -- that is why De Rosas' license was suspended.

These failures will likely impact the kind of plea deal De Rosas will be offered by a prosecutor and her sentencing if she is found guilty. Sentencing is determined statutorily but prosecutors have some leeway with extent to the plea deals that they can offer and judges have some sentencing discretion. Authorities will be much less inclined to be kind to someone who seems to be trying to shirk responsibility.

Similarly, a defense lawyer will have a harder time arguing that this was a fluke accident and that De Rosas respects the law and can be trusted to complete the terms of a probationary deal for example. Also, now De Rosas has multiple cases to resolve, rather than just the one.

20/20 Hindsight

Hindsight is 20/20 and no doubt De Rosas, sitting in custody, has at least a little regret about leaving prior matters unresolved. While sometimes it is difficult to deal with troubles, in the context of criminal law it is never a good idea to leave matters pending and hope someone ends up forgetting. That won't happen. What will happen is that you'll make matters worse next time you're in trouble.

Talk to a Lawyer

If you are currently accused, or you know you have a criminal matter unresolved somewhere, even a small one, talk to a lawyer. Many DUI defense attorneys consult for free or a minimal fee and will be happy to discuss your options.

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Cuba Steals Family's Wealth but Judgment Is Unenforceable

It's a story of family saga fit for movie-making. Two brothers, persecuted by Cuban authorities under threat of extermination, flee to America to begin a new life. Decades later, they successfully obtain a judgment against the communist nation in the amount of $2.8 billion.

But the island country has not paid a single dime of that money. And, with a recent decision on the brothers' attempts to enforce, it looks like options are running out.

Guevara's Regime of Grab and Take

The two Cuban refugee brothers, Alfredo and Gustavo Villoldo, escaped from the communist island nation in 1960 during the peak of Fidel Castro's power. The family was given a choice by the infamous 'Che' Guevara: either the entire family dies, or some members may live in exchange for the father's life and his lands. Weeks later, the family patriarch's body was found due to apparent suicide and the Cuban authorities seized the Villoldo land and bank accounts.

The brother escaped to America and lived to successfully win a judgment against Cuba in a Florida court in 2011. The award number was staggering: $2.79 billion.

Cuba Refuses to Pay Up

Cuba has rebuked the American court's order to pay, so the brothers pursued accounts of Cuban nationals held by transfer agent Computershare in Massachusetts. The argument was that under a 1959 Cuban law, assets held by Cuban nationals not repatriated back into the country would be taken by the Cuban government. A subpoena indicated that Computershare held 383 accounts opened by Cuban Nationals. If the Cuban government would not willingly give, the brothers would take what Cuba's possessed overseas.

Their attempts in America would have to succeed however, because the brothers failed previously in 2014 attempting to attach accounts held in Spain.

Courts Disagree

The theory the brothers proposed did not sway the courts and both the trial and circuit courts refused to order the transfer of funds. First, it concluded that the accounts were not in fact, the property of the Cuban government; as such a finding in an American court would contravene American principles of property ownership and domain. This was, despite the general "act of state" doctrine normally applied, wherein US courts will generally respect the actions of other sovereign nations. Ironically, this one exception which is normally the saving grace of many injured plaintiffs actually damned the brothers in their attempts to satisfy a judgment against Cuba.

As it stands, the brothers have only one avenue left to try: The US Supreme Court. If that happens, we'll be following the case the entire way.

Editor's note, June 23, 2016: This article mistakenly reported that the brothers fled Cuba in 1948. In fact, they fled Cuba for the U.S. in 1960.

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OMAHA, Neb.  The holding company for billionaire Warren Buffett bought a major stake in Apple Inc. amid a slump in Apples stock price due to slowing sales of the technology giants iPhone and other products.

Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Corp. purchased 9.81 million shares of Apple in the first quarter, a stake valued at $1.07 billion as of March 31, according to a filing Berkshire made Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The value of that stake has dropped since then, to about $917 million, due to further declines in Apples share price.

But news of Berkshires purchase lifted the stock Monday. Apple was up $3.36, closing at $93.88.

Buffett, 85, is the second-richest American with a net worth of $66 billion, second only to Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates at $75 billion, according to Forbes.

Buffetts wealth is derived mainly through Omaha, Neb.-based Berkshire, where for decades he has made shrewd, long-term investments in financial and manufacturing companies, earning him the nickname the Oracle of Omaha.

Berkshires major investments are in companies such as American Express Co., Coca-Cola Co. and Wells Fargo & Co.

Buffett also is well-known for mostly staying away from technology companies, which he professed not to understand fully, even though Gates sits on Berkshires board and the two are longtime bridge partners.

One exception: Berkshire owns a stake in International Business Machines Corp. valued at about $12.3 billion.

And Buffett reportedly was not the one who picked Apple. The investment was made by one of Berkshires stock-picking lieutenants, CNBC and the Wall Street Journal quoted Buffett as saying via email.

They also reported Buffett as saying that he might support a potential bid by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert to acquire Yahoo Inc.s Internet assets, but Buffett said he would not make bid himself, partly because I dont know the business.

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.

Buffett and Berkshire did not immediate respond to a request for comment.

Buffett has always prided himself on, I stick with what I know, and I just dont know tech, said Lawrence Cunningham, research professor of law at George Washington University and the author of four books on Berkshire.

Speaking of Berkshires other portfolio managers, Cunningham said, My headline for this story isnt so much that Warren is now warm and fuzzy on tech but that his brain-trust is much larger than it has ever been.

Berkshire likely is taking advantage of the drop in Apples stock price that came as Apple posted its first quarterly sales decline in 13 years and a drop in profit, largely due to a slowdown in sales of the iPhone, iPad and other devices.

Apple traded above $130 a share last summer.
A woman who in 2013 sued the Church of Scientology, private detectives and others, claiming she was relentlessly stalked, harassed and subjected to dirty tricks, has asked that the suit be dropped.

Monique Rathbun wasnt a Scientologist but in 2006 married Marty Rathbun, a former high church official. She filed the motion for dismissal last week in Comal County district court.

It awaits a signed order by Judge Dib Waldrip to become final.

The suit claimed that the hostile campaign against the Rathbuns began in Ingleside on the Bay in 2011, when a confrontational church group called the Squirrel Busters began following them around and surveilling them.

It continued after the couple moved to Bulverde in 2012 when a surveillance camera was found near their home, the suit claimed.

They are really trying to psy-op Monique, to cause her grief and hardship, said Marty Rathbun, who is seen by the church as a heretic, after the suit was filed in 2013.

While court testimony in the suit was damaging to the church, the litigation failed thus far to achieve one of its critical objectives  to force church leader David Miscavige, the alleged mastermind of the harassment campaign, to come to Texas and give sworn testimony.

It also showed no sign of being resolved anytime soon. Church lawyers in February filed a 92-page motion with the Supreme Court of Texas, appealing a critical lower court ruling that the actions taken against the Rathbuns by the church did not qualify as free speech.

Earlier this year, Monique Rathbun dismissed her attorneys.

Contacted Monday, Marty Rathbun said that neither he nor his wife would have any comment beyond the statements made in the latest court pleadings.

In her motion, Monique Rathbun stated without elaboration that her former lawyers said that the purposes for which the suit was filed had been achieved.

But Ray Jeffrey, who led the legal team representing her, said he was mystified by the end of the litigation.

The entire legal team is extremely disappointed by this turn of events. We felt we were at the point of real success, he said Monday.

We had won at the court of appeals, and believe it was unlikely the Supreme Court would overrule, so we were looking forward to a jury trial in New Braunfels, he said.

Jeffrey said the lawyers always had a wonderful professional relationship with Monique Rathbun, adding, We never had any disagreements or problems with her.

Officials at the media relations office of the Church of Scientology did not respond Monday to a request for comment on the latest developments.

jmaccormack@express-news.net
WASHINGTON  The phrase illegal aliens conjures negative images, which is why the Library of Congress decided this spring to drop it from its cataloging system.

But a debate continues on Capitol Hill, and in the latest round, Rep. Joaquin Castro is seeking to preserve the Library of Congress decision amid Republican-led efforts to force the worlds largest library to reverse course.

Its dehumanizing, Castro said of alien. Even though these folks are not American citizens, theyre not creatures from outer space.

Representing the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Castro, D-San Antonio, on Monday requested that the House Appropriations Committee reject wording in a spending bill that would order the Library of Congress to restore illegal aliens, as well as aliens, to its subject headings for materials it collects.

The library, citing confusion, announced in March that it would scrap the term illegal aliens and replace it with unauthorized immigration in subject headings in a system for cataloging materials since the 19th century that is copied by many libraries across the country.

The term illegal aliens has taken on a pejorative tone in recent years, the library wrote in announcing the change.

At the same time, the library said it would from now on use the word noncitizens rather than aliens.

The word alien, the library said in its decision, has become somewhat problematic because of its several dictionary definitions, one of which means beings from another planet.

The library said it was acting on a formal request from Dartmouth College, where a group of students assisted by the American Library Association took initiative to press for the change. Rather than aliens, they recommended the phrase undocumented immigrants. The library said no.

Not all undocumented people are, or intend to be, immigrants, and many of them do in fact have documents of some type, the library concluded.

Soon after the decision, a movement headed by Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., sprouted on Capitol Hill aimed at forcing the library to back off.

By trading common-sense language for sanitized political-speak, they are caving to the whims of left-wing special interests and attempting to mask the grave threat that illegal immigration poses, Graves said last month in announcing her legislation.

Blacks bill has drawn 35 co-sponsors, all Republican. Nine of them are Texans, among them Rep. Lamar Smith of San Antonio.

The Library of Congress also is getting criticism from groups that want to tighten immigration curbs.

Theyre trying to redefine a clear legal term and make it more obscure. Control the language, and you control the way people think about an issue, said Ira Mehlman, media director for the Federation for American Immigration.

Castros letter also was signed by representatives of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus. Their intent, they said, is blocking an effort to insert the GOP-led wording into a spending bill that includes the Library of Congress budget allocation for next year.

The Library of Congress should be allowed to do its work without Congress micromanaging, Castro said in an interview.

bill.lambrecht@hearstdc.com
HOUSTON  The owner of a small Texas trucking company, whose 18-wheeler was used without permission by federal agents in a botched Zetas Cartel sting that left the driver dead, wants the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his case.

Craig Patty, the owner, filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. government seeking up to $6.4 million in damages over the November 2011 incident, which played out in broad daylight in northwest Houston.

An appeals court in New Orleans dismissed the suit in March, and Patty has appealed that decision to the nations highest court, asking that the suit be reinstated.

The facts of this case are straight out of a Hollywood movie, and yet are completely true and undisputed, Houston lawyer Andy Vickery stated in recent petition to the high court.

Patty has said he wants to be compensated for the damage to his truck and his business, but also wants to shed public light on the case. Many of the governments motions filed in the case were kept under seal in order to protect the secrecy of Drug Enforcement Administration operations.

The government has contended it needs discretion when it comes to fighting crime and that Pattys truck was an important tool in the investigation.

The truck was carrying a load of marijuana from the Texas-Mexico border to Houston, and was being shadowed by numerous law-enforcement officers. During the trip, however, it was run off the road and attacked by gangsters in three sport-utility vehicles.

The trucks driver, Lawrence Chapa, who was secretly working for the DEA, was shot and killed. During the confusion, a plainclothes Houston police officer shot and wounded a plainclothes Harris County sheriffs deputy.

Four men were convicted in Chapas death. The last was Eric DeLuna, who had been charged with capital murder in state district court but leaded guilty to a lesser charge and got 30 years.

Pattys lawyers contend the DEA has refused to pay for damages as well as protect him and his family from retaliation by the Zetas Cartel, one of the most violent of Mexicos underworld drug organizations.

He feared that the cartel might come after him on learning that the truck belonged to his company, his lawyer noted in the petition recently sent to the Supreme Court for consideration.

Pattys insurance refused to pay for repairs, saying that the truck was used in the commission of a crime, even though Patty did not know that his driver was also secretly working for the DEA while on company time.

The DEAs plan involved having Chapa drive the load of marijuana from the border to the Houston area, and that when it was delivered, federal agents and police would sweep in and make arrests.

The truck was attacked before it could reach its destination.

dane.schiller@chron.com
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AUSTIN  Leading Texas lawmakers said Tuesday they intend to limit the use of emergency leave by state government agencies following news reports that its being used to keep paying some employees after they depart from their jobs.

We will be tightening it up, and we need to know what the best way to do that is, said Senate Finance Committee Chair Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, citing concerning reports about the use of emergency leave at some of our agencies.

The same message came from the House as lawmakers look ahead to the regular legislative session that convenes in January.

The House is concerned that some state agencies are abusing a personnel provision that should be reserved for very specific circumstances. I will work with colleagues to see how we should limit this practice and ensure that agencies use taxpayer dollars appropriately, said House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio.

News reports that emergency leave may be functioning at times as severance pay for departing employees prompted Nelson to raise the topic at a Tuesday Finance Committee hearing, where lawmakers discussed the issue with staff of the comptrollers office and Legislative Budget Board.

Concern came from Republicans and Democrats alike.

While acknowledging that current law is vague, Sen. Royce West said its a breach of fiduciary duty for an agency head to use the emergency leave provision to provide a severance package.

Thats not an emergency, said West, D-Dallas. Its a wrong use of taxpayer dollars, in my judgment.

Under state law, emergency leave is for employees who have a death in their family or who have shown good cause for getting the pay while not working.

Its use currently is overseen by state agency heads who grant the leave. The state auditor also has responsibility for providing a uniform interpretation of leave provisions, said Phillip Ashley, deputy director of the state comptrollers office. But he said the auditors office hasnt imposed restrictions on emergency leave beyond whats in the law.

Tuesdays discussion came after the Dallas Morning News reported that two of Attorney General Ken Paxtons top staff members were paid after having departed from their jobs. The Houston Chronicle/San Antonio Express-News reported that the same occurred with a third Paxton aide.

The payments were offered under emergency leave, an arrangement that has raised questions since it was revealed.

The Morning News further reported that the practice has occurred in a number of state agencies. One agency, the Texas Water Development Board, told the Dallas newspaper that the leave was used to pay severance.

Records released to the Houston Chronicle/San Antonio-Express News last week show that providing emergency leave to employees who have resigned is rare.

The records, which cover about 100 of the approximately 120 state agencies over the last three fiscal years, show that 59 state employees at 14 agencies were on emergency leave for more than two weeks in their last month on the payroll. The leave time added up to about 20,000 hours, or roughly nine work years.

Many of those employees had justifiable reasons for being on leave in their last month on the payroll, however. Many of them, for example, were on emergency leave because they were put on leave for disciplinary reasons and then ultimately were fired.

It is much more common for state agencies to use bonuses to provide defacto severance to departing employees. A Houston Chronicle/San Antonio Express-News analysis last year found that employees had given out $50 million in bonuses to about 24,000 departing employees.

As lawmakers focused on emergency leave Tuesday, Nelson said she understands its value when the circumstances are appropriate. The question, she said, is how do we ensure that it is being used appropriately, and what are some ways that we could provide proper oversight?

Legislation may be needed, Nelson said. Other options include having the state auditors office provide guidance as part of its function of overseeing leave; or requiring that the use of leave be reported to lawmakers or the Legislative Budget Board. Such a reporting requirement could be put into the state budget.

Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said its clear that action is needed.

Its obvious that we are going to have to provide some more top-down guidelines, Bettencourt said. These leaves were not common sense.

Change may not come easy, even with new guidelines, said Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin.

Problem with trying to legislate on this? Cant fix stupid, he said.

pfikac@express-news.net

brian.rosenthal@chron.com

Twitter: @pfikac

Twitter: @brianmrosenthal
AUSTIN  A state district judge ruled Tuesday that a state law barring the use of audio and video produced by the Legislature in political ads is likely unconstitutional, blocking enforcement of a two-decade-old ban that critics said was aimed at protecting incumbents from election challengers.

A tea party House candidate challenging one of Speaker Joe Straus' lieutenants in a runoff sued the Texas Ethics Commission to strike down the law that prohibits the use of audio and video from the floor of the House and Senate, along with committee hearings, in political ads.

State District Judge Brent Gamble granted a temporary injunction requested by Briscoe Cain, a Harris County law in a May 24 runoff with state Rep. Wayne Smith, R-Baytown.

Cain wants to use footage in his campaign ads of Smith from the House floor during the 2013 and 2015 legislative sessions. According to a court filing, Cain is planning to use the taxpayer-funded footage of Smith in ads on "social media websites."

The law prohibits "a person from using in political advertising any audio or visual materials produced by or under the direction of the legislature or of a house, committee, or agency of the legislature." It carries a fine of up to $5,000.

Cain sued the ethics commission, which enforces the law, in late April and claimed the state was engaging in censorship and trying to stifle political speech. Cain also charged that the state law amounted to nothing more than protection for incumbents who did not want potentially unflattering footage of their work at the Capitol to appear in political ads.

"Overall it's a win for the First Amendment because it allows anybody in the state of Texas to use audio and video produced by taxpayers to hold elected officials accountable," said Trey Trainor, a lawyer representing Cain.

The law originally was passed in 1995 and amended in 2013 by state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, "to impose additional limits on the use of audio or visual materials produced by or under the direction of the legislature," according to a bill analysis.

Legal experts had predicted the law would be thrown out by a judge, and the current and former chairman of the ethics commission also cast doubt on whether the Legislature could place prohibitions on the use of the taxpayer-funded footage.

The ethics commission recommended before the start of the 2015 legislative session that lawmakers repeal or narrow the law. The suggestion was ignored.

It led to a somewhat awkward situation when the lawsuit was filed last month and Attorney General Ken Paxton's Office refused to represent the ethics commission in the case.

Paxton's office never explained why it was refraining from the case, but ethics commission Chairman Chase Untermeyer said the attorney general's office also thought the law was unconstitutional. The ethics commission ended up hiring an outside lawyer, Eric Nichols, a former deputy attorney general for criminal justice to defend the state in the case.

Nichols did not return a request for comment Tuesday.

Gamble's ruling Tuesday is not the final say in the case. The law has been blocked and ruled unconstitutional for the time being, Trainor said.

A trial, which will be overseen by Gamble, has been set for Dec. 5, just weeks before the start of the next legislative session.
Malaysia Airlines Flight Debris Likely Found, Many Months Later

FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the Internet.

We often take for granted the amazing capabilities, power, and reliability of technology. For example, without giving it much thought, we often put ourselves in high-tech cylinders that take us many thousands of feet into the air, propel us through the sky at hundreds of miles per hour, and safely land us in destinations all over the world.

But, unfortunately, technology is not perfect. We were reminded of this fact in March 2014 when Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing and then could not be found in the ensuing months, notwithstanding unprecedented technological search efforts.

And now, more than two years after the flight disappeared, Malaysian and Australian authorities report that two pieces of aircraft debris located a couple months ago on beaches in South Africa and Mauritius "almost certainly" are from MH370, according to BBC News.

MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur and was bound for Beijing. There were 239 people on the plane. The plane vanished en route, and it was assumed to have plummeted into the ocean after straying off course.

Three different ships have searched a 120,000 square kilometer area of the southern part of the Indian Ocean. But that search has not yielded any sign of the missing aircraft.

BBC News reports that overall five pieces of debris have been confirmed as "definitely or probably" from MH370. Each of these debris pieces was located thousands of miles from the aforementioned search zone. Yet, each was deemed within area models of where ocean currents could cause the debris to be deposited.

These pieces of debris have been found from July 2015 through March 2016 (all long after the plane disappeared) on Reunion Island, Mozambique, South Africa and Mauritius.

Apparently, the continuing underwater search relating to MH370 could cease very soon. And based simply on the debris found so far, without the black boxes and the primary body of the plane, it may never be determined why the aircraft crashed into the sea. This provides little solace to family members of those who lost their lives on this flight. Moreover, the dearth of information on the cause of the crash adds fuel to those who suspect terrorism.

Fortunately, technology usually works very well. Despite the occasional aviation accident , air travel still is considered the safest form of transportation on a per mile traveled basis. Nevertheless, MH370 provides a stark reminder that there can be terrible technological failures, whether the fault of the technology itself or caused in whole or in part by human intervention.

Eric Sinrod (@EricSinrod on Twitter) is a partner in the San Francisco office of Duane Morris LLP, where he focuses on litigation matters of various types, including information technology and intellectual property disputes. You can read his professional biography here. To receive a weekly email link to Mr. Sinrod's columns, please email him at ejsinrod@duanemorris.com with Subscribe in the Subject line. This column is prepared and published for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author's law firm or its individual partners.

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WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court announced Monday in an unsigned unanimous opinion that it would not rule in a major case on access to contraception and instructed lower courts to explore whether a compromise was possible.

The ruling was the latest indication that the eight-member court is exploring every avenue to avoid 4-4 deadlocks, even if the resulting action does not decide the question it had agreed to address.

The case, Zubik vs. Burwell, was brought by religious groups that object to providing insurance coverage for contraception to their female employees.

Less than a week after the case was argued in March, the court issued an unusual unsigned order asking the parties to submit supplemental briefs on a possible compromise. In Mondays ruling, the court said those briefs suggested that a compromise was possible but should be forged in the lower courts.

The top court urged the lower courts to allow the parties sufficient time to resolve any outstanding issues between them.

The justices emphasized that they were deciding nothing.

The court expresses no view on the merits of the cases, the opinion said. In particular, the court does not decide whether petitioners religious exercise has been substantially burdened, whether the government has a compelling interest or whether the current regulations are the least restrictive means of serving that interest.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor filed a concurrence, which was joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, underscoring the limited nature of the courts action and cautioning lower courts not to read anything into it.

Todays opinion does only what it says it does: affords an opportunity for the parties and courts of appeals to reconsider the parties arguments in light of petitioners new articulation of their religious objection and the governments clarification about what the existing regulations accomplish, how they might be amended and what such an amendment would sacrifice, Sotomayor wrote.
The chairman of the Dagon University Arakan Students Union, Ko Soe Min Tun said to Narinjara News: War refugee children in our Arakan State are facing difficulties in continuing their education because they have had to move from their areas. So, we held this campaign to collect funds for children to be able to continue their education. I want to tell local and overseas donors to help us as much as they can.

Ko Ye Min Oo, an advisor to the Arakan Students Union, said: This is the first step for ethnic people who want to participate in [activities to] stop the fighting. On other days we will go out and ask for donations. It is not enough [to address] only organisations within the country. We will [also] urge international organisations and other countries to provide assistance.

He explained that the government alone cannot solve the childrens education issues.

He said: Schools are opening soon and there arent any school supplies for children. The government alone cannot solve this issue. We all need to solve it together. Civil war happens because of those that desire war. When there are wars in the ethnic areas, the ethnic people lose their rights. Thats why we will continue with this campaign.

Over 10 students from the Arakan Students Union attended the protest. They held placards that said: Stop War, All Ethnic People Need to Participate for Internal Peace and Support Education of Child Refugees from War.

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
Ethnic Affairs Minister Nai Htet Lwin made this statement on Saturday [May 14] at a meeting hosted by the Rangoon Ethnic Literature and Culture Committee at the K.H Hotel in Rangoon.



Group photo of ethnic affairs minister and

ethnic group representatives (Photo: MNA) Group photo of ethnic affairs minister andethnic group representatives (Photo: MNA)

Attendees included representatives from the Shan, Karenni, Karen, Arakanese, Mon, Lishu and Taang ethnic groups.

Nai Htet Lwin went on to say that ethnic groups must work toward developing their own literature and culture to become strong and long lasting.

During the U Thein Sein administration and in accordance with the 2008 Constitution, ethnic ministers were appointed after being elected from respective states and regions based on the ratio of ethnic populations there. Now, the National League for Democracy (NLD) administration has appointed a union-level ethnic affairs minister, Nai Htet Lwin, who is ethnically Mon.

Before, when we were in Thailand, we spoke in English. They did not understand. They could not speak it. So, we had to have a mediator. But nowadays, we can see them using English words even in their TV commercials. So they could now compete in the world. If they only stick to their language, they wont be able to face up to the world. I am a Mon ethnic, and if I speak Mon to you all now, who can talk back in Mon? So, I have to talk in Burmese. It is true that we have to maintain our literature, but we do not have to bond to it.

Topics at the meeting included securing support from the ethnic affairs ministry to teach native languages, opening research offices for groups to access information on ethnic issues, and holding ceremonies to read ethnic literature and culture materials.

The government said the Shan language that is being taught in Shan State is not for the Shan people in central Burma. The Shan people there wont be able to speak Shan. In the future, the literature and culture will disappear. For this matter, we would like the ethnic affairs minister to authorize teaching across the country for Shan people to be able to learn their language. Then, we would like to get support from the government to teach mother tongue, said Sai Leang Han, secretary of the Shan Literature and Culture Association (Rangoon).

Although it was announced that a ministry of ethnic affairs would be established, there are so far no appointed administrative staff members, departments have not been opened in states or regions, and the government has not yet allocated the ministry a budget, according to U Win Naing, chief director of the ethnic affairs ministry.
In the face of a tough global wool market the British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB) are working hard to maximise producer returns through a range of new marketing initiatives.

BWMB chairman Ian Buchanan explained: "It is no secret that wool prices are under pressure this year, resulting in producer returns being lower than in 2015, as is the case for wool producers across the globe.

"This is a result of the strong sterling for most of the selling season coupled with a weak New Zealand dollar."

Price table

Looking at the UK in particular Mr Buchanan said prices for some breeds may be harder hit than others due to a downturn in the demand for carpet style wools.

"In the last six months there has been a continued demand for the fine and medium wools as a result of Chinese interest.

"It would be easy to look at the overall average price for all wools, however, of greater interest and importance are the individual breed prices.

"Fine and medium wools such as Texel and Lleyn wool are expected to average 1.02/kg, with Cheviot wool at 1.20/kg and Romney wool around 1.12/kg.

"The carpet wool market has been tougher, due to tight price boundaries being pushed by retailers and the increasing use of polypropylene.

"On the lowest end of the scale we expect Swaledale wool to make in the region of 40p/kg, Blackface an average of 61p/kg and Welsh wool about 45p/kg based on current market trends in recent months.

"Of course no one wants to see wool prices slipping and that is why BWMB is investing in new marketing initiatives to drive demand."

In March 2016 the Board, with support from the Campaign for Wool (CfW), launched a new trade show for carpets held in London.

"This was the first show of its kind held in London and was well supported by the UK carpet industry and was aimed specifically at carpet retailers, manufacturers and the interior design sector.

"The UK is still a major market for using British wool in carpets and with a difficult retail market in the UK, the show proved timely and successful, with commitments from the manufacturers already for next years show.

"Clearance rates at BWMB auction sales over the last few months have been strong and there is still demand for quality British wools.

"BWMBs continuing development of its Quality Control Scheme last spring has helped maintain that demand, providing buyers with assurance of the wool they are buying and allowing them to pass that confidence on to their customers," he explained.

This and the investment in marketing being made by BWMB are just two of the tangible benefits producers can see when marketing their wool through the Board.

"The BWMB is the only way to achieve the true market value for your wool. The wool market, by its nature, will always be a competitive one and through its collaborative and cooperative nature BWMB is well placed to deliver the best returns for producers.

"Collective marketing through BWMB delivers many benefits, not least the opportunity for wool to be sold via the Boards competitive auction system, a proven method over many years delivering the best possible returns for wool producers."
The eggs on Britains supermarket shelves could be completely free range within 10 to 15 years if the change in the market continues at its current rate.

That is the view of Tom Willings, former agriculture director with Noble Foods, now a freelance consultant, although still working for Noble.

Mr Willings told those attending the Pig and Poultry Fair at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire that demand for cage and barn eggs was continuing to fall whilst demand for free range was increasing.

Former agriculture director with Noble Foods, Tom Willings

He said that, if the current trend towards cage-free production in the United States crossed the Atlantic, the switch to free range in the UK could increase.

US egg industry leaders are estimating that more than half of the countrys 300-million-bird flock will have to be moved over to cage-free production by 2025 to meet the cage-free commitments made by leading retailers and foodservice companies.

Walmart, Subway, Costco, McDonalds, Burger King, Nestle, Sodexo, Aramark, Heinz, Starbucks and Compass Group have made the commitment. Cruise companies Carnival and Royal Caribbean are also going cage-free.

Less than 39% of retail trade

"Will we see similar changes here? Well, its happening already," said Tom Willings.

"The long term trend is the growth of free range at the expense of intensive demand. Its not just cage eggs.

"Barn, one potential alternative value egg, is on a similar trajectory.

"Since 2009 cage and barn demand combined has fallen from 50 per cent of retail trade to less than 37 per cent.

"Meanwhile, free range has grown from 45 per cent to 59 per cent.

"Extrapolating that rate of change, there would be no eggs from cages on shelves in another 15 years. How many years before we lack the critical mass to make the large colony sites viable? 10?"

Whilst US producers will be going cage-free, the bulk of that production is unlikely to be free range, which still accounts for a small part of the market in the US than the UK despite the successful introduction of Noble Foods happy egg brand.

Most producers are likely to opt for multi-tier aviary units to enable them to have enough birds to meet the demand for eggs.

Here in the UK, where the industry has pioneered higher welfare egg production, more than half of retail eggs now come from free range units. However, cage eggs still account for a very large part of the UK egg market, although they are from enriched colony units.

More likely to be free range

Tom Willings said he thought that, if the UK went cage-free, the replacement production was more likely to be free range than barn units.

"The cost of producing barn eggs today in the few houses that still exist over here is close enough to free range as makes no difference.

"Converting colony buildings to barn production could be an option, but I dont see it.

"Conversion costs would be astronomical, especially considering the reduction in volume by as much as 60 per cent," said Tom during his speech at the Pig and Poultry Fair.

In the United States, the cost of converting 150 million cage hens to non-cage is estimated at $6 billion.

Chad Gregory, president and CEO of United Egg Producers, recently told the Ranger that he thought it would be impossible for the egg industry to meet the 2025 deadline set by most of the companies committing to cage-free.

But the commitment is gathering pace across the other side of the Atlantic, driven by an effective campaign by animal welfare activists.

Retailers are turning their backs on cage eggs

Tom Willings believes that the recent moves in the United States could cause leading retailers in this country to turn their backs on enriched cage eggs.

"A long term commitment made by UK grocers leaping on the Yank tag is possible, and it wouldnt surprise me if it happened," he said.

"The question is what to replace colony with. Why not barn? In my view this would be unsustainable."

He said that the cost of barn production was too close to the cost of free range production to make a move to barn sensible.

However, he said that cage production could be living on borrowed time.

"Its reasonable to expect that a grocers announcement signalling the end of caged egg would precipitate a number of similar decisions by their competitors.

"Equally, announcing a change in policy without consistency between welfare standards in manufactured foods and whole table egg would leave the company open to criticism.

"So, bearing in mind that 75 per cent of eggs consumed in this country are bought via supermarkets, it could be that all of our colony production could become redundant to the UK market and, hypothetically, could be converted to barn."

'North of 400 million'

Mr Willings said he had worked out the cost of converting the UKs remaining enriched cage production to barn.

He said it was 'north of 400 million,' but he questioned whether cage converted to barn would be any more acceptable to consumers.

"I would anticipate that welfare lobby groups could also downgrade barn production in their reckoning in the absence of colony. Therefore, the pressure to reform returns.

"Another 400 million to participate in a market in terminal decline on top of the ongoing loans to be repaid by those who have just re-invested in the colony system, watching your product treated as a loss leader, knowing that even a fair share of nil margin is still nothing.

"For a stop gap solution to a problem that, arguably, doesnt exist? After all, we are heading towards free range, he said.

"I just dont see it  not from the producers perspective, not from the lenders perspective and, ultimately, not from the consumers perspective.

"Even with the appetite and the resources, by the time any transition to barn is completed the market will have moved on again.

"Look back at the advent of the cage ban and understand the turbulence brought about by such change," he said.

"Overlapping supply of new and old meaning chronic over-capacity, followed by shortages that destabilised even the most established customer relationships, followed by knee-jerk further expansion in an attempt to capitalise on firm market prices that are now long gone and unlikely ever to return.

"A move from cage to barn would bring about a repeat of this rollercoaster and possibly even pave the way for imports as well.

"The right way forward has to be decided on sound consumer research."

He said if it was found that a caged egg was no longer acceptable to a large enough majority, then a steady and structured move to replace it with free range over the next decade would make much more sense.
Ahead of Tuesday's (17th May) EU Farm Ministers meeting, co-operative Copa & Cogeca have urged the EU to step up efforts to solve the worsening agriculture situation and outline how best to tackle climate change.

Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen warned: "Despite measures agreed by the EU, the market situation has not improved.

"We have been hit badly by the Russian ban on farm exports which was our main destination for our exports.

"A priority for the EU must be to re-open this market. The EU Commission must also step up its efforts to find new export markets and boost promotion measures.

"Member States also need to ensure that aid from the package agreed last September is paid out as only a fraction has reached farmers until now."

Mr Pesonen went on to highlight the contribution agriculture and forestry make to fighting climate change.

"We are committed to making it work to help combat climate change.

"We welcome the Paris global climate deal which stresses that agriculture must adapt in a balanced way without jeopardizing food production.

"In the upcoming legislation on climate change, there consequently needs to be flexibility between the sectors included in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and non-Emissions Trading Scheme (non-ETS)."

Copa Vice-President Henri Brichartis sets to press the demands at a high-level meeting with the Dutch Presidency on Tuesday.
Dairy farmers are being urged to get-to-get grips with their milk contracts and review nutritional inputs to ensure they are maximising the available revenue from every litre produced.

Bethany May, ruminant nutritionist at Trident Feeds explains that many producers are paid based on individual milk component percentages that fall into different banding payments and for this reason, feeding to maintain butterfat is crucial.

"The important thing to note is that if the required contract standards aren't being met, monitored and maintained, revenue per litre and total income can vary greatly.

"This is why producers really need to understand their contract inside out," says Bethany.

"It's important for producers to consider using protected fats to push milk fat and protein production as high as possible to get the fat percentage required to get into the higher paying band," she adds.

"Using the Arla May milk contract as an example, if the current price is 19.75ppl, the result of adding a rumen protected fat, such as Butterfat Extra to increase milk fat from 3.7% to 4%, with an extra litre of milk also produced, could increase payments to 20.40ppl.

"This is due to the quality improvement and the fact this shifts the butterfat percentage into the higher paying band," says Bethany.

"When the net cost of feeding Butterfat Extra is taken into account, on a cow yielding 36 litres, the return is 15p/cow/day more for your milk, which equates to an extra 22.50 a day for a 150 cow herd."

Bethany acknowledges that Arla is just one example of the many milk contracts that offer constituent payments but she says that it is very important that individual producers get-to-grips with their contract to help focus on nutrition and maximise revenue per litre and total income.

"It's understandable that many farmers have now turned their cows out with the view of utilising as much high quality, low cost fresh grass as possible to help lower production costs and maximise profit margins," says Bethany.

"However, it's important that they consider when going into summer, grass is typically low in structural fibre which is required to help milk fat production, high in soluble sugars and additionally rich in oils, which are often the forgotten contributors to lowering milk fat percent.

"And even the best quality swards, grazed in optimum conditions within the UK, will only realistically provide high yielding cows with a sustainable maintenance plus 15-20 litres.

"So, for the most cost effective production, cows require an appropriately formulated buffer feed to optimise feed conversion efficiency from grass," she explains.

Bethany explains that as a starting point there should be a source of structural fibre such as chopped straw or hay, as well as complementary cereal silage such as whole crop or maize.

"Adding a digestible fibre source, such as 1-2 kg of Sugar Beet Feed (SBF), will help supply the nutrients that fibre digesting bacteria need to produce acetate -the building block of butterfat- and reduce the acid load on the rumen.

"However, when it comes to cereal levels in the ration caution should be exercised," warns Bethany. "Low cereal prices may be attractive but over-feeding can result in increased lactic acid production in the rumen due to the rapidly available starch.

"Although this is important for supporting yield and protein content, in excess it can further lower rumen pH, increase acidosis risk and depress butterfat. It's all about getting the ratio right," she adds.
Germany is set to abstain in an EU Council vote next week, as the countrys farming and environment ministers have disagreed over the correct course of action to take on controversial herbicide glyphosate.

The two ministries are run by different political parties, which are at odds over the glyphosate issue.

Glyphosate is used in many herbicides, despite a dispute between EU and U.N. agencies over whether it causes cancer.

Experts from the EU's 28 member states will hold a closed-door meeting on Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels to discuss a draft proposal to extend by nine years approval of the herbicide.

Last month, European politicians advised that glyphosate should only be approved for another seven years, rather than the 15 proposed by the EU executive, and should not be used by the general public.

The European Commission said the new draft takes into account the opposition and maintains the proposal to ban some products because of the substances they combine with glyphosate, which could add to risks.

It said the banned "list of co-formulants" includes POE-tallowamine from glyphosate-containing pesticides.
Global trade of all grains & oilseeds has grown by about 150 million tonnes in the last five years, thereby exceeding the growth of the previous five years by more than 50 percent.

However, given the significant decline in prices, the value of these flows has dropped by more than 15 percent in the same period, to nearly USD 200 billion in 2014/15, according to Rabobanks latest report Grow with the Flow: 2016 Grain & Oilseed Trade Developments.

"While US exports have been struggling in recent years, due to the strong US dollar, exports of emerging regions with weak currencies continue to boom.

Graph 1

"This includes Brazilwhich has overtaken the US as the largest soybean exporter in the world and whose corn exports have tripled in the last five yearsas well as the Black Sea Region, which continues to show strong export growth rates," says Stefan Vogel, Global Strategist Grain and Oilseeds at Rabobank.

"The EU has also, due to very good crops in recent years, grown its grain exports by about 50 percent in the last five years."

Graph 2

Global imports are dominated, both in absolute and in growth terms, by Asia (43 percent of all imports), followed by the EU (12 percent), as well as North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and South America and Central America, which each account for about 8 percent to 11 percent of imports, with Sub-Saharan Africa showing the strongest growth rates.

Key changes in trade origins

South American exports are growing faster than those of North America. Brazil has raised its exports by an impressive 41 million tonnes, or 73 percent, in the last five years.

Soybeans and corn were the two major exported commodities, driven by strong Asian demand and, respectively, showing a doubling, as well as a tripling, in trade.

The Black Sea Region also continued its production and export growth. Ukraine, Russia and the eastern EU member states each increased their grain & oilseed (G&O) exports by about 50 percent.

Key changes in major importers

The Americas-to-Asia trade is the key driving factor of G&O trade flows worldwide.

Especially in China where in the last five years G&O imports have increased by almost 90 percent.

Other destination areas like the Middle East, South-East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa have also increased their role in the last five years.

Outlook

Global G&O trade will continue to grow, as the demand regions with the highest growth rates (i.e. Asia, the Middle East and Africa) will rely even more on imported commodities.

Trade into China will be crucial, especially for soybeans as the demand for animal feeding is further growing, while feed grain import might face challenges in the future and the country might even turn into a net exporter as the government in China has to deal with record high domestic corn stocks.

South American exports will gain further importance and even so Brazils G&O exports are still 30% lower than those of the US, the gap will close further in the next years.

Also, the liberalisation of the Argentine export system in late 2015 and a weak Argentine peso will support the countries G&O exports.
AHDB Beef & Lamb has commissioned an innovative three-year project investigating the health, welfare and performance of beef cattle on larger finishing units in England.

The project, which will be delivered by researchers from Westpoint Veterinary Group and SAC Consulting, aims to build on the current understanding of modern finishing systems and provide deeper insight into factors determining performance.

The project will focus on identifying innovations and best practice on larger beef finishing systems.

The results will allow English systems to be benchmarked against those seen in the main beef-producing regions of the world.

"Demand for red meat is forecast to increase over the coming years, so beef supply chains will need to increase production to meet this need," said Dr Mary Vickers, AHDB senior livestock scientist and project manager.

"Beef producers must also be responsive to mounting consumer interest and expectations on how their food is produced, along with sensitive issues relating to farming systems and production, such as animal welfare and climate change.

"To date, there has been little research conducted to compare finishing systems and investigate the impact that the type of finishing unit has on the performance, health and welfare of cattle."

A number of beef finishing units are needed to take part in a survey as part of the project.

Suitable farms must have at least 200 finishing places and would be expected to welcome a member of the project team to their unit.

During the visit, information will be collected on factors likely to influence cattle health, welfare and performance.

Each farm will receive a copy of the information and a final report so that they can benchmark themselves against others.

Where areas of an enterprise that may benefit from implementing current best practices are identified, individual recommendations will be provided.

Findings from the project will be communicated to the wider industry, so that best practices identified can be implemented across other finishing units.

Dr Lindsay Heasman, project manager added: "Results from the project will improve our understanding of factors affecting cattle health, welfare and production on large finishing units and benchmark our finishing systems against those overseas."
OMSCo has won a prestigious Soil Association BOOM (Best of Organic Market) Innovation award at a glittering ceremony held at Borough Market Hall in London.

Previously known as the Organic Food Awards, the awards showcase the best in organic throughout the UK.

OMSCo, (the Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative), the largest 100% organic dairy supplier in the UK, has seen a hugely successful 12 months through the execution of creative marketing initiatives.

An historic agreement in 2015, with CROPP in the USA, brought together the two largest organic cooperatives in the world providing international opportunities for both to share.

CROPP, trading as Organic Valley, has exclusive marketing and distribution rights to OMSCos Kingdom Cheese brand, which has recently had three new flavours added to the range to meet strong US demand.

As a result of such opportunities, in 2015 OMSCo became the UKs largest organic cheese and whey producer, a position won exclusively from export sales.

Another partnership with an independent cheese business has seen organic mozzarella for the USA market manufactured using specialist USDA-compliant organic milk.

In December 2015, OMSCo gained the first ever organic accreditation from the Soil Association to market products in China; a major achievement. China is obviously a major global market and gives OMSCo huge growth potential.

The first shipment of UK produced organic UHT milk has been delivered to China this week in partnership with Organic Valley.

"On behalf of OMSCo, Im delighted to receive this award, which acknowledges the work weve done to grow the demand for organic milk and milk products.

"Credit has to be given to the professionalism and adaptability of the OMSCo members that has allowed us to expand in to new markets around the world," says Richard Hampton, OMSCos managing director.

"OMSCos success demonstrates the global consumer demand for sustainable, organic products. This could have significant implications for the wider food industry and food production.

"Its critical the consumer is considered for future success, and for confidence in UK food production," he concludes.
The RSPCA has apologised to the Farmers Union of Wales for the charitys "adversarial and highly politicised campaigns".

The union still says many questions remain regarding the organisations conduct and that of the Charity Commission, which is responsible for monitoring charities.

Jeremy Cooper, the new Chief of the RSPCA told The Telegraph: "Of course we have made mistakes in the past, and we are very sorry about that.

"We have to be honest and admit the mistakes and acknowledge them."

The apology comes after years of criticism and negative publicity which led to a parliamentary inquiry and an independent report recommending sweeping changes to the charitys involvement with prosecutions.

Responding to the apology, FUW Deputy President Brian Thomas said: "For more than a decade the FUW repeatedly raised concerns about the conduct of the RSPCA in relation to its overtly political campaigns.

"We pursued a number of complaints with the Advertising Standards Authority and the Charity Commission, amongst others."

Mr Thomas said that while the ASA had upheld complaints against the RSPCA by the FUW, the Charity Commission had, over a prolonged period, appeared to take a passive approach to the charity.

"In response to serious complaints against the RSPCA the Charity Commission was generally dismissive and at times appeared to try and brush concerns under the carpet.

"Their passive approach to the RSPCA effectively gave the charity a green light to become more militant and more political, and we would argue that Mr Coopers public apology is at least in part a direct consequence of this failure by the Charity Commission," added Mr Thomas.

'The oldest law enforcement agency'

In 2012, the then Chief Executive of the RSPCA, Gavin Grant, described the charity as "the oldest law enforcement agency still in existence in this country", and threatened to campaign to "stop consumers drinking milk", if supermarkets were unable to differentiate between "badger friendly milk" and milk from English badger cull areas.

Similar, more ominous threats were made during a 2012 BBC Panorama documentary on the English badger cull, during which Mr Grant said that: "The spotlight of attention will be turned on those marksmen [employed to cull badgers] and on those who give permission for this cull to take place.

"They will be named and we will decide as citizens of this country whether they will be shamed."

In 2012, the FUW wrote to the President of the Association of Chief Police Officers expressing major concerns that ten police forces in the UK, including the North Wales and South Wales Forces, had agreements with the RSPCA which allowed the charity to access confidential and sensitive information about individuals contained in police records.

Concerns have also been expressed after the RSPCA tried to claim thousands of pounds for stabling and caring for horses which had been put down by the charity.

"A sinister shadow has been cast over the honourable roots of the RSPCA and the important work done by its employees.

"The only way in which to redeem its reputation is through full transparency, and a full investigation of the role played by the Charity Commission in allowing the organisation to fall into such disrepute," said Mr Thomas.

'We accept our tone on some campaigns may have been wrong'

The RSPCA said: "Our position on hunting, the badger cull and campaigns remains exactly the same but we accept our tone on some campaigns previously may have been wrong.

"The RSPCA remains as committed as ever to speaking out for vulnerable animals.

"We make no apologies for our campaigning work which has resulted in the introduction and amendment of many laws to protect our pets, wildlife, farm animals and animals used in research, but we accept we got the tone wrong sometimes.

"Likewise, we make no apologies for prosecuting people in instances where there is clear evidence of animal cruelty.

"We do however apologise for the specific incidents where we have got it wrong.

"We apologise for past mistakes where an investigation wasnt carried out to the standard we would hope, both for the animal involved and their owners.

"The RSPCA is not a political organisation and has no affiliation to any political party.

"We do, however, do everything we can to improve animal welfare and often the only way to do this is through changes to the law.

"We work with our supporters, MPs and ministers, regardless of who the government is at the time.

"The RSPCA will continue to speak out on matters where we believe animal welfare is compromised or could be improved. That does not make the RSPCA a political organisation.

"Our campaigns are carried out in accordance with charity law and the Charity Commissions published guidelines which recognise that campaigning and political activity can be legitimate and valuable activities for charities to undertake.


SSPP/SSA Troops SSPP/SSA Troops

Both armies reached an agreement on 30 April that would allow joint inspections of camps located along the Loi Say-Loi Leng ridge. The ridge is located in the south of Tangyang Town, east of the Tangyang-Mong Hsu road and west of the Salween River.

An official based at the SSPP/SSAs headquarters said: We reached an agreement to hold the inspection on [May] the 12th . We are now discussing at headquarters who will lead from our side. We have learned that the Tangyang-based Tactical Operations Commander, Colonel Wai Linn Aung, will lead the Burma Armys side. How will they carry out the inspection? If it is acceptable, it is okay for us.

An SSPP/SSA commander stationed at the front expressed frustration at some of the army's demands.

He said: They told us to fill in all the trenches and take down all the military camps because they dont want to see them when they come to inspect. What should we do? We are soldiers. This issue is unacceptable. Its an insult.

A person close to the Burma Armys North Eastern Command office in Lashio told the Shan Herald that the Burma Army wants to establish a new military base between the SSPP/SSAs military base and the Burma Army's military camps. It wants to establish the military base at a higher location than the SSPP/SSAs military base without having to engage in battles.

Last month the commander of the Burma Army North Eastern Command instructed the SSPP/SSA to clear its military camps along the Loi Say-Loi Leng ridge in Tangyang Township and gave the SSPP/SSA a 22 April deadline. The SSPP/SSA disagreed with this and when the Burma Army initially requested to hold a joint inspection of the SSPP/SSA's military camps on 27 April the SSPP/SSA did not agree.

The Burma Army has used a similar strategy in the past, requesting to hold joint inspections of SSPP/SSA positions as it made preparations on the ground to take over Tar Phar Saung Bridge in 2014 and Tar San Puu Kuu To Seik in 2015.

Although the SSPP/SSA has so far declined to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), they did sign a bilateral ceasefire with the central government during Thein Sein's time in office that officially remains in effect.

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
This is why we can't have nice things.

Some really stupid visitors to Yellowstone National Park decided that a baby bison they'd seen was "too cold," so they put it in their rental car trunk to warm it up, and drove it around for a while.

After the herd rejected the calf, the National Park Service decided to kill (or if you prefer, "euthanize") the calf, and warned tourists not to interact with animals. For, like, the billionth time.

National Park Service officials want everyone who visits Yellowstone to know that adult animals, like this calf's mom and dad, can become aggressive when they're trying to protect their young. Mothers sometimes reject offspring that have interacted with humans.

As Mark wrote here, the father and son tourists visiting the park in Wyoming received a ticket from Park Rangers for putting the bison calf in their rental car.

As dumb as these tourists were, they're not alone. There have been several similar incidents this year in the park, shared on social media in which visitors ignore the rules, get too close to animals, and pose for selfies.

In 2015, Bison seriously injured five park visitors, which makes them more dangerous by the statistics than any other animal, including predators like bear, wolves, or big cats.

From the Denver Post:

The newborn bison calf that visitors to Yellowstone National Park last week inadvisedly tried to rescue from the cold has been euthanized after efforts to reunite it with the herd were rejected, according to the National Park Service. The foreign tourists drew widespread public scorn for placing the calf in their vehicle and driving it to a park ranger station, citing their fear that the animal was in danger from the cold. They were ticketed for violating park rules that prohibit approaching closer than 25 yards. The incident prompted the NPS to issue an advisory reminding visitors of the potential consequences of such interactions and remind tourists of safety measures. Although park rangers tried repeatedly to reintroduce the calf to the herd, the other bison abandoned it. After the calf continually approached people and vehicles, creating what officials deemed a dangerous situation, the animal was killed.

Still not clear on the rules around interacting with wildlife at Yellowstone? The National Park Service explains here. Snip:

Do not approach wildlife, no matter how tame or calm they appear. Always obey instructions from park staff on scene. You must stay at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves and at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all other large animals  bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes. Do not feed any animals. It harms them and it is illegal. Bison can sprint three times faster than humans can run.  They are unpredictable and dangerous.



 Your best view may be from inside a hard-sided vehicle.



 Every year visitors are gored and some have been killed.

[via Heather Beschizza]
House of Prayer Christian Church has GI Bill eligibility revoked

House of Prayer Christian Church on Hodge Street in Fayetteville remains open despite having its GI Bill eligibility revoked.
Rightscorp, the copyright trolls whose business-model was convincing ISPs to freeze their customers' Internet access in response to unsubstantiated copyright accusations, and then ransom those connections back for $20 each, will be out of money by the end of this quarter.

Despite a massive courtroom win against Cox Cable in 2015 (and a counterbalancing gigantic fine for its robocalls), the company couldn't win a technology cat-and-mouse game against its prey  the wily file-sharers who switched to VPNs and other anonymizing technologies.

The company had tried a controversial  and illegal  expansion into Canada and other countries. It seems now that they'll be spared, unless Rightscorp's investors can be persuaded to part with $1M.



But a few things happened along the way to a year-over-year 78-percent plummet in first-quarter revenues and a loss of $784,180. Among other things, pirates are seemingly masking their IP addresses more and more, and ISPs aren't forwarding Rightscorp's money-demand letters to pirates, the company announced Monday. Still, the California-based anti-piracy company has never made a profit. Last year, it lost $3.5 million and, judging by its first-quarter earnings report released Monday, it's on course to go defunct. For the moment, the company is teetering on the brink of financial collapse. It raised $500,000 on February 22, the company reported, but it needs another $1 million to stay afloat. It has enough cash on hand to continue "into the second quarter of 2016," according to the company's latest financial report.

Anti-piracy firm Rightscorp's Q1 financials read like an obituary

[David Kravets/Ars Technica]

(Image: Torrentfreak)
Brooklyn Beckham and girlfriend Chloe Grace Moretz have made their red carpet debut as a couple.

Brooklyn Beckham and Chloe Grace Moretz

The 17-year-old aspiring photographer - who is the son of David and Victoria Beckham - flew into Los Angeles from London to surprise the 19-year-old actress in order to be by her side at the Hollywood premiere of her new comedy, 'Bad Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising', on Monday night (16.05.16) at the Regency Village Theater in Westwood, California.

Speaking to E! Online, Chloe said: "Now, it's out. It's done. Get over it. It's real. We're together and that's it! He's very sweet. He's a very, very genuine man. He's a gentle man."

And Chloe also heaped praise on Brooklyn's mother, fashion designer Victoria.

She said: "She's a sweetie, I love everything she does. We definitely give each other compliments, that's for sure."

Brooklyn took some photos of his girlfriend, who was wearing a black Alexander McQueen gown, before she took to the red carpet for press interviews and then waited patiently behind the branding boards before accompanying Chloe in the theatre.

After first sparking speculation they had rekindled their romance last month, Brooklyn has recently shared a number of pictures of himself and Chloe on his Instagram account, and described her as his "bae".

And it was recently revealed the 'Kick-Ass' actress has been given the seal of approval from David and Victoria, who are also parents to Romeo, 13, Cruz, 11, and Harper, four.

A source said: "Victoria adores her. She's even offered to help Chloe with her modelling ambitions and they've been having girlie bonding sessions with Harper.

"Victoria has been joking how it's good to finally be levelling things out with the female to male ratio in the family.

"The boys also love her and Victoria says she's become part of the family - spending weekends at their home and going for dinner at least three nights a week."
See more sample pages from this book at Wink.

GoatMan: How I Took a Holiday from Being Human

by Thomas Thwaites

Princeton Architectural Press

2016, 208 pages, 5.9 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches

$16 Buy a copy on Amazon

Thomas Thwaites has a curious idea of what it means to take a vacation, at least if the just released GoatMan: How I Took a Holiday from Being Human is any indication. What started off as a casual observation about how Queen Elizabeth's dog, Noggin, probably worries a good deal less than his royal master evolved into a quixotic book full of ruminations on ruminants. Animals, Thwaites imagined, live in the moment, free from worry, at one with the land. How wonderful to be so unburdened, he thought. So, after briefly considering becoming an elephant, he decided to try his hand at being a goat.

Along the way, Thwaites learned a good deal about goats. Humans, Thwaites tells us, have been interacting with them since 9000 BCE  from the domestication of bezoar goats somewhere in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains to the mythical, sexual subjugation of goats by the goat-horned, Greek god Pan, as depicted in a rather graphic sculpture discovered under layers of ash deposited on the city of Herculaneum by Mount Vesuvius in the year 79. Much to our relief, Thwaites just wants to be a goat, not to "do" one.

Which is not to say the book is not occasionally disgusting. The section describing the R&D behind his goat suit includes the dissection of a goat named Venus, who died of natural causes and whose skinned limbs, palm-sized brain, and oozing guts are explored in gory detail. I'll spare you. Suffice it to say that in the end, Thwaites gets his opportunity to clomp about on all fours on the steep hillsides of Switzerland, where he hangs out with a herd of Swiss goats and does what goats do  he grazes. For the record, the green-green grass, he reports, is sweeter than the blue-green stuff, which is bitter. Later, Thwaites makes a meal of the grass he'd been chewing and spitting into an artificial goat stomach, using decidedly non-goat cooking techniques to make it digestible for his human digestive system. The resulting "burnt grass stew," he confesses, was the "most unappetising meal of my life." Perhaps, though, if Thwaites had simply spent a few days hiking on two legs instead of four in this beautiful place, he would have had fewer goat concerns on his human mind.
Andy Serkis says that his version of The Jungle Book will be 'slightly darker' than the Jon Favreau film.

Andy Serkis

Serkis has made his feature film directorial debut with The Jungle Book, which is based on the original Rudyard Kipling novel.

And the actor turned filmmaker will deliver a movie that mixes live action with special effects but reveals that there will be a darker tone.

Speaking to Vulture, the filmmaker said: "Ours is for a slightly older audience. It's a PG-13, more a kind of Apes movie, a slightly darker take, closer to Rudyard Kipling's"

And while Serkis' film will have darker undertones to it than the current Disney interpretation, he says that it is ok to scare kids.

He continued: "It's great to scare kids in a safe environment because it's an important part of development, and we all loved to be scared as kids, so we shouldn't overly protect them.

Kids are so sophisticated and that is why our Jungle Book is quite dark. ... It's a story of an outsider, someone who is trying to accept the laws and customs of a particular way of living and then has to adapt to another culture, a human culture, which of course he should be able to adapt to, because this is what he is. So it's about two different species and their laws and customs, and neither are entirely right."

Serkis has brought together a terrific cast as Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hollander, Naomie Harris, and Jack Reynor are just some of the great names that are on board.

The movie is currently in post-production and won't be released until 2018.

However, Serkis is set to return to the director's chair for his first totally live action film, Breathe. The movie will see the director team up with Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy.

Serkis is currently reprising his role as Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: Episode VIII and has already completed work on War for the Planet of the Apes.

The actor is also expected to reprise the role of Ulysses Klaue in the upcoming Black Panther movie - however, that is yet to be confirmed.

by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Jeff Nichols is one of the most exciting filmmakers around and he is set to return with his new film Loving - his second feature film of the year.

Loving

The movie is set to receive its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this week and a brand new teaser trailer has been released to celebrate that premiere.

Loving is set to compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or at this year's festival and could be a first win for the filmmaker.

As well as being in the director's chair, Nichols also shows off his writing skills having penned the film's screenplay.

The movie sees the filmmaker reunite with Joel Egerton - the pair has previously worked together on Midnight Special. Egerton star alongside Ruth Negga as they take on the central roles of Richard and Mildred Loving.

Michael Shannon, Marton Csokas, Nick Kroll, and Alano Miller complete the film's cast list.

Loving celebrates the real-life courage and commitment of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving, who married and then spent the next nine years fighting for the right to live as a family in their hometown.

Their civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1967 reaffirmed the very foundation of the right to marry - making their love story an inspiration to couples everywhere.

There's currently no official UK release date for Loving but it will be released in the U.S. on 4th November.

by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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If you are a fan of Irish cinema you are in for a treat this year as we are going to see a whole host of Irish financed and directed films hit the big screen... starting this week with Sing Street.

Sing Street

Sing Street is one of the May movies that we are looking forward to the most, and to celebrate we take a look at some of the other Irish films that you cannot afford to miss going through the rest of this year.

- Sing Street

Sing Street is a movie that I have been looking forward to for some time as it marks the return of John Carney to the director's chair.

Carney has brought us movies such as Begin Again and the fantastic Once in recent years and it is always exciting to see him back. Once again, he will be mixing drama with music for his latest film project.

As well as being in the director's chair for Sing Street, Carney has also penned the film's screenplay. Sing Street mixes elements of musical. comedy and drama and received its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival at the beginning of the year.

Ferdia Walsh-Peelo is set to take on the central role of Conor 'Cosmo' Lalor and is joined on the cast list by Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor, Aidan Gillen, and Maria Doyle Kennedy; a perfect blend of established actors with up and coming stars.

Sing Street takes us back to 1980s Dublin where an economic recession forces Conor out of his comfortable private school and into survival mode at the inner-city public school where the kids are rough and the teachers are rougher. He finds a glimmer of hope in the mysterious and uber-cool Raphina, and with the aim of winning her heart, he invites her to star in his band's music videos.

She agrees, and now Conor must deliver what he's promised -calling himself 'Cosmo' and immersing himself in the vibrant rock music trends of the '80s, he forms a band with a few lads, and the group pours their hearts into writing lyrics and shooting videos.

If you are looking for a movie that is a welcome break from the blockbusters this month, look no further than Sing Street, which has already been charming audiences and critics.

- The Secret Scripture

Jim Sheridan is another exciting Irish filmmaker and he is set to return to the director's chair with his new film The Secret Scripture.

Sheridan had brought us movies such as My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father and In America during his career and The Secret Scripture is his first film since Dream House back in 2011. I don't know about you, but I am thrilled and excited to see him back.

The Secret Scripture is a big screen adaptation of the 2008 novel of the same name by Sebastian Barry and sees Rooney Mara and Vanessa Redgrave play the younger and older version of Roseanne McNulty.

Another fantastic cast list has been assembled as Eric Bana, Theo James, Aidan Turner, and Jack Reynor will star alongside Redgrave and Mara.

The Secret Scripture follows a young woman as she keeps a diary of her extended stay at a mental hospital.

No official UK release date has been announced for The Secret Scripture but it could hit the big screen later this year.

- Love & Friendship

Love & Friendship is an Irish/American movie that is an adaptation of the Jane Austen novel Lady Susan. The movie sees Kate Beckinsale return to the period drama as she takes on the central role of Lady Susan Vernon.

Love & Friendship sees Whit Stillman back in the director's chair - he has also adapted Austen's novel into a screenplay. This is the fifth feature of Stillman's career and his first since Damsels in Distress back in 2011.

Beckinsale is no stranger to the work of Austen, having starred in a television adaptation of Emma back in 1996 - it's great to see her return to the period drama.

However, it is not all about Beckinsale as she is joined on the cast list by Chloe Sevigny, Xavier Samuel, Emma Greenwell, Justin Edwards, Tom Bennett, Morfydd Clark, Jemma Redgrave, James Fleet, and Stephen Fry.

Beautiful young widow Lady Susan Vernon (Beckinsale) visits the estate of her in-laws to wait out the colourful rumours about her dalliances circulating through polite society. Whilst ensconced there, she decides to secure a husband for herself and a future for her eligible but reluctant daughter, Frederica (Clark).

In doing so, she attracts the simultaneous attentions of the young, handsome Reginald DeCourcy (Samuel), the rich and silly Sir James Martin (Bennett) and the divinely handsome, but married, Lord Manwaring (Lochlann O'Mearain), complicating matters severely.

Love & Friendship is promising to be another lavish period drama and it will hit the big screen on 27th May.

- Brain on Fire

Brain on Fire is a joint film project between Ireland, Canada, and the United States, which is based on Susannah Cahalan's memoir Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness.

Brain on Fire sees Gerard Barrett in the director's chair for what is the third feature film of his career; following on from Pilgrim Hill and Grassland. As well as being in the director's chair, Barrett has adapted Cahalan's memoir into a screenplay.

Chloe Grace Moretz is set to take on the role of Susannah Cahalan in the film and is joined on the cast list by Richard Armitage, Carrie-Anne Moss, Thomas Mann, and Tyler Perry.

Brain on Fire follows Cahalan (Moretz), a rising journalist at the New York Post who mysteriously starts having seizures and hearing voices. As weeks go by and Susannah rapidly descends into insanity, she moves inexplicably from violence to catatonia.

Following a series of outbursts, misdiagnoses and a prolonged hospital stay, a lucky last-minute intervention by one doctor finally gives her a diagnosis and hope to rebuild her life.

Brain on Fire is expected to be released later this year but no official UK release date has yet been announced. We are going to be treated to a series of biopic movies this year bur Brain on Fire is one that you really need to watch out for if you are a fan of this genre.

- The Breadwinner

Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon has already brought us wonderful films such as The Secret of the Kells and Song of the Sea - both of which were Oscar-nominated - and now they are back with The Breadwinner.

The Breadwinner is an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Deborah Ellis and is an animated film collaboration between Ireland and Canada by Cartoon Saloon.

Ellis has teamed up with Anita Doron to pen the film's screenplay while Nora Twomey takes up the director's chair for the film.

While Twomey is no stranger to the director's chair with short films From Darkness and Backwards Boys as well as a co-directing credit on The Secret of the Kells, this is her solo feature film directorial debut.

The Breadwinner follows Parvana, a young girl living in Afghanistan who must disguise herself as a boy and become the breadwinner of the family when her father is unfairly imprisoned. When faced with fear and strife, Parvana weaves a magical fable that gives her family the hope and the strength to persevere until they are all reunited once more.

While we are looking at Irish movies of 2016, I thought I would put this 2017 film on your radar. The Secret of the Kells and Song of the Sea were wonderful animation films and I cannot wait to see what they deliver with The Breadwinner. Filming is under way now.

Sing Street is released 20th May.

by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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A care worker was left speechless when she spotted Britain's Queen Elizabeth's face in a puddle in Wales.

Queen Elizabeth

Linda Hough was merrily hanging her wet washing on the line last week when she looked down and saw what appeared to be the 90-year-old monarch on the paving slab.

Speaking to the Daily Mail newspaper, Ms Hough said: "It had been raining during the early hours of Thursday morning which caused the puddle, as it was drying out in the sun later that day I just spotted this incredible looking silhouette of the Queen... the sort you'd find on our British coins.

"Everything was her from the nose, to the hair and the crown. I took a photograph and showed it to all my work colleagues who all said it was the Queen!"

Meanwhile, the long-reining monarch has just celebrated reaching the ninth decade of her life and, although her official birthday fell on April 21, she was treated to a spectacular horse display at Windsor Castle last weekend.

Elizabeth arrived at the royal residence with her husband Prince Philip in a horse-drawn Scottish state carriage, before she took her seat and watched 900 horses - 10 for each decade of her life - prance around the grounds.

The monarch had a beaming smile plastered across her face as she watched performances from the likes of James Blunt, Gary Barlow, Beverley Knight and Kylie Minogue.

Katherine Jenkins delivered the patriotic song 'I Vow to Thee My Country', while a choir version of the coronation anthem 'Zadoc the Priest' filled the stunning grounds.

Queen Elizabeth's final birthday celebration will take place next month with a Service of Thanksgiving, Trooping the Colour and a huge street party in London.
A guardsman reportedly passed out on Monday (16.05.16) while rehearsing for Trooping the Colour.

Queen Elizabeth

A gentleman had be to carried from Horse Guards Parade near London's St James' Park on a stretcher after he seemingly collapsed while practicing for the lavish annual event, held on June 11 to mark the monarch's birthday.

The parade, which will see 1,400 officers, 200 horses and 400 musicians take part, extends from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade and back again.

During the ceremony, Elizabeth will be greeted by a Royal salute and will carry out an inspection of the troops, before joining the other members of her family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for a fly-past by the Royal Air Force.

Trooping the Colour is just one of the many displays put on to celebrate the monarch's birthday as she'll also have a Service of Thanksgiving and a huge street party in London.

Her official birthday fell on April 21 but she was also treated to a horse extravaganza at Windsor Castle in Berkshire as part of a belated celebration over the weekend.

Elizabeth arrived at the royal residence with her husband Prince Philip in the horse-drawn Scottish state carriage, before she took her seat and watched 900 horses - 10 for each decade of her life - prance around the grounds.

The monarch had a beaming smile plastered across her face as she watched performances from the likes of James Blunt, Gary Barlow, Beverley Knight and Kylie Minogue.

Katherine Jenkins delivered the patriotic song 'I Vow to Thee My Country', while a choir version of the coronation anthem 'Zadoc the Priest' filled the stunning grounds.

The Earl of Wessex, his daughter Lady Louise and the Princess Royal also treated the queen to a special surprise as they appeared at the show on three of her ponies in the grand final, ahead of the speculator fireworks display.
Britain's Prince William soothes his children with water.

Prince William

The 33-year-old royal - the grandson of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip - has found the best way to settle his son Prince George, two, and 12-month-old daughter Princess Charlotte when they're distressed is by running a tap.

According to Us magazine, the prince said that although Charlotte isn't much of a crier, the sound of water running would always comfort his eldest child when he's sad.

The duke made the revelation at the launch of his charity campaign Heads Together, which he, his wife Duchess Catherine and brother Prince Harry unveiled at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London on Monday (16.05.16).

During the event, the trio - who are on a mission to stamp out stigma attached to mental health - were asked to write down something that makes them happy.

Harry, 31, said "making people smile" usually cheers him up, Catherine, 34, finds a "walk" puts her in a good mood, while William wrote his "children" are always making him proud.

Meanwhile, William regularly gushes about his little ones, whom he has with Catherine, and about how fatherhood has changed his prospective on life.

He said last year: "I'm a lot more emotional than I used to be, weirdly. I never used to get too wound up or worried about things. But now the smallest little things, you well up a little more, you get affected by the sort of things that happen around the world or whatever a lot more, I think, as a father."
When we caught up with the designer at the launch of his swanky new store in Delhis Defence Colony, he told us more about his love for Benarasi brocade. Brocade is back with a bang and its very trendy. Over a period of time, the best weavers had stopped teaching their children the traditional techniques because they were not getting any patronage. As a result, the art was dying like many of the other beautiful crafts of India. However, I want to be able to support some weavers who take pride in what they do. We do not question them about their price. We make beautiful pieces at prices we decide so that we can pass on that benefit to the weavers, said Abhishek.

Here Abhishek shares five fun facts about the ancient textile:

1) DOUBLE SIDED

Banarasi brocade is one of the oldest and most exquisite techniques that originated from Varanasi a hub of crafts and culture. Brocade is made using an elaborate technique of looming together silk and gold threads. The Kardwa technique is one of the finest examples of brocade work. It involves weaving the thread within the fabric in such a manner that there is no need to cut the excess thread on the wrong side of the fabric. The motif looks exquisite both on the front and the back of the garment.

2) MADE BY HAND

Technology has evolved over the years and has changed the way many fabrics are now produced. But in spite of this advanced technology, the most exquisite brocade is still manually woven. All weavers from Banaras still weave brocade the conventional way by using pit looms that are completely non-mechanised. This non-mechanised method produces some of the finest and most intricate brocades even today.

3) HISTORY LESSON

During the Mughal Era, around 14th century, brocade woven with intricate designs using gold and silver threads, became the speciality of Benaras.

4) JACQUARD VS BROCADE

In the early 1800s, French weaver Joseph Marie Charles invented the first mechanised jacquard loom that he created in an attempt to replicate the quality of brocade. Yet brocade still stands as the king of all techniques in India.

5) MODERN MIX

In our last collection showcased at the Amazon India Fashion Week grand finale, we engineered brocade garments in which motifs were woven in the shape of the garment's fit thereby achieving a seamlessly engineered look without the motifs being cut.
China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said that the country 's retail sales of consumer goods grew 10.1 per cent year-on-year in April, compared with the 10.5 per cent growth for March.In the first four months, retail sales were up 10.3 per cent year on year, according to the NBS data released recently.Urban consumers contributed the lion's share of the increase though rural consumer spending climbed faster than that by urbanites.Online sales in the first four months rose 27.5 per cent year on year, accounting for about 11.1 per cent of gross retail sales.

Retail sales have contributed significantly to China's economic growth as the country shifts from an export-driven economy to a consumer society.



Earlier this month, China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) reported that the country's exports in yuan-denominated terms rose 4.1 per cent year on year in April, while imports dipped 5.7 per cent. (SH)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
As the spending power of China's middle class continues to grow, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) is prodding Malaysian designers to penetrate the Chinese market, amid growing demand for more fashion labels, Malaysia's Bernama news agency has reported.Recently, two leading Malaysian fashion designers, Khoon Hooi and Melinda Looi, presented their latest Autumn Winter 2016 collections at the Shanghai Fashion Week.

As the spending power of China's middle class continues to grow, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) is prodding Malaysian designers to penetrate the Chinese market, amid growing demand for more fashion labels, Malaysia's Bernama news agency has reported. Recently, two leading Malaysian fashion designers, Khoon Hooi and#

Buyers and media from all over China were invited to the Danube Fashion Office (DFO) showroom in China's undisputed fashion capital to preview and order the latest creations of the two designers.Matrade has often emphasised the importance of Malaysian designers and labels positioning themselves in Shanghai, as the ideal platform to penetrating the Chinese market."Shanghai is poised to be at the forefront of China's fashion industry. Malaysian designers oriented towards sophisticated, modern and chic designs, should consider Shanghai as their base in China," said Matrade Shanghai Trade Commissioner, Syed Mohamad Fairus.According to China's Statistics Bureau, the total import value of garments and shoes by the country reached $6.6 billion last year, an increase of 6.4 per cent compared to the previous year.Syed Mohamad said expansion of China's middle class in recent years has also resulted positive growth in demand for imported clothing apparel."This creates lucrative business opportunities for Malaysian designers and labels", he added.He said through its five offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Hong Kong, Matrade is committed to supporting Malaysian designers and companies in their endeavor to expand to the China market.It was the second and third time respectively that Melinda Looi and Khoon Hooi highlighted their collection at DFO, which has become a must stop fashion destination for both.In the past, they have displayed their collections at tradeshows and fashion events in the historical fashion cities such as Paris, London, Milan and New York.Looi said though it was only her second season in China, she felt encouraged by the positive response from buyers and media.She added that her collections were sold in over 10 countries and expects China to become a key market for her within the next couple of years.Hooi also said the Chinese market had tremendous potential and he was further encouraged by the continuous effort at working closely with DFO."The level of sophistication of consumers in China has definitely shifted higher. I am confident that it will continue to grow", he added.Both designers chose the DFO showroom as their agent and platform of choice. It is the largest private showroom in China, and has built a solid reputation of bringing only the world's leading international designer labels to the Chinese market.For fashion designers and brands it is clear that China is the market to be in. (SH)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Chinese merchants would soon be able to sell their goods in 185 countries and regions through e-commerce giant Amazons online platform. Amazon has signed a contract with e-commerce pilot zone in Hangzhou, China, allowing traders to use its site to sell 285 million active paying customers worldwide.

Amazons global logistic network will deliver goods from China to 185 countries and regions. Cross-border sales accounts for nearly one-fourth of total revenue from third party merchants in Amazons global marketplaces.

Chinas cross-border e-commerce is expected to shore up trade, which shed 0.9 per cent in the first four months. Exports edged up by 0.3 per cent in the same period. E-commerce has balanced much of the slump in traditional exports. (NA)

Chinese merchants would soon be able to sell their goods in 185 countries and regions through e-commerce giant Amazon's online platform. Amazon has signed a contract with e-commerce pilot zone in Hangzhou, China, allowing traders to use its site to sell 285 million active paying customers worldwide. Amazon's global logistic network will deliver goods from #

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
Prime Minster Voreqe Bainimarama updated the Executive Secretary for the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, on the economic impact of Cyclone Winston and on Fijis recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath of the cyclone. He also called for greater collaboration with UNESCAP in the areas of disaster risk reduction, building economic resilience and obtaining detailed data and statistics to measure the progress of climate adaptation measures.



In their very warm and cordial discussions, the Prime Minister also reiterated the Fijian Government's initiative on the establishment of a climate change centre in Fiji to provide practical training and capacity building for small and vulnerable states. He said Fiji looked forward to working together with UNESCAP towards the establishment of such a centre for which Fiji will provide resources.


Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has sought the support of the Thai Government in building climate resilience for vulnerable small island developing states. The request was conveyed by the Prime Minister during talks in Bangkok, Thailand with the Deputy Prime Minister, General Thanasak Patimapragorn.



Prime Minister Bainimarama thanked the Deputy Prime Minister for Thailands support to Fiji in the aftermath of Cyclone Winston and reviewed Fijis efforts to rebuild and recover from the cyclone.



Weve made progress in Fiji meeting the immediate needs of Fijians affected by Cyclone Winston and we are now turning our focus to the larger task of rebuilding our nation. The damage is widespread and severe and there are still many ways our international friends, including Thailand, can help Fiji get back on its feet, said Prime Minister Bainimarama.



The Prime Minister emphasized the need for a mechanism that would allow countries like Fiji to access climate finance in order to build back better and stronger than before.



As it stands, climate change poses an unacceptable level of risk to the well-being of citizens of Fiji and other vulnerable countries. I hope that the Thai Government can promote this message and facilitate access to climate finance so we can further build our resilience to climate change, said Prime Minister Bainimarama.



The Prime Minister is currently in Thailand to attend the 72nd session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and handover his chairmanship of the 71st Commission. The meeting is covering regional cooperation and integration and reviewing key challenges to achieving inclusive and sustainable economic and social development.


SPEECH BY THE HON PRIME MINISTER AT THE 72ND SESSION OF UNESCAP (THAILAND)





Madam Executive Secretary,Excellencies,Distinguished delegates,Ladies and Gentlemen,It is my privilege as the outgoing Chair of the 71st Commission to preside over the opening of the 72nd session and to welcome you all to Bangkok. I am sure you all join me in conveying our appreciation to the Government and people of the Kingdom of Thailand for their customary hospitality.It has been a great honour for Fiji to chair the 71st session of this great organisation to which we all belong. UNESCAPs underlying mission is to advance the cause of everyone living in Asia and the Pacific by promoting sustainable development. And for all our many challenges, we can look back on a year in which we have made some genuine progress towards implementing our sustainable development goals.We have all committed ourselves to the 2030 SDG Agenda. We have made a bold commitment to the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development. We have embraced the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. And perhaps most important of all - certainly for Fiji - we came together in Paris last November and forged a historic agreement at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change. The nations of the world making a commitment to cap global warming at two degrees Celsius above the level of the pre-industrial age.Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, our biggest challenge now is to implement these global initiatives in a collaborative and concerted manner. And as the most representative and inclusive body in Asia-Pacific, ESCAP has a very strong leadership role to play in meeting that challenge.I am proud that Fiji is the first country in the world to have formally approved the Paris Agreement and lodged the instruments of ratification. And I urge all countries to follow our lead as a matter of urgency. But, Excellencies, ladies and gentleman, I also want to use this opportunity to convey a strong message to you all on behalf of Fijians and other Pacific islanders about where we need to go from here.From our perspective, Paris was merely a positive start. Much more needs to be done and we must all act quickly and decisively. The scientists tell us that a two degree cap on global warming is still not enough to save us from the rising sea levels and extreme weather events caused by climate change.Three of our number in the Pacific that are coral atolls  Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands  are still destined to slip beneath the waves altogether. Large areas of arable land on mountainous islands like those in Fiji will also be lost to the seas. And we will all be subjected to the terror of the extreme weather events that are also increasing in strength and frequency and which Fiji recently experienced.Just over three months ago, on 20 February, the biggest cyclone ever to make landfall in the southern hemisphere slammed into the Fiji group with winds of more than 300 kilometres an hour. Tropical Cyclone Winston killed 44 of our people and left a trail of devastation across much of the country. Around 40,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, along with 229 schools and other public buildings and infrastructure.We have been left with a total damage bill estimated by the World Bank at around 1.4 billion US dollars. And we are not alone. The year before, Tropical Cyclone Pam slammed into Vanuatu, killing more than 20 people and devastating the local economy.Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, fortunately in the case of Fiji, Winston spared our main tourism areas. Our international visitors kept coming and the overall impact on the Fijian economy hasnt been as great as we feared. But along with small and vulnerable States everywhere, we now face a terrifying prospect: That a single extreme weather event scoring a direct hit on us could devastate our economies for many years to come. And reverse all the development gains that we have worked so hard to achieve and that this great organisation has always supported.I come with a very sobering message today. That for all our talk of the 2030 Agenda, countries like Fiji have little or no hope of achieving their Sustainable Development Goals without the urgent assistance of the global community. We need immediate access to avenues of funding for climate adaptation  to build the resilience we must build to survive future events. Stronger homes, stronger infrastructure. And I urge you all to persuade your governments to place this at the top of the regional and global agenda.Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, history will judge the industrial nations very harshly if they leave small and vulnerable nations to their fate without extending the appropriate helping hand. We have not caused global warming. They have. And they must use a portion of the wealth they have derived from the carbon emissions of their industries to assist those of us who arent as wealthy as they are and are bearing the brunt of the crisis they created.Fiji urgently needs to access avenues of finance to build our own resilience. Yet some of these avenues have been closed off to us because we have been officially designated a middle-income nation. In a very real sense, we are being punished for our success just when we need this funding most.I call for these impediments to be lifted as a matter of the utmost urgency. Because we know a repetition of Cyclone Winston is just around the corner and we need to be better prepared. As it was, we were only just recovering from the previous event three years ago, Cyclone Evan, when Winston struck. So I appeal to you all on behalf of the citizens of all small and vulnerable nations to give finance for climate adaptation the priority it deserves.Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we also need to draw global attention to the need for more radical action to curb carbon emissions  to cap global warming lower than the two degrees agreed to in Paris. Since our last meeting, Fiji and the other members of the Pacific Islands Development Forum  including civil society and the private sector  issued what we called the Suva Declaration. Formulated at our summit in the Fijian capital before the Paris talks, this declaration calls for global warming to be capped at one-point-five degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.Unfortunately, that was judged to be too ambitious in Paris. But the Pacific Islands are sticking to our position  that a one-point-five degree cap should at least be the next step.Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Fiji is proud to be sponsoring a resolution on climate change for consideration at the 72nd session. Along with another one on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Asia Pacific.The climate change resolution is a sign of our own determination to place this issue on the regional and global agenda. I call on you all to give this resolution your support. Because while we in the Pacific may be bearing the brunt of climate change, it is a global problem and undoubtedly the greatest challenge facing the world today. And we will all be judged by future generations on how effectively we in the here and now meet the current threat.Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I repeat: All the talk in the world about sustainable development is empty rhetoric if we don't ensure the sustainable future of the one planet we all share. And guarantee sustainable lives for the many billions of global citizens looking to us for leadership on this issue.Fiji shares that sense of collective responsibility for the future of humanity. Our own carbon footprint is negligible - a mere 0.004 per cent of total global emissions. And yet we have committed to reducing our own emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, mainly by replacing fossil fuels with alternative energy sources such as hydro and solar.We are also working with UNESCAP to strengthen our disaster management processes and become a regional hub for disaster response. We are already sharing the lessons we have learned from Winston. And Fiji will be hosting a side event here on Thursday, 19 May, to explain our response to the cyclone and our recovery and rebuilding effort. The World Bank will also be with us sharing its experience in formulating the Post Disaster Needs Assessment for Winston. So I encourage you all to attend this event on Thursday at 9.00am.Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, of course there are many other complex development issues facing us all at the present time  economic uncertainty, energy security, resource constraints, rapid urbanisation, demographic and social change. Plus the special needs of women, children, the elderly and the disabled - the most vulnerable of our people who we must also place at the top of our list of priorities.But as the outgoing Chair, I hope youll excuse me for dwelling so much today on climate change. Because it has emerged as by far the biggest development challenge for Fiji and other small and vulnerable nations.I want to close by thanking those ESCAP member nations who came to Fijis assistance in the immediate aftermath of Winston and especially those who are providing ongoing support. There are still many avenues in which you can help the Fijian people, including our Adopt a School program to get our children back into proper classrooms. And I will be happy to explain that program to you and give you the necessary details.Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been very proud to lead the Fijian nation at this time. We came together in a unique and inspiring way to support each other in our hour of need. To give comfort to the bereaved and food, shelter and support to those in the direct path of Winstons fury. But the ordeal we suffered was also considerably lightened by the knowledge that we have so many loyal friends in the world.I have also been proud to chair the 71st session. So thank you again for the privilege and I wish you every success in your deliberations this week.Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.
Since the day, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has left the Mumbai for Cannes Film Festival, we have been keeping you updated with all her latest pictures. Yesterday night (May 16, 2016), Aishwarya was spotted at the Mumbai airport as she returns from Cannes.

Unseen Cozy Pictures Of Iulia Vantur With Ex-husband Go Viral

The gorgeous diva was spotted along with her daughter Aaradhya & mommy Vrinda Rai. It seems like Aaradhya was not at all in the mood to pose for the shutter bugs and the cutie was rather seen in a tired mood.

Check Out All The Pictures Here:

The Devdas actress had spoken to the media persons while leaving for Cannes, but she did not speak to them during her return.

UNBELIEVABLE! Salman, Abhishek & Shahrukh Danced TOGETHER With Iulia Vantur!

While leaving for Cannes, Aishwarya talked about looking forward to presenting her upcoming film 'Sarbjit' at the popular film festival.

The gorgeous actress was then snapped at Cannes with the members of the film -- director Omung Kumar, co-actor Richa Chadha and producers Jackky Bhagnani, Bhushan Kumar and Deepshikha Deshmukh.

Aishwarya's purple lips in a floral outfit while stepping out with her 'Sarbjit' team for the 'From The Land Of The Moon' premiere has especially made news. Regarding the constant scrutiny her outfits attract, Aishwarya joked that one day she would walk on the red carpet in a white shirt and jeans.

For the press conference of 'Sarbjit' at Cannes, she wore a black and gold outfit by Rohit Bal. She was also seen in a pink-gold Elie Saab gown, a golden Ali Younes Couture gown and red ruffled gown by Naeem Khan at various appearances during her trip.

Aishwarya represented L'Oreal as the brand ambassador and it was her 15th year at Cannes.
Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover, are currently honeymooning in the exotic Maldives and the newly-wed couple have posted several pictures from their honeymoon on their Instagram account. Bipasha, recently shared a collage in a bikini and a hat, and captioned it as , "Finally used the Hat!!!! Burnt crisp!!! #monkeymooning #maldives".

Check out pictures of Bipasha Basu and KSG's honeymoon here!

Amazing isn't it? Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover are having the time of their lives in Maldives, and the couple is enjoying each and every moment together with loads of love and happiness.

Hot Hotter Hottest! Richa Chadda's Maxim Pictures Can Make You Sweat

The gorgeous Bipasha Basu, has been posting lovely pictures of the beaches and is sending out holiday vibes to her followers. Every picture from the Maldives looks exotic, calm and surrounded by the waters.

A few people had commented a lot of negative things about Bipasha and KSG's honeymoon and this has not gone down well with the actress. Bips, replied to the haters and asked them to mind their own business. Bipasha Basu responded to haters,

Red Hot Pictures! Shruti Haasan Braces The Cover Page Of GQ Magazine

"This is to address the weird comments on my Towel Art post recently.The first post was 3 rd Jan 2015, no strange negative comments. Second post this week , lots of weird comments.My question is why is it so disturbing and offensive to see beautiful towel art done by talented house keeping staff??? What has changed??? Now I am married so I can't like Towel art????"

So Funny! Sonam Kapoor's Cannes Dress Trolled On Twitter As 'Rumali Roti' & 'Masala Dosa'

Bipasha Basu further continued, ''Anyways pretty ridiculous! Get a life guys who look for negativity in the sweetest of things. Be happy . Live your own life. And yes I will post more Towel art soon! He he because I love it?? There are many ppl am sure who appreciate other ppls sweetness:)."

Funny! Aishwarya Rai Trolled On Twitter For Her Purple Lips At Cannes
Good news for all the Kareena Kapoor & Saif Ali Khan fans out there! The power couple (Saif & Kareena) was recently spotted holidaying in London. Undoubtedly, Saif and Kareena are one of the most stylish couples of B-town.

And their latest pictures from the vacation prove yet again that, when it comes to step out in style, it's just impossible to beat Saifeena's fashion sense!

Check Out The Pictures Here:

Apart from being stylish, Kareena and Saif seem to be ageing in reverse! Recently, Kareena was seen with Arjun Kapoor in R Balki's Ki And Ka and we were all left stunned after seeing her gracious look in the film.

UNBELIEVABLE! Salman, Abhishek & SRK Danced TOGETHER With Iulia Vantur!

In fact, during the film promotions also, the way Kareena carried herself was worth appreciating!

In an interview to the Femina magazine, Kareena had also spoken about ageing gracefully.

She had said, "I think I am the biggest advocate of ageing gracefully. I love the lines of a face as they describe the life you have lived. Grey hair makes you look very elegant. I am happy to grow old naturally. Botox is just not for me."

Later, in the separate statement, Kareena had also expressed her wish to see the world with her children. So, what did she say? Read below..

"I have been lucky to experience both professional success and a fulfilling personal life. So hopefully, I would be having a family of my own. Saif and I would continue to live in India. But we will see the world with our children. When I turn 70, I should be sitting in a large dining room with my family, and just laughing, eating and drinking."
Government Film & TV Institute (GFTI) students, who have been protesting from a long time, demanding a better college curriculum and infrastructure, might get justice as renowned film-maker Girish Kasaravalli joins the protest.

"I was travelling and am back in town. I plan on meeting filmmaker SV Rajendra Singh Babu and discuss how we will take the matter further. I want to ensure that the GFTI students get justice quickly. At an earlier meeting, the Education Minister had promised that he would visit the campus to assess the current situation. I want to be personally present to ensure that he takes note of the situation," Mr. Kasaravalli told Times of India.

He has further added, "I want the students to have a new upgraded syllabus quickly, because it is not fair that this prolongs and they lose an academic year, just because they chose to stand up and voice their rights."

Not only from Girish Kasaravalli but the GFTI students are getting support from students belonging to other arts colleges as well.

Agin Basanth, the President of Students' Council has said, "We plan on holding a protest with other students, GFTI alumni and some prominent voices from the Kannada and other film industries this Saturday. We want everyone to take cognizance of our situation and give us the justice due to us."

Also Read: RESPECT! Yash Turns Into A Real Hero For Villagers
'No matter how good you are you can always be replaced' is a famous quote. But if there are two musicians who can never be replaced, it has to be Ilaiyaraaja and AR Rahman, well, at least for Tamil music lovers.

These two gentlemen cannot be replaced simply because they were a part of music evolution that took place many years ago.

If Ilaiyaraaja made us revert to Tamil music at a time when music lovers were heading towards Hindi cinema in search of decent music, AR Rahman, on the other hand redefined Tamil music, by taking it to the next level.

Like any other fan of high quality music, I have spent hours thinking who the better musician is among these two geniuses.

Ilaiyaraaja, without using any form of electronic arrangements, has treated us to complex music that stays simple at its heart. Perhaps, this is why I had once concluded that Ilaiyaraaja scores over Rahman.

But then the Mozart of Madras, comes up with something that makes me withdraw my decision. His song 'Anjali' for example, thrives on a simple composition and yet pierces your soul.

Though I'm a big fan of pure music, AR Rahman's usage of technology has only improved the status of Indian music throughout the world.

So does that award AR Rahman a brownie point over Ilaiyaraaja? Not at all. Ilaiyaraaja is called 'Isaignani' for a reason. His abstract music is as good as any other form of music that is enjoyed all over our planet.

So who is the better musician? Well, it's absolutely fine if we cannot seek answers for all the questions that pop up in our head.

Also Read: Kabir Is Back For Vijay's 'Rekka', Ends Up Speaking More About Thala Ajith & His 'Vedalam' Days!
Rebel Star Krishnam Raju has been hospitalized after he complained of difficulty in breathing and has been kept under observation. According to a source close to the veteran star, the 76-year-old was admitted to Care Hospital on Monday.

"He complained of breathlessness when he was rushed to the hospital. Although nothing is serious, he has been kept under observation," the source added.

Raju's nephew, Prabhas, upon learning about his uncle's condition, rushed to the hospital and spent nearly two hours with him. The source added that Raju will be kept under observation on Tuesday.

"By the end of the day, we can expect some update from the doctors," he said. With over 100 films to his credit, Raju shaped the career of Prabhas, who is very close to him.
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.
Canadian financial services company Manulife Financial became the first foreign insurance company to issue Tier 2 debt on Monday after it raised S$500 million ($364 million) from a 10-year non-call five-year transaction.

The deal starts the new week with a bang and follows last week's a string of bank capital issues from National Australia Bank, Societe Generale and United Overseas Bank. According to RHB Securities issuers have raised a total of S$10.2 billion so far this year from Basel III-compliant bank capital transactions.

Some investors had been urging restraint, worried that too much supply will hurt secondary prices. But the response to Manulife's deal appears to show there's still plenty of demand left, while recent issues are mainly trading above par.

Joint lead managers DBS and Standard Chartered, plus co-manager ANZ, went out with initial price guidance around the 4.15% area. This was then narrowed to 3.85% for the A- rated bond, which was priced at par to yield 197bp over the five-year Singapore dollar swap rate (SOR).

But despite the 30bp cut in guidance, few investors dropped out of the order book, which swelled to S$3.5bn at its peak, said one banker close to the deal. The bookrunners then discussed increasing the deal with Manulife, which settled on a slightly higher issue amount than it had initially envisaged.

The final order book closed at the S$3 billion level, the highest yet for a bank capital deal this year. This is possibly a function of the fact that the issue is a lot more investor friendly than other recent bank capital deals with no loss absorption or coupon deferral features.

A total of 107 accounts participated.

By geography 87% came from Singapore, with 13% from elsewhere. By investor type, fund managers and banks took 48%, while private banks and corporates were allocated a further 38% and insurers/agencies the remaining 145.

The rarity of insurance companies in the market meant figuring out fair value was something of a punt, one banker admitted.

One comparable is Singaporean NTUC Income Insurance, which sold a two-notch higher rated S$600m 15 non-call 10-year bond in August 2012.

That deal was trading around 3.1% on Monday afternoon, said one banker. But the illiquidity of the four-year old bond, and the difference in structure, meant it was a far from perfect comparable.

Last week's issues also provided a pricing point and a slight note of warning about pushing too hard on pricing since they are all hovering around par. NAB, for example, was trading slightly below par on a mid-yield of 99.88% on Monday, while Soc Gen was being quoted at 100.065% and UOB at 100.338%.

Nevertheless, bankers say overall demand remains strong; in part driven by the tepid yields available elsewhere. Also helping are attractive cross-currency swap rates, which allow foreign issuers to leave something on the table for investors while still beating their internal funding targets.

This confluence of supply and demand means bankers expect several more deals to be announced before the market loses steam. However, some investors are expressing concerns about sustained supply.

Some investors are calling for a hiatus, said one syndicate banker. But the response today makes it hard to justify a break.

Bankers are now preparing for more subordinated paper to hit the Singapore dollar market. There could be another deal later this week, and there are a few more rumoured to be coming soon, said a syndicate banker in Singapore.

The new sub debt deal means Manulife has hit the debt and equity markets concurrently. Last Thursday it priced an S$329 million real estate investment trust (Reit) flotation in Singapore at S$0.83 per unit. The deal, which offers a 7.1% dividend yield, is due to begin trading on May 20.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/16/16 -- Product photos are available at http://bit.ly/1WBTqi7

The food recall warning issued on May 9, 2016 has been amended to correctly identify the "Best By" date for one code of the affected Stahlbush Island Farms brand Cut Green Beans. The correction for this product is marked by an asterisk ((i)) below.

Industry is recalling Stahlbush Island Farms brand Cut Green Beans from the marketplace due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below.

The following product has been sold in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Yukon and Northwest Territories and may also have been distributed in other provinces and territories.

Recalled product

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brand Product Size UPC Codes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stahlbush Cut Green 283 g 6 38882 00053 7 16034001, Best By Island Farms Beans 02/03/2018 15097001, Best By 04/07/2017 14328001, Best By 12/2016(i) 15362001, Best By 12/28/2017 14310002, Best By 11/06/2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What you should do

If you think you became sick from eating a recalled product, call your doctor.

Check to see if you have recalled product in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased.

Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Although infected pregnant women may experience only mild, flu-like symptoms, the infection can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth. In severe cases of illness, people may die.

- Learn more about the health risks

- Sign up for recall notifications by email, follow us on Twitter, or join the CFIA community on Facebook

- View our detailed explanation of the food safety investigation and recall process

Background

This recall was triggered by a recall in another country. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. If other high-risk products are recalled, the CFIA will notify the public through updated Food Recall Warnings.

The CFIA is verifying that industry is removing recalled product from the marketplace.

Illnesses

There have been no reported illnesses in Canada associated with the consumption of this product, however, there have been reported illnesses in the United States linked to consuming products manufactured or processed by the same supplier, CRF Frozen Foods.

More information

-- CFIA: www.inspection.gc.ca/contactus

Contacts:

Media enquiries

CFIA Media Relations

613-773-6600




JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- After weeks of speculation, Coolpad, a global smartphone brand with more than 20 years' experience, today officially launched the Coolpad Max smartphone globally. "Coolpad will continue to create sophisticated products that empower you to do more, and live more securely than ever," said Mr. Douglas Li, CEO of Coolpad Group.

Coolpad Max comes with the World's First Dual Space feature, which enables users to separate their personal and professional life, without the need to use two different smartphones.

With a Full Metal Unibody Chassis design and two color variations, including Gold and Rose Gold, Coolpad Max offers a premium design for global market, whilst allowing users to showcase their individual style. Sleek, stylish and a comfortable fit in the hand, Coolpad Max feels as good as it looks.

There is a very thin dual-antenna line (1.4mm, thinner than other smartphones, i.e. 2.0mm) on the chassis used on the smartphone. Coolpad Max features a 13 MP rear camera and f/2.0 lens armed with ISOCELL CMOS technology to bring lighter but less color inference.

In order to improve security for its users, Coolpad also added the latest fingerprint technology that can deliver convenience, security, and reliability on Coolpad Max.

With the technology and capabilities, The Coolpad Max is specifically designed for people who do not want to carry two smartphones at the same time or have to mix their personal and professional lives their private lives.

About Coolpad

Coolpad, one of the top smartphone brands in China, was established by Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. ("Yulong Telecommunications").

Founded in April 1993, Yulong Telecommunications went IPO on the Hong Kong stock market HKEx in 2004 under the name China Wireless Technologies group (stock trade code: 2369), later changed to Coolpad Group.

With 6 R&D facilities worldwide, the company continues to invest heavily in developing innovative cellular, wireless, and mobile technology products. Coolpad has become one of the top cellular device manufacturers in the world and recently was ranked 7th in largest smartphone OEM by IDC. Coolpad also was ranked 47th on the China top 100 Electronics & Info Enterprises list.

Coolpad is committed to consistent future success, which we believe will come in the form of building a powerful global juggernaut out of their flagship Coolpad brand. Empowering everyone everywhere is Coolpad's vision ian the coming years.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Niche, luxury perfume brand, Fragrance Du Bois, is proud to be one of the major supporters of the recent Middle East Fashion Show (MEFS) 2016, and was delighted to take up the role of Platinum sponsor, alongside KPJ and Orogold. The show was successfully organised by Jana Boutique for a ladies-only audience at the Pullman Kuala Lumpur City Centre Hotel and Residences, on the 7th of May 2016.

Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160517/8521603143-a

The evening at MEFS 2016 exuded an ambience of feminine elegance, and showcased the glamour of Middle Eastern and Far Eastern ready-to-wear fashion. In addition to runway performances, delectable accessory items were also on display at the bazaar, from jewellery and scarves, to cosmetics and bags, through to perfumes and delightful pieces of home decor.

On the runway that night was Jana Boutique and six designers and brands who displayed their latest collections. Jana Boutique enthralled the audience with elegant evening dresses; Shairose Dhanani presented her range of Muslimah evening and formal wear made of beautifully embellished fabric from Pakistan; Sawsan Fashion featured its distinctive and contemporary Abaya and Sheila designs made of satin silk, hand-painted by artist Yusser Ali Al-Qazwini; Mounique showcased her unique range of dresses and elaborate kaftans; and Funz Kaftan paraded its stylish home-sewn kaftans in a dazzling range of colours and designs. Adornments were also featured on the runway, with Suhara Jewel Art's gorgeous nature-inspired fashion jewellery designs made with precious stones, as well as fun and flamboyant fashion and lifestyle accessories brand, Axxezz, by Gina Frias, who showcased her exotic fusion of East and West.

Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160517/8521603143-b

As one of the supporters of this vibrant and colourful fashion show, Fragrance Du Bois added its touch of luxury and elegance to the event with its beguiling array of Oud-based perfumes at the bazaar. On behalf of Fragrance Du Bois, Johanna Tabuyo, Operations Director in Malaysia, sees the importance of supporting events such as the MEFS 2016. "Ladies-only events such as this not only create a platform that empowers women, but also allows women of different cultures and backgrounds to make connections based on common interests - in this case femininity, fashion, beauty and entrepreneurship. We at Fragrance Du Bois believe that it is important to create brand awareness on these occasions, because we believe in the purchasing power of women, especially when it comes to fashion and luxury brands."

Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160517/8521603143-c

Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160517/8521603143-d

Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160517/8521603143-e

Notes for Editors:

For further information, please contact:

Samantha ThamPR & Marketing Executive

Email: samantha.tham@fragrancedubois.com

Mobile: +65 9144 0933

Zaahira Muhammad

Senior PR & Marketing Executive

Email: zaahira@fragrancedubois.com

Office:+60 122 035 344

About Fragrance Du Bois

Fragrance Du Bois is a niche, luxury perfume house working closely with sustainable plantations in Asia, bringing exciting, new, 100% organic Oud oil-based fragrances to exclusive markets worldwide. Sustainably sourcing the finest raw materials across the globe, working with French perfumers to create a full range of products, and also providing bespoke fragrance services, Fragrance Du Bois is personal luxury with a conscience. With exclusive fragrance lounges around the world, in Dubai, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, Fragrance Du Bois creates only the finest experience in bespoke perfumery.

Fragrance Du Bois is known as Parfums Du Bois in France and in non-French speaking markets, as Fragrance Du Bois.

About Asia Plantation Capital

Asia Plantation Capital is the owner and operator of a diverse range of commercial plantation and farming businesses across the Asia-Pacific region and around the world, and is part of the Asia Plantation Capital Group of associated companies. Its focus is on multicultural and diverse plantation projects geared to the domestic and commercial demands of the countries in which it operates. Working closely with, and supporting local communities, is an underlying core principle of the Asia Plantation Capital business, providing social and cultural support, as well as investment, to move these communities away from deforestation and illegal logging activities, previously seen as a main source of income in some regions of Asia.

Established officially in 2008 (although operating privately since 2002) the group now has plantation and agricultural projects on four continents, with operations at various stages in Thailand, Malaysia, China, Laos, India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam, North America and Europe.

Promoting the use of sustainable and certified wood is the best way of preventing deforestation, protecting biodiversity, and combatting poverty in the tropical rainforest regions. For the yachting sector (a major user of teak) which strives for excellence and which is already involved in environmental efforts, this is also a way of ensuring that no wood from illegal logging is used.


DEARBORN (dpa-AFX) - Corning International Kabushiki Kaisha agreed to plead guilty and pay a $66.5 million criminal fine for conspiring to fix prices, rig bids and allocate the market for ceramic substrates sold in the United States and elsewhere, and used in catalytic converters supplied to automobile manufacturers in the United States and elsewhere, the U.S. Justice Department announced.



According to the felony charge filed today in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Corning International K.K., based in Tokyo, conspired to fix prices, rig bids and allocate the market for ceramic substrates, from at least as early as July 1999 until on or about July 2011.



The products were installed in automotive emissions control systems and supplied to automobile manufacturers including Ford Motor Company, General Motors LLC, Honda Motor Company Ltd., and certain of their subsidiaries, affiliates, and suppliers in the United States and elsewhere. Corning International K.K. agreed to cooperate in the department's ongoing investigation. The plea agreement will be subject to court approval.



Including Corning International K.K., 40 companies have been charged in connection with this investigation and have agreed to pay more than $2.7 billion in criminal fines. In addition, 59 individuals have been charged, including a former executive of Corning International K.K. On May 11, 2016, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Michigan returned an indictment against Nobuhiko Niwa, a Japanese national, for his role in the conspiracy. Niwa was charged with participating in the conspiracy from at least as early as July 1999 until on or about July 2011.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
TAIPEI, Taiwan, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Infortrend Technology, Inc. (TWSE: 2495) today released the new EonStor GSe Family, which offers unified storage solutions to deliver the best storage of the highest standards without sacrificing affordability, enabling businesses to easily manage data and reduce total cost of ownership by integrating file, block, and object level storage into one unified storage system.

By integrating file, block, and object level protocols and harnessing the power of multi-core CPU, the EonStor GSe Family delivers not only outstanding flexibility but also incredible performance in either all-flash or hybrid configurations, with up to 230K IOPS, 4,200GB/s block bandwidth. With optional cloud-integration, the EonStor GSe Family allows SMBs and SMEs running local SAN/NAS applications to easily expand their storage architecture into cloud services.

Besides full-featured RAID protection, the EonStor GSe Family minimizes the risk of data loss from unexpected disk failures, natural disasters, and power outages by its integrated backup functions such as Intelligent Drive Recovery (IDR), snapshot, local and remote replication, and file-level rsync to ensure your data is well protected.

Thomas Kao, Senior Director of Product Planning at Infortrend commented, "We are pleased to introduce our brand new EonStor GSe Family of unified storage. Its excellent flexibility and scalability allow SMBs to manage their data and expand their storage into cloud services with minimum hassle, while still being easily affordable to them."

For more information about EonStor GSe Family, please click here.

About Infortrend

Infortrend (TWSE: 2495) has been developing and manufacturing storage solutions since 1993. With a strong emphasis on in-house design, testing, and manufacturing, Infortrend storage delivers performance and scalability with the latest standards, user friendly data services, personal after-sales support, and unrivaled value. For more Information, please visit www.infortrend.com

Infortrend, EonStor, EonNAS, and ESVA are trademarks or registered trademarks of Infortrend Technology, Inc., other trademarks property of their respective owners.

Infortrend Europe Ltd.

Agnieszka Wesolowska

Tel:+44-1256-305-220

E-mail: marketing.eu@infortrend.com
Former Sabre Travel executive's hiring expands CellPoint Mobile's footprint in the Middle East to serve a booming airline market

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --CellPoint Mobile (www.cellpointmobile.com), a global payments and mobile commerce solutions provider to the airline and transportation industries, has hiredveteran travel and payments expert Noel Connolly to serve as the company's Vice President of Sales in the MEA region.

Connolly will oversee strategic sales and account management in the Middle East and Africa from a newly opened Dubai office at Swiss Tower, 34th Floor, Jumeirah Lakes Tower as part of the company's rapid growth and commitment to clients across the Middle East.

Connolly comes to CellPoint Mobile from a five-year Sabre career as Airline Sales Director for Sabre Travel Networks and partner in Sabre's Airline Solutions division, as well as four years as sales and IT account manager at Dubai-based Dnata-Mercator. Previously, he held product, sales and strategy roles at Xerox and Computershare. Emirates, based in Dubai, is one of CellPoint Mobile's major airline clients.

CellPoint Mobile continues global expansion

"We are excited to have someone of Noel's caliber and experience join our company and support our Middle East and African operations," said CEO Kristian Gjerding. "Noel's expertise with airline distribution, enterprise-level solutions and the MEA market is a valuable asset for both our company and our clients as they adopt and deploy mobile commerce and payment solutions."

The opening of the Middle East office is part of CellPoint Mobile's global expansion.

"We want to be close to our customers so we can support them locally," Gjerding noted. "Noel is the first of several new team members in this region, and we will add solution specialists and delivery capabilities to ensure that our clients experience CellPoint Mobile's trademark high level of service and fast time to market for solutions."

CellPoint Mobile develops and supports robust payment and omnichannel digital commerce solutions that help airlines, transportation firms and global companies manage the complex payments ecosystem. It promotes a "mobile-first" mindset for airlines as the marketplace and passengers' behaviors shift toward mobile payments, transactions and communications.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Africa and the Middle East led all global regions in February 2016 for airline revenue per passenger (11.6% Africa, 11% Middle East) and passenger demand (12.7% Africa, 11.3% Middle East).

To interview Gjerding or find out more about CellPoint Mobile's Dubai operations, please contact Vanessa Horwell at +44.203.807.3735 or vhorwell@thinkinkpr.com.

About CellPoint Mobile: Making Travel Payments Easier

CellPoint Mobile helps airlines around the world navigate and own the complex payments ecosystem from beginning to end, regardless of their passengers' preferred currency, payment method, device or channel. With offices in London, Miami, Copenhagen, Pune and Dubai, CellPoint Mobile serves global and regional airlines. The company's recently published white paper, "The Mobile Payments Imperative for Global Airlines: Outlook 2016" can be downloaded here.

Media Contact

Vanessa Horwell, ThinkInk

+44.203.807.3735

vhorwell@thinkinkpr.com
Hitachi Ltd Corporate Communications Tel: +81-3-3258-1111

TOKYO, May 17, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. today announced that it will be exhibiting at the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2016 Yokohama to be held from May 25 to 27 at the Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Hall in Yokohama, Japan, under the sponsorship of the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. The company will showcase a wide range of technologies and products related to ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and AD (Automated Driving) systems.Utilizing its strengths in mechatronics products and control technology, Hitachi Automotive Systems is contributing to the creation of attractive cars by automobile manufacturers by providing products, systems, and technologies that reduce environmental burden and traffic accidents.Recognition, control, and drive technologies for supporting advanced safety driving that will be shown by Hitachi Automotive Systems include stereo cameras, Autonomous Driving ECUs (Electronic Control Units), and electronic control actuators for ADAS and AD systems. In addition, a monitor at the front of the booth will show a demonstration of an AD system developed jointly by Hitachi Automotive Systems and Clarion Co., Ltd., a member of the Hitachi Group. The demonstration was carried out in February on a public road in Ibaraki Prefecture. The booth will also display products that support the operation of electric vehicles, products that increase the efficiency of internal combustion engines, and Clarion's Human Machine Interface (HMI) system.At the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2016 Yokohama, Hitachi Automotive Systems and Clarion will be exhibiting at the Hitachi Group booth (Booth 84), which is divided into the following display corners.Advanced Driver Assistance System CornerExhibits include stereo cameras, millimeter-wave radar, outside recognition sensors, electronic control units, electronic control actuators and other recognition, control, and drive products and technologies that play an essential role in ADAS and AD system implementation. In addition to that, a video shot during an automated driving system verification test drive on Hitachinaka Road that was carried out in Ibaraki Prefecture in February 2016 will be shown on the screen.Electric Powertrain System CornerKey components supporting the electrification of cars that will be on display here include motors, motor drive and control inverters, and high-power lithium-ion batteries that contribute to reducing exhaust emissions and improving fuel efficiency.Engine Powertrain System CornerThis showcases Hitachi Automotive Systems products aimed at achieving a low-carbon society. Display items include high-efficiency engine systems in which engine control units are used to raise the efficiency of internal combustion engines, and powertrain systems that contribute to lowering fuel consumption, utilizing outside recognition sensors that utilize cameras and radar.Motorsports CornerMonitors show video of races of the IndyCar Penske Racing team, sponsored by the Hitachi Group, and Japan's popular Super Formula events.About Hitachi, Ltd.Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society's challenges with our talented team and proven experience in global markets. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal 2014 (ended March 31, 2015) totaled 9,761 billion yen ($81.3 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes power & infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, construction machinery, high functional materials & components, automotive systems, healthcare and others. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at www.hitachi.com.Source: Hitachi, Ltd.Contact:Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Anglo American plc. (AAUKY.PK, AAL.L) said that the Government of the Republic of Namibia and The De Beers Group of Companies signed a new 10-year sales agreement for the sorting, valuing and sales of Namdeb Holdings' diamonds. The sales agreement is the longest ever signed between the two partners. Namibia will see a significant increase in rough diamonds made available for beneficiation as a result of the agreement, with US$430 million of rough diamonds being offered annually to Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC) customers. As part of the agreement, all Namdeb Holdings' Special Stones will be made available for sale in Namibia. In addition, the agreement provides for 15 per cent of Namdeb Holdings' run-of-mine production per annum to be made available to a Government-owned independent sales company called Namib Desert Diamonds Pty Ltd. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Also Announcing Latest MANTIS IG Software Release Including Native Support for domeprojection.com ProjectionTools Screen Calibration Products

LONDON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- (ITEC Stand E124)- Quantum3D, Inc., a leading provider of training and simulation solutions for government and commercial applications, today announced that it is demonstrating a prototype of its newly-announced Independence IDX 80 Image Generator (IG) this week in the project: syntropy / domeprojection.com stand at the ITEC 2016 exhibition held at ExCeL London. Although the IDX 80 is Quantum3D's most compact IG product, fitting within a single case the size of a deskside PC, it will be shown driving a large scale 6-projector (each at WQXGA 2560x1600 resolution) display dome with a real-time aircraft simulation demo. Remarkably, this level of performance was previously only possible with IG's comprising a much larger rack full of several PC servers.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160513/367539LOGO

Quantum3D is also announcing the upcoming release of MANTIS version 3.3, a significant new upgrade to its award-winning Image Generation software including several key features:

Native support for domeprojection.com ProjectionTools runtime software

Increased number of spot lights and omni-directional lights, also with added support for these light types in sensor channels

Improved performance and capability of DI-Guy animated character option

Improved appearance of light points to support Level-D airport rendering

Added support for direct stimulation of NVG goggles

This new release of MANTIS will be available to customers in late May 2016, and will be included with the new IDX 80 system which will begin shipping in summer 2016.

Employing a unique new compact all-in-one design, the IDX 80 is designed and optimized for simulation applications requiring anywhere from two to a maximum of eight separate display devices. Applications in this popular range include commercial airline pilot training simulators, maritime and ground vehicle simulators, as well as a wide variety of other vehicle training devices.

"The IDX 80 is a marvelous reminder that great things can come in small packages," said Jan Bjernfalk, Quantum3D's VP of Products. "Fixed-wing pilot training, ground vehicle training, maritime training, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) training are all ideal applications for this tiny but powerful new platform."

In developing this demo, Quantum3D partnered with domeprojection.com, producer of the highly versatile ProjectionTools software suite which enables automatic display calibration and distortion correction for virtually any arbitrary display surface. As a result, Quantum3D's MANTIS image generation software now includes built-in native runtime support for ProjectionTools, and allows MANTIS-based image generators to display on any imaginable screen shape.

"We are excited to have our technology integrated with Quantum3D's visual system product line," said Christian Steinmann, Managing Director at domeprojection.com. "This opens up new opportunities for us and increases our global reach."

About Quantum3D

Quantum3D, Inc. is a leading developer and provider of simulation and training solutions as well as the technology that drives them. Quantum3D combines the most advanced hardware and software systems for simulation in a variety of markets and implementations - flight simulation; land and other vehicle training; synthetic environments and construction tools; sensor simulation; and other COTS-based solutions.

Quantum3D is a privately-held company headquartered in Milpitas, California. Quantum3D recently announced that it isinthe process of being acquired by HAVELSAN, a major global software and systems provider based in Ankara, Turkey. This acquisition is anticipated to complete by early summer 2016.

For more information about Quantum3D training and simulation solutions, please visit

www.quantum3d.com.

About domeprojection.com and project: syntropy

domeprojection.com is the developer of ProjectionTools, and sells targeted autocalibration systems for advanced displays. ProjectionTools is the most versatile automatic display calibration system on the market for calibration of arbitrary screen shapes.

project: syntropy is a related company specializing in integration of Visual Display Systems and cutting edge interactive environments bridging the gap between creation and technology. Its focus is on designing and delivering display systems for a wide variety of uses ranging from Training and Simulation to Planetariums and Expos. Both companies are based in the Berlin, Germany area.

For more information, please visit www.domeprojection.com and www.project-syntropy.de/en .

Quantum3D, the Quantum3D logo, Independence, and MANTIS are registered trademarks of Quantum3D. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC), G4S (LSE: GFS), GTX Corp (OTC PINK: GTXO), ImageWare Systems (OTCQB: IWSY); Route1 (TSX VENTURE: ROI)

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US "IN THE BOARDROOM" TO DISCUSS SECURITY THREATS AND SOLUTIONS

Matt Barnette, AMAG, President

Dave Schmitt, Cisco, Solutions Architect, IoT Vertical Solutions Group: Utilities

Ken Mills, EMC, Global Marketing and CTO, Surveillance and Security

Robert Dodge, G4S Corporate Risk Services, CPP, Senior VP

Patrick Bertagna, GTX CEO, Founder, Chairman

Jim Miller ImageWare Systems, Chairman and CEO

Scott B. Suhy, CEO, NetWatcher

Tony Busseri, Route1, CEO and Brian Brunetti, President

Steve Cocco, 27 year FBI veteran and President, Security Strategies Today

*****

MAKE YOUR PLANS NOW - Infosecurity Europe 2016 - June 7-9, 2016

This year's event theme is a rich and complex evolving challenge which infosecurity professionals of all types are facing every day.

From collaborations with multiple partners and suppliers, to increased technological connectivity and the IoT, to connected, always-on, tech savvy employees and customers, organisations are more connected than ever before as they strive for efficiency and speed to market.

Hear from Mikko Hypponen, Jaya Baloo, Lee Barney, Bruce Schneier, Rik Ferguson, Cory Scott, Troels Oerting, Darren Argyle, Dean Atkinson, Professor Angela Sasse, Kurt Pipal and many more thought-leaders as they look at the challenges of securing the connected enterprise. Register to attend now.

(https://www.infosecurityeurope.com/entry/visitor/register/info/?utm_campaign=&utm_medium=media-partner&utm_source=ssw&utm_audience=visitors&utm_content=editorial)

*****

AMAG Technology / www.AMAG.com

AMAG Technology and March Networks Deliver Integrated IP Video and Access Control Solution

(http://www.amag.com/en-US/Company/News/2016/05/09/March%20Networks%20Integration/)

For our complete interview with Matt Barnette, President, AMAG, please click here or here:

www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_AMAG_MattBarnette.html

*****

Cisco / http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/products/collateral/se/internet-of-things/C11-735871.pdf

Dave Schmitt, Cisco, Solutions Architect, IoT Vertical Solutions Group: Utilities, told us, "Utilities are especially popular, high-profile targets for attacks. According to the Cisco Security Capabilities Benchmark Study, 73% of utility IT security professionals say they've suffered a public security breach, compared with an average of 55% in other industries. Most U.S. utilities have already undertaken substantial security measures throughout many parts of their systems. However, the nature of cyber threats and vulnerabilities keeps changing. U.S. utilities have, for several years, been deploying IoT technology (aka Smart Grid) because it enables significant business and operational benefits: increased grid reliability, enhanced integration of renewables and other distributed energy resources, reduced operating costs, and more. However, all of this opportunity comes with the tradeoffs of increased complexity and new risks."

For the complete interview with Dave Schmitt at Cisco please click here, or here: www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_Cisco_Schmitt.html

*****

EMC / www.EMC.com

Ken Mills, EMC, Global Marketing and CTO, Surveillance and Security, told us, "We have launched five new solutions for surveillance. We've partnered with Avnet to build a compute plus storage bundle that greatly simplifies the deployment of an enterprise surveillance solution. With ATOS, a global partner of EMC, we are working to develop and bring to market surveillance storage as a service. As customers begin to consider cloud for their surveillance storage needs, we want to make sure they have a best in class enterprise option.

We have also launched a surveillance solution with VCE, the Converged Platforms Division of EMC. VCE brings together VMware, Cisco and EMC together in a single package for large-scale surveillance deployments. The VCE solutions for surveillance can handle thousands of cameras in a single rack with one number to call for support. It has never been easier to take advantage of this kind of pedigree in surveillance. And, finally we are launching a partner solution with Axis, Genetec and Avaya at ISC West. This partnership delivers "LINK", the security industry's first validated surveillance solution that helps secure video from the device all the way to the storage. It offers a cyber-hardened solution that provides scalability and reliability for enhanced security management while helping to reduce the possibility of a cyber-security breach. The partnership ensures that customers have the best solution to deliver surveillance at scale with the confidence they expect from market leaders in surveillance.

Lastly, we are releasing our second generation of the Video Surveillance Storage platform. We strongly believe that the surveillance market needs unique solutions and to that end we have brought our 6-9s enterprise class storage platforms to the surveillance market. Due to the success we had with our first generation Video Surveillance Storage (VSS), it was a no-brainer to take our most current generation storage platform and customize it for the surveillance market."

For the complete interview with Ken Mills at EMC, and Terry Gainer please click here, or here: www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_EMC_Gainer.html.

For more information about evidence management solutions at EMC, please click here: "Evidence Storage: In the cloud or not?" or here: www.emc.com/collateral/handout/emc-on-prem-vs-cloud.pdf.

KEN MILLS DISCUSSES "COPS AND BIG DATA" ON SECURITY GUY RADIO...watch the broadcast here, or here: https://soundcloud.com/security-guy-radio/187-cops-and-big-data-with-emccom-ken-mills?in=security-guy-radio/sets/2014-security-guy-radio

And, for general information on EMC Surveillance solutions, please click here, or here: www.emc.com/surveillance.

*****

G4S / www.G4S.us

Mr. Robert Dodge, CPP, Senior VP, G4S Corporate Risk Services, said, "On a Friday in October 2015, a disgruntled customer arrived at a leading, international publisher's New York City headquarters and insisted on seeing the company's CEO. When the receptionist asked the man to leave, he became aggressive and made threats against staff and the CEO before leaving the building. Concerned about the potential for violence, the company reached out to G4S to respond to the threat. Within hours, workplace violence expert Robert Dodge, CPP, Senior VP of G4S Corporate Risk Services, deployed armed protection agents at the CEOs Manhattan residence to protect him and his family over the weekend."

For the complete content with Robert Dodge, CPP, Senior VP, G4S Corporate Risk Services, please click here or here:

www.g4s.us/~/media/Files/USA/PDF-Case-Studies/Executive%20Threat%20Case%20Study%20FINAL.pdf.

*****

GTX Corp / www.GTXcorp.com

GTX Corp Signs Patent Licensing Agreement With Inventergy and Adds New IP Expert Advisor

(http://finance.yahoo.com/news/gtx-corp-signs-patent-licensing-130000122.html)

For the complete interview with Patrick Bertagna, CEO, Founder, Chairman, GTX Corp, please click here or here:

www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_GTX_Bertanga.html.

*****

ImageWare Systems / www.IWSINC.com

ImageWare Launches Enterprise-Ready, Turn-Key Biometric Authentication SaaS for Mass Adoption on Amazon Web Service Cloud

(http://iwsinc.com/biometric-authentication-saas-on-awsc/)

For our complete interview with Jim Miller, ImageWare Systems, Chairman and CEO, please click here or here: www.securitystockwatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_ImageWare.html. For more information: www.iwsinc.com

*****

NetWatcher / www.NetWatcher.com

Scott Suhy, CEO, NetWatcher, told us, regarding how NetWatcher is making security easy for anyone to use, "One example is our iPhone application. The app provides businesses with a real time snapshot of their overall network security, allowing them to access their user portal on-the-go. The app also features an overview of the user's NetWatcher Score, which shows real-time vulnerability levels and how susceptible their company is to an attack. Based on the score the app recommends if action needs to be taken to secure the network and enables companies to resolve issues before a breach even occurs."

For our complete interview with Scott Suhy, CEO, NetWatcher, please click here or here:

www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_Netwatcher_Suhy.html

*****

Route1 / www.Route1.com

Route1 Posts its Ninth Consecutive Quarter of Growth in Services Revenue and MobiKEY Subscribers

Route1 enables the mobile workspace without compromising on security. Its flagship technology MobiKEY uniquely combines secure mobile access, with high assurance identity validation and plug-and-play usability. Remote and mobile workers are able to securely and cost-effectively access their workspace from any device without exposing the organization to the risk of data spillage or malware propagation. MobiKEY customers include Fortune 500 enterprises as well as the U.S. Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy and the Government of Canada. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Route1 is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange.

For our complete interview with Mr. Brian Brunetti, President, Route1, please click here, or here: www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_Route1_Brunetti.html

*****

Steve Cocco, 27 year FBI veteran and President, Security Strategies Today / www.SecurityStrategiesToday.com

"I have dedicated my professional life to law enforcement and security and am now the president of my own company. I got here after 27 years with the FBI, having started off in the Bureau's New York office as a linguist in the 1980s. I was so impressed with the professionalism of the agency that I decided I wanted to become an agent and was honored to be given the opportunity. I spent several years as a field agent in San Diego and New York before going into management. That took me to Rome, Italy, where I was assigned to the US embassy to support the FBI's mission overseas. I also responded to the US embassy bombings in East Africa and conducted extensive FBI-sponsored training to foreign law enforcement partners in Africa and in Latin America. I was given the opportunity to set up the FBI's Joint Terrorsim Task Force in the San Juan, Puerto Rico division and finally served as Assistance Special Agent in Charge in Phoenix. It was just an amazing career with outstanding people and opportunities.

For the complete interview with Steve Cocco, President, Security Strategies Today please click here, or here: www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_SecurityStrategies_Cocco.html

*****

Would your company like to be featured in our "In The Boardroom" thought leadership series?

Please contact us for a quick tour to see exactly how YOUR SOLUTIONS will be featured?

Mark Elliott: MBE@SecuritySolutionsWatch.com, or call 1+914.690.9351, to set up a call.

And, please visit us on Twitter, or here: https://twitter.com/SecStockWatch

*****

We are proud to be media sponsors of these important upcoming SECURITY EVENTS AND TRADE SHOWS...

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Geo IoT WORLD / May 25-26, 2016

Geo IoT World is a 2-day conference, exhibition and testbed focused on the new location-aware technologies and use cases at the intersection of IoT, location and analytics.

SCOPE: "Disruptive geo-aware techs, inspiring use cases"

From LPWA networks to Location Intelligence, from BLE-Beacons to mobile LBS, the conference covers state-of-the-art geolocation technologies, their implementation best practices, illustrated by the most inspiring use cases from key verticals: Retail, Smart Home, Smart City, Enterprise and Transport/Automotive.

FORMAT: a high level conference & beyond

In addition to the expertise delivered by 70 speakers in two parallel tracks, the conference features an exclusive indoor positioning testbed along with an exhibition of latest solutions and demos in the field. The most innovative products/applications newly launched will also be recognized through the Geo IoT World Awards.

WHAT'S IN FOR 2016?

Built by its Program Committee, the Geo IoT World agenda will give the IoT, location and analytics technologies stakeholders concrete answers to unleash the power of geolocation in their solutions and deployments:

Which wireless technologies is the best for precision indoor location?

How to provide ubiquitous location services?

How to derive intelligence from trillion of geo-aware data points?

How to leverage geodata in a business intelligence strategy?

What are the opportunities of geolocation for app developpers?

The privacy risks and challenges of collecting user's geolocation

*****

IFSEC & FIREX International 2016 launches the inaugural ARC Village

Europe's leading security and fire industry events, IFSEC and FIREX International have today launched the first ever ARC Village at this year's shows located at London's ExCeL on 21st to 23rd June. Providing an incisive platform for the UK's alarm receiving centres to showcase their technical expertise and services, the ARC Village will give visitors the opportunities to discuss their requirements in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

The ARC Village is brought to IFSEC and FIREX in association with our connectivity partner CSL Dualcom, a leading international Critical Connectivity provider specialising in Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications. Security professionals visiting IFSEC and FIREX have the chance to meet a range of leading alarm receiving centres with the aim of gaining greater knowledge of the providers' services and how they're able to provide vital connectivity and real time support in determining the validity of fire and security alarm activity.

The alarm receiving centres EMCS, Southern Monitoring Service & Kings Security Ltd have already joined the ARC Village and will be on hand to discuss their business with IFSEC and FIREX visitors. The Village will comprise of eight exhibition booths surrounding a central networking area featuring refreshments and seating for in depth conversations to take place. The ARC Village is strategically located in the Installer Zone, next to the Fire & Security Jobs Bar and the brand new in hall Bistro catering area which provides a range of hot food options.

IFSEC and FIREX event director Gerry Dunphy says: "We're delighted to announce the introduction of the ARC Village to the shows this year and thank our friends at CSL Dualcom for supporting the initiative. Alarm receiving centres are a key component in the management of a security and fire alarm system and our visitors have been looking to meet them for a number of years. The ARC Village is also a major part of our offering for installers and integrators many of whom attend the shows to expand their knowledge and awareness of the services available to their businesses."

Simon Banks, Managing Director of CSL Dualcom the IFSEC and FIREX Connectivity Partner, says: 'CSL Dualcom is a keen supporter of this new initiative at IFSEC and FIREX as it closes a much needed gap in the shows' exhibitor profile. Having serviced the alarm receiving centre market for a number of years we're acutely aware of the role these companies play in maintaining accurate and verifiable alarm management so to have them showcased at IFSEC and FIREX 2016 is a major bonus for the visitors."

Full details of the ARC Village will be updated on www.ifsec.co.uk with full details of the participating companies plus the option for visitors to arrange appointments via the IFSEC and FIREX Meetings Service. For your chance to speak directly with each ARC, get your badge to attend IFSEC here.

Any companies wishing to participate in the ARC Village, please contact Rachel Eaton on +44 (0) 207 921 8231 email mrachel.eaton@ubm.com.

*****

IP EXPO Manchester... IP EXPO Manchester is part of the IP EXPO event series, the UK and Europe's number one enterprise IT event series, which also includes IP EXPO Europe in London and IP EXPO Nordic in Sweden. Launched by organisers Imago Techmedia in 2015, the event now encompasses six events under one roof including Cloud and Infrastructure, Cyber Security, Data Centre, DevOps, Data Analytics and Unified Communications. Designed for those looking to find out how the latest IT innovations can drive and support their business and transition to a digital future. The events showcase brand new exclusive content and senior level insights from across the industry, as well as unveiling the latest developments in IT. It covers everything you need to run a successful enterprise or organisation. This year's speaker line-up includes Mandy Waite, developer advocate for Google Cloud Platform; Ian Massingham, technical evangelist at Amazon Web Services; and VMWare's chief technologist Duncan Epping, with the opening keynote yet to be revealed. The inaugural event in 2015 saw over 3,400 attendees through its doors, 73 speakers hosting free-to-attend seminars covering all aspects of IT, and 72 exhibitors in total. 2016's event will focus more on emerging technologies and supporting business transformation through these platforms. For full details and to register FREE, visit http://www.ipexpomanchester.com/ Press contacts: Meera Lakhani/ Beth Robertson, 020 3176 4700, ipexpomanchester@kaizo.co.uk Speaker or exhibitor enquiries: Sophie Barry/Matthew Stubbs, 0203 841 8500

*****

Securing Federal Identity 2016, a highly focused and high-energy event, will feature the significant policy issues and technology developments for today's federal identity and security industry. The select group of speakers on the agenda and security companies in our exhibit area will highlight the present and future direction of the government's efforts to manage identities and control access across all federal agencies. Don't miss this year's event, in the best venue to learn, communicate and network with fellow government security industry colleagues!

*****

THIS PRESS RELEASE, AND ALL ADVERTISING, CONTENT AND ALL OTHER MATERIAL AND INFORMATION WHICH APPEARS ON SECURITYSOLUTIONSWATCH.COM AND/OR SECURITYSTOCKWATCH.COM, ONLINE AND/OR IN PRINT, IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS OF USE, CONDITIONS, AND DISCLAIMER HERE: www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Main/Terms_of_Use.html.

*****
NASHVILLE, TN -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Nissan today announced senior management appointments to further strengthen the company's Marketing and Sales operations in Japan, China and Mexico.

"Today's announcements demonstrate the strength and diversity of Nissan's talented leadership in North America as one of our key leaders moves to China, and we appoint the first female president as a country head in the history of our company," said Jose Munoz, executive vice president, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (NML) and chairman, Nissan North America.

Airton Cousseau, currently president, Nissan Mexicana, will be appointed vice president, Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd., as well as managing director, Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Co. (subject to approval by the board of directors). Cousseau's strong background in import and export sales and marketing, finance, dealer network development and aftersales have helped to maintain 83 consecutive months of leading market share in Mexico. This same expertise is expected to develop and grow the dealer network in China. He will report directly to Jun Seki, President of Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd.

"Airton Cousseau has performed at a very high level during his tenure in Nissan Mexico, and his results have been nothing short of extraordinary," said Munoz. "We expect that he will transfer his leadership talents to China and provide Dongfeng with strong performance as they work to attain their full potential."

Cousseau will succeed Susumu Uchikoshi, currently vice president, Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd., who is returning to NML global headquarters to assume a newly created role of regional senior vice president, Japan Marketing and Sales.

Mayra Gonzalez, currently regional vice president, Sales and Marketing, Nissan Mexicana, will be appointed as president, Nissan Mexicana. Gonzalez will become the first female executive ever to be appointed president of a country within the Nissan Group. Her experience spans Customer Quality, Sales and Dealer Network Development in North and South America.

"Mayra Gonzalez has proven to be an effective and gifted executive during her time in Nissan Mexico," said Munoz. "We are proud of her accomplishments and look forward to her leading our Mexican operations to continued success in the future."

All changes are effective July 1, 2016.

About Nissan North America

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized annually by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year since 2010. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the U.S. media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.

About Nissan Motor Co.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 247,500 employees globally, Nissan sold 5.32 million vehicles and generated revenue of 11.38 trillion yen (USD 103.6 billion) in fiscal year 2014. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. Nissan leads the world in zero-emission mobility, dominated by sales of the LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle. It is the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment. For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3008848



Contact

Kristina Adamski

Nissan Group Communications

615-725-5828

kristina.adamski@nissan-usa.com




DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - Seasoned stock traders can blanch at the prospect of entering the hedge fund arena, yet they are an important component of a diversified investment portfolio. Reda Bedjaoui, CEO of Redbed Investments LLE and an expert in commodities trading, offers concrete insights that reassure novice hedge fund investors and advises them to conduct due diligence on the contenders. The first step is to collect pitch books, which outline key personnel, portfolio details, and investment strategies. While funds don't reveal specifics, they will likely follow one of three types of strategies: arbitrage, event-driven, or tactical. "Arbitrage relies on utilizing derivatives, a variety of exchanges, and other methods to extract profits from inefficiencies in the market," Bedjaoui explains. "Event-driven strategies leverage occurrences like mergers and acquisitions, utilize ownership positions to restructure companies, or flip profits from distressed securities." Hedge funds can employ diverse tactical strategies, but may specialize in short sales, focus on industry-specific stocks, or combine long and short strategies for stocks and futures.

Reda Bedjaoui suggests that would-be investors look for high-performing managers who utilize sustainable strategies. "This avoids the headline-generating implosions that occur when investors chase the bottom line without questioning the behind-the-scenes methods for generating profits," he notes. "Look for an investment methodology with an acceptable level of risk." Once an investor has winnowed down the choices, the next step is to examine the hedge funds' legal documents. Novice investors are encouraged to pay close attention to the description of allowable investment vehicles. "Some hedge funds have narrow parameters, while others build in flexibility for the hedge fund manager," Bedjaoui notes. "More flexibility means the potential for greater returns, but it also translates to increased risk."

According to Reda Bedjaoui, potential investors should also carefully review the documents that outline terms of investment, including information about whether the fund has one or multiple share classes, minimum investments, withdrawal terms, and fees. While both management fees and incentive fees are typical, funds can vary regarding when incentive fees apply. Prior to investing, it is critical to speak with the hedge fund manager, analysts, and operations personnel. It is also appropriate to talk to current or past investors who can provide references for the hedge fund manager. Bedjaoui observes that, although the vetting process can seem daunting, "With the proper roadmap, even novice investors can enjoy evaluating hedge funds, diversifying their portfolios, and reaping the resulting rewards."

The CEO of Redbed Investments LLE, Reda Bedjaoui is a recognized thought leader on multi-sector international investing who has spent more than a decade anticipating trends, pricing, and demands in commodities trading. Mr. Bedjaoui's expertise in futures trading, options trading, and hedge funds has created a demand for his insights among both novice and seasoned investors. His skill in predicting market forces extends to real property, as he solidified his reputation as a sought-after real estate investor and developer by leveraging his instincts and knowledge to direct successful real estate ventures in North America, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. Mr. Bedjaoui's business acumen, particularly in relation to start-ups and joint ventures, has resulted in successful enterprises that have spanned sectors ranging from the beverage to the technology industries.

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 - Attends Annual Investment Meeting in Dubai: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/reda-bedjaoui-attends-annual-investment-214119787.html

Contact Information

ICMediaDirect.com

TEL: 1.800.595.0821

www.ICMediaDirect.com

pr@icmediadirect.com
Regulatory News:

Camurus AB (STO:CAMX):

"We are in a strong growth phase and on track to deliver on all our key objectives for this year."

Business highlights first quarter 2016

Recruitment goals reached in two Phase 3 trials of CAM2038 for opioid dependence treatment.

Start of Phase 2 study of CAM2038 in patients with chronic pain.

Completion of Phase 2 study of CAM2029 in two patient groups with acromegaly or neuroendocrine tumors.

Completion of Phase 1 study of CAM4071 in healthy volunteers.

Clinical development supporting toxicology studies initiated for two new product candidates after completed formulation development and assessment

License agreement signed with Rhythm Inc. for long-acting FluidCrystal setmelanotide under development for rare genetic obesity disorders.

Significant events after the reporting period

Positive results from a Phase 2 study of the blockade of opioid effects by CAM2038 in patients with opioid dependence.

Financial summary first quarter 2016

Revenues MSEK 20.2 (58.6).

Operating result MSEK -24.9 (13.1).

Result after tax MSEK -19.4 (10.2).

Earnings per share SEK -0.52 (0.41).

Cash position MSEK 571.9 (116.4).

CEO comments

We have had strong start of the year with positive preclinical assessments of new promising drug candidates, initiation of the build-up of our commercial organization in Europe, and completed recruitment of more than 600 patients in two ongoing Phase 3 trials of our long-acting buprenorphine products for treatment of opioid dependence.

The development of CAM2038 is well-timed, as problems associated with opioid dependence continue to mount. In the US, opioid dependence has reached epidemic proportions. Its' devastating consequences are getting high attention with daily news headlines and commentaries by leading politicians. The situation is serious and untenable from both humanitarian and socioeconomic perspectives. There is consensus about the need to reduce the stigma of opioid addiction and recognize this condition as a chronic disease that must be treated using evidence based approaches.

Our success in enrolling more than 600 patients in two Phase 3 trials in the US, Europe and Australia in just three months, speaks to the high unmet need in this underserved patient population. With this positive progress, we are looking forward to completing the ongoing trials and receiving Phase 3 efficacy results in Q4 2016. In this context, the recently announced positive results from our Phase 2 opioid challenge study and the continued successful collaboration with Braeburn Pharmaceuticals is noteworthy.

Besides opioid dependence, CAM2038 is also being developed for the treatment of chronic pain. During Q1, we initiated a Phase 2 study in patients with chronic pain, set to deliver results in Q4 2016. We are enthusiastic about the prospects of CAM2038 for treatment of chronic pain, with the potential for round-the-clock pain relief combined with minimal risks of misuse, abuse and diversion.

In our partnership with Novartis, we recently completed a Phase 2 trial of our long-acting octreotide product, CAM2029, in patients with acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumors. Results are expected late Q2 2016. The partnership with Novartis continues to develop well, with high activity in preparing the start of Phase 3 trials.

In the late stage pipeline, we have also recently completed a Phase 2 study of product candidate CAM2032 for treatment of prostate cancer. Top-line results from this trial are expected during the Q2 2016.

We are also progressing with promising new product developments and bridging toxicology studies with two promising candidates were recently initiated. Clinical development of a first prioritized product candidate is planned to start during Q4 2016.

Several collaborations projects are also ongoing with international pharmaceutical and biotech companies. As an example, a new license agreement was signed with the US biotech Rhythm Inc. in January for the development and commercialization of a once-weekly formulation of setmelanotide for treatment of genetic obesity disorders. Shortly after the agreement, Rhythm received a Breakthrough Therapy designation for setmelanotide by US FDA.

We are in a strong growth phase and on track to deliver on all key objectives for this year:

1. Carry through the clinical registration program for CAM2038 for treatment of opioid dependence.

2. Initiate the build-up of our European commercial organization for the marketing of CAM2038.

3. Continue the pivotal clinical program for CAM2038 in the second indication, chronic pain.

4. Complete the preparations of Phase 3 trials of CAM2029.

5. Expand our pipeline with a new drug candidate in clinical development.

I look forward to an exciting and productive first year as a publicly listed company, creating significant value growth through our business operations and in our development pipeline.

Fredrik Tiberg

President and CEO

The information in this press release is disclosed by Camurus AB in accordance with the Swedish Securities Markets Act and/or the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication at 07.00 a.m. on 17 May 2016.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160516006770/en/

Contacts:

Camurus AB

Fredrik Tiberg, +46 (0)46 286 46 92

President and CEO

fredrik.tiberg@camurus.com

or

Rein Piir, +46 (0)70 853 72 92

VP Investor Relations

ir@camurus.com
BRUSSELS, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

In the era of smart homes with 'private spas', consumers, designers and tradespeople are interested in products offering the greatest level of comfort and convenience and yet lowest possible energy consumption. In future, these and other relevant product features will all be included on just one label, the new WELL - Water Efficiency Label.

In line with the European Commission proposals and with a view to providing the optimal orientation guide, the European valve industry has developed its WELL label with the customer in mind. This means that the energy consumption (hot water) of sink and shower fittings is now at the centre of the label. A comfort rating has also been added using clear symbols to indicate to users, designers and tradespeople additional product features, such as temperature control, timer control and noise level. This enhanced information content essentially distinguishes the new WELL label from all the other primarily national valve labelling systems currently in use across Europe.

By using WELL labels on their products, valve manufacturers will show their commitment to observing applicable European product standards. Manufacturer declarations will be verified by independent institutes in the form of annual sampling inspections. This means the consumer can be sure that the label and the labelled products will deliver what they promise.

The label can still be applied for via the internet platform http://www.well-online.eu.

Consumers, designers and tradespeople can find out everything they need to know about the label on the easy to use platform, as well as valves meeting the sustainability requirement for their current or future bathroom.

The WELL label was developed by EUnited Valves, the European valve manufacturers' association; details of this can be found at http://www.eu-nited.net/valves where information regarding the label can also be requested. Download label: http://bit.ly/24PHryY

Press relations:

Sarah Bruckner

Director EUnited Valves

Phone: +32-2706-8298

Email: sarah.brueckner@eu-nited.net

Internet:http://www.eu-nited.net/valves




17 May 2016 NB Private Equity Partners Limited ('NBPE' or the 'Company') today published a new presentation for the investor conference call. The investor conference call will be held on 17 May 2016 in order to discuss the Company's recent financial performance and Company developments.



The conference call will take place at 14.00 BST / 15.00 CEST / 9.00 EDT and can be accessed by dialing +1-866-919-8155 (U.S.) or +1-706-634-9866 (International) with the access code 12162219. Please ask for 'the NBPE investor call.'



A playback facility will be available two hours after the conference call concludes. This facility can be accessed for the following two weeks by dialing +1-855-859-2056 (U.S.) or +1-404-537-3406 (International). The code to access the playback facility is 12162219. A recording of the investor call will also be available on NBPE's website within several days after the call.



An updated investor presentation is attached and also available on NBPE's website at http://www.nbprivateequitypartners.com/.



For further information, please contact: NBPE Investor Relations +1 214 647 9593



Neustria Partners +44 (0)20 3021 2583 Nick Henderson Nick.Henderson@neustriapartners.com Robert Bailhache Robert.Bailhache@neustriapartners.com Charles Gorman Charles.Gorman@neustriapartners.com



ABOUT NB PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERS LIMITED NBPE is a closed-end private equity investment company with class A ordinary shares admitted to trading on Euronext Amsterdam and the Specialist Fund Market of the London Stock Exchange. NBPE has ZDP shares admitted to trading on the Specialist Fund Market of the London Stock Exchange and the Daily Official List of The Channel Islands Securities Exchange Authority Limited. NBPE holds a diversified portfolio of income investments, equity co-investments and fund investments selected by the NB Alternatives group of Neuberger Berman, diversified across private equity asset class, geography, industry, vintage year, and sponsor.



ABOUT NEUBERGER BERMAN Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages equities, fixed income, private equity and hedge fund portfolios for institutions and advisors worldwide. With offices in 18 countries, Neuberger Berman's team is more than 2,100 professionals and the company was named by Pensions & Investments as a 2013 and 2014 Best Place to Work in Money Management. Tenured, stable and long-term in focus, the firm fosters an investment culture of fundamental research and independent thinking. It manages $243 billion in client assets as of 31 March 2016. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com.



This press release appears as a matter of record only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any security.



NBPE is established as a closed-end investment company domiciled in Guernsey. NBPE has received the necessary consent of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission and the States of Guernsey Policy Council. NBPE is registered with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets as a collective investment scheme which may offer participations in The Netherlands pursuant to article 2:66 of the Financial Markets Supervision Act (Wet op het financial toezicht). All investments are subject to risk. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. The value of investments may fluctuate. Results achieved in the past are no guarantee of future results. This document is not intended to constitute legal, tax or accounting advice or investment recommendations. Prospective investors are advised to seek expert legal, financial, tax and other professional advice before making any investment decision. Statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are based on current expectations, estimates, projections, opinions and beliefs of NBPE's investment manager. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. Additionally, this document contains 'forward-looking statements.' Actual events or results or the actual performance of NBPE may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such targets or forward-looking statements.



May 2016 Investor Presentation: http://hugin.info/137843/R/2013020/745903.pdf



This announcement is distributed by GlobeNewswire on behalf of GlobeNewswire clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.



Source: NB Private Equity Partners Limited via GlobeNewswire [HUG#2013020]



A0MXLBB28ZZX8R23



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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NEWBURY (dpa-AFX) - Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L) reported a loss before tax of 449 million pounds for the year ended 31 March 2016 compared to profit of 1.09 billion pounds, previous year. Loss for the financial year from continuing operations was 3.8 billion pounds compared to profit of 5.9 billion pounds. Loss per share from continuing operations was 15.08 pence compared to profit of 21.42 pence.



Group EBITDA declined 2.5% to 11.6 billion pounds, primarily due to foreign exchange rate movements, with organic EBITDA growing 2.7%. Reported operating profit was 1.4 billion pounds, down 0.6 billion pounds year-over-year, impacted by a goodwill impairment in relation to Romania of 0.45 billion pounds.



Adjusted operating profit fell by 11.1% to 3.1 billion pounds as organic EBITDA growth was offset by the increase in depreciation and amortisation resulting from Project Spring, spectrum acquisitions and foreign exchange rate movements. Adjusted profit before tax declined to 1.7 billion pounds from 2.2 billion pounds. Adjusted basic earnings per share from continuing operations fell 9.2% to 5.04 pence.



Group revenue for the year decreased by 3.0% to 41.0 billion pounds, primarily due to foreign exchange rate movements, with Group organic service revenue growth of 1.5%. Service revenue decreased by 3.5% to 37.2 billion pounds.



The Board of Vodafone Group recommended a final dividend per share of 7.77 pence, up 2.0% year-on-year. The total dividend per share for the year would be 11.45 pence, up 2.0% year-on-year.



Vittorio Colao, Group Chief Executive, said: 'This has been a year of strong execution for the Group, returning to organic growth in both revenue and EBITDA for the first time since 2008. Looking forward, we will continue to invest in our customer excellence programmes in both mobile and converged services.'



For fiscal 2017, the Group expects: organic EBITDA growth in the range of 3-6%, implying 15.7 to 16.2 billion euros, at guidance FX rates.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Creates 160 New Jobs in the Region and Opens New Facility

Wayfair Inc. (NYSE:W), one of the world's largest online destinations for home furnishings and decor, today announced the expansion of its multi-lingual European Operations Centre in Galway, Ireland. The company will create approximately 160 new jobs in the Galway area as it scales its workforce to keep pace with rapid growth in Europe. To accommodate the expanding team, Wayfair will open a new 30,000-square-foot facility on Tuam Road to replace its prior facility in Mervue Business Park. The company will celebrate the new Tuam Road office opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning at 10 a.m.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517005600/en/

Wayfair Expands European Operation Centre in Galway, Ireland (Photo: Business Wire)

"A key pillar of Wayfair's continued success is our promise to customers to consistently deliver excellent customer service," noted Liz Graham, vice president of sales and service, Wayfair. "As European consumers become increasingly aware of Wayfair's exceptional e-commerce experience for home furnishings, we are seeing tremendous business growth in the region. The expansion of our operations in Galway will enable us to support the company's strong growth in Europe and ensure that we continue to deliver a world-class shopping experience as we redefine the way people shop for their homes."

New employees will join Wayfair's 200 existing Galway-based team members. Open roles include positions in customer service, inbound sales, business account management, finance, supplier operations, business analysts, recruitment, training and IT services.

"In Galway, we have built an outstanding team of dedicated professionals who are focused on ensuring the Wayfair e-commerce experience is stellar from start to finish," added Graham. "Our existing Galway team has been instrumental in providing Wayfair customers with an outstanding shopping experience. We are delighted to expand that team with more top-notch professionals in the area as we scale our operations to keep pace with rapid growth of our business."

Commenting on the announcement, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O'Connor noted, "I am delighted that Wayfair is expanding its company and creating an additional 160 jobs in Co. Galway. Creating jobs in our regions is a key part of what we want to achieve. Ireland is now equipped to seize the opportunities presented by the growth of e-commerce by utilizing our skill base and technological capacity. Internet shopping is a high growth and competitive sector and our ability to attract major companies like Wayfair illustrates that we can adapt to new developments and technologies in order to provide companies with the relevant expertise and infrastructure required for such operations. I wish Wayfair and its staff every success in the future."

The development of Wayfair's new facility is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise Innovation through IDA Ireland.

"It's great to see Wayfair expanding its operations in Galway, adding 160 extra staff in a variety of roles," noted Martin Shanahan, CEO of the Industrial Development Authority. "It's testament to the excellent ground work laid and reputation built by its existing staff, to the ready availability locally of a multi-lingual talent pool and to Galway's competitive business environment. I wish the team every success as they take Wayfair to the next level in Galway, demonstrating, once again, the region's strong value proposition to other consumer businesses."

In Galway, Wayfair offers full-time positions with a wide range of benefits including equity, bonuses, tuition reimbursement,medical insurance, tax saver commuter benefits and discounts on employee purchases. For more information on hiring and career opportunities in Galway, visit www.wayfair.co.uk/careers.

With more than 4,600 full time employees globally, Wayfair currently operates customer service centers in Massachusetts, Utah, Texas and Ireland.

About Wayfair

Wayfair Inc. offers an extensive selection of home furnishings and decor across all styles and price points. The Wayfair family of brands includes:

Wayfair.com, an online destination for all things home

Joss Main, where beautiful furniture and finds meet irresistible savings

AllModern, a go-to online source for modern design

DwellStudio, a design house for fashion-forward modern furnishings

Birch Lane, a collection of classic furnishings and timeless home decor

Wayfair generated $2.25 billion in net revenues for full year 2015 and $747.3 million in net revenues for first quarter 2016. The company employed 4,604 people as of March 31, 2016 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with operations throughout North America and Europe.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517005600/en/

Contacts:

Wayfair Inc.

Media Relations Contact:

Kate Margolis, 857-221-8085

PR@wayfair.com

or

Investor Relations Contact:

Julia Donnelly, 617-880-8320

IR@wayfair.com
TOKYO, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) will hold the "Invest Tokyo Seminar 2016 in London" with the support of UK Trade and Investment on May 23 at Hamilton House, London, for foreign companies interested in advancing into Japan. This seminar will provide UK companies with an opportunity to learn about the allure of Tokyo as an investment destination as well as various incentives and support for foreign companies provided by the TMG. There will be special sessions on FinTech, life sciences and IT industries.

The TMG is advancing efforts to attract foreign companies and develop a more business-friendly environment by attracting talent, information and investment from around the world to Tokyo using the special economic zone system of the national government. More than 60 foreign companies have decided to set up business in Tokyo by receiving TMG support.

Foreign companies newly establishing their regional headquarters or R&D centers in the special economic zone will be eligible to receive incentives and support such as free management consulting services, a subsidy program, preferential tax treatment and introduction of office space at reduced rates.

The TMG is providing strong support to speed up business development by gathering three facilities in one location. This includes the Tokyo One-Stop Business Establishment Center, which provides centralized support for procedures related to company incorporation, the Business Development Center Tokyo, and the Tokyo Employment Consultation Center.

Tokyo is transforming into an even more attractive city. Earthquake-resistant, high-performance office buildings are opening one after another, and preparations are underway to ensure a comfortable living environment for expats, including serviced apartments. The TMG is promoting the development of a healthcare and education environment for foreign residents, and installing multi-lingual signage on the streets and transportation facilities to turn Tokyo into a city where foreign company employees and their families can live in comfort.

There are numerous business opportunities to be found in Tokyo as it transforms in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic/Paralympic Games. The time is right to advance into Tokyo.

Please visit the following website for details on the seminar and Tokyo's special economic zones.

Invest Tokyo Seminar 2016 in London: http://seminar.invest-tokyo.jp/

Tokyo's special economic zones:

http://www.seisakukikaku.metro.tokyo.jp/invest_tokyo/index.html

E-mail: ml-office-ahq@section.metro.tokyo.jp




BASEL, Switzerland, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Nouscom announced today that it has closed a EUR 12 million Series A financing co-led by LSP andVersant Ventures. The funds will be used to support discovery and development of personalized cancer vaccines and tumor selective oncolytic viruses.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160513/367461LOGO )



"We are pleased to partner with investors who support the development of a new immuno-oncology company. We have developed know-how and IP that puts Nouscom in a unique position to bring new new life-changing immunotherapeutic vaccines to cancer patients", said Riccardo Cortese M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Nouscom.

Nouscom's technology focuses on viral vectors and oncolytic viruses, which infect and kill tumor cells and stimulate an immune response against cancer cells throughout the body. It has two product candidates, the Endovax and Exovax programs.Endovax, an antigenless vaccine, is based on oncolytic viruses capable of infecting and replicating only in cancer cells and causing immunogenic cell death, thereby recruiting T cells at the tumor site and reactivating T cells exhausted in the tumor micro-environment. Exovax is a personalized patient specific vaccine, based on viral vectors coding for strings of cancer neoantigens to induce and expand cancer and patient specific T cells.

Nouscom Director Dr. Joachim (JR) Rothe says: "Personalized cancer vaccines and oncolytic "antigenless" vaccines have the potential to converge into a protocol of oncolytic virus prime- and personalized vaccine boost for maximum sustained effect."

"The Nouscom platform offers an innovative approach to cancer vaccines that is versatile, powerful and scalable," said Guido Magni, Partner at Versant Ventures. "Further, since we backed this same team at Okairos, we know the members' skill level, dedication and ability to build a successful company."

About Nouscom

The Founders of Nouscom are a well established team that has worked together for many years in previous successful enterprises, including IRBM/Merck and Okairos, and are veterans in the field of oncolytic and genetic vaccines. The company is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and has operations in Rome, Italy. For more information on Nouscom, please visit the company's website at http://www.nouscom.com

About LSP

LSP (Life Sciences Partners) is a leading independent European investment firm, providing financing for private and public life-science companies. With over EUR 1 billion of investment capital raised to date and offices in Amsterdam, Munich and Boston, LSP is one of Europe's largest and most experienced specialist life-science investors. For more information, please visit http://www.lspvc.com.

About Versant Ventures

Versant Ventures is a leading global healthcare investment firm committed to helping exceptional entrepreneurs build the next generation of great healthcare companies. With $1.9 billion under management and offices in North America and Europe, Versant has built a team with deep investment, operating, and scientific expertise that enables a hands-on approach to company building. Since the firm's founding in 1999, nearly 50 Versant companies have achieved successful acquisitions or IPOs. For more information, please visit http://www.versantventures.com
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - Global strategic advisory and expert consulting firm Berkeley Research Group has appointed Ben Johnson as a managing director in its Global Investigations + Strategic Intelligence Practice, based in London.

Johnson's arrival further bolsters a growing team of experts in the global investigations practice, with other recent hires including the addition of five of the world's foremost cyber security experts earlier this year, led by Thomas Brown, a former United States federal prosecutor who worked on some of the most significant cyber investigations of the Internet era.

Ben Johnson is recognised as a leading expert in the field of fraud and investigations. He has led many investigations and reviews into suspected accounting irregularities, bribery and corruption issues and misconduct on behalf of regulators and private clients in both civil and criminal proceedings. He has significant financial services experience, having led several investigations into alleged misconduct at banks in multiple jurisdictions. He has also led numerous investigations on behalf of accountancy regulators in recent accounting scandals.

BRG's Global Investigations + Strategic Intelligence leader, Allen D. Applbaum, said: "Our practice is going from strength to strength. Our growth is testament to the calibre of our experts and clearly success attracts success. Not only are we adding scale, we are building a diverse, yet focused, range of expertise that few other firms can rival. I am very excited to be working with Ben Johnson again and to have him bring his fraud investigations and forensic accounting specialism into our London-based team. Ben's reputation with clients, regulators, and in industries such as financial services, makes him a perfect addition to our stellar group."

Daniel Ryan, managing director of BRG's London office, said: "We are delighted to bring Ben into a very strong practice within our growing London office. Ben's experience and capabilities are a direct fit with our other investigations work and also other work in litigation, arbitration and data analytics. We are set to announce further senior hires in this space in the coming weeks and are excited to be building a leading practice on a global level, with such a strong presence in the UK."

Johnson joins BRG from Alix Partners where he led the firm's Corporate Investigations team in the UK. He is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, serves as Treasurer and Council member of The Academy of Experts (TAE), and is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

About Berkeley Research Group

Berkeley Research Group is a global strategic advisory and expert consulting firm that provides independent advice, investigations, data analytics, authoritative studies, expert testimony, and regulatory and dispute consulting to Fortune 500 corporations, financial institutions, government agencies, major law firms and regulatory bodies around the world.

Formed and led by experts, we have built an organisation that is entrepreneurial, and collaborative, supported by a strong infrastructure and operating across 36 offices in the United States, the UK, Middle East, Asia, Australia, Canada and Latin America.

Berkeley Research Group's Global Investigations + Strategic Intelligence practice provides companies, their counsel, and other advisors and stakeholders with the relevant and timely information required to make fully informed business and legal decisions necessary to prevail in a complex, global operating environment. Our experts uncover facts, make sense of them, place them in context, and develop cutting-edge strategies to assist clients with addressing their most significant challenges. Whether in a dispute, contemplating a business transaction, assessing a system of compliance, investigating a potential fraud, or addressing a regulatory inquiry, we develop the information necessary to favourably resolve the issue.

Contact:

Amy Kingdon

Email contact


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Japanese yen drifted lower against its major rivals in pre-European trading in Tuesday. The yen slipped to 4-day lows of 109.34 against the greenback, 123.82 against the euro and 111.84 against the franc, from its early highs of 108.88, 123.24 and 111.33, respectively. The yen declined to near a 3-week low of 158.65 against the pound, 6-day low of 80.45 against the aussie and a 5-day low of 85.08 against the loonie, off its prior highs of 156.93, 79.30 and 84.35, respectively. Against the kiwi, it hit a 5-day low of 74.53. The yen is likely to find support around 110.4 against the greenback, 125.00 against the euro, 113.00 against the franc, 160.00 against the pound, 82.00 against the aussie, 76.00 against the kiwi and 86.00 against the loonie. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Pillarstone is the pan-European platform to support banks in managing exposures to non-core and underperforming assets

Italian platform in full operation and Greek platform launched

Pillarstone is actively evaluating opportunities for expansion into other countries

KKR Credit today announced the further expansion of its Pillarstone platform in Europe through the signing of a binding agreement with Alpha Bank and Eurobank in Greece. The agreement builds on the successful progress of the Italian platform that was announced in June 2015.

Pillarstone is also evaluating opportunities to expand the platform in other European countries in the near-term.

The new platform in Greece will provide fresh long-term capital and operational expertise to large Greek corporate borrowers, helping them stabilise, recover and grow for the benefit of all stakeholders. As with the Italian platform, the Greek banks will share in the upside as the businesses' performance recovers. Subject to final Board approval, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is considering co-investing in partnership with KKR and the banks.

Separately, in April this year, Pillarstone Italy announced the signing of an agreement with Premuda, a shipping group listed on the Italian Stock Exchange. The agreement will strengthen the company through the injection of significant fresh capital and by supporting its management team as it implements a new industrial plan. As part of this transaction, a third bank Banca Carige is joining the platform alongside the two original partners in Pillarstone's Italian platform, Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit.

Johannes P. Huth, Head of KKR Europe, Africa and Middle East, said: "Pillarstone presents an innovative and timely solution to banks across Europe in managing specific underperforming exposures. The agreement in Greece is an important next step in the development of a pan-European initiative and, together with the successful development of the Italian platform, demonstrates the benefits of the model for both companies, banks, and the wider economy."

John Davison, CEO of Pillarstone, said: "We are delighted with the positive reaction of both companies and banks to the Pillarstone platform. There is a compelling opportunity to expand the platform further across Europe, building on the successful blueprint of our agreements in Italy and Greece."

Ends

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages investments across multiple asset classes including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit and hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation at the asset level. KKR invests its own capital alongside its partners' capital and brings opportunities to others through its capital markets business. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. L.P. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About Pillarstone

Pillarstone is a platform established in 2015 by KKR Credit, with John Davison as co-investor and CEO, to partner with European banks to create value by managing their exposure to non-core and underperforming assets on their balance sheets. The platform provides long-term capital and operational expertise to help the businesses which underpin these non-performing and non-core exposures to stabilise, grow and create value. It is a unique approach based on a collaborative model that benefits a wide range of stakeholders. Pillarstone is a portfolio company of certain funds and accounts managed or advised by KKR Credit.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517005741/en/

Contacts:

Media

Finsbury

Victor Mallet

+44 (0) 20 7251 3801

Pillarstone@finsbury.com


LONDON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

5th-8th June 2016

After a landmark 25 years of bringing the most innovative and exciting young new designers to the world's attention, Graduate Fashion Week once again showcases the fashion stars of tomorrow with a four-day event in London. Graduate Fashion Week is now as established, as it is influential - it is the ultimate platform for new design talent in the UK, while also throwing the spotlight on exemplary practitioners in creative direction, communication and all aspects of the modern business of fashion. Graduate Fashion Week is the engine that fuels the future of the fashion industry.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/367952 )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/367953 )



Alumni of Graduate Fashion Week include the likes of Christopher Bailey, Antonio Berardi, Stella McCartney, Giles Deacon, Julien MacDonald, Christopher Raeburn and Sophie Hulme. Now in its 26th year, the class of 2016 is assembled from the most celebrated fashion courses around the country.

Ahead of the summer event, London-based photographic talent Hanna Moon was invited to capture a studio portfolio of work by nine of the most talented graduating designers. Here are two of those chosen. "The pieces shot by Hannah reflect the strength and the breadth of what's being produced across the UK in some of the world's most respected academic institutions," says Martyn Roberts, Director of Graduate Fashion Week.

Graduate Fashion Week is one of the most essential fixtures on the fashion calendar. Book tickets now for the shows taking place at the Truman Brewery from 6th-8th June at http://www.graduatefashionweek.eventbrite.com

Courtney Simon, Northumbria University

Courtney Simon's 'Real Reflective Roots' collection is as tough as it is colourful - a patchwork of black contemporary history. Her starting point was an exploration of her family's Grenadian heritage, the flights of apartheid and the hip hop of the 1990s and 2000s that was omnipresent in popular culture, and which represents a celebratory counterpoint to all that went before. "I wanted to represent the struggles which people went through," she explains, "but in a new, fun and exhilarating way."

Louis Trainor-Selwyn, Manchester School of Art

'The Bowie' is a collection that explores the notion of the British dandy, refracted through the lens of Versailles as well as modern street style. When Trainor was on a research trip to Premier Vision in Paris - the fashion industry's ultimate annual textile showcase - he took time out to visit Louis XVI's iconic Palace. "I'd always wanted to go, because of the opulent interiors," he says. "It then inspired me to look at the historical costume of the time. That's how I subsequently discovered George 'Beau' Brummell and the dandies that followed in his footsteps." Trainor updates the aesthetic of dandyism with elan and rock and roll flair, incorporating bright red fleece and sequin sheen.



Contact:

Scarlett Philips

scarlett.philps@exposure.net
COPENHAGEN (dpa-AFX) - Denmark's producer prices continued to decline in April, though at a slower pace than in the previous month, figures from Statistics Denmark showed Tuesday. The producer price index for total Danish production dropped 2.5 percent year-over-year in April, following a 5.4 percent decrease in March. The measure has been falling since June 2014. Producer prices in the domestic market slid 4.9 percent annually in April and foreign market prices went down by 0.5 percent. On a monthly basis, producer prices climbed 1.2 percent in April. Import prices fell 2.5 percent in April from a year ago and edged down 0.2 percent, month-on-month. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Focus Ventures Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: FCV) ("FCV" or the "Company") would like to remind shareholders that it is hosting a Conference Call and Webcast on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 8am Pacific Time (11am Eastern, 4pm UK) to discuss the Updated Pre Feasibility Study. Hosting the call will be David Cass, President of Focus and Ralph Rushton, Director.

Conference call details: Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 Time: 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm UK Dial-in number (Toll-free): 1-877-407-9124 Dial-in number (International): 201-689-8584 Conference ID# 13637827

--UK participants can dial either the 201 international number or toll free: 0800 756 3429.

--Participants from Germany can dial: 0800 182 0040.

A powerpoint presentation will be run during the conference call. The slides are available for viewing at http://www.investorcalendar.com/IC/CEPage.asp?ID=175042

Replay number (Toll-free): 1-877-660-6853

Replay number (International): 1-201-612-7415

Playback of the teleconference will be available until June 17, 2016.

About Focus

Focus is developing the Bayovar 12 phosphate deposit located 40 km from the coast in the Sechura District of northern Peru. Bayovar 12 hosts a large resource of highly-reactive sedimentary phosphate rock - a key raw material input for fertilizers and vital to world food production. Reactive phosphate rock from Sechura is a natural, slow-release source of phosphorus that can be applied directly to crops. Focus' goal is to become the long-term supplier of choice for rapidly growing direct application fertilizer market.

For further information, please call 604-630-5544 or visit our web site www.focusventuresltd.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

David Cass, President

Symbol: (TSX VENTURE: FCV)

Shares Issued: 120.4-million

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and include, without limitation, statements about the Company's plans for its Bayovar 12 Project. 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 forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, the Company's plans for its Bayovar 12 Project will proceed as intended; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the Company or any joint venture partner not having the financial ability to meet its exploration and development goals; risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; unanticipated costs and expenses; and such other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR 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 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: that the Company's plans for the Bayovar 12 Project will proceed as intended; and that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; 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:

Focus Ventures Ltd.

Ralph Rushton

(604) 630-5544

(604) 682-1514 (FAX)

info@focusventuresltd.com

www.focusventuresltd.com




Westinghouse Electric Company today announced that it has signed acontract with Teollisuuden Voima Oy (TVO) in Finland to deliver new feedwater spargers to the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Units 1 and 2.

The scope of the contract is for designing, analyzing, manufacturing and installing eight feedwater spargers. Feedwater spargers distribute water from feedwater lines through the reactor pressure vessel. Westinghouse will apply advanced techniques to increase the feedwater spargers' resistance to thermal fatigue, improving operational life, as well as reduce thermal loads of the surrounding structures.

"Throughout our history, Westinghouse has worked with companies around the world to deliver practical innovations that solve their most pressing operational challenges and promote safe operations," said David Howell, Westinghouse senior vice president, Operating Plants Business. "We are pleased that through this project, TVO has provided Westinghouse an opportunity to help them operate these Olkiluoto units more effectively for the long term."

The design and analysis work will be done by Westinghouse in Vasteras and the manufacturing at a local supplier in Finland. All equipment will be delivered to the Olkiluoto site during spring 2017. A Westinghouse outage services team will install the first four spargers within the planned outage time in May 2017.

"This contract confirms the trust TVO has in Westinghouse and our continued ability to deliver state-of-the-art solutions to the mechanical and technical challenges utilities experience in plants' operations," said Aziz Dag, Westinghouse vice president and managing director, Northern and Eastern Europe.

To learn more about Westinghouse Electric Company and our 130-year legacy of innovation visit www.westinghousenuclear.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517005081/en/

Contacts:

Westinghouse Electric Company

Hans Korteweg, +32 (0)2 645-7162 (office)

+32 (0)479-75-13-60 (mobile)

Communications Director

Europe, Middle East Africa Region

kortewh@westinghouse.com
PORTO, Portugal and HATFIELD, England, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

PRESS RELEASE FOR EU MEDIA ONLY: NOT FOR AUSTRIAN/SWISS/US JOURNALISTS

BIAL announces today that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted Bial's application to review recent clinical trial data for Zebinix (eslicarbazepine acetate) for its use as a once-daily monotherapy in the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed partial-onset (focal) epilepsy.

Partial-onset seizures, also known as focal, are the most common type and are therefore an important first target for treatment.[1] Zebinix, (eslicarbazepine acetate) is currently indicated in Europe as an adjunctive therapy in adults with partial-onset seizures, with or without secondary generalisation.[2] In the US, eslicarbazepine acetate (Aptiom) is indicated for the treatment of partial-onset seizures as monotherapy or as an adjunctive therapy.[3]

Commenting on the submission Antonio Portela, CEO of Bial, explains, "It is a significant milestone in Bial's commitment to help people who live with epilepsy. We have been developing eslicarbazepine acetate for many years and it's very encouraging to have the monotherapy submission acceptance. We hope it will become available for those living with epilepsy and for those who manage the condition."

The submission was based on the results from a Bial sponsored Phase III study[4],[5] in adult patients with newly diagnosed partial-onset seizures which demonstrates that treatment with monotherapy is as effective as controlled-release carbamazepine, a standard of care, and is well-tolerated.

This phase III study[4],[5] is a randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, active-controlled and non-inferiority study, that investigates the efficacy and safety of once-daily eslicarbazepine acetate (800 to 1600 mg/daily) as monotherapy treatment for newly diagnosed adults (18 years and older) with partial-onset seizures in comparison with twice-daily controlled-release carbamazepine (400 to 1200 mg/daily). The primary endpoint was the proportion of people seizure free for the entire 26-week evaluation period. Secondary endpoints included the time to first seizure, a QOLIE-31 quality of life assessment, and safety. These data were recently presented for the first time at the Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting April 2016.

Efficacy analysis from this study[4] shows seizure freedom rates of 71% with eslicarbazepine acetate and 75.6% controlled-release carbamazepine in 785 eligible patients at 6 months at the last evaluated dose (average risk difference -4.28%, 95%CI -10.3, 1.74%). The one-year seizure-free rate at the last evaluated dose was 64.7% in the eslicarbazepine acetate group and 70.3% in the controlled-release carbamazepine group (average risk difference: -5.46%; 95%CI: -11.88, 0.97%).

A safety analysis[5] in 813 patients shows that once-daily eslicarbazepine acetate is well tolerated and side effects are mild to moderate. Incidence rates of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were similar but slightly lower in patients receiving eslicarbazepine acetate versus patients receiving controlled-release carbamazepine (77.8% vs 80.1% respectively). Possibly-related TEAEs for eslicarbazepine acetate were 43.6% compared with 51.5% for controlled release carbamazepine. Serious treatment-related TEAEs in eslicarbazepine acetate treated patients versus patients treated with controlled release carbamazepine were 2.0% vs 2.7% and for TEAEs leading to withdrawal were 13.5% vs 18%.The most frequently reported possibly-related TEAEs for eslicarbazepine acetate were headache, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and somnolence.

Eslicarbazepine acetate is a voltage-gated sodium channel blocker. It selectively targets the slow inactivated state of the sodium ion channel[6] which, stops sodium entering the nerve cells in the brain.[7] This reduces the activity of the nerve cells, reducing the intensity and the number of seizures.[7]

Notes to Editors

About Zebinix (eslicarbazepine acetate)

Eslicarbazepine acetate is currently marketed in Europe by BIAL-Portela & C, S.A and by BIAL's licensee, Eisai Europe Limited, a European subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. under the trade name Zebinix. In the United States and Canada eslicarbazepine acetate (tradename Aptiom) is marketed by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc., under an exclusive license from BIAL.

Zebinix is the EU trade name for eslicarbazepine acetate

is the EU trade name for eslicarbazepine acetate Zebinix is under license from BIAL

is under license from BIAL Aptiom is the trade name for eslicarbazepine acetate in the U.S. and Canada and is under license to Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Eslicarbazepine acetate is indicated in Europe as adjunctive therapy in adults with partial onset seizures, with or without secondary generalisation.[2]

The efficacy of eslicarbazepine acetate was demonstrated in an initial proof-of-concept phase II study[8] and three subsequent phase III randomised, placebo controlled studies in 1049 patients with refractory partial onset seizures.[9],[10],[11]

Eslicarbazepine acetate is already available in Albania*, Austria, Czech Republic, Cyprus*, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany (co-promotion with BIAL, the developer of eslicarbazepine acetate), Greece, Iceland, Italy, Malta*, Norway, Portugal*, Republic of Ireland, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, Sweden, Spain (co-promotion with BIAL), UK (co-promotion with BIAL) and the U.S and Canada**.

*Exclusively by BIAL

**Eslicarbazepine acetate is sold in the U.S. and Canada under the trade name Aptiom

About BIAL

Founded in 1924, BIAL is an international pharmaceutical company with the mission to discover, develop and provide therapeutic solutions within the area of health. In recent decades, BIAL has focused on quality, innovation and internationalisation.

Being the partner of choice for many companies, BIAL is strongly committed to therapeutic innovation, investing more than 20% of its turnover in Research and Development (R&D) every year.

BIAL has established an ambitious R&D program centred on the central nervous, cardiovascular system and allergy immunotherapy. BIAL's innovative programmes focus on continuing the clinical development of its anti-epileptic Zebinix/Aptiom (on the market in Europe and the USA), as well as opicapone for Parkinson's disease.

The company expects to introduce more new medicines and vaccines to the market in the next years, strengthening its position worldwide and accomplishing the company's purpose of "Caring for your Health".

For more information about BIAL, please visit http://www.bial.com.

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. European Medicines Agency. Guideline on clinical investigation of medicinal products in the treatment of epilepticdisorders 2010 (22 July); CHMP/EWP/566/98 Rev.2/Corr

2. Zebinix Summary of Product Characteristics http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Product_Information/human/000988/WC500047225.pdf (accessed April 2015)

3. Food and Drug Administration, Highlights of Prescribing Information https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2015/022416s001lbl.pdf (accessed May 2016)

4. Trinka E, et al. Efficacy of eslicarbazepine acetate versus controlled-release carbamazepine as monotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed partial-onset seizures. Presented at AAN 2016; abstract 001

5. Kowacs P, et al. Safety and tolerability of eslicarbazepine acetate as monotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed partial-onset seizures. Presented at AAN 2016; abstract 002

6. Hebeisen S, et al. Eslicarbazepine and the enhancement of slow inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels: a comparison with carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine and lacosamide. Neuropharmacology 2015; 89:122-35

7. European Medicines Agency, Zebinix eslicarbazepine acetate, How does it work? http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/medicines/human/medicines/000988/human_med_001172.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac058001d124 (accessed April 2016)

8. Elger C, et al. Eslicarbazepine acetate: A double-blind, add-on, placebo-controlled exploratory trial in adult patients with partial-onset seizures. Epilepsia 2007; 48:497-504

9. Elger C, et al. Efficacy and safety of eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive treatment in adults with refractory partial-onset seizures: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group phase III study. Epilepsia. 2009;50:454-63

10. Ben-Menachem E, et al. Eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with partial epilepsy. Epilepsy Res. 2010;89(2-3):278-85

11. Gil-Nagel A, et al. Efficacy and safety of 800 and 1200 mg eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive treatment in adults with refractory partial-onset seizures. Acta Neurol Scand. 2009; 120:281-7



Date of preparation: May 2016

Job code: Zebinix-UK 2402


17 May 2016 AIM: AAU



LITHIUM PROJECT TRANSACTION



Ariana Resources plc ('Ariana' or 'the Company'), the exploration and development company, announces that Asgard Metals Pty. Ltd. ('Asgard'), its 86%- owned Australian subsidiary, has completed a joint agreement to vend a package of tenements in Western Australia and the Northern Territory to Kingston Resources Limited (ASX:KSN) ('Kingston') as part of a broader deal involving Slipstream Resources Group ('Slipstream'). This package of tenements contains potential for lithium-tantalum bearing pegmatitic mineralisation in four areas in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.



Highlights:



* Asgard completes joint agreement with Slipstream to vend a total package of twenty tenements across four areas within Western Australia and the Northern Territory, to Kingston.



* Aggregate consideration payable to Asgard for the deal involves a cash payment of A$20,000 and 6,600,000 fully paid ordinary shares in Kingston.



* Asgard will also benefit from up to 7,200,000 performance shares in Kingston which will be issued on the achievement of certain project milestones.



* Kingston to complete a fundraising of up to A$6.85 million in two tranches, with Bell Potter Securities Limited, to fund an aggressive exploration programme on the tenements.



* Completion of the transaction is subject to various conditions, including due diligence, the acquisition of control of the twenty tenements, Kingston shareholder approval for the transaction, regulatory approvals capital raising.



Dr. Kerim Sener, Managing Director, commented:



'This is a very pleasing result for our technology-metals subsidiary which was able to act swiftly to secure the rights to some of the tenement applications that form part of this deal with Kingston. We are again pleased to have been able to cooperate productively with Slipstream on this deal, and to have been able to apply again a successful formula to vend the complete licence package to Kingston. We now look forward to seeing the formal completion of this deal and towards Kingston undertaking new exploration on this licence package.'



Ariana's Strategy



Asgard has been pursuing a strategy of commodity diversification on behalf of Ariana, with a special focus on technology-commodities, particularly those that may be used in renewable energy applications. Commodities of particular interest to Asgard currently include lithium, antimony and silver, which are found in association with certain gold mineralisation systems in both Turkey and Western Australia, among other gold-provinces worldwide. Asgard is also interested in the potential for lithium and antimony mineralisation in Turkey and has undertaken initial work to confirm this view. Asgard has developed an exploration model specifically for lithium, which it is applying to other regions with the aim of identifying new exploration areas for future licence acquisition.



Summary of Agreement



Asgard and Slipstream have jointly vended their interests in twenty tenements in Western Australia and the Northern Territory to Kingston Resources Limited (ASX:KSN) via the sale of a jointly owned company, Slipstream WANT Pty. Ltd., of which Asgard owns 4%. In consideration for this, Asgard will receive a payment of A$20,000. Of this, A$8,000 will be paid to Asgard within 5 business days of completion of the first tranche of the Kingston share placement and A$12,000 to be paid at completion. Asgard will also be issued with 6,600,000 in fully-paid ordinary shares, half of which will be subject to a voluntary escrow period of 12 months. Asgard will also benefit from the following performance share payments, as follows:



* 3,600,000 shares in Kignston upon an Inferred Mineral Resource of 5 Mt at no less than 1% Li(2)O being identified on any or all of the tenements and announced to the ASX by Kingston in accordance with the requirements of the JORC Code; and



* 3,600,000 shares in Kingston upon an Inferred Mineral Resource of a further 10 Mt at no less than 1% Li(2)O being identified on any or all of the tenements and announced to the ASX by Kingston in accordance with the requirements of the JORC Code.



Kingston will complete a placement of up to A$6.85 million in two tranches with Bell Potter Securities Limited acting as Lead Manager, to fund an aggressive exploration programme on the tenements. Tranche 1 for A$840,000 before expenses will be raised without the requirement for shareholder approval and will commence immediately. Tranche 2 will require shareholder approval and the grant of two key tenements and will aim to raise A$6,010,000 before expenses. The funds raised from this placement will be applied in part to fund the acquisition of the tenements and their exploration.



Contacts:



Ariana Resources plc Tel: +44 (0) 20 7407 3616



Michael de Villiers, Chairman



Kerim Sener, Managing Director



Beaumont Cornish Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7628 3396



Roland Cornish / Felicity Geidt



Beaufort Securities Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7382 8300



Jon Belliss



Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7886 2500



Adam James / Tom Salvesen



Loeb Aron & Company Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7628 1128



Anthony Kluk



Editors' note:



About Ariana Resources:



Ariana is an exploration and development company focused on epithermal gold- silver and porphyry copper-gold deposits in Turkey. The Company is developing a portfolio of prospective licences selected on the basis of its in-house geological and remote-sensing database, on its own in western Turkey and in Joint Venture with Eldorado Gold Corporation in north-eastern Turkey. Eldorado owns 51% of this joint venture and are fully funding all exploration work on the JV properties, while Ariana owns 49%. The total resource inventory within this JV is 1.09 million ounces of gold.



The Company's flagship assets are its Kiziltepe and Tavsan gold projects which form the Red Rabbit Gold Project. Both contain a series of prospects, within two prolific mineralised districts in the Western Anatolian Volcanic and Extensional (WAVE) Province in western Turkey. This Province hosts the largest operating gold mines in Turkey and remains highly prospective for new porphyry and epithermal deposits. These core projects, which are separated by a distance of 75km, are presently being assessed as to their economic merits and now form part of a Joint Venture with Proccea Construction Co. The total resource inventory at the Red Rabbit Project stands at c. 525,000 ounces of gold equivalent.



Beaufort Securities Limited and Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited are joint brokers to the Company and Beaumont Cornish Limited is the Company's Nominated Adviser. Loeb Aron & Company Ltd. will continue to act as a market advisor to the Company until June 2016.



For further information on Ariana you are invited to visit the Company's website at www.arianaresources.com.



About Slipstream:



The principals of Slipstream, Geoff Stewart and Dale Ferguson, have a successful track record of building businesses in the resources sector. Slipstream has a global network developed over more than 30 years, and is building a strong pipeline of exploration stage investment opportunities.



Slipstream provides wholesale investors with access to specially selected exploration stage resource assets. The assets may be located anywhere in the world. A core focus is on Australasia and other regions are considered provided Slipstream has strong local partners in such regions.



For further information on Slipstream you are invited to visit the company's website at www.slipstreamresources.com.



About Kingston:



Kingston Resources is currently an ASX listed mineral exploration company which aims to discover an economic copper deposit in Australia. However, this transaction will aid the transformation of the company into a strategic metals exploration company focused on discovering and developing high-grade lithium deposits in Australia.



For further information on Kingston you are invited to visit the company's website at www.kingstonresources.com.au.



Ends



This announcement is distributed by GlobeNewswire on behalf of GlobeNewswire clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.



Source: Ariana Resources plc via GlobeNewswire [HUG#2013151]



B085SD5R5



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is pleased to announce that Canberra Metro PC Pty Ltd, a joint stock company established by MC, Pacific Partnerships (Australia), John Holland (Australia) and Aberdeen Infrastructure Investments (United Kingdom), has signed an agreement with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government for a concession to undertake Light Rail Transit (LRT) operations in Canberra under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.

Mitsubishi Corporation Telephone: +81 3 3210 2171 Facsimile: +81 3 5252 7705

TOKYO, May 17, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is pleased to announce that Canberra Metro PC Pty Ltd (Canberra Metro), a joint stock company established by MC, Pacific Partnerships (Australia), John Holland (Australia) and Aberdeen Infrastructure Investments (United Kingdom), has signed an agreement with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government for a concession to undertake Light Rail Transit (LRT) operations in Canberra under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.In January 2016, the consortium comprised of eight companies, including the four mentioned above, was selected as a preferred proponent, resulting in the contract now being signed by Canberra Metro.The project covers construction, as well as operation and maintenance for 20 years, of a 12-kilometer LRT system with 13 stops between central Canberra and Gungahlin in the north. Manufacturing, supply and maintenance of rolling stocks will be the scope of CAF, one of the largest rolling stock suppliers in Spain, while construction work will be done by CPB Contractors and John Holland, major Australian construction companies. DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH, a subsidiary of German national railway company, Deutsche Bahn, will also be selected as a partner for the operation and maintenance of the whole LRT system.The project has been listed in the first phase of plans for LRT network development in Canberra, and is being promoted as one of the ACT Government's top priorities. Through Canberra Metro, MC will be seeking to provide a safe and on-time public transportation service that is environmentally friendly in keeping with the abundance of greenery in Canberra, while at the same time contribute to improving convenience for residents and stimulating economic activity in the country's capital.This is MC's first project in the railway operations business, and stands to bolster the company's efforts to develop other railway PPP projects in Australia. MC already has extensive experience and expertise in this field, built up through rolling stock exportation, EPC3 contracts and other infrastructure projects related to airports, seaports, power generation and water. Drawing on these experiences, MC will actively continue to seek opportunities to enter the railway operations business and to expand the base of its infrastructure business around the world.1. Light Rail Transit (LRT): An electrical tramway operated inside an urban area. LRT is an eco-friendly system which emits less CO2 than cars and diesel buses and is easy to design for harmonization with urban landscape.2. Public Private Partnership (PPP): A contractual scheme under which public services are developed and delivered through public sector and private sector collaboration. PPP aims to provide public services in an efficient and effective way by utilizing private sector know-how for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of public works.3. EPC: Engineering, Procurement and Construction; a single contract which includes these scopes.Consortium Members1. Pacific Partnership (Australia)2. John Holland (Australia)3. Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan)4. Aberdeen Infrastructure Investments (United Kingdom)5. CPB Contractors (Australia)6. DB Engineering & Consulting (Germany)7. Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (Spain)8. The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (Japan)About Mitsubishi CorporationMitsubishi Corporation (MC; TSE: 8058) is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates businesses across virtually every industry including industrial finance, energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, foods, and environmental business. MC's current activities are expanding far beyond its traditional trading operations as its diverse business ranges from natural resources development to investment in retail business, infrastructure, financial products and manufacturing of industrial goods. With over 200 bases of operations in approximately 80 countries worldwide and a network of over 500 group companies, MC employs a multinational workforce of nearly 60,000 people. For more information, please visit www.mitsubishicorp.com.Source: Mitsubishi CorporationContact:Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
PHILADELPHIA, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier to Add Rehabilitation Skills to Existing Clinical Skills Offering to Benefit Larger Group of Health Professionals

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services, today announced that it will collaborate with the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) in co-developing a collection of rehabilitation nursing skills for Elsevier Clinical Skills. Elsevier Clinical Skills offers over 1,300 skills that combine evidence-based content with robust competency management and empower clinicians to deliver high-quality patient care with confidence.

"ARN's mission focuses on the promotion and advancement of professional rehabilitation nursing practice through education that will ultimately enhance the quality of life for those affected by disability and chronic illness. Our members often state that rehabilitation nursing is not just a setting but rather a philosophy of care that, when practiced throughout the continuum of care, can improve patient outcomes," said ARN President Cheryl A. Lehman, PhD, RN, CRRN, CNS-BC, RN-BC. "The development of these skills is an important step in sharing the standards and practices in a variety of acute and post-acute settings."

With the Rehabilitation Skills collection, clinicians will improve the quality of life for those affected by disability and chronic illness by administering standardized, evidence-based care, according to Barbara Cullen, Vice President of Strategy and Product Development, Elsevier Clinical Solutions.

"Elsevier is thrilled to collaborate with the ARN in the development of these rehabilitation skills," Cullen said. "ARN's unique expertise in professional rehabilitation nursing will only enhance our existing skills collection and provide opportunity for more health professionals to benefit from Clinical Skills."

For additional information on Elsevier Clinical Skills, visit http://www.confidenceconnected.com/products/elsevier-clinical-skills

About Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN)

ARN is a professional healthcare association dedicated to promoting and advancing professional rehabilitation nursing practice through education, advocacy, collaboration, and research to enhance the quality of life for those affected by disability and chronic illness. For more information about ARN, please visit http://www.rehabnurse.org or call +1 800 229 7530.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions - among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Elsevier Research Intelligenceand ClinicalKey - and publishes over 2,500 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and more than 33,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a world-leading provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com

Media contact

Christopher Capot

Director, Corporate Relations

Elsevier

+1 917 704 5174

c.capot@elsevier.com


BSD Crown Ltd. (the "Company")

(LSE: BSD)

Company Update Re: Meinl Bank Deposits

Ramat Gan, 17 May 2016

Further to the announcement dated 29 April 2016 the Company wishes to update the market on recent developments in relation to the cash deposits (the "Deposits") held by the Company (approximately US$30 million) and BGI Investments (1961) Ltd. ("BGI"), its controlling shareholder, (approximately US$2.65 million) with Meinl Bank ("Meinl") in Austria . Following demands made by lawyers acting for the Company and BGI to Meinl, documents purporting to relate to these deposits have recently been received from Meinl, indicating that since 2013, the Deposits have been allegedly used as collateral for loans taken by off-shore companies unknown to BGI and BSD.

Further to these findings, the board of directors of each of the Company and BGI have met and the aforementioned documents were presented for their consideration .To the best of the knowledge of the Company and BGI, neither company has ever agreed to use such Deposits as collateral or as a guarantee in favour of any third party. Furthermore, the Company and BGI have in their possession documents which indicate that the Deposits are held in accounts with Meinl on behalf of the Company and BGI free and clear of any encumbrance.

The Company and BGI have instructed their lawyers to act, on their behalf, in order to explore and pursue all courses of action and rights regarding the Deposits. Once such matters have been clarified, the Company and BGI will consider the consequences on past audited financial statements of the Company and BGI.

Request to convene a General Meeting

The Company notes the announcement made on 12 May 2016 by Yossi Willi Management and Investments Limited ("YWMIL") noting that on 9 May 2016, its legal representatives, Meitar Liquornik Geva Leshem Tal, had written to the Company to request the convening of a General Meeting of the shareholders of BSD as soon as possible and no later than 42 days from 9 May 2016 for the purpose of replacing all the incumbent non-external directors of the Company with its own proposed directors (amongst other things).

The Company confirms that it has received such a request and is currently considering such request with its lawyers. The Company will provide a further update in due course.

Enquiries: Yossi Schneorson, CEO: yossi@bsd-c.com
Orange Business Services, the B2B division of the Orange Group, is reaffirming its commitment to support enterprises in Africa with the expansion of its Lagos, Nigeria presence. It has established a new sales office in addition to the existing customer support activities in the country. The objective is to support senior IT decision makers with strategies to grasp the market opportunities being brought by digital transformation. The potential for businesses to expand in Nigeria is demonstrated by the size and rate of growth already achieved by existing Orange clients, especially in the financial sector.

"The expanded Orange Business Services presence in Lagos helps support the many Nigeria-based businesses who want to increase their business performance and profitability," says Giorgio Heiman, vice president, Africa at Orange Business Services. "We act as a trusted advisor to help our customers compete on an equal footing in what is rapidly becoming a global market. This includes competitive, high-quality IT services delivered in all countries in which they operate."

Orange Business Services in Nigeria supports both Nigeria-based businesses, which are growing and transforming thanks to digital technologies, and multinational companies from elsewhere on the continent and beyond, which are looking to expand within Africa. "We place great emphasis on local presence in our markets. There are many growth opportunities in IT, particularly in high-growth markets like Nigeria and across West Africa, but these can only be harnessed if service providers have a local understanding of strategic, political and cultural sensitivities in a region. Orange delivers consistently reliable telecommunications across Africa, including in hard-to-reach places and in jurisdictions where the regulatory environment is still developing," added Heiman.

In addition to West Africa, Orange Business Services is present across North and South Africa. Customers are supported by global customer service centers in Cairo and Mauritius part of a network of five centers worldwide. Further, Orange Business Services is the only global telecommunications service provider that has been rated as "strong" for its coverage in the Middle East and Africa region by IT research company Current Analysis. And in 2015, it was named the winner of the Total Telecom Award for Best Enterprise Service in Africa with Business VPN Hybrid, and Best VSAT Operator, Africa.

Orange has a strong commitment to the African continent, which has been at the heart of the Orange business strategy for the last few decades. The Group has a long-term approach to its presence in the region and has invested heavily to support infrastructure development and innovations that have changed the social and business landscape.

About Orange Business Services

Orange Business Services, the Orange branch dedicated to B2B services, is not only a telecom operator, but also an IT solutions integrator and applications developer in France and around the world. Its 20,000 employees support companies in all areas of their digital transformation: mobile and collaborative workspaces; IT/cloud infrastructure; fixed and mobile connectivity; private and hybrid networks; applications for Internet of Things, 360 customer experience and Big Data analytics; and cybersecurity thanks to dedicated experts and infrastructure to protect information systems. More than 3,000 multinational organizations and 2 million SOHOs, enterprises and local authorities in France rely on Orange Business Services as their trusted partner.

Learn more at www.orange-business.comor follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and our blogs.

Orange is one of the world's leading telecommunications operators with annual sales of 40 billion euros in 2015 and has 155,000 employees worldwide at 31 March 2016. Orange is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517005806/en/

Contacts:

Press contact:

Orange Business Services

Elizabeth Mayeri, +1 212 251 2086

elizabeth.mayeri@orange.com
BRUSSELS, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

On Thursday 18 May, the EU standing committee will be left in no doubt about how Europeans feel towards the toxic chemical, glyphosate.

Supporters of WeMove.EU, the movement for a better Europe, will join others in protesting the renewal of glyphosate's licence. If the standing committee approves the licence, it would mean the continued spread of the probably carcinogenic chemical into our everyday environment.

The group will hold an oversized Roundup bottle, coming in at 3 metres high, labelling the weed killer as poisonous to humans, right in front of where the standing committee will be meeting. They will also be delivering a petition with more than 230,000 signatures calling for an outright ban on the chemical. It is sure to be a disruptive and compelling sight!

Agro-companies such as Monsanto and Bayer have used underhand methods to ensure glyphosate's permissions, as it is used in some of their most profitable products. The creative protest will demonstrate the widespread support in European countries on an all-out ban on the chemical, and the anger towards companies manipulating 'scientific' studies - as well as EU officials.

Notes:

WeMove.EU is a citizens' movement, campaigning for a better Europe; for a European Union committed to social and economic justice, environmental sustainability and citizen-led democracy. We are people from all walks of life, who call Europe our home - whether we were born in Europe or elsewhere. As of May 2016 we have 300,000 members across Europe. Our campaigns are run in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and (soon to be) Polish.

Event details:

Date: 18 May 2016

Time: 9am

Place: Albert Borschette Congress Center (CCAB)

Rue Froissart 36

1040 Brussels

For more information about our campaign against Glyphosate: Jorg Rohwedder, Senior Campaigner, joerg@wemove.eu , +49-451-30086913 or +49-178-4078433

Your contact on Wednesday in Brussels: Oliver Moldenhauer, Executive Director, oliver@wemove.eu , +49-177-3068911
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Around the world, May 17 is recognized as the "International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia" - a day of action, awareness and affirmation of the fundamental rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-identified and Queer-identified (LGBTQ) people. On this day, the labour movement joins the LGBTQ community and allies in fighting for equality and celebrating the contributions made by LGBTQ people to our workplaces and our society. The date of May 17th was chosen to commemorate the 1990 decision of the World Health Organization to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

The Montreal-based organization, Fondation Emergence, has chosen a theme "Homophobia and Transphobia Affect All Ages" for its 2016 campaign theme. This theme recognizes the incredible changes witnessed by LGBTQ seniors, as well as the lifelong impact of homophobia and transphobia.

"LGBTQ seniors have lived through a lifetime in which their relationships had no legal standing, their sexuality was classified as a crime with significant penalties and their sexual orientation and gender identity was considered a mental disorder. That kind of prejudice leaves deep scars on a community that aren't easily erased," said Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) President Chris Buckley. "Despite recent legal victories, many LGBTQ people continue to face harassment, discrimination and assault as part of their daily lives. The labour movement will continue to fight for justice alongside the LGBTQ community until every person can live and work in dignity."

This year, the OFL is marking the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia by adding its voice to the 'We Demand an Apology Network.' The Network brings together researchers, allies, advocates and people who were directly affected by Canadian national security campaigns to purge 'homosexuals' from the public service, RCMP and Canadian military.

"From the 1950s to the early 1990s, hundreds, if not thousands, of people lost their jobs and careers in the public service, the RCMP and the military simply because they were lesbian or gay," said OFL Secretary-Treasurer Patty Coates. "If the injustices against LGBTQ people in Canada are to be addressed, there must be a pardon for those convicted and a state apology to those who lost their jobs and careers simply because of who they loved."

The OFL will continue to work with the Canadian Labour Congress, affiliates and community partners to fight for fairness and equality for LGBTQ people in every workplace and every community, as well as full legal rights for trans people under Canada's Criminal Code and Human Rights Act.

"From the early 'Stonewall' days of bar and bath house raids to the fight for Trans human rights today, revolutionary activists inspired generations of LGBTQ people to 'come out,' get organize and refuse to be passive victims of prejudice and discrimination. It is with thanks to their courage, energy, and resiliency that my generation and those that follow can enjoy much greater freedom," said Chandra-Li Paul, OFL Solidarity and Pride Vice-President. "As yesterday's trailblazing LGBTQ activists become our elders today, they face another challenge - a fight for the dignity and respect in retirement, in senior care and in their families. We cannot allow them to be forced back into the closet."

The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow the OFL on Facebook and Twitter: @OFLabour.

Contacts:

Ontario Federation of Labour

Joel Duff

Communications Director

416-707-0349 (cell)

jduff@ofl.ca

(ENG/FRENCH)




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Honey Badger Exploration Inc. (TSX VENTURE: TUF) ("Honey Badger" or the "Company") announces that it has mobilized to undertake a helicopter-supported magnetic geophysical survey on the Company's LG Diamonds Project located in Northern Quebec.

The property is comprised of 9 claim blocks, each exhibiting a magnetic anomaly that may indicate a prospective kimberlite target. The airborne survey (approximately 60 line kilometres on 75 metres spacing) will aim to improve the spatial resolution of the circular anomalies to pinpoint targets for diamond drilling.

The Company will also undertake a surface sampling program that will transect each anomaly. The collection of till and outcrop samples will provide Honey Badger with better geochemical data and help further prioritize targets for drilling.

Quentin Yarie, President & CEO, commented: "The LG Diamonds Project is in the diamond-rich zone that hosts Renard, Quebec's new diamond mine. Over the winter, our team undertook an aggressive campaign to model all historic geophysical data on the property. The completion of this detailed heli-GT mag survey as well as sampling on the ground, will help us define and prioritize targets for our upcoming drill program."

About Honey Badger Exploration Inc.

Honey Badger Exploration is a gold and diamond exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with properties in Quebec and British Columbia. The company's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "TUF".

The Company is currently focused on the advancement of the LG Diamonds Project located in the James Bay region of Quebec:

-- Total of 55 claims covering 2,765 hectares situated close to roads and power lines -- 9 claim blocks are centered on circular magnetic anomalies -- Each magnetic anomaly could be a potential kimberlite pipe -- Lake sediments near the magnetic anomalies contain kimberlite indicators -- The local geological environment is favourable for diamondiferous kimberlites -- Exploration agreements are in place with local First Nations

Qualified Person

Quentin Yarie, PGeo. is the qualified person responsible for preparing, supervising and approving the scientific and technical content of this news release and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company's exploration programs.

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 contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "should", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "predicts", "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

Contacts:

Honey Badger Exploration Inc.

Quentin Yarie

President & CEO

(416) 364-7029

qyarie@honeybadgerexp.com



Honey Badger Exploration Inc.

Mia Boiridy

Investor Relations

(416) 364-7029

mboiridy@honeybadgerexp.com

www.honeybadgerexp.com




VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - German shares rose on Tuesday, with a global rally in equities and commodities helping underpin investor sentiment as trading resumed after a public holiday. The benchmark DAX was up 22 points or 0.22 percent at 9,973 in late-morning deals after hitting as high as 10,080 earlier in the day. On a day of little corporate news, United Internet rallied 3 percent after affirming its full-year outlook. Among other prominent gainers, sportswear giant Adidas advanced 0.7 percent, utility E.ON gained half a percent and steelmaker ThyssenKrupp climbed 2.2 percent. While banks held flat on optimism over Greek debt talks, automakers BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen fell over 1 percent each. In economic releases, the euro area trade surplus rose to a 3-month high of 22.3 billion euros in March from 20.6 billion euros in February, as imports fell by much more than exports, Eurostat said. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DUBLIN, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Marketshas announced the addition of the"Armored Vehicles Market by Application, Defense Products, Commercial Products, Technology, Type, & Region - Global Forecast to 2021"report to their offering.



(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160330/349511LOGO )



The global armored vehicles market is projected to grow from USD 23.75 Billion in 2016 to USD 31.26 Billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period. Factors such as rising crime in the form of gang violence, kidnapping, and terror activities wars and cross-border disputes, and increasing civilian use of armored vehicles are expected to drive the growth of the global armored vehicles market during the forecast period of 2016 to 2021.



On the basis of application, the given market has been segmented into defense and commercial. The commercial segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period of 2016 to 2021. The rising demand for armored vehicles can be attributed to several factors, including self-defense or protection, rising political disputes, polarization of civilians leading to civil unrest, and so on.



The armored vehicles market is dominated by the commercial SUV segment, which is most commonly used by those who want to reach their destination in a safe manner. High ranking politicians, entrepreneurs, all categories of VIPs, ambassadors intend to use armored vehicles or SUVs for official use. This segment is also expected to witness the highest growth in the coming years, owing to several benefits provided by this segment, including durability, precision, efficiency, providing good gas mileage and so on.



The growth of the armored vehicles market could, however, be affected by certain major restraints in the coming years. These factors include declining defense budgets of developed economies of the world, such as the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, and so on.



Companies Mentioned:

BAE Systems, PLC

BMW AG

Elbit Systems

Ford Motor Company

General Dynamics Corporation

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Mercedes-Benz (Division of Daimler AG)

Oshkosh Defense

Textron Inc.

Volkswagen AG

Report Structure:

1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights



5 Market Overview



6 Industry Trends



7 Armored Vehicles Market, By Application



8 Defense Armored Vehicles Market, By Product



9 Commercial Armored Vehicles Market, By Product



10 Defense Armored Vehicles Market, By Type



11 Armored Vehicles Market, By Technology



12 Region Analysis



13 Competitive Landscape



14 Company Profiles



15 Appendix

For more information visithttp://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fh5qnj/armored_vehicles





Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

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M&A activity designed to spur innovation across global teams can often thwart it instead. On May 18 during the Chief Innovation Officer Summit in San Francisco, Planview's Chief Product Officer Patrick Tickle will discuss what innovation and culture means to businesses and how to cultivate it within a global M&A focused world.

Session Title:

"Open the Innovation Floodgates: Creating Capacity for Innovation" (https://theinnovationenterprise.com/summits/cino-san-francisco-16/schedule)

Topic:

Most conversations on innovation focus on developing the breakthrough products and services that will grow the business. But as companies continue to face fierce competition, they look to drive innovation not only organically but also inorganically via mergers and acquisitions. This creates unique challenges as companies begin to build a culture of innovation often across multinational teams. Tickle will draw upon his experience growing international teams across multiple geographies to demonstrate how to streamline and simplify the innovation process for better results.

The Chief Innovation Officer Summit in San Francisco brings the insights of Global 500 innovation professionals to the West Coast for two days of sharing challenges, identifying opportunities and networking with fellow industry innovators.

Speaker:

Patrick Tickle, Chief Product Officer for Planview: Tickle is responsible for the Planview products organization, leading the team that continues to deliver the most innovative portfolio management solutions to the marketplace. He has more than 20 years of experience in product management, product development and marketing across a wide range of technology solutions. Prior to joining Planview, Patrick served as vice president of marketing and product management of ITM Software, where he executed category development and product definition. He has also held a variety of product management and marketing positions at Terraspring, Inc. (an enterprise software company acquired by Sun Microsystems), MIPS and Silicon Graphics. He has a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the University of North Carolina. Follow Patrick Tickle on Twitter: @ptickle.

Date and Time:

Wednesday, May 18 at 3:30 p.m. PT

Registration:

https://theinnovationenterprise.com/summits/cino-san-francisco-16/registration

Planview is a Silver sponsor of the event and will be exhibiting in Booth 12.

About Planview

Planview enables organizations to get the most out of their resources and achieve their goals. We are the global leader in solutions that optimize resources and work, spanning strategic planning, portfolio and resource management, project collaboration, and enterprise architecture. From small teams to large enterprises, companies in every industry use Planview's products. Planview Enterprise, Projectplace, and Troux. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, our 600 employees worldwide serve more than 1,000 enterprise customers and one million users. For more information, visit http://www.planview.com.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517005840/en/

Contacts:

Per Holmlund,

Senior Public Relations Manager,

Planview

+46 73 156 03 12,

pholmlund@planview.com
BLACKROCK GREATER EUROPE INVESTMENT TRUST plc

All information is at 30 APRIL 2016 and unaudited.

Performance at month end with net income reinvested

One Three One Three Launch

Month Months Year Years (20 Sep 04)

Net asset value* (undiluted) -1.1% 1.7% -0.1% 20.6% 221.9%

Net asset value* (diluted) -0.8% 1.6% 0.2% 19.8% 220.0%

Share price -0.3% 0.0% -1.6% 20.4% 206.7%

FTSE World Europe ex UK 0.3% 4.1% -3.9% 18.0% 146.9%

Sources: BlackRock and Datastream

At month end

Net asset value (capital only): 257.08p

Net asset value (including income): 258.57p

Net asset value (capital only)*: 255.57p

Net asset value (including income)*: 256.80p

Share price: 244.50p

Discount to NAV (including income): 5.4%

Discount to NAV (including income)*: 4.8%

Subscription share price: 0.26p

Net gearing: 0.8%

Net yield**: 2.0%

Total assets (including income): 265.7m

Ordinary shares in issue***: 102,586,916

Subscription shares: 20,530,998

Ongoing charges****: 0.89%

* Diluted for subscription shares and treasury shares.

** Based on a final dividend of 3.35p per share for the year ended 31 August 2015 and an interim dividend of 1.65p per share for the year ending 31 August 2016.

*** Excluding 7,225,825 shares held in treasury.

**** Calculated as a percentage of average net assets and using expenses, excluding performance fees and interest costs, after relief for taxation, for the year ended 31August 2015.

Sector Analysis Total Assets Country Analysis Total Assets

(%) (%)

Financials 26.4 France 17.2

Industrials 21.5 Switzerland 11.8

Consumer Goods 15.3 Germany 10.9

Health Care 13.0 Denmark 10.4

Technology 10.3 Ireland 9.7

Consumer Services 9.4 Netherlands 8.9

Telecommunications 4.1 Italy 7.8

Basic Materials 0.6 Finland 5.8

Net current liabilities (0.6) Sweden 5.3

----- Russia 3.0

100.0 Turkey 2.6

===== Belgium 2.6

Poland 1.7

Spain 1.6

Ukraine 0.7

Luxembourg 0.6

Net current liabilities (0.6)

-----

100.0

=====

Ten Largest Equity Investments

% of

Company Country Total Assets

Novo Nordisk Denmark 5.1

Adidas Germany 3.3

Heineken Netherlands 3.0

Vinci France 2.8

Ryanair Ireland 2.7

Unibail-Rodamco France 2.7

Deutsche Telekom Germany 2.6

RELX Netherlands 2.6

Capgemini France 2.6

Zurich Insurance Group Switzerland 2.6

Commenting on the markets, Vincent Devlin, representing the Investment Manager noted:

During the month, the Company's NAV fell by -1.1% and the share price declined by -0.3%. For reference, the FTSE World Europe ex UK Index was up by 0.3% during the period.

After a volatile Q1, April saw a marked change in expectations for emerging markets, especially the strength of the Chinese economy. Europe ex UK markets were marginally positive in April (FTSE World Europe ex UK returned 0.26% in GBP terms). In particular, emerging market-exposed sectors (oil & gas, basic materials) performed well over the last rotation benefiting from a weakening US Dollar, a rebound in commodity prices and a recovering Chinese economy following a significant level of stimulus. So far, we have seen a mixed start to the earnings season, leading to further cuts in 2016 earnings estimates at the market level. With only a few weeks to go until the 'Brexit' referendum in June, political uncertainties over the direction of the European project also remain in focus.

Unfavourable outcomes in both sector allocation and stock selection impacted returns over the month. The rotation seen in the market year to date has been further exacerbated recently as it appears that China has accelerated its liquidity injection into the economy which is supporting the property market and boosting commodity demand. In this context, the lower weighting to basic materials and oil & gas detracted from performance. However, the higher weighting to financials proved positive for performance, particularly holdings within Emerging Europe.

On a stock specific basis, the largest detractors came from the financial sector. In part, this was driven by not holding banks with Emerging Market revenue exposure, such as Banco Santander, which rallied with other Emerging Market exposed names during the month.

Ryanair was the single largest detractor over the month, with the effect of the attacks in Brussels and air traffic control strikes cited as headwinds to quarterly earnings.

Positively, a holding in Adidas was beneficial for performance. The stock rallied on the pre-release of Q1 results, which were 10% ahead of consensus expectations for revenue and 25% ahead for earnings, leading to upgraded guidance. Russian internet search engine company Yandex, also rallied on the back of strong quarterly earnings and guidance for full year 2016 revenue growth of 15 to 19 per cent.

At the end of the period, the Company had higher weightings when compared with the reference index to technology, industrials, financials and consumer services. The Company had lower exposure to basic materials, consumer goods, oil & gas, utilities and health care.

Outlook

We recognise that the macroeconomic environment in 2016 across the various global regions remains uncertain. However, recently, we have seen some reassuring US industrial data and a stabilisation of Chinese economic data, suggesting that fiscal stimulus is feeding through. In our view, it is the combination of the more supportive macroeconomic backdrop, together with the sharply reduced expectations for European earnings, which offers some hope that earnings for Q1 2016 might surprise on the upside. We believe that weneed to see earnings growth coming through in order to drive meaningful upside for European equitiesand ultimately encouraging investors to reassess the relative prospects for this asset class. However, we think investors will remain cautious towards European equities until the British referendum is behind us, as this is the most prominent risk event not only for the UK, but also for the broader European Union.

Within this context, we retain a keen eye on valuation and we continue to focus on stock selection against a volatile market. We are sticking to companies that offer attractive earnings momentum and stock-specific drivers and looking to avoid value traps in highly cyclical businesses without momentum.

17 May 2016

ENDS
LONDON, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Telehouse, a leading global provider of data centre services, announces today that it has been selected by Aqua Comms Limited (Aqua Comms), a provider of scalable, subsea capacity-based network solutions, to provide a European hub for its next-generation transatlantic network.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131205/658260-a )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368470 )

Aqua Comms' America Europe Connect (AEConnect) subsea fibre optic cable system, connecting New York to London via Dublin and beyond to greater Europe, went live and has been handing over commercial service to customers since January of this year. Featuring more than 52 Tbps of available capacity, as well as the latest technology of 130 x 100 Gbps per fibre pair, it is designed to meet the exponential surge in bandwidth demand from carriers, global data centres, financial services companies, global media, and cloud and content providers that require exceptional network reliability, scalability and performance. Aqua Comms is the latest network provider to join Telehouse Carrier-Interconnect, which comprises of more than 750 Carriers, Mobile providers, Internet Exchanges and broad band providers.

There are multiple diverse routes from the Telehouse London Docklands campus across EMEA and the decision by Aqua Comms further strengthens connectivity to New York. With Telehouse at the epicentre, it is the ideal location for companies reliant on diverse connectivity to extend their reach and accelerate performance, to host their mission critical IT infrastructure.

"Telehouse Carrier-Interconnect, located at Europe's leading connectivity hub, empowers our customers to connect with an unlimited number of business partners whose services align with their strategic objectives," states Greg Varisco, Chief Operations Officer, Aqua Comms. "In addition to further enabling reliable, secure, and low latency global connections for our customers, this partnership provides Aqua Comms with a host of business opportunities on either side of the Atlantic as well as at Telehouse North Two, Europe's most advanced data centre."

Michelle Reid, Sales and Marketing Director of Telehouse states, "We are delighted to welcome Aqua Comms to Telehouse Carrier-Interconnect; with so many possible partners to connect to Telehouse, we are certain they will see great success with their new network, and we will be there to support their future growth with our latest data centre, Telehouse North Two."

Telehouse Carrier-Interconnect is just one aspect of Telehouse Interconnect, which brings together more than 3,000 business partners such as Cloud, Mobile and Content providers, Enterprises and Financial services companies. With Enhanced Connect, the new internet optimisation service launched recently by Telehouse, businesses can access the Telehouse Interconnect from the remotest points of the planet in less than 300ms. This firmly establishes the Telehouse Interconnect as the home of the connected world, and a unique place to create business opportunities, now and in the future.

About Telehouse

Telehouse is the pioneering data centre colocation provider established in 1989. It is an owner operator of Tier III data centres, connectivity and managed ICT solutions to over 3000 corporations around the world. Telehouse is the data centre subsidiary of KDDI, a leading Japanese mobile and fixed-line telecommunications and ICT solution provider with 106 offices in 28 countries around the world and a Global Fortune company.



About Aqua Comms

Aqua Comms Limited (Aqua Comms) is the owner and operator of the transatlantic cable AEConnect and the Irish Sea cable CeltixConnect, and was established to build, acquire or merge with subsea fiber optic cable networks to provide capacity networking solutions to the global media, content providers and IT companies. To learn more about Aqua Comms and its new transatlantic subsea cable system, AEConnect, visit http://www.aquacomms.com .
LISBON (dpa-AFX) - Portugal's producer prices declined at a faster pace in April, figures from Statistics Portugal showed Tuesday. The overall producer price index fell 4.3 percent year-over-year in April, which was worse than the 3.9 percent decrease in the previous month. Excluding the energy group, the producer price index dropped 1.6 percent annually in April, following a 1.2 percent decline in March. On a monthly basis, producer prices slid 0.3 percent in April, after a 0.1 percent slight fall in the preceding month. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Arena Minerals Inc. ("Arena" or "the Company") (TSX VENTURE: AN) is pleased to announce that Teck Resources Chile Limitada ("Teck") has initiated a follow-up exploration program on the Paciencia North project in Chile ("Paciencia North" or the "Paciencia North program"), to be followed by reconnaissance drilling on the Solitario claim blocks ("Solitario" and collectively with Paciencia North, the "Property"). The Paciencia North program consists of trenching and additional drilling following up on the prospective areas identified during earlier drilling (see News Release dated March 21, 2016). The Property comprises part of the Company's Atacama copper property located in Antofagasta, Chile. Under the terms of the US$19.5 million option agreement Teck can earn a 60% interest in the Property (see News Release dated October 23, 2015).

William Randall, President and CEO of Arena, commented, "We are glad to get working on the prospective areas and are excitedly anticipating results of the Paciencia North and Solitario drill programs. The similarities of the breccia target with the world class Sierra Gorda copper porphyry deposit are striking. We will continue to update the market as results come in from the current campaign."

The planned trenching will focus in the southern portion of Paciencia North where a tourmaline breccia was identified, which is very similar in characteristics to those found within the neighbouring Sierra Gorda copper porphyry deposit. In conjunction with surface mapping, drill holes PAC-014 and PAC-016 in this South Zone defined a three km corridor of interpreted high temperature tourmaline/magnetite/k-feldspar breccias and veining, in many respects analogous to the early high temperature breccias and alteration that occur at Sierra Gorda. The trenches will be used to assist in defining the location of additional drill platforms planned in the next stage of drilling by Teck on this target which is expected to start by the end of May.

The Paciencia North program will also include drilling towards the western portion of Paciencia North, where volcanic sequences with interpreted sericite-chlorite-pyrite alteration and weak pyrite veining were discovered during initial reconnaissance drilling.

At Solitario, Teck has recently completed detailed mapping and sampling and is currently finalizing plans for an RC drill program similar to the one recently completed at Paciencia North. Drilling at Solitario is expected to begin immediately after the next stage of drilling is completed at Paciencia North.

The technical and scientific aspects of this news release have been reviewed and approved by Mr. Vernon Arseneau, P.Geo, who is a qualified person pursuant to NI 43-101. As the Vice President of Exploration of the Company, Mr. Arseneau is not considered independent.

Stock Option Grant

Arena has granted an aggregate of 1,050,000 stock options to various directors, officers and consultants of the Company effective May 17, 2016. The stock options vest immediately, are exercisable at $0.35 for a period of five years and remain subject to the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The stock options remain subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day expiring on September 17, 2016.

About Arena Minerals

Arena Minerals is a prospect generator that has two properties under option covering approximately 95,400 hectares within the Antofagasta region of Chile. The properties are at low altitudes, within producing mining camps in infrastructure rich areas. The Company's flagship asset is the Atacama Copper Property, consisting of 92,000 hectares, following a contractual land reduction on July 27, 2015, of essentially undrilled ground in the heart of Chile's premier copper mining district. Currently, approximately 85% of the Atacama Copper Property is under option to third parties. Pursuant to option agreements entered into between Arena and the parties B2Gold Corp, Japan Oil, Gas and Minerals National Corporation and Teck Resources Chile Limitada, each have the right to earn into 60% of the respective land holdings within the property, by collectively spending over $60 million in exploration expenditures, amongst certain other commitments. In addition the Company has the Pampas El Penon project, comprising a total of 3,400 hectares which is less than 1 km from Yamana's Agusta Victoria project which forms part of the El Penon mine complex. The Pampas El Penon and Atacama Copper properties comprise Arena Mineral's highly prospective copper and gold properties within an active mining region.

The Company's website can be viewed at www.arenaminerals.com. In addition to featuring information regarding the Company, its managements and projects, the website also contains the latest corporate news and an email registration allowing subscribers to receive news and updates directly.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

Arena Minerals Inc.

William Randall, President, and CEO

Cautionary Note Regarding Accuracy and Forward-Looking Information:

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements, projections and estimates relating to the future development of any of the Company's properties, including the Property, the prospectivity of, and planned work programs on, the Property and other properties of the Company, the ability of any potential partner, including Teck, to accelerate drill programs, increase the development of any of the projects or prospects of the Company, the results of the exploration program, future financial or operating performance of the Company, its subsidiaries and its projects and the grant of stock options. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". The statements made herein 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 the Company's interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; the actual results of current exploration activities; other risks of the mining industry and the risks described in the annual information form of the Company. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. Arena Minerals does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

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.

Contacts:

Arena Minerals Inc.

William Randall

(416) 309-2697

www.arenaminerals.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. ("Peregrine" or "the Company") (TSX: PGD) is pleased to announce that core drilling has commenced on the 100% owned Sikwane Project in Botswana. Sikwane is located approximately 50 kilometres east of Gaborone, the capital of the Republic of Botswana.

SIKWANE KIMBERLITE DRILL PROGRAM

The Sikwane prospecting licence covers 453 km2 and contains nine kimberlites discovered through drilling by De Beers in 1997. A thorough assessment of relinquishment reports held at the Botswana Geological Survey shows that De Beers drilled percussion holes targeted on detailed Kimberlite Indicator Mineral ("KIM") anomalies with limited ground geophysics support. Interpretation of available KIM garnet and ilmenite chemistry shows that the Sikwane kimberlites contain diamond-compatible KIMs and the kimberlites have moderate to high diamond potential. Diamonds have been recovered from surface samples and from down-hole samples at the Sikwane kimberlites, although diamond abundance and size distribution data are not available. De Beers recovered limited core from the drilling program and due to the limitations of percussion drilling, the geological relationships between kimberlite and country rock granite are unresolved.

Core drilling of five of the Sikwane kimberlites is planned. The program is designed to resolve the kimberlite-granite relationships and collect carefully controlled kimberlite samples for microdiamond and KIM analysis. Five vertical core holes of 100 metres each are planned.

The total budget for the program is CDN$140,000.

ABOUT PEREGRINE DIAMONDS

Peregrine is a TSX listed diamond exploration and development company with assets located in northern Canada and Botswana.

Peregrine's core asset is its' 100 percent-owned, 513,249 hectare Chidliak project, located 120 kilometres from Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut where 71 kimberlites have been discovered to date with eight being potentially economic. An Inferred Mineral Resource of 11.39 million carats in 4.64 million tonnes of kimberlite at an average grade of 2.45 carats per tonne has been defined for a portion of the CH-6 kimberlite. In addition, a Target for Further Exploration ("TFFE") of 2.34 to 3.75 million tonnes of kimberlite to a depth of 380 metres below surface has been identified at CH-6. An independent diamond valuation by WWW International Diamond Consultants, of a 1,013 carat parcel of diamonds from CH-6 returned an average market price of US$213 per carat and modeled prices that range from a minimum of US$162 per carat to a high of US$236 per carat, with a base model price of US$188 per carat (all using the February 24, 2014 price book). An Inferred Mineral Resource of 4.23 million carats in 4.99 million tonnes of kimberlite at an average grade of 0.85 carats per tonne has been defined for a portion of the CH-7 kimberlite. In addition, TFFE of 0.90 to 2.36 million tonnes for a depth range of 240-320 metres has been estimated for the CH-7 kimberlite. An independent diamond valuation by WWW International Diamond Consultants, of a 735.75 carat parcel of diamonds from CH-7 returned an average market price of US$100 per carat and modelled prices that ranged from a minimum of US$94 per carat to a high of US$155 per carat, with a base model price of US$114 per carat (all using the February 1, 2016 price book). A TFFE of 1.27 to 3.19 million tonnes to 250 metres depth has been estimated for the CH-44 kimberlite pipe. The TFFE's identified above are conceptual in nature and are not Mineral Resources. It is uncertain whether further exploration will result in any of these tonnages being delineated as Mineral Resources.

Peregrine holds eleven diamond prospecting licenses in Botswana that cover 661,330 hectares.

Peregrine also controls the 8,493 hectare Lac de Gras project in the Northwest Territories, located approximately 27 kilometres from the Diavik Diamond Mine. The nine hectare 72.1%-owned DO-27 kimberlite, located at Lac de Gras, hosts an Indicated Mineral Resource of 18.2 million carats of diamonds in 19.5 million tonnes of kimberlite at a grade of 0.94 carats per tonne and it is open at depth.

For information on data verification, exploration information and resource estimation procedures see the technical reports entitled, "2015 Technical Report for the Chidliak Project, 66 degrees 21' 43" W, 64 degrees 28' 26" N Baffin Region, Nunavut" dated February 23, 2015, and "Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. Lac de Gras Project Northwest Territories, Canada NI 43-101 Technical Report" dated July 15, 2014, both of which are available on SEDAR and the Company's website.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including, without limitation, statements relating to proposed exploration and development programs, funding availability, anticipated exploration results, grade of diamonds and tonnage of material, resource estimates, anticipated diamond valuations and future exploration and operating plans are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company.

Forward-looking statements are made based upon certain assumptions by the Company and other important factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performances or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of diamonds, anticipated costs and ability to achieve goals. Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performances or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: receipt of regulatory approvals; anticipated timelines for community consultations and the impact of those consultations on the regulatory approval process; market prices for rough diamonds and the potential impact on the Chidliak Project; and future exploration plans and objectives.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and, even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, uncertainties relating to availability and cost of funds, timing and content of work programs, results of exploration activities, interpretation of drilling results and other geological data, risks relating to variations in the diamond grade and kimberlite lithologies; variations in rates of recovery and breakage; variations in diamond valuations and future diamond prices; the state of world diamond markets, reliability of mineral property titles, changes to regulations affecting the Company's activities, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain required project approvals, operational and infrastructure risk and other risks involved in the diamond exploration and development business. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to their inherent uncertainty.

Contacts:

Peregrine Diamonds Ltd.

Mr. Eric Friedland

Executive Chairman

604-408-8880



Peregrine Diamonds Ltd.

Mr. Tom Peregoodoff

President and CEO

604-408-8880



Peregrine Diamonds Ltd.

Dr. Herman Grutter

Vice President, Technical Services

604-408-8880



Peregrine Diamonds Ltd.

Investor Relations

604-408-8880

investorrelations@pdiam.com

www.pdiam.com




Intensifying demand for vibrant colors, special effects and aesthetics across applications reveal opportunities for growth in the pigment market, finds Frost & Sullivan

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The pigments market is enjoying robust growth all over the world due to the greater purchasing power of consumers in Asia-Pacific and Rest-of-the-World, and the improving macro-economic environment in Europe and North America. The strong demand in end-user industries such as automotive and construction and the rising interest in color shades and better aesthetics are expected to accelerate the market for pigments.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160516/368054

Recent analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Analysis of the Global Pigments Market (http://www.frost.com/k024), finds that the market earned revenues of $25.15 billion in 2015 and estimates this to reach $31.02 billion in 2020. Construction, automotive and printing sectors remain the largest end markets for pigments, and these sectors are bolstering the revenues of Asia-Pacific and Rest-of-the-World markets.

For complimentary access to more information on this research, please visit: http://frost.ly/bz

Specialty pigments are experiencing a surge in popularity, especially in coatings, plastics and packaging applications, due to their superior hiding power, brilliant luster and ability to offer a wide range of vibrant colors. Metallic pigments too are becoming popular due to the enhanced visual effect that they offer in plastics, paints, coatings and inks, while inorganic pigments will continue to dominate the market because of their competitive pricing.

"This rocketing demand is proving a double-edged issue for manufacturers. On one hand, it will boost their revenues and on the other, it will throw the spotlight on the volatility in supply," said Frost & Sullivan Senior Research Analyst - Visionary Science Soundarya Shankar. "For instance, pigments such as azo are experiencing supply shortages due to the closure of a number of Chinese companies, whereas TiO 2 is available in excess due to the rapid expansion of production capacities. The supply shortfall will encourage the uptake of low-cost substitutes, while the supply surplus will erode prices and diminish margins."

The printing industry too has been a mixed bag for the pigments market. Digital printing, electronic media and e-publishing have cut deeply into the shares of the publication industry and thereby, the printing pigment market. Nevertheless, there has been a spurt in packaging applications in the printing industry, widening the scope of pigment use.

Regulation is another area that has had a twin impact on the market. Government bans or the phasing out of environmentally unfriendly materials will significantly challenge smaller market participants. Unlike the global companies, the local companies will not be able to quickly switch their focus toward environmentally viable products.

Inversely, these regulations will drive the development of technologically advanced products with smaller environmental footprints. Manufacturers have been formulating powder pigments for powder coatings, and pigments for water-borne dispersions instead of solvent-borne counterparts. However, regulations have also added considerable documentation costs for manufacturers by requiring them to obtain several certifications and approvals.

"Smaller regional pigment manufacturers will either exit the market or be acquired by larger companies, owing to complexities and higher costs involved in complying with the prevailing regulations," noted Shankar. "These regulations will not only stoke consolidation and the creation of environmentally viable products, but will also compel manufacturers to revamp their production processes to make them more efficient."

Analysis of the Global Pigments Market is part of the Chemicals & Materials (http://ww2.frost.com/research/industry/visionary-science/future-chemicals-materials-infrastructure-mobility/) Growth Partnership Service program. Frost & Sullivan's related studies include: North American and European Engineered Wood Market, Advanced Coatings & Surface Technology--Smart Glass Innovations in Construction and Electronics Industries, Technologies Enabling Indoor Air Purification, Construction and Infrastructure Mega Trends in Africa and 360 Degree Analysis of Plastic Compounding Market. All studies included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants.

Our "Growth Partnership" supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.

The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation.

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Contact:

Jaylon Brinkley

Corporate Communications - North America

P: (210) 247.2481

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E: jaylon.brinkley@frost.com
COSTA MESA, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Sipp Industries, Inc. (OTC: SIPC), a diversified conglomerate corporation specializing in technology, manufacturing and distribution of commercial and consumer products announces it has begun production of its second run of hemp beer. The hemp beer is currently fermenting and will be sent to national beer distributors next month once bottled.

Major Hemp President Jorgensen commented, "We have had multiple inquiries from regional and national distributors as well as retailers interested in carrying our hemp beer." Interest and excitement of hemp beer became evident after the widely successful 4/20 hemp beer event co-hosted by Sipp Industries' subsidiary Major Hemp and Ute Pass Brewing Company.

The company would like to update shareholders on continued hemp beer progress and next steps:

Sipp Industries plans to announce a distributor agreement as beer distributors are evaluated and selected. The Company is in discussions with several beer distributors that cover multiple regions and states. In addition to distributors, Sipp Industries and Ute Pass is working with local retail chains and stores within the State of Colorado like Whole Foods Market to carry hemp beer.

As high volume customers are secured, the Company will determine which brewers to use for larger production. Between Ute Pass Brewing, Crazy Mountain Brewery and others, the Company believes it has the right partners in place to deliver on any sized order for hemp beer.

Sipp Industries' subsidiary Major Hemp is in final discussions for a supply agreement with a Colorado hemp farm that has produced a "beer soluble" CBD liquid that was tested at Ute Pass Brewing Company last week. Initial results have proven this CBD liquid mixes extremely well with the hemp beer produced at Ute Pass Brewing Company. Major Hemp is working with Ute Pass to formulate the perfect CBD beer and an initial 10-gallon batch is expected to be completed by early next month.

Chief Executive Officer Syman Vong concluded, "There are little or no hemp and CBD beers on the market today in the U.S. With the concept proven, we believe we can fully capitalize as a first mover and major producer of hemp beer."

About Sipp Industries, Inc.

Sipp Industries is a conglomerate corporation that specializes in technology, manufacturing and distribution of commercial and consumer products. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Major Hemp, the Company provides high quality and competitively priced bulk hemp, CBD supply, co-packing and private labeling services. For more information, please visit http://www.sippindustries.com. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SippIndustries Twitter: @SippIndustries

Contact:

Syman Vong

CEO

Sipp Industries, Inc.

Investor Relations

ir@sippindustries.com

949.220.0435




OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Everton Resources Inc. ("Everton" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: EVR) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option agreement with an arm's length vendor to acquire a 100% interest in the Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property in the Thunder Bay Mining District of Ontario. The 47 claim unit (752 hectares) property surrounds the 4 claim unit (64 hectares) Jackpot lithium property recently acquired by Alix Resources Corp. (News release dated April 13, 2016). The property is located approximately 150 kilometers northeast of Thunder Bay and is accessible by road.

Mr. Andre Audet, Everton's CEO, commented, "We are pleased to diversify our property portfolio with the Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property in Ontario. We believe lithium prices will stay strong as demand increases for energy storage and as the electrification revolution takes hold. The property is highly prospective for the discovery of additional lithium prospects."

This area which hosts numerous spodumene bearing pegmatite occurrences, has laid dormant since 1955 when the Ontario Lithium Corporation forfeited their patented mineral claims due to unpaid taxes. The patented claim group became available for staking on June 1, 2010.

The Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property hosts several reported occurrences of lithium bearing pegmatite dykes. The area was the subject of a geological report by E. G. Pye, 1965, "Geology and Lithium Deposits of the Georgia Lake Area, Thunder Bay District" Geological Report No.31. This report describes in part some of the occurrences on the Everton controlled property as follows ( these partial historical excerpts from E. G. Pye are presented to indicate the presence of lithium bearing pegmatites on the Everton controlled property and not as an evaluation of the lithium content):

"... It has been traced on the surface in a direction of N.80E. for 350 feet. It is exposed across horizontal widths of up to 30 feet and forms a north-facing escarpment, 10-15 feet high ... pegmatite is made up of elongated crystals of potash feldspar, up to 3 feet in length, and prismatic crystals of spodumene, up to 2 feet in length, ... Its spodumene content is about 25 percent ..."

"... The No. 6C pegmatite ... has been traced N.75E. in outcrops spaced at intervals of 30-150 feet, for a length of 440 feet. It dips 30N., with horizontal widths of up to about 30 feet. At the surface, the No. 6C pegmatite averages 10-15 percent spodumene ..."

"... There are two dikes in the No. 6B area, about 400 feet S.45W. from the No. 6A outcrop. These dikes strike N.65E. and dip 20NW. One is exposed in two outcrops about 100 feet apart and has horizontal widths up to 30 feet; the other dike, 150 feet southeast of the first, is also exposed in two outcrops, in this case about 65 feet apart, and has widths up to 40 feet. Both dikes contain an appreciable amount of spodumene ..."

The Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property also surrounds the Jackpot occurrence, also described by E. G. Pye in his 1965 report which reportedly hosts an estimated historic non-compliant National Instrument 43-101 mineral resource of 2 million tons of 1.09% lithium oxide. Everton proposes to initiate a ground program and to initiate the exploration permitting for a drilling program to test the extensions of documented lithium rich pegmatite dykes that occur within the outer boundary of the Everton controlled claim group. Vertical fence holes to test for the lateral strike and down dip extension of the Jackpot 1 or the Jackpot 2 lithium rich dykes on the Blue Sky Jackpot claim group is a very high priority.

All future analytical work will include a full suite of analysis for lithium as well as a full complement of rare earth elements and other rare metals.

Under the terms of the option to purchase agreement, ("the Agreement"), which remains subject to TSX Venture Exchange Approval, the Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property is subject to a 2% net smelter return ("NSR") royalty, 50% of which can be purchased by Everton for CDN$1 million. The Agreement also requires an aggregate issuance of 2,000,000 common shares of Everton over a two year period and maintenance of all of the claims in good standing for the duration of the Agreement. The Everton shares will be issued as follows: 400,000 common shares on signing and TSX Venture Exchange approval of the Agreement, 600,000 common shares on the first anniversary thereof and 1,000,000 common shares on the second anniversary thereof.

About Everton Resources Inc.

Everton is an exploration company with concessions in the Dominican Republic adjacent to the Pueblo Viejo Mine, owned by the world's two largest gold mining companies, Barrick Gold Corporation (60%) in partnership with Goldcorp Inc. (40%) ("Goldcorp"). Everton also holds an interest in the Opinaca region of James Bay, Quebec where the Company has partnered with Hecla Mining Company which is advancing Everton's interest in the Opinaca B project by funding 100% of all exploration work on one of the largest land packages adjacent to Goldcorp's Eleonore gold deposit.

Everton Resources Inc.

Andre Audet, Chairman and CEO

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of Everton's plans, objectives, strategies, expectations and intentions. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to Everton, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Many factors could cause Everton's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent Everton's views as of the date of the release. While Everton anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause its views to change, it specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Everton or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice.

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.

To view the map accompanying this press release, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/5086EvertonMap.pdf

Contacts:

Everton Resources Inc.

Andre Audet

Chairman and CEO

613-241-2332

613-421-8406 (FAX)

andre@evertonresources.com

www.evertonresources.com




CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Antioquia Gold Inc. ("Antioquia" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: AGD) announces today that it has entered into an agreement to settle CAD$5,900,000 of debt under an existing term loan with Infinita Prosperidad Minera SAC (formerly Desafio Minero) ("Infinita"), the Company's largest shareholder. Pursuant to the agreement, Antioquia will issue 84,285,714 common shares at a deemed price of $0.07 per share. Prior to the shares for debt transaction, Infinita owned and controlled 147,868,346 common shares, representing approximately 61% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. After this transaction, Infinita will own and control 232,154,060 common shares, representing 72% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. The shares for debt transaction is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

For further information on Antioquia Inc., visit our website at www.antioquiagoldinc.com.

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.

Reader Advisory

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are made as of the date of this press release and the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect current expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: capital expenditures, operating costs, and the anticipated project schedule. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategy", "goals", "objectives", "schedule" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are made based upon certain assumptions by the Company and other important factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performances or achievements of Antioquia to be materially different from future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business prospects and strategies and the environment in which Antioquia will operate in the future, including the price of gold, anticipated costs and Antioquia's ability to achieve its goals, anticipated financial performance, regulatory developments, development plans, exploration, development and mining activities and commitments. Although management considers its assumptions on such matters to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. Additional risks are described in Antioquia's most recently filed annual and interim MD&A and other disclosure documents available under the Company's profile at: www.sedar.com.

By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that assumptions do not reflect future experience. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important risk factors could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates, assumptions and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements.

Contacts:

Antioquia Gold Inc.

www.antioquiagoldinc.com




ROUYN-NORANDA, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Explor Resources Inc. ("Explor" or "the Corporation") (TSX VENTURE: EXS)(OTCQX: EXSFF)(FRANKFURT: E1H1)(BERLIN: E1H1) is pleased to announce the commencement of a Diamond Drilling Program on the Kidd Township Property. The Corporation's Kidd Township Group of Properties are located to the North, South, West and East of the Glencore Kidd Creek Mine, located approximately 20 km north of Timmins, Ontario. Explor's Kidd Township's Group of Properties have a land position that cover an area of approximately 2,740.5 hectares. The most obvious topographical feature in the area is the Glencore Kidd Creek open pit mine, located in the central portion of Explor's Kidd Township group of Properties. Explor plans a geophysical program consisting of mag and max/min to better define the targets followed by a 3000 meter diamond drill program.

The property is located in a Greenstone Belt composed mainly of sequences of Meta-Volcanic rocks cut by faults and deformation zones that lie in a NW-SE direction. There are many suites of Mafic Volcanic rocks as well. Excellent access to the property is provided by Hwy 655.

Exploration drilling completed by Explor to date has revealed a Major Fault Structure running to the west of the Glencore Kidd Creek Mine in a NW-SE direction. A thorough review of all existing geophysical data appears to support these findings. Drilling by Falconbridge in 1998 to the southeast of the Glencore Kidd Creek Mine (Hole # K26-01) returned 4.7m in which 4 of the 5 samples returned Zinc values from 4200 - 8900 ppm and Copper values that ranged from 700 - 2280 ppm. The Magnetic Anomaly associated with these results appears to continue onto Explor's property holdings. A series of untested AEM (Airborne Electromagnetic) conductors detected on the Kidd Township Property to the west, south and southeast of the existing Kidd Creek Mine clearly warrant further investigation.

Some of the EM (Electromagnetic) targets occur along magnetic boundaries suggestive of Rhyolite/Basalt contacts. The Glencore Kidd Creek Mine located to the South-west of the property has produced 152,600,000 tonnes of Base Metal Ore (Cu-Zn-Pb-Ag) since it began production in 1966.

Explor believes in the "Cluster Effect of VMS (Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide) Deposits". Well known examples of the cluster effect of VMS Deposits are the Bathurst Mining Camp where 47 deposits have been found to date, including the Brunswick No.12 and the Brunswick No.6 Mines where more than 130,000,000 tonnes of Base Metal Ore has been produced to date; and the Noranda Mining Camp where 18 deposits have been found to date, with 68,100,000 tons of Base Metal Production from the Horne Mine and Quemont Deposits alone. The presence of Mafic and Felsic rocks on the Kidd Township Properties with anomalous zinc and copper supports the opinion that additional VMS Deposits exist in the immediate vicinity of the Glencore Kidd Creek Mine.

Chris Dupont, P.Eng is the qualified person responsible for the information contained in this release.

Explor Resources invites investors to visit our booth at the following conference:

Booth P28 (Pavilion) at the Big Event, Canadian Mining Expo in Timmins, Ontario, held at the McIntyre Community Centre from June 1 to June 2, 2016.

The management team at Explor Resources Inc. looks forward to having you join us.

Explor Resources Inc. is a publicly listed company trading on the TSX Venture (EXS), on the OTCQX (EXSFF) and on the Frankfurt and Berlin Stock Exchanges (E1H1).

This Press Release was prepared by Explor. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the Policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

About Explor Resources Inc.

Explor Resources Inc. is a Canadian-based natural resources company with mineral holdings in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. Explor is currently focused on exploration in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The belt is found in both provinces of Ontario and Quebec with approximately 33% in Ontario and 67% in Quebec. The Belt has produced in excess of 180,000,000 ounces of gold and 450,000,000 tonnes of cu-zn ore over the last 100 years. The Corporation was continued under the laws of Alberta in 1986 and has had its main office in Quebec since 2006.

Explor Resources Flagship project is the Timmins Porcupine West (TPW) Project located in the Porcupine mining camp, in the Province of Ontario. Teck Resources Ltd. is currently conducting an exploration program as part of an earn-in on the TPW property. The TPW mineral resource (Press Release dated August 27, 2013) includes the following:

Open Pit Mineral Resources at a 0.30 g/t Au cut-off grade are as follows: Indicated: 213,000 oz (4,283,000 tonnes at 1.55 g/t Au) Inferred: 77,000 oz (1,140,000 tonnes at 2.09 g/t Au) Underground Mineral Resources at a 1.70 g/t Au cut-off grade are as follows: Indicated: 396,000 oz (4,420,000 tonnes at 2.79 g/t Au) Inferred: 393,000 oz (5,185,000 tonnes at 2.36 g/t Au)

This document may contain forward-looking statements relating to Explor's operations or to the environment in which it operates. Such statements are based on operations, estimates, forecasts and projections. They are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and may be beyond Explor's control. A number of important factors could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements, including those set forth in other public filling. In addition, such statements relate to the date on which they are made. Consequently, undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking statements. Explor disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, save and except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

Contacts:

Christian Dupont

President

888-997-4630 or 819-797-4630

819-797-6050 (FAX)

info@explorresources.com

www.explorresources.com




WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil futures were steady Tuesday morning ahead of crucial U.S. inventories data that may confirm the supply glut is being alleviated. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported a surprise 3.4-million barrel drop in U.S. crude oil inventory in official data last week, and analysts say stockpiles may continue to fall. In a note to clients, analysts Damien Courvalin and Jeffrey Currie of Goldman Sachs said they expects a nearly balanced global oil market in the second quarter of this year. Crude oil for June was up 18 cents at $47.91 a barrel, the highest in six months. Supply interruptions from Canada have supported prices, while oil production in Nigeria has been severely disrupted by militant attacks. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Revelo Resources Corp. ("Revelo" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: RVL) is pleased to announce that its Chilean subsidiary, Minera Serena Mining Chile Ltda., has established a Chilean Joint Venture company ("JV"), with associated Shareholders' Agreement, with Minera Newmont (Chile) Ltda. ("Newmont"), a subsidiary of Newmont Mining Corporation, in order to own and manage the Montezuma Project in northern Chile. The JV is currently owned 51% by Newmont and 49% by Revelo, but Newmont has elected to pursue a further 14% (to 65%) in the JV company, and has an option to earn up to 75%, according to the Venture Agreement ("Agreement") (see news releases dated January 20, 2014 and February 23, 2015).

Additionally, Newmont has indicated that it plans to start drill testing of key anomalies on the approximately 45,285-hectare Montezuma Project in Q3 2016.

Through February, 2016, Newmont has spent a total of approximately US$5.6M at Montezuma since the Agreement was signed in January 2014. Newmont is exploring the Montezuma Project for porphyry Cu-Au-Mo deposits and related mineralization utilizing historical datasets together with programs of detailed geological mapping and proprietary geophysical and geochemical technologies. Geological mapping has been integrated with downhole data from an extensive re-logging program of over 30,000 m of historic drilling and over 5,000 surface geochemical samples, which have generated three-dimensional geological models of the drill hole geology, hydrothermal alteration and assay data. This work has defined several potential targets of interest for copper, gold and molybdenum.

ABOUT MONTEZUMA

The Montezuma Project comprises approximately 45,000 Ha of 100% owned tenements, together with an option over an additional 285 Ha. It is located along the main porphyry copper belt in northern Chile, commonly known as the Domeyko Cordillera, directly along the main West Fissure Fault System that controls several copper deposits in the area, midway between the giant Chuquicamata (Codelco) and Centinela (Antofagasta Minerals) copper mining districts. The Project is centred approximately 20Km south of the important mining town of Calama. Access to the Project is excellent via a good quality dirt road leading off from paved roads around Calama, and altitudes vary from approximately 2,600 m to around 3,100 m.

For further details, including maps, of the Montezuma Project and the Agreement please refer to the Montezuma Project page on Revelo's website (http://www.reveloresources.com/projects/montezuma).

ABOUT REVELO

Revelo is a prospect generator that has consolidated an outstanding portfolio of 21, wholly-owned projects prospective for copper, gold and silver located along proven mineral belts in one of the world's top mining jurisdictions - Chile. Multiple targets are ready for drill testing within the portfolio, and two projects are subject to option and joint venture agreements with subsidiaries of Newmont (Montezuma Project) and Austral Gold (San Guillermo Project). In addition, Revelo is developing a nascent royalty portfolio and retains a 2% royalty interest in the Victoria Project, an important copper-gold-silver exploration project in northern Chile.

Revelo has a goal of building a sustainable exploration business focused on securing prospective land along the prolific mineral belts of northern Chile, and by implementing effective exploration and capital management strategies to grow, advance and de-risk its portfolio to provide shareholders with multiple opportunities for exploration success. Revelo is actively looking for partners to advance other projects within its portfolio.

Revelo is a Canadian company and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX VENTURE: RVL). For more information please visit Revelo's website at www.reveloresources.com.

Dr. Demetrius Pohl, PhD., Certified Professional Geoscientist (CPG), an independent consultant, is the Company's Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosures for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators, and has approved the written disclosure of the technical information contained in this news release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Timothy J. Beale, President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Revelo expects to occur, are 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", "indicate" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Revelo 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 may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

Contacts:

Revelo Resources Corp.

Chiara Orrigoni

Investor Relations Manager

+1 604 687-5544

info@reveloresources.com

www.reveloresources.com




Notice is hereby given that on the initiative and by the resolution of the Board of AB Klaipedos Nafta, legal entity code 110648893, with the registered office at Buriu g. 19, Klaipeda (hereinafter, the Company), from 17 May 2016, an extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company will be held on 8 June 2016 at 1:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Company's office at Buriu st. 19, Klaipeda, in the administrative premises of the Company (in the hall of the meeting on the 2nd Floor).Agenda of the meeting:1. Regarding the approval of the decision of AB Klaipedos Nafta's Board to approve the conclusion of the contract under the main conditions on engineering, procurement and construction works of expansion of light oil product tanks.The shareholders will be registered from 12.00 a.m. to 12.55 a.m. The persons intending to participate in the meeting shall have a personal ID document (an authorised representative shall have additionally a proxy approved under the established procedure. The natural person's proxy shall be notarised. A proxy issued in a foreign state shall be translated into the Lithuanian language and legalised under the procedure prescribed by laws).A shareholder or his proxy shall have the right to vote in writing in advance by filling in a general ballot paper. At the request of the shareholder, the Company shall send a general ballot paper to the shareholder by registered mail free of charge at least 10 days before the meeting. The filled-in general ballot paper and the document attesting the voting right shall be submitted to the Company no later than until the meeting, sending by registered mail or providing them at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice.The shareholders who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes may propose additions to the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders by submitting with every proposed additional item of the agenda a draft resolution of the general meeting of shareholders or, when no resolution is required, an explanation. Proposals on addition to the agenda shall be submitted in writing or sent by e-mail. Written proposals shall be submitted to the Company on business days or sent by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. Proposals submitted by e-mail shall be sent to the following e-mails: info@oil.lt and a.kasparas@oil.lt. The agenda shall be supplemented if the proposal is received no later than 14 days before the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders. If the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders is supplemented, the Company shall notify on the additions no later than 10 days before the meeting in the same ways as in the case of convocation of the meeting.The shareholders, who hold shares carrying at least 1/20 of all the votes, at any time before the general meeting of shareholders or during the meeting, may propose new draft resolutions on items which are or will be included in the agenda of the meeting. The proposals may be submitted in writing or sent by e-mail. Written proposals shall be submitted to the Company on business days or sent by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice. Proposals submitted by e-mail shall be sent to the following e-mails: info@oil.lt and a.kasparas@oil.lt.The shareholders shall have the right to submit to the Company in advance questions relating to the items on the agenda of the meeting. The shareholders may submit their written questions to the Company on business days or send by registered mail at the address of the registered office of the Company indicated in the notice no later than 3 business days before the meeting. The Company will reply to the questions by e-mail or in writing before the meeting, except the questions which are related to the Company's commercial (industrial) secret, confidential information or which have been submitted later than 3 business days before the meeting.The Company does not provide the possibility of participating and voting at the meeting by means of electronic communications means.The Shareholder shall have the right to authorize through electronic communications means another person (natural or legal) to participate and vote in the meeting on behalf of the shareholder. No notarisation of such authorization is required. The shareholder must confirm the proxy issued through electronic communications means by an electronic signature developed by a secure signature-creation device and approved by a qualified certificate effective in the Republic of Lithuania. The shareholder shall inform the Company on the proxy issued through electronic communications means to the following e-mails: info@oil.lt and a.kasparas@oil.lt no later than until the last business day before the meeting at 1:00 p.m. The proxy and the notice must be issued in writing. The proxy and the notice to the Company shall be signed with the electronic signature but not the letter sent by e-mail. By submitting the notice to the Company, the shareholder shall include the internet address from which it would be possible to download software free of charge to verify the shareholder's electronic signature.The record date of the meeting shall be 1 June 2016 (only those persons who will be shareholders of the Company at the close of the record date of the general meeting of shareholders or their authorised persons, or persons with whom an agreement on assignment of the voting right has been executed, may participate and vote at the general meeting of shareholders).The shareholders of the Company may familiarise with the draft resolution of the meeting and the form of the general ballot paper under the procedure prescribed by laws in the registered office of the Company at Buriu st. 19, Klaipeda (tel.: 8 46 391636), or on the Company's website at http://www.oil.lt/. The following information and documents shall be provided on the abovementioned internet website of the Company:- the notification on convocation of the meeting;- total number of the Company's shares and the number of shares with voting rights on the convening day of the meeting.Enclosed:1. Draft decision of the General Meeting of Shareholders.2. General voting ballot paper of the General Meeting of Shareholders.Marius Pulkauninkas, Director of Finance and Administration Department, +370 46 391 763.Attachment:https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=572114
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2016) - New Age Farm Inc. (CSE: NF) (OTC PINK: NWGFF) (FSE: ONF) (www.newagefarminc.com) ("New Age Farm" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that a fourth tenant-grower (the "Tenant-Grower") has entered into a long-term agreement to lease growing and processing facilities from the Company. The Tenant-Grower is an established I-502 Tier-3 recreational marijuana producer who will operate from the Company's Oroville property. The Tenant-Grower has been in production for the past two years, producing a high quality product using organic production methods in an indoor/outdoor setting. The Tenant-Grower has an established retail presence, and sells its products in multiple outlets throughout Washington State, from Blaine and Bellingham to as far as Wenatchee and Spokane. With its reputation as a producer of premium quality product, the Tenant-Grower has garnered the interest of multiple stockists and is able to demand premium prices for its product. With its arrangement with New Age Farm, the Tenant-Grower will be able to increase production and build relationships with additional retailers.

CEO Carman Parente stated, "We consider this lease to be a major milestone for New Age Farm; by providing attractive and innovative agricultural services to our tenant-growers as a 'turnkey' growing facility, growers without the capital required can quickly become profitable with us, much faster than on their own. Over the past year we have demonstrated our commitment to executing and building an infrastructure desired by higher-end growers. And now, by attracting an already established I-502 producer, we have the opportunity to showcase the quality of service New Age Farm can provide to tenant-growers."

About New Age Farm

Washington State

New Age Farm owns two properties in Washington State, one located in Sumas, WA, and the other in Oroville, WA. The Company offers turnkey service operations to licensed I-502 tenant-growers who will lease the facilities for production and processing. With four leases already in place, operations in Washington State are expected to begin as soon as the Company completes its build out. Both tenant facilities are currently under construction and we expect our tenants to begin planting shortly.

About the Washington I-502 Marijuana Market

In November 2012, the Washington State Liquor Control Board ("WSLCB") passed Initiative 502 ("I-502") pursuant to a vote by the people of the State of Washington. I-502 authorized the WSLCB to regulate and tax recreational marijuana products for persons over twenty-one years of age and thereby created a new industry for the growing, processing and selling of Washington State-regulated recreational marijuana products. A recent WSLCB commissioned report by the Rand organization suggests that there are currently up to 650,000 recreational marijuana users in Washington State, worth approximately $1.25 - $1.5 Billion USD in annual sales.

British Columbia

Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, NHS Industries Ltd. ("NHS"), New Age owns a five and a half acre facility in the lower mainland of BC with a 48,000 square foot greenhouse facility, capable of growing 2.4 million 4" potted plants annually. NHS is exploring multiple avenues for cash flow processes in the specialty food industry, particularly for small scale producers of luxury crops. The facility is located minutes from three major Canada - USA border crossings and direct routes to the lower mainland west and to all points east and west to Hwy 99 and Hwy 1 make its location in South Langley an ideal hub. NHS intends to become a beta site for sustainable growing capabilities as well as minimizing all carbon footprints with regard to all its on-site operations. This facility will meet a growing demand in the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley areas to help smaller growers become more efficient, more productive, implement value added product lines, and reduce waste.

For further information about New Age Farm, please consult the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

###

On Behalf Of The Board Of Directors

Carman ParentePresident and Chief Executive Officer

carman@newagefarminc.com



WWW.NEWAGEFARMINC.COM

The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof.

This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected including, but not limited to completion of planned improvements at both the Canadian and US sites on schedule and on budget, the availability of financing needed to complete the Company's planned improvements on commercially reasonable terms, planned occupancy by the tenant-growers, commencement of operations, the ability to mitigate the risk of loss through appropriate insurance policies, and the risks presented by federal statutes that may contradict local and state legislation respecting legalized marijuana. 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 save as required under applicable securities legislation. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell securities and the Company is not soliciting an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.

This news release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. These securities have not and will not be registered under United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to a U.S. Person unless so registered, or an exemption from registration is relied upon.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Lydian International Limited (TSX: LYD) ("Lydian" or "the Company") is pleased to announce it has disclosed an amended Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ("ESIA") for its 100% owned Amulsar Gold Project, located in Armenia. The amendments reflect project improvements realized from Lydian' successful 2015 value engineering program (see Lydian's news release, dated November 25, 2015). The ESIA is not required for permitting in Armenia but is a cornerstone for developing best international practices and adhering to the requirements of the EBRD and IFC.

An English version of the amended ESIA is available on Lydian's website at www.lydianinternational.co.uk. Armenian and English versions can be found on the website of the Company's Armenian subsidiary, Geoteam CJSC, at www.geoteam.am. Digital and hard copies are also available at the Amulsar Information Center located at the project site and in the Geoteam office in Yerevan. The amended ESIA replaces the previous ESIA for Amulsar that was first publically disclosed in May 2015. Geoteam will now commence a public consultation period and then disclose a final ESIA that incorporates input received.

Howard Stevenson, Lydian's President and CEO, commented, "the amendments incorporated in this version of the ESIA now align it with our project plan as outlined in our November 2015 technical report and with the recently approved Armenian EIA. The ESIA reflects our commitment to best international practices at all levels and clearly communicates our plans to incorporate these principles as we move forward with development and then operations at Amulsar."

About Lydian International

Lydian is an emerging gold developer, focused on its 100%-owned Amulsar Gold Project, located in south-central Armenia. The Company's current mine development and construction plan for Amulsar is aimed at achieving average production greater than 200,000 ounces of gold per year and establishing the Company as a high cash-flow producer. The Company is committed to best practices in all aspects of its operations including production, sustainability, and good corporate citizenry. For more information and to directly contact us, please visit www.lydianinternational.co.uk.

Caution regarding forward-looking information

Certain information contained in this news release is "forward looking". All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur are "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "intends", "anticipates" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "will", "would", "should", or "occur" or the negative connotation of such terms. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements with respect to: the development of, commitment to and implementation of best international practices; the adherence to the requirements of the Equator Principles; the planned production level of the Amulsar Gold Project; and expected cash flow.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include, without limitation: changes in gold and silver prices; adverse general economic, market or business conditions; regulatory changes; as well as "Risk Factors" included in the disclosure documents filed on and available at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results and future events could materially differ from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All of the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Contacts:

Lydian International Limited

Howard Stevenson

President and CEO

+1 720-307-5080 (d) or +1 775-771-0739 (m)



Lydian International Limited

Doug Tobler

CFO

+1 720-307-5087 (d) or +1 303-905-4442 (m)




HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Erdene Resource Development Corp. (TSX: ERD) ("Erdene" or "Company") is pleased to announce that Dr. Anna Biolik and David Mosher will be included as nominees for election to its Board of Directors at the Company's upcoming Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders to be held on June 14, 2016.

"As we advance our core gold projects in southwest Mongolia, the expertise required at the board level is moving from exploration and finance experience to mining, business development and government relations. We believe that Dr. Biolik and Mr. Mosher provide industry leading strengths in these areas internationally, and are very strong candidates for the Erdene board," said Peter Akerley, Erdene's President and CEO. "Anna is among North America's leading authorities on business and diplomacy in the Central Asian region, having acted as Canada's first resident Ambassador in Mongolia, while David is a gold mining executive with decades of experience in mine and company building in foreign jurisdictions, including Russia. They will be included on the slate of Management's nominees in addition to all of the existing Directors."

Dr. Anna G. Biolik

Dr. Biolik has over 30 years of public and private sector experience and is one of the foremost Canadian experts on Central Asian business and diplomacy. From 2010 to 2012, Dr. Biolik occupied the position of Regional Director, Pacific Region, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. In 2012, Dr. Biolik retired from the federal public service. Since 2014, she has been working as independent consultant and Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer of Allam Advisory Group, a global business strategy and commercial diplomacy consulting firm. She was Canada's first resident Ambassador in Mongolia where she opened a full-fledged Canadian Embassy in 2008. Dr. Biolik previously served as Ambassador of Canada to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as well as Consul General of Canada in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. She also served as Senior Advisor for international relations and parliamentary affairs to the Governor General of Canada and as European Marketing Manager for Canada Post, Senior Manager at Investment Partnerships Canada and Director of the International Business Opportunities Centre. Dr. Biolik has extensive expertise in international commerce and has worked closely with Canadian companies in emerging markets. Dr. Biolik currently serves as external member of the Program and Research Council at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC and as Canadian Board Director to the North America-Mongolia Business Council. Dr. Biolik is also a member of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Montreal and is fluent in English, French, Russian and Polish.

Mr. David Mosher

Mr. David Mosher is a mining executive with over thirty-five years of international experience. From 1992 to 2008, David was President and CEO of High River Gold Mines Ltd., a TSX listed company involved in the exploration, development and production of gold in Canada, Africa and Russia. In that role, he negotiated the acquisition of two producing Russian gold mines, completed mining investment agreements with the government of Burkina Faso, raised over $300 million to support the company's growth, and supervised the development of two open pit gold mines (the Taparko gold mine in Burkina Faso, and the Berezitovy gold mine in Russia). He has served on many boards including Cambior Inc. and earlier in his career was project manager for Pancontinental Mining Limited, where he and his team discovered and outlined the largest uranium deposit in the world at that time (the Jabiluka deposits in northern Australia).

Over the past decade, Mr. Mosher has been active in the restructuring and refinancing of a number of junior resource companies, both private and public, and currently serves as a director of several mining and exploration companies, including Pancontinental Uranium Corporation (TSX-V) and Pelangio Exploration Inc. (TSX-V). Mr. Mosher received his B.Sc. degree in geology from Acadia University.

About Erdene

Erdene Resource Development Corp. is a Canada-based resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of base and precious metals in underexplored and highly prospective Mongolia. The Company holds four exploration licenses and a mining license in southwest Mongolia. These include: Altan Nar - an extensive, high-grade, near-surface, gold-polymetallic project that the Company is advancing toward a production decision, however the Company has not yet completed a mining study to support the technical feasibility and economic viability of Altan Nar; Bayan Khundii - a high-grade gold discovery made in Q2-2015 that the Company is actively exploring; Khuvyn Khar - an early-stage, copper-silver porphyry project with multiple drill targets and significant copper intersections; Zuun Mod - a large molybdenum-copper porphyry deposit; and Altan Arrow - an early-stage, high-grade, gold-silver project. In addition to the above properties, the Company has an Alliance with Teck Resources Limited on regional, copper-gold exploration in the prospective Trans Altay region of southwest Mongolia. For further information on the Company, please visit www.erdene.com. Erdene has 117,736,602 issued and outstanding common shares and a fully diluted position of 131,384,791 common shares.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information regarding Erdene contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Erdene believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Erdene cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Erdene currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS RELEASE.

Contacts:

Erdene Resource Development Corporation

Peter C. Akerley

President and CEO

(902) 423-6419



Erdene Resource Development Corporation

Ken W. MacDonald

Vice President Business Strategy and CFO

(902) 423-6419



Erdene Resource Development Corporation

Dawson Brisco

Manager Corporate Development

(902) 423-6419

dbrisco@erdene.com



Erdene Resource Development Corporation

(902) 423-6419

info@erdene.com

www.erdene.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErdeneRes




PARSIPPANY, New Jersey and TEL AVIV, Israel, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Medinol announced outstanding results from the NIREUS trial for BioNIR', its new coronary stent system and the first ever elastomeric Drug Eluting Stent or eDES'. NIREUS is a prospective, multi center, randomized, non-inferiority pivotal study comparing Medinol's BioNIR to the Resolute Integrity' Stent. The study enrolled 302 patients with coronary artery disease at 31 sites in Europe andIsrael and will be used to support Medinol's submission for CE mark.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150922/269421LOGO

NIREUS met its non-inferiority primary end point of angiographic in-stent late loss at 6 months. The BioNIR stent has demonstrated an exceptionally low late loss result of 0.04+/-0.31 mm (N=201) compared with 0.03+/-0.31 mm for Resolute Integrity (N=101) with a high degree of statistical significance (p<0.0001). In addition, the BioNIR stent demonstrated a Target Lesion Failure rate of 1.5% at 6 months compared with 3.0% for Resolute Integrity (p=NS). The results were unveiled during the EuroPCR 2016 conference in Paris.

"We are very enthusiastic about the NIREUS results, particularly with the remarkably low in-stent late loss. These uncommonly good clinical results will help increase physician confidence in the long term benefits of the BioNIR stent for patients," saidPieter C. Smits, MD, PhD, at Maasstad Ziekenhuis,Rotterdam, The Netherlands, principal investigator for the NIREUS trial. Dr. Smits further commented on the BioNIR stent's angiographic appearance: "The stent conforms well to the vessel, and provides consistent, smooth scaffolding. This is all very exciting, and we look forward to following these patients to see how these excellent outcomes progress over time."

"The BioNIR stent is innovative in the way it is made, as well as in its use of novel elastomeric materials," said Dr.Yoram Richter, Chief Scientific Officer of Medinol. "Together, these ensure that the coating maintains its long-term integrity and uniform surface, through expansion and drug elution. This has the effect of lowering inflammation and distributing a controlled and uniform dose of drug to the vessel wall."

BioNIR is based on the clinically proven NIRxcell' stent architecture intended to enhance conformability, scaffolding and radial strength while the delivery system features a distinctive spring tip that is simultaneously more pushable and flexible than the plastic tips used on other stent delivery systems. The stent is comprised of cobalt-chromium and elutes ridafarolimus, a "limus" family drug, intended to prevent restenosis. It is coated with an elastomer that maintains a smooth and uniform stent surface designed to prevent the pro-inflammatory cracking and peeling that occurs with brittle polymers used in other drug eluting stents. The BioNIR Stent System is an investigational device and is not available for commercial sale.

About Medinol

Medinol Ltd., headquartered inIsrael, with US offices inParsippany, NJis dedicated to the science of cardiovascular intervention.For over 20 years, our in-house research, development, and manufacturing have continuously raised the bar for quality and performance of stenting systems. In 2014 Medinol established its first sales office in the US and launched its first product sold directly to hospitals, the NIRxcell' bare metal stent. With over two million stents deployed to date, Medinol's cutting-edge cardiovascular intervention technology continues to demonstrate extraordinary clinical results, and its products constantly stretch the limits of innovation.For more information go to www.medinol.com.
CHESTER, PA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 --



WHO:

Geoff Prior, vice president of Solutions for Optymyze, a worldwide provider of enterprise cloud applications and services for improving sales and channel performance

WHAT:

Will join Jim Dickie, research fellow at CSO Insights, and Carl Strenger, vice president Sales Operations (retired) for UPS, to present "Enhancing Sales Operations' Role as the Sales Force's Change Agent," a webinar for members of the Sales Management Association.

WHEN:

Thursday, May 26, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. EDT (1:00 p.m. CDT/12:00 p.m. MDT/11:00 a.m. PDT)

WHERE:

For information and registration details, please visit: http://salesmanagement.org/events/enhancing-sales-operations-role-as-the-sales-forces-change-agent.

DETAILS:

The sales operations team both plays a vital, strategic role in day-to-day operations and serves as an agent of change at their company. Increasingly, as sales organizations face the need to restructure deployment models, rethink selling roles and messages, and push greater efficiency out of existing resources, sales operations departments are positioned to drive these efforts.

During this Sales Management Association webinar, Geoff Prior, vice president of Solutions for Optymyze, will share practical insights about how sales operations can support effective change across the sales force. Joining Prior will be Jim Dickie, research fellow at CSO Insights and Carl Strenger, vice president Sales Operations (retired) for UPS. In their discussion, the panel will discuss how sales operations can balance strategic and tactical demands, and ways to structure the sales operations organization for maximum agility. In addition, Prior, Dickie, and Strenger will walk attendees through a planning process that promotes overall sales operations effectiveness.

Sales leaders and business executives interested in learning how they can well position sales operations as an agent of change and enhance the efficiency of their sales force are encouraged to attend this webinar. Registration information can be accessed at: http://salesmanagement.org/events/enhancing-sales-operations-role-as-the-sales-forces-change-agent.

About Optymyze

Optymyze helps companies improve sales force and sales operations performance with its award-winning enterprise cloud applications and business process management services. Optymyze cloud applications and platforms help companies align sales goals and compensation; efficiently execute sales strategies; drive greater sales results, faster; and gain visibility into sales performance. With Optymyze Sales Operations as a Service, clients turn sales operations into a strategic business advantage through agility, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Follow Optymyze at: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Google+
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Cabela's Canada (Cabela's) announced today plans to celebrate the official grand opening of its new Abbotsford, B.C., store on Thursday, June 23, with a unique ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a weekend-long celebration featuring giveaways, family activities, guest appearances and more.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony, hosted by Cabela's executives and special guests, will begin at 9:45 a.m. and conclude with the grand-opening ribbon being cut by an arrow shot from a bow by Cabela's Ambassador, Steve Ecklund. Doors will open for business at 10 a.m.

Opening day will kick off an exciting weekend-long celebration highlighted by special appearances, family events, giveaways and more. A complete schedule of events will be available at www.cabelas.ca/stores when finalized.

The 70,000-square-foot store is located at 1818 McCallum Rd. Upon opening, it will be the second location in British Columbia, joining the Nanaimo store which opened in 2014.

The store is designed to surround customers in an immersive outdoor experience with wood construction, stonework, a large mountain replica, indoor archery range and dozens of museum-quality wildlife displays. It will also include a gun library, firearms counter, conference room, fudge shop, and Bargain Cave.

In addition to the exciting Cabela's shopping experience and thousands of quality outdoor products, the store's staff will offer educational seminars and demonstrations throughout the year providing tips and insight on outdoor products and activities. Cabela's has employed approximately 220 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees to staff the store, most coming from Abbotsford and the surrounding area.

About Cabela's

Cabela's Incorporated, the World's Foremost Outfitter of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, established Cabela's Canada in 2007 with a retail store and headquarters for Canadian operations in Winnipeg.

Currently, Cabela's Canada operates nine stores - Winnipeg; Regina and Saskatoon, Barrie, Ontario; Nanaimo, B.C.; Moncton, New Brunswick; Calgary; and two locations in Edmonton. The company has previously announced plans to open an additional store in Ottawa, Ont. in 2016. Cabela's continues to explore opportunities in additional markets.

Cabela's stores offer thousands of products, including hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and boating, as well as clothing and outdoor-themed gifts and furnishings. The company is famous for its strong brand and world-renowned reputation for delivering quality merchandise, value and legendary customer service.

Contacts:

Alisha Samnani

Brookline Public Relations

403-538-5641 ext. 102

asamnani@brooklinepr.com



Nathan Borowski

Cabela's Incorporated

308-255-2861

Nathan.Borowski@cabelas.com




Eight years ago, Universal Robots sold the world's first collaborative robot long before the term for this emerging robot class was coined. Fast forward to 2016 and the cobot market with an annual 50% growth is now the fastest growing segment of industrial robotics, forecast to hit $3B in global revenue in 2020.

Universal Robots has published a new infographic illustrating the rapid rise of collaborative robots or cobots.In 2008 the Danish robot manufacturer sold the first industrial robot able to operate safely alongside employees. The company remains the market leader with more cobots sold than all competitors combined.

When Linatex, a Danish supplier of technical plastics and rubber for industrial applications, bought a new UR5 robot to automate CNC machine tending in December 2008, they did something unthinkable; instead of installing the robot behind safety caging, fenced off from people as was the norm for all industrial robots, they deployed it right alongside their employees. Instead of bringing in external programmers mastering complex scripting, Linatex was able to program the robot on their own through a touch screen with no prior programming experience.

The UR5 robot launched Universal Robots as a new significant player in industrial automation, blazing the trail through new territory by specifically targeting the small-to medium sized manufacturers that viewed robotics as too costly and complex. With more than 8,400 cobots now installed in over 55 countries worldwide, the company has successfully addressed a market in need of a user-friendly, flexible robot that can work side-by-side with employees while delivering a fast ROI.

Along the way, the revolutionary UR robots have overcome significant skepticism. Travis Hessman, Editor-in-Chief with Industrial Equipment News recounts in his article, Robots, Cobots The American Dream how he first experienced the UR robots as they became the first cobots to enter the U.S. market in 2012:

"The Danish startup's bots were a bit of an oddity at the time. They ran without the cages and barriers of traditional robots, in fact waving their arms through pre-programmed dances right over the heads of visitors. The UR staff drew crowds and shocked gasps by letting the robots run right into them on purpose.

No one quite knew what to think of them. There wasn't even a name for this kind of robot yetNo one thought it would last... And absolutely everyone was sure that OSHA would shut them down before they ever got adopted. They were wrong."

In opening up the market, Universal Robots spurred both larger, established robot manufacturers as well as other robotics startups to start developing and launching cobots. Having a built-in safety system that enables a robot to stop operating if it comes into contact with an employee is now the defining feature of collaborative robots, but CTO and co-founder of Universal Robots, Esben stergaard, is raising the bar on using the term, expanding it to include user-friendliness, re-deployability, simple set-up and affordability:

"We've been the frontrunners of collaborative robotics since the term was invented. While safety is imperative, that's simply the cost of entry into the cobot market now. We believe that being collaborative is just as much being accessible, lowering the automation barrier by placing robots within reach of manufacturers that never thought they would be able to deploy robots."

As editor and publisher of The Robot Report, Frank Tobe, concludes when forecasting the cobot market:

"There's no doubt that the collaborative robot marketplace will be growing exponentially over the next few years with UR leading the pack - and price, safety, flexibility and ease of programming being the key determinants as to which vendor(s) are chosen."

About Universal Robots

Universal Robots is the result of many years of intensive research at Denmark's successful robot cluster, which is located in Odense, Denmark. The company was co-founded in 2005 by the company's CTO, Esben stergaard, who wanted to make robot technology accessible to all by developing small, user-friendly, reasonably priced, flexible industrial robots that are safe to work with and on their own can be used to streamline processes in the industry. The product portfolio includes the collaborative UR3, UR5 and UR10 robotic arms named after their payload in kilos. Since the first UR robot launched in December 2008, the company has experienced considerable growth with the user-friendly robots now sold in more than 50 countries worldwide. At just 195 days, the average payback period for UR robots is the fastest in the industry. The company, a part of Boston-based Teradyne Inc, is headquartered in Odense and has subsidiaries and regional offices in the U.S., Spain, Germany, Singapore, Czech Republic, India, and China. Universal Robots has more than 270 employees worldwide. www.universal-robots.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517006085/en/

Contacts:

Press Contact:

Hughes Communications

Mette McCall, +1-415-847-8649

Mette@Hughescom.net

or

Company Contact

Universal Robots

Esben stergaard, +45 8993 8989

CTO

Esben@universal-robots.com
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Vietnam War resisters along with human rights, faith, and labour leaders, are calling on Justin Trudeau to end the former Conservative government's efforts to deport American Iraq War resisters.

In an opinion editorial published by Canada's largest daily newspaper marking International Conscientious Objectors Day, retired CBC radio broadcaster Andy Barrie, CM, urged the prime minister to, "embrace his father's legacy in honouring, rather than deporting, these men and women of conscience" and "tell government lawyers to call it quits to Harper's deportations."

Barrie joined a chorus of voices including Amnesty International Canada, the Canadian Council of Churches, and the Canadian Labour Congress, that have recently written to the Liberal government in support of the Iraq War resisters' struggle to get permanent resident status.

Since 2008, there have been 12 Federal Court decisions won by U.S. Iraq War resisters. The new government is currently re-litigating many issues that have already been found in the war resisters' favour by the Canadian courts and defending the Harper government's position that it is okay to imprison conscientious objectors.

John Hagan, the Co-Director of the Center on Law & Globalization at the American Bar Foundation and author of Northern Passage: American Vietnam War Resisters in Canada (Harvard University Press, 2001), wrote for NOW Magazine last Remembrance Day:

"It took several years before the Liberal government in 1969 completely opened the doors to all U.S. Vietnam War resisters, regardless of whether they were leaving the military or fleeing the country before being drafted into military service."

"Then prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau famously remarked in a speech to Mennonite and United Church leaders that 'those who make the conscientious judgment that they must not participate in this war... have my complete sympathy, and indeed our political approach has been to give them access to Canada.'"

During an election campaign stop in Winnipeg, Manitoba on July 4, 2015, Justin Trudeau said, "I am supportive of the principle of allowing conscientious objectors to stay. I am committed ... to restoring our sense of compassion and openness and a place that is a safe haven for people to come here."

It has been 12 years for Jeremy Hinzman, the first Iraq War resister to seek refuge here in 2004, and the better part of a decade for many of the other resisters who are still seeking status here.

The War Resisters Support Campaign is asking the Trudeau government to move quickly to:

1. Stop the deportation of U.S. war resisters;

2. Stop pursuing war resister cases in court, as doing so defends decisions and policies made by the former Conservative government;

3. Rescind the prejudicial Citizenship and Immigration Canada Operational Bulletin 202; and

4. Implement a new operational bulletin that restores fairness for all U.S. war resister cases.

Federal Court/Federal Court of Appeal decisions in favour of U.S. war resisters

1. Joshua Key - July 2008

2. James Corey Glass - July 2008

3. Jeremy Hinzman - September 2008

4. Matthew Lowell - September 2008

5. Dean Walcott - January 2009

6. Kimberly Rivera - March 2009

7. Kimberly Rivera - August 2009

8. Jeremy Hinzman - July 2010 (Federal Court of Appeal)

9. Dean Walcott - April 2011

10. Chris Vassey - July 2011

11. Jules Tindungan - February 2013

12. Dale Landry - October 2014

Contacts:

Ken Marciniec

communications@resisters.ca

416-803-6066




BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. dollar retreated from its early highs against its most major counterparts in early New York deals on Tuesday. The greenback fell to 0.9760 against the franc and 108.96 against the yen, off its early 2-month high of 0.9804 and near a 3-week high of 109.65, respectively. The greenback dropped to a 4-day low of 1.1348 against the euro, reversing from its early high of 1.1302. The next possible support for the greenback is seen around around 0.95 against the franc, 105.00 against the yen and 1.15 against the euro. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Press-release

Krasnodar

May 17, 2016

PJSC "Magnit" Announces the Acquisition of Shares by the Entity under the Issuer's Control

Krasnodar, May 17, 2016: PJSC "Magnit", Russia's largest food retailer (the "Company", the "Issuer", MICEX and LSE: MGNT), announces the acquisition of shares by the entity which is under the Issuer's control.

Full company name and address: Joint Stock Company "Tander"

185, Levanevskogo street, Krasnodar, Russia Taxpayer Id Number: 2310031475 Principal State Registration Number: 1022301598549 Object of acquisition: Ordinary registered uncertified voting shares with a state registration No. 1-01-60525-P of 04.03.2004, International Stock Identification Number (ISIN) RU000A0JKQU8 Acquisition of shares Date of change: May 12, 2016 Date of the fact being reported to the Issuer: May 17, 2016 Amount of acquired shares: 16,324 shares (0.017263% of the total equity) Basis for acquisition: Sale and Purchase Agreement executed in the trading of MICEX Stock Exchange Amount of votes before acquisition: 35,361 votes (0.037395% of the total number of votes) Amount of votes after acquisition: 51,685 votes (0.054658% of the total number of votes)













Acquisition of shares Date of change: May 13, 2016 Date of the fact being reported to the Issuer: May 17, 2016 Amount of acquired shares: 22,327 shares (0.023611% of the total equity) Basis for acquisition: Sale and Purchase Agreement executed in the trading of MICEX Stock Exchange Amount of votes before acquisition: 51,685 votes (0.054658% of the total number of votes) Amount of votes after acquisition: 74,012 votes (0.078269% of the total number of votes)

For further information, please contact:

Timothy Post Head of Investor Relations

Email: post@magnit.ru

Office: +7-861-277-4554 x 17600

Mobile: +7-961-511-7678

Direct Line: +7-861-277-4562 Investor Relations Office MagnitIR@magnit.ru

Direct Line: +7-861-277-4562

Website: ir.magnit.com/ Media Inquiries Media Relations Department

press@magnit.ru

Company description:

Magnit is Russia's largest food retailer. Founded in 1994, the company is headquartered in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar. As of March 31, 2016, Magnit operated 34 distribution centers and about 12,434 stores (9,715 convenience, 382 hypermarkets, and 2,337 drogerie stores) in 2,385 cities and towns throughout 7 federal regions of the Russian Federation.

In accordance with the audited IFRS results for 2015, Magnit had revenues of RUB 951 billion and an EBITDA of RUB 104 billion. Magnit's local shares are traded on the Moscow Stock Exchange (MOEX: MGNT) and its GDRs on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: MGNT) and it has a credit rating from Standard & Poor's of BB+. Measured by market capitalization, Magnit is one of the largest retailers in Europe.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - CSX Corp. (CSX) said that it now expects high-single digit volume declines in the second quarter, which will negatively impact second quarter earnings. The company expects year-to-date volume declines across most of our markets, reflecting continued low global commodity prices, the strong U.S. dollar, and the transition in the energy markets Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Frank Lonegro spoke with investors and analysts today at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Transportation Conference in Boston. Lonegro said, ' With the impact of improving service and ongoing initiatives to drive further network efficiency, CSX now expects efficiency savings for the full year to exceed $250 million, approaching a company record. However, market forces are still expected to more than offset the gains in safety, service, pricing and efficiency, resulting in the company's first full-year earnings decline since the recession. Looking forward, CSX is driving long-term strategies to maximize its evolving business portfolio, including transforming its network to match resources with demand, leveraging technology solutions for service and efficiency, investing in the future of intermodal, and continuing to focus on delivering excellent service for customers. As the company's business transitions to merchandise and intermodal markets, these initiatives are designed to drive earnings growth and margin expansion as CSX continues to target a mid-60s operating ratio longer term. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BROOKLYN, New York, May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

QYReseachReports.com recently made an announcement regarding the inclusion of a new market research study to its huge repository of research reports. The research study talks about the wearable technology industry across the globe, emphasizing on the key growth drivers, restraints, opportunities and challenges, key geographical segments, and competitive landscape. The research report, titled "Global Wearable Technology Industry 2016 Market Research Report," further studies the major products offered by the global wearable technology industry and provides the market share, size, and forecast figures for every segment.

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BROWNSVILLE, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Pizza Patron, widely known for its PIZZA POR PESOS program, has signed a development agreement with Francisco Chavez and Victor Hugo Rodriguez to expand the chain's Rio Grande Valley footprint to six stores.

Chavez' and Rodriguez' first Pizza Patron is slated to open in Brownsville at the end of 2016. They own multiple businesses in the area and are active members of the community.

"The Rio Grande Valley continues to be one of the most dynamic and fastest growing restaurant regions in Texas. Combine that with our brand's unique Hispanic focus, and this market is not only appealing, but favorable for Pizza Patron's continued growth as well," said Victor Vazquez, vice president of business development for Pizza Patron.

Pizza Patron currently has 93 restaurants open in four states and is actively seeking qualified franchisees to expand its footprint throughout Texas. Company officials say they are particularly interested in developing secondary and tertiary markets such as El Paso, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, Temple and Killeen.

"We've also developed a new quick-serve restaurant prototype, a freestanding 1,200 sq. ft. building featuring a pick-up window," said Vazquez. "This new structure provides developers an opportunity to continue to grow despite high occupancy in certain markets."

Potential franchisee candidates include seasoned restaurateurs with multi-unit experience and qualified owner operators that are solely devoted to their Pizza Patron business and who are already part of the fabric of the local community they will serve. Including a franchise fee of $20,000, the initial investment to own and operate a Pizza Patron restaurant starts as low as $211,100.

Those interested in development opportunities with the brand should visit ownapizzapatron.com and submit the short form to receive more information. Interested parties may also contact Isaiah Melendez, franchise sales manager for Pizza Patron, at 972-982-0176 or isaiah@pizzapatron.com.

About Pizza Patron

Since 1986, Pizza Patron has been committed to making its promise of "Mas Pizza. Menos Dinero." a reality for every customer. From the beginning, the brand has been recognized for its 'fresh-dough' pizza, its low prices and its trademark "friendly, bicultural service." In 2007, the company drew international media attention with its PIZZA POR PESOS program when it began accepting Mexican Pesos at all of its restaurants. In 2012, the company's PIZZA POR FAVOR promotion that gave free pizzas to anyone who ordered in Spanish sparked international news coverage and lively debate throughout the U.S. Today, Pizza Patron is the leading Mexican pizza brand in the U.S. and remains dedicated to bringing its unique experience to life with every pizza made, and in every community it serves.

Website - www.pizzapatron.com

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pizzapatron

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/pizzapatron

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3009199



Contact:

Sandy Bell

Phone 972-800-1745

Email Contact




Commenting on the markets, Will Landers, representing the Investment

Manager noted;



Performance



For the month of April 2016, the Company's NAV rose by 4.7% and the share price rose by 5.4%, whilst the Company's benchmark, the MSCI EM Latin America Free Index, returned 4.0% (all in sterling terms).



Positive contributions to performance stemmed primarily from our positioning in Mexico and Peru as well as a lower than index weighting in Chile. A lower than benchmark weighting to America Movil was the largest contributor to performance as the stock suffered after reporting weak results due to increased competition. In Peru, construction company Grana y Montero made a strong move up ahead of the first round of the Presidential elections, which saw two market friendly candidates move into the second round.



Offsetting some of the outperformance was our exposure to Mexico, which suffered as concerns about US economic growth continued to weigh on the country even as news-flow was mostly positive for the month. Cash also weighed on returns. The largest detractor from performance was our lower than market exposure to Brazilian iron ore miner Vale, which benefited from a recovery in iron ore prices and continued strength in materials stocks. A lack of exposure to Brazilian steel stock CSN also weighed on returns.



Transactions/Gearing



During the month we continued to add shares which are more sensitive to market movements. We increased exposure to Brazil and reduced exposure to Mexico. In Brazil, we added to financials, especially banks and credit card acquirers via Itau Unibanco, Banco Bradesco and Cielo as well as initiating a position in Banco do Brasil. In addition, we reduced our underweight to Vale as iron ore prices have been more resilient than we expected and given our expectations of continued strength in materials stocks. These moves were partially funded by reducing exposure to BRF due to the expectation of weak domestic results and the negative impact of the appreciation of the Real on its exports. We also reduced exposure to BB Seguridade Participacoes, which reached our price target. Finally, in Mexico, we reduced exposure to America Movil given weak first quarter results due to stiff competition in most markets.



Net gearing was approximately 1.2% at the end of April.



Positioning



Political headlines continue to be the main driver for short-term market performance in most countries in Latin America. President Rousseff's impeachment process moving up from the lower house of Congress to the Senate has boosted expectations of a positive change in economic policy in Brazil. We continue to monitor changes in Brazil, ensuring that the portfolio is positioned to benefit from expected changes in economic policy, while taking into consideration the expected continued weakness in economic performance for a few more quarters. We are maintaining an above benchmark exposure to Mexico which has less to do with politics and more to do with a continuation of the gradual domestic recovery. We remain positive on Peru, with the June 5th presidential election run-off bringing two market-friendly choices to the ballot. We are less positive on Chile and Colombia, while we have approximately 230 bps invested in Argentina, which is not currently part of the benchmark.



17 May 2016



ENDS



Latest information is available by typing www.blackrock.co.uk/brla on the internet, "BLRKINDEX" on Reuters, "BLRK" on Bloomberg or "8800" on Topic 3 (ICV terminal). Neither the contents of the Manager's website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Manager's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.
BOSTON, MA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Reflecting the ongoing growth in Boston's education technology industry, LearnLaunch today announced that it is opening its new, expanded co-working space to the education technology and education services community.

Located in the heart of the Seaport's Innovation District at 281 Summer Street in Boston, just a block from the Red Line, the new LearnLaunch Campus co-working space provides edtech and tech startups easy access to downtown Boston and the wealth of educational institutions, as well as the ability to collaborate with other entrepreneurs.

"LearnLaunch is well on its way to transforming Boston -- the education hub of the U.S. -- into the leading edtech startup hub of the US. We are giving innovative startups proximity to the world's leading schools, unparalleled access to investors and industry leaders, and a collaborative environment to foster the thinking and action that will transform education," said Liam Pisano, LearnLaunch Managing Director. "For early stage companies, it's vital to make connections and have access to the best resources available."

The vibrant, 11,000-square foot Boston location features dedicated flexible workspace options for up to 40 startups and entrepreneurs seeking access to a networked community of diverse talent and expertise in the edtech sector. It has already attracted budding edtech startup tenants such as Authess, Testive, and Listen Current; as well as established gaming giant and edtech investor NetDragon. New space is now available to both startups and established companies.

The new campus, featuring wood ceiling beams, exposed brick, expansive natural light and murals from local street artists, offers shared desk spaces, conference rooms, private offices, event space, and comfortable co-working lounge areas. Companies in LearnLaunch Campus have free fast internet access; access to printers, scanners, and video-equipped conference rooms; lounge areas, round-the-clock access, office refreshments, and weekly pitch competitions. LearnLaunch offers a variety of perks including discounts with local businesses and partners, sector specific programming, and networking opportunities.

About LearnLaunch

LearnLaunch is dedicated to connecting, supporting, and growing the education technology ecosystem to drive innovation and transform learning. We are a vibrant community, delivering educational events, a selective accelerator program and a collaborative co-working space. We are based in Boston, a global education hub. For more information, visit http://www.learnlaunch.com and follow LearnLaunch on Twitter at @learnlaunch.

All logos, company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Media Contact:

Josef Blumenfeld

Email Contact






Date: 17th May 2016



Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.



Issuer:



Transmission Finance DAC



Post Stabilisation Notice



BNP Paribas (co-ordinator) Contact: Jodie Angus, Telephone number 00 44 207 595 8222, hereby gives notice that no stabilisation was undertaken by the Stabilising Manager(s) named below in relation to the offer of the following securities.



+------------------------------+---------------------------------------+ | Issuer: | Transmission Finance DAC | +------------------------------+---------------------------------------+ | Guarantor (if any): | | +------------------------------+---------------------------------------+ | Aggregate nominal amount: | EUR 500 million | +------------------------------+---------------------------------------+ | Description: | 1.5 per cent Notes due 24 May 2023 | +------------------------------+---------------------------------------+ | Stabilising Manager(s) | BNPP / SEB | +------------------------------+---------------------------------------+ | Stabilisation started: | | +------------------------------+---------------------------------------+ | Stabilisation last occurred: | N/A (no stabilisation occurred) | +------------------------------+---------------------------------------+



This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.



This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to above have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. There has not been and will not be a public offer of the securities in the United States.



This announcement is distributed by GlobeNewswire on behalf of GlobeNewswire clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.



Source: BNP Paribas Primary New Issues via GlobeNewswire [HUG#2013344]



R61



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
SAGINAW, MI -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Conveniently located in Central Michigan, Total Entrepreneurs Concepts is the leading marketing firm in the region acquiring two multi-million dollar clients within their first year of business. As production mounts, the opportunity for expansion is at the forefront of the management team's annual goals.

Leading the pack, Director of Operations, Tevin Crosby has grown the Saginaw market by 67% in the last year. By the end of 2016, Total Entrepreneurs Concepts is projected to sign a third national brand, continuing to catapult the organization to new heights.

As demand from their national clients continues to grow, Tevin gears up to assist a Total Entrepreneurs Concepts associate, Jerome Lewis, in an expansion to another local market. The location of the new branch will be unveiled by the end of the summer.

With the inevitable expansion on the horizon, Total Entrepreneurs Concepts gears up for the hiring process. The company is looking to hire 8 Account Executives within the next few months in order to keep momentum alive in the headquarter office. "We are seeking individuals with great student mentalities, a team oriented nature and a drive for success," says Tevin. Total Entrepreneurs Concepts offers in-house, paid training positions in order to develop and guide individuals into the upper management and leadership positions.

The excitement buzzing throughout the organization mounted as Tevin released the location of Total Entrepreneurs Concepts destination conference. This October, the team will attend the nation conference held by their clients at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The destination conference is the most anticipated event of the year. The clients host an award ceremony giving national recognition to each of the most productive business partners of the year.

For more information about Total Entrepreneurs Concepts career opportunities, visit www.totalentrepreneursconcepts.com.

Total Entrepreneurs Concepts

3262 Cabaret Trail South

Suite 202

Saginaw, Michigan 48603

989 332 9098

Email Contact




BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - After returning to action following the long holiday weekend, the Swiss stock market ended its first day of the new trading week in the red. Early gains were fueled by rising crude oil prices, but the market clearly entered negative territory in the afternoon. Positive U.S. economic news in the afternoon raised concerns among investors regarding an imminent Fed rate hike. A slightly bigger than expected increase in U.S. consumer prices and a stronger than expected rebound in industrial production had investors in a cautious mood. The Swiss Market Index decreased 0.24 percent Tuesday and finished at 7,906.76. The Swiss Leader Index fell 0.13 percent and the Swiss Performance Index lost 0.09 percent. Galenica sank 3.4 percent Tuesday. The company's Vifor Pharma subsidiary seems to be preparing to become a stand-alone public company, after appointing a new chief financial officer. UBS dropped 2.7 percent and Credit Suisse surrendered 0.5 percent. Julius Baer increased 2.4 percent. The company will release its interim first quarter report on Thursday. Syngenta weakened by 0.8 percent. ChemChina has extended the deadline for acceptance of its takeover offer from May 24 to July 18. Swatch surrendered 1.7 percent and Richemont lost 0.4 percent. Richemont will report on Friday. Roche signed declined 0.5 percent and Novartis dipped 0.1 percent. Novartis released positive study data for its Ultibro Breezhaler therapy for lung disease COPD over the weekend. Actelion has now received European Union market approval for its lungs hypertension drug Uptravi, in addition to its U.S. approval. The stock finished the session unchanged. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Theratechnologies Inc. (TSX: TH) today held its annual meeting of shareholders for the 2015 fiscal year. It was chaired by Dawn Svoronos, chair of the board of Theratechnologies.

As part of the meeting, shareholders proceeded to elect the Company's board of directors for a one-year term and nominated KPMG LLC., as auditors for the current fiscal year. In addition, shareholders adopted a resolution to amend its share option plan (the "Plan") thereby increasing by 1,580,000 the number of common shares reserved for issuance under the Plan and ratified the amendments and renewal of the shareholder rights plan adopted by the directors on April 15, 2016.

All candidates proposed for the position of directors were elected in the following proportion:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- IN FAVOUR % IN FAVOUR ABSENTION % ABSTENTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gerald A. Lacoste 18,164,765 98.27 320,232 1.73 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Lilley 18,428,079 99.69 56,918 0.31 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul Pommier 18,237,065 98.66 247,932 1.34 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dawn Svoronos 17,200,730 93.05 1,284,267 6.95 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jean-Denis Talon 18,235,765 98.65 249,232 1.35 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luc Tanguay 18,393,902 99.51 91,095 0.49 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In addition to reviewing highlights from last year, both Mrs. Svoronos and Mr. Luc Tanguay, President and CEO of Theratechnologies, shared their vision as to where the Company is heading in the coming years.

"Last year was both a pivotal and a historical year for Theratechnologies. We completed the first full year of commercialisation since regaining the rights to EGRIFTA (tesamorelin for injection) in the United States. As a consequence, we recorded our first profitable year ever from our operations. We also ended the year with a positive adjusted EBITDA. We also received approval for EGRIFTA in Canada and signed important agreements for Europe and South Korea. I am very pleased to say that we made progress on all fronts which means that the Company is now better positioned than ever to reach new heights," said Luc Tanguay, President and CEO, Theratechnologies Inc.

"The transaction we recently concluded for the commercialisation of ibalizumab in the United States and Canada is definitely a concrete demonstration of how we have given ourselves the tools and leverage we required to grow," added Mr. Tanguay.

"I am particularly enthusiastic about the future of our Company. The strategy to regain commercial rights to EGRIFTA in the U.S. was bold but it was what was needed to put us in the position we are in today," said Dawn Svoronos, Chair of the Board, Theratechnologies.

About Theratechnologies

Theratechnologies (TSX: TH) is a specialty pharmaceutical company addressing unmet medical needs to promote healthy ageing and an improved quality of life among HIV patients. Further information about Theratechnologies is available on the Company's website at www.theratech.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information, or, collectively, forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable securities laws, that are based on our management's belief and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. You can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "would", "outlook", "believe", "plan", "envisage", "anticipate", "expect" and "estimate", or the negatives of these terms, or variations of them. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, the growth of the Company through sales of EGRIFTA and potential sales of ibalizumab if and when approved by regulatory authorities in the United States and Canada.

Forward-looking statements are based upon a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Theratechnologies' control that could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. These assumptions include but are not limited to, the following: sales of EGRIFTA in the United States and Canada will continue to grow, we will have continuous supply of EGRIFTA, the United States Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada will not issue any order or decision having the effect of suspending the commercialization of EGRIFTA in the United States and/or Canada, government-sponsored drug plans in Canada will list EGRIFTA as a reimbursed drug, results of the Phase III clinical trials with ibalizumab will be positive and ibalizumab will be approved for sale in the United States and in Canada. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk that sales of EGRIFTA decline, that conflicts occur with our third-party service providers, that our intellectual property on tesamorelin is challenged, that unforeseen serious adverse events are reported causing EGRIFTA to be withdrawn from the market and that ibalizumab is not filed with regulatory authorities in the United States and Canada or, if filed, is not approved by regulatory authorities because of negative safety or efficacy results or because of third-party suppliers of ibalizumab not meeting regulatory requirements.

We refer potential investors to the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Information Form dated February 24, 2016 available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The reader is cautioned to consider these and other risks and uncertainties carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and speak only as of the date of this press release and represent our expectations as of that date.

We undertake no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.

Contacts:

Denis Boucher

EXOCET Public Relations inc.

514-913-1957




OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Today, Hunter Tootoo, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, announces a call for proposals for the $5.7 million funding program to help Indigenous communities market and sell sealskin products on the world stage.

The Certification and Market Access Program for Seals (CMAPS) is a five-year program that sets up certification and tracking systems to ensure seal products harvested by Indigenous communities are certified to be sold in the European Union (EU). It also supports Indigenous seal product businesses and access to new markets for the commercial seal industry.

The European Union (EU) ban on seal products included an exemption for seal products harvested by Indigenous people. Currently, the Nunavut Department of Environment is the only recognized body in Canada designated to certify that seals harvested in Nunavut meet the requirement of the EU Regulation under the Indigenous exemption.

Information on how to apply for CMAPS is available on the Department's website.

Quote

"Many Inuit communities rely on income generated from the sale of sealskin products to foreign markets. Our government is committed to supporting their efforts and helping Inuit communities to grow this important industry, which creates jobs and supports Inuit culture. The Certification and Market Access Program for Seals will open doors for Indigenous seal harvesters. I am proud to ensure Canada's support for Northern economic development and the Canadian seal harvest."

Hunter Tootoo, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

Associated Links

- Certification And Market Access Program For Seals

- The European Union's Indigenous Communities Exemption

- Seals and Sealing

Internet: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Follow us on Twitter! www.Twitter.com/DFO_MPO

Contacts:

Media Relations

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

613-990-7537

Media.xncr@dfo-mpo.gc.ca



Patricia Bell

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

613-992-3474




VANCOUVER, BC -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Mobify has launched a new cloud-based mobile customer engagement platform that brings together mobile web with app-like features, apps that are integrated with mobile web, push notifications on web browsers as well as apps, and a host of new marketing features to enable mobile experiences into a single platform. The Mobify Mobile Customer Engagement Platform is designed for retailers that want to build better relationships through mobile engagement in order to increase conversion rates and revenue. It is the first mobile commerce solution to leverage the modern web capabilities of Google's exciting Progressive Web App (PWA) technology using the latest features designed to make web apps feel and perform more like native apps.

Explore the new Mobify Mobile Customer Engagement Platform.

The new Mobify Platform is optimized for fast response. Utilizing Mobify's patent-pending Progressive Mobile technology, its mobile web feature can be added to traditional mobile web sites, including those built with responsive web design, typically yielding a 3x performance improvement. The technology also brings other app-like features to mobile web, including push notifications that can be targeted by consumer behavior and location, offline usage, and more flexible screen layouts. This all adds up to greatly improved conversion rates.

The platform combines Progressive Mobile with Mobify's Engagement Engine and Connection Centre. It delivers web, IOS and Android apps and messaging that are integrated, built from a single code base and can be turned on individually, without the need for additional technology integrations, delivering dramatic improvements in deployment and maintenance costs.

According to data from RSR Research, 74% of retail CEOs are concerned about how consumer purchasing patterns are shifting. Fractured consumer behavior has disrupted the traditional marketing funnel just as mobile technology has begun to introduce radically new techniques to assure a more seamless customer journey, said Mobify CEO Igor Faletski. Yet, today's mobile point solutions are unable to sustain engagement and are risky and expensive to integrate.

"With Mobify's Customer Engagement Platform we are enabling our retail partners to deliver to their customers a personalized, seamless mobile buying journey, across all interaction points, deployed and managed from a single comprehensive platform," Faletski said.

PureFormulas, a leader in the online health supplement space based in Miami and a Mobify customer, is an early adopter of progressive web technology. According to Carolina Servigna, PureFormulas Senior Director of Technology, "With a mission to maintain passion for healthy living and a focus on high-level customer service and quality products, PureFormulas is absolutely differentiating on customer experience. Mobile is an increasingly busier storefront for us, so it's important we harness the best mobile engagement technology to meet expectations. We're very excited to explore how this technology can help us achieve our customer lifetime value goals."

The Mobify Mobile Customer Engagement Platform features:

Progressive Mobile -- Mobify's patent-pending technology allows customers to turn on an iOS App, Android App, and/or a conversion-optimized mobile website with app-like functionality, or choose just one place to start. Enable push notifications, store locators, barcode scanners and more, all from one code base.

Engagement Engine -- delivers personalized content in real-time, using contextual information such as location, behavioral data, 1st party data, and integrations with partners.

Connection Centre -- features a user interface that doesn't require any technical knowledge for marketers to target, personalize, deliver, and track customer engagement from one central location and personalize interactions such as push notifications and highly-relevant web or app content.

About Mobify

Mobify delivers a comprehensive Mobile Customer Engagement Platform to help merchants cultivate powerful relationships with their customers, increasing revenue online and in-store.

Mobify leverages its Progressive Mobile technology, to create connected mobile web and native applications linked with legacy commerce platforms to ensure seamless customer journeys across channels and minimize development, operational and maintenance expenses. With Mobify's Engagement Engine, merchants can tailor content to each customer's context, including their real-time physical location and online behavior The Mobify Connection Center brings everything together in a single interface for managing all mobile customer interactions across web, apps and push notifications.

Ranked by Forrester as a leader in mobile commerce and engagement, Mobify serves retailers and brands worldwide, including Matalan, BT, Crocs, Carnival Cruises, Bosch, Superdry, Eddie Bauer and Tommy Bahama.

Embedded Video Available

Embedded Video Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3009066



Contact:

Betsy Kosheff

for Mobify

Email Contact

413-232-7057




NEEDHAM, MA--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - Cambridge Healthtech Institute is pleased to release the plenary session details for the eighth annual Next Generation Dx Summit to be held August 23-26, 2016 at the Grand Hyatt, Washington, DC. FDA's Personalized Medicine Director, Elizabeth Mansfield, will open the session with an update on the FDA's implementation of more targeted studies involving patient's specific genetics, health history and lifestyle. In the second part of the plenary session, diagnostic innovators will join to present game-changing technologies in the industry and case studies on incorporating them into laboratory medicine.

"When Vice President Biden announced his plans for a 'moonshot' to cure cancer this past January in Davos, Switzerland, it brought into question whether or not the backing needed for advanced sequencing and other disruptive technologies will happen," states Christina Lingham, Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Conference Executive Director. "The plenary session at Next Generation Dx Summit will showcase the cross-industry support for the mission: the FDA's active participation in more targeted therapies, and the diagnostics teams creating the technologies needed to make precision medicine a reality."

Complementing the plenary session at the Next Generation Dx Summit is a lineup of focused conference tracks, symposia and interactive courses, covering the key challenges in the field: novel immunotherapy biomarkers, cell-free DNA, companion diagnostics, infectious disease, point-of-care, pharmacy-based diagnostics, commercialization, and reimbursement. New programming in 2016 will greatly expand the scope of the event with coverage of prenatal diagnostics, circulating tumor cells, forensics, telemedicine, microbiome sequencing, health and wellness genomic screening and digital PCR. A brand new area of the event will explore the area of hospital laboratory design and renovation that is undergoing significant transformation with emerging diagnostics technologies.

Full program details can be found at http://www.nextgenerationdx.com. Early registration rates apply and are available until June 10.

Members of the media are encouraged to attend. Please contact Lisa Scimemi at lscimemi@healthtech.com to apply for a press pass and to inquire about opportunities for coordinated pre-event interviews with speaking faculty.

About Cambridge Healthtech Institute (www.healthtech.com)

Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI), a division of Cambridge Innovation Institute, is the preeminent life science network for leading researchers and business experts from top pharmaceutical, biotech, CROs, academia, and niche service providers. CHI is renowned for its vast conference portfolio held worldwide including PepTalk, Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference, SCOPE Summit, Bio-IT World Conference & Expo, PEGS Summit, Drug Discovery Chemistry, Biomarker World Congress, World Preclinical Congress, Next Generation Dx Summit and Discovery on Target. CHI's portfolio of products include Cambridge Healthtech Institute Conferences, Barnett International, Insight Pharma Reports, Cambridge Marketing Consultants, Cambridge Meeting Planners, Knowledge Foundation, Bio-IT World, Clinical Informatics News and Diagnostics World.

Contact:

Lisa Scimemi

Corporate Marketing Communications Director

lscimemi@healthtech.com
HUNTINGTON, NY and SANTA CLARA, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Teq today announced an exclusive partnership with CloudGenix to provide its revolutionary SD-WAN solution to school districts nationwide. With CloudGenix, districts will improve network performance, gain insight into the applications running on their networks, while lowering their capital and operational expenses. These are all key benefits as school districts and universities become more reliant on cloud applications for online assessment and digital curriculum.

"CloudGenix transforms the way networks are built," says Kumar Ramachandran, CEO and founder of CloudGenix. "We remove the need for proprietary hardware at branch locations -- in this case, the individual schools that make up a district -- and dramatically improve WAN price-performance."

Just like the Waze app on your smart phone reroutes you as you drive to avoid traffic, CloudGenix intelligently routes application data to improve network performance. In addition, district IT leaders can prioritize traffic for critical applications. They can also see, at the device level, if there are applications utilizing too much bandwidth.

"K-12 tech directors face a number of challenges, from limited resources to the rising cost of legacy products and CloudGenix will address these pain points," says Chris Hickey, President of Teq. "In New York, the BOCES continue to provide strong IT support, and we hope to partner closely with them to bring this product to customers. I am extremely confident that CloudGenix can reduce costs and improve performance for schools. Teq will be offering free CloudGenix implementations to any qualified district via our new 'Teq Squad' service."

According to CoSN's (The Consortium for School Networking) 2015 Annual E-rate and Infrastructure Survey, affordability remains the primary obstacle for robust connectivity in many schools. At the same time, network speed and capacity pose significant challenges for schools. According to the survey.

19% of responding school systems are paying $50/Mbps or more per month for their Internet connection, and 18% pay the same high rate for their WAN connection. CloudGenix enables a diverse carrier strategy to address insufficient bandwidth needs by making all available connectivity paths active/active. Schools with the CloudGenix solution transition away from expensive MPLS or Internet links to a more affordable bandwidth strategy like Internet and LTE to save money and improve end-user experience.







One in four respondents projected 100% to 499% growth for Internet connectivity driven by online assessments, digital content and more student devices. CloudGenix helps schools plan for accelerated application and device-count growth while retaining visibility into how those applications are performing. With CloudGenix, we support up to six individual networks and connectivity sources like commodity internet, LTE, satellite, and MPLS, all of which can be added within minutes.





CloudGenix can move district networking from an "active/backup" environment to an "active/active" environment -- utilizing all of the lines a district has to improve performance. Traditionally, backup lines are costly and rarely used. With CloudGenix, districts can make use of the bandwidth, or eliminate a backup line in favor of less expensive connectivity options.

"This is a great opportunity for districts to lower their IT costs while improving the online experience for teachers and students," says Teq CEO Damian Scarfo. "When evaluating CloudGenix, we also liked that our customers could try it before committing to it. CloudGenix will run in parallel to their existing network without impacting it, so a district can make a very informed decision about the product."

Free trials of CloudGenix SD-WAN are currently available from Teq. In New York, Teq is looking to partner with the 37 BOCES throughout the state, when providing this solution. Product demonstrations are also being conducted at Teq's Huntington Station location. K-12 districts, colleges, and universities can register their interest in a free trial by going to http://www.teq.com/cloudgenix

About Teq

Dedicated to championing the evolution of the modern classroom, Teq has provided solutions to improve student learning since 1972. Its professional development team of education professionals works closely to empower educators, leverage and improve technology integration, and increase student achievement and success in the Common Core curriculum. Teq provides clients with a unique blend of experienced service, innovative products, and incomparable support while fostering passion and creativity in the twenty-first century learning environment. The company is headquartered in Huntington Station, NY.

About CloudGenix

CloudGenix (www.cloudgenix.com) is the software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) leader, revolutionizing networking by transforming legacy WANs into a radically simplified, secure, application-defined fabric and virtualizing heterogeneous underlying transports into a unified hybrid WAN. Enabling application-specific, service-level agreements (SLAs), CloudGenix controls network application performance based upon application-performance SLAs and business priority. CloudGenix ION (Instant-On Network) radically simplifies how WANs are designed and managed, enabling customers to build "Networks without Networking" and achieve more than twice the performance at less than half the cost -- leading to a much faster time-to-value once deployed -- and extending datacenter-class security to the network edge. Founded in 2013 by a team that has previously delivered industry-leading products in networking, SDN, cloud, security and web-scale applications, CloudGenix serves world-class financial services, legal, retail and technology organizations. The company is backed by Bain Capital Ventures, Charles River Ventures and the Mayfield Fund and has headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif.

For more media information, contact:

Lisa Hendrickson

LCH Communications

516-767-8390

Email Contact




HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.

There's a lot that goes into even a single service change at any transit system, and that single change also has real-life effects on a community.

When Vancouver's TransLink was preparing to make 85 services changes late in 2015, they looked to extensive public consultation to engage transit passengers and to make sure voices were heard. TransLink's Transit Network Consultation campaign, the largest of its kind for the organization exceeded feedback targets and is now the organization's roadmap for how to engage with the public in preparation for extensive service changes.

At a lively awards lunch today, as part of The Canadian Urban Transit Association's (CUTA) Annual Conference and Meeting in Halifax, TransLink received CUTA's Corporate Leadership Award in the category of 'Communication and Marketing' for the Transit Network Consultation campaign. York Region Rapid Transit Corporation and GO Transit also won in the same category.

Ask any operator what their typical week looks like behind the wheel and you might hear about some of the challenges they face with aggressive passengers. To address this and to help operators during these difficult situations, Ottawa's OC Transpo developed the effective Pro-In-Motion training program to provide operators with the skills to de-escalate aggressive customer behavior and maintain safe driving conditions for passengers. The success of the program won the organization an award in the category of 'Safety and Security'.

Joining the winners is Montreal's Societe de Transport de Montreal (STM) in the category of 'Environment' for the impressive Stinson Bus Garage, designated LEED Gold certified in 2015. The accomplishment was the first of its kind for a bus garage in Quebec and one of only a few across Canada. To attain Gold level certification, the organization balanced operational needs and LEED requirements all while including public consultation, sustainable materials and construction methods and 60% less energy consumption that other bus facilities or its size.

"There is a lot more to making transit work than meets the eye" said Patrick Leclerc, President and CEO at CUTA. "We have a lot to celebrate in the industry: bright minds, bright ideas and the passion of people who care about what they do in communities across Canada - that's what these awards are all about".

The CUTA Corporate Leadership Awards honour the best and most innovative transit system achievements in the categories of Environment, Marketing and Communication, and Safety and Security.

The 2016 Award Recipients are:

Environment:

-- Societe de transport de Montreal - Stinson Bus Garage

Marketing & Communications:

-- York Region Rapid Transit Corporation - Business Support Communication - Davis Drive Rapidway -- GO Transit - Seasonal Service Campaign -- TransLink - Transit Network Consultation

Safety and Security:

-- Brampton Transit - "See Something - Hear Something - Say Something Program" -- OC Transpo - Pro-In-Motion

Visit http://cutaactu.ca/en/events-training/corporate-awards for more information about award winners.

About CUTA

CUTA is the collective and influential voice of public transportation in Canada, dedicated to being at the centre of urban mobility issues with all orders of government, and delivering the highest value to its members and the communities they serve. CUTA is the national association representing public transit systems, suppliers to the industry, government agencies, individuals and related organizations in Canada.

To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20160517-AWARD-WINNERS_lrg.jpg

Contacts:

Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA)

Erin Brophy

Manager, Strategic Communications and Marketing

613-804-0402

Brophy@cutaactu.ca

www.cuta.ca




LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation (LAFD Foundation) will host its fifth annual Fahrenheit 2016 fundraising gala at the Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center on Saturday, May 21, 2016. The evening will bring together more than 500 supporters of the LAFD Foundation including business and community leaders, fire department officials and members, and elected officials for the largest fundraising event of the year for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

This year's gala will honor the architects, builders, developers and engineers that helped design Los Angeles and improve the quality of the city's urban life. From helping neighborhoods rebuild after disasters to exporting American design know-how to the rest of the world, this group of creators transforms a collection of streets and buildings into a place where its occupants can live and thrive.

"Each year, the Fahrenheit gala unites the community in a uniquely personal way, connecting the firefighters and paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department -- the men and women who protect us by risking their lives every day -- to community leaders," said President of LAFD Foundation Karen Wagener. "This year we are honoring an industry of urban creators, recognizing the hard work that shaped the city many of us call home."

The LAFD will showcase real-life scenarios of firefighters in action and invite guests to participate in emergency drills. Guests will also learn about the different units of the LAFD and interact with firefighters and paramedics. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will provide opening remarks at the event.

In addition to fundraising through ticket purchases, the evening will feature a silent auction, a pledge auction asking guests to donate various items for the LAFD, and a raffle drawing for a Todd Reed diamond necklace worth $9,000.

The LAFD Foundation, having raised four million dollars to date for the LAFD, is the Los Angeles Fire Department's largest source of private support. Proceeds from Fahrenheit 2016 will directly benefit the LAFD with equipment, training, technology, and youth programs.

About The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation

Established in 2010, and led by a dedicated board of directors who are business leaders and community activists, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation raises funds to provide the essential equipment, technology and training that allows the world-class department to stay at the top of its ability to serve. The Foundation helps where the city budget stops and provides the tools needed to protect life, property and the environment. For more information about the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation please visit supportlafd.org/

Embedded Video Available: https://youtu.be/07iVWJzRJK4

Contact:

Melissa England

Finn Partners

melissae@finnpartners.com

C: 818-270-8638
PHOENIX, AZ -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Mobivity Holdings Corp. (OTCQB: MFON), the award-winning, mobile marketing and customer engagement platform, announced today that the Company has scheduled a conference call for 4:30 P.M. Eastern Time (ET) on Monday, May 23, 2016 to review financial results for its fiscal first quarter ended March 31, 2016.

Conference Call Information:

Date: Monday, May 23, 2016

Time: 4:30 P.M. Eastern Time (ET)

Dial in Number for U.S. Callers: 877-705-6003

Dial in Number for International Callers: 201-493-6725

Participating on the call will be Mobivity Holding Corp.'s Chief Executive Officer, Dennis Becker, and Chief Financial Officer, Christopher Meinerz. To join the live conference call, please dial in to the above referenced telephone numbers five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled conference call time.

A replay will be available for 2 weeks starting on May 23, 2016 at approximately 7:30 P.M. ET. To access the replay, please dial 877-870-5176 in the U.S. and 858-384-5517 for international callers. The conference ID# is 13637711. The replay will also be available on the Company's website under the investor relations section (ir.mobivity.com).

About Mobivity

Mobivity helps restaurant and retail brands grow their business by increasing customer frequency, engagement and spend. Mobivity's SmartSuite of products -- including SmartReceipt, SmartSMS, and SmartAnalytics -- allows brands to unlock the power of customer, employee and POS data like never before. This creates a closed-loop marketing solution that provides SmartDATA-driven insights, attributions, and validation, at scale, to continually adapt and provide more personalized, relevant, localized and targeted customer communications. Mobivity clients include SUBWAY, SONIC, Chick-fil-A, and Baskin-Robbins. For more information about Mobivity, visit: www.mobivity.com or call 877-282-7660.

Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning Mobivity Holdings Corp. 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. Those forward-looking statements include statements regarding the Company's plans to cross-market its products, including its recently acquired SmartReceipt operations; expectations for the growth of the Company's operations and revenue; and the advantages and growth prospects of the mobile marketing industry. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual circumstances, events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include, but are not limited to, the application and enforcement of the TCPA amendments in ways not expected; our ability to successfully integrate the SmartReceipt operations and our recent additions to management; our ability to develop the sales force required to achieve our development and revenue goals; our ability to raise additional working capital as and when needed; changes in the laws and regulations affecting the mobile marketing industry and those other risks set forth in Mobivity Holdings Corp.'s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 filed with the SEC on March 30, 2016 and subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Mobivity Holdings Corp. cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Mobivity Holdings Corp. does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur.

Media Contacts





Investor Relations

Robert B. Prag

President

The Del Mar Consulting Group, Inc.

858-794-9500

or

Scott Wilfong

President

Alex Partners, LLC

425-242-0891




MONACO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Dynagas LNG Partners LP (NYSE: DLNG) ("Dynagas Partners" or the "Partnership"), an owner and operator of liquefied natural gas ("LNG") carriers, today announced its results (unaudited) for the three months ended March 31, 2016.

Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 Highlights:

Distributable Cash Flow (1) during the three months ended March 31, 2016 of $22.7 million;

Entrance into new long-term charters for three of the Partnership's modern ice-class LNG carriers;

Adjusted EBITDA (1) for the three months ended March 31, 2016 of $35.2 million;

Adjusted Net Income (1) for the three months ended March 31, 2016 of $18.9 million;

Adjusted Earnings per common unit (1), after taking into account the Series A Preferred Units interest on the Partnership's net income, for the three months ended March 31, 2016 of $0.48;

$79.0 million of reported cash as of March 31, 2016;

Quarterly cash distribution of $0.4225 per common unit and $0.5625 per preferred unit.

(1)Adjusted Net Income, Distributable Cash Flow, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted Earnings per common unit are not recognized measures under U.S. GAAP. Please refer to the definitions and reconciliation of these measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP in Appendix B.

Recent Developments:

New long-term charters for the Lena River and the Yenisei River: The Partnership, through its wholly owned vessel owning subsidiaries, entered into long-term time charter contracts with Yamal Trade Pte. ("Yamal") for the employment of the Lena River and the Yenisei River in the Yamal LNG Project. The Yamal LNG Project is an integrated operation involving the production, liquefaction and marketing of natural gas, which is currently under construction on the Yamal Peninsula in Northern Russia. Natural gas produced at the plant will require ice-class designated vessels to transport LNG from this facility to the international markets. The Yenisei River and Lena River charters have an initial term of 15 years, and one year delivery windows starting January 1, 2019 and June 30, 2019, respectively, and may be extended by the charterer for three consecutive periods of five years each. The Yenisei River time charter contract is subject to the satisfaction of important conditions, which, if not satisfied, or waived by the charterer, may result in its cancellation, in which case the Partnership will not receive the contracted revenues thereunder.

New long-term charter for the Ob River: In March 2016, the Partnership, through one of its wholly owned vessel owning subsidiaries, entered into a time charter contract with Gazprom Marketing and Trading Singapore Pte. Ltd. ("Gazprom"), an affiliate of Gazprom Global LNG Limited, for the Ob River, for a firm charter period of 10 years. This charter will be in direct continuation of the current charter with Gazprom, which was extended to the second quarter of 2018.

Quarterly Common and Subordinated Unit Cash Distribution: On April 19, 2016, the Partnership's Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash distribution of $0.4225 per common and subordinated unit in respect of the first quarter of 2016. This cash distribution was paid on May 12, 2016, to all unitholders of record as of May 5, 2016.

Series A Preferred Units Cash Distribution: On April 19, 2016, the Partnership's Board of Directors also declared a cash distribution of $0.5625 per unit of its Series A Preferred Units (NYSE: DLNG PR A) for the period from February 12, 2016 to May 11, 2016. This cash distribution was also paid on May 12, 2016 to all unitholders of record as of May 5, 2016.

Management Commentary:

Tony Lauritzen, Chief Executive Officer of the Partnership, commented:

"We are pleased to report our earnings for the first quarter of 2016.

The quarter ended March 31, 2016 has been another strong financial quarter for us. In comparison to the corresponding quarter ended March 31, 2015, this first quarter of 2016 resulted in a 25.3% increase in Adjusted EBITDA, mainly due to the acquisition of the Lena River in late December 2015. Our current fleet of six LNG carriers performed at 100% utilization for the quarter, which also contributed to our strong results. Our Adjusted Earnings per common unit amounted to $0.48 per common unit for the first quarter of 2016.

Our income is derived from the employment of our vessels on fixed long-term charter contracts. The revenues we earn under those charter contracts are not directly linked to commodity prices. Since our initial public offering in November 2013, we have paid total cash distributions amounting to $3.83 per common and subordinated unit including the quarterly cash distribution paid on May 12, 2016.

As stated in our previous earnings release, the Partnership has been focused on securing additional vessel contract coverage. During the first quarter of 2016 and under challenging market conditions, the Partnership successfully obtained three new long-term charter contracts and the charter extension for the Ob River as discussed above. Two of the long-term charters are with Yamal for the Yenisei River and the Lena River, each with an initial term of 15 years and one year delivery windows starting January 1, 2019 and June 30, 2019, respectively. The third long-term charter is with Gazprom for the Ob River for a firm charter period of 10 years, which commences in direct continuation of the charter extension described above. As a result, our total contract revenue backlog (4) has increased to $1.6 billion with an average remaining contract duration of 10.3 years, including the Yenisei River time charter contract.

The Partnership intends to continue to focus on increasing contract coverage, maintaining high utilization rates and managing operating expenses in order to support sustainability of distributions. I look forward to working with our team towards meeting our goals, which we believe will benefit our unitholders."

Financial Results Overview:

-------------------------- Three Months Ended -------------------------- (U.S. dollars in thousands, except per unit data) March 31, March 31, 2016 2015 (unaudited) (unaudited) Voyage Revenues $ 42,741 $ 35,620 Net Income $ 17,135 $ 14,878 Adjusted Net Income (1) $ 18,928 $ 15,213 Operating Income $ 26,004 $ 21,710 Adjusted EBITDA(1) $ 35,178 $ 28,066 Earnings per common unit $ 0.43 $ 0.42 Adjusted Earnings per common unit (1) $ 0.48 $ 0.43 Distributable Cash Flow(1) $ 22,736 $ 17,974

(1) Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Earnings per common unit and Distributable Cash Flow are not recognized measures under U.S. GAAP. Please refer to the definitions and reconciliation of these measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP in Appendix B.

Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 Financial Results

Adjusted Net Income for the three months ended March 31, 2016, was $18.9 million, compared to Adjusted Net Income of $15.2 million in the corresponding period in 2015, which represents a 24.4% increase, mainly attributable to the contribution of net revenues relating to the Lena River to operating results. The Lena River was acquired from Dynagas Holding Ltd., the Partnership's Sponsor, late in December 2015.

Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended March 31, 2016, increased by 25.3% across the quarters (first quarter 2016 Adjusted EBITDA of $35.2 million, compared to first quarter 2015 Adjusted EBITDA of $28.1 million), which is due to the factors discussed above.

The Partnership's Distributable Cash Flow for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016, was $22.7 million, compared to $18.0 million in the corresponding period of 2015, which represents an increase of $4.8 million, or 26.5%.

For the three-month period ended March 31, 2016, the Partnership reported adjusted Earnings per common basic and diluted unit of $0.48, after taking into account the Series A Preferred Units interest on the Partnership's net profit. Adjusted Earnings per common is calculated on the basis of a weighted number of 20,505,000 basic and diluted common units outstanding during the period, after reflecting the impact of the non-cash items presented in Appendix B.

Please refer to the definitions and reconciliation of these measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP in Appendix B.

Voyage revenues increased to $42.7 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016, from $35.6 million for the same period in 2015, due to the increase in Revenue earning days from 450 days during the first quarter of 2015 to 546 during the first quarter of 2016, which is a result of the growth of the Partnership's fleet, which is discussed above.

Vessel operating expenses increased by $0.9 million to $6.4 million in the three-month period ended March 31, 2016, from $5.5 million for the same period in 2015, the increase being exclusively attributable to the ownership of the recently acquired Lena River.

The Partnership reported average daily hire gross of commissions on a cash basis (1) of approximately $81,300 per day per vessel in the three months ended March 31, 2016, compared to approximately $79,700 per day per vessel in the same period of 2015. During the three-month period ended March 31, 2016, the Partnership's vessels operated at 100% utilization.

(1) Average daily hire gross of commissions on a cash basis represents voyage revenue on a cash basis, without taking into consideration the non-cash time charter amortization expense, divided by the Available Days in the Partnership's fleet as described in Appendix B.

Amounts relating to variations in period-on-period comparisons shown in this section are derived from the condensed financials presented below.

Liquidity/ Financing/ Cash Flow update

As of March 31, 2016, the Partnership reported cash of $79.0 million (including minimum cash liquidity requirements imposed by the Partnership's lenders). Total indebtedness as of March 31, 2016, stood at $746.9 million.

The Partnership's liquidity profile as of March 31, 2016, was further enhanced by the $30.0 million of borrowing capacity under the Partnership's revolving credit facility with its Sponsor that is available to the Partnership until November 2018.

During the three months ended March 31, 2016, the Partnership generated net cash from operating activities of $23.6 million, compared to $26.4 million in the same period in 2015. This decrease was attributable to the effect of variations in operating assets and liabilities between the compared periods that offset the excess operating cash flows that the newly acquired Lena River contributed to the Partnership for the quarter.

Time Charter Coverage

As of May 17, 2016, the Partnership had contracted employment for 100% of its total fleet Calendar Days through the end of 2016, 88% of its fleet Calendar Days for 2017 and 64% of its fleet Calendar Days for 2018. Time charter coverage with regards to total fleet Calendar Days is calculated on the basis of the earliest estimated redelivery dates provided in the Partnership's current time charter contracts.

As of May 17, 2016, following the Partnership's recently concluded long term charters for the Lena River, the Yenisei River and the Ob River, which provide the Partnership with approximately $1.0 billion of incremental fixed contracted revenues over their remaining minimum charter term, the Partnership's contracted revenue backlog (4) increased to approximately $1.6 billion, with average remaining contract duration of 10.3 years, including the Yenisei River time charter contract.

(4) The Partnership calculates its contracted revenue backlog by multiplying the contractual daily hire rate by the minimum expected number of days committed under the contracts (excluding options to extend), assuming full utilization. The actual amount of revenues earned and the actual periods during which revenues are earned may differ from the amounts and periods shown in the table below due to, for example, shipyard and maintenance projects, downtime and other factors that result in lower revenues than the Partnership's average contract backlog per day. The time charter contracts with Yamal referenced above are subject to the satisfaction of important conditions, which, if not satisfied, or waived by the charterer, may result in their cancellation or amendment before or after the charter term commences and in such case the Partnership may not receive the contracted revenues thereunder.

Conference Call and Webcast: May 18, 2016

As announced, the Partnership's management team will host a conference call on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the Partnership's financial results.

Conference Call details:

Participants should dial into the call 10 minutes before the scheduled time using the following numbers: 1 (866) 819-7111 (from the US), 0(800) 953-0329 (from the UK) or (+44) (0) 1452 542 301 (Standard International Dial In). Please quote "Dynagas."

A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available until Wednesday, May 25, 2016. The United States replay number is 1 (866) 247-4222; from the UK 0 (800) 953-1533; the standard international replay number is (+44) (0) 1452 550 000 and the access code required for the replay is: 59711562#.

Audio Webcast - Slides Presentation:

There will be a live and then archived audio webcast of the conference call, via the internet through the Dynagas LNG Partners website www.dynagaspartners.com. Participants to the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast.

The slide presentation on the three months ended March 31, 2016 financial results will be available in PDF format 10 minutes prior to the conference call and webcast, accessible on the company's website www.dynagaspartners.com on the webcast page. Participants to the webcast can download the PDF presentation.

About Dynagas LNG Partners LP

Dynagas LNG Partners LP. (NYSE: DLNG) is a growth-oriented partnership formed by Dynagas Holding Ltd. to own, and operate liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers employed on multi-year charters. The current fleet of Dynagas Partners consists of six LNG carriers, with an aggregate carrying capacity of approximately 913,980 cubic meters.

Visit the Partnership's website at www.dynagaspartners.com

Forward-Looking Statement

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.

The Partnership desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words "believe," "anticipate," "intends," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "plan," "potential," "may," "should," "expect," "expected", "pending", "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, examination by the Partnership's management of historical operating trends, data contained in its records and other data available from third parties. Although the Partnership believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Partnership's control, the Partnership cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.

In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Partnership's view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) shipping capacity, changes in the Partnership's operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Partnership's vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessel breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other factors. Please see the Partnership's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and the Partnership disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.

APPENDIX A

DYNAGAS LNG PARTNERS LP Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (In thousands of U.S. dollars except units and Three Months Ended per unit data) March 31, -------------------------- 2016 2015 ------------ ------------ REVENUES Voyage revenues $ 42,741 $ 35,620 EXPENSES Voyage expenses (including related party) (719) (720) Vessel operating expenses (6,356) (5,491) General and administrative expenses (including related party) (618) (537) Management fees -related party (1,492) (1,194) Depreciation (7,552) (5,968) Operating income 26,004 21,710 Interest and finance costs, net (8,698) (6,885) Other, net (171) 53 Net Income $ 17,135 $ 14,878 Earnings per unit, basic and diluted: Common unit (basic and diluted) $ 0.43 $ 0.42 Weighted average number of units outstanding, basic and diluted: Common units 20,505,000 20,505,000 DYNAGAS LNG PARTNERS LP Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets (unaudited) (Expressed in thousands of U.S. Dollars--except for unit data) March 31, December 31, 2016 2015 ------------ ------------ ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS: Cash and cash equivalents $ 53,996 $ 24,293 Due from related party 934 460 Other current assets 1,129 1,061 ------------ ------------ Total current assets 56,059 25,814 ------------ ------------ FIXED ASSETS, NET: Vessels, net 1,030,167 1,036,157 ------------ ------------ Total fixed assets, net 1,030,167 1,036,157 ------------ ------------ OTHER NON CURRENT ASSETS: Restricted cash 25,000 25,000 Due from related party 1,350 1,350 Above market acquired time charters 17,975 19,782 ------------ ------------ Total assets $ 1,130,551 $ 1,108,103 ============ ============ LIABILITIES AND PARTNERS' EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES: Current portion of long-term debt, net of deferred financing costs $ 31,637 $ 27,467 Trade payables 5,870 4,935 Due to related party 214 230 Accrued liabilities 3,723 3,595 Unearned revenue 12,089 15,126 ------------ ------------ Total current liabilities 53,533 51,353 ------------ ------------ Deferred revenue 1,080 1,094 Due to related party, non-current -- 35,000 Long-term debt, net of current portion and deferred financing costs 707,679 652,818 ------------ ------------ Total non-current liabilities 708,759 688,912 ------------ ------------ PARTNERS' EQUITY: General partner (35,526 units issued and outstanding as at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015) 95 95 Common unitholders (20,505,000 units issued and outstanding as at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015) 303,197 302,954 Series A Preferred unitholders: (3,000,000 units issued and outstanding as at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015) 73,216 73,216 Subordinated unitholders (14,985,000 units issued and outstanding as at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015) (8,249) (8,427) ------------ ------------ Total partners' equity 368,259 367,838 ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ Total liabilities and partners' equity $ 1,130,551 $ 1,108,103 ============ ============ DYNAGAS LNG PARTNERS LP Unaudited Interim Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Expressed in thousands of U.S. Dollars) Three Months Ended March 31, ---------------------------- 2016 2015 ------------- ------------- Cash flows from Operating Activities: Net income: $ 17,135 $ 14,878 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation 7,552 5,968 Amortization of deferred financing fees 489 385 Amortization of fair value of acquired time charter 1,807 -- Deferred revenue (14) 335 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Trade receivables (24) (116) Prepayments and other assets 26 (237) Inventories (70) 32 Due from/ to related party (489) (51) Trade payables 138 416 Accrued liabilities 128 (157) Unearned revenue (3,037) 4,933 ------------- ------------- Net cash from Operating Activities 23,641 26,386 ------------- ------------- Cash flows from Investing Activities Vessel Acquisitions and other additions to vessels' cost (35,616) -- ------------- ------------- Net cash used in Investing Activities (35,616) -- ------------- ------------- Cash flows from Financing Activities: Payment of preferred units issuance costs and other filing costs (119) (65) Distributions declared and paid (16,714) (15,026) Repayment of long-term debt (8,125) (5,000) Proceeds from long-term debt 66,667 -- Payment of deferred finance fees (31) (10) ------------- ------------- Net cash from/ (used in) Financing Activities 41,678 (20,101) ------------- ------------- Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 29,703 6,285 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period 24,293 11,949 ------------- ------------- Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period $ 53,996 $ 18,234 ------------- -------------

APPENDIX B

Fleet statistics

Three Months Ended March 31, ---------------------- (expressed in United states dollars except for operational data) 2016 2015 ---------- ---------- Number of vessels at the end of period 6 5 Average number of vessels in the period (1) 6.0 5.0 Calendar Days (2) 546 450 Available Days (3) 546 450 Revenue earning days (5) 546 450 Time Charter Equivalent (4) $ 76,963 $ 77,556 Fleet Utilization (5) 100% 100% Vessel daily operating expenses (6) $ 11,641 $ 12,202

(1) Represents the number of vessels that constituted the Partnership's fleet for the relevant period, as measured by the sum of the number of days each vessel was a part of its fleet during the period divided by the number of Calendar Days in the period.

(2) Calendar Days are the total days the Partnership possessed the vessels in its fleet for the relevant period.

(3) Available Days are the total number of Calendar Days the Partnership's vessels were in its possession during a period, less the total number of scheduled off-hire days during the period associated with major repairs, or dry-dockings.

(4) Time charter equivalent rate, or TCE rate, is a measure of the average daily revenue performance of a vessel. For time charters, this is calculated by dividing total voyage revenues, less any voyage expenses, by the number of Available Days during that period. Under a time charter, the charterer pays substantially all vessel voyage related expenses. However, the Partnership may incur voyage related expenses when positioning or repositioning vessels before or after the period of a time charter, during periods of commercial waiting time or while off-hire during dry-docking or due to other unforeseen circumstances. The TCE rate is not a measure of financial performance under U.S. GAAP (non-GAAP measure), and should not be considered as an alternative to voyage revenues, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. However, TCE rate is a standard shipping industry performance measure used primarily to compare period-to-period changes in a company's performance and assists the Partnership's management in making decisions regarding the deployment and use of the Partnership's vessels and in evaluating their financial performance. The Partnership's calculation of TCE rates may not be comparable to that reported by other companies. The following table reflects the calculation of the Partnership's TCE rates for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 (amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars, except for TCE rates, which are expressed in U.S. dollars, and Available Days):

Three Months Ended March 31, -------------------------- 2016 2015 ------------ ------------ (In thousands of U.S. dollars, except for Available Days and TCE rate) Voyage revenues $ 42,741 $ 35,620 Voyage Expenses (7) (719) (720) ------------ ------------ Time Charter equivalent revenues $ 42,022 $ 34,900 Available Days (3) 546 450 ------------ ------------ Time charter equivalent (TCE) rate $ 76,963 $ 77,556 ------------ ------------

(5) The Partnership calculates fleet utilization by dividing the number of its revenue earning days, which are the total number of Available Days of the Partnership's vessels net of unscheduled off-hire days, during a period, by the number of Available Days during that period. The shipping industry uses fleet utilization to measure a company's efficiency in finding employment for its vessels and minimizing the amount of days that its vessels are off-hire for reasons such as unscheduled repairs but excluding scheduled off-hires for vessel upgrades, dry-dockings or special or intermediate surveys.

(6) Daily vessel operating expenses, which include crew costs, provisions, deck and engine stores, lubricating oil, insurance, spares and repairs and flag taxes, are calculated by dividing vessel operating expenses by fleet Calendar Days for the relevant time period.

(7) Voyage expenses include commissions of 1.25% paid to the Partnership's Manager and third party ship brokers, when defined in the charter parties, bunkers, port expenses and other minor voyage expenses.

Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP Financial Information to Non-GAAP Financial Information

Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA

Three Months Ended March 31, -------------------------- (In thousands of U.S. dollars) 2016 2015 ------------ ------------ Reconciliation to Net Income Net Income $ 17,135 $ 14,878 Net interest and finance costs (1) 8,698 6,885 Depreciation 7,552 5,968 Amortization of fair value of acquired time charter 1,807 -- Charter hire amortization (14) 335 ------------ ------------ Adjusted EBITDA $ 35,178 $ 28,066 ------------ ------------

(1)Includes interest and finance costs and interest income, if any

The Partnership defines Adjusted EBITDA as earnings before interest and finance costs, net of interest income (if any), gains/losses on derivative financial instruments (if any), taxes (when incurred), depreciation and amortization (when incurred) and significant non-recurring items (if any). Adjusted EBITDA is used as a supplemental financial measure by management and external users of financial statements, such as investors, to assess the Partnership's operating performance.

The Partnership believes that Adjusted EBITDA assists its management and investors by providing useful information that increases the comparability of the Partnership's performance operating from period to period and against the operating performance of other companies in its industry that provide Adjusted EBITDA information. This increased comparability is achieved by excluding the potentially disparate effects between periods or companies of interest, other financial items, depreciation and amortization and taxes, which items are affected by various and possibly changing financing methods, capital structure and historical cost basis and which items may significantly affect net income between periods. The Partnership believes that including Adjusted EBITDA as a measure of operating performance benefits investors in (a) selecting between investing in the Partnership and other investment alternatives and (b) monitoring the Partnership's ongoing financial and operational strength in assessing whether to continue to hold common units.

Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of financial performance under U.S. GAAP, does not represent and should not be considered as an alternative to net income, operating income, cash flow from operating activities or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA excludes some, but not all, items that affect net income and these measures may vary among other companies. Therefore, Adjusted EBITDA as presented below may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted Net Income available to common unitholders and Adjusted Earnings per common unit

Three Months Ended March 31, -------------------------- (In thousands of U.S. dollars) 2016 2015 ------------ ------------ Net Income $ 17,135 $ 14,878 Charter hire amortization (14) 335 Amortization of fair value of acquired time charter 1,807 -- Adjusted Net Income $ 18,928 $ 15,213 Less: Adjusted Net Income attributable to subordinated, preferred unitholders and general partner (8,987) (6,442) Common unitholders' interest in Adjusted Net Income $ 9,941 $ 8,771 Weighted average number of common units outstanding, basic and diluted: 20,505,000 20,505,000 ------------ ------------ Adjusted Earnings per common unit, basic and diluted $ 0.48 $ 0.43 ------------ ------------

Adjusted Net Income represents net income before non-recurring expense resulting from accelerated time charter amortization, charter hire amortization related to time charters with escalating time charter rates and amortization of fair value of acquired time charters, all of which are significant non-cash items. Adjusted Net Income available to common unitholders represents the common unitholders interest in Adjusted Net Income for each period presented. Adjusted Earnings per common unit represents Adjusted Net Income attributable to common unitholders divided by the weighted average common units outstanding during each period presented.

Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Net Income per common unit and Adjusted Earnings per common unit, basic and diluted, are not recognized measures under U.S. GAAP and should not be regarded as substitutes for net income and earnings per unit, basic and diluted. The Partnership's definition of Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Net Income per common unit and Adjusted Earnings per common unit, basic and diluted, may not be the same at that reported by other companies in the shipping industry or other industries. The Partnership believes that the presentation of Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings per unit available to common unitholders are useful to investors because they facilitate the comparability and the evaluation of companies in the Partnership's industry. In addition, the Partnership believes that Adjusted Net Income is useful in evaluating its operating performance compared to that of other companies in the Partnership's industry because the calculation of Adjusted Net Income generally eliminates the accounting effects of items which may vary for different companies for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance. The Partnership's presentation of Adjusted Net Income available to common unitholders and Adjusted Earnings per common unit should not be construed as an inference that its future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.

Distributable Cash Flow Reconciliation

Three Months Ended March 31, -------------------------- (In thousands of U.S. dollars) 2016 2015 ------------ ------------ Net Income $ 17,135 $ 14,878 Depreciation 7,552 5,968 Amortization of deferred finance fees 489 385 Net interest and finance costs, excluding amortization(1) 8,209 6,500 Amortization of fair value of acquired time charter 1,807 -- Charter hire amortization (14) 335 ------------ ------------ Adjusted EBITDA 35,178 28,066 ------------ ------------ Net interest and finance costs, excluding amortization(1) (8,209) (6,500) Maintenance capital expenditure reserves (1,038) (861) Replacement capital expenditure reserves (3,195) (2,731) ------------ ------------ Distributable Cash Flow $ 22,736 $ 17,974 ------------ ------------

(1) Includes interest and finance costs and interest income, if any.

Distributable Cash Flow with respect to any period presented means Adjusted EBITDA after considering period interest and finance costs and estimated maintenance and replacement capital expenditures. Estimated maintenance and replacement capital expenditures, including estimated expenditures for drydocking, represent capital expenditures required to maintain over the long-term the operating capacity of, or the revenue generated by the Partnership's capital assets. Distributable Cash Flow is a quantitative standard used by investors in publicly-traded partnerships to assist in evaluating a partnership's ability to make quarterly cash distributions. The Partnership's calculation of the Distributable Cash Flow may not be comparable to that reported by other companies. Distributable Cash Flow is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered as an alternative to net income or any other indicator of the Partnership's performance calculated in accordance with GAAP.

Contact Information:

Dynagas LNG Partners LP

23, Rue Basse, 98000 Monaco.

Attention: Michael Gregos

Tel. +377 99996445

Email: management@dynagaspartners.com



Investor Relations / Financial Media:

Nicolas Bornozis

President Capital Link, Inc.

230 Park Avenue, Suite 1536

New York, NY 10169

Tel. (212) 661-7566

E-mail: dynagas@capitallink.com




Technavio analysts forecast the global postmenopausal osteoporosis drugs marketto grow at a CAGR of around 4% during the forecast period, according to their latest report.

The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global postmenopausal osteoporosis drugs market for 2016-2020. The report also lists antiresorptive medications and anabolic medications as the two major segments by therapeutic class.

Technavio healthcare and life sciences analysts highlight the following four factors that are contributing to the growth of the global postmenopausal osteoporosis drugs market:

Increase in older population

Growing prevalence of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Expected launch of promising pipeline molecules

High unmet medical needs

Increase in older population

According to Barath Palada, a lead analyst at Technavio for women's health,"Nearly 85% of menopausal women, usually in their late 40s or early 50s, have symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, pain, night sweats, loss of libido, and mood changes." It is also estimated that 30% of all postmenopausal women develop osteoporosis during their lifetime. The population aged 60 years and older is expected to grow by over 56% from 2015 to reach 1.45 billion by 2030. Thus, the increase in the aging female population increases the chances of osteoporosis, contributing to the growth of the market.

Growing prevalence of postmenopausal osteoporosis

The average life expectancy for women is estimated to be around 73 years, which increases the risk of developing postmenopausal osteoporosis. During menopause, the amount of estrogen in the body declines, resulting in osteoporosis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), osteoporosis is second only to cardiovascular disease as a global healthcare problem. It is estimated that 30% of all the women in the postmenopausal stage have postmenopausal osteoporosis in the US and Europe. Bone mineral density in postmenopausal women can be maintained or increased using drugs, which reduces the risk of vertebral fracture and non-vertebral fractures. Therefore, the prevalence of postmenopausal osteoporosis will drive the global postmenopausal osteoporosis drugs market.

Expected launch of promising pipeline molecules

The entry of new players is set to intensify competition in this market. Some late-stage pipeline molecules that may be launched during the forecast period are Tarsa Therapeutics' TBRIA (NDA review); romosozumab (Phase III), joint collaboration of Amgen and Astellas; Merck' odanacatib (Phase III), and Radius Health's abaloparatide (Phase III). The introduction of these candidates is likely to boost the growth of the market.

High unmet medical needs

Tolerability and the method of drug administration are important factors influencing compliance with the treatment plan. Effective pharmacologic options are available to prevent and treat osteoporosis, but few slow down the rate of bone resorption or reverse the long-term loss of bone mass.

These unmet medical needs, in terms of safety, efficacy, and compliance, inspire researchers to develop drugs that increase bone density, replace lost bone, and rebuild bone strength. "In order to gain a competitive advantage, market players should develop cost-competitive drugs with ease of administration to promote bone building effectively," says Barath.

Browse Related Reports:

Osteoporosis Drugs Market in the APAC Region 2015-2019

Global Hormone Replacement Therapy Market 2015-2019

Global Postmenopausal Vaginal Atrophy Drugs Market 2016-2020

Purchase these three reports for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavio's reports allows you to download any three reports per month for the price of one. Contact enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and a link to our subscription platform.

About Technavio

Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies.

Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517005181/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
INDIANAPOLIS, IN--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - In celebration of the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, Bright Side Dental is hosting a "Porch Party!"

Being that May 20 th is "Fast Friday" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, fans and community members are encouraged to make a pit stop at Bright Side Dental for a FREE hot dog, hot off the grill! Bright Side will also raffle prizes, goodies and more from 3pm to 5:30pm.

The 100th Running Host Committee has invited Hoosiers to participate in festivities to foster pride in Indy's signature event. A Porch Party is a great way to enhance engagement in the Indy 500 and Bright Side Dental is honored to participate! Porch parties are a fun way to bring families, friends, neighborhoods and communities together.

"Anticipation for the 100th Running has sent a positive wave throughout the city and we are thrilled to be able to celebrate with our community," said Dr. Matthew Mullally D.D.S, owner of Bright Side Dental Indianapolis.

Help Bright Side Dental kick off summer with an Indy 500 Party! Stop in and send Bright Side your tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram photos, and Snaps of all the fun during the Porch Party for a chance to win amazing prizes!

About Bright Side Dental

Bright Side Dental is a full-service dental office specializing in all phases of general dentistry. Services include orthodontics, children's dentistry, same day emergency dentistry, and more. Bright Side Dental offers evening and weekend hours. Bright Side Dental is located at 7102 N Keystone Ave Indianapolis, Indiana 46240. Bright Side Dental has been in business since 1978. For more information, call 1-800-234-SMILE or visit www.BrightSideDental.com.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Dividend Select 15 Corp. (the "Company") declares its monthly distribution of $0.06767 per Equity share. The distribution is payable June 10, 2016 to shareholders on record as of May 31, 2016.

Under the distribution policy announced in September 2014, the monthly dividend payable on the Equity shares is determined by applying a 10% annualized rate on the volume weighted average market price (VWAP) of the Equity shares over the last 3 trading days of the preceding month. As a result, Equity shareholders of record on May 31, 2016 will receive a dividend of $0.06767 per share based on the VWAP of $8.12 over the last 3 trading days in April, payable on June 10, 2016. Effectively, the actual amount of monthly distributions paid will vary with the market price, but the current yield will remain stable at 10% (based on the VWAP) under this distribution policy.

Since inception (November 18, 2010) Equity shareholders have received a total of $4.26 per share inclusive of this distribution.

The Company invests in a portfolio of 15 Canadian companies selected from the following 20 company universe which are among the highest Canadian dividend yielding stocks.

Bank of Montreal Great-West Lifeco Inc. TELUS Corporation BCE Inc. Husky Energy Inc. The Bank of Nova Scotia CIBC National Bank of Canada The Toronto-Dominion Bank CI Financial Corp. Power Corporation of Canada Thomson Reuters Corporation Enbridge Inc. Royal Bank of Canada TMX Group Inc. EnCana Corporation Loblaw Companies Limited TransAlta Corporation Sun Life Financial Inc. TransCanada Corporation Distribution Details: Equity Share (DS): $0.06767 Ex-Dividend Date: May 27, 2016 Record Date: May 31, 2016 Payable Date: June 10, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contacts:

Investor Relations:

1-877-478-2372

Local: 416-304-4443

www.dividendselect15.com

info@quadravest.com




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- Hundreds of labour activists and community allies engaged with customers at Costco, Farm Boy, and Johnvince Foods locations across the country today as part of the National Day of Action for striking workers at the Covered Bridge Potato Chips plant in Wakefield, New Brunswick.

The action was part of an ongoing national boycott of Covered Bridge Potato Chip products organized by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) - which represents 3.3 million workers across Canada - in support of striking UFCW Canada Local 1288P members at Covered Bridge.

The Covered Bridge employees have been on strike since January 5 in an effort to obtain a living wage and basic workplace rights. The workers voted to join UFCW Canada Local 1288P more than two years ago, but their employer refuses to negotiate with the union.

Throughout the National Day of Action, activists handed out leaflets and spoke to consumers at various Costco, Farm Boy, and Johnvince Foods stores, where Covered Bridge products are sold. Customers were informed about the Covered Bridge workers' struggle for fairness and respect, and were asked to boycott Covered Bridge products until the company agrees to negotiate a fair first contract for its employees.

With the full support and backing of the CLC, the National Day of Action was one of several initiatives being undertaken by UFCW Canada and the entire Canadian labour movement to achieve fairness for the workers at Covered Bridge Potato Chips.

Other efforts include a petition campaign asking major U.S. retailer Aldi to stop contracting with Covered Bridge until the company returns to the bargaining table. You can lend your support to the campaign by sending a message at ufcw.ca/coveredbridge.

"We are asking Canadians to boycott Covered Bridge Potato Chip products until the company agrees to do the right thing and get back to the bargaining table," says UFCW Canada National President Paul Meinema. "The workers at Covered Bridge contribute to the company's success on a daily basis, and they deserve to be treated with fairness and respect," Meinema adds.

Contacts:

UFCW Canada

Carl Flanagan

National Representative

506-874-2485

carl.flanagan@ufcw.ca

www.ufcw.ca




CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- News Release - TransCanada Corporation (TSX: TRP) (NYSE: TRP) (TransCanada) today announced that the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Anti-Trust Improvements Act (HSR Act) applicable to TransCanada's proposed acquisition of Columbia Pipeline Group Inc. (NYSE: CPGX) (Columbia) was terminated early by the United States Federal Trade Commission on May 17, 2016.

Termination of the HSR waiting period satisfies one of the conditions to the closing of the proposed acquisition. The acquisition remains subject to the approval of Columbia's stockholders scheduled for June 22, 2016.

TransCanada and Columbia anticipate that the closing of the transaction will be effective by July 1, 2016.

With more than 65 years' experience, TransCanada is a leader in the responsible development and reliable operation of North American energy infrastructure including natural gas and liquids pipelines, power generation and gas storage facilities. TransCanada operates a network of natural gas pipelines that extends more than 66,400 kilometres (41,300 miles), tapping into virtually all major gas supply basins in North America. TransCanada is one of the continent's largest providers of gas storage and related services with 368 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. A growing independent power producer, TransCanada owns or has interests in over 10,500 megawatts of power generation in Canada and the United States. TransCanada is developing one of North America's largest liquids delivery systems. TransCanada's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol TRP. Visit TransCanada.com and our blog to learn more, or connect with us on social media and 3BL Media.

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

This publication contains certain information that is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties (such statements are usually accompanied by words such as "anticipate", "expect", "believe", "may", "will", "should", "estimate", "intend" or other similar words). Forward-looking statements in this document are intended to provide TransCanada security holders and potential investors with information regarding TransCanada and its subsidiaries, including management's assessment of TransCanada's and its subsidiaries' future plans and financial outlook. All forward-looking statements reflect TransCanada's beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the statements were made and as such are not guarantees of future performance. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date it is expressed in this news release, and not to use future-oriented information or financial outlooks for anything other than their intended purpose. TransCanada undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information except as required by law. For additional information on the assumptions made, and the risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from the anticipated results, refer to TransCanada's First Quarter Report to Shareholders dated April 28, 2016 and 2015 Annual Report on our website at www.transcanada.com or filed under TransCanada's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.

Contacts:

Media Enquiries:

Mark Cooper / Terry Cunha

403.920.7859 or 800.608.7859



TransCanada Investor & Analyst Enquiries:

David Moneta / Stuart Kampel

403.920.7911 or 800.361.6522




CRANBROOK, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- The Ktunaxa Nation Council and Teck Resources Limited ("Teck") today announced the signing of an Impact Management and Benefits Agreement that will create numerous long-term benefits for the Ktunaxa people and increased certainty around future sustainable mining development in the region.

The agreement relates to production at Teck's steelmaking coal operations within Ktunaxa ?amak?is (Ktunaxa Nation Territory) in British Columbia's Elk Valley region. Spanning approximately 40 years and all five operations, it is one of the most comprehensive agreements of its kind in place in Canada and sets out commitments for both parties in the areas of:

-- Consultation and engagement -- Environment and land stewardship -- Employment and business opportunities for Ktunaxa citizens -- Cultural resources management

"As Ktunaxa, our roles as stewards and protectors of the land are vital to who we are," said Kathryn Teneese, Ktunaxa Nation Council Chair. "This agreement affirms the commitment the Ktunaxa Nation and Teck have to protecting and rehabilitating the environment, providing economic opportunities for Ktunaxa communities and citizens and protecting Ktunaxa culture and language."

"The strong relationship between the Ktunaxa Nation and Teck is fundamental to continued responsible resource development in the Elk Valley," said Don Lindsay, President and CEO, Teck. "This agreement reflects our shared focus on ensuring the environment is protected, while also providing sustainable economic opportunities for the people and communities of the region for years to come."

The agreement will be implemented through three joint working groups with equal representation from the Ktunaxa Nation Council and Teck: an Environmental Working Group, Cultural Working Group and Procurement and Employment Operational Working Group.

For more information about Teck's steelmaking coal operations, go to: http://www.teck.com/products/steelmaking-coal/

About Ktunaxa Nation

Ktunaxa (pronounced 'k-too-nah-ha') people have occupied the lands adjacent to the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers and the Arrow Lakes of British Columbia, Canada for more than 10,000 years. The Traditional Territory of the Ktunaxa Nation covers approximately 70,000 square kilometres (27,000 square miles) within the Kootenay region of south-eastern British Columbia and historically included parts of Alberta, Montana, Washington and Idaho. Further information on the Ktunaxa Nation can be found at www.ktunaxa.org.

About Teck

Teck is a diversified resource company committed to responsible mining and mineral development with major business units focused on copper, steelmaking coal, zinc and energy. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, its shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols TCK.A and TCK.B and the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TCK. Learn more about Teck at: www.teck.com or follow @TeckResources.

Contacts:

Media Contacts:

Jesse Nicholas

Communications Manager, Ktunaxa Nation Council

250.489.2464

jnicholas@ktunaxa.org



Chris Stannell

Senior Communications Specialist, Teck

604.699.4368

chris.stannell@teck.com



Nic Milligan

Manager, Community & Aboriginal Affairs, Teck

250 425 3335

Nic.milligan@teck.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/17/16 -- UEX Corporation (TSX: UEX) ("UEX" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced flow-through common share offering and overallotment option (the "Flow-Through Offering") with Primary Capital Inc. ("Primary") for 21,000,000 common shares of the Company, which qualify as "flow-through" shares pursuant to the Income Tax Act (Canada) at a price of $0.25 per flow-through share. The Company has also closed its additional private placement with Primary and Clarus Securities Inc. (the "Agents") for 9,523,810 units of the Company at a price of $0.21 per unit (the "Hard Dollar Offering"). Each unit consists of one common share of the Company and one-half common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant gives the holder the right to purchase a common share of the Company at a price of $0.30 for a period of two years from the closing of the Hard Dollar Offering. The aggregate gross proceeds of the Flow-Through Offering and the Hard Dollar Offering totalled $7.25 million.

The Agents received a cash commission on the sale of the Flow-Through Offering and Hard Dollar Offering equal to 5% of the gross proceeds raised.

UEX intends to use the proceeds of the Flow-Through Offering to fund exploration of the Company's uranium properties and proceeds from the Hard Dollar Offering are to be put towards general working capital.

The securities issued by UEX in connection with the Flow-Through Offering and Hard Dollar Offering are subject to a four month plus one day "hold period" as prescribed by the Toronto Stock Exchange and applicable securities laws.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of UEX

Roger Lemaitre, President & CEO

Forward-Looking Information

This news release may contain statements that constitute "forward-looking information" for the purposes of Canadian securities laws. Such statements are based on UEX's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. Such forward-looking information includes statements regarding the use of the proceeds from the Flow-Through Offering and the Hard Dollar Offering, UEX's mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates, outlook for our future operations, plans and timing for exploration activities, and other expectations, intentions and plans that are not historical fact. The words "estimates", "projects", "expects", "intends", "believes", "plans", "will", "may", or their negatives or other comparable words and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information is based on certain factors and assumptions and is subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from UEX's expectations include conditions relating to general economic and financial markets, uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and geology, additional drilling results, continuity and grade of deposits, participation in joint ventures, reliance on other companies as operators, public acceptance of uranium as an energy source, fluctuations in uranium prices and currency exchange rates, changes in environmental and other laws affecting uranium exploration and mining, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in UEX's Annual Information Form and other filings with the applicable Canadian securities commissions on SEDAR. Many of these factors are beyond the control of UEX. Consequently, all forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by this cautionary statement and there can be no assurance that actual results or developments anticipated by UEX will be realized. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. Except as required by applicable law, UEX disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts:

UEX Corporation

Roger Lemaitre

President & CEO

306-713-1401

uex@uex-corporation.com

www.uex-corporation.com




Axion BioSystems, an Atlanta, GA-based manufacturer of a multiwell microelectrode array (MEA) platform, closed a $6m equity financing.

The round was led by GRA Venture Fund.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the growth of its core life science instrumentation product line.

Founded in 2008 and led by CEO Tom OBrien, Axion BioSystems is a life science instrumentation company that develops the Maestro high-throughput microelectrode array (MEA) platform for cellular analysis, which allows researchers to recreate brain activity and heartbeats.

In conjunction with the funding, Jay Teich, former CEO of Seahorse Bioscience, a company focused on cell metabolism that was sold to Agilent Technologies in November 2015, will join Axions Board of Directors.

FinSMEs

17/05/2016
Healthify, a NYC-based community health platform, closed a $2.5m seed funding round.

The round was led by a syndicate of investors including Primary Venture Partners (PVP), Milestone Venture Partners (MVP), Acumen, Kapor Capital, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas.

The company intends to use the funds to refine its offerings by expanding its coordination feature set into a nationwide network of insurers, healthcare providers, and community agencies.

Led by Manik Bhat, CEO, Healthify works with managed care organizations and healthcare providers to better connect patients with community services to resolve unmet social needs. The platform allows healthcare staff to find and match the appropriate community-based agencies for high-risk patients to improve overall health outcomes. The company already provides services in 24 states.

FinSMEs

17/05/2016
Hundredrooms, a Palma de Mallorca, Spain-based vacation rental search engine, raised 4.1m in Series A venture capital funding.

The round was led by Seaya Ventures with participation from existing investors Bankinter, Inveready and Media Digital Ventures.

The company, which has raised over 5m to date, intends to use the funds to hire new people and continue to expand operations.

Founded in 2015 by Jose Rodriguez, CEO, Hundredrooms is a metasearch engine for vacation rentals in Spain. It compares rates from more than 100 different websites, giving users access to more than 3 million houses, apartments, rooms, yachts, cabins, etc.

FinSMEs

17/05/2016
Minute Lab, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based provider of a software development platform, raised $1.75M in its first funding round.

Glilot Capital Partners made the investment.

The company intends to use the funds to improve its existing product and expand sales.

Founded by CEO Rami Shalom and Moshe & Daphna Litvin, Minute Lab offers a containers-based virtual labs for developers to enable agile development by making interactive and automated code development in a live environment. Over the past 12 months, the company has built an alpha release of its product, enabling individual developers to setup their own labs locally or remotely on co-tenant servers.

Minute Lab will offer its virtual lab solution as a service for a variety of team sizes and projects (for free for individual developers and open source projects).

FinSMEs

17/05/2016
Irish entrepreneur Illann Power (@illannpower) has just partnered with Pat Phelan (@patphelan), the founder of Trustev, recently acquired by TransUnion, to launch Nohovation, a NYC-based 25m super angel investment fund dedicated to supporting Irish startups going global.

In this interview, Illann answered our questions about the the firm, its strategy and targets, among a lot of other things.

FinSMEs: Hi Illann. First, can you tell us a bit about you?

Illann: Im an entrepreneur & financier from Ireland. I emigrated to the US in 2010 in search of funding for my Whiskey company Dublin Distillers, which was acquired in 2015. I was also an investor and Managing Director for a US Bourbon Company which was acquired by Bacardi for an undisclosed sum in 2015. I currently serve as Managing Partner for Nohovation.

FinSMEs: Lets speak about Nohovation. Can you introduce Pat Phelan, the other founder?

Illann: Pat is one of Irelands best-known serial entrepreneurs recognized internationally as one of the most connected men in the technology industry. Over the past 15 years, he has built a number of successful businesses in the Internet, mobile and telecoms sectors, most recently commerce fraud prevention software company Trustev, which was acquired by TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) for $50M in December 2015 .

Pat currently Serves as SVP for TransUnion and a Partner with Nohovation.

FinSMEs: Why have you created Nohovation?

Illann: I approached Pat in June 2015 as I wanted to do some angel investing in Ireland and the US. I noticed for foreign entrepreneurs entering the US Market at seed stage having a hard landing and many had under estimated things like C Level employee costs, taxes and the vast size of the market and waned to do something to change that.

Our investment philosophies matched and we originally decided to proceed with creating an angel group. When we mentioned the scope of Nohovation to other entrepreneurs and investors we were eager to jump in on the idea and we created our first Super Angel LP Nohovation Partners and the fund was born.

FinSMEs: Which funding need do you want to satisfy?

Illann: Given the fact that the bar for Series A financing has been raised significantly higher in the latest months, we are currently working with a number of companies who have fallen into the rabbit hole of either raising to much or too little seed capital and have not hit the revenues requirements to spark major VC interest and get a fair valuation for all the work they have put in.

Our goal is to take a reasonable position within the companies and assist them to scale up revenues in the US. We will also be announcing Nohovation Labs later this year for portfolio companies who want to open an office in New York.

FinSMEs: Which is your investment strategy?

Illann: Pat is very patriotic and part of the partnership agreement with me is that we dedicate 10m to Irish or Irish headquartered companies. As we both come from different backgrounds, we opened the scope of the fund to both technology and consumer goods companies.

As a Super Angel fund, we enjoy much more flexibility than a VC fund and also put in much more legwork. Our minimum investment is 500k and we are targeting non US companies seeking to enter the US Market.

We are long term partners with our portfolio companies, are very hands on and will continue to be over the lifetime of the investments.

FinSMEs: Personally, what do you like to see in startup founders?

Illann: Experienced business people is something that immediately sparks my interest followed by a clear route to market strategy, a view on where they would like to see the company in 2/3 years, and are not amateurs at the negotiation table.

I am also allergic to pivots, I despise the word and would rather lose all my money than have to deal with one.

FinSMEs: Is it easy to raise a vc fund in Ireland?

Illann: Seed capital in Ireland is difficult to raise domestically compared to the US. Although VC funding is at its highest level to date, the risk/reward factor for an Irish tax resident angel does stack up due to the high capital gains tax (CGT) rates 33%. A new scheme was brought in to lower the rate to 10% but it does not fit the remit of a startup and was a clear election ploy in response to the startup community. Taxation revenues in Ireland are driven by VAT and income tax which make up the bulk of the take, leaving plenty of room for flexibility on CGT and angel tax credits so not penalize entrepreneurs who risk it all in hope of a greater reward.

FinSMEs: Generally speaking, is Ireland a good place to launch a startup?

Illann: Ireland is a small country that has re-invented itself over the last forty years through the combined force of sheer determination and growing, vibrant ambition. Its young, highly educated workforce has seized the opportunity provided by Foreign Direct Investment and continues to transform Ireland into a dynamic, knowledge based economy for the 21st century.

As a traditionally exporting nation, due to the small size of the domestic market, it offers many perks including a very simplified company law structure, excellent tax practices (12.5% Corporation Tax, R&D Tax Credits and No Corporation Tax for the first 3 years in business) and a strong US double taxation and commerce treaty. In terms of international connectivity, Ireland was one of the first countries to implement US Immigration Pre-Clearance making day trips to the US possible for hungry cash conscious entrepreneurs.

Personally, I left Ireland during the downturn as Ireland was being portrayed in an extremely negative light, startups were an almost non existent thing and I also dreamed of becoming Irish American. After 5 years abroad, I am still in awe everytime I return to see the Silicon Docks and the ever growing startup community, which has now grown to include a Start-Up Commissioner who has pioneered the communities development.

Ireland also has a world-class inward investment agency, IDA Ireland, who assist later stage companies seeking to relocate or startup in Ireland. Its an organization that never gets enough credit for the work they do in selling Ireland. They have brought in companies like UBER, Slack and Jet.com to name a few.

There are other state development agencies who support domestic companies in international expansion however I do not have much time for them as I dont agree with how they do things.

FinSMEs: Personally, which tech trends do you follow?

Illann: I have and always will be fascinated by IOT and Healthcare technology. I have very little interest in marketplaces and subscription model based companies and HR tech as I believe the space is too crowded.

FinSMEs

17/05/2016
R.e.d.d., a Portland, Maine-based food energy bar brand, closed $1m funding.

The round was led by a group of investors organized by Dan Nordstrom and Greg Hanson, two Seattle-based investors who have a focus on active lifestyle brands. In conjunction with the funding, Nordstrom and Hanson joined R.e.d.d.s Board of Directors.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate product innovation and expand distribution.

Led by Founder Alden Blease and CEO Peter Van Alstine, R.e.d.d. offers food energy bars that integrate nutritional science, natural chemistry and human performance engineering. The products are now available nationwide at www.reddbar.com with two new flavors, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal, which join the Chocolate flavor.

Part protein bar, part energy shot and part multi-vitamin, the bars are certified gluten free, vegan, 70% organic, low-glycemic and free of dairy, soy, GMOs, refined sugars and anything artificial.

FinSMEs

17/05/2016
Acting on the Supreme Court's call that the Jiah Khan death case be resolved soon, the Bombay High Court has set 7 June as the date for a new hearing.

The Supreme Court issued the instruction after Jiah's mother Rabia Amin approached the apex court, stating that the trial was not being conducted in a proper manner and without a special public prosecutor. Rabia had also asked for an SIT probe into her daughter's death.

Jiah  seen in films like Nishabd and Ghajini  was only 25 when she was found dead in her suburban Mumbai apartment on 3 June 2013. Her body was discovered hanging from the ceiling fan. Sooraj Pancholi, who she was believed to be in a relationship with, was charged with abetting her suicide a few days later, on 10 June. He was released on bail in just under a month.

In 2014, the Bombay High Court asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the case. However, Rabia had expressed her unhappiness with the CBI's findings.
The home renters market for young office goers and students is getting stronger together with a corresponding rise in demand for office space. Online PG (Paying Guest) rental segment is set to expand in a big way as our metros make way for more office spaces.

Among all the metros, Bengaluru is the hottest market for PG rentals as here the office space demand is pegged at 10 million sq ft., of which around 4 million sq ft was leased in the first quarter of 2016 alone. The future too, looks bright, as more construction and concentration on office space is becoming the focus of many a developers here.

A sustained demand for office space in cities will transform the PG rental market to an even bigger scale.

Online home rental set ups are, therefore, springing up in cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi NCR, and Hyderabad, where a considerable high concentration of working professionals and students are present.

Some realty portals have fast become the lifeline of this large populace which wants to abstain from paying the brokerage fee. Nurturing this market are Mumbai-based Cryptopy Technologies Pvt. Ltd that runs portal Grabhouse.com, Bangalore-based NestAway Technologies that works through an app, and Delhi-based hostel and apartment rental listing web site Zocalo.in and Eezyrent based in Mumbai, among others.

The PG rental scenario so far

With the ever-growing demand for PGs, the segment has metamorphosed in a very unorganised and unstructured manner, over the years. PGs have sprung up in every nook and corner; however, there has been no credible check to verify if they abide by the rules and regulations.

Today, as our youth is moving from one city to another in pursuit of jobs, arriving in new surroundings and cities, the traditional approach of referrals via friends, neighbours or advertorials without authenticity hold little relevance for them. Owing to a fast paced life, lack of time and convenience topping the priority for these youths, home rental experience has to be fast and hassle-free.

With an exponential increase in migrant population - there has been an increase of 1.2% in the demand for PGs in Gurugram this year compared to 2015 and Bengaluru leads with a whopping 2.5% increase in the demand for PGs - catering to the cosmopolitan nature of the PG segment which is a challenge for the home rental providers. The paying guest rental segment has to come out of its traditional ways.

Grey areas in the PG business

Credibility issue: Credibility factor is one issue that not only the owners but also the PG dwellers have to contend with. PG seekers often overlook the various mandatory checks required while PG hunting. Mostly, PGs are not registered, that compounds the problem of young professionals who demand rent receipts and proper documentation of the accommodated place.

Also, getting the deposit back can be a tough task for them in the absence of a licensed PG and without any proofs at disposal. Often, PG owners fail to meet all mandated legal requirements like adequate security and registering with the closest police station for timely assistance in case of mishaps.

For the PG owners, trusting the migrant youth - student or working professional is one big issue for them. Sometimes, they face the problem of rents not being paid and so having to look out for another tenant is cumbersome.

Issues related to amenities and service quality: Even youngsters have a right to homely environment and experience even though they are singletons. A lot of PGs fail to provide consistent basic amenities. This can mean different things to varied individuals: ranging from anything like food to Wi-Fi to accessibility and service quality. As quite a few North Indians land up in the South for work and vice-versa, the non-vegetarian food clan finds it tough when food and drink restrictions are laid; this becomes a major grouse of these tenants.

Compatibility issues: Consider this, owner barging in unannounced just because the tenant is not a family man and likes to gather with friends occasionally to let loose and celebrate life. According no privacy is what the youngsters abhor. Also, checking up on female tenants so no male hangs out is what frustrates them. One common pain point in the functioning of the PG business is the compatibility issue between owners and tenants and between PG dwellers in case of shared accommodation. Sometimes, owners lay down their own rules, which disturb the lifestyle of tenants. This creates misunderstandings which can be avoided if owners lay down the restrictions upfront while signing up for a tenant.

Transformation needed in the PG rental scene

All these issues can be easily rectified by elevating the standards of PG and mapping them to the requirements of tenants by understanding the pulse of the millennials.

According to Grabhouse, a player in the online PG segment, to transform the PG scene one needs to bring in the much needed standardisation and regulation to create the ideal living space experience. Moreover, credible options can make the renting process much easier for PG seekers.

Grabhouse has been able to come up by having a large inventory of PGs across Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi. Instead of providing PG seekers with multiple options which might confuse them, Grabhouse site offers a selected range of options ensuring a better and convenient experience.

Pankhuri Shrivastava, Co-founder, CMO, Grabhouse.com says, We aim to use technology to bring-in the much needed standardisation in the PG market. With the help of our internal analytics engine, we are able to map onto our TG (target group) better and provide solutions that meet their core requirements.`

Real-time data and stats, she says, can thus be used to provide customised options  budget, area preference, amenities etc. This not only standardises the PG space but brings in some form of order and uniformity in this otherwise unorganised sector.

Evidently, the increased uptake in the salary of these working professionals is driving the PG rental business forward. And the young force is calling the shots by demanding services suited to their lifestyle choices.
Cant agree with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that judiciary should stay away from activism, which is straying into the domain of the executive. If courts took executive decisions, the layers of accountability in a democracy is damaged. If courts turn into executive, who can turn to with a grievance about decision?

A smart lawyer and astute politician, Jaitley has asked the judiciary to draw its own Lakshman Rekha. Earlier, after the Uttarakhand decision, he said in Parliament how, in his words, the legislature was being destroyed, "step by step, brick by brick".

Having said that, we need to ask a simple question. Why is the judiciary doing what it does? Let us, for the nonce, set aside the judiciary versus legislature issue, and look at areas where the Bombay High Court has had to have a say, as in limiting the water supply to make beer in parched Marathwada.

It is simply because the state does not do enough at even the cutting edge. Recently the Supreme Court had to direct, the Centre to release all the outstanding and necessary funds for MNREGA scheme to the states, and compensate farmers for delayed wages in drought-affected areas.

No wonder the court did what it did because it saw the government hiding "behind a smokescreen for lack of finances". The judiciary had to tell the government what it ought to have routinely done, drought or no drought, to comply with the intent of MNREGA. Here the government should be ashamed, not hold a grievance.

If Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan knocked on the highest courts doors to sensitise the authorities at all levels about the prevailing drought in general, and the acute crisis in Bundelkhand in particular, it is because attempt to help citizens has been slow.

And what does Uttar Pradeshs executive do when a train is rushed to Jhansi to carry water? Both at the Centre and the state level, politics comes into play. An official knocks his knuckles on the side of a tanker of the rake and complains it was empty. Soon after, the assertion is they had enough water, and didnt need the rake.

If that shouldnt drive the already stressed citizenry bonkers, what else would? Executives sloth in India is legendary. Only last week Maharashtra declared a few thousand villages drought hit even though its impact was visible months ago.

In Mumbai, close to which I live, it would appear that the city governance is run by the courts for newspapers have an item almost every day about how the civic body was asked to fall in line with one thing or another. But if Jaitley complains about such interventions because citizens have no other option, he is way off the mark.

The municipality has to be told to ensure that politicians do not disfigure the city with illegally putting up hoardingsbillboards, that isdespite the fact that if the civic body had done it, it would have earned revenue. There hardly is any aspect, including of dumping ground where the court has not been forced to come into the picture, including on the quality of roads built.

Talking of roads, let us look at a few examples of how governments insularity forced to do the work themselves:

One, in Odisha, people waited for a means to cross a river for decades, and then did it themselves. As the New Indian Express reported in 2012, "With no help coming from any quarter, the villagers took up the task on themselves and proved their mettle.".

Two, the rural folk near Karnaprayag needed a road which the forest department delayed because it may have led to lopping off some trees. They needed the road to access even medical care in an otherwise normally difficult terrain. They took it in hand, slogged, and built a three km road without touching a tree.

Three, after "endless waiting" in another hilly region, villagers of Harishthal gathered Rs 15 lakh and laboured to build a desperately needed four km long road last year.

But here is the topper.

Dashrath Mhanji, a poor labourer of Gehlaur lost his wife because a mountain forced a long detour to reach medical aid. He carved a 360 feet long path by cutting a hill, and the excavation meant dealing with 25 ft high rock, and secured a passage 30 feet wide. It took him years, the locals were amused, and the authorities didnt even know about it; if they did, they didnt bother.

He got his road, and is known as the Mountain Man. It was not something that happened in some deep interiors where the administration of Gaya in Bihar does not go or know about. These speak of insularity, and this is where the common man, who otherwise sees access to justice as time-consuming and expensive, looks to via a PIL.

Perhaps Jaitley would take time off from complaining about judicial activism and see if the people engage courts with their issues because they have nothing else to do, or the judges are inviting people to seek redress. It is all about a dysfunctional system. About Uttarakhand, well, it is politics.
Minister of Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi, on Tuesday accused police and forensic experts of incompetence over the brutal rape and murder of a young student, a case that echoed the 2012 gangrape of a Delhi student that sparked mass protests.

Women's and children's minister Maneka Gandhi accused police of dithering in their investigation into the attack on the student which was so vicious that she was found lying in blood, her intestines hanging out.

Gandhi said an independent probe into the case by India's national commission for women found glaring problems with the way in which forensic experts were handling the assault.

"The crime scene had been contaminated on all fundamental levels," Gandhi told reporters in New Delhi of the probe's findings.

The postmortem had been conducted by a junior staff member, the investigation found, and the suspected murder weapon improperly handled by numerous people, the minister said.

The 30-year-old law student from the lowest Dalit caste was killed late last month in her home in southern Kerala state, sparking protests.

The attack drew comparisons with the fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus in Delhi in 2012, which shone a global spotlight on frightening levels of sexual violence against women.

It led to an overhaul of rape laws in the country, including the speeding up of trials, tougher penalties for offenders and improved policing, but high numbers of assaults persist.

Gandhi said she was concerned about the way in which forensic experts were still handling such cases three years after the death of the Delhi student.

"One of the things that should emerge from this is the need for strengthening of forensics."

Gandhi said the Kerala victim's family had complained to police before her death of threats and harassment from neighbours and others.

"They (police) were told they were going to be raped, they were told they were going to be killed, they had reported it to the police and the police said just go away," Gandhi said.

She said she feared police were dragging out the case because of the political implications in opposition-Congress ruled Kerala which has been holding state elections.

Kerala police have said they detained three people for questioning over the attack.

The minister made the comments as she released an overhaul of policies for women including increased measures to halt violence and stem high levels of trafficking of women and children.

The most recent official figures show that 36,735 rapes were reported across the country in 2014, although activists say the true number is likely much higher, with many crimes going unreported due to the social stigma they attract.
Shahid Latif, a member of Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) and accused of coordinating the Pathankot airbase attack in January, had been reportedly released by the UPA government in 2010 in an effort to mend relations with Pakistan.

Latif was freed on 28 May, 2010 along with 25 others after spending 11 years in jail as a goodwill gesture by the Manmohan Singh government, according to a report by Times of India. These militants, reportedly from Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and JeM, were deported to Pakistan from their respective jails via the Wagah border.

Latifs name also appeared on the release list of JeM terrorists who had hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999. The then Vajpayee government had, however, only exchanged three fidayeens including Maulana Masood Azhar in exchange for 154 passengers of the flight, the report further said. Latif on the other hand, was shifted to the Varanasi central jail in 2002 from a prison in Jammu and Kashmir.

He launches and heads the JeM cadres in India. Presently Latif is wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the Pathankot attack. It has sent a formal request to Pakistan to continue its probe in that country and record the statements of JeM chief Masood Azhar, Abdul Rauf, Shahid Latif and Kahif Jaan, according to a report by The Indian Express.

After securing an arrest warrant from a special court, the NIA approached the Interpol for issuing a Red Corner Notice against the four main conspirators of the Pathankot attck, including Latif. A dossier along with the non-bailable warrant issued by a special NIA court in Mohali in Punjab was sent to the CBI, which is the nodal agency representing the Interpol in the country.

This also instigated Sambit Patra, the BJP spokesperson to attack the Congress:
Jaipur: Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh on Monday directed vice chancellors of all government universities to hoist tricolour on their premises.

In the guidelines, the governor said every university will have its own anthem reflecting its objective and it will be played on various occasions, a release said.

He also directed the universities to set up research chairs on great personalities of the country for studying their works and achievements which can be disseminated in the society.

These arrangements will promote patriotism among the students, teachers and other staffers, a release said.

The progress of this matter will be reviewed in the vice chancellors coordination meeting to be held at Raj Bhawan on 21 June.
So SpiceJet Flight 154 left behind 40-odd passengers on the tarmac at Kochi and trundled away to takeoff for Mumbai before realising the snafu and returning. In a nation where there are 33 tiers of VIPs officially exempted from security checks and thousands others who use their local position and power to be escorted onto and off aircraft, the whole safety and security aspect is a bit of a joke. A cruel joke but a joke all the same. Even film stars are given the genial once over.

Add to this self-styled VIPs who delay aircraft, take on heavy luggage, block seats and break regulations and the number goes into the thousands. We are a country that worries more about the food on the flight and how the hostesses look than we are about flight safety violations.

As such, this mix up is not really a breach of security as airport security in India is already in a compromised state.

In any case, hijackings are now passe and no one even needs a weapon to conduct one. The threat of it is enough. Our passengers carry enough pointy things to simulate a weapon. If one of our VIPs was deranged (not impossible) he could have a mini arsenal on board and you would not know it.

Do you know how many people come to see off a mid-level bureaucrat? I once counted nine flunkeys for a Secretary. I have even refused to get on a plane because some commissioner of police and his wife travelling in civvies were stopped by security and asked to open their handbags. This bruised the ego of the commissioner who yanked out his ID. All the cops immediately stood at attention  you would think they will start playing trumpets. I butted in and said, sorry there is something they want to see in your bag, show it.

Many officers began hissing at me about he was. Dont care. Open it.

He did, and threw a lot of attitude. I read him the rules laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organization: it is essential that ministers and other officials set an example to the travelling public and officers on duty by voluntarily submitting their persons and effects for security clearance.

India is signatory to the ICAO diktat and yet, the whole idea of a pompous minister actually raising his hands and being patted down is ludicrous in our context.

Which is why the SpiceJet incident does not worry me from the point of view of security. Any one of our planes can be taken if someone has a mind to do the dirty. I was on a flight from Delhi last week and the crew came onto the flight deck an hour late because their vehicle had gone to fetch the wrong co-pilot with the same name from another location. The door to the flight deck was wide open for 45 minutes.

What is worrying is the incompetence that led to these passengers being on a bus in the rain even as the Boeing 737 began to taxi. The dramatic breakdown in communications, the failure to do a head count, the imbalance in the flight manifest, the confusion between the flight deck and the cabin crew and then their collapse of data exchange with ground crew is farcical. Then add to it the lock door command without the standard boarding completed confirmation being given first makes it like a Marx Brothers comedy.

An airline that has no explanation for such a goof up and allows every safety net to fail in boarding its passengers needs to be thoroughly reviewed.

The only possible explanation  and there is no evidence of it yet  is that because of the rain and the bus being stranded, a lack of communication led the dropped passengers to be marked as no shows and the plane left without them. In which case, we had on board luggage from 40 passengers who were not on the flight. That, yes, is a massive breach of security and safety.

Think about that.

Think about this, too. You cannot lose a bus at the airport. It is not a dinky toy.
The voting is over and now, only the results are left.

After the elections in Tamil Nadu and Kerala got over on Monday, exit polls announced their predictions about which party was coming to power in each of the four states and the union territory, whose results will be declared on Thursday.

As we wait for the results to come out, here is a look at whether the 2011 election surveys had predicted the outcomes of the previous elections in the states and union territory accurately:

West Bengal

2016: Four exit polls have predicted the same thing: Mamata Banerjees TMC will retain power in the state. ETV, NewsNation, Chanakya and ABP-Nielsen are all sure that it will be Mamata again. Chanakya even predicted that the Trinamool Congress will win between 210 and 224 seats while the Left-Congress alliance will gain only 70 to 79 seats and the BJP between 14 and 19 seats.

2011: Election surveys by television channels had given a unanimous clean sweep for TMC in West Bengal, predicting the end of the Communist rule. Polls conducted during the polling in the states by Headlines Today-ORG, CNN-IBN-The Week-CSDS and Star Ananda-Nielsen had given a two-thirds majority to the Trinamool Congress-Congress combine in the 294-seat West Bengal assembly, according to IANS.

The surveys were extremely accurate as the TMC-Congress alliance secured 227 seats in the 294-seat Assembly in the results, winning more than 77 percent of the seats.

Assam

2016: Three exit polls have stated that BJP will win Assam and end Tarun Gogois 15-year chief ministership. Axis-India Today predicted BJP will win 79-93 seats, ABP-Nielsen gave BJP 81 seats and NewsX-Chanakya gave BJP 90 seats.

2011: Exit poll surveys had predicted a historic third term for the Congress led by Gogoi, according to this 2011 Livemint report. The CNN-IBN survey had said that Gogoi was going to return as CM with a tally of 64 to 72 seats, The Hindu had reported. However, the Mail Today-India Today-Headlines Today-Aaj Tak-ORG opinion poll had predicted a hung Assembly in Assam, with Congress winning just 46 seats.

Tarun Gogoi indeed returned to power for the third time in Assam as the Congress won 78 seats in the 126-seat Assembly. Thus, while some of the surveys had been accurate in predicting a Congress victory, some wrongly predicted a hung Assembly.

Tamil Nadu

2016: Exit polls are divided over the results of this state. NewsNation and the Axis-My India exit polls predict that the DMK will win the state, thereby ending the reign of Jayalalithaas AIADMK. However, C-Voter claims that Ammas party will retain power in the state.

2011: The surveys again differed on the outcome in Tamil Nadu polls. The CNN-IBN-CSDS survey had "projected an edge" for the AIADMK-led alliance in the 2011 polls, according to The Hindu report. Another 2011 report in The Times of India had said that the CVoter exit poll was the only one to suggest that the J Jayalalithaa-led alliance will get a decisive mandate and win between 168 and 176 seats. The report added that the ORG poll for Headlines Today had predicted a slim majority for the DMK.

The AIADMK-led alliance won a staggering number of 203 seats in the 234-seat Assembly. The surveys did not turn out to be very accurate for Tamil Nadu as the CVoter exit poll was the only one which got close to the decisive mandate which Jayalalithaa got.

Kerala

2016: The Axis-India Today and India TV-C-Voter exit polls both predict that the CPM-led LDF will come to power in the state, thereby toppling the Congress-led UDF. The BJP could get zero to three seats while one to four seats may go to others.

2011: The CNN-IBN-The Week-CSDS polls said LDF could win between 69 and 77 seats and the UDF between 63 and 71 seats out of the 140 seats in the Kerala assembly. The Headlines Today-ORG polls, on the other hand, said UDF would win between 85 and 92 seats against LDF's tally of 48 to 55 seats. The CVoter polls also gave a clear edge to the UDF. Another poll done by Asianet-C-Fore projected the UDF winning between 72 and 82 seats, according to TOI.

Except for the CSDS poll survey, the surveys were quite accurate when it came to Kerala. The Congress-led UDF won 73 seats in the Assembly, thus ensuring victory by a slim margin.

Puducherry

2016: Exit polls have predicted victory for the DMK-Congress alliance in Puducherry, ousting the ruling All India NR Congress.

2011: The election surveys had been silent on the outcome in the 2011 Puducherry polls, according to TOI. The All India NR Congress had won 15 seats from the total of 30 seats in the union territory.

With inputs from agencies
Rahul Gandhi should follow the exit poll signs.

For his sake and for the party, for the benefit of the country and its people, he must go now.

The nation needs and demands a credible Opposition, a viable political alternative and the Congress a new leader. The latest round of elections has proved  if it required proving again, again and then yet again  he is not the right man for the job.

On Thursday, if exit polls have got it right, the Congress would become a party with a token presence only in India's hill states and pockets of the Northeast. Karnataka would be the only major state in the party's bag. And if Karnataka is lost, which is likely in 2018, Rahul would vindicate all those who predicted he is Bahadur Shah Zafar of the dynasty.

It is apparent Sonia Gandhi is suffering from Dhritrashtra syndrome. She would continue to justify Rahul's mistakes, ignore his disastrous political strategy  assuming he has one  in pursuit of her dream of seeing her son ascend to the throne. But such stories of blind obsession have just one ending.

Somebody should ask Sonia a basic question: What exactly does Rahul bring to the Congress? Experience? No. Charisma? No. Political wisdom? No. Ability to win elections? No. Is he, like Indira Gandhi feared and respected by party cadres? Or, is he, like Jawaharlal Nehru, admired for his vision and erudition? In the hierarchy of the dynasty, Rahul doesn't even compare with his father, not on any imaginable parameter.

With his trials and errors, half-baked ideas and hypocrisy, Rahul is actually destroying the Congress. Not brick by brick, not pillar by pillar, but floor by floor. In Assam, for instance, his insistence on letting Tarun Gogoi run the state and promote his son as the heir is one of the major reasons behind the party's predicted loss.

In the 2011 elections, party leader Himanta Biswa Sarma had proved his credentials as a worthy successor to Gogoi. To ensure that Sarma remains within the party, all Rahul had to do was groom him for the big job and ease out Gogoi gradually. Instead, Rahul ended up spurning Sarma, thwarting his ambition and creating conditions for his exit from the Assam unit leading to disastrous electoral consequences.

Rahul not just lacks the mo-jo required in politics, he is also devoid of what is referred to as waqar in Arabic. Indians are fond of leaders whose waqar (dignity, respect, clout, aura) is buland (high). But Rahul seems to have none of it. All he has is a band of sycophants who genuflect to him just because their survival depends on him.

So, rebellions are brewing in every state unit. The infighting in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand recently exploded in his face, Himachal too is on a short fuse. In Rajasthan, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot is giving state Congress chief Sachin Pilot a hard time by covertly challenging his leadership. By stoking dissent in the state, Gehlot has successfully created the impression that Pilot is not the undisputed leader of the party and he too is a contender for the CM's job after elections in 2018.

An identical drama in Punjab had earlier brought the party to the brink of extinction in the state. Not happy after being sidelined, former CM Captain Amarinder Singh almost threatened to break the party and defy Rahul's leadership. In the end, Rahul threw in the towel and let the Captain become the undisputed leader of the party.

Had Indira Gandhi been the Congress leader instead of Rahul, she would have dealt with such dissenters quickly and firmly, without fear or favour. They would have been most likely summoned by one of her advisors  RK Dhawan or ML Fotedar given a patient hearing and finally Indira would have found a lasting solution to the problem, either by expelling the rebels or sacking the incumbent leader, depending on political expediency.



But, Rahul allows such problems to fester, unable to somehow find time to address the problem. In the end, he ends up with an Assam or an Arunachal on his face. What good is a shepherd if he can't manage his own flock, more so if the sheep start growling at him?

Rahul's other experiments like holding primaries for selecting candidates, holding organisational elections for its youth wing have been junked. His efforts to send out the message that the party will discourage dynasties and give opportunities to grassroot workers have been called out for the inherent hypocrisy. After railing and ranting against dynasties, Rahul made the Scindias, Pilots, Deoras, Hoodas and Gogois the face of the Congress.

The inherent contradictions in Rahul's politics, his diffidence, Hamlet-like inability to deal with conflict, take his rivals head-on  all fatal flaws  have destroyed the Congress.

If he continues, the Congress would be beyond redemption. For the benefit of everyone, he should exit gracefully.
In a first of its kind order, the Election Commission (EC) of India recently issued show-cause notices to two major political parties in Tamil Nadu for violating the model code of conduct with respect to their manifestoes  All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

According to the EC notice, the two parties and their election manifestos did not "substantially" fulfil its guidelines. The notices had said that prima facie the manifestos of the two parties "have not substantially fulfilled the guidelines of the Commission".

The EC told the two parties "to explain your stand for non-compliance of the guidelines of the Commission and also reflect the rationale for the promises made in your manifesto and broadly indicate the ways and means to meet the financial requirement for the same." While AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa had replied to the notice, the DMK has sought more time to reply to the notice.

While the EC might have woken up only now to the fact that parties in Tamil Nadu ride high on the entire "freebie" plank, the debate around the culture has garnered much voice in the run-up to the Assembly election in the state.

Let's start at the very beginning.

If political parties need a winning manifesto, they should simply take a leaf out of the book of Tamil Nadu parties. Be it cheap rice, free colour TVs, cash doles or farm loan waiver, many a popular scheme has its roots in the state. It first came in the play when late K Kamaraj, chief minister of the state between 1954 to 1963, introduced the concepts of free education and free food for school students to supplement their education.

The politics of cheap rice was then played out in 1967 again when DMK founder CN Annadurai promised "three measures" (around 4.5 kg) of rice for Re 1 through the state public distribution system (PDS). After winning the elections, Annadurai became the chief minister and implemented the scheme for sometime in a few pockets but later scrapped it owing to the financial burden.

In the run up to the 2006 Assembly elections, the freebie culture touched a new high when the DMK announced free colour televisions; rice at Rs two per kg (once in power this was reduced to Re one a kg); two acres of land for the landless; free gas stoves and Rs 300 cash doles for the unemployed; maternity assistance of Rs 1,000 for all poor women for six months; as well as free power to weavers.

In its 2009-10 budget, Tamil Nadu allocated Rs 2.79 billion for supply of free power to farmers and Rs 12.51 billion towards free electricity connections to huts and places of worship and subsidised connections for homes and local bodies; Rs five billion for free distribution of 2.5 million colour TV sets and Rs 1.4 billion for free gas stoves and connections.

The distant past has seen offers like free bicycles and free spectacles. And more recently freebies including free laptops, mixers and wet-grinders joined the list.

AIADMK government too has doled out many freebies to the poor  among them free cycles, chappals, saris and dhotis. Seeing how such schemes fetched votes in Tamil Nadu, national and regional parties in states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Chhattisgarh copied the cheap rice and free power promises.

Analysts and political critics have often slammed the ritual of giving away free stuff just before the elections terming it as bribing the ingenuous voters of the state. A few weeks back, former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami had told The Hindu during a webchat, that Tamil Nadu was probably the only state where the politicians made the voters corrupt. And while doling out freebies, the DMK and the AIADMK have indulged in a game of one-upmanship in the past decade.

The economic viability of such "welfare schemes" have been questioned. In fact, the "dark secret", as Swaminathan Aiyar in his blog in The Times of India calls it, is that these freebies "are financed mainly by massive revenues from liquor sales." However, with almost all the major parties promising prohibition on liquor in the state, it will be interesting to see how the future governments manage the finances without liquor sales to fund the massive list of freebies.

DMK spent over Rs 3,340 crore on 1,52,80,000 14-inch TV sets with each costing an average of Rs 2,456. They were distributed in five phases between 2006-10. An expenditure of Rs 1,200 crore was incurred in 2012-13 after procuring 7,84,000 laptops for students and the then ruling AIADMK was expected to spend Rs 10,200 crore in the next five years.

The state's debt has jumped 80 percent in the last five years. And, it has gone from a revenue surplus to a revenue deficit state leaving little money to bankroll these schemes.

On mixies, grinders and table fans, Rs 2,000 crore was spent by the ruling government. 3.5 million beneficiaries were recipients of this scheme. In 2014-15, Rs 1,250 crore was spent on the same once again.

The non-AIADMK spectrum's approach of not supporting giving pre-poll freebies has reignited the populism debate in the state. London School of Economics-educated Anbumani Ramadoss, who is the youth wing president of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and is also the CM candidate for the party, said that his party has promised development, jobs and CBSE-level education in the state. "We won't give away free things. We will promise you though that there will be an overall development of living standard if PMK is voted. Please give us a chance," Ramadoss told Firstpost while campaigning in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu.

A state like Tamil Nadu which grappling with serious power deficit issues and where regular power cut is a reality, how will mixies, grinders, TVs, fans and laptops help the masses? Rajkumari, a 45-year-old woman who sells fish for survival in Chennai, told Firstpost that the free stuff that Amma gave is hardly of any use to the people.

According to Tamil Nadu's Twelve Year Plan published in 2012, Tamil Nadu was facing a severe power shortage of close to 1,500 MW. The 2013-14 figures of the state's consumption of power and unrestricted requirement also show signs of a widening gap. According to the report, the actual consumption is 87,987 million units as opposed to a requirement of 93,509 million units. An annual report (2013-14) by the Subregional Power Committee shows that Tamil Nadu experiences its highest deficit at the onset of summer. The state fell short of 1,431 MU, that is, 17.45 percent during the month of April, 2013 and 752 MU, that is, 10.65 percent in November, 2013  the same year the Jayalalithaa government started implementing its poll promises.

What is astonishing and striking, however, is the disconnect between the pre-poll promises made by parties and what the people on the ground really want. Travelling through Dharmapuri and Villupuram districts of the state, Firstpost interacted with villagers, whose daily grouse is more about electricity issues, bad roads, terrible law and order situation, among others. None of the villagers, who spoke with us, complained about not owning a laptop.

Marakkanam is a small coastal hamlet in the Villupuram district of the state. The panchayat town is well-connected with capital city Chennai and nearby Puducherry by road. The tiny hamlet, with not more than 20,000 people, has been a DMK bastion. Firstpost asked the villagers whether they really needed the freebies that the political parties benevolently gave away.

This is what they had to say:

Sarvanan, a 47-year-old daily-wage labourer, told Firstpost, "Who says no to free stuff? We are poor people. I earn Rs 300 doing what I do. If someone comes and offers me a free meal, I will not say no to it. But once I have eaten that meal, it is over. But other problems are not. I have two daughters and a son. Me and my wife work round the clock to make sure they are educated and they don't end up doing menial jobs like this (refers to daily labour). Politicians should come out of their AC offices and see the condition we live in."

The combined opinion of the villagers across the state can put an end to the debate surrounding the freebie culture but Tamil Nadu's politics is not that easy to decode. The same villagers will go and either vote for Amma or the Kalaignar. "Who else is there? What choice do we have?" villagers of Pennagaram in Dharmapuri district, made their displeasure known in unison.

The peculiar nature of Tamil Nadu politics makes a few things harder to comprehend. Conventional wisdom dictates that unbridled populism, monopoly of a few parties, autocratic governance and unchecked corruption are mutually incompatible with development and economic growth. But in this southern state, the two happily coexist.

A populist economy is not all that bad.

There are many who eat regularly at the government-subsidised canteens and carry home a free pressure cooker. However, when political parties come out of their dens a month or two before the state goes to polls and announce a slew of "welfare schemes", it reeks more of a guilty politician trying to clear his conscience of any moral obligation than a leader who has the welfare of the state in his/her mind.
If exit polls are to be believed, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala will have a decisive victory in Kerala.

That's not the big highlight. That honour belongs to the predicted failure of the Bhartiya Janata Party's (BJP) alliance  despite its recent alliance with Vellappally Natesan's Bhartiya Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) and the star campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi  to make strong inroads in this state that is dominated by bipolar politics.

The Axis-My India exit poll gives none to three seats to the NDA, while forecasting 88-101 seats to the LDF and 38-48 seats to the UDF.

The LDF's victory, if the exit polls are accurate, will be a gift by the Congress-led UDF that has spent most of its five-year term excelling in the art of embracing scams ranging from Solar-Saritha to bar-bribery to flip-flops in liquor policies, with no major development progress to show. But even if the BJP ends up with one or two seats in the state (far from being a kingmaker), the bigger question is whether its new-found love for the BDJS marks the end of bipolar politics in the southern state.

Political analysts see the BJPs poll alliance with Hindu Ezhavas by tying up with Natesan's BDJS is a landmark move in the states political history since Ezhavas constitute a sizeable chunk of the Hindu population in the state, whose votes are traditionally divided between the Left and Right.

Its also a marked shift in the perception of the BJP in the state where the party is typically associated with Hindu upper castes.

If exit polls offer any clue, this strategy hasnt worked in a big way as far as turning BJP into a deciding force in the states power equations is concerned. The none to three seats predicted for the NDA in the exit polls are in Kazargod and Thiruvananthapuram, which are the traditional strong centres of the BJP.

The experimental alliance was expected to aid the party by a much bigger margin in central Kerala  something that has seemingly flopped. As Anathalavatoam Anandan, CPM state secretariat member said, the BJP's assumption that the entire Hindu-Ezhava strength in Kerala is rught behind Natesan is proving wrong. Nevertheless, even if the BJP falls short of playing the role of kingmaker, the big question is whether it can significantly increase its vote share across the state.

The BJP had a vote share of 6.03 percent in the 2011 state Assembly elections as compared with the UDF's 45.83 percent of UDF and the LDF's 44.94 percent. This vote-share rose to 14 percent in the November 2015 local body polls, an obvious outcome of its poll understanding with BDJS. If the NDA can pull off a bigger margin this time, it will set the stage for a more sustained presence for the BJP in the state.

Of the 54.72 percent Hindu population in Kerala, less than half are Ezhava votes, which are traditionally divided between the UDF and LDF (a bigger chunk to the latter) since the two fronts were formed in the 1970s.

This time, which way this segment swings in the Assembly polls will be critical in deciding the final outcome. If the BJP-BDJS combine works wonders to draw votes to the BJP-led alliance, it will rewrite the bipolar politics that has dominated the southern state in the last several decades.

On the other hand, which way the minority vote swings, is also a key question. The key minorities  Christian and Muslim  constitute 45 percent of the state. Of this, Muslims are the bigger chunk making up 26.56 percent of the population. Traditionally, this community has put its support behind the UDF ally, the Indian Muslim League (IML) but one should understand that the trend has been changing as the LDF seeks to widen its hold in traditional IML strongholds in Malabar.

#PoMoneModi

Modi's high-profile campaign in the state eventually turned into a last minute embarrassment for the party after the prime minister's comparison of the states Scheduled Tribes with Somalians. This created a massive social media wave against Modi and the BJP.

But, how much of this social media war has impacted the actual votes can be assessed only after the poll outcome is announced on Thursday. To be sure, Modi spoke of the plight of STs in the state in the context of the infant mortality rate and did not compare the entire state to Somalia. But, even that comparison has been questioned as the data proved otherwise. For instance, according to this Firstpost column, Modi didnt state the facts.

Another report in Business Standard shows that infant mortality in the state is lowest in the country, almost a third of the national average; comparing that with Somalia, at 85 deaths, again showing a huge disconnect. This perhaps caused an anti-Modi wave on social media not just in Kerala but across the country.

The BJP boosted its campaign by roping in star campaigners like film actor Suresh Gopi (who was recently nominated by the party to Rajya Sabha). Even the LDF and UDF have pitted well known film starts across the state. But, in Keralas legacy-driven political landscape, stardom has seldom worked unlike Tamil Nadu.

Exit polls can be way off the mark when the counting begins, as we have seen in the past. But, if they are any clue, the BJPs polarisation strategy grouping HinduEzhavas under its Hindutva banner has flopped in an effort to make a meaningful impact. But, the key question is whether the BJP-BDJS alliance can set the foundation for a competitive third front in the state by improving its vote-share.

Only two days stand between us and the answer.
Aam Aadmi Party won five of the 13 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in the bypolls of 15 May.

And Arvind Kejriwal immediately tweeted, "MCD ruled by BJP-Congress. Outsider AAP wins maximum seats in by election. Thnx Delhi for reaffirming faith. Ab MCD election mein sabhi seat jeetni hain."

Outsiders? Beg your pardon!

It is an outsider everywhere else, except for Punjab from where it bagged three parliamentary seats. But in Delhi, AAP rules. It has almost all the seats in the legislature, which means political influence on all the wards. It has been sworn-in twice as a government already. A very visible government which has been cutting costs of living  easy access to medicare, cheaper water, etc.

And yet, Diip Pandey, the partys Delhi convenor said, "This was our debut and it was a great learning experience."

Debut? Possibly for the civic elections, but it does not seem right for the reasons already cited.

Learning experience? Possibly, it got the point right there. For it shows that the AAP has gone wrong somewhere in its longer second term. That could perhaps be the one correct assessment soon after the results.

The way I read it, the tweet by the supremo  strange one has to use that descriptive for a leader of a party comprising common people and apparently no vested interests  was a quick spin for the poor strike rate, compared to the 67 out of the 70 last time.

It is hard to accept Pandeys other contention that the civic results are not a commentary on the state government. Wanting to "hold discussions with the MLAs to assess what went wrong" explains that the MLAs didnt perhaps keep an ear close to the ground.

AAP had won its seats in a manner that the other parties did not. It had no big budgets; it went for the street level  or mohalla  contact, and kept the people so close to the process that despite a changed scenario of a dominant BJP across the country, it bettered them.

The Economist has more than once described the state government as virtually a municipality, and recently, pointed out that, "Delhis chief minister is, in effect, the citys mayor", a point which Kejriwal cannot dispute because he has been asking for more power to be a full-fledged state.

Electricity supply and electric bills, and water supply to its localities, had been the prime issues on which the elections were fought, and once in power, the rightful demand for control over police emerged, something which his predecessors, Sahebsingh Verma and Sheila Dikshit too had wanted. She grumbled, and like Kejriwal, Verma had sat on a dharna.

AAP did not need this by elections as a rehearsal to do better in 2017's MCD elections. But now, it needs to know if the party has been slipping up.
It was a close victory for the first-timer Aam Aadmi party (AAP) and veteran Congress in the Delhis civic bypoll, as AAP emerged as the winner in five wards, while the Congress party has won four of the total 13 seats. The BJP finished at the third position with three seats and there is one independent candidate who has won the Bhati ward.

The result may not change much in terms of the functioning of the corporations, but it will set the tone for the municipal corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections scheduled in 2017.

With the AAP winning five seats out of 13, it has successfully put rest to the rumours that the party had lost connect with the grassroot-level voters. It was a litmus test of AAPs popularity and credibility among Delhi voters. On the other hand, Congress winning four seats also goes on to show that the age-old party has been making a comeback, which was completely wiped out in the 2015 Delhi assembly election.

However, for the BJP, the bypoll result throws up a gloomy picture. The BJP, which dominates the 272-member MCD could manage only three seats, which indicates that the BJPs hold on the civic bodies is not that foolproof after all.

Immediately after the results were announced Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal tweeted:

[MCD ruled by BJP-Cong. Outsider AAP wins max seats in by-election. Thanks Delhi for reaffirming faith. Ab MCD election mein sabhi seat jeetni hai] @ArvindKejriwal

AAP is considering its victory in five wards as a launch pad for 2017 MCD polls.

Its a result of hard work of our volunteers and thanks to voters for having faith on us. AAP emerged as biggest party. Its overwhelming. We will discuss the results in detail and analyse where we fell short. We could have done better," said AAPs Delhi secretary Dilip Pandey.

Why AAP won only five wards?

According to the AAP sources, the party could have done much better and gained more seats, given the fact that its the AAP that has its government in Delhi, with 67 out of 70 MLAs. But the party is way behind its target.

AAP could have done much better it couldnt because at many places its old timers (volunteers) who have been working for the party since 2013 didnt participate in bypoll campaining due to internal resentments. Hadnt it been the case, AAP would have bagged at least 10 seats, a senior volunteer told Firstpost on condition of anonymity.

The comeback of Congress is another reason. The Congress has been able to infuse trust amongst grass root level voters that its indispensible.

Congress has bounced back in Delhi. People have rejected AAP and BJP, and that is why weve given a tough fight to AAP and won four seats. Credit goes to our leader Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, said Ajay Maken, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.

Big gain for Congress

For the Congress party, its a big gain as it had no presence in any of the wards prior to the bypoll. Moreover, it was already in disadvantage as it failed to win even a single seat during the assembly poll.

Its fantastic. Its the strategy and planning of Ajay Maken, and Congress workers reached out to the grass root level voters. In 13 wards where the by-polling took place, Congress had zero presence. The winning of four seats shows our acceptability amongst Delhi voters and its also a reflection of 2017 Delhi civic polls. The Congress has contested neck and neck with AAP, and theres a big jump in our vote share and margin, which is a very important factor, Delhi Congress Committee chief spokesperson, Sharmistha Mukherjee told Firstpost.

However, according to Congress sources the independent candidate Rajender Singh Tanwar who has won from Bhati may join Congress.

In all likelihood, independent candidate Rajender Singh Tanwar, who has won from Bhati may join Congress. Itll officially be announced, the source said.

Under this condition, the Congress tally will be at par with the AAP, five seats each.

Blow to BJP

Its a blow to the BJP as it has to satisfy with only three wards. Despite having a strong presence in MCD and even in seven out of 13 wards, it failed to cut much ice.

The reason is that people of Delhi have seen the working of MCD under the BJP, which is unsatisfactory and below average. So, this time voters at ward level either preferred AAP or Congress. Due to this reason, BJP lost its seats even where it had a strong presence, said Manoj, a resident of Vikas Nagar.
Washington: The Obama administration has opposed the Republican-controlled Congress' move to block $450 million in aid to Pakistan for failing to "demonstrate its commitment" and taking action against the Haqqani network, saying it will "complicate progress" in bilateral ties.

A White House statement in this regard along with other objections of the administration to NDAA-2017 came as the bill made its way to the House of Representatives(HR) from House Armed Services Committee.

The White House asserted that it shares the view of the lawmakers with regard to the Haqqani network, but such a move would "unnecessarily complicate progress" in bilateral ties.

The House is likely to vote on HR 4909.

According to NDAA 2017, of the total amount of reimbursement and support authorised for Pakistan during the period beginning on October 1, 2016, and ending on 31 December 2017, $450 million would not be eligible for a national security waiver unless the Secretary of Defence certifies that Pakistan continues to conduct operations against Haqqanis.

"The Administration objects to section 1212 (of HR 4919), which would make $450 million of CSF (Coalition Support Fund) to Pakistan ineligible for the Secretary of Defense's waiver authority unless the Secretary provides a certification to the Congressional defense committees," the White House said in its statement.

"We share the Committee's concerns regarding the threat posed to our forces and interests in Afghanistan by the Haqqani Network, and we continue to engage with Pakistan at the highest levels regarding the need for concerted action specifically against the group," the White House said.

"However, the restriction in section 1212 would unnecessarily complicate progress in our bilateral relationship on this issue and would limit the Secretary of Defense's ability to act in the US national security interest," it added.

Under this new proposed provision, the Defence Secretary also needs to certify that Pakistan is demonstrating commitment to prevent the Haqqani Network from using North Waziristan as a safe haven and is actively coordinating with Afghanistan to restrict the movement of terrorists, including the Haqqani Network, along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

There is similar certification requirement in the current fiscal 2016 ending on 31 September, but the amount is

$300 million. Defence Secretary has not been able to give necessary certification for the release of such a fund to

Pakistan so far.

The House Armed Services Committee says that it will continue to review the reimbursements made to Pakistan and how it comforts with the future of US policy, including key counter-terrorism and security objectives, in the region.

The Obama Administration has opposed any move to either restrict or condition US military aid to Pakistan arguing that its ties with Islamabad are very important.
Not all things bring cheer when they are headed on an upward path. Nasa's weekend report on how the global temperature is on the upward spiral not only tells us that April was the hottest month on record with 1.11 degrees Celsius temperature, but also the seventh consecutive month to have broken previous records by largest ever margin. Simply put, it is getting hotter and will continue so until there is no conscious effort to mitigate the global warming.

The data spanning over 136 years explains how the rise has been consistent and has drastically shot up in the past couple of decades. Climate scientists, however, are not surprised as they have been warning about the phenomenon since long.

Climate scientists have been warning about this since at least the 1980s. And its been bloody obvious since the 2000s. So wheres the surprise? The interesting thing is the scale at which were breaking records, said Andy Pitman, director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science at the University of New South Wales in Australia, was quoted as saying in The Guardian. Its clearly heading in the wrong direction."

El Nino  a climate cycle deemed responsible for the soaring temperatures  has been the strongest on record in 2015 according to this report by Skymet. A strong El Nino year is always followed by hot summer conditions. The stronger and longer duration of the phenomenon, the harsher the summers tend to be, states the report.

Eric Holthaus, a meteorologist, was quoted as saying in The Independent: Its scary. We knew an El Nino would impact things, but I dont think anyone expected this jump.

Explaining that the spiraling global temperature is the aftermath of human activities, climate scientist, Ed Hawkins, said on Twitter: "Humans are largely responsible for past warming so we have control over what happens next. Lots of factors affect Earth's climate, but human activities enhance the greenhouse effect, keeping more of the sun's energy to warm planet."

Hawkins came up with an attractive animation on the alarming spiral which shows the pace at which the temperatures have risen since 1850.

Furthermore, a statement released by Australian Research Council in March revealed that the most pristine section of the Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO World Heritage centre and Australia's Great Natural Wonder, is currently experiencing the worst bleaching event in its history  a consequence of warmer water temperature.

Aerial surveys of over 500 coral reefs from Cairns to Papua New Guinea showed how overwhelming majority of reefs were ranked in the most severe bleaching category with scientists already reporting up to 50 percent mortality of bleached corals, says the report.

The repercussions of climate change were impending. It may continue to persist or worsen due to the indifference towards preserving the nature.

All we can do is either act or be a mute spectator.
When it comes to checking if womens outfits comply with the nation's culture, Irans Revolutionary Guard takes it job very seriously. And, according to Iran Wire, it believes that Kim Kardashian has been contracted by Instagram to deliberately spread Western ideology in Iran.

As part of its recently-launched Operation Spider II, the IRG cracked down on Iranian women who were posting online  especially on Instagram  images of themselves in which they were not wearing a headscarf.

They even got Elham Arab, a celebrity in Iran who shared such photos of herself online, to confess on national television that other women should not follow her path.

If that wasnt surprising enough, Mostafa Alizadeh, spokesman for the Organized Cyberspace Crimes Unit, went on TV to blame foreigners for targeting young people and women and compelling them to give up their Islamic values and follow Western culture.

According to Iran Wire, Alizadeh stated that Kim was part of Instagram CEO Kevin Systroms nefarious agenda to spread the idea of fashion modelling in Iran. Ms. Kim Kardashian is a popular fashion model so Instagrams CEO tells her, make this native," Alizadeh said. There is no doubt that financial support is involved as well. We are taking this very seriously.

Kim who has more than 70 million followers on Instagram, often posts photos of herself and her family.

According to her Twitter account, she is (at the time of writing this) in Cannes and we guess her Instagram account will soon showcase more photos from the film festivals red carpet.

Neither Kim nor Instagram has released any statement on Alizadehs remarks yet.
New Delhi/Islamabad: Hours after Islamabad expressed its "serious concern" to the UN over the Indian government's proposed Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, New Delhi dismissed the concerns and said "Islamabad has no locus standi on this issue".

Under the draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, anyone distributing a map that the Indian government deems to be "wrong" could be liable for a billion-rupee fine and jail time.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said India's "incorrect and legally untenable" official map, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, displays the Pakistani side of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said India "firmly rejects" repeated and increasing attempts by Pakistan to impose on the international community matters that it had always been open to address bilaterally with it.

"The proposed bill is an entirely internal legislative matter of India, since the whole of the state of J&K is an integral part of India. Pakistan or any other party has no locus standi in the matter.

"The Government firmly rejects Pakistan's repeated and increasing attempts to impose on the international community matters that India has always been open to address bilaterally with Pakistan," Swarup responded.

Through passage of this Bill, the Indian government would be able to penalise individuals and organisations "who depict Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions".

A letter sent to the UN in this regard by Pakistan's permanent representative in New York calls on the world body to uphold the Security Council resolutions, and urges India "to stop acts that are in violation of international law".

Pakistan also urged the international community and the UN to fulfil its commitment to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by holding an independent and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the UN.

The bill, according to various media reports, states that a licence will be needed to "acquire, disseminate, publish or distribute" maps, which means services like Google Maps and Apple Maps could have to apply for permits.

Last year, the government took the Al Jazeera news channel off air for nearly a week, saying it had repeatedly shown incorrect maps of Kashmir.

In 2011 it ordered The Economist magazine to cover up a map of the disputed borders in Kashmir. The news weekly placed white stickers over a diagram of the borders in 28,000 copies on sale in India. Google has also run into problems with Indian authorities over maps.

In 2014, the national surveying agency filed a complaint against the company for displaying varying maps of India on its different country webpages.
Beijing: Pakistan's powerful Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif met top Chinese leaders and military officials and discussed ways to enhance bilateral economic and security ties.

Gen Sharif, who is in China on a two-day official visit, on Monday met Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President of the Central Military Commission Fan Changlong, the highest military official of the People's Liberation Army which is headed by President Xi Jinping.

Li met Sharif on Monday to enhance bilateral economic and security ties, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday. Military-to-military relations have reinforced China-Pakistan ties, especially economic cooperation, Li said, calling on both sides to strengthen high-level contact and deepen exchanges in various fields.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC), estimated to cost about $46 billion, is not only a flagship project between the two sides, but also conducive to development and prosperity of the whole region, Li said.

On his part, Sharif appreciated Pakistan's profound friendship with China and stressed that the Pakistani side expects achievements from the CEPC and is ready to provide security for cooperation.

Pakistan military spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa said Gen Sharif discussed with Chinese officials the measures to improve military cooperation, exponentially enhance training exchanges, defence technology and intelligence sharing and security of the CEPC.

Sharif's visit to Beijing comes in the backdrop of assertions by Pakistan that it will raise its concerns at the international level over India's successful test of supersonic interceptor missile.

His trip followed last month's visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who held extensive talks with top Chinese leaders and military officials.

Expressing concern over India's interceptor missile test, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said it will disturb the balance of power in the region.

He added that Pakistan will continue to upgrade its defensive capabilities by acquiring advanced technology. India is enjoying the cooperation of the US, as Washington thinks a strong New Delhi is vital to contain China, he was quoted as saying by The Dawn.

Pakistan would raise its voice at the international level against these developments, Aziz said. Pakistan is also peeved over the US refusal to finance eight F-16s fighter jets.

Also, the India-China ties too faced problems over Beijing blocking New Delhis move in the UN to ban Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar, who is accused of masterminding the Pathankot terrorist attack.
Islamabad: Pakistan will explore other options to meet its defence needs if the deal for F-16s did not materialise with the US, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Tuesday, after America expressed its inability to fund the USD 700 million deal with its tax payers' money.

"Pakistan is an independent and sovereign state and it could acquire defence-related products from other suitable markets of the world," Asif said.

He said F-16 jet fighter has been very successful in counter terrorism operations and hoped that the US would resolve the issue of supply of F-16 to Pakistan without further delay.

"F-16 fighter jets have successfully been used in Zarb-e-Azb operation, and Pakistan has made major contributions in the war on terror and denying the F-16s to Pakistan will amount to denying those contributions," Asif was quoted as saying by The Nation.

He made the comments in the backdrop of a two-day international conference titled 'Refugee crisis and its ramifications for global and national security' organised by South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI) University in collaboration with the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), National Security Division and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

The US State Department had expressed its inability to fund the USD 700 million deal with American tax payers' money.

The US asked Pakistan to "put forward" its "national funds" to buy eight F-16s after some top Senators put a hold on the use of American tax payers' money to partially finance them.

Now Pakistan has time till May end to avail the American offer to procure F-16s.

Any delay in the acceptance of the offer, would result in increase in cost of F-16s. Pakistan was to pay only USD 270 million for the jets.
One of China's most powerful officials lands in Hong Kong Tuesday in an attempt to build bridges in the divided city, but the trip has already stirred anger among opponents.

The three-day visit by Zhang Dejiang, who chairs China's communist-controlled legislature, is the first by such a senior official in four years and comes as concerns grow in semi-autonomous Hong Kong that Beijing is tightening its grip.

While Zhang is ostensibly visiting to speak at an economic conference on Wednesday, the trip is widely seen as a bid to take the temperature in an increasingly febrile political climate which has fostered a fledgling independence movement, riling China.

Zhang will meet with a group of veteran pro-democracy lawmakers Wednesday evening, a rare move observers say is designed to defuse frustrations.

"It is really time for him to meet with non-establishment legislators... to hear our analysis of how Hong Kong ended up where we are today, and what are the ways forward," Civic Party lawmaker Alan Leong, who is part of the invited group, told AFP.

However, only four pro-democracy legislators will gather with Zhang and protest groups voiced anger they were being kept away from the venue where he will speak.

The harbour front conference centre is barricaded off and demonstrators will be confined to designated areas out of sight.

"Zhang Dejiang is coming here to understand the situation in Hong Kong but now his eyesight will be completely blocked," said Sham Tsz-kit of Civil Human Rights Front.

Paving stones in the area have been glued down to prevent protesters using them as missiles.

That comes after demonstrators dug up and threw bricks during running battles with police in February.

Police are even patrolling Lion Rock -- a hill on the other side of the harbour where pro-democracy protests banners have regularly been unfurled.

However, activists still managed to hang a banner calling for universal suffrage on a nearby hillside Tuesday morning.

Zhang's visit is expected to help Beijing gauge whether unpopular city leader Leung Chun-ying should stand for another term -- his current stint ends in March 2017.

Like all Hong Kong leaders, Leung was chosen by a 1,200-member committee stacked with Beijing loyalists.

Mass rallies in 2014 for fully free leadership elections failed to win political reform.

Since then, young campaigners have become increasingly frustrated with intransigence in Hong Kong and Beijing, with some saying they will not stop at violence to force change.

Pro-democracy legislator Emily Lau, one of the group to meet Zhang, said she would portray Leung as a divisive force.

"I'm going to tell him (Zhang) that Hong Kong is facing the most difficult situation since the handover," she added.

Hong Kong is semi-autonomous since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997, with freedoms unseen on the mainland, but there are fears they are being stripped away.

Those concerns were exacerbated by the disappearance at the end of last year of five Hong Kong booksellers known for publishing salacious titles about China's political leaders.

The men resurfaced in the mainland and four are now under criminal investigation.

Zhang is reported to be having a private dinner with Leung at his residence Tuesday night.

He will also attend a banquet with legislators Wednesday evening.
Just yesterday, it was reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook could visit India this week to meet PM Narendra Modi. Now, a new report from Factor Daily is stating that the company will open three retail stores in India by the end of 2017.

The three retail stores will be set up in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai in next 18 months, a source familiar to the matter told the publication. Each of these stores are said to be spread across 10,000 square feet and will be located at popular locations of these metros. As per a source, Apple executives are searching real estate for these stores that will need investment of $3 million to $5 million (20 crore to33 crore) each. The report goes on saying that a team of 40 Apple executives has been working on the project in Gurugram office for past few months.

Apple is close to getting DIPP approval for opening single brand retail stores in India and recently the DIPP panel has recommended to exempt the company from 30% sourcing condition for retail stores. Last month, it was reported that Apple is evaluating investment options in the country.

Along with the retail store, Apple is also expected to announce a start-up accelerator in India, as per Economic Times report. The official announcement about the accelerator will be made later this week with Cooks visit to India. Sell of refurbished iPhones and initiatives for startups and digital India will be some of the major discussion points for Cooks visit to India. Apple might be in the eight spot in the Indian smartphone market but the companys shipments grew 56% making it the second fastest smartphone maker from among the top 10 vendors.

source  1, 2
The new Moto G4 was just launched under the Lenovo branding and is currently in its 4th generation. We take a look at the specifications of the Moto G4 and the 3rd Gen Moto G (2015) to see what has changed.





Moto G4 Moto G (2015) Dimensions 15376.67.9-9.8 mm, 157 grams 142.1 x 72.4 x 11.6 mm, 155 grams Display 5.5 1080p Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 5 inches 720p display with Corning Gorilla Glass Processor Octa-Core Snapdragon 617 Processor with Adreno 405 GPU Quad-Core Snapdragon 410 Processor with Adreno 306 GPU RAM 2GB 1GB RAM (8GB), 2GB RAM (16GB) Storage 16GB, microSD Card Slot upto 128GB 8GB/16GB, microSD Card Slot upto 128GB Main Camera 13 Megapixel Camera with Dual-Tone LED Flash, f2.2 Aperture and 1080p Video Recording 13 Megapixel Camera with Dual-Tone LED Flash, IR Filter and 1080p Video Recording at 30fps Secondary Camera 5 Megapixel Front Facing Camera 5 Megapixel Front Facing Camera Operating System Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Colours Black and White Black and White Battery 3000 mAh with Turbo Charging 2470 mAH Connectivity microUSB Port, 3.5mm Audio Jack microUSB Port, 3.5mm Audio Jack Other Features DualSIM with 4G LTE Support (microSIM+nanoSIM) Removable Back Covers and Flip Covers Water-Repellent Nano Coating Micro SIM (Optional Dual-Micro SIM Variant) with LTE Support Dual Front Speakers IPX7 Water Resistance  Under 3 feet of water for 30 minutes
As Microsoft's ill-fated Tay chatbot quickly learned, social media is full of racism. In an attempt to eradicate it, advocacy groups in France plan to sue Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for failing to remove racist, homophobic, and other hateful posts from their platforms.

The Union of French Jewish Students (UEJF) and SOS Racism claimed last week that the social networks have violated a French law requiring them to remove such content. The groups tracked 586 posts between March and May 10 that they say are racist, homophobic, or anti-semitic, or that support terrorism or crimes against humanity.

A law passed in 2004 requires websites in France to remove content that is "manifestly illicit" in a timely manner if they know about it. According to the UEJF, Twitter removed just 4 percent of the offending posts on its network during the monitoring period, while YouTube and Facebook did only slightly better.

"In light of the benefits that YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook receive in France, and the few taxes they pay, their refusal to invest in the struggle against hate is unacceptable," UEJF President Sacha Reingewirtz said in a statement.

The complaint comes a few months after Facebook COO Cheryl Sandberg announced a crackdown on hate speech in Europe. The company pledged more than 1 million euros ($1.09 million) to financially support organizations that fight online extremism. That came after Facebook, Google and Twitter agreed in December to delete hate speech from their websites in Germany within 24 hours after they are posted.

In 2012, meanwhile, Twitter announced that it would start blocking tweets that ran afoul of certain countries' restrictions on speech. Germany and France, for example, ban pro-Nazi content, but it is protected speech under the First Amendment here in the United States.

However, European regulators, especially those in France and Germany, which have extensive laws against hate speech, have been unwavering in their pursuit of Facebook and other social media companies for previous violations.

Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, along with others, is reportedly wooing prospects for a third-party conservative candidate to keep presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump from entering the White House in 2016. Pat Buchanan, who ran as a third-party candidate in the 2000 presidential election, told the FOX Business Networks Neil Cavuto a third-party candidate on the ballot would hand the election to Hillary Clinton.

I dont understand why he [Mitt Romney] in an enterprise, the certain result of which would be to elect Hillary Rodham Clinton the President of The United States and give her three maybe four appointments to the Supreme Court and make ObamaCare forever, said Buchanan.

Among those who were reportedly recruited but turned down the offer are former Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

One of two people is going to be the next President of the United States  Its Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump and a third-party conservative would guarantee its Hillary Clinton.

He also said it would be difficult for a third-party candidate to win enough states to send the election to the House of Representatives.

Ross Perot got 19% of the vote in 1992; He didnt carry a single state, not a single electoral vote he said.
The forces of capitalism ensure that almost every company in the world will face a healthy amount of competition. One smart way companies look to overcome the competitive pressure is to make their brand names synonymous with the products or services they offer. Any company that can do so successfully stands a much better chance of increasing its market share over time, which usually leads to higher profitability.

That's a big reason we Fools love to buy stock in companies that have created a strong brand name that resonates with its customers. With that in mind, we reached out to a team of our Foolish contributors and asked them to highlight a big-brand company that they believe is a compelling buy today. Read on to find out which companies they like and see if you agree.

Rich Duprey:With all the speculation swirling that Kraft Heinzmight make a play for cereal maker General Mills, it's worth noting that Mondelez International is the perennial favorite of M&A rumor-mongers. Its combination of powerhouse brands and a global footprint makes it a tempting target, though Warren Buffett has previously said it's too richly valued for him to make a bid on it.

Yet it could make a buyout candidate for someone, particularly a company that wanted to fend off an unwanted acquisition attempt. It's why General Mills has often been thought of as a possible buyer, because it, too, keeps cropping up in takeover talks.

But beyond the potential catalyst of a merger, investors should think about adding Mondelez International to their portfolios anyway. It holds the preeminent position in three important categories, including candy, chocolate, and biscuits, while generating 85% of its revenues from the snacks market. It was that growing segment that was the inspiration for Nelson Peltz to advocate that PepsiCo buy Mondelez, split off its drinks business into a separate unit, and focus on the public's snacking habits.

Of course, Pepsi rejected his overtures and he ended his campaign, accepting instead a seat on Mondelez's board of directors. At less than 10 times earnings and only 21 times estimates -- which, considering analyst growth forecasts, gives it an enticing PEG ratio of less than 1 -- the global snack company should make a tasty morsel for investors.

Brian Feroldi: You'd be hard pressed to find a company that's done a better job of making its brand name synonymous with beer thanAnheuser-Busch InBev . The company spends billions of dollars each year to promote its huge stable of brands, which I think has been money well spent. The company now counts 19 brands in its lineup that each pulls in more than $1 billion in worldwide revenue, which creates a moat that competitors have found unable to breach.

That moat should help the company continue to churn out profits for decades, but the reason I think Anheuser-Busch InBev is an exciting investing idea today is that it's in the process of buying SABMiller,the No. 2 beer maker in the world. Regulators are still working out the details, but the company believes it's on schedule to close in the second half of the year. Once that happens, this company will control more than 30% of the worldwide beer market, making its already huge moat that much stronger.

Anheuser-Busch InBev's rationale for the deal is that buying SABMiller will immediately give it a foothold in the emerging markets where it doesn't already have a big presence. Africa looks to be an area of particular interest, as consumer purchasing power in the region is growing quickly and SABMiller holds a strong position in the area. That will position the company for decades of above-average growth as those markets mature.

With shares trading for about 24 times next year's earnings and offering up a dividend yield of 3.1%, this is a fairly priced company that's poised to dominate for decades to come.

Daniel B. Kline:Declining soft-drink sales have been ongoing bad news forCoca-Cola, but the company's stock has mostly recovered. The beverage brand has been trading in the $45 range -- close to its $47.13 52-week high. That's good news when you consider that the company is in the midst of a transformation and net revenue dropped by 4% in Q1 2016, where the company reported earnings per share of $0.36, down from $0.45 in the same quarter a year ago.

Those numbers weren't awful, and the company's April 20 earnings report showed that the company's long-term transformation has started to work. Overall global volume was up 2%. The company has also stopped the bleeding in sparkling beverages (anything carbonated, including soda), posting zero growth, but also zero decline. In addition, still-beverage sales grew by 7% -- a very encouraging sign that Coke has been able to move away from its reliance on soda.

The market has been wary of Coca-Cola because the company still has exposure in soda, a product line that suffers from negative press because of the health problems excessive consumption can lead to. But much of the suffering may be over in that market, and the bottom appears to have been found. Now, 18 months into CEO Muhtar Kent's transformation efforts, the needle is moving in the right direction.

Investors are overlooking Coca-Cola because of the soda stigma. But this isn't a cigarette company that had no other products to sell once its market became poisoned. Coke has the product lines and the distribution channels to sell consumers whatever they want to drink in the moment. That ultimately should lead to growth, even if soda sales remain stuck in neutral or go back into decline.

The article 3 Big Brand Stocks to Buy in May originally appeared on Fool.com.

Brian Feroldi has no position in any stocks mentioned. Daniel Kline has no position in any stocks mentioned. Rich Duprey has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. The Motley Fool recommends Anheuser-Busch InBev NV. 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.
Millions of Americans depend on their Social Security benefits to help them meet their financial obligations. For that reason it makes a great deal of sense for recipients to pursue any strategy that helps to ensure their monthly checks are as large as possible.

To help you get the most out of your Social Security benefits we asked a team of Motley Fool contributors to share a strategy that can help our readers to boost their monthly benefit check. Read below to see what they had to say.

Dan Caplinger: One area where the laws concerning Social Security are in flux concerns married couple and maximizing their benefits. In the past, a strategy known as file and suspend allowed couples to have a higher-earning spouse file for retirement benefits but immediately suspend them. That allowed the lower-earning spouse to claim spousal benefits, but it also permitted the higher-earning spouse to keep earning delayed retirement credits that would lead to a bigger monthly payment down the road.

Now that April is over, the file and suspend strategy isn't available any longer, because suspending your benefits will also cut off your spouse from claiming spousal benefits on your record. As a result, more couples will have to consider starting to receive benefits at an earlier age, especially in one-earner couples in which the non-earning spouse's spousal benefits won't be available unless the earning spouse files for retirement benefits. That level of coordination gets complicated quickly, and it's even more complex when you take into account the effect of your initial claiming decision on the survivor benefits that a surviving spouse would be able to claim on your record after your death. All in all, even if you think you have Social Security figured out, you need to look at recent law changes to make sure your plans for retirement will still work.

Brian Feroldi: If maximizing your Social Security payout is your goal, then it's critical to have a firm grasp on the formula that is used to tabulate your benefits.

Social Security benefits are calculated based on your lifetime earnings history, but the agency does slightly tweak your data when they are figuring out how much you are owed.

First, the SSA indexes your wages to bring them up to near-current levels. This helps to ensure that a worker's benefits account for the standard of living increase that occurred during his or her career.

Next, the workers highest 35 years of earnings are averaged together. From there the SSA applies a formula to the total and out pops the "primary insurance amount," which is the benefit that a worker would receive if they choose to start receiving checks at their full retirement age.

With this formula in mind one smart way to ensure that your benefits are as high as possible is to make sure that you have at least 35 working years on record. If your working history is less than 35 years then the agency will use a $0 in their calculation for each year that you are short, which can put a lot of downward pressure on your average and reduce your benefits.

If you run this calculation and find that you are a year or two short then staying in the work force until you reach the 35 year target will certainly give your benefit check a big boost.

Selena Maranjian: One guaranteed way to boost your Social Security benefits is to delay starting to collect them. You can start receiving the payments as early as age 62, but they'll be smaller than they would be if you started them at your "full" retirement age -- the one at which you'll receive your full benefits. You can also opt to start collecting as late as age 70, and for every year beyond your full retirement age that you delay, your benefits will increase in value by about 8% -- up to age 70. So delay from 67 to 70 and you can make your checks fully 24% bigger. That's pretty powerful. If you were expecting to collect $2,000 per month ($24,000 per year), you can instead receive $2,480 per month (or nearly $30,000 annually).

It's not a slam-dunk move, though. As the Social Security Administration has explained: "If you live to the average life expectancy for someone your age, you will receive about the same amount in lifetime benefits no matter whether you choose to start receiving benefits at age 62, full retirement age, age 70 or any age in between." Remember, after all, that in the example above, you might end up with $2,480 monthly checks, but you would have given up three years' worth of $2,000 checks in order to achieve that -- that's 36 times $2,000, or $72,000.

If you can afford to delay starting to collect, though, it can be well worth it to do so. If you expect to live a long time, for instance, you'll come out ahead. Not everyone can afford to wait, though, so know that starting on time -- or even early -- isn't as financially damaging as it might seem.

The article 3 Ways Americans Maximize Social Security Benefits originally appeared on Fool.com.

Brian Feroldi has no position in any stocks mentioned.Like this article? Follow him onTwitter where he goes by the handle@Longtermmind-setor connect with him on LinkedIn to see more articles like this.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.
In the years since oil prices plunged from their $100-plus per barrel levels of 2014, many energy industry stocks have struggled -- but now, they may be set to rebound. Economic growth worldwide and Middle Eastern production cuts have resulted in a more than doubling of crude oil prices since early 2016; if they remain near current levels or head higher, now could be the perfect time to add Hess Corp. (NYSE: HES), Diamond Offshore (NYSE: DO), and Core Labs (NYSE: CLB) to your portfolio.

A growth stock in the making

Hess's ongoing development of 550,000 acres in the Bakken Shale and its 30% interest in ExxonMobil's (NYSE: XOM) massive 6.6 million-acre project offshore Guyana, which is forecast to begin producing in 2020, put it in a great position to profit from rising crude oil prices.

Last year, Hess embarked on a multiyear restructuring under which it will sell mature oil and gas production assets, and spin off of midstream assets in the Bakken shale to Hess Midstream Partners, a master limited partnership. The asset sales are providing financial firepower that it's using to invest in new oil and gas production, reduce its debt, and repurchase stock. A cost-savings program that's cutting $150 million per year in expenses is underway, too.

The company's investors are already benefiting from its new strategy. In the first quarter, Hess' operating expenses fell to $288 million from $358 million last year, it bought back $500 million worth of stock, and it retired $390 million of its debt.

It also produced more oil than expected. Thanks to a 12% jump in production from its Bakken Shale assets, companywide production was 233,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) in Q1, exceeding the 220,000 boepd to 225,000 boepd range it forecast in February. Hess also plans to add two more rigs in the Bakken Shale later this year, and it wouldn't surprise me if growing production in the region allows it to overdeliver on its full-year target production range of 245,000 boepd to 255,000 boepd.

Looking further out, its project with ExxonMobil offshore of Guyana could be a game-changer. Hess says it can break even on that project at about $35 per barrel, and that the block could produce 500,000 boepd once it's pumping at full speed.

Given its growing Bakken production, lower costs, shareholder friendly buybacks, and a potential to profit from Guyana in a couple years, shares of Hess Corp. appear to be a smart bet.

Planning for a turnaround

The market for offshore drilling rigs has been horrendous since oil prices peaked in 2014, but a market bottom may be in. If it is, a pickup in demand could finally support higher rig day rates -- and profits -- at Diamond Offshore.

Diamond Offshore's Q1 financial performance showed few signs of a recovery in its business, but the situation could improve significantly if day rates rise, because 15 of the rigs in its have contracts that end in 2019 or 2020.

The company's Q1 conference call also provided some clues that better times may be ahead. While the company still has five cold-stacked rigs, including one that's held for sale, it did announce that Ocean Endeavor will return to service in 2019 for a minimum of two years in the wake of interest from three companies that wanted to contract it.

Management also said it's seeing increased interest from clients in fixed contracts that lock in today's day rates; that may signal that exploration and production companies are getting nervous, sensing that the next move in offshore rig day rates will be up, not down.

Furthermore, although there's 169 years of dynamically positioned floater supply available, and only 115 years of open demand for it in the next 12 months, the gap between supply and demand has shrunk since last year.

Admittedly, rig rates aren't likely to bounce back quickly, but if utilization perks up before it come time for Diamond Offshore to renegotiate contracts on its rigs in the coming year or two, the company could finally start moving its top and bottom lines in the right direction -- particularly since the company has more operating leverage thanks to the cost cutting efforts it undertook during the crude oil bear market.

There's always a market for innovation

As oil and gas markets improve, I expect exploration and production companies will increasingly embrace Core Labs' solutions to maximize their production and reduce their well costs.

We're already beginning to see that occur, and because Core Labs is an asset-light company, the trends are translating into substantial improvements in operating margin and profitability.

In Q4, revenue increased 14.9% year over year to $171.8 million, but operating expenses increased by only 8.9%. As a result, operating margin increased from 4 percentage points to 19% and net income skyrocketed 41% to $21.7 million.

It was a similar story in Q1, with revenue increasing 8.9%, operating margin improving by 4 percentage points to 19%, and net income ballooning 33% to $23.6 million. Core Labs' operating margin was 30% prior to the oil price collapse of 2014, so its profitability may have further room to improve.

Most of the demand for Core Labs' solutions is coming from land-based shale exploration and production, but offshore demand appears to be picking up. When asked about offshore activity during the Q1 conference call, Core Labs' management said it was seeing a broad improvement led by the Gulf of Mexico, South America (Brazil), and Guyana. In fact, Core Labs said that ExxonMobil and Hess Corp.'s Guyana project would be a source of revenue for the next 20 years.

With shale production continuing to climb and offshore markets starting to recover, I think there's a significant opportunity for earnings growth for Core Labs. For that reason, I feel it could be an even better buy now than Hess Corp. or Diamond Offshore.

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Todd Campbell has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. His clients may have positions in the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Core Laboratories. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Not too long ago, dividend stocks were few and far between in the airline industry. As airlines recovered from the Great Recession, most chose to hoard their cash rather than distribute it to shareholders.

Over the past few years, that's started to change. Delta Air Lines has been at the forefront of the movement to put airlines on the map for income investors. On Monday, the company raised its dividend by 50% for a third consecutive year. Delta's ability and willingness to keep increasing its payout makes it a great dividend stock for income investors to consider.

Dividends come to the airline industry

Four years ago, Southwest Airlines was one of the few airlines to pay a regular dividend. Yet its quarterly payout was only $0.01. In effect, Southwest was just paying a token sum to stay on the radar of institutional investors who only invest in dividend stocks.

Southwest was one of the only dividend-paying airlines until recently.

However, Delta Air Lines shook up the market by initiating a $0.06 quarterly dividend in 2013. At the time, that represented an annual dividend yield of more than 1%, but Delta's soaring stock price quickly pushed the yield below 1%.

Shortly after Delta announced its dividend plans in May 2013, Southwest Airlines quadrupled its own quarterly dividend to $0.04 to keep pace. Since then, both companies have typically announced significant dividend increases each May.

Another huge increase at Delta

Delta has increased its dividend payout by 50% each year since it began paying a dividend. Beginning in September of this year, Delta's quarterly payout will rise to $0.2025 ($0.81 per year). Based on the stock's Monday closing price of $43.00, that's a 1.9% dividend yield.

Meanwhile, Southwest's yield has slipped below 1%, due to a combination of strong stock performance and slower dividend increases than at Delta.

Delta Air Lines still isn't the top-yielding dividend stock in the airline industry. That title goes to obscure ultra-low-cost carrier Allegiant Air, which recently announced plans to more than double its quarterly dividend to $0.70. Allegiant's dividend yield also rounds to 1.9%, but is slightly higher than Delta's.

Delta's dividend is built to last

Beyond the size of a dividend stock's yield, investors also have to pay attention to whether the company can sustain (and grow) its dividend. Fortunately, that should be very easy for Delta.

Delta Air Lines has plenty of room to continue growing its dividend.

After its recent dividend increase, Delta will be on the hook for about $625 million in annual dividend payments. Meanwhile, the company expects to produce $4.5 billion-$5.5 billion of free cash flow annually for the next three years. That puts the company's payout ratio in the 11%-14% range.

This is a very conservative payout ratio. While there's no hard-and-fast rule about what makes a "safe" payout ratio, a 50%-75% payout ratio is fairly common among dividend stocks.

Delta's free cash flow may decline somewhat by the end of the decade, as cash tax payments increase. Rising oil prices could potentially add to the pressure on its free cash flow. But even if free cash flow were to fall by 50% from the projected 2016-2018 level, Delta could still afford to double or even triple its dividend without driving its payout ratio to an unsustainable level.

The bottom line is that Delta should be able to continue growing its dividend at a high rate for the next few years.

Southwest's turn

If history is a guide, Southwest Airlines will announce a dividend increase of its own during its annual meeting on Wednesday. However, it would have to nearly triple its dividend to overtake Delta's 1.9% yield. Among the largest airline stocks, Delta looks like the best pick for dividend-seeking investors.

The article Delta Air Lines, Inc. Has Become a Great Dividend Stock originally appeared on Fool.com.

Adam Levine-Weinberg is long January 2017 $40 calls on Delta Air Lines. 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.
In anticipation of a rapid ramp-up in production and deliveries of its 2015-launched Model X SUV, as well as increasing demand for its Model S, electric-car maker Tesla Motors went into 2016 expecting impressive growth; Its full-year guidance implies about 68% year-over-year growth in vehicle deliveries. But a slower-than-expected start to 2016 may have investors wondering whether the company's will be able to follow through on the rosy outlook.

To help provide insight into the answer to that question, here's where Tesla is with production and deliveries so far, as well as what to expect from the current quarter.

Model X. Image source: Tesla Motors.

Running behind schedule

Tesla reported 14,810 vehicle deliveries in Q1, a number that was dragged down by production troubles. The automaker faced "severe Model X supplier parts shortages ... that lasted much longer than initially expected," it said in the press release announcing first-quarter deliveries. In addition to supply shortages, the automaker admitted "hubris in adding far too much new technology to Model X in version 1" -- a problem the CEO even admitted to on the day of first deliveries last September. In total, Tesla delivered about 12,400 Model Ss and 2,400 Model Xs -- leaving the company more than a thousand units behind its own guidance for the quarter.

Notably, Tesla's production during the quarter was at least moving forward. While Tesla delivered 14,810 vehicles, it produced a record 15,510 vehicles -- up 10% from the record it set in the prior quarter. Further, though the production ramp-up for the Model X ran into some problems, it jumped significantly in relative terms -- from 507 units in Q4 to 2,659 units in Q1.

With production continuing to increase, and demand for Tesla's vehicles continuing to grow, management said it remained confident in the company's full-year outlook to deliver 80,000 to 90,000 vehicles, representing vehicle sales growth of about 68% at the midpoint of the guidance range.

Looking to Q2

For the current quarter, Tesla expects to produce about 20,000 vehicles, and plans to deliver "as many of these cars as we can in Q2, with the rest being delivered in Q3." More specifically, Tesla anticipates delivering about 17,000 vehicles in Q2 as it ships a large number of vehicles to Europe and Asia toward the end of the quarter.

Tesla Fremont factory. Image source: Tesla Motors.

Given that Tesla has only missed its own guidance for quarterly deliveries in two out of the last 13 quarters, and considering management's outlook for the current quarter at the time of the shareholder letter (which was published more than a month into Q2), it's likely Tesla will meet its numbers and deliver at least 17,000 vehicles.

Tesla needs a big second half of 2016

But even if Tesla hits its Q2 target, the automaker will still need to average about 24,100 vehicles each in Q3 and Q4, marking a significant increase from Tesla's 14,810 deliveries in Q1, and its expected 17,000 units in Q2. To hit its full-year guidance, therefore, management is banking on some significant production acceleration in the back half of 2016 -- starting with Q3.

"Importantly, now that supply chain constraints have been resolved, we plan to exit Q2 at a steady production rate of 2,000 vehicles per week," management said in the company's first-quarter shareholder letter, thus laying the foundation for a strong Q3 delivery number.

For now, all investors can do is check in on Q2 when the company reports deliveries for the quarter several days after it ends. To regain confidence in the company's big full-year outlook, look for Tesla to return to its usual guidance-beating delivery figures.

The article How Many Vehicles Will Tesla Motors Inc. Deliver This Quarter? 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: NVIDIA Corporation.

Earlier this month, NVIDIA Corporation and Samsung announced an agreement to settle all pending intellectual property litigation between the two companies, ending a more than year-long legal battle between the two tech giants.

"The settlement includes the licensing of a small number of patents by each company to the other," NVIDIA's press release elaborated, "but no broad cross-licensing patents or other compensation."

That might seem well and good on the surface. But make no mistake: This isnotwhat the folks at NVIDIA wanted to happen. In fact, the graphics chip specialist may be missing out on hundreds of millions -- if not billions -- in potential IP licensing and royalty revenue.

How do I mean? Take NVIDIA's cross-licensing agreement with Intel , for example, under which Intel agreed to pay NVIDIA a total of $1.5 billion in licensing fees over a six-year period starting in 2011. This also means NVIDIA will no longer enjoy those fees from Intel starting next year, forming what Goldman Sachs analyst James Covello described last year as a worrisome "licensing cliff" that, combined with any slowdown of its core gaming graphics card markets, could have painful repercussions on NVIDIA's business.

To be fair, NVIDIA stock has nearly doubled over the past year as of this writing, driven both by its utter dominance of the dedicated graphics card industry (NVIDIA commanded nearly 80% of the entire market at the end of 2015), and by broad strength across its other market verticals. Most recently, last week NVIDIA stock popped as much as 13% after it announcedstrong data center and automotive sales brought overall revenue growth in Q1 2016 to levels well above management's expectations.

But you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone at NVIDIA as pleased about their recent settlement with Samsung.

A timeline to (underwhelming) resolution

Rewind to Sept. 2014, when NVIDIA initiated its first-ever patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung and mobile chip specialist Qualcomm , and simultaneously asked the International Trade Commission to block shipments of the offending products into the United States. According to NVIDIA Executive VP David Shannon at the time, both Samsung and Qualcomm had "chosen to deploy our [intellectual property] without proper compensation to us." In question were the companies' unauthorized use of seven of NVIDIA's 7,000 GPU-related patents, which NVIDIA stated Samsung repeatedly said was "mostly their suppliers' problem."

However, Samsung promptly struck back with a lawsuit of its own. Shannon noted NVIDIA "fully expected we would be sued in response," calling it "a predictable tactic." But Samsung also questionably dragged a small, Virginia-based NVIDIA partner called Velocity Micro into the lawsuit in an apparent attempt to keep the suit in the state, which NVIDIA noted has faster times to trial than most other U.S. jurisdictions. Then, Samsung followed by including in a separate counter suit with the ITC a dozen more small NVIDIA partnersthat, Shannon lamented on NVIDIA's behalf, "have nothing to do with this fight."

Nonetheless, NVIDIA maintained its original assertion that Samsung and Qualcomm should pay up, and expressed optimism the first case to be decided would be its ITC complaint. And all was looking up as late as April 2015, when NVIDIA offered an update with a pretrial decision from the ITC known as a "Markman ruling." Through that ruling, a judge determined claim constructions favorable to NVIDIA would be applied to six out of seven disputed claims when considering Samsung's and Qualcomm's alleged infringement.

Six months later, however, the case took a step backward for NVIDIA after the same judge issued an initial determination that Samsung and Qualcommdidn'tinfringe on two of NVIDIA's patents. He also further stated that while they did infringe on a third NVIDIA patent, that third patent was deemed invalid. NVIDIA naturally disagreed, vowing to ask for the ruling to be reviewed by the full six-commissioner U.S. ITC team and to confirm the previous judgment of the U.S. Patent Office that the third patent was valid. Shannon also remarked that the initial determination was merely "one more step in a long legal process."

Fast-forward to this month's settlement, however, and it becomes obvious that NVIDIA decided somewhere along the line that this "long legal process" either wasn't worth the effort or would ultimately prove unwinnable.

That doesn't mean NVIDIA investors should flee the stock. After all, the settlement had no discernible negative effect on NVIDIA's shares -- something that shouldn't be entirely surprising in light of the broad strength its business has exhibited lately.

As NVIDIA continues to find success in diversifying its revenue streams away from the core gaming market, I'm also confident the company will follow by generating market-beating returns. But as a longtime NVIDIA shareholder myself, I'll admit I'm disappointed with the loss of this potentially massive licensing opportunity.

The article How NVIDIA Corporation May Have Just Lost Billions originally appeared on Fool.com.

Steve Symington owns shares of NVIDIA. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends NVIDIAand Qualcomm. The Motley Fool recommends 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.
A recent Gizmodo article, citing claims from anonymous former contractors on Facebook's Trending Topics team, has raised concerns of the social network filtering news headlines based on the political views of the curators.Those curatorsscan through trending topics that Facebook's algorithm ranks by overall engagement, write new headlines for each topic, add three-sentence summaries of the story the topic is pegged to, and attach images before sending them to back to users in curated form.

Image source: Pixabay.

The aforementioned articlequoted former curators stating that they "choose what's trending," and that there was "no real standard for measuring what qualified as news and what didn't." Curators also reportedly had the power to "blacklist" trending topics at their discretion, indicating that the personal views of curators possibly shaped the news that Facebook's 1.65 billion monthly active usersultimately read.

Gizmodo's report claims that the curators regularly avoided conservative sites likeThe Blaze and Breitbart, while sticking with "preferred media outlets" like The New York Times. That claim fueled concerns among conservative critics that Facebook users were being fed more liberal headlines than conservative ones.

Facebook's response

Facebook initially denied those accusations, but an internal training document leaked to The Guardian indicated thatnews headlines were curated by humans at almost every stage instead of algorithms. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg subsequently pledged to probe those allegations, statingthat he would meet with 12 "conservative thought leaders" this Wednesday..

Facebook isn't the only tech giant facing accusations of political censorship and abuse of power. In the U.K., Alphabet's Google was accused of hiding anti-Conservative Party auto-complete search results earlier this year. Google denied the charges, stating that auto-complete results were only affected by "a number of factors including the popularity of search terms." The search giant also faces antitrust charges in Europe for allegedly using its algorithm topromote its own sites over rival ones. Google previously denied those charges, but the EU recently announced that it plans to hit the company with a record3 billion ($3.4 billion) antitrust fine..

Should investors be worried?

Facebook's curation controversy raises interesting questions about whether or not the social network's news business is being run like a newsroom, but it probably won't cause an exodus of users or advertisers.

Nonetheless, investors should keep abreast of the situation, since a large portion of Facebook's 173 million daily active users in the U.S. and Canada could be offended by the social network's perceived "suppression" of conservative headlines as the election season rolls along. Most users probably won't be offended enough to quit Facebook entirely, but the situation highlights how important it is for the company to maintain a neutral position in hot button issues like politics in the future.

The article Instant Analysis: Is Facebook Filtering News Based on Political Bias? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Leo Sun has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), and Facebook. The Motley Fool recommends The New York Times. 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.
Kandi k30 electric vehicle. Image source: Kandi Technologies Group.

Kandi Technologies Group reported first-quarter results on May 10. The auto-parts manufacturer saw its profits dented by the timing of certain tax exemption approvals for its electronic vehicles by the Chinese government, but the company says it's still on track to hit its full-year targets.

Kandi Technologies results: The raw numbers

Metric Q1 2016 Q1 2015 Growth (YOY) Revenue $50.7 million $43.8 million 15.7% Gross profit $6.7 million $6.4 million 5.5% Net income $0.1 million $6.1 million (98.6%)

Data source: Kandi Technologies Q1 2016 earnings press release.

What happened with Kandi Technologies this quarter?

Total revenue rose 15.7% year over year to $50.7 million, with electric-vehicle parts sales up 7.5% to $46.2 million.

However, Kandi's profitability weakened, with gross margin decreasing to 13.3% from 14.6% in the first quarter of 2015. Operating margin also declined, falling to negative 3.1% from 4.4% in the prior-year period, as total operating expenses ballooned 85.5% to $8.3 million, with most of the increase coming from higher stock compensation expense.

While the decline in margins dinged Kandi's profits, an even bigger hit came from Kandi Electric Vehicles Group Co.'s results. The joint venture, in which Kandi Technologies Group has a 50% stake, generated an $8.1 million loss in Q1, as issues related to the approval of tax exemptions by Chinese authorities prevented the company from producing any EV sales during the quarter.

All told, net income plummeted 98.6% to $88,420, or less than $0.01 per share.

"In this quarter, various elements, including the newly approved product list from Ministry of Industrial and Information Technology of China ... for national subsidies and the subsequent pending of the list of vehicles entitled to purchase tax exemption from the National Tax Bureau heavily impacted the JV company's sales and also Kandi's financial performance," said Chairman and CEO Xiaoming Hu in a press release. "After confirming that four EV products of the JV company were on thenewly approved list which qualified for purchase tax exemption, the JV company has [been selling] EV products since April 2016."

Looking forward

Despite the lack of EV products sales by its joint venture in the first quarter, management still believes Kandi Technologies can hit its full-year targets, including the delivery of at least 35,000 electronic vehicle products and net revenue in the range of $270 million to $300 million.

"We expect to deliver 5,500-6,000 EV products in the second quarter and no less than 35,000 EVs for the full year," said Hu."Out of our full-year targets of 35,000 EVs, we anticipate 10,000 of them [will] be used for our Micro Public Transportation Program, while 25,000 EVs [will] be allocated to the direct sales channel."

The article Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. Earnings Plummet 99% on Tax Exemption Issues originally appeared on Fool.com.

Joe Tenebruso has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Kandi Technologies. 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.
More people wanting milk from these things is helping WhiteWave grow.

WhiteWave Foods Co. reported first-quarter financial results on May 10, announcing another record quarter, and continued its double-digit growth pace. And WhiteWave didn't just buy itself into growth, or rely on overseas expansion to drive sales higher, reporting increased revenues in its existing operations as well as from acquisitions.

Here's a closer look at WhiteWave's earnings release.

The numbers

Metric Q1 2016 Q1 2015 Change Revenue $1,040 $911 14% Net income $43 $33 28% Operating income $84 $70 20% Earnings per share $0.24 $0.19 26%

Revenue, net income, and operating income in millions. Source: WhiteWave Foods..

As a comparison, Dean Foods Co. , one of the largest dairy producers in the U.S., saw its revenue decline 8% to $1.88 billion, though its profits soared 90% on an adjusted basis, and its GAAP profits were strong after reporting a loss one year ago, because of a significant non-cash asset impairment.

Dean also reported that it expects its revenues to decline again in the second quarter, as milk volumes and costs are likely to fall. This is very different from what WhiteWave is seeing, as demand for the company's premium dairy and dairy alternative products continues to grow.

What happened in the quarter

Americas food and beverages segment revenue increased 15%.

Segment constant currency organic sales, i.e., sales excluding acquisitions and adjusted for foreign exchange, increased 7%.

Europe food and beverages segment revenue increased 11%.

Excluding currency impact, revenue increased 14%.

Fresh foods segment revenue was flat, as the impact of a messy SAP rollout hurt the results over much of the past few quarters.

Management said things are improving, that SAP will be a benefit for that business once it's fully rolled out, and expanded warehousing and distribution are in place.

Plant-based foods and beverages continued to drive growth, up 29% in the Americas. Management said they were key drivers in Europe as well, particularly nut-based beverages and plant-based yogurts.

Vega, a large acquisition from 2015, reported a 50% increase in sales.

Increased distribution from WhiteWave's broader scale is helping drive revenue for Vega.

Wallaby, another significant 2015 acquisition, also continues to deliver strong growth.

The coffee creamers and beverages platform grew 10% and generated more than $1 billion in revenue.

What management said

CFO Greg Christenson said the following when going over the company's raised guidance for the full fiscal year:

Here's CEO Gregg Engles on the prospects for expansion in Latin and South America, starting with Mexico:

COO Blaine McPeak commented on the company's expectations for Earthbound Farms -- the company's fresh fruits and vegetables business -- to bounce back to growth in the near term:

Looking ahead

WhiteWave continues to execute strong growth both from timely acquisitions, but also from increased demand for its core products. As Engles pointed out, the increased demand for products such as the company's coffee creamers isn't a new phenomenon, as those categories have been growing at nearly double-digit rates for the better part of 20 years.

Furthermore, while megamilk competitor Dean Foods continues to feel the impact of flat and even weakening demand for traditional dairy foods, WhiteWave is growing sales of its dairy alternatives as more consumers shift away from milk-based beverages, yogurts, and ice creams. Eventually the company's days of double-digit growth will come to an end, but it looks as if there's a lot of room to grow before that day arrives, while traditional dairy businesses such as Dean Foods could continue to see a steadily shrinking market for "real" dairy products.

The article WhiteWave Foods Co. Pours Another Big Glass of Growth originally appeared on Fool.com.

Jason Hall has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends WhiteWave Foods. 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: Shares of NQ Mobile popped briefly this morning, opening the trading day with 12% gains only to give some back. As of 11:48 a.m. ET, shares were up just 5%, after the company announced a divestment agreement.

So what: For nearly a year, NQ has been attempting to divest its majority owned Cayman Islands subsidiary FL Mobile, but ran into some roadblocks along the way. NQ has now reached a definitive agreement with Shenzhen Prince New Materials Co., Ltd. To sell its entire stake in FL Mobile to Shenzhen Prince.

Now what: Shenzhen Prince will acquire NQ's 65% equity interest in FL Mobile for approximately 3.2 billion yuan ($500 million). Shenzhen Prince will acquire the remaining equity interests held by other affiliates and executives of NQ. The total deal values FL Mobile at 5 billion yuan ($767 million).

Image source: NQ Mobile.

Shenzhen Prince is funding the deal with equity financing, and it has also entered into share subscription agreements with investors. NQ will receive 95% of the cash consideration within 10 days of closing, bolstering its balance sheet.

The article Why NQ Mobile Shares Popped Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Evan Niu, CFA 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.
For the first time ever, the Steve Irwin Gala Dinner will be held in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 21. The evening celebrates the life and legacy of Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin and will be hosted by "Dancing With the Star's" Tom Bergeron and Olivia Newton-John.

Irwin's daughter, Bindi, who charmed U.S. audiences with her win on "DWTS" spoke to FOX411 about her positive outlook, her long distance relationship and her father's impact on her life.

FOX411: So this is first year the gala in America.

Bindi Irwin: Yes, we've had a few of them back in Australia but it seemed the perfect time to bring it to the States. We're really excited it's going to be in L.A. which means a lot of my "Dancing with the Stars" family will be able to join us. [Our] dear friends from all over America will be there to celebrate Dad's legacy and fundraise for Wildlife Warriors.

FOX411: It's been nearly ten years since your Dad passed away. Has there been a day that someone hasn't said how much they loved him?

Irwin: As a family, it's been amazing to share our journey and stories with so many people. We had no idea how many people, dad and even my mom reached. And after dad passed away, just a flood of support came through and we felt extremely blessed. To have that love and support means the world. Without that, we couldn't continue to make sure his legacy lives on.

Dad always used to say he didn't care if people didn't remember him, he cared if people remembered his message. And I think for us, we're really lucky to be able to carry on his footsteps and really continue to share his messages and love for conservation. He was amazing that he could get people to fall in love with not just the cute and cuddly animals but the more interesting animals like crocodiles and snakes.

FOX411: You're so positive and optimistic. What do you credit that to?

Irwin: Well, thank you! Honestly, I think it's because of my beautiful family and the upbringing I've had. We live right in the middle of Australia Zoo and that means my entire life has been filled with all kinds of animals and with our conservation work I really feel I've been put on this planet for a reason. A lot of us we find our purpose in life later on but for me I've been very lucky to know who I want to be and I've known that since I've been tiny, since I was 4 or 5 years old. With my life I want to use my voice to be able to reach out to as many people and inspire others to make a difference.

FOX411: You made quite the splash on "Dancing with the Stars."

Irwin: It was unbelievable, the entire experience was so extraordinary. It was so new and different for me and it was a little bit intimidating at first. I'd never danced before, I'd never worn high heels before so it was really taking this girl out of Australia with all of her animals into the middle of L.A. and learning to dance and find the confidence within myself. But it was worth it, the journey and I hope that other people who took that journey with me feel inspired to seize opportunities and enjoy life. I feel lucky that I got to share my messages of wildlife and conservation with people who might not think about those things.

I really got to walk through my journey with such an amazing partner (Derek Hough) and he became part of the family. He actually came to Australia Zoo right after "Dancing with the Stars" finished and he came and visited my world and we got him feeding crocodiles.

FOX411: Are you ever in a bad mood?

Irwin: (laughs) Not really! My mum said when I turned 13 she came into my room to see if I'd grown any horns because I'd reached the teenage years and she said, "I didn't find any and you're pretty much the same person!" I'm too busy trying to save the world!

FOX411: How do you handle a long distance relationship?

Irwin: For me I'm very happy to have someone so brilliant in my life. Chandler is just a lovely human being and so kind and such a patient person. I think I inherited my dad's lack of patience. My Dad was like a living hurricane and I think I've inherited some of that but Chandler is very patient so we balance each other out quite well. My family loves him and we're so lucky to have someone who shares our passion for wildlife.
Chloe Goins withdrew her case in February against Bill Cosby in which she claimed the comedian drugged and sexually abused her during a party at the Playboy Mansion in 2008 when she was 18 years old.

But on Monday, Goins filed a new sexual battery complaint with the Los Angeles County Superior Court, and this time she also named Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.

The new complaint repeats Goins original claim that Cosby drugged the then 18-year -old Goins drink, causing her to become unconscious. When she awoke, the suit claims, she was naked with a sticky substance on her chest, and Cosby was sucking on her toes. Hugh Hefner is also named in this week's complaint, as Goins says the Playboy mogul was aware of Cosbys alleged misconduct, and even suggested Goins go and lie down in a bedroom at the residence.

Defendant Hefners actions of inviting and hosting young and

impressionable and possibly minor children lo his residence, and

providing alcoholic beverages and or foreign substances was negligent at the very least, the complaint reads. Additionally, his act of inviting or housing and introducing Defendant Cosby, the Defendant Hefner knew or should have known had a history of severe and serial sexual battery and or possibly rape of women was negligent at the very least...."

Goins is seeking a jury trial and damages.

In explaining the reasoning behind filing another complaint after withdrawing their initial lawsuit, Goins lawyer Spencer Kuvin told FOX411: As Ms. Goins' attorney, it's my job to protect her rights to the court system provided to her under California law, which includes among other responsibilities, timely filings and appropriate venue. This latest development is about doing what's best for her.

Ms. Goins' goals haven't changed since she went public with her horrific story of assault by Bill Cosby last December, Kuvin said. Ms. Goins wants to see Mr. Cosby held accountable for the sexual assault he perpetrated on her and more than 60 other women over three decades. She understands that the wheels of justice turn slowly, and that this is an arduous journey, but she's in it for one reason, and one reason only -- justice and vindication from the man who assaulted her, stole her innocence, and inflicted years of ongoing emotional and psychological trauma.

Kuvin further explained why they withdrew Goins case earlier this year.

We withdrew the case on her behalf in light of an internal review of all available legal strategies and options afforded to Ms. Goins in her long and arduous pursuit of justice against her attacker, Bill Cosby. He added, The bottom line is that we are doing what is in the best legal interests of Ms. Goins  filing in state court and including Mr. Hefner as a conspirator.

After investigating Goins' claims, the Los Angeles County prosecutors declined in January to file criminal charges against Cosby.

The LAPD simply declined to press charges against Mr. Cosby in the criminal investigation of this assault, said Kuvin. The criminal investigation conducted by the LAPD has no bearing on the civil litigation we are pressing forward with in the long pursuit of justice on behalf of our victimized client, Ms. Goins.

In 2014, Hefners name was mentioned by another alleged Cosby victim, Judy Huth. She claimed to have been assaulted at the Playboy Mansion when she was 15. That December, Hefner issued a statement regarding those allegations: Bill Cosby has been a good friend for many years and the mere thought of these allegations is truly saddening. I would never tolerate this kind of behavior, regardless of who was involved."

Cosby has continually denied sexual assault claims. In May 2015, during an interview with Good Morning America the former TV star said of the allegations, I have been in this business 52 years and I've never seen anything like this. Reality is a situation and I can't speak."

Cosbys rep declined to comment for this story. Playboys rep did not immediately return email messages or calls.
Instead of trying to squeeze in a workout while your newborn is napping and potentially skipping over any other responsibilities you have piling up some women are working out with their children.

If we incorporate our children into our fitness routine were killing two birds with one stone, Andrea Van Zile, mother of 3-year-old Kaia, told FoxNews.com. We are playing with our kids were engaging them in a physical way while exercising.

Plus, working out with your children will teach them the importance of being active and how to incorporate movement in their normal routines.

Van Zile, who is a Pilates instructor at Vida Fitness and studio manager of SweatBox in Washington, D.C., suggested getting your pre-pregnancy body back with a mother-child workout that allows the little ones to imitate your movements and, if theyre feeling playful and jumping on you, can give you an even tougher workout.

Try these three exercises Van Zile recommends:

Plank: There are two versions of this, depending on how strong you feel.

The first is to do a modified plank on your hands and knees. Start on your knees and come on to your hands on all fours. Make sure that your shoulders are directly over your wrists and that weight is evenly distributed between all your fingers. Push back into childs pose and then up to all fours. Shift your weight forward so your chest reaches beyond your wrists and your hips are forward of your knees. Your knees and lower legs remain on the floor. Hold it for 30 seconds, then 60 seconds and then 90 seconds progressing yourself as you build strength and resting in childs pose in between.

From there you can lead into the full plank, tucking yours under to straighten your legs, like the top of a push-up. Energetically push away from the mat and raise your back to the ceiling. Your tailbone should be tucked under so that your pubic bone is up toward your belly button. Pull your heels and crown of your head away from each other.

Your child can imitate you or hop on your back for some added weight.

Squats: Van Zile likes to do squats in front of a couch or chair so that she knows how low to go. Stand with your feet just wider than your hips with a tiny turnout of your toes. Pitch your body forward and sit back toward the couch, keeping your knees directly over your ankles. Push through your heels and stand all the way up, tightening your core and strengthening your posterior chain. Your child can hop on your back like a piggyback ride for some extra strengthening.

Scissors: Lie down on your back and curl your chest up so youre on the tips of your shoulder blades. Send your feet to the ceiling keeping your tailbone heavy. Lower your right leg 45 degrees and slowly scissor back and forth between each leg for ten repetitions. If your child hops on, you can take them for a ride on your legs which is fun for them and gives you an added workout.

Van Zile noted that, before you make any lifestyle changes, especially after giving birth, consult with your doctor.

For more workout tips from Van Zile follow her on Instagram by clicking here.
Saturday in Detroit, a group of Michigan teens got to trade their hospital gowns for dresses and jewels during a prom arranged just for them. For some of the teenagers, it may have been their last and only dance, Fox 2 Detroit reported.

The event, Wish Upon a Teens Evening of Dreams Prom, kicked off this year and aims to help teens whose medical conditions, hospitalizations and treatments prevented them from going to the proms held at their own schools.

Detroit School of Arts student Destinee McEwen described the event as magical.

I dont feel pretty all the time, McEwen, who is battling stage 3 cardiac sarcoma, told Fox 2 Detroit, so to be able to get dressed up and get my makeup done I just feel so excited, so happy.

Michelle Soto, founder of Wish Upon a Teen, said the purpose of the event is to help teens with ailments like McEwen feel like they are ordinary, healthy teens teens who arent fighting for their lives every day.

To be able to take a night and to get dressed up and to be with friends and just feel like a typical teenager means the world to them, Soto told the news station. "For several of the kids that are here tonight, they're on end-of-life care and this will be the one and only celebration their one and only prom."
For women in U.S. medical research, sexual harassment is less common than 20 years ago, but it was still experienced by 30 percent of those responding to a new survey, compared to just 4 percent of men, researchers say.

In 1995, more than half of women academic medical faculty surveyed said they'd been harassed, compared to 5 percent of men. But those women had gone to medical school when less than 10 percent of the class was female, noted the lead author of a research letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"The broader literature on workplace harassment suggests that such experiences are more common when there is substantial gender imbalance in the workplace," said Dr. Reshma Jagsi of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Michigan.

"I really thought that harassment would be much less commonly experienced by women in our sample, who went to medical school when the proportion of women among medical students had exceeded 40 percent," she told Reuters Health by email.

The researchers mailed surveys to all 1,719 new recipients of K08 and K23 grants from the National Institutes of Health in 2006 to 2009. These career-development awards provide support for younger investigators focused on biomedical and patient-oriented topics.

Just over 1,000 survey recipients responded. On average, they were 43 years old, 46 percent were female and 71 percent were white.

Among women, 70 percent said they had perceived gender bias in the workplace and 66 percent had experienced it personally, including being left out of opportunities for professional advancement based on gender. That compared to 22 percent of men who were aware of gender bias at work and 10 percent who experienced it.

The sexual harassment experienced by 30 percent of women included unwanted sexual comments, attentions or advances by a superior or colleague. Almost half of these women said their sexual harassment experiences had also negatively affected their career advancement.

These numbers are not strikingly different from those found in surveys of women in other fields, Jagsi said.

"On the one hand, female physicians, like all physicians, are professionals with a privileged position in society and more power than many other workers, which one might think could insulate them to some degree against vulnerability to these sorts of experiences," Jagsi said. "On the other hand, large power differentials can exist between individuals in different positions in academic medicine, and that can increase the risks of having such experiences."

Even as more and more women enter medicine, there is a persistent culture of gender inequality in the workplace, said Dr. Sharon Straus of the University of Toronto, who was not part of the new study.

Other industries, like the financial industry, have more systematic approaches in place to deal with harassment in the workplace, Straus told Reuters Health, and other countries have made strides to deal with the issue in academic medicine.

In the U.K., the Athena SWAN Charter was established in 2005 to encourage and recognize commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, math and medicine employment in higher education and research.

One thing that has helped to change the culture there, Straus notes, is that since 2011 the National Health Service has had a policy of not partnering with medical schools or faculties of medicine for biomedical research unless those institutions have earned at least the Athena SWAN Charter "Silver Award."

For individuals, "the big thing is to reach out and tell somebody, whether that's your immediate director or boss or whomever," Straus said. "A lot of times people don't feel empowered to report it," she said.

"I consider our results to be a sobering reminder of how far we as a society still have to go to achieve gender equity," Jagsi said.
Sarah Grace Davis, of Forsyth County, Ga., is among the estimated 70 percent of children diagnosed with Down syndrome who cant hear. But tiny hearing aids may change that for the 3-year-old, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

"She has never passed a hearing test ever, Ashley Davis, her mom, told the news station. She failed her newborn screening."

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), developmental symptoms of Down syndrome include poor judgment, impulsive behavior, a short attention span, and delayed language and speech development. The genetic disorder is often caused by a third copy of chromosome 21 due to abnormal cell division when the egg and sperm meet.

Kids with Down syndrome are already at a disadvantage, as far as speech is concerned, Ashley told Fox 5 Atlanta. They already have speech delays so to add hearing loss to that, the odds are stacked against her."

Tonya Nussbaum, an audiologist at Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta, said Sarah Grace has conductive hearing loss stemming from structural problems with her ear.

"The hearing nerve is working fine, Nussbaum told the news station. The sound just can't get through there because of infections and fluid."

Nussbaum recently fit Sarah Grace with her second pair of ear moldings. The little girl lost one of the first two moldings, as is common among young children the news station reported. The new hearing aid may help the toddler better interact with her peers, like her twin, Hannah.

"Sometimes people with hearing loss just appear quiet or withdrawn, Nussbaum told Fox 5 Atlanta. And it's not necessarily that they are quiet; they're just not catching the conversation or different things in the environment. It's difficult to respond to them when they can't hear them."

Two months into Sarah Grace using the new hearing aids, Harmon Davis, Sarah Graces dad, has already noticed a change.

We get to see her respond a lot more, she's hearing a lot more words, Harmon told the news station, which is great because our biggest problem is communication with her."

Nussbaum told Fox 5 Atlanta that seeing those improvements is the best part of her day.

Absolutely the highlight, she said.
I just returned from a week-long journey through hell! It began with a visit to the Auschwitz and Birkenau death camps in what was once German-occupied Poland, as a participant of the March of the Living, following a conference commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Nuremberg laws and the 70th anniversary of the Nuremberg trials.

My week was consumed with recurring evidence of the worst crime ever perpetrated by human beings on other human beings  the Holocaust.

My week was consumed with recurring evidence of the worst crime ever perpetrated by human beings on other human beings  the Holocaust.

I travelled from the death camps to several small Polish towns from which my grandparents emigrated well before the Holocaust, leaving behind relatives and friends.

During the course of my travels, I discovered the fate of two of my relatives. Hanna Deresiewicz (an original spelling of my family name) was a 16-year-old girl living in the small town of Pilzno when the Nazis arrived; she was separated from her siblings and parents. The soldiers took several of the most beautiful Jewish girls for sex, and then killed them. [Among those] taken [was] Hanna Deresiewicz, 16.

Another relative named Polek Dereshowitz, served as an orderly to the Commandant of Auschwitz when he was 15. He was suspended from the ringbolts in his office because a flea had been found on one of his dogs. He was later gassed.

This is not the first time I have visited Nazi death camps. I was fully familiar with the statistical evidence of how six million Jews were systematically murdered.

I was also familiar with how the Nazi death machine searched out Jews in the furthest corners of Nazi occupied Europe, even as far as the Island of Rhodes, and transported them to Auschwitz to gas them.

I also knew that this was the only time in human history when people were brought from far distances to camps designed for one purpose only  to kill every possible Jew they could find no matter where they lived. And I knew that because this was part of a planned genocide of the Jewish People, it was most important to kill every child, woman and man capable of producing future Jews.

But this visit, during which I learned the fate of two young members of my own family, brought the horrors home to me in a manner more personal than any statistic could provide.

I was travelling with my wife and daughter, and I repeatedly imagined what it must have felt like for the parents and spouses of the murdered Jews to realize that everything precious to them was being annihilated and that there would be no one left to mourn them or to carry their seed to future generations.

From the old hell, Poland, I travelled to a new hell, called Hungary.

Budapest is a beautiful city, but it too, provided a hellish end to its Jewish residents in the final months of the Second World War when Hungarian Nazis turned the Blue Danube into a red mass grave. They shot their Jewish neighbors and dumped their bodies into the Danube River, even as the Nazis were retreating. And now in modern day Budapest, I was told of the resurgence of Nazism among many ordinary Hungarians. The increasingly popular Fascist party boasts of its anti-Semitism and of its desire to rid Hungary of its few remaining Jews. The Fascist Party in Hungary also hates Israel, and everything else that is a manifestation of Jewishness.

I ended my trip meeting with a Jewish man of Greek background whose grandfather was murdered by the Nazis and who was now being targeted by Greek Fascists for his outspoken defense of Israel and the Jewish people. Athens, too, has become a hotbed of Jew-hatred, with its popular Fascist Party.

There was not a moment during my visit to Europe that I was not reminded of that continents sordid history with regard to the Jewish people.

Now, many Europeansthe children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those who were complicit in the murder of six million Jewshave turned against the Nation State of the Jewish People with a vengeance.

This time the bigotry emanates mostly from the hard left, but has the support of many on the new Fascist hard right. The British Labor Party is as rife with hatred of the Jewish People and Jewish Nation as is the Hungarian Fascist Party.

Once again, European Jews are caught between the extremes of the Black and the Red. Extremists on both sides seek the demise of Israel, arguing that there is no place in a world with multiple Muslim and Christian nations for one state that is overtly Jewish in its character.

Other Europeans seek to boycott Israels products, its professors, and its performers. While still others simply apply a double standard to its actions -- a standard they apply to no other nation, including their own.

My visit to Europe made one thing unmistakably clear: if there is any group in the world that needs a safe homelanda sanctuary from bigotry and hatredit is the Jewish people.

When Hitler was willing to expel them from Europe, before deciding to exterminate them, no country  not even the United States or Canada  would give them asylum. Britain closed the doors of what is now Israel to them. They had no place to go.So they were murdered by the Nazis and their willing executioners throughout Europe.

There is no group whose history entitles it to a safe and secure homeland more than the Jewish people.

For reasons that are difficult to explain, the hatred of the Jewish people and its nation defies rationality, but it is as real as the gas chambers of Auschwitz -Birkenau and the emerging Fascist parties of Greece and Hungary.

Jews today continue to be scapegoated in many parts of the world, and their nation state is demonized at the United Nations, on university campuses, in the media and in legislative assemblies.

Following the Holocaust, there seemed to be an understanding that Jews would no longer be victimized. Now less than a century after the Nazis came to power, that moratorium on Jew-hatred seems to have expired, as the memory of the Holocaust grows dim in most parts of the world.

My weeklong visit to hell reaffirmed my commitment to defend Israels right to exist, to speak out for Israel when it is unfairly attacked, and to defeat its enemies in the marketplace of ideas.

We owe nothing less to the victims of the worst crime in the history of humanitya crime that could not have occurred without the complicity of most of the world. And a crime that will not recur if there is a strong and secure Israel.
A child-welfare law passed by Congress nearly four decades ago specifically to protect Native American children and preserve their cultural heritage is under attack from critics who claim the law is putting children in potentially dangerous situations that have led to abuse  and even death.

Enacted in 1978 to stop the widespread practice of removing at-risk Native American children from their biological families, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)  labeled the gold standard in child welfare by ardent supporters  in most cases gives tribes legal authority to rule on custody, and sets minimum federal standards for termination of parental rights, foster care and adoption.

But a wave of new opposition claims that while ICWA is noble in its intent, its been twisted into a legal power grab that comes at the expense of children.

In November 2013, for example, a Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe woman with a long history of neglect was sentenced to 30 years in prison after she threw her 2-year-old step-granddaughter down an embankment to her death. The little girl, named Lauryn, and her twin sister had been removed from a non-Indian foster family and placed with her grandfather and his wife, Hope Louise Tomahawk Whiteshield, after the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe stepped in and invoked ICWA.

In recent months, several lawsuits have been filed challenging ICWA and other laws that allow children to be taken from foster parents to be brought back to their tribes. The lawsuits argue the laws violate due process by employing a race-based double standard that harms Native American children and strips them of the same legal rights given to others in the adoption or foster process.

Children have become pawns in a political game, said Timothy Sandefur, lead attorney at the Goldwater Institute, one of the groups challenging the law. Sandefur, who has two ongoing ICWA-related cases, claims the law overrules the standard of what's in the best interest of the child.

Supporters, though, contend ICWA is vital and should be kept in place to protect American Indian children from government-sanctioned practices that in the past have robbed them of their cultural heritage and forced them to assimilate into mainstream American society.

Fawn Sharp, president of the Quinault Indian Nation, described the criticism as "a strategic, well-paid, orchestrated effort to overturn ICWA."

Any time someone wants to attack a statute, they scream its race based, Erin Dougherty Lynch, an Alaska-based attorney with the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) told FoxNews.com, adding that describing ICWA that way is like igniting a brush fire.

Lynch and Matthew Newman, another attorney at NARF, said theyve seen a significant increase in the number of challenges to ICWA cases brought by special interest groups. Lynch said the lawsuits largely were brought in response to new Bureau of Indian Affairs guidelines that sought to strengthen ICWA and make the statute more enforceable. The guidelines offered clarity to state courts on how ICWA should be applied, saying it should be consistent with the federal language.

"In response, a handful of interest groups and attorneys who have long been opposed to ICWA, have brought federal court challenges to the 2015 guidelines and the law as a whole," she said.

But the laws critics claim that while ICWA is well intentioned, it also can put cultural interests in direct conflict with the best interests of a child.

Unfortunately, ICWA elevated the interests of tribes above those of individual children, and it weakened the protections of children that state laws provide, Clint Bolick, a former attorney and current Arizona Supreme Court Justice, wrote in 2015. For instance, to terminate parental rights, it must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that leaving the child in the home is likely to result in serious emotional or physical damage  the same standard applied in criminal cases.

As a result, Bolick believes many Native American children are left in abusive homes and suffer grievous physical and emotional harm.

The National Indian Child Welfare Association strongly disagrees.

ICWA is designed to promote the best interest and unique needs of the Indian child. ICWA is not just considered good practice for Native children by experts and practitioners, but the principles and processes ICWA embodies were recently described by 18 national child welfare agencies as the 'gold standard' for child welfare practice, the organization says on its website.

Another point of contention for ICWA challengers is that it allows tribes from anywhere in the country to intervene in adoption cases involving Native American children from those tribes. That means it would be perfectly legal for a tribe headquartered in Oklahoma to intervene in a child custody case in California and order the child to be sent to South Dakota to live with a new family.

Because the law is so deferential to tribal authority, it elevates tribal authority to the same level as biological parents, Sandefur said. The law gives Indian tribes jurisdiction and violates the most basic principles of due process.

Mark Fiddler, a Minnesota attorney who represented a South Carolina couple who had been forced to turn over a young girl they had raised since birth to her biological father because he was a member of the Cherokee Nation, argued that for every other race, its illegal, its against the law to place a child on the basis of race in the United States. Except if your child is Indian.

The case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court which threw out a lower court order requiring the couple to turn over Baby Veronica. The Supreme Court said several provisions of the ICWA did not apply, in part, because her birth parents were not married and her biological father never had custody  Justice Samuel Alito also repeatedly noted the child was only 3/256th Cherokee.

In another recent case, a South Dakota court said the opposite, deciding the state had trampled on the rights of Native American parents and had failed to protect Indian parents fundamental rights to a fair hearing. In that case, Native American children were being forcibly and routinely taken by state workers from their homes. Parents were not allowed to see the evidence against them and many of the hearings  which resulted in Native American children being put in off-reservation foster homes  lasted less than a minute.

Sharp, along with a chorus of other Native American advocates, says the case for community should not be undersold and that the long-term benefits of keeping Native American children with relatives outweigh some short-term concerns.

Sharp said she has worked closely with several adults who had been taken from their tribes as children and then struggled as adults to find their identity and relate culturally.

When you have historical trauma, a wound to the soul of your nation  unless you have gone through that, you will not understand it, she said.
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton again is fighting to shake off the dogged challenge posed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose primary success is hamstringing her efforts to shift attention and resources to fighting Donald Trump -- as the primary rivals head into the next round.

The increasingly bitter Democratic race moves Tuesday to primaries in Kentucky and Oregon.

Clinton has a nearly insurmountable lead in the delegate race and needs just 143 more to clinch the Democratic nomination. However, Sanders has won 10 of the past 15 state contests, which is inspiring him to keep his campaign going through the remaining nine contests and the partys nominating convention in July.

Clinton is expected to do well in Kentucky, where limited polling showed her with a double-digit lead. Oregon, one of the most liberal states in the union, would appear to be Sanders territory. However, the primary is open only to registered Democrats, a situation that has hurt Sanders in other so-called "closed primary" states due to his popularity among independent voters.

While Clinton has struggled to put away Sanders, presumptive Republican nominee Trump repeatedly has hammered the former secretary of state and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. The real estate mogul recently accused Clinton of being a "total enabler" of her husband's extra-marital affairs, while calling Bill Clinton "the biggest abuser of women, as a politican in the history of our country."

Further complicating matters for the Democratic Party leadership, Trump has encouraged Sanders to pursue an indepdendent presidential run in this fall's general election.

Trump has repeatedly talked about how Sanders is being treated poorly by the party establishment, and his aides suggest he could make inroads among some of the voters who have backed Sanders' insurgent bid. Sanders himself often criticizes Trump as a racist in his stump speech, but he has said the responsibility for Democratic unity largely lies with Clinton.

More evidence of fractures in the Democratic Party was revealed Monday, when a letter from the Nevada State Democratic Party to the Democratic National Committee claimed Sanders supporters had displayed a "penchant [for] actual violence" at the state convention over the weekend.

Despite calls from the candidate to work together "respectfully and constructively", Sanders backers were accused of throwing chairs and making death threats against Nevada Democratic Party Chairwoman Roberta Lange. The raucous affair ended Saturday night when security at the Paris Las Vegas casino said they could no longer ensure an orderly event.

The letter, written by the state party's general counsel, warned that Sanders supporters may use similar tactics at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this summer.

Clinton, for her part, has tried to preach unity. After notching a big win in Pennsylvania's primary on April 26, she said, "Whether you support Sen. Sanders or support me, there's much more that unites us than divides us."

Clinton again tried to focus attention on Trump this week, calling him a "loose cannon" at a campaign stop in Louisville Tuesday.

"Ive never heard such reckless, risky talk from somebody about to be a nominee for president than Ive heard from Donald Trump when it comes to nuclear weapons, she said. He says he would use nuclear weapons. This is scary, dangerous talk."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bernie Sanders just won't go away -- and that's a growing problem for Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party as the front-runner once again failed Tuesday to score the decisive victory needed to put the Vermont senator in her rear-view mirror and turn her full attention to Donald Trump.

Sanders easily beat Clinton in the Oregon Democratic primary, and was running neck-and-neck with her in Kentucky, though Clinton claimed victory with less than 2,000 votes separating them and not all precincts counted.

I say to the leadership of the Democratic Party, open the doors, let the people in, Sanders said, alluding the Kentucky's voting format which allowed only registered Democrats to vote.

Should Clinton pull out a win in Kentucky, the closeness of the race and her loss in Oregon still prevents her from doing a full pivot to a November general election matchup with Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

With 99 percent of the precincts reporting in Kentucky, Clinton led Sanders by just over 1,900 votes out of more than 423,000 that were cast.

We just won Oregon, and were going to win California, the Vermont senator told supporters in Carson, Calif., where he vowed to take our fight to July's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Sanders' victory was his 21st of the election cycle and his 11th in the past 17 contests. The win also broke Sanders' streak of eight straight losses in so-called "closed primaries", where only registered Democrats can vote.

The Kentucky Secretary of State's office reported that Clinton led Sanders 46.8 percent to 46.3 percent with 100 percent of the votes in. The Sanders campaign did not immediately say whether it will challenge the results in Kentucky, which does not have an automatic recount.

According to an Associated Press tally, Clinton and Sanders each received 27 of Kentucky's 55 Democratic delegates, with one delegate to be awarded to the statewide winner. In Oregon, Sanders had won at least 28 of the Beaver State's 61 Democratic delegates, with Clinton winning at least 24 and nine other delegates outstanding.

Clinton currently has 2,291 pledged delegates and superdelegates to Sanders' 1,528. She requires a total of 2,383 to clinch the Democratic nomination.

Clinton repeatedly tried to turn the focus to Trump while campaigning in Kentucky over the weekend, calling the billionaire real estate mogul a "loose cannon" and saying she had "never heard such reckless, risky talk from somebody about to be a nominee for president than Ive heard from Donald Trump when it comes to nuclear weapons."

For his part, Trump taunted Clinton on Twitter shortly after the polls closed in Kentucky Tuesday night.

In Oregon's Republican primary, Trump faced no active opposition in winning 67 percent of the vote. Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz received 17 and 16 percent of the vote respectively, as more than 104,000 ballots were cast for Trump's former rivals.

Trump won at least 17 of Oregon's 28 Republican delegates, with Cruz and Kasich each receiving at least three and five other delegates outstanding. Trump now has 1,160 delegates, just 77 away from the threshold needed to clinch the GOP nomination.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Two Republican attorneys general have come out fighting against a sweeping investigation into whether ExxonMobil misled the public on global warming, asking a judge to block a subpoena that they call an abuse of power -- and a threat to First Amendment rights.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange asked a Texas state judge Monday to put an end to the investigation being pursued by Virgin Islands Attorney General Claude Walker.

Walker, an independent, issued a subpoena in March seeking 40 years' worth of Exxon communications with 90 conservative groups and any other organizations engaged in research or advocacy concerning Climate Change or policies. Walker claims the company misled the public on climate change by downplaying the risks.

But Paxton called the subpoena against the Texas-based company a fishing expedition of the worst kind.

This case is about abusing the power of the subpoena to force Exxon to turn over many decades worth of records, so an attorney general with an agenda can pore over them in hopes of finding something incriminating, Paxton said in a statement. [It] ... represents an effort to punish Exxon for daring to hold an opinion on climate change that differs from that of radical environmentalists.

Walkers office did not respond to a request for comment from FoxNews.com.

The subpoena is part of a broader battle against the oil giant by a coalition of 20 attorneys generals, led by New Yorks Eric Schneiderman, and environmental groups.

While a number of states -- including Massachusetts, Vermont and California -- have launched different investigations against the company, they generally aim to replicate the success of the federal governments 1999 case against Big Tobacco, in which the industry was accused of misleading the public about smoking and nicotine risks.

Schneiderman, who himself subpoenaed Exxons financial records and emails last November, has indicated ExxonMobil is not the only energy company in his office's crosshairs, vowing to prosecute any that committed fraud to maximize profit at the public's expense to the fullest extent of the law.

Exxon challenged the Virgin Islands subpoena in March, dismissing it as politically motivated and based on discredited reporting by activist organizations. The company also noted that it does not have any operations or staff located in the Virgin Islands.

A spokesman for Exxon told FoxNews.com Tuesday that they welcomed the intervention by the Texas and Alabama attorneys general.

We appreciate that Texas and Alabama support our position opposing the Virgin Islands subpoena for lacking jurisdiction, not recognizing First Amendment rights and the obvious conflict of interest in delegating to a contingency-fee law firm the duty to conduct an impartial investigation, Alan Jeffers, media relations manager for Exxon, told FoxNews.com.

Meanwhile, a prominent libertarian think tank subpoenaed by Walker as part of the same operation is also going to court, seeking to fine Walker for allegedly violating their First Amendment rights.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute says the subpoena, that sought 10 years of communications regarding its work on climate change, should never have been issued and caused constitutional damage for which it is seeking compensation.

Mr. Walkers attempt to silence us and others who share our views is an unconstitutional abomination, CEI President Kent Lassman said in a statement. CEI will not sit still with this illegal threat hanging over our head, which is why we are asking the court to fine AG Walker and end his abuse of the legal process to intimidate CEI.

FoxNews.coms Adam Shaw and Jennifer Hickey contributed to this report.
The GOP-led House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved a plan to require the Library of Congress to describe undocumented people in the United States as illegal immigrants -- after the institution earlier this year removed the term illegal alien from search terms and cataloging.

The library instead started using the term noncitizens and un-authorized immigration, a change congressional Democrats defended.

The top Democrat on the House Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman, argued that the library should continue with its process of choosing subject headings without political influence.

In March, the library said the term illegal alien had taken on a pejorative tone in recent years and that it could in fact refer to those from another planet.

The 25-24 vote Tuesday in favor of Republicans was part of the legislative process regarding the approval of the annual spending bill that funds Congress.

The full measure comes before the House in the next week or two.

The librarys decision to make the change followed a campaign by college students and librarians across the country objecting to the term, which they argued is pejorative.

Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro and several other House Democrats sent a letter to the Houses appropriations committee asking that illegal alien be removed from the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill.

Members of the congressional Hispanic, Asian-Pacific and black caucuses signed onto the letter.

Castro introduced a measure last fall to remove the term -- which has been used in U.S. documents since the Naturalization Act of 1790 -- from official United States regulations, laws and documents.

Its outdated, Castro said in an interview with Fox News Latino.

He also has argued such a change is not without precedent, pointing out that the library used the term negroes, which then changed to blacks and later to Afro-Americans and finally to African Americans.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Republican condemnation of a top White House aide who boasted about the administrations success selling the Iran deal to the public reached new levels on Tuesday, as several senators urged President Obama to fire him and a House committee looking into his claims went forward with its hearing  even though he didnt show up to testify.

The House Oversight Committee hearing was called to examine White House narratives on the Iran deal, after top adviser Ben Rhodes was featured in a New York Times Magazine profile claiming they built an echo chamber to sell the plan. Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, had called Rhodes to testify, but the White House shielded him from the appearance.

Chaffetz, at the top of the hearing Tuesday, said theres still a shroud of secrecy surrounding the Iran deal and he wanted to hear from Rhodes to seek clarity.

I do not doubt his talents and his knowledge, Chaffetz said. But the deal that had been spun up and sold to the American public, Im not sure it was as clear as it should have been.

He said Rhodes, in the profile, showed disdain for the media and foreign policy circles.

Just hours earlier, the White House officially informed Chaffetz it would not make Rhodes available to testify, citing an executive privilege-related claim. Chaffetz did not go forward with plans to keep a seat open Tuesday for Rhodes, and instead called foreign policy analysts and scholars to testify on the deal. One of them, the American Enterprise Institutes Michael Rubin, accused Rhodes of creating a propaganda operation.

The committees top Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., slammed Republicans for the hearing, criticizing the analysts they called while noting they didnt invite military generals who support the agreement. He said Republicans rushed to hold the hearing without even one weeks notice.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said at least Cummings would be able to question the witnesses present. Rhodes, he said, didnt bother to show up.

Meanwhile, several GOP senators have written to Obama urging him to dismiss Rhodes before he further tarnishes the Office of President.

They wrote: While members of the Executive and Legislative branches may sometimes deeply disagree on issues of vital importance to our nations security and prosperity, we should all agree, for the greater good of our Republic and the citizens whom we represent, to engage in our debates in a respectful, honest, and constructive manner. Mr. Rhodess disrespectful, deceptive, and destructive conduct has fallen appallingly short of this standard, however. Indeed, if he had conducted himself this way in a typical place of business outside Washington, where American taxpayers work, he surely would have been already fired or asked to resign.

The Washington Free Beacon, which first reported on the letter, said it was signed by Sens. Mark Kirk, R-Ill.; John Cornyn, R-Texas; John Barrasso, R-Wyo.; and David Perdue, R-Ga.

Sources tell Fox News that the House committee was keen for Rhodes to appear voluntarily Tuesday so they avoid the territory of a possible subpoena.

The magazine article that touched off the controversy outlined how Rhodes created a narrative of the deal coming out of the 2013 election of moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Irans subsequent openness and willingness to negotiate.

In fact, the story stated, the majority of the deal was hammered out in 2012, well before Rouhanis election. However, the Rhodes narrative was politically useful to the administration as it presented them as reaching out to the moderates who wanted peace.
EXCLUSIVE: Relentless attacks on American military personnel at the height of the Iraq war made the U.S. intelligence community confront a dire problem: They needed real-time intelligence to take Al Qaeda off the battlefield and dismantle its bomb-making factories.

This realization was the start of a highly secretive program, developed by the National Security Agency, to put NSA specialists on the battlefield in order to send near real-time intelligence to the troops so they could avoid ambushes and root out insurgents. For the first time, going in depth with Fox News, senior NSA leadership is speaking publicly about that program, called the Real Time Regional Gateway or RT-RG.

"Starting in 2005, we started seeing a big uptick in casualties caused by IEDs [improvised explosive devices] and ambushes," NSA Deputy Director Rick Ledgett told Fox News. The RT-RG program created to combat those attacks, he said, was really a complete change in how we provided signals intelligence support to the tactical war fighter.

The program, parts of which were classified until now, has dispatched thousands of NSA experts into war zones since 9/11. It has put those experts  from an agency most-known for its controversial surveillance programs  at grave risk across multiple theatres. But in the process, officials say, RT-RG has saved the lives of fellow Americans.

Col. Bob Harms, one of the first people on the ground for the NSA at Baghdad's Camp Victory, said the goal was to get in front of our adversaries.

Exclusive images shared with Fox News from Camp Victory show the basic set-up, which took traditional streams of intelligence and married it up with information gathered from raids  for instance, taking satellite images and combining that with on-the-ground information about an insurgents movements and contacts, to pinpoint threats.

Some of the most useful information came from captured operatives  information known in the intel world as "pocket litter." Harms said this included pattern of life details including when do they go to sleep, where do they go to sleep, where do they work and those types of things."

The NSA's goal was to compress the timeline for crunching all this information from a period of weeks or days, to just hours or minutes. Think of it like a phone app -- but instead of giving directions, it's flagging threats.

"[Battlefield commanders] would actually feed us information  so that we could give them a roadmap to the next site, Harms explained.

Ledgett said the program harnessed big data, in a way that it could be used immediately on the battlefield. Ledgett said RT-RG "integrated hundreds of pieces of information," and then software was developed to draw connections that could "put things on graphical displays" so it was easy for analysts and operators to understand.

"It might connect something like a phone number to a location, to an activity and display that to an analyst who could then, via radio, contact a convoy and say, Hey looks like there's an ambush waiting for you at this point -- go left or go right or take an alternate route," he said.

Asked about collateral damage  the accidental killing of civilians -- Ledgett said the program reduced those numbers because targeting data was drawn from multiple sources. No further specifics were offered.

Retired Gen. Jack Keane, a Fox News military analyst, said the program "gave a tool to brigade commanders, who were spread out all over the battlefield, something that they never had before."

It also took NSA experts out of the office and placed them in the field, to work side-by-side with special operations.

"We needed to be coffee-breath close in order to have that shared situational understanding," Harms said.

The program extended from Iraq to Afghanistan, and then other conflict zones that the NSA will not publicly identify. The statistics, declassified for this report, are sobering.

"Since 2001, we've deployed 5,000 NSA people to Iraq and 8,000 to Afghanistan -- and in total, 18,000 to hostile areas around the world," Ledgett said. "When the operational community embraces you that way and says I want you on my team and I want you there with me  that's a pretty significant statement of value."

The deployments came with risk. Since 9/11, 24 names have been added to the NSAs memorial wall, which pays tribute to fallen employees. Among them is NSA technical expert Christian Pike, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2013 working with the Navy SEALs.

"I'm sorry, I get a little emotional about this one," Ledgett said, taking a pause during the interview as he described a cabinet in his office with memorial cards for James T. Davis, one of the first Americans killed in Vietnam; NSAs Amanda Pinson, killed by an IED in Iraq while providing signals intelligence support; and Christian Pike. Pike was also a family friend.

This Saturday is Armed Forces Day  and what was a ground-breaking NSA program a decade ago is now widely used by the war fighter.

Ledgett said one of the commanding generals in Iraq during the surge credited the NSA with helping take over 4,000 insurgents off the battlefield.

There was an intense effort here  How do we drive those losses down? Ledgett said. "Our job was to get the information to the people who needed it."
The Missouri legislature passed a bill lifting the permitting requirement for the concealed carry of firearms on Friday.

The bill passed in a 114 to 36 vote in the House and a 24-8 vote in the Senate, with Republicans generally supporting the measure and Democrats generally opposing it. The vote came on the last day of Missouris legislative session and despite a last minute effort by gun control activists to pressure lawmakers against the move.

Now Gov. Jay Nixon (D.) will decide whether or not to sign the measure into law.

The bill would allow any law-abiding adult who can legally posses a firearm to carry a firearm concealed on their person, without having to obtain any additional permit. It would also extend castle doctrine protections to house guests and remove requirements that somebody in a public place retreat before using deadly force to protect themselves from an attacker they reasonably believe is threatening their life.

Gun rights activists celebrated the move and called on the states governor to sign the bill into law.

With Governor Nixons signature, Missourians will have several options when it comes to protecting their families and homes, Lars Dalseide, an NRA spokesman, told the Washington Free Beacon. Hopefully the governor wont buckle when the Bloomberg gun control machine makes him decide between political capital and the safety of his constituents.

Gov. Nixon has not yet announced whether he will sign or veto the bill, but other Missouri Democrats have harshly criticized the legislation.

Click for more from The Washington Free Beacon.
The Nevada State Democratic Party warned the Democratic National Committee Monday that supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have displayed a "penchant for ... actual violence' and could disrupt this summer's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

The allegation is the latest fallout from a divisive Nevada Democratic convention that had to be shut down Saturday night because security at the Paris Las Vegas hotel could no longer ensure order. The gathering closed with some Sanders supporters throwing chairs; later, some made death threats against state party chairwoman Roberta Lange.

Sanders' backers had been protesting convention rules that ultimately led to Hillary Clinton winning more pledged delegates. Clinton won the state's caucuses in February, 53-47, but Sanders backers hoped to pick up extra delegates by packing county and state party gatherings.

Sanders had released a statement Friday night asking supporters to work "together respectfully and constructively" at the convention. But the state party alleged in its letter to the co-chairs of the DNC Rules and By-laws committee, "The explosive situation arose in large part because a portion of the community of Sanders delegates arrived at the Nevada Democratic State Convention believing itself to be a vanguard intent upon sparking a street-fight rather than attending an orderly political party process."

Michael Briggs, a Sanders campaign spokesman, said, "We do not condone violence or encourage violence or even threats of violence." He added that the campaign "had no role in encouraging the activity that the party is complaining about. We have a First Amendment and respect the rights of the people to make their voices heard."

On Saturday, Sanders backers shouted down the keynote speaker, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and others they thought were tilting the rules in Clinton's favor. Protesters shouted obscenities and rushed the dais to protest rulings.

"We believe, unfortunately, that the tactics and behavior on display here in Nevada are harbingers of things to come as Democrats gather in Philadelphia in July for our National Convention," the state party's general counsel, Bradley S. Schrager wrote in a letter to the DNC. "We write to alert you to what we perceive as the Sanders campaign's penchant for extra-parliamentary behavior  indeed, actual violence  in place of democratic conduct in a convention setting, and furthermore what we can only describe as their encouragement of, and complicity in, a very dangerous atmosphere that ended in chaos and physical threats to fellow Democrats."

Several Sanders backers have condemned some of the threats against Lange and other actions Saturday. Former state assemblywoman Lucy Flores, a current congressional candidate, said in a statement: "There were actions over the weekend and at the Democratic convention that very clearly crossed the line. Progressives need to speak out against those: Making threats against someone's life, defacing private property, and hurling vulgar language at our female leaders."

State party offices remained closed Monday for security reasons after Sanders supporters posted Lange's home and business addresses, email and cell phone number online. Copies of angry and threatening texts to Lange were included with the letter.

Lange said she'd been receiving hundreds of profanity-laced calls and texts from inside and outside of the U.S., threatening her life and her family. Lange said the restaurant where she works has received so many calls it had to unplug the phone.

"It is endless, and the longer it goes the worse it gets," Lange said in an interview. "I feel threatened everywhere I go."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Despite pledges from the Obama administration to accelerate the war against the Islamic State and a top envoy claiming this perverse caliphate is shrinking," the Pentagon admitted Monday it had retaken only 5 percent of ISIS-held territory in Iraq in the past five months.

President Obama announced at the Pentagon in December that 40 percent of ISIS-held territory in Iraq had been recaptured by Iraqi security forces backed by thousands of airstrikes from the U.S.-led coalition, a number officials repeated for five months.

But on Monday, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said 45 percent of ISIS territory had been taken back in Iraq, or a modest 5 percentage-point gain from December.

Cook said 16-20 percent of ISIS-held territory had been taken from ISIS in Syria, a similar estimate given in January.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said last week that it was unlikely ISIS would be pushed out of Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, during the Obama administration.

Despite the modest gains against ISIS, Cook said Secretary of Defense Ash Carter was satisfied with the pace of operations. When asked why the hundreds of additional forces announced by Carter last month were not on the ground in Iraq, Cook said, We always anticipated there would be some sort of lag time between decisions and ultimately implementation.

Speaking earlier Monday from Amman, Jordan, the presidents envoy in the ISIS fight, Brett McGurk, said "this perverse caliphate is shrinking."

In recent months, the U.S. military reported it had destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars in ISIS cash and robbed the group of 50 percent of its oil revenue.

In another sign of the challenge to liberate Mosul from ISIS, Col. Steve Warren, a military spokesman based in Baghdad, said 50 percent of the Iraqi security forces were in Baghdad to keep order amid recent uprisings against embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. A slew of recent bombings in Baghdad claimed by ISIS have killed dozens.

Cook also told reporters the Pentagon had not been asked to help arm Libyan government forces or rebels to battle ISIS. There has not been any particular marching orders to us, he said.

Cook did acknowledge publicly there were a small number of U.S. troops on the ground in Libya coming and going from the country. It is not a permanent presence, he said describing the troops.

Speaking in Vienna Monday after meeting his Libyan counterpart, Secretary of State John Kerry said world powers would support an exemption to the United Nations arms embargo into Libya, a sign that weapons could one day be shipped to help Libya battle ISIS.

Since December, the Pentagon has dispatched a small number of special operations forces to identify players on the ground to help combat the growing threat from ISIS in Libya.

This is simply an effort to try and collect information on people on the ground, the situation on the ground. This is not an effort to engage in training, Cook said, without elaborating.

When pressed if the group of U.S. forces could potentially arm vetted groups, Cook pushed back. Youre jumping the gun if you are talking about a training mission in Libya, thats not where we are, he added.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday delayed the release of a list of unindicted co-conspirators in the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal as it considers whether to allow someone named on the list to block its publication.

The ruling from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia called for June 6 oral arguments from attorneys for the unidentified person, referred to as John Doe, and from several media organizations, including The Associated Press, that are seeking access to the list.

Tuesday's ruling left open the possibility that the hearing could be closed to the public.

Bridget Kelly, Republican Gov. Chris Christie former deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, a top Christie appointee to the agency that operates the bridge, face wire fraud and civil rights charges. A second former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official, David Wildstein, has pleaded guilty.

They were charged with conspiring to create traffic jams near the bridge in Fort Lee to punish the town's Democratic mayor for not endorsing Christie's re-election.

Christie has disavowed any knowledge of the scheme and hasn't been charged.

One of the 24 judges sitting on the 3rd Circuit bench is Maryanne Trump Barry, sister of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. It isn't clear if Trump Barry will recuse herself from the matter since Donald Trump recently named Christie to head his transition team. A panel of three judges will hear the case.

The court also on Tuesday ordered that both sides' briefs be filed under seal, meaning they won't be publicly available. An attorney for the media organizations filed papers later Tuesday requesting a modification of the order and release of the list with John Doe's name blacked out.

The indictment alleges Kelly and Baroni conspired "with each other and others, including Wildstein." Defense attorneys have been furnished with the names of the other co-conspirators as part of routine pretrial discovery. The media organizations filed a request for the list several months ago.

Unindicted co-conspirators are people who were involved in a conspiracy to commit a crime but haven't been criminally charged, usually because they are cooperating with the government or prosecutors feel they don't have enough evidence to convict them.

A federal judge ruled last week that the list should be released by noon Tuesday. The same judge on Friday denied a request by John Doe to further delay the release of names of unindicted co-conspirators in the plot. Doe then appealed to the 3rd Circuit.

Doe's attorney, Jenny Kramer, has argued in court filings that Doe would be "publicly branded a felon" without the chance to clear his name in court, violating his rights to due process.

Bruce Rosen, an attorney for the media companies, called Doe's attempt "frivolous and desperate" in a response filing and argued the due process clause doesn't protect a person's reputation. He also wrote that names of unindicted co-conspirators often are revealed during a trial anyway.
170516DIARRHEA OUTBREAKS

By Tom Kathoa



Government officials including health workers are rushing to the

Tasman Island to investigate and treat patients suffering from the

report outbreak of diarrhea.



Reports reaching authorities on Buka, says that the 800 population of

Tasman Islanders are in danger of being affected by the disease if not

attended to immediately.



Although, no deaths or casualties have yet been reported it important

that the situation be put under control immediately.



The health department and the government have responded promptly by

dispatching a medical team to the island which will leave for the

affected island sometimes today.



It is feared that the outbreak will get worse if it spreads to

neighboring islands of Mortlock, Fead and Carteret groups of islands

if not prevented immediately.



Ends.......




The Senate on Tuesday approved legislation allowing families of Sept. 11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia, defying a White House veto threat as well as threats of economic retaliation from Riyadh.

By voice vote, senators approved the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act. The bipartisan sponsors of the bill, Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, are now calling on the House to follow suit.

Its up to the House, Cornyn said, while insisting the legislation would not damage the U.S.-Saudi relationship despite what he described as saber-rattling.

Schumer said any foreign government that aids terrorists who strike the U.S. "will pay a price if it is proven they have done so."

Saudi Arabias government has threatened to pull billions of dollars from the U.S. economy if the plan is enacted.

The legislation gives victims' families the right to sue in U.S. court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks that killed thousands in New York, the Washington, D.C. area and Pennsylvania.

Relatives of Sept. 11 victims have urged the Obama administration to declassify and release U.S. intelligence that allegedly discusses possible Saudi involvement in the attacks.

In a statement on Tuesday, a group of them applauded the passage in the Senate and said it reaffirms the commonsense principle that no person, entity or government enjoys blanket immunity from legal responsibility for participation in a terrorist attack that takes lives or causes injury inside the United States of America.

But while the bill is a bipartisan measure, the Obama administration has threatened to veto. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest reiterated that message on Tuesday, saying: Its difficult to imagine the president signing this legislation.

Earnest warned of unintended consequences, saying the bill would change longstanding international law regarding sovereign immunity and the president continues to harbor serious concerns this legislation would make the U.S. vulnerable in other court systems around the world.

Schumer said Tuesday that the White House concerns, though, dont stand up. He even warned the Senate could override a presidential veto.

The House already is planning to move on the bill. A House Judiciary Committee aide told Fox News the panel intends to hold a hearing on the Senate version of the bill in the near future.

Many Senate Democrats backed the bill, including Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, putting them at odds with the White House.

Some lawmakers also have voiced reservations.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, warned that the legislation, if passed, would alienate Saudi Arabia and undermine a longstanding yet strained relationship with a critical U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Fox News' Kara Rowland and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Seven unions have demanded that the AFL-CIO cut ties with Tom Steyer, the billionaire hedge fund manager and environmental activist, over his opposition to the Keystone Pipeline and other oil and gas projects.

In a letter sent to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Monday, union officials accused the labor confederation of becoming "infiltrated by financial and political interests that work in direct conflict to many of our members  and yes, AFL-CIO dues paying members lives."

In a rare clash between two of the Democratic Party's key constituencies, the union officials said they did not want their dues to go toward the For Our Future PAC. The PAC, backed by Steyer and the AFL-CIO, plans to raise $50 million for the Democratic candidate in this fall's presidential election.

Steyer, who spent more than $70 million during the 2014 midterm elections, was one of the most prominent opponents of the Keystone Pipeline, which would transport oil from Canada's tar sands pits to the Gulf Coast. The Obama administration rejected a permit application for the proposed 1,187-mile pipeline in November 2015.

The letter said that Steyer's opposition to such projects has disproportionately affected workers in the construction industry.

"A growing trend within the Federation seems to consistently minimize the importance of Building Trades jobs and our members livelihoods in the pursuit of a coalition strategy with outside organizations that has produced mixed results at best and disastrous results at worst for our members and their employment prospects in many instances throughout the country, the letter says.

The seven union heads who signed the letter to Trumka, which was first reported by The Hill, represent 1.5 million workers. In all, the AFL-CIO represents approximately 12,7 million active and retired workers.

In a separate letter, first reported by The New York Times, Terry OSullivan, president of the Laborers International Union of North America, called the For Our Future PAC a "politically bankrupt betrayal" and called Steyer a "job-killing hedge fund manager with a bag of cash."

There was no immediatey comment from the AFL-CIO. A spokesman for Steyer's nonprofit told the Times that For Our Future would "help elect progressive leaders who are committed to a just transition to a clean-energy economy that will benefit working families across the nation."

Click for more from The Hill.

Click for more from The New York Times.
Hillary Clinton is really boring. A terrible campaigner. An awful politician who will have a tough time against Donald Trump.

And thats the assessment coming from her allies.

Its a bit of political jujitsu, taking your candidates weaknesses and trying to spin them into strengths. It is also a classic case of lowering expectations.

Above all, it looks like a coordinated effort by Hillaryland to blunt criticism of the presumptive Democratic nominee whos still having trouble beating a 74-year-old socialist in many of the primaries.

My own reporting indicates that Clinton has decided shes never going to out-Trump Trump, shes never going to be flashier, so she would rather run as the candidate of stability. The campaign believes that if shes seen as a nerdy wonk with lengthy position papers, thats not a bad contrast with a Republican accused by some in his own party of being thin on policy specifics.

I was thinking about Hillary and the media even before this latest spate of stories. On my show, I often look for good sound bites after she has done an interviewshe doesnt do that many--or given a speech, and theres very little to work with. The same thing applies to finding a juicy quote or two for a column. (This is not exactly a problem with Trump.)

Im not referring here to Clintons disciplined refusal to respond to Trumps attacks. That may make sense from her point of view. Its her plodding, cautious, bureaucratic style that often fails to break through. Her answers may be substantive, but to use a television term, she doesnt pop.

Does this matter? Well, Trump has driven the news coverage surrounding this campaign from the day he got in the race. Clinton just doesnt make that much news.

The Clinton camps view is that she gets plenty of good local press when she campaigns in such states as Kentucky, which votes today, and theres little desire to compete with Trump in racking up segments on the cable networksespecially if those are about his relationships with women or not releasing his tax returns.

For many months, the imbalance in the national media could be explained away by the fact the Republican contest was a wild roller-coaster ride while Clinton was easily cruising to the Democratic nomination. But now that its essentially a general electioneven though Bernie is still hanging aroundTrump is still dominating the news.

Some of the Trump stories are obviously negative, as with the lengthy New York Times report saying he crossed the line with some women. (That story took a hit when the woman in the lead anecdote, Rowanne Brewer Lane, who dated Trump after he asked her to change to a swimsuit at a pool party, told Fox & Friends and others that her experience was positive and the paper unfairly spun her words.)

But even the critical stories give Trump a chance to counterpunch against the media (such as calling the Times report a lame hit piece), grabbing the available oxygen and denying it to his Democratic opponent. Clinton tends to make news more through her aides and surrogates than with her own words.

Thats why a Time magazine headline declares: Hillarys new plan to trump Trumpby being boring.

She doesnt want a mud fight with Trump, the piece says. Shes a lousy politician, by her own admissionAmericans like Hillary Clinton the nerdy technocrat. They do not like Hillary Clinton the candidate. The magazine casts the race as the great boor vs. the great bore.

The Washington Post weighed in yesterday by quoting more than a dozen Clinton allies who identified her weaknesses against Trump, including poor showings with young women, untrustworthiness, unlikability and a lackluster style on the stump.

Advisers, the Post says, are trying to soften her stiff public image by highlighting her compassionShe is scripted and thin-skinned, they say. And with a sigh, they acknowledge the persistent feeling among a lot of Americans that they just dont like her.

They just dont like her. Well, the polls show that many voters dont like Trump either. But those who do are passionate about the billionaire, just as Sanders supporters are passionate about their man. Clinton, despite her long experience, doesnt come across as an inspirational figure.

Stories like these dont appear in the press by accident. Those in Clintons orbit are trying to justify a soft-spoken strategy that, at the moment, is being drowned out by the high-decibel Trump. They want Hillary to be viewed as a reliable grandmother, not the calculating politician who is under investigation for using a private email server, and not as risky as the bombastic Trump.

But she still has to find a way to make news, on her own. The danger is that shell come to be viewed as a dull and conventional candidate in a year in which voters are rejecting politics as usual.
The White House confirmed Monday that Obama adviser Ben Rhodes will not be allowed to testify before House lawmakers on the Iran nuclear deal, after a last-ditch attempt by Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz to pry the controversial aide loose for the hearing.

Chaffetz and the White House have been engaged in an escalating feud, all on the heels of a New York Times Magazine piece where Rhodes was quoted boasting about the administrations success in crafting a public narrative for the Iran deal. The profile on Rhodes quotes him saying they built an echo chamber of experts who sold that narrative to young, often inexperienced reporters.

Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, wanted the deputy national security adviser to testify at a hearing set for Tuesday titled, White House narratives on the Iran Nuclear Deal.

Were planning as if he is attending, and hell have a comfortable seat awaiting his arrival, Chaffetz said Monday afternoon of Rhodes.

But W. Neil Eggleston, White House counsel, sent a letter to Chaffetz late Monday saying Rhodes would not attend.

He cited what appeared to be an executive privilege-related claim, asserting that such a senior presidential advisers appearance threatens the independence and autonomy of the President, as well as his ability to receive candid advice and counsel. For those reasons, he said, we will not make Mr. Rhodes available to testify.

Chaffetz earlier had made a last-ditch attempt to pressure Rhodes into appearing. After White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest initially said he should invite GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, whom he accuses of spreading false information about the deal, Chaffetz did exactly that -- inviting Cotton to testify, on condition that Rhodes appeared as well.

[Earnest] suggested that you should be invited to appear at the hearing as well, because you have some 'interesting insight' into the JCPOA [the Iran deal]. Therefore your appearance before the Committee would be contingent on Mr. Rhodes appearance at that hearing, Chaffetz said in a letter Friday.

Asked earlier Monday about the possibility of a Rhodes appearance, Earnest did not rule it out but expressed what he called "thinly veiled skepticism about the whole exercise" and reiterated his claim that it is Republicans who should answer "for saying a lot of things about the Iran deal that turned out not to be true."

The letter from Eggleston later made clear Rhodes would not attend. Though Eggleston cited an executive privilege claim, Earnest told Fox News just four days earlier that this has nothing to do with executive privilege.

Sources tell Fox News that the committee was keen for Rhodes to appear voluntarily so they avoid the territory of a possible subpoena.

The magazine article that touched off the controversy outlined how Rhodes created a narrative of the deal coming out of the 2013 election of moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Irans subsequent openness and willingness to negotiate.

In fact, the story stated, the majority of the deal was hammered out in 2012, well before Rouhanis election. However, the Rhodes narrative was politically useful to the administration as it presented them as reaching out to the moderates who wanted peace.

Fox News James Rosen and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
A mysterious darkening star might not be home to an alien megastructure after all. Instead, the dimming that apparently occurred over the course of a century may actually have resulted from how telescopes and cameras have changed over time, researchers said.

Last fall, a star named KIC 8462852 made news when scientists found unusual fluctuations in the object's light. The star is an otherwise-ordinary F-type star, slightly larger and hotter than Earth's sun; it sits about 1,480 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.

But astronomer Tabetha "Tabby" Boyajian of Yale University in Connecticut and her colleagues, along with citizen scientists from the Planet Hunters crowdsourcing program, found something odd. They discovered dozens of strange instances of the star darkening over a 100-day period when they analyzed data from NASA's Kepler Space Telescope.

The dimming events blocked up to 22 percent of the light from KIC 8462852, now nicknamed "Tabby's Star," making these events far too substantial to be caused by planets crossing (or "transiting") the star's face. Scientists also ruled out several other possible explanations, such as an enormous dust cloud.

Such analyses raised the possibility that astronomers had detected signs of alien life  specifically, a Dyson sphere, a megastructure built around a star to capture as much of the sun's energy as possible to power an advanced civilization. (In science fiction, Dyson spheres  which are named after mathematician and physicist Freeman Dyson  are often depicted as solid shells around stars, but they could also be spherical swarms of giant solar panels.)

So far, astronomers at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institutein California analyzing Tabby's Starwith the Allen Telescope Array have not detected any radio signals that would indicate the presence of an alien civilization. Scientists at SETI International in San Francisco and their colleagues have also failed to detect any laser signals from Tabby's Star.

Still, in January, astronomer Bradley Schaefer of Louisiana State University reviewed archived photographic plates of the sky taken from 1890 to 1989 and found signs that Tabby's Star had dimmed by about 20 percent over the past century. He noted that this finding was difficult to explain by natural means. For instance, Schaefer calculated that it would require 648,000 comets, each about 125 miles wide, passing by the star in the past century to cause such dimming.

Now, however, researchers suggest this seemingly century-long dimming trend might not be real. Instead, the apparent darkening may just be due to how astronomical instruments have changed over time.

In the new study, scientists pored over DASCH (Digital Access to a Sky Century @ Harvard) data. This is a collection of more than 500,000 photographic glass plates taken by astronomers at Harvard in Massachusetts between 1885 and 1993 that the university is digitizing.

"It is exciting that we have these century-old data, which are incredibly valuable for checks like this," study lead author Michael Hippke, an amateur astronomer from the German town of Neukirchen-Vluyn, told Space.com.

The researchers looked not only at Tabby's Star, but also at a number of comparable stars in the DASCH database. Results showed that many of these other stars experienced a drop in brightness similar to that of Tabby's Star in the 1960s.

"That indicates the drops were caused by changes in the instrumentation, not by changes in the stars' brightness," study co-author Keivan Stassun at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, said in a statement.

"Now, what does that mean for the mystery? Are there no aliens after all? Probably not," Hippke said in an email. "Still, the daylong 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."

The best explanation so far for this dimming may be that a giant comet fragmented into thousands of smaller comets that are now crossing in front of Tabby's Star, some scientists say. To help solve this celestial mystery, amateur astronomers around the world are working with the American Association of Variable Star Observers to find new dips in the star's brightness, Hippke noted. Other groups, such as the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope, have also joined the effort, he said.

"Observing further dips in different colors can reveal information about the chemistry of the transiting object, which might confirm or reject a cometary origin," Hippke said.

The scientists will detail their findings in the Astrophysical Journal.
A team of scientists at Indiana University, Bloomington, looked to the skies and discovered a blue dwarf galaxy in Leo Minor containing the lowest level of metals ever observed in a celestial body. The finding also provides new information about the Big Bang.

Officially, the galaxy is named AGC 198691, but its friends call it Leoncino, or Little Lion, in honor of its constellation location and Italian-born radio astronomer, Riccardo Giovanelli, who led the group that identified the galaxy.

Related: Alien megastructure? Dimming star may have less exotic explanation

Leoncino is located 30 million light years from Earth. The galaxy has an estimated 29 percent less metal abundance than another galaxy identified in 2005, which was previously thought to be the lowest metal galaxy.

The team wrote on its website that low-metal galaxies contain properties that are similar to those present at the start of the universe.

The currently accepted theory about how the universe began provides, clear predictions about the amount of helium and hydrogen present during the Big Bang, and the ratio of these atoms in metal-poor galaxies provides a direct test of the model, wrote the team.

Professor John J. Salzer, an author on the study, said, "Finding the most metal-poor galaxy ever is exciting since it could help contribute to a quantitative test of the Big Bang. There are relatively few ways to explore conditions at the birth of the universe, but low-metal galaxies are among the most promising."

Related: Three million photos and counting: Space station crew takes milestone snapshots

Scientists estimate elements in a galaxy using spectroscopic observations to capture light waves that the systems emit. Astronomers are able to view the light in a manner similar to the rainbow created by a prism, according to the website.

Salzer said the team will continue to study the galaxy using other telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope. "Low-metal-abundance galaxies are extremely rare, so we want to learn everything we can."
In February Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed the first concept image of the futuristic B-21 long range bomber, which will be built by Northrop Grumman. Previously known as the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B), it will be the U.S. military's first bomber of the 21st century.

It will be able to launch from the continental U.S. and deliver airstrikes on any location in the world. The new B-21 also reaffirmed that, after more than 100 years the bomber, remains a crucial part of the U.S. Air Force's offensive arsenal.

"The B-21 will offer the ability to bring weapons to bear quickly," Wayne Plucker, aerospace and defense director at research firm Frost & Sullivan, told FoxNews.com. "It can load up and take off without refueling and restaging, and that can make for a world of difference in modern conflicts."

Going the distance

Today the long-range bomber is very much a purpose-designed and purpose-built aircraft that evolved over time, yet the bombers actually pre-date the First World War.

"Military planners thought about bombing targets at a distance before the airplane was even invented," Jeffrey Underwood, military historian at National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, told FoxNews.com. "The concept goes way back to the days of the balloon."

The first use of bombs being dropped by an aircraft is generally accepted to be when the Austrian military used balloons against Venice in 1848.

Related: Air Force unveils initial B-21 long range bomber design

"Some sources say they dropped only two bombs, but others said it was as many as 200 bombs," Underwood told FoxNews.com. "While it was probably closer to two, this was still the first aerial deployment of bombs."

The first time an airplane was used to drop bombs on the enemy also pre-dated World War I. This occurred in Libya when Italian pilots dropped hand grenades on Turkish Lines during the Italo-Turkish War (1911-1912). While only occurring on a small scale in a very remote conflict this foreshadowed the use of aircraft to drop larger, purpose-built bombs during the First World War.

"Military planners already were thinking of the possibilities of how an aircraft could deliver a bomb to target," said Underwood. "The British built a bomber aircraft that was shown in Paris in 1913, but it proved not to be so successful in the early stages of the (First World) War."

Instead it was the Italians and Russians that developed pioneering bomber aircraft. However, neither nation had the industrial capacity to produce the aircraft in large numbers, and by the end of the war the potential for very specific aircraft  including fighters, reconnaissance and bombers  was understood. The age of the bomber as an offensive weapons platform had arrived.

Strategic bombing

The U.S. was late to enter the First World War, and just as it had with tanks, artillery and other equipment, the U.S. military relied on what its allies developed. The United States actually produced the Italian Caproni Ca.3 under license, but military planners such as General Billy Mitchell saw the potential for bombers. By the early 1920s the first American-designed bombers were taking flight.

The Martin NBS-1, and the improved Martin MB-1, were among the very first specifically-built U.S. bombers and paved the way for other bombers.

Related: Historic aircraft carriers in pictures

More importantly, bomber tactics also developed in the interwar period. Some military planners argued that the bomber could be used to take out an enemy's industrial capabilities, while others thought it could be used as a terror weapon against the enemy's civilian population.

"The idea of bombing civilian targets was considered quite horrific to many people in the 1930s, but by 1944 after the horrors of the Second World War there was a general acceptance to bomb enemy cities," added Underwood. "We think of how atomic warfare was so scary in the Cold War, but in the 1930s there was real concern of enemy bombers targeting population centers."

The skys the limit

Throughout World War II bombers increased in size and range, but one fact still surprises many people who only know of the relative comfort of commercial air travel  namely that, even in 1945, bombers weren't pressurized. Pilots and crews wore leather flight jackets to stay warm!

"It was only at the end of World War II with the introduction of the B-29 that changed the way the crew dressed," Underwood told FoxNews.com. "Early in the war the crews of bombers like the B-17 and B-24 had to suit up in layers, even in the Pacific, but by the end of the war the crew could be in short sleeves. That allowed the bomber crew to be much more effective and the bombers could now fly well above fire from enemy anti-aircraft guns."

As the ceiling of the bombers increased, so too did the range. The B-36 Peacemaker, which was developed during the war, was designed to fly from New York to Berlin. The next leap forward was with aerial refueling that could allow crews to fly around the world. This allows U.S.-based bomber crews to drop bombs on targets in the Middle East and further.

Related: 11 stunning F-22 fighter jet images

In 2015 a pair of B-52 bombers flew non-stop from Louisiana to Australia as a simulated run to show that U.S. bombers  with two crews onboard working in shifts  could travel all the way to China.

Old war birds still flying

What makes the announcement that the B-21 will enter service in the next decade so notable is the fact the U.S. Air Force's bomber fleet is old enough that many of today's pilots are actually younger than the planes they fly.

"The B-52 has been flying for six decades," Frost & Sullivan's Plucker told FoxNews. "As a former B-52 driver it was old when I was driving it, but today there are literally grandchildren flying the aircraft their grandfathers had flown."

The B-52 won't fly off into the sunset just yet, even with the B-21 coming up. The B-52 Stratofortress has kept flying even as the B-1 and B-2 bombers have been added to the Air Force's arsenal.

"The B-52 will likely be in service until 2042 at least," added Plucker.

Ironically, the B-52 stayed in service because of cost concerns of the B-1, and the fact that it wasn't really considered in the 1970s to be a significant upgrade. In the 1976 presidential election, then candidate Jimmy Carter called the B-1 program a waste of taxpayer dollars. With the election of Ronald Reagan, the B-1 program was pushed forward  as a temporary fix until the Advanced Technology Bomber, the eventual B-2, could be developed.

Related: 11 amazing A-10 Warthog images

"Today the B-1 is actually still cheap at twice the original price," Plucker told FoxNews. "As the B-1B, it is also the workhorse of the Air Force."

The bomber's future

The question has been brought up as whether the U.S. Air Force even needs a next generation of bomber  the B-21 or any other plane  given the advent of drones and missiles fired from cruisers and other systems.

"The bomber remains very much part of an offensive payload, and it is still developing technologically," Ben Goodlad, principal weapons analyst at IHS Aerospace, Defence and Security and editor of IHS Jane's Defence Insight Report, told FoxNews.com. "There is nothing that can replace a bomber. The bomber has greater survivability against increasing threats, while the payloads are increasing and the range."

The counter point might be that a bomber's role in peacetime is more limited than an aircraft carrier, which can fill a role in humanitarian missions. The bombers roles are as a deterrent and offensive platform.

"It really doesn't have a peacetime role," Plucker told FoxNews.com. "It is about combat and messaging, that is about it in its realistic role. But that is enough to keep the bombers flying."
Dana Perino, co-host of Fox News Channels The Five, says that she is relishing the opportunity to meet with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Wednesday to discuss allegations the social network has engaged in anti-conservative bias.

Perino is one of the leading conservative figures invited to meet Zuckerberg in the aftermath of a Gizmodo report that stories about conservative topics were prevented from appearing in Facebooks trending module. Facebook has denied any political bias, saying there is no evidence of the alleged activity.

I am looking forward to going tomorrow, Perino told Martha MacCallum on Americas Newsroom Tuesday. I will go in with an open mind and tell you what we talked about.

Related: Facebook says there is 'no evidence' of anti-conservative bias on Trending Topics

Other conservatives invited to the meeting at Facebooks headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., include TV host Glenn Beck, American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks, political commentator and writer S.E. Cupp, Targeted Victory Co-founder Zac Moffatt and Donald Trump adviser Barry Bennett.

Perino, former White House press secretary for President George W. Bush, says that she will use the meeting to find out why conservative views feature more prominently on Twitter than Facebook.

She also hopes to discuss Silicon Valley's broader approach to conservative viewpoints. "To me, companies like Facebook and others out there, they really prize gender and racial diversity, they don't so much seem to like diversity of thought," she said. With Wednesday's meeting, however, Facebook appears to be taking the issue seriously, according to Perino. "Because, in their business model, it's not in their interests to not be inclusive," she said.



Related: Government requests for Facebook data on the rise, report says

Perino also noted that when Facebook decided to get into the news business, "it opened itself up" to the type of criticism it is receiving at the moment.

In a Facebook post that was updated Sunday, Glenn Beck described the meeting as a chance for Zuckerberg to prove the social networks commitment to freedom of speech.

The question that needs to be answered Wednesday is: Will Mark see this as an opportunity to free all points of view, but at the same time unify America and the world, he wrote. While they are a private business and I support their right to run it any way they desire without government interference, it would be wonderful if a tool like Facebook INDEPENDENTLY CHOSE to hold up freedom of speech and freedom of association as a corporate principle.

Related: Reddit administrators accused of censorship

Citing a Facebook spokesman, Reuters reports that 12 conservative thought leaders will join Zuckerberg at the meeting.

Not every conservative figure invited to the Facebook meeting will attend. American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp declined the invitation. In a statement, Schlapp said that the "deck is stacked" against conservative opinion at Facebook, adding that CPAC content "egregiously underperforms" on Facebook compared to Twitter and other platforms by factors of 10.



The trending section, which appears to the right of the Facebook news feed, was introduced in January 2014. Facebook describes the module as a product designed to surface interesting and relevant conversations in order to help you discover the best content from all across Facebook.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
Many people are leaving their homes and embarking on new exciting adventures. Solo traveling seems to be the new big thing (Most Incredible Trips for Solo Travelers). While this sounds like fun, its important to take precaution and research your travel destination before you head there.

Some places need to be avoided due to their dangerous conditions. For instance, crime has become common world-wide, but increasingly common in these hazardous cities.

According to The Economist, Venezuela is in turmoil, its capital Caracas had the highest murder rate in the world last year.

If you dare to travel to these cities, make sure you are with someone else. Its always better to have two sets of eyes looking out. This offers increased safety and protection against the unknown.

The world can be a dangerous place, dont face these dangers alone.

1) Mexico City, Mexico

Mexico City is feared due to kidnappings, robberies and assaults. The U.S. Department of State issued a warning about traveling to certain places in Mexico due to threats and safety. U.S. Passports & International Travel explains, U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery by organized criminal groups in various Mexican states. If you absolutely have to travel to Mexico City, make sure you are with someone else. The risks are too high to be traveling alone.

2) Detroit, Mich.

Although Detroit is trying to make a comeback; it is still considered one of the most dangerous cities. Robberies, sexual assaults, murders, break-ins and drugs are controlling the streets. According to mlive.com, in 2015, Precinct 9 had 46 homicides, two more than 44 in 2014. In 2013, there were 43 homicides and 2012 there were 52.

3) Lima, Peru

Tourists and locals are warned about the risks of visiting and living in Lima, Peru. Fortunately, actions have been made to make it a safer city but there are still dangers to be aware of. Street crime is very common especially in areas with a lot of tourists such as the central plaza. Make sure you travel with another person; its wise to have two separate sets of eyes roaming about while walking the streets. Pickpocketing and fraudulent financial transactions are common.

4) New Delhi, India

Not only is New Delhi one of the dirtiest cities in the world but it is also a dangerous destination to travel to alone. The city is huge, with a population of over 12 million people. Therefore, crime does occur and theft is very common. According to TripAdvisor, pickpockets thrive in crowded areas such as markets as well as bus and train stations. Women should keep purses or bags close to their sides and men should store wallets in front instead of rear pockets.

5) Memphis, Tenn.

Never travel through Memphis alone! In 2015 the FBI ranked Memphis as the 3rd most dangerous city in the nation. It is believed a lot of the crime is a result of their poverty rate (under 28 percent). Burglaries, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson are common.

Check out more of worlds most dangerous cities.
Pouring liquids and gels into regulation sized containers is one of the biggest hassles of air travel in the 21st century.

But one frustrated passenger decided to take matters into her own hands after being told she couldnt fly with her contact solution.

A 28-year-old Beijing University graduate student, who has only been identified by her surname Li, was traveling through Xiaoshan Airport in Hangzhou on May 4.

According to the South China Morning Post, Li wanted to bring a bottle of contact solution through security but the container exceeded the 100 mL limit legally allowed in China.

Li attempted to circumvent the restriction by pouring some of the solution into a paper cup from a water dispenser near the security checkpoint but was told by staff that she was not permitted to board since the cup was not a sealed container.

Security camera footage from the airport shows Li throwing the liquid onto a security officer as he is inspecting her belongings. Li, who was reportedly traveling for a job interview, was immediately detained at the airport but has since been released.

China has been plagued with a series of misbehaving travelers in recent months, including a first time flier who mistook the emergency exit for the bathroom door, causing the inflatable slide to deploy, and a group of passengers physically abusing airline crew over a delayed flight.


Police in Mercer County arrested a Chesterfield woman who they believe robbed three banks, including one in Willingboro, armed only with a bright-green handbag and a demand note.

Josephine Sari, 42, was arrested Sunday.

Several tips came in after police released photos showing a middle-age woman dressed in black with a head scarf demanding money from tellers at banks Friday and Saturday morning, police Capt. James Stevens said.

Police in Willingboro said they are preparing to charge Sari in the Friday robbery of the Wells Fargo at Route 130 near Charleston Road. Sari fled from the bank after allegedly receiving an unspecified amount of cash from a teller.

Sari will also be charged for attempting to rob a store, Willingboro police Lt. Christopher Vetter said.

She is being held on $200,000 cash bail. No one answered the phone at her home Monday morning.
Airmen at Travis Air Force Base in California are playing life-size games of Hungry Hungry Hippos for training.

The 60th Air Mobility Wing public affairs office posted seven photos of members of the Air Force playing the childrens game last week.

Airmen launch into a life-size version of Hungry Hungry Hippos as part of a team building experience during Wingman Day activities, a caption reads. The Wingman Day program provides training, and hands-on participation exercises for Airmen and frontline supervisors to enhance their ability to recognize and effectively intervene with other Airmen in distress, utilizing the PRESS (Prepare, Recognize, Engage, Send, and Sustain) model.

Wingman Days in the past have included team 5K runs, where airmen are tied together during the race.

This quarterly event places emphasis on what it means to be a wingman for one another and to build camaraderie among Airmen, a 2013 news release of the activities said.

Wingman day truly is about watching out for the ones around you, said Master Sgt. Scott Moore. We are using team-related fitness events to foster teamwork while having fun at the same time.

Workers at the Veterans Affairs administration came under fire last year when a video emerged of them playing a life-size version of Hungry Hungry Hippos that lasted most of the work day on the taxpayers dime.

Request for comment from Travis Air Force Base was not returned.

Click for more from The Washington Free Beacon
A display at Dartmouth College honoring law enforcement officers was removed Friday and replaced with Black Lives Matter signs after just one day, members of the Dartmouth College Republicans said.

In place of the Blue Lives Matter tribute, which was created during National Police Week, were four fliers reading: You cannot co-opt the movement against state violence to memorialize its perpetrators. #blacklivesmatter, The Dartmouth Review reported.

The next morning we got up and we saw that our display was torn apart and replaced with Black Lives Matter posters, Dartmouth College Republicans President Michelle Knesbach told Fox News on Monday.

Mikala Williams, a student involved in replacing the police display with Black Lives Matter literature, said the tribute to cops undermined concerns about police brutality.

"By framing that as '[Blue Lives Matter,' it normalizes and naturalizes violence against people of color in this country," she told The Dartmouth. "And that is not okay. That is in no way okay."

Knesbach, however, said the activism went beyond the billboard revamp.

Throughout the entirety of the day, 25 Black Lives Matter protesters were standing in front of billboards, she told On the Record's Greta Van Susteren. Not only did they replace our billboard with their display, they also replaced all of the other billboards in the student center with Black Lives Matter posters and posted pictures of our club members faces with Sons of Old Dartmouth written over it.

School administrators reportedly didnt respond or condemn the incident until two days later. College President Phil Hanlon sent a campus-wide email Sunday calling the initial remove of the police display "an unacceptable violation of freedom of expression." But Hanlon also equated the billboard drama to a November incident in which Black Lives Matter t-shirts were removed from a display.

Initially, the College Republicans were not allowed to replace the

police display due to safety and security concerns, Knesbach said.

But Collins Center director Anna Hall told The Dartmouth that the Black Lives Matter posters were taken down Saturday morning to allow the reposting of the police tribute.

A sign on the board Sunday night read "We will not be silenced, Blue Lives Matter, according to The Dartmouth.


The family of a mentally ill man who died in a Virginia jail cell after losing so much weight his heart stopped filed a $60 million wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against several jail officials and health-care providers.

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, claims correctional officers at the Portsmouth jail physically abused and withheld food from Jamycheal Mitchell. One inmate said some officers named in the lawsuit treated Mitchell "like a circus animal," the lawsuit says. Mitchell also was dragged, punched, kicked and sprayed with mace by jailers who goaded medical personnel into ignoring the inmate's deteriorating health, according to the lawsuit.

Lawyers for the main defendants  the Hampton Roads Regional Jail Authority and Naphcare Inc., which provides medical services at the Portsmouth jail  did not respond to telephone messages seeking comment.

Mitchell, who suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, was jailed in April 2015 after allegedly stealing $5 worth of snacks from a convenience store. He was found dead in his cell three months later after losing 46 pounds. A medical examiner said Mitchell died of heart failure accompanied by "wasting syndrome," or severe weight loss.

State investigators have said that a judge twice ordered Mitchell transferred to a state mental hospital, but his name was never placed on the hospital's waiting list because of clerical errors.

Two state agencies investigated the death but were unable to determine exactly what happened at the jail.

Jail officials conducted their own investigation and cleared employees of any wrongdoing. Details of that investigation have not been made public.
The last of several mobile homes where eight relatives were found shot to death in southern Ohio have been moved to a secure location.

The state Attorney General's Office said three Piketon-area mobile homes were moved several miles north on Thursday to an investigation command center in Waverly. The fourth was moved on Friday. Vehicles from the properties were also relocated.



Seven adults and a 16-year-old boy from the Rhoden family were found dead at the properties last month.



A coroner determined all but one had been shot repeatedly. Some also had bruising consistent with a 911 caller's description that two appeared to have been beaten.



Authorities said they hope to preserve the gruesome crime scenes as they were found and to help with the investigation and any future prosecution.
One of two brothers believed to have murdered a missing Washington state couple turned himself in to U.S. Marshals at the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said Monday night.

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office confirmed to Q13 Fox that Tony Reed, 49, was booked into the San Diego County Jail in California. Further details of Reed's arrest were not immediately available.

Reed is suspected of helping his brother, 53-year-old John Reed, murder Patrick Shunn and his wife, Monique Patenaude, of Arlington, Wash., last month. The couple have been missing since April 11 and their whereabouts remain unknown.

"We're definitely glad to have one [brother] in custody," sheriff's office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said. "We're hoping for more information about the bodies."

The Reed brothers were charged with first-degree murder in the case April 19 after authorities said they had found "significant blood evidence" in the cargo area of the couple's cars that led them to believe they were killed. The brothers are believed to have fled to Mexico after the killings.

In court documents, the Snohomish County prosecutors office said the Land Rover and Jeep belonging to Shunn and Patenaude had obvious blood pooling and smearing, and some blood splatter in their respective interiors." The vehicles were found down an embankment in a remote, wooded area near Oso, Wash. and authorities said surveillance video linked the Reed brothers to the vehicles' disposal.

Authorities say it is unclear exactly how the couple died, but the documents said a fresh 9mm shell casing was found just outside the locked gate that leads between the former home of John Reed and the Shunn/Patenaude home.

Authorities said John Reed had previously lived near the couple and had property disputes with them.

John Reed is still on the run and Snohomish Conty officials are soliciting tips from the public regarding his whereabouts.

John Reed's car was found previously in central Washington, and detectives said the brothers had taken their parents' red Volkswagen.



John Reed tried to cash a check for $96,000 on April 14 before he went on the run from police, according to court documents. The brothers had not been identified as suspects at the time. Ireton has said the bank wasn't able to cash the large check but issued five smaller cashier's checks to John Reed. One check had been cashed before authorities put a hold on them.



Authorities had said the brothers could have been heading for Mexico. Detectives found a car in Phoenix that had been driven by the Reeds and said the suspects took another car with an Arizona plate.



A license plate reader captured that plate near Calexico, Calif. and the Reeds themselves had been spotted in the country several times, authorities said.



Tony Reed has dozens of arrests and twice was under state supervision -- from 1989 to 1991 on drug charges, and from 1994 to 2003 for three misdemeanors, one count of attempting to elude police and one count of third-degree assault.



John Reed has been cited for mostly minor offenses, including driving without a license and collecting wood without a permit. He served five years under supervision of the Department of Corrections in the late 1990s for attempting to elude police in Whatcom County.

Click for more from Q13Fox.com.
A group of Seattle University students is demanding that a dean be fired, accusing her of recommending a student read a book that includes a racial slur in its title.



Jodi Kelly, the dean of the universitys Matteo Ricci College, told a black student last year that she should read the book "N-----: An Autobiography by Dick Gregory." The unnamed student told The Stranger that she was unable to attend class after hearing Kelly, who is white, say the book title.

The student said Kelly used the n-word she said it three or four times. The full word.

The activists reportedly launched their protest at the humanities college on Wednesday. Some students also demanded changes to a curriculum which they said was erasing their personal and ancestral voices.

The student who spoke with Kelly said, It is not her place to tell me not to be offended. This woman needs to be removed. Im worried about the students that come after me." However, the student also said, I dont want to be the reason she resigns. Everyone has stories but this was just too traumatic.

Kelly said she was simply proposing a piece of literature to a student who asked.

The student asked for more diversified reading, Kelly told The Stranger. I complied and pulled the book from my shelf. The title, as you know, could startle, so I relayed the story of Dick Gregory explaining to his maternal ancestors why he titled it that way I am not in the habit of every using that word I believe it demeans us all.

Comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory published the autobiography in 1964.
A 49-year-old Pennsylvania substitute teacher who had recently served as the head of her Lutheran churchs council was charged Tuesday with institutional sexual assault after she allegedly was caught in a cemetery having sex with a 17-year-old student earlier this month.

A police officer found Kelly Aldinger having sex with the teenage boy in a parked Chevrolet Equinox in Easton Cemetery on the afternoon of May 6, according to a police news release viewed by LehighValleyLive.com.

Aldinger was arraigned Tuesday morning and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail. If convicted, Aldinger faces up to seven years in prison. Statutory rape charges do not apply because the age of consent in Pennsylvania is 16.

Aldinger had first met the student, now a junior in high school, when he was in middle school and had taught him at some point. They allegedly began a sexual relationship in 2015, court documents said.

Aldinger, who has at least one child, currently lives with her parents; however, she previously lived with a husband, LVL.com reported. Its unclear if shes still married. She said in court she had no previous arrests.

Her employer, Source4Teachers, announced she was suspended. Aldinger had worked at Easton High School as a substitute.

Once the police notified us of the circumstances, we immediately called Source4Teachers and told them they needed to make sure shes off their list until they investigate the matter through the Easton Police Department, Superintendent John Reinhart told LVL. Needless to say, shes banned from substitute teaching in our schools.

Reinhart said if Aldinger pleads guilty or is convicted, her teaching career is over.

Shell never work if these charges remain, he said. Shell have her license pulled.

Aldinger was in charge of Christian education, worship, music, Sunday School and Vacation Bible School as the council president at St. Paul III Lutheran Church, LVL reported. It was not clear if she held any current position with the church, but church bulletins viewed by LVL showed her in the role last fall.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 31.
A leading medical charity that suffered massive losses when U.S. helicopter gunships mistakenly struck its clinic in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz is criticizing the United States for failing to pay compensation to the wounded and families of the Afghans killed in the assault last October.

Doctors Without Borders says Washington should "urgently address" the issue - even as the Afghan government prepares to rebuild the hospital with millions of dollars donated by the U.S. military.

The organization, known by its French initials MSF, has decided - at least for now - not to resume operations in Kunduz, where it ran the only trauma hospital in an increasingly violent part of the country, said Guilhem Molinie, the MSF representative for Afghanistan.

The Pentagon said the sustained attack was a mistake caused by human error. After a months-long investigation, the United States dismissed allegations by MSF that the incident amounted to a war crime, and exonerated all involved of any criminal action.

President Barack Obama apologized for the attack, which was one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in the 15-year war in Afghanistan.

But while the Pentagon report, released on April 29, said no criminal charges had been leveled against U.S. military personnel for mistakes that resulted in the attack, about 16 American military personnel, including a two-star general, were disciplined.

A dozen survivors interviewed by The Associated Press since the Oct. 3 assault on the MSF hospital - which treated wounded Taliban and government fighters alike - are convinced the bombing was no accident. They have said that the attack was sustained and focused on destroying the main hospital building. Doctors Without Borders has said it provided the GPS coordinates of the Kunduz clinic to all parties in the conflict in Afghanistan.

The Afghan government has accepted $5.7 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to rebuild the Kunduz facility. According to the U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland, construction could begin on the same site later this year.

"The money has been transferred to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and military engineers have begun assessing the site as they work on designs for the new facility," he said.

That work should be finished by September, he said, adding that an Afghan company would be contracted to build the infrastructure and the U.S. would not be equipping it.

Meanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has ordered that the hospital be rebuilt on the same site as the MSF clinic that was destroyed, said Wadidullah Majroh, director of international affairs at the Ministry of Public Health in Kabul. The president's office did not respond to requests for further information.

Molinie, the MSF representative in Afghanistan, told the AP that the medical charity was not involved in discussions on the rebuilding of the clinic and received no funds from the U.S. or the Afghan government.

As a condition for resuming activities in Kunduz, MSF sought guarantees there would be "no military interference or use of force against MSF medical facilities, personnel, patients and ambulances," Molinie said.

But no guarantees have been offered so far.

The organization also wanted agreement from Afghan authorities, the U.S. military and all combatant groups fighting in Afghanistan that "MSF staff can safely provide medical care to people based on medical needs, without discrimination, and regardless of their religious, political or military affiliations," he said.

"We have not yet made a decision on resuming medical activities in Kunduz," Molinie said.

"It is extremely difficult to understand why adequate compensation has still not been offered to the families who have lost their sole breadwinner and to victims whose injuries are so severe they will struggle to earn an income," Molinie added.

He stressed that the Kunduz "victims feel disregarded and insulted," and that the issue of compensation payments "needs to be urgently addressed by the U.S."

The U.S. military has paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars to wounded survivors and relatives of those killed in the Kunduz attack, with payments of $6,000 for each person killed and the wounded receiving $3,000.

Representatives of victims have said the so-called "sorry money" was inadequate to make up for their losses, though U.S. military officials have said the disbursements were not compensation rather than condolence payments.

The payments the MSF is urging Washington to make are separate from that, the charity said.

The MSF hospital was attacked by a U.S. Air Force special operations AC-130 gunship during a firefight as U.S. advisers were helping Afghan forces retake Kunduz from the Taliban, who had captured the city on Sept. 28 and held it for three days.

Afghan officials, including the then-acting defense minister and the national security adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar said at the time the hospital was being used as a base by Taliban fighters. No evidence has emerged to support the assertion.

MSF's policy of treating combatants on all sides of a conflict has drawn criticism from some in Afghanistan who say that by treating Taliban fighters, Doctors Without Borders enables them to return to the battlefield. The United Nations has said the vast majority of casualties from the war in Afghanistan - 11,002 killed and wounded in 2015 - are caused by the insurgents.

Those killed in the Kunduz airstrike were all Afghans, including hospital staff, patients and caretakers, mostly relatives of patients. Another 27 staff were wounded. The hospital was incinerated and MSF immediately ceased operations in Kunduz. Some staff were subsequently transferred to Kunduz's government-run hospital.
By day, they faced torture and the constant threat of execution at the hands of their ISIS captors. At night, they used a stolen piece of jagged metal to scrape the crumbling wall of their prison until last week, when they had fashioned a hole big enough to squeeze through.

A 30-year-old man who was one of 20 who fled the jail in Tabaqa, Syria, days later recounted the daring escape to the Syrian activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently. As the prisoners poured out of the hand-hewn tunnel, running all directions into the night, a siren and the cries of a captured fellow escapee spurred him on until, exhausted, he reached the home of strangers. They hid him until he contacted a friend who came for him.

Every day for three months they tortured him, the friend, who is a member of the group of former residents of Raqqa now dedicated to shining a light inside the caliphate, where international media cannot go, told FoxNews.com. But after a while, the torture just became routine.

The escapee, whose name and photo cannot be used for his own safety, is now in hiding near the Turkish border. He is one of several onetime prisoners of ISIS who clawed their way out of the terrorist groups makeshift dungeons in Syria and Iraq and now tell similar, harrowing stories. Hussam Eesa, a member of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, said the accounts of former prisoners are vital for telling the outside world of the brutality inflicted on Syrians and Iraqis by ISIS.

The black-clad jihadist group operates three types of lockups, according to another former captive who escaped from a prison in Mosul. The dank basements of seized churches, hospitals, schools and office buildings hold imprisoned Iraqi Army officers and local policemen captured in cities overrun by ISIS. The prisoners are tortured, interrogated and most often killed in these prisons run by the Islamic States Department of Security.

These people were mostly arrested after ISIS took over Mosul and Tikrit, he said. ISIS lied to them and told them, We will give you safety if you give up your weapons, but then they arrested them. Many have been executed, but many are still in these prisons.

He estimated that as many as 2,000 Iraqi Army soldiers have been killed since surrendering, with around 5,000 remaining in the bowels of prisons in Mosul, Tikrit and smaller towns controlled by ISIS.

ISIS jailors take mugshots of prisoners and meticulously record details of their lives, and often, their deaths.

So-called public prisons, run by ISIS Department of Enforcements, hold civilians deemed to be working against the occupying force. Offenses ranging from communicating with the Iraqi government to insulting an ISIS member to trying to flee the caliphate can warrant indefinite captivity in one of these prisons, according to the former Mosul captive. Inmates are beaten, lashed, maimed with sadistic tools and kept in small cages, the man, who was arrested for swearing at an ISIS fighter, told FoxNews.com.

The number of people in these prisons goes up and down depending on the situation inside the city. There are many hundreds still in there, he said.

It was one such prison where he was held, said the 25-year-old man. In addition to daily indoctrination into ISIS interpretation of the Koran and torture at the hands of their captors, the inmates are in constant fear of air attacks from Iraqi and coalition forces.

They put us in a room where we could hear the planes echoing, the planes that fly over Mosul, he said. This scares the prisoners, we feel like we could be attacked at any minute.

Many say the psychological torture -- hearing the plantive cries of fellow prisoners, being rousted from their quarters for mock executions and the constant reminders that each day could be their last -- is the worst part of capitivity inside the caliphate.



Food is scarce  two meals if lucky, he said. Breakfast is yogurt with tea and bread, and lunch is a little bit of potato, tomato and eggplant cooked in oil, he said.

The worst ISIS prisons are reserved for prisoners of war. Iraqi Army and Kurdish soldiers captured in battle are kept barely alive, only for the prospect of being used in exchanges.

But they also kill some of them whenever ISIS gets harshly attacked in a fight, the former captive said. Or sometimes they just kill so they can use it to boost the morale of their own fighters.

Women arrested by ISIS typically disappear behind prison walls never to be seen again. A document obtained by FoxNews.com from an ISIS jail in Iraqs Saladin Province details the arrest of a woman in her mid-20s charged with prostitution. It lists full names and mothers name, in addition to details such as date and place of birth, occupation, residence, marital status and place of arrest. She is presumed dead.

Even children are not excluded from the torment, say those who have been held prisoner by ISIS.

A large number of children have been arrested by ISIS, said Eesa. The most common charges are insulting Allah and cooperating with apostates. They are being tortured just like men, and some of them have died under torture.

Not praying, listening to Western music or showing disrespect to ISIS elders can all result in torture for children, Eesa said.

They torture the children  mostly flogging, beating on the hands and feet, Eesa said. And psychological torture.

According to the Office of the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR), ISIS continues to treat its detainees with brutality, subjecting some to torture and other ill-treatment, as well as to summary executions after unfair trials.

The commission has published several reports documenting the extreme violations of international human rights law  from punishments involving amputation and overcrowded, insect-infested cells to the public display of crucified captives.

Short of a jail being liberated by opposing forces, escapes such as the one that took place last week are rare. Some prisoners, like the man who was held in Mosul, are released after finishing out their "sentences."

One cannot get out, the roads around are usually under control of the Daesh, another Syrian source said. In Raqqa seven months ago, some escaped in an airstrike. After that, almost no one.

It remains unknown exactly how many people are being held in ISIS jails across Iraq and Syria, or even how many jails the barbaric terrorist group operates.

I was administered with electric shocks, my bones were broken. I was hung by my feet from the ceiling and beaten with my hands tied behind my back, a professional in his mid-40s, who was arrested in the very early days of the terrorist onslaught on suspicion of being an atheist, told FoxNews.com from a contested area inside Syria. They swore on a Koran that I would be cut into pieces.

The man claims that after a few days he was released to a hospital after connections affiliated with ISIS negotiated some kind of exchange or deal  but the experience still haunts him.

I still feel like I am in jail, he added. But my mind is strong. I will keep fighting it.

Steven Nabil contributed to this report.
European Union members plotted secretly in March to have African dictators, including accused war criminal and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, help stem the tide of refugees pouring into Europe, according to an explosive report in the German publication Der Spiegel.

An action plan discussed at the March 23 meeting led by Germany, included earmarking $45 million to al-Bashirs Sudan and seven other African countries to intercept and take in refugees bound for the west, according to the report.

"Under no circumstances" was the public to learn of the talks, ambassadors of the 28 European Union member states agreed. A staff member of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini warned that Europe's reputation could be in jeopardy if word of the talks leaked, according to the report.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has advocated helping improve conditions in the countries producing refugees as a means of stopping the movement. But minutes from the March meetings and additional classified documents obtained by Der Spiegel and German public television station ARD show "Report Mainz" indicate the strategy may be to cut the influx off in Sudan.

The EU plan is to send cameras, scanners and servers for registering refugees to the Sudanese regime, to train the nations border police and help construct two camps with detention rooms for migrants, Der Spiegel reported. The German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development confirmed the plan, although it has not been implemented.

While much of the refugee flow has originated in the Middle East, migrants from Eritrea, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic all travel through the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on their way to Libya, where they board boats bound for Europe. UN officials say as many as 4 million people from the region south of Sudan are on the move toward Libya.

Al-Bashir is wanted for genocide and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for his role in the Darfur conflict. His regime also is accused of torturing opposition members and sponsoring terror.
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In the eyes of activists, Chinese officials are making the public feel like they are in North Korea.

Government officials are so concerned about Hong Kong protesters lashing out at a top Beijing official during his visit to the semiautonomous city Tuesday that they've ordered crews to glue down sidewalk tiles -- so activists can't use them as weapons, The China Post reports.

Thousands of police officers were deployed as Zhang Dejiang, China's third-highest-ranking Communist Party official, began his three-day "inspection visit" to the former British colony, where tensions have risen over Chinese rule. Zhang, chairman of the National People's Congress, China's ceremonial parliament, is the most senior Chinese official to visit Hong Kong since then-President Hu Jintao came in 2012.

The security measures also included barricades and officers keeping watch on a mountain peak far from the city center. However, they failed to prevent activists from unfurling a pro-democracy banner lower down the mountainside.

"Keeping protesters away is... ridiculous. It makes you feel like you are in North Korea," Sham Tsz-kit of Civil Human Rights Front, which organizes Hong Kong's annual July 1 political rally, told The China Post.

"Zhang Dejiang is coming here to understand the situation in Hong Kong but now his eyesight will be completely blocked."

After arriving at the airport, Zhang, who's also the Chinese official in charge of Hong Kong affairs, touched on the city's fraying ties with the mainland, saying he would listen to "suggestions and requests from various sectors of society on... the development of the country and Hong Kong."

Zhang is scheduled to deliver a speech at a business conference Wednesday morning. He's also expected to hold a rare meeting with four pro-democracy lawmakers, who said they would urge him to get rid of the city's unpopular Beijing-backed leader, Leung Chun-ying, and revive political reform efforts.

Discontent over Beijing's tightening grip on Hong Kong has risen since pro-democracy street protests rocked the Asian financial hub in late 2014, and calls for independence from radical political groups have become commonplace.

Sidewalk tiles previously were thrown during a February riot involving a pro-independence group that left 90 people injured.

In the neighboring mainland city of Shenzhen, police arrested a Hong Kong man involved in a plot to use a drone to disrupt Zhang's visit, China's official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.

Police have termed the security moves as "counter-terrorism measures as "activists have become more violent, The China Post reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Just days after the U.S. and NATO moved forward on a missile defense program in Europe, Russia responded by vowing to modernize a launch detection system alerting Moscow to potential attacks, Russian media reported Tuesday.

The Dnepr Missile Launch Detection System is located in Crimea, which Russia took over from Ukraine in 2014. Once upgraded, it would be able to detect hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missiles from the Mediterranean and Black Seas, Pravda reported.

Moscow had cried foul over the NATO program, even though U.S. officials said it would fend off missile threats from Iran. "The threat is gone, but the creation of the missile defense system is continuing," President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

The NATO system includes a site in Romania that became operational Thursday and a site in northern Poland where U.S. and Polish officials broke ground Friday for a facility due to be ready in 2018.

Putin said Russia "will do everything needed to ensure and preserve the strategic balance, which is the most reliable guarantee from large-scale military conflicts," but will not get drawn into an arms race.

Earlier this week, Col. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, chief of the Russian military's Strategic Missile Forces, said new types of Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles accelerate faster and are equipped with maneuverable warheads, making them more difficult to intercept.

In another potential response, the military has talked about stationing its state-of-the art Iskander missiles to Russia's westernmost Baltic outpost of Kaliningrad, which borders NATO members Poland and Lithuania. Last year, the missiles were airlifted there during military maneuvers in a demonstration of their swift deployment capability, but were pulled back to their permanent base after the drills.

The Iskander missiles, which have a range of up to 300 miles, would put most of Poland in reach if deployed from the Kaliningrad region.

Dmitry Rogozin, a deputy prime minister in charge of military industries, said after the meeting with Putin that Russia will use technologies that would allow it to "neutralize any threat with minimal resources." He didn't elaborate.

Russia has long described the U.S.-led missile shield as a top security challenge. Russian military officials have said while the current system doesn't pose a threat to Russia's massive nuclear missile force, it could erode the nation's nuclear deterrent when it grows more powerful in the future.

"They aren't defensive systems, they are part of the U.S. strategic nuclear potential deployed on the periphery, in eastern Europe," Putin said. "Now, after the deployment of those missile defense elements, we will have to think about how we can fend off the threats to the Russian Federation's security."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A groom in Saudi Arabia filed for divorce minutes after his wedding when his bride refused to put down her cell phone and pay attention to him, local media reported Tuesday.

The couple retired to a hotel room following the ceremony, where a relative said the unnamed woman rebuffed the mans intimate advances. The bride said she wanted to respond to her friends texts and other messages congratulating them on their wedding, according to Gulf News.

The groom asked her to delay the messages, but she refused and became angry, the relative added. When he asked her if her friends were more important than he was, the bride answered that they were.

The argument quickly escalated before the groom demanded a divorce. A reconciliation committee agreed to take the case to see whether the husband and wife could resolve their differences. But the groom insisted he wanted the marriage to end.

The case reflects a growing divorce rate among newlyweds in Saudi Arabia, a legal expert told local media.

Misunderstandings, differences in views and the easy approach to marriage without a deep appreciation of the responsibilities are among the major causes for divorce among young people, Ahmad Al Maabi said. Marriages are bound to fail when there are no robust foundations or trust.
We asked Mark Jameson, Executive Vice President, Franchise Support and Development at Fastsigns International, how he chooses the right marketing media to reach his ideal candidates, and how often he communicates with them. Here's what he had to say.

We believe in utilizing many different marketing channels to reach our candidates, and more importantly, in targeting those in the right markets and for the right category or model. Our brand relies on a strong public relations and digital marketing strategy to target and find the ideal candidates. With the help of a significant national TV buy, Fastsigns is lucky to have a strong brand presence that enables us to stay top of mind.

However, this is only a piece of how we communicate the franchise opportunity to candidates, so we must employ a variety of marketing strategies to attract the right candidates. We have found public relations is key in conveying our franchise development messages; it is the overarching medium we use tell our brand story, share new market opportunities, announce new deals, and drive leads to our website for more information.

We use our website to keep the conversation going and to allow candidates to explore our various models, including new centers, conversions, co-branding, and international. This is followed up with a focused retargeting campaign for those who do not complete a form and leave the site. We use various franchisee testimonials as the primary messaging in our retargeting efforts. In addition, we provide strong franchise validation by making our existing franchisees available to new candidates. And, with a strong focus on the more than 400 open markets and targeted areas of development in the U.S. and Canada, we penetrate these markets with a pay-per-click campaign to geo-target candidates in those areas to let them know what opportunities are open and to encourage them to learn more.

Whether we seek qualified candidates through a portal, pay-per-click, public relations, brokers, or trade shows, the ultimate goal is to have one of our field-based development directors meet with candidates and follow our defined process to educate them on our model. Even if we find that the timing may not be right for a particular candidate, we focus on ongoing communication with all candidates and continue to follow up through drip campaigns using our CRM system. This ensures that we don't lose touch with someone who may have interest and be qualified, but who isn't quite ready to make a decision. We also use social media as an ongoing communications tool and rely on LinkedIn and Twitter to deliver franchise development messages and keep Fastsigns in front of candidates who may be considering our brand.
Captain Ds Franchise Achieves 18th Consecutive Quarter of System-Wide Growth and Continues to Drive National Expansion

Fast casual seafood leader kicks off the first quarter with continued success and franchise development.

May 11, 2016 // Franchising.com // NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Captain Ds announced today it started 2016 strong, closing out the first quarter of the year with its 18th consecutive quarter of positive growth, generating a 2.5 percent system-wide same store sales increase. The leading fast casual seafood restaurant chain is also experiencing a surge of new franchise and corporate growth.

Were thrilled that our unwavering commitment to exceed our guests expectations has continually translated into strong results quarter after quarter. We are confident that 2016 will be another record-breaking year for our brand, said Phil Greifeld, chief executive officer and president of Captain Ds. Our talented franchisees and company operators are the backbone of Captain Ds, and their dedication to our passionate guest-centric culture has been a driving force behind our companys year-after-year compounding success. We are also highly enthused about the continued strong success that our new restaurants openings are experiencing.

A recent opening in Boiling Springs, S.C., marked the brands second new corporate location in the Spartanburg area in the past six months. Following the Boiling Springs opening, Captain Ds will be continuing its ongoing expansion in South Carolina with its next corporate location in Easley, which will open later this summer. We are successfully expanding our unique brand throughout our 26 state territory, Greifeld added.

During quarter one, Captain Ds also gave customers a true taste of its Nashville heritage with the system-wide launch of its Nashville Hot Fish, reflecting the seafood expertise and product innovation that have contributed to the brands ongoing success. The locally-inspired dish features a bold, cayenne-based blend of spices shaken on Ds signature Southern-Style White Fish, served fresh on crisp bread and topped with pickle slices. The unique dish showcases that while the Nashville Hot trend is at the forefront of the current food scene with a handful of restaurants introducing their take on the Southern staple, Captain Ds truly has a hometown advantage with their own special twist.

Additionally, Captain Ds credits its new restaurant design with contributing to the brands compounding success. To date, 47 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brands new vibrant, coastal design, with another 50 locations to be remodeled by the end of this year. With these efforts, Captain Ds has remained true to what it does best  serving high-quality seafood with warm hospitality at an affordable price in a welcoming atmosphere.

With 517 restaurants in 26 states, Captain Ds is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. The company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join in the brands rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit http://www.captaindsfranchising.com or call 800-550-4877.

About Captain Ds

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Captain Ds has 517 restaurants in 26 states, plus military bases around the world. Captain Ds is the nations leading fast casual seafood restaurant and was named the #1 seafood chain in the QSR 50, ranked by AUV. Founded in 1969, Captain Ds has been offering its customers high-quality seafood at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere for 47 years. Captain Ds serves a widely variety of seafood that includes freshly prepared entrees and the company's signature hand-battered fish, which is cooked to order to ensure freshness. The restaurants also offer premium-quality grilled fish, as well as shrimp, chicken, surf and turf, hushpuppies, desserts and freshly brewed, Southern-style sweet tea, a Captain D's favorite. For more information, please visit www.captainds.com.

SOURCE Captain Ds

Media Contact:

Samantha Russo

Account Manager

Fish Consulting, LLC

O:(954) 893-9150

C:(954) 980-5128

srusso@fish-consulting.com

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Arbys CEO Paul Brown Named an EY Entrepreneur of The Year 2016 Finalist

May 13, 2016 // Franchising.com // ATLANTA  EY announced that Paul Brown, CEO, Arbys Restaurant Group, Inc. is a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of The Year 2016 Award in the Southeast. Selected by a panel of independent judges, the award recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

Since joining Arbys as CEO in May 2013, Brown has successfully led Arbys growth in a hypercompetitive industry. By operating Arbys business as a fearless start-up, Brown has helped propel the 52-year-old brand to the forefront of the industry with 22 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth and 13 consecutive quarters of industry outperformance. Arbys Fast Crafted market positioning  which Brown helped identify  has been instrumental in the Brands continued success. Im honored to be recognized by EY, said Brown. I am constantly inspired by what Arby's more than 75,000 team members and employees accomplish every day, and I am energized by the potential I see in Arbys. This recognition further reinforces the entire organizations efforts over the past several years.

Brown is a member of the board of directors of H&R Block, Inc., Lindblad Expeditions and FOCUS Brands, Inc. He is also active in the Atlanta community, serving on the boards of the Georgia Tech Foundation, The Woodruff Arts Center, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and the Buckhead Coalition.

Now in its 30th year, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year program recognizes business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries throughout the world. Award winners will be announced on June 23, 2016.

About Arbys

Arbys, founded in 1964, is the first nationally franchised sandwich restaurant brand, with more than 3,300 restaurants worldwide. The Arbys brand purpose is Inspiring Smiles Through Delicious Experiences. Arbys restaurants feature Fast Crafted service, a unique blend of quick-serve speed and value combined with the quality and made-for-you care of fast casual. Arbys Restaurant Group, Inc. is the parent company of the franchisor of the Arbys brand and is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. Visit Arbys.com for more information. With the current growth and momentum of the Brand, Arbys is actively seeking new franchisees. To learn more about available markets and requirements, visit DiscoverArbys.com.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the worlds most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

SOURCE Arby's

Media Contact:

Christopher Fuller

678-514-4211

cfuller@arbys.com

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CKE Restaurants Promotes Jim Sullivan to Executive Vice President of Domestic Development

CARPINTERIA, Calif. - May 16, 2016 - (BUSINESS WIRE) - CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. (CKE), parent company of Carls Jr. and Hardees restaurant chains, announced the promotion of Jim Sullivan to Executive Vice President, Domestic Development. In his new role, Sullivan will spearhead domestic and real estate development activities and focus on the companys agenda for continual growth.

Sullivan first joined CKE in 2012 as Senior Vice President of Domestic Franchise Development. In this role, he was responsible for restaurant and franchise development, including managing franchise sales and growth of the domestic franchise system. Through his leadership, CKEs franchise community experienced substantial and sustained growth, including generating the highest net increase in U.S. locations among all traditional freestanding hamburger drive thru restaurants during 2015. In addition, he has been instrumental in successfully completing the companys refranchising program.

With his nearly 20 years of franchise development experience, Jim has been a tremendous asset to our executive management team and I am honored to promote him to Executive Vice President of domestic development, said CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. CEO, Andrew F. Puzder. I am confident that Jim will help us successfully amplify our domestic footprint through his superb leadership and seamless execution.

Prior to joining CKE, Sullivan served as Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Friendlys Ice Cream LLC where he was responsible for the companys development, real estate and franchising activities.

About CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.

CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. (CKE) is a privately held company headquartered in Carpinteria, Calif. CKE is not a franchisor and conducts substantially all of its restaurant activities and operations through its subsidiaries. Carls Jr. Restaurants LLC and Hardees Restaurants LLC own, operate and franchise the Carls Jr., Hardees, Green Burrito and Red Burrito concepts. Carls Jr. and Hardees operate as one brand under two names, acknowledging the rich regional heritage of both banners. After opening their first restaurants in New York and New Jersey last spring and recent international openings in Japan, Australia, Canada, Colombia and Guatemala, Carls Jr. Restaurants LLC and Hardees Restaurants LLC now have a total of 3,682 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 44 states and 38 foreign countries and U.S. territories. Known for its one-of-a-kind premium menu items such as 100 percent Black Angus Thickburgers, Made from Scratch Biscuits, Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders and Fresh Baked Buns, as well as an award-winning marketing approach, the Carls Jr./Hardees brand continues to deliver substantial and consistent growth in the U.S. and overseas. The Carls Jr./Hardees system is now 93 percent franchised, with international restaurants representing 19 percent of the system. For more information about CKE, please visit www.ckr.com or its brand sites at www.carlsjr.com and www.hardees.com.

SOURCE CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.

Contact:

Kate Franklin

Coast PR for Carls Jr. & Hardees

818-606-9784

kate@coastprgroup.com

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Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies Announces New Ownership Of Wentzville, Missouri Center

Leading Early Education Provider Now Accepting Summer Camp Enrollment

May 17, 2016 // Franchising.com // DULUTH, Ga. - Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies, a national early childhood education franchise with three decades of experience, has announced that its Wentzville, Missouri center located at 1020 Meyer Road is under new ownership.

The new owners are Linh and Neil Hoffner. Linh, who most recently worked for the United States Patent and Trademark Office as an electrical engineer, is closely involved in the daily operations of the school, while Neil, who is also an electrical engineer, still works for Boeing.

"Aside from the beautiful facility, what had attracted us to Kids 'R' Kids was its comprehensive curriculum programs available for infants through school-age students," said Linh Hoffner. "As a mother of two young children who are enrolled at a Kids 'R' Kids center, I wanted to partner with a franchise that closely aligned with my personal values and Kids 'R' Kids was and continues to be the one concept we wholeheartedly believe in. Neil and I are very pleased with the quality care, education and exposure our kids are receiving and look forward to serving the families of the community for many years to come."

For the past 30 years, Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies has upheld its long-standing principle of strengthening and encouraging childhood development on an emotional, intellectual, social and physical level through a unique partnership between its child care providers and parents.

The company offers a variety of curriculum programs designed for infants through prekindergarten. Its proprietary First Class Curriculum is designed specifically for every developmental stage of education with theme-based units, specific learning activities and teacher-friendly lesson plans. Most recently, Kids 'R' Kids unveiled a revolutionary music curriculum called ColorSoundation, which was developed by noted Los Angeles-based musician and teacher Shiho Yamamoto to teach very young children the fundamentals of music through the integration and interplay of colors with sounds. Last year, Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies unveiled its new STEAM AHEAD curriculum, an integrated project-based curriculum for preschool students, ages three to five, which incorporates more science, technology, engineering, art, and math into everyday learning through play.

With a nationally awarded curriculum, Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies provides early education and care for children from six weeks through 12 years of age at its nearly 160 schools located in 16 states across the country. Programs offered to children include infant care, toddler and preschooler care, private pre-K and kindergarten, before-and-afterschool care and summer camp. In order to provide even more convenience for families with busy schedules, Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academy of Wentzville remains open during all major school breaks and holidays year-round.

For more than six years, Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies has been accredited by AdvancED in America, the world's largest education community. This accreditation ensures its schools are meeting and exceeding the highest accreditation standards and providing excellence in education beyond most daycare and childcare providers.

For more information, or to enroll your child at the Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academy of Wentzville, please visit krkwentzville.com or call (636) 327-0788.

About Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies

Headquartered in the North Atlanta suburb of Duluth, Ga., Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies provide a secure, nurturing, and educational environment for children (ages six weeks - 12 years) to bloom into responsible, considerate, and contributing members of society. With nearly 160 learning academies in 16 states, Kids 'R' Kids International is a family-owned and operated organization that ranks in the top three nationwide for franchised early childhood education centers (www.kidsrkids.com).

SOURCE Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies

Contact:

Elayne Jacobs

Fish Consulting

(202) 588-8138

esommers@fish-consulting.com

###

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Snapology Welcomes Summer with Tech-Savvy Camp Programs

Childrens education franchise launches video game design and new robotics summer camps.

May 17, 2016 // Franchising.com // PITTSBURGH  Future jobs involving technology will grow over 20 percent by 2020. It is now evident that getting children involved in technology as early as possible should essential, but who said it cant be fun?

As summer kicks off, Snapology will be offering two new summer camp programs for their students across the country, Video Game Design and Space Wars Robotics. Video Game Design challenges students to create their very own online video game that can be shared and played by their friends and family anywhere. Space War Robotics was inspired by Star Wars and educates students on how to build and program functional robots using LEGO bricks and design through computer programs.

In addition to being introduced to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), Snapology students learn skills like patience and teamwork and have a place to engage their creativity.

There is so much opportunity to introduce children to technology at a younger and younger age and we want to be in the forefront leading the way, said Snapology Co-Founder, Laura Coe. Our approach is based on proven research; that childrens best learning experiences come from actively designing, creating, interacting and inventing. We want to redefine play and reimagine learning, and using technology is an essential tool for just that.

Snapology offers a wide array of interactive, play-based activities for children ages 1-14  including enrichment classes, birthday parties, workshops, camps, scouting events and field trips  mainly using building materials such as LEGO bricks and other similar building tools and technology. The programs can be customized based on the number of children, age of children and time allotment, and can be broken down into individual classes, such as superhero or Minecraft themed events, competition robotics teams, science classes, team building events and motor skill development courses that are perfect for pre-school children.

Additionally, the curriculum is designed to benefit gifted and traditional students, as well as children with special needs, including those with sensory processing and autism spectrum disorders.

With 24 locations throughout the United States and Canada  7 of which have opened since the franchise opportunity was officially launched eight months ago  company plans call 20 new locations per year moving forward.

The childrens franchise sector remains healthy and vibrant and will continue to perform well, said Snapology Co-Founder Laura Coe. A steady demand for our services and programs, coupled with the desire of parents to spend on behalf of their children provides a stable foundation for our expansion plans. We have no reason to look to the future with anything but enthusiasm.

About Snapology

Founded in 2010 and franchising since 2015, Snapology's mission is to provide children with an opportunity to engage in playful learning activities that stimulate creativity and an interest in learning. Using LEGO bricks and other building toys, Snapology emphasizes STEAM principles, teamwork & socialization. With 23 locations currently open and operating throughout the United States and Canada, company plans call for expanding nationally with its unique, education-based franchise opportunity. For more information, visit www.snapology.com.

SOURCE Snapology

Media Contact:

Seamus Riley

Account Executive

(O) 847.239.8171

(M) 708.408.4117

###

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The teacher crisis is real, and were not going to work our way out of it simply by making it easier to hire teachers.
Toronto B2B B2C Web Design SEO Graphic & Brand Identity Firm Services Launched

Website Design Toronto expanded its professional and affordable website & graphic design services delivered by creative and certified designers working in partnership with clients to develop websites and branding tools with a personal touch that can help establish a professional presence online.

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The prominent Website Design Toronto has announced an expansion of its premier and affordable web & graphic design services with a personal touch tailored to help business develop a professional presence and brand online.

More information is available at http://magikcreation.com.

Website Design Toronto is a business providing a range of creative and certified online branding solutions including website development, graphic design and SEO solutions at affordable prices to help local businesses or individual clients establish a prominent and profitable brand online.

The agency has announced an expansion of its professional and affordable web & graphic design services, now including corporate, dynamic and informal or specialized e-commerce & retail website design, brand identity and/or logo design & development, business cards, letter heads, and more.

The newly expanded website and graphic design services are delivered by a creative and certified team of professionals determined on employing an approach of partnership with the clients to create or develop designs and branding tools of the highest quality at affordable prices with a personal touch.

The comprehensive range of design services provided by Website Design Toronto also includes professional SEO solutions to ensure the optimization and indexation of the website on Google fast and maximize the search engine rankings.

Free consultations and more information on the client-focused premier website & graphic design services along with multiple examples of recent logo and website design & development projects by the Toronto-based agency for different types of businesses are available on the website link provide above.

Website Design Toronto explains that "We base our business on providing a personal service that is accurate, professional and reliable. There are a number of web & graphic design companies in Toronto, Ontario that provide a good service but a lot of them are large companies and the personal touch tends to be neglected a little".

The agency adds that "We are affordable and have creative certified designers with the client in mind, ready to work together and set your business or brand up for success. We are a small company, but we produce like the big web or graphic design firms do just at an affordable price and with a personal touch".

For more information about us, please visit http://magikcreation.com

Contact Info:

Name: Manu Ebinger

Email: info@magikcreation.com

Organization: Magikcreation

Address: Toronto, Ontario

Phone: 647 785 5400

Release ID: 115075

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Floormat.com Celebrates Providing Solutions For Industrial, Commercial, Military, And Residential Safety For 60 Years

Floormat.com is celebrating 60 years of providing their clients with safety solutions and specialty items for many different types of businesses and facilities.

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Floormat.com has been providing a great selection of mats and specialty items to clients across various fields and industries for 60 years. This longevity is a tremendous cause to celebrate. The Floormat.com team knows that this would not have been possible if not for the continuing support of their clients. Floormat.com makes sure to provide their clients with good options and quality selections for their mat and specialty item needs. They are called upon to retail mats for service industries across the board. They provide anti-fatigue, welding safe, and other varieties of mats to their clients in Industrial services. They also provide specialty and logo mats for their clients in the commercial and retail industries. Floormat.com helps military services find the right mats for their many needs and demands. Residential clients enjoy having a great selection of entry and heated mats to select from. Numerous types of clients have been using Floormat.com for whatever their mat and specialty item needs may be for over half a century.

The industrial and commercial industries use Floormat because of their selection of the ergonomic, work-safe, and work appropriate mats that they provide. Anti-fatigue mats are one type of mat that many companies incorporate into their work-safety measures. These mats are used to keep workers comfortable, as well as keep them safe. Industrial and commercial industries use Floormat.com because they understand that more comfortable and able workers means good production rates. Commercial industries who use Floormat.com have had the chance to select from quality mats and have their custom logo printed on them. This same service is used by their industrial clients to put hazard and safety signs on work-appropriate mats. These two industries have been able to enjoy the selections of Floormat.com for 60 years and Floormat.com states they plan to continue producing quality selections.

Floormat.com is able to help the U.S. military with all of its various mat needs. Because of the many aspects of military demands, they need a provider that is able to fulfill and meet various requirements. Floormat.com has proudly done this for 60 years and they will continue this service for the brave men and women who protect our country.

The residential clients of Floormat.com go to them for entrance and heated mats. The entrance mats that Floormat.com provides have given residential owners safe and functioning mats to place at their indoor-outdoor exits and entrances. Their heated mats are also used by their residential clients so that they can safely use their outside stairs and pathways during the snow season.

Floormat.com realizes that serving their clients for 60 years is a feat that could only be celebrated because of the loyalty of their clientele, backed by the service of their employees and the work they provide. More information about this company can be found at http://www.floormat.com.

###

Floormat.com

101 Progressive Drive,

Etna, Ohio 43062

Phone: 800-876-1312

http://www.floormat.com

For more information about us, please visit http://www.floormat.com

Contact Info:

Name: Floormat.com

Organization: Floormat.com

Phone: 800-876-1312

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/floormat-com-celebrates-providing-solutions-for-industrial-commercial-military-and-residential-safety-for-60-years/115194

Release ID: 115194

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China Fast Food Market Size, Share And Growth Report : Radiant Insights,Inc

RadiantInsights.com includes new market research report on "China Fast Food Market Size, Share And Trends Report Up To 2015 : Radiant Insights" to its huge collection of research reports.

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The China fast food market is witnessing a rapid growth and it is one of the fastest-growing segments in China. Improved and hectic lifestyles along with a rise in customer shift towards fast food, disposable incomes, and the middle-class crowd, the industry are expected to boost the market growth over the future years. The fast food market development is anticipated to grow at compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) of 9% and 6% for value sales.

Read Complete Report with TOC @ http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/fast-food-markets-in-china

Persistently revamped food menus offered along with more localized & lower-calorie food items and extremely convenient services, are expected to spur the market growth. Moreover, considering the future market growth, a number of major international companies are entering the market by dealing with various local companies. Moreover, existing companies are increasing their presence in various regions of the nation. This trend will come up more strongly in the near future, providing huge growth opportunities to the domestic market players.

On the contrary, the China fast-food market is pretty saturated as compared to several other customer food-service sectors. Thus, this channel is said to post a sluggish growth trend in the future years.

Browse All Reports of This Category at: www.radiantinsights.com/catalog/food

This research report about the China fast food market offers wide research & rational analysis of the fast-food industry in China, tracking the evolving market dynamics. It covers the industry performance as well as the competitive landscape analysis. It also provides the future forecasts outlining the current market conditions and trends.

It also offers feasible investment opportunities, economic trends, market development plans, industry capacity, marketing channels, demand & supply, and the details of the major restaurant chains such as Pizza Hut, Burger Kings, and KFC.

Request A Sample Copy Of This Report at: www.radiantinsights.com/research/fast-food-markets-in-china#tabs-4

About Radiant Insights,Inc

Radiant Insights is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. We assist and facilitate organizations and individuals procure market research reports, helping them in the decision making process. We have a comprehensive collection of reports, covering over 40 key industries and a host of micro markets. In addition to over extensive database of reports, our experienced research coordinators also offer a host of ancillary services such as, research partnerships/ tie-ups and customized research solutions.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/fast-food-markets-in-china

Contact Info:

Name: Michelle Thoras

Email: sales@radiantinsights.com

Organization: Radiant Insights

Address: 28 2nd Street, Suite 3036 San Francisco, CA

Phone: 1-415-349-0054

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/china-fast-food-market-size-share-and-growth-report-radiant-insightsinc/115239

Release ID: 115239

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Maida Vale Pizza & Italian Food Restaurant With Takeaway New Website Launched

The Da'' Daniela Italian pizzeria & restaurant launched a new website detailing its popular, authentic and traditional Italian food menu along with the attentive and friendly service that ensures a homely and genuine Italian dining experience for true Italian flavour aficionados in Maida Vale, London.

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The prominent Da'' Daniela Restaurant announced the launch of new website presenting its popular authentic Italian food menu available to customers in a homely environment at Maid Vale, London.

More information can be viewed at http://dadanielarestaurant.co.uk.

Da'' Daniela is a renowned Italian restaurant & pizzeria providing customers with an established reputation for providing customers with not only a broad selection of authentic Italian food but also a friendly, traditional and attentive experience for the true Italian food 'aficionados' in Maida Vale, London.

The Maida Vale based restaurant & pizzeria has now announced the launch of a new website showcasing its popular Italian food menu tailored suit every occasion, taste or appetite, including an extensive range of legendary Italian pizzas or the famous in-house special Da'' Daniela pizza along with the traditional Italian starters, oven & pasta, fish & meat or salad options, and more.

Detailed ingredient descriptions and pricing on all the Da'' Daniela's traditional Italian dishes, based on authentic flavors and recipes from Italy, along with information on the friendly, attentive and passionate service philosophy established by the staff to ensure a fun, happy and genuine Italian dining experience for the entire family can be consulted on the restaurant's website.

Table reservation forms, opening times and details on the takeaway alternatives along with directions to the restaurant located on 49 Shirland Road, Maida Vale, W9 2JD, London, UK are also available through the website link provided above.

The Da'' Daniela Restaurant explains that "we pride ourselves on our traditional Italian menu, which uses the authentic flavours and recipes of Italy to bring you a selection of dishes to suit every occasion, taste and appetite. In addition, our friendly and passionate staff are always polite and happy to see you - ensuring that you receive attentive service and satisfaction throughout your meal."

The prominent Maida Vale restaurant & pizzeria adds that "if you're looking for great Italian food in a homely environment then Da Daniela is the place. Step inside and you will discover a true taste of Italy. If you can't join us, we also have a wide selection of dishes to choose from for takeaway".

Bookings and reservations available now for a truly authenitc Italian experience; http://dadanielarestaurant.co.uk

For more information about us, please visit http://www.dadanielarestaurant.co.uk

Contact Info:

Name: Ago Algieri

Organization: Da" Daniela

Address: 49 Shirland Rd, London W9 2JD

Phone: 020 7289 0008

Release ID: 115287

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Aadhar Project Launches Informational Website For Checking Card Status

My India Biz has announced a website devoted to understanding and using the Aadhar card status. The purpose of the card is to provide a single unique identification document which captures all demographic and biometric information of every Indian resident.

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An informational website dedicated to explaining the Aadhar Card Scheme has been launched by My India Biz. The Aadhar Project is an attempt to having a single unique identification document or number to capture all the details, including demographic and biometric information of every resident Indian individual. The website includes details on how to check Aadhar card status. The Unique Identification Number or UID is controlled by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). It is possible to check the status of the Aadhar Card by providing the Enrollment Number, Date and Time provided at the time of enrollment in the card scheme.

The 12-digit identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to all Indian residents in order to identify each individual. The number is stored in a centralized database of the government. It is linked to basic biometric and demographic information of each resident. The data includes a photograph, fingerprints and iris of each resident. The unique number issued to each individual will have importance in all governmental work in the country.

The Aadhar can be verified online in a cost-effective manner which is accurate and hearty enough to eliminate the many replica and counterfeit identities which have been created, both in private and government databases. The identify number is generated without any categorization based on social order, religion, beliefs or location. The card is easy to obtain but is no longer a compulsory card, required for any services.

The card doesn't replace other identification document, can can be used as id proof when applying for other things. A resident Indian can apply for the number and card by submitting the existing proof of identify and proof of address. The individual must also undergo biometric profiling at an Aadhar center. When there are questions about the card status, a visit to the website will provide answers.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.checkaadharcard.com

Contact Info:

Name: Nikita Saluja

Organization: My India Biz

Address: 422 Ganpati Plaza, Kukas (NH-8) Jaipur

Phone: 9829333123

Source: http://www.checkaadharcard.com/

Release ID: 115334

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In New Campaign, Sinoway Pouch Station Details Power of Just-in-Time Packaging

Cutting costs and enhancing flexibility, just-in-time packaging supply can produce significant competitive advantages for manufacturers, Sinoway Pouch Station reports

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Sinoway Pouch Station, one of the world's leading suppliers of stock and custom-printed flexible packaging, launched a new public awareness campaign. By arranging for reliable, just-in-time delivery of packaging materials, manufacturers in a wide range of industries can cut costs and respond more quickly to evolving market conditions, becoming more competitive as a result. As a wealth of info at Sinoway Pouch Station shows and the company's new public awareness campaign will demonstrate, opportunities of these kinds are more accessible and rewarding than ever before.

"Some businesses in the United States and Canada struggle with overly rigid packaging supply arrangements, inflated costs, and inventory pressures that simply do not contribute to the bottom line," Sinoway Pouch Station representative Dan Birch said, "Since we first started bringing factory-direct flexible-packaging pricing and service to the North American market last year, we have opened many eyes as to how much better things can be. Over the course of our brand-new public awareness campaign, we're going to be showing many more decision makers how our responsive service can match precisely with their forecasts to deliver flexible packaging just when it is needed."

Up through the 1950s, manufacturers all over the world tended to maintain plenty of leeway when it came to supplies and inventories, with most taking for granted that keeping large stocks of each was a basic cost of doing business. That assumption came under fire starting in the 1960s, as Japanese industrialists seeking better ways to do things collectively gave birth to a new approach now known as "lean manufacturing."

As the new Sinoway Pouch Station public awareness campaign will help illustrate, the lean approach to manufacturing can help to cut costs and improve overall competitiveness, as the capabilities of today's modern, responsive suppliers are leveraged to arrange for the delivery of goods like flexible packaging right when they are needed. Companies that seek out such opportunities are able to greatly reduce the costs associated with maintaining supply inventories, while also allowing themselves much more flexibility to respond to fluctuating market demands.

As one of the world's leading suppliers of flexible packaging solutions, Sinoway Pouch Station is especially well qualified to help spread awareness regarding these facts. From a start-of-the-art, 8,000-square-meter facility in Shanghai, Sinoway Pouch Station reliably delivers orders ranging in size from 5,000 to more than 5 million pieces with rapid turnaround time, factory-direct pricing, FDA and ISO certification, and other appealing traits. Those interested in how just-in-time delivery of packaging can produce competitive advantages can learn more at the company's website, where they can also browse Sinoway Pouch Station products and services.

About Sinoway Pouch Station:

Bringing factory-direct pricing to businesses throughout North America, Sinoway Pouch Station is one of the world's leading suppliers of stock and customized flexible packaging products.

For more information about us, please visit http://sinowaypouchstation.com

Contact Info:

Name: Dan Birch

Organization: Sinoway Pouch Station

Phone: 1-844-386-7272

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/in-new-campaign-sinoway-pouch-station-details-power-of-just-in-time-packaging/115427

Release ID: 115427

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El Sushi Loco Opens New Fusion Sushi Restaurant Inspired By Mexican Seafood In Los Angeles

El Sushi Loco is a unique fusion sushi restaurant in Los Angeles that has transformed sushi with modern, multinational influences, launching with a new menu of delicious morsels.

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Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish of seafood and rice, served a wide variety of different ways to maximize flavor. Sushi has become popular all over the world as a fresh and unusual alternative, but recently it has also won the hearts of all ethnicities and cultures in Los Angeles.

El Sushi Loco offers an alternative, fusing traditional Japanese techniques with Mexican flavors and influences. Now they're in the works to open their third restaurant in Los Angeles, to bring their increasingly popular Mexican sushi style to a whole new audience.

The restaurant will be the third El Sushi Loco, after the first was created in 2011 after exploding in popularity from its humble beginnings as a sushi cart, selling Mexican sushi and Mariscos, in the streets of La Puente. The restaurant will offer a cool and classy interior with design elements that reflect the Japanese and Mexican fusion style of the cuisine and the shared heritage of the flavors.

Signature fusion sushi plates can be enjoyed with a Michelada, a Bloody Mary with an added Mexican hit, and will be a feast not just of flavors but of visuals. The Mexican sushi and all other dishes come with their own handmade sauces, and these sauces have become the signature of the restaurant's Asian-Mexican fusion foods. There are more than ten of these, and they make each plate unique and different from anything you've ever tried before. Los Angeles is a boiling pot for fusion and multicultural influences so El Sushi Loco is right at home and will earn the hearts of many hardcore conservative foodies and adventure food lovers alike.

Imitation is a form of flattery, and many new Mexican sushi places have started to pop-up in Los Angeles after El Sushi Loco opened it's doors in 2010. Their unique style and 12 signature sauces which are made from scratch with one-of-a-kind secret ingredients are only found at their two locations in La Puente and Downey.

A spokesperson for El Sushi Loco explained, "We expect customers to be surprised and delighted by our unique culinary experience and how it's not just traditional sushi, but actually far from it. Many people that have a problem eating raw fish and seafood will be delighted to try our fusion since we use Carne Asada and Chicken which are cooked. In El Sushi Loco, we believe the nature of food is fusion, experimentation and a wonderful dining experience that the family will love."

About El Sushi Loco: El Sushi Loco started off in 2010 when the founders purchased their first sushi cart in Tijuana-Mexico. In the beginning, they operated in Los Angeles by the name of "Sushi-Island" and after a successful run, transformed themselves into El Sushi Loco, the original and first ever, Mexican Sushi Restaurant where customers can find quality food, quality service, and a family-friendly atmosphere.

For more information about us, please visit http://elsushiloco.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Lui De Luna

Email: info@elsushiloco.com

Organization: El Sushi Loco

Phone: 6263332332

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYQs-iizp5o

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/el-sushi-loco-opens-new-fusion-sushi-restaurant-inspired-by-mexican-seafood-in-los-angeles/115190

Release ID: 115190

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Adviser consolidator Fairstone Group has entered into an agreement with Northern Irish advisory firm First Financial Management, as branches out into the territory.

First Financial Management, based in Lisburn, Country Antrim, has been renamed Fairstone NI under the deal.

Taking place over several years, in line with Fairstones model, the firm will integrate with the larger groups systems and infrastructure to ensure a seamless transition for clients.

In addition, in the first deal of its own ongoing partnership programme, Fairstone NI will acquire Carleton Chambers. This arrangement will see Carleton Chambers director Brian Vallely join as partner and financial adviser, based in Portadown.

Led by Peter Savage and Sean Larkin, Fairstone NI consists of seven advisers and five support staff, with over 500 clients on the books.

Mr Savage explained: Leveraging our partnership with Fairstone Group, we are very pleased to announce this significant first deal for Fairstone NI and to welcome Brian to the team.

Mr Larkin added: Being part of Fairstone has provided us with scalability and additional credibility which is particularly useful when dealing with larger professional connections.

Smaller IFA companies in Northern Ireland often struggle to secure attractive buy-out opportunities, with the bulk of deals being awarded to much larger organisations, he continued.

Through our partnership programme we see a great opportunity to bring the very best advisers, like Carleton Chambers, under the Fairstone umbrella.

The deals will bring total revenue of almost 1m to the Fairstone Group and funds under management of 100m.

Fairstone Group chief executive Lee Hartley stated: Our client acquisition tools will enable the team to grow their offering and their business whilst freeing up their time for advisory work.

peter.walker@ft.com
SimplyBiz founder Ken Davy is among the more than 300 business men and women to sign a letter calling for Britain to leave the European Union.

The chairman of SimplyBiz has joined Peter Hargreaves, the founder of Hargreaves Lansdown, to advocate a so-called Brexit.

Mr Davy told FTAdviser: As far as I am concerned the EU is trapped in the slow lane of history and the UK will be much more successful and have complete control of its own destiny if we leave.

I am very keen to support the Leave campaign and do everything I can to generate success for it.

Leave aside all the arguments about not controlling our own borders, we are being handicapped as a country.

In March Mr Hargreaves signed 15m letters which were sent to households around the UK as part of the Leave campaign.

At the time he accepted there would be short-term volatility in the event of a decision to leave the EU, but said the decision facing voters at the referendum on 23 June was a long-term one.

In March half of the advisers polled by technology firm Intelliflo would welcome Britain leaving the EU, with one in five saying a Brexit would have no impact on their clients wealth.

Harry Katz, who ran adviser business Norwest Consultants for 25 years until last year and is now a consultant, said he favours staying in the EU.

He said: Forecasts about what may happen are ridiculous. I cannot tell Ken how good it is going to be if we stay in and he cannot tell me how good it will be if we leave.

Germany is in the EU and they dont have a problem with trade. We have got a problem with trade because we are plonkers, not because we are in the EU. Isnt it sad that Germany sells more to the Commonwealth than we do?

Being in a large group is better than being in a small one - even the Romans knew that.
The lead manager of the 524m Evenlode Income fund has criticised the Investment Associations (IA) UK Equity Income sector after the portfolio was caught out by its yield requirements.

Hugh Yarrow, who runs the fund with Ben Peters, said the vehicle would move to the UK All Companies sector on June 1 after the fund failed to produce an income 10 per cent higher than that of the FTSE All-Share over a rolling three-year period.

In response, Mr Yarrow criticised the sectors arbitrary parameters, however, and added the move would not affect the managers approach.

Evenlode will become the 19th fund to exit the sector for these reasons since 2013. Last month Investment Adviser revealed that the IA was consulting members on a possible overhaul of the sectors requirements.

Members have been presented with three options: no change; replace the 110 per cent hurdle with a requirement to yield more than the All-Share over three years; or scrap yield rules in favour of specific disclosure relating to income generation.

The third option could involve disclosing net yield, income growth, total returns, volatility and a figure showing absolute net income over five years based on 100 invested, according to the consultation document.

Mr Yarrow said the third option would be preferable.

The IAs suggestion of disclosing the amount of income generated over five years from a 100 investment is a good one, and we will add this disclosure to our factsheet from next month, he said.

From a long-term income investors view, this is an important measure, and neatly wraps up both initial yield and dividend growth into one simple number.
Scottish Widows has launched a range of actively-managed risk-based multi-asset funds, available to group and individual pension customers.

The Premier Pension Portfolios offer an alternative to the firms existing, largely passive, pension default range.

Available as stand-alone investments or as components of lifestyling options, the range combines funds from external managers with Scottish Widows own investment specialists across a range of asset classes.

It aims to offer better returns for broadly the same levels of investment risk as the providers existing default pension options.

The Premier funds were soft launched at the beginning of the year and during the first quarter Portfolio 2 returned 4 per cent before charges, compared to 2.1 per cent for the equivalent largely passive default portfolio.

They target annual returns 0.75 per cent higher, net of fees, than the equivalent default portfolios over three years, and use smart beta equity strategies, absolute return, property, global credit and a tactical asset allocation.

The fund range has the same structure as Scottish Widows existing lifestyling approaches, with three risk categories - cautious, balanced, adventurous - and three retirement outcomes - targeting annuity, targeting encashment, targeting flexible access.

A glide path design that gradually de-risks from 15 years to the customers selected retirement date.
A new world record working sheepdog price of 14,805 (14,100gns) was set at Skipton Auction Marts late spring sale.

The new record-setter was Cap, a black and white dog bred by Padraig Doherty, Republic of Ireland, who with his brother Joe, runs Ardagh Sheepdogs in County Donegal.

The selling price shattered the previous world high of 8,800gns (9,240) set at Skipton in May, 2013, for a 15-month-old black and white dog from North Yorkshires John Bell, of Parks Farm, Howden, near Selby.

Cap went to Northern Ireland with an anonymous purchaser.

His father Sid was also bred in Donegal by trialling legend James McGee, whose family runs Glencregg Sheepdogs in Creggan, Ballybofey.

Caps mother is the Doherty familys Sue, whose own sire, Dan  the 2013 Irish National champion and also winner of One Man and His Dog in 2014  is a half brother to Mr McGees 2011 World Sheep Dog Trials supreme champion, Becca.

It was the second record set by the Doherty family, who sold a litter of six-month-old pups last year, one of which sold for 1,850gns  the highest-ever price paid for a pup sold at Skipton.

Other dog prices

On the day a record average for registered broken field dogs of 2,572 was achieved.

Next best at 6,000gns was an entry from another regular top price achiever at Skipton, North Cravens Shaun Richards, of Pen-y-Borough Sheep Dogs in Eldroth.

His December, 2013-born tri-coloured bitch, Nora, bought out of Ireland late last year, was also bred by Eammon McAuleys Roy, out of J McNaughtons Jill. The purchasers were father and daughter fell farmers, Ivan and Hannah Dickinson, of Brocktown Farm, near Kendal.

Earlier in the day, they paid 3,900gns for Shaun Richards home-bred and fully broken two-year-old black and white dog, Pen-Y-Borough Blue, out of his own Meg and by Katie Croppers multiple Open trials winner Zac.

John Bells best-seller at 4,200gns was his 15-month-old black and white dog, Ben, bought out of Skiptons pup pen as a nine-month-old last October. He was bred by Mrs J Cook, of Egton, Whitby, being by her Shep, out of Jen.

Ben found a new home with David Houghton, and will be put to work on his Tophill pedigree flock at Affetside, near Bury.

Weardales John Bell, made 3,100gns with his ten-month-old black and white Mick, a grandson of Bobby Dalziels Spot, by D Hendersons Burndale Chief, out of J Emersons Meg. It sold to a buyer from Wales.

Welsh breeder and trialist Huw Francis, Welshpool, Powys, was also among the leading prices when selling his two-year-old tri-coloured dog, Bill, by Pat Byrnes Lad, for 4,000gns to a buyer from Cumbria.
Story Highlights No sign of improvement so far in May

Nearly six in 10 say economy is getting worse

25% rate current conditions positively, versus 30% negatively

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Americans continue to evaluate the state of the U.S. economy more negatively than positively, with Gallup's Economic Confidence Index holding steady at -14, essentially where it has been since early April. Confidence remains lower than it was for the first half of 2015 and is roughly back to where it was in fall 2014, before sharp declines in gas prices helped make Americans more upbeat about the economy.

The latest result is a weekly average of Gallup Daily tracking interviewing from May 9-15. Each night, Gallup asks Americans whether current economic conditions in the U.S. are "excellent, good, only fair or poor" and whether they believe the economy is "getting better or getting worse."

Their responses to these two items make up the Gallup U.S. Economic Confidence Index. The index has a theoretical minimum of -100 if all Americans rate current conditions as poor and say they are getting worse, and a theoretical maximum of +100 if all Americans say current conditions are excellent or good and getting better. Last week's score of -14 means Americans were a bit more negative than positive about the economy.

Since the recession, there has only been a short time -- in early 2015, during the extended decline in U.S. gas prices -- when Americans consistently rated the economy positively. Although that positive mood has faded, U.S. consumers remain much less negative today than they were at the height of the recession. Gallup's index fell to as low as -65 in early October 2008, shortly after President George W. Bush signed the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) legislation into law to address the financial crisis.

For the week ending May 15, 25% of Americans rated the economy as "excellent" or "good," while 30% said it was "poor." That resulted in a current conditions score of -5. Meanwhile, 36% said the economy was getting better, and 58% said it was getting worse, producing an economic outlook score of -22.

In late 2014 and early 2015, the current conditions and economic outlook scores were fairly similar. Since last May, however, there has been a notable gap, with Americans offering a more positive evaluation of current conditions than of the economy's direction. In recent weeks, the gap has grown slightly as the outlook score has decreased.

Implications

Americans' slightly negative evaluation of the economy comes at a time when key economic indicators reflect a mixture of strengths and weaknesses in the U.S. economy. The economy has grown fairly consistently since emerging from the recession, but at a low rate. First quarter growth this year was especially disappointing given the milder winter weather, but last week, the government reported a surge in April in retail spending -- the backbone of the U.S. economy. The employment situation remains positive, although the Bureau of Labor Statistics report released in early May suggests the job market could be softening.

Americans' attention to economic matters might be heightened given the issue's importance in the 2016 presidential campaign. Candidates in both parties acknowledge weaknesses in the economy and have put forth their ideas to address those problems in hopes of getting elected. This attention to what is wrong with the economy could make Americans less positive about its future.

These data are available in Gallup Analytics.

Survey Methods

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted May 9-15, 2016, on the Gallup U.S. Daily survey, with a random sample of 3,549 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is 1 percentage point 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.

Learn more about how Gallup Daily tracking works.
Introduction

I was working on porting a historical site into Unreal Engine 4 to use in the upcoming game World Void, and I was in charge of scanning a castle. I was waiting for a funding that kept being delayed, until I decided to finally just go out and do it, with no funding, and I did it, I scanned the castle! A few month has passed and I am still pumped about it! This article will discuss how I managed to do it. But first, I would like to take a moment to thank Milos Lukac, Jeffrey Ian Wilson, and the 3D Scanning User Group, who without their helps none of this would have been possible. And finally a special thanks to Faisal Naamani for correcting some of my grammar mistakes.

What's photogrammetry?

In short, photogrammetry is the process of creating 3D models from multiple images of the same object taken from different angles.

I will not be covering how to 3D scan an object, it is a topic that has been already covered a lot.

If you want to get started with photogrammetry, I would recommend this short YouTube video by James Candy. Although this video mentions Agisoft Photoscan, the explained concepts should work with any other photogrammetry software solution out there. You can also check The poor mans guide to photogrammetry

A lot of artists have been using photogrammetry as part of their workflow, it has been used in the Kite Demo from Epic games, and in Star Wars Battlefront, and many countless others. However most of these studios have been scanning rocks and trees. Epic games wrote a blog post about how they created the assets for the open world demo. They even wrote a blog about the choice of equipment, and another explaining their delighting process. I would highly recommend checking them out if you haven't already.

Challenges

When scanning a large object like a castle, there are new challenges to keep in mind:

Picture count: A castle is bigger than a rock, therefore unless you want a low res scan, you will need to take more photos. Which means that you will need a bigger SD card. Once you get a bigger SD card, then you will start facing low battery issues, and it's a good idea to have an extra battery. This might sound simple, but it wasn't until I started taking 2k+ images in a session that I started facing battery issues. In fact the first time I faced that issue was in the middle of scanning the castle, luckily the security there was kind enough to let me charge the battery at his booth. Once the images were taken, you will need to make sure you also have enough storage on your computer. HDD right now are really cheap.

Longer time: It make sense, when you are taking more pictures, you need more time. The castle took me 8 hours straight to scan, which means you need a constant overcast/cloudy day that last for 8 hours. It's also a good practice to take all the required photos of one element of the castle before switching to the next one. That way if the sun light shifts a little, and make the software unable to align all the photos, you can always manually align each element using control points.

Processing power: With more photos to analyze you're going to need a lot of processing powers. Required computer specs do vary between different 3d scanning software, and I will go over that in a second, but here is what you need to know:

RAM, and lots of it, 64GB or more is good idea, however some 3d scanning software uses a cache system which enables them to process a scan even with a low amount of ram, but I would not recommend going lower than 32GB.

GPU, the faster the better. You don't need a lot of VRAM, 4GB is enough. I would recommend an NVidia GTX card, because some software do not support AMD.

CPU, the more core you have the better.

Hard to get angles: When scanning a rock you have the advantage of being able to take an image from every angle, however with a huge castle there are places that are hard to reach. Using a drone, would be a good idea, however I did not have access to one, and I had to get by without one, which I will discuss later in this article.

Complex structure: Unlike rock a castle have more complex shapes, not to mention that rocks do not have interiors? This made it even more challenging, and I had to make sure I covered everything. How did I do that? By pre-planning, and using on-field verification.

Know your target (Preplanning)

I am working on the Historical site of Byblos, a city in Lebanon that has been constantly occupied for over 10000 years. However the Castle itself dates back to 12th century. It is a relatively small castle compared to newer ones found in some European countries, however each wall of this castle is made of highly detailed rocks crafted by time itself.

But what I meant by knowing you target is that you need to take a pen and paper, sketch a top and side view of the castle, and try to split it into multiple element, try to figure out the order in which you will be taking the pictures, and mark down areas that requires more images.

Also errors during the scan can accumulate, and can create some shifted geometry, therefore always make sure to take a full circle around your target which forces the scan to correct itself. Open geometry might not be as accurate.

I also took the opportunity and took multiple images of the surroundings from the castles ledges, which resulted in adding the landscape to our scan.

Tip, please do not take multiple images of different angles from the same spot (panoramic images). This will mostly result in undesired errors.

A useful way of scanning small tunnels where it is hard to take images of all the angles due to the tight space, is to walk in a straight line, and take an image each step while facing the forward direction. However this technique provides less resolution, which might be fine depending on how much resolution you need.

Finally, it is highly likely that you miss a few angles when scanning, causing low overlap, which will lead to low resolution areas in your scan, therefore I would highly recommend an on-field verification. Reality Capture for example is a 3D scanning software that can check the overlap of huge numbers of images on a laptop in less than a minutes, and it will let you know which areas need more images, which is extremely useful.

The white dots represent the locations from which the photos were took. The blue dots represent the manually added ground control point that helps aligning some elements that the software was unable to align automatically. Notice how the castle's roof has multiple ground control points that is normal, since I did not have access to a drone, I wasnt able to take images enough of the roof. Luckily I was able to manually align it, which might not be the case for larger castles. The software aligned 4000 photo in total.

What do you need?

If you are trying to keep the budget as low as possible, this is what you will need:

Camera (duh), a DSLR is a must, however, new smartphones like the Galaxy S7 have some pretty good camera, however, unless you have been doing 3D scanning for a living, stick to a DSLR. I did not have a DSLR, so I borrowed one from my aunt. It was the Nikon d3200, and since I was scanning a castle made of rocks, I did not need a sharper camera.

Lens, the camera came with a variable 18-55mm lens, while a fixed lens is recommended, as long as you use the limit range (18 or 55) and you stick with it during the entire scan, you should be fine.

Tripod, yes you need one, especially when you are in some low light situations like the inside of the castle, and you can't use a flash, and you have to take long exposure images.

Monopod, it's useful, but if you don't have shaky hands and with the right shutter speed you might get away without one. However it only cost 10$, so why not?

SD Card, I used a 64GB SD card. I also had me laptop with me on field just in case the card was full, I can just empty it on the laptop's hard drive.

What I didn't use

Battery, I did not have one, but if you are going to take a lot of pictures, a secondary or even a third battery is recommended.

Drone, it would make your life a ton easier, and if its an option you should definitely consider it. I did not have access to a drone, so I had to climb, and take images from some tricky locations. Luckily it worked, but how much are you willing to push your luck, especially with bigger castles?

Chrome Ball and Grey Ball, this rig is used to get the perfect color accuracy and accurate delighting process. It is tempting to want to use every technique out there to create the perfect scan. But first you need to ask yourself is it worth it? There are other delighting techniques that don't require this rig, and that can deliver decent results. In my case this rig would have added a thick layer of complexity to the project, which was not worth the boost in quality.

Color checker, those things are expensive, but are useful to calibrate your camera. I did not use one for the scan

Software

I tested multiple photogrammetry software, and while any of the following software will work fine for small scans, I had to make sure that they can handle large amount of data (4000 24MP photos).

Agisoft Photoscan, Agisoft is the most used software in the entertainment business. It has a friendly user interface, and the resulting scans quality is superb. The standard version cost 180$, however if you need the ground control point option, which a very useful feature when it comes to large scan, you need to get the professional version which cost 3500$. Nonetheless, Agisoft consumes a lot of the computer resources, and if you want to process a large data set, you will require an unbelievable incredibly powerful computer to process it. Not to mention Agisoft is a little slower than its competitors on this list.

Pix4d, this software is mostly spread in the industrial and agriculture industry, due to its specialized set of tools. It can handle large datasets on powerful computer, and is slightly faster than Agisoft. It cost 350$/month to rent this software. However, I was not quite satisfied with the resulting texture quality.

Autodesk Recap, this is a cloud based solution that has a free option and can create scan good quality scans. Unfortunately, it is limited to 250 images, and being a cloud solution it would take forever to upload large datasets.

Reality Capture, this is a new comer, and it is taking the market by storm. This software is blazing fast, it can handle large data set, and can run on a regular computer as long as it has an NVidia GPU. It can even run on a laptop, however I would not recommend doing so, even if you have a well ventilated gaming laptop, stressing your laptop for long periods of time will shorten its lifespan. A cool feature that reality capture excel on it the quick align features, which allows you to align images in a matter of seconds on your laptop, which is an awesome tool to test your dataset on site, and make sure you have enough images. Also this software does result in slightly less noisy scans then Agisoft. It cost 99 for 3 month, however this version only handles 2500 images max, if you need to get the CLI version which costs 7500 for a year. Luckily, when scanning the castle, Reality Capture was in beta, and was released for free for 60 days, which was more than enough time for us to finish our scan.

Cost

This where it gets interesting, I borrowed the camera, the software was free, however I still needed to process the scan because my laptop could not handle it. Here is where Milos Lukac stepped in, and he offered to process the scan, I can't thank him enough for that. He also helped me during the data alignment process, and showed me a trick or two on how to fix some of my beginner's mistake. So that leave us with the tripod, monopod, and the SD card, which is a total of 70$ + Shipping. So yeah I scanned a castle inside out for 70$! Proving that when there is a will there is a way. I got lucky, but did not become lucky until I started talking to people, and making connections.

Can you do it?

Six month before I scanned the castle, I knew nothing about scanning. And while it is tempting to say that one person scanned the castle, that is not true, I got help, and lots of it from the community and industry professionals. As of how did I meet with them? Well simply on a Facebook group, the 3D Scanning Users Group. First I joined the group, then I explained what I was trying to do, and I received a ton of feedback from the community. A particular member of the group, and industry professional named Jeffrey Ian Wilson, even went the extra mile of PM me, and we had an interesting conversation where he set me on the right pass, he also saw that I had my heart set on a challenging project, and he urged caution. He also advised me to take anything he says with a grain of salt, and that is also my advice to you, if you are reading this, the truth is, I only have 6 month of experience in 3D scanning, and I did mess up a little while scanning the castle, luckily it wasn't something major and it was fixable, and while I was able to scan the castle that doesn't mean that I am the best person to give out advice on how to scan the castle. I am just sharing my experience, and it's up to you to do the research and try it for yourself. To answer the question, yes you can do it if you're determined there is nothing you cant do.

Conclusion

I really hope that our experience might come to a use of some of you, and if something cool came out of it, send me a tweet, or share it on the Facebook group, I'd love to see it.

As for how this 1 Billion polygon scan was processed and used it in a game engine, well that is another story for another Gamasutra post.
Google I/O 2016: Top 5 Things to Expect in Upcoming Event

This year, Google's I/O conference will not be the same for some reasons. First, it's taking place at Mountain View, California - the seat of its headquarters - and second, it's a 10th anniversary milestone. But of course, there's a whole lot more to talk about.

The event kicks off on Wednesday at 10AM P.T. / 7AM E.T. and runs until Friday. Without further ado, here are five things we expect to show up at the conference:

1. Android N

Android is a natural highlight in every I/O conference. But because Google previously talked about it, we're curious to find out more. Mashable recalls that the company already pushed developer builds of the mobile operating system, but this time, perhaps we're bound to learn what N stands for. Could it be Nutella, Nerds, Nutcracker or something else?

2. Android VR

It has since been reported that Google is working on VR features for Android, and the latest word pegs to see a VR headset that operates on its own. As a matter of fact, the term "Android VR" has already appeared at the Google Play Developer Console, so we'll just have to wait to find out what it entails.

3. Chirp

"Chirp" is said to be Google's response to Amazon's Echo. Recode tells this will be a hardware device that "Google's search and voice assistant technology," resembling the company's own OnHub wireless router.

4. Chrome OS

Signs of Android and Chrome OS meeting at an intersection are no longer surprising. How soon they become "one" is a different story, and an exciting one. As per The Verge, it could be Chrome OS running most Android apps in Google Play, which would encourage devs doing better in favor of larger screens.

5. Spaces

Spaces, Google's group-sharing app, is announced on Monday. The software supposedly connects people quickly to share around virtually any topic of interest. Chrome, Google Search and YouTube are built-in, making the sharing process convenient.

It will certainly draw attention in the upcoming conference, because Google itself promised, "We'll also be experimenting with Spaces this week at Google I/O. We've created a space for each session so that developers can connect with each other and Googlers around topics at I/O, and we've got a few surprises too."

These are just few things to see from Wednesday. What do you look forward to learn about?
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia was among the right people enshrined on the memorial wall on Saturday, Oct. 21.
A celebration to mark the naming of Lamprey Creek in northwest Corvallis will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The 3-mile-long tributary of Oak Creek had no official name until last August, when it was christened Lamprey by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names at the request of a group of local residents.

Saturdays celebration  dubbed the Lamprey Creek Awakening  will include lots of information about the Pacific lamprey, an eel-like migratory fish that was an important food source for Native Americans in the Northwest but which is now in steep decline throughout the region.

The event will begin at 11 a.m. with an interpreted lamprey bike ride starting at Shawala Point, near the intersection of Southwest Second Street and B Avenue in downtown Corvallis. Participants will pedal from there to the Walnut Community Room in the Scott Zimbrick Fire Station, 4950 N.W Fair Oaks Drive, arriving at noon.

Beginning at noon, a number of organizations will provide educational displays and demonstrations about Pacific lamprey at the Walnut Community Room, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State University and local nonprofits.

At 1 p.m., representatives of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde will perform a blessing ceremony for the creek, and from 2 to 3 p.m. there will be a walk along the stream through Martin Luther King Park.

The event is sponsored by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Marys River Watershed Council, Corvallis Sustainability Commission Water Action Team and Freshwaters Illustrated.
If you have not yet cast your ballot in the Oregon primary election, today is the last day to do so.

You don't have time to mail your ballot by the 8 p.m. deadline, so voters must drop them off a drop site by then. (See the related story on Page A3 for locations of the drop-off boxes in Benton County.)

Jeff Doty, the elections supervisor for Benton County, said the day before the election and Election Day are when his staff see the highest volume of ballots coming in.

He said his staff members on Tuesday will be doing the same thing they have been doing since ballots started to come in, but the pace will be faster: They'll pick up ballots from drop sites, verify signatures, prepare ballots for scanning, scan them and then store them.

As of Monday afternoon, voter turnout in Benton County was about 37 percent. Doty said since so many of the ballots come in over the last couple of days, he cant predict where turnout will end up.

In the 2012 primary, turnout in Benton County was nearly 39 percent, but turnout reached 63 percent in the 2008 primary, which was driven by an 82 percent turnout by Democrats, who were voting in the contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Statewide, voter turnout for this primary was hovering under 30 percent, according to a Monday news release from the Oregon Secretary of State.

Jeanne Atkins, Oregons secretary of state, encouraged voters to drop off their ballots if they have not done so yet.

At the current rate of voting, Oregon would be on track to have more than one million votes cast in a primary election for just the second time in state history, Atkins said in the release. The last time one million votes were cast in a primary election in Oregon was 2008. Like this years primary, the 2008 election included an open presidential race and competitive statewide primary races. I hope this historic election motivates Oregonians to get their ballots in during these final days.
Aug. 26, 1928  May 14, 2016

Edward L. Steele, 87, of Corvallis, formerly of Columbia, Missouri, died Saturday, May 14, 2016 in Corvallis.

He was born Aug. 26, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri to Robert E. and Margaret (Levens) Steele.

Mr. Steele graduated from Nevada High School in Nevada, Missouri in 1946. He attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and received a bachelors degree from the School of Journalism in 1950.

He was a member of the southwestern territorial advertising staff at Sears Roebuck and Company in Dallas, Texas, and in 1951 was named advertising manager for the Sears retail store in San Angelo, Texas.

In 1952, Mr. Steele was employed by Nevada Publishing Company as advertising manager of the Nevada Daily Mail and Herald. He was past president of the Missouri Advertising Managers Association.

On February 1, 1966, he was appointed director of advertising sales and marketing for Missouri Press Service in Columbia. He retired in 1993.

A graduate of the U.S. Army Information School and the Command and General Staff College, he served in the U.S. Army Reserves for 30 years, retiring in 1979 as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was a member of the American Legion.

Mr. Steele was a member of the board of directors of the Missouri Press Association Foundation.

In July 2014, he moved to Corvallis to be with his family.

He is survived by his brother, Robert E. Steele, M.D. of Corvallis; two nephews, Edward S. Steele of Portland and Thomas M. Steele, M.D. of Corvallis; niece, Linda K. Steele of Boynton Beach, Florida; four grandnephews, Brian and Henry Steele and Jayden and Colton Lavoie; and grandniece Savannah Steele.

A private graveside with military honors will be held at Newton Burial Park in Nevada, Missouri, at a later date.

Contributions in Mr. Steeles memory may be made to the Missouri Press Foundation with notation that it be directed to the Edward L. Steele Scholarship Fund and may be mailed to the Missouri Press Association, 802 Locust St. Columbia, MO 65201-4888.

McHenry Funeral Home in Corvallis is handling arrangements. Memories and condolences for the family can be left at www.mchenryfuneralhome.com
On May 5, Oregon's governor sent a letter to all schools instructing them to allow each student to use the bathroom or locker room they are most comfortable with based on the student's own belief about their gender. In other words, anything goes. On Friday, the Obama administration is issuing a statement to the same purpose for schools nationwide.

These pronouncements are not posed as new legislation, but rather as highest level executive interpretation of existing law and civil rights. Schools not complying could be subject to censure, withholding of funding, and lawsuits.

This may be the clearest example I have seen of our culture's loss of a moral foundation. It is tragic and it is unacceptable. It is also inconsistent with related medical practices.

Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder often ask surgeons to remove a limb that the patient believes to be alien to the rest of their body and to their identity. So far, the vast majority of surgeons would refuse. Yet genitals are often removed/modified if a patient is considered to have gender dysmorphia. In an even more bizarre twist, our executive branch of government is telling us that we must act as if a person's genitals are irrelevant to their identity as male or female. That is a clear suspension of rational thought.

May God have mercy on us all.

Kent Schnake

Philomath (May 14)
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
Demonstration in Bad Godesberg : Large police contingent at Theaterplatz

Bad Godesberg Melanie Dittmer, a right wing extremist, called for a demonstration in Bad Godesberg on Tuesday lunchtime. The police have blocked off areas of the pedestrian zone.

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The demonstration in Bad Godesberg is taking place at midday in the Theaterplatz. The right wing extremist Melanie Dittmer called for the demonstration. A large contingent of police is present and besides Dittmer there are currently 5 other demonstrators.

Areas of the pedestrian zone are blocked because of the demonstration.
Niklas P attack : Suspected principal perpetrator arrested

Bad Godesberg Police in Bad Godesberg have arrested a 20 year old suspected of being the principal perpetrator in Niklas P case.

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According to police, a 20 year old was arrested on Tuesday lunchtime on suspicion of being the principal perpetrator. The police did not want to release any further information for the time being.

Representatives from the public prosecutors office and the Bonn police murder inquiry want to release further details of the arrest and the case of Niklas P at a press conference tomorrow.

The police are still looking for the other perpetrators and are hoping for information from possible witnesses. Those with information should call (0228) 150.

As reported, three young men attacked Niklas P and his friends extremely brutally on the night of 7 May at the corner of Rheinallee and Rungsdorfer Strae. They knocked the 17 year old to the ground and continued to hit him as he lay on the ground. They critically injured him with heavy blows and kicks to the head. The public prosecutor has offered a reward of Euro 3,000, which is likely to be increased by donations.
Bonn Night Run 2016 : Ten kilometre run takes place for seventh time on 25 May

Bonn Its time to get those running shoes on again! Registrations for the Bonn Night Run 2016 close tomorrow.

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The seventh Bonn Night Run is on Wednesday 25 May starting at 09:21 pm. The ten kilometre race starts and finishes at the Rathenauufer and the course takes runners along the banks of the Rhine and through the Rheinaue park.

The Night Run has grown year on year since starting and this year there is also a Sundowner Run for top runners in addition to the classic Night Run. The Sundowner Run starts at 08:00 pm and runners must finish 50 minutes after the last runner starts the race. Runners in the classic race must finish by 10.51pm.

Roads in the area will be closed because of the race, which could cause delays from Wednesday 25 May to 02:00am on Thursday 26 May. Traffic will not be able to stop on Rathenauufer between the Beethovengymnasium (secondary school) and Zweite Fahrgasse. An alternative route will be signposted.

Online registrations close at 8pm tomorrow. Runners should go to www.bonner-nachtlauf.jiimdo.com and click on the Anmeldung (registration) tab. Runners can also register by calling Katharina Kiecol on 0225 88 84 34 or by emailing her on <a href="mailto:k.kiecol@eventxxl.de">k.kiecol@eventxxl.de.
Paris Climate Agreement : UN conference in Bonn to agree concrete terms for Paris Agreement

Konferenz im Bonner WCCB: Am Rednerpult steht Frankreichs Umweltministerin Segolene Royal. FOTO: DPA Foto: dpa

Bonn Five months after the conclusion of the Paris Climate Agreement, 195 UN member states are meeting in Bonn to deliberate how to put the agreement into practice.

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The eleven day long conference began yesterday and must translate the decisions reached in the Paris negotiations into a detailed framework of rules.

The outgoing Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Secretariat said on the first day that she was optimistic. The tone of the initial session was exceptionally constructive, praised Christiana Figueres. Everyone understood what threatens us. Climate change and its catastrophic consequences are so clear, that all countries have now agreed to act. What is more, there is no other option than to step up the pace, the UN diplomat from Costa Rica urged.

Many detailed questions were deliberately not addressed in Paris so as not to further complicate the negotiations. One such example is how each individual country should report on its additional climate change measures.

One of the most difficult issues is the level of financial support for poor countries who cannot overcome the consequences of climate change alone, which to now has been insufficient. In Paris the donor countries successfully avoided facing up to all obligations, criticized the spokesman of the charity Oxfam, Jan Kowalzig. The Paris Agreement does however oblige rich countries to draw up a concrete financial schedule by 2020. The German government in particular, which likes to portray itself internationally as a trailblazer among those helping the climate, should take this requirement to heart, demanded Kowalzig.

The German Environment Minister, Barbara Hendricks (SPD), confirmed Germany wanted to remain a driving force, during in the long implementation phase of the agreement. The German government is also supporting Morocco in preparing for the next climate conference in Marrakesh in November.
Apple's Tim Cook to visit India this week News oi -GizBot Bureau

US technology giant Apple's chief executive Tim Cook is expected to visit India later this week and will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to a source.

"It is expected that the Apple CEO will meet Prime Minister Modi this weekend," a source familiar with the development told IANS.

Moto G4 and G4 Plus Launch Tomorrow: Top 7 rumored features and specs

At present, Cook is in Beijing, China. Apple on May 13 announced an investment of $1 billion in Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing. During his visit, Cook met some of China's well known app developers as well.

Cook, who joined Apple in March 1998, was made chief executive of the company, succeeding Steve Jobs, on August 24, 2011.

Hit by a slower growth in its flagship iPhone, iPad and Mac sales globally, Apple's revenue dropped for the first time since 2003 as the tech giant released earning reports for the second quarter of the fiscal year 2016 in March.

The company on April 27 posted a quarterly revenue of $50.6 billion and quarterly net income of $10.5 billion ($1.90 per diluted share), compared to revenue of $58 billion and net income of $13.6 billion ($2.33 per diluted share) in the year-ago quarter, the company said in a statement.

The revenue was down in both Americas and China -- Apple's two biggest territories. It declined around 10 percent in the Americas and a 26 percent drop in China.

5 Premium Features That Micromax Canvas Evok Offers At Rs 8,499

According to reports, the company is looking for new growth markets after its sales declined.

Source IANS

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Here are 5 promising features in the new Honor A1 Fitness Band! Features oi -Sachin

Huawei has launched its A1 Fitness Bands in China among huge fanfare. The smartphone maker has introduced it under its Honor line of smartphones. The pricing of the band is essential for its success in the market and is expected to launch at a price of Rs 1000 for the base model that comes with plastic straps.

Here are 5 features that make it stand out from the competition.

Style factor

The Honor A1 is a style factor on its own. It is available in 8 different colors, with both leather and plastic straps.

Fully fit

The band has been targeted to be a fitness tracker first. It synchronizes with the app on smartphones to provide various statistics and user behavior.

Also read: 5 Features We definitely want to see in Samsung Gear Fit 2

Wake up nudge

The A1 band has a vibration motor that activates when receiving calls or text messages. But it also vibrates to alert the user when its time to wake up.

Month-long battery life

30-days worth of battery life is possible with this device. Competing with the Xiaomi Mi Band, the A1 Band will be useful for many consumers in India

Also read: 8 Cool Ways A Pebble Smartwatch Is More User-friendly Than An Android Wear

UV power

Built into the A1 band is a UV sensor that will monitor the amount of time someone spends outdoors. Well, at least soon you'll get warnings on its time to go indoors or put a little sunscreen lotion.

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Work Salutes Contributions of Romanian, Polish Troops

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2016  The United States will never forget the service and sacrifice of Romanian and Polish troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, including those who paid the ultimate price, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work said.

Work, who visited Romania and Poland last week, praised both countries for their contributions to global peace and security. He spoke at ceremonies for Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense sites in Deveselu, Romania, and Redzikowo, Poland.

Troops from Romania and Poland have served alongside U.S. service members in the battlefields, Work said. They patrolled, fought and shared common sacrifice together, he remarked. Both countries have proven they are willing to confront the enemies of freedom wherever they may be, he added.

Romania, with its current deployment of 650 troops, is one of the highest contributors to the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, he said. He praised Poland as well, for its nearly 200 troops in that mission.

'Salute' to Warriors, Never Forget Sacrifices

The United States honors the service and sacrifice of the Romanian and Polish troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Work said.

In Deveselu, Work said the United States recognizes the Romanian troops who have served, and mourns the loss of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, including two soldiers who were killed May 7 when gunmen wearing Afghan uniforms opened fire at a military base in Kandahar.

"I'd just like to salute the two great warriors who lost their lives in Afghanistan," he said. "They were the 24th and 25th soldiers who Romania has lost in these wars, along with 132 wounded. They were all sons, or husbands, or fathers."

In Redzikowo, Work said he wanted to publicly recognize and honor the dozens of Polish service members who were killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan and the many hundreds who were wounded.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to each of them and their loves ones," he said. "I pledge to all of you soldiers here today and to the people of Poland, that the United States will never ever forget their sacrifice."

Steadfast Allies

Romania and Poland are steadfast allies to the United States and committed to global security, Work said. He commended Poland for meeting its NATO commitment to spend no less than 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense. He complimented Romania for its pledge to spend 2 percent of its GDP on national defense by 2017.

In Romania May 11-12, Work attended high-level talks and took part in a ceremony marking the operational certification of the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense site in Deveselu.

He traveled May 13 to Redzikowo, where he met with Polish officials and broke ground for a second Aegis Ashore site. The two sites are meant to protect NATO members against ballistic missile attacks from outside the Euro-Atlantic region, Work said.

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Transcript

Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook May 16, 2016

Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook in the Pentagon Briefing Room

PETER COOK: Afternoon, everybody. Hope you had a good weekend.

I don't have anything off the top, here, so I'll just turn it over to questions if you have any.

Yes, Goyal, welcome.

Q: All right. Thank you. Thank you very much. My honor.

First of all, I will -- I know it has been a long time. Welcome back from India trip.

MR. COOK: yes, it feels like a long time ago.

Q: Yes, sir. Let's talk about that India trip. Of course, secretary of defense and you have been there, when -- so, what new is emerging between U.S.-India relations, especially military-to-military relations?

And also now, Prime Minister Modi is about to come next month to visit the White House.

MR. COOK: I think you've heard the secretary talk about his trip to India, the success of that trip, and as you know, there were some agreements reached at that time in principle with regard to our military-to-military relationship.

I think the secretary feels very good about where things are with regard to that relationship, and his relationship with Minister Parrikar. I think he sees this as an opportunity for future cooperation between the United States and India on military issues.

He was able to visit India's aircraft carrier -- the first secretary of defense to do that. I think he was, again, very appreciative of the -- of the warm welcome he received, and the substantive discussions that took place while we were in India.

And he's of course looking forward to the visit of the prime minister; he met with the prime minister as well when he was in India, and looks forward to enhancing and building on the -- on that visit and the strong relationship that he has been able to maintain with Minister Parrikar since he took over as secretary.

Q: What agreement, do you think, compared to the last visit when the secretary of defense -- I mean, the defense minister of India was here?

MR. COOK: I'm sorry, missed the first part.

Q: What sort of agreement do you think they reached -- the two countries, after the -- India's defense visit here, and now the secretary's visit to India?

MR. COOK: Yeah. Well, I mean, I think it's consistent that at each step of the relationship, they have been able to build on -- on past discussions. I think that took place specifically with the -- the regard to the logistics agreement that was discussed in principle when we were there.

And we still -- the secretary believes there are still opportunities for us to further expand the cooperation between the United States and India on military issues. This is -- they are issues of consequence for India, security issues that are of consequence to the United States.

We have shared security interests in that part of the world. And I think the secretary is confident that the strong relationship we have right now will only build in the future, so.

Q: And if I may, one more quickly.

MR. COOK: Sure.

Q: (inaudible) in discussing about the China Sea, because India is also facing problems.

And second, finally, does the -- Pakistan needs F-16 to find -- to fight the home-grown terrorists, because this is a question here in the U.S. Congress and among the communities here?

MR. COOK: Yeah. I think, on the last point you just made there, I think the secretary addressed this when he was in India, and specifically, that the United States views the relationship with Pakistan as not a zero-sum game with regard to India, that we look at these relationships individually.

And that specifically, we have an interest and Pakistan has an interest in going after terrorist groups in that country. We've talked about it at length, and that is the focus of that security relationship with Pakistan.

And at the same time, we have security interests with India that stand alone and stand apart, and he feels very strongly that that relationship can be enhanced further. And we've made significant strides in the last few years with regard to that, last few months, even. And he sees that continuing to build, and he does not see those two issues, if you will, the -- not getting in the way of each other.

So.

Q: China.

MR. COOK: China, I think again, the secretary talked about this when he was in India, that China's actions in that part of the world have -- have raised questions among many nations in -- in the region.

And India has its interests, of course, and -- whether it's freedom of navigation. And so, I believe the secretary feels that India can speak for itself on these issues. The U.S. interests in that part of the world and the notion of -- of a part of the world where there is no NATO, but there is a security architecture there that has been able to foster the boom that is that part of the world.

And of course, the critical waterway the South China Sea is for so much of global commerce, that for anything to put that at risk right now would certainly be of concern to the United States and we believe other countries in the region, and that includes India as well.

Q: Thank you.

MR. COOK: So, yes, Kristina.

Q: Oh, thank you. The House is preparing to vote on the National Defense Authorization Act this week.

Would the secretary yet recommend a veto if it includes using OCO for the Pentagon's base budget? And are there any thoughts on Senator McCain's idea to ask for more defense spending on the floor, Senate Floor, versus putting it into their version of the NDAA?

MR. COOK: First of all, I think the secretary has been pretty clear about his views on the use of those OCO funds in this way and the way that the HASC is represented.

And he just believes it is -- to rob money from the warfighter in this sort of way is not the right approach, and will only expose those warfighters to greater risk in the future. And budget certainty is critically important, and it has allowed us to do some planning in this budget, effective planning.

And I think his views on that are pretty clear. And I think he's pleased to see that the Senate has not approached it in the same fashion.

Still, this is relatively early in the process, and there are still votes that need to take place. And we're going to continue our discussions with the relevant committees about these issues going forward.

So, I -- it's -- you'll hear more from the secretary on this topic, I'm sure, in the coming days. But it's early in the process; we'd still like to work with these committees before anyone starts talking about veto threats, so.

Lucas.

Q: Peter, given the news out of Vienna today, has the Pentagon been tasked with any kind of arm, or train and equip to Libyan rebels or Libyan government forces in their battle against ISIS?

MR. COOK: Yeah. I'm aware of the news, the communique that came out of Vienna today. We're not specifically tasked at this point, but certainly we have been supportive of the Government of National Accord and its efforts to try and take shape, and in particular, its efforts to go after ISIL, we're supportive of that.

And this particular communique, which of course Secretary Kerry of the State Department was responsible for, you know, spells out some of the next steps of support for the Government of National Accord. Of course, we stand ready to play our role in that. But as I am aware of at this moment, that communique was just issued and there has not been any particular marching orders to us.

Q: What can you tell us about U.S. troop presence on the ground in Libya? Has it been continuously -- there have been U.S. troops on the ground continuously since December?

What can you tell us about it?

MR. COOK: Lucas, I'm not going to get into details, as you know, other than to acknowledge what we have previously -- that there are small teams of U.S. forces that are on the ground effectively meeting and getting a better sense of the players on the ground, so that we have a sense of for example, ISIL's presence in Libya, the level of strength and the level of strength as well as some of those other forces on the ground.

But I am not going to characterize it other than to say, these are small groups of Americans who have, again, maintained a small presence in Libya for that specific purpose.

Joe.

Q: Peter, last week you have announced from this podium that the killing of Abu Wahib in the Anbar Province.

Do we know -- or do you have a number, you could share it with us, how many ISIS leaders have been killed during the coalition operation this year?

Any number you can share it with us?

MR. COOK: I'm happy to take the question Joe, and I do not have a number with me right now, we can certainly try to answer that question for you.

Q: In Syria, in Dawr az Zawr, could you give us an update on the -- about the situation in Dawr az Zawr, based on some local reports that ISIS is advancing in that area?

MR. COOK: I've seen those reports, Joe, as well but I can't give you from here an exact picture of what is happening right now, other than to say we have seen those reports. You know our air campaign is as continued, but in terms of ISIL's specific tactical progress in that particular region in Syria, there has been a lot of back-and-forth in Syria, not just in Dawr az Zawr.

And you know, we continue to monitor closely where ISIL's activities and where it is making progress, but I characterizes specifically at this moment where they are in Dawr az Zawr, because I believe it has been very changeable over the last few hours and days, certainly.

But I'm happy to follow up with you if we can get more information. But my understanding is that has been a fluid situation, and I don't want to characterize exactly what ISIL's position is there, relative to other forces.

Q: Thank you.

MR. COOK: Yeah. Andrew.

Q: Peter, it has been about a month since the secretary announced some new accelerants for Iraq. He announced the increase in troops levels, some battalion and brigade level advisers, and maybe the use of Apache helicopters.

But we heard last week that none of those have happened yet. Is that does the secretary have any thoughts on why that is, and does he have any concerns about the pace of implementing those?

MR. COOK: I think the secretary is very satisfied with how things are developing right now in Iraq, in his consultations with the Iraqi government, in terms of the force capabilities. He is in constant conversation General MacFarland about General MacFarland's needs.

And remember those deployments, for example, are -- represent specific capabilities that General MacFarland and his team had requested, and the secretary is satisfied that those capabilities are being addressed.

This is a changeable situation in terms of what is happening with the Iraqis on the ground, and we want to be able to adjust to the situation on the ground. And that means reflecting consultations with the Iraqis, again, with General MacFarland about what those needs might be, and I think the secretary is satisfied that, in the short-term at least, the requests that had been made are being handled appropriately, and being put in place in accordance with the timetable for the campaign overall.

Q: That said, wasn't the authorization of them a month ago in response to the recommendation that there was a need for those accelerators?

MR. COOK: Those -- it's all built on a campaign timeline, and there was of course an understanding that certain things would take a certain amount of time to flow into theater.

And the secretary is satisfied that that progress is being made, that the pieces are being put together in such a way as to support the Iraqi forces. Remember, this is the Iraqis fight. These are supportive capabilities that may be needed in the future, particularly in the fight for Mosul. And we always anticipated there would be some sort of lag time between decisions and ultimately implementation.

But we believe -- his conversation General MacFarland indicate that General MacFarland has everything he needs right now to carry out this fight against ISIL. And he will continue to get additional capabilities as needed, and obviously, in consultation with the Iraqis at every step.

Carlos.

Q: If you could just -- a quick follow up on Andrew's question.

In terms of those requests that are being made, I know Colonel -- Colonel Warren had said there was a concerns bout safety in Baghdad, and the possibility of Iraqi government officials pulling troops from the planning for Mosul into the capital.

Has there been any requests made like that to the DOD or U.S. commanders on the ground?

MR. COOK: Just so I'm understanding, for Iraqi forces to move?

Q: Yeah, for Iraqi forces to move. Has that been bandied about?

MR. COOK: Yeah. My impression is the same as I believe Colonel Warren's last week, that we're not aware of any forces that are -- been called back to the capital, that are supposed to -- or planned to be engaged in the ISIL fight.

Obviously, this is something we'll continue to watch. These are decisions that the government in Baghdad will have to make, but there are Iraqi forces out right now, taking the fight to -- to ISIL in various parts of the country. You've seen activities in Anbar Province; you've seen what's going on in Makhmur; you've seen what's going on in the Euphrates River Valley.

And obviously, the government of Iraq has to make, and Prime Minister Abadi has to make decisions about where those forces would be and whether or not he needs them in some other location. But as of now, we're not aware of any reason, any Iraqi forces that have been pulled back to Baghdad that in any way undermines the larger operation against ISIL.

Q: And a quick update on Yemen. With a recent suicide attack against police forces in Mukalla, is there any plans in keeping this small U.S. military intelligence team that is on the ground now there longer? And if there isn't, when are they expected to rotate back?

MR. COOK: I don't have an exact timeline for you, but the -- all along, that this small -- we have always planned for this small presence of U.S. forces to be there on a temporary basis. And that has not changed.

Yes, Jamie.

Q: Thank you, Peter. The Iraq Security Forces today announced an operation to clear out the town of al Rutba in Anbar Province.

Just curious if you might be able to share what, if any assistance U.S. and coalition forces provided to this operation?

And also specifically, was there anything that brought this operation to begin today? I mean, the death of Abu Wahid, was that a contributing factor that hastened the beginning of this operation today?

MR. COOK: Yeah, I'll let -- I know the Iraqis themselves announced this action today, so I would refer you to the Iraqis for -- to detail.

This was there operation. But I can tell you we have flown air support and conducted strikes. There has been at least on strike in the Rutba area in the last 24 to 48 hours from the coalition.

But I'll leave the Iraqis to characterize the operation itself.

As for Rutba itself, you can look on a map and see the significance of that part of Anbar Province, and in particular, that is a pathway to the west, to the Jordanian border, that if the Iraqi Security Forces were able to secure Rutba, it would be a significant step forward in the fight against ISIL and a significant step in terms of being able to cut off that flow from the Jordanian border from west to east towards Baghdad, for example.

So, there is strategic significance to Rutba, but I'll leave it to the Iraqis to characterize how things are happening on the ground there. But that -- that has been an area of focus for them. And again, if they're showing progress on the ground there, that's a good thing.

Q: And then, on an unrelated topic, the South Korean Defense ministry announced an upcoming anti-missile drone involving South Korea, the United States and Japan.

I was curious if you had any details about specifics you might be able to share, like where it's going to take place and what might have -- was there a specific incident that brought this about?

MR. COOK: The exercise is going to be on the sidelines of the -- the RIMPAC exercise, as you know, and that's the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise, and it's held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years.

So, RIMPAC is obviously a significant exercise that we'll be taking part in, and the details for the exercise itself are still being finalized. And -- probably not going to provide the specific technical details, but it's being conducted within the trilateral -- trilateral information-sharing arrangement that was signed in December of 2014.

And again, this is an effort to work with our allies in the region, the Republic of Korea and Japan specifically. And it's being conducted again within that specific information-sharing arrangement.

We won't get into -- to, again, the details of it, the technical details. But I think this just reflects the kind of coordination that we want to have with our allies at an important time right now in terms of security issues in that part of the world.

And you've seen the actions of the North Koreans in recent weeks. And again, this is part of a larger exercise, and one additional step that we can take with our allies to try and make sure we're doing everything we can to coordinate our defensive posture in the region.

Q: Can I speak to the -- (inaudible)?

MR. COOK: Yes.

Q: This exercise take place at Hawaii. You don't know yet other places?

MR. COOK: We're not going to -- they're still finalizing some of the details, and -- and we, again, once we have a better understanding exactly how it's going to play out, we'll consider what information we can share at that time.

But we're not going to get into the technical details about this -- this exercise, this part of the exercise for understandable reasons.

Q: So, South Korea announced it yesterday, they took place in Hawaii. That I ask can you confirm that?

MR. COOK: I'm just good -- we're still finalizing the details. And when they are complete, we'll be ready -- to announce them at that time. And I'll leave it to the South Koreans and the Japanese to articulate their participation in this trilateral exercise.

But again, we think it's an important moment for us to work with our allies on -- on a key area of our defense posture in the region. And you all know how -- the importance we attach to RIMPAC, and this is just another way for us to get even more out of that RIMPAC exercise.

Q: Okay.

MR. COOK: Luis.

Q: Two cyber questions, if I could. Hack the Pentagon is ongoing, I believe. Do you have an update on how the -- how many people are participating, what's going on with that?

MR. COOK: Yeah. The -- actually, the Hack the Pentagon itself, the actual period of time when the hackers have been allowed to engage in the DoD and try and identify vulnerabilities, that has now come to an end.

We're in the process right now of pulling together all the details we can about not only those who -- the vulnerabilities that have been identified, but also the steps that we have had to take to try and remedy those vulnerabilities, and also determine who's qualified for -- for potential prizes as a result of this.

We have been very, very satisfied with the -- with the outcome so far. The secretary spoke to this last week, but I believe over 1,400 hackers participated. They did identify, I believe, over 80 vulnerabilities. And we believe this has been a success.

As you know, this is the first time ever that a federal agency has ever had a competition like this, a bug bounty competition like this. And we think it has been an unqualified success, and we look forward to sharing the full details once we've been able to tabulate everything. We're going through that process right now.

Q: So those 80 vulnerabilities, will you be disclosing them publicly, or are these just going to be for internal --

MR. COOK: No, we will not be, for understandable reasons.

They've been identified to us, and now we're in the process of being able to remedy those vulnerabilities. In many cases, they've already been remedied.

But the goal here was to spot things that we, in our teams, had not been able to spot. And that was -- that was achieved and it has been done in a very cost-effective fashion.

And we believe our -- our security, our digital security is better today as a result of this competition than it would have been otherwise.

Q: And then -- regarding the secretary's trip last week at the Silicon Valley, the changes that he made in the outreach program at Silicon Valley, were those prompted by internal concerns that there wasn't enough outreach taking place, or that there wasn't enough reciprocity being undertaken by companies out on the West Coast?

MR. COOK: I think the secretary, and I think he articulated it pretty well was the -- looks at the -- looked at DIUx, saw what was happening there, and he see so much promise with DIUx.

Not only have we made the decision to expand it now into another area, but there are ways to adjust how it was initially set up to make it more effective.

And that's the -- that's why these changes came about. This is in terms of adjusting the structure, adjusting the outreach, as you said, adjusting the outreach, as you said, adjusting some of the folks we brought into the leadership team.

They have private sector expertise that is going to be particularly helpful, we think. They have military expertise as well. And this is an effort to try and -- and fine-tune, if you will, to enhance what DIUx has already done and to build on it. And that is why we're going to open a second DIUx facility in Boston.

Q: Was there also some concern on his part that maybe the program is not advancing as far as he would want it to?

MR. COOK: I think the secretary was candid that there were -- he heard feedback from some in the tech community that there were some issues in terms of how they were integrating with DIUx, that it's still hard to do business with the Department of Defense. And I think we looked at some of those concerns and decided to make some structural changes to try and address those concerns.

Much like a Silicon Valley startup, this was a -- has always been an experimental operation, Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, it's right in the name. And so the secretary, and his leadership team and the folks at DIUx all agree that there was an opportunity to make some changes here that would enhance the effectiveness of it, and achieve what we ultimately want to achieve, and that is to get more cutting-edge technology into the hands of American warfighters, including technology from people, firms, companies that right now do not do business with the Department of Defense.

That is what the goal has been here in DIUx. The goal here is to make this to be as much of a middleman as anything else to get that technology in the hands of warfighters, to get those entrepreneurs working with individual units within the Department of Defense. Maybe it is the Navy. Maybe it is Cyber Command. Maybe it is another combatant command to try and link people up with those technologies so that we're getting, again, more bang for our buck.

Q: Back to Hack the Pentagon. Has there -- a decision already been made to just keep going with this as an ongoing program in the future?

MR. COOK: Well, we certainly are pleased with the results of the first one, but there no decisions have been made at this time whether or not we'll have another. I can tell you, that there are other federal agencies carefully reviewing what we have done, and we will see if they make a decision to engage in similar competitions of their own.

But we feel very good that this has been a successful event, and we'll have more details on it in the weeks to come once we have a final tabulation.

Did you participate, Luis?

Q: My -- I'm worried that my son may have, but no.

(Laughter.)

MR. COOK: All right. We'll see if he's among the winners.

Phil.

Q: Hey, a quick question on Yemen, and then I want to ask -- (inaudible) -- on Libya.

So, on Yemen, there was a bombing over the weekend claimed by Islamic State in Mukalla. I'm just wondering what you thought about that, if it signals any kind of reassessment of Islamic State's capacity in Yemen? And I'll stop there.

MR. COOK: Well, there -- as you know, Phil, Yemen's a place where there have been a lot of different players on the ground trying to fill the void, trying to secure control of geographical areas, trying to exert influence.

And certainly, we are very concerned about extremist groups in Yemen trying to take control, trying to exert influence. That is why we have been targeting AQAP, that is why we're keeping such a close eye on the Islamic State. But I am not aware of anything that has changed in terms of our understanding of the Islamic State and its presence in Yemen as a result of this particular incident, which, you know, did result in a significant number of deaths of Yemeni policemen, as I understand it, and obviously a tragic event.

Q: And in Libya, if I could just pin you down a little bit more about this presence on the ground there that you spoke about earlier.

MR. COOK: Don't count on it.

Q: Could you -- well, I mean -- but I mean, we've been told for some time that -- (inaudible), you have people coming in an out.

MR. COOK: Yeah.

Q: Am I understanding that this is a fixed group of people that does not come in and out?

MR. COOK: No, you should not interpret that. This is a small group, and as we've said, there have been teams that have -- it's not a permanent presence. And I'm going to leave it at that.

(inaudible) -- want to maintain their operational security, want to obviously be concerned for their safety, and so, we're not going to provide more detail than that.

But they've been doing good work in providing us information that we think is important.

Q: And are they strictly acting as, you know, not to play down what they're doing, but are they strictly acting in an intelligence role right now, like gathering the information?

Or is there any -- you know, very limited training that would allow some people they identify who could be cooperative with the United States to do so at a later date?

MR. COOK: There's -- this is simply an effort to try and collect information on people on the ground, the situation on the ground. This is not an effort to engage in training, as you said.

And that's -- I'm going to limit it to that. That is what their goal has been from the start.

Bill.

Q: You have said, though, that these guys were trying to find potential partners, right? Someone that the U.S. can work alongside potentially in the future?

MR. COOK: We're trying to identify groups on the ground, that's right, and certainly looking for groups that are willing to take on ISIL.

And so, yes, that's a fair characterization of their efforts on the ground. Of course, the Government of National Accord is taking shape, and you know, a lot of this also is our -- trying to get a picture of what's happening on the ground there as well provide our support to the Government of National Accord as it -- as it emerges from the fighting that is taking place in Libya.

Q: Is there any sort of vetting that takes place with this sort of operation?

MR. COOK: We're -- we're -- again, I'm not going to get into details here, Bill, other than to say this small presence of U.S. forces has been trying to identify players on the ground and trying to find out exactly what their motives are and what they're trying to do on the ground and why.

And that's to give us a better picture of what's happening there, because we don't have a great picture. And this is one way we've been able to get a better sense, an intelligence sense of what's going on there.

Q: Given today's news, then, could this -- the operation that has been going on in Libya, could it be seen as a precursor to perhaps arming those folks that the U.S. side has been working --

MR. COOK: I would not jump ahead of -- we're not going to get into hypotheticals here.

These people are doing a specific mission to try and get a better sense of the picture on the ground. The announcement today in Austria is again, something that correlates to our support for the Government of National Accord. And we want to do everything we can to be supportive of that government.

And you're jumping the gun if you're talking about a training mission in Libya. That's not where we are.

Lucas.

Q: Just one follow-up, just on --

MR. COOK: Sure.

Q: -- the ISIS war. Since December, the Pentagon has said the U.S.-backed coalition has taken 40 percent of the land back from ISIS. Is there an update on that figure today?

MR. COOK: I know that there were some numbers -- a couple numbers that I can share with you that I think are consistent with that.

Again, we've had numbers both for Iraq and Syria previously. But I think the number right now is -- in Iraq, about 45 percent of the territory they once held has been recovered. And I think the number in Syria is anywhere from 16 to 20 percent.

And that's an update, I think, from the most recent numbers we had for you.

All right. Any more questions? Carlos, then we'll end with Goyal. We started with Goyal and we'll end with Goyal.

Q: Just a quick follow-up -- question, seems that Secretary Kerry is expected to meet with Foreign Minister Lavrov this week and going back to some of the comments at the (inaudible) podium, I think it was last week or a few weeks ago as far as communications between Secretary Carter and Defense Minister Shoygu, you had said that, you know, those interactions really wouldn't have helped tamp down some of the tensions going on in Eastern Europe.

Is that still the case? Is there -- are there any plans for the secretary to speak with his Russian counterpart about what's going on?

MR. COOK: The secretary has spoken with Minister Shoygu in the past. The lead person right now in terms of our engagement with -- with Russia is Secretary Kerry, who meets regularly and often with the -- with his counterpart, and the secretary is prepared -- Secretary Carter's prepared to -- to engage with Minister Shoygu in the future if it -- if we feel like that's a productive step to -- to take at this point.

There are no meetings or calls planned, and if that changes, we'll let you know.

Goyal?

Q: Thank you, sir. President Obama spoke last week with CNN that five years of Osama bin Laden, and Mr. Fareed Zakaria had been wondering why they hate us -- (inaudible) -- referring, of course, to Osama bin Laden and Mr.  Fareed Zakaria was referring also ISIL and -- (inaudible) -- who hate the U.S.

My question is after five years after Osama bin Laden, any change that who kept him for 10 years? And we're telling the U.S. that they don't have him, he's not in Pakistan. But President Obama, of course, also tried his best to bring him back, but they didn't tell him until of course this building, DOD and the Pentagon played a bigger role to bring him to justice.

Anything change now? And plus, why they hate us?

MR. COOK: Goyal, I'd -- I don't -- five years after, I think I can say with a high degree of confidence that -- that the operation to kill Osama bin Laden was clearly a successful operation that many very capable people within the Department of Defense helped make happen. And I think -- five years later, I think we're please with that outcome.

With regard to the larger fight that you talk about, everyday we see forces in the Middle East and elsewhere that would like to do the United States harm and it is the responsibility of this department do what we can to protect the American people, and we're going to continue to do that.

Thanks, everybody.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/760847/

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UN rapporteur raps EU-Turkey deal to stop refugees

Iran Press TV

Mon May 16, 2016 1:21PM

The United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights of refugees, has strongly denounced a recently signed agreement between the European Union and Turkey over curbing the flow of asylum seekers to Europe.

Speaking in the Greek capital Athens, Francois Crepeau said the March agreement between the EU and Turkey to send back refugees reaching Europe required "much stronger legal instruments to ensure legal accountability."

The UN envoy also criticized the EU response to the refugee crisis, saying the 28-nation bloc lacks vision and is operating under legal ambiguity. Crepeau further said that the EU approach to the refugee crisis lacks legal clarity and promotes the detention of newly arrived refugees in Greece.

Athens has been detaining refugees and sending many back to Turkey under a deal signed earlier this year.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the UN envoy expressed concern that children were among those detained, and urged an immediate change in policy.

Under the deal, Turkey has committed to taking back all the asylum seekers and refugees, who had used the Aegean Sea to illegally reach Greece.

In return, Ankara was promised financial aid, the acceleration of visa liberalization talks and progress in its EU membership negotiations.

Granting visa waiver to Turkey, a country of 75 million, is highly controversial among EU states where some fear it would open the way for more refugees to the bloc already struggling with its worst migration crisis in decades.

Last year, more than 1.1 million refugees entered Europe through Turkey and Greece and then made their way through the Balkans to Germany and other northern member states of the bloc.

Meanwhile, a senior German politician says Chancellor Angela Merkel has made the EU very dependent on Turkey in dealing with the refugee crisis, accusing her of having exposed the bloc to blackmail by Ankara.

Carsten Schneider, the deputy chairman of the Social Democrats (SPD), Merkel's junior coalition partner, accused the chancellor of making Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan central to her refugee policy.

He warned that if Erdogan stopped cooperating, "the extent of Germany's isolation in Europe will become clear again."

Europe is now concerned that the continent would face another refugee influx after Erdogan warned that Turkey would allow the refugees to enter Europe if it failed to meet its commitments.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees are still fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.

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EU brokers secret deal with Sudan to stop refugees: Report

Iran Press TV

Mon May 16, 2016 8:20AM

The European Union has reportedly brokered a controversial deal with Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir in an effort to stop refugees entering the continent from Africa.

The ambassadors of the 28-member-state bloc held a meeting on March 23, during which they agreed to work together with Bashir to stop the refugees' flow to Europe, German newspaper Spiegel reported.

Under the deal, the bloc will provide eight African countries, including Sudan, with 40 million over three years to secure their borders, the daily has found.

The European Commission warned that "under no circumstances" should the public learn about the agreement.

Classified documents obtained by Spiegel indicate that Europe also will provide cameras, scanners and servers to the Sudanese government to register refugees.

Under the project, led by Germany, Sudanese border police will be trained and Germany will construct camps and detention rooms for Sudan.

According to Sudanese authorities, several people from Germany visited the African country in recent weeks to discuss the construction of closed camps.

Sudan, Africa's third largest country, is a key route for refugees from Eritrea, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, who make their way via Khartoum to Libya, where they take boats to Europe.

The EU deal with the Sudanese president has concerned rights groups since Bashir faces International Criminal Court (ICC) charges of genocide and war crimes in the 2003 conflict in the western region of Darfur.

Sudan's cooperation to stop the refugees, however, is questioned within the EU since the Sudanese government is accused of working with criminal networks in illegal crossing of refugees. According to a report by the human rights group, the Sudanese police and military have been selling refugees to human smugglers.

Europe is struggling with the biggest refugee crisis since the World War II. Refugees are fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria, to reach Europe.

The EU has already come under fire for brokering a deal with Turkey to return back all the asylum seekers and refugees who had used the Aegean Sea to illegally reach Greece.

The bloc, however, is in a stand-off with Turkey on the future of the agreement since Ankara refuses to make changes to its anti-terror laws as required by the EU.

On Friday, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) denounced the deal as a "historic abdication" of Europe's moral and legal responsibilities.

In an open letter to EU member states and institutions, MSF chief Joanne Liu said the agreement "effectively outsources caring for these people to Turkey."

Over a million refugees entered Europe through Turkey and Greece last year and then made their way through the Balkans to Germany and other northern member states of the bloc.

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US Will Not Oppose Afghan Peace Talks with Armed Group

by Akmal Dawi, Noor Zahid May 16, 2016

The United States on Monday said it will not oppose the ongoing political talks aimed at resolving conflicts between the Afghan government and the insurgent group Hezb-i-Islami led by former prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

A Department of State official told VOA's Afghan Service "the United States does not have any pre-conditions for supporting an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned reconciliation process."

After months of talks, negotiators from the Afghanistan High Peace Council  an independent body set up by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani  and Hezb-i-Islami agreed on a draft peace agreement which, if approved by both parties, would put an end to the group's longstanding war against Afghan and international forces.

The draft agreement calls for a "dignified" return to Kabul of Hekmatyar and thousands of his supporters from Pakistan.

According to Amin Karim, Hezb-i-Islami's top negotiator, Hekmatyar is no longer demanding that all foreign troops leave Afghanistan  a stance that had been a key obstacle to peace negotiations.

A beneficiary of U.S. support during the Afghan-Soviet war in the 1980s, Hekmatyar led the deadliest group of Mujahedeen against the Soviet occupation. He was appointed prime minister after the Mujahedeen groups took over Afghanistan in 1992. But the groups quickly engaged in a civil war for several years before being ousted from Kabul in 1996 by the Taliban.

Human rights groups accuse Hekmatyar's party and his rival factions of committing egregious crimes in the civil wars in Afghanistan.

Over the last 13 years, Hezb-i-Islami has fought Afghan and international forces in Afghanistan. The group claimed responsibility for a deadly attack in Kabul which killed 15 people, including six Americans and nine Afghans.

Hekmatyar was named a "global terrorist," according to the U.S. Department of State. He is on a United Nations blacklist. Under the peace agreement, the Afghan government promises to do whatever it can to lift those labels.

A State Department official told VOA that "the United States is prepared to work with the government of Afghanistan and members of the United Nations Security Council in considering sanctions relief in the event that an agreement is concluded that provides for fulfillment of the necessary conditions."

While Afghan officials say the draft peace agreement could be signed by Ghani in the near future, it is unclear how and when the U.S. would remove Hekmatyar from its global terror list. For Hekmatyar to be removed from the U.N. blacklist, a request from the Afghan government would be needed.

"There might be some resistance inside the U.S. to taking his name off a terror watch list. But I imagine that if, indeed, he is signing a peace agreement, that there is negotiating space both on the U.S. side and with the United Nations," said RAND Corporation military analyst Rebecca Zimmerman.

Hezb-i-Islami's top negotiator Karim said that the group has committed to the conditions and was genuinely seeking "a durable peace."

Still, Kabul's amnesty offer to Hekmatyar has angered some rights activists who say the Afghan government's efforts to reconcile with warlords are misguided.

Some Afghans believe that a peace agreement with Hekmatyar will put pressure on the Taliban to come to the negotiating table, but some analysts say that it may not have an impact.

"The [internal] pressure on the Taliban right now pushes them in the direction of more fighting, not in a direction of peace," Zimmerman said. "So I don't expect that the news about Hezb-i-Islami will have a tremendous impact on the Taliban's decisions with respect to negotiations."

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3/11 tests chrome-plated barrels

US Marine Corps News

By Lance Cpl. Levi Schultz | May 17, 2016

Marines with 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment fired six Pilot Production M776 Chrome Tubes for the 155mm M777A2 Light-weight Towed Howitzer in the Lead Mountain Training Area at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, May 3, 2016.

'Thunder' conducted the experiment as part of an ongoing 18-month acquisition program agreement with the Program Manager Towed Artillery Systems of Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, to evaluate the chrome-plated barrels prior to making a decision to go into full-rate production. This firing exercise was focused on the ability of the M776 Chrome Tubes to resist the formation of hardened downbore residue when firing the M232A1 Propelling Charge 5H (top zone charges).The exercise consisted of gun crews firing 50 M232A1 top zone charges, or an equivalent full charge without cleaning the cannon using conventional means to prevent the accumulation of residue.

"We came out here to test how the chrome plating reacts to having such a large charge go through it," said Sgt. Brian Smart, section chief, 3/11. "When we finished, we left the lining alone so the people who designed it could do their measurements and see how the material held up."

Currently, the Marine Corps and Army utilize a steel barrel for their howitzers. This new design incorporates a chrome plating, which helps to extend the life of the tube by two to three times and has prevented buildup of residue within the bore during controlled testing. This allows the gun to fire top-zone charges in succession without the need to fire a lower-zone charge to clean out the barrel, a requirement for the legacy steel barrel.

According to Smart, the chrome-lined tubes have shown numerous advantages, in both cleaning and durability, over their legacy steel counterparts.

"It's a lot easier to clean than the old steel tubes because they would cake up, while the chrome lining tends to shed off residue a lot easier," Smart said. "In theory, we could be able to use these tubes almost indefinitely before they start to wear down."

The chrome tubes have a projected sustainability of more than 2,600 EFCs, before it starts to wear on the chrome plating.

"Most of the time, we are shooting four or lower charges," said Master Sgt. Davy Cadd, battalion field artillery chief, 3/11. "It often takes 10 or more rounds for us to get up to a single EFC. The [chrome plating] enables us to fire thousands and thousands of rounds before we start to wear the tube."

Clede O'Neal, test manager, PM-TAS, explained that the Chrome Tube Program has more than a decade of testing at US Army Yuma Proving Ground. At first, the chrome plating had issues with unacceptable amounts of chrome loss; however, the cannon designer and manufacturer have significantly reduced the amounts of chrome loss to help ensure the tubes are ready for troops to use.

"We are giving the tubes to the unit so they can assess how well the tubes work as far as durability and their ability to be cleaned and inspected," O'Neal said. "At the end of the program, if the Marines and the program office are satisfied, we may be approved to start a M776 Chrome Tube Full Rate Production program to retrofit as many of the M77A2 Howitzers as funding permits."

For the experiment, PM-TAS chose the Combat Center for its vast training area and harsh environment to better gauge the resiliency of the chrome plating.

"We looked at units and installations across the Marine Corps when deciding where the best place was to field the tubes," O'Neal said. "We found [the Combat Center] had the best conditions to fire top zone charges, which allows us to create the harshest conditions possible for testing the chrome tubes."

According to Cadd, it is important to test and experiment with new equipment to find better ways to accomplish the mission and support the service members in the operational environment.

The M776 Chrome Tube was designed by Benet Laboratories with US Army Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center and manufactured by Tank-automotive Armament Command at Watervliet Arsenal. PM-TAS has oversight for the M777A2 Howitzer and the M776 Chrome Tube acquisition program.

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Venezuela's opposition leader urges nation to defy state of emergency

Iran Press TV

Tue May 17, 2016 5:38PM

Amid a political and economic crisis in Venezuela, opposition leader Henrique Capriles urged the nation Tuesday to defy a state of emergency decreed by the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Capriles said lawmakers will probably reject the decree as the opposition-controlled congress prepares to debate it.

If the government insists the decree remains in force, the opposition leader stated, "it is up to us ... to ignore this decree."

The decree would have to go through the National Assembly and the Supreme Court for approval and review in line with the constitution.

The National Assembly is expected to oppose the state of emergency, but the Supreme Court is expected to support it.

In the past, President Maduro has successfully referred bills blocked by the National Assembly to the Supreme Court for approval.

Maduro ordered the 60-day state of emergency, giving the government and security forces special authorization to maintain order and supply basic necessities such as food and services across the country.

The Venezuelan president said the new decree was necessary "to tend to our country and, more importantly, to prepare to denounce, neutralize and overcome the external and foreign aggression against our country."

The new security measures will be put to a test on Wednesday, when nation-wide opposition demonstrations are scheduled to be held.

Maduro said on May 14 that all businesses and factories closed by their owners would be seized and handed over to their workers in order to restart production in the country.

He accused owners of the factories of intentionally sabotaging production in an effort to help topple the government amid the economic crisis.

Maduro has also called for military exercises to take place next weekend to prepare for "any scenario" including a foreign invasion.

The president has said previously that the opposition, with the support of the United States, aims to launch a coup d'etat in the oil-rich country.

The opposition, which last year swept a two-third majority of the seats in the National Assembly, has vowed to remove President Maduro from power.

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US Top Brass: Beijing Doesn't 'Support Stability' of South China Sea Region

Sputnik News

21:58 17.05.2016(updated 23:28 17.05.2016)

Amid ongoing tensions in the South China Sea, the top US Marine Corps officer has criticized Beijing's activity in the region and vowed that the Pentagon will continue its aggressive tactics around the disputed Spratly Islands.

"Certain nations kind of take advantage or do things that are short of conflict," Gen. Robert Neller, commandant of the US Marine Corps, said during a panel at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space exposition on Monday.

"They are very subtle and very calculated, but they don't support the stability of the region."

While it may seem, at first, that Neller is talking about the United States' actions in the South China Sea, which have sought to undermine Beijing's influence, he is actually referring to China.

Washington has long been critical of Beijing's construction of artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago, even as China maintains it has the right to build within its own territory and that the islands will be used primarily for humanitarian purposes. In protest of the land reclamation projects, the US has pushed its Pacific allies to take a more active role in countering China's growth.

"We are a nation of laws, we go out and do what we do to support international law," Neller said.

"What we cannot do is stop talking, even if we disagree. There may be actors who would potentially do some things that we don't agree with and we need to maintain communication with them. And tell them that their actions are potentially disruptive to the stability of the world."

In recent months, the Pentagon has conducted freedom of navigation patrols to challenge Beijing's territorial claims. According to Neller, these operations will continue despite China's objections.

"In the near term, we have to be able to meet our treaty obligations and exercise our sovereign rights under international law to transit the seas. And we'll see where that takes us. Hopefully that creates stability and not instability."

China has pushed back against these operations. In March, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the US of stirring up regional tensions.

"I want to remind some people that the freedom of navigation doesn't give them a license to do whatever they want," Wang told Xinhua News Agency.

"If someone wants to muddy the waters in the South China Sea and to destabilize Asia, China would not agree to it, and I think the overwhelming majority of countries in the region would not allow that to happen."

In an op-ed published earlier this week, Chinese diplomats Fu Ying and Wu Shicun pointed out that, until recently, the US and the international community recognized Beijing's Spratly Islands claim.

"Before the 1930s, there was no dispute over China's ownership of them, as reflected in many maps and encyclopedias published around the world," the article reads, according to the China Daily.

"For a long time afterwards, the United States made no objections whatsoever," they add. "Obviously, China's position was recognized and acknowledged."

A hotly-contested region through which roughly $5 trillion in trade passes annually, the South China Sea is claimed by China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Vietnam.

The US has no territorial claims in the region.

 Sputnik

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Sweden and Finland Pretend to Fish for Russian Subs off Gotland

Sputnik News

13:08 17.05.2016(updated 13:13 17.05.2016)

Yesterday, SWEFINEX 2016, a major Swedish-Finnish military exercise, commenced in the vicinity of the Swedish isle of Gotland, which is geared for comprehensive militarization in the wake of Sweden's recent wave of anti-Russian paranoia.

The annual exercise, which is being held between the two Nordic countries which haven't joined NATO's ranks, is focused on anti-submarine warfare, mine clearance and escorting merchant vessels in the waters around the island and the Stockholm archipelago.

Finland and Sweden take turns in hosting the event. This year, the Swedish Navy is playing host and has joined forces with Finland's navy in a ten-day long military exercise to practice cooperation and mutual aid. Next year, both countries plan to establish a joint Swedish-Finnish battlegroup to be deployed in the event of war.

An important goal of the exercise is to make sure that communication and procedures function well: the mixed personnel will consist of an equal number of Swedish and Finnish officers, Swedish news outlet Hela Gotland wrote.

During the exercise, the navies will practice escorting merchant ships, conducting anti-submarine warfare, clearing mines, monitoring vessel traffic and providing logistics support. A total of 600 Swedes and 250 Finns are to take part in the naval exercise, which will involve the use of helicopters, reconnaissance planes and interceptors. Today, some 15 Swedish and Finnish military vessels are expected to be stationed in the island of Gotland's Visby harbor, Swedish Military said.

Last year, Sweden decided to position troops on Gotland in the Baltic Sea, which lies halfway between mainland Sweden and Latvia, to strengthen the "weakest link" in the country's naval defense. Shortly thereafter, a local Gotland politician voiced plans to mine the island's harbors so that it could fend off an imaginary attack by Russians. In the same vein, Gotland's governor Cecilia Schelin-Seidegard stressed the island could potentially be used as a key place from which to fire upon invading Russian troops, if Russia were ever to decide to take over the Baltics.

In 2014, Swedish authorities imagined that a Russian submarine was lurking in the waters around Gotland Island. The ensuing media hysteria, which was based on grainy photographs reminiscent of 'evidence' of nearby Scotland's Loch Ness Monster, resulted in the Swedish government finally admitting that the panic had all been for nothing.

 Sputnik

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US Military Looking at Sites for 2nd Africa Base

by Carla Babb May 17, 2016

The U.S. military has looked at 11 locations for a potential second base in Africa, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).

Colonel Mark Cheadle, speaking to VOA in Brussels on Tuesday, would not disclose which locations the military is considering for a possible second base, other than to specify that "Nigeria isn't one of them."

The United States currently has one military base in the east African nation of Djibouti. U.S. forces are also on the ground in Somalia to assist the regional fight against al-Shabab and in Cameroon to help with the multinational effort against Nigeria-based Boko Haram.

AFRICOM commander General David Rodriguez told reporters in Brussels that the U.S. military has trained members of Nigeria's intelligence corps as well as three Nigerian battalions, including one that "just recently" graduated.

"Boko Haram is the biggest killer of people across the world," the general said.

Rodriguez also said the command's headquarters, located in Stuttgart, Germany, will stay in Europe for the foreseeable future.

The command's stated mission is to advance U.S. interests and promote security and stability in Africa.

Libya

Meanwhile, as the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) continues to struggle against the approximately 4,000 to 6,000 Islamic State militants in the country, Rodriguez says the U.S. military is "prepared to support" a train-and-equip mission there when the Libyan government is ready for it.

But Libya's internal politics have made it unclear which armed groups are fighting with the GNA, Rodriguez added, leaving the U.S. "really dependent" on the Libyan interim government to determine "who is with them and who is moving over to them."

Militias will likely be key to stopping the spread of Islamic State once friendly forces are identified and aided.

"We're not at that point yet," he said.

Libya is under a U.N. arms embargo imposed to keep lethal weapons away from terrorists and militias vying for power.

However, a joint communique issued after international talks Monday in Vienna signaled that international powers, including the U.S., are set to provide arms and support to the Libyan government to fight Islamic State.

"The things that they need most is really ammunition and small arms," Rodriguez said. "It's not fighter aircraft and that kind of stuff."

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters Tuesday at the Pentagon that there were small teams of U.S. forces on the ground in Libya to get a "better sense of the players" to more accurately understand the Islamic State's presence and strength level.

Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow on defense strategy at the Brookings Institution, said the 20 to 25 U.S. forces now in Libya, along with other NATO allies on the ground there, should "get serious" about a training mission for a Libyan military or integrated paramilitary.

"I'm interested in asking if 1,000 to 2,000 Americans at the right time could make a big difference," he told VOA.

VOA's Dan Joseph contributed to this report.

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Pentagon Chief: Military Spending Legislation 'Raids War Funds'

by Jeff Seldin May 17, 2016

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter accused lawmakers of "budget gimmickry" that could undermine the military's ability to respond to critical threats.

Carter aired his criticisms during a speech Tuesday at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition, held on the outskirts of Washington, threatening he would advise the president to veto the fiscal 2017 defense spending bill if certain provisions were not removed.

"It raids war funds in a time of war, when we have men and women deployed in operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria," Carter said.

The bulk of his anger was directed at the version of the bill being offered in the House of Representatives, which he said would underfund the country's war-fighting efforts by $18 billion. He said the legislation would instead allocate the money to "items we didn't request."

"It undercuts stable planning and efficient use of taxpayer dollars, dispirits troops and their families, baffles friends and emboldens foes," Carter said.

Both the House and Senate versions of the bill call for overall military spending of $610 billion. But the version passed by the House Armed Services Committee would move $18 billion from the overseas contingency operations funds into the regular budget, to be used on equipment and manpower needs.

President Barack Obama's proposed defense budget for next year calls for $582.7 billion in spending. It also requests another $58.8 billion in overseas contingency operations funds to help fight terror in places like Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.



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Commentary: China will never allow the repetition of Cultural Revolution

People's Daily Online

(People's Daily Online) 17:00, May 17, 2016

Discussions over China's Cultural Revolution, a major setback during the development of China and its party, have been emerging recently.

In August 1980, when Deng Xiaoping met the Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, he talked about the evaluation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution with historic vision and political attitude.

In the following year, a document named "resolution on certain questions in the history of our party since the founding of the People's Republic of China" was issued by the CPC, making the authoritative conclusion of the utter denial of Cultural Revolution and evaluating Mao's historical status by analyzing the significance of his thoughts.

The evaluation and analysis on this political campaign has withstood the test of practice, people and time.

As the document concluded, the Cultural Revolution, initiated by the national leader and exploited by the reactionaries, is an internal chaos bringing disasters to the party, the country and the people. The history has proved that the Cultural Revolution was totally wrong in its theory and practice.

The CPC has admitted, analyzed and corrected the mistakes made by itself and the leaders of the country, drawing lessons from both failures and successful experiences.

By differentiating the ten-year period of the Cultural Revolution with the incorrect theory and practice of it, the above document also strongly refutes the viewpoint that denies the history and leadership of the CPC, even the socialist system with the excuse of internal chaos.

It is such positive attitude that alerted the CPC and helped it return to a correct track for the primary stage of socialism. After 30 years' of reform and opening up, China has become a strong power with improved livelihood and amplified legal system. For a brighter future, the replay of the Cultural Revolution will never be allowed.

Drawing lessons from the past is for further improvement. We should never forget the lesson of the Cultural Revolution and steadfastly build the socialism with distinctive Chinese characteristics.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, under the guidance of the CPC Central Committee headed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, we have proposed new concepts and strategies of national governance such as the promotion of all-round economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress and the strategy of "four comprehensives". We are now closer than ever to the dream of national rejuvenation. In addition, we have the most confidence and capability in the history to achieve such goal.

At this very time, the party and people should unite together to make efforts to realize our dream. We should combine our thoughts and practice with the decision made by the CPC Central Committee and the spirit advocated by President Xi Jinping in his speeches. We should arm the party and educate the people by innovative theories, and keep our confidence in the building of the socialism with distinctive Chinese characteristics. We should make joint efforts to achieve the "two centenary goals" and national rejuvenation.

This article was edited and translated from , source: People's Daily

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Heavy Security as Top China Official Arrives in Hong Kong

by William Ide May 17, 2016

With snipers perched atop buildings and thousands of police deployed to maintain security, Zhang Dejiang, the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Hong Kong since pro-democracy protests in 2014, arrived Tuesday for a three-day visit to the port city.

Zhang said he was in Hong Kong to listen, see and speak, but even before his trip began, it was off to a rocky start. Two protests banners were unfurled and a handful of protesters arrested, despite efforts to stifle any expressions of dissent.

Hong Kong authorities have said the extensive "counterterrorism security measures" the city has put in place are necessary to ensure Zhang's safety and no stone has been left unturned in that effort. Literally. Local media have reported that sidewalk bricks have been glued securely so they could not be lobbed by protesters.

Police were also deployed atop Lion Rock, a peak that overlooks Hong Kong, in an apparent effort to keep activists from hanging banners there. During the 2014 pro-democracy protests, a large banner reading, "I want real direct elections" hung from the rock.

Activists managed to hang a banner nearby, on Beacon Hill, early Tuesday with the same message. Another was hung from the North Lantau Highway with the message, "End One Party Rule." The banner was removed before Zhang passed by on his way from the airport.

Both banners were hung by the pro-democracy League of Social Democrats.

Protest leaders undeterred

Avery Ng Man-yuen, the chairman of the league, live-streamed his arrest on Facebook. While he was being taken away on suspicion of violating traffic laws, he said, "Zhang Dejiang should stop being a coward and should go back to Beijing."

Other photos on social media showed Nathan Law, a former student leader of the Occupy Central movement and chairman of the newly formed political party, Demosisto, being taken down by police.

Law said protest zones that have been set up by police have made it impossible for demonstrators to even see Zhang, and violate Hong Kong's rights to have political demands heard and free expression. Law vowed to try to make his voice heard outside designated protest areas.

It is not clear how large the protests will be during Zhang's visit, and some analysts noted they will largely be symbolic as some activists are running for office in legislative elections in September.

Several protests are planned during Zhang's visits, but the designated areas are blocks away from his hotel and a conference center where he will speak at a forum on China's "one belt, one road" policy. Tall barricades also line the roads.

Upon his arrival in Hong Kong, Zhang was greeted by its increasingly unpopular chief executive CY Leung and other senior officials. China clearly wants the visit to be a success, but which voices he will listen to, and what he will see and hear are already in question.

"[I will listen to] suggestions and demands of all sectors of society on executing the principle of one country, two systems, self-governance, on allowing Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy, how to implement the Basic Law, and how the country and Hong Kong should develop," Zhang said.

Zhang is the chairman the Standing Committee of China's rubber-stamp National People's Congress, a rough equivalent of parliamentary speaker, and third-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of China's Communist Party.

A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 and the "one country, two systems" policy was set up to ensure that it continue to enjoy its free-wheeling capitalist economy, Western-style courts, and guarantees of freedom of speech and the press.

Given China's increasingly heavy-handed approach to the port city, however, there are growing concerns that those freedoms are at risk.

Future for democracy?

Beijing's rejection of calls for the direct election of Hong Kong's chief executive - a policy decision in which Zhang played a key role - triggered the 2014 Occupy protests. More recently, the apparent abduction of booksellers in Hong Kong and elsewhere in Asia who published books critical of China's leadership has also had a chilling impact.

Additionally, the recent establishment of a pro-independence party in Hong Kong is helping make a once taboo topic more mainstream. Beijing has criticized the establishment of the party of what it calls an "extremely small group," and some politicians in Hong Kong have echoed China's concerns, warning such ideas threaten the city's political and economic future.

While in Hong Kong, Zhang is scheduled to speak at a conference Wednesday on China's "one belt, one road" policy. It is a policy that China's leader, Xi Jinping, hopes will help further expand trade routes from China's western border through Central Asia to the Middle East and Europe, and by sea in what it calls a maritime belt through the South China Sea and on to Africa.

Zhang will also meet with lawmakers, including some from the pro-democracy camp and dine with Hong Kong's chief executive.

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Indian Air Force to Fly 'Tejas' Homemade Combat Aircraft

Sputnik News

18:42 17.05.2016(updated 18:44 17.05.2016)

Chief of Indian Air Force has test flown an indigenously designed and produced Light Combat Aircraft - Tejas, giving the go ahead to roll it out into active operations.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  The Indian Air Force (IAF) has finally found an indigenous replacement for its ageing fleet of MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighter aircraft. Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha flew the Tejas  a Light Combat Aircraft designed and developed by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). According to a statement by HAL, after his maiden sortie, Air Chief Marshal Raha said, "It is my first sortie in a Tejas, it is a good aircraft for induction into IAF operations."

The Air Chief Marshal carried out a number of manoeuvers in the twin-seater trainer aircraft including simulated air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks. He also assessed the advanced modes of the radar and Helmet Mounted Display Sight (HMDS). An ace fighter pilot himself, Air Chief Marshal Raha appreciated the flying qualities of the aircraft.

Production of the Tejas aircraft has already commenced at HAL Bengaluru and the first squadron of the trainer LCA is expected to be formed by July 2016.

The Tejas LCA is a supersonic, single-engine multirole light fighter aircraft, which has been under development for the past three decades. It has been co-developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency in cooperation with HAL to replace the IAF's ageing fleet of MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighter aircraft.

The Tejas is however, still not combat-ready. Its final phase of weapon trials, including firing of BVR (beyond visual range) missiles, is currently under way. Moreover, the fighter is to get an AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar and advanced electronic warfare (EW) suite, and mid-air refueling capability, for the Mark-IA version that the IAF actually wants. This is likely to take another two years. This means the IAF will get the first 20 combat-ready Tejas by 2018.

Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retired) told Sputnik that the IAF will form only four squadrons out of the Mark-1A version to fulfil and immediate shortage. "The LCA Mark-II will fulfil the actual specifications of the IAF. This version will probably be delivered by 2022. Meanwhile, the LCA Mark-I currently available is also good enough for the Indian Air Force as it is capable of meeting most of the immediate requirements."

Meanwhile, manufacturer HAL is upbeat about the progress and hopes to capture small overseas markets for aircraft of this specification. "It is a morale boosting gesture from the IAF Chief and reposes great confidence of our valuable customer in our abilities", said T. Suvarna Raju, Chief Managing Director, HAL.

 Sputnik

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Dy FM: US gov't fails to honor JCPOA commitments

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, May 16, IRNA -- Deputy Foreign Minister for Euro-American Affairs Majid Takht-e Ravanchi said on Monday that the US government has not properly honored its commitments to Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

'We cannot say that the JCPOA has been implemented successfully,' Takht-e Ravanchi said.

Speaking on the sidelines of an Iran-Italy Joint Economic Meeting in Tehran, the official said that based on the JCPOA, each side undertook certain commitments.

The Iranian side has fully implemented its commitments to the nuclear deal verified by the IAEA reports, Takht-e Ravanchi said, adding, 'We expect the other side to fully honor its commitments as well.'

He rebuked the US Administration for failure to respect its undertakings as per the nuclear deal.

The sanctions have been removed on the paper, but, what was expected from the nuclear deal cannot actually be observed, he said.

9341**1416

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Iran, critical of US illegal action to seize fund, seeks international arbitration

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, May 16, IRNA -- Special working group composed by President Hassan Rouhani to decide what to do to retake Iranian fund from the US said on Monday that Iran would seek international arbitration to restore its rights.

Minister of Economy and Finance Tayyebnia is in charge of the working group comprising foreign minister, minister of intelligence, justice minister and CBI governor to pursue the case.

The working group studied the circumstances led to seizure of dlrs two billion Iranian investment in the New York Stock Exchange and gave proposals to retrieve the rights of Iranian nation through the United Nations Court of Arbitration.

The working group rebuked the US Congress and government for trampling on International Law ignoring Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, the pillar of the Charter of the United Nations by seizing funds of Iranian nation and the Central Bank of Iran.

Such a practice is very rare in the history of judiciary records and should be regarded as blatant violation of rights of the world nations by the United States Congress and Administration in unison, the statement read.

It is another antagonistic behavior by US administration against the Iranian nation and is a clear evidence on violation of international law by the US government.

1430**1416

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Iran will never backtrack in face of US aggression: Commander

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon 16 May 2016 - 08:06

TEHRAN (ISNA)- A senior Iranian commander said the Islamic Republic will never backtrack in the face of acts of aggression by the United States in the region.

Bullying other countries has become a regular thing with the United States and Washington expects states to keep silent on its acts of aggression, Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said on Sunday.

He added that Iran adopted a peaceful attitude to the ten US Marines who had trespassed on Iran's territorial waters in January although "they were aggressors."

"However, the Americans did not tolerate even such a peaceful attitude and we are currently witnessing its signs that they are angry with what happened to their sailors in the Persian Gulf," Jazayeri stated.

In a statement on January 13, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that the US sailors were released after they apologized for the incident.

The statement read, "Following the illegal and unpermitted entry of two American Navy vessels into the Islamic Republic of Iran's territorial waters near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf on the evening of the previous day, the vessels stopped, obeying a warning by IRGC vessels, and their crewmembers, who comprised nine male Marines and one female Marine, were placed under arrest."

Earlier in the day, Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, the commander of the IRGC Navy, said the trespassing occurred because of technical problems with the navigation systems of the US vessels. He added that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had demanded an apology from the United States for the trespassing.

Meanwhile, the US Navy on May 13 demoted the commander of the 10 American sailors.

The Navy said in a statement that it has lost confidence in commander Eric Rasch, who was the executive officer of the coastal riverine squadron. It also blamed Rasch for 'complacency' and failure to maintain standards in the 10-member unit, presstv reported.

End Item

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Bombings leave over 70 dead in Iraq capital

Iran Press TV

Tue May 17, 2016 12:47PM

Over 70 people have been killed in a fresh series of bomb attacks that rocked various parts of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

More than two dozen people were killed in another bomb attack in a Shia-dominated neighborhood of the Iraqi capital Tuesday, following two other deadly bombings earlier.

Security sources said the car bombing was carried out at a crowded market in Sadr City. Twenty-eight people died and 57 more were injured.

Other sources said engineering units of Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Forces managed to dismantle a second bomb hidden in a car parked in the area.

The bomb attack in Sadr City was the third deadly bombing to strike Shia-dominated areas of Baghdad on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, separate bombings hit two outdoor markets in the city. Over 40 people died, with officials saying that more than 90 were also injured.

Both Shaab and Dora neighborhoods, where the attacks were carried out, are dominated by Shia Muslims. In a later statement on its website, Daesh claimed responsibility for the back-to-back twin bombing.

The Daesh terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the fatal assaults.

More than 200 people have been killed in the new wave of bombings in and around Baghdad over the past week. The surge has clearly angered local populations, who blame the Iraqi government for failing to provide tighter security. However, observers say Daesh is seeking to make up for its loss of ground to Iraqi security forces over the past months.

New estimates by the government show that Daesh now controls only 14 percent of the Iraqi territory, down from the 40 percent it held in 2014, with top officials vowing to clear the entire Iraqi soil from militants in 2016.

The Iraqi army along with Popular Mobilization Units has been engaged in fighting against Daesh to liberate areas it has overrun in Iraq.

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Background Briefing on Secretary Kerry's Participation in the Vienna Ministerial Meeting on Libya

Special Briefing

Office of the Spokesperson

via Teleconference

May 15, 2016



MODERATOR: Thank you so much and thank you all for joining us today. We have [Senior State Department Official]. Moving forward, he will be known as a senior State Department official. As a reminder, this call is on background. There is no embargo. With that, I turn it over to our senior State Department official.

Sir.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Hi, everybody. It's actually only been about six weeks since the Government of National Accord Presidency Council entered Tripoli. As you may remember, they had to get in by boat because Khalifa al-Ghwell was still in charge at this point. Six weeks later, the GNC government controlled by Ghwell has essentially melted away, and the al-Sarraj government has, bit by bit, moved into ministries and expanded its range of operations in Tripoli. But there have been some continuing challenges as we go into this ministerial which have prominently included the attempts by eastern hardliners to export oil illicitly, which we and the world stopped with a UN Security Council designation.

And there have been continuingly successful efforts by a minority which have prevented the house of representatives from voting to endorse the cabinet. As I think you're aware, today the Treasury issued sanctions on HOR President Aguila Issa, who was central to that failure to vote and who violated express commitments made to the United States and to others to allow a vote to take place.

As the ministerial takes place, we want to see the GNA move forward further on security in Tripoli and to harden its ability to operate there and to build nonpolitical, nonpartisan, non-ideological forces that will protect all national institutions. We want to see a coordinated national effort against Daesh and we want to see it secure its land and maritime borders.

To help the GNA accelerate this, we're expecting that the ministerial will show the international community lining up unambiguously behind the GNA as the recipient of security assistance in Libya. And the alignment that we've been able to achieve over the past year as reflected in the UN Security Council resolution of December 23rd is  I mean the Rome ministerial which preceded it, I think in late November, I guess early December  I don't have the date in front of me  yeah, December 13th, 2015  is essentially the predicate for what we hope to do. It's pretty much the same group with a few additions in Vienna on Monday.

We expect that the group will express and renew its firm support for Libya's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is critical going forward, and for Libya being transformed into a secure and democratic state, achieving unity and reconciliation, and restoring the rule of law and state authority. And we expect the Libyans will make commitments about their next steps on security and that the countries participating will, in turn, commit to helping. I think that's the core of what we expect to get done in Vienna. Notably, the ministerial will include Libya's neighbors, major regional players, the P5, the Europeans, the UN. It's got a pretty broad group including the League of Arab States and the African Union as well.

So those are the basics. I'm happy to answer any question, but that's probably enough by way of introduction. Thanks.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much to our senior State Department official. If we can have the operator take the first question.

OPERATOR: Certainly, and just a quick reminder, ladies and gentlemen, if you have a question, please press *1. And first go to Pamela Dockins with Voice of America. Please go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi, Pamela Dockins, Voice of America. You mentioned security. In particular, at this point, how big will the focal point be on efforts to defeat Daesh in Libya? And at this point, is it your overall assessment that the group's presence there has leveled off? Does it appear to be growing or does it appear to be diminishing?

And then as a related question, what additional support are you offering to the government to help combat this threat?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Sure. First, I think every participating party in this ministerial thinks Daesh is a huge problem for Libya and the region. I mean, Libya is a keystone for access to the Sahel, the Maghreb, the Near East, the Mediterranean, and Europe. And to have Daesh get a foothold in Libya is bad for everybody. They're predatory, they're brutal, they're not sustainable, they don't build anything, they're purely predators. And they're not going to survive over the long term, but they can do a tremendous amount of damage in the near and medium term, and they're destabilizing wherever they are.

So that's clearly a focus of the Libyan Government. Prime Minister al-Sarraj has said so expressly in recent days. There have been statements as he's had meetings with a number of regional capitals. And I think it will be an important focus of the ministerial. Last week, president  Prime Minister al-Sarraj announced that the GNA would be creating a counter-Daesh joint command and joint operations room, and I expect he'll provide further information on that.

He also announced that they would be forming a presidential guard, which could be seen as a successor to what was a  the General Purpose Force, which was  which we all tried to build a couple years ago, which never got off the ground. And this one needs to. I think that they will move  try and move ahead on that and talk about next steps on that. I would expect that there will be a request for training and assistance from Libya to combat Daesh and to train and equip the presidential guard, and I think that will be at the center of the ministerial.

Now, in terms of Daesh's presence in Libya, Libya is a country that does not like, after years of Qadhafi, to be told what to do by anybody. They don't like  Libyans don't like to be told what to do by other Libyans, and they like even less being told what to do by non-Libyans. The Daesh presence in Libya is a mixture of radical and extremist Libyan groups  people who previously were in al-Qaida or Ansar al-Sharia. And there's more than one Ansar al-Sharia. There's  Tunis has one group, and Libyan Ansar al-Sharia is pretty much separate in the east. Some of them have rebranded. Some of them are still around in their original form. And what we've seen in Darnah is Libyan extremists welcoming of Daesh and then deciding we don't like to be told what to do by Daesh and kicking them out. This is before recent border efforts against Daesh there.

So Daesh has not had a welcome across the board. It's been very much a mixed picture. But they have achieved a geographic presence in a triangle along the east-west highway in Sirte city and east and west of Sirte. And their neighbors in Misrata to the west and the oil basin to the east don't want them there and would very much like to take them out. And they need to be taken out, and they're going to try and expand. There's going to be, I think, a substantial effort required to extirpate them entirely.

Now, are they growing? Are they shrinking? Are they staying the same? It's all of those three things at once. They're being pushed out in some places. They're recruiting elsewhere and bringing people in from Iraq/Syria area from the south. There are some Boko Haram people, for example, who have made their way to Libya. So they're growing and they're shrinking at the same time, and it's hard to know exactly how many there are or what they're doing until they announce themselves. So it's going to be an effort that's going to take some time.

I'm convinced Libyans very generally don't want them there and that they will be pushed out, but it's not going to happen on autopilot. It's going to take work by a lot of Libyans with the help of the international community.

MODERATOR: That's great. Thank you very much. Moving on to our next question.

OPERATOR: And we'll go to Carol Morello with the Washington Post. Please go ahead.

QUESTION: Thanks for doing this. How much do you expect this ministerial meeting to lay the groundwork to requests for more military intervention?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, what does the word "intervention" mean? I'm not sure what that word means. I'm not being clever about this; I don't know what the word means. I think they're going to ask for military assistance. The Libyans want to have fresh, unified weapons  that is, as opposed to flotsam and jetsam and whatever they happen to have around  to be able to go after Daesh. The Government of National Accord also wants to be able to stabilize cities against criminal groups and other extremist groups, such as Ansar al-Sharia and al-Qaida in the Maghreb. So I'm certain it will include requests for training and equipment, but "intervention"  I'm not sure what that word means and I'm not clear what the Libyans are going to ask for about that, so I'm not sure.

MODERATOR: Great. Moving to our next question, please.

OPERATOR: And ladies and gentlemen, once again, if you have a question, please press *1.

MODERATOR: Great. Senior State Department official, would you like to close with any words?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thanks.

MODERATOR: (Laughter.) That works. Great. Operator, do we have any more questions in queue?

OPERATOR: No further questions.

MODERATOR: That sounds great. Thanks, everyone, and have a safe trip.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Bye-bye.

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World powers ready to arm Libyan government: statement

Iran Press TV

Mon May 16, 2016 4:3PM

The United States and other world powers have voiced readiness to supply weapons to Libya's internationally-recognized government to counter militants and rivals.

The US, four other permanent UN Security Council members and more than 15 other nations participating at the Libya talks in Vienna said in a statement on Monday that they are seeking exemptions from a United Nations arms embargo imposed on Libya to help strife-torn country fight Takfiri militants.

"The Government of National Accord has voiced its intention to submit appropriate arms embargo exemption requests to the UN Libya Sanctions Committee to procure necessary lethal arms and materiel to counter UN-designated terrorist groups and to combat Daesh throughout the country," said the statement.

The powers said they would be ready to "fully support" Libya's call for receiving training and equipment; however, they reiterated that the UN arms embargo should continue to be reinforced in order to keep lethal arms away from extremists and rival militias vying for power.

US Secretary of State John Kerry was among top officials in Vienna to declare support for Libya's internationally-recognized government. The forum said it also aims to find a way for the fledgling administration to end its rivalry with a self-declared government in the east of Libya.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, however, cast some doubts on the aims of initiative in Vienna, saying the international community has yet to reach a conclusion that the new government would be able to establish security and stability in Libya.

"The key question is whether Libya remains a place where terrorism, criminal human smuggling and instability continues to expand, or if we are able, together with the government of national unity to recover stability  That, at present, is an open question," said Steinmeier.

Libya was turned into a major battleground for rival militants when its long-time dictator Moammar Gaddafi was toppled through backing of western powers some five years ago. The country has now two administrations, one which is recognized by world powers resides in the city of Tobruk and the other rules areas from the capital Tripoli.

The Arab country, which is separated from Europe only through a relatively small stretch of the Mediterranean Sea, has also seen some high-profile attacks by Daesh, a major terror organization which is mainly based in Iraq and Syria.

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Will Arming Libya's 'Unity' Government Escalate Conflict?

by Jamie Dettmer May 17, 2016

The focus was how to combat Islamic State militants and halt their unnerving advance in Libya, just a short boat ride from southern Europe. But Western powers' announcement Monday of their readiness to arm the struggling unity government in Tripoli has gone down badly with a rival government and its militia in the east of the fractious, chaotic country.

Supporters of General Khalifa Haftar  the muscle behind the opposition National Salvation Government  are scorning the Western powers' decision to support a partial arms ban exemption for the United Nations-negotiated Government of National Accord (GNA).

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had encouraged aiding the GNA, led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, following a meeting Monday in Vienna with diplomats from 20 other Western countries.

"The international community should support the Serraj government, which is the only legitimate one in Libya, and which must now start to work," said Kerry, who presided over the meeting with his Italian counterpart, Paolo Gentiloni.

The United Nations had imposed an arms embargo in 2011 to stop strongman Moammar Gadhafi from securing weapons to quell the uprising against him. He was killed in October of that year.

Kerry argued that acceding to a GNA request for arms and training is imperative to help restore order to the country. The GNA is in Tripoli; the rival government is in Tobruk.

In a series of angry tweets, Benghazi-based Al Hurra TV channel condemned the West's readiness to lift the arms embargo and aid the GNA, including the mouthpiece Twitter account Al Hurra TV. It dubbed the move "foreign meddling in [Libya's] sovereign affairs."

Supporters, though, see nothing wrong with Egypt's or the United Arab Emirates' arming Haftar and his so-called Libyan National Army, made up of former militiamen and veterans from Gadhafi's security forces.

Race to consolidate power

Analysts say Vienna may have set the stage for a race between Libya's regional rivals to capture Sirte, the coastal city that several thousand jihadists have controlled for almost a year.

Just days before the Vienna meeting, militiamen from the town of Misrata, which back the GNA, and Haftar's fighters skirmished south of Sirte. Now there's an added incentive for Haftar's forces to get to Sirte before arms start flowing to the GNA militia allies, some analysts warn.

Jason Pack of the consultancy Libya-Analysis said he feared loosening the arms embargo "could fuel tensions rather than deter them," adding that "an injection of weapons to the GNA is likely to amplify factional rivalries" rather than help tamp them down.

"The international community's undeterred championing of the GNA seems increasingly out of step with Libyans' sentiments," Pack said, noting growing public support for Haftar. The Gadhafi-era general and his forces have made gains in recent weeks against IS and other militants in Benghazi, Derna and Ajdabiya.

Stability elusive

Stabilizing Libya is an urgent goal for the West as it tries to combat IS more effectively and counter the smuggling of migrants to Europe.

The unity government, installed in March, was meant to be a first step in bringing order to a country that has known little since Gadhafi's ouster. Western officials have placed hope in war fatigue, the allure of foreign aid and development money, and the growing threat of IS to build popular momentum for the unity government.

But in large parts of Libya, questions remain about the GNA's legitimacy.

UN deal unfulfilled

Under the U.N. negotiated deal, the GNA is meant to be sharing power with two rivals: the east's National Salvation Government, an arm of the House of Representatives (HoR); and the rump of the General National Congress, which refused to stand aside after Libyans voted for the HoR to replace it as the country's legislature in 2014.

But the GNA has struggled to consolidate its position in the Libyan capital, let alone expand its authority to the rest of the country. It remains dependent on the support of powerful western militias, whose loyalty remains suspect and who may be biding their time to see how the unity government fares.

The HoR has failed to endorse the GNA, a move required under the U.N. deal. HoR President Ageela Saleh warned Monday his legislature won't approve the unity government unless ministers selected by al-Serraj attend a session in Tobruk, which they refuse to do, citing security concerns.

Hafed Al-Ghwell, a senior adviser with Oxford Analytica, a global risk advisory group, said big questions remain about the GNA's credibility.

"Many people have been excluded, especially tribal and former Gadhafi officers as well as over a million Libyan exiles in Egypt and Tunisia," he said. He warned that by giving arms to the Tripoli-based GNA government, the West would essentially be taking sides in what in effect is a civil war.

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Pakistan's Sharif Says His Wealth Acquired Before Taking Office

May 17, 2016

by RFE/RL

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif defended his financial record and asked parliament to form a commission to investigate allegations stemming from the Panama Papers leak.

Sharif told parliament on May 16 that his wealth was acquired legally before he entered politics and at no time did he take state money off-shore.

"I can say with surety that...not a single penny went out of Pakistan," he said.

Sharif has been under pressure since documents released as part of the Panama Papers data leak showed his children owned several off-shore companies and used them to buy properties in London.

He and his children deny any wrongdoing, though the opposition has seized on the Panama Papers scandal as an opportunity to try to unseat Sharif.

The premier said his father built up the family business before he entered politics and established a steel mill abroad while he was in exile. The Jeddah steel mill was then sold in 2005 for $17 million, and the proceeds were used to buy the apartments in London, Sharif said.

He also presented details of his and his family's tax affairs -- the latest of a series of disclosures he has made since the Panama Papers were leaked.

A previous disclosure on May 13 that he once owned an off-shore company to buy a London flat and avoid paying British taxes appears to have taken some of the wind out of the opposition's plans to use the Panama Papers revelations to tarnish Sharif.

With new details coming to light, Sharif asked the opposition and other lawmakers to help form a parliamentary commission to investigate the matter.

Previous efforts to have a retired or sitting Supreme Court judge chair a judicial commission have stalled as all the judges rejected the offer.

It is not clear if the opposition will take up Sharif's latest offer. They walked out soon after Sharif stopped speaking.

The opposition argued that the judicial probe should largely focus on Sharif's family, though the leaked papers have also named other Pakistani politicians and businessmen alleged to have substantial undeclared overseas assets.

Opposition leaders said they are angry that Sharif didn't provide details they were seeking in seven questions they posed to him ahead of the parliamentary session, including details on the money trail leading to his overseas properties.

"Not a single question has been answered," said Khursheed Shah, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

Opposition politicians said they would announce on May 17 their response to Sharif's speech.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistani- premier-sharif-says-wealth-acquired-before- entering-politics-panama-papers/27739785.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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Report: NSA Tapped Phone Of Russian Crime Boss To Probe For Putin Ties

May 17, 2016

by Carl Schreck

Documents leaked by former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden suggest that the spy agency eavesdropped on a Russian mob kingpin in an effort to determine his possible ties to President Vladimir Putin.

According to an internal NSA newsletter published by the website The Intercept, the NSA in 2002 or 2003 successfully tapped the phone of Vladimir Kumarin, the reputed head of the notorious Tambov crime syndicate whose influence in St. Petersburg in the 1990s earned him the moniker "Night Governor."

The State Department submitted a request to the NSA for intelligence on Kumarin "to learn whether there were any links" between the Tambov syndicate and Putin, who served as deputy mayor in St. Petersburg in the 1990s, the newsletter published by The Intercept on May 16 states.

The website was co-founded by Glenn Greenwald, one of two American journalists who received secret NSA documents from Snowden. The document referencing Kumarin was among the first batch of internal NSA newsletters spanning a nine-year period that The Intercept plans to publish.

Putin has long been alleged to have maintained ties to organized-crime groups that flourished in St. Petersburg, where he grew up and began his political career, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed these claims.

Kumarin, who now goes by the last name Barsukov, is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence after being convicted on gang-related charges in 2009.

According to the NSA newsletter published by The Intercept, analysts from the NSA's Signals Intelligence Directorate "had their work cut out for them" with the State Department's 2002 request because the agency "had neither Mr. Kumarin's phone number nor a sample of his voice."

The document, dated May 5, 2003, states that the NSA ultimately achieved "success" in the operation thanks to "many months of target development" and was able to issue intelligence reports based "on the intercept of Kumarin's telephone."

The contents of those reports remain unclear and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from RFE/RL on May 17.

As experts on Russian organized crime have noted, the Tambov syndicate and other gangs were so entrenched in economic and political life in St. Petersburg in the 1990s that it was virtually impossible to conduct public affairs without dealing with them.

A Spanish judge this month issued international arrest warrants for several current and former Russian government officials and other political figures closely linked to Putin in connection with crimes committed in Spain, including murder, weapons and drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering.

The Spanish documents target alleged members of the Tambov syndicate and another well-known crime group in St. Petersburg, the Malyshev gang. Both groups emerged as racketeering gangs comprised largely of former athletes during the twilight of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/nsa-tapped-phone- russian-crime-boss-putin-ties/27741267.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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Russian Opposition Leader Navalny, Supporters Attacked By Cossacks

May 17, 2016

by RFE/RL

Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and several members of his Anticorruption Foundation (FBK) were attacked by Cossacks at an airport in the southern Black Sea resort city of Anapa on May 17.

Videos show Navalny and about 30 FBK members walking toward the airport when they encounter a group of men wearing Cossack hats and uniforms.

Navalny and other FBK members are doused with milk and verbally berated before a line of Cossacks attempt to block their path to the airport and a standoff ensues, with Navalny supporters trying to form a protective ring around the opposition leader.

After an FBK supporter appears to elbow a man, a melee breaks out and several FBK members -- many of them wearing large backpacks -- are punched, kicked, and thrown to the ground.

Navalny wrote on Twitter that the attackers beat both men and women, and mocked police for failing to protect him and his team.

"You see how many police are usually at every airport? And here, especially in May, at the Anapa airport, two police officers for the entire airport," he wrote in one tweet.

Anapa police told TASS that no arrests had been made. The official state news agency also cited the leader of the Cossack Unit in Anapa, Valery Plotnikov, as saying that Cossacks were attempting to separate two conflicting groups when an FBK member was hit with milk, causing members of the foundation to retaliate.

Plotnikov claimed that members of Navalny's group beat two civilians, both of whom were taken to hospital, one with a broken nose.

One Cossack who participated in the action reportedly said that the original plan to hurl milk at Navalny and his supporters changed after an elderly Cossack was elbowed.

"The fight broke out because of that blow," Dmitry Slaboda told the Govorit Moskva radio station, according to Reuters. "We just wanted to show them that there is no room here for Navalny, who lives on American money."

Among his string of tweets pertaining to the incident, Navalny mocked suggestions that FBK members had initiated the violence.

"'Cossacks attacked the FBK'" -- that is just factually incorrect. The police and 'Cossacks' carried the attack out. The organizer (of the attack) is, of course, the state."

In other tweets he accused police of following him and his group during their stay in the Krasnodar region.

Artyom Torchinsky, a Navalny associate who is also a journalist for Dozhd TV, was taken to hospital with a head injury. Torchinsky told Dozhd TV from the hospital by phone that the assailants attacked the FBK members for no reason and shouted: "Get off of our land!"

FBK spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh wrote on Twitter that Navalny and some 30 members of his foundation traveled to Anapa to hold team-building exercises in the countryside outside the city located in Russia's southern Krasnodar region.

Navalny said earlier that local police in the region had detained him and his associates for several hours on May 13. Local authorities said that Navalny and his team were not detained, but just checked as part of a security campaign.

Cossacks, people of mixed Turkic and Slavic background, have longstanding ties to Russia's southern regions and were historically used as mercenaries by Russian tsars.

After being persecuted and banned across the Soviet Union, Cossacks have been allowed by Russian authorities to revive their traditions and have been used in a semiofficial capacity in their Krasnodar stronghold to enforce law and order.

Many Kremlin critics consider Cossacks' involvement in law enforcement illegal and say they are used as an instrument to crack down on dissent. In February 2014, Cossacks providing security for the Sochi Winter Olympics whipped members of the anti-Kremlin punk-performance collective Pussy Riot.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow on May 17 that he was unable to comment on the incident in Anapa.

"I would not like to make conclusions on something based on information from a single source," Peskov said.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service, tvrain.ru, and Interfax

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-navalny- group-attacked-cossacks-black-sea/27740404.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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Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny, Supporters Attacked

by VOA News May 17, 2016

A group of men attacked Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and members of his anti-corruption foundation on Tuesday at an airport in southern Russia.

The group, some wearing Cossack uniforms, initially poured milk over the activists before pushing Navalny and several of his colleagues to the ground, punching and kicking some of them. Among Navalny's group were women and his young son.

Navalny and six others were injured in the attack, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh wrote on Twitter, and one of them was hospitalized. Two police officers nearby took no action to stop the attack, she said.

Navalny tweeted that around 30 people took part in the attack.

The 39-year-old opposition leader and about 30 of his foundation's staffers were returning from a team-building weekend in the countryside and had arrived at the airport in the Black Sea coast town of Anapa on Tuesday morning when they were attacked.

Navalny has accused top government officials, including President Vladimir Putin, of graft. In April, Russia's main state television channel (Rossiya-1) broadcast a documentary alleging Navalny is an agent of British and U.S. intelligence.

In recent months, there have been several incidents in which Russian human rights activists and journalists have been verbally abused or physically attacked while traveling outside Moscow.

Cossacks, a paramilitary group dating back to the czarist period who today brand themselves as conservative patriots, helped Russia annex Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

In 2014, members of a Cossack militia attacked the Pussy Riot punk group with whips in the Black Sea resort of Sochi as they tried to perform a song mocking Putin during the Winter Olympic Games.

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Background Briefing on the Conflict in Syria and the International Syria Support Group

Special Briefing

Office of the Spokesperson

Vienna, Austria

May 16, 2016



MODERATOR: All right, guys, let's get started. So we have with us today a senior State Department official. And for your edification, it's [Senior State Department Official]. He's going to  he's here to talk a little bit about the context for tomorrow's ISSG and the overall  the situation in Syria and the political process in Geneva.

So without further ado, Senior State Department Official. Do you want to say something or just open it up to questions?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I'll be just really, really brief. I mean, obviously, this is the latest installment of the ISSG, which is  it really is, we consider, an important institution, an important channel for bringing together, because it does, in fact, bring together everybody on both sides of this conflict. In the past we have used it in the run-up, for example, to the unanimously adopted Security Council resolution in December. We have used it to call out barrel bombing and to press the case on humanitarian relief  I mean access for humanitarian relief, and to call out attacks on civilians. And if you remember at the beginning of this  the ISSG process, the first one in Vienna, we didn't talk about transition because, frankly, we did not have an agreement to talk about it. We didn't have agreement among the members of the group to talk about a political transition in Syria.

But we have done that now. We got agreement on that, as you know, and that's all codified in UNSCR 2254. So it's extremely important. It's, I think, important that the ISSG meet in between rounds of the negotiations. I won't be able to tell you when the next round of the negotiations is because nothing  it's not set yet. But it's important to help kind of set the  set the atmosphere. And this one, like most, will have  focus on three issues. One is the cessation of hostilities; second is the access for humanitarian relief; and third is the political process.

Without further ado, over to you.

QUESTION: You mentioned the upcoming round of UN-facilitated talks. A few days ago, Staffan de Mistura said he would await the results of this ISSG meeting before announcing a new date for those talks. Do you have any insight on what kind of results he's waiting to see before moving forward?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, I  it's  I can't read Staffan's mind, but I can tell you that we're all trying to get the cessation of hostilities in a better place than it is right now, and we can get into what's going on on the ground. But clearly, although there is still a cessation of hostilities  it is still a nationwide cessation of hostilities  but as you know, there are several places where fighting is going on. It tends to fluctuate. Over this past weekend  I mean, it's Monday today  it was actually a little quieter in several places, but still some areas where it's not quiet at all. So that's one thing, the cessation of hostilities being in better shape.

I think he would also  again, I can't speak for him, but let me just speak for us. We need a better  full, not better  full, unimpeded, sustained access for humanitarian relief. That doesn't mean we have to have that before the next round. I'm just telling you that's what we're looking for. These are not  let me be clear. These are not preconditions. But what we're trying to do is create the best possible environment for the talks, which are getting closer and closer to the most sensitive transition-related issues. And so we're just trying to do everything that we can to improve that environment. But let me be clear. First of all, it's not  they're not preconditions. And secondly, these things have to get done on their own right regardless of the negotiation.

QUESTION: Does August the 1st still retain significance as the date when --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: It does.

QUESTION: -- political transition talks (inaudible)?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: It does. As you know, that's what Secretary Kerry discussed with our Russian colleagues in Moscow, and that's the basis on which we continue to operate.

QUESTION: And what would it mean to meet that deadline then? August the 1st they have to be in the room together?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, what we have said is that we should have  it's never about being in a room together, by the way. As you know, these are  these have been, so far, proximity discussions anyway. So I wouldn't put so much onus on an event, okay, or --

QUESTION: But the regime has to be discussing its own solution?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No, but  but we have  right. So what we have said, the target for August is to have a framework in place, a framework agreed, for a political transition. That's the significance of the August date.

QUESTION: And you think you can make that?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: We're going to try.

QUESTION: Well, doesn't the regime argue that that exists and the Russians that you already have a  isn't the framework Geneva I?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: It's not  it's an agreed framework on a real transition, on the details of a transition, Matt, okay? And you might say, okay, we're all signed on to the Geneva communique, the Geneva communique has a transitional governing body, et cetera, et cetera. But as you know from what Staffan de Mistura has been doing, he is trying to tease out from both the sides: What do you mean about transition? What are the practical steps? He's also asking them about the constitution as well. So it's about  it's about the details of the transition.

QUESTION: And what, so far, has he been able to tease out of the government?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I think so far  I mean, first of all, again they were not beyond  I said at the beginning that the ISSG was not using  if you go back to the first communique, we were not talking about a transition, as you know  not the word  and now we are. The parties are now talking on the basis of that there would be a transition, but what we're not there yet is on the details. And I would say what you really need from the regime in particular, to have a more constructive approach to it and a more detailed approach to the questions that Special Envoy de Mistura are asking, detailed questions about how do you envision and what are the details of a transition.

QUESTION: Can I ask you a little bit about the border-related issues?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Of course.

QUESTION: Since  first of all, we  I think today is the 100th anniversary of Sykes-Picot so you guys can be out here celebrating this.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: And the best book on the Middle East by David Frum.

QUESTION: Frum?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Frum. If you haven't read it.

QUESTION: So the agreement signed in November, of course, envisions a whole Syria on  in its  in its current borders, right?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Mm-hmm. Right.

QUESTION: Yet, every time we have a conversation with members of the ISSG  many members, not all members of it  they all say yes, that's true but we can't see how you get to a political agreement unless you've got different parts of the country divided out. And with Assad, especially given his current situation bolstered by the Russians, will have his own territory; the Kurds will have theirs. Hopefully the opposition will have something. ISIS, hopefully, will get wiped out. So tell me how you're (inaudible).

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: So there  yeah. So I did  I don't know whom you're citing as to that we 

QUESTION: You've heard this too, I'm sure.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No, I mean, I've heard the idea all the time, but I haven't  I don't  I can't say I put my finger on the current negotiators. I don't hear the HNC saying well, for example, that we see  we might get part  this part of Syria and he gets that. That's not what I see. And frankly, I haven't heard it from the regime either. So  and the Kurds have other ideas, which you know, which were expressed in their position  their announcement about federalism which, as you know, was then criticized by both the regime and the opposition. But we don't see it like that. So we see a Syria that is whole and has its integrity together and a transitional government that is the transitional government for the entire country, not part of it.

Now what  who knows what they might decide down the road, but the one thing  one of the things that they agree on is that there should be national unity and integrity of the Syrian state. If you get  if you talk to the HNC and you talk to the regime, they both say that. So I'm not sure who's saying this. Again, the Kurds have this different idea with federalism. But if you know  if you look at when they made their announcement, they did say autonomy and they did  and they said the territorial integrity and unity of Syria, but within that we want federalism. Okay? There can be  and I would not be surprised if there are things developed to enhance decentralization, which is not federalism. I mean, it's something less than federalism. But I know a lot of people have talked about decentralization. But no, we're not talking about splitting up the country or any of that. This is one Syria over which the transitional government would govern.

QUESTION: Can I follow up on David's question?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Sure.

QUESTION: How would you respond to criticism, some of it coming from analysts who say that ultimately President Assad is really just going through the motions when it comes through it  comes to the political transition 

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Sure.

QUESTION: -- that he's better positioned now, has more leverage --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Right.

QUESTION: -- militarily because of Russia's involvement --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Right.

QUESTION: -- and ultimately really has no  his ultimate goal really is not to shift --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Right.

QUESTION: -- but just to really --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Right.

QUESTION: -- put on the face of being cooperative with a sound transition process?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Right. Right. So I cannot read Assad's mind. I  so I can't tell you that he has a different view on that. But he has signed on, they have signed on, and their backers have signed on to a political transition according to the Geneva communique, the details of which are left to be decided. So there are many, many people who doubt his  or are suspicious of what he is intending to do. Despite the Russian support, it's as true today as it was before that there is no military solution to the war. And it's still true that they have  you have to have a united fight against Daesh or you're  otherwise, you're handicapping yourself in fighting against Daesh. And Daesh is a real threat, of course, to Syria.

So it's not so much a question of what's in his mind. It's that we've all signed on to this and this is what he needs to do. He needs to agree to a transition and along the lines of the Geneva communique. So you can  people  it's not surprising that they would doubt his intentions, but it's not about intentions. It's about having  getting  that's  going back to this ISSG, it's about getting those that support him to agree, and he needs to agree to it.

But in the meantime, in the meantime, what we're here about is that he needs to  not only to agree to, but to implement what he has committed to do, which he has not so far done, which is to really comply with the cessation of hostilities in a full manner and give full humanitarian  full, sustained humanitarian access, which was part of the  you can go back to Resolution 2254, you can go back to other ISSG statements. I would take you back to the February 22nd joint statement between the United States and the Russian Federation and the annex to that. That's what the parties signed on to when they went into the cessation of hostilities that started five days thereafter. And that's what we do not see the regime doing fully.

And if you look now, we have this very bad situation of the blocking  there have been multiple deliveries to  humanitarian relief deliveries to some places, and yet, if you look at the Damascus suburbs, and all these places are named, including in the May 9th joint statement that we did  nothing has ever gone through to them, and the regime is blocking it. The regime, as a matter of policy, is blocking this access.

QUESTION: If the cessation took hold on a longer-term basis and if humanitarian relief was being distributed, could you live with the transition process remaining blocked if it becomes a manageable conflict, if there's not great violence (inaudible)?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah, it's  but you're asking  forget about the fact that it's a hypothetical, and they tell me I don't have to answer hypotheticals  but no  but --

MODERATOR: (Inaudible.)

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No, no, no, but just  just think of it. I mean, just think of it. This has always been  the cessation of hostilities is a means to an end. Humanitarian relief you can't say is a means to an end because it's just  obviously it's about saving lives, and let's not forget about the medical part of this. But the cessation of hostilities is not just out there just as an  yes, it's an inherent good because even with all the problems, fewer people have been killed as a result of this. Some people are able to do things now that they were not able to do, but it's not nearly good enough and it  and it's being threatened very  being seriously threatened.

So no, I  you have to have that  not just the horizon out there, you have to have movement towards that horizon on the political side. Again, the parties --

QUESTION: Or else --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Let me just say, the parties signed on to  sorry  the parties signed on to a cessation in and of itself, not as part of the political thing, but they're all interlinked. I mean, obviously your attitudes  anyone's attitudes towards a cessation and complying with it are going to be colored by where is this process going, are we getting closer to our goal.

QUESTION: But if the cessation takes hold, if the relief is going through --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- if the system  if the political process is still blocked, what is the next step? Obviously the pressure on the regime will grow at that point.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, the next step is just to keep pushing away, banging away, in order to get the political transition  the framework in place. So we are still operating on  to go back to this  on the August timeframe, and we just  it's just nothing but going back and doing the hard work that's  and the pushing that's required.

QUESTION: If you had to weight the three items that you had listed, could you give us a sense of how much you're going to spend, the focus on the three items --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Oh, at the meeting?

QUESTION: -- the cessation, the access --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah, I have  yeah, sorry. I have to say it's hard to tell, but I can tell you  it really is; I'm not dodging the question  because if you look at the past meetings, sometimes they're unpredictable and you think it's going to be something and it's not. Cessation of hostilities is going to be, I would expect, front and center. But if  and I would have said, if we had had  you've been reading a lot about Daraya and the other places  Moadamiyeh is another place  about  we've been waiting for access, and it's unconscionable what the  unconscionable, unacceptable what the regime is doing. It's actively blocking  it's trying to decide who eats and who doesn't eat, who gets medicine and who doesn't get medicine, and what types of medicine they get, maybe.

If there had been progress over the last few days because we were intensively focused on these Damascus suburbs, then I would have said maybe a little bit less on that, but there hasn't been progress. That's the fact. So I would expect it would be very prominent as well. So again, I can't assign percentages. The political issue is always there and it kind of gets talked about throughout the meetings. Even if you're talking about cessation, people will say  they'll say, for example, to get back to your question, "Well, how do you expect people to stay on with the cessation if they don't see this horizon?" But I can guarantee you all of the issues will be discussed.

QUESTION: I mean, there's been some talk among some of the talking heads in Washington about the potential for some sort of a deal between the United States and Russia.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Right, right, right.

QUESTION: And can you envision  are there any  is there any discussion whatsoever going on about circumstances in which Assad would stay on in some kind of role and something that might be a little bit more flexible than what has been the public position so far --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- which is that he has to go?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah. Well, our view is still that he has to go and that this is a transition away from Assad, the details of which, the timing of which are still to be  ultimately to be determined by the Syrians. So I don't really have anything new for you on that and I don't know where the  I don't know how much flexibility there might be on the other side of it, on the other side of the equation. But we  the details and timing of transition are ultimately up to the parties to work out.

We obviously  we're talking to the Russians because we're trying to get  we're trying to create that better environment for the political negotiations than has existed up until now because you're still not down  particularly on the regime part, on the regime side. The opposition more so  has been more willing to get into some of their detailed thinking. The regime is still not there and I think that's really the key to this  not just using the word transition, but saying, okay, here is one idea, here is another idea.

So the position  our overall position really hasn't  really hasn't changed on his status and the kind of projection. They  it'll get decided by others in the end, not by us. It'll be decided by the Syrians, but there has to be a  this  I know it's an overworked expression, but a genuine political transition away from Assad.

QUESTION: Where is the U.S. and Russia, as chairs of the ceasefire task force, with this concept of the sort of localized ceasefires that we saw in Aleppo and Latakia?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah.

QUESTION: Are you at a point --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: So --

QUESTION: -- where you're moving away from that approach?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: We were never at  to be clear, we were never at localized ceasefires, local truces, local ceasefires. This was never what this was about. And I understand  I mean, if you see 24 hours this, 48 hours that, then you start to think these are separate deals. They're not really separate. The deal is one nationwide ceasefire without any time limits and no geographical divisions or even segmenting of it or staging of it. It was never like that. True, what we did was we looked at these hotspots or whatever you want to call them, and where the fighting was most threatening to the overall cessation of hostilities  where you could really just disrupt the whole enterprise  and we said, "Okay, if we can't just say, 'Okay, the cessation is back on in these places,' can we try this for 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours?"

But people said, "Why did you leave out Aleppo?" Aleppo was never left out. It's just that that's where most of the  so much of the fighting was. And even over this past weekend, you have some pretty intense fighting in some areas between the Syrian regime and the opposition, between the Syrian regime and Nusrah in a place called Khan Tuman in Aleppo. And then other parts of Aleppo are pretty  have been pretty quiet over the weekend, for example. So  and the same with the Damascus suburbs. So these places were never left out; it's just that we needed some kind of extra thing to call people's attention to it and try to get things back on track. But they were always part  ongoing  part of the same  I will say, the reason why I say it is why do we say this is not a local truce, this is not  it's because people don't want them. They want  the Syrian people want one nationwide cessation of hostilities and really a ceasefire.

And there have been efforts, sometimes from the regime, to do local deals, which have a bad odor because they were used for military purposes. In other words, they weren't just some genuine effort to actually stop the fighting, but to gain advantage  for the regime to gain advantage. And it used  we believe they used food and medicine  or denial of food and medicine  as a tool to get what they wanted. So that's why we don't talk about local truces or local ceasefires, but the main point is there aren't any. So --

QUESTION: So the Russians don't seem to be backing down on this idea that Ahrar al-Sham in particular, but others, are essentially the same --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah.

QUESTION:  as Nusrah. And frankly, after what happened on Thursday  I think it was Thursday --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- it's hard to argue with them, is it not? Now, I know that this was a major topic of discussion in Saudi with the Secretary just over the weekend.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah.

QUESTION: But is there any  I mean, are you guys swayed at all? Is there any possibility that they might get what they --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah. Well, clearly, that  the incident that you're talking about was an unacceptable incident just  and there are other, by a whole variety of parties, things that should not have been done. And in some cases, they've been criticized by other  I'm not talking about this case, Matt, but in other cases they've had incidents where other elements of the opposition or even elements within the same organization come out and criticize activities that have been done.

It's our view that these are still  everybody but Nusrah and Daesh that came into the cessation of hostilities originally, they're still there. So to be honest, I wouldn't be  I am not privy to the Secretary's discussions over the weekend. I've been in Geneva and then came here this morning. But  so there isn't  I can't speak to any kind of reassessment. It's true that the Russians have pushed on this from the beginning  Ahrar al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam.

QUESTION: What is  what are the Russians asking for --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, it's a couple things. Originally they  they said that Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham are terrorists and they should just be  matter of fact  and they have had  made efforts in New York to get them listed. As you know, the ISSG and the ceasefire task force agreed that the only parties that are out  unless somebody opts out on their own  are  is Daesh, Nusrah, and there's a couple of other organizations that have been designated by the 1267 committee in New York. Small  the other  there are three, but they're smaller, much smaller organizations. I don't even know that they're operating in Syria at all. I think one does operate in Lebanon, for example. So for now that's  it's the same. It's where it is. That hasn't changed.

QUESTION: Well, is there any talk about expanding the blacklist? Do you expect that to even come up?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I'm sorry, what --

QUESTION: Do you expect there to be any discussion at all about expanding that --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: That --

QUESTION: That blacklist, or --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: It's  I don't know. I mean, it's possible. You'd have to ask the Russians that. It has been raised in New York. I don't if it'll be raised here or not, because in the end, the Russians raised it  I mean, the Russians raised it earlier on and then it went away. Then they were not raising it.

QUESTION: Well, yeah, but it's come back.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: And it  but it's come back. No, no, I'm --

QUESTION: Then it came back the day after the UN Security Council vote on it.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Right, right, and it comes back periodically. But for now there's no change to the list and I have no crystal ball --

QUESTION: So you will continue to resist that, as far as you know.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, as  right now the situation is the same as it was before.

QUESTION: Right, but --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I can't say what --

QUESTION: -- the situation isn't the same as it was before, because --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No, I'm talking about --

QUESTION: -- they have been  at least Ahrar al-Sham has been actively not just commingling with but participating in  and this isn't just like the Russian propaganda allegations. This is them saying it.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Right, so --

QUESTION: "Here we are with our buddies from Nusrah, pillaging a village."

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: So our position is that these  we have these two designated terrorist groups.

QUESTION: Right.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: They are not beneficiaries of the cessation of hostilities. Other groups should not be consorting with them, okay --

QUESTION: Yeah, but I mean, they are consorting with them. So what do you do?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I don't have a hypothetical  I mean, I don't have a future --

QUESTION: But if this --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I don't have a  no, I'm --

QUESTION: I mean, but it's not hypothetical. It's happening.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Right.

QUESTION: At first I think you  it was put down to, well, this is just the Russians doing the Syrian regime's bidding and these guys really  I mean, the Saudis really are pushing for these guys, that they're a big  a major fighting force and if they didn't exist, then the opposition would largely be irrelevant. But now it looks like  this is starting to look like the Russians and the Syrians had a point.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Nobody  look, no group should be attacking civilians, intentionally or unintentionally attacking civilians. And they should not be  and nobody should be cooperating with terrorist organizations. Can't say much more about it than that at this point.

QUESTION: Can I just ask  so to come  just to be clear, so to come up to  for this meeting to have the benefits of coming together, you want exactly what on the cessation of hostilities?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, to get it in a better place to end these  to end as much as possible the various threats. Look at these areas where the most  where the biggest threats to cessation of hostilities are. It needs to be on a more solid foundation than it is right now, okay? So look at Aleppo. Look at Latakia, northwest Latakia in particular. Look at the Eastern Ghouta and Damascus suburbs. Those are the areas  but there are some things going on in Homs, in Hama still, as you know, and in Idlib, as you know. Although over the weekend, Idlib was quieter. That doesn't mean  tomorrow you could be turning around and have a lot of activity in Idlib. But you have to end those biggest threats to the cessation. What you have to have is, again, to go back  I always go back to this annex to the February  because that really says what these people are supposed to be doing and not doing, which is you're not supposed to be either acquiring land, territory, or trying to acquire territory from other participants in the cessation of hostilities. Well, that's not the case. In some cases it is, in some places it is; in other places, no, they are absolutely  there are offensive actions that are designed to take more territory. That has to stop.

And then on the humanitarian stuff, it's clear  because we're not talking about improved access, okay? We're not talking about some medicine, some food. We created a standard, and again, the standard is in that annex to the February 22nd letter  it is full, sustained, unimpeded access to every place in Syria  full stop. And  and  that there's only one determiner of how many people are in need and what those people need, and that's the United Nations. It's not the regime  or anybody else, for that matter.

QUESTION: And then I want to come back to what Carol had raised about analysts in Washington.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah.

QUESTION: Ones that probably know and watch Syria a bit more than most --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- have come up with last week  Phil Gordon and (inaudible) --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

QUESTION: -- came up with some interesting points that your allies are getting frustrated with this process, and that there is a deal in the making on the transition. Can you confirm or deny that there isn't a deal that's being worked out here that would  or something that would actually resolve this quicker than -- are you --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No, no. Yeah, go ahead.

QUESTION: -- do you need to move on to another track to get this resolved?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No, I  well, no. If you're saying dispense with this  for example, the ISSG  I don't know what you're talking about exactly or what  I'm not even sure what they're talking about. But first of all, you mentioned that the allies are frustrated. Like, we're  everybody's frustrated. Okay? It's not just the allies being frustrated.

QUESTION: Well, then why don't you change the approach?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: What do you mean, "change the approach?" We have been talking to the Russians throughout this process. But in the end, the political deal is going to be done by Syrians at the table or in their negotiation  I don't want to say "at the table" because of the structure that's been created. So it still is for Syrians to do. If we can help  all of us can help get the parties there, nudging on both sides to get the parties there, then fine. But they're ultimately going to be the ones that decide this.

QUESTION: And you wouldn't  you don't have a say in this? Through the --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Of course we do. Of course we do. We have  no, of course we do. I mean, we're  we do, and we have created these structures during which we have been talking intensively with the Russians, for example. And we do talk about all aspects of this conflict, most intensively of late on the humanitarian side, because we have to get this done. So yeah, I think we have a big say. But it's not that others don't have a say either. So --

MODERATOR: Let's do a few more and then we'll move on. Anyone? Okay. Then we're good.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Okay.

MODERATOR: So thanks again.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

QUESTION: Has de Mistura set a tentative date?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No, so he hasn't. Just to go back to that question, no, he hasn't. I think he's agreed  and I think we're all agreed, Matt, let's not run out to set a date. That's not the most important thing. The important thing is getting the cessation and the humanitarian in a better position so that you don't have people  when they talk --

QUESTION: Syrian state media have said April 23  I mean, May 23.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: They could have said April 23.

QUESTION: Yeah.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I mean, the Syrian  I wouldn't (laughter) --

QUESTION: Of what year?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Of what year? Matt's exactly right. No, I guarantee you that any date that's being talked about means nothing, because it hasn't been  because it has not been  there's nothing settled.

QUESTION: Well, if they want to have them in Geneva, you better hurry up, because the --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Which auto show or which  what  huh?

QUESTION: The hotel rooms are all gone for the summer.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: It's all about hotel rooms. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Did you want to have this meeting now --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yes, actually, we did.

QUESTION: -- or would you rather have it been maybe another week or two --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No. Well --

QUESTION: -- down the road, maybe closer --

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: -- no, but then what do you do? I  when we set this day  first of all, we just needed to have a meeting, obviously. So the situation demands the meeting. That's what set it up. But when we set it, I would have said, "Well, we should have had more progress particularly on the humanitarian side by now." But there the address is the regime. And I didn't say it before, but we expect the Russians to press the Syrians to deliver on a commitment that they gave to a  that the regime gave to a bilateral U.S.-Russia joint statement. It's a commitment they gave to them. So there's  and so this is about the credibility of the whole process, but they made commitments. And they're not meeting those  they're clearly not meeting those commitments. And we shouldn't --

QUESTION: You're talking about the regime or the Russians?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I'm talking about the regime. No, but we look to the Russians because as part of this process they have said  and sometimes it's even there in  as you know, in several of the ISSG statements, the parties pledge to use all of their influence with the parties with whom they do have influence to  whether it's stopping attacks on civilians  by the way, of course, stopping barrel bombing; barrel bombing it outside of the cessation of hostilities; it shouldn't have been going on all of this time; it has nothing to do with the cessation  and to delivering on the humanitarian side. So that's the expectation that we have of the Russian side. And they expect us to nudge  work with the opposition to get them to comply. And there is  there are a couple of communities, very small minorities  there are a couple of the besieged, hard-to-reach communities where it's the opposition that really has to then give the access. And that's what we work on, but the vast majority, almost all of them are regime, and as I said, we have a whole slew of places to which nothing has ever gone.

MODERATOR: Okay. Thanks, guys.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thanks.

QUESTION: Thank you.

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Zarif: Syrian crisis has no military solution

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Vienna, May 17, IRNA -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that Syrian crisis could not be resolved through military means.

He made the remarks at the end of meeting of Syria Contact Group in Vienna.

He said that it was very important that those taking part in the meeting of Syria Contact Group with a record of support to the terrorists have reached the conclusion that Syrian crisis could not be resolved through military means and their support to the terrorists posed threat to all mainly to themselves.

Zarif said that the international community must take heed of political means to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Syria and that certain governments should stop backing terrorists.

Humanitarian situation in villages of Fuaa and Kafaria of Syria was on the agenda and all parties agreed to take necessary measure to send relief aid to them and prevent any threat to the civilians, he said.

In the meeting, they also discussed the urgency of maintaining ceasefire along with some related issues, Zarif said.

Representatives from 20 Arab, European countries along with the US and Iran attended the International Contact Group on Syria which concluded this afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Zarif also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Iran rebuked the US Administration for failure to honor its commitments to Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action by refusal to open up banking ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

After his arrival in Vienna last night, Zarif held separate meetings with EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

1430**1416

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Iran's Zarif says military solution in Syria an 'illusion'

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Tue 17 May 2016 - 08:07

TEHRAN (ISNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said a military solution to the conflict in Syria is nothing but an "illusion."

Zarif made the remarks after arriving in Vienna late on Monday to take part in an upcoming International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting.

"We are going to continue to insist on the need for a comprehensive ceasefire, of course excluding terrorist groups," Zarif said.

He stressed that a political solution is the only way to solve the crisis in Syria, which has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011.

"Unfortunately there seems to be a persistence by some that they want to pursue a military solution, that illusion has to come to an end and they should look for a political solution," the Iranian foreign minister said.

Iran, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia as well as representatives from the European Union and the Arab League are among the countries participating in the ISSG meeting on Tuesday. The 17-nation ISSG aims to discuss the stalled negotiations, challenges in maintaining the February ceasefire and the delivery of UN humanitarian aid to various areas across the war-ravaged country.

Almost immediately upon arrival, Zarif held talks with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura (seen below) over the upcoming ISSG meeting after he held a meeting with EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini where they discussed regional and international developments and the implementation of the Iran's nuclear deal.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council  the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia  plus Germany signed a deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on July 14, 2015 following two and a half years of intensive talks. The two sides started implementing the JCPOA on January 16.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi-Ansari and Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi have also traveled to the Austrian capital, presstv reported.

End Item

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50 militants killed in fresh militiant infighting near Syria's Damascus

Iran Press TV

Tue May 17, 2016 5:57PM

At least 50 foreign-backed militants have been killed during a fresh wave of infighting between Takfiri groups over the control of an area near the Syrian capital, Damascus.

According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the latest casualties were caused after the Saudi-backed Jaish al-Islam militant group clashed with the Faylaq al-Rahman group, which is led by al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, in Eastern Ghouta region.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman also confirmed the latest killings have brought to more than 500 the number of people killed in the ongoing militant infighting since late April.

The initial fighting began more than two weeks ago when Jaish al-Islam's positions came under attack by the rival militant groups in the volatile region. Faylaq al-Rahman is being backed in the fierce fighting by al-Nusra-affiliated militant group known as the Fustat Army.

On Monday, Jaish al-Islam in a statement accused Failaq al-Rahman of rejecting an initiative tabled by Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC) coordinator Riad Hijab on the conflict in Syria.

In December last year, Jaish al-Islam suffered a blow when its leader, Zahran Alloush, was killed in a Russian air strike in the area.

Jaish al-Islam is the dominant Takfiri group in Eastern Ghouta. One of the group's leaders, Mohammad Alloush, is among the senior negotiators of the so-called opposition group at peace talks in Geneva.

Saudi Arabia has widely been blamed for the surge in the deadly militancy in Syria, supporting militants with funds, training and weapons.

Damascus has long been saying that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar are funding and arming anti-Syria terrorist groups, including Takfiri Daesh terrorists.

United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict that has gripped Syria since March 2011. The conflict has also displaced over half of the Arab country's pre-war population of about 23 million.

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Powers gather in Vienna to discuss Syria crisis

Iran Press TV

Tue May 17, 2016 11:53AM

Top diplomats from 17 nations have resumed Vienna talks on the Syria conflict, hoping to reinvigorate a peace effort that has effectively collapsed.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were chairing the meeting of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) on Tuesday.

Powers attending the talks are Russia and Iran on the one hand, supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad, and the US, Saudi Arabia and European states on the other, trying to topple him with the help of militants.

Russia said Lavrov met Kerry ahead of the talks, discussing the need to cut off the supply routes benefiting terrorists "primarily those crossing the Syrian-Turkish border."

Lavrov also met Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who said Iran supported the truce and a peace dialog, but warned that a silence of arms might aid terrorist groups operating in Syria.

"We should not allow terrorists to use the cessation of hostilities for further terror operations," Zarif said.

"Unfortunately there seems to be a persistence by some that they want to pursue a military solution, that illusion has to come to an end and they should look for a political solution," he added.

Saudi Arabia is one of the most aggressive supporters of militant groups, represented in negotiations by the High Negotiation Committee (HNC), which was organized by the kingdom itself.

Riyadh has repeatedly stated that Assad will eventually be removed by either diplomatic or military means.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir signaled that Riyadh is not pinning its hopes on the US convincing Russia to remove Assad and suggested a push to make sure militants were better armed might be needed.

"The choice is Bashar al-Assad's," he told reporters in Paris last week. "He will be removed, either through a political process or through military force."

Arab and western officials involved said they do not expect significant achievements from the talks.

According to Reuters, the Obama administration's failure to convince Moscow that Assad must go is fueling European frustration.

"Some diplomats and analysts question whether the United States has misread Russia's desire to keep Assad in power," the news agency said.

"The conventional wisdom regarding the current situation in Syria is that Russia is calling the shots and the US is working with it, despite the two countries' ostensible disagreement about Assad's fate," the British daily the Guardian said Tuesday.

UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva ended last month without any progress after the delegation of the opposition walked out, and declared a "new war" against the Syrian government.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Tuesday the foreign ministers were expected to explore ways to bring the opposition back to negotiations with the Assad government.

Steinmeier said the participants wanted to help strengthen the truce and improve aid efforts.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it delivered 1.5 tonnes of humanitarian aid for residents in Syria's Latakia province.

Syrian State Minister for National Reconciliation Affairs Ali Haidar, meanwhile, held a meeting with representatives from besieged areas, including Madaya, Fouaa and Kefraya.

They discussed the possibility of lifting the sieges by exchanging the control rights of the besieged areas in the name of national reconciliation.

In eastern Syria, however, media and local sources said three children and a woman had been killed in US airstrikes purportedly targeting Daesh terrorists.

The airstrikes hit al-Bukamal city in the province of Dayr al-Zawr near the border with Iraq on Monday, killing the four and inflicting heavy losses on properties.

Syrian army units repelled attacks by Daesh terrorists trying to seize high points near the central city of Palmyra. "The terrorists have sustained considerable losses," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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Syria Meeting Ends in Vienna Without New Date For Peace Talks

May 17, 2016

International talks aimed at bolstering the peace process for Syria have come to an end in Vienna without a new date being scheduled to restart peace talks.

But parties at the May 17 meeting of senior diplomats from Russia, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East vowed to do what they can to strengthen a shaky cease-fire between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and moderate opposition fighters.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said at the end of the talks that there was an agreement on "consequences for any side's actions that have an agenda other than trying to reach an agreement and trying to reach peace."

The UN's Syria envoy Steffan de Mistura said that the next round of peace talks "can't wait too long."

Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov co-chaired the Vienna meeting.

They have been struggling to secure a fragile February cease-fire, which has disintegrated into waves of fierce fighting.

Even shakier are hopes of forging a so-called "political settlement" that would set up a transitional government in Syria and move the country toward elections.

U.S. officials say Kerry still insists that Assad should step down from power as part of that political settlement.

Kerry has also set an August 1 deadline for agreeing to a political transition period for Syria.

But Assad, bolstered by military support from Russia and Iran, shows no sign of stepping down from power.

An aide to Kerry said after talks between Lavrov and Kerry on May 16 that the United States was "talking to the Russians, trying to get a better environment for the political negotiations."

But Kerry's aide said Assad's regime "is just not there, and I think that's really the key to it."

Lavrov told reporters after the May 17 talks that Russia does not support Assad's regime but is backing the Syrian Army's fight against terrorist groups.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/kerry-lavrov-co-chair- syrian-peace-talks-vienna-may-17/27739923.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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Russian Military Denies Reports of New Base in Syria's Palmyra

Sputnik News

20:08 17.05.2016(updated 20:15 17.05.2016)

According to Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, Russian Defense Ministry categorically denied on Tuesday reports of construction of a new Russian military base in the historical part of Syria's ancient city of Palmyra.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Russian Defense Ministry categorically denied on Tuesday reports of construction of a new Russian military base in the historical part of Syria's ancient city of Palmyra, saying a temporary camp hosting Russian sappers had been set up in the area upon approval by Syrian authorities.

"There are no 'new Russian bases' in Syria's Palmyra. Satellite pictures of the area, allegedly provided by UNESCO and circulated by the Associated Press news agency, show a temporary camp hosting sappers from the Russian mine-clearing center, who have been involved in the demining of the historical part of Palmyra, and who are currently continue mine-clearing operation in the rest of the city," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

According to Konashenkov, the placement of this temporary camp until the end of the mine-clearing mission has been coordinated with the Syrian authorities.

 Sputnik

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Syrian Army Captures Daesh Commander Near Palmyra

Sputnik News

19:33 17.05.2016(updated 19:48 17.05.2016)

According to reports, Syrian army captured a Daesh jihadist group commander during a raid southeast of Palmyra.

BEIRUT (Sputnik)  The Syrian army captured a Daesh jihadist group commander during a raid southeast of Palmyra, a source told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"One of the Daesh commanders has been captured. Documents with Daesh seals identify him as Ahmad Murshid al-Iraqi [were found at the scene]. He was wounded in the leg," the source said

During the course of the raid near Palmyra, scores of terrorists have been killed, including five people from the Caucasus, two Turkish nationals, as well as citizens of Tunisia and Iraq, the source added.

On March 27, forces loyal to Damascus, supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces, liberated the city of Palmyra from Daesh, 10 months after its capture. The terrorist group, outlawed in many countries including Russia, has destroyed a significant part of Palmyra's historic ruins, which are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Earlier this month, Daesh jihadists captured the major Shaer gas reservoir, near Palmyra, however, on Tuesday the Syrian military managed to cut off a major supply route to the militants there.

 Sputnik

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Cellnex has agreed to sell 1,100 sites in the UK to Wireless Infrastructure Group (WIG) as part of its plans to buy 6,000 passive infrastructure sites in the UK from CK Hutchison for US$4 billion.
To the editor:

Unless youve been living under a rock for the past seven years, you know Obamacare was passed on lies. Democrats in Congress lied to the voters, and Obama lied to the voters and Congress.

Jonathan Gruber laughed about it after the fact, with the comment they relied on the stupidity of the voters to pass it. He has a point  we elected Obama, then re-elected him, so were not that bright as a whole.

Obamacare merely wrecked a fine health care system and cost a lot of people a lot of money for increased premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The latest Obama deal isnt nearly as harmless.

Ben Rhodes now is laughing about the lies told to get the Iran deal passed. Rhodes, before becoming one of Obamas advisers, was an aspiring fiction writer. He had the same foreign policy experience as the president  zilch.

Quote from Rhodes: I actually didnt do that great in high school, because I was drinking and smoking pot and hanging around in Central Park. So theres something else he has in common with Obama, who hung with the Choom Gang in high school.

Rhodes has been bragging about how he fooled the useful idiots of the media about the talks with Iran. And, being the useful idiots that they are, the media reported it all to us as the gospel truth.

President Nobel Peace Prize has made the world a more dangerous place by guaranteeing one of the most dangerous countries in the world soon will have nuclear weapons. His efforts to bring peace and security to the world equal his efforts as a community organizer in Chicago, which celebrated the recent Mothers Day weekend with 51 shootings, eight of which were fatal. He has brought his community organizing skills to the world stage.

Meanwhile, as of the end of March, the U.S. Army strength was 479,172, the lowest since 1940. It will be down to 460,000 in 2017 and 450,000 in 2018.

We have to change course in November. Our physical health, our financial health and our national security depend on it. A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for the same course.

ROBERT HUDSON

Pelham, North Carolina
TSX:WDO

TORONTO, May 16, 2016 /CNW/ - Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX: WDO) ("Wesdome" or the "Company") today responds to a press release issued by Resolute Performance Fund, an investment fund managed by Resolute Funds Limited ("Resolute").

Early this morning, one day prior to the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the Board of Directors of Wesdome received a letter from Resolute detailing concerns with operations and management of the Company and the proposed slate of directors. Subsequently, a press release was issued by Resolute. The slate of directors outlined in the Management Information Circular dated April 1, 2016, includes three new nominees with extensive experience in mining operations, mining company management, technical expertise, and capital markets. There were no objections to the slate by Resolute until today. As well, the two existing directors that Resolute indicated it supports make up 2/3rds of the Governance and Nominating Committee, which recommended these three new director candidates, plus the other five current directors.

In 2013, Resolute instituted with the Company, a reconstitution of board and management. The current board and management have created significant value for all of the Company's shareholders, including Resolute. Wesdome's shares have appreciated approximately 40% on a one year basis, 100% on a two-year basis, and 250% on a three year basis. The Company has been developing a management succession plan and has taken corrective action to improve operations, as communicated in its press release dated May 11, 2016. In the best interest of all its shareholders, management believes the Company should continue with this strategy.

In response to Resolute's concerns, the Board today unanimously created a Special Committee for the purpose of reporting and making recommendations to the Board, and to ensure that any action taken regarding Resolute's concerns are in the best interests of the Company and is fair and equitable to all shareholders. The members of the Special Committee are independent directors Charles Page (Chair) and Barry Smith, along with Rolly Uloth, the CEO.

The Company has postponed the annual meeting to a date no later than June 14, 2016. Further details will be communicated by the Company in a news release.

ABOUT WESDOME

Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. is in its 28th year of continuous gold mining operations in Canada. The Company is currently producing gold at the Eagle River Complex located near Wawa, Ontario from the Eagle River and Mishi gold mines. Wesdome's goal is to expand current operations at both mines over the next four years through mill expansion and exploration. Wesdome has significant upside through ownership of its two other properties, the Kiena Mine Complex in Val d'Or, Quebec and the Moss Lake gold deposit located 100 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. These assets are being explored and evaluated to be developed in the appropriate gold price environment. The Company has approximately 129 million shares issued and outstanding and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WDO".

SOURCE Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd.
Go-to dish: The Scotch egg is the bee's knees. Photo: Christopher Pearce

Address Greenwood Plaza Rooftop, 36 Blue Street North Sydney, New South Wales 2060 View map Opening hours Mon-Tue 7am-4pm; Wed-Fri 7am-late Features Accepts bookings, Licensed Prices Moderate (mains $20-$40) Phone 02 9964 9766

My preferred dining companion has just turned blue. No, make that red. Oh dear, she is now green. But that's not the problem. The problem is my Scotch egg is purple, my smoked trout is green, my steak is blue and my carrot cake is pink.

We are sitting in Hunter Gatherer, the latest bar and eatery from the team behind Bondi's Panama House and The Corner House, located on the rooftop of North Sydney's Greenwood Plaza. It's an intriguing mash-up of modern Sydney pub, Danish design, traditional farmhouse, verdant greenhouse and industrial canteen  all of which they could get away with, were it not for the psychedelia.

The lighting installation in this section of the room projects colour-shifting images of wilderness onto the walls, as if North Sydney were not jungle enough. There are other places to sit  conventionally lit lounges, high tables, shared benches, and an outdoor terrace  but I'm like a rabbit caught in headlights, frozen.

True colours: Locals say Hunter Gatherer is a breath of fresh air for the North Sydney dining scene. Photo: Christopher Pearce

Besides, they're having a laugh, aren't they? Hunting and gathering in the wilds of North Sydney? I note, without comment, that much of the produce is hunted and gathered from respected providores such as Victor Churchill, Rodriguez Bros, and Martin Boetz's Cooks Co-op.

So the only real hunting and gathering is on the menu, compiled by head chef Paul ("Mick") Micklewright. Main courses are listed under Hunted and side dishes under Gathered, and you can put one of each together for a very reasonable $24.

But first, the menu lists "smalls" that include a crumbed Scotch egg ($10) that is the bee's knees; a beautifully cooked Cooks Co-op googie completely encased with minced chorizo and pork belly and crisp crumbs. There's more action and less focus with a starter of Goulburn River king trout ($14); the trout served both hot-smoked and cured alongside Pepe Saya creme fraiche, beetroot, and sliced, fried caperberries.

House-cured and smoked Goulburn River trout. Photo: Christopher Pearce

This colour-shifting is like aversion therapy, and I have to wait, knife and fork in hand, for a 30-second window of natural light to hoe in, stopping when my food turns blue.

It may be the lighting that makes me lose interest in the Holmbrae chicken Maryland ($24 with side), in spite of the glorious labna on the plate. Or it may be that the long brining, dark spicing and gratuitous grilling has somehow made it not-very-chickeny, and that the kale salad is sharp with vinegar and coarse with chilli.

Rangers Valley inside skirt ($24 with side) is marinated and slow-cooked at low temperature before ending on the grill. Not uncoincidentally, it lacks the spontaneous sizzle of a great steak cooked over coals.

Grilled skirt steak with house fries. Photo: Christopher Pearce

House fries with rosemary salt are fun; wombok salad is unbalanced to the point of boredom; and the pud is good  a slab of freshly baked walnut and carrot cake ($8.50) with a CWA-worthy crumb balanced with rich cream-cheese icing.

Senior staff are wine-savvy and proud of their sherries and locally produced aperitifs, and the list mixes classic Oz labels and naturalist Frenchies and Aussies.

The 2015 La Violetta Ye Ye Rouge ($68) from WA's Great Southern District is a ripe, earthy blend of spatburgunder (that would be pinot noir, then), syrah (shiraz) and nebbiolo.

The locals reckon it's a breath of fresh air for the area, and are pouring in for breakfast, lunch and dinner, regardless of the confusing multiplicity of statements, ideas and concepts. Me, I'm still waiting for Hunter Gatherer to show us its true colours.

THE LOWDOWN

Best bit: New dining options for North Sydney

Worst bit: Blue steak, green eggs, red cake

Go-to dish: Cooks Co-op Scotch egg with tomato relish, $10

Terry Durack is chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and senior reviewer for the Good Food Guide. This rating is based on the Good Food Guide scoring system.

http://www.thehuntergatherer.net/
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Professionals told to check patient history

By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org (TNS)

For more than a decade, doctors, dentists and nurse practitioners have liberally prescribed opioid painkillers despite mounting evidence that people were becoming addicted and overdosing on the powerful pain medications.

Now, in the face of a drug overdose epidemic that killed more than 28,000 people in 2014, a handful of states are insisting that health professionals do a little research before they write another prescription for highly addictive drugs like Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin.

"We in the health care profession had a lot of years to police ourselves and clean this up, and we didn't do it," Kentucky physician Greg Jones, an anti-addiction specialist, said in an online training course he gives doctors in his state. "So the public got fed up with people dying from prescription drug abuse and they got together and they passed some laws and put some rules in place."

By tapping into a database of opioid painkillers and other federally controlled substances dispensed in the state, physicians can check patients' opioid medication history, as well as their use of other combinations of potentially harmful drugs, such as sedatives and muscle relaxants, to determine whether they are at risk of addiction or overdose death.

Prescribers also can determine whether patients are already receiving painkillers or other controlled substances from other sources, a practice known as doctor shopping. Patients with this type of history are at high risk for addiction and overdose and may be selling drugs illicitly.

In 2012, Kentucky became the first state to require doctors and other prescribers to search patients' prescription drug histories on an electronic database called a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) before prescribing opioid painkillers, sedatives or other potentially harmful and addictive drugs.

Sixteen states have enacted similar laws, and experts, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, are encouraging other states to do the same thing.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, signed a law in April that requires certain prescribers to use the state's monitoring system, and a similar bill is moving through the Legislature in California.

Prescribers can be required to check PDMP databases in 29 states, depending on conditions that vary from state to state, according to the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws.

Although the American Medical Association supports physician use of drug tracking systems to identify potential addiction and drug diversion to the black market, state medical societies have argued against mandatory requirements they say interfere with the practice of medicine. Patients' privacy and legitimate pain needs, they say, could be jeopardized by requiring busy physicians to investigate potential patient abuse of pain medications.

Despite these objections from some in the medical profession, more states are imposing the requirements. "Comprehensive mandates are the single most effective thing states have done to curb opioid prescribing, and it seems to have an almost instantaneous effect," said John Eadie, who has evaluated state programs at Brandeis University's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Center of Excellence in Massachusetts.

In states where physicians are required to use monitoring systems, overall opioid prescribing has plummeted, as have drug-related hospitalizations and overdose deaths, Eadie said. States also are seeing a rise in addiction treatment as more doctors refer patients to treatment after discovering they are taking painkillers from multiple sources and are likely addicted to them.
After struggling with infertility for 10 years, Jessica Strom, 33, celebrated her first Mother's Day on May 8 with her 2-month-old son, Charlie. photos by Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/TNS Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/TNS After struggling with infertility for 10 years, Jessica Strom, 33, celebrated her first Mother's Day on May 8, with her 2-month-old son, Charlie, who she dresses on April 28 at her home in McLouth, Kan. Strom and her husband, Daniel Strom, are elated to have conceived a child after trying for so many years.

SHARE "Mother's Day is the hardest day of the year for women like me who struggled with infertility. This year I get this little face to smile at," Strom said. Two-month-old Charlie Strom smiles as his mother, Jessica Strom, holds him at their home on April 28, 2016 in McLouth, Kan. (Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/TNS) Jessica Strom's photography focuses on pregnant moms and newborns. In 2013, she captured images of 2-week-old Parie Lamb. (David Eulitt/Kansas City Star/TNS) Jessica Strom watches over her 2-month-old infant son, Charlie, as he bounces in a bouncy seat at their home on April 28, 2016 in McLouth, Kan. (Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/TNS) Strom watches over Charlie as he bounces in a bouncy seat.

By Sarah Gish, The Kansas City Star (TNS)

MCLOUTH, Kan.  For 10 years, Jessica Strom's biggest dream was to become a mother. But infertility kept that dream just out of reach.

She found a silver lining in her work as a photographer, capturing beautiful images of moms and babies in the Kansas City area. She also volunteered to take photos of preemies in the neonatal intensive care units at local hospitals.

The job was therapeutic, but Jessica still felt lonely and hopeless  especially on Mother's Day. Every TV commercial about floral arrangements, every pink greeting card display at the grocery store, every mushy Facebook post was an emotional dagger.

"Mother's Day was, hands down, the hardest day of the year," she says.

This Mother's Day was different for Jessica and her husband, Daniel: After 10 years of infertility, they welcomed their "miracle" baby boy, Charlie, in February.

"We've spent so many years avoiding this day because it hurt so much," Jessica says.

A COMMON PROBLEM

Because it's not easy to talk about, those who struggle with infertility often feel incredibly lonely.

"You look around and everyone is pregnant," says Allison Spencer, president of the Kansas City Infertility Awareness Foundation. "Whether it's celebrities, or at work, or your best friend, it feels like everyone is pregnant except for you."

Infertility is more common than some might think: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12 percent of American women ages 15 to 44 have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to full term.

"Unfortunately, people feel embarrassed by it," says Celeste Brabec, an infertility specialist with the Reproductive Resource Center, which has locations in Overland Park, Kansas, and Independence, Missouri. "But it's not a woman's fault or a man's fault."

Brabec says the best way to support someone with infertility issues is to "give them time, give them room and listen."

Jessica and Daniel, who live in McLouth, chose to open up about their struggle so they wouldn't feel alone. Jessica blogs about infertility on her website, jessicastrom.net.

"The best way that I can describe what infertility is really like is by comparing it to being in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship," she wrote in July 2013. "It absolutely screws with your head every chance it gets."

A DIFFICULT JOURNEY

Jessica doesn't have a family history of infertility. She always figured it would be easy to get pregnant.

Six months after marrying in 2005, she and Daniel decided to start a family. They were both healthy and in their early 20s. But when nothing happened after two years trying to conceive, they consulted a doctor, who couldn't diagnose a problem but gave them a 3 percent chance of having a baby without in vitro fertilization.

"We couldn't afford IVF, it was so expensive," Jessica says. And besides, she adds, "I could never bring myself to do it because we didn't have a reason why we couldn't get pregnant."

The couple saw several more specialists, but none could find a cause for their infertility.

Jessica tried everything short of IVF: medication that stimulates ovulation, intrauterine insemination, supplements, daily blood tests and even acupuncture. When none of that worked, she and Daniel considered adoption. They completed a home study and bought a crib but a match was never made.

Over the years, they lost touch with several close friends.

"They tend to just drop off the face of the earth because they don't know what to say to you," she says. "They're in the mom group, and you're not."

Jessica started meeting with a counselor, which helped her sort out feelings of frustration, guilt and sadness. Daniel dealt with difficult feelings, too.

"It's a big feeling of helplessness," he says. "It's very difficult when you can't just fix something."

MAKING PEACE

It took seven years for the couple to accept that they'd probably never have children.

Jessica focused on her NICU photos  simple but extraordinarily meaningful gifts to other families who were grieving the loss of a "normal" birth experience.

"Jessica could see the beauty in our situation," says Samantha Nelson of Kansas City, whose son Joey was born nine weeks premature in 2013.

In one of Jessica's photos, Joey is bundled in Samantha's arms, with tubes in his nose and a huge smile on his tiny face.

"That picture means so much to me," Samantha says. "It lifted my spirits. I thought, 'Look at this beautiful baby I have. He shouldn't even be born yet, and here he is smiling, looking at me as his mom. It made me feel normal."

The photo was featured in a story about Jessica in The Kansas City Star in 2013. A few months later, the photographer was profiled on NBC's "Today" show and the Huffington Post.

To raise awareness for premature babies, Jessica founded a nonprofit, Believe in Preemies. She started making plans to photograph NICUs in poverty-stricken parts of the world.

"I was allowing myself to live," she says.

As her advocacy work blossomed, so did Jessica's friendships with other women who knew the pain of infertility.

Kim Kesselring of Bedford, New Hampshire, reached out to Jessica on Facebook. Kim dealt with infertility for 10 years before adopting daughter Hannah, now 2.

"I wanted to let (Jessica) know that her story helped me," Kim says. She also wanted to share hope.

"Our daughter was the light at the end of the tunnel," Kim says. "The pain was worth it."

A REASON TO HOPE

In February 2015, Jessica took a pregnancy test and watched in shock as two lines appeared. She and Daniel were so excited that they told everyone  Jessica even posted a photo of the positive test on her business's Facebook page.

"I cried," says Christine Hamele, assistant vice president of public relations at HCA Midwest Health. Christine became friends with Jessica through her NICU work. "I thought, 'There is nobody more deserving.' "

Jessica and Daniel nicknamed their baby Bean. At 6 weeks, they heard the heartbeat at a checkup, and it all finally felt real. But when they returned for the 10-week checkup, silence.

The loss was devastating, and not only for the Stroms. Friends, family members and people they had never met sent flowers, cards and food.

Jessica found strength in the support.

"It took us nine years to get pregnant the first time," she says. "What are the odds it would happen again?"

Two months later, it did happen again. This time, Jessica and Daniel waited to announce the news until they watched their baby boy dance on an ultrasound monitor.

As weeks and months went by, their anxiety gave way to overwhelming excitement. When she was 35 weeks pregnant, Jessica spoke to her son and asked him if he could wait three more weeks, until she could finish her taxes.

Charlie arrived the day after Jessica filed her return.

"I'm your mama," she told the tiny bright-eyed boy as he lay on her chest. The nurses let the new mom hold her baby for an hour before they weighed and measured him.

The next day, Christine visited Jessica at the hospital.

"That whole room was nothing but glow," she says. "Bright yellow with smiles and sunshine."

Jessica barely remembers her first week of motherhood.

"Sleep deprivation is no joke," she says. "I haven't slept for more than two hours in two months."
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District warned about protest next week

By Michelle Gaitan of the San Angelo Standard-Times

Four people spoke up about concerns that the San Angelo ISD will be risking student safety and privacy if the district adheres to the Department of Justice and federal Department of Education joint guidance letter stating that federal law requires schools to let transgender students use restrooms and locker rooms that are consistent with their gender identity.

"Our school system is not an agency of the federal government," said San Angelo resident Lyleann Thee during the district's regular board meeting Monday. "The federal government had no rightful role in dictating to you, to our school districts, of what they should or shouldn't do technically."

The guidance letter summarizes a school's obligation for compliance or risk violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which "prohibit sex discrimination in educational programs and activities operated by recipients of Federal financial assistance."

The letter implies that schools that don't follow the federal guidelines could losing educational funding.

"State officials have come out against this and "so I certainly don't want to see our school district go to great steps to implement this and go against our own state, when the state authorities is who you answer to, not the federal government," she said. "This is an issue that you can't cave on."

Shannon Carpenter, co-founder of Lone Star Liberty- Texas, a conservative community organization, asked about the school board's position.

"We want to make very clear to the SAISD how we feel on the subject," she said, adding that the issue will not be forgotten as summer approaches  this issue will not go away, she said.

The organization is planning a protest in front of the SAISD's administration building next week.

In keeping with board regulations, board members were not allowed to comment or discuss items not on agenda. Superintendent Carl Dethloff addressed the crowd.

"Contrary to some social media posts, our board has taken no action since the guidance letter issued on May 13, 2016," said Dethloff. "We have not adopted any new policies or procedures in regard to bathroom access. We have made no changes to our existing policy in this regard. As we indicated in an earlier statement, we will continue to produce additional privacy options, such as the nurse's restroom or available faculty restrooms, to any student for any reason."

"We will work with the board and the community on how to take our next steps with this guidance letter," he said.

Other matters taken up by the board Monday night included the Texas Supreme Court ruling, issued Friday, that upheld the state's public school funding system as constitutional.

San Angelo ISD was one of more than 600 districts listed in the lawsuit, which argued that the state system results in an unfair distribution of funding among the state's school districts in part because of reliance on property taxes.

"Our district was disappointed in the outcome of the public school finance lawsuit, and I think it's detrimental for the 5 million students in Texas and it's not equitable," said Dethloff.

"We are educating students today with less funding than we have historically in the state of Texas," he said.

Jeff Bright, assistant superintendent of business support services, said "while we do agree it's the legislature's role to make sure the funding system is equitable and accurate," at some point they are going to need to explain to a student in Christoval why education there is not valued as highly as another student's education at a higher funded or more property-wealthy school district.

"Their was some expectation...hope by a lot of districts to get the legislature to act on a lot of outdated formulas and bring in equity to the system, but now we can't count on any new funds at this point and we're going to have to go with the system as it is right now," he said.

Future board meetings will began 15 minutes later than usual starting at 5:45 p.m. Pre-agenda work sessions are held on the second Monday of each month, and regular meetings are held on the third Monday of each month.

To view a full list of agenda items visit http://www.saisd.org/BoardOfEducation/meetings.asp.

Video from the proceedings of SAISD school board meetings are broadcast on 4SAISDtv  Suddenlink Cable Channel 4 every day at the following times: Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 2 p.m., and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
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By Rashda Khan, Rashda.Khan@gosanangelo.com

The San Angelo City Council will be meeting Wednesday because it wanted to allow adequate time for the ballot board to process all provisional ballots that qualified, mail-in-ballots that were handed to election staff on election day, and ballots mailed from voters overseas.

The council's special agenda includes:

Adopting a resolution canvassing the returns and declaring the results of the General Election held May 7

Presenting certificates of election and administering oaths of office to newly elected council members Bill Richardson, representing Single Member District 1, and Harry Thomas, representing SMD 3.

Appointment of a Mayor Pro-Tempore, an alternate to act in the absence of Mayor Morrison.

After the special agenda, council will break for 30 minutes for a reception.

Listed in the consent agenda items for this meeting is the second hearing of an ordinance amending the organization of the city's Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone board and combining it's functions and oversight with those of the Downtown Development Commission, which "has fulfilled its duties."

TIRZ was created in 2006 "to preserve the near and long term integrity of the economic and social investment in the designated area" and to encourage additional new projects within those areas. San Angelo has two zones: North (from about West 33rd Street to West 3rd Street) and South (West 3rd Street to about East Avenue D, but mostly the downtown area).

The 15-member TIRZ will be scaled down to nine voting members  one each will be appointed by the Mayor and six city council members for a total of seven, and Tom Green County will appoint two. The board also will have five nonvoting advisory members representing Goodfellow Air Force Base, Angelo State University, San Angelo Independent School District, the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce, and Downtown San Angelo, Inc.

For the city appointments, council members representing SMDs 2, 3 and 4 will have to make sure their choices live, work and/or own property within the TIRZ  north zone. Council members from SMD 1, 5 and 6 will have to choose appointees live, work and/or own property within the TIRZ  south zone. The mayor would be able to appoint at large.

During the short regular agenda, following the reception, council will consider a resolution ordering a runoff election to be held Saturday, July 2.

There are two water related items of interest on the regular agenda:

Council will consider awarding a $314,460 contract for a 2016 Water Master Plan to Austin-based CDM Smith, Inc. The city's last Water Master Plan is from 1998, 18 years ago. Water Utilities staff are requesting an updated plan to reassess the short and long term projects to keep the city's water system functioning as efficiently as possible.

Adopting a resolution for grant funding  not to exceed $300,000  from the Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program. The city was made aware of the opportunity by the Bureau and submitted an application April 20. An official resolution is required to complete the application.
Graphic Illustration

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Columnist Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, declared last week that, "The great Republican crackup has begun."

No one, liberal or conservative, has been more relentless, high-minded and intellectually honest than Gerson in combating Donald Trump and the dark forces of Trumpism. But I have a quibble on this claim.

The GOP is obviously nuts, but there is not enough evidence to say a full crackup is inevitable. A crackup means factional secessions and civil war. But Republicans are still poised in a phony war; real shooting hasn't started.

What exactly would a genuine crackup look like?

Common sense and ordinary language say someone (or some group) must be sane and stable before he (or it) can crack up. The GOP has been neither for many years. The GOP "coalition" (a useless word that should be banned) of the white working class, evangelicals, cultural vigilantes and establishment mercantilists had a moment of solidarity in the Reagan years. It has been fragile, fractious and philosophically incoherent ever since.

Still, the GOP won some majorities in Congress, though they were impotent as legislators. The party did elect Bush the Younger twice, but it was weaker when he left town than when he arrived.

There just isn't a whole lot in the federal branch of the Republican Party to crack up much further. On the state and local levels, the party is stable and more effective than the Democrats. There is a high probability those lower roots of the party can withstand Trump and his sewage. Short of a civil war that spawns a conservative third party, the GOP probably can muddle along as is. That's what happened after bad spells in 1964 and 1976.

If there were a serious counter-insurgency against the guerrilla Trump, my assessment would be very different. Much of media is acting as if the war is on, but it isn't, yet.

What I see in the GOP opposition to Trump is different species of gaudy birds trying to fly above Fort Trump but only a few genuine predators. A brief guide:

Owls: These critics appear wise and serious, but they are passive-aggressive and easily ignored. The former presidents Bush won't come to the convention or endorse the Donald, but they won't rip him a new one either. Most of the party's elders and power alumni are on this perch  too nostalgically loyal and polite to badmouth a new member of the old club, too chicken to blackball him. Reporters make mountains out of their cryptic slights, but they're only molehills.

Chicken hacks: This is a genetic variant of chicken hawks, the bellicose advocates of George W. Bush's Middle East wars who had never served in the military themselves. Many of them are now trying to send a naive or hubristic warrior to the certain death of a third-party candidate.

These armchair political voyeurs are called chicken hacks. William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, is the prototype. "I don't think it's easy for the Republican Party to move beyond Donald Trump after he is the Republican Party for six months," he said, "which is why I think it's so important someone else step forward."

So why doesn't Kristol run? He's been in government. He's smooth, well dressed, ubiquitous on TV and he has opinions on everything. Put up or shut up, as Trump would say.

Turkey vultures: This is the Cake and Eat It Caucus and it includes Paul Ryan, many GOP officeholders and revolving door, political appointees in waiting. They abuse the English language with their weaseling: They will support but not endorse the nominee. Or, they will support the party's will, but not the nominee. Yada yada. These are vultures circling the looming crash, indifferent to the outcome as long as they can survive on the carrion.

Bald eagles: The few, the proud, the brave. They have guts and honor, but not much firepower. They started too late, but these pols have attacked and condemned Trump full on, unequivocally: Lindsey Graham, Mitt Romney and the #NeverTrump battalion led by the gutsy Katie Packer, leader of Our Principles PAC.

They have gotten excellent intelligence and propaganda support from GOP eggheads, consultants and polemicists: The National Review, The Weekly Standard, RedState.com, David Brooks, George Will, Rod Dreher and many others.

The eagles, however, are in a self-imposed cage. Few will condone voting for Hillary Clinton as the only way to block a greater and riskier threat, Trump (the practical and patriotic option, in my own view). A brokered convention and a third party campaign aren't live options.

So what are their options? Faith in the American voter?

There is no Republican civil war yet. Without a civil war, the party is unlikely to crack up permanently. Whether Trump wins or loses in November, the Republican Party probably will be capable of fighting on  certainly weaker, surely embarrassed, still bipolar and, for many Americans, disgraced.

Dick Meyer is chief Washington correspondent for the Scripps Washington Bureau and DecodeDC. Contact him at dick.meyer@scripps.com.
If the undercover recordings taken at a Planned Parenthood last year taught us anything , its that anti-abortion groups have gotten stealthier.They still protest outside places that offer the procedure, but in recent years, abortion providers and supporters say that clinics have had an uptick in costly state inspections largely because of made-up complaints from the opposition.In the last two years, its really ramped up," said Peg Johnston, director of Access for Women, an organization that provides abortions. "I know of workshops that teach clinics how to survive these inspections [but] it really brings up a lot of issues around state authority and how civilian complaints are handled."State health department inspections arent public records, so its difficult to quantify just how many complaints are filed, and no state health officials responded to requests for comment. However, Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, says this practice has become a leading tactic" of the anti-abortion movement in the past five years or so.Whenever a complaint is filed about an abortion clinic, regardless of its source or merit, the health department is required to conduct a surprise inspection of the whole clinic. In states with strict abortion regulations, these inspections are more than just an inconvenience -- they can be an enormous financial burden that lead to the closure of clinics.In Ohio, where 90 percent of counties have no abortion provider and new regulations have prompted about half of the state's abortion clinics to close, inspections are especially tough. When a health inspector comes to follow up on a complaint, a slight administrative misstep can lead to a $10,000 fine. A FOIA request made by thein 2014 found that 11 clinics had been inspected at least 40 times under Gov. John Kasich.Preterm, an abortion clinic in Cleveland, had a surprise inspection less than a month ago. Chrisse France, director of the clinic, said inspectors have been coming in a few times a year because of phoned-in complaints, and the clinic has only been fined once -- for a mislabeled syringe. But even though her clinic has passed every other inspection, the fees add up: Its $845 in Ohio every time a health inspector has to stop by."Departments of health realistically should investigate claims called in. But when time after time a complaint is proven unjustified, and it takes time away from patients, it's a problem," said Jaime Miracle,deputy director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio.When asked about whether Right to Life supports or participates in this alleged protest tactic, Katherine Franklin, director of communication for Ohio Right to Life said: Ohio Right to Life has supported peaceful rallies and protests that seek to expose the truth about the horrors taking place in Americas abortion industry. Additionally, its notable that even before the Planned Parenthood scandal, Ohio Department of Health was fining and revoking the licenses of abortion facilities for health violations, including rusty and moldy equipment and improperly stored tissue."Saporta, of the National Abortion Federation, wants state agencies to start considering the source of complaints before going to investigate and levying "some sort of penalty against groups of people who are wasting taxpayer dollars on bogus complaints."It isnt just the health department that anti-abortion advocates are using in what are likely attempts to shut down clinics, though.Julie Burkhart, founder and CEO of Trust Women, which operates one of Kansas three remaining abortion clinics, said shes spent more than $200,000 on legal fees, including having to "answer subpoenas over a patient thats never even stepped foot in the clinic, she said. And anytime there is a surprise inspection, thats generally around $500 to 1,000 minimum."Saporta believes these sort of tactics are being employed all over the country -- and not just by citizens."If you have a health department with appointees from a conservative governor," she said, "then they are happy to go out and do these inspections."Abortion providers say it exemplifies the shift in the fight over abortion rights from the sidewalk to the statehouse.It used to be that standing outside a clinic protesting was how people demonstrated," said Burkhart. "But through political strategizing, we have these people in positions of power at the state level. Theres a lot of maneuvering going on at the statehouse to make things harder for us."
After watching Donald Trump gain traction on the campaign trail with talk of border walls and mass deportations, Indiana lawmaker Mike Delph decided it was time to take action in his state.This year, Delph helped persuade his colleagues in the state Senate to let him lead a special commission to study illegal immigration in Indiana. A Republican who has long supported stricter immigration measures, Delph said Trump's campaign had helped push the issue "to a new level.""It's certainly made it easier for me to get the attention of my colleagues," Delph said. "I felt politically the timing was right."He and others say Trump's success in the Republican presidential race has helped embolden those who favor stricter immigration enforcement at the local level. In Indiana and more than a dozen other states, lawmakers have pushed legislation targeting immigrants in the country without legal authorization in a year when Trump's campaign has thrust the issue into the spotlight.In Arizona, legislators recently considered a law that would have stiffened sentences for immigrants in the country illegally and another that would have prevented such immigrants from acquiring city-issued identification cards.In Georgia, legislators pushed a constitutional amendment declaring English the official language of state government.In Wisconsin, Louisiana and at least 14 other states, lawmakers have weighed bills that would punish so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to fully cooperate with federal immigration officials, according to the National Immigration Law Center, which tracks such efforts.While most of those bills have not ended up making it into law _ anti-sanctuary measures in Georgia and North Carolina are among the few exceptions _ Trump's campaign has demonstrated that anxiety over illegal immigration can help mobilize a significant chunk of Republican voters.At his often-raucous rallies around the country, Trump's crowds sometimes spontaneously erupt into shouts of "Build that Wall!" A recent Pew Research Center report found that 84 percent of his supporters favored his plan to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, compared with 56 percent of Republican voters who preferred another candidate for the GOP nomination.Trump's success "is a flashing neon sign for Republicans and all politicians that this issue really matters, and voters want to see our laws enforced," said Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state who has helped draft legislation aimed at immigrants in the U.S. illegally for other states, including Arizona's controversial SB-1070.That law requires police to determine the immigration status of someone arrested when there is reasonable suspicion that the person is not in the U.S. legally. Several other parts of the law were struck down by the Supreme Court."There is no question that this is the driving force behind his campaign," said Kobach, who has endorsed Trump. "Illegal immigration always gets the largest applause lines."A spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favors a border wall and a reduction of both legal and illegal immigration, said his group had seen an increase in local activists who reach out for help enacting immigration restriction measures in their communities."I think that the intensity of feeling is probably higher than it ever has been before," said the spokesman, Ira Mehlman. "Certainly the fact that immigration has been a prominent issue in the 2016 campaign has provided energy and added to the activism and efforts to implement policy initiatives at the state and local level."But Mehlman said he didn't think the uptick in activism was motivated by the "Trump effect" alone.Several pro-immigrant policies at the local and federal level have helped spur a backlash, Mehlman said, including President Barack Obama's attempt in 2014 to shield several million immigrants in the country from deportation and the increase in the number of cities and counties refusing to cooperate with federal immigration officials.Trump's rise "may be a consequence of unenforced immigration laws as much as it is a driving force behind public opinion that something needs to be done," Mehlman said.In recent years, as Congress has failed to pass comprehensive legislation that would decide the fate of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally, activists on both sides of the issue have gone to battle at the state and local level.Immigrant advocates have more often come out on top. They have won, for example, laws in at least a dozen states that allow immigrants in the country illegally to obtain driver's licenses.They have also pushed more than 350 cities and counties around the country to pass ordinances restricting the ability of law enforcement authorities to turn over immigrants in their custody to federal immigration officials.Advocates say cooperation between jails and immigration agents erodes trust in law enforcement among immigrant communities and can lead to violations of constitutional rights.Those who favor stricter enforcement highlight crimes allegedly committed by immigrants who were released from custody instead of deported, such as last year's death of Kate Steinle, a San Francisco woman who police say was shot by an immigrant from Mexico who had recently been released despite a federal order that the jail turn him over to immigration authorities.Trump, who kicked off his campaign in June with a speech saying Mexico was sending rapists and drug dealers to the U.S., helped draw attention to the Steinle case. He held a news conference in California with family members of victims of crimes allegedly committed by immigrants in the country illegally, and he frequently mentions "Kate" on the campaign trail.Wisconsin state Rep. John Spiros, who introduced a bill this year that would require municipalities to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, said he was motivated by Steinle's death, not the presidential candidate who helped draw attention to it."My bill was not motivated because of Donald Trump," said Spiros, whose bill passed the state House but failed in the Senate."My bill was motivated because of a killing," he said. "Because the federal government doesn't want to do anything, we have to do it ourselves."Bill Ong Hing, an immigration law professor at the University of San Francisco, said he believes there will be a ripple effect of Trump's candidacy."I have absolutely no doubt that the fact that he has thrived largely on anti-immigrant rhetoric is a direct license to local and state government officials who were leaning toward anti-immigrant legislation," Hing said. "I really think they feel emboldened that he's thrived and they can do the same thing."While Trump has described illegal immigration as a crisis, referring recently to the "record number of people right now that are pouring across the borders of this country," data show otherwise.Multiple studies show rates of illegal immigration are declining, with the exception of families fleeing violence in Central America.According to recent estimates by the Center for Migration Studies, the number of immigrants living in the country without authorization has fallen to the lowest level since 2003, thanks in part to a major buildup of border security started by President George W. Bush and continued by Obama.But one Arizona lawmaker who pushed a bill this year that would have barred immigrants in the country illegally from receiving city identification cards said he believes illegal immigration will pick back up soon."They left when the economy tanked because the jobs," said Sen. John Kavanagh, whose bill was a response to a Phoenix proposal to issue identification cards to residents, including those who entered the country illegally, but which failed to get enough votes to pass."When the jobs come back, they'll come back," Kavanagh said. "If we don't build a wall, we'll be flooded with illegals."Trump's candidacy had little to do with his support this year for several anti-immigrant measures, he said."We in Arizona never needed permission to pursue immigration enforcement. We've always been on the front line."
The Constitution protects the right to buy and sell firearms as well as the right to own them, a federal appeals court said Monday in reviving a lawsuit challenging an Alameda County ordinance banning gun shops within 500 feet of a residential neighborhood or a school.If the Second Amendment right to bear arms "is to have any force, the people must have a right to acquire the very firearms they are entitled to keep and to bear," Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain said in the 2-1 ruling.The suit was filed by three businessmen who wanted to open a gun store in an unincorporated area of Alameda County, 446 feet away from the nearest home on the other side of Interstate 880. A federal judge ruled that the 500-foot buffer zone was a reasonable measure to protect neighborhoods from gun violence. But the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said more evidence was needed to justify restricting a constitutional right.The court stopped short of invalidating the ordinance, but told U.S. District Judge William Orrick III to give it tougher scrutiny.At the least, O'Scannlain said, the county must present some evidence that "gun stores act as a magnet for crime." And if the practical effect of the law is to ban new gun stores -- something the three businessmen claim, and the county denies -- the county must show that such a prohibition is the only available means to reduce crime, O'Scannlain said.In a brief but caustic dissent, Judge Barry Silverman said the ordinance hasn't interfered with anyone's right to acquire firearms, with at least 10 gun shops operating in the affected areas."When you clear away all the smoke, what we're dealing with here is a mundane zoning dispute dressed up as a Second Amendment challenge," Silverman said.The ruling is one of many attempts by lower federal courts to fill gaps in the Supreme Court's 2009 decision that declared an individual right, under the Second Amendment, to possess firearms for self-defense, but left the scope of permissible government regulation unclear.Federal courts have upheld San Francisco's ban on high-capacity semiautomatic weapons and its requirement that handgun owners keep their weapons stored and locked. But a federal appeals court has struck down Chicago's ban on firing ranges in that city.Brandon Combs, executive director of the Calguns Foundation, which joined the gun-shop applicants in challenging the Alameda County ordinance, praised Monday's ruling."Given California's legal requirements to use licensed dealers for firearms transfers and background checks, it's important that retailers are able to open their doors -- and keep them open," Combs said.The county could seek a new hearing, from either the full appeals court or the Supreme Court, or present additional justifications for the law in Orrick's court. County Counsel Donna Ziegler was not immediately available for comment.Attorney Imran Khaliq, who represented the advocacy groups Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Youth Alive, said courts uphold such laws as part of a local government's authority to protect residents' health and safety. He said Oakland, the most populous city in the county, has one of the nation's highest rates of gun violence.The county "wasn't saying they couldn't open up a gun store, just that this location was not a suitable location," Khaliq said.
On Monday, in the morning, at the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino, Cairns, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC issued the writ and proclamation for the election of 12 Senators from Queensland to serve in the Senate of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, to be held on 2 July 2016.

Following, the Governor and Mrs Kaye de Jersey departed Cairns for an official visit to Papua New Guinea.

In the afternoon, at the Australian High Commission, Port Moresby, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey received a briefing from the Commission on trade, investment and cultural relations between Queensland and Papua New Guinea.

In the evening, at The Grand Papua Hotel, Port Moresby, the Governor, with Mrs de Jersey, attended a reception hosted by James Cook University and PNG National Fisheries Authority, where His Excellency launched the Sport Fishing for Sustainable Livelihoods Research Hub.

Also in the morning, the Honourable Chief Justice Catherine Holmes commenced duty as Acting Governor of Queensland.
Description

GIS - 17 May, 2016: We have to come up with innovative solutions and new means and ways to reverse the downward trend of the fertility rate which currently stands at 1.4, that is under the replacement level of 2.1. We have to come up with innovative solutions and new means and ways to reverse the downward trend of the fertility rate which currently stands at 1.4, that is under the replacement level of 2.1.

This was the gist of the speech of the Minister of Health and Quality of Life, Mr Anil Gayan, at the signature ceremony of the Agreement and Country Programme Action Plan between the Government of Mauritius and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), held yesterday in Port Louis in the presence of the UNFPA Country Director and representative of UNFPA Madagascar, Mr Mamadou Dicko.

According to the Minister, family planning programme in Mauritius has been so effective that the fertility trend remains in decline while the country is experiencing an ageing population. Mr Gayan stated that if the country's fertility rate does not approach the 2.1 mark, that is the point where a population can sustain itself, immigration will have to be envisaged.

However, in elaborating new measures to combat the low birth rates, the Minister is of the view that women must have the freedom to choose when they will be mothers and how many children they will have. Pregnancy and childbirth affect the quality of life of women but the Health Ministry is committed to provide the best care for all, in particular for expecting mothers, affirmed Mr Gayan.

To the representative of the UNFPA, the Minister assured of continued collaboration for the running of programme on sexual and reproductive health by the Mauritius Institute of Health (MIH) for other African nations. The MIH carries out a series of courses designed for UNFPA staff to promote the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development which focuses not only on sexual and reproductive health, but also on the interrelationships between population, sustained economic growth, health, education, economic status and empowerment of women.

For his part, the UNFPA Country Director and representative of UNFPA Madagascar, Mr Mamadou Dicko, called on Mauritius to share its experiences and successes on demographic transition with other countries of the region. He expressed the wish that the MIH becomes a regional centre of excellence by offering courses in sexual and reproductive health for African countries. Mr Dicko also urged the Government to raise awareness of the population on the forthcoming demographic challenges facing the country, namely the under replacement fertility rate and the ageing population, and sensitise them on their roles and responsibility in addressing fertility rate issues.

It is noted that the Country Programme Action Plan 2016-2019 is based on national priorities and development challenges identified by local stakeholders. The goal of the present UNFPA Country Programme is to contribute to national efforts towards mitigating the impact of an ageing population and climate change, improvement of sexual reproductive health of young people and underserved groups and prevention of HIV/AIDS for a better quality of life and a more gender equitable society. The UNFPA will fund the new country programme for the next four years to the tune of USD 100,000 per year.

Government Information Service, Prime Ministers Office, Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius. Email:

Website:
Finding a Compromise

The San Antonio Model

Rider Choice

Moving Forward

(TNS) -- Left reeling in the wake of Uber and Lyfts abrupt withdrawal from Austin following a vote requiring drivers fingerprints, Daryl Faulks found himself out of a job and decided to venture south.Faulks, who has been driving for the ride-hailing companies for about a year, has come to rely on the extra income to supplement the money he makes from teaching high school and selling real estate.So when Austin voters decided May 7 to retain city regulations that Uber and Lyft opposed, he planned to drive to San Antonio the following Saturday to try and find business.I believe I have no choice, he said. I have a $581 car payment Ive got to make, and I have other bills I have to pay.Unlike Austin, San Antonio made the fingerprint part of background checks optional for drivers, prompting the companies to resume operations here during a trial period.Though demand for ride services is said to be lower in San Antonio than in Austin, Faulks is one of many Austin drivers taking advantage of the Alamo Citys more flexible regulations.The rules here now are among the most permissive of big Texas cities. In Houston, where fingerprint checks are mandatory, Lyft pulled out and Uber is threatening to follow suit. And Dallas requires drivers to obtain permits based on city-conducted background checks without fingerprints.In the coming months, San Antonio residents and elected officials will have to revisit the citys interim rules as the nine-month pilot programs created for the upstarts come to an end.Well be reviewing all the information soon, Mayor Ivy Taylor said. I can say in general that Im so pleased that we came up with a solution that made sense for San Antonio.San Antonio is one of many cities nationwide grappling with how best to regulate the ride-hailing companies, relatively new services that typically dont operate under the same regulations as traditional taxi companies.Fueling that debate are some widely publicized incidents within the ride-hailing sector that have raised public safety concerns in recent months.Some incidents have occurred in Texas. Late last year, Dallas police arrested a Lyft driver in the sexual assault of a woman he picked up. And a Houston Uber driver was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of sexual assault, but a grand jury decided he wouldnt face charges.After Uber and Lyft left San Antonio in early 2015, the City Council and staff worked to create a program that would make the optional fingerprint checks free for drivers. There have been no reported crimes involving the citys Uber and Lyft drivers since the companies returned.Some drivers have shown interest in the citys checks. Nearly 180 drivers have applied for it, and of those, 120 completed the process. But those drivers can be difficult to find through the ride-hailing companies mobile apps.Like Austins City Council, the San Antonio City Council initially approved rules that would have required the companies drivers to submit to fingerprint background checks like traditional taxi drivers, among other things. The companies, claiming the fingerprint checks would hamper the efficiency of their business models, left the city when the rules took effect in April 2015.Both Lyft and Uber argue their background checks are just as effective as fingerprint checks.Lyft uses a company called SterlingBackCheck that runs an applicants Social Security number and other identifying information through several criminal records databases to check for offenses within the last seven years. It also conducts a driving record check, a vehicle inspection and an in-person screening.Uber uses a company called Checkr that conducts a similar process to check applicants criminal histories within the same time frame. It also checks an applicants driving record.The Houston Uber driver who had been accused of sexual assault was found to have served 14 years in prison on a felony drug charge that occurred more than seven years before he began driving for Uber, the Houston Chronicle reported.After months of controversy, Lyft agreed to the citys pilot program in August and resumed operations here in December.With the pilot program, San Antonio has stepped up as a clear leader, paving the way for ridesharing as a modern transportation option and setting an example for other cities across the state, Lyft spokeswoman Mary Caroline Pruitt said in an email last week. We hope that other Texas cities like Austin and Houston look to it as a proof point that innovation and safety can go hand-in-hand.The council came to a similar agreement with Uber in October, prompting the company to immediately resume its services in the city. The company did not respond last week to several requests for comment.A third ride-hailing company, Austin-based Get Me, started operating in San Antonio in January under the same sort of pilot program. Unlike Lyft and Uber, the company has encouraged its drivers to undergo the citys additional check, but only nine have done so.Weve been pretty straightforward from the beginning and weve been following the rules, said Jonathan Laramy, the companys co-founder.Drivers who want to participate in the citys background check can request an application through the San Antonio Police Department. They receive a voucher to get the fingerprint check for free through Morpho, a company with four locations in San Antonio. Those that successfully complete it receive an identification number from the city that they can upload to their profiles on the ride-hailing companies mobile apps.I think its going really well, said Tech Bloc co-founder Lew Moorman, a former Rackspace president who campaigned for keeping the ride-hailing companies in town. I think a number of drivers have taken up the option.Because the companies have declined to disclose how many drivers they have in San Antonio, its impossible to determine what percentage of drivers have opted to take the additional step. The majority of the 120 completed checks have been for Uber drivers, and the company said earlier this year it exceeded a goal of signing up 2,000 drivers in the city.SAPD spokesman Sgt. Jesse Salame, said police have not received any reports of criminal conduct by Uber, Lyft or Get Me drivers, and no drivers have failed the citys background check. He said the department will weigh in on the pilot programs when the City Council begins reviewing them next month.District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevino, who oversaw the process of creating the programs, said he considers them a success.Weve covered all the bases, he said. There are those who feel they need (drivers with additional checks), and those who feel they dont, and now they have a choice.Finding a driver who has passed the citys check can be tricky for riders, who are matched with the drivers nearest them through the companies mobile apps. If theyre matched with a driver who doesnt have citys ID number, they must cancel the ride and hail another through the app until theyre matched with someone who does.There are locations throughout the city where the odds of being matched with a fingerprinted driver could be higher. The companies are required to supply pickup and dropoff data to the city every three months as part of the pilot program requirements, and Trevino said the airport and downtown are the most active areas.But in areas farther from downtown where there are fewer drivers, the chances of finding a fingerprinted one are lower. Trevino said he thinks that will change once some version of the pilot programs become permanent.Once we codify this or move forward with a more long-term solution, I think were going to see a more balanced system there, he said.For some riders, the odds of getting a fingerprinted driver dont matter. Luke Hammond, a San Antonio resident who has been using Uber and Lyft since they starting operating in the city, said he doesnt buy the argument that such checks are necessary for public safety.Nobody wants to ever argue about something when you invoke public safety, he said. The worst thing thats ever happened to me is the car was less clean than I wanted it to be. Ive never been concerned about my safety.Juan Cano, a real estate manager who lives in the Southtown area, uses Uber or Lyft for work and for fun. He said safety never has been a concern for him, but he understands why it might be for others.I dont know what a fingerprint buys you, he said. Then again, Im a former Marine, 31 years old, and Im not scared of who I get in a car with, so my perspective is different.Marissa Villa, a resident who used Uber regularly after Aprils hail storm totaled her car, said the safety of the service has crossed her mind. But convenience trumps that concern, she said, because calling for a ride and canceling it if a driver hasnt passed the citys check would be a hassle.I appreciate the efforts to try and make it as safe as possible, but its something people use because its easy, she said. Any extra steps would probably be too much for anyone who uses the app.Some drivers feel the same way. Alan Johnson, a San Antonio Uber and Lyft driver, opted to complete the citys extra check only because he thought it would be easy. It ended up being more trouble that he thought it was worth  he said he waited for weeks for an appointment, wound up at the wrong place for the check and had trouble with the paperwork.At first I couldnt wrap my head around why Uber and Lyft werent interested in going through that process, but boy, was I surprised, he said. It was a very unorganized system.When he finally got the citys ID number, riders didnt appear to notice it.Ive yet to find anybody who has said anything about it, and Ive done more than 6,000 rides, he said.Trevino said he doesnt think some riders seeming ambivalence should influence the citys ride-hailing policies.To do something or to respond to something because a certain group says they dont care about something is not good governance, he said. Its a policy that says weve got to think of everybody and offer a choice.The city is hosting roundtable discussions to gather public input on its ride-hailing pilot programs. The City Council will consider the feedback in June and begin drafting permanent rules.If it opts to keep the fingerprint checks optional, it will have to decide whether they ought to remain free for drivers. The city collected about $18,000 from each company participating in the pilot programs and uses that money to pay for the checks.Traditional taxi drivers have to pay for their own checks, something many cabdrivers perceive as unequal. As part of its ride-hailing discussions, the City Council and staff plan to examine and possibly revise the code that regulates taxis and other for-hire vehicles.I think, comprehensively, staff will have to look at how were going to deal with ground transportation across the board and what other cities are doing as this issue continues to evolve across the country, Deputy City Manager Erik Walsh said.The patchwork ride-hailing regulations that have cropped up across Texas have moved state Sens. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, and Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, to call for statewide regulations to make it easier for such companies to operate.It can be difficult for these types of companies to operate when there are different ordinances in cities that are adjacent to each other, like the urban areas of Dallas/Fort Worth, said Nichols, who chairs the Senate Committee on Transportation.State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso and chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said he expects to consider such legislation next session but would prefer to leave ride-hailing decisions to the cities.Its more than just a fingerprint argument, he said. If it grows to be more than that and a problem that cant be solved through local control, then the Legislature will get involved.Until new regulations are created, Austin drivers likely will continue to look south for extra cash. San Antonio driver Paul Castilla said the influx already has had a huge impact on the city and reduced business for local drivers.Its going to cut into our piece of pie for a while until they find something else to do, he said.
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(TNS) -- Seven years ago, EvoNexus was a startup for startups.The fledgling tech incubator floated between a couple of mostly empty office buildings, where voices echoed through abandoned cubicles. Off in a corner, it provided a few desks, Internet access and mentoring to a handful of San Diego startups at no charge.Today, the echoes are gone. Since it opened, EvoNexus has given 134 companies a jump-start in its three locations  downtown San Diego, University City and Irvine. These firms have raised $297 million in angel and venture capital equity funding.Seventeen have been acquired, pushing the total outcomes for EvoNexus companies  money raised plus the amount paid by acquirers  to over $1 billion.While there are about two dozen incubators, accelerators and co-working office spaces available to help San Diego startups, EvoNexus has grown into the big dog. As such, it is a key component in the regions efforts to position itself as an alternative to the increasingly congested and expensive Silicon Valley for startup companies.If you compare San Diego to Silicon Valley, there are pieces missing here from the startup ecosystem that you need to put together, said Steve Poizner, former California insurance commissioner and gubernatorial candidate who founded tech companies in Northern California. This is where I think EvoNexus has really taken charge and is driving toward this critical mass that is required.Poizner moved to San Diego about a year ago when his latest venture, education software platform EmpoweredU, was acquired by Qualcomm. He is one of dozens of tech executives who volunteer at EvoNexus.Silicon Valley, where I started three companies, is a wonderful place, he said. Every amazing, brilliant entrepreneur on the planet wants to go to Silicon Valley. But its just completely saturated.Sky high salaries and office rents make it difficult for Bay Area startups, which must compete with Google and Facebook for talented engineers, said Poizner. Gridlock traffic and steep housing costs, where the median price of a Silicon Valley home tops $1 million, have resulted in one-third of Bay Area residents saying they are ready to leave in the next few years, according to recent poll by the Bay Area Council.It would be such a great thing for the state of California  and the country  if Southern California could create a viable alternative, said Poizner. The environment down here could be equal to or better in so many ways. That is the big picture part of EvoNexus that I find compelling.EvoNexus is the brainchild of Rory Moore, co-founder of Peregrine Semiconductor, and retired Vice Admiral Walter Davis. It has its roots in the San Diego Telecomm Council trade organization, which later became CommNexus.With the 2008 financial collapse, Moore and Davis aimed to help startups navigate the crisis by creating a different type of incubator  one with no strings attached for companies selected.Some national incubators demand an equity stake  as much as 6 percent ownership  in the companies they mentor. Co-working spaces charge membership fees for use of desks and conference rooms.EvoNexus is free, with costs covered by the organizations sponsors such as the Irvine Co., Qualcomm, ViaSat and dozens of others.At first, the organizations board of directors was skeptical that a free incubator could succeed over the long haul, said Moore. But the fact that EvoNexus helps companies at no charge turned out to be one of its strengths.One thing that has really made it work is the fact that we get terrific mentors, and we get terrific (executive) talent to help us select the companies, said Davis. And that all came about because we made it free.Past and current executives from Qualcomm, Provide Commerce, Ericsson, Receptors, HP, Interdigital, ResMed, Verizon, Cisco, ViaSat, ID Analytics, CareFusion, Illumina, Nokia, Broadcom and several other companies volunteer at EvoNexus.Its pro bono, and that is actually brilliant, said Poizner. Good for Rory and the Admiral for figuring that part out, because that is what gets people like me to volunteer their time.Another key milestone for EvoNexus was getting the Irvine Co.  San Diegos largest office building owner  to donate space starting in 2010.Others landlords were willing to participate, but Moore held out for the long-term business plan of the Irvine Co., which doesnt sell its office properties.The Irvine Co. houses all three EvoNexus incubators, which total 40,400 square feet combined.Doug Holte, president of the Irvine Co., said EvoNexus gave it an avenue to get involved in San Diegos tech scene  not only with young companies but with the regions successful entrepreneurs who volunteer at the incubator.EvoNexus graduates have become tenants for the Irvine Co. Hotle estimates ex-EvoNexus firms employing about 300 workers lease space in the companys buildings. But Holte sees a larger benefit. Independent research suggests coastal Californias economy will be driven by knowledge workers and technology enabled disruptors.EvoNexus is right in the middle of what is going to be one of Californias competitive advantages, he said. I know they have ambitions to be Southern Californias premier incubator. So I could imagine us having an alliance with EvoNexus in LA, Orange County and San Diego in the future.The incubator also has worked to tap the regions universities to find companies, such as satellite imagery outfit Tomnod, security software firm Tortuga Logic, drug delivery device maker Crisi Medical Systems and Aria, which makes technology to help the visually impaired.You would hear of an occasional spin-out of UC San Diego but not at this scale, said Moore. These are Ph.Ds., post-docs, university-originated ventures that applied to EvoNexus. I am proud of this because no one has done that before.Its not easy to get into EvoNexus. Only about one in 10 applicants are accepted. The incubators sweet spot: Companies that are far enough along in their technology development and business plan to show potential, but arent quite ready to seek funding from investors, said longtime volunteer Steve Hart, co-founder of satellite broadband provider ViaSat.You have to be well beyond the good idea stage to get in, he said.EcoATM is the biggest EvoNexus success to date, selling three years ago to publicly traded Outerwall for $350 million.Mark Bowles, co-founder of ecoATM, has started six companies in his career  many of them in Silicon Valley. He said San Diego lacks Silicon Valleys density of investors and entrepreneurs. So random collisions between startups and people who can help them with funding or business advice dont happen as often here.EvoNexus attempts to mimic the Bay Areas startup ecosystem inside the incubator, said Bowles.Three or four times a week Rory and the Admiral would introduce you to some dignitary  it might be the chairman of LG, Mayor (Jerry) Sanders or Bill Walton, said Bowles. Only one in four matter to you. But that one is important.An introduction to former Mayor Sanders, for example, helped ecoATM navigate discussions with law enforcement over fears that the companys recylcing kiosks would become a haven for stolen cellphones.On the tech side, they do a tremendous job, and they are doing it without a lot of dough, said Mike Kreen, president of the San Diego Venture Group. I bet they see 80 percent of the quality startups in town. With each cohort of companies that come through there, they get better at what they do.There are a couple of missing pieces for San Diego to become a viable alternative to Silicon Valley for tech startups. Venture capital is the biggest. The region lacks a large, $100 million-plus fund focused on early stage Southern California tech companies, said Moore.Frankly, part of what EvoNexus is looking to accomplish is to increase the ability of young Southern California companies to stay and grow in Southern California and not have to relocate to Northern California to raise money, said Hotle of the Irvine Co.EvoNexus and the San Diego Venture Group are working on the money problem. But its tricky, without easy solutions.I talk to venture capitalists in Silicon Valley all the time, said Kreen. They say they are sick of the valuations in Silicon Valley. They like the valuations in San Diego. They love that our engineers dont jump around from job to job. But when I ask will you come down here and hunt, the answer is no. We have plenty of deal flow.Another missing piece: While San Diego is known for biotechnology and wireless, the region isnt seen as a software powerhouse, despite clusters of data analytics and cybersecurity software expertise.We have a lot of good software people. We dont have critical mass by any means, and we are not seen as one of the great places for software (engineers) to go said Hart, the ViaSat co-founder.EvoNexus is working to change that by emphasizing software startups at its downtown incubator. Twenty-seven percent of EvoNexus companies over the years have been software firms. If a few of these firms grow and have successful exits, it would help raise the regions profile in software.There are major companies like Websense and Fair Issac where we are seeing some of their core talent start to leave and start companies, said Moore. We have three ventures right now that came out of Websense. Thats important. Teams leaving the mothership to start their own company.
(TNS) -- Residents of San Francisco, San Jose and four other Bay Area cities can now take their broadband service into the Giga Age.AT&T announced late Monday it has expanded the reach of its GigaPower service. As of Tuesday morning, people who in live in parts of Santa Clara, San Ramon, Mountain View and Dublin -- as well as the Bay Area's two biggest cities -- will be able to sign up for the Internet service, which offers download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.Streaming video services like Netflix "are making this a more in-demand product," said Marc Blakeman, AT&T's vice president for external affairs. "We're finding a lot more interest."With the launch, AT&T is the first major Bay Area broadband provider to widely offer gigabit service targeted at consumers. Comcast offers gigabit service to some of its local customers, but requires them to have special equipment to get it. Google has announced plans to bring Google Fiber, its gigabit service, to San Francisco and is considering bringing it to San Jose, but doesn't offer service in either location yet.The threat of Google Fiber has spurred AT&T, Comcast and other traditional broadband providers to upgrade their networks and offer gigabit service sooner than they might otherwise have done, said Bill Menezes, an analyst who covers communications services for Gartner, a tech research firm. They're also trying to get ahead of consumer demand, he said.The move to gigabit broadband represents a marked increase in the upload and download speeds previously available to Bay Area residents, particular to AT&T customers. The fastest service AT&T offers through U-Verse, its older broadband service, is 75 megabits per second. But that's only the download speed -- uploads are limited to a pedestrian 8 megabits per second -- and even that service is only available to a select number of customers in certain parts of the area.Most consumers don't yet need gigabit service, Menezes said. But that will likely change over time with new applications and additional devices added to the network."You don't need a gig if you've got a couple and kids streaming Netflix," he said. But you may in the future "if you continue to add other things."Like Google Fiber, AT&T's GigaPower service relies on fiber optic lines that carry signals all the way to residents' homes. In order to provide gigabit service, AT&T has to first string the fiber lines on utility poles or dig up city streets and lay them underground.AT&T began offering its gigabit service in the Bay Area last year, when it launched GigaPower in Cupertino. It announced in December that it would be expanding to additional cities in the Bay Area.Among the cities AT&T said then it would expand to this year is Oakland. That city didn't make the cut for Tuesday's launch, but GigaPower service there will "definitely be coming later this year," said Leland Kim, an AT&T spokesman.AT&T officials declined to say which neighborhoods in San Francisco, San Jose and the other GigaPower cities will now have access to the service, citing "competitive" reasons. They also declined to say exactly how many households in particular cities now can sign up for the service.The company is offering GigaPower at tens of thousands of locations in the Bay Area, Kim said. AT&T plans to triple that amount by the end of the year, he said.Company officials advised residents in cities where it is offering GigaPower to check with the AT&T website to see if the service is available at their houses.As part of the expansion, AT&T is cutting the price of GigaPower from what it initially charged for the service in Cupertino. Residents can now sign up for stand-alone gigabit Internet service for $70 a month on a one-year contract. AT&T is offering a "triple play" package of broadband, landline phone service and pay TV for $129 a month.Previously in Cupertino, AT&T charged $110 a month for stand-alone GigaPower Internet access and $180 a month for the triple play. All those prices assume that customers agree to allow AT&T to track their Web surfing habits for the purpose of delivering targeted ads. The company charges $29 a month more at each level of service for customers who opt out of the tracking.
Rahul To Expose Naidu, Jagan, Venkaiah!

If the strategy of the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh works out, party's vice-president Rahul Gandhi is going to expose the role of three musketeers  Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu and YSR Congress party president Y s Jaganmohan Reddy in the division of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh state.

According to sources, Andhra Congress leaders are planning to bring Rahul to AP sometime in the last week of May and make him issue an elaborate confessional statement as to why the Congress party had to take the decision of dividing united AP.

Rahul would explain that the Congress was the last party to react on the Telangana statehood demand and it had taken the decision only after getting letters from all the parties including the TDP which gave its consent for the division.

Even the representative of the YSR Congress party, who attended the meeting of then Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, did not object to the division of the state per se as per the Constitutional norms.

Rahul would also expose the drama enacted by Naidu and Venkaiah on the special category status issue.

The Congress is now being blamed for not incorporating the special category issue in bifurcation bill. But in fact, the UPA was planning to include it in the draft bill, saying special category status would be given to AP for five years. But Venkaiah wanted the status for 10 years and Naidu wanted 15 years. Because of this confusion, the Congress could not incorporate it in the bill, but got it announced by then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in the last moment, Rahul would explain.

Well, any takers for Rahul baba statement? And will the Congress resurrect with this statement?
Nissan issued a statement denying the charge made by the Korean Ministry of Environment (MOE) that the Nissan Qashqai sold in S. Korea was arbitrarily setting its engine system to illegally control exhaust emissions.

Jonathan Adashek, Chief Communications Officer at Nissan, asserted that the 814 Nissan Qashqais sold in S. Korea have been correctly homologated as required by the MOE.

As a company that builds some of the worlds best-loved cars, we are proud of our products and our reputation for innovation and quality. We are committed to upholding the law and meeting or exceeding regulations in every market where we operate. Any suggestion that we have not complied with regulations and are illegally controlling gas emissions is wrong.

The testing and conclusions reached by the MOE are inconsistent with those of other regulators who have themselves carried out stringent testing. Authorities in the EU have concluded that the Nissan vehicles they testedincluding the Qashqaiwere fully compliant with homologation standards.

The Qashqai sold in Korea complies withand has been homologated toEuropean Euro 6 standards and Korean regulations permit the importation and sales of vehicles that comply with these standards.
Once available only online, luxe boutique Copious Row will open its second location at 86 Greenwich Ave. next month. A luxury lifestyle concept that debuted offline in Sag Harbor, N.Y., last year, the brick-and-mortar store will feature rare items from exclusive international designers, from jewelry and handbags to clothing and accessories.

This expansion also marks Copious Rows entry into the womens ready-to-wear market.

Founded by David Chines, the Copious Row boutique will emulate a modern Parisian salon with double Mooi chandeliers and slabs of Cote dAzur marble. The companys chief design director, Zac Dillingham Zimmerman, will outfit the 1,600-square-foot space with an array of mens and womens accessories from across the globe in addition to a womens collection.

I hope to share a unique assortment of highly curated, internationally recognized designers that arent necessarily represented in most major luxury department stores, Chines said. My designers produce their items in limited quantities and wish to be viewed as elite artisans. Copious Row is a shopping destination for that person who is looking to stand out from the crowd.

With a passion for travel and experience in global luxury, Chines created Copious Row as a way to shed light on unique international brands with minimal presence in the United States, including Delfina Delettrez, Ryan Roche, Sonia Rykiel and Sophie Theallet. Chines formerly worked with top brands including Givenchy and Fendi, and this venture combines his background in high fashion with an interest in travel.

With its sophisticated and affluent population, Greenwich was a natural fit for the Copious Row brand, and Chines said his existing clientele aligns nicely with the market. In fact, many of his frequent Sag Harbor customers have their permanent residences in Greenwich.

I had quite a big following from the Greenwich area, Chines said. Customers would spend time at the Hamptons over the summer, and people loved the store. Its a progression in that way.

Chines wants to provide Greenwich residents with an experience unlike any other in the area. Not seeing anything else like it, he thought the Copious Row boutique would be a unique offering to residents of Greenwich with its eclectic, exclusive and obscure high-end designers. These designers, he said, dont have much presence in the United States yet, but create beautiful and carefully crafted products on par with renowned brands.

They really did want to be exposed to consumers in the U.S., he said. I thought this would be a great niche to go into.

Unlike the Hamptons-based flagship, the Greenwich location will expand beyond accessories into womenswear.
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It all starts with a proper glass, says winemaker Richie Allen.

Allen, who has been with Rombauer Vineyards for 13 years, led a wine tasting in a room of restaurateurs, distributors and retailers on Monday afternoon at Lescale on Steamboat Road. The restaurants fine French cuisine paired elegantly with Rombauers well-known wines during the five-course culinary event.

We wanted to give them a better understanding of what we do, said Brandye Alexander, director of marketing and consumer relations with Rombauer Vineyards. We also wanted to hear from them [retailers, restaurateurs and distributors] about whats happening in the market.

Each of the six featured wines was paired with a course prepared by Lescale, ranging from warm oysters a la nage with caviar to a chocolate lava cake with amarini sauce and creme fraiche ice cream. Before each course, Allen walked attendees through the flavor profile of each wine and provided ideas on what works well with them.

Through this event, Rombauer hoped to expose potential and existing partners to their full wine collection, from its 2015 Napa Valley sauvignon blanc to its 2014 Carneros chardonnay.

They think they know the wines, but they probably havent had it in 10 years, Allen said.

Wine tasting is a multisensory experience  a sequence of sight, scent and taste to fully gauge the wines flavor. For example, assessing the color may give away its flavor, with Allen noting how you can guess the quality based on whether its clear, bright, light or dark.

You taste with your eyes first, he said.

Then you swirl the wine and sniff it, noticing the types of flavors and their intensity. The process ends with the taste, where sight, scent and texture join together for full understanding of its essence.

Allen stumbled upon winemaking when he traveled to the United States following his graduation from university. The Australia native was rock climbing on the West Coast for six months, and some new friends invited him to Sacramento where they brought him to his maiden wine tasting. Though he was exposed to wine growing up, it was the first time he had tasted a selection of wines, from cabernet to zinfandel, side-by-side.

It became a hobby, then an obsession and now a career, Allen said.

He soon returned to Australia where he became a graduate winemaker. Missing the vineyards of Napa Valley, Allens palate drew him back to the region, where he joined an agricultural exchange program that placed him at Rombauer Vineyards. He quickly moved through the ranks from intern to winemaker and is now part of the team that oversees the process from harvest to bottle.

We like to make our wines in a traditional sense, he said. We utilize all the science and all the technology, so we understand what were doing.

The family-owned vineyard was established in 1980 with its first vintage, the cabernet sauvignon. Three decades later, Rombauer has become known for its bold, ripe chardonnay, as well as its collection of wines combining old world character with modern nuancea clean, crisp taste with layers of flavors, according to Allen.

Megan.Dalton@scni.com; 203-625-4411
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GREENWICH  The Bruce Museum is looking to renovate. Officials there plan to spruce up some of the exhibit spaces and add parking.

We have about 68 spaces at the moment and this would enable us to add another 40, said Peter Sutton, the museums executive director and CEO. That would greatly improve the parking at the museum, which is sometimes at capacity.

Inside, the museums science galleries are to be renovated for the first time since 1992 when the museum was last enlarged.

The science galleries are looking rather threadbare and out of date, Sutton said.

Improvements to the galleries will include new mineral mounts as well as new interactive features designed to make the facility more user friendly and learner-centric.

The Board of Selectmen last week moved the project along by approving changes to the towns lease agreements with the museum, including allowing it to use a strip of town-owned land, close to a third of an acre in size and adjacent to Interstate 95. The plot, near the 5.8 acres already overseen by the Bruce, is managed by the museum.

The lease adjustment is subject to final approval by the Representative Town Committee, and is to be placed on the RTMs June agenda.

The project also needs preliminary approval by the town Planning and Zoning Commission.

Were very thankful for the work you do on behalf of the town in enriching the lives of the people here and those who visit, First Selectman Peter Tesei said said when the selectmen approved the changes last week. Its a wonderful resource.

The work on the science gallery will be funded in part by a $750,000 grant from the state of Connecticut, subject to acceptance by the RTM.

The grant was received in 2008, Sutton said, but problems stood in the way of the museum doing the rest of the private fundraising required.

At the time the great recession hit and we did not have the opportunity to pursue it at the moment, Sutton said. But they kept this bonding available to us and now we just need to pass it through the town.

Because the project will require work near the highway, the state Department of Transportation needed to sign off on it. Sutton credited state Rep. Livvy Floren, R-149th, for her help in securing the DOTs permission.

Floren said the entire Greenwich legislative delegation assisted in getting the state approval, and has provided information about where additional state funding for the project might be available through grants.

Assistant Town Attorney Gene McLaughlin said the town Board of Estimate and Taxation had expressed some concern about potential environmental conditions of the soil on the land being used for the construction. Tests would be done prior to any construction, he said.

kborsuk@scni.com
GREENWICH  The Board of Education has approved about $13,000 from its achievement gap-focused initiatives account to support a family outreach program at New Lebanon School and a tutoring program at the Boys and Girls Club.

The New Lebanon Bridge to K workshops and the stipend to better direct the tutoring at the Boys and Girls Club are efforts with a clear and specific purpose to increase student achievement, said school board Chairman Laura Erickson.

Administrators plan to use about $8,900 to cover costs for personnel, food and supplies to host four school-readiness workshops next month for incoming New Lebanon School kindergartners and their families. The district launched the program last year.

Educators said the program is particularly needed at New Lebanon because about 20 percent of kindergartners at the Byram elementary school will arrive with little to no preschool experience.

It was before theyre even there, to get them involved in very specific and education-related topics to transition their students not only into the school, but to transition the families into the school and build that relationship and outreach before they get into New Lebanon School, Deputy Superintendent of Schools Ellen Flanagan told the board last week at its meeting at North Street School.

The second block of the re-allocated funds will cover a $3,500 stipend for a teacher liaison to identify and oversee Greenwich High School students tutoring middle and high-school students in a new program at the Boys and Girls Club.

This is frankly small money to help move along the relationship between the district and the club, said Superintendent of Schools William McKersie. Theres a relationship budding here. Wed like to build on this.

Funding for the two programs will come from about $28,000 remaining from a total of about $330,000 in the districts current-year budget for projects to close a district-wide achievement gap that runs along racial and ethnic, socio-economic and geographic lines.

The district has accumulated the balance because professional-development sessions planned for Western Middle School staff related to the expansion of the AVID college-readiness program at the school had to be scrapped because the training was too far away or conflicted with staff members schedules.

Other initiatives funded from the budget line this year included family-outreach programs at Hamilton Avenue, Julian Curtiss, New Lebanon and Western Middle Schools and professional development for teachers at Julian Curtiss and New Lebanon focused on improving students writing.

The board approved the re-allocation of the funds in a 5-0-2 vote. Peter Bernstein and Peter Sherr abstained. Bernstein said that he was concerned about re-directing money, especially since administrators are predicting the district will finish the current year with left-over funds well below its normal 1 to 2 percent budget surplus.

These things that come up at the end of the year using money make me a little uncomfortable, Bernstein said.

pschott@scni.com; 203-625-4439; twitter: @paulschott
GREENWICH  Some 2,500 miles away from their home laboratory, Greenwich High School scientists still garner acclaim for their research.

Junior Sanju Sathish won a first-place Grand Award in cellular and molecular biology, and junior William Yin won a second-place Grand Award in biomedical engineering last week in Phoenix at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which attracted some 1,700 high school students from around the world. Their accolades follow two first-place awards Greenwich High won in last years Intel competition.

Im thrilled to tell you that our run of success at Intels ISEF continues, Greenwich High honors science research teacher Andrew Bramante wrote in an email to colleagues.

Sathishs research focused on combatting the spread of HIV. He produced a magnetically operated nanocarrier module for melittin, a component of bee venom, which can target and destroy p24, a protein that enables HIV replication. He tested his idea with cell membranes that mimicked cells with HIV.

Attending the fair was a life-changing experience, Sathish said.

I was able to present my work to a series of professors and one of them even knew the author of a research paper I used personally, Sathish said. It was in that way amazing to have a connection with someone who was so immersed in the scientific field. It was even more unbelievable to me that they felt that my advance was one of the most promising in the world in the field of cellular and molecular biology.

Yin developed a biosensor resembling a Band-Aid, which, when placed on the neck over the carotid artery, would release nanoparticles to detect plaque buildup in the artery. The biosensor would cost $5. He tested his biosensor with human skin cells.

Junior Christo Popham earned recognition as a finalist at the Intel fair. Using microscopic silicon wafers, Popham created a new form of lithium-ion battery  a type of battery used in smartphones, laptops and tablets  that is more durable and more environmentally friendly than many commercial models.

Sathish said he was impressed by the camaraderie among the students at the fair.

We were able to celebrate our successes, and everybody was happy for award winners even when they themselves did not win awards, Sathish said. It gives me great hope for the future of science. By uniting people across borders in competitions like the Intel ISEF, we are making leaps and bounds for a brighter future.

Bramantes students have also won top awards in a number of other competitions in the past school year. Sathish, Yin and Popham ranked among the top finishers at the March state science fair, performances that clinched their spots at the Intel fair. Yins research also earned him the top award in the health and disease category at the I-SWEEEP competition last month in Houston.

You and your students are totally amazing, Board of Education Vice Chairman Barbara ONeill wrote to Bramante in response to his announcement of the Intel winners. Again, thank you for all the extra time and effort you put forth to give your students these amazing opportunities, the Greenwich community is very grateful.

pschott@scni.com; 203-625-4439; twitter: @paulschott
GREENWICH  Police officers were called to Greenwich Hospital Friday morning about a recent assault.

Police said a fight broke out between a employer and employee of a landscaping company on a job site in Byram.

Leonidas Domingo, 30, of Quintard Terrace, Stamford, had cuts and swelling on his face, as well as scratches on his shoulder.

After an investigation, police charged Kole Nicaj, 27, of Thiells, N.Y., the employer, with assault in the third-degree and breach of peace. Authorities said blows were exchanged after a dispute on Berrian Place over payment for earlier work. Nicaj reported scratches on his arm and said his ribs were in pain.

Domingo was charged with second-degree breach of peace, a misdemeanor.

According to the arrest report, There were conflicting stories as to how and how started the altercation.

Both men were released on bail. Domingo is due back in court May 19, and Nicaj was given a court date of May 27.
Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakerys cheesecake is for scaffolders and debutantes alike. Photo: Melissa Hom

Its time to name the best cheesecake. Cheesecake, of course, is shorthand for New York cheesecake, which for some is a roundabout way of saying creamy like an old-school Lindys slice, or ricotta-rich in Little Italy, or tart and crumbly on a diner plate, or cool and crust-free like a Baby Watson at the beginning of Ed Kochs second term. In other words, several variations on a theme. Here are the citys most compelling, circa now.

The Absolute Best 1. Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery

Umber Ahmads illustrious past includes degrees from MIT and Wharton, as well as a stint at Goldman Sachs. None of these things would seem to be a prerequisite for introducing the most elegant and spectacular cheesecake to come along in a while, but, well, here we are. The impressive nine-inch version weighs in around five pounds, with the dimpled cream-cheese base towering mightily above the upper limit of the chocolate crust. The bakery uses sour cream to keep the richness in check; a pleasant undercurrent of lemon oil comes from bright flecks of zest, and the cocoa cookie swathing its exterior adds a bitter crunch as well as a black-tie dapperness. Its fancy without being ostentatious, simple but tremendously impressive; a cheesecake for scaffolders and debutantes alike. A more traditional graham-cracker crust, as well as a smaller, four-inch format, are also available. The shop, which has built up a loyal clientele with online orders for the past two years, plans to debut its brick-and-mortar bakery in June.

2. Eileens Special Cheesecake

17 Cleveland Pl., nr. Kenmare St.; 212-966-5585

This cramped Cleveland Place institution was dealing full-size and puckish mini-cheesecake tarts entire decades before real-estate speculators concocted the word Nolita. The house special is still fluffy after all these years, and the kitchen keeps a dizzying array of varieties that encompass trendiness (salted caramel, red velvet) and beyond (pina colada, tofu) in stock. Customers in SUVs with Jersey plates still double-park on Kenmare and try to sneak away with the 12-flavor sampler before NYPD Traffic comes around, and its sometimes hard to maneuver around the out-of-towners lugging fancy cameras and bags of flash gear, so assertiveness is crucial. Despite its late-breaking forays into meme culture, Eileens remains a destination for excellent, beautifully un-hip cheesecake. We hope it never changes.

3. Petees Pie Company

61 Delancey St., nr. Allen St.; 212-966-2526

Petra Petee Paredezs impressive bid to make New York cheesecake great again began with research, a lot of cream cheese, and the pie experts generally classicist approach. Shes made improvements in the form of scraped vanilla beans and discernible hits of zest that are deployed into the cake. Moreover, because she is a master of crust and has plenty on hand, Paredez bakes some, then pulses it to produce a smooth buttery crumble that rivals any cheesecake set in pulverized graham crackers. The cake itself has a bright, almost savory bite, and the perfect density. Paredez also draws on her in-house reserves of sour cherries and wild blueberries to make fantastic fruit toppings that have genuine flavor and zero gloop. The end result is sufficient to inspire pangs of nostalgia for an older New York history that may have never really existed but is now available whole and by the slice.

4. Dominique Ansel Bakery

189 Spring St., nr. Thompson St.; 212-219-2773

Dominique Ansel Kitchen

137 Seventh Ave. S., nr. Charles St.; 212-242-5111

The hardworking Cronut creator puts a resolutely Ansel-esque spin on cheesecake at his original Soho bakery with a cotton soft version, which he says is for people who think they dont like cheesecake. It sits on a dainty almond biscuit base and wears a brulee-like crown of torched sugar. While its ingredients officially include whole-milk ricotta folded into whipped cream with a wisp of lemon, all that may as well be shorthand for moonbeams and frankincense and the odd buttercream Horcrux. The dessert comes apart in an airy crumble, yet somehow retains its shape and manages to evoke the balance of smooth and tart found in the oldest of old-school cheesecakes.

You wouldnt expect the guy who whips yuzu curd for his tarts a la minute in a milkshake machine to serve the same dessert at his other, would you? At his West Village location, the inventive pastry chef puts the cheese back in cheesecake. Dominique Ansels other cheesecake starts with creme fraiche and a little cream cheese, which are baked in a water bath until just set. The finished cheesecake is freckled with vanilla but has the dappled appearance of a round of washed-rind goat cheese, hammered home because it is packaged in a wooden cheese box that makes it eminently portable. The texture is smooth, almost molten, with a slight tang and extra bit of sweetness from a spoonful of truffle honey glaze.

5. Gabriel Kreuther

41 W. 42nd St., nr. 6th Ave.; 212-257-5826

If he chronicled beautiful pastries instead of snazzy dressers, street-style photographer Bill Cunningham would no doubt keep coming back to Gabriel Kreuthers lounge to see whats fresh. I never change the basic DNA, says patissier Marc Aumont, gesturing to the two half-moons of cheesecake at the bottom of the bowl. While the crust comes in the form of a decorative crumb, the dessert is accessorized with whatever is seasonal. A recent iteration included halved raspberries with quenelles of berry sorbet and frozen fromage blanc. An airy red bark of raspberry meringue gave the dessert a fine-dining architectural complexity and added a bitter note, which (of course) Aumont says is based on eating sweets in Japan. Although he could have opted for some obscure washed-rind appellation, for the cheese itself Aumont followed in the footsteps of fellow Frenchmen Alain Ducasse and Pierre Herme, who swear by old-fashioned Philadelphia, which, despite the name, was made first in New York.

6. Marta

29 East 29th St., nr. Madison Ave.; 212-651-3800

Jessica Weiss, the pastry chef Marta and Maialino, says she is way too in love with the former restaurants cannoli cheesecake to take it off the menu. All that sentiment is a major win for New York. Weiss deploys sweetened condensed milk as a dairy mediator of sorts between ricotta and cream cheese, and builds a formidable crust out of crushed cannoli shells set with a protective layer of dark chocolate to keep things crunchy, and the cheesecake sets with more chopped chocolate folded into the batter. The result is like the house dessert at Villabate Alba in Bensonhurst took the bus up Flatbush to meet the classic at Juniors. As a final touch, Weiss steeps Sicilian pistachios in milk and sugar, then blends them with a shot of amaretto. Just before serving, the crema is burr-mixed with a little fresh cream. It has a powerful flavor and ultralight texture, the coolest whip of all.
The kind of lunch you can feel good about eating every day. Photo: Miachel Breton

Its time to declare the best grain bowl in New York. This is a one-dish meal that includes a base of grains, and then a mix of vegetables, protein, and dressing. A grain bowl, as judged here, is not a composed dish found at an elegant restaurant  its something available all day, ideally to go, at a casual spot. These three are tops.

The Absolute Best 1. Lumpia Shack Snackbar

50 Greenwich Ave., nr. W. 11 St.; 917-475-1621 California-style restaurants like Dimes have popularized the idea of a grain bowl in New York, but the citys most distinct bowls come from restaurants that have a culinary identity specific to one culture. The best: Lumpia Shack Snackbar, a tiny West Village spot named after Filipino spring rolls. But the rice bowls are the true standouts here. The quality and freshness of the ingredients  which have a heavy emphasis on seasonality and local sourcing  already puts the bowls here far ahead of other places. Each $12.50 build-your-own bowl starts with a base of fluffy brown rice, pickled radishes, and green salad with fresh herbs. Nice, simple, healthy. Then the toppings: crisp tofu and mushrooms, which pair particularly well with the creamy, coconut-based bicol sauce. Or fatty, caramelized pork belly, ideally matched with a slightly sweet adobo sauce of soy and black-bean hoisin. Add on veggies like plump, pan-fried asparagus, or even a fried egg, if youd like. This is the kind of food you can feel great about eating often.

2. Mimis Hummus

Multiple locations

No ingredient is an afterthought at Ditmas Parkbased Mimis Hummus (which expanded to Manhattan this year): In the $14 shawarma bowl, the chicken is shredded and infused with curry  a bold flavor thats complemented by fragrant basmati rice, sheeps-milk yogurt, onion, cucumber, amba (like a mango chutney), and herbs. The same thick yogurt appears in a vegetarian Mujaddara bowl, which is the menus most interesting selection: a mix of black lentils, fluffy bulgur wheat, plump raisins, scallions, and onions. And, at $17, the branzino bowl feels like a steal, with a base of basmati rice, a thick stew of herbed lentils, and a flaky, crisp-skinned fish filet.

3. Cafe Henrie

110 Forsyth St., nr. Broome St., no phone

Yes, Cafe Henrie is run by an international club owner and filled with beautiful people who drink tea out of $60 Peter Shiredesigned mugs. It has all the trappings of yet another trendy restaurant thats mimicking L.A.s Sqirl  a.k.a. Mecca for people searching out bowl-based cuisine  but despite all that, the colorful, Instagram-friendly $14 Dragon Bowls are fantastic. The base includes coconut-flavored grains, fresh greens, pickled vegetables, sprouts, herbs, and in-season vegetables  standard stuff. Its the variety of additional proteins that bumps Henrie ahead of its California-ish competitors (El Rey, Dimes): turmeric-poached eggs, Persian meatballs (power move), or ginger-poached chicken. To finish: beet tahini or carrot-harissa yogurt.
The Motorola Moto G4 and G4 Plus are just a few hours away from their official unveiling, but looks like there's no stopping the leaks related to the devices, with the latest one bringing us the retail box of the Plus variant.

The front of the box confirms that the Plus variant comes with a square shaped fingerprint sensor, while the back reveals some of the phone's key specs, including octa-core CPU, 5.5-inch full HD display, 2GB/32GB memory configuration, 16MP/5MP camera combo, and 3,000mAh battery.

In addition, a couple of live images of the Moto G4 Plus have leaked as well, giving us a clear look of both its front as well as back:

Both Moto G4 (an image of which was leaked by @evleaks recently) and Moto G4 Plus will be announced later today at an event in Indian capital of New Delhi.

Via
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Xiaomi has announced that it has sold a total of 600,000 Redmi Note 3 units in India within a period of 60 days. The announcement came in the form of a Facebook post from the Chinese company's VP Hugo Barra, who described it as their "biggest record yet."

The device was launched in India back in March this year, carrying a price tag of INR 9,999 ($148) for the 16GB model and INR 11,999 ($178) for the 32GB model. And as you might already know, the model available in India is powered by SD650.

The device recently went on open sale in the country, but was out of stock within a couple of minutes only.

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Haiti - FLASH : G8 dissolved...





Nearly 7 months after its creation everything suggests, despite some confusion in the information, that the G8 no longer exists, it is at least what reveals an act of dissolution that would have "leaked" on the internet, and the converging position in particular of Moise Jean-Charles and Sauveur Pierre Etienne. The reason given is that of a mission accomplished namely, the departure of President Martelly, the installation of a transitional government and a verification commission of the election results of 25 October 2015, which according to members of the Group offers a high probability of a second round of presidential elections with two members of the G-8 [without Jovenel Moise...]



However, more than one political observer is skeptical about the real reasons that led to the dissolution of the G-8, that for them, resulting more of disagreements and divergent political interests.



This act of dissolution which would not have had to be on the web, is signed by several members of the G8 including Sauveur Pierre Etienne (OPL), Jean Charles Moise (Pitit Dessalin), Jude Celestin, (LAPEH) Jean-Henry Ceant (Renmen Ayiti). Additionally in introduction the list of paragraphs, this document includes 3 items :



"Article 1: The group of presidential candidates engaged in the electoral process leading to the installation of the newly elected president February 7, 2016, commonly known as the Group of 8 (G8), is, from the date of this letter dissolved.



Article 2: Former members of the G8 remains committed to the terms of confidentialities marking their relationships, their deliberations and their operation both in their internal relations and in those with national and international partners.



Article 3: The provisions of Article 2 are also a non-aggression pact for all G8 members as part of the upcoming elections."



Sauveur Etienne, Coordinator of the "Organization of People in Struggle" (OPL) accuses President Privert to be responsible for the leak of documents of the G8 on the internet, saying Privert realized what President Martelly had failed to do: infiltrate the G8 for this document on which not yet included all signatures of G8 members are found in the press and on social networks. He criticized President a.i. Privert that would have sown division in the group, promising to members that they will go to the second round of the presidential election.



Sunday, Moise Jean-Charles confirmed on his Facebook page that the G-8 was dissolved, although Eric Jean-Baptiste of MAS says otherwise, without being able say whether the G8 discussed its dissolution, hiding behind the Group's rules on confidentiality.



Sauveur Pierre Etienne, says the issue has indeed been discussed within the group, the objectives having been achieved, noting that the G8 has never been an alliance or a coalition but simply a group of eight candidates opposed to the idea that the PHTK monopolizes power in the first round of the presidential election.



While waiting to learn more at a G8 press conference...



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Justice : Laureates of 3rd arguments contest on human rights





For three years now, the arguments contest on human rights, result of a partnership between the Delegation of the European Union in Haiti, the Embassy of France and the French Lycee Alexandre Dumas rewards excellence of young students of final classes of Haiti, called to defend their position on a topic related to this universal theme.



As part of Europe Week https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17363-haiti-politic-program-of-the-europe-week-in-haiti.html , this 3rd edition of the arguments contest n human rights took place on 12 May in Port-au-Prince and allowed to witness of the echo enjoyed by this issue with young people and contributed ion their argument, to raise awareness at their level, both public opinion and policy makers.



10 aspiring speakers have succeeded before a jury including the ambassador of the European Union, Vincent Degert, the Ambassador of France, Elisabeth Beton Delegue and the representative of the British Embassy, Fiona Morisson.



This competition was won by Miss Guethchine Medjina Dupre (College Roger A. Anglade) whose vibrant plea in favor of women's rights has impressed the entire audience.



Miss Tabitha Michel (Sainte Therese de lEnfant Jesus) and Schensly Florestal (College Marie-Anne) respectively won the second and third prizes while Miss Ilona de Heusch (Lycee Alexandre Dumas) has been assigned a special mention of jury.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/article-13959-haiti-social-chloe-barthe-gattereau-remporte-le-grand-prix-du-concours-de-plaidoirie.html (in french)



HL/ HaitiLibre


























Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





Mirlande Manigat evokes civil war



According to the former presidential candidate Mirlande H. Manigat, all crises in the country occur within a global crisis, giving "an important to political solutions. There is a primacy of politics not taken in the direction of action, but that of responsibility of the State to ensure social peace." According to her there are actors who act according to their interests "[...] we can mention the provisional government, Parliament, the CEP, the Verification Commission, political parties [...]" Warning that if there is radicalization of the crisis that could lead to a civil war, or even a management of the country by foreigners...



Anomalies in the work of the Commission ?

Representatives of political parties at the Votes Tabulation Center (CTV) including that of Fanmi Lavalas say they have found in the work of the Verification Commission serious anomalies that require according to them, that the Commission suspend its activities in order to redefine its working method.



New requirement of LAPEH

Pascalnard Denis, representative of presidential candidate Jude Celestin, under the banner of "Alternative League for Progress of Haiti" (LAPEH) formulated a new demand for reform within the electoral apparatus including the dismissal of Mosler Georges, Executive Director of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP).



Demonstration against the occupation

Wednesday, May 18, the 213th anniversary of the creation of the flag, several popular organizations announce a new demonstration. David Oxygene, the coordinator of the "Moleghaf" states that this is an opportunity to say no to the presence of UN troops on Haitian territory since 2004, claiming that the ideal of the flag excludes any form of occupation of Haiti.



Tribute ceremony for 40 teachers

This Tuesday at the Marriott Hotel, the Ministry of National Education organized a ceremony to honor teachers. The Ministry intends to honor 40 teachers from departmental education directorates and five personalities that have marked the education sector. This activity is part of activities to celebrate National Teachers Day, May 17, 2016. The objective of the initiative is to promote the teaching profession and to promote values.



Opening of the special session

Cholzer Chancy, the President of the Chamber of Deputies announces that the meeting to mark the opening of the extraordinary session convened by the Executive, will be held next Thursday https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17441-haiti-flash-privert-convene-parliamentarians-to-the-extraordinary.html



Agriculture : Double installation of Secretary of State

Tuesday morning, at the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development to Damien took place the installation ceremony of the Secretary of State for Animal Production, the Agronomist Maxene Estime and the Secretary of State for Vegetable production, the agronomist Patrice Severe.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















ICF Worship has just released their brand new album Valleys and Wonders (Live). ICF Worship is the Worship from the church ICF Zurich and the ICF Movement. ICF Worship signed a co-publishing agreement with Integrity Music in 2013.

Long DescriptionFounded in 1996, ICF Zurich (www.icf.ch) started as it meant to go on - offering a fresh, Jesus-centred, expression of church.

Today ICF Zurich is a non-denominational church with around 3'000 weekend attendees spread across seven different locations within the city of Zurich and its surroundings. It is also one of the biggest church movements in the German speaking area, with 40 churches in Switzerland and throughout Europe (www.icf-movement.org).

Music has always played an important role in the ICF services. ICF Zurich has released over ten worship albums and the last two live albums - 'Take a Stand' (2011) and 'Legacy' (2012) - have seen ICF Worship become an increasingly popular voice within the European worship scene - with mainstream chart success to follow. ICF Worship signed a co-publishing agreement with Integrity Music in 2013.

Tracklisting:

01. The Journey (Live) 02. Brighter (Live) 03. Lighthouse (Holding On) [Live] 04. King (Friend of Mine) [Live] 05. Wide Open Spaces (Live) 06. Waves of Love (Live) 07. Live Victorious (Live) 08. Treasure (Live) 09. Radiance (Live) 10. Eyes On You (Live) 11. Wonder (Live) 12. Breathe (Studio Version)13. King (Friend of Mine) [Acoustic Version]14. Eyes On You (Studio Version)15. Live Victorious (Die Taube Remix)16. Eyes On You (Die Taube Remix)

Tags : ICF WORSHIP valleys and wonders ICF WORSHIP icf church icf worship new album
Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby.

15:16, 24 OCT 2022
NSWs state-owned energy provider is locked in an industrial relations battle with employees and the union as workers prepare to walk off the job next week.



Essential Energy, which owns, maintains and operates the electrical distribution networks for much of the state, has been negotiating a new enterprise agreement with staff and unions for over 12 months.



Tensions are set to reach a new level next week as employees take part in 80 hours of strike action, after the Electrical Trades Union served notice of plans for 20 consecutive four-hour stoppages from 10 pm Monday May 23 until Friday May 27 as part of protected industrial action.



Essential Energys Acting Chief Executive Officer, Gary Humphreys told HC Online it was unfortunate that the parties hadnt reached common ground during the bargaining period.



He said negotiations with the unions for a replacement Enterprise Agreement began in April 2015, including six days of conciliation facilitated by the Fair Work Commission.



Throughout this time, Essential Energy has remained at the negotiating table and continues to bargain in good faith, having already tabled two draft agreements, Humphreys says.



However, the unions rejected this offer as unacceptable to its members.



Unfortunately, the parties remain unable to reach an agreement and, despite union claims that an agreement is close, we remain a considerable distance apart in relation to key aspects of their respective claims, particularly with regard to proposed clauses for redundancy and dispute resolution, he says.



In June 2015 the publicly-owned company announced plans that it would make hundreds of positions redundant, and ABC reports say Essential Energy will try to axe up to 800 jobs within the next two years.



The new workplace agreement proposed by the company would permit the immediate sacking of 800 regional employees, and allow an unlimited number of job cuts after June 2018.



These clauses are central to negotiations as Essential Energy seeks to finalise an Enterprise Agreement that provides a greater level of efficiency and flexibility and removes unnecessary cost to customers, Humphreys says.



Humphreys said the 80-hour period showed a complete disregard for safety, network reliability and customers, including the many life support customers on Essential Energys network.



The unions also seem set on adding to an already challenging situation rather than helping to move the discussion towards an outcome that meets the needs of employees, customers and the business, he says.



Humphreys said the company held the safety of its employees, contractors and members of the public as its number one priority.




Seven Appalachian State University faculty and staff members were honored for their dedication to the betterment of Appalachians general education program at the annual University College/General Education awards ceremony.

General education and other first year experiences make up the foundation upon which student success, both in academia and in life, is built. I am happy to recognize some of the truly masterful builders, said Dr. Michael Krenn, professor of history and director of general education at Appalachian.

Kayla Hill received the Excellence in Student Advising and Mentoring Award, which is given to a faculty or staff member for superior performance in promoting and fostering student learning, development and self-authorship through their advising and mentoring activities. Hill is an academic advisor for athletes in Appalachians Learning Assistance Program. She establishes high expectations of her advisees, which renders high performance in the classroom.

Dr. Beth Davison received the Excellence in Community Engagement Award, which is given to a faculty or staff member whose activities promote collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources. Davison is director of interdisciplinary studies and the co-founder and co-director of University Documentary Film Services (UDFS). She has used UDFS as a vehicle to link Appalachian to the local region and the rest of the world. Davison also serves as chair of the board of directors for F.A.R.M. Cafe and advises the F.A.R.M. Cafe student club.

Andrew Hawley received the Faculty Award for Excellence in General Education Teaching, which recognizes a faculty member not on tenure track for innovative and committed teaching in the general education program. Hawley is coordinator for outdoor programs in University Recreation, and was nominated for the award because he offers innovative and dynamic courses that reach Appalachian students deeply on cognitive levels.

Miles Britton received the A-Portfolio Award for Excellence in Teaching, which recognizes a faculty member who has effectively integrated the use of Digication ePortfolios into his or her instructional program for purposes of assessing, showcasing and encouraging reflection on students work. Britton is a lecturer in the Department of English and participated in the A-portfolio pilot program. Britton has excelled in teaching students about multimedia and writing for the web through his use of A-portfolio.

Dr. Craig Caldwell received the Wayne D. Duncan Appalachian State University Faculty Enrichment and Teaching Fellowship, which is given to a full-time faculty member in recognition of innovative and successful teaching in the general education program. The fellowship can be used for travel, equipment or other approved purposes. Caldwell is an assistant professor in the Department of History and was instrumental in the set-up of Gen Ed 2.0 by leading a theme in the Integrative Learning Experience component.

Skip Rackmill received the Rennie W. Brantz Award for Outstanding Teacher in the First Year Seminar, which honors an instructor who demonstrates exemplary teaching and has made an impact on students. Rackmill teaches a seminar on Eastern Asian Martial Arts, holds a third degree black belt in Aikido and brings his knowledge of the historical and political context of Korea, China and Japan to the classroom.

Kelly McBride received the Harvey R. Durham Outstanding Freshman Advocate Award, which is designed to recognize a full-time employee who has contributed significantly to improving the freshman experience on Appalachians campus. McBride is the information literacy and instruction coordinator in Belk Library and Information Commons. McBride provides information literacy instruction for students, faculty and staff.

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By Jessica Isaacs | [email protected]

The High Country Writers recently convened to recognize members who published their work in 2015 with the groups annual Book of the Year Awards.

Much like the work written by the membership overall, award-winning titles span a variety of genres.

High Country Writers

First established in 1995 by six founding participants, the High Country Writers organization now boasts a membership of more than 60 writers.

Our motto is energizing writers since 1995, said HCW 2016 President Anita Laymon. Our purpose is to encourage, enlighten and educate in the art of writing.

The group convenes for monthly workshops, author presentations and critique/editing sessions on the first, second and fourth Thursdays of each month, respectively.

The peer-to-peer fellowship, support and advice offered by group get-togethers encourage each member as they pursue the publication of their work.

The encouragement and critiques are a high point of what we do. Critiques tell the writer how the work is perceived, if it follows the point of view consistently throughout, if they have maintained the historical significance and if the characters are consistent from beginning to end, Laymon said. All of that is so important, and sometimes the critiques point out things that the writer didnt know or intend. Thats the big thing  its a community of writers who encourage each other.

The membership spans authors of all genres, and any writers interested in joining the group are encouraged to visit the organizations website and attend the next meeting for more information.

Books of the Year

On Thursday, May 12, the High Country Writers met at the Watauga County Public Library in downtown Boone to recognize its members who published their work in 2015.

The books were submitted by the authors, and our criteria was that it had to be published online, self published or published by a publisher in the preceding year, and they had to have an International Standard Book Number, Laymon said. In the case of a couple of people this year, some had two or more books published.

The publishing achievements were celebrated in a show of appreciation for each authors effort to research, write and publish a book.

Visit highcountrywriters.tripod.com for more information on the group, including its history, a list of members and a calendar of upcoming events.

Continue scrolling for represented genres, award-winning titles and additional photos from Thursdays award ceremony.

Poetry of Travel: On Assignment

Peter W. Morris | Boone, North Carolina

Health and Wellness: Time for Change

Danielle Bussone | Abingdon, Virginia

Douglas Stephen Kaiser | Deep Gap, North Carolina

Anthony J. Rankine | Hickory, North Carolina

Leslie Anne Perry | Boone, North Carolina

Bill Runyan | Newland, North Carolina

Photos from the 2016 Book Awards recognitions:

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By Jesse Wood

In a 2-1 decision on May 10, the N.C. Court of Appeals upheld a 2014 jury verdict and subsequent judge ruling ordering the Town of Beech Mountain to pay about $360,000 in damages to Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary.

Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary is delighted that the North Carolina Court of Appeals has upheld the trial courts judgment, the jurys verdict and the dismissal of Town of Beech Mountains lawsuit against Genesis. The appeals court specifically noted that the Town received a trial free of prejudicial error, according to a statement from Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary.

Our battle may not be over, as the Town may choose to appeal the decision to the North Carolina Supreme Court. If that is the path chosen by the Beech Mountain Town Council, Genesis will continue to fight for what we know to be right, fair and just.

Litigation between the Town of Beech Mountain and Genesis is now in its fourth year and began in September 2012, when the town filed a complaint in Watauga County Small Claims Court seeking the eviction of the sanctuary from town property.

In 1999, Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary entered into a 30-year lease agreement with the town to house the center on .84-acres of town property located near the Buckeye Lake. But in 2009, the Beech Mountain Town Council adopted the Buckeye Lake Protection Ordinance, which states that animals cant be caged or housed within 200 feet of Buckeye Lake and its tributaries.

This was when the relationship began to sour.

Once this ordinance was adopted, Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary was in violation of town ordinances, and the Town of Beech Mountain sought to evict it from the property. Thus was the beginning of litigation with judgments going for and against both parties.

More background about the conflict can be found here.

Here is the majority court opinion from May 10:

In conclusion, we affirm the trial courts grant of summary judgment to Genesis on the Towns breach of lease claim. Further, we hold that the trial court did not err in denying the Towns motions for directed verdict and JNOV on Genesis substantive due process counterclaim. We also hold that the town has failed to demonstrate that the trial court erred in denying its motion for a new trial or amended verdict. Finally, we hold that trial court properly entered its declaratory judgments.

Read the entire court opinion here: GenesisOpinion15-260-1

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When you hear the term CBD you probably think of marijuana. While CBD is a chemical aspect determined in marijuana, it doesnt get you high. In fact, cannabidiol has the cap potential to offer quite a few enormous significant health benefits[1] starting from advanced sleep to ache comfort.

When using CBD products, its miles vital to observe medical advice. The records supplied in this article are supposed that will help you higher recognize what CBD is and what medical proof has to mention approximately its advantages.

In this article, well explore the subject of CBD oil to learn what it is, how it works, and what benefits CBD products may provide. Well also provide some helpful tips to follow if youre ready to try CBD oils for yourself.

What is CBD Oil?

Cannabidiol or CBD[2] is the second most prevalent active ingredient in cannabis. The name cannabis generally refers to the following three plants:

Cannabis sativa

Cannabis indica

Cannabis ruderalis

The cannabis plant is also known as the hemp plant, and different parts of the plant are used for different purposes. Hemp seed is rich in essential fatty acids  particularly omega-3s and omega-6s  as well as protein, vitamin E, and various minerals. The hemp oil extracted from hemp seed has been used to treat a variety of skin conditions including atopic dermatitis[3].

The leaves, stalks, and flowers of the cannabis or hemp plant can be harvested to make marijuana, but the natural oils they contain can also be extracted to create CBD oil. Hemp-derived CBD differs from marijuana by its lower levels of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the cannabinoid known for its psychoactive and intoxicating properties.

Most CBD oils are described as either full-spectrum or broad spectrum. Broad-spectrum CBD has the THC removed while full-spectrum CBD does not. When it comes to the health benefits of CBD products, research suggests whole-plant cannabis extract may surpass CBD isolates. The heightened benefit of CBD in the presence of other cannabinoids and terpenes is known as the entourage effect[4].

What Does CBD Oil Do? Does It Work  And If So, How?

The Endocannabinoid System

Though the effects of cannabidiol CBD are still being studied, researchers have attributed its benefits to CBDs relationship with the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system or ECS[5] is a master regulator in the body. It plays a role in regulating important bodily functions ranging from appetite and metabolism to memory, cellular communication, and immune response. It is also a major contributor to maintaining homeostasis in the body.

The ECS is a complex cell signaling system that was first identified during the 1990s and it involves three primary components:

Endocannabinoids

Receptors

Enzymes

Endocannabinoids are naturally occurring cannabinoids produced in the brain which play a role in supporting healthy bodily function. These endocannabinoids bind to endocannabinoid receptors to signal the ECS when it needs to kick in to address a problem. The predominant endocannabinoid receptors[6] in the body are CB1 and CB2.

Endocannabinoids are capable of binding to either receptor and the resulting effects vary depending on where in the body the receptor is located and the endocannabinoid to which it binds. When endocannabinoids have fulfilled their function, enzymes jump in to break them down. The two primary enzymes that play this role are fatty acid amide hydrolase and monoacylglycerol acid lipase.

Homeostasis

The key to understanding the role of the endocannabinoid system in the body lies in understanding the concept of biological homeostasis. The term homeostasis refers to the bodys ability to regulate its internal environment to restore stability in response to fluctuations caused by internal or external factors. Its role as a regulator of key bodily functions makes the endocannabinoid system integral to homeostasis.

Homeostasis is maintained through a variety of mechanisms[7], all of which have at least three components which interact with each other:

A receptor that detects changes in the internal or external environment

A control center that receives information from receptors and initiates a response

An organ or tissue that receives the information and enacts the necessary change to restore homeostasis

Both THC and CBD engage with the endocannabinoid device via way of means of binding to CB1 and CB2 receptors. Furthermore, CBD promotes 2-AG synthesis. 2-AG is an endocannabinoid that binds to and stimulates the hobby of the CB receptors. CBD moreover inhibits FAAH, which ends up in extended anandamide levels. Anandamide turn-ons CB1, CB2, and TRPV1 receptors[8].

Besides, CBD has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties  that are partially mediated by CBDs actions on TRPV1, mitochondria, and PPAR. This receptor is thought to play at the frame and thoughts in ache remedy and inflammation.

By interacting with TRPV-1 and stimulating boost in each anandamide and 2-AG, CBD mediate promotes wholesome endocannabinoid activity. And because the endocannabinoid system is directly engaged in such a lot of homeostasis processes. By triggering those reactions, CBD can also additionally assist provide your body the boost it needs to restore homeostasis and to preserve functioning properly.

Are There Proven Benefits to Using CBD Oil?

Though the popularity of CBD oil has risen dramatically recently, scientists have been studying its effects for years. The strongest scientific evidence[9] supporting the effectiveness of CBD is in treating childhood epilepsy syndromes like Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) and Dravet Syndrome. CBD oil has also been studied to determine its effectiveness in treatments used to relieve anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, and inflammation.

Is CBD Worth Trying for Pain Management?

Cannabis has been used as a treatment for pain[10] for centuries. It is only somewhat recently, however, that scientists have discovered that cannabinoids (including CBD) are responsible for providing those pain-relieving benefits. CBD is supposed to be a good analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsant, and anxiolytic activity. Though it may not direct alignment with CB1 or CB2 receptors directly, it acts as a modulator[11]and regulates ache by affecting the activity of different objectives withinside the body.

In one rat study[12], researchers discovered that CBD injections decreased ache reaction to surgical incision and some others discovered[13] that oral CBD remedy drastically decreased sciatic nerve ache and inflammation. In human studies, a combination of CBD and THC in the form of an oral spray called Sativex has been found to treat pain related to several conditions including rheumatoid arthritis[14] and multiple sclerosis[15]. A 2018 study of cannabidiol use[16] revealed that over 60% of CBD users use it to treat a medical condition, particularly pain. Though several studies have shown a positive correlation between CBD and pain relief, more research is required to determine its effects on different types of pain. Some scientists suggest mild pain relief related to CBD treatments may have more to do with its anti-inflammatory benefits than with any specific impact on pain. Some studies show stronger analgesic effects when CBD and THC are taken together.

Can CBD Help Anxiety?

The physical benefits of CBD are fairly well studied, but its efficacy as a treatment for mental disorders is less proven. When it comes to the potential benefits of CBD for anxiety relief, researchers again cite its effects on the endocannabinoid system. Research shows[17] that CBD has a broad pharmacological profile and interacts with several of the receptors known to regulate fear and anxiety-related behaviors. Some research suggests CBD also acts on the brains receptors for serotonin[18], the neurotransmitter linked to mood.

There are numerous studies regarding the benefits of marijuana for anxiety, but fewer specifically related to CBD. In the study of CBD use[19] mentioned above, the second most common reason users cited for taking CBD (after pain) was for anxiety relief. Nearly 36% of respondents claimed CBD dealt with their condition thoroughly through itself.

In a 2019 review[20], researchers suggest the results of numerous mouse studies combined with developments in medical research support the use of CBD for anxiety and depression. This hypothesis is further supported by the results of a Brazilian study[21] in which a 300mg dose of CBD significantly reduced public speaking anxiety in adult males. CBD oil has also been used to treat anxiety in children with post-traumatic stress disorder.[22]

Again, several studies have found the benefits of CBD to be heightened when combined with THC. For CBD on its own, however, a Ph.D. research consultant[23] from the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute (ADAI) says, [CBD] does appear to be psychotropic insofar as it appears to have pharmacological benefits with regard to anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction, and depression.

Can Alleviate Cancer-Related Symptoms?

According to the National Cancer Institute[24], an estimated 1.8 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2020 and over 600,000 people will die from the disease. Breast cancer, lung cancer, and prostate cancer are the top three most common cancers. Prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers account for over 40% of all cancers diagnosed in men while breast, lung, and colorectal cancers account for 50% of all new cases in women.

Cancer is a notoriously difficult disease to treat and new therapies are constantly being developed. Unfortunately, some of the most effective cancer treatments[25] are also the most toxic and invasive. Surgery may be required to remove tumors while chemotherapy or radiation is used to kill cancer cells. The side effects of these treatments can be just as difficult as the symptoms of cancer itself. Many cancer patients experience nausea, fatigue, swell, pain, and sleep problems.

In addition to its capacity advantages for ache relief, CBD has additionally been proven to assist lessen chemotherapy-brought nausea and vomiting.[26] In one study[27], a THC and CBD mouth spray decreased chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting higher than the preferred remedy alone.

Some research suggests CBD may have anticancer properties as well. In one study,[28] concentrated CBD resulted in cell death in human breast cancer cells. In another,[29] CBD inhibited the spread of aggressive breast cancer cells in mice.

Several Other Potential Benefits

Insomnia

Insomnia[30]  a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty with sleep quality, initiating, or maintaining sleep  affects up to one-third of the American population. Sedative drugs can help with insomnia, but they come with a high risk of dependence and daytime sleepiness. Numerous studies have tested the effects of whole-plant cannabis and isolated CBD for insomnia treatment.

In one study,[31] tetrahydrocannabinol was shown to have short-term sleep benefit but long-term use was associated with habituation and a less pronounced circadian rhythm. This may eventually lead to issues with daytime sleepiness, delayed sleep onset latency, and negative mood and memory effects. CBD on its own, however, yielded different results. While low-dose CBD was found to have stimulating effects, medium- and high-dose CBD was setting and increased the percentage of total sleep.

Alzheimers Disease

Scientists are still working to better understand the effects of CBD on the endocannabinoid system, but some researchers believe CBDs ability to act on the ECS and other signaling systems in the brain may provide benefits for patients with neurological disorders.

In addition to research supporting the possible benefits of CBD for epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, several studies have shown CBD may improve the quality of life[32] for people with Parkinsons disease and that it may decrease inflammation and slow neurodegeneration in Alzheimers[33] patients. In a long-term mouse study,[34] CBD was found to help prevent cognitive decline in mice genetically predisposed to Alzheimers disease.

Seizure Reduction

One of the most thoroughly tested benefits of CBD is for the treatment of seizure disorders like epilepsy, especially in children. A 2019 study[35] conducted by the UNC School of Medicine showed the benefits of CBD for Angelman syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental condition associated with seizures and abnormal brain rhythms. Other studies have shown CBD to be effective in reducing seizures[36] even in patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy.

Substance Abuse/Addiction

Marijuana is known for its THC content and the associated psychoactive properties. Unfortunately, people who use marijuana frequently are prone to marijuana use disorder[37] which, in some cases, can take the form of addiction. Whereas THC has the potential to develop into an addiction, CBD has been shown to help treat addiction.

In one rat study,[38] CBD became proven to lessen morphine dependence and heroin-looking for behavior. Similar results are hypothesized in humans. Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have recently received funding for a study to determine whether CBD can help fight cravings in people addicted to opioids.[39]

Additionally, a team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego, is currently investigating the potential effects of CBD as a treatment for alcohol use disorder[40] (AUD).

Are There Any Side Effects?

Though CBD doesnt get you high like THC, it may cause adverse effects in some people. The most commonly noted side effects[41] of CBD include:

Drowsiness

Diarrhea

Changes in appetite

Weight changes

CBD also has the potential to interact with certain medications due to the way the body metabolizes certain substances. CBD may inhibit the function of enzymes that change the way your body processes the CBD  the opposite can be true as well.

Though there are limited studies to identify specific drug interactions, the rule of thumb to follow is to avoid CBD if any medication youre taking has a grapefruit warning. The FDA has identified[42] over 85 drugs that interact with grapefruit, leading to a higher concentration of the medication in the bloodstream. This is because chemicals in grapefruit inhibit certain enzymes that help metabolize medications in a similar way to CBD.

Is CBD Oil Legal?

CBD products have become widely available throughout the country, so you may be wondering if CBD oil is legal. The answer to this question is a little complicated because it depends on the use for which CBD oils are marketed and sold. Generally speaking, however, CBD products are no longer considered controlled substances[43] under federal law.

The 2018 Farm Bill (the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018) changed the way hemp products are produced and marketed. Under this act, hemp-derived CBD products are legal as long as the 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content is under 0.3% on a dry weight basis.

Advice for Someone Who Wants to Try CBD

If youre interested in trying CBD, its important to start by doing some research about cannabidiol. CBD is one of many active compounds in the cannabis plant and it is non-psychoactive, so it wont get you high. It does, however, come with some risk for side effects, so be sure to talk to your doctor and follow medical advice if you start taking it.

Check your states laws[44] about CBD oil to make sure it is legal to purchase and do some research into local retailers of cannabidiol products to find a reputable company. Choose a company that provides specific details about where the hemp was grown and make sure the products are lab tested, ideally by a third party.

When using CBD, always start with a low dose and follow the dosing instructions recommended by the manufacturer. Different CBD products have different concentrations of CBD, so you may want to start with a low concentration to see how it affects you before moving up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does CBD Show Up on a Drug Test? It depends. Pure CBD may not cause a false-positive drug test result, but some CBD products contain enough THC concentrations to cause a positive result. How Do I Choose a CBD oil? Make sure CBD oil is legal in your state then look for a company that uses high-quality hemp. Check the CBD content of the product and ask for lab analysis if the company doesnt offer one automatically. How is Cannabidiol Different from Marijuana? Cannabidiol is a cannabinoid found in cannabis or hemp, the same plant from which marijuana is derived. The primary difference is CBD doesnt have psychoactive effects whereas the tetrahydrocannabinol in marijuana does.
(HedgeCo.Net) The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced fraud charges against two attorneys accused of making undisclosed risky investments and in some instances outright stealing money they obtained in escrow accounts from small business owners seeking commercial loans. The SEC alleges that Jay Mac Rust and Christopher K. Brenner collected $13.8 million acting as escrow agents between their clients and a purported loan company called Atlantic Rim Funding.

Rust and Brenner assured clients that their deposits of 10 percent of the desired loan amount would be held safe and only used to purchase liquid, government-backed securities that Atlantic would then leverage to obtain their loans.

According to the SECs complaint, Atlantic had no ability or intention to obtain these loans. Yet when that became obvious to Rust and Brenner they each continued to make misrepresentations to clients and collected more money anyway. Rust siphoned $662,000 and Brenner took $595,000 in client funds to pay themselves and others, and they gambled on risky securities derivatives with the remainder of the money. Rust and Brenner each opened numerous securities accounts at broker-dealers to make these trades, and avoided scrutiny by lying that the money being used was their own cash rather than client assets.

SEC examiners detected the scheme when examining one of the brokerage firms where trades were being placed.

We allege that these attorneys betrayed the trust of their clients by luring them with promises of small business loans that never materialized. They continued to recruit new escrow clients to repay earlier clients and did everything but keep client money safe as they represented they would, said Andrew M. Calamari, Director of the SECs New York Regional Office.

The SECs complaint, filed in federal court in Manhattan, charges Rust and Brenner with violating Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5. The SEC seeks permanent injunctions and disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus interest and penalties.

The examination that uncovered the misconduct was conducted by broker-dealer examiners in the New York office. The ensuing investigation was conducted by Daphna A. Waxman, Tuongvy T. Le, and Valerie A. Szczepanik. The litigation will be led by Richard G. Primoff, and the case is being supervised by Lara S. Mehraban.
The survey found that 45 per cent of 1884-year-old people took advantage of the extended opening hours in March but also that the tendency to do so varied markedly between different age groups, with the share standing at 64 per cent for people under the age of 35 and at 20 per cent for people in retirement.

Young people, in particular, have taken advantage of the longer opening hours of retailers, indicates a survey conducted as part of the Consumer Barometer of Statistics Finland.

Retailers have been allowed to set their opening hours freely since the beginning of the year.

The opening hours are also subject to considerable regional variation and tend to be longer in urban areas, the residents of which  as Statistics Finland points out  are typically younger, better educated and paid than those of other regions.

Students and senior members of managerial staff appear particularly eager to take advantage of the longer opening hours, the statistical institution highlights.

Statistics Finland describes young residents of the capital region as a vanguard whose ways of life encourage them to take advantage of the new opening hours. This group of people is also the most confident in the economy, points out Pertti Kangassalo, the author of the Consumer Barometer.

A total of 1,255 1884-year-old people from all over the country were interviewed for the survey in early April. Statistics Finland is likely to continue to monitor the impact of the extended opening hours on consumer behaviour in the second half of the year.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Antti Aimo-Koivisto  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
Finavia, the state-owned operator of Helsinki Airport, reveals in a press release that the number of Chinese passengers grew by 50 per cent year-on-year to 300,000 in 2015, whereas that of Russian passengers decreased by 120,000 to 280,000.

Ville Haapasaari, the director of Helsinki Airport at Finavia, points out that the number of tourists from Asia, especially from China, is increasing sharply in Finland, with overnight stays by Asian tourists increasing by 20 per cent and those by Chinese tourists by as much as 40 per cent during the course of last year.

The trend is naturally notable also in the passenger figures of our airports, especially Helsinki Airport, he says.

Russian tourists, he adds, remain an important target group for the airport despite the fact that their share of all passengers declined by two percentage points from the previous year to three per cent last year.

The five million residents of St. Petersburg are an important target group for us. The train connection from St. Petersburg extends now all the way to the airport. We hope this increases the number of Russian passengers at Helsinki Airport again in years to come, he says.

Finnish passengers, meanwhile, accounted for less than one-half of all passengers at Helsinki Airport for the first time ever last year, according to Finavia. The largest groups of foreign tourists at the airport were Swedes with a share of five per cent, Germans with a share of five per cent and Britons with a share of four per cent.

Finavia has invested especially in improving the passenger experience of Chinese tourists  not least because they are the biggest spenders at Helsinki Airport. The airport has already made its app, signage and website available in Chinese, hired Chinese-speaking customer service agents and opened an account on Weibo, the most popular social media platform in China, highlights Haapasaari.

Helsinki Airport currently offers connections to five destinations in China: Chongqing, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa  Lehtikuva
Less affluent Bruce Drysdale fast becoming fluent in Spanish

Students in Cecilia Rosellos kindergarten class are eager to answer the teachers questions.

Cecilia Rosellos kindergarten class looks like a typical American classroom. But it doesnt sound like one.

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Rosello asks questions in Spanish. The children answer in Spanish. The kids sing a song to learn the names of fruit. They really learn vocabulary from that, she says to a visitor, the only time she speaks English. The kids happily sing along, raise their arms on cue, stand up, sit down.

Is this an English as a second language class? No. The class made up is (mostly) native English speakers, with Spanish gaining fast to become a tie for first.

Welcome to Bruce Drysdale Elementary Schools Spanish immersion program, one of the most successful innovations in Henderson County schools in recent years. Now in its fourth year, the program has led to higher test scores for both native English speakers and native Spanish speakers, broken down cultural barriers among brown, white and black children and made Bruce Drysdale something of a magnet school for parents who see great value in having their child become fluent in Spanish.

When we birth these kids to the community, they will come out and have jobs, says Amy Holt, a Henderson County School Board member and strong advocate for the Spanish immersion program. Were going to have a group in our community that wont struggle with anything when they get somebody that comes to them no matter where they are, if theyre in a restaurant or at Kimberly Clark, theyll be able to translate. Itll open a lot of doors for them.



Going all in

Roots of the program go back at least five years when administrators began exploring the options.

There are several models of dual-language programs around the country, says Dr. Christine Smith, the school principal. We decided, at first, to go with the 80 percent Spanish, 20 percent English model, at first in kindergarten and then work it up to the time when theyre in 5th grade, have it about 50/50.

Administrators were leaning for a more balanced model.

We read that more and more schools were doing immersion in kindergarten, and we visited schools in San Diego that were 100 percent immersion, and we came back and visited a school in Statesville, North Carolina, that was also 100 percent immersion in kindergarten and their kids were doing fine, Smith says. So, we did it. We went 100 percent immersion two years ago starting in kindergarten.

The children that started the full immersion program are now in first grade, and teachers are seeing that they read and write better in both languages. Theyre able to take the rules of reading they learn in Spanish and apply them to English. Teachers teach subjects like math and reading completely in Spanish, and do classroom activities also in Spanish. Students complete their assignments and take tests in English.

We dont teach for the test, we teach for these kids to learn that testing is necessary so that you can assess and see where these kids are at, Holt says. When we figure out the level that these kids are as opposed to the kids that arent being dually immersed, theres a big difference. Theyre a lot more proficient in the dual-language program.

The first grade classroom of Elisa Carcano is decorated with posters with vocabulary words, the Spanish alphabet, and rules of feminine and masculine adjectives. White children, black children and Hispanic children are all able to speak the same caliber of Spanish, and they have already learned things beyond the material high school students learn in foreign language classes.

While older children might be intimidated at plunging into a language theyre not speaking at home, 5-year-olds adapt easily.

They dont know its supposed to be hard, Smith says. They dont know that it freaks us out. They just think if they can read the word casa (Spanish for home) then they can apply the phonics and reading rules to reading anything in English. Its been really amazing. Our third graders now, our oldest kids, are become more and more fluent in Spanish. Theyre speaking to each other a lot more.



Deeper thinking skills

The differences in test scores between kids in the dual-language program compared to the kids in traditional educational classes are significant. Limited English Proficient native Spanish speakers and native English speakers in the dual-language program test higher in all subjects across the board. After going through a year of 100 percent Spanish immersion program in kindergarten, students were tested at the beginning of their first grade year. Dual-language native Spanish speakers kids tested at 25 percent and dual-language native English speakers kids tested at 67 percent. Non-dual language Spanish speakers tested at 8 percent while English-speaking kids at 38 percent.

The higher scores held true through the third grade. Kids in the dual language program do better than those that remained in traditional English-speaking classrooms.

I knew this was big because we started at Bruce Drysdale and we have so many Spanish kids that go there, Holt says. I was thinking Oh, its gonna help the Spanish speaking kids. I didnt know it would help the English speaking kids. When theyre testing, theyre testing in English; theyre not getting Spanish tests to help them. Theyre all taking the same exact test.

Why is there such a big difference in test scores when comparing kids in the program with kids outside of it? It seems to relate to how the dual language approach activates the brain.

Its almost like the difference in learning what an apple is and then tasting an apple, Holt says. Youre getting it twice. Youre getting it in Spanish and learning how you comprehend something in Spanish and youre also learning it in English. Youre seeing two sides of it, and it really helps them to understand it.

Models predicted the advancement. But seeing it firsthand was something else.

Kids in the dual-language classes are outperforming other kids in the non-dual-language classes in academics, SMITH says. The research said that would happen, and it has. The kids in dual-language class are developing deeper thinking skills; again the research said that would happen because its growing the brain dendrites more than monolingual folks. So your brain doesnt expand, it develops neurotransmitters that werent there or that wouldnt have ordinarily been there. These kids are really good thinkers generally compared to the non-dual-language folks.

Once the program was under way, Smith recognized another factor. Native Spanish speakers were more natural dual-language teachers.

We were originally teaching our kids like we, English-speaking Americans, learned to teach kids how to read, she says. Then I started hiring all these international teachers who taught children how to read with methods they learned in their native countries, well, its very different. A gal from Spain said, Thats not how we teach reading, and so my international teachers have changed how we view not just language acquisition, but reading acquisition, how to learn to read in Spanish. Theyve kind of revolutionized our curriculum and the delivery of our curriculum; to put an emphasis on sentence structure and masculine and feminine, which we dont have in English.

In all, there are seven international teachers at Bruce Drysdale: two from Costa Rica, one from Columbia, one from Chile, one from Spain and two from Mexico.

You should sit with them in a meeting, they all talk at once, and they say Is that how you say that word in your country? We dont even have that word in our country  because their dialects are different and their word choices are different. Its funny because we had a group of kindergarten students a couple of years ago, and their teacher was a native Cuban. Shes lived in the United States since she was four, so her English doesnt have an accent, but she has a distinct Spanish dialect. Then they went to first grade and had a teacher from Spain, so they started speaking with lisps.

The native of Cuba was Ms. Rosello. Her mother was a pharmacist and her father was a successful oil distributor when the Castro revolution forced the family to flee to Miami in 1961 when Rosello was 4. It was in January, she says. I remember they dressed me in a yellow and black plaid dress with velvet sleeves.

In her class and in grades above, cultural barriers are breaking down.

I suspected that was going to happen, we didnt really plan for it, but it has happened, especially with the employment of all of these international teachers, Smith says. We try to put native-Spanish speakers in the classes as well. Research says we need about a 50/50 ratio of Spanish speakers to English speakers. Weve not reached that goal yet. Weve only got one third native Spanish speakers and two-thirds native English speakers. We want good models, kids who can speak Spanish, and so its worked out, its good enough.

The dual-language has turned classrooms into a community thats the same, not different.

I see that they are less isolated and more blended, Smith says. They have friendships. They invite each other over to their houses. Heretofore, my Hispanic community has been a Hispanic community and we havent been mingling that much but in dual language classes, these kids have been having sleepovers, their parents talk, its broken down the boundaries with those families.

Each year, the program has gained popularity.

I always get nervous that no one will sign their children up for the dual-language kindergarten classes, Smith said. That hasnt been a problem.

Classes were added as more childrens parents applied them for the program. In its third year of operation, a waitlist formed.

This year we registered 37 children in the dual language program, Smith says, and 19 of those were not Bruce Drysdale zoned. Right now these kids, even though theyre just in the third grade, can take a CBM (curriculum-based measurement test) for Spanish 1 and probably pass it. When they leave fifth grade they will probably pass a CBM for Spanish 2. Theyll be going into middle school and theyll already have high school credit.



This has bridged a long existing gap

At one point, about 15 years ago, the School Board considering turning over Bruce Drysdale to an experimental education organization called the Edison Project. After an uprising by teachers and parents, the board scrapped the plan. More recently, there was talk of merging Hendersonville and Bruce Drysdale elementary schools.

This dual-language program was the result of people that were coming to the school board asking that we merge the two schools, Holt says. We didnt think it was beneficial to either school to merge them. It wasnt going to build a sense of community, it would have separated it.

The dual-language program has given Bruce Drysdale something to boast about.

Doing this program, I thought the technology would be a huge piece, and it is, but we dont have people flocking to Bruce Drysdale because of the technology, Holt says. Its really the dual-language program thats done it and thats where Im going to put my daughter, Alyiah Faith. When you start them that young, kids are more open to it, they dont put barriers up. This program has bridged a long existing gap. It has shown parents how important it is, especially in our community where there is a high population of native Spanish speakers, for children to not only learn two languages, but to also work together inside and outside of the classroom.

(School administrators held a meeting on Tuesday at Hendersonville Middle School to talk about extending the dual-language program into middle school.)

The Spanish speakers from Bruce Drysdale will enroll in HMS in 2018. There has been conversation about expanding the dual-language track to other elementary schools

My personal preference would be to duplicate this program in every elementary school, Holt says. Theres no bad that could come out of it, its nothing but good and these kids will be a lot more globally ready. Theyll be able to get more jobs; theyll be able to understand more things even at the college level, because they have this proficient level of understanding things in two different languages. Its had a big impact on Bruce Drysdales community.
Camps, Playhouse wary of HB2 effect

While the 2016 summer camp season is shaping up as a good one, some camp owners have concerns that HB2 over the long run could cut camp attendance.

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The state law blocked an ordinance the Charlotte City Council adopted in February allowing transgender people to use public restrooms based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex at birth. Since then, some entertainers have canceled shows and some companies have called off plans for business expansion.

Supporters of HB2 say the opponents are misleading the public on what the bill does in an effort to make North Carolina an example. In any case, House Bill 2 appears to have secured a place in the national discussion and the presidential campaign.

I want to assure the people of our state and our country North Carolina has long-held traditions of ensuring equality, Gov. Pat McCrory said Monday in defending the bill and announcing the states lawsuit asking a federal judge to declare it valid.

At last weeks Camp Field Day, a Chamber of Commerce-sponsored celebration of the summer camp industry, camp owners were generally optimistic about the 2016 season and beyond and had seen little impact from HB2.

I think most camps are back to  I wont say pre-recession, but its close, said Fair Waggoner, city executive of United Commercial Bank and one of the founders of Camp Field Day.



Will state repeal HB2?

But John Dockendorf, the owner of Camp Pinnacle, said he is starting to get questions about the law.

It seems that the people that dont like the bill are the people that are getting hit, he said. The city of Charlotte lost Pay Pal and theyre the ones that started the whole thing.

Dockendorf said he took a call from one prospective wedding planner who asked: Do you think the law will be repealed by then because I know my friends from California dont like it.

We have three weddings on our books from California this summer, he said. Legislators and supporters of the law may not understand that the mindset of a San Francisco is very different than a small town in North Carolina, he said. Theres a certain group of people where its really cool to say, Oh I dont go to North Carolina because of HB2. At Pinnacle our goal is to really be a international camp. We have campers from 30-something states and 16 foreign countries. China is busting the door to get in.

He said its possible that summer camp shoppers uncomfortable with the HB2 controversy may simply cross North Carolina camps off their list.

My sense is that our leads from New England are way off, Dockendorf said. I would imagine well have some first-time camp families that will say, Oh, well go to Maine or Massachusetts. We wont go to North Carolina  when we all know North Carolina is where they want to send their kids.

Dockendorf says hes not as worried about repeat campers because theyre from families who have long known him and his staff and the Camp Pinnacle experience.

Theyre not going to cancel because they like us, we work together and they know we dont support the bill, he said. If the phone stops ringing and the Facebook hits drop, he said, no one will know if its because of HB2.

We certainly are an attractive destination for California and the north, he said. We could fill our events from the South but you hate for half your business to rule you out because of government policies. Its not helping us. Its not going to knock us out of business or anything.



Popular musicals off the table

Lisa K. Bryant, the creative artistic director of the Flat Rock Playhouse, said the main impact professional theaters have seen is the decision by one prominent show creator to pull his shows.

Stephen Schwartz, the creator of the hit Broadway musicals Godspell, Children of Eden, Wicked and Pippin among others, has told his licensing his company  and they have supported him  that he does not want any of his shows licensed to any theater in the state of North Carolina, Bryant said. So, for instance, in 2017 if we wanted to do anything by him, as of right now we would not be able to. So far, fortunately, no other writers have made such a statement, at least not that we know about it. But if any others were to follow through that would really put us in a bad place. We would not be able to produce a season if other writers pulled their work out of the state of North Carolina.

Shes made the Playhouse Board of Trustees aware of the theater communitys reactions to HB2. So far the board has not taken a position.

Its really been more of an education process for them as well, she said. When Stephen Schwartz made that announcement it was a really really big deal  its still a big deal  among the arts community throughout the state. I shared a couple of links to articles just to let them know what was out there and what the conversation was. Were waiting to see what other news is coming out.

She said shes had no communication with either the local Tourism Development Authority or legislators. And she doesnt expect any cast members to pull out of their commitments to perform in Flat Rock this summer.

Theyre hungry, she says of the actors. Theyve got to eat and pay bills. Its the upper tier people like the Bruce Springsteens and the Cirque Du Soleils  the large companies and large entertainers  that can essentially afford to cancel something. Fortunately, our artists need the work as much as we need them. We havent run into any issues there.

When Bryant was asked whether, as the creative artistic director of the State Theatre of North Carolina, she had a position on HB2, she said: Not at this time. Not on the record.



Repeal? 'Absolutely not'

Although House Bill 2 was on the agenda for the public policy committee of the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce last month, the committee ran out of time to discuss it in detail and it took no position, said Bob Williford, the chambers president.

We need more information, he said. The members said, Lets give the Legislature more time. We dont know enough about it to decide.

As for reaction from businesses not a whole lot has come up, he added. Most of what we do is work with businesses inside the community. Were not the first point of contact for tourists or businesses looking to relocate.

Summer camps, the Playhouse and other tourism destinations may have to live with HB2 for a while.

Rep. Chris Whitmire, like most of the Republican caucus, sees no reason to repeal or amend the law.

I think we did the right thing, he said the Transylvania County Republican. This was such a blatant end-around of the entire legislative state law process by the city of Charlotte that had we not done something we would be derelict.

What the letter that came last week to the UNC system is basically saying is were directing you to violate federal laws by doing X, Y and Z. At the end of the day, the Obama administration continues to try to redefine the ideals of Western civilization  Unfortunately weve got to fight the fight. Do I have any desire to do an about-face on HB2? Absolutely not.
The family of a 23-year-old Girl-Guide captain who was killed by an uninsured driver have criticised a 14-year gap between the time of her death and the inquest held last week.

Blathnaid Cadwell, of Beech Lawn, Dundrum, suffered fatal head injuries in the incident on February 23, 2002, when she was struck by a car driven by Liu Yang. He had no driving licence and had bought a fake insurance disc for his 5 series, two-litre BMW.

Witness Michael Mooney said he saw the car travelling between 50-60mph in a 30 mph zone. "I saw the back of the car sliding out, I thought 'he is going to be in trouble' and turned back," he said.

When he saw Blathnaid lying on the footpath he called an ambulance.

In a statement taken by gardai, driver Liu Yang said he had a Chinese driving licence but had failed the driver theory test in Ireland.

"I was driving to a friend's house, I never got there. I saw a girl on the footpath. As I was driving up Beaumont Avenue I could not control the car, the road was wet," he told gardai when interviewed.

Passport

Due to appear in court on October 25, 2002, Mr Yang left the country a day earlier.

A bench warrant was issued for his arrest, but garda inquiries revealed he had returned to China on a fake passport.

There is no extradition treaty between Ireland and China, but gardai have said the case remains open and if Mr Yang appears in any European country he can be sent back for trial.

Blathnaid was a communications graduate who followed her father, former RTE cameraman Bill, into television media.

Her mother Mary has now questioned the lack of communication from authorities in the 14 years since Blathnaid's death.

"The inquest was first opened in April 2002, but was adjourned because the legal case was ongoing, and because the accused man fled the country the case has remained open," Mary Cadwell told the Herald.

"We made some enquiries to the gardai over the years, but nothing seemed to happen. We would bump into relatives at family functions and meet friends of Blathnaid and they would ask 'what ever happened?' but we had no answer for them. It was just nagging away at us for years.

"Any sort of communication from the gardai or Coroner's Office would have been welcome. Even if there was no particular update, a communication to that effect would have been something," she added.

"We were the ones making the enquiries. It was us keeping the process alive. I think that if we hadn't pushed for it there would not have been an inquest."

Mary said it was difficult, but good, to learn information at the inquest.

"I learned for the first time that the woman who ran to Blathnaid had talked with her while she was still conscious. She said 'tell me your name love and I'll contact your mammy and daddy' and Blathnaid had responded to her.

"We found out that this lady was in bed when she heard the noise of the car and had said to her husband 'there's going to be an accident'.

Mary said the bus journey to last Wednesday's inquest was in many ways a tour of landmarks of Blathnaid's life.

"We passed the scene of where she was knocked down; Mount Carmel hospital, where she was born, and Aungier Street college, where she was so happy."

Studied

Mary told how Blathnaid had achieved so much in her short life and had done so much good for so many.

"She had studied and began working in her chosen career, and had contributed so much in the Irish Girl Guides.

"Some of the girls who might have had a few problems told us afterwards that Blathnaid made them see that they could achieve anything.

Blathnaid stayed overnight with a friend and was on her way home when the incident happened.

"In her 23 years she had a wonderful life, she had achieved so much. It is only when she is gone that you realise what an impact she had," her mother said.

First opened in 2002, the inquest concluded last Wednesday with a narrative verdict due to the outstanding charge. The criminal case remains open.
Joseph Beacom has not indicated how he intends to plead Photo: Mark Condren

This is the Dublin man accused of recklessly shooting a gun in front of a group of people.

Joseph Beacom (32) allegedly let off the firearm at a house near to his own home in west Dublin.

As part of his bail conditions, Mr Beacom has been ordered to have no contact with any witnesses in the case.

The court heard that the DPP's directions are outstanding in the case.

Judge David McHugh remanded Mr Beacom on continuing bail to a date at the end of June for DPP's directions.

The accused, with an address at Kilmahuddrick Lawns in Clondalkin, appeared before Blanchardstown District Court charged with the intentional or reckless discharge of a firearm, which created a substantial risk of death or serious harm.

The incident allegedly took place at a neighbouring house at Kilmahuddrick Lawns on April 3 last.

Garda David Harte previously said it will be alleged that Mr Beacom discharged a firearm in front of a group of people at a neighbour's house.

In relation to the evidence against the accused, Gda Harte claimed that there are witness statements as well as technical evidence.

Conditions

The court previously heard that the alleged illegally-held firearm has not been located to date.

Mr Beacom was previously granted bail in his own bond of 100, subject to a number of conditions.

As part of his bail terms, he was ordered to sign on daily at Clondalkin Garda Station.

Defence solicitor Fiona Brennan said Mr Beacom had adhered to all his bail conditions, and there was now an application to reduce his sign on condition.

The court heard that gardai had no objection to reducing the sign on condition to twice a week.

The other bail conditions remain unchanged and Mr Beacom must continue to stay away from any witnesses in the case and to have no contact with them by any means.

The judge previously assigned Ms Brennan on free legal aid.

Mr Beacom has not yet indicated how he will plead to the charge.

On summary conviction in the district court, he faces a fine or imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both.

On conviction in the circuit court, Mr Beacom faces a fine and a maximum term of imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both.
The failure to report the death of a baby girl at the Coombe Hospital to the coroner's office 24 years ago has been described as a "travesty".

The death of baby Jennifer Anna McGarry, who suffered a spinal injury following a forceps-assisted delivery in the Coombe Hospital in 1991, went unreported.

"We just want the truth so this never happens to another woman," said Jennifer's mother, Catherina McGarry.

"It shouldn't have happened in the first place. Our daughter died and we have no children because of it."

Speaking after the inquest into their daughter's death was adjourned, she said she was glad the process had begun. "We are just glad, it's after taking 24 years now. Hopefully, we will get some good results," she said.

Jennifer's father, Stephen McGarry, said: "We don't want to comment further on it, we have been doing it ourselves up to now and we have legal help now."

Barrister for the McGarrys Ciaran Craven said the family had particular concerns about how baby Jennifer was treated and managed in the weeks before her death. Mr Craven said the family had waited 24 years for the matter to be ventilated and it was important that all aspects were fully examined.

Mr Craven said it was a travesty the inquest was being conducted 24 years later as had the death been reported in 1991, there would have been a full inquest.

Dublin Coroner's Court heard that the parents were "particularly exercised" over the management of their daughter's post-mortem and the removal and retention of her organs.

Adjournment

Noting the parents had already waited 24 years, Mr Craven applied for "a short adjournment" of the inquest.

"It's been a very long period and one does not want to add to it. However, a focused analysis and assessment will be in everyone's ease," Mr Craven said.

Barrister for the Coombe Hospital Simon Mills said the hospital had numerous meetings with the McGarrys and a report had been completed based on concerns raised at those meetings.

The hospital apologised to the parents last year.

Coroner Dr Brian Farrell adjourned the inquest for further mention to June 30.
Freddie Thompson is reported to be calling in all money that's owed to him by dealers

Notorious cartel gangster 'Fat' Freddie Thompson is desperate for money and has embarked on a major cash drive against lower-level drug dealers.

As a result, the small-time dealers are committing desperate crimes in an attempt to pay the mobster back.

The Herald has learned that a small-time south inner city-based dealer, who owes Thompson's cronies a debt of 16,000, has resorted to carrying out a series of shop robberies to get cash for the mob.

A senior source has revealed the "terrified" young man and one of his associates are now the chief suspects for a number of armed robberies of shops in the capital where sums between 300 and 500 have been typically robbed at knife-point.

Squeeze

"Thompson is in a bad way looking for money, and his associates are really putting the squeeze on anyone who owes them cash," the source said.

"The net effect of this is that desperate young fellas are carrying out robberies to get the money for Thompson because they are afraid of getting shot," the source added.

Thompson has been based between Dublin and Spain in recent weeks as the feud between his associates in the Kinahan cartel and the rival Hutch mob continues.

Sources say that Thompson is "fairly happy" about the regular armed garda checkpoints near his south inner city home because they give the thug a "strong level of protection".

Associates of Thompson are suspected of being behind a reckless incident last month which almost led to the murder of a four-year-old boy in Finglas, north Dublin.

The boy narrowly missed being hit by a stray bullet in the botched gangland hit while sitting in the back of his father's car in the Charlestown shopping centre in Finglas on April 8.

The gunman jumped from a vehicle which had driven into the car park in an attempt to murder rival criminal Kenneth Roche (25).

He fired a number of shots from a handgun, one of which penetrated another car, passing through a child seat containing the sleeping four-year-old boy, who escaped uninjured.

It is understood that Thompson had returned to Dublin from Spain just hours before the reckless shooting, but he is not considered a suspect in the case.

Thompson's most serious brush with the law happened when he served a 15-month sentence for violent disorder after an attack on another man at Morrissey's Pub on Cork Street on January 7, 2013.

He was extradited from Amsterdam in May 2014, before he received a 20-month sentence for his involvement in the vicious brawl.

Last February, he admitted the charge, which the court heard was sparked by a slagging match to which Thompson reacted by throwing a punch and a bottle.

Cartel

After his release from jail last August, it emerged that Thompson had fallen out of favour with the Kinahan cartel and had been effectively disowned by them. He fled to England and was said to be in a "deeply isolated" position.

When his former best pal Gary Hutch was shot dead in Spain's Costa-Del-Crime last September, it was widely believed that Thompson would be the next to be targeted.

However, Thompson and the cartel made up and he is now back in favour with the mob's overlords and has been regularly spotted in the company of cartel kingpin Daniel Kinahan.

Thompson is the first cousin of gangster David Byrne (34), who was murdered in the shocking gun attack at the Regency Hotel in February.

He is also a first cousin of Liam Roe (35), who survived an attempted feud-related assassination in November outside the Red Cow Hotel.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he plans to see out the full term of this Government as leader.

Mr Kenny insisted he would only step down as Taoiseach prior to the next election.

"I've always said that my intention would be to serve the full term, but not to lead the party into the next general election. I've made that perfectly clear and that's where I am, but I have a lot of work to do in the meantime," he said.

The Fine Gael leader acknowledged that the make up of the current Government was very different to what had gone before, but said this may be the way of the future.

"It's very different. I think when you look back at the situation that applied from the 1930s onwards, in those periods you've had single-party governments, you've had coalition governments, now you have minority government. This may well be the way of the future. Who knows what the electorate will decide," he added.

The Taoiseach said he was recently stopped on the street by a man who thanked him "for volunteering to run our country".

Astonishment

Mr Kenny said the man had expressed his astonishment that so many people who ran for the Dail did not want anything to do with government or with making decisions.

"So that's why the responsibility is on me, as leader of the largest party, to put together a Government with the assistance and agreement of other parties in Opposition."

Asked how confident he was that the Government would see out the full term, Mr Kenny said there had been a lot of media speculation that this couldn't last.

"The same was said indeed of one of the Ahern Governments, which was dependant on a number of Independents," he added.

While he acknowledged that this situation was "vastly more complex", he said he expected all sides to work together for "Team Ireland".

He said he expected things to settle down once people realised there was an "attitudinal change", which he said was required from Government, the Opposition and the Public Service.

Mr Kenny said he intended to announce his junior ministers and Seanad nominations this week.

He said he wanted to carve out specific responsibilities for junior ministers to provide them with "clearly-defined roles and responsibilities given to them statutorily".

Focus

He said he did not want to see TDs take up junior positions "with no real focus on what it is they should be doing".

He refused to be drawn on speculation that Alan Shatter was among those he would chose for the Seanad.

"It's a case of many are called and few are chosen," added the Taoiseach, who was speaking in Castlebar, Co Mayo, where he laid the foundation stone at a new swimming pool complex.
Gardai are regularly kicked, head-butted and bitten as they carry out their daily duties in the capital, a hard-hitting new documentary reveals.

The two-part series 'The Guards', which airs on RTE2 tonight, sheds light on the risks frontline members of the force face on a daily basis.

It depicts the efforts made by officers in Store Street Garda Station to combat crime in north-inner city Dublin.

Individual gardai reveal the attacks that they've been subjected to while carrying out their job, which include being kicked in the head, head-butted and even being bitten by HIV-infected addicts.

The garda DMR 'C' district deals with approximately 1,200 incidents every week, with 48,000 victims of crime having been contacted by gardai in the North-Central division.

Raider

In one chilling incident, captured on CCTV at a Londis store, an armed raider holds a gun to the neck of a terrified employee while demanding cash.

A separate store robber is also seen with a large knife held up to the throat of the store owner.

In another sickening attack captured on CCTV, a thug can be seen striking another man in the head with a hammer at least 15 times. The attacker then attempts to strike another man, before a lone garda intervenes and restrains the attacker before arresting him.

Speaking about the incident, Garda Louise Moran - who bravely intervened in the violent attack - said young children, including a baby in a buggy, could have been injured.

"He was hit 15 times across the head with the hammer and the back. My initial reaction was to stop the male, so I did.

"There was a child in a buggy and the whole lot, so I had to make sure they weren't hurt," Gda Moran said. "I didn't think of the consequences of what would happen.

"He [the attacker] didn't think of those young children watching - that they're never going to forget that. I'm certainly never going to forget that," Gda Moran added.

The programme features a number of senior and frontline gardai discussing the constant challenges that they encounter while attempting to combat crime in the capital's busiest police district.

Deputy Commissioner John Twomey, who was previously responsible for the Dublin Metropolitan (DMR) area, discussed the continuing drug issues.

"People with a drug problem commit all types of crime, which presents itself to us in the form of street robberies.

"We have an overt uniformed presence to prevent crime from happening and we also have plain clothed detectives," Mr Twomey said.

Exploits

The documentary also focuses on the exploits of the Store Street Drug Unit headed by Garda Sergeant Ciaran Whelan.

The programme opens with officers carrying out a raid on a north-inner city apartment complex, with Sgt Whelan saying "after 20 years I still get a buzz going through that door".

He also spoke of the variety of issues that cause an influx of addicts and dealers to converge on the capital's inner city.

"There are so many homeless peoples in hostels that get kicked out at 8.30am, and they do what they have to, to survive."

Since Sgt Whelan's unit began targeting drug dealers in the DMR 'C' district and have detained between 160-170 different drug dealers, with several of these having been caught up to six times.

One drug dealer arrested by the unit is shown in the documentary being taken to a special search room after detectives suspect he has hidden a number of heroin packages on his person.

The individual eventually admits to being in possession of the controlled substances, and following his detention, speaks of how it's a game of "cat and mouse" between gardai and the dealers.

"I knew I was caught. Getting caught, it's embarrassing. You have to hide it [the drugs] where the sun don't shine, it's either that or get caught.

"That's all I'm saying. My stomach's in bits. So now I'm going to have to f*****g pay for that now, I'm going to have to reverse it.

"That's the way it goes, that's life for me, it's the only way I know how to survive, I can't get a job," the man, whose identity is hidden adds.

In another scene, a garda from the south-central division attempts to move a number of individuals from an alleyway, but they initially refuse and a blood-filled syringe is produced.

A woman then threatens the officer as well as the camera crew with the syringe, and after a struggle is restrained and arrested.

The Guards airs on RTE2 tonight at 9.55pm
Super junior health minister Finian McGrath has called for the smoking ban to be eased Photo: Tom Burke

Super junior minister Finian McGrath - who has come under fire for saying pubs should have designated indoor smoking sections - has said "people need to calm down a bit".

Anti-smoking organisations and politicians have lined up to attack the Dublin Bay North TD after he argued in an interview that ventilated indoor-smoking areas "work in other EU countries" like Portugal and Germany.

A smoker himself, Mr McGrath last night insisted that he doesn't regret what he said and added that smokers "are fed up with being pushed around".

An Ash Ireland statement said it would be "deeply concerned that any consideration might be given to undermining the Workplace Smoking Legislation."

Ash chairman Dr Patrick Doorley said: "This is one of the most progressive and successful pieces of health legislation introduced in recent years."

Irresponsible

The Irish Cancer Society said Mr McGrath's remarks were "unhelpful and irresponsible".

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin - who was the health minister who introduced the ban in 2004 - recalled that Mr McGrath was one of the few TDs to oppose his plan at the time.

"I think it's important that a person now in the position Finian is in would not just complain and say he's fed up of being pushed around because he's a smoker."

Speaking on RTE Radio he called on Mr McGrath to "embrace the importance of really being strong in terms of creating a tobacco-free society".

Former health minister Dr James Reilly said the re-introduction of designated smoking areas would be "regressive".

"I think Finian McGrath needs to think now more as a minister with responsibility relating to disability and health, rather than as somebody who smokes," the former TD said.

Sinn Fein health spokesperson Louise O'Reilly said the smoking ban helped her to give up cigarettes around 10 years ago.

"There are people who would say you should lead by example. I'm a reformed smoker myself," the Dublin Fingal TD said.

"The junior minister should look at the impact of the smoking ban. I can say, with my hand on my heart, it definitely helped me to give up smoking."

Ms O'Reilly said that workers in the service industry have "a right to a smoke-free workplace and I don't think he has any right to challenge them on that."

Mr McGrath defended his "personal views" on smoking areas in pubs, saying smokers "are fed up with being pushed around".

But he added that he supported the Government policy to try to reduce smoking.

He said he tries to give up smoking "every day" and on good days he has as few as five cigarettes, down from 15 or 20.

"I am only human. I am addicted to nicotine," he added.

"The bottom-line is we need a new approach as well and (should) listen to people who have a problem with smoking and listen to our views." Mr McGrath said "people need to calm down a bit". He added: "I don't regret having a personal view as a minister."

Mr McGrath was speaking as he officially opened the 5.95m refurbishment of St Damien's Ward at the National Kidney Transplant Centre in Dublin's Beaumont Hospital. It will accommodate 21 patients and is especially designed to suit patients at risk of serious infection following a transplant.

Tougher

Health minister Simon Harris last night said he was committed to tougher anti-smoking laws.

"I absolutely and fully support the smoking ban as introduced some years ago." He added that he was committed to achieving a "tobacco-free status" here by 2025.

Price hikes on cigarettes to help fund cuts to the USC and the implementation of plans for plain packaging are among the measures planned by the Government to bring smoking rates down from almost 20pc to 5pc.

"Great progress has been made in this public health policy area over the period of successive governments and I intend to continue to support and develop such policies," Mr Harris said.
Halloween is coming! Here's when to trick or treat in your town
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Apples CEO is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week as part of his Asian tour. This happens amid reports that Foxconn , Apples leading contract manufacturer, is considering locating some of its iPhone manufacturing to Indiawhich is overtaking China as the worlds fastest growing market. Foxconn has also been speculating about setting up robotic manufacturing plants in the US.

This seems very unlikely because of Apples massive presence in China and the complexity of the manufacturing value chain of its products electronics components. But this may not be as far-fetched as it seems and could provide Apple a badly needed way of diversifying its manufacturing baseand entering the Indian market in force.

Read | Whats cooking with Tim Cooks maiden visit to India?

When American companies moved manufacturing to China, it was all about cost. Chinas wages were amongst the lowest in the world and its government provided subsidies and turned a blind eye to labour abuse and environmental destruction. Things have changed. Chinas labour, real estate, and energy costs have increased to the point that they are comparable to some parts of the United States. Subsidies are also harder to get and Chinese labour is not tolerating the abuse that it once did. China is now a more expensive place to manufacture than Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, and India, according to Boston Consulting Group.

Add to this the efforts by the Chinese government to spur indigenous innovation by forcing foreign companies to reveal their intellectual property and use local suppliers, and you have strong motivation to relocate manufacturing.

But Apple is by no means looking to exit from China, its second largest market. It just announced an investment of one billion dollars in ride sharing startup Ubers rival Didi Chuxing. It clearly saw a large market opportunity and a way to appease the Chinese government.

Technology is, however, further changing the labour-cost equation. And China is becoming unpredictable because of its faltering economy. It makes sense for Apple to locate some of its manufacturing closer to other markets.

Read | Apples Cook in China to work charm offensive after logo battle

What is changing the labour situation is robotics. Robots can now do what human workers canfor a fraction of the cost. A new generation, from companies such as Rethink Robotics of Boston, ABB of Switzerland, and Universal Robots of Denmark, are dexterous enough to thread a needle and nimble enough to work beside human workers. They can do repetitive and boring circuit board assembly and pack boxes. These robots cost less than $40,000 to purchase and as little as a US dollar per hour to operate. And unlike human workers, they will work 24-hour shifts without complaining.

The hurdle in relocating manufacturing for any company such as Apple is the tie to the chain of suppliers of its products electronics components. The question therefore to ask is: how dependent is Apple on its China supply chain?

In 2015, the supply chain for Apples products consisted of 198 global companies with 759 subsidiariesso this is quite complex. Seamus Grimes of National University of Ireland and Yutao Sun of Dalian University of China studied each of these subsidiaries and interviewed executives of those located in China. The objective of their research was to advise China on how it could move further up the value chain and cause foreign companies to give it more of their intellectual property. The paper they published, however, provides another interesting insight: into how few of Apples technology suppliers are actually Chinese.

The authors researched each of the 779 subsidiaries and categorized the electronics components into core, non-core, and assembly-related, with the high-cost, intellectual-property dependent technologies being designated as core. They learned that 336, or 44.2%, of these subsidiaries were manufacturing in China; 115 were in Taiwan; and 84 in Europe or the United States. Of these, 47% were core component suppliers, 37.8% supplied non-core components, and 14.6% performed assembly work.

Read | Apple invests $1 bln in Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing

When the researchers looked into the ownership of subsidiaries that were manufacturing in China, they found that only 3.95% were Chinese. And only 2.2% of the core component suppliers were Chinese. The largest proportion, 32.7%, were Japanese; 28.5% were American; 19.0% were Taiwanese; and 6.5% were European.

To put it simply, more than half of the components of Apples products are imported into China and practically none of the important, core, technologies is made by Chinese companies. Foreign companies do not trust China and nearly all of the intellectual property in Apples products originates from outside it.

The authors noted that direct benefit to China of having companies such as Apple there has been remarkably lowand that is why the government has made the attainment of foreign intellectual property a national priority. And this is what is making foreign companies nervous and creating a Catch-22 situation for China.

Setting up large scale manufacturing plants is not easy and value-chain dependencies can make relocations very hard. Nothing will happen very fast. But because the electronics supply chain is globally dispersed, it is certainly possible for Apple and its suppliers to start moving some of their manufacturing to places such as India, Mexico, and the United States. This will be a win-win for India, Apple, and the world.

Vivek Wadhwa is a fellow at the Arth ur & Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Stanford University. He is a prominent researcher on entrepreneurship and emerging technologies

The views expressed are personal
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Washington DC in 2014, his mandate to govern could not have been stronger, having won the largest electoral victory in India since the early 1980s.

Two years into the job, Modi has amplified his profile at home while expanding his influence among international leaders, the Indian diaspora and his social media followers. During the forthcoming visit to Washington DC, Modi will address the joint US Congress, joining a league of select leaders such as Winston Churchill, Shimon Peres, Angela Merkel and A.B. Vajpayee who have done the same in the past.

This is also the first joint meeting by an Indian leader in a decade and the first in Paul D. Ryans speakership  a reaffirmation of the fact that relations between the worlds oldest democracy and the largest democracy are stronger, more significant and more critical for the global economy than ever before.

Read | Jaishankar heads to Washington to set stage for Modis US visit

Since the Obama and Modi administrations signed a joint statement during Obamas visit to New Delhi in 2015, several bilateral meetings have taken place with an emphasis on cybersecurity, climate change and defence cooperation. In fact, the US holds more official dialogues with India than with any other country.

Running on a pro-development platform, Modi has been tasked with implementing economic reforms. Investors faced trepidation and uncertainty as they entered the Indian market because of the lack of consistency in implementation of policy frameworks. While different governments have carried on the reform agenda since 1991, Modis systematic approach to dismantling State control of the economy has become a force to reckon with.

Read | This June, PM Modi may address joint session of the US Congress

Industry remains hopeful for the passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), land and labour reforms. The council is buoyed by passage of the bankruptcy Bill, where the BJP does not have a majority and where the Opposition have historically prevented the passage of other economic reforms.

Given these legislative challenges, Modis administration has incrementally worked on the micro-level reforms to boost investor confidence. Despite the electoral defeat in Bihar, the PM did not stall the reform process and instead raised the FDI norms across 15 major sectors.

Read | Indian, US defence officials hold first maritime security dialogue

The problems in infrastructure and logistics sectors have been longstanding concerns for investors. However, the rate at which long-term projects in roads and railways are now being implemented has dramatically improved. Projects such as the Delhi-Mumbai and Amritsar-Kolkata dedicated freight corridors are predicted to reduce the time taken to transport goods cross country from 14 days to 14 hours. There are diverse investment opportunities to modernise the Indian Railways through assistance from multilateral agencies and joint ventures with states. In a major step toward offering a policy environment that is transparent, predictable and consistent, the governments of India and the US reached an agreement to resolve more than 100 pending transfer pricing cases.

The defence trade between the two countries has grown from a mere $200 million in 2000 to nearly $14 billion today. India and the US are more aligned than ever before on matters of defence cooperation, homeland security, joint training and cybersecurity. The recent introduction of the US-India Defence Cooperation in the US Senate and its companion Bill in the US House of Representatives elevates India as an important partner that can uphold security in Asia and around the world.

The reason behind these developments is clear Modis political platform tilts toward the US as a natural partner in the context of defence and security in a way that previous governments have not. He has made Make in India a centerpiece of his policy agenda, and building Indias defence industrial base is central to this effort. India will need greater and higher investment to update its military and American defence firms are especially well-suited to this task.

Read | Foreign firms still struggle with red tape for doing business in India

The results of all these efforts are visible. Recently, India substituted China as the worlds top destination for capital investments (an estimated $63 billion) with a number of projects announced across sectors such as oil, natural gas and renewable energy. In 2016-17, the US-India Business Council expects an additional inflow of $27 billion by at least 52 US companies. This uptick comes at a time when FDI is on a downward slide globally. Foreign Direct Investment from India to the US is also expected to grow in the future. There is solid interest by Indian investors in the power, steel, pharmaceutical and knowledge industries. This inflow of capital will expand the US economy across a wide variety of fields, creating jobs and bolstering economic growth in both countries.

The PM will likely use the joint meeting to address issues that have not been ironed out  and at times  could not been resolved by the Obama administration: The free movement of professionals  a critical issue for Indias $150 billion IT industry. In his meetings with business leaders, a few topics will be of primary importance will be the Make in India campaign, doubling the rate at which jobs can be created for Indias young demographic dividend and the promise of sustained focus on economic reforms.

Read | No intolerance, India continuing to attract FDI: Arun Jaitley

As the business community and the US Congress prepare to greet Modi, there is unprecedented bipartisan support that will give the PM the ability to deepen US-India relations in a way that will reverberate around the world.

While all eyes will be fixed on the promise that this relationship has forever held, we must remind ourselves that not all issues ---- trade-related or strategic ---- are easily resolved in democracies. But those who are vested in the relationship agree that the countries are closer than they have ever been to realising their mutual goals of creating a safe, prosperous world for our citizens.

Mukesh Aghi is president, US-India Business Council

The views expressed are personal
If exit polls are anything to go by, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has probably tackled her biggest political challenge so far  the unprecedented Left-Congress alliance  with a measure of success that nobody expected.

However, the predictions also sounded a warning bell for the Trinamool Congress chief. According to the surveys, she will have to contend with the strongest Opposition since 1977. If the Trinamool gets 160-170 seats and the opposition 120-130, it might give rise to many forces in the Opposition as well as her own party that will ultimately work to Banerjees detriment.

However, for the moment, it is worth looking at how the 62-year-old politician is poised to pull off a feat many thought was almost beyond her.

Exit polls: West Bengal

Party/Alliance ABP Ananda Times Now-CVoter India Today-Axis Chanakya News Nation Trinamool Congress 163 167 233-253 210 (14) 153 Left+Congress 126 120 38-51 70 (9) 136 BJP 01 04 01-05 14 (5) 00 Others 04 03 02-05 0 (2) 03 Total seats 294 294 294 294 294

Banerjee wanted to fight the 2016 assembly elections on the development plank, and though the Narada sting video and the flyover collapse gave Opposition parties the ammunition they needed, it seems the people of West Bengal  especially in rural areas  were convinced by her pitch.

The chief ministers focus on keeping the rural masses happy by establishing welfare projects, giving away cycles to students and building better roads might have paid off during the polls. This, incidentally, was also how the Left pulled off its record-breaking 34-year rule in the state, before the Trinamool Congress trounced it in the 2011 assembly elections.

It is proved that Mamata Banerjees development initiatives across Bengal have triumphed over the canards that were spread by Opposition parties and a section of the media. The people of Bengal were  and are  with Mamata Banerjee. However, I think we will do better than what the exit polls have predicted, said Subrata Mukherjee, vice president of Trinamool Congress and the senior-most member of the cabinet.

Prominent Opposition leaders such as CPI(M) veteran Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (R) and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi did appear in a high-voltage meet at Kolkatas Park Circus, but the spirit of the Congress-Left alliance may have failed to make an impact on voters. (File photo/ AFP)

The exit polls have foretold that the vote share of the Trinamool Congress  which did not cross 40% either in the 2011 assembly polls or the 2014 Lok Sabha elections  will climb to about 44%, followed closely by the Congress-Left alliance at 42%. If the predictions come true, Banerjee can pat herself on the back for breaking the 40% ceiling and thank the rural belt for coming to her rescue.

There is also a possibility of the BJP helping the Trinamool Congress retain power in the state. Though its vote share is predicted to drop from a 16.8% high in the 2014 Lok Sabha figures to 7%, the party might have easily fragmented the Opposition votes  thereby helping the Trinamool Congress in quite a few seats.

In the opposing camp, the CPI(M) and Congress now have reason enough to look back and kick themselves for taking their time on striking an alliance.

Read: Polls: Will Mamata survive scams, united Opposition to win Bengal again?

The idea was initially opposed by many Left Front leaders such as Biman Bose, who said at a press conference that the hand is the hand and the hammer-and-sickle is the hammer-and-sickle, and the two will never meet. Though prominent figures such as CPI(M) veteran Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi appeared in a high-voltage meet on the same platform at Kolkatas Park Circus, the spirit of the alliance might have failed to make an impact on voters due to the delay in joining hands.

Nevertheless, the alliance leaders have shrugged off the exit poll predictions. The alliance will come to power, just wait for a few hours more. The exit polls are bunkum. When terror reigns over the state, it is foolish to think that rural people will give a truthful answer to somebody who approaches them outside the polling booth, state Congress president Adhir Choudhury told HT.

Md Salim, CPI(M) politburo member and Lok Sabha MP, voiced a similar opinion. I can say that everyone is sceptical of exit poll surveys in Bengal, where the Trinamool Congress enjoys a reign of terror, he said.

The exit polls did not hold out hope for the BJP, despite novel attempts by the party to garner some votes in the state. Here, party president Amit Shah can be seen canvassing for Chandra Bose, BJP candidate from Bhabanipur and grandnephew of freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose, in Kolkata. (Ashok Nath Dey/ HT Photo)

Om Prakash Mishra, senior Congress leader, seemed convinced that the Congress-Left alliance would emerge victorious with 170 seats on May 19. There is so much variance in the exit polls by different media houses. For instance, Times Now is indicating a 12% vote share for the BJP, while the ABP Ananda has settled for 7%, he said.

The Opposition parties have good reason to hold on to the hope of defeating the Trinamool Congress. Just before the elections, the ruling party was hit by a string of scandals and a flyover collapse that seemed likely to discourage voter support.

The Narada sting operation aired by a television channel on March 14 showed 13 party leaders accepting money from the representative of a fictitious company. It came on the back of the Rs 2,500-crore Saradha financial scam, which put one of the partys most prominent faces behind bars in December 2014. To add insult to injury, only Trinamool Congress leaders were summoned by the CBI for questioning in connection with the controversy.

Read: BJP takes Assam, Jaya slips, Mamata stays, Kerala turns Left: Exit polls

On March 31, just four days before the first phase of the polls on April 4, a section of a flyover under construction in North Kolkata collapsed  killing 27 people. Trinamool-backed building material suppliers were accused of supplying substandard raw material to the project. Also, the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority  controlled by the urban development minister  was reportedly seen doing a poor job of monitoring the project.

Adding to the party leaderships discomfort was a history of deep factional feuds, which often resulted in influential Trinamool politicians campaigning actively against the chosen candidates in seats such as Bhangar in South 24 Parganas and Singur.

But, then, all these factors may not work to the Oppositions advantage if the exit poll predictions find adequate reflection in the May 19 results.

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Kerala Congress has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against G Sudhakaran, the Communist Party of India(Marxist) candidate from Ambalapuzha, for allegedly violating poll rules.

The Congress party alleged that Sudhakaran peeped into the voting enclosure when opposition leader VS Achuthanandan and his wife were casting their votes at the government higher secondary school in Paravoor on Monday.

The party has asked the election panel to cancel the polling and take action against the sitting legislator.

Watch: CPM candidate G.Sudhakaran caught peeping while V S Achuthanandan voted





Alappuzha district Congress president AA Shukoor said he submitted a video footage and photos of the incident along with the complaint. He said Sudhakaran also gave some instructions to Achuthanandans wife Sumathi while she was casting her vote.

His action violates Section 128 of the representation of the people act and poll code of conduct. So, we want strict action against him, the Congress leader said.

Congress leaders said Sudhakaran peeped into the enclosure just to ensure that both the votes went in his favour.

Achuthanandan and Sudhakaran nursed some grudge against each other and the senior Left leader initially refused to inaugurate his election convention last month.

Sudhakaran, a former minister, blamed the media and police for blowing the issue out of proportion and denied all charges as the issue snowballed into a controversy.

I did not do anything wrong. It is part of a witch hunt to defame me, he said

He blamed the police for allowing reporters and others in the polling booth while the opposition leader was casting his vote. He also criticised his party mouthpiece Desabhimani for not defending him.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee will return to power in West Bengal but with fewer seats, most exit polls indicated on Monday evening.

Surveys conducted by several TV channels predicted that Bengals ruling party may secure 160 to 170 seats in the 294-seat Assembly, slightly lower than the 184 it won in 2011. In the outgoing house, the Trinamool Congress has 203 MLAs, courtesy switch-overs from the Congress, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Forward Bloc and the CPI(M).

Reacting to the exit poll predictions, Trinamool vice-president Subrata Mukherjee said: It has been proved that chief minister Mamata Banerjees development initiative across Bengal has triumphed over the canards spread by opposition parties and a section of the media. The people of Bengal were  and are  with Mamata Banerjee. However, I think we will do better than what the exit polls have predicted.

Read: BJP takes Assam, Jaya slips, Mamata stays, Kerala turns Left: Exit polls

The opposition also claimed that the exit polls were inaccurate, although in a different way. I can say that everyone has doubts regarding the predictions in Bengal, where the Trinamool Congress has unleashed a reign of terror. It is unlikely that the surveys conducted outside the polling booths reflect a true picture of what is to come, said Md Salim, CPI(M) politburo member and Lok Sabha MP.

Om Prakash Mishra, senior Congress leader, seemed convinced that the Congress-Left alliance would emerge victorious with 170 seats on May 19. There is so much variance in the exit polls by different media houses. For instance, Times now is indicating a 12% vote share for the BJP, while the ABP Ananda has settled for 7%, he said.

While the ABP Ananda-AC Neilson exit poll put Trinamool Congress at 163 seats and the Left-Congress alliance at 126, it gave just one seat to the BJP and four to the rest. The Time Now C-Voter survey  on the other hand  gave the ruling party 167 seats, the Left-Congress alliance 120, the BJP four and a mere three to the rest.

The Left and the Congress had joined hands against the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal to prevent fragmentation of opposition votes. (File photo/ PTI)

The India TV exit poll also placed the Trinamool Congress at 167 seats and the Left-Congress alliance at 120, leaving the remaining seven to the BJP and the rest. The ABP Ananda survey hinted that the Trinamool Congress will get 44% of the votes, followed by the alliance at 42%. The BJPs historic high of 16.8% in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls will shrink to 7%, it added.

If these predictions come true on May 19, it would amount to Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee successfully overcoming the biggest political challenge her party has faced in 19 years of its existence.

Read: Post-results, cleaning up party to be high on Mamatas agenda

The odds against Banerjee were many. While the Left and Congress had come together to prevent fragmentation of opposition votes on the one hand, the Trinamool Congress was torn apart by a series of scandals on the other.

A former minister and prominent face of the party has been in jail since December 2014 in connection with the Saradha financial scam. The Narada sting operation, which was carried out a few months before the assembly elections, showed 13 leaders of the party  including MPs, MLAs and ministers  accepting money from the representative of a fictitious company. Adding to this was the collapse of an under-construction flyover in North Kolkata, which killed 27 people. The disaster occurred on March 31, just four days before the first phase of the polls on April 4.

However, all these controversies  on which the Opposition parties seemed to be banking heavily for etching out a win  may have had little effect on the ruling partys support base if the exit polls say the truth.


If Amma had campaigned more vigorously, she would have swept away the opposition, said an AIADMK candidate.

J Jayalalithaa, the only star campaigner of her party, toured the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu but had to use a helicopter to travel to and from rally venues. This gave the opposition a chance to criticise her for flying when all other political leaders travelled by road and train, including DMK president M Karunanidhi at the old age of 92, presenting a contrast with the flying CM, as Jayalalithaa was described by Congress leader EVKS Elangovan.

Jayalalithaa, who began her campaign on April 9, canvassed on every alternate day till May 12. On each outing, she held a single public meeting in which 15 to 24 candidates of neighbouring constituencies were presented to crowds.

The buzz in political circles was that Jayalalithaas ill health had curtailed her ability to make more public appearances. Even on Monday, when she visited Stella Maris College here to vote, her walk was visibly slow and laboured.

Read | Exit poll gainers upbeat, others dismissive: What politicians said

While political leaders maintained a dignified silence on her health, second-rung leaders and stand-up comedy artists engaged by opposition parties commented on whether the electorate wanted a CM who could not work.

At a pre-election programme, DMK treasurer MK Stalin had alluded to her ill-health by saying that Jayalalithaa was unable to stand for a long time in order to present awards at public functions. I would hand over each and every award to winners, Stalin said, in a bid to highlight the contrast between the two leaders health.

Incidentally, the issue of Jayalalithaas health was a topic of discussion last year, with Karunanidhi alleging that the chief minister had no work as she was not in good health.

Exit polls, released on Monday, were split over Tamil Nadu with an advantage to the DMK. Three surveys predicted a defeat for Jayalalithaas AIADMK but the fourth said she would retain power comfortably, winning 139 of the 234 seats.

Tamil Nadu

Party/Alliance News Nation India Today-Axis Times Now-CVoter Chanakya AIADMK 95-99 89-101 139 90 (9) DMK+ 114-118 124-140 78 140 (11) DMDK+ 14 -- -- -- BJP+ 04 00-03 00 00 Others 09 04-08 17 4 (2) Total seats 234 234 234 234

The AIADMK supremos offer of freebies to voters might not make up for her frequent and prolonged retreats and failure to respond to last years Chennai floods.

Polling ended in the last leg of assembly elections on Monday, with Tamil Nadu registering 70% voter turnout - 8 percentage points less than the 2011 elections till 6pm.

Read | BJP takes Assam, Jaya slips, Mamata stays, Kerala turns Left: Exit polls

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Huma Qureshi has wanted to take a break for a while now, and an opportunity recently fell into her lap. The actor, who has been busy shooting for a film with her brother, Saqib Saleem, will be leaving for Kerala today (May 17). She will be shooting for an ad there, and plans to make the most of her time there by exploring the place.

Read: Huma Qureshi talks about her rumoured relationship with Sohail Khan

A source says, She has shot in Kerala for her film with south star Mammootty in the past. But since they were shooting non-stop, she didnt get the time to go sightseeing at that time. Now, when she is going for an ad shoot, the workload will be relatively lighter. So, she plans to spend two days in Kerala. After that, she will go to Goa to shoot for a music video with actor Vidyut Jammwal.

Huma says, I have always wanted to explore the beautiful backwaters of Kerala. I will be extending my stay to discover the state. I am looking forward to the break.

Read: We have become lazy, says Huma Qureshi
A lot has been said about her international projects and her chock-a-block schedule. Now that Priyanka Chopra has finished shooting for her debut Hollywood film Baywatch with Dwayne Johnson, she is set to return to India for a month.

Read: I am not expendable just because I am a woman: Priyanka Chopra

A source says, Priyanka will return to India by the end of this week, and will stay here for at least one month. While she thought she will get a break when she comes back to India, looks like Priyanka will be caught up with work here too.

Read: Priyanka Chopra wraps Baywatch, bids cast and crew farewell, in pics

Talking about the work commitments that are likely to keep the actor busy, the source adds, Priyanka has to shoot for a few advertisements and magazines. She has also received a few film offers. So, she will have some script narration sessions as well.

While the Bollywood actor remained unavailable for a comment, her spokesperson confirmed the news.

Read: Priyanka Chopra gets her own special Times most influential cover
Two years back, Vikas Bahls Queen (2014) went on to become a huge success. Now, the film has found a connection with his next movie. Vikas is currently writing the script of this untitled film, which is a biopic on the Patna-based mathematician Anand Kumar, who launched the educational initiative, Super 30.

Vikas says Anand really enjoyed watching Queen. He loved it, and I loved his life story I probably just got lucky, says the director, laughing. It just so happened that we both were trying to reach one another at the same time regarding the film, says Vikas, who finds Anands story really inspiring.

READ: I dont like the term filmmaker: Vikas Bahl

According to its website, this initiative hunts for 30 meritorious talents from among the economically backward sections of the society, and shapes them for Indias most prestigious institution  the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Read: When Anand Kumar met Vikas Bahl

Director Vikas Bahl, producer Preeti Sinha, Sanjeev Dutt and others with Super 30 founder Anand Kumar at his residence, in Patna. (Santosh/HT Photo)

He adds, Doing a film on this subject is a big responsibility for Madhu (Mantena; producer), Priti (Sinha; producer) and me. I almost broke down when I saw the kids [studying], and just how focused they are.

Vikas believes that if Queen and Chillar Party (2011; he had co-directed the film) were considered inspirational films for women and children, respectively, this biopic will be inspiring on another level. If you see those kids studying and what their mission in life is, where they have come from, and what they have become over time its unbelievable! This story has fascinated me, says Vikas.

READ: Film reviews should be delayed: Vikas Bahl

Although this films terrain is very different, Vikas says, at the end of the day, it is a positive story. And if I look at his life purely as a movie, it is also extremely entertaining. If reality is stranger than fiction, then this is an example of exactly that, he says. Vikas wants to first finish writing the film within the next couple of months, before signing an actor.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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Billionaire industrialist Ajay Piramal-led Piramal Enterprises plans to set up a fund to invest in stressed assets in the country for which it is in talks with global fund houses.

The banking sector has lot of stressed assetsThis is an area that we will look at. We will in all probability have a fund, which will invest in it and we will get some global partners with us in this fund, Ajay Piramal, chairman, Piramal Enterprises said on Monday.

The company is looking to launch the fund in the current financial year, said Piramal adding that while the company has been looking at stressed assets on a continuous basis, no investments have been made so far. He refused to share the size of the fund.

The company will look at stressed asset in sectors including infrastructure and real estate. We will look to invest, turn these stressed assets around and thus create value, said Piramal.

The company will hire a separate team to run the fund.

In March this year, Kotak Mahindra Bank tied up with Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board to launch a $525 million fund to invest in stressed assets in India.

Such funds could become a lifeline at a time when equity markets are volatile and banks are reluctant to lend due to rising non-performing assets (NPA).

Primarily a pharma firm, Piramal sold its domestic formulations business to US-based Abbott Laboratories for about `17,500 crore in 2010. Over the years, it has expanded into newer areas such as financial services, real estate funding and private equity.

In April, it invested `256 crore in Gujarat-based cement company Sanghi Industries. The company is reportedly to be one of the bidders for Lafarges cement assets. We will look at it (the Lafarge deal). If it makes sense, we will see, Piramal said.

Meanwhile, Piramal Enterprises plans to demerge financial services, as it looks to further grow the business. The companys revenue from financial services almost doubled to `1,864 crore from `937 crore in 2015-16. It accounted for about 28% of Piramal Enterprises net sales of `6,610 crore last fiscal.

Piramal Enterprises is a conglomerate today and hence may seem to be complex and difficult to understand. It is our intent to simplify the structure going forward and create focused businesses in the process also unlocking value for our shareholders, said Piramal.

He said the separation of financial services should be completed in the medium term.

The companys loan book in financial services surged 174% year-on-year to `13,048 crore as on March 31, 2016 from `4,766 crore a year earlier, driven by its entry into construction finance. Its gross NPAs stood at 0.91%. It also had `8,717 crore in gross assets under management.

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In his third term helming Hyundai in India, YK Koo wants the countrys second-biggest carmaker to shed its mass-market image, and go premium.

This is the last of the changes that you are seeing, the Hyundai India MD said. We were a mass market car maker, but we will have to change that image.

Perhaps not too surprising, considering market leader Maruti Suzukis recent thrust on Nexa, its premium dealership channel.

The mass-market space has been dominated by Maruti and Hyundai, which together hold 60% of sales. For many years the two focused on the price range of `2.5-7 lakh. As much as 90-95% of our volumes were sold in the sub-`10 lakh category, said Rakesh Srivastava, head of sales and marketing at Hyundai.

With the new SUV Creta, cars priced above `10 lakh now account for over 20% of Hyundais sales. With the (premium SUV) Tucson we will further go up, Srivastava said. Then there are the new Verna and the new Elantra in the pipeline.

The premium space was hitherto dominated by Honda Cars and Toyota Kirloskar. Though Toyota still commands a premium image, Honda, with its Brio, Amaze, Mobilio and the newly-launched BR-V, has more or less commandeered the popular segment, and two-thirds of its sales come from the sub-`10 lakh category.

Cars are not all  there are training programmes for dealership staff. And some dealerships are getting a facelift as well.

Koo has also opened three digital showrooms to generate leads, where people can see the cars and what they offer on TV screens and iPads. We will open 30 such centres in the top 10 cities, at shopping malls and metro stations, he said.

And this is not about metros alone, either. Koo wants to extend the premium experience to rural customers as well  18% of Hyundais sales are rural. Rural customers have become aspirational, looking for better cars with modern features, Srivastava said.

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The Delhi high court on Tuesday sought Centre and Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) response on a plea alleging illegal surcharge levied on transactions done through debit and credit cards.

The petition filed in public interest has contended that public sector oil marketing companies discourage consumers from paying for petrol and diesel by credit and debit cards by slapping a surcharge on such transactions.

Advocate Amit Sahni further claimed that most of the merchants across the country levy a surcharge at the rate of 2.5 percent or more, which was disincentivising the use of credit and debit cards.

Sahni said no such charge was being imposed on cash payments. He said such surcharge was not only illegal but also promotes the circulation of black money in cash.

He has sought direction of the court to the authorities to frame guidelines, which bar charging of surcharge on the transactions made through debit and credit cards.

A bench comprising chief justice G Rohini and justice Jayant Nath issued notice to the ministry of finance as well as the RBI, directing them to file an affidavit before August 19, the next date of hearing.
Hotels in many cities across western Europe slashed their room tariffs as tourist footfalls fell after terror attacks last year, a travel portal has said.

Hotels.coms Hotels Price Index report, an annual comparison of actual expenditure made by travellers on room tariff, showed hotels in tourism hubs such as Paris and Istanbul recorded a double-digit fall in 2015 over the previous year.

The report said the average per night tariff for a room in Paris fell from Rs. 13,068 in 2014 to Rs. 10993 in 2015, a drop of 16%. While Brussels (16%), Istanbul (15%) saw similar price cuts, Berlin recorded the highest fall of 27%.

From an average per night room tariff of Rs. 9,440 in 2014, the rates fell to Rs. 6,873 last year  closer to the price tourists pay at cheaper southeast Asian destinations such as Thailand during peak season.

Other European destinations such as Amsterdam and Zurich also registered a marginal drop in hotel prices, the report added.

While Paris, Brussels and Istanbul had lowered hotel room prices in the past the year due to various political reasons, Berlin witnessed a spectacular drop of 27%. One of the key reasons for this was a multiplier effect on account of the terror attacks and political unrest in neighbouring countries thereby impacting tourism, Amit Agarwal, Hotels.coms senior marketing manager (India and southeast Asia), said.

Agarwal added that several Indians planned European vacations last year owing to the strengthening Indian rupee against the Euro.

Other travel experts agreed since Indians travelling to expensive cities in Europe spend the most on hotel tariffs from their holiday budget.

Since stay accounts for the biggest component for a European holiday, the price revision could have wooed more travellers particularly the leisure segment vacationing with family, a member of a travel agents association, who did not wish to be named, said.

The report, however, showed stay in the United States became expensive in 2015 as compared to 2014.

Barring New York, which saw a negligible 1% difference in price, there was a jump in hotel rents in all prominent American cities. Orlando, which has a Disneyland theme park, saw an 18% and San Fransisco saw a 16% rise in hotel tariffs.

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Even as the Bankruptcy Bill, Indias own Chapter Eleven, has been approved by both Houses of the Parliament, it is still early for banks to hope for a faster settlement of the bad-loan mess, since supporting infrastructure will be key to the implementation of the new legislation.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 will be a historic banking reform once the President gives his assent for the code to become law, but various enabling supports are vital for its success, according to bank officials and legal experts. The new law is expected to address such issues of company failures and debt, protecting interests of all stakeholders and enable banks and financial institutions to clean bad loans worth over `7 lakh crore.

The challenge is in the implementation, said Kumar Saurabh Singh, a partner with legal firm Khaitan & Company. It is a mammoth task in terms of creating multiple utilities needing legislative acts, with a stronger legal infrastructure. If over three years we can upgrade our justice delivery system, staff insolvency resolution professionals and ensure liquidators follow the strict time processes, only then will this Bill resolve problems.

India is notorious for the lengthy time taken in resolving litigations, unlike other countries. In fact, the recovery time in jurisdictions of advanced countries, such as, the US, UK and Singapore, is one-fifth of that of India. This has discouraged new investors, and the learning from the SARFAESI (Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest) Act and debt recovery tribunals (DRTs) hasnt also been much.

In the now infamous case of Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines, the SBI-led consortium of 17 banks are fighting over 20 cases in courts. There have been more than 500 hearings and 180 adjournments so far since the airline was shut down in 2012.

Former SBI deputy managing director PK Malhotra, who handled stressed assets management, said: Bankruptcy Code requires an elaborate institutional set-up to work. DRTs have been abused and there is no platform for banks to complainthere are many roadblocks to possession of borrowers assets. We have seen over 100 adjournments in some cases.

There will be lot more teeth in resolution mechanisms after the Bankruptcy Code comes into force, Bank of Baroda MD and CEO PS Jayakumar said.

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Several public sector banks are gearing up to list their subsidiaries, a move that would help them bolster their financial health. Sources said PNB Housing Finance and SBI Cards and Payment Services-- the credit cards division of State Bank of India among others may be the first to hit the market.

PNB Housing Finance, a subsidiary of Punjab National Bank, is a joint venture between the state owned bank and Carlyle Group, a global investment firm.,

While the parent lenders are likely to take longer to hit the market due to their bleeding balance sheets, their subsidiaries, most of which are in joint ventures with the private sector, could get listed within one year.

The subsidiaries of the government banks are doing significantly better than the parent companies and it is a good idea to go ahead and list them which will boost transparency and even improve the finances, a senior government official, who did not wish to be identified told Hindustan Times.

The roadmap by each bank will be unique.

They will have their own timing and their own unique plan and most of these subsidiaries are run on PPP (public private partnership) model..most of these are doing well , the official said. Several banks also have insurance businesses under them.

The going for the government banks has been tough in the last couple of years with mounting non performing assets (NPA)loans that turn unproductive. The gross NPAs of government banks, which was 5.43% as on March 2015, went up to 7.30% in December 2015.

The gross non performing assets for state owned banks increased from Rs 2,67,065 lakh crore in March 2015 to Rs 3,61,731 lakh crore in December 2015. This is a rise of Rs 94,666 crore over nine months in 2015-16, according to official data.

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The board of the largest state-run lender, State Bank of India (SBI), on Tuesday have sought in principle sanction of the central government to merger of its five associate banks and newly created Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with itself, including assets and liabilities.

This discussion is purely exploratory at this stage and not certain. A proposal seeking an in-principle approval to start negotiations with associate banks will be submitted to the central government, SBI said in a statement.

No decision has been taken at this stage approving one or more of the aforesaid acquisitions and the same will be taken by the banks board upon evaluating all the relevant considerations, it added

However, in an interaction with a TV channel, SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya said that the overall size of the consolidated balance sheet after the merger would be Rs 37 lakh crore against the current size of Rs 28 lakh crore. The lender also expects the merger to bring down the cost of funds, while also rationalising the number of branches.

SBIs associate banks include State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Travancore.

In addition to these five banks, the SBI board members also discussed the possibility of acquiring Indias first bank targeted to women  Bhartiya Mahila Bank (BMB). SBI would explore this acquisition once the central government gives an in-principle approval to start negotiations with BMB.

Meanwhile, the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) has called a strike on May 20 opposing the decision of boards of directors of five associate banks of SBI to close down and merge with SBI.
In a bid to fuel stranded gas based power projects the government is negotiating long term contracts with leading gas suppliers in the Gulf region. The plan is to enter into contracts for importing 70-80 million metric standard cubic metres (mmscmd) of natural gas through long-term contracts of 10-15 years and at affordable rates. Given the price sensitivity of fueling a power project, the government wants these long term contracts in the price range of $5 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu).

With excess coal-based power available for states to buy at a little over Rs 2, the cost of fuel to power plants is the most important factor and so the governments effort and insistence on long-term gas purchase agreements at low costs explains a government official, who did not wish to be named.

During his recent visit to Qatar and other Gulf countries, oil minister, Dharmendra Pradhan had re-negotiated contracts for importing gas, bringing down the price from earliar highs of $16 per mmBtu to less than $5 per mmBtu. Similar long term contracts are being negotiated that will enable India to operate its idle gas-based power capacity says an official in the know of the matter, who did not wish to be named. The source further explained that the government is unlikely to pay anything more than $5 per unit of gas, keeping the global slide in prices in mind. Top sources say that discussions with Oman and Iran are already underway.

An internal report of the government circulated in early 2015 showed that power projects worth Rs 50000 crore were stranded due to lack of gas linkage and warned that these would turn into non-performing assets. Of these stranded projects 13000 MW belonged to private developers.

Through various initiatives including reverse auction of gas, some of these stuck projects have been pumped back into life. But still gas-based power projects with capacity around 12000 MW are stuck due to lack of fuel.

This proposal to rescue stranded power plants involves power and oil ministries, and sources say that it has already been discussed and approved by the prime ministers office.

Top sources in these ministries without wanting to be quoted said that prime minister Narendra Modis recent visit to Saudi Arabia and forthcoming to Iran will further discussions on these contracts.

In the interest of 24x7 power for all and to ensure that investments made in these idle power plants dont turn bad, the government is trying to provide cost-effective fuel linkages said the source quoted earlier.

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Apple CEO Tim Cooks maiden visit to India is starting to resemble the $235-billion electronic giants encryption technology  notoriously shrouded in secrecy. Cook and his colleagues at Apple will try their best to keep it that way.

What is known so far is that the 55-year-old will drop by to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apple India says Cooks India itinerary is not known. A spokesperson said reports of Cooks tour plans for Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru were unfounded.

With his mother back in Gujarat after a week at the 7 RCR, Modi would be ready for some serious business. Two items on Cooks agenda, if one were to make an intelligent guess, would include one each close to the hearts of Modi and Cook -- Make in India for Modi and the permission to sell used iPhones in India for Cook.

Despite a small but growing cult following for iPhones in India, Apple does not have a manufacturing facility in the country. Last calendar was not exactly a great one for Apple in India, with less than 2% share in the price-sensitive mobile phone market. The smartphone market in India is led by South Korean Samsung with a 26% market share in 2015 followed by Micromax (16%), Intex (10%), Lenovo (9%) and Lava (7%), according to data provided by CMR India.

Apple has been trying to break into the Indian market with plans to push used phones imported from other global markets. An application by Apple in this regard has already been rejected by the government.

Mobile phones with price tags above Rs 20,000 accounted for less than 7% of those sold in India in 2015. Phones within the price range of Rs 2000-20,000 accounted for 92% of the total smartphones sold in India in 2015. The larger market in India, where Apple has no presence, is the feature phone category that saw a volume of 153 million pieces last year. A feature phone incorporates options such as the ability to access the internet and store and play music, but lacks the advanced functions of a smartphone.

According to a Reuters report, iPhone sales in India surged 56% in the first three months of 2016, driven mainly by cheaper older-generation devices such as the iPhone 5S.

The thing that (has) held not only us back, perhaps, but some others as well, is that the LTE rollout in India just really began this year, and so well begin to see some really good networks coming on in India, Cook said after Apples second-quarter earnings announcement.

That will unleash the power and capability of the iPhone in a way that an older network, a 2.5G, or even some 3G networks, would not do, he added.

LTE or Long Term Evolution is the industry lingo for high-speed connectivity, loosely referring to 4G connections.

After announcing the companys first decline in revenue in 13 years last month, Cook said slow connectivity and a relatively informal retail structure in India were holding Apple back from realising its true potential.

but I view India as where China was maybe seven to 10 years ago from that point of view, and I think theres a really great opportunity there, Cook said.

Last Friday, Apple committed $1 billion investment in Chinese cab-hailing company Didi Chuxing Technology Co ahead of Cooks visit to the country. Apple is yet to make any such massive financial commitment in India. Cooks scheduled visit to 7 RCR may just result in Indias first big bite off Apples bank account.
Some years ago, when Sunil Dutt was the Congress MP from North West Bombay  Bal Thackerays home turf  and the city was headed for a municipal election, I had an enduring lesson in what makes the Shiv Sena tick and why the Congress might find it difficult to replace the party at the local self-government level.

One day, when a leaky tap in one of the wards in Dutts constituency ran dry, he had a major representation of people in his office demanding immediate water supply. As is the wont with gentlemen in the Congress, Dutt picked up the phone daintily and asked the municipal commissioner to sort out the problem.

Read | Will Uddhav show the courage Bal Thackeray did not have?

This was the first election wherein seats had been reserved for women and I was interested in talking to these wives and daughters of sitting corporators  all parties had indulged in nepotism (parties like the Shiv Sena had no independent women candidates at the time) and what I learnt from that dry tap was very interesting, The Congress candidate in that Muslim majority ward  the daughter of a sitting corporator  seemed uninterested in campaigning. When I asked her why, she said, You saw how Dutt saab dealt with that tap issue? Now the commissioner sahib dare not ask him which ward has that dry tap. He will pass instructions down to his deputy who will pass it on to the ward officer who in turn will look for the local guy to locate the tap. That is three days and it will be another three before they find a plumber to fix it. We would have gone without water for almost a week. By contrast, the Shiv Sena man, whose wife is standing opposite me, will locate a plumber within an hour, catch him by the scruff of his neck, bring him to the tap and demand that he fix it within two hours or else. We will have water by the evening. So who would you rather vote for?

I was not surprised then when she lost and the Shiv Sena won that election. But the party has gone on to win every municipal election since then for reasons like these even when the Congress was otherwise sweeping assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

Read | In Maharashtra, farmers are raging like their bulls

Now the Congress is within striking distance of rupturing the Sena stronghold and that is owing in no small measure to someone who has the Senas measure every which way. The Congress usually does not trust its imports with crucial responsibilities but Sanjay Nirupam, the president of the Brihanmumbai Regional Congress Committee, is their bet best for he knows how the Sena works and what hurts it the most.

He has begun targeting Uddhav Thackeray, holding him responsible for the dismal state of Bombay over the last two decades. Shiv Sainiks, used to awe and reverence in respect of their leaders, have been taken aback and are begging him to cry off. I am told, Nirupam has refused. You can call Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi names when they were not even in government and I cannot hold Uddhav responsible for something he was more closely responsible?

Read | Can Ambedkar cause a divide between BJP and Shiv Sena?

It was not surprising then that, last week, Shiv Sainiks populated his roadside meetings in large numbers and rained down sticks and stones on the dais in large numbers. Nirupam escaped unhurt but one of his workers was seriously injured. The Congress is not used to this kind of pugnacity for they are always mealy mouthed but Nirupam minces no words and his combativeness is alien to the partys style. But the Congress, perhaps, has finally found the right man to fix that leaky tap.

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BJP chief Amit Shah has called a core committee meeting of the partys Uttarakhand unit in Delhi to discuss the reasons behind its failure to replace the recently reinstated Congress government in the state, a move that left the Central leadership red faced.

The Centre imposed Presidents rule in the state after nine rebel Congress MLAs sided with the BJP on its demand for a vote on the Money Bill, BJP insiders told HT that Shah, in Wednesdays meeting, will discuss with the state leaders the partys strategy for the election to the states lone Rajya Sabha seat on June 11 as well as its strategy for the 2017 assembly polls.

However, a section of the state BJP leaders dubbed the proposed core committee meeting as a face-saving ploy on the part of the Central leadership. Its nothing but a move aimed at papering over the crack. That is evident from the fact that the high command is discussing the core issue with the state leaders that are its handmaidens, a senior state BJP leader said.

Read: Rawat faces Rajya Sabha litmus test next month

The BJP leader said that none of the core committee members had the spine to tell Shah that the high commands move to topple the Rawat regime was misplaced. Our party has not only become a laughing stock but has also suffered a loss of credibility, thanks to the top brasss decision to topple the Rawat government and its failure to form our own government, he said. Such a frivolous move came at a time when hardly seven months time was left for the next assembly polls.

BJP insiders said the party may win a mere 20 out of a total of 70 seats in the assembly elections, thanks to the high commands hasty decision to topple the Rawat government and its failure to replace it.

However, state BJP spokesperson Vinay Goyal dubbed all such statements as baseless.

Our party chief has called the core committee meeting to discuss the coming Rajya Sabha election as well as the next assembly polls that can be announced anytime. The recent events will also come up for discussion at the core committee meeting, he said.

Read: BJP, PM spent Rs 700 crore to destabilise Uttarakhand: Congress

Goyal told HT that the state government might fall during the election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat. It may fall as a group of Congress legislators, who are eying the two vacant cabinet berths, may indulge in cross-voting in favour of our candidate for that (RS) seat, Goyal said.

If the chief minister (reshuffles his cabinet), his government, surviving on a wafer-thin majority, is bound to collapse because he has promised two cabinet berths to as many as 10 legislators of his party, a commitment he can never fulfil, he said.

Naturally, the legislators who will be ignored for the cabinet berths will vote for our candidate, he said.

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Chief minister Harish Rawat is set to face a major test next month when Uttarakhand lawmakers vote to elect a representative to the Rajya Sabha from the hill state.

The tenure of Tarun Vijay will end in June and voting to elect a new member to the Upper House will take place on June 11.

Rawat was reinstated as the CM after an assembly floor test ordered by the Supreme Court to break a deadlock created by imposition of Presidents Rule.

In a changed political scenario, the ruling Congress has 26 MLAs, down from 36 it had till March 18 when the state plunged into the political crisis following a rebellion by nine of Rawats MLAs. Rawat also has the support of 6 MLAs from fringe parties and independents.

Read | Uttarakhand cabinet withdraws nod for CBI probe against Rawat

The BJP has 27 members. The trust vote in the assembly recently witnessed one MLA each from Congress and BJP switching sides. Though the Congress is putting up a brave face, party insiders said there are fears of cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha polls which would be a huge embarrassment for the party.

The partys state president Kishor Upadhyay, however, said MLAs both from Congress and supporting group are standing behind the chief minister. I dont think any such thing (cross-voting) could happen. It is a buzz the BJP is creating, he told HT.

However, the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF)  the six-member group supporting Rawat, said the Congress must show courtesy and nominate a PDF member this time.

PDF president Mantra Prasad Naithani said: PDF members supported three Congress candidates in the previous RS polls therefore PDF should get a chance this time.

Read | Rawat back, rules for mining relaxed in Uttarakhand
A fast track court on Tuesday allowed the lawyers of the suspects who allegedly lynched a man in Bisada over rumours of eating and storing beef, to get a copy of the forensic report of the meat recovered from his fridge.

Fifty-two-year-old Mohammad Ikhlaq and his younger son Danish were attacked by a mob of locals at Bisada village in Dadri, 60 km from Delhi, in September 28, 2015.

Ikhlaq had died of injuries in a hospital while Danish survived with a fractured skull. The incident had triggered a nationwide debate over intolerance and beef politics.

The court rejected the application of the public prosecutor who had objected to the disclosure of the report. citing its irrelevance in the case.

The court observed that the accused are eligible to get a copy of each report submitted to the court during the proceeding of the case. We have sought a certified copy of the report from the department concerned on Wednesday, said Ram Sharan Nagar, counsel of the accused persons.

Nagar had sought disclosure of the forensic report, which the public prosecutor had objected to on May 4.

The next date of the hearing is May 25.

After the lynching in September last year, the mob had recovered a bowl full of meat from Ikhlaqs fridge, which they claimed was beef. In an initial report, the local government veterinarian had termed the flesh as mutton.

Samples of the meat were sent for examination to the forensic sciences laboratory in Agra and Mathura, reports of which were submitted to the fast track court in April.

The police are probing a case of murder and assault. The meat report will have no bearing on the case if the forensic report is made public, said Mohammad Yusuf Saifi, counsel for Ikhlaqs family.

The court allowed the counsel of the accused to have a copy of the statements of Danish and his sister Shaista, who are the key witnesses in the case.

The police have arrested eight people, including two juveniles, in the case so far and a chargesheet has been filed against them.

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A young woman was molested, threatened and chased by five men in central Delhi only a day after they were arrested  and let off on bail  on her complaint of stalking and sexual harassment.

The woman, 23, claimed the men tore her clothes and assaulted her mother, sister and a neighbour while they were out grocery shopping in the Punjabi Basti area of Anand Parbat at around 9.10pm on Sunday.

The attack was caught on CCTV and showed the women being chased and attacked with leather belts. When the neighbour came to their rescue, the men beat him with sticks.

A case was registered later that night and three of the men arrested on Monday for molestation  a non-bailable offence  stalking and criminal intimidation among other charges, the police said on Tuesday.

According to the womans complaint, she had approached the police earlier on Saturday morning after the five men passed lewd comments at her at a park and threatened her when she objected. She also alleged they had been following her around.

Also read: Drunk men followed me, made lewd comments: Gurgaon woman

The five were arrested the same day for stalking, sexual harassment and threatening but let off as the charges are bailable.

After Sundays incident and fresh complaint, the three have been sent to Tihar jail for 14 days, the police said.

Anand Parbat was in the news last July for another stalking case that ended in tragedy with the stalker stabbing and killing his 19-year-old victim. The Delhi Police faced considerable flak for the case after it emerged the teen had brought the matter to their notice.
To keep the admission process transparent, a Delhi University (DU) admission committee has recommended that all DU colleges update the university portal with the details of seats filled under each category every day during the upcoming admission session for undergraduate courses.

Officials said that the university is likely to make the information on the portal available to students to update them about the number of seats each college has filled.

A 24-member admission committee, including academic, executive council members, principals and university representatives, has recommended a set of rules for admissions, which have been sent to the vice-chancellor professor Yogesh Tyagi for final approval.

All colleges will have to update details of the number of seats they have filled in each category every day during admission. This will give the university a clear idea about the number of seats being filled. We will ask the university to make this information visible to students also, said AK Bhagi, a member of the admission committee.

Also read: DU to issue degrees, marksheets , transcripts online from 1 July

Online registration for around 54,000 undergraduate seats will start from May 28 but the offline applications will only be available towards the end of the admission schedule for five days starting June 12. The registration process will end on June 16.

Bhagi said the offline forms will be available at four or five colleges where students can get a hard copy of the form.

There will be four colleges in which offline forms will be made available for the last five days. Students can take the offline forms and submit it after filling at these centres. We are yet to finalise the colleges where forms will be available, he said.

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Delhi University has constituted a committee to look into the appointment and promotion of teachers.

The three-member committee comprises head of geology department Devesh Sinha, head of plant molecular biology JP Khurana and head of political science Navnita Chadha Behera.

After vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi took charge, he ordered colleges to put interviews on hold till the appointment of the new selection panel.

The committee will decide on the rules and regulations of appointments and promotions.

Their decision will be crucial for about 3,500 ad-hoc teachers waiting appointment and over 2,000 teachers awaiting promotion.

Executive council member AK Bhagi has requested the V-C to include elected representatives from the DU Teachers Association (DUTA), academic and executive council members and a principal in the council.

He suggested making all eligible candidates part of the ad hoc panel and said the interest of ad-hoc teachers should be protected.

Since the regularisation has not taken place for a long time, we want the university to make sure that no ad-hoc teachers who have worked the longest time be thrown out. Similarly, for promotion we are recommending to the university that the total length of service should be counted, said Bhagi in a letter.

The committee asked DU colleges to provide information on the workload and specialisation of all teachers.

The workload detail has been sought as per the University Grants Commissions (UGC) directive. After the fund cut, the commission is carrying out economic measures. The committee is asking for specialisation details of teachers but at undergraduate level, there is no specialisation and division as such. A history teacher with specialsation in ancient history cannot say he or she will not teach medieval or modern history, said a principal of the college on condition of anonymity.

Principals feel seeking such details would affect teaching positions sanctioned in colleges. To avoid these problems this letter is a caution to the university, said Bhagi.

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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) may have won nearly one-third of the seats in the Delhi municipal bypolls but party leaders are worried as the partys vote share has dropped sharply.

In the municipal election results announced on Tuesday morning, AAP emerged as the largest party with five seats of the 13. Congress picked up four seats while the BJP, which earlier held seven seats, only managed three.

However, internal surveys by the party promised a strong win  at least 12 seats, keeping in line with AAPs earlier poll performance. Party members were left disappointed and the top leadership went in to a huddle to analyse why AAP fell short of less than half their target.

Delhi is AAPs stronghold, where it came into power with 67 seats out of 70 in 2015 assembly polls.

Read | MCD bypoll results: AAP wins 5 seats, Congress 4; BJP faces big loss

The results mean several things, but most significantly, it shows an increase in the BJPs and Congress vote share.

While the BJP went up from 32.2% in the 2015 assembly elections to 34.11% this year, it is the Congress that has gained the most. The Congress vote share shot up from 9.7% in the assembly elections to 24.87% in municipal bypolls.

In comparison, the AAP is the biggest loser, with its vote share dropping from 54.2% in the 2015 elections to 29.9% now.

Such a steep drop in vote share is very worrying and, frankly, unacceptable. The situation is now similar to what it was when we won the 2013 assembly elections. That shouldnt have been the case since we have been in power for more than a year, said a senior party leader on condition of anonymity.

Party convener in Delhi, Dilip Pandey told reporters on Tuesday that while AAP emerged as the biggest party, the results were below expectations.

The number of seats we won is a little less than expected. We will talk to MLAs of the areas where we lost. We need to analyse the result, Pandey said, adding the elections were a learning experience.

We have to remember that it is our first municipal election. On that consideration, we have done pretty well.

Another aspect that has the AAP worried is that of the 13 seats, eight were vacated when the municipal councillors became AAP MLAs. They held office in the eight wards which went to polls on Sunday.

We should not have lost these seats. They should have been under our control easily. But instead of doing better than eight, we deteriorated, said the leader.

With the elections to the three corporations scheduled to be held in April next year, these bypolls are being seen as a semi-final to the main battle.

The MCD, which was trifurcated in 2012, has been under BJP rule for the past decade. The differing leadership has led to several clashes between the two parties.

The bypolls are also being viewed as a litmus test for AAP governments popularity.

Though party chief Arvind Kejriwal tweeted out an optimistic note, thanking Delhi for reaffirming its faith in AAP, party leaders acknowledged that the elections were not well managed.

There was no clarity about the issues on which we were contesting. There was no clear theme or agenda. Unlike the 2015 assembly elections, there was no focus, it seemed, a party leader said.

Political analysts also see the results are a dip in AAPs popularity but caution against extrapolating the conclusions from the bypolls.

No doubt the results are a disappointment for AAP but considering these are municipal bypolls, one should not think that if state elections are held in Delhi today, they will see a similar response. Municipal and assembly elections are very different. This should also not be seen as Congress resurgence for the same reason, said Sanjay Kumar, director Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
Of the 300-odd grievances of urgency in government schools during the 2014-15 academic year such as denial of admission and corporal punishment, not one was disposed of within the stipulated time of 15 days.

A directorate of education (DoE) circular says that grievances of urgency should be decided within 15 days.

Parents, students and NGOs filed 543 cases between April 2014 and March 2015. Of these, 241 cases relate to admission in government schools, aided schools as well as also admission under the Economically Weaker Section category in private schools.

Most of these cases took up to two months to be disposed of, shows DoEs response to an RTI filed by NGO Pardarshita.

Other cases of urgency include complaints of corporal punishment, harassment and violence. There were 10 such cases against teachers. They all took over two months to be disposed of.

The Right to Education Act stipulates three months for DoE to sort out grievances related to the Act. However, disposal time has been over here months in cases related to the quality of mid-day meals, lack of teachers, infrastructure and facility for disabled.

Further, in none of the 543 cases were both parties heard out.

The rule says a three-member committee comprising district deputy director of education (DDE), education officer of the zone concerned and an assistant director of education or an equivalent officer should hold hearings and meetings.

In all the 543 cases, we have seen that the complainant has not been given a chance to be heard. A letter of explanation was sought from the school and depending on that, the matter was decided. This is against the principle of natural justice and violates provision of RTE, said NGO Pardarshita founder Rajiv Kumar.

A DoE official, requesting anonymity, accepted that there was a delay in dealing with the grievance, but a new system has been put in place. With the new system started by the government, we are trying our best to avoid delay. The new system is also more transparent as it allows the complainant to check the status of their complaint, said a senior DoE official.

The law allows the complainant to appeal against the decision at the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

The body has been without staff for a year now.

AT A GLANCE

Grievances of urgency such as admissions and corporal punishment to be settled within 15 days, as per DoE norms

241 cases related to admissions

Most of them cases took up to 2 months to be disposed of

10 cases of corporal punishment, harassment and violence

All of them took over 2 months to be disposed of

Complainants in none of the 543 cases of grievances filed between April 2014 and March 2015 given hearing. Case settled on the basis of schools explanation

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Parts of south Delhi experienced outages on Tuesday morning after Delhi Transco Limiteds 220-KV grid at Masjid Moth tripped due to a technical fault.

A power department official said two transformers tripped in one grid in South Delhi.

Delhis peak power demand on Tuesday clocked 5,642MW at 3.27 pm  highest ever this time of the year. Last year, Delhis peak demand in the third week of May (May 18) had clocked 5,027MW.  an increase of over 12%. The highest ever power demand was witnessed in 2014 at 5,925MW, the official said.

Residents of areas such as Greater Kailash, Saket, Gulmohar Park and Hauz Khas among others had a harrowing time amid the sweltering heat and two hours of no electricity

Read: Delhi govt may end power amnesty scheme in May

The power supply has been very erratic in our locality for the past one week. There have been power cuts for three to four hours. The dependence of people on electricity increases during summer and such power cuts add to our trouble, said BK Sinha, resident of Freedom Fighter Enclave.

Some residents said the power companies should inform people about outages in advance.

There was power cut in the area between 8-9 am. We got to know that the power distribution company was carrying some maintenance work at the Okhla power distribution plant. But the mercury soared to above 43 degree celsius in Delhi and it is really difficult to spend even one hour, without electricity, Jayant Shakdher, president of Gulmohar Park RWA, said.
Metro services were affected for almost 40 minutes on the Jahangirpuri-Huda City Centre Yellow line on Tuesday after a passenger allegedly jumped in front of a train at the Chandni Chowk Metro station.

The injured passenger, an unidentified man aged around 45 years, was rushed to the Aruna Asaf Ali Government Hospital for attention.

Delhi Metro police officials said his condition was critical.

Jitendra Mani Tripathi, deputy commissioner of police (Metro), said the man jumped on the Metro tracks on line number 2 going towards Huda City Centre when the train was approaching the platform at about 12.15 pm.

The train driver applied emergency brakes..

A commotion broke out at the platform and inside the train. Services on line number 2 were temporarily suspended, leading to bunching of trains and a subsequent rush on Metro stations on the route.

Read: Trial run of driverless Metro train to start today

The train was vacated and the train was removed from the platform. Passengers continued their journey in the next trains. This took around 40 minutes and by 1 pm, services resumed, said a Delhi Metro official.

To avoid confusion among customers and to stop spreading of any rumours, public announcements were made at the Chandni Chowk Metro station. Passengers were informed about the incident and the reason behind the delay.

The Delhi Metro police were trying to identify the man. We will have to question him to know what forced him to attempt the extreme step, said a senior police officer.
Continuing its winning streak in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday bagged five seats in the May 15 MCD by-elections to 13 wards in Delhi.

As it happened:

Final seat tally

Wards AAP Congress BJP Others 13 seats 5 4 3 1

Names of MCD wards Winning candidate & party Quamruddin Nagar Ashok Bharadwaj (Congress) Shalimar Bagh (North) BM Bhandari (BJP) Ballimaran Mohd Saddiq (AAP) Navada Krishan Gehlot (BJP) Vikas Nagar Ashok Kumar (AAP) Matiala Ramesh (AAP) Nanakpura Anil Malik (AAP) Munirka Yogita Rathee (Congress) Bhati Rajender Singh Tanwar (Independent) Tehkhand Abhishek Bidhuri (AAP) Khichripur Anand Kumar (Congress) Jhilmil Pankaj Luthra (Congress) Wazirpur Mahender Nagpal (BJP)

Also Read | Delhi civic by-polls: AAP wins 5 seats, Congress 4; BJP faces big loss

11:20am:

- Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: MCD ruled by BJP-Cong. Outsider AAP wins max seats in by-election. Thanks Delhi for reaffirming faith. Ab MCD election mein sabhi seat jeetni hai ( sic).



11:15am:

- We are grateful to people for supporting us. Its a great win as these wards werent traditionally ours, says Ajay Maken



11am:

- AAPs Mohd Saddiq wins from Ballimaran ward.

10:45am:

- Congress bags Qamaruddin Nagar ward as Ashok Bharadwaj defeats BJPs Anil Sinha by 7000+ votes

10:40am:

- Major win for Congress as Anand Kumar defeats BJPs Vinod Kumar Binny in Khichripur ward.



10:30am:

- AAPs candidate Anil Malik wins from Nanak Pura ward.



10:15am:

- AAPs candidate Ramesh registers win from Matiala ward.

- AAPs Ashok Kumar wins from Vikas Nagar ward.

10:10am:

- Congress registers second win as Yogita Rathee wins from Munirka ward by over 700 votes.



10:05am:

- Independent candidate Rajender Singh Tanwar wins from Bhati ward.



10am:

- AAP opens account as Abhishek Bidhuri wins from Tekhand ward by 1,555 votes.



9:55am:

- BJPs Mahender Nagpal wins from Wazirpur ward by 3,608 votes.



9:50am:

- Congress Pankaj Luthra registers win from Jhilmil ward by over 2,400 votes.



9:40am:

- BJPs BM Bhandari registers win from North Shalimar Bagh ward in Delhi Municipal bypolls.



9:35am:

- BJPs Krishan Gehlot wins from Navada ward by over 4,800 votes.



9:20am:

- Early trends indicate Congress and AAP leading in 5 wards each, BJP in 2 wards, Independent in 1 seat.



9am:

- Counting of votes underway for 13 municipal wards which witnessed polling on Sunday.



As many as 45.9% of the 6.68 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise in the high-stake bypolls for the wards falling under three corporations  south Delhi (7), north Delhi (4) and east Delhi (2).

The bypolls are being billed as a litmus test for popularity of the AAP government.

Both the BJP and the Congress have exuded confidence of impressive performance at the civic hustings.

The 13 wards which went to the bypolls are Quamruddin Nagar, Shalimar Bagh (North), Ballimaran, Nawada, Vikas Nagar, Matiala, Nanakpura, Munirka, Bhati, Tehkhand, Khichripur, Jhilmil and Wazirpur.

The by-elections have been necessitated due to 13 councillors getting elected to Delhi Assembly in 2013 and 2015.

Also Read | BJP, AAP will be taught lesson in MCD bypolls: Maken

The Bhati ward had recorded the highest voting percentage of 64.36, while Matiala registered the lowest of 33%, an election commission official said.

The MCD which was trifurcated in 2012, has been BJP-ruled for the last 10 years.

AAP, making its debut in the civic bypolls is hoping to replicate its Assembly polls magic that will set its ground for the 2017 MCD elections.
Aim for the moon, they say, and you shall reach the ceiling.

But BS Ranjan, a student from Bhadravathi in Karnatakas Shivamogga district, managed to bag a little more than what he aimed for in the Karnataka state board SSLC examinations  the results for which were declared on Monday. The 16-year-old scored 625 out of 625 marks, a first in the state.

Ranjan, in an interaction with the Times of India, said that his target was a relatively modest 600.

And no, in case you are wondering, Ranjan did not take tuitions or refer to guide books. The key, according to him, lies in time management. I studied one subject for six hours daily. I studied till I was thorough in every aspect of all the chapters... I solved question papers of previous years, so it supplemented what I studied, he said.

Read more: At 12, Jaipur prodigy clears higher secondary exam

So, how did Ranjan feel when he saw his marks card for the first time? I was shocked. I did not expect to come first in the state. I had expected 620 marks at best. Now, I am happy about the result, the boy told The New Indian Express.

A student of the Poorna Pragna English Medium School, he wants to become a doctor to serve the society. His sister, who also studied in the same school, works as an engineer in Bengaluru.

Read more: Wonder Boy of Agra clears UP board Class 12 exam at the age of 12

While Ranjans father BS Shankaranarayan works in the tiles industry, his mother Triveni is a home-maker. I wont take credit for what Ranjan has done, Shankaranarayan told a news agency. He has achieved it through his own efforts.
Results for West Bengals higher secondary state examination indicate that students will struggle to get on merit lists across colleges this year given the low numbers of top scorers.

Only a mere 5.6% of students scored above 80% marks  a benchmark that is increasingly becoming the norm among students. However, the pass percentage is up by 1.27%.

For students taking the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE), the problem lies in matching up to their peers from other central education boards, such as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian School Certificate (ISC).

We know that compared to ISC and CBSE boards, not many of our students have made it above 80% mark. But we are changing our system, and gradually, this scenario will change. Moreover the top of the mountain always has less space, said WBCHSE president, Mahua Das.

Read more: West Bengal board Class 12 results at a glance

Over the years, most of the seats in sought-after colleges have typically gone to students of CBSE and ISC. Principals from these colleges expect the same to be the case this year too.

Of the 7.89 lakh students who appeared for the exam, only 3,829 WBCHSE students managed to score above 90% marks, a mere 0.6% of the total. Further, only 35,860 students scored between 89% and 80% marks.

Prof Ajoy Roy, director of Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), says the pressure on WBCHSE students to perform well has only increased.

It has now become extremely necessary to ensure the students in higher secondary score well when compared to those in CBSE and ISC. Or else our students are missing out on best colleges in the country. Score normalisation has to be the next step.

In order to boost the scoring pattern in higher secondary examinations, the WBCHSE introduced new evaluation patterns since 2015. The question paper had about 40% one mark questions, including multiple choice questions and the rest were scored between two and five mark questions. Subjects with no practical exam were given a project for 20 marks.

But the change has so far failed to boost the average high scoring mark.

Instead 53.86% students scored below 60%, making admission to general degree courses tough. This year, 3,35,118 students scored below 60%.

There is a silver lining though; students from humanities and commerce featured in the list of top 10 rank holders. Scoring in humanities is not easy. We feel that the entry of these students in the merit list shows how the change in syllabus and examination system has made the exam more scoring. Now, with all non-lab based subjects having 20 marks of project works and short questions, the scope of scoring more has gone up, said Das.

East Midnapore district continued to have the highest pass percentage at 92.38%. Kolkata came third with 87.56%. The city of joy had another reason to cheer of 56 students featured in the top 10 merit list, 11 belonged to the city.

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Every year, we get together to celebrate style that is not only personal and unique, but style which has the power and potential to go down in history. As we count down the days to Hindustan Times Most Stylish 2016, heres welcoming and commemorating our winners, who combine sartorial expertise with a sense of achievement.

Now in its sixth edition, the ceremony this time is not only bigger (and better!) but also aims to commemorates those who have succeeded in their professional domain and managed to make an impression on society. Our ceremony too promises to be a glamour-high gala, with the most stylish from the Capital, coming together with Bollywoods fashion forwards to celebrate. With an exclusive fashion show by ace designer Manish Malhotra and lots of other exciting things lined-up, its going to be a gala like no other.

From the musical industry and fashion to crafts, arts and politics - our winners belong to every realm that you could imagine. And well, when it comes to their style, they are worlds apart as well. While some men bring in boardroom swagger with crisp dinner jackets and sleek tuxedos, others are reviving traditional, hand-crafted embroidery with their style picks.

Read: Hindustan Times Most Stylish 2016: A look at past winners in pictures

Actors Priyanka Chopra and Ali Zafar during the award ceremony, last year. The winners belted out an impromptu musical performance last year, much to the delight of their audiences. (RaajesshKashyap/HT)

Our women too are a class apart. While youd spot some of them championing Indian textiles and lush traditional drapes, others love their hot-off-the-runway pret picks.

Stay tuned for more glam updates, as we continue to celebrate these winners and their unique sense of style.

Read: Throwback: Exclusive photo shoots HT Most Stylish past winners
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday seized 1.99 kg of cocaine, estimated to be worth around Rs 10 crore, from a woman passenger at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad in Hyderabad.

Based on specific intelligence, officers of the DRI (Hyderabad Zonal Unit) intercepted one woman passenger, who arrived from Dubai by Emirates flight at RGIA this morning, Additional Director General M K Singh said.

The officers recovered substance in the form of white lumpy powder, which tested positive for cocaine by the field drug test kit. The drug was deftly concealed inside the covers of five books lined with aluminium foils being carried by her in the hand baggage, he said.

The cocaine, valued at about Rs 10 crore, has been seized under NDPS Act 1985.

The woman has been detained and her statement is being recorded, Singh said.

Further investigation in the case are underway, he added.
An engineer was killed and 11 workers sustained burn injuries in a blast in the boiler plant of a private power company here, an official said on Tuesday.

The blast occurred during a routine inspection of boilers at unit-2 of the power plant in Anuppur districts Jaithari sub-division at around 7.50 PM on Monday, he said.

The companys senior engineer, identified as Prafulla Kumar Jha (49), sustained critical burn injuries. He succumbed to his injuries en route to the district hospital, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) R V Dwivedi said on Tuesday.

Among the 11 injured, the condition of three is serious. All of them have been admitted to a private hospital in Chhattisgarhs Bilaspur district, he said.

Anuppur Collector N S Parmar and Superintendent of Police Anurag Sharma visited the spot this morning to take stock of the situation and ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.

Further probe is on, Dwivedi added.
At least 100 gm of gold was seized from a bank locker allotted to a close aide of controversial self-styled godman Sarathi Baba currently lodged in a jail, police said today.

Crime Branch sleuths of Odisha Police on Monday seized 100 gm gold from the locker owned by Pradeep Sahoo at the main branch of Kendrapara Urban Cooperative Bank, a police official said.

We have initiated a probe to ascertain whether the gold was ill-gotten, the official said.

Police had rendred inoperative the accounts of Sarathi Baba and his Satyam Charitable Trust in State Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Punjab National Bank and United Bank and Urban Cooperative Bank in Kendrapara in December last year.

The selfstyled godman has been languishing in jail since his arrest from his ashram in Barimula village on the outskirts of Kendrapara town on August 8 last year.

He was booked under section 420 (cheating), 467 (Forgery) 468, (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 471 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 506 (criminal intimidation), 321 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and 25 of Arms Act, police said.
Two days after clash and stone pelting took place between locals of Khudadarpur and Faridabad villages in Azamgarh, police on Monday registered FIR against 21 people.

They also included 200 unidentified people in the case for their alleged role in the clash. Eight people have also been arrested in this connection.

The Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel have been deployed in the twin villages to avoid any untoward incident.

The RAF jawans carried out a flag march in trouble-torn villages. Besides, the security personnel also marched Nandaon, Fariha, Saraimeer, Sanjarpur, and Harewa in the vicinity.

Additional director general of police (law and order) Daljeet Chaudhary said, Cops have been directed to identify those involved in the incident and arrest them as soon as possible. Two companies of the RAF and 14 companies of the PAC along with cops from several police stations have been deployed in the area.

Meanwhile, station officer Nizamabad Vivek Yadav said, A case has been registered against 21 people, including one Feroz, a resident of Khudadadpur, by their name and 200 unidentified for beating Musafir Ram and ransacking his house on Saturday night.

He added that raids were being carried out to ensure arrest of the accused. All schools have also been closed in view of the prevailing tension. Trouble began on Saturday night after three youths from Faridabad village reached Khudadadpur on a bike. There locals surrounded them since they hailed from the village from where some people had got into a row with Khudadadpur locals over throwing of colours during Holi in March this year.

After that stone pelting and firing took place in which an SDM, a Dy SP, a tehsildar and two S-Is were injured. SDM Anil Kumar Singh, tehsidar Ratnesh Shukla and S-Is RK Singh and Love Singh sustained injuries.

Circle officer (city) deputy SP KK Saroj had suffered bullet injuries in the incident. He was admitted to a private hospital at Azamgarh where doctors operated upon him and removed the bullet.
Congress on Monday dubbed AAP as Arvind Advertisement Party by latching on to a RTI reply revealing that a whopping Rs 14.5 crore was spent on newspaper advertisements alone by the Delhi government in the last three months.

Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza told reporters that as per the reply, the Aam Aadmi Party government is spending Rs 16 lakh a day on newspaper ads, in and outside Delhi.

This shows that AAP is nothing but Arvind Advertisement Party, she said adding that the Delhi government has yet not given the amount spent on TV, radio ads and publicity hoardings which was sought under the Right to Information act.

As per our calculation, in just 3 months, Kejriwal has spent approximately Rs 100 crores on all sorts of ads, she said alleging that he has been wasting huge sums of taxpayers money on self glorification and misleading advertisements.

Oza alleged it was a blatant misuse of Delhi taxpayers money to put up ads in Kerala, Bangalore, Chennai and other cities.

She said the irony is that Kejriwal doesnt have money to pay the salary of poor sanitation workers, old age and widow pensions and even the pension of disabled people have been delayed for months.

Besides, she claimed that such huge advertisement contracts will also have an effect on the neutrality of media houses. By virtue of such enormous funding by government, the media is under pressure to not talk about the opposition and even overlook public issues on which the government is on a sticky wicket. Its white collar corruption, she said.

Oza said that the Modi government is no different as it has spent Rs 27 lakh/per day on advertisements. She claimed that the UPA in its last 5 years in power had spent only Rs 3.8 lakh/per day.

She took a dig at finance minister Arun Jaitleys suggestion apparently hitting at AAP that excessive advertisement is acquiring the proportion of political bribing. We would like to tell Jaitley - the biggest political bribe in the history of political India is the promise of acche din, she remarked.
Three got injured in a grenade blast by suspected militants in Assams central district of Nagaon on Tuesday evening, just two days before assembly election counting day.

The blast took place at Natun Chariali in Raha town, 100 km west of Guwahati.

According to the police, two youngsters on a bike, threw a grenade into a hardware shop. The injured were admitted to the Nagaon civil hospital.

Hours after the blast, Tiwa Liberation Army (TLA), a new militant outfit of Tiwa tribal, claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to sources, TLA carried out the attack as the store owner refused to pay ransom money.
In a late night decision on Tuesday, the Nirankari sect decided to make Savinder Kaur, widow of the deceased Baba Hardev Singh as head of the sect. She will be the first woman and the fifth in line to head the sect founded in 1929.

The sect followers have accepted her as their Guru and are relieved as the speculation over the succession plan has ended.

In her late fifties Savinder, hailing from Farooqabad town of Uttar Pradesh, was married to Hardev Singh in 1975.

Savinder was offered the ceremonial dupatta at the anointment ceremony attended by the 21-member management committee headed by its president JRD Satyarthi. Kaur will lead the sect during tomorrows ceremonies to perform the last rites of Baba Hardev Singh and son-in-law Avneet Setya who died in a car crash in Montreal, Canada, on May 13.

In her brief message immediately after taking over Savinder Kaur told the sect followers to take a pledge to remain in harmony with each other and take forward the Nirankari mission as Baba Ji (Hardev Singh) wished.

Her anointment marked the end of the longest term of 36 years held by one sect head.

Read: RSS pays rich tributes to Baba Hardev Singh

Read: Nirankari, a sect that confronted tenets of Sikhism and grew

The decision has put to rest all speculation that were doing the rounds and the names that were proposed by different sections in the sect, a sect insider at its Delhi headquarters told HT, adding that after sardhajali samaroh, immediately after the cremation of the two, all activities of the sect would go as per schedule.

Sudeeksha, the youngest of the three daughters of Baba Hardev Singh, was earlier tipped to lead the sect. Before that, the name of Babas elder son-in-law Sandeep Khinda was also discussed. The Baba is survived by his wife Savinder Kaur and two other daughters  Samta (eldest) and Renuka.

File photo of Sudeeksha with her husband Avneet Satya, who also died in the accident. (HT Photo)

Kaur used to accompany the Baba in every congregation in India and abroad and as a routine practice he used to make her sit on his right side, seeking equal respect for her from the followers. All the Nirankari preaching centres across the globe used to display photos of both the Baba and Savinder Kaur side by side.

The body of Baba is currently lying in state at Samagam Ground No 8 near Sant Nirankari Colony in north Delhi after being brought from Canada.

In pics: Devotees say goodbye to Nirankari head Hardev Singh

Hardev Singh had gone to Canada on that ill-fated trip to work out the logistics for an international congregation planned between June 29 and July 6 in Toronto.

Sources also said that the proposed Toronto congregation would also go as per schedule.

Read: Condolences pour in over Nirankari sect heads death

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The Centre has asked states to follow the Andhra Pradesh model in laying optic fibre cable lines over electric poles to complete the BharatNet project, touted as the backbone for Digital India, by December 2018.

BharatNet, called the National Optical Fibre Network, is aimed at providing 100 Mbps broadband connectivity to more than 2.50 lakh gram panchayats across the country.

The progress of the BharatNet project implementation has been slow due to a variety of reasons, including the inability of Bharat Broadband Network Limited to procure optical network termination equipment in time as well as major gaps in the implementation strategy, Union secretary for information technology and communications JS Deepak said.

On April 30, the Telecom Commission approved a revised strategy for a three-phase implementation of the project.

The first phase envisages providing one lakh gram panchayats with broadband connectivity by laying underground optical fibre cables (OFC) by March 2017, Deepak said in a letter to chief secretaries of all states last week.

The second phase will provide connectivity to all 2,50,500 gram panchayats in the country using an optimal mix of underground fibre, fibre over power lines, radio and satellite media. It is to be completed by December 2018, the Deepak said.

For success in phase-2, which will also involve laying of OFC over electricity poles, the participation of states will be important. This is a new element of the BharatNet strategy as the mode of connectivity by aerial OFC has several advantages, including lower cost, speedier implementation, easy maintenance and utilisation of existing power line infrastructure, Deepak pointed out.

Further, in phase-2, the last mile connectivity to citizens was proposed to be provided creating WiFi hotspots in gram panchayats, he said.

In the third phase from 2018 to 2023, state-of-the-art, future-proof network, including fibre between districts and blocks, with ring topology to provide redundancy would be created, Deepak said.

In laying aerial OFC, the states and power distribution companies have a critical role, which would include digital mapping of the locations of substations and electrical poles from Blocks down to GPs.

Andhra Pradesh has followed an innovative approach in using technology for mapping lines using resources of MGNREG scheme and those of the power department, he said.
Two trilateral events involving the USA, India and Japan in June are set to bring focus on China in the region.

The three countries are planning to hold their trilateral foreign office dialogue next month, where issues such as regional connectivity, securing sea lanes of communication and disaster management among others will be discussed.

Though the dates for the meeting  at the level of joint secretaries in the foreign ministries  are not finalised yet, plans are afloat to conduct it in June, sources said.

The three countries are finding greater convergence of their interests in the Indo-Pacific region in the wake of China taking an aggressive stand on the issues of sovereignty disputes.

Japan has now become a regular part of the India-US annual Malabar exercise, with the Narendra Modi government deciding to make it a trilateral format.

This will be the third consecutive time that Japan is part of the exercise that had begun in 1992.

The joint naval exercise will be in waters near Okinawa Prefecture in Japan in mid-June.

Last December, India and Japan had decided that the latter would be a regular at the exercise.

Earlier, China was unhappy about the trilateral format.

Both Tokyo and New Delhi have shared concerns about China extending its naval presence in the Indian Ocean, wooing the littoral countries and scouting for bases.

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Congress MP Shantaram Naik gave a notice on Tuesday for breach of privilege against BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in Rajya Sabha for allegedly submitting a printout of a website report to level allegations against its leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, in the AgustaWestland issue.

In his notice addressed to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, the Congress leader said: Since Swamy has authenticated a website page printout, in which the names of Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel, Oscar Fernandes have been mentioned, it means and implies that the very allegations are made by Swamy also.

Swamy did not authenticate any letter from Christian Michel (alleged British middleman and prime accused in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case) as he was not in possession of any such letter.

Naik gave the notice under rules 187 and 188 of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States and appealed to the Rajya Sabha Chairman that it be admitted and referred to the Privileges Committee for appropriate action against Swamy.

Swamy mischievously quoted abbreviations AP and said he is a political secretary... All these innuendos amply insinuate a particular specific person most irresponsibly and without authenticating any document.

Swamy did not produce any certified copy of the judgment on which he relied extensively, which he should have done and authenticated, Naik said in the notice. AP, it was alleged, stood for Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Referring to an interview of Italian judge Marco Maria Maiga by a news channel on the issue, the Congress leader said Swamy relied on the transcript of this interview.

Swamy mischievously relied on and authenticated an inadmissible document, by all standards, to misguide the House, thereby committing another breach of privilege, he said.

Making clear the partys intent to move a privilege motion against Swamy, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh had a few days back said: Swamy has made baseless allegations and spoken big lies in Rajya Sabha on May 4. We will not allow him to go scot-free.

Three days after Swamy tweeted that the Upper House has approved his authenticated documents on the AgustaWestland issue, deputy chairperson PJ Kurien said the papers were only tabled and had not been approved by him or by chairperson Hamid Ansari.

The authentication of the documents had become an issue during the discussion in Parliament recently. The Congress wanted to know how Swamy had access to sensitive documents that he had quoted from. After Congress protests, Kurien asked Swamy to authenticate the documents.
Senior IPS officer Satish Chandra Verma who probed the controversial Ishrat Jehan encounter could be in trouble again.

The government has initiated proceedings against the outspoken police officer for unauthorised travel out of Shillong where he was posted as the chief vigilance officer of the North Eastern Electrical Power Corporation (NEEPCO).

A 1986-batch IPS officer, Verma had filed an affidavit in the Gujarat high court in 2011 that Ishrat Jehan was killed in a fake encounter in June 2004 along with three men believed to be linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani terror group.

Soon after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014, it accepted Vermas pending request for central deputation and appointed him as chief vigilance officer of the power corporation in the northeast.

Government sources said that last week the home ministry had issued a show-cause notice to Verma on the power ministrys report that he travelled to Gujarat and other places without approval from the corporations chairman.

Verma  who was earlier accused by a former home ministry officer RVS Mani of torturing him  had recently spoken out on the controversial encounter again, insisting that the 21-year-olds killing was a premeditated murder.
While the dance bar owners with provisional licences postponed reopening their bars owing to a lack of clarity over the rules, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday clarified the governments stand on the issue. He said the bars can open only after fulfilling the conditions set by the government within the 60-day deadline.

We have specifically mentioned in the licence that owners of dance bars will have to comply with all the conditions and after an inspection by the authority concerned, they will be allowed to start their operations. If they are ready to fulfil the conditions, then the government has no objection in allowing their functioning, said Fadnavis.

His statement came at a time when dance bar owners were seeking clear instructions from authorities over the functioning of dance bars. They were claiming they have been allowed to start operations as per the old rules.

Following t he Supreme Courts directives, the state government last week issued conditional licences to three of the eight dance bar owners who had approached the apex court.

The owners wanted to start their business this week, but adopted a wait-and-watch policy because they wanted clarity on which rules need to be followed. They had said they wouldnt be able to run the business if they had to follow the new rules framed by the government.

Bharat Thakur, president, Dance Bars Association, said they are waiting for a detailed Supreme Court order to get some clarity. We have some confusion on which rules [new or old] need to be followed, said Thakur. There is no way we can operate under the new rules because they are framed to dissuade us from restarting our business, said Thakur. Two hotels did not pay the DD because there was no point in getting licences if we are not going to start soon, he said.

The government had first formulated 26 rules in December last year to monitor the functioning of dance bars. Some of them were later scrapped by the Supreme Court. In April, a new law was enacted by the state government to regulate dance bars and the it is now insisting dance bars function according to this law. It insisted the new law was being enacted to prevent obscenity.

The licence issued to dance bars by the Mumbai police last week clearly says, This licence has been issued pursuant to the specific order dated 10/05/2016 by the Honorable Supreme Court of India and subject to the further order which may be passed by the court. This licence has been issued subject to the compliance to those terms and conditions mentioned in the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Rules and Protection of Women (Working therein) Rule, 2016, which are covered by the Supreme Courts order. The licence further stated if such terms and conditions as prescribed in the aforesaid rules 2016 are not complied within 60 days, the licence shall stands revoked.
If there were ever a veil of secrecy, this newly-wed woman wore it to perfection.

A Lucknow-based mans honeymoon ended in bizarre fashion when his wife ran away  eloped with her lover, according to police -- but not before triggering high drama at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

On her way back home to Uttar Pradesh after honeymooning in the Himalayan foothills of Bagdogra, the woman slipped into the washroom at the Indira Gandhi International airport on Monday evening. She never returned.

Her worried husband raised an alarm after waiting for about half-an-hour  his wife was missing.

A Delhi police official said when Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which man the airport, scanned CCTV footage along with the distraught husband they saw the woman entering the washroom in a blue sari.

Among those who emerged from the wash room was a burqa-clad woman, who the husband said was his wife as her height and gait matched. Footage from other CCTV, including those placed outside the domestic terminal, were also scanned.

The official said the burqa-clad woman was seen leaving the terminal and meeting an unidentified man near the VIP parking. Both of them then proceeded towards the taxi lane where they were joined by another person. The three soon disappeared in the rush of people and vehicles.

The passenger told CISF officials that the woman left her handbag and mobile phone with her husband who waited outside the washroom for more than 30 minutes.

Police suspect there could have been an accomplice waiting for her inside the washroom to give her the burqa. She may have also deliberately left her mobile phone so that she could not be tracked, the official added.

The husband left soon but did not lodge a complaint.

Sources said that since the woman appeared to have left on her own, it is assumed that she has eloped with her lover. That is just an assumption. But since there is no case, it is a closed matter for us, a source added.

Police sources said the CISF was initially suspecting kidnapping which would mean a security breach in one of the busiest airports in the country.

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The government is awaiting Pakistans response on the visit of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) team to the neighbouring country in connection with the Pathankot airbase attack.

During a meeting between foreign secretary S Jaishankar and Pakistans foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry last month, India had pointed out the need to review progress in the Pathankot investigation, for which an NIA team could visit Pakistan, according to sources within the government.

We are ascertaining Pakistans response. Details will be worked out subsequently, the sources said.

At least seven Indian security personnel were killed during the attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot on January 2 this year.

The Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack.

With India demanding stern action against the perpetrators of attack, Pakistan filed an FIR against unknown persons and sent a joint investigation team (JIT) to Pathankot in March as part of its probe into the attack.

Following this, the NIA said that it would send a team to Pakistan to further probe the attack.

This also came up for discussion during the meeting between Jaishankar and Chaudhry on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia senior officials meeting here last month.
Andhra Pradesh Cooperative Bank (APCOB) chairman and former minister P Venkateswara Rao was injured while his wife and driver were killed when their car overturned on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Tuesday, police said.

The accident occurred on the Outer Ring Road near Tukkuguda within Pahadi Shareef police stations limits.

Venkateswara Rao, a leader of ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and his wife were returning to Hyderabad from Vijayawada when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it turned turtle.

Police suspect that one of the rear wheels came off when the car was apparently running at a high speed. The vehicle hit the roadside railing and dragged on for over 60 yards.

Raos wife Satyavani and driver Dasu were killed on the spot. The minister was taken to a nearby hospital and later shifted to a corporate hospital in the city.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock over the death of Raos wife. He enquired about the condition of Rao.
The Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, flew a trainer version of the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) over the city under a cloudy sky on Tuesday, an official said.

Air Chief Marshal Raha flew in the twin-seater Tejas trainer (Pilot Version-6) for 30 minutes to check its capabilities and landed safely at the HAL airport along with IAF Group Captain M Rangachari, IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Anupam Banerjee said.

Air Chief Marshal Raha became the first IAF chief to fly the home-grown fighter, designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and built by defence behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

(Twitter/MoD)

Its a good aircraft to fly and fit to be inducted into our fleet, Air Chief Marshal Raha told air warriors at the IAFs Aircraft Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) at the defence airport.

HAL spokesman Gopal Sutar said Air Chief Marshal Raha piloted the aircraft during the 30-minute sortie and conducted aerial manoeuvres to check its versatility.

The deputy IAF chief, Air Marshal SBP Sinha flew Tejas in September 2014.

As an experienced fighter pilot, Air Chief Marshal Raha, 61, is a qualified flying instructor and a fighter combat leader.

He also took salute at the graduation ceremony of the 38th flight test course of ASTE, where the IAF conducts flight testing of aircraft and integrates weapons and systems into its fleet.

The test pilots school is one of the six of its kind in the world, where test pilots and flight test engineers are trained for the IAF.

Indigenous fighter aircraft like LCA and Advanced light Helicopter (ALH) of HAL and Airborne Early Warning and Communication (AEWC) aircraft of the DRDOs Centre for Airborne Systems (CAS) are test flown by pilots trained at the ASTE school.

(Twitter/MoD)

Air Chief Marshal Raha also opened the LCA paint hangar and visited the aircrafts production facility in the state-run complex.

The IAF, which plans to induct 120 Tejas fighters, including 100 of modified versions in its frontline fleet, will initially receive four from HAL to raise its first LCA squadron this year.

A proposal for doubling production of Tejas - to 16 from eight per annum is being processed. The cost of its capacity expansion (Rs 1,259 crore) will be shared by HAL (50%) and 25 percent each by IAF and Indian Navy.

Though IAF gave the initial operational clearance (IOC) to fly Tejas by its pilots in December 2013, it is yet to give the final operation clearance (FOC) for induction as it is waiting for certification of its trials, including use of various weapons for target hits.

The IAF wants to induct Tejas into its fleet to replace its ageing Soviet-era MiG-21 fleet.

As a fourth generation aircraft, Tejas can fly at 1,350 km per hour and is comparable to the worlds best fighters, including French Mirage 2000, American F-16 and Swedish Gripen.

As a single engined, multi-role supersonic fighter, Tejas weighs 8.5 tonnes and can carry three tonnes of weapons, including air-to-air missiles, laser guided bombs, guns, conventional/retarded bombs and beyond visual range missiles.
A school van driver in Sonari was arrested on Sunday night on charges of raping an 11-year old girl over six months.

Suresh Rajak (43) was picked up after the girls family filed a complaint with the police. The case came to light when the class 5 student complained of severe stomach and abdominal pain and was taken to local doctor who alerted the family of her condition.

Police said, Rajak had started abusing the girl in October 2015 and threatened to do the same with her younger sister if she did not keep quiet.

According to the family, Rajak drives a Maruti van and would ferry schoolchildren from home to school and back. The girl and her sister  a student of class 1  were the last to be dropped home every day, but the two had different school timings. The driver, police said, would take the girl to secluded places and rape her; on one occasion he had taken her to a garage.

The girl did not inform her family as the driver had threatened that he would do the same with her younger sister Two days back the girl was taken to a local doctor after complaining about pain. The doctor informed her parents that she was raped several times, police said.

The girl is now at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital for medical examination.

The accused has confessed to sexually exploiting the girl but has denied doing same with other girls. Weve sent him to jail and will interrogate him again, said Sumant Anand, Sonari officer in-charge.
Investigators into the killing of Rajdeo Ranjan, the 42-year-old bureau chief of Hindustan Hindi daily, saw a conspiracy and said his elimination was ordered.

A sharpshooter close to former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP, Mohammad Shahabuddin, is the main suspect, especially after the discovery that he went into hiding with his entire family within two hours of the killing. The shooter was released from Siwan jail around 15 days back.

Police on Monday claimed that it had picked up 15 persons on suspicion of being linked to the murder. Eight of them are believed to be sharpshooters of the ex-MP, and two of them were recently released on bail. Police sources said that four of the apprehended even celebrated the journalists killing. One of them, Upendra Singh is a local RJD leader.

PK Thakur, Bihar director general of police, said, They are under suspicion for links since they had celebrated the killing. All of them have a criminal past and were associated with local politics.

Police sources have zeroed in on the fact that the murder was the sequel of a leaked photograph of Bihar minister, Abdul Ghafoor, feasting with Shahahbuddin. It was alleged that Ranjan passed on the picture to media houses. After it went viral, an uproar in Bihar assembly led to the suspension of the then Siwan district jail superintendent and the subsequent withdrawal of facilities to the incarcerated MP.

On the missing sharpshooter, Thakur said, His mobile location was found close to the site on the same day and time that Rajdeo was killed.

He said that all persons jailed or detained are professional shooters and some of them hail from UP and Jharkhand. Thakur said, The political murders in Siwan area of the past were mostly carried out by sharpshooters recruited from UP. The motive behind Rajdeos murder and as to who financed the killings and movements of criminals would only be known once the missing shooter is arrested. His arrest is also important to secure the weapon used in the murder.

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Corruption charges, the brutal rape in Kochi last month and anti-incumbency seem to have worked against the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, going by the exit polls.

Of six surveys, four showed a clear mandate to the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) while one gave the ruling Congress a slight edge and the other predicted a hung assembly. Most of them predicted that the BJP would pick up about 2-6 seats.

Charges of corruption rocked chief minister Oomen Chandy and his government, strengthening the anti-incumbency wave. Kerala traditionally boots out the ruling party at every election.

The brutal rape and murder of a law student in Kochi last month also dealt a heavy blow to the UDF that parroted the slogan development with care. It suffered a major dent in its central Travancore vote bank where Christians have seemingly slipped away.

Internal differences over ticket distribution further undid the party. An angry Chandy threatened to keep away from the contest if some of his ministers were denied berths. It took almost seven days to finalise the list. Both party chief V M Sudheeran and home minister Ramesh Chennithala may blame chief minister Chandy for the sorry state now.

Of the UDF parties, Congress will likely take the brunt while the Muslim League, the second biggest partner, will salvage some pride by winning most of the seats from Muslim-dominated areas.

On the other hand, unity in the CPM helped the LDF reap rich dividends. After putting the contentious chief minister issue on a backburner, nonagenarian veteran VS Achuthanandan and senior leader Pinarayi Vijayan buried the hatchet much before polls and presented a united front like never before. Also, party general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, did not make the same mistake as Prakash Karat in 2011 when Achuthanandan was denied a ticket.

For the BJP it seems its alliance with the Ezhava outfit, the Bhartaiya Jena Dharma Sena (BJDS), helped in realising its long-cherished dream of opening an account in the assembly. Having won the first round, it will try hard to strengthen its base further.

An elated LDF said the exit poll results were as expected, but an upset Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) questioned their credibility, citing the last Bihar and Delhi assembly elections in which most of the surveys went wrong, and a news channel apologised for getting the numbers incorrect.

The final tally of votes in the assembly elections will take place on May 19.

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A minor girl from Kolkata was raped by the driver of a taxi she hired for sightseeing in North Sikkim, police said on Tuesday.

Prem Raj Rai, the driver of the taxi the student hired along with her two friends, has been arrested. Sikkim Police have booked the 24-year-old driver under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code.

A case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 has also been started against the driver, Palden Bhutia, sub-divisional police officer of North Sikkim, told HT.

The three girls reached Gangtok on May 13 for a vacation after the result of their Class 12 examination was declared and checked into a hotel run by a relative of one of the girls.

They hired Rais taxi on Sunday afternoon to visit the popular tourist spots in and around Gangtok. The driver first took them to Rumtek Monastery and then to Tashi View Point. He then told the girls they could visit some waterfalls in North Sikkim and the girls agreed to go.

According to the statements of the girls, the driver offered them chips, some dumplings and water on the way. The girl, who was sitting in the front seat, ate the stuff but two girls on the rear seat did not.

They told Gangtok Police their friend started feeling drowsy after that and the driver started making physical advances at her. And when they protested, the driver assaulted them and forced them out of the car. He then drove away with their friend.

The two girls said they had to walk for about two kilometres to seek the help of villagers in North Sikkim to trace their friend. They also informed the hotelier at Gangtok, who in turn lodged a complaint in Sadar Police Station in the city.

Police in East Sikkim district then contacted their counterpart in North Sikkim. With the help of locals, personnel from the Phudong Police Station rescued the victim and arrested the driver.

According to locals, the girl had injury marks on her face and neck and was in a state of shock.

Bhutia said the case will be transferred from Gangtok in East District to North Sikkim police as the incident occurred there.

On Monday, the victims lodged a police complaint against the driver in Gangtok. The girls are likely to appear before a magistrate to record their statement on Tuesday.

The incident shocked most in Sikkim, a peaceful state that observed its 41st state day on Monday.
A man has been arrested by Gangavati town police in Koppal district of north Karnataka for allegedly posting a morphed photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a social media site.

The photo showed Modi bowing to the feet of Telangana Legislative Assembly member Akbaruddin Owaisi from All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party.

Owaisi, known for his inflammatory speeches, is the younger brother of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.

Several BJP activists had complained about the post to police, following which one person, a resident of Gangavati in Koppal district, was arrested on Monday.

Police said he has been booked under section 153A of the Indian Penal Code (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence and language, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.)

The accused had been remanded to judicial custody till May 18, officials added.
A village in Meghalaya, once notorious for brewing country liquor and the drunken brawls that ensued, has now turned into a model village by opting to brewing tea instead.

Brainchild of former school teacher and village headman D L Nongspung, the Mawlyngot Tea Growers Society has 20 farmers who have transformed the village with a co-operative model to produce over 3000 kgs of organic green tea leaves annually in 50 hectares of land.

For the last two years, they have been exporting green tea to Australia.

A decade ago, Mawlyngot, located about 45 km from Shillong, was infamous for alcoholism. The women produced a brand of rice and millet liquor known as Pyrsi in the local Khasi language.

Now the same women have switched over to brewing the delicate flavours of green, white and orthodox black tea, branded as Urlong which means Dreams come true in their language.

A mother of nine children, 46-year-old Mortabon Umsong is one such woman.

As young girls we were frightened to step out due to drunkards roaming around. The situation was more acute during the weekly markets, she told PTI.

With initial funding from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, tea saplings were planted in 2003 and after four years plucking of leaves began. Later on, they found support from World Vision India (WVI) for setting up a tea processing unit.

One of the most significant impacts that we have seen with the shifting of occupation from liquor to tea plantation is that alcoholism, conflict, broken family and other social evils prevailing in this village have reduced tremendously over these years, WVI officials said.
The two-day visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran on May 22 and 23, emerging out of western sanctions over its nuclear programme, is expected to see the two countries cementing ties in areas such as regional connectivity and energy cooperation.

The formal signing of the Chabahar agreement, which will allow India access to Afghanistan and central Asian countries via the strategically-significant Iranian port, is likely to take place during the visit.

In terms of energy cooperation, the Prime Minister will pursue his Iranian interlocutor for awarding the Farzad B gas field in Iran, which awaits some domestic clearances. Last year, ONGC Videsh had proposed a $3 billion plan to develop Farzad B, which is estimated to hold initial in-place gas reserves of 12.5 trillion cubic feet.

The Chabahar port will reduce landlocked Afghanistans dependence on Pakistan. The officials of India, Iran and Afghanistan have decided the final contours of the agreement, which New Delhi sees as a strategic bulwark for greater movement of people and goods among the three countries.

In February this year, union cabinet had approved a credit of US$ 150 million for development of Chabahar Port in Iran.

The Prime Minister will call on the Supreme Leader of Iran (President Hassan Rouhani) and hold talks on a wide range of subjects of mutual interest with him, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

Sources said India has also started the process of paying back the dues from oil import amounting to over $6 billion to Iran, using European banking channel as demanded by Tehran.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had visited Iran in 2012 to attend a summit of the non-aligned countries.

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A young divorcee allegedly tried to kill herself near her lovers grave at Purkazi in Muzaffarnagar, UP on Tuesday.

24-year-old Barkha Chauhan, who consumed poison before reaching the burial ground, was rushed to the district hospital by a local politician who was near the graveyard at that time.

Danish Qureshi, a 22-year-old shopkeeper from Haridwar, fell in love with Chauhan, a divorcee and mother of a 3-year-old girl, residing in Jwalapur.

On Monday, Qureshi brought her to his home in Kassawan and proposed marriage.

But Qureshis family was against his decision to marry Chauhan and soon a major brawl ensued. He killed himself by consuming poison after he failed to convince his family.

Qureshis relatives buried him at their ancestral ground without informing the police of his death. They also sent back Chauhan to her Jwalapur home on Monday evening.

However, pained by her lovers sudden demise, Chauhan returned to Kassawan to visit her lovers burial place, where she consumed poison and became unconscious.

A local politician informed the Purkazi police who rushed her to a primary health centre and later took her to the district hospital.

Bhanupratap, Purkazi police station officer, said, She was admitted to the district hospital in a serious condition and her family was informed.

Suitable action would be taken once her statement is recorded, he added.
The central government could approach the Supreme Court to postpone the common medical and dental entrance exam, National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), to next year.

Key political parties asked the Centre on Monday to defer the implementation of the NEET as the countrys only medical entrance test for at least a year after health minister JP Nadda met state government officials and finance minister Arun Jaitley sat with representatives of political parties.

Read: Officials from 23 states ask Centre to postpone NEET

It is the case of some of the states that boards are unequal, their languages are dissimilar. Can those who are dissimilar in language and unequal be placed on the pedestal of quality and asked to give the same exam? We will have to see how we deal with that particular issue, Jaitley said.

Nadda said the future course of action would be formulated soon as the Centre was committed to bringing in transparency in the medical education system and removing alleged malpractices.

We will be considering the three problems that were put forward by the representatives. One, the ongoing state exams. Two, language and three, different syllabus for state exams. We will approach the court after consultations, Nadda said.

Representatives from all states agreed there were practical difficulties in implementing the NEET from the current year and urged the health minister to appeal to the court to let the centralised test take effect from the 2017-18 session.

Vinod Tawade, education and health minister of Maharashtra, said, The main thing is to protect the future of the students. The syllabus for the state examination is different and the students taking the exam in regional languages will also have a problem. So, we have requested the minister to appeal to the court and if the court does not agree then the exam can be deferred using an ordinance.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain, however, wants the exam to be implemented this year itself. We want this exam to be implemented with immediate effect. It is a good decision and it prevents students from writing 15-20 different tests. Also, deferring it would be in favour of private medical institutes, he said.

According to sources in the Union health ministry, the need for consultation was felt after several parliamentarians expressed resentment over holding the common entrance exam for pre-medical (MBBS) and pre-dental (BDS) courses at a short notice.

A day before the meeting, Nadda said the ministry was hoping to find a solution to address the concerns of lakhs of medical aspirants and their parents.

The Supreme Court had on April 11 paved the way for the Medical Council of India to conduct the NEET from the 2016-17 academic session for MBBS and BDS courses across the country.

Earlier this week, the apex court also turned down a batch of appeals by states seeking to conduct their own medical admission tests and ruled that only the NEET would enable students to get admission to MBBS or BDS studies.
The Rajasthan high court on Tuesday granted bail to a Kashmiri businessman, who was jailed for six months on charges of links to the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group. The relief comes after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) cleared him.

Syed Abid Jalali was sent to Jaipur jail after Satya Prakash Arya, a businessman from the Rajasthan capital, filed a police complaint in 2013, accusing him of not returning ornaments worth Rs 25.6 lakh that he had allegedly taken for approval.

Jalalis counsel Rajeev Surana said Arya submitted false evidence in court to link the 36-year-old Kashmiri man to the militant group. It was alleged that Jalali was associated with Mohammad Amin Bhat, a surrendered Hizbul militant.

The Kashmiri businessman was arrested in Goa where he has four shops and brought to Jaipur on December 23, 2015.

The court transferred the case to the NIA and the anti-terrorist agency found no evidence to link Jalali to the Kashmir-based outfit. Based on the NIAs closure report, justice Mahesh Chandra Sharma granted conditional bail to Jalali.

Surana said Arya had malafide intentions in pressing charges against his client.

Read | Why NIA dropped charges in Malegaon case

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The Nirankari sect, which claims to have more than 10 million followers across the globe, has a bloody past after Baba Buta Singh founded it in 1929 and his teachings confronted the tenets of Sikhism.

His followers were ex-communicated from the Sikh fold in 1978 following a clash on April 13 in Amritsar. Nirankaris allegedly shot dead 13 Sikh hardliners.

The Sikh clergy accused them of distorting religious scriptures of Sikhism and imitating its principles.

Not surprisingly, the Sikh clergy and Akali leaders refrained from paying tribute to Baba Hardev Singh, the current guru who died in car crash in Canada on May 13.

Founder Buta Singh was childless and he passed his legacy to disciple Baba Avtar Singh in 1949  who chose son Gurbachan Singh to lead the sect in 1962. Gurbachan Singh was shot dead and Baba Hardev Singh was anointed mission head on April 27, 1980.

In his 36-year tenure, the Baba stayed away from any controversy, his sect kept a low profile, followers never made their allegiance public, and focussed on philanthropy.

The sect runs a blood bank in Mumbai while blood donation is a regular feature in all its centres. Tree plantation is a major activity too.

It runs homeopathic charitable dispensaries in its preaching centres and has two dozen educational institutes in Delhi alone. The mission runs a degree college in Sohna, Haryana, and building a multi-specialty charitable hospital in Delhi.

Given its work, the question now is who will succeed the Baba. Wife Sawinder Kaur is a frontrunner, though the 41-year-old elder son-in-law Sandeep Khinda could be a contender. The answer will be out on Wednesday, after the Babas funeral.

Besides his wife, the Baba is survived by three daughters.
Two militants were killed in on-going army operations in south Kashmirs Shopian and another in Kupwara in the late hour of Monday.

Two-three more were hiding in Pahlipora area of Shopian, reports said.

The Shopian operation was launched on Monday night on specific information about presence of militants in the area, an army spokesperson.

The exchange of fire started around midnight in which one militant was killed and a weapon was recovered.

The other militant was killed in Zunarishi area of frontier Kupwara sector.

According to sources, an infiltration bid into Indian territory by a group of militants was foiled.

The operations at both the places were still on, the spokesperson said.

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Pakistan has conveyed its concern to the UN over the depiction of Jammu and Kashmir in Indias draft geospatial information bill, but New Delhi made it clear on Tuesday that Islamabad has no say in the countrys internal legislative process.

The draft bill, which triggered protests from Indias internet activists, envisages stringent penalties for the wrong depiction of India in maps, including a fine of up to Rs 100 crore and a jail term of up to seven years. It also proposes to restrict the use of real-time mapping of data.

Pakistan contended Indias official map in the geospatial information regulation bill violated UN Security Council resolutions by depicting the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India.

Pakistan has expressed serious concern to the UN Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, through letters by our permanent representative in New York, with regard to the Indian governments efforts to introduce a controversial Geospatial Information Regulation Bill in the Indian Parliament, said a statement issued by the Foreign Office in Islamabad.

It described the Indian map as factually incorrect and legally untenable.

Hours later, external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said in New Delhi the proposed bill is an entirely internal legislative matter of India since the whole of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.

Read: Bill on mapping may make app-based services like Ola, AirBnB costlier

Pakistan or any other party has no locus standi in the matter, he said. Swarup added the Indian government firmly rejects Pakistans repeated and increasing attempts to impose on the international community matters that India has always been open to address bilaterally with Pakistan.

The statement from Pakistans Foreign Office said the Indian government intended to penalise the individuals and organisations who depict Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Pakistans letter called on the UN to uphold Security Council resolutions and to urge India to stop such acts which are in violation of international law.

We have urged the international community and the UN to fulfil their commitment with the people of Jammu and Kashmir by holding an independent and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices, the statement said.

India has for long insisted the Kashmir issue must be settled bilaterally and without the intervention of a third party. Pakistans current government has repeatedly raised Kashmir at the UN and asked the world community to play a role in resolving the dragging issue.

The term geospatial refers to data and images associated with a particular location and collected through cameras on satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft and balloons.

The Indian government has said the bills objective is not to ban services that provide geospatial data but to regulate them for several reasons, including securing the countrys strategic installations.

Many applications give a 360-degree view of key towns and cities around the world which, security agencies believe, could be used by terror groups to plan attacks.

(With inputs from HTC in New Delhi)
Interpol issued fresh red corner notices on Tuesday against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf for their alleged involvement in an attack on the Indian Air Force Base in Pathankot, according to reports.

The special National Investigation Agency court in Punjabs Mohali had recently issued arrest warrants for the JeM chief and his brother. The court in Punjabs Mohali also issued arrest warrants for Kashif Jaan and Shahid Latif, considered to be the handlers of the Pathankot attackers.

The red corner notice is issued to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action.

On Tuesday, ANI quoted sources as saying that the Interpol is also in the process of issuing red corner notices against Jaan and Latif.

Six militants infiltrated the strategic Pathankot air base in January, killing seven soldiers and forcing a new low in troubled bilateral ties between the two countries.

Pakistan has repeatedly said there isnt enough evidence against Azhar. An Indian move to designate Azhar a terrorist at the UN security council was blocked by Islamabads ally Beijing recently.

An Interpol red corner notice is already pending against Azhar for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy behind attacks on Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir state assembly.

Similarly an Interpol red corner notice is pending against Rauf in connection with the IC-814 hijacking case of 1999.

With inputs from agencies
The Gujarat high court summoned on Tuesday Mehsana Police along with their investigation papers and police station diary in connection with the FIR filed against Patidar quota agitation leader Lalji Patel.

Justice BN Karia kept the matter for further hearing on May 31.

The court also removed the name of Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel and home minister Rajnibhai Patel from the list of respondents stating that they were not necessary parties in the case.

Lalji Patel had moved an application in the court after his arrest on May 3 for attempt to murder and other charges in connection with the jail bharo agitation in Mehsana on April 17 that had turned violent.

In his application, Lalji requested the court to hand over the case to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) stating that Gujarat Police cannot act impartially, independently and fearlessly in the case filed against him.

In the petition, he alleged that he was brutally beaten up by the police and was also unlawfully detained by placing guards at the doorstep of the hospital room where he was being treated.

Patel heads the Sardar Patel Group, a body demanding reservation for Patel community along with Hardik Patel-headed Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS).

Patel faces several charges under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 308 (attempt to culpable homicide), rioting and other sections of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, among others.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Iran on May 22-23 as India looks at stepping up engagement with the energy-rich nation.

India is looking to double oil imports from the Persian Gulf nation, which a few years back was its second-biggest oil supplier, and getting rights to develop a giant gas field.

A deal is also on cards for developing the Chabahar port.

At the invitation of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Hassan Rouhani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Iran on May 22-23, 2016, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

During the visit, Modi will call on the Iranian leader and will hold talks on a wide range of subjects of mutual interest with Rouhani.

Post-sanctions Iran has seen a flurry of diplomatic and business activity with leaders from China to Russia courting Tehran.

In the run-up to Modis visit, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had visited Tehran.

India and Iran share longstanding ties. Iran is situated in Indias extended neighbourhood and the two countries have share similar interests and concerns in their economic and security space.

The visit of Prime Minister to Iran will seek to build on these commonalities by focussing on specific cooperation in regional connectivity and infrastructure, developing energy partnership, boosting bilateral trade, facilitating people-to-people interaction in various spheres and promoting peace and stability in the region, MEA statement said.

The visit, it said, will provide thrust to expand bilateral cooperation and mutually benefit from new opportunities in wake of lifting of secondary sanctions against Iran earlier this year.
Union minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday said political pressure to influence the investigation into the rape and murder of a Dalit law student in Keralas Perumbavoor cannot be ruled out. She cited a report by the National Commission for Women (NCW), accusing the local police and administration of botching the investigation under undue influence.

Interacting with media at the Indian Womens Press Corps, the minister quoted the NCW report to flag the slip-ups in the investigation, which includes contamination of the crime scene and inaction against the suspects named by the victims family.

The minister said a three-member NCW delegation led by chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam has also met the chief election commissioner to flag their concerns about the accuracy of the probe.

The NCW, in its report to the ministry, said: The committee is of the view that as the state of Kerala is going to elections, the administration and police are functioning under some undue influence.

The NCW said the victims family claimed the police did not act on their complaints against threats from neighbours.

The mother of the victim has on different occasions fought with the local panchayat leaders brother-in-law who belongs to the Left Front. The police ignored to inquire and interrogate the man in question, the report added.
The AAP government on Tuesday informed the Delhi High Court that the brother of Hyderabad University Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, who had committed suicide, is not interested in taking up the job offered to him on compassionate grounds.

The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath by Delhi government which also sought dismissal of the PIL against their decision to award a job to the brother of Rohith.

Respondent number 4(Vemulas brother) has written to us that he does not want the job offer on compassionate grounds. Hence the writ petition has become infructuous. Therefore, the same is not maintainable, Delhi governments Additional Standing Counsel Gautam Narayan informed the bench.

The court, however, directed the government to file a short affidavit with regard to the submission made before it in connection with the averments made in the writ petition within two weeks and fixed the matter for further consideration on July 13.

The petition by advocate Avadh Kaushik had challenged the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) governments February 24 decision, notified on March 3, to award a group C government job to Rohiths brother, Vemula Raja Chaithanya Kumar, as well as government accommodation on out of turn basis, saying it was illegal, arbitrary and politically motivated.

As per the Delhi Cabinet, the decision was taken on a representation received from Rohiths brother seeking support for himself and his family by way of employment. The petition contends that no such representation was received from Rohiths family.

The petitioner alleged that Cabinet decision was illegal, arbitrary, motivated, discriminatory and unjustifiable and unfair exercise of discretion without any mandate of law, statute, policy and guidelines.

The plea also contended that the decision was in clear violation of law of land and public policy thereby infringing and abridging the legal and fundamental rights of the public at large in general and Delhi youth in particular who are trying to get the job on their own merits.

It said there was no need to give a job on compassionate grounds to the kin of Rohith as he was neither a resident of Delhi nor was a government employee under Delhi administration or for that matter, under any Government organisation, and he was also not a student in any University/college connected or affiliated to Delhi in any manner and even no offence or any wrong act whatsoever had been committed against him in Delhi.
RSS on Tuesday paid rich tributes to Nirankari saint Baba Hardev Singh, who died in a road accident in Canada last week, saying his contribution towards society, mankind and spiritual world would remain unforgettable.

In their joint condolence message, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and his deputy Suresh Bhayyaji Joshi, said his demise has caused an irrevocable loss to the spiritual world.

The departure of the Nirankari Baba is like an irreparable loss to a valuable asset of the spiritual world. His life in the Indian saintly tradition enlightened lakhs of people and will continue to do so for ages and his works in the service of humanity will continue to be carried out. On behalf of all RSS Swayamsevaks, we pray that his soul may rest in peace, they said in their message.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad also paid homage to the Nirankari saint and spiritual leader Baba Hardev Singh, with its leaders offering their condolences in Burari.

VHP International vice president Om Prakash Singhal expressed sorrow on the untimely demise of the leader who dedicated his life to world peace and humanity. He prayed to God to inspire everyone to follow his path and wished the departed soul may rest in peace.

Baba Hardev Singh, head of Nirankari Mission, was killed in a road accident in Canada on May 13.
Hindu activist Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who got a clean chit from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, will be taken to Simhastha early morning on Wednesday, her brother-in-law Bhagwan Jha told Hindustan Times.

Bhopal central jail authorities informed Jha that she will be ready by 3:30 am and will get police protection and an ambulance will accompany her.

Pragya started an indefinite hunger strike on Monday demanding that she be allowed to take a dip in the Kshipra river, in Ujjain, during Simhasth Kumbh.

The Bhopal police had been denying her the visit, citing security issues, despite a court in Dewas allowing her demand on May 5.

On Tuesday, doctors at Bhopals Pandit Khushilal Ayurvedic Hospital, had warned that her blood pressure and heartbeat rate were not normal. She has been receiving treatment at the hospital for various ailments including cancer.
The CBI is examining a request received from the Bihar government seeking the agencys takeover of the state police probe into the murder of senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan last Friday.

The CBI has received a communication from the Bihar government, requesting the agency to take over the probe into the murder of senior journalist Rajdeo Ranjan last week, said a CBI source. The source said that the CBI is examining the states request and will communicate its opinion to appropriate central government authorities, including the the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), as per the protocol.

According to the source, though the agency is facing acute manpower shortage, especially in its investigative ranks, the CBI is likely give its consent to take up the sensitive murder probe as per the protocol. As per the protocol, the state is required to formally request the home ministry for a CBI probe, which will be forwarded to the agency via the DoPT for its consent. Once the CBI may give its consent, the DoPT will issue a notification formalizing the takeover.

Bihars chief minister Nitish Kumar had on Monday said the state government will recommend for a CBI probe in the murder case to the Centre, keeping in mind the desire of the slain journalists family. Ranjans wife Asha had demanded a CBI probe into the murder, to ensure that the culprits get stringent punishment.

Ranjan was shot dead allegedly by five unidentified criminal, who were bikes-borne, as he was heading home from work. A city bureau chief of the Hindi daily Hindustan, a sister concern of Hindustan Times, Ranjan was hit in the head, while another struck him on his neck and was declared dead on arrival at the nearest hospital.

The manner in which Ranjan was targeted raised suspicions he was killed by professional hit men, according to another agency source. The journalist was killed via a head shot to ensure he did not survive. He looks to have been targeted by professional killers, who knew how to execute such an operation in a crowded locality and get away cleanly, he said.

Though the local police have detained several persons, it is yet to arrest anyone or zero in on the crimes motive and weapons used in it. The police are examining the possibility of Ranjan getting targeted due to his reports against the states powerful elements.

CBI is probing the role of hired killers in another high-profile murder probe, of caste-based private militia Ranvir Senas founder Brahmeshwar Singh , it took over from the Bihar police in 2013 but is yet to crack it.
Even as the Centre mulls a proposal to extend maternity leave benefit to surrogates and commissioning mothers, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has set a precedence by approving 180-day maternity leave to a commissioning mother to enable her to bond with her newborn.

A commissioning mother is a woman who uses a surrogate to bear a child. There is no provision in India at present for any kind of child-care leave for surrogate or commissioning mothers.

In April, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) had proposed that 180 days may be granted as maternity leave to surrogate as well as commissioning mothers, in case either or both of them are government servants.

The commissioning mother also requires time to bond with her child and take care of him/ her, hence she will also become eligible for child-care leave, the proposed rules stated.

While the rules are yet to become a law, surrogates and commissioning mothers often have to take the fight to courts to get maternity leave benefits.

A nurse working in a government hospital in Delhi was forced to move the tribunal when her application for child-care leave to tend to her baby born out of surrogacy was rejected.

The woman got married in 2005 but due to certain health issues, she was unable to give birth. In 2014, she entered into a gestational surrogacy agreement with a woman to bear a child by using the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) methodology.

She applied for a 180-day maternity leave in June 2015 by duly enclosing all the requisite documents but her application was rejected. Meanwhile, a male child was born to the surrogate mother on June 10, 2015.

She went on earned leave from the next day for 51 days on the grounds that her newborn child needs care. The hospital, however, pointed out that she only had 18 earned leaves to her credit and directed her to apply for Extra Ordinary Leave (EOL) on private affairs for the remaining 33 days.

Even in the case of adoption, the Centre gives maternity leave benefit to the mothers to bond with the child, the tribunal noted.

It took into consideration various high court judgments, including a 2015 verdict of the Delhi high court where a commissioning mother was given equal footing in terms of child care leave with women who had children under normal circumstances.

Noting that the purpose of giving leave to the mother was proper bonding between the child and the parents, the tribunal quashed the order denying her 180-day maternity leave.

(ends)

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The Congress Rashid Alvi has done it again. His latest attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi has triggered a war of words with union education minister Smriti Irani and a storm on Twitter.

So what happened?

Alvi told HRD minister Smriti Irani at an event that in Google search Narendra Modi is the most stupid PM in the world.

What does it mean?

Alvis below-the-belt attack on Modi was aimed to create a fresh controversy. He also perhaps tried to score a brownie point with Congress.

What happens next?

Irani gave a befitting reply. Congress may not back Alvi on this issue.

Irani hits back

Irani, sitting on the dais, didnt hesitate to hit back. In Congress, those who abuse Narendra Modi are favoured by its leadership. People often forget that Modi is the Prime Minister of the country while spitting poison against him, she said.

Irani also took offence at the way Alvi addressed her. How he uses words to address a woman minister when he says, it is heard that you are very close to Modi. We live with such poison every day, she said.

Alvi has burnt his fingers earlier too

This is not the first time Alvi has burnt his fingers by commenting on Narendra Modi. In 2013, Alvi, at a press conference in party headquarters, had slammed Modi as Yamraajthe God of death, invoking sharp reactions.

The Congress party subsequently removed him from the post of national spokesperson and even struck off Alvis name from the national media panela body comprising of leaders who are allowed to speak on behalf of the party in different forums.

Alvi, who joined the Congress from BSP, had courted controversies earlier too. When Anna Hazare led the Lokpal movement in Delhi, Alvi had alleged that the US might be funding the agitation, an embarrassing charge from the ruling partys podium for the UPA government.

When Alvi got trolled

On Twitter, Alvi was trolled. Rashid Alvi is a Coward, said one tweet. Words used by Rashid Alvi show the cheap mindset of Congress leaders, said another tweet.

A Party that has gems like ND Tiwari, AM Singhvi, Digvijay, Rashid Alvi.. is bound to be Anti woman #AntiWomanCongress  Ankita Lal (@iAnkitaLal) May 17, 2016

#AntiWomanCongress Rashid Alvi was showcasing his gutter mentality wen he took a google search as Gospel Truth & quoted it in public forum  True Hindusthani (@ani30oct) May 17, 2016

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Glenn Maxwell on Tuesday became the fifth Australian to pull out of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but his injury is unlikely to keep him out of an upcoming tour to the West Indies.

The hard-hitting batsman suffered a strain in his left abdomen playing for Kings XI Punjab and is returning home as a precaution.

Australia team physiotherapist David Beakley said it did not appear serious enough to prevent him playing in the West Indies tri-series, which Australia open in Guyana on June 6 against South Africa.

From the information we have so far, the injury doesnt appear to be something that will prevent Glenn from participating in this tour, he said.

But we are keen to give him the necessary time to recover before departing to the West Indies at the end of this month.

Maxwells departure from India follows Australian captain Steve Smith (wrist), Mitch Marsh (side strain), John Hastings (ankle) and Shaun Marsh (back) also returning home early.

Smith and Mitch Marsh are also expected to be fit for the West Indies while Hastings has been replaced by Scott Boland. Shaun Marsh was not named due to the impending birth of his child.

The round-robin tournament will see teams play three matches against each opponent, with the top two advancing to the final on June 26 in Barbados.
Three more newborns died at the neonatal unit of JLN Government Hospital in Ajmer on Monday, taking the toll to eight in less than a gap of 24 hours.

On Sunday, five newborns had died at the neonatal unit of the hospital in Ajmer.

Parents alleged negligence in treatment. Both Congress and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) workers staged protest and demanded action against the erring doctors.

The Congress workers submitted a memorandum to district collector demanding adequate compensation for the bereaved families and a probe by team of independent doctors.

Refuting any negligence in treatment, doctors maintained that the infants were brought in critical stage and the best treatment provided to them.

The babies were referred here with multiple complications, were underweight and didnt respond to treatment, JLN Hospital superintendent Dr PC Verma said.

The hospital remains in focus as Dr BS Karnawat, the head of department of neonatal unit, went on a seven-day leave.

Later, his second in command Dr Pukhraj Garg came out with an objectionable statement that children continue to die as doctors are not Gods. The health department has sought explanation from Dr Garg for his statement to the media.

Collector Gaurav Goyal has also asked an explanation from the hospital superintendent to explain the circumstances under which Dr Karnawat went on leave.

Corrective measures have taken to set things right. We have ordered the hospital authorities to arrange on duty a specialist doctor 24x7. We are doing our best to increase public services in the hospital, Goyal said.

Health minister Rajendra Rathore said the infants were brought to the hospital in serious condition. These infants were underweight and suffering from septicaemia and other diseases.

The government has constituted a three-member committee to investigate the matter, he added.

Read | Five newborns die in Ajmer govt hospital, parents allege negligence
Stuck in red tape for more than two decades, the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) project is finally set to take off.

The excitement is palpable at the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) office in Belapur, where a team of senior officers, including joint managing director V Radha, is busy ensuring the minor issues are solved, so the construction work can start within a few months.

Radha, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who was tasked with putting the airport work on fast track, says all major hurdles have been cleared.

The agency will soon award contracts for pre-development works such as cutting of hill, levelling of marshy land, diversion of a river and shifting of high-tension power lines that need to be completed before the airport development work begins.

The pre-development work will start by the end of monsoon. A major part of the work will be completed before the appointment of the developer. We are in the advanced stage of the tendering process and the developer will be appointed by February next year. According to our schedule, the first flight should take off from the airport by 2019, said Radha, who is credited for solving the complex land acquisition issues in a time-bound manner.

Reaching this stage hasnt been easy. Most believed the work on the project would start in 2011, when the environment ministry gave its clearance, touted as a major hurdle till then. But getting the land from farmers and villagers, which accounted for 25% of the required land, proved to be tough.

Getting private owners to part with their land, which will be used for the core area of the airport, took almost five years.

In the backdrop of the bitter tussle over the land acquisition for special economic zones in Raigad district, farmers and villagers refused to cooperate with Cidco. They had no faith in the agency and were convinced their land would be taken away and they would be rehabilitated in some far-off areas. They also wanted the compensation to be hiked.

Radha and her officers gave them a patient hearing and convinced the government to give them a better package.

The change in the government actually worked in their favour, as chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, too, is keen to start the infrastructure project at the earliest.

We have acquired more than 160 hectares of the total 292 hectares of private land that we needed. The remaining work will be completed in the next few months. We have started rehabilitating the project affected families by giving them plots in Pushpak Nagar, Radha said.

Cidco is likely to get the last clearance  stage 2 forest clearance  in two months. The agency has decided to appoint third-party and independent consultants to tackle unnecessary administrative interventions.

According to Radha, all processes related to the project have been streamlined, and if everything goes according to the plan, the Rs16,700-crore project will be able to cater to 60 million passengers by 2030.

Initially, the airport will see a footfall of two to three million passengers annually, and it will reach its projected figure of 10 million in due course of time, say Cidco officials. The airport will have two runways.
The unprecedented water crisis and drought has forced the Maharashtra government to change the traditional irrigation network it has been following for decades. It has decided to adopt a closed-pipe distribution system for all new projects. This means water from dams in the state will not be distributed through open canals any more. This will help the state save a large quantity of water as well as money  the cost of laying underground metal or cement concrete pipelines would be less compared to the cost of acquiring land and then building cement concrete canals. The decision was taken in a state cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Maharashtra will also start conducting water audits every year. For this, the state government will soon have a water audit directorate on the lines of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The objective is to ascertain total wastage of water, the reason and solutions for it.

Maharashtra is facing a severe water crisis with more than 5,000 tankers deployed to supply potable to the people. The water storage of dams in drought-hit Marathwada (central Maharashtra) has come down to an all-time low of 2%.

The move will also help prevent water theft, leakages and evaporation, state water resources minister Girish Mahajan said on Tuesday.

To supply 2 TMC (thousand million cubic) water for Solapur, officials have to release 20 TMC of water, which means 18 TMC goes waste. This is all because of water theft, leakages and evaporation. But with the new system in place, the situation will change completely, Mahajan said.

Explaining details of the system, the state water resources minister said it will be an underground system, which will not affect farmers and will also help the government save money. The state government spends five times more than the market rate as compensation for land acquisition, which puts a lot of pressure on the state exchequer.

With a closed pipe system, the state will not need to acquire land and prepare canals. Thus, all the new irrigation projects in the state will now have a closed pipe distribution system. Also, it will be made applicable for irrigation projects for which land has not be acquired as yet, he said.

According to sources in the government, Maharashtra will soon have a water audit and an irrigation audit directorate with seven regional heads. The directorate will appoint auditors for a water audit at the district level and compile annual report with its recommendations for rectifications and future planning to save wastage of water.

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A 45-year-old woman allegedly poured four litres of acid on a 28-year-old veterinary doctor in Vaishali on Monday morning. The woman had been allegedly pursuing him for the past 18 days even after he rejected her advances. The victim is admitted in a private hospital and is critical.

The incident took place at around 8 am at a dog clinic in Sector 4, Vaishali where the victim, Dr Amit Verma, works as a veterinarian. According to his roommate Deepak, Dr Verma was in his living room adjacent to the clinic when the woman barged in and threw acid on him while Deepak was taking a shower.

Since the clinics door was open, she sneaked into the living room and threw acid on Amits face. She immediately fled while Amit kept shouting in pain. I took him to a private hospital nearby and immediately informed the police, said Deepak.

The police reached the hospital but could not record Dr Vermas statement as he was unable to speak.

The patient has sustained 40% burns on his face, chest, abdomen and arms. He is currently under observation and is kept in isolation, said Dr Sunil Dagar from Yashoda Hospital in Kaushambi.

Watch | Jilted woman throws acid on veterinary doctor in Ghaziabad

Dr Verma joined the clinic in Vaishali on April 26 and had been living in the house adjacent to it since then.

According to Deepak, before joining the clinic, Dr Verma worked as a veterinary doctor at a slaughter house in Meerut. Amit stayed at a rented accommodation and developed a close relationship with the landlady. However, when he left Meerut for Ghaziabad, it didnt go down well with her, he said.

He added that she had followed him to Vaishali and met him over three times in the past 18 days.

He said as soon as he saw Verma injured, he asked him who did it. Amit could barely utter aunty. I realised that it is the same landlady who had been after him, said Deepak. Though the police have not yet received any written complaint from the victim, they investigated the spot where the incident occurred and found a womans purse and dupatta. The woman left behind a purse with an identity card. However, initial questioning of the victims friend reveals that the ID card is of another woman whom Amit was apparently dating. Perhaps the woman left this behind deliberately to implicate the other woman. Things will be clearer once the victims condition improves and he can speak, said Gorakhnath Yadav, SHO, Indirapuram police station.

The police informed Dr Vermas family in Aligarh about the incident. We will register a case against the woman under IPCs section 326A once the victims family gives a written complaint. The victims call records also show that the woman had called him more than 100 times since Saturday, added Yadav.

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A day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a protest here and at Mohali, Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh said on Tuesday that the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was deliberately trying to promote Arvind Kejriwals party with the hope of dividing anti-incumbency votes in next years assembly elections.

At a meeting of newly-appointed vice-presidents, general secretaries and district presidents of the party here, he contended that there was a subtle understanding between the Akali Dal and the AAP as was proved on Monday during the so-called gherao of the Punjab chief ministers residence here.

The Akali Dal is deliberately trying to promote the AAP in the hope of dividing anti-incumbency votes, which will otherwise straightway go to the Congress, he said.

The AAP on Monday held protest at Mohali near here against the alleged multi-crore foodgrain scam in Punjab and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the issue. Amarinder questioned how some of the AAP leaders were allowed to reach the CMs residence despite heavy deployment of police on the entry points. Actually, AAPs protesting workers had stayed behind the Punjab-Chandigarh border in Mohali while leaders Sanjay Singh, Sucha Singh Chhotepur and Bhagwant Mann had led a delegation that met the CM at his residences gates and put forth their demands.

Also Read II Police stop AAP march, its #PunjabKranti vs #AapFlopShow on Twitter

Must Read II With meeting trick, Badal foxes AAP leaders

CM Parkash Singh Badal meeting protesting AAP leaders Sucha Singh Chhotepur and Bhagwant Mann along with others outside his residence in Chandigarh on Monday. (Karun Sharma/HT Photo)

With regard to Tuesdays results in the Delhi municipal bypolls in which the AAP won five out of 13 wards, Amarinder saw it as a reflection of popular sentiment being against the ruling party of Delhi.

He congratulated Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken and his team for winning four seats in the municipal polls.

Of the 13 municipal wards, AAP lost in eight, thus reflecting the popular disillusionment with the Kejriwal government in Delhi within a year, he added.
Call it the return of the realpolitik. After denying differences with partys poll strategist Prashant Kishor over his meeting with expelled senior leaders Jagmeet Brar and Bir Devinder, Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday did not rule out the possibility of Devinder returning to the party fold.

Amarinder, who had last week said there was no question of taking Bir Devinder back into the Congress, is no more talking in absolute terms. In politics, nothing is permanent, the former chief minister told HT on the sidelines of a press conference here. He was replying to query if the partys doors had been closed for Bir Devinder forever.

However, while replying to a query during the media interaction, Amarinder said he knows Devinder since latters days in student politics. He has these ups and downs in terms of behaviour. He is not stable. He had no authority to open his office at Ghanaur without permission. On whether Devinder can be brought back if he apologises, Amarinder said, How many times can he be brought back to the party after an apology? He also downplayed the impact on the Congress from possible coming together of Brar and Bir Devinder saying he did not think it would harm the partys prospects.

Brar has some problem with me. He had earlier attacked party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi after the Lok Sabha elections. The action against him has come from the party president, he said, adding that let him go to the AAP or the BSP whoever takes him.

On Prashants reaching out to dissidents, he said there was nothing wrong in it. For formulating the strategy, he will need to meet all leaders. When Im out of the country, there is no harm if others keep doing their work. Kishor takes no decision without consulting me, he said.

The changed stance of Amarinder is following his meeting with Kishor in Delhi on Saturday wherein the latter is learnt to have explained to Amarinder that Brar and Devinder together could open yet another front for the Congress that is already locked in a triangular contest with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the AAP in Punjab. Kishor is keen to get Devinder back to blunt the possibility of the two coming together. But Devinder also enjoys proximity to some senior Congress leaders and unlike Brar is not eyeing an entry into the AAP. Unlike Brar, who was expelled by the AICC, the disciplinary action against Devinder came from Amarinder as president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) and can be reversed by him.

Read: Kishor only strategist; no role in organisation, ticket allotment: Cong

If Kishors will prevails and Devinder is taken back, it will ruffle the feathers of Amarinder loyalists who feel it will undermine Captains authority as the state president. What kind of message will go down to Congress leaders and workers in Punjab? That Prashant proposes, Amarinder disposes and then endorses. It will establish Kishor as the de facto state chief who can take decisions without Captains approval, a senior MLA said. But Kishor, who stays at Amarinders residence during his Punjab visits, may have to now keep the latter clued in on all his strategy moves, lest he ends up firefighting those he is working for.

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A Punjab and Haryana high court bench on Monday issued a notice to the Punjab government on a petition for making Punjabi as official language in states subordinate courts.

The bench of justice SS Saron and justice Gurmit Ram has sought response by August 9 on the plea that also seeks quashing of a 1991 communication by the registrar general of the high court to all subordinate courts directing them to treat English as the court language.

The court was told that most litigants did not understand English, and therefore, did not know what was transpiring in the court proceedings. They do not understand the import of the orders/judgments, which are handed over to them. Thus, it is highly desirable that the court proceedings should be recorded in the official language of Punjab, Punjabi, said petitioners advocate HC Arora and Mitter Sain Goyal. A notification under the Punjab Official Language (Amendment) Act-2008 mandated that on expiry of six months, in all civil and criminal courts, all revenue courts and rent tribunals or any other court or tribunal constituted by the state, work would be done in Punjabi, said petitioners.

They said despite more than eight years, the statutory provisions under the 2008 notification had not been implemented as the registrar of high court had not issued revised instructions to the lower courts. The notices have been issued to the chief secretary, principal secretary, home, and HCs registrar general.
Continuing with their agitation against comedian Kapil Sharma for allegedly projecting nurses in a vulgar manner on his comedy show, nursing staff from various medical colleges and hospitals staged protest at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here on Tuesday, and filed a complaint against Sharma, who is from Amritsar, at a local police station.

The nurses and nursing students also raised slogans against Navjot Singh Sidhu  BJPs former Lok Sabha MP from Amritsar who is now a Rajya Sabha member  for being part of the show. Raj Bedi, state general secretary, Punjab Nursing Association, said, How can Sidhu be a part of a show like this that demeans someones profession? He keeps laughing at jokes made about the medical profession, including those on doctors, even when his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu (Amritsar-East MLA) is a doctor!

Kapil Sharma and Navjot Singh Sidhu at a promotional event for the show. (IANS Photo)

We as a community expected that Sidhu would not support this nonsense and such vulgar jokes. Nurses have been objectified on the show since its beginning, Bedi added.

Next, the nursing union is planning to file a defamation case against the comedian.

Also read II Amritsar nurses want Kapils show cancelled for vulgar portrayal, begin protest

Rochelle Rao of Bigg Boss 9 fame plays a nurse on the Kapil Sharma Show that is telecast on Sony TV. (Photo: YouTube/Sony TV)

The nurses filed a complaint against Kapil Sharma to station house officer (SHO) Gagandeep Singh Pawar at the Majitha Road police station, and he assured them of due action.

Mandeep Kaur, a nursing student, said, This is insulting; no nurse behaves like this in real life. We are part of a dignified profession. Stating that the issue was to protect the dignity of the noble profession, Sunita Thakur, a nurse at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, said, The kind of relationship that has been depicted between a doctor and a nurse on the show is derogatory. Our community is against the kind of uniform worn by the actor Rochelle Rao, who plays a nurse.

Sunil Grover, who plays Dr Mashur, with Shraddha Kapoor donning a nurses hat during an episode of The Kapil Sharma Show. (Photo: YouTube/Sony TV)

Harjeet Nanda, another protesting nurse, said, People dont know the meaning of the word Nurse, which expands to Noble, Understanding, Responsible, Sympathetic, Efficient. We are not mere objects of desire.

Doing comedy is one thing but demeaning someones profession is quite another, remarked Sukhwinder Sohi, who was also among the protesting nursing staff.
Many call him a maverick politician. Expelled senior Congress leader Jagmeet Brar has made more headlines for his statements against his own party leaders, including advising Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi to go on a sabbatical after the partys worst show in Lok Sabha polls in 2014. Suspended for a while for making that statement, Brar came back into the fold only to be finally expelled last month, this time for hitting out against Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singhs coterie and tweeting praises for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

But why does partys poll strategist Prashant Kishor want him back? Brar had meetings with Kishor at Delhi before his expulsion and more recently on May 5. The last has triggered a controversy with Amarinder seeing it as Kishor exceeding his mandate.

In an interview to HT on Tuesday, Brar claimed Kishor had told him during their meetings in Delhi before his expulsion that even he (Brar) could become Punjab CM. Kishor had several meetings with me at the office of Rahul Gandhi on Rakabganj Road. In one of the meetings, he told me even you can become Punjab CM if the Congress wins the elections and that option is still open Brar said.

Further, he acknowledged the meeting where Kishor was present too earlier this month: I had invited Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Charanjit Singh Channi to Abohar for protest against killers of Dalit youth Bheem Tank. So when Channi invited me to his official residence in May first week, I obliged. But Kishor walked in after 20 minutes. I was not told that he too would be joining us. I also had no idea that they had met Bir Devinder Singh earlier in the day.

Kishor told me it was worth joining AAP if they announced me as the CM face as the party is likely to sweep Punjab polls, he added, I told him I had no such aspirations. But Channi kept pestering me to reconsider my decision saying he too will resign as the CLP leader. The meeting was just a ploy to dent my image by confusing people of Punjab that I am still trying to reach an understanding with the Congress.

When contacted, Kishor refused to comment on the issue.

Also read I Ready to join AAP, if invited: Expelled Cong leader Jagmeet Brar

Also read I Kishor only strategist; no role in organisation, ticket allotment: Cong

Having toured 60 assembly constituencies to mobilise crowds for his rally at Chappar Chiri in Mohali on May 21, the former MP is now propounding a new theory --- a grand alliance in Punjab between forces wanting to keep the SAD-BJP and Congress out.

Eyeing to gain entry into AAP or the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Brar said, There is no returning to the Congress. Both Left and the BSP have no to alliance with the Congress. The possibility of the AAP, BSP and Left coming together cannot be ruled out in Punjab.

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Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh said on Monday that former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had agreed to his proposal to assist the party in making a blueprint for the states economic revival.

The committee is headed by former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Badal and comprises former chief secretary KR Lakhanpal and economist Sucha Singh Gill. Manpreet, who was also present at the press meet, said the guidance of an economist like Dr Manmohan Singh would prove to be of great help in identifying ways to pave Punjab out of the financial crisis.

On his wife Preneet Kaur, brother Malwinder Singh and son Raninder Singh, all being allocated berths in the recently released Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) list, he said his wife and brother were both senior leaders. He, however, expressed ignorance on Raninders name figuring in the list as a special invitee. My son is not interested in politics. He is president of the National Rifle Association of India and busy there. Maybe his name was put in the list by Delhi leaders and was not recommended by me, he said.

Asked if top slots to kin of MLAs and MPs in the list contradicted his one-ticket-per-family stand, the state Congress chief said the rule would be followed without exception during election. The criteria for ticket allocation will be winnability, Amarinder said.

On voices of dissent against recently released list, the state Congress chief said he tried to accommodate as many people as possible. I have read the statement of senior leaders such as Amarjit Tikka. At times some people get left out inadvertently. They will be accommodated, he said. He also said the first meeting of the new body would be held on Tuesday and each of the 117 constituencies would have a senior leader as in-charge.

REMOVE ASYLUM-SEEKERS FROM BLACKLIST

Describing his recent trip to the US as a major achievement, Amarinder said he interacted with over 10,000 people and Punjabi non-resident Indians have started contacting the Congress for the poll campaign.

On protests by rights group, Sikhs for Justice, he said they never talked about justice to anyone. Sikh immigrants who went abroad for political asylum are mostly job seekers. They are not given visas to return home. The blacklist should be revised and I will be taking up the matter with Union home minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, he said.

Read: Capt Amarinder wants revision of Sikh immigrants blacklist

PROTEST AGAINST KHALSA UNIVERSITY

Replying to Punjab governments move to set up Khalsa University at Amritsar, Amarinder, who had threatened to hold protests, said he would move court if the government goes ahead with the proposal. The panel headed by chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal has given its nod to set it up and a letter of intent will be issued shortly.
The Congress on Monday held a demonstration outside the deputy commissioners office against the state governments alleged attempts at gagging media.

Led by Amritsar district congress committee (DCC, rural) president Gurjit Singh Aujla, the protesters demanded that the Punjab government should let the media function independently and impartially. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) spokesperson Sukhjinder Raj Singh Lalli Majithia also participated in the demonstration. Raising slogans against the Punjab government, Congress workers marched from the DCC (rural) office to the DC office, where they held a rally.

Addressing the workers, Aujla said the recent case of withdrawal of services of a prominent Punjabi channel over the cable network in Punjab was a clear case of the governments attempt to gag and control the electronic media.

Read: Protest over news channel blackout: MLA Bains, 15 supporters held

It is clear that private channels can operate on the cable network in the state if they toe the government line. The governments criticism on these channels is not tolerated, said Aujla. He said in the past nine years, people of the state have been fed on what Badals say and project about the state. This is because they control the cable network, and any channel that dares to go against the state government is taken off the network, he alleged.

Lalli Majithia said in a democracy, it was the duty of the media to bring out what is right and what is not. The media has to tell the truth, but perhaps this is not to the liking of Badals, he said.

Later, Aujla submitted a memorandum addressed to the chief minister to DC Varun Roojam. In the memorandum, the Congress demanded total independence of the media in the state.
UT administrator Kaptan Singh Solanki on Tuesday launched the official website iyd.chd.gov.in for the second International Yoga Day celebrations, by registering his name. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Yoga Day celebrations here on June 21.

The governor also launched the toll-free Number- 18001802072, Facebook page International Day of Yoga 2016, Chandigarh, Twitter handle iydchd2016, Instagram account International Day of Yoga 2016, Youtube channel International Day of Yoga 2016 Chandigarh at the Haryana Raj Bhawan. Registrations via toll-free number can be done from Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm.

Solanki said, It is a privilege for the city that we are hosting the second international yoga day. The administration has trained 800 experts with the protocol yoga and is setting up 200 centers across the city for the orientation programme. Solanki also held a detailed meeting with the UT administration, Punjab and Haryana officials to review the preparations for the yoga day.

Also read: Chandigarh schools gear up to do yoga with PM Narendra Modi
The Punjab Police have stepped up vigil in Pathankot, especially in Bamyal sector that has a large number of Gujjars (shepherd community) living in makeshift settlements, to check smuggling of bovines, allegedly for slaughter in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Gujjar community, which has a large number of people settled along the Punjab and J&K state border, have been found responsible for this illegal trade. They allegedly sell the bovines to butchers for slaughter.

To check the smuggling, the Pathankot police have increased checking of vehicles that are suspected to be carrying bovines.

Recently, the police had arrested a Jat Sikh, Sukhdev of Mehta village in Amritsar district, who had started this illegal trade with one Sattu of Udhampur. Sukhdev was carrying seven bovines in a vehicle. Cops said he used to transport cows to be handed over to shepherds across the state border.

With police intensifying checking, the smugglers are finding different ways to carry on with their trade. Sources said they have started taking these bovines one by one through the Ravi, pretending to be owners of the livestock.

We have come to know about this new route. We are trying

to plug all gaps to stop interstate bovine smuggling, said senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rakesh Kaushal.

The SSP said as there was no checking on the J&K side of the border, the Punjab Police are leaving no stone unturned to stop this practice.

Kaushal said police have been seeking help of locals to catch those helping shepherds from across the state border. As the smugglers are more active at night, we have stationed officers of the superintendent of police (SP) level to curb the crime, said the SSP.
Punjab higher education minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, on Monday, announced to bear the expenses of higher education of Pooja Rani, who topped the state in the vocational stream in the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class-12 examinations, the results of which were announced recently. Pooja belongs to economically weaker section of the society. His father is working as labourer in a hotel.

I will bear all the expenses of her higher education. Its my endeavour that no meritorious student remain deprive from higher education for paucity of funds. Whatever course Pooja wants to purse, I will provide support to her, said Rakhra, who along with education minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema honoured 33 students of the district who secured positions in the merit list of the PSEB Class-12 results.

Both the ministers first attended a function at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Civil Lines, Patiala. Nine students of the school had made it to the merit list. Later, both visited Government Multipurpose Girls Senior Secondary School, Model Town, where they honoured seven girls of the school, as well as 17 others who secured place in the merit list.

Later, Cheema visited the meritorious school near the Punjab University to honour the topper students there. He honoured 38 students who got more than 90 percent marks in Class 12.

It is worth mentioning here that out of 33 students of the district who had made it to the merit list, 23 were from government schools. Cheema said this was first time that students from government schools had performed better than their counterparts in private schools. He also said the government schools performing better will get maximum facilities from the government.
Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday inaugurated a solar power plant spread over 42 acres on the Dera Baba Jaimal Singh (Radha Soami sect) premises here, which the government claimed was the worlds largest single rooftop facility. The plant has the capacity to produce 11.5MW electricity.

With this, the Rs 139-crore solar energy plant here has become countrys largest, with solar panels spread over 82 acres on eight rooftops of sheds and a capacity to generate 19.5 MW. The project will generate 27 million units of electricity per annum, enough to cater to the electricity needs of approximately 8,000 households.

Renewable energy minister Bikram Singh Majithia (left) at the inauguration of a rooftop solar power plant at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, headquarters of the Radha Soami sect, at Beas, 45km from Amritsar, carried out by CM Parkash Singh Badal (right) on Tuesday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT Photo)

Badal was accompanied by new and renewable energy resource minister Bikram Majithia.

A power purchase agreement (PPA) has been signed between the Dera and the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) for 25 years.

The first phase (7.5 MW) of this project was allotted in September 2013 and synchronised with the grid in April 2014. Later, the second phase (12 MW) was allotted in February 2015 and synchronised in December 2015.

Watch | Worlds largest single rooftop solar power plant inaugurated in Punjab

In a statement after the inauguration, Badal lauded the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) for ushering in a solar-power revolution in the state.

Badal said the state-of-the-art project set up by the Radha Soami Satsang Beas Educational and Environmental Society (RSSBEES) in technical collaboration with PEDA will go a long way in motivating the other states to replicate such projects to generate clean and green energy.

Elaborating the environmental-friendly benefits, Majithia said the project will mean abating 4-lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the next 25 years. Majithia said the Centre has set a target of generating 40,000 MW of renewable energy by 2022.

Punjab was producing only 9MW of renewable energy till February 2012, which has now gone up to 470MW and is expected to touch 1,080MW by year-end, he said.

Also Read I Punjabs solar scam? Farmers energy deal given to costlier Delhi firm

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Veteran Telugu actor Krishnam Raju has been admitted to a Hyderabad hospital after he complained of difficulty in breathing and has been kept under observation. According to a source, the 76-year-old was admitted to Care Hospital on Monday. The actor is the uncle of Baahubali actor Prabhas.

He complained of breathlessness when he was rushed to the hospital. Although nothing is serious, he has been kept under observation, said the source. Rajus nephew, actor Prabhas, upon learning about his uncles condition, rushed to the hospital and spent nearly two hours with him.

The source added that Raju will be kept under observation on Tuesday. By the end of the day, we can expect some update from the doctors, he said. With over 100 films to his credit, Raju shaped the career of Prabhas, who is very close to him.

Read: No star is bigger than the success of a film, says Prabhas

Read: Baahubali star Prabhas to get married by end of 2016, says uncle Krishnam Raju

Read: Krishnam Raju quits Chiranjeevis party

Prabhas and his uncle and veteran Telugu actor Krishnam Raju with home minister Rajnath Singh. (ActorPrabhas/Facebook)

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Fancy getting drunk at the worlds oldest bar? Or playing a round of ping pong while quaffing down a pint? To make your life easier (and so much more fun), Lonely Planet has released a new guide: 50 Bars to Blow Your Mind.

To crack the top 50 list, watering holes had to fill a few demanding criteria. Bars had to offer great service, smart design, spectacular views, delicious drinks, wow factor and quirk, says Lonely Planet.

Read: Where food has a history and taste a lineage

Whether theyre champions of the basics, create custom-made craft cocktails or do something dramatically different, these 50 spots are among the best places on the planet to enjoy a drink or two.

Under the category of Wow Factor, for example, visitors to Hong Kong will want to add the Ozone Bar to their itinerary for the opportunity to tip back a cocktail in the clouds on the 118th floor of a towering skyscraper.

But be prepared to empty your wallet, the guide warns, as a single cocktail will set you back $30. Their signature drink? The Dragontini, made with vodka, raspberry, yuzu and basil accents.

Baobab Tree Bar in South Africa. (South African Tourism)

While in Petra, swing by the Cave Bar, which holds bragging rights to being the oldest bar in the world, set in a 2,000-year-old Nabataean rock tomb which stays open until 4 am in the summer.

And if youre looking for an authentic wine bar in Paris where youll be rubbing shoulders with the locals, head over to the 11th arrondissement and into the belly of Aux Deux Amis, a small, unassuming watering hole packed with Parisians, a natural wine list from local producers, bistro-style tapas and cheerful staff.

Other noteworthy addresses in the guide include a bar nestled in a 6,000-year-old baobab tree in South Africa, and a converted rec center in London filled with 17 ping pong tables including one from the 2012 Olympic Games.

Read: Why does Indian food not get the respect it deserves?

In addition to bars, Lonely Planet has also released 50 Museums to Blow Your Mind, showcasing the worlds most intriguing, extraordinary and eccentric destinations with exhibitions that include the Torture Museum in the Netherlands, the Cupnoodles Museum in Japan and the Pencil Museum in the UK.

The third title to round out the trio, 50 Beaches to Blow Your Mind, includes a beach in the middle of a meadow in Spain and an underground bay in Puerto Vallarta.

All titles retail for $11.99.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more.
Jeff Nichols Loving screened at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival on May 16 reminded one of all that is happening in todays India. A moving story about an interracial marriage between Richard and Mildred Nichols work traces the couples turbulent life in the late 1950s in the American state of Virginia, where such a union was against the law. Eventually, the US Supreme Court held that marriage was a human right and Virginia had to repeal the Act.

A strong parallel may be drawn between Loving and the khap rulings in India on inter-caste marriages/love affairs, which have led to horrible tragedies snuffing out young lives. Nichols told a media conference soon after his Competition entry was screened that I truly believe this is one of the most pure love stories in American history. He was describing the eventful life of the white southern construction worker, Richard Loving, played by the Australian actor Joel Edgerton and his African-American wife, Mildred, portrayed by the Ethiopian-Irish actress, Ruth Negga.

Read: At Cannes, The Handmaiden is a ravishing lesbian crime thriller

Read: Anurag Kashyaps Raman Raghav 2.0 to lead subcontinents show at Cannes

The film stars Australian actor Joel Edgerton and Ethiopian-Irish actor Ruth Negga in the lead roles. (Cannes Film Festival)

The couple got married in Washington and returned to their native home in Virginia, only to be arrested. Their prison sentences were suspended on the condition that they remain outside the state for 25 years, a ruling they eventually fought and defied. And helping the couples cause was the momentous civil rights movement that was spreading across America. In 1967, the Supreme Court decreed in favour of Richard and Mildred.

The court case is fascinating; how these lawyers got this case to the Supreme Court could make a movie in and of itself, said Nichols, who also wrote the screenplay. I didnt want to make that film, he added. I wanted to make a movie about two people in love.

Loving -- which is the second movie of Nichols after the 2012 Mud to make a Cannes debut -- has relied heavily on the documentary, The Loving Story -- which has the actual footage of the interracial couple. The documentary was aired by HBO in 2012, and when Nichols sent it to his wife asking what she thought about a feature on the Lovings, she wrote an email to him:I really love you, but if you dont make this movie Im going to divorce you.

Read: Raging Bull Robert De Niro to be at Cannes with Hands of Stone

Read: Cannes 2016 | American Honey most me says auteur Andrea Arnold

Loving by Jeff Nichols is based on a moving story about an interracial marriage between Richard Loving and Mildred. The film traces the couples turbulent life in the late 1950s in the American state of Virginia, where such a union was against the law. (Cannes Film Festival)

Loving has been narrated with hauntingly refreshing subtlety in a script that could have in an average Indian directors hand gone off the top with weepy emotionalism. Nichols shows admirable restraint while taking us through the deeply disturbing life of the Lovings -- who on being asked to quit Virginia, try and make a life in Washington. But they find that they cannot raise their three children there and return to Virginia. But the law catches up with them and they have to once again leave what is really their home and family.

Stripped of all artifice, Edgerton and Negga play their parts in such an ordinary, un-cinematic manner that they end up infusing power into the narrative. Herein lies the appeal of Loving that has been told in such a charmingly simple way. Critics and audiences at Cannes seemed mightily impressed. What about the jury?

(Gautaman Bhaskaran is covering the Cannes Film Festival.)

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Police in Bangladesh said Tuesday they had arrested a regional chief of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JMB) and three of his associates for their alleged involvement in the killing of a university professor last month.

Mohammed Shamsuddin, metropolitan police commissioner in the northwestern city of Rajshahi, said Maskawath Hasan Sakib alias Abdullah was arrested during a raid in northern Bogra district on Sunday night.

He was identified by police as the regional commander of the JMB in Rajshahi region, where 58-year-old professor AFM Rezaul Karim Siddique was killed on April 23.

On Monday night, three more arrests were made in Rajshahi city, Shamsuddin said. Three of the four arrested men directly took part in the killing, he added.

During a news briefing in Rajshahi, Shamsuddin refused to disclose the identities of the other three men, saying police need to maintain some secrecy for the investigation.

Siddique was hacked to death by suspected militants when he was on his way to Rajshahi University, where he was a professor of English department. Witnesses said the assailants were riding a motorcycle and used sharp weapons to kill him before they fled the scene.

Shamsuddin said Abdullah had made a confessional statement before a magistrate, admitting he was involved in the killing.

We are interrogating the suspects for more details. Abdullah told us he does not know why Rezaul Karim was targeted and he just executed the plan after getting an order from his bosses, Shamsuddin said. Police have seized the motorcycle used in the murder.

After the killing, the professors son, Riyasat Imtiaz Shourav, filed a case accusing unnamed people for the murder.

Siddiques family has said he did not have any known enemies and they had no idea about any threat against him. Siddique headed a cultural group and edited a literary magazine.

His killing came after a series of attacks and murders of atheist bloggers and members of religious minorities.

The US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi websites, said the Islamic State had claimed responsibility for Siddiques killing, accusing him of promoting atheism. But the claim could not be verified independently by the Hindustan Times.

Dozens of JMB members have been arrested and at least five killed in shootouts since November, as security forces stepped up a crackdown on militants.

In 2005, the JMB set off nearly 500 bombs almost simultaneously, including in Dhaka. Subsequent suicide attacks on courts killed 25 people and injured hundreds.
Turkish shopkeeper Mehmet Baykal knew he had less than 10 seconds to dive under his desk when he heard another rocket being fired from Islamic State-held territory across the border in Syria.

Once a safe haven for tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, this tiny Turkish border town has now become a frontline in its war. So frequent is the rocket fire across what is in effect also NATOs front line that residents know instinctively how long they have to take cover.

It feels like a powerful earthquake. The ground shakes with pressure and then it is dust everywhere, Baykal, 45, who has lived all his life in Kilis, said as he stood on its main shopping street, several of its stores shuttered.

Kilis never knew what terror was. We opened our homes to those who fled war. But now the war is at our doorstep.

Shopkeeper Mehmet Baykal (R) stands under Turkish flags on the main commercial street in the southeastern town of Kilis. (REUTERS)

The town has been hit by rockets from a patch of Syria controlled by Islamic State more than 70 times since January, killing 21 people including children, in what security officials say has gone from accidental spillover to deliberate targeting.

Some houses have been reduced to rubble. Others, their rooms exposed to the open air where walls have collapsed, are still inhabited. Streets are largely deserted and schools are on an informal break as families refuse to send their children.

Children play inside a devastated house that was struck by rocket fire from Syria in Turkey's southeastern border town of Kilis. (Reuters)

I say goodbye to my wife every night before I go to bed, in case I dont make it to the morning, said Resul Sezer, whose five-year old granddaughter was killed two weeks ago when a rocket struck the house she was standing outside.

The talk in the tea house every day is where the rocket might fall today, he said. We want the state to do something.

Turkey, a NATO member, EU aspirant and part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State, has stepped up retaliatory fire into northern Syria in recent weeks. But security sources say it is difficult to hit the militants, sometimes firing from the back of vehicles, with the heavy artillery stationed on the border.

A man looks inside a house hit by rocket fire from Syria in Turkey's southeastern border town of Kilis. (REUTERS)

The gate of a mosque struck by shrapnel from rocket fire from Syria is seen in Turkey's southeastern border town of Kilis. (REUTERS)

Coalition air strikes have increasingly targeted militant positions close to the Turkish border and foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last month that US mobile rocket launchers would soon arrive. But so far there has been no concrete sign of the assistance arriving.

In Kilis, frustration with President Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling AK Party is starting to boil over. Police used tear gas to disperse dozens of residents protesting last month after a rocket attack killed one person and wounded 26.

Where is the state? said Omer Ciloglu, an AKP supporter and party member, standing in what was left of his third-floor apartment after the building was hit by a rocket.

Omer Ciloglu stands inside his devastated house struck by a rocket from Syria in Turkey's southeastern border town of Kilis. (REUTERS)

Omer Ciloglu stands inside his devastated house. (REUTERS)

Omer Ciloglu stands inside his devastated house . (REUTERS)

Omer Ciloglu stands inside his devastated house. (REUTERS)

Nobody from the state called me. Nobody told me do not leave your hometown, we are with you. Instead they say do not gather, do not protest, he said.

EVEN PRISONERS WANT OUT

Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu say Turkey is taking every necessary measure to secure its border, a promise echoed by Kilis mayor Hasan Kara.

This is hardly Turkeys problem alone, Kara told Reuters in his office in Kilis. Unless this bog of terrorism is dried up...this problem will continue to hit Kilis but it will also strike other capitals in Europe too, he said.

Turkey has long pushed for creation of a safe zone in northern Syria but the idea has found little support from Western allies. The United States and Turkey have for months been discussing a military plan to drive Islamic State from the border but there has been little concrete sign of progress.

Locals protest against officials asking them to resign as they argue with police about their security concerns after two rockets hit the Turkish town of Kilis near the Syrian border. (REUTERS)

Earlier in Syrias war, Turkey, eager to see President Bashar al-Assad toppled, faced criticism from Western allies for failing to prevent foreign fighters crossing its border and joining what would become Islamic State. But, as well as the threat to its border, Turkey has been hit by a spate of suicide bombings blamed on the militant group this year.

Erdogan said last week Turkey was making necessary preparations to clear the area across the border from Kilis and that it would not refrain from taking steps on its own if it was unable to get the support it wants from allies.

Lawmakers from the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) have warned of serious security lapses and breaches of the border in Kilis and the surrounding area, calling for the town to be declared part of a terror zone.

Resident Fattum Gayyaz and her granddaughter stand next to a hole on the roof of her house which was struck by a rocket from Syria, in Kilis. (REUTERS)

For the first time, the war is spilling over to Turkey with Kilis coming under attack, said CHP MP Ozturk Yilmaz, who was abducted by Islamic State with other officials when he was Turkeys Consul General in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014.

If this continues, we could see Gaziantep, Urfa or other cities going through this with Turkeys national security seriously at stake.

Shoppers walk in the main marketplace in the southeastern town of Kilis. (REUTERS)

Hundreds of Syrians are thought to be among the tens of thousands of people who have fled Kilis over the past few months.

We already lived through this once and now its happening again, said Mohammed, a 23-year old refugee from Aleppo who is planning to leave to join relatives in the central Turkish city of Konya, far from the border.

A general view atop a hill of the southeastern town of Kilis, Turkey, bordering Syria. (Reuters)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus wife Sophie, is being attacked by opposition parties and social media for wanting extra staff to help manage her official duties.

Sophie Gregoire was quoted last week in the Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil as saying she feels overwhelmed by the crush of requests from groups that either invite her to speak or ask her to help promote their causes.

Gregoire, 41, a former television host in Quebec, pointed out that she only has one aide to help manage her official duties, noting she must also find time to raise her three young children.

Conservative lawmaker Jason Kenney noted that Laureen Harper, the previous Prime Ministers wife, never complained about her duties. Conservative lawmaker Candice Bergen wondered how the government could hire more staff for Gregoire when there are Canadian families struggling to make ends meet. And Leftist New Democrat lawmaker Niki Ashton said in Parliament it shows how out of touch the governing Liberals are with the realities that working women face today.

The hashtags #PrayForSophie, #SophieStrong, and #JeSuisSophie are appearing on Twitter.

Trudeau spokesman Olivier Duchesneau said Monday that Gregoire receives an extraordinarily high volume of correspondence and invitations. He said they are looking at new ways to make sure she is supported at the official events she attends, as well as making sure that correspondence from Canadians across the country is triaged and answered in a timely manner.

Its been the tradition in Canada that the Prime Ministers wife gets support in performing official activities, Duchesneau said. He mentioned her involvement in anorexia and bulimia awareness events, the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards Gala, and the Womens Festival, among other recent activities.

She also participates in official events and international visits with the Prime Minister. In addition, she is the official spokesperson of Fillactive, a foundation that provides opportunities for girls between the ages of 12 to 17 to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle. On top of that, she is the Honorary Chair of the National Arts Centre Gala. She promotes many other causes through public appearances, keynote speeches, and media opportunities, he said.

Gregoire also accompanied her husband in March to a White House State Dinner hosted by President Barack Obama.

Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said Gregoire brought this attention on herself by posing provocatively with Justin in Vogue and by the interviews she has given. That is why she receives so many letters asking her to do this and that.

Wiseman said that unlike the U.S. first lady, the Canadian Prime Ministers wife has no official role or title. He noted many previous wives of prime ministers were more anonymous. He said they had aides, but didnt seek out a profile.

Shes drawing this attention. Now shes saying because I get all this attention I need this support, Wiseman said. She just happens to be married to the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister was previously criticised by opposition parties after taking office late last year for using taxpayer money to pay for two nannies who help care for his children. A spokeswoman for Trudeau said at the time that the nannies would be named as part of the household staff and that Trudeau would not expand the staff of the Prime Ministers residence.
Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday said he would not forgive new London Mayor Sadiq Khan for calling him ignorant, and challenged the mayor to take an IQ test, BBC reported.

The US presidential contender criticised what he called the very rude statements made about him by Sadiq Khan, after Trump suggested he would make an exception to the ban for the London mayor.

Sadiq Khan, the first directly-elected Muslim mayor of a major Western capital city, dismissed Trumps offer and accused the US presidential hopeful of holding ignorant views about Islam which could make both countries less safe by playing into the hands of extremists.

In response to Sadiq Khans comment, Trump said: I am offended, he does not know me.

I think they were very rude statements and, frankly, tell him I will remember those statements, he added.

Trump also challenged Sadiq Khan to take an IQ test.

Earlier, Sadiq Khan had expressed concern that he would not be able to visit the US if Trump was elected president as he proposed a ban on Muslims entering the US after attacks in Paris killed 130 people last year.
Shahbaz Taseer, the son of slain Pakistani governor Salman Taseer, has described how he was flogged, tortured and shot during almost five years in captivity.

Talking to BBC and CNN, Taseer recalled how he was flogged with 500 lashes in three to four days, had his back cut open with blades and was shot in the leg after he was kidnapped from Lahore in 2011 and taken to Pakistans tribal areas and then to Afghanistan.

They pulled out the nails of my hands and feet. They even buried me in the ground for several days on at least three occasions, he said.

But analysts in Pakistan questioned his claims while others expressed wonder at why he spoke only to the foreign media.

Setting aside the governments claims that a military operation led to his recovery, Taseer said he had been held at a Taliban-run jail after being sentenced by a Taliban court in Afghanistan. It was from there I secured my release with the help of a person who recognised who I was, he said.

He said he walked for more than a week to travel from Afghanistan to the outskirts of Quetta city, from where he called his mother and informed her of his location.

Read | Kidnapped son of assassinated Pak governor rescued after 5 years

Taseer, who is in his early 30s, described his survival as a personal victory. He said patience and the hope of eventual release sustained him. People, friends and family say you are very brave, you came back, it was very heroic. But these are not things I can say about myself. What I can say about myself is that I learnt to be very patient.

He was abducted in August 2011, when his car was intercepted by men in a black SUV and a motorcycle around 600 yards from his office. Three men dragged him out of his car and took him away.

Taseer said his kidnapping was orchestrated by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a group associated with Al-Qaeda that is blamed for terror attacks in Pakistan. I was tortured for about a year in these extravagant Hollywood-style movies they would make for my family to put pressure on them, pressure on the government, he said.

In his interview with BBC Urdu, Taseer said he was subjected to severe torture and mental torment but God wanted him alive. They also kept me without food and sewed my mouth and once did not provide me food for at least seven to 10 days. I was also shot in the foot but it fortunately did not hurt me seriously, he added.

They would carve my back open with blades, and then throw salt into it, he told CNN.

He said the abductors also placed bees on his face so that it would be unrecognisable for his family. On another occasion, he was tortured when he couldnt provide details of his bank account. My wounds, he said, wouldnt heal and I kept bleeding for a week for being unable to provide them the bank details, the abductors had no mercy and no remorse on their wrongdoing.

He added, The torture made me strong and I refused their demands. Finally, my God ended my misery...I used to pray all night and until the dawn of a new day.

Taseer denied any ransom was paid for his release. I did not pay any money. Rather I took their Rs10,000 while fleeing...I managed to flee the prison with a help of a man and reach Kuchlak, Balochistan. Later, I was sent to Lahore by the troops of the Pakistan Army.

Asked about his abductors, Taseer said he was only held by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan until the militant groups fought with each other.

They kidnapped me from Lahore and took me to Mir Ali area of Waziristan and they used to move me every month from the original place, he said.

I was in Mir Ali when the Uzbeks attacked Karachi airport, but realising how Pakistans government and army will respond, they shifted me to Datta Khel. I was there till February 2015, he revealed.

Recalling telephone conversations with his family, Taseer said, When the kidnappers would call my mother, it was not me speaking to her; it was them. I was just their vehicle. I knew she couldnt speak freely either. But I learned to focus on her voice. I loved hearing her voice.

Taseer said he was later captured by the Afghan Taliban, which doesnt believe in ransom and kidnapping. Circumstances changed for him when he was freed by a member of the Taliban, according to CNN.

Its insane you can find humanity where there is none, he said.

Taseers account, however, has been greeted with scepticism by several analysts. Journalist Mujib-ur Rehman Shami said the accounts of torture may have been exaggerated. Shami said Taseer may have been asked by the Pakistani military to paint the Taliban as barbarians.

Political commentator Moeed Pirzada questioned the claim that Taseer escaped on his own. He walked for several hundred miles, which I find unbelievable given his physical condition at the time, said Pirzada I believe the family has been actively trying to play down the belief that they paid millions in ransom.
The Obama administration is pushing back against a bipartisan move by US lawmakers to block $450 million in financial aid to Pakistan for failing to demonstrate its commitment and take action against the Haqqani Network.

In a statement to Congress, the administration said on Monday that the restriction sought by lawmakers would unnecessarily complicate progress in our bilateral relationship.

But the administration shares concerns regarding the threat posed to our forces and interests in Afghanistan by the Haqqani Network, and we continue to engage with Pakistan at the highest levels regarding the need for concerted action specifically against the group.

According to the National Defence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (NDAA), of the total amount of reimbursement and support authorised for Pakistan during the period beginning on October 1, 2016 and ending on December 31, 2017, $50 million would not be eligible for a national security waiver unless the Secretary of Defence certifies that Pakistan continues to conduct operations against Haqqanis.

The White House statement details this and other problems the administration has with the bill  the NDAA 2017  and adds that the president will be advised to veto it in the present form.

Lawmakers want Pakistan to act against the Haqqani Network which targets US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan from safe havens in Pakistan.

They have accused Pakistan of being duplicitous on this, and forced the administration to drop its proposal to subsidise the sale of eight F-16 jets to Pakistan.
Hugh Hefner has been sued for allegedly conspiring to allow Bill Cosby to commit sexual assault on young women at his Playboy mansion.

Former model, Chloe Goins, 26, filed a federal civil suit at the United States District Court in California against the embattled comedian last year (15), claiming she was just a teenager when Cosby allegedly forced himself upon her at a party held at Hefners Playboy mansion in 2008.

In the former dispute, she claimed she felt dizzy and sick after Cosby gave her a drink and escorted her to a room.

The Los Angeles County District Attorneys office declined to file criminal charges in the case at the end of last year and Goins voluntarily dismissed her federal lawsuit without prejudice in February.

Since the matter was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice, this gave Goins and her legal team the opportunity to open up the case at a later date.

And now Goins and her lawyers are taking advantage of the opportunity, as they have re-filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court and while she still accuses Cosby of the same actions, she added that the 90-year-old Playboy boss as a defendant, claiming he assisted his long-time friend in the alleged assault by telling her to lie down after the actor gave her the spiked drink.
Defending a French cardinal facing allegations of covering up cases of pedophile priests in his Lyon parish, Pope Francis has voiced his support saying he shouldnt resign.

Francis said in an interview with French Catholic daily La Croix coming out on Tuesday that a resignation of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin would be a mistake, an imprudence.

Based on the information I have, I think in Lyon, Cardinal Barbarin has taken the necessary measures and has taken things well in hand, the Pope said. He is a brave and creative man, a missionary.

Francis said we must now wait for the result of the proceedings before the civil courts, but resigning now would amount to admitting guilt.

Barbarin, one of the most high-ranking officials in the French Catholic Church, has been targeted by two investigations for not reporting cases of child abuses by priests to judicial authorities. The cardinal has denied any cover-ups, but acknowledged some mistakes in handling and appointing some priests last month. Other church officials have been also investigated.

In the interview, Francis said that regarding cases of pedophile priests in general, for the church, there can be no prescription and that tolerance must be zero.

Through these abuses, a priest, who is designed to drive a child to God, is destroying him. He spreads evil, resentment, pain, the Pope said.

Francis gave the one-hour interview to two La Croixs journalists at his residence in the Vatican on May 9. The Pope was speaking in Italian. The daily said the Vatican read the piece before it was published.
As jousting at various EU referendum-related events continued on Tuesday, Brussels reacted with unconcealed ennui at Brexit camp leader Boris Johnsons remarks comparing the European Union with Hitler.

According to a new poll, 55% respondents now say they supported Britain to remain in the EU during the June 23 referendum, while 40% back the exit.

Raising security stakes, Prime Minister David Cameron said that a vote to leave would make Russian President Vladimir Putin and Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi happy.

But his position faced challenge from his minister for armed forces Penny Mordaunt, who believes Britain is more exposed to IS within the EU than outside it.

Bristling in Brussels, Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, condemned Johnson over his Hitler remarks: "Everyone in every country has the right to organise referendums and ask the hardest of questions. We, the advocates of the EU, also have the right and the obligation even to defend our vision of Europe.

"But when I hear the EU being compared to the plans and projects of Adolf Hitler, I cannot remain silent. Such absurd arguments should be completely ignored if they had not been formulated by one of the most influential politicians of the ruling party.

"Boris Johnson crossed the boundaries of rational discourse, demonstrating political amnesiaThe EU can be blamed for many things, but it remains the most effective firewall against the ever dangerous and tragic conflicts among the nations of Europe.

In London, Cameron sought to debunk nine myths of the Brexit camp while addressing business leaders. Asked about the impact on security of leaving the EU, he said: "You keep yourself safe not simply by having a border but by working with other countries ... I'm not saying it's the only thing that keeps us safe but it helps.

"I would say to people, who do you believe about keeping us safe? The former head of MI5, the former head of MI6 or the people in the Leave campaign who do not have direct experience?"

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Erik Duhaime is a passive stock market investor, but he isnt afraid to short Donald Trump or go long on Hillary Clinton.

The 28-year-old from Cambridge, Massachusetts, trades on PredictIt, an online political stock market that allows users to wager small amounts of money on yes or no predictions about whether an event will occur. That includes who will win the US presidential election in November.

This is probably one of the ways I restrain myself from being active in the stock market, said Duhaime, a PhD student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, who checks the site a few times a week for fun.

PredictIt, which was launched in 2014, now has more than 30,000 traders registered, up from 19,000 at the end of 2015, and has received shout-outs from pundits and presidential campaign advisors alike. Users must be US residents and registered voters.

PredictIt says it is not like an online gambling site because it mainly exists to supply its data to universities for academic research, one of the main reasons the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission allows it to operate legally, according to a letter issued by the regulator in 2014. It is jointly run by Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, and a Washington-based political consulting firm Aristotle International Inc.

Unlike mainstream financial markets, bets are not big: The CFTC caps each participants position at $850 per market, and the average deposit when people sign up is just $100.

The regulator hasnt been as friendly to such betting sites in the past. In 2012, the CFTC filed a civil complaint against the now defunct Intrade for violating a ban on off-exchange options trading. The Ireland-based market also allowed people to wager money on yes or no questions, but it wasnt tied to an academic institution and didnt have a cap on the maximum amount that could be traded.

(Reuters file photo)

Market beats polling

Predictions markets like PredictIt and a similar venue run by the University of Iowa have emerged as an alternative to polling for election forecasters. PredictIt is bigger than the Iowa Electronic Markets, which has only about 2,000 active traders with access to its political markets.

Polling is very expensive, said David Rothschild, an economist at Microsoft Research who runs a predictions-market aggregator called PredictWise, which draws heavily from PredictIt. Its a slow process. Its not very flexible.

Knowledge of polls does also feed into betting decisions on PredictIt. Predictions markets translate this and other information into probability, said Rajiv Sethi, professor of economics at Barnard College. The basic intuition is that its a wisdom of crowds effect.

For example, Trumps chances of securing the Republican nomination for the presidential election swung dramatically on the site over the past three months as the primary season progressed. A Trump share shot from 30 cents in early February when he lost to rival Ted Cruz in the Iowa primary to 80 cents a month later when Trump dominated on Super Tuesday. They then lost half their value by early April as Cruz appeared to regain momentum with a big win in Wisconsin. With Cruz and another rival, John Kasich, now out of the race, Trump had risen to 94 cents by Monday.

For Novembers election, though, Trump is trailing on PredictIt with 40 cents against Clintons 59 cents.

While PredictIts precision has yet to be closely examined by academics, other predictions markets such as the Iowa Electronic Markets, have proven to be just as accurate as polls, experts who have studied them said.

PredictIt markets go beyond topics related to US elections. Users also put the probability of a North Korea hydrogen bomb test this year at only 29 cents, and a British exit from the European Union by 2017 at just 30 cents.

The idea for PredictIt was first thought up in the mid-1990s by Lew Evans, professor of economics at the University of Victoria.

It took until 2008, for the market, called iPredict in New Zealand, to get up and running.

Early on, it focussed primarily on New Zealand politics, and research showed iPredict out-performed the majority of polls in predicting the results in two of New Zealands last three general elections. However, new anti-money laundering laws in New Zealand put an end to iPredict last year after the cost of verifying users identities to comply with the rules threatened to blow through iPredicts shoe-string budget.

(Reuters file)

Primary party

PredictIt attracts everyone from campaign volunteers to political junkies.

In mid-April, about 30 PredictIt traders gathered at a bar in New York to watch the states primary results roll in.

I think its a good source of collective wisdom, said Brian Hegarty, who was at the event.

Hegarty, who worked for Kasichs campaign, reads political news, but also relied on picking up information through his campaign experience. That didnt always translate to a bet in favour of Kasich. He said he put money on Republican candidate Marco Rubio to win the Minnesota caucus because he had overheard someone who was working for the Florida senator express confidence about Rubios chances. It turned out to be one of the few states Rubio won before dropping out in mid-March.

Duhaime, the MIT student, said he usually bets against candidates he believes are likely to flame out.

For me, Trump was one of those people, he said. I shorted Trump way back in July, and it hasnt been fun watching.

After Trumps win in Indiana in early May, Duhaime was down nearly $1,000, about a third of the money he put into PredictIt.

I still think it was a one in a hundred thing, Duhaime, who doesnt identify as a Democrat but is a fan of President Barack Obama, said of the Trump phenomenon. Obviously Im bummed, but Im sort of more concerned for other reasons.
Pakistan Army chief Gen Raheel Sharifs two-day visit to Beijing focussed on the $46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which India has objected to because it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The CPEC is a key component of President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative connecting Chinas Xinjiang region to Pakistans Gwadar port.

Sharif s visit, which concluded on Tuesday, and his meetings with the top leadership in Beijing, including Premier Li Keqiang, came within days of the US releasing a report that claimed China could open a naval logistics hub in Pakistan to support its presence in the Indian Ocean.

Not too many details were shared about the meetings that the powerful Pakistan Army chief had with Li and Fan Changlong, vice-chairperson of Chinas Central Military Commission that is headed by President Xi Jinping. But there was little doubt that the CPEC was in focus.

Sharif assured Li that the Pakistan Army will provide security to all bilateral projects.

The Pakistani army appreciates Pakistan's profound friendship with China, the official Xinhua news agency quoted Sharif as saying. He said the Pakistani side expects achievements from the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor and is ready to provide security for cooperation.

Li said the CPEC is not only a flagship project between the two sides but also conducive to development and prosperity of the whole region. China, Li said, appreciates the strong support from Pakistan's government and military for the project.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar had raised Indias concerns about the CPEC passing through PoK during his meetings with Chinese officials in Beijing last month.

We made our stand very clearthat India has strong reservations on their (Chinas) activities in PoK. They noted our concerns. They explained that (the involvement) was on the economic aspect, with nothing against India from the defence or military side, he had said.

Parrikar was confident China would address Indias concerns. Our concerns were noted by them. I expect them to act on the concerns, he had said.

The developments during Sharifs visit indicated China and Pakistan are on track with the CPEC. Besides, military-to-military ties have reinforced China-Pakistan relations, especially economic cooperation,

Li called on both sides to strengthen high-level contacts and deepen exchanges in various fields. Economic cooperation and security collaboration between the two should be pushed forward like two wheels, he said.

Li hoped China and Pakistan will increase communication and coordination on global and regional issues to safeguard peace and promote common development and prosperity.
The full cache of secret documents from former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden is being opened to journalists and organizations willing to work with the news organization holding the archive.

The Intercept, the news site launched by journalist Glenn Greenwald -- who was part of the team that first interviewed Snowden in 2013 -- announced on Sunday that it would invite outside journalists, including from foreign media outlets, to work with us to explore the full Snowden archive.

The move could vastly increase the disclosures from Snowden, who fled the United States with a trove of documents detailing vast surveillance programs by the NSA and other intelligence agencies from around the world.

From the start of our reporting on the archive, a major component of our approach has been to partner with foreign (and other American) media outlets rather than try to keep all the material for ourselves, Greenwald said.

We have collectively shared documents with more than two dozen media outlets, and teams of journalists in numerous countries have thus worked with and reported on Snowden documents, in addition to other media outlets with some documents such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, ProPublica and the Guardian.

Jounalist Glenn Greenwald speakes at a book discussion in Washington, DC. The Intercept, the news site launched by Greenwald, announced on Monday that it would "invite outside journalists, including from foreign media outlets, to work with us to explore the full Snowden archive". (AFP file photo)

Greenwald said that under an agreement with Snowden, the journalists reporting on these documents must agree to certain rules.

There are still many documents of legitimate interest to the public that can and should be disclosed, he said.

There are also documents in the archive that we do not believe should be published because of the severe harm they would cause innocent people.

Greenwald said The Intercept has already begun to provide archive access to French daily Le Monde and other media outlets, and added that we are excited by the reporting this new arrangement will generate.

The Intercept on Sunday also released dozens of internal newsletters from the National Security Agency including one highlighting the secret agencys role in interrogation of Guantanamo prisoners.
One of two ethnic Uighur Muslims from China accused of involvement in a deadly bombing at a Bangkok shrine last year broke down in front of cameras on Tuesday as he made his way into court.

Twenty people were killed and more than 120 injured in the bombing on August 17 at the Erawan Shrine, thronged by visitors to the Thai capital. Five of those who died were from China and two from Hong Kong.

Analysts, diplomats and even some officials suspected the attack was linked to sympathisers of the Uighur minority in western China angered by the Thai juntas deportation of more than 100 Uighurs to China the previous month.

But Thai police said the perpetrators were members of a network that trafficked Uighur Muslims and launched the attack in anger at Thailands crackdown on the trade.

Im not an animal, the shaven, shackled and barefoot Adem Karadag told a crowd of waiting reporters on Tuesday, as two guards led him into a military court in Bangkoks old town. Im human, Im human.

He and fellow suspect Yusufu Mieraili, who were in court for a review of witnesses, have denied all the charges against them.

Were innocent, help us, help us, where are the human rights? said a stony-faced Mieraili, as he emerged from a police car outside the court.

Lawyers said more than 250 witnesses could be called for the prosecution and defence. Karadags lawyer, Schoochart Kanpai, said he hoped the trial would be over by the end of 2016, but that it could drag on a year longer.

Police say Karadag was caught on CCTV footage at the shrine, sitting on a bench and slipping off a bulky backpack before walking away, just before the blast.

Most Uighurs, who speak a Turkic language, live in Chinas violence-plagued Xinjiang region. Exiles and human rights groups say Uighurs chafe under government policies that restrict their culture and religion.

China denies this and blames Islamist militants for the rising violence.

Thai police have issued arrest warrants for 15 other people, eight of whom are thought to be either Turkish or in Turkey, according to the warrants and police statements.

Some Turks see themselves as sharing cultural and religious bonds with their Uighur brothers.
Former British Prime Minster Gordon Brown on Monday announced the creation of the United Nations first humanitarian fund for the education of refugee children.

Acting in his role as UN special envoy for global education, Brown said the fund hopes to reach many of the estimated 20 million school-age refugees and displaced persons around the globe who are being denied an education as part of the largest population of displaced girls and boy since 1945.

Brown said the number of children who are missing out on schooling due to displacement is becoming a global crisis that will haunt the world for generations.

When we ask ourselves what breaks the lives of once thriving young children, its not just the Mediterranean wave that submerges the life vest and its not just the food convoy that does not arrive in Syria, its also the absence of hope - the soul crushing certainty that there is nothing to plan or prepare for, not even a place in school, Brown said, speaking by telephone to reporters at the UN.

The initiative, entitled Education Cannot Wait, will be formally launched at next weeks World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul and seeks to raise $3.85 billion from some 100 donors in the public and private sectors over the next five years.

The initiative, which has been in the works for three years, was inspired by the refugee crisis in Syria, but funds will be available for refugees around the globe.

Brown said that the vast majority of people fleeing the war in Syria remain in the region and if parents believed their children could get an education there, they would be more likely to stay in place, rather than undertake the risky passage to Europe.

We must meet our responsibilities to those people who are in Europe, who are refugees and asylum seekers, but we must at the same time recognize the biggest problem and the biggest number of people who need help, particularly children who need help, are in the region themselves. And if we do not act they will become victims of child labour, child trafficking and child marriage and they will be a discontented generation of young people, a lost generation, Brown said.
The US senate passed legislation on Tuesday that would allow families of September 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabias government for damages, setting up a potential showdown with the White House, which has threatened a veto.

The Saudis, who deny responsibility for the 2001 attacks, strongly object to the bill. They had said they might sell up to $750 billion in US securities and other American assets in retaliation if it became law.

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, passed the senate by unanimous voice vote. It must next be taken up by the US House of Representatives, where the Judiciary Committee intends to hold a hearing on the measure in the near future, a committee aide said.

If it became law, JASTA would remove the sovereign immunity, preventing lawsuits against governments, for countries found to be involved in terrorist attacks on US soil. It would allow survivors of the attacks, and relatives of those killed in the attacks, to seek damages from other countries.

In this case, it would allow lawsuits to proceed in federal court in New York as lawyers try to prove that the Saudis were involved in the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon.

Saudi foreign minister Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir has said his countrys objection to the bill is based on principles of international relations. What (Congress is) doing is stripping the principle of sovereign immunities which would turn the world for international law into the law of the jungle, he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Read | Saudi Arabia could sell off billions in American assets if bill passes

James Kreindler, a prominent trial lawyer who represents 9/11 families and won large payouts for the victims of the 1988 bombing of Pan American Airways Flight 103 over Scotland, said he expected the bill to pass the House and become law.

The Tribute in Light is illuminated next to the One World Trade Center during events marking the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. (Reuters File Photo)

It would be crazy for (President Barack) Obama to veto bipartisan legislation (which would) open (US) courts to victims of the worst terrorist attack in US history, Kreindler said.

Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat and a JASTA co-sponsor, said the bill is overdue.

Today the senate has spoken loudly and unanimously that the families of victims of terrorist attacks should be able to hold the perpetrators, even if its a country, a nation, accountable, Schumer told a news conference.

Classified pages of 9/11 report

Republican senator John Cornyn, also a sponsor of the bill, said JASTA does not target the Saudis, although he alluded to a still-classified section of a report on the September 11 attacks that Saudi critics say might implicate Riyadh.

We have yet to see the 28 pages that have not been yet released about the 9/11 report, and that may well be instructive, Cornyn said at the news conference.

Other lawmakers who have seen the 28 pages have said releasing them would quiet such rumors.

Cornyn said it was up to the court to decide whether the Saudis were liable. I dont believe that this will be destructive of the relationship that we have with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he said.

The White House said Obama still plans to veto JASTA.

This legislation would change long-standing, international law regarding sovereign immunity, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest told a daily press briefing.

And the president of the United States continues to harbour serious concerns that this legislation would make the United States vulnerable in other court systems around the world.

Asked if senate Democrats would back a veto, Schumer said he would vote against Obama.

Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who had opposed the bill, said the version passed on Tuesday eased his worries that it might leave US allies more vulnerable to lawsuits, for example if groups based within their borders but not supported by their governments were behind a terrorist attack.

We dont want to alienate allies, but we do want to create redress if a nation-state was involved in helping a terrorist organisation attack American interests, and I think they should be held liable, Graham said in a brief interview.
On April 26, 1968, during Operation Delaware, Air Force Radio News reporter Mike D. Shepherd flew aboard a C-130 into the heavily defended A Shau Valley to interview 1st Cav Div (Airmobile) troopers who were there to retake the valley from the North Vietnamese.

This was a big story for the Air Force: These were the first C-130s to land in the valley since the North Vietnamese had seized it in March 1966 after overrunning an isolated Special Forces camp there. Now the Cavalry troopers were on the ground trying to defend themselves from the enemy gun positions in the surrounding hills, and the Air Force was scheduled to begin landing and delivering the hundreds of tons of material that the American soldiers needed to continue the operation.

Shepherd was there to record their thoughts and reactions. Take a listen

To learn more about this story, read A Valley Soaked in Rain and Blood from our October 2015 issue of Vietnam magazine.

Mike D. Shepherd was a reporter with the Seventh Air Force Combat News Unit in Da Nang. He now writes about his time in Southeast Asia during the War.
A GALLANT RUSH FOR GLORY

For the men of the 54th Massachusetts, the assault on a Confederate fort outside Charleston was much more than just another battle. It was their chance to show the world that black troops could fightand diefor the Union.

by William C. Kashatus

Before Union forces could capture Charleston, South Carolina, they first had to take Fort Wagner, a Confederate stronghold guarding the harbors entrance. So shortly after 6:30 p.m. on July 18, 1863, Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw readied 600 men of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment for an assault on the fort. Shaw, the 25-year-old son of Boston abolitionists, was white, as were all his officers. The regiments men were black.

The 54th would spearhead a three-pronged attack aimed at capturing the necklace of heavily fortified islands that dotted Charleston harbor. If they could take Fort Wagner, the Federals would launch a major assault on nearby Fort Sumter. From there, it would only be a matter of time before Charleston fell. But capturing Fort Wagner would be no easy task.

At first glance, the fort appeared to be little more than a series of irregular, low sand hills. In fact, it was much more formidable than that. A timber and sandbag foundation beneath the sand-covered hills allowed the structure to absorb artillery fire without any significant damage. The fort had 11 heavy guns mounted in fixed positions behind the parapets, while smaller wheeled cannon could be quickly repositioned where needed. Defending it were 1,300 men from the 51st and 31st North Carolina Regiments as well as several companies of South Carolina artillerymen.

Fort Wagner sat in the middle of Morris Islands northern sandy peninsula. Four batteries at the islands northern tip guarded the entrance to Charleston harbor. The largest of these batteries was Battery Gregg, whose guns faced the ocean and covered the harbor mouth. South of the batteries, a deep moat with a sluice gate and three guns bounded Fort Wagner along its northern sea face. To the east lay the Atlantic Ocean, and on its western boundary were the impassable marshes of Vincents Creek. On its southern side the fort had guns and mortars for direct and flanking fire on any advancing troops. The only possible assault approach was east of the fort, along a slim stretch of sand, narrow even at low tide. Shaw and his troops would have to launch their attack on the seemingly impregnable fort from there.

Colonel Shaw readied his men on the beach. Tightly wedged together, elbow to elbow, the soldiers of the 54th began their gallant rush, determined to disprove the popular belief among whites that Negroes were an inferior race, lacking the courage and intelligence of combat-ready soldiers.

The onset of the Civil War set off a rush by free black men to enlist in the U.S. military, but a 1792 law barred persons of color from serving in the militia. Also, strong opposition in the North as well as a widespread prejudice that blacks were intellectually and socially inferior limited their involvement in the war to driving supply wagons, burying the battle dead, and building railroads.

Yet public opinion slowly began changing. Northern morale faltered after Union forces suffered a series of military defeats, and fewer white men were willing to join the army. Pressured by this turn of events, on July 17, 1862, Congress passed a Confiscation Act that declared all slaves of rebel masters free as soon as they came into Union lines, and a Militia Act that empowered the president to employ as many persons of African descent in any military or naval service for which they may be found competent. Congress also repealed the 1792 law.

On August 25, 1862, the War Department authorized Brigadier General Rufus Saxton, military governor of the Union-controlled South Carolina Sea Islands, to raise five regiments of black troops for Federal service, with white men as officers. Volunteers came forward slowly at first, but by November 7 the regiment had reached its quota and was mustered in as the 1st South Carolina Volunteer Regiment under the command of Massachusetts abolitionist Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson. A second regiment followed, led by Colonel James Montgomery.

Still, President Abraham Lincoln refused to raise a large black army on political grounds. To arm the Negroes would turn 50,000 bayonets from the loyal Border States against us that were for us, he told his abolitionist critics. Black leaders continued to urge the necessity of enlisting black troops, realizing that if the black man proved his patriotism and courage on the battlefield, the nation would be morally obligated to grant him first-class citizenship. No one expressed those sentiments more eloquently than Frederick Douglass, a former slave and the nations most prominent black abolitionist. He insisted that once the black man gets upon his person the brass letters U.S., a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the United States.

Debate continued within the Union command until January 1, 1863, when President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Having freed, by executive order, those slaves in the South, Lincoln could no longer deny the black man the opportunity to fight. Now the Civil War was being fought not only to preserve the Union, but for the freedom of all the American people, white and black. The success of the 1st and 2nd Carolina Colored Troops only reinforced that position. Higginson and Montgomery had already led their black troops on several successful raids into the interior of Georgia and Florida, and in March 1863 they captured and occupied Jacksonville.

On February 13, 1863, Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts introduced a bill proposing the enlistment of 300,000 colored troops. Although the bill was defeated, abolitionist governor John A. Andrew of Massachusetts requested and received authorization from Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton to organize a colored regiment of volunteers to serve for three years.

Massachusetts had a small black population, and only 100 men volunteered during the first six weeks of recruitment. Disillusioned by the turnout, Andrew organized a committee of prominent citizens and Negro leaders to supervise the recruitment effort. Within two months the committee collected $5,000 and established a line of recruiting posts from Boston to St. Louis, resulting in the recruitment of 1,000 black men from throughout the Union who became part of the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Colored, the first black regiment raised in the free states. Toward the end of the second recruiting month, volunteers arrived at the rate of 30 to 40 each day, and Andrew soon had enough men to form a second black regiment, the 55th Massachusetts.

For the 54ths commander, Governor Andrew turned to Robert Gould Shaw, captain of the Massachusetts 2nd Infantry. Charming and handsome, Shaw came from a wealthy and socially prominent Boston abolitionist family. His parents Francis and Sarah had joined the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1838, and by 1842 Francis was working with the Boston Vigilance Committee to help runaway slaves gain their freedom. Robert entered Harvard University in 1856 but abandoned his studies during his third year and moved to New York to work in his uncles mercantile office. Shaw joined an exclusive militia regiment, the 7th New York National Guard, where he talked about what he would do if the South made trouble. Shaw did not possess the strong anti-slavery calling of his parents, but he was fiercely patriotic. When the Civil War began, he was primed to take revenge on the South. To Shaw, the South was the transgressor, and if it took the end of slavery to redeem the honor of America, then he was willing to fight for that. When the 7th disbanded, Shaw accepted a commission in the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry. During his 20 months there, Captain Shaw received a minor wound at Antietam, during the single bloodiest day of the war.

When Governor Andrew asked the young captain to lead a black volunteer infantry, Shaw was hesitant. The prospect of heading a regiment of armed blacks would not be popular among the white ranks. Nor did he want to abandon the men of the 2nd Infantry. Shaw initially refused the position but changed his mind after much discussion with his parents. In a February 1863 letter to his future wife, Annie Haggerty, Shaw wrote, You know how many eminent men consider a negro army of the greatest importance to our country at this time. If it turns out to be so, how fully repaid the pioneers in the movement will be, for what they may have to go through.I feel convinced I shall never regret having taken this step, as far as I myself am concerned; for while I was undecided I felt ashamed of myself, as if I were cowardly. Shaw received a promotion to major on April 11, 1863, and attained the rank of colonel the following month. Colonel Shaw would now have to navigate the turbulent forces of discrimination that existed within the Union Army.

The men of the 54th trained near Boston at Readville, under the constant scrutiny of white soldiers, many of whom believed black soldiers lacked the stomach for combat. Yet the negative perceptions seemed only to inspire a sense of unity within the ranks of the regiment and their white officers.

Contrary to recruitment promises, the soldiers of the 54th were paid only $10.00 per month, $3.00 less than the white troops. Shaw had become so committed to his men that he wrote to Governor Andrew, insisting that his entire regiment, including white officers, would refuse pay until his soldiers were given the same payment as all the other Massachusetts troops. Yet Congress did not enact legislation granting equal pay to black soldiers until June 15, 1864.

Shortly after the 54th was mustered into service, the Confederate Congress passed an act stating its intention to put to death, if captured, any Negro as well as white commissioned officer [who] shall command, prepare or aid Negroes in arms against the Confederate States. The directive only served to strengthen the resolve of the black soldiers.

On May 18 Governor Andrew traveled to the camp to present Shaw with the regimental flags. He made the trip with 3,000 other visitors, including such prominent abolitionists as Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Wendell Phillips. Douglass had a strong personal link with the 54thtwo of his sons, Lewis and Charles, had joined the unit. Andrew presented the flags to Shaw. I know not, Mr. Commander, in all human history, to any given thousand men in arms, has there been committed a work at once so proud, so precious, so full of hope and glory as the work committed to you, the governor said.

Ten days later the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry marched through the streets of downtown Boston, greeted by the cheers of thousands who assembled to see them off at Battery Wharf. It was an impressive spectacle. Shaw, atop his chestnut brown horse, led the way. Close behind marched the color bearers, followed by young black soldiers, handsomely clad in their sharp, new uniforms.

The dress parade gradually made its way to the wharf and boarded the De Molay bound for Port Royal Island, South Carolina. There the regiment reported to the Department of the South. Once the men arrived, however, reality set in when they were relegated to manual labor. Not until June 8, when Shaw and his men joined Colonel James Montgomery and the black troops of his 2nd South Carolina Colored Volunteers on an expedition to Georgia, did they see any action, and that was during a pointless raid on the small town of Darien. After plundering the 100 or so residences, three churches, the market-house, courthouse, and an academy, Montgomery ordered Darien set afire. Begrudgingly, Shaw directed one of his companies to torch the town. Fanned by a high wind, the flames eventually destroyed everything but a church and a few houses.

Afterward, Shaw wrote to Lieutenant Colonel Charles G. Halpine, the acting adjutant general of the department, to condemn this barbarous sort of warfare. Shaw knew his complaint could result in his arrest or even court-martial, but he felt compelled to express his feelings. He later learned that Montgomery had acted in accordance with the orders of his superior officer, General David Hunter. Soon after the Darien raid, President Lincoln relieved Hunter of his command.

The sacking of Darien and the manual labor his troops were compelled to do disheartened Shaw. Our whole experience, so far, has been in loading and discharging vessels, he wrote to Brigadier General George C. Strong, commander of Montgomerys brigade. Colored soldiers should be associated as much as possible with the white troops, in order that they may have other witnesses besides their own officers to what they are capable of doing. That opportunity finally arrived on the morning of July 16, 1863. Fighting alongside white troops on James Island, Shaws men acquitted themselves well in a sharp skirmish. That same night they ferried to Morris Island, where battle lines had already been drawn for the anticipated attack on Fort Wagner. Despite their exhaustion, hunger, and wet clothes, the men of the 54th were determined to fight on.

When General Strong, now Shaws brigade commander, heard of the bravery of the 54th on James Island, he asked the colonel if he and his regiment would lead the attack on Fort Wagner. Shaw and his men readily agreed and prepared to lead the charge across a narrow beach obstructed by felled branches, crisscrossed wire, and a deep moatall of which were constructed to slow the attackers, making them vulnerable to enemy fire. Eight all-white units were to follow. All day long, Union artillery bombarded Fort Wagner in an effort to soften the Confederate defense and minimize the bloodshed that would inevitably follow. Late in the day Shaw arranged the 600 able-bodied men of his regiment into two wings of five companies each and moved them slowly up the beach. He assigned Company B to the right flank, using the surf as its guide. The other companies lined up on its left.

At dusk, General Strong addressed Shaw and his men. Pointing to the flag bearer, he said: If this man should fall, who will pick up the flag? Shaw stepped forward. I will, he said. Addressing his troops with final words of inspiration, Shaw reminded them: The eyes of thousands will look on what you do tonight. Then, drawing his sword, the young Boston Brahmin barked: Move in quick time until within a hundred yards of the fort, then, double-quick and charge! Quickstep became double-quick, and then a full run, as Confederate riflemen on the ramparts of the fort let loose a torrent of fire upon the Union soldiers. Men fell on all sides, but those who were able continued the charge with Shaw in the lead.

Company B passed through the moat to the base of the fort where canister, grenades, and small arms fire rained down on them. Surrounded by bloodshed, the 54ths commander realized that he could not retreat, and he ordered the final assault on the fort. Shaw somehow managed to reach the parapet before a Confederate bullet pierced his heart.

Men fell all around me, Lewis Douglass later wrote. A shell would explode and clear a space of twenty feet, our men would close up again, but it was no use we had to retreat, which was a very hazardous undertaking. How I got out of that fight alive I cannot tell, but I am here.

The intense fire mowed down the color bearers. Sergeant William Carney, a barrel-chested 23-year-old, seized the national flag and planted it upon the forts parapet. The men of the 54th fought gallantly for about an hour until Confederate guns forced them to abandon their position. Before retreating, Carney once again grasped the flag, and despite bullets in the head, chest, right arm, and leg, he returned it to Union lines. His heroism earned him the distinction of being the first of 21 black men during the war to earn the Medal of Honor.

Subsequent waves of Federal troops tried for two hours to take the fort but failed, and casualties mounted by the hundreds. At the end of the assault, the Union had lost 1,515 killed, wounded or missing. Of that number, 256 were black soldiers from the 54th Massachusetts.

The following morning revealed a grisly scene. The dead lay in contorted positions along the beach, their fingers and legs stiffened from rigor mortis. The soft but painful cries and moans of the dying could be heard, begging for help.

A few days after the siege, a Union party under a flag of truce requested the return of Shaws body. Brigadier General Johnson Hagood, Fort Wagners new commander, reportedly answered, We buried him in the trench with his niggers. Learning of Hagoods reply, Colonel Shaws father declared, I can imagine no holier place than that in which he is, among his brave and devoted followers, nor wish for him better company.

From a military standpoint, the assault on Fort Wagner proved to be a costly failure. The blame rested on the shoulders of commanding general Quincy A. Gillmore and his commander in the field, Brigadier General Truman Seymour, who had not ordered the usual preparations for such an assaultno one sent out guides to check the terrain in advance or dispatched lines of skirmishers to soften the enemy. Nor had the 54th ever practiced storming a fort. Nevertheless, the assault proved to be a turning point for black soldiers, serving to dismiss any lingering skepticism among whites about the combat readiness of African Americans. I have given the subject of arming the Negro my hearty support, General Ulysses S. Grant wrote to President Lincoln in August. They will make good soldiers and taking them from the enemy weakens him in the same proportion they strengthen us.

When other Union generals remained recalcitrant, Lincoln responded swiftly. You say you will not fight to free Negroes, he said. Some of them seem to be willing to fight for you. When victory is won, there will be some black men who can remember that, with silent tongue and clenched teeth, and steady eye and well-poised bayonet, they have helped mankind on to this great consummation. I fear, however, that there will also be some white ones, unable to forget that with malignant heart and deceitful speech, they strove to hinder it.

William C. Kashatus is a professional historian at Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Thoughts on History

As we were preparing this issue of American History, which includes on page 16 an article by Mark Dunkelman about Amos Humiston, a Union soldier who died during the Battle of Gettysburg, leaving a wife and three small children behind, we received a letter from a reader named Anna Pansini, which struck a chord. Ms. Pansini wrote that she was outraged over a television commercial being aired by the Disney company, in which children are told by their parents that they will be visiting all the Civil War battlefields during the familys vacation this year. The youngsters are distraught until the parents reveal that they were only joking; they would be heading instead for a Disney attraction. Now the children are jubilant, the clear inference being that the battlefields would have been boring, not something a couple of kids would want to endure.

I have to say that my reaction on seeing that commercial mirrored Ms. Pansinis, not only because I have spent my whole adult life working in the history field and firmly believe that such a trip would be both enjoyable and beneficial, but because as a child, I so looked forward to the regular excursions my mother and I made to the various museums and historic attractions in New York City. My own sons, since my husband also was in the history business, spent much of their childhoodsincluding most of their vacation tripsin and around historic sites. If we had told them that we were planning to visit every Civil War battlefield, they would have been overjoyed.

So, I know from experience that it is possible for children to look forward to such holidays. Moreover, I firmly believe that young people need to visit such places. In her letter, Ms. Pansini aptly quotes Maines Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, who became more widely known a few years ago thanks to the movie Gettysburg. In 1889, on a return visit to the Pennsylvania battlefield, the hero of Little Round Top said: On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear; but spirits linger. . . . And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that know us not and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field, to ponder and dream. . . .

There is a monument to Amos Humiston in Gettysburg, the only one among more than 1,300 on the battlefield erected to honor an individual enlisted man. Etched in the stone are the faces of his three children, taken from the photograph he was clutching when he died and which was used to identify his remains. It brings home Ms. Pansinis reminder that the men who fought there, and in many cases died, were ordinary citizens doing their dutyhomesick, fighting disease and starvation, pushed to their physical limits, and witnessing the horrors of waron a daily basis. . . . To them, we owe all we have.

Visits to Americas battlefields, indeed to any of its historic sites, are not boring, and seeing firsthand the places associated with our history is to be preferred to viewing facsimiles in an amusement park. Why see the Hall of Presidents when you can visit the homes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or Abraham Lincoln? Why take in make-believe Mainstreet, U.S.A., when you can stand and wonder at the Anasazi ruins in Arizona and Colorado; tour Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia; walk the Freedom Trail in Boston; visit stops along the Underground Railroad in many different cities; or experience the impact of landing on Ellis Island in New York Harbor? These, not Frontierland, are our heritage. They, like the battlefields, as Ms. Pansini concludes, are not the product of someones imagination, but the reality . . . of what it took to make the United States one of the greatest nations in the world. Children should be taught to cherish, not disparage, them. *

Margaret Fortier is the editor of Womens History and American History magazines and a historian with extensive experience in research and writing for historic sites and museums.
Thoughts on History

Sometimes when we put together an issue of American History we discover that two articles with little apparently in common actually run along parallel tracks. In this issue, for instance, we have two featuresone about events that took place in Detroit in 1925 and the other a story from the Oregon Territory in 1876that deal with the issue of justice, specifically the struggle to achieve it. In the first, A Case Close to My Heart, a black physician and his friends and family stand trial for killing a white man while defending their home. In the other, The Death of Wilhautyah, a white man is charged with killing a Nez Perce warrior. The different outcomes of the two cases demonstrate that justice is sometimes elusive. I dont want to give away the endings of these stories, but I will say that justice doesnt always triumph. Even when it does, the principals dont live happily ever after.

Justice is supposed to be blind, and it would be in a perfect world. In this one, however, factors other than the simple question of right and wrong often enter the equation. Money, for instance, often helps tip justices scales. Plate sin with gold/And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks;/Arm it in rags, a pigmys straw doth pierce it, says Shakespeares King Lear.

In both of these articles, its the thorny issue of race that hinders justice. The Ossian Sweet case hinged on issues of black versus white; the Wilhautyah killing on white versus red. In the latter situation, the Nez Perce found themselves fighting against not only the injustice of murder, but also against powerful forces of history. One thing that strikes me with this story is how many people tried to do what they thought was right and see that justice was done.

What exactly is justice, anyway? Justice is truth in action, said British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. (Compare that to a quote from another Englishman, Lord Justice Sir Harry James Mathew. My Oxford Book of Quotations includes this quote from the lord justice: In England, Justice is open to all, like the Ritz hotel. Id like to think that the lord justice was being playfully facetious when he said that, for, based on my experience, the Ritz hotel is open only to those who can afford it.) Looking for other definitions of justice, I found a quote from the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. Justice is the constant and perpetual wish to render every one his due, he said. That seems fair.

Im also intrigued by the Emperors use of the word wish. Its as though hes telling us that true justice isnt possible, that its just an abstract concept and we cant reach it any more than we can reach absolute zero. The real world tends to be hard on abstract concepts. Here in the United States, while history holds many examples where justice prevailed, there are many others where justice was foiled. Some historians would have us believe that justice always loses, that our history is one long, sorry tale of justice thwarted by the rich and powerful. I dont believe that to be the case, but at the same time American History cant ignore the times when not everyone gets their due. Mans capacity for justice makes democracy possible, said American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, but mans inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.

On a lighter note, we are proud to announce that Folio, a magazine about magazines, presented American History with an award for editorial excellence in history. The judges found us to be an entertaining, well-written and authoritative mix of stories. Full of facts that you didnt learn in high school. Its certainly pleasant to get recognition from our peers in the magazine world, but the people we really want to hear from are you, the readers. So drop us a line and tell us how you think were doing.

Tom Huntington, Editor, American History
THE SKIPPY DEBATE

In the Time Capsule section of your February 1998 issue you wrote about the identification of the B-17 known as Skippy. I think I may be able to help.

An air force emblem and the letter F appear on the left fuselage of both planes, aft of the wings. These markings are visible below the left wing in both photographs. Also visible is a line where the paint on the upper part of the fuselage is darker than that on the lower section. However, the air force emblem in the Skippy photograph is much lower than in the Trails in the Sub-Stratosphere photograph. The stars in the emblem appear to be touching the line in the Skippy photo, but they are much higher in the Trails in the Sub-Stratosphere photo. Also, in the Skippy photo the bottom of the letter F is nearly touching the paint line, and in the Trails photo the letter is higher.

It would seem that these photographs are of two different planes, unless Skippy had a paint job between photo sessions.

Charles D. Evans

Lexington Park, Maryland

Regarding the identity of the two airplanes pictured in Time Capsule in your February 1998 issue, unless the photographs are very deceiving, it seems clear that they are two different planes. The reason has nothing to do with the nose art, which is in the shadow on one of the photos, but rather the appearance of the stars on the sides of the planes. One star has a white band around it, but the other does not. In addition, the points of the star on the plane in the upper photo are even with the horizontal line separating the lighter and darker areas along the side of the plane. In the lower photo the points of the star end well above the horizontal line. Also, the letter F on the upper plane appears to be a duller shade than the F on the lower plane.

The plane in the Trails photograph may never be identified, but I do not believe that it is Skippy. Its an interesting controversy, and I enjoyed reading about it.

Laura R. Gansel

Cottage Grove, Oregon

I read with interest the Time Capsule article in your January/February 1998 issue. My conclusion is that the photos are not of the same B-17, unless the airplane was painted between photos. Notice the Air Corps insignia on the side of the fuselage of each. One is outlined in white paint, and the other is outlined in black (or blue).

Dennis L. Duncan

Pasco, Washington

I take issue with Eric Ethier, who wrote Time Capsule: Objects in History in your January/February 1998 issue. You showed good photographs, which served to prove my studied observation that the name Skippy did not show up in the picture taken on November 27, 1943, on the mission to Emden, because of the deep shadow.

The article stated that I was a passenger on the Emden mission. In fact, I was a passenger on this aircraft, but it was during a flight from the United States to England in July 1943, when we deployed to England for the war.

If one is to agree with Ethier when he states, The color of history is, after all, mostly gray, he must then ignore the many published historical documents available and believe the errors and untruths presented in the article.

Marshall B. Shore

Spokane, Washington

BERLIN OR BUST

I found your January/February 1998 article From Balloons to Drop Tanks by Clark Duane Roush very interesting, especially since I served with the 56th Fighter Group, Zempkes Wolfpack, in England during World War II.

Mr. Roush mentioned that General Kepner told the producers of the three most important fighters in use by the U.S. Air Force at the timethe P-38, the P-47, and the P-51that he wanted to . . . get to Berlin and had to have more gas in these planes. The author also reported that the P-51s appeared over Berlin in the spring of 1944, but he failed to mention that the P-47s did also. The 56th continued to escort the B-24s of the Second Bomber Division until the end of the war and in doing so had the best victory record of all the fighter groups that operated in the European Theater. The 56th was the only group to fly the P-47M, since only about 75 of them were built.

Thank you for a very interesting and informative magazine.

Taylor W. Cole

Nashua, New Hampshire

AMISTAD, THE MOVIE

The writer of a recent newspaper column repeated a rumor about Cinque, leader of the Amistad slave ship mutineers in the 1830s, which says Cinque became a slave trader when he returned to his home in Africa after his release in the United States. I was interested to see that you debunk that story in All we want is make us free, from the January/February 1998 issue of American History. The author of your article, historian Howard Jones of the University of Alabama, says theres no basis for it. When he returned to Africa, Cinque served as a translator for missionaries, not as a slave trader.

The recent movie Amistad does contain a few errors, according to Newsweek and New Republic articles on the subject. Cinque never met his advocate, former U.S. president John Quincy Adams, and the Morgan Freeman character, a black abolitionist, wouldnt have been able to move as freely in white society as is portrayed in the movie. And so on. It should be noted, however, that President Martin Van Buren, who tried to enslave the mutineers again, redeemed himself of his pro-slavery stance years later by standing as a candidate of the anti-slavery Free Soil Party.

Andrew O. Lutes

Mansfield, Ohio
The terrain in northwestern Louisiana was thickly wooded and little traveled, with only a narrow road threading its way to the Texas state line. For the past two days, 3,000 blue-clad Union cavalry had been making leisurely progress westward from the town of Alexandria, confident that another Federal army, descending from Arkansas, would draw off any Confederate opposition from their flank. Their overconfidence was rudely shattered on the afternoon of April 8, 1864, when a force of Confederate cavalry, comprised mostly of Texans but with a scattering of Louisianans, Missourians and Arkansans, broke from the surrounding woodland and crashed into the vulnerable Yankee column. In a matter of minutes, months of carefully laid plans for a Union march through the lowlands of east Texas were a shambles.

The campaign that had led the Union troops to this confrontation at Sabine Crossroads was the culmination of mounting pressures  political, diplomatic and military  that compelled Union forces in Louisiana to expand the war west of the Mississippi River. To the politically appointed Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, the lands west of the Mississippi represented little more than a sideshow. His real ambition was the investiture of Mobile, an important seaport on the coast of Alabama. Unfortunately for Banks, French Imperial forces were active in Mexico  under the pretext of protecting European interests against the revolutionary forces of Benito Juarez  and threatened to interfere with American interests in Texas. It was already apparent that there had been stealthy meddling on the diplomatic front; the French consul at Richmond had tried to convince Texan officials to re-establish the Lone Star Republic  and had been summarily rebuffed by Confederate authorities. Nevertheless, the French represented enough of a potential threat for Washington to want Union forces to take action  if not to knock Texas out of the war, at least to discourage further French meddling north of the border.

Banks was told to forget about Mobile for the time being and was ordered to focus on Texas. Major General Henry W. Halleck, the Federal chief of staff, indicated that he would like to see an operation up the Red River toward Shreveport, La., but with the approach of autumn 1863, the river was too low for water-borne transportation, and an alternate strategy had to be developed.

Accordingly, Banks organized a 3,500-man expedition to occupy a number of positions along the Texas coast. Everything went smoothly, including the occupation of Brownsville on November 3, 1863, but the captured ports played a puny role in controlling Texas trade, and the vulnerability of the widely separated Federal units made further reinforcing operations necessary. Rather than sanction operations so far from the main Union base in New Orleans, General Halleck still preferred his original Red River plan for the departments main military campaign that spring. A drive up the Red River soon became the only practical means for the Union to concentrate its strength with a short supply line from Louisiana. Also, Maj. Gen. Frederick Steeles 10,400 troops would descend from their base at Little Rock, Ark., to support Banks troops as they penetrated the interior.

The only thing working against the campaign was time. Major General William Tecumseh Sherman was planning to march on Atlanta, Ga., that summer and wanted Banks forces to reinforce him. To conform to that timetable, Banks would have to ascend the Red River as soon as the water level rose in the spring, cross the Texas border and then create his own swath of destruction through the more populous and productive eastern part of the state in time to join Sherman when needed.

Accordingly, in the early months of 1864 the Union commanders were busily occupied with coordinating the various roles they each would have in the coming campaign. The most crucial elements involved Steeles linkup with Banks and the level of the water over the falls above Alexandria, which would have to be deep enough to take the gunboats and transports of the Mississippi squadron to support the expedition.

On March 1, Sherman arrived in New Orleans to finalize the plan and to promise 10,000 men, who would march up the Black River to Harrisburg and reach Alexandria by March 17. Banks forces, made up of two divisions of Maj. Gen. William B. Franklins XIX Corps, two of the XIII Corps, and a division of cavalry and mounted infantry commanded by Brig. Gen. Albert L. Lee, would move up from Franklin, Tenn., to relieve Shermans troops, freeing them to resume duty with Sherman in the east. Steele, meanwhile, was directed to bring his men south toward Shreveport, a move that did not have his enthusiastic support.

After Sherman left for Vicksburg, the plan went into action. Brigadier General Andrew J. Smith was ordered to take combined elements of the XVI and XVII corps to Louisiana from Vicksburg and start up the Red River for the rendezvous. By March 11 he was in position, with his troops loaded aboard the largest Union armada west of the Mississippi  including brigs of light draft that could be maneuvered over the falls; Ouachita, a paddle-wheel steamer equipped with howitzers and 34 cannons of varying size along her two decks; and an assortment of lightly armored ironclads.

As scheduled, the gunboats hauled anchor on March 12 and led the way up the river, which had risen just high enough to allow the heavily laden transports to pass. Progress was slow, as the gunboats were frequently forced to stop so that troops could clear the river of obstructions left behind by the enemy. They reached Simmesport on the 13th, and the army occupied a camp abandoned by the vastly outnumbered Confederates who had retreated upriver toward Fort de Russy. The next day Smiths men followed the Rebels, who led them on a 28-mile chase that finally ended when the Federals seized the fort. Unfortunately for Banks, the bulk of the enemy force was able to escape, leaving a rear guard of only 300 men. Disappointed, the army continued its advance, fighting shallow water, obstructions and the nightmarish twists in the rivers course.

On the 14th the Federals were again delayed by an obstruction made of a double row of piles driven deep in the riverbed and anchored near the banks by sunken rafts. In addition, trees had been cut down upstream and allowed to drift down and entangle themselves among the piles. After a frustrating afternoon of ramming and dragging the piles free, a group of ironclads made it through and hurried up the river, where they were greeted by erratic, inaccurate artillery fire. Following a brief engagement, orders were given to move directly to Alexandria, but the message was somehow delayed, and there was a five-hour wait before the final dash up the river was completed. That delay was all Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor and his small force of Texans and Louisianans needed to get their own transports above the falls and escape the Yankee advance.

By the 17th, Smith had completed his part in the plan, bringing his 8,000-man army to the rendezvous as scheduled, but Franklins army was not there to meet them. Because he had only received his orders on March 10, there was no way for Franklin to get his men to Alexandria, a march of 175 miles, by the 17th. Furthermore, troops who had been assembled from various spots along the Gulf were without transportation, and the cavalry was still in New Orleans. With all the delays, Franklins troops were not able to reach Alexandria until the 25th.

While the bulk of Franklins men were still struggling to reach Alexandria, Maj. Gen. Joseph A. Mower led six infantry regiments, some artillery and a brigade of Albert Lees cavalry into the piney fastness of the Louisiana countryside to drive off Taylors bothersome Texans. With the help of Rebel deserters, Mowers men slogged through a night of driving rain and waist-deep mud to a small rise deep in the swamp called Hendersons Hill, where they surprised and captured 250 of the Confederates, effectively wiping out Taylors cavalry and forcing him to hurry along Brig. Gen. Thomas Greens Texas cavalry.

The ultimate objective of Banks campaign, the town of Shreveport, lay 340 miles farther up the Red River. The main supply depot for the Confederate army west of the Mississippi, Shreveport was equipped with docks, machine shops and warehouses. Its defenses were equally formidable, with a line of works that spread up to three miles from the city. To get there, the Union flotilla would have to negotiate a river that twisted and turned through a populated countryside and was dominated by two small rapids, called the Falls of Alexandria. Situated just above the city, those rapids were impossible to cross when the river was low. When the squadron reached Alexandria, the river was still fairly low and seemed likely to be a problem for weeks to come. Little did the invaders know that, for the first time in 20 years, the river would stay low and even begin to fall long before spring ended.

Despite the shallow water, Banks decided to continue the advance, but he also played it safe by keeping part of his naval force below the rapids and hauling his equipment around the falls by land. By April 2, he was 80 miles up river at Natchitoches and had an additional 2,000 men under Brig. Gen. T. Kilby Smith farther up at Grand Ecore.

Aware of Banks approach from the south, the commander of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department, Maj. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, scrambled to slow the Union advance from New Orleans until he could deal with General Steeles threat from Arkansas. He rounded up as many regular troops as he could from the departments depleted ranks while Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder marched his Texans to the Red River. Most of the Confederate soldiers were ill-equiped and practically starving  and they were facing a strong, well-armed foe with superior numbers. It was an inopportune time for a political gesture, but Texas Governor Pendleton Murrah chose that moment to further heighten the tensions on the Texas border. In the midst of a political struggle with Richmond over the allocation of Texas troops to the East when he needed them to defend their home state, Murrah refused to allow state militia units to cross into Louisiana.

Despite all those difficulties, Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price got an army of 5,000 Texans, Arkansans, Missourians and Choctaw Indians between Steele and Shreveport. Steele got as far as Camden on April 15, but constant Rebel pressure on his supply lines ultimately compelled him to withdraw to Little Rock, even though he still held a 2-to-1 advantage in troop strength. The utter failure of Steeles Camden expedition deprived Banks of his expected support and left the Confederate command free to concentrate its forces farther to the south.

Well before the Union reverse at Camden, elements of Banks army above Alexandria, moving by land and water, began to concentrate on Mansfield, only 40 miles from the Texas line. Making their way through the forests and marshy bayous of northwestern Louisiana, the Federals were forced to march along a single narrow road that in some places barely accommodated the supply wagons. Unknown to Banks, he had missed a second road that paralleled the river, and he instead marched ever farther from his naval support. By April 7, 3,300 mounted infantry were probing out ahead of the main army, which struggled along 15 miles in the rear. In the meantime, Banks had left Kilby Smith and had ridden to Franklins headquarters at Pleasant Hill, eight miles from where the cavalry was scouting.

Taylor, meanwhile, found himself in a desperate situation. Having done everything possible to delay and harass the advancing Federals, he was determined to give up no more of Louisiana territory and decided the time had come to make a stand. To face the 25,000-strong Union army, he had a hastily thrown-together collection of Southern units. Besides the regulars under Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton and Prince Camille Armand Jules Marie de Polignac (known to his men as General Polecat), there were volunteers from Missouri, Louisiana and Arkansas, and the veteran Texas Cavalry Division under General Green. Taylors far-from-cohesive army still came to only 11,000 men, but his force made up in courage and dash what they lacked in numbers. It did not seem to Taylor that he had a chance, but with Smiths cavalry detached and out in front of the main army, there was a possibility for him to hand the Yankees a devastating psychological blow.

The first confrontation occurred on the afternoon of April 7 at a place called Wilsons Farm, where part of Albert Lees cavalry was scouting the countryside ahead of the main column. Made up mostly of mounted infantrymen grown cocky from days of chasing Taylors retiring foot soldiers, the Yankee cavalry force was unprepared for the surprise appearance of Greens Texas troopers. At first, there was uncertainty on both sides; then, instead of retreating as had been the case before, the four regiments of Southern horsemen spurred forward, screaming their Rebel yell as the two sides met in a flurry of gunshots and wheeling horses. Breaking away from the bluecoats, the Confederates reached the supply train and engaged in heavy fighting until they were eventually driven back into the forest.

The Union had lost 53 men in the running fight. Worried about more such encounters to come, Albert Lee asked Banks for infantry support and was given most of the XIII Corps 4th Infantry Division, led by Colonel William J. Landram.

The next day, the Union march continued toward the little town of Mansfield, brushing up against occasional Confederate horsemen and Louisianan snipers. Three miles ahead, however, Taylor had found the spot to make his stand. At a lonely intersection of local dirt roads called Sabine Crossroads, the Confederate general began to place his men. Outnumbered by the Federals and still waiting for reinforcements from Brig. Gen. Thomas Churchills corps of Missouri and Arkansas infantry to arrive from Keatchie, Taylor took full advantage of the open pasture on either side of the stage road, along which the Yankee column would have to pass. A rail fence that bounded the fields was the only protection for his ragged but high-spirited troops as they threw themselves into position.

As noon approached, Lees men seized Honeycutt Hill, a small rise of land bordering the open ground at the crossroads, and spotted Taylors line of defense. Finding the enemy prepared to stand his ground, the Federal troopers waited as Banks rode to the head of the column with Brig. Gen. Thomas Edward G. Ransom, commander of the XIII Corps, and the rest of the 4th Division. By late afternoon, Ransom had more than 4,800 men arrayed before the Confederate positions in an L-shaped formation facing the rail fences, with Landrams two brigades  the 1st Brigade under Colonel Frank Emerson and the 2nd Brigade under Colonel Joseph Vance  and some artillery set back on the rise. Two cavalry brigades were stationed near either flank  Lees on the left and Colonel Thomas Lucas on the right. As the afternoon waned, more men were still struggling up the long supply train, which choked the road, to reach the scene of the action. As a result, Taylor enjoyed numerical superiority on the actual field of battle, and it was to his advantage to start the fight before the Yankees could bring more men to bear.

Taylor had placed three infantry brigades  under Brig. Gens. Horace Randal, Thomas Waul and William Scurry  north and south of the road . Anchoring the right were two of Greens Texas cavalry regiments, commanded by Brig. Gen. Hamilton P. Bee, supported by two artillery batteries; on the left, covering the length of exposed road across which the Union forces were positioned, were Brig. Gen. Alfred Moutons division, including a brigade of Texan infantry under Polignac, a Louisiana brigade under Colonel Henry Gray, and two more artillery batteries. To their left were Colonel William G. Vincents, Brig. Gen. Arthur P. Bagbys and Colonel Walter Lanes brigades, detached from Greens Texas cavalry and formed into an ad hoc division under Brig. Gen. James Major. Astride the road between Walkers and Moutons divisions was Colonel Xavier B. DeBrays 26th Texas Cavalry, which was initially held back in reserve but later moved up the road, ahead of the infantry units.

When Taylor gave the word, the units on the left vaulted the rail fence and began to charge, only to falter in the face of Union rifles and artillery. Urged on by their officers, the Confederates charged again, and once more the murderous fire drove them to ground, forcing them to seek cover in a depression in the field before the Federal positions. The attack cost scores killed, including Mouton, who was allegedly cut down while approaching some temporarily unarmed Union prisoners, some of whom picked up their dropped weapons and fired on the general. Polignac assumed command, but after losing more than 750 men in half an hour, the Rebel charge was spent.

In the meantime, Majors and Bees dismounted cavalry began to work their way separately around the Union flanks. A brigade of Texan infantrymen under Brig. Gen. William Scurry struck the Union center, was repulsed and charged again a number of times. Finally, in a determined effort and amid screaming horses, dying men, artillery shots and hand-to-hand fighting, the Rebel troopers gained the summit of the hill behind the Union positions.

One of Bees regiments, Colonel Alexander W. Terrells Texas Cavalry, had shifted left to reinforce Majors division for its assault on the Federal right. The remaining unit on the Rebel right, Colonel Augustus Buchels 1st Texas Cavalry, outflanked Landrams line to the south and threatened to surround the Yankees. Landram was forced to order a retreat to avoid losing his entire command, but in the confusion, some units never got the word and were captured. The retreat quickly became a disorganized rout as some of Walkers Texans turned captured artillery pieces on the rapidly crumbling Union line.

At that critical moment, having ridden to the sound of the guns, Franklin arrived with the XIII Corps 3rd Division and managed to throw up a second line of defense across the path of retreat. Nothing, however, was going to stop the charging Confederates at that point. They quickly outflanked the new line and again drove the bluecoats back in panicky flight.

Franklin lost his horse, received a wound in one shin and witnessed his armys undignified retreat as his men swarmed over their own line of supply wagons. Unable to have the 150 wagons and 20 artillery pieces turned around in the crowded, narrow road, he abandoned them. He managed at least to get word back to Brig. Gen. William H. Emory to form a line of battle at Pleasant Grove, about three miles south of Sabine Crossroads. Emorys division had to fight its way through the wildly fleeing cavalry and loose animals to reach the new position. Meanwhile, despite Banks valiant attempts to stem the tide of retreat, his men still streamed to the rear and through the peach orchard at Pleasant Grove, while Emorys men watched in amazement. Delayed somewhat by looting the rich supply train, the pursuing Confederates at last burst from the forest across the main road from where Emory had lined up his three brigades.

Borne on by the momentum of their swift victory at Sabine Crossroads, the Confederates wasted no time in launching themselves at the new Union position. Once again they hit the Union center while their cavalry tried to outflank the Federals, but each attempt failed in bloody disappointment. At last, as night fell, the Confederate attacks ceased, and Banks took stock. The magnitude of the debacle was enormous: 2,200 troops lost, 200 wagons filled with supplies and 20 artillery pieces taken. But Banks felt that once he was reinforced by the XVI Corps, he would be able to overwhelm the Rebels and reach Shreveport on schedule. He deemed it prudent, however, to have his force fall back another 14 miles to the town of Pleasant Hill.

Moving silently through the night, the Union army regrouped at Pleasant Hill. Taylors force, reinforced at last with General Churchills infantry divisions, caught up with the Federals the next morning. Using the same tactics that had been so successful the day before, the Confederates opened an artillery barrage while their cavalry rode to the Union flanks. Churchills infantry emerged from the woods on the Union right flank and found itself facing Colonel Lewis Benedicts brigade, situated well forward of the Union line. With a yell, the Missourians and Arkansans swept down on the Federal position, killing Benedict and immediately threatening Banks exposed position in the town. Unknown to Churchills command, however, his troops had emerged from the woods well short of the Union flank and were consequently exposed to a murderous enfilading fire from A.J. Smiths regiments, located in the forest on the Federal left. In no time, the startled Southerners were swept from the field and back to the ravine beyond the plateau.

The sound of Churchills initial attack was the signal for the Confederate units on the Union right and center to charge. First Walker and Green ordered their men forward, but their charge was halted in its tracks and thrown back. Ordered to try again, Colonel Buchel hesitated, knowing the fearsome cost of such an attack. Finally, after receiving the third order to go, he led his men out  and into the deadly flanking fire of Smiths advancing troops. Buchel lost half his regiment and was himself struck. He died of his wounds days later.

Now it was Taylors turn to taste defeat as the survivors of Churchills infantry began to break for the safety of the woods. Soon there was little he could do but hold his position until nightfall, then begin his retreat.

The Confederates had lost 1,621 men (to 1,369 Federal casualties), and the exhausted survivors were in wretched condition. Even while the Northern forces were claiming victory, however, Banks ordered a retirement to Grand Encore that soon developed into a full withdrawal. Banks army spent the next couple of months trying to assist its fleets retirement down a river whose depth was rapidly diminishing in an unseasonal drought, while Confederate units continued to harass them from the riverbanks. Banks may have written off his entire campaign because he felt that progress inland  if opposed as rigorously as at Sabine Crossroads  would delay his campaign past the time that Sherman expected him to help in the east. Whatever the case, the ultimate outcome of the Red River campaign was a victory for Taylor and his Confederates. Their sacrificial stand had defeated an overwhelmingly superior adversary and effectively ended the war west of the Mississippi.

This article was written by Pierre Comtois, and originally appeared in the October 1997 issue of Americas Civil War magazine. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to Americas Civil War magazine today!
Jennifer Nguyen Noone, the baby in the photo of the Operation Babylift that appeared on the cover of the October 2006 issue of Vietnam magazine, was recently featured on Searching for an Oprah Winfrey Network program in which host Pam Slaton assists people in finding someonea mother, brother, father, siblingwho has somehow been lost in their lives.

In frequent television promotions for the program on the just-premiered cable network launched by Winfrey, Noone hands Slaton a copy of the magazine and tells her: Theres a picture of a soldier holding this baby. We were able to confirm that that baby was me. In the cover photo, a C-141 crewman is pictured bottle feeding an infant while en route to Clark Air Force Base in April 1975, as the South Vietnamese government fell.

When the Searching for show aired on April 18, Noone asked for Slatons help in finding the soldier on the cover, Air Force Staff Sgt. B.J. Harms, identified finally as Brian John Harms.
I like to just refer to myself as an indigenous artistas in, indigenous to the Americas

Its face painted, crowned with a buffalo headdress, Keeper of the Peace is more than just a mask. Not a mask in the usual sense, artist Becky Olvera Schultz says, but a lifelike facial portrait. This mixed-media wall hanging is a powerful symbol of strength and dignity.

Using her knowledge of tribal imagery and history (but with my own personal inspiration and style, says Schultz, which just comes from within me), the artist created the 27-by-14-inch clay mask as a blend of contemporary and historic artwork, incorporating paint, beads, horsehair and porcupine quills.

With Keeper of the Peace, I am also incorporating what was the lifeblood of the Plains tribesthe bison, Schultz says from her Native Expressions studio in Santa Cruz County, Calif. This piece has real bison fur and bison horn, which was worn quite often as part of warring, hunting and ceremonial regalia. The medicine wheel on the forehead is a native American medicine wheel made from dyed porcupine quill. To me, Keeper of the Peace symbolizes the original native American spirit of pride, honor, respect and peace. Nineteenth-century Plains Indians would have used most of the colorsnatural pigments such as red, black, yellow, some bluebut Schultz also gave the mask an all-American contemporary twist by alternating red, white and blue.

Born in El Paso, Texas, the self-styled Army brat spent most of her childhood in Southern California. Schultz collected dolls, but unlike most girls, she didnt want to play with them. I took joy in designing and sewing clothes for them, she says. I always liked to draw and paint. As a teen, I would pick up a pair of scissors and a piece of paper, and while the adults sat around talking, Id freehand cut out their silhouettes in paper. I wanted to be an art major in college, but I was discouraged by my parents [from going] into that field. They felt no one could ever make money as an artist.

Instead, she wound up in the publishing and advertising industry. In 1993, in the emotional aftermath of her brothers death, Schultz found herself drawn back into art. I was involved with a local native American organization, and someone in that circle suggested I take a native drum-making class, that perhaps it would help me with my healing, she recalls. I took the class and was blown away with how good it felt to really work with my hands again in what was a new medium for me. I had completely forgotten over the years how wonderful it was to create in that way. I then found a local class in clay work. It was so tactile, so therapeutic, centering and calming to work with the wet clay.

While sculpting from a photograph of an old Indian woman, she turned to masks. Her instructor told her, I think faces are your thing, and Schultz hasnt looked back. I never took another clay-related class but did buy clay, found a place to fire and started making masks. She also works in other mediums, creating dolls, shields and serigraphs.

When creating a mask, Schultz starts with the face. I dont always know at this point what the end result will be for sure until the other phases kick in, she says.

Drying can take several days, then comes the firing process. Once fired, she explains, the real fun begins for me with the fourth phasepainting the face and eyes to bring the piece to life.

Schultz uses acrylic paints for the eyes and faces, which arent castings but her own sculptures. She finishes the mask with horsehair, fur, feathers, earrings and other materialsall of which bring out the final character.

I know of other mask makers that go to great lengths to duplicate a real historical or contemporary indigenous person, she says, but I prefer to be completely original with my mask sculptures. I want people to say, Thats a Becky Olvera Schultz piece, rather than, Thats a mask of so and so.

With my interest in native cultures, she explains, my own indigenous bloodline, my experiences in the Native community, my photography, it was natural to work in the native American and Southwestern theme.

Although her father has Indian heritage (Mexican Azteca and Kickapoo), Schultz doesnt refer to herself as Indian or native American. I am not from a reservation, nor do I have a tribal roll number. So I like to just refer to myself as an indigenous artistas in, indigenous to the Americas, she says. Perhaps my blood connection does have something to do with my art, but its just something that I feel and relate to.

Visit Becky Olvera Schultzs studio online.
What is the Republic of Suffering?

Frederick Law Olmstead, an administrator with the Union Sanitary Commission, was very involved with taking care of the wounded on hospital ships during the Peninsula campaign. Stunned by the misery and the sheer numbers of injured and dead, he made a remark about the country being turned into a Republic of Suffering. The scale of suffering was so huge, it seemed to encompass the whole country. I found it a compelling theme, and it comes out especially in the chapter on counting the dead toward the end of my book.

I also liked the idea of a Republic of Suffering as the title of the book because so much killing changes the role of public programs and government policies. The powerful democratic impulses of the war forced a reexamination of the neglect of the dead that was assumed and regularized in the opening days of the war. The Federal government took on new responsibilities for wartime dead through the national cemetery system, the effort at the close of the war to go back through the South and retrieve the bodies of the dead and try to identify them. The recognition that the state had a responsibility to the families of the dead, the bodies of the dead and the memories of the dead is also part of the Republic of Suffering.

Did the responsibility of the state to retrieve and reinter bodies also extend to Confederates?

No. Union agents would leave Confederate soldiers on the field but pick up Union bodies. That generated a response by private citizens in the South to take up the obligation to care for the Confederate dead. Women in particular mobilized in a series of ladies societies across the South, especially in areas near battlefields, to go out and organize search parties to try to find the graves of Confederate soldiers and collect them together in cemeteries like Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. There was also an effort on the part of organizations of Southern women to bring the dead back from Gettysburg and other fields in the border and Northern states where they were killed and reinter them in cemeteries. So private efforts grew up in the Southern states to compensate for the failure of the Federal government to include Confederate dead in the reburial program.

Would you agree that this book seems to be a departure from your previous work, which dealt with Confederate nationalism and plantation culture?

Id say its a departure from my earlier work mostly because the North plays a large role in this book, and my previous work had been restricted to the South. I think thats the way in which its most dramatically different. The other issues I address in Republic arent so different because Ive always been interested in how societies and people define themselves. I think thats what attracted me to the Civil War, because war provides a moment of truth, because it forces people to prioritize their values and decide whats most significant. I think death in a sense is the most dramatic instrument of that, and so Ive spent my whole career looking for moments of truth in which individuals in societies reveal themselves.

How long did it take you to research the book?

Its hard to say how long, because I found myself drawing upon work that Id done for my earlier books, Mothers of Invention and The Creation of Confederate Nationalism. But I started thinking seriously about this project in 1995 when I was asked to give the Fortenbaugh Lecture at Gettysburg College, a lecture thats given every year at the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address on some sweeping aspect of Civil War history. I decided I wanted to focus on death in that lecture. That was my first exploration of the topic, and it was a rather synthetic, speculative rumination on this question.

It was motivated in part by an undergraduate course that I taught for many years on war and the American experience. That course looked at the experience of war across the span of U.S. history, so that caused me to read about Vietnam, WWI and WWII and do a lot of comparative thinking about war. You find literature that says WWI was a dramatic departure in terms of the horror of war and the numbers of deaths and the amount of destruction changed how everyone thought about the world. A marvelous book by Paul Fussell, The Great War in Modern Memory, argues that point. But I think the Civil War had something of the same impact in the level of slaughter. Much of what has been said about the impact of WWI should in the American context be pulled back to the experience of the Civil War.

The scope of this book is fascinating, but it can also be seen as sort of sad and even at times depressing. Its also very realistic in its treatment of the Civil War. Do you think that the Civil War has been overly glorified or glamorized in popular imagination?

Part of what I wanted to say with this book is that when we forget the kinds of things I describe herethe centrality of the experience of death, the volume of death, the devastating impact it had on so many aspects of mid-19th-century civilizationwe forget the reality of the Civil War for those who lived in that era. The mourning that must have gripped the nation is something thats too easy to forget because we are not captured by it.

The experience of death in that war was so widespread that it infused American culture. One of the things I thought a lot about since beginning to work on this subject is how much of late 19th-century America should we understand through those events? For example, think of the people who never knew what had happened to their sonits 1863, and you never hear of him again after Gettysburg. Lets say you are a 30-year-old parent, youre going to live another 40 years, and the rest of your life is shaped by that lingering uncertainty about the loss of that child. You can multiply that experience hundreds of thousands of times. I think as we consider late-19th-century Americans, we should be thinking about the ways in which they were shaped by the continuing presence of what I described in this book.

Some historians argue that a lot of Northern men didnt participate in the military. Were there some people unaffected by the Republic of Suffering, or was it all-inclusive?

I think that theres a distinct contrast between the North and South in this regard because of the level of mobilization in the South. For white and black Southerners, the presence of death was inescapable. I think in the North it was not as intense. As you suggest, there were many Northerners who managed not to have a direct role in the war. Sometimes Ill be reading source material and Ill just be stunned by this. For example, I was reading about Elizabeth Carey Agassi, the woman who founded and served as the first president of Radcliffe College, and her husband Louis Agassi, a scientist who taught at Harvard. They were traveling to Brazil to do research. As they were sailing down the East Coast she wrote that she looked over and saw all this smoke coming up from Virginia, and thought, Oh yeah, that s the Civil War going on. I was so struck by this because there were numbers of individuals who served from Harvard and many students who died and so forth, yet somehow the Civil War was peripheral to them. I find that very strange, and I think we need to remember that people were differentially involved in the war.

That makes me think of Teddy Roosevelt, who felt guilty because his father didnt serve.

Think about the Civil War memory industryreunions, preserving and marking battlefields, the glorification of Civil War deadand the impact that it had on the nation as the country moved toward the 20th century. I think that was a way in which Civil War influence spread beyond those who were direct participants and became a part of the entire American consciousness.

In your preface you state that we die differently from generation to generation. How do we die differently today and why?

Well, I think there are a number of factors that play into this. Technology is certainly one of them. Customs and values are another. We tend to die today in hospitals, tied up to all kinds of machines. The notion that the family should be at bedside is not so strongly felt. The place of religion is very different in our society. Ways of dying are more diverse because we are not as homogeneous in our identities and religious affiliations as people were during the Civil War. Nineteenth-century America was overwhelmingly Protestant, so that makes a difference. One of the things that I found most striking as I got more involved in this project is that many colleagues and friends did not want to talk to me about the subject of the Republic of Suffering.

A past president of Penn and another historian I know didnt like coming when I gave talks about this; he didnt want to think about death, and he teased me about it. He made it kind of amusing, but I think its expressive of something deeply rooted in our culture, which Phil Arias has written about so eloquently, which is we dont like thinking about death. We try to eliminate it from our thoughts and live our lives as if its never going to happen. The notion of the good death was that it was a prepared death. You spent much of your life organizing yourself in relationship to death. That has had a very profound effect on me because I think that I have lived in some ways in a 19th- century world for the last 15 years, because I constantly thought about death.

Do you feel that you became obsessed with death?

Not in a bad wayI think in an illuminating way. I think in the way that it affected the question of moment of truth. When you think about death, it conceptualizes and intensifies much of what you do. It tells you to go smell the flowers; it put things in perspective when youre having a horrible meeting or theres a lot of difficult things going on.

You say that Americans in the 19th century were more prepared to die than kill. Are we better prepared for killing than dying?

Thats an interesting question

Let me rephrase my question: Would it be easier for a soldier today to kill than it was for a Civil War soldier?

Certainly desensitization to killing is still an important part of military training. I think its recognized that making individuals able to kill is a challenge and has to be taught. So we dont just assume that everyone walking around in 21st- century America is a born killer. I would say that the glorification of violence in popular culture may indeed have broken down certain inhibitions about killing. We hear stories on the news about children who pop off and shoot each other, or gang warfare. I think the news likes to put front and center examples of times when the sanctity of human life has been completely ignored, and I think certainly popular culture points to and takes advantage of those examples. You asked a really interesting question, and I dont have a firm answer to it. I think its a question worth exploring.

Could you describe what a good death would be in the Civil War period? If a soldier could die ideally, what would that entail?

Well a soldier would be at home. He wouldnt be on the battlefieldhe would be surrounded by family, and then these various questions that I put forward in my first chapter would be addressed. He would be prepared, he would express his willingness to die, he would say he had met his savior and expected to be taken to heaven, he would have settled all of his accounts with his family. He also would have prepared in a quite specific way his will, his burial arrangements, and he would have a kind of understanding of a shared understanding with his family of what the next step was. In other words, he was on his way out.

Explain how photography sometimes served as a surrogate for the family experience.

I think the most dramatic, public example of this was when Amos Humiston was found dead on the battlefield surrounded by portraits of his children, and there was a great effort to identify him. This seemed to be such an iconic momentthat this individual had wanted to die with his family around him, so he used his photographs in place of the actual individuals. It captured the public imagination, and there was a big effort to identify who he was, who his children were. That was accomplished, and his name was discovered through publishing engravings in the press. But I think the level of public interest in this is importantthe image of someone who was torn away from family trying to reproduce that family through a ring of photographs around himself in his last moments.

You speculate that religion may have enabled killing in the Civil War. Could you explain that?

Its just something worth thinking about. I dont think you would say it absolutely did. But I think religion may have enabled both killing and dyingcertainly enabled dying, in that if you firmly believed you were going to another life, it was easier to give up this one. But the notion that there are Christian soldiers who undertake killing for purposes that are consistent with religious ends I think motivated numbers of soldiers in the war, so I think it contributed to easing the difficulties individuals confronted both as they thought about killing and about being killed.

Were there any differences between the way northern Union soldiers and African- American soldiers reacted to killing?

Theres a considerable body of evidence that shows African-American soldiers recognizing the Civil War as a continuation of the violence of slavery. This was not so much a break in a peacetime world but rather an exacerbation of a world in which they had long found themselves, so that violence was at the heart of their prewar existence. There is a lot of expression of violence in war as an opportunity of vengeance, for repaying debts, for an instrument of liberation and an instrument of revenge. Its sometimes criticized by African-American leaders. For example, Bishop Henry Turner was very nervous about calls for vengeance. He said we must not submit to this kind of definition, but one finds in numbers of letters from African-American soldiers the notion that this is a just desserts for the horrors of slavery. Abraham Lincoln phrased it a little bit differently, but he alludes to something of the same message in the second inaugural, where he sees the killing in the war as in some sense the price that America as a whole is paying for having embraced the slave institution. So its not a matter of our individual vengeance but rather the nation as a whole being punished for having been involved with slavery.

Was it harder for Americans to kill in the Civil War because the opponents were fellow Americans?

Yes. I think it was harder for soldiers to kill people who looked like themselves. And one of the ways that we see evidence to suggest that thats the case is the kinds of atrocities that soldiers often committed against African-American soldiersthe failure to take prisoners, the Fort Pillow Massacre, those are probably the most dramatic examples of this, but there was a sense on the part of white Southerners that these were not real soldiersthat this was a kind of slave insurrection, that they did not have a legitimate right to be in military uniforms and to be fighting. Some commanders even encouraged ignoring the laws of war and the differential treatment of black Union soldiers, so that you can see when differences of race emerged, differences in perception emerged as well, and differences in treatment.

And that feeling percolated back to plantations as well and to the home fronts of the South, in the sense that there was racial violence.

There was considerable racial violence across the South as the slaves challenged masters in ways that they had not dared do before the war made the possibility of freedom seem a reality. The conflicts also were expressed in ways that led to retribution against slaves, especially when black men tried to escape and ran off to the Union army. Plantation owners often punished the wives and families that were left behind. There are numbers of examples of violence that just seem almost illogical and so extreme as to represent a kind of rage and disruption that is very startling. For instance, theres the example of an African-American woman in South Carolina who yelled Hurray, the Yankees are coming when she heard that Union troops were nearby, and a group of whites got together and hanged her in response. Then there was a very severe set of punishments that essentially killed any slave woman who had pointed out to the Yankees where a familys silver had been buried. An effort, I think, that speaks of a desire to retain control in a situation that was completely out of control for white Southerners and then precipitated them into being themselves out of control

Was there one particular story of a person or individual that stuck with you as you were working on this?

Some of the stories of families either looking for lost loved ones or dealing with loss were the stories that lingered most strongly for me, partly because you could see how that would extend over decades, and the sense of ongoing loss. I think of two families in particular.

One was the family of Henry Bowditch, a Harvard professor. He was here in Boston when his son Nathaniel was killed in the spring of 1863. Henry Bowditch was told hed been severely wounded, and he got on a train to go down to Virginia to see what had happened. Then when he got off the train, filled with hope that perhaps Nathaniel might recover, he was greeted by someone who said he was dead. He was taken to the army camp, met with Nathaniels comrades, talked to them and was told how good a soldier his son had been.

Henry Bowditch struggled with emotion. He was not used to emotionhe didnt know how to handle it, he kept apologizing for it, he kept trying to find ways to channel it and to turn his loss into something he could handle. Watching him go through that period of mourning and try to come to terms with Nathaniels death is very moving. He did two things in particular that are worth noting. One is put together the most extraordinary series of scrapbooks and memorial volumesnow in the Massachusetts Historical Societythat recorded much about Nathaniels life and his death. But what I think they record most vividly is Henry Bowditch needing to act in some way that connected him with his son, and memorializing Nathaniel in this way provided him that. Secondly Bowditch became a very active advocate of improved ambulance service for soldiers. He felt that his son had died needlessly, that if medical care had been brought to him more quickly, he might have been saved. An ambulance service was somewhere between poor to nonexistent in most of the Union army in that time. And Bowditch changed that. He used his position of influence within the medical profession, his passion about his sons death and his sense of mourning and grief to introduce a revolutionary improvement in the ambulance service in the Union army by the end of the war.

Another was the story of Henry Taylor from Wisconsin, who died as a prisoner of war in the South. His father and mother spent months trying to figure out where hed gone and what had happened to him. Hed been in prison in Richmond, and then he was moved to South Carolina. Taylors parents werent sure whether he was alive or dead. They finally figured out that he had died, and his father spent years trying to get at the circumstances of Taylors death. I was very struck by a letter written in the 1890s by his father to one of Henrys comrades, still asking for details of his death. The comrade has clearly not been thinking about the Civil War for quite some time, but heres the father still obsessed with the need to know about his childs last moments.

Theres an ongoing debate because we spend so much money today to try to recover any body we can from the battlefield. There are some people who say we shouldnt do so, but it seems to me that that process, that idea starts in the Civil War era.

One can see in the Civil War itself a real shift in consciousness about the obligation of the state to involve itself, or commit itself, to a retrieval of the dead. We take that for granted now, but that was not at all in peoples minds at the beginning of the Civil War.

Did you find any evidence of either the Northern or the Southern government manipulating mourning for patriotic purposes?

Mourning became a vehicle for patriotic expression in many ways. At the beginning of the war every soldiers death was greeted with parades. These were mourning parades, elaborate funerals, elaborate forms of recognition. But when you start getting toward the numbers of Civil War dead that ultimately amounted to 620,000, you obviously dont have the same level of ceremony surrounding the deaths. I think many of these events were a combination of patriotic outpourings and private mourning. Stonewall Jackson s death observances went on for days, to the point that by the time he was lying in state at Virginia Military Institute, where he had been a professor, individuals were beginning to comment on the fact that the embalming job that had been done on him was weakening, and it was past time to get him into the ground. Same thing happened with Abraham Lincoln actually; his body was taken on a train trip around much of the nation in 1865 for crowds and crowds of people to express their grief at the loss of this Union president who had won the war for them.

I think some people would say the mourning for Stonewall Jackson is still going on, legions of people who go down to VMI. How did growing up in Virginia influence the way you view the Civil War?

I grew up in Virginia in the 1950s and 60s, when reenactments of Civil War battles were taking place all around me. It was a time when people were very engaged with Civil War memories. A lot of my childhood weekends, I remember, were taken up with trips to battlefields and activities that were about the Civil War. I used to play Civil War with my brothers all the time. My older brother always made me be Grant because he wanted to be Lee. I was pretty old before I realized that Grant actually won, so I had a rather distorted view of things for quite some time.

Because of that view, do you like or dislike Grant?

I like Grant a lot. I think he was a remarkable individual. Another story I should tell about my childhoodand Im not sure when this reached a level of actual consciousnessseems to me almost prophetic about this book. My family, my parents and grandparents, are buried in a beautiful little cemetery called Old Chapel Cemetery, located between two small Virginia towns, Boyce and Millard. Theres a little family plot there. If you look around the graveyard, within two or three feet of this family plot there are little stone markers that say unknown Confederate soldier, unknown Confederate soldier. Those were individuals killed in a skirmish on that ground during the Civil War and interred in unidentified graves. My family is buried in the midst of the phenomenon that is at the heart of this book.

Who was the Civil War buff in your family who dragged everybody to the battlefieldsor was it the entire family?

Probably my parents thought, Well, these are historic sites; lets take them to those historic sites. But my older brother was the Civil War nut. He collected guns and other weapons and all kinds of paraphernalia.

Did that part of your background help you? You use a lot of material culture in your books and your classroomdoes that come from your family experience as well?

Thats an interesting question. At one point I borrowed all my brothers Civil War rifles and had them at the University of Pennsylvania, where I used them in my classes to explain about the transition from the smoothbore musket to the rifled musket to the breechloader. I had his Minie balls and his cartridges and all the rest of it. One time I was stopped by a policeman as I was walking through West Philadelphia with these rifles. He wanted to know what I was up to. So yes, my brothers collection did play a role in my teaching. But I did not begin my scholarly career by studying the Civil War. I looked at the prewar South for the first decade and a half at least of my scholarly work. I came to the Civil War gradually and didnt see myself as immediately jumping into this tradition of family engagement and interests.
DISASTERAT DOVECREEK

BY PHILLIP RUTHERFORD

Captain N.W. Gillitine and twenty-three militiamen of the Texas 2d Military District stared into the grave they had just opened. On the bottom lay a two-year-old Indian girl, dead not 48 hours. To Gillitine, she was less a dead child than the final proof he needed for an alarming report he was sending Confederate Colonel James Barry at Fort Belknap. As the soldiers kicked loose sand back into the hole, Gillitine began the communique that would soon lead to his own death in a battle unlike any other fought in Texas during the Civil War.

After pushing through bone-chilling cold and marching thirty miles beyond the ruined chimneys of old Fort Phantom Hill, an abandoned west Texas cavalry outpost, Gillitines routine scout had struck heavy Indian signs on December 9, 1864. They first discovered a fresh trail nearly 100 yards wide, then found a deserted campsite containing the remnants of 102 dwellings and the debris of a tribe on the move. Gillitine, a veteran Indian fighters, estimated the Indians to number about 500. His men were nervous. They did not like the odds, and they suspected they had been spotted. The commander hurried through his report and gave it and one of the dead childs moccasins to a courier for delivery to Colonel Barry, asking him to bring a force of Confederate regulars to meet them some miles east of the Indian trail on Paint Creek.

Under a weak winter sun, Gillitine rapidly withdrew toward the Paint, becoming ever more apprehensive: Large, recently-abandoned Indian camps seemed to be everywhere. Now he was scared himself. He decided not to wait for Barry at the creek, but to warn the frontier settlements and make his report directly to Major George Erath, commander of the state militias 2d District at Meridian.

At first glance, Gillitines alarm seems justified. A concentration of Indians anywhere in west Texas during the Civil War was a cause for real concern. Although the frontier had been progressing steadily westward since the 1830s, it had not only ceased advancing but had actually regressed after U.S. troops surrendered to the Texas militia in 1861. The Kiowas and Commanches took advantage of the military vacuum and raided with impunity, stealing horses, burning the isolated ranches, and killing settlers. In their first communication with the new Confederate government, Texas authorities had pleaded for troops to protect the western settlements. Indeed, hostile Indians were a serious threat.

But in this particular case, Gillitine failed to ask the obvious question: Were the Indians hostile? He was a scout; he could read sign. The Indians could not be a war party, even a large one. The dead baby, the campsite littered with scraped hair, scraps of calico, broken tableware, and pieces of trimmed skin showed that there were women present. Dog droppings were everywhere. The shelters were of a semi-permanent sort used to house entire families and were of an eastern woodland variety rather than that of the plains tribes. Even the trail was fifty to sixty miles west of the most western settlements and led in a west-south-westerly direction, away from the settlements and toward Mexico. That this was a peaceful tribal migration was evident by even the most cursory examination. Gillitine ignored the obvious and set the stage for needless confrontation.

When Gillitine reached Meridian and found Major Erath absent, he made his report to Captain S.S. Totton, a former Confederate officer who had resigned his commission in the East because of wounds. Tottons militiamen did not like him. He enjoyed hunting deserters just a little too much to suit them. Also, he had tried to teach the independent Texas frontiersmen a bit of discipline, which they did not care for. Texas troops in the regular army paid little attention to military details and orders they did not like; home guard units did strictly as they pleased. In an emergency, Totton could not necessarily count on his men obeying him.

Upon receiving Gillitines report, Totton immediately contacted Colonel Barry, requesting him to meet the militiamen at Camp McCord on December 25 so that they could field a combined expedition against the Indians. Next, he ordered his men to assemble with provisions and equipment for a winter campaign. Then as the 325 militiamen gathered from Coryell, Erath, Johnson, Bosque, and Commanche counties, Totton left for Waco to secure a new supply of percussion caps (those furnished by the state were defective); and hire four Tonkawa Indians as scouts.

For his part Colonel Barry turned the Confederate armys piece of the operation over to Captain Henry Fossett, a Maine native, with orders to cooperate as far as practicable with the state troops. Then before leaving his home post at Camp Colorado, Fossett sent word to Totton that he would meet him at Fort Chadbourne rather than at McCord. After that, 112 regulars of the Camp McCord regiment and forty-nine attached state troops concentrated at Fort Chadbourne on December 31, accompanied by their pack train carrying ammunition, provisions, and fodder. But they arrived surprised; Totton was not there.

After consulting his officers on December 27, Totton had decided to ignore Fossetts request and go where Capt. Gillitine had seen the trail and follow it. He ordered his command into their saddles, and the motley flop-eared militia (as the regular troops called them) fell into line clutching a variety of weapons, ranging from military muskets and pistols to squirrel rifles and shotguns. Then the column with its skimpy pack train marched west to Elm Creek, where they picked up the Indian trail.

Three weeks of heavy rain and the passage of a huge buffalo herd had almost obliterated it. They made little headway following the dim track, distinguishable now only by pulverized horse droppings. The cold and poor fodder began wearing out the horses, so much so that by January 3 Totton had to send home those men whose horses were unfit for further service. By January 5, the soldiers meager supplies began to run so low that Totton detailed fourteen men to Fort Chadbourne thirty miles away to secure a supply of army beef.

In the meantime Fossett had tired of waiting for Totton, who had made no attempt to contact him, so he set out to find the Indians on his own. Immediately his troop discovered four large, abandoned Indian camps containing 875 wigwams that would house about 5,000 Indians. They also found where the Indians had blazed a tree with an ax to make a target. From the bullets in the tree, they determined that the Indians were both well armed and good shots. Although the Confederates could read sign well enough to draw these conclusions, they overlooked the fact that their prey could not possibly be a war party, just as Gillitine had thought.

In view of the probably number of Indians, Fossett called a halt to his march and camped on the North Concho River, hoping that Totton would soon catch up with him. While he waited, he sent forward eight experienced scouts under a Lieutenant Mulkey, himself a Cherokee, to locate the Indians.

After five days of consuming supplies, suffering from the intense cold, and accomplishing nothing, Fossett decided to move out, even though neither Totton nor Mulkeys scouts had appeared. Before leaving, he posted a message on several trees: Your assistance is greatly needed; make all haste to overtake us. My scouts have not been heard from for the past week; I fear they have been killed. Shortly after the Confederates left on the morning of the seventh, the scouts met them and reported the Indians were camped fifty miles to the west of Dove Creek. They numbered about 4,000 and were herding some 7,000 horses. Mulkey and a Lieutenant Brooks Lee told Fossett they felt the Indians were not hostile and that the Confederate commander should communicate with them to discover their intentions. He ignored the advice.

Instead, Fossett ordered his troopers to march to the Middle Concho, where they would fire their guns to clear any damp powder and camp until midnight. Then the 161 men would saddle up and ride to Dove Creek. They would attack at dawn, regardless of the number of Indians and regardless of Tottons arrival.

Very late that evening as the Confederates were mounting up for the last leg of the pursuit, Captains R.S. Barnes, William Culver, and Gillitine of Tottons command rode into camp on worn-out horses. Totton had found the note and sent them ahead to ask Fossett to wait for him. Fossett sent them back with one of his scouts who knew the location of the Indians camp and the message that he would wait for him in a dry gulch about three miles north of the Indian encampment.

Having only fifty miles to travelTotton had eightythe regulars reached the rendezvous about 2:00 the morning of the eighth. The men were ordered to get some rest before the planned surprise dawn attack, but the excitement was too great for most of them. They sat together in their companies and talked quietly of the coming battle. I.D. Ferguson of Company G said they naturally discussed the possibility that some of them would be killed, but each thought it would be the other fellow. The only man who correctly predicted his own death was Private Jim Gibson.

The sky lightened: Totton did not show up. The sun appeared; Totton still was not there. Just as Fossett was about to give up on him and begin the attack alone, he saw the mile-long line of Tottons command far in the distance.

The militiamen had ridden all night in the face of a cold south wind, exhausting themselves and their already weakened horses. By the time they linked up with the Confederates at nine oclock, only 220 of them were on hand. The others with their exhausted mounts had been left miles behind with the pack train. Although ordered to come up when they could, they turned back without ever reaching Dove Creek.

The attack was already three hours late, and Fossett was impatient. When Totton arrived, they exchanged only a few words. Although Fossett ranked Totton, he refused command. Totton took charge without viewing the battlefield.

The Indian encampment would have given paused to even the rashest commander. Located in an almost impenetrable, 100-acre thicket of live oak and green briar, it was protected on the west by Dove Creek, on the north and east by two dry branches and a bluff, and on the south by a steep hill. Totton admitted later that the Indians were completely concealed by brush and briars, forming the very best of rifle pits. Their position was such that it was impossible to ascertain its strength until the attack was made. Fossett added that the camp was well fortified by nature. But the commanders gave no thought to postponing the attack and scouting the position further.

The battle plan was too simple for the Indians strong position. Totton would advance with his 220 men to the left of a small peak on the west side of the creek, cross on horses, and charge the main part of the camp. Fossett and his 161 men would move to the right of the peak, capture the horse herd, and then attack across the creek in support of the militia. As Brigadier General J.D. McAdoo stated in a critical report of the action, . . .without any formation of a line of battle, without any preparation, without any inspection of the camp, without any communication with the Indians or inquiry as to what tribe or party they belonged to, without any knowledge of their strength or position, the command forward was given. . . .

They made a deadly mistake.

Since before the days of the Lone Star republic, Texans had paid little attention to the odds in an Indian fight. Generally the conflict was on horseback with the whites in pursuit of Indians who had stolen horses. As the Indians broke up into groups that rode off in all directions, few whites or Indians were engaged at one time. Even if frontiersmen were attacked by a war party greatly outnumbering them, they still did not worry unduly, as they fought from cover in more or less prepared positions and could therefore outlast the hostiles who had to expose themselves. In addition, the whites were almost always better armed than the Indians. At Dove Creek, it was as if the usual positions were reversed. But the Texans were confident. They had been whipping Indians for thirty years.

Fossett formed his men in columns of four and came out of the ravine at a gallop, riding for the horse herd grazing in the distance. AS the Confederates closed, the Indian herders spotted them and stampeded the 7,000 horses toward their camp. The Confederates, spurring hard, yelling, and firing wildly, descended on the herd and turned it just before it crossed the creek. The fifteen herders dove from their horses into the brush to hide, taking a few casualties in the process. I.D. Ferguson later commented wryly on the first part of the action: I was mad at my bad luck not to get to kill an Indian and thought that they would all be killed and I would not get a shot at them. . . but I soon learned that the boys had not killed all the Indians, that there were plenty left for me to kill, and I had all day in which to do it. . . I had all the killing I could attend to, and I would have been glad to have turned the job over to someone else, but every man had a like business of his own. So I had to try to hold my job down the very best I could.

Captain Jack Curetons militia company, which was attached to the Regulars, and the four Tonkawas drove the horse herd about 1,000 yards west of the battlefield where they held most of it for the rest of the day. Fortunately as it turned out, Cureton ordered the Tonkawas to cut out 250 head and take them some miles to the north.

Just as the horses were secure, Fossett observed Tottons militia dismounting to cross Dove Creek on foot, their horses being too jaded to stand up to a charge. To cut off the Indians retreat when Totton hit them, Fossett dispatched seventy-five Confederates under Lieutenant J.A. Brooks to the hill south of the camp. Here, the soldiers had a perfect view of the attack.

The militia captains waded into he knee-deep creek followed by their men. Not a shot was fired. They scrambled up the bank and entered the thicket along three or four trails. The men on the hill said the silence was unearthly. As the militia filed into the center of the seemingly deserted camp, they could not see the 400 or 500 braves lying in wait for them. Without warning, the brush and high weeds erupted in flames, as the warriors poured shot after shot into them from their new Enfield rifles. The curtain of silence was rent by a crescendo of noise: Wounded and dying men screamed, Indians yelled, dogs barked, and the roar of the Enfields deafened the trapped men in the close-packed clearing. Slow-drifting clouds of acrid, black-powder smoke hung in the damp morning air obscuring the well-hidden warriors even more. The surviving militiamen fled like rabbits back down the narrow trails with 100 of the braves pursuing them. Many in their fear threw down their weapons to lighten their loads. Hand to hand fighting broke out briefly as the stragglers were overtaken, overpowered, and finally butchered. The mass of Tottons men clawed through the briars along the east side of the creek, stumbling and falling down the bank before rushing wildly through the icy water for the safety of the far side. They did not stop to offer covering fire for their comrades. They did not stop at all, even at the shouts and threats of their surviving officers. In act, they did not stop until their mad scramble had taken them three miles north to Spring Creek. In minutes they had suffered at least eighteen deadincluding Captains Gillitine, Barnes, and Culverand fourteen wounded. Totally demoralized, they could not be forced back on to the field to aid the remaining Confederates for the rest of the day.

Just as the slaughter of the militiamen began, Lieutenant Brooks and his force charged down the steep hill in the Indians rear, leaving six men holding the horses. About halfway down the incline, the Regulars met a wall of fire that drove them back. Along with two men wounded, twelve of their mounts were killed on the spot. Brooks could see that the last thing he had to worry about was the Indians escaping. Trying the dodge the Enfield bullets, he shouted for the men who had lost horses to double mount those that were left and rejoin Fossetts command before they were cut off.

As they recrossed the Dove at a dead gallop, they found Fossett heavily engaged. He had occupied a live oak ridge facing the Indian camp and was in a V of land formed by a small branch adjoining Dove Creek, the branch to his right and the dove to his left. The position was poorly chosen. The Indians slipped up the two channels, caught the Confederates in. a deadly cross-fire and threatened to overrun the ends of the . To protect his flanks Fossett sent lieutenant J.R. Giddens and one company to the left along the Dove and Lieutenant Brooks and another company to the right along the branch. Fossett held the center with the remainder of the troops.

After only an hour of fighting, the mystery of the Indians identity and their intentions was solved. Fossetts Confederates captures three of the herders, an old man who could speak English and two ten-year-old boys. When questioned, the old warrior told them that the Indians were Kickapoos and a few Potawatomies who had been in the service of the Confederacy in Kansas. Growing tired of the war, they had decided to migrate to Mexico where a small band of their tribesmen lived. He showed them a pass issued by W.M. Ross of the Potawatomy Agency in Kansas, authorizing him to hunt buffalo until February 4.(They later discovered similar passes on the bodies of two other Indians.) He also laconically informed them that the battle might be stopped if they could talk to his chief, No-Ko-Wat, but it might be dangerous to try it at that moment.

The soldiers asked Fossett what they should do with the prisoners. He replied, In Indian fighting it is not customary to take prisoners. the soldiers shot the old man and had turned their rifles on the boys when Brooks Lee told them he would kill the first man who harmed them. Fossett did not speak up, and the men backed down. Later in the day the boys escaped to their own camp. Even then, with disaster looming and knowing that the battle might be stopped, Fossett still made no attempt to contact the Kickapoo chief.

About 2:00 the temp of the fighting died down. Most of the Kickapoos retired toward their central camp, leaving about seventy-five sharpshooters to keep the troops pinned down. What the soldiers had guessed about the Indians accuracy with the Enfields was borne out when one warrior from several hundred yards dropped Private Wylie with a bullet through the head.

As the Confederates began to hope that the Indians were disengaging, a fierce fight broke out on the right. Fossett sent urgent word to Lieutenant Giddens that the withdrawing Indians had concentrated against Brooks and were overrunning him. Giddens sent all the men he could spare, thirty-five, as reinforcements. They joined a contingent released by Fossett and attempted to reach the embattled lieutenant. They found him and his men in full retreat toward the center, driven by the Indians after being forced out for their position in an oak grove. Rallying, the three squads charged the Kickapoos who bravely stood their ground. When the whites were within twenty yards of them, the Indians broke back to the cover of the creek. The soldiers reoccupied the position.

By three oclock, everyone realized that the situation was desperate. The Indians had been rounding up stray horses all day and now had about eighty-five warriors mounted. Besides the dead, there were at least thirty-five Confederate wounded lying under the oaks at the aid station 500 yards to the rear. The Regulars could expect no help from Totton and his thoroughly beaten militiamen. Their only hope was to hold out until dark and make a run for it.

Fossett circulated the plan for the retreat. The wounded who could ride would be put on horses; those who could not would be tied in their saddles and led by the slightly wounded on foot. As soon as they had started, Cureton would move the herd. It was imperative that the horses be kept from the Indians: If they were to pursue the retreating Confederates in strength, they had to be mounted. The main force under Fossett would screen the wounded and the herd as they crossed Dove Creek upstream. A rear guard of two companies under Lieutenant Giddens would keep the mounted Indians busy. The order to cross the creek is inexplicable, as the soldiers could have retreated in safety to the west.

About a half hour before dark, the Confederates made their move. In the beginning, everything worked perfectly. The wounded moved out, followed by the herd. Fossetts men slipped parallel to Dove Creek, staying between the Indian camp and the retreating column. The rear guard, now under Sergeant R.C. Porter, was keeping both the mounted Indians and those afoot busily engaged. Then, all the unmounted Indians suddenly disappeared from Porters front. In minutes they raced up the creek to the crossing and lay in wait there. As the wounded started splashing across, the Kickapoos fired into them from ambush. To save the wounded, the troops abandoned the herd, and every available rifle was brought to bear, including those of the rear guard that was called up. The mounted braves quickly disengaged, swooped down on the horse herd, and drove it off.

The Confederates now fought individually for their lives. All semblance of discipline was gone. They crossed the Dove in disorder but made a brief stand in a dry stream bed long enough for the wounded to get a head start. Then the position crumbled, and they remounted their horses in wild panic. The officers screamed and yelled, pleaded with them, hoping that an organized resistance could be formed, but nothing helped. They all raced madly over the plains, trying to outrun the mounted warriors.

Soon the wounded horses gave out, and men began dropping to the rear to be pulled from their saddles and killed by the Kickapoos. Private Jim Gibson, fulfilling his own prophecy of death, went under. I.D. Ferguson began to fall behind. When the Indians were almost upon him, J.O. Alexander looked over his shoulder and shouted. Here, boys, here! Follow me! Let us save that boys life!

This impetuous gesture seemed to bring some order to the rout, as man after man wheeled to return. In. moment they were all spurring directly for Ferguson. Dismounting at a gallop, the men flopped down and formed a ragged line behind a low ridge. Even many of the wounded returned to the fight. While the Indians were regrouping for an attack, the Texans took an oath that they were finished with running. They would die there if they could not stop the Indians.

In a moment the Kickapoos were on them again, attacking from all directions. But this was Indian fighting more like the soldiers were used to: Fighting from at least a slight cover at Indians milling about on horseback. Now they could hold their own.

After dark the shooting slackened, and the Indians disappeared. Not wasting a second, Fossett ordered his men to move out and head for upper Spring Creek about eight miles away. Riding and walking slowly through the cloudy night with their remaining horses, they saw numerous campfires in the distance. Fossett was afraid that they might mark another Indian camp, so he sent scouts forward. They returned shortly with the word that it was only Tottons men. Wearily, the defeated Confederates entered the camp for the beaten militia.

About 10:00 that night a cold rain began to fall, and within minutes a howling blue norther swept over them, plunging the temperature dramatically. At midnight the rain turned to heavy snow. The exhausted men could not sleep. They sat up all night feeding fires and talking over the almost incomprehensible fight: A strong force of veteran frontiersmen, many with formal military training, had been beaten badly in a pitched battle with Indians. And the Indians were not some fierce, war-like tribe such as the Comanche or Kiowa, but he relatively docile Kickapoo. Trying the rationalize this defeat, some soldiers circulated rumors that they had seen uniformed Federal officers and Kansas Jayhawkers leading the Indians.

Simply nothing quite like this had happened in Texas before, and the repercussions would sound for the remaining months of the war. The Texas and Confederate militaries set up courts martial and courts of inquiry: twenty-two of Fossetts men deserted in the next month and a half; Texas civilians were outraged both at the attack and the defeat, and the frontier settlers lost further faith in the state and national governments ability to protect them.

The casualties were remarkably disparate for an Indian fight. As I.D. Ferguson said, We had traveled [sic] 300 miles to catch the Indians, and just let them loose, leaving twenty-two men dead on the field and over sixty wounded. Some reported the casualties much higher36 killed and over 100 wounded. The Kickapoos claimed to have lost only fourteen killed when they were interviewed several weeks later in Piedras Negras, Mexico. While their estimate might be too low, even Fossett did not think that they had lost more than thirty.

But the privation and dying were not yet over for the weary soldiers. The night after the battle was a nightmare. The whistling wind did little to silence the cries of the wounded and the groans of dying horses. Few had blankets, and those who did gave them to the wounded. The temperature continued to fall so that by morning the snow-covered mounds of frozen horses dotted the camp ground. The next day the snow hardly abated, falling so heavily that a man at twenty feet was invisible. In the few intervals when it lightened, the men cut and trimmed pecan poles to make litters for the wounded. Regardless of the weather, they would have to leave the next day. They were 100 miles from the nearest settlement and had not eaten since the seventh.

Early on January 10 the snow stopped. It was hip-deep, the heaviest ever seen by most of the men. Standing one horse in front of a second, the soldiers lashed the ends of the pecan poles through the stirrups of both saddles. Then a rope was tied back and forth between the poles and covered with wet blankets. IN these crude stretchers severely wounded men traveled 100 miles. The men still mounted on serviceable horses were sent forward to break the snow, while those on foot led the litter horses, front and rear.

Floundering through snow-filled gullies, on the first day they made five miles; on the second, eight. On January 12 the sun began melting the snow. On the 13th, after they had traveled fifty miles, they spotted the Tonkawa scouts who still herded the 250 Indian ponies. It was a fortunate reunion. The columns horses were totally worn out, the men fatigued and famished. From the herd the soldiers were remounted, and each company was given an Indian pony for meat. Although at first some of them rejected the idea of eating horseflesh, when they smelled it roasting, they changed their minds.

Paradoxically, as conditions improved, the severely wounded began dying and were buried by the side of the trail with what military honors could be mustered. Finally on January 17 under a bright sun, the column reach John Chisms ranch, adequate medical care, and food. Their physical ordeal was over, but their chagrin at having participated in the most disastrous Indian fight in Texas during the Civil War, if not all of Texas history, was only beginning.
It was a shift in tactics that seemed tailor-made for a free people, and it would lay the foundation for the modern American soldier, able to adjust and fight effectively on any terrain in the world

Americans have always been suspicious of big government, particularly the federal government. Right up until World War II they also remained suspicious that a large, permanent and professional military might serve primarily as the enforcing arm of such a government. But as America grew, so did its interactions with the rest of the world. A United States that spanned a continent and boasted the worlds largest economy by the 1880s could no longer live in splendid isolation. It could no longer depend upon its usual brilliant amateurism in all matters military, nor could it rely upon the kindness of strangers to protect American commerce and interests around the world.

Much of the debate over just how the United States would take its proper place in the greater world revolved around a pair of extraordinary thinkersone from the Navy and one from the Armywhose proposals would influence American strategy and tactics for decades to follow. We recently examined how Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahans theories helped lead to the creation ofand the justification for the use ofbig gun navies as tools of both nationalism and imperialism at the turn of the 20th century. We now turn to a man who arguably had an even greater influence on arms and tactics both in the United States and abroadColonel Emory Upton.

Born in upstate New York in 1839, the tenth child in a family of Methodist reformers, Upton decided he would be a soldier after reading a life of Napoleon Bonaparte when he was 14. Like Mahan, though, he did not start in the military, leaving the family farm at 15 for Ohios Oberlin College, one of the nations few racially integrated colleges at the time. At 16 he passed the entrance exams for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., a place he embraced for its structure, discipline and intellectual challenge. Deeply religious, Upton considered slavery an abomination and fought a sword duel with a Southern classmateWade Hampton Gibbes, later to become a Confederate artillery officerover offensive remarks about Uptons supposed relationships with black female classmates at Oberlin. Those of his fellow cadets who went to fight for the South he openly considered traitors.

Graduating eighth in his class of 45 cadets, he was commissioned a lieutenant of artillery and in 1861 aimed the first gun at the First Battle of Bull Run. In the engagement that followed, he was wounded in the left arm and side and had a horse shot from under him but refused to leave the field. He went on to distinguish himself, commanding a battery in the Peninsula Campaign, then an artillery brigade at Antietam. Finding the fuses of his large shells faulty in both instances, Upton substituted solid shot on the fly, and his superiors lauded his guns for their lethal efficiency. It was the beginning of a pattern; no officer was better at going to war with the army he had.

Upton didnt drink, smoke or curse and rarely laughed or smiled. He prayed fervently and spoke and read of almost nothing but military tactics. A brevet major general by age 25, Upton was the epitome of a professional soldier, as Stephen Ambrose later wrote, and was as at home in the field as Mahan was lost afloat. Everywhere he went, Upton displayed immense courage and devised startling new tactics, sometimes on the battlefield itself.

Learning he was to be transferred back to West Point as an instructor, Upton instead secured an appointment as colonel of the 121st New York Volunteer Infantry, soon to be known as Uptons regulars. Rebel defenders chopped his regiment to pieces in one of the futile Union assaults at Fredericksburg in 1862, but Upton was soon leading a brigade. Realizing that advances in musketry had made obsolete the centuries-old infantry tactic of having troops attack in a long line, firingand being slaughteredas they went, he chose a different approach. In the Overland Campaign of 1864 Upton decreed his brigade would rush the enemy fortifications in columns, without slowing to stop and fire. The idea was to reach the enemy as quickly as possible, then overwhelm him with bayonet and rifle butt before he could get off many volleys.

Upton put his new tactic to the test at Spotsylvania Court House in May 1864. Charging out of the Wilderness and across 200 yards of open ground, he led his men into the teeth of the best entrenched, most fiercely defended segment of the Confederate line. His tactic worked. Uptons men pierced the Confederate position at its heart, driving the Rebels from their fortifications and two rows of trenches. It was a breakthrough that might have defeated Lees army and all but ended the war then and there. But as so often happened with the Army of the Potomac, planned support units inexplicably failed to show up. Uptons men fell back at a terrible cost.

After leading his troops through more days of carnage at Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor, Upton was reassigned to Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridans command, then seeking to drive Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early out of the Shenandoah Valley. Upton succeeded to division commander when his superior officer was killed at the September 1864 Battle of the Opequon, in the Shenandoah Valley, but just a few hours later Upton himself was knocked from his horse by a shell fragment that tore open his thigh muscle and femoral artery. Despite being ordered to the rear by Sheridan, he had himself carried about the field on a stretcher, directing his men until darkness brought an end to the fighting.

Uptons actions earned him his stars as a brevet major general of volunteers but lost him his division when forced home to recuperate. Four months later, still limping, he was back, making his way to Nashville, where Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson was putting together a revolutionary new strike force: some 12,000 Union cavalrymen armed with the new Spencer breech-loading carbines. This was the first, primordial stirring of what would one day evolve into mobile infantry. As Ambrose relates, Upton and Wilson were putting into action Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Shermans belief that cavalry was best employed across the vast American landscape by riding to a battle, then fighting as infantrysomething their carbines made possible for the first time.

Armed with their new weapons and tactics, Upton and Wilson ran amok through the Confederate heartland, adding their own innovations on the fly. Everywhere they went, they burned or expropriated the Confederacys dwindling stores and munitions, its foundries, arsenals, workshops, railroads and ironclads. Along the way they dealt the outnumbered Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest a rare defeat and finished with a flourish: Wilsons cavalry capturing the fleeing Confederate president, Jefferson Davis, while Uptons men seized the fleeing vice president, Alexander Stephens.

The ride of their Cavalry Corps left Upton in a state of almost religious transcendence. He later confided he would like to commute the rest of [my] life for six months of just such military service. Upton once again had from experience found a way around the hopeless full frontal assaults of the Civil War, gleaning insights into the nature of modern warfare others would not grasp even in the midst of a Somme or a Verdun.

Upton would never again get the chance to put his revelations into action. By the fall of 1865 he was in the mining boomtown of Denver, tasked with cutting expenditures and reducing the Army he loved back to its miniscule prewar size. The prospect of another 30 years of frontier duty, touring one desolate Western outpost after another to protect miners and settlers, loomed before him with about as much appeal as the sea held for Alfred Mahan. And just as Mahan managed to find a way back to shore duty, Upton was able to secure a transfer back to West Point by force of ideashis ticket back was a revolution in infantry tactics, one that drew heavily on his experiences in the Civil War and which he would confirm in drill back at the Point.

With the old linear plan of attack now discredited, Upton argued in his 1867 manual, Infantry Tactics, for a new method that relied upon heavy skirmishers, who would advance on the enemy lines in steadily greater numbers, clearing the way for a final charge by companies of reserves. Instead of the old system of mass volleys under the tight control of commanding officers, Uptons Army would rely heavily on individual responsibility, aimed marksmanship and unit morale. The American infantryman would be able to improvise and use to his advantage the sort of heavily wooded, irregular landscape that had prevailed in Uptons Southern campaign.

It was a shift in tactics that seemed tailor-made for a free people, and it would lay the foundation for the modern American soldier, able to adjust and fight effectively on any terrain in the world. Predictably, Uptons tactics faced ridicule and resistance from any number of his hidebound fellow officers.

Fortunately, their superiors felt differently. In recommending Uptons new system to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, General of the Army Ulysses S. Grant reported he was fully satisfied of its superior merits and adaptability to our service; besides, it is no translation, but a purely American work. Sherman defended Upton staunchly against all critics and against those who felt some of their own ideas had been incorporated into the manual. Sherman insisted it was Upton who had combined all the advantages of such ideas and must be remunerated. This was no small thing. Infantry Tactics, as the official manual of not just the regular Army but all U.S. militia units, netted its author more than $1,000 a year in royalties. It enabled Upton to do something very un-Upton: get married.

The serious-minded Army officer had found a perfect match in Emily Martin, a kind, gentle and highly religious young woman. They married in 1868 and set out on a blissful honeymoon to France and Italy. There she contracted some sort of lung infection, and while their marriage remained a happy one, she steadily declined, dying in March 1870, not yet 25 years of age and leaving no children.

Upton flung himself into his work more intensely than ever. By years end Sherman had appointed the 30-year-old widower West Points commandant of cadets. Assiduously supervising discipline and administration at the academy, Upton also worked as many as nine hours a day expanding his infantry tactics to accommodate artillery and cavalryof which, of course, he also had firsthand knowledge.

He wanted more. The peacetime Army was smaller than ever and seemed likely to become as moribund an institution as Mahans Navy. Still looking for something to match his talents and boundless energy, Upton prevailed upon a supportive Sherman to send him on a research tour of the worlds armies. He set off from San Francisco in 1875.

This was no junket; by the time he returned to the United States in the fall of 1876, Upton had closely observed the militaries of China, Japan, India, Persia, Italy, France, Britain, Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary. His study included detailed reports on the number and distributions of each army, the military schools and training of their officers, their tactics, administration, recruitment practices, munitions, equipment, hospitals, camps, barracks, pay and moralealong with any other general observations he felt worthy of mention.

In just over a year he submitted to the adjutant-general a 370-page book on his findings, The Armies of Europe & Asia, including 54 pages of specific recommendations for reorganizing the U.S. Army, based on what he had read and observed abroad. What Upton sought was nothing less than a revolutionary transformation of how America regarded and maintained its Army, beginning with the very first of his own 24 general principles:

To enable a nation to put forth, in the hour of danger, its greatest military strength, every citizen, in consideration of the protection extended to his life and property, is held to owe military service to his government.

The overarching cause Upton championed in his general principles was the creation of a large, standing professional Army for the first time in U.S. history, and it was a cause he aggressively supported for the remainder of his life.

If Mahans ideal fleet was based on Englands Royal Navy, Uptons perfect Army mirrored Germanys. In consolidating its empire, Germany had transformed its disorganized, fractious, often rebellious militiasthe Landwehrinto something more along the lines of Americas modern Army Reserve. The government drafted or recruited soldiers for three- to five-year periods, after which they would spend four years in the active reserve and another five in the Landwehr, called up every six months for weeks of training and maneuvers.

In times of war the government could quickly mobilize an effective, coordinated fighting force. In times of peace the standing professional army, headed by a general staff, ran advanced war colleges, plotted strategy, reviewed tactics, and evaluated officers and men. In the 1870s this system had enabled Prussia and its German allies to rout every European force sent against them, and in Uptons time all the major continental powers were rapidly emulating this system, steadily expanding the size of their armies and soon to institute universal conscription.

By then superintendent of the Artillery School of Practice at Fortress Monroe, Va., the nations only military postgraduate institution, Upton embarked on an all-out effort to win the reforms he wanted. He set to work on a study of all of Americas wars from the Revolution forward. His intention was to show the enormous and unnecessary sacrifice of life and treasure which has attended all our armed struggles. Because the United States had been unprepared for every war it had ever fought, Upton believed, it had ended up paying vastly more in lives and treasure than it might have otherwise.

The Military Policy of the United States often makes Upton seem a master stylist in its copious use of statistics and citations. In his reformers zeal he also tended to push his historical arguments to the breaking pointthe U.S. could hardly have prepared a national military force for the Revolution, for example, when it was not yet a nation. And when it came to the Civil War, Upton vented his spleen on all the policies that had bedeviled the Union cause: political generals; civilian interference in promotions and battlefield strategy; militias with variable terms of enlistment that might decamp for home on the eve of important battles. The federal government, he wrote, was trying to save the Union by fighting as a Confederacy, [while] the Confederates sought to destroy it by fighting as a nation, abandoning states rights, adopting a draft early in the conflict, and overriding the prerogatives of state governors in appointing militia officers. Yet this was an almost risible caricature of Confederate war policy, as the rebellions central government struggled constantlyand often in vainto force local areas to comply with the draft, and governors to send their militia regiments out of state.

Such arguments exposed just how cloistered Upton had become in the Army, how cut off he was from his nations traditions and beliefs. He was attuned enough to the popular mood to restrain himself from calling for a big Army on anything like a European scale. What Upton ultimately proposed was a regular Army of 25,000 men, with a trained reserve of 140,000 national volunteers. All of this might be brought about, he estimated, for an additional expenditure of only $15 million.

It was a proposal modest enough to win the support of both Uptons military superiors and many of the politicians he considered blind to the national interest. But again Uptons deaf ear led him to a gaffe. Searching for some reason why the United States, settled behind the worlds greatest oceans with no imminent foreign or domestic enemies, should require even this force, he pointed to the nationwide series of labor disturbances as a possible task for such an Army to undertake.

The strikes, by workers laboring under horrific conditions and often for wages that left their families destitute, had faced brutal suppression by the usual mob of deputy sheriffs, company goons and state militias. But, Upton argued, on the next-to-last page of The Armies of Europe & Asia, During the late riots, had there been available from 25 to 50 battalions of national volunteers, commanded by regular officers, it is possible, and probable, that much of the bloodshed and loss of property might have been avoided.

At last, a role for the modern Army: Shooting American workers in the streets with maximum efficiency, or perhaps intimidating them out of exercising their rights in the first place.

Despite his vigorous advocacy, Uptons military reform proposals stalled in Congress. One of their chief advocates, James A. Garfield, was elected president in 1880, which may have restored the theorists hopes. But by then the great human dynamo that was Emory Upton had begun mysteriously to wind down. His social circle had shrunk to a sister and a couple of close friends; he took delight mostly in entertaining a young nephew. Despairingas usualof regaining his old Civil War rank of major general in the peacetime Army, Upton seemed unable to finish his nearly complete Military Policy of the United States or to lobby Garfield.

The cause of his listlessness was likely physical. He began to suffer violent headaches and consulted a Philadelphia specialist for what was diagnosed as a sinus condition. The doctor treated Upton by placing a coiled electrical wire against the mucous membrane of his nasal passages and sending a spark through it. The doctor later speculated Upton might have been suffering from a tumor in his face or brain, but whether a tumor or the pain of his treatment was to blame, the headaches did not abate.

Transferred to the Presidio of San Francisco by early 1881, Upton enjoyed the sound of the Pacific surf at night and looked forward to resuming his work. But the headaches worsened, and his actions and words became increasingly erratic. He began to forget things, on one occasion telling a dinner companion that his new infantry tactics were so perfect they would end war, but then deciding they were a dangerous failure.

On March 14, 1881, Upton wrote his sister of his hope that God would lead me to sacrifice myself, rather than to perpetuate a method which might in the future cost a single man his life. He then wrote out a single line resigning his commission, picked up his Colt .45 pistol from his desk and shot himself in the head. He was just 41 years old.

Uptons final manuscript was unedited and unpublished at the time of his suicide, and it would remain so until resurfacing in 1904, thanks largely to the efforts of Elihu Root, President Theodore Roosevelts secretary of war. While the Navy had performed splendidly in the 1898 Spanish-American Warat least against a hopelessly moribund, second-rate power like Spainthe Army had once again proved a spirited but amateur gabble of poorly led, poorly equipped and poorly supplied militias and volunteers.

With a few careful excisions, particularly with regard to the role of civilian leadership, the posthumous publication of Uptons Military Policy of the United States would spark a revolution in the reform and professionalization of the U.S. Army. His ideas of a mobile, adaptable force, comprised of highly effective and self-reliant units at all levels, would inform the spirit of the American soldier.

Considering the central role the Army was to play in the world after his death, Upton might be said to have finally achieved the mark on history he had strived to leave. It could be said he was the prophet, if not father, of the American national Armythat is, an Army that possesses a permanent professionalized officer corps, a permanent strategic planning brain and well-established, reliable support systems and logistics.

Its citizen-soldiers would no longer coalesce on a haphazard, regional basis. Instead, they would be integrated into a true national Armyusually consisting of volunteers but able to realize rapid, exponential growth in times of emergency through universal conscription, as it did during World War II and the Cold War. Its troops would embody the general doctrines of the Army, able to function superbly as individuals and small units, as well as in massed divisions.

Uptons Army was one that also studied and reacted to the world around it, in the best American traditions. The noble ideal of American exceptionalism had been stretched as far as it could in winning the nations continental wars. To meet the real challenges of an encroaching world, the countrys militarylike its industries, its political and cultural institutions, and so much elsewould have to learn from that world and learn to improve upon it. Emory Upton, in his furious journey around the globe, was the first American to embark seriously upon that quest, and he would set in motion a century of U.S. military innovation that has endured to this day.

For further reading Kevin Baker recommends Uptons books, as well as Upton and the Army, by Stephen E. Ambrose.
As far as we knew, Elvis Presley had never been to Vietnam, but we found his dog tags and they appeared to be genuine.

The temperature was climbing in Ho Chi Minh City. It was mid-December 2008 and we were in Vietnam running down leads, interviewing local witnesses and searching for American crash sites and graves as part of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). On our off-hours a few of us worked what you might call the Dog Tag Watch. My partners in Vietnam are language specialists and MIA investigators Robert C. Bulldog Maves and Ron Ward. Key to our efforts is personnel records investigator Dr. Niels J. Zussblatt, a senior analyst at the National Personnel Records Center back in St. Louis. I am Dr. Robert W. Mann, forensic anthropologist. As always, we were on the lookout for U.S. dog tags and went to a shop wed heard was selling them. The shop owner pointed out her stash, and we began sorting through hundreds of dog tags, looking for clues about their authenticity. Thats when we found two of the most intriguing of the many unusual dog tags that have confounded researchers throughout the years trying to solve the puzzle of the ubiquitous dog tag trade in Vietnam. They both read: PRESLEY, ELVIS AUS53310761 USA BAPTIST O POS. As far as we knew, Elvis Presley had never been to Vietnam. But the tags appeared to be genuine.

This is a story about scientists, linguists and analysts working together in pursuit of the truth about the authenticity of dog tags that are being peddled today in Vietnam and how and why so many of them were left behindor in the case of the Elvis dog tags, how they got to Vietnam in the first place.

Whenever we travel to Vietnam, our in-country teamMaves, Ward and myselfcanvasses shops and vendors looking for dog tags, while Zussblatt searches through personnel files in St. Louis to corroborate the information stamped on them. Its an efficient working relationship that often allows us to reunite soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines with their lost dog tags.

I became interested in dog tags when I visited a small souvenir shop in Da Nang in 1993. My search and recovery team was staying at the Bach Dang Hotel along the riverfront, and in my off hours I visited the local shops in search of interesting items left behind during the war. My first visit to one of the shops next to the Bach Dang Hotel ignited my interest in dog tags because I had always heard that the vast majority of them were fakes, produced by some enterprising Vietnamese for sale to tourists. The problem, as I saw it, was that most of the dog tags for sale on the streets looked genuine; they appeared to be the same size, weight, appearance and metal composition as those issued to U.S. troops during the war. Most of the tags were rusty, dirty, bent, scratched, nicked, burned or torn. Still, I firmly believed that some Vietnamese were producing fake dog tags for sale to tourists after the war, and, from our many visits to souvenir shops, we knew that items could be made to look old and authentic.

To us, an authentic dog tag is one issued to and worn by a U.S. service member or Department of Defense civilian in Southeast Asia. In contrast, we consider a fake dog tag to be one either composed of locally made metals, or one that the Vietnamese stamped with incorrect information, specifically for sale to unsuspecting foreign tourists. But weve learned over the years that a misspelled name or other incorrect information doesnt necessarily mean that a dog tag is fake. These observations and unanswered questions led us down a path of scientific research in trying to figure out which were authentic and which were not.

What we knew early on, or at least what had been reported to us, was that the Vietnamese had gotten their hands on old addressograph machines that the United States abandoned when American troops departed Vietnam in 1975. Following this logic, the Vietnamese could have stamped the vital information on dog tags and then antiqued the tags by rubbing them on concrete, burying them in dirt or dipping them in acidcertainly possible, but a lot of work for a couple of dollars, especially if genuine dog tags were readily available. We deduced that such detailed biographical information on the tags could only have come from abandoned or discarded U.S. records bearing the names of GIs, their military service number (or social security number), blood type, gas mask size, date of last tetanus shot, branch of service and religion. Unless thousands of personnel or medical records were left behind in 1975, there does not appear to be any way such data could have been obtained.

Frequently, as recovery teams excavate aircraft crash sites and isolated burials, or as local citizens clear ordnance, dig a house foundation or cultivate their rice fields, a dog tag is pulled out of the ground. Not surprisingly, unless the tags are recovered by American search teams during repatriation work, they are typically turned over by the locals and sold for about a buck and a half each to the nearest vendor or scrap dealers passing through. The tags usually end up in small souvenir shops and street vendor stands, along with old Zippo lighters, compasses, eyeglasses, aircraft parts, belts, buckles, uniforms, jungle boots, U.S. canteensyou name itto be peddled to tourists.

As researchers, we know that the best way to understand something is to systematically study it and let the evidence speak for itself. To try to get to the bottom of the matter over the years, we have interviewed many Vietnamese shop owners and U.S. service members, weighed and measured dozens of dog tags, performed elemental analysis to determine their composition and tested a few to determine if there were any traces of blood left on them. We have even superimposed dog tags purchased in Vietnam with authentic ones from family members and service members who survived the war and returned home.

Based on this work, we have concluded that the vast majority of dog tags being sold in Vietnam are authenticthe owners wore them when they served in Vietnam and were either killed in action, went missing in action or simply lost them before returning home. But what was the case with Elvis dog tags?

Elvis dog tags werent the only unusual ones we found. From a batch of about 1,000 weve culled through on our trips to Vietnam over the past three years, we ended up purchasing more than 100 of them. They reveal the resourcefulness, sentimentality and unreserved iconoclasm of our soldiers through the practical names or creativesometimes crudemessages stamped into them. These non-ID dog tags are what we call gag tags, made for almost every conceivable practical reason and just for fun. The practice of using dog tags for purposes other than personnel identification was not confined to Vietnam, however, and even today, the military uses dog tags to tag such things as vehicle keys, building keys and tool boxes.

In our analysis of the Elvis dog tags, Zussblatt found that other than the religion, the information stamped on them was accurate. Elvis personnel record lists his religious preference as Pentecostal, while Baptist is stamped on the tag. The format, spacing and alignment of the lettering and information on both dog tags are identical, indicating that the same machine stamped both. Elvis didnt serve in Vietnam and as far as we know never traveled there, so the Vietnamese would not have had access to his personal and biological information from abandoned or discarded personnel or medical files to then create a set of fakes.

We attempted to contact the Presley family and Elvis Presley Enterprises about the Elvis tags, but have not received a reply. Because Elvis Presley is deemed a person of exceptional prominence and has been dead for at least 10 years, and since a military service number is not protected like a social security number, the Army Record Manager gave permission to the National Personnel Records Center to fully open Elvis record.

Zussblatt looked up Presleys military record. He entered the U.S. Army on March 24, 1958, in Memphis and served with Headquarters Company, 32nd Armor in Germany. Sergeant Presley was released from active service at Fort Dix, N.J., March 5, 1960, and was transferred to the Army Reserve (Inactive) to serve the rest of his six-year military service obligation. At the time of his discharge, he was single and living at Graceland, Highway 51 South, in Shelby County, Tenn.a long way from Vietnam.

Although there is no way to know for sure, there is the remote possibility that these dog tags were made for and issued to Elvis, and that he may have later given them to an American GI who carried them to Vietnam as a souvenir or memento. If, as we suspect, this isnt the scenario, we would put these in the category of gag tags, likely created by a prankster GI during the Vietnam War. While it is possible that someone stamped this dog tag after the war and antiqued it sufficiently to look genuine for sale to tourists, the circumstances in which we found the tags makes that seem highly unlikely. Since we dug the Elvis dog tags out of a pile of hundreds of othersrather than finding them on display or priced at a premiumthe shopkeeper obviously didnt know their significance.

The shop owner told us that she began selling military artifacts and genuine dog tags 15 years ago and that people continue to bring in dog tags for sale from Cu Chi, Nha Trang, Bien Hoa, Da Nang, Hue, Khe Sanh, My Tho, Tay Ninh, Ben Tre and Can Tho. In fact, while I was there, a man delivered a batch of 20 dog tags wrapped in newspaper. The owner admitted she knew of one shop that started making fakes in the last few years to sell to foreign tourists. She said the small company in Cholon, which produces license plates for motorbikes and signs for advertising, also uses a machine to stamp out and curl the edges of dog tags, using sheet metal used for roofs and walls. The owner of the shop claimed she didnt like to buy fake tags, but that they often came in with batches of old dog tags, so she had to take them. While weve seen obvious fakes over the years, this was the first time we got solid confirmation that at least some Vietnamese citizens are producing them.

During his latest trip to Hanoi in 2009, Ward visited with a Vietnamese war memorabilia vendor hed known for years named Trung. He invited Ward to see the dog tags he had at his shop along one of Hue Citys tree-lined sidewalks. Not wanting to pass up a good opportunity, Ward purchased 27 of the more unusual tags. He then interviewed Trung about the dog tag business in Vietnam and was rewarded with an interesting revelationanother piece in the puzzle.

Trung explained to Ward that the dog tags which have smaller and shallower letters than those we typically find on authentic tags were actually stamped using a different type of machine at an American base in Thailand and issued to U.S. service members on their way to Vietnam. Despite the accurate information on them, the tags bearing those different stamping characteristics have long been thought to be fakes.

As Americans travel to Vietnam in increasingly greater numbers, concerns about the propriety of purchasing authentic U.S. property such as dog tags and other artifacts have arisen. In March 2009, American Andrew Wietecha walked into the U.S. Consulate General Office in Ho Chi Minh City and turned over more than 500 dog tags that he bought while visiting Hue and nearby Hoi An. The Michigan resident, whose father served in Vietnam, wanted to purchase the dog tags and try to reunite them with their owners. The consulate office turned the tags over to Maves at the U.S. MIA Office in Hanoi, and he passed them to me while I was in Vietnam. I contacted Wietecha to ask him to elaborate on how, when and why he bought the dog tags.

I was very aware that buying the dog tags was only perpetuating the selling of war articles, which is a practice that I believe borders on being immoral, Wietecha said. I also feel very strongly that any item that clearly has a servicemans name on it should be repatriated to the respective government of the man who once owned that item. I decided the lesser of two evils was to purchase the dog tags so as to repatriate them.

I sent Zussblatt a partial list of the names on the dog tags that Wietecha had purchased. He then found recent mailing addresses for their owners and sent them letters explaining how they could get their dog tags back through the JPAC office in Hawaii. Within two weeks, we had received letters from seven servicemen requesting their dog tags back.

Despite what some say, our research has shown that the vast majority of the thousands of dog tags for sale on the streets and in the small shops throughout Vietnam are authenticmade in the United States or in Vietnam, stamped and worn by our service personnel who served in-country, many of whom were killed in action. The simple fact is, tens of thousands of dog tags were lost in the heat of battle or during medical treatment, and left behind.

There is no doubt that there are plenty of fake dog tags in Southeast Asia and more than a few shop owners who will say anything to make a couple of bucks. But, as we observed firsthand, Vietnamese shopkeepers regularly receive bags full of genuine dog tags that have been found, so there is little need for the Vietnamese to produce fakes.

In an effort to reunite the tags with their owners, JPAC is now entering the names on dog tags weve retrieved into its database and posting them on its website: jpac.pacom.mil, which provides instructions on how to go about authenticating and retrieving an owners dog tag. (See below for details.)

To date, JPAC has more than 1,000 dog tag names on the list, and it has reunited 86 tags with their owners or loved ones. The firsthand details of when, where and how service members lost their dog tags is fascinating. Some were removed in aid stations when their owners were wounded, others were left in-country when GIs rotated out of Vietnam, others were lost when a dog tag chain broke in the midst of battle. Each story helps to solve the mystery of the dog tags left behindand serves as a poignant reminder of the war and how it changed peoples lives. H

How To Retrieve a Lost Dog Tag

The Joint POW-MIA Accounting Commands Dog Tag Project is attempting to reunite more than 1,000 dog tags that have been found in Vietnam with their owners or family members. An alphabetical list of the names stamped on these tags is posted on the JPAC website.

Go to www.jpac.pacom.mil and click on the Central Identification Laboratory (CIL) tab and select Dog Tag Project from the pull-down menu.

Those who believe their dog tags, or those of a family member, are on the list, are encouraged to contact JPAC via information found on the web site or call using their toll-free phone number 1-866-913-1286.

In addition to JPACs project, Cana Mission is a private effort to reunite dog tags with their owners. The nonprofit organization was the brainchild of a Vietnam vet and his wife who have acquired hundreds of tags in Ho Chi Minh City over the last decade. Cana Missions searchable list of names is posted at www.canamission.com.

Robert W. Mann was the Central Identification Laboratory deputy scientific director for 10 years before assuming the position of director of the Forensic Science Academy in 2008. Robert C. Maves is chief of the JPAC Southeast Asia Analytical Section. Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Ron Ward is the casualty resolution specialist at the U.S. MIA Office (JPAC, Detachment Two) in Hanoi. Retired Army Lt. Col. Niels J. Zussblatts major focus at the National Personnel Records Center is assisting children who were born to foreign nationals and American military personnel uncover information about their fathers.

The views expressed by the authors are their own and not necessarily those of the Department of Defense or National Archives.
President Woodrow Wilson coined the term gold star mothers, but Grace Darling Seibold organized them into an effective lobby. When the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, families hung banners displaying a blue star for every loved one serving overseas; a gold star meant he had died. In 1918, Seibolds own blue star was over-stitched with gold when her son Lieutenant George Seibold, a pilot in the 148th Pursuit Squadron, was shot down over France. His remains were never identified. After years of meeting with veterans and bereaved families, Seibold organized the American Gold Star Mothers in Washington, D.C., in 1928. The groups first order of business: Convince the federal government to pick up the tab for Gold Star Mothers to visit their boys graves in Europe. Seibolds friendship with first lady Grace Coolidge may have been a deciding factor. Shortly before he left office in March 1929, President Calvin Coolidge authorized $5 million for the trips. In 1936, a joint congressional resolution designated the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mothers Day. Today, the American Gold Star Mothers organization continues to aid and comfort the families of men and women who died while serving their country.

Gold Star Mothers and Their Sons

6,693 Gold Star Mothers traveled to Europe between 1930 and 1933 to visit the graves of U.S. servicemen who died in World War I

168 of the Gold Star Mothers were black and had to travel on segregated ships

61 to 65 was the age of most of the women who made the voyage

116,516 American military men died in World War I

53,513 were killed in battle

30,921 are buried in eight military cemeteries in Europe

45,588 were returned to the U.S. for burial

4,452 are officially listed as missing in action, lost or buried at sea
During the toughest days of the Great Depression, with millions of Americans unemployed and the nation losing its confidence, a wheelchair-bound man from Hyde Park, New York, stood tall to secure Americas future. He lifted this nation up again during the darkest years of World War II, with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, perhaps the most influential American of the 20th century, was born here on the second floor of his familys home, on the east bank of the Hudson River.

Hyde Park is a beautiful hamlet in the Hudson River Valley, 90 miles north of New York City. The town is home to the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, which includes the presidents birthplace, as well as the FDR Presidential Library and Museum. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor are buried together on the grounds of Springwood, the Dutch colonial-style mansion where FDR grew up.

On a picture-perfect Sunday afternoon, I drive alongside the Hudson River and soon found myself standing inside the Henry Wallace Visitors Center with some 50 other history-lovers of all ages gathered to take the FDR tour. Were greeted by an affable, funny and knowledgeable park ranger named Robin Carter. He fills us in on the basics: FDR was born in 1882 and won four presidential elections in a row from 1932 until his death in April 1945. He contracted polio at about age 40 and never recovered the use of his legs. We learn a few family facts about the history of the Roosevelt clan (their roots in New York extend far back before the Revolution), and then Ranger Carter walks us over to the entrance of the family home.

Springwood is a massive, gorgeous home with classical columns and appealing sea-green shutters. As we enter the front door, were instantly surrounded by naval history. Roosevelt was assistant secretary of the navy under President Woodrow Wilson. Cousin Teddy Roosevelt had held the same job before becoming president in 1901. Paintings and prints of famous U.S. naval battles, from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and beyond, cover the walls, as do prints of prominent American naval heroes such as David Porter, Stephen Decatur and Oliver Hazard Perry.

Someone in our tour group points out the lack of wheelchair ramps in the house. Ranger Carter tells us that FDR didnt want any ramps, that he moved between floors by pulling himself up or down on a dumbwaiter. The device, I find, can barely fit a wheelchair, and FDR had to pull himself up or down by using a thick rope tied to a pulley. Im exhausted just thinking about how difficult this process must have been. Roosevelt, the ranger says, had the upper body strength of a wrestler, and looking at this ancient dumbwaiter, I have no doubt that he did.

Franklin was James and Sara Roosevelts only child, and his mother was displeased when he married a distant cousin named Eleanor in 1905. On the second floor of Springwood, Eleanor and her mother-in-law had connecting bedrooms. Later on, says Ranger Carter, Sara bought the young couple a Manhattan townhouse. Unfortunately, Sara also moved in with her son and new daughter-in-law. The couple, nevertheless, had six children in 10 years, and the ever-present Sara seemed to like nothing better than loudly proclaiming Eleanors shortcomings as a wife and mother. When I asked our guide if this living arrangement was a little too close for comfort, he just laughed and said Eleanor never felt fully at home or in charge of her own household.

Based on my half-hour walk through Springwood, I gathered that the Roosevelt family didnt seem interested in conspicuous consumption or showy displays of wealth, unlike their ostentatiously rich neighbors the Vanderbilts. The furniture in the house is simple, solid and stolid. Not exactly an ideal locale for elegant balls or fashionable dinner parties. Its guest bedroom on the second floor has no frills outside of a bed and table, and this is where FDRs closest political adviser Harry Hopkins frequently slept. Springwood is cold and dark in winter, but the fields behind the house are breathtaking green expanses where horses roamed in Roosevelts youth.

After Ranger Carter waves his goodbyes, many of us walkover to the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, the first-ever U.S. presidential library, built while Roosevelt was still in office. In an exhibit tracing FDRs early years, I look at his report cards from Groton prep school (in Massachusetts) and Columbia Law School and discover that he was a mediocre student at best. In his boyhood photos, he almost never cracks a smile, probably due to his mothers strict parenting.

The presidents Oval Office desk is set up as he kept it (a fervent Democrat, FDR had wooden donkey figurines on his desk, probably used as paperweights), as well as his Map Room, where he communicated with his military commanders and allies. On display are many of the famous photos with Roosevelt sitting beside Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin at international conferences that decided the fate of the free world.

Youll get your fill of campaign buttons, military recruiting posters, newspapers from the Depression and war years, and newsreels where a smiling FDR addresses the American people in his inimitable voice. Theres more here about the New Deal than anyone could possibly absorb at one viewing. I loved the old wooden radios, and listening to FDRs terrific radio speeches. Also on display is Roosevelts dark blue 1936 Ford Phaeton convertible, with its special hand controls for driving.

Eleanor Roosevelts often controversial, progressive political activism gets recognition here too. Eleanor championed civil rights long before the 1960s, and this made her unpopular with many Americans, including Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who saw her as a Communist dupe. Eleanors many books are on display, as well as the Smith & Corona typewriter upon which she wrote her influential newspaper and magazine columns.

Hyde Park is a must-see for anyone interested in learning about the life and legacy of one of our greatest presidents. Every December, Springwood is decorated for the holiday season, and a free holiday evening is planned.
In the mid-1940s, the Viet Minh, under Ho Chi Minh, looked to the West for help in its independence movement and got it.

As U.S. Army Major Allison Thomas sat down to dinner with Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap on September 15, 1945, he had one vexing question on his mind. Ho had secured power a few weeks earlier, and Thomas was preparing to leave Hanoi the next day and return stateside, his mission complete. He and a small team of Americans had been in French Indochina with Ho and Giap for two months, as part of an Office of Strategic Services (OSS) mission to train Viet Minh guerrillas and gather intelligence to use against the Japanese in the waning days of World War II. But now, after Hos declaration of independence and Japans surrender the previous month, the war in the Pacific was over. So was the OSS mission in Indochina. At this last dinner with his gracious hosts, Thomas decided to get right to the heart of it. So many of the reports he had filed with the OSS touched on Hos ambiguous allegiances and intents, and Thomas had had enough. He asked Ho point-blank: Was he a Communist? Ho replied: Yes. But we can still be friends, cant we?

It was a startling admission. In the mid-1940s, the Viet Minh leadership, under Ho Chi Minh, looked to the West for help in its independence movement and got it. As World War II ended, the United States and its allies, most of them former colonial powers, now confronted a new problem. Independence movements were emerging all over the East. But former colonial powers had lost their military muscle, and the Americans simply wanted to bring the boys home. During the war, the United States had sought any and all allies to combat the fascist powers, only to find, years later, it may have inadvertently given birth to new world leaders either through misconceptions or missed opportunities. Vietnams independence leader, Ho Chi Minh, had been only a relatively minor figure just a few years earlier. In 1945, Ho became the leader of a movement that would result in revolutionary tumult for decades to come.

Deer Team Meets a Mr. Hoo

Two months before Thomas farewell dinner with Ho and Giap, he and six others from Special Operations Team Number 13, code-named Deer, had parachuted into a jungle camp called Tan Trao, near Hanoi, with directions to proceed to the headquarters of Ho Chi Minh, whom they knew then only as a Mr. Hoo. Their mission, as they understood it, was to set up a guerrilla team of 50 to 100 men to attack and interdict the railroad from Hanoi to Lang Son to prevent the Japanese from going into China. They were also to find Japanese targets such as military bases and depots, and send back to OSS agents in China whatever intelligence they could. And they were to provide weather reports for air drops and U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) operations on an as-needed basis.

Thomas had parachuted in on July 16, 1945, part of a three-man advance team that also included radio operator 1st Sgt. William Zielski and Pfc Henry Prunier, their interpreter. Not knowing who or what to expect when they reached the drop zone, Thomas and his team soon found themselves surrounded by 200 guerrilla fighters who greeted them warmly and showed them to their huts. They then met with Ho Chi Minh, who called himself C.M. Hoo, at his headquarters to coordinate operations with him. Thomas had no idea that Ho was a Communist, spoke Russian or had visited the Soviet Union. Nonetheless, Ho openly discussed politics with Thomas, stressing not only the abuses by the French, but also his desire to work with the French toward a solution.

In his first official report to OSS director Archimedes L.A. Patti in Kunming, China, the following day, Thomas noted, referring to Ho: He personally likes many French but most of his soldiers dont. This may have been one of Hos ongoing ruses to ingratiate himself with potential but temporary allies. In his mid-50s, Ho apparently thoroughly convinced the Deer Team commander of his sincerity. In an effort to further dispel OSS or U.S. government concerns about Ho, Thomas emphatically wrote in the report: Forget the Communist Bogy. VML [Viet Minh League] is not Communist. Stands for freedom and reforms from French harshness.

On July 30, the remainder of the Deer Team parachuted in, consisting of the assistant team leader, Lieutenant Rene Defourneaux, Staff Sgt. Lawrence R. Vogt, a weapons instructor, photographer Sergeant Aaron Squires and a medic, Pfc Paul Hoagland. Defourneaux, a French expatriate who had become a U.S. citizen, had parachuted into France earlier in the war to help the Resistance before joining the OSS.

The first person that Defourneaux met when he reached the drop zone was a Mr. Van, General Giap, who seemed to be in charge. Ho was not around much, but when Defourneaux saw him, his first impression was of a sick old man clearly suffering from some disease. In one of the ironies of history, the Vietnam War, at least with the Communists under Ho Chi Minh, might never have happened if the Americans hadnt arrived when they did.

Ho was so ill he could not move from the corner of a smoky hut, Defourneaux said. Ho didnt seem to have much time to live; Defourneaux heard it would not be weeks but days. Our medic thought it might have been dysentery, dengue fever, hepatitis, he recalled. While being treated by Pfc Hoagland, Ho directed his people into the jungle to search for herbs. Ho shortly recovered, attributing it to his knowledge of the jungle.

In other reports to the OSS, Thomas had raised a number of political concerns, from Hos allegiances, to Indochinas struggle with the French, Vichy, Japanese, Chinese and the British. In a July 27 report, Thomas had stated that Hos league was an amalgamation of all political parties that stood for liberty with no political ideas beyond that. Thomas added, Ho definitely tabooed the idea that the party was communistic since the peasants didnt know what the word communism or socialism meantbut they did understand liberty and independence. He noted that it was impossible for the French to stay, nor were they welcome since the Vietnamese hated them worse than the Japs.Ho said he would welcome a million American soldiers to come in but not any French. (Read more about the OSS and Ho Chi Minh here)

Control of French Indochina During WWII

French Indochina during World War II was a simmering cauldron of colonial powers on the decline, of colonial powers divided and other powers on the rise. Comprised largely of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, French Indochina had become in the late 19th century the jewel in Frances crown in Southeast Asia.

Among the several competing global, regional and internal interests in French Indochina during World War II were: Vichy France, which controlled its colony only with permission of its Japanese ally and German dominator; followed then by the French Republic, which sought to reclaim its colonial territories; the United States, which was fighting against Japan; and Japan, which sought to maintain its regional hegemony. Also involved were the warring Communists and Nationalists in China, which sought to influence the region to their south; and a variety of independence-seeking indigenous factions that all wanted to remove the yoke of any colonial or imperial power.

Vietnam itself was divided into three main regions with their own factions fighting for control: the northern Tonkin, central Annam and southern Cochinchina. French control over Indochina was challenged only when France fell to the Germans in 1940 and was divided into two governmentsoccupied France, and to the south the nominally neutral, German-dominated Vichy government under World War I hero Marshal Henri Philippe Petain. Vichy retained control of most of the French overseas territories during the war, including Indochina. However, the French remaining in Indochina were less loyal to the German puppet Vichy government than they were to Petain.

As Japan expanded into the Pacific and Asia early in World War II, it ironically found itself hamstrung by its own alliance with Nazi Germany. For, so long as both the Vichy government and Imperial Japan were tied to Germany, the French retained de facto control of Indochina, although Japan was permitted to establish military bases. As the war in the Pacific wound down, however, the Allied invasion of Normandy and liberation of Paris resulted in the fall of Vichy France in August 1944 and, with it, any claims on colonial territories.

Throughout most of World War II, the United States was finding and supporting allies in China and other Southeast Asian regions, including French Indochina, to pose a threat to the Japanese military wherever possible. With the liberation of France in 1944, the U.S. government turned to its primary coordinator of intelligence during the war: the OSS, created in 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

OSS to Ho: Work With Us Against the Japanese

At the time, the OSS was operating a base in Chinas wartime capital, Chungking. With the growing military complications in Indochina, William Donovan, the director of the OSS, instructed his staff to use anyone who will work with us against the Japanese, but do not become involved in French-Indochinese politics. The Viet Minh, a liberation movement that had emerged under Ho Chi Minh in the early 1940s, was seeking not only Vietnams independence from France, but also freedom from the Japanese occupation. In mid-1944 the OSS approached Ho to help organize an intelligence network in Indochina to help fight the Japanese and to help rescue downed American pilots. By then, Ho had been cooperating with the Americans in propaganda activities, wrote Captain Archimedes Patti, head of the OSS base in Kunming, China, and later Hanoi.

The American association with Ho had actually begun in December 1942 when representatives of the Viet Minh approached the U.S. Embassy in China for help in securing the release of an Annamite named Ho Chih-chi (?) [sic] from a Nationalist Chinese prison, where he was being held for having invalid documents. In September 1943, when Ho was finally released, he returned to Vietnam to organize Vietnamese seeking independence. An October 1943 OSS memo proposed that the United States use the Annamitesto immobilize large numbers of Japanese troops by conducting systematic guerrilla warfare in the difficult jungle country. The missive went on to suggest the OSSs most effective propaganda line was to convince the Annamites that this war, if won by the Allies, will gain their independence.

As the Axis retreated in Europe, and what remained of the Vichy French government fell, Japan was no longer restrained in Indochina by its ties to Germany. The Japanese quickly made inroads into Vietnam, staging a coup detat in March 1945 that dissolved the French government and established a puppet government. On March 11, Emperor Bao Dai proclaimed Vietnams independence and his intent to cooperate with the Japanese. Ho Chi Minh was surprised by this development, and regarded another independence movement as a threat to the Viet Minhs. At the same time, with the Japanese coup against the French, the OSS realized it was cut off from the flow of intelligence from French Indochina to its base in Kunming, and it urged Ho to work with the United States.

The coup has produced many new and perhaps delicate problems which will demand considerable attention, the OSS officers in China reported to headquarters. The French are no longer in power. There are 24 million [Vietnamese] in Indochina [offering] support for the new nationalistic regime. Militarily, it calls for an alteration of military plans; we cant count on French and native troops. The Japanese did not have the military strength to defend all of Vietnam, however, and the Viet Minh began to organize themselves as the provisional government in all but the largest towns, where the Japanese had strongholds.

Also in March 1945, Viet Minh guerrillas rescued a U.S. pilot who had been shot down in Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh himself escorted the pilot back to the American forces in Kunming, where the Fourteenth Air Force was based. Rejecting an offer of a monetary reward, Ho asked only for the honor of meeting Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault, founder of Chinas legendary American Volunteer Group, the Flying Tigers, and now commander of the Fourteenth Air Force. During the meeting on March 29, Chennault thanked Ho, who, after promising to help any other downed American pilots, requested only an autographed photo of the general. Ho would later cannily show the picture to other nationalist Vietnamese factions as proof of his warm relations withand implied support fromthe Americans. At this time, few knew that Ho (whose real name was Nguyen Ai Quoc) was a long-time Communist who had been trained in the Soviet Union. Even the Office of War Information reportedly was impressed by Ho and his English, intelligence and obvious interest in the Allied war effort.

On April 27, Captain Patti met with Ho Chi Minh to ask him for permission to send an OSS team to work with him and the Annamites to gather intelligence on the Japanese. Welcome, my good friend, said Ho in greeting Patti. He agreed to work with an OSS team and asked Patti for modern weapons. Ho then set up a training camp in the jungle, at place he called Tan Traothe former hamlet of Kimlung and the new location of Viet Minh headquartersabout 200 kilometers from Hanoi. There he prepared for the Americans arrival.

Deer Team Begins Training the Viet Minh

Captain Pattis OSS group, the Deer Team, was established on May 16 and made its way from the United States to the OSS station in Kunming, where it waited two months for permission to enter French Indochina. Finally the decision was made for Major Thomas and the teams six other members to parachute to the Tan Trao training camp in July.

Captain Patti had served with Thomas in North Africa and thought he was a fine young officer but understandably unsophisticated in the way of international power struggles. Thomas became quick friends with Ho and Giap at Tan Trao, often ignoring the rest of the team. Part of the teams mission was to indicate targets for the USAAF, but Thomas spent most of his time with Ho and Giap, and even redirected USAAF targets against the Japanese based on Hos recommendations, in direct conflict with orders he had received from the OSS.

Defourneaux, who had assumed the alias of Raymond Douglas, the son of a Franco-American mother, to protect him from the locals, had a different experience with Ho. The leader continually probed Defourneaux and challenged his cover story, wary of him. Ho told Defourneaux he hoped the United States would handle Vietnam the way it had the Philippines. We deserved the same treatment, said Ho. You should help us reach the point of independence. We are self-sufficient. Defourneaux did not believe that Giap and Ho were on the same wavelength, and that Giap was doing things independently. At the time, he did not know that Giap, or Mr. Van, another of the OSSs friends of the forest, was running an indoctrination school on communism.

As Thomas friendship with Giap and Ho grew, his relationship with his own men deteriorated, and Defourneaux became wary of them. Ho, and especially Giap, had full control over our leader, said Defourneaux. In his diary, Defourneaux wrote of Thomas: I stay with the boys and cannot help hear their conversations. They hate him, personally I hate him more and more every day. He said that Thomas thought Ho and Giap were simply agrarian reformers, but Ho didnt know how to use a shovel and Giap didnt know how to milk a cow.

The members of the Deer Team had to wait a couple of weeks for supply drops in early August before they could start small-arms and weapons training for the guerrilla forces. Once the arms arrived, the Americans showed the Viet Minh (most were recently civilians) how to fire the American M-1 rifle and M-1 carbine, and how to use mortars, grenades, bazookas and machine guns. For training, they used U.S. Army field manuals, and focused on guerrilla warfare.

Japan Surrenders and Ho Declares Vietnamese Independence

Shortly after training began the second week in August, Sergeant Zielski, the teams radio operator, picked up a broadcast on August 15 announcing the Japanese surrender, following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, and Nagasaki on the 9th.

Realizing its training mission was over, the Deer Team issued arms to the soldiers and prepared to leave the following day. Under the terms of Japans surrender, the British would occupy the south of Vietnam, and the Chinese would move to the north to disarm Japanese soldiers and return them to their homeland.

The Americans left camp on August 16 and traveled on foot with Giap and his troops to Thai Nguyen, the French provincial capital. There, the guerrillas fought the French and the Japanese until the French governor capitulated, on August 25, and the Japanese, finally realizing their homeland had surrendered, accepted a truce the next day. During this fighting, Giap had arranged for the Deer Team to stay hidden away in a safe house on the outskirts of town.

Meanwhile, the Viet Minh had planned to hold a conference in Tan Trao on August 16, the National Peoples Congress. About 30 delegates from Vietnam, Thailand and Laos had assembled in the village to discuss their concerns. Over the next several days, amid political uncertainty, several of the delegates had attempted to seize control. Ultimately Ho Chi Minh claimed leadership and was elected president of the provisional government on August 27. They proposed and voted on a new national anthem, and a new national flag with a gold star on a red background, which would become intimately familiar to most U.S. ground troops two decades later.

A week later, on September 2, the same day General Douglas MacArthur received the formal Japanese surrender aboard the battleship Missouri, Ho Chi Minh was in Hanoi and declared Vietnamese independence from all colonial powers, using the American Declaration of Independence as his template. Banners of Welcome to the Allies (specifically, the United States) flew in the citys Ba Dihn Square, the OSS contingent in Hanoi photographed the occasion and Minister of the Interior Giap recognized U.S. support in a speech.

Coincidentally, the same day of Hos declaration of independence, Lt. Col. Peter Dewey, the nephew of two-time presidential candidate Thomas Dewey, arrived in Saigon. The colonel was commander of another OSS team in Indochina, code-named Embankment, which was overseeing intelligence in the Saigon area. As the month wore on in Saigon, the British, free from hostilities with the Japanese, became politically involved, chaos ensued and civil war raged. Dewey was ordered out of Vietnam by the British, who suspected him of working with the Viet Minh. Before leaving, Dewey wrote in a report to the OSS: Cochinchina is burning, the French and British are finished here, and we ought to clear out of Southeast Asia.

On September 26, two days after the Viet Minh led a national strike in response to British-imposed martial law, Dewey was ready to depart Saigon. Leaving in an unmarked jeep for the airport, he was ambushed and killed a few yards from an OSS house, thus becoming the first American casualty in Vietnam, nearly two decades before full U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Although there was wide speculation on the shooters, ranging from conspiracies involving allies to cases of mistaken identities, an investigation failed to produce an answer. Captain Patti informed Ho Chi Minh of Deweys death, and Ho expressed his regrets to U.S. headquarters in Saigon.

OSS Ends Its Mission in Indochina

With the war in the Pacific over, the OSS ended its mission in Indochina. The Deer Team had stayed in Thai Nguyen for a few days following the Viet Minh victory there, getting fat, getting a sun-tan, visiting the city and waiting for permission [from Patti] to go to Hanoi, said Defourneaux. The Viet Minh did everything to make our stay as pleasant as possible for us. Once they arrived in Hanoi, the Americans prepared to return to the United States. The night before leaving, Major Thomas had his private dinner with Ho and Giap.

In the years that followed, Ho Chi Minh continued to write letters of a diplomatic nature to President Harry Truman, asking for U.S. aid, but the letters were never answered. Ho didnt break with the United States until the Americans gradually became involved with the French in working against the Vietnamese in the 1950s.

Although OSS agents clearly played a role in Indochina during the World War II, clear causes and effects with regard to the future U.S.-Vietnamese conflict are far more cloudy.

First, working with individuals or organizations that did not share American values or interests was not uncommon, particularly during World War II. Perhaps the best example was the U.S. alliance with the Soviet Union, specifically with Josef Stalin.

Second, the United States needed to reach out to an established and recognized organization within Indochina. There was no natural indigenous U.S. ally in that region, nor was there an embedded colonial interest because France itself was divided.

Third, through its in situ OSS team, the United States had little immediate effective tactical, operational or strategic impact on Ho Chi Minh, the future General Giap or the Viet Minh.

Was America, through the OSS, responsible for the rise of Ho Chi Minh and his subsequent war against the United States? No, but neither was it completely free of such responsibility. Ho manipulated the inexperienced leader of the Deer Team as well as U.S. diplomatic officials in Kunming to serve his unstated needs. Having a personal photo of Chennault or having OSS agents stand by his side demonstrated his international standing among the Vietnamese. Also, the failure to identify Ho Chi Minh as Soviet-trained and a Communist ideologue was a major American intelligence shortcoming that smoothed the way for Hos emergence as a national leader and in the end, an enemy of the United States.

In later years when asked by journalists or historians about his relationship with Ho, Thomas was defensive: I was friendly with him and why shouldnt I be? After all, we were both there for the same purpose, fighting the Japaneseit wasnt my job to find out whether he was a Communist or not.

Ultimately, out of the chaotic and momentous conclusion of World War IIalmost imperceptiblythe die was cast for the coming storm that over the next three decades would pit the worlds greatest superpower against an indigenous movement led by men who, at its birth, sought the friendship and support of the United States.

Claude G. Berube teaches at the United States Naval Academy and is the co-author with John Rodgaard of A Call to the Sea: Captain Charles Stewart of the USS Constitution.
Working side by side with soldiers, horses labored

to pull artillery pieces into battle.Without them, field artillery

could not have been used to such deadly effect.

By James R. Cotner

The field artillery of the Civil War was designed to be mobile. When Union or Confederate troops marched across country, the guns moved with them. During battle, the guns were moved to assigned positions and then were switched from place to place, pulled back or sent forward as fortune demanded. The field batteries went galloping off to support an advance or repel an attack. When they withdrew, they contested the field as they went. Movement was everything. The guns could fulfill their essential function only when they could be moved where they were most needed.

At the time of the Civil War, such movement required draft animalshorses, mules or oxen. Mules were excellent at pulling heavy loads, but they were not used in pulling the guns and caissons of the field artillery. No animal liked to stand under fire. In the fury of battle, horses would shy and rear and flash their hooves; but mules carried their protests to the outer limits. When exposed to fire, mules would buck and kick and roll on the ground, entangling harnesses and becoming impossible to control.

An exception to the rule against using mules was their role in carrying small mountain howitzers. These guns were light enough to be broken down, with the component parts carried on the backs of pack animals. They had been developed for use in country that was mountainous and heavily wooded, with only trails or wretched roads. Strong, surefooted animals were needed, and mules were the obvious choice.

The danger of using mules in battle is vividly depicted in Confederate Brig. Gen. John D. Imbodens account of his seriocomic experience at the Battle of Port Republic in June 1862. In that engagement, Imboden, a colonel at the time, commanded a band of cavalry with a battery of mountain howitzers, carried on mules, in the army of Maj. Gen. Thomas Stonewall Jackson. At Port Republic, Jackson ordered Imboden to put his battery in a sheltered place and be ready, upon the enemys withdrawal, to advance to a point where his guns would have a clear field of fire. Imboden took his men and the mules, carrying the guns and ammunition, into a shallow ravine about 100 yards behind Captain William Poagues Virginia battery, which was hotly engaged.

Within a few minutes, Union artillery shells were screaming across the ravine well above the sheltered men and mules. Imboden, in his account of the action, recalled: The mules became frantic. They kicked, plunged and squealed. It was impossible to quiet them, and it took three or four men to hold one mule from breaking away. Each mule had about three hundred pounds weight on him, so securely fastened that the load could not be dislodged by any of his capers. Several of them lay down and tried to wallow their loads off. The men held these down and that suggested the idea of throwing them all to the ground and holding them there. The ravine sheltered us so we were in no danger from the shot or shell which passed over us.

The use of mules to carry mountain howitzers was a choice based on their fitness for the task, not due to any shortage of horses. The Manual for Mountain Artillery, adopted by the U.S. Army in 1851, stated that the mountain howitzer was generally transported by mules. The superiority of mules in rough country outweighed their notorious contrariness under fire.

Plodding oxen obviously were not well suited for hauling field artillery, since rapid movement was often needed. Oxen were strongtheir name is synonymous with strength and endurancebut they were too slow. Nevertheless, oxen were sometimes pressed into service during the Civil War.

In November 1863, Lt. Gen. James Longstreets force was detached from the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Braxton Bragg, then besieging Chattanooga. Longstreets troops moved north through eastern Tennessee to confront Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsides Federal force at Knoxville. It was a long, harsh journey for the Confederate artillery. As the Southern army neared Knoxville, the Confederate caissons carrying ammunition for the field artillery were being pulled by oxen, a choice dictated by the scarcity of horses in the region.

All movement of field artillery was done with limbers. Guns, caissons, battery forges and wagons were all fastened to a lim-

ber. None, under ordinary circumstances, moved independent-

ly. A limber was an ammunition box mounted on an axle between two wheels, with a forward projecting pole, to which the team was hitched. Underneath and at the rear of the limber was a bent iron piece called the pintle. At the end of the gun trail or at the tip of a short pole on the caisson was an iron piece, pierced through, called the lunette. The gun trail was lifted and the hole in the lunette dropped over the pintle, making the piece and the limber a four-wheeled unit. The piece was joined to the limber at a pivot, giving the unit a short turning radius.

The capacity of a healthy horse to pull a load was affected by a number of factors. Chief among these was the nature of the surface over which the load was being hauled. A single horse could pull 3,000 pounds 20 to 23 miles a day over a hard-paved road. The weight dropped to 1,900 pounds over a macadamized road, and went down to 1,100 pounds over rough ground. The pulling ability was further reduced by one-half if a horse carried a rider on its back. Finally, as the number of horses in a team increased, the pulling capacity of each horse was further reduced. A horse in a team of six had only seven-ninths the pulling capacity it would have had in a team of two. The goal was that each horses share of the load should be no more than 700 pounds. This was less than what a healthy horse, even carrying a rider and hitched into a team of six, could pull, but it furnished a safety factor that allowed for fatigue and losses.

John Gibbon finished the war as a major general in the Union Army. Before the war, he had served as an instructor at West Point and had written a textbook called The Artillerists Manual that was used by cadets at the academy. In his textbook, Gibbon described what was desired in an artillery horse: The horse for artillery service should be from fifteen to sixteen hands high.should stand erect on his legs, be strongly built, but free in his movements; his shoulders should be large enough to give support to the collar but not too heavy; his body full, but not too long; the sides well rounded; the limbs solid with rather strong shanks, and the feet in good condition. To these qualities he should unite, as much as possible, the qualities of the saddle horse; should trot and gallop easily, have even gaits and not be skittish.

Gibbon carefully described what was wanted, but horses with these qualities were not always available. Horses became scarce and stayed in short supply in areas of continuing conflict. Both North and South soon began to take horses that belonged to enemy sympathizers. This was often done not out of necessity but simply to deprive the enemy of horses.

In April 1862, Union Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs was called upon to furnish a great number of horses for the Federal Army to use on the Virginia Peninsula. Meigs wrote to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, telling him that there were horses for the taking from Southern sympathizers in the Shenandoah Valley and seeking authority to seize the animals. The authority was promptly given, with the stipulation that no horse needed for agricultural work was to be taken, even from an enemy sympathizer. In his request Meigs pointed out, A horse for military service is as much a military supply as a barrel of gunpowder or a shotgun or rifle.

At the start of the war, the Northern states held approximately 3.4 million horses, while there were 1.7 million in the Confederate states. The border states of Missouri and Kentucky had an additional 800,000 horses. In addition, there were 100,000 mules in the North, 800,000 in the seceding states and 200,000 in Kentucky and Missouri. The disparity in the distribution of the mule population somewhat evened out the number of draft animals available for all purposes. The South furnishedinvoluntarilymany horses to the North. Most of the fighting was done on Southern soil, and the local horses were easily seized by Northern troops. While Confederates had opportunities to take Northern horses during Robert E. Lees invasion of Pennsylvania and upon the occasional raids into Northern territory, the number taken was small compared to the thousands commandeered by Union troops, who occupied large areas of the South for several years.

In May 1863, the Federal brigade of Colonel John T. Wilder swept the country east and north of Murfreesboro, Tenn. Northern troops had been in the area for months, yet in five days the brigade took another 196 horses from the people of the region, despite attempts to hide the horses in woods, ravines and caves. One horse was found tied to a bedpost in a ladys back parlor.

Proper and adequate care of artillery horses was essential. If they were weakened by neglect, they could not long survive the rigors of active campaigning. Good commanders were aware of this and issued orders aimed at improving the animals care.

On October 1, 1862, shortly after the Antietam campaign, Robert E. Lee issued Order No. 115, addressing the care to be given to all horses of the army and fixing responsibility upon specific officers for the care of the horses in the artillery reserve. Those guilty of neglect of battery horses were to be punished. No artillery horses were to be ridden except by designated artillerymen. The chief of artillery was empowered to arrest and bring to trial any man using a horse other than in battery service.

Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, while still a divisional commander, issued a similar order to the artillery officers attached to his division. After outlining the many tasks to be performed when a battery came to a halt during a march, Sherman directed that every opportunity at a halt during a march should be taken advantage of to cut grass, wheat, or oats and extraordinary care be taken of the horses upon which everything depends.

Feeding, of course, was a critical part of the horses care. The daily ration prescribed for an artillery horse was 14 pounds of hay and 12 pounds of grain, usually oats, corn or barley. The amount of grain and hay needed by any particular battery depended on the number of horses that battery had at the time. It varied almost from day to day, but it was always enormous. The horses of the battery had to be fed each day, whether the battery moved or not. During the Civil War, an artillery battery might sit in the same place for weeks at a time, and yet consume thousands of pounds of hay and grain each day.

Artillery horses represented only a small number of the animals that had to be fed by the military. Besides the horses with the artillery, horses used by the cavalry, and horses and mules used to pull supply wagons and ambulances, there were also thousands of saddle horses carrying officers and couriers. Brigadier General Stewart Van Vliet, chief quartermaster of the Army of the Potomac during its campaign on the Virginia Peninsula in 1862, reported that 800,000 pounds of forage and grain were needed daily to feed the horses and mules. Since a wagon ordinarily carried 1 ton, the animals daily food allowance required 400 wagonloads each day.

The prescribed rations were not always available. Sometimes, especially as the war went on and areas were picked clean by the opposing armies, severe shortages of grain and hay developed. At other times, there was available grain and hay but they could not be delivered to the batteries needing them. The artillery horses of the Union V Corps subsisted on a daily ration of five pounds of grain as Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant pushed south in May 1864. The meager rations were the result of a shortage of wagons, not a lack of grain. After the artillery wagons had delivered hay and grain to the batteries, infantry units seized them and used them as makeshift ambulances to carry the thousands of wounded back from the Wilderness and Spotsylvania.

Pasturage was sometimes available, but green grass and field plants were not efficient foods. Eighty pounds of pasturage was needed to match the nutritional value of 26 pounds of dry hay and grain, the prescribed daily ration. In addition, green pasturage increased the likelihood that a horse might founder. Nevertheless, pasturage was used, either as a supplement to the regular ration or as the primary source of nutrition for short periods, if hay and grain were not available.

In January 1865, the men in Kirkpatricks Battery, serving with the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early in the Shenandoah Valley, were granted horse furloughs. A hot, dry summer had greatly reduced the crops in the area, and there was little food for the men and none for the horses. To meet this crisis, artillerymen whose homes were nearby were allowed to return home if each took a horse with him. The furloughed soldier was expected to feed and care for the horse; when spring arrived, he was to return to the battery with the horse. Admittedly, this was a risky business considering the Confederacys situation that January. Apparently, it was worth the risk of losing a veteran to save a horse.

Water for the horses was a problem that demanded an adequate solution every day. While in camp, a battery would discover the nearest creek or pond and routinely water the horses there. On the march, water had to be found at the end of each day. If the water was any distance, as it often was, the timing of the watering was critical. The guns were immobile if the horses were absent. Usually, only half the horses would be sent to water at any one time. This meant that in an emergency some movement might be achieved, but with only half the horses present, the battery was at a distinct disadvantage.

At the Battle of Stones River in December 1862, Battery E of the 1st Ohio Artillery was stationed on the right of the Union line, facing the mist-filled cedar thickets out of which the Confederates would come screaming at dawn. Just before the attack began, half the battery horses were taken to a small stream some 500 yards to the rear. In the debacle that followed the initial attack, all the battery guns were lost. Some accounts of the battle mention the absence of the horses and hint that it was a factor in the loss of the guns. The battery did fight valiantly where it stood, pouring canister fire into the advancing Rebels, until the entire Union brigade was smashed and sent careening back. Troops assigned to support the battery abandoned it. It is difficult to believe that the outcome would have been different even if all the horses had been present.

Another incident where the watering of artillery horses caused a delay and perhaps thwarted an attack occurred at Petersburg, Va., on June 15, 1864. Brigadier General William F. Baldy Smith and the Federal XVIII Corps stood before the city, then defended by only 2,200 men, many of whom were untried militia with little if any fighting experience. The intended Federal assault was delayed for more than an hour when it was discovered that the artillery horses had all been unhitched and taken to water. The attack did not begin until 7 p.m., when it was beaten back. Some accounts blame the failure on the absent artillery horses. Veteran reinforcements arrived to bolster the defense just as the Confederate lines broke. Some have speculated that without the delay Petersburg might have been taken nine full months before it finally fell.

In spite of the care given to artillery horses, the animals still perished at an astounding rate. Many died of disease or were put to death because of exhaustion. Many more were killed alongside their battery mates in battle.

When a battery unlimbered and took its place in line, the horses were ordinarily moved to a place sheltered from direct enemy firebehind a building or hill, in a copse of trees or in a ravine. Such precautions, however, did not always protect the animals from hostile fire.

On the third day at Gettysburg in July 1863, many of the Union artillery horses were placed on the eastern slope of Cemetery Ridge, behind and below the crest. In the great barrage that preceded Picketts Charge, the position inadvertently became a death trap. Brigadier General Henry J. Hunt, chief of artillery for the Federal forces, reported that fire from the Confederate guns was high. It passed over the crest and exploded or fell among the horses on the eastern slope. As Hunt reported, This cost us a great many horses and the explosion of an unusually large number of caissons and limbers. The Union artillery lost 881 horses at Gettysburg. All of those animals were not killed on the eastern slope of Cemetery Ridge, but it may be assumed from Hunts remarks that many were.

Horses suffered not only from artillery fire but also from the fire of advancing infantry. The capture of a piece of artillery was a great exploit, bringing with it honor and recognition. Confederate regiments in the Western theater were allowed to place crossed cannons on their regimental battle flags after they had taken a Federal gun.

One tactic used in attacking a battery was to shoot down the horses attached to it. If the battery horses were killed or disabled, moving the guns back to safety was an impossible task. But horses could take much punishment. They were difficult to bring down, and once down were difficult to keep down, even with the impact of the large-caliber Minie bullets.

At Reams Station in August 1864, the 10th Massachusetts Battery fought from behind a low makeshift barricade, with its horses fully exposed only a few yards behind the guns. The battery was fighting with five guns, and in a short time the five teams of six horses came under fire. Within minutes only two of the 30 animals were still standing, and these all bore wounds. One horse was shot seven times before it went down. Other horses were hit, went down, and struggled back up, only to be hit again. The average number of wounds suffered by each horse was five. The Confederates were firing from a cornfield approximately 300 yards away.

By far the greatest number of horses were lost to disease and exhaustion. Again referring to the 10th Massachusetts Battery, reports reveal a dismal trail of horses dying from disease or being put to death because of exhaustion. Between October 18, 1862, when its service began, and April 9, 1865, when Lee surrendered, the battery lost a total of 157 horses from causes other than combat. Of these, 112 died from disease. The most prevalent disease in the battery was glanders, which claimed 45 horses. Glanders, a highly contagious disease that affects the skin, nasal passages and respiratory tract of horses and mules, was also called farcy or nasal gleet in wartime reports.

Forty-five of the batterys horses were lost to fatigue when they simply became worn out and unable to work, and so were put to death. The losses to exhaustion can be keyed to specific events. In June 1864, 13 battery horses were lost to exhaustion, reflecting the crushing pace of Grants advance after leaving the Wilderness. In the days after the fall of Richmond, 14 horses went down as a result of the hard pursuit of Lees retreating army. Even when the surrender came, the killing chase continued to take its toll, with an additional 22 horses being put to death due to exhaustion between April 10 and April 15.

The horses were worked hard and long, but it had to be so. A battery racing to catch up with a retreating enemy or to gain a position of advantage had no room for gentle treatment. The stakes were high, and the horses paid the price. The alternative might be defeat. A man on a long, hot march, pushed beyond what his body could bear, might drop out temporarily and catch up with his company later. Horses had no such choice. Harnessed to the limbers, they pulled until they fell or, as happened in most instances, until they harmed their bodies beyond healing, and then were shot.

Mud or dust seemed to plague every movement of troops. Of the two, mud was the greater problem for the artillery. Dust created great discomfort, but little more. While an artilleryman might find it difficult to breathe and intolerably itchy in the suffocating dust, the guns and caissons could still be moved. Mud, on the other hand, often made movement impossible. Sinking below their axles in holes full of clinging muck, guns and caissons could be moved only with superhuman effort, the men pushing at the wheels and extra horses pulling on the traces. Sometimes guns were simply abandoned to the mud.

A battery moved at the same speed and covered the same distance as did the troops to which it was attached. This distance could be anywhere from a few miles to 20 or 30 miles a day. When a battery moved independently, it was not limited by the movement of the troops and was thus free to cover as much ground as it could. All in all, there was not a great deal of difference in the distance traveled. Such gains as there were resulted from the absence of thousands of marching infantrymen, supply trains and other units cluttering up the roads. The battery was then able to travel without long delays due to the inevitable traffic jams caused by jostling troops.

Five days were needed for Knaps Pennsylvania Battery to travel from Leesburg, Va., to Littletown, Pa., a distance of 80 miles. The battery marched with the XII Corps. The longest distance traveled in one day was 21 miles, while the shortest was 12. The same battery, when it was unattached and moving independently in September 1863, covered the 59 miles from Brandy Station to Alexandria in only 11Z2 days, traveling 37 miles the first day and 22 the second.

Brigadier General E.P. Alexander, chief of artillery in Lt. Gen. James P. Longstreets Confederate corps, reported that on July 3, 1863, the reserve artillery of Lees army, consisting of 89 guns, moved from Greenwood, Pa., to a point one mile west of Gettysburg in only six hours. The march of 17 miles began at 1 a.m. and was completed by 7 a.m.

One way or another, at Gettysburg and dozens of other Civil War battles, the humble horse and his human masters soldiered on. Whether plodding through the dry, stifling dust, struggling in clinging mud, rushing up to a position at a jolting gallop or creeping backward in a fighting withdrawal, the menand the horsesalways did what had to be done. They moved the guns.
Its perfectly feasible to imagine that if the South had successfully left the Union, the West would also have split away

Did Confederate soldiers lose the will to fight as the outlook began to appear bleak for the South late in the war? Many scholars have argued that case, but Jason Phillips of Mississippi State University, author of Diehard Rebels: The Confederate Culture of Invincibility, and Aaron Sheehan-Dean of the University of North Florida, author of Why Confederates Fought: Family and Nation in Civil War Virginia, argue that many Southern soldiers stayed defiant to the end. Their research has focused on those soldiers who fought on for cause and country.

PC: Until recently historians have agreed that Confederate soldiers lacked the will to fight. Why?

JP: I would say the new social history of the 60s and 70s, by taking a bottom-up approach, was probably one of the first reasons why this loss of will thesis gained momentum. You start looking at desertion as an act of will among soldiers and the disintegration of the home front and the yeoman class criticism worked like [?] after secession, sort of seminal in this regard. And I think thats probably where it gained momentum and lasted for at least twenty years, really.

ASD: When you start talking about social relationships, any kind of social history is going to discoverits not a big surprisebut youre going to discover that there is a lot of conflict on the Confederate home front just as there was on the Northern home front. But I think the other part of this is a general chronology which says that Gettysburg is the watershed, and so if you marry that standard narrative, which says that theres a kind of inevitable decline after Gettysburg, to plenty of evidence that theres social conflict, then you say, sure, class conflict, gender disagreements, thats what drove or withered away the Confederacy.

PC: Can you both be more precise about what you mean by social conflict and dissent that Confederate soldiers engaged in?

JP: I guess the prevailing phrase would be rich mans war, poor mans fight, the notion among non-slave-owning Southern soldiers that this was a war for slavery, that the secessionists were planters, and yet the people who were sacrificing most in terms of life and property were of this vast yeoman class. And when the conscription act with the substitute clause and the tax in kind started to hit the yeoman class hard, it seemed the planter class wasnt sacrificing as much as it should since it seemed to have the most to gain from Confederate independence. I think thats where we seethat phrase, rich mans war, poor mans fight, seems to be the rallying cry. And then people tie that to bread riots in Richmond and rising desertion rates within the army.

ASD: Yeah. I always think of the big three Confederate policies that spur opposition within the Confederacy as being the draft act, impressments, and the tax in kind, in chronological order. Conscription was by far the most important of those, but I dont thinkand that one there is legitimatewe actually can see desertion patterns that spike because of that. But I think

PC: Can you explain what impressment and tax in kind is?

ASD: Impressment is the ability of the government to seize goods and services and may give as compensation Confederate script, the problem being that Confederate paper money lost its value extremely rapidly, so it was essentially as though the government was just taking your property. The tax in kind was a flat 10 percent tax on foodstuffs that cameyou grow a hundred bushels of corn, theres a tax in kind agent who will come collect ten bushels of that. And this is what Bill Blairs book [Virginias Private War] does very effectively, is it shows that although the tax in kind generates anger and people horde goods and they hide goods, by acquiring actual goods, the government then has the ability to redistribute those to those who are needy. And so it actually helps, and in some ways, as Bill argues, prolongs the life of the Confederacy because the government shows a fair amount more flexibility than you would have imagined they didor that we knew they did until we looked in detail at that policy.

PC: Civil War letters overwhelmingly suggest that white Southerners grew tired of the war and that they were resentful of the Confederate government for the very policies that you both have specified. How do you overcome the considerable literary evidence that captures Confederate disaffection which you both are arguing against?

ADS: Well very little of that is tied to overt expressions on the part of Southern participantswhite Southern participantsas a desire to return to the fold of the Union. I dont think criticizing the policy of the Davis Administration is not the same thing as saying I want to return to the Union. In fact, I think sending a letter to the government signals a fair amount of investment in that government. You actually expect that governments going to respond to your plea. They have an obligation to you because youre a citizen of their country. I dont think Unionistsdiehard Unionistsprobably even bothered to write Jefferson Davis because they considered him a usurper in the same way that Lincoln would have. But for the majority of white Southerners, they perceived that new government as legitimate, which isnt to say they dont dislike a lot of the policies, but the same thing can be said for most Americans. At any given time their lives theyre going to disagree with policies of the White House. Protesting those policies or speaking out against them doesnt become an act of treason.

PC: But what weve seen today supports your analysis. The people who are critical of the war in Iraq are not renouncing the U.S. government and they certainly are not expressing support for the reactionary insurgents in Iraq. While I appreciate your point that criticism of the Confederate government did not mean support for the Union, it seems to me that critics still hurt or undermined the Confederate war effort.

JP: Oh yeah. Im not arguing at all that there isnt this massive protest on the local level and that there isnt disaffection within the army that weakens the Confederacy. Im not arguing that it was external forces rather than internal factors that caused defeat. What Im saying in my book is, there are thousands of Confederate soldiers who dont fit this description of being the disaffected person of the yeoman class. And when we concentrate on rich mans war, poor mans fight and this social disintegration within the Confederacy, we have yet to explain why the Confederacy lasted for so long after these great turning points in the summer of 1863. And so the more interesting question for me was, why, given all of this trouble on the home front and the major defeats that the army withstood, why did certain menand I was finding thousands of themstill remain confident that they would win. And I think if we just shift the focus to themnot at all discounting or arguing with the folks who concentrate on the disaffected class that existsbut if we shift the focus and look at the other group that sort of bolsters and keeps the Confederacy going for two years, well have a better appreciation for the momentum of war, why the war ended the way it did. And its this class of diehard rebels who shape reaction to defeat and post-war memory. Its not the yeoman class. Its not the deserters who then shape the history of the Civil War from the Southern perspective. Its the people who withstood to the very end who become the Lost Cause of the South.

ASD: I dont know. In your analogyI think doesnt quite hold in the sense that most of todays opponents of the war in Iraq actually want the war to end, whereas there are supporters that argue the war should continue. Even diehard rebels wanted the war to end immediately. Youre hard-pressed to find Confederates eager to fight on. They just want independence and the preservation of slavery. They dont want to keep fighting to do that. This is of course Leesthe reason we have the invasion of the North in 62 and 63 is whatever we can do to make this war end as quickly as possible. And I find that all throughout the ranks people are horrified by what theyre having to do. So theres plenty of war weariness, theres no way around that. Its clear theres a great deal of hardship. But at least in Virginia I think most of that hardship is blamed on the North, so that it does not yieldthe war weariness, in fact, doesnt hinder the Confederate war effort. This is the way in which the hard war that Grant essentially designs wins. Logistically its effective, but I dont think psychologically it is. People eventually do wear down and they cant continue to function in the same way, so thats going to be the Confederate war effort, but I dont think it does much to convince people they should return to the Union or they should somehow love the Union again.

PC: Then can you tell us, who are these people that are the diehard Confederates? Aaron focuses on Virginians and those who served in Lees army. Tell us, who are these people and then what did sustain them? What enabled them to deal with all these hardships, the violence, the dislocation of war?

ASD: The argument that I make in my book and what I think sustains a lot of Virginians is precisely the hard war the Union brings in Virginiainvasion, occupation, widespread destructionthat Virginians respond to those by recognizing that this is now a war not for abstract principles. Its the war that some of them may have feared would come, which is to say its fought in Virginia, and it compelsincreasingly over the course of the wara greater focus on preservation of family, and on the threat thats posed, the very obvious physical threat, thats posed to families as opposed to 61 and even early 62, when the threat was still quite vague.

Its important to recognize that there is a change, at least I think as I see it in Virginians, with the evidence that theywhile nationalism and response to duty may have propelled people to enlist in 61, most of them anticipated a reasonably short conflict. What sustains them through an increasingly bloody war is a real focus on their families and on the jeopardy in which those families are placed. They blame all of that on the Union. Theyre going to blame Jefferson Davis for improperly managing the Confederate response, but theyre able to distinguish between that and the ultimate cause, and the ultimate cause is Lincolns army.

Part of this transformation you can see in the correlation between places that have been vigorously Unionist in Virginia, they become the most pro-Confederate. Its not the most pro-secessionist places that send the most soldiers, in fact, its places that experience the betrayalthis is why I think its important to note that Virginias commitment to the war doesnt come with Fort Sumter, it comes with Lincolns calling up of troops, because for Virginia Unionists who had staked their own reputation on Lincolns promise not to raise up an army, are now left feeling betrayed. And theyre betrayed not just by the political act that hes going to call up an army, but by the fact that maybe hes been lying about emancipation the whole way along. Maybe that army really is going to come down, and then eventually it does, and so those people havethey are radically transformed in just a handful of days, in mid-April, in ways that they would never have been able to foresee.



JP: Yeah, I see a similar dynamic between the hard war and then the hardening of diehard rebels against the Union. Whats really fascinating in my work is, I realized that, while the young officer class from slave-owning families, the last generation, they sort of create a corps of diehard rebels, but the characteristics of who was a diehard rebel and what they believed in meant that you didnt have to be a slave owner, you didnt have to be highly educated in order to join this group. For instance, one of the beliefs that kept these men fighting to the bitter end was the constant faith that God was on their side. And southerners didnt have to be slave-owners to believe that God was on their side. This hatred of Yankee policy isnt restricted to men who were slave-owners. That bitter war affects southerners of all classes and so the warwhile there are a lot of class struggles within the Confederacy, I think within the Confederate army theres surprising unity among classes within this diehard cast of men. You didnt have to be a particular rank to think, falsely, that you had won a battle, but in fact it was a draw, for instance. Or to believe rumors from far away that were false. Slaverys an important part of this equation, dont get me wrong, but you didnt have to be a card-carrying slave-owner to join the diehard rebels.

ASD: I think its crucialand you do this more, I think, than I doI sort of suggest at the end that to be able to connect this narrative to the post-war narrative, because if we still are buying in to the brothers war narrative, the post-war period becomes very difficult to explain. I mean theres obviously going to be

PC: Explain the brothers war narrative.

ASD: The brothers war narrative is the idea that the Civil War is a kind of temporary interruption that involves essentially Americans squabbling about American issues, but that at heart were all on the same side and the Civil War temporarily divides us, but that we come back together again immediately after because we hold the same core values. The more you talk about snowball fights between camps or trading, the whole thing begins to look like a giant sporting event.

JP: I would say even more than that, I would say that the brothers war narrative implies that its a family at war and that the survivors of this conflict are brought closer together by the war itself. So this nation becomes stronger, like the end of Battle Cry of Freedom, [talking over one another] its the modernization of America and America becomes a powerful nation propelled into the twentieth century because of this civil war.

ASD: And if thats true, then all of the tremendous problems that follow Reconstruction, then the only explanation is that the changing nature of race relations in the South, and obviously the rise of freedmen, the status of freedmen, this rise of slaves, that challenges the white South in fundamental ways and a great deal of the violence and the chaos in the post-war South can be explained that way, but not all of it, and particularly not the kind of intense hostility toward the Federal government that I think is really sort of developed, gestates, during the war. And you cant pretend that it ends at Appomattox. We finally now got a clearer picture of what actually happened at Appomattox, and it isnt the sort of weepy and heroic brothers giving each other a high five and saying that was a good show and lets go back to the farm. William Marvels book shows us, in fact, at Appomattox it required hundreds of armed guards to keep the armies separated because commanders were afraid that hostilities were going to break out at any time. His book very carefully shows us just how tenuous the peace was at that moment because these were guys that were trying to kill each other for four years.



JP: And I think his book foreshadows the fact that seems obvious, especially now with our war in Iraq, that you cant really separate the war from Reconstruction, that it is a continuation of the war, and that the war doesnt really end, some aspects dont really end for a hundred years. But the end of Reconstruction is really the end, a more appropriate end to this official conflict.

ASD: Right. You can see the problem looming, which is that during the war, what the North calls war-time reconstruction, southerners call occupation and invasion. They have fundamentally irreconcilable perspectives on whats going on, and that begins in 61 at Port Royal, and certainly by 63 in places in Louisiana, Tennessee, and it presages great problems once the war is over and this is now going on actively.

JP: Eric Foner did some of that. He starts his book on Reconstruction in 63, but Civil War historians need to finish their books much later than they do, maybe 68 or even longer, in order to complement that approach.

PC: How would you respond, though, to a critic who would say that both of your interpretations resurrect the Lost Cause image of Confederate soldiers as this noble band of brothers who were united to the end, that this was again based upon heroism and shared sacrifice. It seems to me that your conclusions tend to support a Lost Cause view of the war that professional historians have actually tried to dismiss.

ASD: Well, first of all I think probably both of usbut I can certainly speak of my view of Virginia soldiers, grounds their initial motivations to go to fight in a desire to preserve a world based on racial privilege in which slavery plays the central role in structuring their society, whether it be socially, intellectually, religiously. So theres no question that the Lost Cause view of slavery is essentially benign, if not positive. Its absolutely wrong and doesnt bear any relationship to the way in which these men themselves of course saw slavery as fundamental. Slavery had been a long-established right in the United States and they dont feel as though theyre unjustified in trying to defend it. They were quite frank about that. I think even the evolving notion of family is really based on the preservation of a world which sustains those families, which for white Virginians meant a world predicated on slavery.

And this is where I think the whole notion of a rich mans war and a poor mans fight, that both sides of that are wrong. We know that rich men actually enlist at higher rates than they represent in the population as a whole. So its definitely a rich mans fight. But in many ways its also a poor mans war in the sense that poor men, poor white men, have a great deal to gain from maintaining the status quo in the antebellum South. Their lives and their livelihoods are jeopardized by something that threatens that.

JP: I think its a major challenge to write a book about people whose values repulse you, and I agree completely. Theres no doubt these men I study are completely dedicated to racial slavery. I find it time and again in their letters. So that part of the Lost Cause rhetoric is definitely false and that comes through in the work. But theres a challenge as an historian to walk that line between judging these past individuals so severely that we dont understand them. And so I tried to figure outin the past these men were considered delusional, insane, misinformed, ignorant, whatever. And I figured, well, there are thousands of them out there that are fighting to the bitter end, there must have been reasonable people doing this. So in order to get inside their world and make sense of it, you have to suspend judgment. And its a fine line between suspending judgment and glorifying. Theres not doubt these men sacrificed a lot and there were heroes among them. That doesnt make the Lost Cause rhetoric correct. I also think in terms of the Lost Cause whats important to consider is, these were the men who created the Lost Cause, those who survived to the end.

PC: Your diehard rebels.

JP: Yes, these diehard rebels are the ones who are from the grassroots level writing the histories and informing society that built the Lost Cause myths and legends. It comes out of their wartime experience and their wartime beliefs, so theres certainly a certain amount of resonance between what I call this culture of invincibility during the war and the Lost Cause myth. Its not a coincidence; these men are propagating it in 63 and then in 1903.

ADS: I think youre right, our essential job as historians is to explain and I try to do that as much as possible without judgment. It is just a historical irony that my explanation in some ways resembles the kind of argument that Lost Cause theorists have promulgated, but it seems to meI was drawn to this topic partly because, for a long timewe certainly had a scholarship that had explored the perspectives of the elites in both sections, North and South, generals and presidents. Weve had a long and robust literature on slavery, and on emancipation for the last twenty-five to thirty years. Its hard to even find the right word. Yeoman plain folk, poor whites, have gone largely voiceless in the antebellum South and even through the war. And so it seems to me essentialand you can see this even in the twentieth-century literature on the American South, where we now have studies of those whites who were basically white moderates in the civil rights movement, where the picture was of massive resistance characterized every single white, and today we knowactually only in the last five yearswe know that there were in fact important shades of difference within the white community. And I think this is certainly true in the Civil War experience. There are people of all shades of experience.

But another aspect of the Lost Cause that I would reject entirely, and this is, I think, one of the most pernicious, is a kind of valorization of war and a glamorization of what these men experienced, that it somehow is something that we should emulate, and I took pains in the book to take seriously those men, particularly Christian soldiers, who experienced a great deal of psychic conflict over the fact that they had to kill. People who are clearly unsettled by the clash between their values, which explicitly say, Thou shall not kill, and the necessity of doing that. And theyre not eager to continue it and theyre up to their elbows in blood and theyre thoroughly repulsed by it and by who theyre becoming as a result. Theres nothing glamorous about it, and I think you would be hard-presseduntil the political advantages of the Lost Cause story become clearIm sure that 65-66 most men were reluctant to think or talk about these things because it was such a ghastly experience for them.

JP: We talk about this trend away from the loss of will thesis toward what Aaron and I are trying to promote, but I also think theres this greater issue of history books that glorify the war and in the last ten or fifteen years the scholarship that is stressing the murky, dark, sinful side of the conflict. Maybe it was [Charles] Roysters book that started it, I dont know, but ever since The Destructive War then you have Harry S. Stouts book that says this applies just war theory. Obviously David Blights book changes our memory of the Civil War in important ways that really darken the conflict. And now a number of monographs are coming out and doing the same thing.

ASD: And I would even go back further. I think in some ways [Phillip Shaw] Paludans book, Victims, which is a limited book [talking over one another] an incident in North Carolina beginsbecause now theres now a burgeoning literature on Civil War atrocities on both sides. His book was the first oneI actually have students in class studying this, unrelatedly. One is doing historiography and atrocities dont figure into the story of the warI mean, theres a few mentions here and there, but for the most part Paludans book in 81 is the very first one.

JP: Yeah, thats way ahead of the curve. The pinnacle of the books that sort of, I would say glorify, romanticize the war, the pinnacle is Battle Cry of Freedom and then the Ken Burns series and you have this zenith of interest in the Civil War in America.

PC: And so when you say its the pinnacle of books, explain what you mean. Why did that resonate with the American people, Battle Cry of Freedom and Ken Burns. Why did it speak to them?

JP: Well I wish I knew.

ASD: I think its a story that makes us feel good about this conflict that was unimaginably grotesque, six hundred twenty thousand dead and hundreds and thousands of wounded, maimed for life. The story, particularly if you use as a metaphor for the United States the maturation of the individual, and this is our sort of troubled teen years in which we work out the kinks and so that the narrative basically is that we need to get to adulthood as a nation and we certainly know that the normal life pattern is to reach adulthood, were willing to basically accept this story. And I think you can also see this narrative in Phillip Paludans book, Peoples War, which is a terrifically celebratory account of the success that the Union had. It is a success built on the idea that Americas modernizing itself by jettisoning this baggage of slavery thats essentially pre-modern, that is building an integrated and unified nation, and the problem is very few of these things, particularly if you look at post-war America, very few of these bear out.

JP: I think modeled within the epic approach to doing history is this story of progress and the celebration of nationalism, and common Americans, everyday Americans, are attracted to that. They loved it in the Civil War series and they loved it in Battle Cry of Freedom. I think the monograph approach, especially when its not a narrative, lends itself to a more critical gaze of the past, and you dont have the tidy conclusion to the story that you get at the end of the Ken Burns series or Battle Cry of Freedom.

ADS: Although I think equally important is the sort of moral justification that comes with this story. This is one of the things that I found troubling about Stouts book is that what we can take from the Civil War is feeling good about having emancipated the slavesthough of course the only people who were interested in doing that at the start of the war were the few slaves that wanted to emancipate themselves and the few free African Americans in the North that saw this possibility. There were virtually no white peopletheres a handful of abolitionistsvery few white people for whom emancipation was an important motivator for the war. Or even significant cause until halfway through. And I think to claim after the war is over that the war was a good thing because of emancipation is driven by hindsight in a very problematic way. Well find the justifications for the war after it finishes, and thats dangerous.

JP: I think his book is pretty dark. Its a jus ad bellum look at the policies of prosecuting war that are considered just, and the fact that neither side followed these laws and whatin fact they were encoded in West Point education. So its not like hes taking a current theory thats built on the United Nations or something applying it past saying this was actually in fact read at West Point and they didnt follow it. But his book doesnt look at just war theory in sort of jus post bellum and jus ante bellum, looking at the causes of the war and then the way you end the war justly. Hes concentrating on Sherman and Sheridan and then Shenandoah Valley and those issues and so it kind of misses some of the greater implications of the war, which might be what youre saying, in that were left wondering is it just about emancipation that redeems this war.

ASD: I think thats what redeems the war for us in the national heroic narrative that we have today, thats what redeems it for us. The only thing I think that we can imagine that would redeem six hundred twenty thousand dead. But historically, I think, for most white Northerners, what redeemed the war clearly was Union. If you had asked Lincoln, he would have said that the preservation of democracy is ultimately even more important than emancipation.

JP: Yeah.

ASD: Because the preservation of democracy is what will eventually create freedom everywhere in the world.

JP: Right.

ASD: And for a variety of reasons Im actuallyI have an idea to do an essay on thisI think its crucially important to historicize how the meaning of the war has changed over time. For most white Northerners I think it was Union, and today that explanation makes no sense to people. Students look at you sort of befuddled because they assume the inexorability of the United States. How could the United States ever really split apart? It seems impossible to imagine. But of course, if you look at Latin America or even Europe its perfectly feasible that if the South had successfully split, the West would have split away; we would have ended up with maybe five or six sub-nations within the area that is the continental United States.

JP: I think what youre talking aboutMcPherson does treat this in an interesting way in Battle Cry of Freedom when he talks about if you could look Lincolns speeches, when he uses the term Union and when he changes to nation, that by the end of the war, the Second Inaugural [Address] for instance, hes not using the term Union anymore, hes using the word nation. And then Shelby Foote adds on to this, the difference between United States are and the United States is, becoming a singular nation. That, along with emancipation, I think, in the traditional narrative, is the great gain of the Civil War, the reason why all this bloodshed was worth it, that we become, for once and for all, a nation that can never imagine doing this again.

ADS: But this is where I think its problematic, because a lot of white Northerners werent interested in emancipation, they didnt really own it until the war had finished positively. And if it had degenerated into a guerrilla struggle in which tens or hundreds of thousands more had been killed, or a race war, then they would have basically disowned emancipation and left it in the hands of radical Republicans as a misguided strategy that ended up bringing more devastation.

JP: Do you think so? With one hundred and eighty thousand black troops?

ADS: Im not arguing that it was strategically feasible for that to happen, but if the whole dynamic had spun out differently

JP: I guess what Im saying, is I think that the number of volunteers and the sacrifices by black soldiers made that impossible politically and socially. They might not have been committed to racial equality, certainly not in 1865, butand I dont mean to get in conjecture gearbut if the war really had gone on for much longer, I think the sacrifices of black troops would have maintained emancipation to the bitter end. I dont know that they could have, or would have, gone back on that.

ADS: I think youre probably right, although there are an awful lot of Republicans even pushing Lincoln to drop emancipation in 64 from the Republican platform. And we know now reading Lincoln that he was committed to that all the way along and he had said he wouldnt do that. If it had been somebody else in office that sort of weighed the political advantages, they might well have done it. And obviously the war has to end with the North victorious for this to mean what it means. So for me its more the intellectual challenge of trying to figure out how you establish this questions meaning and how much of it is drivenits all driven by hindsight so I guess I shouldnt be upset. Our meaning is different than the meaning of the people who fought it, but much of Civil War popular discussion is a struggle over defining that meaning and its inhibited by this recognition that the meaning changes.

PC: You both conclude that this celebration of emancipation is very much after the fact and that we should take people to task for notparticularly in the Northfor not embracing this revolutionary achievement. I guess Id like for you both to speak to just how you feel about history as something that should be celebrated

JP: Well I would say, from the academic perspective and in my classrooms as a professor, I discourage my students from celebrating history and instead I would rather have them study it. You can love history but not celebrate it. Ask lots of questions, dig into the research, read a lot about the past, never be satisfied that you have the whole story, and maybe some people when we study the past closely, become more complicated and arent the simple heroes that we loved in our youth, but other people will surface that had never been noticed before, and they become heroes. So I think its important to be critical or even hyper-critical as you say. But again, its to know the past, not to celebrate it, and not to judge it either. Im not holding nineteenth-century Americans to a twenty-first century standard, but I think by not celebrating them but showing how they really were, there is a political dimension to that that perhaps America will be better off if it doesnt celebrate its past but keeps this critical eye and [is] always eager to inquire and ask more and more questions.

ADS: I think part of the problem is that there are different kinds of history. There are different stories and different kinds of history, and the kind of history as a way of thinking about the world is an analytical tool, comparable in disciplinary terms to sociology or philosophy, anthropology, all of which have their own methodologies, their own ways of thinking about the world. We happen to be historians because we think that it is essential for people to think historically, which means probing the explanations of why people have acted as they have and how those actions have shaped countries and societies and values over time. And that requires, as Jason said, sort of total detachment. It requires a purer kind of detachmentthe myth of perfect objectivity asideit requires a focus not on judgingand I certainly didnt mean to suggest that white Northerners should be scorned for not adequately celebrating emancipation. Many did, of course, but many more had other values and its not my position to say whether those are right or wrong. Those were the values in that society. So our first instinct as historians is to teach students how to think historically, and in this sense its to explain actions. But at the same time, there are narratives that come out of local history that may explain how schools are named that may celebrate the accomplishments of local people, and then there are national histories that emerge out of Fourth of July parties, out of Memorial Day parades, that operate at a level that should at some point be able to touch that analytical history, but that might spend time valorizing and creates heroes. And those things are obviously central to how nations are constructed. The big story in this is of course is the creation of history as a modern discipline, which essentially rejected the notion that our job as historians is to create in people patriotism and blind loyalty to their nation. This is because history is a product of the rise of nation states in late-nineteenth-century Europe. And were a hundred years passed that or more, and so historians are thinking much more analytically. But, there are multiple kinds of history and what I would hope is that you have people who are able to do both, essentially. I think this is the point that Jason was making, is that if they can think dispassionately and critically about events while at the same time taking a kind of responsible measure of pride in the accomplishments of people with whom they share a lot and with whom their ancestors shared.
Slavery was the foundation of the antebellum South. More than any other characteristic, it defined Southern social, political, and cultural life. It also unified the South as a section distinct from the rest of the nation.

John C. Calhoun, the Souths recognized intellectual and political leader from the 1820s until his death in 1850, devoted much of his remarkable intellectual energy to defending slavery. He developed a two-point defense. One was a political theory that the rights of a minority sectionin particular, the Southneeded special protecting in the federal union. The second was an argument that presented slavery as an institution that benefited all involved.

Calhouns commitment to those two points and his efforts to develop them to the fullest would assign him a unique role in American history as the moral, political, and spiritual voice of Southern separatism. Despite the fact that he never wanted the South to break away from the United States as it would a decade after his death, his words and lifes work made him the father of secession. In a very real way, he started the American Civil War.

Born in 1782 in upcountry South Carolina, Calhoun grew up during the boom in the areas cotton economy. The son of a successful farmer who served in public office, Calhoun went to New Haven, Connecticut, in 1801 to attend Yale College. After graduating, he attended the Litchfield Law School, also in Connecticut, and studied under Tapping Reeve, an outspoken supporter of a strong federal government. Seven years after Calhouns initial departure from South Carolina, he returned home, where he soon inherited his fathers substantial land and slave holdings and won election to the U.S. Congress in 1810.

Ironically, when Calhoun, the future champion of states rights and secession, arrived in Washington, he was an ardent federalist like his former law professor. He aligned himself with the federalist faction of the Republican party led by Speaker of the House Henry Clay of Kentucky. He also became a prominent member of the partys War Hawk faction, which pushed President James Madisons administration to fight the War of 1812, the nations second war with Great Britain. When the fighting ended in 1815, Calhoun championed a protective national tariff on imports, a measure he hoped would foster both Southern and Northern industrial development. After the War of 1812, Congress began to consider improving the young republics infrastructure. Calhoun enthusiastically supported plans to spend federal money, urging Congress to bind the Republic together with a perfect system of roads and canals Let us conquer space We are under the most imperious obligation to counteract every tendency to disunion.

Calhoun left the legislature in 1817 to become President James Monroes secretary of war and dedicated himself to strengthening the nations military. He succeeded, spurring revitalization of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point under the leadership of Superintendent Sylvanus Thayer and improving the armys administrative structure with reforms that endured into the 20th century. If ever there was perfection carried into any branch of the public service, one federal official wrote, it was that which Mr. Calhoun carried into the War Department.

Calhouns success in improving the countrys war-making capabilities came at the price of a stronger, less frugal federal government. Not everyone was pleased. His schemes are too grand and magnificent, a detractor in Congress wrote. If we had a revenue of a hundred million, he would be at no loss how to spend it.

Calhoun hoped to use his accomplishments as war secretary as a springboard to the presidency. When that dream fell through, however, Calhoun had no problem accepting the vice presidency under staunch federalist John Quincy Adams in 1824. Adams was glad to have Calhoun in his administration, having held him in high esteem since their days together in Monroes cabinet. Adams was particularly impressed by Calhouns ardent patriotism, believing Calhoun was above all sectional and factious prejudices more than any other statesman of the Union with whom I have ever acted. This was an image Calhoun cultivated during the 1824 election campaign.

It turned out that Calhoun was late in publicly promoting his commitment to federalism. By this time, Southerners were increasingly taking an anti-federal-government stance. In the North, industry and the economy it created grew in influence and power every day. Meanwhile, the rapidly expanding cultivation of cotton and other cash crops was committing the South to an agrarian economy and culture, which depended on slavery. The country was dividing into two increasingly self-conscious sections with different priorities. And as the issue of slavery came to the fore in American politics, the South found itself on the defensive. Because of the Souths investment in large-scale agriculture, any attack on slavery was an attack on the Southern economy itself.

The issue came to a head in 1819 with the debate over whether to allow the Missouri Territory to become a state. The result was the historic Missouri Compromise of 1820, which permitted the territory to enter the Union as a slave state while Maine entered as a free state, maintaining the balance between free and slave states at 12 each. The compromise also prohibited slavery in the remainder of the Louisiana Purchase north of Missouris southern border.

On the surface, the Missouri Compromise seemed to heal the sectional breach that slavery had created. But the fact that the debate had divided along sectional lines awakened the South to the reality that it was a distinct sectiona section that was apparently inevitably destined to be a minority in the Union, while the Northern states enjoyed increasing political representation and power born of rapid population growth.

In the 1820s, Southerners grew increasingly anxious about the North controlling the federal government and about how that situation threatened the South and its distinctive institutions. They looked to leaders who would limit federal power. Calhoun unexpectedly found himself the target of sharp criticism from leading South Carolina figures, including Thomas Cooper, the president of the state college. In 1824, Cooper published a widely circulated pamphlet attacking Calhoun. He spends the money of the South to buy up influence in the North, Cooper grumbled.

If Calhoun wanted to maintain his status as a Southern leader and reach his political goals, he could not ignore the changing political landscape. He recognized it would be a mistake to maintain his association with Adams, whose ideas to expand the use of federal power to promote national economic, intellectual, and cultural development drew a cold reception in South Carolina. So when Andrew Jackson began preparing to challenge Adams in the 1828 presidential election, Calhoun switched sides. The Democrats rewarded Calhoun by making him their candidate for vice president, and the ticket won.

That same year, Congress passed a highly protective tariff that Southerners bitterly opposed, viewing the measure as sacrificing Southern agrarian interests to benefit Northern industry. The protest against the so-called Tariff of Abominations grew particularly strong in South Carolina, and in response to a request from the state legislature, Calhoun secretly wrote an essay titled South Carolina Exposition and Protest. In it, he asserted that states had a constitutional right to nullify any federal government actions they considered unconstitutional. Calhoun had become the chosen mouthpiece for Southern rights. Confirmation of his new status came when Congress adopted another high tariff in 1832 and South Carolina legislators used the principles Calhoun had voiced in his Exposition and Protest to declare the tariff null and void.

To no ones surprise, Jackson refused to accept South Carolinas defiant stance, and the Nullification Crisis of 1832 was born. By now, relations between Jackson and Calhoun were crumbling fast. Problems had been brewing well beforehand, but now, personal conflicts and Jacksons commitment to the supremacy of the national government made it impossible for the two men to work together. When it became clear that Calhouns chief cabinet rival, Martin Van Buren, was Jacksons choice to succeed him as president, Calhoun quit the administration.

Back in South Carolina, the state legislature chose Calhoun to fill the U.S. Senate seat recently vacated by Robert Y. Hayne. Now, Calhoun had a new and even more influential bully pulpit for his pro-Southern arguments. As a senator, he openly led the fight against the tariff, which he viewed as a zealous attempt by Congress to dictate economic policy. This, Calhoun protestedin repudiation of his earlier viewswas an overextension of federal power.

Jackson was no fan of the high tariff, either. But he was furious with Calhoun and considered his behavior treasonous. He loudly threatened to march down to South Carolina and personally hang Calhoun and his fellow nullifiers.

Congress responded to the nullification by drafting the Force Bill, which authorized the president to use military power to compel South Carolina to comply with the tariff. The bill became the target of Calhouns first speech upon returning to the Senate. He expressed outrage at the thought of this government, the creature of the States, making war against the power to which it owes its existence.

A major crisis seemed imminent until Senator Henry Clay fashioned the Compromise Tariff of 1833. The act gradually lowered the offending tariff, but it confirmed Congresss authority to enact such protective tariffs. South Carolina responded by repealing its nullification of the tariff, but in a final act of defiance, it nullified the Force Bill.

For Calhoun the tariff controversy had two important results. The first was his emergence as the leading political and intellectual defender of the South. The second was his development of a political philosophy to limit the federal governments power and thus protect the minority agrarian South and its institution of slavery.

Though it was the tariff controversy that brought Calhoun to the forefront as the leading spokesman for Southern interests, slavery was the most important issue to the South. I consider the tariff act as the occasion rather than the real cause of the present unhappy state of things, he confided to an associate early in the Nullification Crisis. The truth can no longer be disguised, that the peculiar domestick institution of the Southern States and the consequent direction which that and her soil and climate have given her industry, has placed themin opposite relation to the majority of the Union.

There were some pockets in the South that supported a high tariff, but all the slave states were unified on the slavery issue. So it made political sense for Calhoun to devote himself to the cause of slavery. From 1833 to 1850 as a member of the U.S. Senate, a private citizen, and during a stint as President John Tylers secretary of state in 1844-1845 he worked to insulate the institution from any sort of attack, ranging from abolitionist rhetoric to perceived overextensions of federal power. At stake for him was nothing less than the survival of the South. I have ever had but one opinion on the subject, Calhoun wrote. Our fate as a people is bound up in the question.

Calhouns political thinking had taken a complete turnabout from the federalism of his early years. Now, his goal was to ensure the power of the local agrarian elite by limiting the power of the federal government. My aim is fixed, he proclaimed. It is no less than to turn back the Government to where it commenced its operations in 1789on the State Rights Republican tack. He felt that keeping governmental power as decentralized as possible would allow the planters to maintain power and protect the labor system that made their great wealth and status possible. To do this, Calhoun developed two major ideas that are perhaps his greatest legacy: the concepts of state interposition and concurrent majority.

State interposition was first presented in the 1798 Virginia and Kentucky resolutions, written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to protest the anti-Republican Alien and Sedition Acts. In these documents, Jefferson and Madison applied the social contract theory formulated by 17-century English philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke to the U.S. Constitution. They argued that because representatives of the states had written the Constitution, the power of constitutional interpretation rested with the states. So if a state believed the federal government was violating the terms of the national charter, it had the right to interpose itself between its people and the federal government to provide protection from tyranny. The Fort Hill Address of July 1831 was the first time Calhoun openly and unambiguously identified himself with the nullification cause. In that speech, he proclaimed that the right of state interposition was the fundamental principle of our system and that the federal government must accept that right in order to keep the Constitution and the Union secure. The Constitution of the United States is, in fact, a compact, to which each State is a party, he argued. Since, in his view, the Statesformed the compact, acting as Sovereign and independent communities, the several States, or parties, have a right to judge of its infractions.

By embracing state interposition, Calhoun dismissed the 1803 Supreme Court ruling in Marbury v. Madison, a ruling that claimed the power of constitutional interpretation exclusively for the judicial branch. He also contradicted his own earlier distaste for those who dabbled in constitutional interpretation. The Constitutionwas not intended as a thesis for the logician to exercise his ingenuity on, he proclaimed in 1817. Now, in defending the Souths unique economy and society, Calhoun was exercising away.

Calhouns exercise went beyond mere theorizing. He helped develop a procedure for states to use their power of interposition. He suggested a state should first call a convention to consider any federal action in question. If the convention determined that the action violated its understanding of the Constitution, then it could declare the action null and void, denying the federal government the power to execute the law within that state. The federal government would then have to either amend the Constitution to legitimize its action or repeal the measure. And if the Constitution was amended in a way the state considered unacceptable, the state had the right to leave the Union.

In developing the concept of nullification, Calhoun did not intend to encourage states to secede. He sought only to give them a way to ensure a strict interpretation of the Constitution and lead the nation away from the dangerous and despotic doctrine of consolidation and back to its true confederative character. This was especially important for the minority South. The major and dominant party will have no need of these restrictions for their protection, Calhoun wrote. The minority, however, required a construction [of the Constitution] which would confine these powers to the narrowest limits.

The role of nullification in any future debate over slavery was clear: with the ability to define the terms of their membership in the Union, states would be able to deny the federal government any regulatory power over slavery.

Slavery was an essential condition of Calhouns second major contribution to American political thoughtthe concept of the concurrent majority. In a nutshell, requiring concurrent majority would safeguard slavery in a political climate that was increasingly anti-slavery and in which the slaveholding South enjoyed too little representation to defend its interest. From Calhouns viewpoint, the purpose of the concurrent majority concept was to prevent the North, with its population majority, from ruling the nation as a tyrant. To govern by the numerical majority alone is to confuse a part of the people with the whole, he argued.

To turn the concept of concurrent majority into law, the Constitution needed to be formally amended. The amendment Calhoun envisioned would also include a provision for each region to have a chief executive invested with veto power over any congressional action, and the power to execute any federal law in accordance with the interests of his region.

During the 1830s and 1840s, the growth of the Northern abolition movement and attempts by Northern politicians to push the federal government to act against slavery confirmed for Calhoun that the North intended to exercise its power as a majority to the detriment of Southern interests. He responded to these attacks with the argument that the Constitution gave Congress no regulatory power over slavery. To Northern politicians who dismissed this argument and continued to push antislavery measures through Congress, he warned that the South cannot remain here in an endless struggle in defense of our character, our property, and institutions. He said that if abolitionist agitation did not end, we must become, finally, two peoples Abolition and the Union cannot co-exist. Even compromise was not possible, in his opinion.

As the antislavery movement continued to build up steam, Calhoun continually found himself having to defend slavery on moral, ethical, and political grounds. By the 1830s it had already become unsatisfactory for Southern politicians to apologize for slavery and excuse it as a necessary evil; to do so would have been to admit that slavery was morally wrong. So a major shift in the Southern defense of slavery occurred, one that Calhoun had a large role in bringing about.

Calhoun endorsed slavery as a gooda great good, based on his belief in the inequality inherent in the human race. Calhoun believed that people were motivated primarily by self-interest and that competition among them was a positive expression of human nature. The results of this competition were displayed for all to see in the social order: those with the greatest talent and ability rose to the top, and the rest fell into place beneath them.

The concepts of liberty and equality, idealized during the Revolutionary period, were potentially destructive to this social order, Calhoun believed. With the stratification of society, those at the top were recognized as authority figures and respected for their proven wisdom and ability. If the revolutionary ideal of equality were taken too far, the authority of the elite would not be accepted. Without this authority, Calhoun argued, society would break down and the liberty of all men would be threatened. In his manifesto A Disquisition on Government, he asserted that liberty was not a universal right but should be reserved for the intelligent, the patriotic, the virtuous and deserving.

Calhoun believed the liberty Southerners enjoyed depended on slavery. Contrary to the writings of those who unabashedly celebrated the Norths free labor system, antebellum Southern society, though definitely stratified, was highly fluid. Fortunes could be and were made in a single generation. Agriculture, specifically cotton, was what made that society so mobile. Cotton was a labor-intensive crop, and as a farmer acquired greater cotton wealth, he required a greater number of field hands to work his expanding fields. So the ownership of slaves became a measure of status and upward mobility. To destroy slavery, according to Calhoun, would be to destroy a powerful symbol of what motivated the Southern man to improve himself.

In the end, Calhoun supported the institution of slavery for many reasons, but at the bottom of all his argument was this: he believed the African race was inferior. He shared the prevailing prejudices of the dayheld in both the North and Souththat black people were mentally, physically, and morally inferior to whites. This inferiority necessitated that they be slaves. There is no instance of any civilized colored race of any shade being found equal to the establishment and maintenance of free government, Calhoun argued. He pointed to the impoverished living conditions of Northern free blacks as proof that black people lacked the ability to exercise their freedom positively.

In Calhouns view, slavery benefited black people. Never before has the black racefrom the dawn of history to the present day, attained a condition so civilized and so improved, not only physically, but morally and intellectually, he asserted in Congress. It came to us in a low, degraded, and savage condition, and in the course of a few generations it has grown up under the fostering care of our institutions.

Slavery provided black people with a quality of existence Calhoun believed they were incapable of obtaining for themselves. To his mind, despite all the progress the race had supposedly made in America, to free the slaves and place them in situations where they would have to compete with white people on an equal basis would only result in catastrophe. The freed slaves inherent inferiority would place him at such a disadvantage that he would not be able to achieve the quality of life he enjoyed as a slave, Calhoun insisted.

Calhoun noted that slave-owners provided for their slaves from birth to infirmity. He urged critics of slavery to look at the sick, and the old and infirm slave, on one hand, in the midst of his family and friends, under the kind superintending care of his master and mistress, and compare it with the forlorn and wretched condition of the pauper in the poor house in Europe and the North. In support of his argument, he cited census figures indicating that free blacks were much more likely to suffer mental or physical disabilities than were slaves.

In the long run, Calhoun believed, regardless of what happened with slavery, the progress of civilization would in time doom the inferior African race to extinction. Until that time, he asserted, slavery at least gave black people security and made them useful.

When confronted with the argument that slavery was an exploitative labor system, Calhoun replied that in every civilization a propertied class emerged and exploited the labor of the others. This enabled the master class to pursue intellectual and cultural endeavors that advanced the progress of civilization. Slavery is indispensable to a republican government, he proclaimed.

In the South it was inevitable, Calhoun argued, that the African race would be the exploited class. The South merely institutionalized this into a system that benefited both master and servant. The master got his labor and the slave received a standard of living far above what he could achieve on his own.

While Calhoun was defending slavery, he extended his argument to indict the North and industrial capitalism. He asserted that the slave system was actually superior to the wage slavery of the North. He believed that slavery, by intertwining the economic interests of master and slave, eliminated the unavoidable conflict that existed between labor and capital under the wage system. The amount of money a master invested in his slaves made it economically unfeasible to mistreat them or ignore their working and living conditions. In the North, the free laborer was as much a slave to his employer as was the black man in the South, Calhoun argued, but he lacked the protection the black slave enjoyed from a paternalistic master.

With or without Calhoun, the Southern institution of slavery would have disappeared, but it will always remain a black mark on the history of the United States and on Calhouns reputation. Still, Calhoun deserves a prominent place in the history of American political thoughtif only for this irony: while he fought to protect the Southern minoritys rights and interests from the Northern majority, he felt free to subordinate the rights of the African American minority to the interests of the Souths white majority.

After Calhouns death on March 31, 1850, one of his greatest foes, U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri, sternly rebuked an associate who suggested that he honor Calhoun with a eulogy in Congress. He is not dead, sir  he is not dead, remarked Benton, a staunch Unionist. There may be no vitality in his body, but there is in his doctrines. A decade later, a bloody civil war would prove Benton was right.

This article was written by Ethan S. Rafuse and originally published in the October 2002 issue of Civil War Times Magazine.

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Third Winchester, the bloodiest battle to take place in the Shenandoah Valley, will likely draw more visitors than ever now that a larger portion of the battlefield is being preserved. Last November the Civil War Preservation Trust, Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and Virginia Land Conservation Foundation jointly purchased the 209-acre Huntsberry Farm, where the battlealso known as Opequon, after the nearby creekswirled around the house, barns, fields and woods. Purchased for $3.4 million, the farm fills a gap between two other parcels already protected by the CWPT and the SVBF, creating a 575-acre expanse of battlefield.

On September 19, 1864, Union Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan marched his troops from Berryville toward Winchester, confronting Lt. Gen. Jubal Earlys Confederates in August Huntsberrys hayfields. In all, more than 54,000 men were involved in that days fighting, which ended in a Confederate retreat to Winchester, amid fighting in the streets.

Leading a recent tour of the farm, where an estimated 3,000 men were killed or wounded, historian Gary Adelman said, I have no doubt there are still bodies buried here. The two-story house survived the battle but has since been destroyed by relic hunters. Winchester resident Bob Huntsberry was one of 11 heirs who signed the contract to sell the land. For him, the farm meant childhood memories of running in the fields and exploring the woods. But remembering his grandmothers house, where he had slept on an upper floor, his face hardened and he said: It was standing just 25 years ago. Relic hunters tore it apartthey pulled it down board by board.

Unable to protect the buildings, the family decided after much discussion and debate that it was better to preserve the land than develop it.

Nathan B. Forrest Wins Another Fight

When a new public high school opened in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1959, it was named after Nathan Bedford Forrest at the suggestion of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. At the time, the facility was an all-white school. Fast forward five decades: These days the majority of students at Forrest High are African Americans. About two years ago a movement began to change the name because of Forrests link with the Confederacy, as well as his controversial connection with the Ku Klux Klan. But when the issue finally came up for a vote before the Duval County School Board last November, the board voted 5-2 to keep the original name.

A Happy Ending for Priceless Lincolnalia

The $20 million collection of Abraham Lincoln artifacts and documents belonging to the Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Ind., which closed its doors last summer after 77 years, will be divided between two venues: the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis and Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels pledged that the collection would have the most exquisite care and the widest possible public availability. The Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress and Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill., had also applied to house the collection.

The Lincoln Museums holdings, considered the worlds largest private collection from Lincolns personal and presidential life, includes a signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, an inkwell used by Lincoln when he signed that document, 18,000 rare books, 5,000 photographs and much more.

Brighter Days for the U.S. Grant Papers

It required a lawsuit to remove Ulysses Grants personal and professional papers from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. With the dust from that settled, the collection has a new home at Mississippi State University.

For more than 40 years, John Y. Simona respected Civil War scholar and professor, as well as the executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Associationmaintained his office at Southern Illinois, where he edited 30 volumes of The Papers of U.S. Grant. Although the papers actually belong to the Ulysses S. Grant Association, they had been housed at SIU. Simon, who died in July 2008 at age 75, had been involved in a lengthy dispute with the university that began when he found himself locked out of his office last January, after two co-workers alleged he sexually harassed them.

The association board elected John Marszalek of Mississippi State University as the new executive director and severed its connections with SIU. Marszalek, who spent 29 years as a history professor at MSU before retiring in 2002, promptly opened an office for the association at that universitys Mitchell Memorial Library in Starkville, but then had to wait for a decision on ownership of the Grant papers. The university and the association finally reached an agreement on December 12. Within days, moving trucks arrived at Marszaleks office to deliver the valuable documents.

Marszalek explained that he expects to publish the last volume of the Grants Papers series. Because work on the project fell behind schedule in 2008, however, several important grants were not renewed. Marszalek is currently applying for new grants so the work can continue.

Chick-Chat NMP Seeks Your Input

Since the last general management plan was created in 1988 for Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, significant changes have taken place at the site nicknamed Chick-Chat, including the addition of new land on Lookout Mountain and Moccasin Bend, as well as rerouting U.S Highway 27 outside park boundaries. Park authorities are now planning to host a series of public meetings to establish a new plan that will guide the park for the next 20 years.

Meetings are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, 4 to 8 p.m., at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, 3370 Lafayette Road, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.; and Thursday, March 12, 4 to 8 p.m., at the Walker Pavilion, Coolidge Park, 150 River Street, Chattanooga, Tenn. Visit the NPS park planning Web site at http://parkplanning.nps. gov/chch for updates on the meeting schedule. If you would like to submit input to the planners but cannot attend either of the meetings, you can submit comments via the Web site.

Museum of the Confederacy Breaks Ranks

The Museum of the Confederacy plans to open the first of its anticipated three satellite museums at Appomattox, Va., following the towns move to purchase a four-acre site for the project close to the national park at Appomattox Court House. The other proposed sites are at Fort Monroe near Norfolk and in Fredericksburg.

The original museum as well as the Confederate White House remain open in downtown Richmond, but dense development around those two properties has made access increasingly difficult for visitors. Satellite locations are a way for the museum to remain viable, according to S. Waite Rawls III, museum president and CEO. He said an architect and exhibit designer have been hired for the 10,000-square-foot building in Appomattox, which is scheduled to open in April 2011 at a cost between $6 and $7 million. Rawls did not comment on how much of that money has already been raised.

Pamplin Historical Park Hit By Recession

In response to budget cuts, Pamplin Historical Park curtailed its hours beginning January 2. Park President A. Wilson Greene announced the schedule changes, pointing out that The severe economic downturn has undercut the ability of the foundation to support the park at current levels.

Founded in 1994 by the R.B. Pamplin Corporation of Portland, Ore., the 422-acre Petersburg park, which currently receives no government funding, is run by the corporations philanthropic arm, the Pamplin Foundation. The corporation has diverse holdings, including textile mills, sand and gravel mines, concrete and asphalt companies and Christian bookstores.

Greene explained that all the facilities will still be maintained, and the park can open on 48-hour notice with reservations by an individual or group of 10 or less, willing to pay a $100 entrance fee. Greene added that any time the park is open by reservation, the gate is also open to any visitor who happens to stop by. The admission fee has been reduced from $15 to $10 for adults and from $7.50 to $5 for children. The park will honor all reservations already made for 2009for example, for the 30,000 schoolchildren who will be participating in educational tours during that period. Existing reservations for banquets and parties will also be honored, and all summer programs, including a popular day camp, will go on as scheduled. One notable casualty of the budget cuts is the parks restaurant.

The reduced schedule came at a time when the park had actually been doing well in terms of visitors. We have maintained steady or increasing visitation and revenues since 1995, even this year, when many historic sites have experienced significant declines in attendance and revenues, Greene noted. Once the Pamplin Foundations financial situation improves, he says, regular operations will likely be restored. Echoing Mark Twain, Greene remarked, The rumor of our demise has been greatly exaggerated.
X-Ray Visions

When Bill Beck saw the December 2010 issue of Vietnam and our presentation of sketches by North Vietnamese Army combat artist Le Duc Tuan, he asked if we would be interested in taking a look at some sketches of his own, portraying his experiences as an assistant machine gunner in November 1965. What Beck, and the men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), led by Lt. Col. Hal Moore, experienced at LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley is firmly embedded in military lore. The battles details are known to millions through the book and film We Were Soldiers Onceand Young. Awarded a Silver Star for his actions at Ia Drang, Beck was seared by the carnage he saw there and the deaths and severe wounds suffered by his comrades. In a note to Moore about his sketches, Beck wrote: This is something I have wanted to do for some timefor my own sanity, I am sure. Its the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night! Becks stunning documentation of one of the wars pivotal battles has never before been published. In this issue we present a portfolio of his sketches (pg. 30). Becks entire collection will be on our website, VietnamMag.com, on the anniversary of the first day of the Ia Drang battle, November 14.

Vietnam Editor Emeritus David T. Zabecki marks Ia Drang with his recollections (pg. 40) of how, as cadets at Pennsylvania Military College in November 1965, he and his classmates were touched by the news of the death of 1963 PMC graduate Jack Geoghegan at X-Ray. It was a chilling portent of what lay ahead for Zabecki and many of his classmates in the months to come.

In our cover story, Paul Davis offers an exciting firsthand account of an Air Cavalry troop in action in the Song Re Valley during Operation Pershing in 1967. And retired Brig. Gen. Stanley Cherrie recounts how, during the U.S. troop drawdown in 1971, deviation from standard procedures to accommodate South Vietnamese support troops left his cavalry troop vulnerable to a mysterious Viet Cong terror weapon.

After former Marine Lieutenant and Navy Cross recipient Karl Marlantes first novel Matterhorn rocketed into bestseller orbit last year, it was fair to ask how he could top that. His just-released work of thought-provoking nonfiction, What It Is Like to Go to War, may fill the bill. In an excerpt that begins on pg. 48, Marlantes examines through his own experience how lying in Vietnam, as a means of physical and psychological survival, became the norm rather than the exception.
Say the name Levittown, and youve just opened the cover to an American postwar picture album. Go ahead, flip the pages: the aerial photograph of a landscape of identical houses looking like a black-and-white checkerboarddown below, a young ex-GI and his family smile broadly in front of their new home, a Chevy sedan in their drivewayinside the front door, Tupperware parties and paint-by-number kitsout the back door, a new power mower, pitcher of lemonade and a smoky backyard barbecue. Hear the saxophone?

Levittown, Long Island, the most famous American postwar suburban development, was a household name, the Exhibit A of suburbia. It came on the eve of the baby boom and just before the 1948 Housing Bill liberalized lending, allowing anyone to buy a home with 5 percent down and extending mortgage terms to 30 years. Millions of families needed homes. Housing starts were down during the Depression and World War II. Returning vets armed with their GI Bill of Rights and guaranteed Veterans Administration low-interest loans wanted to move into places of their own. The Federal Housing Administration was guaranteeing loans from bankers to builders, and Long Island farmland was going cheap.

Real estate developers Levitt & Sons saw an opportunity in the potato fields near Hempstead, N.Y., and they bought up the land, envisioning small, affordable homes there. They also rethought home building: Cut out the middlemen suppliers, streamline construction, circumvent local zoning codes and keep labor unions at arms length. When the last nail was driven in 1951, 17,447 houses stood in Levittown.

But Levittown was about more than just the houses. As the largest and most influential housing development of its time, it became a postwar poster child for everything right (affordability, better standard of living) and wrong (architectural monotony, poor planning, racism) with suburbia.

Levittown, right from the start, was famous. It was also an intensely image-conscious place. It is a poor week when Levitt houses arent featured in at least one full-column story in the New York newspapers, wrote a reporter in Fortune magazine in 1947. In the early days, everyone from Levitt & Sons P.T. Barnum-esque president, William J. Levitt, to the communitys residents was in on the promotion. In 1951 Levittown was featured by Colliers magazine in the biggest flash photograph ever attempted. The picture was snapped from the top of Levittowns 200-foot water tower, using 1,500 flash bulbs. Volunteers were not hard to find. Nourished on national publicity, the magazine reported, the suburbanites pitched in. Residents gleefully blocked off streets and raised the flash bulbs. If this isnt the biggest, brightest, most ambitious birthday card ever presented to a four-year-old, gushed Colliers, what is?

Levittowns portrait may have been carefully staged, but it was in demand. Americans soon found echoes of the place everywhere, as overnight suburban communities mushroomed up from Park Forest, Ill., to Lakewood, Calif. Its seemingly magical creationjust a few years earlier, there were potato plants where those carports now stoodperfectly captured the pace of a hurry-it-up decade. Patience had been killed by 15 years of economic depression, war and an epidemic housing shortage. People wanted the full packagethe affordable house, the new appliances, the suburban lifestyleand they wanted it right away.

Levittowns promotion was also a defensive reply to criticism. Attacks were launched by architectural critic Lewis Mumford; John Keats, author of the scathing antisuburbia novel A Crack in the Picture Window; and a handful of other writers who never set foot in the place but were content to lambaste it from their city offices. Ironically, Mumfords complaint that Levittown was a uniform environment from which escape is impossible ignored the architectural sameness (block after block of overcrowded apartments) many new suburbanites were fleeing from in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

Certainly for the inhabitants of Levittown, more disturbing complaints came from their Long Island neighbors. Wealthy Gold Coast residents were concerned with property values and a decline in prestige with the arrival of the urban working class in their boxy little houses. An editorial in a local news-paper, the Island Trees Tribune, noted this as early as December 4, 1947: It seems that the people of the surrounding areas were a bit afraid of what sort of people would move into [Levittown].

Helen Hooper, 27 years old when she moved from Queens in 1949, remembered similar attitudes in long-settled nearby villages: They resented it when they knew you came from Levittown. She frequently felt icy, awkward stares: When you went in there to shop, they kind of looked at you funny. Even some of her own relatives felt shed made a mistake. Theyd look aroundbang the walls. And they all told us, In ten years theyre going to go through this place with a bulldozer and knock it down, its going to be a slum. 

Competing builders made the same criticisms. Fortune reported Levittowns critics proclaiming their doubts over rotten masonry, green lumber, inferior workmanship.

The houses, however, were well made, a fact that longtime residents continue to point to with pride. George Merritt, a U.S. Navy veteran who moved into the community in 1955, was impressed with his original house even as he added on to it. The Levittown carpenters did a job, man, Im telling you, he said. From copper coil radiant heating to brass-zinc covered nails, the builder didnt scrimpat least not on materials. Merritt was astonished when he pulled the doorway out of his kitchen: That door must have had 40 nails in it! When I finally got it ripped off it said on the back Treated with Woodlife. I didnt even know they made that then, but he [William Levitt] reallydid a good job. Unbelievable. As with many other residents, Merritts considerable sweat equity improved his home over the years, starting with a front bay window.

Levitt & Sons was in its 18th year of business when it started the neighborhood of Island Trees, renamed Levittown in 1948. Abraham Levitt, a real estate lawyer, had founded the company in 1929 and appointed his son William as president, and son Alfred as vice president, chief architect and planner. In 1941 the family had won a wartime contract with the navy to build 2,350 homes in Norfolk, Va. To meet the deadlines, the Levitts divided the building process into 27 separate stepsa mass production technique that would serve the company for years to come.

In Levittown, as in Norfolk, work crews were dedicated to specific tasksplumbing, electrical wiring and roofingthat streamlined construction and kept costs down. Nonunion workers were employed as unskilled laborers, not craftsman. They made their money through piecework, not the hourly rate that unionized construction workers were accustomed to getting in the nearby city. A roofing crew, for example, made $60 per finished roof, usually split three ways. It was a well-oiled machine and you could make more money that way, remembers Edward Konop, a construction superintendent for the Levitts from 1947 to 1954.

To evade one of the more difficult demands of the Town of Hempsteads zoning lawsthat all homes have basementsWilliam Levitt engineered a community meeting in front of the town board, and several hundred people showed up. One resident stood up and shouted: You want basements? Im living in a basement. Its my mother-in-laws. The code was rescinded, and the company had its easier-to-build slab foundation Cape Cod homes. At the top of its game, Levitt & Sons was capable of building one house every 16 minutes. That became part of the sales pitch.

The first homes were available for rent only, with an option to buy after one year for $6,990. Rent was $60 a month. In March 1949, Levitt & Sons began selling the houses upfront, and more than 1,000 couples arrived at the sales office. Levitt plastered the newspapers with advertisements designed to attract one and all, especially young war veterans. The first homes were just 4 1/2 rooms: 2 bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom and an expansion atticnot much bigger than some of the city apartments the GIs were leaving behind. As one reporter put it, They might not be considered the dream homes soldiers thought about in the foxholes across the world a few years back, but they were enough. The Cape Cods and each successive Ranch remodel offered in 1949, 1950 and 1951 sold out even before the developers finished building them.

In some ways, Levittown resembled the ethnic composition of the military during World War II: Jews, Italians, Irish and Poles living side-by-side. But also like most of the military, African Americans were unable to enter this melting pot. As with many homebuilders in his era, William Levitt didnt question the demands of his financial backers, the FHA, which supported nationwide racial covenants and redliningor devaluingracially mixed communities. Every Levittown rental lease and homeowners contract barred those that were not member(s) of the Caucasian race.

Levitt defended the housing restrictions long after the first residents moved into Levittown, stating that he was just following the social customs of the times. This is their [the white customers] attitude, not ours, he once wrote. As a company our position is simply this: We can solve a housing problem, or we can try to solve a racial problem. But we cannot combine the two. 

Even after the 1948 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shelley v. Kraemer made racial covenants unconstitutional, the FHA continued to underwrite loans only to white neighborhoods. Although Levitt dropped the restrictive language from his leases, he kept up the policy in practice and fought the courts ruling for years afterward. The elimination of the clause has changed absolutely nothing, he announced in the Levittown Tribune in 1949. In 1958, a lawsuit charging discrimination was brought against Levitt in New Jersey, where his third planned community, Willingboro, was being built. In 1960, to avoid public hearings on the case, he agreed to desegregate Willingboro, though the sale of homes to blacks was highly orchestrated. Racial covenants were not specifically criminalized until the Civil Rights Fair Housing Act of 1968.

At least some of the incoming white residents were uncomfortable with the restrictions. Betty Spector, who had lived in an interracial neighborhood in Washington Heights, N.Y., remembered thinking,  My God, Ive moved to Bigot Town!  Spector found the lack of diversity appalling, and she was hardly the only one. As early as 1947, a committee to end discrimination was formed in the community and such efforts, while failing to change William Levitts policies, continued well into the 1950s. Gertrude Novik, a renter who faced eviction in 1950 because she had begun an interracial play group, recalled, We really had no place to live.Sometimes your hands are tied, and you hope you can get in and change the world a little bit.

Eugene Burnett, a young black ex-GI, and his wife Bernice drove out to Levittown in 1950, unaware of the ban on African Americans. Its not me, but the owners of this development have not yet decided to sell to Negroes, said the salesman. Burnett eventually moved his family to the Suffolk County suburbs and became a police officer and small businessman. Like many black professionals, he chose a racially mixed community, Ronek Park, in Amityville, which was advertised especially to people who had been turned away from Levittown. Still, for Burnett, the sting of the blow stayed with him. I think that William Levitt and Levittown had an opportunity to do something here. In fact, not only an opportunity but a responsibility, he said some 50 years later.

Burnetts experience can be contrasted with that of Thurston Gaines, a young black doctor who moved to the community in 1955 (shortly after the racial covenants were rescinded) and lived there until about 1961. Gaines, a former Tuskeegee Airman, actually worked on Levitt homes one summer after the war. Wanting a place closer to his residency, Gaines jumped at the offer of a former white classmate willing to sell his Levittown home for $8,500. Unhappy neighbors offered more money to keep Gaines out, but the transaction went through. We never became close with the neighbors, he said, but we were also not interested in socializing.

A busy young doctor, Gaines found Levittown more a place to sleep than anything else, although two of his children were born there. By 1961 he had moved his family to Rockville Centre, a higher echelon economically than Levittown. To this day, Levittowns black population remains below 1 percent, but the Gaines story also speaks to another trend. Like many other Levittown residents who were moving to more affluent parts of Long Island, the Gaineses were trading up.

Writer Michael Pollan remembered that by 1960, when my parents went house huntingLevittown was passe, and the next new placethe un-Levittownpromised to be the Gates of Woodbury, where lots were generally a sprawling acre. Like minor league ballplayers hitting the big time, some Levittown residents were jumping to the next level by the late 1950s, finding bigger homes in swankier new developments. Plainview, Huntington and other places along the new Long Island Expressway grew exponentially. Some moved east to other Levitt developments in Suffolk County, the Strathmores of Stony Brook and Coram, by the mid-1960s.

Driving through Levittown today on its miracle mile Hempstead Turnpike, youd be forgiven for missing historys mark. Passing the big-box retailers and local operations like the Tri County Flea Market, which claims to hold the largest selection of jewelry anywhere, you feel in fact you could be anywhere. You will search in vain for that original, untouched Levitt house. These days, Home Depot has taken the reins of local home improvements, and youll find everything from Moroccan-inspired columns to a full three-story faux Mount Vernon.

The Levittown dream still exists but in much altered form. Skyrocketing real estate prices and some of the highest property taxes in the nation have pushed many out. By 1967 the basic Levitt home was valued at more than twice its original purchase price, and improved houses had almost tripled in value. Then came the go-go real estate climate of the past two decades. Levitt homes originally priced at $7,900 were selling for well over $400,000 by 2007.

Dorothy and Fred Johs, residents since September 1948, often marvel at the changes. Originally we were all in the same boat, nobody had a lot of money, said Dorothy, a nurse during World War II who had met her future husband while serving in Europe. When we moved out here, we used orange crates for end tables until we could afford to buy end tables. When they purchased the home they had been renting for six years in 1954, a $400 loan from a neighbor gave them just enough for the $1,000 down payment. It was such a different time, said Fred. Over the years, the couple has seen most of their old friends and neighbors move away.

Levittown Movers started its business in the 1950s, trucking young couples and their possessions to the suburbs. But these days, the companys trucks have been headed out of town. Were seeing an increase, not only the retirees but also families and younger people, moving to South Jersey, upstate New York, Pennsylvania and Florida, said company president Sal Randozzo. They get job offers, and the bottom line, when they do the math, is its cheaper to move out, even with no pay increaseto a bigger house, he said.

Still, on its 60th anniversary, Levittown holds a place on the national stage. In popular history books such as the late newsman Peter Jennings The Century, it shares the American postwar memory landscape with the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War and John F. Kennedys inauguration speech. Television personality Bill OReilly frequently mentions his upbringing there to burnish his common-man image. The story is familiar and understandably nostalgic: Few early residents remain; all are getting on in years. Their grandchildren and great-grandchildren now struggle to enter a very different housing market.

And as early American postwar suburbs everywhere grow to maturity, its an episode worth remembering. Like the early residents still living there, the country has moved on, but the lessonsthe importance of large-scale federal housing support, the painful, awful mistakes of racial exclusion and the fulfillment of a dream for working-class peopleare still there for us, beneath all those new brick facades and layers of paint.

This article was written by Joshua Ruff and originally published in the December 2007 issue of American History Magazine. For more great articles, subscribe to American History magazine today!
Adelbert Ames preceded Joshua Chamberlain as colonel of the 20th Maine, and had a stellar military career in his own right. Ames was born in Rockland and spent his early years on Atlantic sailing vessels before entering West Point.

He graduated just after the war began in May 1861 and was badly wounded at First Bull Run, fighting as a lieutenant with the 5th U.S. Artillery. Praised for his bravery, Ames became a major and fought with his guns through the Peninsula and Seven Days campaigns, earning another promotion to lieutenant colonel.

Ames wanted even higher rank, however, and realized he would have to switch to the infantry branch to get it. On August 20, 1862, he was given command of the 20th Maine and the rank of colonel. Colonel Ames commanded that unit until May 1863, when he became a member of Maj. Gen. George Meades staff. He soon became a brigadier general, commanding a brigade in the XI Corps, leaving Lt. Col. Joshua Chamberlain to gain glory as the 20ths commander at Gettysburg. Ames and his brigade, meanwhile, fought on Barlows Knoll and Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg.

Following Gettysburg, Ames led commands in South Carolina and Florida and then took part in the siege of Petersburg. In 1865 the peripatetic Ames oversaw the capture of Fort Fisher in North Carolina. He ended the war as a major general.

His postwar career was also successful. He served as the Republican Reconstruction governor of Mississippi and then as a senator from that state. But he was not yet done with the garb of a soldier, fighting as a U.S. brigadier general in the Spanish-American War. An accomplished soldier and politician, Ames died in 1933 at the age of 97, the last surviving general of the Civil War.
The chief nurse tried to assign me to the 3rd Field Hospital, which was a white uniform position, but I wanted the front line, to be wearing fatigues.

The Marines at Khe Sanh did not take the first round during Tet; the 71st Evacuation Hospital located about 200 miles south, at Pleiku, home of the 4th Infantry Division and where I was stationed as an Army nurse, did. At midnight on Jan. 21, 1968, one of the hospital units took a direct hit from a 122mm rocket, which got imbedded in the floor and did not explode. The shelling went on for several hours. I was in the nurses quarters when the telephone rang. Everyone was screaming and no one wanted to answer it, but I knew the call was for me; I was the most seasoned in terms of combat injury. It was the chief nurse. Captain Allen, she said, you have to go to your unit, it will be the only surgical unit open. I asked if someone would come for me. We have no one,  she replied. You have to go alone. Put on your flak jacket and your steel pot. I had to walk outside in the dark. Nearly everything was on fire. When I got to my unit, 40 guys lay on the floor, some under mattresses, some bleeding. One of them looked up and said, Captain is here. The hospital did not have a combat contingent assigned at the time. I felt completely vulnerable knowing I could not defend us if the enemy broke through. Women were not allowed to have weapons. I was afraid that I would not be up to the task of taking care of these guys, but my training at St. Marys School of Nursing in Huntington, W.Va., kicked in. Everything I had prepared for came down to that moment.

God knows, when I was growing up, I didnt want to be a nurse. Raised in Huntington by my grandmother since the age of 4, after my mother died from tuberculosis, I had my heart set on becoming a civil engineer. The Pennsylvania Turnpike was my inspiration; I pictured myself working outdoors, independently, building tunnels, bridges and roadways. My math teacher sent me to a white school; this was during the days of racial segregation and I was in the first group of African Americans to racially integrate public schools. But in my senior year of high school, I had to accept that engineering was not going to happen for me. I decided to pursue nursing school, which I could afford, and was determined to be the best nurse that I could be. I obtained by masters degree in psychiatric nursing from Ohio State in 1966, but with the country embroiled in the civil rights movement, I really had no idea what I would do.

Coming from a family of warriorsa grandfather and an uncle had served, and both my brother were in the Navy, one of them in VietnamI realized I wanted to serve too. I knew about the absence of African Americans in professional health fields and the high number of African Americans in the war effort. So, I enlisted. On that day, I stepped onto Walkers Road, as my grandfather referred to it, and never looked back. I still had to tell my grandmother, but I saved that until I was sworn in and was Captain Allen, U.S. Army, in January 1967, with a guaranteed assignment to Vietnam. Grandmama was scared but proud of me. Yes, I knew that there was a war going on over there, but there was a war going on here too.

After Officer Candidate School, I flew to Vietnam on Flying Tiger Airline with over 300 military personnel on board. I was one of eight women and the only African American. We arrived at Tan Son Nhut, frozen in silence, and had our first glimpse of the war zone; surrounding us was miles of barbed wire fencing and real tanks and APCs loaded with combat gear. Not often in America did it count being black, but there it did because there were a lot of black sergeants and they had never seen anybody like me in a war zone, so they were eager to talk to me. And there was a lot I wanted to know.

Well, out there on the base was a field of soldiersthere had to have been 500 sitting there, leaning on their duffel bags out under the hot, hot sun with no break. So, I stopped, because I always want to make sure that I know what Im looking at. And I come from a psychiatric background so I sometimes see things different from other people. Finally, I asked the sergeant, Whats going on? He said they were replacements. So, now I really wanted to know, and then it hit me. I said, Are you telling me theyre waiting for somebody else to die or get injured? And he said, thats it exactly. Thats a hard thing. These kids are like 18 or 19. I said, How long do they sit? They could be sitting for days, he said. I said, Somethings wrong with this.waiting for someone to die so they could get a chance to die, too. That was real hard for me.

The next day, since I was the ranking new officer, I got first choice of assignment. The chief nurse tried to assign me to the 3rd Field Hospital, which was a white uniform position, taking care of officers, but I wanted the front line, to be wearing fatigues. After much haggling, I took an assignment to the remote 12th Evacuation Hospital at Cu Chi, home of the 25th Infantry Division and the 25th Armored Cavalry. This base sat on top of the infamous tunnels. I, along with another nurse who wanted to be assigned with me, boarded a combat-loaded helicopter and flew into the war. As my eyes scanned the scene below, the African American door gunner, who just wanted to talk, pointed down to the jungle and said, Captain, we got this shit called Orange that we spray, and within two days, this whole jungle is wiped out. I had no idea what he was talking about but I was soon to find out. We arrived at Cu Chi on a Friday, and on Sunday we were mortared. Welcome to Vietnam.

I may have been prepared for the Army, but the 12th Evac was not ready for me, and everyone immediately let me know that I was not welcome. It was a very lonely place. Army regulations said that there could be no fraternization between ranks, and most African American troops were enlisted. So, from having nobody to talk with, to having the wrong kind of products to care for my hair and skin, I felt isolated and disregarded. And the constant stream of wounded Americans was a gruesome introduction to the realities of war.

I had my biggest scare when I found out one night that I was on call to fly medevac. I had never heard of such a thing. When I asked, What do I do? everyone told me, You have a masters degree; youll figure it out. I got the call at 0200 hours, went out to the helipad and stood by myself in the dark. The helicopter arrived, hovered, with only a bottom light shining, and landed. Lying on the choppers floor was a young soldier with a chest wound. He was having trouble breathing. Can I have a light? I asked. We fly without lights, at treetop level, came the reply. But this kid belonged to someone; it was up to me to keep him alive. So I did mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until we dropped him off in Saigon.

I was assigned to the 71st Evac in September, four months prior to Tet. We knew a big battle was coming; we had been told by combat troops that we would be hit. They were aware of the buildup in the A Shau Valley. We were located in the Central Highlands and at the end of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. My greatest worry was the injured troops already in the hospital and what was to come. The night the attack started was beyond belief. The shelling came every night for about six weeks. The day the Chinooks brought in the body bags was almost too much for everybody. The injuries to troops were massive, and body bags stacked up. When medical staff came, they were new to this jungle and they were afraid. The physicians, especially the surgeons, were overwhelmed. How long can a person work with no relief especially when the human carnage is so great? Many days we would have 60-70 wounded soldiers and 40 beds. The workdays exceeded 12 hours. You worked until relief came. As the battles wore on, there were fewer casualties, but the magnitude of the injuries was just as great. There was very little food, medical supplies and even clothes to put on the injured until they could be moved out. And when choppers arrived with more body bags, it was enough to break the back of a really strong person. America would have been proud of us if they had taken the time to think of us. It seemed that all news from the States was bad.

In April 1968 I had a different kind of battle to fight: I did not want to return to the States, knowing I would be less accepted than I was when I left. I had applied for extensions, but every request was denied; women were allowed only one year in a war zone. Then during my final week, while on R&R in Hong Kong, the Rev. Martin Luther King was assassinated. The two African American soldiers who told me were in tears. How many deaths, how many injuries for freedom? In one week, I would be returning to Columbus, Ohio, my home of record. I was female, I was black, and now I was a war participant too.

It would not get any easier; I still ask, after years of being ignored as an officer and a veteran, will America ever accept and embrace the female warrior? Aretha Franklin says it better than anyone else: All I ask is a little respect, when I get homejust a little respect.

Oral history, published in February 2013 issue of Vietnam magazine. For more on Elizabeth Allen, in her own voice, listen to the interview she did with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. Heres the link to her interview http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.55266/


Fredrick Pumroy

Captain, U.S.A.F., Forward Air Controller

23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron,

504th Air Division

March-December 1970

I lived on the family farm in Hammond, Indiana, my first 17 years. When I was 8 years old, I got to fly with my dad in his L-2 Army Air Forces trainer. I couldnt take off or land, but he let me fly it in the air. The first in my family to go to college, I joined the Air Force ROTC and got a private pilots license through the flight program. When I graduated in 1964, I went on active duty in July and wanted to be a fighter pilot, like everyone else. I had six months of training in the T-37s, Tweety Birds, and the T-38, which I really liked. You had to stay ahead of it because it was supersonic.

I was assigned to the KC-135 at K.I. Sawyer AFB, Mich., and volunteered for every mission I could, to build up my hours. The best were Young Tiger missions out of Thailand, which were over the Gulf of Tonkin and Laos, refueling fighters headed to North Vietnam out of U-Tapao and Takhli. Wed have a gaggle of 16 tankers to top off the F-4s and F-105s before they entered Laos, and on their return. The tough part was when only some of them came back. We knew they were trying to take out bridges or certain targets, but it seemed stupid to keep going the same route and hitting the same sites. It was a death trap for the pilotsand the North Vietnamese kept on infiltrating.

In 1970 I became a forward air controller in the OV-10 Bronco and deployed to Vietnam. While at Bien Hoa for a three-week indoctrination course, a mortar hit right outside my room. I ended up sleeping under my bunk, with an M-16 and a helmet on. The next week, I elected to go to Thailand and fly out of country for Nail FACs, figuring Id get shot at during the day, but at least not at night while I was sleeping. In 1970 all the action was in Laos. The Communists were taking supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail and were infiltrating Cambodia and Laos. A key role for the FAC was to keep track of the enemy and try to stop them.

The Trail was lined with guns, and one of the first rides we took was to check out what it was like to get shot at. We also learned how to jinkchanging heading and altitude at the same time every four seconds so the enemy couldnt lock on to you.

We got pretty good at taking out NVA 23mm, 37mm and 57mm guns, especially when we brought in the 2,000-pound laser-guided bombs. Wed troll for the guns, and when they fired, wed mark them and bring in the fighters. Finding the target and then keeping it in view so that you could tell the fighter where to hit was challenging. When they made their run, you had to get out of their way and then do an assessment of the first guys bomb and get ready for the next guy.

On April 28, 1970, I found a key gun battery on the Trail that had shot down one of our aircraft earlier that week. We were pretty sure the NVA had radar-directed guns there. I beamed a laser onto it and cleared a fighter in hot. Using my binoculars, I saw the bomb hit the radar and five 37mm guns around it. All hell broke loose as enemy guns opened up. It was like Fourth of July fireworks. I told the fighter pilot, You hit dead center and uncovered Pandoras Box. I marked all the guns, and we ended up taking out four more batteries and damaging a couple more. In three hours, we brought in well over a dozen fighters. I received a Distinguished Flying Cross for that action.

By then, I was realizing that I might have a passion for living on the edge. The rest of my tour as a FAC I volunteered for all the special missions that came my way.

Two months later, the CIAs Raven FACs lost five pilots in one week, so I volunteered to fill a spot until they got new guys. We painted the OV-10 gray, I locked up my ID, flew in civilian clothes and moved in with the Air America pilots at Udorn. We supported troops in Laos on missions involving lots of strafing and intelligence gathering. Back on base, my crew chief would fix up the airplane while I was in the bar swapping war stories. By the time I was done, two months later, we counted 309 AK-47 and .50-caliber bullet holes in my plane.

Next I went to U-Tapao for missions over western Cambodia. Then back at Nakhon Phanom, I became a Prairie Fire FAC, supporting sanitized Special Forces on missions into Laos to capture NVA deserters.

I was involved in the November 1970 Son Tay raid, to search for the prison suspected of housing John McCain III, though we did not know it at the time. We got orders in the middle of the night to escort helicopters into North Vietnam, but we werent part of the raiding party. By the time we got to the site, theyd already moved on.

I left Thailand right after that for Hawaii where, because I was involved in the raid, I was chosen as Admiral John S. McCain Jr.s pilot. In 1974, I went to Wright Patterson AFB as a program manager. I then had to go back to SAC to fly in the Iranian hostage raid.

Though I initially aspired to fly fighters, Im glad I ended up in the OV-10. The 23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron was a great squadron. We still lost one or two airplanes on average every month, and eight pilots, but most everybody got out. After a while you got so that you didnt think it was going to happen to youjust to the other guy.

Excerpted from the Oral History Project at Texas Tech Universitys Vietnam Center and Archive, www.vietnam.ttu.edu/oralhistory.
James John Magner

First Lieutenant/Captain, 2-18 Infantry, 1st Infantry Division

March 1966-March 1967

I may have been the only infantry platoon leader in Vietnam with an art degree. Artist/soldier: a lifelong dichotomy, if not a severe personality conflict. As a child in a tough Chicago neighborhood, I had to fight just to cross the street, but could see beauty in the rainbow colors of an oil slick.

After moving to Arizona, I spent many hours drawing in the high Sonoran Desert and its rugged mountainswhen I wasnt going to war movies or getting in trouble.

An art major at the University of Arizona, I was also in the ROTC advanced program. My art professors werent comfortable with the uniform, and my Army cadre wasnt happy with the paint stains. I received my fine arts degree and lieutenant bars on the same day in May 1964. I asked for infantry, and got it.

After officer basic and jump school, I was assigned to Ft. Polk, La., where I ran a basic training company and continued to paint whenever I could. When the first combat troops were sent to Vietnam in 1965, I volunteered. Vietnam was the ultimate test of leadership. And, as an artist, I understood that I would have to wade the rivers and face death if I was to get beyond surface appearances.

I reported to Charlie Company of the 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, on March 5, 1966. I had the 3rd Platoon. I found Vietnam astonishingly beautiful. The most dangerous threat was in forgetting it was dangerous.

In late March, we were in the Bitchin Michelin, a huge rubber plantation at Dau Tieng. We had set up an L-shaped night ambush position at intersecting roads in an isolated sector. Exhausted from days on the move in the ovenlike heat and night ambushes, I was nodding after about 30 minutes and dreamed of a soft, rhythmic scraping sound. Then I froze. It was real, and it was getting closer. Nothing could be seen in the pitch blackI had to strain to hear every sound. Quietly, I positioned myself and put my M-16 on semiautomatic. Should I just wait for Charlie to get in front of us, as far as the trip flare? I wondered.

Then, Flash! My whole world lit up as if someone turned on a floodlight. I thought at first it was the trip flare, but noit was a match. Unbelievable! One of my guys was lighting a cigarette. I was dumbfounded. We had already been through a lot together, and I didnt think anyone was that stupid. I braced myself, but nothing happened. Just quiet. I didnt have any trouble staying wide-awake for the rest of the night.

As dawn broke, my platoon sergeanta full-blooded Hawaiian with 25 years in the Army whom we called The Legendcame slicing through the dismal plantation like an avenging angel, his machete at his side. It was an apparition mythical in proportion. Line up, he demanded. Who did it? Who lit the cigarette? I am going to cut off your head because you are my enemy! You are the enemy of the platoon, and you must be killed before you kill us.

It was the primitive truth of clan survival. Our lives belonged to the clan; its survival depended on each of us. Individual foolishness was a luxury afforded to those societies too powerful to be threatened.

The images and words came together and clashed, like high and low pressure areas over the Atlantic. They began to rotate. The sergeants words were wonderfully profound and yet comic. We players in our dark little corner of nowhere, it occurred to me, were all merely fools in a hierarchy of fools. A laugh grew inside of me and I moved behind a tree as it gained force. I could only slide down the trunk and give myself to the triumph of the absurd. Besides, it felt good to be alive.

No one confessed to striking the match, but it never happened again.

In June I was given the battalion reconnaissance platoon, and on July 1, we led the battalion into a landing zone near the Cambodian border. Just before dawn the next day, in a heavy fog, the NVA hit us with a massive force. We threw them back, but they hit us again and again. Each time we held. After several hours, out of ammunition, we threw tear gas. Then we had nothing but bayonets and rifle butts. At least half of us were wounded, and several were dead, but not one soldier thought of running. As we screamed at the enemy to come get us, they turned and left. It was my proudest moment as a platoon leader.

Now I fully understood. As an artist, I had to walk among the savage powers. I had come to Vietnam to see the country in its primitive state and life with all its primal and desperate forcesand I did.

James Magner, a painter, is the author of A Haunting Beauty: Vietnam Through the Eyes of an Artist.
Madame Nhu, who was first lady of the Diem regime in the late 1950s and early 1960s, died in a Rome hospital on April 24, believed to be 87. Following the murder of her brother-in-law, President Ngo Dinh Diem, and her husband, Ngo Dinh Nhu, during the military coup on November 1, 1963, Madame Nhu accused the U.S. government of inciting and backing the coup. Visiting the United States at the time of the murder, Madame Nhu declared she would never seek political asylum in the United States, a country with people who have stabbed my Government. Peter Brush, in his article on Madame Nhu in the October 2009 issue of Vietnam magazine said: Had Madame Nhu been in Saigon at the time, the new junta would have had a terrible problem trying to keep howling mobs from lynching her. From the United States, she flew to Rome, where she presumably lived until her death.
The Invention of Ecocide: Agent Orange, Vietnam, and the Scientists Who Changed the Way We Think About the Vietnam War, by David Zierler, University of Georgia Press, 2011

Science is never value neutralpolitical and economic interests always inform which scientific questions get asked, and how the answers to those questions are put into practice. Author David Zierler, U.S. State Department Historian, explores this principle in depth with his scholarly and insightful history of the concept of ecocide, defined by scientist Arthur Galston as the willful and permanent destruction of environment in which a people can live in a manner of their own choosing. Galston coined the term in 1970 as an indictment of Americas use of the herbicide 2,4,5-T, better known as Agent Orange.

Agent Orange was first explored as a potential weapon in 1941, when University of Chicago botanist Ezra E.J. Kraus completed a paper with the innocuous title Plant Growth Regulators: Possible Uses. Kraus explored the possible utility of strategically defoliating Japanese forests, which would reveal hidden military installations and deprive the enemy of staple food supplies.

The dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 obviated any the use of Agent Orange during World War II. Zierler makes a convincing case that the bombingswhich ushered in the era of mutually assured destructionmade the use of Agent Orange in subsequent conflicts all but inevitable. Consider the logic: If both sides are capable of initiating total catastrophe, then neither side is likely to use the nuclear option, which nullifies its deterrent effect in smaller conflicts.

The Soviets could therefore instigate conflict and revolution around the world without the United States nuclear arsenal posing any realistic threat. As a result, by 1961, President John F. Kennedys foreign policy emphasized Flexible Response, the development of wide ranging and diverse military technologies to combat communist insurgency around the world. With an insurgency growing in Vietnams jungles, Agent Orange appeared to the U.S. government as a perfect solution. In Zierlers assessment, Kennedy approved Operation Ranch Hand (the official name for herbicide deployment in Vietnam) as an opportunity to test the Flexible Response approach to communist containment.

The U.S. government knew that this policy would meet with international resistance. As expected, Hanoi, Moscow and Beijing denounced the use of herbicides as a war crime as soon as Operation Ranch Hand became public knowledge. What the government did not anticipate was the resistance to Agent Orange that subsequently grew within the American scientific community. Zierler provides a detailed account of the exchange between the elite scientific organizations of the time and the Defense Department. The books strength lies in its delineation of the various ideologies at play. Galston, for instance, was careful not to oppose the war outright in his objections, strategically adopting and discarding frames for his arguments according to context. Furthermore, the scientists involved rarely considered themselves environmentaliststhe term environmentalism had a far more limited meaning then. Indeed, Zierler shows how the holistic, modern definition of the term environmentalist grew to encompass foreign policy specifically as a result of the struggle over Agent Orange.

The Invention of Ecocide is a rewarding, well-reasoned scholarly work that provides a thorough examination of the first great ideological battle between nascent environmentalism and cold war dogmatism.

Patrick Robbins
According to former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfelds recently released memoir, as a young Congressman from Illinois in 1966 he strongly challenged President Lyndon Johnsons strategy in Vietnam at a briefing with the president in February 1966. With only a small number of U.S. military advisers on the ground, the Vietnam War had not been an issue in my first campaign for Congress in 1962, Rumsfeld wrote in Known and Unknown. After Johnson became president and the American war effort expanded, I was willing to support a more robust military campaign in Vietnam, as were many others in Congress. But it was becoming difficult to support the administration, since their policy was increasingly unclear. The president seemed to vacillate between the left flank of his party which wanted concession to the enemysome were even beginning talk of withdrawaland those on the right who supported a more decisive military effort.

While Rumsfelds account of events leading to the Iraq War during his tenure in the George W. Bush administration is drawing heat for accuracy, he backs up his claims concerning his warnings on Vietnam with a copy of a memo he wrote after his White House briefing, in which, he wrote, the Vice President supposedly chairedbut with the almost continuous assistance and interruption of the President. The President was up and down like a yo-yo all morning long. He gives the impression of a man sitting on the lid of a volcano, and he keeps erupting. He made at least three direct jabs at Senator Robert Kennedys speech (without using Kennedys name) concerning dealing with the Viet Cong.

In the memo he dictated the day after the briefing, Rumsfeld describes his question to the vice president on why the North Vietnamese were not convinced of our national will. Rumsfeld wrote: Before Humphrey could answer, President Johnson popped up and pointing his finger, yelled, Ill tell you what will convince themmore of the same like weve given them. I said, Like the bombing pause? He said, For the past 30 days weve stepped up bombings, 20,000 casualties. He described the damage that the U.S. is inflicting on the Viet Cong and the tons of bombs the U.S. is dropping. I then said, Well, Mr. President, if we have been doing this since the conclusion of the pause, is there any hint or indication that we are, in fact, being successful in convincing them? Is this message getting through? And he said, No, there isnt.

Later Rumsfeld observed: The last 20 minutes of LBJs performance were defensive and emotional, and at points, I felt embarrassment for him.He repeatedly said, I want to be able to say Ive tried everything. Note he didnt say, Ive tried everything because I want peace.This type of slip, if it was a slip, is but one of the numerous instances that his comments were phrased in terms of the political situation and where blame would fall and how he would defend himself, and how he would attack anyone who attacked him.
In 1922, Lida Dutton Hutchinsons daughter ran across her mothers old diary. That in itself was not necessarily a Eureka! moment; lots of 19th-century women kept diaries. But packed away with this one was a collection of curious old papersissues of a Civil Warera broadsheet called The Waterford News.

The little newspaper, written in Hutchinsons hometown of Waterford, Va., detailed life in a border village in the last grueling year of the Civil War. Intrigued, Emma Conrow subsequently wrote an article for The Baltimore American based on her mothers diary and what she found in The Waterford News.

But eventually the diaryand the papersdisappeared. And the story behind them disappeared, too. Until 1955, that is, when two issues of The Waterford News surfaced, of all places, among the Abraham Lincoln papers at the Library of Congress.

Which begs the question of why a little newssheet from an insignificant hamlet in a rebellious state would attract the attention of the chief executive of the United States.

For a publication largely forgotten after the war, The Waterford News once attracted a lot of attention. Maybe it was because it was an underground pro-Union publication emanating from Confederate territory. Maybe it was because its editors were all under 27.

Or maybe it was because these three gutsy young scribes were women.

Tucked away in the rolling landscape of northern Loudoun County, postcard-pretty Waterford today is something of an anomaly.While much of Northern Virginia has morphed into an interminable web of freeways wrapped around rampant development, Waterford retains original narrow streets lined with 18th- and 19th-century homes and shop buildings, their preservation fostered for decades by the National Historic Landmark status that encompasses the entire village. Residents stroll to the post office to pick up their mail, and back in the 90s, they actually fought efforts to bring cable television to town.

If Waterford is a bit incongruous now, it was an even greater oddity in the 19th century. Founded in the 1730s by pacifist Pennsyl-vania Quakers who had migrated to Virginia, Water-ford bucked the local political trend in 1861 when residents voted 221 to 31 against secession. Loudoun County as a whole voted for secession by a margin of 2 to 1.

The Quakers in Waterford took the formal position of neutrality early in the war, says local historian John Souders, but in the final years many were actively aiding the Union. Most of the villages young men had fled to avoid being conscripted into the Confederate Army. By June 1861, Souders says, when the local militia was to be sworn into the Virginia regimental forces, 80 percent had gone across the [Potomac] river to Maryland.

Waterfords obstinacyand its precarious location on the very edge of the North-South demarcationmade the village a particular target for harassment. Rebel troops quickly occupied Waterford, helping themselves to food and livestock and taking up residence in the Quaker meetinghouse. And when those troops moved on, Waterford frequently found itself in the path of notorious Confederate guerrilla John Singleton Mosby.

The village fared little better with the Union, which in January 1864 enforced a blockade along the Potomac to prevent smuggling into the Confederacy. The unfortunate byproduct was that it also prevented necessities from reaching Waterford.

Adding to the misery was the constant flux of occupation. It just went on and on herethere was never a lull, Souders says. There were severe economic privations, and there were constantly troops from one side or the other. We dont know exactly how many times Waterford changed handsit was sometimes more than once a day.

By the spring of 1864, 19-year-old Lida Dutton, her sister Lizzie, 24, and their friend Sarah Steer, 26, had had enough. It was time to fight back. Actual combat was out, of coursewhile accounts survive of women on both sides donning uniforms, that wouldnt really do for good pacifist Quaker girls.But if they couldnt take up a sword, they would reach for the next best thing. Pens in hand, and with cast-iron nerve, they conspired to produce The Waterford News.

Publishing in the 19th century was an arduous task under the best circumstances. But after these three young women had gathered their news and editorials, they had to smuggle them out of Waterford and past Confederates like Mosby, and across the river to Maryland, where they relied on the good offices of the Unionist editor of The Baltimore American for publication.

Despite those obstacles, the first issue of The Waterford News appeared in May 1864. And right at the top of the front page, the fledgling journal brazenly endorsed Abraham Lincoln for presidentit was, after all, an election year, and what self-respecting newspaper wouldnt make a political endorsement?We present to our readers this week the first edition of our little paper, with many hopes and fears, the editors wrote. We hope that it may meet the approbation of our friends; that they may uphold us in our hazardous undertaking, and we fear nothing so much as their disapproval. We wish and expect it to meet the condemnation of our enemies, for they are averse to the truth, and that this sheet will contain.

It wasnt as if there were nothing besides the disapproval of their friends to fear. They were smuggling their incendiary articles to Baltimore through their fathers, John Dutton and Samuel Steer, who had fled Waterford and were sitting out the war in Point of Rocks, Md., a Potomac River community about 10 miles away, to avoid capture by Confederate partisans. If they were intercepted, there would have been trouble, Souders says. The Union was nominally in control of Loudoun County, but Mosby and other guerrillas were active in the area.

John Dutton, a friend of The Baltimore American editor, operated a dry goods store while he was in Point of Rocks, and Steer served as the Unions customs agent. Although their families were relatively close, return visits were fraught with risk. Dutton, who had not immediately left Waterford when hostilities broke out, spent a chunk of August 1861 as a prisoner of the Rebels; just why he was arrested isnt clear. Before 1864 was out, Steer would get his own taste of Southern hospitality.

Sam did get snatched returning once, Souders says. He was sent to prison in Richmond.

But the ever-resourceful residents of Waterford found ways to get around the insurgents. There were back ways to the river, Souders notes, and they had a good network of informants on Rebel movements.

The more likely hazard, Souders says, is that Rebel troops could have retaliated against the women. But they were relatively civilized in the Loudoun vicinity, he adds. There were not atrocities toward women.

Having managed to get one issue circulated undisturbed, the Dutton sisters and Sarah Steer published a second edition in Junewith the happy local news that despite the blockade, loyalists were now permitted to cross the Potomac and spend up to $10 for necessities at Point of Rocks (where many patronized John Duttons store). It affords us considerable satisfaction to state that some of the Secesh citizens who hastened to take advantage of the partial raising of the blockade at Point of Rocks, were sent home without their ten dollars worth of goods, the editors opined, and with a polite invitation from the Provost Marshal to stay on the Dixie side of the Potomac.

Along with a recap of local military activity since the last issue, the women engaged in a brief discussion of states rights. Within the past week the chivalry [Confederates] have visited several of their beloved sisters in the faith, and kindly taken from them their carriage horses to use in their guerrilla pilgrimages. We were surprised to hear the enthusiastic southern ladies grumbling at getting their rights from the hands of the brave defenders of their homes and firesides. The Union people dont appear to grieve a bit.

By July, word had reached Waterford of Abraham Lincolns new choice for running mate. Accordingly, the now standard front-page endorsement was enlarged to include both Lincoln and Andy Johnson.

The young editors also offered a bold prayer for Union hero Ulysses S. Grant:

Grant him, we pray thee,

Both wisdom and might,

To crush this rebellion

And put Treason to flight,

Grant each day may add laurels

To his bright wreath of fame,

And Grant, in the future,

Be a world-renowned name.

And they hinted at ever-present alarms: Many threats have been made about burning our houses over our devoted heads; but Waterford is still standing.

Although The Waterford News primarily paints a picture of village life against the backdrop of the wider war, copies of the little paper surfaced far afield. News of the News reportedly spread all the way to New York, winning the admiration of Tribune editor Horace Greeley. A Federal regiment from Maryland sent the first two issues to the president.

The papers were evidently popular with Union troops, says Waterford historian Bronwen Souders. We dont know where they all went. Almost all of them have vanished.

Selling The Waterford News for the princely sum of 10 cents a copy, the editors sent the proceeds to the United States Sanitary Commission for use in aiding wounded Union soldiers. By the end of June, some sources reported the editors had raised more than $1,000.

We must return our most sincere thanks for the many complimentary notices of our little sheet, which our more experienced Brother Editors have given us, Sarah, Lizzie and Lida wrote in August 1864. Notably, they had received rave reviews from The Virginia State Journal, a Republican paper in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, and The Bucks County Intelligencer.

The August edition reported an Independence Day raid on Point of Rocks by Mosby himself, the spoils of which included $14 that had been mailed from a Union regiment to Point of Rocks for subscriptions to The Waterford News.

Undaunted, the Waterford women got bolder, weighing in on a hot summer debate: Republicans wanted to let soldiers vote by absentee ballot in the upcoming election; Democrats, who fearedcorrectlythe military vote would tip the election in Lincolns favor, did not.

Guess which side The Waterford News chose?

Who is it dont want the Soldiers to vote? the editors demanded. What stay-at-home man, with any feelings of honor, can raise one finger against the rights of Soldiers?.They know what a Government is worth, for they know how much it costs to rebuild the one torn down by the hands of traitors; and therefore they would be the ones to help choose a good manone who will not undo all that has been done. Even now, its difficult to argue with that logic.

People in Waterford were surprisingly literate and well-educated, John Souders says. Sarah had been educated in Philadelphia and Lizzie taught school. There was a very active literary society in town that might have been founded by the Duttons mother. They had an interest in politics and womens rights.

And even though the editors of The Waterford News could not have voted even if Virginia were still part of the Union, the coming election is the general subject of thought and conversation, they observed in October. Although we, owing to our inexperience, are not able to speak upon the subject as we would likestill we have some ideas of our own, and we watch the progress of affairs with as anxious hearts as possible.

They sized up the presidential race rather concisely: Once we loved McClellan; we always had the faculty of loving every one in command until he was tried and found wantingyet when he turned against the administration, accepted the ticket for Presidency, although he repudiated the Peace Platform, to please the soldiers and obtain their votes; when he opposed the good that has been done and would give the South all the rights she claims, the true people and soldiers turned from their former lovewe hope that our friends and readers will take care and at the coming election cast their votes for the one whom we are sure is with the right party and stands upon the right Platform.

With Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridans successes in the Shenandoah Valley, Waterfords fortunes seemed to be turning. We feel inspired with new life and courage, after the long dreary days of the summer, the editors reported. Already we feel that the dawn of a brighter day is upon us.

There was even more to celebrate in November. Many hearts were gladdened by the tidings of the election; the long days of suspense are ended; and we have been the grateful recipients of the good news, that our noble President has been re-elected, and the world shown that our people are true and united in their love for and maintainance [sic] of the laws of a republican Government, The Waterford News declared.

By January 1865, most Rebel forces left in Loudoun County had retreated to the countys southern region. But Sheridans efforts the previous fall to smoke out Mosbys lingering partisans, dubbed the The Burning, had left much of northern Loudoun scorched. Nonetheless, with Union troops attached to Sheridan headquartered in nearby Lovettsville, Waterford now enjoyed something of a respite. Residents found time for socializingThere has been quite an announcement of enjoyment this season amongst the younger members of the community, in having social gatherings, with Original Tableaux and Charades, the News reported.

The editors also felt compelled, in the aftermath of the raid, to draw attention to a social ill. Since the breaking out of this wicked rebellion, much additional trouble has been caused by the intemperate use of ardent spirits, they reported. We have long been of the opinion that the manufacture of liquor should have been stopped in our County. But since the burning of so much grain and the probable want of bread, we think the subject demands the prompt attention of our military authorities.

Publication lapsed until April, and in the meantime Union forces had left Lovettsville. Mosby pounced on this opportunity. Since the departure of General Devinwe have been constantly annoyed by Mosbys band of guerrillas, who are conscripting, impressing corn, bacon, &c., &c., and all the teams in the neighborhood, the News reported. Anything remaining after The Burning became the prey of Mosbys menincluding teenage boys, who were seized and conscripted into the Confederate forces.

But spring had brought good news: Just as we go to press, the joyful news arrives that Richmond is ours; That the Old Flag again waves over the F.F.Vs. [First Families of Virginia].

Six days after publication of the April edition of The Waterford News, General Robert E. Lee surrendered. The storm was over. Waterford residents and the rest of the tattered nation set out to clean up the mess and move on.

Lida Dutton prepared to marry a young officer from New York who had passed through Waterford a time or two while chasing Rebels. Sarah Steer became the first teacher at Waterfords new school for black children. Lizzie Dutton remained in Waterford several years, but eventually married a Union veteran from Indiana. And The Waterford News disappeared, until Lidas daughter found her mothers collection. But after that splash in the 1920s, it was forgotten againuntil the issues from the Lincoln papers appeared.

Five more editions of The Waterford News finally surfaced in the papers of Anne Osler Herring, a descendant of the Steer family, but the last issue remained a mystery until 1998, when a copy was found scattered in two locations.

The Souderses and another local historian, Taylor M. Chamberlin, quickly gathered the copies and produced an annotated collection for the Waterford Foundation so that The Waterford News wouldnt be lost again. Today, sales of the booklet help fund historic preservation projects in the village.

Lizzie, Lida and Sarah would no doubt approve.

Tamela Baker is editor of Americas Civil War. Copies of The Waterford News are available from the Waterford Foundation. Visit the Web site at waterfordfoundation.org
Captain David Perry of the 1st Cavalry anxiously waited for the first rays of sunshine to spill over the foothills into White Bird Canyon so he could better see the terrain on which his troops might have to fight. His civilian guide, Ad Chapman, had assured him the valley floor was smooth enough for the cavalry to operate on.

Perry, however, had neither the U.S. Armys finest horsemen nor top skirmishers; many were troopers who passed the day doing odd jobs or construction work at Fort Lapwai in northern Idaho Territory. The Nez Perce warriors camped somewhere in White Bird Canyon were expert riders, and their hunting skills made them superior adversaries. Still, Perry was relatively confident. With any luck, he hoped, there would be no fighting and the Nez Perces responsible for killing settlers (at least 18 had been killed) would peacefully give up.

As the sun rose and Perry got a glimpse of the land below his position, he ordered his 99 troopers and nearly a dozen volunteers to saddle up and advance down the hill. A few miles away, Nez Perce warriorsat least 50 and possibly as many as 140patiently waited for the troopers. They planned to talk first, but fight if attacked. To show their good intentions, six braves were chosen to carry a white flag.

It was ironic, in a way, that soldiers and Nez Perce warriors would even find themselves in such a predicament on the morning of June 17, 1877. For many years the Nez Perce people had been good friends with both settlers and the U.S. Army, serving as scouts with Army units during several Indian wars. They had given up much of their land to the U.S. government in a treaty completed in the mid-1850s and then some more in an 1863 treaty. A good number of the Nez Perces had become Christians, living on the Presbyterian-controlled reservation at Lapwai. Some, however, had much earlier embraced the Dreamer religion and refused to follow the white mans ways or adopt his faith. The Dreamers believed that one day the white man would be driven away forever, and all Indians, both living and dead, would reside together in a heavenlike world.

The Nez Perce Dreamers continually visited their relatives at Lapwai, and there, before reservation officials, they argued that since the white man was not going to be around much longer, why listen to his rules. Many whites thought of the Dreamers as malcontents and troublemakers.

One Dreamer was Old Chief Joseph, whose tribe lived in northeastern Oregons Wallowa Valley much of the year. He steadfastly refused to deal away his land or live on the Lapwai Reservation. Old Chief Joseph died in 1871, but his son, Chief Joseph, continued to hold onto the Wallowa. Miners and ranchers streaming into the region, however, made life between the Indians and the pioneers very difficult. Incidents occurred between the two peoples, giving U.S. government officials reason to fear that it was only a matter of time before a major event would ignite a war.

Consequently, President Rutherford B. Hayes administration moved decisively. Brigadier General Oliver Otis Howard, in May 1877, ordered Joseph and four other chiefs to pack up their clans and move onto the Lapwai Reservation. The non-Christian Nez Perces did not like the decree, but they were acutely aware that struggling against the U.S. Army was foolish. All the Dreamer Nez Perces seemed to resign themselves to the inevitable except for the elderly Chief Toohoolhoolzote, who put up such a fuss that Howard felt compelled to jail him.

In early June, the Dreamer bands congregated at Rocky Canyon, a Nez Perce gathering spot south of Grangeville, where a grand council was held. The 10-day assembly allowed those with grievances against the white man to speak up. The finale of the affair was a cavalcade in which warriors defiantly paraded through the village. On that particular day, June 13, 1877, two young men, members of Chief White Birds band, rode tandem at the end of the procession, a ritual place of honor.

One of the braves was Wahlitits, a mild-mannered and popular man who liked to swim the Salmon River in winter and run long distances. Accompanying him was his cousin, Sarpsis Ilppilp. As their horse strode past a tepee, the animal stepped on a blanket covered with drying kouse roots. Quickly an old man leaped out at them. See what you do? he yelled, directing his tirade at Wahlitits. Playing brave you ride over my womans hard-worked food! If you are so brave, why dont you go kill the white man who killed your father? Stunned out of his bravado, Wahlitits told the old man that he would regret his words and rode off. That night, Wahlitits wept, recalling the murder of his father, Eagle Robe.

Eagle Robe had owned acreage near White Bird Canyon and gave some of it to a miner named Larry Ott. When Ott tried to stake more land, an argument ensued and Eagle Robe was gunned down. In his dying words, he instructed Wahlitits not to seek revenge, and the young brave reluctantly complied. But now Wahlitits told his cousin it was time to show the rest of White Birds people what true warriors they were. The pair plus Wahlitits 17-year- old nephew, Swan Necklace, rode into the canyon looking for Ott.

The warriors first stopped at J.J. Manuels home, where they sharpened their knives and exchanged friendly words with the white settler. Next they tried trading a horse for a rifle at Harry Masons store. Mason, who had once whipped two Nez Perce braves, warily kept a gun handy until the three Indians left. The warriors made their way to Otts cabin, but Ott evidently had been tipped off about Wahlitits presence in the area and had escaped.

The trio decided to head for the cabin of Richard Devine, an ex-sailor who lived along Slate Creek. Notorious for his hatred of Indians, Devine had once shot a Nez Perce woman over the trivial matter of a horse trespassing on his property. They surprised the old man in his cabin after dark and shot him with his own gun.

The next morning, June 14, the warriors arrived at the ranch of Henry Elfers, another white man deemed unfriendly, and placed themselves along a trail that led to his fields. During a half-hour period, they picked off Elfers and two laborers. Elfers wife, Catherine, who was churning butter on the banks of John Day Creek, was unaware of the ambushes. The three Indians ransacked the house, took several horses and fled. Some miners and farmers in the area heard the shooting and converged on the Elfers ranch, where they found the three bodies. Word about the killings quickly spread, but Wahlitits and his companions were moving much faster.

Near the mouth of White Bird Creek, the hostiles encountered Samuel Benedict, a local rancher out looking for some of his livestock. Ilppilp quickly recognized Benedict as the man who had wounded him months earlier during a disagreement. The brave shot Benedict off his horse. Playing dead, Benedict fooled his assailants and, after the three warriors left to tell their people what they had done, managed to reach his home.

Benedicts wife, Isabella, saw her wounded husband riding up to the ranch house later that morning and ran outside to help him. She could see that he had been shot through the legs and that the pain was unbearable. Not long afterward, Mrs. Benedict saw Nez Perce renegades approachingthe trio had been joined by more than a dozen other warriorsand warned her husband and a friend, August Bacon. Benedict ordered his wife and children to run for a neighbors home, but gunfire drove them back.

Meanwhile, Bacon was gunned down at the front door, ending his brief stand. Isabella entered the living room and saw Bacons body in the doorway. She glanced out a window and saw her husband trying to crawl across a bridge over White Bird Creek. One accurate bullet sent him tumbling into the water, and his body floated out of Isabellas view. She and her children hurried outside into the brush, where they watched the Indians ransack the house.

The raiders, all but one of whom were from White Birds band, roamed up to the camass-covered prairie near Grangeville and raided a freight wagon, confiscating a large load of alcohol. They also attacked some settlers heading for safety in nearby Mount Idaho and, in a drunken state, killed and wounded several, including a young boy.

Arthur Chapman lived near Mount Idaho and was married to a Nez Perce woman. As a young man, he had been a messenger during Oregons Rogue River War and later ran a ferry service across the Salmon; the latter profession earned him the nickname Ad, short for admiral. Soon after the first killings, Chief Looking Glass rode to Chapmans ranch to inform his old friend. Chapman then brought the news to the settlers in Mount Idaho, and a messenger was sent to Fort Lapwai with an urgent plea for help. Frightened settlers throughout the region gathered behind a stockade on Slate Creek, at Grange Hall in Grangeville, and also at Mount Idaho.

General O.O. Howard had docked at Lewiston on the morning of June 14 following his voyage from Fort Vancouver. He anticipated a smooth transition of the non-Christian Nez Perces onto the reservation, but his presence at Lapwai seemed to be a good idea just in case something went wrong. The West Point graduate had lost his right arm at the Battle of Fair Oaks in 1862 but later led the Union right wing during Maj. Gen. William Shermans march through Georgia. After the war, Howard served as head of the Freedmens Bureau, where he was investigated for alleged corruption. Although he was vindicated, the controversy had tarnished Howards career. Now that he was out West, however, he was far away from those who sought his head.

From the moment he arrived at Fort Lapwai, Howard received reports about the whereabouts of the Dreamer Nez Perces, but it wasnt until the evening of June 15 that he got word of the killings. He quickly dispatched Captain Perry, the commanding officer at the fort, and a force of 99 troopers from 1st Cavalry Companies F and H, barely one-third of whom had previous combat experience with Indians.

Perry was a veteran combat officer, having served in the Civil War and the Modoc Indian campaign. He had been wounded against the Modocs in 1873, but his experience in the brief war left him confident in his ability to defeat hostile natives. He was known among his troops as a good officer, a little flamboyant, but still someone totally capable of leading men into battle. As Perry led his command away from Fort Lapwai, Howard wished him well and added: You must not get whipped. The captain pivoted in his saddle and looked at Howard. There is no danger of that, sir, he replied, and the troopers followed their 36-year-old leader south toward Grangeville, about 24 hours away.

First Sergeant Michael McCarthy was not nearly so confident. He was among the soldiers concerned because many of his comrades had had very little instruction in the use of guns and horses. Most were employed on extra duty as carpenters, blacksmiths, clerks and officers servants. Those men and women remaining at Fort Lapwai were just as concerned as they watched the troops ride off in search of the Nez Perce troublemakers. I hope and pray, Emily Fitzgerald wrote to her mother, it wont be another Modoc War.

Howard likely thought the violence was the work of many non-Christian Nez Perces. He was unaware that the instigators were members of White Birds band only. The other bands had accepted their fate. Looking Glass people had for many years lived in the Lapwai area, and Josephs clan was ready to live with their Christian brothers. Howard feared that the violence would spawn an even bigger Indian uprising, so as a precaution, he sent the women of Fort Lapwai to Lewiston and ordered up troops from Fort Walla Walla, in southeastern Washington, and from the Wallowa Valley.

Meanwhile, Perrys column slowly moved south toward Grangeville. Periodically, the troops had to stop and let the pack train catch up, but still, they were making relatively good time. On the afternoon of June 16, Perry encountered Ad Chapman and a group of volunteers several miles northwest of Grangeville, and the civilians escorted the soldiers to Mount Idaho.

Once there, Perry realized the mood among the residents called for action. This put him in a politically precarious situation. His orders were to stop and contain the Nez Perce troublemakers until two companies of cavalry from the Wallowa Valley and one infantry company from Fort Walla Walla arrived. He was also to protect the town folk and send Christian Nez Perce scouts to talk to Chiefs Joseph and White Bird. Perry hoped the scouts would persuade the chiefs to surrender those warriors who had committed the crimes.

Chapman believed the Nez Perces would try to leave the region before the soldiers had time to round them up. Other citizens agreed, and they urged Perry to attack. The captain quickly weighed his options and decided that, if he didnt strike the hostiles and they escaped, he would be subject to local criticism.

Perrys command left town shortly after 10 p.m. and marched toward the summit above White Bird Canyon, where Perry could size up the situation. Upon reaching the crest of White Bird Hill around midnight, the soldiers dismounted and tried to relax. One trooper, too keyed up to sleep, was lighting his pipe when he heard a howl. Although few noticed it at the time, the howl finished on an unusually high note, very unlike a coyote.

Back at Fort Lapwai, Howard was catching a bit of sleep, but at about the moment Perry was reaching White Bird Hill, Howard was jarred awake. He hurried to the front porch and saw a large Indian woman hysterically yelling about the fate of Perrys command. The Indians had fixed a trap, she cried. All our troops had run straight into it. They had come up on every side, and killed all the soldiers and all the scouts, including the friendly Indians. Howard dismissed the incident as the ravings of a scared woman whose Indian scout husband was among Perrys troopers.

The Nez Perce encampment was four miles away from where Perry camped, and as soon as the soldiers dismounted, a warrior reported to his people that the bluecoats had arrived. The Indians had actually been following the soldiers movements since Perrys force left Fort Lapwai. Scouts had observed the troops and signaled their progress by torching dried haystacks on deserted ranches. The Dreamers believed there was still a chance for peace, but Joseph, his warrior-brother Ollokot and the other leaders realized that war would likely be thrust upon them. They planned for either event as dawn approached.

The six braves chosen to carry a white flag of truce waited behind a knoll while 50 braves under Ollokot hid behind a loaf-shaped butte on the west side of the canyon. Sixteen others positioned themselves behind some knolls, ready to hit Perrys flank if the peace parley failed. All were stripped for combat, but a good many Nez Perce warriors were left in the camp, too drunk or hung over to do battle.

Perry, too, had plans for peace and war. He ordered his troops to remove their overcoats and load their carbines. Perry distributed his troops and volunteers over a line stretching almost 200 yards. The advance guards were told to report any sign of the Indians and to hold their fire unless attacked.

The march had no sooner begun when the soldiers discovered a young woman and her daughter hiding in the brush. It was Isabella Benedict. She told Perry about the attack on her ranch and the killings of her husband and his friend. The soldiers dug into their packs and gave her food. Trumpeter Johnny Jones was first to donate his lunch to the grateful woman. Jones was a popular young trooper, but he could, on occasion, drink too much and cause minor mischief. He had recently been released from the stockade, where he shared a cell with the uncooperative warrior Toohoolhoolzote. The imprisoned pair had become so chummy during their confinement that Jones bragged he never would have to worry about his safety during an Indian war. He believed he would never be shot. Mrs. Benedict and her daughter accompanied the troops back into the canyon.

At the head of this procession were eight troopers under Lieutenant Edward Theller, on loan to Fort Lapwai from the 21st Infantry. Theller was a bit of an enigma. A native of Vermont, the 44-year-old lieutenant had once served as a captain in the California Volunteers, seeing duty at several small outposts. He fought Apaches after the Civil War and joined the Regular Army in 1867, serving in the Modoc campaign. He and his wife, Delia, were known for their fine social gatherings, but if there were any criticisms of the officer, they centered on his stability and judgment. Rumors had circulated at Fort Lapwai about Thellers betting, and losing, on horse races in Lewiston. Some of the gossip went so far as to say Theller was so deeply in debt that his collectors wanted his hide if they could not get their money. This, people at the fort agreed, was why Theller volunteered to accompany Perrys troops.

Traveling about 100 yards ahead of Perry and the main body, Thellers advance guard was to report immediately the first sign of Indians. Watching the armys slow descent into the canyon were the Nez Perce warriors, who only lost sight of the bluecoats when the soldiers periodically disappeared into the numerous ravines that intersected the canyon. It was not a cat-and-mouse confrontation. Each side knew that the other was there. It was a collision waiting to happen.

As Thellers troops neared the Indian camp, he sent word back to Perry. The Indians are in sight, was the simple, unexcited message, but it was enticing enough for Chapman to gallop forward and take a look for himself. As Chapman neared Thellers position, the six flag-carrying Indians rode out from behind a knoll. It startled Chapman. He immediately fired two shots at them and retreated.

To the Nez Perces, it was a disappointing reaction. Chapman was a friend of Looking Glass. If he did not understand their desire for peace, no white man among the invaders would. The chiefs had hoped to talk peace with one of the Christian Nez Perce scouts so that war could have been avoided. Now it was too late.

The troops, riding in columns of fours, went into action. Perry could see that the Indians werestretched out in an irregular line, although they appeared mostly as heads popping up and down from behind rocks and weeds. Perrys Company F galloped forward, but the captains attention was quickly turned to his left flank, where warriors were crossing White Bird Creek. Perry directed the civilians toward a knoll, so that they could hold off the flanking movement while his company charged ahead to help Theller.

Captain J.G. Trimble, seeing Perrys movement, led his Company H to Perrys right, a move some historians have criticized, since it left Perry with no reserves to protect a retreat if one was needed. If Trimbles maneuver was an error, it was an unnatural mistake. Born in 1832, Trimble had left Kenyon College in Ohio for the California Gold Rush. He fought in the Rogue River War and the Yakima War before joining the Pony Express. During the Civil War, he saw action in the Seven Days campaign and at Gettysburg. He also fought against Captain Jacks Modoc renegades in 1873. His combat experience and fine horsemanship made Trimble a good man to have in battle.

The first casualty of the fight was trumpeter Jones, the young man who believed he was totally safe from Nez Perce rifles. He had no sooner placed his instrument to his lips than a bullet tore into him. The mortally wounded Jones fell from his saddle, and Theller was without his prime means of communicating with his troops.

Perry still had his trumpeter, but the man had apparently lost his trumpet somewhere on the trail. Without bugles, the officers had a difficult job of transmitting orders to their men. The Nez Perces did not need such means of dispatching battle commands. Unlike the trained white soldier who is guided by the bugle call, one warrior later noted, the Indian goes into battle on his minds own guidance.

Trimbles men attempted to fight from their saddles, but the sounds of battle were new to their horses, and the animals became unnerved. Many of the men dismounted and formed a defensive line, but because of their skittish mounts, more horse holders than usual were needed.

Skirmish lines on both sides quickly developed. Thellers men from Company F doggedly held on to their piece of turf, keeping the Nez Perce warriors from charging into the center of the Army line. Trimbles company fought off Ollokots flanking movement on the right, but Perrys left flank was not so lucky. Although the civilians held the high ground, two of them were wounded, and their line fell apart. The volunteers mounted, and a stampede began. Indians quickly took advantage of the situation and captured the evacuated knoll.

From that moment, Perry was in serious trouble. His Company F was now in a deadly cross-fire, and the troubled captain realized there was no way his men could retake the knoll that the civilians had lost. With no trumpet available to sound recall, Perry screamed at the men holding the center of his line to retreat to the next ridge behind them. Word was passed to each trooper, and while this movement began, Perry rode to see Trimble, whose men held high ground on the right.

Trimble had also lost his trumpeter, but since he had many experienced troops, he was having success in holding off the warriors. Perry told Trimble to hold the line as long as possible and then move back to higher and more easily protected terrain. Suddenly, Perry saw the left of his line collapse. Troopers, many new to combat, ran for their horses, and Perry rode to head them off. Thellers men and the right side of Perrys line saw the hysteria to their left and they, too, panicked and ran. Finally, Trimbles seasoned Company H joined in the confusion. Chief Joseph saw the situation developing in front of him and hoped to capitalize on it. He led his warriors after Trimbles troops, trying to cut them off.

Perry finally slowed the troops down so they could at least cover one another while they slowly retreated northward. He noticed one squad holding a bluff, and he decided to head the troops in that direction so that they might make a better stand. Perry ordered Sergeant McCarthy and six men to hold a rocky point while the rest of the soldiers made for the bluff.

McCarthy and his squad engaged the Indians in hand-to-hand combat before they mounted and fled. Two of the soldiers were shot, and a bullet cut down McCarthys horse. McCarthy grabbed another mount, but it, too, was shot. Finding himself alone, the sergeant scrambled into the brush, managing to hide everything except for his boots. Realizing his boots were sticking out of the thicket and it was too late to tuck them in, he crawled out of them and wriggled deeper into the underbrush. McCarthy was not discovered by the Indians, and he later received the Medal of Honor.

Although the bulk of the troops were heading out of the canyon, some were left in isolated pockets. Yellow Wolf, a nephew of Chief Joseph, led some warriors to a rocky spot where five troopers had dismounted. The Indians swarmed over the position. Yellow Wolf jumped one of the soldiers and grabbed his gun while another warrior shot and killed the man from behind.

Yellow Wolf then slid down a bank and found himself in front of another trooper, who was on one knee, aiming his gun at the young warrior. The bullet missed, and Yellow Wolf lunged at the trooper. As Yellow Wolf took the gun away, another Nez Perce shot the soldier. A third trooper was bashed in the head with a rock, and the remaining two were also killed.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant William Parnell gathered about 14 men and found a path out of the canyon. Parnell was an Irish-born immigrant, 41 years old, and a veteran of the British army. He had ridden with the Light Brigade at Balaclava during the Crimean War and had fought in several major battles as a member of the Army of the Potomac. His poise gave Perrys withdrawal a semblance of order.

Theller and 18 men tried to find a route out of the canyon that would enable them to rendezvous with Perrys force. As fate would have it, they took a path into a cul-de-sac and were trapped. There they made a determined stand, but each man was picked off, and soon all were dead.

Perry, Trimble and Parnell continued their retreat, with their forces too far apart to assist each other. The officers led their men to the plain above the canyon and again united their commands, along with the civilians, into one force. They started for Mount Idaho, 18 miles away, and the soldiers engaged in a running battle with the Nez Perces until they reached an abandoned ranch about three miles from White Bird Canyon. The troopers dismounted and took cover around the house and barn.

The Nez Perces were upon them almost immediately, firing from rocky positions above the ranch. Parnell saw Indians trying to drive off the soldiers horses and he reported the situation to Perry. The captain was in a state of confusion, however. At first he thought the troops could hold out until night, when the Indians would likely break off the attack, but Parnell quickly brought him back to reality: Do you know that it is 7 oclock in the morningthat we have been fighting nearly four hours and have but a few rounds per man left?

Perry now realized that his men must continue to Mount Idaho. When the troops moved out, the Nez Perces gave chase. Parnell organized enough men to cover the retreat, firing volleys at the Indians at regular intervals. Chief White Bird bypassed Parnells moving skirmish line and attempted to force Perrys men into a rugged canyon along their route, but the soldiers drove the Nez Perces off. The troops finally reached safety four miles from Mount Idaho when civilians came out to help. The Indians broke off their attack and rode back to White Bird Canyon to strip the dead soldiers of their belongings.

Word of Perrys disaster reached Howard several hours later. The stunned one-armed general realized that there was no turning back for the Nez Perces. This was war. He requested additional troops, fearing the Nez Perce Dreamers would likely be joined by other Indians in a general uprising. Panic set in among the citizens of Idaho and Montana territories. Within four days, troops arrived from nearby outposts, and more would show up in the days to come from as far away as Atlanta, Ga. The uprising never materialized, of course, but the Battle of White Bird Canyon was the beginning of the Nez Perce War, one of the U.S. Armys most frustrating Indian wars. Chasing Chief Joseph and the other non-Christian Nez Perce clans proved to be no routine task. In the end, which didnt come until October 5 at Montana Territorys Bear Paw (or Bears Paw) battle site, Chief Joseph surrendered to Colonel Nelson A. Miles, but Chief White Bird and other Dreamers disappeared during the night and traveled the 40 miles to reach Canada.

The Battle of White Bird Canyon was a U.S. military fiasco that Perry said wasscarcely exceeded by the magnitude of the Custer Massacre in proportion to the numbers engaged. On the Army side, 34 men had died; on the Indian side, nobody was killed and only three warriors were wounded. Perry, to his credit, had kept his troops from being annihilated, but unlike Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, Perry had to live with his defeat and an Indian war that could have been prevented.

This article was written by Dave Ballard and originally appeared in the February 2001 issue of Wild West.

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Our government is founded upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man-Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens

In December 2010, America marked a unique and largely embarrassing anniversary: 150 years ago a group of South Carolina politicians called a convention of the people and voted themselves out of the Union. Within weeks, six more states in the Deep South joined them and the United States was brought to the brink of war. The secessionist states hazarded all: their own future and that of their children and their childrens children; slavery itself, on which the bulk of their wealth depended; and the fourth largest economy in the world.

Jefferson Davis and other Confederate leaders cast secession as a wholly constitutional move designed simply to restore government to what the Founding Fathers had in mind. Davis would enshrine that version of the Souths motives in his postwar memoirs and it became a staple of the mythology of the Lost Cause. The goal of secession was merely to protect the rights of sovereign states from tremendous and sweeping usurpation by the federal government, Davis wrote. The existence of African servitude was in no wise the cause of the conflict, but only an incident. All too many historians fell for the pitch. In doing so they lost sight of the true nature of what the Confederates attempted to do: build a modern antidemocratic nation dedicated to the proposition that all men were not created equal. There can be no doubt about their intentions. What they wanted was a proslavery country.

If Confederates really started out to make a new nation, not restore an old one, there was also little reliable about their claim that the states had a guaranteed right under the U.S. Constitution to peacefully secedea right, it is worth noting, that they did not extend to states in the Confederate Constitution. As Jefferson Davis knew all too well, secession was tantamount to a declaration of war.

In March 1861, the Vice President of the Confederate States of America, Alexander Stephens, offered a political manifesto for the slaveholders new republic. The original American republic rested upon the assumption of the equality of the races, Stephens explained. But our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas: its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery is his natural condition. This, our new government, is the first in the history of the world based upon this great truth.

When representatives of the new nation sat down in Montgomery, Ala., to write their constitution, proslavery proposals were rendered concrete. They purged the document of euphemisms adopted in the original U.S. Constitution, brazenly using the term slaves instead of other persons and binding the Congress and the territorial governments to recognize and protect the institution of negro slavery. They also guaranteed citizens the right of sojourn and transit in any state and territory with their slaves and other property. The centerpiece of the Confederate Constitutionthe clause that upends any attempt to cast it as simply a copy of the U.S. Constitutionwas a wholly new clause, which eliminated any opportunity for the new government ever to change the law of slavery. No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law denying or impairing the right of property in negro slaves shall be passed.

The power to define citizens fell to the individual states in their sovereign capacity and they embraced the task with energy. Most defined citizenship as the right to vote and limited that right to white men born or naturalized in the U.S. before 1860. Alabama went further by allowing all white male residents, including foreign nationals, to vote. Let there be but two classes of persons herethe white and the blackkeep all the white men politically equalthe superior racelet the negro be subordinate and our government will be strong and our liberties secure.

Secession was the Souths big gamble. Proslavery Southerners could have played a wait-and-see game, as many unionists advised. But for those mostly Deep South Southerners who orchestrated secession in the fall of 1860 and winter of 1861, the election of Abraham Lincoln presented a risky but desperately sought opportunity to bring the crisis of slavery to a head. They went all in.

With war came the reckoning. The Souths proslavery and antidemocratic experiment was tested at every point, not just by the enemy armies arrayed against them but by the very peoplethe slaves and the white womenwho the Confederate founders had counted out. Indeed one of the most compelling parts of the Civil War story, and perhaps the least well understood, was the way Confederates vision of the political future was triedand found wantingby its own people in the war. The Confederate project faced a political as well as a military testing.

It could hardly have been otherwise. The new nation was built on a very slim basis of democratic consent: Of the roughly 10 million people who lived in the Confederate States of America at the beginning of the war, 3.5 million were enslaved and disenfranchised and another 3 million, white women, had none of the political rights of their male counterparts. Only about 1.2 million peoplethe total number of adult white males qualified to votehad ever been consulted about the wisdom of secession and willingness to risk war. That is what politicians meant when they talked of the consent of the people. But that vision of the people proved utterly inadequate to the nation-building project Confederates launched in 1861, as the chrysalis state confronted and attempted to surmount the structural problems of a slave regime at war. In attempting to escape history, Confederates had lowered themselves into its most dangerous currents.

War immeasurably upped the ante in the white mans new republic. As the new Confederate government turned to its white citizens to support and defend the bid for national independence, it faced the necessity of building support among those whose consent for war had never been solicited. Then began a relentless process in which government officials and military men all the way up the chain of command scrambled to execute policies designed to build a state and wage war, while preserving slavery and feeding and protecting a civilian population of women increasingly denied the support of their men. There would be far more of the people to contend with in the making of history in the Civil War South than the Confederate founders bargained on.

Chief among the problems that reared up in the context of war was the way the institution of slavery limited the power of the federal government itself and compromised its sovereignty. As Jefferson Davis once said, slavery was a form of government for those not fit to govern themselves: Slavery was the slaves state, and masters the authority to which they owed allegiance. In other words, slaves were beyond the reach of the state; the government could access them only as the property of their masters. A state that could not claim the allegiance of a big segment of the adult male population faced inherent dangers, ones that were exacerbated by war.

At one level the problem was obvious: The Confederacys population of 10 million was dwarfed by the Unions 22 million and, in addition, 40 percent of the adult men were enslaved and not available for military service. By 1862, as a result, the Confederacy was driven to take drastic measures by instituting widespread conscription. When all was said and done, Confederate armies enlisted a staggering 75 to 85 percent of the white military age male population. To say it stressed the limits of popular support for war is an understatement. When combined with exceptions the government was forced to make for slaveholdersincluding the exemption of one white man for every 20 negroes on a plantation and the decision to allow the purchase of substitutesconscription quickly raised cries of rich mans war, poor mans fight.

The social and political impact on the home front can hardly be exaggerated. This was an agrarian society, whole regions of it populated by yeoman and poor white families. There had never been any expectation that women could make subsistence on those farms without the labor of men. And they could not. By 1863, with husbands and sons in the war and the countryside stripped of men, the food crisis in the Confederacy reached starvation proportions. At that point it also turned into a political and policy crisis, provoked by women who mobilized to insist on the fulfillment of promises made to them by government officials when they took their men. This politics of subsistence, and the new political class of soldiers wives who made it, was one entirely unanticipated element of the Confederate reckoning war had wrought.

In the spring of 1863, soldiers wives took direct action in a wave of spectacular food riots. Mobs of womennumbering from a dozen to more than 300 and armed with navy revolvers, pistols, repeaters, bowie knives and hatchetscarried out at least 12 violent attacks on stores, government warehouses, army convoys, railroad depots, saltworks and granaries. The attacks occurred in broad daylight, and were all perpetrated in the space of one month, between the middle of March and the middle of April 1863. It was truly a Confederate spring of soldiers wives discontent.

That wave of riots had a measurable impact on Confederate war policy, forcing revisions of conscription and tax policy. It also prompted the development of a massive welfare program by the states that, in allocating scarce funds and foodstuffs to the relief of soldiers wives and children, dwarfed anything undertaken in the North. In the heart of Confederate national territory, the mass of Southern women had emerged as formidable adversaries of the government in the long struggle over its military policies. By insisting that the state live up to its promises to protect and support them, even taking up arms to do so, these poor white women, who had never participated in politics before, stepped decisively into the making of history.

If the political assertiveness of poor white Southern women did not bring down the Confederacy, it did represent a powerful challenge to the Confederate vision of the people and the republic and speaks directly to the pressures and ruptures of war in a slave society. Any state that took their men would ultimately have to answer to them.

The reckoning with Confederate slaves was even more direct and consequential. At the birth of the republic Thomas Jefferson had warned that slavery destroyed slaves love of country and made them allies of any foreign power that sanctioned their emancipation. Slavery, he predicted, turned slaves into enemies and nurtured traitors at the American breast. Secessionists seemed heedless of the dangers. They gave no thought to what slaves would do, discounted entirely the matter of slaves allegiance. But moving decisively to grasp the opening history offered, slaves made their loyalty and allegiance count and created a significant problem of treason in the Confederacy.

The problem was evident first to masters on plantations, who, as early as January 1861, found evidence of sedition: powder and guns in slave quarters, insurrectionary plots and networks of slave communication providing valuable intelligence to the enemy. These slave activities had crucial consequences not just for owners, but for the Confederate government and military as well. Confederate politicians had begun the war boasting of slavery as an element of strength. But when they demanded the labor of male slaves to support the wara policy called impressmentthe government and military soon found themselves in a losing conflict with slaveowners unwilling to surrender valuable property. Even greater resistance came from slaves themselves. An engineer in charge of building defensive works in northern Virginia said slaves refused to do labor that will thwart the Federals, who they look upon as fighting for their freedom.

The mix of compromised state sovereignty and slaves resistance created intractable problems for military commanders. They knew that slaves posed a danger to their operations but could not pursue them as they would other persons caught providing aid and comfort to the enemy. The dilemma came to an official head early, in Pensacola Harbor in March 1862, when a Confederate officer initiated a court-martial of six slave men caught escaping to the enemy at Fort Pickens. The charges? Attempt to violate the 57th Article of Warholding correspondence with, or giving intelligence to, the enemy. Who ever heard of a negro slave being arraigned before a court martial for a violation of the Articles of War? their incredulous master railed. Who indeed? In charging slaves with treason, the officer posed profound questions about their political status and membership in the body politic. Did slaves owe allegiance to the state? Could they be traitors? Were they subject to military law?

Those questions reverberated all the way up the chain of command to the office of the secretary of war, but could not be resolved. Confederate commanders needed to be able to recognize slaves as traitors, if only to contain the damage they posed to the military. But how could that be adopted as official policy without profound damage to the status of slaves as property whose only allegiance was to their masters? If slaves were traitors, clearly they were no longer just slaves.

By a long circuitous route President Jefferson Davis and General Robert E. Lee eventually were forced to contend, as the Pensacola officer had, with the humanity of the slaves whose status as property they had seceded to secure. By 1864 and 1865 officials at the highest reaches of the Confederate government attempted to win slaves over to the causeeven considering emancipation to do sobecause they needed their military service. Incredible as it might seem, they wanted to enlist slaves as soldiers.

In a tightly controlled top-down way that included the public solicitation of General Lees approval of the plan, President Davis, Secretary of State Judah Benjamin and Virginia Governor William Smith struggledbut mostly failedto gain the support of the public and Congress for the use of slaves in the Confederate Army. In the last days of the war, two companies of black soldiers were raised and drilled on the streets of Richmond, but the Confederate Congress refused to the bitter end to condone the emancipation of any slave men who might serve.

The story of arming slaves and how Confederates arrived at that juncture is the most dramatic kind of reckoning they had brought on themselves. It is also one potent measure of the political incoherence their national project had come to by the end of the war. Davis and his Cabinet had been forced to do the unthinkable: undermine owners paramount claim to their slaves and move to enlist slave men to save the slaveholders republic. That episode does not suggest that Confederates chose independence over slavery, as so many insist; it is, rather, a profound indication of the structural problems faced by a slave regime at war. And it is the ultimate measure of what slaves wrought in Confederate political life.

The Confederate political project was undone by the very people who had been taken for ciphers in it. Military defeat was coupled with political failure. Given the proslavery and antidemocratic aspirations of the Confederate States of America, there was a certain justice in that. By April 1865, the Confederacy was in ruins. A nation founded in a risky bid to render slavery and the power of American slaveholders permanent had failed spectacularly, bringing down the most powerful slave regime left in the Western world.

As we approach the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, it is critical for us to go back to that moment in time when the Confederate experiment was launched and take a clear-eyed look at what they attempted to do. It is not enough to stop at abstract discussions about the constitutionality of secession. More troubling is the question of why secessionists insisted on exercising that claimed right. What kind of nation did they aspire to build? And what kind of country would have resulted had they been allowed to go peacefully or had they, somehow, succeeded in war?

Ironically, its unlikely that in December 1860 anyone North or South could have imagined a scenario in which, within four years, Southerners would face the total, immediate and uncompensated emancipation of 4 million slaves. Even as late as December 1862, Abraham Lincoln proposed an amendment that would have extended the life of the institution to 1900. But in seceding to secure the future of slavery, Southerners created arguably the only set of conditionswar-borne and state-sponsored emancipationunder which slavery could be totally and immediately destroyed as an institution in American life.

Had the Confederates succeededor had the war ceased with anything short of total defeat and un-negotiated surrenderAfrican-American Southerners would have faced generations more of enslavement, with all the horrific assaults on their personal safety, human rights and dignity that institution guaranteed. When we remember the war, and talk about its causes, we ought to remember that. And we should count ourselves lucky that we were spared the future the Confederate States of America promised.

Stephanie McCurry is the author of Confederate Reckoning: Power and Politics in the Civil War South.

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There were 350,000 working women in Massachusetts in 1911 when social reformers urged the state legislature to investigate the issue of low wages. Many women, especially those in the booming textile industry, earned between $5 and $7 a week for working more than 50 hours. The actual cost of living, however, was approximately $10 a week for a woman living on her own and $8 for a woman living at home. Reformers worried that women would be forced to work even longer hours or, worse, resort to prostitution. We pay in the most valuable asset society can havethe physical ruin of those girls who should be fit to be mothers of efficient American citizens, wrote wage proponent H. LaRue Brown. In 1912 Massachusetts passed the nations first minimum wage law, applicable only to women and children under 18, but it had little effect. It set no standard wage, instead establishing a panel to study complaints about low pay. Employers who paid wages inadequate to supply the necessary cost of living and to maintain the worker in health were reprimanded by having their names published in local newspapers. Fourteen other states and the District of Columbia enacted minimum wage laws over the next decade; a 1923 Supreme Court decision, Adkins v. Childrens Hospital, ruled the minimum wage unconstitutional. The court reversed its decision in 1937, and in 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act set a federal minimum wage at 25 cents an hour$11 for a 44-hour workweek.

In January 1912, the Massachusetts Commission on Minimum Wage Boards found that the weekly cost of living for a woman of average ability, initiative and intelligence was $10.60.

$3for rent and car fares

$4 for food

$.55 for laundry

$1.92 for clothing

$.42. for dental/medical care

$.54.. for recreation

$.10 for church

$.07.. for newspapers

Women led a massive textile workers strike in 1912 in Lawrence, Mass. 35 % of the citys residents worked in the mills, including 50 % of all children between 14 and 18

36 % of mill workers died before age 25, yet 52 % of all city wages were earned there
Out Hanover Street in Fredericksburg they marched that December morning in 1862, sprigs of green in their caps, a bright green battle flag, with gold harp and the ancient Gaelic words Riamh Nar dhruid O sbairn lan (Never retreat from the clash of spears) defiantly emblazoned on it, held high as shot and shell exploded all around in a blaze of red and orange. Ahead was an open plain and then two hills known as Maryes Heights, covered with Confederate artillery. At the base of the hills was a sunken road behind a stone wall.

Pausing to regroup behind a slight rise on the plain, they quickly dressed ranks and formed line of battle in brigade front. Then the commands rang out. Right shoulder, shift arms, battalion forward, guide center, march! They double-quicked across the plain toward the stone wall amid the seep of musketry and canister. The blue lines staggered and slowed as men fell like leaves in an autumn wind. Passing under the range of the artillery on the hills, they were suddenly met by a sheet of flame as the confederates behind the stone wall fired. A member of the 8th Ohio Infantry noted as they passed his unit that each man had a half-laughing, half-murderous look in his eye. They pass to our left, poor glorious fellows, shaking goodbye to us with their hats! They reach a point within a stones throw of the stone wall. No farther. They try to go beyond but are slaughtered. Nothing could advance farther and live.

That was the Irish Brigade in the Battle of Fredericksburg, paying with their lives for Burnsides tragic blunder. And for the only time in its short proud history the brigade had to retreat from the clash of spears, terribly shattered, having suffered 41.4 percent casualties in killed, wounded, and missing. As General Lee remarked after the war, Never were men so brave.

Organized in 1861 shortly after First Bull Run, the brigades nucleus was the 63d, 69th, and 88th New York Infantry. In the fall of 1862 the 28th Massachusetts and the 116th Pennsylvania were added, and the 29th Massachusetts served with it for a short time. It saw action in the Peninsular Campaign, at Antietam, Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Cedar Run, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg, in the 1st Division of the II Corps. Reorganized in November 1864, with the 7th New York Heavy Artillery replacing the 116th Pennsylvania, it was by then no longer the old organization and certainly could not be truthfully designated the Irish Brigade. It had suffered over 4,000 casualties in killed and wounded, a total which exceeded the number of men enrolled in it at any given time.

Of the five men who commanded the Irish Brigade, three were killed and the other two wounded. Colonel Richard Byrne was mortally wounded at Cold Harbor; Colonel Patrick Kelly was killed at Petersburg; Major General Thomas A. Smyth died at Farmville; and Brigadier Generals Robert Nugent and Thomas Meagher were both wounded.

The most colorful and flamboyant of its leaders was the original commander and organizer, General Thomas Francis Meagher. Born in County Waterford, Ireland in 1823, he was described as the counterpart of some rash, impolitic, poetic personage from Irish poetry or fiction. Son of a wealthy merchant, he was an active disciple of Irish liberty and participated in the various independence movements. In 1845 the British exiled him to Tasmania. Three years later he escaped and eventually made his way to New York City. At various times a lawyer, lecturer, newspaper editor, and politician, his flaming oratory had made him a favorite of the Young Ireland group and he soon became the political leader of the Irish element in New York. At the outbreak of the Civil War he raised a Zouave company and commanded it at First Bull Run as part of the 69th New York State Militia. That winter he organized the Irish Brigade and President Lincoln appointed him brigadier general of Volunteers in February 1862.

The officers and men of the Irish Brigade were among the most unusual in the Union Army. A surprisingly large number had combat experience in the papal Brigade of St. Patrick and Austrian and British services. Several won the Congressional Medal of Honor during the war. A single company contained seven lawyers as privates. Reporters George Townsend found Meaghers gold-bedecked staff to be fox huntersa class of Irish exquisitesgood for a fight, card party or a hurdle jumping  but entirely too Quixotic for the sober requirement of Yankee warfare.

In early December 1861 the New York regiments took up pleasant winter quarters at Camp California, near Alexandria, Virginia, where they were assigned to General Sumners division of the Army of the Potomac. Christmas was fondly remembered by those who survived the war. Little John Flaherty entertained on the violin while his father livened the festivities with Irish tunes played on the warpipes. The canteen, which hardly ever seemed to contain water, was eagerly passed around. Said Private Bill Dooley: It is as well to keep up our spirits by pouring spirits down, for sure, theres no knowing where well be this night twelve months.

When major General Israel B. (Greasy Dick) Richardson took command of the 1st Division, Captain Jack Gosson, one of Meaghers aides, decided that the old veterans first review of the Irish Brigade should be a memorable occasion. Accordingly, he preceded the general along the drawn-up lines of Irishmen, informing the waiting soldiers, An what do you think of the brave old fellow, but he has sent to our camp three barrels of whisky, a barrel for each regiment, to treat the boys of the brigade; we ought to give him a thundering cheer when he comes along. That they did, startling both Richardson and the army. Gossons fine Irish hand was recognized when no liquor was subsequently found in camp.

The chaplains of the brigade were also rather unusual. Chaplain Dillon succeeded in getting a large number of the 63d N.Y. to take the pledge against the use of alcohol.

A medal was distributed to all who did so. During the Peninsula Campaign this led to much scrambling for the whisky rations of those who were abstainers. Chaplain Ouellet was probably the most colorful. Born in Canada, he had a French accent that amused the soldiers. He was credited with coining two army phrases during the Seven Days battles. It seems that some of the men preferred coffee and breakfast to divine service after a fight or a hard march. At church services one day he shouted, The good came here this morning to thank God for their deliverance from death, and the restwere coffee-coolers and skedaddlers during our retreat.

The brigade received its first blooding in the Peninsula Campaign. The Columbia and Ocean Queen  about which there was plenty of ocean but not much queen, deposited them at Ship Point, Virginia in the spring of 1862. There they occupied some abandoned Confederate huts filled with graybacks thoughtfully provided by their former host. The muddy condition of the Virginia roads added to their discomfort. Then a day at the races, The Chickahominy Steeple-Chase, was rudely interrupted by the Battle of Fair Oaks. A fierce bayonet charge and a sweeping fire earned the brigade the praise of army commander McClellan that day. At Gainess Mill they supported the hard-pressed Fitz John Porter. A vicious hand-to-hand struggle at Savage Station was repeated at Mavern Hill.

The attrition due to battle and sickness prompted Meagher to secure McClellans permission to gain new recruits in New York after the Seven Day Campaign. While there he found it necessary to dispel rumors that the Irish regiments were being sacrificed by Black Republicans. Then the brigade was particularly saddened by the death from malaria of a popular young staff officer, Lieutenant Temple Emmet, grandnephew of one of Irelands greatest martyrs, Robert Emmet.

Antietam was the next battle honor garnered by the brigade. It was committed in the Union center and had the dubious distinction of attacking the Confederates in the Sunken Road. With Meagher at their head, the cheering Irish moved against the waiting enemy. A rail fence was quickly torn away under enemy fire. The re-aligned brigade continued the attack when all of their flags were suddenly downed at once. A chagrined aide informed the watching McClellan, The day is lost, generalthe Irish fly. No, no their flags are up, they are charging. Was the happy rejoinder. Sure enough a captain of the 69th New York gathered a fallen green flag with the gold harp and followed Meagher. As division commander Brigadier General Winfield Hancock then reported it:

A severe and well-sustained musketry contest then ensued, continuing until the ammunition was nearly expended, after which this brigade, having suffered severely, losing many valuable officers and men, was relieved by the brigade of General Caldwell whichadvanced tothe rear of Meaghrs brigade. The latter then broke by companies to the rear, and the former by companies to the front.

The Irish Brigade had indeedsuffered severely at Antietam. Meagher was carried from the field unconscious, thrown by his wounded horse. They lost over 500 officers and men killed or wounded. Two of the regiments sustained staggering casualty percentages: the 69th suffered 61.8 percent and 63d, 59.2 percent.

The brigade recuperated somewhat from its ordeal while encamped on Bolivar Heights at Harpers Ferry after the battle. Here the 116th Pennsylvania joined them. Before they were again committed, the electrifying news reached them that McClellan had been relieved of command of the army. Many of the angered officers of the Irish Brigade, nearly all of them Democrats, resigned on the spot. Only Meaghers persuasiveness kept them with the army. As it was, at McClellans final review of the Army of the Potomac, the brigade broke ranks to swarm around their departing hero.

An unusual incident is reported to have occurred as the Irish Brigade was enroute to Fredericksburg. As the men passed the house of the slain Confederate General Turner Ashbys mother, a disheveled-looking woman rushed into the midst of the marching soldiers, shrillingly invoking the curse of God upon those who had taken her sons life. To some of the more superstitious Irish her cries must surely have seemed akin to the dreaded wail of the feared banshee (signifying in Celtic lore a death to come).

Prior to crossing a pontoon bridge into Fredericksburg that bleak December day, the command shook out its colors. The nearby 14th Brooklyn (84th N.Y.) cheered the marching Irishmen, as the band of Hawkins Zouaves (9th N.Y.) struck up the brigades marching tune, Garry Owen. Less cheering was the presence of professional embalmers who passed out cards advertising their patriotic services. One brigade member refused with a scathing be damned to yez.

Once in town some of the byes joined in the plundering. One Irishman staggered under the weight of a huge feather bed, while two others sported womens bonnets and a more practical fellow carted off a ten-gallon coffeepot. The men of the 116th amused themselves by fishing up the contents of some sunken tobacco barges.

Despite the tragic outcome of the battle of Fredericksburg, a previously planned banquet to receive new colors for the New York regiments was held in a Fredericksburg theater. The Irish colors (the regiments carried no state flags) had been donated by an appreciative citizens committee of native Americans. About 300 officers, including twenty-two generals, attended the Irish wake. The bereaved Meagher made an unfortunate reference to political generals (after all, he was one himself) in a speech which was held against this Democrat in his later efforts to gain permission to recruit his brigade.

It was, incidentally, at Fredericksburg that the 69th thought they had lost their national standard. The next day the color-sergeant was found dead, sitting up against a tree with this hands clasped upon his chest. Further examination revealed the Stars and Stripes wrapped around his body. The regiment and the Irish Brigade could still maintain their claim to Appomattox that they had never lost a flag.

After Fredericksburg the contending forces settled down in winter quarters. As usual, the Irish Brigade believed it incumbent upon them to enliven things a bit. The day chosen was, naturally, St. Patricks Day, March 17. As was customary, the day began with church services. Shortly afterwards about 30,000 gathered to watch the Grand Irish Brigade Steeple-Chase. General Hooker, the new army commander, was given wine with which he proposed The Irish BrigadeGod bless them! which was followed by three resounding cheers. After two races Meagher invited his guests to partake of sandwiches, wine, and spiced whiskey punch. The main feast of thirty-five hams, a side of roasted ox, roasted pig stuffed with boiled turkey, chickens, ducks, and small game, washed down by eight baskets of champagne, ten gallons of rum, and twenty-two gallons of whisky would come later, just before the evenings theatricals and excitations. Nor were the enlisted men forgotten. Their events included a half-mile run, half-mile hurdles, weight throw, greased-pig contest (winner got the victim), sack race, blindfolded wheelbarrow race, and Irish dance contests. At one point Meagher chased onlookers from beneath the grandstand with the exhortation that they stood in danger of being crushed by four tones of major generals.

There was also a good deal of plotting being carried on within the Irish units of the army. Logically it centered in the Irish Brigade. Many of the men were members of the Fenian Brotherhood and thus were dedicated to the overthrow of the British in Ireland. Doctor Reynolds, the surgeon of the 63d New York, was Head Center of the Army of the Potomac Fenian Circle. Meetings were held regularly on the first Sunday of every month in the brigades hospital tent. Contributions were sent to the Head Center of the Brotherhood in New York.

Despite the heavy losses, the men of the brigade always tried to maintain friendly relations with the enemy pickets. Sugar, coffee, whisky, and tobacco were freely bartered. In one instance some brigade pickets gave their Confederate counterparts a gift of several captured sheep.

Then in the Chancellorsville Campaign the brigade helped round up the XI Corps fugitives after Stonewall Jacksons famous flank attack, and on May 3 it marched from Scotts Mills to near the Chancellor House to support the 5th Marine Battery, dragging it off when its gunners were rendered hors de combat.

Meagher by now however, had made himself unpopular with the other high-ranking officers in the army by his constant political speeches and activities. It was also generally believed that he regarded the brigade more as an independent symbol of Irish glory than an effective unit of the army. Consequently, his request to recruit replacements was refused, and instead it was proposed to abolish the brigade by distributing its units among other commands. Highly indignant at this proposal, Meagher resigned his commission May 14, 1863 and went home in disgust. His resignation was accepted. However, he was re-commissioned, commanded the District of Etowah, but again resigned in early 1865.

The reduced brigade was then led into battle at Gettysburg by Colonel Kelly. By this time the three New York regiments had been formed in battalions of two companies each, while the 116th Pennsylvania was one battalion of four companies. During the famous Confederate charge of July 3, one thought kept recurring to the commanding officer of the 116th. It was Fredericksburg reversed. A more profound thought, perhaps, occurred to a private when he was informed his regiment would be held in reserve. In resarve, yis, he muttered, resarved for the heavy fightin.

There was more heavy fightin and heavy marchin,ahead for the brigade. In the withdrawal from Cedar Run it fought two major engagements and marched seventy-six miles in fifty-six hours, capturing two stands of colors, five guns, and 450 prisoners.

Then on May 3, 1864 the Irish Brigade moved out of its winter encampment with ten field officers. Within six weeks six of these would be dead and the other four seriously wounded. Its losses were so great that it finally disappeared into the so-called Consolidated Brigade (2d and 3d Brigades joined together). But as II Corps historian Walker later wrote, The Irish Brigadewas to the close of the war one of the most picturesque features of the Second Corps, whether in fight, on the march or in camp.

This article was written byJohn F. McCormack, Jr. and originally published in the December 1998 issue of Civil War Times Magazine. For more great articles, be sure to subscribe to Civil War Times magazine today!
President George Washington happily agreed to Congress request for a national day of thanksgiving in 1789. His opponents declared that hed overstepped his constitutional bounds.

When President George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving Proclamation under the U.S. Constitution on October 3, 1789, he was continuing an age-old tradition but adding a uniquely nationalistic slant. The United States had recently emerged victorious from a long and bitter war with the greatest power in the world, and its leaders were deeply immersed in creating a bold system of government that would ensure and protect the rights of its citizens. It was indeed a propitious time to give thanks.

Americans tend to consider the holiday of Thanksgiving uniquely their own, but such observancesthanking a divine being or beings for a successful crop, for victory in the field, for the birth of a child, for life itselfare as ancient as humanity. In North America, tribal peoples had feasts and celebrations; French and Spanish explorers and colonists are known to have held thanksgiving observances in Florida and Texas. The earliest Virginia and Massachusetts settlers carried the thanksgiving tradition with them from England, where for centuries it had been observed on various occasions, most notably Lammas Day. Originally a pagan celebration, Lammasfrom the Old English Loaf Masstook place at the beginning of the harvest season to commemorate the first crops of grain. The nature of the observances varied, but in many instances festivals of songs, dances and food were held, and loaves baked from the early grain were blessed to ensure a good crop.

On arriving in the New World, the 17th-century English colonists soon set aside special days for humiliation, fasting and prayer. Virginia has long claimed the year 1607 as the date of the first English thanksgiving service in America. It reportedly consisted of little more than a simple prayer, offered up by newly landed Jamestown settlers on the beach at Cape Henry.

Generations of schoolchildren have been weaned on the story of what we generally consider the first Thanksgiving: the 1621 feast shared by the Plymouth Pilgrims and the Indians who helped them weather their harsh first winter in a new land. Although there was, in fact, a celebration that lasted three days and did involve the consumption of turkey, as well as lobster and fish, the first civil proclamation was issued two years later, when Pilgrim governor William Bradford assigned a day specifically to render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.

Days for fasting, prayer and thanksgiving were proclaimed subsequently throughout the colonial period and the Revolutionary War. In late 1777, when American victories were few, the Continental Congress set aside a day to thank and praise God for the much-needed victory at Saratoga. Though many such proclamations followed, this observance was the first held by all the colonies. But it remained for the nations first president, inspired by its first Congress, to put forth a proclamation of thanksgiving under the new Constitution and on behalf of the fledgling republic itself.

The origin of the proclamation was unique in that it was formally requested by congressional vote on a memorable day for both chambers. On September 25, 1789, Congress passed the first constitutional amendments, which state legislatures would eventually ratify as the Bill of Rights. To crown the days accomplishments, Elias Boudinot (pronounced BOO-di-not), representative from New Jersey, introduced the Thanksgiving resolution in the House, stating that he could not think of letting the session pass over without offering an opportunity to all the citizens of the United States of joining with one voice, in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings he had poured down upon them. Boudinot proposed that a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States, to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a Constitution of government for their safety and happiness.

His choice of the word peaceably to describe the establishment of a new government is significant. Emotions had run high over the drafting of the Constitution, and the Federalist-Antifederalist rhetoric had been heated, but it had led to neither violence nor disunion. Instead, a compromise had been reached, with several states ratifying the document on the understanding that a Bill of Rights would be added later.

Boudinot, a Federalist, had been intimately involved in framing the future Bill of Rights. He had served on the Select Committee of Eleven to which the amendments, introduced by Representative James Madison in June 1789, had first been referred. He had also chaired the House Committee of the Whole that considered the revised amendments in August. Now, after a week spent reconciling their differences, the House and Senate had finally agreed on the wording. The first session of the First Congress would thus end having fulfilled the responsibility entrusted to it by the people. Boudinots thanksgiving resolution, introduced the same day, offered a fitting closure to the long, but blessedly peaceful, process of establishing the new government.

Boudinot was an accomplished man. Born in 1740, he read law at Princeton and became a successful attorney. During the Revolution, he served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1778-79 and as its president in 1782-83. When the war ended, New Jersey sent Boudinot to the House of Representatives, and in 1795, President Washington appointed him director of the United States Mint. The respected and prosperous statesman had much to be thankful for on the morning of September 25 as he introduced his resolution in Congress.

Despite the long and venerable history of thanksgiving observances in the American colonies, not all of Boudinots colleagues thought it a good idea to single out a specific day for the entire nation to thank God for the new government. One congressman who balked at the proposal was Aedanus Burke of South Carolina. The Irish-born Burke had fought in the Revolution and served as a state justice, but when the time came to ratify the Constitution, Burke was vehemently opposed and so remained. Just six months prior to Boudinots proposed resolution, Burke was elected to the First Congress as an Antifederalist candidate. Objecting to the idea of a federally imposed day of thanks, he stated that he did not like this mimicking of European customs, where they made a mere mockery of thanksgivings.

Another opponent of Boudinots proposed resolution was Thomas Tudor Tucker, another South Carolina Antifederalist. Born in Bermuda in 1745, the alliteratively named Tucker studied medicine in Edinburgh before immigrating to the American colonies. In the words of one biographer, Tucker found the world to be a jumble of contradictions. He distrusted the ruling gentry, yet sought to be counted among its ranks. Although he opposed the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and most aspects of the new government, he apparently had no objection to serving in it. In fact, he rose within the political sphere to an appointment as treasurer of the United States, gaining undeniably lofty status among the class he claimed to hold in contempt. Nonetheless, the biographer points out, Tucker constantly felt as if life had run roughshod over him. He apparently trusted no one, and in his tract A School for Stoicism, the misanthropic Tucker averred that life is something to be borne with suffering.

According to The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States, when Tucker was presented with Boudinots resolution, he said he thought the House had no business to interfere in a matter which did not concern them. Why should the President direct the people to do what, perhaps, they have no mind to do? They may not be inclined to return thanks for a Constitution until they have experienced that it promotes their safety and happiness. We do not yet know but they may have reason to be dissatisfied with the effects it has already produced; but whether this be so or not, it is a business with which Congress have nothing to do; it is a religious matter, and, as such, is proscribed to us. If a day of thanksgiving must take place, let it be done by the authority of the several States.

Despite the strong opposition of Burke, Tucker and their ilk, the House passed the resolution and appointed Boudinot, Roger Sherman of Connecticut and Peter Silvester of New York to speak with the president. The three were well-chosen. One of the most prominent statesmen in the country, Sherman was the only man to have signed the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. For his part, Silvester had served in the First and Second Provincial Congresses, and had been a member of the Committee of Safety just prior to the Revolution.

On September 28, the Senate passed the resolution and appointed William Samuel Johnson of Connecticut and Ralph Izard of South Carolina to the joint committee. An attorney who had graduated from Yale and Harvard, the 61-year-old Johnson had served in various government and judicial positions for decades and had recently been appointed Columbia Colleges first president. Izardunlike his South Carolina colleagues Burke and Tuckerhad supported the resolution. He had served in the Continental Congress during the war and had pledged his personal estate to finance the building of American warships. It was indeed an illustrious group that set out to ask the president to assign a national day of prayer and thanksgiving.

Washington kept his own religious beliefs and practices private. He was a member of the Anglican Church, and served as a vestryman in Truro Parish, Va., in 1762 and a churchwarden for three terms. Although his church attendance reportedly varied throughout his life, he attended services regularly during his presidency. One former pastor recalled, I never knew so constant an attendant at church as Washington.

Washington, however, had no inclination to impose his faith on others, and he responded with uniform kindness to letters from members of different denominations and faiths. While visiting Newport, R.I., in 1790, he received a letter from Moses Seixas, the warden of Newports Touro Synagogue, thanking God for the Blessings of civil and religious liberty and invoking a blessing on Washington and his administration. Washingtons response, essentially a prayer for religious tolerance, is a masterwork of grace.

May the children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy.

And, adopting a phrase from Seixas letter, Washington writes the deceptively simple sentence that, for all its brevity, resonates as one of the most definitive descriptions of the ideals of the nation.

[H]appily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.

In addition to his belief that every American should express gratitude for the nations recent successes, Washington had another, more politically motivated reason for placing his imprimatur on the thanksgiving announcement. A number of congressmen had assumed that the resolution would be directed to, and implemented by, the governors of each of the states, as had been the case in the past. Washington, however, was confronting the challenge of defining his new office in bold, nationalistic strokesof making the presidency strong and energetic, as one chronicler of the early republic put it. He saw the executive issuance of such a proclamation as a subtle opportunity to establish the presidencyand the federal government itselfas the highest center of power and authority for the fledgling nation.

On October 3, five days after the joint committee presented its resolution, President Washington issued the proclamation decreeing a day of prayer and thanksgiving. It is an extraordinary document, the more so for being the first of its kind to be issued in the history of the nation. The proclamation is written in the fluid hand of William Jackson, a personal secretary to the president and previously the secretary to the Constitutional Convention. It begins by acknowledging the providence of Almighty God and invoking his protection and favor. Washington goes on to recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devotedto the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be, including the favorable interpositionswhich we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late warfor the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed. Washington reminds the people that Gods grace is responsible for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted as well as for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed.

The president then broadly recommends thanking God in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us. The proclamation further stipulates that the day should be spent in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech[ing] him to pardon our national and other transgressions. The invocation of Gods blessing on America is particularly eloquent. It begs Gods help to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed.

Washington included the proclamation in a Circular to the Governors of the States, along with a request: I do myself the honor to enclose to your Excellency a Proclamation for a general Thanksgiving which I must request the favor of you to have published and made known in your State in the way and manner most agreeable to yourself.

If Thomas Tudor Tucker felt that the proclamation would direct the people to do whatthey have no mind to do, he was in for a rude awakening. Americans celebrated the pronouncement with wild enthusiasm. Newspapers carried verbatim transcriptions, and public events were held throughout the country. Churches took advantage of the occasion to call for donations for the poor. The presidents secretary, Tobias Lear, sent a donation of $25 on Washingtons behalf to John Rodgers, pastor of two New York churches, after having seen a paragraph in the papers seeking contributions. Lear wrote, The President of the United States has directed me to send it to you, requesting that you will be so good as to put it into the way of answering the charitable purpose for which it was intended.

Six years later, after subduing the Whiskey Rebellion, George Washington issued his second and last annual thanksgiving proclamation, this time on his own initiative. Presidents Adams and Madison subsequently issued their own iterations, but for the most part, Thanksgiving remained a state holiday for decades. By 1815, at the end of the War of 1812, the individual states had issued over 1,400 proclamations calling for thanksgiving, fasting and prayer.

During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale, the 74-year-old editor of the popular magazine Godeys Ladys Book, urged President Abraham Lincoln to nationalize Thanksgiving and establish a fixed day for its observance. Lincoln responded by proclaiming April 30, 1863, a day set apart for national humiliation, fasting and prayer. It was a harsh message that Lincoln delivered to the American people. After listing the many unparalleled blessings they enjoyed, he reminded them, [W]e have forgotten God. . . . Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have becometoo proud to pray to the God that made us. He encouraged Americans to abstain on that day from their ordinary secular pursuits and to unite in prayer.

Lincoln followed with another proclamation on October 3the 74th anniversary of Washingtons proclamationwhich nationalized Americas day of Thanksgiving and standardized its observance on the last Thursday of each November. The document, which was reportedly written by Secretary of State William H. Seward, ends by fervently imploring the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union. Sadly, the war would rage for another year and a half, ultimately claiming three-quarters of a million American lives, and rendering giving thanks a difficult task for countless grieving families throughout the nation.

In 1939, in one of his rare presidential missteps, Franklin D. Rooseveltin order to extend the Christmas buying season at the behest of American businessmenattempted to move the date for observing Thanksgiving a week earlier. At a news conference, Roosevelt assured the nation that there was nothing sacred about the date (which Lincoln himself had set) and that the decision for the date of the holidays observance was ultimately up to the serving president.

He was completely unprepared for the overwhelmingly negative response from the American public. The White House was inundated with letters that begged or demanded the president reverse himself. One native of Shinnston, W.Va., suggested sarcastically that, in addition to changing the traditional Thanksgiving date, Roosevelt should Have Sunday changed to Wednesday; Have Mondays to be Christmas; Have it strictly against the Will of God to work on Tuesday; Have Thursday to be Pay Day with time and one-half for overtime; [and] require everyone to take Friday and Saturday off for a fishing trip down the Potomac.

Ultimately, the national uproar induced Roosevelt to restore Franksgiving, as critics had dubbed the revised holiday, to its original day. In October 1941, Congress passed a joint resolution, formallyand presumably, foreverfixing the date as the fourth Thursday in November.

Thanksgiving has arguably become Americas warmest, most cherished national holiday. But all the trimmings aside, it is important to remember how it all began. Born of conflict, proposed on the same day the fledgling Congress passed the Bill of Rights and signed into law as one of the early acts of the nations first president, the proclamation enumerated in simple language what Americans should be thankful for: victory over a daunting foe, the founding of a new nation, the forging of a national Constitution and the establishment of a form of government that would serve as an example to the nations of the world for future generations.

Ron Soodalter wrote about the origins of American murder ballads in the February 2014 issue of American History. Soodalter is a historian, musician and ballad collector.
At just after 8 p.m. on February 2, 1857, an air of expectancy gripped the crowd assembled in the town hall in the little village of Salem, Ohio. The audience leaned forward in their seats, eager to catch a glimpse of the middle-aged black man who strode confidently onto the stage. William Wells Brown, the object of their curiosity, cleared his throat and began to recite from Experience, or How to Give a Northern Man a Backbone, the first play authored by an African American.

For almost a year, Brown had traveled about the Northeast reading his drama, which dealt with the evils of slavery and urged the abolitionists in attendance to do something about the plight of blacks held in bondage. No copies of this 1856 play have survived, but fortunately, his second such work, The Escape, or A Leap For Freedom, fared better following its 1858 publication.

These two playsthe only ones known to have been written by Brown represented only a tiny portion of his literary achievements. Virtually illiterate in his youth, Brown went on to become a historian, an essayist, a journalist, and a lecturer, as well as Americas first black novelist, playwright, and travel-book author.

Born near Lexington, Kentucky, sometime between 1813 and 1815, William was the son of Elizabeth, a slave on a farm owned by Dr. John Young. His father was George Higgins, Youngs half-brother or cousin.

In 1816, Dr. Young moved to Missouri with his family and slaves, settling in Saint Charles County on the northern shore of the Missouri River. Four years later, Young went off to serve in the states first legislature, leaving his farm in the hands of overseer Grove Cook, a cruel man who made frequent use of the whip. In his autobiography, William described a beating that his mother received, remembering that cold chills ran over me, and I wept aloud.

While William was still a boy, the Youngs took an infant nephew into their home. Since his name too was William, they changed the young slaves name to Sanford. The youth did not take losing his only possessionhis namelightly and endured several beatings for persisting in calling himself William.

Light skinned, William also found himself at the wrong end of the lash when people mistook him for a member of the Young family, a resemblance that was obviously beyond his control. This question of skin color caused William to suffer the scorn of some fellow slaves as well. As he later wrote, the nearer a slave approaches an Anglo-Saxon in complexion the more he is abused by both owner and fellow-slaves. The owner flogs him to keep him in his place, and the slaves hate him on account of his being whiter than themselves.

When Dr. Young moved to St. Louis in 1827, he hired William out to work in a variety of jobs. In his first book, Narrative of William Wells Brown, A Fugitive Slave, William wrote of his treatment at the hands of a tavern keeper named Major Freeland, a drunkard who severely beat the then-teenager. After brief stints working on a steamboat and at the Missouri Hotel in the city, William was hired by Elijah P. Lovejoy, editor of the St. Louis Times. There for only a brief time, William was nonetheless able to acquire the rudiments of an education.

In 1832, William was put in the employ of James Walker, a slave trader, for one year and was forced to take part in the transportation of fellow slaves down river for auction. By the time Williams distasteful service to Walker had expired, Dr. Young found himself in financial difficulty. To ease his situation, he made plans to sell William, despite an earlier promise to Higgins that he never would sell his son. Regretful that such a move was necessary, Young gave William a week to find a new owner. Instead, William talked his mother into trying to flee to Canada. Against her better judgement, Elizabeth agreed.

Eleven days later the pair was captured in Illinois; Elizabeth was sold into the deep South and never saw her son again. William was sold for $500.00 to a St. Louis tailor, Samuel Willi, who hired him out as a servant on a steamboat. Less than a year later, Willi sold William to a merchant and riverboat owner, Enoch Price. When his new owner, acting as captain, took one of his boats to New Orleans and then to Cincinnati, in the free state of Ohio, he took William along.

On January 1, 1834, William carried a passengers trunk ashore in Cincinnati. Seizing this chance to escape, he kept on walking and quickly made his way out of the city. For six days, he wandered by himself during the night hours, ill-clothed for the winter weather and without food.

Nearly frozen and sick with a fever, he finally approached a man who had on a broad-brimmed hat and a very long coat, and was obviously walking for exercise. As soon as I saw him, and observed his dress, I thought to myself, You are the man that I have been looking for! Nor was I mistaken. He was the very man!

Wells Brown, a Quaker, gave the youth shelter and food, and cared for him until he was well. On learning that William had no family name, he offered his own, and the runaway slave became William Wells Brown.

With a new name and a fresh start in a free state, the light-skinned William traveled to Cleveland, where he worked at odd jobs until navigation resumed on the Great Lakes in the spring. When shipping again opened up, William found employment as a steward on a Lake Erie steamer, the Detroit.

That same year, he met and married Elizabeth Schooner, whom he called Betsey. The couples first child died not long after birth, but they had two more daughters, Clarissa and Josephine.

During the nine years he plied the lakes, William taught himself to read and write, and helped other fugitives escape to freedom in Canada. By 1840, Brown and his family had moved to Buffalo, New York, and made their home a stop on the Underground Railway; 69 runaways made good their escape through Browns efforts during 1842 alone.

Soon after his arrival in Buffalo, Brown organized the Union Total Abstinence Society and began his association with the Western New York Anti-Slavery Society. He lectured for the abolitionist cause, using his speeches to attack Americas idea of democracy, which he felt only existed for whites, and the hypocrisy of using religion to ensure the docility of slaves.

Although a speech he delivered before the Female Anti-Slavery Society of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1847 was his first published work, his first book was hisslave narrative, a popular genre of the period, which was released that same year. In the two years following its publication, the biography went through four editions. While this work did show the influence of previously published slave narratives, Browns was unique in its inclusion of cases other than his own to point up the overwhelming cruelty of slavery.

After seeing a copy of Williams slave narrative, Enoch Price, his former owner, wrote in 1848 offering William his freedom for $325.00. Brown refused, firm in his belief that freedom can not be bought or sold but is a divine and moral right. God, he declared, made me as free as he did Enoch Price, and therefore, not a penny would be paid for his freedom with my consent.

A year later, he published The Anti-Slavery Harp: A Collection of Songs for Anti-Slavery Meetings, a compilation of 46 pieces to be sung to familiar melodies. He gave a series of anti-slavery presentations throughout New England, illustrating the evils of involuntary servitude by presenting two escaped slaves from Georgia, William and Ellen Craft. And, he traveled to France in August 1849 as the American Peace Societys delegate to the International Peace Congress in Paris.

In 1850, the 1793 Fugitive Slave Law was strengthened, making it dangerous for Brown to return home. William, therfore, chose to remain abroad.With England as his base, he spent the next four years traveling throughout Great Britain and to Europe, giving lectures about the slavery question and completing three more books. The firstA Description of William Wells Browns Panoramic Views of the Scenes in the Life of an American Slave, from His Birth in Slavery to His Death or His Escape to His First Home of Freedom on British Soilconsisted of stories and a series of 24 sketches, which were drawn by artists at his direction.

Three Years in Europe: or, Places I have Seen and People I have Met, published in 1852, was a compilation of 23 letters Brown had written since his arrival there, comparing the freedom of life in Europe to the tyranny faced by blacks in America. The book was well received, one reviewer noting that Brown wrote with ease and ability, and his intelligent observations upon the great question to which he has devoted, and is devoting, his life, will command influence and respect.

Browns novel, Clotel: or, The Presidents Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United States, was published in London in 1853. The book took its title from allegations that Thomas Jefferson had fathered several mixed-race children, whom he then abandoned to slavery. Published about a year after Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin, however, Browns work failed to create much of a stir or garner critical acclaim.

While abroad, Brown also used his time to become versed in the practice of medicine. In a day when formal training still was not required for doctors, he attended lectures and conducted private study, gradually obtaining sufficient knowledge to become a medical practitioner. Instead of pursuing that profession, however, he continued to devote himself to the anti-slavery cause.

In 1854, Brown finally agreed to purchase his freedom so that he might return to the United States and fight more effectively for the abolition of the most cruel system of oppression that ever blackened the character or hardened the heart of man.

Soon after he arrived in America, Brown published The American Fugitive in Europe, an enlarged version of his Three Years in Europe. This new edition was the first book written by Brown to be reviewed by a major American newspaper. The New York Daily Tribune declared that the work was a lively and entertaining record of foreign travel and, due to its origins, a worthy novelty in literature.

During the Civil War, Brown joined fellow abolitionists Frederick Douglass and T. Morris Chester in recruiting in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey for the all-black 54th Massachusetts Regiment. The war years also saw publication of Browns first historical work, The Black Man: His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements. An anthology of biographical sketches of blacks with significant accomplishments to their credit, this work went through ten editions in just three years.

Two years after the war, Brown brought out The Negro in the American Rebellion, His Heroism and His Fidelity. And in 1874, he published his most complete and important historical undertaking, The Rising Son; or, The Antecedents and Advancements of the Colored Race, which traced the roots of Americas blacks from Africa. As he had in his previous histories, Brown strongly refuted the eras belief in the inferiority of the black race.

William Wells Brown died in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in 1884. Despite his literary achievements and his many contributions in the struggle for freedom and equality, he was buried in an unmarked grave in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, cemetery.

He was eulogized in the Boston newspapers as one of the most intelligent, earnest and active members of the little band of oldtime abolitionists and as a prolific writer, commanding a clear intellect and facile pen . . . . Brown, who spent his last years fighting for improved education for black children, did his utmost throughout his life to combat racial prejudice and its resulting indignities, consistently emphasizing the need for cooperation among people of all races.

This article was written by Marsh Cassady and originally published in American History Magazine in December 1999. For more great articles, subscribe to American History magazine today!
Although physics might seem like a field in which human input will always be essential, this notion is now being challenged by researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defense Force Academy (UNSW ADFA) who have successfully used artificial intelligence to run a physics experiment.

The experiment involved creating a Bose-Einstein condensate - a very cold gas trapped in a laser beam - and is a replication of the experiment that nabbed the 2001 Nobel Prize.

"I didn't expect the machine could learn to do the experiment itself, from scratch, in under an hour," said Paul Wigley from the ANU Research School of Physics and Engineering and co-lead author of the study. "A simple computer program would have taken longer than the age of the universe to run through all the combinations and work this out."

Bose-Einstein condensates make up some of lowest temperatures in the universe and have a high degree of sensitivity to changes in external stimuli. This sensitivity gives them the potential to be utilized for taking precise measurements in fields such as mineral exploration and navigation systems.

Using an artificial intelligence system would help scientists integrate these condensates into such fields to take measurements and provide the benefit of being able set itself up and compensate for any fluctuations that occur overnight.

"You could make a working device to measure gravity that you could take in the back of a car, and the artificial intelligence would recalibrate and fix itself no matter what," said Michael Hush from UNSW ADFA and co-lead author along with Wigley. "It's cheaper than taking a physicist everywhere with you."

After cooling the gas to approximately one microkelvin, the team handed over three laser beams to the artificial intelligence, which then cooled down the gas trapped inside the laser beams to a few hundred nanokelvins.

The artificial intelligence not only completed the experiment, but it also surprised the team with the methods that it used to do so.

"It did things a person wouldn't guess, such as changing one laser's power up and down, and compensating with another," Wigley said. "It may be able to come up with complicated ways humans haven't thought of to get experiments colder and make measurements more precise."

"Next we plan to employ the artificial intelligence to build an even larger Bose-Einstein condensate faster than we've seen ever before," he concluded.

The findings were published in the May 16 issue of Scientific Reports.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Scientists have uncovered information about the giraffe's unique long neck by sequencing its genome along with that of its closest living relative, the okapi of the African rain forest.

"The giraffe's stature, dominated by its long neck and legs and an overall height that can reach 19 feet (approximately 6 meters), is an extraordinary feat of evolution that has inspired awe and wonder for at least 8,000 years - as far back as the famous rock carvings at Dabous in the Republic of Niger," said Douglas Cavener of Penn State University and senior author of the study.

"The evolutionary changes required to build the giraffe's imposing structure and to equip it with the necessary modifications for its high-speed sprinting and powerful cardiovascular functions have remained a source of scientific mystery since the 1800s, when Charles Darwin first puzzled over the giraffe's evolutionary origins," he added.

Cavener and his team examined the gene-coding sequences of the giraffe and okapi and compared them to more than 40 other mammals including sheep, goats, cows and humans. Although the okapi possesses similar gene sequences, they look more like a zebra. The similarities and differences between them were used to gauge the unique genetic changes in the giraffe.

The Penn State team used various comparative tests to gain deeper insight into the genome sequences of the giraffe and the okapi and discovered 70 genes that showed signs of adaptation.

"These adaptations include unique amino-acid-sequence substitutions that are predicted to alter protein function, protein-sequence divergence, and positive natural selection," Cavener said

More than half of these genes are for proteins that are responsible for the regulation of the development and physiology of the skeletal, cardiovascular and nervous system, all of which would be needed to give the giraffe its unique long neck and physical characteristics.

"We hope that the publication of the giraffe genome and clues to its unique biology will draw attention to this species in light of the recent precipitous decline in giraffe populations," Cavener said. "While the plight of the elephant - giraffe's shorter companion in the African savannah - has received the lion's share of attention, giraffe populations have declined by 40 percent over the past 15 years due to poaching and habitat loss. At this rate of decline, the number of giraffes in the wild will fall below 10,000 by the end of this century. Some giraffe subspecies already are teetering on the edge of extinction."

The findings were published in the May 17 issue of Nature Communications.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Every hotelier wants more direct bookings. And the smartest hoteliers I work with make sure they broaden their distribution so they can capture prospective guests on whichever channel those guests are investigating, whether that be an OTA, metasearch or wholesaler.

However, it seems many hoteliers overlook Google My Business  only one of the most powerful, and free, ways to gain guests who are looking at your hotel's brand name and location as they browse through the world's largest search engine.

As an example, I just performed a Google search for hotels in Krabi, a popular beach destination in Thailand, and to my amazement not a single hotel is listed under Google My Business. What an opportunity for any hotel in Krabi! And all they'd have to do is go to www.google.co.th/business and follow the easy setup process. (They would also need a high-converting booking engine integrated into their hotel's website but that is another discussion for another time.)

Common errors or oversights, such as not editing your hotel's photos or listing an incorrect address, can cost your hotel dearly. A team member of mine pointed this out with the example of a famous hotel in Sydney, which is located opposite one of the city's most beautiful beaches. Until recently, the picture for this hotel on Google My Business could not have done the property any less justice; it displayed an awkward shot of the hotel's roof with no beach in sight. These days, however, with the help of my team, the hotel's photo has become far more inviting and, in fact, traffic to the hotel's website has jumped significantly.

Does your hotel need a photo refresh in Google My Business ?

If you're like that hotel in Sydney, you may need a new photo to create a great first impression on guests who see your property on Google My Business. Here are the six steps you need to follow:

Sign in to your Google My Business account, or register for one, at google.com/business. Click 'Edit' in the 'Actions' column on your Google My Business Click 'Remove' beneath your picture to remove the picture as your profile image. Click 'Add Photo', find the image you want to replace your previous profile image with using the 'File Upload' box, and then click 'OK'. (Note: Try to find an image that is not only striking, but matches the look and feel of your hotel's website branding. By doing this, you create a more seamless booking journey for your) Click 'Add Photo' to upload the image as your profile picture. Click 'Submit' at the bottom of the 'Edit'.

How do you manage reviews on Google My Business ?

Many hotels today have great strategies on how to encourage positive reviews online and these strategies should extend to Google My Business, which recently introduced the ability for hotels to manage and respond to reviews of their hotel on Google.

This means responding to reviews on Google is now as simple as updating your photo:

Sign in to your Google My Business account, or register for one, at google.com/business. Your dashboard will display all of your Google My Business Select the property you would like to manage the reviews for. Click on 'Reviews'. This will open your reviews page. Click 'Respond Publicly as the Owner' and type in your response. Once you're done, click 'Publish' to submit your response and display it on your Google My Business page.

Of course, you can do much more to optimise your hotel's visibility on the world's largest search engine, but claiming your Business on Google is a terrific start.

About SiteMinder

SiteMinder Limited (ASX:SDR) is the world's leading open hotel commerce platform, ranked among technology pioneers for opening up every hotel's access to online commerce. It's this central role that has earned SiteMinder the trust of tens of thousands of hotels, across 150 countries, to sell, market, manage and grow their business. The global company, headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangkok, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London and Manila, generated more than 100 million reservations worth over US$35 billion in revenue for hotels in the last year prior to the start of the pandemic. For more information, visit siteminder.com.

Maria Cricchiola

Director of Brand Communications & PR

+61 2 8031 1287

SiteMinder
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LOUIS -- Drury Hotels Company's new Drury Inn & Suites in Burlington, North Carolina, is officially open and welcoming guests. The hotel, the Drury Inn & Suites Burlington, is the company's first hotel in this market and fourth in North Carolina. In addition to the hotel's 150 guest rooms, the property features more than 2,500 square feet of flexible meeting and event space.

The hotel is conveniently located in the Alamance Crossing upscale shopping center at I-40/I-85 and University Drive near popular local attractions and institutions, including Elon University, Burlington Springwood Park and the Tanger Outlets shopping center. Centrally located between Greensboro and Raleigh-Durham, the Drury Inn & Suites Burlington is a short drive from Piedmont Triad and Raleigh-Durham International Airports. Because of its central location and numerous amenities, Drury Inn & Suites Burlington is an ideal location for business and leisure travelers.

"My family founded this company in 1973 to provide our guests with clean rooms, friendly service and honest value," said Chuck Drury, president and CEO of Drury Hotels. "Those principles continue today at all of our properties, and I'm excited to open our first hotel in Burlington. We look forward to being part of the community and welcoming guests to our new hotel."

Drury Inn & Suites Burlington offers a wide range of complimentary amenities including:

Wi-Fi

Hot breakfast featuring fresh waffles, biscuits and gravy, eggs, yogurt and more

5:30 Kickback reception including beer, wine and appetizers

24-hour business and fitness centers

Indoor/outdoor pool and whirlpool

The Drury Hotels Company has been family-owned and operated since 1973.

For more information about careers at this location, visit www.drurycareers.com.

About Drury Hotels Company

Drury Hotels Company is a Missouri-based, family-owned and operated hotel system with more than 150 hotels in 27 states. Founded in 1973, Drury Hotels has been recognized by the J.D. Power 2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Studysm, earning the award for "Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Upper Midscale Hotel Chains." In 2019, Drury received this award for a record 14th consecutive year.* Brands include Drury Inn & Suites, Drury Inn, Drury Plaza Hotel, Drury Suites, Pear Tree Inn by Drury, as well as other hotels in the mid-priced hotel segment. Drury Hotels continues to provide exceptional value for business and leisure travelers with its many free amenities - Travel Happy. For more information, visit www.druryhotels.com or call 1-800-DRURYINN. Join the conversation on Twitter @druryhotels or on Facebook.

*Drury Hotels received the highest numerical score among upper midscale hotels in the proprietary J.D. Power 2006-2019 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Studiessm. The 2019 study is based on responses gathered between June 2018 and May 2019 from 44,890 guests in Canada and the United States who stayed at a hotel in North America between May 2018 and May 2019. For more information, visit www.jdpower.com.

Patrick Barry

Byrne PR

314-540-3865

Drury Inns
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Attendees advocate to promote the lodging industry, guests

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) will join forces on May 17-18 with more than 500 hoteliers from across the country for a joint hospitality day on Capitol Hill. During the associations two-day Legislative Action Summit (LAS), hoteliers will come together to raise awareness with Congressional leaders about the strength of the lodging industry and its meaningful impact on communities around the country.

This is the second year AH&LA and AAHOA have partnered to showcase the lodging industrys unity and strength. Employing nearly 2 million Americans and contributing nearly $1.4 trillion in travel and tourism revenue, hoteliers will advocate for policies that encourage business growth and entrepreneurial opportunities while urging more transparency on the rise of commercial activity fostered by short-term rental platforms and protecting consumers from online hotel booking scams. AH&LA and AAHOA representatives will share their stories and hotel experiences with members of Congress and their staff, encouraging them to take action on some of the issues that matter most to the lodging sector.

LAS participants will also hear from key leaders in Washington who will offer their insights on the political climate and congressional landscape, including remarks by U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), U.S. House of Representatives Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and political analysist Charlie Cook.

The power of our industry lies in the opportunities hotels create for men and women seeking jobs that pay competitive wages, offer good benefits, and provide a path toward upward mobility to long-term, successful careers. Hotels are interwoven into the fabric of each community across the country, and telling those stories of promoting our employees, creating jobs, building partnerships with local leaders, and answering our guests needs to Members of Congress define who we are as an industry, said AH&LA president and CEO Katherine Lugar. As a guest-centric industry that focuses on opportunities and experiences, we are proudly an industry of people, from our guests to our workers.

Our annual Legislative Action Summit always promises dynamic opportunities for hoteliers to explain first-hand how Congress decisions impact their business and team members. From urging lawmakers to request the Federal Trade Commission to study the rise of commercial operators on short-term rental platforms to protecting consumers from online hotel booking scams and stopping drive-by lawsuits that abuse the Americans with Disabilities Act to pushing back against onerous and harmful labor regulations, Congress has an important role to play in creating the environment to allow our industry to continue growing and creating jobs.

Chip Rogers, AAHOA President and CEO, commented, We are thrilled to bring the lodging industry together again to present a unified voice to Congress this week. The one thing that lawmakers will remember from our visits is that the lodging industry means jobs for millions of Americansjobs that have tremendous career potentialbut outdated laws and ill-advised regulations are holding the industry back. Fortunately, Congress has simple, common-sense bills before them to fix these issues. Our goal this week is to share our stories of success and challenges, and urge action on these proposals.

The lodging industry continues to focus on growth and the nations economic resurgence while improving the employment landscape. Each day, nearly 5 million people check into a hotel, raising $141.5 billion in business travel tax revenue annually. Further, the hotel industry empowers its employees to advance quickly through the ranks to higher management positions. Indeed, more than 50% of general managers in the lodging industry began in entry-level jobs.

Serving the hospitality industry for more than a century, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is the sole national association representing all segments of the 1.9 million-employee U.S. lodging industry, including hotel owners, REITs, chains, franchisees, management companies, independent properties, bed and breakfasts, state hotel associations, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides focused advocacy, communications support, and educational resources for an industry of more than 53,000 properties generating $176 billion in annual sales from 5 million guestrooms.

Founded in 1989, AAHOA (www.aahoa.com) is the largest hotel owners association in the world, with more than 15,000 small business owner-members. AAHOA members own almost one in every two hotels in the United States.
He previously worked in senior finance leadership roles at Rosewood, Four Seasons and most recently Commune Hotels + Resorts as their Chief Financial Officer, where he led the company's Financial, Information Technology, Legal and Administration, and Risk Management disciplines.

Carlos Flores, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sonesta International Hotels Corporation has announced the appointment of Stephen Miano as the company's Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer. Miano officially joined the Sonesta corporate team in Newton, MA on Monday, May 2nd, 2016.

Miano, a 25 year veteran of the hospitality industry, brings to Sonesta both domestic and international experience, with a history of managing finance operations in the Americas, Middle East, Asia, and Europe. He previously worked in senior finance leadership roles at Rosewood, Four Seasons and most recently Commune Hotels + Resorts as their Chief Financial Officer, where he led the company's Financial, Information Technology, Legal and Administration, and Risk Management disciplines.

At Sonesta, Miano will lead the Finance organization where he will develop top notch talent with depth in foundational accounting and finance skills. He will be responsible for financial planning and analysis, strategic planning and risk management. He will oversee accounting operations, internal controls, as well as manage the treasury, cash flow and working capital of the company, playing a significant role in the development of the Sonesta capital structure. He will provide financial expertise, information and insight to owners, and make recommendations that support the continued growth goals of the organization through an appropriate development and acquisition program that will continue to include expansion.

"Stephen Miano is a seasoned and successful financial executive with impressive technical and professional credentials achieved in over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry," said Carlos Flores, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Sonesta International Hotels Corporation. "We are very pleased to welcome Steve to the Sonesta family and believe that he will be a valuable addition to our corporate executive team."

Miano received his graduate degree in accounting and information systems from the University of Texas at Dallas and his undergraduate degree in hotel administration from Cornell University. He is relocating to Boston from the San Francisco Bay Area with his family.

Sonesta is a growing, global hospitality brand with more than 60 properties in eight countries, centered on a dedication to delivering a guest experience that provides more than just a place to stay. There is no typical Sonesta. A portfolio of diverse and distinctive properties as individual as its guests, the Sonesta collection covers a full range of services from independence to full-service indulgence.
2016 Manhattan Lodging Review 1Q

The New York City borough of Manhattan is among the strongest, most diverse, and most dynamic hotel markets in the world. Manhattans resiliency has been borne out over the course of recovery from three national recessions in the past 25 years.

The 2016 HVS Manhattan Lodging Overview examines the effects of up and down economic cycles on Manhattan hotels, reviewing trends in hotel performance, supply, and demand over the past 25 years. The report also provides the most current information available on todays market, as well as forecasts for supply growth and hotel performance.

Hotel performance in the Manhattan lodging market has experienced some wide fluctuations over the course of up and down economic cycles since 1989. Between January 1989 and March 2016, the market was affected by three national recessions, which produced some dramatic dips in demand.

The most recent and most serious recession (in terms of duration and severity) coincided with a sharp increase in hotel supply in the Manhattan lodging market. Nevertheless, hotel demand did not suffer as much as during the previous two recessions.

The 2015 HVS Manhattan Lodging Overview provides detailed insight and data-rich graphs, charts, and tables in order to track the trajectories of hotel supply, demand, and performance. Together, these insights shed light on the most current factors affecting the hotel landscape in Manhattancritical market intelligence that hotel developers, lenders, owners, and brand representatives can put to use.

Here is just a sample of what youll learn from the 2016 Manhattan Hotel Market Overview:

To receive a complimentary copy of the full report, please contact:

Erin Bagley

+1 (516) 248-8828 ext. 236

ebagley@hvs.com
InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) today announces the opening of the newly-renovated, InterContinental New York Barclay, which made its grand debut to New York society in 1926 as one of the original 'Railroad' hotels.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) today announces the opening of the newly-renovated, InterContinental New York Barclay, which made its grand debut to New York society in 1926 as one of the original 'Railroad' hotels. For generations the hotel served as one of New York's most preferred addresses and now, The Barclay is celebrating its return following a $180 million, 20-month top-to-bottom renovation with more than 420,000-square-feet of redesigned interiors. The revitalized hotel brings to life The Barclay Experience - quintessential New York sensibility, sustainable practices and a celebration of the thriving, fast-paced local culture, while continuing to offer international expertise. These touchpoints are expressed in all design details and service offerings at the renewed property, continuing its tradition of offering international travelers a residential experience of discreet elegance.

The Barclay hotel introduces a more open and inviting lobby leading to a new spectacular Carrara marble Grand Staircase. The redesigned property also features 704 spacious guestrooms and suites reminiscent of a classic Park Avenue home, an expansive Club InterContinental and 15,000 square feet of thoughtfully designed meetings and events spaces. Travelers and local New Yorkers will flock to the new Gin Parlour, offering 88 premium gins alongside other preferred wines and spirits. A convivial destination centrally-located in Midtown Manhattan, the new bar will also feature a delectable locally sourced menu.

Jason Moskal, Vice President, Lifestyle Brands, The Americas, IHG said: "As one of the iconic heritage properties for the InterContinental brand, The Barclay represents a rich history of luxury travel in New York City. While this history is strong and prolific, the needs and wants of the modern traveler have evolved through the decades. Bringing modern design and functionality, a signature bar that serves classic gin cocktails with a unique twist and elegant meeting and event space, the revitalized Barclay showcases today's intercontinental life to travelers and locals alike."

Herve Houdre, General Manager, InterContinental New York Barclay, added: "The InterContinental New York Barclay has been a Manhattan feature for more than 90 years. The hotel's introduction to the city's skyline coincided with the debut of famous landmarks, such as the Chrysler Building, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman. While the rejuvenation of the Barclay inspires us to look back and reflect on the hotel's storied past, it also allows the hotel to open a new chapter, welcoming a new generation of globally-minded guests who are looking for a residential-style New York escape."

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Featuring a distinctly New York heritage, The Barclay was originally designed by Cross & Cross, the famed architectural firm behind Fifth Avenue's Tiffany & Co. building. Under the direction of IHG Design Studio, architects Stonehill + Taylor, interior design firm HOK (formerly BBGM) and Shawmut Construction worked together to restore and enhance the property's original style, while adding contemporary touches.

Artwork was carefully selected to reflect the hotel's 1920's legacy. Antique maps and early 19th century Hudson River School landscapes, renowned for romanticizing nature and highlighting areas of interest, such as the Catskill Mountains and the Adirondacks, are featured throughout The Barclay's public spaces and guestrooms. Equally fashionable during the same period, details such as classical urns, sculptures, and busts, as well as damask and rinceau patterns can be seen throughout the hotel. In keeping with the Federalist design motif and sophisticated style, eagle medallion door plates are affixed on each guestroom, a feature that has been preserved from the original Barclay.

The Barclay offers business and leisure groups, as well as international travelers an efficient and convenient setting to come together. Perfect for corporate gatherings, social events and memorable weddings, the new Barclay delivers a prime location and world-class service within a sophisticated backdrop.

With two magnificent ballrooms and five meeting spaces, The Barclay's 4,954-square-foot Grand Ballroom and its 3,500-square-foot Empire Ballroom feature 17-foot coffered ceilings, exquisite chandeliers, as well as custom crown molding and millwork. At Club InterContinental, travelers can enjoy a quiet yet engaging space for business and social interactions while indulging in a range of complimentary food and beverage offerings.

Located off The Barclay's lobby area and inspired by Dutch and English gin bars of the 1920's, the Gin Parlour offers a venue for novices and aficionados to acquaint themselves with the history of the versatile spirit. Each of its signature cocktails comes to life with a distinct presentation, including the Midtown Apothecary, which is served over aromatized cracked ice and botanicals, and The Hive, featuring honey harvested in New York City complemented by a honey cluster. In addition, the menu features modern fare that pays tribute to the international culture and history of New York City dining, such as Alphabet City Soft Pretzels, as well as locally-sourced Broiled Oysters "Reuben" with Barclay Pickle Relish.

The Barclay continues to lead the industry by championing positive and environmentally conscious food offerings, reintroducing its signature Natural Power Breakfast. The hotel's culinary team procures the most organic, local, seasonal and responsible ingredients possible from nearby growers, farmers, forages and artisans they have direct relationships with, including Norwich Meadows Farm, Old Chatham Sheepherding Creamery and Satur Farms.

Throughout the hotel's 90-year history, The Barclay has been a place where both global and local politicians, tastemakers and captains of industry convene, ranging from Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, Ernest Hemingway, and Eugene O'Neill to Henry Cabot Lodge, Martin Luther King, former President William Jefferson Clinton, and most recently President Barack Obama.

Aside from noteworthy personalities, for more than 80 years The Barclay housed Caswell-Massey, a personal care product company and apothecary shop founded in 1752. In a nod to both brands' shared history, the hotel commissioned the famed apothecary to develop a line of bath products with custom fragrances created by olfactive firm Nose Knows Design, which were designed to capture the essence of the hotel and are featured in the suites. The presence of juniper berry evokes the new Gin Parlour, while subtle metallic notes pay tribute to The Barclay's industrial age beginnings.

In a responsible approach to business and service, the new Barclay aims to be the first hotel to align with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Becoming the benchmark of the hospitality industry, The Barclay is using the IHG Corporate Responsibility Pillars: Green Engage, IHG Academy and IHG Foundation.

Committed to environmental protection, The Barclay supports a number of ecological initiatives including the Billion Dollar Oyster Project, which helps to grow oysters, build reefs, and monitors water quality. Contributing to New York's economic prosperity, The Barclay is providing work and growth opportunities through the IHG Academy, allowing the hotel to collaborate with educational providers and community groups to help local people build their hospitality skills and improve their employability. As a socially responsible hotel, The Barclay is partnering with City Harvest to combat hunger in the five boroughs, as well as working with Clean The World to save lives with items that traditionally end up in landfills.

The Barclay, located at 111 E 48th St., is owned by 111 East 48th Street Holdings, LLC and managed by IHG.
More shows have been added to an already impressive array of talent.

The line-up for Kilkenny's Cat Laughs Comedy Festival is coming along nicely with new additions to the bill announced today.

With festivities running June 2-6, the festival's Gala Opening Show will see the premiere of Waterford Whispers Live, as the brilliant satirical website hits the stage for the first time.

The latest events to be added are 'Bec Hill's Pun Run'. If you're not for a pun-tastic night on Sunday, June 5, at the Set Theatre, then look no further than the UK's cult-favourite and ONLY pun-based comedy club. See some top-rated comedians delivering their best (and worst) one-liners and wordplay material. Book early to avoid disapPUNtment! Line up includes David ODoherty, Tiffany Stevenson, Barry Murphy, Karl Spain.

'Adam and Al's Cat laughs Chats' - Aussie Adam Hills, the host of Channel 4s The Last Leg, and Al Porter, one of Irelands brightest new stars and a natural chatters, join forces for a chat show in two parts: first Adam hosts Al and his special guests; then Al hosts Adam and his special guests. Expect fun and fascinating chat and maybe even a musical number.

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'Deirdre O'Kane Solo Show 1Dee' - Deirdre OKanes new critically acclaimed solo show 1DEE live at The Set Theatre on Saturday, June 4, with special guest Chris Kent. After a seven year break from stand-up, during which she had more babies, made a movie in Vietnam and became the mother of MooneBoy, has she learned from being a mum, achieving the glory of a Mid-life crisis and chasing after collagen as it attempts to leave her life forever? She reveals all (well nearly all) in 1Dee.

'International All Star Improv' - cat Laughs has merged the talents of the best improvisers from the Dublin Comedy Improv with those of some of the stars of Whose Line is It Anyway to create a comedy improv monster of epic proportions. Brilliantly funny and ingeniously crafted comedy games and songs from Ian Coppinger, Steve Frost, Steve Steen, Andy Smart and more.
Metallica frontman James Hetfield toned things down for his charity concert.

James Hetfield's annual fundraising concert, Acoustic-4-A-Cure, took place in San Francisco over the weekend. The event aims to raise money for cancer research for children.

First started in 2014 and co founded by Hetfield and fellow rock God Sammy Hagar, the event took place in San Francisco's Fillmore venue. During the show Hetfield took to the stage to perform an acoustic version of Metallica's 'Motorbreath'. Also performing at the show was Joe Satriani, Tommy Lee and his daughter Cali.

As well as 'Motorbreath' Hetfield also performed 'The Unforgiven' and 'I Put A Spell On You' by Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Metallica are progressing with their tenth studio recording which is expected at some point later this year. In March drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone, "I think it will be a pretty in-your-face year, at least the back half of it". Ulrich also said the band are getting ready to finish the new record and to play some tour dates behind it.
The Dublin actress has received critical acclaim for her performance in new American film Loving.

Former Love/Hate actress, Ruth Negga, has been tipped for best actress award at next year's Oscars for her role in new film Loving.

The film, which premiered at Cannes, is a story of love amidst racial prejudice in 1950s Virginia.

Negga has been praised for her emotional performance beside Australian actor Joel Edgerton with some critics predicting an Oscar nomination.

Ruth Negga is put-a-bet-on-now tremendous in Jeff Nichols' crisp, elegant and deeply moving interracial marriage drama Loving #Cannes2016  Robbie Collin (@robbiereviews) May 16, 2016

The 33 year old actress who played Rosie in Love/Hate has also starred in apocalyptic horror movie World War Z and Breakfast on Pluto.

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Watch her in Loving here:
Beach Boys co founder Brian Wilson is marking the half century of the iconic album.

Yesterday, May 16 2016, the Beach Boy's album Pet Sounds turned 50 years old. Brian Wilson, former Beach Boys frontman, is currently on a world tour to mark the anniversary and is performing the album in full at each concert.

Wilson released a statement via his Facebook page last night to mark the anniversary. He said it was recored to "bring love to the world". This tour will also mark the final live performances of the album that is considered to be Wilson's greatest work and one of the greatest albums ever made.



A new reissue of the LP will be released by Universal Records on June 10th. The four CD/Blu-Ray collector's edition will include a hardback book of lyrics, alternate takes of tracks and and previously unreleased. Wilson is also planning on releasing his memoir, I Am Brian Wilson on October 11.
The long-wait to celebrate the band's third album is almost upon us & enter The Shoos' competition for the chance to be invited to their album party

It's been a pretty remarkable few weeks for The Shoos. The Irish rockers released their long-awaited, self-titled third album in April, and performed a stunning support set in May, for the postponed Jeff Lynne's ELO concert at Dublin's 3Arena.

The Shoos' prolonged three year absence did leave a vacant feeling in the Irish music scene that has now been filled with their recent hectic schedule. After producing two albums in as many years, the band rightly decided to take a step back before launching into The Shoos.

Their latest offering is an impressive collection of tunes that combine a classic, guitar-based rock style, with an emphasis on memorable melodies and hooks. The group were eager to produce an LP with "radio worthy" tracks, and they duly succeeded.

As you might expect, their upcoming album party gig on May 26, at The Workman's Club, will be packed full of their dynamic and exciting collection of new songs, as well as a few classics from their 2011 debut Panic Slowly and 2012's Rescue Room.

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If you'd like to be invited to The Shoos' album party next week, just click here for the chance to win a pair of tickets..

The new album, The Shoos is out now.
ENERGY

Range buying Houston company

Range Resources will buy rival natural gas producer Memorial Resource Development for about $3.3 billion to expand its range in the East and in the Gulf.

Shareholders of Memorial Resource Development, based in Houston, will receive 0.375 shares of Range Resources stock for each of their shares. The all-stock deal is valued at about $15.75 per share, marking a 17 percent premium to its closing price Friday.

Fort Worth-based Range will also assume $1.1 billion in debt.

Pharmaceuticals

Pfizer purchases skin disorder specialist

TRENTON, N.J. - Pfizer is fortifying its key immunology and inflammation drug business, snapping up a small maker of skin disorder treatments for $5.2 billion, weeks after the U.S. Treasury Department torpedoed Pfizer's planned $160 billion deal for Allergan.

Pfizer's agreement Monday to acquire Anacor Pharmaceuticals is the biggest U.S.-based drugmaker's latest move in a yearslong struggle to accelerate growth.

With Palo Alto, Calif.-based Anacor, Pfizer gains an experimental eczema treatment that could be approved by the Food and Drug Administration by next January, plus U.S. rights to topical toenail fungus treatment Kerydin and a portfolio of other drugs in early testing.

auto industry

Norway's oil fund plans to sue Volkswagen

Norway's $850 billion national oil fund plans to sue Volkswagen over the company's emissions-cheating scandal.

Officials from the sovereign wealth fund, which invests and manages the money made from the state oil company, is a shareholder in the sutomaker and confirmed a report in the Financial Times saying it will join a class-action suit in Germany in coming weeks.

Media

Gannett raises offer for Tribune Publishing

Gannett boosted its all-cash offer to acquire Tribune Publishing to $15 per share, raising the stakes after the Chicago-based owner of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and other major newspapers earlier this month rejected an unsolicited $12.25-a-share bid.

The revised offer, disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday, values Tribune Publishing at $864 million, rather than $815 million, including the assumption of debt.

in other news

The Treasury Department auctioned $31 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 0.275 percent, up from 0.240 percent last week. Another $26 billion in six-month bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 0.370 percent, down from 0.380 percent last week.

The Federal Reserve said Monday that the average yield for one-year Treasury bills, a popular index for making changes in adjustable-rate mortgages, edged up to 0.53 percent last week from 0.52 percent the previous week.

From wire reports
JASON REDMOND/Stringer

Southwest Airlines Co. pilots' union asked a federal court to block the carrier from flying Boeing Co.'s newest 737 until the plane is negotiated into a new contract for the 8,300 aviators.

The union also wants the court to order Southwest to stop "delaying and frustrating bargaining" and fulfill its legal duty to make every effort to reach a contract if the airline wants to fly the 737 Max when it's delivered next year.
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The week after Congress authorized the Transportation Security Administration to permit overtime pay and hire more workers, TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger told the Chronicle that his plans for airport security don't stop at hiring screeners.

He'd like to see more automation in areas such as checking baggage and IDs. He'd like to improve efficiency with technology, such as iris scanners. Ideally, he'd even like cut down on such hassles as forcing travelers to remove their shoes and toss their water bottles before they go through screening.

TSA, he said, is the "retail face of the government." Right now, it's a government agency many people would rather not interact with.

"In a sense, it's the way in which many people get an impression as to how well government does or doesn't work," Neffenger said Monday during a meeting with the Chronicle editorial board.

When he took the top position last summer, Neffenger said, staffing was down 5,800 from 2011, partly due to budget cuts. The agency was slated to lose more than 1,600 additional personnel in fiscal year 2016.

He successfully petitioned Congress to back down.

"I don't know how many people I need," he recalled telling lawmakers last year, "but I definitely need the 1,600 I'm about to lose. I don't want further reductions."

Last week, Congress authorized the agency to hire an additional 768 screeners. The actions by Congress, and the frankness of Neffenger and other officials, has won the TSA some praise.

"What we're seeing around TSA's issues is refreshing: administrators being frank and communicative about the magnitude of a problem, and officials throughout the government moving with relative swiftness to seek answers," U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow said in a statement.

Yet with the importance of travel to the economy, he called the situation "a national crisis" and said fixing it should be a "national priority."

Airline blogger Brett Snyder was less optimistic. On crankyflier.com, he accused Congress of "putting forward weak stopgap solutions that don't fix the issue."

"It's too late to save this summer, so get ready to arrive at the airport much earlier than normal," he wrote.

Passengers are also frustrated. The number of customer service reports to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as reported by the TSA, jumped in March.

There were 1,012 complaints about courtesy and 513 about processing time, up from 776 courtesy complaints and 312 processing time complaints in February and 294 courtesy complaints and 48 processing time complaints in March 2015.

Neffenger knows that travelers experience airport security frustrations. He's experienced them himself.

"It's really annoying to get up to the line and have to push your bag all the way up," he said. "And what's really annoying is when four people in front of me leave, and I've got to push their bags."

Security, he said, "by definition is an inconvenience." But it's especially important now because there are heightened threats facing the U.S. from groups like the Islamic State and al-Qaida.

"This is a much more dynamic threat environment now than it has been in many, many years," he said.

He said the vast majority of travelers are not out to cause harm. Programs like TSA PreCheck verify a traveler's identity and help expedite the security process by declaring individuals in advance as safe to fly.

He doesn't see why these restrictions couldn't be eased further for frequent fliers in such trusted traveler programs.

"You're probably pretty safe," he said. "You haven't tried anything yet, and we know a lot about you."
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WASHINGTON - U.S. companies have found it can be tough to do business in China. Now, as more Chinese companies invest in the United States, their U.S. rivals are finding that it can be hard to contend with the Chinese on American turf, too.

Chinese companies can hide behind complex corporate structures. They can keep assets back home. And they can use connections to Beijing to assert immunity from America's legal system.

Consider one Dallas-area company that thought it had scored a victory.

Five months ago, an arbitration panel awarded Tang Energy Group at least $69 million after a contract to build wind farms collapsed and left Tang fighting for survival.

The celebration didn't last long.

The company the panel ruled against - Aviation Industry Corp., a conglomerate owned by China's government - challenged the award. AVIC argued that the arbitration panel was stacked against it and that it wasn't directly involved in the wind project, though its subsidiaries were.

AVIC had another argument, too: As an arm of China's government, it said, it isn't subject to the authority of American arbitration panels - or courts.

"We follow the rule of law," Tang CEO Patrick Jenevein said. "They follow playground rules when the teacher is not around."

Such disputes are destined to grow as Chinese companies invest more in the United States and sign more contracts on U.S. shores. China's investment in the United States reached a record $15.7 billion in 2015, the Rhodium Group consultancy reports.

Disputes with Chinese companies are complicated by China's blurry lines between public and private. Many Chinese companies with the clout to export and invest overseas are owned by the state or enjoy powerful ties.

There's some hope that the task of fighting Chinese companies in U.S. courts will ease as they deepen their investment in the United States and their assets become easier to seize.

And as they increasingly expand internationally, they will need to manage their reputations and won't want to be known for eluding courts and skipping out on legal bills, said Dan Harris, with the law firm Harris Moure in Seattle.

But for now, at least, Harris said the Chinese can't always fathom how U.S. courts operate, aren't used to judges who are mostly immune to bribes and don't understand the consequences of defying court orders.

Several state-owned companies have invoked the 1976 Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. The act says foreign government agencies can claim immunity unless they're directly involved in commerce, a status that's subject to dispute.

"Being sovereign," said Anthony Balloon, a lawyer who specializes in international business, "means you don't have to say you're sorry."

In the meantime, the U.S. is seeking an investment treaty with China. Researchers at the Peterson Institute for International Economics has suggested that negotiators require China's state-owned companies to accept the jurisdiction of foreign countries.

In some ways, the very fact that Chinese companies are fighting in U.S. courts represents progress. In the past, many didn't even recognize the American legal process.
WASHINGTON - A rift between environmentalists and labor, two pillars of the Democratic coalition, broke open acrimoniously Monday, when a group of big unions threatened to boycott a get-out-the-vote operation unless a wealthy opponent of climate change was barred from it.

Warning that organized labor risked being "infiltrated by financial and political interests that work in direct conflict" with their members, the presidents of seven building-trade unions demanded that the AFL-CIO cut its ties with Thomas Steyer, a hedge fund manager who has spent millions promoting efforts to combat climate change.

In a letter to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, they demanded the federation back off plans to create a joint super PAC with Steyer, founder of the political advocacy group NextGen Climate.

Seeking to increase their political clout, the AFL-CIO and a group of unions said last week that they would join forces with Steyer to finance efforts to help Democratic candidates this fall through a new group called For Our Future PAC.

Some unions were asked to give as much as $1 million. Steyer said he would give $5 million and that it was "highly likely" other unions would join the effort.

However, the construction-sector unions assailed the AFL-CIO's willingness to make common cause with Steyer - who has opposed projects like the Keystone XL pipeline and coal-fired power plants - as an abandonment of workers and the federation's principles.

"It saddens us that the very labor movement we have fought for and supported for over a century seems to have lost sight of its core mission and has moved away from us and our membership in the interest of headline-grabbing political expediency," wrote the union presidents. The letter was signed by leaders of the operating engineers, plumbers, elevator constructors, roofers, laborers, plasterers and heat and frost insulators.

In a separate letter to Trumka, Terry O'Sullivan, president of the 500,000-member laborers union, called the partnership a "politically bankrupt betrayal" of union members. "We object to the political agenda of the AFL-CIO being sold to a job-killing hedge fund manager with a bag of cash," he wrote.

The letters were provided to the New York Times by a labor official who insisted on anonymity.
The plot of land where developers promised the so-called Ashby high-rise would be built in an affluent neighborhood still sits empty.

Yet the 1.6-acre lot at 1717 Bissonnet, which in 2007 sparked a battle that came to symbolize the impact of a lack of formal zoning in Houston, is still high on the minds of land-use experts, city leaders and developers grappling with development policy around the region, an expert panel said Monday.

"We are watching for the repercussions going forward," said South Texas College of Law professor Matthew Festa, who specializes in land use. "We start in a city without a formal zoning code. But we have a lot of those types of rules."

Nearly two years ago, a judge ruled that the proposed tower by Houston-based Buckhead Investment Partners in the neighborhood near Rice University could go forward after a monthlong trial and jury verdict that agreed with residents of the neighborhood that the tower would be a nuisance and out of place.

The judge agreed to the $1.2 million in damages the jury awarded but denied residents the permanent injunction they were seeking to halt the project.

Both sides appealed, and an appellate court could rule any day now, according to the attorneys. The developers are asking that court to overturn the damages. The residents are asking for the permanent injunction to stop the project.

The Houston developers have said the appeals process will not affect construction. They plan to move forward. Construction costs have risen during the course of the legal proceedings, and the developers need to find a new contractor before they break ground, said Fred Cook, an attorney for the developers.

State District Judge Randy Wilson said, in his written judgment, that a permanent injunction would be difficult to enforce and would invite an "endless series of lawsuits" testing various tweaks and revisions to the project's scope.

"A 21-story residential development is believed by the neighbors (and the jury) to be too big," Wilson said in the ruling. "However, this court has zero evidence with which to find what size is just right."

The neighborhood launched a fierce opposition campaign, and yellow and black "Tower of Traffic" or "Stop the Ashby High-rise" signs still dot many yards. Residents of the neighborhood between Southampton and Boulevard Oaks argued in court that the tower would cause traffic problems, lower their property values and hurt the structures of their homes, among other issues. Opponents said the high-rise would be "abnormal and out of place."

These arguments have emerged in several similar lawsuits filed against projects since and city laws have been passed to address some of the complaints brought by the residents who live near the Ashby site.

Festa said that with the various land use restrictions in Houston, in the form of minimum-lot sizes, historic districts and residential buffer ordinances, the region has "de-facto zoning." This has led to many questions and sets up battles over where to build and about density versus preserving what is already there.

He said there are equity issues on both sides.

"Wealthy neighbors pass the hat and hire top-notch attorneys. What happens to the ones that don't have those resources?" Festa said. "Nowhere is this stuff more intense than land-use battles."

There have been battles over what should be built in River Oaks, the Museum District and the Heights.

Many neighborhoods and developers have been closely watching the Ashby case play out. Recently, a condominium developer pre-emptively sued a group of residents who live in another condo tower and oppose his project.

There is also an ongoing battle over a proposed affordable housing complex in a neighborhood between Tanglewood and the Galleria. That Houston Housing Authority project is a test case for new federal pressures and a Supreme Court decision that requires that affordable housing is built in high-opportunity neighborhoods, said Kyle Shelton, a researcher with the Kinder Institute at Rice University.

"It intimately ties into the same debate as Ashby," Shelton said. "It raises the question for Houston: Does this 'de-facto zoning' get us a Houston that works for everybody? Ashby provided an interesting contradiction for Houston."

Festa, who testified for the developers' side during the Ashby trial, said he has watched the case since the beginning. He said the property rights issue is a sensitive one because people will sense a threat to their homes, their biggest purchase and largest asset.

"Land use really does motivate people," he said. "It's the communities that we live in."
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Opponents of an affordable housing project planned for an affluent section of Houston will square off with local housing officials Wednesday night over concerns their children could get squeezed out of a top-rated elementary school by new apartment residents.

The mixed-income complex proposed at 2640 Fountain View, near the Galleria and neighborhoods such as Tanglewood and Briargrove, would have 233 units when it is slated to open in 2018. The $53 million project is the Houston Housing Authority's first attempt to build in an area that federal officials designate as "high opportunity," meaning it has low poverty rates, good schools and ample retail.

Local leaders opposing the project include a school board trustee, state legislators, a U.S. representative and a city councilman. The website stopfountainviewproject.org was created to draw attention to the cause, and residents of the Briargrove neighborhood recently walked block by block to encourage people to attend Wednesday's public meeting.

Opponents argue the project would cost taxpayers too much money for too few units and would worsen traffic in the area. But the most commonly voiced concern is that newcomers could displace existing students at the highly rated Briargrove Elementary School, part of the Houston Independent School District.

More Information Public meeting What: The Houston Housing Authority has invited residents to discuss the affordable-housing project it has planned near the Galleria and Tanglewood, Briargrove and other neighborhoods. Where: Briargrove Elementary auditorium, 6145 San Felipe. When: 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday. See More Collapse

Overflow school

Housing authority officials says that's not the case. Growth was inevitable in the area, they say, and an overflow school set to open later this year will alleviate some of the crowding. Officials say they consulted with HISD after purchasing the land in 2014.

Critics like Briargove resident John Luman say they were caught off-guard. "The school district was never roped into the discussion until this thing came to light," Luman said.

Harvin Moore, an HISD board member, charged in a fiery opinion piece that appeared in the Houston Chronicle that the Houston Housing Authority could have built in other high-opportunity neighborhoods that did not have school capacity issues.

"All HHA had to do was check school capacity before purchasing land," Moore said in a statement Tuesday. "By not doing so, they displace families from their overcrowded neighborhood school, and that's wrong."

By the time the complex is slated to open, Mark White Elementary School will be serving children from four nearby schools, including Briargrove Elementary.

HISD said in an email response late Tuesday that Mark White will "help but not solve the overcrowding." The new school, built for 750 students, is expected to fill up quickly with overflow from Briargrove, Emerson, Piney Point and Pilgrim elementary schools.

Fair housing advocates

Fair housing advocates say good schools are a benefit to building low-income projects in high-opportunity neighborhoods. An analysis from the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service shows that just two of the 19 schools attended by children from existing Houston Housing Authority projects received a grade of C or higher from the Children at Risk analysis. More than half of the developments are zoned to F-rated schools. Briargrove has an A rating.

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that concentrating low-income housing only in areas with high minority populations and high poverty rates could violate the Fair Housing Act. The Houston Housing Authority filed a brief in the case that said development of affordable housing would effectively come to a halt if required to build only in high-opportunity neighborhoods.

Housing Authority Chairman Lance Gilliam said he is committed to completing the project as scheduled.

"We think it's a great site," he said. "We have always trusted HISD to do their job of educating children in the entire city."
Here's a spoiler about Megyn Kelly's upcoming interview with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump:

She does not make him cry.

Viewers might expect tears to flow because cable news star Kelly's first prime-time special, "Megyn Kelly Presents," at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Fox's broadcast network, is produced by Bill Geddie. For years, Geddie oversaw Barbara Walters' high-rated, in-depth interviews with celebrities who often reached for tissue by the end of the conversation.

"I'm glad I didn't cry," Kelly said with a laugh at her office at Fox News headquarters in Manhattan.

But Kelly's role in Trump's historic rise to become the Republicans' choice for the 2016 White House gives their one-on-one meeting plenty of built-in tension.

At the first Republican primary debate that aired Aug. 6 on the Fox News Channel, Kelly confronted Trump over public statements he's made about women.

While the real estate mogul kept his cool during the event that was watched by 24 million people, he scorched Kelly with insults afterward on social media and, in a CNN interview, suggested that her menstrual cycle was the reason for her "mean" questions.

Trump's remarks would have likely put an end to a conventional political candidate. But the former reality-TV star powered through the primary season like a "Survivor" contestant with immunity from the tribal council.

More Information 'Megyn Kelly Presents' When: 7 p.m. Tuesday Network: Fox See More Collapse

On her special, Kelly is seen getting her first chance to ask the presumed nominee about his behavior, which went on for months. The focus is not on her, she said, but on whether he has the temperament appropriate for someone who occupies the Oval Office.

"He answered every question," she said. "There were some tense moments. There were some uncomfortable moments."

But Kelly is also well aware that her timing was right for the interview, which she personally requested from Trump in mid-April. While Trump has the nomination sewn up, his poll numbers have been weak among female voters. Agreeing to an opportunity to publicly display respect toward Kelly, no matter how tough she is on him, can't hurt with that constituency.

"You can say whatever you want about Trump, but he's not dumb," Kelly said. "He realized he had a lot riding on this and something to gain."

Kelly, a 45-year-old upstate New York native, has already won accolades and admiration for remaining cool and never responding to Trump's nasty fire. She's done glamorous magazine shoots and was interviewed by Charlie Rose on the august weekend news program "CBS Sunday Morning."

But her journey to becoming the hottest star on cable news has been a shock to her system.

A former trial attorney who went into broadcast journalism 13 years ago partly because she wanted more fun in her work life, she admits to being taken aback at the harsh tone of the presidential campaign season. Kelly said she never expected to become a part of the Trump saga that cable news programs like hers cover each night.

"I don't really like acrimony," she said. "Some people like it. I think Trump likes it. I know people see me as this tough questioner. People have said I am fearless. I am a much softer person than that. Don't get me wrong. I am a strong woman. I am much more about my children and my husband, the love in my life and my friendships and my recognition that we're only here for a short time. Every moment in that vitriolic sewer is bad for the soul."

The experience has caused Kelly to reflect about the future of her career. Her contract with Fox News is up in July 2017, and she has said recently that she's undecided about re-signing. In the past year, she has become a client of Creative Artists Agency, which is not where TV news talent typically goes to stay put.

But Kelly points out that she appreciates the editorial control - as well as the challenges - that she has on her nightly platform at Fox News Channel, where she averages 2.5 million viewers a night. She has the second-largest audience in cable news, behind her lead-in, "The O'Reilly Factor."

"What am I going to do?" she said when asked about her plans. "I went on 'Live With Kelly and Michael' the other day, and those two have great jobs. They go on TV for an hour a day, they have fun conversations, they make a bunch of money. They are on from 9 to 10 and then they can go work out and be with their children. I'm sure it's harder than that, but in theory that sounds wonderful.

"Would I actually be happy doing it? No, I would not. I think to some extent it's baked in me to be hard-charging. I get to do that (at Fox News Channel) in a way that nine times out of 10 I adore."

Kelly and Fox News executives are playing down the significance of the prime-time special and whether it can lead to a larger role on the broadcast network. Nevertheless, Kelly has been on a talk-show blitz to promote the event.

She sees the special, which also features interviews with O.J. Simpson defense attorney Robert Shapiro, actor Michael Douglas and "Orange Is the New Black" co-star Laverne Cox, as a way to try her hand at deeper conversations than the four-minute interviews that are packed into "The Kelly File."

"If it works out and they want more, that would be fun," she said. "If the special is one-and-done, I can live with that, too. It's not like I'm getting extra money."

Not yet anyway.

Such celebrity-interview specials are rare on the broadcast networks these days, since Walters has retired and chattering stars and politicians are widely available across cable TV and the Internet.

But Geddie believes that Kelly possesses a personality distinctive enough to make viewers seek out a special and watch with the expectation that they will learn something.

"Megyn's funny and quick and gives you a sense that she's having the time of her life," Geddie said. "She reminds me of those movies in the '30s with Jean Arthur or Rosalind Russell - the career women in the newsroom who'd say, 'Get off your keisters, boys, there's a story at city hall.' She's the one the boys all fall in love with, and she plays them for fools. That's how I'd cast her. She's a modern version of that."

There is another interview that Kelly would love to have - Trump's likely Democratic opponent for the White House, Hillary Clinton. Kelly said she has issued "many" requests to talk to the candidate, who has done only one appearance on Fox News during the campaign.

"She called me a superb journalist," Kelly said. "I'd like her to come over here and let me practice some of that superb journalism on her."
Police have released surveillance photographs of suspects in a kidnapping and robbery last month in northwest Houston.

The incident happened April 12 at a convenience store in the 1800 block of West Mount Houston, according to the Houston Police Department.

Police said two workers left the store together and drove to one of their homes. When they arrived, two men walked up to them and ordered them to drive back to the store. At the business, the suspects forced the employees to unlock the door and go inside. The suspects grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash and ran away, leaving the workers behind.

The workers were not hurt.

No descriptions of the men were available.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.crime-stoppers.org. Tips can also be sent by a text message. Text TIP610 and tips to CRIMES.

Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspects or charges being filed against them.

All tipsters remain anonymous.
The Texas Southern University board of regents is expected to decide late Monday night who will be the college's next president.

The regents are trying to wrap up a search to succeed President John Rudley, who has led the school since 2008 and plans to step down in August. The board spent nearly 12 hours behind closed doors in a small Marriott meeting room Thursday, interviewing two finalists for the job. They debated until 3 a.m. Friday who would be the right person to lead the university but didn't make a decision.

The regents had originally planned to meet at 11:30 a.m. Monday, but the agenda posted online Friday was taken down over the weekend. As of 11 a.m. Monday, no new agenda had been posted, but board chair Derrick Mitchell said the board will meet at the originally planned time and recess until 8:30 p.m.

Mitchell said the delay is due to a scheduling conflict on the board. The chair said he wanted every regent to be available at the meeting, where they will pick the university's next president.

"This is about the president, so we want all of our board to be available," Mitchell said. "We're not trying to hide anything. We're really trying to act."

By Texas law, whomever the regents select as sole finalist won't be able to take the president's position for 21 days.

During his tenure, TSU President Rudley has raised admissions standards, found ways to fund construction including a new dorm despite cuts in state funding, and pushed for other university improvements. Despite those successes, Rudley has butted heads with regents in recent months and the faculty senate passed a vote of no confidence in him.

Rudley suggested at a recent regents meeting his upcoming departure was largely due to change on the board.

"I've been around this business for over 20 years," Rudley said during a contentious March meeting of the board. "I know how when boards change, the winds change, relationships change ... From a personal standpoint, I should be smart enough to know the table is laid out, and the table laid out was not conducive for me to stay at TSU any longer."

Despite the tension with regents and faculty, the university presented Rudley with a medal of honor at the TSU graduation ceremony on Saturday.
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An 18-year-old Fort Bend County woman was arrested Sunday on suspicion of murder, authorities said Monday.

Monserrat Carrillo-Castilla, 18, of Missouri City, was arrested in connection with the death of 36-year-old Willie Honable, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.

Honable was found dead in March in his home in the Cinco Ranch area. Investigators at the time said it appeared that Honable knew his killer and that the shooting was not a random incident.

Honable had moved from California in January to the home, which he was leasing. The reason for his relocation was then unknown.

Carrillo-Castilla was arrested around 6 p.m. Sunday near Richmond and Fountainview. The arrest occurred "without incident," according to the release.

The teenager was being held at the Fort Bend County jail on $200,000 bond.

The sheriff's office, the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force and the Texas Rangers have been involved in the investigation, the news release said.
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Peli Peli owners Michael Tran, Thomas Nguyen and chef Paul Friedman are planning to bring some South African flavor to Katy.

The "Houston Press" reports that the trio have signed a lease at 23501 Cinco Ranch in retail center La Centerra, where Kenzo Sushi Bistro once stood.

RELATED: First look at Restless Palate in Katy

Nguyen tells the Houston newspaper that they look forward to offering the Houston suburb a new fine-dining establishment.

"I feel that we were destined for Katy because I went to school there (Mayde Creek, 1994) and two of the owners currently live in Cinco Ranch, less than two miles away from La Centerra," Nguyen told the "Press."

The owners appeared on CNBC's "Restaurant Startup" in January, in which restaurateur Elizabeth Blau pledged $1.25 million, an investment that eventually fell through.

SEE ALSO: Local restaurateur gives cancer patients the prom he never had

Still, the company is going forward with a widespread expansion for the city. The original location is at Vintage Park, and the second restaurant is in the Galleria. Casual offshoot Peli Peli Kitchen is expected to open at 9090 Katy Freeway in late summer or early fall.

"While there will be 1-2 Peli Peli's in every city, the Peli Peli Kitchen concept will be our franchise model that allows for growth into the suburban areas with possibilities for 10-plus locations in every major city," the partners said on their Kickstarter page (a campaign they later deserted).

Tran, Friedman and Nguyen have brought on architectural firm Collaborative Projects to design this interior. The company is known for creating some of the city's most popular bars and restaurants, and it's the firm behind the Bernie's Burger Bus in Katy, also in La Centerra.
In his past jobs as a college administrator, Austin A. Lane worked to drive up enrollment at the schools he helped lead. That will likely be one of his biggest challenges when he takes the helm this summer at Texas Southern University.

The Texas Southern board of regents Monday night unanimously picked Lane as the university's next president. Lane, who has family ties to the historically black university, has been second-in-command at the Lone Star College System since January 2015. He will succeed John Rudley, who has led the school since 2008.

"I've followed TSU for years, and I feel like I'm coming home," Lane, 45, said in an interview after the meeting.

The announcement wraps up a months-long search for a new leader. Lane was one of 50 who applied. The board spent nearly 12 hours behind closed doors in a small Marriott meeting room Thursday, interviewing two finalists for the job. They debated until 3 a.m. Friday who would be the right person to lead the university but did not make a decision.

In his interview with the board last week, Lane presented the regents with a 90-day plan, the first 30 days of which focused heavily on recruitment efforts, including tapping into the area's community colleges and high schools.

"Bottom line, Dr. Lane just was on point," board chair Derrick Mitchell said. "He taught me some things about Texas Southern I didn't even know. He's done his homework."

Enrollment ,which reached as high as 11,635 in 2004, has been a major issue in recent years for Texas Southern.

A nearly 10 percent enrollment drop - driven by changes to the federal Pell Grant program - left the university with 7,744 full-time students and a $7 million shortfall in 2014. The school has about 500 more students now; with state funding largely tied to enrollment, fluctuations can lead to big funding cuts at a small school like TSU. College leaders have said they expect to have just $2 million in cash at the end of the fiscal year.

Lane, who currently helps run a community college system with seven campuses, served as president of Lone Star's Montgomery campus for six years, from 2009 to 2015. Full-time enrollment at the school grew by 20 percent during that time to 12,000 students. The number of degrees awarded at the campus nearly doubled during his tenure, from 538 in 2009 to 1,016 in 2015, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Lane also directed a collegewide enrollment-management team as a vice president at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, where he worked before joining Lone Star and, according to his online biography, helped push enrollment there to a record level.

Besides a leader who can drive enrollment, Texas Southern needs someone who "has a lot of energy, is student-centered, respects faculty governance, and can raise money really well," said Marybeth Gasman, director of the Penn Center for Minority-Serving Institutions at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert on historically black colleges and universities.

"I'd love to see someone new on the scene to really breathe fresh air into TSU," Gasman said. "I'd like to see someone who inserts TSU into national conversations."

Lane, who has three degrees including a bachelor's in psychology from Langston University, another historically black college in Oklahoma, has ties to TSU. His father-in-law and mother-in-law both attended Texas Southern. Larry Williams, his father-in-law, took classes with Mickey Leland, the former Texas congressman, and was best man in Leland's wedding.

Lane and his wife, Loren, have three children and are members of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church near Texas Southern.

By state law, Lane, for now technically the sole finalist, won't be able to take the president's position for 21 days. The regents said he will start in June. His predecessor, Rudley, was previously set to leave the school in August, but the regents said Monday night that he will stick around as an adviser to Lane for at least six months.

During his tenure, Rudley raised admissions standards, found ways to fund construction including a new dorm despite cuts in state funding, and pushed for other university improvements. Despite those successes, Rudley in recent months has butted heads with regents and the faculty senate passed a vote of no confidence.

Rudley suggested at a recent regents meeting that his upcoming departure was largely due to change on the board.

"I've been around this business for over 20 years," Rudley said during a contentious March meeting of the board. "I know how when boards change, the winds change, relationships change. ... From a personal standpoint, I should be smart enough to know the table is laid out, and the table laid out was not conducive for me to stay at TSU any longer."

Despite the tension with regents and faculty, the university on Saturday presented Rudley with a medal of honor at the TSU graduation ceremony.

On Monday night, board members said their vote was also a show of confidence in Rudley, whom they have asked to stick around beyond August, when he had planned to leave. The regents said he is welcome to stay on as long as Lane needs his help.
WASHINGTON - The escalating legal fight around what Exxon Mobil knew about climate change, and when it knew it, intensified Monday with the entry of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who called a probe into the oil company "a fishing expedition of the worst kind."

In a filing in Fort Worth, Paxton asked a Texas judge to block what he claimed was an illegal investigation by the U.S. Virgin Islands into whether Irving-based Exxon Mobil committed fraud in past statements that downplayed the impact of fossil fuels on climate change. A subpoena sent last month by the attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands requested correspondence and internal research related to climate change - an apparent attempt to determine whether Exxon's public positions and regulatory filings are at odds with what executives and researchers said internally.

"It's a fishing expedition of the worst kind," Paxton said in a statement, "and represents an effort to punish Exxon for daring to hold an opinion on climate change that differs from that of radical environmentalists."

Paxton's move to protect one of the world's largest oil companies angered environmentalists and bewildered legal scholars. Tracy Hester, a law professor at the University of Houston, said he was not aware of another instance in which the Texas attorney general intervened in another attorney general's inquiry on the side of a private company.

"It is unusual. Obviously the Texas AG has been suing on behalf of Texas on environmental issues, but this is a change of pace," he said. "It's ratcheting the political stakes up."

Like many Texas politicians, Paxton, a Republican, draws significant campaign funding from the oil and gas industry. In 2012, when Paxton was running for state Senate, Exxon, one of the state's largest employers, wrote him a $2,000 check. Since announcing his candidacy for state attorney general in August 2013, he has collected more than $400,000 in donations from oil and gas industry employees, PACs and trade associations, according to state campaign finance records.

Paxton's court filing officially puts Texas in opposition to a coalition of 20 attorneys general led by New York's Eric Schneiderman. The AG's are looking into whether fossil fuel companies misled the public and their shareholders on climate change and might be held legally accountable for doing so. U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Claude Walker in March joined attorneys general from New York and California in stating his interest in probing Exxon.

"Investigating fraud is something that attorneys general do every day," Walker said in a statement. "It is something we did, for example, with respect to tobacco, where, like Exxon, the industry stonewalled investigations, claiming that the First Amendment allowed them to hide that they knowingly manipulated science to assert that smoking was not dangerous to health."

Paxton is not alone in challenging efforts to go after oil companies over climate change. He was joined by Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange in asking the Texas court to block Virgin Island's subpoena.

On Monday, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt described the investigation into Exxon as an attempt to punish those who disagree on the science behind global warming and said he would likely file a court brief in support of Paxton.

"It seems to be an effort to criminalize free speech," he said. "They're basically alleging Exxon has minimized the supposed impact of fossil fuels. But if the minimization is fraud, as they claim, then the exaggeration is fraud, too."

The overwhelming scientific consensus is that the burning of fossil fuels - the world's main source of energy - has accelerated climate change. For years, however, oil companies and their representatives cast doubt on these findings in paid advertisements and public forums.

The Virgin Islands' probe found its way into the Texas courts last month when Exxon filed a petition in Fort Worth to block the subpoena. Exxon claimed Walker did not have jurisdiction and was asking for documents that exceeded the territory's five-year statute of limitations. That matter is pending before State District Judge Melody Wilkinson, a representative for the court said Monday.

The states' investigation follows articles last year by Inside Climate News and the Los Angeles Times detailing Exxon's research into climate change in the 1970s and '80s, raising questions around later statements made by former CEO Lee Raymond undermining the research of leading climate scientists.

On Monday, Exxon issued a statement saying it appreciated "that Texas and Alabama support our position opposing the Virgin Island's subpoena."

Paxton is under indictment on charges that he violated state securities laws. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last month filed civil charges related to the Texas case.

Paxton's move in support of Exxon Mobil came as little surprise to Ilan Levins, associate director of the Environmental Integrity Project's regional office in Austin, who described Texas as "one of the leading climate deniers."

"It looks like a political ploy, since I don't think Exxon Mobil needs the legal help," he said.

David Saleh Rauf contributed to this report.
It's not fair that humans care about saving "cute" animals from extinction more than they care about "ugly" ones, but that's just the way it is. And with that in mind, we strongly suspect you'll have a feeling or two about the ever-dwindling odds of survival faced by Phocoena sinus, commonly known as the vaquita porpoise.

The vaquita is the world's rarest marine mammal. In 2014, researchers counted just 100 remaining members of the Mexican species - down from 200 in 2012 - and estimated that the population would decline by 20 percent more each year. Sure enough, on Friday the Mexican government reported that just 60 porpoises remain, despite a May 2015 two-year ban on the use of gillnets that frequently kill them.
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Imagine a sponge.

Now imagine that you had access to something that would make this sponge - an inherently absorbent object - many times more absorbent. Something that supercharged its capacity to soak up and hold liquid.

That's a fair description of the grass that grows on the Katy Prairie, which straddles the border of Harris and Waller counties. A 2015 study for the Harris County Flood Control District found evidence that the prairie's native vegetation increased the "infiltrative capacity of soil." In other words, the grass makes the prairie a better sponge.

In a metropolitan region regularly besieged by catastrophic flooding, such a resource is valuable. Precious, even. Yet what's left of it - fewer than 150,000 undeveloped acres of a prairie that once covered 750,000 acres - remains under threat.

A month after torrential rains flooded thousands of Houston-area homes and contributed to the deaths of nine people, advocates are fighting to remove certain proposed roads from a major thoroughfare plan adopted by the city of Houston in the 1940s. These roads would run through or around the 20,000 preserved acres of the prairie. Harris County is making recommendations to the city for changes to the plan.

Lines on a map

County officials favor removing some roads but adding (or "modifying," in County Engineer John Blount's words) certain others. Mary Anne Piacentini, leader of the nonprofit Katy Prairie Conservancy, wants to use the review as an opportunity to get all the roads affecting preserved areas removed from the plan.

For now, these roads are just lines on a map. But the mindset that led planners decades ago to call for roads in such a sensitive area is reflected in the language of a recent report by consultants who studied the plan for the county.

"The study area is now prime for development," the draft report states, adding that several rapidly growing nearby master-planned communities "will position most of the available land within the study area for development within the next few decades."

Historically, growth has been the imperative, the constant, the foundation of policy at every level of government in the Houston area. Efforts to mitigate effects such as flooding, air and water pollution, and traffic congestion have met with varying levels of success, but the paramount importance of growth is rarely questioned.

I once heard the leader of a tax-protest group say that Houstonians should stop complaining about traffic jams because they were a sign of prosperity.

Managing growth

In the aftermath of the so-called "Tax Day" floods of April 18 and thereafter, though, I've sensed a potential shift in public attitudes. No one is calling for a halt to growth. But scientists, nonprofit leaders - and, most importantly, people whose homes have flooded again and again - are convinced that more-effective management of growth could help.

Various proposals have emerged: stricter requirements for water detention associated with new development; more aggressive work to deepen and widen the bayous that carry water to the sea; tougher limits on development in flood-prone areas.

The people calling for these steps are not buying the prevailing narrative that destructive flooding is inevitable in a flat, low-lying region prone to torrential rains.

"This amounts to hiding behind Mother Nature's skirts in a city with a tradition of overcoming natural challenges - digging a ship channel to the Gulf, putting a man on the moon, building the Astrodome and finding oil in impossible places," retired Houston journalist Bruce Nichols wrote in a recent online essay for the Chronicle's Gray Matters page.

'We're gonna kill the city'

Ed Browne, a leader of a group called Residents Against Flooding, put it another way: "If we don't start doing responsible growth, we're gonna kill the city," Browne told me.

What constitutes "responsible" growth, of course, is not a question that lends itself to easy consensus. Is it responsible to permit development in floodways, the most vulnerable sections of flood plains? The Arbor Court Apartments, one of numerous Greenspoint-area developments that flooded on April 18, is in the floodway of Greens Bayou.

The city of Houston banned new construction on vacant land in floodways in 2006, but the City Council relaxed those rules two years later when revised maps placed many homes in newly defined floodways, instantly erasing most of their value. Their owners, not surprisingly, pushed back.

This stuff is complicated. The science is imperfect and the politics even more so. But taking care of that shrinking sponge west of the city might be a place to start.
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A man accused of killing a teenager and seriously injuring her prom date as he drunkenly fled police over the weekend will remain in the Harris County Jail without bail, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Edin Palacios, 26, was arraigned on a charge of felony murder and evading arrest, accused of ignoring a police officer trying to pull him over on suspicion of drunken driving and running a red light, which caused the fatal crash.

Visiting Judge Frank Price said the court will consider setting bail in the future, but prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that Palacios, a resident of Guatemalan, would likely be held in federal custody if he is able to bail himself out of the county jail.

READ MORE: Early-morning DWI chase leads to fatal crash

An immigration hold has been placed on him by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Price appointed defense attorney Emily Detoto, who said she is investigating the allegations and does not believe Palacios could even make bail.

"He's extremely scared and still exhibiting signs of his injuries," she said. "And it doesn't really matter what the bail is, I don't think he could make it."

READ MORE: Man charged in teen's death in crash during police chase

Prosecutor Alison Baimbridge said Palacios was driving erratically and hitting curbs as he drove through northwest Houston about 1 a.m. Saturday. A Houston police officer tried to pull him over, but Palacios fled and went through a red light, ramming his pickup into a car carrying two teenagers leaving IHOP, their dinner date after the prom.

"He totally ignored the lights and sirens," Baimbridge said, describing the moments before the bloody crash on the North Freeway service road near Tidwell. "Everybody was injured."

The wreck killed 18-year-old Jocelynn Valero, a passenger in a Dodge Charger struck by Palacios' Ford F-150. Valero's friend, who was driving the Dodge, survived, but he remains in the hospital with a broken pelvis, a lacerated liver and other injuries, Baimbridge said.

Palacios was also hospitalized. He told investigators he had one Miller Lite beer and was scared when he fled police, according to court records.

Baimbridge, however, said he had a blood alcohol level of .15, almost twice the legal limit.

Valero and her friend had attended the prom for Yes Prep North Central high school that night and had stopped at IHOP before the crash occurred.

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Federal agents are investigating the death of a Texas mother of four who was lost at sea after apparently tumbling off the deck of a Carnival Cruise ship traveling from Galveston to Cozumel, Mexico.

The ship, named Liberty, was docked at Galveston Monday as authorities looked into the death of Samantha Broberg,33, of Arlington, whose body has not been found.
Federal agents are investigating the death of a Texas mother of four who was lost at sea after apparently tumbling off the deck of a Carnival Cruise ship traveling from Galveston to Cozumel, Mexico.

The ship, named Liberty, was docked at Galveston on Monday as authorities looked into the death of Samantha Broberg, 33, of Arlington, whose body has not been found.

Broberg's husband, Karl Broberg, a successful Thoroughbred horse trainer, asked for privacy.

"This is a tragic loss and is going to throw a lot of kids into a very difficult situation," said Karl Broberg, who praised searchers for their efforts.

"The Coast Guard has been optimistic, but was very honest - there is a very minimal chance of recovery of the body. They have been very courteous, very polite and very thorough."

Special Agent Shauna Dunlap, of the FBI Houston Division, said the federal investigation is standard procedure for a cruise ship incident.

"We are coordinating with Carnival to do a complete an thorough investigation," Dunlap said. "Until that investigation is complete, I can't comment further."

Footage recorded by a ship's surveillance camera shows that Broberg fell backward over deck railing late Thursday night, while the vessel was 195 miles from Galveston, according to Carnival and the Coast Guard. Her traveling companions, who were not identified, reported her missing on Friday.

'What caused it?'

The Coast Guard was contacted by Carnival at 5 p.m. Friday. It sent two HC-144 Ocean Sentry planes to search the waters - one from Corpus Christi and the other from Alabama - but the search was suspended Monday morning.

"The vast majority of missing persons reports on cruise ships are false alarms, therefore we conduct a shipwide search," Carnival spokeswoman Joyce Oliva said. "Otherwise we would be contacting (the Coast Guard) with multiple false alarms."

Foul play is not suspected, according to Oliva, who said reports of blood and a knife found on the deck were false.

"The ship's command has advised that the stain on the deck is from a spilled frozen drink believed to be a strawberry daiquiri," she said.

Before suspending the search, Coast Guard officials spent hours scouring about 5,700 square miles for Broberg, Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Kendrick said. A computer program was used to estimate where Broberg would most likely be found and how long she could survive given the water's temperature and other conditions.

Richard Garcia, a retired FBI agent, said investigators would try to determine whether Broberg's death was an accident, suicide or foul play.

Agents will likely look at videos from multiple cameras to determine who was near Broberg at the time she went into the water, as well as interview people who had spoken with her in the time leading up to her death.

"How did the person fall overboard and get into the water is key to the investigation," he said. "How did they do that? What caused it? What were the circumstances?"

'Washed away'

Melissa Hamilton, a visiting professor at the University of Houston Law Center, said the United States would have authority anywhere on the high seas where an American citizen was a victim or perpetrator.

"The interesting aspect of being out at sea on a cruise ship is that there are likely to be multiple entities who have jurisdiction for investigating if a crime did occur," she said. If the ship was in another country's waters, that country could also lay claim to the case she said. If a citizen of another country was involved in her death, yet another country could get involved.

As for exactly what happened to Broberg, that may never be known, she said.

"You have a roaming crime scene, potentially, and not finding the body is a challenge because you don't have all the evidence," she said. "Clearly the body of evidence may or may not be found, but even if it is, a lot of the evidence would be washed away in the seas or otherwise tainted."
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The nine undeveloped acres along Texas 249 near Tomball presented a unique opportunity for affordable housing in a most desirable area: high income, low crime, good schools - factors that might help a low-income family break out of the vise of poverty.

Called the Retreat at Westlock, it would be the Harris County Housing Authority's newest project, a small way to help the thousands of families in the county struggling to afford rising rents.

Then came a familiar situation. Tomball residents voiced concern last year that the development would bring overcrowded schools, crime and decreasing property values. In an online petition, some described the project as a "ghetto" that would invite "thugs" and "riff raff."

The heated opposition sent the housing authority back to the drawing board, where the plan was revised.

The apartment complex set to open later this year will bear superficial similarities to the original vision - 140 units, a modern, stucco-and-brick exterior - but there will be one key difference: No children will be allowed to live there.

Facing community opposition to low-income families moving into the suburb, the housing authority placed its highest restrictions ever on one of its properties. Nobody under age 62 will be allowed to stay or visit for more than three days.

Housing authority officials herald the agreement as part of a new strategy that's more sensitive to local concerns. Caught between a mandate to promote affordable housing in places like the county's upscale suburbs and a system that enables some local politicians to effectively shut down such efforts, authority officials say outreach and compromise with the local community will be effective tools.

Fair housing advocates, however, are startled by the county's move. They say the restrictions build on a history of failing to meet the needs of low-income families while bowing to political pressure by opting for less-controversial senior housing. With the opening of Westlock, eight of nine of the housing authority's properties will cater to seniors. The only authority development that caters to low-income families is near the intersection of Beltway 8 and Interstate 45, a relatively low-income area that's not considered "high opportunity."

"That's inconsistent with Harris County's obligations under the Fair Housing Act," said John Henneberger, co-director of the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service, which advocates for affordable housing across the state.

County housing authority spokeswoman Timika Simmons said that while there is a need for senior housing, especially in Tomball, she acknowledged that the shortage is greater for low-income families countywide.

"Right now, everyone is being forced into senior housing because that's more acceptable," Simmons said. "But it does not resolve our issue with families."

She noted that many had expressed support for the Tomball senior housing project.

The housing authority "must seek to have genuine conversations with the immediate communities that surround our proposed developments," Simmons said. "The specific needs of one community cannot be automatically applied to the needs of another part of Harris County, which is very large and diverse."

The debate over the Retreat at Westlock is one of many to come out of a decades-long struggle over where to place affordable housing.

Complex in Galleria area

Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court largely reinforced a push to promote affordable housing in "high opportunity" neighborhoods - generally high-income, low-poverty areas with high-performing schools - after a Dallas fair-housing group argued that such projects built in high-poverty, mostly minority neighborhoods had a negative impact on those communities.

President Barack Obama last year announced an initiative to put more affordable housing in wealthy neighborhoods, a move that critics said was an overreach of "federal neighborhood engineering."

Locally, the Houston Housing Authority has drawn fire since proposing a 233-unit affordable housing complex in an upscale Galleria-area neighborhood, which would be its first in a high opportunity neighborhood.

The debates have been particularly striking in Harris County's suburbs, where whole swaths of territory - from Katy through Cypress and east, including parts of Kingwood and Humble and down toward Pasadena - are considered "high opportunity" by the county.

For more than a decade, Rhonda Hecker has lived in the Village Creek neighborhood, about two miles southwest of the Westlock site. The brick buildings on large plots are characteristic of many suburban Houston communities.

A Houston native, Hecker lived in northern Spring Branch until she had children. Hecker said she was drawn to the Tomball area for the good schools, low crime and strong sense of community.

"It was kind of like being in the country, in the city," said Hecker.

Hecker was among hundreds of residents who showed up at a town hall meeting late last year that focused on the Retreat at Westlock proposal. Neighbors launched a petition drive to oppose the complex, getting more than 1,400 signatures, and flooded local officials with calls, letters and emails.

She and others argued rapid growth was already burdening local schools. They worried about a possible increase in crime and a decline in property values. Hecker, 54, said her home was her "largest investment."

The arguments, though not unique, can have particular resonance across Texas, in part because of how the state provides subsidies for most affordable housing projects: through the tax credit system.

Developers compete for the highest subsidies. Each project is assigned a score, and typically the eight to 10 highest scorers receive a portion of roughly $12 million in federal tax dollars that comes to Harris County each year for competitive tax-credit projects.

Developments get points for being placed in "high opportunity" neighborhoods. They also get points for letters of support from local officials, such as the Harris County Commissioners Court or the Houston City Council.

Left up to legislators

State representatives, though, also hold a unique ability to subtract points through letters of opposition. State senators gave up a similar power in 2013.

That often means that the fate of a project lies in the hands of the local state legislator.

According to Henneberger, legislators in north and northwest Harris County have been among the most active in opposing affordable housing projects funded by tax credits.

In Westlock's case, former state Rep. Allen Fletcher wrote a letter opposing the project. Simmons said the project was "not scoring well," leading to the revisions.

Opposition to projects in the northwest suburbs has been particularly organized in recent years, with residents forming groups called the "Cypress Coalition" and the "Tomball Coalition" to advocate on their behalf.

Kay Smith, who has lived in the area for more than 20 years, helped organize both groups. Smith said she has always been involved in local politics, including leading a local Republican women's club and serving on the Harris County education board.

She said she was "drafted" by residents to advocate against affordable housing developments. Smith was instrumental in negotiating the Westlock compromise.

Though she ran unsuccessfully last year for Fletcher's open seat, she still holds sway in the area. At least two developers approached her to inquire about how proposed affordable housing complexes might fare.

Without restrictions, not well, she said she told them.

County says need remains

For Smith and others, the Retreat at Westlock has become the threshold for affordable housing developments: Any project with fewer restrictions, they will oppose.

"We want our seniors to be taken care of," she stressed. "We're giving that information to the developers, and we're hoping that they're hearing it."

They appear to be: This year, no developers applied for the competitive subsidies to build affordable housing in the area from Katy north through Cypress.

The housing authority does not have any projects of its own planned for this year, but hopes that outreach efforts will set a solid foundation for projects in 2017, possibly even family housing developments.

The problem, Henneberger said, is that allowing community opposition to dictate the terms of a development ignores a real need.

"They're not working with the community," he said. "They're granting a self-appointed set of residents in the community effective veto power."

He also challenged the county's concept of community: Instead of catering solely to those living around a proposed development, authority officials should consider the needs of the entire county, including large families of limited means. County officials concede as much in their own fair-housing plan.

"Harris County has large deficits in the quantity, quality, and affordability of 3-plus bedroom units," the plan states. "The combination of larger families (and the increased cost associated with them) and limited housing options creates major impediments in affirmatively furthering fair housing."

Henneberger also said the county has at times incorrectly encouraged senior housing as a more palatable option over family housing. In 2014, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs spokesman Gordon Anderson said, the state halted distributing tax credits for senior developments to the Houston region because it found that applicants "couldn't prove up that need."
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A man accused of killing a teenager and seriously injuring her prom date as he drunkenly fled police over the weekend will remain in the Harris County Jail without bail, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Edin Palacios, 26, a native of Guatemala, could face deportation, officials said.

Palacios appeared in court Tuesday on a charge of felony murder and evading arrest, accused of ignoring a police officer trying to pull him over on suspicion of drunken driving and running a red light, which caused the fatal crash.

Visiting Judge Frank Price said the court will consider setting bail in the future, but prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that Palacios would likely be held in federal custody if he were able to bail himself out of the county jail.

An immigration hold has been placed on him by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Price appointed defense attorney Emily Detoto, who said she is investigating the allegations.

"He's extremely scared and still exhibiting signs of his injuries," she said. "And it doesn't really matter what the bail is; I don't think he could make it."

Prosecutor Alison Baimbridge said Palacios was driving erratically and hitting curbs as he drove through northwest Houston about 1 a.m. Saturday. A Houston police officer tried to pull him over, but Palacios fled and went through the red light, ramming his pickup into a car carrying the two teenagers returning home from IHOP, where they had gone to eat after the prom.

"He totally ignored the lights and sirens," Baimbridge said, describing the moments before the bloody crash on the North Freeway service road near Tidwell. "Everybody was injured."

The wreck killed 18-year-old Jocelynn Valero, a passenger in a Dodge Charger struck by Palacios' Ford F-150. Valero's friend, who was driving the Dodge, survived, but he remains in the hospital with a broken pelvis, a lacerated liver and other injuries, Baimbridge said.

Palacios was also hospitalized. He told investigators he had one Miller Lite beer and was scared when he fled police, according to court records.
The number of peace officers killed in the line of duty by criminal acts dropped 20 percent last year amid an ongoing national debate about whether police are being targeted as they work.

A preliminary report from the FBI released Monday found that 41 officers were killed last year by ambush, assault or other felonies, a decline from the 51 officers killed on the job in 2014.

Nearly half of those officers killed were working in the South, including Texas. Among those were two officers killed in Harris County in 2015 - Harris County sheriff's deputy Darren Goforth and Houston Police Officer Richard Martin.

The deaths have raised new concerns among the law enforcement community that officers are being targeted because of rising anti-police sentiment following volatile clashes in Ferguson, Mo., and other cities beginning in late 2014. The recent drop did little to assuage their concerns.

"The fact that there were 'only' 41 officers killed is not comforting. Officers risk their lives each and every day, off duty and on duty, when they leave the safety of their homes," said Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman, who weathered criticism last year after blaming his deputy's death on "rhetoric that has gotten out of control."

"What is more frightening for law enforcement officers is the randomness of those deaths - ambushed, domestic disturbances, unprovoked attacks - makes each of us that wear the badge more determined to honor those that had fallen," he said Monday in a written statement. "I pray that someday we will not have to pray over the grave of a fallen officer who gave their life in the protection of his fellow man. Until that day we will continue to serve and protect our communities."

The FBI data did not attempt to explain what may have caused the drop in deaths in 2015 and did not provide a state-by-state breakdown of the data, which will be available in several months.

Since 2005, an average of 50 officers have been killed each year, with the fewest - 27 - killed in 2013.

The latest numbers show that 19 officers were killed in Southern states - twice as many as in any other region of the country. Nine officers were killed in the West, five in the Midwest and four in the Northeast and in Puerto Rico.

Data stirs debate

Four officers, including Goforth, were ambushed. Three were killed during unprovoked attacks, and eight died while investigating suspicious persons, according to the FBI. Seven were killed in tactical situations and six were conducting traffic stops or pursuits.

In addition to the 41 slayings, 45 officers died nationwide last year in accidental or other non-criminal situations.

Records show that officer deaths have fluctuated significantly over the past century but generally trended downward, though fatalities spiked as high as 300 in 1930 and 280 in 1974, according to similar data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

"We need to make sure that our law enforcement officers are respected for what they do and should not be targeted and assaulted, as many of them have," said Carol Lane, outgoing president of the Greater Houston Concerns of Police Survivors, who recently returned from Police Week in Washington, D.C.. She and relatives of officers killed in Texas last year attended a memorial to fallen law enforcement.

Experts, however, cautioned against reading too much into the data or year-over-year fluctuations, especially because the numbers do not include officers who survived attacks but may have been permanently injured.

"These [newly released] statistics tend to undercut people who claim inappropriately of a 'Ferguson effect' and the dangers officers are put in, but at the same time they don't accurately reflect the dangers officers are under," said Larry Karson, an assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of Houston-Downtown. "It's giving us a death rate, not a casualty rate."

The debate has been particularly charged in Harris County, where law enforcement officers were killed or wounded in three high-profile assaults in the last year.

Goforth was shot to death from behind at a northwest Harris County gas station in late August. The accused shooter, Shannon Miles, 31, has been charged with capital murder.

'Most deadly persons'

In May 2015, Houston Police Officer Richard Martin, 47, died after a man fleeing police struck him with his car as Martin deployed spike strips to stop the vehicle. The driver intentionally struck Martin and killed him, police said. The driver shot himself at the scene and later died.

More recently, in April of this year, Precinct 7 Deputy Constable Alden Clopton was shot four times in the back and side as he was chatting with a colleague after a late-night traffic stop. He survived but is still recovering. A $10,000 reward is being offered by Crime Stoppers of Houston for information leading to the arrest of the shooter.

"We continue to say that ... there is an attack on police," said Ray Hunt, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, citing attacks on two officers in New Hampshire last week. "They're deadly attacks. They're the ambush type that we've never experienced in the past, and the statistics do not show the number of officers who were shot at and not hit."

Hunt said the assaults pose dangers for the public as well as for police.

"We would love for those statistics to continue to go down," he said. "And we would love for people who hear people bragging about shooting at a police officer, whether they hit them or not, to contact Crime Stoppers and get a reward on this. We need to get these people off the street. They are the most deadly persons. ... If you have somebody who will take a shot at a police officer, they are definitely going to take a shot at a citizen."
Houston Baptist University won a preliminary victory this week when the U.S. Supreme Court directed lower courts to reconsider rulings on an Affordable Care Act provision ensuring that employees of religious nonprofits have free access to all federally approved forms of contraception.

The appeal of the Houston school and Marshall's East Texas Baptist University were among seven combined cases affected by the high court's unanimous Monday decision.

Represented by the Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, the Texas schools turned to the Supreme Court in July after the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court decision favorable to them.

"This reverses the Fifth Court of Appeals decision and gives the government a chance to accommodate HBU and ETBU and their religious beliefs," said Diana Verm, attorney for Beckett, which is based in Washington, D.C.

The Supreme Court on Monday called on lower courts to investigate whether a compromise is possible.

More for you Supreme Court ruling should clear the way to free birth...

"It is possible that the government will do the right thing," Verm said.

The Texas case began in 2013 when the Houston university challenged a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regulation regarding employees' free access to 20 federally approved contraceptives.

HBU expressed moral objections to four of the forms - "morning-after pills," "week-after pills" and two types of intrauterine devices - arguing that they essentially aborted pregnancy.

Federal regulations exempted churches and their auxiliaries, religious orders and businesses with less than 50 employees from the contraception requirement.

Religious nonprofits such as the universities were granted the option to self-identify as being morally opposed to providing such forms of contraception. In doing so, the institutions' insurance providers or designated third parties then would independently provide contraception drugs or devices.

Government lawyers argued that the option effectively eliminated an institution's moral culpability for providing such services. Beckett Fund lawyers countered that self-identifying only activated a process by which the objectionable forms of contraception were made available.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ruled in favor of the schools; the court of appeals overturned the decision.

In a related controversial 2014 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby that "closely held" corporations could be exempt from the contraception regulations on religious grounds.
In an abrupt reversal, Mayor Sylvester Turner will close the city's $160 million shortfall for the budget headed to council next week without ending a subsidy for neighborhoods that get their trash picked up not by city crews but by private waste haulers, the mayor said Monday.

Most of these roughly 48,000 homeowners live in wealthier neighborhoods and pay extra for services the city does not provide, such as twice-weekly pickup at their back doors rather than once a week at the curb, and more flexibility in when they can discard large items.

The idea when the program started in the 1970s was that residents should not have to pay property taxes for city trash services they were not receiving - particularly because they were already paying for waste pickup in their homeowner association dues. The city has also come out ahead in the arrangement, because Houston's cost to provide waste services has risen in recent decades to $18 per home per month, while the $6 monthly per-house subsidy has remained flat.

Cutting these "sponsorship" payments could have saved $3.5 million, but only if no one canceled their private contracts in protest and forced the city to serve them. If more than 16,000 or so homes had moved to city service, the city would have seen a net loss.

In a statement Monday, the mayor suggested grumpy neighborhoods risked torpedoing the savings he had sought.

"Many of the neighborhood associations have indicated they will request city collection if the subsidy is abandoned," Turner said. "As a result, we are now looking at increased costs as opposed to the savings that had originally been anticipated. Therefore, it no longer makes sense to pursue this at this time. We can balance the budget without it."

Turner had suggested from the start that he would be flexible, saying he believed the subsidy was "one that people can give up without hurting them and the core services," but he also left the door open to working with angry neighborhoods, saying he was simply trying to balance the books.

Greg Sergesketter, president of the Memorial Super Neighborhood, praised Turner's decision. The way Sergesketter and his neighbors see it, their Super Neighborhood saves the city $1 million a year because the city pays just $6 per house monthly to 7,000 homes that use private haulers, not the $18 per home per month it would cost the city to send its own crews.

"We're very fortunate to live where we live, no doubt about that. That we're able to provide a lot of the funds in taxes, nobody is complaining about that, but at some point you get a little bit concerned, especially with something like this, and that's why I think there was a groundswell of people who were not happy about it," Sergesketter said. "I'm very glad to hear that the proposal is not going forward, because it would probably cost more than would be realized in savings at the end of the day."

'They can afford it'

Councilman Greg Travis, whose westside District G contains 81 neighborhoods with sponsorship agreements, echoed those thoughts.

"It's been a good deal for the city, and it will continue to be a good deal for the city, so I'm glad the mayor was very receptive to it," Travis said.

The three City Council districts home to 83 percent of the city's sponsorship agreements, records show, also are the three districts with the highest median household incomes in the city: District G, District E in Kingwood and Clear Lake, and District C, which covers much of the western half of the Inner Loop.

Councilman Jerry Davis, whose District B has the lowest median income among the 11 council districts, said he nonetheless understands Turner's decision.

"Do I think they can afford it? Yes. Do I think it would cost us more money if they shut it down? Yeah," Davis said. "They do get two trash pickups a week at their back door, all that, but even if you went to one trash pickup a week at the front, it would still cost the city X amount more money than we're spending now."

To be revisited?

Still, Davis said the city should not rule out ending the subsidies in the future.

"I definitely believe we need to re-evaluate solid waste as a whole," he said. "We may be able to come up with a solution where we don't do sponsorships, and maybe that solution could be less expensive for the city as a whole."

A few neighborhoods, such as Mike Lewter's Townhouse Manor near Loop 610 and Stella Link, particularly rely on the subsidy because they cannot receive city service. In Lewter's case, the alleys of his 50-year-old townhome community are too tight for city trucks to access residents' trash cans.

"It's not a matter of choice with us," he said. "You'd have to drag your cans through the house. We have some elderly people who could not do that, and even if you could do it, you're dragging a trash can through your house. Some houses actually face courtyards so they would have to roll their trash cans almost a block to get it down to the street."

City Council has completed several weeks of hearings on Turner's proposed budget and will discuss the document itself next week.
Harris County prosecutors are asking for the public's help with identifying possible victims of an alleged child predator who worked as a bus driver for the Houston Independent School District.

Johnathan Palmares, 46, has been charged with indecency with a child and continuous sexual abuse of a child for allegedly molesting two elementary school girls on a bus through the 2014-2015 school year. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.

Palmares drove a route in southwest Houston between Red, Kolter and Gross elementary schools.

Palmares, who was hired in June 2014, was fired after one of his alleged victims came forward and video footage from the bus corroborated the 7-year-old girl's story.

On Monday, prosecutor Daniel Werlinger said continued investigation of the footage determined that there was a second alleged victim, who looked and sounded similar to the first.

Because the video footage is only archived for 30 days, Werlinger asked that parents with children on Palmares' former route be mindful that their children could have been victimized or could have witnessed an assault.

Investigators believe the assaults happened after school as Palmares waited outside of Gross Elementary with a dozen other children on the bus.

"He would isolate one of the children on the bus and, essentially, left the others to their own devices," Werlinger said. He said Palmares told investigators he was just tickling the children, which also would violate school policy. Palmares stood trial earlier this year, but it ended in a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a decision. Prosecutors say they will try the case again, which is set for trial in June.

Palmares' lawyers criticized the district attorney's office for publicizing the case after the mistrial.

"Once another jury sees this, they will find him not guilty," said attorney Sam Cammack. "All he was trying to do was restrain an unruly child."

Cammack said his client is innocent.

"The whole thing is on video, and there's no evidence of anything," he said. "If they had a video showing any inappropriate behavior, I'd have seen it."

Prosecutors said Palmares moved to America from the Philippines in 2006 and started working in Rochester, N.Y. His employment record is unclear, but he appears to have driven a bus there as well, Werlinger said.

He said possible victims should contact HISD police or the child abuse division of the district attorney's office.
AUSTIN  Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday rebuffed a month-old request from the federal government that Texas review its Iran sanctions in light of the nuclear agreement negotiated by the United States with other world powers.

Instead, Abbott said he remains determined to increase Texas sanctions against Iran, as he outlined in January when he visited Israel and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Because the Iran deal is fundamentally flawed and does not permanently dismantle Irans nuclear capability, Texas will maintain its sanctions against Iran. Further, because your administration has recklessly and unilaterally removed critical sanctions, I have called on the Texas Legislature to strengthen the Iran sanctions that Texas already has in place, Abbott wrote Monday.

Current state law prohibits pension funds from making investments in Iran. Abbott wants to expand that to prohibit local governments from investing in Iran or entities doing business with Iran and to require all state entities to follow the states divestiture policy.

The federal government also has had sanctions but lifted those aimed at affecting Irans nuclear program in light of the pact.

Stephen D. Mull, lead coordinator for Iran nuclear implementation at the U.S. Department of State, said in the April 8 letter to Abbott that the agreement will verifiably ensure that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and that its nuclear program is and will remain exclusively peaceful.

Citing the end of federal nuclear-related sanctions, Mull asked Abbott to consider whether the agreement addresses the underlying concerns with Iran articulated in any state law.

Abbott, in a letter to President Barack Obama, instead slammed the deal and said that as a staunch supporter of Israel, I am committed to doing everything in my power to oppose this misguided deal with Iran. Accordingly, not only will we not withdraw our sanctions, but we will strengthen them to ensure Texas taxpayer dollars are not used to aid and abet Iran.

pfikac@express-news.net

Twitter: @pfikac
In the rapid expansion of states with voter-identification laws and the backlash of litigation that always follows, there is one constant from proponents: that the Supreme Court already has declared them constitutional.

The court ruled in 2008 that Indiana's requirement for a photo ID was legal, with none other than liberal Justice John Paul Stevens writing what was described as the "lead opinion" in a fractured 6-to-3 ruling.

But in the years since, Stevens - who retired from the court in 2010 - has never seemed comfortable with his role in the case. And he recently expressed doubts again about whether he had all of the information he needed in reaching what he called a "fairly unfortunate decision."

Stevens discussed Crawford v. Marion County Election Board in a "conversation" with his replacement, Justice Elena Kagan, at the judicial conference of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. Their gentle interrogator was a member of that court, Judge Diane P. Wood.

It was Wood's question about whether judges should base their decisions only on the record before them - or whether it's permissible for them to use research they conduct on their own - that led to Stevens' ruminations.

Indiana was one of the first states to enact a strict photo-ID requirement, which the Republican-controlled legislature said was needed to avoid voter fraud.

It did not matter that it could point to no evidence that fraud had occurred, the state argued. The integrity of the voting process is so important that states are allowed to put in safeguards before a problem presents itself, the state contended.

Democrats challenged the provision, saying that although the use of photo ID seems ubiquitous to most, many poor and elderly people were less likely to have the kind of identification that Indiana required. The legislature's real interest, the challengers said, was discouraging voters who tend to vote Democratic.

But a district court and a panel of the 7th Circuit said the challengers had not proved their case; for one thing, they lacked a compelling portrait of people who had been denied the ability to vote.

(Judge Richard Posner, who wrote the panel's opinion, has since said he got it wrong and that the photo-ID requirement is "now widely regarded as a means of voter suppression rather than of fraud prevention.")

The Supreme Court in the 2008 case said the lower courts "correctly concluded that the evidence in the record is not sufficient to support a facial attack on the validity of the entire statute."

When the court decides a law is "facially" unconstitutional, it means that it can never be applied in a way that would overcome its shortcomings.

Stevens, who was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, mentioned a dozen times in the opinion that it was based on "the record" in the case.

"I learned a lot of things outside the record that made me very concerned about that statute," Stevens said in the conversation with Kagan and Wood. "So I had the question: Should I rely on my own research or what's in the record?"

"And I thought in that case I had a duty to confine myself to what the record did prove, and I thought it did not prove the plaintiffs' case. And as a result, we ended up with a fairly unfortunate decision."

Stevens alluded to his quandary in a footnote in the opinion: "Supposition based on extensive Internet research is not an adequate substitute for admissible evidence subject to cross-examination in constitutional adjudication."

In the conversation, Stevens noted that dissenting Justice David H. Souter did not share his reluctance.

"I thought David wrote one of his best opinions, relying partly on material that was outside the record," Stevens said.

Kagan the justice briefly became Kagan the journalist as she asked the right follow-up question after Stevens explained his approach.

"Would you do it the same way again?" she asked.

"I think I would," replied Stevens, who turned 96 last month and mentioned that he is writing a new book. "That's a tough question. I really don't know for sure."

Stevens' switch would not have changed the outcome of the case. And some think his approach gave Roberts and Kennedy a chance to join an opinion that said future challenges to photo-ID laws were possible, rather than join fellow conservatives in a opinion that would have more firmly shut the door.

The question of how much judges should rely on their own research is a hot one, especially as the Internet has opened all sorts of possibilities.

A 2012 research paper by College of William and Mary law professor Allison Orr Larsen covering 15 years of Supreme Court decisions found more than 100 examples of asserted facts from authorities never mentioned in any of the briefs in the case.

And in the 120 cases from 2000 to 2010 rated the most salient - judged largely by whether they appeared on the front pages of newspapers - nearly 60 percent of them contained facts researched in-house.

Kagan reverted to justice status when asked by Wood about her own views.

"I think you have to be careful," Kagan said, noting that Supreme Court justices are "not hermetically sealed" from the world around them.

And no doubt, Kagan was thinking about the immediate future with her caution: The court is likely to be called upon to pass judgment again on photo IDs before the presidential election in November.
This month marks the centennial of a secret pact. On May 16, 1916, two mid-level diplomats, a Briton and a Frenchmen, concluded an agreement that essentially divided up the lands of much of the Middle East between the European powers.

Britain claimed control over a vast belt of land, including most of what's now Iraq, Jordan and sections of what's now Israel. France envisioned dominion over most of the Levantine coast, a chunk of southern Turkey and control over the populous Ottoman districts of Aleppo (now in Syria) and Mosul (now in Iraq).

Under this same set of clandestine agreements, other World War I allies, including Turkey and Russia exerted their own claims on parts of Turkey; the Russians long sought to rule over Istanbul and restore the primacy of the Orthodox Church in what was once the great capital of the Byzantines.

Ultimately, though, the specific Sykes-Picot blueprint never turned into reality. Its existence only became public information after it was revealed by Russian sources following the Soviet revolution. And the collapse of the Ottoman empire, subsequent treaties, and shifting colonial interests all led to a map of a region with borders very different from what the diplomatic duo first agreed in 1916.

But the template for a century of crises and dysfunction was, in a sense, set.

The great desire for an independent Arab nation was first encouraged then betrayed. The British eventually installed kings to govern new, fledgling countries in Iraq and Jordan; they also sped the advent of a Zionist state, much to the ire of the Palestinians living in its midst. French colonial planners baked in sectarian divisions when they established modern Syria and Lebanon. And the Kurds, a stateless ethnic minority, went ignored.

Even if its lines didn't correspond to the region's political borders after World War II, the Sykes-Picot agreement, hatched in the corridors of colonial power, came to represent something far larger in the minds of many in the Arab world.

"'Sykes-Picot' became shorthand not only for the sense of betrayal created by the post-war settlement, but also for the region's vulnerability to foreign interference," writes James Barr, author of "A Line in the Sand: Britain, France and the Struggle That Shaped the Middle East."

Arab demagogues steeped their nationalism, justifiably, in grievance against the West, which had for decades controlled and meddled in the region's affairs. And to this day, those who want to reshape the Middle East point to the seeming artificiality of the pact as grounds for creating a new status quo.

"Hundreds of thousands have been killed because of Sykes-Picot and all the problems it created," Nawzad Hadi Mawlood, an ethnic Kurd and governor of Iraq's Irbil Province, recently told the New Yorker's Robin Wright. "It changed the course of history-and nature."

Yet the supposed legacy of Sykes-Picot was also fertile propaganda for the jihadists of the Islamic State, who have been locked in deadly battles with Kurdish militia in Iraq and Syria over the past two years. In 2014, the extremist group published a propaganda video online showing its members bulldozing a dusty rampart along Syria and Iraq's desert border. They declared that they were "demolishing" the history of Sykes-Picot.

But casting a century-old colonial agreement as the original sin of the Middle East is both convenient and somewhat naive. It ignores both the history of pluralist societies that existed prior to the division of Ottoman lands, as well as the many decades of Arab misrule that came thereafter, which stoked the sectarian divisions now roiling countries like Syria and Iraq.

"What is said about Western mistakes seems true enough, but it lacks a certain self-reflection on the states' own failures," wrote Anthony Shadid, an acclaimed Washington Post and New York Times journalist, in an article for the Times in 2011 as pro-democracy uprisings rocked the Arab world.

At the time, the old order of Arab nation-states, built largely on authoritarian rule and cynical politics, seemed to finally be imploding.

"The states have failed to foster pluralism and a universal sense of citizenship. Miserable governance fosters narrower identities as Sunnis, Shiites, Christians and so on," Shadid wrote. He pointed to the source of unrest, which had little to do with colonial history: "More tangibly, the many educated young remain frustrated. They might have the basics a state provides, but no future, that bygone notion that tomorrow will be better than yesterday."

Moreover, as Middle East scholars Steven Cook and Amr Leheta write in Foreign Policy, the borders of the Middle East are "not whimsical lines drawn on a blank map." Rather they reflected earlier Ottoman administrative units and were the consequence of various political agreements and negotiations -- a process that has defined numerous borders outside the Middle East, as well. And the countries that emerged following the negotiations of Sykes and Picot can't simply be erased off the map, as the scholars explain:

"The conflicts unfolding in the Middle East today, then, are not really about the legitimacy of borders or the validity of places called Syria, Iraq, or Libya," conclude Cook and Leheta. "Instead, the origin of the struggles within these countries is over who has the right to rule them."

The answer to that bitter contest can't be found in the lines of a map etched 100 years ago.
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WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama called on the nation Monday to support and listen to its law enforcement officers as he bestowed the Medal of Valor on 13 officers who risked their lives to save others.

In a ceremony in the East Room, Obama draped the purple-and-gold ribbons around the necks of officers who intervened in shooting rampages, hostage situations and an armed robbery. He pledged to keep working toward a bipartisan overhaul to make the criminal justice system fairer, smarter and more effective so that officers are well-equipped to enforce the country's laws.

"We can show our respect by listening to you, learning from you, giving you the resources that you need to do your jobs," Obama said. "Our country needs that right now."

Three California officers - Jason Salas, Robert Sparks and Capt. Raymond Bottenfield - were honored for their response to a 2013 rampage on a community college campus that left five people dead.

Obama also honored Gregory Stevens of Garland, Texas, who exchanged gunfire with two armed men outside an exhibit hall holding a provocative contest for caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Both gunmen were killed, heading off what investigators suspected was a planned mass shooting.

The Medal of Valor ceremony comes amid a public debate about police tactics and racial disparities in the justice system.

Obama has walked a careful line on the issue - expressing support for most law enforcement officials, while also endorsing protesters' complaints about racial profiling and mistreatment by police.

In his remarks on Monday, Obama steered that conversation toward his push for a sentencing overhaul and other changes to the justice system, an effort that has found backing in both camps.

Obama said he holds out hope that legislation can be passed this year despite the heavily politicized climate ahead of the November election.

One Philadelphia officer died from a gunshot wound and was honored posthumously. Sgt. Robert Wilson III drew fire from assailants during a robbery while saving store employees and customers. Wilson's grandmother accepted the award.

"We honor those who didn't come home," the president said.
A federal judge has ordered a school district in the Mississippi Delta to desegregate its middle and high schools, capping a legal battle that has dragged on for more than five decades.

The Cleveland School District is divided by railroad tracks that separate white families, who largely live west of the tracks, from black families, who largely live to the east. Its secondary schools reflect that division: There is one all-black middle school, for example, and one all-black high school. Just over a mile away are a historically white middle and high school.

As the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi put it, Cleveland, Miss., - a town of 12,000 - has been running an illegal dual system for its black and white children, failing to reach the "greatest degree of desegregation possible."

Now Cleveland must consolidate its schools, integrating all its students into one middle school and one high school.

'Deprived generations'

The order, written by U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown and released late Friday, comes 62 years after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling on school desegregation in Brown v. Board of Education. And it comes a half-century after Cleveland families first sued the district for continuing to operate racially segregated schools.

"The delay in desegregation has deprived generations of students of the constitutionally-guaranteed right of an integrated education," Brown wrote. "Although no court order can right these wrongs, it is the duty of the District to ensure that not one more student suffers under this burden."

District officials had argued that the Justice Department's consolidation plan would trigger white flight, making it more difficult to achieve integration. They had put forth two alternative plans that would have kept the two high schools open, relying on choice and magnet programs to try to create diversity.

The court found both of those plans unconstitutional. The district had already tried to use choice as an engine for integration, and it hadn't worked at the secondary level.

"This decision serves as a reminder to districts that delaying desegregation obligations is both unacceptable and unconstitutional," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, in a statement. "The court's ruling will result in the immediate and effective desegregation of the district's middle school and high school program for the first time in the district's more than century-long history."

Enrollment numbers

Cleveland Superintendent Jacqueline C. Thigpen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Federal officials estimate that the district's new consolidated middle school will enroll 692 students, 71 percent of whom will be black and 26 percent of whom will be white. In 2015, Cleveland's D.M. Smith Middle School had 248 students, 99.6 of whom were African-American. Margaret Green Middle School enrolled more than twice as many students; 51 percent of them were African-American and 43 percent were white.

The consolidated high school will enroll an estimated 1,098 students: 63 percent black and 32 percent white. Currently, one high school is 100 percent black and the other is 45 percent white and 47 percent black.

The Rev. Edward Duvall, an African-American parent of two children in the district's public schools, said he favored consolidation in part because it would save money, leaving more funds for classrooms and programs. But that wasn't the only reason: "We can break down this wall of racism that divides us and keeps us separated," he said, according to court documents. "And we could create a new culture in our school system that's going to unite us and unite our whole city."
KABUL, Afghanistan - A large demonstration against the fragile Afghan government brought Kabul to a standstill on Monday and put security forces on alert, with the authorities stacking shipping containers to block all routes to the city center and the presidential palace.

The demonstration, which was driven by ethnic Hazaras' outrage over the proposed route for a new electricity transmission line, tapped a deep well of factional tensions and frustration over the government of President Ashraf Ghani.

Though most of the protest remained peaceful, some demonstrators pelted the container blockades with rocks and acted violently toward at least five reporters. The security forces resorted to sporadic use of water cannons to disperse people.

Thousands of demonstrators marched from the west of Kabul to demand that the government abandon its decision to reroute the line, which would transmit electricity from Turkmenistan. The line was initially supposed to go through Bamian, a Hazara-dominated central province that is one of the most deprived in the country. But the current proposed route avoids the province, instead going through the Salang Pass in Parwan province, which protesters say is vulnerable to avalanches.

Afghanistan still relies heavily on imported electricity, as decades of persistent conflict have derailed the building of dams and kept internal energy production to a minimum. The government continues to import more than 80 percent of its power supply from neighboring countries.

The protesters see the government's decision as prejudiced against the occupants of central Afghanistan, most of whom are Hazaras, a group emerging from a long history of oppression. But Ghani's government has blamed his predecessor for the change of route, saying that two years of costly preparation work has already been done on the new route.

In a declaration before their march ended in the afternoon, the protesters demanded that the government scrap the decision on the route change and promised further demonstrations until it happened.

But much of the declaration focused on larger issues of what the protesters called "the systematic and shameful injustices that have gone on for 70 generations."

"We can tolerate a lack of electricity, but the degradation of a nation and systematic discrimination is no longer tolerable," the declaration said.

Ghani, who appointed a commission to review the project's contracts, has said that his government had little to do with it, and that he was delaying the project to ensure that Bamian receives electricity from it, even if the main transmission line does not go through the province.

"In the past 2 weeks, the govt has spared no efforts in reaching out to the protesters to hear their views & engage in discussions," Ghani's office said on its official Twitter account. "The govt has endeavored to address the issue in a way that the project's funding is maintained & power supply is ensured" for Bamian.
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VIENNA - In a move fraught with risk, the United States and other world powers said Monday they would supply Libya's internationally recognized government with weapons to counter the Islamic State and other militant groups gaining footholds in the chaos-wracked country's lawless regions.

Aiming at once to shore up the fragile government and prevent Islamic State fighters and rival militias from further gains, the U.S., the four other permanent U.N. Security Council members and more than 15 other nations said they would approve exemptions to a United Nations arms embargo to allow military sales and aid to Libya's so-called "Government of National Accord."

In a joint communique, the nations said that while the broader embargo will remain in place, they are "ready to respond to the Libyan government's requests for training and equipping" government forces.

"We will fully support these efforts while continuing to reinforce the UN arms embargo," the communique said.

Support for exception

With support from all five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the plan is unlikely to face much opposition.

The communique was issued at the end of talks that gathered U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and top officials from more than 20 other nations to discuss ways to strengthen Libya's fledgling government. The aim is to give the internationally recognized administration more muscle in fighting Islamic State radicals and to end its rivalry with a group to the east claiming legitimacy.

The step will boost the government's efforts to consolidate power and regain control over Libyan state institutions like the central bank and national oil company.

However, it also comes with risks, not least of which is that the arms may be captured by ISIS or other groups. Kerry called the plan "a delicate balance."

"But we are all of us here today supportive of the fact that, if you have a legitimate government and that legitimate government is fighting terrorism, that legitimate government should not be victimized by (the embargo)," he told reporters.

Libyan Premier Fayez al-Sarraj said his government would soon submit a weapons wish list to the Security Council for approval.

"We have a major challenge ahead of us" in fighting extremists, he said. "We urge the international community to assist us."

Avoiding ISIS control

Before the meeting, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier outlined the high stakes at hand.

"The key question is whether Libya remains a place where terrorism, criminal human smuggling and instability continue to expand, or if we are able, together with the government of national unity to recover stability," he told reporters. The challenges are daunting.

Libya descended into chaos after the toppling and death of Moammar Gaddafi five years ago and soon turned into a battleground of rival militias battling for power. More recently, the power vacuum has allowed Islamic State radicals to expand, giving them a potential base in a country separated from Europe only by a small stretch of the Mediterranean Sea.
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On the 24th floor of Trump Tower, in an office two floors below Donald Trump, Felix Sater was trying to revive his career. The Russian-born businessman had already done a stint in prison for stabbing a man in the face with the stem of a margarita glass, and he was now awaiting sentencing for his role in a Mafia-orchestrated stock fraud scheme - all the while serving as a government informant on the mob and mysterious matters of national security.

But Sater and his business partners had an idea: They would build Trump towers in U.S. cities and across the former Soviet bloc. Sater pitched it to Trump, who gave Sater's company rights to explore projects in Moscow as well as Florida and New York.

"Anybody can come in and build a tower," Sater told potential investors, according to testimony in a 2008 court case. "I can build a Trump Tower, because of my relationship with Trump."

Sater's "Trump card," as he called it, didn't work everywhere. The Moscow deal fell apart. But their relationship continued - though just how close they were is now in dispute.

Trump has repeatedly said he barely remembers Sater. In sworn testimony in 2013, Trump said he wouldn't recognize Sater if they were sitting in the same room. In an interview last year with The Associated Press, he said, "Felix Sater, boy, I have to even think about it."

Sater, in previously unreported sworn testimony reviewed by The Washington Post, described a closer relationship.

Sater said he popped into Trump's office frequently over a six-year period to talk business. He recalled flying to Colorado with Trump and said that Trump once asked him to escort his children Donald Jr. and Ivanka around Moscow.

Sater's account, which came during a deposition in a libel case Trump brought against a book author, offers new insights into Trump's relationship with a complicated figure.

Sater has both been accused by former business associates of threatening to kill them and praised by top government officials for information that has led to numerous mob convictions and national security gains.

His relationship with Trump has created unwanted attention for the real-estate-mogul-turned-presidential-candidate as Sater and his onetime company have endured legal disputes with former business associates and investors who lost money in failed Trump-branded projects.

Sater arrived in Trump's orbit as the mogul was shifting his business model. Seizing on the success of his television reality show, "The Apprentice," he focused on licensing his name to developers constructing high-rise hotels and condominium projects.

Trump and his lawyers have said that he was not aware of Sater's criminal past when he first signed on to do business with Sater's firm, Bayrock Group. Sater's involvement in the stock fraud was kept secret for years by federal prosecutors because of his role as an informant.

But even after elements of Sater's background were disclosed in a 2007 New York Times story, he remained in close proximity to Trump - at one point using Trump Organization office space and business cards.

Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, did not dispute Sater's account of the two men's relationship but said it differed from Trump's perception of events. He said Trump holds hundreds of meetings a year with people for whom the interactions are often more memorable than for the celebrity tycoon.

"I can see how the relationship may have been viewed differently from one person's side of the relationship from the other," he said, adding: "There was no relationship with Mr. Sater. The relationship was a business relationship with Bayrock."

Sater, through his lawyer, declined to comment. He has addressed his past conduct on his website, writing that he made "some poor and regrettable judgment calls in business" but that he had admitted his wrongdoing and pleaded guilty before assisting the government with "numerous issues of national security, including thwarting terrorist attacks against our country."

The lawyer, Robert Wolf, did not address Sater's relationship with Trump but stressed Sater's work for the government, saying he saved lives, including by providing "significant intelligence with respect to nuclear weapons in a major country openly hostile to the United States."

Sater, 50, emigrated from the Soviet Union, arriving in Brooklyn when he was 8. He has said his family, which is Jewish, left to escape persecution.

Sater pursued a career as a stock broker. But he lost his trading license after the margarita glass incident that occurred during a 1991 bar fight and led to a year in prison.

Broke and with a young wife and child to support, Sater has said he hooked up with a boyhood friend who was operating a Mafia-linked brokerage firm. He pleaded guilty in 1998 to one count of racketeering as part of a $40 million stock fraud in which Wall Street brokers artificially inflated the price of stocks.

The scheme relied on members of the La Cosa Nostra crime families for extortion and to resolve disputes, federal authorities alleged, part of a concerted effort by organized crime to make in-roads on Wall Street.

He was spared prison time in recognition of what an FBI agent later called "extraordinary" cooperation as a witness in unnamed national security cases.

During that period, Sater turned his attention to real estate. Around 2001, he joined Bayrock, which had its offices in Trump Tower. Sater has testified that he met Trump and started to pitch him on business ideas soon thereafter.

The two developed a rapport, Sater testified.

He described the relationship as "friendly," saying he had met one-on-one with Trump "numerous times" in Trump's office to discuss various projects. In Phoenix, Sater testified, he met with local officials alongside Trump's son, Donald Jr. In New York, Sater said he met with Trump and Trump's staff "on a constant basis" to discuss possible deals in places such as Los Angeles, Ukraine and China.

Documents show that Trump in 2005 extended Bayrock a one-year deal to develop a project in the Russian capital. Sater said he had located a group of interested Russian investors, as well as a possible site for a luxury high-rise - a shuttered pencil factory that had been named for American radicals Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who were convicted of murder and executed during the "red scare" that swept the United States after World War I.

"I handled all of the negotiations," Sater said of the Russia deal, which did not come to fruition. Asked if there was paperwork drawn up on the deal, he responded, "It was more of verbal updates when I'd come back, pop my head into Mr. Trump's office and tell him, you know, 'Moving forward on the Moscow deal.' And he would say, 'All right.' "

"I showed him photos, I showed him the site, showed him the view from the site. It's pretty spectacular," Sater said.

When Trump's children Donald Jr. and Ivanka were planning a trip to Moscow in 2006, Sater said that Trump asked him to squire them around the city.

"They were on their way by themselves, and he was all concerned," Sater said. "He asked if I wouldn't mind joining them and looking after them while they were in Moscow."

Garten, Trump's lawyer, said that Trump's adult children and Sater happened to be there at the same time. "There was no accompanying them to Moscow," Garten said.

Sater said he also attended social events where Trump had been present and had visited Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, though not at Trump's invitation.

Sater attended a glitzy launch party with Trump in 2007 celebrating Trump Soho, a 46-story Manhattan project that Bayrock helped develop.

When The New York Times first linked Sater to the mob stock and money laundering scheme later that year, Trump expressed surprise.

"We do as much of a background check as we can on the principals. I didn't really know him very well," Trump told the Times, adding that he dealt primarily with other Bayrock executives.

Garten told The Post that, prior to the 2007 article, Trump's company knew "none" of Sater's criminal past and "would have had no reason to inquire."

The disclosure led to problems for Bayrock and Trump.

When one of the firm's most ambitious projects, the oceanfront Trump International Hotel and Tower in Fort Lauderdale, Floirida, became embroiled in disputes after construction stalled in 2009, aggrieved condo buyers filed suit claiming, among other things, that Trump and others had failed to tell them about the criminal past of a key member of the development team.

Trump walked away from the failing project, saying he held no responsibility since he had merely licensed his name to the effort.

He claimed in sworn testimony in 2013 as part of the dispute that he barely knew Sater.

"If he were sitting in the room right now, I really wouldn't know what he looked like," Trump said, adding that he had spoken with Sater "not many" times.

Sater, however, was memorable to others associated with Bayrock and its projects.

One former Bayrock employee alleged in a lawsuit that Sater once told him during a dispute to "shut up or risk being killed." Another lawsuit filed in Arizona in 2007 alleged that Sater had threatened a local project partner named Ernest Mennes.

According to the lawsuit, Sater called Mennes in 2006 and threatened that his cousin "would electrically shock Mr. Mennes' testicles, cut off Mr. Mennes' legs, and leave Mr. Mennes dead in the trunk of his car" if Mennes revealed his criminal past.

Mennes said he was barred by a legal settlement from discussing the matter. "I wish Mr. Sater well," he said, adding that he is now supporting Trump for president.

Wolf, Sater's lawyer, said the claim that Sater had threatened violence was "an outright fabrication" made in the course of lawsuits that have included "baseless and highly defamatory" accusations designed to win money from Bayrock.

As Sater became a more controversial figure, Trump did not cut ties.

In 2008, Trump's lawyers asked Sater to testify in Trump's libel suit against journalist Tim O'Brien, arguing that O'Brien's book, "Trump Nation," damaged his reputation and cost him projects that Bayrock and others had been pursuing. The suit was dismissed.

At the time, Sater testified he was in the process of leaving Bayrock because of the publicity around his past.

During his 2009 sentencing, which had been delayed because of his work as a government witness, Sater bemoaned leaving Bayrock, a company he said he "had built with my own two hands."

"Here I am trying to rehabilitate myself and keep getting the rug pulled out from under me," Sater told the judge.

After Sater left Bayrock, he was given Trump Organization business cards and office space so he could continue searching for deals for the company, Garten said. The cards, first reported by The Associated Press, identified Sater as a "senior advisor to Donald Trump."

Garten said Sater was never a Trump Organization employee and was paid nothing during the brief 2010 arrangement. "Nothing came of it, and they went their separate ways," Garten said.

According to his website, Sater has continued to work in real estate and finance for a number of international companies. His site touts his work on Trump projects and his extensive philanthropy. He is an active member of Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish sect, and, in 2014, was named Man of the Year by Chabad of Port Washington, New York.

His background emerged again last year during Attorney General Loretta Lynch's confirmation hearings. Lynch, who was U.S. attorney in the office that prosecuted the stock fraud, was asked to respond to allegations that Sater had been let off too easy and the government should not have hidden his conviction from public view.

Lynch told senators that Sater had "provided valuable and sensitive information" for more than 10 years and that his work had been "crucial to national security and the conviction of over 20 individuals, including those responsible for committing massive financial fraud and members of La Cosa Nostra."

Sater has generally declined to comment about his relationship with Trump. But earlier this month, he tweeted his support for Trump's presidential run, congratulating Trump on appearing to clinch the GOP nomination. "He will make the greatest President of our century," Sater wrote.
AUSTIN  Leading Texas lawmakers said Tuesday they intend to limit the use of emergency leave by state government agencies following news reports that it is being used to keep paying some employees after they depart from their jobs.

"We will be tightening it up, and we need to know what the best way to do that is," said Senate Finance Committee Chair Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, citing "concerning reports about the use of emergency leave at some of our agencies."

The same message came from the House as lawmakers look ahead to the regular legislative session that convenes in January.

"The House is concerned that some state agencies are abusing a personnel provision that should be reserved for very specific circumstances. I will work with colleagues to see how we should limit this practice and ensure that agencies use taxpayer dollars appropriately," said House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio.

News reports that emergency leave may be functioning at times as severance pay for departing employees prompted Nelson to raise the topic at a Tuesday Finance Committee hearing, where lawmakers discussed the issue with staff of the comptroller's office and Legislative Budget Board.

Concern came from Republicans and Democrats alike.

While acknowledging that current law is vague, Sen. Royce West called it a breach of fiduciary duty for an agency head to use the emergency leave provision to provide a severance package.

"That's not an emergency," said West, D-Dallas. "It's a wrong use of taxpayer dollars, in my judgment."

Under state law, emergency leave is for employees who have a death in the family or who have shown good cause for getting the pay while not working.

Its use currently is overseen by state agency heads who grant the leave. The state auditor also has responsibility for providing a uniform interpretation of leave provisions, said Phillip Ashley, deputy director of the state comptroller's office. However, he said, the auditor's office has not imposed restrictions on emergency leave beyond what is in the law.

Tuesday's discussion came after the Dallas Morning News reported that two of Attorney General Ken Paxton's top staff members were paid after departing from their jobs. The Houston Chronicle/San Antonio Express-News reported that the same occurred with a third Paxton aide.

The payments were offered under emergency leave.

The Morning News further reported that the practice has occurred in a number of state agencies. One agency, the Texas Water Development Board, told the newspaper that the leave was used to pay severance.

Records released to the Houston Chronicle/San Antonio-Express News last week show that providing emergency leave to employees who have resigned is rare.

The records, which cover about 100 of the approximately 120 state agencies over the last three fiscal years, show that 59 state employees at 14 agencies were on emergency leave for more than two weeks in their last month on the payroll. The leave time added up to about 20,000 hours, or roughly nine work years.

Many of those employees had justifiable reasons for being on leave in their last month on the payroll, however. Many of them, for example, were put on leave for disciplinary reasons and then ultimately were fired.

It is much more common for state agencies to use bonuses to provide de facto severance to departing employees. A Houston Chronicle/San Antonio Express-News analysis last year found that employees had given out $50 million in bonuses to about 24,000 departing employees.

As lawmakers focused on emergency leave Tuesday, Nelson said she understands its value "when the circumstances are appropriate." The question, she said, is "how do we ensure that it is being used appropriately, and what are some ways that we could provide proper oversight?"

Legislation may be needed, Nelson said. Other options include having the state auditor's office provide guidance as part of its function of overseeing leave; or requiring that the use of leave be reported to lawmakers or the Legislative Budget Board. Such a reporting requirement could be put into the state budget.

Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said it is clear that action is needed.

"It's obvious that we are going to have to provide some more top-down guidelines," Bettencourt said. "These leaves were not common sense."

Change may not come easy, even with new guidelines, said Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin.

"Problem with trying to legislate on this?" he said. "Can't fix stupid."
PADUCAH, Ky. - Hillary Clinton fought Monday to fend off Sen. Bernie Sanders on the eve of Kentucky's Democratic primary, hoping to avoid another show of weakness as she heads into an almost certain general-election fight with Donald Trump.

Clinton has a nearly insurmountable delegate lead over Sanders. But after losing to him in West Virginia last week and in Indiana on May 3, she is hoping to avoid going winless in Tuesday's two contests, in Kentucky and Oregon.

Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, won Kentucky in both 1992 and 1996, and Clinton trounced Barack Obama in the 2008 primary. But this year's Kentucky primary is hard to predict: Polling has been scarce, and both she and Sanders have lavished attention on the state.

On Monday, Clinton continued a two-day tour, starting her day in the western part of the state with a visit to the Lone Oak Little Castle restaurant in Paducah, where she was joined by Kentucky's secretary of state, Alison Lundergan Grimes.

"I'm excited about the primary tomorrow, but we got to turn a lot of people out," Clinton said. "And I'll tell you this: I'm not going to give up on Kentucky in November."

Sanders crisscrossed central and western Kentucky over the weekend, urging voters in Frankfort, Elizabethtown and Paducah to flock to the polls. "What seems impossible today is not impossible if people come together, stand up and demand that change," he said Sunday in Bowling Green.

Oregon, which now votes by mail, requires ballots to be received by Tuesday night, and the state's demographics favor Sanders. Kentucky is more competitive, and it poses another test of how much Clinton can appeal to white working-class voters, who have been receptive to Sanders's populist message.

In Paducah on Monday, Clinton also appealed to voters who have fond memories of her husband's administration. "I want to help bring back the kind of economy that worked for everybody in the 1990s," she said, adding that she had told the former president that if she became president, she expected him to work to bolster the economy.

Asked if she would give her husband a Cabinet role, Clinton shook her head and said no.

Losses in Kentucky and Oregon would not imperil her grip on the Democratic nomination, but Clinton is in the awkward position of running two campaigns at once: urging voters to turn out in the primary while also laying out arguments geared toward a face-off with Trump in November.

Campaigning on Sunday, Clinton devoted considerable attention to Trump, criticizing his views on issues like wages and foreign policy.

She also stressed her commitment to help workers in the coal industry, an important issue in Kentucky.

She is still trying to recover from a comment she made in March about putting coal miners out of work, which turned off some voters.

"We can't and we must not walk away from them," she said on Sunday. "I feel such a sense of obligation."
Millennials

Regarding "What do millennials know about socialism?" (Page A15, Friday), Jonah Goldberg is a newly awakened Rip Van Winkle. With rare exceptions, like North Korea, the conflict between capitalism and centrally planned, "totalitarian" socialism is over, and capitalism has won.

More than 80 percent of the world's countries use capitalism as the basis for their economies. Almost all other national economies, including those of communist China, Vietnam and Cuba, have adopted some free market practices such as the privatization of some businesses.

The central issue today is not whether governments should own or control most of the means of production and property but how should they regulate their economies and what kinds and amounts of social services should they provide their citizens.

Dennis Toombs,League City

Restrooms

Regarding "'Restroom law' battle is a fight over nothing" (Page 13, Sunday), transgender activist Phyllis Randolph Frye contends that attempts to restrict men from accessing women's restrooms is much ado about nothing, stating that "laws on the books already address (the) predator issue."

Nobody would dispute that laws to punish sexual predators exist, but this is the smoke screen that transgender activists constantly throw up to confuse the issue. Under present law in most precincts, the doors of women's rest rooms are closed to all men, regardless of their sexual orientation or any criminal intent.

As far as I'm concerned, transgender anti-discrimination laws as currently written throw those doors wide open to every man.

Pete Smith, Cypress

A big change

Regarding "Cruz tells Texas GOP: Don't lose hope" (Page A1, Sunday), Texas Railroad Commissioner, Ryan Sitton is quoted as saying, "I am going to vote for our nominee, not because of the man he is today, but because of the president I hope all of us can help him become."

Suppose your daughter wanted to marry someone with serious flaws. I can't picture a responsible parent advising, "Go ahead with the marriage, because you can change him."

When choosing a spouse or a president, we look at who they are, not what they'll become thanks to us. Changing someone is a fool's errand.

Kathleen Warr, Hockley

Necessary action

Regarding "Should America apologize for Hiroshima?" (Page B14, Sunday), Leonard Pitts' sentiment is exactly right. There is absolutely no reason that America should be apologizing for Hiroshima. Japan decided to bomb innocents at Pearl Harbor. America did not want to be involved in the war, but was forced into it. Additionally, as Pitts so eloquently states, "Japan committed unspeakable atrocities" against American prisoners. President Truman made the decision to put an end to the conflict with the most expedient method he had available to him at the time, in an effort to spare American lives.

Was the cost abhorrent? Absolutely. At this juncture, all we can hope for is the promise of, "Never again."

But we should not be trying to revise history. Such actions dishonor the men and women who fought to preserve our way of life.

Cathy Newman, Meadows Place
A free food class is planned Friday, July 8, in Houston at the Lone Star Plaza Annex.

Patrick Byers, a University Extension regional horticulture specialist based in Springfield, will present the program, Food Safety from Farm to Fork. Healthy Schools Healthy Communities is sponsoring the class that runs from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the annexs meeting room. Food vendors, those associated with growing items for sale at farmers markets and the public are invited.

Byers will provide instruction on safely handling produce that is consumed fresh, such as lettuce, carrots, broccoli and others.

The classes at the annex are the first of several planned with the opening of a full community kitchen in the building. A walk-in cooler and fast freezer also were installed for the Houston Farmers Market at the Lone Star Plaza.

Both the kitchen and meeting room are available for rental.

Persons interested in the class can call University Extension at 417-967-4545.

Overview and update on Food Safety Modernization Act  a discussion of the FDA law, who is exempt, and what to expect over the next 3-5 years

Why Adopt GAPs?  what is GAPs, who should be considering an audit

The Contaminants  what are the organisms that cause food borne illness, which produce items are at risk, trends in food borne illnesses

Worker Hygiene and Health  the importance of hygiene in reducing the risk of food borne illness

Water and Flooding  water use issues related to irrigation, crop sprays, washing of produce, and use of water in packing and holding produce

Soil, Manure, and Compost  organic soil amendment issues, wildlife incursion issues, sources of fecal contamination

Harvest/Post-Harvest  issues related to food safety and handling of produce after harvest

Record-Keeping and Farm Food Safety Plans  developing a farm food safety plan, important records, traceback
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Experts are urging Alberta communities to take action and protect themselves from wildfires, after a massive blaze swept through the northern city of Fort McMurray.

Volunteer firefighter Tom Burton says more people need to be prepared.

Maybe five per cent of communities are FireSmarted, Burton told the Calgary Herald, mostly because of a shortage of funding and education about the program.

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FireSmart, an education program by the provincial government, was established in the early 1990s to help Albertans prevent and manage wildfires.

Despite resources being available that teach communities and home owners to protect buildings from a blaze, very few parts of the province have actually taken proactive measures to keep themselves and their property safe, according to FireSmart Canada.

Just five communities are officially recognized as being FireSmart, a designation that means a community has been assessed for its wildfire readiness. Others, like Fort McMurray, may have taken protective measures but haven't been recognized by the program by completing an annual wildfire hazard assessment and evaluation.

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The Fort McMurray neighbourhood of Abasand was devastated by wildfire. (Photo: Jason Franson/CP)

One difficulty Fort McMurray faced was managing the massive, dense forest that surrounds it  making it an extreme example of what can go wrong when a fire gets out of control. Despite firefighters in the area regularly undertaking controlled burns, the city was surrounded by tinder-dry forests, Fort McMurray Today reported.

The blaze, which has been burning for more than two weeks, has grown to 2,800 square kilometres. It destroyed more than 2,400 structures in the city.

More than 88,000 residents were evacuated from the area.

There was likely little the city could have done to prevent the fire, as it whipped into an inferno by strong winds and high temperatures, but Fort Mac can still act as a cautionary tale for other communities.

The FireSmart guide recommends home owners thin out burnable materials around their home.

The most important area is in a 10-metre radius around a property. The best thing to do, according to the guide, is to make sure there is as little vegetation or flammable materials in that area as possible.

The same principles apply to protecting larger communities. By thinning out vegetation or piles of debris  dead brush, construction supplies  communities can lessen the risk of a wildfire spreading as it did in Fort McMurray.

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"Alberta has a fire prone landscape."

Banff is one Alberta community that is at much lower risk of wildfire, thanks to both natural fire breaks  gaps between flammable vegetation and homes  and FireSmarting measures.

The forested area in and around Banff and Banff National Park, and with the way were laid out, you really cant compare us to Fort McMurray in that respect because of the natural fire breaks," said Banff fire chief Silvio Adamo in an interview with the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

Adamo said the town has put in additional work to prevent fires by thinning the forest and undertaking regular, prescribed burns.

Alberta firefighters execute a controlled burn. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire Info/Facebook)

"Alberta has a fire-prone landscape, which, in the absence of fire, can accumulate a significant amount of burnable fuel. Areas with dense forest cover, low-hanging branches, or an accumulation of woody debris provide an opportunity for wildfires to spread quickly," reads the province's FireSmart guide.

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"Maybe five per cent of communities are FireSmarted."

The lesson of thinning out burnable material was one Slave Lake's fire department learned the hard way.

In 2011, when a massive wildfire swept through the area, one of the many buildings destroyed was the town's fire hall.

"Looking back on it, a bunch of spruce trees led right up to it. We had a bunch of pallets that we used for training stacked up maybe 10 metres away from the fire hall," Lesser Slave Lake regional fire chief Jamie Coutts told CBC News.

Now, the fire hall has been completely rebuilt. Its lawn is kept short, and there are no trees nearby.

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Firefighters work to extinguish hot spots near Fort McMurray. (Photo: Premier of Alberta/Flickr)

Unfortunately, some towns face an uphill battle when trying to fire-proof their communities.

Edson fire chief Al Schram says the city has found it difficult to create fire breaks  cleared strips of land that can stop a wildfire from spreading  due to the amount of privately-owned land near the town.

"On private land, it is the owner's responsibility to do that [take fire precautions]  we can't just go on to private land to help mitigate some of those things, Schram told the Edson Leader.

The only time fire officials can clear land without an owner's consent is during a state of emergency. The entire province of Alberta is currently under a state of emergency, as declared by Premier Rachel Notley on May 4.

State of emergency

One Fort McMurray resident credits the FireSmart rules for saving his home from the wildfire last week.

Coun. Allan Vinni met a fire-prevention officer at a community barbecue a few years ago. The officer suggested Vinni cut down a bunch of old trees around his acreage.

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"Honestly, I think acting on everything that guy told me had something to do with the fact that our house didnt burn down," Vinni told the Calgary Herald.

Crews work to restore utilities in the Waterways neighbourhood of Fort McMurray. (Photo: Chris Wattie/Reuters)

Vinni's story demonstrates how education can be an important step in preventing wildfires.

In California even schoolchildren learn about earthquakes and in Alberta, wildfires are our kind of earthquakes, Edward Johnson, University of Calgary wildfire expert, said in an interview published to the university's blog.

The professor said Albertans can learn a lot from disasters like Fort McMurray and Slave Lake.

Weve learned from these events and others that planning before something ever happens is very important, said Johnson.

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You can prepare your house so that it is less susceptible to fire risk. You can make sure family members have a way to communicate and a place to meet if they were to become separated during a disaster."

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CP

For years, Bell Mobility charged residents of Canadas northern territories 75 cents a month for 911 services.

There was only one problem: There was no access to 911 services in the territories, outside of Whitehorse. To this day, calling 911 will get you a recorded message.

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Now, a nine-year-long legal battle over the issue is about to come to an end, with Bell Mobility offering a settlement for roughly $1 million, according to a notice from the plaintiffs lawyers issued last week.

"It's taken a lot longer than it needed to do, although we were in it for the long term," lead plaintiff James Anderson told CBC News.

"Had I known that Bell would appeal every step I might have thought differently. But it was the right thing to do."

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Anderson and his son, Samuel, filed the class-action lawsuit in 2007, Mobilesyrup reports. It was certified four years later. They won in the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories in 2013, with the judge declaring Bell responsible for damages to its customers.

But Bell appealed the ruling, arguing its contracts were worded in such a way as to allow the company to charge for the service. The Northwest Territories Court of Appeal upheld the ruling against Bell last year.

Over time, 30,000 people would join the lawsuit as plaintiffs, according to Mobilesyrup. They are expected to share the $1,016,336.57 payout among themselves, though they have a right to object to the amount.

But that depends on the courts approving the settlement. A hearing is scheduled in Yellowknife for June 6.

The judgment affects Bell Mobility customers in the territories who signed a contract before April 13, 2010.

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There really are a few Canadian cities where you'll be able to afford a home some day.

They're just not Toronto and Vancouver.

Rental listings website Rentseeker has produced a new, 3D-infused graph showing how much it costs to buy a home across the country  and how much that's changed since last year.

Click for full size.

The graph provides more bad news for prospective homeowners in Canada's hottest housing markets. In Toronto, the average home price grew 12.1 per cent, from $613,933 to $688,181, according to data from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC).

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And must one say how much home values increased in Vancouver? OK  they went from $891,652 to $1,093,267 in one year, an increase of 22.6 per cent, the biggest jump in the country.

But those aren't the only markets where home values leaped. Home prices jumped by 17.1 per cent in Prince Edward Island, and by six per cent in New Brunswick.

These gains are no doubt daunting for people who hope to buy a home (and impressive for those who already own). But there are signs that the relentless increases may be coming to an end.

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CREA noted Monday that home sales have slowed in both Toronto and Vancouver.

April saw no sales growth in "the 6ix" after they fell by 1.8 per cent in the previous month. And in Vancouver, sales dropped one per cent from March to April.

But slowing activity hasn't done much to home prices yet. Vancouver's benchmark price rose 25.34 per cent to $844,800. The benchmark price in Toronto sat at $614,700 last month, a jump of 11.6 per cent from a year prior.

But not every city was a winner when it came to home values. Prices in Sherbrooke, Que. plummeted from $346,584 to $288,750, a fall of 16.7 per cent, while in Windsor, Ont., they dropped 8.4 per cent, from $405,225 to $371,223.

Where CAN you buy?

Home prices appear to be jumping in communities close to Toronto and Vancouver  but at much more affordable levels.

The average prices in the Hamilton-Burlington region, outside Toronto, rose 9.5 per cent from $443,706 to $486,008.

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And in Abbotsford-Mission, about 70 kilometres from Vancouver, prices jumped 7.3 per cent, from $575,269 to $617,549.

Meanwhile, in Victoria, B.C.'s capital (only a ferry ride away from Vancouver), prices increased 13.2 per cent, from $508,807.

So while major cities themselves may seem out of reach, there are (for now) opportunities in places close by.

Also on HuffPost:
Wildfires forced more than 80,000 people from their homes in the Fort McMurray area earlier this month. (Photo: Richard Vassberg)

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Susan Harty and her fiance Scott Langenhoff had to do what everyone else had to do: escape the inferno in Fort McMurray, Alta.

But the couple had a little more urgency on May 3 than most evacuees fleeing the wildfires. Harty was about to give birth, and she started feeling contractions while heading north, according to CTV News.

I thought for sure Scott was going to have to deliver the baby, Harty told the broadcaster. I was so panicked.

Luckily, Langenhoff didn't need to. Harty was airlifted to Edmonton, and on May 4 baby Deegan was welcomed to the world.

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Close-up time

Charyssa Shippit saw Harty's story, and like many of the images and videos trickling out of Fort McMurray, it touched her.

"The week of the wildfires was absolutely heart-wrenching," she told The Huffington Post Alberta in an email. "It was tough to hold back the many tears that began with all of the horrific videos being posted on Facebook, evacuees trying to get out as fast as they could, having to leave behind some of their most cherished belongings, memories and pets."

Shippit, an Edmonton-based photographer, had donated to the Red Cross but wanted to do more. That opportunity came when her sister tagged her in a Facebook post for someone looking for newborn photos. Deegan was ready for his closeup.

Shippit and Harty connected "right away" and started planning the photo shoot. On May 11, Deegan's portrait was ready.

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Deegan was born in Edmonton after his family fled Fort McMurray, Alta. (Photo: Charyssa Shippit Photography/Facebook)

Shippit said she "wanted to portray the greatness that came out of such a terrible tragedy." The different items in the photograph correspond to what she says most Canadians will remember from the fire: Albertans coming together, the city's strength and "the beauty that came out of the beast."

The mother of two, whose husband previously worked in Fort McMurray, said Harty insisted on paying her, but she refused.

"These are the citizens of Fort McMurray. So many people have come together and gone above and beyond to help out," she said.

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A collection of images from Shippit's photo shoot with Susan Harty, Scott Langenhoff and their son Deegan. (Photo: Charyssa Shippit)

Harty shared her son's portrait in a post to a Facebook group dedicated to Fort McMurray, where she thanked the people who brought her and Deegan to safety.

"Amongst all the chaos and panic of that day, came a glimmer of hope!" she wrote.

Also on HuffPost
Firefighters near Fort McMurray, Alta., have been anxiously awaiting rain to help extinguish an out-of-control wildfire that has been burning for over two weeks.

The region is expecting high temperatures with low humidity and plenty of wind for the next few days, but there's a strong possibility of rain on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

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However, experts say a downpour could be a double-edged sword for the oilsands community as heavy rain could have negative consequences for the region's water supply.

Fire support crews extinguish a wildfire that erupted outside Fort McMurray. (Photo: Getty)

They are going to see types of water quality that they havent seen in the past, and that water quality will likely change rapidly at some points in time, particularly during heavy rains. These will be the greatest periods of treatment challenge," University of Waterloo professor Monica Emelko said in an interview with The University of Alberta blog.

University of Alberta professor Uldis Silins added that if rain washes contaminants from the blaze into the nearby Athabasca River, it could be difficult to treat, possibly leading to public health concerns for residents.

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Fort McMurray's water treatment plant is so far undamaged by a wildfire that has grown to over 3,550 square kilometres. The entire area is under a boil water advisory.

"Water quality will likely change rapidly at some points in time, particularly during heavy rains."

While water quality is a serious long-term concern in the fire's aftermath, a rainy day could have more short-term positive effects.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said Monday that the city is dealing with serious air quality issues.

Air quality is monitored on a scale of one to 10, the lower the number, the better. As of Thursday morning, the air quality in Fort McMurray was a 14, posing a "very high health risk" according to the province's air quality health index. On Monday, that number was 38.

Rain is one of the ways air quality can be improved, by washing smoke and other pollutants out of the air.

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Wood Buffalo officials shared this photo of a few minutes of rain in the Fort McMurray area on Facebook last week. Firefighters in the area say a downpour is necessary to help halt an out-of-control wildfire. (Photo: Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo/Facebook)

Precipitation could also have a big impact on the forest's regrowth.

"Youll see new plants sprouting within six weeks if you have rainfall. Once a fire stops and if theres moisture the new forest will start growing almost immediately," wildfire expert Tim Lynham told Maclean's.

The wildfire has burnt through massive swaths of land, and forced over 88,000 people from their homes.

"Unless we have a significant rain event of 100 millimetres of rain, we expect to be out fighting the fire in the forested area for months to come,'' Chad Morrison of Alberta Wildfires said in a briefing last week.

With files from The Canadian Press

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Fort McMurray Wildfire (May 2016) See Gallery
Anxious to return home, some northern Alberta residents are turning to permanent ink in tribute to Fort McMurray after being forced out by an inferno two weeks ago.

Wildfires prompted a mandatory evacuation order of the region earlier this month. As they fled for their lives and scattered across shelters, hotels, and homes of friends and family, the experience has been deeply personal for those who have been displaced.

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We talked to some of them about why they decided to get tattoos to mark the Fort McMurray wildfires.

This is something I want to carry with me forever and something I will never lose, the Keyano College student told The Huffington Post Canada.

She said she opted for the city's airport code in ink as a tattoo, because commemorative T-shirts, hats, and notebooks are temporary tokens, she said.

Sorry mom, Brenton wrote in a post debuting her new ink. After all of this craziness, I've come to the realization that material things are not the most important things. Memories, events, relationships with others, and the fact that I'm alive is what counts.

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(Photo courtesy of Kristen Brenton)

I got my tattoo for comfort. Symbolism. Whenever I look at it, I remember what I went through and what I saw, and what everyone around me went through, May told HuffPost Canada.

When the entire city was given the order to evacuate, Mays employers went above and beyond to make sure she  and her co-workers  were OK amid the chaos.

I have called Fort Mac home for three years, and will be my home for many years to come. I am proud to be from Fort McMurray.

(Photo courtesy of Melissa May)

I decided to get the tattoo because even though it was a horrific time, I wanted something that I could tell my kids about one day, Jade told HuffPost Canada.

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After living in the city for nearly two years, the local swim instructor explains her tattoo is a reminder of the strength Fort McMurray showed amid a natural disaster.

Jade said that her initial worry about her moms reaction melted away after she revealed her fresh ink to her. My mom loves it! she said.

(Photo courtesy of Hope Jade)

Born and raised in Newfoundland and Labrador, Rovensky arrived in Fort McMurray right out of high school and never left. That was 22 years ago.

She told HuffPost Canada the strong community bonds made her stay.

I love it there. I am very proud to say I'm from there. I just feel anytime there is a crisis no matter if its one person or 80,000. We pull together to help in anyway we can.

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Even under the stress and tumult, the heavy equipment operator said its been hard for her (and for other evacuees) to admit they need help  and accept assistance. But it was an easy decision to get a permanent tribute etched into her skin.

I got the tattoo to show my pride, we are a city that pulls together in any time of need.

(Photo courtesy of Sherra-Lee Rubia Rory Rovensky)

I wanted the tattoo because Fort McMurray is my home, Cooke explained to HuffPost Canada.

The Guelph, Ont. native has lived in the oil hub city for eight years. She met her boyfriend, a Newfoundlander, in Fort Mac.

Two days after they were forced to evacuate the city, they got matching tattoos in tribute to their home away from home.

We love Fort McMurray and that's really what our tattoo represents, she said.

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Cooke and her boyfriend got matching tattoos after a wildfire forced the couple to evacuate from Fort McMurray. (Photo courtesy of Sherra-Lee Rubia Rory Rovensky)

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Maybelline New York is making history with its brand new global ambassador.

The beauty brand named Taiwanese model I-Hua (pronounced ee-hwa) Wu as the new global face of Maybelline, making her the first-ever Asian model to represent the brand worldwide. She joins the likes of Gigi Hadid, Harieth Paul, Adriana Lima and Jourdan Dunn, who also represent Maybelline New York globally.

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"Its so special that I can represent Taiwanese models and bring them some attention," Wu tells The Cut of her new ambassadorship. "Lots of Taiwanese models come here and work hard but have never been recognized because Taiwan is so small. Im happy to shine some light on it."

I-Hua was born and raised in Taiwan and started modelling in high school as a way to escape the bullying she faced from her classmates because of her height, according to a press release. In 2011, she entered a modelling contest in China, which jumpstarted her career as she became the first Taiwanese winner of the New Silk Road competition.

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Along with walking the runways in New York, London, Milan and Paris, she has been featured in international editions of Vogue, ELLE and Marie Claire, among other publications.

This modelling experience, Wu tells The Cut, has affected the way she has perceived traditional Asian beauty.

"I too used to think that the ideal was a fair complexion and large eyes. I didnt change my thoughts about this till last year," she explains. "Its helped to see lots of different type of beautiful. It doesnt matter if your eyes are big or your complexion is white  people dont care. As long as you think youre beautiful, you will be beautiful."

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She continues, "Everyone has their own standard of beauty. If there was just one standard, then what does it mean  there are no beautiful people with darker skin? That is just not true...You cant give yourself such strict definitions of what is beautiful."

We wholeheartedly agree. To see more of I-Hua, check out her Instagram page here.

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The House of Commons erupted in laughter Tuesday after a Conservative backbencher accused the Liberal government of "muzzling scientists."

Alberta MP Jim Eglinski rose in question period to again express frustrations over the mountain pine beetles that are wreaking havoc in Jasper National Park, located in his riding.

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A day earlier, Eglinski said the park has been "overtaken" by the insects and that local governments and forest companies are looking to Parks Canada for a plan to stop the epidemic of "evil weevils."

Jim Eglinski is very concerned about "evil weevils."

Jonathan Wilkinson, the parliamentary secretary to the environment minister, said at the time that he was prepared to sit down with the Tory MP to discuss the matter.

But Eglinski alleged Tuesday that government employees on the ground in Alberta have been "told they can't talk to local officials" about the matter.

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"Why are the Liberals muzzling scientists and researchers who are critical to this issue?" he asked. The question delighted Tory MP Jamie Schmale.

But it was all too much, evidently, for Liberals to bear. The camera caught Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen chuckling and mouthing, "Oh my God."

'A little bit ironic'

Wilkonson responded that he found the query a "little bit ironic."

He said Parks Canada is working with the government of Alberta on an action plan for Jasper National Park and adjacent areas.

"We would be more than happy to sit and go through that with the honourable member," he said.

"Why are the Liberals muzzling scientists and researchers who are critical to this issue?"

Tories also accused Liberals of marginalizing scientists in the government's new pipeline review process.

The previous Conservative government of Stephen Harper frequently came under fire for its so-called "muzzling" of federal scientists, who were not permitted to speak freely about their work, and for Tory cuts to research.

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In recent years, hundreds of federal scientists protested the Harper government on Parliament Hill, charging that Tories wanted to make decisions based on ideology instead of evidence.

During the last federal election, Environment Canada scientist Tony Turner was put on leave after releasing an anti-Harper song that shared the plight of the "poor scientist" in Canada. Turner opted to retire rather than face possible punishment.

'War on science is now over': Duncan

Liberals pledged in their platform to allow scientists to "speak freely about their work" and ensure government science is accessible to the public. Grits also pledged to appoint a chief science officer.

In December, however, Tory MP Marilyn Gladu noted that the word "science" did not appear in the Liberal government's first throne speech.

Science Minister Kirsty Duncan responded at the time by promising that the government will be a partner with Canada's scientific community.

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"I am proud to say that the war on science is now over," she said.

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With warmer spring weather finally here it's time to shed our hibernating winter ways. A girls' getaway weekend doesn't need to elaborate or expensive, with a low Canadian dollar it makes sense to stay close to home.

If you're tired of the same old Niagara wine weekends and crowds in Prince Edward County it's time to head north to Grey County. Only two hours from Toronto, Grey County is perfect for rest, relaxation and great food and drink.

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If you've never been to the region consider this weekend away.

Saturday

It's time for tacos! Yes there are many taco joints in Toronto but they have nothing on Casero Kitchen Table.

Not only will you support local female entrepreneurs Beth Milne and Emily Leonard but you'll also be treated to a menu that blends traditional mexican dishes along with innovative vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free items. Don't miss the smoked beet taco if it's available.

946 3rd Ave E, Owen Sound, ON N4K 2K9

Burn off lunch with a leisurely walk. Grey County is home to ten major waterfalls with many of them requiring little hiking. You'll get plenty of fresh country air and find many instagram-worthy landscapes.

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As the sun starts to set head to Scandinave Spa to relax in the nordic baths overlooking the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve Niagara Escarpment.

Although you'll need to keep things to a whisper, there's nothing like this in the city with a Finnish sauna, Eucalyptus steam room and a series of pools that are hot to freezing cold. Scandinave is open until 9pm and both food and drink are available on site.

152 Grey Road 21, Blue Mountains Ontario L9Y 0K8

Retreat to the Falls Inn and go to sleep with the soft sounds of neighbouring Walter's Falls.

Front St, Walters Falls, ON N0H 2S0

Sunday

Head to IWA Spa in Blue Mountain Village for yoga on volcanic rocks. This relaxing yin-style yoga is great for multiple fitness levels. If yoga is not everyone's first choice the Spa also has a pedicure bar and will soon be licensed.

190 Jozo Weider Boulevard, Blue Mountain Village

Eat brunch with the locals at The Barn Co-operative in Meaford, a new venture run by the community with events for everyone from meditation classes to drop-in workshops. Sunday brunch also features an open mic, a fair trade coffee bar, and ask for a tasting of wild tea shots with wild edibles like sumac and goldenrod.

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121 Old Highway 26, Meaford, ON N4L 1W7

With a healthy start to the day move onto wine tastings. Coffin Ridge Winery has a modern landscape and features a patio overlooking the vineyard and Georgian Bay - perfect for an afternoon of wine tasting. Both wine and cider are available, as well as cheese platters.

599448 2nd Concession North, RR#1 Annan, N0H 1B0

Take your time heading back to the city, there's no rush or traffic like coming from other areas of Ontario.

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picturegarden via Getty Images large heat pipeline disappearing at vanishing point in thermal steam

Abandoned oil and gas wells in Alberta are on the rise -- but where many see a growing liability, Alberta's fledgling geothermal industry sees massive opportunity.

"We've got these old wells that we know are hot and we're going to fill them with cement and walk away," says Tim Davies, CEO of geothermal company Turkana. "It's just stupid."

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There's currently no permitting framework for geothermal in Alberta, leaving the renewable energy out of play.

"I own the well, I own the land and I own the oil. But I can't own the heat," Davies said. "There's just no mechanism for that in place."

"The oil business has drilled 400,000 wells in Alberta alone," Alison Thompson, president of the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association, told DeSmog Canada. "They've already found all the hot water the province has."

"The oil patch has those skills to get the most out of every well," Thompson said, adding the workforce has been hamstrung by a lack of forward thinking policies.

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The number of orphaned wells -- left in the wake of a mass exodus of oil and gas producers -- has quadrupled in the last 12 months.

Ben Lee, owner of Raven Thermal Systems, says the oil and gas sector's loss could be the geothermal industry's gain.

"For the first time in more than a decade you've got very skilled workers that have exactly the skillset that a successful geothermal project needs," Lee told DeSmog Canada.

Geothermal energy draws on the earth's natural warmth to create a renewable form of energy with a low environmental footprint and virtually no carbon emissions. Importantly, geothermal provides reliable base load capacity, similar to a hydro dam or gas-fired power plant, enabling system stability.

Despite being home to enormous geothermal potential, Canada is the only country on the Pacific Ring of Fire that doesn't use the resource to produce commercial-scale energy.

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CanGEA released a report in late 2014 that found geothermal could supply all of the energy needs of British Columbia for much cheaper than the Site C dam, currently under construction.

"You've got top-notch geologists, reservoir engineers, drilling and completion engineers, surface engineers and all the associated landmen and everything else that comes along with a successful drilling program," Lee said.

"They are available, and available on the cheap to some extent right now, because there is so much supply."

Lee, who has a degree in aerospace engineering and specializes in heat transfer systems, used to work in other resource industries but last year founded Raven when he saw an opportunity to bring underutilized geothermal energy to the forefront.

But Alberta has yet to see a single geothermal operation materialize.

Lee said the regulatory climate in Canada has failed to keep pace with knowledge of Canada's vast geothermal potential. Currently there is no licensing framework in place for the development of geothermal energy in Alberta.

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For Lee and others struggling to find work in the province, waiting for policy to catch up has been painful.

"We have some very available high-end skill that's sitting around and could be very quickly turned around because at the end of the day whether you're drilling for oil or drilling for hot water, the process is the same."

Craig Dunn, an exploration geologist with Borealis Geothermal, the only company in Canada to have a geothermal exploration permit for B.C., said many of the techniques used to develop oil and gas deposits are directly applicable to geothermal.

The steam-assisted gravity drainage, or SAGD, used to recover bitumen deposits in the Alberta oilsands is "basically geothermal in reverse," Dunn said, saying with one steam is pumped into a reservoir and in the other steam is pumped out.

"I got into this because one of my last jobs was in a heavy oil play," Dunn said."And I thought, 'is this the best we can do? Is this a resource we want to hand down to our children?' "

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Canadian Companies Going Abroad for Geothermal Opportunity

Brett Erickson from FlashPoint Resources Management Inc., a Calgary-based drilling and completions firm, said his company has been busy applying its skills in Nicaragua and other countries, such as the U.S., that are open to geothermal development.

"Alberta has some of the best engineers and best mind power when it comes to drilling and power generation as a whole," he said, but other countries "are ahead of Canada when it comes to green energy."

"I believe it's because we've got access to easier, cheaper energy like oil, gas and coal," Erickson said. He added geothermal is expensive to start but it's "the greenest energy out there."

"It's a lot more reliable than hydro or wind," he said, "with less of a footprint."

Erickson said it's going to take some help to get geothermal up and running in Canada.

"It is an expensive technology but over the long term it has a payback and that's what investors care about, the long-term payback," Erickson said

Proving geothermal is low risk but high return has been a key struggle for geothermal companies in Canada, Erickson said. "With the downturn in oil there are investors that are sitting on money that usually would have gone to oil projects."

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"The pieces are in place for geothermal to take off in Canada."

Thompson, who previously worked with companies interested in using geothermal energy to reduce the carbon footprint of the oilsands, said industry is eager for the opportunity to apply what they know to this new resource to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"If someone would just at the government level formulate a task force...we don't need to reinvent the wheel," Thompson said. "It's plug and play. That's what we're hoping for."
It is hard to make sense of today. Maybe that is why they refer to the situation here in Jordan as "complex."

Baqaa is called a Camp -- it has been managed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for more than 60 years. More than anything it reminds me of a working class neighbourhood in Buenos Aires with narrow paved streets lined with three and four storey cinderblock buildings. It is a crowded place with cheap rents, so many of the Syrian refugees make their way here. This community started life as a refugee camp. I wonder if this is a glimpse into Za'atari's future.

The Makani Centre sits in front of one of the only green spaces in Baqaa. Makani Centres are UNICEF-support initiatives to expand learning opportunities for vulnerable children in Jordan. Here in Baqaa it is a hive of activity for those Syrian children who cannot go to school. Music lessons, pre-school classes, children learning their alphabet -- some seven-year-olds tried to teach me the Arabic letter that makes the sound "b" and roared with laughter at my bad pronunciation. An older group of children are talking about the perils of child labour. We stop to chat. "How many of you work?" They all shake their heads -- although none of them are in school either.

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Later that morning when we visit a family a few blocks away from the Centre, we see Mohamed, one of the boys from that class. His father was wounded in the war and cannot work, so Mohamed, who is 15, is working as a stock boy in a supermarket. Two of his younger brothers (there are five boys in the family) are working too.

Mohamed is a bright boy with a ready smile, but when we ask why he didn't tell us he was working when we were in the Makani Centre, he said it was because he was ashamed. That's crazy, I think. Of course he is working. He needs to and he wants to and that's how he can help his family. He gets two hours off every the day to attend life skills and remedial education classes at the Makani Centre. But I am upset that he said he felt ashamed to be working -- even as I wish he didn't have to.

More Syrian refugees live like Mohamed's family -- renting one or two rooms in a working class neighbourhood -- than live in the refugee camps like Za'atari. One of the towns with many refugees is Irbid. It is a bustling place, and UNICEF is helping two Makani Centres here.

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The one we visit is bright and airy -- it is run in partnership with an NGO. Like the other Makani Centres it has remedial education so the Syrian children who have missed school can catch up and enroll in Jordanian schools. There is storytelling, too, and psycho-social support and life skills and it serves as a referral centre for children and families needing particular help. It is easy to see why the Government of Canada made funding the Makani Centres a focus of its Syria funding announcement in Ottawa in April.

These places -- and there are 225 of them around Jordan -- are remarkable places which give Syrian children the best chance at some kind of success in life. They provide that vital bridge to the formal education system which they need for their future (we are also working with the Ministry of Education to help increase the capacity of their schools) and they are safe spaces for children. I am proud of our UNICEF colleagues for this innovative program which has gone national.

The war in Syria has shattered their lives. They cannot go back; they do not know what the future will bring.

But still, it is an uphill climb. Mahmood is in his 30s. He was a barber in Syria and now he works as a guard at the Makani Centre. He and his brothers came here with their families when the fighting got too intense. His father refused to leave Syria, but when he got ill, Mahmood's brothers went back to help him. Now, they cannot return to Jordan and Mahmood is caring for 14 people -- his nieces and nephews and sisters-in-law as well as his own small children. (One of his boys is wearing a t-shirt that says "Never Give Up.")

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UNICEF has been helping one of his sisters-in-law with the cash transfer program for indigent families. It is a more modern system than any we have in Canada: she has a retina scan and once a month she goes to a bank where she has her eyes scanned and then she gets some money for her children. She doesn't need a registration card, which could get stolen or lost; her eyes are her registration.

But still, even with all the support we can give, I just don't know how this family makes ends meet. And it is not just them or the other families we have met here in Jordan. It is family after family after family. The war in Syria has shattered their lives. They cannot go back; they do not know what the future will bring. Here in Jordan, and in Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, and across Europe -- this is largest migration we've seen in 70 years.

Our response to this crisis will be critical to shaping the future for millions of children and their families.

We can harden our hearts and try to ignore the countless stories of uncertainty and suffering. We can be overwhelmed with grief -- heaven knows there is enough cause for that -- but that can lead to paralysis and stalemate. Neither of those will do, and so instead we are called to action.

I feel privileged to work with people who are undaunted by the challenge, people whose hearts and heads together give them the strength and wisdom to be creative and do all they can to ease the pain and find a way forward, for that is the only road to a better future, and that is the road we must take.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS In this Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 photo, four young Syrian women stand outside a remedial education center in the Zaatari refugee camp near Mafraq, Jordan. The remedial classes are intended for students who need help keeping up in school, including those who missed classes due to the civil war in Syria. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

By Gillian Barth and Shaughn McArthur

This post is the fourth of a seven-part series on the themes of the High-Level Leaders' Roundtables at the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, to be held May 23-24 in Istanbul, Turkey.

"We can do it!"

Generations later, this simple phrase remains inseparable from one of the most iconic images of the Second World War.

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Set against a vivid yellow background, the arm of her blue coveralls pulled up to expose a flexed bicep, she wears short hair, a red bandana, and a look of determination upon her face. "Rosie the Riveter," as she is sometimes called, was originally conceived as a morale booster for women factory workers, at a time when they were being called upon to support the bustling home front war economy.

The impetus for changing gender roles remains one of necessity.

Through the decades, she has evolved into one of the most recognizable symbols of women's power and ability to fulfill roles once strictly reserved for men.

A similar dynamic -- in which war forces women from the home and into paid work, increasingly for their very survival -- is reproducing itself today, in protracted crisis situations around the world.

Women's changing roles

The impetus for changing gender roles remains one of necessity.

In Syria and its neighbouring countries, for example, the number of female-headed households continues to rise as men go to fight, are killed or go missing. Even when at home, men often cannot leave to work for fear of the authorities, so women are increasingly relied upon to take up paid work outside of the house.

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Women are finding work with community-based organizations, as teachers, volunteering in improvised and clandestine health centres, and doing home-based work. They have also begun to meet the demand for first aid practitioners, search and rescue teams, and (para-) medical staff.

In agricultural production, Syrian women in 2015 constituted 65 per cent of the economically active population, an increase of six per cent compared to 2009. In some areas, women constitute up to 90 per cent of the agricultural labor force.

As one Syrian woman told CARE partners: "Women [in Syria] now know they can do anything -- but they learned this lesson the hardest way possible."

Changing gender dynamics

Shifting changing gender dynamics, in any society, are fraught.

According to Women, Work and War -- a research study recently conducted by CARE and partners in Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey -- Syrian women and men feel that their roles and responsibilities have been essentially reversed: as she assumes increasing responsibilities outside the house and in managing the household budget, he loses his role as breadwinner and decision-maker.

But the exchange of roles is often incomplete, as women continue to shoulder the majority of household chores. Men are often reluctant to embrace new responsibilities within the home and feel emasculated, which has fuelled increasing domestic violence.

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The conflict in Syria, while devastating, has opened a window of opportunity for women seeking an expanded role in their families and communities.

For others, taking on new responsibilities has meant resorting to degrading, harmful or dangerous means of supporting their families' livelihoods. This can involve smuggling essential goods, such as medical supplies and tools, into besieged areas. Others are forced to "wear men's outfits and go to fight on the front lines."

Young girls are being forced into marriage, either, in their families' eyes, for their own protection, or to take care of older, injured men. Some engage in survival sex. "Girls are sometimes forced to beg or to resort to selling their 'honour' in order to earn their living and help their families," said one woman in a besieged Syrian village.

An opportunity, and a choice

The conflict in Syria, while devastating, has opened a window of opportunity for women seeking an expanded role in their families and communities. The same is true in Yemen, South Sudan, Pakistan, Iraq, and in protracted crises around the world.

Social upheaval caused by conflict pushes women to discover strengths and capacities within themselves, acquire new degrees of self-consciousness and skills, gain decision-making power within the household and achieve visibility in their communities. But more must be done to promote women's capacity to contribute to the relief, resilience and recovery of their communities, and to counter the negative coping strategies and social repercussions that can accompany women's increasing agency.

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On May 23-24, international leaders will gather in Turkey for the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has challenged world leaders to use the occasion to fundamentally reshape the humanitarian system. Canada must seize this opportunity to show that investing in those living and working in humanitarian situations around the world is not only the best way to assist people most in need, but also in the interest of the international community itself.

This should include commitments to new policies and programs that help women and girls participate in the economy and other public spheres. Displaced women and girls need access to work permits and opportunities, education, medical treatment, not to mention guarantees for their safety and rights within the host countries into which they have been forced.

Humanitarian assistance should recognize and build upon the work of women-led civil society organizations, which are already shaping the social, cultural and political fabric upon a post-crisis Syria will depend. Canada can support these aspirations through commitments to empower local women's groups, to engage men and boys as agents of change, and to collect and leverage gender, age and diversity dis-aggregated data towards more effective gender-responsive programming.

As human needs around the world continue to defy the humanitarian system's capacity to respond, women and girls' position within that system must be strengthened to promote stronger and more self-sufficient communities.

"Women feel strong, they see that they 'can do it,'" said Nuha, the female head of a household now living in Irbid, Jordan, echoing the words of Rosie the Riveter some seven decades ago. "Even men say 'Now the men are women, and the women are men.'"

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Women know they have the power to bring change; it is up to the international community to respond.

Gillian Barth is President and CEO at CARE Canada, where Shaughn McArthur is Advocacy and Government Relations Advisor.

This blog series on the World Humanitarian Summit was convened by the Canadian Council for International Co-operation. The views expressed in each blog are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the positions of CCIC, its members, or other participating organizations.

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Photo credit: michaelnpatterson

Many travelers assume all summer getaways should be extravagant excursions to Europe or cross-country road trips. However, America's Midwest region is one of the most affordable, scenic and uncrowded for summer escapes. Even better, the area is loaded with happening cities, picturesque natural wonders and everything you need to make memories during the summer travel season.

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The following are five Midwestern destinations that are guaranteed to make this summer one of the best ones yet.

1. Isle Royale National Park -- Michigan

If you enjoy weekends unplugged and away from the stresses of the work week, there's no better place to visit than Michigan's Isle Royale National Park. Isle Royale is a picture-perfect island in northwestern Lake Superior, and it's a haven for hikers, bikers, campers and wildlife enthusiasts. Fill your getaway with long days of kayaking from island to island and coastal bonfires while taking in the serenity of Superior in summertime.

2. Kelleys Island -- Ohio

Photo credit: valeehill

Enjoy all of the thrills of an island escape in a much more affordable fashion. Kelleys Island is a 5-mile-long island that's located just a short ferry ride from the Sandusky area. Visitors can stay at one-of-a-kind bed and breakfasts, shop at quirky island boutiques, and explore the island's famed winery. Antiquing, hiking, beachcombing, boating and kayaking are just a few of the many activities you can enjoy on this small piece of paradise.

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3. Chicago - Illinois

Chicago is known as the "Windy City," but you won't catch a chill in this lakeside city in the summer months. Spend your days exploring Navy Pier, taking a bicycle tour of downtown, discovering historic bars, strolling along the coast of Lake Michigan or attending one of many annual summer festivals, including the Grant Park Music Festival, the Chicago Blues Festival and the Chicago Air and Water Show.

4. Chesterton -- Indiana

Photo credit: wplynn

Another stretch of Lake Michigan coastline that's guaranteed to blow you away this summer is Indiana Dunes in Chesterton, Ind. This 15-mile stretch of sand along the shores of Lake Michigan is the perfect place to sunbathe, swim, horseback ride, boat, kayak and hike. Even better, the town of Chesterton offers a hip downtown scene with shops, breweries, pubs and eateries for when you're a little too sunburned to spend another day on the sand.

5. Mackinac Island -- Michigan

Take a step back in time this summer and explore Michigan's Mackinac Island. The island, located roughly halfway between Michigan's Lower and Upper Peninsulas, is 100-percent car-free, which means your best ways of getting around are by foot, bicycle or horse-drawn carriage. Visitors can explore the iconic Grand Hotel, bike around the island, discover museums or spend days wander through the island's restaurants, pubs, fudge shops, ice cream parlors and unique island stores.
Dermot68 via Getty Images Photo shows remaining parts of the Rome empire ruins.

Photo credit: Maria Eklind

Summer is one of the hottest seasons for travel, and that's not just because temperatures are higher. Many North Americans find it more convenient to travel in the summer months, when school and family obligations are fewer and time simply seems more free.

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Summer is also the peak time for travel to Europe, but if you don't mind higher crowds at famous tourist sites and longer lines at the airport, a summer trip to one of these European cities could make this summer the best one yet.

Rome, Italy

Rome is a must-see city on any first-time visit to Italy. St. Peter's Basilica, Foro Romano (the Roman Forum), the Pantheon and the Colosseo (Colosseum) all see more tourists during the warm summer months, but you'll find it difficult for fellow tourists to distract you from the awe of the ancient sites. Quaint alleyways adorned with trattorias, charming cafes and historic boutique hotels offer relaxing escapes after long days of sightseeing in the city.

Budapest, Hungary

Photo credit: archer10

Budapest is continuously named one of the world's most underrated cities, but that works to your advantage in the summer months. While other cities, like London and Paris, are experiencing higher prices and hefty tourist crowds, Budapest offers affordable prices and picturesque sites that aren't loaded with camera-toting tourists. Bring a comfortable pair of walking shoes and wander to the city's famous baths, pastry shops, Buda Castle Hill, the Royal Palace, Central Market Hall, elegant Andrassy Avenue and the city's countless other historic sites, famous eateries, museums and more.

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Dublin, Ireland

It's no secret that Dublin, home of the Guinness Storehouse, is a favorite among beer lovers and pub patrons. However, you don't have to love a Guinness Stout to be blown away by the history and stunning natural scenery of Ireland. In addition to getting more bang for your buck than in most other European cities, Dublin offers gorgeous green spaces, nearby beaches, the Dublin Castle (among other must-visit castles), the historic River Liffey bridges, stunning vistas and restaurants that are known around the world.

Don't forget to pay a visit to the Temple Bar district, which is loaded with some of the city's finest bars, coolest shops, award-winning architecture, outdoor markets and more.

Barcelona, Spain

Photo credit: Jorge Franganillo

Barcelona is a bucket-list destination for many, and it's not difficult to understand why. The Spanish city is home to historic cathedrals, the world-renowned Las Ramblas neighborhood, the La Sagrada Familia cathedral (which has been under construction for more than 100 years), the Museo Picasso and bustling, sandy beaches that are always more fun in the sunny summer months.

Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is one of the best European cities for summer visitors who prefer smaller crowds but don't want to miss out on authentic European history and culture. With more than 2,500 years of history and traditions, you'll find that one short summer vacation isn't enough to experience Turkey's best eateries, the city's countless landmarks (the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace to name a few), the around-the-clock nightlife and one of the world's best shopping markets, the Grand Bazaar.

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The World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) will be held in Istanbul in one week's time. Convened by the UN Secretary General, this Summit has been years in the making, and will bring governments, aid organizations, civil society and business together to embrace a new Agenda for Humanity.

Canada has not yet announced who will represent our country at the WHS. I had hoped that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would attend, as many other global leaders will do, but this now looks unlikely. In his absence it will be even more important that Canada play a strong role in negotiations and come to the table with real commitments.

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This is a crucial moment for humanitarianism. We are witnessing the highest level of human suffering in decades, and a shocking erosion of respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Medecins Sans Frontieres has withdrawn from the Summit, citing continued systematic violations and its loss of faith in the will of states to protect humanitarian actors. In the last year, 75 hospitals managed or supported by MSF were bombed.

I can understand their perspective following the horrendous and unacceptable attacks on their facilities. What's more, we, the international community, are responsible for a multitude of weaknesses in our humanitarian action and emergency response. It is up to us, as politicians and leaders, to ensure that we are listening to humanitarian actors and improving our response.

At the WHS, Canada must reiterate its unconditional support for international humanitarian law. Frequent attacks on aid workers and medical facilities are wholly unacceptable and must be condemned. I was encouraged by the Canadian government's recent statement on IHL and its co-sponsorship of a strong resolution at the UN. This is a welcome change given the relative silence of Canada on IHL over the past few years. However, we must be better at condemning in the strongest terms those who are committing these acts, including states who are our allies. Last week, Parliamentarians in the UK urged their government to take a stronger stance on IHL in the face of Saudi Arabia's actions in Yemen. As a Canadian Parliamentarian, I urge Canada to do the same.

Canada cannot in good conscience risk complicity in these human rights abuses.

This brings me to my second point, on the Arms Trade. Canada should recommit, publicly and in front of the world in Istanbul, to immediate accession to the Arms Trade Treaty. Crucially, Canada must commit to robustly implement the ATT and respect the spirit of the ATT. This means ensuring that International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law are at the centre of our decisions on whether or not to transfer arms. Commercial concerns should be of secondary importance to upholding IHL.

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In practice, this means we should not be transferring arms to countries in which we see widespread human rights abuses. With regard to the infamous $15 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, this means suspending the export permits approved by the Liberals a few weeks ago. We know what Saudi Arabia is doing in Yemen. And we now have even clearer evidence that Saudi uses weaponry like the Canadian LAVs against its own citizens. Canada cannot in good conscience risk complicity in these human rights abuses.

As a side note, here at home, we need better oversight of the Canadian arms trade. I am extremely disappointed in the Liberals for blocking my motion to create a Parliamentary committee on arms exports, which would have given Members of Parliament the opportunity to investigate these issues on behalf of our constituents.

My third hope for Canada at the World Humanitarian Summit is that we will increase our financial and resource commitments to education and child protection. Globally, one in ten children lives in areas affected by conflict. We can see the high cost of losing access to education. We're losing a generation in Syria and other conflict zones, where children are facing hopelessness and higher risk of radicalization.

We know that investment in education in crises prevents future problems and creates healthier societies. Yet protection and education remain among the most under-funded parts of humanitarian appeals. So it is essential that we better match our resources to children's needs and increase our support for education in emergencies. The WHS will see the launch of the new "Education Cannot Wait" Fund, to be initially administered by UNICEF. This is an exciting and welcome initiative to help crisis-affected children access education, yet Canada has not yet made any commitment of financial support to the fund. I hope to see a commitment from Canada to this Fund during the WHS.

Humanitarian crises are unpredictable, often requiring quick adaptation and changing needs on the ground.

Canada can also make strong commitments on gender and climate change at this summit. We all know that our humanitarian response must better incorporate gender equality and women's empowerment. Further, we all know the impacts of climate change on increasing disasters. I would like to see Canada make serious commitments, with actual funding timetables and specific goals, in these two important areas.

We also need to consider changing our funding model. A few days ago, I attended a panel on Canada and the World Humanitarian Summit, in which one of Canada's brilliant humanitarians, James Orbinski, suggested multi-year core funding of UN agencies could replace the charity-based funding model. Similarly, I want to see Canada move towards multi-year, flexible funding models for humanitarian actors.

Humanitarian crises are unpredictable, often requiring quick adaptation and changing needs on the ground. We should reform our financing model to ensure we are better able to offer the help that is needed immediately. We need to trust our implementing partners and give them the freedom and resources to make the choices that will save lives.

Finally, it is important that we as politicians do not use humanitarian aid to hide our failure as the international community to bring peace. We have political and moral responsibility to do more to prevent conflicts and to build peace. While this may be another discussion for another time, it bears remembering that preventing crises is always the best and most cost-effective approach. Canada, like all countries, needs to work harder to prevent these crises in the first place.

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Jonathan Storey via Getty Images Young woman pulling down bikini bottom to reveal tan line, close-up

Two years ago, my daughter saved my life. In the doctor's office for her sore throat, she urged me to have our physician look at my mole. The mole I had had on my hip all my life, the mole that had changed colour and shape over the course of six months, the mole I had been putting off having looked at due to my hectic mother-with-career life.

The mole that I would quickly learn had mutated into stage 3b melanoma and metastasized to my lymph nodes. A late-stage detection that would've been even later if it wasn't for my daughter.

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I was in shock and in denial. I wanted to be there for my twin daughters, especially because their father and I are divorced. I wanted to hold their hands in difficult times and celebrate their many future accomplishments. Their 12th birthday was a month after my diagnosis and it broke my heart that I couldn't be there to celebrate after my second surgery... with my biggest fear being that I wouldn't be there for the girls' next birthday.

Through multiple immunotherapy treatments, my daughters took care of me while I was on bed rest for two months to recover from invasive surgery, they kept me company. They sat with me to do their homework, they made drawings for me and read stories out loud and they filled my water glass constantly.

They inspired me to get up and walk again, to try to stay positive, to wake up each morning with a renewed attempt at survival. They reminded me that "every day is a new day, Mom," and they encouraged me to love myself even through the darkest moments.

An even tighter bond

We have always had a very close relationship, but through my journey with melanoma we have become even closer. My every waking moment is devoted to making myself a better mother, a better person, a melanoma survivor. It wasn't just me in the hot seat, my whole family has been affected by this battle.

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Every step of the way my daughters have been by my side and now we are on a joint mission to stop other families from going through what we went through. Sadly, more than 6,800 Canadians are diagnosed with melanoma each year.

We are honoured to be part of the #NotJustSkinCancer campaign. Alongside other survivors across Canada, we're working to help shed light on melanoma and the complacency that exists around skin cancer and sun safety.

Since I have experienced the painful effects of cancer and gone through multiple difficult treatments, I am dismayed to learn that people are complacent about sun safety and melanoma.

We want to better educate Canadians on the seriousness of skin cancer, especially as there is a shocking online conversation with jokes about tanning using hashtags like #SkinCancerDontCare and #SkinCancerComeAtMe.

The pain and fear that my family has lived through should be avoided at all costs. I am compelled to share my story to try to stop others from going through what I have. What my kids have gone through.

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I was especially affected by one of the examples of comments: "I NEED a tan... sorry Mom #SkinCancerDontCare." I reacted both as a mother and as a daughter.

As a mother I would be heartbroken if my daughters were to put themselves at risk of a disease such as melanoma with such carelessness.

As a daughter, I think of my own mother's experience with me, driving me to my appointments, nursing me post-surgery, dealing with my emotional outbursts. I think of the pain and guilt in her eyes and I know I must mirror them. She never wanted this for me, as I would give my life for it to not happen to my children.

Life doesn't (and shouldn't) wait

Now my daughters are teenagers and soon heading to high school. They have so many bright aspects to their future -- a solid knowledge of sun safety for one. They are also observant and considerate, they look after themselves and their loved ones with a fierceness that I can only assume comes from the life-changing experience they have witnessed firsthand.

They have lived their latter childhood years balancing normalcy with a deep personal fear, so they know the value of a well-timed hug or a quiet offering of an extra chore to be done. They live for the day, appreciating each moment of their days with a healthy balance of self-care and of consideration for others. They are not afraid to tell their friends they want to stay home to watch a movie with Mom, and they are not afraid to tell me to enjoy some quiet time, they are going out!

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While I wouldn't wish this experience on any family, especially those with young children, I'm grateful for coming out on the other side with a new appreciation of life and parenting. A metastatic melanoma diagnosis shook up our whole world but our already tight bond became closer in ways we never imagined.

About the Author:

Natalie Richardson is a mother to identical twins, writer and melanoma survivor. When diagnosed in 2014, her initial reaction was that it's "just skin cancer." Today, after going through multiple surgeries, a clinical trial and experiencing the devastating impact the condition can have, she regrets this misperception. She now advocates to raise awareness about this deadly disease and has been sharing her journey on her blog, The Impatient Patient.

Read more:

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I learned first-hand the benefits of having a support group. Here's the story.

Three years ago, I arrived in Toronto from Amman to study at the University of Toronto. Like many international students, my world had turned upside down. All of a sudden, I found myself living alone, in a new city and culture, and facing new challenges. It was overwhelming all at once. I was an outsider, trying to fit into a new life.

I picked economics as a major. That's what everybody advised me to do since they said I was a "smart" girl. However, opting to study a major I wasn't interested in, coupled with taking difficult courses, was a recipe for disaster. I was studying hard but not getting the grades. I was homesick and I had to miss my sister's wedding. I was slowly going in a downward spiral and was on the verge of being suspended.

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Then I decided to let my ego and pride go and confided in two friends. It was an Aha! Moment for me. Talking to people I trusted instantly made me feel at ease. Those two friends became the support group I needed to get through that rough phase. My friends helped me pick myself up again and get back on track. If I owe my success as a university student to anyone, I'd say it was done with "a little help from my friends," as the Beatles song goes.

Sometimes we, as strong and independent individuals, want to believe that we can face the storm single-handedly, but having supportive friends makes all the difference. As Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook and a strong advocate of women's leadership, says, we are more effective and productive once we have a support group.

Here are some guidelines to help you effectively create and foster stronger friendships.

Understand your individuality through relationships

We spend a lot of time trying to assert our individuality. But our identities are in fact the outcome of the relationships we create and foster. Dealing with people every single day and understanding their points of view help you better understand yourself. When we foster relationships we are indeed shaping our own personality. According to Dr. Holger Baumann, a psychology professor with the University of Zurich: "Neither are we self-made or self-sufficient beings who exist in complete isolation from others; nor is an understanding of personal autonomy as self-sufficient independence an ideal to be aspired at, or a value that deserves the centrality it is given in modern Western societies."

Listen more, talk less

Seek first to understand, then to be understood, wrote Stephen Covey in his wildly popular book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In order to do that, you need to listen. Listening is a major life skill that helped me get through tough times. There's a difference between hearing and listening actively with the intent to understand. Active listening entails making a conscious effort to fully engage with the person speaking to us. By being an active listener, I have been able to have deeper interactions with people and hence build stronger bonds with them.

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Show vulnerability

Sometimes in our interactions we tend to hold back so as not to be judged. When I show my friends who I really am, I feel stronger and more confident. In my experience, holding back so as to supposedly protect myself has had the opposite result as I was stuck in my own thoughts, which was worse than talking about it. When I discussed my weaknesses and failures, it was rather a self-acknowledgement and a start to help me work on myself. Sharing with your friends how you plan to improve yourself is also a great way to be held accountable and ultimately serves you well. Try to open up to someone you confide in today, and you'll see feel instantly better.
myshkovsky via Getty Images Yoga exercise in Sri Lanka

Retreats are filling a real need for women who live a busy, stressful life. They provide a small reprieve from the clamour of life and an island of 'you' time that allows you to learn new life skills, detox, meet like-minded women (some of whom will be friends for life) and recharge your batteries. Think of it as a camping trip for your soul.

While fitness, yoga and other physical activities do play a central role in some retreats, others offer pampering and relaxation. A retreat can be a wonderful way to reconnect with nature, with yourself and with those wild women who can help to reinvigorate and inspire. If you're feeling a little blah, put some pep in your step by taking a little time for yourself with one of these incredible retreats.

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This wonderful 2-night retreat in early June is a great way to detox. Their healthy meal menu is a wonderful way to get your body ready for summer. Your mind and heart get a cleanse too thanks to the ministrations of Heather Embree who will help you to re-connect with your heart and with Mother Nature.

This retreat takes place in the rolling hills of Northumberland County. Here, in a small patch of wild woods, women are invited to a wonderful retreat run by the Wild Roots Collective. The beautiful setting is the perfect place to reconnect with nature, learn about forging and enjoy cooking classes in the outdoor kitchen. Women will connect with like-minded individuals and share inspiration for the future. You'll return home healthier, happier and inspired!

The two-day camping retreat just outside of Toronto includes, yoga, qi gong, meditation, hiking, massage & reiki treatments, forging, outdoor cooking classes and many more fantastic adventures.

The focus of this retreat is detoxing, cleansing and relaxation. To this end, raw, organic juice fasting, detoxification, stress management and weight loss all form part of your program. Enjoy yoga, massage, reiki and reflexology as well as spa services like saunas and meditation. The beautiful setting will help you to relax and take a welcome break from busy city life.

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Feel like an adventure? Then the Wild Women have just the trip for you. Try a SUP yoga glamping retreat in Parry Sound or an Art retreat in Algonquin Park. These retreats are about enjoying nature's beauty, meeting new people and finding your wild side. The retreats are fun adventures where you can master new skills, find hidden talents and get inspired by others.

Sugar Ridge Retreat Centre offers a unique weekend retreat for pet lovers. You and your pooch can head for the hills for a weekend of meditation, yoga and off-leash fun. Long walks in the forest and summer swims help you and your dog to relax and reconnect with nature in this beautiful setting.
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In a perfect world, everyone would always have enough to eat, and would never have to go without just to make rent. In the imperfect world we live in, this isn't the case: poverty exists, accidents happen, sudden job losses occur, and people fall ill.

As a society, we established a system of social welfare programs because we wanted to take better care of each other and ensure that everyone had access to basic needs, even during hard times. It was an effort to get a little bit closer to that perfect world.

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On Monday, a new report was released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives that demonstrates the gap between where we currently are and our vision of where we'd like to be.

The maximum they receive from OW is $681 a month, putting them far from being able to afford a standard quality of life.

Specifically, this report revealed that for people receiving social assistance in Ontario, the poverty gap between their income and the Low Income Measure (LIM) has actually widened over the last two decades, in large part due to deep cuts to social assistance in the 1990s.

The worst off are single adults living on Ontario Works (OW), for whom the poverty gap has jumped from 20 percent in 1993 to a staggering 60 percent today. The maximum they receive from OW is $681 a month, putting them far from being able to afford a standard quality of life.

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This gap is very much reflected in the demographics of the people who use food banks. Our 2015 Hunger Report found that nearly 70% of food bank clients in Ontario receive support from either OW or Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), and that single-person households are one of the fastest growing groups of food bank clients.

The low social assistance rates and lack of affordable housing in this province mean that for many people, there is almost nothing left after paying for necessities like rent and hydro. This is why people turn to food banks: because the social safety net that is meant to support them and see them through times of trouble isn't sufficient to meet even their basic needs.

This is why people turn to food banks: because the social safety net that is meant to support them and see them through times of trouble isn't sufficient to meet even their basic needs.

Social assistance is a system that no one wants to depend on for long: yet, it's one that can unfortunately trap people in long-term poverty. In the words of John Stapleton: "All the things ordinary Canadians believe one should do to move off of social assistance and out of poverty are largely against the rules of social assistance: savings, earnings, training and education, saving on accommodation, getting meaningful help from family and others."

On Monday, the Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Food Banks was on TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paikin. She pointed out that while the number of unique individuals visiting food banks in Ontario dropped slightly between 2014 and 2015, the number of total visits actually grew - indicating that people needed to visit more frequently and required more support than they did before.

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Needing to rely on social assistance is something that can happen to almost anyone. How many of us are one unplanned expense, job layoff, or sudden illness away from needing a little extra help?

Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank's Who's Hungry report shows a similar trend: the average length of time clients are relying on the food bank doubled between 2008 and 2015, suggesting that it's become even harder to transition out of poverty.

Needing to rely on social assistance is something that can happen to almost anyone. How many of us are one unplanned expense, job layoff, or sudden illness away from needing a little extra help?

Given the current predominance of part-time, contract, and unprotected work, and the fact that Canadian household debt has reached nearly record high levels, a great deal of people currently live in very precarious situations. When you look to the future, it's predicted that 47 percent of jobs are at risk of becoming obsolete in the next few decades due to increases in automation.

We must do this not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because poverty has a great to our society.

This is all a clear sign that we urgently need to protect and strengthen our system to assist those who have fallen on hard times, for today and for our uncertain future. We must do this not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because poverty has a great to our society. Our Cost of Poverty report estimates that the remedial, intergenerational and opportunity costs of poverty are between $10.4 billion and $13.1 billion per year in Ontario alone.

Food banks recognize that hunger is a symptom of a much bigger issue: poverty. And while food banks are working hard to address short-term food insecurity, they are also advocating for solutions that address the root causes of hunger in our province. This includes improving social assistance and increasing the accessibility of our most basic needs.

In the 2015 Hunger Report, released last December, the Ontario Association of Food Banks recommended a number of measures that we believe would help address long-term food insecurity. This included increasing the social assistance rate to levels that would allow people to afford their basic needs, growing access to affordable housing through a housing benefit for low-income tenants, and ensuring that more people have access to financially sufficient and secure employment opportunities.

Our Cost of Poverty report estimates that the remedial, intergenerational and opportunity costs of poverty are between $10.4 billion and $13.1 billion per year in Ontario alone.

The Government of Ontario is currently in its second phase of their Poverty Reduction Strategy. In April, we were encouraged to see that an MPP introduced a private member's bill for the creation of a provincial Social Assistance Research Commission that recommend evidence-based OW and ODSP rates. It would include people who have lived with poverty, and be based on actual regional costs of rent, food and other essentials.

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The government also included a commitment to a Guaranteed Basic Income pilot project in their most recent budget, with hopes of getting it started by next year. While we do not know the details of how it might be structured and function yet, the possibility of providing an income floor to all Ontarians is promising, and we look forward to learning more.

People who volunteer, work at, and support food banks all hope that one day, food banks will be rendered unnecessary. This beautiful dream of a society can be achieved. But in order to see the end of hunger in Ontario, we must first address the root causes of this issue, which includes improving our social safety net and ensuring that our most basic needs are accessible to everyone.

Ashley Quan is the Development and Communications Officer at the Ontario Association of Food Banks.

To support the Ontario Association of Food Banks and our work to end hunger in Ontario, please donate here: oafb.ca/donate
Chris Wattie / Reuters Canada's Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, February 2, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

It has been pointed out that if the last election results had a preferential ballot system in place, it would have resulted in 50 more seats for the Liberals.

Looking at a previous election to predict the next one is what my friend Stephen Carter calls "being a Semenko."

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Now, Stephen has a flair for these sorts of analogies, this one I thought was brilliant. The context of "being a Semenko" is relational to "being a Gretzky," skating to where the puck will be, not where it is.

Now, when it comes to electoral reform, much of the Canadian media, the opposition parties and most pundits are skating to where the puck is. To understand the electoral reform debate, we have to understand where the puck will be in 2019 when the next election rolls around.

Two of the last three prime ministers made substantial changes to the electoral system without much fuss.

Is it a power grab?

Some are calling the process a "power grab," claiming the Liberals have no mandate to make this type of change.

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Is it an abuse of power?

Some go even further and make the case for this being undemocratic and "monarchistic" behaviour.

Before we continue to lose our minds over this issue, let's look at Justin Trudeau's track record and the history of electoral reform in Canada.

Justin Trudeau on reform

Senate reform has been debated in Canada since, well, forever. It actually predates confederation itself. Long before he became prime minister, Justin Trudeau severed ties with the Senate Liberal caucus and changed the landscape of federal politics. It wasn't a popular decision, it won't make his job easier as prime minister in passing legislation, but he did it anyway because it needed to be done.

Recent electoral reform

Two of the last three prime ministers made substantial changes to the electoral system without much fuss. Jean Chretien eliminated corporate and union donations and introduced a public per-vote subsidy which began in 2004.

A per-vote subsidy is largely seen as the most democratic of the ways political parties are allocated public funds. Knowing that a party will receive a specific dollar amount for each vote can encourage party/brand loyalty and reduce what can be deemed as undemocratic strategic voting. Chretien changed these rules without a referendum.

Stephen Harper did away with the per-vote subsidy system starting in 2012, and by 2015 it had been completely eliminated. Perhaps my memory fails me, but I don't recall these columnists expressing outrage then. When the Conservatives had a massive and consistent lead in fundraising, they eliminated the per-vote subsidy that kept other parties competitive, and they did it without a referendum.

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Strategic voters won't need to choose between voting for the party they like and voting for the party they think can beat party/candidate X. They can do both.

Preferential ballot

A preferential ballot system levels the playing field for all candidates. Like the per-vote subsidy, it will promote more party/candidate loyalty on the first vote. Unlike the last election, strategic "anybody but Harper" voters won't need to choose between voting for the party they like and voting for the party they think can beat party/candidate X. They can do both.

This will be good news for independents and green party candidates who will get more loyalty from voters, because even if they aren't seen as competitive people will vote for them and give their number two, three and four to the parties/candidates they can also live with.

What Justin Trudeau and Minister of Democratic Institutions Maryam Monsef are trying to do will actually be very good for democracy, and not necessarily benefit Liberal candidates exclusively. It will benefit inclusive and respectful candidates and parties who try to reach beyond their partisan base.

If Liberals benefit disproportionately from being inclusive and respectful, that may be upsetting to some parties, I understand. A system that rewards the very characteristics we teach our children should not be under attack.

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Only one thing is certain about the next election -- it will be nothing like the last one. So, I say to the pundits, media and opposition parties: stop being Semenkos about electoral reform, be a Gretzky.

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Tuesday, May 17 marks a day to stand against discrimination and for respect of all people, it is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. The Trudeau government has introduced legislation to include "gender identity" in the Canadian Human Rights Act alongside race, sexual orientation and gender.

Transgendered rights have been a major story in North American media in recent months, whether it is about bathrooms in North Carolina or a BC MLA introducing a trans rights bill for the fourth time.

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While previous attempts at changing federal human rights legislation have failed in recent years, Prime Minister Trudeau mandated Justice Minister Judy Wilson-Raybould to make this change. The previous Conservative government refused to make this issue a priority largely due to their more conservative base. Conservative thought leaders throughout Canada previously connected this issue with bathrooms like some politicians in the United States have done.

The Federal Justice Justice Minister recently said to the Globe and Mail that "our government is committed to bringing forward legislation that will respect and ensure that we eliminate discrimination in all forms in this country."

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NDP MP Randall Garrison, who has made attempts to enact this kind of law in the past, said he expects the government's bill to be similar to ones that he has introduced.

Politicians, LGBT leaders and many others have fought for a long time for this kind of change to Canadian human rights legislation. Transgendered people still experience incredible amount of discrimination and violence for who they are. Urban cities such as Vancouver have started moving their washrooms to universally being gender neutral.

Egale Canada's Ryn Dyck suggested that presently "there's an uncertainty for trans people across this country whether they are or n to covered by human rights legislation". This change will help trans people feel that at least under the law they are protected.

Many provinces have moved towards changing their laws to protect their citizens who are transgendered. While Alberta and Ontario have moved forward with attempts to better guarantee protections, BC has refused in recent years to change anything.

Vancouver-West End MLA Spencer Chandra-Herbert recently introduced a bill for the fourth time that would include transgendered people in provincial human rights legislation. The BC Liberal government have suggested that this group is already protected and there's no need for additional safeguards.

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The MLA suggested on his Facebook that "if the BC government allows my bill to come to the floor of the house for a vote, I am convinced it'd pass and pass with strong support." Chandra-Herbert suggested that the BC Government House Leader Mike De Jong hasn't ruled out allowing the vote.

BC Attorney General Suzanne Anton has dismissed the need for the bill because she suggests that the current code protects transgendered people by preventing discrimination based upon sex. Meanwhile the West End MLA suggests that it needs to be explicit in the law. He insists that transgendered people who he has dealt with explain this law is needed.

BC Green Party leader Andrew Weaver said recently that he sees "no compelling reason not to do it" so he said "I would hope the government would do it in light of that and rise above any partisan party politics.

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Chandra-Herbert suggests that only a few BC Liberal MLAs need to support it for the law to pass so he strongly encourages residents throughout the province to contact their MLA to express their support for the bill.

While the government is debating whether or not to support this legislation, every day transgendered people are dealing with violence and discrimination in their personal and professional lives.

Leaders within the LGBT community are hoping that the BC Government will put aside partisan politics and support legislation that protects the human rights of a segment of our society. Time will tell where their priorities really are.
Mathias Rosenthal via Getty Images Content Marketing 3d render concept with blue and white arrows flying in a blue sky with clouds

As the digital revolution continues to transform the way in which companies market their products to consumers, brands and agencies are facing a whole new set of challenges previously unencountered in the industry.

There remains industry-wide confusion as to how to effectively track the success metrics of both content and content distribution. In fact, according to HubSpot's State of Inbound 2014-2015, measurement is the number one challenge marketers face, with nearly 30 percent of those surveyed reporting that proving the financial return of their content-driven marketing activities was a widespread problem.

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So how are brands and agencies attempting to solve this overcome this stumbling block? How does their approach vary? I recently spoke to Leanne Brinkies, Global Head of Native Advertising at Sydney-based content agency, King Content, and Darin Diehl, Director of Content and Shared Services from direct bank Tangerine in Toronto, to find out.

Note: King Content and Tangerine have no affiliation and do not directly work with one another.

Industry-wide, we're quickly learning that organic content distribution can only get you so far. How important do you think paid amplification is as part of an overall content strategy?

LB: My personal opinion is that if you don't invest in any amplification of content, your ability to assess ROI is much lower because you have a smaller pool. That's why King Content has created a specialist native advertising division -- because we realized our clients weren't seeing the returns they needed. If you're not getting enough eyeballs on the content you've paid for, to me that isn't a very good equation.

DD: In terms of content distribution, you have to start with your owned and earned channels. And then of course there's paid channels, and we generally work with a media agency for that. The agency helps us devise a paid strategy that we can continuously optimize and track to ensure we're getting the most out of our paid distribution dollars. This year we're all about trying new things, seeing how they perform, and then optimizing them to ensure we see the results we need.

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A problem facing most marketers today is how to track and measure the ROI of content. Are you any closer to solving the quandary?

LB: I think it goes back to the metrics we talked about before. It's about how many are viewing the content, where they are in the funnel, how they're engaging with the content, how they're sharing it, and how this is affecting sales and performance over time. At the end of the day, all our clients want to know how many sales they're making and at what cost per they're going to deliver. But so far it's been difficult to prove that case with content.

The last-click attribution model doesn't really work with content. It doesn't effectively demonstrate how content is performing or how engagement with content positively impacts a business's bottom line. For example, with a last-click attribution scenario search will always offer the lowest cost per acquisition (CPA). But what we should see is that that CPA, even for search, should reduce over time with a content-driven approach, because you've brought so many more people into the funnel that the number of searches a user does should decrease, and when a user comes through they should be lower down in the funnel.

A perfect attribution model is the holy grail of content marketing that we're all trying to discover, but we also need to find a way to demonstrate the value of engagement metrics and draw attention to those top-funnel awareness considerations.

DD: We closely track and monitor a range of metrics and KPIs so we can see what the results are, learn from the data, and then make adjustments accordingly. I would argue that we're always going to be in the process of figuring it all out. Things are constantly changing -- Google makes changes to its algorithms and user behaviour changes, so to truly understand the ROI of something, you're going to need to constantly revise the ways in which you're measuring to understand the impact your content is making.

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I like to break our strategy down into three separate components because success looks different for each of them. Firstly, we look at whether the content is being consumed -- it's important to break through the noise by creating something that's going to make a connection with your audience. Then we measure engagement to see if the audience is sharing or taking some kind of measurable action, including following through on a call to action. And then lastly, what's the impact on brand perception and are we influencing conversion.

Closing thoughts

There will likely never be a hard-and-fast, one-size-fits all solution to measuring the financial return of content marketing. "It's really a constant learning model", explains Diehl. "I don't think there's a "plug and play" for this yet, and perhaps there never will be because the ground beneath us is always shifting. You've got to learn as you go and adjust as you go."

Extended interview on StackAdapt Native Advertising Academy
The five things you need to know on Tuesday May 17, 2016

1) BREXIT DOORS TO MANUAL

After yesterdays arresting sight of Ryanair captain George Osborne flanked by air hostesses Ed Balls and Vince Cable (which Boris rather brilliantly compared to a hostage video), the Remainers are wheeling out the big guns once more. The PM unafraid of getting his hands dirty in a bit of mano-a-mano combat and has another big speech this morning warning of the dangers of Brexit.

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In last nights Bloomberg debate, Liam Fox said something very ear-catching: that Margaret Thatcher had made clear to him that the EU single market was not the right trading model for the UK in the long term.

As for the polls, theres a vigorous debate amongst psephologists about the merits of phone and online surveys. Yet more phone polls give Remain a decent lead, but one online poll puts Leave ahead. Nigel Farage has been in the Mirror (and on BBC Breakfast) hinting that there could be a second referendum if the result is tight.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has his own big speech today, declaring I want to rescue the debate from the negativity and Project Fear coming from all sides of the Tory party. This is a common theme for Labours In campaign these days, trying to stress the positive case for Europe. Yet McDonnell will also say something Ed Balls didnt yesterday: that if there is a downturn following Brexit, there will be yet more austerity and cuts. In lines just released, he will also warn that a Tory government outside the EU would negotiate a TTIP max with worse workers rights in their desperation to get a free trade deal.

Still, as with his Mao and Hoxha references, McDonnell cant resist lines that his friends see as jokes but enemies see as deadly serious. In the New Yorker (see below), when asked to say how improbable it was that he and Corbyn were now in charge, McDonnell quoted Fredric Jameson, an American Marxist scholar. It is easier for people to imagine the end of the earth than it is to imagine the end of capitalism, he said. And that is what we are about, arent we?

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The FT says business support for Brexit is rising, the Daily Mail splashes on claims that No10 conspired with pro-EU firms to sign them up even before his Brussels renegotiation deal.

Rachel Sylvester in the Times highlights one way the Tory party can heal after the referendum: the 2010 and 2015 intake of MPs are planning Thatcherism for the Uber generation. The 2020 Group of MPs, chaired by life sciences minister George Freeman, is looking at a 5% Philanthropy Tax for millionaires, plus a tax and red tape break for entrepreneurs with turnover of less than 500k.

McDonnell, Mandelson and Farage all take part in the Mirror's EU debate after 3pm

2) A FACE CALLED HOPE

With Parliament in recess, there was no PLP meeting last night but in a way there was no need because Peter Mandelson has neatly summed up the conundrum facing his colleagues. In a New Yorker profile of Jeremy Corbyn, the Dark Lord declares: We are in a situation now where he is unelectable in the country but unassailable in the Party.

No surprises in the first part of that sentence (and Mandelson may point to an ICM/Guardian poll putting Labour behind the Tories again today). But the second bit is much more interesting. Mandelson sounds like hes resigned to Corbyn staying in place. Was this a signal to the the plotters to hold their fire, for another year at least, until the party at large falls out of love with JC?

Corbyn tonight delivers the Ralph Miliband lecture at the LSE. Its not being pre-briefed in any way. But its title is Rebuilding the Politics of Hope. Those Corbyn mugs and T-shirts mimicking Obama's famous Hope logo are very popular online I hear. And theres a growing feeling among Team Jez that there is not so much a hope, but an an expectation, that he will fend off any coup.

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Right on cue, a new Times/YouGov poll finds that Corbyns support among party members has increased (from nearly 60% in the leadership race to 64% now). Party members are now more likely than not to believe that Mr Corbyn will become PM in contrast to November when a greater proportion believed he would never make it to Number 10.

Yet while theres no clear consensus about any replacement, here are the names most favoured by members: 19% for Dan Jarvis, 17% for Andy Burnham, 13% for Yvette Cooper and 5% Chuka Umunna. Given three of those ran (and nearly ran) previously, does that confirm that Jarvis is the only fresh face with a hope of replacing JC before 2020?

3) IT REALLY TRUMPS ME UP

Good Morning Britain follows up its interview with Donald Trump from yesterday with a chance for Sadiq Khan to hit back. And that word hope is here again, with Khan saying it would trump fear.

The Mayor of London had a good news line, inviting Trump to come to the greatest city in the world to see for himself how mainstream Muslims and Western values fit together. Khan sounded measured, authoritative, calm as he promised he would educate Trump.

He had some nice quotes too on Trumps mad ban would mean barring Muslims like Bake Offs Nadiya, Leicester Citys Riyad Mahrez and others. But despite the detente, Khan underlined his wish for Clinton to smash Trump: obviously I wish the other woman wins - and I hope Hillary trounces him

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Meanwhile, the Sadiq Khan Effect may be having an even deeper impression on Labour MPs than thought. Actually running things with a huge direct mandate, instead of waiting for 2020 (or 2025) is proving tempting for some.

Burnham is still weighing up the Manchester Metro Mayor job, but last night it emerged that Luciana Berger is now interested in running for the Merseyside Metro Mayor post too. Steve Rotheram (an ex Mayor of Liverpool) is considering throwing his headgear into the circular receptacle too. And Rotheram is Jezzas PPS. One Labour source tells me Rotheram has suggested to friends locally that Team Corbyn dont listen to him (and worse). Still, others mutter that boundary change squeezes may play a role too for Liverpool MPs - and Joe Anderson may be difficult to beat.

BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR

Watch this video imagining how Iron Man initiates casual sex. For some reason, its proving rather popular.

4) TOXIC BORIS

He may revive parts of the Tory vote that others cant reach but Boriss legacy in London is getting trashed nearly every day now. Proving that winners really do get to write and rewrite political history, Sadiq Khan is doing to Boris what Boris tried to do to Ken: claim your predecessor left not a legacy but liabilities.

The latest example is on the hot topic of air quality, with Khan publishing a report Boris didnt: a study that found that 433 schools in the capital are located in areas that exceed EU limits for nitrogen dioxide pollution  and that four-fifths of those are in deprived areas.

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Khan has been quick to pledge new pollution taxes, with plans to expand clean air zones and says Johnson turned the city into a laughing stock on the issue. The report Analysing Air Pollution Exposure in London was finished two years ago but not published.

5) LABOUR PAINS

Battlebuses are wonderfully retro campaign vehicles (I have fond memories of playing cards and visiting surreal locations on both the Blair and Hague charabancs in the 2001 election). Boris is back on his bus today in the Midlands, while Alan Johnson is on the Labour IN one.

Yet amid all those accusations that Tory MPs are facing over their 2015 Road Trip election expenses, someone has decided its time to look at Labours own expense spending. Guido Fawkes has found three examples of where the Labour Express bus visited key seats where candidates didnt find declare the cost on their exes.

Meanwhile, that appearance by ex-City minister Ed Balls yesterday has prompted the FT to look at the current Shadow City Minister Richard Burgon. It reports that he has held meetings and phone calls with big banks and insurance firms. He just sat there, barely listening, and left quite quickly, says one source. City types says it contrasts with the Shadow Chancellor: McDonnell told us that they would still need banks, even after the revolution, one business insider said, but Burgon looks as if waiting for it to be over.

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I've previously written about how the EU harms Africa and called upon Jeremy Corbyn to lead the Labour Party away from the misguided dogma that the EU is a force for good. I believe in social justice, equality, feminism and democracy, but find myself struggling to understand why so many of my friends on the left are lining up with banks and big business to defend the undemocratic EU.

EU law is made by the EU Commission, whose members are appointed, not elected. The EU Parliament, whose members we vote for, has no power to propose, make or repeal any laws. It can only amend laws that have been proposed by the EU Commission. Democracy demands that we have the right to vote for the people who have actual power, not an entity that seems to have been created as a talking-shop in an attempt to legitimise an undemocratic system. The EU has created the illusion of democracy in order to hoodwink people into believing that they have the franchise.

The recent farce over the tampon tax is a good way of illustrating how EU membership subverts the proper democratic process. EU VAT legislation prevented the UK from scrapping the tax on sanitary products, but the government was forced into a vote in the House of Commons, which it worked hard to ensure it won - the tampon tax would be staying. The government then went behind Parliament's back and, contrary to the democratic, parliamentary vote, negotiated a deal with the EU to get the tampon tax scrapped after all.

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This is a clear case of our elected representatives playing fast and lose with constitutional conventions that have governed our relationship with them for centuries. If it's not obvious why this is so dangerous, the British government overruled Parliament and colluded with EU officials to get the law changed. As harmless as this particular fudge was, such a system, where two people can collude in a room to change the law of a nation, is the wellspring of tyranny.

There's a lot of mud being thrown about immigration and the economy, but the defining issue of this referendum is sovereignty. We never voted to give power to an unelected commission, this power has been taken from us slowly, piece by piece over the years. Reformers throughout history fought for our democratic rights. The suffragettes were prepared to die in order to get the right to elect their law-makers. I simply don't understand why so many people are willing to surrender their fundamental political right, the only right that protects us against tyranny. Today it's the tampon tax, but given the challenges currently confronting Europe, tomorrow it could be your property rights, your right to protest, or even your right to vote. Look at what has happened to the people of Greece to see how the EU treats its most vulnerable in times of emergency.

In his televised address to the nation on Britain's entry to the Common Market, Edward Heath said, "There are some in this country who fear that in going into Europe we shall in some way sacrifice independence and sovereignty. These fears, I need hardly say, are completely unjustified."

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Shortly after the British Parliament approved entry, President Pompidou of France proposed that the EC should move to full political and economic union and Heath agreed. When asked by the BBC how such a shift sat with his earlier remarks, Heath said that it should have been obvious to anyone following the parliamentary debate that political and monetary union was what it was actually all about.

If we vote to remain, I suspect that the result will be taken as our consent to surrender our sovereignty. If we remain, in five or ten years time when the EU has taken yet more power from our elected representatives, it will be able to point to the referendum result and, echoing Heath's approach, tell us that it should have been obvious that surrender of sovereignty was what this referendum was all about.

Like many people, I hold Tony Benn in high regard as a parliamentarian and political thinker. He once said that we should ask five questions of the powerful:

1.What power have you got?

2.Where did you get it from?

3.In whose interests do you exercise it?

4.To whom are you accountable?

5.How do we get rid of you?

Ask these questions of the EU, and the answers are truly terrifying. The Brexit Door has answered them here.

Benn went on to say, "If you cannot get rid of the people who govern you, you do not live in a democratic system." Tony Benn, like Jeremy Corbyn, was a long-standing critic of the EU and believed it to be a harmful, undemocratic institution. I'm dismayed that Jeremy Corbyn, who I took to be a man of principle, is now campaigning for us to remain in an institution that he has vilified for most of his political career.

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On Friday the 13th of May, students at New College Pontefract had the opportunity to quiz some politicians on the upcoming referendum regarding the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union.

The 4 guest panellists were:

Yvette Cooper (LAB, MP for the NPC Constituency),

Toby Horton (UKIP, former advisor to William Hague, defected to UKIP and stood in the seat for Thirsk and Malton in May 2015- where he was defeated by Kevin Hollinrake CON),

Richard Corbett (LAB, MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber),

Andrea Jenkyns (CON, MP for the Morley and Outwood constituency after succeeding Ed Balls in May 2015)

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All four clearly demonstrated their passionate views in response to questions submitted by students following up to the event, however, it was clear from the live twitter hashtag and the atmosphere in the room that Richard Corbett had won the days event after proving some of the figures and ideologies set forward by the anti-EU panellists to be farcical. With the addition of the twitter hashtag #KingCorbett his victory was rather clear. Some students were however questioning the organisation of the event:

"why would you put a labour MEP and a tory MP on the same table?"(@HollyLouisee_) which proved to be a 'catalyst' for much "banter". Some also wondered as to why there was low diversity in political parties as the whole argument could not have been vocalised.

Yvette Cooper as usual was on her toes seeing this as an opportunity to gain a few extra votes. Her answers all linked back to how remaining in the EU benefits young people and how a Brexit could be disastrous for this and the succeeding generations. She also highlighted that even though it can be difficult, amendments can still be made to allow UK favoured laws to be passed even after EU restrictions- such as the widely spoken of, tampon tax.

Toby Horton could easily have been mistaken for a chemistry teacher after his apparent obsession with the word 'catalyst'-mentioned five times during the short event. According to him, a Brexit would prove to be a 'catalyst' for reform of the EU. Now, many students and other panellists got a little bit confused here as the UKIP MP hopeful was basically saying if we leave the EU it'll reform and 'become better'. Ok. So according to Toby, we should leave the single market and watch it expand from the outlines, watch how EU GDP continues to grow and allow the UK to wither in poverty, inevitable infringement on human rights and the country's decimation as a whole. Great. Toby also told us the date of the referendum- the "24th June" so to all supporters of UKIP, don't forget to go vote on the 24th as every vote counts!

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#KingCorbett as he quickly became known, stole the show after his "witty banter". Apparently the fact that his "tie [was] funky fresh" also helped him gain a few points on the board. His answers were coherent and straight to the point, however, his opinion of Andrea Jenkyns quickly became apparent. Anything that was vocalised by the Conservative member was rapidly shot down by Corbett who quickly attempted to 'correct' the Rt. Hon member for Morley. The students in the room on the Brexit side of the fence however, saw an instant opportunity to fire back at Corbett after he said that there was a "Civil War" within the Conservative Party surrounding the issue, their response was surrounding the alleged anti-Semitic affiliations within the Labour Party considering the recent suspensions of Ken Livingston and Naz Shah- proving slight hypocrisy. This however, did in no way hinder Corbett and he continued to come out on top.

Andrea Jenkyns presented herself in the image of the late Margaret Thatcher after highlighting herself as being a part of a "nation of shopkeepers" and continued to keep the small businesses in mind throughout the proceedings. Some however, appeared to not be huge fans of small businesses and after the MP had made derogatory comments towards certain low cost high street shops one student had something to say- "pound shops are the **** why are the tories slating them" (@ellenphantstone). Ms Jenkyns also used the highly controversial figure of 50bn which was not welcomed by the Labour MEP who explained that this figure is inaccurate and when looked at from a wider picture, we get more back than from what we put in.
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If you haven't heard yet, today - May 17 - is the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. Otherwise known as #IDAHOBIT, it's a worldwide celebration of gender and sexual diversities that's expected to be marked in around 130 countries. Literally thousands of events are scheduled to take place - from queer cycle parades in Albania, to rainbow flashmobs in Russia, to same-sex wedding ceremonies in China.

In around 35 countries where same-sex relationships are a crime, activists are expected to take action anyway, regardless of laws.

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For a taster of the scale, diversity and bravery of actions expected today, you can watch this new video - produced by the awesome campaign 'Free and Equal', run by the United Nations. If you're anything like me, you'll need some tissues at the ready.

What's the global situation for LGBT people?

Over the past quarter of a century, great progress has been made on LGBT rights worldwide. 40 countries have decriminalised homosexuality and over 30 have outlawed homophobic hate crimes. Over 60 countries now legally protect LGBT people at work and 15 recognise same-sex marriages.

But huge challenges remain. Sex with someone of the same sex is illegal in 75 countries, and it's punishable by death in 10. That means 40% of the world's population live in countries where LGBT people can be imprisoned, just for being themselves. Over 400million people live under laws which punish same-sex relationships with the death penalty.

For trans people the legal situation is, in most cases, even worse. Most governments deny trans people the right to legally change their gender on official documents (just 50 countries allow this).

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Violence is a particularly big problem for trans communities. Shocking figures released by Transgender Europe show that, in the first 70 days of 2016, a trans person was killed in a lethal transphobic hate crime every 24 hours - and this is in the Americas alone.

What's the focus this year?

This year's theme for the day is mental health and well-being. One of the reasons it was chosen by activists is to challenge the idea that being LGBT - just being ourselves - is something that needs to be 'cured'. Horrific conversion clinics are one of the clearest manifestations of this idea. So too are unhealthy attitudes, including here in the UK. At Stonewall, our research has shown that one in 10 frontline healthcare staff has witnessed colleagues expressing belief that someone can be 'cured' of being LGBT - a shocking figure we're working to reduce.

But mental health and well-being questions go far beyond this too.

In all but seven countries in the world, trans people have to get doctors to classify them under a specific mental health classification, in order to legally change their gender on official documents.

In practice, this means that to get something as simple as a passport, identity card, or healthcare file with their correct gender identity listed on it - and therefore to avoid discriminatory situations, or to get access to vital healthcare - the vast majority of trans people have to go through medical gatekeepers.

This includes in the UK. At Stonewall, one of our biggest upcoming battlegrounds is reforming the UK's outdated equality laws, so that trans communities don't have to go through unnecessary and bureaucratic hurdles, just to get their identities recognised.

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And just as LGBT people are often stigmatised within healthcare settings, so too are they often isolated from adequate care for their mental health and well-being.

We know that LGBT people experience mental health issues like anxiety and depression in greater numbers than non-LGBT people.

LGBT young people who are bullied, or isolated from adults they feel they can talk to about their mental health and well-being, are more likely to experience depression.

So research also clearly shows the importance of allies - of people who can listen to, stand by the side of, and stick up for LGBT people who are experiencing mental health difficulties.

And that's also one of the things that makes IDAHOBIT so fantastic: the range of allies who take action in support of LGBT activists worldwide. Whether it's LGBT people in the UK standing by the side of LGBT activists overseas, or non-LGBT people standing up for LGBT equality, it's truly a day for everyone to take action and show one another we are #ByYourSide.

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How can I get involved?

You can join the action on social media - via the main hashtags for the day (we'll be signal boosting some our favourite actions too), #IDAHOBIT and #IDAHOT.

You can get involved with Stonewall's campaigns - focused on standing #ByYourSide with activists on #IDAHOBIT, and during the rest of 2016 too!

Find out more about May 17: dayagainsthomophobia.org
On Wednesday the Queen will go to the House of Lords and give a speech, written by the Government, which will outline the laws it will try to get approved by Parliament in the coming year.

The occasion won't be all flummery and fancy-dress, although there's quite a bit of that. The Queen's Speech is an important moment in the Parliamentary calendar. It is intended to tell Parliament and the public what the Government wants to do next. But since coming to power last year, the Government has set out a big agenda, full of ambitious reforms and spending cuts. Adding new items to this agenda without consulting and prioritising carefully is risky.

So before you settle down to watch the pomp and pageantry, here are four things you need to know before the Queen's Speech:

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1.Public services are under pressure

Government spending is being cut dramatically. This chart shows which departments' budgets are growing and which are shrinking (the budgets in this chart don't include some big items like welfare):

We are now six years into a decade of austerity, and this is having a big effect on the funding of public services. Health services are under particular pressure. While the budget for the NHS in England is protected from austerity, but both social care and public health have been cut significantly, and will be cut further for the next few years. Social care involves helping old people, which keeps them out of hospital. Public health involves things like making sure people get immunised so that they don't get ill and end up in hospital. Not only are there attempts to find efficiencies and save money - there are simultaneous efforts to extend seven day services. All of this pressure helps to explain why waiting times in A&E are at record highs. It's important to understand these pressures on public services as the context for any new announcements.

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2.Academisation is still happening

In the March Budget the Chancellor announced that all schools would need to become academies by 2022. About a quarter of the 22,000 state schools in England are academies or are becoming academies - the rest are under local authority control. Since the announcement, opposition to the proposal has come from teachers' unions, head teachers, local authorities and most importantly from Conservative backbenchers. The government has retreated, and said that while it still wants all schools to become academies, it will only force schools that are failing or are in areas where most schools are already academies to make the change. This is likely to remain a controversial area of the Queen's Speech.

3.Big changes are being proposed to both courts and prisons

The Justice Secretary, Michael Gove, has proposed that a fifth of courts will close. Access to justice will be maintained through digitising fines and spreading the use of video in courtrooms. This could make them more efficient, but previous attempts to improve IT in courts have failed, and spending cuts over the last few years have led to increases in delays in courts. Michael Gove is also proposing that prison governors should be more able to manage their prisons, without so much interference from the centre of government. As with the courts, spending cuts have already affected prisons - because there are fewer staff, there is more violence. So many people will welcome the fact that prisons legislation will be introduced in draft and allow time for consultation.

4.The Government is divided

Because of divisions over the EU referendum, the Government's slim majority of 12 has turned out to be no majority at all when it comes to doing difficult things. It has had three outright defeats in the Commons, and more than fifty so far in the House of Lords. It has been forced to withdraw or heavily amend many other measures, most notably 4.5billion per year cuts in tax credits and 1.3billion per year cuts in Personal Independence Payments for the disabled. Put simply, it isn't able to control what is already going through Parliament - let alone anything new that might be added in the Queen's Speech.

So while issues like anti-terrorism will certainly hit the headlines, the combination of spending cuts, ambitious reforms and a lack of unity have put the Government under intense pressure ahead of this year's Queen's Speech. If the Government wants to be effective, it must prioritise legislation carefully because the strain is already showing.
On Tuesday I attended a masterclass with documentary filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer. He was discussing his powerful and phenomenally successful documentary The Act of Killing and its follow-up The Look of Silence, films which explore the memory of the 1965 massacres in Indonesia, during which 500,000 to 1 million people are estimated to have been killed. In The Act of Killing, Oppenheimer meets some of the perpetrators of torture and murder, asking them to re-enact the events. The murderers remain in power: There has been no official investigation of the massacres and the perpetrators remain national heroes. The Look of Silence focuses on the surviving families of the victims.

I got chatting to the woman next to me, who saw my notebook and asked if I write a blog. I was surprised by her observation because I have always brought a notebook to such events, even before I wrote a blog. It helps me to remember what's been said, naturally. I asked her about her interest in the masterclass. 'My mother is from Indonesia and she lost a lot of family members in the massacres.' Despite our different motivations for attending, we were both performing acts of memory.

Also this week, I was in touch via email with someone I hadn't seen for many years. She replied, 'did I see you at the Jonas Mekas BFI talk a year or two ago? Someone whom I couldn't quite place asked a question that I now thought might have been you.' Yes, yes, I was there, but I don't remember asking a question. So I thought I'd have a look in my notebook as maybe that would jog my memory. How strange that I know I was there but I don't remember asking a question. I must have done, otherwise how would the old friend have noticed me in the dark auditorium?

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So I decide to look up my old notebooks. And I can't find the right one. They're dusty, they're disordered, they're not all in the same place - since the Mekas event I've moved house and started new notebooks. I can't even find my file of printed BFI screen notes. Nor could Google manage to give me the exact date of the screening (either December 2012 or January 2013), which I'd hoped would enable me to find the correct notebook. And then it dawns on me: maybe I didn't take notes that day. I'd recently completed my PhD, maybe I thought I didn't need to take notes any more, that I could just relax and enjoy a screening and Q&A without taking notes. What a thought! But how could I have asked a question if I hadn't taken notes first? How would I ever remember what I said if I can't find my notebook? It was a small act - but if I did do it, I don't want to forget it.

How ironic, given that Mekas has obsessively documented his life on film for decades.

Inheriting memory

The Oppenheimer masterclass bore similarities with a Q&A I moderated in Febrary following a screening of My Nazi Legacy, with filmmaker Philippe Sands and director David Evans. Sands meets the sons of two Nazi senior governors who had been responsible for mass murders. Niklas Frank and Horst von Wachter demonstrate very different attitudes towards their fathers. Niklas recognises, condemns and despises his father's actions; whereas Horst defends his father, seemingly unable or unwilling to reconcile his love and respect for his father with the vast evidence for his complicity and approval of mass murder. For Sands, the documentary filmmaking project was seeped in personal relevance because much of his family had perished in Ukraine during the Holocaust, the very region overseen by Otto von Wachter.

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Documentary film concerns itself with memory and memorialising. We need documentary art to function alongside other documentary evidence; we need to remember creatively. We need various ways to remember because memory is active, it is alive, it is a dynamic function of life. And there is of course space for narrative, dramatisation of the past as well as documentary (although the distinctions between these two modes are often blurred); the Oscar-winning Son of Saul demonstrates the still-present need to process culturally the events of over 70 years ago.

The appetite for films about the Holocaust remains, because it is a living memory. We are still living with it not as a memory of the past but as a very real, very current aspect of our culture and mentality today. We have not yet come to terms what happened on our doorstep; the facts remain astounding and distressing, despite attempts to memorialise the dead. But Holocaust denial and revision has shamefully hit the headlines yet again recently.

How can we remember?

I happened to watch the eminently-quotable The History Boys again on BBC Four a couple of weeks ago. One of Irwin's lines stuck in my head for its pertinence: 'The dead. The body count. We don't like to admit the war was even partly our fault 'cause so many of our people died. And all the mourning's veiled the truth. It's not "lest we forget," it's "lest we remember." That's what all this is about -- the memorials, the Cenotaph, the two minutes' silence. Because there is no better way of forgetting something than by commemorating it.'

And that is why Ken Livingstone, the various other Labour Party suspendees, and now Boris Johnson, need to pay attention to contemporary arts as well as to historical evidence if they want to avoid making ignorant and offensive remarks about the Nazis: the current cultural climate is telling us that we are at risk of losing our memories while wounds are still raw. It's not enough to commemorate the dead if the living are not respected. Well done Sadiq Khan for attending a Holocaust memorial service as his first act as Mayor of London. But there's more to be done. We need to respect and work with the living trauma that exists today across our communities.
Today is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) and many in Europe have a lot to celebrate: in 2015 Ireland passed a marriage equality bill after a historic referendum, and Greece and Cyprus have legally recognised cohabitation of same-sex couples. More recently, in Italy - after years of campaigning - the parliament finally approved a bill that grants same-sex couples the right to enter into civil partnerships, although it doesn't grant the same parental rights, or the right to adoption, as heterosexual couples enjoy.

Over on the eastern edge of the continent, however, things have been heading quite a contrary direction this year. Georgia, a nation of four million people squeezed in between Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia, has embarked on a crackdown on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights. Last month the country's parliament moved ahead with plans to outlaw same-sex marriage by introducing into the country's constitution a definition of marriage as a union exclusively between a man and a woman.

Under Georgia's Civil Code, same-sex partners do not currently have the right to marry or in any other ways register their relationship. But if the bill is finally approved, an explicit ban on same-sex marriage in the constitution might kill any remote possibility of LGBTI people enjoying family life in the same way as the rest of the population: the bill will lock in existing discrimination by preventing legislators from extending marriage to same-sex couples in future. Only another amendment to the constitution would be able to reverse this.

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It does not help that Georgia was ranked as the third most homophobic country in the world in the 2014 World Value Survey - 92.6 % of Georgians are against the idea of having a gay neighbour. Despite this, Georgia remains for some one of the frontrunners in the region when it comes to the legal protection of the rights of LGBTI people. Unlike legislation in the neighbouring countries, Georgia's existing anti-discrimination legislation explicitly includes sexual orientation and gender identity as protected grounds.

This anti-discrimination legislation was adopted last year expressly in a bid for visa-free travel and to allow the country to sign an Association Agreement with the EU. But the agreement does not require a country not to prohibit marriage equality in its constitution and almost before the ink was dry politicians were plotting to ensure that all things were not equal in love and human rights in Georgia. The recent bill shows the true nature of Georgia's ruling political elite - or the sort of laws that politicians really want to pass.

Georgia's homophobic bill was endorsed by the country's Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Civil Integration on 5 May. Now it has to go through other committee hearings, after which parliament will vote on it. The committee hearings follow weeks of public consultation and, disappointingly, the bill has received overwhelming public support. This is hardly surprising given that Georgian LGBTI activists were effectively excluded from the consultation because of security concerns and the hostile atmosphere of in the venues where discussions took place.

Local human rights groups have not yet started campaigning on marriage equality, as the LGBTI community in the country faces other problems, such as daily threats of physical violence and omnipresent hate speech in public spaces. Georgian activists believe that the bill is an effort to divert public attention away from the failure of their government to sustain the country's economic development and reverse the devaluation of the national currency, ahead of parliamentary elections in October this year. Deflecting attention from this by targeting one of society's most vulnerable groups is unacceptable. Local activists have already reported increased homophobic violence since the bill was introduced and it has become a topic of public debate in Georgia: in just one week in April, two homophobic attacks reported on the streets of Georgia's capital Tbilisi.

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While the government is pushing for this constitutional amendment, Tbilisi is hosting the World Congress of Families on 15-18 May. The Congress is an international coalition based in the United States that campaigns for a society built on "the voluntary union of a man and a woman in a lifelong covenant of marriage". The Congress is notorious worldwide as a 'champion' of homophobia. According to US human rights organisations, the World Congress of Families has previously campaigned in favour of the Russian 'gay propaganda' laws and in 2009 opposed a UN statement in favour of decriminalisation of homosexuality worldwide, calling the statement a "special rights measure for homosexuals".

It is no coincidence that the Congress is coming to Tbilisi specifically today. Four years ago on 17 May, the first public march celebrating IDAHOT in Tbilisi was cut short by an aggressive crowd of Christian activists who blocked the demonstration and physically assaulted the participants. When a handful of LGBTI rights activists tried to organise another public event on IDAHOT the following year (2013), the scale of violence increased; a planned flash mob raising awareness of the victims of homophobia was cancelled and the participants had to be evacuated after an attack by 20,000 counter-demonstrators led by Christian Orthodox priests.

In a bid to seize the date from LGBTI people and consolidate homophobic public opinion, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, an institution which has become the main anti-equality force in the country, recognised 17 May as the day of "family sanctity". Not surprisingly, this movement specifically excludes same-sex couples from their definition of family. Now, every year on this day, Conservative groups in Georgia march down Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi's main street, to celebrate "family sanctity" providing a convenient excuse for authorities to repeatedly refuse security guarantees to LGBTI activists for a public IDAHOT celebration in the city centre.

This year, according to the statement by Georgian LGBTI activists, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has again refused to guarantee protection of the IDAHOT rally in downtown Tbilisi, instead offering alternative, more remote venues to the activists. In the context of the pending bill, the failure of the authorities to protect the rights of LGBTI activists to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and the fact that the World Congress of Families will go ahead with participants fully enjoying Georgian hospitality, sends a strong message to LGBTI Georgians. That message is that not only they should stop dreaming of having their right to family life ever recognised, but they should also understand that they are better off staying in the shadows, rather than trying to launch any attempt to reclaim public space and respect for their human rights.

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Georgia's governing party - Georgian Dream, has said that if the bill fails to gather enough support in parliament they will put the question of banning same-sex marriage to a nationwide referendum. In fact, on 28 March of this year, the Central Election Commission of Georgia registered a request for the referendum. The request now needs a minimum of 200,000 signatures of support, after which the president of Georgia will decide on the matter.

If the constitutional ban on marriage equality is successful, Georgia will join the ranks of Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova and others in the ex-communist Europe, who have banned same-sex marriage in their constitutions out of a fear of allowing LGBTI people to have their right to family life acknowledged in future. These countries are trying to distance themselves from the growing number of precedents in Europe where states recognise the right to family life of same-sex couples. Last year, the European Court of Human Rights issued a ground-breaking judgment Oliari and others v. Italy recognising the right of same-sex couples in Italy to have their partnership legally guaranteed. The Court's Georgian judge, while agreeing with the judgment as such, joined a concurring opinion to declare that this decision should not necessarily apply to other European countries outside Italy.

The recent positive developments across Europe demonstrate that there is a clearly emerging regional trend in favour of recognising marriage equality or other types of official partnerships for same sex couples. The Oliari judgment has already pushed for the introduction of same-sex civil partnerships in Italy and, as an important legal precedent, it could pave the way for the recognition of same-sex partnerships elsewhere across Europe. After the adoption of such partnership bills in Italy, Greece and Cyprus, for the first time more Europeans now live in countries where same-sex couples are entitled to some form of legal recognition and protection than those living in countries without such rights. The progress in Europe is evident, but, Georgia, if it carries on like this, will be on the wrong side of history.

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Amnesty International opposes discrimination in civil marriage laws on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity and calls on all states to recognise families of choice. You can support Amnesty International's effort to stop the bill in the Parliament of Georgia by taking action here.
Lucknam Park (image blogger's own)

The BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice was a pivotal telly moment for me. I learnt that you can still be a strong sassy woman whilst obsessing over Colin Firth. Bore a lifelong love of corset-heaving period dramas. And gave me a bit of a thing about driveways.

The latter was cemented when Lizzie Bennet's carriage comes slowly round the corner at Pemberley and she catches that first glimpse of her potential inheritance flickering in the afternoon sunlight. Long before authors could titillate with sex and drugs, Jane Austin was doing it with a long driveway and a perfectly situated piece of real estate.

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Lucknam Park, a five-star hotel and spa on the outskirts of Bath, might only have a mile-long drive but boy, do they know how to dress it up. We went in spring, when the tree-lined avenue was dotted with cheerful daffodils leading up to that first glimpse of the main house (build in early 1700's and a sight for sore eyes).

From here on out, ugly is not a word that exists. Everything from the entrance hall scented with mismatched bottles of wild flowers to the drawing room stuffed with tasteful antiques and posh people eating afternoon tea off them, is beautiful. Like one would expect in a country pile, the staircases sweep, which is what we do up to our first floor suite in the main house.

Floral displays in reception (image blogger's own)

There's a richly-dressed double bed with curtained headboard, a huge telly, a writing desk, a separate dressing room and the most-marbled bathroom I've ever seen. Some hotels have jaw-droppingly impressive public rooms but lose their luster once you get to the bedroom part. Here, the plush carpet keeps on rolling. It's so impressive, me and my friend chuck on our fluffy robes at speed and start instagramming the shit out of everything.

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The Spa (image blogger's own)

After a social-media-hysteria-calming champagne, we head to Lucknam Park's spa, accessed through the the hotel's pretty courtyard. For many this is a huge part of the appeal, with list of body polishes and seaweed body envelopment's enough to make any Mother's Day/Hen Party package truly special. Our budget doesn't quite stretch a 'gold perfect face & body' treatment, so we settle with an afternoon of floating between the indoor/outdoor heated hydrotherapy pool which overlooks Lucknam Park's various acres; and various hot rooms (Japanese Salt, Amethyst, Aromatic Steam, Sauna and Tepidarium).

The Drawing Room (image blogger's own)

Blissed out and ready for the type of refined French-inspired cuisine that uses butter as its main ingredient, we head for dinner at The Park restaurant. Another draw of Lucknam Park is Executive Chef, Hywel Jones, who has held a Michelin-Star here since 2006, winning Hotel Chef of the Year in November 2007 with his mostly organic menu sourced from local suppliers.

As you'd expect from this calibre of restaurant, tables are dressed to the nines and service is silver as can be. Small touches such as potted herbs on the tables and a rowdy group of business-types celebrating the end of a conference with endless Chateauneuf-du-Pape, thankfully prevent any of the dreaded stuffiness often found in hotel establishments.

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The Park Restaurant (image blogger's own)

Butter consumption starts early, with a perfect basket of freshly-baked bread we smear with the yellow stuff long before our starters arrive. Of course, my veloute of leeks and new potatoes is positively dripping in it too, which, along with a perfectly runny-yolked quails egg, makes for a gloriously fattening kicking off point. Marginally less indulgent but equally beguiling are my companion's Scottish diver scallops with carrot puree and spiced pork croquette, cleverly cut through with a raisin and caper vinaigrette.

Next a fat disk of Roundway Hill pork belly, glistening in a meaty cider glazed gravy and served with a sliver of pan fried foie gras and two golden halves of caramelised apple. Never one to veer away from a challenge, I order the mash. True to form, it's more butter than potato and will remain clogged in both my memory and arteries forever. A crisp-edged filled of seabass comes with a maple glazed chicken wing, celeriac risotto, wild mushrooms and confit baby onions.

Slow Roast Belly of Roundway Hill Pork (image blogger's own)

Puddings hit a final high note. First a 'chocolate bar' far more complex than the name suggests with layers of paper thin dark chocolate filled with an air light mousse, crunches of honey roast peanut, glazed banana and salted caramel ice cream. And a croustillant of roast pineapple with rum and raisin parfait, pineapple sorbet and macadamia nut caramel which should be cloying in the wrong hands but is anything but in the right ones.

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Social media tomfoolery.. (image blogger's own)

Before we check out the next day, we manage a five mile walk in the surrounding countryside, a breakfast of thick local bacon sandwiches and as many smug social media posts as we can muster. As our taxi draws away, I imagine I'm Lizzie departing in an Edwardian carriage, taking a last wistful look at Mr Darcy's family home. Then the taxi driver explains, due to hotel rules, cars can't exit down the main driveway and has to go round the side entrance.
A progressive believes in the equality of people, the rights of the individual, accountable and democratic Government to name just a few. These beliefs can all be folded under the umbrella of fairness. Individuals who self-identify as progressive tend to be in the younger generation - people who have grown up in a multicultural society, passionately defending the rights and liberties of their neighbours, family and friends. It's not clear why these are the age-groups and individuals who are most likely to support the European Union. In this piece we hope to convince all self-respecting progressives to support Brexit.

Starting with some of the key reasons we believe progressives support the EU - their dislike of Nigel Farage and Vladimir Putin, and their support of immigration. Farage and possibly Putin's support for Brexit should not have any impact on your vote in this referendum, as somebody else's opinion should be completely irrelevant. This is a referendum - it is your opinion which matters, not theirs. It is not necessary to vote a different way because of personal dislike. If Putin or Farage give money to charity, do you refuse to give money to charity? If Putin or Farage hate ISIS do you support ISIS? Obviously the answer to these questions is no, therefore don't allow their views to impact on your vote in this referendum.

Most progressives believe immigration has been of great benefit to our society and economy, believing the EU has made this easier by enabling a more tolerant immigration system. Nothing could be further from the truth. Contrary to popular belief it is the EU which is racist, not Eurosceptics. Under EU rules anybody from an EU Member State is allowed to come to this country - 'no questions asked' - unless there are exceptional circumstances. No such rules apply to migrants from outside the EU. As a result, large numbers of EU migrants have come to Britain. Reducing EU immigration is illegal under EU rules, so in order to reduce overall migration the Government has been forced to apply very strict rules restricting non-EU migration. This policy is one of European superiority, with EU migrants considered preferable to non-EU migrants. We want to see a system where immigrants are judged by the content of their character and contribution to our country, before they are allowed to settle here, not by their continent of origin. There is no justification for saying 'yes' to a Bulgarian builder who has the exact same characteristics as a Nigerian builder who is refused.

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The sad reality is one of the reasons Africa as a whole is poor is because many countries do not encourage trade with it, imposing massive trade barriers - with the EU being the main culprit. Parts of Africa could compete in the agricultural industry, but the EU prevents it from doing so, forcing them into pitiful subsistence farming, condemning generation after generation to poverty. According to James Cleverly MP "Tariffs mean that in 2014 the whole of Africa made just under $2.4 billion from coffee exports, while Germany made $3.8 billion...without growing a single bean...Germany's coffee producers need cheap, raw beans to make money, so there is no import tariff on green, unprocessed coffee. That's why the vast bulk of African coffee exports are unprocessed. But there are import tariffs on processed coffee because it is in the processing, branding, packaging and marketing that Germany makes its money." This is nothing short of outrageous, and the EU elites should be ashamed of themselves.

We hear progressive arguments in favour of the EU, such as the EU giving us workers' rights. It has not. Time and time again, it's said the EU gave equal pay to men and women. It did not. Our own Equal Pay Act gave us this right in 1970, before we joined the EU. It is true to say the EU extended these rights, but our Government would have done the same. Workers' rights have been increasing throughout the world over the last 40 years; the idea the UK would not have introduced similar legislation is fanciful at best. Those who make this argument unfairly compare workers' rights in the UK back in 1972 with workers' rights in the EU in 2016. It is a false premise - don't get sucked in by it.

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Getting to the heart of the reason why we at Get Britain Out are Eurosceptics is we believe in democracy - a belief progressives certainly share. Our laws should be created by the people we have voted for, who we can remove in a General Election if we disagree with their policies. Our laws should not be made by 28 unelected EU Commissioners over in Brussels, who most people have never heard of and can't hold to account. You may believe the EU has created some good laws, but as we've pointed out, this argument is flawed in substance, and it's flawed in other ways too. The EU might introduce agreeable rules from time to time, but all the laws they introduce will become our laws - good and bad, with us having little say in the process. What happens when and if we don't like what they foist upon us? We won't be able to repeal these laws, as this system of democracy will be long gone if we don't vote to Leave! A hero of the progressive cause Tony Benn described this as "believe[ing] that a good King is better than a bad Parliament. I have never taken that view."

We have already seen the EU introduce repugnant legislation - such as the Tampon Tax - which is a tax on a woman's biology. For some obscure reason Jaffa Cakes are exempt as they are classed as a 'necessity' under EU VAT rules, but not Tampons - they're deemed a 'luxury'. Perhaps they are a luxury for the male-dominated EU Commission (68% of Commissioners are men), but not for the millions of women in this country. There has recently been some talk by David Cameron about the repeal of this tax, but you will notice - you're still paying 5% tax for each sanitary purchase, so don't hold your breath! While we are members of the EU there is nothing our Government can do to stop this outrage; the power is vested in the EU.

The EU has now started taking credit for everything - apparently it's responsible for peace in Europe. Peace in Europe is the result of NATO, the lack of a Treaty of Versailles, the spread of democracy and the collapse of imperialism - NOT the EU! If anything, the EU has been counterproductive to peace, it fiddled while Yugoslavia burned beneath the fires of genocide. We have seen the far right expand at a rate of knots due to declining democracy in Europe and forced austerity. Elected Prime Ministers George Papandreou and Silvio Berlusconi were removed from office by the unelected elite in Brussels, not by the people in their own countries. This demonstrates the EU's true contempt for democracy, stoking the flames of extremism.

Unfortunately the EU has not been a force for good. It may have started out with good intentions, but it has fundamentally failed. The organisation is corporatist, not capitalist. It does not want the best product at the lowest price, it merely responds to the demands of big businesses, which spend millions heavily lobbying the EU in secret. The rules created are solely for the benefit of multinationals to the detriment of competition, choice for the consumer and small businesses. Just look at the rules on car emissions. Cars are not tested in real-world scenarios, instead they are tested in factories, in which car companies are allowed to maximise efficiency by altering the vehicles, which the consumer doesn't even purchase. Why does the EU allow this manipulation? Because car companies are one of the heaviest lobbyers in the EU spending huge sums of money to get what they want - no wonder they support a 'Remain' vote.

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If you are a progressive, it is time to make your voice heard. It isn't progressive to treat Europeans better than Indians, it isn't progressive to keep Africa poor, it isn't progressive to treat democracy with contempt and it certainly isn't progressive to tax sanitary products. Say it loud and clear, it is time to Get Britain Out.
Now and again you see articles popping up in the more conservative publications, blaming us (i.e. young people) for being too lazy to vote. Now, in the run-up to the EU referendum the so-called voter apathy is once again a hot topic. As a report by the Parliament helpfully points out, that only 51.7% of all eligible young adults voted in 2010, as opposed to over 70% of over-65s. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this, since some of your friends (or even you yourself) have never voted or even signed up to vote. But is this all down to the can't be asked attitude? I'm not really convinced.

Having moved here from a pseudo-democracy that is Russia, I was originally surprised that people who have the ability to determine the direction of their government would choose not to exercise this right. Funnily enough, I never questioned my own lax attitude towards voting in the Russian elections (something I could easily do through the Embassy in London), convinced as I was that my vote doesn't matter anyway. But the more chance I got to talk with young people from different backgrounds after moving to London for uni, the more I realised that they felt just like I do. Far from being apolitical, young voters simply feel that the current political class does not share its concerns. As one participant of the London Riots wrote in the Guardian, young people are forced to look for alternative ways to make their voices heard.

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Now, I'm not claiming that the political system in the UK is in any way similar to the Russian one (after all Dave can't compete with Putin when it comes to shirtless photos). Seriously though, even though our votes won't be put in the bin over here, do you think there is really much point in voting for a young Labour supporter in Windsor, for example? It seems to me that there isn't. The Electoral Reform Society blames the first-past-the-post system for turning off voters who feel they can't make a difference by voting. It's particularly true when it come to us, since in a lot of areas, especially in the countryside the vote is determined by the olde generation that tends to be more Conservative.

But is this really all there is to it? In the EU referendum 1 vote will mean 1 count, there's no constituencies to worry about. But we don't seem to care about it any more than we do about General Elections, quite possibly even less. The real reason, I think are the politicians themselves. They really don't seem to care about issues that matter most to us. As one of my friends put it "who cares whether Westminster or Brussels gets to make the decisions, all I want to know will my flight gets more expensive?" This is the case with UK politics more broadly. The politicians have either nothing to say to the young, or they want to increase our tuition fees so they could spend this money bombing Syria and supporting the NHS.

Don't get me wrong, the NHS is one of Britain's greatest assets but so are its universities! So why cut one and not the other? Bite the Ballot, an NGO that campaigns to increase the youth vote, has a simple answer: politicians only care about the views of people who can actually get them into power. So even talking about cuts to the NHS is akin to political, but tripling tuition fees did not stop the Conservatives getting reelected in 2015. It certainly doesn't help that most young people who do vote are from middle class backgrounds, so mummy and daddy will surely help them out with fees and living costs. More worryingly, the Brexit camp seems to be intentionally trying to turn young voters off. After all it makes sense, since we are more likely to vote Remain.
Richard Dearlove is in a lonely place. Arguing that Britain is at risk within the EU sets him against the most recent former chiefs of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ as well as every other NATO member and former NATO Secretary Generals. They have all made clear that Britain is stronger, safer and more secure remaining in the European Union.

Instead Sir Richard is joining the shrill voices of the Leave campaign by arguing that Turkish accession to the EU is the greatest threat we face. Their simplistic argument is that it threatens not just our security but our NHS. Again, they ignore the facts.

They ignore that Turkey first applied to join in the EU in 1987 and has completed just one of 35 criteria it must fulfil. At this rate Turkey is still a thousand years away from joining.

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And the leave campaign forget that accession can be vetoed by any EU country, including the UK. They should listen to Boris Johnson, who said in March this year, "I think the chances of the Turks readily acceding to the European Union are between, you know, nil and 20%...that's just simply not on the cards." This has been echoed by David Cameron in recent days.

Their latest attack on the EU-Turkey visa agreement is equally misplaced. This will not impact on the UK. Britain is outside the Schengen passport-free area of the EU, so Turkish citizens continue to require visas to come to the UK. Despite the wild warnings of Sir Richard et al, this latest agreement between some EU countries and Turkey has no bearing on us.

Let's look at the facts. In practice, the agreement would allow Turkish citizens to travel to continental Europe 90 days at a time, within any 180-day period, for business, touristic or family purposes only. There is no right to live or work in the EU and it will not apply to the UK or Ireland.

Moreover, this arrangement is part of an EU-Turkey deal which sees illegal Syrian migrants who arrive in Europe relocated to Turkey. The benefit to us is both the removal of illegal migrants on the continent and the reduction of incentives for others to come, whether from Syria, Iraq or those already in Turkey. The European Commission has shown that the scheme is now working by dramatically reducing the flow of new arrivals. Even Richard Dearlove himself has said "the exodus has slowed."

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Of course we have to tighten our security. That is why the UK has opted out of the EU's mandatory relocation system for migrants, putting pay to the idea that we don't control our borders. And that is why we must stay in the EU to continue to take advantage of EU intelligence-sharing arrangements.

But there is a bigger point. The only way to prevent illegal migration to the EU is through co-operation within the EU. International crises require responses of equal scope. We cannot shut up shop and pretend that issues like this, with its roots in Middle East instability, will go away.

The answer is to work with our allies to co-ordinate responses that work in our interests. An EU that is weaker as a result of our departure would not be better equipped to confront historic migration flows. A Britain that had diminished influence in the world, was absent from EU discussions on how to respond to the crisis, had reduced intelligence sharing and which was dealing with a domestic recession - as the IMF and Bank of England predict - would be in a weaker position to deal with this crisis.

I am in no doubt that, had the EU not been created, recent events would have prompted European nations to come together to find a co-ordinated response. In keeping with its history, Britain would seek a seat at the table. It is incongruous and flies in the face of any evidence to argue that we are best placed to confront global issues, whether migration or terrorism, alone.

Just like their policy proposal, the leave campaign are acting in isolation. The international diplomatic and security community are clear: the facts show Britain is stronger and safer in Europe.

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On the final morning of our Easter visit to witness the refugee camps in northern France our group of MPs, academics, health professional and campaigners gathered to review our visit. But first there was tragic news. Olivier - one of the Doctors from MSF - joined us again. His eyes evidence he has hardly slept. During the night a group of young Afghans had tried to board lorries amid slow moving traffic. One young lad, just 22, was crushed to death. The police responded - for reasons unknown - by launching 500 rounds of teargas into the Calais camp. Olivier's expression showed not just fatigue but disbelief.

Immediately we cast our minds back to our two days in the camps- the young Afghans milling about one of the makeshift restaurants in the shanty town, biding their time before risking life and limb once again in the hope of reaching the UK. The same fate could await any of them, or the Kurds and Iranians we met at Grande Synthe.

We urgently need safe legal routes to the UK. Or safe and civilised alternatives in France.

In Grande Synthe, I spoke to a young Kurdish geologist - able to reel off a list of major oil companies he had worked for - who said he had tried 20 times to board lorries. As he spoke he pointed to the motorway bordering the camp, and the small groups of people marching off along the side of the road, sleeping bags on their backs. This was them embarking on the 5 hour walk to where they thought they could find a truck to board. Colleagues met a man who had tried over 100 times.

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Why?

Most reasons are pretty straight forward. Family, friends, community or other ties to the UK. Or the historic and cultural links between the UK and other countries. Language, of course. Occasionally there is a perception - whether right or wrong - that the chances of refugee status for a particular nationality are higher here.

These are also precisely the same reasons that other refugees also do not want to come to the UK! That's why in Calais in Grande Synthe so many nationalities are missing - for example many West African or Arab countries - their natural place of refuge is often elsewhere.

In Grande Synthe, a groups of Kurds - including a man who had worked as an interpreter for UK forces in Iraq - presented us with a hastily handwritten letter: a final desperate attempt to explain and help us understand. Only it's not us that need to be persuaded to take action.

Lived experiences in the French camps will only confirm people in their determination to get to the UK. If your experience of France is police violence, tear gas, disease and mental ill health amid the indignity of a shanty town; and meanwhile the scores of incredible volunteers there to try to make life a little more bearable turn out to be overwhelmingly British; then there is hardly an incentive to put yourself hands in the French authorities. So stark is the contrast these desperate people repeatedly chose instead to put their lives in grave danger.

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In some ways the degree of resilience, basic organisation and humanity that you see around the camps in the face of such misery is striking. But any notion that this is other than a disastrous existence is underlined in each and every conversation.

Trying not to focus totally on the negative I asked one young and unaccompanied Syrian teenager not just what was the worst thing about "the jungle", but "the best thing" - expecting the little school or youth centre. But "everything here is bad" was young Mohammed's devastating response. He said he doesn't think or dream about the future.

Two volunteers at the youth centre - a recent graduate in international development, and an NHS worker giving up his holidays - earlier told us that they try to encourage the kids to think about life beyond the jungle. To dare to dream. But they have their work cut out. The experienced psychologist traveling with us noted that when asked where they were from, some of the kids now replied "from the jungle" as if it were a new normality and state of permanent identity.

Men, women and children in shanty town refugees camps on the border between two of Europe's wealthiest nations! It should not be normal and certainly not permanent - it should shock us all.

The UK government repeatedly talks of the need to follow procedures under the Dublin convention. But these procedures are not working, as the courts have made clear. With political will and provision of legal advice, they can work so much better and hundreds, if not thousands of people with close ties to the UK can have their cases rightly processed here. And the French government must simply start treating these people with some dignity and offer genuine alternatives.

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Bangladesh became a Nation-State in 1971, having achieved its full independence from Pakistan. The year 1972 constituted one of the brightest chapters of the country's history. It represented the birth of a new nation, the beginning of a new hope for its citizens. In this context, the first constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was approved, and its preamble identified the four pillars of the new State: nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism.

However, nearly 45 years after this inspiring period, the ideals of the Bangladesh transition and original Constitution seem to have been forgotten.

Democracy and Secularism: the lost pillars

The last parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, in 2014, were marked by violence and authoritarianism. Hundreds of citizens lost their lives while demonstrating against the unpopular electoral decisions taken by the Awami League, and in support of the main opposition parties who had taken the decision not to participate in what promised to be an unfair electoral process. We must note that although the international community fiercely criticized the elections, the Awami League, which won the majority of parliamentary seats, continues to hold power and refuses to address what is widely accepted as being an unfair an undemocratic process. Therefore, without representative and pluralistic elections, democracy has all but disappeared in Bangladesh.

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The Awami League, historically, is seen as one of the greatest advocates of secularism; a perception that, nevertheless, must be revised taking into account the recent developments in its Government's policy.

Almost a dozen secular, atheist or liberal writers and bloggers have been murdered in Bangladesh at the hands of extremist religious groups in the last two years. These deaths have raised widespread concerns due to their radical and extremist character. Most of the victims died after having been hacked to death with knives and machetes. The killings are deplorable and must be condemned in the strongest terms, denying the validity of new religious-based intolerant trends. Moreover, dozens more, including LGTB activists and university professors have received death threats.

Although the State of Bangladesh cannot be held directly responsible for these deaths, human rights conventions and international treaties impose positive obligation on States to investigate and prosecute. It is at this point where the Government of Bangladesh must be held accountable.

Blaming the victims

It is concerning that these killings have been met with the most outraging impunity, as Bangladesh authorities have been unable to prosecute and condemn the authors of these crimes.

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However, even more concerning is the fact that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, far from defending the unjustifiable character of these killings, has blamed the victims for their fates. After the murder of Niloy Neel, she held that "You can't attack someone else's religion. You'll have to stop doing this. It won't be tolerated if someone else's religious sentiment is hurt" and, more recently, she added that she considers the writings of the victims "as not free thinking but filthy words. Why would anyone write such things? It's not at all acceptable if anyone writes against our [prophet] or other religions. This is a characteristic fault, expression of distorted or filthy mindset". These are not the words of condemnation; these are words with a clear inference.

These words are unacceptable from a political leader, particularly from a political leader of a country built on moderation and secularist principles. These words pose a threat not only to freedom of expression in Bangladesh; but also, indirectly, to the right to life of citizens of Bangladesh, as they create two different kinds of victims.

Moreover, these words stand in sharp contrast to the calls made by UN High Commissioner of Human Rights in November 2015, which urged Bangladesh's political leaders "to consistently and unequivocally condemn this spate of vicious killings and threats against writers and publishers and anyone else who may be targeted by these takfiri groups".

These words, jointly with the inability or unwillingness of the State apparatus to provide accountability for the killings invites one to believe that freedom of expression and the ideals of secularism are seriously under risk in Bangladesh. The principle of freedom of expression, guaranteed under Article 39 of the Constitution, protects the right to communicate one's opinions and ideas without fear of violence, retaliation or censorship. Nobody should be able to kill another person for his ideas and be exempt from punishment.

Finally, it is also appalling that Sheikh Hasina has manipulated these deaths for electoral purposes, blaming the opposition parties for the killings and denying the link between these murders and radical terrorist groups present in the country such as al-Qaeda or the Islamic State, despite the fact that these groups have claimed responsibility for many of the attacks. It is unclear whether these statements are a consequence of wilful blindness or a desperate intent to deny the security crisis apparent in the country.

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'Fear' of expression

Secular and liberal writers fear for their safety, as the Government has failed to take measures to ensure their protection. After the abovementioned statements, they even fear that the Government would use the Information Communications and Technology Act to act against them for 'hurting' religious sentiments.

It would not be the first time that the Government of the Awami League threatens freedom of expression in the country. A new law is being discussed that would criminalize the act of criticizing the war crimes trials and sentences imposed by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh, which has already executed five citizens after deeply-flawed judicial processes. Moreover, it is estimated that last year thousands of members of the opposition were arbitrarily arrested solely on the basis of their political stand, while reports of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture continue to be made.
The G7 Ise-Shima Summit will be held in Japan next week, and I would humbly like to emphasize my faith in the power of women and hope that the Summit will serve as a forum to build international momentum to further unleashing such power of women.

Through my encounters with women from all walks of life -- students, entrepreneurs, farmers, fisherpersons, and company executives -- I have witnessed first-hand the power of women to engage and connect people. This women's power with their heart filled with motherly affection can open up a new path for a peaceful and prosperous future.

Women make up half of the global population and it is crucial that we maximize the power of women in order to promote economic growth and job creation. Such efforts will be necessary to realize the new development goals of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, which launched this year.

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I am pleased to say that Japan has made significant strides in creating a society where women shine. The World Assembly for Women (WAW!), an initiative launched by Japan in 2014, and a variety of other events during the "Shine Weeks" have been taking place in Japan, and I myself was deeply involved in the initiatives. My own personal impression is that while men are good at building top-down pyramidal organizational structures, women, with their sense of motherhood, are better at developing networks and I am convinced they can play a significant role in this regard.

I believe the importance of the creation of a diverse society where women, children, people with disabilities, members of the LGBT community, and others who have historically been disenfranchised can remain to be themselves. We can accomplish this by incorporating women's perspectives. This I believe will lead to a more peaceful world.

One example of the power of women is the collaboration between my home prefecture of Yamaguchi and Fukushima prefecture. There has existed a historical rivalry between the two regions dating back to a civil war in the 19th century. I grew rice, Yamatonishiki, in my home prefecture of Yamaguchi and brought it to Fukushima to brew an original sake called Yamato. This sake symbolizes women's passion and hopes for peace, and their power to break from the past and reunite the hearts of people. This story demonstrates women's ability to acceptand forgive.

Through the painful news of crises involving conflicts and refugees around the world, I am also keenly aware that women and children are most vulnerable in unstable environments. I myself have witnessed these challenges through visits to orphanages around the world.

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It is vital that women are protected and their rights are respected. At the same time, the importance of ensuring women's active participation in society should not be ignored. I believe that deeper involvement and greater leadership of women in conflict prevention, peace building, and poverty reduction will make possible the creation of a peaceful society.

Finally, in order for the power of women to flourish, I believe it is essential that women have the opportunity to study and learn, so that they can think and act for themselves.

This year's G7 summit has special significance, as the first to be held in Asia in eight years. As such I will be highlighting the achievements of the scholarship program of the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh, which I have been personally involved with. Girls there, who would otherwise have difficulty accessing education due to poverty and other challenges, have a strong conviction that they can change society, and seriously engage in discussions on the causes and solutions for conflict in order to achieve a more peaceful world.

The education of women strengthens female political representation, reduces the gender gap in skilled professions, improves maternal and child health, and leads to positive changes in a society.

In late April, students from the G7 countries gathered for the G7 Junior Summit in Kuwana City in Mie, the same prefecture where the Summit will be held. I saw students from around the globe actively discussing the issues they faced, such as economic disparity, climate change, human resource development, and gender. I witnessed these young people fostering friendships and shaping the future. However, we should not forget that there are many children, especially girls, who are deprived of such opportunities to study. They face the harsh and tragic reality of having no choice but to give up their education and their own future.

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At WAW! 2015 (The World Assembly for Women), my husband announced his intention to highlight women as one of the priority agenda items at the G7 Ise-Shima Summit. I sincerely hope that my husband, as chair, with the leaders of the G7 countries, that share universal values such as respect for basic human rights and democracy with us, will present a strong vision for giving women opportunities for education and training, and allow the power of women to flourish around the world.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with military officials at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi, Russia, May 13, 2016. Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/Kremlin via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY

BEIRUT -- Something significant happened in the last few days of April, but it seems the only person who noticed was Stephen Cohen, a professor emeritus of Russian studies at New York University and Princeton University.

In a recorded interview, Cohen notes that a section of the Russian leadership is showing signs of restlessness, focused on President Vladimir Putin's leadership. We are not talking of street protesters. We are not talking coups against Putin -- his popularity remains above 80 percent and he is not about to be displaced. But we are talking about serious pressure being applied to the president to come down from the high wire along which he has warily trod until now.

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Putin carries, at one end of his balancing pole, the various elites more oriented toward the West and the "Washington Consensus" and, at the pole's other end, those concerned that Russia faces both a real military threat from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a hybrid geo-financial war as well. He is being pressed to come down on the side of the latter, and to pry the grip of the former from the levers of economic power that they still tightly hold.

Putin meets Russia's top military brass in the Kremlin on April 21. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

In short, the issue coming to a head in the Kremlin is whether Russia is sufficiently prepared for further Western efforts to ensure it does not impede or rival American hegemony. Can Russia sustain a geo-financial assault, if one were to be launched? And is such a threat real or mere Western posturing for other ends?

What is so important is that if these events are misread in the West, which is already primed to see any Russian defensive act as offensive and aggressive, the ground will already have been laid for escalation. We already had the first war to push back against NATO in Georgia. The second pushback war is ongoing in Ukraine. What might be the consequences to a third?

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Putin is being pushed to wield the knife -- and to cut deeply.

In mid-April, General Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia's Investigative Committee (a sort of super attorney general, as Cohen describes it), wrote that Russia -- its role in Syria notwithstanding -- is militarily ill prepared to face a new war either at home or abroad, and that the economy is in a bad way, too. Russia, furthermore, is equally ill prepared to withstand a geo-financial war. He goes on to say that the West is preparing for war against Russia and that Russia's leadership does not appear to be aware of or alert to the danger the country faces.

Bastrykin does not say that Putin is to blame, though the context makes it clear that this is what he means. But a few days later, Cohen explains, the article sparked further discussion from those who both endorse Bastrykin and do precisely mention Putin by name. Then, Cohen notes, a retired Russian general entered the fray to confirm that the West is indeed preparing for war -- he pointed to NATO deployments in the Baltics, the Black Sea and Poland, among other places -- and underlines again the unpreparedness of the Russian military to face this threat. "This is a heavy indictment of Putin," Cohen says of the revelations from this analysis. "It is now out in the open."

Souvenir plates depicting Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and Putin in Damascus on Feb. 8. (REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki)

What is this all about? For some time there have been indications that a key faction within the Kremlin, one that very loosely might be termed "nationalist," has become deeply disenchanted with Putin's toleration of the Washington Consensus and its adherents at the Russian central bank and in other pivotal economic posts. The nationalists want them purged, along with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's perceived Western-friendly government. Putin may be highly popular, but Medvedev's government is not. The government's economic policy is being criticized. The opposing faction wants to see an immediate mobilization of the military and the economy for war, conventional or hybrid. This is not about wanting Putin ousted; it is about pushing him to wield the knife -- and to cut deeply.

What does this faction want apart from Russia preparing for war? They want a harder line in Ukraine and for Putin to reject U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's snares in Syria. In short, Kerry is still trying to force Assad's removal and continues to push for further U.S. support for the opposition. The American government is reluctant as well to disentangle "moderates" from jihadis. The view is that America is insincere in trying to cooperate with Russia on a settlement and more intent on entrapping Putin in Syria. Perhaps this is right, as Gareth Porter and Elijah Magnier have outlined.

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The Obama administration is acting to weaken Putin and Lavrov's hand, and therefore strengthening the hand of those in Russia calling for a full mobilization for war.

What this means at a more fundamental level is that Putin is being asked to side with the nationalists against the internationalists aligned with the Washington Consensus, and to purge them from power. Recall, however, that Putin came to power precisely to temper this polarity within Russian society by rising above it -- to heal and rebuild a diverse society recovering from deep divisions and crises. He is being asked to renounce that for which he stands because, he is being told, Russia is being threatened by a West that is preparing for war.

The prospect of the seeming inevitability of future conflict is hardly new to Putin, who has spoken often on this theme. He has, however, chosen to react by placing the emphasis on gaining time for Russia to strengthen itself and trying to corner the West into some sort of cooperation or partnership on a political settlement in Syria, for example, which might have deflected the war dynamic into a more positive course. Putin has, at the same time, skillfully steered Europeans away from NATO escalation.

Kerry and Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on March 24. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)

But in both of these objectives the Obama administration is acting to weaken Putin and Lavrov's hand, and therefore strengthening the hand of those in Russia calling for a full mobilization for war. It is not coincidental that Bastrykin's alarm-raising article came now, as the Syria ceasefire is being deliberately infringed and broken. Is this properly understood in the White House? If so, must we conclude that escalation against Russia is desired? As Cohen notes, "the Washington Post [in its editorial pages] tells us regularly that never, never, never ... under any circumstances, can the criminal Putin be a strategic partner of the United States."

Is the die then cast? Is Putin bound to fail? Is conflict inevitable? Ostensibly, it may seem so. The stage is certainly being set. I have written before on, "the pivot already under way from within the U.S. defense and intelligence arms of Obama's own administration" toward what is often referred to as the "Wolfowitz doctrine," a set of policies developed by the U.S. in the 1990s and early 2000s. The author of one of those policies, the 1992 U.S. Defense Planning Guidance, wrote that the DPG in essence sought to:

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... preclude the emergence of bipolarity, another global rivalry like the Cold War, or multipolarity, a world of many great powers, as existed before the two world wars. To do so, the key was to prevent a hostile power from dominating a 'critical region,' defined as having the resources, industrial capabilities and population that, if controlled by a hostile power, would pose a global challenge.

In an interview with Vox, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter was clear that this was broadly the bearing by which the Pentagon was being directed to sail. Then again, there is the rather obvious fact that, instead of the much-touted U.S. military pivot ostensibly being to Asia, the actual NATO pivot is being directed to Central Europe -- to Russia's borders. And NATO is plainly pushing the envelope as hard as it dares, up and against Russia's borders.

Then there is the rhetoric: Russian aggression. Russian ambitions to recover the former Soviet Empire. Russian attempts to divide and destroy Europe. And so on.

Is conflict inevitable?

Why? It may be that NATO simply presumes these envelope-pushing exercises will never actually come to war, that Russia somehow will back off. And that continuously poking the bear will serve America's interest in keeping Europe together and NATO cohesive, its sanctions in place, divided from Russia. NATO is due to meet in Warsaw in early July. Perhaps, then, the Western language about Russia's "aggression" is little more than America heading off any European revolt on sanctions by stirring up a pseudo-threat from Russia and that the Russians are misreading American true intentions, which do not go beyond this. Or do they?

The extraordinary bitterness and emotional outrage with which the American establishment has reacted to Donald Trump's probable nomination as a presidential candidate suggests that the U.S. establishment is far from having given up on the Wolfowitz doctrine. So has Putin's strategy of co-opting America in the Middle East been the failure that the Bastrykin faction implies? In other words, is it the case that the policy of gaining cooperation has failed and that Putin must now move beyond it, because America is not about to cooperate and is, instead, continuing the process of cornering Russia?

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Russian army officers train Syrian army soldiers in Palmyra on May 5. (VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images)

As the Texas Tribune reported on May 4, "For the first time since his own presidency, George H.W. Bush is planning to stay silent in the race for the Oval Office -- and the younger former president Bush plans to stay silent as well."

To get a sense of the war within the Republican Party (and the Democrats are no less conflicted), read this reaction to that story by the two-time Republican presidential candidate Pat Buchanan. Here's a small selection:

Trump's triumph is a sweeping repudiation of Bush Republicanism by the same party that nominated them [the Bush's] four times for the presidency. Not only was son and brother, Jeb, humiliated and chased out of the race early, but Trump won his nomination by denouncing as rotten to the core the primary fruits of signature Bush policies ... That is a savage indictment of the Bush legacy. And a Republican electorate, in the largest turnout in primary history, nodded, 'Amen to that, brother!'

Buchanan continues in another piece: "The hubris here astonishes. A Republican establishment that has been beaten as badly as Carthage in the Third Punic War is now making demands on Scipio Africanus and the victorious Romans" -- a reference to Paul Ryan's attempts to make Trump adhere to Bush Republicanism. "This is difficult to absorb."

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But here, in this crisis, is an opportunity. America could be heading into recession, corporate profits are falling, huge swaths of debt are looking suspect, global trade is sinking and U.S. policy tools for controlling the global financial system have lost their credibility. And there are no easy solutions to the global overhang of increasingly putrid debt.

Trump can simply say that American -- and European -- national security interests pass directly through Russia, which they clearly do.

But a President Trump -- were that to happen -- can lay blame for any perfect economic storm on the establishment. America is all knotted up at present, as the presidential nomination melee made clear. Some knots will take time to undo, but some could be undone relatively easily, and it seems that Trump has some sense of this. It could start with a dramatic diplomatic initiative.

Historically, most radical projects of reform have started in this way: overturn a piece of conventional wisdom and unlock the entire policy gridlock -- the momentum gained will allow a reformer to steamroll even the hardest resistance -- in this case, Wall Street and the financial oligarchy -- into making reforms.

A mural in Vilnius, Lithuania, depicting Trump and Putin on May 13. (PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump can simply say that American -- and European -- national security interests pass directly through Russia -- which they clearly do -- that Russia does not threaten America -- which it clearly does not -- and that NATO is, in any case, "obsolete," as he has said. It makes perfect sense to join with Russia and its allies to surround and destroy the so-called Islamic State.

If one listens carefully, Trump seems halfway there. It would cut a lot of knots, maybe even untie the policy gridlock. Perhaps that is what he intends?

Also on WorldPost:
In the early 90s while a graduate student in the creative writing program at San Francisco State University, I became a cub reporter and got a juicy assignment: Accompany a recent graduate from Stanford who once fled Cambodia as a child and write about his homecoming.

A scholarship boy, my subject nevertheless was unprepared for the reality of Cambodia and the reemergence of his own unprocessed trauma. Upon reaching his homeland he slowly unraveled.

I went on to write about Cambodia on my own, covering the then unfolding election sponsored by the United Nations. The epitome of the trip culminated in a risky interview of former Khmer Rouge soldiers. But the story of my friend's return was never written, and the planned video project of his homecoming never made.

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So "expect the unexpected" became the object lesson I learned in Cambodia, and a caveat for all my foreign reporting thereafter.

Fast forward 25 years and that same lesson can be applied to another Cambodian American friend and filmmaker, Mike Siv, whose documentary "Daze of Justice" traces the return journey of a group of aging Khmer Rouge survivors back to Phnom Penh. Their purpose: to testify at a U.N. tribunal for four former high-ranking officers charged with crimes against humanity.

Siv fled Cambodia at the age of two with his mother and grew up in the Tenderloin neighborhood, a low-income immigrant enclave in the heart of San Francisco. Like many of her generation, Siv's mother was largely silent about the past, a fact that drew Siv to focus on these survivors who are beginning to break that silence.

But if Siv thought he was simply there to document the trial and survivor testimony, his story quickly shifts after a chance encounter with the son of one of the most notorious architects of Cambodia's genocide, Kaing Kek Eav a.k.a. Duch.

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It is estimated that up to 2 million Cambodians died during the Khmer Rouge's four-year reign of terror from 1975 to 1979. As head of Tuol Sleng Prison, a one-time school turned torture chamber in the middle of the capital, Phnom Penh, Duch oversaw the imprisonment, torture and execution of over 20,000 people. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison during a 2009 tribunal.

Duch's son, Hong Siu Pheng, is now a public school teacher in a remote corner of the country. If there is a turning point in the film, it is when Siv turns his camera on Pheng - face drawn and jaws clenched - as he tours Tuol Sleng and is confronted for the first time with the evidence of his father's crimes. Stained black and white images describe torture chambers and the victims who were once tied to metal beds and cut to pieces, confessing to crimes they didn't commit. Their dry blood still stains the floors.

Of war we know that the trauma it inflicts is generational. Those who experience its horrors first hand then pass it on, consciously or not. Painful memories bind perpetrator and victim along with their descendants in a karmic fate that permeates an unforeseeable future.

Siv returned to Cambodia for the first time over a decade ago to look for his long estranged father. His visit was the focus of filmmaker Spencer Nakasako's documentary, Refugee, for which Siv also worked as a cameraman.

For "Daze of Justice," his first film, Siv says he was drawn to the idea that people of his mother's generation, who had long kept silent, were now seeking justice. What they find, and what the audience discovers over the course of the film, is that for victims of war justice is often illusive, like an exotic animal one hears of but rarely sees.

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In another scene from the film, Siv's group of survivors sit under a veranda alongside Pheng and a crowd of others - presumably victims or their descendants - as they watch a screen depicting the court proceedings happening just inside. As the dense language of the tribunal drones on, the faces in the crowd slowly glaze over in a mix of confusion and boredom, a daze to which the film's title points. In the heat many begin to fall asleep.

Any hope for justice or emotional release after years of pent up anger dissipates in the daily churn of courtroom jargon. Anticlimactic at best, it is an ending that at worst derides their suffering.

The futility of the affair is as obvious to Siv as it is to Pheng, both of whom have slowly bonded as inheritors of a bloody history neither wanted to address, nor from which neither can truly free themselves. "Our parents don't want to talk about it, but the second generation is also traumatized by their silence," said Siv.

It is at this juncture that the film moves from mere documentary toward the spiritual and profound.

Before returning home, Pheng asks to speak to his traveling companions. The group gathers inside a Buddhist temple, statues of buddhas and boddhisatvas looking down benevolently from behind. He will bear the weight of his father's sin, he tells them. He will ask for forgiveness.

"35 years of silence is broken by the son of a killer," Siv noted. "It's not just [my mother's] generation that needed to talk, but mine too." He points to a picture of his newborn son. "And now it's my turn to help the next generation make sense of what happened."

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As someone who cut his reporting teeth covering Cambodia, its tragedy, its corruption, I am admittedly uplifted by the documentary. A seasoned and somewhat cynical journalist, I will put my trust in this new generation, in those who inherited traumas but who nevertheless found a way out of that silence and moral quagmire. I trust that Siv and Pheng, and those like them, will carve their paths toward national healing.

"Daze of Justice" received a Macarthur Grant and has recently won the Social Justice Award at Cannes World Cinema Initiative, and is being shown this week in Cannes.
I reflected that Jane Digby was one of the first Western outcasts to find acceptance and fulfillment in the Middle East. What was the enigma that drew the lonely and detached -- Burton, Lawrence, Lady Hester Stanhope, Jane Digby, Gertrude Bell, Wilfred Thesiger -- to a community that has such strong rules, such cohesion and ultimately such conformism? Perhaps it was the warmth, hospitality and security of that community which appealed to strangers, allied with the special allowance made for the outsider, who would never perhaps be expected to conform in the same way as its own members. Being a foreigner in an alien culture is a way of institutionalizing your aloneness, of going public with it. You are no longer failing to meet the expectations and values of your own world, nor do you have to meet those of your adopted one -- or if you do, no one expects you do it perfectly.

These words, written by Robert Tewdwr Moss in his travel memoir, Cleopatra's Wedding Present, (reviewed here), speaks to a feeling of otherness which, for many white Westerners, is a rare experience from within their privileged confines; even more unusual is the desire to purposefully seek out such a distinction.

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For the better part of the past ten years, I have been drawn to the Levant and Maghreb; traversing the authoritarian states that cup the Mediterranean Sea like a crescent moon. When asked why I travel to such places, I often reply, half-truthfully, that I find the men attractive.

Only upon reading the above passage in Moss's book did I realize that what I sought, and what I continue to seek, is the protective peculiarity of being a stranger in a foreign land.

The privileges afforded to a Western outsider cannot be overstated. Yet, it is this exact sense of manifested privilege that makes the foreigner feel, well, special. Special in the sense that, back home, you are not so special.

Walking along the Nile in Cairo one evening, six months after the overthrow of Mubarak, the tension of social upheaval permeating the streets, I found myself drawn into a certain amount of illegal indiscretions. Yet, I did not question why these opportunities were afforded to me.

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Only later did I come to realize that exemption from local customs, laws, and practices--constraints on freedom largely for coercive control of the local populace by the state--did not apply to foreign currency bearing tourists.

Though other considerations were certainly part of the circumstances: the rarity of an American traveler at that time, my appearance and curious dress, my willingness to approach men, and the assumption that I would part with my money.

Reductive though these reasons are, they establish and identify me as an outsider, as other. Though the privilege of otherness is not merely the ability to facilitate in international sex tourism for the sake of fun; that is far too base.

Rather, as an other, the traveler assumes a role of stereotypical representation, endowed with a halo of agency; manifested through the subjective gaze of the men on the street. The wandering tourist afforded certain luxuries irrespective of class, gender, or sexuality.

Yet, unlike those whom I might objectify (or Orientalize as termed by Edward Said), I retained a power far greater than the actual citizens of a dissolved revolution or authoritarian state. Rather than otherness stripping me of power, it further reinforced my identity.

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A gay young man, Nasser, whom I met at a hammam in Damascus, spoke of his alienation and the bleak existence of his reality, but did not give up the hope that he would eventually make it to Europe. Nasser's identity was untethered, without association or power. His vulnerability and ambition, mixed with fear, weighed heavily on me.

He hungrily consumed my talk of the West, just as I fed eagerly upon his precarious life. Yet, I was free to leave, to go where I pleased, without the fear that I would face threat or punishment.

My scopophilic gaze had been turned on myself. I became the one who was looked at, eroticized, sexualized, and compartmentalized into the thesis of my people, culture, and homeland. The otherness of the white male, whose gaze has long scourged the shores of the world, holds a respectful, even oppressive power that allowed me to both gaze at the other, and be looked at as other.

Yet, I still retained the power and privilege of my gaze; it was not given over to those who commodified me. I was allowed to continue my voyeurism and agency over them. The power of other is doubled for the foreigner, both because of their otherness, as well as their agency to not assimilate, to not conform, and to remain citizens of another place.

However, within the stupidity of the traveler--who assumes everyone speaks English and can understand his demands--lies his power; the idealization that he has come to this place to find something different on his own accord. What he experiences is, to him, an exotic otherness of misunderstanding.

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The privilege of the traveler is to be who he wants to be, each day if he likes; a rare experience of controlled abandon. The Orientalist does not know that he is an Orientalist; yet he is able to perceive, and control, agency through his otherness.
Canadian $100 banknotes hanging from a washing line - concept of money laundering. Note, banknotes have been altered from original appearance

I have read the recent articles about the Panama Papers with great interest, because the way these shell companies are used has a direct impact on local real estate markets. Although many of these offshore vehicles have a legitimate purpose, a significant number are set up to wash ill-gotten gains from their owners. The offshore shell companies that usually buy real estate in major metropolitan areas have an accomplice in their intricate web of deceit; large sums of money are laundered by affixing a mortgage to these real estate transactions.

The scheme works like this: an offshore shell company buys a piece of real estate. Shortly thereafter, a corporation (typically with a name that sounds like a financial institution), specially created to participate in the scheme, places a mortgage loan on the property. Next, the shell company pays the corporation's monthly mortgage payments and ultimately pays off the mortgage. And then it happens. The perpetrator now has so-called "clean" money in the United States. Even more disturbing is the fact that this scheme can happen multiple times on the same property. It is the gift that keeps on giving for these criminals.

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This scenario happens again and again through the use of unlicensed lenders or "shadow lenders." Legitimate lenders are required to adhere to rigorous BSA (Bank Secrecy Act) requirements and have a stringent KYC (Know Your Customer) Policy. Unlicensed "shadow" lenders operate in the shadows with no oversight.

How could this happen? The Secure and Fair Enforcement of Mortgage Licensing (SAFE) Act of 2008, which governs mortgage loans, is lax in its interpretation of what constitutes a mortgage lender. A literal reading of the law suggests that a loan on a one-to four-unit residential property that is not owner occupied, meaning the property is not being used primarily for the personal use of the borrower, is not deemed a "mortgage loan" and thus the lender is not required to be licensed.

The SAFE Act further states that it does not cover entities that do not "hold themselves out" to the public as mortgage lenders. In other words, an entity is exempt from being considered a mortgage lender if, for example, they do not have business cards or a neon sign stating that they do mortgages. This provision is not a major cause for concern as money launderers typically do not want to garner too much attention and don't usually have such signage at their place of business. Still, a mortgage is a mortgage and should be treated as such.

If the government wants to truly get serious about curbing money laundering, then it must require real estate mortgages to be arranged ONLY through licensed mortgage lenders. This problem can be easily solved, there just needs political will to correct the deficiencies in the Secure and Fair Enforcement of Mortgage Licensing (SAFE) Act.

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One way this can immediately get done is by amending a bill that is making its way through the US House of Representatives- -HR 2121. This bill which breezed through Financial Services Committee by a vote of 56-0, with all Democrats and Republicans in unanimous support, allows unlicensed, federally-registered loan originators to have a 120-day temporary license where they would be allowed to originate loans prior to completing the requirements currently established in the SAFE Act. Sounds like our elected leaders are doing the opposite of what they should be doing. That is, the mortgage laws should not be weakened but rather strengthened as to not allow the blatant money launderers to operate with impunity. If our elected leaders feel that the licensing requirements should be softened then they must put the oversight burden on the loan officer's employer, the Mortgage Lender. But to do that HR 2121 must be amended to better define what constitutes a Mortgage Lender.

This criminal activity must be curbed while creating a transparent and level playing field in mortgage lending. Failure to do so will damage a safe environment for consumers.
Lack of thoughtful detail in judicial decrees involving alimony and future payments after divorce continually creates legal issues. To the extend one negotiates this language, one must be precise concerning how future payments might be funded (for example, presently financed trust funds administered by a reputable financial institution, or paid-up non-forfeitable life insurance policies held by the Court's Clerk, etc.). What events will alter the responsibility to make future payments (for example, death, retirement, disability, remarriage, cohabitation, etc.)? Always consult an experienced family law attorney in specific situations.

A recent Texas judicial decision concerning alimony payments involved cohabitation that fell short of remarriage. To provide context for this decision, the following is a brief explanation of informal marriage.



Approximately eight states recognize informal (common law), non-ceremonial (no marriage license or official ceremony) marriage. The largest of these states is Texas. Another group of states have grandfathered in informal marriages that were created prior to a statutorily designated date.



The state legislative trend for many years has been to abolish informal marriage since ceremonial marriage is readily available and the ceremony provides clear evidence of intent to be married. The historical reasons for informal marriage involved the difficulty in obtaining licensed clergy to perform a marriage ceremony in a rural area coupled with the old English legal rule that if one were not married in an officially sanctioned manner the children of the relationship were considered illegitimate and could not inherit their biological parents' property. Nonconformists to the official state church (be it Catholic or Protestant) faced significant problems that the legal concept of informal marriage helped resolve. It is frequently asserted that the English Marriage Act of 1753 abolished common law marriage in Britain; however, this statute contained a number of exceptions including one stating that it did not apply to British colonies. Hence, common law marriage remained in early U.S. history.

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Since judicial proceedings are required to obtain a divorce (no common law divorce), there may be a situation where an individual is still lawfully married to an earlier spouse in spite of having passed through several seemingly marital relationships. This has over the years created significant property and insurance benefit issues.



To address this confusion, some states otherwise allowing informal marriage have enacted legislation allowing an informal marriage to be recorded in the public records like a ceremonial marriage or requiring that the existence of an informal marriage be asserted within a period of years (perhaps 3) after cohabitation ended. Otherwise, the informal marriage does not exist. However, the easiest legislative solution is to simply abolish informal marriage.

The Texas Court decision involved an individual who had been ordered to pay $380,000 per year to a former spouse by a British court "until remarriage." He attempted unsuccessfully to assert the former spouse had contracted an informal marriage in Texas.



The decision under review (2:1) occurred on May 3, 2016, in the Texas Court of Appeals in Dallas (Assoun v. Gustafson). The original divorce occurred in London, England, in 1997 and, in a revised judgment in 2013, the London court ordered alimony payments of $380,000 per year. After a subsequent move the Texas, the former spouse sought a declaratory judgment that an informal marriage had occurred.

The Court noted that the Texas Family Code states "that an informal marriage may be proven by evidence that the couple agreed to be married and after the agreement they lived together in this state as husband and wife and there represented to others that they were married." [Texas Family Code Sec. 2.401(a)]. "However, it is difficult to infer an agreement to be married from cohabitation in modern society." Even an occasional reference to being married does not alone prove an informal marriage. Consent to be married cannot simply be presumed.

Here, the presumed Texas couple, living together, submitted to the Court sworn statements (affidavits) that they had never agreed to be married. The details of the affidavit are repeated in the Court's opinion. She indicated her homestead status in the connection with the sale of her home as single and declared herself as divorced on an auto insurance application. Tax returns indicating filings as a single person were attached.

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An informal marriage was asserted by facts that the presumed Texas couple: lived together, she wore a ring on her ring finger, children called her "stepmom," and the couple occasionally indicated that they were married when registering at a foreign hotel.

The two person majority opinion found that the evidence presented failed to indicate a factual question concerning an agreement to be married. Hence, the majority upheld summary judgment (a decision without a trial) in favor of dismissing the lawsuit. The majority also determined that no addition evidence need be sought or produced. The dissenting opinion stated that the majority opinion only focused on the agreement to be married and not the total situation that should be heard by a jury.

This decision is another cautionary word concerning the critical importance of divorce decree language. Are there circumstances, short of remarriage, that should terminate alimony? Does the decree address cohabitation and how is it defined? Is there a time frame for living together short of marriage that triggers the end of alimony or spousal payments? What is the obligation of the estate of a deceased person who is paying alimony? To what extend are the payments a result of a property division? Is the divorce degree language subject to challenge in Bankruptcy Court? Are spousal retirement accounts subject to these claims? Thoughtful clarity on a broad range of issues is essential. Alternatively, one must understand the default judicial or statutory positions on these issues. Unfortunately, in many situations that end up in court, the questions appear not to have even been considered. A more generous interpretation is that the parties were eager to reach agreement and did not want "minor" details to prevent agreement.

Alimony in a majority of states is not a matter of right. Rather the judge has broad discretion in considering the facts and ruling accordingly concerning the amount to be paid. Legislation, however, may specifically address cohabitation and the obligation to pay alimony. Always consult an experienced attorney concerning a specific state's law.

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State law varies concerning alimony payment obligations when cohabitation short of remarriage occurs. The following are four brief examples, two legislative and two judicial, that illustrate the diversity of state law. Of course, these are not all the variations.

The California Family Code states: "Except as otherwise agreed to by the parties in writing, there is a rebuttable presumption, affecting the burden of proof, of decreased need for spousal support if the supported party is cohabiting with a nonmarital partner. Upon a determination that circumstances have changed, the court may modify or terminate the spousal support..." (Cal. Family Code Sec. 4323). Note, however, that an agreement by the parties is typically upheld by judges, absent exceptional circumstances such as gross unfairness, fraud, or duress.

Massachusetts legislation provides: Alimony "shall be suspended, reduced or terminated upon the cohabitation of the recipient spouse when the payor shows that the recipient has maintained a common household ... with another person for a continuous period of at least three months. " (ALM GL Ch. 208, Sec. 49).

The New Jersey Supreme Court in a May 3, 2016, decision terminated alimony based upon this agreed divorce settlement provision: "alimony shall terminate upon the Wife's death, the Husband's death, the Wife's remarriage, or the Wife's cohabitation, per case or statutory law, whichever event shall first occur" (Quinn v. Quinn). In this case the former wife ceased her cohabitation during the trial and argued unsuccessfully that the obligation to pay alimony should only be suspended during periods of cohabitation.

A Utah Court of Appeals decision on Feb. 19, 2016, not only ended alimony but retroactively terminated the obligation to pay from the starting date of cohabitation, resulting in a judgment in favor of the ex-husband for the overpayment (Scott v. Scott). The Utah Court indicated that "cohabitation involves living together and being sexually intimate under circumstances akin to marriage," that in this situation had existed for two years.

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A 3D illustration of fashion empty runway.

The Inspirational Woman Project believes that every woman is inspirational. It's our mission to tell their stories.

Wendy Bendoni is Assistant Professor and Chair of the Fashion Marketing Department at School of Business at Woodbury University. She is also an established International trend forecaster for the past two decades. Bendoni has the expertise to project local as well of global trends in the lifestyle market and has produced over 280 trend/consumer reports. Since 2011 Wendy has worked with the digital / social media team, blogger out-reach program and now currently working on buyer trend reports and consumer retail trends for WWDMagic, Sourcing, Platform and WSA.

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In 1990, she ran Los Angeles's FIRST fashion forecasting firm for Report West's International division, then in 1998 she also founded the L.A. division of WGSN for over 8 years. She has since moved to retail reporting and consumer trends for StyleLens and also developed the Lifestyle division (home design) for Design-Options. She continues to develop new methods of tracking lifestyle trends through traditional means but also through utilizing analytics to monitor consumer lifestyle interest and behavior on social media.

How did get started in the fashion industry?

{Bendoni} I knew that I wanted to be in fashion when I went to college at Woodbury University. While my father insisted I go to a four year university, he was very reluctant to let me study fashion. After my first semester he insisted I switch to finance for one semester since in his mind no one could make a living studying fashion marketing. Little did he know that fashion is a $1.2 trillion global industry.

At this time, one discipline that was gaining momentum was Computer Science at my university (early 1990s). I was very interested in the idea of merging fashion and computers and this combination was something that just made sense to me. I asked my dad if I could major in Fashion Marketing, if I minored in Computer Science. My father agreed this would be a unique mix, so that year I then officially changed my major to Fashion Marketing with minor in Computer Science.

I started in the fashion industry as an intern at one of the only forecasting companies in Los Angeles, Bill Glazer & Associates,Report West. I worked there for 18-months for free and continued working there until 2010. After my first year with the company, I was promoted to the European Correspondent because my dedication to the research and the ability to track trends, photography, and my ability to monitor trends in the market place. I was only twenty-one and had only been to Europe once before I accepted this position. Mind you in these days I took photographs with film and Google was yet to be created and getting around Europe was accomplished through folded maps. . My new position required that I travel a lot, making my way across Europe (five times a year visiting Paris, London, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Koln, Dusseldorf, Florence, Rome, Milan and once a year St. Tropez and Juan Les Pins) to research trends. My career also lead me to work for the first forecast services available 100% online called Worth Global Style Network (WGSN) for over over eight years tracking trends and retail locations from Los Angeles to Seattle.

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What's your definition of woman?

{Bendoni} When I think of a woman, I think of someone who is strong and supportive. But I also think of the idea of women is the ability to achieve anything. We are each unique and beautiful in our own way, which is one thing I like about meeting women. We have layers. When I start to get to know another woman I get to learn what builds her from the inside out and I'm fascinated with that.

When do you feel most powerful?

{Bendoni} I feel most powerful when I mentor and give back to the next generation of women. I love seeing in their eyes that they are taking in what I'm giving them. They are not judging the information, but accepting, utilizing, and relating to it from their own point-of-view. They are also not overwhelmed with the limitation that society puts on them but the opportunity life brings.

What inspired you to become a professor?

{Bendoni} I enrolled in (Regional Occupational Program (ROP) in high school where I was trained in different occupations such as fashion marketing to try out occupations to discover new career opportunities before selecting a major in college. That introduced me to Nordstrom, where I worked as a stylist for five years. From there, my manager knew that my dad wanted me to complete a 4-year degree and introduced me to Woodbury University. It was the University that acquainted me to the world of Fashion Forecasting and really directed my career path with an internship opportunity at the only LA forecasting office, Bill Glazer & Associates.

Because of this path I was able to discover a career that after 25 years I still love and enjoy being a fashion forecaster. While I feel blessed I also feel the need to pay it forward to help the next generation discover their own career path. Today, along with being part of the trends team at MAGIC Tradeshow I am now the chair of the AACSB accredited Fashion Marketing in the School of Business at Woodbury University. I also have volunteered since the early 90s with the California Boards of Education HECT programs to educate both educators and students on careers paths.

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Today as a forecaster and a professor I find that I gain most of my inspiration from my students with their eagerness to make a difference. They are so passionate about their career goals and each have their own unique attributes we discover through their educational path.

Why are you inspirational?

{Bendoni} I am inspirational because I'm a good listener. Why this may seem like an unusual way to inspire, I find that more and more today people are not good listeners. Too busy looking at their phones or not seeing the value in a good two way conversation. It's the idea of listening while you look at the person. It's not looking over them or waiting for the next pause so that you can speak. But really embracing that person and what they are sharing with you.

Who inspires you?

{Bendoni} I go to women to find inspiration. I specifically go to the women in my life that are powerful, strong and have opinions. They inspire me to stop being a victim.

What is your favorite thing about being a woman?

{Bendoni} I feel lucky in that I have never been limited on what I can do. I feel like being a woman has enabled me to do more. I started in the tech industry in the early 90's when there were no women in the industry. But because I was willing to try they accepted me into it. There is so much possibility in being a woman and it has helped me, more than it has hindered me.
The state Democratic convention in Nevada Saturday devolved into a chaotic demonstration of party division and the emotional theatrics of candidate-centered movements.

64 Sanders delegates weren't seated because they either weren't registered Democrats by May 1 or hadn't provided basic identifying information. Eight Clinton delegates were rejected for the same reasons. Six of the rejected Sanders delegates were eventually credentialed after providing the required information.

But, of course, in heeding the call to revolution, an outspoken block of Sanders supporters viewed a straightforward and non-controversial rejection of unqualified delegates as a plot to rig the process. They took to the convention floor in fury, booing Barbara Boxer (Really? Barbara Boxer?!), with at least one person calling her a "bitch," after she called for unity moving forward in the election. That fulmination reached the point where the security director of the hotel said he could no longer handle the event, already hours behind schedule, and he shut it down. As one would expect, when they refused to leave, police told them they had to.

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There were 12 national delegates up for grabs at this state convention. Clinton was awarded seven, Sanders five. All of this agitation over a net gain of exactly two delegates for the candidate that won the state by over 5% in February.

Again we see the consequences of willful ignorance. Like in New York, where many Sanders supporters claimed "voter disenfranchisement" because they didn't register as Democrats in time to vote in that state's primary, supporters in Nevada not inclined to acquaint themselves with credentialing requirements couldn't participate in the convention. Certainly, many of these primary processes are arcane and convoluted. Nevada's delegate selection process is among the most so. But not understanding a process is not a good excuse for misleading others about it. And not being allowed to participate for not following rules does not make that process "rigged," nor does it constitute "disenfranchisement."

Such self-victimizing charges have been casually levied by a growing faction of loud, unhinged progressives either so new to the process or so ignorant of the rules that govern it they claim it was designed specifically to exclude them. Of course, it wasn't. And these shrieks serve only two functions: To delegitimize Clinton's near-certain nomination and salve the sting of defeat with cries of conspiracy.

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Meanwhile, sane inhabitants of a reality-based world are left to endure a litany of reductive, histrionic narratives implying Hillary Clinton is a despotic harridan dispatching winged monkeys throughout the land to execute her suppressive "establishment" agenda. The liberal-on-liberal invective and sophomoric evangelism these people demonstrate at every turn is beyond unnecessarily divisive, it's wearisome. As is their unwavering faith in conspiracies despite evidence, rendering them impervious to persuasion or thoughtful discussion of any kind.

Do they comprise the whole of Sanders' supporters or even a large percentage? Absolutely not. But they are large and loud enough and, unfortunately, they purposely command all the attention. Because "revolution." They bask in an ideological purity that borders on nihilism and a moral superiority unlike anything I've ever seen among progressives. Couple that with a determination to delegitimize the wins of a sworn enemy, Clinton, and they resemble their extremist cousins on the Right, who tried for seven interminable years to delegitimize President Obama, holding reason and the nation hostage to their political extortion and lunacy.
What makes a good revival? Is it just lovingly recreating an original or a prior revival? Or does it require reinvention? It depends who you ask.

This season has been unusually strong for Broadway musical revivals, as one can see from the four Tony nominees: The Color Purple, Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me and Spring Awakening. These productions all received positive reviews. I've been talking to Tony voters in the last week and they all point to one thing that makes one of these different from the rest: She Loves Me is an expert, well-cast revival, but it's a traditional take on the story. In other words, while there are certainly many differences in this staging as compared prior She Loves Me stagings--different sets, costumes, choreography, performances, etc.--there isn't a full scale reimagining. It is brought to you by the same theater company, Roundabout Theatre Company (celebrating its 50th anniversary), and the same director, Scott Ellis, who did the last revival. There isn't one thing that you can point to and say: "Wow, the fact that Scott Ellis did X is just amazing." Whereas the other revivals all have something that distances themselves from prior productions.

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The Color Purple is a stripped down, emotional version of the original. Fiddler on the Roof has the framing device of Tevye in modern dress, which is supposed to remind folks of the current struggle of refugees. Spring Awaking was a production of the Deaf West Theater, with actors both signing and singing. She Loves Me, at least to most audience members (experts may know more), seems to be She Loves Me with great lead performances. So what?

Some voters indicated to me that they think mounting an old chestnut musical, no matter how winning, is "simple" or "easy." I disagree with that. I also disagree with the fact that musical revivals have to bring a revolutionary take on the musical to be worthy of viewership. Last week, there was an article in The Guardian in Australia, criticizing Opera Australia's production of My Fair Lady, for which Julie Andrews is recreating the original Broadway production. Without getting into the politics behind Opera Australia's mission and the problems this choice might bring from that perspective (as that is way beyond my knowledge base), I don't see anything inherently wrong with mounting a recreation. I was therefore struck by this sentence in the piece: "Revivals can and should speak to audiences today by finding the thread of plot or theme that rings most true to contemporary life, and highlighting it through fresh direction, staging, and orchestrations." Of course revivals can do this, no question, but it's the "should" that has me wondering.

Many musicals tell timeless stories and every generation picks up on another aspect of them. The same musical, same production would play differently in different years. That is indeed the nature of the beast. A line about a businessman running for office (and there are those sorts of lines in old musicals oddly) might not have elicited a chuckle five years ago, but now might be the source of uproarious laughter. If the director was smart, s/he'd highlight that line. That would benefit the staging and the audience's enjoyment of the piece. Perhaps that is all the author of The Guardian piece would want her/him to do. However I have the sense the author wants more. In fact, regarding My Fair Lady, the conclusion in the article is as follows:

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"My Fair Lady needs to tighten up its dated gender stereotyping (and could benefit enormously from restoring Pygmalion's bleaker ending), but there is a kernel of commentary in the show that could still ring true in contemporary Australia. Class structures and strictures are still pertinent issues in Australia. There's so much to explore and My Fair Lady is ripe for it; the fallacy of superiority by way of breeding always needs a look, and Higgins' misogyny and privilege is the story of so many politicians, academics and leaders - and boyfriends and husbands and fathers - across the country. Put these elements under a lens and the show has the chance of being an uncomfortable study of behaviour so many of us are so keen to let quietly slide. But no. Instead, we will see the creaky politics of the 1950s presented as standard behaviour, and be asked to be swept away by a creepy romantic ending."

Now, I get everything written there. I understand the desire to change My Fair Lady. However I also understand the desire to put on My Fair Lady, as we know and (some of us) love it. Just like I understand the value in doing She Loves Me as I was expecting it to be. Yes, there are fresh elements to the staging, but I think we all know it's not revolutionary, and I honestly don't care. In June I will see Shoshana Bean in Funny Girl at the North Shore Music Theatre. I'm going to be perfectly honest, if there is a new feminist empowerment spin on the whole thing, I'm likely not going to be so happy I traveled four hours. I want Bean to be the Fanny Brice I know. I don't want goth styling. I don't want her to marry Nick Arnstein as part of a business arrangement for both of their careers. I just want to see a good Funny Girl. (Note that I'm assuming the production is using the original script. While the West End production uses one revised by Harvey Fierstein, those I know who have seen it said he's done some cleanup and inserted some lines, but it's not a new take. Funny Girl is not a perfect musical and I'm by no means saying it should always be done as originally written. The point is that I do not see the need for revisions in and of themselves to highlight inequities in modern relationships or fame or anything of the sort.) Next season we welcome back Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly!. I am all for cleaning up some of the problems with the book of the show, but, please, no modern take. I don't care that Horace is one of the 1% and I pray that there is not some extreme highlighting of the difference between the haves and have nots.

In Sweet Charity, Charity is a little bit of a doormat of a character. So, for the 2005 revival, librettist Neil Simon thought he'd give the show an ending modern audiences would more understand -- Charity would come to her own conclusion that she deserves better than Oscar, she deserves to be in a better relationship than the one she is in. The problem is the ending didn't ring true to the character. And I always wondered if we really needed it. Even in 2016, I think we all still know women like Charity, women who bend themselves backward for a man, women who don't know their own worth. Yes, it's less common now than when Sweet Charity was written, but it still happens. So was there a need to even attempt to make it "modern?" There may have been a need to do some revisions, but I'm not sure it needed a modern spin.



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There are a ton of musicals out there that could use rewriting. There are a ton of musicals out there that are going to play completely stale if staged in their original form right now. In fact, we see that all the time at Encores!. One of my very favorite Encores! shows ever was Bloomer Girl, but no bit of me thought it should ever have a full-scale production. My Fair Lady might indeed play stale in 2016 in Australia, it's hard to tell as the production in Australia is an extreme case -- most revivals in this century don't attempt to fully recreate an original. Yet I don't consider "reinvention" the criteria of a great musical revival or a necessity to win a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

I don't vote for the Tony Awards and I'm honestly not sure what I would vote for this year. The Color Purple is the front-runner and most voters I have spoken to are casting their votes for that show. Indeed, while all of the nominated productions were critically praised, The Color Purple might have received the most accolades. I believe some think it might be the best revival of a musical ever, an unexpectedly moving take on a show many critics didn't like the first time around. For me, I never disliked the original as much as many (indeed seeing Fantasia in the role of Celie was a top theatergoing experience), nor do I love this revival as much as some. That said, I'm not saying it shouldn't win. I'm thrilled that there are producers and directors out there taking a look at properties with a fresh, clinical eye. I by no means want this post to come off as anti-reinvention. I'm in favor of doing whatever you can do to make the best staging of a show and many a time shows benefit from heightening certain elements.

What I am saying is that I've been surprised at how many voters I have spoken to think putting on a great, but old-fashioned production of a beloved musical is praise-worthy but not that impressive upon reflection. Let me tell you -- I've seen a tremendous amount of crappy faithful of staging of great musicals. It is tricky to get it right; there are a lot of moving pieces to putting on a good show. I know all the people I'm speaking to know that.

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Once I started to transition I had to inform my teachers that my name didn't match what was on the roster. I would usually do this in the form of an email or a in person conversation. This semester in particular I was unable to speak to the teacher before the class started. She called out my birth name as it was on the roster and I didn't say anything because I didn't want my peers to know me as that. After the class was over I went up to her and informed her what my name and pronouns were and if she would please use them from now on, to which I got a smug 'thanks for letting me know.' The next class she called out the same name and I spoke up saying 'we talked last week after class about my name and pronouns' and then she got quite upset saying 'I'll only call you what is on my list' I informed her this was not okay and it was a discriminating action on her part. After the class I went to her office to talk to her further about the situation and was met with being told how she is going to call the dean and security because I 'threatened' her and disrupted the class. I immediately went to the dean and told my side of the story. There was a meeting set up between her, the dean, security and myself to talk about what happened and if I was going to get disciplinary action brought against me. Two days before the meeting it was canceled and I was told how 'we will just forget about this and move on.'

Then once I did legally change my name I went right from the courthouse to the school to change it there. This was in May and I wouldn't be back in school till August, so there was plenty of time to update it in the system. When I got back to school in August, I sat down in my first class thinking I won't have to worry about anything and the teacher calls out my birth name. I was more than upset about this happening. I leave the class and immediately go to the student services office to see what happened and why it wasn't fixed. I show them my name change paperwork and get the process done again and was told everything was fixed. The next day I go to the first day of another class and the same thing happens. This time the teacher was quite rude and felt the need to go into a rant about how 'there is no such as conflict between genders because there is only one gender, male' and other sexiest comments. This time I went upstairs to the dean's offices to complain and get my name changed completely. Eventually their solution was to change my whole schedule around, withdrawal from the classes I picked and put me in different classes. Then to send emails to the new teachers so they knew to call me by the right name. No action was ever brought against any of the teachers that I have encountered participating in discriminatory behaviors.
As a small business owner in an ever-advancing and growing market, your website can be one of your most powerful tools for building your brand and growing your business. It has to look professional but not boring, visually appealing but not cluttered. More importantly, it should serve you and your customers' needs more.

If you're looking to improve your website (and earn more in the process) this year, here are five dead-simple ways to help you get started with its beautiful (and profitable) transformation.

1. Speed it up.

One of the most frustrating experiences you can have when you're shopping online is when it takes ages for a page to load. You can't get a full view of the website's product and services so you end up closing the page and finding another website that will load faster. If this is a problem with your current website, get it corrected by putting fewer images or lowering their resolution. If possible, do not use flash files. You can also try doing a website speed test to see how your website will fare from a slow internet connection. Once you get your website to load as fast as lightning, you'll surely have more happy customers (and more revenue!).

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2. Keep it responsive.

Almost half of consumers buy products and services using their mobile devices. With that said, you lose half of your customers if your website isn't mobile-friendly. Choose a theme that matches your brand while being responsive and mobile-friendly, too.

3. Post fresh content.

Your website should have a blog section where you publish content that your customers and visitors will find helpful and relevant. More importantly, the content should be shareable, too so your customers can share it to their social networks (that's free advertising!). Your home page and landing pages should also display the newest deals, promos, and recent content to help your customers see that your business is always up-to-the-moment.

4. Grab Google's attention.

For your website to be found by your customer, you have to make it to Google's search results. You can do this by utilizing the meta data portion of your content management system (CMS). Enter snippets which describe your content as accurately as possible while adding an element of intrigue to make your customers click on it when it turns up in Google's search results.

5. Review your analytics.

So you've done step 1 to 4 and got new customers buying from your website. However, the work doesn't stop there. The next thing you need to do is to study how your customers behave during their visit to your website. And because Google is genius and generous enough, they created Google Analytics, a free tool which will help you understand how your customers behave and how you can optimize your website according to your findings. So take the time to sit down once a month to study

this so you can continuously make your website beneficial to your customers (and profitable to you).

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May 20 will mark the inauguration of Taiwan's new President. Tsai Ing-wen will become the first female president of the Republic of China. This historic landmark, however, is overshadowed by the potential implications of her election, not as the first female president, but as the representative of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

The DPP is a pro-independence leaning party that is taking control of the government from the Nationalist Party (KMT). The KMT, on the other hand, was formed on the mainland before the Chinese Civil War drove them to Taiwan, where the KMT reestablished itself as the Republic of China (ROC). This long history with the mainland stands in stark contrast to the DPP's primarily Taiwan-born base.

Recent Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea has been the cause of increased international concern and American worry. While Chinese patrols, island reclamations, and other actions in the disputed waters of the South China Sea have angered its neighbors and caused strong reactions from the U.S., the change in leadership in Taiwan presents an even greater potential source of tension in the region. Tsai's inauguration ushers in the leadership of a party who wants to further distinguish Tawian and the Taiwanese people from the mainland.

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When it comes to Taiwan, there is a lot more at stake than there is in the South China Sea. For China, it is about more than grandstanding over a few uninhabited rocks in an effort to demonstrate power and save face. Taiwan is not just symbolic. The People's Republic of China (PRC) sees Taiwan as part of "One China." Any claims or actions that suggest otherwise are viewed as threats to the key Chinese priorities of sovereignty and territorial integrity and are met with harsh reactions from the leadership and popular nationalist sentiments on the mainland.

Of course, the idea of "One China" is not a new one. Yet, in recent years Cross-Strait tensions have taken a backseat to other disputes and challenges in the Asia Pacific. For the past eight years, Taiwan's president has been the KMT's Ma Ying-jeou. During his first inauguration in 2008, Ma endorsed the 1992 Consensus between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan). This was an agreement that had been made between representatives of the PRC and the KMT indicating that both sides support the "One China" principle but have their own interpretations of what that principle means. Ma further went on to outline his stance towards Cross-Strait relations as one of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force."

Unlike the KMT, the DPP has not supported the 1992 Consensus in the past, especially given its ambiguity. That same ambiguity, however, and President Ma's support of it, has allowed for an unprecedented level of Cross-Strait peace and engagement. A push away from the 1992 Consensus would jeopardize the strides that have been made. When Ma's predecessor, the DPP's President Chen Shui-bian, was in office he repudiated the 1992 Consensus, leading to strained relations and limited contact with the mainland that was only eased when Ma came into office and endorsed the 1992 Consensus.

Given China's growing assertiveness and nationalism, the potential blow back from a similar repudiation being made today is daunting, especially considering Taiwan's increased economic ties to the mainland and the PRC's impressive global influence. In light of the DPP election, the PRC has already started taking steps to assert its sovereignty over Taiwan, establishing official diplomatic ties with the previously unaligned Gambia and exerting its influence to have Taiwanese nationals deported to the mainland. A clear indication that Tsai plans to continue the 1992 Consensus would go a long way to alleviate PRC fears and moderate its actions.

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As long as Tsai does not declare independence, the PRC will have the latitude to hold off on taking military action. However, my personal view is that, with the departure of President Ma and his efforts to improve Cross-Strait ties, the mainland has lost its chance for a peaceful resolution of the Cross-Strait conflict. The Taiwanese today do not see themselves as Chinese and are increasing their efforts to move away from the mainland. I do not see unification happening in the future without the use force. The most we can hope for is the continuation of the status quo for a little while longer.

A continuation of the 1992 Consensus also best serves American interests. Although the 1992 Consensus is not officially endorsed by the U.S. government, its message and President Ma's "three no's" align closely to the 1972 Shanghai Communique, which served as the basis for U.S. rapprochement with the PRC. The Shanghai Communique was a compromise between the U.S. and China. It supported the idea of "One China" while maintaining that any resolution of this conflict should not be made unilaterally or by force. If incoming President Tsai rejects the 1992 Consensus it will put the U.S. in the difficult position between supporting its ally and preserving the already fragile U.S.-China relationship.
Woman in voting booth at polling place

We're really in the home stretch of the Democratic primaries now, as the last few territories and the last eight states will all be voting in the upcoming weeks. Tomorrow night, Oregon and Kentucky will weigh in, and then the last six states (who, for some unfathomable reason, all decided to go last this year) will finally get a chance to vote on the seventh of June: California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Before I get to predicting tomorrow night's races, as usual I have to take a moment to update the stats. Last Tuesday, I called West Virginia for Bernie Sanders, predicting he'd win by double digits. This turned out to be true, which gives me one more in the "win" column for Democrats. As I mentioned last week, since Donald Trump is the only candidate left on the Republican side, I won't be calling any more of their races (Republicans in Oregon vote tomorrow, too), and my Republican record for the year can now be considered final.

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Total correct 2016 Democratic picks: 34 for 44 -- 77% Total correct 2016 Republican picks: 37 for 47 -- 79% Total overall correct picks: 71 for 91 -- 78%.

Those numbers may look pretty good, but I have to say I was chagrined to learn that there is a spoof pundit out there (Carl "The Dig" Diggler) who has also been playing this game, which was intended by the people behind the prank as satire of the horserace-obsessed political press. They intentionally ignored the polls and went with gut feelings designed to poke fun at how some pundits operate. This led them to write such lines as: "Wisconsinites are mostly a simple people. They eat their three lunches, kiss their often enormous children on their often featureless faces, and go to church so they can pray for the 2 Broke Girls." Pretty funny, I have to admit, but the sobering part is that their record of predictions is astoundingly good -- a fact which shocked even the people behind the spoof. Carl "The Dig" Diggler called 87 primary races so far. He got 77 of them right, for a very impressive 89 percent correct. My own record doesn't look so good, stacked up against what was intended to be a prank. It's stories like this which keep you humble about the whole business of political prognostication.

Kentucky (Democrats)

There are two Democratic races we'll all be watching tomorrow, and neither of them has much in the way of polling to examine. Kentucky is the race which everyone is expecting to be the close one tomorrow night, but really at this point it seems like everyone is relying almost entirely on their gut feelings.

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Kentucky could go either way, if you're basing predictions on how surrounding states have voted. Will Kentucky's map look more like Ohio's or West Virginia's? Or possibly neither? Nobody really knows, at this point. Hillary Clinton had a big victory in Ohio earlier in the year, and won almost every county (which I wrote about last week, complete with a map showing how tough Kentucky is to predict). Then Bernie Sanders did manage to win every county in West Virginia, just last week. But Kentucky is kind of a crossroads of different demographics, in more than one way. It is Southern, but is also the northern border of the South. It reaches into Appalachia in the east, but also touches the Mississippi River in the west. Areas of the state are dominated by the coal industry, farming, and horseracing. This all adds up to a mix of demographics that would be hard to predict even without Hillary's and Bernie's outsize wins in (respectively) Ohio and West Virginia.

Clinton has campaigned in Kentucky, which she didn't bother to do much of in West Virginia. She has also outspent Bernie 3-to-1 in advertising, showing that she thinks she's got a real chance to win. Bernie is being labeled the favorite to win tomorrow by most pundits, but I'm not really sure why they're so confident. Clinton, if West Virginia is any indication, could lose a lot of counties in the eastern parts of Kentucky, but she also may win a lot of counties in the western part of the state.

My guess -- going from just gut feelings -- is that it will be close, but not as close as some are now predicting. I'm going with the herd on this one, and predicting that Bernie Sanders pulls out a victory in the Bluegrass State. I don't feel at all confident about this prediction, and I think the county map is going to be a lot more mixed than it was in Indiana, Ohio, or West Virginia. This one could be a late night, though, as I think it'll be close enough that we'll be watching returns come in for hours before the state is called by the networks.

Oregon (Democrats)

Oregon is even harder to predict, because we actually do have poll numbers. Well, numbers from one poll, I should say. The reason this makes it harder is that these poll numbers are exactly the opposite of what everyone has long assumed about how Oregon will vote.

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Oregon is Bernie country, virtually every pundit out there says, with a fair degree of confidence. It's a fairly commonsense conclusion to draw, actually. Oregon's Democrats are pretty liberal overall. They pride themselves on being more progressive than their neighbor to the south, in fact. For those unaware of West Coast politics, the easiest analogy to use is that Oregon is kind of the Vermont of the West Coast. A lot of hippies moved there a long time ago, and have now put down some long-term roots. This shifted the politics of the state in a very liberal direction. Described that way (especially the "Vermont" part), it's easy to see why the natural assumption would be that Bernie's going to win big in Oregon.

The only problem with this scenario is the poll, which appeared last week. It wasn't from one of the biggest polling firms out there, but there are no other polls around for comparison (to see if this one was a wild outlier or not). The poll showed Bernie Sanders with only 33 percent support among Democrats, and Hillary Clinton with a whopping lead of 15 points (at 48 percent). That's an astounding margin in a state where nobody is even giving her a chance to win.

Researchers took another pass at the numbers, and this time adjusted to see what would happen if turnout is high. But even this didn't solve Bernie's problem:

Researchers tested two potential turnout scenarios, to see if the race might change if turnout is higher than expected. But even in a higher turnout race, Clinton led Sanders, this time 45 percent to 38 percent.

So is something going on in Oregon that nobody in the political chattering class is now admitting? Well, we'll have the answer to that tomorrow night. Oregon is a closed primary state (independents don't get to vote in it), which so far this year has given Hillary Clinton a big edge. So her pulling an upset win here is entirely possible.

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Perhaps blindly, though, I am going to go with both my own gut and the consensus opinion among other pundits, and say that Bernie easily takes Oregon. One poll with a rather high margin of error (5.6 percent) isn't enough to convince me, in other words. If Hillary does manage a win here, I will have plenty of company being very surprised, that's for sure. But I think Oregon's results will look much like Washington's results, to its north. I think Bernie will not only comfortably win the state, but also that he'll likely sweep most of the counties as well.

So those are my picks, made almost entirely from gut feelings. Bernie wins narrowly in Kentucky, and wins in a blowout in Oregon. We'll see tomorrow night whether the conventional wisdom that Bernie's the favorite in both states proves true or not. And as always, if you disagree with my picks, let me know yours down in the comments.

[Previous states' picks:]

Chris Weigant blogs at:
In conflicts and crisis zones around the world, attacks on civilians, doctors and medical facilities as well as on humanitarian aid workers have become all too frequent.

In Syria, not even hospitals or refugee camps are safe from violence as we have sadly seen over recent weeks. The main hospital in Aleppo had to stop its activities, leaving innocent civilians without desperately needed live-saving medical treatment. Sadly, these incidents are not the exception: civilians are effectively being held hostage by violence in many conflicts - in South Sudan, in Yemen, in Afghanistan - to name only a few.

Isn't there a law that should protect people in these situations?

There is. It's called international humanitarian law (IHL).

This is essentially a set of rules to limit the effects of armed conflict on civilians, laid out in the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols.

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In practice, States and non-State armed groups are far too often unwilling to observe these legal obligations.

We owe it to the victims to make the case for change, at the highest levels.

Around the world, at this moment more than 60 million people are uprooted and forced from their homes, half of them children. Not since the end of the second World War have so many people been displaced, often escaping violence and suffering. Some of their stories make the headlines, many more suffer in silence away from the attention of the international community.

When the international community meets on the 23-24 May at the World Humanitarian Summit, they have a rare opportunity not only to make aid better and more efficient - but also to help protect the people delivering aid in the front line.

Protecting civilians and aid workers needs to be at the top of the agenda for decision-makers. And the entire international community needs to speak out and systematically condemn violations of International Humanitarian Law. In Syria and elsewhere. And we must ensure that people in need receive rapid and unimpeded humanitarian assistance.

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On May 3 the UN Security Council set the tone and unanimously adopted a resolution to strengthen the protection of health care workers, the sick and wounded and medical facilities in war zones. This is a hugely positive step. But it now needs to be implemented on the ground, in the Middle East and beyond.

Keeping respect for International Humanitarian Law in the public eye is key in this context. As the EU, we are funding training in IHL for both military personnel and humanitarian workers, while also promoting campaigns to raise awareness of IHL with the wider public.
When his term is up in 2018 Maine Governor Paul LePage is moving from the Blaine House mansion in Augusta to a posh neighborhood in Boothbay Harbor, so who's he calling a "southern Maine elitist?" This is the guy who's dying to eliminate the "death tax" so 60 of his high falutin' friends can avoid paying taxes on estates exceeding $5.5 million?

Hopefully you caught Governor LePage's column last week wherein he attacks me and my "rich southern Maine cronies" for ruining Maine's economy with our "rigid socialist ideology." If not, grab a dictionary and read how this welfare activist castigated Lepage to assuage liberal guilt while driving a limo.

By "socialist ideology," is the governor referring to the Democrats ideas about tax reform? Because I seem to recall that "liberals" in the Maine legislature passed a major tax reform bill in 2010 that lowered the income tax rates by raising some sales taxes and eliminating exemptions -- a 'crazy' law that was repealed by Republicans the next year when the governor rode in on his white horse to save us from ourselves.

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Yup, Paul LePage came to town with a big bold idea of his own to jump start and stabilize Maine's economy. "Folks, we've got to reform the tax code by lowering the income tax rate, raising the sales tax and eliminating exemptions," he said in so many words.

Huh. Nothing liberal about that idea. No siree. As long as it's spit out of the mouth of a Republican a good idea magically becomes "conservative."

Too bad the businessman-not-a-politician couldn't close the deal. He was probably too busy with other important decisions like whether his next job should be at the White House or in the US Senate.

LePage failed to sell his pre-owned tax reform bill so instead he's now peddling snake oil that purports to eliminate income taxes altogether: Side effects include cutting a $1.5 billion hole in the state budget and an increase to property taxes. It's no surprise Maine people all over the map aren't buying this ridiculously dangerous concoction because contrary to what he says it's not geography that divides people. It's common sense.

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Who does the governor think actually pays the income taxes he so wants to cut, anyway? Surely as the "CEO" of Maine's economy he realizes that more than half of the state's economic output comes from Cumberland, York and Sagadahoc counties -- all in the southern portion of the Pine Tree State. The so-called "elitists" there -- the people who pay the income taxes LePage wants to eliminate -- don't oppose the governor's tax plan because of their longitude and latitude coordinates or because they don't want a tax break. They oppose the elimination of the income tax because it's a really dumb idea. You simply can't cut state funding in half and govern responsibly.

People up and down the state aren't buying what Maine's governor is selling, and no wonder?



Open-pit mines, anyone? Look what they did for Colorado and British Columbia. LePage accuses the southern Maine liberal brethren of denying good jobs to their bros up north, but Senators from Washington, Penobscot and Piscatiquis counties as well as Representatives in the House -- including Aroostook County -- opposed the open-pit mining bill LePage pushed. The last thing Maine needs is another unfunded environmental liability that lines the pockets of an out-of-state corporation. We are picking up the tab for the Dolby Landfill and the biomass plants, but thanks anyway.

The column that Governor LePage reacted to made the simple irrefutable point that Maine's economy is failing according to the Measures of Growth Report, but rather than address the very serious statistics in the report about our negative economic growth and increasing childhood poverty, the Governor shot the messenger. Is this his example of the "rugged individualism" his administration is attempting to revive? Looks more like a cheap suit than a L.L. Bean flannel.

Governor LePage had a shot at taking personal responsibility for Maine's poor report card but instead he shot the messenger. That's what happens when you spend too much time with the NRA. Guns, local control and special interests are three things Governor LePage rants about, so how exactly do all the NRA-sponsored bills help the good people up north feed their families? And what was it about the Town of Cape Elizabeth's local ordinance on the licensure of a shooting range that Big State Government needed to fix?

He can talk about "special interests" until he is red in the face but let's face it - under the LePage administration there have been more NRA-sponsored bills passed than ever before. Poor people everywhere must be thrilled they can openly carry guns while they look for better work.

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What experience and empirical data show is that it's not so much political parties or geography that divides people, it's education. According to the Pew Research Center, "highly educated adults - particularly those who have attended graduate school - are far more likely than those with less education to take predominantly liberal positions across a range of political values. And these differences have increased over the past two decades."


Photo courtesy of Flickr.

There are many anomalies in investing. It wasn't easy to isolate the three biggest ones, but here are my choices:

1. You love Warren Buffett, but ignore his advice.

Warren Buffett has rightfully been called "the greatest investor of his generation, or ever." Given his cult-like status, you'd think investors would hang on his every word.

For many years, Buffett has been a proponent of index-based investing. Here's what he said in Berkshire Hathaway's 1996 letter to shareholders:

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"Most investors, both institutional and individual, will find that the best way to own common stocks is through an index fund that charges minimal fees. Those following this path are sure to beat the net results (after fees and expenses) delivered by the great majority of investment professionals."

This advice was largely ignored.

At this year's annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Buffett upped the ante. According to The Wall Street Journal, he stated that market-beating investment consultants were usually a "huge minus" for those following their advice. He noted that passive investors will likely outperform "hyperactive" investments recommended by consultants and fund managers.

His advice wasn't limited to individual investors. It applied with equal force to pension funds and endowments that pay high fees to consultants in the mistaken belief they can achieve market-beating returns. He accurately noted that "no consultant in the world is going to tell you 'just buy an S&P index fund and sit for the next 50 years.'"

In 2006, I used the term "hyperactive" to describe the conduct of stock-picking brokers when I wrote The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read. I urged investors to dump their brokers and invest in low-management-fee index funds instead.

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Maybe this latest, forceful effort from Buffett will be the tipping point. It would be gratifying to stop the transfer of wealth from those who earn it to those who "manage" it. The securities industry needs to be exposed for its greed and self-interest.

2. You keep doing business with companies that abuse your trust.

MetLife is no better or worse than many others in the securities industry. That's precisely the problem.

On May 3, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority announced a sanction of $25 million against MetLife for negligent misrepresentations and omissions in connection with variable annuity replacements.

FINRA found that from 2009 through 2014, MetLife Securities misrepresented or omitted at least one material fact relating to the cost and guarantees of its customers' existing variable annuity contracts in 72 percent of the 35,500 replacement applications the firm approved.

These misrepresentations weren't minor. They included telling customers the replacement annuity was less expensive than the current one when it was actually more expensive, understating the value of existing death benefits and failing to inform their customers the replacement annuity would "reduce or eliminate" important features in their existing annuity.

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As is the custom when industry players get caught with their hand in the cookie jar, MetLife "neither admitted nor denied the charges, but consented to the entry of FINRA's findings."

The list of settlements involving household names (and others) in the securities industry, for a variety of unethical and illegal behavior toward their customers, is a long one. Misconduct relating to the financial crisis alone was so extensive the SEC maintains a separate compilation of its enforcement actions. Almost every major brokerage firm is on this list.

It's a stunning anomaly that you continue to entrust your retirement savings to those with this extensive track record of abusing your trust.

3. You continue to search for patterns where none exist.

The holy grail of investing is to identify a predictive pattern and take advantage of it to trade profitably. Many in the financial media exploit this fantasy because it encourages you to trade. Trading increases the revenue earned by the brokerage industry, which in turn supports the media through massive advertising expenditures.

Jim Cramer shamelessly leads this effort with columns like this one: "Cramer: Yikes! Scariest pattern in the charts." As usual, Cramer references no peer-reviewed data supporting his reliance on patterns, which is not surprising. It has long been my view that Cramer and others in the financial media who purport to be able to spot predictive patterns, pick outperforming stocks, select outperforming mutual funds and predict the direction of the markets are emperors with no clothes. They do incalculable harm to gullible investors.

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There is ample evidence these "gurus" have no expertise that can't be explained by random chance. Cramer's track record is actually worse than a coin flipper would have compiled.

The securities industry adds to the myth that predictive patterns exist. One major firm advertises software that will help you "read charts, recognize price patterns, add indicators, and detect market reversals."

It doesn't caution that this is a fool's errand.

The reality is that stock prices are independent of each other. As Burton Malkiel established in his seminal book, A Random Walk Down Wall Street, the history of stock prices tells you nothing about future prices, just like a coin toss tells you nothing about the probability of the outcome of a future coin toss.

The first step to becoming an intelligent and responsible investor is recognizing these anomalies and refusing to buy into them.

Dan Solin is a New York Times bestselling author of the Smartest series of books, including The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read, The Smartest Retirement Book You'll Ever Read and his latest, The Smartest Sales Book You'll Ever Read.

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Studio shot of crumpled document

Over the years, college administrators have evolved a predictable rhetoric when it comes to diversifying the faculty. When you think of it, it seems non-controversial--who would be against diversity, after all? "Diversity" has been a buzzword for decades--it simply percolated into the academy from the corporate and investment world.

But significant problems occur when the world of the university and the world of the corporation share a common vocabulary--we assume they should have at base different goals. "Diversity" in corporations is supposed to enhance performance and efficiency, and ultimately to generate profit via various means. On the other hand "diversity" in the university, as affirmed the US Supreme Court with regard to college admissions, is meant to enhance the educational experience by bringing new kinds of knowledge, perspectives, and experiences into the classroom. We should therefore see the advancement of knowledge--not profit--as the underlying rationale for diversity in education. Similarly one would expect other corporate buzzwords like "innovation" and "disruption" to mean something different in the academy--something in line with advancing new ways of thinking and challenging received and entrenched knowledge.

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Yet efforts to hire diverse faculty are often hamstrung by a basic conservatism in academic departments, which often hides under the mask of quality control. New kinds of scholarship are often dismissed as "trendy," or untested, again covering over a tendency in departments to simply reproduce themselves as the self-same. This strange brand of identity politics is well-established in academia.

But what about a case such as that of Professor Aimee Bahng, whose record of publication, conference activity, and teaching was deemed more than sufficient evidence for her to be tenured, according to her department at Dartmouth College? The English department there in fact voted unanimously to promote and tenure Bahng. What was lost in the translation of her "value" up the hierarchy, to the President and Provost?

At the very least, as Annelise Orleck, a professor of history at Dartmouth says, this denial of tenure raises serious issues of faculty governance:

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The issue of faculty governance at Dartmouth is a heated one, and it extends to broader issues than [this] tenure case -- though that has been a trigger for many of the broader discussions we're having now -- and though it is widely perceived as unjust and shortsighted.

But issues of faculty governance have a specific importance when it comes to issues of hiring and retaining a diverse faculty.

Inside Higher Education's article on the Bahng case notes:

Orleck and others on campus say Bahng's case is similar to several others in recent years, in which department votes for tenure and unanimous recommendations for tenure by outside reviewers are overruled by deans or the Committee Advisory to the President. A number allegedly have been faculty members of color who were respected by their colleagues and students. One such case is that of Derrick White, now a visiting associate professor of history. White did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but his name and failed tenure bid last year -- despite the unanimous vote of his departmental peers and outside reviewers -- have been mentioned in many of the conversations about Bahng.

In October 2014, Provost Carolyn Dever issued a powerful statement for diversity. In it she declared unambiguously:

As Provost, I aspire to transform Dartmouth into the destination of choice for the world's best underrepresented faculty in all our disciplines, by recruiting them to join a vibrant, open, welcoming, spirited, well-resourced, student-centered scholarly community representing the highest standards and the best academic values. I want to underscore the fact that under the leadership of many of us, our colleagues have been working hard to develop diversity initiatives for many years. The thing that really bothers me about this slide is the fact that we as a faculty are flat-lined. We haven't improved our representation of minority faculty and international faculty in any significant or meaningful way from the early part of the century.

If we accept these and other statements coming from the administration as sincere, we can only infer that somehow the value and merit that was evident to specialists in Bahng's field was lost on the administration. This fact deserves careful scrutiny, because it points to issues that go far beyond Dartmouth.

While universities point to the difficulty of hiring diverse faculty when they are criticized by those arguing for more minorities and people of color on the faculty, what happens when such faculty are hired after this difficult process, and then un-hired--that is, denied tenure? Certainly many other scholars are denied tenure in all sorts of fields, but given the difficulty of hiring diverse faculty, and the importance administrators like Dever place on increasing diversity, it is more than strange that she and her other top-level administrators would impose their values as administrators over those of a group of senior, tenured faculty in the department of English who are authorities in the field in question, and whose opinion was at least in part determined by the customary external letters of evaluation.

The department clearly understood the importance of Bahng's path-breaking work; they welcomed the intellectual "diversity" she provided. Yet even with this recognition by specialists, tenure was denied by the higher-ups. What then is the difference between what the administration means by "diversity" and what the department and others mean by it? How might this divergence signal exactly the separation of the corporate world and the university mentioned above?

This disturbing trend of denying tenure to women and minorities at disproportionate rates vis-a-vis white males is revealed in Jane Junn's study at the University of Southern California. Junn found that of 106 tenure cases, heard between 1998 and 2012 at USC, 92 percent of white males were tenured, whereas only 55 percent of women and minority scholars were.

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We should key in on one word from Dever's statement: "under-represented." For that group does not include Asian Americans. That designation is in fact controversial. The assumption is that Asian Americans have made it into the mainstream. The problem with this assumption is that the term "Asian American" lumps together an immensely heterogeneous set of populations from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines, with very different histories and socioeconomic situations. But instead of supporting the work of scholars like Bahng, work that helps illuminate these key issues, universities are either not hiring or not tenuring far too many skilled and talented scholars.

At Dartmouth and its peer institutions, the percentage of Asian American faculty -- especially tenured faculty -- is radically out of step with national trends. At Dartmouth, 85 percent of tenured faculty are white, while less than five percent are Asian American: by far the worst compared to peer institutions where this data is available. Meanwhile, Asian Americans make up nearly 20 percent of Dartmouth's 2015 entering class, and are the racial group most likely to pay full tuition.

Another statistic: of the nearly two thousand classes taught at Yale, only two deal with Asian American studies.

Asian Americans and others are both raising serious questions regarding the un-hiring of diverse faculty and also pressing for significant change on campus, and they are doing it in ways that align with and support the demands from other groups on campus. This has been the way ethnic studies has been and continues to be advanced as a multi-racial, multi-coalitional struggle.
We face the greatest displacement of humanity in decades -- more than 60 million people forced from their homes by war, misery or oppression from places like Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, or Eritrea. A tiny percentage of these desperate men, women and children have risked their lives on overcrowded boats and knocked on Europe's front door. Faced with this crisis, European leaders were given a choice -- to work together to provide asylum and help those in need, or push people out of sight to other countries, where the European public cannot see their suffering and where European leaders can more easily hide their shame.

They chose the latter.

Signed in March, the EU-Turkey deal compensates Turkey financially and politically to block people from Europe's shores and accept deportees from squalid prison camps in Greece. For MSF, this dirty deal marks a historic abdication of Europe's moral and legal responsibilities to provide asylum to those in great need.

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While the concept of outsourcing migration management is sadly not new, this is the most organized and collective attempt so far to pursue the cruel logic of pushing people back instead of taking them in. Europe is sending a troubling signal to the rest of the world: countries can buy their way out of providing asylum.

If replicated by many nations worldwide, the concept of refugee will cease to exist. People will be trapped in war zones unable to flee for their lives, with no choice but to stay and die. The recent bombing of a camp hosting displaced people near Idlib that killed at least 28 people shows that the concept of "safe spaces" in Syria is not viable.

Through this deal, EU leaders have made a choice that should raise serious questions for the citizens of affluent Europe. In 2016 who still counts as human? Whose lives matter? What happened to empathy? And where has solidarity gone when faced with the anguish and despair of those whose lives have been shattered?

December 2015: Rescue team responded to a sinking inflatable boat carrying 45 Afghan refugees crossing from Turkey to the north shore of Lesvos, Greece. Photo: Will Rose

Urgent questions arise too for aid organizations like ours, Medecins Sans Frontieres, where we have been assisting refugees and migrants in Europe for more than 15 years.

Unsatisfied with deterrence measures like their layers of razor wire, their sniffer dogs and their construction of ever higher walls, European leaders have resorted to now abusing humanitarian and development aid as a tool for border control.

Hundreds of children, fleeing some of the worst crises of our times are locked behind bars. This is #Europe in 2016. pic.twitter.com/zjYUQpVm2S  MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) April 25, 2016

Betraying the humanitarian principle of providing aid based on need alone without political strings attached, the EU-Turkey deal instead makes aid conditional on shipping suffering offshore.

Humanitarian aid must be separated from the political deal and delivered to those in need, not on the basis of how many people arrive in the EU from Turkey.

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Europe is proffering billions of euros to implement this deal, hanging a dilemma over the heads of the humanitarian community. Should aid agencies provide desperately needed aid in service of an anti-humanitarian policy that has the ultimate goal of keeping people away from European soil?



Should aid agencies provide desperately needed aid in service of an anti-humanitarian policy that has the ultimate goal of keeping people away from European soil?





There are undoubtedly needs in Turkey, a country already struggling to offer effective protection to nearly 3 million refugees within its borders, but aid cannot be reduced to a political bargaining chip.

Refugees are not merchandise to be bought and sold and Europe cannot walk away from its responsibility to provide asylum. Rather than push people back into danger, Europe should use its considerable resources to welcome and protect those in need instead of paying Turkey to keep them away.
Bank sign on building

Our global financial system moves trillions of dollars, serves billions of customers and supports a global economy worth more than $100 trillion. Imagine what it could do, were it not in such shoddy condition. It is antiquated, a kludge of industrial technologies and paper-based processes dressed up in a digital wrapper. It is centralized, vulnerable to data breaches, systems failure and terrorist attack. It is exclusive, denying billions of people access to basic financial tools. It is opaque, baffling monetary policy makers and financial regulators, thanks to the compartmentalization of oversight. And it is monopolistic, lobbying for the status quo and stifling disruptive innovation.

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Enter blockchain, the vast global distributed ledger running on millions of devices and open to anyone, where not just information but anything of value -- money, equities, bonds, titles, deeds, contracts and virtually all other kinds of financial assets can be moved and stored securely and privately- and where trust is established, not by powerful intermediaries like banks, governments and technology companies, but rather through mass collaboration and clever code.

Blockchain entrepreneurs and incumbents alike are working to resolve the limitations of the antiquated financial system by using blockchain technology to devise new ways to perform the eight core functions of financial intermediaries.

Authentication of identity and reputation

Today we rely on rating agencies, financial data analytics firms, and retail and wholesale banks to establish trust, verify identity in a transaction and decide who merits access to the system. In contrast, reputation accrues on the blockchain itself. Blockchain technology lowers and sometimes eliminates the need for trust altogether in certain transactions.

Payment system



Payment card networks and money transfer services solve the double-spend problem, making sure that no dollar is spent twice as it moves from one person to another. The blockchain can do this by consensus for the movement of anything of value -- currencies, stocks, bonds and titles -- of any size or distance, dramatically reducing friction and democratizing economic growth and prosperity.

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Savings

Retail and investment banks, brokerage houses, and asset management firms are the repositories of value. The average Joe uses a safe deposit box or a savings or checking account. Large institutions use so-called risk-free investments such as money market funds or Treasury bills. The blockchain can replicate all these instruments peer-to-peer.

Loans

Retail, commercial and mercantile banks along with credit scoring and rating firms facilitate the issuance of credit card debt, mortgages, corporate and municipal bonds, T-bills, and asset-backed securities. On the blockchain, anyone could check creditworthiness before issuing, trading and settling traditional debt instruments directly, reducing friction and increasing transparency. The unbanked and entrepreneurs everywhere could access loans from peers.

Exchanges

Trading is the exchange of financial instruments for the purpose of investing, speculating, hedging and arbitraging. It includes post-trade clearing and settling. Blockchain cuts settlement times on transactions from days or weeks to minutes or seconds. This efficiency creates opportunities for the unbanked to participate in wealth creation.

Venture capital and investment

Investing in an asset or enterprise gives individuals the opportunity to earn a return, be it capital appreciation, dividends, interest or rent. Raising money normally requires investment bankers, venture capitalists and lawyers to name a few. Blockchain technology automates the matchmaking, enabling more efficient, transparent and secure models for peer-to-peer financing, recording dividends and paying coupons.

Insurance and risk management

Risk managers attempt to protect individuals and companies from uncertain loss or catastrophe not just through insurance but through myriad derivatives meant to hedge against unpredictable or uncontrollable events. Blockchain supports decentralized models for insurance, making the use of derivatives far more transparent. Using reputational systems based on a person's social and economic capital and online behavior, insurers will have a more meaningful picture of the actuarial risk.

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Accounting

Accounting is the systematic recording and reporting of financial transactions. It is a multibillion-dollar industry controlled by four massive audit firms. Yet traditional accounting practices are not keeping pace with the velocity and complexity of modern finance. The blockchain's distributed ledger will make auditing transparent and in real time and enable regulators to more easily scrutinize financial actions within a corporation.

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When we started our research two years ago, few if any banks had woken up to this opportunity. Now, virtually every major player in the financial service industry -- from banks to insurers to audit and professional service firms -- are investing significant resources into this frontier. Blockchain can reduce many costs for banks, providing a boost to productivity and making it easier to offer products and services to a global clientele. They can also reduce risk in the industry, particularly in wholesale finance. Settlement times for many financial instruments take days, sometimes weeks, tying up capital and exposing industry participants to huge counterparty risks. Blockchain promises to radically simplify many business processes, reducing risk and boosting transparency. This explains why more than 45 leading banks, including Credit Suisse, RBC and UBS, have joined the R3CEV Consortium to develop blockchain infrastructure for banking and why IBM launched the Hyperledger project, counting Deutsche Bank, DTCC, the London Stock Exchange Group, Wells Fargo and State Street as members. But this is not all upside for banks, of course. Blockchain also radically lowers barriers for new entrants to create alternatives to the conventional banking industry, challenging incumbents in virtually every market where they operate, and so it's as much a threat as an opportunity.

We do not believe blockchain is an existential threat to the companies who embrace this new technology paradigm and disrupt from within. The question is who in the financial services industry will lead this revolution in a positive way? Throughout history, leaders of old paradigms have shown difficulty embracing the new. Why didn't AT&T launch Skype, or Visa create Paypal? CNN could have built Twitter, as it is all about the sound bite, no? General Motors or Hertz could have launched Uber. Marriott could have launched Airbnb. As with major paradigm shifts that preceded it, blockchain will create winners and losers. Though opportunities abound, the risks of disruption and dislocation must not be ignored. Still, we are hopeful today's financial services leaders will not become tomorrow's losers. After all, too much is at stake.

The unstoppable force of blockchain technology is barreling down on the immovable infrastructure of modern finance. We would like this collision to transform the old money machine into a prosperity platform for all.
Despite recently expressing doubts about America's relationship with Saudi Arabia, President Barack Obama recently flew to Riyadh. Yet again he sought to "reassure" the Saudi royals about U.S. support.

In fact, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia raises the question: what are allies for? If the president wants to leave his mark on American foreign policy, he should start with Riyadh. After all, he rightly criticized the KSA as among the many "free riders" on U.S. security guarantees. Washington and Saudi Arabia should move to a more normal relationship. There no longer need be the pretense of intimate political friendship.

Instead, the two countries should work together when convenient. That might mean opposing the Islamic State while disagreeing over support for military dictatorship in Egypt. Washington should remain the KSA's chief arms merchant but should not aid Riyadh in attempting to oust the president of Syria and restore the ousted president of Yemen. Washington should target any evidence of terrorist financing, but not strip the kingdom of sovereign immunity regarding 9/11 law suits, as some in Congress would do.

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Most important, the U.S. should drop any security guarantee, whether explicit or implicit. If the KSA is worth defending, its own people should do so. At the same time, the U.S. should take a more even-handed approach in the Iranian-Saudi cold war, looking for opportunities to draw Tehran away from Islamic extremism.

America's relationship with the KSA was always based on oil. Saudi Arabia still sells a lot of petroleum, but so what? The energy markets always have been global. Supplies are expanding with new sources like shale oil, new deposits beyond the Mideast, and renewed suppliers like Iran. Even the U.S. is going from net consumer to exporter.

During the Cold War one could at least imagine an improbable Soviet thrust to the Persian Gulf to cut off supplies to the West. Today the greatest threat to the kingdom is at home: the medieval, authoritarian system offers little to anyone not of royal birth. The U.S. cannot protect the royals from their own people. Anyway, a successor regime would sell to the highest bidder.

Saudi Arabia is supposed to promote regional stability, but intervened in Bahrain to block reforms by the Sunni monarchy for the Shia majority, funded radical insurgents in an attempt to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and is seeking to destabilize Lebanon's fragile confessional political system. Worse, Riyadh has turned Yemen's long-running domestic conflict into a sectarian battle with Iran. The result has been a humanitarian horror, with most of the innocent casualties caused by Saudi bombing.

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Observed Sarah Leah Whitson of Human Rights Watch: "it's undeniable that the Saudis are violating international law as they carry out attacks with no apparent military target and used banned weapons, such as cluster bombs. Aerial strikes have hit schools, hospitals, markets and homes. According to the U.N., they account for 60 percent of the 3,200 civilians killed in the conflict." A single attack on the market in the village of Mastaba on March 15 killed nearly 100 civilians, including 25 children. Unfortunately aiding the kingdom's lawless fight could create future terrorists targeting America.

Since the 1979 overthrow of the Shah Washington has seen the KSA as a significant and, after the ouster of Iraq's Saddam Hussein, probably most important, barrier to expansion by Tehran. Sadly, the U.S. bore more than its share of blame for creating the Iran of today, destroying Iranian democracy, supporting the Shah's corrupt, brutal rule, and backing Iraq's Saddam Hussein against the new Islamic republic. Official hostility masked the evolution of the Iranian population toward the West.

However, the nuclear agreement creates new opportunities. Change will not come easily or quickly, given determined resistance in Tehran, but Iran is far more likely to evolve in a more liberal and democratic direction than Saudi Arabia. Security concerns will remain in the meantime, but the KSA has spent more than $80 billion each of the last two years on a military, placing Riyadh fourth in the world in military expenditures. The monarchy has more to fear domestically than internationally.

The KSA also is nominally a leader in the war on terrorism. Yet Riyadh's attack on Yemen has empowered that nation's al-Qaeda affiliate. Moreover, the kingdom showed little interest in battling al-Qaeda until the organization took on the royals directly. Domestic "anti-terrorism" efforts are directed at suppressing dissent more than violence. Kristine Beckerie of Human Rights Watch noted that "Saudi Arabia's counterterrorism efforts have directly targeted human rights activists, sometimes forcibly enrolling them in 'thought rehabilitation' programs designed for terrorism suspects. Peaceful activists have been arrested, interrogated, and tried at Saudi Arabia's terrorism tribunal on speech-related charges like 'harming the reputation of the kingdom'."

Worse, Riyadh has underwritten Islamic radicalism around the world. The government funds fundamentalist madrassahs even in Europe and America. Intolerant Wahhabist teaching creates the foundation for violence. (Under pressure the kingdom is addressing intolerance in domestic school textbooks.) While the royal regime apparently has not directly supported terrorism, individual Saudis have, both funding and joining al-Qaeda (providing 15 of the 9/11 terrorists). The George W. Bush administration refused to release a 28-page section of the 9/11 report dealing with apparent Saudi support for terrorism. Wikileaks disclosures indicated that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledged the continuing flow of Saudi money to terrorists.

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Finally, the kingdom does not share values with America, democratic or other. Saudi Arabia is at best a slightly more civilized variant of the Islamic State. Intolerance toward religious minorities, mistreatment of women, dictatorial politics, employment of religious police. What's the real difference?

The latest Freedom House rated the KSA as "Not Free," with bottom ratings for political rights and civil liberties. It said simply: "Political dissent is criminalized." Reported Human Rights Watch: "Saudi authorities continued arbitrary arrests, trials, and convictions of peaceful dissidents. Dozens of human rights defenders and activists continued to serve long prison sentences for criticizing authorities or advocating political and rights reforms."

Amnesty International pointed out that abuses started with detention and sometimes continued in prison: "Torture and other ill-treatment remained common and widespread, according to former detainees, trial defendants and others, and were used with impunity." Among the more celebrated cases were human rights activist and blogger Raef Badawi who was sentenced to ten years in prison and 1000 lashes; his attorney, Waleed Abu al-Khair, later was imprisoned for 15 years. They are not alone.

The State Department took 52 pages to detail Saudi human rights malpractices in its recently released annual report. State's summary is brutal: "The most important human rights reported included citizens' lack of the ability and legal means to choose their government; restrictions on universal rights, such as freedom of expression, including on the internet, and the freedoms of assembly, association, movement, and religion; and pervasive gender discrimination and lack of equal rights that affected all aspects of women's lives." Actually, that's only the start. There also are overcrowded prisons, detainee abuses, nonexistent judicial independence, political prisoners, "and arbitrary interference with privacy, home, and correspondence."

Religious freedom simply doesn't exist. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom noted that "Saudi Arabia remains unique in the extent to which it restricts public expression of any religion other than Islam." Countries such as Iran are rightly criticized for their violations of religious liberty, but there is liberty to violate. Not so in Saudi Arabia.

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All public expression by non-Muslims, including atheists, is banned. Noted USCIRF, the government "continues to prosecute and imprison individuals for dissent, apostasy, blasphemy, and sorcery, and a new 2014 law classifies blasphemy and advocating atheism as terrorism." In its religious freedom report the State Department pointed to executions for "sorcery or 'black magic'." An activist promoting women's rights was arrested for "insulting Islam." Even private worship sometimes is interrupted and participants "harassed, detained, arrested, and occasionally deported," according to State.

In practice, Saudi Arabia differs little from the Soviet Union. Both were totalitarian states animated by transcendent worldviews. Both regimes suppressed human liberty in service to those visions, one secular, and the other religious. The main difference is that the second posed a direct security threat to America, while the first sometimes interferes with U.S. interests indirectly.

None of this prevents Washington and Riyadh from cooperating. However, the U.S. should stop acting as supplicant. The kingdom has far greater need for America. The monarchy is ruthless and cannot be counted out as a survivor, but it long has looked to the U.S. as its backstop. Witness arms sales and combat support for the misbegotten war in Yemen

In contrast, the royals' continued rule, however advantageous for U.S. geopolitical interests in the short-term, is by no means vital to America in any meaningful sense of the word. A worst-case implosion in the kingdom would be ugly for the Saudi people and their neighbors, but would most likely manifest itself in the U.S. primarily through higher energy prices. The greatest danger for Washington may be the moral hazard from defending such a regime, encouraging it to resist needed reforms. Despite occasional signs of progress, such as the recently announced decision to strip the religious police of the power to arrest, Saudi Arabia generally has moved backward since King Salman ascended the throne.

Would the U.S. "lose leverage" by disengaging? Riyadh already has exhibited a more assertive posture that Nawaf Obaid of the Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs called "the emerging Salman Doctrine." In fact, this policy appears to be driven by the king's favorite son, Mohammed bin Salman, both deputy crown prince and defense minister. The KSA is likely to do even more if the U.S. drops its promise to defend the kingdom.

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In fact, that would be all to the good. America has spent decades attempting to micro-manage and geopolitically engineer the region, with disastrous results. Let Saudi Arabia spend its money and lives for a change. And if Riyadh is unwilling to "share the neighborhood" with Iran, as the president put it, then the KSA should bear the consequences.
Ed Moses, one of the best-known LA artists, celebrates his 90th birthday. People who had the chance to get to know him will agree he is a feisty man. The same can be said about his wonderful paintings, which continue to deliver an artistic punch expected from artists a third his age... You really must see Moses' birthday exhibitions at Bergamot Station, on display in the William Turner Gallery and in the former Santa Monica Museum of Art space.

As a special tribute to Ed, I want to share with you some excerpts from a "take no prisoners" essay he wrote a few years ago for The Buzz and the Beat: Inside the LA Art World (2009):

"I grew up in Long Beach and spent summers in Hawaii with my dad... In 1943, when I was seventeen, I decided to join the Navy. I got into the medical corps, and received about a year of training to be a surgical technician. When I was 22 I got out of the service... I enrolled in pre-med, but could never memorize anything. For three years I got D's, F's and C's... I couldn't get into any medical school...

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A friend of mine told me about an eccentric art teacher, Pedro Miller. [He] brought in reproductions of Braque and Cezanne and Picasso, and everybody laughed at their work. Norman Rockwell was the hero of the day, but Pedro hated Norman Rockwell. [Pedro] would say, "Let's see what you guys can do." I didn't know what to do. I took one brush and put it in the red, put another in the white, and marked up my board. That wasn't any good, so out of desperation I put my fingers in the paint jars and scratched over the board. I was going to get my ass kicked. [Pedro] looked at me... picked up my work... and said, "Now, here's a real artist." Changed my life right then and there.

I transferred to UCLA. It had a sh**** art department and I hated it... I decided I wanted to be a movie director. I got a job [at Twentieth Century-Fox] as a messenger. [Then I] decided to go up to Carmel. There I got a job on a sardine clipper ship... I got so sick I wanted to die.

In 1952... I met a girl at a tea dance... It was love at first sight. She was going through a trial separation. Her husband found us in bed and wanted to kill me with his 45. I sweet-talked him, and he took me to the bus station and bought me a bus ticket. She went back to him. I went back to UCLA... The faculty was old-fashioned and [I] used to laugh at them all the time, right in their faces.

When Walter Hopps started Ferus [Gallery in 1957] I was one of the original artists. In 1959 I moved to New York [and later] to San Francisco. I hung out at the Cedar Tavern and met Franz Kline, de Kooning, Rothko. I was just one of the punks.

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In 1970 I was lined up to have the inaugural show at Sonnabend Gallery in New York. A week before the opening, she sends me a contract. I didn't feel comfortable with the idea of a contract. That was the end of that. No show. Because I have a big mouth and I'm impulsive, I spoiled my so-called career so many times that I can't even remember.

The curator of MOMA... bought for the museum a painting of mine I didn't like. I said, "You can have... a much better painting." He said, "No, I'm satisfied with the one I picked out. I think it's terrific" [I] said, "I'm flying [to New York] next week. If that painting is still on the wall, I'm going to take a razor blade and cut it off the wall." Since that time I haven't had any contact with the Modern. My life is checkered with those kinds of experiences.

Once I went to Spain and my children almost died of food poisoning. Someone said to me, "We have lots of children here because if one dies, we will have others to help us out." Hearing that changed the way I paint. I used to work on one painting at a time... until it revealed itself or I murdered it. Today I work on eight to ten canvases at once, many of which I throw out. People say I am always changing the way I paint, but I don't change, the paintings mutate. I'm painting to bring about that kind of magic. A good painting is like turning the rock over and over. It's the result of relentless pursuit and chance."



So once again, happy birthday to you, Ed, you're the best.

To learn about Edward's Fine Art of Art Collecting Classes, please visit his website. You can also read The New York Times article about his classes here, or an Artillery Magazine article about Edward and his classes here.

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Lights, action. camera... I felt as though I was in the midst of a super, surreal Hollywood set, inundated with flashes of light and exploding with sound, as well as crowds of brightly colored people, in unique costume and apparel, engulfing the room, when in reality I was present at the grander than grand opening of the first Flagship store of rockstar designer, Stevie Boi.

The vibration and energy of the store, located at 188 8th Ave, in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, was filled with effervescence, sparkling flamboyance and happiness. Cory Wade from America's Top Model was there, as well as celebrities of the fashion world and a slew of supporting media and photographers.

Stevie Boi has designed wild and fabulous sunglasses for Elton John, Lady GaGa and Beyonce. The room overflowed with his creative glasses and samples form his brand new line "Cabin." As we sipped Stevie's self designed wine creation, from Sweden, we celebrated his new endeavors, as well as his new movie starring Denzel Washington, where Stevie will be portraying the role of an alien.

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I am so excited for you about this store.

Me too! I'm just really, really grateful that the owner of the store gave me this space. So far everybody is happy. I'm surprised that everyone came so early.

Do you plan to be here and run the store?

To be honest, no. It's just impossible. I'm one person trying to do 10 jobs.

So we spoke a few days ago about a project with Oprah. Have you manifested anything new since then?

I've manifested a lot. I'm going to be in a movie with Denzil Washington. I can't tell you the name of it, because they don't have one yet, but I play an alien.

I think it's amazing, just what you've accomplished in the short time I've known you.

Isn't it so relaxing here? I work very, very hard.

It is. Yes, I know you do. You are bigger than fashion! So tell me about your own film that you plan to release.

I'm going to be directing and starring in my own film this August, it's called Cabin. It's actually based on my collection, but it's going to be turned into a psychological thriller. I'm taking fashion and mixing it with other arts. It's going to be really interesting.

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You do have that creative sensibility.

At that point, Stevie handed me a huge bottle of wine, and the room became overwhelmed with supporters and Stevie Boi fans....
Bernie Sanders will not be the Democratic nominee for president -- but he can play a key role both in defeating Donald Trump and in building a movement for change that lasts beyond November.

Conventional wisdom suggests Bernie drop out now, to allow Hillary Clinton to focus on defeating Trump. But Hillary's best chance may actually be if Bernie stays in -- maintaining an independent campaign where he can continue to talk in his own voice about why voters need to defeat Trump. And, if Hillary is the nominee, that means electing her.

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Bernie maintaining his independence gives him the best shot at both defeating Trump and continuing to build a movement for change. For only if he speaks in his own voice, with a clear difference between his voice and Hillary's, can he bring along those millions of Americans, old and especially young, who have been inspired by his message, and who are distinctly uninspired by hers.

As Bernie told 13,000 of us at a Seattle rally, "Change happens when people look around them and say, 'The status quo is not acceptable.'" But Hillary Clinton is the quintessential candidate of this status quo. And for this and other reasons, she is warmly despised by millions on both the right and the left. Yet she's also America's realistic alternative to avoid the prospect of President Trump. And, once the nomination is settled, Bernie can play a key role in making that clear.

It's an open question whether enough Americans see the danger in a Trump presidency to defeat him by voting for Clinton, rather than staying home. Fifty-three percent of young voters expressed a negative view of Hillary in a recent Harvard Institute of Politics poll -- although Trump's negatives, at 74 percent, were even higher. It's possible that nothing she says at this point will convince them.

But they do trust Bernie, and his authenticity is a key element of this trust, maybe the key element. He builds on it not by folding his tents and going home, but by continuing to campaign independently of Hillary, not only through the California primary and the Democratic Convention, but afterwards as well. He has to remain disciplined, which means no gratuitous attacks on Clinton, and emphasizing at every turn his first and loudest message: that his supporters must help defeat Trump by voting for Hillary.

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He'll do that by making clear the stakes -- on issues from climate change, to immigrant rights, to Trump's manifest eagerness to suppress all dissent, to the Supreme Court. But Bernie needs to get this message out in a way that his supporters will trust -- because many would likely reject exactly the same message coming from Hillary.

That means he can't be perceived as Hillary's tool or as selling out to her. The authenticity and independence he's maintained so far are crucial. And the only way for him to keep an independent voice is to continue running an independent campaign - with the first goal of electing Hillary and, then, of keeping up the pressure on her post-election. That means continuing to organize after the primaries end, traveling to key states, speaking to large audiences, and building momentum and organization.

This wouldn't be Ralph Nader electing George Bush by drawing off voters from Al Gore. Every talk Bernie gives should make clear the unequivocal goal of getting Hillary elected, along with as progressive a Senate and Congress as possible and progressive down-ballot candidates. This means voting, but also volunteering to bring others along, because that's what it will take. Bernie would make clear that sitting out the election, or voting for any third-party presidential candidate, means helping to elect Trump. And that risking a Trump victory is not an acceptable option.

The critical element is for Bernie to continue speaking in his own eloquent and authentic voice, building a visibly independent movement that speaks to people's real sense that those who hold power (including the Clintons) have dealt them a raw deal. If Bernie's supporters see his campaign as subservient to hers, they'll stop trusting him and many will stay home. If they see him continuing to speak for himself, while offering a framework for continued hope and idealism, they're far more likely to listen, and to keep participating.

Hillary will like some parts of what Bernie has to say - and will intensely dislike other parts. So be it. Americans who want to move beyond the stale status quo need a credible leader, and for the moment that leader is Bernie Sanders. Bernie can even say, honestly and forthrightly, that Hillary is not his ideal president, while explaining how she is vastly preferable to Trump. He can explain the reasons and the stakes, while also explaining the links between people turning out in November and the longer-term movement we need to build to expand what seems politically possible.

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He can make clear that this election isn't about Hillary, or whether his supporters like or trust her, but about the clear and present danger that Donald Trump represents to what's left of American democracy, not to mention the planet. And that if enough people organize and bring enough others to the polls, we have a chance not only to stop him, but also to build something positive far beyond the current election.
Supporting entrepreneurship has been a key part of the Case Foundation's work throughout its nearly 20-year history. But in 2014 the Washington, D.C.-based foundation began to notice that American entrepreneurs are a surprisingly homogeneous group.



Sheila Herrling, the foundation's senior vice president of social innovation, cites data showing that only eight percent of startups nationwide have female founders and less than one percent have African-American founders.



"Really looking at the demographics is sort of startling," Herrling says. "All of a sudden it kind of hit us in the face."



Since then the foundation has made inclusivity a key element of its entrepreneurship program and undertaken several initiatives aimed at encouraging diversity among American entrepreneurs. The foundation has supported PowerMoves, a New Orleans-based business incubator for people of color, and the Focus Fund, a $10-million Cleveland-based investment fund that provides venture capital to businesses led by women and people of color. This fall the foundation will launch a campaign called "I Am an Entrepreneur," using social media to spotlight female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color.



"We just basically use our megaphone and our social media following to talk about the issues, to raise the issues, to put data on the table and to tell stories," Herrling says.



Herrling outlines three key current trends in inclusive innovation. The first and most obvious, which the Case Foundation is currently emphasizing, is increasing diversity among American entrepreneurs. The second is to make it more possible for entrepreneurs to stay in their cities of origin instead of having to move to New York City, Silicon Valley or other economic centers to find venture capital. The third trend Herrling points to is the rise of social impact companies that demonstrate the feasibility of making both a financial and a social return on investment.



"For us, those three pieces of inclusion are increasingly coming together," Herrling says. "I think that's the biggest trend that we think is going to drive growth: more diverse entrepreneurs driving at social problems and social change while making profits and creating jobs in cities."



Herrling also outlines three current barriers to inclusive entrepreneurship, which the Case Foundation's work is structured around dismantling. The first is access to social capital, which the fund is working to address by investing in programs like PowerMoves and other accelerators. The second is access to financial capital, a problem the foundation hopes to eventually address by finding a strategy to increase diversity within venture capital firms themselves.



"Largely, the people making the decisions [on venture capital investments] are white men," Herrling says. "It shouldn't be too surprising, based on what we know about human nature, that most of the deals are going to white men. If we disrupt that, we can make a difference in who's receiving the funding on the other side."



The third main barrier Herrling hopes to address, starting with the Case Foundation's "I Am an Entrepreneur" campaign, is the issue of what she calls "inspirational capital."



"The visual you're bombarded with every day is a young white guy who is well-resourced and well-networked and had some 'Eureka' idea and became a billionaire," she says. "If I can't look up and see a whole bunch of women entrepreneurs, I will grow up never really thinking of that as a possibility."



Another of the foundation's initial investments in inclusive entrepreneurship is its partnership with Forward Cities, which Herrling describes as "an investment in our own learning." She says she's been impressed with the "extraordinary" work Forward Cities has accomplished so far, and envisions a lasting body of work resulting from the initiative to inspire future innovation.



"To the extent that we can look across and use the data and use the stories to distill some common denominators for really incentivizing inclusive growth and inclusive entrepreneurship, that becomes almost a playbook for any city that wants to take up the mantle," she says. "That would be my big hope."
Renowned author and journalist, Walter Isaacson, will continue this conversation at the upcoming Forward Cities convening in Cleveland. Currently the CEO/President of the Aspen Institute, Isaacson will be the key presenter at the Forward Cities dinner reception at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.



Best known as the author of the Steve Jobs biography, his most recent book, The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, directly connects with his work at the Aspen Institute and the focus of Forward Cities.



Starting in the Victorian period with Ada Byron Lovelace - today widely regarded as the first computer programmer - and moving through Alan Turing, Tim Berners Lee, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs among others, Isaacson studies not only the innovators that helped create the digital revolution - but also the conditions needed for innovation to occur.



What is clear to Isaacson is that innovation today does not happen in a vacuum and that creative people - disrupters, entrepreneurs, leaders - need collaboration, teamwork and diversity to make innovation happen.



This makes urban innovation even more important as cities are cultural ecosystems that foster progress. As Isaacson said, "urban areas are ideally suited to be such ecosystems, because of the diversity of people with complementary skills, ideas and ambitions that they bring together in the same space." That is why, Isaacson believes, the cities and communities that will be successful in the 21st Century will be those that embrace the ethnic and racial ideological diversity that encourages urban innovation.



Isaacson is actively involved in studying and supporting urban innovation through the Aspen Institute's Center for Urban Innovation.



While Isaacson notes that business incubators, like Idea Village or Propeller in New Orleans, are important to promoting urban innovation, it's not just entrepreneurs or tech start-ups that play a role. Community, business and neighborhood leaders must work together to build an environment that is intentional about inclusivity in order to be both a creative and civil society.
This week, government officials, advocates, policymakers, corporate leaders, journalists, and others are in Copenhagen for Women Deliver, a major international conference focused on the health, rights, and well-being of women and girls. While women and girls have seen concrete improvements in their health and lives since the Millennium Development Goals were adopted in 2001, the right to a safe abortion remains elusive for too many. An estimated 20 million women and girls undergo an unsafe abortion each year, the overwhelming majority in developing countries. An estimated 47,000 women and girls die every year as a result--more than 800 a day--and thousands more experience grave injuries.

The United States bears significant responsibility for this state of affairs. U.S. laws and funding restrictions--and the very way we talk about abortion--are incredibly damaging globally. The U.S. policy on abortion fails women around the world in three fundamental ways.

First, U.S. policies and rhetoric fail to recognize that safe abortion is an integral component of reproductive health care and that it is a human right. The U.S. government--and many civil society organizations--prefer to stick to "safer" issues like family planning, skirting the fact that abortion is part of the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Even more, U.S. leaders and policymakers are wary of using rights-based language when speaking about abortion because they fear that human rights demand a higher level of action and leadership. They're right about that. Since a woman's ability to control her body, her sexuality, and her reproduction is a human right, we should be asking our leaders to uphold it.

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Second, U.S. policies fail to recognize that abortion should be available in all circumstances. The infamous Helms Amendment prohibits U.S. foreign aid funding for abortion "as a method of family planning." Yet the Obama Administration has continued to misinterpret this restriction as a blanket prohibition on funding all abortion overseas--even in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the woman is in danger. Yet in none of these cases is abortion a form of family planning.

The International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC) and others have been advocating for the U.S. government to correctly interpret the Helms Amendment--by the letter of the law. This is crucial because the United States is the largest single funder of women's health programs globally; what it says and does matters. These restrictions have a terrible chilling effect in the field. Yesterday at the Conference, at a panel organized by IWHC, CHANGE, Advocates for Youth, and Pathfinder, panelists and members of the audience recounted examples of the damaging impact of Helms on reproductive health programs--from Kenya to Mozambique.

The problems with the Helms amendment run even deeper than its interpretation. Its wording perpetuates a good girl/bad girl dichotomy, and sends the message that women should only have access to abortion if it isn't their fault they became pregnant. This is at odds with the reality of women's lives; there are myriad reasons women seek abortions.

At the panel, U.S.-based abortion provider Dr. Willie Parker called this "the politics of respectability." He warned the assembled advocates against fitting abortion into respectability boxes, like cases of rape or severe fetal abnormalities. Dr. Parker emphasized that the only justification a woman needs for an abortion is the fact that she is pregnant and doesn't want to be. Precisely.

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Lastly, the United States has failed to recognize that abortion should be legal everywhere and for everyone. U.S. policymakers--and even many international women's health activists--limit themselves to improving access to abortion "where it is not against the law." They are often reluctant to call for access to abortion in countries where access is restricted by law. Yet, over two decades ago, 189 countries adopted the landmark Beijing Platform for Action, which called on governments to review laws that penalize women who have undergone illegal abortions. Punitive laws are directly linked to higher rates of unsafe abortion, a major cause of maternal mortality. They increase stigma about abortion, and undermine women's access to postabortion care, counseling, education, and, in many cases, contraceptive services. Laws prohibiting abortion do not in fact reduce the number of abortions, but make them unsafe.

Meanwhile, many countries have faced these facts and are liberalizing their abortion laws--from Nepal to Uruguay, from Mozambique to Chile. Not only does the United States ignore this important trend, but every year Congress passes the Siljander Amendment to appropriations, to bar the use of any U.S. foreign assistance funds from being used to advocate on abortion. On any other human rights issue, we would not accept national laws as an excuse for violations, but would support domestic activists working to change the situation. Why should abortion be different?

At Women Deliver, activists have highlighted diplomacy as a way the United States can show leadership without running afoul of congressional restrictions on abortion. While the Helms amendment and other legislation limit what the U.S. government can fund, Administration officials can say whatever they want. The U.S. government should use its voice to support, at all levels, abortion rights and access. As an organization active at the United Nations, IWHC has repeatedly seen firsthand how powerful this approach, when utilized, can be.

Over many years, I've met countess women who shared horror stories of what they endured because they couldn't access safe abortion. Without a change in U.S. policy, women around the world--from Nigeria to Haiti--will continue to be denied these critical services. It's time the United States--the current Administration and the next one--upholds its Beijing commitments and urges other countries to do the same.

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I'm Fred Raillard, CEO, Co-founder and Creative Chief Officer of FRED & FARID, a social, content, tech solutions for brands company based in Paris, Shanghai, Beijing and New York. In partnership with FRED & FARID, BFM Business launches #FredinChina, a social media podcast in "Chine Hebdo", the weekly radio broadcast of Mathieu Jolivet. #FredinChina is essential to know and understand the world's largest economy.

I fell in love with China, and live in Shanghai with my wife and sons since September 2012. With my teams at the FRED & FARID Shanghai agency we monitor, analyze and decrypt this ultra-connected China with nearly 800 million netizens by sharing what we see, hear and read on Weibo, WeChat, Huaban, Youku. I prepare this column with Jing Qian from FRED & FARID Shanghai.

Click here to listen to all the podcasts.

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Health scandal caused by the murder of a dentist in China

The HotTopic of the week is a very dramatic one. It's the murder of a doctor. He was stabbed. This guy was a dentist, a professor, a highly respected physician and professor, here in China. He was loved by his community. The story behind the murder is crazy, he took care of someone's teeth for twenty years and it so happened that the person's teeth started to became yellow. And for that, the person followed the dentist during the night, and stabbed him more than 30 times.

It became super viral because there was a picture that leaked from the hospital where we could see all of the doctors working in the hospital, and a whole crowd around the bed trying to save the life of this poor man. It underlines a serious tension between doctors/hospitals and on the other side the Chinese patients. There are so many scandals related to health. When something like this happens, journalists and the whole system tend to blame the doctors and the hospitals. But this time, there was no possible medical blame. This dentist was a super bright, respected person. And it was in no way his fault that his patient's teeth became yellow.

It was very surprising to see this story surface on the web because usually, the scandals around medical topics are focused on the medical groups. It shook the whole China and generate a lot of online conversations making it the HotTopic of the week.

Google Tilt Brush: from sci-fi to reality

The HotBrand of the week is Google again with the Tilt Brush. Virtual reality is one of the hottest subject at the moment on social media, but also in the tech world and everyone wants to play a part in this big trend. Brands are focusing on how to enter this viral world. Google released this software tilt brush that allows you to draw around yourself.

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Linked to the virtual reality glasses you enter a kind of room, a universe, and you can easily draw a sculpture, and more importantly in a 3D space, meaning you can draw all around you, 360. It's truly impressive because you can build a universe and you're the center of this universe. You should really see the videos by searching Google Tilt Brush, the demonstration is incredible. This isn't sci-fi, it's reality. The software will eventually be sold to the public. Google went super viral with this demonstration: everyone looked it up and then kept comparing Baidu and Google.

Baidu recently went through a huge scandal and is considered in China as an evil company. And Google used to have a tagline which was  Don't be evil . Both entered the digital world and became digital giants. They entered by the same door, the search engine. And of course every time something good happened for Google or bad for Baidu, Chinese people compared the two companies. A lot of people blame Baidu for not being Google. They're hoping that at some point the Chinese government will allow Google to enter the country. They will have the choice between Baidu and Google as their search engines.

Social media pressure that pushes people to the extreme

The HotPost of the week is totally stupid. It's the  The corn drill  or  drill corn . Basically, it's a young woman, who made a video of herself, holding in her hands a drill. But on the drill, she put a corn. So when she pressed the button, she could supposably eat the corn much faster then without the drill. So on the video, she presses the button, we see the drill turning, and we see her face getting closer and closer to the drill, but then something terrible happens. Her hair gets stuck in the drill and is ripped clear off her head. It's super violent. We can see a hole on her head, where she is now bold.

A shocking, viral video, that shows the new digital world we are living in: people are ready to do anything, to get attention and more followers, on livestream platforms, etc. It's not only in China, but in the whole world. We can see this phenomenon growing in social media. The pressure of being seen, you know, that pushes people to the extreme.
Some people think that having darker skin means you will not get melanoma. This is not just a myth; it is a dangerous misconception.

The truth is, melanoma doesn't discriminate. All types of skin need protecting. After many years of working under the sun in Cuba, both of my grandparents were diagnosed with skin cancer. Like many people, I had always thought of wearing sunscreen as one of those things I was just "supposed" to do. I didn't fully comprehend the consequences of sun damage until I witnessed them first hand.

Watching my grandparents struggle and seeing their pain was a major wake-up call. As I began to understand the importance of sun safety, I couldn't understand why more people weren't talking about melanoma. I realized it was time to start a conversation and raise awareness about this preventable disease, especially among women.

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Here are my tips for protecting your skin, your beauty, and your life. I promise you, it's worth it.

Make it a morning habit

You know how you wouldn't leave the house without brushing your teeth? Take the same approach with sunscreen. Slather on some SPF in the morning and it will become second nature before you know it. I always use a moisturizer with broad spectrum SPF to hydrate my skin and protect it at the same time.

Rain or shine

Do not assume that sunny days are the only time you need to protect your skin. UV rays can pass through clouds, so be sure wear sunscreen even if it is overcast.

Do not forget to reapply

Unfortunately, you cannot just put on SPF in the morning and forget about it. You need to reapply! I keep a quick dry spray formula in my purse because they're super easy to apply on the go.

Protect your neck

You know you are supposed to wear sunscreen on your face, but do not forget about other areas that might be exposed to rays throughout the day. Your ears, neck, and hands need protecting, too!

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Do not be afraid to fake it

It's 2016, guys. Getting a beautiful, beachy glow no longer means baking in the sun or under the lights of a tanning bed. I am all about creating a faux glow with makeup and self-tanner. Sweep on a bronzer or apply self-tanner and--voila!--a sun-kissed glow sans skin damage!

Spread the word

Help get the word out! Educate your friends about the importance of protecting their skin every day. I am proud to work join forces with L'Oreal Paris in the fight to prevent melanoma.

Since 2013, L'Oreal Skin Expert Paris has donated $750,000 to the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) to support the fight to prevent melanoma. For the next three years, L'Oreal Skin Expert Paris will continue supporting the MRA by donating $250,000 a year to this worthy organization.
The logic is straightforward. Culture is the only sustainable competitive advantage. But if all you do is sustain your culture, your relative advantage erodes over time. The strongest teams restore themselves after losses or injury and create new growth. Thus, culture is indeed a sustainable advantage - but only if it's regenerative. Oddly enough, the ethics and principles of Permaculture can help you make that happen by meeting people where they are, redirecting momentum and building in self-regeneration.

Insights often hit you when you least expect them. I was enjoying the early morning sunshine in the jungle in Panama at HATCH Latin America when some kid with a colorful tattoo on his arm asked me if I was attending the Permaculture class.

I was not.

Wasn't there to go to class. Had never heard of Permaculture. And when the kid explained it was "a system of agriculture based on harmonious integration of plants and their surrounding" I was even less interested. But I felt sorry for him because it looked like I might be his only student.

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What a mistake!

Not in attending the class, but in failing to be open to new perspectives and ideas. I did attend and it turned out the "kids", Matt Duffy and Robbie Love were knowledgeable, informative and gave me new way to look at team leadership. They co-lead agriculture at the Kalu Yala institute, "the world's most sustainable community", hosting students from around the world.

First they took us through the core ethics of Permaculture: Care of Earth; Care of People; Fair Share; Transition - meeting things where they are. Then they took us through twelve principles like seeking first to understand, moving from patterns to detail, integrating step by step as you manage constraints and resources, waste and yield while paying particular attention to what's happening in the margins, at the edges and intersections of diverse things so you can creatively use and respond to change.

Those interested in growing crops should spend time at Kalu Yala with Matt and Robbie. My interest is in applying their ideas to growing organizational cultures as sustainable competitive advantages. In particular:

Meet people where they are. Redirect momentum. Build in self-regeneration.

Meet people where they are

Matt explained that you shouldn't build anything for a year, taking time to engage with nature so you can design solutions that suit your particular situation.

Way too many leaders onboarding into organizations try to mold those organizations to fit their leadership style. These leaders have it backwards. No one will follow anyone, anywhere, anytime until they have earned the right to lead. This requires taking the time to observe and interact so you can meet the organization where it is and converge into its ecosystem before trying to evolve it from the inside.

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Redirect Momentum

Aikido is a martial art in which you redirect the momentum of your opponent's attack. Having met your followers where they are you can leverage some of the Permaculture ideas to redirect their momentum in positive ways:

Start by getting bigger picture things vaguely right and building on already existing patterns.

Put people with complementary strengths together in interdependent teams.

Move step by step to build positive momentum over time.

Manage constraints and resources, waste and yield so solutions are sustainable.

Pay attention to what's happening in the margins, at the edges and intersections of diverse things to find connective creative innovations and respond to change.

Build in self-regeneration

Poor leaders leave behind a wake filled with the debris of broken and disillusioned people that never recover from getting run over by them as they plow through the organization.

Good leaders instill the confidence required for their followers to form high performing teams.
Coming out is never easy. It's especially difficult for Asian Americans, South Asians, Southeast Asians, and Pacific Islanders (API). We have been taught for centuries not to do anything that will shame our parents or dishonor our ancestors.

To commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, my organization, the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, is launching a major campaign to help us come out to our families. NQAPIA's Asian Family Acceptance Campaign will promote acceptance of LGBT people in API families.

Our history-making campaign includes a first-of-their-kind series of multilingual television ads featuring API parents who love and accept their LGBT children. We have also scheduled workshops in a dozen cities across the country for Asian parents of LGBT kids. These workshops will provide culturally receptive peer-support for parents and their children. They will be in Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, New Orleans, Seattle, Newark NJ, Boston, Orange County CA, and San Diego.

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I wish my Filipino mom could have had these ads and attended these workshops when I was growing up.

It took me fifteen years to come out to my mom and dad. I always knew that my parents loved me, but I wanted to share being gay with them.

Like many other APIs, my parents came from the Philippines to America so their kids could have a better life. They wanted me to be successful and secure, so they sacrificed greatly for me. So I never wanted to be the source of drama and heartache.

I tried to come out several times. But something in the family would come up. My grandparents passed. My sister got married. But would it ever be my time?

In the back of their minds, I think they knew. They ignored me when I said I was going to an LGBT youth meeting. After I had gone off to college, my mom called one day. She asked about her missing sequin ballroom dresses. (While we spoke, I was balancing on high heels and practicing my latest drag routine.) Most mothers don't ask if their son has raided their closet. Denial is an amazing thing.

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I brought my partner home many times. He was very much welcomed into my family. He was called my "special friend." At a family reunion, when it came time for the family picture, he was asked to be the picture taker. In the photo, I am standing with my family, but I felt as if I was standing alone.

When my partner and I were planning our commitment ceremony ten years ago, I knew it was time to have the talk with mom and dad to come. Dad told me, "You're still my son." But my mom said, "There are no gays back home, so how can you be gay?" The only LGBTQ people that she saw on TV were all white. She deduced that being gay was an American thing, a Western influence, like divorce, teen-pregnancy, alcoholism, and college hazing.

My dad wanted to come to my commitment ceremony but my mom didn't. The compromise was that they attended only the reception. One baby step forward. When my partner and I started our own family, we adopted a child. My parents fully embraced their new grandson. Another step forward. Finally, when New York State approved same-sex marriage, my mother and father were there, standing by my side at the civil ceremony.

My family is like so many other Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander families. Coming out is a difficult and long process that moves from tolerance, to some understanding, then acceptance, and finally celebration.

It's wonderful that LGBT people get legally married. But when it comes to LGBT Asian Americans, who will come to the wedding? Marriage is about equal rights; but it's also about the acceptance of LGBT people in our families. What's a civil right when we lack the family recognition behind it?

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For the month of June - LGBT Pride Month - NQAPIA will air a series of multilingual television ads on Asian television networks. Airing in six Asian languages and dialects, the ads will reach millions of viewers across the U.S. The ads can be viewed here.

Just imagine watching your favorite Chinese soap opera or new Bollywood movie and a commercial pops up talking about LGBT love and acceptance in Mandarin or Hindi.

Finally, NQAPIA's translated leaflets, "Family Is Still Family, Love Is Still Love" dispel common misconceptions and are available in nineteen Asian languages and scripts. There is so little information out there about sexual orientation and gender-identity in Bengali, Urdu, and Khmer.
By Stefanie O'Connell

The six-figure salary has long stood as an income ideal -- representing, for many, a milestone of having "made it." However, those who top lists like the legendary Forbes 100 are not content to stay at six, or even seven, figures. They drive their earnings and wealth-building pursuits into the billions, meaning net worths totaling 10, and in some cases, 11 figures.

If you're the hyper-ambitious type, interested in following in the footsteps of this upper echelon of the top one percent, here are 10 ways to make your first billion dollars using the real-world trajectories of today's billionaire legends.

1. Start an Online Business

Numbers 15 and 16 on Forbes' 2015 list of The World's Billionaires made their fortunes by starting online businesses -- Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon.com, and Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Facebook. Both of these eleven-figure entrepreneurs leveraged the power of the internet to build their businesses and their billions.

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In 2015 alone, Bezos saw his net worth increase by nearly 30 billion when Amazon's stock price more than doubled, according to The Motley Fool. One of his core business-building philosophies: Grow slowly. It took nine years for Amazon to turn a profit. Bezos wanted to keep prices low while reinvesting as much revenue as possible back into the company. The payoff is a company worth multiple billions today with no signs of slowing.

As for Zuckerberg, it's all about maintaining focus. "I feel like I'm not doing my job if I spend any of my energy on things that are silly or frivolous about my life so that I can dedicate all my energy into building the best products and services," he said at a Facebook Q&A.

2. Make Smart Investments

The third highest-ranking billionaire on the Forbes list is Warren Buffett. Buffett's real-time net worth, as of February 2016, was about $60 billion. Although some of his multibillion dollar fortune came from his company, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett also enjoys regular gains from his personal investments.

His recommended strategy: Holding conservative bonds and low-cost index funds over the long term. "If you aren't willing to own a stock for 10 years, don't even think about owning it for 10 minutes," Buffett wrote in his 1996 Berkshire Hathaway chairman's letter.

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In addition to traditional investments, he also recommends investing in yourself. "Anything you do to improve your talents and make yourself more valuable will get paid off in terms of appropriate real purchasing power," he said in an interview with CNBC. Unlike other investments, the value you get from investing in yourself can't be stolen or taxed away, he noted.

3. Diversify Your Financial Interests

Brothers Charles Koch and David Koch both made the billionaire list with real-time net worths totaling about $43 billion each. The Koch brothers are the owners of the second-largest private company in America, Koch Industries. One of the major ways they've been able to build their respective multibillion dollar fortunes is through diversification of their financial interests.

Koch Industries' interests range from the chemical technology business to oil pipelines, to paper towels and Dixie cups. This kind of diversification is a good way to ensure you won't run out of cash flow should one of the industries you're invested in suddenly dry up.

4. Invent a Solution

Many self-made billionaires have made their fortunes off inventions that solve common problems, needs or desires. Michele Ferrero, for example, took his father's sweets company to the next level by helping people satisfy their sweet tooth with Nutella.

Nutella was born at a time when cocoa was rationed, but hazelnuts were plentiful -- offering a creative and practical solution for the sweet makers. Successful inventions aren't always complicated or high-tech, as seen with the success of Nutella, but they are things that address people's wants and needs.

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5. Be an Innovator

Sometimes the best products are not original inventions, but instead innovations or improvements upon those initial products. A prime example of innovation is billionaire businessman Sam Walton, who opened the first Walmart in 1962.

What made Walmart an innovation was the idea that the business could expand enough to sell products to consumers at lower prices than other retailers, saving them money on their basic necessities. This basic premise transformed the way America shopped, while making Walmart into one of the biggest retailers in the world -- and Walton one of the richest men in the world in the process. Over fifty years since the opening of the first Walmart, several of Sam Walton's family members are still on the Forbes list of billionaires.

6. Pursue Your Passion

Passion is a popular topic of discussion among self-made billionaires. In fact, one of the common denominators of interviews with billionaires in Robert Jordan's book, "How They Did It: Billion Dollar Insights from the Heart of America," revealed that whereas skills can be learned, passion cannot be.

Take billionaire Oprah Winfrey, for example. She could have been just another talk show host, but her passion for breaking down barriers and promoting causes played a key role in shaping her success.

"I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint -- and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you," she said, according to Time.com.

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7. Take Action

Sara Blakely, the youngest self-made female billionaire in history, and founder of Spanx, started her billion-dollar business with just $5,000 in her savings account. She cut the feet off her stockings and wore them under her pants, then used her $5,000 to design a product prototype and get the word out. She worked from her own apartment and didn't even launch a website until Spanx were a success, to avoid any non-essential costs.

The lesson: Take action. You don't need to wait for funding to move forward with your idea.

"It won't be easy. Your ideas won't work all the time," said finance expert and host of the So Money Podcast, Farnoosh Torabi. "People won't always have your best interest at heart. You will trust the wrong people. But nobody makes a million -- let alone a billion -- dollars because they gave up, gave in or listened to haters."

8. Collaborate

Many of the newest and youngest members of the "billionaire club" are business partners. To name a few: Sachin and Binny Bansal, co-founders of Flipkart; Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy of Snapchat; and Nathan Blecharczyk, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia of AirBnB.

Having a co-founder can compliment both your skill set and your vision. Maybe you have a good idea, but don't know how to build the physical product, or excellent tech skills but poor business acumen. A co-founder can help fill in the holes of your experience and abilities to give your business the well-roundedness of a potential billion-dollar venture.

9. Adopt a Billionaire Mentality

Rich people have a rich mentality, according to Steve Siebold, author of "How Rich People Think," who has interviewed over 1,200 of the world's wealthiest people. "While the masses are waiting to pick the right numbers and praying for prosperity, the great ones are solving problems," he wrote. "Anyone can become wealthy. It has nothing to do with your education or where you come from. It's not what you do that guarantees wealth, it's what you are."

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10. Change Your Perspective

Instead of simply focusing on building six, seven or eleven figures worth of wealth, change your focus to making things and crafting solutions instead. Create new products, improve current products, help people. But most importantly, keep pushing through.

"The one thing the most successful people I've worked with have in common is true and utter resilience," said entrepreneur and best-selling author of "Shark Tank Jump Start Your Business," Michael Parrish DuDell. "They are not only good at picking themselves up, but they recognize that in the moments they get thrown off the horse or they stumble, those are actually the most important moments, the moments that end up dictating the next move that they make."

To grow your own worth into the realm of billions, combine savvy business sense with a passion for excellence, execution and superhuman resilience.
Safe havens no longer exist for Americans who study and travel abroad. It is today's reality, particularly in the age of ISIS.

As a study abroad coordinator for more than a decade, I have been fortunate with not having any of my students become victims of overseas terrorist attacks. I can remember a huge mental shift that occurred with me, and how I advised those who traveled, after terrorist suicide bombings took place in London in 2005. In the attacks, a detonated bomb demolished the first three rows of a double-decker bus. My friend and colleague's student was on the top section of that bus and in the fourth row. "That student's ears continued to ring a long time after," downplayed my colleague. We continued to share a forlorn glance, knowing the student was inches from losing his life. In that moment, I knew with the increasing threat of terrorism, I would need to make every effort possible to turn my students into the most vigilant of travelers.

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Unfortunately, similar and more frequent attacks have occurred since that London strike, with the Islamic State, or ISIS being the greatest concern. Just this past March, ISIS claimed responsibility for the Brussels attack that left more than 30 people dead and dozens injured, as well as last November's Paris attack that left a reported 130 dead and hundreds injured. And these attacks are occurring in the world's most popular travel destination--Western Europe.

I share this reality not to deter you from summer travel or study abroad. Just the opposite. Don't fall victim to fear. But with this current overseas culture and my own experiences, I think it is essential that you realize you have to be fully prepared and alert while doing summer travel. Have a crisis plan in place prior to stepping on that plane to go overseas.

If you are depending on a college or university to provide a safe location and program, take the time now to research the history of the place, its attractions, and potential cultural differences because some institutions won't hesitate sending you to a region with a US State Department travel warning. As a coordinator of study abroad in higher education, I firmly believe that students should not be allowed travel to these regions. Even if this seems like an overabundance of caution, in this environment of recent attacks against Westerners in Belgium, Paris, and London, why put anyone at risk?

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However, some coordinators take a different approach. Some programs appear to have policies that protect students from going to these potentially dangerous areas, but when you delve into the details of those programs, it is not actually the case. For example, in my book Look Before Leaping: Risks, Liabilities and Repair of Study Abroad in Higher Education (2016), Coordinator Lonna avows that "[our university] will not ever set up a program that is on the US State Department travel warning list. So that is one automatic." This seems cut and dry, right? But with further discussion, her policy becomes murky: "If the student wants to go to that country on their own, they can . . . We'll let them do that as long as they sign a waiver saying there is a U.S. State Department travel warning and they apply directly through [an] institution [abroad]; and we'll let them transfer their credits back . . ." So she will set up a program with a State Department travel warning with the caveat that a student sign an additional waiver not to hold them responsible.

This approach is common, but I am fully against it. Having a student sign an additional waiver to study in an at-risk area serves to protect the institution, not the student. It sends the wrong message--"you knew what you were getting into before you left, so I have no responsibility if you get hurt." Sorry to disappoint eager students who are willing to brave any location, but I would rather err on the side of caution.

So what if you are making summer travel plans through a travel agency? Then you had better double your efforts to research the location, venues, and cultural differences to know the potential risks and best practices to remain safe. My experience has been that colleges and universities take on a greater responsibility of care than a profit-driven agency. You need to look out for your own best interests and safety prior to leaving.

Here are some critical tasks to do before engaging in summer travel or study abroad in this age of ISIS:

Emergency Plan

Make sure that an emergency plan is in place, prior to leaving. If you are doing a college study abroad program, know the exact steps that they have in place for each of these kinds of risks--terrorist attacks, epidemics, natural disasters, and serious injuries.

Evacuation Insurance

Whether it is a college program or travel agency that coordinates your travel, make sure that they provide emergency evacuation insurance. If there is a serious injury or a sudden need to evacuate, medevac needs to be an option.

Research

Sure the US State Department provides terrorist warnings; however, dig deeper with your own research about past incidents in the region.

Register

Before you leave, register with the US State Department, and know where the nearest American embassy is located to your destination.

US Air Force Base

Beyond a US embassy, know where to find the nearest US Air Force base, which may be closer than a US embassy. Did you know that when there is an emergency that they will evacuate Americans for free?

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Stomping over personal liberties and ruling by fear and forcefulness, the Communist Party of China has never been much about freedom of information. Using the media as a mere tool for furthering state agenda, it has always controlled and censored journalism in whichever way it saw fit. First it was newspapers, then the electronic media. But when the internet came along, everyone seemed to think that the Communist Party of China had finally met its greatest nemesis in terms of free distribution of information and opinion. After all, given the sheer vastitude of the world wide web, there was no way the Party could reign in this one. However, as is the very nature of China's communist regime, the Party surprised the world when it came up with one of the most elaborate and foolproof plans to censor the entire interweb and regulate what each Chinese citizen saw, read and shared over the internet, what is now known as the Great Firewall of China. However, while no one can question the sheer genius of China's electronic barrier, it is without a doubt that such an elaborate attempt to curb the freedom of speech and information can only end in disaster.

What can you do on the internet in China? Almost everything. Almost. You see, unlike countries like North Korea, where only 4% of the entire population have access to the internet, China popularizes the use of the internet for education and work purposes. As a result, infrastructure is good and access to the internet is easy. However, the Chinese version of the internet is a highly censored information prison which prevents citizens from gaining access to anything politically sensitive or otherwise against the interests of the Chinese government. As long as you err in the side of caution, you can do almost everything. If you want information, there are several popular local search engines like Baidu, Qihoo 360 Search and Sogou, as well as censored versions of Bing and Yahoo. Want to connect to your friends? Try Ren-ren, the Chinese version of Facebook, or Weibo, China's very own Twitter. If you want to just browse, mot websites and blogs are available for access, except the chosen few who dared voice their opinion against the internet. So as long as you don't look for anything politically sensitive, everything should be fine.

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This brings us to the much bigger question, what can't you do with the internet in China. The answer is, a lot. Popular search engines like Google and DuckDuckGo are banned in the country, since they refused to remove politically sensitive information from their search results. Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Youtube and Instagram are all forbidden. Even when you are on an approved search engine like Baidu, the search box is highly censored, and will refuse to display results for any sensitive terms like Falun Gong and Tiananmen Square. Further, popular news sources like BBC and the New York Times are banned. In fact, even news resources which are still accessible in China are highly dominated and must keep away from publishing anything sensitive to avoid losing access. File sharing websites like Dropbox are also banned.

Thankfully, not all Chinese citizens agree to live by the government's tyrannical impositions, and there are ways to bypass these restrictions if you so desire. The most common method to bypass internet censorship is to get a virtual private network (VPN), which allows you to gain unrestricted access to all websites blocked by the Chinese government. Extending a private network across a public network, a VPN makes it possible for users to send and receive data privately, with complete data encryption and unrestricted access to all corners of the internet. However, with public discord on the rise, the government is always taking stricter measures to prevent free access. Company owners who provide VPN services live under constant threat under the authorities, while bloggers and journalists who dare speak against the government are arrested and sentenced jail. Even individual users who express sensitive opinions are often threatened by officials, causing the entire country to live under constant fear of being charged. News companies and individual users are thus forced to self-censor their content in order to stay out of the authorities' bad books, fulfilling the government's uncanny schemes. However, as governmental suppression rises, so does individual intent to break free of these binds. More and more activists are always coming up with news ways to bypass the authoritarian wall, and sites like Greatfire.org are always looking for new methods to help users gain free access to the internet.

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Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) walks behind former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson (R) after receiving Carson's endorsement at a campaign event in Palm Beach, Florida March 11, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Right wingers have long accused Muslim leaders of not speaking out against ISIS--and they've long been wrong. At the end of last year, a meeting of great minds on Fox News between Sean Hannity -- who earlier that day had said "moderate Muslims don't speak out enough against the hijacking of their religion" -- and Ben Carson, Donald Trump's new second best friend (don't worry, Gov. Christie, you're still his bestie) produced this pile of, er, wisdom:



BEN CARSON: Now, what we need to do, I think, is encourage the imams and the clerics to come out and condemn the radical elements of that faith, because if they can -- SEAN HANNITY (HOST): Do you think the more moderate elements in Islam have been too silent in the face of all -- CARSON: Absolutely. HANNITY: -- of these terror attacks, cumulatively speaking? CARSON: [snip] somebody needs to come out and make that distinction, because we need to have a way of being able to tell who our friends and who our friends are not.

Here's a thought for Mr. Carson, one he can perhaps pass along to his new boss at Trump campaign headquarters--you know, the guy who in January announced that Syrian refugees "could be ISIS ... probably are ISIS:" Our friends are the Muslim leaders who've been condemning ISIS so strongly and effectively that the organization has put their names on a hit list. How's that for making a distinction between ISIS and the Islam practiced by the overwhelming majority of Muslims?

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, an American Muslim scholar based in Berkeley, Calif., 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."

Just three days after the vicious ISIS attack on Brussels that killed 32 people, Tennessee-based Sheikh Yasir Qadhi delivered a powerful rebuke at an East London mosque, one of the largest in Europe: "None of our senior scholars of any school -- any school -- has justified these deeds."

ISIS recently issued death sentences to 11 imams--and this is not the first time it has put out a call to assassinate Muslim American leaders who have spoken out against it. ISIS published the 11 names in Dabiq, its propaganda arm, branded them "obligatory targets," and called on its followers to employ whatever methods possible in order to "make an example of them." The FBI has gotten involved, offering its help to protect some of the threatened imams. None of them have any intention of stopping their anti-ISIS campaign.

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Washington-based Imam Husain Webb, whose "ISIS and ice cream" webcasts--the conversations take place in ice cream parlors and the name is intended as an insult to ISIS--declared: "It's an honor to be denounced by ISIS. I consider it one of my greatest accomplishments in life. It has only reinvigorated me to provide the antivenom to the poison of ISIS."

And it's not just American Muslims. This January, the Marrakesh Declaration condemned jihadi violence and terror. It specifically rejected "criminal groups [who] issue edicts attributed to Islam," noting that they "in fact, alarmingly distort [Islam's] fundamental principles and goals." Additionally, the declaration--which was also endorsed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, founded by and representing the governments of 57 Muslim-majority countries--closed by stating that its adherents:

Call upon representatives of the various religions, sects and denominations to confront all forms of religious bigotry, villification, and denegration of what people hold sacred, as well as all speech that promote hatred and bigotry; AND FINALLY, AFFIRM that it is unconscionable to employ religion for the purpose of aggressing upon the rights of religious minorities in Muslim countries.

Is that speaking out "enough" for Mr. Hannity and Mr. Carson? If not, they can talk to the family of Samahan Abdel-Aziz. In the city of Aden, Yemen, Mr. Abdel-Aziz preached against the extremism of ISIS and al-Qaeda. He was kidnapped the next day. Two days after delivering the sermon, his body was found.

We cannot allow right-wing lies about Muslims to take root. It is important for Muslim leaders to condemn crimes committed in the name of their faith, and they have done so--at great risk--both at the individual and institutional level, both in the West and in Muslim countries.

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The brand-new mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is now the most important Muslim elected official in the Western world, and an incredibly powerful example of Muslim integration. Here's how he put it: "Daesh, ISIS, all those guys, hate the fact that I am mayor of London. Why? Because it contradicts what they say, which is that Western liberal values are incompatible with Islam." Londoners, he added, "chose unity over division, and a rejection of the politics of fear."

Finally, Mr. Khan rightfully pointed out that those on the right who stoke fear about Islam--who consider all Muslims to be, paraphrasing Mr. Trump, "probably" terrorists--are the ones making things worse. Trump is, in Khan's words, "playing into the hands of extremists."
"I hope something goes wrong tonight," said Tom, as he met my eye. He'd just finished petting my dog, and he was on his way out the door.

"Well, not really, but you know what I mean," he continued.

I did, indeed, know what he meant.

Tom, along with his boss Ezra, had just spent most of Saturday at my dining room table with me, trying to recreate a disaster like we were Netflix green-lighting Fuller House. So far, no luck.

In the days leading up to our face-to-face encounter, they'd earned more of my trust when they acknowledged that A), they'd read the phone transcripts, and although they maintained that she was mistaken, they did not dispute my account of what Amber had told me, and B), they, too, were convinced this was not user error. Before allowing them into my home, though, I'd laid out some conditions. Their research would be strictly limited to Apple Music, iTunes, and my iTunes library, and I would always be in the room to watch them work. Any information gleaned would be used solely for iTunes and Apple Music troubleshooting. If I had a document on my desktop called "Zapruder Film Unedited," for example, they would still leave it alone. They agreed, both on the phone and in person, so we began.

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Through an external drive connected to my laptop, we were now using a specialized version of iTunes in the hopes that the deletion would again occur; an idea that we knew may not pan out, since I'd had Apple Music for eight months before that first mass deletion. If something did go wrong, though, this version of iTunes would document what happened in more detail than the consumer version could.

As one of the first steps in our experiment, I signed back up for Apple Music under Tom and Ezra's supervision. They conference called with several other engineers in California, talking through their actions and discussing next steps.

While we waited for one particularly long file transfer, we went out to lunch at a local bakery. Since they'd flown in from across the country, they were looking for authentic Southern food. Grits were involved. Full disclosure for those of you who think Apple has given me hush money: they did buy me a breakfast sandwich, and it was delicious.

After lunch, we spent hours troubleshooting, but the problem eluded us. This time, the files remained, which was just one of many confounding elements of my whole saga. The problem wasn't cut-and-dry, therefore has proven difficult to replicate. For example, one of the many confusing things about the initial file loss was that only most of my music files had disappeared. Most, but not all. To further muddle the issue, the missing--and remaining--files had little in common; some were WAV, others Mp3, others protected AAC files that I'd purchased when iTunes went through its 2003 through 2009 "controlling boyfriend" phase. Genre, size, and artist name varied greatly among the missing files, as did date added. There was no discernible pattern.

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Although the day offered no revelations, we weren't yet finished. Before Tom and Ezra left on Saturday afternoon, we discussed my homework. I was to treat this as any other Saturday night:

-Buy some songs in the iTunes Store.

-Import some of my own mixes from Logic and/or Pro Tools.

-Mess with some playlists.

-Stream my personal library to the Apple TV in the living room while my wife and I drank beers and played Boggle. Hey, I never claimed my life was any more glamorous than yours.

Since our listening choices were being documented and had a marginal chance of being scrutinized for the ages, I made sure to include several songs from the early Sugar Hill Records catalog--which I still think may ultimately lead to world peace. Besides "Rapper's Delight," can Bashar al-Assad even name one song by The Sugarhill Gang? See?

Tom returned alone on Sunday to collect the data logs, and to clear my laptop of any evidence he'd been there.* While we waited for files to transfer, we finally got to geek out a little, which was something I'd admittedly been looking forward to. Although friendly the day before, Tom was of course very focused, and he didn't even mention the Missile Command pint glass in which I'd given him some water. On Sunday, however, he talked more freely. We discussed pets, and work, and horror movies, both agreeing that John Carpenter's The Thing may be the finest ever made. Apple may be a huge corporation, and I'll never see most of what's behind the curtain--but this Senior Engineer, who sat petting my dog and discussing Breaking Bad, was just some guy doing his best. Maybe not exactly like me, but not very different, either. OK, probably wealthier.

I am aware that there are people who think Apple is Satan himself, and I'm not here to try to convince you otherwise. There are also Apple apologists who believe The Great Fruit can do no wrong. You, too, will most likely not be swayed, and I'm sure you have your reasons. Regardless of whether I'll remain a lifelong Apple software user, I'm still glad to have a chance to help those who are.

One of the things on which Tom, Ezra, and I seemed to agree was that Apple is not off of the hook yet. Their software failed me in a spectacular, destructive way; and since I rang that bell, many people have come forward with similar stories. Some may be a result of user error, but I have a hard time believing all are. I think Apple does, too; which is why, as of this writing, they have stated they are currently working on an iTunes update with additional safeguards added. If they can't yet isolate the bug, they can at least develop measures to combat it. Like in The Thing, when... well, never mind.

If you take nothing else away from this, please remember to back up your data. Redundantly. If you don't like to manually click and drag, Retrospect has worked well for me in the past. If you're an Apple user, Time Machine is pretty solid, but keep in mind that Time Machine overwrites its own, older backups when drive space diminishes. That means that, if you don't catch a problem quickly enough, even those automatic backups may be missing the data in question. It's worth taking the time to personally make sure you're backing up what you believe you are.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch the first episode of Firefly. I've never seen it, but Tom told me it's a great program, and I'm trying to keep an open mind. If it turns out to not work for me, I can always do something else with my time and money.
Wei remembers clearly the first time she tried a mango. She was six years old, from Dalian in north-east China, and just as she bit into the fruit her parents told her that it was the deceased leader Chairman Mao.

Confused, she spat it out. Wei now finds the story funny and has spoken in detail to her parents about their own memory of mangoes.

"They remembered reading about the mangoes in the newspaper. That was the first time they ever saw a mango," Wei tells me. It wasn't until the 1980s that they were able to try an actual mango - just before Wei did.

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"They were very excited as it has such a strong flavour and of course associations with Mao," Wei explains.

Mangoes came to be linked to Mao in August 1968, when the Pakistan foreign minister visited Beijing and gave Chairman Mao a crate of mangoes. Mao re-gifted these mangoes to the Worker-Peasant Mao Zedong Thought Propaganda Teams, who were being deployed into Tsinghua University to put down warring factions of Red Guards, the student militia that arose during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).

Wei - part of the balinghou - the generation born in the 1980s after China's opening up - is unusual in linking the mangoes to Mao. For most of her generation mangoes are just a fruit with no special connotations. But for an older generation - those alive under Chairman Mao - it's an entirely different matter.

"I remember the cult indeed!" says Roger Garside, who at the time was working at the British Embassy in Beijing. He says how he recently met a Chinese man who was a railroad worker in central China during the Cultural Revolution and this man cited the mangoes as an example of the absurdity and worship of Mao at the time.

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The fruit, unknown to most in China outside of the tropical south, quickly took on new meanings. Shaped like the sun, they were seen as symbolising Chairman Mao. Even more so, they came with a message - the workers were now in charge, not the students.

"It's one of these moments where a specific object signals a huge transfer of power," explains Frank Dikotter, author of recently published book The Cultural Revolution.

Mango mania quickly ensued. The exotic fruit - around forty in number - toured the most important factories of Beijing. They were paraded around and photographed. The 1968 National Day Parade even featured the mango. When they started to rot, efforts were made to preserve them.

"One enterprising factory turned them into jam!" remembers Garside.

At the height of mango mania, mango candy, scented soap, vanity stands, wash basins, enamel trays, bed sheets, pencil cases and cigarettes were all available to buy. The mango label had great selling power.

"You have an immensely capitalist moment with the mangoes," says Benjamin Ramm, a writer, researcher and presenter of Chinese history, who spoke earlier this year about the mangoes on the BBC.

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For Ramm, what makes the mangoes incredibly interesting, both as a chapter of the Cultural Revolution and as a piece of Chinese history, is that it's one of the very few occasions in China when history is initiated and interpreted spontaneously by workers. "It's really very rare," he says, adding:

"It's at once surreal and yet revealing of the Cultural Revolution. It tells you a lot about the hopes and aspirations of the Cultural Revolution, as well as the trauma."

According to Ramm, the mangoes - in many ways seen as representing the madness of the Cultural Revolution - were at the time seen as representing its end. Hundreds had been injured and five had died at Tsinghua as a result of the siege initiated by the Red Guards. The mangoes were interpreted as the violence's finish.

Though the mangoes might have symbolised the hopes of a peaceful transition, they could not escape the violence. Ramm provides two examples. The first is a skirmish that erupted in Guizhou Province, when armed peasants fought over a black and white photo of a mango. The next is more chilling. In a small village in Sichuan, a local dentist compared the mango to a sweet potato. He was accused of malicious slander, publicly humiliated and then executed.

It is these stories that are unlikely to make their way around China today. This May marks the 50th anniversary since the Cultural Revolution began. Scholars believe between one and two million people were killed during its ten year reign, which ended when Mao died on 9 September 1976.

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While there have been some efforts over the years to discuss the Cultural Revolution, the turbulent decade remains deeply divisive within China. Several former Red Guards made public apologies for atrocities that they committed during the time, and one former Guard has even starting blogging memories of the period, but such candour is rare. More often the trend is to silence conversation - publicly and privately.

There is only one museum in China dedicated to the Cultural Revolution, located in a remote, rural area in Guangdong Province. The museum was built without official backing and while tolerated, commemoration events are often cancelled by the authorities.

No surprise then that the 50th anniversary is a quiet one in China. As yet there has not been a public acknowledgement by the Communist Party.

"The problem with the Cultural Revolution for Xi Jinping is that Mao wants to purge the party vanguard. He wants you to denounce party bureaucrats," says Ramm.

Dikotter takes this point further.

"Mao actively undermined the One Party State with the Cultural Revolution," he tells me.

Mao ruled supreme; the same could not be said of the rest of the Party. Dikotter adds that the memory of this period has been "abused" - it has been turned into a symbol of what no one wants to go back to.

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Author Madeleine Thien also explores the Cultural Revolution in her forthcoming book Do Not Say We Have Nothing. She says that outside of China, "remembrance of that decade has a continuity; it's the defining political campaign, along with the Great Leap Forward, of Mao's revolution."

Thien doubts her book will ever be translated and available in Mainland China. That said, she still sees the Cultural Revolution as occupying an important, enduring position, even if conversations are muffled.

"Inside China, those memories are just below the surface, and the enforced amnesia has not reduced their power; perhaps the opposite. The closing of the Tiananmen Museum in Hong Kong, the use of Cultural Revolution tactics, including public shaming, are reminding us, now more than ever, that this history remains unfinished," says Thien.

As for the mangoes, it looks like curtain call for them. Even a cigarette company, which proudly displayed the mango at its centre, has recently been removed from shop aisles. Now your best chance of hearing their story is to traipse through an antiques market in the hope of finding some memorabilia, or to hope that an older generation will remember their story - and be willing to tell it.
There it was. Very pure, very simple and very direct in the bio posting in LinkedIn by alt.media journalist Cat Watters. A posting that spoke to that need experienced by almost every non-mainstream journalist, blogger, photographer, videographer, audio interviewer, and artist in America -- if not throughout the world.

The pay and employment opportunities for those who write, speak, draw, paint, blog and deliver the news that MSM won't touch are either non-existent, or pitiful. Audiences which benefit from their work supply applause (thank you), but not the coin of the realm needed to pay the rent or put food on the table.

This was not the first time I noticed her request. Less than a month ago, I received a plea: "Anyone know how to raise funds? For online radio show, street filming and just plain ole passionate activism. Thank you."

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"I just want to lead a simple, happy, honest life speaking up for what's right, standing up for those getting screwed. Exposing the Criminals and the illegitimate people who hide behind their fake jobs! But, who are nothing but Ego driven," she says.

Cat describes herself as an "Organic Journalist - independent, but dedicated." As for what drives her, "Dollars = Debt for the most part. That's why Real Journalism, truth, is the enemy of Capitalism."

If that assessment is spot on, this accounts for the yawning chasm between authentic journalism and what passes for it on the mainstream media. It only makes sense that counter-culture media is not well paid; capitalism does not care to fund anything which will prove to be its enemy.

Cat's criticism was more cutting

"MSM is GMO. The nature of reporting is being destroyed by capitalism and 'profit' seeking. I've always been a health and fitness person - specifically mental/emotional health which this society does not even acknowledge. As long as there is a corporate profit required, nature [journalism] and health will be compromised." As a veteran, certified Yoga instructor, this is all the more distressing to her.

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Cat has worked with some of the best of alt.media, including Danny Schechter on the News Dissector - a person who did documentaries like Plunder: the Crime of our Time and In Debt We Trust.

For the past three years, she has been hosting the Organic News Show on Awake Radio on Tuesdays from 6-8 p.m. EST, and just recently interviewed Walter Binney and Yanis Varoufakis. In their cases, and in so many prior interviews, the consensus is that America's underlying problems are health related and exacerbated through abusive/dysfunctional relationships.

Her microphone has captured such people as Russell Brand, Brock McIntosh with Iraq Vets Against the War, Mike Peled, author of The General's Son, former NSA math coder William Binney, former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern, and even NYPD Whistleblower, Frank Serpico.

Any current Bernie Sanders reporting?

"I covered at least three or more events, including Washington Square Park, South Bronx, the block party in Brooklyn and a march which ended at Union Square with Rosario Dawson. I have more footage than I can even keep up with."

As with many independent journo's of her time, Occupy roots are showing in all this.

"Occupy merged with what I was doing in the past; mediation, health, healing, psych fitness. Family and personal relations are the micro of the macro. My job is to reveal the solutions to the larger problems by focusing on what and who is right in front of me."

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But, back to the larger issue of being paid for all this hard work. What does it take to be a "real" journalist and make some "real" money? Is it Cat's lack of a media-centric college degree that disqualifies her to do what she has chosen to do, and does so well? How can it be that "credentialed" (i.e., employed) members of the MSM look down on her and others of her kind?

You know, that kind. Our kind. Any outsider who picks up a pen, quill, brush, camera, microphone or computer keyboard and dares to report on truth.

No money in that. Truth reporting is the enemy of capitalism

Acting in another capacity as a megaphone for the truth, Cat will be moderating a panel at the Upcoming LeftForum: Pulling Back the Curtain on Debt. (The Left Forum is famous for featuring people like her in an environment where only truth can survive. She suggests that we be there in NYC May 20-22.)

For those who care to, and have the modest wherewithal to support a social conscious reporter, Cat's paypal donation page for Cats Paws Journalism can be found here. Follow her on Twitter as @CatW44, and here on Facebook.
Arthur Schack, who passed away on May 2nd, aged 71,was nothing short of a mensch which, in Yiddish, is an honorific not bestowed lightly. His life was a testament to compassion; evidenced during his sixteen years on the bench in Brooklyn's State Supreme Court and, in particular, as crusader for the rights of homeowners facing foreclosure. Schack was among a minuscule number of judges who never bought into the notion of simply rubber-stamping evictions.

Quoted in the New York Times he expressed his conviction:

If you are going to take away someone's house, everything should be legal and correct... I'm a strange guy -- I don't want to put a family on the street unless it's legitimate.



Arthur Schack started calling the foreclosure industry's bluff back in 2007 when the eviction hammer began targeting homes in many of Brooklyn's working-class, largely minority, neighborhoods. Snooping around property data bases he noticed that what was needed to make an eviction case - the proper documents - simply were not there.

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To plaintiff's lawyers his demands were simple: You want to evict this family? Show me the paperwork -- original mortgage and note, an unbroken title chain -- proof that you actually have an ownership interest in the home. When some defendants - dazed and confused homeowners - didn't bother to show up to defend themselves in court, Schack did it for them.

A particular nemesis came in the guise of Stephen J Baum whose notorious NY law firm, a/k/a "foreclosure mill," made regular appearances in Schack's Brooklyn courtroom. To say the proceedings were "contentious" was an understatement of titanic proportions. It was more like a cage match between legal/evil Jokers and a gavel-wielding Batman.

In one foreclosure case he called Baum's filings, "so incredible, outrageous, ludicrous and disingenuous that they should have been authored by the late Rod Serling," with an obvious nod to the classic, Twilight Zone. In another case involving an improper mortgage assignment Shack pointed out with obvious delight, "Steven J. Baum PC appears to be operating in a parallel mortgage universe, unrelated to the real universe."

It wasn't as if Schack had developed any new revolutionary theories of law, he simply applied those laws that were already on the books; overlooked by the courts in the wake of Wall Street's feeding frenzy that captured millions of mortgages, churned them around, then spit them out as securities to be peddled off to unwary investors. During the churning process critically important documents seemed to disappear or reemerge as fraudulent paper signed off by make-believe "robo-signers."

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During the first seven months of 2008, Shack refused to allow 13 out of 14 foreclosures, dismissing twelve cases outright. By 2009, he had tossed nearly half of the foreclosures brought before his bench. By leveling the judicial playing field he earned the respect and approbation of struggling homeowners nationwide. For the already bailed-out Big Bankers looking for the double dip Shack was a pest who stood between them and the spoils of their scorched earth foreclosure war.

Unpretentious to a fault, Schack ducked and parried any criticisms from the Mega-Bankers and while some of his decisions were reversed on appeal, he stuck to his guns, telling the New York Times:





I'm the little guy in Brooklyn who doesn't belong to their country clubs, what can I tell you? I won't accept their comedy of errors.

Like the best of jurists Schack could turn a phrase or find an appropriate literary (or cinematic) allusion to sprinkle in with decisions. In a 2007 case involving Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs where both institutions had done an Abbott and Costello, losing track of documents they had passed back and forth, Schack took a cue from the Capra classic, It's A Wonderful Life.

Lenders should not lose sight that they are dealing with humanity, not with Mr. Potter's 'rabble' and 'cattle'. Multi-billion dollar corporations must follow the same rules in the foreclosure actions as the local banks, savings and loan associations or credit unions, or else they have become the Mr. Potters of the 21st century.

Arthur Schack was moved by the trials and tribulations of ordinary folk; views fired in the crucible of experience: first as a Social Studies teacher at Bay Ridge High School, then as a chapter head for United Federation of Teachers, walking the picket line in the 1970's; a period when city employees were under the gun by City Hall cost cutters.

Looking for some financial security he applied to Brooklyn Law School.

We're lucky he made that decision. Anyone who's gone through a foreclosure - or may face one in the future -- owes a debt of gratitude to the little judge from Brooklyn.

Arthur Schack was clearly on the side of the angels which, if you believe in this sort of thing, is probably where he's now holding court.
Closeup sad young woman with worried stressed face expression and brain melting into lines question marks. Obsessive compulsive, adhd, anxiety disorders

Last time, we began to focus our critical-thinking facilities on the election itself to try to answer the question of why this year's vote is turning out so different than what anyone expected.

The critical-thinking tool we're putting to use is hypothesis testing which involves coming up with a possible explanation for a phenomenon (our hypothesis - in this case one which explains the strangeness of the current election) and then putting that hypothesis to the test.

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As in science, it is more important to create tests designed to confound our explanation, rather than confirm it. For only by surviving tests created to show our idea is wrong can we build up evidence that it might be right.

The first explanation we put to the test was a partisan one which isolated the seeming breakdown in the American political universe to the Republican Party. Such a hypothesis has appeal (especially to Democrats) since it implies that this year's weirdness is isolated, and possibly time bound. Yes, this explanation says, something strange is going on. But this is only because the Republican Party was a volatile coalition or uniquely susceptible to demagoguery. And if the party loses with Trump at its head, things will then return to "normal" next election season.

While this hypothesis has obvious appeal to partisans, it turned out to be weak when we took a look at larger volatility across the political spectrum which indicated that something more was in play than the collapse of a single party.

A different explanation, one that has been embraced by much of the media, sees the rise of protest candidates like Trump and Sanders as representing anguished reaction by an American population that is anxious about the current state of affairs. This Anxiety Thesis posits that discomfort and disappointment within the American population as a whole is driving a wide range of decisions, including those that can be interpreted as a revolt against political party elites.

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This thesis seems to fit the fact that political anger and protest is not isolated to the Republican Party alone. And it is supported by data, notably survey data that indicates Americans are concerned about issues like economic stagnation and have an increasing sense of insecurity in a competitive (and troubled) world.

The best way to test this hypothesis would be to focus on what we mean by "anxiety." Certainly, a desperate population has fueled political revolt, even revolution in the past. So concerns over stagnant wages, the high cost of college (and associated debt) and general fear that our children will grow up worse off than their parents might explain today's political turbulence.

If that were the case, however, we should expect to see a correlation between economic condition and political volatility with the poorer and more desperate leading the charge against the status quo. But if you look at the revolt stirring on the Democratic side of the aisle, the most fervent supporters of Bernie Sanders seem to be coming from the ranks of the better off. And among Trump supporters, the billionaire candidate does not seem to be drawing from the poorest in society who remain politically marginal.

If your children are starving, this can indeed drive you to desperate acts, including throwing your allegiance behind a demagogue. But if the problem your children face is obesity, then abstract notions such as "my kids might grow up poorer than me" don't seem to pack the kind of punch needed to drive radical political action.

The Anxiety Thesis does move us further towards a potential answer to our question (why is this year's election so fakakta?) in that it looks to general issues affecting the population as a whole, rather than isolating everything to one party. But economic/materialist theories have historically promised more explanatory power than they delivered (see Marx, Karl and Smith, Adam).

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A Wall Street street sign is displayed in front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Monday, April 18, 2016. U.S. stocks advanced after erasing an early decline, as investors shook off oil's losses on failed output talks and looked toward this week's bevy of corporate earnings. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

For 200 years, there have been two schools of thought about what determines the distribution of income -- and how the economy functions. One, emanating from Adam Smith and nineteenth-century liberal economists, focuses on competitive markets. The other, cognizant of how Smith's brand of liberalism leads to rapid concentration of wealth and income, takes as its starting point unfettered markets' tendency toward monopoly. It is important to understand both, because our views about government policies and existing inequalities are shaped by which of the two schools of thought one believes provides a better description of reality.

For the nineteenth-century liberals and their latter-day acolytes, because markets are competitive, individuals' returns are related to their social contributions -- their "marginal product," in the language of economists. Capitalists are rewarded for saving rather than consuming -- for their abstinence, in the words of Nassau Senior, one of my predecessors in the Drummond Professorship of Political Economy at Oxford. Differences in income were then related to their ownership of "assets" -- human and financial capital. Scholars of inequality thus focused on the determinants of the distribution of assets, including how they are passed on across generations.

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The second school of thought takes as its starting point "power," including the ability to exercise monopoly control or, in labor markets, to assert authority over workers. Scholars in this area have focused on what gives rise to power, how it is maintained and strengthened, and other features that may prevent markets from being competitive. Work on exploitation arising from asymmetries of information is an important example.

As inequality has widened and concerns about it have grown, the competitive school, viewing individual returns in terms of marginal product, has become increasingly unable to explain how the economy works.

In the West in the post-World War II era, the liberal school of thought has dominated. Yet, as inequality has widened and concerns about it have grown, the competitive school, viewing individual returns in terms of marginal product, has become increasingly unable to explain how the economy works. So, today, the second school of thought is ascendant.

After all, the large bonuses paid to banks' CEOs as they led their firms to ruin and the economy to the brink of collapse are hard to reconcile with the belief that individuals' pay has anything to do with their social contributions. Of course, historically, the oppression of large groups -- slaves, women and minorities of various types -- are obvious instances where inequalities are the result of power relationships, not marginal returns.

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In today's economy, many sectors -- telecoms, cable TV, digital branches from social media to Internet search, health insurance, pharmaceuticals, agro-business and many more -- cannot be understood through the lens of competition. In these sectors, what competition exists is oligopolistic, not the "pure" competition depicted in textbooks. A few sectors can be defined as "price taking"; firms are so small that they have no effect on market price. Agriculture is the clearest example, but government intervention in the sector is massive, and prices are not set primarily by market forces.

Today's markets are characterized by the persistence of high monopoly profits.

U.S. President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, led by Jason Furman, has attempted to tally the extent of the increase in market concentration and some of its implications. In most industries, according to the CEA, standard metrics show large -- and in some cases, dramatic -- increases in market concentration. The top ten banks' share of the deposit market, for example, increased from about 20 percent to 50 percent in just 30 years, from 1980 to 2010.

Some of the increase in market power is the result of changes in technology and economic structure: consider network economies and the growth of locally provided service-sector industries. Some is because firms -- Microsoft and drug companies are good examples -- have learned better how to erect and maintain entry barriers, often assisted by conservative political forces that justify lax anti-trust enforcement and the failure to limit market power on the grounds that markets are "naturally" competitive. And some of it reflects the naked abuse and leveraging of market power through the political process: Large banks, for example, lobbied the U.S. Congress to amend or repeal legislation separating commercial banking from other areas of finance.

The consequences are evident in the data, with inequality rising at every level, not only across individuals, but also across firms. The CEA report noted that the "90th percentile firm sees returns on investments in capital that are more than five times the median. This ratio was closer to two just a quarter of a century ago."

The battle against entrenched power is not only a battle for democracy; it is also a battle for efficiency and shared prosperity

Joseph Schumpeter, one of the great economists of the twentieth century, argued that one shouldn't be worried by monopoly power: monopolies would only be temporary. There would be fierce competition for the market and this would replace competition in the market and ensure that prices remained competitive.

My own theoretical work long ago showed the flaws in Schumpeter's analysis, and now empirical results provide strong confirmation. Today's markets are characterized by the persistence of high monopoly profits.

The implications of this are profound. Many of the assumptions about market economies are based on acceptance of the competitive model, with marginal returns commensurate with social contributions. This view has led to hesitancy about official intervention: If markets are fundamentally efficient and fair, there is little that even the best of governments could do to improve matters. But if markets are based on exploitation, the rationale for laissez-faire disappears. Indeed, in that case, the battle against entrenched power is not only a battle for democracy; it is also a battle for efficiency and shared prosperity.Also on WorldPost:
The word on Jhumpa Lahiri was that she'd moved to Italy and now, after a few years of immersing herself in the language, was going to write in Italian. Had I heard this news about one of my fellow, white American, middle-class novelists, I would have shrugged and said, "Knock yourself out."

Lahiri, on the other hand, has a trove of great original material at her fingertips: the challenges, conflicts, heartbreaks of the Indian immigrant experience in America. Her fiction has a lovely transparency, a deep compassion, a consummate comprehension of a culture transplanted. She doesn't need the high-flying style of some of our celebrated contemporaries; to me she is in possession of something far better: original narratives.

This is not to say that, if Lahiri decides to write in Italian, she won't continue mining her previous subject matter; however, judging on some of the early efforts described in her new book, In Other Words, she seems intent (at least for now) upon writing about the more shop-worn experience of being an American expatriate struggling with a foreign culture via a foreign language.

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After telling us that she has never written autobiographically, Lahiri assures us that In Other Words is giving us a glimpse of her true self. Her self-portrayal put me in mind of a woman I knew in high school: beautiful and dutiful who sat in the front of the class quietly taking notes, ended up at an Ivy, got a PHD in psychology and now is an academic. Indeed, Lahiri's account of her time in Italy feels somewhat academic. She gives us lists of SATish Italian words that fascinate her and her attempts at parsing their sometimes elusive, hard-to-translate meanings. She talks about meeting other writers and publishers in Italy and eventually delivering her talks and lectures in Italian -- a rarefied life not exactly in the mainstream.

In Rome, Lahiri, her husband and children rent an apartment on the via Giulia -- known to be one of the city's most exclusive streets, not a place where you'll easily get into conversation with somebody outside your front door. After all, wealth and privilege are as great equalizers as poverty and hard luck. The august Via Guilia is not like, say, the Campo dei Fiori, where you can go out the door and immediately hear the language of the people: cacophonous but alive and, most important, instructive on the fly.

Because I work in publishing as well as write, I cannot afford the luxury of spending two years in Rome. The best I can do is a month once a year at the house of an Italian novelist in Tuscany who is like a mother (mine is deceased) and who holds a typical northern Italian intellectual's belief that you don't praise your children. Rather, you berate them -- as she does me -- for not being smarter, for not being more prolific, for not studying Latin as a way of improving my Italian. When I go to Tuscany, I am left alone much of the time to sink or swim within the walled city of Lucca. I stroll through the streets, listening. I work out at the local gym where I try and learn phrases of the curious Lucchese dialect, only to bring them home to the novelist who insists I've gotten them wrong (she's Genovese). Years ago, at a party I attended with this novelist, somebody asked her, "Why is Joe's Italian so good?" She answered quickly, "He's Russian. He's a barbarian."

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My point: I was allowed to overhear this jibe only because I'm considered family. It's the sort of put down you'll rarely hear in mixed company in Italy; more often than not Italians will always be polite and then chortle about your failings later when you're not around. Lahiri writes of the Italians, "They tolerate my mistakes. They correct me, they encourage me, they provide the words I lack. They speak clearly, patiently, just like parents with their children." Of course a world-renowned writer would be encouraged to embrace a language that is really only spoken in one country. And yet if you know Italians at all, you read between the lines and suspect that these Italian writers and the publishers Lahiri refers to might be skeptical about her abandonment of English and are merely being kindly indulgent as Italians can be. Lahiri could read this (and she probably won't because she says she never reads reviews of her work) and go back to these friends and publishers and they will assure her that I am mistaken, that I don't know what I'm talking about; after all I'm an American who doesn't live in Italy. But I've spent enough time in Italy to know they'll never tell her the truth.

She does my homework for me. "When I think of authors who decided, for one reason or another, to work in a foreign language, I don't feel I'm a legitimate member of that group, either. Beckett lived in France for decades before writing in French, Nabokov had learned English as a child, Conrad spent a long time at sea, absorbing English before becoming an Anglophone rather than a Polish writer." It should be said that all these men were geniuses, and Nabokov in particular because, beyond being a great writer, he was a synesthesiac who had a photographic memory, which is why his memoir Speak Memory is probably the best literary memoir ever written. "What I'm doing -- daring to write in Italian after living in Italy for barely a year -- is different, out of the ordinary, and so I feel an even more intense solitude, almost another dimension of solitude. I wonder if there are others like me," Lahiri says.

To her credit, Lahiri does seem to understand the odds are stacked against her for adopting Italian and having it serve her the way English does. But intense solitude? How intense can her solitude be when there is the buffer of a loving husband and children in a household on the Via Giulia? Are they all speaking Italian 24/7? And if so, how vast can the Italian conversation between one foreigner and another? Perhaps a slightly better definition of intense solitude might be two months I spent alone in a small town in Umbria, knowing not a soul, living and writing and reading sometimes with great loneliness while picking up ordinary phrases at the markets, on the street, at the gym, getting so tongue-tied with linguistic fatigue that I'd make phone calls to friends in the U.S. just to rest my brain. During that stay I learned so much more than I would if I'd had an English-speaking companion with me. But my immersion wasn't just about the language, it was also an immersion into the Italian/Umbrian character, Umbrian attitudes, Umbrian political views. And after that two months, even though my conversation felt way more fluid, I realized how much farther away I was from intimately knowing the Italian language and concluded that it would require living in Italy for at least twenty years full time for me to even approach mastery, let alone write in Italian with any kind of distinction.

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Lahiri's experience is the polar opposite. The more she dives into Italian the more comfortably estranged she feels from English. On one hand I don't get this; on the other, I wonder if her wish to abandon English is somehow a primal response to the fact that after moving to America, her mother resisted learning English and desperately clung to the Bengali language and culture.

For all that this thin volume focuses on the struggle of taking on a new language, beyond some lovely travel-log descriptions, it doesn't give much depth of color to Italy or the Italian language, but rather seems like an amuse-bouche of Italian words and some phrases that don't need much pondering. I kept wishing for a deeper cultural discussion (with context) about, say, a tantalizing untranslatable phrase, or idea, let alone some of the more obscure words that she uses.

Here's an example of what I mean: the Italian phrase caso mai. I remember the first time I heard it. I was driving with my mother/ novelist and she explained the expression by telling me a story about a little boy who blurted it out inappropriately when he was ingenuously describing his aunt's appearance. "E' brutta, caso mai," The English translation is "she's ugly, in any case," but that misses the sardonic mood of the phrase, which might be better translated as "she's ugly if at all." And sardonic is important here; what made the child's exclamation funny was its biting nature, which is so Italian. I sent the above description of caso mai to the Italian novelist who wrote back to say that a better explanation of caso mai might be "If his aunt had been chosen to play Rita Hayworth in a movie, the little boy might have said, "E' brutta, caso mai."

Lahiri never goes this far into the linguistic and social context of the Italian language. Yes, she understands that specific yet common phrases in Italian can run aground when you try to find an equivalent in English, but then seems ignorant of the fact that you need to hear them in many different contexts to fully understand what they really mean. If, after all these years I'm still learning about caso mai, then from my point of view, mastering Italian in two years is as difficult as mastering classical piano with two years of prodigious, indefatigable study. It takes many years to assimilate Italian phrases and their various meanings and contexts and have them become as second nature as the words and phrases and ideas of English.

Lahiri admits to getting help with the Italian text in this bilingual volume, and I must say her writing feels very Italian in its construction (I assume she had a good editor), in a way more authentic than her English version which we can only assume was lovingly polished and translated by Ann Goldstein, who has brought the novels of Elena Ferrante into bestsellerdom. But what concerns me most of all about this very readable, mildly interesting book, is Lahiri's misunderstanding of some very basic Italian social cues.

An example of this is her complaint that her American husband, who could be mistaken for an Italian, is spoken to in Italian consistently despite the fact that his Italian is not nearly as good as hers. When Lahiri speaks, the same people who address her husband in Italian speak to her in English and then ask how it is that her Italian is so good? "And I have to provide an explanation, I have to say why. The fact that I speak Italian seems to them unusual. No one asks my husband that question."

Her husband isn't asked simply because his looks don't place him easily as a foreigner. Lahiri personalizes this, assumes it's because of her appearance that she is addressed in English. In one way she is right. However, anyone (myself included) who doesn't look Italian, experiences exactly the same thing. I can't count the number of times I perfectly executed a phrase only to get a halting, ungrammatical English response. Why? In Italy it's currency to speak English, and the Italians who have the language love to show they have it and will look for any opportunity to do so, particularly with someone who doesn't look Italian.

Compounding this, a command of English, in Italy, is also an indication of class and breeding. For example, I have a friend from Venice who cannot speak English but claims to be the daughter of a prince. My Italian novelist met her and said to me, "She cannot be the daughter of a prince." "How can you assume that?" I asked. She replied, "It's very unusual that an educated Italian of high birth would not speak very good English. Not to mention that she says, Buon 'appetito before a meal. A high-born person would never say that." It also should be noted that, in Italy, English is the common language of the foreigner. I have listened to so many painful, halting rudimentary conversations between Japanese tourists and German tourists and Italian shopkeepers -- it's their only hope of communicating.

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Portrait of tired woman touching her head

This is the second part in a series about revealing mental illness at the workplace. The first part, "What Happened When I Told My Boss I Was Struggling With Mental Illness," tells my story.

For some employees, telling their boss or co-workers they struggled with mental illness was one of the best career decisions they made. For others it was the beginning of a short path toward being fired or forced to resign.

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When employees deal with mental illness, they sometimes need to tell their boss or co-workers so they can work out a special arrangement such as different hours or time off. The discussion also provides them the opportunity to explain symptoms that might affect their performance or behavior around the office. Sometimes they only want to open up to co-workers to bond and deepen their working relationship.

Because of the stigma of mental illness, people often assume this can only have negative consequences for employees. The risk, however, is better than waiting for the burden to destroy their career.

It's not as black and white as keeping the job or getting fired. The stories in this article show a range of outcomes of disclosing mental health conditions in the workplace.

The Employee Keeps the Job, But It's More Complicated Than That

Based on the stories collected for this article, here are some of the positive outcomes and ways bosses will support employees with mental illness:

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Allowing short periods of time off with pay

Allowing long periods of time off without pay but guaranteeing job security

Creating a new position with hours and tasks the employee can handle

The conversation can make co-workers and employers closer

Even when these positive outcomes happen, the situation isn't perfect or free of stress.

When one of her employees took a long leave for treatment at a mental health facility, Accessibility Partners Head of Business Development Dana Marlowe decided to keep the job open for her.

"She lost us money, and stressed out a lot of her fellow employees who had to pick up the slack," Marlowe said. "This wasn't a shining moment for our employee, but I stacked it against four years of great job performance."

The transition was rough at times, but the employee eventually regained her normal schedule and made Marlowe happy she allowed her to stay.

Gossiping Spreads and Creates a Hostile Work Environment

Author Anita Miranda confided in her supervisor when she was having trouble with her PTSD. She then caught her supervisor spreading false information about the situation. This ultimately lead to a hostile work environment that forced her to leave.

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"My therapist told me they would be easier on me and laws would protect me," Miranda said. "Instead they used it against me."

One of the biggest risks in disclosing mental illness to a supervisors is the possibility they will not keep the information confidential. When co-workers learn about the mental health condition, they might take the opportunity to create a hostile work environment rather than being supportive.

They Seem to Accept It, But Do They Really?

When employees disclose their mental health conditions, employers who have a problem with the situation will most likely not immediately fire them. These employers usually wait a few months to see how symptoms affect the employee's performance.

Malicious employers lie to the employee, telling him or her they can accommodate the condition when they actually intend to fire them. Then they wait a few months so they can terminate or force out the employee without it seeming like the mental illness was the reason.

When veteran David Pfister told his superior officers he was dealing with severe mental health conditions, they told him they supported him. This only lasted a few months, though.

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"After I wasn't 'fixed' in that time I was basically a problem they wanted to get rid of," Pfister said.

Bosses pressured him to leave, according to Pfister. The leadership believed he was weak and a bad example for the people he was in charge of, he said. After they stripped his rank, he left.

What Employees and Employers Should Take Away

Employees with mental illness deserve a chance to prove they can continue contributing to their company and work in a stigma-free environment. It can be a burden for employers, but they have a duty to support the employee and keep their information confidential.

"Being a good employer is about fostering win-win situations for the company and the valuable employees who work there," said Netfloor USA President Ryan Hulland. "In many cases those with mental illnesses can not only function as well as others, but often have unique talents and capabilities that an employer would be foolish to overlook."

If more employers take on this attitude, the positive stories in this piece can become more common than the negative ones.

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By Judith E. Glaser

Daily we see headlines that suggest we are becoming mired in distrust, at high cost to our organizations. As our trust bank accounts are depleted, we run out of currency to invest in the future. And trust is not a currency we can easily print to offset the deficit.

Sadly, it seems that smog of distrust is settling over our cities. Bill O'Reilly opines: "There has been a drastic climate change in America, but it has nothing to do with the temperature. There is a climate of distrust in our leaders."

Last year's headlines were filled with tales of dysfunction, discord and distrust, providing multiple confirmations that our organizations aren't working well, notes Adam Geller, a New York-based national writer. One Gallup poll found public confidence in Congress at the lowest level for any institution on record! More than 85 percent of Americans surveyed by the Harris Poll said the people running the country don't care what happens to them, up from 50 percent in 2010. And an AP-GfK Poll found two-thirds of Americans expressed mistrust of one another, continuing a four-decade slide.

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The information society buffets us with examples of institutional dysfunction, making misgivings self-confirming, said Sheila Suess Kennedy, author of Distrust, American Style. The news last year fed distrust unimaginable just a few generations ago, when people were less aware of institutional misconduct. Pope Francis acknowledged misdeeds in the Catholic Church and named panels to help reform the scandalized Vatican bank and overhaul the church's tangled bureaucracy. Capitalism, itself, is broken, he said, warning against a culture that fosters "the globalization of indifference."

Sadly, many individuals, teams, and organizations operate in a perpetual state of distrust and fear. Consider this simple analogy: a door guards the entrance to our inner self. When we feel trust, we readily open that door, leading to an exchange of thoughts, feelings and dreams with someone else. When we distrust someone, thinking that he or she is somehow a threat, we slam our door quickly and begin to defend ourselves.



Unfortunately, our brains don't always make the best judgments relative to our long-term interests when it comes to deciding what to do with that door: our neural programming is designed to make split-second decisions right now, not consider the consequences down the road. That's why, especially in times of stress, we can find doors slamming left and right.

The downside of making snap decisions is that we might be misinterpreting the signals we receive from our bosses and co-workers, leading us to mislabel friends as foes. Or, perhaps we have trusted someone in the past, only to have that person stab us in the back (ask any of Bernard Madoff's investors about that dilemma). We might even be unknowingly sending out signals of our own, causing others to distrust us even when we think we have that other person's best interests at heart.

Take Five Steps to Build Trust

Conversational Intelligence is our hardwired ability for understanding how to create cultures of trust. While it may take many steps over several months to restore lost trust, we can start now by taking the five steps outlined in my TRUST Model.

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Step 1: Transparency. Be open and transparent about what's on your mind. Transparency quells the reptilian or primitive brain, which reacts to fear, threat, and loss. When we create conditions favorable for trust, people begin to talk openly about their threats and fears. We start reconnecting with others. Transparency is also about sharing our intentions so people don't read into them. So, talk about the doubts and fears that stand in the way of building trust. Communicate openly with others to quell threats. This sends messages of trust that the amygdala understands: "I trust you will not harm me."

Step 2: Relationship. Extend the olive branch, even with people you may see as a foe. Connect and engage to build relationships. Extending trust sends messages of friendship to the brain that shift the energy toward appreciation.

We now know from researchers at the HeartMath Institute that focusing positive energy toward a person (Heart Appreciation) shifts our attention and intention to seek connectivity, reduces the fear of power-over energy, and builds power-with connectivity.

When we refocus on heart appreciation, we create greater heart coherence--when the heart waves reflect a smooth wave. This feeling is then transferred or picked up by others with whom we engage. Rebuilding relationships activates the heart brain, and we pick up positive signals of friendship in our conversations. We sense: "I trust this person to have my best interest at heart?" Partnering Conversations shift relationships from judgment to respect and create the conditions and agreements that enable people to collaborate productively.

When we feel that others respect and appreciate us, the mirror neurons located below the prefrontal cortex are activated, enabling us to identify with others and create a bridge of empathy with them. We activate our ability for bonding, collaborating, and experiencing high-point emotional moments, meaning that the levels of oxytocin are increasing as we interact. This influx of neurochemicals reinforces trust.

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Step 3: Understanding. We learn what is really on people's minds by seeking to understand their needs and emotions and seeing the world through their eyes. When we stand in their shoes and understand their perspective, we are in a better position to honor them. I believe understanding means we "stand under" the same view of the world. People naturally trust us more when they believe that we have their best interest at heart. Seek to understand their context and perspective by listening without judgment to how they hold their reality.

Step 4: Shared Success. Create a shared vision of success with others. When we have a common view of success, we start to intuitively trust that others will make decisions similar to ours, and we trust they will work out conflicts fairly. Our neo-cortex functions to help us shape strategies for success. When we are attached to being right and advocate only our point of view, we give the impression we have an agenda. Entrenchment in our point of view leads to distrust, driving conversations that elicit protective behavior. Trying to persuade others to want our success only creates resistance.

Step 5: Testing assumptions and telling the truth. Test perceptions and assumptions about reality. Close the gaps between what you expect and what you get with others. Step into the other person's shoes, and see the world from his or her perspectives--empathy is the highest level of trust that we experience together.

When truth is discovered together, one view of the world emerges. Engage the prefrontal cortex--the executive brain--by shaping conversations that let you see the world from another's perspective. When you test assumptions, tell the truth and rebuild trust, you can see the bigger picture. You're not attached to being right and finding fault. As you see people or thing in a new way, your mind opens up to new insights and awareness--you access the truth. Truth-telling starts with being able to see the truth about your own behavior.

TRUST Rituals

We are designed for connection with others, and when trust is broken we recoil and close down. Conversational Intelligence is teaching us that because we are designed to be social, our brains are sensitive to the signals of trust and distrust. When you use the TRUST Model effectively, you are sending signals of trust to others, and they will pick up these signals as you openly engage. By taking these steps, you activate the trust networks in your brain, located in the prefrontal cortex, and you strengthen your capacity to connect with others in more healthy and supportive ways. By listening to connect, and by learning to see the world from another's perspective, you can attain the highest-level of relationship and partnership with others. You will connect with people differently--and your conversations will reflect this new and powerful insight.

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Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters in Charleston, West Virginia, U.S. May 5, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Tilley

I am told high school kids don't care much about politics and as a high school history and government teacher I generally must agree. However it has been a difficult stereotype to adhere to recently. With Donald Trump decisively clinching victory in my home state of Indiana I have been asked the same questions, and heard the same concerns again and again. To be clear, I teach at a school with one of the highest populations of Hispanic students in the state of Indiana. I think you can see where this is going.

Surprisingly we are not an urban school; in fact we are located in a very unique small town in the central part of the state, where corn, John Deer and absurdly cheap 44oz cups of pop (soda) dominate the culture. Despite that, we have a very large population of Hispanic immigrants that does not exist anywhere else in Indiana.

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Now that nothing is stopping Mr. Trump from a Republican nomination my once weary students now seem to have genuine fear for the future, and in particular my Hispanic students. After election day, one of my adamantly conservative students came into class asking what she should do when it comes time for the general election. "I don't know what to do, I can't stand Hillary but there is no possible way I can vote for Donald Trump and I am a Republican!" It was beautiful to be able to tell my naive yet fresh-faced student "welcome to American Democracy".

Really though, take a moment to imagine if this were the first election you ever had the chance to participate in and how it might affect your view of politics.

With heightened tension and fear I thought a short writing exercise could work as a sort of catharsis for the impending calamity that they all seemed to be sensing.

I posed a simple question. How would you feel if Donald Trump became the president?

This is what my Hispanic students had to say. (All names changed to protect identity)

Maricela, a 17-year-old junior said, "If he becomes the president I would be angry, sad and mostly scared. I feel this way because of the things he has said towards Hispanics and how much hate he has towards us. What really concerns me is that he will try to deport all of us."

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One of Maricela's classmates Emanuel stated, "I would be scared, but more disappointed that after all this country has gone through it would break down and it would be like it was during the civil rights movement. I feel this way because Trump is an idiot and doesn't know what he is talking about. My concern is that there will be more violence and discrimination than there already is."

Much of their worry is either of discrimination or deportation; imagine dealing with that as a legitimate fear when you were 16 and 17 years old on top of the acne and the fear of asking someone to prom. Oh and of course the crippling poverty that most of our students now deal with.



For example, Josue one of the nicest kids I have ever met, said he is afraid that he will be deported, lose his friends and be forced to move back to a culture that he cannot remember. Emily at least keeps a sense of humor about Mr. Trump, "I don't think he can deport all immigrants but if he becomes president, America will fall because he has the IQ of a potato."

Another student was more concerned, "I am terrified for my parents because they are here illegally, they work three jobs to provide for us, their daughters, what they never had." So many are just afraid of being separated from their families like Gabriela who said "I know so many families that will get separated, I may even be separated from mine. I know immigrants aren't supposed to be in a country they are not allowed in but for families who've worked and educated themselves it is not fair."

Now, what is my purpose for sharing this with you? I can promise you it is not to make a point, or start an argument. It is simply to give my students, especially the most disenfranchised, a voice that they otherwise would not have. Many do not have social security numbers let alone will they ever be able to vote, but they are still impacted by the political process.

See, as a teacher of history I so often have to teach a narrative of the world as seen through the eyes and spoken through the pens of white men. Therefore I believe it is critical to hear history as it is being made, through the voices of those who will likely not be heard in the history texts of tomorrow. Before you finish this article please remember the words of the great Howard Zinn.

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"I wonder how the foreign policies of the United States would look if we wiped out the national boundaries of the world, at least in our minds, and thought of all children everywhere as our own."

 Howard Zinn
With his wild white hair, gold sea-anchor earring, and seaman's cap, Terry Backer seemed like your typical New England fisherman. He certainly did not look like a politician, much less a powerfully impactful politician. But that is precisely who he was.

Terry Backer was a 12-term Connecticut state representative who engaged in an historic 22-year environmental campaign against pollution in Long Island Sound. His career began in 1987 when he joined with John Cronin and Robert F. Kennedy to sue a variety of organizations along the Sound's coastline for direct violations of the 1972 Clean Water Act. These companies illegally dumped contaminants into the water, thus catalyzing thousands of fish to wash up dead on nearby shores. With part of a $172,000 settlement from the city of Norwalk, CT, Backer was appointed head of the new non-profit Soundkeeper Fund. From then on, he became known as the Soundkeeper.

By hosting a large variety of fascinating organisms, the serene waters of Long Island Sound are amongst the most enriched areas in New England. The Soundkeeper Fund's initial mission was to protect this precious estuary through litigation and other forms of political action. But as the years passed, the Soundkeeper organization developed into monitoring the "Sound's biological integrity, pursue polluters, and reduce contamination; restore salt marshes, educate the public and generate popular support" as per The New York Times. In addition, since Long Island Sound is surrounded by the densest population area in America with no fewer than seven shoreline power plants, Backer knew he had an extremely uphill battle ahead. He knew he must prevent local residents, local corporations, and even the federal government from dumping major pollutants into the Sound.

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Instead of meekly standing by as the Sound became more and more polluted, Backer decided to take a hard-nosed legal position against the culprits, knowing that this could potentially isolate him from his peers in the state house of representatives. One of his primary objectives was to stop nearby power plants from killing fish. On this issue, Backer noted that permits granted to power plants allow the murder of millions of small fish. By sucking in and then heating hundreds of millions of gallons of water a day, a power plant instantly kills any unlucky creature that gets itself trapped. The Soundkeeper Fund estimated that several of the long Island Sound power plants killed upwards of "154 billion fish...in the three decades ending in 2002". By choosing to face these giant foes, Backer ultimately dedicated almost all of his political life to protecting Long Island Sound.

Perhaps his largest battle was against a company called National Grid. In 2010, Backer accused National Grid of being a "giant fish-killing machine committing an act of theft", off of the statistic that the company was linked to the deaths of over 8.5 million fish in 2003. Following the filing of the lawsuit, Backer accused the New York's Department of Environmental conservation for being "lackadaisical, slow, and laissez-faire" regarding their investigation into National Grid. Through unlimited perseverance and the desire to make things right, Backer charged forward. In 2011, federal officials enacted a change in the operating permit for National Grid's power plant, thus creating a variety of environmental rules for the company to now abide by. But Backer didn't stop there. He eventually went on to sue the state of New York as well as the federal government for regulations involving "cooling water intakes from power plants".

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Of course, Backer did not succeed without his fair share of obstacles. Throughout his prominent career, he had to deal with a variety of critics ranging from former Connecticut Republican legislator George Gunther to local fisherman Larry Williams. Both these men accused Backer of "flip-flopping" on certain environmental issues. In addition, Backer had to deal with angry backlash from industries that he tried changing for the good of the environment. But clearly the worst problem for Backer to tackle was the federal government. He had to deal with the worst elements of a bureaucratic system: lethargy and ineffective provisions. With his intrepid legal actions, he faced defamation at best and possible ejection from the state House at worst. Ultimately, the Soundkeeper chose to put his passion for doing the right thing above all else.

Despite all of the backlash, Terry Backer trudged forward with determination and political courage. He said in a recent interview, "Sure there are times when I changed my stance on proposals when I realized there was nothing anybody could do to stop a project...that doesn't mean I didn't work for the best possible environmental outcome...it also doesn't mean I ever sold out".

It's incredible that Backer is almost single-handedly responsible for the significant reduction in pollution levels of Long Island Sound. Many recent reports have noted how remarkable the Sound is faring against the overwhelming odds. Furthermore, Backer's actions have certainly helped the public interest. His multi-pronged fight has made the Sound a safe and clean area for local residents to engage with. Garbage and debris are rarely spotted anymore, a welcome change from the dirty waters of two decades ago.

Last December, Terry Backer died due to complications of brain cancer. In addition to his political obstacles, Backer had lived with the deteriorating disease for several years, but he still continued his campaign for environmental protection. Backer's career, which he dedicated to standing up against things that were blatantly wrong, was no doubt a powerfully impactful one. His creation of the Soundkeeper Fund started a new trend, labeled the Waterkeeper movement, that has quickly spread. To be exact, there are now about 200 Waterkeepers in 20 countries across 6 continents. Connecticut Senator Murphy said of Backer, "Despite being so ill, he was...standing with me... on Long Island Sound, making one final pitch to preserve the waters that defined his life and career...to his very last breath, the Soundkeeper."
Maya Devi Temple. It is the main temple at Lumbini, a site traditionally considered the birthplace of Gautama Buddha. Photo: Nepal Tourism Board's Facebook.

We all know that 'Gautam Buddha' was born in Nepal. However, there is always debate about Buddha's birthplace. Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, now in modern-day Nepal. He was raised in the Shakya capital of Kapilvastu and obtained his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, India. This is the fact and truth. Based on this fact and truth, going by its cultural, religious and historical importance, Lumbini was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 as the birthplace of 'Gautam Buddha'.

UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) says, the Lord Buddha was born in 623 BC in the sacred area of Lumbini located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal, testified by the inscription on the pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor Asoka in 249 BC. Lumbini is one of the holiest places of one of the world's great religions, and its remains contain important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage center from as early as the 3rd century BC. However, some people are still trying to twist this fact about 'Gautam Buddha'.

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When somebody writes about the birthplace of Gautam Buddha and says Buddha wasn't born in Nepal, it's enough to make Nepali people furious. In 2015, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Lord Gautama Buddha was born in India. While addressing Indian community in California he said, "We are from the country where Buddha and Gandhi were born." Nepalese all around the world opposed that statement. In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the land of Nepal and said Buddha was born in Nepal in his address to Nepal's parliament. He got a big round of applause at that time. The birthplace of Siddhartha Gautam is a disputed issue as some Indian school textbooks state that Siddhartha Gautam was born in India. However, United Nation is clear about the fact of Buddha's birthplace. According to United Nations, as the birthplace of the Lord Buddha testified by the inscription on the Ashoka Pillar, the sacred area in Lumbini is one of the holiest and significant places for one of the world's great religions.

On the one hand, it has been found that many website contents false claims that Buddha was born in India; on the other hand, Nepalese holds campaigns against this false claim. There is a kind of war. Nepalese all around the world are still posting about the fact of Buddha's birthplace on Facebook, twitter, and other social medias. They are trying to spread truth against false claims.

Few years back, All the residents of Nepal including all the organization working in favor of society and Nepalese diaspora had also raised the movement for collecting around 1 million signature from each individual to submit to the United Nations for saying that Buddha was born in Nepal. In order to educate the world population and bring the public awareness, a signature campaign under the title: 'Please Promote: Buddha was born in Nepal and Mt. Everest is in Nepal', was initiated by Prem Guragain in 2012. One Million Signatures were collected online as well as offline and were submitted to the United Nations in 2014. Nepalese campaigns against false claims are still on.

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This year, Nepal is ready to celebrate the 2560th Buddha Jayanti (the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha) on May 21. The government of Nepal has made preparations for celebrating the Buddha Jayanti in Lumbini on May 21. However, the International Buddhist Conference is being held in Katmandu. The government of Nepal has invited United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other dignitaries to celebrate 2560th Buddha Jayanti. Nepalese Prime Minister has expressed his belief that the conference with international participation will help remove the confusion and prove that Buddha and the Buddhist philosophy started from Nepal. Nepalese all around the world are about to celebrate 2560th Buddha Jayanti with same believe and hope.

Meantime, Nepalese New Yorkers are going to celebrate 2560th Buddha Jayanti in New York on May 21. Himalayan Buddhist community of Nepal in the USA has made preparations for celebrating the Buddha Jayanti in Jackson Heights, New York. Hyolmo Society of America and other several organizations will support this event. This program may help remove the confusion about Gautam Buddha and his birthplace.
By Roger Wiens

On May 30, Mars and Earth will get close. Really close. With a distance between them of only 46.8 million miles, it's the nearest the two planets will be to each other in their respective orbits. While nearly 50 million miles might still seem far away (because it is), when you consider the average distance between the two planets is 140 million miles, this close approach of Mars makes the planet feel, well, like the neighbor it is. Not only does this give you a great opportunity to see the Red Planet in the night sky, it also gives us a chance to think about Mars and the possibilities it holds.



Mars will appear brightest from May 18-June 3. Its closest approach to Earth is May 30. (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Over the last 20 years NASA has embarked on a steady program to explore Mars. Beginning with the little rover Sojourner, three generations of mobile robots have made the trek through space to the Red Planet. And now NASA is planning a 2020 mission to Mars to gather more data. These missions have been critically important on a scientific level, but they've also ignited the imaginations of children and adults alike about the possibility of humans someday living there. (Look no further than the blockbuster success of the movie The Martian for proof.) But all of this brings up an interesting question: Why Mars? After all, the solar system has plenty of other planets to choose from. What makes Mars so special?

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A Home Away From Home... Maybe

Mars is by far the most Earth-like body we know besides the Earth itself. Mars has nearly the same length of day (24-hour, 40-minute day-night cycles); it has an atmosphere; it has dust storms, valleys, mountains, sunshine, wind, and water. When humans settle elsewhere in the solar system it will clearly be on Mars.



While it is substantially smaller than Earth and has only 38 percent of our gravity, our neighboring planet displays amazing diversity. It has a landmass equal to the seven continents of our own sphere. This smaller globe boasts the tallest mountain in the solar system, at a height of 17 miles, compared to Mt. Everest's mere 5.5 miles above sea level. It also has a grand canyon, Valles Marineris, that stretches nearly the distance from San Francisco to New York. Within the last three years NASA's Curiosity rover has driven over an ancient riverbed and found mudstones that were laid down in a fresh-water lake. We are still in an age of serendipitous discovery on Mars -- we can't predict what we will find next.



This "selfie" of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover taken in January shows the vehicle at "Namib Dune," where the rover's activities included scuffing into the dune with a wheel and scooping samples of sand for laboratory analysis. (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)

We do know that while Mars once had a habitable environment, its location farther from the Sun resulted in more catastrophic ice ages than Earth ever suffered. Worse than that, without a global magnetic field for protection, most of its atmosphere was slowly sputtered away by energetic particles from the Sun, so the pressure at Mars' surface is only 1 percent that of the Earth, no longer enough to support lakes and oceans.

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Given these realities, does human exploration of the Red Planet make sense? The answer is no, but we will do it anyway -- and when we do, we'll be armed with important information thanks to all of our robotic missions to Mars.

I have been fortunate to lead a joint French-American team using a laser-based sensor, ChemCam, which was developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory and is now aboard NASA's Curiosity rover. When ChemCam fires its extremely powerful laser pulse at a Martian rock, it vaporizes an area the size of a pinhead. The system's telescope peers at the flash of glowing plasma created by the vaporized material and records the colors of light contained within it. These spectral colors are then interpreted by a spectrometer, allowing us to determine the elemental composition of the vaporized material. ChemCam is designed to look for lighter elements such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen, all of which are crucial for life -- and all of which help tell us if we can someday safely inhabit the planet.

ChemCam was developed at Los Alamos because of our expertise in laser technology and spectroscopy, as well as our decades-long involvement in space. Now we're working on SuperCam, an action-hero version for NASA's 2020 mission to Mars that will allow us to conduct fine-scale mineralogy, chemistry, and organic detection and to create color images, with the added bonus of being able to dust off a surface via laser blasts.

All of this tells us that we can sufficiently explore Mars with rovers or by robotically bringing samples back to Earth. Isn't that enough? I doubt it. As humans, we have the sense that we will not have really explored the planet until human boot prints sink into Martian sand.

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A Pilgrimage of a Different Sort

But getting to Mars is no small task; and getting back to Earth is even harder -- requiring the assembly of a relatively large rocket on the Martian surface to blast the astronauts back into orbit. It would be extremely costly, not to mention incredibly risky. Then there's the added challenge of replenishing supplies for the Mars colonists if we decide to establish a permanent presence. The alignment of the planets only allows the transfer of people and goods every 27 months when Earth approaches its neighboring planet. That's a long time to wait if people are in dire need of supplies. If only one mission is planned at each of these opportunities, how would Mars colonists deal with failed missions, which are a certainty given the challenges? Or suppose supply missions make it to Mars but land too far away to reach the original colonists?

Things could work if -- but only if -- everything goes right. The history of both recent space exploration and many human ventures through time tell us that one must plan for problems and failures -- probably many of them. With this in mind, a sustained human presence on Mars is unlikely in the near future; but it could happen someday.

When I think of the men and women who will be the first to colonize Mars, I'm reminded of the pilgrims who set sail on the Mayflower in 1620 to settle in the New World. When they left their port in England, they had no idea what lie ahead -- famine, disease, and death on an epic scale. (Nearly half of the pilgrims died the first winter, which was much harsher than winters in England; out of 100 colonists only four women survived to the Thanksgiving celebration the next autumn.) A similar uncertainty will face the first colonists to set foot on Mars, with one major difference: the first Martians will have abundantly more information. Because of missions like Curiosity, they'll understand the temperatures, terrain, and resources of the planet -- and have the equipment to protect them.

Regardless, the first human mission will require brave individuals. Fortunately, the human race has no shortage of people who look to the distant horizon and wonder, "What's over there?" -- and then quickly add, "Let's find out." It makes me proud to be an earthling.

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Who doesn't love Summer? Warm weather, pool parties, cookouts -- and road trips! This Summer, let's skip the beach and head out on an epic drive through some of the most scenic routes our country has to offer. These road trips will be loved by driving enthusiasts everywhere, as they provide open highway and terrific scenery. Perfect for opening the windows, turning up the radio, and enjoying a ride through nature.

Here's some recommended road trips to take this Summer:

Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway

Distance: 480 miles

Location: Western Colorado and Eastern Utah

Time to drive: 3-4 days (with stops)

Sights: Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway is a loop passing through canyons and rock formations that are home to dinosaur fossils and footprints as old as 150 million years. Start in Colorado near the town of -- you guessed it -- Dinosaur and head toward the Dinosaur National Monument, which is filled with thousands of fossils. Or just drive straight through the loop and take in some of the best natural geological formations and rivers you've ever seen.

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Pacific Coast Highway

Distance: 123 miles

Location: California, Oregon, and Washington

Time to drive: 1-2 days (with stops)

Sights: One of the best ocean views you can see from a car, the Pacific Coast Highway is a must-drive for a Summer road trip. You can drive from Santa Barbara to the Canadian border if you want to, but don't get distracted by the scenery as the road is filled with sharp turns and curves. Check out the 17-Mile Drive that goes across the Monterey Peninsula - which goes directly through Pebble Beach. Time your return trip correctly and catch the sunset over the water.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Distance: 383 miles

Location: Charlottesville, VA to Asheville, NC

Time to drive: 3-4 days (with stops)

Sights: Connecting the Shenandoah National Park with Virginia's Skyline Drive, The Blue Ridge Parkway will treat travelers to outstanding mountain and forest views. This trip will give you a little taste of country living, with great stops like The Poor's Farmer's Market for fresh produce or the Blue Ridge Music Center for some great Appalachian music. Take a pit stop at Gem Mountain to dig for precious stones, or take a step into one of the many caverns along the way.

Florida Keys

Distance: 120 miles

Location: Key Largo, FL to Key West, FL

Time to drive: 1-2 days (with stops)

Sights: If a picture tells a thousand words, the drive through the Florida Keys is a real talker. You can island hop through the keys and stop at the many beach bars, take a jet-ski for a ride, visit a lighthouse, or do some snorkeling. The highlight is 7 Mile Bridge -- one of the longest bridges in the world -- which provides travelers with amazing water views on both sides of their car.

Route 66

Distance: 2,000+ miles

Location: Chicago, IL to Los Angeles, CA

Time to drive: Minimum two weeks; more if you plan to stop and stay often

Sights: A classic, but still a must-drive for anyone that really wants to get out and see what our great country has to offer. Starting in Illinois before passing into Missouri and Kansas and into Oklahoma, Route 66 then heads through New Mexico and Arizona before ending in California. There are several major sites to see directly on the route -- Land of Lincoln, Will Rogers Memorial, Cadillac Ranch -- and several more just off of the path, including the Grand Canyon. If it's just about the drive and scenery, you could make the trip in a couple of days, but in order to get the most out of the experience, 2-3 weeks is recommended for various stops and overnight stays.

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Ironically, for an industry that prides itself on innovation and disruption, the tech community has been slow to change the status quo in our own conferences, and in representing diversity. The archaic model of a speaker at the front of an auditorium, teaching in rote style learning to a subdued, passive audience is outdated. By the way, only 5% of information is retained by listening to a speaker lecturing at the front of a room. Not to mention the lack of breadth in information and experiences when the speakers resemble each other. We all get short shrifted by a scarcity of imagination and diversity with a line up of conference speakers who are homogenous.

If as an industry we are all about KPIs, outcomes that scale, and building the future, why are we still stuck with archaic conference models that resemble 50 years of the past? When you consider that the Internet itself is meant to be the most democratic and inclusive of technologies - truly for everyone, you may wonder why this isn't easily reflected in real life tech industry events.

Rather than just focusing on the problem let's look at a solution.

What kind of groundbreaking events can we create that are valuable to the tech community of entrepreneurs and investors as a whole? And quite frankly, how do we build events that are worth going to?

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For a start, attendees want to interact, find mentors and connect with a network who will make a difference for their startup, and personal success.

Coming up on our radar is a power charged event that will flip the status quo: #MentHERnyc. On 23 June, the tech community is coming together to found a platform for women led startups in New York City that will hopefully change the conference model, while championing diversity. 75 of the most promising early stage women-led companies will be accessing advice, while building relationships as they create Advisory Boards and prepare to fundraise. In short, the real deal.

Crucially, the ratio of entrepreneurs to investors/advisors is near even, with 75 powerful investors present to give 1 hour of their time to mentor women founders.

The event was created when Alicia Syrett, Founder and CEO of Pantegrion Capital, Diana Murakhovskaya and Irene Ryabaya, Co-founders of Monarq, decided there was a need for a new kind of conference.

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"You know the adage, 'If you ask for money you get advice, and if you ask for advice you get money'? This event is all about giving women entrepreneurs 'advice' with the ultimate goal of getting more funded by facilitating relationships with the most active and helpful investors in our city. Diana, Irene and I are all passionate about this goal and making NYC the most diverse ecosystem possible, and we believe #MentHERnyc is a great step in making this happen," says Alicia Syrett.

Major media is in coming out in strong support, with CNBC Power Pitch actively scouting entrepreneurs to cover, as well as advice sessions from columnists at Forbes, Fortune and the New York Times.

Just as crucially, the investor community is already backing the event with Lerer Hippeau, Time Warner, HearstLab and ENIAC among the venture capital firms participating. Angels will also be in the mix, including groups like New York Angels and 37 Angels. Every active women focused investor group is represented. Entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to connect and receive meaningful advice from some of the biggest names in the investor community, rather than passively listening to other startups pitch.

#MentHERnyc is important because it represents the new wave of genuine innovation taking place in tech's real world events. It ensures inclusiveness, diversity of thought, and a practical way for startup enthusiasts to truly connect and together build companies of scale.
Today, 17 May in 1990 the World Health Organization decided homosexuality was not a mental disorder. Since 2004 the day has been celebrated to draw attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people internationally.

In Latin America, the life expectancy of transgender women is 35 years old, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Across the Caribbean the lives of transgender women are affected by criminalizing laws, stigma, marginalization and terrifying violence by state and non-state actors.

In a 2014 report on police violence towards transgender sex workers in the Dominican Republic, TRANSSA, a Dominican transgender-led group, documented the unlawful detention of Ana. She was stripped by the police and detained in the back of an open wagon. The police then removed her wig, and paraded her around the streets naked. Later at the police station, when she was trying to sleep, they threw buckets of water on her. Police said if she said anything about the abuse, she would "disappear."

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Like in Ana's case, most States in the Caribbean fail to protect transgender people from violence, and their gender identity and expression is rarely taken into account as grounds for hate crimes during murder investigations, resulting in impunity. TRANSSA estimates that 34 transgender people have been murdered in hate crimes over the past 10 years in the Dominican Republic and only 3 people have been convicted.

Guyana Trans United estimates 9 people have been killed due to their gender identity and expression since 2014 in the South American country. Of those cases, only one person has been charged, but there have been no convictions.

Violence and discrimination against transgender children and youth starts early. They are excluded from homes, schools and families because of their gender identity.

In Jamaica, transgender children and teens are often kicked out of their homes and some had at one time even sought refuge in storm drains in Kingstons business district. JFLAG, Jamaicas leading LGBTI group, has repeatedly called on the government to intervene in families to stop the exclusion of LGBTI children and to increase shelters for the homeless.

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According to a study by the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) in the Dominican Republic less than 35 percent of transgender women sex workers have completed secondary school. As they are pushed away from education, many become involved in transactional sex as early as 16. This early social exclusion leads to poverty and more violence. Transgender people are often pushed into criminalized work, such as sex work, which further exposes them to police abuse and arbitrary detentions. Eighty percent of Dominican transgender women involved in sex work have been arrested or detained at least once, and 36 percent had exchanged sex with police officers to avoid being arrested.

But extreme violence is not the only human rights abuse transgender women face. Many transgender women continue to die, not from lack of medical options, but due to intense stigma and discrimination that drives them away from health care services. Data reflecting HIV prevalence within the Caribbean transgender community is scarce, but according to a 2013 study published in the Lancet that reviewed HIV data in 10 low and middle income countries, almost 18 percent of transgender women live with HIV. In many Caribbean countries, transgender women often die instead of accessing stigmatizing healthcare services and treatment for HIV and AIDS.

With few exceptions, Caribbean political leaders are silent on transgender issues. When politicians do speak, their comments are often shameful and offensive. In May 2016, Bahamian media reported that a local Member of Parliament had publically advocated for transgender people to be exiled to an isolated island.

Despite this unacceptable reality, across the Caribbean, brave human rights defenders push for change.

Quincy McEwan, Director of Guyana Trans United, is a litigant in a constitutional challenge to colonial laws which criminalize cross-dressing. Her organization runs programs that help transgender women access healthcare services, support groups and activities to raise visibility of transgender women. Accessing public spaces is still a major challenge for transgender people in Guyana, and her organization recently protested a magistrates decision to bar a transgender woman from entering his courtroom whilst she was dressed in female clothing. Quincy says things "change very slowly" but believes its increasingly easier to approach Ministers of Parliament in Guyana and to engage people on transgender issues.

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Cuba is the only country in the Caribbean where gender reassignment treatment is permitted, but there is little publicly available information on how accessible the treatment is. In Puerto Rico, the Governor issued instructions in August 2015 allowing for gender to be changed on driving licenses, but as in the rest of the Caribbean, there are no provisions for changing gender in other identity documents.

Yet in the neighboring Dominican Republic, Christian King, who leads TRANSSA, says his organization and others are bringing the issue of legal gender recognition to the national debate. Christian believes there is a need for a "legal tool" against entrenched discrimination. TRANSSA also runs programs for HIV positive transgender women, helping them to navigate the healthcare system and fight the stigma and discrimination transgender women experience in services.

Christian believes there have been many advances.

We have a public prosecutor's office trying to resolve some small cases, there are diverse social actors interested in the general situation of LGBTI people, and in the health system there is a specific strategy for key populations (those at higher risk for HIV). There are also many trans leaders, the result of voluntary community empowerment work, fighting to improve their own situation and that of their fellow trans. In ten years since TRANSSA was founded, we have seen many results.

Alexus DMarco heads the Caribbeans newest transgender organization, Bahamas Transgender Intersex United (BTIU), founded only in April 2016. Alexus says the group was formed as the government was saying there were no transgender people in the country; a huge irony Alexus says, because the same Bahamian government receives US funds to run programs for transgender people. Since its first press conference, Alexus says members of the group have received direct and indirect threats from members of the public and the Deputy Prime Minister has reportedly been critical of transgender people. Alexus says, "We need sensitivity and diversity training for members of government on what it is to be LGBTQI because they dont know."

So the struggle for transgender rights in the Caribbean continues. Civil society are raising their voices and getting stronger because people want visibility. Its already created backlash. But, at the very least, it's becoming harder for Caribbean governments to deny transgender people exist.


Ismail Muaweri, left, and Patrick Kisembo, of the Nalubugo Credit and Savings Group in Mpigi, Uganda, dial in to access the group's bank account.

By John Rivera

In the Mpigi region of southwestern Uganda, village savings and lending groups conduct business much as they do elsewhere.

They meet regularly, members deposit their contributions to their savings accounts and take out small loans. At the end of the saving cycle, they also receive a payout from the collective interest and fees collected.

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The only thing that's missing? The metal cash box where the group's funds are stored, secured by three separate locks with keys held by three different trusted community members. The multiple locks and key holders ensure transparency and security.



Going Digital



These savings and lending groups have gone digital, trading in the traditional cash box for a "digital wallet" to store their funds. Lutheran World Relief Uganda has launched a partnership with Centenary Bank, the leading Commercial Microfinance Bank in Uganda, and Airtel, the east African nation's leading provider of telecommunications services, to create a mobile group savings solution that provides a secure, convenient, affordable and fast way for savings and lending groups to save, send and receive money. Centenary Bank hosts the groups' accounts and provides financial literacy services to members. Airtel provides the mobile phone delivery channel.

Mobile banking provides savings and lending group members with an entry point to access formal financial and credit services because it establishes a financial history for the group.

"Manual record keeping means that the group's rich transaction history is invisible to formal institutions that might be able to provide more financial services to groups, especially if they want loans for agricultural investment," says Kenneth Barigye, LWR Uganda country director. "The idea is to build confidence with the banks so that eventually they'll give loans to group members."

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The key to developing a mobile application for savings and lending groups is to preserve the same model of accountability and transparency the groups use with the physical cash boxes. With the digital model, one member holds the phone with the memory card that can initiate a transaction on the group's account. Instead of key holders, there are three members who must independently enter a Personal Information Number (PIN) to complete any transaction. A completed transaction then triggers a text message, which is sent to three different group members.

Village savings and lending groups are an effective way of financially empowering communities that, because of their remote location or lack of assets, do not have easy access to formal financial services. The groups are typically composed of 15 to 25 self-selected members who meet on a regular basis to contribute savings. By saving more frequently in very small amounts, members can build their savings more easily, and this contributes to improving their assets and the security of their households. The ability to take out loans from the group enables members to make investments in their farms, or pay for other expenses that arise.

Africa's Move Toward Mobile Technology

The move to mobile in the savings and lending groups capitalizes on the increasing accessibility and use of mobile technology in Africa, even in some of the remotest areas. A recent Pew Research Center survey characterized cell phone usage in sub-Saharan Africa as pervasive, noting that in some countries, such as South Africa and Nigeria, cell phone usage is as common as it is in the United States. In Uganda, 65 percent of the population owns a mobile phone. And that increased cell phone use has led to the rise of mobile banking. Pew reports that a median of 30 percent of cell phone users in Africa have engaged in mobile banking in the last 12 months.

Still, giving up the traditional cash box for a virtual mobile wallet was a big step for some savings and lending groups. There are varying levels of literacy and familiarity with technology in each individual savings group, and "they tend to be skeptical of every new thing that comes in," said Ssennoga Hamzai Batiibwe, chief executive officer of the Mbugo Area Cooperative Enterprise, an LWR partner that is spearheading the mobile wallet pilot. "So it was not automatic that they would jump on it. Up to now, some people are still waiting to see how well it will work."



Advantages of the Mobile Wallet

Members of the savings and lending groups who favor the new technology cite two advantages with using the mobile wallet. One is simply convenience. In some of the more rural areas, the local bank is a long and expensive ride away. A mobile connection eliminates the time and expense of physically taking cash to the bank.

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"It has provided security to the group," said Harriet Nakku, 48, of the Nalubugo Credit and Savings Group. "Members can easily access their money with the mobile wallet. Even if someone is far away, you can access it just by entering a PIN."



Rose Sengaba, secretary of the Nezikokolima savings group, reviews the group's finances with a fellow member.

But the advantage consistently cited is the increased safety and security offered by mobile banking. A treasurer who keeps a safe box containing hundreds or even thousands of dollars of cash becomes a target for thieves, threatening not just the group's funds but also the personal safety of the treasurer's family.

Rose Sengaba, 58, secretary of the Nezikokolima savings group (the name means "even those that crow were eggs at one point"), noted that the box containing the funds of a nearby savings group, totaling more than one million Ugandan shillings ($300), was recently stolen, leaving that group empty handed.
"Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"

Joseph H. Welch, Army-McCarthy hearings, June 9, 1954

I can still hear Dad's voice that fall night in 1950 as he sat my next sister and me down after dinner to tell us what might happen. I was sixteen.

"If Senator McCarthy has another list, I will be on it."

The United States was engulfed in Cold War hysteria, enflamed by Congressional witch-hunts for Communists purported to be infiltrating the government and media and thus an imminent danger to the nation. Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-WI) was a bullying, much feared demagogue with a five o'clock shadow and accusatory voice. Almost daily, he fulminated with fresh assertions of people he contended were Communists. "I have a list," he blustered, shaking a sheaf of papers.

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Each new list was presented without source or substantiation. Many of the people he named, like our father, were "China Hands" -- government employees and journalists, experts in the language and culture who knew both the pre-war Nationalist government and the Communists who had taken over the country in 1949.

Dad was a teaching missionary before World War II. During the war he worked in Chungking (then in Free China behind the Japanese lines) for the Office of War Information. Because his Chinese was fluent and he knew the country well, he developed material to support the Chinese and Allied cause against the Japanese. His office produced a cartoon filmstrip for wide distribution within China that was also reprinted in Life. The Americans were portrayed as helmeted eagles. The Chinese were many valiant sparrows. Both were swooping to attack the Japanese, depicted as turtles. Calling someone a turtle was a serious curse word in Chinese, so I was told.

When he returned from China after the war, he wrote what at the time was one of the prime books on the country: China: The Land and the People. The book, in fact, was my future husband's first contact with our family. Several years before we met, he bought it as an assigned text for a university course.

When Dad's book was published, I was in the seventh grade and our family lived in a walk up on the upper west side in New York. One morning, we passed Doubleday's Fifth Avenue store. Dad's book wasn't in the window. I went in, looked around, didn't see it there either, and marched up to the counter: "My Dad has just published a book on China" and gave them the name of it. "Why isn't it in your window?"

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Beyond that, Dad had written about the country for various journals. And he knew and had worked with many of the people on the earlier lists whose lives and careers were in tatters from McCarthy's accusations. So he wanted us to be forewarned, in case.

Fortunately for our family, there wasn't another list. Many others were not so lucky. When she was a child, a friend's father's career was shattered as part of the Hollywood blacklist. "Guilt by association," she bitterly puts it these sixty-odd years later.

Truth of the accusations wasn't the point. McCarthy was preying on and fanning widespread fears of Communism primarily for his own aggrandizement.

He didn't get his comeuppance until 1954 when he took on the military during the Army-McCarthy hearings. By the end of the hearings in June, my husband-to-be and I were courting, spending as much time together as we could. And for us at least part (but only part) of that meant we were glued to the black and white television in his family's upstairs den. The high point (of the hearings, not the courting) was seeing McCarthy's bullying crumble under Joseph Welch's withering: "Have you no sense of decency, sir?"

Like many other almost childhood memories, the night Dad sat us down has rarely been in the front of my mind. My main sense of that time is that the atmosphere was poisonous -- even without widespread TV and no social media. Because we were caught up in fringes of that maelstrom, from then on I have had a gut-level aversion to demagogic accusations that have the power to ruin lives and undermine a civil, democratic society.

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But that memory resonates when McCarthy-like politics rears its ugly head. I have the same gut-level feeling today, building as McCarthyism did over months and years. Not so much about ideology or policy -- those are legitimate political discussions and the purpose of hard-fought elections. But that the atmosphere is again poisonous with something deeper, more anti-democratic and anti-American. Promises of walls to keep people out, misogynist name-calling, the most overt racism since my southern childhood, bullying threats against Muslims by a presumptive nominee. The permission a supporter presumes, consequently, to jerk off a woman's hijab. Birther nonsense to demean the validity of a popularly elected president. Lie heaped upon lie about individuals and facts until the lies become "truth." Overwhelming an election for our president.

As our media repeats these sound bites again and again and social media is flooded with it, I find myself echoing Joseph Welch: "Have we no sense of decency?"
Reporting with Ginger Guzman, Tallinn

When can you get the Estonian President, Prime Minister, Vice President of the EU, innumerable foreign ministers, ambassadors, and top think tankers all in the same place? At the annual Lennart Meri Conference, of course! At the event one can find large panels covering the most pertinent foreign policy issues and intimate conversations between the most influential people on the planet. This is a veritable who's who in foreign policy. This year's theme of "Shaping the New Normal" has wide sweeping implications not only for Europe, but globally. International instability has created a myriad of global threats, but also provides numerous opportunities to address the "new normal."

Annexation of Crimea has increased the fears of Russian border states and bordering cities, like Narva, Estonia. On 12 May, the day before the main conference started, discussions at the Narva College of the University of Tartu outlined many of the fears of small, former soviet states with an ethnic Russian population and also highlighted paths for keeping the Russian aspirations at bay. Panelists agreed that President Putin is an opportunist who will exploit instability in states, so the Baltics as well as other former soviet states should seek to address their internal issues and the grievances of their populations.



LMC at Narva College, photo by Annika Haas

Leading off the main conference on 13 May was Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the First Vice President of the EU Commission, Frans Timmermans, General Wesley Clark (ret.), and Constanze Stelzenmuller of The Brookings Institution who discussed what is the new normal. With the sea of changes in regards to EU cohesion, economic uncertainty, migration issues, and conflicts worldwide, states must increase their political will to implement strategies that will carry Europe and the Western world forward in a positive manner. Avoiding taking leadership in Europe and the West will inevitably lead to an increase in problems for a more fractious continent with weakened bargaining power.

Video of the opening session "New Normal. The End of The West as We Know It?"

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Opening session of LMC 2016, photo by Annika Haas

An excited group of participants attended the night owl session that addressed Europe's refugee crisis with an illustrious panel to include Estonia's Foreign Minister, Marina Kaljurand, Frans Timmermans, Ruprecht Polenz, President of the German Association for East European Studies, Artis Pabriks the European Parliament's Rapporteur for the European Border and Coast Guard, and Harlem Desir, the Minister of State for European Affairs of the Republic of France. Consensus on the issue of refugees remains complicated and must be addressed in terms of not only the burden on the states and local population, logistics, and fear, but also in terms of human rights and the values of the EU alliance. Europe must act collectively as dealing with the refugee crisis is going to be a test of the credibility, solidarity, and values of the EU. Forging a relationship with Turkey is imperative if the EU wants to effectively manage the current migration issues and increase in refugee flows into the region. However, member states' foreign policy must also adapt and address these issues or Europe will not be able to stand united, which may be a nail in the coffin of the EU, but likely not the final nail.





Night Owl session of LMC 2016, photo by Annika Haas

Eager participants attended concurrent breakfast sessions on "The Baltic Gap: How Credible is NATO's Deterrence Posture?," "State(s) of Fear: Coping with Terrorism, Extremism and Random Violence," "Distrust of the East and Anxiety of the South - Balancing the European Neighborhood," and the "Future of Ukraine: 'Is Minsk Doable?'" The tenor in each of the sessions had an air of pessimism and fear. However, ways forward were discussed and will hopefully lead to smooth transitions and a less dangerous future. States and alliances must make changes now to address the issues that face Europe and the West. Efforts must be made to increase the resilience of individual states and alliances while also looking to EU and NATO partners to find regional solutions. With regards to extremism, the Western world must find a narrative that resonates better in the Muslim world as the drumbeats of democracy are falling on deaf ears. None of these challenges can be solved overnight and solutions will involve extensive dialogues and commitment from European states and the West.



Breakfast session "The Baltic Gap", photo by Annika Haas

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Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded.

Forests Protect The BUB: Bizarre, Useful and Beautiful biodiversity that sustains all of us, besides storing carbon -- and hooded Indian grasshoppers.Credit Kaushik GM at flickr

OO India Is Set To Spend Over $6 Billion On Restoring Their Forests

Forests: the cheapest way to store carbon

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Boreal Circle of Fire - a wildfire emitted many tons of climate-changing carbon emissions as it burned Fort McMurray, Canada, a city devoted to producing climate-changing fossil fuels that help warm and dry out boreal forests; both fires and fossil fuels up the chances for... more carbon-emitting wildfires. This wildfire is just the latest in a growing lineage of early northern wildfires, indicating climate change.

OO The Climate Context For The Fort McMurray Wildfire - Takeaways:



warmer winters and springs are heating up the north; the fire season has increased 40% over the past 65 years; El Nino added to the heat and dryness this year.

large wildfires have doubled over that time;

boreal wildfires have spiked to levels not seen in 10,000 years;

wildfires emit many tons of climate changing carbon emissions;

boreal peat bogs store huge amounts of climate changing carbon - once burning they are very difficult to put out.

Source CBC, Reuters

OO Alberta, Canada: Entire City Of 88,000+ Flees Large Wildfire that was fuelled by soaring temperatures - nearly 90 F - and tinder-dry forest. The fire burned thousands of home in the oil sands city of Fort McMurray.





Related Headline:

OO 'It Was Raining Ash:' Wildfire Sparks Exodus - as it blew up a gas station, burned homes and downtown.

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"Headlights stretched for hundreds of kilometers through parched boreal forest as residents headed south," noted Daily Climate News Editor Doug Fischer



As Global Temperatures Rise, So Do Wildfires as depicted in this watercolor that shows rising flames above a graph of rising global temperatures. Credit Jill Pelto

OO Climate Change May Be Fueling Canada's Fire Season a new study says. Takeaways:

global warming is creating warmer winters and less spring snow;

warmer winters means earlier snowmelt, lengthening the dry season;

El Nino further added to a drier, milder winter this year;

Longer, drier seasons increase the chance of wildfires.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT OF CANADA WILDFIRE

Alberta Wildfire Burning Tons of Money -costing not just insurers, but oil consumers, many thousands of refugees, and the world, in terms of climate change. Credit Jerome Garot at EPA

OO Canada Oil Prices Rise As Wildfire Knocks Out Production



OO Alberta Wildfire Set To Be Canada's Costliest Natural Disaster - for insurers of all the structures destroyed.



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OO Canadian Wildfire Edges South, Leaves Thousands Stranded - and helping these new refugees will also cost the Canadian economy.



When we harm forests, we harm ourselves.

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WHAT INSPIRES ACTION ON CLIMATE?

What Inspires Politicians to Take Action? Voters Credit Center for Climate Change Communication

OO Creating Concern About Global Warming - indicates a new study, is tied to people's knowledge:

Understanding the causes of global warming helps people accept that it's man-made.

Recognizing that it is man-made creates concern within people.

Knowing that 97% of scientists recognize man-made global warming ups people's acceptance of it and policies to tackle it.

Less than 20% of Americans realize the scientific consensus is that high.

Flickr

OO Inspire Climate Action By Framing the Issue Collectively - as in "we're all in this together - now what are we going to do?" This is far more effective than thinking in terms of personal responsibility, says a new study. People are willing to donate up to 50% more towards climate action.



BUT this might only work with people who are informed on climate change, like those polled in the study.



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CLIMATE CHANGE WILL DRY UP ECONOMIES

@@ DRYING UP - The Middle East, north Africa, central Asia and south Asia will suffer the biggest economic hit from water scarcity as climate change takes hold, finds a new World Bank report.

OO Global Water Shortages To Deliver 'Severe Hit' To Economies,

World Bank Warns likely spurring conflict and further migration by 2050, says a new study.



Under business-as-usual water usage, shortages could cause a 14% decline in GDP in the Middle East, and declines in Africa, India, and China from both climate change and rising populations.

Related Headline:

OO Climate Change Is Really Going To Hurt Us Is Through Water



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@@ A Simple And Smart Way To Fix Climate Change given by Dan Miller in 2014 at a Ted talk suggests a way to profit as we tackle climate change, by finally charging those who sell and use fossil fuels - and distributing the revenues back to all of us!



The strategy is sure to speed transition to clean renewable energy. What's not to like? Check it out!

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AMERICA'S BIGGEST CORAL REEF IS DISSOLVING

Now You See It... Now You Don't as corals start dissolving. Credit Chris Langdon at National Geographic



OO Oceanic Acidification Is Dissolving the Biggest US Reef on the continent, says a new study.



The northern part of the reef, nearest Miami, is eroding and dissolving faster than it can rebuild, likely due to increasing acidity, which prevents corals from obtaining the calcium needed to grow. Takeaways:

Coral reef dissolution is happening faster than predicted;

Unlike coral bleaching, acidification is constant, precluding a chance to repair.

Coral dissolution will speed up as acidification worsens.

Without coral reefs, many beachside hotels and coasts will be more vulnerable to flooding and storm damage.

Related Headline:

OO Florida's Coral Reef Is Disintegrating



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RISING SEAS

Imagine All of Humanity Jumping Into The Sea, Every Day - And Not Getting Out - that's how much water is being added to the oceans daily by Greenland ice melting. Credit Christine Zeinino at Flickr

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OO Abrupt 6-Foot Sea Level Rise An Increasingly Reality

By 2100 - indicate a growing number of studies, as the Antarctic and Greenland ice caps melt; sea levels could rise far higher in the next century, flooding much of humanity.



RISING SEAS SINK 5 PACIFIC ISLANDS

These sunken islands are a portent of things to come.

- study author Simon Albert.

OO Rising Pacific Ocean Swallows 5 Solomon Islands,

Due to Climate Change, says a new study.

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OO As Seas Rise, So Will Toxic Ocean Pollution as thousands of coastal garbage dumps erode, then submerge in the UK... and worldwide.





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MELTDOWN

The Pacific Speeds Up Arctic Melting During Its Cool Decades Climate Phase - characterized by the ocean surface temperature patterns above. The good news? We arein a warm phase. The bad news? The Arctic experienced record breaking warmth this winter - that is, it could have been -- and will be -- far worse, if we don't act. Source Screen and Francis 2016

OO How The Pacific Ocean Alters The Pace Of Arctic Warming is answered in part by new research. Takeaways:



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The Pacific switches between cold and warm decades-long climate phases (aka PDOs), related to ocean surface temperatures off the Americas., which are cooler during the cold phase, and vice versa.

The cold phase helps speed up melting of Arctic ice, as resulting winds push more warm air (from over open waters) north over the ice, further melting it. In contrast, the warm phase slows melting.

Dwindling Arctic Ice Wikipedia

The bad news? This winter's record Arctic warmth occurred during the warm phase, which began in 2013. And other factors, such as a strong El Nino weather event, also played a part.

But when we switch back to the cool phase, Arctic melting will probably speed up even further.

And the loss of Arctic ice further increases global warming as much more heat gets absorbed by the resulting larger expanses of darker, open waters.

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Melting Away - the freezer that stores California's water, the Sierra snowpack. Source www.kcet.org

OO Western U.S. Snowpack Melting At Record Speed from Washington to Wyoming - so quickly, that flooding is possible in some areas.



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SUFFOCATING SEAS HIT CALIFORNIA

Rockfish Hit Rocky Times - prized by fishermen and fish lovers alike, many species of rockfish are now threatened by lack of oxygen. Source saveourshores.org

OO Global Warming Is Starving West Coast Waters, And Marine Life,

Of Oxygen - overfished rockfish populations now face suffocation as warming surface waters increasingly prevent enough oxygen penetrating deep into their habitat.

Other marine life that support the oceanic food chain are affected, too.

Areas naturally lower in oxygen are feeling the effects sooner worldwide.



OO Ocean's Oxygen Starts Running Low - as surface waters warm and prevent oxygen from mixing deeper, making it hard for fish to breathe in addition to exacerbating global warming and ocean acidification.



Related Headline:

OO Global Warming Could Deplete The Oceans' Oxygen -

With Severe Consequences indicates a new study.

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GOOD CLEAN NEWS

OO Republican States Benefiting Most From Shift to Wind and Solar Energy - despite

opposing the President 's efforts to curtail climate-warming carbon emissions, such states as Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, are often benefiting most from the nation's accelerating shift to renewable energy.

Republican-dominated North Carolina trails only California in new solar farms, thanks largely to pro-renewables polices enacted years ago under a Democratic legislature.



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Related Headline:

OO Republican States Are Leading America In New Renewable Energy Projects with wind turbines and solar panels accounting for more than two-thirds of all new electric generation capacity added to the nation's grid in 2015.



and

OO Republican Attitudes on Climate Change Thaw



Spreading Like a Cold - Only Hotter!Source Shutterstock

OO Solar Power Is Contagious - fully one third of the customers for the largest US Solar rootop installer were referred by a friend or neighbor. If you install solar photovoltaic panels on your roof, that increases the odds that your neighbors will install their own panels.

Rooftop solar is expanding rapidly in the US-- by some estimates, a new system goes up every four minutes.



Source www.bbc.com

OO China's Total Wind Power Capacity to Triple by 2030



OO Chile Considers Tapping Pacific Wave Power - a new study shows it has 164 MW of potential wave power lapping its coasts; harnessing just 10% of it would surpass Chile's current electric capacity.



OO US: Solar Surges As Coal Collapses -Solar capacity is surging; by the end of 2016, there will be twice as much solar as there was in 2014.

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Meanwhile, recent coal plants closings bring tally of closed (or closing) coal generation to 100 gigawatts' worth since 2010, says the Sierra Club, which has focused on limiting and now reducing coal use since 2002.



Source www.coal-is-dirty.com

OO U.S. Coal Production Falling Off a Cliff as a majority of the country's major coal companies have filed for bankruptcy over the past year, bringing.coal production to a 30-year low.



BUT...

OO The Global Coal Trade Doubled From 2002 To 2012 as a coal-fuelled boom took hold in Asia. Now it seems to have stalled, or even gone into reverse. Several maps tell the story.



And...

OO Plans For Coal-Fired Power In Asia Are 'Disaster For Planet'

Warns World Bank - China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam account for three-quarters of new coal stations planned for the next five years. If all go ahead, it would leave the world unable to avoid 2C of warming, says a World Bank official.



Related Headline:

OO Countries Eyeing Coal Plants Must Reassess Energy Strategy says the head of the International Renewable Energy Agency, because such facilities may not be a viable investment.



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CLUELESS LEADERSHIP

@@ Kimmel Pooh-poohs Pompous Palin's Denial:

"What if I decide to deny the existence of yogurt?" Or of gravity? Ultimately, K notes, "Either you believe in science, or you don't."



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And for even more nonsense...

'I'm not a big believer in man-made climate change.' says Don The Denier of man-made global warming. Credit: modified piece by Nate Beeler at the Columbus Dispatch



OO Donald Trump's Election Would Derail Paris Climate Deal,

Warns Its Architect- Former French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said, "If a climate change denier was to be elected, it would threaten dramatically global action against climate disruption."

More Trumpery...

OO Coal Industry Group Backs Trump - one dinosaur backs another.



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OO Colorado Court Strikes Down Local Communities' Freedom to Ban Fracking



OO Fund Investors Ignoring Climate Risks Rose Last Year Despite BOE Warning - that is, from the Bank of England, which warned about the potential for "huge" losses from a sudden shift in regulation designed to curb global warming and fossil fuels.

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Almost half of the world's top 500 investors are failing to act on climate change risk and management. Oh-oh.



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ELECTION YEAR:

If You Don't Vote For Climate Action, You Can Forget The Rest - in a climate-changing world of famine, drought, rising seas, giant storms and heat waves, there will be no security in jobs, health, wealth, or national safety. There will be chaos ensuing from increasing crises and disasters. Vote.

OO Global Warming Policies We Set Today Will Determine The Next 10,000 Years - of global warming, a new study shows -- and whether our civilization survives or not: history shows that harmful climate change has destroyed civilizations before.

This time, it could be worldwide. Let's keep "The Hunger Games" in the realm of fiction.

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CLIMATE LEADERSHIP

Source greentechmedia.com

OO Obama: Taking On Climate Change Is Key To Public Health beyond being an economic imperative and a national security priority.



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Catchin' Rays Down Under, Mate! The Greens want millions of households to install renewable energy storage units, saying battery storage could "revolutionise" Australia's energy system. Source reneweconomy.com.au

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OO Australia: Green Lawmakers Want Solar Energy Storage For 1+ Million Homes - noting it could revolutionize Australia's energy system.



How to fund the 5-year, nearly $3 billion incentive program? Scrap fossil fuel subsidies.

The Aussie Green Clean Goal: 90% of Australia runs on renewables by 2030.



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Harvesting a Windy Treasure on the Emerald Isle Source www.independent.ie

OO Ireland: New Minister Says Wind Energy Part Of Climate-Change Solution



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SPEAKING OUT

A Drought Refugee: A Face of Climate Change, fueled by our need for fossil fuels.

Credit Matilde Gattoni at instagram

OO Climate Change Is Corroding Our Values, Says Naomi Klein - The need for fossil fuels is destroying regions and communities, causing war and famine worldwide in the process, argues the activist and author.



OO Scientists Critiquing Media Climate Reports - at the new website Climate Feedback, where a coterie of climate scientists critique news reports and opinion columns.



OO Environmental Groups Sue EPA,

Seek Stricter Rules Over Fracking Waste Linked To Earthquakes



OO Australia: 66 Charged At Newcastle Anti-Coal Climate Change Protest



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SOCIAL REPERCUSSIONS

One of Many Who Gave Up Hope and he left behind a famished family. Source ajitvadakayil.blogspot.com

OO India: Hundreds Commit Suicide As Drought Dries Up Their Survival

- after 2-3 successive drought years:

Water taps have run dry;

Public panic and protests have erupted;

Reservoirs are now guarded;

100,000+ Drought refugees have fled dried farms

Dried out soil can't absorb water, or recharge groundwater well.

This is just the tip of the iceberg: in 2014 alone, 5,500 Indian farmers committed suicide, as their farms failed.



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Dramatic Drop in Polar Bears: Possibly Only 25,000 Left Worldwide say experts.

Credit Kerstin Langenberger at Facebook

OO In Alaska, Climate Change Is Now A Daily Reality - for remote villages:

early ice melt means getting supplies is far more precarious;

dwindling, desperate polar bears forage in garbage, threaten people;

new animals are turning up ... like grasshoppers, which can be plant pests.

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GOOD IDEAS

It's All in the Gel - Mya Le Thai shows off the gel she created that vastly improves battery life. Credit University of California Irvine

OO HUGE New Battery Storage Breakthrough - discovered by a graduate woman scientist, Mya Le Thai. This is BIG because:

There's serious demand for longer-lasting batteries. Better battery storage can advance many technologies, from iphones to electric cars Increasing battery life is no easy feat.

The breakthrough? Using an affordable gel rather than liquid solution, with gold nanowires.

This increased the battery lifetime 4000% -- ie, 40x that of a typical battery.

Save Money - Don't Even Search For Fossil Fuels the world can't use, says a new study.

OO Oil Giants Are Worth More by Drilling Less, Analysts Say in a low carbon world. Shell, BP, and 5 othermajors could increase their market value by $100+ billion if they invest in line with a 2C warming limit, says a new study, by avoiding costly exploration for fuels the world cannot use.



Related Headline:

OO Oil Giants Should Ditch High-Cost Projects, Thinktank Says



Collecting Precious Water Credit Rajanish Kakade at Associated Press

OO Women's Wisdom Crucial To Beating Climate Change, researchers say, especially in developing effective policies to reduce disaster risks and tackle climate change in developing countries.



OO The Time Has Come To Turn Up The Heat

On Those Who Are Wrecking Planet Earth says climate activist Bill McKibben. Conferences go only so far; peaceful civil disobedience is still needed to push national leaders into adequate action fast enough to avoid increasingly serious climate disasters.

Related Headline:

OO Exxon Scrambles To Contain Climate Crusade - a green campaign to make the company pay for climate change is besieging the oil industry and its conservative allies.



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CITIES NEED NATIONAL SUPPORT TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

Michael Bloomberg: Cities Are Focal Points of Climate Action

OO We've Been Mayors Of New York, Paris And Rio:

We Know Climate Action Starts With Cities but they need the national power and support to act, argue Michael Bloomberg , Anne Hidalgo and Edurado Paes.



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FOSSIL FUEL FOLLIES

Over Half of 2015 Bankruptcies Are From Fossil Fuels Source seekingalpha.com

OO U.S. Oil Industry Bankruptcy Wave Surges

The rout in crude prices is snowballing into one of the biggest avalanches in the history of corporate America, with 59 oil and gas companies now bankrupt after this week's filings for creditor protection by Midstates Petroleum and Ultra Petroleum.



OO US Fracking Causing Global Surge

In Dangerous Climate-Changing Gas, Ethane - which helps extend the lifetime in the atmosphere of the very potent climate changing gas, methane, a study finds.



If we do not grow sustainably,

Our children will die inhumanely.



@@ The Cost of Unintended Pregnancy: Too Young

Teen childbearing cost US taxpayers $9+ Billion in 2010

And the costs of raising a child usually ensures decades, if not a life, of poverty for its mother.

- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Help prevent unintended pregnancies in your community:

publicize where women can access affordable contraception.

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They can go here to find locations:

And there are many more actions you can do, right here.

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SOLAR KEEPS DRIVING



Source www.solarkinguk.com

OO New Record Set for World's Cheapest Solar -

Now Undercutting Coal

Solar power set another record-low price as renewable energy United Arab Emirates developers promised project costs that undercut even coal-fired generators.

They bid as little as 2.99 cents per kilowatt-hour to develop 800 megawatts of solar-power projects there - 15% lower than the previous record set in Mexico last month.



OO Australia: Government and Energy Retailers Back Community Solar-Plus-Storage Projects



Check it out here, right now!

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WHY WE MUST ACT NOW: RISING RISKS

Daily Climate Change: Global Map of Unusual Temperatures, May 17, 2016

How unusual has the weather been? No one event is "caused" by climate change, but global warming, which is predicted to increase unusual, extreme weather, is having a daily effect on weather, worldwide.

Looking above at recent temperature anomalies, much of North America (indeed, most of Canada, where a huge wildfire rages) and the waters surrounding it and the US, are experiencing warmer than normal temperatures: despite El Nino driven precipitation, California remains in drought, and its "water freezer", the snowpack in the Sierras, is melting away rapidly.

Much of the areas surrounding the North Pole are experiencing much warmer than normal temperatures - not good news for our Arctic thermal shield of ice. Hotter than usual temperatures continue to dominate human habitats.

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There is, of course, much more news on the consequences and solutions to climate change. To get it, check out this annotated resource list I've compiled, "Climate Change News Resources," at Wordpress.com here. For more information on the science of climate change, its consequences and solutions you can view my annotated list of online information resources here.

To help you understand just what science does and does NOT do, check this out!
I can still hear Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" rippling loudly in my headphones. It was very early morning and the dark sky was my view outside the car window. My parents and I were making my long awaited 3 hour journey from Albany, NY to Boston, MA. My heart was pounding with excitement and most of all hope. "I could feel it coming in the air tonight, I've been waiting for this moment all of my life." These powerful words couldn't have been truer. I grew up in a wheelchair after being crippled as a baby with Rheumatoid Arthritis. My parents found an amazing surgeon in Boston who promised to perform joint replacement surgery when I stopped growing. This surgery would not only allow my legs to be pain free but would allow me to walk. In essence it gave me freedom. I feared that this moment would never come true but it did. My hips would be replaced first at age 13 then both of my knees at age 16. After both surgeries were complete I walked my senior year of high school, got my driver's license and my first car and my life truly began. I didn't know then that the moment of freedom I felt in that car would come again over 30 years later but this time for my son.

I prayed when my son, Chris, who was assigned female at birth came out as transgender at age 12 that one day he would be able to experience a life of freedom as I had been given. I worried for his safety and delved into a comfortable role of advocate. I became my son's bullet proof vest. I was in the front lines taking the bullets before they even dare look his way. I fought the bathroom battle with his school and with the help of the NYCLU I won. He has been using the boy's room at school for almost 4 years without incident. As his senior year approached he obtained his driver's license, got his first job and his first car just like I did at his age. I had hoped we were home free but freedom was just out of his grasp. He decided to go to a local community college next year in part because he feared how a college would handle the roommate, bathroom and locker room situation with a transgender student. I wanted to put his mind at ease but fear kept me from doing so. I would no longer be his comfortable bullet proof vest if he were to live away from home. We both have watched the anti-LGBT laws coming about this year with angst in our hearts. What if my son wanted to travel and was unsure of the latest bathroom bill along the way? Would my son's life be put at risk when he needed to perform a basic human function? Instead of being excited for his future I began to fear his safety more and more when he was out of sight.

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My fear dissipated a bit when the Federal government and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch took action and sued NC's anti-LGBT HB2. My heart was filled with gratitude when Ms. Lynch spoke directly to transgender people and assured them that the government would not stand for discrimination of any kind. But, I also knew this was only one state. I knew we needed sweeping action to protect transgender people in every state and I worried with my son very quickly becoming a young man it may not come soon enough. I would soon breathe a sigh of relief when a hero brought me another life changing moment of freedom, as that early morning trip listening to In the Air Tonight did and that hero was: President Obama.

Dear President Obama,

You could have chosen to do nothing. You could have taken the next 6 months and floated to your own freedom knowing you had done right by our country. You could have rested as I am sure you must be exhausted and no one would blame you one bit. You as in the mark of a true hero did the opposite. You instead chose to continue to fight for the citizens of our country and do what is right.

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I have admired your dedication and integrity over the past 8 years and still would have even if you hadn't stood up for my son. You have shown over and over again your strong need to protect our citizens, from your support of gay marriage to your tough stance on gun violence. You didn't need to prove anymore your concern for us but you did anyway.

On May 13th 2016 you issued a guidance directing public schools across the country to allow transgender students to use the bathroom they identify with. You didn't have to fight this battle. You could have stopped by suing North Carolina but you forged ahead. You, by directing all schools to treat transgender students the same as every student have helped to give my son freedom. I don't know how to properly thank you, sir. I wish for you to feel the huge relief that is for me. The burden I have felt has been eased because of you and therefore my bullet proof vest has loosened a bit. This will help set precedence for all states going forward and not just for schools but will give everyone guidance as to how to treat transgender people with respect.



I will continue to do my part. My son and I speak every year at the Philly Trans Health Conference with our dear friends: Jeanette and Jazz from the TLC docuseries: I am Jazz. I am honored to have been asked to speak at the ACLU and NYCLU's LGBT annual reception this coming June. I'll continue to write this blog in hopes of helping parents and transgender kids in need. I'll continue to moderate my Facebook group for parents of transgender children so they know they are not alone.



Myself, Chris, Jeanette and Jazz in Philly in 2015

I will now be able to do this with less fear in my heart and more hope in its place all thanks to you, Mr. President. How do I thank you for this gift? I do not feel this letter does you justice. I wish I could do more. I hope in a small way this letter eases your tiredness and lifts any doubt you may have of your greatness. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and say job well done, sir.

Sincerely,

Mary J. Moss



Feisty single mom to a terrific 17-year-old boy who just happens to be transgender.

Email me at: transparentmary@gmail.com

Tweet me at: @MsMaryMoss
By Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, Medical Discovery News

When surgeons remove a cancerous tumor, their goal is to remove all of it. But determining which cells are cancerous and which are healthy is tough. A pathologist's job is to quickly examine the excised tissue to determine whether all of the tumor has been removed. Sometimes, despite a medical team's best efforts, later MRI and CT scans reveal that cancer cells have been left along the margins. As a solution, scientists are looking for ways to light up cancer cells so that surgeons can see them more easily during an operation.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology invented a blue fluorescent dye called LUM015. They injected the dye into 15 breast cancer patients at the Duke University School of Medicine before surgery. The doctors were able to successfully remove the tumors in each of these women, and none of them experienced any adverse reactions.

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The dye, LUM015, works because it is cut by a protease enzyme called cathepsins. In normal cells, cathepsins' job is to cut and degrade proteins. However, in many tumors, cathepsins are made in higher amounts and are sometimes secreted by cells. Once secreted, these cathepsins rest on the surface of cell and then serve as a marker to identify tumor cells.

These extra cathepsins also begin to digest the extracellular matrix or ECM. The ECM is a mesh of molecules that holds cells in place. Once the ECM is gone, cells lose their ability to stay in one place and start migrating into the surrounding tissue, a hallmark behavior of cancer cells. In fact, one of stages of cancer is called metastasis, which happens when cancer spreads to other parts of the body.

When these extra cathepsins on tumor cells cut LUM015, the dye causes them to light up blue. A surgeon can see this blue luminescence when a handheld imaging device is held over the area. In experiments with mice, the tumor tissue with LUM015 glowed five times more brightly than normal tissue making even small amounts of tumor easy to spot.
Today the world celebrates International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia ( IDAHOT). This "global celebration of sexual and gender diversities," provides us a space to recognize the struggle against violence and discrimination of LGBTI persons worldwide. I take that opportunity to reflect on the contributions that the Green Party has made to LGBTI persons and call upon my party to challenge itself in helping advance justice for this community.

As far as political parties, the Green Party has been ahead of the curve regarding including LGBTQIA+ persons in our policies and values. In 1984, activists nationwide gathered in St. Paul to write a share statement of belief that would become the basis of the Green Party. That statement put forth the importance of the rights of LGB persons and their families -- including equal rights in marriage and adoption. This followed the lead of the original German Green Party -- and followed by other Greens globally -- in seeing that relation between Social Justice and Ecological Wisdom. Our first national platform in 2000 recognized LGBT equality, and the first Global Greens platform in 2001 acknowledged the rights on LGBTI persons.

Green candidates have brought these values to the campaign trail. In 1998, Bern Haggerty ran for city council in Laramie, Wyoming. He was the only general election candidate pushing for the adoption of a bias crime law -- ultimately adopted a few years later. Third parties hold the two-party political status quo accountable on their reactive ideologies. In 2002, Jill Stein, presumptive 2016 Green Party presidential nominee, ran for Governor of Massachusetts. She argued for same-sex marriage the whole campaign -- the first gubernatorial candidate to do so in the state that first gave us marriage justice. Jason West, Green mayor of New Paltz, New York, was arrested, handcuffed, and charged, for marrying 26 same-sex couples in 2004.

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I raise this history to show that advancing recognition of sexual and gender diversity is required by our Green Party's Ten Key Values and vision for putting people, planet, and peace over profit. Currently, our platform speaks to equal rights for the entire spectrum -- including queer and asexual persons. These must not be words that remain on paper, but a call to specific policies that we fight for on the campaign trail, in the ballot box, and in the streets.

We need to fight for a national non-discrimination law that protects all LGBTQIA+ and an interpretation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that does not allow medical facilities and public businesses to opt-out of providing inclusive services to the queer community. Government documents must provide an inclusive, non-binary option, and the heightened bureaucracy to obtain documentation that aligns with how one self-identifies eliminated. Following the nation of Malta, Greens should be stronger proponents of our platform position of banning Intersex Genital Mutilation.

The arc of justice for LGTBQIA+ persons is intersectional with other realms that we as Greens care about. The right to healthcare best enacted through Single-Payer Medicare-for-All must be inclusive of psychological care, hormonal treatment, and surgical needs of gender and sexual minorities -- including recognizing the higher risk of suicide attempt and addiction. Medication and other means for HIV-prevention and HIV/AIDS treatment must be affordable and accessible worldwide, which means allowing generics. Our healthcare system must recognize that individuals know best who they want at their bedside and making medical decisions with them, which may not align with blood relation and legal recognition. The LGBTQIA+ community knows well the live-giving strength of chosen family and friendship as a component of survival and resistance.

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The right to education must intersectionally recognize the bullying, harassment, and violence in our schools against LGBTQIA+ youth. The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education in North Carolina recently agreed to allow students to carry pepperspray. In light of HB2, this is an incitement of trans panic and violence against trans/queer youth. Education reform must include a demand for preventive measures such as staff training, comprehensive sex education, and removing weapons from our schools.

An economy policy that puts people before corporate wealth is the same economy that is more likely to leave LGBTQIA+ persons homeless or jobless. It is the same economy built on racial discrimination through its current form of an incarceration state. LGBTQIA+ persons -- especially those of color -- are more likely to face police violence and harassment. Many then have difficulty being placed in safe correctional facilities aligned with their gender identity and receiving necessary medical support such as hormone treatments. The right to a job, to a living wage, to food and shelter, to a community-based safety system, are Green issues with a required LGBTQIA+ perspective.

Finally, our political system prevents LGBTQIA+ persons from having a better chance at voting for and electing persons that represent their interests. The two major parties impose high barriers to get on the ballot and be included in debates. Control of the ballot box and media means queer persons fighting for survival and equality are scared to step out of line with the Democrats lest Republicans be elected. That may prevent a greater evil, but this short-sighted strategy of fear slows or even makes us regress on the path towards the greater good of justice for all LGBTQIA+ persons in the United States and around the world. Ranked-choice voting, open debates, inclusive polling, proportional representation, and popular vote, are LGBTQIA+ issues.

The Green Party may have a history of being ahead of the curve, but this fight against oppression is not over. We may be the only current national-level political party that will advocate most or even some of these policies, but for me -- and I'd guess for many friends and comrades in the Lavender Caucus -- that only raises the moral imperative to continually challenge ourselves and our party in advancing queer issues and queer voices in the streets, on the campaign trail, and in elected office.
I met fellow Case Western Reserve University Professor Daniel Lacks a few years ago when he was heading to Myanmar for a Fulbright and he wanted to pick my brain on my experience there. He's a likeable and super smart guy (PhD from Harvard in Chemistry, Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Case Western Reserve), and he has a couple of patents for things that I can't even pronounce. In any case, we share a mutual interest in international travel, and Dan takes students to the developing world each year as part of his senior capstone course. The students work together to install solar panels for communities that are off the electricity grid. He told me recently that he was planning a trip and was looking for a community that would be interested in solar panels.

I instantly thought of Maria Newaya, one of my Beyond Silicon Valley MOOC students that I met while in Namibia in 2015. I discussed meeting Maria in an earlier Huffington Post piece I wrote while in Southern Africa last summer. Maria's business is focused on helping local cattle farmers find new markets for beef in Namibia. I knew from discussions with her that the villagers in her rural community could benefit from electricity. I connected Dan and Maria, and several months later a group of Case Western Reserve students were in Iikokola, where they installed solar panels for several homes. The villagers now have light in their homes and can charge their cell phones, providing crucial links to their customers.

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A small video production team from Case accompanied Dan and his students to Namibia and created this amazing, short video about the solar panel installation project. If you want to get a great sense of what a solar panel can do in a rural village with no electricity, then please take a look at it!

I also assigned a project to a group of my MBA students in our design in management course in which they helped analyze Maria's beef distribution business and provide her with some advice. They explored new product lines for the farmers such as vegetables and chicken.

When I launched Beyond Silicon Valley two years ago, I didn't think it would be possible to build deep relationships with my online students, especially compared to the meaningful and rich relationships I have with the entrepreneurship students in my traditional face-to-face classroom at Case Western Reserve University. With more than 100,000 students in the Beyond Silicon Valley course, getting to know each and every one in a meaningful way is admittedly impossible.

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You're a kid.

You've been playing violin, or oboe, or flute, or whatever, since third grade.

Somehow, you enter the orbit of a conductor named Ben Zander.

And everything changes.

I mean, everything.

Ben Zander, 77 years young, conducts the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, the latter of which is preparing for a two-night stand at Carnegie Hall and then a six-concert voyage to Spain.

If you're one of the 127 kids lucky enough, or crazy enough, to fall under Maestro Zander's spell, you are learning so much music right now that you probably don't have time to think straight.

When most orchestras travel, they typically perform crowd pleasers -- familiar works of Beethoven or Rimsky-Korsakov that the orchestra can play on autopilot, the conductor can conduct in his sleep, and the audience finds hummable, if not exactly breathtaking.

That's not how things work in Zander World.

First, the Carnegie Hall gig is two nights, not just one. The programs are different each night. And they are exceptionally demanding, even for adults.

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On Monday, June 6th, the kids will stare from the stage of a packed Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall and prepare to play Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmilla (at breakneck speed), Stravinsky's violin concerto, Debussy's La Mer, and Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony.

The next night, as if that wasn't enough music, or hard enough music, the kids will return to play Debussy, Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, and Mahler's first symphony.

"When I tell people about the programs I have chosen for the young people," Zander laughs, "they accuse me of child abuse."

They are not far wrong. These are long, difficult, demanding pieces. So why does Zander ask so much from kids?

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"Because I know they'll come through," he says happily.

Zander is a force of nature, practically single-handedly shouldering the responsibility to select, audition, and conduct a large orchestral force made up of kids who might otherwise be playing Madden Mobile or hanging out at the mall.

Did I mention that Zander needs to raise nearly a million dollars -- $400,000 for the two nights at Carnegie Hall and another half million for Spain?

Did I mention that the tickets to both Carnegie Hall concerts are free, so that 5,600 people who don't normally get to attend classical concerts at Carnegie Hall will be able to do so?

That's how Zander rolls.

Or more accurately, that's how he navigates, taking a few moments on his new boat, on an afternoon when he could have been recovering from a cross-continental red eye flight, to discuss the upcoming concerts.

"I do all this because I like seeing the light going on in the eyes of young people," Zander asserts, as he steers around the shells of Harvard and MIT rowing teams.

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"I ask so much of them because I know they can do it. It's also a lot of music for me to master."

Zander is particularly proud of the fact that a recent Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra performance was described as the best classical concert of the entire Boston season.

"I think this is the best year of my life," Zander said.

Of this new boat, which he employs as a stress-buster, he says, "According to the actuarial tables, I will only be buying one more boat in my lifetime. My old boat was getting run down. So I thought, why not now?"

Those words, "Why not now?" sum up Zander's approach to music as an educational tool. He's not looking only to bring out the best in terms of his young charges' playing. He also wants to open their minds to the greater possibilities life offers.

Zander gives his young orchestra members weekly assignments unrelated to music that put them in touch with the whole idea of being alive -- what it all means, what one can expect, who one can truly be.

The growth the young people in the BYPO experience comes as much from Zander's pushing them to explore their inner worlds as it does from the music they make.

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Do the kids feel overwhelmed by Carnegie Hall?

Zander dismisses the thought.

"I think acoustically, Symphony Hall is just as good as Carnegie Hall," Zander says, a touch of Boston chauvinism in his otherwise mellifluous English tone.

"You do think of the history when you first sit on that stage, but once you start playing, you forget where you are."

The young members of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra will never forget where they were on the night of June 6th and June 7th, when Maestro Zander will lift the baton and launch them into those two challenging and compelling programs. Nor will they forget their Spanish excursion to follow.

"I just received $10,000 from the Madrid telephone company this morning," Zander adds with delight.

Ben Zander is raising a lot more than money. He's raising 127 young people to find out what they are capable of, with an instrument in their hands and with the even more powerful instrument that is their minds.
This article originally appeared on Millenation.com in 2015.





On Saturday, September 26, 2015 a group of activists marched through Manhattan, NY to bring awareness to domestic violence. The 15th annual Gladys Ricart and Victims of Domestic Violence Memorial Walk kicked off at Monroe College in the Bronx. The march is named after Gladys Ricart who was murdered on her wedding day by her abusive ex-boyfriend on September 26, 1999.

According to Domestic Violence Statistics, everyday in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends. The New York Latinas Against Domestic Violence's mission is to raise awareness of domestic violence and its consequences in New York City. A large part of their mission is provide resources, services, and bilingual information on domestic violence within the Latino community.

The NY Latinas Against Domestic Violence have a multi-faceted agenda that includes a nationwide march, facilitating dialogue on a national level within the Latino community, and memorializing Gladys Ricart, and all others killed as a result of domestic violence. The grassroots organization of the march is a testament to the power of community engagement. Women of color have a historical effectiveness when organizing around change. Although women are at the helm of the effort, they encourage men to stand in solidarity and work together.

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As cats are wont to do at the approach of strangers, Mimosa has fled under the bed.

It's a shame because Mimosa, a 4-year-old, nine-lived tabby, is the meow muse for Widad Franco's art-illustration company.

Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling

Widad's a journalist and artist.

"She's the real creative genius of the operation," Widad says. "She's my sidekick and most trusted advisor."

To coax a creative opinion, Widad brings out a bunch of cute cat-centric greeting cards and sets them on her desk.

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Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling

Widad's whimsical dragon.

But Mimosa remains unmoved.

Widad, under the pen name WidyCat, does draw other subjects, notably neighborhood houses and city scenes, but her stationery, calendars, toys, children's books, lampshades, flower pots and other decorative objects owe their origin to Mimosa.

Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling

WidyCat's houses.

Widad, of course, started drawing long before Mimosa entered the picture. A native of Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest and most populous city, she doodled as a child and took her first painting lessons at 7.

"I have always loved drawing because it made me feel peaceful," she says. "It puts you in your own little world."

Through the years, Widad drew upon her other talents to weave art and commerce into a dual career that has kept her interested and interesting.

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Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling

Where the magic happens.

She started studying in Ecuador but transferred to Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, where she earned a degree in journalism. She says the transition wasn't tough: Years of bilingual education made English a snap.

A fellowship ultimately landed her a full-time job in New York City in 2002 with the Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

As a producer, Widad chased stories around the world, traveling to Brazil, Chile, Japan, Haiti, Mexico, Canada, Paraguay and even Ecuador, before taking over the United Nations beat.

Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling

Happy -- how Widad wants her work to make people feel.

She's produced stories on everything from the ancient art of chocolate making in the Amazon to a kite-flying project conducted by Brazilian children in the slums of Rio de Janeiro to make their neighborhood a safer place.

She also found time to earn a master's degree in media studies from The New School.

"I've pretty much met every head of state," she says. "And I've gotten to witness incredible things and use them as a source of inspiration for my artwork."

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Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling

Widad at work.

In 2012, after Mimosa settled in, Widad began drawing cats, which suited her fluffy feline to a flea, and by 2013, she had launched WidyCat.

She creates her artwork, which marries the whimsical fine-line detail of Sendak with the dreaminess of Chagall, on a bright turquoise desk in the living room of her one-bedroom apartment.

When her work day is done, Widad draws, sometimes for hours, composing scenes in watercolor, pencil and ink.

Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling

Widad works in watercolor, pencil and ink.

"Like New York City, my work is full of little surprises," she says. "I try to capture the tiny moments that make the city so exciting."

She usually carries a sketchpad and camera, visiting different city neighborhoods to get fresh ideas.

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"I'm also obsessed with architecture," she says. "And I love to draw houses."

Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling

Art and life intersect.

To illustrate, she picks up a greeting card that features the Steinway Mansion and places it next to a 3-D castle.

Widad hopes her work gives viewers a wide-eyed window into the beauty of the city she fell in love with at first sight.

Producing art and news stories is such a perfect combination for Widad that she wants to continue to do both.

Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling

Her dual careers draw upon each other.

When WidyCat grows too big for her desk, and she runs out of time and energy to get up at 1 a.m. to pair greeting cards with envelopes, she'll figure out how to re-juggle her life.

"For me, the main thing is remaining true to my art and my style," she says. "I want my work to make people happy when they look at it."

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Mimosa finally pokes her head into the living room. Then she arches her back like a Halloween cat and hightails it back to the bedroom.
I have now been practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM) for eight years. My meditation sessions, 20 minutes twice a day, are often the most joyful times of my day, as I retreat into some deep part of myself where something good happens every time I meditate. I could describe it in terms of soothing alpha waves, fluxing over the prefrontal parts of my brain, where decisions and judgments are made; or increased brainwave coherence -- EEG patterns suggesting that different regions of the brain are cooperating better with one another. And these electrical effects do in fact occur during a TM session. But what I want to describe here are the amazing subjective effects of TM on the mind -- the expansion of consciousness, and the benefits that follow.

I wrote about TM previously in my book Transcendence, in which I explored the well-documented benefits of TM on physical and psychological health. The salutary effects of TM on blood pressure and cardiovascular function are well documented. In fact, the American Heart Association recently specifically endorsed TM as an alternative and complementary treatment for hypertension. Two studies suggest that TM decreases the likelihood of heart attack and stroke in people at risk. Besides these physical benefits, there is evidence that TM reduces anxiety and the effects of stress. I detailed these effects of TM in Transcendence, and thought I had said everything I had to say on the matter. That might have been true at the time, but as I continued to meditate, it was no longer so. New insights that arose from my personal experience and the reports of my patients to whom I had recommended TM led me to my latest book, Super Mind: How to Boost Performance and Live a Richer and Happier Life through Transcendental Meditation (Tarcher Perigree, May 17, 2016).

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It took me a while to realize why I must write this new book -- that each TM session confers some benefit to the brain, and these effects are cumulative. Some people experience them within a few days of learning to meditate. For others, like me, it takes a little longer. For a dramatic example of what just a single meditation session can do for the brain, consider the following excerpt from Super Mind, which describes an event in the life of the luminous actress and author Cameron Diaz.

***

The house was packed at the upscale Urban Zen in New York City, where Cameron Diaz was guest of honor at an event hosted by the David Lynch Foundation. Looking as radiant as ever, Diaz, a regular TM practitioner, was dressed casually in black, her blond hair swept across her cheek, as she engaged warmly with the audience about her experiences with TM - such as this one:

The house was packed at the upscale Urban Zen in New York City, where Cameron Diaz was guest of honor at an event hosted by the David Lynch Foundation. Looking as radiant as ever, Diaz, a regular TM practitioner, was dressed casually in black, her blond hair swept across her cheek, as she engaged warmly with the audience about her experiences with TM-- such as this one:

It was about ninety degrees in the Valley, at the Los Angeles Zoo

parking lot, under a tent, in a car, under lights, with the windows

up and no air-conditioning. It was about a thousand degrees in the car. And I had a monologue and I couldn't remember my lines -- lines that I knew. I knew I knew them. I'd said them a million times, and I couldn't access them. They're completely lost in . . . wherever they go. And I realized all of a sudden, I went, "No, I need twenty-five minutes. I just need twenty- five minutes." I ran back to my trailer and I rebooted. I did my twenty- minute meditation. And I came back to the car and I could see all those poor grip guys -- they're all sweating, holding heavy equipment. They're looking at me like, "I hate you. Get your lines right, woman, so we can get out of here." I mean really like the evil eye. And I didn't want to let them down, and I wanted to be able to do my lines. But after I had gone back to my trailer and rebooted, I came back and I nailed it. I was like, Done, thank you very much. And we were out of there, I have to say, in like twenty minutes.

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Diaz held the audience at Urban Zen spellbound as she described the power of TM as a technique for mining memory.

Her description of retrieving her lost lines is at once foreign (After all, how many of us have been on a movie set at the Los Angeles Zoo?) and scarily familiar. How often have you searched for a word, telephone number, or the first line of a familiar poem, only to find that it is . . . sometimes there and . . . sometimes not. We are left asking: where did it go and how can we bring it back?

Diaz's story also resonates because most of us have a sense that our brains hold a vast storehouse of buried treasure, and that if we could only unearth it more efficiently, we'd be far better off. It is this sense, perhaps, that has led to the urban myth (thoroughly debunked) that we use only 10 percent of our brains (though many are the self- help tomes that promise to unlock the missing 90 percent for the price of a few lattes). Although these percentages seem silly to anyone with even a modest knowledge of the brain, the idea contains a germ of truth that has perhaps given traction to the myth: we do have untapped potential, so perhaps we can be smarter than we think.

Although nobody can say for sure why a person forgets something at one moment, then remembers it later, we do know that stress can affect memory in ways both good and bad, and we have some ideas about the underlying brain structures at work. In fact, once again our old friend the prefrontal cortex (PFC) appears to be involved. Studies in animals have shown that specific neurochemical pathways, when activated by excess stress, cause profound impairment of the PFC. Specifically, too much dopamine and norepinephrine are implicated. By reducing stress, TM may lower the concentrations of these two key neurotransmitters in the PFC, thereby improving cognitive functions -- such as remembering lost lines in a movie script.

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This effect of improved brain function when stress is reduced may remind some of you of the so-called inverted U-shaped curve, which shows how small amounts of stress or anxiety can boost performance but large amounts can make it worse. If you consider the declining limb of the inverted U (that part of the curve where anxiety is increasing but performance is decreasing), it is easy to see how TM could decrease stress and reduce key neurotransmitters in the PFC, thereby making the brain work better.

Whatever brain mechanisms were at work on that memorable day at the LA Zoo, we will never know. But the bottom line is that twenty minutes of TM restored Cameron Diaz's memory rapidly and completely. She had instinctively reached for the right remedy, and it worked.

In Super Mind I feature many superperformers, who find that their meditation practice helps them expand their mental faculties to peak levels. Iconic movie director Martin Scorsese routinely meditates in the morning and credits this practice with helping him to organize and prioritize his whirlwind days. Likewise, Jerry Seinfeld, who has been meditating for over 40 years acknowledges the energy that his practice gives him, which has enabled him to stay active in the exhausting life of a stand-up comic, while many of his contemporaries have packed it in. As a final example, my friend Ray Dalio, the founder of the biggest hedge fund in the world, Bridgewater Associates, and a decades-long meditator, attributes much of his legendary success to his meditation.

But the expansion of consciousness and the growth of the Super Mind is by no means the exclusive province of the rich and famous. In Super Mind you will meet ordinary people who have had extraordinary experiences that grow over time. As a psychiatrist of many years standing, I have taken great pleasure in seeing that happen to friends, acquaintances -- and myself.

Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D. is a psychiatrist and author of Super Mind His website is www.normanrosenthal.com

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Co-author Pamina Mullins and I continue this exciting series with the dynamic Josephine Takundwa, founder and CEO of Earthlink Technologies headquartered in Harare, Zimbabwe. Josephine has won a plethora of awards and honors, including the Women Leadership Awards' Top Female Leader in Information & Communications Technology (2016) presented by the Women Heritage World Organization, Megafest Top 20 Outstanding Women in Business (2015), Businesswoman of the Year, ZNCC Mashonaland 1st Runner Up (2014), among many other distinctions.

Pamina & OB: Josephine, are you a born entrepreneur?

Josephine: I was born the third child in a family of seven children and I think being born in 3rd place meant that I could introspect and develop myself as an individual, since most attention seems to be given to the youngest and oldest in a family. I was a self-motivated child. For instance, I taught myself how to knit when I was 5 years old. I always think of this experience as a metaphor for my life. I wanted to see what I could do on my own; I wanted to see what I could achieve. This natural curiosity and independence is what motivated me to go into business. Another influence came from my businessman father. I saw the change that being self-employed can bring to one's life. Our standard of living changed drastically from one or two pairs of shoes, one jersey, one shelf of clothes, and my Dad's constantly broken down car, that made us late for school all the time - to a whole different way of life.

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Pamina & OB: Fascinating. Tell us about your business.

Josephine:I started Earthlink Technologies in 2004, after working in the power protection industry for 6 years. While I was employed I developed a passion for power protection. Earthlink provides power protection products and solutions for all sectors of the Zimbabwe economy, including mining, healthcare, telecommunications, education and retail. I started the company after noticing a gap in the market that I thought I could fill. I noticed that there was no reliable brand of surge protectors -- a necessity in this part of the world -- on the market that consumers could really count on and approached the local representative of American Power Conversion. I asked them if I could champion one of their surge protection products that were not selling. From there the company took off and I started increasing product lines one at a time until now Earthlink has over 100 product lines spanning surge protection, power backups, voltage stabilizers, and alternative energy in the form of solar rechargeable lamps and solar lighting installations.

Pamina & OB: What obstacles did you face as a female entrepreneur?

Josephine: Getting a foothold in a male-dominated industry has required a level of perseverance. The fact that I am a woman should not be a reason for me to be denied business, and neither should it be an excuse for me to automatically expect preferential treatment. Gaining acceptance as a woman in this industry, I found that the majority of the men and women that I dealt with at the beginning would not really take me seriously. I overcame this by presenting evidence of my company's capabilities, work we have previously done, and the projects that we have worked on. This helped create confidence in the client. I made sure that I was well prepared for each meeting or presentation and also ensured that the focus should always be on the company, and not on me the individual.

Pamina & OB: What challenges did you encounter building a viable company in Zimbabwe?

Josephine: There have been a lot of challenges! The first one is the financing. I started my business after selling some pieces of land I had invested in while I was still employed. This capital base however soon proved to be inadequate as the company grew. The cost of money in my country is very high, and bank loans are a recipe for disaster. The lack of adequate working capital has definitely stunted my company's growth.

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Another challenge we are currently facing is that of cash flow and liquidity. Our country's economy has been on a southward spiral recently, and this had made business operations very difficult. Clients are failing to pay on time and there is a chronic shortage of cash, which affects business transactions. We are confident however, that this trend will change, as all economies have their ups and downs. Profitability is also reduced because of increased competition in the marketplace. In order to overcome this challenge of cash flow primarily I have had to review Earthlink's cost structure, and work on a really aggressive cost agility program.

Pamina & OB: What advice can you impart to other entrepreneurs, regardless of culture and country?

Josephine: It is very important to keep focused on your goals and your vision as a business. A lot of ups and downs will come your way, but it's important to keep at it. Running a business is not a walk in the park and it's important to face and overcome whatever challenges come your way. You have to believe in yourself in order to achieve your goals. It is hugely rewarding, but success does not come on a platter. A business plan is the key. A famous quote says "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail," and I totally agree. That business plan must not only be there, but it must be constantly referred to and adjusted when necessary. Furthermore, always present a sound and credible business case, which is essential in creating trust with clients.

You need to value your human resources; they are the company. Always pay your taxes and comply with company regulation statutory requirements. Finally, keep a very close eye on your costs. These will bring you down if you do not manage them carefully. It is a must to have a monthly expenses budget for the whole year to guide you. It is also important to keep your eye on global trends, in order to take advantage of opportunities that may not exist in your environment.

Pamina & OB: Very impressive, Josephine! Thank you for sharing your practical wisdom and advice.
Like most other important events in my life, meeting the Dalai Lama was not a deliberate choice, but an accident. I avoided anything about him, regarding the interest in the Dalai Lama as just another bay area cult like Synanon. But when my then-15-year-old daughter Eve came back from trekking in the Himalayas for a month, the teacher that provided this trip placed each of the 15-year-olds with a refugee family in Kathmandu, Nepal. This lit Eve's interest in the plight of the Tibetan refugees.

I knew that the Dalai Lama was meeting with small groups of scientists at his palace and if invited, you could bring a silent observer. Thinking this would be a treat for Eve, I submitted my name. We were invited and we went.

From nearly the first moment that we met, I had a deja vu experience, as if I had known the Dalai Lama all my life, as if he were the brother I never had. This seemed very strange to me; I later learned from the Dalai Lama that he had the same feeling. He did not regard this at all strange because of his belief in reincarnation. We could have known each other in a previous incarnation.

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Since that first meeting, we have met for a total of about 50 hours over the course of five meetings, for intense one on one conversations. They have been enormously fun, challenging, intellectually provocative, and have opened my mind to now believe that just because I can't explain it, doesn't mean it isn't real. Some of our discussions are reported in our book Emotional Awareness, others are contained on my website www.paulekman.com, if you click on the Dalai Lama drop down menu on my website you will be able to access our video discussions. You will also be able to see the project which Eve and I completed at the Dalai Lama's request, the Atlas of Emotions.
"Don't confuse what goes on in this building with democracy..."



About 15 years ago, what began as few hours a week volunteering at the Sierra Club's Massachusetts office evolved into being a fulltime pro-bono career as a lobbyist, citizen-activist, and Sierra Club environmental advocate. The work was always challenging, exciting -- and frustrating. Being a lobbyist is far more difficult than I could possibly have imagined. This isn't because of the logistics of meetings, nor the demands that it places on one's schedule. It's about understanding the process that stands between an idea and it becoming a law.

In the coming weeks, I'll be posting a series of articles on my thoughts about working with state legislators to promote good laws, as well as discourage bad ones. There are many styles of lobbying, many of which are equally valid. Choosing and developing an effective style takes patience, awareness, and planning. If you're already engaged in lobbying on the state or local level, my words may help you sharpen your skills. If you're new to the effort, I hope you'll take the time to ask other lobbyists and former legislators for their thoughts.

Rule 1: Learn and Understand the Process



The most important first step is learning the process. Local and state governments have cycles; they don't function like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." That's Hollywood. For example, in the Massachusetts State Legislature, the procedure is:

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A.A bill is proposed in the first 2-weeks of the 2-year session. It's assigned to a committee that hears matters of this type.

B.After a few weeks, (but before March ~15 of the second year), it has a public hearing. The committee votes whether to approve it (perhaps with amendments) or not.

C.If the bill receives a positive vote, it then goes to the "Ways and Means" Committee, which investigates the financial impacts of the proposal.

D.If Ways and Means also approves the bill, it goes (indirectly) to the floor of the full House/Senate for a vote (this is a bit simplified).

E.If it passes both the State Senate and the House, the bill goes to a specially appointed Joint Conference Committee that studies any possible differences. They make a unified recommendation to both bodies, which then vote on the revised version.

F.The approved final bill goes to the Governor for his/her approval.

Many websites will delve into the details of exactly how it works in your state. It's important to keep in mind that this is how it's supposed to work. In practice, it rarely happens in such an orderly, predictable manner. A good lobbyist or advocate understands these nuances, and then structures a campaign to achieve specific goals.

Wait... isn't the goal the passage of a good bill? Yes and no. A new idea, no matter how brilliant, rarely passes during one legislative cycle. Sometimes, the goal is to introduce an idea and press for its passage the next legislative cycle. Or sometimes the idea is to counter a really bad bill that's been floating around. There are many reasons a bill can be filed.

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Rule 2: Always keep in mind what your end-game is



Don't allow yourself to get distracted. The 'bad guys' will always have bad bills in play. Maintain a laser-like focus on your bill(s), educating legislators, seeking the help of like-minded groups, and carefully constructing your strategy.

Rule 3: Obey the Law



I guess this should have been Rule 1. There are many laws that govern what you can do, your expenses, keeping perfect records, and reporting to appropriate agencies. The First Amendment doesn't give you the right to violate state and local laws. Learn them before you do anything.

Rule 4: Don't get discouraged



Legislation typically moves forward at a glacial pace. Cynicism is your greatest enemy, but exhibiting unbridled optimism will not win you many friends either. A careful balance of realism, optimism, and patience is needed. Setbacks happen. The most important thing to always remember is that the work you're doing is critical. Whether it's environmental work, social justice, or likewise, your hard work is needed for progress.
In the May 12-May 25, 2016 issue of The New York Review of Books Jeremy Bernstein has a most interesting article entitled "The Trump Bomb" in which he shows how clueless and ignorant Donald Trump is about foreign policy. He mostly refers to the interview Trump gave The New York Times on March 26 in which Trump never answered questions and showed how ignorant he was. Bernstein uses an interesting image to describe the candidate: "He did not seem to know his ass from a wheel." For instance, Trump was unaware that Iran could not buy planes from the US for US law prevents it.

Paul Krugman pursued the same theme in his May 9 New York Times column entitled "The Making of an Ignoramus". Now there is no doubt that Trump is an ignoramus who doesn't know his ass from a wheel but the question remains: why does he have so much success in some segments of the US population? The same question could also be asked about the success of other famous ignoramuses such as Berlusconi in Italy or Sarkozy in France, not to speak of Reagan in a previous generation in the US itself. Or George W Bush.

First academics should be careful not to look down on people who do not know because they have not had the privilege of an education; it is also dangerous to underestimate demagogues who often have a form of emotional intelligence that explains their success.

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It is of course impossible to know what Trump really thinks about any serious topic for he keeps changing his expressed views, about abortion or Hispanics to name just two issues. It is also impossible to ascertain whether he thinks about issues at all but, like so many demagogues, he has a gift, let's say the gift of the gab, and he knows how to suss out what crowds want and how to offer himself as a screen for them to project their desires and emotions onto.

This is not unusual among politicians, actors and buffoons. Obama actually even said it about himself (The Audacity of Hope): "I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views." So even though Obama is certainly neither ignorant nor an ignoramus he knew what makes people respond positively to someone they see on stage, on TV or in social media.

Thus people who have lost their jobs because their companies offshored production to China hear Trump's simplistic and xenophobic anti-Chinese comments and they project their desire to stop the negative effects of globalization affecting them. Simple, effective but it, of course, misses the point that the Communist party of China and Wal-Mart are in cahoots to exploit both American workers and Chinese workers, that the destruction of companies in the US is in large part the result of decisions made by US business leaders who are not really anti-Communist if so-called Communists grant them privileges such as access to prison labor or under-paid quasi-enslaved labor. China is like a red rag agitated in front of legitimately angry workers who do not know how capitalism works.

Has it always been like this? Or is the age of Google and social media worse in terms of not being able to unmask the ignoramuses and demagogues? Trump has variously been compared or linked to Andrew Jackson, Mussolini, Father Coughlin, Hitler, George Wallace and other demagogues of the world such as Putin who seems to be far less ignorant than him though. Demagogues have always existed so it is tempting to think Trump is just the latest incarnation of one.

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As Michael Lynch shows in a Sunday Review New York Times article Trump thrives on contradiction ("Trump, Truth and the Power of Contradiction" ). He appears strong because he challenges what authorities say, what he calls "political correctness."

In the age of "truthiness" (Stephen Colbert) which started before the latest electoral circus truth does not matter only the appearance or semblance of truth. Reagan was also clueless and had to be told what to say in his speeches or when meeting foreign leaders such as the far more intelligent Gorbachev and he too was a blank screen onto which people projected their hopes and desires. His personality was said to be sunny, he was a genial man and he projected bonhomie. His words, knowledge, consistency hardly mattered. He signed bills he did not understand and let others do all the spadework in his administration. William Leuchtenburg wrote about the so-called "Great communicator" : " (...) a Republican senator went so far as to say: "With Ronald Reagan, no one is there. The sad fact is that we don't have a president."Trump is as vacuous as the Great communicator who was not there, not a real President and he probably does not know much more about any political or economic topic yet, like the inadvertent Iran-contra schemer, Trump appeals to people for he makes the right noises to accompany the screen he offers voters to project their fears onto. Obama added after the sentence already quoted: "As such, I am bound to disappoint some, if not all, of them."

Trump does not have the insight to realize this, he is blinded by his narcissism and for him reality is just a deal to be made. He is a dream catcher. His supreme self-confidence or boundless narcissism is actually an asset. Rene Girard, the philosopher who developed a theory of mimesis and mimetic desire, argued that a flirtatious woman (coquette) knew more about desire than Freud for by loving herself she attracted the desire of others. (Things Hidden Since the Creation of the World ). Trump is a flirt who loves himself and though ignorant he has the same effect on crowds as a femme fatale (another possible translation for coquette) on the proverbial male. Calling a notorious sexist and narcissistic man a femme fatale is not really a contradiction.

So yes Trump is a pabulum expert and balderdash is his trademark but facts and rational thinking will never destroy him for he appeals to the subconscious or the unconscious. He does not want to make sense he wants to create emotions and run away with the anger he has stoked. He is very good at it, tapping into fears and offering fictions to deal with them. He also knows you can be an ignoramus and a president, Reagan was there before and George W. Bush is in the same boat. But as the fate of Ann Richards, the Democrat who had been defeated by W in Texas, shows one should not underestimate the gifted and wealthy ignorant.

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Political analysts always want to discuss ideas and policies and platforms but with Trump this is a waste of time. He's in the circus barker market, he is Buffalo Bill creating a myth for gullible spectators who do not want to think but to feel and be wowed. The historian telling Buffalo Bill "ah, your show is a pack of lies" would be a ridiculous figure. The King's buffoon was supposed to make everyone laugh and his mockery of the monarch was accepted; it was even a safety valve or a control mechanism in royal courts. Trump the buffoon of democracy makes a mockery of politics and rational debate. The buffoon made people laugh but he was not expected to replace the King, buffoonery and ruling were different realms. In our age of constant sensational media coverage the buffoon can be the ruler and the ruler can use the tricks of the clown to impose his or her will. Think of Boris Johnson the former Mayor of London.

No amount of fact checking no denunciation of Trump's lies or outrageous statements will diminish his appeal. His words are weasel words and bags of tricks, he is all posture and no substance so he cannot be pinned down. No one ever expected a femme fatale or a self-confident narcissist to be a philosopher or a historian. The attraction here does not lie in the intellect. Trump is a magician who does not care about knowledge or consistency and he will always appeal to non-academics, non-intellectuals who live in the reality of TV escapism, Internet bubble or Google isolation and social media superficiality.
By: Roque Sevilla

When I was 17, I read Malthus, and this began a lifelong interest in our fragile planet and specifically, the fate of my small but amazing country, Ecuador.

How could we, as human beings, ensure that our incredible world remain viable for future generations as the population grew, creating an even greater imbalance between us and our environment?

Today, these issues still inspire me, and over the years I have approached them in my roles as businessman, foundation president and politician.

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I have always believed in the power of responsible capitalism to achieve greater social goals, and tourism, as an industry, is particularly well-placed to aid in saving unique, iconic locations, such as our beloved Galapagos, while supporting local communities' needs for employment and income. Human beings tend to see ourselves as leading members of a biological system, but it is so easy to forget that we really all form part of an essential whole.

We cannot afford to ignore, or even worse - destroy - any element without running the risk of toppling our own support structure. My experience at Mashpi has shown me my very small role in the universe.

When we found Mashpi, it was as if I had been unconsciously looking for a girlfriend, as if I had a vision of how she would be.

Ecuador is the world's most biodiverse country in terms of number of species/land area. Her Amazonian region, home to many native peoples, wildlife, and an infinite number of plant species, faces major development challenges including oil and mineral extraction, logging, and ranching.

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But we discovered that the western flank of the mountains that form part of the Metropolitan District of Quito confronted similar challenges and had at least as much biodiversity as the Amazon proper - having come from the same basic geological formation before the Andes separated them millions of years ago. This region, part of the Choco rainforest which runs from Panama through Colombia to northern Ecuador, is one of the biological hotspots of the planet: our resident biologist has already identified over 400 bird species, hundreds of orchids, a new frog species, and countless insects, including 20-30 different species of bees, some of them with the most astounding iridescent colours.

At first, we bought Mashpi with the sole goal of conservation. Even that wasn't easy. My friends and I camped out on the property numerous times before conceiving of developing it as a sustainable tourism project. At some level, the lodge is a consequence of the many times I had to deal with very distinguished insects that we encountered during the night.

I realized that we had to build a glass bubble, architecture that would enhance the forest experience without competing with it, somewhere you could enjoy the incredible opportunity to explore this miraculous ecosystem during the day but retreat to a safe cocoon while you slept.

We located the lodge on the site of the old failed sawmill. This location forces guests to traverse 7 km of forest roads just to reach it and it cost us more money, but we chose it to avoid any additional damage to an already delicate environment.

The local community is heavily involved: 80% of our employees are from the area; local organic food production graces the tables; and we intend to sell 15% of the operation's shares, at face value, to the local community to provide a constant income stream and an incentive to protect the forest. We have negative CO2 emissions and we hope our guests continue to support our conservation efforts.

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Today, the internet has transformed tourism as it has many industries. I personally love going on a beach holiday and drinking a beer, but now, from my armchair, I can look for a travel experience that is a journey that transforms me, both inside and out. Many travellers want to make a difference.

I share that desire, and over my lifetime I have been humbly blessed to have a sensitivity - a vision as it were - that has allowed me to bring numerous initiatives to life that have helped protect this incredible planet that we call home. I like to think that I have made some difference and that life will reward me with the continued opportunity to follow my passion of forging a clear path to another, more sustainable, form of development in Ecuador and around the world.

Pioneers for Change is a seed-bed for innovative thought. An activator of personal potential. A catalyst for collective energy. A community to drive social change.

Our annual, international Fellowship is open to anyone aged 28 - 108 years old. We gather change-makers -- a business person, a community person, an investor, a thinker or doer -- who are willing to harness their talents, energy and resources as a force for good. Pioneers for Change is an initiative of Adessy Associates.

Adessy Associates believes a better world is possible, and inspires and equips organisations and individuals to make positive change happen and contribute to a sustainable future. We focus on benefit for people, planet and profit and our bespoke services harness sustainability, innovation, consciousness and purpose. We are proudly B Corp certified.

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About Roque Sevilla

Roque has been involved in three important areas: business, conservation and environmental matters, and public service.

As a businessman, he founded various companies that have proved leaders in different sectors of the Ecuadorian economy. He is President of Grupo Futuro, a holding company for the country's most important insurance group, which includes: Tecniseguros (1973), the country's largest insurance broker; Seguros Equinoccial (1974), leader in casualty insurance; Salud SA (1994), the largest health management organization in Ecuador; and, Seguros Equivida (1994), leader in life insurance.

As an environmentalist, he founded the largest and best-known environmental NGO of Ecuador, Fundacion Natura, and served as its Chairman for 10 years. He was Vice-President of the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos and sat on the Board of World Wildlife Fund US (WWF - US).

As a civil servant, Mr. Sevilla has held numerous public offices, including: Mayor of the City of Quito (1998-2000), Member of the City Council of Quito, Member of the Constitutional Assembly of 1997, National Forestry Director, Member of the External Debt Negotiating Commission, and Chairman of the Yasuni-ITT Initiative. He has received several awards for his work protecting Ecuadorian nature including: The Order of the Golden Ark, by Prince Bernard of the Netherlands, the United Nations "Global 500" distinction, and the Order of Isabella the Catholic by the King of Spain.
The Blog We Must Ban the Box in Higher Education

When you are released from prison, the last thing you want to do is spend the rest of your life reliving the mistakes that put you away in the first place. I should know: when I got out of prison in 2001, I wanted nothing more than to go back to school, earn my degree, and get a job that would turn my life around.
Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign event in Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S., on Monday, May 16, 2016. Clinton is facing a convergence of controversies and questions, old and new, that are likely to drag through the Democratic nominating convention into the general election and offer Republicans a ready-made framework for attacks. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In Mario Cuomo's famous dictum, politicians "campaign in poetry and govern in prose."

While Hillary Clinton has effectively secured her party's nomination, her primary campaign has been difficult and distinctly un-poetic. By personality and inclination, Clinton is prose. Which, fortuitously or not, makes her a fit for the temper of these fractious times, where patience, pragmatism and a mastery of policy count for more than soaring rhetoric and promises which cannot be kept.

Our politics is trench warfare. The Republicans are dug in, protected by a bulwark of gerrymandering and demographics which means that, out of 435 congressional districts, all but 35 or so are electorally impregnable. So, too, are roughly 45 red state senators -- not enough to make a majority, but sufficient to sustain a filibuster. And the machinery of polarization -- including a media which tells right-wing voters what they want to hear -- blocks transformational change.

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We may not like it. But our quarrel is not merely with our current noxious politics, but with the founding fathers who, fearful of popular excesses, gave us political institutions ideal for dividing power and resisting change. Unwittingly, they embedded within our Constitution a system which is now exploited by a GOP mired in stasis and self-interest. The political front moves, if at all, by inches instead of miles.

In this environment things like single-payer health care are casualties of war. The question is how to carve out territory where progress, however incremental, is meaningful and lasting.

Take Barack Obama and the Affordable Care Act. Imperfect and incomplete as it may be, Obamacare has delivered health insurance to about 20 million Americans, with the greatest benefit to the poor, minorities and struggling workers. Not only is this important -- in the Hobbesian world of our politics, it was optimal.

From the day he entered office, Obama had to claw for every inch of political turf in the face of unrelieved opposition to any legislation he offered. Often, he had to stretch the limits of his executive authority to achieve anything at all.

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In short, we elected a man who campaigned in poetry, and found that prose was writ in mud and paid for in partisan bloodshed. One doubts that, today, he would campaign quite as he did in 2008 -- indeed, he did not do so in 2012. Now Hillary Clinton is campaigning as she must govern -- as a combatant, not an innocent, whose greatest weapon will sometimes be a veto.

She understands that progress in health care, infrastructure, financial regulation, tax reform, the environment, and limiting money in politics can only come through a mastery of detail and a keen sense of the potential, and limits, of presidential power. She is coming to the job prepared.

As a politician, she is like that congenital A student we all knew in high school -- steeped in policy, enthralled by detail, and conscientious to a fault. Give her something to read, and she will read it and remember. When it comes to knowing her job, Hillary Clinton does not believe in faking it.

She has specific plans to improve the lot of embattled Americans, including women and their families. She has a well-conceived program to regulate the financial sector -- a priority she spelled out a year before the crash of 2008. Indeed, there is no area of pressing need where she is not stocked with proposals which, mercifully, have an actual chance of moving forward.

Importantly, her agenda can be paid for without busting the budget, primarily by increasing taxes on the wealthy. One can quarrel with the details: certainly, it is easy to imagine more sweeping and ideal solutions than some which she proposes -- indeed, Bernie Sanders often does.

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What is impossible to imagine is passing them. And there is no reasonable doubt that a Clinton presidency will focus on building a fairer and more inclusive society. These things account, at least in part, for Clinton's decisive lead in the primary vote and pledged delegates: critically, Clinton enjoys broader support among Democrats than does Sanders -- including from minorities who will be critical in November.

Then there is national security, an area where she must combat Donald Trump's empty bluster.To this task Clinton brings a sophisticated grasp of diplomacy, military strategy and counter-terrorism.

To be sure, the Iraq vote was a mistake that Trump, as has Sanders, will make her reckon with -- it helped lead to a foreign policy disaster, and it will not suffice to say that she had lots of company. And, for some, Clinton is too inclined to interventions in the Middle East which, inevitably, have as many unintended consequences as those which we intend -- assuming, of course, that we can realize even those.

But Iraq was 14 years ago. And it is too easy to second-guess more recent decisions in a region where both action and inaction can be equally problematic -- and which ISIS uses as a launching pad for terrorism and terrorists. Over time, Hillary Clinton has acquired the knowledge to be president in a dangerous and ever-shifting global environment.

She has thought about this environment in detail and with care. Foreign leaders respect her. She is prepared to deal with issues as disparate as climate change, cyber warfare, and international drug cartels. Her plan for combating ISIS is thorough and considered. She understands counter-terrorism and the threat of nuclear proliferation -- including nuclear terrorism. She has the sophistication to maintain and build alliances, but also to understand their limits.

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During their primary contest, Bernie Sanders has cited Iraq as proof that his judgment is superior, and that experience alone is not enough. But the latter truism is no substitute for an ongoing absorption in the complications of a complex world. That was never a priority for Sanders and, when it comes to picking a president, this matters. And being right on a single vote in 2002, however critical, is no guarantee of mastery of difficult issues in, say, 2018.

In any event, the alternative to Clinton in November is not Sanders, but the ignorant, xenophobic, chronically offensive, Putin-loving moron Donald Trump. She is as fit to be president as Trump is not. The gap is daunting -- the wrong result would be dangerous to America and the world. But to win Clinton must address her own weaknesses as a candidate, reflected in uncomfortably high negatives, and rooted in difficulties which cannot be wished away.

Some derive from 25 years of being pounded with lies, distortions and half-truths, rooted in a pervasive double standard. In a way, this Darwinian experience is oddly reassuring. Hillary Clinton is tough -- if she hasn't cracked by now, she never will.

But other problems are self-inflicted. In terms of credibility, the speeches on Wall Street cost her much more than she was paid, and her failure to perceive that suggests a certain tone deafness. Her reasons for not releasing the transcripts are so unpersuasive as to suggest discomfort with the speeches themselves. Similarly, the email problem has grown bigger with each shifting explanation.

Put simply, she does not excel at changing stories or admitting error. And, yes, Iraq truly is the gift that keeps on giving, especially when coupled with the suspicion that Clinton's positions are too often calibrated to suit the public mood.

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The latter, of course, is commonplace. That's how candidates get elected, and the flipside is the tactical flexibility needed to get things done. But, in Clinton, the air of contrivance is exacerbated by the fact that she is not, as events have compelled her to admit, a natural. Too often she exudes caution and, at times, wariness -- understandable, to be sure, but unhelpful in conveying passion or authenticity.

All this feeds the perception, fair or not, that, in the immortal word of Kevin McCarthy, Clinton is "untrustable." There is irony here -- by any reasonable measure of truth telling, Clinton's assertions during the campaign are, relative to other candidates, accurate and grounded in fact. But the perception has hurt her nonetheless -- including among young women who have forgotten the hard and bitter fight which enabled a woman to run for president at all.

Another problem is that Clinton will need enthusiastic support from a Democratic electorate which is divided in a couple of different ways. One divide is between Clinton past -- as examples, the crime bill and welfare reform of the '90s -- and this Clinton in the very different present. Both Clintons are addressing this, and must continue to do so in a way that reaches progressives, minorities and the young: the alternative, after all, is not some beau ideal, but Donald Trump.

The second divide is between the pragmatic governing philosophy of Hillary Clinton, and the idealistic all or nothing populism of Bernie Sanders. Practicality is harder to sell than visionary phrases, and reality is not always a place where all voters want to live.

She cannot make these problems go away. What she can do is continue to remind voters that a president owes them reality, not fantasy -- a critique even more apt for Trump than for Sanders. And then -- through command, specifics and an added dollop of passion -- persuade the majority of Americans to trust her as a president.

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This is not the stretch that some might think it. In debate, she is smart, informed, unyielding and even compelling -- one can see her as our president in tough moments. That's a form of trust not easy to come by. And her mastery of policy will be a bracing contrast to Trump's abysmal ignorance. Part of her campaign must be focused on that -- relentlessly disqualifying Trump on the issues and, critically, as the unpredictable and unstable megalomaniac that he is.

A second element is convincing Americans that behind her programs is a deep desire to make their lives, and the country itself, better -- including a strong and persuasive indictment of the influence of big money in politics. She need not be Bill Clinton or Barack Obama -- or, for that matter, Bernie Sanders. What she does need -- and what many Americans still want from her -- is an animating vision of the better place she wants America to become.

Given her immersion in pressing issues from college on, by now this should not be all that hard. Clearly she is thinking about this; so are others who want her to be president. By email Sam Brown -- whose concern this has been since the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s -- sketches a platform which, while not meant to be definitive, suggests a template for uniting Democrats and reaching Americans at large.

The basic vision it serves is that only a country which values all its people can be vibrant and strong -- now and in the future. With a few additions, I venture it as a starting place:

"We believe that every student in America has the right to a debt free college education. Because the voice of every citizen should carry equal weight, we support a constitutional amendment to stem the influence of money in politics.

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"We believe that every American has the right to quality healthcare regardless of their means. We believe in providing job retraining, education and support for Americans dislocated by the forces of globalization.

"We believe in a society where opportunity is not defined by wealth. We believe that every American should bear their fair share of paying for our defense, rebuilding our infrastructure, and providing opportunity and security for all.

"We believe in protecting the equal rights of every citizen, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. We believe in combating the scourge of gun violence through laws which protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens, while keeping guns away from demonstrably dangerous people who would use them to kill others.

"We believe that it is imperative to protect our environment and combat climate change. We believe in addressing the complex problems of immigration and providing a path to citizenship for those who wish to be good citizens. We reject scapegoating of any kind, whether it be of Mexicans, Muslims or those who wish to seek refuge from violence and oppression."

Is there any doubt that Hillary Clinton wants to lead that kind of country? Or that Donald Trump does not?

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With the presidential election just months away, campaign season is in full swing. Candidates in both parties are aggressively courting certain demographics viewed as crucial to securing the White House, including women, millennials African-Americans, Latinos, evangelicals and many others.

One group appears conspicuously absent from this voter outreach: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). This constituency has barely factored in the policy discussions and narratives surrounding the current presidential election. Hillary Clinton's engagement with the AAPI community, most recently during the Democratic primary in New York, and her decision to speak at a forum hosted by the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Leadership Network is the exception and not the rule. For the most part, AAPIs have been largely ignored.

On the surface, this omission of over 19 million people, (constituting over 5.5% percent of the population according to latest U.S. Census data), seems curious at best. While AAPI numbers may seem insignificant, at 13% and 17%, African Americans and Latinos are also not a big part of the of the population. But both these groups have proven their political potency in elections time and time again. (Hillary Clinton's sweeping victory in the southern states in the current election cycle is a case in point.) Consider the fact that AAPIs are the fastest growing ethnic demographic in the United States, particularly in key swing states. For example, the percentage of the electorate that is AAPI was roughly equal to the margin of victory in Nevada, Virginia and Florida during the 2012 Presidential election.

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Asian Americans have begun to run for elected offices at state and national levels and have achieved unprecedented success, appealing to diverse groups beyond their own communities. In addition to high-profile current and former governors like Bobby Jindal (R-LA), Nikki Haley (R-SC) and Gary Locke (D-WA), fourteen Asian Americans currently serve in the United States Congress, the highest number in the history of the institution and this number is likely to increase in the coming election. Most of these members, including Reps. Ami Bera (D-CA), Mark Takano (D-CA), and Grace Meng (D-NY), hail from districts where Asian Americans comprise just a fraction of the electorate. Similarly, Asian Americans have begun to rise in the ranks of appointed government officials, both in the Executive branch and on Capitol Hill, proving their commitment to serve the country.

The relatively high-income levels among several Asian American communities also make them ripe sources for campaign contributions. Indeed, a number of Asian American leaders have been prominent supporters of both parties at the state and national levels and the percentage of their contribution is growing.

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Given the increasing participation of AAPIs in the American political process and their willingness to serve the nation in government service, what explains the relative neglect of this vibrant community? Here are some possible reasons.

One: AAPIs are registered to vote at rates much lower than other ethnic groups in the country. In 2014, the community had a registration rate of approximately 50 %, compared with 63% for blacks and 66% for whites. Studies have demonstrated that scores of AAPIs who are registered to vote choose not to do so. As a result, in an era of limited resources and even limited time, candidates may perceive AAPIs as a constituency not worth engaging.

Two: The often publicized reference to Asian Americans as the "model minority," due to their high level of educational and financial success relative to the national average, conceal the deeper socioeconomic diversity of the community and the multifaceted challenges afflicting it. For example, top three ethnic groups with the highest per-capita income are Asian: Indian, Taiwanese, and the Filipino. But 16.1% of Asian Americans (adjusted for large percentages of the community living in most expensive states) live below the poverty line compared to 10.4% of whites, and this number is growing at a faster rate than the national average. Challenges of language and cultural differences compound the problems of the poorer Asia Americans, many of them older and without the working knowledge of English. Issues such as healthcare, immigration, access to education and protecting civil rights are just as salient for the AAPI community as they are for rest of the country. But the specific concerns of the community are hardly ever taken into account.

Three: The struggle for AAPIs to garner greater recognition within the political mainstream is also compounded by ongoing challenges within the community itself. Even though the nomenclature--Asian Americans--emerged in the civil rights era in the late 1960s and has been part of the census classification since 1990, debate continues to persist over the very definition of the AAPI community. Unlike the Latino population, AAPIs have no shared language or cultural heritage binding them together. Some wonder whether the absence of such a cohering principle makes it easier for the community to be overlooked.

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As we celebrate the month of May as Asian Pacific Heritage month, it is worth recognizing that what really binds the AAPI communities together is their shared American experience in the context of their Asian origins: often being perceived as the "other," not quite American enough, because of their Asian Pacific origins. Periodic surveys conducted by the Committee of 100, a Chinese American organization, point out that almost half of the non-Asian American population perceives people of Asian origin as having stronger affiliation with their country of origin than with their adopted country, more as foreigners than as "true" Americans. This why an Indian American Miss Universe, representing America, was asked to go" home" after winning the crown.

If Asian pacific Americans want to make a difference in the national elections, they will need to come together strategically to identify issues that matter to them in this country and learn from the experience of other groups to have their voices heard. They will need to register to vote and actually exercise their right to do so to have their voices heard.

To be sure, unprecedented progress has been made by both parties and should be recognized as such. As DNC Director of AAPI Engagement Koustubh "K.J." Bagchi notes, "This year, the DNC launched ProgressAAPI, a series of programs, trainings and conversations that build on the work that past AAPI Democrats have done, such as social media actions, webinars on the convention, connecting youth to campaign opportunities, and events to get our message out."

Similarly, the GOP is seeking to capture its own share of the AAPI vote. Jason Chung, RNC Director for APA Engagement, observes, "The RNC is continuing a multi-million dollar investment effort to compete for the AAPI vote. Our initiatives are more than paying for booths at cultural events, festivals, and advertising; we are out there engaging AAPI voters where they work, live, and play. These long-term investments are already making our party stronger."

These efforts by both parties are unprecedented, but more work remains to be done. And not just because AAPIs can potentially swing the upcoming presidential election, but because they are an integral part of the evolving American identity.

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Last week, likely Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump visited Capitol Hill to meet with GOP congressional leadership hoping to bring the party together around his campaign. These meetings were held in the wake of comments made by House Speaker Paul Ryan, who earlier stated that he wasn't yet ready to endorse Trump for the presidency. Although the meeting appears to have placated most of GOP leadership on the Hill, including Ryan, Trump and his Democratic rival, either Clinton or Sanders, will both still need large coalitions of support to win the White House.

With nearly a quarter of all Americans religiously unaffiliated and a large section of this group explicitly nontheist, candidates would be well-served by appealing to this community. But how can they attract the support of this large and growing demographic?

Each candidate should speak about how they will strengthen the separation between religion and government. While humanists, and other atheists and agnostics, have numerous policy priorities, there's at least one issue that unites all nontheists: support of Jefferson's Wall of church-state separation. Candidates could show their support for secularism by opposing the religious exemption to the individual care mandate in the Affordable Care Act or religious exemptions to anti-discrimination laws, among other exemptions granted only to religious organizations. Candidates could also refuse to participate in unambiguously religious events that are either tacitly or explicitly supported by government, such as the National Day of Prayer or the numerous prayer breakfasts that occur throughout the year. And they could proactively support efforts that advance religious liberty for believers and nonbelievers alike, such as H. Res. 290, which calls for the global repeal of blasphemy laws.

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Candidates' serious about courting humanists should also commit to protecting public education and aiding medical and scientific research. By fully supporting public education and opposing attempts to push vouchers (which often lead to government funding of private religious schools), candidates would show the nontheist community that they are committed to educating the next generation. And by pledging not to withdraw government support of the research industry, as it did several years ago under sequestration, the candidates will not only help to increase our understanding of the world and our place within it, they will reinforce the value of science and reason.

At the very least, candidates should do something that politicians have been historically reticent to do: mention nontheists positively during the campaign. Too often, members of federal, state, and local governments acknowledge and speak to the plight and value of religious Americans while completely neglecting the struggles and accomplishments of the nontheist community. President Obama broke this silence during his first inaugural address when he said, "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers." Obama acknowledged nontheists in future statements as well. By simply mentioning nontheists during public addresses, candidates would be taking this progress a step further by opening the national conversation to include nontheists. Such inclusion is sadly lacking in today's political scene, which is often a rush to religious one-upmanship.

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Those candidates who've been following the trends of religiosity in America and understand the importance of this new demographic will take the bonus step by connecting with leading nontheist organizations and responding to questionnaires circulated by the Freethought Equality Fund, the nontheist community's political action committee.
ONE FRIDAY NIGHT

Rarely does this father of two find himself available to experience all that is "Friday night" in New York City.

This past Friday the Universe conspired on my behalf, and I found myself in my favorite pub, nursing a Belhaven, sitting across from a new friend of mine. We had gathered to talk about some struggles he was having with his belief system.

Of course, I was happy to oblige. (Heck, I'm in a pub on a Friday night! My kids are home asleep! And here I am, out in the world with real people! I'd have been willing to talk about anything!)

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My friend is far more brilliant than I, a respected surgeon in the city with more letters behind his name than can fit on his business card. He is both a person of science and a person of faith. In other words, a perfect conversational-pub-companion for the likes of me.

We began talking about scripture--whether it was static or something that changed with the times.

I get this struggle. I get it deeply. In fact, as a pastor, this comes up in my conversations with people more than just about any other topic.

We talked Bible history. We talked family values built into us by Christian parents. We deconstructed; we reconstructed; and the glorious Belhaven kept flowing.

I was having such a great time in good conversation that I had to remind myself: "Ryan, don't forget--this guy is in pain. He's having a crisis of faith. You're on the clock. Help him out. Give him some direction. Give him some hope."

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The major hang up my friend was having was how all that he had been taught to believe about God as a kid by loving, gracious parents was no longer applicable to his current (teetering) belief system.

"I just can't get my head to 'sync' with the idea that the Bible, taken at face value and read literally, is a good guide for the modern-day believer," he said.

"Cheers to that," I said, as our glasses clinked. "Your head is in a good place and so is your heart."

"How's that?!" he said. "I'm unraveling here!"

BLOODLETTING

Just around the corner from this pub is an old-time barber shop. You know the kind--with the spinning candy-cane-looking-thing hanging out front.

I asked him if he knew the reason for the candy-cane-thing.

"Of course," he said, "all doctors do. The red stripes on the 'Barber's Pole' advertised that one of the services they offered was to 'bleed' people who were feeling sick while they got a haircut. The idea at the time was that sickness resided in the blood. Remove some blood. Remove some sickness."

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"That's right!" I said. "And why don't we still bleed people now?"

"Because it doesn't work. We have medicine and information we didn't have back then," he responded.

"So why would scripture be any different?" I asked. "Are you open to the possibility that your parents, reflecting the very best wisdom of their time, taught you the scriptures from that perspective?"

He blinked, took a sip of beer, and said, "I think I see what you're getting at. It scares me, but it sounds right."

"Then maybe it is," I said. "You realize the procedures you will use this week to perform surgeries will be labeled as 'primitive' 100 years from now in the medical profession, don't you?"

"Of course," he said, "but that's medicine. We're always learning better methods based on better research and experimentation."

"So why would theological understanding be any different?" I challenged.

"I guess it wouldn't. I see what you're saying. That makes a lot of sense," he responded. "That's really helpful. Man, you're really jacking up my head... and my heart!"

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"Blame in on the Belhaven," I said. And the glasses clinked again.

GOD IS BIG ENOUGH

So many have the same hangups with scripture that my friend does. And this is okay. In fact, I'd say it's healthy. If you have everything about God figured out because of words you've read on a page, you are in a very, very dangerous place in your beliefs.

The truth is God never changes. God has always been God and always will be. But our understanding of God is always changing based on our place in history and the collective information available to us right now.

God is, like the old hymn says, "A fountain flowing deep and wide." The Divine will never be too small for our current paradigms unless we choose to reject the deeply important companions of experience, scrutiny, and the growth of human knowledge. If we can allow our beliefs to expand like we allow ourselves to expand in any other area of learning, we may just see the scriptures for what they are: not a static manual for living, but a collection of living words that meet us in the "now" and speak bits of eternal truth that we are ever stumbling over by grace.
As some see Muqtada Al Sadr as both a political and militant proxy of Iran, his recent political revival may seem as though Iran sees to further expand its influence in Iraqi politics for strategic purposes. Yet seeing Sadr's recent political revival, his re-establishment of his former Jaish Al Mahdi, or The Mahdi Army, now renamed Saraya Al Salaam (The Peace Brigades), it seems as though his political motives now revolve around exposing the corruption of the Iraqi government and essentially demanding an increase of transparency. Having mobilized his supporters to protest the Iraqi parliament, this demonstrates the strength and relevance of his influence in the Iraqi political sphere even after going into exile and disbanding his previous militia. By criticizing Haidar Al Abadi's government, this consolidates Al Sadr's political power among his Shia supporters and even challenges the power of other Shia political and militant factions as well.

Although Muqtada Al Sadr may have great influence over his Shia constituents and allies, sectarian tensions may still potentially be reignited once again by that very same influence. After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Muqtada Al Sadr established what was then known as Jaish Al Mahdi, or The Mahdi Army, in an attempt to combat the US invasion and coalition forces. What was initially meant to be a group dispensing security to Shi'ite communities across Iraq drastically transformed into a sectarian death squad ethnically cleansing Baghdad and other cities of their Sunni inhabitants. This essentially accelerated the sectarian violence that would overshadow Iraq in the following years. Now that The Mahdi Army has been recreated and renamed to The Peace Brigades, it has been reported that Al Sadr is seeking to find a new approach in dealing with sectarianism. In one report according to Al Jazeera English, Muqtada Al Sadr is hoping to orchestrate a committee consisting of "secular, Shi'ite, Sunni, and Kurdish intellectuals and academics entrusted with the task of suggesting government reforms". By appealing to the people and their discontent of the Iraqi government, Al Sadr will attempt to transcend above sectarian tensions and tend to the wounds of the economically marginalized or so it seems.

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Reviving and rebranding The Mahdi Army as the Peace Brigades may have its newly intended implications, yet at the same time sectarian violence may be inevitable especially when taking the fight against ISIS into consideration. As Sunni rebel groups in Syria struggle against ISIS as well, creating a collaborative effort alongside Shi'ite militias would still be very unlikely considering the opposing interests all the different groups may ultimately have. With The Mahdi Army's history of sectarian violence, Sadr's current Peace Brigades may possibly evolve from what was meant to initially be a peace keeping force partaking in the fight against ISIS into a mercenary-like militia aimed at targeting those who differ politically and religiously, in essence a reincarnation of rogue elements of The Mahdi Army. Most recently in the winter of 2015 the Peace Brigades participated in the offensive against ISIS recapturing of the Jurf al-Sakhar region and began to secure the city of Samarra in the Salah Al Din province of Iraq. In the process Shii'te militias carried out attacks against Sunni civilians and Al Sadr decided to remove his newly formed militia from the fight for fear of accusations of sectarian violence. The militia still remains adamant, however, regarding its stance on resistance against what it deems as foreign aggressors. Whether or not this includes Iran as a foreign aggressor due to its creeping hegemony remains ambiguous.
In what may be America's roughest neighborhood, where many kids feel forgotten and hope is thin, Seven Mile Music shines a light of humanity.

Seven Mile Music offers free music instruction to kids in Detroit's impoverished Brightmoor neighborhood.

"This is Motown," said Rev. Sammeal Thomas of City Covenant Church. "You would think you could go anywhere and find music. You can't."

A community built in the 1920s to house auto workers, Brightmoor declined in parallel with Detroit's auto industry. Today's Brightmoor children, and their parents, never knew the Detroit that was a worldwide example of modernity, according to Thomas. The pastor's church aligns with Mission: City community center and Seven Mile Music to bring neighborhood children the chance to learn and grow through the joy of music.

Brightmoor's children face extreme challenges in their daily life, said Thomas. He pointed out that half of the community's 7,000 youth live 150 percent below the federal poverty line. The Detroit Public School's epic budget problems magnify the level of adversity many Motown kids experience. Arts education has long been abandoned.

Thomas admits he didn't originally view arts cuts as a major issue.

"When you don't have police and fire (protection) who needs arts?" he said. "I had no idea about the connection between arts and academics."

That was until Seven Mile Music entered the picture. Founded by University of Michigan student Sam Saunders, the K-12 program offers Brightmoor kids free weekly music lessons throughout the academic year and a free summer music and art camp.

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Saunders launched the organization following his freshman year after learning of the elimination of Detroit school arts programs.

"These were the children most in need of music," he said.

The pianist from Charleston, West Virginia, knows music's transformative power first-hand. Saunders was a teen at risk for not graduating from high school until he realized music could provide a positive focus for his life.

In 2012, Saunders set out to find a home for his idea to bring together underserved youth with university student musicians. It was an uphill battle. He found Detroit's disadvantaged communities had little Internet presence for facilitating contacts. Saunders had no option but to hit the streets to find people willing to support his plan.

"I started driving down Seven Mile Road, one of the notorious marks of inner city Detroit," he said. "I stopped at every community center and church along the way."

After weeks of pounding the pavement, he found Mission: City.

"Sam didn't come here thinking he was going to fix us," said Thomas. "He came to see what he could do alongside us. It was the perfect fit."

The depth of cultural poverty Brightmoor children experience still stuns Saunders.

"A lot of the children between six and ten years old have never heard of a violin," he said.



Many lack the concept that instruments produce music, Saunders added. Despite the Brightmoor youngsters' narrow education, they easily tap into their affinity for music.

"We have talented, sweet kids that are illiterate, but they pick up the instruments so quickly," he said.

As the nonprofit organization's executive director, Saunders developed a corps of student instructors, plus a trio of Brightmoor volunteer musicians. The group raised funds and built a modest collection of teaching instruments including violins, guitars, pianos, cellos and drum pads. They created a musical bridge between the privileged university world and a world plagued by poverty.

University musicians previously reluctant to step foot in inner city Detroit, joined the Seven Mile Music entourage throughout the school year for the 30-mile trip from campus to Brightmoor. Three weekly sessions engage 50 neighborhood kids during the academic year.

"Aside from the education, it's humanizing," said Saunders. "We saw that the kids are not really much different than we were at the same age - they're normal, fun-loving kids."

Thomas credits the university students for opening themselves to the experience.

"You can get caught up in yourself," he said. "Sometimes you need to see there is another world."

While marked by poverty, the community has a strong spirit, Saunders noted.



"There are well-spoken, powerful people who have spent their life in Brightmoor," he said. "The university students get to learn more by speaking to these people than they learn in a semester at university."

Saunders graduated in May. He relocated to Brightmoor where he will devote the next year to building the music program.

"I'm moving into the only house left on the street - by the church," he said.

From his new base, Saunders will oversee the Seven Mile Music and Mission: City's second annual free summer camp. Camp runs weekdays from mid-July through August. Kids receive a free breakfast and lunch, art and music lessons. About 60 youngsters are expected to attend.

Thomas attributes the music instruction, along with Mission: City tutoring and mentoring efforts, to a marked increase in student grades. Program success is also measured in less tangible ways. It shows on the young faces when they conquer a piece of music, said Saunders. In an environment where few doors open for kids, Seven Mile Music shows kids the how to achieve results through hard work.

The student-driven program founded on the tenacity of one musician contributes to a growing optimism for a better future for Motown's children.

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The California Community Foundation and Public Policy Institute of California hosted an annual Speakership Series on California's Future last week in Los Angeles. Attendees heard about California Secretary of State Alex Padilla's vigorous administration in the modernization of voting systems, removal of barriers to voting, and promotion of innovation in the civic engagement space.

The attention of the gathering then turned to one of the more vexing problems of the 21st Century, declining civic engagement as measured by voter participation. A decade ago PPIC began scrutinizing this phenomenon with a report on the Exclusive Electorate http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=705. The primary concern of the report is that policy decisions are decided by elected representatives who engage with a limited and dwindling electorate.

As a panel member discussing civic malaise I focused on the need to research messaging with constituencies that were not members of the Exclusive Electorate. I noted the dearth of good public opinion research of Black Californians in particular.

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Thankfully, the African American Voter Registration, Education, and Participation Project http://africanamericanvoterrep.org in conjunction with the African American Civic Engagement Project an initiative of Community Partners http://www.supportaacep.org have made the research of African American voter attitudes and preferences a priority. These groups are set to release their findings in roughly a week.

A poll of African American voters in 2016 from across California has the potential to be groundbreaking. This group, seven to ten percent of the overall electorate depending on the election, is often considered unworthy of public polling and research activity. There are organizations of substantial reputation that consistently ignore African American voters and their public policy preferences. This arrogant posture is best combated with self-determination and action.

With data, researchers, academics, policy makers, opinion leaders and campaigns will be better equipped to appreciate the impact of this vital part of California's cultural tapestry. The experiences, perspectives, and opinions of African Americans are of consequence and provide great value in the furtherance of coalition politics and responsive governance.

To dismiss or overlook African American voter perspectives is to invite misunderstanding. Any well-informed policy maker stands to benefit significantly from learning about the information on public priorities from various groups of the electorate.

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Additionally, another reason for the missing information on African American polling data is the less-than-appreciated abilities of African Americans to build coalitions in tandem with their own racial groups to represent highly diverse jurisdictions. The people of California appear to be ahead of polling activity.

A dozen members of the state legislature, three members of congress, dozens of elected officials across the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento Valley, Central Valley, and Southern California at various levels of service seem to affirm the wisdom of the governed to elevate African American leaders they deem worthy of being their representatives.

It is not because of their race alone. It is because these elected persons are effective advocates for their highly diverse constituencies. Polling African American voters will help further expand knowledge of the core electoral bases of these unique figures. Also, for African Americans who are not represented by members of their own racial group, it is important that they be better understood. The greater the understanding of Black voters, the more effective they can be communicated with and encouraged to reduce the under vote by exercising the hard-won constitutionally-protected franchise: access to the ballot.
Babies' and kids' skin care products are big business. But what makes them different, and do we all need to be using products designed for our age group?
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - MAY 15: President Barack Obama receives honory degree and gives the commencement speech at Rutgers University's 250th anniversary on May 15, 2016 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Photo by Steve Sands/FilmMagic)

President Obama delivered a strong commencement speech on May 15th, 2016 at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Dissing Donald Trump is almost always a good thing. He did, however, miss the mark on the #NoRice student movement to rescind Condoleezza Rice's commencement speaking invitation at Rutgers in May of 2014. I'm responding as an organizer of the movement.

Dr. Rice was invited two years in a row to speak at commencement. If she would've stayed the course, she'd have received an Honorary Doctor of Laws and a $35,000 speaking fee from the university. Both years, the administration's selection process was cast aside. An OPRA request of emails between administrators provided us with this information.

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President Obama contradicted his emphasis of democratic values in his comments about the #NoRice protests. He encouraged activism then noted the protests were "misguided" without providing any context. He went on to say:

If you disagree with somebody, bring them in and ask them tough questions. Hold their feet to the fire, make them defend their positions. ... Don't be scared to take somebody on. Don't feel like you got to shut your ears off because you're too fragile and somebody might offend your sensibilities. Go at them if they're not making any sense.



A commencement speech provides no space for direct, democratic engagement. The speaker arrives, receives an honorary degree, delivers their remarks, and leaves. There is no room for free speech since the event is one-directional. The speaker delivers their remarks, the crowd listens, and that is all. Had Dr. Rice delivered the speech this would've been the case.

The university attempted to silence us for months by meeting with students to block resolutions and actions. We had no administrative or university spaces to question who the university encourages students to emulate. There was no "democracy." Chancellor Dick Edwards wrote in the Daily Targum that Dr. Rice's commencement speech was "written in stone."

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Ironically, President Obama mentioned we should hold the feet of those we disagree with "to the fire." And that's exactly what we did. The only mediums available to us were the ones we created for ourselves in alliance with faculty and staff, who were also shut out of the selection process and silenced by administration. As organizers we set up a debate in the student government to discuss the invitation followed by teach-ins, forums, resolutions, articles, social media campaigns and eventually, protest. It was because of us that conversation about Dr. Rice started, unlike how President Obama insinuated we silenced others. We actually educated students about the Iraq War, and gave everyone a voice in the spaces we created. Many perspectives were represented, but none were exempt from critique.

Had Dr. Rice come to speak with students at an open event that centered engagement, students would've welcomed her. And yes, Dr. Rice has an accomplished career. But the values President Obama mentioned which include loyalty, justice, truth, and compassion are not endemic in propagating the necessity of an unnecessary war that upended millions of lives. Iraq is destroyed, and that fact is a result of the Bush Administration's actions. That is truth. And we believed we had more to aspire towards for our world than reifying and honoring death and destruction.

And President Obama's utilization of drone strikes have killed thousands of innocent civilians too. Commencement speeches as a platform for any politician at the national level, be they a democrat or republican, are not valid by the merit of their positions. Between Barack Obama and Condoleezza Rice, we've endorsed the Iraq War, drone strikes, the deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants, and state violence against Black and Brown bodies. Barack Obama has done great things, but he's inadvertently emblematic of what is wrong with our political system as well. Other speakers such as Toni Morrison and Junot Diaz may be better options since, you know, they aren't complicit in human rights violations.

A commencement speech is more than a platform. It's a symbol of what we believe in, perpetuate, and envision for society. Its power is immense, outweighing all other actions and words in its space. The message of a commencement speech is directed not only to graduating students but to the entire world, especially in the case of powerful political figures. And again, it's one-directional.

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We weren't satisfied with that and did what we could to challenge the university and Dr. Rice on her record. We didn't remain silent and we certainly weren't scared. We drove forward until our voices were heard, as many did before us. We "held their feet to the fire" against all odds. We believed in our right to question what didn't make sense to us. We flyered campus and spoke up in classes, put up signs and refused to be silenced. We tirelessly organized day in and day out. We uplifted democracy when it was virtually nonexistent.
As the CEO of the leading national online caregiving company, I read with considerable interest the court battle to oversee the health care of Sumner Redstone, the 92-year-old billionaire who controls both Viacom and CBS. Redstone's decline admittedly has some significant business implications, but the saga should be viewed with alarm by all aging parents with children, caretakers and active romantic relationships. One doesn't have to be a billionaire to experience Redstone's unfortunate end-of-life predicament.

Redstone's former lover and once designated health guardian Manuela Herzer last year filed a lawsuit alleging that the media mogul's cognitive abilities had been "decimated" for months and that Sumner wasn't of sound mind when he removed her as his legal guardian and significant beneficiary in October. Judge David J. Cowan dismissed the lawsuit after seeing Sumner's videotaped testimony trashing Herzer with obscenities and insisting he no longer wanted her in his life. Redstone's daughter Shari, who the media mogul once ostracized, has apparently taken control of her father's care.

The optics of Herzer's or Shari Redstone's motivations don't reflect positively on either of them. Herzer's professed love for a dying man some 40 years her junior seems rather incredulous, particularly after reading this piece in the May 2015 issue of Vanity Fair featuring Herzer and another Redstone live-in companion. Herzer claims that Shari Redstone, who is part of a trust that will take over Redstone's holdings after he dies, has brainwashed her father and turned him against her. Shari's 34-year-old niece, Keryn Redstone, has publicly supported Herzer's lawsuit.

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The elder Redstone is twice divorced. He also is reportedly estranged from his son Brent, who sued his father for trying to cut him out of the family business. The two apparently haven't spoken for years. (Keryn Redstone is Brent's daughter.) It is truly disheartening to see all the interfamily dynamics at play here, when most everyone is looking out for their best interests versus the overall wellbeing and health of Summer Redstone, who is in need of care.

In my experience, battles over control of an elder's health care rarely are motivated out of a concern for the person whose guardianship is in dispute. Rather, the battles invariably are driven by financial concerns, most often over the cost of health care and how treatments are eroding the legacies of those who stand to inherent the elder's remaining funds. Unfortunately, money-driven legal battles are just as easily waged among once loving families as they are by former mistresses who have been cut out of their lovers' wills. That's why parents should leave clear and explicit instructions about the end-of-life care they wish to receive and not necessarily entrust their children to carry out their wishes.

The individuals I've witnessed experiencing the most peaceful final moments are the ones who are surrounded by loving family and friends who are truly saddened by the impending loss of their loved ones. Perhaps I'm mistaken, but Redstone appears destined to finish out his life surrounded by individuals more focused on their legal strategies than his pending passing from earth. For all Redstone's incredible power and wealth, he quite likely will die emotionally abandoned and alone.
Delon Beckett is wasted while our cameras are rolling on him. He is tripping around his living room drunk while his three-year-old daughter, Jayla, tries to wrestle. She hits his groin so he pushes her away, then he makes for the staircase. He knocks over some books and settles down in the second floor of his suburban house as his wife, Emme, tries to calm down the kids who are looking up the stairs scared.

"I used to see, you know, a hammer and then all of the sudden I would just think about picking up that hammer and just smashing their brains in," says Beckett, an Iraq war veteran at the center of my documentary, The War Comes Home. "And I'm just like sitting there like ... this is getting ridiculous."

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What our cameras captured for our documentary are the sad, damaging effects of the war on some veterans who live with Post-Traumatic Stress like Beckett. About 11-20 out of every 100 veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffers from PTS in a given year, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. There were about two-and-a-half million U.S. troops sent to those wars.

Now, in an effort to increase awareness around that topic and the many other needs of veterans, The War Comes Home, produced in association with MediaStorm, will be airing in 300 cinemas nationwide on May 24th. The screening is followed by a pre-taped panel discussion of experts and advocates who take the conversation beyond PTS to other veteran's issues. The event is presented by Fathom Events, a partnership between the three largest theater circuits in the U.S. so you can see it in a theater near you anywhere in the country.

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I worked with Fathom to get The War Comes Home onto a big screen because I want everyone to see how Beckett and our other characters live with PTS and the novel approaches being taken to address their pain and, sometimes, suicidal or homicidal thoughts. I want everyone to take a look at the services being offered vets and ask how they can help. I want people to appreciate how much we owe to the men and women who went to fight our wars and lost so much doing it.

"The outer shell of him came back," his wife, Emme, told us about her husband's return from the war. "But everything on the inside was dead."

Beckett was assigned to be a vehicle specialist at Camp Anaconda in 2010. He ordered parts for trucks and Humvees. He never left the base. Yet each day, the war came to him.

"The first day we were in Iraq, we were walking to go get chow. We got hit by a mortar, it just lit up the skies, a real big one. These guys will just shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot these things at you," he remembered. "All of the sudden your heart starts to race and you start to get pretty scared, you know, start having anxiety about it and you know you're hearing this stuff like throughout the day, you know? And throughout the night. I guess these fears start taking on a mind of their own. You know? And you start to catastrophize a lot of things."

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Nearly 8,000 veterans of all wars buckle from the stress and kill themselves each year. So far in the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, there have been 6,802 veterans killed in action or in accidents, according to Costs of War, a Brown University project tracking those wars. Suicides are particularly high among Vietnam veterans.

"It's difficult, like really difficult actually. Like I would just sincerely want him to work through it and not just give up," says Emme. "But I am aware of the fact that he might just do that."

Fears like hers are what propelled the Clay-Hunt SAV Act for suicide prevention, said David Chasteen, western regional director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, who joined the panel discussion I taped to accompany the screening of the documentary. Clay-Hunt will provide funding for research, additional mental health professionals and more suicide prevention programs. "They're facing a demographic crunch, because what's happening is the Vietnam Veterans are reaching that age toward the end of their life where they actually need the most amount of care," Chasteen said. "The vast majority of your healthcare costs are concentrated in the last six months of life, so the Vietnam Era Veterans are starting to all kind of pass away at the same time veterans are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan."

In my documentary, Beckett's drinking escalates until he desperately reaches out to a program called Save a Warrior. The program is a five-and-a-half day emotional bootcamp run by veteran Jake Clark that used group exercises, therapy and counseling, transcendental meditation and equine therapy in an attempt to pull participants back from the brink of suicide.

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Programs like these are beneficial because many soldiers will not seek out traditional avenues of assistance like the VA. Brigadier General Laurie Sutton, who was the military's highest ranking psychiatrist before retiring, told me on our panel that healing our vets is not just about clinical care. "That's just the tip of the iceberg," she said. "When we consider that fully half of our veterans will never even go to a clinic or hospital, we have to build out a base, a foundation that relies on holistic services that are offered in nonclinical settings, that offer peer to peer intervention."

In our documentary, our main characters have exhausted clinical settings and medication. Save a Warrior emerges as one of the non-clinical settings that lives outside the world of traditional veterans services. It is one of many examples of new approaches to this problem.

Jake Clark, who runs Save a Warrior, says his program's strength lies, in part, in staffing the five-and-a-half day experience with counselors who have faced demons in their own recovery from war trauma.

I asked Clark who he thinks will save this generation of warriors from the obstacles they face. Without hesitation, he said: "They will. They'll save each other. We can't save them all, but together they can all save themselves."

He's right, to a point. I think we each play a roll in helping these soldiers reintegrate, whether it's through our personal relationships with them, our involvement in veterans groups, by providing jobs or donating resources, or simply by being politically aware of the initiatives they are pursuing to help their community reintegrate. There is a big gap between civilians and service members right now, with the exception of caregivers struggling to care for vets in need. That is the biggest takeaway I have from working on both this documentary and participating in the panel I hosted that follows. I've included the names of the organizations that took part in our panel here.

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Hand with scissors cutting paper cut out with family member shape / Family problem / Divorce concept

Thank God for Netflix. Since my marriage crumbled, I've needed diversions by the boatload, and you can only drink so much chocolate stout before feeling bloated. So I turned to my digital savior.

Months ago, before everything went to hell, I'd noticed a show called Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce and felt both attracted and repulsed by it. After all, what does a happily married woman need with a show about being divorced?

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Fast-forward to my world crumbling. The details aren't important. If you've gone through a divorce, you know that every story is really the same one, whether it's about abuse, constantly arguing, infidelity, or any other of the myriad reasons people split up: it's the heartbreaking end to something you built. But I quickly got sick to death of doing a post-mortem on my marriage with friends, so I turned on the television, and I loaded an episode of Girlfriend's Guide.

The show is incredibly well-written. It's what I look forward to on my lunch break and after a particularly blow-up argument about alimony (aren't those fun?). But, much as I love my shows, I love reading even more. So I started digging to find a blog that was as witty as the show, one that would take real situations like telling your kid that his world is shattered, make it authentic, but also make you laugh through your tears.

Guess what?

There aren't a lot of blogs like that out there. Sure, there's a ton of technical how-to-do-your-own divorce blogs (written by lawyers), as well as transformational, uplifting blogs designed to help you not feel like sh*t about the prospect of moving out of your 2,300 square-foot house into an apartment less than half the size. And then there's the other category: the ranting divorcee. You've probably read those blogs: she's pissed and will bash her ex (or in divorce speak, STBX) until his brains are a metaphorical puddle on the floor of the Internet.

But nowhere was that shockingly honest and refreshing blog that I wanted to read.

A Lightbulb Goes Off



Photo Credit: PhotoSpin

And so, one evening after bingeing on the show and snuggling into my brand new gift-to-myself gel foam bed, I asked, "Why don't I write it?"

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(You should know I did not ask this aloud. I do have two cats, but I have not deteriorated so far to be talking to myself. I'm just a few months in. Give me time to become full-on Crazy Cat Lady.)

I mean, I'm a writer. And I'd been wondering how this devastation could be turned into positive creative energy (if you're a Julia Cameron fan, you'll get that). And there it was: write blog posts that would let other women going through a divorce know that they weren't alone. That there were others who silently cussed their ex from the window when they see that, oh, suddenly dropping that gut was a breeze now that he was heartbroken over you. That they weren't alone in counting down the hours until it was socially acceptable to stop being sober for the day. That others understood that trying to find your zen place when your 11-year-old takes out his my-parents-are-getting-divorced aggression on you is effing hard.

That might make it a little easier for them to go through what I wouldn't wish on anyone. I could do that. I could write that. And so it begins.
News / Africa

by Staff Reporter

Police in Kenya have arrested five high school students, who were allegedly found engaging in sex in Eldoret.The Standard reported that the four boys and a girl from different schools in Nandi, Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet counties were reported to have been living together since schools opened for second term.Kapsoya Assistant Chief Fiona Bartocho said she was alerted about the development by the public, adding that upon her arrival at the scene, she was shocked to find the teenagers in the act. Kenyans.co.ke said that angry residents flocked the scene and pounced on the students, giving them a thorough beating for what they termed "uncouth behaviour".Earlier this year, police banned a party dubbed Project X which was to take place in Nairobi where it was believed under-age sex and drinking was to take place.The Star reported that a tweet posted on the Kenya National Police Service account said the party, as announced could have been associated with activities that "run counter to our moral fabric and in breach of law"."We are taking action aimed at establishing what the organisers are planning. We will not allow events where illegalities are committed to take place," a statement from the police read.
Heritage and class, bright and beautiful, with a modern touch of elegance, are just a few of the descriptive's that come to mind, when I think of the amazing emerging New York fashion designer Ariana Rockefeller...After, a couple of times, of our trying to connect, (once even while in Tennessee - whilst I was visiting my father, who happened to be in a nearby proximity, while she was also in the state with her family). And then again in Los Angeles we missed one another by a day... Conclusively now that we're both in NYC, at the exact same time, I knew it was a triumph that I would finally get to meet and also have an in person interview, with this very talented, humble spirit, to find out and share all the latest, on her gorgeous new handbag line, and her amazing life lessons.

SUSAN HOLMES McKAGAN: What was the inaugural inception, for the thought behind the Ariana Rockefeller Handbag? What were the type of bags you wanted to create? Who's the woman you are dressing?

ARIANA ROCKEFELLER: I think it stemmed from my need for the perfect bag in my day-to-day life. Whether it was a day consisting of running around the city, or attending a horse show, I felt like I needed a chic carryall. From that, I decided to create a collection of bags that catered to all kinds of needs, such as a functional daytime cross-body style (which can be worn at night, or during the day), or the stylish, yet a bit more formal, evening clutch. In total, there are four essential styles, in the Ariana Rockefeller handbag collection: the cross-body, the clutch, the tote and the satchel (which encapsulates my idea of beauty and sophistication), sort of my vision of a beautiful business woman, that represents the stylish feeling of my brand. I like to think it pays respect to the women I grew up with, especially my grandmother (Peggy McGrath Rockefeller), but still keeps a contemporary feel, and keeps with the evolving times such as myself. So, the girl I guess really is me. I've created hand bags that I want in my daily life, and also that I know my friends would love and wear--so it's really true to myself and my aesthetic.

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SUSAN HOLMES McKAGAN: What are your favorite pieces?

ARIANA ROCKEFELLER: I truly enjoyed designing each piece, for a specific need, it's tough for me to say which one or two are my favorites. If I had to choose, I'd say my first choice would be the clutch. It's great for a red carpet event, or a cocktail party. My second choice would either be the tote or satchel. They are both equally beautiful... the satchel has the hardware inspired from my horse's bridle, which I love. I feel every piece of the equestrian tack, and equipment are timelessly elegant, and well made that that was really what I wanted, to have behind the handbags. I wanted a focus on the craftsmanship, the durability and how these pieces convey an always sophisticated and smart look. I like to think the tote and satchel are what I consider foundational pieces. The satchel has a sort of a ladylike daytime bag appeal, and the tote because you can throw everything in there from your iPad, to a pair of spurs, or horse treats!

SUSAN HOLMES McKAGAN: I understand you graduated from Columbia University in Political Science and a Visual Arts Degree. Immediately following school you became very proactive in philanthropic work while living in Northern Brazil, where you volunteered at an elementary school run by a non-profit organization. Tell us more about these steps, and how it impacted your vision with designing and giving back today?

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ARIANA ROCKEFELLER: Collaborations are so big today and it's tremendously exciting to have that right now. I love that it is possible to do the work, and have the fashion cross over into the philanthropic sphere, and I think it's wonderful! When I graduated from Columbia, I decided to travel, and obtain even further knowledge from that experience, as well as work at the United Nations. This experience gifted me, with a more grounding and global perspective. All the traveling in Brazil, and Paris - provided me with a stronger, more well rounded, sense of self. The culmination of school, city, country life (near horses), and the work force helped me hone what my style was, and is today. I think when you're traveling especially, you really have to figure out what you need, and what works for your life, and how you can pack it all into a suitcase. Packing makes you think about what and how, you want to feel, and look--- It makes you fine-tune your style. I think those voyages helped me precisely figure out what I wanted, how I felt comfortable, and most beautiful, for myself. It also taught me practicality because you have to be--you're walking everywhere and living out of a suitcase. I was able to figure out my modern sense of style, fashion with a sense of function. Wayfaring to other cultures and countries helped me calibrate what I wanted and felt most comfortable in, including my own skin.

SUSAN HOLMES McKAGAN: Are there any charities that are near and dear to your heart today?

ARIANA ROCKEFELLER: I've been involved with The Humane Society Equine Welfare Protection Program. The Equine Protection Department campaigns to safeguard the welfare of horses. They crusade to end cruelty and abuse, horse slaughter, and irresponsible breeding while encouraging responsible horse ownership and providing support and resources to the horse rescue community I also work with The Dutchess Sanctuary. They are operated by The Fund for Animals in partnership with The HSUS--it is a 1,120-acre facility located outside of Oakland, Ore., that was established in 2008 as an oasis for about 200 formerly abused, abandoned, neglected, and homeless horses. They're both truly wonderful and do great work.

SUSAN HOLMES McKAGAN: How do you best describe how you culminate your artistry and expression from your heritage?

ARIANA ROCKEFELLER: I would like it to feel like an extension of me, while honoring the sensibilities of my family and their long-time understated elegance. We're a family that has devoted themselves to our commitment for the love of arts, public service, and a general philanthropic mindset that really bonds us together. We are one of the only American families (Industrial Revolution Era) that have stayed together for seven generations.

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Esthetically, my goal is to represent a classic yet youthful and modern feel, and reflect what a member of the Rockefeller family might wear. I wanted my brand to pay an homage to not only my family, but also how I go about my business and I'm proud of where it started and where it's gone--and feel blessed that the support from my family, has been wonderful. Moving forward, my generation the modern generation can really understand what the modern Rockefeller is with honoring what the heritage was. My great grandmother would have worn this, and perhaps my future daughter or nieces and nephews would wear it. It crosses seven generations and more, hopefully.

SUSAN HOLMES McKAGAN: What's one thing you'll never stop doing?
It is in this context that I find your hypocrisy astounding when you and your acolytes continue to criticise our government for co-sponsoring the Geneva resolution last October. I am sure you know deep within your heart that this Resolution is a victory for Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans. It was also a victory for Sri Lanka's new foreign policy. In UNHRC sessions under your Government the world was divided over Sri Lanka. Our main export markets, the US and the EU, account for over fifty percent of our exports. They, and our closest neighbours, all expressed their concern at your government's dismantling of democracy and abuse of human rights. In 2015, however, the whole world rallied around our country and supported our resolution including India, China and Russia who spoke-out in support of the resolution.
In the U.K., a sculpture of a miner with his heart torn out:

Like politicians, language sometimes fails to keep pace with the times. Consider the phrase "Taking coals to Newcastle," dating back five centuries to the days when Newcastle, England was coal capital of the world. The adage came to represent the absurdity of bringing something -- in this instance, coal -- to a place where it was already in abundance. The phrase endures, though there are no more such mines in England, and Newcastle, humbled by history, is now a port where foreign coal is off-loaded by the ton.

But in this political season, and particularly in the aftermath of the recent West Virginia Primary, the phrase and its backstory have a special resonance for the presumptive candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. For Trump, who imagines he can easily unwind time, bring back the shrinking coal industry, and restore America's preeminence as a manufacturing center, Newcastle may stand as a stubborn reminder that history has no reverse gear. For Clinton, it is a warning that her trademark bluntness - as when she said that the days of the coal industry were numbered - could and probably did cost her dearly. In sum, Trump has a fine ear for telling people what they want to hear, no matter how nonsensical, while Clinton can be politically tone-deaf.

A word of background: A century ago, the UK had 2,600 deep mines producing 207 million tons a year. In December of last year, the last mine closed. Miners wept. A parade featured a black-robed figure of death carrying a scythe. They must have seen it coming. By the mid-1980's, the industry was moribund. Margaret Thatcher, facing striking miners, broke the unions' back. But that confrontation reflected a changing global economy as well, and a realization that the industry was facing perils well beyond politics. In today's global economy, it cannot compete with coal from Russia, Columbia, Australia - and the US.

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For Trump, with his constant berating of existing trade deals and his castigation of foreign subsidies and tariffs, the culprit is always identifiable, the solution, obvious: stand firm against other nation's anti-competitive behavior and we will reassume our rightful place as the world's manufacturing center. Whether it is coal, clothing, toys or beef, his simplistic formulas suggest that, freed from foreign impediments or pesky regulations, America will once again realize its manufacturing supremacy and its destiny. Lost jobs will return. American workers will be respected. The middle class will rise again. "We're going to get those miners back to work," he said. " ... the miners of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, ...Ohio and all over are going to start to work again, believe me. They are going to be proud again to be miners."

Such simple prescriptions, pure snake oil, are the basis for Trump's appeal to "Make America Great Again." But that boat has already set sail - literally. Cheaper and cleaner natural gas, concerns over climate change, the lower cost of overseas extraction and labor, the absence of safety and environmental regulations abroad - and history itself - are all arrayed against the miners. So it is with any number of industries. Denying globalism or climate change may be an effective campaign tool to rouse a disaffected base, but is it is also a cruel form of exploitation, patronizing as it is simplistic. It is also grossly irresponsible, raising false hopes and removing incentives to plan for a changed future. No one knows this better than Donald Trump, the businessman, who routinely exploits cheap foreign labor for personal gain.



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Trump is either schizophrenic or cynical in the extreme. His appeals to defy globalism and his suggestion that its casualties are solely the result of dim-witted and out-maneuvered bureaucrats, plays well in a country reeling from economic upheaval and eager to find a scapegoat. But it does not address the underlying realities. No one in Newcastle today suggests that the coal industry could be resuscitated with tougher trade talks. Last year, not coincidentally, renewable energy, for the first time, provided more electricity to the UK than coal. But a prideful Trump is a modern day King Canute, who imagines that he can command the tides to retreat. Besides, if he is wrong, he can always just walk away from the wreckage, as he has made a habit of doing with serial bankruptcies, divorces, and lost business wagers.

For Hillary, the lesson of "Coals to Newcastle" is different. In March, she told an audience in Ohio that "we are going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business." She attempted to walk back that apocalyptic warning, and to contextualize it, but her words demonstrated an utter lack of sensitivity, remarkable for America's former diplomat-in-chief. It also cast light on a personality flaw that, at times, borders on the political equivalent of Asperger's - a failure to read the most basic social cues.



It was not merely a gaffe but a revelation of how little she understands the impact of her words and deeds. Consider the optics of her private email server while at the State Department or her obscene speaking fees from Goldman Sachs. Or her statement in 2014 that she and Bill were "dead broke" when leaving the White House, struggling to pay the mortgages on their homes - plural (a $1.7 million New York house, a $2.85 million seven-bedroom manse in Washington, D.C.) In each case, she appeared mystified by the resultant uproar, blinded by privilege and a sense of her own virtue.

A few months in northeastern England, as in West Virginia, would show her that coal is more than the black bituminous and anthracite scraped from deep inside the earth. I have spent months in both England's County Durham and in Logan County, West Virginia, epicenters of coal country. In Logan County, I went a mile inside a mountain, lying on my back as I hurdled on a tiny sled through the dark of a low-seam coal mine. Hours after exiting I discovered the coal had penetrated my clothing, and filled my nostrils. But over generations, coal also seeps deep into the pores of a culture.

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In advertently declaring war on the miners themselves, Clinton threatened to take away not only their livelihoods, but also the character and identity of entire communities. There, King Coal is inextricably linked to notions of self-worth, manliness, and independence, not to mention the music, dance, stories and faith of the region. To understand how deeply Clinton's threat struck, one might visit Beamish, an open air museum depicting English life in the 19th and early 20th Century, in the Vale of Durham ten miles south of Newcastle. One of the most popular sites is the Mahogany Drift Mine that closed in 1958 but which is a featured attraction. There, former miners guide countless visitors - hundreds of thousands annually -- through its twisting tunnels. It is where the children and grandchildren meet their heritage. For many, it is more pilgrimage than museum.

And each July, twenty miles south of Newcastle in Durham city, some 150,000 people gather to observe the Miners' Gala, an outpouring celebrating the culture of coal that is no more.

But for many former miners, the future remains bleak. Some are in "council housing" - public housing -- some have been forced to take menial jobs, others have been unable to find work at all. Decades later, stripped of work and identity, some are like walking ghosts, their guildhalls vacant, their statues of pitmen adorning parks and town squares. (One such statue shows a miner, his chest ruptured where his heart has been torn out.)

Clinton's words conjured up just such a vision for America's miners. The inevitability of their fate has already begun to unfold. Twenty-five years ago, one in 14 jobs in West Virginia were in coal mining. Today it's one in twenty-eight. But to be told, almost gleefully, that the remaining workers also face extinction -- casualties of clean energy policies - reflects as much on the callousness of the candidate as on the dire future that awaits.

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The cruelty of Trump's glib promises that he can single-handedly "Make America Great Again," ignore economic realities. The certitude of Clinton's manner gives short shrift to human casualties. "Coals to Newcastle" once represented an assumption that history was predictable, prosperity secure. It implicitly derided those irrational enough to challenge such economic hegemony. Now the phrase is but a verbal artifact, a token of discredited wisdom, and a measure of just how swift and complete the reversal of fortune can be.


(Photo by TM Williams)

A message from KP2:

Aloha Friends,

Two weeks ago I turned 8 years old. That's prime adulthood in Hawaiian monk seal years. And as most adults are want to do I took stock of my life. This year there seemed scant reason for a celebratory "wahooo." I'm endangered. My wild family continues to be endangered and it is darn lonely being 1 of only 1200 of your species. On my island of Oahu, there are more Starbucks coffee shops than Hawaiian monk seals.

I slipped into the bleakness of a species coming to an end. In recent years, my wild family has met its demise with rocks to their heads, gun shots, fishing hooks, marine debris, and sharks. Last month someone actually punched one of my pregnant relatives as she tried to haul out on a beach. Where is the aloha spirit in that? It's enough to make even the most exuberant seal take pause on his birthday.

So I've been chilling on my pink surfboard in my Waikiki Aquarium pool mulling over life and considering whether I've really done any good. They call me an "Ambassador for my Species"; it seems a hollow title...

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I was about to conclude that I've been a wasted life when an astonishing thing happened this week. A wrinkled white business envelope with a penciled in address arrived at my old school at the University of California- Santa Cruz. In pencil penmanship on lined notebook paper, an 11-year-old girl had written to me and my scientist friends at the university. She had read my book! She said that she was excited that I had lived in her town near the university while I was being rehabilitated.

And then she shocked this endangered seal. She had gathered her friends and family at the beach to celebrate the oceans on her birthday. They played in the same Pacific Ocean as my family, they dug their toes into the yellow sand. And when they were done, they didn't give her a birthday present- they gave a gift to me and the scientists that had saved me! This is what she wrote,



(Photo by TM Williams)

It was a hug from 2300 miles away and brought a tear to this seal's blinded eyes as well the eyes of the scientists.

And then I remembered. I am the lucky seal, the one that has lived an extraordinary life despite being an orphan and nearly-blind.

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(Photo by NOAA-NMFS and TM Williams)

Human hands once pulled me off of a beach when I was a starving two-day-old pup. Military hands flew me across the Pacific, and scientists' hands healed me. Human hands take care of me at my aquarium home every day. Today the hearts and hands of a small girl and her friends gave me hope.



It was the message I had been trying to send all along, the same message that naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, our Founding Father John Quincy Adams, and nature photographer Ansel Adams had told us across hundreds of years.

The beauty of nature residing in our oceans and imprinted on our lands will be saved by the united power of passion and science.



Thank goodness for 11-year-old girls for reminding us of that!

WAHHOOOOOOoooooooo, KP2!
Produced by Blue Jean Images in Beijing, China

Sitting too much can kill you. It sounds dramatic, but it's true. An emerging base of research points to the detrimental effects of something that most Americans do without much thought on a daily basis (for nearly six hours per day, research finds).

Though experts are still trying to figure out exactly why, it's commonly understood that sitting for prolonged periods comes with a host of negative health effects. Whenever possible, office workers are advised to get up and take movement breaks throughout the day. It's not always easy to just walk away from the task at hand, though, so in some cases workers are combining the best of both worlds by installing standing desks.

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The styles vary from stationary surface areas that look like raised tables to floating standing desks that transition from sitting to standing with a few swift movements. There are manufactured versions of standing desks, and those that workers have devised on their own. In all cases, the end goal is the same: reduce the amount of time spent sitting during the workday.

Benefits of Standing Desks

Thinking about installing a standing desk for your own office space? Take a look at some of the reasons why you should.

Less Obesity Risk

Leading standing desk researcher, James Levine of the Mayo Clinic, conducted a study on a group of office workers. They all added 1,000 calories to their daily intake and were asked not to change any exercise or movement habits. Some of the workers gained weight while others did not. Curious as to what was making the different, Levine and his team sewed sensors into the undergarments of the workers to track daily movement. What they found was that the group not gaining weight actually sat much less than the other workers. Even if they were just standing to stretch or walk to the bathroom, the group that did not experience weight gain sat 2.25 hours less than their peers.

Levine is quick to point out that standing is just the start. To really experience optimal health, sedentary workers must actually walk around more. But a standing desk is a start (and standing burns 50 more calories per hour than sitting anyway).

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Reduced Cancer Risk

Breast cancer and colon cancer are the ones that appear most related to lack of physical activity. A study from 2011 reported that 43,000 cases of colon cancer and 49,000 cases of breast cancer annually are caused by prolonged sitting. Though the cases weren't as conclusive, the same study reported that ovarian, prostate, lung, and endometrial cancer also showed a strong connection to prolonged sitting. There is not a definitive answer as to why sitting appears to cause these types of cancer, but it's possible that increases in C-reactive protein, found in people who sit for long periods of time, is the culprit.

Longer life

It makes sense that mortality may rise since sitting too much is related to cancer, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Consider the findings from this 2011 study: Americans increase their life expectancy two years by reducing sitting time from the standard six hours to just three hours per day, instead.

Better Posture

If you want to improve your posture and reduce eye strain, a standing desk is a smart option. It's important to set it up the right way, though. Your computer screen should sit just above resting eye level, so you have to look up slightly to see it. This keeps you from hunching over or slouching as you tap away on your keyboard. The simple act of standing will also improve your core strength, leading to better overall posture.

Important Standing Desk Considerations

Are you inspired to take your office space to a higher level? Standing desks are beneficial for your health but there are some things to keep in mind as you make the transition.

Start slow - Don't try to go from six hours of sitting to zero overnight. As mentioned earlier, aim to sit just three of your waking hours each day. So start with just 20 minutes at a time at your standing desk, then add on time as you get used to the setup. Standing doesn't sound like a lot of work, but when your body is used to sitting most of the day, you will strain your body by standing too much, too fast.

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Use a mat - Take it easy on your knees, hips, and ankles by using a gel mat where you plan to stand. Take it a step further and wear non-slip, supportive shoes, too.

Get your work done - If standing is too distracting, use your sitting times when you need that extra concentration. You may find the standing desk a little distracting at first, but you'll likely adjust and learn to refocus with time.

Set it up right - Your computer screen should sit 15 to 30 inches from your eyes, with your eye level even with (or slightly below) your screen. Keep your wrists flat and your elbows at a 90-degree angle. If you feel like any part of your body is straining while you are standing then you need to make adjustments to make it more comfortable.

Move, too - Standing does burn more calories than sitting, but to really see optimal health benefits make sure you are walking throughout the workday, too. The American Heart Association suggests 10,000 steps per day at a minimum. Buy a pedometer or a fitness tracker and add in steps where you see fit during the day. Look for creative ways to do other exercises during the workday, too, that stretch your muscles and keep your circulation and metabolism going.

Once you've mastered standing at your new desk, you may want to consider treadmill or stationary bike desks that allow you to move slowly while working. Many standing desks are modifiable to work with these movement desks, too.

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What began as a watershed victory for environmental activism has grown into a month-long observation of global proportions: April 22nd's Earth Day has expanded into the April-long Earth Month. Since Earth Day's origin in 1970, the month of April has continued to be an important time for environmental action, observation, and celebration.

Earth Month may be over, but the campaigns and initiatives we saw this April have the chance to make long-lasting and considerable changes to the global sustainability landscape. Here are some of the initiatives, events and stories that caught our eye this year.

International Action

A variety of collaborative international conservation and environmental efforts occurred throughout Earth Month, using April as a time to heighten public awareness of environmental issues and the need to create realistic, actionable solutions.

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Perhaps most notable was the Earth Day signing ceremony for the Paris Climate Agreement. More than 170 countries-- including the U.S., which failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol--officially signed the agreement on April 22nd. This is just the beginning of the implementation process: the next step for the 170 signatories will be working within their respective countries to come up with actionable carbon-reduction strategies. Still, the signing ceremony marks an important step forward toward global carbon emission reductions.

Toward the end of the month from April 27th to April 29th, the first World Environmental Law Congress was held in Rio de Janeiro, bringing together representatives from 70 countries to discuss the future of environmental legislation. This year's theme was "Environmental Rule of Law, Justice, and Planetary Sustainability," giving judges and state representatives an open forum to discuss the role of environmental law in their respective countries and across the world. The international gathering ended with the creation of the Global Institute of Judges, an institution with plans to investigate and dissect the effectiveness of environmental laws implemented around the globe.

As climate change and other globally relevant environment issues continue to affect health, agriculture, poverty and industry around the world, we can expect to see more collaborative international efforts like these throughout 2016.

Corporate Action

Corporations wasted no time in announcing their own sustainability efforts, partnerships and strategies this Earth Month. Office Depot, for example, announced its new "Greener Shipping Program," which plans to reward Office Depot customers who make larger, more efficient product orders with rebates on a variety of Office Depot and EarthEra products. Office Depot also used carbon offsets purchased from EarthEra to reduce the carbon footprint of the April 10th Subway Fresh Fit 600 NASCAR race. All proceeds from the purchase are planned to be reinvested into renewable energy projects across the U.S.

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Beauty brand Aveda used Earth Month as a chance to raise money for the Global Greengrants Fund, which implements clean water projects in dozens of countries across the world where access to clean water is limited. The company matched all purchases of its Light the Way candles with a donation, a strategy that has led to more than $38 million in donations to clean water projects around the globe since 2007.

Waste Reduction

Waste reduction efforts were in full force this past Earth Month. My company TerraCycle, for example, worked with our longtime partners at Tom's of Maine to help support the Less Waste Challenge. Throughout April, we challenged individuals through social media to reduce one pound of waste from their lives per week. Thousands of people from across the U.S. pledged to the #LessWasteChallenge on social media, resulting in an overall (and still growing) commitment to divert over 130,000 pounds of waste from landfills in 2016.

April 1st marked the implementation date for California's mandatory composting legislation for California-based businesses. The law, signed in 2014, aims to capture and compost organic materials typically sent to California landfills in the solid waste stream, of which organics account for about 34 percent. According to the law's April 1st implementation, any business generating a weekly minimum of 8 cubic yards of organic waste must implement measures to compost the waste. Starting in 2019, the minimum will be reduced further to 4 cubic yards of organic waste. The success of this new law will hopefully serve as a benchmark to other states seeking their own sustainability and waste-reduction strategies.

Each year, Earth Month also sees a rise in local environmental cleanup events, bringing communities and municipalities together to keep nearby ecosystems free of waste. Friends of the Chicago River, for example, hosted multiple events throughout the month, removing invasive species from the Chicago area, rebuilding trails near the Chicago River, and removing waste from around the Chicago River system.

Education

The Earth Day Network has for years used April as a time to empower students and inspire them to get involved in activities that protect the environment. MobilizeU is one such campaign, aiming to get college students involved in conservation and environmental protection efforts throughout the year. "Trees for the Earth" is the campaign theme for 2016, with a goal to plant 7.8 billion trees by 2020--one tree per human being on the planet. The Earth Day Network provides students interested in getting involved with an abundance of resources, toolkits, and strategies to help get their respective college campuses involved.

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The U.S. Department of Education celebrated Earth Day this year by announcing the recipients of its District Sustainability Award, Postsecondary Sustainability Award, and Green Ribbon School designation. According to the Department of Education, 47 schools, 15 districts, and 11 postsecondary institutions were selected this year based on their respective "innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure effective sustainability education."
Here's a radically fresh concept for leadership in developing or strife-ridden countries. It's certain to ignite controversy, yet I believe it would be a win-win-win situation for any potential failed state, as well as the rest of the world: import experienced foreigners to serve as your supreme leaders.

For example, after his current term expires, U.S. President Barak Obama could hire on as president of Afghanistan or Iraq. Or how about former British Prime Minister Tony Blair taking on a good-paying job as president of Libya? Or Angela Merkel, after she's done in Germany, as president of Syria?

Scenarios like those could be triple-wins because the president-for-hire (1) would not be beholden to any particular tribe or faction and therefore be more impartial, (2) would come with a proven track record and a personal network of friendly international relationships, and most importantly, (3) would greatly increase the chances of stability and peace for the rest of the world.

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If you were a citizen of a developing, poor or backward country, who would you prefer to lead your country: a local tyrant or a non-native, professional leader?

In the types of countries of which I speak, the native leader often lacks government expertise, rose to power via the oligarchy, gerontocracy or an influential family, is a powerful warlord or belongs to a dominant tribe or religious sect, and has few if any qualifications for fixing his country's economic or social problems.

The non-native, leader-for-hire would be an individual who has already succeeded elsewhere and brings a resume of administrative accomplishments and successful, 21st-century governance.

Some will insist that locals will never accept foreign leadership, but from my own personal experience in the Middle East, I find that's not true. The locals yearn for professional governance.

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Four years after the U.S. liberated my native Afghanistan from the yoke of the Taliban, I spoke with an old neighbor and merchant who was unhappy with the American and coalition forces - but not for the reason you might think. He told me that he wanted a "full invasion." He was disgusted with corruption in the Afghan government and legal system, and he mirrored a sentiment I find throughout the Middle East: citizens long for a cleaner, more honest governance that could come from foreign leadership via the U.S. and/or other democratic nations.

Hopefully, the day will come when Afghanistan and other states in the struggling or developing world can competently govern themselves, but until the corruption and tribal in-fighting end, we need help.

The era of nationalism is over. In his book Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization, Parag Khanna asks us to remap the world in terms of its connections rather than its borders. Connective infrastructure trumps separatist nationalism. The economy of supply lines moves into the foreground as politics and ideology fade away.

The world is changing, and so should its political systems.

Yes, hiring foreigners is an unorthodox approach to leadership, but one that in certain situations actually makes sense. We see successful precedents throughout the business world, where corporations often scour the entire planet in search of talent and expertise.

As the world's sophisticated economic demands supersede geographic boundaries, multi-nationals increasingly hire skilled CEOs, managers and labor from all parts of the globe. China and Russia, once dismissive of capitalism, today employ chief executive officers from the United States to run or salvage broken companies.

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Likewise, the U.S. issues thousands of visas to talented professionals in the fields of medicine, engineering and science from the Far East, India and other points around the globe. Qatar is a case in point where thousands of foreign experts have helped the country capitalize on its resources, and it now enjoys the world's highest per-capita income.

The U.S. and other nations pour billions of dollars in aid into countries like Pakistan and Egypt. Why not leverage that financial support to nudge the creation of transparent, efficient, honest and fair governance?

The Congressional Research Service estimates that the U.S. has spent over $686 million in Afghanistan since 2001, yet attained no tangible improvement in the lives of ordinary Afghans. This is due in part to rampant corruption, resistance and a lack of healthy leadership. In the words of former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry, those in power now "consistently oppose foreign efforts to create transparent, rule-bound Afghan institutions because such projects threaten to undermine their political domination and economic banditry."

In failed states such as this, rife with instability, violence and political unrest, powerless citizens caught in the crossfire often risk their lives to escape. They will travel through unforgiving terrain or in unseaworthy vessels to reach western borders, even if it means living in military tent camps, rather than stay in their native land.

So far, the U.S. and European recipe for dealing with these conflicts has been an unfruitful mix: deploying boots on the ground, preaching the advancement of democracy through free elections, and dumping tax dollars into the coffins of comatose states. These actions only serve to keep ineffective governments on a sort of codependent life support.

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When the Emir of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was asked by a reporter about his success, he responded that managing the affairs of a state is not much different than managing the affairs of a corporation; It takes good planning and good management.
There is article after article about why businesses and investors should seek new ways to be more inclusive of women in their business models. But what we've learned at Acumen, where we invest in business that solve problems of poverty, is that many leaders of businesses with a strong social purpose are already doing this, and perhaps there's something we can learn from them.

As the Women Deliver Conference -- one of the largest events this year focused on women and girls -- opens tomorrow, I look forward to learning more about the breakthroughs that are taking place in unleashing the untapped potential of women and girls to drive positive social and economic development. We're convinced at Acumen that one of the best ways to unleash human potential and uphold the desire of all people, rich or poor, to improve their own lives, is to support entrepreneurial solutions that see low-income people as customers and stakeholders, not passive beneficiaries of charity. Many of these entrepreneurs are betting on women across their business models as a way to achieve their business and social goals and I'm looking forward to sharing some of Acumen's lessons from our recent explorations of the role of gender in our investment work at the 5,000 strong gathering of leaders in Copenhagen this week.

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Below are the five primary reasons we identified in our recent report Women and Social Enterprises: How Gender Integration Can Boost Entrepreneurial Solutions to Poverty, and there are new insights emerging about the benefits of gender integration all the time. It is our hope that as a leading investor of patient capital in pioneering social enterprises, we can not only help find and scale new business models that impact the poor, but also learn more about what makes these business models effective. Whether in supporting business growth or enhancing social performance, integrating gender could give fast growing and innovative social enterprises a powerful edge. Here's why:

1. Social Enterprises Need Great Leaders -- And Women Are Great Leaders

More and more research shows the advantages, often in terms of sales figures or equity value for mainstream companies with women in leadership roles, from the senior management team to the board room, and why would it be any different for social enterprises. While social enterprises may face more significant challenges sourcing senior professional talent than mainstream businesses, the enterprises we work with are seeking to hire women as they expand their leadership bench, and will likely reap the rewards of a more diverse leadership team.

2. A strong workforce makes a strong company

As social enterprises scale they need a strong workforce to fill critical roles in manufacturing, distribution, sales, marketing and more. Jobs in manufacturing or agricultural production have often been assumed to be roles for men, particularly in more patriarchal cultures, but in reality, women fill these roles across the geographies where Acumen invests, from women smallholder farmers in Northern Uganda, to women in cookstove manufacturing in Kenya. Women office face distinct barriers to being successful in the workforce, whether in terms of training deficits, cultural barriers at home or in the workplace, or domestic abuse. But these can be overcome, and it is often through formal employment that these barriers start to come down.

3. Women Have Purchasing Power - Even Very Poor Ones

Social enterprises in our portfolio aim to serve the poor - either exclusively or in large part. An oft quoted statistic suggest that the 70% of the world's poor are women, but regardless of the exact number, it can be said that the face of poverty is at least, if not more likely, to be a woman's. But more importantly, the purchasing power of women is growing, as in India for example, where urban women's incomes have doubled in the past decade. Whether providing products in energy, water & sanitation, healthcare or education, women often have a disproportionate role to play in making decisions about decisions that will impact the household and other family members. Entrepreneurs are taking note and thinking about ways to reach women with their products and their advertising, since a women may influence a purchase even if she is not the one handing over payment.

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4. Vive la Difference - Women and Men are not the same

Human Centered Design has emerged as a powerful tool to build great products from the customer's point of view. IDEO applied the approach to create the first computer mouse for Apple, and a gazillion great products since that are beloved by customers. The approach has now spread to the development sector and is routinely applied by social enterprises seeking to build products that poor people actually want, rather than the ones that well-meaning designers think they should want. Building products from the perspective of women, especially low income women who are so often discounted or marginalized, is the next frontier of human centered design, and is already shaping how solar lanterns, toilets, maternal healthcare services and training programs are being designed and delivered.

5. Women Invest - And They Use a Gender Lens

Fast-growing social enterprises often need capital as they scale, and many are looking to the impact investing capital market for funds. To oversimplify, these investors seek both social and financial returns on their investment, and many of them now apply a gender lens. As entrepreneurs are able to demonstrate their potential to integrate women, through leadership opportunities, employment, and access to critical products and services, they can approach impact investors applying a gender lens to their investment strategy. According to Veris Wealth Partners, a wealth management firm, this segment of investors is growing, and entrepreneurs seeking more capital can bring their pro-women business models to a growing network of investors that seek to pair financial returns with positive impacts for women across a variety of criteria.
ANI

JAIPUR -- "Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally," this proverb by famous writer and journalist David Frost rightly suits Aabhas Sharma, the child prodigy who has cleared the higher secondary exam conducted by the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) at the age of 12.

Aabhas scored 325 out of 600 marks, scoring 65 percent to get a first division in the class 12th exam, the results of which were announced on Monday evening.

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Two years ago, he became a celebrity in town when he passed class 10 at the age of 10.

"There was no pressure on me. I used to study at my will and play. I did not study class prep. I started my schooling from class first and I also jumped one or two primary classes," he told ANI.

Jubilant with such an outstanding performance, Aabhas said how his family and his school teachers extended him full support throughout the exams.

"There was full support from my family as well as my teachers. I used to study only one night before the exam. I was hundred percent confident that I will get through," he added.

Born on 26 August, 2003, this wonder boy from Jaipur aspires to become a doctor and serve the nation.

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However, the 12-year-old boy has only one regret that he cannot appear for PMT (Pre Medical Test) before the age of 17 as the rules don't allow him to do so.

His father, Sachin Sharma, also the director of Aabhas Public Senior Secondary School in Jaipur's Durgapura area, says he never pressurised his son and always used to encourage him.

"He gave his exams without any pressure. Today evening, when results were about to come, he asked me as to what will happen. I told him to relax and said that what will happen, it will happen for the good. He studied only overnights," he said.

"He scored 61 percent marks in class 10th. From there on he got the confidence that he could clear class 12th. We never pressurized him to study," he added.

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STRDEL via Getty Images Indian Bollywood actor Alok Nath attends a memorial prayer for late Bollywood actor Farooq Sheikh in Mumbai on December 30, 2013. Sheikh died of a heart attack late December 27 in Dubai where he was on holiday. He was 65. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)

These days, Alok Nath is juggling a bunch of TV and web-based shows whilst navigating a path between two wildly different worlds.

On Star Plus popular Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, an as-safe-as-it-gets show about a young couple finding their feet in obnoxiously extended families, he was seen playing the family's Dadaji. On the other hand, theres the web-only show hes hosting on Viacom's online streaming platform Voot, titled Sinskaari, whose first episode goes live this week.

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The idea behind the show is to cash in on Naths Twitter-propelled sanskaari image, and then subvert it: from doting dadaji to 'dirty' grandpa.

The show involves the veteran actor talking about sex, a relatively taboo topic on Indian television, to youngsters, egging them about their kinks and other controversial elements from their private lives.

By his own admission, its a bold step that has a fair chance of backfiring. But whats really at stake? Im on the last leg of my career. Why not experiment and retire knowing that I tried everything? What is the harm? Ki log kya kahenge? (That people will say something?). There will be bouquets and brickbats, but I am sure I will gain a lot of following among the younger crowd, says the actor, in a telephonic interview with HuffPost India.

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Hes referring to the same crowd that turned him into a homegrown Internet icon overnight, more than two years ago . Despite an illustrious career, Nath didnt have any digital currency until a Twitter trend that sprang up seemingly from nowhere, on the overly traditional ways of his sanskaari characters (mostly in Sooraj Barjatya films), turned him into a pop cultural figure.

I played along those Twitter memes and figured that I actually like these people, enjoy their humor. Sinskaari is a diametrically opposite extension of the same thing  theres a lot of talk about sex and sometimes it goes in the below-the-belt, full-blown adult territory which may shock people who arent used to seeing me like this, the 60-year-old actor says of the show, which is being produced by Raghu and Rajeev of Roadies fame.

But what pushed him in doing something so radically different from his established image, especially at a time when he could do without, and still be remembered for his films? Does this attempt not stand the risk of alienating the audience he's cultivated in a career spanning 30 years?

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"Yaar, I have played the regular dadaji for decades now. As an actor, you get trapped, and I am the best example of that. My image deprived me of a certain kind of character. But with the internet, the medium itself is different and brings along a new audience. There aren't any censor laws (so far) and so there's room to get a little quirky, give people what they aren't expecting."

Nath's sanskaari image took a major hit in June last year, ironically on the very social network that created it.

The actor hit out at Kavita Krishnan, a well-known champion of womens rights, by tweeting a comment about that was seen as misogynistic by many. Krishnan was criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modis Beti Bachao campaign, part of which entailed Indians clicking a selfie with their daughters.

She sent out this tweet, hinting at a 2003 scandal where Modi and BJP President Amit Shah allegedly used their clout to spy on a woman.

Careful before sharing #SelfieWithDaughter with #LameDuckPM. He has a record of stalking daughters.  Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) June 28, 2015

Modi #MannKiBaat speaks of #Rakhi. For him this means protection of corrupt 'sisters:Sushma, Vasundhara, Smriti, Pankaja on whom he's silent  Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) June 28, 2015

In response to this remark, Nath, who wasnt involved thus far, tweeted, jail the bitch, leading to massive online outrage.

He deleted the tweet later, but not before several screenshots had been taken.

In hindsight, Nath says he doesnt regret the outburst per se but admits it couldve been handled in a better manner. I took it very personally. What she said about the campaign was far more disgraceful than the word I used against her. I wont apologise for that, neither do I regret the incident.

People in this country are frustrated and Twitter is the right outlet. Its a different domain altogether where everybody is defensive about their values, beliefs and more importantly, their faiths

He adds that Krishnans comment was in terrible taste and his response was in the heat of the moment. Shes a lady and I admit my choice of word wasnt correct. But thats what Twitter does to you. I was shocked to see the online hate for me when I woke up the next day.

Nath believes that the digital space, especially Twitter, is a highly political, heavily polarised space  an online ecosystem where India is constantly at war.

Its a war between the Right and the Left, he says. Rarely do people take a middle ground. But I think its fair game. Nath's political allegiance lies with the far Right, as can be observed from his Twitter timeline.

He says, People in this country are frustrated and Twitter is the right outlet. Its a different domain altogether where everybody is defensive about their values, beliefs and more importantly, their faiths. And thats not a bad thing really. If you need to vent, you need to have a public platform that allows you to channel that anger.

Was the Kavita Krishnan episode a result of the frustrations of a Right-leaning father who succumbed to the temptation of speaking what was on his mind?

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It probably was.

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News / Africa

by Tawia Acheampong

Tawia Acheampong is a freelance journalist based in Accra, Ghana.

A shocking new twist has emerged in the tale of the armed robber who was re-arrested in Ghana on Monday 16th May 2016 after controversially absconding under police guard.According to a Facebook post by popular Nigerian 'Prophet' T.B. Joshua, the detainment of the notorious suspect in his hometown of Kwetri-Adentia had surprisingly 'spiritual' undertones.Kweku Yeboah, the alleged leader of a brutal robbery attack near Sunyani, Ghana on Monday 2nd May 2016, escaped from police custody several days later whilst being nursed at a hospital for injuries he sustained during the incident.With the suspect on the loose and fear rife in the community, the policeman under whose watch Yeboah escaped was instantly implicated and given a ten-day ultimatum to produce him or face disciplinary action.According to Joshua's Facebook page, the policeman in question decided to seek 'Divine intervention' by visiting Joshua's church after six days of frantic searching had elapsed without any sign of success."I had a suspect escape from my custody in the hospital when I was detailed to guide him," Constable Edwin Akpalu is seen narrating in an accompanying video uploaded to Facebook, adding that he faced expulsion from the police and a probable prison sentence.The police man vividly detailed how Yeboah, who escaped from the handcuffs which were tied to his hospital bed, covered himself with a white bed sheet whilst fleeing in the dead of night.Akpalu had attempted to shoot the suspect as he was running hurriedly away but held back as a nurse was moving along the same corridor, fearing he might kill an innocent health official."Some friends advised me to go for black magic, which I was contemplating," the constable admitted as days passed without any signs of Yeboah's recapture."I told my dad about the issue. He told me I should not go and kneel down to any black power because God is the final authority, that I should come to The SCOAN to see Senior Prophet T.B. Joshua and whatever he says is final."According to the Facebook post, Joshua sent a message to the embattled constable, assuring him that the suspect would be apprehended as he had been 'chained spiritually', proceeding to cover his transport costs with a gift of $1,000.Akpalu collapsed on the floor upon hearing Joshua's pronouncement. "Thank you Prophet T.B. Joshua for vindicating me, or else four days from now, I would be in jail," he tearfully acknowledged.The re-arrest of Yeboah is seen as a confirmation of Joshua's 'prophecy'. It comes on the heels of the cleric's prediction of an impending terrorist attack in Ghana which made headline news across the country last month.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - APRIL 25: V.K. Singh, Union Minister of State Development of North Eastern Region (Independent Charge), External Affairs, Overseas Indian Affairs General, after attending the first day of the second half of the budget session at the Parliament House, on April 25, 2016 in New Delhi, India. Rajya Sabha adjourned till Tuesday after uproar by the opposition over the Uttarakhand issue. Opposition raised slogans of 'Loktantra ki hatya bandh karo' (Stop the murder of democracy) in the House. The issue of imposition of Presidentas rule in Uttarakhand today echoed in Parliament with Congress members in both Houses storming the Well and party leader Mallikarjun Kharge staging a dharna in the Lok Sabha. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh has sent a letter to the Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu presenting a case for the New Delhi's Akbar Road, which happens to house the Congress headquarters, to be renamed as Maharana Pratap Road in honour of the Rajput king.

Calling Maharana Pratap of Mewar a truly secular king whose army, which had Bhil and adivasi soldiers apart from men belonging to other religions and castes,was led by a Pathan, Singh wrote. I do find that one historical personality that has motivated generations--Maharana Pratap--has not been given his due, he said in the letter, according to a report in India Today.

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New Delhi Municipal Council had last year renamed Aurangazeb Road to APJ Abdul Kalam Road in nod to the late former Indian president following requests from BJP leaders. The idea had come from many BJP supporters who dislike that important roads are named after Muslim emperors who once invaded India.

The retired general of the Indian Army praised the Rajput king for his substantial role in opposing the strong Mughal king Akbar and added that he was a man of the masses, the India Today reported, quoting from the letter.

"In view of this, I would request you to honour this great son of India by naming the Akbar Road as Maharana Pratap Road or a suitably important road in the Lutyen's Zone in his name. This would provide recognition to his valour and spirit of secularism which makes our country great. I do feel that important personalities like Maharana Pratap and Chatrapati Shivaji deserve greater recognition than they have been given thus far," he said in the letter.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seconded Singhs views saying he felt that there was a need to recognise the real heroes of the country.

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"The General is absolutely right. There isn't a single road in New Delhi after Maharana Pratap, one of India's biggest heroes when it comes to love for motherland and sacrifice. He preferred to live in poverty in jungles but did not compromise on his principles and patriotism. But there are roads named after Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, the Rajya Sabha MP told India Today.
Gary Marella Named EVP At Timbalands Mosley Music

Producer and artist Timbaland has appointed industry veteran Gary Marella to EVP of the Mosley Music Group record label. Marella will oversee Mosely Music Groups current roster with Marcus Spence which includes One Republic, Timbaland, Tink, VBozeman and all Timbaland related projects.



Prior to joining Mosley Music, Marella was with Roc Nations management company, Three Six Zero Group, and prior to that, Senior Vice President of promotion at Universal Records from 2000-2009. As well, he is still involved in the operation of artist management company Mono Music Group.

I am excited for this incredible opportunity to work with such a legend as Timbaland who is truly an innovator of sound said Marella. Marcus Spence is one the most talented and humble music execs I have met in this business in the last 20 years and is an incredible A&R person Marella added. "Timbaland and Senior Vice President Marcus Spence have had a tremendous amount of success to this point. Together, I know we will continue building the Timbaland and Mosley Music Group brand.

via Celebrity Access

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Customer experience  making interactions easier, faster and less expensive

Innovation  using data to help create new insurance products or expand markets

Underwriting & claims  cutting time and cost for due diligence; or to make more accurate forecasts

A large number of insurance companies are missing out on the opportunities provided by big data. A survey by Bain & Company found that 1 in 3 life insurers and 1 in 5 P&C insurers are not applying big data advanced analytics to any business function.Without tapping the mine of information available, the survey shows that those insurers are lacking the ability to gain consumer insights which could give them a competitive advantage.Even the insurers that are using big data tend to only do so for two functions  sales & marketing and fraud  but Bain & Companys research shows three areas where decisions can be improved by data usage:"The most successful insurers break out of the silo and involve business stakeholders across the organization to inform the analytic development process. The result is insights that are more likely to be adopted by the front line, thereby giving them a competitive leg up in the industry," said Lori Sherer, who leads Bains advanced analytics practice and co-authored the report.Seattle-based online insurance marketplace QuoteWizard is set for $100 million in revenue in 2016, a record year for the firm. The business, which launched a decade ago, announced that it is moving into new Denver offices amid strong growth.According to the firms founder and CEO, Scott Peyree, the company expects its relationships with insurance carriers and agents to continue growing, as only one-third of agents in the US currently purchase leads online. The network currently comprises more than 8,000 local agents across all 50 states focused on home, auto, life, and health insurance.Scott Ashby has joined Safe-Guard Products International as general manager for Canada. Ashby has more than 15 years experience in finance and insurance and was most recently Aftersales Program and Operations Manager for Nissan Motor Corporation and National Manager of Nissan Canada Extended Services, Inc. which offers financial and insurance products to Nissan and Infiniti dealers across Canada.Safe-Guard Canada has been in operation since 2001 and has a number of high-profile clients including Harley Davidson, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan Canada and Porsche. It saw contract volume growth of over 70 per cent in 2015.
Health insurance agents in the rural United States could soon be faced with an "insurance desert" as carriers continue to pull out of certain regions of the country.A recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that as many as two states and 650 counties are on track to have just one insurer on the Affordable Care Act exchanges next year. The entire states of Alaska and Alabama will be faced with just one choice in 2017, as well as large swaths of Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arizona and Oklahoma.Thats up significantly from 225 counties with just one marketplace competitor in 2016.Insurer withdrawals are largely affecting rural areas, Cynthia Cox of the Kaiser Family Foundation said. In fact, 70% of the counties facing a lack of options next year are mostly rural.And that number could even grow; filings in many states arent public yet, and insurers are free to change and update their offerings until September.The crisis has been triggered as health insurance companies continue to face losses greater than planned. Cutting out rural areas is an easy way to stave off some of that, as rural area enrollees tend to have significantly higher medical costs than enrollees in urban areas. Rural healthcare providers also charge more, a new analysis from health technology firm Inovalon Inc. shows."Individuals in less populated areas tend to be sicker," Inovalon executive April Todd told the Wall Street Journal.Withdrawing from these areas is not going to make insuring residents any less expensive, however. In fact, with fewer competitors, rates are likely to go up.According to a study published last year in the American Journal of Health Economics, having more insurance carriers on the ACA exchanges brought down the end price for consumers. In light of that fact, regulators say they are worried."When theres more competition, consumers typically are better off," Mark Fowler, chief of staff at the Alabama Department of Insurance, told the Journal.Blue Cross Blue Shield plans are typically the only option for residents in the affected counties, though Aetna has signaled its interest in expanding its presence in certain areas as the ACA markets stabilize."[We have] preserved our options to enter certain new geographies pending careful evaluation of marketplace conditions," said Aetna spokesman T.J. Crawford. "We have not made any final decisions on where we might enter new Affordable Care Act states."
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A Harare constituency MP Terence Mukupe has said if the Muslims were giving funds to Primary and Secondary Education ministry to build schools they must be applauded compare to the current modern churches which preach prosperity and are concerned with receiving than giving."There are two things that caught my attention in social media last week. First was an article that alleged that Muslims were giving Hon Minister Lazarus Dokora's ministry funds to build schools... Muslim Schools. Secondly there were deplorable and sickening pictures posted by my brother in the struggle Hon Justice Mayor Wadyajena of Buno Primary School in Gokwe Nembudziya," he posted on his Facebook wall."As a Christian a charismatic and Pentecostal one, I was brought up to rebuke anything that's got any Muslim leaning. Over the years I've grown to look into issues objectively without losing my spiritual beliefs."Mukupe said in Zimbabwe there were White missionaries building schools all over the country."These pre- independence white Christians did a lot of good. Their gospel was about giving. Come post independence we now have the emergence of the "Papa Prophets" who only preach what is termed the prosperity gospel. The rallying cry is no longer "I give" but its now " I receive"!!!" he said. "So the modern day church it's no longer a giver but a receiver of gifts!!! Aah well the Muslims have come and given you the gift of schools so in line with the new rallying cry shout "I receive Papa Major Prophet!!!""I applaud the Muslims for all the good work they are doing in this nation. They are sinking boreholes, providing free medication, availing social amenities, feeding the hungry," he added.He said one should go to Belvedere to a beautiful Muslim neighbourhood and see the water taps providing free water outside the homes of these "ISIS" loving Muslims.. and guess what, Christians are rushing there to collect the water and shouting "I receive Papa Major Prophet"!!!"This is a clarion call to those that think they are Christians... less empty talk and over spiritualising things... build schools moga and leave the Muslims alone if they are offering a helping hand!!!" he said.
News / National

by Pamela Shumba

MEMBERS of Parliament have recommended the closure of some embassies due to the cash crisis that has seen some diplomats and embassy staff failing to get their salaries.Presenting a report in the National Assembly, Zanu-PF MP Kindness Paradza, who was part of a delegation to Kuwait that was led by the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda, said the government should consider scaling down when it comes to embassies' abroad.Chief Musarurwa and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga were also part of the parliamentary delegation that was in Kuwait from April 25 to 29 at the invitation of the Kuwait National Assembly and while there the lawmakers played a big role in rescuing 32 women who were stranded in that country.Paradza said Zimbabwe's Ambassador to Kuwait, Grey Marongwe, told them that his salary, hospital bills and rentals have not been paid by the government for months."The executive should consider making a bold decision and close down some embassies. Our Ambassador in Kuwait, Marongwe painted a gloomy picture on the situation at the embassy, which is similar or worse than what's prevailing in other embassies dotted around the globe."He told the delegation he was humiliated when he was summoned, on February 22, 2016, to the Kuwait Foreign Affairs Ministry over outstanding rentals after owners of properties occupied by embassy staff had approached their government for redress. The rentals are seven months in arrears and landlords were demanding immediate evictions," he said.Outstanding rental arrears stood at $130,000."Ambassador Marongwe was bitter that when his wife died in Kuwait in June 2015, the government failed to assist him financially in repatriating the body home. He had to borrow from the Bank of Kuwait to pay for airfares, embalming and other expenses. This is despite the fact that Treasury owes Ambassador Marongwe US$127,000.00 in salary arrears," said Paradza.
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Governor Brown Announces Appointments

Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments:

Maryam Ebke, 57, of Corte Madera, has been appointed deputy executive director at the California Public Utilities Commission, where she has served as assistant chief administrative law judge since 2011 and has held several positions since 1990, including administrative law judge, interim director of the Division of Strategic Planning, public utilities regulatory analyst, interim commissioner advisor, junior utilities engineer and assistant utilities engineer. Ebke was a mechanical engineer at Flack and Kurtz Engineers from 1987 to 1990 and at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP from 1984 to 1987. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $158,004. Ebke is a Democrat.

Sima Patel, 53, of Oakland, has been reappointed to the California Travel and Tourism Commission, where she has served since 2014. Patel has been chief executive officer at Ridgemont Hospitality since 2008. She is a member of the Visit Oakland Board of Directors and the Independent Lodging Industry Association Board of Directors. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Patel is registered without party preference.

John Kelliher, 51, of Temecula, has been appointed to the California Travel and Tourism Commission. Kelliher has been co- founder at Stryder Transportation since 2004 and at Grapeline Wine Tours since 2002. He is a member of the Visit Temecula Valley Board of Directors. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Kelliher is a Republican.

Ernest Wooden Jr., 65, of Agoura Hills, has been appointed to the California Travel and Tourism Commission. Wooden has been president and chief executive officer at the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board since 2013. He was senior managing director and executive vice president at Alagem Capital Group from 2008 to 2009, executive vice president of global brands at the Hilton Hotels Corporation from 2006 to 2008 and senior vice president of Hilton-DoubleTree West Operations from 1999 to 2006. Wooden was Southeastern United States and Caribbean regional vice president at the Promus Hotel Corporation from 1998 to 1999, Florida area vice president at the DoubleTree Hotel Corporation from 1996 to 1997 and a regional director of operations at the Omni Hotels Corporation from 1987 to 1996. He was general manager at Washington D.C. Convention Center Caterers from 1984 to 1986 and vice president and general manager at the Sheraton Poste Inn from 1975 to 1984.Wooden earned a Master of Science in Management degree from Thomas Edison State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Wooden is a Democrat.
White House and Department Of Labor Announce $21 Million for Summer and Year-Round Jobs For Young Americans And Launch Of 16 Summer Impact Hubs

Washington, DC - A young persons first job brings more than just a steady paycheck  the experience teaches young people life and work skills that serve them long after the job is done. Summer is a critical time for young people to get access to first jobs that can provide important skills, experiences and networks for their future. At the same time, summer opportunities have been shown to divert youth from criminal involvement and reduce overall violence in communities.

That is why, in February, the White House launched the Summer Opportunity Project to increase the number of young Americans participating in evidence-based summer opportunity programs, decrease the percentage of youth experiencing violence over the summer, andmore broadlymake sure that young Americans have the support they need to get their first job. This work builds on the Presidents My Brothers Keeper Task Force recommendation strengthening the case for summer youth employment and launching a cross-sector campaign to reduce summer learning loss and increase the number of job and internship opportunities for all young people.

Today, the White House and the Department of Labor are announcing new steps to advance that effort including the release of $21 million in Summer Jobs and Beyond grants to 11 communities to connect disadvantaged young people with jobs this summer and year-round. The White House is also launching 16 Summer Impact Hubs--communities that will receive robust, coordinated support from 16 federal agencies to expand and refine their summer jobs, learning, including exposure to local innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities, meals, and violence reduction programs.

These announcements are aimed at supporting a range of state and local leaders, community-based organizations, private sector leaders, philanthropic leaders, schools, other youth-serving agencies, and young people that are all coming together at the local level to ensure that our youth have productive, healthy summers that enhance their educational and career prospects.

Key Elements of Todays Announcements include:

$21 million in Grants to Connect Young Americans to Jobs in the summer and Year-Round. The Department of Labor is announcing that 11 communities across the country will receive a total of $21 million to launch and expand innovative approaches that provide young people with summer and year-round jobs and connect them to long-term career pathways.

Launch of 16 Summer Impact Hubs. The White House is announcing an inter-agency effort to provide tailored support to 16 communities to enhance jobs, learning, meals, and violence reduction programs for young people this summer and year-round and to ensure that these programs are well coordinated. Each Hub is paired with a Federal Summer Ambassador who will spend the spring and summer partnering with them to meet their locally-driven goals by leveraging Federal resources, breaking down agency siloes, and building new local, regional, and national partnerships.

More Details on Todays Announcements

$21 million Summer Jobs and Beyond Grant Winners

Today, the Department of Labor is announcing 11 winners of Summer Jobs and Beyond Grants, which will provide summer and yearround parttime job opportunities for In School Youth and employment and work experience opportunities throughout the year for young people who are out of school and work, in addition to exposure to career pathways in indemand job sectors. Grants will focus on building out innovative strategies to help young people transition from summer jobs into year-round work and career pathways. Winning grant projects are summarized below.

Utica, NY: The New Americans Career Pathways project will provide in-school youth with summer jobs and academic support for 400 students in the refugee populations of Utica, NY. The students will receive summer job work experience and academic tutoring in English and Math, and support in finding part- time jobs.

Portland, OR: The Pathways to Sector Employment for Youth project in the City of Portland and Multnomah and Washington Counties will provide on-ramps to industry sectors for in-school and out-of-school youth resulting in entry-level jobs along career pathways in health care, IT, manufacturing and infrastructure. All students will take a course in four targeted industry sectors and participate in a paid summer work experience.

Tribal counties in California, Illinois and Iowa: The Summer Youth Career Pathways Project will provide employment-related services to eligible Native American youth with limited work experience. The project aims to increase career readiness via online training courses that include digital skills, financial education, soft skills, career pathways, and workforce essentials. CIMC will work with thirty partners, including workforce agencies, human service agencies, local education agencies, employers, and community-based organizations.

Milwaukee, WI: The Milwaukee Career Plus project aims to connect in-school and out-of-school youth to career readiness, summer employment, continued education, career services and year-round employment opportunities. Program staff will be placed in high schools to connect directly with students, and a partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools will help to identify non-attenders as soon as possible and engage them in support.

Hartford, CT: The Promise Zone YES! project aims to transform and align youth-serving systems and enhance development services for 275 youth. Capital Workforce Partners will partner with the City of Hartford, Hartford Public Schools, Connecticut State Colleges & Universities, and two employers.

Chicago, IL: Beyond Summer Jobs program will prepare youth and connect them to permanent, unsubsidized employment. The project will serve 300 youth including 240 who are out of school. Youth will begin the program in a summer job and then will participate in an extended paid work experience at one of ten employer partners.

Santa Maria, CA: Santa Maria Summer Jobs & Beyond will serve 260 young adults by working with six partners to provide services while creating paid work experience opportunities, including summer and year-round employment that lead to skill building and postsecondary education pathways with coordination through the County of Santa Barbara Workforce Development Board.

Detroit, MI: Grow Detroits Young Talent program will create summer employment and year-round work experiences for 1,000 disconnected youth and underserved populations, including Latino and Arab-American youth. The Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation will create a one-stop reengagement center for youth that will: provide case management, career planning and referral services; offer work experiences in high-demand industry sectors among other activities.

Franklin Hampshire Region, MA: Franklin Hampshire Summer Jobs and Beyond project will target three of the most high-need and least-served communities in the western Massachusetts region with intensive outreach and services to youth. One-hundred-eighty in-school youth with little to no work experience will receive intensive services, including job placement and college readiness.

Indianapolis, IN: Youth Works Indy program will enhance existing summer youth employment programs and expand work readiness skills training and work experiences for participants in high-poverty, high-crime Indianapolis neighborhoods. Youth Works Indy expects to enroll 834 youth, and place 364 in unsubsidized employment and 182 in post-secondary employment. Indianapolis Private Industry Council, Inc. will partner with 5 summer employment programs, 4 local education agencies, 3 re-engagement centers, and 49 allied employers.

Philadelphia, PA: PA CareerLink Philadelphia: Youth & Young Adult Opportunity Hub (YOH/theHub) project will leverage partnerships with employers, universities, youth serving community organizations, and others to implement a multifaceted approach to providing youth with work experience opportunities that include summer and year-round part-time opportunities for in-school youth and exposure to in-demand job experience for out-of-school youth. The Hub will target 250 youth ages 16-24 in the Philadelphia area.

Launch of 16 New Summer Impact Hubs

Over the last seven years, the Administration has been working to transform the Federal government into a more effective partner for local communities. Federal government leaders are working hand in hand with local stakeholders to craft solutions that harness resources across multiple agencies in response to local needs and priorities. Since 2009, more than fifteen Federal agencies have launched dozens of initiatives and partnerships with over 1,800 rural, tribal and urban communities. From Fresno to Detroit, Southeast Kentucky to Baltimore, Federal leaders are working across agency lines and offering hands-on support to build local capacity, provide expertise, and unlock resources to help community leaders achieve their goals.

Building on that work, the White House and 16 federal agencies announce an effort today to provide tailored support from the Federal government to 16 Summer Impact Hubs to upgrade and expand their summer jobs, learning, meals, and violence reduction programs for young people this summer and year-round. These communities have each been paired with a Federal Summer Ambassador who will spend the spring and summer partnering with them to meet their locally-driven goals by leveraging existing Federal resources, breaking down agency siloes, and building new local and national partnerships. The Administration is also enlisting the targeted support of companies and philanthropy to create more opportunities for young people in these communities.

Federal agencies will support these efforts. For example, the Department of Agriculture is providing nutritious meals; the Department of Education is offering technical assistance though its Summer Opportunity iForums webinars; the Department of Treasury is offering information on financial education and account access; the Department of Health and Human Services will provide guidance on how cities can use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to support youth employment; the Department of Housing and Urban Development is enlisting the help of its network of 3,000 Public Housing Authorities to secure employment opportunities for more than 1,000 youth this summer.

In February, the President called on state and local leaders, community organizations, schools, and businesses to step up to connect young people to their first jobs and summer learning, meal, and violence reduction programs. If you would like to get involved in supporting a Summer Impact Hub click here.

This summer, the Administration will announce progress toward meeting the local Summer Impact Hub goals and organizations that have stepped up to support them at block parties across the country. These events will engage youth, families, businesses, local innovators and entrepreneurs, and community leaders around making this summer active, healthy, safe and productive.

Summer Impact Hubs

1. Baltimore, MD

2. Clarksdale, MS

3. Detroit, MI

4. Flint, MI

5. Gary, IN

6. Houston, TX

7. Indianapolis, IN

8. Jonesboro, AR

9. Los Angeles, CA

10. Memphis, TN

11. Newark, NJ

12. New Orleans, LA

13. Pine Bluff, AR

14. Pine Ridge, SD

15. St. Louis, MO

16. Washington, D.C

Presidents $5.5 Billion FY 2017 Budget Proposal to Open Doors to A First Job

While our new efforts will be crucial to supporting more at-risk youth over the summer, reaching the scale needed to create job opportunities for all at-risk young Americans will require significant new investments at the federal level.

The Presidents FY 2017 Budget proposes new investments  nearly double last years request  to connect more than 1 million young people to first jobs over the summer and year-round. It would also create a new $2 billion competitive grant program designed to connect at-risk and disconnected youth to educational and workforce pathways. DOL will work with Treasury to ensure that young people participating in these programs have access to safe and appropriate financial products and accounts.
Special Envoy Forman Travel to Morocco

Washington, DC - Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Ira Forman will travel May 17-23 to Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakesh to highlight best practices for protecting religious pluralism.

Morocco has long recognized the contributions of religious minorities, including its Jewish community, as an important part of its heritage. To that end, Special Envoy Forman will meet with government officials, Jewish and other religious leaders, and students and academics to gain a broader understanding of the concerns of the Moroccan Jewish community and discuss best practices in educating about and combating anti-Semitism.
Feeling Stressed? Your Dogs Can Smell it in Your Body Odor
News / National

by Bongani Ndlovu

DJ Sbu's Mo Faya energy drink will be launched in Zimbabwe this week despite the fact that it was not certified by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), a body responsible for regulating the quality of South African goods.The drink that was launched in South Africa last year but is not on the market yet, will be unveiled to the local public at Choppies supermarkets in Bulawayo as Sbu seeks to expand his business to the rest of Africa.Affirmative Action Group chairman, Chamu Chiwanza said DJ Sbu who is expected in the country on Saturday would be a guest speaker at The Shift  an initiative by Chiwanza to emancipate and empower youths. Through The Shift, young entrepreneurs are invited to inspire fellow youths through sharing their extensive knowledge on entrepreneurship. The Shift movement will be at Meikles Hotel in Harare where DJ Sbu will share notes with young Zimbabwean entrepreneurs.From there, the SA businessman will travel to Bulawayo the next day to meet and greet fans at Choppies Sekusile in Nkulumane, Choppies Bulawayo Centre and Choppies Entumbane."DJ Sbu will mix and mingle with fans, signing autographs and giving away promotional CDs and material during the launch of his Mo Faya drink."Asked whether the energy drink which had been banned in South Africa, has been approved in Zimbabwe, Chiwanza said: "It's subject to approval by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe. We believe this will be done in the next four weeks. It's only a matter of time and the drink will be available for consumption in Zimbabwe," Chiwanza said."There's otherwise nothing wrong with his drinks. Actually a lot of drinks that are being sold in South Africa have not passed through the SABS."Chiwanza however played the race card saying SABS was against the production of Sbu's drinks because he is black."The SABS were only against Mo Faya because it's a black man making it. This is a colonisation mindset that needs to be broken down where just because it's a black man making something, it isn't up to standard and when a white person does, it's up to standard," said Chiwanza.He said they had invited Sbu because his brand resonates with locals.
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Overlooking a quiet street of suburban houses, with neat front lawns and heathery hillside beyond, Police Sergeant Coxon sits in a tidy, plain living-room. He is not in uniform today, but his bearing is straight and a little formal, almost as though he were. On the floor there are two large baskets overflowing with soft toys, plastic trucks and those fabric picture books designed to withstand chewing by their readership. Over the hours that follow, these baskets periodically emit an incongruous coda of melody, a bleat or a moo, a tinny siren.

Sergeant Coxon has just come off night shift and his baby son is teething. He apologises for being a bit exhausted and smiles, making a little circle on the closed lids of both eyes with surprisingly delicate, tapering fingertips. Recently promoted to sergeant after a decade as a front-line constable, Coxons beat is the southern hub of the Edinburgh urban area. There he and another sergeant run one of five emergency response teams, serving 120,000 people, from both affluent and deprived communities. His conversation is punctuated with glimpses of what he calls the gritty side of his work. Suicides, murder, sweeping brain matter off the tarmac after car crashes, the knock on an unsuspecting door with terrible news.

Appalling things happen to people on a daily basis, he says, the decorous precision of his Edinburgh accent taming the chaos for a moment, but you learn to deal with it and its made me a better person, being a police officer. My mind has been broadened immeasurably, my insight into what really goes on out in the world. He glances to the street outside, where a man is whistling as he washes his car. Its actually given me great faith in human nature and its essential work.

Everyone is changed in some way, small or large, by the job they do, the particular window on the world it affords, but that is only in part what Edmund Coxons story is about. For insofar as any of us is meant to be one thing or the other, Ed, as people call him, was not meant to be a police officer. Indeed, the journey that brought him here to his black uniform and highly polished shoes is an immaculate example of why so many of us want to change: that confluence of organic, natural change process  call it growing up, if you will  with the sharp kick of individual agency that underpins all deliberate acts of transformation. It is a tale of how the reasons why we want to change, myriad as they are, all stem from a desire to be the author of our own lives and of how that can sometimes lead us to take on the most unexpected new forms.

On the subject of growing up, biologists have long argued that what happens to us during the transition from juvenility into adulthood is a change of body and mind more profound than any other we experience. A few have even maintained that the hormonally controlled differentiation that takes the human animal through adolescence could reasonably be considered a variation of the biological miracle of metamorphosis. It is a hypothesis that strikes an intuitive chord: we all know that the process of growing up, even well beyond our teens, changes who we are at some level. Indeed achieving our adult selves, learning to take control of our lives, often entails something akin to a metamorphosis, a profound transformation of our mode of being in the world.

The only visible trace today of Eds big change, his metamorphosis, is propped up in a far corner of his dining-room  the cocoon of a black violin case. The instrument inside, as Ed mentions with pride, once belonged to the legendary violinist and conductor Sir Neville Marriner, founder of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. For, strange to tell, before Ed Coxon became a police constable, he was a classical violinist with a career that saw him play in some of the finest orchestras in the world. Moreover, it was a life carved out for him and by him from his earliest childhood. A violinist was what Ed Coxon was always meant to be.

Ed grew up in a house dominated by music and never thought he would be anything but a musician (Getty)

The son of a university classics professor and a singing teacher, Ed grew up in a house where music dominated. His little bedroom was next door to the room where his mother taught, with its grand piano, shelves of scores and gramophone records of operas, symphonies, quartets.

I was just enveloped in music," he says. It was  he thinks for a moment  a pre-existing condition. It never occurred to me I would do anything other than be a musician. A chorister from the age of six in a specialist music school, Ed took up the violin at nine and had an immediate, dazzling aptitude for it. Even when I didnt have the instrument in my hands, I would play tunes on my fingers. I just had music going on in my head all the time.

He describes with almost religious reverence going to a concert a few years later by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in the vast domed bulk of the Usher Hall, just below Edinburgh Castle. Looking down from his seat high above, Ed had thought, he now recollects with teenage intensity, God, I want to do that. Ive got to play in that orchestra. That is all I want to do.

The ease with which the police sergeant switches from talking about murder and car smashes to re-inhabiting the musical passions of his youthful self seems to show how unconditional that love once was. Yet it would be the tough realities of the real, grown-up world, both in and outside the music profession, which would begin to erode the young violinists idealism and his vocation.

At just 17, Ed went to music college in London and sure enough, by the age of 20 he was playing with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, whom he had heard in Edinburgh that decisive day. A promising career now unfolded. He toured the concert halls of the world, played for legendary conductors. Ed names them still with hushed reverence  Abbado, Bernstein, Dorati  like so many holy men. Meanwhile, he was growing up in other ways too. He offers a photograph of himself from the late 1980s, a moodily handsome young man dressed in concert black, his violin propped on one wrist, the very image of talent and confidence. The only crises I suffered in those days were with girls and Ed laughs a little mirthlessly. Without offering much more in the way of detail  his wife is in the room next door  he mentions that at 22 his girlfriend at the time fell pregnant. The couple hastily married and the baby was born.

I was too young, really, he says with a barely perceptible shake of his head. And this was the point at which I realised life wasnt quite so rosy, because I now was going to have to do things for other people  he taps his knee with a fingertip as though bringing himself to account  a child, a wife, bills, taxation. Ive got to get through these auditions, because Im responsible for this. Ive got bills to pay.

On cue, a toy buried in one of the baskets pipes up with a few bars of "Pop Goes the Weasel" and, giving it a little kick, Ed explains that this is when the doubt began. Well, maybe it wasnt a doubt so much as a desire, he says. I didnt doubt that I wanted to continue in music, but I had the first seeds of desire to learn other things in life and that these were things that I possibly had a duty to understand.

After going to a concert by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Ed wanted to be in an orchestra (Rex)

The marriage lasted just 18 months, but the subtle shift of outlook that had accompanied Eds transition to fatherhood refused to go away. Instead, the questioning spiralled.

I felt like there was this disconnect between me and the outside world, he says, inhabiting, as I had for many years, this wonderful parallel universe of music and now I wanted rid of that insularity and to actually have a look, see whats going on out in the real world. Because how connected to the real world is all this? Ed holds an imaginary violin in the air for a moment, which then evaporates in his hands as he shrugs and says, I began to feel that its not.

So one day, unbeknownst to his colleagues in the orchestra, Ed sat down in his Brixton lodgings and wrote the opening words of a new story for himself. Inked into blank boxes, the words filled an application form to become a Special Constable with the Metropolitan Police, the Constabularys part-time, unpaid volunteer force. And here came Revelation Number One: a reply came by return, inviting Ed for an interview.

Itd just been a kind of experiment, like dipping my elbow into the bathwater, you know? But now I thought, oh my God. Ed beams for the first time all morning. Somebody has an interest in what I can offer. And that was the first chink of light where I thought I can be something other than a musician.

All the same, Ed declined. He smiles, holding aloft two pale hands. I thought, No, I cant. Its too dangerous. What if I hurt my fingers? And off he went to rehearsal.

Anyone vexed by questions of why we want to change  what is reason enough?  and how on earth to begin, would do well to picture Edmund Coxon walking through the drizzle on the Brixton Road that day, violin in hand. On paper, nothing was any different. Yet the chorus of desires within him, all its complex internal counterpoint  that why of change  is where transformation itself quietly stirs into life.

This is the point at which I started to think much more seriously: what else is there? Because I just didnt want to become that embittered person and there was every chance I might

An eminent mid-century psychiatrist, Alfred Benjamin, makes the point with an anecdote from his own life. Walking home from his Boston consulting rooms one evening, Dr Benjamin was approached by a stranger who asked him directions to a particular street. Benjamin cordially obliged, with a series of detailed lefts and rights that would lead the stranger, without delay, to where he wanted to go. The man paid close attention, nodding and confirming the specifics  Left , you say? And then right?  before thanking the kind doctor and bidding him good night. Walking away with a new purpose in his step, he set off up the street instead of, as Benjamin had carefully outlined, down it.

Youre heading in the wrong direction, the doctor called out.

Yes, I know, replied the man over his shoulder, but Im not quite ready yet. And back he went the way he had come.

There is little academic consensus on a grand narrative of why we change or how, but on one thing all psychologists and philosophers seem to agree: that inner change does not begin in an orderly fashion at an appointed hour and with rational, coherent, decisive action. It does not leave a platform like a train. Instead, like the stranger in Alfred Benjamins neighbourhood, even if you have worked out that there is a journey to be made, even if you have an idea of where it is you wish to go, you may not yet be quite ready to set off. But you have  and this is important  commenced the journey. Amid the countless reasons out there in the world for wanting to change, you have identified the universal departure point: autonomy. And in the process, you have begun to change.

Suffice to say, Ed Coxon did not become a special constable and seven or eight more years of fine music-making ensued. In the early 1990s and now in his late twenties, Ed joined an eminent string ensemble, but soon found himself embroiled in an ill-advised love affair with the artistic director. Business and pleasure, he says, looking at his feet, a very dangerous mix. When the liaison turned sour, Ed was, in his words, unceremoniously dumped from both relationship and job. It was the first time Id experienced negative politics in music and I was very off ended, very upset. And that was very much a turning-point.

Ed moved into session music and his disillusionment snowballed. There were high points  recording with Pink Floyd, two James Bond soundtracks, a private concert with Paul McCartney  but something had broken. He felt worn out and jaded. The focus and drive of his youth now dwindled to a bitterness that jarred with the yearning that had grown within him to lead a more authentic life, to do something real.

This is the point at which I started to think much more seriously, Well, what else is there? Ed says it again, slicing the air on each word. Because I just didnt want to become that embittered person and there was every chance I might.

Here then was Revelation Number Two: that if you are not careful, you may turn into somebody you do not wish to be. Within that realisation the seeds of taking control, of active change, were sown. Because, of course, the maelstrom of growing up, long beyond adolescence, does not just bring disillusionment. It also brings independence; it brings choice and the possibility of acting on that choice.

The mind, the philosopher and father of modern psychology William James wrote in 1890, is at every stage a theatre of simultaneous possibilities. You choose, according to James, by comparing, selecting or suppressing them with the laser beam of your attention. Perturbed by what remaining a professional musician might do to him as a person, Ed now returned his attention to the possibility of police work.

A full decade on from the first twinge of desire to look beyond the music of his childhood, he began in earnest to picture an entirely different life. Law enforcement seemed more than ever to offer him something he was missing: a way to distinguish between right and wrong and good and evil and black and white and up and down and left and right. He laughs as he says this, but he clearly still believes it. All the reasons to change, all those simultaneous possibilities, were now there for the choosing. The final impetus to action itself would boil over from a more universal milestone in the maturing process  the death of his father in 2001, when Ed was 35.

Ed's colleagues were puzzled when he joined the force (Getty)

Realising I could never get my dad back, he says, was the point at which I thought, Well, now Im the only one whos responsible for what happens in my life. I saw that change was inevitable and imperative for me, because  he searches for the words  well, life is in session. This isnt a rehearsal. Without delay Ed prepared what he calls, with a grin, my renaissance. Within months of his fathers death, he had applied to join the Lothian and Borders Police, back in his home city of Edinburgh.

I remember going over the application meticulously, says Ed, smiling broadly, and thinking that I had to keep this a secret, because I would be derided by most of my colleagues and I might start to question myself. And I didnt want to question myself. So I told nobody. Not even my mother.

Ed travelled totally incognito to Scotland for the first interview. On getting through, he told only his mother and within days his London house was on the market. Finally, in the spring of 2003 and to howls of Youre crazy! Youre mad! from colleagues and friends, Edmund Coxon ceased to be a professional musician and from that day on he was a police officer.

I dont recall that I got any positive response from anybody, he says. It was just incredulity. Because the classical music world, its inhabited by the privileged and the few, so why would you disembark from that to something thats not nearly so cosy and well paid? Well, Ill tell you: just for honestys sake. Just because its real.

Now, as if he has said everything he needed to say, Ed moves to get up, pausing only to add, Once I was in the job, I knew Id done the right thing. I felt totally rejuvenated. It really was a renaissance, a rebirth and I was in control of it. He nods toward the instrument in the dining-room. I do occasionally miss playing the violin, but not very often, and yes, before you ask, I do love the police as much as I love music. I think Im still a musician. I still play tunes on my fingers, but Im also a police officer. And he smiles and puts on his coat.

Driving to collect Eds two-year-old from nursery through Edinburghs steep, rain-streaked thoroughfares, you pass suburban bungalows, council estates, elegant Georgian town houses. There are shoppers with their hoods up, the homeless propped in doorways, suited office workers hailing cabs, schoolboys smoking at a bus stop. An old lady peers out from behind a net curtain, a mother tugs down the rain shield on her childs pushchair, all of them part of the community served by Ed and the officers of the Edinburgh South hub. This, you realise, is what he meant by real life. It makes sense, somehow, of why Ed changed.

Meanwhile, he is talking about the pieces of music that marked particular milestones when he was growing up. There are a few, but he offers one in particular that will, he says, remain with me for the rest of my days. It is by Richard Strauss and is scored for 23 solo strings. Ed first played it here in Edinburgh as a teenager.

Its name? "Metamorphosen".

Extracted from Metamorphosis; How and Why We Change by Polly Morland (Profile, 12.99), to be published on 19 May
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Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, the notorious Mexican drug lord who was recently recaptured, will soon receive his own television series.

Netflix and Univision announced on Tuesday that they will team up to co-produce and stream the drama series, obviously titled El Chapo, to Netflix subscribers after making its debut on UniMas in 2017. Univision Story House will help develop the series based on Guzmans life story.

El Chapo is a great example of how Univision continues to innovate and evolve with premium storytelling formats. The IP weve developed from more than 50 years of award-winning news and investigations gives us unique and innovative ways to tell stories in a way no other network can, Randy Falco, president and CEO of Univision Communications Inc, said in a statement. We are pleased to deliver this groundbreaking series to audiences in the US and around the world.

We are thrilled to partner with the award-winning Univision Story House on the timely and globally relevant drama series based on the life story of El Chapo, added Ted Sarandos, Netflixs chief content officer.

Back in January, Guzman was captured by Mexican authorities after his infamous escape from prison. Shortly before the deadly standoff that lead to his recapture, he met with Sean Penn and Kate del Castillo, becoming the subject of a highly criticized Rolling Stone profile written by Penn himself.

Netflix knows Hispanics are a growing market, Univision's Chief Marketing Officer Jessica Rodriguez said, Deadline reports, during the company's 2016-2017 presentation to advertisers at New York's Lyric Theater.

The broadcasting company will also air the Netflix original dramas Narcos and the Spanish language series Club de Cuervos. The deal marks one of the few times a Netflix original series will appear on broadcast television, as the streaming services hopes to expand it's reach to Hispanic viewers. Terms were not publicly disclosed for the partnership, but one source with knowledge of the deal told The New York Times that Univision will pay residuals to performers and that Netflix will not pay for promotion.
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After completing 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick spent years trying to make a film about French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, writing a screenplay, scouting locations, talking to Jack Nicholson about starring and allegedly enlisting 50,000 men from the Romanian Army to be extras, but it never came to fruition.

Steven Spielberg has since tried to get the elusive project off the ground, eyeing Baz Luhrmann as its director, though this ultimately failed too.

But now the famous film that never was has a shot at reaching the big screen once more thanks to True Detective and Beasts of No Nation director Cary Fukunaga.

During a retrospective on the director at De Montfort University in Leicester last week, Kubricks brother-in-law Jan Harlan apparently told the audience that the Fukunaga will be bringing Napoleon to HBO as a 6-hour miniseries.

Kubricks original script treatment for the film, along with essays analysing it, was published in Alison Castles textbook Stanley Kubricks Napoleon: The Greatest Movie Never Made.

(via Collider)
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Now the Force Awakens haze has ascended, all eyes are on the next Star Wars property to be released - prequel Rogue One.

A trailer surfaced last month providing a glimpse of many actors confirmed to be in the film - Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn - but, save for Jones' rebel protagonist Jyn Erso, the brief clip gave no details on any of the film's characters.

However, JediBibliothek has somehow unearthed the film's visual guide (we should note that it's a work in progress) which has thrown forth some exciting information surrounding these characters and their allegiances.

Moreover, it all but confirms the appearance of legendary villain Darth Vader; more on that below.

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First, the characters. In the good camp, we have:

Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, a gifted soldier and warrior.

Diego Luna as Captain Cassian Andor, an officer in the Rebel Alliance

Jiang Wen as Baze, a freelance assassin

 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Trailer

Alan Tudyk as the CGI figure K-250, a Vollstreckerdroide and evidently an imperial model, but teams up with the rebels.

Riz Ahmed as Bodhi, a rebel soldier.

Donnie Yen as Chirrut, a spiritual warrior.

Pao and Bistan who are two aliens described as being "fierce warriors".

Then, perhaps unsurprisingly, in the not-so-good camp, there is Mendelsohn whose character Krennic is the military director of the Empire. His job is to defend the Galactic Empire against the theft of Mission rebels (who plan to destroy the Death Star in events preceding A New Hope).

It's the picture shown as part of the visual guide's mock-up that's most exciting, however; a double page spread showing the rebel alliance and the Empire, Darth Vader is tantalisingly placed in the centre of the page.

While it's been heavily hinted that he'll be showing up in the film - and, considering the timeline, it'd be odd if he wasn't there - this is currently the firmest evidence yet pointing towards an appearance for old Vader.

You have full permission to get insanely excited. Rogue One - A Star Wars Story will be released 16 December 2016.
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When David Farrier, a reporter specialising in weird news who hosts a podcast about mythical creatures, happened upon some Youtube videos of an apparent craze called Competitive Endurance Tickling, he thought it might make for a fun story.

When he asked for a simple interview with the company behind it however, he received a blistering, homophobic and threatening response.

It was hard to take the insults seriously, he explained, considering the sport did seem slightlygay.

Driven to delve deeper, Farrier uncovers a bizarre world of fetish porn, manipulation, money and criminality in the documentary.

This tickling wormhole was getting deeper, he declares at one point in the trailer.

Tickled was such a hit at this years True/False documentary film festival in Missouri, that it was quickly snapped up by HBO for a TV release and Magnolia Pictures for a theatrical one.

Heres the official synopsis:

After stumbling upon a bizarre competitive endurance tickling video online, wherein young men are paid to be tied up and tickled, reporter David Farrier reaches out to request a story from the company. But the reply he receives is shockingthe sender mocks Farriers sexual orientation and threatens extreme legal action should he dig any deeper. So, like any good journalist confronted by a bully, he does just the opposite and uncovers a vast empire, known for harassing and harming the lives of those who protest their involvement in these films. The more he investigates, the stranger it gets, discovering secret identities and criminal activity.

Discovering the truth becomes Farriers obsession, despite increasingly sinister threats. With humor and determination, Farrier and co-director Dylan Reeve summon up every resource available to get to the bottom of this tickling wormhole.

Tickled is in cinemas 17 June.
News / National

by Bianca Mlilo

THIS year's Sanganai/Hlanganani Tourism Expo hangs in the balance as the government is yet to release funding for the event that is a month away, an official said yesterday.The 2016 edition of Sanganai/Hlanganani is slated for the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre in Bulawayo from June 16 to 18.Last year, the government directed the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) to move the tourism expo to Bulawayo starting this year.This followed reports that 10 foreign exhibitors from the 2015 Sanganai/Hlanganani expo held at the Harare International Conference Centre failed to participate due to shortage of space."Sadly, despite all the excitement and enthusiasm among our people, local and international exhibitors, the event now hangs in balance."In short, Sanganai/Hlanganani expo might not see the light of day due to lack of funding by the government," said ZTA chief executive officer Karikoga Kaseke at a press conference in Bulawayo yesterday.He said people were making frantic efforts to get ready for the event but the lack of resources could become a serious menace to the event.ZTA is targeting 180 exhibitors and 185 buyers at this year's expo.He said: "It's important to note that the government has funded this show since inception. If this is to happen (non-funding), it will be unfortunate and a devastating blow on tourism in this country."Kaseke said all their competitors in Sadc and beyond are funded by their governments adding that their South African counterparts received about $125 million for their tourism indaba which was held last week.He said they had requested about $450,000 from the government.He also said the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is yet to release funding for ZTA's participation at the South Africa Tourism Indaba and thus the authority still owes the neighbouring country money which has to be paid in full in one month.Kaseke did not disclose the amount ZTA owes for participating at the indaba."We've already engaged the Ministry of Finance and had a good meeting with Minister Patrick Chinamasa to discuss among other issues the need to fund must-attend shows including the tourism indaba," he said."He agreed to our request but unfortunately the indaba wasn't funded and to date we haven't received anything from the government coffers on Sanganai. It's a sorry state as this is negatively affecting our preparations for the expo."Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo is one of Africa's premier fairs, aimed at bringing international buyers and exhibitors under one roof and showcases the widest variety of the continent's best tourism products, and attracts international visitors and media from across the world.
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The Manic Street Preachers have gone back 20 years to celebrate the record that scored them their first commercial success, and the mood is one of some kind of homecoming.

"A Design For Life" arrives straight after James Dean Bradfield plays the rest of the band onto the stage with "Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool Pier", rousing the crowd to their feet in an instant. Recorded after Richey Edwards disappearance, the track is a hailstorm of working class rage and ambition; backed by archive footage of bloodied protestors, its as powerful now as it was then.

As Bradfield tears into a distorted guitar solo for the title track its clear the band will struggle to please everyone for the second half of the night, but theyre definitely going to do their utmost best.

Powering through Everything Must Go, Wire changes outfits (again) as Bradfield switches up guitars, bouncing around the stage with all the energy of a teenager, the pair are utterly irrepressible.

Wire has said Walk Me To The Bridge isnt about Edwards, but its difficult if not impossible for listeners not to come to that conclusion as Bradfield sings the heartrending: "So long my fatal friend, I don't need this to end, I reimagine the steps you took, still blinded by your intellect, walk me to the bridge."

"Your Love Alone" off Send Away The Tigers nods to Pink Floyd and The Who, along with their own track You Stole The Sun From My Heart, is a symbol of the bands longevity and their talent at drawing in new fans from every generation; there are fathers and sons, mothers and daughters cheering side by side tonight.

While they decide against a rendition of their anthem supporting Wales for Euro 2016, theres such a sporting element to the night; in the camaraderie on and off stage and the roars of the crowd as they drink in the energy the band are pouring out, entertainers as much as they are artists ("You probably bought this single from Woolworths," Wire quips ahead of You Stole The Sun From My Heart).

"If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" from 98s This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours is about as perfect a closer MSP could go for, the sense of doomed idealism and that resistance heard in "A Design For Life" haunt the Royal Albert Hall long after the last note.

20 years since Everything Must Go, and it still feels like the Manics are only getting started.
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It's been seven years since we last saw Michael Scofield and the Prison Break gang but, thanks to the first trailer for Fox's upcoming reboot, we've been reunited with some of the old familiars.

If you've concerns that the premise of the new ten-parter will stray from the original series' trusted formula, cast them to one side: it turns out Michael Scofield is alive, in prison and needs help breaking out.

Tipping off Scofield's brother Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) on Michael's whereabouts is former prisoner, Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell (Robert Knepper). After enlisting the help of Michael's 'widow' Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies) - the former Fox River physician he meets in season one - plans are put into motion to get Michael out.

Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Show all 14 1 /14 Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 House of Cards - Season Four - 4 March Last time we were in Frank Underwoods White House things werent looking to great for the President, his first Lady having just walked out on him. What will happen next in the critically acclaimed show is anyones guess. Netflix Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Daredevil - Season Two - 18 March Back in Hells Kitchen things were seemingly getting better. Kingpin is in prison and the crime syndicates should have dispersed - for the meantime at least. Unfortunately for Matt Murdoch, theres a new anti-hero in town: The Punisher. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Flaked - 11 March According to Netflix, Flaked is set in the insular world of Venice, California. It follows the serio-comic story of a self-appointed 'guru' who falls for the object of his best friends fascination. Soon the tangled web of half-truths and semi-b******* that underpins his all-important image and sobriety begins to unravel. Arnett plays Chip, a man doing his honest best to stay one step ahead of his own lies. Netflix Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Season Two - 15 April Following the story of 29-year-old Kimmy Schmidt on her journey through New York, season two is set to start right where the last left us. The Tina Fey created sitcom has already been renewed for a third season, so you know this one has to be good. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 The Ranch - 1 April A comedy starring Ashton Kutcher. Based on a failed semi-pro footballer who returns home to a Colorado ranch. It also has some of the producers from Two and a Half Men behind it, which just happens to be one of the most successful shows of all time. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Marseille - 5 May Netflixs first French language original is a tale of power, corruption and redemption. Sounding like it could very well be the next Narcos. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Grace and Frankie - Season Two - 6 May The tale of a retired cosmetics mogul and a hippie art teacher living together was a hit across the world, especially in the US. Starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, the show has already been renewed for a third season. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Orange is the New Black - Season Four - 17 June Another Netflix powerhouse, Orange is the New Black will see us returning to Litchfield Penitentiary. Prepare for more Piper, Alex and Red come June. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Stranger Things - 15 July Eight-episode series starring Winona Ryder that follows a small community as they look for a young boy who has seemingly vanished. It all sounds quite scary. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 The Get Down - August 12th "Told through the lives and music of a ragtag crew of South Bronx teens, The Get Down is a mythic saga of the transformation of 1970s New York City. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, this is sure to be as stylish as anything hes done before. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 The Crown - Spring Starring Doctor Who actor Matt Smith, the period drama reveals the political rivalries and romance behind Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped the 2nd half of the 20th century." Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Luke Cage - Fall 2016 First appearing alongside Jessica Jones in her Netflix series, Luke Cage will pic up the pieces, seeing Cage come to terms with his super-strength and impenetrable skin. It is unknown whether Kathryn. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 Narcos - Season 2 - Fall 2016 Its back. The Netflix series hyped to match Breaking Bad was an astounding success around the world, apparently watched more than Game of Thrones. Well find out what happens to Pablo Escabar now he doesnt have the protection of all his men. Netflix Inc. Netflix originals to look forward to in 2016 A Series of Unfortunate Events - Fall 2016 Netflix is set to revisit the much-loved childrens novel, putting Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf in a show that looks so much creepier than the 2004 film. Not much else is known - i.e. casting - but Lemony Snicket is on board as executive producer, so get excited.

As it stands, there are lots of unanswered questions (mainly surrounding Michael's alive status) but we're sure the series will answer them in thrilling form when it returns this autumn.

Prison Break began in 2005 and tracked the story of Scofield who gets himself imprisoned with the intention of breaking out his innocent brother, Lincoln.

The show ran for four seasons before the axe fell; a supposed swansong arriving in the form of a wrap-up TV movie titled The Final Break in 2009. Fox and creator Paul Scheuring cited the show's Netflix popularity as one of the main reasons to revive the series which Scheuring has branded a "bit of a sequel."

Returning for Fox's event series are the characters Amaury Nolasco (Fernando Sucre), Rockmond Dunbar (Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin) and Paul Adelstein (Paul Kellerman).

We're still holding out for an Alexander Mahone cameo appearance.
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The new TV series Fox is trying push into our eyeballs simply isn't The Exorcist.

It's AN Exorcist; the job title, not the iconic William Friedkin film from 1973, adapted from the novel of the same name. There's nothing here to connect Fox's new proposed 21st-century reimagining of the tale to its source; not outside of the use of two priest characters, and an invoking of Mike Oldfield's infamous "Tubular Bells" music.

The original saw two men of faith, one committed (Father Merrin) and one wavering (Father Karras); here, Father Tomas Ortega (Sense8's Alfonso Herrera) is the compassionate, progressive face of the Catholic Church, whilst Father Marcus Brennan (Ben Daniel) is a fierce Templar Knight raised by the Vatican to battle evil.

Recommended Read more The deranged Exorcist score that the director threw out the window

Both cross paths when one suburban family fall into the clutches of dark forces; but this isn't the young Regan MacNeil, but college student Katherine (Scream Queens' Brianne Howey), who becomes increasingly reclusive. Her younger sister Casey (Hannah Kasulka), meanwhile, is convinced she can hear strange noises emanating from within the walls of their family home.

Their mother Angela (Geena Davis) believes the presence in their house is demonic, leading her to seek the help of the Catholic Church and leading to an epic face-off between the priests and an ancient evil. Surely that's got to be Pazuzu if there's any hope of tying back into the novel?

Really, there's little in the trailer to inspire any familiarity with the original film: eschewing its creeping, psychological frights for trashy jump scares and birds colliding into windows.

We'll just have to wait and see if there's any promise here when The Exorcist premieres in the fall.
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Samsung may have had a big year with the launch of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, but their ambitions for 2017 are even grander.

According to reputable Samsung blog SamMobile, the South Korean manufacturer is planning on releasing five new flagship phones next year.

Some of the rumoured upcoming devices aren't too surprising. Like usual, Samsung will be updating the Galaxy S series, with the S8 and S8 Edge.

They'll also be bringing out the Galaxy Note 7 and Note 7 Edge, follow-ups to the forthcoming Note 6.

Most interesting, however, is what SamMobile calls the Galaxy X - a revolutionary foldable smartphone, which can expand to be used as a tablet.

The S7 Edge already has a curved screen, but the Galaxy X would take things further. The phone has been in development for a while, under the codename 'Project Valley', and leaks have so far suggested that it will look like a regular smartphone when folded, but will double in size when opened.

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

Releasing the long-awaited foldable phone next year would make sense. Smartphone sales are falling for most major manufacturers, and each new device seems to be more similar than different to its predecessor.

Making such a radically different phone would put Samsung ahead of the pack, potentially boosting their sales.

Samsung doesn't comment on rumours, so there's no news on the release dates or prices of these futuristic phones. Based on past launch schedules, however, you can expect the S8 and S8 Edge to release in early Spring, with the Note and Galaxy X devices potentially coming out in the second half of the year.
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Medics have detailed an injury that is one of a mans worst fears  snapping his penis during sex.

Writing in the BMJ Case Reports medical journal, three doctors said that a 32-year-old man had arrived at a hospital in New Delhi, India, with what they described as an eggplant deformity in the organ.

He had severe pain and lost tumescence with a snapping sound during vigorous sexual intercourse, they revealed.

Taking the typical history and examination findings into account, the diagnosis of penile fracture was made.

The article contains a photograph of the injured penis.

The penis does not contain any bone and the fracture was actually a tear in the muscle. In this case, it was accompanied by a haematoma, a collection of blood in the tissue.

Penile fracture occurs when an erect penis undergoes a blunt trauma during sexual intercourse or otherwise, bending the penile shaft and causing a tear or rupture, the doctors said.

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They wrote that the injury requires prompt surgical intervention.

Penile fracture has a classical history and  should be identified and surgically explored at the earliest to avoid residual penile angulation, painful erections or erectile dysfunction, the article said.

The doctors advised the use of an ultrasound as it can easily rule out other problems that might be confused with penile fracture, such as the rupture of an artery or vein.

 Viewers shocked by sight of a penis in BBC One's War and Peace

In this case, the man underwent surgery to drain the haematoma and repair the tear.
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Proposals by the Competition and Markets Authority to make retail banking more competitive and fairer for consumers fall far short of what is necessary, critics have warned.

The banking regulator proposed a cap on unarranged overdraft fees and warnings for customers before they dip into their overdraft in a report published on Tuesday.

But it stopped short of breaking up the banks or banning free current accounts to encourage customers to shop around.

We need to break up the largest banks, said Christine Berry, senior researcher on economy and finance at the New Economics Foundation.

She advocated for new types of bank that put customers interests first, such as mutual and public savings banks that are common in other countries.

With the market dominated by a small number of giant players who all behave in similar ways, and with trust at rock bottom following wave after wave of scandals, its hardly surprising that customers dont feel motivated to switch, Berry said.

Research has shown that banking customers could make average annual savings 116 if they switched to a cheaper account, ranging from 89 for customers who do not use an overdraft, to 153 for those who do.

Customers often stick to what they have, the CMA found, because they dont understand how fees are structured or how to get a better deal.

The CMA has proposed that data on high street overdraft tariffs and loan rates be made available on an app that will give immediate and accurate comparisons of the best banking products for each person.

But critics argued that services like this are already available and have done little to improve competition in the sector.

Jody Baker, head of money at comparethemarket.com, said price comparison sites that allow consumers to compare the best current accounts, credit cards and mortgages are underused.

The key competition issues in retail banking are awareness and fear. Switching levels are tiny for current accounts and many consumers do not understand the benefits of switching an apparently free service  and concerns about the risks of doing so are rife, Baker said.

Measures to make switching accounts less daunting, such as by allowing consumers to take their account numbers with them. Baker said this has the potential to put 5 billion back in peoples pockets over 10 years due to the increase in interest paid on balances and the reduction in bank charges and fees.

Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said that zero per cent overdrafts were already available at Nationwide and First Direct.

These are appetising for those with smaller overdrafts, yet whats needed to give confidence for people with overdrafts to move banks is a switching guarantee that if accepted your current overdraft will be at least matched and at a cheaper cost, Lewis said.

HSBC, Lloyds, RBS and Barclays  the so-called big four British banks  provide 70 per cent of personal current accounts in the UK and eight out of ten business loans.

Metro Bank is the UKs biggest challenger bank. But Craig Donaldson, chief executive, said Metro Bank could not break their dominance of the big four because it was not on a level playing field.

Forcing growth organisations to hold disproportionate capital reserves and subjecting them to excessive taxes, is anticompetitive and will stifle growth. The CMA is letting the incumbent banks off the hook by failing to provide a meaningful remedy to address the huge disadvantages suffered by challenger banks, Donaldson said.

The New Economics Foundation has proposed that the Government start by turning the taxpayer owned RBS into a publically-owned bank, supervised by citizen stakeholders.

Biggest business scandals in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Biggest business scandals in pictures Biggest business scandals in pictures Volkswagen emissions scandal VW admitted to rigging its US emission tests so that diesel-powered cars would looks like they were emitting less nitrous oxide, which can damage the ozone layer and contribute to respiratory diseases. Around 11 million cars worldwide were affected. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Martin Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals Martin Shkreli became known as the most hated man in the world after his drug company, Turing, increased the price of a 62-year-old drug that treated HIV patients by 5,000% to $750 a pill. He was charged with illegally taking stock from Retrophin, a biotechnology firm he started in 2011, and using it pay off debts from unrelated business dealings. Shkreli, who maintains he is innocent, and says there is little evidence of fraud because his investors didn't lose money. Biggest business scandals in pictures Panama Papers: Millions of leaked documents expose how worlds rich and powerful hid money - April 2016 Millions of confidential documents have been leaked from one of the worlds most secretive law firms, exposing how the rich and powerful have hidden their money. Dictators and other heads of state have been accused of laundering money, avoiding sanctions and evading tax, according to the unprecedented cache of papers that show the inner workings of the law firm Mossack Fonseca, which is based in Panama. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Google's tax avoidance Google reached a deal with the HM Revenue and Customs to pay back 130 million in so-called back-taxes that have been due since 2005. George Osborne championed the deal as a major success. But European MEPs have since called for the Chancellor to appear in front of the committee on tax rulings to explain the tax deal. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Rogue trader A French court cut the damages owed by rogue trader Jerome Kerviel from 4.9bn (4.2bn) to just 1m (860,000). The court ruled on that Kerviel was partly responsible for massive losses suffered in 2008 by his former employer Societe Generale through his reckless trades. Kerviel has consistently maintained that bosses at the French bank knew what he was doing all along. AP Biggest business scandals in pictures Barclays CEO under investigation for trying to identify whistleblower - Monday Paril 10 Authorities have launched an investigation into Barclays chief executive officer Jes Staley for trying to identify a whistleblower, the bank said on Monday. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) are both investigating Mr Staley after the bank notified them that Mr Staley had tried to identify the author of two anonymous letters, which were sent to the board and a senior executive in June 2016. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures UK to crack down on bank money laundering after reports of 65bn Russian scam, City minister says - March 2017 The Economic Secretary to the Treasury has vowed that the Government will crack down on money laundering practices, after several of the UK's biggest banks were accused of processing money from a Russian scam, believed to involve up to $80bn (65bn). Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Former HBOS bankers convicted of bribery and fraud over 245m loan scam - February 2017 Two former HBOS bankers were among six people found guilty of bribery and fraud that cost customers and shareholders hundreds of millions of pounds, the BBC reports. Lynden Scourfield, 54, a manager at HBOS, forced struggling clients to use the services of his friends David Mills, 60, and Michael Bancroft, 73. In return, the two businessmen arranged sex parties, cash and lavish gifts. On Monday, the three were convicted at Southwark Crown Court on accounts including bribery, fraud and money laundering. Mark Dobson, another manager at HBOS, Alison Mills, and John Cartwright were also convicted. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Lloyds chief apologises for damage caused by affair allegations - August 2016 Antonio Horta-Osorio, the chief executive of Lloyds Bank, has broken his silence over allegations about his private life admitting he regrets any "damage done to the group's reputation". In a message sent to the bank's 75,000 employees, the banker said that anyone can make mistakes while insisting that staff had to maintain the highest professional standards. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Christine Lagarde faces court over 340m Bernard Tapie payment - July 2016 The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, must stand trial in France over a payment of 403 million (now 340m, then 290m) to tycoon Bernard Tapie, a France's highest appeals court has ruled. The court rejected Ms Lagarde's appeal against a judge's order in December for her to stand trial over allegations of negligence in her handling of the affair. Ms Lagarde could risk a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros if convicted. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures HSBC senior manager arrested in FX rigging investigation at JFK airport in New York - July 2016 A senior executive at HSBC has been arrested at New York's JFK airport for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to rig currency benchmarks, according to reports. Mark Johnson, global head of foreign exchange cash trading in London, was reportedly arrested on Tuesday. He will appear before a federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Bloomberg said. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Former PwC employees found guilty in 'Luxleaks' tax scandal - June 2016 Two ex- PricewaterhouseCoopers staffers were found guilty in Luxembourg of stealing confidential tax files that helped unleash a global scandal over generous fiscal deals for hundreds of international companies. Antoine Deltour and Raphael Halet face suspended sentences of 12 months and 9 months and were ordered to pay fines of 1,500 (1,230) and 1,000 (822) for their role in the so-called LuxLeaks scandal. Despite the minimal sentences, the ruling was described by Deltours lawyer as shocking and a terrible anomaly. The ruling puts on guard future whistle-blowers, Deltour told reporters.The LuxLeaks revelations sped beyond Luxembourg, causing European Union regulators to expand a tax-subsidy probe and propose new laws to fight corporate tax dodging, while EU lawmakers created a special committee to probe fiscal deals across the 28-nation bloc. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Goldman Sachs dealmakers lavished Libyan officials with prostitutes to win contract - June 2016 A former Goldman Sachs dealmaker trying to persuade Gadaffi-era Libya to invest $1 billion with the investment bank procured prostitutes and invited Libyan officials to lavish parties in the hope of winning the business, the High Court heard on Monday June 13.The Libyan Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund is suing Goldman Sachs for inappropriately coercing its naive staff into giving its sovereign wealth fund cash to the bank to invest in products they did not understand. The products were designed to generate big profits for Goldman, the LIA claims.Goldman denies wrongdoing and says the LIA was treated as an arms-length customer Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Former boss of BHS said his life was threatened - June 2016 Darren Topp, the former boss of BHS, has said former owner Dominic Chappell threatened to kill him when he challenged him over a 1.5 million transfer out of the business. MPs on the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee asked Mr Topp about a 1.5 million transfer Mr Chappell made from BHS to a company called BHS Sweden. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley admits paying workers below the minimum wage - June 2016 Mike Ashley admitted paying Sports Direct employees below the minimum wage at a hearing in front of MPs. The company founder said that workers were paid less than the statutory minimum because of bottlenecks at security in an admission that could result in sanctions from HMRC. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Mitsubishi admits improper fuel tests - April 2016 Mitsubishi has admitted to using false fuel methods dating back to 1991. The scale of the scandal is only just coming to light after it was revealed in April that data was falsified in the testing of four types of cars, including two Nissan cars. AP Biggest business scandals in pictures Quindell, the scandal-ridden insurance firm Quindell was once a darling of AIM but its share price fell in April 2014 when its accounting practices were attacked in a stinging research note by US short seller Gotham City. In August the group was forced to disclose that the 107 million pre-tax profit it had reported for 2013 was incorrect, and it had in fact suffered a 64million loss. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Toshiba Accounting Scandal The boss of Toshiba, the Japanese technology giant, resigned in disgrace in the wake of one of the countrys biggest ever accounting scandals. His exit came two months after the company revealed that it was investigating accounting irregularities. An independent investigatory panel said that Toshibas management had inflated its reported profits by up to 152 billion yen (780m) between 2008 and 2014. Biggest business scandals in pictures FIFA Corruption Scandal Fifa, football's world governing body, has been engulfed by claims of widespread corruption since the summer of 2015, when the US Department of Justice indicted several top executives. It has now claimed the careers of two of the most powerful men in football, Fifa President Sepp Blatter and Uefa President Michel Platini, after they were banned for eight years from all football-related activities by Fifa's ethics committee. A Swiss criminal investigation into the pair is ongoing. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Libor fraudster City trader Tom Hayes, 35, has become the first person to be convicted of rigging Libor rates following a trial at London's Southwark Crown Court. Hayes worked as a trader in yen derivatives at UBS before joining the American bank Citigroup in Tokyo. He was fired from Citigroup following an investigation into his trading methods. He returned to the UK in December 2012 and was arrested following a two-and-a-half year criminal investigation by the SFO. Getty

Surveys have shown that there is public support for more drastic measures such as breaking up the banks. Research by Triodos, a sustainable bank based in the Netherlands, has found that more than three-quarters of adults think greater competition from challenger banks should be encouraged.

Half of those asked said that giving consumers the option of choosing from challenger banks will lead to improved customer service.

There is a genuine appetite for change, said Huw Davies, head of retail banking at Triodos Bank.
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An online app that can tell you what you are worth by looking at your CV has launched in Australia.

ValueMyCV scans 100 data points in a CV, from education to employers to job skills.

The data is compared with a database of 50,000 Australian CVs to give a statistical estimate of a candidate's market value.

Users can then generate their suggested salary alongside suggested jobs, CV improvements and career pathways. The app even contains an feature to email the user's boss with the results.

Adzuna, a jobs website, is launching the app in Australia after a successful launch in the UK. ValueMyCV was launched in the UK in 2015 after over a year in development.

It was created by the same data scientist who worked on Rightmoves house price algorithm.

Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Show all 10 1 /10 Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Bill Gates - $75 bn The creator of Microsoft is worth $78 billion. He has topped the list for 17 out of the past 22 years - though his net worth shrank by $4.2bn (3bn) to $75bn (53.7bn). Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Amancio Ortega - $67 bn The Spanish business who set up the Zara chain of high-street shops is worth $67 billion. REUTERS/ AP Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Warren Buffet - $60.8 bn Warren buffet is the world's most successful investor. Forbes rates him as being worth $60.8 billion. Getty Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Carlos Slim Helu - $50 bn Carlos Slim, the Mexican telecom magnate, is this years biggest loser with a fortune of $50 billion, down from $77.1 billion last year. Getty Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Jeff Bezos - $45.2 bn Amazons Jeff Bezos moved up to the fifth from the fifteenth spot last year; his net worth increased to $45.2 billion. Getty Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Mark Zuckerberg - $44.6 bn The biggest gainer on the 2016 list is Mark Zuckerberg , whose fortune is up $11.2 billion for a total net worth of $44.6 billion. He is the sixth richest in the world. Getty Images Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Larry Ellison - $43.6 bn The American entrepreneur has a fortune of $43.6 billion Bloomberg Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Michael Bloomberg - $40 bn Michael Bloomberg, whose media and financial empire has created a personal fortune of $40 bn, is said to be willing to spend up to $1bn on a presidential campaign AP Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Charles Koch and David Koch - $39.6 bn Charles Koch, along with brother David Koch of Koch Industries are joint sixth and are valued at $39.6 billion. Forbes top 10 richest billionaires in the world Liliane Bettencourt - $36.1 bn Liliane Bettencourt is the heir to the LOreal empire Getty Images

Raife Watson, CEO of Adzuna Australia, said that the app will be especially useful in Australia because only 19 per cent of job adverts there disclose a salary, compared to 72 per cent in the UK.

He hopes the app will be useful for people who might not know the going rate, such as mothers returning to the workforce from maternity leave, graduates entering the workforce for the first time and people looking to transition to new jobs from declining industries like mining and manufacturing.

"ValueMyCV will bring greater transparency to the Australian job market when it comes to salaries and will give people a clearer indication of their current worth," Watson said.
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After spending years fighting the European Union, Michael OLeary has turned into one of its biggest defenders, and hes even decorating his airplanes to prove it.

The Irish chief executive officer of Ryanair, Europes largest airline, is trying to persuade the British to vote to stay in the EU in their June 23 referendum on its 43-year membership. The company is donating money to the Remain campaign, and OLeary appeared in London on Monday alongside Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to promote the case for staying in the EU.

Lets get out and campaign, OLeary, 55, told a forum on Friday in Dublin organized by Bloomberg to discuss Brexit. Businesses have got be very active. They tend to shy away from political involvement. Well be criticized for doing it. For opponents who believe we shouldnt get involved, to hell with you.

Recommended Read more The campaign to stay in the EU must shed its elite image

Back in 2004, OLeary denounced the European Commission as an  evil empire as European authorities consistently blocked Ryanairs efforts to buy Irish airline Aer Lingus.

Yet if Britain is crucial to Irelands export economy, its even more so to Dublin-based Ryanair, which counts the U.K. as its single biggest market.

The company is spending 25,000 ($20,000) on an advertising drive calling on Britons to stay in the 28-nation bloc, OLeary said. In addition to newspaper and online ads, the campaign will see the airline add vast pro-EU slogans to some of its aircraft, and e-mail Ryanair customers to urge them to vote to stay.

I despise much of the regulation that come out of Europe that add to consumer costs, OLeary said at the forum. But there are sensible arguments for staying in, there are very few sensible arguments for leaving. 

The Brexit camp hit back at OLeary, with Leave.eu on Monday running a video on its twitter feed with the tag line Guess someone didnt listen to their own advice.

It featured OLeary telling an audience in the Belgian capital in 2011 to get the hell of out of Brussels and calling the European Commission headquarters the Death Star.

Executive Opinions

So far, OLearys contribution has included a donating a small amount of money to the Remain campaign, and going up against Leave advocates on television debates such as the BBCs Question Time.

He is also by no means the only top business figure to publicly join the fray. In February, nearly 200 CEOs signed a letter calling for Britain to stay, including those of retailer Marks & Spencer and mobile phone company Vodafone. Among those lining up on the other side are former HSBC chief Michael Geoghegan and Tim Martin, chairman of UK pub operator JD Wetherspoon.

Such opinions tend to show the alliances building on each side rather than have any overarching influence on the campaign, even US President Barack Obama, according to Joe Twyman, head of political and social research at polling company YouGov . Obama urged UK voters not to opt to leave the EU and warned relations with the U.S. might be damaged.

Interventions by individuals, even Obama, dont tend to matter to very many people for very long, Twyman said. Nobody will go into the polling booth basing their decision just on what Michael OLeary said.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

Leprechaun Costume

As he built the airline, OLeary gained a reputation for drawing attention. Publicity stunts in the past have included dressing as a leprechaun and threatening to charge passengers for toilets. Last year, a survey by advertising agency Isobel put Ryanair as the fourth most-unloved brand in the UK, though YouGov BrandIndex data suggests the perception of the company has improved since it began  in OLearys words  being nicer.

And OLearys suggested tactic for the rest of the campaign?

Id want to terrify the life out of everybody that theres a real danger the lunatics on the leave side are going to win, OLeary said. So get out and vote.
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In France the lower parliamentary house has passed a bill that if becomes law would clamp down on employees sending emails out of working hours.

Under the proposed guidelines, businesses with more than 50 employees would be required to draw up a charter, setting out the hours, normally in the evening or at weekends, when employees are not supposed to be sending emails.

The bill now goes to the Senate.

Is there a problem?

Its certainly true that in our working world with technology as it is, many of us are always on. Mobiles by your side, is a quick glance at the inbox too tempting?

Yes, and before you know it youre rushing out an email as you get on a bus only for a reply to hit you as you take your seat. In the evenings and at weekends how easy is it to flick between Facebook notifications and work emails?

And even at night time whos guilty of sleeping with their smartphone surreptitiously tucked under the pillow? Theres no downtime and that cant be good.

What laws do we have to prevent digital burn out? Weve hardly any. Under the Working Time Regulations workers mustnt work more than 48 hours each week, averaged over 17 weeks. Workers can opt out provided that they provide a minimum of 7 days notice. They may have to give more notice up to a maximum of 3 months if there's an agreement with the employer.

There are also some general exceptions to the 48 hour week including for those workers whose working time is not measured and are in control of their work.

And would checking emails and replying out of hours be included within the working time?

They probably wouldnt. Working time is defined as working at your employer's disposal and carrying out your duties; periods when the employee is receiving relevant training; and other periods specified in an agreement.

Time working at home, as part of a flexible working arrangement, instead of being in the office, would be covered.

The 19 best UK cities to live and work in Show all 19 1 /19 The 19 best UK cities to live and work in The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 19. Stoke-on-Trent The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 18. Brighton The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 17. Cardiff The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 16. Plymouth The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 15. Milton Keynes and Aylesbury The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 14. Swindon The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 13. Norwich The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 12. Preston The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 11. Portsmouth The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 10. Coventry The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 9. Leicester The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 8. Belfast The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 7. Bristol The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 6. Southampton The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 5. Aberdeen 2008 Getty Images The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 4. Cambridge The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 3. Edinburgh The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 2. Oxford The 19 best UK cities to live and work in 1. Reading and Bracknell

However, choosing to respond to emails as you step out of the shower or wolf down your breakfast wouldnt be included because you wouldn't be at your employer's disposal at that time.

But is intervention necessary? Some employees may prefer answering emails in their own time to make the return to the 'work' less painful. What about globalisation - and companies dealing with clients in different time zones? And then theres social media?

Interestingly the bill in France has no penalty provisions, and companies are expected to comply voluntarily.

Employees will have to buy into this too.
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Delays to exam specifications for next year's GCSE and A-level courses could result in disasterous consequences similar to the chaos seen over this year's primary school examinations, teaching groups have warned.

Despite promises that all new exam specifications would be signed off a year in advance, Government figures disclose that one in five GCSEs and A-level specifications are still awaiting sign-off by the exams regulating body.

Updated figures from Ofqual show that a quarter of GCSE subjects are yet to have all their submitted specifications accredited and only 7 in 11 AS and A-level subjects are complete. The revelation comes as schools prepare for dramatic changes to GCSE and A-level curriculum and grading systems to begin this year.

Key language qualifications including French, German and Spanish are yet to be approved and science qualifications have only recently been addressed, teaching unions say, leaving schools very little time to prepare for the new curriculum before summer.

This week it was revealed by the Times Education Supplement that OCR, one of the three main school exam boards, has made the decision to drop its modern foreign language [MFL] courses after waiting too long for Ofqual accreditation.

The board say it had taken the decision to pull out of MFL reluctantly in order to give teachers time to make a considered choice about new qualifications for this September.

The slow rate of approvals for the new secondary school exams has led to growing anxiety among teaching bodies who have criticised the Government for its rushed reforms.

Deputy General Secretary for the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Kevin Courtney said: The government is in danger of recreating in secondary schools the disastrous experience of this years primary assessment. A rushed process of implementation gives rise to problems which schools are left to deal with, while the Department For Education (DfE) minimises the difficulties they face.

The union warned that by imposing the new curriculum based on a narrow range of academic subjects, students were likely to be left dissatisfied and demotivated, leading to poorer results in the process.

Teaching unions, the creative sector, and the CBI have all pointed to the emerging problems of the DfEs new curriculum. In the next school year these problems, unfortunately, are likely to become more acute," said Mr Courtney.

Last month, a test scheduled for six and seven-year-olds was scrapped after the education departments testing agency mistakenly included the actual test paper within a bundle of practice material published three months earlier for preparation purposes.

The NUT described this year's SATs examinations as total chaos, attributed to a rapid implementation of the new school curriculum.

If the delays to secondary school examination specifications continue, schools that may want to start teaching GCSEs at the end of Year 9 will be unable to do so, teachers warned.

The slow process has also meant that teachers are unable to make crucial decisions in terms of lesson planning and purchasing materials.

Union leaders have said that the reform programme was a major cause of stress for teachers, particular in light of a series of incidences witnessed over primary school exams this month.

However, Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said that content for core subjects has been published as early as April 2014.

Lucy Powell, Labour's shadow education secretary, said: Many parents and businesses will be unaware of the huge shake-up to qualifications.

We have been warning for months that the Government is way behind in its timetable for exam specifications, yet this has fallen on deaf ears.

A DfE spokesman said: It is not true to suggest schools cannot prepare for teaching next year  in fact, agreed specifications are available for all subjects, so there is no barrier to schools preparing for September."

We have reformed GCSEs and A-levels so they now represent a new gold standard, and it is right that the highest standards are applied to developing and accrediting these new qualifications."

Content for core subjects including GCSE science, modern foreign languages, history and geography were published as long ago as April 2014. The content for all subjects was published by February 2015 to help schools prepare for their introduction.
News / National

by Staff reporter

President Robert Mugabe's family business, Alpha Omega Dairy, has been taken to the High Court by a South African company, Blakey Investments, over a $38 000 debt for packaging materials supplied to the First Family's dairy plant in Mazowe last year.Early this month, Blakey filed its case at the High Court in Harare under case HC3813/16 seeking an order to compel Mugabe's family business to pay the debt of $38 391,72.However, Alpha Omega Dairy has since entered an appearance to defend notice, with a view of challenging the claim when the matter is heard in court.In its declaration, Blakey Plastics said sometime on or around July 27 last year, it manufactured and supplied Alpha Omega Dairy with packaging items worth $2 500.
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The oldest living person in the world has attributed her longevity to her decision to remain single after the end of an unhappy marriage.

Emma Morano of Verbania, Italy, was recently announced as the oldest person in the world at 116 years and 169-days-old.

Born on 29 November, 1899, she may be the last living person born in the 19th Century.

Speaking to the New York Times in 2015, she revealed that she believes her long life is thanks to eating three raw eggs a day (she now eats two a day), and to her status as a single woman.

While she said she had "many suitors" after an unhappy marriage ended in 1938, she never remarried, saying she "didnt want to be dominated by anyone".

The world's most influential people Show all 10 1 /10 The world's most influential people The world's most influential people The world's most influential people President Vladimir Putin Sean Gallup/Getty Images The world's most influential people The world's most influential people Donald Trump The world's most influential people The world's most influential people Leonardo DiCaprio The world's most influential people The world's most influential people Adele The world's most influential people The world's most influential people Nicki Minaj The world's most influential people The world's most influential people Aung San Suu Kyi The world's most influential people The world's most influential people Usain Bolt The world's most influential people The world's most influential people Ronda Rousey The world's most influential people The world's most influential people Kendrick Lamar The world's most influential people The world's most influential people Idris Elba

Upon being told that she held the title of oldest person alive, Ms Morano told The Telegraph via her caretaker Rosi Santoni: My word, Im as old as the hills."

Ms Morano became the oldest living person after Susannah Mushatt Jones, a New York woman, had died on Thursday 12 May. Ms Jones said in 2015 that she ate bacon every day, but never drank alcohol or smoked, and that the key to long life and happiness was to "surround herself with love and positive energy".

 World's oldest person dies

Ms Morano's physician says her longevity is "a phenomenon".
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Rebel Wilson is reportedly suing the magazine publisher Bauer Media over a series of articles she claims defamed her and made her out to be a serial liar.

The Australian actress and comedian, who is best know for her roles in Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect, says her reputation has suffered and she has been humiliated and embarrassed by the articles.

In May 2015, Womens Day published one on online and one print article titled Just who is the REAL Rebel?, which, it is alleged, claimed Wilson had lied about her age, her name, her upbringing and the fact she had lived in Zimbabwe for a year.

The claims were picked up by the national and international press and published in subsequent articles in other Bauer titles, such as the Australian OK Magazine and New Weekly.

A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration Show all 21 1 /21 A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration Untitled-3.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166648648.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166650385.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166653101.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166647460.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166648566.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166646781.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166652865_1.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166649859.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166652522.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166652252.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166652213.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166651795.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166651353.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166651113.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166650382.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166650343.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166648808.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166648640.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166648476.jpg Getty Images A fake beer belly, third nipples and best kiss gongs at the MTV Movie Awards 2013: Taylor Lautner, Rebel Wilson and Emma Watson at the youth culture celebration 166648421.jpg Getty Images

Australian media report that a writ filed in the Victorian Supreme Court on Monday said the media group did not contact her prior to writing the articles or make sufficient enquiries to check the facts, and that Wilson was gravely injured in her feelings, credit and reputation, has been humiliated and embarrassed and has suffered loss and damage, including special damage.

The writ also reportedly stated the articles made her out to be a serial liar who has invented fantastic stories in order to make it in Hollywood and Wilson was suing for special damages because she lost roles she had been promised and was not offered new positions due to the articles published.

In a statement released to The Sydney Morning Herald, Bauer Media said it had not been served with a writ by representatives of Wilson. If and when it is served, we will take the opportunity to consider our defences, the statement reads. It would not be appropriate for Bauer Media to comment further whilst this matter is before the court and the writ is yet to be served.

Wilson and Bauer Media have been contacted for comment.
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A former government drugs adviser, who was sacked after saying ecstasy was less harmful than alcohol, has claimed that a study suggesting the psychedelic component of magic mushrooms could lift severe depression is a serious breakthrough.

Professor David Nutt, who repeatedly clashed with the then Labour Government when he was chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), said about half of the 12 people with depression had gone into remission for three months after they were legally given the illegal drug psilocybin, found in magic mushrooms.

But the pilot study, reported in the journal Lancet Psychiatry, was attacked by Oxford University neuroscientist Professor Jonathan Flint, who said there was nothing in this paper to indicate that [psilocybin] might cure depression and suggested the result might simply have been caused by the placebo effect.

Professor Nutt, an expert in neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, was fired as ACMD chairman in 2009 by the then Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, after saying tobacco and alcohol were more harmful than ecstasy, cannabis and LSD.

 Cheese triggers same part of the brain as drugs

At the time Professor Nutt accused the Government of having a Luddite attitude and misleading the public about drugs. His dismissal was criticised by other leading scientists, including Professor Colin Blakemore, the former chief executive of the Medical Research Council (MRC), who said it might discourage other academics from giving expert advice.

Speaking to The Independent about the psilocybin research, which he co-authored with Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, Professor Nutt said: I think this is a serious breakthrough. Half the people went into remission within a week and they stayed in remission for up to three months. Theres nothing else  apart from electro-convulsive therapy  that has such a profound impact on persistent depression.

In the study, all patients showed some decrease in symptoms of depression for at least three weeks. Seven showed a positive response three months after the treatment, with five remaining in remission after three months, the MRC, which funded the research, said in a statement.

Asked about Professor Flints criticisms, Professor Nutt agreed they had not actually proved the effect. But he added: Maybe this is a new era to treating depression. Yes it could all be powerful placebo  [but] lets not be too pessimistic. We havent proven anything [yet], weve just opened up a very important, potential new treatment.

He [Flint] is a good friend of mine, but hes got quite a sense of humour and hes quite cynical. Often hes right, but in this case he might not be."

Professor Nutt said the study had taken three years, mainly because of the tight controls on psilocybin. The regulations meant we spent almost all of the three years getting through the regulations, Professor Nutt said.

The law treats me as a drug dealer  they monitor me as if I was criminal.

He said the treatment had cost about 1,500 per patient whereas, if the drug wasnt illegal, we could probably get it down to 30 quid.

Dr Carhart-Harris said the psilocybin had been administered with "appropriate safeguards in place". I wouldn't want members of the public thinking they can treat their own depressions by picking their own magic mushrooms. That kind of approach could be risky," he said.

One of the trials participants Kirk Rutter, 45, from London, said he had become very depressed following the death of his mother in 2011 and remained truly heart-broken despite having grief counselling and taking antidepressant drugs.After taking two doses of psilocybin, he said he experienced "psychedelic turbulence, which left him feeling cold and anxious.

However this soon passed, and I had a mostly pleasant  and sometimes beautiful  experience, he said. There were certainly some challenging moments during the sessions  during the high-dose session I visualised my grief as an ulcer that I was preventing from healing so that I could stay connected to my mother.

However by going through memories, and feeling the love in our relationship, I saw that letting go of the grief was not letting go of her memory.

He said after the sessions he felt lighter and more optimistic. For the past few months I've started to feel less positive but I'm still doing great, Mr Rutter added.

Professor Flint criticised the study partly because it was open label so the subjects knew they were being given psilocybin. Double-blind trials, in which neither the researchers nor the subjects know whether an active drug or a placebo is being used, are considered the gold standard for scientific experiments of this type. Given the minute sample size, the open-label nature of the trial, and the large number of additional uncontrolled features that accompanied the drug provision, it is impossible to attribute clinical efficacy to the drug [or] determine if response is placebo driven, he said.

Since psilocybin has been taken probably for thousands of years, the finding that it is not toxic is hardly news  there is nothing in this paper to indicate that it might cure depression.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

Dr Louise Jones, the head of translational research at the MRC, said: We currently dont have effective treatments for some peoples depression so we need to know more about how drugs such as psilocybin could be used for patient benefit. This study showed that, with appropriate safeguards, psilocybin can be safely administered to some patients with treatment-resistant depression. It will now be important to undertake studies that evaluate its role as a potential treatment.

Professor Nutt said they were now trying to obtain grants and raise money to fund a more extensive trial.
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A 21-year-old man has been arrested in Birmingham on suspicion of preparing to travel to Syria to join Isis.

The suspect was detained at an address in the Handsworth area on Tuesday by members of the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.

A police spokesman said: "Officers are this morning continuing to carry out searches at the address.

"The arrest was pre-planned and intelligence-led. There was no immediate threat to public safety."

The man was held at the unnamed address, which is not his home, on suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts, contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

More follows
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The parents of a British man who has been found after being missing for six years have been prevented from contacting him because of data protection laws.

Matthew Green, 32, was last seen leaving his home in Kent in 2010, when he told his parents he was going to London to visit friends.

Now, his parents, Jim and Pauline, have been told by police their son has been found alive in Spain - but they are not allowed to get in touch with him.

They have been informed Matthew was taken in by Spanish social services worried by him "acting oddly". Without any photo ID on him, he instead gave two aliases and the name Matthew Green.

He was found to have a 99.9 per cent fingerprint match and Kent Police have since closed his missing persons case.

Pauline, 63, said in a Facebook post: "I have asked for a photo but due to Data Protection I am not allowed!! I have asked for a photo of his tattoos so that I am 100% sure it's him, but again that thing called Data Protection gets in the way.

"We are no way nearer to seeing him, talking to him or anything else, due to his human rights and Data Protection.

"I have written him a letter which I have emailed to the Foreign Embassy / Consulate in Madrid but they will not tell me if Matt is in receipt of my letter."

Mrs Green has made a plea on Facebook for people to share information and to contact her if they can help them make positive contact with their son.

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 a statement, Kent Police said: "Kent Police has provided the family with information provided to them that the missing person had been found by authorities and his safety established.

"No further details are being provided to Kent Police in regards to his whereabouts due to the fact this would require the individual's consent, considering his right to a private life.

"Liaison can now continue between the family and the European authorities to establish what further information they are able to provide the family, in line with the individual's consent as an adult."

The Foreign Office told The Independent: "Our staff continue to provide support to the family of Matthew Green.

"We remain in close contact with the Spanish authorities for updates."
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The largest cruise ship in the world, dubbed a floating city, has docked in Southampton after setting sale from France.

The 362-metre-long Harmony of the Seas cost $1 billion (700 million) and is larger than the Eiffel Tower.

The gargantuan vessel docked in the south coast city on Tuesday after leaving the western port town of Saint-Nazaire on Sunday ahead of its inaugural voyage onto Rotterdam.

The world's largest passenger ship, MS Harmony of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean, makes her way up Southampton Water into Southampton ahead of her maiden cruise (PA)

General view of the theatre (Reuters)

The 16-deck ship, which has a 6,360-passenger-capacity, underwent 32 months of construction in a French shipyard, where US-based Royal Caribbean Cruises took possession of the liner earlier this month.

Weighing 227,000 tonnes, the vessel also boasts:

2,500 state rooms

20 restaurants

23 swimming pools

Central Park  a living park in the centre of the ship with more 10,000 plants and 50 trees

24 lifts for guests

The Ultimate Abyss  the tallest slide at sea, plunging visitors 10 stories from deck 16 to deck 6

The deepest pool at sea

A double-story Wonderland specialty restaurant

11,252 works of art

Robot bartenders

Virtual balconies with real-time views of the destination for interior rooms

2,100 crew members from 77 different nationalities

Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, said: Harmony of the Seas is the product of our zealous spirit of continuous improvement, where we have combined revolutionary ship design with the technological strides that have defined the Royal Caribbean brand.

View of the Harmony of the Seas (Reuters)

General view during the delivery ceremony of the Harmony of the Seas (Reuters)

General view during the delivery ceremony of the Harmony of the Seas (Reuters)

Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International: Harmony is truly magnificent in every sense of the word, from her architecture and design to the level of care and attention to detail with which our incredible crew are taking to prepare for our first guests.

The ship is the best of the best combined with new and thrilling experiences never before found in one place.

The Royal Caribbean ship will set sail for its first trip, a four-night cruise from Southampton to Rotterdam, on 22 May.
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A primary school teacher who was sacked for standing by her husband, a headmaster convicted of child abuse, has won compensation for wrongful dismissal.

Sarah Pendleton said her Christian beliefs prevented her from leaving her husband after he was found guilty.

Matthew Pendleton, the former Headmaster of Kirkstead Junior School, was given a 10-month prison sentence in July 2013 for secretly filming young boys getting changed for swimming lessons.

After 12 years of "exemplary" service, Ms Pendleton was dismissed by Glebe Junior School in South Normanton in Derbyshire in August 2013.

There has been no suggestion she knew about her husband's activities before he was arrested, the Derby Telegraph reports.

An Employment Appeal Tribunal heard how she told the school's governors her vows of marriage as "sacrosanct, having being made with God", adding she would stay with him as long as he showed "unequivocal repentance".

The governors responded by saying her continued support of her husband could be seen as "condoning his behaviour".

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

The Tribunal upheld her claim of religious discrimination awarding her the right to thousands of pounds of compensation.

Mrs Pendleton was faced with "a crisis of conscience" and forced to choose between ending her career or relinquishing her marriage vows, the presiding judge said.

Judge Jennifer Eady QC said the decision to sack Ms Pendleton was "outside the band of reasonable responses" with the governors not adequately considering alternatives to dismissing her.
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Nurses, paramedics and pharmacists should be trained up to fill gaps in junior doctor rotas, NHS bosses have said.

Amid the ongoing row over junior doctors' weekend working conditions, a Nuffield Trust review found examples of nurses filling in for hospital doctors and pharmacists for GPs.

But union bosses told The Independent the changes must not be made at the expense of good quality training for doctors themselves.

Hospitals have struggled to cope with gaps in junior doctor rotas and the increasing numbers of patients requiring treatment in recent years.

The Nuffield Trust was asked by NHS Employers to look at how the 1.3 million-strong workforce could be reshaped to address the problem.

Two NHS staff walk with an elderly patient outside St Thomas' Hospital on October 13, 2011 in London, England. (Oli Scarff | Getty Images)

The think tank found some areas were already using other NHS staff to fill in for doctors.

Sheffield Teaching Hospital Trust uses nurses to fill in for junior doctors in accident and emergency units, surgery and paediatrics, while 10 GP practices in York and Hull have employed three pharmacists to see patients who need their medicine reviewed, according to the report.

The report said as doctors only made up one in 10 of the workforce much more was needed from other health staff.

It found that extending the skills of registered healthcare professionals provides opportunities to manage the growing burden of chronic disease more effectively, and could potentially release some savings.

However, the report also warned that reshaping the NHS workforce, if not carefully implemented could increase patient demand, and cost money rather than save money.

Candace Imison, report author and Nuffield Trust Director of Policy, said in a statement: Our research shows that reshaping the NHS workforce can offer huge opportunities  for patients, through improved health outcomes, and for staff, through more rewarding roles and better career pathways.

But we stress in our report that this is not simply a nice to do  it is urgent, and essential if the Health Service is to find a sustainable balance between available funding, patient needs and staff needs, and deliver services fit for the 21st century.

Dr Mark Porter, BMA chair of council, said: While we support the upskilling of the existing workforce and the introduction of new roles to assist with patient need, this should not be done at the expense of good quality training for doctors or, indeed, doctors themselves.

He added:  It takes doctors many years to learn how to provide the best care for their patients, and there is no substitute for this kind of expertise and experience. There should be more staff support for doctors to help them coordinate the best possible care for their patients.

And UNISON head of health Christina McAnea said in a statement: "The impact of the cuts to the NHS bursary will make it harder to recruit more people into nursing, and it will discourage them from doing the additional training necessary to take on a wider range of tasks."

"Too many NHS support workers can't achieve their full potential because, with the financial squeeze on the NHS, there's no funding for training courses."

"Developing the NHS support workforce must not be seen as a quick and cheap fix for the chronic shortages of nurses and other health workers across the country."
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A septuagenarian couple from Poland have wowed partygoers at Fabric nightclub by downing tequila shots and raving until 5am.

The evergreen pair arrived at the establishment in London at around 10pm on Sunday night after visiting their daughter in Watford over the weekend.

DJ and promoter Jacob Husley recounted the unusual visitors in a Facebook post, saying the couple had read a positive review of Fabric in a newspaper and decided to come along.

Husley wrote: I told them they had free bar, 2 shots of tequila to start, but after that asked if they could have cups of tea.

They were on the dancefloor doing ballroom-type dancing, although not too long as she was using a crutch and didn't walk too well.

The unidentified couple from Warsaw reportedly did not speak good English and onlookers thought they were either lost or knew someone working at the club.

However the wife confirmed they had purchased the tickets online in advance and enjoyed visiting nightclubs in their home country.

The pair proved popular with other ravers and were spotted enjoying the techno and trance on the ground floor of the club.

Future clubbing: Twenty-first century party people Show all 3 1 /3 Future clubbing: Twenty-first century party people Future clubbing: Twenty-first century party people 426706.bin RICHIEHOPSON.COM Future clubbing: Twenty-first century party people 426707.bin RICHIEHOPSON.COM Future clubbing: Twenty-first century party people 426708.bin RICHIEHOPSON.COM

At the end of the night the couple took up Husleys offer to pay for their taxi home instead of waiting for a tube.

Husley continued: They said they had a great time and loved the crowd and vibe...what an amazing couple.

So much humour, love and playfulness between these two ...our bodies might age but our souls are timeless.

 Old man performs Stomrzy's 'Shut Up' in Carnaby Street

The Farringdon club was voted the worlds top club in a DJ Magazines annual poll in 2007 and 2008.
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Boris Johnson "crossed the boundaries" when he made a "dangerous" comparison between Brussels and Adolf Hitler, the European Council President has said.

Donald Tusk, the former Polish Prime Minister, attacked the former London mayor for "political amnesia" over his controversial suggestion likening the EU to the Nazi dictator's plans for domination of the continent.

It comes after the Chancellor George Osborne endorsed the view of the former military chief Field Marshal Lord Bramall, who described Mr Johnsons remarks as "simply laughable" and "absurd".

The former Mayor had told the Sunday Telegraph that the EU was an attempt to recreate the Roman Empires united Europe. Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically, he told the paper.

Recommended Read more Boris Johnson defends Hitler comments

The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods, he added.

In the extraordinary intervention, during a press conference in Copenhagen, Mr Tusk said he could not "remain silent" in the face of comments by such an "influential" politician.

Mr Tusk added: "When I hear the EU being compared to the plans and projects of Adolf Hitler I cannot remain silent. Such absurd arguments should be completely ignored if they hadn't been formulated by one of the most influential politicians in the ruling party.

"Boris Johnson crossed the boundaries of a rational discourse, demonstrating political amnesia. In some sense, he illustrated a state of mind and emotions of many Europeans, not only from the UK.

"In no way, however, can this be an excuse for this dangerous blackout."

On Monday Mr Johnson was also accused of historical inaccuracy by his London mayoral predecessor Ken Livingstone  who is currently suspended from the Labour Party after becoming embroiled in his own Hitler controversy.

What I said was perfectly true, Mr Livingstone told the Evening Standard. But Boris is a lot better informed about Ancient Greece and Rome than about modern history.

 Ed Balls calls out Boris

There was never a plan for a United States of Europe under Hitler. What he wanted was actually a Greater Germany that absorbed neighbouring states, with Britain and France rendered subservient.

But Mr Johnson defended his comments, saying: Over the last few thousand years there have been all sorts of attempts in Europe to recreate the dream of the Roman Empire and very often thats been done by force. The EU is different  its tried to do it in a more bureaucratic way.

The problem is there isnt a single charismatic authority that anyone feels any loyalty to and its completely antidemocratic, thats the problem.

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.

This discussion is bedevilled by all sorts of artificial media twit-storms or hysteria of one kind or another. Theres a very good argument against the lack of democracy in the EU.

Over the last 2000 years people have made repeated attempts to unify Europe by force. The EU is a very different project but it is profoundly antidemocratic.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa's son Collins Takunda is embroiled in a company ownership wrangle with a Chinese businessman, Mingel Cheng, who accuses him of fraudulently grabbing his Timesite Enterprises using political muscle.In an April 25 letter to Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs minister Martin Dinha, Cheng alleged through his attorneys Gumbo and Associates that Collins and his partner of Chinese origin, Yang Linhai, fraudulently forged his signature together with that of his Zimbabwean partner Sobey Chisewe on letters purporting that the two had resigned as the company's directors.The letter was copied to President Robert Mugabe, appealing for his office's intervention in the matter."We wish to indicate that our clients never resigned as directors of Timesite Enterprises their signatures were forged. In fact, someone simply signed purporting that our clients had signed those letters."Our clients noted with concern that Collins Takunda Mnangagwa is son of vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa."From a business point of view, that does not matter, what matters in this case is the fraudulent takeover of our client's company using clandestine means presumably hiding under the cover of his relationship with the vice president," the duo alleged.Takunda could not be reached for comment.In the letter that was also copied to the Joint Operations Command, Cheng and Chisewe's lawyers also appealed for Mugabe's intervention in the matter saying the matter needed to be dealt with "at the highest level" owing to the involvement of Mnangagwa's son."We are therefore under instruction your honour to request your office to have the matter referred to the president so that investigations are done. Our clients have no option but to approach you since the vice president's son is involved so that the matter is discussed at the appropriate levels," they wrote.In 2015, three men, Prosper Muchenje, Pardon Matanhire and Leonard Chiteka appeared before Harare magistrate Francis Mapfumo on allegations of kidnapping Cheng posing as members of the military police and Central Intelligence Oganisation.The trio accused the Chinese businessman of externalising$482 000 and they subsequently "forcibly" took his company documents before "forcing him leave the country".Cheng and Chisewe used to control a 49 and 51 percent stake respectively in the gold milling company at Barrasie Farm, which at its peak used to employ about 292 workers.At present, Collins and his Chinese partners have the same arrangement with the Midlands godfather's son, controlling the bigger stake.
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Sadiq Khan has invited Donald Trump to meet his family in a bid to end their ongoing feud about the Republican frontrunners plans to ban all Muslims from America.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, the newly elected Labour mayor stood by his previous attack on Mr Trumps ignorant views, and said the presumptive Republican nominee should come to the UK to meet his wife Saadiya along with his daughters Anisah and Ammarah.

Mr Khan said: "On your programme I invite Donald Trump to come to London. Meet my wife and my daughters. Meet my friends and my neighbours.

"Meet Londoners who are British, they're Londoners, they're Muslim.

Donald Trump has been critical of new London mayor Sadiq Khan, saying 'I will remember his nasty statements' after the Labour MP called the Republican candidate ignorantsReute (Reuters)

He added: "You know the great thing about London? Muslim, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, we don't just tolerate each other, we respect, we celebrate, we embrace.

"And my concern is this. Are you inadvertently making our countries less safe by giving the impression there is a clash of civilisations?

"Are you doing the job of Daesh and the extremists for them by saying the West hates Islam? I am the West!"

Mr Khan's comments are the latest in an ongoing feud between himself and Trump. On Monday Trump called Khan "very rude" in an interview with Piers Morgan, and challenged the London Mayor to an IQ test.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has also warned he will struggle to build a good relationship with David Cameron after the Prime Minister refused to apologise for branding Mr Trumps proposals divisive, stupid and wrong last year.

But Number 10 made it clear that David Cameron would work with whoever wins the presidential election in order to maintain the special relationship between the US and the UK.
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Isis would welcome Britain leaving the European Union, David Cameron has claimed.

Taking questions following a speech at Mansion House organised by the World Ecomomic Forum, Mr Cameron said he suspected Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the terror groups leader, would be happy with Brexit.

Mr Cameron has said in the past that leaving the EU could play into the hands of Britains enemies, but this is thought to be the first time he has suggested Isis would actively want to see the UK leave the EU.

The Prime Minister was responding to criticisms of a speech he gave last week, in which he said a new conflict in Europe could not be ruled out. He urged voters not to take a risk on Brexit, saying: I never said if we leave on Thursday, World War Three breaks out on Friday.

Recommended Read more Boris Johnson defends Hitler comments

However, he added that Russian President Vladimir Putin would welcome Brexit, adding I suspect al-Baghdadi would, too.

The claim will inevitably lead to further allegations of scaremongering by the Government. However, both campaigns have highlighted the ramifications of leaving or remaining in the EU for Britains security against terror threats.

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.

The Leave camp says that Brexit would give the UK greater control over its borders.

The Remain campaign contests this, saying we already have the power to check all passports, and argue that pan-European security networks including Europol and the European Arrest Warrant help keep us safe, and would be put at risk by Brexit.

Earlier, Boris Johnson was accused of "crossing the boundaries" after he made a dangerous comparison between Brussels and Adolf Hitler, the European Council President has said.

 EU vote campaigns continue

Donald Tusk, the former Polish Prime Minister, attacked the former London mayor for "political amnesia" over his controversial suggestion likening the EU to the Nazi dictator's plans for domination of the continent.

It comes after the Chancellor George Osborne endorsed the view of the former military chief Field Marshal Lord Bramall, who described Mr Johnsons remarks as "simply laughable" and "absurd".

The former Mayor had told the Sunday Telegraph that the EU was an attempt to recreate the Roman Empires united Europe. Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically, he said.

In the extraordinary intervention, Mr Tusk said he could not "remain silent" in the face of comments by such an "influential" politician.

Mr Tusk added: "When I hear the EU being compared to the plans and projects of Adolf Hitler I cannot remain silent. Such absurd arguments should be completely ignored if they hadn't been formulated by one of the most influential politicians in the ruling party.

"Boris Johnson crossed the boundaries of a rational discourse, demonstrating political amnesia. In some sense, he illustrated a state of mind and emotions of many Europeans, not only from the UK."

But Mr Johnson defended his comments, saying: Over the last few thousand years there have been all sorts of attempts in Europe to recreate the dream of the Roman Empire and very often thats been done by force. The EU is different  its tried to do it in a more bureaucratic way.

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

The problem is there isnt a single charismatic authority that anyone feels any loyalty to and its completely antidemocratic, thats the problem.

This discussion is bedevilled by all sorts of artificial media twit-storms or hysteria of one kind or another. Theres a very good argument against the lack of democracy in the EU.

Over the last 2000 years people have made repeated attempts to unify Europe by force. The EU is a very different project but it is profoundly antidemocratic.
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The Vote Leave campaign has accused David Cameron of being knee deep in a conspiracy to keep Britain in the EU, as letters emerged indicating the Prime Minister discussed the role big business could play in the Remain campaign before he had even completed his renegotiation deal with European leaders.

In a letter to Mr Cameron from Serco chief executive Rupert Soames, sent 11 days before the renegotiation deal was completed, and the EU referendum formally announced, the business leader refers to talks held with the Prime Minister earlier in the month.

He writes that, following up on the meeting, he is planning to contact FTSE 500 companies to urge them to mention the risks of Brexit in their annual reports.

At the time of the meeting and the letter, dated 8 February, Mr Camerons official position was that he could still campaign for a Leave vote if his renegotiation failed to secure the changes he wanted.

He told the House of Commons on February 3: I am not arguing  and I will never argue  that Britain couldnt survive outside the European UnionIf we cant secure these changes, I rule nothing out.

 What to believe about the EU referendum

However in the letter, seen by the Daily Mail, Mr Soames states: "There were two points I thought I might follow up on. The first is how to mobilise corporates to look carefully at the risks Brexit represents.

"I am working with Peter Chadlington and Stuart Rose [head of the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign) with a view to contacting FTSE 500 companies who have annual reports due for publication before June and persuading them that they should include Brexit in the list of key risks. All public companies are required to set out in their annual report an analysis of key risks."

Labour MP Gisela Stuart, chair of the Vote Leave campaign, said the Prime Minister had serious issues to answer.

We now know he has been doing deals with businesses to exaggerate the risk of a vote by the UK to leave the EU, she said. He must now tell us urgently how many businesses he cut secret deals with? Who are they and what were they promised in return?

Downing Street said it did not comment on leaked documents.

Many Westminster observers doubted at the time that the Prime Minister was seriously considering backing a Leave vote, but the timing of the leaked letter will be embarrassing to the Remain campaign, coming a day after George Osborne mocked Brexit campaigners as conspiracy theorists.

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.

Ms Stuart added: George Osborne accused the Leave campaign of inventing conspiracies. Now we see that David Cameron is knee deep in one.

Mr Soames is the brother of Tory MP Nicholas Soames, and a grandson of Sir Winston Churhcill. His brother Nicholas has been an outspoken supporter of the Remain campaign. Serco, a security firm which has a number of contracts with the Government and EU institutions, was one of 200 companies to sign a letter backing EU membership later in February. The firm denied there was any link between its support for EU membership and efforts to secure public contracts.
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The outcome of the EU referendum vote is on a knife edge with little more than one month to go, according to one of the largest surveys to date.

Among a huge sample of 22,000 voters, Remain has a narrow lead of 43 to 40.5 per cent, according to new data from the British Election Survey.

But the advantage is wiped out among voters who say they are very likely to vote  giving Leave the victory by 45 per cent to 44.5 per cent.

The new data, which comes from a long-term internet panel study led by some of Britains leading polling experts, are the first findings from a major study to be published later this month, which has been previewed by Channel 4 News.

Polling so far has fluctuated significantly, with neither side securing a convincing lead.

The new data also indicates that ethnic minority voters could hold the balance of power. While white voters are split evenly, all ethnic minority groups are far more likely to back Remain. However, the data also suggests that turnout could be 20 to 25 per cent lower among ethnic minority voters. Voter registration is also lower and with only three weeks to go before registration closes on 7 June, time is running out for new voters to ensure they have their say on 23 June.

It came as David Cameron and Boris Johnson exchanged barbs on another day of feverish campaigning. Mr Johnson accused the Prime Minister of making Britain looking like a banana republic, following the leak of a letter from a senior business leader which appeared to suggest that Downing Street was planning the Remain campaign even before the EU renegotiation was completed.

In a letter to Mr Cameron from Serco chief executive Rupert Soames, seen by the Daily Mail, sent 11 days before the renegotiation deal was completed and the EU referendum formally announced, Mr Soames refers to talks held with the Prime Minister earlier in the month.

He writes that, following up on the meeting, he is planning to contact FTSE 500 companies to urge them to mention the risks of Brexit in their annual reports.

Mr Johnson accused business chiefs of backing Remain while angling for lavish Government contracts.

It makes us look like some banana republic, he said. And it is also now beyond doubt that the so called renegotiation was a fiction designed to bamboozle the public. Downing Street said it would not comment on leaked documents.

Mr Cameron meanwhile urged voters to consider the views of Britains allies, who he said were all against Brexit.

In a claim that renewed criticisms of the Downing Street campaign as driven by scaremongering, the Prime Minister said that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis, would probably welcome Brexit.

Speaking to an audience at the World Economic Forum in London, Mr Cameron said: It is worth asking the question: who would be happy if we left? Putin would be happy. I suspect al-Baghdadi would be happy.

 Cameron's ISIS Brexit warning

Mr Johnson, who this week compared the EUs aims to those of Adolf Hitler, said that to suggest Isis backed Brexit was a bit much.

With the polls suggesting the two campaigns are neck and neck, senior figures in the Leave camp have resurrected the idea of a second referendum in the event of a narrow vote to Remain.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage said that a 52-48 result would be unfinished business, while Mr Johnson suggested next months referendum may not settle the matter.

Asked whether the UKs relationship with the EU would be permanently settled after the vote, he said: There is no way in this referendum you can vote just to remain in the EU as it currently is. It will continue to get more centralised and move ever closer towards a single federal political unit. That, I think, will be difficult for the British people.
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Ken Cameron, the former general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), has died aged 74.

Mr Cameron, who led the trade union for two decades between 1980 and 2000, was a well-known left-wing internationalist who brought his unions domestic clout to bear on international issues.

A critic of apartheid in South Africa and Israeli policy in Palestine, Mr Cameron achieved such international notoriety that he received a personal message of thanks from Nelson Mandela upon his retirement.

He was the first general secretary to bring a pro-Palestine motion at the Trades Union Congress in 1982, and also made Mr Mandela an honourary member of the FBU in 1990.

Though long a Labour member, Mr Cameron advocated trade unions breaking ties with the party in 1999.

The Labour Party no longer sees us as their natural partners. We can no longer rely on them to be our natural allies, he told the TUC annual conference in Brighton in 1990.

His own FBU ultimately disaffiliated from the party in 2004 after his retirement, at the height of a bitter dispute over pay and conditions with Tony Blairs New Labour government.

Notable deaths in 2016 Show all 42 1 /42 Notable deaths in 2016 Notable deaths in 2016 Debbie Reynolds was an American actress, singer, businesswoman, film historian, and humanitarian. She died on December 28 in Los Angeles Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Actress Carrie Fisher died on December 27 aged 60 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Comedian and Actor Ricky Harris died on December 26 aged 54 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 British singer George Michael died on 25 December aged 53 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Rick Parfitt OBE was an English musician, best known for being a singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist in the rock band Status Quo. He died on December 24 in Marbella, Spain Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Lord Jenkin of Roding died at the age of 90 on the 21 December PA wire Notable deaths in 2016 Rabbi Lionel Blue died on the 19 December Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Zsa Zsa Gabor died on December 18 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Leonard Cohen died on 7 November Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Grand secretary of the Orange Order Drew Nelson died on 10 October aged 60 after a short illness PA Notable deaths in 2016 Aaron Pryor, the relentless junior welterweight died Sunday, Oct. 9, at the age of 60 at his home in Cincinnati after a long battle with heart disease AP Notable deaths in 2016 Polish Director Andrzej Wajda died on October 9, aged 90 Reuters Notable deaths in 2016 Stylianos Pattakos has died following a stroke on 8th October. He was 103 years old. AP Notable deaths in 2016 Dickie Jeeps, was an English rugby union player who played for Northampton. He represented and captained both the England national rugby union team and the British Lions in the 1950s and 1960s. He died on 8th October. He was 84 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Duke of Westminster Billionaire landowner the Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor has died on 9 August, aged 64 Rex Features Notable deaths in 2016 Christina Knudsen Sir Roger Moores stepdaughter Christina Knudsen has died from cancer on 25 July at teh age of 47 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Caroline Aherne The actress Caroline Aherne has died from cancer on 2 July at the age of 52 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Christina Grimmie Christina Grimmie, 22, who was an American singer and songwriter, known for her participation in the NBC singing competition The Voice, was signing autographs at a concert venue in Orlando on 10 June when an assailant shot her. Grimmie was transported to a local hospital where she died from her wounds on 11 June Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Kimbo Slice Former UFC and Bellator MMA fighter Kimbo Slice died after being admitted to hospital in Florida on 6 June, aged 42 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Muhammad Ali The three-time former heavyweight world champion died after being admitted to hospital with a respiratory illness on 3 June, aged 74 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Sally Brampton Brampton who was the launch editor of the UK edition of Elle magazine has died on 10 May, aged 60 Grant Triplow/REX/Shutterstock Notable deaths in 2016 Billy Paul The soul singer Billy Paul, who was best known for his single Me and Mrs Jones, has died on 24 April, aged 81 Noel Vasquez/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Prince Prince, the legendary musician, has been found dead at his Paisley Park recording studio on 21 April. He was 57 Notable deaths in 2016 Chyna WWE icon Joan Laurer dies aged 45 after being found at California home on 20 April Notable deaths in 2016 Victoria Wood The five-time Bafta-winning actress and comedian Victoria Wood has died on 20 April at her London home after a short illness with cancer. She was 62 Notable deaths in 2016 David Gest The entertainer and former husband of Liza Minnelli, David Gest has been found dead on 12 April in the Four Seasons hotel in Canary Warf, London. He was 62-years-old PA Notable deaths in 2016 Denise Robertson Denise Robertson, an agony aunt on This Morning for over 30 years, has died on 1 April, aged 83 Notable deaths in 2016 Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Hadid, the prominent architect best known for designs such as the London Olympic Aquatic Centre and the Guangzhou Opera House, has died of a heart attack on 31 March, aged 65 2010 AFP Notable deaths in 2016 Ronnie Corbett British entertainer Ronnie Corbett has passed away on 31 March at the age of 85 2014 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Imre Kertesz Hungarian writer and Holocaust survivor Imre Kertesz, who won the 2002 Nobel Literature Prize, has died on 31 March, at the age of 86 REUTERS Notable deaths in 2016 Rob Ford Rob Ford, the former controversial mayor of Toronto, has died following a battle with a rare form of cancer. The 46-year-old passed away at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on 22 March Notable deaths in 2016 Joey Feek Joey (left) passed away in March after a two-year cancer illness. She was part of country music duo, Joey + Rory, with her husband Rory (right) Jason Merritt/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Umberto Eco Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco died 19 February 2016 aged 84 EPA Notable deaths in 2016 Harper Lee Harper Lee, the American novelist known for writing 'To Kill a Mockingbird', died February 19, 2016 aged 89 2005 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Vanity Vanity, pictured performing in 1983, died aged 57 REX Features Notable deaths in 2016 Dave Mirra The BMX legend's body found inside truck with gunshot wound after apparent suicide aged 41 Notable deaths in 2016 Harry Harpham The former miner became Sheffield Labour MP in May after many years as a local councillor. He died after succumbing to cancer, at the age of 61. 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The union has in recent months however moved to reaffiliate with Labour since the election of Mr Corbyn.

Matt Wrack, the current FBU general secretary, said Mr Cameron advocated causes unpopular causes and embodied everything that was good about the work of firefighters.

We are all feeling a tremendous sense of loss at the passing of Ken Cameron, as will the rest of the Labour movement. Ken was a forward thinking, socialist union leader who devoted many years of his life to ensuring that firefighters pay and conditions were protected following the fallout from the strikes of 1977-78, he said.

He was also a champion of international causes such as Cuba, South Africa and Palestine, causes that werent especially popular or fashionable at the time. Ken defended everything that was good about the work of firefighters.

He will be much missed by this union and by firefighters all around the country. His work with us will never, ever be forgotten.

Alan McLean, FBU president, said Mr Cameron counted world leaders as his friends and would be mourned.

Ken was a humble man, small in stature but who walked with giants, counting Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela as friends and comrades, he said.

Ken will be mourned not only by our movement but by workers all over the world.
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Queen Elizabeth and organisers of her 90th birthday extravaganza have been criticised by a leading human rights organisation for the decision to seat her next to the King of Bahrain.

The Queens birthday bash on Sunday evening  hosted by comedy duo Ant and Dec at Windsor Castle  featured 900 horses as part of the annual Royal Windsor Horse show.

She watched the performance with the King of Bahrain, who was sitting on her right, alongside the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

Human Rights Watch said the decision to place the Queen next Bahrains head of state was an error of judgement.

Nicholas McGeehan, a gulf researcher at HRW, told The Independent: "In isolation it looks like an injudicious decision to seat King Hamad next to the Queen, but the reality is that the British monarchy have maintained close ties with the Al-Khalifas in even bloodier times and more repressive times in Bahrain.

"It will no doubt be hugely pleasing to the current British government who have been over backwards to demonstrate their friendship to Bahrains rulers and been shamefully silent over their human rights abuses."

Amnesty International UKs head of policy and government affairs Allan Hogarth told The Independent: King Hamad presumably enjoyed his ringside seat at the Queens birthday bash, but the disturbing reality for people back in Bahrain is a never-ending cycle of arrests, tear-gas raids, torture in detention and long prison sentences for peaceful protesters.

According to a report by Amnesty the government of Bahrain in the past year has continued to curtail freedoms of expression, association and assembly and cracked down further on online and other dissent.

It adds: Opposition leaders remained imprisoned; some were prisoners of conscience. Torture and other ill-treatment remained common. Scores were sentenced to long prison terms after unfair trials. Authorities stripped at least 208 people of their Bahraini nationality. Eight people were sentenced to death; there were no executions.

Referring to the organisers of the Royal Windsor Horse show, a Buckingham Palace source told The Independent the King of Bahrain was there at their behest.

H Power, a privately owned events management company responsible for the smooth delivery of the annual horse show, said he was there because he supports the horse show but refused to elaborate further.
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A Ukip MEP has invoked legal immunity given to her by the European Parliament in a slander and libel case brought against her in a British court.

In 2014 Jane Collins made a speech at Ukip conference, which it was claimed, alleged that Rotherhams three Labour MPs had known about child abuse in the town before it became public knowledge and had failed to act.

The MPs, Kevin Barron, John Healey and Sarah Champion, subsequently sued Ms Collins over the allegations, describing them as deeply damaging and totally baseless.

Ms Collins, who was her partys candidate at the Rotherham by-election in 2012, said in a hearing on Monday that a letter would be arriving from the European Parliament to officially request immunity in the case.

On Tuesday judge Mr Justice Warby said he was obliged to grant a stay on the case until the European issue was revolved.

Gavin Millar QC, who is representing the Rotherham MPs, said in the High Court on Tuesday that eurosceptic Ms Collins was seeking assert the primacy of this piece of EU law over the law and procedure in the court of England and Wales.

At a hearing in April last year Judge Mr Justice Warby found Ms Collins had stated, as an allegation of fact, that each of the MPs knew many of the details of the exploitation yet deliberately chose not to intervene and allowed it to continue.

Her lawyers had argued that she had merely stated an opinion.

Members of the European Parliament receive some legal immunity (EPA)

A settlement to pay damages to the MPs was reached by her legal team, but Ms Collins has now applied to set the agreement aside, saying she did not give proper consent for it.

British MPs have parliamentary privilege to say anything they like in the House of Commons and in committees without fear of an action for slander  but can be sued for anything they say outside of the chamber.

Members of the European Parliament shall not be subject to any form of inquiry, detention or legal proceedings in respect of opinions expressed or votes cast by them in the performance of their duties and additionally receive the same privileges as national MPs.

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

The European Parliament however has the right to waive the immunity of any of its members, and it is not yet clear whether immunity applies in this case.

The Judge in the case must await the opinion of the European Parliament once he has been made aware of a bid for immunity, however.

The European Parliament says these protections are in place to protect the freedom of expression and independence of Members of the European Parliament, as has been expressly recognised by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Rotherhams three MPs said in a joint statement on the matter: It is 18 months since we challenged the deeply damaging and totally baseless allegations Jane Collins made in a speech to the Ukip national conference. At every stage since then shes tried to duck and delay the process of justice.

The judge today was set to decide on the damages she must pay but instead the court was confronted by the absurd irony of a Ukip MEP claiming EU sovereignty and immunity as an MEP from action in the British courts.

This may be justice delayed but it will not be justice denied. We are totally determined to hold her to account for the defamatory allegations she made against us.

Ms Collins said Labour were hypocrites.

EU law has been supreme to UK law since 1988 and this is something the Labour Party by supporting the remain campaign with to continue, she said.

It seems bizarre these three are so keen for UK law to be supreme when it suits them but not when it suits the country.

Additional reporting by PA
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Labour members would overwhelmingly reject any attempt by the partys MPs to replace Jeremy Corbyn as leader, a new poll suggests.

The YouGov survey for The Times newspaper found that a significant 64 per cent of members would vote for Mr Corbyn in a leadership ballot triggered by an attempted coup.

Just a third, 33 per cent, say they would not vote for him.

The findings mean it would be effectively impossible to topple the Labour leader under current circumstances were he to make it on the ballot paper.

The findings represent an increase in support for Mr Corbyn among full party members compared to when he was elected in September 2015 on 49.5 per cent of first preference votes.

The increase may be down to a significant increase in membership since he was elected leader.

At that time he was elected by Labours wider measure of membership including affiliates and supporters with 59.5 per cent of first preference votes.

Support for Mr Corbyn among the party has grown and solidified since he came to office. A survey in February found that he was approved of by 72 per cent of Labour members with just 17 per cent disapproving.

Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Show all 12 1 /12 Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn's reshuffle Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn and the Syria bombing vote Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn asks questions from the public at PMQs, meanwhile backbenchers plot to oust him Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn is unavailable to attend the Privy Council Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Conference rejects Corbyns call to debate Trident Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn At Labour conference Corbyn and McDonnell press for a Robin Hood tax Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyns hopes for a new politics look optimistic in the face of a media barrage Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn enters Labour leadership race

Former leader Tony Blair reportedly warned at the end of last year that it would be impossible to keep Mr Corbyn off the ballot paper.

There is also no consensus among Mr Corbyn's critics about who should replace him. The latest YouGov survey found that 19 per cent would vote for Dan Jarvis, 17 per cent for Andy Burnham, 13 per cent Yvette Cooper and 5 per cent Chuka Umunna.

Mr Corbyn sought to address his critics at the annual conference of New Labour pressure group Progress on Saturday.

He told conference attendees in a speech that Labour needed to win power in order to affect change, conceding that the partys result in this months local elections was not strong enough.

The latest phone poll by the ICM firm for the Guardian newspaper shows Labour trailing the Tories by two points, on 34 per cent to 36 per cent.

This result would suggest Labour having climbed by four points since the general election and the Tories having fallen by one point.
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Labour members overwhelmingly blame MPs critical of Jeremy Corbyn for dividing their party, a new survey suggests.

Asked who was to blame for Labour being divided, 62 per cent of members blamed the hostile MPs compared to 15 per cent who said Mr Corbyn and his allies were to blame.

21 per cent of members who believed the party was divided said they blamed both sides equally, the YouGov survey for The Times newspaper found.

Recommended Read more Jeremy Corbyn would easily win a second Labour leadership contest

Notably, criticism of hostile MPs recent conduct was not only confined to those who are loyal to Mr Corbyn.

They were blamed as the single biggest factor behind the acrimony in the party by 26 per cent of members who voted for Yvette Cooper in the leadership contest  not far from the proportion who blamed Mr Corbyn (31 per cent).

A slightly lower proportion of Andy Burnhams former supporters blamed the MPs, however, and very few of Liz Kendalls.

In total, 71 per cent believed the party was divided, 18 per cent believe it was not, and 11 said they didn't know.

The same survey found that Labour members would overwhelmingly return Mr Corbyn to office with increased support were another leadership election be held today.

A number of Labour MPs, mostly from the right of the party, refused to serve in Mr Corbyns cabinet in the days following his election.

Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Show all 12 1 /12 Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn's reshuffle Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn and the Syria bombing vote Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn asks questions from the public at PMQs, meanwhile backbenchers plot to oust him Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn is unavailable to attend the Privy Council Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Conference rejects Corbyns call to debate Trident Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn At Labour conference Corbyn and McDonnell press for a Robin Hood tax Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyns hopes for a new politics look optimistic in the face of a media barrage Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn enters Labour leadership race

The increased support for Mr Corbyn suggests the MPs' interventions may have been counterproductive.

Since then some have made public interventions against his leadership, which they say will lead Labour to defeat at the 2020 general election.

John Woodcock branded Mr Corbyns performed at PMQs in March as a f***ing disaster and later warned the party cannot go on like this.

Mr Corbyn sacked MP Michael Dugher for alleged disloyalty after he warned against a revenge reshuffle of internal critics out of the shadow cabinet.

The leader was also attacked after the party barred McDonalds from setting up a lobbying staff at its party conference on account of its record on workers' rights and trade unions.

There were rumblings of a coup against Mr Corbyn after Mays local election result, but none materialised after it transpired that Labour had done better than expected.

A week after the local election results came in Mr Corbyn addressed his critics at the annual conference of New Labour pressure group Progress.

He said the party needed to do more to win in 2020 and that it could not change the country out of government.
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Nigel Farage provoked outrage from people campaigning on his own side during a live debate on the EU referendum.

The Ukip leader stunned fellow Leave supporter Dreda Say Mitchell by accusing the Labour party of promoting immigration because it "wanted to rub our noses in diversity".

During a debate on whether Britain should leave the EU, Lord Peter Mandelson said the Ukip leader was only "interested in stirring the pot" to suit his political grievances against Brussels.

Mr Farage replied: "You wanted to rub our noses in diversity didnt you Lord Mandelson, isn't that right?"

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.

His comment caused Lord Mandelson to angrily shout back:What's wrong with diversity? Why shouldnt we have people of different ethnic backgrounds, different colours, different religions?

Youre sitting next to a black person!

Crime author Mitchell, seated next to Mr Farage in the debate hosted by the Mirror, asks him: "How can you say that while you're sitting next to me?"

Mr Farage said he was quoting Lord Mandelson from 1998, who disputed the claim, saying: "I never said any such thing as you well know. So don't make it up as you go along."

The Ukip leader adds: The point is Labour tried this as a deliberate policy and its hurt working people.

 Cameron's ISIS Brexit warning

Mr Farage appears not to have been quoting Lord Mandelson, but instead Andrew Neather, a former adviser to Tony Blair.

In 2009, Mr Neather claimed Labour encouraged immigration partly to promote diversity, saying: "Earlier drafts I saw also included a driving political purpose: that mass immigration was the way that the Government was going to make the UK truly multicultural.

"I remember coming away from some discussions with the clear sense that the policy was intended  even if this wasnt its main purpose  to rub the Rights nose in diversity and render their arguments out of date."
News / National

by Staff reporter

The government says it will not make premature decisions to re-introduce the Zimbabwean dollar as a lot needs to be done.The Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Cde Patrick Chinamasa told the Zanu PF Manicaland provincial leadership in Mutare that building the country's reserves is a major priority before re-introducing the Zimbabwean dollar."There is no need for panic about these bond notes, they are a short term measure to address the liquidity challenge. So to set the record straight, the Zimbabwean dollar is not returning soon."Zimbabwe has become the most expensive country in terms of production, causing a decline in exports and an upsurge of imports, hence the cash crisis as the few US dollars are being wiped out of circulation through imports."Corruption and false declaration at the country's border posts have also chocked the economy, with many goods that have been banned still finding their way into the country," decried Cde Chinamasa.The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) last week announced the introduction of bond notes to curb money flowing out of the country, as part of the measures to address cash shortages.The bond notes will be backed by US$200 million Afreximbank loan facility.
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The State Opening of Parliament is swathed in tradition and echoes of history. It marks the formal start of the Parliamentary year and the Queens Speech sets out the Governments agenda for the coming session of Parliament.

Follow the latest live updates here

The ceremony itself, which takes in the Queens departure from Buckingham Palace, her journey to Westminster, and the speech itself, is involves a series of antiquated traditions and symbols:

The hostage MP

Much of the symbolism of the Queens Speech dates back to a time when the relationship between monarch and parliament was less cordial. Every year, as the Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, tradition dictates that an MP stays in the palace as a hostage: a token of good faith to guarantee the monarchs safe return. Last year the role was performed by Conservative MP Kris Hopkins.

Searching of the cellars

It was the State Opening of Parliament that Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plotters had in their sights in 1605. If they had succeeded they would have wiped out virtually every layer of British authority in one fell swoop. To avoid any repeat of the Plot, the cellars of the Houses of Parliament are still searched every year by the Yeomen of the Guard  the Queens traditional bodyguard  in advance of the State Opening. The search is only ceremonial  real life anti-terror measures take place separately and somewhat more rigorously.

The Imperial State Crown arrives for the State Opening of Parliament (Getty Images)

The robe and crown

After her journey, in a horse drawn carriage, escorted by the Household Cavalry, the Queen enters Parliament at the Sovereigns Entrance and makes her way to a special Robing Room. Here, she puts on the Imperial State Crown, the current version of which dates back to 1937, and the Robe of State, made of red velvet, with an 18ft long train.

The Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance

The Crown and the other items of Regalia  the Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance - are brought to Parliament ahead of the Queen in their own carriage.

As the Queen makes her way from the Robing Room, through a grand room called the Royal Gallery, to the House of Lords, she is preceded by a peer, usually the Leader of the House of Lords, carrying a ceremonial hat called the Cap of Maintenance, and another peer, usually a retired military officer, carrying the Sword of State.

The throne

Upon entering the House of Lords, the Queen takes her seat on an ornate gilded throne, the design of which is based on the early 14th century coronation chair in Westminster Abbey. She is often accompanied by Duke of Edinburgh or Prince Charles who may sit on lower thrones on either side.

Black Rod approaches the House of Commons prior to the arrival of the Queen (Getty Images)

Black Rod

Once the Queen is enthroned, a senior officer of the House of Lords, known as Black Rod, is sent from the Lords chamber to the House of Commons chamber to summon MPs.

Since 1642, when King Charles I came to arrest five MPs in the run-up to the English Civil War, no monarch has set foot in the House of Commons chamber. To assert the superiority of the Commons, the door of the chamber is traditionally slammed shut against Black Rod, who is obliged to knock three times with his ceremonial staff (his black rod). If you look carefully on a visit to Parliament, you can see the dent in the woodwork where successive Black Rods have made their mark.

The door is opened to him, he invites MPs to attend the Queens speech, and they follow him to the House of Lords, led by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
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Shocking images of a protester being beaten and kicked by riot police in Kenya have ignited outrage over a crackdown on demonstrators.

Thousands of people were sharing a photo showing an officer wearing body armour and a shield kicking a man as he lay incapacitated on the ground.

"This image...will live on in infamy," wrote Al Jazeera Imran Garda in a Twitter post re-tweeted by more than 1,200 people.

A Kenyan riot policeman repeatedly kicks a protester as he lies in the street after tripping over while trying to flee (AP)

The incident was captured by Associated Press photographer Ben Curtis as police deployed water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters calling for electoral reforms in Nairobi.

Footage showed the man running out of a building before he fell to the ground and was quickly set upon by two police officers on Monday.

One beat him so hard with a large wooden truncheon that it broke into pieces, causing him to resort to kicking.

The officer appeared to take deliberate aim between the mans legs before a third officer joined the beating.

Warning: This video contains disturbing images

The protester feebly raised one hand at the start of the assault but then lay still in the road.

His fate was initially unknown but as reports of his death spread around Kenya, the Capital FM radio station said its reporters had found the man, named as Boniface Manono, alive in Kibera.

Reporters said the 36-year-old was recovering from his injuries in bed, picturing him wearing the same outfit seen on footage from Monday.

Videos from the protests showed bloodied protesters running screaming from riot officers, who were carrying wooden truncheons and shields.

At one point a shot was heard coming from inside a building, although it was unclear who fired it or if anyone was injured.

Hundreds of protesters had gathered outside the offices of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in Narobi as part of demonstrations calling for the oversight body to be scrapped.

In pictures: Kenyan police crackdown on protests Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Kenyan police crackdown on protests In pictures: Kenyan police crackdown on protests Kenya protests Protesters run away from the police during clashes in Nairobi, Kenya May 16, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Kenyan police crackdown on protests Kenya protests Kenyan riot police officers use water canon to disperse supporters of the Kenya's opposition Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), during a protest on May 16, 2016 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Kenyan police crackdown on protests Kenya protests A man is knocked off his motorbike by Kenyan riot police officers during a demonstration of Kenya's opposition supporters in Nairobi, on May 16, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Kenyan police crackdown on protests Kenya protests Opposition supporters, some carrying rocks, flee from clouds of tear gas fired by riot police, during a protest in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Monday, May 16, 2016. AP In pictures: Kenyan police crackdown on protests Kenya protests An elderly woman caught up in the clashes holds her hands in the air as a riot policeman approach amidst clouds of tear gas, during a protest in downtown Nairobi, Kenya Monday, May 16, 2016. AP In pictures: Kenyan police crackdown on protests Kenya protests A Kenyan riot policeman repeatedly kicks a protester as he lies in the street after tripping over while trying to flee from them, during a protest in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, May 16, 2016. AP In pictures: Kenyan police crackdown on protests Kenya protests A Kenyan riot policeman repeatedly kicks a protester as he lies in the street after tripping over while trying to flee AP In pictures: Kenyan police crackdown on protests Kenya protests Kenyan riot police officers raise batons over a man during a demonstration of Kenya's opposition supporters in Nairobi, on May 16, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Kenyan police crackdown on protests Kenya protests A man runs past a riot police officer trying to kick him during electoral reform protests in Nairobi, Kenya, 16 May 2016. EPA In pictures: Kenyan police crackdown on protests Kenya protests An injured man crawls out of a building after he was beaten by police during a protest in Nairobi, Kenya, 16 May 2016. EPA

Police deployed tear gas and water cannons as some protesters threw stones at their lines.

Officials said they were forced to act to end rioting and looting in the capital but the hashtag #StopPoliceBrutality was trending on Twitter as Kenyans voiced their horror.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCH) said at least one person was believed to have died following the clashes.

Chairperson Kagwiria Mbogori said demonstrators suffered serious bodily harm even in cases where they had already been subdued.

The group said police actions had violated Kenyas constitution and international humanitarian law.

A man is knocked off his motorbike by Kenyan riot police officers during the demonstration (AFP/Getty Images)

When police disobey the law with such corrosive impunity, they lose legitimacy as law enforcers and alienate themselves from the very public they are mandated to serve, she added.

Where protests turn violent, the police must be able to isolate the criminal elements from the rest of the protesters.

Use of force by security forces during protests should be a last resort and must be necessary and proportionate. The use of brutal and indiscriminate force is counterproductive.

The KNCH was calling for the commanders of Mondays operation to be held accountable.

Joseph Boinnet, the head of Kenyas national police service, said an internal investigation was underway.

I condemn the lawlessness visited on the public by rioters yesterday and an internal inquiry is under way to determine whether any police officer broke any law while quelling the riots, he said in a statement.

Opposition supporters, some carrying rocks, flee from clouds of tear gas fired by riot police (AP)

A group of 15 arrested protesters reportedly pleaded guilty to taking part in an illegal demonstration in a court on Tuesday.

They denied the more serious charge of being armed and breaching the peace.

Protests and scuffles with police were also reported in other cities, including Kisumu and Kisii, both in western Kenya.

The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord), which has accused the IEBC of bias ahead of Kenyas 2017 elections, said demonstrations would continue.

They are led by opposition leader Raila Odinga, who lost the most recent election in 2013 to President Uhuru Kenyatta.

After the disputed 2007 vote, about 1,200 were killed in ethnic fighting, causing international calls for authorities to work carefully with citizens to ensure peaceful polls.



Additional reporting by agencies
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A Kenyan man disrupted the mourning of murdered businessman Jacob Juma by clinging to the helicopter carrying the dead mans body.

Jumas body was discovered on May 6 after he was murdered by unidentified gunmen while driving home from a bar in a wealthy suburb of the capital Nairobi. A prominent businessman and anti-government critic, Juma had previously sued the state-run National Cereals and Produce Board for more than 500 million Kenyan shillings ($5 million) after an alleged breach of contract with his maize company Erad Supplies in 2004.

Mourners had gathered in Bungoma, western Kenya, on Friday to pay their respects before Jumas body was to be transported to his burial site. As the helicopter carrying Jumas body attempted to take off, however, a local manidentified as Saleh Wanjala by Kenyan mediaclung to the helicopter skis and would not let go, despite the pilot lowering the helicopter for him to drop off, instead flying off into the distance.

Wanjala had reportedly wanted to get a better look at Jumas body, but the stunt led to him being branded as Bungomas James Bond by bemused Kenyans on social media.

Nairobi News reported that Wanjala eventually jumped off after the pilot lowered the helicopter at Bungomas airstrip. Wanjala suffered injuries to his hip, elbow and eyebrow, and was treated at Bungoma Referral Hospital. Bungomas governor Mohamed Maalim said that Wanjala was under police observation and would be charged for endangering his own life and the pilots life once recuperated, Kenyas Standard News Digital reported.

Jumas death has been a source of controversy in Kenya. Opposition leader Raila Odingaof whom Juma was a major supporterhas accused a police hit called the Kwekwe squad of carrying out the murder, though police have denied that such a unit exists, according to Standard News Digital.
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Western powers are taking their first steps back towards military engagement in Libya with proposals to supply the countrys UN brokered government with weapons and train its forces.

An International summit in Vienna declared that a current UN arms embargo imposed on the country should be amended to allow weapons to be sent to the Government of National Accord (GNA) which is seeking to establish itself in the capital, Tripoli, after arriving recently from neighbouring Tunisia.

All five permanent members of the UN Security Council and 15 other countries attending the meeting have agreed on a communique stating that they are ready to respond to the Libyan government's requests for training and equipping of forces to counter Isis and other extremist groups.

The states will back an application due to be made by the GNA to the UNs Libya sanctions committee to procure necessary lethal arms and materiel to counter UN-designated terrorist groups and to combat Isis throughout the country.

The embargo will remain in place, however, for groups which do not back the GNA, the international powers hold. This would include parts of a hitherto internationally-recognised administration based in Tobruk and an Islamist counterpart in Tripoli which have both, so far, rejected the UN-backed government led by Fayez al-Serraj.

John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, who co-chaired the summit with Italian Foreign Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, said The GNA is the only entity that can unify the country. It is the only way to ensure that vital institutions fall under representative and acknowledged authority. It is the only way to generate the cohesion necessary to defeat Isis.

In pictures: The rise of Isis Show all 74 1 /74 In pictures: The rise of Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters of the Islamic State wave the group's flag from a damaged display of a government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from Islamic State group sit on their tank during a parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from the Islamic State group pray at the Tabqa air base after capturing it from the Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from extremist Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping A video uploaded to social networks shows men in underwear being marched barefoot along a desert road before being allegedly executed by Isis Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Haruna Yukawa after his capture by Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Khalinda Sharaf Ajour, a Yazidi, says two of her daughters were captured by Isis militants Washington Post In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Spokesperson for Isis Vice News via Youtube In pictures: The rise of Isis A pro-Isis leaflet A pro-Isis leaflet handed out on Oxford Street In London Ghaffar Hussain In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Isis Jihadists burn their passports In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A man collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A woman collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid Local civilians queue for aid administered by Isis. Since it declared a caliphate the group has increasingly been delivering services such as healthcare, and distributing aid and free fuel In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces detain men suspected of being militants of the Isis group in Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Mourners carry the coffin of a Shi'ite volunteer from the brigades of peace, who joined the Iraqi army and was killed during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Samarra, during his funeral in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Shiite Turkmen family fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, arrives at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi A photograph made from a video by the jihadist affiliated group Furqan Media via their twitter account allegedly showing Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamist caliphate in the territory under the group's control in Iraq and Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Smoke and debris go up in the air as Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul. Images posted online show that Islamic extremists have destroyed at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory - the city of Mosul and the town of Tal Afar - they have seized in northern Iraq in recent weeks In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq A bulldozer destroys Sunni's Ahmed al-Rifai shrine and tomb in Mahlabiya district outside of Tal Afar In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces celebrate after clashes with followers of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi, in front of his home in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi at his home after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A vehicle burns in front of a home of a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman holds her exhausted son as over 1000 Iraqis who have fled fighting in and around the city of Mosul and Tal Afar wait at a Kurdish checkpoint in the hopes of entering a temporary displacement camp in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees Displaced Iraqi women hold pots as they queue to receive food during the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at an encampment for displaced Iraqis who fled from Mosul and other towns, in the Khazer area outside Irbil, north Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters travel in a vehicle as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade with a missile in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from an al-Qaida splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from the splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters hold a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A member loyal to the Isis waves an Isis flag in Raqqa In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in the western Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The United Nations warned that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as a bloody four-day wave of violence killed 195 people. The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago, raising fears of a return to all-out sectarian conflict In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Isis group they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Isis fighters parade in the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Isis group, demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony after completing their field training in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Kurdish Peshmerga troops fire a cannon during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Jalawla, Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference Iraqi Prime Minister's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference about the latest military development in Iraq, in the capital Baghdad. Iraqi forces pressed a campaign to retake militant-held Tikrit, clashing with jihadist-led Sunni militants nearby and pounding positions inside the city with air strikes in their biggest counter-offensive so far In pictures: The rise of Isis A police station building destroyed by Isis fighters An exterior view of a police station building destroyed by gunmen in Mosul city, northern Iraq. Iraq's new parliament is expected to convene to start the process of setting up a new government, despite deepening political rifts and an ongoing Islamist-led insurgency. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani issued a decree inviting the new House of Representatives to meet and form a new government In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Smoke billows from an area controlled by the Isis between the Iraqi towns of Naojul and Tuz Khurmatu, both located north of the capital Baghdad, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces take part in an operation to repel the Sunni militants In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An elderly Iraqi woman is helped into a temporary displacement camp for Iraqis caught-up in the fighting in and around the city of Mosul in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kms east of the northern province of Nineveh, cries upon her arrival at a community center in the Kurdish city of Arbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman, who fled with her family from the northern city of Mosul, prays with a copy of the Quran AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq The body of an Isis militant killed during clashes with Iraqi security forces on the outskirts of the city of Samarra Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi civilians inspect the damage at a market after an air strike by the Iraqi army in central Mosul EPA In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the city AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Shia tribesmen gather in Baghdad to take up arms against Sunni insurgents marching on the capital. Thousands have volunteered to bolster defences AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A van carrying volunteers joining Iraqi security forces against Jihadist militants. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced the Iraqi government would arm and equip civilians who volunteered to fight AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters of the Isis group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An Islamist fighter, identified as Abu Muthanna al-Yemeni from Britain (R), speaks in this still image taken undated video shot at an unknown location and uploaded to a social media website. Five Islamist fighters identified as Australian and British nationals have called on Muslims to join the wars in Syria and Iraq, in the new video released by the Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Al-Qaida inspired militants stand with captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad. The fighting at Beiji comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Isis group. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinein Baiji as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants from the Isis group parading with their weapons in the northern city of Baiji in the in Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A smoke rises after an attack by Isis militants on the country's largest oil refinery in Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad. Iraqi security forces battled insurgents targeting the country's main oil refinery and said they regained partial control of a city near the Syrian border, trying to blunt an offensive by Sunni militants who diplomats fear may have also seized some 100 foreign workers In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group stand next to captured vehicles left behind by Iraqi security forces at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province. For militant groups, the fight over public perception can be even more important than actual combat, turning military losses into propaganda victories and battlefield successes into powerful tools to build support for the cause In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An injured fighter (C) from the Isis group after a battle with Iraqi soldiers at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis aiming at advancing Iraqi troops at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group taking position at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group inspecting vehicles of the Iraqi army after they were seized at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq One Iraqi captive, a corporal, is reluctant to say the slogan, and has to be shouted at repeatedly before he obeys Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group force captured Iraqi security forces members to the transport In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group transporting dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members to an unknown location in the Salaheddin province ahead of executing them In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A major offensive spearheaded by Isis but also involving supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein has overrun all of one province and chunks of three others In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants taking position at a Iraqi border post on the Syrian-Iraqi border between the Iraqi Nineveh province and the Syrian town of Al-Hasakah In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis rebels show their flag after seizing an army post AFP/Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants waving an Islamist flag after the seizure of an Iraqi army checkpoint in Salahuddin Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Demonstrators chant slogans as they carry al-Qaida flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. In the week since it captured Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, a Muslim extremist group has tried to win over residents and has stopped short of widely enforcing its strict brand of Islamic law, residents say. Churches remain unharmed and street cleaners are back at work

Isis and other extremist groups had established themselves in Libya, taking advantage of the chaos following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafis regime following a Nato air campaign of which David Cameron and the then French president Nicolas Sarkozy were the chief cheerleaders. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier introduced a note of caution on what lay ahead.

The key question is whether Libya remains a place where terrorism, criminal human smuggling and instability continue to expand, or if we are able, together with the government of national unity to recover stability, he said as the talks went under way. That, at present, is an open question.

Although special forces from a number of countries, including Britain, are in Libya taking part in an anti-Isis mission, plans to deploy 6,000 European troops, led by Italy and with a projected UK contingent of around a thousand, is not being pursued for the time being.

There is a strong possibility, however, that air support will be provided for the forces of the NGA in operations after they have received training.

The training process itself, however, may be problematic. A programme under which Libyans were being trained by British forces in England two years ago was scrapped after a breakdown in discipline and some of the recruits being charged with criminal offences, including sexual assaults. The expectation is that Western troops will have to be based in the country to carry out training, with the possibility that this will leave them vulnerable to attack by jihadists.

Mattia Toaldo, of the European Council on Foreign Relations, stressed that the West should not focus on military solutions. He said: Europeans now have what they asked for, namely a unity government ruling from the capital. They should take care not to burden it with unrealistic demands, from ending the migrant crisis to defeating Isis. Instead, the West should work to strengthen the governments political control over the country.

Efforts must be made, said Mr Toaldo, to alleviate the economic crisis which threatens to worsen the situation on migration and Isis, and to press Mr Serrajs government to reconcile with the Tobruk administration.
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The US senate has passed legislation that would allow the victims of the September 11 attacks to file lawsuits seeking damages from officials from Saudi Arabia - a move that sets the bill for a showdown with the White House.

Fifteen of the nineteen men who hijacked four planes and flew them into targets in New York and Washington in 2001 were Saudi citizens, though Riyadh has always denied having any role in the attacks.

A US commission established in the aftermath of the attacks also concluded there was no evidence of official Saudi connivance. However, the White House has been under pressure to declassify a 28-page section of the report that was never published on the grounds of national security.

The report reportedly offers evidence of links between 'certain Saudi individuals' and the terrorists behind the 2001 attacks (GETTY)

The families have been trying to use the courts to hold responsible members of the Saudi royal family, Saudi banks and charities. Yet these efforts have been largely blocked because of a 1976 law that gives foreign nations some immunity from lawsuits in American courts.

The bill passed by the Senate would circumvent that earlier legislation. It now needs to go the House.

In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 President Bush was visiting Emma E Brooker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida as news of the attack on the World Trade Center broke In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 The president and his staff, including Press Secretary Ari Fleischer (L) were then brought to a holding room at the school, where he prepared to address the nation In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 President Bush was then rushed onto Air Force One and was flown to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. He watched television coverage of the attacks from his office on the plane In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 President Bush talks on the telephone at the General Dougherty Conference Center at Barksdale Air Force Base In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 President Bush is seen with his senior adviser Karl Rove at Barksdale Air Force Base In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 The president with White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card at Barksdale Air Force Base. Before leaving the base, the president held a press conference at which he said, Make no mistake: The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 The president was consoled by Lt Col Cindy Wright of the White House Military Office aboard Air Force One. After leaving Louisiana, the president was flown to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska before he headed back to Washington In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 President Bush arrived at the White House Presidential Emergency Operations Center around 7 pm. Here he is shown with his wife, First Lady Laura Bush, Vice President Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 At 8:30 pm, the president addressed the nation from the White House. In his speech, he set the tone for the wars to come in Afghanistan and Iraq In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 Ive directed the full resources for our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and bring them to justice, the president said. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbour them In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 The presidents speech on the teleprompter In pictures: President Bushs immediate response to 9/11 11 September 2001 Immediately following the speech, the president had a national security meeting with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and others

The Saudis are furious over the bill and have threatened to sell up to $750bn in US securities and other American assets in retaliation if it becomes law. President Barack Obama has said he would veto the bill.

Yet there appears to be significant public support for the legislation. If the bill becomes law, it would remove the sovereign immunity, preventing lawsuits against governments, for countries found to be involved in terrorist attacks on US soil. It would allow survivors of the attacks, and relatives of those killed in the attacks, to seek damages from other countries.

Last week, the Guardian reported that a former member of the commission that investigated the attacks believed there was evidence that some Saudi officials had supported the hijackers.

The allegations of Saudi involvement in the attacks come against a backdrop of the ultra-conservative Kingdoms funding violent Islamist groups (AP)

John Lehman, who sat on the 9/11 Commission from 2003 to 2004, said there was an awful lot of circumstantial evidence implicating several employees in the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs.

There was an awful lot of participation by Saudi individuals in supporting the hijackers, and some of those people worked in the Saudi government, he said.

Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York, a co-sponsor, said the bill was overdue and that, because it only applies to attacks on US soil, did not risk lawsuits against the United States.

Today the Senate has spoken loudly and unanimously that the families of victims of terrorist attacks should be able to hold the perpetrators, even if its a country, a nation, accountable, Mr Schumer told a news conference, according to Reuters.

Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas, also a sponsor of the bill, said JASTA did not target the Saudis, although he alluded to a still-classified section of a report on the September 11 attacks that Saudi critics say might implicate Riyadh.

We have yet to see the 28 pages that have not been yet released about the 9/11 report, and that may well be instructive, Mr Cornyn said.
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An American businessman is attempting to raise 1m to stage a recreation of the 9/11 terror attacks, in what he calls a bid to end conspiracy theories about the collapse of the World Trade Centre.

Paul Salo, who now lives in Thailand, is attempting to crowd fund the important project he says will prove whether 9/11 conspiracy theories are true once and for all.

In a YouTube video, Mr Salo said he wants to purchase a Boeing 747 with a working black box, fill it with jet fuel and crash it into a derelict tower at 500mph.

Mr Salo is selling front-row seats for $5,000 (3,450) to the event he hopes to stage in a rural location in Thailand.

What were going to do is purchase a building thats about to be torn down in the countryside, in a safe place, were not going to injure anybody. And were taking a fully loaded airplane and were going to crash at five hundred miles an hour directly into the building using auto pilot to find out exactly whats going to happen to the building, he says in the video.

He says the project will tell us a lot about what happened at 9/11.

Obviously, if theres just a smoking hole in the building and nothing happens, you pretty much know its a hoax, he says. Were going to see the physics at work.

Sure, some people might be upset, but we deserve to find out what happened, he adds.

Following the collapse of the World Trade Centre towers in 2001, conspiracy theorists have argued the towers collapse looked like a controlled demolition.
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Like Madonna and Prince, Emilio Navaira was known to his legion fans by just one name.

Over a career that spanned several decades, he performed both Country and Tejano music. Indeed, Emilio was sometimes called the Garth Brooks of Tejano.

On Tuesday, it was reported that the 53-year-old had died after suffering a massive heart attack.

After reaching popularity in the 1990s, Navaira won a Grammy for best Tejano album in 2002.

Among his hits were Tu Robaste Mi Corazon, which he sang with fellow artist Selena, and the English-language Its Not the End of the World.

Fellow artists and fans paid tribute to the the San Antonio native that many called a legend.

In 2008 he suffered severe brain injuries after crashing his tour bus while driving drunk in Houston.

In recent years he had begun touring again, and was nominated for a Latin Grammy for best Norteno album in 2013.

NBC said that a neighbour who lived across the street from Mr Navaira in San Antonio said he spoke with his wife, shortly after she found him lying unresponsive on the floor in their home.

He moved across the street from me about a year ago and just recently started working on his health, said man, who did not wish to be named.

Every day he rode his bike trying to get back into shape. He was such a nice guy, and neighbour, too.
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The chance of Canada restarting production at one of its most important oil and gas facilities has been set back, after up to 12,000 workers were ordered to evacuate from the fire ravaged city of Fort McMurray.

As authorities continued to battle to bring the devastating wildfires under control, a mandatory evacuation order was on Monday night extended to 30 miles north of the Alberta city. Earlier in the day, officials had said the air quality was dangerously poor in the area, from which 80,000 residents were forced to leave their homes two weeks ago.

The Associated Press said that Suncor, one of the major operators working on Canadas oil sands, announced the news, confirming it had started a staged and orderly shutdown of our base plant operations and that personnel were being transported to work camps further north. It stressed there has been no damage to Suncor infrastructure.

The workers had been trying to restart oil production at the facilities after they were halted by the fires and by the need to house a flood of people seeking safety from Fort McMurray. Those people have since been transferred further south.

But on Monday, officials were told the fire was travelling at 30-40 metres per minute north of Fort McMurray.

Suncor has enhanced fire mitigation and protection around all of its facilities, the company said in a statement. When it is safe to do so, we will continue implementing our restart plans.

The fire destroyed more than 2,400 structures in Fort McMurray, although firefighters managed to save essential infrastructure in the oil sands capital, including the hospital, water treatment plant and the airport.

 Hope amid wildfire devastation

Crews continued to battle hot spots on the edge of Fort McMurray on Monday while the first still raged out of control deeper in the forest. Hot, dry conditions were not helping firefighters, the news agency said.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said the air quality health index was normally between one to ten, with ten being the worst, but the reading on Monday morning was at thirty eight.

She said the conditions were hampering efforts to get residents back to their homes.

Alberta Health Services has recommended that members of the public who had been previously arranging to return to the area under various requests not return until those conditions improve, she said.

Almost 90,000 people have been forced to leave the area (AP)

This is something that could potentially delay recovery work and a return to the community.

Karen Grimsrud, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, said they expected the air quality readings to remain in the extreme range for the next couple of days. She said workers in the area should be wearing respirators.

Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau told CBC News that the cost of the disaster was still being evaluated.

Were obviously going to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people in Fort McMurray and rebuild the city, he said.

The wildfire still covers about 930 square miles and is expected to spread.
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An openly gay member of the clergy has apologized to Whole Foods for accusing its staff of writing a homophobic slur in the icing on top of his chocolate cake.

Jordan Brown dropped his lawsuit against the food giant and said in a statement: The company did nothing wrong. I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story.

Mr Brown also said sorry for diverting attention from real issues facing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and apologised to his Church of Open Doors in Austin, where he is reverend, as reported by The New York Times.

Wholefoods strongly denied the claims from the 31-year-old from Texas, where the store is based.

Mr Brown claimed that he had asked for the words Love Wins to be written atop his chocolate cake, and only noticed a discriminatory slur had been added as he was driving away after purchasing it.

For me, it was humiliating, he said at the original press conference, welling up with tears, because being a pastor who is also openly gay, Ive had to deal with this in the past and literally the feeling that I had just resurfaced a bunch of painful memories of things that have happened to me.

His lawyer, Austin Kaplan, said his client was shocked, disgusted and humiliated when he supposedly saw the slur.

Whole Foods threatened to launch a countersuit, seeking $100,000 and claimed Mr Brown was a fraud. It released CCTV footage showing Mr Brown purchasing the cake, which they said was evidence it had not been tampered with.

Were very pleased that the truth has come to light, Whole Foods said in a statement. Given Mr. Browns apology and public admission that his story was a complete fabrication, we see no reason to move forward with our countersuit to defend the integrity of our brand and team members.

People on social media were debating Mr Browns credibility, questioning why he had not noticed the slur on his cake as it was sold in a clear plastic box.
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The family of a mentally disabled man who died in a Virginia jail cell filed a lawsuit that alleges jailers let him starve.

Jamychael Mitchell, 24, spent four months in a Portsmouth jail before he died in August. He was diagnosed as psychotic and delusional when he was booked in the jail.

According to the lawsuit, Hampton Roads Regional Jail staff allegedly deprived Mr Mitchell of meals, shut off his water, and left him without clothes, shoes, or bedding. Feces had been smeared throughout his cell, and urine unflushed.

Indicative of the depths of his mental illness and/or out of an effort by him to simply be noticed and helped, the lawsuit reads, Mitchell smeared feces on the Plexiglas window to his cell.

A medical examiner determined Mr Mitchells 19 August death was caused by a cardiac arrhythmia and wasting syndrome, a condition where one suffers weight loss of at least 10 per cent of their total body weight. The lawsuit shows that the medical examiner said Mr Mitchell was nearly cachectic, or the lost body mass could not be recovered nutritionally.

HRRJ staff had claimed that Mr Mitchells condition resulted from his refusal to eat, but inmates said that he would eat ravenously when given food.

He was unrecognizable, Roxane Adams, Mr Mitchell's aunt who filed the lawsuit, told WKTR. That's how bad it was. He was unrecognizable.

I asked them are you sure you have the right person, she added. I said this was not my nephew. Probably 90 pounds and about 70 years old.

More than six-feet tall, Mr Mitchell was 144 pounds at the time of his death. He had lost between 40 and 50 pounds, according to documents.

The lawsuit was filed 10 May by Ms Adams, demanding a jury trial $60m in punitive damages.

Mr Mitchell was arrested in April after allegedly shoplifting $5 (3.46) worth of snacks from a convenience store.
News / Press Release

by PDP

Zimbabwe has revised down its economic growth targets it had unrealistically set at a paltry 2.7% in the 2016 budget to 1.4%.We in the People's Democratic Party (PDP) correctly argued, soon after the budget had been pronounced, that the projected growth targets are fictitious as there is nothing to drive such growth on the ground.If anything the country had a negative growth of -1.5% in 2015 and the government had not crafted any interventions to reverse the slide into the red.All the major head winds which were responsible for negative growth in 2015 were still present and actually exacerbating in 2016. Unemployment increased dramatically after the 17 July 2015 supreme court ruling on termination jobs by 3 months notice. Over 40 000 of the few remaining workers lost their jobs as a result driving unemployment to 90%.Deindustrialization continued with more than 100 companies which were operating closing shop by the end of 2015. The price of our key exports like platinum, gold and chrome fell drastically on the international market while energy supply was very erratic in the last half of 2015.We argued at the end of 2015 that the ZANU PF regime was as clueless and indifferent as they were incompetent to address the deep seated challenges facing the economy. At the time we projected that given all the head winds facing the economy and a devastating drought that was looming, the economy will be in the red at -2.8%.However Chinamasa, who was frantically engaged in diplomatic lobby for arrears clearance, was desperate to paint a picture of solid economic outlook even against the obvious facts hence the fictitious 2.7% positive growth.Four months down the line, hard reality is sinking in and he has revised the projection to 1.4%. This is still imaginary but even if it were true such a growth rate is laughable. With such a growth rate it would take Zimbabwe more than a century to be a middle income economy.The real reason why Chinamasa continues to peddle these falsehoods on economic performance is to misinform the international community on the ability of ZANU PF to provide stewardship of this economy and thus get a bail out.Domestically it is to try and fool a restive population that is increasing calling for ZANU PF to resign from government.However the chickens will soon come home to roast for Chinamasa and his bandwagon.At the moment the economy is already in the negative, having been spurred on by the distraction of the rural political economy due to the biting drought which struck across the country. Relief agencies point out that by September 2016, 4.5 million (about 60% of rural population) Zimbabweans would be facing starvation.Further, industry is far from recovering and the few companies that are operating will face serious hurdles from the planned reintroduction of the moribund Zimbabwean dollar in form of obscure and illegal bond notes'. The cost of electricity is also set to be hiked and thus push further the cost of production and render the economy uncompetitive.The indigenization laws are still intact and they alone pose a serious threat to even the most adventurous investor. This is despite attempts by President Mugabe to hoodwink investors by claiming that he had clarified them, what is needed is not clarification but total repeal of the law as it is just but a smoke screen to cover up extortion, looting and blatant corruption.As the PDP we maintain that at the rate at which ZANU PF is mismanaging the economy, real growth rate for 2016 will be in the negative of around -3% by year end. Thus the revised figures are still pie in the sky, imaginations of Chinamasa's fertile mind.We once again reiterate that the Mugabe regime must resign and give way to the National Transitional Authority (NTA) which will stabilize the economy, embark on national healing, level the political playing field and thus provide Zimbabwe a soft landing from Mugabe's ruinous rule.
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Vermont Sen Bernie Sanders has campaigned on the promise of eliminating student debt in the US. But his proximity to a failed college previously run by his wife, Jane, could add extra crushing weight to his uphill climb to the Democratic nomination.

Burlington College announced that it is closing its doors at the end of May, blaming the crushing weight of the debt that resulted from a 2010 land purchase made during Jane Sanders tenure as president, as well as other insurmountable financial difficulties.

Recommended Read more This Portland doughnut shop is Feeling the Bern

It is with great sense of loss to the educational community that Burlington College's progressive and unique educational model will no longer be available to students, a school spokesperson said in a statement.

Burlington College was founded in 1972, A non-traditional, progressive institution, it launched without financial backing, paid its bills when they came due, and it paid its President when it could, the website says.

Ms Sanders served as president of the school from 2004 to 2011, during which she helped broker a deal to purchase 32-acres of land from the Burlington Roman Catholic Diocese. The idea was to expand the school, increase the student body, and inspire more alumni donations.

 Sanders Remains Defiant as Clinton Moves Closer to Democratic Nomination

The Vermont Journalism Trust reported that when taking out a $6.7m loan, Ms Sanders overstated donation amounts the college would receive. She reportedly told the Peoples United Bank that the school had received $2.6m in pledged donations, when in actuality the college only received $676,000 between 2010 and 2014.

Burlington College also listed a $1m bequest that would be paid out over six years - although only upon the death of the donor.

Ultimately, the school purchased the land for $10 million in bonds and loans, which included a $3.5m loan from the diocese.

Ms Sanders resigned, receiving a $200,000 severance package, amid pressure from the board of trustees over the millions of dollars in loans, according to the VJT.

Burlington faced losing its accreditation for financial insufficiency following Ms Sanders departure - putting it at risk of losing federal funds and legitimacy - and could not pay off its debts, despite selling off some of the acquired land. Still, the bank pulled the schools line of credit.

I believe the vision was enrollment would grow, which it did, but not at the level that would have allowed us to manage the financial debt we had incurred, Coralee Holm, Burlingtons Dean of Operations and Advancement, said at a news conference. So here we are.

Ms Sanders history with Burlington Colleges financial problems that ultimately led to the closure of the school certainly complicates her role in Mr Sanders bid for the White House.

While she travels the campaign trail touting Mr Sanders promise to provide free public college and university to US students, she now faces questions of her role in the demise of the Vermont educational institution, and the displacement of its students.
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In 1954, a ruling by the US Supreme Court  Brown v Board of Education of Topeka  declared that it was unconstitutional to segregate pupils on the basis of their colour.

Yet 62 years, it seems that not everyone has got the message. Last Friday, a judge in Mississippi ordered a school district to consolidate its middle and high schools, marking the latest twist in a legal battle that has dragged on for decades.

In her judgment, Judge Debra Brown rejected a proposal from the Cleveland School District to keep both high schools open, claiming that to integrate the schools would lead to white flight. The town has a population of just 12,000.

The school district had objected to the courts decision (AP)

The delay in desegregation has deprived generations of students of the constitutionally guaranteed right of an integrated education, the judge wrote. Although no court order can right these wrongs, it is the duty of the district to ensure that not one more student suffers under this burden.

Reports in the US media suggest the town of Cleveland is literally divided by geography, education and access to resources. Railway tracks separate white families, who largely live west of the tracks, from black families who largely live to the east. Currently, there is one almost entirely black middle school and one almost entirely black high school.

Vanita Gupta, head of the US Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, said in a statement: Six decades after the Supreme Court in Brown v Board of Education declared that separate but equal has no place in public schools, this decision serves as a reminder to districts that delaying desegregation obligations is both unacceptable and unconstitutional.

She added: This victory creates new opportunities for the children of Cleveland to learn, play and thrive together. The courts ruling will result in the immediate and effective desegregation of the districts middle school and high school programme for the first time in the districts more than century-long history.

The Cleveland School District did not immediately respond to inquiries on Tuesday. Jamie Jacks, a lawyer for the district, said school board members were meeting to discuss their options.

She said board members believed they proposed constitutional options to keep open two high schools, although one local plan would have combined middle schools, according to the Associated Press.

The districts plans allowed for student and parent choice, Ms Jacks wrote in a statement. If the board appeals, it would request that the existing open enrollment plan continue while the appeal is pending.

Merging black and white schools was a common desegregation method in the 1960s and 1970s, and the opinion is a reminder that desegregation lawsuits never ended in some places.

As recently as 2014, the US Justice Department was still a party to 43 such suits in Mississippi alone. A previous judge approved an open-enrolment plan, but the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a more thorough examination.

Meanwhille, a report published on Tuesday by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office found deepening segregation of black and Hispanic students at high-poverty public schools. These schools offered fewer maths and science classes, while having higher rates of students who are held back in ninth grade, suspended or expelled.

Segregation in public K-12 schools isn't getting better. It's getting worse, and getting worse quickly, Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia said. The analysis, he said, confirmed that America's schools were largely segregated by race and class, leaving more than 20 million students attending racially and socioeconomically isolated public schools.
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A man was killed on Sunday after an assault at KSFMs hip-hop festival in Sacramento, California.

Police say the 31-year-old victim was found unresponsive after being sucker punched at the music festival in Discovery Park, he was later pronounced dead at the hospital, KCRA reports, via Pitchfork. No arrests have been made and Sacramento police are still searching for the assailant, who was described as a twenty-something male wearing a white t-shirt and cargo pants.

Earlier in the day, a deep fryer ignited a propane tank explosion in the vendor area of the 102.5 LIVE event injuring many others, according to the Sacramento Fire Department. Concertgoers confused the explosion for gunshots, sparking a crowd stampede that broke down fences and trampled others to escape the area.

Event coordinators said approximately 17,000 people attended the event, which featured celebrated hip-hop musicians including: Kehlani, Ty Dolla Sign, Internet, Desiigner, E-40, Tyga and many others.

When u try and do an amazing flip but they holding your feet still A photo posted by Ty Dolla $ign (@tydollasign) on May 16, 2016 at 5:58pm PDT



Steve Cottingim, senior vice president at CBS Radio, the station's parent company, offered his condolences after the incidents.

"We are deeply saddened by the senseless tragedy that took place in line at a food stand yesterday, Cottingim said in a statement to KCRA. We want to extend our condolences to the family and friends of the victim during this difficult time."
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President Enrique Pena Nieto proposed that same-sex marriage be legalised in Mexico, following a progressive move in the country toward marriage equality.

Mr Pena Nieto announced his proposal at a Tuesday event marking the national day against homophobia. After meeting with LGBTI groups, he said, the president said he signed initiatives that would secure marriage equality in the Mexican Constitution.

"I reiterated the commitment of the [Mexican government] to combat all forms of discrimination, including the motivated by sexual preferences #SinHomofobia," he tweeted.

Mexico legalised same-sex marriage in 2009, and four of the country's 31 states have followed suit - although Campeche, the latest state to adopt marriage equality laws, has not yet implemented them, the AFP reports.

The Mexican Supreme Court ruled that bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional in June 2015. That did not bring forth an official legalisation throughout the country, however.

To the contrary, Estefania Vela, a law scholar at a university in Mexico City, said that because all of the states had not legalised same-sex marriage did not necessarily mean it was illegal.

Without a doubt, gay marriage is legal everywhere," Ms Vela told the New York Times last year. "If a same-sex couple comes along and the code says marriage is between a man and a woman and for the purposes of reproduction, the court says, Ignore it, marriage is for two people'.

Mexico would become the fifth Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage, should the country enact the president's proposal.

Colombia legalised same-sex marriage in April.
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The judge in Ohio who convicted a man of throwing a puppy out of a sixth-floor window told him he would like to put the 23-year-old in a rubbish bin.

Municipal court judge Michael Cicconetti told Michael Sutton that all he could do was put Mr Sutton behind bars for six months and keep him on probation for five years, but what he and a lot of other people would like is to give him one of those creative sentences.

You are just vicious. You are revolting. You are cruel, he said.

Oh, would I like to put you in a dumpster? Hell, yeah, he added. I would love to do that.

The body of the puppy was found near Mr Suttons apartment in a rubbish compactor.

According to Fox affiliate WJW, Mr Sutton told police he threw the lab-pit bull mix called Knox out of the window as it urinated on his bed.

Mr Sutton, a repeat offender, has already spent time behind bars for domestic violence as he broke his mothers ribs and beat the mother of his child while she was in hospital, and later at home while she was holding the baby, according to the judge.

The most controversial animal killings Show all 6 1 /6 The most controversial animal killings The most controversial animal killings Cincinnati Zoo worker shots and kills Harambe, the 17-year-old gorilla Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla was shot and killed by a Cincinnati Zoo worker after a three-year-old boy climbed into a gorilla enclosure and was grabbed and dragged by Harambe. The incident was recorded on video and received broad international coverage and commentary, including controversy over the choice to kill Harambe. A number of primatologists and conservationists wrote later that the zoo had no other choice under the circumstances, and that it highlighted the danger of zoo animals in close proximity to humans and the need for better standards of care Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden The most controversial animal killings Walt Palmer (left), from Minnesota, who killed Cecil, the Zimbabwean lion (pictured here with another lion shot in Africa) Walter James Palmer has been named by Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force as the shooter of Cecil, a 13-year-old prized lion. He is now wanted by Zimbabwe officials on poaching charges. The lion was protected and the subject of a decade long study by the Wildlife Unit of Oxford University in the UK. He was outfitted with a GPS collar and was killed in Hwange National Park. The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority and the Safari Operators Association said that two men were charged with poaching in connection to Mr Palmer The most controversial animal killings Kendall Jones hunting images Kendall Jones, a 19-year-old Texas Tech university student, has provoked worldwide fury after posting pictures of herself smiling next to animals she hunted, including a lion, rhinoceros, antelope, leopard, elephant, zebra and hippopotamus The most controversial animal killings Rebecca Francis hunting images Rebecca Francis, a huntress who has killed dozens of wild animals has been sent death wishes by furious social media users after a picture showing her lying down next to a dead giraffe was circulated. Rebecca Francis has a website and Facebook page dedicated to the animals she has killed in hunts across Africa and America. Francis, a prolific hunter who has also co-hosted the television show Eye of the Hunter, regularly posts pictures of herself posing next to dead bears, giraffes, buffaloes and zebras, among other animals. She uses a bow and arrow to kill her prey The most controversial animal killings The slaughter of Marius, an 18-month-old healthy giraffe in Copenhagen Zoo Copenhagen Zoo made the controversial decision to euthanise a healthy giraffe named Marius, which was later dissected and fed to lions as visitors watched. The slaughter sparked a furious backlash from social media users and zoo staff have received death threats by phone and email. Soon after the incident, Copenhagen Zoo faced an international outcry once again after four healthy lions were put down The most controversial animal killings Swiss Dahlholzli zoo kills healthy brown bear cub A Switzerland zoo faced heavy criticism from animal rights groups, after keepers put down a healthy brown bear cub to spare it from being bullied by its dominant male father. The 360 kg male bear Misha had already killed one of his 11-week old cubs in public and was bullying the second, staff at the zoo said, because he was jealous of the attention the cubs were receiving from their mother, Masha. Both adult brown bears had been donated to Berns Dahlholzli zoo in 2009. Campaigners condemned staff there for not separating the cubs, who are being referred to as Baby Bear Two and Baby Bear Three, and their mother from Misha after their birth in January Facebook

In a video on WKYC, Mr Cicconetti lamented how many people blame their crimes on mental illness, like the 23-year-old, and receive money from the state for medication yet fail to take it.

I am sick and tired of people coming in here and blaming this on mental illness, the judge continued. Then we have to get you medication. We have to pay for it, and then you don't take it. Where does that leave a court? I know what I'd like to do. I'd like to give you one of those creative sentences, but that's for people who can be rehabilitated, people who are first offenders. You are not. You are not one of those people. You are just brutal and savage, and that's all there is to it.

Mr Sutton has been banned from ever owning an animal again.

I wish I could say youre not allowed to be around people, because look what you do, said Mr Cicconetti.

The judge is infamous in the region for handing out so-called creative sentences.

According to the Chicago Tribune, he ordered a man who called a police officer a pig to stand beside a live pig with a sign that read: This is not a police officer. Another time he forced a woman who abandoned ill kittens to spend one night in the woods with food or water.

We started small, Mr Cicconetti told the News-Herald in 2012. It was more out of frustration because after a year or two years, we were seeing the same people come back, with the same offenses. I thought, 'There has to be a better way to do this.
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By 10am on Monday, the queue already stretches out the door at Voodoo Doughnut in downtown Portland. An unlikely tourist attraction, this 24-hour doughnut shop is world famous for outlandish snacks including the Voodoo Doll Doughnut, the Maple Bacon Bar and the Cock-and-Balls: a chocolate-iced specimen shaped like male genitalia and filled with Bavarian cream.

Voodoo routinely cooks up topical confectionery to pay tribute to fallen pop culture icons such as David Bowie and Prince  in whose honour it recently made a special Raspberry Beret doughnut. Ahead of this weeks Oregon primary, the shop also iced its very first explicitly political doughnuts, in support of Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.

Bernie Sanders-based sugary snacks, made by Portland's Voodoo Doughnut

While most people in liberal Portland greeted the Bernie-based treats warmly, some angrily insisted they would never darken the shop's door again. Trump supporters like doughnuts, too, said Voodoos owner, Richard Tres Shannon. Id love to do a Donald Trump doughnut with flames and devil eyes, but I dont want to alienate an entire group of people!

On Tuesday, as Oregon voters go to the polls, Mr Shannon said Voodoo would probably make a Bernie doughnut and a Hillary Clinton doughnut, in the interests of balance. The political doughnuts are for the shops display only, not for sale  although Mr Shannon did deliver a box to Sanders campaign staff when the Vermont Senator held a rally in Portland in March.

Mr Shannon, who co-founded Voodoo with his friend Kenneth Cat Daddy Pogson in 2003, has personal experience of political campaigning: he ran for Mayor of Portland in 1994, coming fourth in a field of 12. He blamed the loss on his rivals higher profiles and deeper pockets  and that means he empathises with Mr Sanders. The press is just Hillary, Hillary, Hillary, he said.

One of the things that pissed me off [when I ran for mayor] was that I didnt even get invited to some events. There were only a handful of things to which all the candidates got invited. They had the same problem with the Republican debates this year. If I had raised as much money as [the frontrunners], I would have won.

Known in his neighbourhood by the unofficial title Mayor of Old Town, Mr Shannon now hosts a doughnut-eating contest for mayoral hopefuls every electoral cycle. The latest such contest took place on Friday, with the candidates competing to see who could eat the most doughnuts in the four minutes it takes to play Alice Coopers 1972 satirical campaign anthem, Elected.

Voodoo Doughnuts founder Tres Shannon (left) with mayoral doughnut-eating contest winner Sean Davis (centre)

The winner, US Army veteran Sean Davis, is at around one per cent in the opinion polls. No one who won the doughnut eating contest has ever gone on to win the mayoral contest, Mr Shannon said. But its a nice opportunity for people to see all the candidates, and we invite them all because theres so many events that only invite the frontrunners.

Voodoo now has outposts in Eugene, Denver and Austin, and plans to open its first Los Angeles shop at Universal Studios later this year. As a local dignitary, Mr Shannon was invited to meet Mr Sanders when the progressive Senator passed through Portland. I thought he was a good listener, he said. Whether hed be the best President of the United States, Ive no idea.

Mr Sanders is hoping to add to his recent string of primary victories with another underdog win in Oregon, despite lagging five points behind Hillary Clinton in a recent poll. The Beaver States Democratic primary is closed to all but registered Democrats; Mr Sanders has so far won only in open contests, with the support of independent voters.

However, the Sanders campaign launched a major registration drive before Oregons 26 April deadline, and some 130,000 people have reportedly switched their party affiliation to the Democrats in order to take part in the primary. Oregon has 73 Democratic delegates, distributed proportionately. Ms Clinton remains almost 300 pledged delegates ahead overall, not to mention her additional, overwhelming lead among the party's so-called "super-delegates".
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As Kentucky citizens head to the polls to decide on the future president of the United States - the man or woman who will decide their future - some 140,000 Kentuckians have to stay home.

US state laws severely restrict voting rights of those who have a criminal record. In Kentucky, this means over 100,000 people who have been convicted of a crime and served time will never be able to vote again.

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This number includes a Louisville resident and pastor, 55-year-old Alonzo Malone Jr, who remains disenfranchised more than 16 years after he spent time behind bars for missing child support payments during a time when he was addicted to alcohol and drugs.

I feel less than human, he told Think Progress. I feel less than a man. I get frustrated.

Kentucky is one of only three states that completely removes the voting right of anybody who has been convicted.

In 2015 there was hope for ex-felons that they could also cast their ballot as the outgoing Democrat governor Steve Besmear set up an application process to restore their voting rights.

Only a small number of them were able to take advantage before the new Republican governor, Matt Bevin, stopped it.

Mr Bevin recently signed legislation to make it easier for certain ex-felons to vote, five years after their sentence or probation, but not if their crime was violent or sexual in nature.

Around 5 per cent of people of voting age in Kentucky cannot vote, while that number rises to 16.7 per cent for African Americans.

In Oregon, the second state heading to the polls on 17 May, ex-felons are allowed to vote once they have served their sentence.

Hillary Clinton has voiced support for extending voters rights, while Republican Donald Trump criticized the Virginia governor for bringing back more than 200,000 former felons into the voting system.

Only two states - Vermont and Maine - allow people convicted of a crime to vote by proxy whilst still in jail.

There are 10 states that permanently ban ex-felons from the right to vote. In Florida, the ban equates to one in four African Americans.
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Grassroots conservatives are urgently mobilising to find ways to disrupt the Republican convention in July, such as gathering at an alternative venue, in an attempt to deny Donald Trump the presidential nomination.

Still in its infancy, the movement has sprung from a conviction that it will still be possible to unbind delegates attending the Cleveland convention, allowing them to vote according to their consciences rather than according to which of the candidates prevailed in their state primaries.

One group, called The Save our Party Leadership Committee, told The Independent that it wouldll call on delegates harbouring doubts about Mr Trump and his conservative credentials to refuse to enter the Quicken Loans Arena, the formal venue of the convention, assemble elsewhere and only agree to show up once all delegates have been freed to vote for whomever they choose.

These rumblings from the conservative base come at the same time as attempts have been made at a higher level in the party in recent days to draft a high-profile alternative candidate to challenge Mr Trump with a third-party bid for the presidency.

Spearheaded by the 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, the third-party push does not seem to be going anywhere. Among those who have been approached  and who have already demurred  are John Kasich, Governor of Ohio and Mr Trumps last rival in the Republican field until he dropped out, and Mark Cuban, a business tycoon and, like Mr Trump, a reality TV host.

Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, last weekend denounced Mr Romneys behind-the-scenes efforts as a suicide mission" that would break the party. In the end, the efforts are probably doomed because the deadlines to get a third-party candidate on the ballots in all the states are either too close or, in the case of Texas, have already passed.

Mr Priebus angered many in the party by rushing to endorse Mr Trump within minutes of his victory in the Indiana primary two weeks ago, when Senator Ted Cruz of Texas dropped but Mr Kasich was technically still running.

This is a grassroots movement, this is unprecedented, Ian Bayne, a radio talk show host in Bloomington, Illinois, and now spokesman for the Save our Party Leadership group told The Independent, saying sequestering even as few as 200 delegates in a Ramada Hotel around the corner from the Convention proper might be enough to stop Mr Trump winning the nomination on the first round.

What we are saying is: nothing in the rules is against this, he explained. And if we arent there (in the Quicken Loans Arena), if those delegates arent there, then they cant vote. We can wait them out until the other delegates are unbound.

The goal of Mr Bayne, who will not be a delegate himself, is first to stop Mr Trump getting the nomination and then to have the convention choose Senator Cruz in his place. Is the purpose to stop Trump? Yes, it is, he said clearly.

What he envisions may or may not need some radical tinkering with the rules before the convention gets under way. Erick Erickson, a popular conservative blogger, who has argued that nominating Mr Trump in Cleveland would amount to a ritual mass suicide for the party, says there is no need to change anything. Multiple lawyers I know have looked at the rules and say that the delegates can unbind themselves, Mr Erickson told the Washington Post.

But Mr Riebus is pushing back, insisting in an interview with NBC that the opposite is true. Theres no way around it, he said. If a delegate is bound to a candidate, even if that delegate decides later, I dont care, Im not voting for that person, the secretary at the convention will read the roll as if that delegate voted for the person that theyre bound to, period.

If senior figures such as Mr Romney are afraid that Mr Trump may both lose in November and destroy the party in the process, the grassroots efforts such as those by Mr Bayne are more about a sense among committed conservatives that Mr Trump simply isnt one of them. He has been flip-flopping on issues like taxing the rich and raising the minimum wage and is barely mentioning social issues they are care about. They have no such doubts about Mr Cruz.

It encourages them, meanwhile, that many from the establishment wing of the party  including former Presidents George HW Bush and George W Bush  have indicated an unwillingness even to attend the Cleveland convention, which might make it easier for them to run the show themselves. That would mean essentially hijacking the convention  a nightmare scenario for Mr Priebus.

A lot of party of leadership arent coming and, because they are not going to the convention, it is going to create a power vacuum," Mr Bayne said.
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Donald Trump is skirmishing angrily with the largest independent group supporting Hillary Clinton for president which will launch two blistering attacks against him in key swing states on Wednesday.

The unusually harsh spots are being aired nearly a month earlier than originally planned by the Priorities USA super PAC which says it is eager not to make the mistake made by Republican rivals of Mr Trump for their partys nomination by waiting too late to open fire on him full-bore.

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Designed to define him early in the eyes of voters, the two ads will begin airing, at an initial cost of $6 million, in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Nevada. One features a selection of women actors dressed in white shirts bearing the face of Mr Trump lip-synching to his own voice making disparaging remarks mostly about women.

One of those utterances is taken from a description he offered of the Fox News anchor, Megyn Kelly, after she aggressively challenged him while moderating a candidates debate last year. He recall blood coming out of her eyes and blood coming out of her ... wherever.

The spot ends with another actress lip-synching Mr Trump declaring, And you can tell them to go [expletive deleted] themselves. Finally, it asks viewers, Does Donald Trump really speak for you? as a series of images of women parade by.

That last comment actually was embedded in remarks from Mr Trump on trade with China, a fact he pounced on in one of a series of angry Twitter messages after copies of the spots were broadcast on Monday night by some news channels.

The pathetic new hit ad against me misrepresents the final line. You can tell them to go BLANK themselves  was about China, NOT WOMEN! he wrote. In another, he blurted: Crooked Hillary Clinton put out an ad where I am misquoted on women. Can't believe she would misrepresent the facts! My hit was on China.

The advert highlights Mr Trump's comments about women (Priorities USA)

In a Twitter message right back at the Trump campaign, the Priorities USA spokesman, Justin Baraski, replied: Yeah guys, it's presidential to tell other countries to go F themselves. In a statement, Mr Baraski added: Sorry Donald, but the ad isnt only about your overt sexism, its about your divisiveness and character being unsuitable for the office of the presidency.

 Donald Trump: What are his actual policies?

The original comments about Ms Kelly, made last August after what was the first Republican debate in Cleveland, Ohio, caused a furore and went a long way to setting up the narrative that Mr Trump does not relate well with women. At the weekend, the New York Times ran a front page piece detailing what it said was a long history of inappropriate behaviour towards women.

Mr Trump has also reacted furiously to the New York Times piece, although an implied threat from one of his lawyers that a lawsuit might be forthcoming appeared to have been withdrawn. In the meantime, though, he faces a tough challenge improving his standing with female voters, of whom 69 per cent expressed their disapproval of him in a recent poll.
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The Clinton dynasty is set to continue if Hillary Clinton is elected president, as her husband would be given a powerful - if informal - title on one of the most important issues for voters.

Ms Clinton said she would put her husband in charge of revitalizing the economy, particularly in deprived areas.

My husband, who I'm going to put in charge of revitalizing the economy, 'cause you know he knows how to do it, Ms Clinton told the crowd at a rally in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. "And especially in places like coal country and inner cities and other parts of our country that have really been left out."

She will not be able to appoint him in her cabinet due to the 1967 anti-nepotism statute, but he could still have significant influence, according to MSNBC.

I have asked, actually, to be given the job of trying to help every part of the United States that has been left out and left behind economically, Bill Clinton said in Puerto Rico. And I think it is very, very important.

According to CNN Money, 22 million jobs were created when Bill Clinton was president, more than the last four tenures of Republican presidents combined, partly thanks to the boom of the internet and web-related stocks.

His critics argue that Mr Clinton removed regulations which encouraged commercial banks to move into investment banking and insurance, a move which some say led to the credit crunch in 2008, and that his trade agreements with Mexico, Canada and China cost US jobs.

Ms Clinton's announcement has come under fire by presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, who questioned why someone other than the president would take the lead on the economy.

Hillary Clintons team said there has been no formal announcement but that she has long said her husband would act as an adviser.

David Axelrod, president Obamas adviser, also said on social media it was ill-advised to make Bill Clinton the czar on the economy.

Before the anti-nepotism law was passed, various politicians and relatives have served in the same government, most notably Bobby Kennedy serving as attorney general while his brother John F Kennedy was in the White House.

When Bill Clinton was president, he appointed his wife to head up his Health Reform Task Force, which included high-ranking members of his cabinet.

The task force was only formed after critics sued to block it but the DC Circuit Court of Appeals rejected their bid, thereby creating a precedent for other presidents to appoint family members in non-cabinet roles.
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Toto, I have a feeling were not in Kansas anymore.

For many Wizard of Oz fans, this amusement park in North Carolina is the closest they will ever get to re-tracing the steps of Dorothy Gale along the Yellow Brick Road.

The historic Land of Oz amusement park, closed for most of the year, will reopen for four days in June with guided tours along the three-quarter mile road, paved with 44,000 yellow bricks.

The site was an amusement park between 1970 and 1980 and is still used for weddings, parties and picnics. The family-owned property is now only available to the public in June and the annual Autumn at Oz festival in October for fans of the original book written in 1900 by L Frank Baum.

Land of Oz was built on the top of Beech Mountain next to a ski resort in North Carolina by Harry, Grover and Spencer Robbins, who also founded the Tweetsie Railroad in Boone, and was designed by artist Jack Pentes.

Visitors will find a five-eighths scale replica of Auntie Ems house, to escape a tornado, like in the 1939 film. Once outside, they find the house is re-created askew as they have been transported to the magical land of Oz, and the legs of the Wicked Witch of the East are sticking out from under the porch.

Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion on her way to ask the wizards help to take her home.

The yellow brick road is lined with many oddities inspired by the story, according to the Charlotte Observer.

Accessible via a chairlift, six tours in the park will be on offer each Friday in June, for a total of $22.50 per ticket.

For visitors in Kansas, where the book and film is based, they can see the Wizard of Oz museum in Kansas City and the house where Dorothy lived, which is now a museum.
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In some regards, Americans and Europeans could not be more different. Germans are known for their nudist beaches, which will be crowded in the coming months, for instance. In the United States, nudity is less welcome, to say the least. Nearly all Europeans are also okay with premarital sex, but every third American thinks it is unacceptable.

And then there's a big one: adultery.

While 84 percent of Americans surveyed believe that adultery is unacceptable, only 47 percent of all French and 60 percent of all Germans think so. The Pew Research survey from 2013 also included other European nations, including Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic, where acceptance of adultery was also higher than in the United States.

Why are the differences so significant?

"I think it comes down to the puritanical history of the United States," said JoAnne Sweeny, an associate professor of law at the University of Louisville. "Early Colonial laws specifically noted that adultery was in violation of the Ten Commandments and it was punishable by death."

The repercussions of such laws are also reflected in Europe, Sweeny said. "In England, adultery was also punishable by death up until the mid-1600s, and was considered a religious crime later on and was dealt with by the church," she said.

Greeks and the British are most similar to Americans in terms of public opinion on adultery -- with 79 percent and 76 percent, respectively, agreeing that having an affair is morally unacceptable.

Sweeny said she thinks the impact of interest groups on laws may explain the differences between France or Germany and the United States, as well as within Europe.

"In the U.S., there are still states that criminalize adultery, though no one is really prosecuted anymore and, if they were, it is likely that the law would be struck down as unconstitutional by the courts," she said. "However, any time someone tries to take one of these laws off the statute books, they are opposed by religious and conservative groups."

Evangelical movements were particularly active in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries and in the United Kingdom in the 18th century, and they left a lasting impression on the United States, she said. "I think the subsequent culture of religiousness espoused by many Americans has led to these laws remaining."

That explanation may also lead to another conclusion: With continental Europe becoming less religious overall, affairs may become even more morally accepted -- and that could mean that Europeans and Americans could move even further apart on the issue.

Many of the world's least religious countries are in Europe, according to a survey of 65 countries conducted by Gallup International and the WI Network of Market Research last year. The survey found that 53 percent of the French and 59 percent of all Germans are atheists.

Could Americans become more like continental Europeans at some point? An increasing number of younger Americans do not identify with any religion anymore. But public acceptance of affairs may never reach European levels.

In January 2014, a French magazine disclosed that French President Francois Hollande had had an affair with an actress while he was in a relationship with his partner Valerie Trierweiler. Hollande and Trierweiler separated following the revelations.

Hollande's popularity immediately increased.

Copyright: Washington Post
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A 2,000-year-old Roman barracks has been unearthed in Italy during excavation work for a new Metro line in the city.

The extensive complex at Amba Aradam, near the Colosseum, includes a 100m long hallway with 39 rooms. They were discovered 9m (30ft) below street level and the site covers over 900sq m (9,700sq ft), posing a significant obstacle to construction workers.

It is such a significant find the city says it is planning to incorporate the barracks to create a purpose-built archaeological station for the Metro.

The garrison was thought to have been the base for Emperor Hadrians Praetorian Guard and finds at the site include human bones, bronze coins, bracelets and patterned mosaic floors.

The Praetorian Guard was a private military force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors.

A new Metro station will incorporate the runis (AP)

An Italian Culture Ministry official described the barracks as exceptional.

The new station at Amba Aradam was initially scheduled to open in 2020, and Romes head of archaeology for the area said that despite the find, work on the Metro will not be delayed, though changes will be made to the stations design to incorporate the barracks.

The area is named after the 1936 battle of Amba Aradam in which Italian Fascists triumphed over Ethiopian forces in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. Several other Roman garrisons have previously been found in the area.
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Truck-drivers blocked motorways and thousands of people marched through French cities on Tuesday in the first of a new series of protests against reforms of Frances sprawling labour laws.

Unions have called a two-day rail strike from Wednesday which they say will be repeated each week until the recently enacted law is abandoned.

A fringe of hooded youths attacked police, journalists and union security officers on the margins of marches in Paris, Nantes and Marseilles, but on the whole, the demonstrations appeared to be smaller than in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, President Francois Hollande dismissed all chances of a withdrawal of the reforms, which were pushed through the lower house of parliament by decree last week. I will not give way because too many previous governments have backed down, Mr Hollande said during a an hour-long interview with the Europe 1 radio station. I prefer that people remember me as a president who made reforms rather than a president who did nothing.

Recommended Read more Protests across France as government pushes through labour laws

President Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls insisted that the simplification of Frances complex labour laws will create tens of thousands of jobs. Moderate unions agree. Centre-right politicians and the employers' union say that the reforms have been so watered down by the government as to be meaningless. Some union federations, sections of Mr Hollandes Socialist party and harder-left groups say that the changes are an attack on fundamental workers rights.

The reforms are the first serious attempt by any recent administration to lighten the regulatory obstacles to job creation in France. They will, amongst other things, make it easier for employers to terminate long-term contracts if their businesses are struggling. The government argues that existing long-term contracts are so rigid that employers prefer not to create jobs or to resort to short-term contracts which offer workers fewer rights.

Some unions are angry that the changes would allow workplace deals between employees and bosses to override national agreements. Local referendums would also allow deals to modify labour laws, including aspects of the 35-hour working week.

Philippe Martinez, secretary general of the CGT trades union federation, said: When so many citizens oppose a new law and when demonstrations continue for such a long time, the people must be heard. President Hollande has stuffed up his ears.So strikes must become the rule.
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A huge image of Heinrich Himmler was projected onto a Spanish castle during a historic festival, causing outrage amongst local people.

The celebrations at the medieval town of Guadamur in central Spain took a controversial turn as headshots of Nazi commander Himmler and the Spanish dictator General Franco appeared next to each other on the ancient walls.

The display was intended to commemorate the negotiations to return Visigothic treasures to the provisional government during WW2, which both men were involved in.

However many onlookers argued that the images were inappropriate and instead honoured the fascist politicians and war criminals.

In an angry Facebook post, visitor Miguel Angel Trigo Sanchez called the display sad, unfortunate, embarrassing"

The worst part [of the light and sound spectacle] came when it blatantly praised the fascism of dictator Franco, accompanied by the chief of the SS Himmler.Read more

In 1940, Franco met with Marshal Petain for the return of the valuable crowns and gold crosses to Spain, a victory celebrated in parts of Spain to this day.

A statement by Guadamur town hall read: The town hall of Guadamur would like to apologise to those who were offended by any images shown.

It was never the intention of the organizers, the documentary maker or collaborators to praise these people or the actions of their governments.

10 things immigration has done for Britain Show all 10 1 /10 10 things immigration has done for Britain 10 things immigration has done for Britain The Mini The 1959 classic, that is, perhaps our greatest piece of industrial design, a miracle of packaging and revolution in motoring. Its genius designer was Sir Alec Issigonis, who was an asylum seeker. His family, Greek, fled Smyrna when Turks invaded this borderland in around 1920, and he wound up studying engineering at Battersea Polytechnic. He went on to create that most English of motor cars, the Morris Minor, as well as the Austin-Morris 1100, all much loved products of his fertile imagination. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Marks and Spencer Once upon a time there was no M&S in Britain, difficult as that may be to believe. We have one Michael Marks to thank for our most famous retailer, and he was a refugee from Belarus, arriving in England in about 1882, and soon after set off to flog stuff around Yorkshire. He eventually teamed with Thomas Spencer to create the vast business we know today. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Thunderbirds And many other TV shows created, funded and otherwise produced by that largest of larger-than-life characters, Lew Grade (also a world class tap dancer). The man who dominated commercial television gave us memorable entertainment such as The Prisoner, the Saint and brought the Muppets to Britain (a sort of fuzzy felt wave of immigration), as well as puppet shows where you could see the strings. All this from a penniless Jew from Ukraine, born Lev Winogradsky, who escaped the pogroms in Ukraine with his family in the 1890s. His nephew Michael Grade has also done his bit for British television. Rex Features 10 things immigration has done for Britain The House of Windsor Or the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha until George V prudently rebranded the family during the First World War. Well, our royals are a pretty German bunch, as well as having various types of French and other alien blue blood coursing around their veins. Twas ever thus. There was William the Conqueror, Norman French, who certainly broke the immigration rules; William of Orange, a direct import from Holland; the Hanoverian King Georges, the first barely able to speak English; Queen Victoria, who married a German, Edward VII, who couldnt stay faithful to his wife, a Danish princess; George V wed another German princess; Edward VIII married an American (though she hardly visited England and prompted his emigration and exile); and the Queen is married to man born in Corfu. The embodiment of the British nation, to many, but one thinks of them as quite multicultural really. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain I Vow To Thee My Country Our most patriotic hymn was the product of a man named Gustav Holst (pictured), born in Cheltenham, but of varied Swedish, Latvian and German ancestry, who adapted part of his suite The Planets to put a particularly stirring and beautiful poem to music, just after the Great War. As the second verse has it, there's another country/I've heard of long ago/Most dear to them that love her/most great to them that know. Imagine if the Holst family had been kept out because the quota on musical European types had been reached. Creative Commons 10 things immigration has done for Britain Curry and Cobra Chicken Tikka Masala is, so they say, a dish which not only the most popular in Britain but specifically designed to cater for European tastes. For that we probably have to thank an Indian migrant, Sake Dean Mahomed, who came from Bengal to open the first recognisable Indian restaurant, the magnificently named Hindoostanee Coffee House. History does not record if a plate of poppadoms and accompanying selection of pickles and yoghurts were routinely placed on the table for new diners, but we do know that we had to wait until 1989 to taste the ideal lager for a curry - Cobra. That brew was brought to us by Karan (now Lord) Bilimoria, a Cambridge law graduate who hailed from Hyderabad. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain That big red swirly sculpture at the Olympic Park Or Orbit, to give it its proper name, the work of Anish Kapoor, who arrived in 1973 from India and had the artistic imagination to fill a power station. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain The Sun Love it or hate it, and many do both, this has been a symbol of much that is successful and a lot that is awful in British journalism since its inception in 1969. In its turn it spawned the Page 3 Girl and some nastily xenophobic headlines. All the stranger when you consider its creator was, of course, Rupert Murdoch, born 11 March 1931 in Melbourne, Australia. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Marxism OK, Karl Marxs philosophy was not much of a gift to the world, but for a while it seemed like a good idea. Though we might not dare admit it, Marxism still has a few insights to offer to anyone wanting to understand the workings of capitalism, though too few to excuse everything that was done in its name. Born in Germany spent much time in the British museum and the British pub, buried Highgate Cemetery. Oddly, his ideas never really caught on in his adopted homeland. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain The NHS They came from many, many backgrounds, including Ireland, the Philippines, east Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa, as they still do, but the contribution of the black nurses who came to the UK from the Caribbean to heal and care for is a debt of honour that must be recognised. It so sometimes forgotten that it was Enoch Powell, then Minister of Health (1960-62), who campaigned to recruit their skilled nurses to come and work over here. One abiding legacy we can thank Enoch for. Getty Images

Neo-Nazi incidents appear to be on the rise in Spain and a teenage had a swastika symbol carved into his arm with a knife by a fascist gang in Bilbao in September.
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Two passenger planes have been forced to land at Bordeaux airport after reporting mid-air emergencies over French airspace.

Ryanair flight FR9886 from Liverpool to Alicante and Germanwings flight 4U9642 were both redirected to Bordeaux this morning following the separate on-board incidents within minutes of each other.

Both declared medical emergencies after passengers fell ill on board the flights.

A Ryanair spokesman said: This flight from Liverpool to Alicante diverted to Bordeaux after a customer became ill on board. The crew called ahead to request medical assistance, the aircraft landed normally and the customer disembarked and was met by medics for further treatment.

The aircraft will depart to Alicante shortly and Ryanair apologised to customers for the short delay to their flight.

The Germanwings flight was also redirected after a male passenger reportedly experienced heart problems.

A Germanwings spokesman said: Due to a medical emergency on board, flight 4U9642 had to stop over in Bordeaux. The safety of our passengers was never at risk. We apologise for the inconvenience passengers suffered as a result.

The diversions follow an incident on Monday also involving a Germanwings flight in which pilots were forced to perform an emergency landing after smoke filled the cockpit of a flight from Dresden to Dusseldorf.

 9 terrifying things that happen on a plane but passengers know nothing about

There were no injuries after the landing at Dusseldorf airport, a Germanwings spokesman told German newspaper BILD.

Flight 4U9023 was carrying 142 passengers and five crew, all of whom were able to disembark the plane after the landing.

The world's safest low-cost airlines Show all 8 1 /8 The world's safest low-cost airlines The world's safest low-cost airlines WestJet, a low cost Canadian carrier, was voted one of the safest low-cost airlines Alasdair McLellan/Creative Commons The world's safest low-cost airlines Virgin America was named as a low cost carrier by airlineratings.com Virginamerica.com The world's safest low-cost airlines Thomas Cook airlines were ranked highly on the world's best low cost carriers by airlineratings.com The world's safest low-cost airlines Boeing 737 Boeing 737 is part of TUI Fly, a German based subsidiary of Thomas Cook Tuifly.com The world's safest low-cost airlines Volaris, a low-cost Mexican carrier, has been rated one of the safest airlines to fly Volaris/Carribeanairlinenews The world's safest low-cost airlines HK Express was rated highly in the rankings HKExpress The world's safest low-cost airlines Aer Lingus was rated as one of the safest low-cost airlines in the world. The world's safest low-cost airlines America's low-cost carrier has been rated as super safe.

Pilots reacted immediately after noticing smoke in the cockpit and landed the plane at 9.50pm accompanied by fire crew
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Paedophiles in Indonesia could be castrated and microchipped under tough new laws due to be signed within days.

It comes after a 14-year-old schoolgirl was gang-raped and murdered in Sumatra last April.

Seven teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were jailed this week over the assault, while five men have been arrested and are awaiting trial, according to The Nation.

If the new legislation passes, convicted paedophiles may have microchips implanted into their ankles so they can be monitored 24/7 by police.

They could also be forced to undergo chemical castration and serve longer jail terms. The current maximum term for child sex offenders is 15 years if convicted.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has indicated his support for the law, amid calls from several political lobby groups and the Indonesian public for harsher laws to be put in place for child sex offenders.

"The microchip will be fitted before the criminals are released from prison, and is needed to monitor and locate them after they are freed. The decree could be signed in the coming days," said the head of the National Commission for Child Protection, Asrorun Niam Sholeh, who has been involved in discussions on the new laws.

"Chemical castration and heavier jail terms for child rapists are also among new measures that could be introduced, he said.

After a string of high-profile attacks last year, the government announced it would begin chemically castrating child sex offenders, but introduction of the punishment was delayed.

President Widodo pledged to issue the new laws as a presidential decree, for which he doesnt need the approval of the legislature.

There were less than 5,000 reported cases of sexual violence in Indonesia in 2013, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

But the true number is hard to quantify because sexual crimes often go under-reported in the South-Asian country.
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An Australian working for a land mine clearance charity was killed in northern Iraq on Tuesday while trying to defuse a bomb planted by Isis militants, three of his colleagues said.

The man was working under the non-profit Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) in the Daquq area, around 200 km north of Baghdad. Isis were driven out of Daquq last year but left behind hundreds of improvised explosive devices.

FSD programme manager Alex Van Roy said when the man was killed instantly when the bomb containing up to seven kilograms of explosives blew up.

He said the family of the victim had asked that his name be withheld.

In pictures: The rise of Isis Show all 74 1 /74 In pictures: The rise of Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters of the Islamic State wave the group's flag from a damaged display of a government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from Islamic State group sit on their tank during a parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from the Islamic State group pray at the Tabqa air base after capturing it from the Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from extremist Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping A video uploaded to social networks shows men in underwear being marched barefoot along a desert road before being allegedly executed by Isis Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Haruna Yukawa after his capture by Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Khalinda Sharaf Ajour, a Yazidi, says two of her daughters were captured by Isis militants Washington Post In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Spokesperson for Isis Vice News via Youtube In pictures: The rise of Isis A pro-Isis leaflet A pro-Isis leaflet handed out on Oxford Street In London Ghaffar Hussain In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Isis Jihadists burn their passports In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A man collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A woman collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid Local civilians queue for aid administered by Isis. Since it declared a caliphate the group has increasingly been delivering services such as healthcare, and distributing aid and free fuel In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces detain men suspected of being militants of the Isis group in Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Mourners carry the coffin of a Shi'ite volunteer from the brigades of peace, who joined the Iraqi army and was killed during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Samarra, during his funeral in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Shiite Turkmen family fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, arrives at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi A photograph made from a video by the jihadist affiliated group Furqan Media via their twitter account allegedly showing Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamist caliphate in the territory under the group's control in Iraq and Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Smoke and debris go up in the air as Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul. Images posted online show that Islamic extremists have destroyed at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory - the city of Mosul and the town of Tal Afar - they have seized in northern Iraq in recent weeks In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq A bulldozer destroys Sunni's Ahmed al-Rifai shrine and tomb in Mahlabiya district outside of Tal Afar In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces celebrate after clashes with followers of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi, in front of his home in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi at his home after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A vehicle burns in front of a home of a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman holds her exhausted son as over 1000 Iraqis who have fled fighting in and around the city of Mosul and Tal Afar wait at a Kurdish checkpoint in the hopes of entering a temporary displacement camp in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees Displaced Iraqi women hold pots as they queue to receive food during the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at an encampment for displaced Iraqis who fled from Mosul and other towns, in the Khazer area outside Irbil, north Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters travel in a vehicle as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade with a missile in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from an al-Qaida splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from the splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters hold a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A member loyal to the Isis waves an Isis flag in Raqqa In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in the western Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The United Nations warned that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as a bloody four-day wave of violence killed 195 people. The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago, raising fears of a return to all-out sectarian conflict In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Isis group they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Isis fighters parade in the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Isis group, demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony after completing their field training in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Kurdish Peshmerga troops fire a cannon during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Jalawla, Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference Iraqi Prime Minister's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference about the latest military development in Iraq, in the capital Baghdad. Iraqi forces pressed a campaign to retake militant-held Tikrit, clashing with jihadist-led Sunni militants nearby and pounding positions inside the city with air strikes in their biggest counter-offensive so far In pictures: The rise of Isis A police station building destroyed by Isis fighters An exterior view of a police station building destroyed by gunmen in Mosul city, northern Iraq. Iraq's new parliament is expected to convene to start the process of setting up a new government, despite deepening political rifts and an ongoing Islamist-led insurgency. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani issued a decree inviting the new House of Representatives to meet and form a new government In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Smoke billows from an area controlled by the Isis between the Iraqi towns of Naojul and Tuz Khurmatu, both located north of the capital Baghdad, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces take part in an operation to repel the Sunni militants In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An elderly Iraqi woman is helped into a temporary displacement camp for Iraqis caught-up in the fighting in and around the city of Mosul in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kms east of the northern province of Nineveh, cries upon her arrival at a community center in the Kurdish city of Arbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman, who fled with her family from the northern city of Mosul, prays with a copy of the Quran AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq The body of an Isis militant killed during clashes with Iraqi security forces on the outskirts of the city of Samarra Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi civilians inspect the damage at a market after an air strike by the Iraqi army in central Mosul EPA In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the city AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Shia tribesmen gather in Baghdad to take up arms against Sunni insurgents marching on the capital. Thousands have volunteered to bolster defences AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A van carrying volunteers joining Iraqi security forces against Jihadist militants. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced the Iraqi government would arm and equip civilians who volunteered to fight AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters of the Isis group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An Islamist fighter, identified as Abu Muthanna al-Yemeni from Britain (R), speaks in this still image taken undated video shot at an unknown location and uploaded to a social media website. Five Islamist fighters identified as Australian and British nationals have called on Muslims to join the wars in Syria and Iraq, in the new video released by the Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Al-Qaida inspired militants stand with captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad. The fighting at Beiji comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Isis group. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinein Baiji as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants from the Isis group parading with their weapons in the northern city of Baiji in the in Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A smoke rises after an attack by Isis militants on the country's largest oil refinery in Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad. Iraqi security forces battled insurgents targeting the country's main oil refinery and said they regained partial control of a city near the Syrian border, trying to blunt an offensive by Sunni militants who diplomats fear may have also seized some 100 foreign workers In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group stand next to captured vehicles left behind by Iraqi security forces at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province. For militant groups, the fight over public perception can be even more important than actual combat, turning military losses into propaganda victories and battlefield successes into powerful tools to build support for the cause In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An injured fighter (C) from the Isis group after a battle with Iraqi soldiers at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis aiming at advancing Iraqi troops at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group taking position at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group inspecting vehicles of the Iraqi army after they were seized at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq One Iraqi captive, a corporal, is reluctant to say the slogan, and has to be shouted at repeatedly before he obeys Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group force captured Iraqi security forces members to the transport In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group transporting dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members to an unknown location in the Salaheddin province ahead of executing them In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A major offensive spearheaded by Isis but also involving supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein has overrun all of one province and chunks of three others In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants taking position at a Iraqi border post on the Syrian-Iraqi border between the Iraqi Nineveh province and the Syrian town of Al-Hasakah In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis rebels show their flag after seizing an army post AFP/Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants waving an Islamist flag after the seizure of an Iraqi army checkpoint in Salahuddin Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Demonstrators chant slogans as they carry al-Qaida flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. In the week since it captured Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, a Muslim extremist group has tried to win over residents and has stopped short of widely enforcing its strict brand of Islamic law, residents say. Churches remain unharmed and street cleaners are back at work

FSD has removed some 500 homemade bombs in the Daquq area since it began working there around two months ago, Kurdish FSD team member Aso Sabah al-Din said.

The team of two dozen includes both expatriates and Kurdish forces who control the area and who say they do not have the capabilities to deal with the bombs left by Isis.

Reuters
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At least 69 people have been killed in four bombing attacks on Shia areas of Baghdad as a wave of almost daily massacres by Isis continues.

An explosion in a market in the Iraqi capital's al-Shaab district left 34 people dead and 75 injured, while a car bomb in the al-Rasheed area killed eight and wounded another 22 victims, according to police and medical sources.

In al-Shaab, a roadside bomb exploded outside concrete blast walls surrounding the open air market, before a female suicide bomber blew herself up in a crowd of people who gathered to help the initial victims.

Metal pellets were found at the site of a suicide bombing in al-Shaab (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

Later, a suicide car bomb was reported at another market in Sadr City, which was targeted in the deadliest day of attacks last week, killing at least 18 people and injuring 35.

In a fourth attack, a suicide bomber killed nine people at a restaurant in the Habibia district.

Isis hailed its "martyrdom operations" in al-Shaab and Sadr City but there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the two other blasts.

Previous propaganda statements said the militants were targeting gatherings of Shia militias known as the Popular Mobilisation Committees but officials said civilians, including women and children made up the majority of victims.

More than 100 people were killed in 24 hours of blasts that started on Wednesday morning with a car bomb in a crowded market, followed by two more blasts in the afternoon and a twin suicide bombing at dawn the following day.

In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings Baghdad bombings People gather at the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad's mainly Shia district of Sadr City, Iraq, May 11, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings Baghdad bombings People gather at the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad's mainly Shia district of Sadr City, Iraq, May 11, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings Baghdad bombings People gather at the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad's mainly Shia district of Sadr City, Iraq, May 11, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings Baghdad bombings People gather at the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad's mainly Shia district of Sadr City, Iraq, May 11, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings Baghdad bombings Security forces and citizens inspect the scene after a car bomb explosion at a crowded outdoor market in the Iraqi capital's eastern district of Sadr City, Iraq, Wednesday, May 11, 2016. AP In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings Baghdad bombings People gather at the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad's mainly Shia district of Sadr City, Iraq, May 11, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings Baghdad bombings A woman reacts at the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad's mainly Shi'ite district of Sadr City, Iraq, May 11, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings Baghdad bombings A bulldozer clears the wreckage following a car bomb attack in Sadr City, a Shia area of Baghdad, on May 11, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings Baghdad bombings Iraqis walk past flowers and shoes left on the ground at Oraiba market a day after it was targeted in a car bomb attack on May 12, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings Baghdad bombings Iraqis mourn in the holy city of Najaf during the funeral of victims of a car bombing in Baghdad's Shiia area of Sadr City during on May 11, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Baghdad hit by 24 hours of Isis bombings Baghdad bombings Mourners carry the coffins of bomb victims during a funeral procession at the holy shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf, Iraq, on May 11, 2016. AP

On Thursday night, Isis militants burst into a cafe filled with Real Madrid fans in the city of Balad and opened fire, killing at least 13 people.

Four separate bomb attacks on Sunday left at least 15 victims dead on the fifth straight day of atrocities claimed by the terrorist group.

The same day also saw an Isis assault on a natural gas plant north of Baghdad, sparking hours of battles with security forces before militants were driven back.

The so-called Islamic State is battling to retain control of territory in northern and western Iraq, where it has suffered land losses amid an advance by Iraqi forces, Kurdish Peshmerga and air strikes by the US-led coalition.

The Soufan Group, a US-based intelligence firm, warned that terror attacks would only increase with the approach of the holy month of Ramadan, continuing political deadlock in Iraq and military pressure Isis is facing across its territories.

 ISIL claims deadly bombings in Iraq's capital

Analysts described car bombings as one of the terrorist groups most tried tactics to regain momentum, aiming to inflict mass casualties, kill as many Shia as possible, provoke fear and unrest and turn all factions against the government, allowing the group to exploit the resulting chaos.

Shia civilians, police forces, soldiers and the security services are among those targeted by the organisation, which has declared Shia Muslims apostates and regards the Iraqi government as allies of Western crusaders.

The recent surge in violence has added to criticism of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who already faces protests over a political deadlock on cabinet reforms.

The UN's Special Representative for Iraq, Jan Kubis, warned that the deadlock and civil unrest threatened to undermine progress in regaining territory from Isis and urged Iraqi authorities not to underestimate a formidable and determined enemy.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Eight women have been arrested in Iran as part of a crackdown on women posting photographs online without wearing the compulsory headscarf.

Among them was Elham Arab, a model known for her distinctive blonde hair and wedding dress portraits, who was made to issue a public apology in footage broadcast on state television.

Questioned by Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, the prosecutor general of Tehran, she was accused of promoting western promiscuity on Monday.

All people love beauty and fame, Ms Arab said, wearing a black headscarf with her hair dyed brown.

They would like to be seen, but it is important to know what price they will pay to be seena model will certainly lose her hijab and honour.

Her Instagram page has been shut down, along with those belonging to the seven other arrested women, along with Facebook pages and business websites.

Melikaa Zamani, Niloofar Behboudi, Donya Moghadam, Dana Nik, Shabnam Molavi, Elnaz Golrokh and Hamid Fadaei were named as those detained, although authorities did not confirm the names and at least two of the women are believed to have fled Iran.

More arrests are expected as part of Operation Spider II, which Iranian authorities said aims to defend honour for Muslims, protect Islamic and national identity and exclude unhealthy online content.

Instagram was singled out in particular for spreading vulgar and sometimes obscene images of professional and amateur models, a report by Fars news agency said.

Officials said 170 people had so far been identified by tracing posts, including 58 models, 59 photographers and makeup artists, accusing them of enticing young people and damaging their morals.

They equated professional modelling with promoting the normalisation of promiscuity and said women posing half-naked were attracting boys and girls to enter the trade.

Families were being urged to prevent relatives making or viewing the images, while Iranian citizens were told to report violations to authorities online.

We must fight with enemy's actions in this area, Mr Dowlatabadi was quoted by the state-owned Iran newspaper as saying. Of course our actions in this area will continue.

The arrests caused uproar following the detention of artists, poets, journalists and activists as moderate President Hassan Rouhani's administration secured a landmark nuclear deal with world powers.

The sentences handed down signal that hard-liners in the police and judiciary, who were unable to stop the accord and fear looser social norms will weaken the Islamic Republic, still hold significant power in the country.

Among the groups protesting was My Stealthy Freedom  an online movement started by journalist Masih Alinejad that encourages women in Iran to post photos of themselves online without headscarves.

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

Hundreds of Iranian women have had images posted on the groups Facebook page, which has grown to have almost a million followers since the campaign started two years ago, and tourists are now being encouraged to do the same.

It is illegal for women to go out in public without wearing headscarf in the country, where thousands of undercover agents and morality police patrol the streets to check for violations.

Women found to have their hair or bodies inadequately covered can be publicly admonished, fined or even arrested.

Iranian women have been increasingly wearing the mandatory hijab more loosely on their heads, particularly in the capital, sparking outrage from conservatives in the Islamic Republic.

Last month, police announced the deployment of 7,000 plainclothes male and female officers in Tehran to enforce the countrys dress code.

 Iran hangs woman for killing alleged rapist

A crackdown on freedom of expression online is also underway in Iran, where around 40 per cent of its population have access to the censored and filtered internet.

Journalists, filmmakers, writers and activists have been detained, sentenced or imprisoned, with the latest being Mahdi Boutorabi, the manager of Iranian blogging service persianblog.ir.

Additional reporting by AP
This article originally appeared in the May 2016 issue of AVN magazine. Click here to see a copy of the digital edition.

Fresh from last months Phoenix Forum, Chi Chi LaRue is energizedand reminded of a valuable lesson he learned that weekend.

I hosted a wet underwear contest at the pool at the host hotel sponsored by all the different porn companies. They all entered a model and Levi Karter from CockyBoys won, he recalls. It was really fun, but I will know not to wear black to a pool-hosting event in the Arizona sun ever again.

But it was worth the sweat. The iconic director is dipping his stilettos into a variety of projects, including potential involvement with a new gay dating app.

I had some really productive meetings with Douglas Richter of GUYZ, and meetings with other great people. I also met some people that I had never heard of, like GayCowboyRanch.com. Now Im a fan and I think that theyre the coolest guys. Hopefully Ill be doing some stuff with them, and just talking about some future projects all around, he said. I dont really want to say too much, but I think that Im going to be going back to my roots a little bit  and doing some stuff for  somebody.

Having mastered the art of the tease many years ago, thats the most youll pry out of LaRue at the moment. But if recent projects are any indication, the future is exciting. LaRue recently collaborated with CockyBoys on a current smash project and some other scenes he directed for the it studio.

It was really nice, directing for them. I just did some scenes, and then we did an amazing movie called One Erection which is gonna be a pretty ambitious project. While filming was happening, we were doing some dialogue with a few performers, and I just said, Say the name of your song is Sticky Face! And it turned out that everybody loved that so much that all of the boys that are in the mockumentary band New Direction, they went into the studio and recorded a song called Sticky Face for the movie! Its a really good song, and it was done by the guy who has worked with RuPaul recently on her last two albums. Thats gonna be a really good project.

Fresh from shooting in Montreal for the studio, LaRue was thrilledas was CockyBoys director Jake Jaxsonwith the opportunity to collaborate.

He makes just the most amazing stuff, says LaRue. Im so not used to the way they work, because they make a movie over sometimes the span of a year! And theyve got so many irons in the fire right now, and all of them are masterpieces  theyre really creative and they think out of the box, and I kind of consider myself someone that thinks out of the box. It was nice going up and just being in that kind of atmosphere with really super creative people that just didnt want to get a porno movie in the can, you know? They also just shot off the cuff a lot of times, and some of that stuff was some of the best stuff that we got. The boys are brilliant, and its such a team effort with everybody  and they worked around my Starbucks schedule.

LaRues recent Montreal shoot resulted in a scene between Wesley Woods and Dustin Holloway. I love Dustin Holloway because he had no idea who I was. He doesnt have a Twitter account, hes just this normal guy whos unaffected and couldnt care less about the gossip and the drama of the gay porn world. It was awesome. And Ive become really, really close with Wesley, so thats really been nice. He reminds me a lot of my friendship with Dean Monroe.

The director has also been working with another friend, Trenton Ducati. I love his Gentlemans Closet site. Ive done a couple scenes for that, and I love to direct for it. I did a scene with Angel Cruz and JJ Knight that was so good, and I did a solo with Phenix Saint, and Jack Hunter. Trenton has helped me out, hes always there. Hes in my corner, so thats nice to have.

Back at his own Channel 1, LaRue directed a new movie with Woods, Hunter, Bruce Beckham, Spencer Whitman, Brendan Patrick and Tex Davidson (aka the one with the big dick). He plans to direct three movies over the summer, and is also excited about a new film from Dirk Yates, and more material from William Higgins.

Our toys are doing really well, and the store is doing really well. It started off really slow once we did the move. People were used to it being on one side of the street, and now its moved across the street into a very high populated area, LaRue says of his West Hollywood boutique. People were kind of afraid to walk in there at first, but now its picked up, and its such a beautiful store.

Channel 1 recently announced the launch of Boneyard Toys, featuring high-end, cutting-edge designs and led by a new line of cock rings. The store Chi Chi LaRues reopened in January, bolstered by a special area called the XR Dungeon (sponsored by XR Brands). That dungeon is awesome! Its really gorgeous.

LaRue is gearing up for a busy season, starting with the Grabby Awards. Also on tap is a trip to Miami Pride and appearances in Springfield, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C., where he was set to DJ while models Woods and Hunter danced. But when he has some down time, LaRue says youll find him more in Minnesota now than in West Hollywood. The change in location has allowed him to clear his mind and focus on what he wants to do next.

I have so many ideas, just chomping at the bit to create. Directing for CockyBoys has given me a little bit of that, but Ive got stuff I really want to do. I would really like to do Heaven to Hell Part 2 for Falcon, Id like to do another Link movie for my own company, he says of two of his many iconic works. I would love to take over a brand at Falcon Studios Group, like maybe if they would give me a line like the Hot House brand or the Jocks brand. Thats just a pipe dream, though. Im hoping that one day maybe something will transpire.

Meanwhile, LaRue is back to his roots: hunting for models, the excitement in his voice clear when he talks about it. I havent done that for so long, but Im finding the urge to find new guys instead of just relying on agents. Im out there trying to find the next fresh face, which is what I was the best at before. I was the queen of finding new faces! Its a lot different now, because there is a porn director or producer lurking behind every dust bunny at every club. But Im really lucky, blessed and grateful for the fact that Ive got this platform that is Chi Chi LaRue, this big drag monster that gets to go places. Like in Massachusetts, Ill be DJing at this club that is all nude dancers. Theres gotta be somebody there, right?!
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Sudan, 6 December 1993

With his high cheekbones, narrow eyes and long brown robe, Mr bin Laden looks every inch the mountain warrior of mujahedin legend. Chadored children danced in front of him, preachers acknowledged his wisdom. We have been waiting for this road through all the revolutions in Sudan, a sheikh said. We waited until we had given up on everybody  and then Osama bin Laden came along.

Osama bin Laden sat in his gold-fringed robe, guarded by the loyal Arab mujahedin who fought alongside him in Afghanistan. Bearded, taciturn figures  unarmed, but never more than a few yards from the man who recruited them, trained them and then dispatched them to destroy the Soviet army  they watched unsmiling as the Sudanese villagers of Almatig lined up to thank the Saudi businessman who is about to complete the highway linking their homes to Khartoum for the first time in history.

Outside Sudan, Mr bin Laden is not regarded with quite such high esteem. The Egyptian press claims he brought hundreds of former Arab fighters back to Sudan from Afghanistan, while the Western embassy circuit in Khartoum has suggested that some of the Afghans whom this Saudi entrepreneur flew to Sudan are now busy training for further jihad wars in Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt. Mr bin Laden is well aware of this. The rubbish of the media and the embassies, he calls it. I am a construction engineer and an agriculturalist. If I had training camps here in Sudan, I couldnt possibly do this job. And this job is certainly an ambitious one: a brand-new highway stretching all the way from Khartoum to Port Sudan, a distance of 1,200km (745 miles) on the old road, now shortened to 800km by the new bin Laden route that will turn the coastal run from the capital into a mere days journey. Into a country that is despised by Saudi Arabia for its support of Saddam Hussein in the Gulf war almost as much as it is condemned by the United States, Mr bin Laden has brought the very construction equipment that he used only five years ago to build the guerrilla trails of Afghanistan.

He is a shy man. Maintaining a home in Khartoum and only a small apartment in his home city of Jeddah, he is married  with four wives  but wary of the press. His interview with the Independent was the first he has ever given to a Western journalist, and he initially refused to talk about Afghanistan, sitting silently on a chair at the back of a makeshift tent, brushing his teeth in the Arab fashion with a stick of miswak wood. But talk he eventually did about a war which he helped to win for the Afghan mujahedin: What I lived in two years there, I could not have lived in a hundred years elsewhere, he said.

When the history of the Afghan resistance movement is written, Mr bin Ladens own contribution to the mujahedin  and the indirect result of his training and assistance  may turn out to be a turning-point in the recent history of militant fundamentalism; even if, today, he tries to minimise his role. When the invasion of Afghanistan started, I was enraged and went there at once  I arrived within days, before the end of 1979, he said. Yes, I fought there, but my fellow Muslims did much more than I. Many of them died and I am still alive.

Within months, however, Mr bin Laden was sending Arab fighters  Egyptians, Algerians, Lebanese, Kuwaitis, Turks and Tunisians  into Afghanistan; not hundreds but thousands, he said. He supported them with weapons and his own construction equipment. Along with his Iraqi engineer, Mohamed Saad  who is now building the Port Sudan road  Mr bin Laden blasted massive tunnels into the Zazi mountains of Bakhtiar province for guerrilla hospitals and arms dumps, then cut a mujahedin trail across the country to within 15 miles of Kabul.

No, I was never afraid of death. As Muslims, we believe that when we die, we go to heaven. Before a battle, God sends us seqina, tranquillity.

Once I was only 30 metres from the Russians and they were trying to capture me. I was under bombardment but I was so peaceful in my heart that I fell asleep. This experience has been written about in our earliest books. I saw a 120mm mortar shell land in front of me, but it did not blow up. Four more bombs were dropped from a Russian plane on our headquarters but they did not explode. We beat the Soviet Union. The Russians fled.

But what of the Arab mujahedin whom he took to Afghanistan  members of a guerrilla army who were also encouraged and armed by the United States  and who were forgotten when that war was over? Personally neither I nor my brothers saw evidence of American help. When my mujahedin were victorious and the Russians were driven out, differences started between the guerrilla movements so I returned to road construction in Taif and Abha. I brought back the equipment I had used to build tunnels and roads for the mujahedin in Afghanistan. Yes, I helped some of my comrades to come here to Sudan after the war. How many? Osama bin Laden shakes his head. I dont want to say. But they are here now with me, they are working right here, building this road to Port Sudan.

I told him that Bosnian Muslim fighters in the Bosnian town of Travnik had mentioned his name to me. I feel the same about Bosnia, he said. But the situation there does not provide the same opportunities as Afghanistan. A small number of mujahedin have gone to fight in Bosnia-Herzegovina but the Croats wont allow the mujahedin in through Croatia as the Pakistanis did with Afghanistan. Thus did Mr bin Laden reflect upon jihad while his former fellow combatants looked on. Was it not a little bit anti-climactic for them, I asked, to fight the Russians and end up road-building in Sudan? They like this work and so do I. This is a great plan which we are achieving for the people here, it helps the Muslims and improves their lives.

His bin Laden company  not to be confused with the larger construction business run by his cousins  is paid in Sudanese currency which is then used to purchase sesame and other products for export; profits are clearly not Mr bin Ladens top priority How did he feel about Algeria, I asked? But a man in a green suit calling himself Mohamed Moussa  he claimed to be Nigerian although he was a Sudanese security officer  tapped me on the arm. You have asked more than enough questions, he said. At which Mr bin Laden went off to inspect his new road.
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A picture of Turkish president Recep Erdogan dressed as Hitler has been projected onto the walls of the country's embassy in Berlin.

German artists projected a large photograph of Mr Erdogan wearing a Nazi armband and Hitler's toothbrush moustache as a protest against the recent imprisonment of two journalists in Turkey.

Beside the picture on the walls of the Turkish embassy in Berlin were the words "He's back".

The group behind the image are German art activists Pixel Helper, who have posted pictures of the projection to Facebook.

"We as Germans know what happens in the early stages of a dictatorship. The similarities between the early Nazi regime and Erdogans Turkey right now are frightening," Oliver Bienkowski, a member of the group, told The Independent.

"Erdogan challenges the freedom of the press, has jailed many journalists and politicians, and deals in oil with terrorists.

"We fear that history is repeating itself, and he must be stopped before it is too late."

The message comes at a sensitive time for Turkish-German relations as Chancellor Angela Merkel tries to uphold an agreement with Mr Erdogan to accept refugees from Greece in return for accepting a similar number from camps in Turkey as well as speeding up Turkish visas to the EU.

It also follows comments broadcast by German comedian Jan Boehmermann, which referenced Mr Erdogan in crude sexual and offensive terms, that the Chancellor has said were illegal and may be prosecuted against by the Turkish government.

President Erdogan is shown wearing a Nazi armband with Hitler moustache. The group have accused him of a dictatorship (PixelHelper/Facebook)

This most recent criticism of Mr Erdogan in Germany comes just over a week after two Turkish journalists, Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, were sentenced to five years in prison each in a private hearing.

The pair also narrowly avoided a seeming assassination attempt outside the courthouse in Istanbul when a man with a gun shot at Mr Dundar but missed before being restrained by the editor's wife and later by police.

Mr Dundar and Mr Gul were accused of publishing information which claimed Turkish intelligence services were making arms deliveries to Islamists in Syria and the government was supporting terrorism.

In response, the two editors were arrested and charged with planning a coup, spying, sharing state secrets and themselves supporting terrorism.

Mr Dundar and Mr Gul told the Turkish Sun: "They have tried everything, starting with a threat...then blackmails, we were imprisoned, they looked into our personal accounts and assets, bugged our phones."

A court has now sentenced them to five years in prison, which has yet to be confirmed by a higher court, on charges of revealing state secrets.

Mr Bienkowski added: "We would love to project the same images on to the Presidential Palace in Istanbul, but if we did there is a good chance we would not make the flight back to Germany."
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The cave is full of bats. The smell of guano and bad tempered chittering emanate. Mick, my guide, throws a stone, hoping to rouse the bats and justify the punishing uphill trek and subsequent clamber halfway down a cliff to where we now stand, precariously, on an outcrop of rock. Behind us, the flat, hot plains of Cambodia stretch into the distance.

The bats are unmoved. Mick shrugs and starts to climb back up, his flip flops bending on the rock edges. I stick a toe in the cliff, grab a fist-sized lump and haul myself up after him. The lump crumbles into dust. It wasnt a rock, just dried mud. For what seems like several seconds Im suspended in mid-air like a cartoon.

The likeliest outcome flashes through my mind: another disappeared foreigner, last seen driving a red Keeway motorcycle into Kirirom National Park, southeast Cambodia. He wanted to see the pine forest, they would say. And the ghost town. Such a tragedy.

I land, flat on my back, several feet below on a large rock lodged between two split seams of cliff. Air wrenched from my lungs. I check myself. Fine. I check my camera. Also fine. The bats chatter feverishly. Mick peers down and grins, God must look after you, he says.

I had arrived at the outskirts of Kirirom National Park the previous evening having driven four hours from the coastal town of Kep. Its home to Cambodias only high-altitude pine forest and peaks at 1,000 metres above sea-level. The late King Norodom Sihanouk first came here in 1944, riding an elephant. He renamed it Kirirom (Happy Mountain) and established a resort.

Today, all that remains of Sihanouks palace is the monolithic fireplace. It stretches high into the trees. Scattered jasmine flowers and incense burn at the base: prayers for the old kings soul. Mick says there are about 150 abandoned or ruined villas built by Cambodian elites in the 1950s. After the genocidal Khmer Rouge was toppled in 1979, surviving fighters established a stronghold here and smashed the villas as symbols of the hated king and his bourgeois followers.

The fireplace in the king's old palace (Nathan A Thompson)

Today, the forest is absolutely safe as long as you dont go climbing down cliffs looking for bats. That afternoon Mick and I decide on a gentler mission - to explore the ruined town. Some of the villas are barely visible through the green static of the forest. Theyre shells, craggy as castles. I run my fingers across old bullet holes. Others are intact. They look as if theyd only been abandoned months ago. We go inside another one of the kings old residences, downstairs into a cavernous basement. Its so dark I use the flash on my camera to get a sense of space  its huge.

Im staying at Kirirom Mountain Lodge, a hotel in one of the few 1950s villas that has been restored. Its whitewashed concrete, swooping design and mountain top location are reminiscent of a Roger Moore-era James Bond location, and while it gets busy on weekends, as its Monday, I have the place to myself.

The next day, I sip my morning coffee on a chair outside my room. The cool air and ambrosial pines make me feel like Im in the French Alps. If it wasnt for the whir of cicadas the illusion would be complete.

The grounds of Kirirom Mountain Lodge (Nathan A Thompson)

I give Mick the vague instruction to take me to the secret places, and soon were pushing through furry pine branches, waist-deep in grass. Its the dog-end of the rainy season and my trousers are soaked. Butterflies, yellow as banana milkshake, explode from the undergrowth.

We emerge at a cliff top. Its bare; the forest drawn back as if afraid of falling. Below, stretching for miles are the Cardamom Mountains, one of the last old-growth rainforests in South-east Asia. Its home to countless rare species including the pangolin, dubbed the worlds must hunted animal, and a family of elephants.

Before leaving we visit a waterfall. Well, its more of a mountain stream that bulges into a lake moments before escaping back into the trees. Wooden shacks surround the lake, and I think about complaining thats its not really secret, but decide to go with it. There are stalls selling local snacks: salted green mango, fresh coconuts and deep-fried river shrimp. The water is empty apart from a few children screaming and stamping in the shallows, and although Im grubby from the mornings trek I decline the opportunity to swim; I have no trunks or towel.

I ride my motorbike back to the city, The temperature rising as I descend. Pines give way to broad-leaved species, then palms, and finally its only emerald green rice fields. Two hours later Im back in the chaotic capital, a world away.

Travel essentials

Getting there

Indirect flights from the UK to Phnom Penh are offered by carriers including Thai Airways (thaiairways.com) and Qatar Airways (qatarairways.com).

Taxis and minivans leave from various spots in Phnom Penh; pickups and fees best arranged through your hotel. Small cars cost around US$40 each way and large minivans US$120 (Cambodia has a dual currency system; US dollars are accepted along with the local riel currency.

Lucky Lucky Motorcycles, Phnom Penh (00 855 23 212 788) rents motorcycles; a good dirt bike costs US$15-30 per day.

Staying there

Kirirom Mountain Lodge (kirirom.asia). Doubles from US$35 during the week and US$60 on weekends and national holidays, including breakfast.

Visiting there

Mick (00 855 90 351 188) offers bespoke tours.

Red Tape

British nationals can buy a one-month, single entry tourist visa on arrival for US$30. Bring two passport photos.

More information

tourismcambodia.com
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Sharing is caring, they say  unless, that is, you are a professional Airbnb landlord. Then your participation in the so called sharing economy actually involves hoarding scarce housing stock for your own profit and pulling a fast one on anyone unfortunate enough to live in a popular tourist destination.

Airbnb was founded on the idea that home owners could host guests in their spare rooms  or even their entire home, if they happened to be away on holiday  in exchange for a small fee. True to the spirit of the socio-economic ecosystem known as the sharing economy, idle resources would be shared out with little financial return and emotional connections between people forged. The company claims that their hosts would create a sense of belonging around the world; wherever you stay, youre at home

Maybe the San Francisco sun went to their head in Silicon Valley, because over here in Europe the reality of hosting through the site looks very different.

Rather than facilitating peer-to-peer sharing, Airbnb has become a platform for professional landlords and buy-to-let investors. Renting entire flats to tourists through the site has become highly profitable industry in its own right, and it has become so widespread that its now having a detrimental impact on the availability of housing for first-time buyers and renters in major European cities.

Berlin, long touted by experts as a sort of nirvana of housing law, has responded to the citys growing housing shortage by banning the short-term leasing of entire flats. The 20,000 guest-flats in the German capital are anticipated to supply one years worth of housing stock.

However, Berlin has nothing on the UKs capital when it comes to professional Airbnb use.

According to Inside Airbnb, in Berlins most popular district, Charlottenburg, 60 per cent of listings are entire homes, 80 per cent are available year round and 33.8 per cent of users list multiple properties. In Londons most desired location, the City of London, 86.1 per cent of listings are entire properties, 58.4 per cent of listings are available year round and 59.3 per cent have multiple properties.

Across the city, 45 per cent of properties are being rented out for more than 90 days  the legal limit in the UK without permission. Far from individuals sharing their homes, nearly half of the listings on site are unregistered hotels.

According to Airbnb, the typical London host earns only 3,500 by sharing their space for 50 nights a year, and last year the business generated 1.3bn in economic activity in the capital. A spokesperson said: We want to be good partners to the city and will continue working with policymakers on innovative measures to promote responsible home sharing.

But the data is clear: the use of Airbnb to operate short-term rentals is removing housing stock for regular Londoners. Rather than tightening the law, the rules around the sharing economy have been loosened since 2015.

Sections 44 and 45 of the Deregulation Act 2015 relaxed existing housing law and allowed home owners in London to participate in the sharing economy, and enjoy the same freedom and flexibility as the rest of the country to temporarily let their homes, without the disproportionate burden of requiring planning permission. This meant that no permission is required for short term lets used for less than 90 days per year.

The act attempts to bring extra resources into the economy while protecting housing stock, but the former has been prioritised over the latter, by failing to provide local authorities with the ability to enforce the 90 day limit.

Writing for the digital magazine Vice, investigative journalist Corin Faife posed as a homeowner with a flat to rent and asked a third party Airbnb management service (yes, they exist too) about the legality of letting a property full time; he was told that the laws were unenforceable.

Far from facilitating a purer form of capitalism  peer-to-peer sharing  the tech start up has instead created a three-headed hydra: Airbnb management companies look after properties rented by professional landlords who advertise their goods through the site. There is more human contact at your local Premier Inn.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan could do with following Berlins example by responding to the reality of the misnamed sharing economy into Londons housing strategy.

Airbnb could still have a role in the city, but like Berlin we could limit the amount of space permitted to let to less than 50 per cent of homes. This would stay true to the companys ethos of allowing Londoners to share their homes, and welcome guests to their city.

And the Government could ask the site to share its extensive data to identify those abusing the 90 day limit and provide extra resources to local authorities to tackle these rogue landlords, who far from sharing, are hoarding the citys homes.
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The current situation in Libya is a mess and a large part of this is due to misjudgement which marked the Western intervention in the uprising against Muammar Gaddafis regime and the failure to help build civic society which contributed to the chaotic aftermath.

It is also the case that the West is now moving to intervene again in Libya not so much because of the plight of the Libyan people, but because of its own deep concern over the tide of refugees coming to Europe across the Mediterranean and the growing presence of Isis in the country.

More than 20 states agreed on Monday at an international meeting in Vienna to a partial lifting of an UN arms embargo on Libya to enable supplies of weapons to be sent to the UN brokered government, headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, which is establishing itself in Tripoli, and start a training programme for its forces.

The move is being backed by all five permanent members of the UN Security Council. This, of course, includes Russia and China, two countries which had bitterly complained about being hoodwinked by the West over Libya in the past. Both had agreed to support a Western proposed UN resolution establishment of a no-fly zone only to see this turn into a prolonged Nato bombing campaign.

Moscow and Beijing are right in backing the Vienna plan. Grievous mistakes made in Libya before is not a reason for inaction now. The threat posed by Isis in Libya and beyond its borders is very real: one only has to remember the Sousse massacre in Tunisia last Summer as an example of its reach. The country will continue being a conduit for refugees in a security vacuum which allows traffickers to thrive. And the people of Libya deserve a respite from the violence and lawlessness which show no sign of ending.

Is selectively arming the Government of National Accord (GNA) and its forces the right way to intervene? Another proposal under consideration had been a European military expedition of around 6,000 led by Italy. This has been shelved for the time being and that is the correct decision. The troop numbers were nothing like large enough for a viable campaign and the Sarraj administration should not be tainted by being blatantly beholden to foreign forces.

The steps being taken would not, one needs to accept, lead to an easy or quick solution. Libya remains deeply divided. The GNA is not recognised by factions of the administration based in Tobruk in the east or an Islamist administration in Tripoli. Then there is General Khalifa Haftar, running his own army, autonomous of the GNA, but backed by Egypt and the UAE, battling the Islamist administration and supposedly launching his own offensive against Isis.

Yet a number of militias have now swung behind the Sarraj government which has not been chased out of Tripoli by the Islamists which many thought would happen. The Libyan National Oil corporation and the Central Bank, the two institutions managing what wealth Libya have also added their support.

There is always the risk of mission creep, the possibility that special forces already there, and trainers due to arrive in the future, will get sucked deeper and deeper into a conflict and more troops will need to be sent. However, the alacrity with which plans for the European force was put aside shows there is very little appetite for putting anything more than limited numbers of boots on the ground from among Western governments.

There is no purely military solution to the Libyan crisis. All efforts must be made to reconcile the Sarraj government to the Tobruk administration and elements of the Islamist one in Tripoli. Gen Haftar will need to be brought into the fold and the Egyptians and the Emiratis will need to be persuaded to be part of the joint international action.

All this is a daunting proposition. But the alternative is to leave Libya floundering in the mess and hoping the problem will somehow go away.
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Last week the Higher Education Policy Institute released a report that showed in 2016 94,000 fewer men applied to university than women. Men, as New York Times columnist David Brookes recently noted, are a group whose empire is slipping away. This report is a reminder that we are badly failing our boys, and creating a generation of young men for whom the future is uncertain.

Women have been gaining ground in the academy and the labour market for the past forty years. Its not just a UK problem, women are outpacing men across the western world. The price of progress has been the dilution of the traditional male role, of masculinity itself.

Recommended Read more How the political left has destroyed Latin America

An outdated notion of masculinity is serving a generation of young men poorly. Modern economies reward empathy, communication skills and openness; hardly synonymous with the male trope. The strong silent type is now all too often the unemployed or imprisoned type.

Letting go of the breadwinner mentality, however, is difficult. If being a provider means being a man, what happens when you cant provide? Or, what if your partner is a better provider than you? Are we introducing boys and young men to the idea that for a great many of them their other halves will be the earners in the family? Were transitioning economically and as result women are becoming more powerful. Conversely, we need men to become more active socially, as fathers, neighbours, as husbands.

Herein lies the tension. We, as men, struggle to let go of the breadwinner attitude. Its clear definition of purpose is satisfying and comforting. Yet, we also know the world is changing and that if we dont change it will be taken from us, maybe quite brutally. Some of us see this and understand it, others fear it.

Our politics has become a pastiche of the very same tension. Its flashpoints increasingly resembling the spasms of the knackered male psyche. Take the EU debate, (conspicuous in its absence of female leaders I might add) a reaction to the declining expectations of our role in the world. The rise of Corbyn, a grasp for the certainties of a bygone age, when left was left and right was right. When men, were men.

When James Brown first belted out the immortal line this is a mans world in 1966 he was no doubt correct. Exactly fifty years later hes still right about the world, but its now a lot less clear how to be a man in it.
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If you hit the jackpot as prime minister  if you really match up to the squeaky-clean, genuine and youthful image of a new deal liberal politician taking over from a rather secretive and divisive Conservative  you better have a tough wife.

Justin Trudeau, Canadas poster-boy premier, probably guessed as much when a faint ripple of disapproval greeted his front cover cling-onto-each-other appearance with Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on the front of Vogue magazine last December.

Who did they think they were? Jack and Jackie? Barack and Michelle? And when the Trudeaus did turn up at the White House, and Sophie pretty much outshone the First Lady of the United States (Canadas First Lady is actually the wife of the Governor General, whose name few Canadians know: Sharon Johnston, the Viceregal Consort), there was much huffing and puffing by the fusty ladies of Ottawa that she was getting above her station.

Justin Trudeau is getting the usual six-months-in flak. He made a lacklustre demand that governments must not pay ransoms to terrorists after the murder by Islamists of John Ridsdel, an Anglo-Canadian hostage in the Philippines  though he well knows that European nations (France and Spain come to mind) have no such scruples. And he received wearying, predictable condemnation from critics who said that his appearance at Fort McMurray two weeks after the fires broke out, driving 80,000 Canadians from their homes, came far too late.

Justin Trudeau: Canada's next Prime Minister Show all 5 1 /5 Justin Trudeau: Canada's next Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: Canada's next Prime Minister Canadian Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie wave on stage in Montreal, after winning the general elections Getty Images Justin Trudeau: Canada's next Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: Canada's next Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: Canada's next Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: Canada's next Prime Minister

Trudeaus reply  that firefighters and civil defence teams had first call on the scene  was as sensible as it was clearly self-defeating. If youre going to get slagged off for being a publicity-hungry prime minister with a beautiful wife on the front cover of Vogue, you sure as hell arent going to be praised for avoiding the obvious photo-op at the scene of a catastrophe.

But therein lies the problem. With a Dad who married an attractive and much younger wife, and whose marriage was something of a disaster, Trudeau must have known that his own spouse was going to have to be a silent Stepford Wife if she was to avoid the clucking (Conservative) tongues of the most boring capital city in the world. And so it turned out.

No sooner had poor Sophie given a rather dull interview to the French-language newspaper, Le Soleil, in which she said that she needed more than one assistant to help her with her workload  which involves countless charitable visits and speeches, and which leaves her, a mother of three, a bit overwhelmed  than the shellfire started landing close to home.

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Canadian women didnt have taxpayers money to help them rear their children and keep house and home together, she was told. She has no official role or duties.

Neil Macdonald of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation  whose bold-as-brass truth-telling on the Middle East won him that most prestigious prize of all journalists in the region: the false accusation of being called anti-Israeli  launched into a vigorous defence of Madame Gregoire Trudeau, which was as tough as his reporting from Jerusalem and Beirut.

Sophie, he wrote, was a tall poppy  and Canadians dont like tall poppies because they are really smart, or really rich, or talented and famous.

Justin met his wife when she was a smart, talented tall poppy television presenter. Her cause, as Macdonald pointed out, is womens empowerment with a corollary of bulimia and eating disorders, something she herself overcame  which is why she gets 50 or 60 invitations a week to appear or speak at fundraising events. And she gives all her time, naturally, free of charge.

Now two things have become obvious. The first  typical of the political party whose leader, Stephen Harper, was beginning to turn Canada into a third-class snoopers state  was the absolute and total failure of the Conservatives ever to criticise another prime ministers wife.

Mila Mulroney spent much time speaking and pleading for children who suffered from cystic fibrosis, but employing a staff of three plus an office (far more than Sophie is seeking). But husband Brian Mulroney was, of course, a Conservative and thus above criticism, unlike Mrs Gregoire Trudeau, who was accused of hypocrisy by Conservative MP Candice Bergen.

And thus we come to the second problem. The knives are out for Sophie but, as Toronto Star columnist Heather Mallick wrote last week, sadly, many blades belong to other women.

One high-profile feminist, MP Niki Ashton, whose National Democratic Party (NDP) flopped in last autumns elections, quoth thus: If were going... to talk about women feeling overwhelmed, lets talk about everyday Canadian women feeling overwhelmed.

You can see the red flag here: Sophie is not an everyday Canadian woman. She has the misfortune to be the wife of a very popular and comparatively newly elected prime minister. And a prime minister, no less, who ensured that his cabinet  for the first time in Canadian history  was 50 per cent female.

Now Justins no Jesus. He flunked the Saudi test when he declined to interfere in the sale of armoured vehicles to Riyadh, a contract originally agreed between Harpers Conservatives and the head-chopping Gulf Kingdom whose democracy and human rights fall a bit short of Canadian standards.

He has so far not had to fight the oil barons of Alberta. And, as one Canadian Trudeau admirer put it to me (alas, an NDP voter at the last election), Justin will make mistakes because everyone does.

Hes wisely made no comment about the campaign to belittle his wife. But columnist Mallick is under no such restraint. I oppose cruelty to women, she wrote, including by other women. This goes undiscussed, but it is another frontier in a battle for womens rights.
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I do not know if leaving the EU will have any effect on jobs and income levels but nor does anyone else. It is worth remembering that not one of those organisations and individuals who are currently spreading doom and gloom about leaving the EU foresaw the 2007/8 financial collapse that almost brought down the banks. We were told at the time it was the worst financial crisis for almost 100 years and yet they could not see it coming. This vote I suggest is fundamentally about maintaining a British way of life and securing the borders of our country, the economics is any ones guess.

Barrie Middleton

Matlock

We liked your item on ex-service men in favour of remaining in - I am surprised nobody has referred to Winston's comment in 1946: what we need now is something like a United States of Europe and given that the various European entities have prevented another major war for over 70 years surely he was right.

Mike and Lyn Brew

Wiveliscombe

Isn't it ironic that Nigel Farage should call for second referendum in the event that there is a narrow majority in favour of staying in the EU? I seem to recall that one of his criticisms of the EU is that whenever there is a referendum that the EU dislike they have another one until they get the right result.

Chris Elshaw

Headley Down

Dont forget Scottish business

The CBI makes a strong point about the potential damage to our economy of the continued uncertainty over our EU membership generated by the current debate. While the politicians engage in political point scoring, seemingly more concerned about hitting the headlines with their latest sensational claims, rather than founding their arguments on the facts, it should trouble us all that UK businesses are seeing a negative impact on trade and investment. Ultimately this will feed through into the jobs market as well.

The Scottish government should also take note of the concerns of business, given that they currently plan to extend this uncertainty beyond the EU vote, with a new campaign to promote the break-up of the UK. Scotlands economy is already lagging behind the rest of the UK, the last thing we need is to further disadvantage Scottish businesses.

Keith Howell

West Linton

Keep your hands off our independence

John Whittingdales proposals for the new BBC Board reveal (yet again) just why we dont trust politicians.

Even if it were possible to conceive of an independent government politician to direct our independent BBC (which I doubt), to select six Government appointees is a naked power grab. If he was interested in representation (of the license-paying public) which he claims, then he might suggest, say, four back-benchers elected from the governing party and two from the opposition. But six appointed people with an inherent conflict of interest  no. This is NOT representation; this is blatant power-play.

It is thoroughly bad governance. Please keep your hands off our independent BBC, Mr. Whittingdale.

David Fleming

Stonehaven

Commercial opportunities

The BBCs withdrawal of its 11,000 online menus, because they are lacking distinctive content, is but the thin end of the wedge. The BBCs provision of news, weather reports and sitcoms should also be jettisoned; after all, these are provided by other media sources. And the ending will be? Well, because of the resultant radical decline in numbers using BBC services, the government will have an excuse to scrap the licence fee, and commercial providers of menus, news and weather will be able to bombard viewers with unwanted advertising and/or demands for monthly subscriptions.

And thus it is that a few will rake in huge profits, while the majority will lose out.

Peter Cave

London
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According to the Governments latest education white paper, universities in the UK are failing their students. Their graduates are unable to find good jobs, the teaching their students receive is poor, and universities still favour the privileged in their admission processes.

That is certainly the case; the statistics bear it out. But the cure that the Conservatives propose for these ailments  the free market  amounts to a misdiagnosis of the illness. The idea that market forces can be relied upon to promote social mobility through education is a dangerous myth.

The new Teaching Excellence Framework, to be announced in the Queens Speech later this week, will starve poorly performing colleges and universities of much-needed investment through research funding. Rather than offering a helping hand to failing institutions, the Government will kick them to the curb. Conversely, and at the same time, institutions that already meet the highest standards of academic research on the global stage  the top performing academic institutions  will be able to raise their fees.

Recommended Read more Student tuition fees set to rise as Government unveils White Paper

Whichever way you look at this, the poorest are hit the hardest.

A recent Sutton Trust report shows that students unable to rely on the bank of mum and dad to fund the cost of their studies are put off the idea of university. They are also more likely to attend a local institution, even if they have the entry grades to gain a place at a higher-performing university that happens to be located further from the family home.

Given that financial worries drive poor students away from university, a reduction in fees at some establishments may see a rush of interest. This is especially the case if the university is local, as research undertaken by the National Education Opportunities Network last May showed that poorer students choices were being limited by financial concerns. This is just another example where the Tories fail to live up to their rhetoric on support for aspiration.

Plans to force universities achieving lower research standards to cut their fees  making them more attractive to poorer students  exacerbates an existing problem in higher education, whereby poorer students are less likely to attend a Russell Group university. Indeed, a recent report from the Higher Education Statistics Agency showed that the percentage of deprived pupils being admitted to these selective universities was falling.

Foreign students: Overlooked and over here Show all 2 1 /2 Foreign students: Overlooked and over here Foreign students: Overlooked and over here 8784.bin Foreign students: Overlooked and over here 774.bin

We are moving towards an environment where we simply accept that poor students will receive a second class higher education, whatever their academic aptitude.

I, for one, find that unacceptable. The quiet introduction of an explicit class system into our university sector is very damaging indeed.

The way in which institutional standards will be measured in future is also deeply unfair. A report by the Nuffield Foundation found that students from the 20 per cent most disadvantaged backgrounds were almost 10 per cent more likely to drop out of university within two years. Including drop-out rates within the marking criteria will only further punish the poor, and the institutions they choose.

Imagine this situation: a university is already under-resourced owing to a general cut to the university teaching budget. The institution has a high intake of students from poor backgrounds, and 10 per cent of these students choose drop out owing to financial concerns  a figure which is no reflection on the abilities of these students or the success or failure of the teaching they received.

The institution fails to meet the new government standard; it is forced to drop its fees. The institution then attracts a great deal of interest from students from deprived backgrounds, who are pulled in the lower tuition fee  but then the university has even less resources to fund high quality research and its students are, by demographic, even more likely to drop out.

And so it goes on and on, a self-perpetuating cycle of social cleansing within the hallowed walls of our universities.

For the government to include this legislation as part of its social mobility outreach work is nothing short of a joke. For too long, the Tories have attacked those who are, in their own language, striving to improve their lives. This new plan should be exposed for the national disgrace it is.

Our university system is the backbone of the British education system, and is revered around the world. It is already hard enough for poor students to get in, and get on. The Government  the so-called modern, compassionate Conservative Government  wants to make it even harder. Sadly, its a case of the same old Tories.
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Hats off to the BBC public affairs department. Under pressure from John Whittingdale, the Culture Secretary, to make itself less popular, the BBC announced that it would stop putting recipes on the internet.

Brilliant. The one thing that is obviously peripheral to what the BBC does, but the one thing that nearly everyone in the country has used and is grateful to the BBC for: letting us Google how long to roast a joint or how to cook an aubergine. It is not what we thought we needed the BBC for, but when we were faced with a choice between a BBC recipe and one from a blogger in Topeka, Kansas, measuring things in cups and eggplants, we were glad that Auntie was there.

So when the BBC threatened to make itself unpopular by withdrawing this unasked-for bonus  Ready, steady, dont cook  we didnt blame the BBC. We blamed the anti-BBC Government that is bearing down on our second-favourite national institution after the NHS.

Then as we reported this morning the BBC said that it wasnt actually going to force us to wonder whether American fluid ounces are the same as British ones (theyre 4 per cent bigger if you do ever need to know). The BBC was going to stop adding new recipes to its website. All the old ones will stay there, all 11,000 of them. Over time, they may get a bit harder to find, for reasons that a young person who knows what search engine optimisation is might be able to explain. But over time, we will learn how to download recipes direct from the cloud to the inside of our eyelids, so we can worry about that later.

 BBC changes revealed

As the nation breathes a sigh of relief and wonders what to do with those slightly overripe avocados tonight, do we decide that Whittingdale is not such a terrible ideologically driven politician after all? We do not.

We think the BBC has fought off an attack on our way of life, and have been reminded what an important part of our British birthright it is. We do not think that Whittingdale was making a reasonable point that the licence fee is increasingly out of line with how most people use the BBCs services, on their phones and through non-live video streaming.

The present round of wrangling over the BBCs charter renewal  its charter expires at the end of this year  has mostly gone the BBCs way. Recent news stories about how Whittingdale was going to decide what programmes the BBC would be allowed to schedule against its popular ITV rivals are mischievous. But they are simply the logical extension of Whittingdales comments that the BBC should be constrained in using its dominant position as a broadcaster to squeeze its commercial competitors.

And that is Whittingdales fault for falling into the same trap that catches all Conservative cabinet ministers responsible for public service broadcasting: they want the BBC to be successful, but they dont want it to distort competition in the media market. Those two aims are incompatible, and because the BBC is popular a minister who tries to restrict it is asking for trouble.

And the BBC is getting quite good at defending itself, as the recipe for storm in teacup has shown.
24: Legacy First Trailer

Trending News: Check Out The Heart-Thumping Trailer For 24: Legacy

Why Is This Important?

Because 24 is back baby!

Long Story Short

Fox has decided to do a remake of 24 with 24: Legacy and is really banking on you liking it, as the debut episode will take place immediately following the Super Bowl in 2017. Different than the 24 we knew and loved, the new series won't be starring Kiefer Sutherland  and judging from the trailer, it looks like it's really going to work.

Long Story

When 24 finally ended after 9 seasons in 2010, it went out as one of the best shows of all time (it sits at 25th best on IMDB). But you and I both know Hollywood cannot resist taking something that we liked, tweaking it a bit and then feeding it back to us like three-day-old Chinese food.

But this time things may be different.

Instead of giving us a near half-century old Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, Fox has taken a different approach. Yes, the format of a ticking clock is still there (except at 12 episodes instead of 24), but this time, it's a young Army Ranger who is being hunted by terrorists that's playing the hero. Straight Outta Compton's Corey Hawkins (he was Dr. Dre) plays Eric Carter in the role.

"The fact that he is an African-American hero is not irrelevant, said Producer Brian Grazer to The New York Times. Against the backdrop of Ferguson and Black Lives Matter, here is a character who has fought for a country that has in some ways abandoned him. Hes squaring a question for himself: Is this place even worth defending?

Have a look at the intense trailer:

Fox has high hopes for the remake and are shelling out the big bucks to prove it. The new 24 will debut immediately following the Super Bowl in 2017  the first time any drama has premiered at that slot, according to Deadline.

Fox is certainly not shying away from the remake. They also set loose trailers for new renditions of Lethal Weapon, The Exorcist and Prison Break on Monday. I guess as the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Check out a few of those trailers below and see all the new trailers from Fox here.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Is Hollywood and TV beating a dead horse by regurgitating the same successful stories again and again and again?

Disrupt Your Feed

Can't stop thinking that's Dr. Dre shooting bad guys in this trailer.

Drop This Fact

Corey Hawkins went to Juilliard, the world famous performing arts school.
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This Government still seems wedded to the notion that if you ban something it will go away.They banned psychoactive substances, despite zero evidence that it would reduce harm. They tried banning encryption, making all of our data less secure. Now they are trying to ban extremist speech via an Extremism Bill which they will introduce in the Queens Speech tomorrow.

It is common knowledge that when you ban something what you risk doing is driving that behaviour underground: any parent can tell you that.

To be clear: we absolutely need to tackle violent extremism. It is a threat to us and our way of life  but the Government will get nowhere with these proposals. In fact, by driving those who preach non-violent extremism into the shadows, we help their cause.

 Cameron's anti-extremism plan

David Anderson QC, who has seen a draft of the Bill, put it succinctly when he said: the new law risks provoking a backlash in affected communities, hardening perceptions of an illiberal or Islamophobic approach, alienating those whose integration into British society is already fragile, and playing into the hands of those who, by peddling a grievance agenda, seek to drive people further towards extremism and terrorism.

During the Coalition, Nick Clegg and others blocked Theresa May and the authoritarian wing of her party from driving this agenda forward. The cabinet meeting where this issue was first discussed went down as one of the most explosive of that Parliament. We were willing to fight tooth and nail because we knew the risks associated with going down this path.

It is vital that we differentiate between violent extremism and non-violent extremism. For those who incite violence and preach hate there are already laws that the Home Secretary can use to shut them down. There are public order laws, hate speech laws and terrorism laws that could all be used in these instances.

For those who hold extreme views and are attempting to persuade others, surely the answer is not to ban them but to win the argument  on the grounds of efficiency, if nothing else.

The current definition of extremism as the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs is drafted so widely that it will not only catch terrorist sympathisers but perhaps even those who oppose the government, believe the monarchy should be abolished or disagree with same-sex marriage.

It might even capture the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, who has previously called on people to use whatever means to bring this government down. Utilising this definition en masse would put the police and judges in a difficult position  it would only be a matter of time before the powers are used in a way they were never intended for.

The countries most impacted by global terrorism Show all 11 1 /11 The countries most impacted by global terrorism The countries most impacted by global terrorism Thailand Thailand The countries most impacted by global terrorism Libya Libya The countries most impacted by global terrorism Somalia Somalia The countries most impacted by global terrorism Yemen Yemen The countries most impacted by global terrorism India India The countries most impacted by global terrorism Syria Syria The countries most impacted by global terrorism Pakistan Pakistan The countries most impacted by global terrorism Nigeria Nigeria The countries most impacted by global terrorism Afghanistan Afghanistan The countries most impacted by global terrorism Iraq Iraq The countries most impacted by global terrorism France

Free speech is one of our fundamental values and the Governments attempt to ban it with this legislation is extreme. The right to offend and to say things that others might be disgusted by or with which they would disagree must not be stifled by State. In fact, when Parliament debated whether or not to ban Donald Trump from the UK it was Conservative colleagues that stood up against it. One explicitly said we certainly should not go around banning everyone from the country simply for voicing an opinion that (someone else) happens to disagree with.

I agree with that sentiment entirely and I hope we can rely on these sensible Conservative voices to stand with us against the Extremism Bill when it is put in front of Parliament.

The Liberal Democrats are clear: we will work with all those in Parliament (even those whose views may come across as extreme or distasteful to us) in order to block this Bill. It has no place in a liberal, open and tolerant society.

Alistair Carmichael is the Lib Dem MP for Orkney and Shetland
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Was there ever such a glorious age in British public life for the modelling of underwear?

In August, the BBC will break new ground when a flagship show is hosted by someone clad only in his keks. Even now, three months before Gary Lineker is scheduled to present Match of the Day in his Y-fronts, lingerie greets the eye wherever you glance.

The Daily Mails silken drawers, for example, are visibly in a frightful twist. OK, you ask, what else is new? If a way could be found to harness that journals perpetual rage as an energy source, Shell and Gazprom would be put out of business overnight.

I know, I know. But this time, novelly, one can empathise with the Mail, because responsible for this latest eruption is the sight of David Camerons pants on fire.

 Cameron's ISIS Brexit warning

The paper has come by leaked correspondence between Cameron and Rupert Soames, CEO of the famously unlovely multinational Serco. Soames letter to the PM, written a few days after they met, gives the impression that Cameron was committed to keeping this country in the EU (as was always presumed) regardless of any results from the subsequent EU renegotiations on which he claimed his decision would turn.

This February letter also suggests to me that Cameron may have tacitly colluded with  if not actively encouraged  Soames plan to persuade a range of FTSE companies to include doomy warnings about a post-Brexit financial catastrophe Brexit in their annual reports.

So soon after George Osborne ridiculed the Leave campaigns conspiracy theorising, I beg you to read nothing sinister into the following for fear provoking another Wildean thrust from the Chancellors satirical sword.

But purely for the record, it wasnt more than a few days after his Soames meeting that Cameron gave a major speech calling for wholesale reform of the prison service.

While Serco does much business within the EU, one of its leading global lines is the private management of prisons, in which it has been accused of failing in its duty of care to inmates on both sides of the Atlantic.

Now no one sane could see a connection between these two events, let alone suspect a mutual back-scratching relationship. This is Britain, by God, the least corrupt country on Gods earth - and dodginess of that type is the preserve of funny foreigners across the Channel (if not as far afoot as Nigeria and Afghanistan).

But at the very least, this distasteful little tale underscores some nagging assumptions about David Cameron. For one thing, his glib, well-practised deceitfulness reminds you of his time honoured heir to Blair ambition. Publicly claiming to have an open mind about something he knew he would support in any event  isnt this almost Camerons personal homage to Mr Tonys denial that he had agreed to join George W Bushs invasion of Iraq after returning in 2002 from giving those ball-crushingly tight jeans a run-out in Crawford, Texas?

Meanwhile, we sniff yet again the fusty, leathery gentlemans club scent of the Magic Circle. Rupert Soames, brother of the Tory MP and Cameron loyalist Fatty Nicholas Soames, grandson of Winston Churchill, is the latest in a production line of Old Etonians to amplify the MacMillan era echo from more than half a century ago. Happy days, when thoroughly bloody good chaps met at Whites and Boodles to sort things out between themselves over a Monte Cristo and a glass of vintage port, selflessly sparing the other ranks any need to bother their little heads with matters of high policy.

I dont suppose this leak will do the Remain cause (which I sullenly support, for whatever thats worth) any measurable harm. Both sides have spouted so much screeching gibberish that no one yet to make up their mind can still be listening. Every accusation, however well sourced or fanciful, comes enshrouded in a plague-on-both-your-houses fog of apathetic disdain.

On this basis, it remains as inconceivable as ever that Britain will vote for Brexit (much as it was wholly unthinkable that Jeremy Corbyn would become Labour leader, or Donald Trump the Republican presidential nominee; or that Leicester City would oblige Gary Lineker to honour a facetious tweet-pledge to present MOTD in his knick-knacks).

On June 23, a geriatric nation with an inherent terror of change will hobble on its zimmer to the polls, and irritably vote to stick with the EU by 54-46.

Perhaps history will be kind to Cameron for presiding over such a victory, thereby earning himself a few more miserable years at the helm of a fractious and poisonously divided party. Perhaps it will conclude that all is fair in a war with such colossal implications for Britains future; that grubby little deceptions involving a fellow OE arent worth even a footnote. Perhaps it would be right.

For now, however, the smoke drifting up from Prime Ministers pants invokes an all too familiar weary sigh of distaste about a very clever politician who never fails to disappoint with his smallness and vapidity.
Relatives lay wreaths at the memorial to the victims of the 1974 Dublin Monaghan Bombings in Dublin

The Government has said it is committed to pressing Britain into giving an international judge access to files on the worst day of atrocities in the Troubles.

On the 42nd anniversary of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, which killed 33 people including a pregnant woman at full term, Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said he would continue to demand the original police and security papers be opened.

"The government will continue to actively pursue this objective, and we have made it a commitment in the new Programme for Government," the minister said.

A wreath-laying ceremony - organised by Justice for the Forgotten, which campaigns for an investigation into alleged British state collusion in the 1974 massacre - was held at the memorial on Talbot Street in Dublin, where one of the three bombs in the capital exploded.

Two others bombs were detonated on Parnell Street and South Leinster Street in the co-ordinated attacks in the middle of the evening rush hour on May 17.

About an hour and a half later the fourth no-warning bomb was set off in Monaghan town with the atrocities blamed on the Ulster Volunteer Force.

A floral tribute on behalf of U2 was left at the memorial with the note: "Justice for the Forgotten. To all the victims and their families. In our thoughts and prayers on this day."

The band displayed photos of the victims on a huge screen during last year's Innocence + Experience tour as a backdrop to the song Raised By Wolves, written about the 1974 bombings.

Band members Bono and Adam Clayton attended an anniversary mass in Dublin ahead of the wreath laying.

Alan McBride, whose wife Sharon was blown up in the IRA Shankill bomb in 1993, addressed the relatives and campaigners at the memorial and said the question of truth and justice is as relevant today as it was in 1974.

"The question of dealing with the past in NI is not really about money, it's about political will. There has always been obstacle and barrier that we have to get beyond," he said.

"At the moment they seem to be raised by the British Government in relation to national security."

Mr McBride, who works with the Wave Trauma Centre in Belfast supporting victims of violence, said: "Truth and justice cannot be the property of the few.

"The families need truth, they need justice and they need support. This is not going to go away."

A spokeswoman for the British Government said it was examining if it could give "any further assurance" on the issue of files being opened.

"The bombings were horrific terrorist atrocities and our sympathy is with the families who lost loved ones and survivors who carry mental and physical scars to this day," she said.

The Government pointed to the stalled legacy bodies in Northern Ireland which will include a new Historical Investigations Unit which wants to retain the right to prevent onward dissemination of some papers to relatives on the grounds of national security.

"The UK Government firmly believes that the way to address the past, and provide better outcomes for victims and survivors, is through the legacy bodies in the Stormont House Agreement," the spokeswoman said.

"We will continue working with the Northern Ireland Executive and the new Irish government to try and establish the necessary consensus to introduce legislation establishing them."

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams also called for the classified documents to be opened.

"It is vital that the new government lives up to the need to ensure the utmost pressure is put on the British administration to release their files," he said.

Brendan Smith, Fianna Fail TD for the Cavan-Monaghan area, said Britain should remove all obstacles to a full investigation into alleged collusion.

"The least the victims and the families of all these atrocities deserve is the truth about who carried out these murderous deeds 42 years ago," he said.
Machinery sales have fallen sharply as the milk and grain price crisis grows, with farmers now facing major cash flow problems.

Pressure is mounting from farm bodies for action by the newly formed Government with the ICMSA warning the depressed milk price is resulting in a "haemorrhage" of money out of rural districts.

Retailers have warned of a "difficult" year, with machinery sellers feeling the pain with sales of balers, mowers, ploughs and sprayers all taking a hit.

It also comes as farmers call for action over pay at some of the country's processors and co-ops, with shareholders at the Arrabawn Co-op AGM the latest to demand "cuts across the board".

Milk suppliers at the Tipperary meeting called for a "sharing of the pain" from falling incomes for management, board members and staff as many reported being "shocked" after seeing their poor March milk cheques.

It also follows intense scrutiny of pay at many of the major agri businesses, including Ornua and Dairygold, as the packages of board members also came under the spotlight at the recent Glanbia AGM.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed said he was very aware of farmers' worries about the future.

"Objectively, we know from a host of indicators that there is economic recovery. But I also appreciate that many farmers believe it has yet to come to their farm gate. It is our job to address that and spread the benefits of recovery all across the country," he said.

Mr Creed said he was looking at a mix of measures to address the issue. He said EU Commissioner Phil Hogan had agreed an Aid to Private Storage scheme for milk powder and a longer term for paying the milk levy fine.

Government will talk to banks about greater forbearance on loans and co-operatives will be encouraged to develop low-interest credit modelled on Glanbia's MilkFlex scheme.

He was also working to end the EU tariff on fertiliser imports and the 25m aid scheme for sheep farmers was now a priority with payments likely next year.

Sales

Exhibitors at the Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) Grass & Muck event reported the prolonged trough in milk prices, combined with poor grain prices, was now impacting machinery sales.

Manufacturers stated sales of grass machinery such as balers and mowers stagnated in recent weeks after an initial flourish in early spring.

The same is true of tillage equipment, with sales of ploughs, sprayers and power harrows behind on this time last year. However, tractor sales have remained on track with 1,036 new tractors bought up to the end of April, a rise of 6.5pc on the same month last year.

FTMTA boss Gary Ryan said there was still time for sales to pick up.

He stated it was unusual to have so many sectors "doing so badly in terms of prices at the same time".

However, he said despite the "perfect storm", exhibitors did make sales, with strong interest in machinery from the large crowds at the show in Gurteen, Co Tipperary.

Thomas Sheedy of Keltec Engineering, based in Kilmallock, Co Limerick, reported sales of bale loading equipment were well behind on last year.

"It's been a difficult year," said Mr Sheedy. "A lot of our customers are dairy farmers and their prices are on the floor." However, he said he remained hopeful sales may pick up if weather improves.

"The trouble is we can only afford to make to order - you'd much prefer to have consistent demand than a quiet spring followed by a late splurge," he said.

Sean Fitzgerald, Pottinger sales manager for Ireland, said there had been a slight slowdown in sales. "With mowers, tedders and rakes, we've seen a later start to the buying season but, overall, a surprisingly good season considering the challenging market."
Pressure is mounting on co-ops to scrutinise all costs and bring in "cuts across the board", as farmer pressure heated up at the latest processor AGM.

There have been a series of vocal meetings around the country, and the latest saw farmers call for a "sharing of the pain" that they are experiencing in a fall-off in income with pay cuts demanded for management, board members and staff at the Arrabawn Co-op meeting in Co Tipperary.

Chief executive Conor Ryan admitted to the meeting that milk suppliers were "shocked" when they received their March milk cheques, with solids on the floor due to the poor weather.

He stressed the society was very conscious and sympathetic to the situation that many suppliers find themselves in.

"The next six to 12 months will be tough for the co-op. We will do all we can to ensure that farmers get the maximum support through this period," he said.

However, he warned the milk price has to "go down" and could hit 20c/l with the society taking a further 3c/l reduction and intervention for SMP returning 16-17c/l.

Mr Ryan pleaded with farmers to come in and let them know "what your situation is", after some of the vocal suppliers shouted out that they were "kicking" bills down the road and warned cashflow situations were reaching crisis point.

"The wages have gone up by 1pc and we have taken a reduction of 30pc - there has to be a better sharing of the pain or we won't be there," one farmer demanded. Another called for board members to forego remuneration, and fees to the society auditor to be reduced, and a request to see if there was any means by which the payment of the superlevy instalment for 2016 could be deferred.

"Pay and salary cuts have to happen. If there are not cuts, we will be gone. Suppliers can't take any more cuts," another farmer said.

Mr Ryan defended the salary costs at the society which are "half what competitor societies are paying" and added that sometimes there is a feeling that the society is "too mean and too tight" with staff who earn every cent of what they are getting with the dedication they give.

The meeting was told that key management earned an average of 112,447 including pension and PRSI, while board members were paid an average of 6,174 including expenses.

The society paid an average of 30.4c/l in 2015 compared to 38.27c/l the previous year and processed a total of 311 million litres from their own suppliers, while returning a net profit of 2.1m compared to 4.4m in 2014 on turnover of 205m in 2015.

Meanwhile, Glanbia has refused to reveal the pay of senior staff in Glanbia Ingredients Ireland (GII) milk processor after the issue of senior management and board pay once again raised its head at the Glanbia society AGM. Glanbia has stressed that they have a strong governance structure in place.

Glanbia chairman Henry Corbally was paid 188,000 last year, and board members received 85,000 each. Previously, only the Plc remuneration amounts were made public, but it has now emerged that the directors received additional payments from the co-op and GII.
Executives at O2's headquarters are examining the feasibility of a deal that would leave O2 as a stand-alone business, sources said.

O2 chief executive Ronan Dunne is reported to be evaluating a potential 8.5bn management buyout of Britain's second biggest mobile phone operator, after European Competition authorities blocked a takeover deal with CK Hutchison's 3.

He faces comptetition from US billionaire John Malone's Liberty Global. Its already said it would consider buying O2, if the merger with 3 was blocked.

"It would be strange if we didn't evaluate that option," Liberty Global chief executive officer Mike Fries said ahead of the EU decision.

A third alternative would see Telefonica list O2 on the stock exchange. That could raise cash for the parent without entirely exiting the British market.

Britain's 'Daily Telegraph' reported late on Sunday night that O2's Irish-born head, Ronan Dunne, was exploring a debt-financed 8.5bn management buyout attempt, supported by private equity firms, following the collapse of CK Hutchison's takeover bid for the mobile operator.

According to that report, the Dubliner had been approached in recent weeks by potential private equity sponsors aiming to carry out what would be the largest UK leveraged buyout since before the financial crisis.

Mr Dunne had previously indicated his plans to step down from the business, once the takeover by 3 closed.

But with that deal stalled, at least pending any legal appeals, its understood that alternative options are now being considered.

Executives at O2's headquarters are examining the feasibility of a deal that would leave O2 has a stand alone business, sources said.

The price being discussed, at 8.5bn, is well short of Hutchison's 10.25bn offer O2. Its higher price reflects the savings and synergies that the Hong Kong-based owner of 3 would hope to achieve.

According to the 'Telegraph', the MBO discussions are early stage, involving management and potential debt and equity backers, but not - so far - Telefonica.

Among names linked to a potential management led deal are businessman Tom Alexander, the former chief executive of Orange UK, and private equity firms Apax and CVC Capital.

The Spanish owners of O2 are precluded from talking to other bidders under an exclusivity agreement with Hutchison, though that expires in June and could be moot, if regulators won't clear a deal.

Debt financed buyouts had fallen out of favour since the great crash, but the combination of an economic recovery with historically low borrowing costs makes it an increasingly attractive option.

The operator is seen as a good candidate for the manoeuvre, however, because of its strong and growing cash generation.

Sky is also tipped in the mix cicling O2, but as a minority partner rather than buyer. A deal would be a boost to Sky's nascent mobile phone business.

Cable giant Liberty Global, meanwhile, has said it will explore a possible O2 offer, having failed to agree terms with Vodafone on a planned swap of the two group's respective assest in the United Kingdom and Germany.
Aer Lingus is cutting up to 70 jobs at its Belfast base.

The carrier says that around 17 staff will remain in the city's base, but the rest will either go, or be offered a move to Dublin.

Aer Lingus says out of 55 cabin crew, 17 will lose their jobs. A further 21 will be offered roles in Dublin.

A further eight pilots will move to Aer Lingus's headquarters in Dublin, and a further 16 will also be offered roles there.

And seven maintenance staff will also be cut from Belfast, and offered roles in Dublin.

Aer Lingus and British Airways are now both owned by parent company IAG, and both fly out of Belfast City Airport.

A spokeswoman for Aer Lingus said: "In recent months Aer Lingus has conducted a review of the way in which our Belfast base is resourced. This review has now concluded and our management team are communicating with our Belfast-based team today on the changes to be undertaken and the impact on our Belfast team.

"With effect from the end of October 2016 we will reduce the numbers employed at our Belfast base. For reasons of efficiency a large portion of our Belfast operation will be resourced from our Dublin base. We will continue to employ some Cabin Crew at Belfast but some of the resource requirements for Cabin Crew and all the resource requirements for Cockpit Crew will be provided from our Dublin numbers. We will be seeking to enter third party supply arrangements for our Line Maintenance requirements.

"We are pleased to confirm that there will be no change to our flying schedule at Belfast City airport. We remain fully committed to serving our Northern Ireland customers and will continue to fly from Belfast City to popular summer sun destinations such as Majorca, Malaga, Faro and Alicante as well as operating a year-round, high frequency service to London Heathrow. These decisions relate only to resourcing arrangements and are necessary in order to secure the future profitability of our Belfast operation.

"Over the coming weeks we will continue to communicate with our Belfast team, to implement these changes, and will seek to minimise any negative impact on employees. All employees impacted by these decisions will be offered roles at our Dublin base.

"We remain committed to serving the Belfast market and will continue to offer competitive fares to London and popular summer sun destinations direct from Belfast City airport."
Art Gallery Heist Prank Lands YouTubers In Jail

Trending News: When A YouTube Prank Lands You In Jail

Why Is This Important?

Because this is a lesson for what not to post to YouTube.

Long Story Short

A few guys from the YouTube channel Trollstation thought it'd be a good idea to pretend to rob paintings from a British art gallery, but they're definitely not laughing now as the prank landed them in jail.

Long Story

"On paper it was a good idea. However it didn't end well."

That's what's written within Trollstation's "Art Gallery Heist Prank GONE WRONG" video from last July. My question is: who possibly could have thought this was a good idea?

British twenty-somethings Daniel Jarvis, Endrit Ferizolli, Ebenezer Menzah and Helder Gomes have all been sentenced to 16 to 20 weeks in jail for pulling off a really stupid stunt where they put tights over their heads and pretended to steal paintings from an art gallery. Trollstation's founder and cameraman, Danh van Le, was already sentenced to nine months in jail in March for his part in the video as well as a video featuring a fake bomb (smh).

According to Engadget, the stunt left a woman unconscious, and as you can see in the video, definitely put a bunch of people in at least a mild form of shock.

The video is still online, but whatever you do, do not do something like this at home:

One of the main counterpoints to people who say free speech is absolute is that you can't simply scream "FIRE!" in a group of people and expect to get away with it. This is a good example to use in that conversation if that ever comes up.

A harmless prank can be funny when it freaks out a bunch of people and maybe is even a bit gross (Tom Green and Jackass are great examples). But when you start diverting important attention of law enforcement  who just so happened to be on high alert following the deadly shootings in Tunisia  you better start asking around (not yourself because apparently these guys tried that) if this is really a worthwhile thing to do. And you should come to the conclusion that no, it definitely is not.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Who possibly could have thought this was a good idea?

Disrupt Your Feed

You know what's another piece of paper with some good ideas? The law.

Drop This Fact

The video got just around 200,000 views. Worth it?
Profits at aircraft maintenance firm Dublin Aerospace nearly doubled to a record 3m last year as its workload increased.

It has also just won a five-year contract with Malaysia-based AirAsia to provide maintenance for the carrier's landing gear. It beat competition from a Chinese aircraft maintenance firm to secure the contract.

Revenue at the company, which was founded by former Ryanair executive Conor McCarthy and is backed by investors including AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes and Airbus maker EADS, rose 13pc to 43.5m in the financial year to the end of last September - the highest ever at the firm.

Mr McCarthy, who's executive chairman at the company, based at Dublin Airport, also helped to establish Malaysia-based AirAsia.

He founded Dublin Aerospace in 2009 after SR Technics controversially decided to close its operation at the airport.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, Mr McCarthy said he hopes this year's financial performance to be at least in line with the previous year.

He said the company has also just secured a three-year pay deal with its staff.

They'll receive a 2pc pay increase every year for those three years. The company employs over 400 people during its peak winter maintenance season and over 200 the rest of the year. It also shares 10pc of its profits with employees every quarter.

Mr McCarthy attracted significant investment to Dublin Aerospace, which has been profitable since it was established.

Yesterday, it also began a major recruitment drive for apprentices. It already has 89 and will take on another 40.

The company performs base maintenance for Boeing and Airbus narrow-body aircraft. It also overhauls landing gear and auxiliary power units (APUs), which provide electricity to aircraft and help engines to start.

The company's customers include airlines and lessors such as EasyJet, AerCap, SMBC, EgyptAir and British Airways.

Dublin Aerospace can handle about 70 aircraft a year, while it can also provide maintenance for about 400 APUs every year.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

Irish shares started the week on the up yesterday, as the upgrade of the sovereign by ratings agency Moody's filtered through to the wider market.

By the close in Dublin the ISEQ Overall Index had added 0.6pc, or 36.40 points, to reach 6,158.87.

The yield on Irish Government bonds maturing in two years fell again to -0.387pc, while yields on 10-year debt dropped marginally to 0.787pc. In July 2011, the yield on similar bonds topped 13.49pc.

There was little in the way of companies news yesterday, but Independent News & Media rose 2.58pc to 16c after it bought the remaining share in classified website CarsIreland.ie it did not already own.

IRES Reit jumped 1.97pc to hit 1.14. The biggest private landlord in the country was met with overwhelming approval at its annual general meeting yesterday, and held a tour of its properties for investors.

Gambling giant PaddyPowerBetfair (PPB) gained 0.9pc to reach 113.85. A weekend report suggested UK regulators may force onerous rules on the pending merger between PPB peers Corals and Ladbrokes.

Banking shares were hit hard on the session. AIB fell 7.8pc, while Permanent TSB fell 3.6pc. Both firms have struggled since it became clear that the new Government was unlikely to sell any part of their stakes in the banks this year.

Elsewhere, European shares were mixed as oil explorers were boosted by an increase in prices. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index was flat, while in London the FTSE 100 added 0.2pc. Germany's Dax Index rose 0.9pc but the CAC 40 in Paris fell 0.2pc.

"The resources and oil sectors have been outperforming since the February low," said CMC Markets analyst Jasper Lawler.
DCC boss Tommy Breen said the company has had a record financial year, which saw its profits rise more than a third.

Newly released results show the company posted operating profit of 300.5m in the year ending March 31.

DCC said the performance was fuelled by its energy business, where it has recently made some major acquisitions including Esso Retail France.

Mr Breen said it was a record year of performance and development

"This excellent result was driven significantly by DCC Energy, where we benefitted from the Groups two largest ever acquisitions, and also by very strong performances from the Healthcare and Environmental divisions, notwithstanding a more difficult background for DCC Technology," he said.

"The completion and successful integration of both Butagaz and Esso Retail France were significant achievements during the year and have materially increased the scale of our Energy business. Both acquisitions are trading well."

The company's technology business saw operating profit decline by 28.8pc due to a weak performance in the UK.

DCC said it was "adversely impacted by a reduction in sales of products from one large supplier, particularly in the first half of the year, and also by weaker than anticipated demand for tablet computing, smartphone and gaming products."
The Government has branded as "irresponsible, unfounded and damaging", attacks made against Ireland's employment and aviation laws by opponents to Norwegian Air being granted a permit by US authorities to fly between Cork and America.

The no-holds-barred riposte against accusations made against Norwegian Air International (NAI) and Irish aviation and employment law was lodged by top Department of Transport civil servant Fintan Towey, who's the director general for civil aviation.

His letter was sent to the US Department of Transportation ahead of a deadline for submissions before a decision is finalised on granting NAI a permit to fly to America.

NAI, a subsidiary of Norwegian Air Shuttle, is based in Dublin and has spent the past two years trying to secure its permit. Washington officials indicated last month that they intend to grant the licence.

But might come too late for NAI to commence flights from Cork to Boston in time for the summer rush. The airline also intends to launch a service between Cork and New York next year. Shannon Airport is also hoping to secure transatlantic services from NAI, and the airport has also officially backed the carrier's permit request.

Last week, US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders lent his weight to the opposition campaign, claiming that allowing NAI to fly to the US could ultimately precipitate an industry change that would result in hundreds of thousands of jobs being lost in America and Europe.

Those claims were roundly dismissed by supporters of NAI.

Opponents to NAI also claim that it is trying to circumvent stricter Norwegian employment laws by being based in Ireland, and also questioned safety oversight. Those allegations have been strongly denied by NAI, the Irish Aviation Authority and other bodies.

Mr Towey told the US Department of Transportation that efforts to tarnish Ireland's reputation has been a serious affront.

He said that while the delay in awarding NAI a permit is unwarranted, the attacks against Ireland's laws and oversight is of greater concern.

"Of even more concern to the Irish Government are the potential implications this case is having for the reputation of Ireland and Irish aviation," he said.

"The very protracted decision making procedure has provided certain stakeholders opposed to innovation and new competition in the airline market the opportunity to make irresponsible, unfounded and damaging public statements about the standard of social and employment protection in Ireland and about the capability of the Irish regulatory authorities to effectively oversee the safety of NAI's operations."

He added: "Most offensive are the allegations that Ireland provides a 'flag of convenience' for airlines."

Mr Towey said there had been claims that NAI's employment practices would risk undermining labour standards in the aviation sector. "However, these are misplaced and misinformed fears," he claimed.

"Airlines across the globe have used multiple crew bases and have also used third parties to meet some of their human resource needs for many years." A final decision on NAI's permit will be made shortly.
The front page of this morning's Irish Independent business section

Here are the business stories you need to know about this morning:

Irish Independent

*The expected approval of a new mortgage lender in the market is prompting existing banks to engage in a variable-rate-cutting frenzy.

Frank Money is set to undercut existing lenders, prompting more rate reductions by banks But some mortgage holders are set to miss out on the lower rates.

EBS customers are not expected to benefit to the same extent as those with its parent company AIB, while thousands of others who were encouraged to fix their rates by their bank will not gain from lower variable rates. Some banks are restricting reduced lower rates to new customers only.

*The nation's biggest private landlord is set to continue buying up apartments here, as the rental market continues to surge with no end in sight.

IRES Reit chief executive David Ehrlich told the firm's annual general meeting yesterday that it has close to 150m in firepower to acquire more properties.

"We'd expect to deploy that capital this year but that depends on how quickly supply becomes available," he said.

*The Government has branded as "irresponsible, unfounded and damaging", attacks made against Ireland's employment and aviation laws by opponents to Norwegian Air being granted a permit by US authorities to fly between Cork and America.

The no-holds-barred riposte against accusations made against Norwegian Air International (NAI) and Irish aviation and employment law was lodged by top Department of Transport civil servant Fintan Towey, who's the director general for civil aviation.

His letter was sent to the US Department of Transportation ahead of a deadline for submissions before a decision is finalised on granting NAI a permit to fly to America.

Irish Examiner

*Irish goods exports fell in March, raising fresh concern that the upcoming Brexit referendum is stalling UK demand.

The unadjusted total of goods exports dropped 1pc to 9.37bn year-on-year. Trade expert John Whelan said Brexit concerns had impacted heavily on the sector.

*Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath is to table a Bill proposing to give the Central Bank powers to cap standard variable mortgage rates.

The bill is designed to tackle what Fianna Fail regards as excessive rates, Mr McGrath said.

The party believes the bill will win widespread support.

*Irish bonds outperformed their Eurozone peers on the first day of trading after Moody's lifted Ireland's rating.

Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland senior bond trader Ryan McGrath said there was surprise in the market at the upbeat tone of the Moody's report.

Moody's next rating decision on Ireland is due in four months, with the latest report fuelling hopes of a further upgrade, Mr McGrath added.

The Irish Times

*Ratings agency Fitch has warned that Brexit could hit confidence in the Northern Ireland peace process and increase political risk.

Ireland was ranked by Fitch as one of the countries most exposed., along with Malta and Belgium.

*Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary warned British voters that foreign direct investment will be lost to Ireland in the event of a Brexit.

He was speaking at the opening of the airline's new training centre at Stansted Airport in London.

Mr O'Leary said Ryanair would create 1,000 new jobs this year.

*Oisin Fanning's San Leon Energy will look to raise $200m via a share placing.

The money will be used to fund an acquisition the Irish oil and gas explorer says is transformational.

San Leon's main shareholder Toscafund, founded by "Rottweiler" Martin Hughes - a well-known hedge fund manager - is backing the deal.
A quarter of all sales delivered by media are driven by print advertising, according to new research.

And every 1 spent in print advertising returns up to 39 for the retail sector, according to the research commissioned by Independent News & Media.

The publisher launched its new Customer Research Strategy at the Marker Hotel in Dublin this morning, which was attended by 140 executives.

The study, carried out in association with Amarach Research, was the most comprehensive research project that has been carried out to date in the media industry in Ireland, with over 13,000 face-to-face interviews with newspaper buyers, at the point of purchase, over the past 12 months.

INM also wanted to establish how important the print channel was in the overall marketing mix, and therefore commissioned an Econometrics study, carried out in association with Ignite Research, which spanned three years of research across 20 million data points.

The data shows that the print channel continues to be a pivotal element in the marketing mix, delivering a significant return on investment across all key sectors.

At this mornings launch, INM Chief Executive Robert Pitt said advertising businesses and brand names cannot afford not to be advertising in print.

If youre not in print, and youre not in print with a strategy that goes across digital media as well, and other channels, youre letting your customer down, Mr Pitt said.

Key findings from the research include:

- Print advertising drives 25pc of all sales delivered by media

- Print advertising also acts as an influential conduit driving customers to other channels

- On average, 10pc of landing page visits are delivered by print advertising

- Print advertising returns up to 39 for every 1 spent for the retail category

- In Retail, print advertising is up to 1.5 times more effective than radio advertising in delivering return on investment

- Print advertising is up to twice as effective as TV advertising in delivering return on investment in the automotive sector

- 38pc of test drives in the motoring industry are as a direct result of print advertising

- Print advertising returns up to 35 for every 1 spent in the travel sector

In terms of the INM titles, the research found that readers spend 70 minutes reading the Irish Independent and 101 minutes reading the Sunday Independent against an industry average of 66 minutes.

And 83pc of Irish Independent newspaper readers buy the paper as often as they always did.

Karen Preston, Group Advertising Director said deeper customer insights enable INM to produce better products for its readers.

In recent years much of the conversation around print has been about its decline, however this extensive research demonstrates that the print channel plays a significant role in the marketing mix and cannot be underestimated in any manner, Ms Preston said.
Housing Minister Simon Coveney plans to introduce emergency legislation to enable city and county managers fast-track the planning process for social housing projects.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, the minister said he was planning new rules to reduce the public consultation period from eight weeks to four, and to give managers the power to approve projects without the need to secure the support of councillors.

He also plans to deliver 1,000 modular homes - double the current target - as part of efforts to provide units as quickly as possible. He is also considering using State-owned lands, including sites owned by Irish Rail in Dublin and Cork, to deliver housing.

But he does not expect to see an increase in the number of homes being completed this year, despite delivery being well below the level needed to meet demand. Last year, just over 12,600 homes were completed across the country, far short of the 25,000 to 30,000 required.

"Last year the figure [for completions] was partly due to unfinished housing estates and apartment blocks being finished," he said. "Even to get to that figure for this year is going to be difficult. I think you'll see a lot of housing activity this year, but not necessarily in terms of completions."

In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Coveney, pictured right, said tackling the housing and homelessness crisis was the "most important" challenge for the Government.

"It isn't acceptable that we don't have enough homes for the families which live in Ireland," he said. "Rental prices are increasing, and house prices are rising. There is a broken market where many people cannot find a house, and that's why we have nearly 1,000 families in emergency accommodation.

"Dublin City Council will spend around 46m on hotel rooms this year, and if that's not an example of a broken system, I don't know what is."

He said there was an emergency housing situation in Dublin, Cork and the other cities that needed an "appropriate sense of urgency".

Chief executives, or managers, of the 31 local authorities have been told to report back in 10 days with a strategy for the next six months on increasing output, including providing housing "using measures that normally wouldn't be used".

"That means using emergency powers to effectively bypass planning on publicly owned land, using rapid house building technology, using an infrastructure fund to open up sites, or [using] the State's land bank to get building under way," he said.

Social housing is delivered using the Part 8 planning process, which involves a public consultation period of eight weeks. While emergency powers exist to fast-track this process, the minister said some chiefs would be "uncomfortable" using them and so he was planning to introduce a statutory instrument to change the Part 8 process for a temporary period of up to two years. The public consultation period would be reduced to four weeks, after which the CEOs would make a decision. This would allow decisions to be made "in a shorter time without getting approval from councillors", he said.

"There is not the sense of urgency that is required to respond to this issue, with some exceptions. Some of the areas where we are proposing to put more social housing may be controversial politically and the council will refuse to go through unless all the issues are addressed.

"That process is appropriate in terms of normal house building and delivery, but we need a sharp injection of urgency to build new social housing quickly," said Mr Coveney. "We have a national emergency. I want a mix of private development with social housing so we're creating sustainable communities. My job is to remove the barriers which [are] slowing progress."

He also revealed:

The Government plans to deliver 1,000 modular or rapid build homes, up from the previous target of 500.

An infrastructure fund will be put in place to open up sites and provide roads, water, power or other services where needed.

State-owned land will also be used to get building under way. This includes sites owned by Irish Rail in Cork and Dublin and land owned by port authorities or other agencies. But a mechanism will have to be developed to give councils access to the land.

The minister also ruled out introducing rent controls until there was a "sufficient supply" of homes, saying that controls could affect construction.

He said that the NTMA or Ireland Strategic Investment Fund could provide lower-cost housing loans to local authorities to be repaid over a longer period of time, but this was "far from being a done deal".
Tallaght Cross West is one of the rental complexes owned by IRES Reit. Inset: CEO David Ehrlich

Apartment rents are reaching "the limits of sustainability" around Dublin, the biggest private landlord in the country has warned.

IRES Reit chief executive David Ehrlich told the Irish Independent that he had never seen a market like that in Ireland, which has had such an extreme imbalance between supply and demand.

It represents one of the starkest descriptions of the housing crisis by an industry figure to date.

IRES Reit controls 2,087 homes in the country, mostly around the capital.

The Dublin-listed firm is backed by Canada's CapReit, which owns nearly 50,000 apartments in that country.

Most IRES shareholders are overseas investment firms.

The average rent across the country is now above 1,000 per month and more than 1,460 in Dublin - with little sign of the market slowing.

Mr Ehrlich told the Irish Independent there was only one way to slow that rate.

"The solution is more supply," Mr Ehrlich said.

"We look forward to what proposals come from the new Housing Minister.

"We believe there will be a consultation process and we hope to be part of that," he added.

"We all know what happened before - construction essentially stopped and now we have this huge issue around supply," he said.

IRES has made huge gains in Ireland since it entered the market less than three years ago. In the year to the end of December, the company charged an average rent of 1,372 per month, up from 1,250 per month a year earlier - an increase of 9.1pc.

While those sorts of increases are good for landlords, Mr Ehrlich made clear that this was not ideal in the long term.

"Our investors want steady, consistent returns. A market showing increases such as these is fine, but we want consistency.

"We do not want peaks and troughs, we want sustainability, and the market is touching the limits of sustainability at present," he said.

One of the key factors in sustainability is the cost of new construction, with the building industry making it clear that costs and regulation need to come down.

"The apartments we own in Dublin are very different to what you see in the rental market around North America and Europe.

"If we wanted to build an apartment block in Canada, we would tend to build a large, rectangular building, which would have corridors not unlike a hotel.

"Depending on the size of the block we would have two or four lifts in one shaft. Here, with regulations around dual aspect, sizing and the ratio of lifts to apartments, that is not possible.

"Most apartments in Dublin were built to be sold. There aren't many properties that are specifically for renting, and there is a difference between a rental property and a property that will be sold.

"If you offered someone a dual-aspect apartment or a lower rent, the vast majority would take the lower rent," he said.

The previous government amended building regulations in Dublin to allow for smaller apartment sizes, but that has done little to kickstart construction so far. According to Department of Environment data, construction has started on only 181 homes since the start of this year.

IRES has spent hundreds of millions of euro buying apartments in Ireland, mostly by snapping up entire apartment developments from the banks and from Nama.

Last week it agreed to buy 203 apartments at Elm Park in south Dublin in a deal worth 59m. It is also building apartments in Sandyford.
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, centre, is joined by former adversaries Ed Balls, right, and Vince Cable, in the Ryanair hangar at Stansted Airport, where he said that Britain is stronger, safer and better off in the European Union

Ryanair will shift investment from Britain to countries including Ireland if UK voters decide to ditch their membership of the European Union, chief executive Michael O'Leary has warned.

Mr O'Leary was speaking at Stansted Airport outside London yesterday as British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne opened a new training centre for the airline.

"Let me put it simply, if Britain isn't a member of the EU these investments, these jobs will be going to other countries," said Mr O'Leary. "That's why Ryanair is campaigning so strongly for Britain to remain in the EU."

He insisted that airfares out of the UK could also rise if it leaves the EU.

Mr Osborne welcomed Ryanair's battle against Brexit, and told the airline's staff at Stansted - which is Ryanair's biggest base - that he will "fight passionately" for his belief.

"Leaving the EU is a one-way ticket to a poorer Britain," he told his audience yesterday.

He also warned that the UK risked losing 200bn (254bn) a year in trade, and the same amount in overseas investment over the next 15 years, if the electorate opts to ditch its membership of the European Union.

Ryanair has installed four flight simulators at Stansted that will train its pilots.

The airline intends to create about 1,000 more jobs this year, as it swells its ranks of pilots, cabin crew and engineers.

It said that 450 of those jobs will be added at its 13 UK airport bases as it enlarges its fleet.

The airline handled 36 million passengers in the UK last year, a figure it expects to hit 41 million this year. It carried 107.4 million passengers in the 12 months to the end of March.

Mr O'Leary said the type of investment the airline unveiled yesterday would be lost to the UK if it leaves the trading bloc.

He said that countries including Ireland and Germany would benefit from more Ryanair spending if a Brexit went ahead.

"It is exactly this type of investment that will be lost to other competitor EU members if the UK votes to leave the European Union," he said. "We are calling on everyone to turn out in large numbers and vote 'Remain' on June 23. I am absolutely certain that the UK economy is better off in Europe".

He added: "The single market has enabled Ryanair to lead the low fare air travel revolution in Europe, as we bring millions of British citizens to Europe each year, and welcome millions of European visitors to Britain." Mr Osborne said that British jobs and livelihoods benefit directly from being in the EU.

"As Ryanair recognise, we're stronger, safer and better off in the European Union," he said.

"Attracting the investment Britain needs from around the world in order to keep growing and creating good jobs here at home is key if we are to create lasting economic security for working people."

Polls have shown that voters tend to think that staying in the European Union would be better for Britain's economy.

But they also remain almost evenly split between those who want to stay in the bloc and those who want to leave the European Union.

As part of a relentless series of warnings about the economic risks of Brexit, Mr Osborne's finance ministry is due to publish a report on the short-term impact of an 'Out' vote soon.

Additional reporting Reuters
Margot Robbie To Star In Spinoff Featuring DC's Female Heroes And Villains

Trending News: We're Going To See A Lot More Of Margot Robbie As Harley Quinn

Why Is This Important?

Because DC's female heroines and villainesses kick ass.

Long Story Short

So much hype has surrounded Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn that Warner Bros. and DC are already planning a Suicide Squad spinoff. But it won't just be a solo movie, Quinn is going to team up with a cast of other female characters from the DC universe.

Long Story

The moment we knew Margot Robbie was cast as Harley Quinn, we knew she'd be a good fit. The actresses we fell in love with in The Wolf of Wall Street and who is now rightfully on our Crush List, nails the role as the nihilistic, cackling, deadly and sexy villain bang on and we're going to be seeing lots more of her.

Warner Bros. and Sony are reportedly working with Robbie (who is also set to play Jane in the upcoming Tarzan remake) on a spinoff of the upcoming Suicide Squad with Robbie producing, according to The Hollywood Reporter. And continuing the chain of movies featuring not one, but a group of superheroes or villains (see: The Avengers, Civil War, Justice League, Suicide Squad) the spinoff will feature several female characters from the DC universe. Who exactly will be in the movie is still unknown, but names like Batgirl and Birds of Prey have been floated around. Maybe others like Poison Ivy from Batman or Wonder Woman, who so happens to be getting her own movie

The film's director and writer are also not known yet, but they're rumored to also be held by women.

Perhaps responding to young female comic book readers, or simply because it's ridiculous to think people'd only see a movie if men are the leads, we've been seeing movie roles (comics have been doing it for a loooong time) typically filled by men switching it up  the new Ghostbusters comes to mind. Don't like it? Too bad  it's not likely to switch directions anytime soon.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Is it too soon for WB and DC to be gambling on a spinoff when they don't know if fans and critics will even like Suicide Squad?

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Margot Robbie was born to play Harley Quinn.

Drop This Fact

This all-female spinoff reportedly came from Robbie, who dove head first into the role as Quinn by reading the comics and eventually falling in love with other female characters.
China has asked Britain for advice on plans to create a financial super-regulator, as it looks to improve financial oversight following last year's stock market crash, sources told Reuters.

The move may put noses out of joint at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, and at the US Fed, but highlights Britain's burgeoning relationship with Beijing on financial issues.

Unlike the federal structures in the Eurozone and US, Britain and China both have unitary systems.

The UK Treasury has lobbied hard to become China's partner of choice on a range of financial issues, and the two are collaborating on several economic and financial projects, including a stock trading link between London and Shanghai.

The relationship between the two countries seems to have survived last week's gaffe by Britain's Queen Elizabeth, who was caught on camera grumbling that Chinese officials accompanying President Xi Jinping on a visit to the UK last year had been "very rude to the ambassador".

The talks also signal Beijing's growing willingness to seek outside help to improve regulation of its financial infrastructure.

Issues, including last year's rollercoaster-like volatility on the key mainland China stock indexes has forced the world's second biggest economy to increase transparency, reduce systemic risk, and stop companies exploiting loopholes.

Several Chinese and British sources with direct knowledge of the talks said Beijing had sent delegations to London to study the UK regulatory framework, with two sources citing a visit in the first quarter.

UK government representatives also visited Beijing last month to discuss financial, economic and regulatory issues, two sources with knowledge of the visit said.

Weaknesses in Chinese regulation were exposed last summer when China's stock markets lost a third of their value in a month, having soared 150pc in the previous 12 months.

Government and regulators rushed out a series of measures to arrest the crash, including limiting short-selling, stopping new listings and strong-arming big funds to buy more stocks.

The interventions were widely criticized for over-riding market mechanisms, poor inter-agency coordination and creating moral hazard by implying government support.

Reuters reported in November that China was considering consolidating supervisory powers in one regulator covering banking, mutual funds, insurance and securities, but two Chinese sources with direct knowledge of the matter said no decisions had yet been made.

The Chinese sources said any proposals would include a few options for China's cabinet, the State Council, to choose from, but it was unclear if a proposal had yet been submitted.

Britain overhauled its regulatory system after the global financial crisis of 2008-09, handing enormous power to the Bank of England, which is responsible for averting risks to the financial system as a whole.

The new structure aims to reduce blind spots by more closely aligning macro-economic policies with on-the-ground regulation and supervision of financial institutions and markets.

China can't exactly recreate Britain's regulatory structure due to differences in their political systems and potential rivalries over where such a powerful regulator would fit among senior decision makers within the Chinese system. (Reuters)
The oil price collapse has caused huge pain across the energy supply chain throughout the globe

Oil futures rose for a second straight session on Tuesday, with US crude hitting a six-month high, as the market focused on supply disruptions that prompted long-time bear Goldman Sachs to issue a bullish assessment on near-term prices.

Oil prices have rallied for most of the past two weeks due to a combination of Nigerian, Venezuelan and other outages, declining U.S. output and virtually frozen inflows of Canadian crude after fires in Alberta's oil sands region.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were up 50 cents at $48.22 a barrel at 0306 GMT. They hit $48.28 earlier in the session, the highest since November.

Brent crude futures were up 28 cents at $49.25 a barrel, near six-month highs of $49.47 reached on Monday.

"The increasing intensity in supply-side disruptions in the oil market should see prices well supported in the short term," ANZ said in a research note.

The disruptions triggered a U-turn in the outlook for the oil market from Goldman Sachs. The US bank, which had long warned of global storage hitting capacity and of another oil price crash to as low as $20, now sees U.S. crude trading as high as $50 in the second half of 2016.

A further bullish note was sounded by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) when it said shale oil output is expected to drop in June for an eighth consecutive month.

Shale output is expected to fall by nearly 113,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 4.85 million bpd, as the nearly two-year slump in prices continues to undermine profitability at drillers, the EIA report released on Monday shows.

Oil prices were also drawing support from fires burning around the Canadian oil sands hub of Fort McMurray.

The fires were growing and moving rapidly north late on Monday, forcing firefighters to shift their focus to protecting major oil sand facilities north of the city, officials said.

A dozen work camps south of the major projects faced mandatory evacuation notices.
Director Jeff Nichols (R), cast members Joel Edgerton (L) and Ruth Negga pose during a photocall for the film "Loving" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

Ruth Negga later on the red carpet with her co-star, Australian actor Joel Edgerton. Photo: Getty

Director Jeff Nichols (L) poses with cast members Joel Edgerton (R) and Ruth Negga on the red carpet as they arrive for the screening of film "Loving" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

Director Jeff Nichols (L) poses with cast members Joel Edgerton (R) and Ruth Negga as they arrive on the red carpet for the screening of the film "Paterson" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

Cast member Ruth Negga poses on the red carpet as she arrives for the screening of film "Loving" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

Ruth Negga might have to get used to the colour gold - the Irish actress is being hotly tipped for an Oscar statuette.

The former Love/Hate star, who wore a full-length gold lame dress to screenings yesterday, has established herself as a force to be reckoned with at the Cannes Film Festival.

Expand Close Ruth Negga later on the red carpet with her co-star, Australian actor Joel Edgerton. Photo: Getty / Facebook

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Whatsapp Ruth Negga later on the red carpet with her co-star, Australian actor Joel Edgerton. Photo: Getty

The 33-year-old has been making waves among film buffs after her film, Loving, was inundated with praise following a press preview, and is being tipped for Oscar glory.

banished

Expand Close Cast member Ruth Negga poses on the red carpet as she arrives for the screening of film "Loving" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard / Facebook

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Whatsapp Cast member Ruth Negga poses on the red carpet as she arrives for the screening of film "Loving" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

Ruth stars opposite Joel Edgerton as a married woman in 1950s' Virginia, struggling against America's laws prohibiting interracial marriage.

The Preacher actress has impressed critics so much that reporters at the festival asked her and co-star Joel if they had already prepared their Oscar speeches.

Expand Close Director Jeff Nichols (L) poses with cast members Joel Edgerton (R) and Ruth Negga as they arrive on the red carpet for the screening of the film "Paterson" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau / Facebook

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Whatsapp Director Jeff Nichols (L) poses with cast members Joel Edgerton (R) and Ruth Negga as they arrive on the red carpet for the screening of the film "Paterson" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

The TV star also revealed she found it quite "shocking" that the state of Alabama did not wipe all laws against interracial marriage from the books until 2000.

She pointed out that it was only last year that Ireland led the way and legalised same-sex marriage.

Expand Close Director Jeff Nichols (L) poses with cast members Joel Edgerton (R) and Ruth Negga on the red carpet as they arrive for the screening of film "Loving" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier / Facebook

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Whatsapp Director Jeff Nichols (L) poses with cast members Joel Edgerton (R) and Ruth Negga on the red carpet as they arrive for the screening of film "Loving" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

"Having a very Catholic history, I think we showed the world that it's possible to evolve in having discussions about equality," she said.

Based on a true story, Mildred and Richard Loving battled before the supreme court in 1967 for their right to live together as husband and wife, at a time when interracial marriage was illegal.

Expand Close Director Jeff Nichols (R), cast members Joel Edgerton (L) and Ruth Negga pose during a photocall for the film "Loving" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier / Facebook

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Whatsapp Director Jeff Nichols (R), cast members Joel Edgerton (L) and Ruth Negga pose during a photocall for the film "Loving" in competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

The film follows the couple from their marriage in 1958 across the state line in Washington DC to the Virginia court ruling that saw them banished from their home state, and the years of social turmoil that followed.

The actress discussed the issue of diversity in t he film industry after last year's Oscar controversy when all the acting nominees were white.

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"Diversity needs to operate on every level," she said.

"It's great that the Oscars have highlighted it, but black actors getting nominated shouldn't be the only result.

"There's so much more that needs to be done," she added.

Ruth - who has been dating her Preacher co-star Dominic Cooper since 2009 - previously revealed she felt like she never fitted in while growing up.

"My feelings of difference were partly down to having parents of different races," she told The Guardian.

"I had quite a scattered childhood. I was Irish in London, because I had my secondary school education there. I never really fitted anywhere," she said.

"I didn't feel it was a negative thing and I was never made to feel different, I just knew I was."

Ruth, who was raised between Limerick and London, first made a name for herself for her rose as Rosie on hit RTE drama Love/Hate.

She has since gone on to star opposite Brad Pitt in World War Z and has had roles in Misfits and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Director Danny Boyle on set of his new film Trainspotting 2 in Edinburgh

Danny Boyle's Trainspotting sequel will be titled T2 and will be released on January 27 next year.

Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle are all set to reprise the roles they first played two decades ago.

Boyle also directed the 1996 hit movie, a black comedy which follows a group of heroin addicts in a deprived area of Edinburgh in the late 1980s.

A 45-second clip using footage from the original film was shared by the Sony Pictures UK Twitter account to mark T2's first day of shooting on Monday.

However, photographs have already emerged of Bremner in character as Daniel "Spud" Murphy during pre-production in Edinburgh last week.

Trainspotting was based on author Irvine Welsh's novel by the same name.

The long-awaited film will likely be loosely based on Welsh's 2002 sequel to Trainspotting, titled Porno.

Carlyle, who will return to the part of "psycho" Begbie, has said that the script for the new film is "absolutely fantastic" and stronger than the first film.

The actor joined Welsh at The Usher Hall in Edinburgh in March to mark 20 years since the release of the original movie, where he said that filming will take place " pretty much 50-50" between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

He said: "I'm basing this on nothing other than the fact that the production office is on Bathgate. There's a clue there.

"What I will say is that all the characters are exactly where you would want them to be.

"The strength of this new script is the fact that the narrative is a bit stronger than it was in the original.

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"In the first one, when you think about it, it's hard to remember what they did other than get together, the drug deal at the end, and then it's over."

The actor said that fans will get a chance to find out how everyone's lives have gone since they were last on screen.

"This has maybe got a wee bit more to it in terms of what they've been up to through these years," he said.

"You learn a lot about Renton, Sick Boy and indeed Begbie and where their heads are.

"I think it's an absolutely fantastic script. John Hodge has done a wonderful job, as he did with the original.

"Fingers crossed people will take it on board and they will enjoy it."

McGregor said he does not have any nerves about returning to the part of Renton.

Speaking to the Press Association ahead of the release of his new movie Our Kind Of Traitor, he said: "It's such an amazing script, penned by John Hodge who wrote the original Trainspotting script, so there's a real excitement about it.

"Like every movie you do, you have things to think about leading up to them. There is a nervousness about it, but I'm not nervous because it's a sequel to Trainspotting."

McGregor and Boyle also worked together on 1994's Shallow Grave and 1997's A Life Less Ordinary, and the actor welcomed a chance to reunite with the director on a film project.

He said: "I'm very excited. I sort of regret we spent so long not working together. I think that's a shame."
TV3 Presenter and Mothercare Ambassador, Anna Daly officially launches the new Mothercare Loyalty App at Mothercare store in Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. Pic Patrick O'Leary

TV3s Anna Daly has said that women are judged far more harshly on TV than their male counterparts.

Reacting to comments made by RTEs Kathryn Thomas, the presenter agreed that women are subjected to more criticism for their appearance than their ability to do their job.

Its a fair point. Its really annoying when you feel like youve done a strong interview on something serious, like the pressure that Temple Street hospital is under for beds in the Emergency Unit, she said.

Thats a really serious problem in this country and you fee like youve done loads of research on it and you give it your all and you have some fecking eejit sending in a text going I think she looked a bit casual in that interview or Why is she twisting a pen in her hand? Im not sure that men get critiqued in that way. They dont need to maintain highlights, theyre not really judged for their wardrobe.

I think theres more pressure to maintain yourself. I do think men get away with an awful lot more.

Speaking about the gender pay gap that exists in Ireland, she said that it was disappointing that only two of the top ten earners in RTE last year were female.

Expand Close TV3 Presenter and Mothercare Ambassador, Anna Daly officially launches the new Mothercare Loyalty App at Mothercare store in Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. Pic Patrick O'Leary / Facebook

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Whatsapp TV3 Presenter and Mothercare Ambassador, Anna Daly officially launches the new Mothercare Loyalty App at Mothercare store in Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. Pic Patrick O'Leary

Theres no shortage of women in strong positions in TV3. It is disappointing to see it on the national broadcaster though, she said.

Due her third baby with husband Ben Ward in the Autumn, Anna will be bidding a sad farewell to her TV husband Ivan Yates in July when he heads off on his gap year.

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Today FMs Anton Savage is one name in the mix to fill his shoes and Anna believes hed be an ideal replacement.

I think Anton is great and he does strike a very good balance between humour and being very, very well read, she said.

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Hes quick witted and good fun and we worked very well together on Ireland AM. Wed good pals so that would be nice. I think he has a pretty hectic schedule though in terms of his Today FM.

The mum to James (4) and Euan (2) was speaking at the launch of the new Mothercare family card app in Stephens Green shopping centre.
A Deputy Head of Group Performance with Bank of Ireland, who claims she has been remorselessly marginalised by her line manager has launched a High Court legal action aimed at preventing her purported dismissal.

Catherine Ryan claims that since she was appointed in September last to the 177,000 salary post, her superior had redefined the role she had been contracted to do to a lower position.

Ms Ryan, a mother of two from Dundrum, Dublin, alleged in legal documents she has been set up to fail by her superior who was against her being hired by the bank. She also claims she has been isolated at work.

The court heard that Ms Ryan had been hired at a higher salary and at the same grade than her superior.

Frank Callanan SC, for Ms Ryan, said her client had given up employment with Ernst & Young after she was given assurances about her employment by the bank.

Mr Callanan said the bank used the six-month probation period Ms Ryan had to undergo as a tool to try to get rid of her after it had reneged in its commitments to her.

At the High Court today Mr Justice Michael Twomey today heard during an application which was made ex-parte that Ms Ryan was allegedly told last January the bank was seeking legal advice as to how she could be dismissed.

In March, counsel said Ms Ryan's superior had issued an allegedly false, malicious and defamatory recommendation regarding her continued employment and following a review she was informed 10 days ago that she was being dismissed.

She claimed the termination process had been extremely humiliating, disorientating and protracted, and she had been deliberately marginalised and excluded during her probation period.

Ms Ryan, who is seeking several orders including one restraining the bank from taking any steps to give effect to the termination of her employment, alleges the review had been a forgone conclusion that would support her superiors recommendation for her dismissal.

Ms Ryan claims the role she was assigned to do differed by as much as 80pc from the role she had been hired to fulfil. A number of tasks had been assigned to her which she had no experience in doing.

Mr Justice Twomey heard the role Ms Ryan was asked to do could have been carried out by a manager on half the salary she had been offered, and the job was not the strategic position she had been offered during the recruitment process.

Ms Ryan alleges in a sworn statement she has been the victim of internal politics and her superior kept her at arm-length from all that he could.

Today the judge directed that the bank be put on notice of the application and adjourned the case to the next legal term.
THE family of a 23-year-old Girl-Guide captain who was killed by an uninsured driver have criticised a 14-year gap between the time of her death and the inquest held last week.

Blathnaid Cadwell, of Beech Lawn, Dundrum, suffered fatal head injuries in the incident on February 23, 2002, when she was struck by a car driven by Liu Yang. He had no driving licence and had bought a fake insurance disc for his 5 series, two-litre BMW.

Expand Close Blathnaid Cadwell of Beech Lawn, Dundrum, Dublin 14 was brought to St James' Hospital / Facebook

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Whatsapp Blathnaid Cadwell of Beech Lawn, Dundrum, Dublin 14 was brought to St James' Hospital

Witness Michael Mooney said he saw the car travelling between 50-60mph in a 30 mph zone. "I saw the back of the car sliding out, I thought 'he is going to be in trouble' and turned back," he said.

When he saw Blathnaid lying on the footpath he called an ambulance.

In a statement taken by gardai, driver Liu Yang said he had a Chinese driving licence but had failed the driver theory test in Ireland.

"I was driving to a friend's house, I never got there. I saw a girl on the footpath. As I was driving up Beaumont Avenue I could not control the car, the road was wet," he told gardai when interviewed.

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Due to appear in court on October 25, 2002, Mr Yang left the country a day earlier.

A bench warrant was issued for his arrest, but garda inquiries revealed he had returned to China on a fake passport.

There is no extradition treaty between Ireland and China, but gardai have said the case remains open and if Mr Yang appears in any European country he can be sent back for trial.

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Blathnaid was a communications graduate who followed her father, former RTE cameraman Bill, into television media.

Her mother Mary has now questioned the lack of communication from authorities in the 14 years since Blathnaid's death.

"The inquest was first opened in April 2002, but was adjourned because the legal case was ongoing, and because the accused man fled the country the case has remained open," Mary Cadwell told the Herald.

"We made some enquiries to the gardai over the years, but nothing seemed to happen. We would bump into relatives at family functions and meet friends of Blathnaid and they would ask 'what ever happened?' but we had no answer for them. It was just nagging away at us for years.

"Any sort of communication from the gardai or Coroner's Office would have been welcome. Even if there was no particular update, a communication to that effect would have been something," she added.

"We were the ones making the enquiries. It was us keeping the process alive. I think that if we hadn't pushed for it there would not have been an inquest."

Mary said it was difficult, but good, to learn information at the inquest.

"I learned for the first time that the woman who ran to Blathnaid had talked with her while she was still conscious. She said 'tell me your name love and I'll contact your mammy and daddy' and Blathnaid had responded to her.

"We found out that this lady was in bed when she heard the noise of the car and had said to her husband 'there's going to be an accident'.

Mary said the bus journey to last Wednesday's inquest was in many ways a tour of landmarks of Blathnaid's life.

"We passed the scene of where she was knocked down; Mount Carmel hospital, where she was born, and Aungier Street college, where she was so happy."

Mary told how Blathnaid had achieved so much in her short life and had done so much good for so many.

"She had studied and began working in her chosen career, and had contributed so much in the Irish Girl Guides.

"Some of the girls who might have had a few problems told us afterwards that Blathnaid made them see that they could achieve anything.

Blathnaid stayed overnight with a friend and was on her way home when the incident happened.

"In her 23 years she had a wonderful life, she had achieved so much. It is only when she is gone that you realise what an impact she had," her mother said.

First opened in 2002, the inquest concluded last Wednesday with a narrative verdict due to the outstanding charge. The criminal case remains open.
A JUDGE has ordered the arrest of former politician Ivor Callely who failed to turn up to court to face an action to have him jailed for non-payment of a debt.

The disgraced ex-Fianna Fail politician and Minster of State was jailed for five months in 2014 for using false invoices to claim expenses 4,207.45 at Leinster House, Kildare Street between November 2007 and December 2009 while he was a member of the Seanad.

In an unrelated case, Callely (57) of St Lawrence's Road, Clontarf, was supposed to appear before Judge Michael Coghlan at Dublin District Court on Tuesday. However, he did not show up resulting in a bench warrant being issued for his arrest.

This set of proceedings results from his failure to comply with terms of a 2013 district court judgement compelling him to pay a 1,755 debt to Galway based accountants Gallagher & Company who have asked the judge to issue a committal order.

Solicitor Mark Newman told the court yesterday/today (TUE) that Callely had not complied with another order made last month which required him to provide documentation outlining his income and expenditure.

Callely was not present when the case was reached and it was put to second calling. After dealing with other matters, his case was called again but Judge Michael Coghlan was told that Callely was still not present.

I had required documentation to be in court today, I had indicated there would be certain consequences if he failed to provide that documentation. Insofar as he is not here, I am simply issuing a warrant for his arrest, Judge Coghlan said.

Last month, Callely, who claims he has needs a 2,500 a month for a reasonable living, had told the court he had done his best to contact the creditor but Judge Michael Coghlan had told him he was in contempt of court orders.

During that hearing, on April 19, Judge Coghlan had held off proceeding with a committal order. However, threatening to jail him, the judge had said he was not impressed with his evidence and he wanted proof of Callely's income and expenditure.

He had also given the former TD and senator a formal warning that he would issue the committal order if he did not provide the court and the creditor with adequate information in advance of yesterday/today's (TUE) hearing.

The court heard that 1,755 was owed by him to the accountancy firm. There was also a successful application to increase the amount outstanding by another 150, a result of expenses from hiring a private investigator to establish the whereabouts of Callely who also spends time in Northern Ireland and also has an address at Howth Road, Killester, Dublin 3.

The court had also been told he had not notified lawyers for the accountancy firm of a change of address.

The court heard he did not keep in touch with accountants Gallagher & Company after the original judgement was given in the district court in June 2013. The ruling included an instalment order stating Callely had to pay 100 a month to clear his debt.

Last month, the former politician provided the court with a statement of his means which he said had been vouched by an assets management agency. However lawyers for Gallagher & Company said they had not been furnished with Callely's income and expenditure documents.

In evidence he had said that he has an income of 7,683 a month. He pays 4,800 a month on a lease for a commercial property in Dublin which he lets out but he explained it was difficult to find tenants able to afford the rent.

At present a hardware owner is paying him 5,200 a month to use the premises.

Judge Coghlan has said Callely's vouched statement of means did not stand up to scrutiny and that the court needed to see the lease agreement.

Explaining why he has not paid the debt Callely said that his lawyers were also looking for a payment of legal fees arising out of his criminal charges and other proceedings which he was not in a position to pay.

The court heard he owes approximately 250,000 to the legal firm; he also said he owes 5m to AIB and 11m to another creditor..

It was put to him that in the three years since the district court judgement was made he never picked up the phone to contact Gallagher & Company and they were forced to make the court application.

I try to be reasonable with everyone, Mr Callely had said. He had claimed he left numerous telephone messages but the court heard that the solicitors for the accountancy firm only received one message.

Judge Coghlan noted from his statement of means that Callely has 2,500 in living expenses. The former politician had said it was 800 a week, which he claimed was an amount set out by an insolvency advisor for reasonable living.

Judge Coghlan had said that he was not satisfied with the documentation furnished by the ex-politician and told him that he was not interested in third party information which he described as estimates. He said he was interested in forensic evidence.

He has told him that an instalment order is in place and he has failed to make any repayments and this was nothing short of a contempt of at least two court orders, the judgement and the instalment order.

As he adjourned the case on April 19, he had said he was giving him a month to produce full explanations for every penny of his income. The judge warned he was giving him a formal warning that he will require a full root and branch vouched statement of means setting out his income and a schedule of his expenditure.
Photo supplied by the family Ciara Sheehan (21) who was was shot in the neck in a gun attack at her boyfriend's house in the Hollywood estate on the north side of Cork city. Pic Provision

The mother of a young woman shot in the neck by a gunman has issued a photograph to show the severity of her condition.

Ciara Sheehan (21) would have been paralysed if the bullet had entered her neck just 1cm to the side.

Her mother Susan OMahony issued the shocking photo to show the world the physical damage caused.

This is my daughter Ciara. I would just like to show you the impact of this, she wrote on Facebook.

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I know its shocking but this is the reality of it, please pray for her. Sorry, it is upsetting.

Gardai recovered a firearm which they suspect was used in the attack that left Ciara with neck and throat injuries.

She remains in a serious condition in Cork University Hospital (CUH) as gardai said she was not the intended target of a terrifying early morning gun attack on a family home in Knocknaheeny, Cork.

The handgun recovered yesterday will now undergo a detailed forensic and ballistic examination to determine if it was used in the attack.

Gardai are also investigating whether attacks on two other houses on Corks northside may be linked to the incident.

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Ms Sheehan was sitting watching TV with a friend in a house in the Hollywood Estate when a firearm was discharged through the sitting-room window at 12.30am on Sunday.

It was the latest in a series of terrifying attacks on the family living in the property, which included windows being smashed.

Ms Sheehan suffered a gunshot wound to her throat and neck. Doctors performed emergency surgery at CUH and she is now expected to make a full recovery.

However, local sources said it was a miracle the innocent woman escaped life-threatening injury.

If it had been just a small bit to the side, she could have been killed or left paralysed, said one friend. Less than half an inch and we would have been talking about a tragedy.

The woman, who didnt want to give her name because she was frightened, said it was an appalling incident.

Gurranabraher gardai arrested a man (29) and woman (22) within an hour of the attack.

The pair, who are not related, can be questioned for up to five days.

The man is being questioned in Gurranabraher Garda Station while the woman is being questioned at Bridewell Garda Station. The man is well known to gardai.

Sources indicated that he has been the focus of multiple investigations ranging from serious assaults, intimidation and general criminality.

Over the past 10 years, the man has been the focus of investigations ranging from an attack on a man with a sword to intimidation of a individual who had a pipe bomb left outside his home.

Other incidents included threats with Stanley knives and a chainsaw. Several investigations were ultimately frustrated after people were too frightened to make reports to gardai.
An obsession with getting the highest points possible is putting huge pressure on the mental health of our children, a leading child psychiatrist has warned.

Dr David McNamara warned of the disturbing link between exam stress and young people's mental health problems - up to and including suicide.

The head of the Adolescent Inpatient Unit at St John of God Hospital warned: "Between Christmas and June, I'm absolutely swamped with outpatient referrals by GPs. It's mostly to help them get through the exams."

Leaving Cert students are heaping enormous pressure on themselves to get into college at all costs, Dr McNamara told the Irish Independent.

"Back in my day, there was only a small percentage of students who went on to college. But today, there's great pressure for all students to attend college," he said.

"You are made to feel like a failure if you don't attend college."

The pressure starts to build about three years before the Leaving Cert exams from mostly the students themselves, but also from parents, peers and teachers, he said.

One school in the Dublin area even had a so-called 'doomsday clock', he said.

This counted down the days until the annual exams in June, which Dr McNamara insisted on having removed.

The pressure manifests itself in the classic symptoms of anxiety and stress; insomnia, panic attacks, poor concentration, abuse of alcohol or drugs, depression and even suicidal thoughts or attempts.

"They can't sleep. They're worried sick and feeling sad and low in mood," he said.

The result was that many post-secondary students were seeking psychiatric help to deal with the stress, he said.

Ireland's youth suicide rate is the highest in Europe and the leading cause of death of young people here.

In one tragic case, 15-year-old Manik Murphy was killed by a train in September 2007 an hour after getting her Junior Cert results, which didn't live up to the high standards she had set for herself, her inquest heard.

Panic

The schoolgirl from Donabate, north county Dublin, who wanted to be a veterinarian, left a note. It said: "No one will understand why I did this. I'm not good enough to stay on this Earth" - after she had got 4 As and 6 Bs, instead of the 6 As and 4 Bs that she wanted.

Dublin County Coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty said: "It's quite clear that she was an intelligent and caring young girl, who, for some reason, came to believe her life depended on her results.

"She first believed that the world would end when she was 15 and then came to believe her world would end."

Linda O'Shea, spokeswoman for the National Parents Council Post Primary, said she too had seen a similar trend develop over the past decade.

She warned that students today were suffering from stress that far exceeded the normal stress levels associated with sitting exams previously.

"We are aware of students who have committed suicide due to sheer exam stress," she said.

Ms O'Shea cautioned parents against putting too much pressure on their children to excel and said that they should encourage their children to switch off occasionally.

"Remove them from that situation where the books are open 24/7," she said. "That's not good for anyone."

Dr McNamara agreed. He said students literally needed to give themselves a break occasionally and get out and exercise, get a good night's sleep and eat properly.

"The best way to reduce stress is adequate preparation," he added.
Damien Houlihan (40) bought a train ticket last Friday, but his family don't have any record of his movements since.

The family of an Irish man who is missing in the UK have appealed for help in the search for him.

Damien Houlihan (40) left Ireland two weeks ago without his phone, but with some cash and his bank cards.

The last trace his family have of him is that he purchased a train ticket for the Southern Railway to Brighton at 7.15am on Friday with his laser card.

Since then, they have had no trace of their loved one.

We are extremely concerned about him. He left his apartment in Cork two weeks ago. We do know that he travelled to London and that last Friday morning he bought a train ticket to Brighton, his brother Tony told independent.ie.

He didnt bring his phone with him. He had some cash and his bank cards.

We have some friends in London and theyre putting up Facebook alerts and tweets for us, he said.

Damien is described as being around six foot in height and of medium build.

Damien, originally from Adare Co.Limerick, has been working and living in Cork for the last number of years.
The crew of the LE Roisin has rescued 125 migrants in its first operation since being deployed to the Mediterranean.

The migrants, 107 men and 18 women, were last night receiving food and water on board the Irish naval ship.

They were travelling in a rubber craft and were located around 40 nautical miles north east of Tripoli.

Following a request from the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, the rescue operation started shortly before 11am yesterday and all the migrants were aboard the LE Roisin within four hours.

They were last night being brought ashore, where they will be transferred to the Italian authorities.

It was the first successful operation undertaken by the crew of the LE Roisin since the ship began search and rescue operations on May 12.

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The vessel left Ireland at the start of this month and will spend the summer assisting in the Mediterranean.

The Immigrant Council of Ireland said the crew of the LE Roisin were "adding to the proud record of the Naval Service responding to the humanitarian crisis".
There has been a slight fall in the number of women travelling from Ireland to Britain for an abortion, official figures have revealed.

But records from health chiefs in the UK show 3,451 women gave addresses in Ireland - almost 10 a day - while attending clinics in England and Wales last year.

The report showed there has been a 48% decline in the numbers travelling to terminate a pregnancy since 2001.

The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) said the report does not reflect the actual number of women and girls in Ireland who have abortions and it claimed the use of abortion pills bought online is increasing.

Chief executive Niall Behan said: "We cannot be complacent about this decrease.

"While it is impossible to quantify the extent of their use, abortion pills accessed online have had a significant impact on the decline in the number of women in Ireland seeking abortion services in the UK."

The IFPA called for laws to be reformed to protect women's reproductive health and ensure high quality sex education, contraceptive and abortion services.

Separate figures from the Netherlands - the only other jurisdiction women from Ireland travel for abortion procedures in any significant numbers - showed numbers also falling from 31 in 2010 to 16 in 2014.

There are no records kept on women who travel from the Republic to abortion clinics in Northern Ireland to avail of a termination in limited circumstances.

Abortion is banned in Ireland under the eighth amendment to the Constitution, but a pregnancy may be terminated if there is a real and substantial risk to the life of the mother including from suicide.

The UK Department of Health figures showed 6,673 women with an address in Ireland travelled for an abortion in 2001.

The numbers fell rapidly to below 5,000 in 2007 and again to below 4,000 in 2012.

The report showed 3,679 women travelled in 2013 and 3,735 in 2014.

Detail on the women who travelled from Ireland to England and Wales last year showed 18 were aged under 16.

Some 46% of women who gave Irish addresses were aged in their 20s and 37% were in their 30s.

The report showed 2,374 of the abortions were carried out in the first nine weeks of the pregnancy and 112 were carried out after 20 weeks or more.

Some 644 women were married or in a civil partnership and 916 were single.

The UK Department of Health said that 135 abortions were carried out after a risk was identified that the child would be born " seriously handicapped".

Niamh Ui Bhriain of the Life Institute said that any decrease in abortion was always welcome, but that it was 'very encouraging to see such a persistent and consistent decline in the past 15 years'.

Clearly, despite the haranguing Ireland gets from abortion campaigners, we are getting it right in that women are increasingly seeking a better answer than abortion, she said. Making better supports available; educating people as to the reality of the abortion and the humanity of the baby; helping women; these are better alternatives, she said.

In Britain the abortion rate is 20% - one in every five babies is killed by abortion, but the Irish rate is just 5%, and we welcome that low rate, and are working towards the day when abortion is not sought by any woman, in any jurisdiction. There is always a better answer to an unexpected pregnancy than to kill the baby, said the Life Institute spokeswoman.

Meanwhile, Choice Ireland Spokesperson Stephanie Lord said that although there was a slight decrease in the numbers of women traveling from Ireland to Britain for abortions over the last year, it was not necessarily indicative of a fall in the number of women in Ireland actually having abortions.

There was a 284 person drop in the numbers of women travelling from Ireland to Britain for abortions during 2015, with 3,451 women accessing services in British abortion clinics.

While some are welcoming the drop in figures, we do not believe that this is indicative of the actual figures of women having abortions as many travel to other European states to access clinics.

Further to this, we believe many women faced with the financial hardship of travelling overseas to pay for abortions are instead turning to the internet and purchasing the abortion pill online from easily accessible organisations like Women on Web and Women Help Women.

The British abortion statistics report reinforces the fact that women in Ireland are having abortions every day regardless of what the actual law of this land is and there is now clearly an onus on the government to get on with the business of ensuring our health care service is fit for purpose and move to hold a referendum to repeal the 8th amendment.
Irish doctors are free to be on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook- but they need to be careful of what they say.

The advice is contained in a new guide to professional conduct and ethics for doctors released by their regulatory body the Medical Council today.

It acknowledges how social media can be used to the good to promote healthy habits and highlight useful research.

But medics must maintain standards and ensure there is no breach of a patient-doctor relationship.

Doctors here have taken to social media with enthusiasm and frequently use the platform to criticise the state of services and under-funding.

The updated guide, launched today by Medical Council President Freddie Wood, the retired cardiac surgeon today, follows wide consultation.

Key areas deal with patient safety including:

Special emphasis on the protection and welfare of vulnerable people, such as children or someone with a physical or intellectual disability, incapable of independent living. Doctors should be alert to the possibility of abuse of vulnerable people and notify the appropriate authorities.

New Children First legislation is pending and we will keep a watchful eye on developments, in case our Guide requires updating.

It warns that confidentiality is at the core of the doctor/patient relationship, but the duty to protect patient confidentiality must be balanced with the duty to share information in certain exceptional circumstances, for example, where it is in the public interest.

There is also updated advice for doctors who are changing shifts and they are reminded of the need to ensure there is proper hand-over of patients to ensure the doctor coming on duty is fully briefed on their condition.

There have been instances of cases where this has not been done and vital information was not passed on.
HUNDREDS of off-duty and retired garda sergeants and inspectors are marching on the Department of the Taoiseach this afternoon to demand a wage restoration and the right to negotiate with the Government.

The group set off from Castle Street in Dublin city centre at around 12.15pm, before taking the route to Merrion Street Upper.

A group of anti-water protesters were also gathered at Kildare Street for a separate demonstration.

John Jacob, general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (ASGI) said that members had suffered an effective pay cut of 25pc since 2008.

He said that there was the possibility of official strike action if the Government refused to negotiate, but said he hoped it would not come to that.

The AGSI are planning three weeks of protests which will escalate to a form of work-to-rule, but not a strike, if there is no engagement by Government.

While gardai are forbidden from taking strike action, Mr Jacob said members were prepared to deal with the consequences.

The gardai marching today are not in uniform as it is illegal for gardai to protest march in uniform. It is estimated that up to 600 members will attend.

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Archbishop Diarmuid Martin at a procession against gangland violence by communities of inner city Dublin at Buckingham street, Dublin. Pictures:Arthur Carron

17/5/16 Archbishop Diarmuid Martin at a procession against gangland violence by communities of inner city Dublin at Buckingham street, Dublin. Pictures:Arthur Carron

Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald at aprocession against gangland violence by communities of inner city Dublin at Buckingham street, Dublin. Pictures:Arthur Carron

Cllr Christy Burke at a procession against gangland violence by communities of inner city Dublin at Buckingham street, Dublin. Pictures:Arthur Carron

Maureen O'Sullivan at a procession against gangland violence by communities of inner city Dublin at Buckingham street, Dublin. Pictures:Arthur Carron

Ann Grimes, Sherrif street, at a procession against gangland violence by communities of inner city Dublin at Buckingham street, Dublin. Pictures:Arthur Carron

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin at a procession against gangland violence by communities of inner city Dublin at Buckingham street, Dublin. Pictures:Arthur Carron

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin led hundreds of inner city residents through the capital tonight in a show of solidarity against the gangland violence plaguing their community.

Around 200 joined the silent procession from St Agathas Church and poignantly converged at a monument on Buckingham Street dedicated to the hundreds of young people who have died from drugs over the years.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said the locals - who came from the four corners of the north inner city - deserve to be proud of their community and urged them to fight back.

Theyve gone through an awful lot. This is a simple way to show that this community is strong and worthwhile, he said.

Mothers, fathers, grandparents, children. They all wore white ribbons as part of a candle-light procession from four local churches to take back the streets from the gangland criminals that have made their homes a virtual no-go zone.

Father of two Tony Byrne (51) whose extended family grew up on nearby Sheriff Street, said he has personally seen the devastating impact of the drug and gang culture in the area.

He took part in the walk to send a message to the criminals. He did the same thing during the community anti-drug protests led by the late TD and councillor Tony Gregory over 20 years ago. But he said people must not give up the fight. The community will come out here to respond tonight but they need a lot more support from other communities, he told independent.ie.

Organiser Seanie Lambe said the recent killings in the area as part of the Hutch-Kinahan gangland feud have left people tense and afraid to come out of their homes. He urged the Government to do more to combat organised crime.
A woman has described the grim reality of Ireland's hospital overcrowding crisis as her mother (98) is forced to wait 32 hours for a hospital bed.

Last Thursday Valerie's 98-year-old mother had a fall and was picked up by ambulance at 9.30am and taken to the local regional hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital the she was greeted with horrific scenes as her mother was forced to wait 32 hours for admission to a bed.

"It was worse than a refugee camp," said Valerie when speaking to RTE's Liveline.

"In the passage, in the corridors, in every nook and cranny, I mean everywhere you looked, there were people getting sick, bleeding, in absolute agony.

"People were coughing and spitting into containers. Some were vomiting on to the ground and vomiting into bowls but the bowls were just left there.

"Someone had left bowl full of vomit beside my mother and nobody was there to take it away. I had to pick it up, cover it and put it to one side."

There wasn't a bed available for Valerie's elderly mother so she had to wait on a trolley in the cramped A&E department for five hours, where rows of trolleys were lined up side-by-side.

She described it as a noisy and chaotic environment where patients and their loved ones were struggling to cope in the cramped conditions. She said patients were in obvious discomfort and visibly upset but there wasn't an available member of staff to take care of them.

Exhausted but determined to care for her mother, Valerie took matters into her own hands when she realised it would be a long time before anyone could see to her.

"She was covered in blood from her fall and nobody was there to clean her," said Valerie.

"I had to strip her down. I had to take her nightie off in the corridor and clean her down with Dettol wipes in front of everyone while she was still bleeding. I had no other option.

"She needed to use the bathroom but that was out of the question so the inevitable happened. That's why I had to change her and clean her down. She was covered in blood and urine. It wasn't very pleasant.

Eventually a member of staff helped Valerie move her mother to a cubicle where she could continue to clean her in private but conditions there were even worse as Valerie said the cubicle was "full of waste bins".

"I tried not to be rude and lose my patience over the terrible conditions. I didn't want to be pushy because there were a lot of people there in the same situation but she's my mother and this mattered terribly to me," she said.

Valerie said that despite hearing about similar horror stories, nothing could have prepared her for the reality of the situation.

"You hear about waiting lists and trolliers. You hear about the terrible conditions and you see the photographs but you're not prepared. When you're there it's absolutely horrendous. It's like going to war."

Valerie wasn't allowed to photograph the scenes she witnessed, in order to protect the dignity of the patients, but she said a doctor had asked her to go on air and highlight the problem, detailing the terrible conditions she experienced.

"The staff are under serious pressure. They go through this 24/7. They're like robots now because it's the only way to get the job done," she said.

While Valerie is thankful her mother did get seen to eventually, she believes that she only got through it because she's strong for her age.

"She's now in a comfortable bed with the kindest nurses. She's in the system now. If she was a weaker person I don't know if she would have made it at all.

Her grim, first-hand account of overcrowding shows how many of the nation's emergency departments are creaking at the seams.

This follows the latest reports from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), in its Trolley/Ward watch analysis, that 9,381 patients were waiting on trolleys in March this year, awaiting admission for in-patient treatment.

This represents a five per cent increase when compared to March 2015 and a 45 per cent increase compared with March 2014.

The figures also show that in March 2016 there was a shocking 100 per cent increase in trolley overcrowding compared to March 2008 when just 4,701 patients were on trolleys.

As of 3pm today, there were 285 patients waiting on admission to hospital beds in Ireland's hospitals.

The HSE said that there is an overall increase of 6.9 per cent in the number of people attending Emergency Departments, compared to last year.

A spokesperson told Independent.ie that "measures are being implemented on an ongoing basis to address the issues include the opening of acute beds, the reduction of delayed discharges and the provision of supports in the community to deal with the increased demand."
Local residents have voiced their outrage following the death of an adult swan at a popular walking spot.

This male cob swan was defending its female and nest with three eggs when it was attacked and killed by at least one dog, according to the Cork Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The incident occurred just outside Carrigaline on the Crosshaven road yesterday morning - an area where many families and walkers frequent.

"Many walkers, students and families would stop off and have a look at the Swans making their nest and eagerly await the first egg, something these beautiful birds have done for many years," a CSPCA spokesperson said.

The pen swan has been left terrified following the attack and the eggs are now in an incubator with volunteers with a local Irish wildlife group.

"These birds are fully protected by law, we are asking anyone who is walking their dogs near nesting birds to do it responsibly and keep them on a lead to prevent further harm like this," the CSPCA spokesperson advised.

"Dog owners regardless of the breed they own must keep their dogs under control at all times."
Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys at her home near Ballybay, Co Monaghan. Photo: Kyran OBrien

Extra supports must be given to indigenous industries in rural Ireland if the Government is to create 135,000 regional jobs over the next five years, Rural Affairs Minister Heather Humphreys has said.

A large proportion of 500m that has been set aside in the new Programme for Government for investment in jobs will be channelled to business ideas outside of Dublin. "It's about empowering local communities and local enterprise. It's about the indigenous industries," Ms Humphreys told the Farming Independent.

She said it is "not realistic" to have an IDA factory in every town "but if you support the indigenous industries and look at the regions and what their strengths are, like Cavan and Monaghan here, one of our great strengths would be the engineering industry and food".

"It's about building on those strengths and that spawns more employment," the minister said. "I'm a very strong believer in social enterprise. It's probably similar to the old co-operative movement."

Ms Humphreys said the Post Office and Credit Union networks will have a major role in the economic recovery.

In particular, the Fine Gael TD, who is a former Credit Union worker, said the movement must become central to providing finance for local industry.

"There are a lot of people who have good innovative ideas and they start out in local enterprise centres and they can grow from that.

"There are great opportunities for credit unions to provide finance in that space, something which they haven't been allowed to do as much of. They should be allowed to do that because there is a lot of local knowledge and a lot of local expertise."

Ms Humphreys also revealed that she is still in talk with Roscommon TD Michael Fitzmaurice about laws governing turf cuttings - despite his refusal to be part of the new government.

"He comes from an area that has been impacted by the Habitat Directive and the impact that has had on the turf cutting issue. Both he and I want the same result, which is to deal with the issue of turf cutting. I have to work within the confines of the EU regulations."

However, she added: "We can't do anything that's going to cause us difficulties in terms of EU fines. It was very much a traditional right for people to cut their turf, and it's difficult for them and I understand that difficulty."
Alan McBride (whose wife and father in law where killed in the Shankill Bombing) speaking at a wreath laying ceremony in Talbot Street Dublin to mark the 42nd anniversary of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Haley O'Brien (4) who's great uncle John O'Brien was killed in the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, lays a wreath in Talbot Street Dublin, during a ceremony to mark the 42nd anniversary of the bombings. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Wendy Doherty was just shy of her second birthday as she was walking home with her pregnant mother on Dublins Talbot Street when a car bomb exploded, killing her mother Collette and her unborn sibling who was due to be born two days later.

Miraculously, Ms Doherty was left relatively unscathed when she was found afterwards wandering the streets in a daze by a kindly fireman.

But 42 years later, she and other family of the 33 people who were killed and 300 injured in the single worst atrocity of The Troubles are still demanding justice.

After more than four decades, no one has ever been held accountable for setting the three car bombs in Dublin and a fourth one in Monaghan town 90 minutes later that indiscriminately killed victims ranging in age from five months to 80.

Every May 17 since that horrific day in 1974, Ms Doherty and other grieving family members have laid floral tributes at a monument on Talbot Street that bears the names of their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands , wives, aunts and uncles who were callously murdered as they went about their everyday business.

Im one of the lucky ones, thank God I have no recollection of it, Ms Doherty told Independent.ie.  But for the people who do, their lives have never been the same, she said.

I have two children and its now effecting them. I took them out of school to be here, she said of the annual commemoration ceremony at the monument this afternoon.

Its just barbaric that nothings been done.

Dublin Lord Mayor Ardmheara Criona Ni Dhalaigh, Foreign Affairs Mininster Charlie Flanagan, Noel Keelan, Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council, Mary OBrien of Justice for the Forgotten and Paul OConnor from the Pat Finucane Centre laid wreaths at the monument in a solemn ceremony marking the tragic day and loss of innocent lives.

Among the hundred or so people gathered at the ceremony, organised by the Justice for the Forgotten committee, was Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald as well as renowned artist Robert Ballagh and people who lived and worked in both Dublin and Monaghan who were witness to the atrocity.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan pledged to continue to press Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers to urge the British Government to release its the original police and state files on the bombings.

Weve had yet another very poignant and moving occasion, the 42nd anniversary of the Dublin-Monaghan atrocity, and I believe its important that we re-commit ourselves towards unfolding the truth. There are many unanswered questions and I believe that when we speak about reconciliation, a very important tenet of reconciliation is truth, he told Independent.ie
A new independent office will be established to 'crunch the numbers' ahead of the annual budget

A new independent office will be established to "crunch the numbers" ahead of the annual budget.

The office, which will support the work of a new cross Budget and Finance Committee, is one of the key political reform proposals being considered by TDs today. Measures also agreed by the Oireachtas sub-committee on Dail reform include handing an increased role to the Parliamentary Legal Advisors' Office which allows it to assist backbenchers in drafting legislation.

A new Business Committee comprising of both Government and Opposition TDs will also be set up to plan parliament business on a weekly basis.

Changes to the rules around technical groups, to allow more than one group to be formed, are also included in the draft proposals circulated to TDs.

"This will enable Independents and members in small parties to join forces to get a greater share of parliamentary set pieces," according to the documents, which have obtained by the Irish Independent.

Pre-legislative scrutiny will be extended to non-government bills, which will increase the possibility of those bills being enacted. And an Irish Language Committee will be established.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny will ask the Fine Gael parliamentary party to approve the proposals, pending the acceptance of amendments, at a meeting at Leinster House today.
Rick Rossiter, as ambassador for See Change, is talking openly about his mental health issues. Photo by Kadi Mark.

It's good to talk - and this Friday has been designated as the day to do it.

May 20 is National Time to Talk Day as part of a special nationwide campaign to reduce the stigma around mental health in this country.

Because there is stigma around mental health - quite a lot of it in fact, as Rick Rossiter, who has suffered from depression most of his life, knows all too well.

"We disassociate when it comes to mental health," says Rick (45), now a high-profile ambassador for See Change, Ireland's national stigma reduction programme.

"We'll talk about physical health but as soon as an issue to do with mental health arises, the walls go up and people turn away."

The group, which was established in 2010, works with more than 90 organisations to create a community-driven social movement to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with mental health problems.

Throughout this month, See Change and partners are rolling out the fourth annual Green Ribbon campaign to get Ireland talking about mental health.

As part of the campaign, which uses the hashtag #TimetoTalk, 500,000 green ribbons will be distributed nationwide in conjunction with hundreds of local and national events. The ask is simple - wear the Green Ribbon and show your support for ending the silence around mental health problems. Take two ribbons, and start a conversation with someone about mental health, because, as See Change says, it really is Time to Talk.

All the while the group's 60 ambassadors, all people with experience of mental health problems, will be sharing their true life stories to spark a national conversation around mental health.

Rick Rossiter is one of those prepared to stand up and talk openly about the mental health issues which have characterised his life.

His first attempted suicide at the age of 15 - he jumped off a 69-storey building in Newfoundland, where he was born and raised - left him with a broken back and legs, and severe back problems which affect him to this day.

In subsequent years, Rick attempted to end his life in a number of ways. Yet, despite the clearly serious mental health problems which dogged this young man from age 12, and a life punctuated by hospital stays, he was not diagnosed with bipolar depression until the age of 26.

As a teenager, Rick, who is now based in Celbridge Co Kildare and who has lived in Ireland for 20 years, says nobody ever actually asked him why he'd attempted suicide. Instead they ran away from it, he believes.

"I have felt and seen stigma since my first suicide attempt at 15.

"I lived in a small town so news of it travelled fast. I left home at 16 because I couldn't live there anymore and went to the city on my own.

"I have seen ignorance and stigma within the mental health service of both Canada and Ireland. I've seen people treat me differently after I told them of my life. I've also seen people treat me no different than before."

And yet, despite the breakdowns, the suicide attempts, the terrible pain and darkness he has experienced - not to mention the appalling lack of understanding and compassion he so often encountered in his search for help - Rick says he wouldn't change a thing.

That's because his ordeals have brought him a willingness to help others. "It's not that people are mean, it's that when mental health issues come up they don't know how to communicate about it," he explains. "We're simply too afraid to say the wrong thing. We have avoided the conversation about mental health for so long we don't know how to have it. That's what See Change is all about.

"My goal in life is now life, to live a better and a more meaningful one, for me and those around me, my family, my friends."

The important messages of National Time to Talk Day, Rick believes, are firstly that mental health issues affect many people, regardless of age, sex, nationality, sexual orientation or personal beliefs, and also that people with problems should not feel the need to hide something, which he points out "is more normal than most people would care to admit".

Looking back, he says, he was only about 12 or 13 when he started to feel isolated and depressed. Although he knew his adoptive parents loved him, he felt "detached" from the family. Counselling didn't help - it was assumed his problems came from knowing he was adopted, and if he knew who his birth parents were, things would settle down.

However, although he did find out who they were - his adoptive mother, it emerged, was actually his aunt - the debilitating feelings of loss didn't go away.

That first suicide attempt at age 15 left him in hospital for three months with a broken back and legs, but, he recalls "never did anyone ask me why I did it".

"Everyone backed away from the whole thought of it," Rick says. "It was the physical side that was treated; I never saw any mental health professional, let alone a psychiatrist."

At 17, he cut his wrists and was stitched up in hospital, but once again, he was released without any mental health-orientated intervention.

Shortly before his 18th birthday Rick took an overdose and went into a coma for three months. Again, no counselling. "After that," he recalls, "I put up a mask and pretended everything was fine."

He married his Irish-born wife Annmarie just before his 20th birthday. "She knew very little about my background. I was hiding it well," he recalls.

Things were fine until the young couple moved to Ireland with their first child in 1997, as Annmarie was feeling homesick - six months after they returned, Rick, then 26, had a very serious breakdown.

Shortly afterwards he was diagnosed with bipolar depression and given medication, which helped, and later he was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.

In 2001, however, he stopped taking the medication. Four years later he experienced another major breakdown. He was admitted to hospital on a number of occasions and attempted suicide again in 2007 before spending a year in a mental health facility.

A one-year course in Art and Three Dimensional Design at Ballyfermot College gave him back his energy and confidence - he became student president.

However, he was admitted to hospital in 2008 for back problems, and, currently awaiting a second back operation, he is acting as an ambassador for See Change.

"I got involved with See Change about 18 months ago. I became an ambassador and have made presentations and represented the group on a number of occasions," he says, quipping that when he looks back, he now sees that he "fell through every crack I could find".

People are wary of mental illness, he says. They see a person who has mental health problems as a 'wildcard', somebody who might be dangerous - and this needs to change. "If you have cancer, you get help, and will find other people very willing to help you but if you say you're bipolar and can't get out of bed, you'll not even get a phone call.

"I was in hospital for mental health issues dozens of times and in all of that time the only person who contacted me regularly was my wife, Annmarie. However, when I was in hospital with back problems I was getting texts and well wishes."

* For more information: visit seechange.ie or greenribbon.ie or on Facebook and Twitter

* Other useful contact details: Samaritans on 116 123 for round-the-clock support or visit samaritans.org

 Visit yourmentalhealth.ie for listings of support services
'The reality is, though, that the Governments difficulties run far deeper than this storm in an ashtray'

ELEVEN days down and has there ever been a less auspicious start to a new government? Nothing remotely close to sinking it, of course. But with the ship barely out of the harbour, enough water has been taken on board already to make one really fearful as to what will happen in rougher seas.

There has been the climbdown over linking child benefit to school attendance; Alan Shatter's response to the O'Higgins report; stories of key elements of the Programme for Government being vetoed by Fianna Fail; and the issue of a minister, Finian McGrath, and would-be minister, John Halligan, not paying their water charges.

Then on Sunday, McGrath, not content with being at variance with his cabinet colleagues on water charges, featured in a newspaper interview, calling for more lenient rules on smoking, advocating designated indoor smoking areas in pubs.

There isn't a hope in hell of that happening and McGrath must surely know that. But it only added to the sense of a hapless, hamstrung and slightly disoriented administration.

McGrath has made similar comments before. The crucial difference is that he was not sitting at Cabinet when he made them.

The Dublin Bay North deputy is one of the most personable and courteous people you could meet in Leinster House. After a long time on the margins, he deserves his shot in government.

But he's going to have to realise quickly that he can no longer be all things to all men and women. He's part of a team now - and a pretty important team at that.

To quote Pat Rabbitte: "Finian has to get his mindset out of being available for a quote on the plinth (of Leinster House) to any Tom, Dick or Harry from the journalistic world that was passing, to now being a minister."

McGrath was standing over his comments yesterday, while stressing that he supported government policy in relation to smoking and health.

But it would be no harm for him to take Rabbitte's advice and "take a break" from the spotlight while he adapts to his new role.

The reality is, though, that the Government's difficulties run far deeper than this storm in an ashtray - deeper also than the tricky issue over whether Enda Kenny can make Halligan a junior minister if he continues to adopt his 'won't pay' stance on water charges.

Much has been made of how beholden Fine Gael is to Fianna Fail for support in the Dail. But that tells only part of the story. It's far more complex than that.

What we're witnessing is the Irish political equivalent of the butterfly theory.

That theory has it that a butterfly flapping its wings in New Mexico has the power to cause a hurricane in China.

In this case, the butterfly is Paul Murphy and his 2014 by-election victory in Dublin South-West. That by-election is arguably as important as the recent General Election result in shaping the politics of the current Dail.

Sinn Fein was expected to comfortably win that by-election, only to get outflanked by the AAA on water charges.

That lesson was assimilated by Sinn Fein, which shifted sharply back to the 'Left' (it's a moot point whether opposing water charges is genuinely left-wing) on this and other issues.

This, in turn, had an impact on a Fianna Fail party nervously looking over its shoulder at Sinn Fein ahead of the General Election. And with Fianna Fail holding the balance of power in the 32nd Dail, it has played a huge role in dictating the approach of the new Government.

The hugely controversial decision to suspend water charges as part of the Fine Gael-Fianna Fail deal can be traced directly back to Murphy's by-election victory.

Jack O'Connor may say the new cabinet is the most right-wing since Cumann na nGaedheal left office in 1932, because of the number of Fine Gael ministers.

But that ignores the reality that the Programme for Government is a left-of-centre document. Any social democratic party in Europe would be happy to implement it (the parish pump aspects aside).

And if even Fine Gael policies have moved left of centre, it begs the question of who is left in the centre, which is where Irish politics has traditionally operated? Who is left to promote sensible, mainstream, non-ideological, centrist policies?

The reality is that a small clique of hard-left, Trotskyite politicians, who are quite upfront about seeking to overthrow the current system, are now arguably setting the political agenda.

And it potentially means that Fianna Fail, with an eye on Sinn Fein - and it in turn under pressure from the AAA-PBP - will veto everything that doesn't fit that mould. The approach appeals to the populist instincts of at least some of the Independents in government. Fine Gael, meanwhile, seems to think it has little option but to go along with it.

The effective abandonment of the majority of people who paid their water charges is the most obvious manifestation of that. The line that no school would be closed without unanimous approval from parents - an extraordinary abrogation of decision-making by government - is another.

It's a recipe for economic disaster if left unchecked. Fianna Fail needs to move beyond its Sinn Fein hang-up; it won that battle hands down in the election.

And Fine Gael needs to start taking a stand. Not via the counterproductive and cliched anti-Fianna Fail rhetoric we heard from Jerry Buttimer and James Reilly at the weekend. But by identifying red-line issues on which they will not compromise, even if it means another election.

The butterfly theory, by the way, is also known as the 'chaos theory'.

Unless both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail start showing the requisite back bone, chaos is what we're heading for.

Shane Coleman presents 'The Sunday Show' on newstalk.com at 10am.
The new government must consider a regional EPA office to be placed in Duleek, a local councillor has informed Meath County Council.

In a question submitted to Monday's meeting in Navan, Cllr Sharon Keogan said the move was now vital.

"We call on the Minister for the Environment, Community & Local Government to carefully consider a regional EPA office to be placed in Duleek. We ask this because of a number of ongoing concerns relating to the 4 large scale commercial operations and a significant number of bio solid storage facilities in the Duleek & District Area,' she explained.

And she also wants the health and safety of the local residents to be taken into account.

'We also ask that a national environmental and health unit should be formed to assess alleged risks to public health from these local environment stressors. This motion we ask in the best interest of the health & safety of the residents in the Duleek & District Area."

There have been calls for an EPA office for some years from local action groups, concerned with the addition of major industry in the area.
Great British Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc has said the death of the NHS would be "the worst thing that could possibly happen to this country".

The 47-year-old TV presenter spoke as she launched Marie Curie's Blooming Great Tea Party 2016, which encourages Britons to host their own tea parties to support the charity that provides support for those with terminal illness, in partnership with the NHS.

Asked about her concerns for the health service's future, she said: "As someone who is a dedicated fan of the NHS, I'm extremely worried, I think its a very precious thing that needs to be nurtured, looked after.

"You remember the Olympic opening ceremony that Danny Boyle organised and that amazing opening sequence - I was so bowled over by that and that, to me, said it all.

"It's at our very heart, the heart of who we are as a nation and our communal psyche, and for it to go down the tubes would be the worst thing that could possibly happen to this country."

She described the words of support she offered her comedy partner, Sue Perkins, when she was diagnosed eight years ago with a benign brain tumour that has left her unable to have children.

She said: "I'm basically always there and will be, I've told her this. We'll be in bath chairs together, we'll be pushing each other around some kind of resort, possibly Broadstairs, maybe Margate, but it'll probably be too expensive when we're that old.

"We're there for each other through thick and thin and that includes the bad times as well as the better times. She can't get rid of me, I'm like a bad smell that won't vacate the room."

Speaking about the number of deaths from cancer of beloved celebrities this year, Giedroyc said she was "still not really over" David Bowie's death and called comedian Victoria Wood's death at just 62 "utterly unfair".

She added: "It's a very very sad thing, but being involved with something positive like Marie Curie, it makes it a bit better somehow."

Video of the Day

Giedroyc and Perkins are currently filming the seventh series of Bake Off, which will air later in the summer, alongside judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.

Hollywood posted a picture of the four watching the Eurovision Grand Final last week, the details of which Giedroyc gladly divulged.

She said: "It's a regular thing. The four of us - only ever the four of us - have a party in my room on the night of the Grand Final and we get into towelling dressing gowns and slippers and have a little noggin of something, we had hot toddies this time round and a little bit of prosecco and enjoy the extraordinaryness that is Eurovision."

Serving cake to the tea party guests, she joked that she would continue working with sugary goods until she got diabetes.

:: The Marie Curie Blooming Great Tea Party runs from June 20-29. For details on how to host one, visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/teaparty.
Melanie Sykes attending the world premiere of Ronaldo at Vue West End Cinema in Leicester Square, London

Melanie Sykes has revealed she has 'no regrets' over painful divorce. (Photo by Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)

TV presenter Melanie Sykes has revealed how painful her divorce was but says she has no regrets.

Sykes, (45), split from roofing contractor Jack Cockings, who was 16 years her junior, just seven months after their wedding at Sherborne Castle in Dorset in 2013.

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The couple shared a very public relationship sparked by exchanges on Twitter.

The couple's divorce is now complete and Sykes told Hello!: "I don't think I've ever been happier."

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She also said the experience has not put her off meeting someone else, telling the magazine: " No. I love men - I think they're great. It's silly to say I'll never be in a relationship.

"I can laugh about it now, too. It was painful at the time and you know when you can laugh about something and tease yourself about something, you're fine. And I really, really am.... I don't regret anything, no. I never do, though. I don't really regret decisions I make because the decision is based on my life at the time and who I was at the time."

Skyes, who is celebrating 20 years in the television industry, has recently moved into a new London flat with her sons Roman, 13, and Valentino, 11, from her first marriage.

Read the full article in Hello! out now.
Prince's Purple Rain jacket could fetch a six-figure sum at auction following the star's death in April

A jacket worn by Prince in Purple Rain could sell for a six-figure sum - more than 10 times its asking price - when it goes under the hammer next month, according to an auctioneer.

The black-and-white blazer, which Prince famously wore while riding a motorcycle in the 1984 film, is predicted to fetch as much as 100,000 dollars (69,000) following the musician's sudden death in April.

The item is going on sale along with a host of Prince memorabilia, including the white ruffled shirt he wore in Purple Rain and a pair of knee-length high-heeled boots from his 1988 Lovesexy tour.

Joe Maddalena, founder of Californian auction house Profiles in History, said the blazer had an asking price of six to 8,000 dollars but he would "not be surprised" if it sold for "50 or 100,000".

Prince's make-up artist was given the blazer after she worked with the musician on Purple Rain and the item was already going up for auction before his death, he added.

"It just happened to be one of those coincidences that unfortunately he passed away," Mr Maddalena said.

"Probably the signature thing he is known for is Purple Rain. It's what made his career. It's probably what he'll be remembered for always.

"To have an important piece like this is pretty astonishing and an amazing opportunity.

"The jacket is estimated at six to eight thousand dollars, but who knows? After Michael Jackson's untimely death, his items went through the roof. Things that were five to 10,000 were selling for 200,000. I have no idea what to expect.

"I would not be surprised to see the Prince jacket sell for 50 or 100,000."

A Swarovski crystal studded glove from Michael Jackson's 1992 Dangerous world tour is also going on sale at the Icons of Hollywood auction on June 29, along with costumes from Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Alicia Keys.

Prince, 57, was found dead at his Paisley Park estate in Chanhassen, near Minneapolis, on April 21. Authorities are still investigating the cause of death after prescription drugs were found at his home.

Video of the Day

A bright yellow custom-made guitar used by Prince is being a sold at a separate sale from Heritage Auctions on June 24, with an opening bid of 30,000 dollars (20,800).
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a meeting with ministers at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela May 12, 2016

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez (R) speaks during a meeting with National Electoral Council (CNE) President Tibisay Lucena in Caracas, Venezuela, May 12, 2016

Anti-government demonstrators push against Bolivarian National Police blocking them from reaching the National Electoral Council (CNE) in Caracas, Venezuela

Bread, medicine, toilet paper and beer are just some of the basic necessities Venezuelans are struggling to find.

Why is the country on the brink of collapse?

Low oil prices all over the world have hit the country hard. Despite its vast oil wealth, Venezuela has run out of cash. Public services are disappearing and US officials are warning that the entire country is on the brink of collapse.

Just two days ago the the New York Times reported that the country was on the brink of economic collapse.

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Emergency powers have been invoked by the President - so what does that mean for the man on the street?

The President Nicolas Maduro has threatened to seize factories that have ceased production and arrest their owners after extending emergency powers amid the countrys massive economic crisis.

Mr Maduro made his remarks Saturday, ordering all actions to recover the production apparatus, which is being paralysed by the bourgeoisie. He added that factory owners sabotage the country by halting production at their plants.

The Associated Press reports that Empresas Polar, the countrys largest food and drink distributor, closed its last beer plant, claiming that the company lacked the capital to purchase the raw materials necessary to continue production.

There's a conspiracy afoot, says the President - time to blame America

But Mr Madero sees the actions of Empresas Polar as a deliberate attempt to destabilise the economy.

The crisis has polarised Venezuelans, many of whom are protesting for a recall of the president. According to unnamed US intelligence officials, Washington doubts that Mr Maduro will allow a recall referendum to take place this year, according to Reuters.

The left-wing president accused Washington of plotting a coup against his administration - similar to the temporary ousting of then President Hugo Chavez in 2002.

You can hear the ice cracking. You know theres a crisis coming. Our pressure on this isnt going to resolve this issue, one official told reporters..

This is really not the case that the US is rooting for any outcome other than there not be an economic meltdown or social violence, another said. There are reasons for concern that over the summer as Venezuela gives importance to payments on debt over imports that these events could spiral.

There couldn't be something in the US conspiracy, could there?

Some activists, however, suggest that the US is fanning the flames that could lead to a coup.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles said that if Mr Maduro blocks motions for a recall, then the countrys crisis would only worsen, the AP reports.

If you obstruct the democratic way, we do not know what could happen in this country, Mr Capriles said at a rally. Venezuela is a bomb that could explode at any moment.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles said that if Mr Maduro blocks motions for a recall, then the countrys crisis would only worsen, the AP reports.

If you obstruct the democratic way, we do not know what could happen in this country, Mr Capriles said at a rally. Venezuela is a bomb that could explode at any moment.

What will happen next?

Nobody really knows. According to analysts, Maduro frequently blames Venezuelas problems on Washington for waging what he calls economic war. But 70% of Venezuelans think he is at fault for mismanaging the economy, and want him out of office, according to recent polls.
Trump signs autographs for supporters after a rally with supporters in Harrington, Delaware

The Donald has a way with words. They mean what he wants them to mean at any particular time. His claim that he always tells the truth is like Richard Nixon saying in 1973, " I am not a crook".

Here are the top 10 examples.

1 "President Obama was very likely not born in the United States."

Sure, Obama's 18-year-old penniless mother flew to Kenya in 1961, 55 years ago, and had the baby there knowing that this son of a Kenyan and an American would some day run for President of the United States.

Then she smuggled him back into the USA and created a false passport trail including a birth notice in the local newspaper naming the hospital where he was born and other relevant details.

She also decided to name him Barack Hussein - just to ensure that he would succeed with such an All-American-sounding middle name.

2 "I will self-finance my entire campaign. I will not be owned by any powerful interests."

On May 15 last, The 'New York Times' reported that: "The casino magnate Sheldon G Adelson told Donald J Trump in a private meeting last week that he was willing to contribute more to help elect him ... a sum that could exceed $100m."

3 "I was against the Iraq War before anyone."

However, it appears that he was for it before he was against it.

In September 11, 2002, Howard Stern asked Trump on his radio show if he supported the invasion of Iraq, to which Trump answered: "Yeah, I guess so ... I wish the first time [the George Bush Senior invasion, which left Saddam Hussein place] it was done correctly."

4 "I started off in business with a small loan from my father."

A 'National Journal' writer, SV Date, estimated that Trump started with $40m in 1974 - a sum worth $230m in today's market.

If he had just invested in the 1970s stock market it would be worth $8bn today, far more than what his net worth is now.

When he became president of his father's real estate company, the firm was worth about $200m. Divided among Donald Trump and his four siblings, each would have received $40m in 1974 figures.

Despite this head start, Trump has still managed to declare bankruptcy four times.

5 "I saw thousands and thousands of Muslims celebrating in New Jersey after 9/11."

Jerry Speziale, the Police Commissioner for Paterson, New Jersey, where the largest Muslim population in the state live, disagreed. "That is totally false. That is patently false," Speziale told the 'Washington Post'. "That never happened. There were no flags burning, no one was dancing. That is [barnyard epithet]."

6 Speaking about "John Miller" - an alleged PR man who was really Trump praising himself heavily to the media back in the 1990s - Trump denied he was Miller: "You're telling me about it for the first time and it doesn't sound like my voice at all."

But in a court deposition in 1990, Trump said under oath: "I believe on occasion I used that name."

Voice recording experts have said without doubt it was Trump.

Who are we to believe, Trump or our lying ears?'

7 "I am calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."

Trump is now denying he called for an all-out ban.

On Friday, Trump told NBC's 'Today': "Look, anything I say right now [on banning Muslims] - I'm not the president, everything is a suggestion. No matter what you say, it is a suggestion." He added later, "No, I'm not softening my stance at all, but I'm always flexible on issues."

He's so flexible with the truth he should become an acrobat.

8 Trump on Hillary Clinton in 2008: "I know Hillary and I think she'd make a great president or vice-president ... she's smart, tough and a very nice person." He also lauded Bill Clinton, calling him a "great President".

Today, Trump sings a different tune: "Hillary Clinton was the worst secretary of state in the history of the United States," he said. "There's never been a secretary of state so bad: She was the worst secretary of state in the history of our nation, why would she be a good president? I think she would be a terrible president."

9 Following reports in the 'New York Daily News' in September 2015, Trump suggested the US should embrace refugees from war-torn Syria, telling Fox News that "on a humanitarian basis, you have to".

"It's living in hell in Syria. There's no question about it. They're living in hell, and something has to be done," he said.

Weeks later, he reversed his position, saying the US shouldn't admit any Syrian refugees, and that they were "the ultimate Trojan horse".

10 "His father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswald's being shot" - referring to his chief GOP rival Senator Ted Cruz, a Cuban immigrant.

Trump was reporting an 'Alien Ate My Arm'-type story from the sleazy 'National Enquirer'. It turned out the guy in the picture was an unemployed ex-prisoner from Louisiana paid by Oswald to hand out pro-Castro literature. What happens if the 'Enquirer' reports that Russia intends to attack America with nuclear bombs. Will Trump make the first move?

It's a scary thought.

Analysis
Martin Travers was photographed at the Nepalese protest, authorities say

Supporters of Nepal's minority ethnic group protest outside the prime minister's office in Kathmandu (AP)

A British man detained in Nepal over his alleged participation in an anti-government protest has been released.

Martin Travers, 41, a British painter who is in the country on a tourist visa, will have to report back to police for more questioning after he was detained as a result of being photographed wearing a red headband like other protesters.

If authorities determine he participated willingly in the anti-government protest, he is expected to be be deported, ministry official Yadav Koirala said.

The Briton's arrest comes two weeks after a Canadian man was expelled from Nepal for writing a critical social media post that the government said could disturb social harmony.

The detentions have sparked concerns over the Himalayan country's democracy, and suggest that the fragile coalition government is increasingly alarmed by ethnic minorities' demonstrations against the new constitution.

Mr Koirala said: "Foreign nationals who come to Nepal need to respect our laws. When they are here under a tourist visa, they should be tourists. Or if they have a work visa, they should be working."

He said Nepal and other countries clearly state when giving out visas that visitors should not be involved in anti-government activities.

Rights groups said authorities were going too far in punishing foreigners for speaking out on Nepalese political issues.

Taranath Dahal of the Kathmandu-based Freedom Forum, said: "Every human being in the country should enjoy basic rights," said. Being denied expression is a violation of their basic human rights."

Until this month, such detentions were rare in Nepal, where free speech is guaranteed by law. Criticism of the government is also nothing new from the multi-ethnic and largely impoverished population of 27 million.

Since Nepal abolished its monarchy and became a parliamentary democracy in 2006, inflation has doubled to 12% while the economy has stagnated, and reconstruction after a set of massive earthquakes last year has barely made progress.

Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli's government struggled for months with protests led by ethnic Madhesis that blocked shipments at the southern border with India, leading to clashes that killed at least 50 people and caused severe shortages of fuel, medicine and other supplies.

Those protests ended in February, but resumed over the weekend with huge rallies in Kathmandu.

Earlier this month, Mr Oli's 11-party governing coalition nearly collapsed when one member - the United Communist Party of Nepal - threatened to withdraw support over Mr Oli's failure to resolve the constitutional impasse with ethnic minorities.

Observers worry the government, still under threat, may be cracking down on dissent in a bid to maintain control.

Editor of the country's popular Nagarik newspaper, Guna Raj Luitel, said: "Our government is becoming more intolerant and feeling threatened by these protests.

"Writing on social media or being present at a protest rally is not a big enough deal to be arrested or deported. People should be able to voice their opinions no matter what."

The Canadian man deported on May 5, Robert Penner, filed a lawsuit against the government's department of immigration just before he left. That case is to be heard by the country's Supreme Court on May 22, according to his lawyer.
A one-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet that penetrated the car being driven by his father in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian police have said.

The incident occurred on Tuesday morning in the suburb of Sao Goncalo.

Police said one of the bullets fired by gunmen following the car pierced the boot and the back seat, and then hit Juan Rodrigues Morales Benites in the head. He died shortly after arriving at hospital.

Police said the gunmen, who are on the run, may have thought the car was being driven by undercover police officers.

Violence is one of several problems facing South America's first Olympics, which begin in Rio on August 5.

Although venues are largely ready, the Zika virus, water pollution and lukewarm tickets sales are worrying organisers.
Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid are escorted by police as they enter the Justice Court of Callao in 2013. Photo: Reuters

Michaella McCollum and Scotswoman Melissa Reid stand as they are questioned by police in Lima airport in 2013

Convicted drugs mule Melissa Reid can return to the UK after Peruvian authorities agreed to expel her from the country, it has been confirmed.

The 22-year-old from Lenzie, near Glasgow, and Michaella McCollum, from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, were jailed in 2013 after trying to smuggle cocaine worth 1.5m (1.9m) from Peru to Spain.

A judge granted an order to expel Reid on Friday and prosecutors had three working days to contest the ruling.

McCollum (23) was freed in March under new legislation on early prison release.

A British Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that Melissa Reid has been granted expulsion from Peru. We remain in contact with Melissa, her family, and local authorities."

McCollum and Reid were caught at Lima Airport trying to board a flight with 11kg of cocaine hidden in their luggage.

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They claimed they were forced into carrying the drugs but pleaded guilty to charges and were sentenced to six years and eight months.

Reid's father Billy (55) said his "prayers had been answered'' following Friday's court ruling.

Mr Reid told reporters: "She regrets the predicament she finds herself in, is apologetic for her actions and wants to show that she can be a credit to her family and make things right.''
David Cameron has suggested Islamic State (IS) would be happy if the UK votes to leave the European Union on June 23.

Answering questions after delivering a myth-busting speech on the EU referendum at Mansion House in the City of London, the Prime Minister posed a rhetorical question asking "who would be happy" if the nation does vote for Brexit.

He then said Russian president Vladimir Putin would welcome such an outcome, before adding that "I suspect al-Baghdadi" would, too.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the leader of the IS terror group, also known as Isis and Daesh.

Mr Cameron said: "It is worth asking the question: Who would be happy if we left?

"Putin might be happy, I suspect al-Baghdadi might be happy.

"Our friends around the world are giving us a very clear message, they are saying 'it's all up to you, it is your sovereign choice'.

"But our friends in Australia and New Zealand and America and all around the world and all round Europe, they are saying 'it's all up to you, its all your choice, but we would like you to stay, we think it's good for us and it's good for you'."

Boris Johnson, during a visit to Stafford, told reporters he believed it was "a bit much" to suggest IS is an ally of Leave supporters.

The prominent Vote Leave campaigner said he did not believe in getting involved in "artificial media twit storms", adding: "One might argue it's a bit much to start comparing people arguing for freedom in this country or the restoration of democracy in this country to say our allies are Putin and Daesh.

"I think that's a bit much, really."
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne (centre) is joined by former adversaries Ed Balls (right) and Sir Vince Cable, in the Ryanair hangar at Stansted Airport

British Chancellor George Osborne has accused the Leave camp in the EU referendum campaign of indulging in conspiracy theories, as he insisted that there was an "overwhelming consensus" among economists and world leaders that Brexit would be bad for the UK.

Mr Osborne was speaking alongside Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary, who warned that withdrawal from the EU would force up the price of flights and holidays and put his company's latest 1bn (1.25bn) investment in the UK at risk.

But Vote Leave campaigners dismissed Mr Osborne's comments as "lurid scare stories", which would not be seen as credible by voters.

Meanwhile, more than 300 business leaders signed a letter urging Britain to vote to leave the EU and warning that the UK's competitiveness is being undermined by its membership.

The pro-Brexit Boris Johnson hit the road again in his battlebus, visiting Alfreton in Derbyshire amid controversy over his comparison between the EU and the dreams of pan-European government pursued by both Napoleon and Hitler.

Second World War veteran and former chief of the defence staff Lord Bramall dismissed the comparison as "absurd", while Labour's former cabinet minister Ed Balls said the comments were "ill-judged and irresponsible".

But Mr Johnson brushed off the criticism, insisting that the EU was "fundamentally anti-democratic" and was "operating by stealth and taking away the powers and prerogatives of the people of this country".

He was defended by Ukip MEP Gerard Batten, who said the European Economic Community established in 1957 was "very similar" to a proposal drawn up by officials in Hitler's Germany.

Mr Osborne said Treasury analysis showed that if the UK was forced to rely on World Trade Organisation rules following Brexit, it could expect to lose trade worth 200bn a year and overseas investment worth 200bn within 15 years.

"Credible" observers ranging from the Bank of England and the International Monetary Fund to the OECD and US president Barack Obama had judged that "Britain will be poorer and British people will be poorer" if the UK votes to leave the EU, claimed the Chancellor.

But he said the Leave camp treated the warnings as "a massive conspiracy", implying that a series of international organisations and world leaders were part of "some global stitch-up to give misinformation to the British people".

"The next thing we know, the Leave camp will be accusing us of faking the moon landings, kidnapping Shergar and covering up the existence of the Loch Ness monster," said Mr Osborne.

He added: "The response to the sober economic warnings from around the world by those who want to leave the EU has not been credible or serious."
A sex predator who pretended to be fashion blogger Zoella Sugg has been jailed for eight years for grooming children online.

David Harmes, 20, lured young girls into performing sex acts by posing as popular characters he thought would appeal to the youngsters.

He claimed to be fashion icon Zoella as well as a member of boy band, Bars and Melody and a modelling agent.

Harmes, from Regent Street, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire would contact victims across the UK by Skype using the false identities and coerce them into sex acts.

DC Simon Ledger of Cheshire Police, said: "Harmes duped young girls into thinking they were talking to people they looked up to and in some cases posed as a modelling agency representative so that he could manipulate them for his own pleasure.

"It is a timely reminder that while the internet is an amazing tool, it has a darker side which we need to be mindful of and shows just how imperative it is that parents are aware of the sites their children are accessing and who they are communicating with.

"People like Harmes have no qualms with using the internet to their own perverse means."

Harmes admitted 35 offences against 28 victims, aged eight to 18, and also asked for a further four offences to be taken into consideration.

The offences include causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and making and distributing indecent photographs of a child.

He did not meet up with any of the victims.

Harmes was jailed for eight years at Chester Crown Court on Monday and ordered to serve five years behind bars and three years out on licence.

Wendy Newton, senior crown prosecutor with the Mersey Cheshire Crown Prosecution Service, added: "Harmes ruthlessly exploited these children for his own sexual gratification.

"The girls, some as young as eight and nine, thought they were being offered the opportunity to be part of a modelling or dance company or were being given the chance to talk to a member of a famous pop group or fashion blogger.

"Harmes is yet another offender willing to use the internet and webcams to commit crimes. It is important that parents are aware of what their children are doing online and that they talk to them about the risks of interacting with people they don't know personally."

Advice on internet safety and security, including social networking and chatrooms is available at www.getsafeonline.org
Truckers are blocking motorways while workers march through city streets in protest against longer working hours in France.

But French President Francois Hollande is insisting he will not abandon labour reforms that have been met with fierce resistance in parliament as well as on the streets.

Truck drivers joined in protests on Tuesday, blocking roads around Marseille and the western cities of Nantes and Le Mans. They fear a drop in income because the reform bill cuts overtime pay.

Marseille union leader Laurent Casanova said the goal "is to paralyse traffic ... and block the economy". Truck driver John Bosco in Vitrolles, near Marseille, said the law could cut 1,000 to 1,500 euro (781 to 1,172) from his annual income.

But Mr Hollande has argued that the new law is necessary to boost hiring and investment.

He said: "There are too many governments that have backed down, which is why I found the country in such a state in 2012."

France's economy has stagnated for years after successive governments tried reforms but failed.

A crowd of protesters followed Mr Hollande to a pharmaceutical laboratory he was visiting on Tuesday, demanding the law be abandoned.

Unions and leftist groups led peaceful protests in Lyon and Nantes under heavy police presence.

Protests against the bill have often turned violent as police clash with troublemakers hurling projectiles and damaging store fronts. Mr Hollande said those who come to protests just "to break things" would be punished, saying that 350 police officers have been injured in recent weeks and 60 people convicted.

Paris police banned some people from taking part in Tuesday's march through the capital, prompting some to file an emergency complaint for the alleged violation of their fundamental right to demonstrate.

Mr Hollande insisted he supports the right to demonstrate despite a state of emergency still in place after last year's deadly extremist attacks in Paris.

"That's part of freedom," he said.
Concerns over uncontrolled migration have allowed a politics of fear to grow when it comes to the present-day refugee crisis, Angelina Jolie Pitt has warned.

The actress, who is special envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) , gave a keynote address as part of a special day on the BBC dedicated to issues raised by the mass movement of people around the world.

The Oscar winner said the refugee crisis presents a "once-in-a-generation moment when nations have to pull together".

She said the responsibility to help refugees and deal with the issue is one for ordinary people as well as the authorities.

Speaking to an audience at the BBC radio theatre - which included schoolchildren, some of whom had experience of migration - she said: "This is a duty that falls on all of us."

Jolie said she recognised the fears of people who feel "angry" and "cheated" by the huge numbers crossing borders around the world, and said those concerns have eroded public confidence in the ability of institutions in power to deal with the issue.

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She said: "It has given space to a false air of legitimacy to those who promote the politics of fear and separation.

"It has created the risk of a race to the bottom, with countries competing to be the toughest in the hope of protecting themselves, whatever the cost or challenge to their neighbours and despite their international responsibilities."

She went on to say she is "very disheartened" by the US response to the global migration crisis.

Jolie said the "number of conflicts and scale of displacement had grown so large", the system to protect refugees and and return them to their home countries was no longer functioning.She added that UN appeals were severely under-funded.

Jolie also referred to Republican US presidential contender Donald Trump, who suggested a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the USA.

Jolie said "America is built on people from around the world coming together for freedoms", adding "so it is hard to hear that this is coming from someone who's pressing to be an American president."

Jolie Pitt said German chancellor Angela Merkel's move to open her country's borders to refugees was a "beautiful thing and said something to the world", but warned there must be an order to how migration is handled so citizens of that country can understand what is happening.

The activist said the UK had faced darker times in the past and "risen from the ashes to build a stronger country" and can do so again - but only if there is proper leadership on the issue.

She said: "I mean it when I say it's not something that is an idea, it's something I believe we all know we must do because we are at that moment, we're really at a breaking point."

Meanwhile, a United Nations envoy for human rights has criticised the European Union's response to the refugee crisis as showing a "lack of vision," operating under legal ambiguity, and backing the detention of newly arrived migrants in Greece.

Envoy Francois Crepeau said the March agreement between the EU and Turkey to send back migrants reaching Europe required "much stronger legal instruments to ensure legal accountability."

Greece has been detaining migrants and refugees who arrived after March 20, while some 50,000 people are stranded in the country since European countries, including Austria and Balkan states, closed their borders to migrants earlier this year.

Mr Crepeau expressed concern that children were among those detained, and urged an immediate change in policy.

He spoke in Athens yesterday after visiting detention sites and migrant camps.
The legislation gives the families of 9/11 victims the right to sue in US courts for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks

The US Senate has approved legislation that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia, despite a White House veto threat and fierce objections from Riyadh.

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, approved by voice vote, had triggered a threat from Riyadh to pull billions of dollars from the US economy if it is enacted.

The legislation, sponsored by senators John Cornyn and Chuck Schumer, gives victims' families the right to sue in US courts for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks that killed thousands in New York, the Washington DC area and Pennsylvania.

Relatives of victims have urged the Obama administration to declassify and release US intelligence that allegedly discusses possible Saudi involvement in the attacks.

Passage of the Bill, which will now be taken up in the House, sends the message that the United States "will combat terrorism with every tool we have available, and that the victims of terrorist attacks in our country should have every means at their disposal to seek justice", Mr Cornyn said.

Mr Schumer said that any foreign government that aids terrorists who strike the US "will pay a price if it is proven they have done so".

Senate Democrats had firmly supported the legislation, putting them at odds with the Obama administration. The White House has said the Bill could expose Americans overseas to legal risks.

Mr Schumer was confident the Senate had the 67 votes to override a presidential veto.

"We don't think their arguments stand up," the New York politician told reporters at a news conference after the Senate action.

Senator Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Senate subcommittee that controls foreign aid, had blocked the Bill from moving to the Senate floor until changes were made to ensure the legislation did not backfire on the United States.

His apprehension was rooted in the possibility a foreign country could sue the United States if the door is opened for US citizens to take the Saudis to court. Mr Graham released his hold earlier this month, clearing the way for Senate action.

Senator John McCain, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, had warned that the legislation, if passed, would alienate Saudi Arabia and undermine a long-standing yet strained relationship with a critical US ally in the Middle East.
American affairs diplomat Josefina Vidal said Barack Obama's visit had advanced relations between Cuba and the US (Cubadebate/AP)

US president Barack Obama's trip to Cuba advanced relations between the Cold War foes and created momentum for more co-operation on agriculture, medicine and law enforcement, one of the communist country's top diplomats has said.

Speaking after a meeting with American officials in Ha vana, director general of US affairs Josefina Vidal said President Raul Castro had seen his meeting with Mr Obama as producing "positive results".

Her portrayal contrasted with more negative characterisations of the visit, including those of former president Fidel Castro and foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez, who described Mr Obama's trip as an "attack" on Cuba's traditions and values.

Ms Vidal said she and US diplomats had agreed upon an agenda for Mr Obama's remaining months in office that would include visits by high-level American agriculture, health and security officials.

She said Mr Obama's visit, which included a forum with private business owners and a speech calling on the Cuban people to look toward a better future, would help both sides accomplish that agenda.

"We believe the visit was an additional step forward in the process of moving toward an improvement in relations, and that it can serve to add momentum to advance in this process, which is in both nations' interest," she said.

"That's the opinion that President Raul Castro shared during his address to the press during Obama's visit."

Commenting on Monday's meeting, The US State Department said "both governments recognised significant steps made toward greater co-operation in environmental protection, civil aviation, direct mail, maritime and port security, health, agriculture, educational and cultural exchanges".

It said the two sides also discussed future meetings on human rights and claims for compensation by American citizens and firms whose property was confiscated in Cuba's 1959 revolution.

Ms Vidal praised a series of agreements struck directly with the US government on topics like environmental co-operation, direct postal service and commercial flights, but said the continuing US trade embargo on Cuba had made progress on business ties more difficult.

Foreign investors agree the embargo is the main obstacle to doing business in Cuba. But they increasingly point to the communist government's slow-moving bureaucracy and opaque decision-making as reasons investment on the island is lagging despite a huge surge of interest since the December 2014 declaration of detente with the US.

The two countries appear to be moving towards greater co-operation on law enforcement in the coming months.

Cuban-born deputy homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is meeting his counterparts in Cuba's Ministry of the Interior on Tuesday for talks on co-operation against drug trafficking, illegal migration and transnational crime.
JK Rowling has no objection to Donald Trump coming to the UK (AP)

JK Rowling has said her passion for free expression is so strong it extends to someone she would otherwise not care to discuss - Donald Trump.

Speaking before hundreds in New York at PEN America's annual gala at the American Museum of Natural History, the Harry Potter author noted that she opposed a recent petition calling for banning the Republican US presidential hopeful from entering the UK, saying such actions endangered everyone's rights.

"I find almost everything that Mr Trump says objectionable. I consider him offensive and bigoted," said Rowling, who received PEN's Literary Service Award for her "extraordinary creativity" and her efforts on behalf of institutionalised children and other humanitarian causes.

"But he has my full support to come to my country and be offensive and bigoted there."

Rowling was given her prize by actress Sarah Jessica Parker, a long-time admirer and literacy advocate who praised her for changing the "landscape of children's literature forever and for the better".

The author cited her clashes with censors over her Harry Potter books, which religious groups have accused of inspiring Satanism. She pointed out that her work has appeared on lists of banned books and recalled an unnerving encounter with a Christian fundamentalist in a New York toy shop.

"I had no idea the phrase 'I pray for you' could sound so intimidating," she said.

But Rowling, who has shared sharp opinions about Mr Trump and others on her Twitter feed, also called herself lucky to live in a part of the world where speech is protected and accepted that some would object to her work.

"My critics are at liberty to claim that I am trying to convert children to Satanism," she said. "And I'm free to explain I'm exploring human nature and morality - or to say, 'You're an idiot'."

PEN, a literary and human rights organisation, honoured advocates for speech and prisoners of censorship worldwide, from Egypt to Flint, Michigan. Thanks in part to Rowling's star power, it raised more than 1.75 million dollars (1.2m), the highest total in memory for its fund-raising ceremony.

The gala also was far calmer than last year's, when an award to the French publication Charlie Hebdo, subjected to a deadly attack in Paris, led to heightened security.

"It's very nice to have an event without metal detectors," PEN president Andrew Solomon said.

Two prominent Flint activists, LeeAnne Walters and Dr Mona Hanna-Attisha, received the PEN/Toni and James C Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award for their efforts in exposing the deadly levels of lead in the water.

Ms Walters, a mother of four, became alarmed when her children fell ill and Dr Hanna-Attisha, a paediatrician and educator, conducted studies of blood lead levels in her children.

Ahmed Naji, imprisoned in Egypt for the sexual content of his novel The Use of Life, was the winner of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award. The author's brother, Mohamed, accepted for him and said Naji was working on another novel even though his jailers forbade him to write.

PEN's annual publishing award was given to Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch, whose battles have included censorship in China and a stand-off in the US with Amazon.com over e-book revenues.
Jamal Antoine Jenkins

SHARE Dekethia Shontellevit Harris

By Kirk Brown of the Independent Mail

A man and a woman who were arrested in New York have been extradited to Anderson County to face child neglect charges related to a 3-year-old boy who is hospitalized for treatment of severe head trauma.

Jamel Antoine Jenkins, 38, and Dekethia Shontellevit Harris, 39, are accused of failing to provide medical care for the boy while caring for him at an apartment on Simpson Road in Anderson between April 19 and April 23, according to arrest warrants.

The boy's mother told Anderson County Sheriff's Office deputies about the child's injuries on April 23, according to a statement issued Monday by sheriff's spokeswoman Lt. Sheila Cole.

Deputies learned that Jenkins, who is the boy's father, and Harris, who is Jenkins' girlfriend, had left the Anderson area, Cole said.

Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper said one of his deputies who is a member of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force joined in the investigation.

"Through his partnership with the task force, we confirmed that the two had fled to the New York area," Skipper said.

Officers with the task force in the New York/New Jersey area subsequently found and arrested Jenkins and Harris on April 26 at a residence in Nassau County, New York, Cole said.

After being held at the Nassau County Detention Center, Jenkins and Harris were brought back to Anderson County on Saturday, Cole said.

Bond has been set at $500,000 for Jenkins and $300,000 for Harris. They remained in custody Monday afternoon at the Anderson County Detention Center.

The 3-year-old boy remains hospitalized at Greenville Memorial Hospital, Cole said.

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Clemson professor Guido Schnabel (left) discusses tree condition with fellow professor and peach specialist Juan Carlos Melgar.

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By Abe Hardesty of the Independent Mail

CLEMSON  Caring for peach trees and berry plants just got easier for commercial growers and weekend warriors.

Research by award-winning Clemson University fruit specialist Guido Schnabel and the development of smartphone technology has made caretaking help just a phone app away for growers of peaches, strawberries and blueberries.

The MyIPM (Integrated Pest Management) apps help growers pick effective and safe fungicides using audio, pictures and text.

"It was geared toward the commercial grower," Schnabel said Monday, "and it includes a lot of detail that the average homeowner might need. But as a diagnostic tool, I think every homeowner could benefit from it."

Schnabel, who earned national recognition for his 2010 discovery that some plant fungus had become resistant to fungicides, said the apps "should help anyone identify" a problem with a peach tree or a strawberry or blueberry plant.

"When you upload the apps, you can hold the phone next to the plant and easily see what you're dealing with by clicking on some pictures," he said.

Similar programs for cool-weather fruits, such as apples, pears and cranberries, have been added this month.

A plant pathologist and professor of agricultural and environmental sciences at Clemson, Schnabel discovered in 2010 that gray mold fungus had become resistant to fungicides. That explained why commercial growers were experiencing various levels of resistance, depending on how they had applied pesticides over the years.

The discovery changed the one-size-fits-all approach to using fungicides and pesticides on fruit trees and plants, and prompted Schnabel to create a resistance-management program that allows growers to submit pathogens to Clemson for analysis.

After receiving flower samples, Schnabel provides each grower a location-specific management plan.

Schnabel was honored by the American Phytopathological Society in 2015 for that research.

"Nobody wants to spray and spend money on pesticides that do not work," he said. "Growers are much more conscientious now about spraying than they were in the past."

Schnabel called the MyIPM apps "a great example of how research and extension work together for the benefit of the science and the benefit of the grower."

The MyIPM apps offer information about dozens of insects and diseases that attack peaches, blueberries and strawberries (MyIPM-SED) as well as apples, pears, cherries, cranberries and blueberries (MyIPM-NED). The apps include tips about identifying and managing crop-threatening diseases.

A third app (MyIPM-SEP) offers advanced blueberry pest-control solutions and soon will provide the same for strawberries and peaches.

The three apps are available at the Apple Store and Google Play. The NED version covers fruit crops preferentially grown in the northeastern United States, the SED and SEP versions cover crops preferentially grown in the southern United States.

The apps have attracted worldwide attention with active users in the United States, Canada, Mexico, India, Brazil, Australia, Morocco and other nations.

The MyIPM series of apps are available for Android and IOS devices.

The MyIPM app is the only app of its kind, said University of Georgia pathologist Phil Brannen, who collaborated with Schnabel on the project.

"It's a readily available resource they can pull out of their pocket if they're in the field," said Brannen, who called the apps "very user-friendly."

Follow Abe Hardesty on Twitter @abe_hardesty

Find out more



The three MyIPM apps are available at the Apple Store and Google Play. The NED version covers fruit crops typically grown in the Northeast, while SED and SEP versions cover crops preferentially grown in the Southeast.

The MyIPM series of apps are available for Android and IOS devices.
2 shot, possible 3rd victim at large in shooting at Anderson gas station

Two are wounded and undergoing medical treatment after a shooting in Anderson. There is potentially a third victim at large.
SHARE Williamston Town Councilman Rockey Burgess speaks during a South Carolina Senate candidates forum in Anderson. Burgess is running as a Republican for the Senate District 4 seat. Anderson County Republican Party Chairman Dan Harvell criticizes President Obama's view that transgender students should be allowed to school bathrooms that match their gender identity. About 50 people attended a forum for South Carolina Senate candidates that was hosted by the Anderson County Republican Party.

By Kirk Brown of the Independent Mail

The debate over which bathrooms transgender people should be allowed to use dominated a South Carolina Senate candidates forum Monday night hosted by the Anderson County Republican Party.

Incumbent Sen. Kevin Bryant, Senate District 4 candidate Rockey Burgess and Anderson County GOP Chairman Dan Harvell each criticized President Barack Obama's position that public schools should let transgender students to use bathrooms that match their gender identity.

Bryant, who is seeking a fourth term in Senate District 3, was one of five senators who sponsored a bill that would require transgender people to use public bathrooms corresponding with their birth gender. The measure has not mustered enough support to advance in the current session of the general assembly. "After what President Obama did on that on that issue, hopefully if I am returned to Columbia, I will do what I can to protect the privacy of our young ladies as they use the bathroom," Bryant said.

Burgess said "it is absolutely unimaginable" that a man would be allowed to use the same bathroom with his 4-year-old and 5-year-old daughters.

Burgess, who currently serves on the Williamston Town Council, said he has asked the town's attorney to prepare an ordinance to "prohibit that."

Harvell urged the county's Republican Party to consider passing a resolution on the issue.

"I truly believe the Democrats that are in power in America are becoming an evil cancer on our nation," he said.

Bryant and Burgess were the only Senate candidates to take part in Monday night's forum, which about 50 people attended at Concord Community Church in Anderson.

Harvell said that a campaign aide for Bryant's challenger, former Pendleton Mayor Carol Burdette, notified him on Monday afternoon that she would not attend the event.

State Rep. Mike Gambrell, who is running against Burgess in the June 14 primary for a full four-year term in Senate District 4, previously informed Harvell that he had two previous engagements. A spokesman for Gambrell read a statement from him that urged Republicans to support his candidacy.

After defeating Burgess in a Republican primary runoff last month, Gambrell will be the only candidate on the ballot in a special election Tuesday to serve the remaining months of the late Sen. Billy Odell's term. O'Dell died in January.

Harvell said he was disappointed that Burdette and Gambrell were absent Monday.

"I wish we would have had everybody included instead of just of half the slate," he said.

Burgess and Bryant each voiced support for school choice during Monday's forum. They also said lawmakers should either comply with existing funding formulas for local governments and public schools or modify the formulas.

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM
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By Independent Mail

A Townville man and woman are charged with possession of a stolen vehicle after leading authorities on a chase.

Carley Deann Austin, 22, and Robert Jeffrey Hughes, 21, both of Oak Knoll Drive in Anderson County, were booked Sunday morning into the Oconee County Detention Center, according to an Oconee County Sheriff's Office statement.

Oconee sheriff's deputies saw a red 2006 Ford F-250 pickup on S.C. 24 early Sunday morning matching the description of one that had been reported stolen the previous day from Dairy Farm Road near Westminster.

Deputies tried to initiate a traffic stop at the intersection of Tiger Paw Lane and S.C. 24, but the driver of the Ford would not pull over. A pursuit began. The vehicle turned onto Hunt Road and then turned off the road into a field, going through several rows of fencing, which did an estimated $15,000 worth of damage. Deputies saw the vehicle trying to get onto Babb Road, but then the occupants of the vehicle fled on foot, according to the Sheriff's Office statement.

The man in the Ford, later identified by authorities as Hughes, tried to access a large knife on his person as he was being arrested. But he was arrested without further incident.

Besides possession of a stolen vehicle, Hughes also is charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol, failure to stop for a blue light, driving under suspension, malicious injury to personal property, and resisting arrest with a deadly weapon.

Hughes remained in custody Monday afternoon in lieu of a combined total surety bond amount of $95,652.50. The Anderson County Sheriff's Office has placed a hold on him as well. Austin remained in custody Monday afternoon in lieu of a $25,000 surety bond.

The Oconee County Sheriff's Office said it is continuing its investigation.
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By Bill Kester, Pendleton

Letter: Voting for Burdette

The most civic-minded person I have met in the United States is Carol Burdette, so I'm voting for her in the June 14 Republican primary election for South Carolina District 3 state senator. Her outstanding contributions to our community through United Way, YMCA, Anderson University, Chamber of Commerce and Rotary are exemplary. She is also an exceptional ambassador for economic development. Carol works extremely hard for all citizens. Vote for Carol Burdette. Your vote will count for ethics, honesty, openness, results, energy and intelligence. It will be a vote for this highly qualified leader to skillfully and productively serve all of us in our state senate.

Please remember that any registered voter can vote. Your party affiliation does not matter. And you can get an absentee ballot by calling 864-260-4035. There are many reasons for an absentee ballot including being 65 and older, travel restrictions, work obligations, vacation and caring for someone in poor health. Call now if you need an absentee ballot.
Police arrested 11 protesters late Monday afternoon after authorities say they burst into the office of the House clerk demanding a meeting with a legislative leader to discuss the law, which also directs transgender people to use public bathrooms aligned with the sex on their birth certificate.

General Assembly Police Chief Martin Brock said those arrested would be charged with second-degree trespassing and violating building rules, which prohibit visitors from disturbing workers performing duties.

The protesters were among hundreds who participated in a rally led by the state NAACP on the Bicentennial Mall calling for a repeal of the bill and for Republican Gov. Pat McCrory to withdraw his support.

Representatives from LGBT advocacy group Freedom Center for Social Justice, local synagogues and churches said the bill, which also prohibits cities from passing their own minimum wage increases and limits how people can sue for discrimination in state courts, targets protected classes like women and minorities.

"We will fight them in the courts, we'll fight them in the ballot box, and we'll put our bodies on the line to oppose one of the most underhanded, devious and unconstitutional pieces of discriminatory legislation ever passed in North Carolina history," said Vicki Ryder, a member of the activist organization Raging Grannies.

A larger rally three weeks ago at the opening of the General Assembly's session ended with the arrests of more than 50 people inside the Legislative Building.

Backlash against the wide-reaching law compounded on several fronts Monday as the American Civil Liberties Union filed court papers asking a judge to stop the state from enforcing the law while several lawsuits are making their way through courts.

McCrory sued the U.S. Justice Department last week, arguing that the state law is a "commonsense privacy policy" and that the Justice Department's position is "baseless and blatant overreach."

The federal government responded with its own lawsuit, saying the law amounts to "state-sponsored discrimination" and is aimed at "a problem that doesn't exist."

The Justice Department is also seeking its own court order declaring the law discriminatory and unenforceable.

The advisory board to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex  where Cirque de Soleil, Boston and Bruce Springsteen have canceled performances in response to the bill  also pleaded with McCrory to reverse his position in a May 12 letter released to the media Monday. The letter says the coliseum and city of Greensboro are already "experiencing economic difficulties of unprecedented proportions" with hundreds of part-time workers losing shifts as the venue struggles to attract top performers and organizations who oppose the law.

McCory isn't the only governor supporting limits on protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

In Tennessee, Republican Gov. Bill Haslam, who opposed a transgender bathroom bill there, spoke out against a directive by President Barack Obama's administration that public schools must allow students to use facilities consistent with their gender identity.

Haslam said in a statement Monday that he disagrees with what he called a "heavy-handed approach." The governor said such sensitive issues should be handled by local school boards  and not by the state or the federal government.
History students from Brainerd High School will unveil video histories from some of Hamilton Countys well-known leaders and unsung heroes. The class, led by Riley Bogema and several members of the Leadership Chattanooga Class of 2016, has created a library of personal history videos that cover the 60s, 70s and 80s, including school integration at Brainerd during the 1960s.After a short presentation in the school auditorium beginning at 6 p.m., students will premiere their videos in classrooms.The following leaders provided video histories: Carol Berz, City Council Pete Cooper, McKenzie Charitable Foundation, Inc. Moses Freeman, City Council Tom Griscom, Communication Consultant and Brainerd graduate Eddie Holmes, Chattanooga Housing Authority Lurone Jennings, Department of Youth and Family Development Reuben Lawrence, retired from Beasley Distributing/Anheuser-Busch Spencer McCallie, former Headmaster, McCallie School Linda Mines, Chairman of the History and Social Sciences Department, GPS Diane Parks, Director, Leadership Chattanooga and Brainerd graduate Tommy Pruitt, Chattanooga Community Kitchen Chris Ramsey, Healthcare Professional and Brainerd graduate Dot Saunders, Family Promise of Greater Chattanooga Edna Varner, Public Education Foundation
Popular actress Kajal Aggarwal has scorched the screens with glamorous attires but has never done an on-screen kiss scene so far whether it be South Indian films or Bollywood.. But this will be the thing of past as soon as director Deepak Tijori`s Do Lafzon Ki Kahani` hits the screens next month.

Kajal was neither prepared, nor aware of a kissing scene whilst they were shooting for the film in Malaysia, and it was a shock to her when her co-star Randeep Hooda grabbed her and smooched her, while enacting the scene.

Kajal and Randeep were doing a highly emotionally volatile scene between them, and Randeep being the actor breed apparently got carried away in the moment of the character, and just grabbed Kajal`s face, and went for the lip lock. Kajal immediately withdrew herself from the scene, and backed off.

Although she did not say anything to her co-actor Randeep, keeping in mind his sensibilities as an actor, she called for a cut and just went aside. The director Deepak eventually had to go and pacify Kajal, where she asked him to delete the shot that was canned, and go for a clean take.

On asking Deepak he clarified well I do remember Kajal had told me that she does not do kissing scenes on screen, as she is a huge south Indian movie star, and this would impact her career in south movies. But let me tell you there was no intention to malign her or kiss her out of force, but it was the emotional moment between two lovers as per the script, and I generally prefer actors doing scenes impromptu, so Randeep followed the emotional quotient of the scene, and made a go at it.

Sure it did take Kajal in a shocking zone, and she did back off calling for a cut, but later on once I had explained to her the significance of the lip lock, she surrendered herself to the script, and went on to do the scene with all the passion she could put in.

It was a furious moment between Deepak and Kajal, but as they say all`s well that ends well, and so we finally get the south Indian queen doing her first ever Bollywood lip lock on screen.

Do Lafzon Ki Kahani` starring Kajal Aggarwal and Randeep Hooda is all set to hit the screens on June 10, 2016.
It's known that the shoot of Gautamiputra Satakarni was begun on May 9. The crew is in the North African country of Morocco. The news is that Balakrishna, Krish and team are filming the movie in the wee hours so as to get the shots right. They are shooting some crucial war sequences in this schedule.

Technicians who have worked for several Hollywood films are taking part in this key schedule. Sequences choreographed by fight masters Ram and Lakshman will be shot in this schedule.

The makers are gung-ho about the project, which has dialogues by the talented Sai Madhav Burra and lyrics by Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry. Cinematography is by VS Gnanasekhar.

The makers have firmly set out to complete the film so as to be able to release it on the coming January 12. The period war-drama, that sees Nandamuri Balakrishna in the role of the greatest Telugu emperor ever, is expected to be one of the most visually-rich films ever in Telugu, of course, after Baahubali. Recently, the Hindi actor Kabir Bedi has been roped in to play an important role.

After the three week schedule in Morocco, the team will film in Hyderabad. A set will be erected in the city for this purpose.
The Indian Skyline has undergone a major transformation with property developers reaching for the skies. Powering their projects in the most efficient and silent manner the Indian generator industry has come to play an important role in supplying much needed power backup to these dream projects.The skyline of India has changed dramatically in the past few years. With a shortage of space in metropolitan cities many Real Estate developers started reaching for the skies that led to seven plus story buildings or complexes becoming a common norm. Skyscrapers and Lifestyle apartments have become an achievable object from an aspirational dream. In this rapidly changing scenario diesel generators have come to play an important role of providing these luxurious high-rises, lifestyle apartments, and cluster complexes with much needed back-up power surety. India as a country is on a fast track to growth; however, its power concerns are still real. This is where diesel generators bring in on demand electricity to power Indias rising dreams and aspirations. This is especially true in the case of the housing real estate sector where one needs to ensure there is power at all times so that people can reach their homes comfortably and safely. Could you imagine a situation where the electricity of a twenty one story building goes down! How would the residents reach home or get out of their homes post the fourth floor? Thanks to modern and environmental friendly diesel generators housing real estate developers can construct buildings and complexes that touch the sky without bothering about board line power failures.The dependency of developers on generators is twofold, namely; Necessity Oriented, and Luxury Oriented.In places that experience frequent power outages, most seven story plus buildings and complexes will house a generator as a necessity to make entry and exit for occupants smooth and convenient. Another example of necessity oriented dependency on generators would stem from the fact that in places with extreme weather conditions it is imperative to have ones air conditioner or heater functional at all times. In such cases generators act as on demand power suppliers to keep ones home cool or warm depending on the location. The current power situation in Karnataka wherein there has been major power cuts for a prolonged period of time have also led housing real estate developers to provide consumers with at least 50% power back up to their daily requirements.Certain residential projects are luxurious in nature. These opulent homes demand electricity twenty four by seven into three sixty five days! Here the question of power outages or extreme weather does not come into the picture. The Diesel generator is placed as a back up to overcome a worst case scenario of power outage. These luxurious projects rely on generators to keep every occupancy powered irrespective of the situation.The typical capacity of diesel generators required for powering housing projects would depend on various factors like number of housing units to be powered, existing power situation, etc. However, a luxury residential project would require multiple units of diesel generators ranging from 750 KVA to 1500 KVA depending on the number of buildings and floors. In smaller three to four storey buildings the minimum requirement would be that of a 100 KVA diesel generator.All generator manufacturers have to comply with the CPCB II Emission Rule. The new CPCB II Emission Rule is a breakthrough legislation which will certainly help control release of polluting gases into the atmosphere and result in overall healthy living. With implementation of CPCB II and stringent emission norms, there will be substantial improvement in the quality of exhaust gases being discharged into the atmosphere. The genset industry is progressively moving towards providing customers with cleaner and greener energy solutions.The author is President of Sterling and Wilson Powergen Pvt. Ltd.
Bharat Forges standalone net revenues were at Rs. 1,008 crore, lower than IIFL expectations. Sales were lower by 17.6% yoy and 4.2% qoq. While volumes were lower by 7.5% on yoy basis, realizations were down 10.9% yoy. The companys domestic revenues were flat on yoy basis, export revenues slumped 28.7% yoy mainly on the back of 42% yoy nosedive in US revenues. Europe revenues were higher by 8.5% yoy. Its OPM was at 29.6% which was higher by 19bps yoy but declined 58bps qoq. Margins were higher than our estimates. Gross margins remained strong but operating deleverage caused had an offsetting impact. PAT at Rs. 165 crore was tad lower than IIFL estimates of Rs. 169 crore. PAT was lower by 19% yoy and 1% qoq.



Result Highlights: (Rs. in crore)

Reported Results IIFL Estimates Variance (%) Standalone Revenue 1008.03 1089 [7.44] Standalone Net Profit 164.52 169 [2.65]

Bharat Forge, Pune-based Indian multinational manufacturing auto-component solutions, reported standalone net profit of Rs.164.52 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, registering decline of 19.03% yoy and 0.99% qoq. The companys standalone revenue stood at Rs. 1,008.03 crore, down 17.64% yoy and 4.18% qoq.Its standalone core operating profit of Rs. 298.21 crore for the quarter, declined by 17.09% yoy and 6% qoq. Operating profit margin for the current quarter at 29.58% expanded by 19 bps yoy but contracted by 58 bps qoq.For the year ended March 31, 2016, the company reported standalone net profit of Rs. 701.06 crore, declining by 2.49% yoy. Its standalone revenue for the period stood at Rs. 4,305.41 crore, registering decline of 5.34% yoy.Bharat Forge's core operating profit stood at Rs. 1,283.02 crore, recording decline of 3.53% yoy. Operating margin for the current period at 29.76% expanded by 52 bps yoy.For the year ended March 31, 2016, the company reported standalone net profit of Rs. 652.49 crore, declining by 14.87% yoy. Its standalone revenue for the period stood at Rs. 7646.53crore, registering growth of 0.31% yoy.Bharat Forge Ltd's core operating profit stood at Rs. 1,441.22 crore, recording marginal growth of 0.03% yoy. Operating margin for the current period at 18.84%.Bloomberg estimated the companys standalone net profit at Rs. 182.11 crore.Bharat Forge at its meeting held on May 17, 2016, inter alia, has recommended a final dividend of Rs. 0.50 per equity share of Rs. 2/- each (25%) for the year ended March 31, 2016, subject to the approval of the Members of the Company.Bharat Forge Ltd is currently trading at Rs. 751, down by 3.65 points or 0.48% from its previous closing of Rs. 754.65 on the BSE.The scrip opened at Rs. 758 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 760.5 and Rs. 739 respectively. So far 2287454(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 17568.25 crore.The BSE group 'A' stock of face value Rs. 2 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 1332 on 20-May-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 720.65 on 12-Feb-2016. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 795 and Rs. 749 respectively.The promoters holding in the company stood at 46.74 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 32.53 % and 20.72 % respectively.The stock is currently trading above its 200 DMA.
Result Highlights: (Rs. in crore)

Reported Results IIFL Estimates Variance (%) Consolidated Revenue 1888.76 1607.6 17.49 Consolidated Net Profit 176.43 120 47.03

Voltas, makers of aircoolers and airconditioners, reported consolidated net profit of Rs. 176.43 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, registering growth of 49.47% yoy and 225.58% qoq. The companys revenue stood at Rs. 1,888.76 crore, up 26.76% yoy and 44.42% qoq.Its consolidated core operating profit of Rs. 185.26 crore for the quarter, clocked growth of 29.54% yoy and 217.44% qoq. Operating profit margin for the current quarter at 9.81% expanded by 21 bps yoy and 535 bps qoq.For the year ended March 31, 2016, the company reported consolidated net profit of Rs. 385.59 crore, growing by 0.33% yoy. Its consolidated revenue for the period stood at Rs. 5,857.44 crore, registering growth of 13.01% yoy.Voltas Ltd's core operating profit stood at Rs. 436.93 crore, recording growth of 6.56% yoy. Operating margin for the current period at 236.94% expanded by 22903 bps yoy.On standalone basis,Voltas Ltd, reported standalone net profit of Rs. 137.84 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, registering growth of 55.91% yoy and 537.56% qoq. The companys revenue stood at Rs. 1,587.20 crore, up 5.27% yoy and 44.74% qoq.Its standalone core operating profit of Rs. 137.57 crore for the quarter, clocked growth of 6.34% yoy and 791.57% qoq. Operating profit margin for the current quarter at 8.67% expanded by 9 bps yoy and 726 bps qoq.For the year ended March 31, 2016, the company reported standalone net profit of Rs. 332.89 crore, growing by 1.11% yoy. Its standalone revenue for the period stood at Rs. 5,187.48 crore, registering growth of 0.36% yoy.Voltas Ltd's core operating profit stood at Rs. 297.52 crore, recording decline of 2.43% yoy. Operating margin for the current period at 6.42% expanded by 52 bps yoy.Consolidated EPS for the quarter stood at Rs. 5.33.Bloomberg estimated the companys consolidated net profit at Rs. 116.67 crore.Voltas at its meeting held on May 17, 2016 recommended Dividend of Rs.2.60 per share on face value of Re.1 per share (260%) for the year 2015-16, which will be paid on or after September 02, 2016, subject to approval by the shareholders at the 62nd Annual General Meeting.Voltas Ltd is currently trading at Rs. 343.3, up by 18 points or 5.53% from its previous closing of Rs. 325.3 on the BSE.The scrip opened at Rs. 325.7 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 345 and Rs. 316.7 respectively. So far 2915627(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 10764.18 crore.The BSE group 'A' stock of face value Rs. 1 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 360 on 23-Jun-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 211.2 on 12-Feb-2016. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 327.8 and Rs. 302 respectively.The promoters holding in the company stood at 30.3 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 48.65 % and 21.05 % respectively.The stock is currently trading below its 200 DMA.
Sun TV Network jumped 9.7% to Rs.431.35 after various exit polls showed that DMK is set to regain power in Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections, as per media reports.Motherson Sumi Systems was higher by 8% at Rs. 288. The company has posted a net profit of Rs. 4137.20 million for the Quarter ended March 31, 2016 as compared to Rs. 3401.00 mn for the Quarter ended March 31, 2015.Tourism Finance Corporation of India was lower by 6% at Rs. 39. The company reported standalone net profit of Rs. 32.47 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, registering growth of 189.21% yoy and 108.56% qoq.Aurobindo Pharma was trading marginally lower and has received final approval from the US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) to manufacture and market Hydromorphone Hydrochloride Tablets USP, 2 mg, 4 mg, and 8 mg.Piramal Enterprises jumped 7.6% to Rs.1,376.80. The company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs.180.24 crore for the March quarter. Business tycoon Ajay Piramal-led Piramal Enterprises has decided to demerge its healthcare and financial services businesses to grow the unrelated divisions separately, marking an important turn in the legacy of the diversified conglomerate.JK Tyre & Industries soared 2% to Rs.85.55.The company posted a net profit after taxes, minority interest and share of profit of associates of Rs. 1167.70 million for the Quarter ended March 31, 2016 as compared to Rs. 1059.60 mn for the Quarter ended March 31, 2015.SRF gained 0.61% to Rs.1,269 on BSE. The company is reportedly planning to spend Rs.3,500 crore over the next four years, 7%of which would go into its fast-growing chemicals business, to cater to rising global demand. The company will use internal resources to fund the planned investment as the company generates about Rs 1,000 crore of free cash flows every year.Tata Consultancy Services gained 1% to Rs.2574 on BSE. TCS and Siemens are leveraging their longstanding partnership to expand and enhance the delivery of big data analytics to the global manufacturing industry.Sobha gained 1.35% to Rs.308 on BSE. The board of directors to consider a proposal for buyback of equity shares of the Company at their meeting scheduled on May 19.
A meeting under the Chairmanship of Shaktikanta Das, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance was held here on Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) and Sovereign Bond Scheme (SBS) on 13.05.2016 with the senior executives of all Public and Private Sector Banks, RBI and Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS). H R Khan, Deputy Governor, RBI also attended the meeting. It may be recalled that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched these schemes on 5th November, 2015 to review the progress of the schemes.

Under the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS), total gold collected under Short Term Bank Deposit (STBD) and Medium and Long Term Government Deposit (MLTGD) is 2891 kgs. There are 46 Collection and Purity Verification Centers (CPTCs), 8 Refiners and 01 Jeweler certified/accredited by the BIS. Secretary, DEA appealed to the banks to put concerted efforts to mobilize more gold under the GMS in order to achieve the Schemes objectives. He asked the banks to increase the number of tripartite and bipartite agreements with CPTCs and refiners. He directed the Banks and Indian Bankers Association (IBA) to rope in the eligible jewelers to act as CPTCs in the scheme especially in the areas where CPTC presence is negligible. Banks were also directed to adopt a practical approach while asking for guarantees or collaterals from the CPTCs. It was decided that IBA in association with World Gold Council will design an exhaustive media campaign which will be supported by the Government.

On the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme, it was discussed that tradability of the Bonds will be started by the end of May and fourth tranche of the SGB will be launched soon.
Founded in 2012 by first-generation U.S. immigrants who met at Harvard Business School in the mid 1990s, LCR Capital Partners is a U.S. private investment firm that provides growth capital to the best performing brands in the U.S. franchise industry, primarily in the quick service restaurant (QSR) sector. LCR sources its capital from global high-net-worth investors seeking U.S. green cards and permanent U.S. residency through the EB-5 Immigrant Investment Visa Program. Headquartered in Westport, Connecticut and with regional offices in Brazil and China, LCR recently inaugurated their new regional office in India in Mumbais Worli district.Strong QSR franchise brands like Dunkin Donuts are ideally suited for EB-5 investors as they have long, proven histories of operating success and are one of the most efficient converters of capital into jobs. Headed by CEO, Suresh Rajan, LCR combines expertise in lending, franchise strategy, and franchise operations  and applies its expertise to benefit its EB-5 clients. The firm has transformed the EB-5 government immigration program into a standardized, transparent financial product that maximizes job creation, mitigates risk and protects investors principal.Speaking about LCRs recent entrance into the Indian EB-5 investor marketsaid, We are optimistic about the growth potential of the EB-5 investor market here in India. Once the Indian community learns more about the full range of benefits of securing a U.S. green card via the EB-5 investment visa program, we believe that many enterprising Indian investors and their children will take advantage of the opportunity. As a firm with many first generation U.S. immigrants, we are committed to assisting our Indian clients and their families as they successfully transition into the U.S. LCR Capital Partners will be hosting a series of exclusive informational seminars on the U.S. EB-5 Investment Visa program for prospective investors on 21May 2016 at Taj Mahal Hotel, Delhi and on 27May 2016 at Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai. In addition, the firm will also be organizing private one on one consultation with the interested parties. Registration is free and now open and one can R.S.V.P on http://bit.ly/1Tec50X provided you meet the programs standard requirements. After analyzing your profile a confirmation email for your attendance will be sent to you.
Tata Consultancy Services, a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, announced today that its client, the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) in the UK, has now signed up more than 100,000 employers to its auto enrolment pension scheme.

NEST was established in 2010 as part of the UK governments workplace pension reforms, which require all UK employers to enroll their eligible workforce into a qualifying workplace pension scheme. The roll-out of the auto enrolment reforms began in October 2012 and are being introduced in stages up until 2018. NEST has seen employer numbers increase by over 100% since the beginning of 2016, as well as rapid growth in membership figures. Since roll out began more than three million members have been enrolled with NEST, with membership figures tripling from one million to three million since April 2014.

As NESTs IT solutions partner and scheme administrator, TCS is responsible for delivering outcome-based, end-to-end administration services across all aspects of the scheme. TCS set up the IT platforms that underpins NESTs operations including front- and back-office, IT infrastructure hosting and overarching management and governance of the scheme administration. TCS BaNCS  a suite of bespoke solutions designed for the banking, insurance, pension and capital markets industries  sits at the heart of the NEST scheme, with additional technology, business process and infrastructure services also being provided by the TCS team.

The rapid growth in employer numbers is testament to a strong working partnership between TCS and NEST. TCS has worked in collaboration with NEST to enhance the services and experiences offered to employers and members. The scheme was built to be a digital-first offering for employers and members, which means that it can be quickly and efficiently scaled up as demand increases. The digital infrastructure in place makes it possible to continually improve the user experience delivered through rapid deployment of additional services, such as payroll integration with IRIS, Moneysoft, QTAC and Sage platforms as well as the wider payroll industry. These new services also include enhanced customer service channels such as an online help centre, webchat, NEST Connect (for 3rd parties) and interactive voice response (IVR).

Helen Dean, CEO, NEST said: From a standing start in October 2012, NEST now has 100,000 employers signed up to the scheme and more than three million members. Managing such high volumes in such a short space of time is no mean feat. It is vital that our IT infrastructure and digital services are able to flex and scale to meet demand as auto enrolment continues to roll-out. The systems, processes and technology that TCS has developed as a pension scheme administrator have been essential to getting us to where we are today. Our partnership with TCS has been invaluable, allowing us to innovate, handle high growth and helping us bring pension saving to millions of UK workers. Were delighted with the success of the scheme to date and will be working closely with TCS as we continue to grow our membership and develop additional offerings.

Shankar Narayanan, Country Head, UK & Ireland, TCS said: As a pension scheme conceived and built in the digital era, NEST is a fantastic example of what is possible when you put digital technology and advanced IT infrastructures at the heart of your organisation. It simply would not have been possible to deliver the same quality of service and customer experience without the scalability, agility and efficiency that a digital-by-default approach can enable. Were extremely proud to have been a NEST partner since 2010 and look forward to contining our work together to offer the UKs most
May 17, which marks the foundation of International Telegraph Union (ITU), is celebrated as the World Telecommunication Day across the globe. The World Telecom Day aims to increase awareness about communication. Its focus lies in harmonizing national policies, bridge technological differences, foster inter-connectivity, and inter-operability of systems on a global scale.

The 2016 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD-2016) will focus on the theme: "ICT entrepreneurship for social impact", as endorsed by the International Telecommunication Union Council. While the world focuses on ICT (Information and Communication Technology) enterprises and startups, the Indian telecom industry is heading towards consolidation with four-five huge operators emerging from the shake-out.Fitch says, the top four, Bharti, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications are likely to raise their revenue market share to 80% from 77% last year. Unprofitable telcos, such as Videocon, Aircel and Tata, could exit, given their unviable business model, now that they are able to sell their under-utilised spectrum. Telenor is said to be on the verge of exiting its India business by either merging or selling its telecom operations.In a recent interview to IIFL, Idea Cellular MD Himanshu Kapania said, India is entering into a new phase of over-supply of spectrum from a spectrum starved society that the country has been for the past 20 years. Market is entering into consolidation with the number players declining. With the availability of 700 MHz, harmonisation of 1800 MHz, additional slots being available on 2100 MHz and 2300 MHz and availability of 2500 MHz, we are experiencing over-supply of spectrum.Over-supply of spectrum could have an impact on the upcoming auctions scheduled in around July 2016. The 700MHz band is the most premium spectrum that government plans to put for auction in July. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has recommended Rs. 11,485 crore per megahertz of radiowaves in this band which is the highest ever for any spectrum. However, concerns are being raised about the high base price of 700MHz which may fail or seriously limit the investment capability in telecom networks.Fitch maintained a negative outlook on the Indian telco industry for 2016 expecting the credit profiles of the top-four telcos to come under pressure from tougher competition, larger capex requirements and debt-funded M&A. The telecom industry grew 4.6% in FY16 as compared to otherwise growth of 7-12% throughout the year, reasons being national roaming rates slashed up to 75%, increase in service tax, addition of Swachh Bharat cess and data service no longer remain a default services from November 2015. There are, however, certain bright spots like spectrum harmonisation, spectrum trading and sharing laws, infrastructure sharing laws, proposals for reducing SUC from 5% to 4.5% and to 3% in couple of years, mega spectrum auction in July 2016 where all the available spectrum will be considered and most important - a relief from TRAIs call drop compensation by the apex court.A quick look at the statistics shows that India is on the verge of becoming the top telecom market in the world. It is currently the second-largest telecommunication market and has the third highest number of internet users in the world. According to ibef.org, between FY 07-16 Indias telephone subscriber base expanded at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19.5 per cent to 1,022.61 million and teledensity to 80.98.The number of telephone subscribers in India increased to 1,051.88 million at the end of February 2016 while the overall tele-density in India increased to 82.89 at the end of February 2016, according to TRAI report. Total wireless subscriber base increased to 1,026.66 million at the end of February 2016. As on 29th February 2016, the private access service providers held 91.38% market share of the wireless subscribers whereas BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU access service providers, had only a market share of 8.62%.As per the reports received from the service providers, the number of broadband subscribers increased from 140.10 Million at the end of Jan-16 to 144.87 million at the end of Feb-16 with a monthly growth rate of 3.40%.The total mobile services market revenue in India is expected to touch US$ 37 billion in 2017, registering a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.2 per cent between 2014 and 2017, according to research firm IDC.All in all, India telecom operators have substantial reasons to celebrate the World Telecommunication Day and map a progressive road ahead. As per a Microsoft report, India will emerge as a leading player in the virtual world by having 700 million internet users of the 4.7 billion global users by 2025. With the governments regulation policies and 4G services on a roll, the Indian telecommunication sector is expected to witness further growth in the next few years.
Memphis-based Crye-Leike has taken steps to grow its franchise footprint with the expansion of its franchise sales team.

Hank Hogue has been named director of franchise sales for Crye-Leike, Realtors. He previously served as principal and managing broker of Crye-Leikes Cordova branch office in Memphis for 28 years while also working in the franchise division for the past seven years.

In his new role, Mr. Hogue will cultivate and develop new franchise relationships in and around Crye-Leikes current nine-state market region in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida Oklahoma, Alabama and Missouri.

Currently, Crye-Leike has 29 franchise offices nationwide, with regional offices in Brentwood and Cordova, Tenn., along with 84 corporately-owned branch offices.

Hank Hogue has the depth of experience with the company that we need to grow our franchise operations, said Harold Crye, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Crye-Leike.

He established our Cordova branch office in 1988 and has served as one of our longest tenured managing brokers in the company. Hank understands what it takes to run a real estate office and will be able to provide valuable guidance to our new franchisees that join our network."

Hank will serve and represent our company well in our efforts to attract new franchise owners who will honor and respect our core values and mission statement that we have maintained for the past 39 years in business, said Keith Sullivan, president of Crye-Leike Franchises.




Popularly known as the village of Migrating birds, this mystical village of Khichan is located in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. Its a paradise for bird enthusiasts and photographers. Khichan has been attracting a lot of tourists, both native and foreigners, for its tradition of feeding and caring of wild avian guests.

The village hosts around 20,000 Demoiselle Cranes each year that migrate from their breeding grounds on the plains and steppes of Eurasia and Mongolia. The village gets filled with the energy of these Demoiselle Cranes when they fly to Khichan in August and stays till end of March. During the months, the villagers make sure to take special care of the birds. They feed them grains in specially built enclosures (called chugga ghars) to ensure they are safe from street dogs and other predators. Nearly around 5000 kilograms of bird seeds are consumed every day.

My visit to Khichan was impromptu and happened at a time when it was nowhere on travelers wishlist. It was chance conversation with the cab driver which landed me to this small village. Honestly, the first glance at Khichan didnt impress me much as I found it dusty and secluded. Till it surprised me. I saw thousands of Demoiselle cranes flying over me filling the otherwise empty sky with joy.

The silence in the air was replaced with quirky melodious voices. I couldnt believe my eyes at the sight I was witnessing which left me enthralled. Infact the village acclaimed the international recognition recently when it got featured in a leading birding magazine

The stunning scenic landscape with glimpses of golden sand fields on both side of the road and mirages forming on the highway often, will take you to Khichan. It lies at a distance of 150 KM from Jodhpur towards the northern part of Thar Desert. The best time to visit this village is from November to February, which is the peak season of migration. Moreover the weather in this region remains pleasant during the said months.

Today Iam glad that I opted to visit Khichan where I witnessed a unique bond between a Man and birds. Spotting Demoiselle Cranes still feels like a dream. The memory I shall cherish for lifetime.
Food wastage is one of our biggest problems, and both you and I contribute largely to it.

But while we're all still discussing this problem on our dinner tables and posting about it on Facebook and Twitter, the dabbawalas of Mumbai have actually decided to do something about it. They are donating the leftover food from weddings and parties to starving kids.

The initiative behind this tremendous idea belongs to Rotibank. Nearly 400 dabbawalas are associated with them and are working hard to provide food to the needy.

Rotibank

Rotibank

What's brilliant? We can help too.

Instead of throwing the food in the trash, we need to reach out to these dabbawalas. Theyll come and pick up the food and deliver to it to places where its needed the most.

Rotibank

They soon plan to install drop boxes at train stations where people can donate food.

Isn't that great?

Here's saluting theses dabbawalas and their spirit to tirelessly work towards this cause.
Every year in May, the world comes together to celebrate movies. Artists, directors, actors and all the other people associated with films from every nook and corner of the world descend on the French Riviera to attend the Festival de Cannes.

screeninvasion.com

If you thought that Indias tryst with the international film festival is only a few decades old then heres a reality check.

Not many know that after a six-year break during World War II, the second edition of Cannes Festival in 1946 saw the first Indian film-making a mark, and not a small one at that! Director Chetan Anands Neecha Nagar made it to the competition section and ended up winning the Golden Palm.

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Neecha Nagar had to compete with many amazing films that year like Roberto Rossellinis Rome, Open City (Italy), David Leans Brief Encounter (UK), and Billy Wilders The Lost Weekend (USA). It is indeed a proud thing to say that it won the hearts of critics and viewers alike and emerged as a winner for the category. Unfortunately for us, it was also the last time that an Indian film won the top honour at the Cannes Film Festival.

Neecha Nagar - The Film

newsflick.com

Long before parallel cinemas existence, Chetan Anands passion for filmmaking gave birth to the film Neecha Nagar. This film was a social drama and also the first film for which Pandit Ravi Shankar scored the music. It starred Uma Anand, Rafiq Ahmed, Rafi Peer and Zohra Sehgal.

emilli.com

One of the most underrated films of its time, Neecha Nagar never saw the light of the day in our own country. Ironically, this film was never released in the country but it went on to win the top honor at Cannes.

Breaking stereotypes and experimenting with a social problem

thehindu.com

According to various beliefs, Chetans social drama was said to be based on Maxim Gorky's play Lower Depths. But the two just happened to have similarities. Neecha Nagar was an expressionistic take on a social problem where a town is divided into an upper Ooncha Nagar and a lowly Neecha Nagar. Enters Sarkar, a wealthy and dishonest builder who orders for a diversion of a sewage drain into the Neecha Nagar which causes diseases and disruption in the lives of poor people with an intention to reclaim a land from the swamp so that he can make buildings.

How the people unite after letting go of their own insecurities and fight against the wealthy builder forms the rest of the story. Incidentally, this was made during the last leg of the British rule. During those days the rules and restrictions imposed by the Britishers were really strict. Despite all the hindrances, the cast and crew joined hands and made this film with a very modest budget.

This is one reason why the authorities didnt allow the film to be released.

Chetan Anand  The man behind Neecha Nagar

thebigindianpicture.com

Chetan Anand the eldest son of the Anand family and elder brother to the evergreen actor Dev Anand and filmmaker Goldie Anand (Vijay Anand)

indianexpress

He went on to make a lot of critically acclaimed films after Neecha Nagar. His films like like Taxi Driver(1954), Haqeeqat(1964), Aakhri Khat(1966), Heer-Raanjha(1970) and Hindustan Ki Kasam(1973), received a lot of appreciation but unfortunately, he remained an underrated genius. His brothers Dev and Vijay Anand overshadowed his cinematic wisdom and made their own successful careers.
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Kapil Sharma's new show on Sony channel had opened to mixed reviews. Yet, thanks to die hard Kapil Sharma fans, the show picked up really quickly. But now, it seems like the comedian has landed himself in trouble. Once of the new characters in his show is a nurse, played by TV anchor/model Rochelle Rao. But it seems like the portrayal of nurses by her has pissed off the nurses in Amritsar. Nursing staff from various medical colleges and hospitals launched agitation against Kapil for allegedly projecting nurses in a vulgar manner on his comedy show. The nurses not only staged protest at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, but also filed a complaint against Kapil at the local police station in Amritsar.

HT

They even burnt Kapil Sharma's effigy and complained against Kapil for demeaning their profession on his show. They also criticised Navjot Singh Sidhu for participating in the show. Punjab Nursing Association president Raj Bedi Anand demanded an immediate apology from Kapil Sharma.

He said, "How can Sidhu be a part of a show like this that demeans someones profession? He keeps laughing at jokes made about the medical profession, including those on doctors, even when his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu (Amritsar-East MLA) is a doctor!

For the uninitiated, Kapil Sharma has been accused of presenting their profession in bad taste, and is also being objected to because of the nurse uniform worn by Rochelle Rao on the show.

Well, it's certainly not a first for Kapil Sharma. Even at his earlier show on Colors, he was often accused of objectifying women, and passing cheap comments on the show, especially on the on-screen character of his wife.
A 28-year-old veterinary doctor from Vaishali,Ghaziabad has sustained nearly 40 percent burn injuries after a woman threw acid at him, police have said.

The victim identified as Amit Verma, has been admitted in a local hospital with serious injuries and is critical.

Hindustan Times

The patient has sustained 40% burns on his face, chest, abdomen and arms. He is currently under observation and is kept in isolation, Dr Sunil Dagar of Yashoda Hospital in Kaushambi said.

Police said Verma was who lived in a rented facility near his clinic was attacked with acid by a 45-year-old woman on Monday. Around four liters of acid was thrown on him.

Indian Express

The woman was reportedly infuriated over Dr Verma rejecting her advances.

According to his roommate, Verma a native of Aligarh had worked in a slaughterhouse in Meerut before moving to Ghaziabad.

Amit stayed at a rented accommodation and developed a close relationship with the landlady. However, when he left Meerut for Ghaziabad, it didnt go down well with her, his roommate Deepak told Hindustan Times.

The woman, whom Dr Verma called "Aunty" had met him over three times in the past 18 days.

Police is yet to register a complaint or record the victim's statement as he can barely speak. However they have recovered a womans purse and dupatta from the spot.

BCCL

The woman left behind a purse with an identity card. However, initial questioning of the victims friend reveals that the ID card is of another woman whom Amit was apparently dating. Perhaps the woman left this behind deliberately to implicate the other woman. Things will be clearer once the victims condition improves and he can speak, said Gorakhnath Yadav, SHO, Indirapuram police station.

Police said they will register a case against the woman once they receive a written complaint from the victim's family.
There are so many law enforcement organisations in India that its difficult to keep track. There are the different state police departments with their own Anti Terrorist Squads (ATS). Then there are central agencies directly under the central government like the CBI, Narcotics Control Bureau, Director of Revenue Intelligence. And there are Central Armed Police Forces like the ITBP, CRPF, CISF, RAF, NSG, SPG, BSF and the like. It can get confusing at times as to what each agency is tasked with.

BCCL

Of late, the NIA has been in the news for developments in the 2008 Malegaon blasts or the attacks on the Pathankot airbase. In fact, the agency has been so successful in its operations that the government is contemplating arming it with more teeth and giving it additional powers to investigate on foreign soil. But what is the NIA?

Why another agency

BCCL

The need for an independent agency to tackle terrorism was felt after the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the National Investigation Agency Act was enacted in the Parliament. While intelligence agencies are tasked with snooping and providing information to other law enforcement agencies, there was no central agency investigating terrorist activities specifically. Usually the state police department would be called in to probe after say a suspected terrorist had been caught. Now the NIA can be called in because of its wider jurisdiction.

Who makes up the NIA?

The agency is headed by a Director General and the officers for the agency are recruited from other agencies like the Indian Revenue Services, State Police departments, Income Tax department, Central Armed Police Forces.

What is it supposed to do?

NIAs emphasis is on using latest scientific methods of investigation and a speedy trial resulting in quick justice. The agency, which began with its headquarters in Delhi, now has branches all over the country. It also builds a database on all terror-related information and shares it with the states and other law enforcement agencies.

BCCL

The state governments can request the central government to hand over the investigation of the case to NIA if the offence comes under the NIA act. The central government can ask the NIA to take over the investigation of any offence anywhere in the country.

Agencys jurisdiction

The NIA has the power to investigate any terrorist attack in the country covering offences including bomb blasts, hijacking of planes and ships and attacks on nuclear installations. The agency also has the authority to look into incidents related to smuggling of arms, circulation of fake currency and cross border infiltration.

BCCL

The NIA can also arrest suspects for up to 180 days without bail and special NIA courts have been notified by the government which can award penalty such as life imprisonment to those involved in terror attacks.
Even as as 2013 sea trials of India's first first nuclear submarine INS Arihant were about to begin, we'd begun wondering about a nuclear-powered 65,000-tonne carrier in the future.

These are expensive - they can take upwards of $10 billion to build. Even the Royal British Navy is reverting to carriers propelled by gas turbines/diesel-electric systems from nuclear ones.

However, the US has 11 Nimitz-class "super-carriers"  each an over 94,000-tonne behemoth powered by two nuclear reactors and capable of carrying 80-90 fighters - to project power around the globe. China, too, is now looking at nuclear-powered carriers after inducting its first conventional carrier, the 65,000-tonne Liaoning.

However, US is unwilling to offer help to India in nuclear propulsion technology for warship

theweek.in

The Manohar Parrikar-led defence acquisitions council had sanctioned an initial Rs 30 crore as seed money for INS Vishal in May 2015. Since then, India has issued RFI (request for information) for design consultancy to several foreign shipyards. But it is felt nuclear propulsion will make better sense for greater operational endurance. For instance, the maximum range of India's 44,500-tonne carrier INS Vikramaditya is around 7,000 nautical miles. Whereas, the range of an American Nimitz-class supercarrier - the US has 10 of them, all over 100,000 tonnes - is unlimited and it can operate for over 20 years without refueling due to nuclear propulsion. It will take at least 10-12 years to construct INS Vishal, which is critical towards the plan to build military capabilities to counter China's expanding footprint in the Indian Ocean Region."

7 Must Know Facts About Indian Navys Biggest Destroyer, INS Visakhapatnam

Everything You Need To Know About The Indian Navy's Second Anti-Submarine Warship 'INS Kadmatt'

Reuters

"We are setting up the naval test flying team in INS Hansa to evaluate potential and future aircraft: to evaluate everything from aircraft to weapons," Commodore Raghunath Nair, commanding officer of naval air station Hansa, said to Telegraph

"The navy now has 240 aircraft but not enough infrastructure. We are finding an energetic response from the government to the plans."
There's sex, and then there's wild crazy bed-breaking f__ing. And then, there's penis-cracking sex.

Writing in the BMJ Case Reports, 3 doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences have revealed how a man arrived at the Delhi hospital, with an "eggplant deformity.

concealnation

He had severe pain and lost tumescence with a snapping sound during vigorous sexual intercourse, they revealed.

bmj

Taking the typical history and examination findings into account, the diagnosis of penile fracture was made. There's no "fracture" in the traditional sense (because theres's no bone in the penis) - this is a muscle tear, associated with haematoma (collection of tissue blood) Penile fracture occurs when an erect penis undergoes a blunt trauma during sexual intercourse or otherwise, bending the penile shaft and causing a tear or rupture, the doctors said.

Penile fracture has a classical history and  should be identified and surgically explored at the earliest to avoid residual penile angulation, painful erections or erectile dysfunction, the article said. The man got surgery to repair the tear, and drain the blood.
Every time India has extended a hand of friendship towards its neighbour Pakistan, it has been bitten in return. The recent case of Shahid Latif is a prime example of this. Turns out, he was the prime handler of terrorists in the Pathankot attacks. But he wasnt the only one. Here are the ones who returned to take revenge.

Maulana Masood Azhar

Reuters

Released by India after the hijacking of IC-814, heres what he told a crowd in Karachi  Muslims should not rest until we have destroyed India. So much for goodwill. The very next year he set up Jaish-e-Mohammad and the terrorists of his organisation were responsible for the 2001 Parliament attacks. Oh and he continues to travel freely in Pakistan, and China blocked Indias bid to ban him in the UN.

Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar

Indian Express

Another terrorist released after the IC-814 hijacking, Zargar is the chief commander of Al-Umar-Mujahideen, another terrorist organisation based out of Pakistan. Like there was a dearth of these in the country. After being released, he has made Muzaffarabad in PoK his home from where he and his group continue to train and export terrorists into Kashmir.

Ahmed Omar Seed Shaik

Reuters

The last of the trio released by India, is also one of the most dangerous. The British born Pakistani was linked to the 9/11 attacks on America and was responsible for the gruesome kidnapping and murder of journalist Daniel Pearl.

Hes currently in jail and is said to have tried to commit suicide but was discovered in time by the authorities.

Shahid Latif

Reuters

Released by the Indian Government in 2010 as a goodwill gesture Shahid returned to his old ways. A close associate of Masood Azhar, he was the handler of the terrorists who attacked the airbase in Pathankot. He is said to have arranged for weapons, clothes, medicines, food packets and other logistics for the attackers.
Freeing Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) operative Shahid Latif, chief handler of the terrorists who carried out the deadly attack on Pathankot Airbase in January, is turning out to be a costly mistake by the previous UPA-II government.

Latif, who was convicted of terror charges, was in India till May 28, 2010 until he along with 25 other terrorists languishing in various jails were freed by the then UPA government, The Times of India reported.

It was a move that was taken to 'repair' ties with Pakistan at a time when relations between the two neighbours had strained over various reasons.

After being freed by India, Latif was deported via Wagah border to Pakistan, where he rejoined the JeM and has been acting as the chief handler for terrorists in India.

Interestingly, JeM had in the past too made efforts to free Latif who is known to be close to the JeM chief Masood Azhar.

Reuters

Following the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999 which led to the release of Azhar, the JeM had also demanded Latif's release, which the then Vajpayee government refused.

AP

The revelation has led to a political fight between the Congress and the BJP.

So the Pathankot handler &JeM terrorist Shahid Latif, was realeased from Indian Jail by the UPA govt in 2010 as a Good - Will gesture #Shame  Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) May 17, 2016

However others claimed that Latif had already completed his sentence when he was released.

He completed his jail term,was deported back to his country,Pakistan accepted him too! https://t.co/JX82njHA4Q  vijaita singh (@vijaita) May 17, 2016

Currently, Latif is wanted by NIA as the 'handler' of the four suicide attacker who stormed Pathankot airbase on January 2. Latif is believed to have arranged the weapons, clothes and shoes of the jihadis apart from SOS injections and medicines, food packets and other logistics.

BCCL

The terror attack, one of the biggest the country has seen in recent years, had left 12 people including NSG commando Lt. Col. Niranjan Kumar and four attackers, dead.

TOI

BCCL

Despite India allowing Pakistani investigators to visit the country as part of the probe, they have rejected New Delhi's demand for the custody of the accused, including Azhar and Latif.
The Committee to Elect Ethan White to State House District 29 announced the new campaign team.

The team includes Elizabeth Thomas Janeway as campaign manager, Wayne Denham as treasurer, Riley Graves as event coordinator, Nathan Janeway as Social Media coordinator, Alexa Fordham as communication director, Caleb Headrick as head of logistics, Ethan Greene as graphic design consultant and legislative advisor and Will Anthony, Taylor Kalvoda and Jackson Mowrer as interns.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with so many talented people and we are heading into this campaign full-force and we are ready to win this election, said Commissioner White of his team.

The Committee to Elect Ethan White will be hosting a birthday party/campaign kickoff at Wired Coffee Bar, 9447 Bradmore Ln, Ste 101, Ooltewah.

It will be Thursday from 6-8 p.m.

There will be light refreshments and a suggested gift of $27 or $270 is requested in honor of Commissionier White's 27th birthday.

Any checks can be mailed to The Committee to Elect Ethan White, PO Box 24651, Chattanooga, TN 37422.

Contact for the event is Alexa Fordham (cell: 615-290-6815).
About a week after the forest fires in different parts of Uttarakhand were doused, largely due to rains, the blaze has returned, this time on Varunavat Parvat in Uttarkashi. The raging inferno was noticed at around 4 am on Sunday and a team of 25 forest personnel was rushed to battle the flames.

indianexpress

Read Also: This Is The Reality Of What Forest Fires Are Doing To Our Wildlife

Forest fires across the state have engulfed more than 4,000 hectares of land till April 29 this year. However, the incidents came to a halt after May 5 owing to a good spell of rain.

On Sunday, forest fire ravaged an area of Varunavat Parvat, which has been studied by Geological Survey of India (GSI) last year as it is prone to landslides. Giving details on the latest fire incident, principal chief conservator of forests (Uttarakhand) Rajender Mahajan said, "The fire was witnessed at 4 in the morning at Varunavat Parvat. The divisional forest officer sent 25 forest personnel to the affected area. The extent of damage is yet to be ascertained. However, there are no reports of injury to any human being."

Read Also: Situation Of Forest Fires In Uttarakhand Is So Bad That Army And Air Force Have Been Called In to Help

According to locals, the fire was massive and smoke could be seen billowing out late in the evening. The forest department officials have said that the fire is largely under control.

GSI Experts View

hindustantimes

GSI experts have dispelled fears that the fire could further damage the landslide-prone mountain. GSI has last year studied the vulnerable spots on the mountain and treated them with scientific methods, such as removing loose material and, to curb such incidents. GSI director Bhupender Singh said, "The landslide zone has also been treated with scientific methods by GSI. The fire would not be able to aggravate damage to this zone."

There are also reports of more forest fires breaking out around Nainital.

Forest fire breaks out at Veerbhatti & Kailakhan areas of Nainital (#Uttarakhand) pic.twitter.com/b4e20xej87  ANI (@ANI_news) May 17, 2016

Read Also: Uttrakhand Forest Fire Claims Five Lives Even As Government Steps Up Effort To Bring It Under Control
The Chattanooga State Economic and Community Education Department will start the summer semester by offering a free training to Prevent Child Abuse. The training will be presented by the Childrens Advocacy Center of Hamilton County in partnership with Chattanooga State Community College on May 24-25. Two sessions are available on May 24: 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. An additional session is offered on May 25 from 1-3 p.m. There is no charge for any session. Please register online at https://chattanoogastate.xenegrade.com/indexMain.cfm or call 423-697-3100 for more information.
May 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Reuters " - Pope Francis criticized Western powers for trying to export their own brand of democracy to countries such as Iraq and Libya without respecting indigenous political cultures, according to an interview published on Monday.

Speaking to France's Roman Catholic newspaper, La Croix, Francis also said Europe should better integrate migrants and praised the election of the new Muslim mayor of London as an example of where this had been successful.

"Faced with current Islamist terrorism, we should question the way a model of democracy that was too Western was exported to countries where there was a strong power, as in Iraq, or Libya, where there was a tribal structure," he said.

"We cannot advance without taking these cultures into account," the pope said.

"As a Libyan said recently, 'We used to have one Gaddafi, now we have fifty", Francis said in reference to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who was deposed and killed in 2011.

Francis has frequently attacked what he calls "cultural colonialism", in which Western countries seek to impose their values on developing ones in return for financial aid.

The pope said that "ghettoising" migrants was not only wrong but was also misguided in the fight against terrorism.

He cited the militant attacks in Brussels in March when three suicide bombers killed 32 people, in which "the terrorists were Belgians, children of migrants, but they came from a ghetto".

By contrast, the pope praised this month's election of Sadiq Khan as the first Muslim mayor of London.

"In London, the new mayor was sworn in in a cathedral and will probably be received by the queen. This shows the importance for Europe to regain its ability to integrate," Francis said.

Ten days ago, the pope lambasted Europe over what he sees as its inadequate response to the influx of migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle-East and Africa.
The U.S. Military Needs to Defend the Country, Not Undermine American Security

By Ivan Eland

May 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Huffington Post " - As President Obama visits still-communist Vietnam, a former American rival, in his pivot to Asia to recruit more countries to shelter against a rising China, the trip only serves to illustrate the global American Empires overextension. At the same time, he is opening missile defenses in Europe, quadrupling U.S. military spending there, and deploying more military forces near Russiaall of which will have the effect of continuing to provoke that already insecure country. Also, Obama has failed to withdraw U.S. ground forces from Afghanistan, inserted them into Iraq and Syria to battle the terror group ISIS, and continued his accelerated air wars over Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya. Finally, the president sent the top general in the Army to Africa to showcase U.S. efforts to train 38 countries to battle terror groups that could attack Europe, including affiliates of ISIS and al Qaeda. These U.S. military forces may be valiantly battling threats to the Empire, but most of them pose very little threat to America.

In fact, in many casesespecially vis-a-via terroristsU.S. military action may be making the largely local problems worse. For example, in Yemen, journalists have documented that the number of fighters of the al Qaeda affiliate there actually increased after U.S. forces, seen as foreign infidels, started bombing. Also, retaining non-Muslim U.S. and Western occupation forces on Muslim soil in Afghanistan and Iraq after initial invasions respectively led to a resurgent Islamist Taliban and the creation of al Qaeda in Iraq, which morphed into ISIS. Furthermore, U.S. interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan destabilized surrounding areas, such as Syria and the nuclear-armed state of Pakistan, respectively. Similarly, the U.S. and Western overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in Libya destabilized not only Libya (allowing chaos to reign and an ISIS affiliate to arise), but many of Libyas weapons and fighters migrated to Mali and other parts of Africa. Hence contributing to the alleged need to send the Armys top general to coordinate with 38 countries in battling Islamist terror groups in Africa.

All of these post-9/11 brushfire wars led that generalGen. Mark A. Milleyto make an astounding statement: Today, a major in the Army knows nothing but fighting terrorists and guerillas, because he came into the Army after 9/11. But as we get into the higher-end threats, our skills have atrophied over 15 years. Milley continued that the U.S. Army has forgotten how to fight more sophisticated enemies, such as Russia or China. So instead of being capable of deterring potentially larger threats to the United States (even this requires some imagination), the U.S. military has become bogged down in never-ending, faraway brushfire wars, which make the usually low probability threat of anti-U.S. terrorism worse.

Even in the case of Russia and China, rich U.S. European and East Asian allieswith combined GDPs of at least five times and about the same size as the threat, respectivelyshould take over the first line of defense, as presidential candidate Donald Trump has implied. However, if these allies cant contain these regional threats, the U.S. military should be configured and prepared to be a backstop of last resort in case of any emergencya defense posture that worked in World War II.
Peace, Not Russia, Is Real Threat to US Power By Finian Cunningham May 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " SCF " - The monstrous US military budget is a classic illustration of the proverb about not seeing the wood for the trees. It is such an overwhelming outgrowth, all too often it is misperceived. In recent years, Washingtons military expenditure averages around $600 billion a year. Thats over half of the total discretionary spending by the US government, exceeding budgets for education, health and social security. Its well over a third of the total world military annual spend of $1.7 trillion. The incipient military-industrial complex that President Dwight Eisenhower warned of in his farewell speech in 1961 has indeed become a central, defining feature of American society and economy. To talk of American free-market capitalism is a staggering oxymoron when so much of the countrys economy is wholly dependent on government-funded militarism. Or put it another way: if the US military budget were somehow drastically reduced in line with other nations, the all-powerful military-industrial complex and the American state as we know it would collapse. No doubt something better would evolve in time, but the impact on established power interests would be calamitous and therefore is trenchantly resisted. This is the context for the escalation in Cold War tensions with Russia this week, with the deployment of the US missile system in Romania. The $800 million so-called missile shield is set to expand to Poland over the next two years and eventually will cover all of Europe from Greenland to southern Spain. Washington and NATO officials maintain that the Aegis anti-missile network is not targeted at Russia. Unconvincingly, the US-led military alliance claims that the system is to defend against Iranian ballistic missiles or from other unspecified rogue states. Given that Europe is well beyond the range of any Iranian ballistic capability and in light of the international nuclear accord signed last year between Tehran and the P5+1 powers, the rationale of defense against Iranian rockets beggars belief. The Russian government is not buying American and NATO denials that the new missile system is not directed at Russia. The Kremlin reproached the latest deployment as a threat to its security, adding that it would be taking appropriate counter-measures to restore the strategic nuclear balance. Thats because the US Aegis system can be reasonably construed as giving NATO forces a first-strike option against Russia. A couple of things need to be clarified before addressing the main point here. First, European states are chasing Iranian business investments and markets following the breakthrough P5+1 accord signed last July. Germany, France, Italy, Britain and Austria are among the Europeans who have been vying to tap Irans huge economic potential. The notion that Iran is harboring a military threat to such prospective partners is ludicrous, as Russian officials have pointed out. Secondly, the US protestations of innocent intentions towards Russia are a contemptible insult to common sense. They contradict countless statements by Washington, including President Obama and his Pentagon top brass, which have nominated Russia as an aggressive threat to Europe. Washington is quadrupling its military spending in Europe, increasing its troops, tanks, fighter jets, warships and war exercises on Russias borders on the explicit basis of deterring Russian aggression. In other words, Russia is viewed as a top global enemy  an existential threat  according to Washington. So, the deployment of the US Aegis missile system this week in Eastern Europe is fully consistent with Washingtons bellicose policies towards Russia. It would thus be irrational and foolishly naive to somehow conclude otherwise, that the US and its NATO allies are not on an offensive march towards Russia. The depiction of Russia as a global security threat is of course absurd. We can also include similar US claims against China, Iran and North Korea. All such US-designated enemies are wildly overblown. Western claims  amplified relentlessly in the Western news media  of Russia annexing Crimea and invading eastern Ukraine can be easily contested with facts and indeed counterpoised more accurately as belying Washingtons covert regime change in Kiev. Nevertheless, Western fear-mongering supported by unremitting media propaganda has to a degree succeeded in conflating these dubious claims into a bigger specter of Russia menacing all of Europe with hybrid warfare. It is, to be sure, a preposterous scare story of a Russian bogeyman which has racist undertones and antecedents in Nazi ideology of demonizing Slavic barbarians. But this demonizing of Russia, as with other global enemies, is a necessary prop for the American military-industrial complex and its essential functioning for the US economy. The $600 billion-a-year military spend by Washington is roughly tenfold what Russia spends. And yet, inverting reality, Russia is presented as the threat! The US military budget is greater than the combined budgets of the worlds next nine big military spenders: China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Britain, France, Germany, India, Japan and South Korea, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Arguably, the US economy as we know it  dominated by Pentagon, corporate, Wall Street and congressional interests  would cease to exist were it not for the gargantuan government-subsidized military budget. Structurally, the US economy has ossified into a war economy and the only way for this to be maintained is for the US to be continually placed on a war footing, either in the form of a Cold or Hot conflict. Historians will note that out of its 240 years of existence as a modern state, the US has been in war or overseas conflict for more than 95 per cent of its history. During the former Cold War with the Soviet Union, a recurring theme in Washington was the alleged missile gap which purported to portray the US as losing its military edge. This resulted in relentless military expenditure and an arms race that in part led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Washingtons self-ordained privilege to run up endless debt (currently nearly $20 trillion) because of its dollar dominance as the worlds reserve currency has permitted the US to escape a day of reckoning for its ruinous military profligacy. This madcap situation continues to prevail. A quarter of a century after the official end of the old Cold War, US military spending continues at the same profligate, unsustainable pace. What Washington needs in order to keep the fiasco going is to whip the rest of the world into a frenzy of fear and loathing. Thats why the Cold War with Russia and China has had to be rehabilitated in recent years. Swords cannot be turned into plowshares because the US power interests that command its economy have no use for plowshares. Russian President Vladimir Putin has on several occasions invited global cooperation on security matters, and with the US in particular. Moscow has also recently said that it does not want to embark on a new arms race. The latter wariness is understandable given the deleterious experience for the Soviet Union from runaway military spending. However, that is precisely what the US wants and needs to induce: a global arms race which it can then invoke as justification for its own monstrous military. According to SIPRI, both China and Russia have significantly increased their military budgets, by about 7.5 per cent each in 2015. Russia may not want to engage in an arms race, mindful of the warping pressure that can inflict on its national resources and development. But when the US installs a new missile system on Russias doorstep, the impetus for Russia to likewise scale up military commitments is onerous. And that is what Washington is driving at. It is not that Russia is an objective security threat to Washington or its allies. The real threat to Washington is peaceful international relations which would make its military-industrial complex redundant. It is a disturbing reality that world peace is antithetical to the very foundation of Americas corporate capitalist power. Shamefully, the world is subjected to the risk of war and even annihilation all for the purpose of maintaining elite American power privileges. And among those who suffer this diabolical injustice are none other than the majority of American citizens, who have to endure poverty and misery while their corporate elite siphon off $600 billion a-year in military obscenity. Finian Cunningham is former editor and writer for major news media organizations. He has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages
Senate Report On CIA Torture Is One Step Closer To Disappearing By Michael Isikoff May 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Yahoo News " - The CIA inspector generals office  the spy agencys internal watchdog  has acknowledged it mistakenly destroyed its only copy of a mammoth Senate torture report at the same time lawyers for the Justice Department were assuring a federal judge that copies of the document were being preserved, Yahoo News has learned. While another copy of the report exists elsewhere at the CIA, the erasure of the controversial document by the office charged with policing agency conduct has alarmed the U.S. senator who oversaw the torture investigation and reignited a behind-the-scenes battle over whether the full unabridged report should ever be released, according to multiple intelligence community sources familiar with the incident. The deletion of the document has been portrayed by agency officials to Senate investigators as an inadvertent foul-up by the inspector general. In what one intelligence community source described as a series of errors straight out of the Keystone Cops, CIA inspector general officials deleted an uploaded computer file with the report and then accidentally destroyed a disk that also contained the document, filled with thousands of secret files about the CIAs use of enhanced interrogation methods. Its breathtaking that this could have happened, especially in the inspector generals office  theyre the ones that are supposed to be providing accountability within the agency itself, said Douglas Cox, a City University of New York School of Law professor who specializes in tracking the preservation of federal records. It makes you wonder what was going on over there? The incident was privately disclosed to the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Justice Department last summer, the sources said. But the destruction of a copy of the sensitive report has never been made public. Nor was it reported to the federal judge who, at the time, was overseeing a lawsuit seeking access to the still classified document under the Freedom of Information Act, according to a review of court files in the case. A CIA spokesman, while not publicly commenting on the circumstances of the erasure, emphasized that another unopened computer disk with the full report has been, and still is, locked in a vault at agency headquarters. I can assure you that the CIA has retained a copy, wrote Dean Boyd, the agencys chief of public affairs, in an email. The 6,700-page report, the product of years of work by the Senate Intelligence Committee, contains meticulous details, including original CIA cables and memos, on the agencys use of waterboarding, sleep deprivation and other aggressive interrogation methods at black site prisons overseas. A 500-page executive summary was released in December 2014 by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the committees outgoing chair. It concluded that the CIAs interrogations were far more brutal than the agency had publicly acknowledged and produced often unreliable intelligence. The findings drew sharp dissents from Republicans on the panel and from four former CIA directors. But the full three-volume report, which formed the basis for the executive summary, has never been released. In light of a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling last week that the document is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, there are new questions about whether it will ever be made public, or even be preserved. After receiving inquiries from Yahoo News, Feinstein, now the vice chair of the committee, wrote CIA Director John Brennan last Friday night asking him to immediately provide a new copy of the full report to the inspector generals office. Your prompt response will allay my concern that this was more than an accident, Feinstein wrote, adding that the full report includes extensive information directly related to the IGs ongoing oversight of the CIA. (CIA spokesman Boyd declined to comment.) The incident is the latest twist in the ongoing battle over the report, and comes in the midst of a charged political debate over torture. Likely Republican Party nominee Donald Trump has vowed to resume such methods  and a lot more  in the war against the Islamic State. I love it, I love it, Trump recently said, describing his views on waterboarding. The only thing is, we should make it much tougher than waterboarding. ) Ironically in light of the inspector generals actions, the intelligence committees investigation was triggered by the CIAs admission in 2007 that it had destroyed another key piece of evidence  hours of videotapes of the waterboarding of two high value detainees, Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. According to a brief by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is seeking release of the full report under the Freedom of Information Act, the document describes widespread and horrific human rights abuses by the CIA and details the agencys evasions and misrepresentations to Congress, the courts and the public. To ensure the document was circulated widely within the government, and to preserve it for future declassification, Feinstein, in her closing days as chair, instructed that computer disks containing the full report be sent to the CIA and its inspector general, as well as the other U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Aides said Feinstein specifically included a separate copy for the CIA inspector general because she wanted the office to undertake a full review. Her goal, as she wrote at the time, was to ensure that the system of detention and interrogation described in this report is never repeated. But her successor, Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, quickly asked for all of the disks to be returned, even threatening at one point to send a committee security officer to retrieve them. He contended the volumes are congressional records that were never intended for executive branch, much less public, distribution. The administration, while not complying with Burrs demand to return the disks, has essentially sided with him against releasing them to the public. Early last year, Justice lawyers instructed federal agencies to keep their copies of the document under lock and key, unopened, lest the courts treat them as government records subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Weeks later, in an effort to head off a motion for emergency relief by the ACLU, a Justice Department lawyer told U.S. Judge James Boasberg that no copies of the report would be returned to Congress or destroyed; the government can assure the Court that it will preserve the status quo until the Freedom of Information Act lawsuit was resolved, wrote Vesper Mei, a senior counsel in the Justice Departments civil division, in a February 2015 filing. But last August, a chagrined Christopher R. Sharpley, the CIAs acting inspector general, alerted the Senate intelligence panel that his offices copy of the report had vanished. According to sources familiar with Sharpleys account, he explained it this way: When it received its disk, the inspector generals office uploaded the contents onto its internal classified computer system and destroyed the disk in what Sharpley described as the normal course of business. Meanwhile someone in the IG office interpreted the Justice Departments instructions not to open the file to mean it should be deleted from the server  so that both the original and the copy were gone. At some point, it is not clear when, after being informed by CIA general counsel Caroline Krass that the Justice Department wanted all copies of the document preserved, officials in the inspector generals office undertook a search to find its copy of the report. They discovered, S***, we dont have one, said one of the sources briefed on Sharpleys account. Sharpley was apologetic about the destruction and promised to ask CIA director Brennan for another copy. But as of last week, he seems not to have received it; after Yahoo News began asking about the matter, he called intelligence committee staffers to ask if he could get a new copy from them. Sharpley also told Senate committee aides he had reported the destruction of the disk to the CIAs general counsels office, and Krass passed that information along to the Justice Department. But there is no record in court filings that department lawyers ever informed the judge overseeing the case that the inspector generals office had destroyed its copy of the report. The episode was viewed among intelligence committee aides as another embarrassment for the inspector generals office. Months earlier, a CIA accountability board had overruled the IGs findings that agency officials had improperly searched computers used by Senate investigators working on the report. Sharpley has been serving as acting inspector general since his predecessor, David Buckley, resigned in January 2015. The White House has yet to nominate a successor. A Justice Department spokesman said on Friday that, since the inspector generals office is, by statute, a unit of the CIA, and the agency still had its copy, the status quo  was preserved. But Feinstein, in a separate letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch last Friday, took a different view: She asked that the Justice Department notify the federal courts involved in the Freedom of Information Act litigation about the destruction. At issue in the ongoing legal dispute is whether the report is subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The administration says no, and a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals last week agreed, ruling that it is a congressional document not subject to FOIA, under the terms of a 2009 letter by which the Senate panel had received access to CIA files. The judges did write, however, that the executive branch does have some discretion to use the full report for internal purposes. The ACLU said on Friday it was considering our options for appeal; CIA spokesman Boyd said the agencys copy of the report would be retained pending the final result of the litigation. But he pointedly made no mention of what would happen to the CIAs copy of the report after that. In the meantime, Feinstein, joined by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, has taken a different route, petitioning David S. Ferriero, the chief of the National Archives, to formally declare the report a federal record that must be preserved in the public interest under a law known as the Federal Records Act. In a letter last month, the senators expressed concerns that federal agencies might destroy their copies of the report. No part of the executive branch has ruled out destroying or sending back the full report to Congress after the conclusion of the current FOIA litigation, they wrote in an April 13, 2016, letter. A similar point was raised by more than 30 advocacy groups who noted in a separate letter to Ferriero last month that the archivist had a duty to act whenever there was a threat that government records are at risk of unauthorized destruction. Ferriero on April 29 wrote back to Feinstein that he would not rule on the question until the FOIA court case is concluded. And last week, Burr renewed his call to have all copies of the report sent back  presumably a way to ensure they are never publicly released. Citing the new Court of Appeals ruling, Sen. Burr anticipates the return of these full reports to the Senate Intelligence Committee, a spokeswoman said. Michael Isikoff - Chief Investigative Correspondent
May 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Boston Globe" - The Panama Papers opened yet another window on the global system of financial corruption, showing how political leaders and businesses use shell companies in secrecy havens like the British Virgin Islands and many US states to evade taxes and hide corruption and other crimes. Yet the system of corruption depends on another factor beyond secrecy, one that is perhaps even more important: impunity. Impunity means that the rich and powerful escape from punishment even when their malfeasance is in full view.

Impunity is epidemic in America. The rich and powerful get away with their heists in broad daylight. When a politician like Bernie Sanders calls out the corruption, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal double down with their mockery over such a foolish dreamer. The Journal recently opposed the corruption sentence of former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell for taking large gifts and bestowing official favors  because everybody does it. And one of its columnists praised Panama for facilitating the ability of wealthy individuals to hide their income from predatory governments trying to collect taxes. No kidding.

Our major institutions, the ones that should know better, are often gross enablers of impunity. Consider my alma mater, Harvard University, and its recent nuptial with hedge-fund manager John Paulson. Paulson was the coconspirator with Goldman Sachs of one of the most notorious scams of the recent financial bubble.

Paulson and Goldman constructed and marketed a portfolio of toxic assets to sell to unwitting investors so that Paulson could bet against the portfolio. Goldman and Paulson thereby turned the sucker investors quick $1 billion loss into an equivalent $1 billion gain for Paulson, with Goldman collecting on fees. The SEC fined Goldman but left Paulson untouched. As one disillusioned SEC investigator put it: The SEC is an agency that polices the broken windows on the street level and rarely goes to the penthouse floors. Yet Harvard was delighted last year to take $400 million of Paulsons ill-gotten gains, leave Paulson with the rest, name its engineering school after Paulson, and declare Paulson to be the epitome of a visionary leader.

Impunity. Paulson remains a much-celebrated figure on Wall Street. He has many kindred spirits, such as his partner in crime, Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein, who has described himself as just a banker doing Gods work. Or consider JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, whose bank has paid well over $30 billion in fines while Dimon remains CEO with a $27 million salary for 2015. The hedge-fund industry itself is a case study of impunity. With few exceptions, it is domiciled in tax and secrecy havens, enjoys crass tax breaks brokered by cronies in Congress (such as Wall Street Senator Chuck Schumer), and pays itself billion-dollar-plus paychecks even while leaving investors with below-market returns or outright losses over the years.

The recourse to cheating within the financial industry now seems to be deeply ingrained, part of the corporate culture, and enabled by the prevailing impunity. An ingenious scientific study published in December 2014 showed the rot. Employees of a major international bank were divided into a control group and a treatment group. All subjects were asked to flip a coin 10 times and report truthfully on the number of heads, with more heads resulting in a bigger monetary prize. The treatment group was subtlety reminded they were bankers, while the control group was not. Simply reminding them that they were professional bankers was enough to induce the employees to cheat by exaggerating the number of heads they flipped.

Impunity is of course not limited to banking. Consider the poster-child of impunity in Big Pharma, Gilead Sciences. Gilead brazenly bought the patents on a life-saving cure for Hepatitis C and then gouged patients and taxpayers by charging $1,000 per pill  for a drug that costs $1 per pill to manufacture. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are unable to afford treatment, and many are dying, while Gilead earns far more in profits each year than it paid for the patents. Gilead adds to this deadly effrontery by booking its profits in an offshore tax haven.

Or consider another tech company in the health sector, Theranos, led by Elizabeth Holmes, until recently much lionized on Wall Street. Holmes, it now seems, may have been lying about Theranoss supposed high-tech blood-testing technology and reporting faulty blood test results to boot. Yet when confronted with these serious concerns, Theranos board member and famed lawyer David Boies expressed his view that the board has complete confidence in Elizabeth Holmes as a founder of the company, as a scientist, and as an administrator. It seems not to have dawned on Boies and the board to call for an urgent, impartial, and complete investigation of the serious allegations swirling around the company.

Impunity is not an accidental or incidental defect of American society. It is a system foisted on us by the rich and powerful, and it continues to work its magic. It has enabled Hillary Clinton to come within reach of the presidential nomination without releasing the transcripts of her highly paid speeches to Wall Street banks. The Clintons long ago perfected the art of impunity, becoming rich and powerful by blurring the lines between their campaign fund-raising, public policies in office, Clinton Foundation work, big-money speeches, and off-the-record favors for foreign governments.

This week British Prime Minister David Cameron hosted an Anti-Corruption Summit in London in the wake of the Panama Papers. He was speaking accurately when he was caught on an open microphone telling the Queen that leaders of two fantastically corrupt countries, Nigeria and Afghanistan, would be at the summit. Nigerias new president, Muhammadu Buhari, himself a corruption-fighter, concurred with Camerons assessment, but called on the UK to return the money stolen by Nigerias former leaders and deposited in British and other Western banks. He might well have added the historic role, for more than a half century, of Royal Dutch Shell in Nigerias oil-sector corruption.

Buhari is, in fact, making a much larger point. While there is enough top-level political corruption to go around  from Afghanistan and Nigeria to Malaysia, Brazil, South African, FIFA, and many more places  the channels of corruption and secrecy havens are largely owned and operated by the big boys  the United States and the UK  and depend absolutely on the gross impunity that prevails at the highest reaches of power and finance in the United States.

Jeffrey D. Sachs is director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and author of The Age of Sustainable Development.
Seeing Humanity in Enemy States



Official Washingtons propagandistic view of the world sees good guys and bad guys, a simplistic and dangerous dichotomy that ignores the common human elements, as ex-State Department official Matthew Hoh observes.



By Matthew Hoh May 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Consortium News " - Last month, I had the privilege of answering an interview request from an Iranian research agency dedicated to studying acts of terror carried out against the Iranian people. By their count 17,000 Iranians have been killed in acts of terror over the last 3 1/2 decades. Quite an astounding number, isnt it? I have no reason to believe this number is inflated or exaggerated, but, even if the real count is only a tenth of the pronounced figure of 17,000, it would still signify a horrendously systematic attack of political violence on a people that, as recent elections in Iran have displayed, possess a desire for progress, civility, toleration and modernity. Just as many of us do not embody in our personal lives, in our beings and in our souls the worst aspects of our American government, our wars overseas and our mass incarceration at home, so too are the Iranian people not representative of their governments acts of militarism and repression. I know, I know. Such a trite and cliched thing to say. But then why would so many in the U.S. not know of the thousands killed by terrorism in Iran and why would many Americans say that those dead Iranians and their devastated families deserve it? If not for such a binary and Manichean way of looking at the world, we are good and they are bad, we could understand and communicate with one another better, and then, maybe, as a united and common people we could lead this world to prosperity and health, rather than to war, climate change and poverty. The interview can be found here and is copied below: Full text of Habilians interview with Matthew Hoh, Ex-US State Department Official

Sunday, 01 May 2016 09:51 Habilian in 2001, al-Qaeda only had about 200 members and the Islamic State did not exist. The United States validated the propaganda and the doctrine of the terrorists with our response to 9/11 and provided many thousands of young men with a rationale for leaving their homes and joining terror groups. In an exclusive interview with Habilian Association, Iranian Center for Research on Terrorism, Matthew Hoh has answered the questions about the U.S. military interventions in the Middle East following 9/11 attacks in the name of fighting against terrorism and its implications for the people of the region, terrorism developments in the Middle East after 2001, Americas role in the empowerment of terrorist groups in the region, U.S. imperialism around the world, relationships between the media and government in the U.S., and Machiavellian view of American leaders to terrorist groups such as MeK. Below is the full text of the Habilian Associations interview with Hoh: Habilian : At the beginning of the interview, please tell us when you did join the Army? Would you speak about your motives in wearing the Army Uniform? Hoh : I joined the United States Marine Corps in 1998 for a number of reasons. I was bored with the work I was doing (I was working for a publishing company in New York City), I wanted adventure, I wanted to prove myself while serving others, I wanted to be involved in something bigger than I was, and I wanted to take part in history. In short I possessed the motives of many bored and unchallenged young men. Habilian : Following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, George W. Bush delivered a speech at joint session of Congress, in which War on Terror was declared. In that speech, Bush raised some questions quoted from American peoples, including who attacked the US and why; and how Americans can punish them. Now, after more than 15 years of American interventions in the region that led to death of more than one million civilians, if you, as an American journalist, have an interview with Bush, what questions will you ask him about the war? Hoh : The first question I would ask President Bush is why he is not remorseful. Does his desire for a positive view of his legacy preclude his ability to empathize with the millions who have suffered because of these wars? Secondly, I would ask him why can he not be humble and admit his policies were wrong and counter-productive. I would not be asking him to say the terror of 9/11 was not horrific and I am not asking him to compare himself with Osama bin Laden or al-Qaeda, but to simply recognize that the wars he launched and the wars that are still ongoing have made the world worse and not better. Two simple truths: the number of dead in the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Libya and other places number well past one million since September 12, 2001. Millions more have been wounded and are refugees from their homes. Those who suffer the horribly debilitating psychiatric and moral effects of the wars number in the tens of millions. And none of those wars are close to ending. The second truth is that, according to the American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and based upon documents found in Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002, al Qaeda only consisted of approximately two hundred members in 2001. Now the organization has thousands of members in countries across the globe. Of course the Islamic State didnt even exist in 2001 and only came into existence because of the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003. Clearly American policy in the Middle East has failed. I would ask President Bush how he ignores such truths. To be fair, I would ask President Obama the same. Habilian : In the mentioned speech, George Bush had said that Americans are asking him what is expected of them, then listed his expectations of American people: to live your lives, and hug your children, to uphold the values of America, to continue to support the victims of this tragedy with your contributions and continued participation and confidence in the American economy. If we go back to September 20, 2001 and you had an opportunity to speak in Congress and announce your expectations from the government, what would you said? Hoh : I am not sure if anything anyone said would be listened to. In 2001, we did have people in the United States counseling against acting on fear and anger. In Congress, however, we had only one member, Barbara Lee, from California, who voted against giving the President unlimited authority to carry out war, an authority that President Obama still utilizes nearly 15 years later. Out of 535 members of Congress only one had the wisdom, the intelligence and the courage to say that war was not just the wrong approach to terrorism, but that it would be foolhardy and prove to be counter-productive. Americans at that time were scared and angry. Politicians were scared and angry as well, but, more so, they were eager to capitalize on the publics emotions for their own political advantage and security. So, sadly, I dont think my stating my expectations of my government to follow the dictates of morality, justice and rule of law would have been listened to. Habilian : On February 14, 2003, George W. Bush released The United States strategy for combating terrorism in which the US administrations objectives in the War on Terror had been listed. The core of that strategy were weakening and isolating terror networks such as Al Qaeda. Regarding the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria and its violent ambitions, do you believe that the announced goals of these wars have been achieved? In your opinion, are Al Qaeda typed groups stronger or weaker now? Hoh : Terror groups are much stronger now than in 2001. The greatest recruitment for al-Qaeda and affiliated groups was not the murders of Americans in the 9/11 attacks, but the invasion of Iraq by the US in 2003, the continued occupation of Afghanistan, torture of prisoners by American guards, and the bombing of Muslim peoples throughout the world by the West. Remember, in 2001, al-Qaeda only had about 200 members and the Islamic State did not exist. The United States validated the propaganda and the doctrine of the terrorists with our response to 9/11 and provided many thousands of young men with a rationale for leaving their homes and joining terror groups. Of course, this is all a consequence of American military and diplomatic involvement in the Middle East since the end of the Second World War. As an American I have to understand that much of what we are seeing now in the Middle East is a consequence of decades of American backed coups, American backed dictatorships, American military interventions, American backed wars, unlimited American support for Israel, American arms sales and the American formation of religiously inspired cadres to fight the Soviet Union in the 1980s, one of which famously became al-Qaeda. However, I do not believe the wisest among us in the United States, of which I must admit I was not a part of in 2001, ever thought our policies would prove to be so disastrous. Habilian : Why despite the American intelligence agencies estimation that the ISIS poses no immediate threat to the United States, Obama administration decided to send the country on a military campaign against that group, knowing that such a war may take several years? Hoh : There are a few different reasons for this. I think there are some in the US government that do believe the United States has an interest in trying to bring about stability to Iraq and Syria and that military means are the only, or the predominant, manner of doing so. I believe those assertions to be wrong, that those assumptions are not based on history or experience, but I do understand them to be sincere. Unfortunately, there are a number of other reasons why President Obama is intervening militarily in Syria and Iraq. The most important is political. President Obama, and the Democratic Party, is afraid of being viewed as weak. It is that simple. Additionally, it is nearly impossible for an American politician to say he or she is wrong or made a mistake. American politicians would rather see more American soldiers killed, more American families devastated as a result of those losses, and more innocent civilians destroyed than to admit they are wrong. Again, it is just that simple. There are those who believe that these wars in the Middle East can simply be broken down into terms of good people versus bad people and we, the US, are on the side of the good people. There are philosophical, religious, nationalist, racist, and other reasons for such beliefs, but simple binary thinking, much like the thinking that under lay the assumptions of the Cold War, is prevalent in Washington, DC and throughout America. There is a lot of money involved in Iraq. American companies have a good deal of interest in the oil fields of northern Iraq and the US government is keen to see those oil fields in Kurdish control, while projected sales of weapons to the Iraqi government range from 15-30 billion dollars over the next one or two decades. Such money has enormous influence in Washington, DC and the fear of the loss of such money would motivate an American President to act militarily. Finally, the United States has an empire around the world that it must maintain. This is different in appearance or in kind than say the British or Roman Empires of the past, but it is nonetheless an empire. The United States has over 800 military bases around the world, has client states across the globe, many of which are the worst human rights violators in power, depends upon weapons sales as one of the leading aspects of the American export economy, and spends approximately one trillion dollars a year in total in support of this complex. Any threat or challenge to this established system must be confronted. In this established system in Washington, DC, as well as in American universities and corporations, it is seemingly impossible to understand any other option for the world; in fact this world view of the United States being responsible for the rest of the world is taken as a praiseworthy virtue and any deviance from this view is considered naive, ignorant or silly. Combine that with Americas cultural and religious view of itself as an exceptional nation or as a nation with divine purposes and you can understand why America is so quick to use its military tens of thousands of miles from its borders. It is worth noting only the Western allies of the US act similarly so far from the borders; no other nation behaves this way, with the exception of the recent limited Russian involvement in Syria. Habilian : Daniel Benjamin, who served as the State Departments top counterterrorism adviser during Mr. Obamas first term, said the public discussion about the ISIS threat has been a farce. Why the US media are advertising this story? Hoh : Terrorism scares and angers people, and fear and anger make for good audiences for the US media. The media in the US depends on ratings for advertising revenue (US media is privately funded) and so stories about terrorism get peoples attention causing more people to watch, listen or read, which brings in more money for the media. There are also informal relationships between the media, the US government and politicians that lead all three to work together to support one another. The media needs the support of people in the government and politicians to get the best stories and get the best interviews, while the government and politicians need the media to present the best views of themselves and their policies. It is a mutually supportive relationship between many members of the media, the government and politicians that many in the United States see to be corrupt. That is why the American public has incredibly low opinions of the media, government and politicians in the US (recent opinion polls show that only about 10% of the public trusts these institutions). Finally, there is the ongoing narrative of the United States being a morally correct and righteous nation that is on the side of good overseas. I believe the media feels it would cost them their audiences, and so their revenue, if they tried to explain world events, including terrorism and the wars, in a more complex yet accurate manner. I must say that there are many good media sources in the US, but they tend to be small and independent of the larger corporate media that most Americans depend upon for their news. These men and women are often unfairly characterized as un-American, ideological or overly politically partisan, yet they are often the ones with the journalistic integrity the larger corporate media lacks. Habilian : To this day MEK terrorists have been carrying out attacks inside of Iran killing political opponents, attacking civilian targets, as well as carrying out the US-Israeli program of targeting and assassinating Iranian scientists. In your opinion, how Americas government came to the conclusion that MeK no longer should be in the Terrorist List? Hoh : The MeK has been very successful in the United States in paying American politicians and former government officials to represent the MeK. Along with the demonization with which the American government has colored Iran with since 1979, these political efforts by the MeK have succeeded in making many American leaders believe the MeK can be useful to US interests in the Middle East. Whether or not they know or care that the MeK has made many, many innocent Iranian people suffer is not something American leaders consider. I am quick to denounce the violent actions of my government, just as many Iranians are quick to denounce the violent actions of the Iranian government. Groups like the MeK and actions like the assassination of Iranian scientists serve only to prolong hostilities between the United States and Iran, hostilities that have gone on for far too long and which only serve the elites who hold power in both countries and which cause both the American and Iranian people to suffer. Matthew Hoh is a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy. A former State Department official, Hoh resigned in protest from his post in Afghanistan over U.S. strategic policy and goals in Afghanistan in September 2009. Prior to his assignment in Afghanistan, Hoh served in Iraq. When not deployed, Hoh worked on Afghanistan and Iraq policy and operations issues at the Pentagon and State Department from 2002-8.
Dr. David Bouler is the new host for the WDYN program "Getting To Know You."

The program airs every Saturday at 8:30 a.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

Dr. Bouler will interview many Christians from the Chattanooga area and around the world.
Psychological Warfare, False Narratives And Deception



Psychological operations are spreading information to a population or a target group to influence their emotions, their motivation, their way of thinking and, finally; how they act. Psychological operations target foreign governments, organizations, groups and individuals. In psychological operations disinformation and deceit is routine. This is included in the standard arsenal of for instance the US military forces.



By Pal Steigan Guidelines for deception and fraud/hoax Is this something I merely claim to be true? Far from; the opening to this article is found in the manual for The United States (US) Army Psychological Operations (PSYOP) doctrine currently in force. The document can be downloaded here (pdf). The manual opens as follows: PSYOP are planned operations that convey selected information and indicators to foreign target audiences (TAs) to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately, the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. The purpose of all PSYOP is to create in neutral, friendly, or hostile foreign groups the emotions, attitudes, or desired behavior that support the achievement of U.S. national objectives and the military mission. In doing so, PSYOP influence not only policy and decisions, but also the ability to govern, the ability to command, the will to fight, the will to obey, and the will to support. The US Army isnt exceptional. Psychological warfare is ancient as warfare itself. I examined this in the article The art of storytelling in times of war. The American manual quotes the German military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, who wrote that In war everything is intertwined with psychological forces and effects in his most notable work On War. All military commands of any significance practice psychological warfare as part of their arsenal, but fortunately the US Joint Chiefs of Staff mapped out the guidelines in a manual which is available for everyone to read. And it spells out that deceits, misleads and false narratives are part of the standard methods. For deceit to work it must appear trustworthy and it must derive from sources the target group has confidence in. All of this is discussed in the manual. Its part of standard procedures that the commanding officer should consider whether a deception story needs to be created. Such a deception story is the narrative of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. A story was released from the US Joint Chiefs of Staff that the North Vietnamese navy had attacked US marine vessels in international waters. This lead to President Lyndon B Johnsons appearance on national television, stating that the USA would strike back at North Vietnam. The problem is that the whole story is a hoax and it was known to be false. US Naval Institute writes this on their Internet homepage:  once-classified documents and tapes released in the past several years, combined with previously uncovered facts, make clear that high government officials distorted facts and deceived the American public about events that led to full U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Eleven years later the defeat of the USA was a fact. The Vietnam War had then killed possibly as many as 3.8 million people and caused three countries nearly irreparable damages. Millions of others were wounded and damaged for life. People are still dying from the poison USA poured down from their aircrafts. USAs own losses were 58.000 killed and 303.000 wounded. And the whole thing started with a false narrative. The truth and the permanent war Since George W Bush declared the war on terror in 2001 the world has been in a permanent state of war where the war theatres have changed from Afghanistan and Iraq to Libya, Ukraine, Yemen and Syria. All these wars have been motivated by false narratives and in part tear dripping stories with the aim of influencing peoples emotions and positions, as described in the manual, in order to make them support the wars. One of the most famous  or rather; infamous  was Colin Powells speech in the UN in 2003 where he presented no less than propaganda lies about Iraq. Lawrence Wilkerson, former Pentagon Chief of Staff, was one of the writers behind the speech, which presented false information about the so called weapons of mass destruction. Which again lead to the disastrous war on Iraq. Wilkerson is aware of the forgery that took place, and today he refers to this as probably the biggest mistake of my life. As the saying goes: In war, truth is the first casualty. And this has been proved over and over again during the years of this new century. Norways war on Libya, which the whole Parliament supported, and which destroyed that country, was, as is well known, built on lies that Moammar al Gadaffi was about to kill his own people. Social media, soft power and NGOs In her tenure as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton took over the baton from Bush and Powell. During her leadership, psychological warfare, now referred to as soft power, was developed several steps further. The US State Department specialized in delivering the message via the so called Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), and the message was often styled in a feminist or progressive fashion. This has turned out to be a great success. Whereas in 2003 there was a worldwide anti-war movement against the war on Iraq, including the largest rally ever taking place in Oslo, protests have hardly occurred against the wars in Libya, Syria and Yemen or the USA directed coup detat in Ukraine. Now humanitarian organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch or, as in Syria, White Helmets, are used as messengers of the narratives that serve the war and The Pentagon the best. Since 2003 the social media have become an entirely new and tremendously powerful tool for spreading disinformation and emotions which drive the war. And because a critical press hardly exists, this has turned out very effective. The CIA, NSA and MI6 all have their own units performing psychological warfare in social media. Specific software has been developed for so called sentiment analysis as well as several techniques for creating and direct public opinion. There is software available to run false profiles on the Internet and this is used by the secret services. In the article I sosiale medier blir vi manipulert med flelser (In social media were being emotionally manipulated) I wrote about this: Financial Times reports that CIA has developed a taste for social media. The financial newspaper writes that CIA is going to expand the use of Amazons commercial software. According to CIAs Chief Information Officer Doug Wolfe, the CIA is so satisfied with this; theyre already going to move parts of their operations to Amazons platforms. And The Pentagon is researching how to use Twitter in order to influence peoples mindsets. The Guardian reports that The British army is creating a special force of Facebook warriors, skilled in psychological operations and the use of social media to engage in unconventional warfare in the information age. This force will use their competence in the use of social media attempting to control the narrative, according to the newspaper. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been leading the way in this area of governmental/military use of social media, like they did during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008-2009. IDF is active on 30 platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, and in six different languages. Several countries have contacted IDF to learn from their methods. In step with NATOs increasing military arming and a growing number of countries being involved in conflicts and wars, the psychological warfare will escalate as well. Then its crucial to know how to recognize these tactics, and a place to start learning is to read what the psychological warriors themselves have to say on the topic, like in the manual for The United States (U.S.) Army Psychological Operations. English translation: Anne Merethe Erstad
Anatomy Of A Propaganda Blitz  Part 2: Hitlergate



By Media Lens The recent furore surrounding a supposed 'Labour antisemitism crisis' is a classic propaganda blitz of the kind described in Part 1 of this alert. Dramatic New Evidence May 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Media Lens " - As with so many propaganda blitzes, intense media coverage was triggered by 'dramatic new evidence'; namely, the discovery of a graphic posted by Naz Shah two years ago, before she became a Labour MP. The graphic shows a map of the United States with Israel superimposed in the middle, suggesting that a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict would be to relocate Israel to the US. Shah's post was highlighted by right-wing political blogger Paul Staines who writes as Guido Fawkes: 'Naz Shah... shared a highly inflammatory graphic arguing in favour of the chilling "transportation" policy two years ago, adding the words "problem solved".' Jonathan Freedland, comment editor at the Guardian, argued that leftists view Israel as 'a special case, uniquely deserving of hatred', and that this hatred 'lay behind' Shah's call 'for the "transportation" [of Israel to America] - a word with a chilling resonance for Jews'. In the Observer, Andrew Rawnsley claimed that Shah believed 'that Israelis should be put on "transportation" to America, with all the chilling echoes that has for Jews'. Guardian assistant editor Michael White reported that Shah had been suspended from the Labour party 'while the context of her antisemitic comments... are thoroughly investigated'. Clearly then, the jury was in - the comments were 'anti-semitic'. By contrast, Israel-based former Guardian journalist Jonathan Cook, who was given a Martha Gellhorn special award for his work on the Middle East, argued that the map 'was clearly intended to be humorous rather than anti-semitic. I would make a further point. It is also obvious that the true target of the post is the US, not Jews or even Israel  making the anti-semitism claim even more ridiculous'. Norman Finkelstein, Jewish author of 'The Holocaust Industry' and the son of Holocaust survivors, commented that he had originally posted the graphic on his website in 2014: 'An email correspondent must have sent it. It was, and still is, funny. Were it not for the current political context, nobody would have noticed Shah's reposting of it either. Otherwise, you'd have to be humourless. These sorts of jokes are a commonplace in the U.S. So, we have this joke: Why doesn't Israel become the 51st state? Answer: Because then, it would only have two senators. As crazy as the discourse on Israel is in America, at least we still have a sense of humour. It's inconceivable that any politician in the U.S. would be crucified for posting such a map.' Finkelstein responded powerfully to the idea that Shah's posting of the image was an endorsement of a 'chilling "transportation" policy': 'Frankly, I find that obscene. It's doubtful these Holocaust-mongers have a clue what the deportations were, or of the horrors that attended them. I remember my late mother describing her deportation. She was in the Warsaw Ghetto. The survivors of the Ghetto Uprising, about 30,000 Jews, were deported to Maijdanek concentration camp. They were herded into railroad cars. My mother was sitting in the railroad car next to a woman who had her child. And the woman  I know it will shock you  the woman suffocated her infant child to death in front of my mother. She suffocated her child, rather than take her to where they were going. That's what it meant to be deported. To compare that to someone posting a light-hearted, innocuous cartoon making a little joke about how Israel is in thrall to the U.S., or vice versa... it's sick. What are they doing? Don't they have any respect for the dead? All these desiccated Labour apparatchiks, dragging the Nazi holocaust through the mud for the sake of their petty jostling for power and position. Have they no shame?' Emotional Tone And Intensity  Demonising Dissent Former London mayor Ken Livingstone, a 'long-time ally' of Jeremy Corbyn but not an MP, defended Shah from the accusation of anti-semitism. He said: 'When Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.' This was met with the kind of cross-'spectrum' moral outrage that is so characteristic of a propaganda blitz. Again, everyone knew  or did they? - that Livingstone's comments were outrageous, monstrous, rabidly anti-semitic. John Mann MP confronted Livingstone, calling him a 'a disgusting racist', 'a fucking disgrace' and 'a Nazi apologist'. The lengthy tirade was broadcast widely, with Mann thoughtfully checking to ensure the camera was catching the action. His denunciation was more 'dramatic new evidence' of a scandal, ideal ammunition for a propaganda blitz. Few TV viewers will have been aware that Mann is 'one of Corbyn's strongest critics'. Last July, after Corbyn had become frontrunner in the leadership election race, Mann called for the Labour party to suspend the contest 'over fears of an "infiltration" by hard-left activists'. Mann said: 'It is pretty clear that what is happening amounts to infiltration of the Labour party.' Mann's concern at the time was not anti-semitism but 'the Militant Tendency-types coming back in'. The website TheyWorkForYou records that Mann 'Generally voted for use of UK military forces in operations overseas', 'Consistently voted for the [2003] Iraq war' and 'Consistently voted against an investigation into the Iraq war.' He voted for war on Libya in 2011, and again for war on Iraq in 2014. If any journalist highlighted the ironic location of the moral 'high ground' from which Mann was so volubly preaching at Livingstone, we missed it. The Jewish Chronicle certainly agreed on Livingstone: 'Labour now seems to be a party that attracts antisemites like flies to a cesspit. Barely a week goes by without the identification of a racist party member or allegations of racist behaviour by those involved in the party.' Under the title, 'Labour's Sickness', a Times leader presumably written by Blairite neocon Oliver Kamm denounced the 'grotesque analogies' offered by Livingstone, a 'trivial ignoramus'. The leader concluded: 'The tropes of antisemitism are... a stain on British public life. A great political party is harbouring a sickness and has a moral obligation to purge itself.' (Leader, 'Labour's Sickness,' The Times, April 28, 2016) Under the headline, 'Labour's anti-semites put the party in peril,' the Daily Mail commented: 'Mr Corbyn gave not the faintest sign of understanding how monstrously and deliberately offensive it was of his long-term ally Ken Livingstone to make the absurd claim that Hitler was a Zionist.' Richard Littlejohn wrote in the Mail under the title, 'The fascists at the poisoned heart of Labour': 'Naz [Shah] by name, Nazi by nature, was revealed to have backed the transportation of Jews in Israel to the United States. Red Ken rallied to her defence by claiming, absurdly, that Hitler was a Zionist.' In the Mirror, the commentator Fleet Street Fox damned 'Ken Livingstone's ridiculous assertion that Hitler and the Jews were on the same side.' A Guardian leader commented that the Labour party 'finds itself charged with being contaminated by antisemitism. And with singular crassness, instead of clearing the air on Thursday, Mr Livingstone encouraged the accusation'. Jonathan Freedland wrote in the paper of Livingstone's comments: 'His version of history was garbled and insulting, suggesting that the Hitler who had already written Mein Kampf had not yet gone "mad" and was "supporting Zionism" - as if there is any moral comparison between wishing to inflict mass expulsion on a minority and the desire to build a thriving society where that minority might live.' In fact, it is hardly in doubt that Livingstone intended to suggest that Hitler had become more insane when he committed genocide. This is not the same as arguing that he had previously been sane. Livingstone later commented of Hitler: 'He was a monster from start to finish but it's simply the historical fact. His policy was originally to send all of Germany's Jews to Israel [sic] and there were private meetings between the Zionist movement and Hitler's government which were kept confidential, they only became apparent after the war, when they were having a dialogue to do this.' The late historian Howard Zinn supported the assertion of a Nazi descent into more extreme madness and also the claim that the Nazis initially planned to expel the Jews: 'Not only did waging war against Hitler fail to save the Jews, it may be that the war itself brought on the Final Solution of genocide. This is not to remove the responsibility from Hitler and the Nazis, but there is much evidence that Germany's anti-Semitic actions, cruel as they were, would not have turned to mass murder were it not for the psychic distortions of war, acting on already distorted minds. Hitler's early aim was forced emigration, not extermination, but the frenzy of it created an atmosphere in which the policy turned to genocide. This is the view of Princeton historian Arno Mayer, in his book Why Did the Heavens Not Darken, and it is supported by the chronology - that not until Germany was at war was the Final Solution adopted. '[Raul] Hilberg, in his classic work on the Holocaust, says, "From 1938 to 1940, Hitler made extraordinary and unusual attempts to bring about a vast emigration scheme... The Jews were not killed before the emigration policy was literally exhausted." The Nazis found that the Western powers were not anxious to cooperate in emigration and that no one wanted the Jews.' Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to victims of the Holocaust, also discusses 'The Transfer Agreement'. Jonathan Cook wrote: 'Livingstone's mistake was both to express himself slackly in the heat of the moment and to refer to a history that was supposed to have been disappeared down the memory hole. But what he is saying is, in essence, true.' Finkelstein commented: 'The Nazis considered many "resettlement" schemes  the Jews wouldn't have physically survived most of them in the long run  before they embarked on an outright exterminatory process. Livingstone is more or less accurate about this  or, as accurate as might be expected from a politician speaking off the cuff.' Manufacturing Consensus As so often, the propaganda coup de grace was supplied by a Guardian leftist; this time, Owen Jones, who tweeted: 'John McDonnell [Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer] was right to swiftly force Naz Shah's resignation - but now the party has to suspend her.' One day later, Jones issued a further decree: 'Ken Livingstone has to be suspended from the Labour Party. Preferably before I pass out from punching myself in the face.' Ali Abunimah, co-founder of Electronic Intifada, commented: 'Didn't always agree with Ken Livingstone but he's been an anti-racist fighter & took on Thatcher before @OwenJones84 was born. Sad to watch.' Abunimah added: 'To watch @OwenJones84 throw Ken Livingstone under the bus to appease a bunch of hard-right racists is a truly pitiful sight.' Jones' tragicomic McCarthyist stance in all but ordering the suspension of Shah and Livingstone for supposed anti-semitism strongly reminds us of the way the Guardian's George Monbiot supported a nugatory smear of progressives promoted by his notoriously non-credible interlocutor, Oliver Kamm. Monbiot wrote that Noam Chomsky, Edward Herman, John Pilger and Media Lens were part of a 'malign intellectual subculture' that sought 'to excuse savagery by denying the facts' of genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda. Monbiot even wrote an article titled, 'Media Cleanse'. As recently as March 25, Monbiot tweeted: 'Still waiting for Hume, Herman, Pilger, Media Lens etc to acknowl[edge] their terrible mistakes on Srebrenica' Timing and Strange Coincidences George Eaton, fiercely anti-Corbyn political editor of the hard-right 'centre-left' New Statesman, tried and failed to coin the term 'Hitlergate' to describe the scandal that had engulfed Livingstone (the Nexis media database finds no other mentions of the term). Eaton cited an anonymous MP arguing 'it firmly pins responsibility for next week's [local election] results on the hard-left antics'. This at least gave a good idea of the motivation behind the propaganda blitz. Norman Finkelstein was again far beyond the corporate 'mainstream' in asking some obvious questions: 'The question you have to ask yourself is, why? Why has this issue been resurrected with a vengeance, so soon after its previous outing was disposed of as a farce?... The only plausible answer is, it's political. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the factual situation; instead, a few suspect cases of antisemitism  some real, some contrived  are being exploited for an ulterior political motive. As one senior Labour MP said the other day, it's transparently a smear campaign.' He added: 'You can see this overlap between the Labour Right and pro-Israel groups personified in individuals like Jonathan Freedland, a Blairite hack who also regularly plays the antisemitism card. He's combined these two hobbies to attack Corbyn.' Israeli historian Ilan Pappe noted how the young electorate supporting Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders in the US have a 'desire for cleaner, more moral politics that dare to challenge the neoliberal set up of economy and politics in the West'. The result being that 'Members of the political elites and establishment, in very senior positons, voice clear, unashamed support for Palestine. 'This is the background for the current vicious attack on the Labour Party and Corbyn. Whatever the Zionists in Britain point to, as an expression of anti-Semitism, which in the main are legitimate criticism of Israel, have been said before in the last 50 years. The pro-Zionist lobby in Britain, under direct guidance from Israel, picks them up because the clear anti-Zionist stance of BDS has reached the upper echelons. They are genuinely terrified by this development. Well done the BDS movement!' Jonathan Cook summed it up: 'Corbyn and his supporters want to revive Labour as a party of social justice... This is nothing more than a class war to pave the way for a return of the Blairites to lead Labour.' Chomsky has discussed the long-standing efforts to associate anti-semitism with anti-Zionism for political ends. In 1973, leading Israeli diplomat Abba Eban said that 'one of the chief tasks of any dialogue with the Gentile world is to prove that the distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism is not a distinction at all'. Critics of Israel were to be branded 'anti-semites', while Jewish critics like Chomsky were guilty of 'self-hatred'. Asa Winstanley, investigative journalist at the Electronic Intifada, puts the supposed 'crisis of antisemitism' in context: 'A 2015 survey by Pew found that seven percent of the UK public held "unfavorable" views of Jews. By contrast, about a fifth held negative views of Muslims and almost two-fifths viewed Roma people unfavorably. 'There's no evidence to suggest that such views are any more prevalent in the Labour Party  and the tiny number of anti-Semitism complaints suggests they may well be less so in a movement many of whose activists have been in the frontline of anti-racist struggles.' Conclusion - 'Emotionally Potent Oversimplifications' The fact that completely false, or highly questionable, claims are repeatedly being affirmed by an instant, outraged 'consensus' across the media 'spectrum' is powerful evidence for the existence of a propaganda system undermining democracy. Journalists may plead ignorance, but elites have openly advocated the 'manufacture of consent' in exactly this way for decades. In 1932, highly influential US foreign policy adviser Reinhold Niebuhr wrote of the need for 'emotionally potent oversimplifications' and 'necessary illusion' to overcome the threat to elite control posed by 'the stupidity of the average man'. Vested interests are well aware that public opinion can be manipulated by 'emotionally potent' declarations of certainty, on the one hand, and by nurturing doubt on the other. Indeed, the flip side of the propaganda coin promoting false certainty was described by Phil Lesley, author of a handbook on corporate public relations: 'People generally do not favour action on a non-alarming situation when arguments seem to be balanced on both sides and there is a clear doubt. The weight of impressions on the public must be balanced so people will have doubts and lack motivation to take action. Accordingly, means are needed to get balancing information into the stream from sources that the public will find credible... Nurturing public doubts by demonstrating that this is not a clear-cut situation in support of the opponents usually is all that is necessary.' (Lesly, 'Coping with Opposition Groups', Public Relations Review 18, 1992, p.331) The logic is crude but effective. When elites want to prevent action, for example in response to climate change, they work hard to encourage public doubts. When they want to attack Iraq, Libya or Syria, or Julian Assange, or Jeremy Corbyn - when it is vital that the situation be presented as clear cut - 'balancing infomation' must be ridiculed, damned and dismissed. These are the tasks of a propaganda blitz.
Occupation Of The American Mind Unravels Israels Propaganda War In US



By Roqayah Chamseddine May 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " ShadowProof " - The Occupation Of The American Mind, directed by Loretta Alper and Jeremy Earp, is a stunning documentary examining Israels public relations war in the United States. It premiered last month. The film, which begins with a heart-stopping shot of an apartment complex in Gaza as it is bombed during the 2014 war, pulls no punches. The sounds and images are riveting. Youre able to see the fire and thick smoke pouring into the air, but there are no voices that break the quiet aftermath. Only the sharp clinking of debris. Roger Waters, Pink Floyd co-founder and BDS advocate, narrates the film, sending viewers back into that bloody summer in 2014one which now seems to much of the world as though it was a lifetime ago. While rage was building against Israel during that summertime bloodbath, in the United States the story was far different. The American people, Waters says, held firm in their support for the bombing of Gaza. The much beloved talking point that Israel has a right to defend itself, one that became a kind of religious mantra during that war and those before it, is explored from the very start of the film. With help from Peter Hart, of Fair Media Watch, Yousef Munayyer, executive director of The U.S. Campaign to End The Israeli Occupation, and others, the film deconstructs the establishment medias propaganda efforts. Yousef Munayyer argues that when we examine the formula that mainstream media outlets follow we find Israeli spokespeople are over-represented when compared to Palestinian spokespeople by a margin of 3 to 1. So when Israel is discussed, we are inundated with commentary from officials, who propagate in support of Israels use of violence. American elected officials also join the chorus in order to reinforce Israels right to defend itself, and this translates into news anchors echoing the same talking points, thereby directly influencing the publics perception of the conflict. The Occupation Of The American Mind also takes viewers back in time to the moment in history referred to in Arabic as al Nakba, or The Catastrophe, when countless Palestinians were forced out of their homes in order to make way for unfettered colonization in a newly formed Israel. Waters tells the story of how more than 700,000 of Palestines native population were expelled, while a chilling video of thousands of Palestinians, forced to march away from their homeland, plays on screen. Viewers see the toll that this uprooting took on the faces of Palestinian men, women, and children, in black and white photographs. Years later, the state of Israel not only worked tirelessly to dehumanize and massacre the Palestinians inside Palestine, but elsewhere. In Lebanon, the Sabra and Shatila massacre, which was televised for the entire world to see, became what Phyllis Bennis, author and fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, describes as a watershed moment for Israel. The massacre of Palestinians and Lebanese civilians in 1982 by the Phalangists, a fascist Lebanese militia, was overseen by Israel. It marked the first time the colonial settler state went on the offensive, defending itself from bad publicity. The 1982 war in Lebanon was a game changer for Israel. Out of the blood-soaked ashes of south Lebanon and West Beirut, Israels public relations strategy was born. As the film explores U.S. public opinion, it unravels the dominant narrative concerning the occupation: that Israel, the brave David, is facing the Palestinian Goliath. Renowned scholar Noam Chomsky gives the final blow before the film ends: The U.S. government will support [the occupation] as long as the U.S. population tolerates it. This is a masterful and riveting film that not only dispels the myth of Israels victimhood, but brings the past and present together in order to unearth realities of the occupation, which rightfully humanize the Palestinians. It is moving in a way that goes beyond images and a retelling of a painful history. It challenges not only the establishment media, but the American public as well.
Hybrid War Hyenas Tearing Brazil Apart By Pepe Escobar May 17, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " RT " - The gloomy and repulsive night when the female president of the 7th largest economy in the world was the prey of choice fed to a lynch mob of hyenas in a drab, provincial Circus Maximus will forever live in infamy. By 367 votes for and 137 against, the impeachment/coup/regime change-light drive against Dilma Rousseff cleared the Brazilian Congressional circus and will now go to the Senate, where a special commission will be set up. If approved, Rousseff will then be sidelined for 180 days and a low-rent tropical Brutus, Vice-President Michel Temer, will ascend to power until the Senates final verdict. This lowly farce should serve as a wake-up call not only to the BRICS but to the whole Global South. Who needs NATO, R2P (responsibility to protect) or moderate rebels when you can get your regime change just by tweaking a nations political/judicial system? The Brazilian Supreme Court has not analyzed the merit of the matter  at least not yet. Theres no solid evidence anywhere Rousseff committed a crime of responsibility; she did what every American President since Reagan has done  not to mention leaders all across the world: along with her vice-president, the lowly Brutus, Rousseff got slightly creative with the federal budgets numbers. The coup has been sponsored by a certified crook, president of the lower house Eduardo Cunha; reportedly the holder of several illegal accounts in Switzerland, listed in the Panama Papers and under investigation by the Supreme Court. Instead of lording over near-illiterate hyenas in a racist, largely crypto-fascist circus, he should be behind bars. It beggars belief that the Supreme Court has not launched legal action against Cunha. The secret of his power over the circus is a gigantic corruption scheme lasting many years, featuring corporations contributing to his and others campaign financing. And thats the beauty of a regime change-light/color revolution of Hybrid War when staged in such a dynamically creative nation such as Brazil. The hall of mirrors yields a political simulacrum that would have driven deconstructionists Jean Baudrillard and Umberto Eco, if alive, green with envy; a Congress crammed with fools/patsies/traitors/crooks, some of whom are already being investigated for corruption, has conspired to depose a president who is not under any formal corruption investigation  and has not committed anycrime of responsibility. The neoliberal restoration Still, without a popular vote, the massively rejected tropical Brutus twins, Temer and Cunha, will find it impossible to govern, even though they would perfectly incarnate the project of the immensely arrogant and ignorant Brazilian elites; a neoliberal triumph, with Brazilian democracy trampled down six feet under. Its impossible to understand what happened at the Circus Maximus this Sunday without knowing theres a gaggle of Brazilian political parties that are seriously threatened by the non-stop overspill of the Car Wash corruption investigation. To ensure their survival, Car Wash must be suspended; and it will, under the bogusnational unity proposed by lowly Brutus Temer. But first, Car Wash must produce a high-profile scalp. And that has to be Lula in jail  compared to which the crucifixion of Rousseff is an Aesop fable. Corporate media, led by the noxious Globo empire, would hail it as the ultimate victory, and nobody would care about Car Washs enforced retirement. The 54 million-plus who voted for Rousseffs reelection in 2014 voted wrong. The overall project is a government without vote and without people; a Brazilian-style parliamentary system, without bothering with pesky elections and crucially, including very generous campaign financing flexibility not bound to incriminate powerful companies/corporations. In a nutshell, the ultimate aim is to perfectly align the Brazilian Executive, Legislative, Judiciary and corporate media interests. Democracy is for suckers. Brazilian elites remote controlling the hyenas know very well that if Lula runs again in 2018, he will win. And Lula has already warned; he wont buy any national unitycrap; hell be back in the streets fighting whatever illegitimate government pops up. Were now open for plundering As it stands, Rousseff runs the risk of becoming the first major casualty of the NSA-originated, two-year-long Car Wash investigation. The President, admittedly an incompetent economic manager and lacking the right stuff of a master politician, believed that Car Wash  which practically prevented her from governing  would not reach her because she is personally honest. Yet Car Washs not so hidden agenda was always regime change. Who cares if in the process the nation is left on the verge of being controlled exactly by many of those indicted by the anti-corruption drive? Lowly Brutus Temer  a vanity case version of Argentinas Macri  is the perfect conduit for the implementation of regime change. He represents the powerful banking lobby, the powerful agribusiness lobby and the powerful federation of industries in Brazils economic leader, the state of Sao Paulo. The neo-developmentalist project for Latin America  uniting at least some of the local elites, invested in developing internal markets, in association with the working classes  is now dead, because what may be defined as sub-hegemonic, or peripheral, capitalism is mired in crisis after the 2008 Wall Street-provoked debacle. Whats left is just neoliberal restoration. TINA (there is no alternative). This implies, in the Brazilian case, the savage reversion of Lulas legacy; social policies, technological policies, the drive to globally expand large, competitive Brazilian companies, more public universities, better salaries. In a message to the nation, Brutus Temer admitted as much;hope after impeachment will be absolutely swell for foreign investment, as in let them plunder the colony at will; back to the trademark history of Brazil since 1500. So Wall Street, US Big Oil and the proverbial American interests win this round at the circus  thanks to the, once again proverbial, vassal/comprador elites. Chevron execs are already salivating with the prospect of laying their hands on the pre-salt oil deposits; that was already promised by a trusted vassal in the Brazilian opposition. The coup goes on. The real hyenas havent yet pounced. So its far from over. Pepe Escobar is an independent geopolitical analyst. He writes for RT, Sputnik and TomDispatch, and is a frequent contributor to websites and radio and TV shows ranging from the US to East Asia. He is the former roving correspondent for Asia Times Online. Born in Brazil, he's been a foreign correspondent since 1985, and has lived in London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, Washington, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Even before 9/11 he specialized in covering the arc from the Middle East to Central and East Asia, with an emphasis on Big Power geopolitics and energy wars. He is the author of "Globalistan" (2007), "Red Zone Blues" (2007), "Obama does Globalistan" (2009) and "Empire of Chaos" (2014), all published by Nimble Books. His latest book is "2030", also by Nimble Books, out in December 2015.
During the brutal Burundi civil war which claimed 300,000 lives, Marguerite Barankitse risked her own to rescue around 30,000 children from persecution. At the outbreak of the 12-year war in 1993, Barankitse  a Tutsi  was forced to watch the execution of 72 of her Hutu neighbors.

That horrific incident inspired her to start a mission at the Catholic diocese where she worked. Caring for children and refugees, she created an environment where young Hutus and Tutsis alike could seek refuge. Her heroic efforts have now been acknowledged by a $1m humanitarian prize. Barankitse, now 59, was presented the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity for her extraordinary efforts in caring for orphans and refugees by Hollywood actor George Clooney.
Have you ever worried about your childs Internet usage? Its probably a good thing if you do. Numerous studies, such as those cited by CBS News, have linked more screen time to obesity, higher blood pressure and cholesterol, sleep loss and academic problems.

So what should you be on the lookout for as a parent? The following are some of the most destructive online habits your child might develop.

Overposting on social media

There are volumes of unwritten rules when it comes to social media interactions, and its a steep learning curve when children first come in contact with it. Their lack of experience with online relationships will leave them vulnerable to committing social faux pas, which, in turn, could lead to their victimization through cyberbullying.

Make sure you have a chat with your kids to find out what they like to do on social media. Know what apps theyre using and be involved in their lives. The better your relationship with them, the more likely they are to listen when you suggest some guidelines for social media posting politeness and frequency.

Giving up healthy habits

When kids get really involved in their online habits, they start neglecting healthy habits like getting sufficient exercise, spending time outside, reading and engaging in imaginative play. The New York Times shared research which has shown, Children can develop pain in their fingers and wrists, narrowed blood vessels in their eyes (the long-term consequences of which are unknown), and neck and back pain from being slumped over their phones, tablets and computers.

Long term, we may end up seeing a generation of people with more back and eye problems because of their love affair with their mobile devices, not to mention the increased risk of being overweight, which is a well-known side effect of electronic addiction.

Oversharing personal information

Kids wont automatically know what kinds of information that should and shouldnt be shared in public forums. They also likely wont understand that even the most private of online channels can be vulnerable to hacking or sharing. Once something is out there on the Internet, its almost impossible to erase. Sharing personal photographs on Snapchat, home addresses on Facebook or payment information on a phishing site are all possible mistakes both new and experienced Internet users might make.

Neglecting real-life relationships for online friends

Even the most well-adjusted adult can be susceptible to the addiction to social media, which means children and teens are at an even higher risk. Your kids require your guidance and advice to avoid trading their real-life friends for the ease and convenience of online ones.

One study out of the University of California, Los Angeles cited by CBS News found that the more screen time children get, the harder it is for them to recognize emotions. The lack of this crucial skill will cripple their ability to make and keep healthy relationships as they get older.

Becoming a cyberbully

Wed all like to think our darling children would never bully another child, butdosomething.org says 43 percent of children have been bullied online, a circumstance which actually raises their risk of then becoming cyberbullies.

Stompoutbullying.org says other signs that your child might be a cyberbully is if he or she has multiple profiles or accounts with the same social media platform, if he or she gets extremely upset when you try to take away the phone or iPad or if he or she seems defensive or secretive about the time spent online.

For parents who want to be better about nipping this type of thing in the bud, there are apps such as WebSafety to monitor and prevent your child from doing this.

Being silent about cyberbullying

The only thing worse than cyberbullying is witnessing it happen, and not saying anything about it. Dosomething.org has found that 90% of teens who have seen social-media bullying say they have ignored it and only 1 in 10 victims will inform a parent or trusted adult of their abuse. Educating youth about cyberbullying and its effects will help encourage them to do something about it when they see a bully acting out online.

Chances are, kids are going to make mistakes online, but WebSafety is dedicated to helping parents correct these mistakes by monitoring specific online behavior such as cyberbullying. With this app, parents can feel reassured that theyre kept up-to-date on how their kids are using their phones. WebSafety and the data its app provides can bring the re-assurance that all parents are looking for when it comes to their children and their online security.
A Delta State High Court, sitting in Asaba, yesterday, sentenced two Fulani herdsmen, Hassan Abidu and Yakubu Salem, to 20 years in jail with hard labour.

The two were suspected to be members of a group of armed nomads terrorizing indigenes of Ibusa and its environs, especially farmers.

The court pronounced the guilty verdict on the two Fulani nomads, who were prosecuted on a two-count charge of unlawful possession of firearms preferred against them by the Attorney-General of the state, punishable under Section 3(1) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act Cap R.II, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010.

They were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment each with hard labour and without an option of fine on the two counts.

According to prosecution, on or about February 23, 2015 at 6a.m., the Ibusa Police Division received a distress call that a group of suspected Fulani boys numbering about six were sited around Power Line, Ibusa armed with dangerous weapons including firearms. They moved in on them and were able to arrest Abidu and salem.
The Minister of State, Aviation, Mr Hadi Sirika said that the Federal Government will soon appoint the Transition Adviser that will develop the process for the establishment of a new national carrier.

Sirika said this while addressing Aviation Stakeholders Forum in Abuja on Monday. According to him, the government will establish a national carrier that will be private sector driven.

He also said that the government would also establish Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in the country, adding that the national carrier would serve as the base for such MRO. The minister added that the government would create an enabling environment for the setting up of a world class MRO facility that would attract clientele from all over the world, especially Africa.

He said the MRO will further be encouraged to start the manufacturing of airplane spare parts with intent to go into manufacturing in the long term.

Sirika said that Nigeria had the capacity to become a hub in the African region, pointing out that if Ethiopia and Brazil could manufacture airplane parts, Nigeria could do it effectively.
Veteran Nollywood screen goddess, Genevieve made it known in an interview with Ventures Africa that she derived more joy from her first ride compared to the kind of car she drives now.

Genevieve said she is not someone who likes to talk about her wealth but that she must have a minimum of N2, 000 with her anytime because that was her first salary.

On her first ride giving her more joy, she said;

Even the kind of car I drive right now cannot give me that kind of joy that my first ride gave me. I must have a minimum of my first salary in my wallet  two thousand Naira. I can have more, but thats the minimum. It was my first salary. Its dear to my heart. That was my welcome fee into the world of entrepreneurship. Its just there. I love it. I spent more than that to get the two thousand though on transport fair, cause by the time they tell you to go and come back so many times, youve spent way more than that, but that was who I was. I worked for it. I have to get paid for it. Id probably squander every money that is dashed to me, but the one I would sweat for, I dont play with.

On surviving difficult times after her father lost his job twice, moving them from upscale Surulere to Egbeda, the single mother of one said:
Ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, yesterday, cautioned that the current siege to Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State and manhunt for him by the military would not guarantee the desired peaceful atmosphere for uninterrupted oil exploration activities by the Federal Government.

Tompolo, in a statement, said he was dismayed at the nonstop siege to Gbaramatu Kingdom and manhunt for him by both the Federal Government and Nigerian military under the guise of looking for members of Niger Delta Avengers, despite his numerous statements that he had nothing to do with the militant group.

He slammed Itsekiri leader, Chief Ayiri Emami and others for allegedly giving bogus information about him, saying: It baffles me that the Nigerian military has refused to believe me that I am not part of the group and its activities as contained in several media statements.

I am obviously a victim of circumstances in this matter because of my case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. How can I resort to destruction of oil facilities because of those trumped-up charges against me by EFCC, when my lawyers are already challenging the faulty process of legal service on me?

If not for the common insinuation that the Nigerian judiciary is on trial, why would my case with the EFCC become the greatest issue in Nigeria today when there are so many important things to talk about?

I am greatly touched and disappointed with the manner the Nigerian government and the military are being arm-twisted by the unfounded claims of Ayiri Emami and others that I am behind the Niger Delta Avengers group when there is no single proof to back the claim.

May I once again point out that Ayiri Emami and others accusing me of the destruction of oil facilities in parts of the Delta State are simply looking for relevance, recognition and pipeline surveillance contracts. If anyone doubts what I am saying, they should find out from the GMD and Minister for State for Petroleum because Ayiri and his likes have been troubling the Minister for pipeline surveillance contracts for some time now, Tompolo said.
Curtis Bowers, the producer of the movie Agenda 2: Masters of Deceit, will be the guest speaker at the Chattanooga Tea Party meeting on Thursday at 6:30 pm.



Mr. Bowers is a Christian statesman, husband, father, filmmaker, speaker, and businessman. He served as a state representative in the Idaho legislature, started and operated three Award Winning Fondue Restaurants, and produced the $101,000 Grand Prize winning film, Agenda: Grinding America Down.



Mr. Curtis and his wife of 27 years, Lauren, home educate their 9 children and operate the independent film and distribution company Copybook Heading Productions. The Bowers have traveled to over 40 states singing and speaking to promote their films.



Their film, Agenda 2: Masters of Deceit, won Best Documentary at the 2016 Christian Worldview Film Festival. "The Chattanooga Tea Party showed Agenda 2 last month and we are honored to host Curtis Bowers and his family," officials said.

The meeting will be held at The Century Club Banquet Hall, 3221 Harrison Pike (off Access Road, just south of the Highway 153-Amnicola Highway intersection, next to Indian Motorcycles).

Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable canned good item to support the local Chattanooga Area Food Bank.



Review of Agenda 2:

When filmmaker Curtis Bowers hit the road in 2010 with his film AGENDA, people began to wake up. AGENDA became one of the best selling independent documentaries of all time, and grass roots America finally had a tool to connect the dots. As he continued to travel, Mr. Bowers found that people were overwhelmed by the seeming myriad of issues they were facing. From the promotion of Islam to the propaganda of climate change, from the deceit of Common Core to the manufactured economic crisis, and from the manipulation of the Evangelical Church to the unsustainable debt burden, it seemed as if America had a hundred different enemies with a hundred different agendas. But he knew from his research that wasnt the case.

Join Mr. Bowers as he heads out again to expose the Masters of Deceit and their purposeful, premeditated, treasonous attacks on our freedom. The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), yesterday, called on the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to dialogue for more effective communication following the proposed national strike by NLC.

The President of LCCI, Mrs. Nike Akande, said the chamber notes with concern NLCs decision to embark on a nationwide strike from tomorrow, adding that, Nigerian economy is already in a very fragile state with very little capacity to absorb the shocks of any major dislocations.

The resultant hardship from a strike action at this time will be excruciating, especially for the majority of the citizens, micro and small businesses as well as the informal sector players of the Nigeria economy. This makes the dialogue option imperative, Akande said.

We welcome the offer by the federal government to immediately engage the leadership of the labour unions in dialogue for more effective communication on both sides, she added.
Punch

Talks between the Federal Government and organised labour on the increase in the pump price of petrol ended in a deadlock on Monday night.

Vanguard

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State yesterday said 90 per cent of the state revenue was being spent on public servants in the state, saying there was an urgent need to raise more funds internally.

Thisday

Africas richest man and the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has stated that hes not in business solely to make money, but is just as interested in developing Africa and humanity, hence his philanthropic works through his foundation.

The Sun

With only four days to the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its National Assembly caucus appears divided over National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu-Sherrif.

Guardian

Owing to rising cases of fatal road accidents, some claiming the lives of public officials, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday directed the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to swing into action to address the causal factors to prevent avoidable deaths.

Daily Times

The Federal Government has appealed to workers unions to shelve their proposed strike over the new petrol price of N145 per litre. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the appeal at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Monday.

Leadership

The planned re-arraignment of former Abia State Governor, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court was yesterday stalled due to a pending appeal before the Supreme Court.

Tribune

ABOUT four persons have been killed within the Benin metropolis between Sunday and Monday, following renewed cult war between the Black Axe and Eiye confraternities.

The Nation

Reprieve has come the way of the embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff.
Former Senate President David Mark has said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is the only party that can return Nigeria to the path of glory. This is just as he said Nigerians can now spot the difference between the past PDP governments and governing All Progressives Congress, APC.

Mr. Mark, who spoke weekend at the North-central zonal congress of the PDP held in Abuja, also called for a truce among members of the party ahead of the national convention slated for Port Harcourt, Rivers State on May 21.

A statement by the former Senate presidents media aide  Paul Mumeh  quoted him as saying Nigerians can now spot the difference. The PDP is still the right choice. Therefore, we must respond positively and ultimately return the nation to the path of glory.

Senator Mark also told the North-Central delegates to the PDP zonal congress held in Abuja at the weekend, that I think we have realized our past mistakes and learnt our lessons. We cannot afford crisis or disaffection within our fold any more.

It is time for all genuine men and women of our party to make the necessary sacrifice and work honestly towards a united and more cohesive party, he said.

We must avoid the pitfalls of the past such as imposition of candidates against the wishes of the majority. We are returning the party to the people and let the people decide, he said.
Rwanda has expelled more than 1,500 Burundians in the past week after they refused to move to refugee camps, according to Burundian officials. Mondays move is the latest sign that a political crisis is testing the already tense relations between the neighbouring central African countries.

Seraphine Mukantabana, Rwandan minister of disaster management and refugee affairs, said on Monday that the expulsions were part of regular crackdowns on those living illegally in the country and were not targeting Burundians specifically. We had a number of Burundians scattered across the country who had no documents, she said.

Rwanda has been hosting tens of thousands of people who have fled more than a year of political violence in Burundi and others who have been there for work, often without formal permission. They were asked to go to refugee camps or return back to Burundi, the governor of Burundis Kirundo province next to the Rwandan border, Melchior Nankwahomba, told the Reuters news agency. Those who refused to go to refugee camps were chased  and stripped of their possessions, he said, adding that they were pushed out by local officials.

Philippe Ngabonziza, mayor of the Burundian town of Ntega, said 1,320 expelled Burundians had arrived since Friday. The governor of the neighbouring Ngozi district, Albert Nduwimana, said they had received 218 people over the weekend. The crackdown on Burundians follows the expulsion of thousands of Rwandans by Burundi since April 2015.

Aljazeera.
23 years ago, Yue Jin lost both his legs and nine of his fingers in a freak accident. He thought his life was over, but somehow found the strength to start over and today he is one of the most sought-after bicycle repairmen in Jilin City, northern China. In 1993, while he was cutting firewood in the mountains of Jilin province, Yue Jin accidentally fell into a deep valley and almost died. His injuries were so severe that doctors had to amputate both his legs and all but one of his ten fingers. For a man who made his living with his hands, it was almost a death sentence. And it was even more devastating considering Yue had also lost his wife just three days after childbirth, leaving him to take care of their daughter.

After the accident, he couldnt see any other way to do that than go out and beg for a few coins and some food, so he left his daughter in the care of some neighbors and ventured out on to the streets. But for a man who used to work for a living, having to rely on the mercy of strangers was excruciating, and he soon realized that he couldnt go on doing it. At that time I thought that I cannot forever rely on begging to live, I have to use my own strength, Yue Jin told reporters in a recent interview. So he used all of his savings, a measly 700 yuan ($107) to buy some repair tools and get some training in bicycle repairs. As you can imagine, trying to handle the tools with only one finger proved a big challenge and he struggled for quite a while, but he kept at it, and soon got the hang of using his one finger and his palms to do the repairing.

Yue Jin now has his own bicycle repair shop and earns enough to support himself. His daughter is all grown up and married, but despite her offering to take him in and see to all his needs, the ambitious repairman insists that he is better off doing the work he has grown to love. The story of how Yue Jin managed to turn his life around despite all the hardships he has been through recently went viral in China and inspired millions to make their best of their situation and never give up. The ambitious repairman is now being referred to as strong brother.

Photos: China News
On this day in 2014; African leaders meet in Paris to discuss ways to fight Boko Haram, the Islamist group that kidnapped over 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria; the countrys president, Goodluck Jonathan, was seen as slow to respond to the situation.
World powers are ready to consider demands from Libyas new unity government for exemptions from a United Nations arms embargo and militarily equip it in its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other groups. The joint decision, announced by US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday followed a meeting in Vienna which was attended by diplomats from more than 20 countries.

The United States, four other permanent UN Security Council members and the more than 15 other nations participating in talks on Libya said that they were ready to respond to the Libyan governments requests for training and equipping government forces. The Government of National Accord has voiced its intention to submit appropriate arms embargo exemption requests to the UN Libya Sanctions Committee to procure necessary lethal arms and materiel to counter UN-designated terrorist groups and to combat [ISIL] throughout the country, Kerry said.

We will fully support these efforts while continuing to reinforce the UN arms embargo. Hafed Al Ghwell, a senior adviser at Oxford Analytica, told Al Jazeera that there are fears that weapons could fall into the wrong hands. Now, if you give arms to the Tripoli-based government with its separate military, and if you try to encourage them to also participate, you have essentially taken sides in a civil war, Al Ghwell said.

And the trouble also comes with the fact that there are no clear guidelines as to how these new arms are going to be handed over to this Tripoli government, he said. The conference was co-chaired by Kerry and his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni. While the joint statement spoke of intentions, the fact that all five permanent Security Council members back the plan to arm the internationally backed government means that it is unlikely to face significant opposition from any quarter.
Across the world, Android smartphones handily outsell Apple iPhones by wide margins -- yet Android devices rarely have significant presence within enterprise environments. Even in the United States, where the market share for the two smartphones is roughly equal, iPhones account for about 70 to 90 percent of enterprise smartphones in use, according to various surveys.

The latest incarnation of Android -- version 6.0 Marshmallow -- has made significant improvements around security and management, and the leading Android device maker (Samsung) offers enterprise-quality smartphones like the Galaxy S7, as well as a strong security platform that has gained federal approval. But enterprise mobility is still very much an iPhone and iPad phenomenon.

Speaking of the iPad, when it comes to tablets, it's iPad or nothing at most enterprises. Android tablets have almost no presence among business users, and if anything seems likely to get adoption beyond the iPad, it's Microsoft's Windows 10-based Surface Pro.

Today, enterprises can adopt Android as a near-equal to iOS. Why haven't they? There are three basic reasons, all of which can be overcome if the Android industry decides to do so.

1. Android is not as secure or reliable as iOS

For most of Android's existence, Google played at best lip service to security and management. By contrast, Apple became very serious about enterprise-level security in 2010, in what I and other analysts have long believed was a quiet but intentional strategy to displace the BlackBerry in business as soon as the iPhone became the darling of users.

Apple created adopted Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) policies so that enterprises could manage iPhones and iPad using their existing tools, and it created a set of APIs that enterprises could layer on top of EAS through a mobile device management server, in an approach similar to BlackBerry's but not locked to a single management provider. Apple has deepened those APIs every year since, adding more and more capabilities not only around device management but around content and access management.

Apple has also focused deeply on device security, making encryption both strong and impossible to disable. As we've seen recently, its encryption is strong enough to make life very difficult for even the FBI. Enterprises whose execs carry corporate secrets are happy about that.

Finally, Apple's tight hold over its App Store may have frustrated developers in the early years, but the company's control has made iOS malware a rare phenomenon. The few times malware has found its way into the App Store, it's been major news -- precisely because it happens very little. By contrast, the Google Play Store is so rife with malware that hardly anyone thinks a specific incident is newsworthy, and Google's efforts to combat it have been late and halfhearted.

Malware is the biggest risk to enterprises today because it lets attackers into the network, not merely compromise this or that device. Though Google has greatly strengthened Android device-level security -- through a combination of cloning Apple's API approach and adding the notion of containers to separate work and personal environments -- the malware threat remains significant despite the progress that Google has made in limiting Android malware's effects.

The good news for Android is that Marshmallow and, my security sources tell me, the forthcoming Android N bring Android device security to Apple's level, especially when used with Samsung's Galaxy devices, which already have a hardware stack that provides Apple-like encryption strength. If Google can tackle the malware issue, IT's principal security objection to Android should finally go away.

A related issue is Android's stability. When a new version of iOS arrives, it's deployed in the vast majority of active devices with a month of release and only about four months after it's been announced. That means IT can trust both corporate-provisioned and user-provided devices will be current.

By contrast. Android versions take years to get significant installed bases. For example, six months after Marshmallow was released -- and a year after it was announced -- it's on only 8 percent of active devices. Most users are running Android 5 Lollipop, which is not insecure but doesn't have the near-Apple-level security of Marshmallow and its Android at Work technology. Or running even earlier versions.

Each Android vendor takes its sweet time to decide what devices will get a new Android version and when to release them. Worse, the carriers review each release themselves, deciding which to send on to users. As a result, more than half of current devices never get upgraded at all, and the rest take a year or more.

Thus, IT has to manage multiple variations of Android, with differing security capabilities. Though mobile management tools can figure out what policies are available to what version of Android, IT usually has to take a lowest-common-denominator approach to security policies so that it can support the older Android devices still widely in use. That's not the case for iOS.

Android's version lag must change -- but it will require a major shift by device makers and carriers, who mostly see the upgrade effort as a drain on profits, particularly if they focus on offering lower-cost devices. Thus, they'll likely avoid the strategy. They'd prefer you buy another device, as if smartphones and tablets were disposable cameras or mere fashion items.

2. Android doesn't have enough business-savvy apps

Google has always seemed to view Android smartphones and tablets as appliances to be used by consumers whose mobile activities and searches would feed Google's information empire. Thus, Google has provided only basic email and calendaring, and Android has historically lacked business-oriented third-party apps -- and still does.

By contrast, Apple has had powerful email and calendar apps and an Office-level productivity suite, iWork, on the iPad and iPhone since 2010, and it early on encouraged a wide range of developers to create business-class apps, such as FTPOnTheGo Pro, GoodReader, Adobe Reader, OmniFocus, Evernote, Dropbox, Scanner Pro, Grafio, iThoughts, Microsoft Office, and various IBM, Oracle, and SAP clients. Apple also supported volume business licenses well before Google thought to do so.

The Google Apps suite is a weak productivity tool on both iOS and Android, but until Microsoft ported Office from iOS to Android last year, Apps was the best business tool on Android (well, maybe second-best after Polaris Office). Microsoft's Office now holds that title, deservedly so. But Android's list of business-class apps beyond Microsoft's remains small, limited to the likes of Slack, TripIt, Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, AnyConnect, Evernote, and Acrobat Reader.

Apple is focused on getting enterprise-specific apps on iOS, first with its IBM partnership and now its SAP partnership. I suspect Salesforce.com and perhaps Oracle will join the party soon. Microsoft has already incorporated iOS as a key part of its all-platforms app strategy, with Apple's encouragement. Apple has also worked closely with the major health car providers like Cerner to make iOS the preferred mobile platform for health care providers.

In addition, Apple has been revising iOS and its iPad line (via the iPad Pro) to appeal more strongly to business users, so both the apps and the hardware feel more like business equipment.

Furthermore, Apple has been quietly sending teams to enterprises for years to understand their needs and find ways to support them directly or through third parties; the latest incarnation is informally known as the Mobility Partnership Program. Its methodical, persistent outreach is the basis of much of iOS's security approach and the partnerships with IBM and SAP and informal alliance with Microsoft.

Android needs serious support from business and enterprise software developers to get adoption beyond basic email access. Google or maybe Samsung needs to get that ecosystem going, then nurture it as Apple has done for iOS. A good start would be for Google to develop much better email and calendar clients than it currently offers; Samsung's clients are better than Google's, so there's already a model for Google to copy.

Until that happens, no matter how good Android's security and device quality gets, enterprises will still need to choose iOS or Windows to get real work done.

3. No one leads Android for enterprise

iOS is Apple's creation and jewel, and the company very strongly shapes its direction and drives its evolution. We've seen the results of that focused leadership when it comes to security, management, and apps.

By contrast, Android is a diffuse universe, with Google creating the operating system and some core services like the Play Store and a variety of device makers creating the actual devices.

Of those device makers, only Samsung has shown sustained leadership. It's pioneered technologies like fingerprint readers, pen input, and side displays, some successful and some not. More important for business users, it created a soup-to-nuts security stack in Knox -- after an initial fumble -- that rivals what Apple has done for iOS and BlackBerry once did for its platform.

Other companies offer similar security-oriented Android hardware stacks, such as BlackBerry and Silent Circle, but they are mere rounding errors in actual sales. They don't count as leaders. The much larger LG has had its Gate security technology since 2013, but it adds little to the equation: only the usual SE Linux core and some hardware-assisted encryption. Still, maybe LG will finally assume some enterprise leadership for Android.

Samsung has also tried, with little success, to encourage a Samsung-centered Android app ecosystem. Though Samsung is the largest seller of professional-class Android devices, Samsung-specific apps haven't taken off -- mainly because it's too dangerous for IT and developers alike to count for the long term on one name in a multivendor market that's seen providers come and go. (Remember when HTC mattered? Or Motorola?) In a way, that's too bad because Samsung is currently the only business-app nucleus available for Android.

Android aficionados argue that the diversity of the Android ecosystem is a strength. That's true in many respects: Different companies can focus on different markets, rather than struggle to do it all or leave large swaths of needs unmet. The failure of individual ecosystem participants doesn't threaten the ecosystem itself.

But such diffuse diversity also means that any major new direction or initiative requires at least tacit cooperation among enough of the ecosystem. That's not easy, and it takes time. Apple has no such cat-herding to do, so if it chooses to go all-out in this direction or that, it can do so. Apple made the choice for enterprise, but not enough of the Android ecosystem has yet done so -- especially not its official leader, Google.

The Android ecosystem can choose to change the equation

None of these issues is insurmountable, and there's been progress on all three fronts over the years. However, Apple remains ahead on all three counts and significantly ahead for the latter two (business apps and leadership focus).

If and when the Android ecosystem decides to take the enterprise as seriously as Apple has and demonstrates long-term commitment to doing so, Android will have a good shot of joining or even displacing Apple in the market.

Until then, Android will be a niche in business even if it's a majority outside the office. Frankly, that's all Google and most device makers want or need. But if they want more, it should be clear which path to take.
Data is king -- for attackers as well as defenders.

Malicious hackers have long collected and used data in a systematic manner. For example, they investigate all the public-facing servers of a particular target company, as well as document their IP addresses, services, software versions, and back-end relationships. They collect as much publicly accessible information as possible, including harvested credentials, then test potential weak spots.

So-called advanced persistent threat (APT) adversaries have large databases with deep information on each target to identify existing hacking pathways. Typically, a separate database holds their collection of zero-days. When a target is identified, those databases help determine the plan of attack.

According to sources who have spoken publicly, zero-days are used as a last resort. That implies that APT hackers have detailed lists of vulnerabilities for each target.

Elite attack squads

Ive seen many APT teams come back to an existing vulnerable target, move to different servers they had access before, and type long, complicated directory path names without a mistake.

They immediately pull up the CIO and CISOs email account and type in the right passwords as fast as the legitimate owners. They type in keyword searches that involve terms theyve searched for earlier in combination with new terms. They will use one companys partnership to break into the other companys network. They know the major players, the key databases, and the most valuable file shares -- and they do this at every target company. Its obvious they are using databases to track relevant information.

The people who are behind the data curve are the defenders.

Most defenders have at most a few good databases to support defense, beginning with a database detailing all the malware detected by their main antivirus product. They probably have a rudimentary aggregated event log and possibly a vulnerability database listing their own assets' found vulnerabilities. What they lack is a complete picture from end to end.

Your cyber security dream database

I know a few companies working on dream cyber security databases. They inventory all their existing security databases, bring them into one or more larger aggregated databases, and normalize them to derive valuable information.

For threat intelligence, they will track not only external, generalized threat intelligence, but also their own local attacks. This is huge because most companies (for reasons I cant explain) fail to track their own security incidents. They will often know more about how the world or a specific industry is hacked than they do about their own experiences.

Not that creating a consolidated database about attacks on your company is necessarily easy -- this particular data stream usually requires information from several different databases, including antimalware, firewall logs, event logs, Web server logs, file auditing, and application auditing, at a minimum.

You have to start by trying to accurately identify the past, current, and most likely threats and exploits, then figure out how you can detect them. For example, if you have been attacked successfully by APT in the past, which of your tools would detect the same (or likely) APT methods in the future? If you were successfully exploited by password-guessing or pass-the-hash attacks, which detection methods would mostly likely clue you into them happening again?

The idea is to identify all the ways in which you could detect a particular attack -- which tools, which configurations -- and figure out the gaps. By understanding your threats and how you can detect them, you can start to figure out which detection methods work best and which have too many false positives and false negatives.

Many companies (and vendors) are working to create massive lists along these lines. For example: What are all the ways to detect pass-the-hash attacks? How do you detect buffer overflow attacks? The idea is to take all those methods, then automate attack-detection and alerting. You want the computer to figure out whether a string of bad logons is a hacking problem or an errant script or if it's several people coming back from holiday at the same time.

Youll often hear this referred to as machine learning by vendors trying to sell computer security software, but its not. Machine learning is when the computer figures out, using regression analysis, how to detect and alert on an event on its own, without being previously instructed.

Your database of mitigation measures

After youve collated localized threats and figured out how to detect them, it's time to move onto the last stage: mitigation. You want to marry your deployed defenses against the most likely threats facing your high-value assets.

A mitigation database should show how many of your existing, deployed mitigations would work to reduce the risk of a particular threat -- and note the gaps. Most mitigations work against multiple threats, but you also surely have some that are very specific.

You might find you have multiple mitigations intended to minimize the same threat -- maybe too many in some cases. By the same token, almost inevitably you find gaps where no mitigations have been applied -- or mitigations that dont seem to be doing the job.

Threat intelligence married to detection married to mitigation allows you to account for all the most likely threats and to hold deployed defenses accountable for stopping those threats. Without a "superdatabase" that contains all three, you cant make such value-based decisions.

Your cyber security database in action

Along with those three food groups, the best security databases should allow mature business intelligence queries to run.

Heres a great example: Suppose a new Web-based cross-site scripting (CSS) attack starts making the rounds, particularly in your industry. With the appropriate databases and query language, you could ask how many high-value servers you had in your environment that were susceptible to those same cross-site scripting attacks.

You could then query which deployed mitigations would stop the CSS attacks and which were deployed against those servers. In a few minutes you could report to management the threat from the new attack and how big of a risk it was in your own environment.

A good computer security defense database not only lets you track statistics, but gives you valuable information during your time of need. Instead of waiting for something to happen or taking guesses, you can assess the threat and the risk with real-time information.

The old cliche that your data is your most valuable asset still holds true, but data hasn't been taken seriously enough in the computer security world. How are your computer security defense databases doing?
Village Volkswagen will host an Operation Kidsafe event on Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 6001 International Dr. in Chattanooga.

Operation Kidsafe is free and private for families. Parents take home the only record of the visit, a Bio Document, that is ready to hand to law enforcement in an emergency. Safety tips to start a family safety action plan are also included.
Aside from security improvements, version 4.6 of the Linux kernel, released over the weekend, offers enhancements for ARM processors and touchscreens.

Embedded ARM support in the upgrade features backing for 13 SoCs (system on a chip), including systems from Allwinner, LG, Qualcomm, and Broadcomm. WiFi routers, the Nexus 7 smartphone, and the Raspberry Pi nanocomputer, all will have improved support for their boards, according to the Linux Foundation.

Version 4.6's backing for RMI4, the native protocol for Synaptics devices, means better support for touchscreens on a variety of devices.

The foundation also noted the kernel adds performance enhancements and features for 64-bit ARM architecture. The half-precision floating point format for binary numbers is supported as well.

For IBM architecture, the Foundation said support would be forthcoming for Power9 processors. Meanwhile, drivers have been improved for Intel's Skylake processors.

Among other changes, version 4.6 fixes a bug that caused thermal throttling in some Lenovo laptops, according to the foundation. As a result, some users may notice a change in temperature control. Support also has been improved for Dell laptops, including Alienware gaming systems.

The new version corrects an Infiniband interface problem as well. Linux creator Linus Torvalds said earlier this month that few would be affected by this problem anyway, and a workaround had been available.
If a dropped ice cream cone is one of the saddest images in the world, then the loss of tens of thousands of dollars of ice cream -- especially Ben & Jerry's ice cream -- is a tragedy.

It's also a huge financial hit, and one that Udder Ventures experienced when a new walk-in freezer malfunctioned at its Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop in the Haight-Asbury section of San Francisco.

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The equipment wasn't installed perfectly -- it wasn't localized for temperature variances in San Francisco properly, said John Slater, Udder Ventures' chief euphoria officer (the managing member of the company). So, it kept tripping the system, and when the system tripped, the freezer shut off -- and the ice cream melted.

"It turned off 230 times in nine months. That loss of product is substantial -- tens of thousands of dollars of lost product," Slater said. "I had many sleepless nights. And I'd come in every morning and have this anxiety: 'Is all my ice cream melted again or did it stay on last night?'"

The scoop shop had a security system that included a trip alarm connected to the freezer. It would send an email notification if it sensed a problem, but no specific information about the problem, so Slater didn't know, for example, if the freezer was shutting down again or if it was simply the defrost cycle, which occurs four times a day.

And if he received an alert in the middle of the night, he would have to go to the shop to make sure the freezer was still running.

"I had a lot of sleepless nights. I lost a lot of money. I finally decided this was giving me an ulcer and I needed a solution," Slater said.

Temperature sensor to the rescue

After nine months, the scoop shop's freezer was recalibrated and stopped tripping the system and shutting down. After what Slater went through, though, he was on edge wondering if the freezer was going to fail again. The email alerts were still unhelpful and were often false positives. Slater needed a better sensor system.

He decided to use a temperature sensor system from Monnit Corp. in Kayesville, Utah. The system takes what's essentially a dumb piece of equipment and makes it smart, said Brad Walters, CEO of Monnit.

Udder Ventures Serving up ice cream at the perfect temperature at the Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop in the Haight-Asbury section of San Francisco

It includes a probe that goes into the freezer; a wireless, battery-operated sensor; a gateway to receive the data and then send it to a cloud-based portal. Finally, software analyzes the data and alerts users when sensors detect a problem.

The sensors run on a quarter-size battery that will last two years, and they operate long range -- 200 feet to 300 feet through walls, Walters said.

Monnit's sensors operate on low-frequency wireless technology Monnit developed specifically for IoT. Many other companies use existing wireless technology, which is less efficient and less reliable for IoT devices, he said.

"A lot of the companies out there are typically trying to use existing wireless technologies like Wi-Fi to deliver IoT connectivity," Walters said. "The challenge is Wi-Fi was developed for streaming audio or streaming a video. It's like using a Mack truck to try and deliver a little red wagon worth of data. So, inherently it's much less efficient."

Walters also said Wi-Fi-based sensors consume much more battery power, and transmit about one-fifth the range of Monnit sensors.

Slater said the sensor system was relatively inexpensive and easy to install, and it provides useful information -- more than what Slater said he could get from any other sensor system.

"I took out the security system's probe in the freezer, inserted the Monnit probe, put a battery in the sensor, logged into the iMonnit portal and turned the sensor on. And immediately my probe started feeding me information," he said.

And when the system issues an alert, it includes detailed information to help Slater quickly determine if it's an emergency or not.

When Slater gets an alert, he can log in to the portal via the iMonnit app or through Monnit's web-based software. The online software uses SSL encryption for web access, and user access and permissions are managed through the software once logged in as an administrator for their account.

The software supports a variety of user permissions that the administrator controls, ranging from `view-only' for individual sensor networks to creating additional administrators at the account level (and everything in between). For example, a user can have manage capabilities for one sensor network and view-only permission for all other sensor networks on the account.

Monnit also provides local PC software (Monnit Express), which runs on the user's computer and does not need access to the internet. The software is limited to 10 wireless gateways and 50 wireless sensors at a time.

The data can also be exported to APIs to run in a company's own applications.

Data allows for better business decisions

Slater said the alerts from the Monnit system provide useful information, which helps him make good decisions -- does he need to wake up a manager to go into the store, does he need to call an emergency 24/7 repair person, or can he relax because he knows the defrost cycle triggered the alert?

"It's a lot smarter than the security system I used to have," he said. "And the whole thing, including a year's subscription to the portal, is about $300. It's a minor investment for all of the information you get and compared with the cost of lost product."

Also, because the sensors are so accurate, Slater said he can adjust the freezer to the temperature he wants the ice cream to be. He can handle the product better, as well as better manage the power usage.

And he hasn't lost any product -- or sleep -- since the sensor was installed.

"Unfortunately I had to go through a crisis to find out this technology was available," Slater said. "But I went through it and thought there must be a better way, and sure enough there was."

This story, "How the IoT keeps Ben & Jerrys ice cream safe" was originally published by Network World .
SAP and Microsoft have expanded an existing partnership to offer new products to users of the Azure and Office 365 cloud services, focused on better integrating the two companies' offerings.

Azure customers will be able to use SAP HANA in Microsoft's public cloud, expanding the reach of that popular relational database service. SAP is also integrating its services including Fieldglass, Concur and SuccessFactors with Microsoft Office 365, so users can get the benefits of Microsoft's communications, collaboration, calendar and document editing tools.

This all fits into Microsoft's ongoing strategy of partnering broadly with a variety of companies, including those that compete against it in some businesses. Teaming up with SAP can make Azure and Office 365 more appealing to companies that are already tied into SAP's ecosystem, and drive adoption of each company's products.

The Azure integration in particular helps Microsoft better compete against Amazon Web Services, which already offers a service that lets developers run SAP HANA in the public cloud. What sets Azure's HANA offering apart from AWS's is the total amount of memory that the service can bring to bear.

Microsoft says that its support for 3TB of memory on a single HANA instance outpaces Amazon's offering, which can currently only handle 2TB of data on a single node. Azure will also allow developers to deploy a HANA configuration with 32TB of memory across 16 nodes, and a variety of more resource-light configurations, too.

For Office 365 users, the SAP integrations are going to make it easier for employees to get work done without having to move around from one piece of software to another. Case in point: the integration between Concur and Office 365 that the two companies showed off lets employees start the process of booking travel right from their calendar.

It's a fairly straightforward workflow, since Concur knows where a user is, where they're going and when, thanks to the information contained in their calendar. The integrations aren't available yet, but SAP and Microsoft say that they'll start coming online in the third quarter of this year.
Cybercriminals can call on an extensive network of specialists for "business" expertise, including people who train and recruit, launder money, and provide escrow services, according to HPE.

The cybercriminal underground includes people who provide human resources functions, like recruiting and background checks, but also specialists who help market and sell exploit kits and compromised data and others who serve as middlemen in anonymous transactions, says The Business of Hacking white paper from Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Cybercriminals are increasingly taking a business-based approach toward their activities, with some organizations developing in-house training, disaster recovery, and other business functions, and others contracting for those services in the underground marketplace, said Shogo Cottrell, a security strategist with HPE Security. Cyber-crime is maturing as a business model, he added.

"They are following the money, in a sense," Cottrell said. Cybercriminals are embracing the "traditional sound business practices of increasing your revenue, reducing your costs, maximizing your profit."

Some criminal hacking businesses offer 24-by-seven telephone support, others offer money-back guarantees on their products, Cottrell said.

These traditional business models, with marketing teams focused on the reputation of the cybercriminal groups, help build up the groups' reputations in the criminal underground, Cottrell said.

It's hard to maintain trust and a reputation in the cybercriminal community, "given that there's a lot of paranoia and there's a lot of distrust," Cottrell said. With a marketing team, "they can market the things they're doing a put a good face in front of the underground public."

The HPE paper identifies advertising fraud and extortion as types of cybercrime that have high payout potential while requiring relatively little effort and involving low risk to criminals. Hacktivism and credit card fraud are relatively easy and low risk but offer low payout potential.

Organized crime and intellectual property theft, on the other hand, offer large paydays, but can be difficult to pull off and can be risky.

The HPE paper recommends that businesses take several steps to disrupt cybercriminals. Businesses can disrupt hacker profits by using end-to-end encryption on their sensitive data, and by deploying application security tools, the white paper says.

"Attackers prefer easy targets, so deploying any technologies to harden your assets will have dramatic results," the paper says.

Many businesses suffering breaches still fail to deploy basic security measures, such as patching software and two-factor authentication, Cottrell said. Hackers conduct their own risk analysis on potential targets; if a company looks difficult to attack, they will move on, he said.

Honeypots or deception grids -- realistic duplications of a business' network set up to trap attackers -- can also be effective, HPE said. These duplicated networks are "complex but may represent the future of getting ahead of the attackers and disrupting them," the paper says.

Businesses being attacked by cybercriminals shouldn't rely on government action, however, the paper says. While many countries are enacting harsher punishments for cybercrime, there's an enforcement problem in some parts of the world, the paper notes.

Harsh penalties in some countries are "driving attackers to operate in ... more lenient countries to reduce their risk," HPE says.
SAP has updated its flagship Hana in-memory computing platform with a raft of new features designed to make IT simpler while giving organizations a better handle on their data.

The updates, announced Tuesday at the company's annual Sapphire Now conference in Florida, include a new hybrid data management service in the cloud and a new version of the company's Hana Edge edition for SMBs.

"We've taken an already rock solid platform and further hardened security, enhanced availability, unified the development and administration experience, and expanded advanced analytic capabilities," Michael Eacrett, vice president of product management for SAP, wrote in a blog post detailing the new release.

Launched more than five years ago, Hana forms the basis for S/4Hana, the enterprise suite SAP released in early 2015.

Among Hana's key new features is a graph data processing capability that allows organizations to visualize data connections for a better understanding of the complex relationships among people, places, and things. It can help companies detect fraud, for instance, or uncover new business opportunities, SAP said.

A new "capture and replay" feature, meanwhile, helps IT departments capture live workloads and replay them on a target system. The result is that the IT staff can evaluate new features, assess upgrade options, and measure impact before making changes to the live production system.

The new Hana version also introduces an expanded maintenance lifecycle program that lets companies choose between consistent maintenance of their Hana environment for up to three years or adopting the latest Hana innovations twice a year.

Hybrid data management services are now available in the cloud through an invitation-only beta program for strategic customers. By requiring less hardware infrastructure and offering rapid integration across cloud and on-premise deployments, the hybrid model delivers a lower total cost of ownership, SAP said.

Finally, SAP also released an advanced version of its Hana Edge edition for small to mid-sized businesses. The latest edition includes SAP Predictive Analytics software and supports a 32 GB database along with 128GB of dynamic tiering.

One benefit for users is that admins can "cost-effectively manage 'hot' data between pricey memory and lower-cost storage," noted Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT.

Time will tell whether the new features help SAP win new Hana customers. Last October SAP announced that more than 1,300 companies had already signed on with S/4Hana, but a survey released shortly thereafter found lingering hesitation over issues including licensing.
In a TechNet post called "Simplifying updates for Windows 7 and 8.1," Microsoft engineer Nathan Mercer has wonderful news for Windows 7 customers -- particularly those who've spent hours and hours (and days) waiting for Windows Updates.

While it eschews the old-fashioned phrase "service pack," Mercer's announcement is exactly that.

Here's how he puts it:

We're making available a new convenience rollup for Windows 7 SP1 ... [it] contains all the security and non-security fixes released since the release of Windows 7 SP1 that are suitable for general distribution, up through April 2016. Install this one update, and then you only need new updates released after April 2016.... This convenience update is completely optional; it doesn't have to be installed and won't even be offered via Windows Update -- you can choose whether or not you want to use it.

The Microsoft Update Catalog site is so ancient, it requires Internet Explorer and an ActiveX control.

The downloaded package -- identified as KB 3125574, at 477MB for 64-bit systems -- doesn't yet have an associated Knowledge Base article, nor are there any installation instructions for the downloaded file (double-click on the file ending in .msu to invoke the Windows Update Standalone Installer).

Most confusing, the update on offer is clearly marked as a Windows 7 update. There's no analogous update for Windows 8.1 yet.

Mercer goes on to say:

Also today we are announcing that non-security updates for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 (as well as Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2) will be available as a monthly rollup (fixes rolled up together into a single update). Each month, we will release a single update containing all of the non-security fixes for that month. We are making this change -- shifting to rollup updates, to improve the reliability and quality of our updates.... These fixes will be available through Windows Update, WSUS, and SCCM as well as the Microsoft Update catalog. We hope this monthly rollup update simplifies your process of keeping Windows 7, and 8.1 up-to-date.

That should come as a huge relief to the 50 percent of Windows users who are still on Windows 7.

I read it as Windows 7 Service Pack 2 and (possibly, at some point) Windows 8.1 Service Pack 1. But never mind. You can call it anything you like, as long as it works.

Tests are underway.
Buy Signal on Wheat, buy wheat now! Banghart Properties - Mon Oct 24, 9:13PM CDT We have issued a buy signal in wheat.

Shootin' the Bull Swift Trading Company - Mon Oct 24, 5:24PM CDT With boxes and cattle higher, the consumer may be in for a shock when these higher prices are passed along. Live cattle futures set new contract highs in some months. Risk management to the fat cattle...

Limit Loss for Dec Cotton Barchart - Mon Oct 24, 4:52PM CDT Cotton continued to sell off into the new week, with December going home down a limit 3 cents. Dec did stay above the Friday low. The other front months closed 167 to 281 points weaker. USDAs weekly... CTZ22 : 76.49 (+0.47%) CTH23 : 76.00 (+0.34%) CTK23 : 75.85 (+0.40%)

Wheats Weaker Out of Weekend Barchart - Mon Oct 24, 4:52PM CDT The wheat market closed with Monday losses of +10 cents in the winter wheats. Front month MGE futures were down by 3 to 3 3/4 cents on the day. CBT prices dropped by 10 to 12 cents through the front months.... ZWZ22 : 839-2s (unch) ZWH23 : 858-4s (unch) ZWPAES.CM : 7.7336 (-1.52%) KEZ22 : 937-4 (unch) KEPAWS.CM : 8.9620 (-1.06%) MWZ22 : 954-0 (-0.39%)

Hogs Close Steady on Monday Barchart - Mon Oct 24, 4:52PM CDT December lean hog futures dropped triple digits out of the weekend, but the other front months closed mixed and within a dime of UNCH. December hogs are now a $2.52 discount to the Feb contract. The USDA... HEZ22 : 87.925s (-1.35%) HEJ23 : 93.900s (+0.05%) KMZ22 : 97.750s (-0.26%)

Cattle Rally Continued Post CoF Barchart - Mon Oct 24, 4:52PM CDT The new week of cattle trading did little to stall the rally. December fats printed another new LoC high, now at $154.20, Feb also printed a new high, but the April and June contracts remained under their... LEV22 : 151.600s (+0.75%) LEZ22 : 154.125s (+1.12%) LEG23 : 156.975s (+0.93%) GFV22 : 175.675s (+0.23%) GFX22 : 179.150s (+0.45%)

Corn Futures Ended Red on Monday Barchart - Mon Oct 24, 4:52PM CDT Mondays corn trade pulled futures 1 1/2 to 2 3/4 cents lower. December had reached $6.77 1/4 on the low of the day, but went home 4 1/4 cents above it. NASS reported 97% of the corn crop was mature... ZCZ22 : 681-4s (unch) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.7135 (-0.30%) ZCH23 : 687-4s (unch) ZCK23 : 687-4s (unch)

Soybean Prices Close Double Digits Lower Barchart - Mon Oct 24, 4:52PM CDT The new week of soybean trading starts with double digit losses in the front month contracts. November was down by the most after the options expiration on Friday, having settled 1.68% in the red. Meal... ZSX22 : 1375-2s (+0.24%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.2708 (-1.72%) ZSF23 : 1384-2s (+0.22%) ZSH23 : 1392-6s (+0.25%)
Hundreds of volunteers and local celebrities will be collecting spare change at 39 McDonalds Restaurants for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga, a home away from home for families of ill or injured children on Friday, June 3 from 7-10:30 a.m.

"Day of Change is a great opportunity to show the importance of giving back, even in the smallest gesture," officials said. "Other than donating your spare change, you can purchase Times Free Press newspapers at contributing McDonalds locations for $1. A portion of each newspaper sold will be given to the charity."



If you arent able to donate on June 3, Regions Bank branches will be raising money for RMHC the entire week prior to the event. Change buckets will be located next to the teller windows.



"It costs RMHC of Greater Chattanooga $66 to host one family for one night. With 26 families to take care of, even the smallest donation helps. Last year alone, RMHC Day of Change locally raised more than $16,000 in just a few short hours. These funds go to help the charitys support programs focused to improve the health and well-being of children," officials said. "RMHC Day of Change embraces the importance of giving back and keeping families close to help those in need. Thank you to Chattanooga Times Free Press, Regions Bank, and area McDonald's for partnering with RMHC of Greater Chattanooga."



For more information, visit www.rmhchattanooga.com or contact Tiffany Cobb at 423-778-4338.
Alex Trebek often says that teachers are among the best Jeopardy! contestants, along with lawyers, and so the nightly quiz show began a two-week Teachers Tournament in 2011 (so far, no tournament dedicated to attorneys appears forthcoming). In 2016, Farmers Insurance partnered with Jeopardy! by giving each of the 15 educators in the tournament a $2,500 educational grant to fund classroom projects through its Thank Americas Teachers initiative. As part of this program, Farmers gives away over $1 million annually in the form of six $100,000 Dream Big Teacher Challenge awards and 180 grants of $2,500 to K-12 teachers across the United States.

That's nice stash of cash for K-12 teachers to know about. And with an interesting backstory, too.

The purpose of Thank Americas Teachers is exactly what the name implies: showing gratitude for the educators who have inspired us and shaped our lives. Everyone has a story to tell of their favorite teacher, the one that went above and beyond the call of duty, Farmers Insurance explains on its website. But for us, thanking America's teachers is more than about just showing our appreciation. It's also about giving them the ability to make a big impact in their classrooms and community.

This years Teachers Tournament champion, Jason Sterlacci, is going to use his grant to help students at New Jerseys Burnet Middle School learn about creative writing and publish their own e-books. Other tournament contestants will spend the money on projects such as modular furniture to create innovative work spaces, upgrades to smart boards, a pilot reading program for underperforming students, and new books for a school that hasnt seen fresh reading materials in a long time.

To submit a proposal for a $2,500 grant before the May 31, 2016 deadline, teachers have to receive a thank you through the program (teachers can even thank themselves). Starting in June, people will vote on the proposals to determine the winners. All full-time, currently employed K-12 teachers are eligible to participate.

Unlike Jeopardy! responses, applications need not be phrased in the form of a question.

The $100,000 Dream Big Teacher Challenge is an opportunity for educators with a big idea for how to improve their schools to implement a project that would otherwise go unfunded. Last year, a teacher in Shawnee, Kansas, won with her idea to buy computers and integrate coding into her schools curriculum. Another teacher in Atlanta, Georgia, was able to build a playground with ramps and other accessible features for students with special needs. The deadline for this years proposals is June 30.

Weve been writing a lot lately about grants for teacher training, which is clearly important in improving education, along with other sophisticated funding efforts. But there are tons of existing teachers who could also use funding of a far more mundane form. Teachers know better than anyone what their classrooms lack, and 92 percent spend their own money on supplies. So it's cool to see a grants program that allows educators to spend cash on projects that they think will make the biggest difference in their schools.
While the 1995 World Conference on Women held in Beijing was seen as a turning point for global gender equity, the U.N.'s Women Deliver Conference in Copenhagen this week may mark another significant turn of events for womens empowerment. The conference kicked off with a surprise announcement by Melinda Gates of an $80 million investment from the Gates Foundation designed to close gender data gaps and empower women and girls worldwide.

We knew the Gates Foundation was trending in the direction of funding for womens empowerment, but this initiative suggests that the trend is here to stay. Why? Because data collection is typically phase one when the foundation goes big in a funding area. The next, more extensive phase, is intervention. And in that department, the Gates Foundation, and philanthropy in general, has only scratched the surface of the work to be done for gender equity.

The idea behind the new commitment is that data holds power, and that, by measuring the problem of inequality for women, we can begin to develop ways to tackle that problem.

This commitment comes within the context of growing partnerships across philanthropy and government. These partnerships emphasize that better gender data is critical for global development. Today, the U.N. released a statement, along with the Gates Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, and U.S., U.K., Australian, and Canadian governments, among others, committing to an agenda that accelerates progress toward gender equality.

"By adopting the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) the world agreed to achieve gender equality by 2030. But we cannot close the gender gap without first closing the data gap," said Melinda Gates.

As we've reported, the Hewlett Foundation last year arrived at that same conclusion, embarking upon a new initiative that gives special attention to data collection on women's economic activities. Right now, women's economic contributions are only dimly understood in developing countries, in part because so many women work in the informal economy. These blind spots make it hard to develop good economic policyincluding approaches that ensure more opportunities for women.

Related: Hewlett Shines a Flashlight at Forgotten Women's Work in Poor Countries

With this funding, Melinda Gates is advancing a bigger vision: Using data to hold the world accountable on its newfound agreement to prioritize gender equity. The $80 million will fund a wide range of data collection efforts, including those that determine how much time women and girls spend on unpaid work around the globe, and how this impacts their ability to become educated, join the workforce, and develop economic security. The funding will also investigate programs and interventions that are addressing gender equality, and support efforts across government that are promoting gender equity.

This high-profile announcement by Melinda Gates is yet another indicator that's she stepping up her global leadership on women's issues, and swinging more of the foundation's resources behind her. Earlier this year, we explored the various signs that Melinda is forging a new path in philanthropic work that puts gender front and center. Most notably, she created her own unit within the Gates Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, that has a big focus on gender equity.

And just how much has women's empowerment become a top priority for the Gates Foundation writ large? Has the foundation's grantmaking in this area already moved beyond the 5 to 7 percent mark, beating out the overall amount that researchers estimate foundations give specifically for women's and girls' initiatives?

That's hard to say, since grants that touch on women are distributed throughout the foundations giving areas. From a search of the Gates Foundations grants database, it appears the foundation is steadily making more grants in this area. For example, in 2012, a rough count found that the foundation made 26 grants addressing womens needs in some way, while in 2013, it made 48 such grants; in 2015, Gates gave 69 grants toward women and girls across all grant areas for the foundation. The amounts of these grants have also grown steadily, with more recent grants ranging into the millions, such as a $3.7 million grant in 2015 to the International Food Policy Institute, for the purpose of better understanding the impact and pathways of self-help groups on womens and childrens nutrition in India.

Some past grants have specifically focused on data collection. As we've reported, Gates partnered with The Clinton Foundation in 2014 to fund No Ceilings and the Full Participation Project, the largest data research and analysis projects to date on the global status of women. Gates made a $2.1 million grant to the Womens Philanthropy Institute last year to explore questions related to women and giving.

So it appears the Gates Foundation is taking the gender equality agenda seriously. Its not a sideline, not a once-and-done. We'll be watching to see how far the foundation pursues gender equalitypowered by new better and data.

Related:Pay Attention: The Most Powerful Woman in Philanthropy Is Zeroing in on Gender Equality
The former Brazilian Finance minister is looking at capital markets borrowing and the creation of a reference index for infrastructure debt.

In his brief stint as Finance minister of Brazil, Joaquim Levy spent most of last year trying to cut government spending and boost revenue in a last-ditch effort to contain the budget deficit under Dilma Rousseff, the countrys now-suspended president. These days Levy has a new job and a radically different objective: getting money to flow out the door faster at the World Bank Group, where he serves as CFO and one of three managing directors under president Jim Yong Kim.

The bank extends some $60 billion a year in loans, grants, equity investments and risk insurance, and demand for its assistance is growing fast, reflecting both the recent Paris agreements call for more aid to help developing countries adapt to climate change and the need for financing to fulfill the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Levy, 55, who joined the Washington-based bank in February, sees two possible ways of increasing its lending power. First, hes exploring the idea of enabling the International Development Association, the bank arm that makes concessional loans and grants in the worlds poorest countries, to borrow on the capital markets for the first time.

With rich nations unlikely to boost their contributions much in the IDA replenishment round that ends in December, leverage is the best option for giving the institution more punch, Levy says, while pension funds and other long-term investors show a growing appetite for impact and other socially responsible investments. Anything we do would probably get a good reception in the market, he predicts.

The University of Chicagotrained economist, who ran Bradesco Asset Management, Brazils No. 3 fund manager, from 2010 to 2014, is also working with the Institute of International Finance, an industry association, to try to develop a reference index for infrastructure debt. Such an index could spur investment flows to the sector, just like J.P. Morgans Emerging Market Bond Index helped to spark the takeoff of EM bond investing in the 1990s, he says: It would be a fundamental step to make project bonds an asset class.

Visit Tom Buerkles blog and follow him on Twitter at @tombuerkle.
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With several of its existing funds solidly in the black this year, the quant giant has raised money for a new macro fund.
"It's forced us to open up our digital kimono"
Uber has launched its services in South Australia as another state has welcomed ride-sharing.The move into South Australia now sees Uber offered in a majority of Australian states as only Tasmania and Northern Territory remain without a presence from the ride-sharing company.South Australia legalised ride-sharing earlier this year but Uber remained on the sidelines in the state until this weekend.The business took to the streets of the state with an offer of free trips in Adelaide and Tom White, general manager of Uber in South Australia, told the ABC that the company would keep free rides for an indefinite period, to show the lack of need for red tape."As the only mainland state not to have tried the service we wanted to ensure everyone had the chance to make their own minds up about what the future of transportation in Adelaide should look like," White said."We have always been very passionate about providing ride-sharing technology to Adelaide. It's always been our intention, our hope, our ambition to bring the technology to Adelaide because we think it is long overdue."What we're doing is demonstrating that those benefits can be opened up to the community without there being burdensome and costly process involved."Previously, the company had said that it approach the state with caution  but Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan told the ABC that the company did not want to be left behind."We were pretty confident that what we saw last week from Uber was just a bit of chest pumping and trying to put some pressure on Government to reduce some requirements for drivers whether it is police checks of vehicle inspections," Mullighan said.South Australia joins the ACT and New South Wales as the only states to legalise the service.
Unum employees from across the U.S., U.K. and Ireland share their commitments to social causes, education and the arts and the communities they call home in the companys annual Corporate Responsibility Report that was released on Tuesday. Their stories illustrate Unums focus on social responsibility through a culture that strives to make a positive difference.

When I joined Unum, the thing that struck me most was the dedication everyone shares for our work  and our passion for the social value of the benefits we provide, said Dr. Chris Schenk, Unum UK chief medical officer, one of several employees featured in the report.

The same passion Unum employees have for helping others and improving access to financial protection benefits extends into the communities in which the company operates.

Unum and its employees directed $12.7 million in contributions and resources to help organizations and initiatives focused on one or more of the companys pillars of giving: education, health and wellness, and arts and culture.

This includes Unum employees volunteering more than 88,000 hours and holding more than 350 nonprofit board seats.

More than half of the companys contributions go to support public education and employees are encouraged to get involved with programs that offer opportunities for students to learn and improve their chances of success in life.

For Legal Operations Manager Michelle Latino, that meant getting involved in South High Community Schools Teen Care, a program in Worcester, Mass., where she mentors teen mothers and works with them on life skills, career planning, interviewing and communication skills.

The opportunity to support teen mothers, and to do so as part of her job, is very meaningful to Ms. Latino, as she had her son while still a teenager.

Its a testament to our company that when we recognize a way to contribute to something greater than ourselves, were part of a culture that encourages us to act on that opportunity, Ms. Latino said.

Drew Newhart, a sales representative in the companys Charlotte, N.C. office, said hed worked for a few different organizations before he joined Unum, but hadnt experienced anything like its commitment to being a socially responsible organization.

Now Im part of a company that shares my core belief in a lifestyle of generosity and service, he said.

View Unums complete 2015 Corporate Responsibility Report or go online to learn more about the companys commitment to the communities in which it operates.
Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., the Canadian investment firm led by Prem Watsa, is in advanced talks to buy control of Indonesian financial group PT Paninvests non-life insurance unit, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The transaction would value the Jakarta-based business at about $200 million, according to the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. Shares of the Paninvest unit, formally known as PT Asuransi Multi Artha Guna, jumped as much as 13.6 percent in Jakarta trading Tuesday to hit the highest level since September, giving the insurer a market value of as much as 2 trillion rupiah ($151 million).

An agreement could be announced in the next few weeks, according to one of the people. The deal being discussed comes with a so-called bancassurance agreement, which would allow insurance products to be distributed and sold through the branches of Paninvests lending affiliate PT Bank Pan Indonesia, the people said.

Foreign insurers have been drawn to Southeast Asia as increasing wealth leads to rising demand for coverage. A deal would add to the $5.2 billion of acquisitions in the Indonesian financial industry over the past three years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Indonesia is a market with a lot of potential for global insurance companies, John Teja, director at PT Ciptadana Securities, said by phone from Jakarta on Tuesday. For Indonesian companies, being associated with a good foreign name can lift their credentials and can attract more customers.

Share Jump

Paninvest shares jumped as much as 4.8 percent in Jakarta trading Tuesday and were unchanged at the mid-day break. Bank Pan Indonesias biggest shareholder, PT Panin Financial, rose as much as 3.6 percent, the most intraday in almost a week.

An agreement hasnt been reached yet, and theres no certainty the talks will result in a transaction, according to the people. Any deal would be subject to regulatory approvals, the people said.

Fairfax President Paul Rivett didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. A representative for Asuransi Multi Artha Guna didnt immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment outside regular business hours in Jakarta.

Value Investor

Fairfaxs Watsa, often compared to Berkshire Hathaway Inc.s Warren Buffett for his contrarian and value-investing style, has purchased insurers around the world including in Ukraine, the U.S. and the Middle East. Since the start of 2014, the Toronto-based firm has bought stakes in BIDV Insurance Corp., a property and casualty insurer in Vietnam, as well as Malaysian general insurer MCIS Insurance Bhd. and Indonesias PT Batavia Mitratama Insurance.

Thailands Siam Commercial Bank Pcl is exploring bringing in a foreign partner for its life insurance operations, which could fetch a valuation of at least $3 billion, people familiar with the matter said last month. Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Holdings Inc. is nearing an agreement with CIMB Group Holdings Bhd. to distribute general insurance products through the Malaysian lenders branches across Asia, people with knowledge of the matter said earlier.

PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia, the countrys most profitable lender, canceled the sale process for a 40 percent stake in its life insurance arm, people with knowledge of the matter said in January. BNP Paribas Cardif, an arm of Frances largest bank, had been vying with Hong Kong billionaire Richard Lis FWD Group and South Koreas Hanwha Life Insurance Co. for the holding, valued at $400 million to $500 million, the people said at the time.

With assistance from Katia Dmitrieva and Harry Suhartono.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Carriers
A group of re/insurance and global broking CEOs are assisting the work of the Insurance Development Forum (IDF), which was launched last month to help build resilience to climate risk and natural disasters, while bridging the insurance protection gap for developing nations.

Formed by the United Nations and the World Bank Group, the IDF aims to use insurers risk expertise to address the insurance related challenges and opportunities presented by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Stephen Catlin, chair of the IDF, announced the appointments of the following industry CEOs to the IDF Steering Committee:

Kathy Bardswick, president & CEO, The Co-operators Group

Inga Beale, CEO, Lloyds

Albert Benchimol, president & CEO, AXIS Capital

Gregory Case, president & CEO, Aon Corp.

Jean-Louis Davet, CEO, MGEN

Denis Duverne, deputy CEO, AXA

Daniel Glaser, president & CEO, Marsh & McLennan Cos.

John Haley, CEO, Willis Towers Watson

Denis Kessler, chairman & CEO, SCOR SE

Christian Mumenthaler, CEO Reinsurance, Swiss Re

Christopher Swift, chairman & CEO, The Hartford

Maurice Tulloch, chairman, Aviva Global Insurance

Nikolaus von Bomhard, chairman, Munich Re

Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England and chair of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), will join the IDF Steering Committee in his role as chair of the FSB (the international body that promotes international financial stability.)

In addition, Rowan Douglas, Willis Towers Watson, who conceived and drove the formation of the IDF, will serve as chair of the IDF Implementation Committee, overseeing the delivery of programs and working groups, said Catlin in a statement issued by the IDF.

These insurance industry CEOs will commit their time and their staffs risk expertise to help protect people and property from natural disasters. With their support the IDF can overcome its challenges to accomplish its goals, said Catlin. (Catlin is also executive deputy chairman of XL Catlin, deputy chair of the International Insurance Society and chair of the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers.)

Insurers are experts at risk management. These CEOs will bring essential risk management experience to the table, using the same skillset they use to manage their business risk portfolios, he noted.

This risk management expertise will enormously benefit governments since research has shown that a 1 percent increase in insurance penetration can reduce the disaster recovery burden on taxpayers by 22 percent, Catlin added.

The IDF is co-chaired by Joaquim Levy, CFO, the World Bank Group; and Helen Clark, administrator, UN Development Program (UNDP), and former Prime Minister of New Zealand.

The IDFs priorities include:

Building better understanding of natural disaster risk,

Recommending appropriate insurance regulation and legislation to promote access to insurance,

Promoting and designing public private partnerships and private sector initiatives that promote risk transfer, and

Supporting governments in managing risk and design-in resilience in natural and man-made infrastructure.

This unique project with the leaders of the UN and the World Bank Group will be closely watched by all to see that we deliver on our promise to support societys need for natural disaster risk awareness, risk management, resilience and insurance protection, Catlin added.

Source: Insurance Development Forum

Related:

Topics Reinsurance Risk Management
A federal agency on Monday released final rules on how employers can offer workers financial incentives of up to 30 percent of the cost of their cheapest health insurance plans to participate in wellness programs without violating federal laws protecting the confidentiality of medical information.

The move from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission aims to clear up confusion over the way two federal laws protecting employees medical privacy apply to the popular programs, which are designed to control medical spending by reducing obesity, smoking and other risk factors.

The rules, which were first proposed in November, mark a compromise with U.S. businesses that opposed the EEOCs previous stance that providing incentives for voluntary wellness programs rendered them involuntary, and thus illegal.

The 2010 Affordable Care Act allowed U.S. employers to increase the rewards they offer to employees who participate in wellness programs. But in a series of 2013 lawsuits against companies, including Honeywell International Inc., the EEOC said requests for medical information related to incentive-based wellness programs violated the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.

Under the new rules, incentives for wellness programs are open only to employees, not their families, and are capped at 30 percent of the cheapest individual health insurance premium offered through the employer.

The new rules are more restrictive than those passed under the ACA, which allowed incentives of up to 30 percent of the actual cost of an employees insurance plan and 50 percent for programs approved by the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services. Only smoking-cessation programs received that approval.

Senator Lamar Alexander (R.-Tennessee), chair of the Senates Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said he would push legislation, along with House Republicans, to reverse the rules.

The National Business Group on Health, a non-profit organization advocating for large healthcare employers, said that although it would have hoped for some additional flexibility the rules do what the EEOC was asked to do.

Some health and workers rights groups say the rules, which take effect next year, penalize employees who decline to join wellness programs and hand over private medical information.

Maxwell Mehlman, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, said lower-income employees could be unduly pressured to join wellness programs.

Its hard to say that thats a voluntary program for a lot of people, he said.

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Additional reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Dan Grebler)

Related:

Topics Politics
Investors have given $12.2 million to fund an insurance broker offering a cloud-based risk and insurance management system for small and mid-sized businesses. The broker, Embroker, promises to empower commercial lines customers by giving them tools to buy, compare, analyze, manage and store all of their insurance policies and data in one place.

The Series A funding of $12.2 million was led by Canaan Partners with participation from Nyca Partners and XL Innovate, as well as a new debt facility from Silicon Valley Bank. This is the second venture capital round for Embroker. Prior investors Bee Partners, FinTech Collective, Vertical Venture Partners and 500 Startups also participated in the round. That earlier July 2015 round raised $2.2 million.

Embroker uses its own software, data and predictive analytics to help businesses buy all types of commercial insurance. The system is for use by small business owners, risk managers and chief financial officers and allows users to upload their firms policies so they can analyze their coverage and benchmark it with their peers. Embroker then uses its data and predictive analytics to recommend coverage and optimize pricing.

Embroker says it has partnered with 10 commercial lines carriers for placing business, including The Hartford and Travelers, and is licensed in all 50 states. The broker has 24 employees.

This industry has needed more transparency since its inception  now it's possible to use technology to achieve that end.

Among the features it promises: Real-time access and online reporting of losses with advice on how to minimize them; the ability to track and manage vendor certificates online as well as customize requirements by project or vendor and receive notifications for non-compliance or expired policies; and a system to track assets, vehicles and drivers, add property location information and other variables.

Hub, Applied Systems Ties

San Francisco-based Embroker was founded in 2015 by CEO Matt Miller, a principal at the private equity firm Hellman & Friedman. Hellman & Friedman has interest in numerous insurance-related firms. It owns Hub International and Applied Systems and it has investments in Arch Capital Group. It previously owned Vertafore, which it sold in 2010. Miller formerly served on the boards of Hub and Applied Systems. Prior to joining Hellman & Friedman in 2013, Miller worked at Bain Capital in Boston and Hong Kong and at Bain & Co. in New York.

This industry has needed more transparency since its inception  now its possible to use technology to achieve that end, said Miller in a statement. Getting the right insurance coverage at the right price is key to the health and success of every business but, until now, all but the largest corporations have relied on traditional insurance brokers and outdated, manual processes to make those critical business decisions. By bringing clarity and simplicity to whats traditionally been an opaque and painful process, were enabling business owners to embrace insurance and risk management as tools for growth rather than obstacles.

Embroker calculates that small and medium-sized businesses typically have four to six separate insurance policies and spend up to a million dollars a year in premiums. Because the industry relies mainly on manual processes and sells complex products, few small-to-medium businesses review their insurance every year. Embroker aims to improve upon this with its platform that removes the hurdle to optimize coverage and automate the processes.

Embroker also announced the addition of Tom DeMichael as vice president of customer experience. DeMichael brings 23 years of experience in commercial insurance operations management, most recently with Willis Towers Watson. Prior to Willis, he was with The Horton Group as the director of property/casualty operations.

Commercial Lines Platforms

Embroker is among a crop of commercial lines instech startups drawing interest from investors. In March, Next Insurance, an online shopper for small businesses, announced a $13 million seed investment led by investors Zeev Ventures, TLV Partners and Ribbit Capital. Next Insurance plans to launch its first product in the spring. Also in March, New York-based CoverWallet received $2 million for what it calls its online insurance manager from Two Sigma Ventures, Highland Capital Partners, Founder Collective and other angel investors. This concierge-like service offers small businesses automatic risk analysis, document management, benchmarking and data analytics, intelligent data driven risk and insurance assessments, coverage recommendations, peer risk comparisons and claims support.

The small commercial lines market is both growing and increasingly competitive. A report from McKinsey & Co. said the competition in this market will intensify as more small business customers exhibit their openness to buying via direct and digital channels and as more large insurance carriers enter the field.

Insurers are also investing in digital platforms including the small commercial lines platform CoverHound, 24 percent of which is now owned by the new Chubb. Insureon, an online agency for small business insurance, raised more than $30 million last October. Seattle-based AssureStart, which sells to business with fewer than 30 employees, is backed by the American Family Mutual Insurance Co. Insurer Hiscox has been expanding its online platform for small businesses for a number of years.

Last December, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which owns GEICO, created Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Co. to sell insurance directly to businesses over the Internet. The new insurer planned to initially focus on workers compensation and business owners package policies.

Related:

Topics InsurTech Funding
Despite bitter resistance in Oklahoma for years to President Barack Obamas healthcare overhaul, Republican leaders in this conservative state are now confronting something that alarms them even more: a huge $1.3 billion hole in the budget that threatens to do widespread damage to the states healthcare system.

So, in what would be the grandest about-face among rightward leaning states, Oklahoma is now moving toward a plan to expand its Medicaid program to bring in billions of federal dollars from Obamas new health care system.

Whats more, GOP leaders are considering a tax hike to cover the states share of the costs.

Were to the point where the provider rates are going to be cut so much that providers wont be able to survive, particularly the nursing homes, said Republican state Rep. Doug Cox, referring to possible cuts in state funds for indigent care that could cause some hospitals and nursing homes to close.

Despite furious opposition by conservative groups, Republican Gov. Mary Fallin and some GOP legislative leaders are pushing the plan, and support appears to be growing in the overwhelmingly Republican Legislature. Details have not been ironed out but the proposal is based on an Indiana program that received federal approval.

Obama called on states to expand their Medicaid insurance for low-income residents as part of his 2014 health overhaul designed to shrink the population of uninsured Americans. Most Democratic-led states did so, along with a handful of GOP states.

But in Oklahoma, even with 20 percent of its population on Medicaid, its been no way, no how. Until now.

A bust in the oil patch has decimated state revenues, compounded by years of income tax cuts and growing corporate subsidies intended to make the state more business-friendly.

Oklahomas Medicaid agency has warned doctors and other health care providers of cuts of up to 25 percent in what the state pays under Medicaid.

We are nearing a colossal collapse of our health care system in Oklahoma, warned Craig Jones, the president of the Oklahoma Hospital Association, which represents more than 135 hospitals and health care systems in the state. We have doctors turning away patients. We have people with mental illnesses who are going without treatment. Hospitals are closing, and this is only going to get worse this summer if the Legislature does not act immediately to turn this around.

In the poverty-wracked southeastern corner of the state, where 96 percent of babies in the McCurtain Memorial Hospital are born to Medicaid patients, most health care would end, said hospital CEO Jahni Tapley.

A 25 percent cut to Medicaid would not put my hospital in jeopardy, because we are already in jeopardy, Tapley said. A 25 percent cut would shutter our doors for good, leaving 33,000 people without access to health care.

Nursing homes have been warning residents that they may be closing. Asked where she would go if the Beadles Nursing Home in the small town of Alva closes, Jeanie Yohn, 89, said: I just cant imagine. I have three daughters, but they dont live here.

Under the proposal, which would be funded in part with a $1.50-per-pack tax on cigarettes, Oklahoma would shift 175,000 people from its Medicaid rolls onto the federal health exchange created by the Affordable Care Act. That would make room for adding to Medicaid roughly the same number of working poor who are currently uninsured. Participants would pay nominal premiums and co-pays.

The move, by increasing the number of uninsured people covered, would allow the state to tap into the extra money offered under the federal law. Beginning in 2017, the federal government would cover 95 percent of the states Medicaid costs, decreasing to 90 percent of the share in 2020.

Fallin, a former congresswoman who voted against Obamas health plan when it came before the House, argues that the plan doesnt amount to expanding Medicaid because the programs rolls dont grow. Rather, she said, it transitions 175,000 Medicaid enrollees to the private insurance market.

No matter what state leaders call it, conservative groups arent happy about the idea of more government health spending.

They can call it Medicaid rebalancing, but theres only one federal program that offers a 9-to-1 federal match, and thats Obamacare, said Johnathan Small, president of Oklahoma Council on Public Affairs, a free-market think-tank that opposes higher taxes. The opponents have called for covering health costs by cutting spending for less essential programs.

Americans for Prosperity, another conservative think-tank backed by the billionaire philanthropist Koch brothers, David and Charles, also has launched a campaign against the proposal and is hosting a NobamaCare event at the state Capitol to voice their opposition

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Oklahoma Medical Professional Liability
Allstate can go ahead raise auto insurance rates for Georgia drivers later this month because a state review of the planned increase wont be done in time to stop the higher rates from taking effect, state regulators said.

State Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens has asked an actuarial firm to examine Allstates rate increase request.

Under legislation Georgia lawmakers supported in 2008, the company can raise rates without the states formal approval, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported (bit.ly/24Sr20e).

At this time, it does not appear that the results of the examination will be determined before the effective date, Hudgens said in a statement. If the filing is proven to be excessive, then I will do everything allowed by law to reverse Allstates actions.

Last month Hudgens issued a rare consumer alert after Allstate Insurance filed its plan to raise rates, the Atlanta newspaper reported.

Hudgens said last month that hes concerned about the rate increase, and that his office is evaluating whether the planned rate increase is legally excessive.

The new rates become effective May 22. The commissioner said some drivers could see rates increase as much as 58 percent. The average increase will be about 25 percent.

The number of miles driven, traffic fatalities and costs associated with repairs have contributed to an increase in claims and costs to settle them, Allstate spokesman Adam Polak said.

The company will cooperate with Hudgens office, Polak said in a statement.

Should the departments review raise any questions with our filing, we will work cooperatively to reach agreement on these questions and take whatever steps are necessary to comply with that agreement, he said in a statement.

Related:

Georgia to Investigate Allstate Auto Rate Increase

Allstate Responds to Georgia Insurance Departments Rate Filing Investigation

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Pricing Trends Personal Auto Georgia
The state of Hawaii is suing Japanese manufacturer Takata over defective air bags they say threaten peoples lives.

The lawsuit filed last week in the First Circuit Court of Hawaii also names auto manufacturer Honda.

Millions of Takatas defective air bags have been recalled because their inflators can explode, spewing shrapnel in cars. Hawaii is the first state in the nation to sue over the air bags, which are blamed for at least 11 deaths worldwide and more than 100 injuries.

Independent reports have concluded that a chemical used in Takata air bags, ammonium nitrate, can degrade when exposed to heat and humidity, which can trigger explosions.

Were particularly vulnerable here in Hawaii to the defect that Takata has manufactured  were not going to wait until something like this happens, said Stephen Levins, executive director of the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection.

Takata switched to ammonium nitrate, a cheaper component for the inflator of the companys air bags, despite the fact that it was widely known to be an unstable and dangerous chemical, Levins said. Honda was in a position where the company should have known what was going on, Levins said.

Clearly Takata has engaged in a deceptive manner in marketing this, and actually has put profits, their own profits, over the personal welfare and safety of people around the United States, and around the world, and people here in Hawaii. Levins said. Its a situation thats intolerable, and were not going to put up with it.

Calls to Takatas office in Los Angeles and a company spokesman late Friday were not immediately returned.

Honda hasnt yet received the lawsuit so it cant comment, said Chris Martin, a spokesman for American Honda Co., in an email. Martin said Honda is cooperating with the government on the Takata air bag inflator issue.

More than 70,000 cars containing Takata air bags have been sold in Hawaii, according to the complaint. The state is seeking penalties of $10,000 per violation.

Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was adding up to 40 million air bags to the ongoing recall of 28.8 million air bags made by Takata.

The dealerships have the obligation to fix this  Unfortunately, they dont have sufficient quantities of parts on hand right now, Levins said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits
Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. and SAP SE are linking up their software products to make it easier for businesses to rent applications online and workers to manage travel and meetings.

SAPs Hana data analysis tools and S/4 Hana applications will be able to run on Microsofts Azure cloud computing service by the third quarter of 2016, the companies announced Tuesday. The move will let Microsoft customers run SAP software without installing it on their own servers. Workers using Microsofts Office 365 suite of applications will also be able to plan trips and manage expenses using SAPs Concur software directly within Outlook.

For employees, the upshot is teams can use SAP tools to complete a range of common tasks -- book travel, automatically extract receipts from e-mails, recruit job candidates -- without leaving familiar Microsoft environments, said Steve Singh, a managing board member at SAP. With Microsoft, the German software maker is adding a second partner for hosting its flagship business applications in the cloud; it already offers S/4 through Amazon.com Inc.s Web Services platform.

SAP Chief Executive Officer Bill McDermott has been expanding technology partnerships with the industrys biggest companies in recent weeks to spur sales of SAP software at a time when license sales have started to fall. Earlier this month SAP and Apple Inc. unveiled an alliance that will put more SAP apps on the iPhone and iPad. Despite fast growth of cloud computing services, traditional licenses and support of those programs still account for two-thirds of SAPs revenue.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella plans to appear on stage with McDermott at SAPs Sapphire customer conference today in Orlando, Florida, today.

The agreement comes as Microsoft adds more outside programs to its Azure service, which lets businesses rent processing power, data storage and other underlying web services instead of buying and maintaining them on site. Microsoft is also linking Office 365 to widely used software from competitors and partners alike that can feed it useful data.

Customers can use Oracle Corp.s database and middleware, for example, on Azure, as well as run a variety of computing services on the open-source Linux operating system.

Microsoft has also been promoting apps called Outlook Add-Ins to enhance the software with services including PayPal and Evernote.
First Things First will host in-law expert Dr. Deanna Brann at In-Law Survival Guide on Thursday, June 16, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at 433 Oak St.

Through humor, compassion and focus, Dr. Brann has guided countless families step-by-step to healthier relationships.

Im a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law, giving me first hand knowledge of what goes on in in-law relationships - good and bad, says Dr. Brann. It is possible to grow more comfortable (or even closer) with your in-law.

Here are a few things participants will discover about an in-law relationship:

Why this relationship can be a struggle, and how it is different for men and women.

What to look for to help you avoid the in-law traps.

Marital vs. in-law issues: Steps to better communicate the issues with your spouse.

Setting boundaries with your in-laws.

How to deal with passive-aggressive behavior.

Guilt tripswhy they are effective, why they damage relationships, and what to do to not feel guilty.

The cost is $25 a couple or $15 a person. Desserts and beverages will be served. Register at FirstThings.org.






Con cadenza annuale da novembre a gennaio le notti salernitane sono illuminate da gigantesche luminarie, vere e proprie opere darte luminose realizzate da famosi artisti della luce. Questanno, le installazioni luminose saranno inaugurate il 5 novembre alle 17.00 e resteranno accese fino al 22 gennaio 2017. Il tema delledizione 2016-17 sara Le Mille e Una Notte, infatti verra ricostruita lambientazione a tema in Piazza Flavio Gioia. Similmente, in Piazza SantAgostino ci saranno le Atmosfere dOriente. Inoltre, tutto il centro sara invaso da figure giganti molto suggestive. Il Corso Vittorio Emanuele vedra linstallazione di una cascata di luci, lampadari e globi illuminati per il tema Gli spazi infiniti.

Nel Giardino Incantato nella Villa Comunale ci saranno le luci dedicate a fiabe nuove rispetto agli altri anni e nella nuova spiaggia di Santa Teresa ci saranno pinguini e palme luminose. I quattro percorsi delle Luci dArtista di Salerno, come lanno scorso saranno: il Mito, il Sogno, il Tempo, il Natale. Ognuno di questi temi interessera alcune strade e piazze con luminarie specifiche. Infine, il grande albero di Natale di circa 28 metri che sara montato in Piazza Portanova, sara inaugurato il 3 dicembre.

La prima manifestazione Luci dArtista  Luminarie Salerno parte nellanno 2006/2007 e per la precisione il giorno giovedi 30 novembre, lallora Sindaco di Salerno Vincenzo De Luca inauguro lilluminazione artistica predisposta dal Comune di Salerno per le festivita natalizie e di fine anno ed i vari allestimenti che in quelledizione furono le Palle di Neve, il Planetario e le Palme luminose. Dalledizione del 2009/2010 la manifestazione Luminarie Salerno invece e gemellata con quella delle Luci dArtista di Torino. Ed infatti moltissimi sono stati gli scambi delle installazioni luminose tra le due citta: le opere esposte a Salerno che hanno ricevuto maggior approvazione da parte del pubblico non solo italiano, ma anche europeo (molti infatti sono i turisti provenienti dallEuropa arrivati in citta per assistere allo spettacolo) sono state adottate anche dal comune di Torino.

Lo stesso e successo per le opere torinesi, con la differenza che nel 2009 la citta di Salerno ha inserito, allinterno delle installazioni torinesi, altre opere appositamente commissionate. Le favolose (nel senso che portano grandi e bambini in sogni e favole) notti illuminate salernitane sono poi sempre arricchite da tantissime manifestazione culturali, eventi musicali, danza, teatro, performance che completano il programma di manifestazioni natalizie, rendono Salerno ancora piu bella per i cittadini ed accogliente per i visitatori e rappresentano una bella occasione per scoprire le bellezze monumentali ed artistiche della citta, il piacere dello shopping, la qualita dellartigianato e dellenogastronomia locale in un clima di festosa serenita.
Ride-sharing and ride-hailing services are becoming increasingly popular among commuters. And their popularity is poised to rise even more. In fact, the number of ride-sharing users is estimated to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 16.6% by 2026.

Some of the biggest names in this industry include Uber and Lyft. But there is a growing list of names that are trying to gain a foothold in the global market, including China's DiDi Chuxing. This article looks at a brief history of the company including its financial backers, key mergers, management, as well as its financial prospects for the future.

Key Takeaways DiDi Chuxing is a mobile transportation company headquartered in Beijing.

It has sometimes been referred to as China's Uber.

The company was founded in 2012 and has 13,000 corporate employees.

DiDi operates across Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America, Central Asia, and Russia.

It has acquired a series of rivals in China, including Kuaidi Dache and Uber China.

DiDi went public in June 2021 on the NYSE.



DiDi Chuxing: An Overview

DiDi Chuxing is a mobile transportation company headquartered in Beijing. Known simply as DiDi, it is now one of the world's largest ride-hailing companies, serving more than 493 million users across Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America, Central Asia, and Russia.

DiDi was founded in 2012. Founder Cheng Wei, who named the company DiDi Dache, intended it to be a smartphone app for people who wanted to immediately hail cabs. Since then, it expanded to offer a broad range of services for travelers beyond taxis, including private cars, car rentals, buses, and chauffeurs, as well as delivery services, and bike-sharing. The company uses new technologies such as artificial intelligence to deploy its resources more efficiently.

Since its creation, the company has raised more than $23.2 billion in 26 rounds of funding before it went public via an IPO in June 2021. The company has also made strategic investments in other global companies such as Lyft, Bolt, and Grab.

DiDi Chuxing has almost 13,000 corporate employees around the world as of 2022 and dominates the Chinese ride-sharing market.

$20.64 billion DiDi's market capitalization as of February 2022.

DiDi's Management Ranks

The management team behind Didi's success boasts alums from Goldman Sachs, Alibaba, and other major enterprises.

Will Wei Cheng is DiDi's founder and chief executive officer (CEO) and has extensive technology experience. After graduating from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Wei held several jobs before joining the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. Over eight years, he worked his way up to become vice president for Alibaba's online payment service, Alipay.

Jean Qing Liu is the company's director and president. She joined the company in 2014 and has played a key role in DiDi's rapid growth. She has an undergraduate degree in computer science from Peking University and a master's degree in computer science from Harvard. Before joining DiDi, she worked for Goldman Sachs for more than a decade and became managing director in Asia for the investment bank.

15,000,000 In 2021, DiDi had an estimated 15 million drivers worldwide, compared to Uber's 5 million drivers.

DiDi Was Built on Mergers

DiDi has undergone a series of key mergers and acquisitions (M&A) since 2012most notably with key rivals who vied for market share in China. According to Crunchbase, DiDi had made five acquisitions by 2018.

Reuters reported that DiDi was locked in a price war with rival Kuaidi Dache, resulting in major losses for both companies. While DiDi claimed about 55% of the Chinese market, Kuaidi controlled much of the remaining 45%. The 2015 merger resulted in one of the largest ride-sharing apps, with the newly-formed combined company valued at about $6 billion at the time.

DiDi also competed aggressively against international companies that tried to corner the Chinese market including Uber China. After Uber lost an estimated $2 billion in a market share battle, it brokered a truce with DiDi. Uber China sold its business to Didi and became a minority investor. DiDi, in turn, invested $1 billion in Uber as part of the deal.

DiDi has also made key investments in other companies, including $100 million in Lyft, Uber's major rival, forming a partnership to share technologies and marketing expertise.



DiDi operates three different business segments: China Mobility, International, and Other Initiatives.

DiDi's Early Investors

DiDi had raised a significant amount of capital to expand through 26 rounds of financing before it went public. The company has a total of 48 investors, 14 of which are considered lead investors.

The last was a debt financing round on April 9, 2021, which consisted of six investors. These names included:

Morgan Stanley

JPMorgan Chase

HSBC

Goldman Sachs

Citi

Barclays

Together, these names invested a total of $1.5 billion in DiDi.

DiDi also raised $500 million from SoftBank and another company called For Good Ventures in a venture round of financing in May 2020. Toyota invested $600 million in July 2019 in a corporate round of financing.



DiDi Goes Public (and Then Delists)

DiDi went public in an initial public offering (IPO) on June 30, 2021, when shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol DIDI. The company sold 316.8 million American Depositary Shares (ADS), raising a total of $4.4 billion or $14 per share.

The offering was larger than expected because the IPO was oversubscribedDiDi originally intended to sell 288 million sharesmaking it the largest listing by a Chinese company in the United States since Alibaba went public in 2014.



Post-IPO Delisting

Since DiDi went public in June 2021, its shares have dropped significantly from its $14 IPO price to around $4 per share as of February 2022. Part of these losses also stems from the company's about-turn announcement to de-list its shares from American exchanges in December 2021, under pressure from the Chinese government to do so. Instead, the company will re-list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The de-listing remains an ongoing matter and it is unclear if an ADR will exist following the eventual de-listing.

What Is Chinas DiDi Chuxing? DiDi Global Inc. provides ride-hailing and other services in the People's Republic of China, Brazil, Mexico, and internationally; as well as enterprise business ride solutions, bike and e-bike sharing, intra-city freight, food delivery, and financial services. The company was formerly known as Xiaoju Kuaizhi Inc. and changed its name to DiDi Global Inc. in June 2021 went it IPO'd on the New York Stock Exchange.

What Is the Difference Between DiDi Chuxing and Uber? Both company's offer ride-hailing services. DiDi actually bought Uber's China operations in 2016, so Uber no longer operates in China. At the same time, DiDi does not operate in the U.S.
The banking system in India is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), through the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Some important aspects of the regulations that govern banking in this country, as well as RBI circulars that relate to banking in India, will be explored below.

Exposure limits

Lending to a single borrower is limited to 15% of the banks capital funds (tier 1 and tier 2 capital), which may be extended to 20% in the case of infrastructure projects. For group borrowers, lending is limited to 30% of the banks capital funds, with an option to extend it to 40% for infrastructure projects. The lending limits can be extended by a further 5% with the approval of the bank's board of directors. Lending includes both fund-based and non-fund-based exposure.

Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)

Banks in India are required to keep a minimum of 4% of their net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) in the form of cash with the RBI. These currently earn no interest. The CRR needs to be maintained on a fortnightly basis, while the daily maintenance needs to be at least 95% of the required reserves. In case of default on daily maintenance, the penalty is 3% above the bank rate applied on the number of days of default multiplied by the amount by which the amount falls short of the prescribed level.

Over and above the CRR, a minimum of 22% and a maximum of 40% of NDTL, which is known as the SLR, needs to be maintained in the form of gold, cash or certain approved securities. The excess SLR holdings can be used to borrow under the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) on an overnight basis from the RBI. The interest charged under MSF is higher than the repo rate by 100 bps, and the amount that can be borrowed is limited to 2% of NDTL. (To learn more about how interest rates are determined, particularly in the U.S., consider reading more about who determines interest rates.)

Provisioning

Non-performing assets (NPA) are classified under 3 categories: substandard, doubtful and loss. An asset becomes non-performing if there have been no interest or principal payments for more than 90 days in the case of a term loan. Substandard assets are those assets with NPA status for less than 12 months, at the end of which they are categorized as doubtful assets. A loss asset is one for which the bank or auditor expects no repayment or recovery and is generally written off the books.

For substandard assets, it is required that a provision of 15% of the outstanding loan amount for secured loans and 25% of the outstanding loan amount for unsecured loans be made. For doubtful assets, provisioning for the secured part of the loan varies from 25% of the outstanding loan for NPAs that have been in existence for less than one year, to 40% for NPAs in existence between one and three years, to 100% for NPAs with a duration of more than three years, while for the unsecured part it is 100%.

Provisioning is also required on standard assets. Provisioning for agriculture and small and medium enterprises is 0.25% and for commercial real estate it is 1% (0.75% for housing), while it is 0.4% for the remaining sectors. Provisioning for standard assets cannot be deducted from gross NPAs to arrive at net NPAs. Additional provisioning over and above the standard provisioning is required for loans given to companies that have unhedged foreign exchange exposure.

Priority sector lending

The priority sector broadly consists of micro and small enterprises, and initiatives related to agriculture, education, housing and lending to low-earning or less privileged groups (classified as "weaker sections"). The lending target of 40% of adjusted net bank credit (ANBC) (outstanding bank credit minus certain bills and non-SLR bonds)  or the credit equivalent amount of off-balance-sheet exposure (sum of current credit exposure + potential future credit exposure that is calculated using a credit conversion factor), whichever is higher  has been set for domestic commercial banks and foreign banks with greater than 20 branches, while a target of 32% exists for foreign banks with less than 20 branches.

The amount that is disbursed as loans to the agriculture sector should either be the credit equivalent of off-balance-sheet exposure, or 18% of ANBC  whichever of the two figures is higher. Of the amount that is loaned to micro-enterprises and small businesses, 40% should be advanced to those enterprises with equipment that has a maximum value of 200,000 rupees, and plant and machinery valued at a maximum of half a million rupees, while 20% of the total amount lent is to be advanced to micro-enterprises with plant and machinery ranging in value from just above 500,000 rupees to a maximum of a million rupees and equipment with a value above 200,000 rupees but not more than 250,000 rupees.

The total value of loans given to weaker sections should either be 10% of ANBC or the credit equivalent amount of off-balance sheet exposure, whichever is higher. Weaker sections include specific castes and tribes that have been assigned that categorization, including small farmers. There are no specific targets for foreign banks with less than 20 branches.

The private banks in India until now have been reluctant to directly lend to farmers and other weaker sections. One of the main reasons is the disproportionately higher amount of NPAs from priority sector loans, with some estimates indicating it to be 60% of the total NPAs. They achieve their targets by buying out loans and securitized portfolios from other non-banking finance corporations (NBFC) and investing in the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to meet their quota.

New bank license norms

The new guidelines state that the groups applying for a license should have a successful track record of at least 10 years and the bank should be operated through a non-operative financial holding company (NOFHC) wholly owned by the promoters. The minimum paid-up voting equity capital has to be five billion rupees, with the NOFHC holding at least 40% of it and gradually bringing it down to 15% over 12 years. The shares have to be listed within three years of the start of the banks operations.

The foreign shareholding is limited to 49% for the first five years of its operation, after which RBI approval would be needed to increase the stake to a maximum of 74%. The board of the bank should have a majority of independent directors and it would have to comply with the priority sector lending targets discussed earlier. The NOFHC and the bank are prohibited from holding any securities issued by the promoter group and the bank is prohibited from holding any financial securities held by the NOFHC. The new regulations also stipulate that 25% of the branches should be opened in previously unbanked rural areas.

Willful defaulters

A willful default takes place when a loan isnt repaid even though resources are available, or if the money lent is used for purposes other than the designated purpose, or if a property secured for a loan is sold off without the bank's knowledge or approval. In case a company within a group defaults and the other group companies that have given guarantees fail to honor their guarantees, the entire group can be termed as a willful defaulter.

Willful defaulters (including the directors) have no access to funding, and criminal proceedings may be initiated against them. The RBI recently changed the regulations to include non-group companies under the willful defaulter tag as well if they fail to honor a guarantee given to another company outside the group.

The Bottom Line

The way a country regulates its financial and banking sectors is in some senses a snapshot of its priorities, its goals, and the type of financial landscape and society it would like to engineer. In the case of India, the regulations passed by its reserve bank give us a glimpse into its approaches to financial governance and shows the degree to which it prioritizes stability within its banking sector, as well as economic inclusiveness.

Though the regulatory structure of India's banking system seems a bit conservative, this has to be seen in the context of the relatively under-banked nature of the country. The excessive capital requirements that have been set are required to build up trust in the banking sector while the priority lending targets are needed to provide financial inclusion to those to whom the banking sector would not generally lend given the high level of NPAs and small transaction sizes.

Since the private banks, in reality, do not directly lend to the priority sectors, the public banks have been left with that burden. A case could also be made for adjusting how the priority sector is defined, in light of the high priority given to agriculture, even though its share of GDP has been going down. (For related reading, see "The Increasing Importance of the Reserve Bank of India")
What Is Magna Cum Laude?

Magna cum laude is an academic honorific used by educational institutions to signify that an academic degree was earned with notable distinction. The meaning of magna cum laude: It is a Latin phrase that translates into English as "with great praise" and is one of three commonly used academic degree honors, with the others being summa cum laude, meaning with highest distinction, and cum laude, or "with distinction."

There is no set standard to qualify for these honors, with each school free to set its own criteria. In the United States, magna cum laude is usually achieved by obtaining a certain grade point average (GPA) or by being in the top x% of a graduating class.

Key Takeaways Magna cum laude is an academic honorific awarded to students who have achieved academic excellence.

There is no set standard to qualify for this honor, with each school free to set its own criteria.

Many colleges award magna cum laude honors in addition to summa cum laude honors, which are above magna cum laude, and cum laude honors, which are just below.

The practice of awarding Latin honors began at Harvard in the mid-19th century and has spread to colleges and universities around the world.

Some colleges, including Stanford University, do not offer Latin honors at all and instead use the word "distinction" to honor students who have achieved academic excellence.

What Does Magna Cum Laude Mean?

Magna cum laude means "with great praise" and is awarded to students who have achieved academic excellence. It is more prestigious than cum laude honors but less prestigious than summa cum laude.

The criteria by which each of these distinctions is achieved depends on the specific requirements of each institution. The awarding of Latin honorsthe titles are referred to as Latin honors because they retain their original Latin formsis common in colleges and universities in the United States, although not all bestow them. Many high schools also grant Latin honors.

1:30 Magna Cum Laude

Latin honors are most commonly awarded in conjunction with a bachelor's degree. Students who graduate with honors may wear stoles of a distinct color or some other designation during commencement ceremonies, and their honors may be cited when their names are read. Latin honors are generally included in a student's official transcript.

Magna Cum Laude Requirements

Magna cum laude is generally handed out to a student who earned high grades or some other mark of academic achievement, but not the highest possible. The criteria for receiving this honor varies and may include the student's GPA, class rank, number of hours completed, and recommendations from an academic department.

Some colleges base their GPA requirements for Latin honors on a percentage of the graduating class, meaning they change every year.

What GPA Earns a Magna Cum Laude: Real World Examples

The academic thresholds for honors differ among academic institutions and even among programs at the same institution. Texas A&M graduates, for instance, must complete 60 credit hours while earning a GPA of 3.70 to 3.899 to earn their degree magna cum laude.

At some universities, the GPA requirements for Latin honors change every academic year because they are based on a percentage of the student's class. For example, for a student to graduate magna cum laude in engineering from the University of California Los Angeles, they must finish between the top 5% and 10% of their class after completing 90 credits. For the 20212022 academic year, they needed a GPA of at least 3.871, while the cutoff for 2022-2023 is 3.898.

By contrast, at Harvard University, where Latin honors originated in the mid-19th century, undergraduates completing degrees with an overall GPA in the top 20% of all graduates will receive either summa cum laude or magna cum laude distinction, with the summa honorific reserved for students with the highest GPAs.

Brown University, on the other hand, does not use a student's GPA in its calculation. Students are eligible for just one Latin honor, magna cum laude, upon graduation. A student achieves the honor by earning a high percentage of "A" grades and "S" for distinction marks for courses. No more than 20% of a graduating class can earn magna cum laude honors.

Non-GPA Factors

Colleges may consider other non-GPA factors in their decisions to grant magna cum laude status. An institution might require that students complete an honors thesis to be eligible. Others seek letters of recommendation from faculty members, attesting to students' exceptional academic performance. Others stipulate that students must complete a certain number of advanced courses.

Schools with no magna cum laude

Some colleges, including Stanford University, do not offer Latin honors at all. Stanford bestows a single "with distinction" title on the 15% of students with the highest GPA in each graduating class.

Some schools have substituted other titles, such as "with distinction," in place of or in addition to the traditional Latin terms.

The Value of a Magna Cum Laude Degree

The relative value of a magna cum laude degree or one with another Latin honor is difficult to judge in the context of a job application. It may mean a great deal to some employers and nothing to others. Nonetheless, as new college graduates compete for jobs, having a Latin honor on their diploma or resume certainly doesn't hurt.

It may be of greater benefit when students compete for slots in graduate school. The top law schools, for instance, expect students to have achieved certain GPAs as undergraduates, the type of high marks that are often accompanied by Latin honors.

What Grades Do You Need for Magna Cum Laude? The academic thresholds for magna cum laude status differ among academic institutions. For example, at the University of Pennsylvania, a GPA of 3.6 is required to graduate magna cum laude, while Ohio State Universitys College of Arts and Sciences sets the bar at 3.7. Requirements are also subject to change and may differ among programs at the same institution. GPA isn't necessarily the only factor taken into consideration, either. Colleges can look at other things, too, such as the number of hours completed and recommendations from an academic department. Some may ignore GPA and simply award Latin honors to the highest-ranked students in a class.

Is Magna Cum Laude the Highest? No. In schools where Latin honors are used, the highest distinction is usually summa cum laude, followed by magna cum laude, and then cum laude.

Which Is HigherSumma or Magna? Summa cum laude is the highest honor available and is more prestigious than magna cum laude. For example, at New York University, summa cum laude is awarded to the top 5% of graduates, while the next 10% are given magna cum laude status.



The Bottom Line

Getting a degree is always a great achievement, although the job market can be so saturated with new graduates seeking employment that sometimes acquiring a certificate that you passed your courses is not enough.

Graduates often need something extra to stand out and Latin honors such as magna cum laude can help tick that box and potentially be the difference between getting called in for a job interview or not.
Over the past week, Chicken Salad Chick has donated $350 to the Forgotten Child Fund and provided free platters to the new Chattanooga Police Command Center as they continue to combat the violence thats plagued city streets in recent weeks.

In addition to the donations, Chicken Salad Chick is sponsoring Chattanooga Police Sergeant Austin Garrett in this years Dancing with the Chattanooga Stars competition. Chicken Salad Chick is hosting a fundraiser for Sergeant Garrett at its downtown and East Brainerd locations on Tuesday, May 24. A portion of the sales from that day will benefit Sergeant Garretts cause, the Partnerships Rape Crisis Center which provides healing to victims of rape and sexual assault.

Our team is thrilled to sponsor Garrett, not only for the great work the Chattanooga Police Department does, but also in support of the Partnership," said Josh Patton, franchise owner. "Giving back to the community is one of our main priorities at Chicken Salad Chick and were happy to help out in any way we can."

Sergeant Garrett will compete in Dancing with the Chattanooga Stars on Saturday, June 25, at the Tivoli.
The pitch for Gboard, Googles first official custom keyboard for iOS sounds weird at first. You are releasing a keyboard to battle the perils of multitasking? But if you spend a majority of your time on your iPhone in chat apps, it makes sense.

Gboard puts a Google search bar right in your keyboard so you can search and share links without doing the app-switching dance. Whats interesting about Gboard is thats not all it does.

Lets talk about the first third party keyboard for iOS thats probably going to break into the mainstream.

10 Cool Things to Know About Gboard

1. Right Now, Google Isnt Logging Your Keystrokes

Its funny how its been a year-and-a-half since third party keyboards were released and were only now starting to freak out about the privacy implications of a keyboard not made by Apple.

All it takes is Google releasing a product for everyone to exclaim PRIVACY! at the same time.

But at least, this time, its not all bad.

In the apps description from the App Store, Google says We know the things you type on your phone are personal, so weve designed Gboard to keep your private information private.

Heres the overview:

When you search something using Gboard, it will be sent to Google (of course).

Anonymous statistics will be sent as well.

Google will remember the words you type  to provide better suggestions. But these will be stored on the device itself and wont be sent to Google.

And thats it.

So, as of now, Google isnt logging every single thing you type on a server somewhere. It stays in your device and is out of Googles hands.

This could change in future. Just like Google changed its Dont be evil motto to Do the right thing (nice one, Google). But right now, theres nothing to worry about.

2. And All Your Googling Is Completely Private

I was surprised that Gboard didnt even ask me to log in to my Google account when I set it up. And because of which, everything you do on Gboard is completely private and doesnt end up in your Google profile or search history on your other devices (again, this could change later).

3. Emoji Search Is a Godsent

Now that weve gotten rid of the raging questions, lets talk about the fun stuff.

I cant believe weve all been manually scrolling around for ages to find one of the 1000+ emojis were after. Like a caveman.

With Gboard, just tap the Emoji icon and then tap the Google search bar to start searching for an emoji. It works surprisingly well.

Another plus, no need to switch to an entirely different keyboard to find emojis (this is something even Apple should work on).

4. So Are Emoji Suggestions

Its clear Google has thought a lot about emojis. Just like it suggests words when youre typing, it will now suggest emojis too. Type in lol and the first suggestion will change to the relevant emoji. Same for key, kiss and more.

5. There Are GIFs, Of Course

How can a third party keyboard releasing in 2016 not support GIFs? Googles GIF support is pretty fantastic. Tap the Emoji icon and then select the GIF tab. You can start searching or choose a tag to browse.

Once you find a GIF you want to send, tap it and Gboard will copy it to the clipboard. Go to the text area and paste it to send the GIF (yes, its not as easy as just tapping a GIF to send it but thats how third-party iOS keyboards work so theres nothing Google can do about it).

6. It Mostly Looks and Feels Like the Default Keyboard

Another surprise? Gboard for iOS looks nothing like Google Keyboard on Android. Theres no Material Design business anywhere.

The layout, the colors are all very similar to the default iOS keyboard. And I like that. It took me almost no time to get used to typing on Gboard for the same reason.

One thing thats off is that instead of San Francisco, Gboard uses Googles Roboto font. Doesnt look so bad to me but might drive some type nerds crazy.

7. But Most Importantly, Its Google in Your Keyboard

Emoji search and GIF support are cool. But what makes Gboard great is first party Google search support, right in the keyboard.

Hitting the Google button, docked in the right edge of the suggestions bar instantly brings the now familiar Google search bar. Type anything, tap the Search button and the keyboard will now be replaced with search results.

The results themselves appear in the form of cards and are easy to read. And here youll find all sorts of stuff, depending on what you search. Googles intelligent cards (for things like a movie, currency conversion, stocks), YouTube videos, and of course links to websites.

Once you tap a result, the websites title and link will be inserted into the text field.

Also, if you want, you can paste in the card itself. This is useful for stuff like sharing stocks but the problem is this is shared as a separate image. So you need to do the whole dance of attaching an image (In all the promotional material, this process is showed to be incredibly simplified. Its misleading).

But most of the time youre going to be sharing the link anyway and that process is super smooth.

8. Also, Gesture Typing

Just like SwiftKey and Androids Google Keyboard, gesture typing works pretty well. I cant imagine using this all the time one handed on my iPhone 6s Plus but on an iPhone 6s or the iPhone SE, this would be a joy.

9. And Autocomplete Rocks

Its only been a few days but Googles suggestions and autocomplete features are pretty good. No frustrating experiences so far.

10. And Before iPhone 6s Users Freak Out, Theres a 3D Touch Like Cursor Movement Feature as Well

That thing where you can press harder on the keyboard and move your finger around to change cursor position is basically one of the only 3 things I enjoy about 3D Touch on my iPhone 6s Plus.

Gboard doesnt have the exact same feature. But it kind of fakes it by letting you swipe left/right on the spacebar to achieve the same effect. It works.

But Now, Some Not So Cool Things

1. Its Only Available in US and in English

Currently, its only available in the US. And only in English.

You can take care of the latter by creating a new account and choosing the country as US (thats how I got access to the app). But theres not much you can do about the latter other than waiting.

2. Theres No Support for Googles Epic Voice Recognition System

For me, iOSs default dictation feature is almost useless. Googles voice recognition that it uses in Android, Search and Google Docs is epic.

I was hoping it would be available here. But its not. Turns out, for a good reason. Apple doesnt let third-party extension (which includes keyboards) access the microphone. Bummer.

3. No Dark Mode

Im as surprised as you are.

4. The Curse of a Third Party iOS Keyboard

Just like it cant access the microphone, Gboard cant do many things. It cant access selected text (to directly search it), cant access password fields, and cant even use the default keyboard switching popup. Also, if you use Text Shortcuts on iOS, youre going to be bummed.

Add to the fact that it takes an arm and a leg just to enable the keyboard.

But these problems are not Gboard problems, theyre third party keyboard problems.

Are You a Convert?

Was Gboard enough to make you finally switch from the default keyboard? Share with us in the comments below.

Download: Gboard
The IPU Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs has been closely following the selection process for the new United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG). Having welcomed General Assembly Resolution 69/321, which charts a more inclusive and transparent selection process, and cognisant of the critical relationship between the United Nations, national parliaments, and the IPU, the Committee decided to request all UNSG candidates to briefly respond to the following three questions:

QUESTION 1:

Agenda 2030 will be successful if members of parliament are involved in the development of their national action plans, in monitoring implementation, and in aligning budgets and legislation with the Agenda. As United Nations Secretary-General, will you advocate for parliamentary engagement in the implementation of the new 2030 Agenda and attendant SDGs among Member States? [read the answers]

QUESTION 2:

Numerous UN General Assembly resolutions and UN Secretary-General reports recommend a strong relationship between the United Nations and national parliaments, as well as with the IPU. As UN Secretary-General, what specific actions would you take to strengthen these relationships at the global and national levels to more effectively serve the people? [read the answers]

QUESTION 3:

As representatives of the people, parliamentarians want to ensure a more democratic selection process for the UN Secretary-General. What role do you think parliamentarians, through the IPU, the world organization of parliaments, play in this process? [read the answers]
Austin, Texas-based Star Parks made their debut at this years SXSW event where they were joined by Dan Finnegan and Jack Rainey of Paper Trail Records, a Dublin-based record label /management company that kicked off this time last year. While the duo is working with a selection of Irish artists, they have also signed three U.S. artists including Star Parks.

So why would an American artist sign with an Irish label? In the modern era of the Internet taking over the world, this long-distance/ trans-Atlantic relationship is a lot easier than it seems.

We caught up with Star Parks Andy Bianculli, a native New Yorker with Irish roots, to see why he chose to sign with a brand new Irish label, what it was like to visit Ireland last year, and how this New Yorkers Irish ties are furthering the launch of his new album Dont Dwell.

When you heard that your record was on the Paper Trail radar, were you skeptical about an Irish label?

As soon as I read what Dan and Jack had written about the other U.S. artists on the label I was interested. It was pretty reassuring to know that the people who ran the label could be that insightful and thoughtful about another artist's music. There is kind of a hesitance once you finish a record or any big project to put it out there. It seemed like they loved the music and it would be in safe hands.

You were touring with another band called Feufollet in Europe when Paper Trail became interested in your record, and invited to you visit them in Ireland. Had a trip to Ireland been on the cards?

This is true. It was a pretty short tour through, a few small towns near Nantes where we played at all these 11th century Roman churches. Since I was already over there, I made a plan to go to London and Dublin since I had never been. If I hadn't been in touch with the fellas I don't know what I would have done.

How did you find Ireland and the music scene there?

Most of my time was spent at pubs with the fellas and at their house. It was a very short visit but I loved Dublin. I felt very comfortable there. I am a New Yorker who chooses to live in Texas so I often feel out of place.

I have a certain kind of sense of humor because I'm a godless Yankee but everyone I met in Dublin had such a great wit and were so hospitable. I don't think I've laughed that hard since. I also think it's a strange experience for an American with Irish ancestors to walk around Ireland for the first time.

How was your first encounter with this brand new Irish label. Was it love at first sight?

I loved them immediately and continue to. They are such a balanced pair of young men. They have been so kind to me, helpful, patient and willing to work hard for me when we all know no one is really making any money selling records these days. So one has to believe they really just love music and maybe love my music and believe in me, which very few people ever have. So I am eternally grateful and hope I don't let them down.

Has it been difficult coordinating with a label that is based 5,000 miles away? How do you guys make it work?

It's been a breeze. We stay in touch and have modern conference calls on our little phones. Everything that has happened since the record has been in their hands has been positive.

There was a label in Austin that was going to put the record out before I met Dan and Jack and I actually think the two guys who live 5,000 miles away are more attentive and capable than the label who lives 10 blocks away would have been. So I have absolutely zero complaints.

Does Star Parks have plans to tour the new record in the U.S. or return to Europe?

I plan to go everywhere. I grew up in New York so I don't need an excuse to come back. Hopefully this fall. And I guess I should talk to my big shot label about touring in their homeland.

(Star Parks Dont Dwell offers nine tracks of the best kind of dream pop, spiriting the listener away with gossamer harmonies and celestial arrangements. The record is out on vinyl and digital download. For more information visit StarParks.BandCamp.com and PaperTrailRecords.com)

Read more music news here
There has not been one case of a little girl being molested by a transgender woman in a restroom anywhere in America.

Ever.

But to hear Governor of North Carolina Pat McCrory or Lt. Governor of Texas Dan Patrick tell it, America's restrooms are suddenly seething hotbeds of transgender molestation, or if they're not they soon will be, though they can't point to a single example in the history of the United States.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory blames Democrats for the state's "bathroom bill" https://t.co/QkFtgtlHmc pic.twitter.com/rGANJHEnwj  CNN (@CNN) May 11, 2016

Nor has there been one example, despite all the dire warnings from these two partisan blowhards, of a man using the but I'm really a transgender women argument to gain access to a women's locker room or to a women's bathroom, or to indulge in illegal conduct, in any of the hundreds of jurisdictions in the nation that have expanded legal protections to transgender people.

So the question is are the governors talking facts here or urban legends?

If conservative legislators believe that gun restriction bills won't prevent criminals from shooting people, what makes them think bathroom bills will prevent predators from indulging in misconduct?

Why, if they're making these arguments, can't conservatives be consistent?

It's increasingly clear to most observers that conservative legislators don't believe that these bathroom bills will work any more than they believe gun restrictions bills will work. How do I know this? Because they have seen the schoolroom full of dead children at Newtown, CT and failed to act, or even appear to act. Where was all their moral outrage then?

Read more: First transgender candidate Ellen Murray hopes to win North seat

In the aftermath of that unspeakable horror they marched in lockstep, telling us that greater gun restrictions could not have prevented it from happening. Nothing could have prevented it. No need for legislation.

There was no dramatic all-night debate. There was no hurried bill-crafting carried on into in the wee hours. There were no round the clock TV debates.

There was only silence. Total, abject, craven silence.

If the conservatives in these states actually cared about children they would tackle the real threat that's attacking and killing them, and it's not from transgender people.

An investigation of child and youth deaths in America between 2002 and 2012 discovered that at least 28,000 children and teenagers 19-years-old or younger were killed with guns.

28,000 children and teenagers. Where were our outraged legislators then?

Meanwhile its increasingly obvious that these so-called bathroom bills are really just a semi-covert operation by the Christian right, targeting some of the most vulnerable people in the nation, in a desperate last ditch attempt to harpoon the bigger prize, LGBT equality. But that train has left the station.

Ask governor McCrory or Patrick how many transgender people they have taken the views of  or ever spoken to in their lives  and they can probably count them on one hand, if at all.

Where there is no debate there is no wisdom, hence these heinous, unenforceable and unconstitutional bills.

No one in the governor's mansions in North Carolina or Tennessee or Texas is asking how much danger these bathroom bills have placed transgender people in. They should start.

No one is asking exactly how these sex-checking bathroom bills will be enforced. They should start.

Over 250 organizations that work with the victims of sexual violence (including the North Carolina state coalition) recently signed a statement in opposition to the state bathroom bill, saying that it only promotes violence against transgender people and does nothing to protect women or girls.

Read more: Irish-style peace process needed for gun situation in America

Who would know better than these groups who is really targeting women and children? Hint, it's not the transgendered.

4 million - # victims of gun crime in past 10 yrs 30k -# annual gun deaths in US 20k- # suicides w a gun annually pic.twitter.com/TGqJbqH3fh  Kris Castner (@Culture_Kris) April 25, 2016

Segregationists in the 1960's used to say allowing white and black people to mix freely would result in black men sexually assaulting white women. They used to say that integrating bathrooms would result in black women giving white women diseases and STD's. These claims are being echoed again in 2016, this time against trans people in ways that threaten their dignity and ultimately their lives.

Last November, Congress held the first-ever forum on violence against transgender people. They had good reason to, in 2013 a staggering 72% of hate crime murders in the United States were of transgender women.

Nearly 80% of trans people have reported experiencing serious verbal or physical harassment at school. Most shocking of all, the number of transgender people murdered in the U.S. last year was the highest in U.S. history.

What is increasingly obvious is that McCrory and Patrick et al have picked the most easily maligned and marginalized community in America as sock puppets to score bigger political points on the national stage. Pariahs always make the best pinatas.

But the truth  and the growing transgender murder statistics bear this out  is that transgendered people have always had much more to fear from the rest of us than we ever did from them.

We must stand against this grotesque season of intolerance.

Read more US politics stories here
A former Fianna Fail attorney general claims we should not commemorate the Easter Rising as its leaders had no legitimacy.

Paul Gallagher, who served in governments led by Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen, believes there is no way in hindsight for the Rising to be justified, as its participants did not take the wishes of the Irish people into account when they attempted to take over Dublin on May 24, 2016.

Referring to the main rebel leaders as a self-absorbed group of brave idealists who had never represented anybody, Gallagher, a barrister who served as Attorney General of Ireland from 2007 until March 2011, claimed that James Connolly was the only leader who served the public in any way, through his brief stint on Dublins City Council.

We should accommodate [the Rising] - but we certainly should not celebrate it. Celebration loses focus and it fails to distinguish between good aspects and bad aspects, he told The Irish Times.

Speaking to the Irish newspaper in elaboration of comments he made at a recent debate on the Rising at Castleknock College, Gallagher, 61, stated that by commemorating the Rising in the way we have, we are distinguishing ourselves as a nation by a capacity for violence. He stressed that the leaders had no democratic right to declare an Irish Republic through violence at this time when they did not know the tide was to change in their favor following their deaths.

Read more: Irish pride shines for 1916 centenary commemorations

They decided what people like you and me wanted and should do, and the cost didnt matter. It was Providence that so many more werent killed, he said.

How could they have assumed that people who in 1916 didnt want this done in their name would in 1918 and 1919 decide they wanted a different Ireland? They couldnt assume that and they had no entitlement to assume it.

Comparing the actions of violence in Northern Ireland during The Troubles with the Rising, which many consider a seminal historical event in the quest for Irish independence, Gallagher stated that the thugs and murderers of the Troubles claimed they were doing this in a cause that deserved to be revered, in a cause that they said justified anything, in a cause they said was going to improve the lives of all the people who undoubtedly were being discriminated against.

He continued to say that as a nation we have placed too much emphasis on the events of 1916, placing too much importance on the violence of the past to our detriment.

For over 70 years following 1916 we were a country that did not realise our potential. We were obsessed with the past, we were obsessed with who did what in 1916. It itself was used to discriminate between people, he said.

I regret greatly the lost years and I believe that Ireland between 1920 and 1980, perhaps even 1990, was a wasteland for so many people.

People were confused, they didnt feel there was any prospect of Ireland bettering itself in any real way; that we were stuck in some sort of time warp. That, Im afraid, is the legacy of 1916, at least in part.

Gallagher is not the only person to speak out against the 2016 Easter Rising commemorations and the emphasis they place on violence they feel is not justified.

In January 2016, an Irish Jesuit scholar living in the US criticized the Governments 2016 Rising centenary events, claiming that although some of the events are acceptable, its totality is deeply disturbing.

To celebrate the Rising is to celebrate anti-democratic elitism and bloodlust, stated Fr Seamus Murphy SJ, an Associate Professor in Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago.

Lets acknowledge the bravery and discipline of the insurgents, Murphy wrote for The Irish Times.

Acknowledge too their irresponsibility in starting a rising in a city centre that foreseeably would (and did) lead to far more civilian than combatant deaths.

Far more serious is the attempt of the Risings leaders, without authority from the living Irish people (as opposed to the imaginary authority of the dead generations), to establish a new state and themselves as its government with power to start a war and execute citizens. That cannot be laughed off.

Read more: Chicago Jesuit scholar blasts Irish governments celebration of 1916 Rising

He joined the voices of former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) John Bruton and historian Ruth Dudley Edwards in believing that independence could have been achieved without the Rising and to honor it is to keep alive the tradition of violence in Irish politics.

H/T: The Irish Times
Although applauded as a military genius, the exploits of former British Army gunner George Thomas have been a well-kept Irish secret, or rather, a well-kept Indian secret.

Born in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary around 1756, Thomas was a one-time Irish mercenary in 18th century India, who succeeded in carving out a small kingdom for himself after years of serving as a military general to Indian chieftains and rulers.

The son of a poor Catholic tenant farmer, Thomas had been press-ganged  taken by compulsion, with or without notice  into the British Navy from Youghal, Co. Cork, where he worked as a laborer on the docks, but he was not destined to spend the rest of his life serving King and ruling country.

According to Look and Learn magazine, Thomas leapt from the ship and sawm swam ashore in 1781, meeting with the time-expired Irish redcoat Thomas Kelly, who then worked as an innkeeper in Madras state in the Republic of India.

Kelly sheltered Thomas and warned warning him of the punishment awaiting him if he was ever caught. Kelly told his fellow countryman, now many miles away from home, Then its a fine soldier youll be! A man with a strong sword arm never goes hungry in India these days!

At this time in India, the Moghul empire was in decline, with old kingdoms breaking up and new ones ready to be taken and formed.

Thomas took the innkeepers advice that there was much to be made for yourself as a fighting sword in those times of upheaval and he set off for Hyderabad, where he joined the ranks of the Nizams army.

Although completely illiterate in any language, Thomas felt at home in this new world and began making a name for himself serving in the army of Hyderabad before vanishing from all record just a few months later.

Thomas reappeared after six years, finally turning up further north in Delhi, but nothing is known of his adventures for those few years he was missing. Despite still being illiterate in English, he had somehow taught himself not only to speak Hindustani and Persian but to read and write and was now a tough and assured soldier who had gone some way to making his fortune.

Many believe that the new toughness in the Irishman and his skill as a horse rider, swordsman and his prowess as a scholar flowered with the the freebooting Mahratta horsemen the Pindaris during his six-year absence.

Ready to take on anything, the Tipperary man took service under Begum Samru of Sardhana in 1787, a great landowner with her own private army. She had previously attempted to lead her army herself, but after realizing that it called for a professional hand, she called upon George Thomas to take the helm. The Irishman thus found himself in charge of thousands of men and in receipt of the handsome salary that went along with such a possiton.

He organized the army into regiments of infantry, troops of cavalry and corps of artillery. Thomas had great success as general almost immediately and within two years he rose to be Samrus chief civilian administrator as well.

When he was replaced in her favor by a French man for no known reason, Thomas abandoned his employer for an even more powerful Indian noble, Appa Rao.

By this stage George Thomas had earned a fierce and powerful reputation in his own right, being known as Jaharai Jung, or Warlike George, as he still showed great prowess on the battlefield as well as his good reputation as a general.

When Appa Roa died three years later, such was the extent of Thomas' reputation that he began to think he could go one step further and be the one making the demands as a leader of his very own kingdom.

Read more: Irish fair skin can be traced to India and the Middle East

Just to the west of Delhi there was a state called Hariana which was all but abandoned thanks to civil war. His acts as a fighter and as general had won the Irishman many followers and won him the support of some 2,000 troops who had vowed to follow him into battle. It was with the help of these men in 1797 that he decided to make his move on the state, quickly showing he had not just the battle skills to acquire a kingdom but the leadership skills to fairly rule one also.

Known as the the white Rajah of Hariana, he chose Hansai as his capital and the country around was soon flourishing, with carpenters, builders and craftsmen encouraged to visit. Thomas even established his own mint in the city.

His success as a leader was short-lived, however, as the hunger for more power that got him to where he was soon led to his downfall. Thomas was drawn to the Punjab, north of Hariana, and he Thomas decided to claim it and present it to the British Crown (despite abandoning them all those years ago).

In order to fund this endeavor he began to help a neighboring ruler collect taxes in the Rajput state of Jaipur, little thinking of how this could be seen as an act of aggression by the states ruler.

The act was not greeted with happiness but with further war which saw The Irish Rajah greatly outnumbered but unwilling to lie down.

Outnumbered at the battle of Fatephur by no less than ten to one, his skill as a tactician and as a fighter shone through and he won, only to find his health gradually fading afterwards due to the effort of years of strenuous war.

In the midst of a crucial battle, he was forced to take to his tent and such was his exhaustion that he could no longer speak.

Thomas was never to win Punjab but was captured by the troops of Louis Bourquien, a French officer, and allowed to retire to British territory.

En route to Calcutta, he died of a fever on board his pinnace at Berhampore, West Bengal, on August 22, 1802.

H/T: Look and Learn Magazine
Scenic City Womens Network celebrates its 12th Annual Praise Breakfast featuring internationally known author and speaker, Carol Kent.

Ms. Kent is an award winning author and speaker. She is regularly featured on a wide variety of radio and television programs. Carol is "hilariously funny, biblically sound, culturally relevant, and is a blessing to all who hear her." Past venues include keynote speaker at Women of Faith, Extraordinary Women, and Women of Joy arena events, Focus on the Family, and Family Life Today. She has been featured with Point of Grace, Sandi Patty, Nicole C. Mullen, Charles Billingsly, Mandisa, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Kathy Troccoli and Nicole Nordeman.

Ms. Kents love for the Lord and her passion for equipping, encouraging, and empowering people to live for things that matter shine through her writings and presentations. Her readers are irresistibly drawn to see Gods astonishing grace places in the middle of their roadblocks, said officials.

"Going into a conference led by Carol Kent is like walking into a highly charged magnetic field," said Dr. Nell Mahney, author and speaker. "It is exciting! Things are popping! And you have to keep moving!..It is more than energy and enthusiasm; it is a deep-rooted faith in God as revealed in Jesus Christ."

Ms. Kent will be available for book signings at the conclusion of the event.

The Lydia Award honoring an outstanding woman of faith in the community will be presented to Eleonore Williams.

The Praise Breakfast will take place on Thursday, June 23, from 7-9 a.m at the Chattanooga Convention Center. It is open to the public; both men and women are encouraged to attend.

Tickets are $25 each, or a table sponsorship is $200 which includes priority seating and recognition in the program. Tickets can be purchased through the organizations website at www.scwn.org or by calling 698-6262 by June 18. To be a sponsor of the event, contact Renee Nail (patti@scwn.org) or by calling 698-6262.




Enda Kenny should not appoint Independent Alliance TD John Halligan as a Junior Minister if he does not pay his water charges, according to Labour's Alan Kelly.

The former Environment Minister says it would be unacceptable to appoint Halligan if he continues to break the law.

Deputy Halligan has insisted he will never pay the charge.

Mr Kelly says the Taoiseach "must seek a guarantee from John Halligan that he will comply with the law by paying for his water".

"In the absence of such a guarantee, it would be completely unacceptable for the Taoiseach to appoint Deputy Halligan as a Minister of State", Mr Kelly adds.

The former environment minister says any such appointment "of somebody who has clearly flouted the law for cynical political gain" would be a "slap in the face to the hundreds of thousands of households who have paid for their water".

He has also suggested Fine Gael could change their party tag line to "We are the party of law and order, except in cases where we need their votes to stay in power".

Mr Kelly said: "It is incumbent on Taoiseach Enda Kenny to ensure that everybody who is privileged enough to be in a position to serve as a Minister in his Government fully respects the law. That includes John Halligan."
The Garda Emergency Response Unit was called to a closed Cork City Garda station tonight after a man in his 60s threatened to set himself alight.

The man, who was half dressed, had petrol and a lighter. Traffic diversions were put in place as gardai acted to stop the man, who is from the Mallow Road area, from harming himself.
The Taoiseach heads for Washington today for a series of events marking the 1916 Centenary.

Enda Kenny will join US Vice President Joe Biden, to formally open the "Ireland 100" Festival in the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The three week arts festival is the centrepiece of the events commemorating the 1916 Rising in the US.

Tomorrow, the Taoiseach will plant an Irish oak tree on Capitol Hill, to mark the centenary.

He will also visit the prestigious Library of Congress to view items from its collections related to the 1916 Rising.

Later on Wednesday, the Taoiseach will attend a reception in the Statuary Hall of the US Capitol Building to celebrate Ireland-US relations in this 100th anniversary of 1916.

Congressional Leaders and Representatives will be in attendance at the various events.
A new professional body has been formed for providers of full daycare and creches in Ireland.

In total, there are around 4,000 childcare facilities around Ireland, more than a quarter of which are full daycare providers.
Last month, Mr Kavanagh  through his Balark Investments vehicle  lodged plans for the 91 apartments on St John Rogersons Quay.

Mr Kavanaghs New Generation Homes paid 42m for the so-called Hickey site that contains the planned development.

Ahead of the planning objections being lodged, Balark Investments, through legal representatives William J Brennan & Co, sought to reassure Dublin City Council.

In the letter dated March 9, it concluded: For the avoidance of doubt, the company is the holder of the long leasehold tenants interests for each of lots 2 to 7 under the relevant respective leases. None of these leases require the consent of the freehold owner to make the application.

The ESRI occupies the building fronting Whitaker Square directly to the east of the planned development and, in an objection to the plan, consultant Declan Brassil states that the proposed development should be refused or amended.

According to Mr Brassil, the form, height, and massing of the application has the potential to significantly and adversely impact the ESRI property due to the significant loss of daylight and sunlight.

Separately, consultants for Johnny Ronans Chambury Investments states that Chambury Investments part-ownership of the total site area amounts to 20% and is substantial and cannot be ignored.
The organisation said that the SME sector is in danger of being neglected and needs stimulus in order to generate sustainable jobs growth.

It is now time to give fresh impetus to the important role of small and medium business in Ireland and ensure that the interests of SMEs are taken into account in formulating and implementing policies that impact on the enterprise sector, said Isme chief executive Mark Fielding.
When RBS agreed to sell Williams & Glyn, which oversees more than 300 RBS and NatWest branches in England, Scotland and Wales, in 2009, it hoped to do so within months.

Almost seven years later, it is still struggling to divest the business, with a tangled web of technology causing six branches scattered across its home country to become a major issue.

Chief executive Ross McEwans saga to separate the consumer unit is facing difficulty from the handful of NatWest branches in Scotland that operate on different systems than the rest of the unit.

They add to complications that are causing spiralling costs, new products to be put on ice, and a longer wait for dividends.

The best laid schemes of Mr McEwan and his predecessor, Stephen Hester, are being held back by technology systems that have been patched together and modified over decades.

Even though RBS is spending about 50m (64m) a month on spinning off the branches, it risks missing an EU deadline to divest the unit.

The unit represents about 14% of RBS total branch network.

In 2009, RBS agreed to sell the 314 branches as a condition set by the EU for its bailout during the financial crisis.

Efforts to offload the branches through a sale or initial public offering have suffered a series of setbacks since the EU mandate.

The most notable was in October 2012 when Santander abandoned its bid originally agreed in 2010, citing completion delays.

Britain subsequently had to ask the EU to extend an initial deadline to divest the outlets by 2014.

Last month, the UK bank warned it may miss the current timetable to sell Williams & Glyn by the end of 2017.

The delay of the spinoff kicks dividend payments into the long grass, and probably means investors will have endured a decade-long dividend drought before the bank starts making payments again, Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown said in an email.

Bloomberg
The shift to a supply deficit this month came one quarter earlier than forecast, said Goldman Sachs in a report.

The bank raised its price forecasts, while projecting a return to surplus early next year.

Militant attacks and pipeline outages have cut Nigerian volumes by at least 30%, its petroleum minister said last week.

There are a lot of disruptions out there and as a result crude production is down, Michael Wittner, the New York-based head of oil-market research at Societe Generale said.

Nigeria is the big one right now. There are also disruptions in Libya, Venezuela, and a number of other places.

After falling to a 12-year low in February, oil has rebounded on signs the global glut will ease amid production cuts.

The supply surplus in the first half of this year is proving to be smaller than estimated, the International Energy Agency said last week, citing robust demand in India and other emerging nations.

Morgan Stanley, Barclays, and Bank of America joined Goldman Sachs in noting that supply losses are leading markets to rebalance.

Brent crude for July settlement rose $1.17, or 2.5%, to $49 a barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange, the highest level since November 4.

The gain in futures bolstered equities. Commodity companies accounted for eight of the biggest gainers on the S&P 500 Index.

The S&P 500 Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Index climbed as much as 3.6% at one stage.

The physical rebalancing of the oil market has finally started, Goldman analysts Damien Courvalin and Jeffrey Currie wrote in the report.
The startup teams of GIGTANK 365s 2016 summer cohort have arrived in Chattanooga and will be at the Chambliss Startup Social Thursday. The event will double as a Pitch Night, where participants in CO.LABs Spring 2016 Accelerator and GIGTANK 365 prototype will present their companies to the public.

Hosted by The Company Lab (CO.LAB), GIGTANK is a boutique startup accelerator that attracts talent to Chattanooga each summer to launch next-generation businesses. The entrepreneurs of GIGTANK 365s summer cohort will spend the next two months preparing 3D printing, telemedicine and virtual reality startups to go to market.

The Chambliss Startup Social is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The Spring 2016 Cohort Pitches begin at 6:15 p.m.

The event will be held at the Edney Innovation Center, Floor 5, 1100 Market St.

Featured guests will include GIGTANK 365 startup teams, specialists, mentors and partners. Other attendees of the Chambliss Startup Social will include local entrepreneurs and supporters of Chattanoogas startup community.

Pitch Night and the GIGTANK Meet and Greet are opportunities for the public to connect with the startup teams and specialists of 2016 and to learn about the companies they will accelerate in Chattanooga. Chambliss Startup Socials are informal networking and social events that encourage entrepreneurs, investors, startups and established business owners to meet and mingle.
Pfizer will pay $99.25 in cash for each Anacor share, the companies said in a statement yesterday.

The transaction, which represents about a 55% premium to Fridays closing price, is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter and may start adding to Pfizers earnings in 2018.

Chief executive Ian Read said this month that Pfizer was looking to acquire products that are close to hitting the market, while considering a split of the business in the wake of its failed attempt to buy Allergan.

Anacors crisaborole drug, which the US Federal and Drug Administration is scheduled to make a decision on by January 7 for the treatment of mild-to-moderate eczema, could have peak annual sales of $2bn, Pfizer projected, helping bolster its inflammation and immunology group.

It is a strategically well-positioned drug in atopic dermatitis, which is an increasingly competitive market, said Morningstar analyst Damien Conover, who has a buy rating on Pfizer.

This is going to be used in mild-to-moderate patients, so that could give them a niche of the segment of atopic dermatitis where there might be less competition.

Anacor also holds the rights to Kerydin, a treatment for toenail fungus that is commercialised by Novartis Sandoz in the US.

Pfizer has said it will decide by the end of the year whether to break up, which could offer tax benefits, and could have the transaction done by the end of 2017.

The drugmaker dropped its mega-merger with Allergan in April after the US Treasury announced rules that would have reduced the tax benefits of that deal.

Mr Conover said this is likely one of a number of deals Pfizer will do this year as it prepares for a potential split.

Pfizer already has a set of drugs that could help it grow revenue this year for the first time since 2010.

Analysts expect combined sales of three of the companys fastest-growing treatments, Eliquis, Prevnar and Ibrance, to exceed $15bn in 2020.

However, its near-term pipeline is less exciting.

Pfizer is in late-stage testing of a drug to treat high cholesterol  a market that already has established competition from Amgen and Sanofi/Regeneron.

Its late-stage diabetes drug faces three major competitors.
Con Quigley, corporate finance partner and venture capital analyst with financial services firm BDO, said Ireland has an exceptional ecosystem for financial technology companies but said it must also address some key issues.

Chief among these issues is the lack of investments of 500,000 to 2m to help companies scale.

Mr Quigley said the dearth of available funding of this scale is the big problem for Ireland, which otherwise punches above its weight.

His comments echo those of Trustev founder Pat Phelan, who recently launched a 25m investment fund along with financier Illann Power to help startups moving past seed funding and looking to scale globally.

Mr Phelan argued that the Irish venture capital sector is not strong enough and does not have enough funding to support companies looking to scale in the US and elsewhere across the world.

We dont have enough funding, venture [capital funding] isnt strong enough here, said Mr Phelan.

There are companies that are raising small amounts of money that have opportunities to grow much larger, much quicker and are kind of stuck in that space of post-seed round, pre-A round where they havent the money to go global.

Irish companies struggling to scale has also been an issue with Enterprise Ireland-supported companies for some time, leading the agency to place an increased focus on addressing it in the last year or so.

Responding to figures released by the Irish Venture Capital Association which showed major regional imbalances in where firms were securing venture capital funding, Mr Quigley said that more venture capital firms need to be based outside Dublin to help support the technology sector.

While the success of Dublin, which attracted 80% of first quarter 2016 Irish venture capital funding, is very important for Irelands success generally, more regional focus is needed to support companies in Cork, Limerick, Galway, and elsewhere.

Its not a case of Dublin doing too well, its that the rest must do better, he said.

More boutique, or specialised, venture capital firms would also be of significant benefit to individual sectors such as financial technology, Mr Quigley added.

Rather than seeing Irelands proximity to London as a disadvantage to our technology sector, having one of the worlds most important financial hubs an hour away is a major advantage.

Theres a great opportunity in Ireland, we need to maximise our closeness to London, said Mr Quigley.

It costs multiples of what it costs in Ireland to set up in London.
Berkshire held 9.81m shares as of the end of March, a regulatory filing from the billionaires Omaha, Nebraska-based company showed.

The holding was valued at $1.07bn at the end of the first quarter.

Apple last month reported its first quarterly drop in revenue in 13 years, stoking concerns that the companys best days have passed.

The companys share slide since the middle of last year may have created an opportunity for Berkshire, even though Mr Buffett typically avoids investments in technology companies.

Apple at the current valuation makes a tonne of sense; its a consumer-product company more than a tech company, Jeff Matthews, an author of Berkshire-related books, said about the new holding.

The company has a great financial model, a great brand name, and a cheap stock.

Apple shares were up by nearly 4% yesterday after having slumped 14% this year as of the end of last week.

David Teppers Appaloosa Management disclosed last Friday it sold out of its Apple stake in the first quarter.

Billionaire Carl Icahn said last month that he exited a position in the company because of concern about its relationship with China.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is pivoting toward services and exploring new technologies such as self-driving cars to reduce reliance on the iPhone.

Cyrus Mewawalla, managing director at London-based CM Research, said those initiatives are unlikely to pay off this year, but may reward more patient investors.

What would make this stock a good buy is a whole load of projects we know theyre working on, he said.

Theyre working on a TV, a car, a whole bunch of apps coming for the Apple Watch. We know mobile payments has just started off.

The investment could have been made by one of Mr Buffetts deputies, Todd Combs or Ted Weschler. Both have been building their own portfolios and typically take stakes of $1bn or less per company, while Mr Buffett makes larger wagers.

The filing does not specify the person behind each holding. Berkshire did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) hired a skywriter to emblazon the skies over Washington DC with a hashtag urging people to deny Norwegian Air Internationals (NAI) request for a foreign air carrier permit.

Instead, the pilot got a little bit confused, and wrote #DenyNIA instead.
With 46 schoolchildren on board, gardai operating speed checks detected the bus travelling at 69km/h in a 50km/h zone at 9.05am on March 27 last year.

Denis Doherty, of Gaddyduff, Clonmany, Co Donegal, had been charged with speeding at Tullyarvan, Buncrana, when he appeared at the district court.

The court heard that Garda Colm Mooney was operating a speed checkpoint at the time.

Doherty, aged 59, denied the offence, saying he was forced into breaking the speed limit to ensure children, either in his bus or in the cars behind him, were not injured.

He previously told the court in Buncrana he overtook a slow moving tractor but, when he did, a number of other cars followed suit.

Had he not sped up, there would not have been enough space for the rest of the cars to get in behind him, he said, claiming there could have been a pile up if he had not taken the action he did.

Ray Lannon, defending, said his client took fair, reasonable, and necessary action to prevent a clear threat of tragedy.

However, after taking time to review the case and study case law which was handed in by Mr Lannon, Judge Paul Kelly found Doherty had a case to meet.

The judge said he could not accept Doherty had no other choice but to break the speed limit.

He noted Garda Insp Michael Harrisons suggestions there were several actions Doherty could have take to avoid any likely accident occurring.

The inspector had said he was flabbergasted at the bus drivers account of events. Ive never heard anything like it before, he told a previous sitting.

Youre telling me that you broke the speed limit by 20km to ensure the safety of children?

Are you being serious? You had no idea what speed you were doing and you accelerated the vehicle you were driving.

You couldve slowed down after you overtook the vehicle and pulled in and let the other cars pass, but you accelerated.

Doherty had responded: Im a professional driver, my job is to ensure the safety of the children. If I hadnt sped up to let the other vehicles pull in behind me safely, then there wouldve been a huge pile-up and a serious accident.

Thats my job, I ensured their safety and I had to take that action in order to avoid an accident.

Insp Harrison said: You hadnt a notion what speed you were doing and youre not responsible for the vehicles behind you.

You broke the speed limit, yet you stand here claiming it was to save lives  how can you justify your actions when you had schoolchildren on your bus? It was reckless, you broke the law.

Judge Kelly said yesterday he agreed with what Insp Harrison had pointed out. For this defence to succeed, there must be nothing else that could have been done to avoid an accident but increase your speed, but as Insp Harrison pointed out, Mr Doherty could have maintained his 50km/h speed and let the cars behind deal with their own situation.

Or he could have pulled into the side to let them pass or the van coming in the opposite direction could have taken evasive action.

Therefore, I am not convinced that Mr Doherty had no other choice on the day.

The judge praised Mr Lannon for an eloquent and strenuous defence, but said he was rejecting the defence application.
Antoinette Cunningham, president of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors,

was speaking as members of the AGSI travel this morning from all over the country to march on the Dail.

The so-called Blue Wave protest is the first in a series of industrial actions by the association over pay.

The AGSI president declined to comment on the individual case of Sgt McCabe, who is a member of the association.

Speaking generally, she said An Garda Siochana had a responsibility to ensure that people who want to make disclosures had a safe way to do that.

I know the Protective Disclosures Act 2014 brings the guards into that. There shouldnt be any repercussions for anybody who wants to report corruption.

Regarding the McCabe story first reported by the Irish Examiner, when asked on RTEs Sean ORourke programme if there should be clarity on the murky matter, she said: I think thats a matter for the Garda commissioner.

She added: I think if there is a murkiness or anything attached to it that needs clarity, its not for me to provide that clarity. Its a matter for the Garda commissioner.

Ms Cunningham pointed out that there was a policy internally about making confidential disclosures.

I think that policy, once its adhered to in its strictest sense, will provide the comfort that people need and as an association we approve of accountability.

As somebody who had worked in Templemore Training College she said professional values and ethical standards were hugely important for students and she would encourage more of it.

She said the bonds of working as police officers no longer stretched to tolerating conduct that was unacceptable.

I dont think loyalty can be misplaced anymore: there is too much accountability.

She said they were subject to the Government, Garda Ombudsman, the Policing Authority, and the Garda Inspectorate.

The AGSI president agreed that supervision of gardai  a key deficiency highlighted in the OHiggins report  was a matter that does need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

She said a sergeant in Kinsale currently supervises a unit in Bandon, 20km away  something replicated across the country.

Ms Cunningham said todays Blue Wave march was the result of sheer frustration at the Governments failure to review garda pay.

She said they had no forum to negotiate on Garda pay. She said todays march will be followed by pickets at the offices of the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice, starting next week. She said they were even prepared to consider strike action.
The Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC) revealed that its latest survey shows schools with highest levels of disadvantage have seen the biggest cuts to numbers of hours allocated each week for guidance and student support services.

As a result of budgetary changes in 2012, schools no longer have a guaranteed set number of hours for guidance counselling.

An effective cut to pupil-teacher ratios saw the number of hours left to the discretion of management. With pressure to also protect the teaching of curricular subjects following previous cuts, schools have used their hours differently depending on local needs and demands.

The IGC national audit, based on responses from just over half the countrys 720 second-level schools, shows that all schools except those charging fees provide less guidance counselling.

While the cut has been 26.7% in schools not supported in the DEIS programme for disadvantaged schools, from 25 to 18.5 hours a week, there has been a bigger cut in DEIS schools. Their weekly hours of guidance counselling have fallen from 22.5 to 15.8 hours a week, or 30%, since the 2011/2012 school year.

Just over a quarter of second-level schools are included in DEIS, which entitles them to lower pupil-teacher ratios, and grants for extra supports.

The loss of ringfenced guidance hours for all schools has already been identified by the ESRI as disproportionately affecting disadvantaged schools more than others.

The programme for government published last week says guidance counselling will be enhanced, but it it is not quantified and no timescale for any improvements is given.

A spokesman for Mr Bruton said he would consider the best way to approach the commitment to bring about improvements.

The aim will be to provide a whole-school approach to guidance counselling, including group work, class-based activities, and other activities which focus on providing the best possible outcomes for students rather than exclusively using one type of activity, he said.

Although it is unclear if there will be any specific benefits for DEIS schools, he said they were largely sheltered from the effects of the 2012 changes as they received an improvement in their staffing ratios at the same time.

All second-level schools are in line for a further slight improvement in general staffing in September, but the measure does not provide for any return to the pre-2012 situation when each school had a set minimum weekly provision of guidance counselling.

The IGC audit shows that 12 schools have no timetabled guidance counselling hours, nine of them in the voluntary secondary sector of schools run or owned by religious orders.

Conversely, nine schools pay for guidance counselling from outside their teacher allocation funded by the Department of Education, four of them being fee-charging schools that offer 27 hours a week.

The average of under 18 hours a week in all schools includes around six hours one-to-one work with students on personal, career, and education issues. This has fallen by half since 2012.
The north-east inner city has been hit by three murders since February linked to the Kinahan-Hutch feud  two of them within eleven days in April.

Community groups and locals will walk from four different churches in the area, leaving at 7pm, and descend at 7.30pm on the landmark Home memorial  for victims of drugs  on Buckingham St.

The procession has been organised by local networks within the four parishes of St Agathas (William St,) St Laurence OTooles (Seville Place), Our Lady of Lourdes (Sean MacDermott St), and St Josephs Church (East Wall), as a response to violence and killings in the area.

The community is appalled by the current violence on our streets, which is the most visible and extreme face of the devastation caused by nearly 40 years of a serious drugs crisis, said Seanie Lambe, chairman of the Inner City Organisations Network.

The white ribbon procession, named Communities Standing Together, developed from a local meeting at the end of last month.

Mr Lambe said the procession was an opportunity for the people of the area to come together so their voices could be heard.

First, we are supporting each other as a community and showing our solidarity in rejecting violence, said Mr Lambe.

Second, we are saying loud and clear to those responsible for the killings, that this must stop now.

Third, we are calling for an immediate, urgent, and comprehensive response from government to address the devastating impact of the drugs trade that is imbedded in our area and to tackle the endemic and intergenerational disadvantage that allows the drugs trade to flourish.

It comes as gardai continued to question a suspected gunman in the Regency Hotel assault on February 5, in which Kinahan lieutenant David Byrne, from Crumlin, was shot dead.

That led to four murders by the Kinahan cartel. Garda operations are in place in both the north inner city and the Crumlin area to prevent further bloodshed.
The Hamilton County Democratic Party will host the annual Kefauver fundraiser on June 30 at the Chattanooga Convention Center.

The emcee will be Mayor Andy Berke and Mayor Megan Barry of Nashville will be the guest speaker.

There will be a dance floor and Sweet Georgia Sound will perform.

Tables are $1,200 and include the following: seating for eight (for nine or 10 reach out to Terry Lee at 304-2152), a full page ad in the program, name (or company's name) on the PowerPoint, and recognition from the podium during the event. Individual tickets are $70 before June 10, and $75 after June 10. Click here for tickets.

There will be a silent auction before the event. To donate items, contact Ashley Collins at 313-7347 or hcdp.tn@gmail.com.
Mr Kenny will fly to Washington DC this morning for a two-day visit which is also expected to involve backroom discussions about a potential visit to Ireland by US vice-president Joe Biden next month.

The events  which were organised last September  have been scheduled to honour and remember those who took part in the Easter Rising 100 years ago.

However, they are also expected to see Mr Kenny raise issues central to Irish people on both sides of the Atlantic, including US immigration and threats to multi-national jobs posed by the imminent US elections.

The Taoiseach will this evening attend the opening night of the Ireland 100 festival in the Kennedy Center, which will feature an array of Irish traditional music and dancing by leading tenors, sopranos and the US national symphony orchestra.

This event, which begins at 1am Irish time tonight, will also be attended by US vice-president Joe Biden, who has made no secret of his familys links to Ireland and is rumoured to be considering a visit to this country next month.

Tomorrow, Mr Kenny will tour the Rising records held at the US Congress library on what took place 100 years ago before attending a specially organised tour of the heralded Newseum newspaper museum on how these events were reported.

He will then travel to Capitol Hill to plant an Irish oak tree to commemorate the Easter Rising, a move considered a special honour in the US, before attending a House of Representatives debate on the adoption of a resolution to remember the Irish rebellion.

Mr Kennys visit has been seen by some as potentially his last journey to the US amid ongoing discussion about how long his second term in office will last.

However, despite having just one seat more than was required to form a minority government and ongoing rumours that he may step down within a year, the Taoiseach has that insisted he will serve his full term in office.
The lord mayor of Cork, Cllr Chris OLeary, appealed for calm last night and offered to mediate as Ciara Sheehan, 21, continued her recovery after receiving a gunshot wound to the neck during Sundays gun attack on her boyfriends house in the Hollywood Estate area of Hollyhill.

Ive called on people to resist from retaliations and have offered, along with the gardai, to mediate to alleviate the problems, Mr OLeary said.

Sometimes things get to a head where people feel they cant back down.

But were saying there is an opportunity here to step back, to be calm about it, and to resolve the underlying issues.

It would mean that nobody would lose face, which is important.

The community should not be in fear of retaliations that could spiral out of control and end up with someone being fatally injured  ending up in a coffin.

Weve seen it in other cities and we dont want to see it here, the lord mayor said.

Ms Sheehan, who was visiting her boyfriend, Dillon Cunningham at his house in Hollywood Estate, was shot in the neck after a gun was fired through the front window of his home just after 1am.

She was rushed by friends in a car to Cork University Hospital where she is now said to be in stable condition.

Ciara Sheehan, 21, who was shot in the neck in an attack at her boyfriends house in the Hollywood estate on the north side of Cork City. Picture: Provision

Gardai made a breakthrough in the investigation yesterday when they recovered an automatic pistol from waste ground in the Shankiel area, close to the scene of the shooting.

It is undergoing forensic and ballistics test to establish if it was the weapon fired at the Cunningham home.

It is hoped that ballistic tests on the bullet removed during emergency surgery on Ms Sheehans neck will allow detectives to connect it to the recovered gun.

Detectives are also anxious to establish if the recovered gun is linked to other criminal activity, including a drive-by shooting in the Knocknaheeny area in July 2014.

The man injured in that attack knew his attacker but no complaint was ever made to gardai.

Gardai are also examining threatening comments made on Facebook in the hours before Sundays shooting in which an individual known to gardai threatened war on named individuals.

Gardai are still questioning a man, 29, and a woman, 22, who were arrested close to the scene of the shooting. They are being detained under the provisions of Section 30 of the Offences of the State Act and can be held for up to five days.

Local Sinn Fein Cllr Thomas Gould said Sundays shooting is the most serious in a string of increasingly violent attacks, all linked to one individual, on people across the northside.

It is understood that members of the Cunningham family, described by neighbours as good, honest, decent, hardworking people, were drawn into conflict with the same individual in recent months.

There are serious criminals operating in Cork at the moment that are known to gardai, and they seem to have no fear of being arrested and people are asking how is that happening?, Mr Gould said.

This incident on Sunday was the second shooting on the northside in just over a year, there have been two pipe bomb attacks, and numerous attacks with swords, machetes and Stanley blades, all connected to this one individual.

Its all linked to heroin dealers who think they are untouchable.

People will be disappointed if the gardai cant deal with this.
The Irish Cancer Society, the anti-smoking organisation Ash, and opposition parties all hit out at the super junior minister, who has refused to promise to stop smoking despite taking up a role at the Department of Health.

We are not all superhumans, he said. We all have frailties and we have to accept thats life and thats part of life.

The Independent Alliance member also defended his personal views that pubs should have designated indoor smoking sections and that tobacco duty should not be increased further.

Patrick Doorley, chairman of Ash Ireland, said the organisation is deeply concerned any consideration would be given to changing smoking in the workplace.

This is one of the most progressive and successful pieces of health legislation introduced in recent years, said Mr Doorley.

Describing the comments as unhelpful and irresponsible at a time when we are striving to make Ireland tobacco free by 2025, the Irish Cancer Society said any roll back of the smoking ban would be a retrograde step.

We expect Minister McGrath will fully support his Governments commitments in this regard and will not impede or obstruct public health measures proven to save lives, the charity said. One in deaths in Ireland last year were as a result of smoking, it added.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said Mr McGrath now needs to get with it when it comes to creating a smoke free society.

Mr McGrath admitted he smokes up to 20 cigarettes a day but constantly makes an effort to cut down.

I cant say that I will be giving them up because I am now in a new position as a minister at cabinet, he said.

What I am saying is beating those people up and kind of bullying them... we need to bring people along with proper public health policies out there to help us with our addiction, and thats the progressive way forward.

I try to give them up every single day. What I dont do is go around talking about it or pontificating about it, but what I do is I make an effort every day, like many, many smokers.

Addressing previous comments, he told RTEs Today with Sean ORourke show: I defend the right of any minister or any citizen to have their own private and personal views.

I think its important that we have that situation and in the past I did say that there were examples in other countries like Germany and Portugal where they had a more lenient regime in relation to smoking.

Mr Martin responded by saying: Given the fact that he is in cabinet, he needs to get with it and he needs to get with the view that this is not just about Finian McGrath, its about future generations.

Its about the young people of this country, its about creating a smoke-free society because addiction to nicotine kills.

Labour senator Kevin Humphreys said: It is ridiculous of Finian McGrath to claim he is committed to the target of Ireland being tobacco free by 2025, when he is at the same time calling for the smoking ban in public places to be relaxed.
Pavee Point said the finding by the Council of Europes Committee of Social Rights that Ireland has violated Article 16 of the European Social Charter in its treatment of Travellers confirmed what Traveller organisations have claimed for some time.

Martin Collins, co-director of Pavee Point, said: This finding by the European Committee of Social Rights is a high-level decision that puts Irelands record on Travellers into a shameful light.

We now need a new approach to the provision of Traveller accommodation  specially as living conditions also impact on peoples health including mental health.

We urge the new Government in its programme to incorporate these findings into its work on the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy and in drawing up an integrated social framework.

Mr Collins said figures regarding the number of Traveller people who are homeless simply illustrated the depths of the problem and added: There is no doubt that we are in a crisis.

The 55-page decision from the Council of Europe section said that 21 years after a taskforce identified the need for 1,000 transient halting bays to provide for short-duration stays, just 54 are in existence and not all function as proper transient sites.

Moreover, this estimate did not take into account the growth in the Traveller population, it said. Only five local authorities provide transient sites.

It also noted that the Government does not dispute the figures.

Regarding living conditions at halting sites, it said: A not insignificant number of sites are in poor condition, lack maintenance and are badly located.

David Joyce, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission board member, said the findings were significant.

Mr Joyce told RTE: The numbers of Traveller halting sites are not being made available and the ones that are being made available are just not up to standards in terms of safety, sanitation services and management.

The other area is a legislative framework which really needs to be addressed. It does not provide the legal safeguards when it comes to evictions. There is no alternative accommodation being provided, access to legal advice or legal services.

Pavee Point said the Law Centre at the Irish Traveller Movement estimates that there are currently over 5,600 Travellers in overcrowded or unauthorised sites as they have nowhere else to go and that even on authorised sites there is limited or no access to water and sanitation, problems with damp, flooding and lack of maintenance.

Mr Collins said: The programme for governments proposed working group on Traveller accommodation needs to have strong Traveller representation and could be the place to develop a new approach to the provision of Traveller accommodation.

We believe that a dedicated Traveller agency is now needed to implement policy across accommodation, health, education and employment. We will be highlighting these issues at the Oireachtas.

Editorial: 12
It was an image that spoke volumes, the photograph of innocent victim Ciara Sheehan, 21, shot in the neck at the weekend, lying in her hospital bed at Cork University Hospital (CUH),

Her distraught mother Susan OMahony shared the image with the Irish Examiner so readers could see the awful aftermath of the injury to her daughter, shot while visiting her boyfriends house in the northside of Cork city in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The death of baby Jennifer Anna McGarry, who suffered a spinal injury following a forceps-assisted delivery in the Coombe Hospital in 1991, went unreported.

Jennifers mother, Catherine McGarry, said: We just want the truth to be brought out so this never happens to another woman. It shouldnt have happened in the first place. Our daughter died and we have no children because of it.

Speaking after the inquest into their daughters death was adjourned, she said she was glad the process had begun. We are just glad. Its after taking 24 years now, hopefully we will get some good results, she said.

Barrister for the McGarrys, Ciaran Craven, said the family had particular concerns about how baby Jennifer was treated and managed in the weeks before her death. Mr Craven said the family had waited 24 years for the matter to be ventilated and it was important that all aspects were fully examined.

Mr Craven said it was a travesty the inquest was being conducted 24 years later as had it been reported in 1991 a full inquest would have taken place.

Dublin Coroners Court heard the parents were particularly exercised over the management of their daughters autopsy and the removal and retention of their babys organs.

Noting the parents had already waited 24 years, Mr Craven applied for a short adjournment of the inquest.

Its been a very long period and one does not want to add to it. However, a focused analysis and assessment will be in everyones ease, said Mr Craven.

Barrister for the Coombe Hospital, Simon Mills, said the hospital had numerous meetings with the McGarrys and a report had been completed based on concerns raised at those meetings. The hospital apologised to the parents last year.

Coroner Dr Brian Farrell adjourned the inquest for further mention to June 30.
The cloud security company with its EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) headquarters in Cork hosted a competition to promote and encourage conversations about being online.

The overall Whats Your Story? prize was won by St Josephs NS, Ballyheigue, in Co Kerry, for a fun, inspiring, video, What does the internet mean to you?
Mr Varadkar said Mr Kennys comments that he would serve a full term would help reduce speculation about a leadership contest and allow the Government focus on its work.

Mr Kenny yesterday spoke about the pending junior ministerial appointments, his intentions for his Seanad nominees, and how long he would remain as Taoiseach.

He said: Ive always said that my intention would be to serve the full term but not to lead the party into the next general election.

His commitment to serve at least three, if not five years was met with mixed reactions. Some in Fine Gael had thought Mr Kenny may step aside sooner.

A number of senior party figures are tipped to succeed him, including Housing Minister Simon Coveney, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, and Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar.

The latter yesterday welcomed Mr Kennys commitment to serve a full term and said this would actually benefit the Government.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Varadkar said that he was glad to hear the news.

It will help to reduce speculation about a leadership contest and allow us to focus on our job which is to secure our economy, spread the recovery, and improve the lives of citizens, he said.

Fine Gael sources insisted the comments from Mr Kenny showed he was now back in control of the party. Those who thought he would stay short-term are wrong, said one person close to Mr Kenny.

The Taoiseach also responded to reports that Fianna Fail would try to block government policies, a situation Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin insisted his party had a right to do.

Things would settle down and there would be an attitude change from the Government to the opposition benches, according to Mr Kenny.

So its a brave new world, in the sense of a very different kind of Dail, he said. I hope that working together, in a new way for team Ireland, that the decisions made by Government and being implemented will be for the interests of the people and their benefit, thats what new politics is about.

Mr Kenny, speaking in Castlebar to RTE News, said he had over 70 names on his desk for the 11 nominees he will shortly put in the Seanad.

Mr Kenny hinted that he may not, unlike the previous Seanad, appoint mainly Independent candidates this time. It created difficulties, I have to say, in voting terms towards the end of that period, he said.

He signalled that he would try to represent different areas in the Seanad with the nominees.

Mr Kenny also signalled that his appointment this week of junior ministers, 10 of whom are expected to be from Fine Gael, would ensure they had niche roles.

So that those who are appointed will have clearly defined roles and responsibilities given to them statutorily and not just appointed as ministers with no real focus on what it is that they should be doing, said Mr Kenny.
Dahesh Patel of Dillons Court, Dillons Cross, Cork, appeared at Cork District Court on a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor on June 21, 2015.

Detective Garda Fergal Long objected to bail because of the seriousness of the alleged offence and because he said Mr Patel  a UK national  was a flight risk.
The Irish Examiner revealed on Friday that counsel for the Garda commissioner Noirin OSullivan told Mr OHiggins that evidence of a meeting between Sgt McCabe and two other officers would show that he was motived by malice.

When Sgt McCabe produced a tape recording of the meeting in question, the matter was dropped and the whole affair was not included in the final report.

The Irish Examiner has learned that the failure to include the attempt to impugn Sgt McCabes character in the draft report was one of the main reasons he threatened to take legal action.

However, after making a robust submission to the commission, and considering the possibly ruinous financial implications of going to the High Court, he decided not to proceed.

Fianna Fail leader Michael Martin contacted Sgt McCabe over the weekend following the publication of Fridays story. Mr Martin is expected to raise the matter when the Dail resumes today.

Last night Commissioner OSullivan released a statement after pressure to clarify matters. In relation to Sgt McCabe she said: Like every member of An Garda Siochana, Sergeant Maurice McCabes contribution is valued and the service has changed for the better in response to the issues about which he complained. I want to make it clear that I do not  and have never, regarded Sergeant McCabe as malicious.

Commissioner OSullivan reiterated her stance in relation to instructions given to her legal team.

The witnesses who gave evidence before the commission did so on the expectation that their evidence, except as may be included in the final report, would remain private, she said.

Accordingly, I have been advised that I cannot discuss the details of any proceedings before the OHiggins Commission.

However, Labour leader Joan Burton has said there is nothing in law to prevent the Garda commissioner from clarifying the instructions she gave her legal team at the OHiggins Commission of Investigation.

She said there was serious public disquiet about the claim that, although in public Ms Sullivan had said Sgt Maurice McCabe had the full support of garda management, she had instructed her lawyers in the commissions private sessions to attack Sgt McCabes motives and character.

It was a very serious matter if this was true and it was even more serious if the lawyers instructions had been changed mid-stream, but only in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary, said Ms Burton.

It is simply not true to say that the law prevents the garda commissioner from responding to this allegation. The governing law is the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004. It is true that section 11 (3) of the Act prohibits a person from disclosing or publishing any evidence given by a witness in private to a commission of investigation.

But lawyers are not witnesses. And their statements to a commission are not evidence. So this prohibition does not apply.

In this case, the reported statements of the Garda lawyers appear to directly contradict the official public stance of the Commissioner towards Sergeant McCabe, as outlined to an Oireachtas committee in May 2014. The Dail and the public are entitled to know how she can reconcile this apparent contradiction.

Ms Burton said that, where the Garda Siochana and officials of the Department of Justice were represented at the investigation by the lawyers from the office of the chief State solicitor, the extent to which tactics were known to or approved by the department and the minister needed to be clarified.

A spokesperson for the minister for justice said she was prevented under the Commission of Investigations Act from commenting on any claims made relating to what may or not have been said at private hearings of the commission.
Here are the Special event street closures for May 18-22:

IRONMAN 70.3 set-up starts Wednesday: Riverfront Parkway from Molly Lane to Aquarium Way and Chestnut Street from Aquarium Way to Riverfront Parkway will be closed from 9 a.m. Wednesday until 5 a.m. on Monday.

Nightfall will take place Friday from 5:30-11:59 p.m. Market Street from 10th Street to 8th Street will be closed, and ML King Boulevard from Broad Street to Georgia Avenue will be closed.

CFC kickoff Family Run: Reggie White Boulevard between West 20th Street and the entrance to the skate park, West 19th Street between Reggie White Boulevard and Chestnut Street, West 20th Street westbound between Chestnut Street and West 19th Street, and the median lanes of Riverfront Parkway between West 19th Street and Molly Lane will be closed from 7:30-9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Hamilton County Graduation: Mabel Street/5th Street between East 4th Street and Douglas Street will be closed from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday.

Tennessee Whiskey Festival: Reggie White Boulevard will be closed between West 19th Street and the entrance to the skate park from 7 a.m.-midnight on Saturday.

Graduation Party: East 5th Street between North Hawthorne Street and North Hickory Street will be closed from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday.

Ironman 70.3 event is Sunday. Road and lane closures starting Sunday at 5 a.m.-5 a.m. on Monday. See closure details.

Chattanooga Market: Reggie White Boulevard will be closed from the entrance to the skate park to 19th Street on Sunday from 6 a.m.-8 p.m.

In order to view a map of these closures, please visit: http://www.chattanooga.gov/transportation/traffic-engineering-a-operations/special-events-a-street-closures
William Hutchinson, aged 37, was at home at 23 Glenfields Avenue, Ballyvolane, when three men with the wrong directions had called to his house looking for a house party.

Graham Hyde, defending, said while Hutchinson completely overreacted to the men looking for a party, he did have reason to feel under threat from others at that time. A viable explosive device had previously been found under his car, and on another occasion such a device was posted in through his letterbox.

Hutchinson yesterday pleaded guilty at Cork District Court to a charge of assault causing harm to Martin Healy, aged 43, and to a charge of assaulting Luke Hurley, also aged 43.

Det Sgt Kieran OSullivan said that on February 15, 2015, the two injured parties and a third man were at a social event and got a taxi to Glenfields Avenue to go to a house where they had been told a party was taking place at around.

Unfortunately, they went to the wrong address. That was the home of William Hutchinson, said Det Sgt OSullivan.

Mr Hutchinson came out and, without saying anything, he struck Mr Healy over the head with a hurley causing him to fall to the ground.

His friend, Mr Hurley, went to his assistance and Mr Hutchinson attempted to strike him also.

The three men  the two injured parties and their friend  went away to the house where the party was taking place and gardai were notified. Later, Mr Healy had to get four staples to his head wound.

Det Sgt OSullivan said gardai got a warrant to search the home of Hutchinson subsequently. They found clothing worn by the accused that morning which was stained by the blood of the injured party. A hurley was also found with blood stains of the injured party.

Hutchinson had a security camera at his front door and footage from that was examined. While it did show the various parties, it did not capture the assaults.

Insp John Deasy said the accused had previous convictions, including one for assault causing harm in November 2000.

Mr Hyde submitted that, contrary to the prosecution outline of what happened, there had been an exchange of words. I should hope it would be accepted there was some verbals between them, said Mr Hyde.

Outlining two previous attempts on Hutchinsons life, Mr Hyde did not outline the background to this except to say he had liaised with the gardai. Mr Hyde said the accused was so concerned about his safety that he varied his daily routines.

Judge Olann Kelleher said: It is a serious matter. Of course people are entitled to protect their property but this man  no questions asked  comes out with his hurley and attacks these people and one of them gets four stitches.

The judge adjourned sentencing until Friday, saying he wants to get updated medical information on Mr Healys head injury.
Hundreds of thousands of customers travel from all over the country to visit the Ballymun outlet on Dublins northside and the Belfast superstore.

According to the Swedish super retailer, the 15,000sq ft order and collection point off the M50 at Carrickmines will act primarily as a a planning studio to plan and order more complex purchases such as kitchens, wardrobes, and sofas but it will also include the popular Ikea room sets and will also have staff on hand to help with room planning and design. Its Ballymun outlet is 300,000sq ft.

Management at Ikea say this announcement is part of its expansion programme in Ireland and they plan to test other new ways of selling to customers.

Order and collection development manager Jack Jackson said customers travelling to the new Ikea outlet at Junction 15 will not be able to take the full Ikea product range home.

Ikea charges customers a home delivery fee of between 35 and 95 for those living in Dublin, but a flat fee of 120 is charged to customers outside the capital irrespective of the value of the goods.

Customers at Carrickmines will be able to order from the full range available at the Ikea Dublin store for home delivery or for collection at the collection point.

The Carrickmines order and collection point will be accessible via the Luas green line, through public bus service, and by vehicle with ample car parking facilities available, he said.

In addition, a small range of products will be available for customers to take home on the day of their visit.

Fans of their acclaimed meatballs will not have to travel north on the M50 any more as the new outlet will also have a small selection of take-home Swedish Food Market products, including the meatballs.

Recruitment for a team of 30 workers has begun. Ikea is one of a small number of companies that pays a living wage, a salary over the minimum wage which is considered sufficient to maintain a normal standard of living.

In the year up to the end of August last year, Ikea Ireland increased its profit by 84% to 13.1m. Its turnover rose by 17% to approximately 132m.
The Italian authorities, who helped co-ordinate LE Roisins rescue of 125 migrants yesterday, have reported a significant rise in the number of Syrian refugees being taken from potentially lethal wooden barges and inflatable dinghys.

LE Roisin, which is captained by Lieutenant Commander Ultan Finegan and has a 57-strong crew, plucked 107 men and 18 women crammed like sardines from a dinghy after being alerted by the Italian authorities to the presence of the vessel 74km north-east of the Libyan coast at 10.47am.

All the migrants were taken onboard by 2.45pm, were given food, water, and medical treatment, while the naval vessel awaited orders about either transferring them to another rescue ship or taking them into an Italian port for processing.

LE Roisin was steaming to an Italian port last night after a further 240 migrants were transferred to her by the Italian ship, Comandante Borsini, which rescued them in a similar area.

The Irish mission is running seperately to a more aggressive one led by some other EU countries which are trying to stop refugees leaving the Libyan coast.

According to a leaked document, plans are being put in place to create a floating hotspot to process up to 1,000 migrants at a time.

The plan was contained in a memo sent from the Dutch presidency of the European Council to other national governments, including the British, to take more aggressive action to prevent people-smugglers from launching craft from camps crammed with refugees.

It was LE Roisins first migrant rescue since she left Haulbowline on May 1 and adds to the total of 8,592 plucked from the sea in the region last year by the crews of LE Eithne, LE Niamh, and LE Samuel Beckett.

Meanwhile, the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) said the need for search and rescue missions on the dangerous crossing from Libya to Italy remains great.

ICI chief executive Brian Killoran said LE Roisins latest rescue was a source of national pride, but our efforts must not stop there and its important we also offer safety, protection and hope to the rescued.

Our government must honour its commitment to take in 4,000 people by the end of next year and at EU level ensure that those who are in immediate danger are offered legal channels to enter Europe, he said.

Analysis: 13
At least 30 of the 158 TDs in the 32nd Dail rent out property to tenants. There are 52 new TDs who are yet to record their land and property interests with the Oireachtas registry before January of next year.

TDs have to register such rentals when their share of annual rent exceeds 2,600 a month. They dont have to register properties that they, their spouse or child lives in.

Figures in the latest Daft rental report have shown an increase in the average rent nationwide of 9.3% in the year up to March.

The biggest recorded landlord in the Dail is Kerry Deputy Michael Healy Rae who in his submission at the start of this year recorded two farmhouses rented out and a rental property in his home village of Kilgarvan. He also has a rental apartment at Killarney, houses rented out in Kenmare, Castleisland and Killarney, and student accommodation in Limerick.

Fianna Fails John Mc Guinness declaration listed three rental properties in Dublin, three in Kilkenny, property in Limerick and Tipperary, and interest in a nursing home.

Social Democrat, Stephen Donnelly has rental property at Beacon South Quarter in Dublin and in Clara, Co Offaly.

Former ceann comhairle and Fine Gael TD, Sean Barrett describes himself as a shareholder in a company that owns an office block and which is leased to a tenant. Minister for Housing Simon Coveney declared a rental property at Hartys Quay, Rochestown, in Cork, while Agriculture Minister Michael Creeds declaration of members interests records rental property at three addresses in Macroom, Co Cork.

Fianna Fails Dara Calleary had two months rental income from a property that he once lived in on Distillery Road in Dublin but sold it in July 2015.

Fine Gael Galway East TD, Ciaran Cannon is an executive director in a property company.

Fine Gaels Marcella Corcoran Kennedy declared she was left 27 acres at Ferbane, Co Offaly that has been rented out.

Colleague, Waterford TD, John Deasy has a rental apartment at Citywest in Dublin while Pat Deering has a rental property in Rathvilly, Co Carlow.

Chief whip Regina Doherty has property at Ashbourne Business Park and at City Campus in Limerick. Fianna Fails Timmy Dooley has two Dublin properties at Charlotte Quay and Rathfarnham which he has rented out.

Charlie Flanagan lets a holiday house in Co Sligo part of the year while Terence Flanagan also has a share in a rental property in Blanchardstown, Dublin. Sean Fleming let a former post office in County Laois for part of last year.

Independent, Noel Grealish rented out a house in Galway and apartment in Dublin . He also has a 8,800 sq. feet commercial unit at Briarhill, Galway.

Martin Heydon has rental property in Co Limerick while Paul Kehoe has a letting in Enniscorthy and an apartment on Haddington Road. Fianna Fail Cork TD, Billy Kelleher rents out an apartment in Glanmire.

Fianna Fails Brendan Smith has a rental apartment in Dublin while Robert Troy recorded two rental properties in Mullingar and in Dublin. Wexfords Mick Wallace has two properties rented in Wicklow.
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has updated the countrys childcare regulations for the first time in 10 years.

Previously, childcare centres only had to notify Tusla they were setting up and were not obliged to register with the inspectorate. Sometimes, it took years before they were inspected for compliance with childcare regulations.

From July 1, all childcare workers will also be required to have childcare training up to Fetac Level 5. Before this, such training was only necessary for those working in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme or free preschool year.

Childcare providers have to ensure children get access to an outdoor play area every day and all staff have to undergo annual appraisals. There is a new emphasis on the administration of the creches, with skilled boards of management or management structures required.

According to Early Childhood Ireland, existing services will be automatically registered once they fill out a statutory declaration by the end of next month. Once the regulations are in place, creches will have to re-register every three years.

Despite the increased emphasis on training in the childcare sector, the wages are still low, according to Childcare Ireland chief executive Theresa Heaney.

Skilled childcare workers are still only paid 10.27 per hour with only a 1 hour increase if you are a room leader with even greater responsibility. This is a huge problem given that the ECCE capitation grants paid to creche owners are so low, said Ms Heaney.

As research completed for us by economist Stephen Kinsella showed, the sector needs 109m in investment this year alone if we are to have high quality yet affordable childcare. We cant offer quality on a shoestring.

Delegates at the Impact trade union conference this year heard that low pay, poor career prospects, and long periods off-payroll during the summer has led to turnover in the childcare sector of up to 22%.

Briefings on the sectors new regulations are taking place around the country this month and in early June. The regulations will be operational from June 30, according to Tusla.

It is only really when those briefings start that we will learn the nitty-gritty. The devil will be in the detail, said Ms Heaney.

Meanwhile, from September, every child in Ireland will be able to start pre-school at age three and remain there until they start primary school as the free preschool year is extended.

At present, children are only eligible for a years pre-school (38 weeks) through the ECCE programme.

In last years budget, capitation payments to providers were restored to pre-2012 levels.

Around 67,000 children, some 95% of eligible children, have participated in the free preschool programme each year.

It is believed the extension of the free childcare year will increase the number of children benefiting from free preschool to more than 127,000 in a given year.

Childcare providers offering the free preschool year are inspected by the Department of Education and Tusla. The department inspections only began in the past number of weeks.
Last October, Sgt Martha McEnery won a Court of Appeal challenge against the Commissioners decision to dismiss her from the force.

Sgt McEnery was dismissed because she was given a four-month suspended sentence in 2011, following her conviction for assault during the arrest of Anthony Holness, in Waterford, in January, 2010.

Following her conviction, the commissioner found she had breached the 2007 Garda Siochana Discipline Regulations and summarily dismissed her.

Sgt McEnery had challenged that decision to the High Court, and had argued that a criminal conviction could not constitute grounds for summary dismissal.

She claimed her treatment was discriminatory, or disproportionate compared to any other case, and that other gardai convicted of assault had not not dismissed. She also claimed the commissioner failed to give adequate reasons for the decision. The High Court dismissed her challenge, which she appealed.

The Court of Appeal then ruled that the commissioner had not acted lawfully, within the regulations, in dismissing Sgt McEnery, without giving separate consideration to the facts surrounding her breach of discipline.

The appeal court allowed Sgt McEnerys appeal, because the commissioner had treated her criminal conviction as being such that little or no further consideration was required in dismissing her.

In advance of the appeal being heard by the Supreme Court, an issue had arisen. The commissioner argued, before the Supreme Court, that Sgt McEnery had not stated any additional grounds as part of her case, in documents submitted to the Supreme Court which had later been included in written submissions.

In a written ruling on a preliminary point, Mr Justice Clarke, sitting with Mr Justice John Mac Menamin and Mr Justice Peter Charleton, granted Sgt McEnery permission to rely on additional grounds in the appeal.

The judge said the points concerned had been properly before the Court of Appeal and submissions had been made at an early stage in the Supreme Court.

However, it should not be presumed that similar latitude will continue to be given in the future, said Mr Justice Clarke.

He said that, following recent changes to the Constitution, the court was still in a transitional phase, between its former and its new jurisdiction. The precise and detailed practical consequences for the conduct of appeals in the Supreme Court have yet to be fully worked out, he said.
Residential care workers and night supervising staff at the youth detention centre have voted in favour of industrial action over safety concerns, citing more than 3,000 work hours missed last year due to assaults involving 65 staff members in 100 violent incidents.

As many as 200 workers represented by Impact and Siptu at the facility in Dublin could now engage in work stoppages, although both management and employees stressed they are keen to resolve the issues.

In a statement, Oberstown manager Pat Bergin said he was disappointed with the outcome of the ballot and argued that positive changes have been introduced over the past year to help protect staff. He said five employees are on assault and injury leave, with 18 on ordinary sick leave.

Tom Hoare of Impact said some of those 18 on sick leave were on stress leave following a physical assault. He claimed design issues on the campus are putting staff at risk, as are the operations of units, including the age mix and the mix of young people, some of whom, he said, were better suited to the care system.

Mr Bergin said there were issues regarding assaults on staff, but that there had been significant progress, including a fall in absenteeism from a high of 17%.

He said a memo to staff last November outlined how the level and frequency of restraint used were to be lowered, and he told the Irish Examiner that staff were not expected to put themselves in danger.

He said young people on remand and those on committal will be separated in due course, with those on remand to use the older units, including one that will be an intake unit. Three units are currently not open, including one in which three doors were damaged in March.

Mr Bergin said there was a review being carried out into different mechanisms that could be applied to the doors before they are replaced.

There have been a number of difficult issues here and we have to take time to work through them, he said.

Ultimately, Oberstown could have 90 beds available which would see complete separation of those on remand and on committal, as well as taking 17-year-olds out of Wheatfield Prison.

However, Mr Bergin said staff had been asked to change their approach and that this was a challenge.

We have to ensure that the concept of riot gear is not part and parcel of the approach here to deal with the young people, and that is a substantial issue for some of the staff here, he said.

It is a cultural change and that is difficult and I am not taking away from that.

Deirdre Malone, executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust, said all sides need to ensure that young people in Oberstown do not have their own difficulties exacerbated as a result of any industrial unrest.

Ms Malone said some of the young people detained at Oberstown were on remand and had therefore not been convicted of any crime, adding that remand was clearly over-used.

Mr Bergin said the implementation of the proposed bail supervision scheme by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs should assist in reducing the number of young people in Oberstown on remand.
Appearing on a platform with British chancellor George Osborne at Stansted Airport, Mr OLeary said that inward investment will be lost to competitor EU member states such as Ireland and Germany if Britain votes for Brexit.

He also announced the creation of 450 jobs in Britain as part of a $1.4bn (1.24m) investment into Ryanairs 13 UK bases.

Mr OLeary said: It is this type of large-scale foreign inward investment that is helping to drive the UK economy and job creation.

It is exactly this type of investment that will be lost to other competitor EU members if the UK votes to leave the European Union.

The outspoken airline boss also urged the British public to vote to remain in the EU on June 23.

The single market has enabled Ryanair to lead the low-fare air travel revolution in Europe, as we bring millions of British citizens to Europe each year, and welcome millions of European visitors to Britain, and we are calling on everyone to turn out in large numbers and vote remain, he said.

Mr OLeary was speaking at the opening of Ryanairs European training centre at Stansted, which will create more than 1,000 jobs overall for pilots, cabin crew, and engineers this year.

Charlie Cornish, chief executive of Stansted owner Manchester Airports Group, said leaving the EU would be a huge backward step for UK aviation.

The announcement comes after more than 300 business leaders urged Britain to vote to leave the EU, warning that the countrys competitiveness is being undermined by its membership.

In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, they argued that businesses will be free to grow faster, expand into new markets and create more jobs if they are unconstrained by EU rules.

Signatories include Peter Goldstein, a founder of Superdrug; Steve Dowdle, a former vice-president Europe of Sony; David Sismey, a managing director of Goldman Sachs, and Patrick Sheehy, the former chairman of British American Tobacco.

Mr OLeary, speaking in front of a Ryanair Boeing 737 emblazoned with the slogan stronger, safer and better off in Europe, warned that Brexit would see air fares rise.

He said: If Britain leaves the single market, Britain may be forced out of the open skies regime and air fares and the cost of holidays will rise.

Thats not speculation, thats a certainty.
The boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, has pleaded guilty at the Dublin Childrens Court to assault causing harm and violent disorder in connection with the incident on the night of November 14, 2015.

Judge John OConnor adjourned sentencing to see if the boys solicitor can organise a psychological assessment of the teenager whose behaviour, he said, has become more violent and aggressive.

The judge also noted the boy had tragic personal circumstances.

He said it was unacceptable that the boy had started smoking cannabis at the age of 12, and anyone who says it is not addictive is not living in the real world.

Garda Dave Jennings had told Judge OConnor that the victim, a foreign national who is also aged in his late teens, had been at a Chinese takeaway at Kiltalown Way, Tallaght. A group of youths shouted in to him that they were going to rob him when he came out.

When he walked out one of them grabbed the handlebars of his bicycle and the youth then punched him in the side of his face.

The rest of the youths then joined in, grabbing the man, who was repeatedly punched and kicked before his bike was stolen.

The defendant struck the first blow but was not involved in the rest of the attack.

The victim fled back into the takeaway but was followed and had to run into the kitchen area for his safety. Garda Jennings agreed with Damian McKeone, defending, that the attack was not racially motivated.

CCTV footage was shown to Judge OConnor, who described it as a vicious assault.
The 2015-16 GPS yearbook, Kaleidoscope, has once again been selected for the Walsworth Publishing Company's Gallery of Excellence of top yearbooks in the country. This is the sixth consecutive book to be honored and the seventh in nine years.

Co-Editors-in-Chief of the Kaleidoscope, Mary Melissa Manuel and Caroline West, chose Ignite for the yearbooks theme. We think ignite is an apt verb to describe the resiliency and determination of every student here, says Ms. Manuel. On the stage, in the classroom, on the playing field, and around school, all of us are igniting change. We utilize new mediums in art class; we win games even when our opponents are older, faster, and more experienced. We develop the skills necessary to perhaps write the next great American novel or revolutionize the medical field or transform our government. GPS girls are equipped to do great things.

In a search to find visual elements that would artistically embody the theme, they turned to the GPS crest, which features laurel leaves and a torch. We realized that there is no better representation of igniting change than our schools symbol, explained Ms. Manuel before the yearbooks were presented to the students. We used the torch from the crest to symbolize the light that is ignited during our time at GPS. Each girl carries her own torch, not only as a symbol of her school, but also as a guide on the path to achieve her goals. She has within her the willpower to learn and succeed. The torch lit during her time at GPS stays bright through her friendships, academic skills, and character.

Faculty advisor Jill Pieritz is stepping down after nine years working with yearbook staffs. I am always eager for Class Day to arrive so we can share the yearbook with the whole school, said Ms. Pieritz. I love to see girls flipping through the pages and squealing with excitement over a picture. New advisors are Lauren Haley and Jordan McCarter.

Others on the 2015-16 editorial staff were Haley Mull, Alyson Parris, Charlotte Whitfield, Emma Kirkpatrick, Scottie Sandlin, Katie Brandao, Kate McVay, Hannah Brotton, Margaret Lim, Meg Marshall and Reagan Sanborn. Ms. Brandao and Ms. McVay will serve as co-editors of the 2016-17 book and have already been working behind the scenes to share ideas on what they hope will be their own Gallery of Excellence winner.


The boy  who cannot be named because he is a minor  was remanded in custody last week by Judge John OConnor at Dublins Childrens Court for breaching an order barring him from the city centre.

On May 6, he had initially been granted bail with strict conditions but he was arrested there again, in Temple Bar, that evening, for possessing a knife.

The case resumed yesterday when Judge OConnor said the teenager had been arrested in breach of bail within hours.

He warned the teenager that if he breaks bail again, he could go back into custody until his trial has been heard.

I understand yeah, the teenager replied.

Garda Keith Connors asked for a new bail term stating the teenager would not be allowed in the Dublin 1, 2, 7, and 8 areas.

Judge OConnor agreed to add that condition as well as another compelling the teenager to sign on daily at his local Garda station.

Defence solicitor Michelle Finan said the new bail terms meant the boy would not be able to go past the canals in the citys north and south sides.

The only exception is for going to court or to his solicitors office.

Ms Finan said the boy is now aware that breaching bail terms is a serious matter. The teens mother told the judge that she will supervise him to ensure he abides by another condition, a 9pm to 8am curfew.

The boy was ordered to appear again next week.

He had been originally charged with assault causing harm to Andrew Cusack, 21, who was taken to St Jamess Hospital to be treated for lacerations to his face following the alleged incident in the early hours of May 2 at Dame Lane.

Mr Cusack is the son of Stephen Cusack, an expert on emergency medicine at University College Cork.

At the boys first hearing on May 6, the court heard the assault case is to involve an awful lot of CCTV as well. Garda Keith Connors had told Judge OConnor that when the boy was cautioned he made no reply to the assault charge.

The teenager also has another bail condition to abstain from alcohol and non prescribed medication.

Judge OConnor has made an order for disclosure of prosecution evidence to the defence which is to include medical reports. The garda has said he would comply.

The boy has not yet entered a plea to the charge.
Teri Mulcahy of Steam Packet Quay, Passage West, Co Cork, pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge of assault causing harm to Garda Joseph Halpin.

Inspector Bill Duane said gardai responded to a call about a disturbance on October 29, 2014, at an apartment complex at Railway Street, Passage West.

Noises were coming from the apartment complex and when the gardai entered, a number of people left without causing any difficulty to gardai. At one of the apartments they met Teri Mulcahy who was under the influence of liquor and was abusive to gardai.

She threatened to let her two dogs loose on them, Insp Duane said.

Garda Joseph Halpin looked in the window of the apartment and saw two dogs present inside.

Ms Mulcahy then kicked Garda Halpin in the thigh and went for his neck with her nails scratching him and drawing blood, Insp Duane said. She attempted to punch and kick gardai who were also present. Insp Duane said the young woman was aggressive and continued to be aggressive when she was taken into the patrol van.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy asked, What is behind this thuggery? Defence solicitor, Eddie Burke, said the young woman had actually been the victim of an assault that night in which she sustained head injuries.

That is the reason gardai were called. She had a very bad time on the night. She mixed up gardai with the people who assaulted her, Mr Burke said.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy asked if the gardai were in uniform on the night and Inspector Duane replied that they were. Mr Burke said the neck injuries to the garda consisted of scratches.

He said the accused had spent 28 days in rehabilitation to get sober but had certain difficulties and went drinking on the night in question.

Mr Burke said intoxication was exacerbated by her being on heavy medication at the time. Judge McCarthy adjourned sentencing for two months to allow time for the preparation of a probation report.
Even if a person has a blissfully debt-free life, there are regular bills, and, for most of us, an account into which wages are paid. But current accounts are not created equally.

There are differences between what institutions in Ireland charge. Banks rely on inertia to keep customers, despite the irritation of quarterly fees.

But the Central Bank has a statutory code on the switching of current accounts, with which all banks and building societies in Ireland must comply. So given that even a personal account can accumulate 100 in charges per year, its worth checking to see if your current provider is offering you value.

The ideal is no charges and many Irish providers have a fee-free current account. This is based on a minimum amount either being paid-in monthly or maintained in the account at all times.

The most attractive is from Permanent TSB. They will give you fee-free banking if you lodge 1,500 every month, which is close to the net minimum wage.

Next best is KBC, who will waive the fees on their Current Account Extra, once you lodge 2,500 every month.

AIB and Ulster Bank both offer free fees, if you keep a minimum balance in the account at all times.

This is a much more demanding condition than the monthly lodgement. AIB require that you keep a 2,500 credit balance, and if you fall below that your account will be charged maintenance and transaction fees for the entire fee quarter. Ulster Bank offer fee-free banking if you maintain 3,000 in the account at all times, and charge you for the month if your balance falls below that limit at any point.

AIB offer to waive current-account fees as a bonus to their mortgage customers. If you have an AIB home mortgage, they will waive the maintenance and transaction fees on the current account you use to pay that mortgage.

Bank of Ireland dont have quarterly transaction fees, if you keep a minimum of 3,000 in your personal current account at all times. You will still pay the 5 quarterly maintenance fee.

Banks will still charge for certain transactions, such as unpaid direct debits and lost debit cards. When choosing the right account for your needs, Irish comparison website, bonkers.ie, helpfully lays out the offering from all the Irish banks  comparing their fee offers and showing their other charges.

If you switch, contact the bank where you want to open your new account. They will supply you with a switching pack, containing a description of all of their current accounts, as well as a step-by-step guide to what you need to do when switching.

Once your new account is open, you need to agree a switching date. Choose the time of least activity on your account, avoiding pay day and avoiding the date of major debits, like mortgage or rent. Your new bank will ask you to complete an account-transfer form, which they then send to your old bank. If you run into any difficulties when switching, you can get advice and assistance from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, at www.consumerhelp.ie.

If you want to manage without a bank current account, there are a number of options. Many Irish credit unions now offer current accounts into which your wages can be paid and to manage bills. A small-but-growing number also offer ATM cards with their current accounts, and there are plans to extend their debit card services. Some branches also provide internet banking. The offering varies, so contact your local credit union to see what services they have available.

If you only need your current account for paying bills, An Post may have the service for you. They offer three ways to pay bills with them, all of which are free of charge.

You can choose to pay almost any bill at your local post office, at a PostPoint retail outlet, or online at www.mybills.ie.

DEAL OF THE WEEK

Fancy a trip to London or the surrounding area this summer? If you are based in the south of Ireland, you can take advantage of an Aer Lingus sale on seats from Cork Airport.

The airline launched the offer after rival Cityjet announced last week that it is discontinuing its service from the real capital to London City Airport.

Aer Lingus is offering fares of 35.99 for travel to London Heathrow in June, July and August. The airport offers easy access to central London on the Heathrow Express, London Underground and other public transport means.

The airline have four daily round trips from Cork to Heathrow so you should be able to book a time to suit your needs..

he fares are available to book now on aerlingus.com, subject to availability.
ITS UP TO THE MUM

Suzanne Harrington @soozysuze

Why do we think its weird to breastfeed beyond babyhood and into the toddler years? Why, as a society, does it freak us out so much? Fine for babies, nice small helpless babies, but the minute those babies have teeth and the ability to form sentences requesting some breastmilk, why do we collectively shudder and instead shove milk from an entirely different species  cows - at them? Surely thats even weirder?

First of all, lets see what the World Health Organisation says about breastfeeding. The WHO emphatically does not think its weird to breastfeed beyond the age of two. It recommends breastmilk exclusively for the first six months, continuing with complementary foods until the child is two - or older. Note those key words or older.

Anthropologist Kathy Dettwyler, in her study The Natural Age of Weaning, concludes that biologically and physiologically, human weaning can occur anytime between the ages of 2 and 7. In our closest primate relatives, weaning happens when the first molars appear. Globally, around 50% of children are still breastfed aged two. Breastmilk  and the act of breastfeeding  provides perfect nutrition and immunity for babies and small children, as well as emotional comfort and security. Thats why women have breasts.

So our eeek reaction to breastfeeding toddlers is learned behaviour. Weaning is culturally defined, and in our culture, breasts are used to sell cars. They belong to sex. To commodification, to consumerism, to narcissism. To bra manufacturers, plastic surgeons, adult entertainment. Think Im exaggerating? It is now more culturally acceptable to pay a man to slash open your breasts and stuff them with chicken fillet shaped silicon bags to make them grow bigger than it is to breastfeed a child beyond infanthood to make them grow bigger. In mainstream culture, the declaration Im getting a boob job is met with less horror and revulsion than Im breastfeeding my three year old. We are that disassociated from our own bodies. Thanks, consumer capitalism.

Because yes, there is a link between consumerism and finding it weird to feed your toddler yourself. If you keep on feeding your kid past infanthood, who is going to buy all that follow-on product? Despite this follow-on stuff being dismissed back in 1986 by the World Health Assembly as not necessary, corporations feed on  sorry  maternal anxiety that somehow what we manufacture for free inside our own bodies is inferior to what they make from dried cows milk, originally designed, in case we have forgotten, for baby cows. And who will buy all those sippy-cups and weaning accouterments, if your kid is still latched on?

Apart from the sexualisation and commodification of breasts so that we can forget their primary purpose (resulting in outrage from the anti-breastfeeding police when women feed their kids in public spaces, even as we are blind to images of womens breasts selling everything from beer to perfume), there is another aspect to our fear and distaste. Puritanism. Massive, unreconstructed puritanism.

As a society, we are still getting our heads  and our babies mouths  around breastfeeding. A recent report, Growing Up In Ireland, shows that we have the lowest rate of breastfeeding in the world. Yes, the whole world. On average, Irish babies are weaned at four months  no wonder we cant handle the idea of long term breastfeeding if we cant, as a society, handle it short term.

This is not about mothers. Its about all of us. We are still, for all our recent social evolution, still squeamish as hell about bodies. Especially womens bodies. We dont know where to look. And women internalise this message, which is why we still dont feel comfortable doing what is natural. And no, your kid wont end up like the David Walliams Bitty character in Little Britain. Seriously.

IT'S TIME TO STOP WHEN THEY CAN ASK FOR IT

Colette Keane

Dont get me wrong, I was lucky enough to experience the joys  and agonies  of breastfeeding three times. I just think like all good things, it should come to an end  before they can start asking for it.

The time I spent breastfeeding my three daughters was special. It was our time, where we would gaze at each other and try to get to know each other a little better. Each one had an unique way about them: one would lock her navy blue eyes on me daring me to break eye contact first, while tracing ever decreasing circles with her index finger on my chest; another would gaze at her fingers as she turned them this way and that, while the last one would hang on, determined to never let me go.

These are memories I will cherish, along with ease of being able to do the night-time feeds from the comfort of my bed, which often turned into night-time snuggles. But they are the memories I associate with them as infants and young babies  these are the not memories they should be able to share with me too.

I find it frankly disturbing to think of children capable of conversation running up to their mother and shoving their head up their tops for a slurp before running off again to score a goal. Have you ever heard of a water break?

With most experts agreeing that after 12 months there is little benefit to the child, you have to wonder is prolonged breastfeeding for the benefit of the child or the mother? An attempt to prolong the babyhood phase? An acquaintance of mine held long-simmering resentment towards his wife over her insistence at continuing breastfeeding her son well past his fourth birthday. Even after he went to school. School! Often insisting on his bit of, well, you know, while still in his school uniform. On the birth of our third child that mother told me she would have loved another baby, at which point her husband gruffly pointed out that it might have helped if her golden boy had been booted out of the marital bed a few years earlier.

And thats another thing  what about the impact on your partner? Its kind of difficult to be amorous with cracked nipples and leaking breasts, not to mention the prospect of a three-year-old shuffling into the bedroom wedging in between the two of you looking for a night-time snack that only mammy can supply.

While there are many benefits to breastfeeding  boosted immune systems for the baby, links to higher IQs, better skin, not to mention a natural weight loss programme for mum  there are drawbacks too. A mere cry of hunger from my newborn was enough for arcs of milk to come spurting out of me like a shootout in a Western, and if our feeding pattern was disrupted it became obvious that time and breastmilk wait for no man. I suffered through an average of three bouts of mastitis per child which for anyone who doesnt know, is like red hot pokers being skewered into your breast and then having to continue to feed through the pain while enduring raging fevers and chills. And still I breastfed them for between four and six months because I recognized its importance.On a practical note, most women also have to go back to work six months after the birth and no one wants to be in a meeting with breast milk leaking down their top and hormones raging.

And, yes, I was sad when the time came to hang up my nursing bra that last time after four months of feeding. But it was all part of the journey of watching them grow up, just like their other phases such asteething or toilet training.

Breastfeeding is a beautiful, natural part of motherhood. Just let them reach for a different kind of nipple when it starts to get a bit creepy.
Knowing absolutely nothing about Southampton, except that my grandfather spent a huge amount of time there as a cattle dealer in the 1960s, my mother and I took a short flight to the city of cruises in search of some weekend relaxation.

As Aer Lingus have recently launched a new route from Cork to Southampton, our visit was a timely one.

A city built on the success of its port, it is no surprise that the Southampton waterfront remains where its at.

We stayed at the Grand Harbour Hotel, a monument to the glamour of cruises past, and a testament to the amount of short-stay visitors who come through this city (over 4 million a year) on their way to a cruise holiday.

As well as spa and stay offering, the hotel has a cruise lounge, where guests can relax for the day while waiting on their ship.

The rooms were spacious and well appointed with extremely comfortable beds and powerful showers  just what you need before or after a long cruise holiday.

A trip to the pool and spa area revealed a spacious place to unwind and a well-equipped gym, should you find the need during your break.

Shopping is one of the citys main occupations, and as well as a huge IKEA on the waterfront, it is home to two sizeable shopping centres, which house all of the most popular high street brands.

Westgate, the more modern of the two, is undergoing a huge expansion at the moment, and will shortly be the hub of the citys cultural quarter, housing restaurants like Bills and Wahaca as well as a concert venue and gallery offering.

Despite the lure of emptying our wallets, we chose to investigate the city proper.

It is steeped in history, with over ninety historical buildings scattered across its centre.

Southampton has a hugely important aviation and maritime heritage, dating back to the 1600s.

Henry V marched his troops through the Westgate of the city to sail for France and The Mayflower sailed from Southampton to take its voyagers to what would become the New World of America.

The Titanic embarked from Southampton on its fateful voyage, taking over 500 of the citys residents with it.

The Old Town is host to a wealth of historical treasures.

The Bargate was the original gateway to the medieval city and still stands as an impressive entrance to the Old Town, which has the third longest stretch of unbroken medieval defensive walling in England.

The easiest way to get around Southampton is to walk, and the QE2 Mile is a great way to do it.

Running from the Cenotaph in the heart of the city to the waterfront at Town Quay, the walk takes in the citys parks, new cultural quarter, shopping districts and historical waterfront.

The mile takes in the Titanic memorial, the majestic Guildhall, which hosts the citys best concerts, the Marlands and Westquay shopping centres and The Bargate.

For those looking for rural idyll just outside the city then the New Forest is unmissable.

We took a private tour through this stunning national park, where animals roam free and you are just as likely to have to stop the car for a group of ponies crossing the road as you are some hikers.

Brian Perry, our tour guide and owner of New Forest Platinum Tours has a deep passion for the area, and had a plethora of interesting tidbits to tell us about the national park.

We travelled through chocolate box perfection in the villages Brockenhurst and Beaulieu, where horses loiter outside local ice cream shops in the hope of getting a treat or two, and into lush forested areas which housed seemingly hidden luxury hotels.

It would be easy to lose a day or two wandering around this expansive conservation site, and theres lots do  there are a huge amount of B&Bs scattered around its main villages.

After a restorative glass of wine in the Grand Harbour Hamtun Bar, we walked across the road to the Pig In The Wall, a gorgeously homey B&B, housed rather terrifyingly in the medieval walls of city.

The Pig in the Wall restaurant.

The Pig is one of four hotels in the area, each offering a high-end boutique experience.

Over some of the best old-fashioneds we have enjoyed in quite a while, we ate our way through a platter of Piggy Bits, which was heaven on a pork-scented plate.

A pork extravaganza, it housed locally produced chorizo, prosciutto, sausages and pork scratchings with some delicious olive sourdough, apple sauce and capers

A flatbread pizza came next and while we denied dessert, we enjoyed a fabulous coffee.

The Pig In The Wall offers a free shuttle for guests to its hotel in the New Forest where a large a la carte and full on dining experience is available.

We drove to the hotel to have a look, and it is well worth a visit  think romantic forest retreat in five-star surroundings.

Southampton is a wonderful gateway city to so many of the UKs spectacular sights.

With a huge amount of destinations flying out of Southampton airport and sailing out of its port, it offers fantastic value for those heading off to far flung places, and respite for those returning.

As a weekend destination, it offers a cityscape that is small enough to be manageable in a small time period, and enough decent eateries to provide a few good meals, but the real treasure of the city is to be found by travelling 20 minutes outside its environs and visiting the New Forest for a day; thats where the real magic happens.

Log On:

www.grandharbourhotel.co.uk

www.thepighotel.com

www.thenewforest.co.uk

www.newforestplatinumtours.co.uk

Getting There:

Aer Lingus Regional began operating a new route from Cork Airport to Southampton on March 14.

The new route, operated by Stobart Air, will operate up to five times weekly with fares from 29.99 each way.
Even by the standards of the European Union, the response to the so-called refugee crisis is a complete mess.

This seems to defy logic: While the crisis is certainly a challenge, human rights  and, indeed, refugee protection  is embedded in Europes DNA.

Moreover, Europes aging and demographically challenged member states need immigrants.

Yet, instead of spurring solutions, the current crisis has been bringing out all that is ugly, feckless, and dysfunctional about the European project. What happened?

As is so often the case with the EU, the problem is a lack of clarity.

The blurring of the lines between refugee and immigrant has made it virtually impossible to make compelling arguments in favor of proper refugee protection or more effective immigration policy.

This has thwarted any honest and constructive discussion, allowing those who peddle fear and nativism to gain ground.

The conflation of immigrants and refugees was probably not the result of malicious intent. Following the introduction of German chancellor Angela Merkels open-door policy toward refugees last September, a raft of reports emerged offering economic and demographic arguments within which her decision could be framed.

But such arguments actually poisoned the idea of refugee protection: The focus on the potential economic role of refugees inadvertently reinforced the view that they were, in fact, economic migrants.

Populist parties, which had already gained a foothold by playing on peoples fears of and frustrations with globalisation, seized on this notion.

At a time of high long-term unemployment and heavy public-debt burdens, they declared that the refugees would take jobs from Europeans or, worse, drain European taxpayer-funded social benefits.

Some European populations, frustrated with the EUs handling of past crises, had already begun to fall prey to nationalist sentiment, so it was not difficult for populists to portray the hundreds of thousands of refugees streaming into European countries as a new threat to their national identity.

Chaotic border scenes from Calais, Macedonia, and Kos reinforced the image of disorder.

Finally, the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels, though carried out by European nationals, infused a profound sense of insecurity into the discussion.

When all of these challenges are lumped together, the problem seems intractable, creating the impression that an isolationist response is EU countries only hope for protecting themselves.

But what Europe actually faces is three distinct challenges: Protecting refugees, as required by European and international law; developing an effective and sustainable immigration policy that will benefit the EU; and responding to the discontent of second  and third  generation immigrant communities in Europe.

When considered separately, effective solutions can begin to emerge.

In terms of radicalisation among communities already living in Europe, much has been said, particularly after the March attacks in Brussels.

What too few have pointed out is that these attackers are Europeans. Dealing with their restlessness and frustration within the context of immigration will only alienate them further.

As for the refugee challenge, the solution must begin with clarity about Europes actual responsibilities.

The duty to provide protection to those with a well-founded fear of being persecuted is contained in the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and reinforced by the Treaty of Lisbon.

In other words, the EU must protect those who face imminent danger if returned to their home country, not everyone arriving at its borders.

Moreover, that protection is not supposed to be permanent. When it is safe to return home, those who have not obtained permanent residency or citizenship should do so.

Everyone must understand that the obligation to protect people fleeing persecution has its limits.

To be sure, Europe should not be shouldering this burden alone. The entire international community should be doing its part.

In 1979, an international conference was held to respond to the refugee crisis that arose from the end of the Vietnam War and the mayhem of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia; over the next two years, more than 620,000 refugees were resettled in 20 countries. Such co-operative action is badly needed today.

As long as the rest of the international community fails to fulfill its responsibilities toward the refugees, it will remain difficult to convince a skeptical European public to do so.

Clarity is similarly vital in addressing immigration.

Welcoming immigrants is in Europes interest. But precisely which immigrants should be up to Europe. Yet neither the EU nor any of its member states has a coherent immigration policy with this end in mind.

This must change, with the EU demonstrating its capacity to attract the talent and labor that is needed to ensure economic growth and competitiveness into the future.

Beyond appropriate refugee and immigration policy, Europe needs proper tools for implementation.

No amount of messaging and incentives will work if the borders are not secure or immigration rules are not being applied effectively.

It has been said that differentiating between refugees and immigrants is code for excluding everyone. That is not the case.

A more precise understanding of the distinct problems facing Europe is vital to resolving them.

If we are to address the discontent of marginalisd communities within Europe, we need to understand the factors underlying it.

If we are to meet our international obligations toward refugees, we need to know exactly what those responsibilities are.

If we are to ensure that immigration benefits both the newcomers and their host communities, we need to identify what benefits we are seeking.

Without such clarity, populists seeking to tear us apart with their simplistic xenophobic propaganda will thrive.

Ana Palacio is a former Spanish foreign minister and former Senior Vice President of the World Bank, is a member of the Spanish Council of State and a visiting lecturer at Georgetown University.

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2016.
There are two categories of residential child care in Ireland. The first is small, community-based group homes for children who have not offended, but who cannot live at home. The homes are within the community and they recreate normal family life, and provide the same care and protection, in so far as possible.

The second is secure residential child care. These facilities consist of Oberstown Remand and Assessment Centre, and Trinity House School. They are in the same complex, in Lusk, Co Dublin. They are for young people who have offended and who have been sentenced by the courts to detention. These are closed facilities that also provide care and protection, but which are mindful of the risk posed by their residents, who often have moderate to severe emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

Until recently, St Patricks institution (the juvenile wing of Mountjoy prison) catered for young people over 16 who had offended. In 2015, St Patricks was closed, and the residents were moved to the Oberstown complex.

The problem was that Oberstown was a semi-secure childrens home and it was not equipped for a prison population, some of whom were career gangland criminals with extremely violent behaviours. The violence led to an immediate crisis at the centre. According to the Impact trade union, in 2016 alone there were 65 staff assaults in Oberstown, which resulted in 3,005 sick days. That is not including the many thousands of euros worth of damage to property.

There are two main reasons for the crisis at Oberstown.

The first was the premature closing of St Patricks and the placing of young people who needed detention in a child-care facility. I said at the time that it was a mistake and I say it again. For young people in care, we need a suite of services, from a fully secure, prison-type facility, to a fully open, therapeutic community model. Young people who offend should be assessed in the secure facility and then placed in whatever environment best meets their needs. Both child and staff safety/protection must be the first priority in youth detention. After that comes care and rehabilitation. St Patricks needed to be reformed, but closure was not the answer.

The second problem is that the social-care industry response to violence is not adequate. When you have a six-foot, 13-stone 16-year-old with psychiatric problems trying to kill you, it is ludicrous to approach that situation without adequate safety equipment and self-defence training. A gentle, compassionate approach to violence is preferred, and riot-type safety equipment can antagonise and inflame, but I have been in very many situations where violence was inevitable and the risk to everyone was significantly increased by the lack of adequate training and of protective equipment.

Historically (and regrettably) in Irish child protection, young people were beaten and abused by staff in old-style residential-care facilities. Now, in some facilities, social care workers have become punch bags for very violent young people. Social care workers are not empowered to defend themselves, and any pain-compliant restraint techniques used on children and young people are considered unethical and contrary to the principle of child protection.

This is a nonsense born out of a perception that all children in care are vulnerable to abuse by staff. While that may be true on a level, the Oberstown statistics show that staff are also vulnerable to abuse by the young people.

It is time for balance and common sense in child protection. The type of defensive practice that has evolved post Residential Institutions Redress Board, has, ironically, created a situation where staff can now arguably sue the HSE and be compensated, under legislation covering health and safety in the workplace, for injuries sustained due to inadequate training and practice standards in social care.

In 1998, when commenting on Irish residential child care, a Scottish consultant, Mike Laxton, said that dysfunctional and inadequate families were being cared for by dysfunctional and inadequate services. Almost 20 years later, not a whole lot has changed.

Secure residential child care in Ireland is not meeting anyones needs, least of all the young people who are coming into care with one conviction, and leaving with several more.

John Byrne is a social-care worker and lecturer in social-care practice at the Waterford Institute of Technology. He is also a practising psychotherapist.
O, what do you think of the new programme for government? Have you read it, studied it, parsed and analysed it? Has it affected your view of the human condition? Will it add to the gaiety of our nation?

Well, it should, God knows. It might be the most incoherent, occasionally frightening, and daft document ever produced by an incoming government, but it recognises the difficulties faced by community and voluntary groups, in relation to VRT rates on vehicles (and promises to examine the issue).

And it recognises the need for grant aid for underwater search and recovery. Thats vital, right? Almost as vital as the scheme for drain-cleaning that the Department of the Environment will explore with local authorities.

The programme says we want our urban centres to be safe, attractive, and prosperous places in which to live and work  and were going to do something about it. As for better banking, well investigate the German Sparkassen model for the development of local public banks. So, we can all relax about that issue, too.

The new government (which, in terms of personnel, is substantially the same as the old government) now recognises the traditional right of turf-cutters to cut turf. (It will be fascinating watching the system penalise someone who has been given a right in writing (if youll pardon the expression).

And our wonderful new government also has the most detailed set of promises on agriculture Ive ever read. Theres a separate set of commitments under every heading you could imagine  dairy, sheep, pig, poultry, the organic sector, horticulture, forestry, even commonage. Theres 15m for island farming, more money for horses and greyhounds (thank goodness) and were going to rebuild the sugar industry that we shut down years ago.

And (if Europe agrees) were going to recognise forgotten farmers as a group with specific disadvantage. Quite right, too. Im not quite sure who they are, but they definitely do sound as if theyd be at a disadvantage.

I wonder if any of the forgotten farmers were forgotten during the flooding. The programme for government points out, really forcefully, that many farmers were adversely affected by recent flooding conditions. Payments  for farmers in very difficult circumstances will be finalised without undue delay.

And as if that wasnt enough, after the devastating flooding of last winter, we will review the response protocols of the State, to examine if a more rapid and coordinated response to local incidents can be achieved. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, all you public servants who worked around the clock during the last crisis. Were going to review your protocols. Thatll teach you.

One area that has been forgotten  not a peep, a squeak, a murmur from one end of the programme for government to the other  is Irish Water. That, of course, is because that little controversy is, sort of, comprehensively dealt with in the agreement behind the agreement.

Which is to say, the future of Irish Water is set out in the agreement between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail that preceded the Programme for Government. A lot of the other issues dealt with in that prior agreement  a sort of pre-nup, you might call it, to the actual marriage contract  are repeated in the Programme for Government (theyre cut and pasted, actually), but the programme is silent on Irish Water.

That raises the intriguing possibility that there are a number of signatories to the Programme for Government who had nothing to do with the FF/FG pre-nup, and are, therefore, not bound by anything to do with Irish Water. Whatever the reason, it is remarkable that the Programme for Government is silent on the single most controversial issue in the last Dail term. Even though its silent on nothing else.

Dont forget, this Programme for Government took longer to make than any other in the history of the State. Negotiators stepped in and stepped out again, and the finished document has all the look of something written by a kindly old aunt (with a few prejudices) presiding over a tuck shop. Everyone who came in looking for sweeties was given something.

Theres daft stuff, and theres dangerous stuff. Some of it is both daft and dangerous. Theres a whole paragraph, for instance, that reads like a pilot scheme for national service. People who would otherwise struggle to break out of disadvantage (theres a euphemism for you) are going to be offered skills associated with the Defence Forces.

The parents of children who have poor attendance records at school are going to be monitored to see whether or not the withdrawal of child benefit might enable them to buck up a bit and send them to school. A citizens assembly, whatever that is, will develop opportunities for our aging population (Im one of them  should I be worried?).

Perhaps the most frightening, and incoherent, section deals with health. Theres page after page  whatever you want, were going to give it to you. Tax instruments, and other incentives to support investment by GPs, dentists, and other professionals in primary care centres (the Charlie McCreevy approach to better health care), coupled with the broadest of hints that privatisation of the whole service can be considered (the Mary Harney approach).

But dont worry your head about it  were going to pay every manager in the bright, new health service to get an MBA (because a business degree is just what you need to run an accountable public-health agenda).

And theres education. Were going to develop a set of technological universities (strategically placed in the constituencies of independent deputies, I imagine). Of course, that will require some existing institutions to merge. But not, of course, if a case can be proven, that, for geographical reasons, a merger isnt feasible.

So hospital managers are going to get MBAs, criminals are going to be tagged when theyre out on bail, theres going to be a Schools Excellence Fund to incentivise parents (fee-paying ones, I assume) to improve their childrens education, and were going to do the divil and all to make women more equal.

And its all going to be underpinned by bright, new Action Plans (action plans are capitalised throughout the document). One of the criteria for these Action Plans (nearly forgot the capitals, there) is that they will be developed in phases  and in phase one there will be a consultation process to secure buy-in from the media. Thats a genuine first  we wont set out to address major problems without consulting the media beforehand.

You have to laugh, because otherwise youd be in despair. When you realise it took 70 days to produce this cliche-ridden document, without any sense of priority, any meaningful resource-allocation, any underpinning philosophy, except whatever youre having yourself, you really wont know whether to laugh or cry. Maybe wed all be better off if no-one (least of all the government) read it at all.
The Erlanger schedule of classes and events for May 23-28 includes family planning classes, diabetes education and support groups.Erlanger offers an online childbirth education class. The online class is an easy-to-understand interactive program that includes more than 70 videos, animated illustrations, downloadable PDF files, review quizzes and information specific to Erlanger East and Erlanger Baroness birthing services. By choosing the online childbirth program, participants will have access to all the information for six months.The cost for the courses is $25. Visit www.erlanger.org/classes to register for the online course.For more information or to register for the online childbirth program and other classes and events mentioned below, call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-LINK (5465), seven days a week, from 8 a.m.-midnight. HealthLink Plus is a free membership program open to adults 18 and older.Monday, May 23Bariatric Support Group5:30  6:30 p.m.Siskin Fitness CenterBariatric Support Group meetings are for individuals scheduled to have Bariatric surgery or who have already had weight loss surgery. Call Erlangers HealthLink at (423) 778-LINK (5465) for more information.Diabetes Education Class1:30  4:30 p.m.Erlanger Chattanooga Lifestyle CenterThis class will explore ways to manage diabetes. Call 778-9400 for more information on physician referral and insurance reimbursement.Tuesday, May 24Monogrammed Maternity10 a.m.11:30 a.m.4 p.m.5:30 p.m.Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road)Monogrammed Maternity at Erlanger East Hospital provides a personalized approach to childbirth education and is tailored to each couples' unique needs. Registration is recommended around 36-weeks gestation; and is for patient's delivering at Erlanger East. This one-on-one session with our Prenatal Educator provides couples with the opportunity to privately discuss their personalized birth plan, begin the admission process for delivery, visit with a lactation consultant if needed for breastfeeding preparation, ask questions, and receive assistance in making those all important decisions that help make the birth experience less stressful and uniquely their own. The session is available every Tuesday and Thursday. Space is limited. Registration is required. Registration fee is $40. Call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-LINK (5465) to register.Thursday, May 26Moments to Share (Grief) Support Group7:00 p.m.Ronald McDonald HouseFor parents who have lost a baby during pregnancy or in intensive care. Call (423) 778-5149 for more information.Monogrammed Maternity10 a.m.11:30 a.m.4 p.m.5:30 p.m.Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road)Monogrammed Maternity at Erlanger East Hospital provides a personalized approach to childbirth education and is tailored to each couples' unique needs. Registration is recommended around 36-weeks gestation; and is for patient's delivering at Erlanger East. This one-on-one session with our Prenatal Educator provides couples with the opportunity to privately discuss their personalized birth plan, begin the admission process for delivery, visit with a lactation consultant if needed for breastfeeding preparation, ask questions, and receive assistance in making those all important decisions that help make the birth experience less stressful and uniquely their own. The session is available every Tuesday and Thursday. Space is limited. Registration is required. Registration fee is $40. Call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-LINK (5465) to register.Friday, May 27Cancer Support Group10:00  11:30 a.m.Ronald McDonald HouseHave you or someone you know been touched by cancer? Erlanger Cancer Center and Pastoral Care services offers a cancer support group open to patients, family members and friends and offers education through self-care topics and support with discussions and fellowship. A cancer navigator and pastoral care representative will guide attendees through topics that include navigating through a cancer diagnosis, management of cancer treatment, emotional support and much more. For more information on the support group, call 423-778-5030.Saturday, May 28Dad Ready9:00 a.m.  NoonErlanger East (Gunbarrel Road)This class is designed for first time fathers. Participants discuss the expected and unexpected challenges all new dads face and provide hands-on activities to guide you through the best care for your new baby. Course is for men only. Registration fee is $20. Call Erlangers HealthLink at 423-778-LINK (5465) to register.
Displacements of peoples in the Middle East certainly didnt start with the creation of the State of Israel. This has been happening for thousands of years and one can pick your preferred displacement to make any political point one wishes, but I prefer to deal with the reality of life as it is today.

When I read such letters as Zoe Lawlors, I wonder would she prefer to walk unhindered, dressed as she wishes, in Jerusalem, talk to who she likes and have, say, a gin and tonic, or try any of the above in, say, Riyadh, where she would be locked up for any of the above. Jerusalem is about 45 miles from Amman in Jordan, but could be in a different planet as far as attitudes to, say, women are concerned.
Assistant Chief Constable Rebekah Sutcliffe got involved in a row with Superintendent Sarah Jackson at a hotel bar after the Senior Women in Policing Conference earlier this month, the Manchester Evening News reported.

Greater Manchester Police said it suspended a senior officer on May 13 following allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
Massachusetts General Hospital said that Thomas Manning, of Halifax, Massachusetts, received the transplanted penis in a 15-hour procedure last week.

The donor was deceased.

The New York Times first reported the transplant. Curtis Cetrulo, who led the surgical team, said normal urination should be possible for the 64-year-old in a few weeks, with sexual function possible in weeks to months.

Most of Mr Mannings penis was removed during his battle with penile cancer.

The worlds first penis transplant was performed at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa, in December 2014.

That patients penis had been amputated three years earlier after complications from a circumcision.

The university, near Cape Town, had said in announcing the transplant in March 2015 that the 21-year-old patient made a full recovering, following the nine-hour surgery, and regained all function in the transplanted organ.

A man in China had a penis transplant in 2005, but asked doctors to remove it weeks later because of psychological problems experienced by him and his wife.
The arrests follow the detentions of artists, poets, journalists, and activists as moderate president Hassan Rouhanis administration secured a landmark nuclear deal with world powers.

The arrests and harsh sentences handed down signal that hardliners in the police and judiciary, who were unable to stop the accord and fear looser social norms will weaken the Islamic Republic, still hold significant power in the country.

State television said this latest operation, called Spider II, particularly targeted users of the Instagram picture-sharing application.

Instagram, owned by Facebook, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The television report included footage of model Elham Arab, known for her portraits in wedding dresses, speaking before Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi in a conference room, her blonde hair hidden under a black chador.

All people love beauty and fame, Ms Arab said.

They would like to be seen, but it is important to know what price they will pay to be seen.

Ms Arab could not be immediately reached for comment. It was not immediately known if she had a lawyer.

The TV report did not say what charges she faced, nor did it identify the other seven people arrested. It said police identified 170 people in the operation through social media activity as being involved in modelling, including 58 models, 59 photographers, and makeup artists.

It said those targeted saw their businesses shut down, as well as their pages on Instagram and Facebook removed. Ms Arabs Instagram account could not be accessed yesterday.

We must fight with enemys actions in this area, Mr Dowlatabadi was quoted by the state-owned Iran newspaper as saying.

Of course our actions in this area will continue.

The previous Spider operation targeted pornography and insulting Islamic sanctity, officials have said.

In recent years, Iranian women  especially in the capital, Tehran  have worn the mandatory scarf loosely on their head, drawing the ire of conservatives in the Islamic Republic. In April, Tehran police chief General Hossein Sajedinia said his department had deployed 7,000 male and female officers for a new plainclothes division to enforce the government-mandated Islamic dress code.

The model crackdown is just the latest move by authorities to control online expression in Iran.

Nearly 40% of Irans 80m people can access the internet, though the US-based watchdog Freedom House describes web access as not free in the Islamic Republic due to censorship and filtering.

In May 2014, authorities arrested a group of young Iranian men and women for an online video of them dancing to Pharrell Williamss song Happy.

While the arrests drew widespread criticism, including from the musician himself, those involved each received suspended sentences of six months imprisonment and 91 lashes.

Meanwhile, journalists, filmmakers, writers, and activists also have been detained, sentenced or imprisoned.

Yesterday, Irans semi-official Isna news agency reported that authorities arrested hadMahdi Boutorabi, the manager of an Iranian blogging service known as persianblog.ir.
Mr Duterte said he will ask his countrys congress to reimpose the death penalty, which has been suspended since 2006 following opposition from the Roman Catholic church.

The controversial presumptive president, who was making his first policy pronouncements since winning last weeks election based on an unofficial count, said that capital punishment by hanging should be imposed for crimes such as murder, robbery, and rape.

Mr Duterte went on to say that those convicted of more than one crime would be hanged twice.

After the first hanging, there will be another ceremony for the second time until the head is completely severed from the body, he said in the nationally televised news conference.

He said he will also offer cabinet posts to communist rebels and move to amend the constitution to give more power to the provinces.

In his first formal news conference since the vote on May 9, Mr Duterte added that he will launch a major military offensive to destroy the extremist group Abu Sayyaf on the southern Jolo Island.

The announcements are a sharp departure from current government policy and reflect his brash campaign pledge to end crime and corruption in the impoverished nation in three to six months.

Police officials have said the plan is unachievable and that crime remains prevalent in Davao City, where Mr Duterte has served as mayor for more than 22 years.

The military have been fighting a decades-long Marxist insurgency in the countryside.

Mr Duterte said he is likely to offer cabinet posts of environment and natural resources, agrarian reform, social welfare, and labour to the communist rebels.

He said: They are the most vigilant group in the Philippines about labour so they would get it.

The move is likely to be opposed by big business and industry.

Mr Duterte said he would also sell the presidential yacht and use the money to buy medical equipment for military and police personnel.

When people are hungry and jobless... it would be an obscene thing to have the luxury vessel lying unused, he said.
Five Supreme Court justices will announce their decision on Thursday.

Following a hearing in London last month, they reserved their decision and said an injunction would remain in place pending their ruling.

The man, referred to as PJS, has challenged a Court of Appeal decision that an order barring The Sun on Sunday from naming him should be lifted.

Publishers News Group Newspapers (NGN) won the first round of the privacy dispute in January when a High Court judge refused to impose an injunction.

PJS then challenged that decision and two Court of Appeal judges ruled in his favour.

NGNs lawyers then successfully argued at a further hearing that the ban should go because the man had been named in articles abroad and his name could be found on the internet. The ruling in the newspapers favour led to the hearing before the panel of five justices.

At Aprils hearing, PJSs counsel said the discharge of the injunction would have devastating consequences for him and his children and lead to a storm of harassment.
The public spat between the new mayor of London and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee resumed after Mr Trump called the prominent Muslim politician ignorant and nasty in an interview with ITVs Good Morning Britain.

A spokesman for the mayor hit back, saying: Donald Trumps views are ignorant, divisive, and dangerous  its the politics of fear at its worst and will be rejected at the ballot box just as it was in London.

Sadiq has spent his whole life fighting extremism, but Trumps remarks make that fight much harder for us all  it plays straight into the extremists hands and makes both our countries less safe.

He said there were no plans to seek direct talks and mocked Mr Trumps challenge to the mayor to take an IQ test.

Ignorance is not the same thing as lack of intelligence, he said.

Mr Trumps campaign call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US led to almost universal condemnation from UK politicians  including British prime minister David Cameron, who called it divisive, stupid, and wrong.

Asked about potential future transatlantic tensions if he becomes president, the ultra-wealthy tycoon told Good Morning Britain: It looks like we are not going to have a very good relationship.

Who knows? I hope to have a good relationship with him but hes not willing to address the problem either.

Number 10 said Mr Cameron has made his views clear.

Mr Trump had appeared to offer an olive branch to Mr Khan after his election to City Hall  in the face of a Conservative campaign critics compared with the Republicans tone  saying there would always be exemptions to the ban.

However, Mr Trump he said he would remember the hostile reaction he received from Mr Khan, who said his own election had shown voters would not back divisive candidates.

He doesnt know me, hasnt met me, doesnt know what Im all about, said Mr Trump. I think they were very rude statements and, frankly, tell him I will remember those statements. They are very nasty statements.

When he won I wished him well. Now, I dont care about him, I mean, it doesnt make any difference to me.

Mr Trump said he was offended by Mr Khans public denouncement but denied he was at war with him.

I just think its very rude of him, he said.

In fact its the opposite. I wished him well when I heard he won, hes a Muslim, I think its ignorant for him to say that.

Mr Trump said the policies he mooted on the campaign trail were just suggestions, but said there was a tremendous problem with Islamic extremism.

He said: Its not Sweden doing the damage  we have a real problem and we have to discuss it. Number one, Im not stupid, OK? I can tell you that right now, just the opposite.

Number two, I dont think I am a divisive person. I am a unifier, unlike our president now, Im a unifier.

We have a real problem and we have to discuss it. I have many Muslim friends ... I was with one the other day, one of the most successful men, hes Muslim and he said: Donald you have done us such a favour, you have brought out a problem nobody wants to talk about. 

Rejecting claims he was anti-Muslim, he told interviewer Piers Morgan: Absolutely not. I am anti-terror.

Theres something going on thats not good, theres something going on thats very bad, theres something that you are not understanding and maybe the mayor of London is not understanding.

British chancellor George Osborne said he and Mr Cameron stood by their comments in response to Mr Trumps views on Muslims.

But he added: But he is an American presidential candidate and we will talk to him because it is in our interest to talk to our allies.

Asked whether Mr Cameron was concerned about Mr Trumps suggestion that they might not have a good relationship, a Downing Street spokesman said: The prime minister has made his views on Donald Trumps comments very clear. He disagrees with them, and I havent got anything further to add.

He continues to believe that preventing Muslims from entering the US is divisive, stupid and wrong.

No proposal had been made for a phone call between the PM and Mr Trump, but Downing Street would be willing to consider it, the spokesman added.
Officers are not volunteering to carry guns because they fear being hung out to dry and treated like a suspect if they discharge their weapon, the federation claimed.

Its chairman, Steve White, warned Government plans to train another 1,500 firearms officers to deal with the terror threat looked doubtful.

The warning comes as a survey of 16,800 officers shows that while 40% fear they will be attacked at work, just half this number (20%) have or want personal firearms.

Mr White said: Before we even start talking about recruiting the extra 1,500, we are struggling to fill the vacancies we have currently got because of the lack of understanding and protection that officers would have if they have to discharge their firearm.

Thats what this survey says  we do fear violence, but officers dont want to carry firearms because they are concerned that if they discharge it, they are going to get arrested for murder.

The government has got to provide a message to the service, not that it has a get out of jail free card, but that officers will be supported appropriately and fairly in order to encourage officers to step forward and take on additional responsibility.

British prime minister David Cameron announced last month that money will be ring-fenced to boost the number of firearms officers but Mr White warned that there are worrying inconsistencies in the service nationally that have left some forces without firearms officers.

He added: This isnt necessarily about the individual police officers, this is about our ability as a service to provide the level of protection that members of the public quite rightly expect.

I think the public think we have a lot more firearms officers than we actually have. They probably think were all equipped with Tasers. It isnt the case.
The decision is stated in a communique prepared for the end of top-level talks on Libya and obtained by The Associated Press ahead of its release.

Libyia is under a UN embargo imposed to keep lethal arms away from terrorists and rival militias vying for power.

However, the communique signed by the US, the four other permanent UN Security Council members, and the more than 15 other nations participating at the talks are ready to respond to the Libyan governments requests for training and equipping government forces.

The world powers aim to push for exemptions to the arms embargo.

The Government of National Accord has voiced its intention to submit appropriate arms embargo exemption requests to the UN Libya Sanctions Committee to procure necessary lethal arms and material to counter UN-designated terrorist groups and to combat Daesh throughout the country, said the communique, using an alternate name for Islamic State.

It continued: We will fully support these efforts while continuing to reinforce the UN arms embargo.

US secretary of state John Kerry and top officials from more than 20 other nations have been conferring on ways to strengthen Libyas fledgling government.

The aim is to give the administration more muscle in fighting IS radicals and end its rivalry with a group to the east claiming legitimacy.

Before the meeting, however, German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned against undue optimism.

The key question is whether Libya remains a place where terrorism, criminal human smuggling and instability continues to expand, or if we are able, together with the government of national unity to recover stability, he told reporters ahead of the meeting. That is an open question.

Libya descended into chaos after the toppling and death of Muammar Gaddafi five years ago, soon turning into a battleground of rival militias vying for powers.

More recently, the power vacuum has allowed Islamic State radicals to expand their presence, giving them a potential base in a country separated from Europe only by a relatively small stretch of the Mediterranean Sea.

Also worrying for Europe is the potential threat of a mass influx of refugees amassing in Libya, now that the earlier route from Turkey into Greece has essentially been shut down.
The 23-year-old was swimming off the coast of Red Reef Park, Florida, when the 60cm nurse shark took a chomp into her.

The fish remained attached to her as she returned to shore and emergency workers rushed to the scene.

The animal died before medics got there, but its ridged teeth remained tightly in place.

The unidentified woman was then taken to nearby Boca Regional Hospital with a splint to support the dead sharks weight.

Eyewitnesses said that the woman had been provoking the shark by holding its tail when it bit her.

The woman was said to have been released from hospital on the same day that she was bitten.

Nurse sharks, common off the coast of Florida, can grow up to 4m long and will bite as a defence mechanism if provoked or stepped on by human.

I have never seen anything like it, Ocean Rescue Captain Clint Tracy told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Never even heard of anything like this.

One witness told the Sun-Sentinel that, just before the attack, he had seen other swimmers bothering the shark and holding it by the tail.
An issue currently facing those of us who live in Tennessee is the opportunity to vote on Constitutional Amendment 1 to preserve Tennessees 1947 Right to Work law, which ensures that people cannot be forced to join a union and pay dues against their will. Please Vote Yes on Amendment 1 to add the law to the state constitution. I work for a manufacturing company where the team ... (click for more)
Burma Army Officers to Testify in Double Rape-Murder of Kachin Teachers

More than a year after two Kachin women were raped and murdered in Shan State, crimes locals blame on Burma Army soldiers, four officers will testify.

RANGOON  Four senior army officers will testify at a township police station in Lashio, northern Shan State, on the rape and murder of two Kachin volunteer teachers allegedly perpetrated by Burma Army soldiers early last year, according to Kachin sources.

Zau Raw, a leader from the Kachin Baptist Convention in Muse, a city on the Burma-China border, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the testimony of the four officers would be given Wednesday at 10 am at a police station.

We will go listen [to the Burma Army officers testimony], said Zau Raw, adding that Maj. Aung Phyo Myint, leader of the battalion under scrutiny at the time, would be one of the four army officers to testify this week.

It is too early to say what our expectations for this case are, said Zau Raw. We will know what to think [Wednesday]. Kachin community leaders have accused, by name, the four men due to testify.

Kachin leaders have been pressing the Burma Army to compel the soldiers suspected of involvement in the crime to testify for over a year, but prior appeals went unanswered.

The badly beaten bodies of the two ethnic Kachin schoolteachers Maram Lu Ra and Tangbau Hkawn Nan Tsin, both 20 years oldwere discovered in Kaung Kha village, in northern Shan State, on the morning of Jan. 20 last year. Kachin community leaders were quick to accuse Burma Army personnel of being involved in the killings as the villagers said the area had recently been occupied by the Burma Army. Claims that military boot prints were found at the scene also surfaced.

Aung Phyo Myint, who is expected to testify Wednesday, led Light Infantry Battalion 503, which was billeted in the village when the two teachers were killed.

It is unusual for the Burma Army to allow its officers to testify at a police station or civilian court, with military tribunals serving as the powerful institutions preferred route to justice. The opaque nature of tribunal proceedings has left the system subject to criticism.

The officers are simply going to testify, said Lama Yaw, another leader from the Kachin Baptist Convention. There has been no indication that they will give a confession.

The crime was committed over one year ago already but there has been no justice, he said. This hurt the image of the country and the army. Thats why they are letting their men testify.
Burma Elected YCDC Members Say They Have Been Treated Badly

Elected members of the Yangon City Development Committee question the leaderships judgment in proposing changes to election regulation protocol.

RANGOON  Elected members of the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) rejected an order from Rangoons mayor to alter a regulation and effectively remove them from their positions before their terms had concluded.

City mayor and YCDC chairman Maung Maung Soe released an order on Monday calling on the Rangoon regional government to replace Article 64 of the YCDC Election Regulations.

The article allows serving committee members to work until the day before the newly elected members take their oaths after the election.

The term of district and township level committee members must be the same as the governments term, the mayors proposed order reads.

Currently, YCDC has elected 115 committee members, including four individuals representing four districts of the commercial capital who are now serving within the YCDCs executive committee. All were elected by the public in 2014s citywide electionsthe first in more than 60 years.

The executive committee is made up of nine members led by the mayor. Until Monday, the group included four members appointed by the previous governmentall with military backgroundsand four elected by the people. Three of the appointed members resigned on Tuesday; their term had been over since March 31 when the previous government had stepped down.

Khin Hlaing, an elected YCDC member for Rangoons western district who also serves on the executive committee, said the mayors order was undemocratic.

What the Rangoon Chief Minister and Mayor have done is not in line with procedures, he said during a joint press conference with other elected committee members at his office at YCDC on Tuesday.

He said that according to Article 85 of the same set of regulations, any announcement related to the regulations must first achieve a consensus within the committee before the mayorthe YCDC chairmancan submit such a proposal to the divisional government.

The chairman has no right to submit this to the government and release the order on his own wishes, without holding a committee meeting, he added.

The reason for altering the specified article of the YCDC Election Regulations remains unknown, as Mayor Maung Maung Soewho was appointed to the role in April by the National League for Democracy (NLD) governmentwas not available for comment at the time of reporting.

Yet Tuesdays press conference revealed tension between the mayor and the elected committee members.

Khin Hlaing said that since they took office in April, Rangoon Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein has not met with the elected officialsonly with the appointed members; the mayor reportedly formed working committees with the appointed members to grant budgets and building permits.

Khin Maung Tint, an executive committee member and YCDC representative for Rangoons northern district, told The Irrawaddy that those elected felt they had been kicked out. He speculated that the mayor had a preference for working alongside the appointed members.

It hurts our dignity as we were elected by the people. We are being badly treated, Khin Maung Tint said.

Mayor and YCDC Chairman Maung Maung Soe, a retired professor from the Yangon Institute of Economics, has also been flagged in a recent controversy questioning the validity of his graduate degrees allegedly from institutes in the Netherlands and the US. On April 5, the Myanmar Times reported that the mayors credentials could be purchased online for around US$300 (351,400 kyats). A letter widely shared on social media and reportedly from the Ministry of Education states that the mayor left the Yangon Institute of Economics after he was forced to retire in 2006.
Burma NLD Lawmakers Called Out for Rude Behavior

More than 20 parliamentarians from the National League for Democracy have received verified complaints from constituents for inappropriate behavior.

RANGOON  At least 20 lawmakers from the National League for Democracy in regional legislatures and the Union Parliament have been singled out by constituents for being rude, said Myo Nyunt, an inspector at the ruling NLDs complaint center, on Tuesday.

He declined to provide the names of the lawmakers or their constituencies. But he said that the majority of the complaints were leveled at members of divisional and state parliaments because they have more frequent interactions with their constituents.

The NLD center has called the complainants to verify their reports and, after listening to their testimony, will determine whether to take action against the accused lawmakers. The center declined to give details on whether it had already made decisions to reprimand any of the lawmakers named by complainants, nor offer indication of what form the punishment might take.

Khine Zin Oo, an NLD lawmaker from the Irrawaddy Division legislature, was surprised to hear that some of her colleagues were not polite to their constituents, saying she is a regular visitor to villages in her district.

I have never heard of anything like this before, she said.

The NLD contested more than 1,000 races nationwide in the November 2015 election, winning nearly 80 percent of seats in the Union Parliament and a comparable proportion in most of the regional legislatures.

Perhaps growing pains are to be expected: The vast majority of the partys winners are first-term lawmakers, and Aung San Suu Kyi has sought to run a tight ship as leader of the party, warning its members of the dangers of corruption and enrolling the new parliamentarians in capacity-building seminars. The expectations-laden new class of NLD legislators also agreed to take a pay cut earlier this year.
Burma Two Hpakant Jade Mining Firms Rocked by Arson Attacks

Two jade mining companies in Kachin States Hpakant Township have suspended operations after they were hit by arson attacks Sunday night.

RANGOON  Two jade mining companies in Kachin States Hpakant Township have suspended operations after they were hit by arson attacks on Sunday night.

The two companies, Yadanar Moe Myay Co. Ltd. and Lin Htet Aung Co. Ltd., both operate in Hmaw Si Sar village in the town of Lone Khin, said village administrator Lama Tu Ja.

About eight people entered the company compound by motorbike around 8pm on Sunday. They then asked people to stand to one side, at which point they lit and threw hand-made bombs wrapped in tape, Lama Tu Ja told The Irrawaddy of the Yanadar Moe Myay attack.

Machinery was damaged during the attack, and local media reported that some employee housing was destroyed in a fiery explosion.

The assailants carried out a similar attack on Lin Htet Aung Co. Ltd.

Reacting to the explosion, a Yadanar Moe Myay official arrived at the companys compound, but the assailants pulled him from his car and threw a bomb into it, totally destroying it, Lama Tu Ja said.

The attacks forced more than 200 workers from the two companies to stay overnight in Tharyargon and Ah Hmike Pon villages, according to village administrators.

Military officials are still investigating the explosion sites, said Maung Maung, an official at a jade mining company. They do not yet know who was responsible for the attacks.

In the aftermath of the attacks, jade prospectors sifted through debris and waste Monday morning in search of the precious stones. While prospectors are normally prohibited from entering mining sites jointly operated by private companies and the government, as of April, and in response to prospectors demands, they can enter mines and search for stones after companies close at 5pm.

The Hpakant region was rocked by five bomb attacks a week earlier, on May 8: on a bridge, on the Su Htoo Pan Jade Mining Co. Ltd. and near military and police outposts. One civilian injury was reported.

Locals in Hpakant frequently stage demonstrations to protest against jade mining companies exploitation of the gem and their lack of environmental and worker safeguards. Locals also question the transparency that seems largely absent from the lucrative enterprise.

According to a report in 2015 from the Ministry of Mines, which was subsumed into the Ministry of Resources and Environmental Conservation in a restructuring this year, 627 companies operate 7,714 mines, and another 230 jointly operate 311 mines with the government, in Hpakant.
2016 Business Communications: Changing the Way We Work

Many years ago, at what was arguably the dawn of the modern telecommunications era, cable companies negotiated with local officials for franchises. Those franchises represented, more or less, a license to print money. The municipalities knew this, and often extracted significant concessions from the cable company.

The world is a lot more complicated today. Of course, battles between municipalities and telecom providers didnt stop with the end of what are referred to as the franchise wars. It seems, however, that a dynamic is emerging that may be a version of that old tension between local governments and telecom players.

Last week, I wrote about Sprint deferring a good deal of the capital investment that it had planned for its current fiscal year. What is significant in the context of tension between the government and industry is that much of the delayed spending is in Sprints small cell initiatives. Local approvals are coming slowly. The sense is that if Sprint were forced by economic conditions to put something on the shelf, it may as well be the projects that are not getting approved anyway.

It is impossible to say if the delays are legitimate or due to a power play by the municipality. In any case, Sprint is not the only carrier encountering problems. Last week, WirelessWeek reported that Verizon is suing the small California beach town of Capitola over the resistance to its wireless initiatives. A town ordinance in effect bars the telco from placing wireless infrastructure within 300 feet of a residential structure, park or public facility. It also proscribes other specifics. Verizon isnt happy:

In court documents, Verizon argued many of the specifications are insignificant from a land-use perspective and were impeding a significant upgrade for Verizon customers in the area. The carrier further charged the ordinance violates federal laws by interfering in the federal governments regulation of wireless telecommunications technology.

Quite a fight is brewing in Georgia, as well. Legal NewsLine reports that infrastructure provider Municipal Communications LLC in March sued various Cobb County entities in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, over what it called the impossible condition imposed on it when a special land use permit (SLUP) was approved. Specifically, it said that a SLUP granted for placement of a tower on a church property required the tower to be placed 300 feet to the east, at a spot that Municipal does not control.

Another element that may add to the contentious atmosphere is the growth of pervasive Wi-Fi. ODwyers lays out what could be a growing conflict in New York City: Terminals are being housed in structures that are more than nine feet tall. The suspicion is that the oversized nature of the booths is simply to carry advertising, which is said to be capable of generating $500 million annually. The New York Landmarks Preservation Committee has objected to the structures.

Slow small approvals, oversized Wi-Fi kiosks in the Big Apple, and a fight over placement of a tower in Georgia are relatively small and highly localized. But the franchise wars always were. The question going forward is how closely the telecommunications companies and municipalities will be able to work together.

Carl Weinschenk covers telecom for IT Business Edge. He writes about wireless technology, disaster recovery/business continuity, cellular services, the Internet of Things, machine-to-machine communications and other emerging technologies and platforms. He also covers net neutrality and related regulatory issues. Weinschenk has written about the phone companies, cable operators and related companies for decades and is senior editor of Broadband Technology Report. He can be reached at [email protected] and via twitter at @DailyMusicBrk.
Virtual Reality headsets have been the talk of the town lately in the gaming world. From simple online or offline gaming, gamers are seeking for more realistic experience in gaming. Hence, game developers and gaming hardware manufacturers are moving forward toward the future by creating virtual reality devices that suit the clamoring gamers.

According to a post via PC Gamer, Starbreeze and Acer are teaming up to manufacture StarVR headsets! This is good news for the gaming enthusiasts.

The Virtual Reality world has been overwhelmed by a competition among Valve, HTC and Oculus. Despite this, Starbreeze will not let itself be behind the race. Starbreeze is now working on its StarVR!

This high-resolution headset was demonstrated at E3 last year. It reportedly boasts 210 degree field of vision. It is quite amazing.

Starbreeze together with Acer will be manufacturing their VR headset in the coming months. Acer CEO Jason Chen said that the companies will devout resources across multiple aspects of the Virtual Reality environment. He even stated that the upcoming StarVR headset will be compatible with a new range of desktops and notebooks. Starbreeze has not openly discussed the models for such gadget but stated that the studio intends to showcase the tech arcades in the next couple of months.

According to Bloomberg, the team up could be the most brilliant move in years -- or it could be the colossal failure. The Taiwanese compay -- Acer -- has not posted any annual sales growth lately. But the company shows confidence on the project as it knows computers very well. It also believes that computing power is the key to virtual reality system because of the intense graphics processing required.

Despite the challenge, Acer is betting that being on both sides of the hardware world, it will have a better shot in capturing shares. If the company wants virtual reality, there must be a hardware -- and Acer is good at it.
Fancy a full-length Super Mario movie? How about an animated Zelda trilogy? That might just be one of the many possibilities as game publisher giant Nintendo plans to take some of its characters to the silver screen.

In an interview conducted by Japanese daily newspaper Asahi, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has confirmed that there are plans of expanding into video production within the next five years.

The move was initiated as part of Nintendo's efforts to grow the business outside of just video games. Fortune has reported that the Japanese company has suffered a loss of profit recently due to the dwindling demand for its consoles. Nintendo has also expanded into mobile devices, a similar move made by other game publishers such as Square Enix and Konami.

While the decision was expected, it does not coincide with the statement that one of Nintendo's top game developers has said in an interview with business magazine Fortune at last year's E3. "Because games and movies seem like similar mediums, people's natural expectation is we want to take our games and turn them into movies," Miyamoto said at the time. "I've always felt video games, being an interactive medium, and movies, being a passive medium, mean the two are quite different." However, Miyamoto also did not write off the idea, adding that they may be "potentially be looking at things like movies in the future."

This was not the first time Nintendo has dabbled in the movie industry. Fans are sure to remember the flop that was Super Mario Bros. in 1993. Nintendo has acknowledged this mishap, saying that future movies will be full 3D animation instead of live actors playing the role. It does not include plans of becoming a full-blown film studio, however. Asahi reports that the publisher is in talks with other film companies about a possible collaboration, which means Nintendo fans could well expect a Pixar-style Super Mario or Zelda.
The social media giant Facebook has come under fire recently when someone claiming to be a former employee revealed that conservative news items were supposedly being suppressed from the list of "trending" topics. In an attempt to clarify the issue, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has invited several prominent conservative figures to the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California this Wednesday.

The 12 conservatives who Zuckerberg invited to address the issue include Glenn Beck, a popular right-wing celebrity, and former Fox News host. Dana Perino, one of the hosts of "The Five" on the Fox News Channel was also invited as well as SE Cupp, a conservative media personality from CNN. Regarding the issue itself, the Facebook CEO stated that they already looked into the matter and found no evidence regarding the allegations.

"I'm going in with an open mind and an eagerness to learn more," Cupp said in an article covering the story by CNN. "Conservatives and Silicon Valley actually come down on the same side of many issues and share some common concerns. I'm sure we'll find plenty to talk about, and I'm honored to have been included."

Facebook has become one of the biggest sources of information for its more than 1 billion users. Of its American adult users, as many as 41 percent have stated that they get their news from the social media site: This was according to a 2015 study done by the Pew Research Center and the Knight Foundation.

As such, when an anonymous former employee revealed to "Gizmodo" that the company was supposedly omitting conservative news items from reaching its users, feathers were ruffled. The company released its guidelines for "Trending Topics" in response to the allegations and stressing that the reviewers are not allowed to discriminate against sources of any kind. Facebook is still continuing their investigations into the allegations.
Google has been a part of people's day to day life. The company has delivered the beneficial technology that people need. Almost every week, Google has something new for the users and followers. Hence, the idea is making Google very interesting. Latest reports say that Google will focus on cars, digital assistants and more importantly, the virtual reality.

According to a post via Computerworld, Google has been focusing on cars, digital assistants and virtual reality. Jeff Kagan -- an independent industry analyst -- said that Google will focus much more on virtual reality this year. He added that Google wants to be a leader in the Virtual Reality world, in which there is no clear leading company yet as of this time. Google will try to secure the top place in front of the line. He said that Google may even roll out its new early generation virtual reality device in the company's annual developer conference, which generally gathers 6,000 spectators. Such conference is held on May 18 to May 20 to outdoor arena in Mountain View California -- the same city where Google's headquarter is situated.

Moreover, during the event, Google will showcase its skills at defining and powering driverless cars. It will not only showcase cars but different devices and gadgets that enthusiasts are expecting.

According to PC World, Google has been making some serious moves toward the virtual reality world. Amit Singh -- the company's former head of Google for Work -- said that he is changing his focus to virtual reality. Moreover, the company has quietly added VR support to its Youtube apps for iPhone.

Apple smartphone users can watch videos via Google Cardboard virtual reality viewer. Reportedly, Google is already making its "Android VR" in which there is no specific detail yet. Since Google has great interest in autonomous cars and virtual reality, the company is sure to put forth big investment in these areas to support the interest and action.
In a shocking move, Australia has begun culling kangaroos from Monday, May 16, with a view to reduce their rapidly increasing population. The country plans to kill more than 1,900 kangaroos to avoid a potential devastating effect on the local ecology.

While culling of kangaroos will be undertaken only in the Australian Capital Territory (ATC), the authorities will close the 10 reserves across the territory that will remain closed every evening till they achieve the target, Catch News reported. Thus far, the country has culled over 4,000 kangaroos in the past 2 years, as a part of its annual initiate to protect the environment.

According Director of Parks and Conservation of the ACT government, Daniel Iglesias, it had become essential to restrain the eastern gray kangaroos' population in the ACT. He said that over-population of these kangaroos can cause destruction to the local environment, by de-vegetating and the completely degrading specific areas if they do not check their numbers.

While Iglesias emphasized that culling kangaroos is not eradicating them but maintaining sustainable numbers of eastern gray kangaroos, currently scientists are experimenting the efficacy of fertility drugs as an alternative method to check kangaroo populations. It is expected that the cull will end by Aug. 1.

Meanwhile, the culling of kangaroos has led to strong protests from animal activists, Tech Times reported. Last month, a Canberra-based animal activist Chris Klootwijk was found guilty of creating problems during culling in July last year.

Klootwijk, who was present at the site of culling, reportedly started blowing a whistle to caution the shooters in his location. Later, the animal activist claimed that the authorities were not conducting the operation legally. According to cull arrangements, a shooter ought to ensure that a kangaroo is dead prior to killing other animals.

Responding to such protests, Iglesias has called all protesters to stage their protests in a peaceful way and not put others in trouble.

It is worth mentioning here that this is not the first time that the Australian government has resorted to culling to control over population of animals. The government proposed to kill about 2 million feral cats in July 2015, as these animals have been threatening the destruction of plants and other animal species.
Google Spaces has been announced by the well-known search engine giant, "Google." This aims to simplify sharing events, updates, news and just about anything without the need to hop from app to app. According to Google's official blog post, this will effectively streamline discussions of just about any group of people who'll use the service.

It could easily be Google's answer to Pinterest or a better implementation of Google+, which is overshadowed by Facebook. Hangouts might have been a functional messenger, but Google definitely upped their game by virtually including everything one single powerhouse of an app in the form of Google Spaces. This is not to say that this will replace Hangouts as text wouldn't be the primary communication between users. Not for YouTube, Google Photos or anything else.

The app is set to be made available for iOS, Android and possibly, plugins for desktop versions of Google Chrome. Google states that this will unify their most used services including YouTube, Google Search and Google Photos. Based on the screenshot released from the blog post, it easily hooks people up from a certain topic by fetching a group with the same interest. Invitations can be done in either via email, messaging, Facebook and any social networking sites.

Creating your own "space" also comes to mind, and this can easily be done by going to spaces.google.com. This will easily let individuals or groups share something almost instantly and draw in people within the same interest.

The blog also indicates that Google Space will also be a highlight in the upcoming Google I/O, which is happening this week. The event will be hosted by CEO Sundar Pichai. Spaces will be presented along with highly anticipated offerings from Google like the Android N, Android VR, Project Tango, and more.

For those who are very interested or just plain curious about the Google Spaces, it's available right here, though it is only available for iOS and Android for now.
NXP announced its BlueBox mobile computing platform designed for building and testing autonomous cars. According to company's sources, the BlueBox computer has been made available already to four major automakers.

VentureBeat reports that NXP's BlueBox computer will enable automakers to launch fully autonomous cars on the market around the year 2020. The software that will enable the car to drive itself will be supplied by a different developer. However, the Austin, Texas-based chip maker company has accomplished a big milestone in the long road to transform driverless cars into a reality.

The BlueBox system has been designed with the aim to enable car makers to build vehicles equipped with autonomous driving systems in just a few years. NXP's solution provides a central computing engine and links in sensor systems such as vision, Lidar and radar.

The BlueBox mobile computing platform also features an onboard secure V2X system. All its systems are powered by NXP chips. Those chips are already in sampling or volume production today.

The BlueBox engine is an open platform, based on Linux. The mobile computing platform is based on NXP's LS2088A embedded compute processor and S32V automotive vision processor.

According to CNet, NXP announced that it has already provided the BlueBox chips to four of the five largest car makers in the world. The goal of the company is to come with a system that meets the global auto industry's requirements in power, safety and processing performance.

Multiple streams of sensor data are routed to the BlueBox engine in self-driving vehicles. The BlueBox computer creates a complete 360-degree model of the environment around the vehicle by fusing all these streams of data together. This 360-degree model allows the software to evaluate if there are threats to car safety nearby.

Kurt Sievers, executive vice president of NXP's automotive business, said in a statement NXP designed an industry-first platform that leverages company's worldwide leadership in automotive silicon. The BlueBox computer platform helps to dramatically advance the state of self-driving computers.
Google faces a record antitrust fine of around $3.4 billion in Europe. The European Union (EU) claims that Google's Internet search engine has abused its search dominance.

Engadget reports that it is likely that Google will have to pay fines to the EU for allegedly abusing its dominance of Internet search. According to The Telegraph sources, the European Commission will fine Google with an all-time high for an EU antitrust payout of around $3.4 billion (3 billion).

This amount would reportedly be far larger than the one paid by previous record-setter Intel, which was fined with the equivalent of $1.4 billion. This huge fine would reflect the length of Google's perceived abuse.

For 6 years already, the European Union and Google have battled over Internet search. The main accusation against the search giant claims that by unfairly prioritizing its shopping services, Google has abused its monopoly.

The EU might even aim to make an example out of Google's antitrust case. The company was supposedly implementing changes making it harder for its search engine competitors to get noticed.

Google will be banned for these attempts to manipulate search results. According to Computerworld, the fine also is likely to take account of a new investigation into Android, as well as the fact that Google abused its monopoly over many years.

It is expected that the Commission will announce Google's antitrust fine before a summer break at the latest and as early as June. According to various sources, the terms are not finalized yet. It is still possible that other terms or the amount of the fine will change in the weeks ahead.

Google and the Commission did not make any comments so far. But according to Reuters, it seems that Google has given up its attempts to settle the EU case. The company still objects to accusations, but it would rather stop fighting a losing battle.
Anti-Gentrification Protesters Plan To Take Over The 606 Tuesday Evening

By Rachel Cromidas in News on May 16, 2016 8:59PM



(By Braden Nesin/Chicagoist)

Activists dedicated to fighting gentrification in Chicago's lower income communities are taking their calls for more affordable housing to The 606 Tuesday evening.

Since the elevated trail and public park network that stretches through Wicker Park, Bucktown, Logan Square and Humboldt Park was built last year, The 606 has become a focal point for many concerned that rising property taxes will push many of the Northwest Side's longtime residents out of their homes. To raise awareness about the city's lack of affordable housing and call for property tax reforms, activists say over 600 of them will hit the trail Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., when many joggers and cyclists are out getting a workout in or commuting home.

They're also calling for local aldermen and other community leaders to support two new proposed city ordinances that address property tax rebates and home teardown fees. Property taxes have been an especially hot issue in Chicago since Mayor Rahm Emanuel pledged to raise the city's property taxes by nearly $600 million to make up for the city's budget shortfall. Many residents of communities around The 606, also known as the Bloomingdale Trail, have said they're already seeing their property taxes jump as the county re-assesses their property values, and some say the advent of The 606 is to blame.

The protest is organized by the Logan Square Neighborhood Association as part of its 54th Annual Congress, and organizers say six aldermen (Roberto Maldonado, Deb Mell, Joe Moreno, Ariel Reboyras, Carlos Rosa and Milly Santiago) have pledged to attend. Ralliers will meet at Stowe Elementary School's auditorium at 3444 W. Wabansia Ave. at 5 p.m. and then head north to the trail.

The group's proposed Property Tax Rebate Ordinance would call for the city to give tax relief to certain low-income and working-class community members who own homes in neighborhoods like Humboldt Park that are feeling the squeeze of gentrification, and give tax relief to two-to-four-flat owners who offer "stable, affordable" rents. The 606 Pilot District Teardown Fee Ordinance would require the city to charge higher fees to developers and property owners demolishing existing buildings to make way for new construction, according to a statement released by organizers. Single family homes in the district, for example, would cost a builder $25,000 to demolish, while buildings with five or more units would cost $10,000 per unit to tear down. That money would go toward a "local impact fund" which would funnel the money toward building repair grants, neighborhood rental subsidies and affordable housing programs.


Sony reportedly revealed plans to discontinue the Xperia Z, C and M series in China and to focus solely on the new Xperia range with "X" logo.

According to Tech Times, new reports out of Asia claim that Sony is starting a new chapter in its marketing strategy. The company is not only discontinuing the Xperia Z line but also the Xperia C and M series.

Sony will offer a single smartphone series, the Xperia X range, to cover all market segments, from the high end to the entry level and everything in between. Some leaked slides from a Sony presentation surfaced on Chinese website ePrice showing the shift of focus in the company's product offerings towards the Xperia X series.

According to these presentation slides, "Chapter 1" has been focusing on an "open OS for web communication" and stretched between 2010 and 2012. Sony's first Android phone, the Xperia X10 launched back in 2009, was the highlight of this chapter.

"Chapter 2" was all about the "best of Sony" and covered the period between 2013 and 2015. The Xperia X series were at the center of the "Chapter 2."

From 2016 to 2018, Sony is up to "Chapter 3." In one of the leaked slides Sony is seen using in its roadmap the "X" logo for the "Chapter 3." The Xperia X range is said to signify "new communication." This is a "smartphone + IoT & cloud" chapter in Sony's roadmap.

The same logo is also seen in other slides for branding and promotional material. Sony will aggressively use the "X" logo in all its promotional prints and TV ads, focusing heavily on the marketing of the new Xperia X line.

This indicates that Sony will focus exclusively on its Xperia X series at least until 2018, promoting it as a single smartphone brand for all of its future offerings. According to Gadgets 360, Sony has announced the rebranding of Xperia at MWC 2016.

Alongside with the launch of three X-Series smartphones, the Xperia brand is now promoted by the company as an ecosystem of connected devices. The Sony Xperia X, X Performance and XA smartphones announced at MWC 2016 will go on sale from summer 2016.

Earlier this month, in Italy, France, Sweden and Netherlands, Sony has already started taking pre-orders for the Sony Xperia X Performance. The smartphone is expected to be available from early July.
NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson explained at SuiteWorld 2016 the differences in the design of his company's product that make it the fastest growing financial management software, taking market share from its more traditional rivals like SAP.

Nelson attributes NetSuite's explosive success  from revenues of $67M in 2006 to $415M in 2013, $741M in 2015, and on target for a run rate of $1B in 2016  to the original vision by founder Evan Goldberg of running in the cloud.

He said the company had continued to grow profitably while still investing in the product; it was the fastest-growing company among the top 10 financial management system vendors worldwide.

NetSuite increased its market share by 45% in the last year. Over the same period, Microsoft grew 10.6%  "they must have acquired someone," Nelson joked  while Oracle grew 8.3% and SAP, once king of ERP, lost 12% market share.

The secret to the success, according to Nelson, is the design choices by Goldberg when he first started NetSuite. These choices have continued to serve the company well, he said, adding, "the founding vision of NetSuite is still the basis of everything we do today".

"The cloud has completely won, certainly in our space ... and will continue to win in every industry"

Nelson said that Goldberg had three goals when he conceived NetSuite. He wanted to build a system to run a business; deliver only over the cloud; and include native e-commerce.

NetSuite has hit achieved every goal, Nelson asserted.

With respect to system design, he said that if Goldberg had written his ERP system 20 years ago he would have likely adopted the model that all other ERP systems are based on  General Ledger in the middle, and key modules like fixed assets, cash management, accounts payable, accounts receivable, inventory, all based around it.

Yet, when you run a business, "nobody looks at the GL," Nelson says. "They look at the transactions that make up the business  orders, invoices, subscriptions, purchase orders. This is the heart of the system, not the General Ledger. That's what we built. Transactions are in the centre."

A further design choice of NetSuite, Nelson said, was that "customisation is not a dirty word", referring to the anecdotally-famed difficulty of customising alternate ERP systems to your own business processes. An old truism about SAP is that it is often easier to re-engineer your business to suit SAP than to twist SAP to suit your business.

Yet, Nelson says, "we don't know how to run every company on the planet".

Unlike traditional ERP systems where once you implement it, it is frozen in time, Nelson says all NetSuite customers have the same core product but no two NetSuite installations look alike. "There are more deep functions for industries vertically and horizontally," he says. "We continually innovate on the core but allow customers to extend, connect and integrate to anything ... and we have over 260 certified apps developed by the partner network."

Vertical apps can also be built by developers, building their own apps and processes on NetSuite, with Nelson referring to a business that developed a specialised system for craft beer brewers in Colorado, that sits on top of NetSuite.

To further illustrate the point that NetSuite and customisation fit together, Nelson said the two most used features in the product were custom fields and custom records, respectively. Custom fields allow all sorts of information to be added, and custom records give NetSuite users the ability to change the data model for their business and add entities.

(For the curious, the next most-used features are journal entries, invoices, sales orders, purchase orders and items shipped.)

Turning his attention back to the cloud, Nelson said NetSuite's cloud-only delivery made it inherently more secure. If an issue was found, a fix was implemented and every NetSuite user benefitted immediately. By contrast, SAP has issued security patches in years past which still remain unapplied by customers. Last year, research indicated 95% of SAP installations are insecure.

A further benefit of the cloud, Nelson said, is the access it provides. A traditional ERP system is designed as a closed system, with controlled access. Yet, "NetSuite allows anyone in your company to access it through a browser  and not just your internal staff, your customers and vendors and other third-parties too," Nelson states.

The built-in native e-commerce facilities mean "every one of our customers can now deliver an Amazon.com-like experience", he said.

"The cloud is the last computing architecture," Nelson says. "All your personal and business data on every device, everywhere  what else is there?"

The cloud is also "the last business architecture. If you aren't building a business that gives your customers access to all their data anytime, everywhere on any device you're going to have trouble..

"It's easier for companies that started in the last five years, but more difficult for bigger, established companies. So one of NetSuite's other goals is to 'help big companies act small' to help them go where they need to go in the cloud economy."

David M Williams is attending SuiteWorld 2016 as a guest of NetSuite.
NetSuite, the rapidly-growing global cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform, has announced the release of a host of new product enhancements to NetSuite OneWorld designed to provide global enterprises with the agility and flexibility of a start-up, while meeting their complex industry, regulatory and tax requirements at global scale.

The new, enterprise-ready capabilities extend NetSuites leadership position as the #1 cloud ERP provider as it continues to rapidly deliver financial management capabilities for multi-national organisations that are unmatched in the industry, according to a media release issued by the comany.

Building on the momentum of enhancements to NetSuite OneWorld announced in December 2015, this new release delivers deep global financial capabilities, global control, governance, risk and compliance (GRC) features and enhanced financial reporting. In conjunction with all the global enterprise-ready capabilities available in NetSuite OneWorld 16, this new release further helps global companies increase operational efficiency, streamline financial reporting, deepen local and global compliance, localize business processes and deliver peace of mind for CFOs, controllers and finance users.

The robust functionality and flexibility of NetSuite OneWorld makes it the last ERP system youll ever need, said NetSuite chief executive Zach Nelson. Whether theyre a fast-growing start-up or a multinational enterprise, NetSuite continues to meet customer demands with features that enable them to confidently expand into new markets, launch new products or services and adapt to customer and market demands with a unified and agile cloud-based platform.

Enhancements to NetSuite OneWorld that deliver ground-breaking agility include:

1. Secondary books consolidation and financial reporting, allowing companies that are required to keep multiple sets of auditable financial results to satisfy specific GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) requirements across their global business operations, and enabling accountants and controllers to optimize financial period closing at a global level. For example, companies can maintain accounting records according to their corporate or headquarter accounting policies in parallel with local accounting rules that may have different recognition timing or classification.

2. Electronic invoicing framework, which helps customers to create country-specific electronic invoices, comply with local legal and cultural operational requirements, such as Factura Electronica in Mexico and PEPPOL in Europe, as well as further automate the order to cash process while decreasing costs associated with manual paper invoice processing and improving collections with faster payments.

3. NetSuite SuiteBilling & Unified Revenue Recognition, the industrys first and only cloud order-to-billing-to-revenue solution, unifies both the billing and revenue recognition processes for global businesses regardless of business model with complete controls and auditability, helping businesses with global compliance requirements to reduce risks. SuiteBilling can enable global businesses to evolve their business model, product or service offerings with confidence that NetSuite OneWorld can support their needs.

The impact of the Internet, evolving labor markets and expanding supply chains have combined to force all businesses to become global businesses. Organizations need a system that can quickly respond to these changes, whether its the possibility of the UK leaving the EU, an evolving global economy or a shifting regulatory environment. Whether a business is adding a new subsidiary, launching a new sales channel or acquiring a company, NetSuite OneWorld can quickly and easily manage the complex operational and financial impact of business processes, creating a seamless experience for thousands of organizations.

NetSuite OneWorld supports more than 100 countries with configurable tax calculation and reporting in order to meet local government compliance obligations, supports 20 different languages natively along with any language of communication for Customer and Vendor interactions. Further, with support for 190 currencies, over 120 payment methods and multi-subsidiary management, enabling NetSuite customers to transact in more than 200 countries and dependent territories around the world.

David M. Williams is attending SuiteWorld 2016 as a guest of NetSuite.
4 Films We Love (And 1 We Don't) Screening At The Chicago Critics Fest

By Joel Wicklund in Arts & Entertainment on May 17, 2016 7:05PM



Scene from "Demon." (Photo courtesy of The Orchard.)

For most of its 26-year history, the Chicago Film Critics Association's signature event has been its awards announcementspart of the same dull, consensus-building tradition that makes every awards season redundant. Hopefully, though, the Association will soon be known for something better: their Chicago Critics Film Festival (May 20 to 26 at the Music Box Theatre). Now in its fourth year, the festival's profile has been on the rise recently thanks to its admirably eclectic lineups, showcasing art films and genre movies from America and abroad.

This year's festival has star power, too, both on the screen and in person. Ethan Hawke, John Travolta, Ellen Page, Nick Jonas, Nick Kroll and Emma Roberts are featured in movies on the schedule. Michael Pena, Craig Robinson and Martin Starr not only appear in featured films, but will also attend the festival. This isn't so much an event for the red carpet crowd, though, as it is as welcome spotlight on the kind of independent movies that get fleeting, under-publicized theatrical runs, if they get any at all.

A critic-curated festival raises questions of possible press coverage cronyism. In full disclosure, I was a CFCA member many years ago, but I currently belong to a different group, the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle. Per my comments on their awards ceremony, I'm not a cheerleader for the CFCA, but I do think this festivals early editions have shown it to be a plus for Chicagos movie culture.

I had the chance to see five festival entries prior to the event, and all but the first mentioned below are well worth your time.

Beauty and the Beast

Dazzling special effects and production design can't mask the emptiness of this French adaptation of the oft-filmed fairy tale. Vincent Cassel makes a fine beast, but Lea Seydoux (Spectre, Blue Is the Warmest Color) is miscast as Belle. The real problem, however, is that director Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf) seems only concerned with proving he can match the massive spectacle of Hollywood blockbusters. Cassel's beast looks vaguely like the one from Jean Cocteau's revered 1946 film, but the movie doesn't earn any other comparison to that classic.





Demon

After accidentally digging up a human skeleton, a groom is possessed by the spirit of the deceased on the eve of his wedding. But the celebration goes on with drunken abandon, with the bride's family mainly worried about keeping up appearances. Social satire blends with ghost story traditions in this unique work that, sadly, is the last we will see from promising Polish writer-director Marcin Wrona. He committed suicide last year, just as this film was beginning to make the festival circuit. Much more a surreal dark comedy than a horror film, Demon at times recalls Luis Bunuel's absurdist masterpiece, The Exterminating Angel.





Disorder

A brooding character study punctuated by moments of high suspense and violence, the success of this French drama lies mainly in Matthias Schoenaerts' lead performance. The terrific Belgian actor (also in the current release A Bigger Splash) excels as Vincent, a discharged veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who is hired as security for a Lebanese businessman with dangerous affiliations. Writer-director Alice Winocour uses some interesting sonic dissonance to suggest Vincent's hearing loss and troubled mind, but otherwise the movie is pretty conventional style-wise. Thanks largely to Schoenaerts, though, it's never less than compelling.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

The latest from filmmaker and comedian Taika Waititi is a laugh-out-loud buddy comedy set in the bush of New Zealand, where a troublemaking orphan leads his reluctant foster father into jeopardy as they flee from child welfare agents, bounty hunters and the police. Sam Neill, young newcomer Julian Dennison and a great supporting cast generate plenty of laughs in this charming crowd-pleaser. Waititi showed a gift for gags with the faux vampire documentary, What We Do in the Shadows. Here he shows more polished visual and dramatic craft without losing any of the humor.

Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World

This was shown in Chicago very recently, as part of the DOC10 series, and will undoubtedly hit local theaters again when it officially opens later this summer. Whether you catch it at the festival or later, though, Werner Herzog's latest documentary is a must-see. Covering positive, negative and unknown implications of our increasing immersion in the "Internet of Everything," the film confronts the unnerving truth about our technological evolution: It is permanently changing the very nature of human existence.

Other Screenings

Among the festival offerings I've yet to see, I'm especially excited about War On Everyone, the latest from writer-director John Michael McDonagh, whose first two features (The Guard and Calvary) announced him as one of the boldest new talents around. His new film seems to be in the black comedy vein of The Guard, with Alexander Skarsgard and Michael Pena as rogue cops blackmailing and framing the criminals they pursue.

Also on my must-see list is In a Valley of Violence, a Western revenge saga from Ti West, who made a mark in indie horror with The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers. With Ethan Hawke and John Travolta headlining the cast, this seems like a movie bound to bring more attention to an uneven but often impressive director. West will appear for a Q&A following the film.

In all, the Chicago Critics Film Festival will show 26 features and two short film programs over its weeklong run. Individual tickets range from $10 to $15 each (depending on show time and if a guest is appearing), with full festival passes for $150. For the complete schedule and more information, visit the festival website.
Well known for its Oracle and SAP software support and maintenance services, Rimini Street has now added SAP Hana Database and related components to its portfolio.

Rimini Street's SAP Hana Database support is delivered by Hana-certified technical engineers with an average of 15 years' experience with SAP products, the company said.

Capabilities include product support, database health check and tuning services, security support services, interoperability support services, and managed archiving services. Rimini Street claims to save its customers 50% of their annual support fees.

The company will support all Hana Database Support Package Stacks and revisions, along with all Hana database components including Hana Database, Hana Studio, Hana Client, Hana Host Agent, Hana Information Composer, Hana Advanced Data Processing, Hana Spatial, LT Replication AddOn, LT Replication Server, SAP BusinessObjects Data Services, Hana XS Engine and Hana XS Advanced Runtime.

Rimini Street's global security support services are included in support programs at no extra charge, helping customers identify, prevent and mitigate actionable vulnerabilities, sometimes before they are discovered and worked by the vendor, the company said.

By broadening our service portfolio to include support for SAP Hana Database, we are expanding options for even more SAP licensees to switch to Rimini Streets award-winning support, maximise their investment in the SAP Hana Database platform and avoid unnecessary upgrades throughout their entire SAP landscape, said Rimini Street CEO Seth Ravin.

Rimini Street remains relentlessly focused on delivering more relevant, innovative and higher value support service solutions to SAP and Oracle licensees around the world, while at the same time creating the opportunity for our clients to re-allocate significant savings to fund strategic initiatives that enable growth and improve the competitiveness of their business.

Rimini Street has guaranteed long-term support for Oracle and SAP Hana databases for at least 15 years, even though SAP SAP is not committed to providing integrated support for Oracle Database beyond 31 December 2019.
Security vendor Bitdefender is warning that a click fraud campaign has managed to infect nearly one million computers around the world.

The Redirector.Paco Windows malware works by diverting traffic intended for the popular search engines to a malicious server, according to Bitdefender.

Search results are therefore unlikely to be those expected, and the malware is monetised by showing results that actually lead to ads that deliver pay-per-click AdSense revenue to the Bad Guys.

There are a few clues that all is not well with an infected computer. Bitdefender says the browser status bar may display messages such as "Waiting for proxy tunnel" or "Downloading proxy script," the search results take longer than usual to appear, and in the case of Google searches there's an absence of the usual multicoloured 'Goooooooooogle' above the page numbers near the foot of the results page.

The malware spreads through modified versions of the installers for programs including WinRAR, YouTube Downloader, Connectify, Stardock Start and KMS Pico.

These installers drop files and make registry modifications so that search traffic is redirected to the malicious server. The inclusion of a bogus root certificate means that the search traffic still seems to be protected by HTTPS. If the user takes the trouble to check the certificate it is apparent that all is not well ("The identity of this website has been verified by DO_NOT_TRUST_FiddlerRoot") - but who bothers to do that when visiting a search engine?

Scheduled tasks called "Adobe Flash Scheduler" and "Adobe Flash Update" are used to ensure the malware keeps running once it has gained a foothold.

Redirector.Paco was first detected in September 2014, and since then it has infected more than 900,000 computers worldwide. There have been some cases in Australia, but the most affected countries are India (by far), Malaysia and Greece, according to Bitdefender.

Bitdefender's analysis of Redirector.Paco can be seen here.
Oracle chief executive Safra Catz told a trial in California on Monday that the database giant did not buy Sun Microsystems so it could sue Google.

Instead, Catz, said it was a defensive play intended to prevent IBM getting its hands on Sun as Oracle wanted to gain control of Java which it saw as a very important asset to bolster its business into the future.

The trial, the second between Google and Oracle, is trying to settle on what damages, if any, Google should pay Oracle for its use of 37 Java APIs in its Android mobile operating system. An earlier trial went overwhelmingly in favour of Google but one ruling  that APIs could not be copyrighted  was overturned on appeal by Oracle.

Catz also told Oracle's lawyers under questioning that when Oracle spoke to Sun chief executive Jonathan Schwartz he had said that the company had been trying to get Google to licence Java and that Android was an unauthorised fork of Java.

Earlier, as the trial entered its second week, there was continued testimony from former top Android developer Dan Borstein as well.

On Friday, Borstein had admitted that he removed references to Java in the Android code and told others to do the same.

Asked by Google's lawyer Christa Anderson about this so-called scrubbing, he said it was done to conform with trademark law of which he was aware, though he said he did not have a lawyer's understanding of it.

Borstein said most of the words were removed from the comments in the code; profanities, which are often found in comments in code, were also removed, he said.

Later when asked by Oracle lawyer Annette Hurst whether he had any samples of what he had removed, he answered in the negative.
The deal will see SmartTrans utilising its SmartPay customer base and payment platform to sell the wines in China.



SmartTrans, an ASX-listed company, will earn revenue through commission on products sold, as well as a transaction fee on each payment processed.



Marketing support will be delivered with targeted SMS and in-product promotion campaigns leveraging SmartTrans reach to mobile phone users in China through alliances with China Mobile and ChinaTelecom, and assisting Tim Adams Wines to grow its sales and online presence in China.





Founded in 1987, Tim Adams Wines is located in South Australias Clare Valley and has a presence in all major international markets.SmartTrans Managing Director Bryan Carr said the company is greatly encouraged by the agreement with Tim Adams Wines, which it believes will be a catalyst for more Australian and international businesses to use SmartPay as a turnkey solution to access the huge e-commerce sector in China, estimated to be circa US$700 billion in 2015 and growing rapidly.This is an exciting new partnership for SMA, and we are proud to be promoting Tim Adams Wines to consumers in China using the customer database and payment functionality of our SmartPay system.This partnership is a good example of how any business outside China may gain access to the huge and growing e-commerce sector in China by using SmartPay, which provides access to consumers via our trusted and direct billing relationships. I am confident that this alliance will be the first of many such collaborations with Australian and international businesses alike.Importantly, this represents additional revenue streams for our company, which will serve to further strengthen our revenue profile.Carr said SmartTrans is currently in advanced stages of negotiation for similar agreements, both B2B and B2C, and anticipates that it will be making an announcement shortly.
John Taylor is Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Marketing at AMD based in Austin Texas. Last night on a flying visit to Australia he addressed a group of IT Journalists and gaming writers.

John has been at AMD since 2006 so I was somewhat stunned when he said with its 7th generation APU, its entirely new architectture Zen processors and new Radeon graphics processors (GPU) that it had finally caught up to, or surpassed Intels Skylake offerings. Zen will compete with Intel on performance, power and specifications  not just price, he said.

AMD has always been number two in the two horse, x86 processor race. It has made some excellent processors but unfortunately is best known for some absolute dogs that overheated and simply did strange things. In my opinion, the advances made over the past few years and the acquisition of ATI Radeon in 2006 have put it on equal footing with Intel  there is no stigma in buying an AMD product.

He reminded those present that AMD was founded in 1969  47 years ago and while it is best known as an x86 processor maker it has a major market share via powering Xbox, Sony and Nintendo games consoles, its Radeon product power most of the Mac Products and it is gaining significant ground in the data centre server space.

Taylor said that AMD had perhaps lacked focus but its new CEO Lisa Su (October 2014) had laser focused the company on becoming a high-performance computing and graphics company - products like Zen were the result of that. Of the company 9000 employees, more than 7000 were engineers and its main areas of focus were:

Gaming

Immersive platforms (VR)

Datacentres

He mentioned a joint venture with Chinese company Nantong Fujitsu Microelectronics to gain access to the growing Chinese x86 server market giving it two server strategies  one for China and one for the rest of the world.

His comments on Virtual Reality were interesting. VR is bringing back the PC. There is a huge investment in VR and only an x86 PC with a top end GPU will deliver. It is ideal for education, media consumption, engineering, e-sports, games and so much more, he said. He mentioned the partnership with Associated Press to pioneer virtual reality journalism by launching a web portal for AP virtual reality, promising more journalistic endeavours soon  including lifelike VR environments built with the help of AMD.

VR needs the horsepower that an x86 PC (or notebook) can provide and we plan to be a very big part of that with Radeon and AMD, he said.

For the first time since I have been at AMD, I can say with absolute confidence that AMD has the products and strategies to change any negative perceptions customers may have had. AMD has moved upstream with its support from HP in the new business class Elitebook and believe me we will get into premium products like Dell XPS, Lenovo Yoga, and HP Spectre and many more, he said.

While everyone expects a PC to do everything AMD had spent a lot of R&D making sure it supported things like USB 3.1 (USB-C and Thunderbolt), M.2 SATA and NVMe as well as addressing power and cooling issues. Our new Wraith coolers are getting rave reviews  you dont need an expensive third party cooler and more, he said.

By the end of the year, AMD will have moved on, to both its Zen CPU core as well as the Polaris graphics architecture. We are far closer to Intel than ever before  you always need a number two to keep them honest, he ended.
CompTIA has launched a new tool which it says will help managed services providers (MSPs) navigate the customer engagement process, from initial prospecting through to contract renewal.

The non-profit association for the technology industry says the Managed Services Client Lifecycle solution was created by its Managed Services Community to assist MSPs with customer acquisition, retention and growth.



Vince Tinnirello, community chair and CEO of Anchor Network Solutions, a Colorado-based provider of IT consulting services, said the tool allows any MSP to visualise the optimal client engagement for a managed services practice.



Tinnirello said, when combined with other content and programs created by the CompTIA Managed Services Community, MSPs have access to a robust selection of resources to help them build and grow an effective services business, with the resources linked to the Managed Services Client Lifecycle graphic, which makes it easy to find the most relevant and helpful information available.





And, Tinnirello says an upcoming CompTIA study on the managed services market reveals that the top two immediate priorities for MSPs are increasing their volume of net new customers (cited by 62% of MSPs surveyed) and expanding business with existing customers (58%).Many MSPs are winging it, with no real direction or understanding of what it takes to bring on a new customer and keep the customer for the long term, Tinnirello said.The Managed Services Client Lifecycle can help them identify and evaluate all areas of their business to assure that theyre doing all they should for their clients.

To learn more about the new tool from CompTIA, click here.
Rumours are that Apples iPhone 8 will move to an AMOLED panel, if only to improve battery life. Other tablet, monitor, and notebook designers are having to take a number and wait as AMOLED demand vastly outstrips supply.

AMOLED is by far the best type of small to mid-sized panel for its great colours, contrast, black blacks and low power draw. Demand this year for small and mid-size panels is expected to grow by 16.5% to 5.9 million square metres  that is expected to be 14.4 million square metres by 2019.

AMOLED is harder to make and therefore more expensive. Early manufacturers/adopters like Samsung (SDC) and LG (LGD) had 96% of the market in 2015  barely enough for their own needs leaving little for sale to others.

There is also a huge and growing demand for AMOLED from the Chinese tigers (OPPO, VIVO, Xiamoi, Lenovo and Huawei) who at present cant get enough for their flagship requirements  let alone bring it to mid-range handsets. Chinese manufacturers are gradually starting to supply AMOLED  probably meeting 5% of the demand by the end of 2016 and growing to 19% in 2019. Japan currently does not make AMOLED but will start in 2018 supplying 3% of the market and growing from there.

For many panel makers, the mass production of AMOLED products is being blocked by several major hurdles. In the upstream, just a few companies control the source of manufacturing equipment such as the vapour deposition systems for mid- and small-size AMOLED panels. AMOLED is a very challenging technology, so new entrants to this market are likely to encounter a lot of problems when trying to maintain stable and high panel yields during the initial stages. In the short term, SDC/LGD will have absolute dominance in the small- and mid-size segments without rivals, said Boyce Fan, WitsView (Trendforce) senior research manager.

Demand from Samsung alone has helped raised its average capacity utilization rate for AMOLED panel fabrication processes, from 75~80% in 2015 to about 90% and above this year. It is planning to expand its AMOLED capacity to meet with the anticipated huge demand from Apple.

LG Display (LGD), the other major South Korean panel maker, is accelerating its schedule for increasing AMOLED capacity.

SDC and LGD are also well placed to shift first to flexible display products. WitsView forecasts that flexible displays (FOLED) will take up 61% of the small- and mid-size AMOLED panel capacity worldwide by 2019.
Business leaders want to embrace digital transformation as a critical success factor but the inflexibility of legacy systems, inadequate IT skills, and lack of budget are holding enterprise back.

a leader in networking solutions, has launched its latest global study Unlocking the Power of Digital Transformation: Freeing IT from Legacy Constraints, that identifies businesses are missing opportunities to unlock innovation more quickly and more effectively due to legacy technology and historical misperceptions about the role of IT departments.

According to the report, 79% of IT teams in Australia felt that if they had more opportunity to be flexible in their approach to technology, benefits would include the elimination of shadow IT (35%), increased competitiveness (34%), more time to focus on innovation (24%), a 12% increase in revenue and 10% decrease in costs over the next 12 months.

Gary Denman, managing director for ANZ, Brocade, said: We know from experience, and our report confirms, how critical IT is to enable innovation, but too many businesses are restricted in their ability to adopt digital transformation and drive this change. Its clear that if IT departments could spend less time keeping the lights on, then they could devote more time to creating value, reducing costs and increasing revenues. Organisations need to be more fluid with their uptake and deployment of technology.

It wasnt supposed to be this way (the following figures are localised for Australia)

The new study looked at the current state and perceptions of the IT department in U.K, U.S., Germany, Singapore, France and Australia. It revealed that daily tasks in Australia, such as maintaining data security and privacy and legacy systems, are taking so much time (75% and 70% respectively), that opportunities to innovate and transform are being missed in many businesses. Also, 66% felt frustrated when the IT department could not readily deliver what the business demanded.

For the last two decades, legacy IT infrastructure held back businesses from innovating on their terms, said Denman. The IT department has found itself having to say no to new business opportunities too often. It wasnt supposed to be that way.

Modern New IP technologies unlock the power of the network as a platform for innovation enabling the IT department to be able to say yes to all kinds of business opportunities that surface daily in todays era of digital transformation. The network is the critical key to unlocking the power of digital transformation and freeing the IT department from legacy constraints that hinder innovation.

Freedom from legacy lights on approach critical to future innovation and performance

Digital transformation is a big priority, yet IT professionals are faced with making trade-offs that impact their ability to embrace new technologies and approaches. 90% are currently adopting digital transformation strategies, with 100% claiming their CIO views this as vital to achieving business objectives, yet 93% state they are restricted in their ability to support it adequately. This is due to lack of budget (46%), security concerns (40%), the inflexibility of current systems (26%), and the time drain of maintaining legacy systems (14%). More alarmingly 34% said that the limits of legacy technology are preventing their organisations IT department from delivering even on immediate business demands, let alone enabling innovation for the future.

Unlocking the door to better future business performance

94% identified situations in the last year where the IT team has had to defer or decline requests that would have clearly benefitted the business, with 53% saying that these situations resulted in missing short-term business benefits and 74% missed long-term benefits. According to the report, more than 78% felt that if they had more opportunity to be flexible in their approach to technology, there would be clear business benefits, including increased competitiveness (34%), more time to focus on innovation (24%), and the elimination of shadow IT (35%). Respondents also claimed that the business bottom line would benefit, projecting that the ability to innovate to a greater degree could result, on average, a 12% increase in revenue and a 10% decrease in costs over the next 12 months.

As companies move to digitise their businesses, they need an underlying network infrastructure that allows them to innovate quickly. We believe the network must become a platform for innovation to develop, deliver and secure applications. This is best achieved through implementing network architectures that are software-centric, open and agile, such as the New IP, said Denman.

The research was conducted by independent research house Vanson Bourne in April 2016. 630 decision-makers in organisations with more than 500 employees in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Singapore and Australia were surveyed.
Rees takes up a newly created role as Government Chief Information & Digital Officer (GCIDO) as the state looks to bolster its delivery of digital services.



As well as Macquarie Bank, Rees also previously worked as Chief Technology Officer and interim Chief Information Officer at Woolworths, and as Westpacs Head of Integrated Delivery.



Rees appointment as GCIDO was announced on Tuesday by the NSW Minister for Finance, Services and Property, Dominic Perrottet, and Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Victor Dominello.



[loadposition peter}According to Minister Perrottet, Rees appointment bolsters the NSW Governments position as a nation-leader in digital service delivery. He said Rees was an outstanding candidate.



As a Government we are determined to keep building our digital capability, because ultimately that results in better services for the people of NSW.



Damon comes with an exceptional track record in the business world, so its exciting to have someone of his calibre to drive the Governments digital agenda, the Minister said.



Perrottet said the GCIDO will be the senior technology role within NSW Government, reporting to the Secretary of the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation, and individual agencies will retain chief information officers but all major ICT projects across government departments will require approval and oversight by the GCIDO.



The Minister said that, as GCIDO, Rees will advocate for digital adoption across the NSW public sector, defining the long-term vision for ICT and digital technologies, implementing the NSW Open Data Policy and improving integration across Government agencies.



The role will also entail oversight of major government ICT projects, ensuring they are delivered on time, on budget, and deliver benefits for agencies and citizens.



Minister Dominello said Rees whole-of-government oversight would ensure better integration across departments and agencies, and better outcomes for NSW taxpayers.



The GCIDO will be responsible for enforcing high standards of financial discipline on large-scale ICT projects across government. Damon will also play a critical role in accelerating the digitisation of government services.



Rees will take up the GCIDO role at the end of May.
Microsoft appears to have adopted catch 22 type tactics (circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions). Windows 10 will borg-like assimilate your PC  resistance is futile.

Microsofts free upgrade offer expires 29 July and reports seem to indicate that it is getting desperate to assimilate every last Windows 7 and 8.x PC  well consumer-owned ones anyway.

Widespread reports say that from 12 May the optional upgrade has now been moved to Recommended  the latter means that the 3GB download trickles down to your eligible Windows 7 or 8.x PC as an update and will self-install unless you take action.

The catch 22 seems to be that there is no option to cancel the installation  clicking on the RED X or accepting the upgrade have the same results. In other words, this becomes an opt-out action instead of an opt-in one. This is a breach of trust and an abuse of valuable download data limits.

iTWire columnist David Heath has reported that a New Zealand man had Microsoft refund the data download costs (about NZ$15) for an unwanted Windows 10 install. I predict more cases like this.

Burying it in recommended updates is at odds with users having the right to easily chose whether they want the update or not.

Why upgrade?

Please understand that this is an opinion piece, and I am torn because I have upgraded every PC for family and friends to Windows 10  and all are very happy with the results. Slow PCs, as opined by iTWire's open source expert and colleague Sam Varghese have not been evident at all. To the contrary Windows 10 boot times (on newer PCs) have been reduced to mere seconds and overall performance improved dramatically even with just 2MB RAM. My opinion is that a BIOS update and a clean Windows and programs install is best if you experience 'treacle like' speeds.

My opinion is there is no harm in updating as it reduces operating system version fragmentation and takes you to a new, more secure Windows with ongoing updates and support  allegedly the last version of Windows you will ever need. It offers both a desktop mode like Windows 7 and a Touch mode like Windows 8.1.

In my experience with more than 50 upgrades, only two have failed due to pre-existing hardware/driver/corruption issues with those PCs. A clean install of Windows 7 fixed all the issues, and the upgrade then went smoothly.

I have one gripe that it removes the rather excellent Windows Media Centre software and the replacements like Media Portal, and Next PVR are not as polished, but they do work.

Once you have upgraded your PC signature is registered with Microsoft and if you wish you can roll-back to Windows 7 easily  there is a single button to do this  so this PC is licenced for Windows 10 and can be reinstalled anytime in the future.

My call  just do it!

Why not upgrade?

If you have an older version than Windows 7 you cannot upgrade for free. In any case, earlier hardware may not be compatible, and there may be driver and BIOS issues  yes I am referring to the 10.63% of XP users still out there! It is a fairly safe bet that if you can install Windows 7 first and it works then, Windows 10 will be fine.

If you are a corporate user with a Windows 7 standard operating environment (SOE), then it is best to stick to that until the existing hardware reaches its use-by date. I suspect a very large portion of the 47.82% left running Windows 7 are in this category. Reports positively indicate that mixed Windows 10 and Windows 7/8.x environments are fine so you can buy new PCs and not downgrade unless this causes SOE issues for you.

Some people simply dont want the free upgrade from Windows 7, and that is fine. It is their right to continue to use an orphaned product. iTWire has previously reported on the free GWX control panel that makes turning off the update nag screen and automatic downloader a no brainer. Microsoft have also provided full details of how to turn the upgrade off here.

Does Microsoft have an ulterior motive?

On the positive side, having your PC with the latest operating system and patches makes it more reliable and secure. Direct updates make sense.

On the negative side, Windows 10 has a lot more covert monitoring of PC search history, web usage, Windows Store usage, details of what applications you use, voice recordings, emails, geographic information and just about anything else that is on your PC. This information is gathered in part for improving Windows-based services, but it is also used for market research and advertising purposes. You can turn most if not all of this off in the Settings Panel. This must open up new revenue streams for Microsoft.

And on the paranoid side, we dont know what will happen in the future with licencing of Windows. At present, you buy a perpetual licence to use it on one specific PC. What happens down the track if they introduce a subscription model or paid support and updates? But being less paranoid Apple could just as easily do that with OS X and iOS so it is likely that each will keep the other honest.

But this rather heavy-handed approach of forcing Windows 10 on existing users by 29 July is uncharacteristic especially under the new, more sensitive, caring Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella.
Extra-Alarm Fire In Lakeview Injured 1, Displaced 30 Monday Evening

By Mae Rice in News on May 17, 2016 2:46PM



Firefighters at the Lakeview blaze (photo via Chicago Fire Department Media Affairs)

An extra-alarm fire in Lakeview Monday evening injured a firefighter, displaced 30 people, and damaged assorted buildings in the area. The fire began at about 5 p.m., on the back porch of a 2.5-story apartment building at 3338 N. Marshfield Ave., fire department officials said. From there, it spread, downing local power lines along the way, Chicago Fire Department District Chief Dan Cunningham told the Sun-Times.

Overall, 127 firefighters in 41 companies fought the blaze, and it took an hour to put out. One firefighter was injured during the fire, and taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in good condition for burns to the arm.

It's unclear exactly how much property damage the fire left behind. The Sun-Times reports the blaze damaged 12 area buildings; the Tribune, 12 area apartment units. ABC7, meanwhile, reports that 7 buildings were affected. We've reached out to the Chicago Fire Department for clarification, and will update this post if we hear back.

The Chicago Fire Department tweeted some shots of the fire, which you can see here:

Media @ 311. 3338 N Marshfield All companies working. 3 buildings involved at present fire building and 2 exposures pic.twitter.com/6fe4W6AEGf  Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) May 16, 2016

On the bright side, though, nearby Dinkel's Bakery was unharmed by the blaze. Here's the statement they issued on Facebook:
Stickybeaks of Australia rejoice. You can now see Domain live auctions and inspections on Facebook.

The collaboration between online property listing marketplace Domain, and Facebook Live follows its earlier launch of the first property Messenger bot that allows consumers to instantly find properties by asking for the information they need, on Facebook Messenger.

Leveraging the new Facebook Live feature, a powerful way for brands to connect with their followers, Domain first experimented in early May with an auction on Moray Street, South Melbourne. The auction drew a physical crowd of around 100 people, but with Domains Live Auction stream the bidding activity reached almost 300,000 Facebook users.

Due to the unprecedented levels of engagement and popular feedback, Domain delivered its audiences a second auction this week in Collingwood, which was viewed almost 24,000 times, attracting more than 3,300 comments.

Domain is the first property marketplace in the world to broadcast auctions via Facebook Live.

Melina Cruickshank, Chief Editorial, and Marketing Officer at Domain, said, The demand for Domains unique property journalism via social media is accelerating. Audiences are engaging with our breaking news, data analysis, market insights and financial commentary like never before. Many of us admit weve stopped by an auction at some point to see what happens. Domains Live Auctions give everyone a front row glimpse into whats happening in the property world. It taps into the natural inquisitiveness Australians have with property.

Domain Live Auctions offers another way for Domain to engage with our audience in authentic ways. By leveraging Facebook Live and combining digital, social and editorial, its resulted in a staggering engagement. This shows just how much of an appetite there is for interactive journalism, not just in Australia but around the world. "Were happy to be the first in the world to live-stream auctions to our audience, she added.

Domain now has plans to make this a regular edition, broadcasting key auctions via Facebook Live.

The auctions can be viewed live via Domains Facebook page.
Apple had 15% of all app installs last year but took 58% of global app revenue. As they say "Do the math."

More than 156 billion apps were downloaded in 2015 generating US$34.2 billion in sales - excluding non-advertising and in-app purchase revenue. IDC estimates that these figures will grow to more than 210 billion installs and nearly $57 billion in direct revenue by 2020.

Research from IDC shows the value of the brand and having only one official app store for iOS. Apple's App Store "ecosystem" captured 58% of global direct app revenue in 2015, an increase of 36% year-over-year. Meanwhile, Apple's share of global app install volume was only 15%, down 8% year-over-year.

The sheer volume of Android-based devices in use ensures a greater overall number of installs through Google Play, which captured about 60% of install volume and nearly 36% of direct revenue in 2015.

Although Google Play enjoyed solid year-over-year growth in both downloads and direct revenues, the gains were lower than in previous years. Apple is expected to continue outperforming Google Play in terms of revenue generation but both ecosystems are more than sufficiently established to sustainably attract developers.

"While they provide a convenient measure of the mobile app economy and its beneficiaries, we caution that preoccupation with download/install volumes and associated direct revenue may miss the thrust of changes in the mobile marketplace," said John Jackson, Research Vice President, Mobile and Connected Platforms.

"Facebook and Google continue to dominate mobile ad spending thanks to the scale and sophistication of their network effects, with Facebook's moves to incorporate news and other interests into its experience will likely pull traffic and install volumes away from discreet apps. Similarly, the emergence of 'bots', which seek to automate interactions in a contextually infused way, are another in a series of examples of value being created above the OS layer and even above the app, he added.

While the market will continue to grow IDC expects to see slower growth in both application install volumes and direct revenue over time. This trend, which is largely driven by market maturation, will see annual install growth fall into the single digits over the second half of the forecast. Mobile application install volume will still experience a five year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.3%. Meanwhile, direct revenue from mobile applications will also experience slower growth by the end of the forecast period, although the five year CAGR will remain in the double digits at 10.6%.

Comment

Less apps, more money  that describes the iPhone/iPad ecosystem precisely. Apple has stated that to combat its declining device market share it needs to move to service and other revenue streams  this is what made the most profit per dollar bringing in US$5.9 billion in revenue in Q1, 2016.

CEO Tim Cook said, During the March quarter services revenue was our highest ever. Services revenue jumped 20% to $6 billion. App Store revenue was up 35% to beat last quarter's all-time record."
The telco undertook wireless network access trials  in partnership with Huawei - at several live sites in late April across central and suburban Melbourne.



Vodafone says the Melbourne trials were a success and further trials will be carried out in coming months across Australia.



And, Vodafone says NB-IoT is a 4G technology that will support the Internet of Things (IoT) by making it more efficient to connect products to the internet.





Vodafone Chief Technology Officer Benoit Hanssen said, based on the testing in the Melbourne CBD, NB-IoT would be able to penetrate two to three double-brick walls, enabling connectivity of objects in underground carparks and basements.We also achieved extended coverage during tests in suburban Melbourne, with distances of up to 30 kilometres.The benefits of NB-IoT include deeper and further coverage, up to 10 years battery life, increased scalability with up to 100,000 devices per cell and low cost of modem chipsets forecasted at less than $5.Hanssen describes NB-IoT - a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) technology which offers low cost, long battery life, wide area coverage for products requiring long range mobile connection, such as in basements - as one of the new applications of evolving 4G technology.Were hearing a lot of hype about 5G at the moment but there is still plenty of mileage left in 4G, such as NB-IoT, he said.NB-IoT is an application of 4G designed specifically for products which require extended distance, depth and battery life.Weve invested billions of dollars over recent years in our network, which is now world-class, and were continuing to enhance it with exciting new features.Vodafone Executive General Manager of Enterprise Business, Stuart Kelly, said the company was using its global expertise to benefit Australians, with Vodafone Group recognised as the worlds top operator in terms of taking advantage of IoT opportunities.The opportunities NB-IoT will bring are endless, with enormous potential particularly for industries such as automotive, agricultural, health and utilities. The types of products we could see utilising this technology are gas and water metering, smart bins, alarms and detectors, and parking monitoring.
is on quite the app-building spree. Its latest is a new service called Spaces, which aims to simplify the way you share images, videos, links, other content gathered from the web.

The new tools, announced in a blog post, will be available on Monday in an app for Android, iOS, the web. The service isnt live at the time of this writing, though theres already a Spaces product page.

Official Blog Given that this is a product, search is built in for finding your saved content.

Spaces seems to follow the philosophy of the new iOS-only keyboard called Gboard, which puts a search button right next to the keys. Spaces organizes offers search for -friendly content, which in turns means youre more likely to use services like YouTube, Chrome, image search.

Official Blog Spaces for iOS supports push notifications enables chat around shared articles.

Group messaging is a major component, as youre able to hold conversations about everything that you share with others. The initial draw is probably for consumers who want to chat about all the nifty stuff they find online, but theres also a drop of productivity thrown in considering that you can share talk about articles clipped from the web.

The product feels like it overlaps a little with many other existing services, but thats how the company tends to roll. It throws out a bunch of new products then iterates them over time to more align with how the user base actually responds.

The story behind the story: has done a lot of work with new apps updates recently to more tightly integrate its services on the web as well as Android iOS. The company recently added new extensions for Inbox Keep that make it easier to save share links. Given that the companys revenue is still tied deeply to search services, expect more tools improvements to existing ones to keep coming to both mobile platforms.
Land O'Lakes picked Google to run the backend when it decided to launch a new application that connects a bunch of different cloud services to one another for the sake of improving farmers' decisions.

It's something of a surprising choice for the decades-old company. Much of the company is built on Microsoft technology, said Teddy Bekele, the vice president of IT for Land O'Lakes's WinField division. While Microsoft's Azure cloud platform was in the running to host the new WinField Data Silo tool, Microsoft ended up losing out to Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

It's a major win for Google, which has been trying to entice more large companies over to its cloud platform. And Land O'Lakes's decision is emblematic of the way that companies -- especially those with decades of technology history -- are approaching the public cloud.

Rather than going all in on one provider, companies are looking for a diverse set of platforms on which they can build their business. Land O'Lakes has workloads running on Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and its own on-premises data center, Bekele said.

The agriculture conglomerate has built its Data Silo application on top of GCP with the help of consulting firm Cloud Technology Partners. The application is designed to use information from a variety of sources, including third-party data providers like John Deere and Monsanto, along with farmers' own data. Farmers then get recommendations, like which crop they should grow in a particular field.

The company chose Google for the WinField Data Silo in part because of its deep Maps API integration, which will overlay data from the application onto a map to make it easier for users to digest the information. For this application, WinField looked at Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Box, before deciding to go with GCP.

If Google's solution ever becomes unsuitable for Land O'Lakes's purposes, the company has built the WinField Data Silo to be capable of moving to competing cloud platforms, along with its other applications, Bekele said.

However, that doesn't mean he's unhappy with the way things are going now. If other people inside Land O'Lakes asked him if they should use Google Cloud Platform, he says he'd absolutely recommend the provider if he believed Google's capabilities were well-suited to the application.

Looking forward, Bekele is taking a pragmatic approach to figuring out which cloud provider will power Data Silo.

"I mean, even now, for us, going forward, we definitely plan on staying on GCP for the moment," Bekele said. "But if there are other capabilities [we need] as we start rolling this out to customers, and some other needs come up that are kind of critical, we might consider something else instead."

That said, he's also interested in some of the intelligent functionality built into Google's cloud for future development.
For a conference that has been used to advance Android and Chrome, and introduce Google Glass with users parachuting from a plane, people are expecting to hear about virtual reality and artificial intelligence at this week's Google I/O conference.

"This year's focus will be virtual reality, no doubt," said Jeff Kagan, an independent industry analyst. "I believe Google wants to be a leader in virtual reality and, in this marketplace where there are no leaders yet, I think they will try and secure their place in the front of the line."

Kagan said Google may even roll out its own early- generation virtual reality device at I/O, the company's annual developer conference, which generally draws more than 6,000 attendees.

The conference is being held from Wednesday through Friday in Mountain View, Calif., the same city where Google is headquartered.

One of the big differences for this year's conference is that it's not at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Shoreline Amphitheater The Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, Calif., where this year's Google I/O conference will be held.

Google has not given a reason for the change of venue, to the Shoreline Amphitheatre, though many anticipate that the company is looking to use the outdoor fairplex to display advances in its work on autonomous cars, robotics or drones.

"I expect it means Google will be showing off its skills at defining and powering autonomous vehicles -- not just cars but drones and devices of all sorts," said Jack Gold, an analyst with J.Gold Associates. "Cars seem to be getting the headlines but there are a number of autonomous things that Google wants to power."

Gold added that those smart devices could range from autonomous garbage trucks to systems that find an open parking space for your car and autonomous wheelchairs for people with disabilities.

"Think of this as the same kind of race we went through in trying to power smartphones," he said. "Google won big there against the competition, and it is trying to position itself as the power inside the next wave of autonomous vehicles and robotic gadgets, as well."

Scott Strawn, an analyst with IDC, said he thinks Google is likely to show off driverless cars.

Google had pushed hard into robotics back in 2013, scooping up Boston Dynamics, the maker of the Atlas humanoid robot and the Big Dog, along with a string of other robotics companies. When reports hit that Google is trying to unload Boston Dynamics, it left many observers wondering how committed the company still is to developing its own robotics technology.

"After Andy Rubin [former head of Google's robotics division] left, it isn't clear how much progress they've made with their robotics program," Strawn said. "But their cars have been in the media quite a bit, which might suggest some kind of unveiling this week."

And with Google's increasing interest in autonomous vehicles and virtual reality, there's a natural push for the company to invest heavily in artificial intelligence and machine learning to support those efforts.

Many industry analysts are expecting to hear more about that this week.

"What's most important to me are the efforts Google has around cognitive computing and artificial intelligence," said Gold. "We are seeing major pushes by IBM, with Watson, and Microsoft and others. I'd really like to see how Google plans to counter these efforts."

He added that he's interested to see if Google will talk about or show off an advance to Apple's Siri, or Amazon's Echo.

Strawn, too, thinks Google might focus on a smart personal assistant.

"Google is working hard to create an interactive digital assistant," said Strawn. "If you've ever seen the movie Her, that would give you a good idea of the type of interaction they are trying to create. Mostly it would be to help organize people's lives, kind of like an ever-present assistant that you can have a conversation with."

Of course, it wouldn't be Google I/O without talk of Android and Chrome but most aren't expecting huge news out of those areas this week.

"Google always has some type of updates that will be revealed about the next version of Android, even though this year some Android N features have been announced already," said Brian Blau, an analyst with Gartner. "There have been rumors for many years that Android and Chrome OS will be merged or will interoperate to some degree. And while some developers want this merging to happen sooner than later, Google may only look at some interoperability versus a more substantial merging."

Google's cloud efforts also are likely to get some attention. And Project Tango, a technology that enables mobile devices to be aware of their position in the world, is expected to be updated during the conference.

"I believe [Project Tango] was demonstrated at last year's conference, so I expect to see some refinements and further packaging of this intriguing idea," said Brad Shimmin, an analyst with Current Analysis. "Clearly, mobile devices are not just ubiquitous but also heterogeneous in shape, size and purpose. If Google can deliver a set of APIs that engage those devices directly with the physical world around them and with their users, we could be in for something much more momentous than even virtual reality."
SAP has updated its flagship Hana in-memory computing platform with a raft of new features designed to make IT simpler while giving organizations a better handle on their data.

The updates, announced Tuesday at the company's annual Sapphire Now conference in Florida, include a new hybrid data management service in the cloud and a new version of the company's Hana Edge edition for SMBs.

"Weve taken an already rock solid platform and further hardened security, enhanced availability, unified the development and administration experience, and expanded advanced analytic capabilities," Michael Eacrett, vice president of product management for SAP, wrote in a blog post detailing the new release.

Launched more than five years ago, Hana forms the basis for S/4Hana, the enterprise suite SAP released in early 2015.

Among Hana's key new features is a graph data processing capability that allows organizations to visualize data connections for a better understanding of the complex relationships among people, places, and things. It can help companies detect fraud, for instance, or uncover new business opportunities, SAP said.

A new "capture and replay" feature, meanwhile, helps IT departments capture live workloads and replay them on a target system. The result is that the IT staff can evaluate new features, assess upgrade options, and measure impact before making changes to the live production system.

The new Hana version also introduces an expanded maintenance lifecycle program that lets companies choose between consistent maintenance of their Hana environment for up to three years or adopting the latest Hana innovations twice a year.

Hybrid data management services are now available in the cloud through an invitation-only beta program for strategic customers. By requiring less hardware infrastructure and offering rapid integration across cloud and on-premise deployments, the hybrid model delivers a lower total cost of ownership, SAP said.

Finally, SAP also released an advanced version of its Hana Edge edition for small to mid-sized businesses. The latest edition includes SAP Predictive Analytics software and supports a 32 GB database along with 128 GB of dynamic tiering.

One benefit for users is that admins can "cost-effectively manage 'hot' data between pricey memory and lower-cost storage," noted Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT.

Time will tell whether the new features help SAP win new Hana customers. Last October SAP announced that more than 1,300 companies had already signed on with S/4Hana, but a survey released shortly thereafter found lingering hesitation over issues including licensing.
Chicago Has Racked Up A $9 Million Police Misconduct Tab So Far This Year

By aaroncynic in News on May 17, 2016 4:36PM



By Aaron Cynic/Chicagoist

Chicago is poised to pay out another $3.2 million in two more lawsuits by families of people shot and killed by police. The City Council Finance Committee approved two settlements Monday involving alleged police misconduct, one of which the officer who shot and killed Laquan McDonald played a minor role, the Tribune reports.

The City will pay $2.2 million to the family of Emanuel Lopez, who was shot at 42 times by police in 2005 after a car chase on the South Side. Lopez, a 23 year-old janitor on his way to work, allegedly drove off after a car accident and a chase involving five officers in two cars one of whom was off dutyensued. Police alleged that after Lopez was boxed in, he drove at the police and pinned one officer on the ground. Officers fired 42 times, striking Lopez 16, killing him. He was unarmed.

Evidence however, cast serious doubt on the story told by police. A ballistics expert concluded the officer allegedly pinned by Lopezs car could not have fired his weapon while pinned. Attorney Terry Ekl, the family lawyer, accused police of faking tire prints found on the officers pants. The off duty cop on the scene who fired 16 shots, Pedro Solis Jr., admitted in a deposition he had been drinking, downing two beers shortly before the incident unfolded.

There were doubts about how the shooting occurred and how those bullets entered his body, said Ald. George Cardenas, who called the settlement long overdue according to NBC5. If hes attacking the officers, how does somebody attack from the back? How is it that I walk backwards to attack somebody? It doesnt make any sense!

Officer Jason Van Dyke, the cop facing murder charges for fatally shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times, was also on the scene that night in 2005 to write a report. However he conducted no interviews, and instead used a typed story detectives handed him.

The Finance Committee also approved a $1 million settlement of a suburban man shot and killed by Chicago Police in 2013. Ryan Rogers an East Hazel Crest man was under investigation by multiple agencies in a suspected cell phone robbery ring. Officers, who had been instructed not to allow anyone to leave the home, tried to stop Rogers and two others from leaving in an SUV. Police say Rogers pinned an officer between his SUV and their undercover van, but his family contends that cops shot as he was driving away and evidence to prove their version of the story was concocted after the fact.

If the full City Council approves the two lawsuits on Wednesday, Chicago will have paid out more than $9 million in police misconduct lawsuits for this year alone. According to CBS2, the city paid out more than $6 million for 2 lawsuits in Aprilone in which a man was killed by police with a taser, and another in which a man was severely beaten. Since 2004, Chicago has paid a staggering $660 million involving cases of police misconduct.
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VULNERABLE young people in Haringey are at risk because social workers are leaving the profession in droves, a new report warns.

And the report reveals the new vacancies are not being filled because pay is so poor compared to other employers.

The result is that up to half the social work posts in some frontline services are currently unfilled.

The report, from Haringey Council's housing and social services department, was presented at a meeting of the council's policy and strategy committee on Tuesday.

It calls for councillors to make a commitment to increase social workers' salaries.

The borough's Children and Families Service has been worst hit.

One third of the service's district social work posts are vacant ? 13 in Tottenham (38 per cent of total staff) and seven in Hornsey (26 per cent of staff). And the Task Centred Family Placement Team is missing half its staff.

There are 33 children on the child protection register who have not been allocated a social worker.

And 61 children on the 'looked-after' register have no allocated social worker.

Instead, the service is increasingly relying on agency staff.

But, says the report, these 'have less commitment to the children and are less able to manage challenging or aggressive incidents.

'Under the new Criminal Justice Act this pushes children more quickly into the criminal justice system and a criminal record.'

It adds: 'Low pay and continuing instability means that it [the service] is now losing staff at an alarming rate and is unable to recruit replacements.

'The impact on allocation of statutory work is potentially dangerous and is already reducing services to vulnerable children.'

The report points to an exodus of staff since the council proposed reduced terms and conditions for employees last November.

That led to industrial action and increased resignations.

Leaving employees also cited high stress levels, budget and staff cuts, and poor management.

Meanwhile out of 19 councils in the London area, at the top of their scale Haringey's childrens social workers earn the third lowest.

Only Surrey and Barnet were lower.

Salaries for service managers in Haringey were up to 6,600 lower than some comparable boroughs, making it the lowest.

The report proposes the council should make a commitment to increase salaries, at a cost of up to about 322,000 a year.

It also says the council should consider recruiting social workers from abroad, especially Ireland and Australia.

Meanwhile social work nationally is facing a staffing crisis.
OFFICERS at Watford Council have denied rumours that swimming and leisure complex Watford Springs faces imminent closure.

The denial follows inquiries by The Watford Observer after a series of calls from people claiming to be employed at the leisure complex and customers of it.

They said a decision had been taken to close the pool and that staff employed there and at other leisure centres had been notified.

A council spokesman said the Springs, which has been open for almost a decade, did not face immediate closure, but could not guarantee its long term survival.

He said: 'Watford Springs and all other leisure facilities we operate are part of an ongoing review looking at the long-term future of leisure provision within Watford.

'This is part of our effort to provide modern leisure facilities that meet the needs of our users now and in the future.

'No decision has been made to close Watford Springs or any other leisure facility and none would be made without prior consultation of users and staff.

'Watford Springs will not be closing in the near future.'
Gigantic Loop Food Hall Has Signed On Antique Taco As Its First Vendor

By Anthony Todd in Food on May 17, 2016 3:22PM



Some of the food at Antique Taco. Photos via Antique Tacos Website.

Remember when we announced that massive food hall that is coming to the Loop, to be run by the folks behind Empty Bottle, Dusek's, Longman & Eagle and Promontory? The centerpiece of the food hall is a plan to bring in independent restaurants from Chicago's neighborhoods to populate fifteen different fast-casual spots inside. The creators have now announced the first restaurant to sign on.

Antique Taco, the twee Wicker Park taco place (that we think is actually pretty great) will be opening a new concept: Antique Taco Chiquito by Antique Taco. The menu will include many of the favorite signature dishes at the original location, as well as a breakfast menu with dishes like chorizo and egg empanadas with poblanos, potato and avocado salsa and Skillet Tacos with peppers, onion, eggs, pintos, tres queso and arbol salsa.

We're going to be closely tracking all the restaurants that jump on board with this new location. Is anyone else hoping Honey Butter Fried Chicken decides to open a second spot here?
Police Detective Who Killed Rekia Boyd Resigns

By aaroncynic in News on May 17, 2016 7:46PM

Chicago Police Detective Dante Servin, who shot and killed Rekia Boyd in 2012, has resigned. Police Board President Lori Lightfoot confirmed his resignation early Tuesday afternoon, just two days before a special hearing scheduled by the board, according to the Tribune.

Servin killed the unarmed and innocent Boyd in Douglas Park while off-duty, when he fired an unregistered weapon over his shoulder into a crowd during an altercation. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but those charges were thrown out in April of 2015. The detective maintained that someone in Boyds group had pointed a gun in his direction, but the object turned out to be a cell phone. In his ruling, Judge Dennis Porter said since the cops actions were beyond reckless, prosecutors couldnt prove recklessness. It is intentional and the crime, if any there be, is first-degree murder, said Porter at the time.

Though former Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and the Independent Police Review Authority both recommended Servin be fired, he was still allowed to keep his job. Hundreds of activists have attended and demonstrated at countless board hearings demanding his resignation and that he be stripped of his pension. By resigning however, Servin is still eligible for his pension and will be able to avoid testifying publicly about the shooting. The board wrote in a statement:

"It is the Board's understanding that given the resignation, counsel for the Superintendent will follow normal procedure and file a motion with the Board seeking to withdraw all charges against Servin without prejudice. The Board will then take that motion under advisement and take action at its regular monthly public meeting on Thursday, May 19th. In light of the resignation, the previously scheduled evidentiary hearing will not proceed."

Since Servin resigned, Thursdays hearing, which many activist groups planned to attend, has been cancelled. However, a national day of action is still being planned for May 19.



Updated 4:15 p.m.:BYP100, one of the groups that's organized several demonstrations calling for Servin's removal and planning Thursday's national day of action, called his a "relief." But, they said, it's also "indicative of an unsurprising tactic by Servin to escape accountability" and they will continue to demand the City Council prohibit him from receiving a pension.

"The upsetting and understated reality is that Black cis and trans women, girls, and femmes are still being victimized by state violence in Chicago and nationwide. The fact still remains that sexual assault is the second most reported form of police misconductwhich is disproportionately experienced by women, girls, and femmeswhile excessive force is the first. Furthermore, resignation allows Servin to take up employment as a police officer in any other city or town, which still puts Black people in danger and subjects us to police violence and control. Likewise, resignation creates space for police like Servin to leave with dignitysomething Servin does not deserve since he snatched Rekias ability to live in her full dignity."
Back in January, workers in Portland, Maine were ecstatic to learn that their hourly wage jumped from $7.50 to $10.10. This is the first city the minimum wage raise is implemented in while other cities in Maine are still at the usual rate. All over the United States, cities are slowly raising their minimum wages up to $15 an hour.

They call this a national experiment in how labor markets operate as well as studying how companies respond to rising payroll costs, according to CS Monitor. The analytical report explains that Portland's $10.10 hourly wage hasn't killed any jobs but some restaurants in the area have cut hours in the work force - most likely to compensate for the expense. Looking closely, many employees already earn above the minimum rate and received tips.

Judy Dyer, a supervisor at a breakfast joint, noted that none of the staff has quit or complained as of yet. "We're not feeling it yet. But it's coming here." Starting wages at her workplace are at $9 an hour.

John Conzelman, a salad bar owner had to raise prices in March to reflect rising costs. However, he's already been paying above the minimum. "I think $10.10 is fine. It puts more cash in everyone's pockets, which they spend. What goes around comes around," he says.

These two are feeling positive compared to owner Colleen Kelley who isn't excited about paying teens $10 an hour to make milkshakes at her restaurant.

Experts agree that young workers are vulnerable under higher minimum wages. One study estimated that a 10% rise in the wage floor led to a 1% or more drop in teen employment.

Whatever the case, the salary increase is already in effect and it will slowly trickle outwards to other cities and states.
Apple Inc may not need to wait that long before it reaps the benefits of investing $1 billion in Chinese car-hailing service Didi Chuxing.

Didi is targeting an initial public offering in New York next year, according to industry sources.

The timing will depend on how its battle with Uber Technologies Inc in China plays out, they said. Such a move may put the Chinese app ahead of its US rival in going public, with Uber having said it wants to hold off as long as possible.

China's biggest ride-hailing app, Didi is in the process of raising about $3 billion of funding, including Apple's $1 billion contribution, which has swelled it's valuation to about $26 billion, sources have said.

Already backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd, Didi has reached break even in about half of the 400 Chinese cities it operates in as Uber spends heavily to win both drivers and riders.

"It's great timing because the company is on a tear in terms of winning market share and users, and that may not last forever, " said Li Yujie, an analyst with RHB Research Institute Sdn in Hong Kong.

"Didi could be facing some pressure from investors who want to see their investment returns."

Formally known as Xiaoju Kuaizhi Inc, Didi declined to comment on any potential IPO in an e-mailed statement.

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook posted a picture on his Twitter account, showing him using Didi's taxi hailing service together with Didi President Jean Liu. The post drew hundreds of comments.

At Didi's current valuation, a US IPO could be the biggest by a Chinese company since Alibaba's record offering in 2014.

The company is among a list of ride-sharing apps including Uber and Lyft Inc that could conduct a public offering. Didi hasn't decided on which exchange and which banks to hire yet, said sources.

Didi was created last year when separate apps backed by Tencent and Alibaba merged after brutal competition drove up losses. The firm now has 14 million registered drivers in China.
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WASHINGTON  Academias descent into perpetual hysteria and incipient tyranny is partly fueled by the fiction that one in five college students is sexually assaulted and that campuses require minute federal supervision to cure this. Encouraged by the governments misuse of discredited social science (one survey supposedly proving this one-in-five fiction), colleges and universities are implementing unconstitutional procedures mandated by the government.

The 2006 Duke lacrosse rape case fit the narrative about campuses permeated by a rape culture. Except there was no rape. In 2014, the University of Virginia was convulsed by a magazines lurid report of a rape that buttressed the narrative that fraternities foment the sexual predation supposedly pandemic in male supremacist America. Except there was no rape. Now, Colorado State University-Pueblo has punished the supposed rapist of a woman who says she was not raped.

Grant Neal, a CSU Pueblo pre-med major and athlete, began a relationship with Jane Doe (as identified in Neals lawsuit), although she, as a student in the Athletic Training Program, was not supposed to fraternize with athletes. Jane Doe texted an invitation to Neal to come to her apartment. The following is from Neals complaint against CSU Pueblo:

As the intimacy progressed, knowing that they both wanted to engage in sexual intercourse, Jane Doe advised Plaintiff that she was not on birth control. Accordingly, Plaintiff asked if he should put on a condom. Jane Doe clearly and unequivocally responded yes. ... They proceeded to engage in consensual sexual intercourse, during which Jane Doe ... demonstrated her enjoyment both verbally and non-verbally.

The next day, one of Jane Does classmates, who neither witnessed nor was told of any assault, noticed a hickey on the womans neck. Assuming an assault must have happened, the classmate told school officials that an assault had occurred. Jane Doe told school officials the sex was consensual: Im fine and I wasnt raped. Neals lawsuit says she told an administrator: Our stories are the same and hes a good guy. Hes not a rapist, hes not a criminal, its not even worth any of this hoopla! Neal recorded on his cellphone Jane Doe saying that nothing improper had transpired, and soon the two again had intercourse.

Undeterred, CSU Pueblo mixed hearsay evidence with multiple due process violations, thereby ruining a young mans present (he has been suspended from the school for as long as Jane Doe is there) and blighting his future (his prospects for admission to another school are bleak).

Title IX of the Education Amendments enacted in 1972 merely says no person at an institution receiving federal funds shall be subjected to discrimination on the basis of sex. From this the government has concocted a right to micromanage schools disciplinary procedures, mandating obvious violations of due process.

In 2011, the Education Departments civil rights office sent dear colleague letters to schools directing them to convict accused persons on a mere preponderance of evidence rather than clear and convincing evidence. Schools were instructed to not allow accused students to cross-examine their accusers, but to allow accusers to appeal not-guilty verdicts, a form of double jeopardy.

Although a dear colleague letter is supposedly a mere guidance document, it employs the word must in effectively mandating policies. While purporting to just interpret Title IX, these letters shred constitutional guarantees. And the letters evade the legal requirement that such significant rulemaking must be subject to comment hearings open to a properly notified public. Even were CSU Pueblo inclined to resist such dictates  academic administrators nowadays are frequently supine when challenged  it would risk a costly investigation and the potential loss of the 11 percent of its budget that comes from Washington.

The Chronicle of Higher Education says the case raises this intriguing question: What responsibility does a college have to move ahead with a third-party complaint if the supposed victim says she consented? This question, which in a calmer time would have a self-evident answer, will be explored in Neals lawsuit. It should reveal what the school thought of Jane Does statement exculpating Neal, who says a school official brushed off the recording and said that Jane Doe said what she said just because she was scared of you. Neals lawyer says he suspects that Jane Doe might now be intimating something inappropriate and is perhaps scared of losing her place in the Athletic Training Program.

CSU Pueblo should be scared of joining those schools that have lost lawsuits filed by students denied due process. Such suits are remedial education for educators ignorant of constitutional guarantees.
An aerial view of Shanghai Disney Resort [Photo: Xinhua]

A survey studying the attraction of Shanghai Disneyland, which is scheduled to open on June 16 , has shown that people above 45 years old are the most interested in visiting the amusement park.

Conducted by Shanghai Consumer Council, the survey randomly interviewed 1,880 local respondents and received 3,500 valid responses from residents in other cities and towns.

The survey found that more than 60 percent of the respondents older than 45 years showed strong enthusiasm to visit Shanghai Disneyland. Meanwhile people with lower incomes were more willing to pay a visit to the first Disney theme park on the Chinese mainland.

About 40 percent of Shanghai residents said they will definitely visit the Disneyland slated to open soon, and 63 percent of residents living outside Shanghai have made up their minds to pay a visit with 13 percent of them having already booked their tickets, costing 370 yuan (US$56.8) a person during the week.

Nearly 70 percent of local consumers plan to visit the Disneyland with their spouses or children, and 70 percent visitors from other places intended to take the trips with their spouses, children and parents.

A calculation of the survey shows that tourists from other parts of the country may spend about 4,215 yuan on average per person during their stay in Shanghai. And the expenditure does not include the cost of round trip travel fees.
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A new report finds that many of the world's poorest countries are likely to experience daily heat extremes due to climate change sooner than wealthier nations, despite emitting far less CO2.

Reporting in the journal Environmental Research Letters, an international team of researchers said that the poorest one-fifth the global population, including countries in the Horn of Africa and West Africa, will likely be the first to experience more frequent heat extremes. Yet these same countries cumulatively emit the lowest amounts of CO2.

"Previous studies have shown a link between rising global temperatures and increases in the frequency of local heat extremes, while others have shown a clear relationship between the local amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere and rising temperatures," said Luke Harrington, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute.

"This study is the first to use climate models to simulate the end-to-end link between cumulative CO2 emissions and people experiencing more frequent hot days."

"What our research shows is that heat extremes do not increase evenly everywhere , but are becoming much more frequent more quickly for the countries nearer the equator -- these happen to be disproportionately poorer nations, including those in the Horn of Africa and West Africa," explained Erich Fischer, of ETH Zurich.
Reid Ribble (left), a Republican congressman from Wisconsin, says he will not back Donald Trump (right) as the party's presidential nominee. Credit: Journal Sentinel files

The Wisconsin Voter The Journal Sentinel's Craig Gilbert explores political trends in a purple state and beyond. SHARE

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It tells you something about Republican politics right now that the man who chaired Wisconsins GOP convention Saturday wont be voting for the partys presidential nominee this fall.

Thats Reid Ribble, one of the original Never Trump Republicans in Congress, who remains deeply opposed to Donald Trump while his party begins to rally around him.

Its an unrecoverable relationship, let me put it that way, Ribble says of his attitude toward the New York developer, a candidate he says lacks the temperament to be president.

Ribble is one of two Wisconsin Republicans in Congress who have withheld their support from Trump, the presumptive nominee.

The other is House Speaker Paul Ryan. Ryan is expected by many of his colleagues to endorse Trump eventually.

Ribble will not. He wont vote for Trump or his Democratic opponent (presumably Hillary Clinton) this November.

Asked how GOP voters and activists back home are reacting to his refusal to get on board the Trump train, Ribble says, Theyre mostly just kind of saying: Well, thats where Ribbles at, its a principled stand, its not likely to change, so there no sense having a fight about it.

The third-term congressman presided Saturday over the state GOP convention, where House colleagues Jim Sensenbrenner, Sean Duffy and Glenn Grothman all told the crowd that Republicans should unite behind Trump.

I voted for Ted Cruz in the primary, together with 64 percent of the Republicans in my district, said Sensenbrenner, referring to the conservative suburbs and exurbs of Milwaukee, where Trump was especially unpopular. (Cruz actually got 59% in Sensenbrenners district, while Trump got 24%).

There are a lot of people who are saying, Well, our preferred candidate is not going to be the nominee, so we might as well stay home, Sensenbrenner said. But Donald Trump has won our nomination fair and square and we have to beat Hillary Clinton.

Ribble said his GOP congressional colleagues have been understanding about his position even though they dont like it much.

At the state convention in Green Bay, Ribbles Never Trump stance was either accepted or overlooked. Many GOP speakers didnt mention Trumps name. There were few trappings of a Trump campaign. Duffy joked that Trump was maybe a taboo topic at the convention.

I know everybody here didnt vote for Donald Trump, said Duffy, before urging people to work for his election.

As he emceed the proceedings, Ribble accepted praise from fellow Republicans such as Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch for his six years of service in Washington.

I got a warm greeting at the convention, said Ribble. Everything went off pretty much without a hitch.

When hes in Washington, Ribble lives in the same building as fellow Wisconsinite Reince Priebus, who as chairman of the Republican National Committee needs and wants his party to coalesce around its nominee.

Reince hasnt said anything to me and I see Reince quite frequently, Ribble said. He kind of knows where I am at.

In a normal election year, a congressmans refusal to back his partys nominee might leave that politician ostracized or vilified by party loyalists.

But this isnt a normal year, or a normal nominee.

Ribble thinks his views are probably more accepted inside his party in Wisconsin than they would be elsewhere because this is not a big go-for-Trump state. A lot of folks understand there is some anxiety with Trump. Trump lost the April 5 GOP primary to Cruz by 13 points and lost by 8 points in Ribbles Eighth Congressional District, anchored by Green Bay.

Theyre probably more accepted because Ribble is on his way out, retiring after three terms to return to Wisconsin and resume work for the National Roofing Contractors Association, a group he led before going to Congress.

And theyre probably more accepted because Ryan, who is popular with GOP voters and activists in Wisconsin, has been so public with his own reservations about Trump.

Pauls in very tough spot, says Ribble. And I think Paul is trying to navigate it the best way possible. Paul actually feels very much like I do (about tone and tenor)  how he navigates it Im not sure.

But Ribble has gone much further than Ryan, assailing Trumps rhetoric and demeanor in the campaign, calling it disqualifying, telling C-Span in an interview last week that Trump does not have the temperament or maturity necessary to hold the highest office in land.

Asked on that show what he would like to say to Trump, Ribble answered: I would tell him to grow up and cut out the schoolyard bully approach  I taught my children at the youngest of ages that you dont call people names: Lyin Ted (Cruz), Little Marco (Rubio), I think its Crooked Hillary or whatever hes doing, this constant name-calling, this childish eighth-grade bully behavior. Its unbecoming of a president of the United States, its unbecoming of a grown-up.

Ribble told the Journal Sentinel Monday that sort of rhetoric just wears me out.

Hes building walls between everybody  the entire political discourse gets disrupted, and its destructive. And then really good people dont want to step up and run, he said.

Those are views that were commonly expressed by many GOP voters inside and outside Wisconsin during the primaries. But they are more rarely heard now that Republicans are getting used to a Trump nomination and focusing on defeating the other side in the fall.

Ribble represents a striking but shrinking subset of Republicans who, whatever their politics, just find Trumps rhetoric and style disqualifying. They cant get past it. They will probably dwindle to a very small group by November, though they are defections from the party that Trump can ill afford.

Follow Craig Gilbert on Twitter @WisVoter
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The annual shareholders meeting for financial technology firm Fiserv Inc. is set for Wednesday at the company's new state-of-the-art facilities in Alpharetta, Ga.  a rare stockholder gathering far away from Fiserv's Brookfield headquarters.

The new buildings consolidate six Atlanta-area locations in a suburb that calls itself the "Technology City of the South" and gives Fiserv a large single presence in an area deeply involved, as Fiserv is, in the payments industry.

But Fiserv says not to read too much into it.

"Fiserv is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and there are no plans to move," Britt Zarling, Fiserv's vice president of global communications, responded when asked whether the company would consider moving its corporate headquarters to Georgia.

She added: "We are continuously monitoring and evaluating our real estate footprint to ensure that we are positioned in a way that allows us to best serve our clients, associates and shareholders."

Fiserv announced two years ago that it had selected Alpharetta as the consolidation point for its 2,000 employees in the Atlanta metro area and signed a lease for two adjacent buildings in the suburb. The facilities allow for expansion.

At the time, Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle was quoted as saying, "As the Technology City of the South with over 600 technology companies within our borders, we are confident that Alpharetta will be just the right fit for Fiserv, and we welcome Fiserv and its associates to our technology community and our growing technology culture."

Zarling, in an email, explained the reason for holding the annual shareholder meeting in Georgia: "Our annual meeting is typically held at our Brookfield, Wis., headquarters, although we did go off site in 2013 to the Milwaukee Art Museum. It is not unusual for companies with large real estate footprints to rotate their shareholder meeting locations. We are a global company, with operations and locations across the U.S., and holding the meeting in Alpharetta gives us an opportunity to showcase our newest innovation center to our owners in attendance."

Fiserv, which provides data processing and payments technology to banks, credit unions and other businesses, was founded in 1984. It has a large headquarters building just off W. Blue Mound Road in Brookfield. The Alpharetta site has more than twice as many employees as the Brookfield headquarters. In all, Fiserv has about 22,000 employees at 120 locations worldwide.

David Koning, a Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. analyst who covers Fiserv, said the Atlanta area is a hub of the payments industry, with large companies such as First Data, Global Payments and Elavon there. He noted that Georgia has a lower corporate income tax. Wisconsin's is 7.9%; Georgia's is 6%.

Koning said he was not aware of any plans by Fiserv to move its headquarters to Georgia, but a case probably could be made for it.

"We could see it making sense potentially from a tax standpoint, and maybe from the larger issue, so much of payments happens in the Atlanta area," he said.

Zarling said Fiserv has not made a commitment to any state about its headquarters location, including Georgia.

"The company and our people are located all over the world," Zarling said. "Our strategy is to have the best people  regardless of geography, and we expect that to continue."
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Menasha - Graphic Packaging International Inc. will close its paper converting plant by the end of the year, laying off 228 employees.

Workers were told Monday that layoffs will be done in phases starting in a little more than 60 days.

"We made the decision to close the facility based on the capabilities of the plant and its supply chain infrastructure. It didn't fit into our portfolio anymore," said Sue Appleyard, senior manager of corporate communications in the company's Atlanta office. "We have acquired other facilities recently that have state-of-the-art capabilities."

She said those newer plants are in Minnesota, Iowa and on the East Coast.

The 228 affected employees in Menasha included hourly, salaried, union and nonunion workers.

Employees were encouraged to apply for jobs in the company's only other Wisconsin plant in Wausau. "They can also apply anywhere in the Graphic Packaging system," Appleyard said.

The company has seven paper mills and about 50 converting plants.

The Menasha facility manufactured folding cartons for consumer goods, mostly in the food industry. She said the plant was built in 1946.

Mark Westphal, a Graphic Packaging employee as well as president of the Fox Valley Area Labor Council, was disappointed that the company had not upgraded the plant in recent years or offered it for sale.

"It's still capable of making money," he said. "It's typical corporate greed to cast people aside and not offer them hope or opportunity that the plant could be picked up by a competitor. They're just closing down."

He said unionized workers at the plant are represented by two unions, USW Local 2-148 and IBT/GCC Graphic Communication Council Local 77P.

Maureen Wallenfang: 920-993-7116, or mwallenfang@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @wallenfang
Milwaukee's Century City Business Park, at 31st Street and Capitol Drive, could be the site of REV Group's factory employing about 1,000 people building U.S. Postal Service vehicles. It was once the site of Tower Automotive that employed many people building vehicle frames.

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A specialty-vehicle manufacturer run by former Bucyrus International CEO Tim Sullivan is bidding on a contract to build U.S. Postal Service trucks  a move that could bring a new factory and about 1,000 jobs to the old Tower Automotive site on Milwaukee's north side.

Sullivan's REV Group, which moved its headquarters to Milwaukee from Orlando, Fla., this year, is one of at least 15 companies bidding on the $6.3 billion contract to replace some 180,000 aging Postal Service trucks. So, landing the deal would be a long-shot, Sullivan conceded.

If it won the contract, however, REV Group says it would build up to a 500,000-square-foot facility and employ approximately 1,000 people for a minimum of five years  a potential game-changer for one of the most impoverished areas of the city.

"It would be a huge deal for Milwaukee," Sullivan said in a telephone interview Monday.

Sullivan, who led Bucyrus until shortly after it became the mining equipment division of Caterpillar Inc. in 2011, is president and CEO of REV Group, a $2.2 billion company that employs more than 6,000 people at 16 U.S. plants making ambulances, firetrucks, buses, vans and other vehicles.

This would be the company's first plant in Wisconsin, and it could ultimately be used to build vehicles other than mail delivery trucks.

There are many opportunities, including the manufacture of hybrid gasoline-electric taxis, Sullivan said.

The Postal Service plans to award three companies contracts to build six prototype units over the next year. The agency will then determine who wins the bid, REV Group said.

The three companies could be announced soon, Sullivan said, and REV Group is working hard to make sure it's one of them.

The company has partnered with Karsan Otomotiv of Istanbul, Turkey, for its vehicle design. Karsan designs and manufactures gas and electric automobiles and specialty vehicles and has built more than 20,000 vehicles for European automaker Peugeot. It also is a licensee for Hyundai trucks and vans for the Middle East and Europe and currently is designing a replacement for the iconic London taxi.

In this collaboration, Karsan has designed the vehicle and REV Group will build it in Milwaukee, if chosen.

"These guys are brilliant engineers. I think from a technological standpoint, the Postal Service likes what we have," Sullivan said.

'Up against the big guys'

Oshkosh Corp., the Oshkosh-based manufacturer of U.S. military trucks and other specialty vehicles, is also among the bidders, as are Ford Motor Co., Fiat Chrysler and Nissan North America.

"We are up against the big guys," Sullivan said. "I won't say it's a complete Hail Mary, but it kind of is. We are dealing with a Turkish design group that's extremely well-known in Europe but not at all in the United States."

If REV Group or Oshkosh lands the contract, it would be a huge win for Wisconsin, said Aina Vilumsons, executive director of the Wisconsin Procurement Institute in Milwaukee.

Southeast Wisconsin has decades of experience making specialty vehicles. There's an infrastructure, supply chain and labor force here to support it, Vilumsons said.

It's still undetermined when the contract will be awarded, but the Postal Service has said it plans to upgrade its aging fleet of delivery trucks with new vehicles to be delivered as soon as 2018.

The contract could be divided between several vehicle companies. If REV Group won the entire deal, Sullivan said, it could result in 2,000 jobs in Milwaukee, not including employment at suppliers to the company.

Continuing to repair the old trucks is not a cost-effective option, a Postal Service memo noted, and the agency wants vehicles that are more fuel efficient than its older trucks and vans.

In 2000, Tower Automotive moved a Ford Ranger truck-frame line to Minnesota and a heavy truck frame line to Mexico, resulting in the loss of about 750 jobs in Milwaukee. Troubles with major automotive companies led to hundreds more layoffs at the company not long afterward.

Tower went bankrupt in 2005 and closed its operations at the site in March 2006. City of Milwaukee officials have since established the Century City Business Park at the location, and millions of dollars in economic development money have been poured into the site and neighborhood near 30th Street and Capitol Drive.

"This is a location that is very close to 53206, which is one of the most impoverished ZIP codes in the entire nation," Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said.

If REV Group wins the contract, it could have a huge impact on employment in the central city and the north side, he said.

The company, previously known as Allied Specialty Vehicles, is a group of companies in various niches such as ambulances, firetrucks, shuttle vans and trucks used at freight terminals.

REV Group is working with Karsan on other projects, including one that uses an electric drivetrain from automaker BMW. Earlier this year, Sullivan moved REV Group's headquarters to offices in downtown Milwaukee, a move which put the company closer to its manufacturing plants in Indiana and Michigan.

REV Group, known as the "king of shuttle buses" is a large manufacturer of commercial vehicles but is relatively unknown to the general public.

The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce lobbied for Sullivan to move the company from Orlando, Fla., to Milwaukee. In his career at Bucyrus, Sullivan created scores of jobs for welders and others in the skilled trades.

"Tim Sullivan is a proven job creator in this community, and we are lucky to have him," said Tim Sheehy, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
The Zablocki VA Medical Center recently unveiled its new 5000 square-foot, high-tech education center that allows medical professionals to practice simulated medical situations. Nurses Brianne Kulick and Judith Olapo practice on a lifelike mannequin. Credit: Michael Sears

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Mr. Dean didn't look well.

Judith Olapo, a registered nurse at the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Milwaukee, greeted her patient with a cheery "good morning" but Dean didn't respond or open his eyes.

Another registered nurse, Tiffany Pilliow, helped Olapo try to wake Dean and when there was no response she placed a pressure cuff on his arm. With no sign of a pulse or blood pressure, the two nurses went into action, pushing an alarm button on the wall and with the help of nurse Brianne Kulick began CPR and attached an oxygen mask to pump air into Dean's lungs.

Pilliow counted each chest compression out loud and when she tired, she switched seamlessly with Kulick who took over CPR. Meanwhile, Olapo wheeled a large cart next to the bed and attached a defibrillator to his chest in an attempt to shock his heart back to life.

There was actually no heart beating in Dean's chest, no actual blood coursing through his veins or actual lungs breathing in and out. Dean was a mannequin  a very lifelike dummy designed to help medical professionals such as Olapo, Pilliow and Kulick practice their skills in a new $1.6 million simulation center that opened this month at the Milwaukee VA.

The 5,000-square-foot, high-tech education center is located on the hospital's 10th floor in an area that formerly housed house spinal cord patients before that unit was moved to an adjacent facility. The new simulation center features two theater areas that can mimic an operating room, a patient's room or an intensive care unit.

As Pilliow, Olapo and Kulick worked on the mannequin dubbed Mr. Dean for this particular scenario, the simulation center program manager, Tina Smith, watched from behind a two-way mirror as she controlled the dummy with a computer. One screen showed video from three different cameras focused on the patient's bed, another screen showed EKG and lung capacity information of the mannequin.

Wearing a headset and microphone, Smith impersonated Dean and responded to the nurses' questions, telling them Dean felt sweaty and dizzy, or felt nauseous or hadn't eaten in awhile, in scenarios designed to help them practice on equipment that they might not use often.

"Today the scenarios were designed to use a device (defibrillator) that they really don't have a lot of experience with," said Smith, a registered nurse.

"Hopefully we don't have to use it," added Jutta Novalija, medical director of the simulation center program and an anesthesiologist. "But if you do need to, you have to use it fast."

The computerized mannequins are amazingly lifelike  they can blink, bleed, breathe, urinate, cry, cough, sweat and suffer seizures. Tubes within airways can simulate respiratory failure, allergic reactions and hyperthermia. Skin can turn blue with colored lights. They can feature wounds. IVs with actual medicine can be practiced on them, and needles can be inserted into necks with red and blue liquid to simulate blood in arteries and veins.

The Milwaukee VA has offered simulated medical scenarios for training for doctors, nurses, technicians and other medical professionals for a few years but they were done in a tiny room without the sophisticated equipment that is part of the new center.

And while nurses and doctors are practicing to handle heart attacks or seizures, they're also working on communication skills.

"The fact that the mannequins can bleed and sweat is less important. They realize they have to work together," said Novalija. "A lot of simulation centers are for testing, but this is bringing different professions together. We want them to learn from each other."

Pilliow and Kulick work on medical/surgical units, and Olapo is assigned to a progressive care unit at the Milwaukee VA. None use what's known as a code cart, which includes a defibrillator called an AED, very often. After they worked with the mannequin for three scenarios involving a code cart, Smith asked what they had learned and what they would do differently.

"If you practice it in here, out there you can do it more efficiently," Smith said.

Kulick, an Alverno College nursing graduate who serves in the Wisconsin Air National Guard 128th Refueling Squadron, said she felt more comfortable calling for a rapid response team when a patient is in distress. Olapo, who has worked 2-1/2 years at the Milwaukee VA, said she learned to juggle patient care with using equipment such as the code cart.

"My take-away was how to improve communication between the team so the patient can be treated in a timely manner," said Pilliow, a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh graduate whose father is a Vietnam veteran. "It can be chaos. I learned I can step up and ask who the nurse is and who the doctor is."
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A possible conversion of downtown Milwaukee's Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic Center into a hotel could be stalled if the Common Council grants historic designation to the building, an attorney for the property's owner said Tuesday.

So, the council's Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee voted to delay acting on that designation recommendation by the Historic Preservation Commission.

That will give city officials and the property owner, the Board of Trustees of Scottish Rite Bodies of Milwaukee, time to discuss possible changes in the building's preservation guidelines that could allow the possible hotel conversion.

The building, 790 N. Van Buren St., is for sale because the fraternal organization's dwindling membership can no longer afford to maintain it, said attorney Bruce Block. Those ranks have dropped from 6,000 in 1985 to 700 today, of which just 100 are active members, he said.

Madison-based Ascendant Holdings Real Estate hopes to buy the property. Ascendant also operates the nearby historic Wells Building, a 15-story office building at 324 E. Wisconsin Ave.

The plan is to develop a hotel by adding a tower to the middle of the three-story Scottish Rite building, similar to the Pfister Hotel's addition  except "far more attractive," Block told committee members.

The building was nominated for historic designation by the Milwaukee Preservation Alliance, said President Dawn McCarthy, because it was for sale in an area where there is a lot of commercial development.

McCarthy said in an interview that alliance members didn't know about the possible hotel plan until after nominating the building.

A building that is designated as historic needs to obtain preservation commission approval for exterior changes, although the commission's decisions can be appealed to the Common Council.

The current preservation guidelines would prevent adding a tower, Block said.

The building was constructed as a church in 1889 and became a Masonic facility in 1912. It was extensively remodeled in 1936, according to a report by Carlen Hatala, city historic preservation planner.

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Twitter: twitter.com/TomDaykin

To track this project and others, check out the Land & Space Development Database, at jsonline.com/business
Mary Louise Schumacher Art City An online journal about visual art, the urban landscape and design. Mary Louise Schumacher, the Journal Sentinel's art and architecture critic, leads the discussion and a community of writers contribute to the dialogue. SHARE Marcelle Polednik

The Milwaukee Art Museum has hired a new director, Marcelle Polednik, currently the director and chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville at the University of North Florida.

"Milwaukee is at a very exciting point at this juncture, as is the museum," Polednik said. "There is clearly a lot of momentum... and certainly thriving culture."

Polednik described herself as a "convener and collaborator," who will focus on the overall artistic mission of the museum and its financial sustainability.

She was especially proud of the ways she helped dissolve barriers at the Jacksonville museum for audiences who felt disenfranchised for whatever reasons, she said, adding that she hopes to do her part to "bridge divides" in Milwaukee as well.

"We like to make a difference in the community we are a part of," she said of herself and her husband. "We are excited for the next chapter."

Her earliest art experiences were intimately connected to childhood misbehavior, when her grandmother, who lived in the household, sometimes made her stand in various corners of the house for 10-minute stints. She would look up at the works of art her grandmother collected.

"Those were very meaningful experience for me, in every sense," she said. "I developed a love of close looking... and began to see art as an opportunity for contemplation."

Polednik has been credited with shifting the Jacksonville museum's emphasis away from traveling exhibitions toward original scholarship and shows generated by the museum, according to MAM.

She founded "Project Atrium," a series of site-specific commissions, which was supported by a two-year grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. She also increased the number of exhibits that traveled to other institutions.

Polednik oversaw a rebranding of the Jacksonville museum and has curated several shows, including "SLOW: Marking Time in Photography and Film" in 2012, "Abstraction over Time: The Paintings of Michael Goldberg" in 2013, "WHITE" in 2015 and "Hans Hofmann: Works on Paper," slated for 2017.

MOCA's attendance grew by more than 70% and general admission revenue increased by 147% under her leadership, according to MAM.

The Jacksonville museum is considerably smaller than MAM, with an annual budget of about $3 million. MAM's budget is $15.4 million.

Prior to her time in Jacksonville, Polednik was the chief curator at the Monterey Museum of Art, also for a period of about five years She was also an assistant curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Polednik is a specialist in contemporary art and earned her doctorate in art history from New York University in 2009. Born in Poland, Polednik spent her childhood in Czechoslovakia, Los Angeles and Deerfield, Ill. She is a native speaker of Polish and Czech and is fluent in Slovak, Spanish, French and German.

She will move to Milwaukee with her husband, a journalist, editor and professor of comparative literature, and their son. She is expected to take her post in August.

She will bear the title of Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director, thanks to a recently announced $8 million endowment pledge from the longtime philanthropists of the same name. Polednik succeeds Dan Keegan, who leaves the museum this week.

Email Schumacher at mschumacher@journalsentinel.com.
Mr. Xu was once a small, emaciated man. However, after eight years of Tai Chi training, the 76-year-old grandpa becomes a strong man with rippling muscles.

Mr. Xu trains with dumbbells at his house. [Photo/Modern Express]

Being beat by a young man made him angry

Eight years ago, Xu was taking the bus to participate in a retirees' gathering. "The bus was full of people that day, and I ran into a young man while passing by him. The man was about 20-30 years old and nearly 1.9 meters tall," said Xu. "Although I said sorry to him, he was still very angry and beat me violently."

Xu didn't ask police for help at that time, but he never forgot the incident. "I will never forget his unreasonable act and the way he grasped my hair as if I was a chicken." After that day, Xu made up his mind to learn Kung Fu and make himself into a strong man.

Deciding to practice Tai Chi

In order to get his revenge, Xu began to search for a Kung Fu master in his hometown of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province. After finding out about a Tai Chi master who exercised daily at Bailuzhou Park, Xu visited him with gifts and tried to persuade him to become his Kung Fu teacher.

Xu told his story to the master, but the master refused his request, saying "Kung Fu contains no hatred." Xu then pleaded with him again and again until the master was finally moved by Xu's persistence and offered to teach him Kung Fu solely for purposes of defense.

The master asked Xu to promise him something: Learning Kung Fu is only for strengthening the body; never throw the first punch and never act violently towards others.

For the next eight years, Xu woke up every morning at 3:00 and practiced Tai Chi for four hours until sunrise. In the evening, he also did dumbbell exercise for strength training. During his training, Xu also learned the core thinking and philosophy of traditional Chinese Kung Fu: Tolerance brings respect.

Teaching a lesson instead of revenge

Eight years have gone. Xu is 76 years old now. During his eight years of training, Xu has changed himself from a weak old man into a strong muscular grandpa. He confesses that he never forgot the incident eight years ago but also that hatred and revenge have totally disappeared from his mind.

Recently, Xu met the young man again who beat him eight years ago. In order to teach him a lesson, Xu bumped into him intentionally. The action provoked the young man to anger, and he threw a punch at Xu. But this time, his attack was easily defended by Xu.

"I'm the old man who was beaten by you eight years ago. I just want to teach you a lesson today," Xu said to the young man. "Young men like you should respect the elders. No one has the right to bully or underestimate others, no matter how strong you are."
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Ron Faiola, who wrote "Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience" (2013), has a follow-up book that's due in stores June 14. To mark the release, supper club fans can dine with Faiola at area restaurants or attend a book signing in the coming days.

On May 25, the author will be at Joey Gerard's at 5601 Broad St. in Greendale with "Wisconsin Foodie" host Kyle Cherek, and on May 26, Faiola will attend a dinner at Joey Gerard's at 11120 N. Cedarburg Road, Mequon.

Each dinner starts with a reception at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are required; they're $65 a person or $113 a couple before tax and tip; the price includes one autographed copy of Faiola's new book, "Wisconsin Supper Clubs: Another Round." Tickets can be purchased at bartolottas.com/events.

At 6 p.m. June 3, Faiola will attend a book signing with complimentary appetizers and live music at the Alley Cat Lounge at Five O'Clock Steakhouse, 2416 W. State St.

Know of an upcoming event centered on dining, cooking or spirits? Email cdeptolla@journalsentinel.com.
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Precious Lives, a two-year media-led series about the causes and consequences of gun violence on Milwaukee's youth, will debut a live performance next month at the Pabst Theater.

The show expands on Precious Lives, which launched in January 2015 with the goal of producing 100 weekly radio stories, developed by the documentary firm 371 Productions and aired on WUWM (89.7 FM) and WNOV (860 AM). Other media partners include the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.

The live show will feature producer Eric Von, live music and video mixing by Kiran Vee of New Age Narcissism, video and visual art by True Skool and a mix of new and familiar voices from prior Precious Lives episodes.

"We are doing this to nd a way to bring a discussion about gun violence in our community to new audiences," said Brad Lichtenstein, Precious Lives executive producer, in a news release on Monday.

The show will "highlight the stories of both those impacted by gun violence and all the people in our community trying to stop it," he said.

The live performance was created by Milwaukee Public Radio (WUWM) in collaboration with 371 Productions, as part of Finding America, a national initiative produced by AIR, with nancial support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The performance premieres at 6 p.m. June 15 at the Pabst Theater. Tickets cost $10.

Free tickets are available for community organizations. Contact Paul Kjelland at paul@371productions.com for more information.

Follow the series

For past stories in the Precious Lives series, and this week's podcast episode, go to jsonline.com/preciouslives.

You can also listen to the episodes on WUWM-FM (89.7), at about 10:45a.m. Tuesdays and WNOV-AM (860), at about 7:50a.m. Wednesdays.
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Milwaukee police have arrested a registered sex offender who cut off his GPS monitoring bracelet and is accused of raping a female on Sunday.

With help from a citizen tip, police arrested Jameel H. Ali, 67, who is also known as James H. McGee. Ali was found about 1:30 p.m. in the 5100 block of N. Teutonia Ave.

Ali is accused of sexually assaulting a female in an acquaintance's home in the 2800 block of N. Holton St. about 3:30 a.m. Sunday. Because Ali is a registered sex offender, police announced his release on April 14 and he was released from custody on April 20 with GPS monitoring.
Milwaukee Public Works Department crews repair a break in the city-owned section of a lead service lateral between the water main and a private property boundary in the 2100 block of S. 14th St. last January. City officials have canceled all routine water main replacement projects for 2016 in older residential neighborhoods where lead laterals connect municipal mains to homes. Only emergency repairs will be done in those neighborhoods. Credit: Journal Sentinel files

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A pair of Milwaukee political leaders are warning that the city won't be eligible for its fair share of federal money aimed at removing aging lead pipes under a plan proposed by state officials.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin) say it's unfair that Milwaukee has a large percentage of the lead service lines in Wisconsin but could get only a small portion of the money state officials are providing to remove aging lead pipes.

Barrett and Moore say that while some 70,000 residential properties in the city are served by lead service lines  nearly 40% of about 176,000 total in Wisconsin  Milwaukee would be eligible to apply for only $750,000  just over 6% of the $11.8 million being made available. The city estimates the cost of removing the lead pipes at more than $500 million.

Barrett praised Wisconsin officials for recognizing that lead pipes are a statewide issue but called the plan for distributing the money "very inequitable."

The city's median household income is about 67% of that in the state, the mayor added.

"So both on a pure math standpoint and on a poverty standpoint, I believe that there has to be more equitable distribution of the funds," Barrett said Monday in an interview with the Journal Sentinel.

Both Barrett and Moore sent letters last week raising concerns about disparities in the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program plan, which the state Department of Natural Resources announced last month.

Moore called the limits to the money Milwaukee could receive "arbitrary, capricious and harmful to helping achieve the goals of the Safe Drinking Water Act" in a Friday letter to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

"The EPA has the responsibility to ensure that states are using federal funds in compliance with federal laws. As you review the state's plans, I urge you to closely scrutinize this element and ensure that the State of Wisconsin clearly demonstrates how its proposed allocation will protect all Wisconsinites from lead in their drinking water," Moore wrote in her letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "A state should not be able to claim to be advancing federal law while doing something that on its face, appears quite contradictory to some of those goals."

Barrett cited similar concerns about disparity between the amount of funds available and the proportion that could come to Milwaukee in his May 10 letter to Robin Schmidt of the DNR.

"I must address the issue of equity for our residents," Barrett wrote.

Jim Dick, a spokesman for the DNR, said the mayor's letter was sent as part of the public comment period, which ended May 10.

"Responses to all comments are being prepared," Dick said in an email. "The mayor's comments along with the others submitted will be considered in drafting the final proposal."

The state's late April announcement that it would make $11.8 million available to communities to remove aging lead pipes came as the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Mich., continues to raise concerns about the quality of drinking water across the country. Lead in water has been linked with cognitive problems due to higher lead levels in the blood.

The DNR routinely makes loans to communities to replace water infrastructure. But under this program, the money to homeowners would not have to be repaid. Instead, the money could pay for all, or a part of, a homeowner's share of replacing lead pipes.

Service lines from the street to the lot line are owned by the municipality. But upgrades of laterals on private property must be paid for by the homeowner. The average price for a homeowner's replacement is about $3,000.

The DNR said it is taking advantage of a recent decision by the EPA that allows greater flexibility in allocating federal-funded loans for water infrastructure projects.

The funding will break down this way: Disadvantaged communities with populations of less than 50,000 will be eligible for up to $300,000; for medium-sized cities, the cap will rise to $500,000; for Milwaukee  the only city over a population of 500,000  the cap is $750,000.

If Milwaukee provided the full cost of a homeowner's lateral, it could replace 250 pipes with the $750,000.

The program starts July 1.
An inmate from Lincoln Hills School for boys was transported to a hospital last week after a staff member gave him psychotropic drugs intended for his roommate  at least the third time in five weeks the wrong drugs had been given to someone at the problem-plagued juvenile prison. Credit: Mark Hoffman

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Madison  An inmate from Wisconsin's youth prison was transported to a hospital last week after a staff member gave him a psychotropic drug intended for his roommate, marking at least the third time in five weeks the wrong medication had been given to someone staying at Lincoln Hills School for Boys.

The latest incident occurred two days after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a story about a 15-year-old boy who had been given the wrong medication twice in two weeks. That boy's medicine was wrongly given to the other youth, according to family.

A spokesman for the state Department of Corrections said medical privacy laws barred him from discussing the situation, so Gov. Scott Walker's administration can't provide an explanation for how the situation could occur just after similar errors had been publicized. But soon after the latest incident, the Department of Corrections imposed a new policy on distributing medication  though in most cases it still leaves that responsibility in the hands of guards, rather than nurses.

The problems with distributing medication at the juvenile prison come on top of a federal criminal investigation looking into allegations of child abuse, prisoner neglect, excessive use of pepper spray, destruction of records and other crimes.

In addition to the criminal investigation, federal authorities are reviewing whether there has been a pattern of civil rights violations at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake School for Girls, which share a campus 30 miles north of Wausau.

Under the new policy implemented shortly after the latest incident, front-line staff must have two years of experience before they can distribute medication, according to the Department of Corrections. Staff known as advanced youth counselors are allowed to hand out medication even if they have less than two years of experience.

For years, guards at Lincoln Hills  rather than nurses  have dispensed medication. That's similar to the policy in place at most adult prisons in the state, and it will continue in most cases at Lincoln Hills under the new policy.

The problems with medication documented by the Journal Sentinel occurred in Dubois Cottage, one of several housing units scattered across the prison's campus. Just after the latest incident, nurses were put in charge of distributing medicine for the time being at Dubois Cottage, but not other housing units, according to the Department of Corrections.

"DOC will continue to review practices and implement changes to (Lincoln Hills) medication management policies and practices in the coming weeks," department spokesman Tristan Cook said in a statement.

He said he could not confirm whether any pills were wrongly given out last week because of medical privacy laws, but said department policy requires inmates to be seen by medical professionals if they do take the wrong drugs.

Last week, the Journal Sentinel reported on the case of a 15-year-old boy at Lincoln Hills who was given trazodone intended for another inmate instead of the Seroquel he was prescribed. He took one of those wrong pills and moments later the staff gave him the Seroquel, which he also took, according to his family.

He takes Seroquel for anxiety and to help him sleep. Trazodone is an antidepressant. Both drugs have strong sedative effects and taking them together can lower blood pressure.

The boy's family was not notified of the error, but found out about it the next day when his grandmother visited him and saw him shaking.

Lincoln Hills official Wendy Peterson told the boy's mother she would make sure the problem didn't happen again, according to the family. Peterson was the institution's deputy superintendent at the time and has since been promoted to superintendent.

Two weeks later, the boy was again wrongly given trazodone. That time, staff did not give him his Seroquel, and he reported feeling hung over the next day.

They boy's grandmother visited the school on Saturday and he told her that earlier that week a staff member had accidentally given his Seroquel to his roommate. The grandmother said she was stunned to learn about the incident after similar mistakes had happened twice to her grandson that had been the subject of a news story.

"There is something very, very wrong ethically and morally going on at Lincoln Hills," she said.

The Journal Sentinel is not naming the grandmother to protect the identity of the juvenile.

She said different staff members passed out the drugs in the three incidents she is aware of. The department has not said if any staff were disciplined for the errors.

A source briefed on the situation confirmed a boy was taken from the prison to the hospital after being given the wrong medication last week.

Separately, the family of another inmate has said at times the inmate has been unable to get the prescription medication he takes daily because the institution has run out of it.

Having guards instead of nurses pass out medication in Wisconsin's prisons has long prompted criticism from advocates for inmates  as well as officers responsible for handing out medication.

In 2009, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa ordered the state to put medical personnel in charge of distributing drugs in Wisconsin's prison for women, Taycheedah Correctional Institution. That ruling came in response to a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin.

"There is no reason that children, who are less likely to notice errors than adults, should be subjected to a lower standard of care (than those at Taycheedah)," said a statement from the ACLU of Wisconsin's legal director, Larry Dupuis. "Using nurses to distribute medications could prevent the sorts of errors currently being reported at Copper Lake and Lincoln Hills."

Ken Pickett, a retired teacher at Lincoln Hills, said staff at the institution had long opposed having rank-and-file members pass out medication instead of nurses.

"Forty years ago I said, 'Why don't the medical staff dispense the medicine?'" Pickett said. "And the response from the State of Wisconsin was anyone can give this out."
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A former New Berlin mayor had his law license suspended for three years Tuesday, after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled he had taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from a client while committing 45 ethical violations.

The court also ordered James Gatzke to pay more than $500,000 in restitution and more than $50,000 in the cost of his discipline action, but stopped short of revoking his license.

Two justices, Michael Gableman and Rebecca Bradley, agreed with the suspension and costs, but would have left the issue of restitution to be settled in a separate lawsuit among the parties.

Gatzke, mayor from 1997 to 2001, found himself named in an Office of Lawyer Regulation complaint in 2013 over his work for the widow of a businessman who killed himself after he was suspected of trying to poison his partner with laced McDonald's ice cream.

Gatzke vigorously fought the ethics charges. He said his former client was a disgruntled partner in a failed real estate venture, and not a believable witness. His only wrongs, he said, were sloppy record-keeping and failing to adhere to procedural rules regarding his firm's trust account.

Gatzke argued that, properly understood, the real estate ventures actually resulted in an overpayment of $76,000 to his client/partner and he should not pay any restitution.

But a referee last year concluded Gatzke, had committed 45 violations and should pay $551,128 in restitution to his former client, Patricia Schaeffer, who received more than $2 million in proceeds from her husband's four life insurance policies worth a combined $8.5 million. The rest covered debts to his business partners.

Gatzke "took advantage of unsophisticated clients, particularly (Schaeffer) and used her money as his personal checkbook and to support his interests in commercial real estate. These are not slight miscalculations or technical errors, but egregious violations of Supreme Court rules," referee Christine Harris Taylor concluded after a four-day hearing.

Like the Office of Lawyer Regulation, the referee thought Gatzke should be disbarred, which in Wisconsin means a lawyer may apply for reinstatement after five years. Gatzke will still have to apply for reinstatement after three years, if he seeks to practice again.

Schaeffer was married to Steven Wiederholt, who killed himself in 2005 after a business partner had accused him of stealing $3.5 million and who was suspected of poisoning the partner with laced McDonald's ice cream.

After her husband's death, Schaeffer hired Gatzke's firm to represent her in numerous matters, including Wiederholt's estate, the pending business litigation, criminal investigations and her own finances.

At one point, he negotiated a three-way settlement of a contested $500,000 life insurance payout claimed by Schaeffer, her daughter and Wiederholt's former business partner. He did not get Schaeffer and her daughter to waive any conflict he might have representing them both, and didn't get court approval of the settlement, even though Schaeffer's daughter was a minor. Then he charged a $50,000 fee.

The suspicious ice cream

Wiederholt, 42, of Brookfield, came under suspicion in October 2004 when Michael Lattos, an Oconomowoc accountant, told Waukesha authorities he suspected Wiederholt of taking money he had invested in a Chinese tile exporting business. He said he had pressured Wiederholt to go with him to China to check on the operations.

The night before the planned trip, Wiederholt unexpectedly appeared at Lattos' home with ice cream that Lattos consumed despite its bitter flavor. He passed out, and awoke at 3 a.m. Oct. 13 to find his carbon monoxide detector blaring and his truck in an adjoining garage running with the door leading from the residence to the garage wide open.

Lattos eventually pressed Wiederholt into going to the police to clear the air. The men agreed to meet at the Oconomowoc police station a couple of days later, but Wiederholt didn't show up. Sheriff's deputies found him that day passed out in his car in a park-and-ride lot.

The next June, Wiederholt shot himself at his parents' home in western Wisconsin.
By of the

Police and state corrections officials are investigating a May 5 death at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution, where an inmate died of an apparent drug overdose in a segregated unit, sources said.

State and local officials confirmed the ongoing investigation into the death of the 33-year-old inmate but wouldn't comment on whether he was overcome by an overdose in a special cell for monitoring inmates who may have secreted drugs in their body.

"I can confirm that inmate Daniel Tanner died on May 5 while confined at Oshkosh Correctional Institution. (The Department of Corrections) contacted the City of Oshkosh Police Department, which is investigating the incident," state Corrections spokesman Tristan Cook said. "Tanner was in the restrictive housing unit at the time of his death."

Details on what happened are still emerging but so far no allegation has been made that any individual corrections officers or the management of Oshkosh Correctional acted improperly in the death. No corrections officers have been placed on leave or disciplined so far in connection with the incident, Cook said.

The Wisconsin prison system has been under close scrutiny in recent months as federal authorities probe alleged abuses at the state's only juvenile prison. Newly appointed Corrections Secretary Jon Litscher, who is seeking to build up the standards and reputation of state prisons, announced a $10 million-a-year plan to raise the wages of corrections workers this month on the same day Tanner died.

Tanner had finished serving most of a 10-year prison sentence on a 2007 felony conviction for distributing cocaine and marijuana, according to online court records. Cook referred questions about the cause of Tanner's death to local authorities, but said that the inmate's family has been notified and the state Department of Corrections is also conducting an internal investigation.

The autopsy is still weeks away from being completed, said Kim Maki, assistant to the Winnebago County Coroner.

Lt. Kevin Konrad of the Oshkosh Police Department confirmed that his agency is investigating Tanner's death but declined to comment further. It's normal for the agency to look into a death in prison, he said. The incident report for the response to the death is not yet available.

The attorney who most recently represented Tanner didn't respond to requests for an interview.

The issue of preventing drugs from entering a prison through mail, visitors or staff is a crucial one for corrections officials, who are charged with keeping inmates safe while they're in a prison as well as preparing them to go straight once they leave its walls. Family members of inmates sent to prison on drug charges often see that one positive part of imprisonment is that drug abusers are at least safe from their addiction.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the matter said that in this case drugs appear to have entered the prison by an unknown means despite the controls in place to prevent that.

At the time of his death, Tanner was being held in a so-called dry cell, where the plumbing fixtures can't be used to dispose illicit drugs undetected. These cells can be used to monitor an inmate believed to have hidden drugs by placing them inside a condom or other makeshift container and then ingesting them or secreting them in his body.

The dry cell can be used to determine whether potential illicit drugs pass out of the inmate in a bowel movement.

But there remains the risk that an inmate in a dry cell could still take the drugs or that any potential vessel for the drugs could burst inside his body. Either could lead to an overdose.

Sources said Tanner is suspected of having overdosed on heroin, a drug that along with other opioids has increasingly drawn concern from law enforcement officials statewide.
04/22/2016





Guillermo Francia, a Jacksonville State University computer science professor, has been named a Fulbright Scholar by the US Department of State. It is one of the most prestigious honors one can achieve in academia.

As the United States flagship academic exchange effort, the Fulbright Program was founded in 1946 by Senator J. William Fulbright to increase mutual understanding between the people of the US and other countries.

More than 360,000 of the nations brightest students and professors have participated in the program over the past 70 years, 53 of whom have gone on to win the Nobel Prize. The program is administered by the US Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

An information security and assurance expert, Francia is a recipient of the Fulbright Cyber Security Award from the US-UK Fulbright Commission. He has received funding to travel and reside in London next spring, where he will join a group of prominent cyber security experts at Imperial College London to perform research on critical infrastructure security. He will be part of the first wave of American researchers who will be going to the UK as part of the 2015 Obama-Cameron bilateral agreement to strengthen cyber security research collaboration between the US and UK.

I am deeply humbled and honored to receive this award and truly grateful for the steadfast support from colleagues and administrators in my effort building a robust information security and assurance academic program at JSU, Francia said.

Francia is no stranger to federal support of his research. In November, two of his projects received grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Security Agency. The grants totaled more than $364,000 and are being used to strengthen cyber security research and education at JSU and throughout North Alabama.

In 1994, Francia joined the faculty in the JSU Department of Mathematical, Computing and Information Sciences. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Mapua Institute of Technology in the Philippines and an MS and PhD in Computer Science from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

Photo: Dr. Guillermo Francia (courtesy JSU).
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

When Donald Trump announced his monstrous and yet daffy plan to exlude Muslims from the United States (what with being, himself, both monstrous and yet daffy), British Prime Minister David Cameron called him out. The plan, he said, is divisive, stupid and wrong.

Trump gave an interview with Piers Morgan on British TV on Monday in which he threatened the United Kingdom with retaliation.

It looks like were not going to have a very good relationship. Who knows, I hope to have a good relationship with him but it sounds like hes not willing to address the problem either . . . Number one, Im not stupid, okay? I can tell you that right now. Just the opposite. Number two, in terms of divisive, I dont think Im a divisive person, Im a unifier, unlike our president now, Im a unifier.

Thereby proving that Cameron was right on all three counts. The prime ministers office said he stood by his remarks. (Good on him!)

But what shouldnt be lost in all this is that Cameron himself hasnt exactly been good on Muslim issues in the UK. Hes been supercilious, condescending, and tone deaf. And hes made some stupid and divisive proposals, as well.

Britain has a population of about 64 million. Of those, about 3.1 million are Muslims, about 5 percent of the population. In 2015, 13 Muslims were elected to the British parliament, six of them women, and three of them in Camerons party.

The US has more Muslims, but is a much bigger country, so their percentage here is much smaller, about 1% or maybe more depending on how many exactly there are (no one knows the estimates range from 3 to 6 million).

Obviously, Trumps discourse about Muslims is a much bigger thing in the UK, where the proportion of Muslims is similar to the proportion of Asian-Americans in the US.

Cameron wants to Muslims who dont learn English well enough to pass a test within 2 and a half years of arrival. Asked if he would split up families by, e.g., sending out a mother of children and wife resident with her husband, he said there could be no guarantee of staying if the person kept failing the English test.

This proposal is just about as objectionable as Trumps own ideas. There are millions of people in the US who dont have very good English, or any at all. If Trump had threatened to arrest and deport them and break up families, even if they were legal immigrants, wouldnt that be as outrageous as some of the other things he has said?

Cameron maintained that the reason for which a few tens of thousands of recently immigrated Muslim women did not know English was because their husbands are backward and controlling and keeping them isolated. That they might be busy raising children and running households and that they might not have avenues into British society or even that they might not be good at languages doesnt seem to have occurred to him.

Then there was Home Minister Theresa Mays daffy allegation that there there was a sophisticated Salafi plot to take over 21 Birmingham schools in poor, disproportionately Muslim, areas. It was based on what is now widely considered a fraudulent letter. An investigation didnt find any such plot. It found some problems at five of the schools, not surprising given that they are in extremely disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Cameron and his cabinet were so enthusiastic about Netanyahus brutal assault on defenseless little Gaza in 2014 that his only Muslim cabinet member, Lady Sayeeda Warsi, felt she had no choice but to resign.

So the idea of Cameron as a defender of Western Muslims or a condemner of Islamophobia is downright weird.

What the exchange shows is that the paternalistic, paranoid and casually insulting discourse of the Cameron crew about Muslims has been overshadowed by the truly monstrous and daffy Trump.

-

Related video:

New York Daily News: Donald Trump to David Cameron: Im not stupid, ok?
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By Saed Bannoura | PCBS/ IMEMC |  

Excerpted for IC

This is a special statistical bulletin by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on the 68th Anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba of 1948.

The number of Palestinians worldwide has multiplied about nine-fold  Israel Controls More than 85% of the Land of Historical Palestine

The Nakba: Ethnic cleansing and displacement of the population

Nakba in literary terms means a natural catastrophe such as an earthquake, volcano, or hurricane. However, the Nakba in Palestine describes a process of ethnic cleansing in which an unarmed nation was destroyed and its population displaced to be replaced systematically by another nation.

Unlike a natural catastrophe, the Palestinian Nakba was the result of a man-made military plan with the consent of other states, leading to a major tragedy for the Palestinian people. The subsequent occupation of the remaining land of Palestine in 1967 resulted in an additional tragedy.

In 1948, 1.4 million Palestinians lived in 1,300 Palestinian towns and villages all over historical Palestine. More than 800,000 of the population were driven out of their homeland to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, neighboring Arab countries, and other countries of the world.

Thousands of Palestinians were displaced from their homes but stayed within the Israeli-controlled 1948 territory. According to documentary evidence, the Israelis controlled 774 towns and villages and destroyed 531 Palestinian towns and villages during the Nakba . . .

The Demographic Reality: Palestinian population has increased 9-fold since the Nakba

The Palestinian world population totaled 12.4 million by the end of 2015. This indicates that the number of Palestinians worldwide has multiplied about nine-fold in the 68 years since the Nakba.

According to statistics, the total number of Palestinians living in historic Palestine (between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean) by the end of 2015 was 6.2 million and this number is expected to rise to 7.1 million by the end of 2020 based on current growth rates.

Statistical data also show that refugees constitute 42.8% of the total Palestinian population in Palestine. UNRWA records showed that there were 5.59 million Palestinian refugees registered at the beginning of 2015. Around 28.7% of Palestinian registered refugees live in 58 refugee camps, of which 10 are in Jordan, 9 in Syria, 12 in Lebanon, 19 in the West Bank, and 8 in the Gaza Strip.

These estimates represent the minimum number of Palestinian refugees, given the presence of non- registered refugees. These estimates also do not include Palestinians who were displaced between 1949 and the 1967 war, according to the UNRWA definition, and do not include the non-refugees who left or were forced to leave as a result of the 1967 war.

The number of Palestinians who remained in their homeland in the 1948 territory after the Nakba was estimated at 154 thousand persons, but estimates for 2015 show that it has grown to 1.5 million on the 68th anniversary of the Nakba.

In the 1948 territories, the sex ratio is 102.2 males per 100 females, while 34.8% of the population are below 15 years of age and 4.2% are aged 65 years and over, based on available statistics relating to Palestinians living in Israel in 2014.

This illustrates that the composition of the Palestinian population in the 1948 territory is young, as it is in Palestinian society as a whole.

The number of Palestinians in Palestine was estimated at 4.8 million at the end of 2015: 2.9 million in the West Bank and 1.9 million in Gaza Strip. The number of Palestinians in Jerusalem Governorate at the end of 2015 was around 423 thousand, of whom 62.1% live in the areas of Jerusalem forcibly annexed by Israel in 1967 (J1).

The fertility rate in Palestine is high compared to other countries. The total fertility rate in the period 2011-2013 was 4.1 births (3.7 births per woman in the West Bank and 4.5 births per woman in Gaza Strip).

Population Density: Gaza Strip the most crowded place in the world

The population density in Palestine at the end of 2015 was 789 individuals per square kilometer (km2): 513 individuals/km2 in the West Bank and 5,070 individuals/km2 in Gaza Strip. In Israel, the population density of Arabs and Jews in 2015 was about 391 individuals/km2.

Settlements . . .

There were 413 illegal Israeli constructions in the West Bank (including 150 settlements and 119 outposts) by the end of 2014. Furthermore, during 2015, the Israeli occupation authorities approved the building of over 4,500 housing units in the Israeli settlements in the West Bank in addition to the units approved in Jerusalem.

Still, these same authorities deny the Palestinians the right to build and lay obstacles, which undermine any potential urban expansion especially for the Palestinians in Jerusalem and Area C which is under full Israeli control.

It should be noted that Area C represents over 60% of the West Bank area. Israel also erected its Expansion and Annexation Wall, which isolates behind it more than 12% of the West Bank land. Data indicated that the total number of settlers in the West Bank was 599,901 at the end of 2014, 286,997 of whom in the Jerusalem Governorate (they represent 48% of all settlers in the occupied West Bank).

Moreover, 210,420 of these illegal settlers live in Jerusalem J1 (that part of Jerusalem, which was forcefully annexed by Israel following its occupation of the West Bank in 1967).

In demographic terms, the proportion of settlers to the Palestinian population in the West Bank is around 21 settlers per 100 Palestinians compared with 69 settlers per 100 Palestinians in Jerusalem governorate.

Historical Palestine: Israel controls more than 85% of its land

The area of the historical land of Palestine totals about 27,000 km2. Israeli Jews utilize more than 85% of the total area of land. The Palestinians comprise 48% of the total population and utilize less than 15% of the land.

Water: Israel controls more than 85% of Palestinian Water

Palestine suffers from scarcity of water and resources. The situation is further complicated by the prolonged Israeli occupation, which controls most of the existing water sources (85%) and prevents the Palestinians from their right to access their water sources or any alternative sources.

Consequently, the Palestinians are compelled to buy water from the Israeli Water Company (Mekorot), purchasing around 63.5 million m3 in 2014.

The Israeli occupation controls the majority of renewable water resources totaling 750 MCM, while Palestinians receive only about 110 MCM.

The Palestinian share from the three ground water aquifers should be 118 MCM according to Oslo Agreement. This share was supposed to increase to 200 MCM by the year 2000 had the Interim Agreement been fully implemented.

The daily allocation per capita from consumed water for domestic purposes is 79.1 letter/capita/day (l/c/d) in the West Bank in 2014. Where it is 79.7 l/c/d in Gaza Strip in 2014 compared to 91.3 l/c/d in 2013, this shortfall is due to reduced pumping from ground water wells in Gaza Strip because of Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip.

However, 97% of drinking water in the Gaza Strip does not meet the World Health Organization (WHO) standards and is also less than the minimum quantities recommended by WHO (100 l/c/d) . . .

Detainees

Data from the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and Ex-detainees show that Israel has arrested about a million Palestinians since 1967: more than 95 thousand were arrested since the Al-Aqsa Intifada. There are around 7,000 Palestinians in detention.

Of these, 68 are female, more than 400 are children. More than 750 Palestinians are held under administrative detention (without trial) and 500 detainees are serving life sentences. Israel arrested 6,830 detainees during 2015: 225 detainees are female and 2,179 are children. Israel has arrested nearly two thousand detainees since the beginning of the current year.

Jerusalem 2015 . . .

While the Israeli occupation authorities keep demolishing Palestinian houses and denying Palestinians the right to build any new houses, they grant permits to build thousands of housing units in the Israeli settlements in and around Jerusalem. Only in 2015, they authorized the building of over 12,600 housing units in the Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, in addition to 2,500 hotel rooms.

Moreover, the Israeli occupation authorities ratified regulations to replace the original Arabic names of the streets in the old town of Jerusalem by Hebrew ones.

Health

Statistics for 2014 showed that the number of physicians per 1,000 population registered in the Physicians Union in the West Bank was 1.3 and 2.2 in the Gaza Strip. In addition, there were 2.1 nurses per 1,000 population in the West Bank and 4.1 nurses per 1000 population in Gaza Strip. There were 80 hospitals in Palestine in 2014: 50 hospitals in the West Bank and 30 in Gaza Strip.

These include 26 governmental hospitals, 34 non-governmental, 16 private, 3 hospitals run by military institutions, and one run by UNRWA. There were 5,939 hospital beds: 1.3 beds per 1,000 population and allocated as 3,502 beds in the West Bank and 2,437 in Gaza Strip. There were 604 primary health care centers in the West Bank in 2014 and 163 centers in Gaza Strip.

This inscribes in Israels ongoing policy of Occupation of Jerusalem and falsification of its history and geography not to mention the imposition of new demographic facts on the ground.

The Israeli occupation authorities demolished about 152 Palestinian buildings (houses and establishments) and sent hundreds of demolition orders to owners of other buildings; moreover, the Israeli occupation authorities confiscated 546 Dunams of the Palestinian land in the Issawiya locality and Shufat camp to establish a national park and dumping site for wastes from illegal Jewish settlements.

Buildings: Demolish of Housing Unit and Establishment

On the fortieth remembrance of the Land Day, the Israeli occupation violations against the Palestinians continue, in terms of land confiscation, demolition of buildings (housing units and establishments) and forcible displacement of residents. Israeli occupation authorities usurped 6,386 Dunams of Palestinian land in the various governorates of the West Bank in 2015.

Furthermore, they demolished 645 building (houses and establishments), forcibly displacing 2,180 person in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, 1,108 of whom are children.

They also threatened to demolish 780 building, at a time when the needs of housing units for Palestinian increase. In figures, about 61% of households in Palestine need to build new housing units over the next decade according to the reported data survey of housing conditions in 2015 (one residential unit or more).

Environment: Continuing Degradation

Israeli settlements cause direct damage to the Palestinian environment. They actually discharge 40 million cubic meters (mcm) of wastewater annually into Palestinian valleys and agricultural land.

Only 10% of such water is treated. If compared to the wastewater produced by Palestinians in the West Bank, which stands at 34 mcm per year, the Israeli settler produce five times the Palestinian. Moreover, the Israeli authorities prevent Palestinians from building their own wastewater treatment plants.

On another level, they allocated part of the Palestinian land in Jordan Valley to an Israeli dumpsite of industrial waste. Consequently, Palestinian agricultural land endured enormous damage not to mention impact on health animals and biodiversity, in addition to the Israeli authorities bulldozed and burned more than 15,300 trees of Palestinian farmers during the year 2015.

Tourism: Israeli Monopoly

The Israeli narrative is based on falsification of the culture, civilization and history of Palestine. Therefore, the occupation authorities alter Palestinian national treasures and monuments of ancient times. In figures, 53% of the archeological sites in Palestine are in Area C, which is under full Israeli control.

The Israel occupation prevents any excavating or restoration of these sites for the building of recreational and tourist attractions.

They also create obstacles to prevent Palestinian tourism agencies from organizing proper visits of the Holy Land. With these restrictions, they give a competitive edge to the Israeli companies that market the Nativity Church in Bethlehem and Deir Quruntol in Jericho, for instance, as part of tourism in Israel.

By granting more facilities to Israeli companies, tourists are advised to stay in Israeli hotels as Palestinian areas are denounced as unsafe. With these measures, Palestinians are deprived of over 75% of potential touristic services revenues.

Labor Market 2015

The labor force participation rate in Palestine in 2015 was 45.8%: 46.1% among refugees and 45.6% among non-refugees. The participation rate in the West Bank was 46.1% (46.8% among refugees and 45.8% among non-refugees) compared with 45.3% in Gaza Strip (45.5% among refugees and 45.0% among non-refugees).

The unemployment rate in Palestine was 25.9% (32.3% among refugees and 21.4% among non-refugees). The unemployment rate in the West Bank was 17.3% (18.7% among refugees and 16.8% among non-refugees) compared with 41.0% in Gaza Strip (41.8% among refugees and 39.4% among non-refugees).

Education

According to the results of the Education data for the 2015/2016 scholastic year, there were 2,897 schools in Palestine: 2,193 in the West Bank and 704 in Gaza Strip. These were distributed in terms of their supervisory authority as follows: 2,135 governmental schools, 353 UNRWA schools and 409 private schools.

The total number of students in these schools exceeded 1.2 million, of whom 596 thousand were male and 604 thousand female. There were 788 thousand students enrolled in governmental schools, 299 thousand enrolled in UNRWA schools, and 113 thousand enrolled in private schools.

The illiteracy rate among Palestinians aged 15 years and above was 3.3% in 2015, distributed as 1.5% of males and 5.1% of females. It was 2.9% among refugees and 3.6% among non-refugees.

In the field of higher education, there are 14 universities: five universities in the Gaza Strip and nine universities in the West Bank, in addition to 18 colleges that grant bachelors degrees: 6 in Gaza Strip, and 12 in the West Bank. There are 20 community colleges: 13 in the West Bank and 7 in Gaza Strip.

Consumer Price Index during 2015

The Palestinian Consumer Price Index increased by 1.43% in 2015 compared to 2014: by 1.29% in the West Bank, 0.33% in Jerusalem (J1), and by 1.77% in the Gaza Strip. In comparison with the base year of 2010, the Consumer Price Index in Palestine increased by 10.99%: by 13.89% in the West Bank, 14.02% in Jerusalem (J1), and 4.97% in Gaza Strip.

Trade: Limited Palestinian exports

Both imports and exports of goods increased in 2014 over 2013. In 2014, the value of imported goods totaled USD 5.68 billion, an increase of 10.1% compared to 2013.

The total value of exports was USD 943.7 million, and increased by 4.8% compared with 2013. As a result, the net trade balance in goods recorded a deficit of about USD 4.74 billion in 2014, an increase of 11.2% compared to 2013.

The results indicate that 87.3% of exports were destined to Israel, while only 12.7% of total exports were exported to other countries excluding Israel. The limited value of exports to other countries was due to Israeli restrictions on Palestinian exports, especially from the Gaza Strip.

via IMEMC



Related video added by Juan Cole:

New China TV: 68 years of displacement 82-year-old Palestinian refugee yearns for home return
A two-year old girl was rescued in central China's Henan Province early Sunday morning, 32 hours after she was abducted, thanks to a new online platform.

The girl from southwest China's Sichuan Province went missing around 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon while she and her family were changing trains in Hengshui, a city in north China's Hebei Province.

Police identified a man suspected of snatching the girl on the railway station's CCTV and broadcast his description via both traditional media and the new Ministry of Public Security (MPS) platform. More than 5,000 police officers can provide updates on missing children via the app "Tuanyuan" -- "reunion" in Chinese -- developed by Alibaba.

Police everywhere can now share information and work together via the app, said Liu Zhenfen, chief risk officer of Alibaba. The new system went live on May 11 and already has more than 150,000 followers.

Users near to where a child disappears receive push notifications, including photos and descriptions. The scope of these push notifications will be expanded over time, depending on the success of the system.

"If the child has been missing for one hour, the push notifications are sent within a radius of 100 km; after two hours, 200 km; three hours, 300 km and thereafter, 500 km," said Meng Qingtian of the MPS anti-trafficking squad.

Many people passed on information about the missing toddler to the police via the platform, despite it only being on trial at the time, said Meng. This directly helped police to find the missing girl within two days.

The suspect, a native of Anyang City, Henan Province, was arrested in in the provincial capital of Zhengzhou. Further investigation into the case is under way.

Meng said the platform will bring together more mobile apps, encouraging the public to help in anti-trafficking work and reunite more stolen children with their families.
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By Baher Kamal | (Inter Press Service) |  

ROME, May 16 2016 (IPS)  When, in March 2015, delegates from the Middle East met in Amman for their regional consultations round in preparation for the May 23-24 World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, most likely what they had in mind is the fact that their region was and still is the dramatic set of the mother of all humanitarian crises.

Nevertheless, as a sort of reminder, the United Nations told them again: millions of people, from Libya to Palestine, from Yemen to Syria and Iraq, have had their lives completely overturned by violence.



In March 2016, a mother walks though misty weather with her two sons along train tracks in Idomeni, Greece. Credit: UNICEF/UN012794/Georgie

They were also reminded that the huge numbers of people affected by conflict, violence and displacement did little to convey the real trauma experienced.

The Facts

The United Nations reported more people are displaced by conflict than at any time since 1945. Figures are self-explanatory. There are currently an estimated total of 60 million forcibly displaced people either at home or abroad across the globe.

Of these:

 5 million Palestinian refugees are still dispersed mostly in neighbouring countries such as Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA);

 1,5 million people are practically besieged in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, in a permanent humanitarian crisis;

 4 million Syrian civilians so far had to flee war as refugees seeking safety in the region and in Europe, as an immediate consequence of the Syrian five-year long conflict, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates;

 1 million Syrians have been forcibly displaced from their homes in their own country, according to the United Nations;

 1 million Libyans are victims of uncontrolled armed fights in their own, unstable state. There is alarming information coming from Libya about grave acts that could amount to war crimes, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon warned on 6 March 2016;

 5 million Iraqis have been sentenced to the condition of being either refugees abroad or refugees at home. Already in July 2015, the top UN humanitarian official in Iraq declared as devastating the closure of life-saving services in Iraq for people in need, citing the most recent shut-downs of basic health care will directly impact more than one million people, including some 500,000 children who now will not be immunised, spreading risk of a measles outbreak and resumption of polio;

 1 million Syrian refugees live in Lebanon. The UN reported six months ago that some 70 per cent of these refugees were living below the extreme poverty line in Lebanon;

 2 million civilian Yemenis fled to even another war long-hit countrySomalia as result of the on-going armed conflict. More than 15.2 million Yemenis lack access to health care services, well over half the war-torn countrys total population, yet there is a 55 per cent gap in requested international funding to address the crisis, according to the World Health Organisation.

In other wordsthe Middle East is both the origin of and/or home to 1 in 3 refugees and displaced persons in the whole world.

These major figures refer to the known as traditional Middle East region, comprising 22 Arab countries and Israel.

The data go much further when it comes to the so-called Greater Middle East, which also include armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The extended region would be in this case origin and home to additional 10 million refugees and displaced persons, this making nearly half of their total numbers all over the planet.

The Ire of Nature

But not only wars and conflicts hit the Middle Eastnatural disasters do more damage, last longer, and in many places recur before people have even had a chance to recover, according to the United Nations.

So, while all the above is a consequence of armed conflicts, there are other dramatic facts the make of the Middle East the mother of all humanitarian crises.

Just some examples:

 The Middle East risks to become an uninhabitable region due to the impact of climate change

 2 in 3 Arab countries already suffer from acute water shortage, while the remaining third is considered water unsafe nations;

 The United Nations predicts 40 per cent water shortfall by 2030. The Middle East is expected to be one of the most impacted.

In short, a whole region of nearly 400 million people is already victim of man-made disasters, be these wars and violence or simply the expected response of nature.

We see it, we live it,

The Istanbul World Humanitarian Summit will focus on five key areas: to prevent and end conflict; to respect the rules of war; to leave no one behind; to work differently to end need, and to invest in humanity.

When announcing the Summit, top UN officials, headed by the secretary general Ban Ki-moon, have repeatedly warned that the world is living the worst ever-humanitarian crisis since World War II.

Herve Verhoosel, spokesperson of the World Humanitarian Summit, recently wrote in IPS We have arrived at the point of no return. At this very moment the world is witnessing the highest level of humanitarian needs since World War Two.

We are experiencing a human catastrophe on a titanic scale: 125 million in dire need of assistance, over 60 million people forcibly displaced, and 218 million people affected by disasters each year for the past two decades, Verhoosel said.

This makes a total of 400 million victims, the equivalent to some 80 per cent of the entire European population.

Verhoosel gave specific figures: more than 20 billion dollars are needed to aid the 37 countries currently affected by disasters and conflicts.

Unless immediate action is taken, 62 percent of the global population nearly two-thirds of all of us- could be living in what is classified as fragile situations by 2030. Time and time again we heard that our world is at a tipping point. Today these words are truer than ever before.

The situation has hit home, Verhoosel said. We are slowly understanding that none of us is immune to the ripple effects of armed conflicts and natural disasters. Were coming face to face with refugees from war-torn nations and witnessing first-hand the consequences of global warming in our own backyards.

We see it, we live it, and we can no longer deny it.

Licensed from Inter Press Service
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - Everton Resources Inc. ("Everton" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:EVR) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option agreement with an arm's length vendor to acquire a 100% interest in the Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property in the Thunder Bay Mining District of Ontario. The 47 claim unit (752 hectares) property surrounds the 4 claim unit (64 hectares) Jackpot lithium property recently acquired by Alix Resources Corp. (News release dated April 13, 2016). The property is located approximately 150 kilometers northeast of Thunder Bay and is accessible by road.

Mr. Andre Audet, Everton's CEO, commented, "We are pleased to diversify our property portfolio with the Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property in Ontario. We believe lithium prices will stay strong as demand increases for energy storage and as the electrification revolution takes hold. The property is highly prospective for the discovery of additional lithium prospects."

This area which hosts numerous spodumene bearing pegmatite occurrences, has laid dormant since 1955 when the Ontario Lithium Corporation forfeited their patented mineral claims due to unpaid taxes. The patented claim group became available for staking on June 1, 2010.

The Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property hosts several reported occurrences of lithium bearing pegmatite dykes. The area was the subject of a geological report by E. G. Pye, 1965, "Geology and Lithium Deposits of the Georgia Lake Area, Thunder Bay District" Geological Report No.31. This report describes in part some of the occurrences on the Everton controlled property as follows ( these partial historical excerpts from E. G. Pye are presented to indicate the presence of lithium bearing pegmatites on the Everton controlled property and not as an evaluation of the lithium content):

" It has been traced on the surface in a direction of N.80E. for 350 feet. It is exposed across horizontal widths of up to 30 feet and forms a north-facing escarpment, 10-15 feet high  pegmatite is made up of elongated crystals of potash feldspar, up to 3 feet in length, and prismatic crystals of spodumene, up to 2 feet in length,  Its spodumene content is about 25 percent "

" The No. 6C pegmatite  has been traced N.75E. in outcrops spaced at intervals of 30-150 feet, for a length of 440 feet. It dips 30N., with horizontal widths of up to about 30 feet. At the surface, the No. 6C pegmatite averages 10-15 percent spodumene ..."

" There are two dikes in the No. 6B area, about 400 feet S.45W. from the No. 6A outcrop. These dikes strike N.65E. and dip 20NW. One is exposed in two outcrops about 100 feet apart and has horizontal widths up to 30 feet; the other dike, 150 feet southeast of the first, is also exposed in two outcrops, in this case about 65 feet apart, and has widths up to 40 feet. Both dikes contain an appreciable amount of spodumene "

The Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property also surrounds the Jackpot occurrence, also described by E. G. Pye in his 1965 report which reportedly hosts an estimated historic non-compliant National Instrument 43-101 mineral resource of 2 million tons of 1.09% lithium oxide. Everton proposes to initiate a ground program and to initiate the exploration permitting for a drilling program to test the extensions of documented lithium rich pegmatite dykes that occur within the outer boundary of the Everton controlled claim group. Vertical fence holes to test for the lateral strike and down dip extension of the Jackpot 1 or the Jackpot 2 lithium rich dykes on the Blue Sky Jackpot claim group is a very high priority.

All future analytical work will include a full suite of analysis for lithium as well as a full complement of rare earth elements and other rare metals.

Under the terms of the option to purchase agreement, ("the Agreement"), which remains subject to TSX Venture Exchange Approval, the Blue Sky Jackpot lithium property is subject to a 2% net smelter return ("NSR") royalty, 50% of which can be purchased by Everton for CDN$1 million. The Agreement also requires an aggregate issuance of 2,000,000 common shares of Everton over a two year period and maintenance of all of the claims in good standing for the duration of the Agreement. The Everton shares will be issued as follows: 400,000 common shares on signing and TSX Venture Exchange approval of the Agreement, 600,000 common shares on the first anniversary thereof and 1,000,000 common shares on the second anniversary thereof.

About Everton Resources Inc.

Everton is an exploration company with concessions in the Dominican Republic adjacent to the Pueblo Viejo Mine, owned by the world's two largest gold mining companies, Barrick Gold Corporation (60%) in partnership with Goldcorp Inc. (40%) ("Goldcorp"). Everton also holds an interest in the Opinaca region of James Bay, Quebec where the Company has partnered with Hecla Mining Company which is advancing Everton's interest in the Opinaca B project by funding 100% of all exploration work on one of the largest land packages adjacent to Goldcorp's Eleonore gold deposit.

Everton Resources Inc.

Andre Audet, Chairman and CEO

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of Everton's plans, objectives, strategies, expectations and intentions. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to Everton, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Many factors could cause Everton's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent Everton's views as of the date of the release. While Everton anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause its views to change, it specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Everton or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice.

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.
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 17, 2016) - Arena Minerals Inc. ("Arena" or "the Company") (TSX VENTURE:AN) is pleased to announce that Teck Resources Chile Limitada ("Teck") has initiated a follow-up exploration program on the Paciencia North project in Chile ("Paciencia North" or the "Paciencia North program"), to be followed by reconnaissance drilling on the Solitario claim blocks ("Solitario" and collectively with Paciencia North, the "Property"). The Paciencia North program consists of trenching and additional drilling following up on the prospective areas identified during earlier drilling (see News Release dated March 21, 2016). The Property comprises part of the Company's Atacama copper property located in Antofagasta, Chile. Under the terms of the US$19.5 million option agreement Teck can earn a 60% interest in the Property (see News Release dated October 23, 2015).

William Randall, President and CEO of Arena, commented, "We are glad to get working on the prospective areas and are excitedly anticipating results of the Paciencia North and Solitario drill programs. The similarities of the breccia target with the world class Sierra Gorda copper porphyry deposit are striking. We will continue to update the market as results come in from the current campaign."

The planned trenching will focus in the southern portion of Paciencia North where a tourmaline breccia was identified, which is very similar in characteristics to those found within the neighbouring Sierra Gorda copper porphyry deposit. In conjunction with surface mapping, drill holes PAC-014 and PAC-016 in this South Zone defined a three km corridor of interpreted high temperature tourmaline/magnetite/k-feldspar breccias and veining, in many respects analogous to the early high temperature breccias and alteration that occur at Sierra Gorda. The trenches will be used to assist in defining the location of additional drill platforms planned in the next stage of drilling by Teck on this target which is expected to start by the end of May.

The Paciencia North program will also include drilling towards the western portion of Paciencia North, where volcanic sequences with interpreted sericite-chlorite-pyrite alteration and weak pyrite veining were discovered during initial reconnaissance drilling.

At Solitario, Teck has recently completed detailed mapping and sampling and is currently finalizing plans for an RC drill program similar to the one recently completed at Paciencia North. Drilling at Solitario is expected to begin immediately after the next stage of drilling is completed at Paciencia North.

The technical and scientific aspects of this news release have been reviewed and approved by Mr. Vernon Arseneau, P.Geo, who is a qualified person pursuant to NI 43-101. As the Vice President of Exploration of the Company, Mr. Arseneau is not considered independent.

Stock Option Grant

Arena has granted an aggregate of 1,050,000 stock options to various directors, officers and consultants of the Company effective May 17, 2016. The stock options vest immediately, are exercisable at $0.35 for a period of five years and remain subject to the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The stock options remain subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day expiring on September 17, 2016.

About Arena Minerals

Arena Minerals is a prospect generator that has two properties under option covering approximately 95,400 hectares within the Antofagasta region of Chile. The properties are at low altitudes, within producing mining camps in infrastructure rich areas. The Company's flagship asset is the Atacama Copper Property, consisting of 92,000 hectares, following a contractual land reduction on July 27, 2015, of essentially undrilled ground in the heart of Chile's premier copper mining district. Currently, approximately 85% of the Atacama Copper Property is under option to third parties. Pursuant to option agreements entered into between Arena and the parties B2Gold Corp, Japan Oil, Gas and Minerals National Corporation and Teck Resources Chile Limitada, each have the right to earn into 60% of the respective land holdings within the property, by collectively spending over $60 million in exploration expenditures, amongst certain other commitments. In addition the Company has the Pampas El Penon project, comprising a total of 3,400 hectares which is less than 1 km from Yamana's Agusta Victoria project which forms part of the El Penon mine complex. The Pampas El Penon and Atacama Copper properties comprise Arena Mineral's highly prospective copper and gold properties within an active mining region.

The Company's website can be viewed at www.arenaminerals.com. In addition to featuring information regarding the Company, its managements and projects, the website also contains the latest corporate news and an email registration allowing subscribers to receive news and updates directly.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

Arena Minerals Inc.

William Randall, President, and CEO

Cautionary Note Regarding Accuracy and Forward-Looking Information:

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements, projections and estimates relating to the future development of any of the Company's properties, including the Property, the prospectivity of, and planned work programs on, the Property and other properties of the Company, the ability of any potential partner, including Teck, to accelerate drill programs, increase the development of any of the projects or prospects of the Company, the results of the exploration program, future financial or operating performance of the Company, its subsidiaries and its projects and the grant of stock options. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". The statements made herein 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 the Company's interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; the actual results of current exploration activities; other risks of the mining industry and the risks described in the annual information form of the Company. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. Arena Minerals does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

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.
JURIST Contributing Editor Jeffrey F. Addicott of St. Marys University School of Law continues the discussion on the legality of waterboarding

This article is written in response to certain scholars that published their views in a recent JURIST article concerning my views on waterboarding, also published in JURIST. Anticipating the opprobrium that my initial piece was sure to generate, I alluded to the fact that waterboarding was one of the sacred cows of the mainstream elites and any dissension to the foregone conclusion that waterboarding is torture arouses great emotional consternation to the agenda driven.

There is no question that the public brainwashing that waterboarding is torture is breathtaking and has a deep negative impact on our society. However, isnt the legal community and the public at large better served by a logical discussion of the facts and applicable law rather than a tirade of desperate ad hominem attacks?

Obviously, given the limited parameters of the word count, I am not able to fully address each of the cherry-picked bait-and-switch points associated with their critiques (recall our domestic law and policy has now changed from what it was immediately following 9/11). I do, of course, fully grant that my critics are certainly entitled to their own opinions, but I do not share them. If they are serious about learning more on the topic, I would point them to read carefully my law several review articles, sworn testimony before the US Senate, and perhaps purchase a copy of my latest textbook: Terrorism Law: Materials, Cases, Comments (7th Edition, 2014). In addition, as the senior legal adviser of all the US Army Special Forces, I do have a working knowledge of the real world in terms of various interrogation techniques.

In the kindest light, perhaps part of the problem in understanding the issue of waterboarding is that key language in the Torture Convention is not particularly precise, opening the door to differing interpretations. In the Torture Convention, torture is defined as severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental. The immediate question to the thoughtful scholar is this: what then constitutes severe? While some may think the Department of Justice approved waterboarding technique that was employed on three detainees as severe, I do not. In turn, I do not believe that the technique constituted the lower level of prohibited conduct called ill-treatment. It was a level of interrogation that was stress and duress at best. The average session lasted ten seconds, and a medical doctor was in place.

Furthermore, the term waterboarding itself is problematic. For example, the same term is used to describe techniques employed by the US military in SERE (search and rescue) courses and to describe the real torture employed by the Japanese in World War II. All use the same term waterboarding, but each varies in the technique. Holding someones head under water is not the same as putting water up the nostrils to cause an automatic response.

In any event, the real question is who gets to decide what is severe? Is it a law professor pontificating in a law review article? Is it an angry commentator on MSNBC? Is it a leftist political candidate? Of course, it is none of the above. In our Anglo-Saxon legal tradition it is a competent court that will define the language  the higher level of jurisprudence, the better.

Obviously, we can all pop up numerous cases that are associated with the term waterboarding, but where is the court case  state, federal, or international  that examined our DOJ approved techniques during the time frame in question (to include waterboarding) and ruled them torture? The answer, as my critics openly recognize in their own article, is that there is no such court case!

Thus, without direct case law on point, this means that advocates for one side or the other will marshal facts that best fit their side of the argument and present them for consideration. In this context, it is efficacious to explore similar case law and then extrapolate, although many will include memorandums, law review articles, and the like as well. This is what I have done. The difference is that I do not agree with the mainstream analysis. This sin I freely confess to.

As I previously indicated the number one international court in the world (and it is not a right-wing court) ruled in Ireland v. UK that the British interrogation techniques used against certain IRA detainees did not rise to the level of torture (ill-treatment is not torture). Although Ireland was decided just prior to the 1984 Torture Convention, the language of the European Convention on Human Rights [PDF] is identical to the Torture Conventions definition of torture and ill-treatment. In fact, in Selmouni v. France, the European Court of Human Rights cited Ireland with approval in this context.

All commentators lament the fact that the Obama administration never proceeded with criminal charges to back up their political rhetoric about waterboarding constituting torture. However, it is interesting to note that when certain individuals in Obamas Justice Department sought to punish the DOJ attorneys at a lower administrative level, it backfired. In July 2009, the DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) issued a report entitled Investigation into the Office of Legal Counsels Memoranda Concerning Issues Relating to the Central Intelligence Agencys Use of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques of Suspected Terrorists. The OPR report concluded that former OLC lawyers, John Yoo and Jay Bybee, had engaged in professional misconduct by failing to provide thorough, candid, and objective analysis in memoranda regarding the interrogation of detained terrorist suspects. The OPR indicated that it would refer its findings of misconduct to the state legal bar for disciplinary action. Then, in January 2010, the DOJ Office of the Deputy Attorney General issued its own memorandum objecting to the findings of the OPR report and refused to authorize OPR to refer its findings to the state [sic] bar disciplinary authorities in the jurisdictions where Yoo and Bybee are licensed. In short, the DOJ determined that Yoo and Bybee had not engaged in professional misconduct in advising the CIA on the legality of enhanced interrogation techniques (EITs) based on existing law at the time.

Intellectually, I side with Yoo and Bybee. They are men of great courage and integrity. The CIA did not engage in torture between 2002 and 2005. Leading international case law such as Ireland and Public Committee (Israel, 1999) clearly set an extremely high bar for what would constitute torture. While individual members of the CIA and military have engaged in murder, torture, and other misconduct in their individual capacities and should be punished, the United States of America never authorized torture.

Lt. Colonel (US Army, ret.) Jeffrey F. Addicott is a JURIST 2016 Contributing Editor for Terrorism Law. He is a Professor of Law and the Director of the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Marys University School of Law, San Antonio, Texas. Professor Addicott holds a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) and Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Virginia School of Law. He also received a Master of Laws (LLM) from the Army Judge Advocate Generals School, where he was the Deputy Director of the International & Operational Law Division, and a Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Alabama School of Law.

Suggested Citation: Jeffrey F. Addicott, Waterboarding is Torture?  The Agenda-Driven Argument, JURIST  Academic Commentary, May 16, 2016, http://jurist.org/forum/2016/05/jeffrey-addicott-waterboarding-agenda.php.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website], along with several other organizations, asked a federal court [motion, PDF] on Monday block the enforcement of a North Carolina law that they claim targets transgender people for discrimination. The ACLU, the ACLU of North Carolina and Lambda Legal [advocacy websites] filed a motion for preliminary injunction in the US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina [official website] to immediately halt House Bill 2 (HB2) [bill, PDF]. They claim [Lambda Legal report] that the law singles out the transgender community and legislates a persons identity by insisting they pretend to be something they are not. Last week the US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] against North Carolina for violating Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act [EEOC report], Title IX [DOL report], and the Violence Against Women Act [NNEDV report] hours after Governor Pat McCrory filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] against the DOJ asking a federal court to determine that HB2 does not violate any federal laws.

North Carolinas bathroom bill has generated significant controversy. In March North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper stated during a press conference that he would not defend [JURIST report] HB2, which he considers to be discriminatory. Earlier that week North Carolina individuals and civil rights groups filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] against McCrory, claiming that the bill he signed one week prior was unconstitutional and discriminatory. Earlier that month the North Carolina governor signed the bill into law [JURIST report], preventing local governments from enacting their own nondiscrimination ordinances and making them unable to pass laws allowing transgender people to use the public restroom or locker room that corresponds with their gender identity. Last month McCrory issued an executive order [JURIST report] that he said was meant to clarify the controversial bill.
[JURIST] A federal judge on Friday found Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio [official profile] in contempt of court [order] for intentionally disobeying orders to stop the racial profiling of Latinos. Arpaio, who has dubbed himself Americas toughest sheriff, had been ordered by the court in 2013 to cease extreme tactics aimed at ending illegal immigration, which have included saturation patrols [NPR report] in which people are stopped and their immigration status is checked. Those in the lawsuit allege that this constitutes nothing more than racial profiling. A hearing is set for May 31 to determine remedies to ensure Arpaios compliance and provide damages to the parties.

Last July the US Department of Justice and county officials in Phoenix agreed to settle [JURIST report] parts of a discrimination lawsuit filed against the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office in 2012. The DOJ filed charges against the Sheriffs Office for discriminatory practices in traffic stops, work and home raids, and in county jails, as well as claims of retaliation.The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled [JURIST report] in April of last year that Arpaio engaged in practices of racial profiling when conducting traffic stops, and in June a judge for the US District Court for the District of Arizona issued [JURIST report] a pre-trial order accepting the other courts finding of racial profiling. In January of last year a federal judge ruled [JURIST report] Maricopa County officials may not enforce two Arizona identity-theft laws used to convict hundreds of undocumented immigrant workers. In October 2014 a federal judge ordered [JURIST report] Arpaio to undergo the same training as his deputies to assist in the prevention of racial profiling and unlawful detention in the Sheriffs Office as part of the ongoing case against Arpaio for racial profiling. In 2013 a federal judge ruled [JURIST report] that Arpaio and his department engaged in unconstitutional racial profiling during the execution of immigration patrols.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] announced on Tuesday that they will begin a comprehensive review [press release] of the North Charleston Police Department [official website] in South Carolina following the killing of unarmed black motorist Walter Scott. The review is to be conducted [Post and Courier report] by the DOJs Office of Community Oriented Policing Services [official website] in an effort to alleviate [Post and Courier report] tensions surrounding the officer involved shooting. Scott was shot in the back by a Caucasian officer, calling attention to racial issues in the town. The review will look at official and unofficial polices [AP report] to ensure that the police department is not violating the rights of community members nor using implicit or unconscious bias in their policing. The North Charleston police department is among a growing number of departments working with the DOJ to conduct policing reforms. The review is expected to take a year to complete.

On Wednesday the DOJ announced that they had indicted [press release] Michael Slager for a federal rights offense for the shooting of Scott and for allegedly giving misleading statements to fellow officers in an effort to obstruct justice. A former police officer in North Charleston was indicted [JURIST report] by a grand jury in November on murder charges brought after the April 2015 incident in which the officer shot and killed Scott, who was running away from him.
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] Monday that the Second Amendment [text] protects the right to buy and sell firearms. Three individuals challenged an Alameda County, California, ordinance that prohibits gun shops from being located within 500 feet of a residentially zoned district. The court held that while the ordinance might well be constitutional, it must be subject to heightened scrutiny. According to the court:

If the right of the people to keep and bear arms is to have any force, the people must have a right to acquire the very firearms they are entitled to keep and to bear. Indeed, where a right depends on subsidiary activity, it would make little sense if the right did not extend, at least partly, to such activity as well.

The courts ruling allows the lawsuit challenging the ordinance to proceed, reversing a lower court decision that had dismissed the plaintiffs Second Amendment claims.

Gun control [JURIST backgrounder] and the Second Amendment continue to be controversial topics across the US. In February the US Supreme Court heard arguments [JURIST report] in a case addressing firearm possession for people convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors. In January US President Barack Obama announced executive actions on gun control [JURIST report]. In November an appellate court in Wisconsin ruled that a state law that prohibits possession of certain knives [JURIST report] violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi [official website] on Friday ordered [opinion, PDF] a school district to desegregate its schools. Judge Debra Brown ordered the Cleveland School District [official website] to consolidate its high schools and middle schools after rejecting as unconstitutional two alternatives proposed by the district. In her 96-page opinion, Brown wrote:

Nearly fifty years ago, the United States Supreme Court announced that [t]he haltingly slow days of all deliberate speed have given way to the mandated duty to immediately desegregate.  In the decades since this pronouncement, the District has failed to meet this obligation as it concerns the high schools and middle schools in Cleveland, Mississippi. This failure, whether born of good faith, bad faith, or some combination of the two, has placed Cleveland in the unenviable position of operating under a desegregation order long after schools in bastions of segregation like Boston, Jackson, and Mobile have been declared unitary. More important, and of far greater harm, the delay in desegregation has deprived generations of students of the constitutionally-guaranteed right of an integrated education. Although no court order can right these wrongs, it is the duty of the District to ensure that not one more student suffers under this burden.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] welcomed the ruling [press release], with Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division, stating, [t]his victory creates new opportunities for the children of Cleveland to learn, play and thrive together.

In 2010 a federal judge ordered [JURIST report] a southern Mississippi school district to end its practice of allowing students to transfer from their assigned schools and classroom groupings, resulting in a segregated school system. The DOJ initially brought a lawsuit to enforce a 1970 order against the Walthall County School District [official website] that prohibited the district from racially segregating its schools. The US Supreme Court originally struck down school segregation in the 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education [opinion].
The US Supreme Court [official website] on Monday rejected a challenge [order list, PDF] to a law that bans protests on the marble plaza in front of the courthouse. In their decision to deny the petition in Hodge v. Talkin [docket], the court left in place a ruling [JURIST report] by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [official website], which found that the law does not violate the First Amendment [Cornell LII backgrounder]. Under the law, protesters are not allowed to gather in the plaza in front of the courthouse but are allowed to gather on the sidewalk.

The case was brought by Harold Hodge and the Rutherford Institute [advocacy website] after Hodge was arrested in January 2011 for wearing a sign protesting the treatment of minorities by law enforcement. The court previously ruled [opinion] on the constitutionality of the law governing protests or demonstrations at or near its building in a 1983 case, United States v. Grace [opinion, PDF]. The justices then nullified only the laws ban on displays on the public sidewalks around the court building, refusing to strike down the entire law as written. The former law allowed the courts police force discretion to allow only two kinds of activity on its plaza: television crew interviews on days the court had held hearings, and taking photographs for commercial or professional purposes with the courts permission.
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Taiwan backpacker Alice Lin (right) and a colleague visit Pingtan's Beigang village in Fujian province in May.An Baijie / China Daily

When she arrived in Pingtan's Beigang village last year, Taiwan backpacker Alice Lin was obsessed with both the beautiful scenery and the unique stone houses in the coastal countryside.

"While staying here, you can get the real meaning of the famous line from the Chinese poet Haizi: 'Facing the sea, with spring blossoms'," she said.

She was impressed by the fortresslike stone houses. According to the history of Pingtan, residents started building stone houses during the mid-Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

A veteran backpacker who has walked through 10 countries, including Canada, France, Singapore and Cambodia, Lin has a strong feeling that the houses were precious.

However, villagers seem unaware. As in many other rural places, villagers have migrated to urban areas for better jobs, educations and healthcare, leaving their houses unattended.

Lin believes the stone houses are a precious tourism resource and decided to develop some of them into bed-and-breakfasts.

"In Taiwan, B&Bs are very popular among travelers, especially the young backpackers," she said, adding that her experience of managing a B&B in Taiwan could be useful in Pingtan.

Her idea won support from her brother and four friends, including a designer and a cook.

They contracted for nine stone houses, which are being refurbished as B&Bs, coffee bars and museums.

Taiwan artists will be invited to live there and exhibit their works, she said. Pingtan is the nearest point on the Chinese mainland to Taiwan. It's only two hours from Taipei by high-speed ship.

Lin hopes the village does not become a noisy scenic spot crowded with tourists, like many places on the mainland. Instead, she wants it to be a quiet and clean area in the countryside where travelers could rest and find meaning in their lives.

Lin Shifu, 39, one of the villagers who rented out his stone house, said that he could get about 4,000 yuan ($615) annually.

"My whole family moved to the urban area two years ago, because I worked at a construction site there," he said, adding that he was satisfied with the rent, as well as the refurbishment of his house.

Most of the residents are "left-behind" elderly people, and the B&Bs could offer the elderly some job opportunities such as room cleaning, he said.
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Representatives of the Ukrainian government and independence-seeking militants said on Monday that violence has resumed in eastern Ukraine after a period of relative calm that started on May 1, when the country celebrated Orthodox Easter.

Pavlo Zhebrivsky, the Kiev-appointed head of Donetsk regional military-civilian administration, said that the heightened tensions have resulted in combat and civilians casualties over the past day.

"Unfortunately, the Easter truce is over. The shelling has increased significantly. Ukrainian soldiers and a resident of Avdeevka town were wounded," Zhebrivsky wrote on Facebook.

Later in the day, Kiev military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said that one government serviceman was killed and another wounded in 36 attacks on Ukrainian positions in the past 24 hours.

The insurgent leadership has confirmed that the security situation in the restive region has aggravated in the past day, blaming Kiev for ceasefire violations.

"The situation continues to deteriorate. The Ukrainian forces have shelled our territory 340 times over the past day," Eduard Basurin, the senior rebel commander, told reporters.

On April 30, the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine crisis reached an agreement in Minsk to establish a comprehensive ceasefire in the country' s eastern regions during the period of Easter and the May holidays, observed in Ukraine on May 1-9.

On Saturday, an envoy of the self-proclaimed Donetsk republic to the Contact Group Denis Pushilin said that insurgents were ready to discuss the extension of the Easter truce during the next meeting of the group on May 18.

The crisis in eastern Ukraine began in April 2014, when Kiev launched offensives against insurgents in a bid to retake the cities and towns they seized. The conflict has claimed more than 9,300 lives and wounded almost 22,000 others.
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"Egypt is playing a great role in the interaction between China and the rest of Africa, and we're going to accelerate the Silk Road initiative and its execution plan as much as we can," said Yasser ElKady, the Egyptian minister of communications and information technology, on May 16.

Yasser ElKady, the Egyptian minister of communications and information technology [Photo by Guo Yiming/China.org.cn]

The minister made the remark during an exclusive interview with China.org.cn during his 5-day trip to China, where he headed a high-level delegation to discuss the prospect of cooperation in the field of communications and information technology with Chinese officials.

"We are dedicated to signing some very strategic agreements with our counterparts here in China," said the 54-year-old veteran in the IT field.

A source from the Egyptian Embassy in China revealed that the minister had met with senior executives of major Chinese companies back in Cairo ahead of the trip and is considering cooperation with the China Electronics Technology Group Cooperation (CETC) on cyberspace security.

The minister told China.org.cn that Egypt is building seven technology parks in different provinces across the country and wants to leverage the expertise and experience from their Chinese partners and may even welcome them in the managerial positions at the parks.

He added that Egypt has a lot of competitive advantages in winning investment in the fields of electronics and manufacturing, citing its well-educated labor force, capacity building strategy and incentive packages for potential investors.

Last Friday, the global rating agency Standard & Poor revised its outlook on its long-term sovereign credit rating on Egypt from stable to negative and affirmed their 'B-/B' long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on Egypt.

In response to doubts over whether or not the downgrade would dampen enthusiasm for foreign investment in the country, the minister refuted that the Egyptian economy is still very resilient and supported his argument with a recent IMF report about the World Economic Outlook that indicated that Egypt has replaced South Africa as the second largest economy in Africa.

Compared to Nigeria, the largest economy on the continent and which is highly dependent on the oil sector, Egypt is more diversified in its economic development, he noted.

"The IMF's report is one of the very positive signs that the Egyptian economy is moving in the right direction," he said.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Egypt increased by 7.5 percent during the period from 2012 to 2015, the IMF statement said.
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China and Venezuela have reached a consensus to "increase flexibility" in bilateral financing cooperation, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. Spokesman Hong Lei told a routine press briefing that the two sides agreed to explore ways to increase the flexibility of their financing cooperation mechanism to "take account of changes in international oil prices".

He said that the financing cooperation between China and Venezuela is "commercial cooperation" between banks and enterprises, and the money is mainly used in Venezuela's economic and social development projects as well as China-Venezuela cooperative projects.

The financing cooperation has brought tangible benefits to both sides, Hong added.

According to Reuters, Venezuela's top economic official said on Monday that Venezuela has reached a deal with China to improve an oil-for-loans deal, giving Venezuela "oxygen" ahead of heavy debt payments.
Pump prices likely on the rise in coming months Gas prices are likely to go back up following the OPEC+ decision to cut oil production by 2 million barrels a day, starting in November....

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The American Board of Medical Specialties says board certification is a voluntary process, and one that is very different from medical licensure. This is echoed by my board, the American Board of Pediatrics, who says, Board certification is a voluntary process that goes above and beyond state licensing requirements for practicing medicine.

Over the past few years, the definition of board certified has changed from a one-time test to an ongoing series of tests, hoops, and fees to maintain certification through the MOC program. Not participating in any portion of the convoluted and expensive MOC program results in loss of board certification, but so what? Board certification, either as initial certification or 20 years into maintaining certification is voluntary, so whats the big deal?

Well, it turns out, not complying with MOC is a big deal. Not only has the definition of board certified changed, apparently so has the definition of voluntary.

On December 17, with the blessing of my partners, I decided to test how voluntary board certification is. Over the past 13 years, Ive passed my board examination twice, completed multiple proprietary online tests, and completed three ABP research projects on my patients. But when the American Board of Pediatrics threatened to revoke my certification and nullify 13 years of testing and research projects if I didnt pay $1,300 to maintain certification, I had enough. I didnt pay, and voluntarily gave up my board certification.

I wrote a letter explaining why, so there wouldnt be any confusion. To date, that letter has been read 100,000 times. Clearly, I hit a nerve among my colleagues. But what would happen to me professionally? What happens to doctors who stop doing MOC?

First off, after many threatening emails, the American Board of Pediatrics erases the name of any doctor who fails to complete any of the four parts of MOC from their website. Erases.

December 17, there I am.

And now, I dont exist.

Grandfathered doctors, like ABP president David Nichols, are listed as Board certified, not participating in MOC, but those of us who have passed multiple board exams and a decade of MOC? Erased.

Obviously, they have the technical ability to list us as, Board certified, not participating in MOC, but they dont. They erase our names, as if wed never passed our boards to begin with. The only way to find out that Ive passed two board exams is to write the ABP and pay $40 for a release of information. Why would they do such a thing, why make this so difficult for us? Because their website has the power to destroy our careers, thats why.

Four weeks after my Open Letter to the American Board of Pediatrics was published, my name was erased from the ABP website and the threats began. On an insanely busy Friday afternoon in February, I was called by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan/Blue Care Network, and informed that I had to immediately cease from seeing any of my BCBS/BCN patients. Immediately. They checked the ABP website, my name was no longer listed, and I was therefore no longer allowed to see my patients.

I asked if I could have a colleague co-sign my notes, and that was not allowed. I asked it I could see my patients and not be paid. They said I was forbidden from seeing my patients. I submitted my board certification through the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons, and was told only ABMS boards were allowed. I asked if I asked if I could see the credentialing policy I was being held to, and was told, it was proprietary. All this stress and harassment in Michigan, because I didnt pay $1,300 to the American Board of Pediatrics, a multi-million certification corporation out of North Carolina. Unbelievable.

I pushed back and asked for a departicipation notice in writing, and they backed off. I now have until December 31, 2016, to comply and pay the American Board of Pediatrics $1,500 (with the added $200 late fee, of course), or I will be banned from seeing my patients at that point.

Next up were the hospitals. My hospital privileges were due for renewal this month, and imagine my surprise when I had to sign a contract confirming that I would enroll in ABP MOC! This was nowhere to be found in my med staff requirements, which only requires me to have initial board certification. When I asked the hospital credentialers, they assured me this was a glitch. No one knew how this language made its way on to the computer-generated contract or how to change it. After much anxiety, I signed the contract as there was no alternate way to get my privileges renewed. Time will tell if I lose my hospital privileges over a computer glitch.

So far, six months after dropping my board certification, Im still standing, but not without a ridiculous amount of harassment and bullying. My scenario repeats itself thousands and thousands of times across the country. Usually, most doctors back down and pay the money, they stop doing CME of their own choosing and complete the education modules decreed by the boards, they stop doing their own novel medical research and instead complete the busywork research for the boards, they give up family time to travel to review courses, they shut down their offices to take secure examinations. Doctors do this out of fear. The ABMS has long banked on fear and intimidation as a business model.

That model is coming into question as more and more doctors fight back. Rather than fear, Im banking on the strength of my fellow physicians to return board certification to its rightful place as a voluntary process: one that is not tied to licensure, hospital privileges, insurance participation. Oklahoma has shown us this is possible.

Michigan will take the first step towards freeing our doctors from overreach of the ABMS, as House Bills 5090 and 5091 finally go to testimony before the House Health Policy Committee. I will be there testifying, alongside an incredibly diverse group of physicians finding common ground on this issue. The powerful insurance and hospital lobbies will oppose us, as anticipated. Maybe the ABMS will send someone to plead their case.

I remain optimistic that Michigan lawmakers will see MOC for the money-making sham it is, and act on behalf of Michigan doctors and our right to care for our patients without interference by these unaccountable outside board certifying corporations. My hope is that this will be the beginning for other states to follow in our footsteps and return board certification and MOC to a voluntary process, free of fear and intimidation.

Meg Edison is a pediatrician and can be reached on Twitter @megedison. This article originally appeared in Rebel.MD.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Editors note: Updating earlier story with more details from report, comments from analysts.

(Kitco News) - U.S. housing starts rose 6.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.172 million units in April, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

Consensus forecasts compiled by most news organizations called for starts to be around 1.13 million to 1.14 million units. The prior months tally of 1.099 million was revised up from the previously reported 1.089 million.

Following a sharp slowdown in the first quarter, housing starts made a comeback in April, said Brian Betzler, regional sales manager for TD Bank, based in Florida. This rebound puts sales back on track for the ongoing recovery of the housing market.

Single-family housing starts in April rose 3.3% to a rate of 778,000. The rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 373,000, the Commerce Department said.

Meanwhile, the government said the tally of building permits  important as an indicator of future construction activity  rose by 3.6% to an annualized rate of 1.116 million in April.

Royce Mendes, of CIBC Capital Markets, commented that while building permits showed more life than in March, they also remain at the lower end of the recent range and suggest starts that starts may have limited upside in the near future.

Single-family authorizations in April climbed 1.5% to a 736,000 rate. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 348,000 last month.

The Commerce Department also reported that housing completions in April fell 11% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 933,000.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Follow @KitcoNewsNOW
Chef Pat Day prepares a brewer's special pizza for the oven at Tessio, a new Silverdale eatery that specializes in pizza and whiskey. (LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN)

SHARE Greg Erickson, is the bartender and manager of Tessio, which is located in the Silverdale shopping center once anchored by Albertsons. (LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN)

By Terri Gleich, Special to the Kitsap Sun

SILVERDALE  Tessio isn't trying to be all things to all people. The new Silverdale eatery is focused on doing two things really well  pizza and whiskey.

Brothers Kirk and Devin Loudon, whose Toad House in Bremerton is known for pizza and beer, are positioning Tessio to capitalize on a growing nationwide appreciation for the distilled spirit.

"It's a hot trend in restaurants right now," said Kirk Loudon. "There's a lot of interest. Lots of people are curious and this is a great place to come and learn about whiskey."

The Toad House has 120 beers on the menu and Tessio is aiming for at least 120 whiskeys. The choices include bourbon, rye, Canadian whiskey, Irish whiskey, flavored whiskeys, scotch blends and single malt scotch. Two-ounce pours start at $7 and run to $60 for a Macallan rare cask scotch.

Bartender and managing partner Greg Erickson curates the whiskey collection and is eager to play guide. If you're new to the spirit, he suggests flavored versions like Bird Dog blackberry or peach or a smooth Canadian blend that delivers flavor without the heat. Customers can design their own whiskey samplers or let Erickson do it.

"The gold standard is single malt scotch, but it can be very peaty. People either love it or they hate it," said Kirk Loudon, who labels himself an enthusiast, not an expert.

"It's where your palate evolves to," added Devin Loudon.

For those with appreciative palates, Erickson is stocking as many Johnnie Walker scotch labels as he can find, including blue, gold reserve and platinum, and putting together high-end flights that provide three half-ounce tastes for less than $50.

The restaurant's signature cocktail is a Manhattan with Kentucky bourbon, Antica Red Vermouth, orange bitters and house-made bourbon cherries for $10.

"All our cocktails are made from scratch," said Kirk Loudon. "There are no mixers. It's just us squeezing lemons all day."

In contrast to Tessio's exhaustive whiskey list, the food menu is simple and dominated by 10-inch, thin-crust pizzas with a host of creative toppings. The Honolulu features Spam, pineapple and coconut dust. The Santa Fe has chipotle sauce, ground beef, red onion, green onions, roasted red peppers, sweet corn and cilantro. And the Brewer's Special has cashews, basil and balsamic reduction along with pepperoni, linguica sausage and pepperoncini.

"It's not your average mom-and-pop pepperoni pizza, it's an adult pizza," said Julie Stevens of Bremerton, who favors the Brewer's Special. "They have cashews and balsamic reduction sauce on a pizza and it's delicious."

The pies run $12 or $13. Tessio's red sauce is slightly sweet, with a light, fresh taste that doesn't overpower the cracker-thin crust. To help give each restaurant its own identity, the sauce and crust recipes are different at Tessio and Toad House.

Tessio's most popular pizza is the Tazzmaniac, named after a bartender at The Toad House. Toppings include pepperoni, bacon, olives, pepperoncini, mushrooms, goat cheese and Parmesan.

Also on the menu are four starters, including seared broccoli accented with garlic, lemon and red pepper for $9. The four salads include a hearty veggie carnivore topped with tri-tip for $14. And the three sandwiches also include a tri-tip with roasted red peppers, arugula and horseradish mayo for $13.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, customers who dine in can choose a three-topping, six-inch pizza and starter salad for $10.

The Loudon brothers, have been planning Tessio for more than five years, ever since they bought and turned around the failing Toad House. They also own the Coldstone Creamery ice cream shops in Silverdale and Bremerton.

"We were always thinking about what we could do if we started from scratch," said Kirk Loudon, who named the two-month-old restaurant after Abe Vigoda's character in "The Godfather," his favorite movie.

"We adopted the Toad. We gave birth to Tessio," added Devin Loudon.

The result is a sleek restaurant that has an upscale but casual vibe and is starting to build clientele, despite obstacles that include the Bucklin Hill road closure and the shuttering of neighbors, Taco del Mar and Albertsons.

The atmosphere is a big part of the draw, according to Ivaly Alexander of Bremerton, who is also a fan of the restaurant's food and cocktails. "It just feels like a trendier big city restaurant, but at Kitsap prices."

Tessio

Where: 2238 NW Bucklin Hill Road, Silverdale

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Info: www.facebook.com/Pizza.Beer.Whiskey/ or (360) 286-2193
LARRY STEAGALL/KITSAP SUN Mike Looby's father, Jimmy, founded the Horse and Cow Bar and Grill, with locations in California and Bremerton. Mike went on to run the business with his father, who died Jan. 30. Though the location on Northlake Way has been sold, Mike's family still owns the bar in Guam and has plans to open other locations in downtown Bremerton, Hawaii and San Diego.

SHARE Jimmy Looby Mike Looby LARRY STEAGALL/KITSAP SUN Mike Looby keeps memorabilia from the Horse and Cow in his garage. The bar got started in California in the 1950s by catering to submariners. LARRY STEAGALL/KITSAP SUN Mike Looby has the logo of the Horse and Cow Bar and Grill on the side of his van.

By Rachel Pritchett

Horse and Cow bar chain founder Jimmy Looby is dead, but his family vows to continue the tradition, with new ones planned for downtown Bremerton, Hawaii and San Diego.Up and down the Pacific Coast and in Guam over the years, the locations of the submariner bars ebbed and flowed with base closures and fleet arrivals. Each was a place thirsty submariners could call their own, where sub plaques, banners and photos washed across the walls and where shots were lined up 24 at a time, missile style.

"Same thing, it works," said son Mike Looby, 52, who sold the old Bremerton Horse and Cow in 2010 after a decade of standoffs with the Navy, the state liquor board, the county and neighbors over too many DUI's and too much noise in the "Bar-muda Triangle" shared with Romeo's and the 19th Hole.

"I was done," he said last week as he made funeral arrangements in his expansive home not far from his former bar. Emails of condolences from all over the world poured into his inbox  even from members of the Royal Australian Navy.

Jimmy, 79, died of heart disease Jan. 30. In 1953, he and his three brothers couldn't wait to get out of St. Louis. They beat a path to downtown San Francisco with its big Navy presence and cooked up the sub theme. Business rose faster than a surfacing boat, and the boys  Jimmy was only 21  loved the booze, women and money.

"All single guys, and they were having the time of their lives," Mike said.

That bar relocated to nearby Hunters Point. When the shipyard there closed, it was on to Vallejo, where customer Terry Atkins, now of Bremerton, remembers accidentally leaving $200 on a table. Jimmy returned it the next day.

"That just shows you the kind of guy he was," Atkins said.

In Vallejo, Jimmy started Mike behind the bar, baiting the 21-year-old with a promise no young man could refuse.

"All the women you can have, all the booze you can drink and all the money you can steal without me catching you."

It took.

But Mike was frustrated with his dad's old ways. Jimmy ran bar tabs instead of installing an ATM, and he wouldn't accept credit cards.

"We went round and round and round," Mike said.

He struck out on his own, opening a Horse and Cow in Point Loma, Calif. Like the other Horse and Cows, booze plus sailors equaled money.

Eventually, dad and son gave up the Horse and Cows in California and headed to Bremerton, once again trailing after the subs.

Mike opened the Horse and Cow Northlake Way around 2001. Dad was retired.

Six hundred people would come Friday and Saturday nights, many lined up outside waiting to get in.

"I couldn't keep up with it," he said.

Said "sub dude" Brian Louderback, now stationed in Hawaii, "It was our bar, and it always meant a lot to me."

One entertaining drink was the upside-down margarita, where the drinker is arched over the bar on his back, and the ingredients poured directly into his mouth. The entire drinker is shaken.

But neighbors hated the noise and the drunks and pressed for and got a parking ban in 2002 on some of the roads there. The Bar-muda Triangle bars, led by the Horse and Cow, floated around the top of the list for excessive DUIs. Law enforcement, county and liquor-control leaders were in hot pursuit. But it was the "master chief mafia" at Bangor who told their sailors that one DUI from the Horse and Cow and they were done that caused Mike to lose a third of his sailor business. He sold to manager Jim Stoddard.

In 2007, Mike opened a Horse and Cow in Guam, the "Wild West" with few regulations and nothing but welcomes. Business quickly grew to three times what it was in Bremerton.

"I went over there and it was nuts," he said.

Before Mike's son Jeremy turned 21, Mike made him a promise he couldn't refuse. If he learned the business, he'd have "all the women you can have, all the booze you can drink and all the money you can steal without me catching you."

It took. He's 24 and running the Guam bar.

And like Jimmy who was too set in his ways to run a modern bar, it's now Mike who's feeling like a "dinosaur" and who can't relate to the young people who Jeremy can.

But before he retires, he plans to open a Horse and Cow this year on Oahu, in 2013 in downtown Bremerton and San Diego after that. Those will have the same theme, but be more upscale to appeal to today's trends, according to Mike. He declined to say where near the downtown Bremerton waterfront he has in mind.

And Jeremy, if he wants to, might consider places like Kings Bay, Ga., and Groton, Conn., in the future.

Three generations of bar owners, two of them fading in their time, not afraid to argue over business, never failing to be family.

"It had nothing to do with the family, and our love for each other," Mike said.

Jimmy dropped by the Bremerton Horse and Cow as long as he could.

"Even to the last days, he loved the camaraderie. He loved to be around them all the time."
SHARE Anya Fogel

By Christina Henry of the Kitsap Sun

SOUTH KITSAP  Don't look for Anya Fogel on Facebook or Instagram. The Marcus Whitman Junior High School ninth-grader has way too much else on her plate.

While carrying a full load including Advanced Placement and honors classes, Fogel, 15, produced a 10-minute documentary on the history of the birth control pill.

The not-for-credit effort earned her a slot in the National History Day competition, which is June 12-16 in College Park, Maryland. Fogel and her parents will take some time to tour the nation's capital while in the neighborhood.

Fogel presented "The Birth Control Pill: Scientific Exploration and the Exchange of Ideals" to a panel of judges April 23 at Green River Community College for Washington State History Day. The video earned second place in the individual documentary division for ninth- through 12th-graders, with two slots per division awarded a trip to D.C.

Fogel was among 18 students in South Kitsap's highly capable program from all three of the district's junior highs to participate in the state level competition. The 18 had placed in March at a regional competition at Olympic College.

Kaitlyn Wright, of John Sedgwick Junior High School, placed third for her historical essay "Coming Out of the Bubble: The Treaty of Kanagawa, the Harris Treaty, and their Effects on Japan." Wright was a runner-up for heading to nationals.

Fogel in seventh and eighth grade earned runner-up awards at the state competition.

"I wanted to break my streak this year," she said.

Earlier topics she tackled were David Koresh and the Branch Davidians' deadly standoff with authorities in 1993 in Waco, Texas, and the 1984 Bhopal, India, chemical plant disaster.

Fogel stepped up her game with the birth control pill documentary, which she worked on from November through March. She even got an email interview with Alexander Sanger, grandson of early 20th century women's reproductive rights activist Margaret Sanger, who died in 1966.

Fogel's entries in the history competition the previous two years were part of the district's highly capable program. The assigned topic was "exploration, encounter and exchange." Although Fogel wasn't required in any of her classes this year to do a History Day project, she wanted to revisit the theme and take it in an unexpected direction.

While many students focused on geographic exploration, Fogel zeroed in on medical exploration. She considered writing about the polio vaccine or organ transplants but eventually chose the pill.

"I wanted to do something that was unusual," she said. "I followed development of the birth control pill in the mid-20th century and got into its effects on societal dynamics, which are really unparalleled."

The documentary traces development of the pill, including Margaret Sanger's collaboration with biologist and researcher Gregory Pincus, who codeveloped the pill.

The pill was initially distributed in 1958 as a treatment for gynecological disorders, Fogel notes. By 1965, it was the most common form of contraception. But it remained controversial, facing objections from the Catholic Church and social conservatives who predicted it would lead to widespread immorality.

Fogel's family is Catholic. In the documentary, she notes that even in the 1960s many within the Catholic Church were in favor of the pill.

"The most obvious (impact) is it allowed women to stop having unwanted children. They were able to enter the workforce," Fogel said. "Overall, it really is an equity thing, because unwanted children, well, it can really mess everything up, especially for young mothers."

Although high school graduation still is a few years away for Fogel, she wrestles with what she might like to do afterward.

"That's a tough question. I have way too many interests," she said. "I'd like to go into music, but realistically, I'll probably end up doing something with medicine. Surgery in particular interests me but so does research in general."

All of which explains her absence from social media.

"I suppose I've never seen the point or had any interest in it," she said. "And I'm too busy with everything else to bother."
SHARE Larry Seaquist

By Ed Friedrich of the Kitsap Sun

Former four-term state Rep. Larry Seaquist announced he won't pursue the run for state superintendent of public instruction that he had announced earlier this year but instead will seek a return to the Legislature representing the 26th District.

The Gig Harbor Democrat represented the district for eight years before being defeated in 2014 by Republican Michelle Caldier. Randy Spitzer, a Democrat from Port Orchard, said he would challenge Caldier, of Port Orchard, though he hasn't yet filed.

Nobody had come forward to face Rep. Jesse Young, R-Gig Harbor, for the other seat, before Seaquist changed his plans.

"The House leadership came to me Sunday and said we appreciate what you're trying to do statewide," Seaquist said Tuesday morning. "Would you consider doing it from the Legislature, and inviting me to come back and run for the House. I said that's an interesting idea. I always enjoyed being a legislator. I've been running around the state saying there's a power vacuum in the Legislature. If I have a an opportunity to exercise legislative leadership on education and McCleary, that makes sense to me."

He said that if elected, his focus would be on education and the importance of meeting the constitutional requirements for fully funding schools.

In the 23rd District, Rep. Sherry Appleton, D-Poulsbo, attracted two opponents  Republican Loretta Byrnes, of Poulsbo, and Democrat Jack Carroll, of Port Gamble.

Both 35th District incumbents now have foes. Independent Democrat Craig Patti, of Allyn, filed to run against Drew MacEwen, R-Union; and Democrat Irene Bowling, of Silverdale, will face Dan Griffey, R-Allyn.

Republican Steve McLaughlin is the third person to file for the state commissioner of public lands seat being vacated by Peter Goldmark, who is not seeking a third term.

People running for elected office in the state must file this week. For a list of candidates running so far in Kitsap County, click here.
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By John Crisp

Everyone won't agree on this, by any means, but I'm glad that President Obama will be making a stop at Hiroshima during his imminent trip to Japan.

I'm less concerned about whether such a visit would look like an apology to Japan than I am about our willingness to use the brutal deaths of many thousands of people as part of an argument, 71 years later, about who was right and who was wrong.

That fact is, the mass destruction of a large civilian population, such as the one that occurred at Hiroshima, ought to be considered  and commemorated  apart from the political and military circumstances in which it occurred.

I decline to take a position on whether Hiroshima was justified or necessary, or whether the deaths of 140,000 mostly non-combatant civilians balances with the many thousands or hundreds of thousands of American and Japanese lives that would probably have been lost during an invasion of Japan.

Ghastly calculations such as this one distract from the breathtaking event itself. On Aug. 6, 1945, the Enola Gay, a B-29 based in Tinian, reached Hiroshima after a six-hour flight and dropped "Little Boy," a small atomic bomb by today's standards, at 8:15 a.m.

The bomb detonated about 2,000 feet above the city's center. The classic account of the explosion's impact is in John Hersey's short book, "Hiroshima," published in 1946. Hersey interviewed survivors of the blast and recounted the stories of six of them, ordinary people attending to ordinary tasks on an ordinary day.

In some respects, Hiroshima was an experiment. During the war, the city had been largely spared from bomb damage, and the atomic bomb itself had been rushed through development. No one could be certain precisely what would happen when it was used for the first time against a target.

But even the comparatively small "Little Boy" was surprisingly effective: the city's center was essentially flattened; 80,000 people were killed almost immediately; within a few months the death toll reached 140,000; and after another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki a few days later, the long war with Japan came to an end.

And who's to say this wasn't a fitting ending to our global history's most brutal and destructive war?

Hiroshima gets special consideration because of the first use of the atomic bomb, but it wasn't the most destructive episode of the war, even for a single air raid. On March 9, 1945, 300 B-29s dropped 1,665 tons of incendiary bombs on Tokyo, producing an immense firestorm that killed, by some estimates, 200,000 people.

When it comes to mass destruction of civilians, the Japanese, of course, aren't entirely innocent. In a prequel to World War II, during six weeks in 1937, Japanese soldiers killed an estimated 300,000 unarmed Chinese civilians in Nanking.

In fact, given enough time, the human capacity for the destruction of other humans is impressive. During World War II, the Nazis killed six million Jews. As the time frame gets longer and the numbers get higher, estimates of the destruction get hazier: Over the several centuries of the "conquest" of North America by Europeans, the death toll for American Indians soars into the uncountable tens of millions.

My point isn't that all of these genocides were necessarily equivalent.

But at the time the destruction was being carried out, it had a rationale, whether good or bad, and few of the perpetrators were spending much time wondering if their actions, decades or centuries later, would be something that future generations would regret or need to apologize for.

As much as anything, Hiroshima says that we should be careful with the enormous destructive capacity that lies at our fingertips, which is why presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's cavalier attitude toward the proliferation and use of nuclear weapons is particularly worrisome.

So, yes, I'm happy that President Obama is visiting Hiroshima. If the opportunity arises, so should Donald Trump. And Hillary Clinton.

So should we all.
The Herald reports:

The Government is set to confirm plans next month to force councils to unlock more land for housing.

Housing Minister Nick Smith told TVNZs Q+A this morning that he would be upping the ante on increasing housing supply, in particular in Auckland.

Next month I will be producing a national policy directive under the [Resource Management Act] that will put far tougher requirements on growing councils to ensure they are freeing up long-term the land that is required so that we dont get into the sort of juggernaut that has been at the core of the unaffordable housing problems in Auckland.

The Government was pulling every lever it had to increase supply, he said, and progress had been made on plans to build houses on surplus Crown land in Auckland.

Several contracts with developers would be announced in the next few weeks, and he expected the first house to be built on this land before the end of the year.

Around $52 million in funding for the scheme had been exhausted, and further funding was expected to be confirmed in this months Budget.

Dr Smith also told Q+A that Aucklands Unitary Plan was hugely important for ramping up housing supply in the city.

If were going to solve the problem in Auckland, it cant be the sort of binary choice  is it up or is it out? Its actually both.
The Guardian reports:

Isabelle Attard, a French MP from Normandy, stood outside the French parliament flanked by dozens of protesting female politicians and feminist campaigners. Armed with placards and loudspeakers, they demanded an end to a dangerous French taboo: the everyday groping, harassment, sexist comments and sexual assault that women are still subjected to in parliament by male politicians.

We can no longer stay silent, Attard said. Women must feel able to speak out. Riot police stood by on the sidelines. 

Attard, 46, an independent MP in Calvados, is one of eight women who came forward this week with allegations against the Green MP and deputy speaker of parliament, Denis Baupin, ranging from harassment to sexual assault.

Between 2012 and 2013, Baupin allegedly sent Attard and other MPs barrages of lewd daily text messages in parliament, ranging from I like it when you cross your legs like that to proposing during meetings that she become his lover or texting her that he liked it when she resisted.

Sandrine Rousseau, 44, an economist and spokesperson for the Green party, Europe Ecologie Les Verts (EELV), told an investigation by Mediapart and France Inter radio that during a party meeting, Baupin had cornered her in a corridor, pinned her against the wall, held her breasts and tried to kiss her by force.

Elen Debost, another politician in the party, allegedly received about 100 messages of serious sexual harassment from Baupin such as: I am on the train and Id like to sodomise you wearing thigh-high boots. Baupin resigned this week as deputy speaker of parliament and a judicial preliminary inquiry was opened. His lawyer vehemently denied what he called mendacious, defamatory and baseless charges.
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SMOKIES & SCIENCE

Discover Life in America, together with Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will offer Discover Science at Sugarlands the third Friday each month through October.

"The series is designed to provide an inside look at the unusual and important biodiversity found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park," said DLIA Executive Director Todd Witcher.

The Friday, May 20, program features "Salamanders of the Park" with program leader John Byrd from 1-3 p.m. The program begins with a slide show, followed by a short hike in search of some of the 30 species of salamanders that reside in the park.

Registration is required at 865-430-4757 or www.dlia.org.

Additional DSAS dates are June 17, July 15, Aug. 19, Sept. 16 and Oct. 21, with topics to include "Pollinators in Trouble," "Synchronous Fireflies," "Climate Change and the Smokies" and "Changing Colors: Why Do Leaves Change?"

BEER & SCIENCE

Scientists come out of labs and into breweries to share their research in three venues over three nights as part of the Pint of Science global festival, hosted in Knoxville May 23-25. Speakers will give talks on neuroscience, supercomputing, 3D printing, herpetology and more.

Knoxville is one of 14 cities in the U.S. participating this year. Saw Works Brewing Company, Crafty Bastard Brewery, and Last Days of Autumn Brewing Company will each host two speakers every night from 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $5 per night and are available at pintofscience.us/events/Knoxville. Knox Brew Tours will provide a shuttle from The Casual Pint of Downtown, sponsor of the event, to each venue from 5-6:30 p.m. and back from 9-10:30 p.m. for an additional $5 per person.

More info: knoxville@pintofscience.us.

SCIENCE & MORE

Wilderness Wildlife Week kicks off Wednesday, May 18. in Pigeon Forge and runs through Sunday, May 22. Learn about bears and trout, hone your nature photography skills, discover your artistic side, and even meet President Franklin Roosevelt  all for free. There are more than 250 programs at the LeConte Center at Pigeon Forge plus 40 hikes, field trips and excursions into the national park and surrounding areas.

Roosevelt appears courtesy of actor Gary Stamm. Stamm's keynote program on May 18, "A Fireside Chat with FDR: Celebrating a Century of the National Park Service," will recall Roosevelt's dedication of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1940.

Other evening programs include "Heaven and Nature Sing," a presentation from Wilderness Wildlife Week creator Ken Jenkins; Dr. Bill Bass about the University of Tennessee's famous "Body Farm"; and "Tales From Lost," recollections from retired back-country ranger Dwight McCarter about searches for people lost in the wilderness.

Info: MyPigeonForge.com and 800-251-9100.
FAKE CAKE: Gay pastor apologizes to Whole Foods about 'fag' cake 17 May, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |

AUSTIN, Texas (Christian Examiner)  Jordan Brown, the gay pastor of the welcoming and affirming Church of Open Doors in Austin  a church that allows homosexual members and approves of their lifestyle  has publicly admitted that his claim of purchasing a cake with a gay slur on it from an Austin grocery store was a hoax.

The pastor, who sued Whole Foods Market after he claimed in a video April 14 that he ordered a personalized cake at the store only to find that it had been inscribed with the phrase "Love Wins Fag," issued a statement clearing the grocer of any wrongdoing.

In the statement, an apology without an admission of responsibility for actually altering the cake, Brown said the company had "done nothing wrong."

We're very pleased that the truth has come to light. Given Mr. Brown's apology and public admission that his story was a complete fabrication, we see no reason to move forward with our counter suit to defend the integrity of our brand and team members

"I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story. I want to apologize to Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the company's commitment to its values, and especially the bakery associate who I understand was put in a terrible position because of my actions. I apologize to the LGBT community for diverting attention from real issues. I also want to apologize to my partner, my family, my church family, and my attorney," Brown said in a statement.

Although Brown did not disclose why he chose to craft his story or describe the means he used set his plan in motion, his apology was sufficient for the offended party  Whole Foods Market. In a brief statement, the company said it was glad the incident was over and that it did not plan to pursue the matter further:

"We're very pleased that the truth has come to light. Given Mr. Brown's apology and public admission that his story was a complete fabrication, we see no reason to move forward with our counter suit to defend the integrity of our brand and team members," the statement said.

When Brown went public with his claim about the cake with the gay slur  with tears, and flanked by his family and attorney  Whole Foods Market immediately filed a counter suit. The company argued its corporate culture made such an incident highly unlikely.

The company also had a secret weapon or two in its arsenal. Within hours of the story gaining traction in the media, the grocer issued a statement claiming the baker who prepared the cake was a member of the "LGBT community." It then released the surveillance video of Brown purchasing the cake.

"Mr. Brown admits that he was in sole possession and control of the cake until he posted his video, which showed the UPC label on the bottom and side of the box," the company's statement said. When the cake left the store, however, the UPC label was on the top of the box, where it was scanned by a cashier.

Brown has not posted to his church's Facebook page since April 18 when the scandal broke. His sermon for the day, "Growing in a Dark Place," with content related to the chain of events surrounding the cake hoax, has also been removed from YouTube.
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By Mary Constantine, constantinem@knoxville.com

A limited number of tickets are still available for Chef Tim Love's "Feast for the Farmers" benefit dinner to be held 6-9 p.m. Sunday, May 22. Love is the owner of Lonesome Dove Western Bistro which will be opening soon at the former Patrick Sullivan Saloon location.

On the table to greet guests will be rattlesnake sausage with serrano rosti and creme fraiche and crispy beef tendons with Bad Ass Rub. The first course will feature escolar crudo with avocado, margarita ice and chili oil, with the second course being rabbit shepherd's pie. Beef tenderloin with local mushrooms, crispy collards, salsify and candied grapes will be the main course with butterscotch budino with salted caramel and whipped cream for dessert. The meal will be served with beverage pairings

The dinner will be served al fresco with tables lining the center of North Central Street between Jackson and Willow Avenues. Cost is $263.90 which includes tax and gratuity. Order tickets online at http://cheftimlove.com/feast/
In this Nov. 1, 2015 file photo, Doris Roberts arrives at the Hollywood Film Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. Roberts, who played the endlessly meddling mother on CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond," was remembered Monday as a tireless actress, a loyal friend and someone who could make even a monster on TV be adored. Roberts died April 17 at age 90. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

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By Mark Kennedy, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP)  Actress Doris Roberts, who played the endlessly meddling mother on CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond," was remembered Monday as a tireless actress, a loyal friend and someone who could make even a monster on TV be adored.

"Here's how good she was: She played the most intrusive, overbearing, noisy woman  always starting fights and whatnot and meddling in our business  and yet when I asked the fans who their favorite character was, all the time it was her," said Ray Romano, who played her TV son. "She was so good at portraying the love that was underneath."

The public memorial tribute was held at the Ambassador Theatre, where she appeared in 1972 in "The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild" with Maureen Stapleton. Roberts died April 17 at age 90.

The speakers also included CBS head Les Moonves, "Everyone Loves Raymond" creator Phil Rosenthal, "Frasier" star David Hyde Pierce and Michael Cannata, the actress' son. Messages were read by playwright Terrence McNally and actress Tyne Daly, and Barbara Cook sang "Here's to Life."

Roberts won four Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Marie Barone on "Everybody Loves Raymond," receiving a total of seven nominations as best supporting actress for the sitcom, which ran for nine years.

Romano called her "the MVP of our cast" and a "second mom" who would kindly go over and whisper "fabulous" to him after acting scenes in which he felt vulnerable.

Moonves told a story of when Roberts was in a contractual dispute over salary. She called him one night with a simple request: "Darling," she said, "Do the right thing." Moonves, a tough negotiator, instantly caved.

Roberts also was known for her role in the 1980s TV detective series "Remington Steele." She appeared in a variety of movies, including "The Rose," ''The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" and "Madea's Witness Protection."

The actress began her stage career on Broadway in the 1950s, amassing credits that eventually included Neil Simon's "The Last of the Red Hot Lovers" and McNally's "Bad Habits."

Roberts lent her energy for children affected by AIDS, always stopped to sign autographs, took acting classes until she was 89 and will have four movies out this year. "She never stopped," Romano said. "She would shame us with her energy and drive."

Pierce, a friend since 1992, said she was a fiercely loyal. He recalled one Emmy Awards in which he was up against "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Brad Garrett for best supporting actor. Roberts was sitting behind Garrett and was captured on film stunned and mouthing the word "What?" when Pierce's name was called as the winner.

"Everyone was putting on their pretend faces but Doris never put on a pretend face," he said. "I will always love her for the candor and family loyalty. Also, I want to say, Doris, that was the exact reaction I had when they told me you were gone."'
SHARE Daniel Ray Sands

By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel

This senior judge might not grasp the terminology of digital communication, but he made clear Monday that he knows old-fashioned witness intimidation when he sees it.

No one sought to correct Senior U.S. District Judge Leon Jordan when, in an unusual case of obstruction of justice via social media, the judge referred to Facebook messages and memes as "email" since the delivery method Daniel Ray Sands, 32, chose to threaten a witness against his drug-trafficking father did not matter under the law.

The terminology didn't matter to Jordan.

"This is obstruction of justice," Jordan told Sands. "It's what it is. We need to send a message to others that if you do the crime, you do the time."

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With that, Jordan sentenced Sands to 37 months in a federal prison.

"You must not interfere with the judicial process," Jordan told Sands. "It's a serious crime. Most witnesses don't want to come to court in the first place."

Sands' case is among a handful of social media threat cases prosecuted in U.S. District for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and the first to involve a witness in a federal trial. Sands' father, Leonard Sands, was standing trial last November for his role in a large-scale distribution network in East Tennessee involving more than 200 pounds of a form of methamphetamine known as "ice" when the younger Sands sent a witness a Facebook message promising to "pay back the favor" for the betrayal of his father. The younger Sands also posted memes depicting violence against "snitches."

The witness was already in protective custody because he had earlier been beaten and his house ransacked after members of the drug conspiracy learned he was cooperating with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. His attackers in those two incidents have not yet been arrested.

Defense attorney Karmen Waters argued Monday that Daniel Sands had no role in the earlier attacks on the witness. In urging a lighter sentence, she noted he made no direct threat and could not have carried it out anyway because the DEA was protecting the witness.

"I don't want to suggest this isn't serious," Waters said. "But I would argue what he said versus (traditional witness intimidation) where you've got people threatening to break legs or threatening to kill family is different."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kolman countered that any threat to a witness hinders efforts to prosecute criminals, particularly in drug cases in which witnesses are already fearful of being labeled a snitch.

"If people are threatened, I don't care if it's verbal or physical, that needs to be dealt with," Kolman said.

Leonard Sands was convicted a day after his son's Facebook threats and is serving a 27-year prison term.
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By News Sentinel Staff

The Knox County Sheriff's Office Vice Unit and Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission issued several citations last week to businesses who sold alcohol to an underage person, authorities said.

Law enforcement officers conducted the sting on May 11 at a total of 26 businesses in Knox County and the town of Farragut, according to a release from the Sheriff's Office.

Authorities issued five citations at four businesses for the alleged sale of alcohol to someone under age 21.

Of the businesses that were cited, the majority requested identification from the underage individual but sold the alcohol anyway.

The businesses that were cited were:

I Love NY Pizza, Kingston Pike;

Karns Food Market, Oak Ridge Highway;

Slappy's BBQ, Raccoon Valley Road;

Horn of Plenty, Middlebrook Pike (cited twice).

Authorities said they want businesses to understand that they take selling alcohol to underage people seriously. They hope the stings sends a message to business owners, clerks and servers to check IDs and refuse sale to people under age 21, especially during high school prom and graduation season when teens are more likely to be drinking alcohol.

More details at they develop online and in Tuesday's News Sentinel.
SHARE Kara McCammon

By News Sentinel Staff

KNOXVILLE  A Knox County woman has been charged with TennCare fraud involving doctor shopping to obtain controlled substances, authorities said Monday.

Kara Leanne McCammon, 31, of Knoxville has been charged with four counts of fraudulently using TennCare to doctor shop for the painkillers Hydrocodone and oxycodone, using TennCare as payment, according to a release from the Office of Inspector General.

TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures.

To date, 2,626 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.
New officeholders like Court Clerk Mike Hammond and Criminal Court Division III Judge Scott Green, left, met with local attorneys to inform them of changes in their departments at the City-County Building on Oct. 1, 2014.(MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)

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By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel

In an aggressive response to a pair of identical age discrimination lawsuits, Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond contends the two fired women acted as ringmasters over a "circus" atmosphere surrounding the handling of domestic violence cases.

Two veteran supervisors over Knox County 4th Circuit Court fired a few months after Hammond took office in 2014 have filed age discrimination lawsuits in U.S. District Court. In identically worded lawsuits filed by attorney Jeffrey C. Taylor, Jean Smathers, 66, and Debra Sewell, 60, contend they were the oldest  and among the highest paid  staffers under Hammond's command and were fired in January 2015 so he could replace them with younger employees with leaner paychecks.

PDF: Jean Smathers' age discrimination lawsuit

PDF: Debra Sewell 's age discrimination lawsuit

PDF: Knox County's answer to the age discrimination lawsuits by court clerks

"Hammond singled out (Smathers and Sewell) because of their ages and terminated their employment on the same date and during the same meeting because of their age," Taylor wrote.

The Knox County Law Department, which represents Hammond, typically files what are known as "answers" to lawsuits with blanket statements of denial of whatever claims are being made and demands for "strict proof." But the answer filed in this case devotes an entire section to what the department called the "dysfunctional" operation of 4th Circuit Court under Smathers and Sewell.

"Knox County denies that (the women's) work performance was satisfactory or was undeserving of reprimand or criticism," the answer stated. "(The women) were supervisors of the 4th Circuit Court staff, which was unorganized, mismanaged, not trained properly, very unprofessional, extraordinarily inefficient and prohibitively expensive."

Fourth Circuit Court is under the umbrella of the Knox County Criminal Court clerk's office. Divorces involving children are handled there, as well as orders of protection in which a litigant claims to be battered or harassed and in need of a restraining order.

The court has long been a source of complaints for City County Building security, particularly on what have been dubbed "order of protection days" in which both sides in protective order cases are scheduled to appear in court. On those days, that section of the building was often packed with people.

Former Judge Bill Swann grew so frustrated he once ordered opposing litigants to wear colored armbands. He abandoned that when a Jewish judge complained of a resemblance to similar banding during the Holocaust.

In August 2014, a new judge was elected, and Hammond won the Criminal Court clerk's post after allegations of mismanagement by his predecessor, Joy McCroskey.

Hammond, via the law department's answer, contends Smathers and Sewell were the cause of much of the problems.

"The Fourth Circuit's orders of protection hearing days were called the 'Fourth Circus,' " the answer stated. "The Fourth Circuit Clerk's office was disorganized to such a degree that tensions were heightened in the mezzanine area of the City County Building, and fights between litigants regularly broke out."

The answer also alleges the women gave "attorneys and advocates run of the office" and files, allowed them to use the copiers for free and to take files from the office in violation of state law.

"There was a lack of leadership," the answer stated.

But Taylor contends in the two lawsuits Hammond never aired any complaints about job performance with either woman before or during their terminations.

"(Hammond) started taking employees significantly younger than (Smathers and Sewell) from other offices within the Criminal Court clerk's office to train in court, help at the counter and other duties within the 4th Circuit Court," the lawsuits stated. "(Smathers and Sewell) through decades of satisfactory job performance had shown (they) were qualified and capable."

The county also denies Smathers and Sewell were the eldest employees on staff. Both sides in the cases have agreed to combine the two lawsuits. A trial date has not been set.

The women are each seeking $500,000 in punitive damages as well as lost wages. Each woman earned $82,000 annually, roughly $30,000 more than the highest paid clerk now working in Fourth Circuit Court, according to the litigation.
SHARE Lee Cromwell (Anderson County Sheriff's Office)

By Bob Fowler of the Knoxville News Sentinel

CLINTON  An Oak Ridge man who allegedly backed his pickup at high speed through a parking lot filled with people leaving a July 4 fireworks show, killing one and injuring 11, has been named in a 17-count indictment returned by an Anderson County grand jury.

Lee Harold Cromwell, 65, remains free on $100,000 bond and is to be arraigned May 27 in Anderson County Criminal Court.

He was indicted on a charge of vehicular homicide, reckless homicide, criminally negligent homicide, 12 counts of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and driving on a suspended license.

James Robinson, 37, of Knoxville, one of about 200 people in front of the Midtown Community Center off Oak Ridge Turnpike, died after he was struck by Cromwell's Dodge Ram while pushing his older daughter, Jaide, out of the way of the approaching vehicle.

Robinson's widow and his two daughters are among the aggravated assault victims listed on the indictments, returned by the grand jury May 3 and made public Monday.

Several of those injured were taken by ambulance to area hospitals while others who sustained bruises and abrasions were either treated at the scene or didn't require medical attention. Victims as well as others at the scene, 10 Oak Ridge Police Department employees and three Tennessee Bureau of Investigation workers are listed as potential state witnesses.

Two of those allegedly injured in the incident, Michael and Elizabeth Eldridge, in March filed a $450,000 lawsuit against Cromwell. The complaint contends the Eldridges were sitting in the bed and tailgate of their vehicle when Cromwell negligently drove his truck into theirs.

According to arrest warrants, Cromwell, after striking the first vehicle, "looked around at the crowed (sic) that was telling him to stop, and then continued in reverse at a high rate of speed." Other vehicles that he struck were pushed into spectators, police said.

Cromwell at first said he would remain silent after he was read his rights but then said "his vehicle's throttle stuck and that he simply lost control of his vehicle," the warrants state.

Police had the vehicle evaluated and said there was reportedly no defects in the throttle. The warrants stated there were no recalls of the pickup that involved the throttle.

During Cromwell's preliminary hearing in January, Cromwell's attorney, Jim Scott, said the state was "trying to prove a crime out of a tragedy."

"The accident was a tragedy for all involved, including Mr. Cromwell," Scott said Monday. "I don't believe the state has the requisite level of scientific evidence to maintain a viable criminal action against my client in front of a jury."

Cromwell in the past has denied the "corporate existence" of the United States. After he received a speeding ticket in May 2014, Cromwell sent a notarized letter to City Court in which he referred to himself as "Lee-Harold: of the Family Cromwell."

The letter included a $1 bill as settlement of the speeding ticket. When he didn't appear in court on that citation, he was found guilty and his license was suspended.
Jennifer Mullins receives her diploma from Dr. Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium on Monday. Mullins transferred to the academy because she did not think she would graduate after her first two years of high school. (Shawn Millsaps/Special to News Sentinel)

SHARE Jennifer Mullins, right, poses for a picture with her mother, Tonya Mullins, left, after her graduation from the Dr. Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy on Monday. (Shawn Millsaps/Special to News Sentinel) Jennifer Mullins waits to be seated with her graduating class from the Dr. Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy during commencement ceremonies the Knoxville Civic Auditorium on Monday. (Shawn Millsaps/Special to News Sentinel)

By MJ Slaby of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Jennifer Mullins isn't finished with her education just yet.

She'll enroll in the cosmetology program at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Knoxville this fall. And after that, she wants to be the first person in her family to graduate college with a bachelor's degree.

And Monday was the first step  graduating high school.

It was something that almost didn't happen, and something the 18-year-old said she didn't think she'd be able to do on time.

Mullins was one of about 100 students who graduated from the Dr. Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy on Monday, the first day of graduation ceremonies for Knox County Schools.

The Kelley Academy, located in Knoxville Center mall, is unlike the other high schools in the district. Enrolling high school seniors in danger of dropping out, the academy is a "school of second chances," said Daphne Odom, executive director of the school system's Office of Innovation.

She said it's a school that offers opportunity and flexibility to students if traditional high school doesn't fit them.

And the Kelley Academy is about to get a boost from the school district with more space, an added math teacher and expansion of the social worker position from part-time to full time.

At the May school board meeting, members approved an Office of Innovation proposal that closed the district's adult high school and shifted resources to the academy.

The change was about putting resources into prevention so graduation numbers would increase and fewer students would need to earn a high school degree later in life, Odom said, adding the goal is for students at the academy to graduate on time or a semester late. The added resources would allow the academy to enroll 20 more students, according to the proposal approved by the school board.

Adults who need to finish high school would still be able to attend the adult education program, which is separate from the adult high school. That program has moved from the school district to the applied technology college.

Mullins first attended Halls High as a freshman and transferred to Karns High during her sophomore year. She said she struggled through classes her first two years of high school, especially math where she failed several courses. And she knew that if she stayed at Karns, she wouldn't graduate on time.

So Mullins brought up the Kelley Academy to her guidance counselor last school year and was able to enroll for the spring semester of her senior year. She said the shorter school days and individualized pace, along with more help from the academy teachers, helped her to finish on track. And the teachers really care about each student, Mullins added.

Odom agreed and said the teachers at the Kelley Academy are incredibly flexible to different learning styles and abilities. "And they truly believe that every student that walks in will graduate," she said.

Mullins said her mom, who earned her GED, supported her transfer to the academy and wanted her daughter to have "every opportunity to make something of myself."

Mullins said she plans to use the Tennessee Promise program, a last-dollar scholarship that allows two years of free community or technical college, to enroll at TCAT before continuing her postsecondary studies.

As she finished the morning practice for Monday's graduation ceremony, she said it was surreal that school was ending.

But it made her proud.

"It feels pretty good," Mullins said. "I feel pretty accomplished."
Jason Dahl, 38, a pilot with Smoky Mountain Helicopters, was killed April 4, 2016 while flying on a sightseeing tour in Pigeon Forge. (credit: Facebook)

SHARE Michael Mastalez.

By News Sentinel Staff

The pilot in a fatal helicopter crash last month in Sevier County had no alcohol or drugs in his blood, an autopsy report showed.

On Monday, Sevier County released the autopsy results in the April 4 crash that killed five, including pilot Jason Dahl.

The autopsy, performed by the Regional Forensic Center in Knoxville, detected "no alcohol, drugs or abuse or prescription medication" in Dahl's blood, nor did it list a medical reason he might have lost control of the Bell 206 Long Ranger sightseeing helicopter he was piloting for Smoky Mountain Helicopters when it crashed and burned on a wooded ridge off Rainbow Road behind a Pigeon Forge outlet mall. The 38-year-old pilot had a small amount of caffeine in his system, the report said.

The report said Dahl was found, badly burned, 20 feet from the crash site. It noted a video that showed he was alive after the crash but died at the scene from burns and abdominal bleeding.

The crash also killed his passengers, Johna Morvant, 49, visiting from North Carolina; her two grown children, daughter Peyton Rasmussen, 22, and son Parker Rasmussen, 18; and Peyton Rasmussen's boyfriend, 21-year-old Michael Glenn Mastalez of Texas.

According to autopsies, Mastalez and Peyton and Parker Rasmussen died from the fire, which burned for five days on the ridge. Morvant likely died of blunt trauma to the head and was burned afterward, the report said.

Dental records were used to positively identify Morvant, Mastalez and Parker Rasmussen, it said.

Luke Schiada, National Transportation Safety Board senior safety investigator, said other pilots in the area reported Dahl did not appear to have made any distress calls before the crash.

A preliminary report issued April 11 said a company pilot reported flying the helicopter an estimated 10 flights on the morning of the accident. Dahl had flown the helicopter five flights that day, his logs indicated, including a four-minute flight just before the fatal trip, which was scheduled to last seven to eight minutes.

A witness who lived near the accident site said he saw the helicopter flying low, and it "didn't sound right," as if "the engine was wound tight" and it "lost the rotor sound." He then heard the engine go silent, "as if the pilot cut the power," before hearing the crash.

Schiada said it could take up to a year for the agency to determine the cause of the crash.
James Lewis waits his turn at the pool table at the Oak Ridge Senior Center in the former Daniel Arthur Rehabilitation Center. A plan to relocate the senior center in or next to the Civic Center is being discussed, along with moving the General Sessions Court into the Daniel Arthur Building. BOB FOWLER/NEWS SENTINEL)

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By Bob Fowler of the Knoxville News Sentinel

CLINTON  Under plans now in the works, part of a large former rehabilitation center in Oak Ridge would become a courtroom, and a senior center now in the rehab building would be moved to the city's Civic Center.

Anderson County commissioners endorsed the concept Monday, and the proposal was on the agenda for Tuesday night's Oak Ridge City Council workshop.

The plan: Relocate the Division II General Sessions courtroom, now on Bus Terminal Road, into the former Daniel Arthur Rehabilitation Center on Emory Valley Road. The current senior center takes up about one-third of the Daniel Arthur Building, or less than 10,000 square feet.

Factors behind the plan: Oak Ridge seniors for years have been lobbying for a new location, and county officials have been expressing concerns about the costs for leasing the courtroom building.

The former rehab center was built in 1964 and is owned by the county. A current agreement calls for the city to buy the building for $1 in about 18 months.

The city's Senior Advisory Board last winter voted the Civic Center site is the best option for a relocated senior center.

"We've had this senior center question mark for almost six years," Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said Tuesday.

Watson said he's including $50,000 in his new budget proposal for a design study of relocating the senior center. Another study of building a senior center next to the Civic Center was done in 1999.

When maintenance, utilities and taxes are factored in, the county has been paying more than $100,000 annually for the current General Sessions courtroom building, officials said.

The Daniel Arthur Building also has its drawbacks as a potential courtroom, Commissioner Chuck Fritts said during Monday's commission session.

"It's going to get more and more expensive to keep that building going," said Fritts, who referred to the structure as a "dinosaur."

County Law Director Jay Yeager said the building has been extensively rebuilt over the years.

An amendment to a private act created Anderson County's second General Sessions courtroom in Oak Ridge in 1992. The city was to provide "adequate courtroom and office facilities for the judge and support staff."

Under the concept now up for consideration, the city would meet that obligation by providing $30,000 per year to help with remodeling the Daniel Arthur Building.
home Tech Google Nexus 2016 release date, specs rumors: Device will be revealed at Google I/O with Android N?

The Google Nexus 7 2016 has been a subject of numerous rumors and speculations for the past few months all over the internet. With Google I/O Developers Conference 2016 just around the corner, reports suggest that the new Nexus 7 iteration is part of the products that will be introduced at the upcoming event.

The annual Google event is popular among tech freaks who waited for this time of the year. The event is known to showcase new Google products before their release. Rumor has it that the Google Nexus 7 2016 will be the highlight of the event this year, which has been highly anticipated by Android fanatics.

The device will be introduced along with the much-anticipated Google operating system, the Android N. There are speculations that the upcoming software will debut on the new Google tablet. However, many fans are skeptic about the idea because the company has yet to provide significant details about the new operating system.

Meanwhile, Android Central reported that there are two potential manufacturers who could produce the next Google Nexus device. According to the report, Huawei and HTC are the best candidates. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Huawei, has had a successful project with Google in the past. Rumor has it that the new Huawei 7P, which has been making a buzz lately, could end up as the Google Nexus 7 2016. However, this has yet to be confirmed by both Google and Huawei.

On the other hand, the Taiwanese tech manufacturer, HTC, has been rumored to be talking with Google for an upcoming project. According to known tipster, Evan Blass, HTC is currently developing two Google Android N devices, which are both dubbed as M1 and S1.

"HTC is building a pair of Android N devices for Google internally dubbed M1 and S1 #nexus," Blass wrote in a Twitter post.
Mountain View Youth Development Center (HAYES HICKMAN/NEWS SENTINEL)

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By News Sentinel Staff

The former security manager at Mountain View Youth Development Center has been fired for allegedly "using excessive force," state authorities said.

According to a Tennessee Department of Children's Services spokesman, Lt. Andrew Summers, who oversaw security at the Jefferson County facility under its previous superintendent, was fired Tuesday.

"An investigation substantiated a reported incident of his using excessive force at Mountain View," spokesman Rob Johnson said in an email to the News Sentinel. "We cannot comment further due to the possibility of a follow-up investigation by another agency."

The firing is the latest change at the facility that houses 46 juvenile male felony offenders.

Misty Neeley, Tennessee Department of Children's Services director of residential operations, was named acting superintendent at Mountain View on April 29 after Tommy Francis was fired after being on the job for about 90 days and accused of using a racial epithet against an inmate.

Six Mountain View staffers were injured in an incident the day after that new management team arrived following Francis' firing. Other issues included a former nurse being sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to having sexual conduct with an inmate, and a former guard being indicted on charges of statutory rape, sexual battery and official misconduct.
Entrance to the the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Gatlinburg Wednesday, Apr. 22, 2015. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)

By Morgan Simmons of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have euthanized a 400-pound male black bear believed to have bitten an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker last week at the Spence Field shelter.

Park wildlife technicians darted and tranquilized the bear near the shelter on the evening of May 13, three days after Bradely Veeder of Las Vegas was bitten on the leg by a bear while sleeping near the shelter in his tent.

After consultation with park wildlife officials, park Superintendent Cassius Cash made the decision to euthanize the bear. Meanwhile, park officials are waiting on lab results to see if DNA from the euthanized bear matches a DNA sample taken from the victim's tent shortly after the attack.

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"We recognized there is a risk of an uninvolved bear being euthanized while we wait for DNA confirmation," said park spokeswoman Dana Soehn. "The decision to euthanize an animal of any kind, especially a bear, is never made lightly."

Soehn said that as a large, dominant male, the euthanized black bear fits the profile of bears most likely to attack people. The euthanized bear also had a canine tooth injury consistent with the bite wound on the victim's leg.

Soehn said park officials also considered the fact that the bear was darted just 75 yards from where the attack occurred.

"The odds of another large, dominant male being in that area is low because bears defend their territory," she said.
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Budget compliments

Knox County Commission Chairman Dave Wright said he's not heard much from county residents in the week after the proposed 2016-17 Knox County budget was released.

"Nothing good or bad about individual line items," Wright said. "The comments I hear would be from people saying that we're doing good. We're getting good levels of service, and road paving, and funding schools and we're not having a tax increase."

Even the Commission's own budget workshop lacked any dramatic turns or deep discussion. For a meeting that has previously gone on for an hour, it was done in 25 minutes on Monday.

"I knew it was going to be easy," Commissioner Ed Brantley said after the meeting.

Sidewalk banter

Knox County Commissioner Charles Busler was pleased to hear that a sidewalk near Powell Elementary School was funded in the proposed budget.

But he also talked about the need for safety for the children who do walk to school there from surrounding neighborhoods.

It's an issue that's close to his heart  Busler was on the safety patrol back when he was in school.

"In sixth, seventh and eighth grades," he said. "Each one of us got to school early and went through the dress code, wearing your belt and having your badge."

It was his first elected office, the patrol officers were voted on by their peers.

So walking to school goes beyond just sidewalks for Busler.

"The big issue is, about walking to school, you need an appropriate safety patrol," Busler said.

Bills to become law

Gov. Bill Haslam will have to act on two controversial bills this week or they become law without his signature: the University of Tennessee diversity office bill and the resolution directing the state attorney general to sue the federal government over its refugee resettlement program.

The UT bill, HB2248, reallocates, for the 2016-17 school year only, about $436,000 in funding from the UT Knoxville office of diversity and into scholarships for minority students in engineering.

Senate Joint Resolution 467 directs the state attorney general to sue the federal government in an attempt to force the Obama administration to consult and work with state officials over the resettlement of refugees in Tennessee. And if the attorney general declines, it allows legislative leaders to retain outside counsel to represent the state at no expense.

The governor has until Friday to sign both into law or veto them -- or they become law without his signature.

A third bill on the potential veto watchlist  SB47, which reduces and ultimately repeals the state's Hall income tax  was transmitted to the Gov. Haslam Monday, starting the 10-day clock for him to act as provided for in the state constitution.
Robbin Morrison Taylor, vice president of public affairs at Western Kentucky University, answers questions during an open forum on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, at the University of Tennessee. Taylor is one of two finalists for the position of vice chancellor for communications. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL)

SHARE Stephen P. Ward

By MJ Slaby of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Robbin Morrison Taylor said recent controversies at the University of Tennessee didn't scare her away from interviewing for a role that would make her the campus's spokesperson.

"I think a lot of that is behind you," she said in a Tuesday open forum.

She added that the next challenge would be making sure everyone on campus feels comfortable, which takes time and dialogue.

Taylor, currently vice president of public affairs at Western Kentucky University, is one of two finalists for vice chancellor for communications who are visiting campus this week.

Stephen P. Ward, executive director of university communications at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, will be on campus Thursday.

The vice chancellor position is a member of Chancellor Jimmy Cheek's cabinet, acts as a spokesperson for the campus and oversees the Office for Communications and Marketing and WUOT-FM 91.9. It is the top communications and marketing position on campus.

Current Vice Chancellor Margie Nichols announced in February that she's retiring, but would stay until a successor is selected. She has been vice chancellor since 2008. According to UT, Nichols's current annual salary is $220,063.

Taylor has been in her WKU position since 2008 and her responsibilities are similar to the UT position but also include government relations, something that's done more on a system level at UT.

Several at the forum asked her about recent controversies, such as the gender-neutral pronouns and the move to have university communications oversee the website for the Office for Diversity and Inclusion.

Taylor stressed a commitment to collaboration and said she would take direction from Cheek, whom she praised for his leadership style and vision.

The vice chancellor for communications is one of two national searches for spots in the chancellor's cabinet.

In March, Susan Martin, provost and senior vice chancellor, said she was returning to the faculty this summer after seven years in campus leadership.
Gov. Bill Haslam (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

By Joel Ebert, USA TODAY NETWORK, The Tennessean

NASHVILLE  Twenty-six state senators are calling on Gov. Bill Haslam to join North Carolina's lawsuit against the federal government over the ongoing battle over transgender students' access to restrooms.

The group of lawmakers, which included every Republican in the Senate except Sens. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville, and Doug Overbey, R-Maryville, sent a letter to Haslam on Monday.

"Serving with you on behalf of our citizens, who elected us to dutifully represent our Tennessee values and principles, we write to you in support of our State joining our neighbors, in legal action if necessary opposing the Obama administration's 'decree' which denies the privacy rights of more than 99 percent of Tennesseans," they wrote.

The letter comes after the U.S. departments of education and justice announced on Friday a directive to the nation's public schools indicating that they must allow transgender students to use the restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.

The "guidance" from Washington outlines how the U.S. Department of Education intends to enforce Title IX, the federal law banning discrimination in education, in regard to the transgender restroom issue.

While the directive does not carry the force of law, because Title IX is tied to federal funding, the directive does threaten loss of federal money. "This guidance further clarifies what we've said repeatedly  that gender identity is protected under Title IX," U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. said Friday.

The announcement was met with immediate criticism and backlash from conservative lawmakers across the country, including Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who said he had no intentions of following the directive and equated it to extortion.

Also on Monday, Gov. Bill Haslam stopped short of the rhetoric directed at the Obama administration by some top officials in other states but did call the directive a "heavy-handed approach."

In their letter, the Tennessee senators said the Obama administration "must not only be stopped, but exposed as a reckless post-constitutional approach to our government."

Citing statistics from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which indicated that the state had 2,732 cases of rape, forcible sodomy and sexual assault in 2015, the lawmakers said the issue ultimately came down to public safety.

"While a microscopic group of individuals demand accommodation, the opportunism that is created for criminal predators (not within the said group receiving preference) to access their unwilling prey  women and children  is a certain consequence. The deviancy driving rapists and pedophiles has been dismissed and would most certainly impact and endanger a much larger segment of the public in an irrational fear of media criticism and opposition by a radical political activist subgroup," the letter says.

"We take this opportunity to share our view that the new guidance from the Department of Education and the President be of no legal force nor effect. We also request that you will do nothing to give it effect except in accordance with the law under the state and federal constitutions, which we are sworn to uphold," they concluded.

During the 2016 session, the Senate failed to advance a bill that would have forced students to use restrooms that correspond with their sex at birth. The House sponsor of the bill, Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet, halted the legislation in the final week of the session.
By Richard Locker of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NASHVILLE  A day after a similar letter to Gov. Bill Haslam, 33 Republican state legislators sent a harshly worded letter to state Attorney General Herbert Slatery on Tuesday asking him to "challenge the legal authority" of the federal government to enforce its directive on transgender restrooms for students.

State Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, wrote the new letter and circulated it to her colleagues for signatures. In the letter, she accuses the Obama administration of "mobocracy" and "bullying" to "accommodate students with gender identity disorder at the expense of the mentally healthy enrollment."

PDF: State Sen. Janice Bowling's letter to Attorney General Herbert Slatery

Bowling is up for re-election this year, with one opponent in the August Republican primary and two Democrats running for their party's nomination in the 16th state senatorial district of Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Van Buren and Warren counties in southeastern Middle Tennessee.

The letter was signed by 12 of her Republican colleagues in the Senate and 20 Republicans in the House of Representatives  a minority of the GOP's 28 state senators and 73 state representatives.

Slatery's office confirmed it received Bowling's letter and issued this statement from the attorney general: "Our Office is just as concerned with the joint guidance letter issued by the Education Department and the DOJ as the Governor and many state legislators are. It is the most recent, and all too familiar, example of federal agencies (not Congress) telling states and now universities and local education boards what to do. We are monitoring the predictable litigation that has resulted. To the extent that our Office can assist and advance the best interests of our State, we will do so."

On Monday, 26 of the 28 Republican state senators sent a letter to Gov. Bill Haslam urging him to join other states "in legal action if necessary" to oppose the Obama administration's action. That letter was authored and circulated by Sen. Mark Green. R-Clarksville, a likely candidate for governor in 2018.

Bowling's letter is addressed to the attorney general, who would actually file a legal challenge if one is filed. It also asks Slatery to notify all Tennessee school districts that the federal "guidance" is non-binding."

"When the constitution and/or the law do not result in the advancement of their far left social agenda, they seem to resort to their preferred tactic: bullying. Bullying through the threats of withholding the legal return of our pass through dollars and bullying through their unique deployment of mobocracy seem to be interchangeable weapons in the arsenal used to achieve assumed unilateral authority," Bowling's letter says.

It says that "the sovereign states" of North Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas have filed legal arguments "against this current federal overreach. Creating directives in the absence of legal authority of supporting laws must be challenged. In ever increasing ways, the federal administration has devolved into the antithesis of the rule of law," the letter says. "Our children's future must not be held hostage by an overreaching federal government."

Bowling told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that she's not necessarily asking the attorney general to file a lawsuit against the federal government. "But what we can do is to send letters to the Department of Education and the Department of Justice telling them that we disagree with their ability to put such directives out, that it was not in compliance with the law and actually had totally rewritten law. And that we were advising our (Local Education Agencies) to not comply," she said.

Bowling also told the newspaper that Slatery could file "friends of the court" briefs in support of North Carolina's lawsuit on the issue.

On Thursday, the U.S. departments of education and justice issued a "guidance" letter notifying public school districts across the nation how the Department of Education intends to enforce Title IX, the federal law that bars discrimination in education, in regard to the emerging transgender restroom issue. The letter says should allow transgender students to use the restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.

While the guidance letter does not carry the force of law, it does threaten the loss of federal education money because Title IX is tied to federal funding. "This guidance further clarifies what we've said repeatedly  that gender identity is protected under Title IX," U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. said Friday.

Haslam issued a statement Monday saying he disagrees with the directive and that such policies should continue to be made at the local level. But he stopped short of the angry rhetoric directed at the Obama administration by some top state officials elsewhere.

"The White House itself has said what they issued last week is not an enforcement action and does not make any additional requirements under the law. Congress has the authority to write the law, not the executive branch, and we disagree with the heavy-handed approach the Obama administration is taking," the governor's statement said. "Decisions on sensitive issues such as these should continue to be made at the local level based on the unique needs of students, families, schools and districts while working closely with the local school board counsel, understanding that this is an emerging area of law that will ultimately be settled by the courts."

---

The 33 Republican legislators who sent a letter to state Attorney General Herbert Slatery on Tuesday asking him to challenge the legal authority of the federal government to enforce its directive on transgender restrooms for students:

House

 David Alexander, Winchester

 David Byrd, Waynesboro

 Kent Calfee, Kingston

 Matthew Hill, Jonesborough

 Andy Holt, Dresden

 Dan Howell, Georgetown

 Roger Kane, Knoxville

 Sabi Kumar, Springfield

 John Lundberg, Bristol

 Judd Matheny, Tullahoma

 Mark Pody, Lebanon

 Dennis Powers, Jacksboro

 Jay Reedy, Erin

 Jerry Sexton, Bean Station

 Bryan Terry, Murfreesboro

 Micah Van Huss, Jonesborough

 Terry Lynn Weaver, Lancaster

 Ryan Williams, Cookeville

 Rick Womick, Rockvale

 Jason Zachary, Knoxville

Senate

 Speaker Ron Ramsey, Blountville

 Paul Bailey, Sparta

 Janice Bowling, Tullahoma

 Rusty Crowe, Johnson City

 Mark Green, Clarksville

 Joey Hensley, Howenwald

 Ed Jackson, Jackson

 Bill Ketron, Murfreesboro

 Randy McNally, Oak Ridge

 Frank Niceley, Strawberry Plains

 Doug Overbey, Maryville

 Jim Tracy, Shelbyville

 Bo Watson, Hixson
By Joel Ebert, USA TODAY NETWORK The Tennessean

Tennessee House Republicans are considering holding a special session in an effort to direct the attorney general to sue the federal government over the recently announced federal directive to public schools over transgender restrooms.

On Tuesday, House GOP Caucus Chairman Glen Casada sent out a survey to members in the House Republicans asking them whether they supported holding the special session.

Casada, R-Franklin, said the directive, announced on Friday, concerned him because he believes it is unconstitutional.

"I want our school systems to know that they can tell the (American Civil Liberties Union), who would bring lawsuits, or the Department of Justice, that the state of Tennessee is going to stand with them," he said, pointing out that he was not speaking on behalf of the Republican caucus.

In two hours after Casada sent out the survey, 16 out of the 22 respondents were supportive of holding a special session, he said.

Five members were "a flat no" and one was undecided, he said.

It would take two-thirds of members in both chambers  66 in the House and 22 in the Senate  to call for a special session. Republicans hold 73 seats in the House and 28 in the Senate.

Adam Kleinheider, a spokesman for Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, said he is not aware of any effort in the Senate to survey members about a special session, which Casada admitted would be unnecessary if Attorney General Herbert Slatery publicly expressed plans to oppose the directive.

On Tuesday, Slatery said his office is concerned about the new Obama administrative directive.

"Our Office is just as concerned with the joint guidance letter issued by the Education Department and the DOJ as the Governor and many state legislators are," he said in a statement. "It is the most recent, and all too familiar, example of federal agencies (not Congress) telling states and now universities and local education boards what to do. We are monitoring the predictable litigation that has resulted. To the extent that our Office can assist and advance the best interests of our State, we will do so."

Earlier in the day, 13 Senators and 20 House members  all of whom are Republicans  signed a letter that was sent to Slatery asking him to "challenge the legal authority" of the federal government to enforce its directive.

Last year, Gov. Bill Haslam called lawmakers into a special session to take on Insure Tennessee, the governor's plan to provide health care to more than 200,000 Tennesseans.

Republicans previously considered calling a special session after the Supreme Court's 2015 same-sex marriage decision.

---

The 33 Republican legislators who sent a letter to state Attorney General Herbert Slatery on Tuesday asking him to challenge the legal authority of the federal government to enforce its directive on transgender restrooms for students:

House

 David Alexander, Winchester

 David Byrd, Waynesboro

 Kent Calfee, Kingston

 Matthew Hill, Jonesborough

 Andy Holt, Dresden

 Dan Howell, Georgetown

 Roger Kane, Knoxville

 Sabi Kumar, Springfield

 John Lundberg, Bristol

 Judd Matheny, Tullahoma

 Mark Pody, Lebanon

 Dennis Powers, Jacksboro

 Jay Reedy, Erin

 Jerry Sexton, Bean Station

 Bryan Terry, Murfreesboro

 Micah Van Huss, Jonesborough

 Terry Lynn Weaver, Lancaster

 Ryan Williams, Cookeville

 Rick Womick, Rockvale

 Jason Zachary, Knoxville

Senate

 Speaker Ron Ramsey, Blountville

 Paul Bailey, Sparta

 Janice Bowling, Tullahoma

 Rusty Crowe, Johnson City

 Mark Green, Clarksville

 Joey Hensley, Howenwald

 Ed Jackson, Jackson

 Bill Ketron, Murfreesboro

 Randy McNally, Oak Ridge

 Frank Niceley, Strawberry Plains

 Doug Overbey, Maryville

 Jim Tracy, Shelbyville

 Bo Watson, Hixson
SHARE John J. Duncan Jr.

By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel

WASHINGTON  U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., the senior member of Tennessee's congressional delegation, said Tuesday he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The Knoxville Republican said the cancer was discovered six or seven months ago during a routine medical exam. Follow-up tests showed the cancer is isolated, he said, and doctors have decided at this stage no treatment is necessary.

"I don't feel sick," he said.

The U.S. Capitol physician first noticed something was amiss when a test showed Duncan's prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, was higher than usual, the congressman said. The doctor ordered a biopsy, which confirmed the cancer.

Duncan said he underwent an MRI and other follow-up tests at George Washington University Hospital, which indicated the cancer had not spread.

"I feel good," he said. "I haven't missed any work, other than to do the regular (medical) appointments."

Still, Duncan said, he took the diagnosis seriously because his father, former U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Sr., died of prostate cancer in 1988. Duncan Sr. was 69 at the time of his death, just a year older than his son is now.

Duncan said he has to schedule a follow-up visit with his physician in a few months, "but all of the indications so far have been good."

Duncan, who represents Tennessee's 2nd Congressional District, was elected to succeed his father during a special election in 1988. A social and fiscal conservative, he is probably best known outside of Tennessee for being one of only seven Republicans in Congress to vote against going to war with Iraq in 2002.

He is running for another two-year term in November.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, other than skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. One in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and about six of every 10 cases are diagnosed in men 65 or older.

Prostate cancer can be serious but is often treated successfully and is usually not a fatal diagnosis, according to the cancer society's website.
Crye-Leike expands its franchise footprint



Hank Hogue, named director of franchise sales for Crye-Leike, Realtors.





MEMPHIS - Memphis-based Crye-Leike, the nations sixth largest residential real estate brokerage firm and the largest serving Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and the Mid-South, has taken steps to grow its franchise footprint with the expansion of its franchise sales team.



Hank Hogue has been named director of franchise sales for Crye-Leike, Realtors. He previously served as principal & managing broker of Crye-Leikes Cordova branch office in Memphis, Tenn. for 28 years while also working in the franchise division for the past seven years.



In his new role, Hogue will cultivate and develop new franchise relationships in and around Crye-Leikes current nine-state market region in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida Oklahoma, Alabama and Missouri. Currently, Crye-Leike has 29 franchise offices nationwide, with regional offices in Brentwood and Cordova, Tenn., along with 84 corporately-owned branch offices.



Hank Hogue has the depth of experience with the company that we need to grow our franchise operations, said Harold Crye, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Crye-Leike.



He established our Cordova branch office in 1988 and has served as one of our longest tenured managing brokers in the company. Hank understands what it takes to run a real estate office and will be able to provide valuable guidance to our new franchisees that join our network, said Crye.



Hank will serve and represent our company well in our efforts to attract new franchise owners who will honor and respect our core values and mission statement that we have maintained for the past 39 years in business, said Keith Sullivan, president of Crye-Leike Franchises.



As a full service real estate company for 39 years, Crye-Leike (www.Crye-Leike.com) offers real estate and related services, including: relocation services; commercial business and investment real estate services; property leasing and management services; insurance services; title & closing services; mortgage services; home warranty services; home services; auction services; business brokerage services; REO services for bank-owned & foreclosed properties and real estate schools.



To learn more about real estate franchise opportunities with Crye-Leike, visit www.crye-leike.com/franchises, or contact Hank Hogue, director of franchise sales, toll free at 866-603-2470 or e-mail franchises@crye-leike.com. Published May 17, 2016






By Nam Hyun-woo



Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and Hanjin Shipping are facing crucial negotiations this week over their restructuring efforts.



Five ship owners which have leased ships to HMM will visit Korea today to wrap up discussions over the charter fees the company is paying.



HMM's creditors, led by the Korea Development Bank (KDB), suggested May 20 as the deadline for the talks. Should the cash-strapped shipper fails to get a 28.4 percent cut demanded by the creditors, it will likely be placed under court receivership.



HMM has paid 975.8 billion won in charter fees and is negotiating with 22 ship owners around the world. The company last week failed to join THE Alliance, a new shippers group led by Germany-based Happag-Lloyd, but said that it expects to be able apply for membership if it manages to wrap up the leasing talks successfully.



KDB put forward a debt rescheduling plan Tuesday that included a 700 billion-won debt-for-equity swap on the precondition that HMM succeeded in charter fee negotiations. Other creditors will consider the plan for a week and will deliver a response by May 24.



"In the meeting, we expect to reach a verbal agreement with the ship owners," an official at HMM said. He added that creditors will also join in the negotiations. Market watchers expect the debt rescheduling plan will likely work in HMM's favor in the talks.



Hanjin Shipping will hold a meeting of its bond holders Thursday to ask them to reschedule its debt. Hanjin is a member of THE Alliance, as it passed one of three preconditions set by its creditors  the remaining two are charter fee cuts and debt-rescheduling.



Hanjin has some 35.8 billion won of bonds with warrants that it has to pay back by May 23. At the meeting, the company will ask creditors to postpone this until September and accept payment of the principal and interest with Hanjin shares.



The two shippers announced, Monday, that they had each posted over 100 billion-won in operating losses in the first quarter of the year.



HMM said its sales declined to 1.22 trillion won, down 17.96 percent year-on-year. Along with an operating loss of 163 billion won, its net loss was also widened to 276.1 billion won.



Hanjin's sales stood at 1.58 trillion won, down 25.1 percent year-on-year, producing an operating loss of 115.7 billion won and a net loss of 261.1 billion won.




Saudi Arabia's billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said he will consider investing in South Korea's resort island of Jeju, the provincial government said Tuesday.

The prince made the remark during a meeting with Won Hee-ryong, governor of Jeju island, at Gimpo airport, just west on Seoul, on Monday.

The wealthiest Arab in the world visited South Korea to discuss bilateral cooperation with Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and then left the country later the same day.

Sarmad Zok, the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI), who was also at the meeting, said the Four Seasons Hotel is looking for business opportunities on the resort island. Prince Alwaleed is the largest shareholder of the Four Seasons chain.

"Four Seasons Hotel became more famous after it hosted a match between (South Korean world Go grandmaster) Lee Se-dol and (Google DeepMind's) AlphaGo," Won said, referring to the match which took place in mid-March. "We will give full support (to the Four Seasons' plan)."

Prince Alwaleed is a cousin of the current Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Alsaud and the founder of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), one of the leading investment companies in the world. KHC operates 18 hotels in 13 countries worldwide. (Yonhap)
By Kim Jae-won





George Roberts, KKR CEO

George Roberts wants to help Korean companies go global by introducing good mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals in overseas markets to them.

Roberts, co-chair and co-CEO of the U.S.-based investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), said Tuesday the private equity fund's expertise in M&A transactions would help local companies find great business opportunities globally.

"We are very happy to be here in Korea," Roberts said at a lunch meeting with reporters in Seoul. "You have a hardworking and very well-educated workforce, rule of law and very established businesses. And they want to expand internationally."

The American financier, 71, said KKR has carried out several cross-border transactions for Japanese and Chinese companies recently and wanted to offer similar opportunities to Korean corporations.

KKR helped Japan-based Panasonic Healthcare acquire a diabetes care business from German pharmaceutical giant Bayer for $1.1 billion last year. The U.S. private equity outfit was also behind a $5.4 billion deal in which China's Haier bought General Electric's appliance business earlier this year.

His comments came as Korean conglomerates are looking for overseas M&A opportunities, seeking to expand globally. For instance, Samsung Electronics added eight overseas subsidiaries last year by acquiring stakes or establishing new companies.

Roberts was proud of KKR's management of Oriental Brewery, or OB, a local brewery that the company bought in 2009. It was sold to Anheuser-Busch InBev two years ago.

"We bought OB in 2009, during the global financial crisis," Roberts said. "They increased their revenues by 16 percent. And we were able to deliver it to AB InBev."

He said the company would stay focused on the consumer goods industry in the Korean market, which is one of the few sectors guaranteeing big returns in this low-growth era.

But Roberts declined to comment on KKR's negotiations with local retailer E-Land to buy its supermarket affiliate Kim's Club, saying he would not want to surprise the company's lawyers. Market watchers said the two parties may agree to complete the deal at 350 billion won, about half E-Land's goal price.

Park Chung-ho, a director at KKR Korea, said business circumstances for foreign private equity players have improved in the past decade after the Korean government's long legal dispute with Lone Star Funds, a Texan private equity fund, over tax payments and other regulation issues.
By Yoon Ja-young



As Samsung C&T shares continue to fall on the stock market, the National Pension Fund (NPF) is estimated to have sustained hundreds of billions of won in losses.

Samsung C&T remained unchanged at 125,500 won on the Seoul bourse, Tuesday. It has lost around 40 percent since May 27 last year when it touched 215,500 won during trading.



The company has been faltering both domestically and internationally since last September when it merged with Cheil Industries, the Samsung Group's fashion and resort firm. Its construction sector failed to win orders in the Middle East due to low oil prices while the fashion and resort businesses were hit by the sluggish domestic economy.



Securities companies are thus lowering their target prices for Samsung C&T. Hi Investment and Securities pulled down the company's target price from 300,000 won to 180,000 won, citing sluggish performance.



On the pessimistic outlook, institutional investors are selling Samsung C&T shares.



They have sold shares worth 4.1 billion won so far since March.



The National Pension Service (NPS) announced that it had a 5.96 percent stake in Samsung C&T last September, but it is estimated that it currently holds a much lower stake.



The NPF operator, however, is facing criticism for having approved of the merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries.



The NPS, which had held a 5.04 percent stake in Cheil and 11.61 percent in Samsung C&T, approved the merger at a general shareholders' meeting last July.



This sparked controversy as global and domestic corporate advisory firms, including the Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis as well as the country's Korea Corporate Governance Service, had advised the pension service not to, as it would undermine shareholder value and lose money that would be paid to private citizens.



Samsung Group had envisioned the new Samsung C&T would grow into a sustaining pillar of the group along with Samsung Electronics, recording 60 trillion won annual sales by 2020. But corporate advisory firms pointed out that the merger had unfavorable conditions for Samsung C&T shareholders while being apparently aimed at handing over control of the group to the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae-yong, from Chairman Lee Kun-hee, his father.



"We would not blame the National Pension Service simply because of the fall in share prices. What is more important is that it should have made a more discrete decision back then regarding the merger," said Kim Sang-jo, an economics professor at Hansung University.



"The pension fund made a wrong decision, not only in that it damaged the asset value of the National Pension, but also in that it didn't exercise its right as a shareholder fairly following due process."




Author Han Kang, right, and translator Deborah Smith from Britain pose after winning the Man Booker International Prize with the novel "The Vegetarian" during a ceremony at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Monday. The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel, written in the English language, and published in the United Kingdom. / EPA-Yonhap



'Vegetarian' honor stresses importance of translation of Korean literature

By Yun Suh-young

Novelist Han Kang won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize with her novel "The Vegetarian," becoming the first Korean to receive the prestigious literary award.

The award is given to the best non-English novel translated into English and published in the United Kingdom within the year.

Deborah Smith, the British translator of the novel, was also equally recognized for her work and will share the prize money worth $70,995 with Han.

"The Vegetarian," first published in Korean in 2007, is Han's first book to be translated into English. The English version was published last year by Portobello Books, an independent publisher in the U.K.

It was Smith, 28, who proposed the book to the U.K. publisher to be translated into English.

The book was among six shortlisted novels contending for the prize selected from 155 candidates long-listed in March. The selection of Han's book was unanimous, according to the judges.

"After our selection of a diverse and distinguished long-list, and a shortlist of six truly outstanding novels in first-rate translations, the judges unanimously chose The Vegetarian as our winner," said judging panel chairman Boyd Tonkin, in announcing the winner Monday (local time).

"This compact, exquisite and disturbing book will linger long in the minds, and maybe the dreams, of its readers. Deborah Smith's perfectly judged translation matches its uncanny blend of beauty and horror at every turn."

Han said she hopes that the award will have a positive influence on the Korean literary community.

"I'm lucky to have met a great translator and a great publisher. I hope my fellow Korean authors will also have such opportunities," Han said after receiving the prize.

"The writing of the book was a process of asking myself questions and finding answers. My works are mostly struggles of trying to answer questions about humanity. I hope people will think differently about reading novels through this opportunity."

Han, a professor of creative writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts, studied Korean literature at Yonsei University and has won several awards in Korea including the Yi Sang Literary Prize, the Today's Young Artist Award and the Korean Literature Novel Award. She made her literary debut as a poet in 1993 and as a novelist in 1994.

Smith began learning Korean seven years ago after enrolling in a graduate program at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. She initially majored in English literature at the University of Cambridge, receiving graduate and doctoral degrees in Korean Studies and moving to Korea to pursue her career.

Her works had so far been concentrated on Korean female authors Han Kang and Bae Su-ah, including Han Kang's "Human Acts," which was published recently and Bae Su-ah's "The Essayist's Desk" and "The Low Hills of Seoul." She also recently established Tilted Axis Press, a nonprofit publishing company that translates literature from Asia and Africa.

"There are lots of Korean novels and poems, but when you translate them they are not necessarily as good as the original. It is just as important to have great translators as good writers in order for Korean literature to be globalized," said Brother Anthony, professor emeritus at Sogang University, after hearing the news about the winner.

The Englishman, who is a naturalized Korean, is noted for promoting Korean literature overseas by translating many works into English.

"If Han Kang writes only in Korean, then only Koreans can read," he said. "Without the translated work, foreigners don't have access to the literature. This is why the Man Booker awards the writer and the translator equally. I send my congratulations to both the recipients whom I know very well."

"The Vegetarian" is about Yeong-hye, an ordinary Korean housewife, who seeks a "plantlike existence" and decides to become a vegetarian. After recurring nightmares torment her with imagery of blood and brutality, Yeong-hye renounces eating meat altogether.

But such an act is considered subversion by her family and one that rebels against the tradition and culture of the country. As she tries to obsessively defend her choice amid intrusive assertion of control coming from her family, Yeong-hye fantasizes about becoming a tree.
Platform-L Contemporary Art Center in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul



By Kwon Mee-yoo

Platform-L Contemporary Art Center, which opened in southern Seoul on May 12, aims to be an incubator for diverse art forms.

The center is run by the Taejin Culture Foundation, founded by Taejin International which owns global fashion brand Louis Quatorze.

Park Man-u, director of Platform-L who formerly led the Nam June Paik Art Center, said the Platform-L will focus on maintaining sustainability for young artists.

"There are many good creators in their 30s. However, public museums or art policies do not live up to their expectations. We will put more budgets into supporting young artists, designers and architects," Park said. "Platform-L's mother company is not just a manufacturing business. The creative energy coming from Platform-L could be turned into the mother company's brand Louis Quatorze."

Park organized two exhibits for the opening of the space  Bae Young-hwan's "Pagus Avium" and Chinese artist Yang Fudong's "The Colored Sky: New Women II."



A scene from Yang Fudong's video "The Coloured Sky: New Women II"

/ Courtesy of Platform-L Contemporary Art Center





Bae, who is known for his works reflecting on from popular culture to civilization, returns with a solo exhibit in four years since "Song for Nobody" at Plateau in 2012.

As the title of the exhibition implies, Bae's new works are centered on birds, which draw comparisons between modern people habituated to language, systems and nations to the birds in cages.

His latest work "Speech Thought Meaning" features a large parrot statue with its eyes covered with a golden hat, as if the bird has degraded. Hexahedral globes scattered around the parrot symbolizes suppression.

Four-channel video "Abstract Verb  Can You Remember?" emphasizes the blurred boundaries between egos and objects through a dancer's movements similar to those of a bird.

"Modern people and birds both have the desire to fly, but we live in a place where it is difficult to fly. Everyone has the passion for deviation and the exhibit reflects such cravings," Bae said at a press preview last week.

In his first solo exhibit in Korea, Yang presents a multi-dimensional video installation at the Platform Live, a multifunctional space which can be transformed into a theater.

Film and contemporary art share similarities as technology develops and film evolved to focus on narrative, while art centers on image itself. "The Colored Sky: New Women II" is a sequel to Yang's "New Women" (2013) and offers a totally new cinematic experience.

The five channel video features three female characters representing modern women in China in the 1930s. The women's yearning for the future and the gap between the longing and the reality are juxtaposed with images of color flexiglass houses, a deer and a horse set in an artificial beach set.

"The video installation is a metaphor to the reality and fantasy offered by films. The spectators become the second director as they step into the gallery and watch the videos as they want to," Yang said.

The inaugural exhibits are on display through Aug. 7. Admission is 5,000 won for adults. For more information, visit platform-l.org or call 02-6929-4470.
A South Korean lawyer said Tuesday that he is seeking to file a class-action lawsuit against Nissan Korea, the local unit of the Japanese carmaker, over its alleged fabrication of emissions results.

Jason Ha said he is seeking to collect people who own the Qashqai model for the suit. He said it could take some time before he will file the lawsuit, though he did not provide any specific time frame.

He said the proposed suit would call for Nissan Korea to refund the cost of cars to South Korean consumers and compensate them.

The move came a day after South Korea announced a plan to order a recall of hundreds of Nissan vehicles sold in South Korea over alleged fabricated emissions results.

The Ministry of Environment said the Qashqai model of the Japanese automaker was found to have faked its emissions results by using a so-called defeat device.

A total of 814 cars were sold here from November to last week.

The ministry said it is planning to levy 330 million won ($280,000) in fines on Nissan Korea and suspend the sales of the compact crossover.

The environment ministry said it will also file a complaint against Takehiko Kikuchi, the head of Nissan Korea with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

Still, Nissan Korea has flatly denied the allegations, saying it has never and does not use illegal defeat or cheat devices in any of the cars that it makes.

South Korea has launched a nationwide probe into 20 models of diesel cars sold in South Korea sparked by the German carmaker Volkswagen's emissions scandal last year.

Volkswagen was found to have falsified emissions results from some of its diesel models to meet tight regulations in the United States. Massive recall plans were announced in major global markets. (Yonhap)
A growing number of foreigners will visit South Korea in the next four years, driven by a sharp rise in Chinese travelers drawn by the popularity of Korean pop culture, a report showed Tuesday.

The number of inbound travelers was expected to rise an average of 2.2 percent from 2015-2020, which would amount to 80.29 million, with Chinese travelers accounting for 35.52 million, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) said.

Among Asia Pacific destinations, South Korea, Japan, the Maldives and Thailand were expected to welcome the fastest growth in foreign visitors during the period, said the non-profit travel trade association based in Thailand.

South Korea was also among the countries that would see the fastest rise in a wave of outbound travelers, along with China, Thailand and India, the PATA said.

The association expected Koreans would most prefer neighboring Asian nations, including China, Japan and other Southeast Asian nations, in which to spend their holidays in the coming years. (Yonhap)
By Jun Ji-hye



Seoul and Tokyo held working-level talks, Tuesday, on the establishment of a foundation designed to help Korean "comfort women" based on a bilateral agreement made late last year, despite the victims vehemently demanding that the agreement be nullified.



Chung Byung-won, director-general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Northeast Asian Affairs Bureau, said that the two sides exchanged in-depth opinions with a focus on the details linked to the establishment of the foundation.



"The two sides agreed on sincerely and promptly implementing the Dec. 28 agreement on wartime sexual slavery," Chung told reporters.



Chung made the comment after a two-hour director-level meeting in Tokyo with his Japanese counterpart, Kimihiro Ishikane, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceania Affairs Bureau.



When asked if the two countries made progress during the discussion, Chung said, "Yes."



On Dec. 28, Seoul and Tokyo reached the landmark accord on "finally and irreversibly" resolving the issue of Japan's sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II.



The deal called on the Japanese government to pay 1 billion yen for the foundation to be established by the Korean government to support the victims, as well as an indirect apology by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.



Korea agreed to end the dispute once and for all if Japan fully implements the deal.



Korea's Foreign Ministry said in February that the money will be given directly to the victims in the form of compensation and medical expenses, instead of being used to build a memorial hall or conduct other commemorative projects.



Chung said, "I cannot talk about when exactly the foundation will be established. But our goal is to establish it at the earliest possible date."



However, the moves of the neighboring countries continue to be embroiled in controversy, as the victims accuse the government of failing to obtain Japan's acknowledgment of its legal responsibility and rashly reaching the deal without consulting them.



The victims said that they were totally excluded from the government-level discussion and that they do not want to receive the money from Japan unless the country acknowledges its legal responsibility.



Criticisms have also been raised regarding the government's plan to use its own funds in establishing the foundation, as it can be seen as the two governments taking joint responsibility for the wartime sex slavery.




A group of victims of toxic humidifier sterilizers and civic activists hold a press conference in front of a Kim & Chang's building in Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



By Kim Se-jeong

A widening criminal investigation into the toxic humidifier disinfectant made by Oxy Reckitt Benckiser (RB) Korea is also zeroing in on the company's legal representative Kim & Chang, for its possible role in the alleged attempt to cover up the scandal.

After the government announced in 2011 that the disinfectant products were blamed for numerous deaths and lung failure, Oxy RB hired the nation's most influential law firm.

Oxy RB also commissioned a scientist to conduct a lab test to refute the government test result showing its product had serious health hazards.

As the lab result was not favorable to the company, it allegedly had the scientist, a Seoul National University professor surnamed Cho, modify the result in exchange for money.

In April, the prosecution found the test results were tampered with and that the law firm used the faked data for out-of-court settlement negotiations with individual victims.

Cho, who was arrested, denied charges against him. Instead, he argued he had notified the harmfulness of the disinfectant to both Oxy RB and Kim & Chang.

The prosecution also secured emails exchanged between Cho and a Kim & Chang lawyer, in which the lawyer demanded Cho conduct the test with conditions that would be favorable to Oxy RB. But Cho's team did not follow the lawyer's request.

Controversy is whether Kim & Chang violated the law.

Some defend the law firm, saying it is natural for a law firm to make claims favorable to its client.

But others said the law firm was wrong if it fabricated the truth. So far, the prosecution doesn't see any legal fault on the law firm.

Disinfectant victims gathered outside the law firm's building in Seoul, Tuesday, demanding the prosecution look into the firm.

Founded in 1973, Kim & Chang is the biggest law firm with a pool of 1,200 licensed lawyers, according to its website. Also, the law firm is known for its extensive pool of former high-profile civil servants and politicians, who would be able to peddle influences on cases that the company is working on, a point of criticism.

Critics of the law firm said the same happened for the humidifier disinfectant case.

Choi Ye-yong, director of the Asia Citizens' Center for Health and Environment, suspected Lee Kyu-yong, former environment minister between 2007 and 2008 who is on the law firm's advisory board, may have peddled his influence on incumbent Minister Yoon Seong-kyu, who used to be his close colleague.

Previously, the firm represented Lone Star, a U.S. private fund, was suspected of influencing Korean authorities to make then financially troubled Korea Exchange Bank available for purchase.

It was against the law for a private fund like Lone Star to purchase a bank in Korea, but suspicion was that Kim & Chang's good network made it an exception.

After the acquisition, Lone Star hired a former Kim & Chang advisor, who later became the bank's vice president.
By Kim Hyo-jin





Chun Doo-hwan

Former President Chun Doo-hwan has denied that he ordered troops to open fire on participants of the 1980 pro-democracy movement in Gwangju, drawing protests from the victims' families and opposition parties.



"In fact, I had nothing to do with the popular uprising in 1980. Who on Earth would order the army to fire at your own citizens?" Chun said during an interview with Shindonga, a monthly magazine.



"The security commander, a position which I held at the time, was in charge of intelligence and investigation. The position has no power (to order the shooting) against the will of Cheong Wa Dae."



Chun was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1996 for his commanding role in the bloody suppression of the 1980 uprising and a 1979 military coup but was later pardoned by then President Kim Young-sam.



At the time of the massacre, Chun was an Army lieutenant-general who headed the powerful Defense Security Command. Through his position, he declared martial law, taking power away from the politically weakened civilian government led by President Choi Kyu-hah and becoming de facto leader of the country.



Lee Soon-ja, Chun's wife who accompanied him during the interview, backed his argument, saying, "We'd do anything to clear up the misunderstanding of the bereaved families of the May 18 uprising."



When asked if he is willing to apologize, Chun only replied, "What am I supposed to do on the visit to Gwangju?" and didn't comment further.



The interview, published a day before the 36th annual commemoration of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, prompted a fierce backlash from the opposition bloc.



Rep. Woo Sang-ho, floor leader of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), denounced Chun, describing his remarks as an "insult to the victims of the massacre."



"It is preposterous to argue that such a large number of soldiers fired their guns on their own volition," Woo said. "I'm really not sure if it is appropriate for the person who was punished for treason, who was held accountable for the past, should speak like that ahead of the commemoration day."



Later that day, Min Jeong-ki, a former presidential secretary and close aide to Chun, said in a press release it was not Chun's official stance on the Gwangju Uprising.



"It was not the prepared answer for the media interview," Min said, adding that his stance will be described in his memoir, which is scheduled to be published in June.



According to the May 18 Bereaved Family Association, at least 165 civilians died during the uprising and 76 were unaccounted for, presumed dead.



In 1995, the National Assembly passed a special law that enabled those responsible for the Dec. 12 coup and the May 18 massacre to be prosecuted.



Chun and his successor Roh Tae-woo were sentenced to life imprisonment and a 22.5-year jail term, respectively, but in 1997, President Kim pardoned them based on the advice of then President-elect Kim Dae-jung.
By Jun Ji-hye





Park Sung-choon

Opposition parties are increasingly calling for President Park Geun-hye to sack Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Park Sung-choon over a decision regarding a symbolic pro-democracy song.

Rep. Woo Sang-ho, floor leader of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), said Tuesday that his party will submit a resolution demanding dismissal of the minister right after the 20th National Assembly begins on May 30.

Woo's comment came a day after Rep. Park Jie-won, floor leader of the minor opposition People's Party, asked the MPK as well as the ruling Saenuri Party to jointly submit such a resolution.

The backlash comes after the ministry announced its decision, Monday, not to accept the song "Imeul Wihan Haengjingok" (March for the Beloved) as the official song for a government-led memorial service for the 1980 pro-democracy movement in Gwangju, scheduled for Wednesday.

The ministry adhered to its program of inviting a choir to sing the song instead of allowing all participants in the event to sing the song in union.

Opposition lawmakers argued that Minister Park's refusal to allow the song to be sung in unison was apparently based on an ultra-rightist view that "beloved" in the lyrics of the song refers to North Korea founder Kim Il-sung.

They said the decision was a "case of insubordination against the President's order," citing that Park vowed to direct the ministry to find a "good way of preventing national division" when floor leaders from the opposition parties raised the need for designating the song as an official one for the ceremony during their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday.

"It seems clear that Minister Park did not follow the direction from the President," Woo said during a radio interview. "A vice-ministerial level official who refuses to comply with the President's order is not qualified to serve in public office. We will wait and see until the day of the event, and then submit a resolution if the minister still sticks to his decision."

Rep. Park also said, "Minister Park broke the agreement between the President and floor leaders on communication and cooperation."

Appointed to the post in February, 2011, by former President Lee Myung-bak, Minister Park, a retired Army lieutenant general, has been in office for the past five years, becoming one of the longest serving heads of a ministry.

But the opposition bloc has criticized him for ignoring a decision from the National Assembly after he refused to accept a parliamentary resolution approved in June 2013 that demanded designating the protest song as the official song for the ceremony.

The opposition claimed that the minister behaved superciliously although the resolution was passed by an overwhelming vote  158 votes in favor of the resolution, 13 against and 29 abstentions.

The minister also became a subject of public criticism in June 2014 for his comment disparaging the bereaved families of the victims killed in the sinking of the Sewol ferry disaster that occurred in April of that year.

At the time, he said, "The people in this country criticize the government and the President whenever big accidents occur," referring to the families of the victims who called on the government to thoroughly unearth the truth surrounding the tragic incident.

The Sewol ferry disaster killed more than 300 people, most of whom were high school students on a school trip to Jeju Island.
By Yi Whan-woo



The nation has been thrown into political turmoil again following the government's refusal to accept a symbolic song as the official anthem for the memorial service for May 18, 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, a traditional opposition stronghold.



With the ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, opposition parties vowed an all-out struggle to have their demands met, while the government said the decision is final.



The dispute over the song is expected to deal a blow to President Park Geun-hye and her conservative government.



The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs refused, Monday, to designate "Imeul Wihan Haengjingok" (March for the Beloved) as the official anthem for the pro-democracy movement.



The opposition parties collectively will outnumber the ruling Saenuri Party in the upcoming 20th National Assembly and the President inevitably needs to seek support from the opposition in order to pass bills for economic reform.



The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) and the People's Party slammed the government for rejecting their call that only the participants of the annual memorial service should sing the memorial song as they did before 2009.



The call is in line with demands from liberals as well as from the victims and bereaved family members of the pro-democracy movement.



"The two opposition parties have been competing to draw support in Gwangju and from their other strongholds in the southwestern region to consolidate their power in the upcoming National Assembly," Shin Yul, a professor of political science at Myongji University, said. "The ministry apparently disrupted their efforts and it's likely the opposition will be hostile toward the Park administration for the time being."



On Monday, the ministry said it will stick to its program of inviting a choir to sing the song, something the government of Lee Myung-bak, Park's predecessor, introduced in 2009.



The liberals argue such a program "lacks respect" for the democracy fighters who were killed during the 1980 movement against the then-military strongman Chun Doo-hwan.



The MPK vowed to join the People's Party in filing a joint motion aimed at getting Park Sung-choon, minister of patriots and veterans affairs, fired.



Choi Chang-ryul, a professor of political science at Yongin University voiced a similar idea as Professor Shin.



"The Park administration's measure will add to all sorts of national discord," he said, citing that Gwangju has been the center of the country's ideological and political divides for decades.



"The people in Gwangju and other parts of the country wanted to include the designation of the song, but our conservative government is merely insisting on an old and outdated frame of ideology."



The analysts speculated there will not be a conflict between the opposition bloc and the Saenuri Party.



"The Saenuri Party's floor leader Chung Jin-suk did not hesitate to express his regret Monday, and asked the government to reconsider its decision. In this climate, the rival parties will be on the same side this time," Choi said.



It remains uncertain whether the President ordered Minister Park to reject the demands of the opposition parties after promising to find a "good solution" in a meeting with major political party leaders on May 13.



And there are "different opinions" concerning the President's order, according to Rep. Chung Woo-taik, one of her loyalists within the Saenuri party.



But Professor Shin said the ruling party will still try to avoid a possible internal divide between pro-Park Geun-hye and other factions in the wake of the party's crushing defeat in the April 13 general election.



Meanwhile, the May 18 Memorial Foundation, a Gwangju-based civic organization aimed at promoting the 1980 movement, held a rally against the ministry's decision, Monday.



However, it said its officials will attend the government-led ceremony this year.



It boycotted the ceremony and held a separate memorial event in 2015 to protest against the government.



The foundation waged an on-site protest during the government-led service in 2014, and refused to send top-ranking officials in 2013.



"In doing this, we learned that not joining the state-led memorial service would only damage the spirit of the May 18th Democratic Uprising," Kim Yang-rae, the foundation's executive director, said.



He claimed that the government hired people to fill in the empty seats at the ceremony last year.



"We are looking to come up with a suitable measure to convey our thoughts about the recent dispute."



Some right-wing activists have claimed that "March for the Beloved" is dedicated to North Korea's late founding leader Kim Il-sung. They cited that the song was inspired by a poem written by Baek Ki-wan, a civic activist, and its lyrics were written by novelist Hwang Sok-yong, both of whom were rumored to sympathize with North Korea.



But some 53.5 percent of 551 adults responded that "March for the Beloved" should be designated as the official song for the pro-democracy movement in a survey conducted by Realmeter last week.




By Kim Bo-eun



An event by the sexual minority community in Korea is facing backlash from a conservative Christian group, with even physical clashes expected.



The organizer of the Korea Queer Culture Festival (KQCF) is planning to hold the annual festivity at Seoul Plaza in central Seoul, June 11. It earlier obtained approval for the use of the space from the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG).



But the Christian Democratic Union Korea (CDUK) filed a petition with the Seoul Administrative Court against Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, Tuesday, seeking to cancel the approval. If the court accepts the petition, the SMG's approval will be cancelled.



The CDUK claims the festival by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community violates a clause in regulations on the use of Seoul Plaza, which "bans acts that create a sense of aversion to citizens."



"During the festival last year, LGBT people strode around in buttock-revealing underwear in daylight and engaged in obscene dancing, which was deemed offensive by families with young children who were at the scene at the time," the CDUK said.



Christians protesting the opening of last year's KQCF displayed placards showing pictures of some festival goers wearing revealing outfits. Since then, the placards have become a common sight around Seoul Plaza.



In addition, other Christian groups also applied to use the plaza for rallies of their own, from June 8 through 10, which the SMG also approved. The union reportedly posted on social media that it would host three days of mass prayers to "oust homosexuality."



Concerns are growing as the group's anti-gay rally is expected to continue occupying the area until the KQCF begins the following day.



"We can only see this as an intentional move," a member of the KQCF's organizing committee said. "We believe they will continue to occupy the area after midnight, June 10."



Regarding the approval of the rallies, an SMG official said that the city allows groups to host rallies at Seoul Plaza if the venue is vacant.



"The plaza is open to all rallies, only with the exception of those banned by law, such as those defying the National Security Law," she said.



On the possibility of physical clashes between the two parties, the official said, "We believe the parties will host their respective events responsibly as they stated in their applications for use of the venue.



Despite numerous Christian protesters physically disrupting the festival-ending parade last year before being removed by police, the official said, "The parties were present during last year's event as well but there was no major disturbance. We have spoken with those involved and are persuading them not to engage in any sort of physical altercation."



"If any violence happens, we will seek cooperation from the police and those responsible will face punishment according to the law."



The CDUK and organizers of the Christian rally were unreachable for comment.



The KQCF started in 2000, and has been hosted annually. Last year, an estimated 30,000 took part in the event, according to the organizing committee.




Next month's joint military exercises between South Korea, the United States and Japan are representative of the three-way security cooperation the United States wants to have with the two allies, the Pentagon said Monday.



The three countries plan to hold the anti-missile exercises in Hawaii next month to better counter North Korea's ever-growing nuclear and missile threats. The maneuvers will take place on the sidelines of the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC), U.S.-led biennial multinational naval wargames.



It will be the first anti-missile drills between the countries.



"This just reflects the kind of coordination that we want to have with our allies at an important time right now in terms of security issues in that part of the world," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said at a regular press briefing.



"And you've seen the actions of the North Koreans in recent weeks. And again, this is part of a larger exercise, and one additional step that we can take with our allies to try and make sure we're doing everything we can to coordinate our defensive posture in the region," he said.



The United States has long sought to bolster trilateral security cooperation with South Korea and Japan as a counterbalance to China's rise, leading efforts to put together the three-way military intelligence sharing agreement signed in late 2014.



Such efforts got a boost from a landmark agreement between South Korea and Japan in late December on resolving the issue of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, a major thorn that had soured not only relations between the two countries, but also three-way cooperation with the U.S.



China reacted negatively to the planned exercises.



"The situation on the Korean Peninsula is still sensitive and complex," China's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters Monday when asked about the planned drills. "We hope that all parties will remain cool-headed and refrain from taking actions that may escalate tensions." (Yonhap)




A multi-agency group has been dispatched to Mexico and Colombia at their request for the transfer of the South Korean government's know-how on e-government, the Ministry of the Interior here said Tuesday.

The team, led by Vice Interior Minister Kim Sung-lyul, consists of officials from the interior ministry, the Ministry of Government Legislation, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Anti-corruption & Civil Rights Commission and the Korean National Police Agency, the ministry said.

Earlier, Mexico asked South Korea to cooperate in policies and research for the setup of the e-government system, while Colombia showed interest in the Korean government's civil portal service, ombudsman system and administrative information sharing, according to the ministry.

The delegation and Mexico's public administration ministry held a two-day forum on public administration cooperation in Mexico City starting Monday, the ministry said.

Vice Minister Kim also plans to propose the Mexican home ministry sign a memorandum of understanding on exchanges and cooperation in the legislation sector.

In Colombia from Thursday through Sunday, the group will hold a forum with Colombian officials and visit agencies related to government reform.

"The joint delegation will provide Central and South American nations with an opportunity to hear the Korean government's experiences on reform and digital government," Kim said.

South Korea topped the United Nation's biennial e-government survey three consecutive times starting in 2010. (Yonhap)
South Korea's parliamentary speaker Chung Ui-hwa called Tuesday for continuous dialogue between the legislative leaders of South Korea and Japan, stressing the need to expand bilateral exchanges in various areas, including culture, to forge a future-oriented relationship.

During a meeting between the parliamentary leaders of the two neighbors, Chung also proposed strengthening exchanges among the two nations' parliamentary organs such as their secretariats, budgetary policy offices and libraries.

"I call for bolstering exchanges in terms of sharing policy experiences and knowledge," he said during his keynote speech at the first "Future Dialogue between the Parliaments of South Korea and Japan."

"We need to expand the scope of our parliamentary diplomacy by forging a framework of regular exchanges that is led by the two nations' parliamentary chiefs."

Pointing out that bilateral cooperation has thus far been focused mostly on political, security and economic issues, Chung said that the two countries should actively expand the scope of their cooperation to include areas such as the environment, information-sharing and disaster relief.

Tuesday's parliamentary dialogue was arranged after Chung proposed exchanges between the two nations' parliamentary leaders on a regular basis during his visit to Japan in October 2014.

He arrived in Japan on Saturday for a four-day visit that aims to encourage exchanges among the two nations' parliamentarians and enhance bilateral relations that have long been strained due to long-simmering historical and territorial feuds. (Yonhap)
By John Redmond

The Korea Business Leaders Alliance (KBLA) will host a luncheon forum titled "Security v Privacy" at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Friday.

Presented by Rodney J. Johnson, president of Erudite Risk, the seminar will offer discussion on topics such as encryption, privacy, passwords, vulnerabilities, cyberterrorism, mobile security, cybercrime, government surveillance and future security issues.

"The recent case involving Apple and the U.S. FBI thrust many of the issues cybersecurity practitioners regularly deal with into the public eye for the first time. What seemed at first glance to be a clear-cut case of right and wrong soon proved to be a perfect example of why there are no easy answers in the world of cybersecurity," the host said.

This KBLA function is open to all and costs 80,000 won for members and 120,000 won for nonmembers, including lunch. Only prepayment guarantees a seat.

Lunch is a Mexican buffet, with soft drinks, coffee and tea.

The event will be from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Visit kbla.info for more information and to reserve seats.
The U.S. State Department on Monday issued the latest warning against traveling to North Korea, saying foreign visitors to the communist nation could end up behind bars for actions not considered crimes elsewhere.



"The State Department strongly urges U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to North Korea due to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea's system of law enforcement, which imposes unduly harsh sentences, including for actions that in the United States would not be considered crimes," the warning said.



"At least 14 U.S. citizens have been detained in the DPRK in the past ten years. North Korea has detained those who traveled independently and those who were part of organized tours," it said, referring to the North by its official name.



Visitors should have "no expectation of privacy" in the North, the warning said, adding that all electronic and multimedia devices including USB drives, CDs, DVDs, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, Internet browsing histories and cookies are subject to search for banned content.



"Possession of any media, either physical or electronic, criticizing the DPRK government or its leaders is considered a criminal act punishable by long-term detention in hard labor camps and heavy fines," it said.



The warning included examples of acts punished in the North, including showing disrespect to the country's former and current leaders, proselytizing or carrying out religious activities, having unauthorized interaction with the local population and taking unauthorized photographs.



"Numerous foreigners have been held in North Korea for extended periods of time without being formally charged with any crimes," it said. "Detained foreigners have been questioned daily for several weeks without the presence of counsel and have been compelled to make public statements and take part in public trials."



Two American citizens are currently held in North Korea, including university student Otto Warmbier, sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for stealing a political propaganda sign, and Korean-American Kim Dong-chu,l convicted of trying to steal classified military information.



State Department spokesman John Kirby said the department usually updates such travel warnings every six months, but the warning for North Korea will be updated every 90 days under the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016 that was enacted earlier this year.



"I think that's reflective of the increased tensions that we're seeing there on the peninsula and certainly the manner in which the regime has acted out against foreigners on travel to North Korea," Kirby said "So we take our responsibilities very seriously to travelers so that we give them as much information as we can before they travel." (Yonhap)




/Courtesy of Twitter



By Lee Han-soo

North Korea is said to have made money by being a "fake owner" of foreign vessels whose owners are trying to save on tax and other costs.

Ships registered in North Korea are charged relatively low fees and taxes than those in other countries due to the nation's declining economy under United Nations sanctions, according to the Voice of America (VOA).

This year, the owners of three ships from the Middle East have paid money to North Korea to "launder" the vessels' nationality, it reported. Last year, another three vessels, owned by Iran and the United Arab Emirates, were part of a money-for-nationality deal, the VOA said.

Experts said the practice is a clear violation of U.N. sanctions against the nuclear-armed state, under which foreign ships are banned from having North Korean nationality.

"North Korea is receiving money from foreign ship owners in exchange for allowing their vessels to be registered as North Korean," an expert familiar with the issue was quoted as saying in a report from Japan's Kyoto News Agency. "North Korea seems to have made money with this method."

Sources said North Korea's maritime affairs regulator has a website that shows vessel owners how to win North Korean nationality. They said demand is high in Middle East nations.
The Rohingya Muslim population in Myanmar has long been deemed one of the world's most persecuted minorities, its plight called a "most urgent matter" by President Barack Obama. Episodes of sectarian violence drove the Rohingya from their homes, leaving more than 100,000 in squalid camps for the displaced. Restricted in how they travel and denied educational opportunities, they are the outcasts in majority-Buddhist Myanmar, also known as Burma. Many Rohingya families have lived in Myanmar for generations, yet they are considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and West Bengal. And most in effect have been denied citizenship because they can't meet the nearly impossible standard set by law.



Myanmar has made a stunning transition from military rule to the newly elected government led, in effect, by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. Human rights advocates have hoped that she and her ruling National League for Democracy party would dismantle the repressive measures against the Rohingya. Suu Kyi, who was disturbingly noncommittal on the issue during the election, has now spoken up  but, woefully, only to endorse the previous government's discriminatory practice of refusing to recognize the Rohingya as one of the country's more than 130 officially sanctioned ethnic groups. Instead, her government has advised foreign embassies to stop using the word "Rohingya." Many Buddhists in Myanmar refer to them as Bengalis  a designation that casts them as outsiders with no claim to citizenship. It's unconscionable on the part of Suu Kyi to support this and a disappointing start for a new government rooted in democracy.



To be sure, Myanmar is a fragile democracy in which civilian officials must share power with the military. Forging this new government requires Suu Kyi and her party to move the country toward democracy while also maintaining the military leaders' cooperation. To the new government's credit, it moved quickly to release almost 200 political prisoners and other detainees.



But given the new government's refusal to call the Rohingya by their name  and Suu Kyi's reported advice to the new U.S. ambassador to do the same  oppression of the Rohingya seems likely to remain official government policy for the foreseeable future. As such, the U.S. government should keep in place at least some of the rules for investors and the sanctions against Myanmar that are set to expire later this month, particularly the ones that require American companies working in Myanmar to report on their efforts to ensure that human and labor rights are maintained, and to not do business with specially designated nationals with ties to human rights abuses. Myanmar's march to democracy shouldn't leave the Rohingya behind.



This editorial appeared on the Los Angeles Times and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




By Lee Seong-hyon

Today, more than ever, the term "uncertainty" characterizes Sino-U.S. relations. South Korea needs to pay vigilant attention to the power projections between the two most influential external stakeholders on the Korean Peninsula because history shows that the peninsula's destiny was often shaped by the whims of powerful neighbors. In Washington and Beijing, government officials often claim that there is no such thing as the "Thucydides Trap" in Sino-U.S. relations. That warrants scrutiny.

U.S.-China relations are commonly characterized as both cooperation and competition. This narrative has been seductively popular in the public sphere and has even become to be perceived as a "new normal"  so normal that we even take comfort from it. Even if the two superpowers often rattle each other's nerves, at the end of the day, so goes the underlying logic, they will not likely go into a full-fledged war, because they know so well that they have so much to lose.

This is the usual optimistic view that their relationship will be more defined as cooperation rather than competition. Advocates of this view argue that the current U.S.-China relationship is fundamentally different from the adversarial relationship between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The Cold War is over. It is a new world. China is different, too. China does not look at the world as it did during the Cold War. Or, it should be, the common assumption goes.

In addition, even though the U.S. and China may exchange jabs, they are mutually dependent and will cooperate on international affairs, as the "G2." Besides, China and America have robust channels of communication, totaling nearly 300, which can troubleshoot mutual strategic mistrust.

Well, U.S. President Barack Obama's initial policy blueprint for China was based on this kind of optimism, too. He regarded China not as a force that threatens peace and stability, but a fledging big nation that will grow into a stable and constructive power that Washington can work with. This notion has been increasingly challenged since.

The reality is that the United States and China still do not have common definitions and parameters on some of the central components of human civilization today, including the concept of "democracy" and "freedom." With ideologies largely remaining foreign to each other, it is doubtful whether the two nations are able to establish common ground in other more strategic realms.

Although Obama has been largely refraining from publicly criticizing China, according to Robert Sutter  who served three decades in the U.S. foreign policy circle, including the CIA  American officials privately advise that there will be greater "friction and tension" in the period ahead between Washington and Beijing.

So is Jeffrey Bader, who was the director for Asian affairs on the National Security Council in the Obama administration. He shared a view with me, on the sidelines of a conference, that "uncertainty" is increasingly becoming a defining feature of Sino-U.S. relations.

Cultivating a personal friendship between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Obama, as a remedy, did not relieve bilateral tensions or resolve outstanding issues. Unlike media reports of a "historic" and "successful" meeting of the two leaders at the Sunnylands summit in 2013, interlocutors who were knowledgeable about the matter told me that the American side had a hard time making Xi Jinping relaxed and speaking freely, by going off the script.

In that meeting, Xi proposed an idea for a new Sino-U.S. relationship blueprint. If the American side agreed to abide by the new contract, the couple would not have to fight each other, and become bedfellows. This is the so-called "new type of major power relations" (xinxing daguo guanxi). Even though some earlier news reports portrayed it as if the U.S. side accepted it, Chinese and American insiders told me that Washington rejected the Chinese proposal. The U.S. suspects the idea is none other than a modern-day Chinese version of the "Monroe doctrine," aimed at driving the U.S. out of Asia.

Policy suggestions often point out the importance of cooperation and consultation. But we have to be cognizant that the two superpowers may have fundamentally different world views that may be genuinely hard to reconcile. Zhang Weiying, former head of the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University, said: "The more Americans and Chinese meet each other, the more they will discover how different they are." This offers some sober realism.

Sino-American relations have mostly deteriorated since the Sunnylands summit between Xi and Obama, with ongoing disputes over cybersecurity, China's territorial rows with its neighbors and their different strategies over how to deal with North Korea.

Even though the U.S. and China will not likely enter into war or engage in major arms clashes in the immediate future, it does not automatically constitute "peace" for the Korean Peninsula either. The moves and interactions the two giants make will generate significant strategic disarray and confusion for South Korea, which will be constantly on high alert to guess their intentions. South Korea should buckle up for an uncertain new world order ahead. It will be a bumpy ride.

Lee Seong-hyon, Ph.D., is a research fellow at the Sejong Institute. Email him at sunnybbsfs@gmail.com.
Ending all this wasteful debate is overdue



Controversy over an activist song, "March for the Beloved,'' has become an annual event every May, causing our deep-seated ideological rift to deepen. This conflict has intensified even further this year as the government failed to act on President Park Geun-hye's indication of an affirmative resolution over the matter during her meeting with party leaders last week.



On Monday, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs rejected the opposition's demand that all the participants of Wednesday's 36th anniversary ceremony of the May 18 pro-democracy uprising sing the song in unison. Instead, the ministry said the song would be performed by a chorus and participants who wish to sing along can do so.



''In order not to disrupt national unity, we decided to invite a choir to sing the song while allowing attendees to sing along if they want,'' the ministry said. It also rejected another request to designate the song as an official anthem for the May 18 ceremony, citing the lack of a precedent.



The ministry's decision prompted immediate protests among the opposition parties, which held high hopes of singing the song together during the ceremony since their meeting with President Park. During her meeting with the floor leaders of the three major parties, Friday, President Park said she would instruct the ministry to find a solution to the issue.



The two main opposition parties threatened not to support the administration's policy initiatives unless the decision is overturned, casting a dark cloud over the possibility of cooperative politics. Even the governing Saenuri Party urged the ministry to reconsider its decision.



There is no question that the decision is wrong and short-sighted.



First of all, whether the song is sung by a chorus or in unison is not so important as to undermine a rare atmosphere for cooperative politics created since the April 13 general election. The opposition has vowed to see the government's forward-looking decision on the matter as the yardstick for changes in President Park's governing style. But the government rather sowed the seed of discord by keeping its position intact.



A presidential spokesman said Cheong Wa Dae did not issue any directive concerning the song, noting that it was the veterans ministry's own decision. Yet it's doubtful if the ministry could make a decision on such a sensitive issue independently.



In retrospect, it was the government itself that created unnecessary disturbances by abruptly changing how the song was sung in 2009. Until 2008, singing the song together was required during the May 18 ceremony, but some conservative civic groups complained that it was inappropriate to sing it, alleging that it was used as background music for a North Korean film. The truth is that it was written in 1982 for a posthumous wedding ceremony of two protestors killed during the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy movement.



It's long past time to end all this wasteful debate on the song. Allowing attendees to sing in unison from this year will be most preferable. But if that is not the case, the government should reach a quick conclusion so that this kind of controversy won't happen next year.




Multinational technology firm IBM is aggressively enlarging its presence in South Korea, most recently adding financial tech to its list of services that already includes artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and security solutions, industry sources said Tuesday.

The New York-headquartered company is exploring the local market for its "blockchain," a ledger system enabling quicker and more secure digital transactions. Made famous as the technology used by bitcoin, the system is especially applicable to the banking and insurance industries, according to the sources.

IBM announced a new initiative in October last year, IBM Cognitive Business Solutions, which builds on its success with the Watson platform.

"South Korea is the appropriate testbed for advanced AI business," an industry official said. "IBM and other global IT firms may compete for market presence in South Korea."

The company is scheduled to release the Korean-language version of its IBM Watson AI platform early next year working together with South Korea's SK Holdings C&C, its partner in the cloud computing business. In a prelude, it displayed a Watson-powered robot called Nao-mi during a company promotional event on Thursday in Seoul, which delivered short greetings in Korean and danced to the famed song "Gangnam Style" by Psy.

IBM is discussing a public service project with South Korea's environment ministry to use Watson for forecasting microdust levels, the sources said. The AI platform would be used to analyze big data on energy consumption at selected zones to predict the level of fine dust and also suggest the means to prevent it. The service is already in use in China.

The U.S. company is also in talks with Samsung SDS for tie-ins with security solutions in the energy and utilities business, the sources said. (Yonhap)
By Kim Yoo-chul





Lee Tae-won, Qualcomm corporate vice president

U.S.-based mobile chipset giant Qualcomm said Tuesday that it has promoted Qualcomm Korea general manager Lee Tae-won to corporate vice president.



"Qualcomm promoted Qualcomm Korea R&D center chief Lee Tae-won to corporate vice president and president of Qualcomm Korea," Qualcomm Korea said in a statement.



The statement said the promotion is due to Lee's contribution in nurturing Qualcomm as a global leader in mobile technology and his capability to complete high quality work and to find new business models.



It added that Qualcomm will be consistent in expanding its investment in Korea and in cooperative programs to level up ecosystems in the local wireless business arena.



The new Qualcomm Korea President established an audio-system startup  SoftMax  in 2002 and joined Qualcomm in 2007 after the startup was acquired by the company.



Lee is a seasoned engineer whose expertise lies in research and development and engineering, said the statement.



Lee was a professor at the Institute for Neural Computation at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He also worked as a research associate at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and was a research fellow at the Max-Planck Institute.



Lee earned his master's degree and PhD at the Technical University of Berlin in 1995 and 1997.
SK Telecom-developed Albert robots are being used during a class in Paraguay, Tuesday. / Courtesy of SK Telecom



By Kim Yoo-chul



SK Telecom signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Central State Government of Paraguay to collaborate on smart learning robots and an education program, the company announced Tuesday.



Under the agreement, SK Telecom will supply 10,000 units of its smart learning robot Albert and pilot-launch its "Smart Robot Coding School" to that country, SK said in a press release.



The total monetary value of the deal is unknown.



The release said the Smart Robot Coding School is a training program developed by the company to help children learn how to develop software "in a fun and easy way."



"The two plan to open the Smart Robot Coding School at all grade schools located in Central State," said the statement.



Additionally, SK Telecom is in talks with the Paraguay Ministry of Education and Culture to extend the program to grade schools throughout the nation, which will expand exports of the smart learning robot.



As the local telecommunications market is now saturated, SK Telecom has been finding new revenue sources such as machine-to-machine (M2M) learning tools in countries around Asia and Central America.



On May 11, SK Telecom separately agreed with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to operate the Smart Robot Coding Schools in Costa Rica as part of their pilot project to enhance children's learning capacity in mathematics.



"SK Telecom and IDB plan to expand their project to the entire Central and South American region," it said.



SK Telecom is providing 1,500 Albert robots to be utilized in 300 grade schools, and is training 400 teachers and 5,000 students.



"SK Telecom continues to expand the market for its smart learning robot Albert and the Smart Robot Coding School," Kim Sung-han, head of SK Telecom's device planning office, said in the statement.
By Yoon Sung-won



The government proposed a broadcasting act revision that regulates a business' excessive market domination just before SK Telecom submitted its plan to merge with CJ HelloVision last year.



According to the National Assembly information system on Tuesday, the government submitted the revision bill on Nov. 26 that prohibits a market-leading business unfairly exercising its influence in the pay-TV sector.



"The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) and Korea Communications Commission should make sure that a business' dominant market control does not unduly transfer to the pay-TV business," according to the revision bill. "If a pay-TV business provides bundled packages that combine broadcasting and telecom services, it cannot undermine user benefits."



Expectations are that the revision move may negatively affect the approval of the telecom company's merger plan. It is also likely that any approval will come with conditions to dispel concerns the merger might bring SK's dominant market influence in the telecom sector to the pay-TV sector.



This has been one of the key issues with SK Telecom's merger plan.



KT and LG Uplus, which strongly oppose the merger, have argued that SK Telecom may clinch dominance in the pay-TV market by bundling its telecom services with CJ HelloVision's cable-TV services, hampering fair market competition.



But SK Telecom has said KT's influence will remain greater in the pay-TV market because market influence tends to transfer from the pay-TV sector to the telecom sector.



According to MSIP data released Tuesday, KT and its satellite TV affiliate, KT Skylife, held 29.34 percent of the pay-TV market, which includes cable TV, IPTV and satellite TV services. KT alone topped with an 18.31 percent share, followed by CJ HelloVision's 13.72 percent and SK Broadband's 12.05 percent. The law prohibits a business from having more than 33.33 percent market share.



SK Telecom said: "The broadcasting act revision bill is not new and in terms of the transfer of dominating market influence, we have already settled our system to provide bundled services under abundant discussion with the government and stakeholders."



KT and LG Uplus said they believe the government will not disregard this issue.

"Both the current Internet protocol TV (IPTV) act and the revision bill are forbidding the transfer of dominant market influence to the pay-TV sector," an official at KT said.

"We think the government will not disregard issues like excessive market concentration to a business and customer damage in reviewing the merger plan."



LG Uplus said: "The government's assessments on competition in the telecom and broadcasting sectors have already shown that SK Telecom's market influence in telecom is rapidly transferring to the high-speed Internet and IPTV services sector. The merger plan should be disapproved because it will surely cause the transfer of SK Telecom's dominating telecom sector influence to the entire pay-TV market."




A U.S. Republican House lawmaker has called for the party's presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump, to refine his Asia policy, especially his approaches to issues involving North and South Korea.



Rep. Peter King (R-NY) made the remark, speaking about Trump's plan to use Chinese pressure to rein in North Korea and his apparent threat to withdraw troops from South Korea unless the Asian ally agrees to pay more for American defense support.



"I don't think his Asian policy is coherent, because, again, if he does want to get in a trade war with China, he has to explain how that coincides with him wanting to use China against North Korea. If he wants to have leverage over China, how can he be talking about taking troops out of Japan and Korea?" King said on CBS's "Face the Nation."



"Does he know that it costs more to take the troops out than to leave them there? And does he realize that that would just weaken our leverage against China?" the congressman said.



Trump has long called for allies to pay more for U.S. defense support, claiming that the U.S. is protecting wealthy nations in exchange for little. He has even called for Seoul to shoulder 100 percent of the costs for American troop presence, suggesting he could withdraw troops unless it agrees to pay more.



Walid Phares, a top foreign policy adviser to Trump, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency that it's true Trump wants Seoul to pay more, but his remarks made as a candidate are an expression of principles and details have yet to be worked out.



King also expressed concern about Trump's policy on Russia.



"I'm very concerned about this romance he seems to have with Putin," the congressman said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "As far as his statement that he wants Russia to take care of what is happening in Syria, that's Barack Obama's policy."



King noted that Trump benefited the party, saying the real-estate tycoon "brought people into the Republican Party," especially "the blue-collar Reagan Democrats, which we had lost over the years."



"But on foreign policy, I want him to make his policy more coherent. I'm endorsing him. I'm going to vote for him. But before I can actively campaign, I have to see a much more coherent foreign policy," King said. (Yonhap)




Thomas Manning,64, is recovering at Massachusetts Genral Hospital in Boston/AP-Yonhap



By Lee Jin-a

A cancer patient has received the first penis transplant in the United States, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, according to Associated Press on Tuesday.

Thomas Manning underwent the 15-hour surgery - performed by a team of more than 50 surgeons - on May 8 and 9. The doctors said they are cautiously optimistic that Manning, 64, who had his penis amputated in 2012 because of cancer, will be able to urinate normally and function sexually again.

"Today I begin a new chapter filled with personal hope and hope for others who have suffered genital injuries," Manning said. "In sharing this success with all of you, it is my hope we can usher in a bright future for this type of transplantation."

Doctors said his psychological state will play a key role in his recover, and they expect him to leave hospital this week.

"Emotionally, he's doing amazing," Curtis Cetrulo, who led the transplant, said at a news conference. "I'm really impressed with how he's handling things. He's just a positive person. He wants to be whole again. He does not want to be in the shadows."

The doctor said reproduction will not be possible because Manning did not receive new testes.

The hospital did not provide details of the deceased donor.


It has been an honour and a privilege to welcome Swedens Foreign Minister, the Hon. Margot Wallstrom, to Sri Lanka this morning. This visit follows-on from the meeting we had in Geneva just over a year ago and President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickresinghes meetings with Prime Minister Stefan Lofven at the Boao Forum and World Economic Forum respectively.





Foreign Minister Wallstrom is no stranger to Sri Lanka, having lived and worked here in the late 1990s along with her family. I am delighted that we can welcome Minister Wallstrom to Sri Lanka again at such an exciting time of transition when Sri Lanka is on a new path towards democracy, reconciliation and development.

Her presence here is a source of encouragement as we proceed on this journey to make our country a truly peaceful, reconciled and prosperous nation which abides by the best democratic traditions - promoting and protecting the human rights of all our citizens and celebrating the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious, and multi-lingual nature of our society.



We also recognize Minister Wallstroms consistent leadership in the worlds efforts for improving the rights of women. Sri Lanka too is moving forward on this front. We have introduced a 25 percent quota for women at local government elections and the new constitution will further ensure that gender parity and the rights of women are upheld. We look forward to working with Sweden on this issue, and other important universal concerns such as climate change, at the United Nations and other multilateral fora.



Today, Sri Lanka has ended its period of self-imposed isolation and is taken note of by the world community, not merely in terms of her geographic position at the centre of the Indian Ocean but in terms of the changes that have been ushered in by the people of our country.



But we have a long way to go and the people of Sri Lanka require the assistance of the international community to ensure that our gains are built upon; the dreams of our people are realized, and that we define and create our future today by our hopes and aspirations without being held back anymore by the fears and prejudices of the past.



In our meeting we discussed working together to ensure that the people of our country benefit from these changes and from the peace and democratic dividend. We also discussed ways of making our partnership stronger, including enhancing development assistance, bilateral trade, tourism and investment. Specifically, I extended Sri Lankas appreciation for Swedens continued development assistance over the last fifty years, especially the Kotmale hydro power project, and discussed the possibility of the Swedish International Development Agency resuming a programme in Sri Lanka.



We note with appreciation the high-profile trade and investment delegation representing some of Swedens largest companies accompanying Minister Wallstrom. Sri Lanka is already home to 21 Swedish investment projects. As we improve market access to the Sub-continent by deepening existing free trade agreements with India and Pakistan, in addition to other emerging markets like China, with whom we are negotiating to sign a free trade agreement, we are confident that the delegation will find Sri Lanka an attractive Gateway to the Sub-continent and the Indian Ocean rim.



In addition to emerging market access, we are consolidating our position in developed markets. The Minister for International Trade is currently in Washington for the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement Council meeting which will include discussions on securing further concessionary access to US markets. We are also buoyed by the EU Commission lifting the red card on Sri Lankas fish exports, and we will soon be in a position to regain GSP+ concessionary access to the EU market.



By June a number of important bills will be introduced in Parliament to create an even more efficient, dynamic and secure business environment conducive for investment. Sri Lanka then will be truly open for business.



During her visit Minister Wallstrom will meet President Sirisena, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and the Speaker of Parliament. She will also be visiting Jaffna. I wish her and her delegation a very pleasant stay in Sri Lanka.
The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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For most people, the thought of strangers reading their diary entries from their teenage years would be beyond mortifying. But Lena Dunham is not that kind of girl.

The actress and star of the HBO show Girls surprised her fans Tuesday by announcing the release of Is It Evil Not to Be Sure? a 56-page chapbook containing excerpts from her journal written in 2005 and 2006, when she was 19.

Like Beyonce, Dunham dropped her book without warning; the news was first reported by BuzzFeed.

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The book was available as a limited-edition, autographed physical book from Dunham, but sold out hours after the announcement.

Its still available as an e-book, via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and some independent retailers. The books Amazon page describes it as a candid, chaotic, and occasionally poetic snapshot of a young person becoming an adult.

Dunham told BuzzFeed that she came upon the old journal entries while recovering from surgery. I was, of course, full of the kind of mortification that is part and parcel with meeting a former version of yourself, a woefully misguided girl desperate to be embraced by even the least exemplary specimens of young American malehood, she said.

But, Dunham said, she was also proud of herself for recording her thoughts and feelings as a young woman. I have always believed that women chronicling their own lives, even (or especially) at their most mundane, is a radical act, she said.

The proceeds from the book will go to Girls Write Now, a New York nonprofit that provides mentors for at-risk female high school students who are interested in writing.

Dunhams first book, the essay collection Not That Kind of Girl, was published in 2014 to critical acclaim, and quickly became a bestseller.
Southern California home sales fell in April, but prices kept right on climbing, underscoring a tight market defined by few homes on the market.

The six-county regions median price rose 6.8% from a year earlier to $458,000, real estate data firm CoreLogic said Tuesday. That was the most expensive median since September 2007, when it reached $462,000.

Sales, meanwhile, fell 3.2 % from a year earlier, snapping a fourth-month streak in which they increased.

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CoreLogic analyst Andrew LePage said the dip reflects both tight inventory and a shrinking pool of buyers who can readily afford todays sky-high prices.

Many would-be homebuyers continue to struggle with inventory, credit and affordability constraints, he said.

The high cost of housing has emerged as a growing political issue in Sacramento and has been cited by some businesses as a reason for moving operations outside the state.

The owner of Jamba Juice, for example, said this month it would move its corporate headquarters from Emeryville in the Bay Area to outside Dallas, in part because of Texas attractive cost of living.

Academics and economists have blamed an underproduction of housing in the state, relative to population growth, as a major culprit in widening the gap between California home prices and the rest of the nation.

Home prices in coastal California are more than three times more expensive than the rest of the country, compared with only about 50% more pricey in the 1970s, according to a report last year from the states independent Legislative Analysts Office.

In a bid to ease the states housing crunch, Gov. Jerry Brown last week proposed to streamline the permitting process for developers who include below-market units in their projects.

Though fewer Californians were willing to pull the trigger on a home purchase in April, steady job growth and historically low mortgage rates mean there is still enough demand to send values higher.

The median price rose in all six counties tracked by CoreLogic: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego.

In L.A. County, it climbed 7.3% from a year earlier to $520,000, while in Orange County it jumped 7.5% to $645,000.

Prices rose 6.5% in Riverside, 6.3% in San Bernardino, 10.4% in Ventura and 7.5% in San Diego.

In other housing news Tuesday, the Commerce Department reported that builders broke ground on 6.6% more homes last month than in March. In the West, housing starts fell 10%.

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andrew.khouri@latimes.com

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UPDATES:

1:16 p.m.: This story was updated to include the fact that Aprils sales decline was the first since November.

This post was originally published at 11:44 p.m..
Banks keep saying over and over that arbitration proceedings, as opposed to class-action lawsuits, are the best way for consumers to handle disputes.

Yet faced with the prospect of no longer being able to deny consumers the right to sue them, the banking industry is expected to take the deliciously ironic step of suing the federal government.

At issue is a proposed rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would prohibit financial-services firms from placing clauses in contracts stipulating that customers can only arbitrate disagreements. The clauses prevent customers from suing on an individual basis or from joining class-action lawsuits.

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Signing up for a credit card or opening a bank account can often mean signing away your right to take the company to court if things go wrong, Richard Cordray, director of the federal agency, said after the proposed rule was announced this month. He called mandatory arbitration a contract gotcha that denies groups of consumers the right to seek justice and relief for wrongdoing.

Arbitration still could be required for individual grievances under the rule, but thats not a very big deal because few consumers file individual suits over small amounts. The big deal here is that financial firms no longer would be able to block consumers from coming together in class-action lawsuits.

The bureau is now receiving public comment on the rule, which has been in the works for months. If finalized, it probably would take effect next year.

The Republican head of the House Financial Services Committee has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday on whether the rule is in the publics best interest. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), the committee chairman, called the bureaus proposal a big, wet kiss to trial lawyers.

The banking industry, for its part, has yet to declare that a legal challenge is inevitable but is wasting no time in voicing opposition to what it sees as an unnecessarily heavy regulatory hand.

Consumers will get less and pay more if the CFPBs proposal to sideline arbitration and promote class actions is ultimately adopted, Rob Nichols, head of the American Bankers Assn., said in a statement.

Law firm Morrison Foerster, which advises banks on regulatory matters, concluded in a note to clients last week that if the final rule is similar to whats now on the table, it seems likely that the proposed rule will be challenged in court.

Other law firms have reached a similar conclusion. Now the main event begins, said Alston & Bird after the proposed rule was issued.

Morrison Foerster said banks would focus their challenge in part on the ideas that consumers have a choice as to whether they want to enter into an arbitration agreement and that the procedures in arbitration and judicial proceedings are very similar.

Heres the thing, though: Consumers dont and the procedures arent.

Christine Hines, legislative director for the National Assn. of Consumer Advocates, said consumers have no real choice when every service provider in an industry requires mandatory arbitration.

She also pointed out that in arbitration, its the company, not the consumer, who picks and pays for the arbitrator -- and the vast majority of rulings favor businesses.

Industry claims would be laughable if the issue wasnt so serious, Hines told me. Bank customers will have meaningful choice when they can choose how to resolve disputes after they arise, not when arbitration is forced on them in the corporate fine print.

She added: It is supremely ironic that they want to sue an agency for seeking to restore peoples ability to exercise the same right.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court has given its seal of approval to arbitration clauses, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was empowered by the financial reform law enacted in 2010 to study and regulate their use by financial firms. This includes banks, credit card issuers, car-leasing companies and debt collectors.

The proposed rule wouldnt affect nonfinancial businesses that also routinely use arbitration clauses, such as phone companies, pay-TV providers and rental car firms.

A study by the bureau last year found that very few consumers ever bring -- or think about bringing -- individual actions against their financial service providers either in court or in arbitration. It concluded that class actions provide a more effective means for consumers to challenge problematic practices by these companies.

A separate study by the advocacy group Public Citizen in 2007 found that over a four-year period, arbitrators ruled in favor of banks and credit card companies 94% of the time in disputes with California consumers.

Banks and other critics of the proposed rule are correct when they observe that some lawyers abuse the class-action system.

A 2014 settlement over the marketing of Duracell batteries, for example, awarded lawyers in the case about $5.7 million, while the more than 7 million class members were each eligible for awards of just $6 to $12. In March, the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the settlement.

Still, abuse of the system doesnt mitigate that class actions remain consumers most powerful tool in addressing and curbing unfair business practices.

If arbitration is such a preferable alternative to litigation, as banks insist, there should be little difficulty persuading people to make that choice. But it should be a choice, not a done deal foisted on consumers.

I put that to the American Bankers Assn., asking how the industry would feel about allowing customers to decide for themselves the manner in which a dispute will be resolved.

Nessa Feddis, the associations senior vice president for consumer protection and payments, replied that this would be a nonstarter. Its one system or the other, she said.

If class actions are permitted, Feddis said, banks are unlikely to retain arbitration as an option because of costs. She said that its not economical for banks to continue covering arbitration fees if class actions are also part of the picture.

Thus, in another ironic twist, the industry appears ready to spend millions of dollars pursuing legal action aimed at keeping its legal costs down.

Who says bankers have no sense of humor?

david.lazarus@latimes.com

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Snapchat Inc. was something of a hit at last years Santa Monica Pier Twilight Concert Series, attracting throngs of festival-goers hoping to win towels, bags and plushies featuring the chat apps Ghostface Chillah logo from its booth.

Expect an encore from Snapchat this summer. The 5-year-old, profit-less Venice start-up is taking over as the top sponsor of the free all-ages concerts, with plans to bring new attractions for listeners on the pier and for onlookers at the adjacent beach. Snapchat-funded additions will include games, carnival-like booths and art installations.

Acts booked include the vintage-tinged soul of Mayer Hawthorne on opening night July 7, veteran new-wave act Psychedelic Furs and the colorful synth-pop group Unknown Mortal Orchestra, according to Snapchat and the nonprofit Santa Monica Pier Corp. that organizes the series.

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Tuesdays announcement about the sponsorship deal and initial lineup come a week after the Santa Monica City Council authorized a five-year, $15-million lease with Snapchat that could see the technology company house 300 employees on city airport land.

Snapchat has been furiously adding workers around the world as it seeks to grow its ad sales business and spread beyond its core self-destructing messaging feature. It has hired in New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Toronto, London, Sydney and perhaps soon San Francisco.

The company has intended to keep as many employees in Venice as possible. But finding space in the tight neighborhood hasnt been easy, especially to accommodate plans to double to 1,600 beachside workers by 2020. The Santa Monica lease for 80,000 square feet across 10 clustered buildings, which hadnt been drafted or signed as of Monday, provides an alternative two miles inland.

Snapchats large presence in Venice makes it an easy foe for critics who want to slow gentrification in the artsy enclave. But in Santa Monica, funding the 32-year-old tradition of pier concerts could help the company introduce itself to new neighbors.

Snapchat is proud to be a Los Angeles company, spokeswoman Mary Ritti said, referring broadly to the region when asked about the new real estate.

Snapchats financial commitment wasnt disclosed, but event sponsorships accounted for more than $1 million in Santa Monica Pier Corp. revenue in 2013, the most recent year for which its tax filing was available online. Myspace was the presenting sponsor in 2013. The 2015 series sponsor was car-shopping app TrueCar.

Myspace tried to create buzz by live-streaming concerts, and TrueCar turned to a cutting-edge LED display.

Officials declined to reveal exact details of what Snapchat has in store, but among the plans are showing off art from the collective FriendsWithYou. And those giveaway-yielding games, including Grab-A-Ghost, Whac-A-Boo and Bye Bye Ghost that attracted the long lines a year ago seem poised to make a return in some fashion.

Snapchat Chief Executive Evan Spiegel is an avid music listener and has talked of devising a new business model for the industry. For now, his company generates some revenue from placing ads in between short, user-filmed concert videos.

The Thursday pier concerts, which run from 7 to 10 p.m. and conclude Sept. 8., attract crowds into the lows tens of thousands. This years series could prove more popular as the Expo Line light-rail extension opening Friday starts carrying trains full of people to Santa Monica from downtown Los Angeles.

Among other performers are buzzy acts such as Brns and Porches, which share a bill. Theres even a hint of an international flair, as Latin pop artist Natalia LaFourcade will perform on the same night as the jazzy Monsieur Perine. Remaining acts will be announced mid-June.

paresh.dave@latimes.com

todd.martens@latimes.com

Twitter: @peard33, @Toddmartens
One hundred million dollars is enough to fund a blockbuster movie, snap up several Beverly Hills mansions and, in Ubers case, potentially settle two class-action lawsuits filed by drivers in California and Massachusetts who want to be classified as employees rather than contractors.

For former Uber driver Brandon Marshall, though, it isnt enough.

While Uber customers were gawking last month at Ubers proposed class-action settlement figure, Marshall, a 33-year-old Angeleno, was writing a five-page objection letter to the judge presiding over the case. Around a dozen other Uber drivers and lawyers have filed similar objections, arguing that the company shortchanges drivers and that they want the case to go to trial.

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Marshall did the math. If the court approves of Ubers proposed settlement, Marshall, who drove for Uber full time for nearly two years, could receive a one-time payment of around $6,000 to $8,000. The question of whether drivers are employees of the San Francisco company  which would entitle them to benefits such as minimum wage, overtime, unemployment insurance and social security payments  would remain unanswered. Uber would continue operating as it always has, with a few tweaks to its driver termination policy.

It would be, in his eyes, a raw deal.

In the beginning, whether or not we were classified as employees was irrelevant because the money was so good, said Marshall, who in 2014 could make $1,000 driving 20 hours for Uber in Los Angeles.

As Uber lowered its fares, thought, Marshall found himself driving for twice the amount of time, only to earn less. His overall bookings, he said, put him below minimum wage. Some rides  after Uber took its commission and Safe Ride Fee, and after vehicle depreciation  were basically being done for free, he said.

It got to a point where I thought: I want my money back. I need my mileage back. I need reimbursement. 

Its a common theme among the objections filed.

For the past 22 months, I have driven [for Uber] upwards of 60 hours per week, put on over 100,000 miles on my car, had brakes and tires replaced twice, [and had] oil changes every month, said Craig Preston, 52, of Irvine.

Drivers, he said, will continue to spend thousands on vehicle repairs and gas. Theyll continue to put wear and tear on their cars. What relief does the settlement really offer?

It seems like drivers got the worst end of the deal, said Harry Campbell, founder of online community the Rideshare Guy, where drivers in the gig economy share advice with each other.

For many drivers, he said, its hard for them to ignore the fact that Uber is worth $62.5 billion  a valuation it has gotten off the work of its drivers (not to mention its technology). Money aside, Campbell believes the non-monetary changes proposed as part of the settlement dont address concerns that are of high priority for drivers.

One example is Ubers clarification on gratuities: Drivers can now put a sign in their vehicle soliciting tips from passengers.

Drivers want tips, Campbell said, but having a sign in the car isnt the same as having an in-app tipping feature, which Uber competitor Lyft offers.

Most passengers take Uber because its cashless, he said. So to have them fumble for $1 to $2 to tip the driver isnt convenient or consumer friendly.

Uber declined to comment for this story.

Lawyers also have chimed in with objections. Los Angeles attorneys Brian Kabateck, Mark Geragos and Christopher Hamner are pushing to have plaintiff attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan removed from the case because they dont believe the settlement is in the best interests of the drivers.

One of the named plaintiffs in the case, Douglas OConnor, sought their services and filed a separate objection to the settlement Monday, claiming it was a sellout and an unjust result that only benefits Uber.

People dont understand how bad this [settlement] is in the long run, Kabateck said. This is a horrible situation, to have people who arent really employees but function as employees. Theyve got to pay their own Social Security taxes, their own health insurance. Meanwhile, you have a giant corporation making billions of dollars on the backs of these people.

Its the most perverted demonstration of the disparity today between the haves and the have-nots.

Objections filed by individuals and attorneys are not uncommon in class-action settlements of this size, according to Todd Scherwin, a labor attorney at Fisher & Phillips who is not involved in the case. The combined classes of California and Massachusetts amount to some 385,000 drivers. But how much weight theyll have on a judges decision depends on what theyre arguing.

If somebody had truly done their homework and was putting forward a damage model that shows what drivers are being shorted, that may get the judges attention, he said. Anything less than that is not going to be given much weight.

This means drivers asking for the case to proceed to trial probably wont have much luck. Personal attacks on the plaintiff attorney  as a few objectors have made  also will carry little weight.

Theres always the perception that the only people making money on this are the plaintiffs lawyers, Scherwin said. I dont think the judge looks at that. The judge decides whats a fair amount to pay.

Class-action attorneys can take up to a third of what their clients are awarded, according to lawyers with experience in class-action settlements, although the final figure is determined by the judge.

Plaintiff attorney Liss-Riordan told The Times she believes the settlement is the best outcome for drivers, given the circumstances. Had the case proceeded to trial, We were facing the imminent risk that the class could be decertified and the case gutted, she said.

I did not settle this case because I do not like trials or I am afraid of them. I love trials. [But] given what I was able to negotiate Uber to agree to for this settlement, I made the reasoned judgement (in consultation with the drivers that were the plaintiffs, in this case) that that was too much to risk.

If the settlement is rejected, Liss-Riordan said she is ready to do what she has to do to battle on against Uber.

A hearing for the settlement is scheduled for June 2.

For people like Marshall, who now drives for Lyft because he can make a bit more through bonuses and tips, a settlement that doesnt address whether drivers are truly employees or independent contractors is a far greater risk. (Lyft faces a similar lawsuit that it also is trying to settle; a federal judge rejected the initial settlement offer of $12.25 million, saying it was too low.)

More people are working in the gig economy, he said. Theyre working longer hours. They dont have control over what they make. And they dont have employee protections or benefits, either.

The public needs to decide and have a debate about it, and theyre not, Marshall said. Its like if one store stays open on Thanksgiving, they all stay open on Thanksgiving, and before you know it, were all working on holidays, he said. Were slowly destroying ourselves.

tracey.lien@latimes.com

Twitter: @traceylien
In 1962, when a 40-year-old Los Angeles ad copywriter published an advice manual on love and work, no one could have imagined that the book would help fuel the Sexual Revolution and change the course of publishing.

Helen Gurley Browns Sex and the Single Girl landed like a liberated lightning rod on bookshelves around the United States, encouraging women to pursue their professional aspirations, and enjoy a healthy sex life in the process  at least until Mr. Right came along.

What is a sexy woman? asked Brown in what became one of the 20th centurys most renowned self-help books. Very simple. She is a woman who enjoys sex.

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In midcentury U.S. of A., where womens paths consisted principally of chaste courtship and wifely duty, Brown shifted the conversation. Her endgame may have been traditional (find a man), but the Arkansas-born, Los Angeles-based ad woman  one of the top women in advertising at the time  helped give single ladies permission to play. (The arrival of the birth control pill in the early 60s helped the cause along.)

Sex and the Single Girl was a runaway bestseller  and it generated as much praise as it did enmity. (Times critic Robert Kirsch derided it as phony.) It also turned Helen Gurley Brown into a household name. By 1965, she had landed in the editor-in-chiefs chair at Cosmopolitan magazine in New York where she transformed a moribund womens title into the blazing bible (with cleavage) of the new career girl.

Brown was a contradictory amalgam of impulses. She was a flirty waif of a woman who also happened to be an ambitious workaholic. She described herself as a mouseburger (a plain Jane) though she could be wildly charismatic. And she was talking the single girl talk at a point in her life when she was already comfortably married  to Hollywood producer David Brown, who persuaded her to write Sex and the Single Girl to begin with.

In the 70s, when the feminist movement was launching a protracted battle for womens social and economic equality, Brown was still championing super-sexy ways to land a man. That didnt stop her from featuring an excerpt of Kate Milletts feminist tome Sexual Politics in Cosmopolitan, or from regularly attempting to get Gloria Steinem to write for the magazine. During that same period, she also printed a centerfold of Burt Reynolds naked on a bearskin rug.

Through the 1980s and 90s, Brown became a bit of a caricature: overly coiffed, overly made-up, overly concerned with sexual freedom at a time that the AIDS epidemic was raging. Yet her influence is without question.

Journalist Brooke Hauser spent four years combing through the editors papers (Brown died in 2012 at 90) and interviewing dozens of people who knew and worked for her (including Steinem). The resulting biography, Enter Helen: The Invention of Helen Gurley Brown and the Rise of the Modern Single Woman, published last month by HarperCollins, encapsulates the colorful life of a woman who rocked minis well into her eighties.

In this lightly edited conversation, Hauser talks about how Brown changed the ways women saw themselves and how Los Angeles shaped her world view. She also recounts the most ridiculous article ever to run in man-crazy Cosmopolitan.

What were womens magazines like in the early 1960s, before Helen Gurley Brown took over Cosmopolitan?

I had a lot of fun looking at old womens magazine from the 50s and early 60s  publications like Ladies Home Journal and Good Housekeeping. These magazines were edited by men and they were teaching housewives how to whip up the perfect pot roast and to have a martini waiting for their husband when he came home. There was a real concentration on housework.

They would talk about women with their married names  like, Heres what Mrs. John Richards does before her husband comes home. The pictures on the covers were usually celebrity wives or models wearing prim and feminine outfits: cloche hats, Peter Pan collars, not showing any skin.

How did Brown shake that up? And in what way can we see her influence on womens magazines today?

I think if you look at most womens magazines and even mens magazines, you see her influence. When she took over in 1965, there were a lot of comparisons between Cosmo and Playboy. Initially, Helens bosses tried to back away from those comparisons, but sex sells and it still sells.

Helen was the first editor of a major womens magazine to understand that it wasnt just men who wanted to see sexy pictures of women. Women wanted to see them, too  but maybe for different reasons. In the 60s, the women looking at the Cosmopolitan cover girl with the big breasts and the big hair, they were looking at it as an aspirational model.

Brown moved to Los Angeles at 14 after her fathers death and lived here into her forties. How did that shape her?

I think it shaped her in a big way. Helen had this myth of herself as this poor, hillbilly girl from Arkansas who made it big. But as a child, she was not poor, she was middle-class. In fact, her father was a lawyer and her mother was a schoolteacher. Her mother moved Helen and her older sister, Mary, to Los Angeles after his death. Yet Helen always described herself as this mouseburger from Arkansas.

I asked her cousin in Arkansas, why did she feel so unattractive and unspecial? She thinks that it had to do with [Helens] move to Los Angeles at such a young age, when she was very impressionable  this land of golden skin and glamorous style. She romanticized and obsessed over the stars. She was always interested in fame and famous people. She sought it out.

Helen was the first editor of a major womens magazine to understand that it wasnt just men who wanted to see sexy pictures of women. Women wanted to see them, too  Brooke Hauser, biographer

Also, it was in Los Angeles where she got into advertising, part of her journey from small-town girl to big-city sophisticate. She came of age professionally in the world of advertising  working as a copywriter at Foote Cone & Belding.

Where she became a very important copywriter.

She was in some ways the female Don Draper. When people talk about Mad Men, they sometimes compare Helen Gurley Brown to Peggy or to Joan  the young woman who starts off as a secretary then works her way up the ladder. But in my mind Helen had more in common with Don Draper.

By the time she was ready to write Sex and the Single Girl, she wasnt working her way up the ladder. She was already at the top. And she was so inscrutable, just like he was. You can see both of them as products of their own invention. It was no coincidence that Helen was in advertising and then went on to create her brand, this artifice that was herself.

In what ways did Brown change how women see themselves? And how did she reinforce the idea that the end goal was getting a man?

She sent mixed messages. She wanted to empower single women, but she called them girls and the end goal was to get married. I think she did really encourage women to go out there, strike out on their own, turn their jobs into their careers and sleep around if they wish  and not get married just yet. The just yet is important, because a lot of her advice was about how to catch a man.

If you read Sex and the Single Girl, it has all of these crazy ideas  like, join a chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous, or become a member of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, because then you could meet more men. Shed say things like, Read books like Lady Chatterleys Lover because it will start conversations. They are ludicrous, funny ideas and its hard to tell when she is being serious or not.

Right now there is so much swirling around the topic of single women. There is Rebecca Traisters book All the Single Ladies. And there are all of these statistics about how single women might change how people vote this election. In some ways, it was Helen who started this conversation about single women.

Youve combed through a lot of back issues of Cosmopolitan as part of your research. Whats the most cockamamie advice you found?

There was an article that she wrote at the height of Vietnam. It was this travel article where she was singing the praises of volunteering to go to Vietnam so you could meet a man. And theres a quote in it, one woman saying something like, Its not that were all so pretty, its just that theres so few women here. For me that topped it. Everyone was talking about Vietnam as this serious crisis and Helen saw it as, Theres a lot of young men over there  eligible, too.

Betty Friedan, the author of The Feminine Mystique, once stated that Cosmopolitan had utter contempt for women. How did Brown navigate the womens movement?

I think she got lost. When [Gloria Steinem] and Letty Cottin Pogrebin were starting Ms. Magazine [in the early 1970s], they used to refer to Cosmopolitan as the un-liberated womans survival kit. And when they began to pitch Ms. to advertisers, they would say, If you think of Cosmopolitan as the poison, think of Ms. as the antidote. By the 70s, women had moved on to other things, and Helen was till stuck on sex.

Gloria Steinem was an early critic of the magazine. So was Betty Friedan. But whats interesting is that Helen deeply admired Gloria Steinem. She was constantly trying to get Gloria to write an article or to be in the magazine. When Gloria wrote her famous I-was-a-Playboy-Bunny piece [officially titled A Bunnys Tale], Helen got her to pose in Cosmopolitan.

Its essentially a picture of Steinem wearing a purple romper showing a lot of skin and shes sprawled out alongside this TV actor. I interviewed Steinem about it and she was very funny about it. She said that if it had happened later in her career, she would have said something about being uncomfortable with the situation. She told me she behaved like a mouseburger. And the story identified her as a former Playboy bunny rather than explaining that she was a journalist undercover.

Helen, in her mind, saw Gloria as the perfect Cosmo girl.

Brown had a habit of ameliorating, exaggerating and fabricating. How close do you think you got to the real Helen in your book?

There was one man I interviewed who was so wonderful to talk to  her managing editor. And he said something to me early on. He said he always thought of Helen Gurley Brown as a cubist painting because she had so many faces and so many angles and you never knew which one you were getting.

My job was to encircle her through all of these interviews with more than 100 people who all knew a different side of her. Without sounding too English major-y about it, she illustrated something bigger about the human condition. Her story is about trying to find and forge your identity. I loved the idea that I couldnt pin her down.

Besides the vision of the single, professional woman, what other ideas did Brown leave us with?

I think the idea of having it all. It was the title of her memoir. And its burrowed its way into so many conversations that women are still having today. It irritates so many women  and it irritated Helen. She originally didnt want to name her memoir Having It All. But in her view, women didnt have to stay home and be housewives. They could also work and they they would go home and have interesting stuff to talk about with their husbands. And thats what having it all meant. I first saw the phrase used in her 1964 book, Sex and the Office. But it created a sensation when she published her memoir in 1982  and it hasnt gone away.

Enter Helen: The Invention of Helen Gurley Brown and the Rise of the Modern Single Woman

Brooke Hauser

HarperCollins: 480 pp., $28.99

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Wendell Pierce, the actor from The Odd Couple and The Wire who was arrested in the wee hours Saturday on suspicion of simple battery, spoke out Monday night on social media about the Atlanta incident.

He has also backed out as Rutgers University-Newarks 2016 commencement speaker, forfeiting an honorary degree he was to have received Wednesday.

I regret that what started as a civil political discussion escalated to the level that it did, said Pierce, whos known for his work on The Wire, in a series of tweets. Although what has been reported thus far differs in important respects from what actually occurred, I have confidence that the judicial process will work as it should.

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Not in dispute: Something went down at the Loews Atlanta Hotel around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, and an officer with the Atlanta Police Department responded to a call about a fight.

According to the incident report, a woman, her husband and a friend encountered Pierce and his girlfriend on the 23rd floor of the hotel, where the three were sitting out in the hallway. The woman said the two groups started talking politics, which got Mr. Pierce upset, according to the report. At that point, she told police, the actor began to push her, and when her group started walking to their room, the actor followed them and tried to come into the room, blocking the door with his arm. When she and her friends tried to push him out, he began to hit her in the head and grabbed her hoodie, ripping the hood off, the report said.

I regret that what started as a civil political discussion escalated to the level that it did. (1/3)  Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) May 17, 2016

Although what has been reported thus far differs in important respects from what actually occurred, (2/3)  Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) May 17, 2016

I have confidence that the judicial process will work as it should. (3/3)



Wendell Pierce  Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) May 17, 2016

Pierce also talked to police after the incident, recounting events differently for the report. He said he was standing outside the other parties room and the woman and her friends attempted to pull him in as he tried to get away from them. The actors girlfriend said their room was on a different floor in the hotel, the report said.

Medical attention was declined by all, the report said. Pierce was taken to Fulton County Jail, and he posted $1,000 bail later Saturday.

Mr. Pierce made no indication he was famous, Officer Kim Jones, an Atlanta Police Department spokeswoman, said Monday. The arrest was treated like any other, she said, and did not rise to anything significant.

The headline on an initial report from TMZ had Pierce, a Hillary Clinton supporter, attacking a Bernie Sanders supporter. A mug shot obtained by the site shows the actor with a scratch on his upper lip and possibly on his nose.

The Ray Donovan actor has been on location in Atlanta filming the movie One Last Thing with Jurnee Smollet-Bell.

PHOTOS: Celebrity mug shots

Rutgers-Newark announced its change of commencement speakers Monday on Facebook.

"[I]n order to assure that commencement 2016 will be a celebration of the accomplishments of our students free of distractions, [Pierce] is declining to join us and consequently must decline the conferral of an honorary degree, the school said. TV journalist Soledad OBrien will take his place.

Pierces publicist confirmed Tuesday that the tweets were the actors statement on the matter.

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The L.A. Times can confirm that a Suicide Squad spinoff film is currently in the works featuring Margot Robbies Harley Quinn.

Originally reported by the Hollywood Reporter, the project is not said to be a stand-alone feature for Quinn, but rather another ensemble film that focuses on some of the many woman heroes and villains of the DC universe.

Few details are known about the project, but DC hosts a wealth of female characters to choose from, including Batgirl and Poison Ivy, in addition to Quinn.

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Early reports also assert that the film already has a female screenwriter attached, though her identity has not yet been revealed.

Suicide Squad stars Margot Robbie as Quinn, as well as Jared Leto as the Joker, Will Smith as Deadshot and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress, all part of a ragtag bunch of superpowered jailbirds set free under the condition that they do the governments very dangerous dirty work first, hence the name.

The film opens Aug. 5.

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Feminism on the big screen can come in many forms.

It does not often, however, take the shape of a twisty Korean thriller from the director of movies like Oldboy.

Yet thats been one of the key narratives over the past few days of the Cannes Film Festival. Yes, Cannes, that place overspilling with feminist contradictions, where women directors knock away at the glass ceiling but the headlines are about Flatsgate; where complex female protagonists fill the screen but attention goes to Julia Roberts red-carpet feet.

In The Handmaiden  a thriller told Rashomon style by original Oldboy auteur and all-around gore maestro Park Chan-wook  the two lead female characters are the narrative focus, theyre the love story and, though there are times one or both seems powerless, they often gain leverage, with their minds far more than their bodies. (OK, there is plenty here involving their bodies too; this is a lesbian romance that doesnt skimp on the sex scenes.)

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Im not afraid of this being called a feminist film, and certainly I had that intention, said Park, via an interpreter, as he sat on a rooftop deck here Sunday. Then, in his inimitably better-you-than-me-to-interpret-my-work manner, he added, But once you start labeling movies you start focusing only on that. And I dont want to focus just on that.

FULL COVERAGE: Cannes Film Festival 2016

Certainly there is a lot more to concentrate on in Parks film, even as the primary takeaway, in an industry fraught with these issues, is of the feminist variety. Based on Sarah Waters early 2000s novel Fingersmith, The Handmaiden is equally thrilling to follow and look at  an exactingly composed work, dripping in period style and arty excess, that still demands a lean-forward attention to plot.

The movie is best appreciated with a minimum of prior knowledge. In short, it follows the young Korean orphan and thief Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) who, in the Japan-occupied Korea of the 1930s, is dispatched by a sharpie known as the Count (Ha Jung-woo) to become a handmaiden to the wealthy Japanese heiress Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee). The Count has a scheme to separate the heiress from her money by marrying her, and he and the thief agree to a beneficial split if things go according to plan.

But soon after Sook-hees arrival at the house  where the heiress is tightly overseen by a domineering uncle  they, well, dont. For starters, Sook-hee and Hideko fall in love, complicating the formers interest or ability to persuade Hideko marry the Count. And there is the matter of whos really scheming to defraud whom. Without giving away too much, crosses and double-crosses abound in The Handmaiden, as the story shifts even more than the point of view. Suffice to say that three people all working for their own agenda means things are not what they seem, and what they are to other characters is not always what they seem to us.

If all this sounds vague, all the better--again, pre-screening ignorance can only heighten ones enjoyment of the film. Constructed with the tightness of a Swiss Watch--or just with the intent to make every aspiring screenwriter shamed-faced in envy--"The Handmaiden will reward a second viewing when it comes out later this year from Amazon Studios (first in theaters and then on the service, possibly in summer as a Snowpiercer"-style genre counter-programmer). This is a movie that features a great reveal--and then manages a short time to make you view that reveal differently. And thats all in the first half.

"When I chose the source material, I didnt have detailed plans of what the story was going to be, Park said. Theres betrayal and there are thriller elements and theres very much a bigger picture here. I was figuring all that out.

Park took on the Waters book because of one scene he says mesmerized him. (Its an early love scene, and it involves a lollipop, a tooth and a bathtub.)

There is, it should be noted, plenty of kinkiness taking the place of Parks usual violence, even if both spring from the same Expressionist sensibility. The lack of violence may surprise those familiar with the directors signature work (it includes vampire pic Thirst, Oldboy companion piece Sympathy for Lady Vengeance and 2013 English-language debut and serial-killer tale Stoker).

But the director waved aside such absences.

I didnt set out to make a film that would have less violence, Park, 52, said It all comes

down to good source material and the tone and manner required to handle these elements.

Besides, he added. I thought that physical violence isnt that important for this film  its emotional violence thats called for.

It also bears noting that much of the sex between the two women is of the tender, emotionally supportive variety; its the men in the film, obsessed with various forms of S&M, who attempt to use sex as a means of domination.

Which brings us to the movies feminist currents. Essays can (and hopefully will) be written on such themes. Sook-hee and Hideko are, in this rigid society, seldom superficially in charge. But they are firmly in control over their emotions (something the men decidedly arent), and as the film progresses they become, for all the surrounding repression, uncannily adept at expressing them

Then they gradually move from taking charge of their emotions to controlling others fates. If one was looking for a movie that sets up a patriarchy only to provide a road map for knocking it down, Park has done it. That it somehow does all this in the context of such gleeful fun only heightens the feat.

There are those who will register a complaint about Sapphic sex scenes, asking if theyre gratutitous, a middle-aged male fantasy superfluous to the rest of the film. A friend after the screening lamented it was male gaze-y to feature the lesbian scenes in such sharp relief and questioned whether heterosexual sex would have garnered the same extended airtime or soft lenses.

Fair enough. But the scenes do establish the characters bond, and underscore how change to a status quo can come in the form of emotional connection as much as dry activism.

Park said compressing or excising these scenes would do the characters a disservice.

To depict their love, its important to show the lovemaking, Park said. It would have been wrong not to show those scenes. These moments in Handmaiden, along with so many others, show whats right about global cinema.

Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT

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Since Prince's sudden death at age 57 on April 21, a host of figures have emerged as key players in the investigation of how he died and in the ultimate division of his estate, which is worth millions. A brief look at those figures:

Dr. Howard Kornfeld

(Liz Hafalia / San Francisco Chronicle via AP) (Test)

A Northern California doctor who specializes in addiction treatment and pain management, Howard Kornfeld has championed the use of buprenorphine, a drug similar to methadone that is often used to treat opiate addiction. His attorney says Prince's representatives reached out to Kornfeld on April 20, the day before Prince was found dead in his studio compound in suburban Minneapolis. Unable to immediately fly to Minnesota, Kornfeld sent his son Andrew in an effort to convince the musician to seek long-term care at his Recovery Without Walls center in Mill City, California. William Mauzy, the Kornfelds' attorney, said Howard Kornfeld sent with his son a small dose of buprenorphine, which is used to ease withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

Andrew Kornfeld

Photo unavailable.

The younger Kornfeld, a 26-year-old pre-med student, was one of the three people who found Prince at his Paisley Park studio on April 21. Sent on behalf of his father, Andrew Kornfeld was carrying a small dose of the drug buprenorphine. Advocates of the drug say the opiate can help addicted patients by offering pain relief with reduced possibility of overdose and addiction. Andrew Kornfeld is listed as a consultant with his father's clinic and is a pre-med student, according to his attorney William Mauzy. Mauzy said the mission Andrew Kornfeld was sent on was consistent with the work he has done for his father's clinic for years.

Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg

(Associated Press) (Test)

In the weeks before Prince's April 21 death, the musician met twice with Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg, a 46-year-old family care physician who worked at a Minnetonka clinic a few miles from Prince's Paisley Park studio and home, according to search warrant documents. Schulenberg is no longer working for the health care system connected to the clinic, but the health care system won't say why and his attorney isn't commenting. Investigators interviewed Schulenberg the day Prince died and searched the health care system's flagship hospital for Prince's medical records. The warrant documents say Schulenberg prescribed Prince medications in recent weeks, but what they were and whether Prince took them is unknown.

(Jeff Wheeler / StarTribune / Associated Press) (Test)

Kirk Johnson

A longtime friend of Prince, Kirk Johnson was a drummer and the estate manager at Paisley Park. Johnson, 51, hasn't spoken publicly since Prince's death. He also hasn't returned to a local gym where he teaches classes, according to his fellow personal trainers. According to search warrant documents, investigators interviewed Johnson sometime after Prince's death. He told them that Prince had gone to a local medical center for an illness in 2014 or 2015. The Star Tribune, citing a source with knowledge of the investigation, reported that Schulenberg was Johnson's doctor and that Johnson recommended him to Prince. Johnson's attorney, F. Clayton Tyler, has declined to comment.

Tyka Nelson

Tyka Nelson, center, is Princes only full sibling. (Jim Mone / Associated Press) (Test)

Tyka Nelson, 55, is Prince's only full sibling, and she has taken the lead in the initial work to settle her older brother's estate. Both are children of John L. Nelson and Mattie Della Shaw, who divorced when Prince and Tyka were young and who later died. Tyka Nelson lives in a north Minneapolis home and has shied away from the press, but she appeared in court with four of Prince's five half siblings earlier this month for the first hearing to start sorting out Prince's estate. Nelson said Prince left no known will. Under Minnesota law, those siblings would share Prince's estate equally unless a will emerges or an unknown child of Prince comes forward and is confirmed through paternity tests.

Others making claims to estate

Undated booking photo released of Carlin Q. Williams. (Missouri Department of Corrections via Associated Press) (Test)

Given the current value of Prince's estate and its vast earning potential even after his death, claims have been rolling in. A Colorado inmate, Carlin Q. Williams of Kansas City, Missouri, has claimed to be Prince's biological son. Another Kansas City resident, Darcell Gresham Johnston, has claimed to be a half-sister. A district judge has set up a process to handle paternity claims with DNA testing. Meanwhile, the work of settling Prince's estate is being carried out behind closed doors by lawyers who aren't discussing it. Bremer Trust, which was named special administrator of Prince's estate last month, will tally the assets Prince left behind  financial accounts, real estate, recording catalog and the unreleased recordings in his vault at Paisley Park. Trust workers will also tackle the complicated job of trying to assign a value to them. No hearings are scheduled, but within the next six months, someone is likely to petition the court to appoint a personal representative, who would have authority to make the big decisions regarding the estate.

Authorities

Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson gives an update at a news conference in Chaska, Minn., on the death of Prince on April 22. (Jim Mone / Associated Press) (Test)

The Carver County Sheriff's Department is the local agency responsible for investigating Prince's sudden, unwitnessed death. The U.S. Attorney's Office and Drug Enforcement Administration have also said they would be assisting. The day after Prince was found dead, Sheriff Jim Olson said investigators would leave no stone unturned while looking for answers. Authorities returned to Paisley Park on last Tuesday, 2 1/2 weeks after first searching the property the day of Prince's death, but declined to say why.

(Midwest Medical Examiners Office via Associated Press) (Test)

Medical examiner Strobl

Dr. A. Quinn Strobl, the chief medical examiner at the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office since late 2009, performed the autopsy on Prince. Her office is the official coroner for 19 counties in Minnesota, including Carver County, where he was found dead. Strobl has been a practicing forensic pathologist since she finished her fellowship in 2005 and is board-certified in anatomic, clinical and forensic pathology. In a 2009 interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Strobl spoke about how she works with families. Hopefully, I deliver answers, she said.
The agonies of love during wartime take center stage in Hearts and Minds, Episode 304 of AMCs historical drama Turn: Washingtons Spies.

Colonists Abraham Woodhull (Jamie Bell) and Anna Strong (Heather Lind) once hoped to tie the knot and raise a family in Setauket, Long Island. All that changed when Abes older brother died, leaving behind his grieving fiancee Mary (Meegan Warner).

Abe reluctantly took Mary as his wife, heartbroken Anna married Selah Strong (Robert Beitzel) on the rebound, Selah eluded the Redcoats by fleeing to Connecticut, and British Major Edmund Hewlett (Burn Gorman) proposed to Anna believing she had filed for divorce.

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Adding to the complexities, Edmund knows Abe is a spy, Abe intends to murder Edmund and Anna pleads with Abe to show mercy.

I can control him, Abe, as his wife. Steer him away from you, Anna insists.

Well, your charms are considerable, Ill give you that, Abe says. But I doubt youll change his coat from red to blue, no matter how hard you work at it!

Consumed with jealousy, Abe acts to prevent the marriage by presenting proof to his estranged father, Judge Richard Woodhull (Kevin R. McNally), that Annas divorce papers are fake.

I object, Richard says to halt the wedding ceremony. If we let this marriage proceed now, the only result will be the sin and the crime of bigamy!

Anna confesses to forging the divorce papers but falsely claims that Edmund made her do it.

I have no home, no husband, and he promised to take care of me, Anna tearfully says to the stunned wedding guests. He convinced me to lie and said no one would notice!

At first Edmund is bewildered. Then he sadly plays along with Annas charade to protect her reputation. Devastated by the betrayal, Edmund resigns as commander of the Setauket garrison and prepares to sail home.

As for Anna, she departs Long Island after penning a goodbye letter to Abe.

Maybe one day, love, even if now curdled into bitterness and jealousy, will find you again, Anna writes.

And if it does, then perhaps theres still a hope that this war that has already cost us so much will not have cost us everything.

Another lovesick soldier is British spymaster John Andre (JJ Feild), whos smitten with socialite Peggy Shippen (Ksenia Solo). But John is stationed in New York and Peggy is engaged to marry Patriot General Benedict Arnold (Owain Yeoman) in Philadelphia.

When John encounters an old flame, actress Philomena Cheer (Amy Gumenick), she senses that another woman stole his well-guarded heart.

There is a cure for that melancholy, you know, Philomena seductively suggests.

Peggy, meanwhile, manipulates her future husband into committing treason. Benedict shamelessly reveals to John that the U.S. currency is seriously devalued, meaning the Continental Army may be unable to fund another campaign.

Finally, Major Ben Tallmadge (Seth Numrich) has a brief affair with widow Sarah Livingston (Elizabeth Blackmore). She provides shelter for Ben and treats the gunshot wound he suffered while escaping from Lieutenant Gamble (Adam J. Harrington) of the British Army.

Ben initially claims hes a traveling minister. When Ben later admits hes an American officer, Sarah brands him a traitor.

Im loyal to my country, to our country, Ben protests.

Your country killed my husband, Sarah bitterly says, referring to rebel soldiers who shot her spouse.

Despite her anger, Sarah protects Ben by pretending shes alone when Gamble comes searching for a rebel spy. This enables Ben to sneak out undetected.

As Ben disappears into the woods, Sarah yells out her parting words.

I never want to see your face again!
Blink and you mights miss a new L.A. restaurant opening. In fact, youll probably miss two or three. So heres a rundown of whats happening this week in the L.A. restaurant world: Portland, Ore., favorite Voodoo Doughnut heads to Universal CityWalk, BierBeisl Imbiss returns and Cleo announces a new location at L.A. Live.

Voodoo Doughnut, the Portland doughnut shop known for its colorful confections and long lines, is headed to Universal CityWalk, the Oregonian reported. The location is scheduled to open sometime this fall. No word yet on which doughnuts Voodoo will be bringing to L.A., but one can only hope the Memphis Mafia doughnut makes an appearance (fried dough with banana chunks, cinnamon, chocolate frosting, peanut butter, peanuts and chocolate chips on top). www.voodoodoughnut.com.

After closing just last month, BierBeisl Imbiss, chef Bernhard Mairingers Austrian restaurant in the Spring Arcade building downtown, will reopen Wednesday. The support and encouragement Bernhard received was overwhelming  so he went off to Austria for a few weeks and returned newly energized and eager to reopen, read a recent statement from the restaurant. The new BierBeisl Imbiss will feature a couple changes, including table service (you ordered at a counter before) and new hours. Starting Wednesday, the restaurant will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. 541 S. Spring St., Los Angeles www.bierbeisl-imbiss.com.

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Cleo, the Mediterranean restaurant by the Disruptive Restaurant Group (a subsidiary of the SBE hospitality company), will open a location at L.A. Live this fall. The 8,000-square-foot space will seat almost 200 guests in the main dining room and 60 on the patio. Chef Danny Elmaleh plans on serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as some new items, exclusive to the location. Other Cleo locations include Redbury Hollywood, SLS Las Vegas and the Redbury South Beach. 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, www.sbe.com/restaurants/brands/cleo/.

Every night is dinner date night. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Jenn_Harris_

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At the Monastero di San Benedetto in central Italy, the monks understand the potential of the U.S. beer market  because these monks are American.

I knew the difference between craft beer and run-of-the-mill factory beer, says Father Benedict Nivakoff of his life before committing himself to monastic life. He is from Connecticut, but youd hardly know it from the traditional black robe, long-growth beard and intonation, which is a result of his polylingualism.

Monks have a storied history of brewing beer, but in Italy the industry has always been wine. Today, these Benedictine monks are brewing and exporting Birra Nursia to the U.S. as a means of fulfilling the Rule of Saint Benedict, which requires self-sufficiency through work.

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This April, Birra Nursias two beers, a blond ale and a Belgian strong ale, hit the U.S. market. Customers order on the monastery website and, shortly thereafter, beer arrives at their door.

For us, it was really important that the monks do everything, says Father Benedict. In Belgium, where making beer in monasteries has been a part of life for centuries, some operations have become commercialized. Most of the monasteries have gone big and make so much beer that they can export it all over the world, he says.

In order to integrate small-scale brewing within the rigid demands of monastic life, the monks of Norcia visited their Trappist brothers at small monastic breweries across Belgium. Our life is mostly centered around prayer, says Father Benedict, so we get up at 3:30 in the morning, we pray seven times a day, were in and out of the church every hour  there isnt a lot else we can do, besides the brewery.

The monks dont hire outside help, so they need to closely manage the beer. One of the ways we can be successful is to have very few middlemen, says Father Benedict. After the monks brew and bottle the beer in Norcia, they send it by container ship to their distributor, Holiday Wine Cellar, in Southern California. From the distributor it goes directly to your door. We have control over every step of the process, he adds.

So how much of the beer they make do they actually get to drink?

Not a small amount, says Father Benedict with a laugh. We have very high standards, so a lot of things that dont meet our standards come to the monks table.

Tap into the Brotherhood with these monk beers, available in California.

Birra Nursia Extra by Monastero di San Benedetto (Norcia, Italy) Belgian strong dark ale, 10% alcohol by volume (ABV)

If holy contact is paramount, Birra Nursia delivers the most monk for your buck. From the hilltop monastery in central Italy, there are no laymen involved in the production or packaging of the beer, and no retailers or bartenders between you and this Benedectine brew. Available online.

Chimay Blue Grand Reserve, by Abbaye Notre-Dame de Scourmont (Chimay, Belgium) Belgian strong dark ale, 9% ABV

Chimay is the most commercial of the Authentic Trappist Product beers, a designation by the International Trappist Assn. (ITA) that requires a monastic brewery to meet several qualifications. Coursing through a broad distribution of American grocery stores, Chimay offers an entry point to monk beer for drinkers in every geographic reach. Available at Trader Joes.

Ovila Abbey Saison by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, CA) Styles and ingredients vary seasonally

For a uniquely Californian perspective on monk beer, Sierra Nevada brews the Ovila Abbey Ales series in collaboration with the monks of Abbey of New Clairvaux. These Cistercian brothers harvest fruit for the beer from their orchards in Vina, Calif., where they also tend vineyards. Available at Beverage Warehouse.

Gregorius by Stift Engelszell (Engelhartszell, Austria) Belgian strong dark ale, 9.7% ABV

Stift Engelszell became the eighth certified Trappist brewery in 2012 and the only European representative outside the Low Countries. On the banks of the Danube in northern Austria, the Trappist monks brew Gregorius with regional hops and local honey. Available at Total Wine & More.

Orval by Abbaye de Notre-Dame dOrval (Villers-devant-Orval, Belgium) Belgian strong dark ale, 6.2% ABV

Unlike other monastic breweries, which offer two or more styles of beer, Orval produces only one beer for the public. With lighter alcohol and a gentler flavor than many other Trappist beers, Orval is a very palatable example of monk-made beer coming from an 11th century monastery. Available at Ramirez Liquor.

Trappistes Rochefort 8 by Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy (Rochefort, Belgium) Belgian strong dark ale, 9.2% ABV

Rochefort beer is made with relatively hard water from a nearby spring, contributing to the distinctive character of this beer. The green cap Rochefort 8 is more complex than Rochefort 6 but not as intense or high in alcohol as Rochefort 10. Available at Vendome Wine & Spirits.

Westmalle Trappist Tripel by Abdij der Trappisten van Westmalle (Malle, Belgium) Belgian tripel, 9.5% ABV

Like other Trappist breweries with large production, the monks at Westmalle oversee operations, allocating funds and maintaining core values, but do not physically brew the beer. Westmalle launched the tripel in 1934 and the recipe has remained largely unchanged since the 1950s. Available at BevMo.

La Trappe Quadrupel by de Koningshoeven (Berkel-Enschot, Netherlands) Quadrupel, 10% ABV

The Koningshoeven brewery has a contentious past regarding monk involvement. When a commercial Dutch brewery took over operations in 1999, La Trappe beers no longer met the requirements of the ITA to be an Authentic Trappist Product. When monks returned to the scene a few years later, the brewery won its designation back. Available at Valley Beverage Co.

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Thanks to the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival this week, cellists have overrun USC. Expect dozens of noted soloists and select students obsessing over rosin for the bow, stage fright, phrasing, tone, projection, playing with pain, flying with the cello (a nightmare), the pros and cons of weightlifting and all the other things that preoccupy cellists.

But what makes the cello particularly fascinating, especially to cello outsiders, is how this instrument resembles the body. To play a cello, you hug it, and if you wish, you can do more. In fact, Sunday, the first full day of the festival, a bevy of spectacular cellists used the instrument as a device for seduction, for self-examination, for escape, for spiritual sustenance, as a stand-in for the soul.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic has partnered with USC Thornton School of Music (as has Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra), and the day began with the L.A. Phil matinee at Walt Disney Concert Hall featuring Sol Gabetta  one of only two women among the festivals 26 soloists!  in Martinus Cello Concerto No. 1, conducted by Leonard Slatkin (whose mother happened to be the well-known Hollywood cellist Eleanor Aller). Later in the afternoon, an opening gala at USCs Bovard Auditorium included the German Cello Duello; Italian cellist Giovanni Sollima, who is the Roberto Benigni of the cello, in a riotous solo improvisation; and a multimedia love letter to Argentina hosted by Antonio Lysy. That evening, Yo-Yo Ma gave a celebrity recital to an adoring full house back at Disney Hall.

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No two cellists were remotely alike, but they did share an unusual, overt physicality in their relationship with their instruments. Gabetta, who is Argentine, comes across with the unbeatable combination of being strikingly focused yet unfettered. In her hands, the melodic lilt and rhythmic vigor of Martinus concerto (written in 1930 and later revised) took on a usefully racy character. During her encore, a riveting meditative solo by Latvian composer Peteris Vasks, she sang along with the melodic line on the cello in such a way that the cello seemed to be her singing and her singing seemed to be the cello playing. It was magnificent.

For Cello Duellos Jens Peter Maintz and Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, who opened the USC gala, the cello became an extension of the pairs dramatic personas. Their performance of a Haydn duo verged on a theatrical skit that was true to Haydns compositional wit but also something fresh.

In his improvisation, Sollima, who is both a post-Minimalist composer championed by Philip Glass and a specialist in Baroque music, was cellist as inspired clown. There was nothing he didnt do to or with the cello. He bowed everywhere on the instrument that you are not supposed to come near with horsehair (such as the pin). He even bowed his shoe, which produced a quite nice tone. He got the audience to squeal along. All the while, he remained musically cogent, turning memorable melodic motives into one thing then another then another, as if by magic.

Lysys Te Amo Argentine tribute didnt stick to traditional cello, either. He was joined by tango dancers, the Attacca string quartet, pianist Bryan Pezzone and others. There was video with time-lapse photography. Cello theater is possible, but nothing on Sunday served to convince that it was wanted. Lysys solo performance of Ginasteras Punena, for instance, was vastly more dramatic than projections of the Milky Way on a large screen behind him.

On the other hand, Ma, who has been on the contemporary forefront of stretching the cellos theatrical and repertory possibilities, remained conventional in a recital program with pianist Kathryn Stott that took no chances. About the most daring thing he did was come out after intermission wearing a festival T-shirt in place of his coat and tie.

He brought his ever-impressive intensity and urbane lyrical polish to sonatas by Shostakovich and Franck. But he cheapened them by bringing exactly the same showy intensity to what he calls the Arc of Life Suite, a tiresome collection of crowd-pleasing bonbons and to more encore bonbons. Which music do you trust?

A friend of Sollima (who isnt?), Ma did program one novelty: a short movement from a film score Sollima wrote for an Italian television remake of the 1960s film Il bellAntonio. It is a slight work.

Had someone been paying attention, however, Ma and Sollima might have been invited to play Sollimas double concerto, Antidotum Tarantulae XXI, which the two cellists premiered with the Chicago Symphony two years ago. In one hysterical movement, Athanasius Kircher  the same subject as in Louis Andriessens Theatre of the World that the L.A. Phil recently staged  becomes infected by daft dance.

Even so, the festival continues with all manner of concerts and public master classes at USC and a program at Disney on Tuesday that includes a new piece for mass cellos by Anna Clyne.

------------

Piatigorsky International Cello Festival. Walt Disney Concert Hall (CelloFest at 8 p.m. Tuesday), USC Alfred Newman Recital Hall (daytime master classes and recitals), USC Bovard Auditorium (evening concerts). All day through Sunday. $10-$116; some events are free. Festival passes available. (213) 740-4672 or piatigorskyfestival.usc.edu; (323) 850-2000 or www.laphil.org
Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling is no fan of Donald Trump. The author has gone so far as to compare him  unfavorably  to Lord Voldemort, the archvillain of her famous series of books.

But Rowling is more offended by threats to free speech than she is by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

In a speech Monday at the PEN Literary Gala in New York, Rowling sharply criticized a recent petition circulating in the U.K. seeking to have Trump banned from entering the country.

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Only last year, we saw an online petition to ban Donald Trump from entry to the U.K. It garnered half a million signatures, Rowling told the crowd, which reacted with scattered applause and laughter.

Just a moment, a smiling Rowling said. Now, I find almost everything that Mr. Trump says objectionable. I consider him offensive and bigoted. But he has my full support to come to my country and be offensive and bigoted there. The audience applauded her.

His freedom to speak protects my freedom to call him a bigot, Rowling continued. His freedom guarantees mine. Unless we take that absolute position, without caveats or apologies, we have set foot upon a road with only one destination. If you seek the removal of freedoms from an opponent simply on the grounds that they have offended you, you have crossed a line to stand alongside tyrants who imprison, torture and kill on exactly the same justification.

Rowling was at the gala to accept the 2016 PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award, which has also been awarded to Philip Roth, Salman Rushdie and Toni Morrison.

PEN America, which hosted the gala, singled out Rowlings work on behalf of free speech and her work with the Lumos Foundation when it announced she would be presented with this years award.

Herself the frequent object of censorship in schools and libraries across the globe, as well as online targeting, Rowling has emerged as a vocal proponent of free expression and access to literature and ideas for children, as well as incarcerated people, the learning-disabled, and women and girls worldwide, the organization said.

Rowlings speech wasnt the first time a speaker at the PEN gala defended the right of people to express unpopular views. Last year, the organization honored Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical magazine whose offices were attacked by gunmen after the publication ran cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. Eleven people were killed in the attack, including the magazines editor.

The magazines next editor, Gerard Biard, spoke at the gala, saying, Its the function of satire, being provocative and offensive, is it not? Being shocked is part of a democratic debate. Being shot is not.

The decision to honor the magazine was controversial among PENs members, at least six of whom, including Teju Cole, Peter Carey and Michael Ondaatje, boycotted the gala.

Salman Rushdie criticized those writers as Six Authors in Search of a bit of Character, saying, What I would say to both Peter [Carey] and Michael [Ondaatje] and the others is, I hope nobody ever comes after them.

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Police on Monday were looking for a gunman who fatally shot a man inside a tent at a homeless encampment underneath the 110 Freeway and 105 Freeway interchange in South Los Angeles, authorities said.

About 7:20 a.m., officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call of shots fired at a homeless camp in the area, LAPD Det. Nathan Kouri said.

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A man in the area flagged down officers and led police to a 35-year-old man inside a tent with gunshot wounds, Kouri said. The man, who had set up camp along with about a dozen others in the area, died at the scene.

Police, who are still in the process of notifying the mans relatives, have not released the identity of the victim. Detectives are looking for witnesses and trying to determine what led to the shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Criminal Gang Homicide Division at (323) 786-5111. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

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nicole.santacruz@latimes.com

For more crime news, follow @nicolesantacruz on Twitter.
Last week, the Obama administration told schools they need to allow transgender students to experience every aspect of school as the gender they express.

T -- we used her first initial to maintain her privacy -- is a third-grade student in Los Angeles Unified School District who we wrote about Monday.

T began using the girls bathroom this school year, and her teachers refer to her as a girl. Her family felt more comfortable about letting her transition because California is among the strongest states when it comes to protecting the rights of transgender students. Having supportive friends and living in a liberal West L.A. environment also helped.

A transgender 9-year-old tells her story

The decision might be difficult to make for other families. Without knowing much about the state's and district's policies toward transgender students, it's hard to predict how a school should react.

Here is a guide to the policies and rights of transgender students in Los Angeles.

What rights do transgender students have in California?

State law specifies that students cannot be discriminated against based on gender identity or gender expression. School districts are responsible for keeping students safe, preventing violations of students rights and addressing problems.

California lawmakers clarified protections with a law that took effect in 2014, AB 1266, which specifies that transgender students in California have the right to participate in school activities, including sports, and use the bathrooms and locker rooms for the gender they identify with.

What rights do transgender students have in the Los Angeles Unified School District?

Judy Chiasson, coordinator for the district's Human Relations, Diversity & Equity office, wrote the districts first policy protecting transgender students from bullying and discrimination in 2004. The district strengthened that language in 2014 after AB 1266 took effect.

The 2014 policy specifies that there doesn't need to be a medical threshold for a school to accept the gender identity a student expresses.

The policy states that transgender students must be treated as the gender with which they identify throughout their school experience. That includes the name by which they're addressed and bathroom or locker room use.

The district will change a student's name and gender in the official records system -- which might extend to report cards and discipline records -- only after a legal name change. But a school still has to note in the student's official record that the student prefers a different name, and the student's preferred name will be on "unofficial" documents including rosters, diplomas and yearbooks.

Chiasson frequently trains staff at L.A. Unified schools. So if you want educators to be better-equipped, you can contact her office and ask for a school visit. For those outside the district, other organizations and experts also help teach schools how to treat transgender students.

What if a student is not in California?

California has some of the strongest protections for transgender students. State laws vary: heres a map of anti-bullying laws and nondiscrimination laws for transgender students.

The U.S. Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights issued guidelines Friday that tell schools that transgender students are protected under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex.

The federal agency investigates violations and threatens to pull a district's federal funding unless they comply with the requirements to address a problem. So far, the feds haven't withheld any money for this reason.

However, Title IX doesnt explicitly list transgender people as a protected group -- the Obama administration has interpreted it that way. This reading has remained unchallenged for the most part, and a federal appeals court supported the interpretation in a ruling last month. But the policy is still vulnerable to political changes, especially as it comes months before a presidential election.

Now, the stance that transgender students are protected is being challenged. North Carolina recently passed a controversial law requiring people to use the bathrooms consistent with their "biological sex," including in schools. The Department of Justice threatened to block implementation of the law; the state sued the federal government last week. The Justice Department then sued the state as well as public entities such as the University of North Carolina, alleging that they are violating Title IX.

What can a California student or parents do if their rights are being violated?

Students or parents can file a complaint with the district and with the state, or with the U.S. Department of Education.

Advocates and lawyers said they often counsel students to first try to talk directly to the district to resolve a complaint. Failing that, they might consider filing a Title IX complaint with the feds rather than with the state.

A primary difference between the state and national departments is that the state has an appeals process, whereas the Office for Civil Rights -- during the Obama administration, at least -- conducts an entire investigation from scratch. In order to appeal at the state level, a family must first (in most cases, barring immediate danger) have complained to the school district, and have received its decision. The district has to complete its investigation in 60 days.

If a student or the student's family is unhappy with that, they have 15 days to appeal to the state. The California Department of Education will then ask for the investigation files from the district, and determine whether it fulfilled its obligation to thoroughly investigate and address an incident, said Sophia Aguilar, CDE's staff services manager of the Education Equity, Uniform Complaint Procedure appeals office.

In 2013, the state auditor found that the state often took too long to resolve complaints. CDE spokesman Bill Ainsworth said the agency has since improved its nondiscrimination efforts by creating a new office devoted to the cause.

Asaf Orr, an attorney with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, filed a complaint for a family in a Northern California school district in 2011. The district received the states response in 2015.

Orr said he would encourage students and families to go the Office for Civil Rights route because the new state department office hasnt yet proven itself.

Students can also take legal action and file complaints in federal court to gain access to facilities or address mistreatment -- thats actually what would lead to the clearest interpretations of federal law, Orr said.

But the litigation process can be long and difficult for families, including depositions from opposing lawyers and allowing access to medical and mental health records, he said. And while the students identity is protected in court documents, the process and many records are still often public.

Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com

Twitter: @Sonali_Kohli

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Sixty two years after the Supreme Court ruled that Americas schools must be integrated, campuses across the country are becoming increasingly segregated by race and income.

A report released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office shows that the number of schools segregated along racial and financial lines more than doubled over a 13-year period ending in the 2013-14 school year.

In the 2000-01 school year, 7,009 public schools were both poor and racially segregated. That number climbed to 15,089 by 2013-14  meaning that 16% of the nations schools had become segregated.

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The report also found that 61% of schools with high concentrations of poor students were racially segregated, meaning their enrollment was at least three-quarters black or Latino.

Latino students, the report found, were often triple segregated  isolated by race, income and language.

Students in segregated schools had less access to college classes, were disproportionately held back in ninth grade, and faced higher discipline rates than the average public school student, the report shows. Less than half of segregated schools offered Advanced Placement classes. The GAO conclusions were based on federal data.

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, requested the report in 2014. He released the findings Tuesday, the 62nd anniversary of the Supreme Courts 1954 landmark decision in the Brown vs. Board of Education case.

Along with the release of the report, Scott and other House Democrats are introducing legislation they say will empower parents and communities to address  through robust enforcement  racial inequities in public education, according to a fact sheet from his office.

The Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act would restore parents rights to sue segregated school districts using claims of disparate impact under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The bill would create Title VI monitors, who would investigate devoted to investigating discrimination complaints under the law, and an assistant secretary of education to oversee them.

U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. has prioritized the issue, recently telling a gathering of education journalists in Boston that there was a new urgency around issues of race and class in school.

The new GAO study confirms what we all suspected  schools are more segregated now than in 2000, Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said in a statement.

These schools and districts are educating a larger share of low-income students and students of color, but compared to their more affluent peers, have minimal access to the educational resources needed to support student success, Zirkin said.

To combat the problem, the GAO recommended that the U.S. Department of Education step up its efforts to monitor the disparities between schools. The Department of Justice, the report recommended, could track key information on open federal school desegregation cases to which it is a party to better inform monitoring. There are currently 178 open desegregation cases based on court orders from 30 or 40 years ago intended to integrate schools.

In a response to the report, Catherine Lhamon, the Education Departments assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote that King was trying to promote integration through grant programs.

We are committed to using every tool at our disposal to ensure that all students have access to an excellent education, she wrote. President Obamas latest budget includes a $120-million proposal that encourages socioeconomic diversity.

In response, the Justice Department said the GAO has an erroneous understanding of its role in the desegregation cases, and that the department already monitors each case.

Segregation ... [is] getting worse, and getting worse quickly, with more than 20 million students of color now attending racially and socioeconomically isolated public schools, Scott said in a statement. This report is a national call to action, and I intend to ensure Congress is part of the solution.

Joy.Resmovits@LATimes.com

Follow me @Joy_Resmovits.

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FOR THE RECORD

May 18, 10:18 a.m.: An earlier version of this article misspelled the last name of Nancy Zirkin as Zirkind and misstated her title as executive president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. She is executive vice president.

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The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is exploring the purchase of one of the largest properties in Eagle Rock, the Chateau Emanuel, as a potential retreat and prayer center for priests.

The property, which has a 6,000-square-foot main house with four bedrooms and five baths, three guest homes and waterfalls, was previously listed for $5.99 million, according to a 2010 Curbed LA post.

It is unclear how much the archdiocese is willing to pay for the property at 1554 Hill Drive, but church officials are applying for the necessary approvals that could lead to the acquisition of the property, according to Adrian Marquez Alarcon, director of media relations for the archdiocese.

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Its also unknown if the church would do any renovations on the buildings, which were originally built in 1925 as a retirement home by a moving company executive, according to a Huffington Post story from 2011, when the home was relisted for $4.45 million.

The property is currently owned by Robert Kvassay, according to property records.

The site could provide a prayerful and peaceful environment in which priests can strengthen and renew their relationship with God, Marquez Alarcon said in an email.

The Chateau Emanuel is not the only high-priced property the archdiocese has been interested in of late.

Church officials have been in a property dispute with a group of nuns who wanted to sell a Los Feliz convent to restaurateur Dana Hollister. Church officials favored selling the property to pop star Katy Perry for $14.5 million.

In April, a judge quashed the nuns effort to sell the convent to Hollister. But an attorney representing two nuns said he was considering an appeal.

jason.song@latimes.com

Twitter: @byjsong

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Prosecutors on Tuesday announced charges against seven former top officials in the city of Beaumont, alleging a sweeping web of corruption that dates back more than two decades and cost taxpayers nearly $43 million.

The Riverside County district attorneys office accused the officials of an elaborate scam involving the sale of municipal bonds for projects handled by companies in which they had a financial interest. They also alleged officials secured interest-free loans for friends and colleagues with taxpayer money.

Public servants must remember a basic truth  we serve the people. Any money handled by a city or any government is the peoples money and should be handled as such, said Riverside County Dist. Atty. Mike Hestrin at a news conference. Those who run our governments and make the laws are not above the law.

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Hestrin added the case should be a cautionary note to other cities to ensure contracting is free of conflicts of interest and waste.

Prosecutors allege that the Beaumont corruption was able to continue for so long in part because it involved so many officials in the city of 40,000 about 78 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

In court documents filed Tuesday, Hestrin accused former City Manager Alan Kapanicas, former Economic Development Director David William Dillon, former Public Works Director Deepak Moorjani, former Planning Director Ernest Alois Egger, former Finance Director William Kevin Aylward, former City Atty. Joseph Sandy Aklufi and former Police Chief Francis Dennis Coe Jr. of years of white-collar crimes.

If convicted, the defendants would be forbidden from ever serving in public office again, prosecutors said. With the exception of Egger, all were arrested Tuesday and are expected to appear in court Thursday. Egger is expected to surrender to authorities Wednesday, officials said.

Tuesdays charges followed more than a year of investigation by the district attorneys Public Integrity Team, which found that Dillon, Egger and Moorjani had used their public offices to enrich themselves personally and secure interest-free loans for friends and colleagues with taxpayer money.

Beaumont was at the center of a public corruption probe in April 2015 when investigators with the district attorneys office and the FBI raided City Hall. They hauled away dozens of boxes of records, computers and other items.

At the time, sources familiar with the investigation said the raid was part of an ongoing investigation of the municipalitys business relationship and contracts with Urban Logic Consultants Group, a Beaumont firm whose offices were also searched by investigators, officials said in a statement.

Authorities said Tuesday that the investigation turned up evidence of alleged improper ties between the companys principals  Dillon, Egger and Moorjani  and their decisions as the heads of Beaumonts economic development, planning and public works departments, respectively.

According to investigators, the three urged city leaders to issue bonds, which were then used to contract work to Urban Logic Consultants and turned them a profit, prosecutors said.

In 2003, the city approved a fee on new developments to help fund regional transportation projects, prosecutors said. Those fees amounted to more than $36 million. But instead of sending the money to regional projects, Kapanicas, Dillon, Moorjani, Egger, Aylward and Aklufi allegedly manipulated city documents, kept the money in Beaumont and then spent it on Urban Logic Consultants contracts.

From 2010 to 2013, Kapanicas and Aylward worked with Coe to secure the police chief two interest-free loans with city money. In total, the group lent more than $113,000 to Coe and other Beaumont Police Department employees, prosecutors allege.

At the same time, Kapanicas and Aylward were also allegedly inflating sales tax by lending its resale tax permit to Beaumont Electric, a private business. The two never requested City Council approval before awarding the company an interest-free $6.2-million loan to purchase electrical equipment, officials said.

Urban Logic has provided planning, engineering and economic development services to Beaumont for the last two decades.

In 2010, several former directors of Urban Logic sued a Beaumont citizens group for defamation and trade libel. The lawsuit was rejected, and in an appellate court ruling affirming the lawsuits dismissal, a judicial panel noted that three of Urban Logics then-principals  Moorjani, Egger and Dillon  had held top posts at Beaumont City Hall until August 2009.

Moorjani has previously stated that the FBI, the city and the company had investigated allegations of misconduct and no wrongdoing had been found, according to the appellate ruling.

In May 2014, an Orange County Superior Court judge issued a ruling that Beaumont failed to contribute to regional transportation projects for nearly a decade and owes more than $42 million plus interest to a regional transit fund.

The state controllers office audited the city after finding significant differences between the citys financial transaction reports to the controllers office and its audited financial statements over two fiscal years. Auditors found the citys accounting controls had widespread deficiencies that rendered them effectively nonexistent.

Except for Coe, each of the remaining six defendants has been charged with six counts of embezzlement of public funds. Dillon, Egger and Moorjani have also been charged with one count each of conflict of interest and face up to 16 years in prison.

Kapanicas and Aylward are also charged with 24 counts of misappropriation of public funds and two counts of conspiracy. They face up to 26 years in prison. Coe has been charged with two counts of misappropriation of public funds and one count of conspiracy. He faces up to five years in prison.

Bail for Kapanicas, Aylward, Aklufi, Dillon, Moorjani and Egger was set at $5 million each. Coes bail is $100,000, officials said.

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UPDATES:

7:45 p.m.: This story was updated with additional quotes and information from prosecutors
Two people and a dog escaped a boat fire that erupted Tuesday morning in the waters off Leo Carrillo State Beach, officials said.

The blaze started around 7:30 a.m. about six miles offshore from Decker Canyon, said Lidia Barillas, a spokeswoman for the L.A. County Fire Departments Lifeguard Division.

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Two people and a dog aboard the 45-foot boat were rescued by a private vessel that was passing through the area and helped out, she said. The Ventura County Fire Department reported the boaters and their dog were taken to the Channel Islands Harbor.

Lifeguard and fire boats from the Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange County Fire Department were headed to the area. The U.S. Coast Guard was also en route.

It is unclear what sparked the morning fire.

This post will be updated as more information becomes available.

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A man in his 20s was shot several times Monday night while repairing a car in Boyle Heights, authorities said.

The shooting occurred about 6:15 p.m. near 5th and State streets, according to Los Angeles Police Officer Mike Lopez.

The man was outside doing mechanical repairs to a car when an unknown woman approached him and began a brief conversation, LAPD Det. Steven Juarez said.

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At some point, the woman fired several rounds at the man, then ran westbound on 5th Street, Juarez said. She was last seen getting into a gray or silver Astro-style minivan, he said.

An unidentified man drove the getaway minivan.

The victim was rushed to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where he was in critical condition as of 10 p.m., Juarez said.

Its unclear what motivated the shooting.

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For more California news, follow me @MattHjourno. E-mail me at matt.hamilton@latimes.com.
State regulators have fined Southern California Gas Co. $2.25 million for failing to promptly fix corrosion control systems used on its underground natural gas pipelines.

The California Public Utilities Commission cited the utility for 45 safety violations found during inspections in the Mid-City and Harbor area in April and May of 2015.

The citation found violations of state and federal requirements in the gas companys cathodic protection systems, which are designed to prevent external corrosion by applying an electric current to underground steel pipelines.

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Between 2011 and 2015 the utility failed to fix 125 deficient corrosion prevention systems within the required 15 months, in some cases waiting more than three years, according to the citation. The utilities commission cited the company for 45 of those deficiencies that exceeded two years, saying they presented unacceptable risk to safe operations.

In an emailed statement, the gas company said it has taken responsibility at the highest levels to address the issue by actively implementing system-wide corrective actions and will work diligently to address all required remediation.

The utility said that 40 of the 45 deficient corrosion prevention systems identified by regulators have been addressed and are operating normally.

The five remaining cathodic protection areas are being actively worked on and are expected to operate normally within the next few months, the company said.

The utility said it maintained more than 20,000 corrosion protection systems and called them one of several tools, including leak surveys and physical inspections, used monitor its pipelines.

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The firm has until Monday to correct the violations or submit a plan to do so and to either pay the fine or contest it.

The integrity of natural gas infrastructure has come under increased scrutiny nationwide since the blowout of a well at the gas companys Aliso Canyon storage facility near Porter Ranch last fall. Thousands of San Fernando Valley residents were forced to relocated because of the massive leak, which lasted nearly four months.

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tony.barboza@latimes.com

@tonybarboza
Los Angeles police are investigating a shooting that occurred over the weekend at a Hollywood Hills house party that left one person wounded.

The shooting occurred Saturday about 2:30 a.m. in the 6600 block of Lakeridge Road, near the Lake Hollywood reservoir, LAPD Officer Mike Lopez said.

The gunman opened fire in the residence, sending a bullet into the abdomen of another man, Lopez said.

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Mo Adams, one of party-goers, told the news service OnScene TV that he was about 5 feet away from where gunfire erupted. After the shooting, a man ran from the home, Adams said.

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Friends of the victim initially tried to take him to a hospital, but paramedics intercepted them and rushed him to a hospital for surgery, Lopez said.

Investigators recovered evidence at the scene and interviewed the victim.

No suspect has been taken into custody, and police did not provide a description of the shooter. Its unclear if the incident was gang-related.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

For more California news, follow me @MattHjourno.

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In October 2012, Idin Rafiee was getting ready to board a flight from San Diego to London when a federal agent came up beside him and told him all his electronic devices were going to be detained.

Laptop, iPad, cellphone, external hard drive  all would be taken from him, the Customs and Border Patrol agent said. The reason: The agent suspected there was child pornography on the devices.

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May 18, 6:35 p.m.: An earlier version of this article was incorrectly accompanied by a photo of the Pasha Automotive Services terminal at the Port of San Diego. Pasha Automotive Services is a different company than Pasha International and is not involved with the federal case.

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Rafiee wasnt told what that suspicion was based on, but all his electronics were seized that night, though he was allowed to continue on to London.

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One week after the encounter at the airport, and after agents had thoroughly copied the electronic data, Rafiees devices were returned to him. He never heard about child pornography again.

More than three years later, it turns out the suspicion wasnt based on anything. It was a ruse, designed to conceal what agents were really after: evidence that Rafiee and the company he founded with his father, Hassan  Pasha International  was selling goods to Iran in violation of sanctions barring trade with that country.

In February 2014, the Rafiees, their company and a third man, Majid Nouri, were indicted by a San Diego federal grand jury on charges that they evaded the sanctions by selling nearly $8 million worth of air conditioning products to Iran. Emails and other information captured from the computers played a crucial role in developing the case, court records say.

At the time, the arrest was seen as another example of the U.S cracking down on the illegal trade with Iran that was undercutting the sanctions designed to pressure Iran into giving up its nuclear program.

On Friday, the case against the Rafiees and their company quietly came to a close. The corporation pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to export materials to an embargoed country.

That same charge against the Rafiees and Nouri was dismissed, ending the case. The corporation also was ordered to forfeit $874,940 to the government.

Prosecutors didnt say why the charges against the men were dropped, though defense lawyers had vigorously challenged in pretrial hearings whether the evidence from the electronic devices was collected legally.

Those challenges dealt not with the deception about child pornography suspicions but with whether there was reasonable suspicion to believe that the Rafiees and their company were engaged in illegal trade in the first place.

The child pornography approach is, according to testimony from Department of Homeland Security investigation agent Kevin Hamako, not unusual.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

The case had begun with a phone call to a Homeland Security tip line from a salesman based in Florida who said he worked for Pasha. He said he suspected it was a front company for selling goods to Iran.

Agents researched Pasha and the Rafiees, finding that Hassan Rafiee had traveled to Iran several times since 2003. The father and son also had bank accounts that had received wire transfers of $600,000 from Dubai, Kuwait, and Turkey in 2010 and 2011. Dubai is known as a transfer point for products from the U.S. to Iran, court records say.

While the law protects citizens from warrantless searches, that constitutional protection is lessened for searches done at borders, for people either entering or exiting the country. Defense lawyers argued even under that relaxed standard, agents did not have enough reasonable suspicion to launch an investigation and seize the computers under a disingenuous story of looking for child pornography.

Prosecutors said that other evidence, including the wire transfers, justified the move. The issue was never fully resolved  no formal ruling was made by U.S. District Court Judge Janis Sammartino  before the case ended.

greg.moran@sduniontribune.com

Moran writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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Less than a week into his career as a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy, Josh Sather was summoned by his training officer to the sixth floor of the Twin Towers jail.

Sather, a promising rookie who had graduated at the top of his class of recruits, was told an inmate had left his cell without permission and mouthed off to jail staff. Were going to teach him a lesson, Sather recalled his training officer telling him.

Testifying in the federal criminal trial of the training officer and another deputy, Sather told jurors how he and other deputies led the inmate into a hallway. Sather recounted tackling the man and punching him several times but then relenting because the inmate wasnt resisting. Other deputies then set upon the inmate with a barrage of kicks and blows that culminated in them spreading the inmates legs and the training officer kicking him in the genitals, Sather said.

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The inmate, Sather said, lay curled up on the ground throughout the assault, screaming and crying.

When they were done, he said, the deputies gathered privately to concoct a justification for the beating that they gave sheriffs officials in falsified reports.

On Monday, the jury signaled they had been swayed by last weeks dramatic testimony. After deliberating only 90 minutes, the panel convicted the two defendants, Bryan Brunsting and Jason Branum, of conspiracy, depriving the inmate of his civil rights and falsifying records to cover up the assault.

The case was one of the last in a series of prosecutions brought by the federal government against sheriffs deputies accused of brutalizing inmates. In previous cases, seven deputies have been convicted or pleaded guilty to charges stemming from allegations of inmate abuse, while several others have been found guilty of obstructing a federal investigation into the county jails.

In his closing arguments Monday, Assistant U.S. Atty. Brandon Fox told jurors the lesson Brunsting and Branum had wanted to impart on the inmate, Philip Jones, was clear: Disrespect would be met with violent punishment.

But the pair, Fox said, were also looking to teach Sather.

The second lesson was for Joshua Sather, the honor recruit, the future of the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, Fox said. That lesson was simple: This is how you beat an inmate. This is how things are done at Twin Towers. It was as much a lesson as much as it was a test.

During the four-day trial, attorneys for Brunsting and Branum tried to present jurors with a less flattering portrayal of Sather. He was, they said, an untrustworthy, biased witness who has given inconsistent accounts of the incident over the years in an attempt to avoid falling in the cross-hairs of prosecutors.

He had his script, he told his story and made it as dramatic as he could, Richard Hirsch, Brunstings attorney, said in his closing arguments. But he was exposed for his past lies, deceptions, his lack of memory.

Sather took the stand Thursday, one of only a few witnesses called by the government. He told jurors how, as a 23-year-old living in Colorado, he had grown unsatisfied with a paralegal job and set about for something more fulfilling.

I wanted to do something that made a difference, he said. I wanted to help people.

An uncle was a veteran detective in the department and encouraged him to apply. He was accepted to the training academy and thrived, emerging at the end as an honor recruit, a designation awarded to the top performer in each academy class.

As with nearly all rookies, Sathers first assignment was in the countys network of lock-up facilities, the largest jail system in the country. On his second day on the job, his training officer went on leave and Sather was re-assigned to Brunsting in Module 161 -- part of the sixth floor in the downtown complexs first tower that houses mentally ill inmates.

A few days later, on March 22, Sather said he was on another floor helping to search cells for drugs and weapons when Brunsting called him back up to 161. Sather found Brunsting, Branum and a few other deputies gathered outside of a room where visitors met with inmates.

Jones, who suffers from schizophrenia, was in the visitation room without permission, Brunsting told Sather.

Sather recalled how Brunsting first gave an innocuous-sounding order for him to take care of Jones, which he thought meant he should return the inmate to his cell. He quickly understood Brunsting had something else in mind, however, when the training officer made the lesson comment and directed Jones into a narrow hallway that had a locked door at the other end and was out of sight from security cameras.

Jones turned back to see the group of deputies blocking his only way out. Im gonna get my ass kicked, he said, according to Sather, before trying to run down the hallway.

Sather said he quickly tackled Jones and delivered a few blows to his legs and ribs.

Fox asked him why he struck the man.

Because we were teaching him a lesson, Sather replied. Thats what we were doing.

Sather described stepping away from Jones when it was clear the inmate wasnt resisting. Another deputy handed him a pair of handcuffs but instructed him not to restrain Jones until a call for back up went out on the radio and other deputies arrived in the hallway, Sather recalled. He said he watched as Jones was punched and kicked.

Jones was also pepper-sprayed in the face. In the reports that he and the other deputies submitted on the incident, Branum acknowledged being the one who sprayed Jones.

Those reports, Sather testified, were full of lies. He said that shortly after the beating, he and the other deputies gathered in the modules control booth to get our stories straight.

Jones, it was decided, would be portrayed as the aggressor, who ignored orders to return to his cell and instead walked into the hallway. When Sather followed, the story would go, Jones turned, took a swing at the deputy and violently resisted being taken into custody, Sather testified.

It was also decided that one of the other deputies involved would not be mentioned in the reports because his record already included several uses of force on inmates and he could not afford another, Sather said. That deputy and another who was involved in the incident were not charged in the case. Prosecutors declined to say why those deputies were not charged or called as witnesses.

At trial, Fox displayed the reports that Sather, Brunsting and Branum submitted about the incident, showing jurors how the language mirrored each other exactly in several sections. Sather testified that after Brunsting twice rejected his trainees attempts to write a report, he gave Sather his own and told him to copy it.

That night, he called his uncle.

He was crying, the uncle, Steven Sather, recalled. He drove to his nephews apartment and said he found him sitting on the couch in the dark.

He told me he had been involved in an incident that never should have happened. He said he did something really bad.

At the start of his dawn shift the next day, the rookie approached a lieutenant who supervised him and said he was resigning for personal reasons stemming from family issues.

I didnt want to be a snitch, Josh Sather explained in court.

His uncle tried to persuade him to reconsider and took his nephew to Las Vegas to meet with his father. Sather described returning to Los Angeles still undecided. After a sleepless night mulling his options, he went ahead with the resignation.

Steven Sather, grimacing and shifting his body in pain from a back injury, told jurors how he drove to Twin Towers to check on his nephew, only to find him gone. He demanded to see Brunsting and told of how he unleashed an expletive-filled tirade on the training officer on the lawn outside the jail, threatening at one point to beat him up.

Several days later, at his uncles urging, Josh Sather said he met with the captain in charge of the jail and explained the real reason he left. His uncle, Sather said, told him he owed it to him and the others who had helped me to tell the truth.

Sather returned to Colorado and today works in one of the states oil fields.

During cross-examination, he withstood attempts by defense attorneys to rattle him by pointing out what they said were discrepancies in his testimony and various statements he had given over the years to federal investigators and sheriffs officials.

For example, in one account Sather said that Jones had been scooting on the floor during the assault and in another that Jones may have been resisting the deputies slightly.

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Youve heard so many stories, you cant tell which, if any, are true, Hirsch, Brunstings attorney, said Monday.

Hirsch suggested a different reason for why Sather left the department, telling jurors the rookie felt intense pressure from his uncle and others to succeed and when he was confronted with the ugly reality of sometimes needing to use force on belligerent inmates, he couldnt handle it.

In the end, it was a line of attack that fell on deaf ears. The swiftness with which the jury reach its decision left no doubt about who they believed.

Prosecutors have declined to say why they didnt call on the other deputies named in the reports to testify at the trial.

Brunsting, 31, and Branum, 35, who both remain with the sheriffs department but have been relieved of duty, are scheduled to be sentenced in August. They face a maximum of 40 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. attorneys office.

Brunsting is expected to face trial later this year on additional civil rights charges in connection with another force incident at Twin Towers in August 2009.

joel.rubin@latimes.com

Follow me at @joelrubin

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A Los Angeles federal jury on Monday found two Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies guilty of beating an inmate and falsifying reports to cover up the attack, the latest in a series of convictions connected to the countys jail abuse scandal.

Bryan Brunsting, 31, and Jason Branum, 35, were each convicted of three charges in connection with the March 10, 2010, incident, including conspiracy to violate the inmates civil rights, depriving him of his civil rights under color of authority and falsifying records.

The case revolved around allegations made by a former recruit who said he was only days on the job at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility when he was summoned by his training officer, Brunsting, and told that the inmate had left his cell without permission and mouthed off to jail staff.

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Were going to teach him a lesson, Sather recalled Brunsting telling him.

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Sather, who had graduated from the academy at the top of his class, testified he tackled the inmate and punched him several times but then stopped because he wasnt resisting. Other deputies then set upon the inmate with a barrage of kicks and blows. The inmate, Sather said, lay curled up on the ground throughout the assault, screaming and crying.

When they were done, he said, the deputies gathered privately to concoct a justification for the beating that they gave sheriffs officials in falsified reports.

In his closing arguments Monday, Assistant U.S. Atty. Brandon Fox told jurors the lesson the two deputies charged in the case, Brian Brunsting and Jason Branum, were looking to impart on the inmate was clear: Disrespect would be met with violent punishment.

But the pair, Fox said, were also looking to teach Sather.

The second lesson was for Joshua Sather, the honor recruit, the future of the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, Fox said. That lesson was simple: This is how you beat an inmate. This is how things are done at Twin Towers. It was as much a lesson as much as it was a test.

Prosecutors alleged that the deputies attacked the inmate in a locked hallway of the jail that lacked surveillance cameras. The inmate was kicked in the genitals, punched and pepper sprayed, prosecutors said.

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During the four-day trial, attorneys for Brunsting and Branum tried to present jurors with a less flattering portrayal of Sather. He was, they said, an untrustworthy, biased witness, who has given inconsistent accounts of the incident over the years in an attempt to avoid falling in the cross-hairs of prosecutors.

He had his script, he told his story and made it as dramatic as he could, Richard Hirsch, Brunstings attorney, said in his closing arguments. But he was exposed for his past lies, deceptions, his lack of memory.

The jurors signaled clearly that they did not believe the defense, returning the guilty verdicts after only 90 minutes of deliberation.

Brunsting and Branum each face up to 40 years in federal prison when they are sentenced Aug. 22, according to the U.S. attorneys office. Brunsting is expected to face trial later this year on additional civil rights charges in connection with another force incident at Twin Towers in August 2009.

Federal authorities have now convicted 21 current or former sheriffs officials after a wide-ranging FBI investigation into corruption and abuse in the county jails.

joel.rubin@latimes.com

Follow me at @joelrubin

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UPDATES:

6:54 p.m.: This story was updated to add more details about the case against the deputies, the maximum sentences they face and the number of convictions resulting from the FBIs investigation into jail misconduct and corruption.

This story was originally published at 5:39 p.m.
The Los Angeles school district will pay $88 million to settle sexual abuse cases at two elementary schools where complaints about the teachers behavior had surfaced long before their arrest, officials confirmed Monday.

The settlement with 30 children and their families, finalized over the weekend, is the second largest in district history, and brings a dark chapter to an apparent close.

The cases at De La Torre Elementary in Wilmington and Telfair Avenue Elementary in Pacoima, emerged in the aftermath of better-known sexual misconduct at Miramonte Elementary, south of downtown. Altogether, a spate of prosecutions and lawsuits led to huge settlements and spurred the district to announce a raft of reforms at the nations second-largest school system.

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Were glad that were able to resolve both of these cases so we can avoid potentially painful litigation and put these cases behind us, said Gregory McNair, a senior attorney with L.A. Unified. Were turning a corner here because weve resolved the last two very large cases that were involving the district.

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The abuse scandals prompted the school system to better document and retain allegations against employees.

The district also focused on better training on recognizing and reporting abuse and set up a special investigations unit.

Attorneys representing the students said the change was long overdue and they remain concerned.

Plaintiffs attorney John Manly likened the districts handling of these cases to the Catholic Churchs failure to halt abuse by priests.

We feel this is an ongoing problem in L.A. Unified and we hope this amount of money will promote a change of heart and change of attitude when it comes to victims, said Manly, who represents many of the students and families.

The De La Torre litigation encompassed 18 children and 19 of their parents (who sued separately). The Telfair settlement involved 12 minors. The agreement provides for a process to distribute the money fairly, but the average payout will be about about $3 million per family, including sums that two of the Telfair students won through a jury verdict last year.

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The two schools are at opposite ends of the sprawling school system  Telfair in the north, De La Torre in the south. And Miramonte was miles from both. All three schools served predominantly low-income communities and involved veteran teachers who had been relatively popular, but whose conduct had raised questions in the past.

Miramonte teacher Mark Berndt attracted the most media attention after his 2012 arrest because of the bizarre forms of abuse into which he lured dozens of students. The payouts eventually totaled $175 million. Berndt is serving a 25-year sentence for committing lewd acts.

We feel this is an ongoing problem in L.A. Unified and we hope this amount of money will promote a change of heart and change of attitude when it comes to victims.  John Manly, plaintiffs attorney

The districts reputation continued to be battered as details emerged about other accused predators. At the time, Telfair teacher Paul Chapel III already was facing sex abuse charges.

L.A. Unified had no record that it ever conducted an internal investigation about him despite his dismissal from a previous job at a private school and his later trial  Chapel was not convicted  on allegations that he abused a boy. District officials said that the earlier incidents did not involve conduct at an L.A. Unified school, which may have limited their attention to the matter at the time.

But court documents allege that there also were concerns at his L.A. Unified workplace. Teachers at his first district school, Andasol Elementary in Northridge, warned that Chapel was placing children in his lap, attempting to take them on unauthorized field trips and closing his classroom door with students inside during lunch and recess.

In March 2011, a parent complained to an administrator that Chapel would kiss boys and girls in class. Several children confirmed the allegations, but even at that point, Chapel remained in the classroom for six more weeks, according to court documents.

Questions about Chapels subsequent quiet removal led to a specific change in district policy: Families are now supposed to be notified when an investigation of a teacher involves alleged sexual misconduct.

In all, Chapel sexually abused a dozen students over a decade, including acts such as kissing boys on their genitals. He is serving a 25-year sentence after a no-contest plea.

Robert Pimentels case also involves a long chain of accusations that led to little or no action, according to court documents filed by the plaintiffs.

Former district Principal Irene Hinojosa fielded complaints about Pimentels aggressive affection for children as early as 2002, when she documented a conference with Pimentel about touching and slapping young girls buttocks and touching their calves.

The teacher admitted the conduct, according to the document, with the excuse that he was on medication, which increased his sex hormones. Three years later, Hinojosa received a search warrant requesting Mr. Pimentels employment and personnel files because of an investigation into Pimentels alleged abuse of a minor who was related to him.

In 2009, senior administrators learned of accusations against Pimentel from a report by social worker Holly Priebe-Diaz, who talked to a group of about 40 parents demonstrating against the principal.

An internal district memo, marked confidential, said soon after that the district guidelines regarding reporting cases of child endangerment may not have been followed.

Allegations about Pimentel filtered up through administrators Valerie Moses and Mike Romero  all the way to senior regional administrator Linda Del Cueto. The complaints, although not lurid, provided more than enough grounds to launch a full investigation, plaintiff attorneys said.

About a dozen students complained about sexual misconduct by Pimentel that occurred after the 2009 allegations. In abuse cases, liability is not established by the acts themselves, but by whether a school system could have or should have known about a potential problem, according to experts.

The district administrators accused of inaction repeatedly denied wrongdoing or declined to comment.

Del Cueto, reached at the district on Monday, said that at this point she is unwilling to discuss the case.

Then-Supt. John Deasy removed Hinojosa as principal and she subsequently left the district for another job, according to state records.

Deasy suspended the three other administrators, along with current Principal David Kooper. Kooper was, for a time, an aide to school board member Richard Vladovic, who represents that area. Investigators apparently found nothing incriminating against either Vladovic or Kooper. Deasy demoted Romero and Del Cueto.

Deasys successor, Ramon Cortines, restored them to more senior positions. Moses has retired, according to district records.

The LAUSD is more interested in protecting teachers and administrators than in protecting the children within the LAUSD, said plaintiffs attorney Luis Carrillo.

Pimentel pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting four girls, including a relative, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

howard.blume@latimes.com | @howardblume

richard.winton@latimes.com | @LAcrimes

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A Monterey Park police officer is facing multiple felony charges for sexually assaulting three women during traffic stops, including forcing them to expose themselves, authorities said.

Israel Sanchez, 40, has been charged with three felony counts of false imprisonment, one count of bribery, two counts of felony assault under color of authority and four counts of sexual battery by restraint, according to a Los Angeles County criminal complaint.

Monterey Park Police Chief Jim Smith said the department and city were taking the incident seriously. The department, he said, holds its employees and officers to high ethics and standards.

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We have zero tolerance for conduct that is not in line with those standards, he said.

Sanchez, who has been working as a patrol officer for three years, was arrested Monday after detectives with the Long Beach Police Department investigated the allegations.

The Monterey Park Police Department, which received complaints about Sanchez, asked Long Beach police to investigate to avoid any conflict of interest, Smith said. Sanchez was then placed on paid leave, where he remains, the chief said.

The assaults occurred between July 28, 2014, and Aug. 15, 2014.

The women, whose were between 20 and 28 years old, were forced to expose themselves during traffic stops conducted while Sanchez was on duty, according to Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.

Sanchez allegedly ordered two women to expose themselves during separate traffic stops and touched them, she said.

If Sanchez is convicted of the charges, he faces more than eight years in prison.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

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PetSmart worker arrested after dachshund dies in grooming session
A PetSmart worker in San Mateo was arrested after a 1-year-old dachshund died following a grooming session, police said Monday.

Juan Zarate, 38, of San Francisco was working Sunday at the pet supply store in the 3500 block of South El Camino Real when the dog was dropped off to be groomed, according to the San Mateo Police Department.

Three minutes later, Zarate walked out of the grooming office holding the dog and told the 47-year-old owner that his dog was suffering a medical emergency.

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The dog was visibly bleeding from the mouth and having trouble breathing, police said in a statement.

An on-site veterinarian immediately noticed the dog was struggling to breathe and tried to provide emergency measures.

But it was too late.

The small dog with a reddish, brown coat died minutes later.

An X-ray performed later showed it had two broken ribs and a punctured lung, police said.

Officers determined Zarates actions were deliberate and likely contributed to the dogs death, police said. He was taken into custody on suspicion of felony animal cruelty.

The Peninsula Humane Society will perform a necropsy on the dog to determine a cause of death.

This is a tragic case of animal cruelty and thus, led to decisive action in the arrest of the alleged offender, police said. As you know, the pets in our community cant speak for themselves, so its inherent on all of us to be alert to the signs and symptoms of animal cruelty and neglect.

Zarate was suspended from work while PetSmart conducts an internal investigation into the dogs death.

We are heartbroken by the loss of Henry, PetSmart spokeswoman Michelle Friedman said. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of pets, and we take full responsibility for the pets in our care.

PetSmart said it is working with police and will take immediate action on any findings made.

Any incident of animal cruelty goes against everything we believe as a company and as individual pet parents, she said. No words can express our deep sorrow for the family, and we will continue to work with the pet parent during this difficult time.

Zarate posted bond and was released from custody Monday night. He is scheduled to return to court on June 23, San Mateo County District Atty. Steve Wagstaffe said.

Prosecutors are reviewing the case to determine whether charges will be filed against him.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

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9:32 a.m.: This article has been updated with comments from PetSmart and the San Mateo County district attorneys office.

This article was originally published at 7:41 a.m.
Angry over arrests at recent public meetings, a group of Black Lives Matter activists gathered outside the Los Angeles Police Departments downtown headquarters Tuesday morning, saying the arrests would not deter their calls for police reform.

About two dozen activists  most wearing signs asking, Are you going to arrest me too?  blasted the arrests at Police Commission meetings, accusing the board of infringing upon their free-speech rights and unfairly targeting them for criticizing the LAPD.

They are setting this city up to be sued, said Nana Gyamfi, an attorney representing local Black Lives Matter organizers. We ask and we demand that these false arrests stop.

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Disruptions have become common at the boards weekly meetings, where activists have spent months criticizing how police use force and calling for the firing of Police Chief Charlie Beck. The meetings are frequently interrupted when activists chant the names of people killed by Los Angeles police officers. Some people in the audience have aimed personal attacks at the police commissioners, sometimes using racial slurs.

Last fall, the Police Commission implemented a set of rules for attendees, allowing the removal of people who repeatedly disrupt the meetings. The goal, the rules state, was to establish an appropriate level of safety and efficiency at the meetings.

The rules warned that attendees who resisted being removed from the meeting room could be subject to arrest.

A handful of activists was removed from the room during Tuesdays meeting for disrupting the proceedings, but the LAPD said no arrests were made.

At least seven people have been arrested during commission meetings since November, either on suspicion of resisting an officer, battery on an officer or refusing to disperse, according to a review of LAPD records.

Last week, Melina Abdullah  a Cal State Los Angeles professor and prominent member of the local Black Lives Matter movement  was removed from the meeting after speaking past her allocated time. Officers then arrested her on suspicion of resisting a peace officer.

As officers removed Abdullah from the room, dozens of activists stood and chanted at the commission, raising fists and cellphones in the air.

Black lives, they matter here! the group shouted.

Beck told reporters at Tuesdays Police Commission meeting that the arrests were not about speech.

We allow freedom of speech  as a matter of fact, they were exercising their right to free speech today, the chief said. Its when they cross the line, become physical with the officers  then theyre going to get arrested.

kate.mather@latimes.com

Follow me at @katemather

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UPDATES:

May 18, 8:53 a.m.: This story was updated to add comments from LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.

May 17, 3:55 p.m.: This article was updated to add that no arrests were made at Tuesdays meeting but that a handful of activists were removed from the room.

This post was first published May 17 at 1:24 p.m.
William Webb, a popular assistant principal at the Los Angeles Unified School Districts flagship arts high school, was arrested Tuesday morning on suspicion of sexual misconduct with a student.

Webb, 51, was taken into custody by Los Angeles Police Juvenile Division detectives, Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese confirmed. He is being held at the Van Nuys station jail in lieu of $120,000 bond.

LAPD Capt. Julian Melendez said the student is now 24 years old and was approximately 14 to 18 when the alleged acts occurred at Vista Middle School in Van Nuys.

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The arrest comes the day after the district announced an $88-million settlement over sexual abuse by two teachers at other schools where complaints about the teachers behavior had surfaced long before their arrest. It was the second-largest such settlement in district history.

The allegation against Webb occurs as the district is trying to put such cases behind it. Attorney John Manly compared the districts handling of misconduct complaints to the Catholic Churchs failure to protect children from abuse.

Webb was one of the schools founding administrators at the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts, on the north edge of downtown L.A., and he worked there from 2009 until administrators removed him from the school in 2014.

Two Webb supporters said that the administrator came under scrutiny after a parent complained about Webb providing support to students coming out as gay.

Parents did not appreciate him creating a safe haven for gays, which was against their religious beliefs, said Gavin Glynn, a former parent at the school.

See the most-read stories this hour >>

He was helping a kid who came out as gay, said parent Omega Hsu. The parent of this kid got very upset, accused him of making him gay. Bills computer was taken away. And that was the last we saw of him.

Melendez said the LAPD began an investigation into Webb after the lodging of a child abuse report. The initial inquiry did not result in criminal charges. But the district continued its administrative review and identified a possible victim, prompting another call to the LAPD.

Melendez said that report and subsequent criminal investigation eventually led to prosecutors charging Webb with sexually abusing a child during his earlier stint at the middle school.

The L.A. County district attorney has charged Webb with three felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts.

The charges include oral copulation and sodomy on a minor.

Webbs arrest comes after the district finalized an agreement over the weekend with 30 children and their families.

The cases at De La Torre Elementary in Wilmington and Telfair Avenue Elementary in Pacoima emerged in the aftermath of a sexual misconduct scandal at Miramonte Elementary, south of downtown.

Altogether, a spate of prosecutions and lawsuits led to huge settlements and spurred the district to announce a raft of reforms at the nations second-largest school system.

The abuse scandals prompted the school system to state that it would better document and retain allegations against employees.

The district has also focused on better training on recognizing and reporting abuse and setting up a special investigations unit.

richard.winton@latimes.com | @LAcrimes

howard.blume@latimes.com | @howardblume

UPDATES:

3:23 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional information and background.

This article was originally published at 1:18 p.m.
The company that operates a pipeline that ruptured last year near Santa Barbara, sending up to 143,000 gallons of crude oil flowing into the coast, was indicted on dozens of criminal charges and could face fines of nearly $3 million.

A Santa Barbara County grand jury indicted Plains All American Pipeline on 46 criminal counts, including four felony charges of knowingly discharging a pollutant into state waters, prosecutors announced Tuesday. A 41-year-old company employee who worked as an environmental and regulatory compliance specialist faces three charges.

The action by state and local prosecutors comes amid revelations of what critics considered a slow response by the company in identifying the leak and notifying authorities.

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The Houston-based company owns the 10.6-mile pipeline running alongside U.S. 101 that ruptured last May, sending the crude oil onto Refugio State Beach. Some of the oil got into the Pacific Ocean, and tar balls from the leak were found as far away as Manhattan Beach.

At the time, experts described the spill as moderate in size but cautioned that it could have a dramatic effect on a region visited by rare seabirds, migrating whales, sea lions and dolphins. During the cleanup, which involved scientists, government officials and industrial crews, fish and marine animals were found cloaked in petroleum. At one point, a juvenile seal lion, its belly stained with oil, washed up on the beach and collapsed not far from the site of the pipeline break.

California Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris said the company had been uncooperative during the criminal investigation and that her office was committed to putting all the resources that are necessary into seeing this case through.

We value our pristine coastal communities, we value the precious wildlife and the oceans that we are proud to call a big part of California, she said. Anyone that violates the law  is going to be held accountable.

In a statement released Tuesday, Plains said it sincerely regrets the leak and its effect on the community. We have worked tirelessly and relentlessly to do the right thing and do it as quickly and effectively as possible by cleaning up the beaches and other affected areas.

The company  which reported $43 billion in revenue and $878 million in profit the year before the leak  called the charges unwarranted and an inappropriate attempt to criminalize an unfortunate accident. It has spent more than $150 million on the response effort, cleanup and related matters, the statement said.

According to federal records, the subsidiary responsible for the burst pipeline has a history of safety and maintenance infractions.

Since 2006, Plains Pipelines rate of incidents per mile of pipe is more than three times the national average, a Times analysis of data from the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration last year showed.

The companys 175 violations involved pipeline corrosion, operator error, pump failure and equipment malfunction. The incidents caused more than $23 million in property damage and spilled more than 688,000 gallons of hazardous liquid, according to federal records. Only four companies in a database of more than 1,700 pipeline operators reported more infractions.

Plains Pipeline transports and stores crude oil and is part of Plains All American Pipeline, which owns and operates nearly 18,000 miles of pipe networks in several states.

After the rupture, it was learned that operators had shut down what is known as Line 901 at 11:30 a.m. on May 19 after seeing abnormalities.

According to a timeline released by company officials, workers near Refugio State Beach didnt know about the leak until they received reports of oil in the water from state parks staff about noon. Initially, company employees struggled to spot oil leaking from the underground pipeline.

By 1:30 p.m., they realized oil was reaching the ocean via a storm culvert near where the corroded pipe had broken.

Meanwhile, company officials in Bakersfield, who were responsible for alerting federal regulators, were unable to contact employees near the breach.

In a letter to lawmakers, the company said workers in the field were busy dealing with the immediate demands and distractions.

Federal regulators were not alerted until nearly 3 p.m.

In October, Gov. Jerry Brown signed three bills overhauling pipeline laws, aiming to improve prevention efforts and response to future spills.

A month later, federal regulators ordered Plains to empty crude oil from a 115-mile pipeline with similar corrosion issues that runs from the Pacific Ocean to Kern County, fearing another spill.

The charges against Plains are under seal, but prosecutors said the company and its employee James Buchanan failed to provide timely notice of the leak. Other misdemeanor charges involved the effect on birds and mammals.

According to UC Davis Oiled Wildlife Care Network, which was involved in recovery efforts, 204 birds and 106 marine mammals died as a result of the spill.

Area residents too were affected and are still haunted by the vivid memories of that time, said state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara).

We will never forget what we experienced in the days following that spill: a half-mile slick of crude oil along our coast, the stench of petroleum, oil-drenched birds, holiday visitors sent home and a beach transformed into a toxic cleanup site, Jackson said in a statement.

The arraignment is scheduled for June 2 in Santa Barbara. The company could face additional fines and penalties, prosecutors said.

Environmental advocates said they were pleased to hear of the indictments.

Were happy that the agencies seem to be taking this seriously and that the parties who are liable will be held accountable, said Linda Krop, chief counsel for the Santa Barbara-based Environmental Defense Center.

Krop said she reached out to the district attorneys office about a week ago because she knew the one-year statute of limitations for a criminal filing was approaching.

The director of Sierra Club California said the indictments were gratifying.

Theres some satisfaction in knowing that the legal authorities are pursuing this, said Kathryn Phillips. We hope it will result in some penalties that can be used to help restore some of the damage.

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doug.smith@latimes.com

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Smith reported from Santa Barbara and Mejia from Los Angeles. Times staff writers Corina Knoll and Javier Panzar contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

9:01 p.m.: This article was updated throughout.

1:29 p.m.: This article was updated with additional reaction.

11:56 a.m.: This article has been updated with additional comments from Tuesdays news conference.

11:20 a.m.: This article has been updated with comments from the California Attorney Generals office.

10:37 a.m.: This article has been updated with background on the spill.

9:56 a.m.: This article has been updated with comments from environmental groups.

This article was originally published at 9:01 a.m.
When Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana four years ago, one of the moves chief critics was Gov. John Hickenlooper.

The moderate Democrat said that if he could wave a magic wand to reverse the decision, he would. Then he called voters reckless for approving it in the first place, a remark he later downgraded to risky.

Colorado is known for many great things, Hickenlooper said. Marijuana should not be one of them.

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But the governors views have softened. During a recent panel discussion at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, he said that despite opposing the legalization of pot, his job was to deliver on the will of the people of Colorado.

If I had that magic wand now, I dont know if I would wave it, he said. Its beginning to look like it might work.

It was the latest in a series of comments Hickenlooper has made signaling what looks like an evolution of his views on marijuana. In April last year, during an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, Hickenlooper said legal weed was not as vexing as we thought it was going to be.

And during an appearance on 60 Minutes, he predicted that Colorado might actually create a system that could work in successfully regulating marijuana.

Why the change?

See the most-read stories this hour >>

The predictions of fire and brimstone have failed to materialize, said Mason Tvert, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, a national group working to reform pot laws. Most Coloradoans, including the governor, recognize that the law is working.

From the start, Hickenlooper saw the legalization of marijuana as a great national experiment, something utterly new in this country and fraught with potential public health and safety issues.

He fretted about a potential rise in drug use among children and was clearly uncomfortable with an amendment directly conflicting with federal law, which considers pot an illegal drug on par with cocaine.

There were plenty of snags at first. Marijuana edibles proved especially problematic because few people had experience with them. High-profile overdoses made national news. Just last week a lawsuit was filed against the maker of a marijuana-laced candy, alleging the product triggered a psychotic episode that caused a man to kill his wife in 2014.

The predictions of fire and brimstone have failed to materialize. Most Coloradoans, including the governor, recognize that the law is working.  Mason Tvert, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project

Still, none of Hickenloopers worst fears were realized.

Colorado is booming. The state has a 4.2% unemployment rate, one of the best in the country. High-tech companies are moving in. Small towns across the state, some once teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, have been saved by tax revenues from pot dispensaries. And the $1-billion-a-year cannabis business will pump $100 million in taxes into state coffers this year.

Andrew Freedman, director of marijuana coordination for Colorado, said the governors views reflect a growing sense of optimism about how the industry is regulated.

In the short run, there have been a lot fewer public safety and health issues than the governor feared in the beginning, said Freedman, who is often referred to as the states marijuana czar. In the beginning, we had problems with edibles and hash oil fires but now, for the most part, Colorado looks a lot like it did before legalization.

Marijuana consumption has not changed much from pre-legalization levels and there has been no significant increase in public health and safety problems, he said.

As for the $100 million in tax revenue, Freedman noted, thats out of a $27-billion state budget.

Some 70% of the money is earmarked for school construction, public health initiatives and other projects. The rest goes back into regulating the industry.

The governor has called this a grand experiment from the beginning. He looks at data points as he goes along and I think hes pleasantly surprised that there were not as many challenges as he thought, Freedman said.

He would say the jury is still out on this experiment but hes optimistic.

Some are less circumspect.

The states image is actually rising. We were just ranked as the best place to live in America, Tvert said. The idea that businesses would not relocate here or conferences wouldnt be held here was untrue. In fact, attendees at conferences are now offered pot tours as day trips.

Kelly is a special correspondent based in Denver.

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The speeding Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia last year, killing eight people, most likely ran off the rails because the engineer was distracted by word of a nearby commuter train getting hit by a rock, federal investigators concluded Tuesday.

The National Transportation Safety Board also put some of the blame on the railroad industrys decades-long delay in installing Positive Train Control, equipment that can automatically slow trains that are going over the speed limit.

Engineer Brandon Bostian was apparently so focused on the rock-throwing incident he heard about over the radio that he lost track of where he was and accelerated to 106 mph as his train went into a sharp curve with a 50 mph speed limit, investigators said at an NTSB hearing convened to pinpoint the cause of the May 12, 2015, tragedy.

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------------

FOR THE RECORD

9:34 a.m.: An earlier version of this post gave the date of the derailment as May 12, 2005. The derailment was May 12, 2015.

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He went, in a matter of seconds, from distraction to disaster, NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt said.

He went, in a matter of seconds, from distraction to disaster.  Robert Sumwalt, NTSB board member

Had Positive Train Control been in use along the stretch of track, we would not be here today, said Ted Turpin, an NTSB investigator. Such equipment is now in place there and along much of the rest of the Northeast Corridor.

The chain of events also illustrated the potential for tragedy when people throw rocks at trains  a problem railroads are almost powerless to stop but is so common the industry has a term for it: getting rocked.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

Bostian told investigators after the wreck that he remembered radio traffic from a Philadelphia commuter train operator who said a rock had shattered his windshield. He was monitoring the radio traffic until about a minute before his Amtrak train reached 106 mph, said Steve Jenner, another NTSB investigator.

The engineers full-throttle acceleration would have made sense for someone who thought he had already passed the curve, Jenner said. After the curve, the tracks open up into a straightaway with a speed limit of 110 mph.

Bostian, who has been suspended without pay since the crash for speeding, did not attend the hearing. His attorney didnt return an email sent Monday seeking comment. An Amtrak spokesman said the agency would comment after the hearing.

Bostian had told investigators that he didnt recall what happened between pushing the throttle to pick up speed and then braking when he felt the train going too fast into the curve.

A blow to the head suffered during the wreck probably prevented him remembering what happened, NTSB medical officer Mary Pat McKay. She said he was thrown around the cab of his locomotive when it overturned.

Early in the investigation, the NTSB focused on whether the Amtrak train had been hit with a rock or other projectile minutes before the crash. But investigators confirmed Tuesday that it was not.

Bostian told investigators that he was concerned about the welfare of the commuter trains engineer and a little bit concerned for his own safety, but he never indicated in either NTSB interview that his train had been struck, too.

Bostian, known among his friends for his safety-mindedness and love of railroading, apparently commented in an online forum for train enthusiasts on a range of industry issues, including safety. Some of the posts lamented that railroads hadnt been fast enough to adopt Positive Train Control.

Amtrak has installed Positive Train Control on all the track it owns on the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington. A 56-mile stretch from New Rochelle, New York, to New Haven, Connecticut, is owned by other entities and is expected to have automatic controls installed by a deadline at the end of 2018.

After the derailment, the trains emergency windows dislodged as the train cars slid on their sides, killing four people who were ejected, according to NTSB investigator Dana Sanzo.

The southbound stretch of track near the accident site had an earlier-generation type of automated control for slowing trains. But the northbound stretch, where the wreck occurred, did not. The more-advanced PTC had been installed on that section but was still being tested when the crash happened.

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UPDATES:

9:27 a.m.: This article has updated with the NTSB blaming engineer distraction for the crash.

This article was originally posted at 8:48 a.m.
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would allow families of 9/11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia despite a White House veto threat and fierce objections from the U.S. ally.

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, approved by voice vote, had triggered a threat from Riyadh to pull billions of dollars from the U.S. economy if the bill is enacted.

The legislation, sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), gives victims families the right to sue in U.S. court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed thousands in New York, the Washington area and Pennsylvania.

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Relatives of 9/11victims have urged the Obama administration to declassify and release U.S. intelligence that allegedly discusses possible Saudi involvement in the attacks.

Passage of the bill sends the message that the United States will combat terrorism with every tool we have available and that the victims of terrorist attacks in our country should have every means at their disposal to seek justice, Cornyn said.

Schumer said that any foreign government that aids terrorists who strike the U.S. will pay a price if it is proven they have done so.

Senate Democrats had firmly supported the legislation, putting them at odds with the Obama administration. The White House has said the bill could expose Americans overseas to legal risks.

Schumer was confident the Senate had the 67 votes to override a presidential veto.

We dont think their arguments stand up, the New York lawmaker told reporters at a news conference after the Senate action.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the chairman of the Senate subcommittee that controls foreign aid, had blocked the bill from moving to the Senate floor until changes were made to ensure the legislation didnt backfire on the United States.

Grahams apprehension was rooted in the possibility a foreign country could sue the United States if the door is opened for U.S. citizens to take the Saudis to court. Graham released his hold earlier this month, clearing the way for Senate action.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, also had warned that the legislation, if passed, would alienate Saudi Arabia and undermine a longstanding yet strained relationship with a critical U.S. ally in the Middle East.

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Congress is ready to act on President Obamas long-stalled request for emergency funds to combat the Zika virus, which has been linked to serious birth defects and other major health problems.

House Republicans have unveiled a $622-million measure to battle the Zika virus, offering Obama just one-third of the money he requested almost three months ago.

The measure by Kentucky Republican Harold Rogers is scheduled for a vote this week.

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The legislation provides funding for developing a vaccine, controlling the mosquitoes that spread Zika, tests to detect the virus and international mosquito control.

The bill is financed by cuts to unspent funding passed in 2014 to battle Ebola, as well as leftover funding at the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on several competing Zika proposals Tuesday, with a $1.1-billion bipartisan plan likely to get a green light in a procedural vote.

Here are things to know about Zika and the governments efforts to battle it:

The dangers of Zika

For adults, the Zika virus can cause relatively mild symptoms such as fever, rash and joint pain. But during pregnancy, Zika can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects, as well as eye problems, hearing deficits and impaired growth. Zika is commonly spread by mosquitoes and can also be contracted through sexual contact.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that pregnant women not travel to areas with Zika and, if they live in a Zika area, to strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites and to prevent sexual transmission.

Zika is likely to spread more widely during the summer mosquito season, but officials say outbreaks in the U.S. are likely to be limited. The South is likely to have the most cases because the mosquitoes that can transmit Zika are more prevalent there.

To date, there have been more than 500 cases of Zika in the continental U.S., all of which have been associated with overseas travel.

Last week, the first Zika-related microcephaly case acquired on U.S. soil was reported in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. The islands health secretary said a fetus turned over by an unidentified Puerto Rican woman to U.S. health officials had severe microcephaly and tested positive for Zika.

What is the government doing to fight Zika?

There is currently no vaccine or medical treatment for Zika. The government is working to develop a vaccine and better tests for Zika and is delivering funding to state and local governments to control the mosquitoes that spread it.

The Obama administration has transferred almost $600 million in previously appropriated funding to anti-Zika efforts, such as research on the virus and Zika-related birth defects, response teams to limit Zikas spread and aid to other countries fighting the virus. Most of the money used has come from unspent funds from the $5 billion provided in 2014 to battle Ebola.

The administration says more money is needed for mosquito control, purchasing diagnostic tests and developing and manufacturing a vaccine.

The battle before Congress

Obama made his $1.9-billion request almost three months ago. Republicans say he has padded the request, for instance with a $246-million request for Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico. Democrats complain of GOP foot-dragging.

Republicans have slated action for this week, starting Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has scripted three votes, with Obamas request and a GOP alternative likely to fall short of the 60 votes required to turn back a filibuster.

A $1.1-billion bipartisan alternative, however, is expected to advance despite grumbling by Democrats who think its not enough and conservative Republicans who believe it should be offset with spending cuts elsewhere in the budget. The Zika funds would be attached to a separate spending bill for the departments of Transportation, Veterans Affairs, and Housing and Urban Development that McConnell hopes can be finalized for Obamas signature before Congress goes on vacation in mid-July.

The House, meanwhile, promises action this week on the $622-million stand-alone Zika measure. The outlines of a final compromise are unclear.

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Good morning. Its Tuesday, May 17, and heres whats going on across California:

TOP STORIES

Staying away

The Republican convention this summer is likely to be historic, but some California Republicans are fine to stay as far away as possible. Five of the 14 Republicans in Californias delegation say they wont be in Cleveland for what is expected to be Donald Trumps nomination as presidential candidate. Los Angeles Times

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Green Book memories

In its heyday, the Hayes Motel in L.A.s Southside was a refuge for African American travelers on Route 66 who made their way guided by a rich and illuminating travel publication known as the Negro Motorists Green Book. Now there is a push to preserve some of these black-friendly institutions before they all disappear. Los Angeles Times

Deputies convicted

Two Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies were found guilty of beating an inmate and falsifying reports to cover up the attack, the latest in a series of convictions connected to the countys jail abuse scandal. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT & CLIMATE

Unequal? Is there an inherent inequity in Californias response to the drought? Stanford Daily

Free markets to the rescue? And can free markets help ease the drought? Reason

L.A. AT LARGE

The old neighborhood: L.A. once had a bustling Little Italy neighborhood near Chinatown. Its long gone, but there is a new effort to memorialize its place in the citys history. KPCC

Gang overblown? A surfer gang running wild in Palos Verdes Estates? The mayor of the upscale beach town says its all overblown and blames the media. Daily Breeze

Weather report: Was a KTLA weather reporters on-air coverup an outrageous example of sexism in television or an inside joke by members of the morning newscast? Los Angeles Times

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Big money: Unions representing Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies and firefighters have pumped at least $800,000 into an independent expenditure committee supporting Kathryn Barger, chief of staff to county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, in her bid to replace him. Los Angeles Times

Affordable housing: A coalition of labor unions and housing advocates said Monday it had gathered nearly 100,000 signatures for a ballot measure that would force real estate developers to provide affordable housing when they want to build bigger projects than city rules would otherwise allow. Los Angeles Times

CRIME & COURTS

School settlement: The Los Angeles Unified School District will pay $88 million to settle sexual abuse cases at two elementary school campuses, officials said. The settlement with 30 children and their families is the second largest in district history. Los Angeles Times

Tesla problems: Teslas plant in the Bay Area is using inexpensive foreign labor. But is the company violating the law? Mercury News

Gun rules: A federal appeals court decided Monday that a zoning requirement restricting the location of gun stores may violate a constitutional right to bear arms. Los Angeles Times

Prisoners tale: The California prison inmate who hand-wrote a case that was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Sacramento Bee

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Pot year: This might be the year California goes all in on marjiuana legalization. Right now, a majority of Californians favor legalization. Latino voters, who strongly opposed a failed legalization measure in 2010, are increasingly leaning toward it as well. Los Angeles Times

Marvel Land? Disney is doing well with superhero movie characters from the Marvel world. But for a variety of complex legal reasons, fans should not expect a Marvel Land at Disneyland anytime soon. Orange County Register

Disappearing creatures: The population of the vaquita, a small porpoise endemic to Mexicos upper Gulf of California, has plummeted to about 60 survivors, according to a new study by an international team of scientists that urges stronger measures to protect the species. Los Angeles Times

Museum on the move: With the planned Chicago site for his new museum now in jeopardy, George Lucas has turned his attention elsewhere for his $700-million passion project  and San Francisco has once again returned to the spotlight. Los Angeles Times

Homeless team: San Francisco news organizations are teaming up to provide extensive coverage of the citys homelessness crisis. New York Times

Drink up? No, not all Mexican Americans are tequilla fans. Buzzfeed

Angry bees: A hive of angry, displaced bees terrorized a Bay Area neighborhood over the weekend. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

A cooling trending is coming to Southern California, with temperatures hovering between the 60s and 70s by midweek. In San Francisco, it will be sunny and get up to 78 degrees. Riverside will be partly cloudy and reach 81. Sacramento will be hot: Its expected to be 94 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Todays California Memory comes from Willa R. Green:

One day in L.A. in August 1962, when I was 12 years old, I woke up and the family was very emotional because it was in the news that Marilyn Monroe had passed away that night. My mother took us to Graumans on Hollywood Boulevard that day, and it was teeming with crowds and news vans everywhere. A reporter stuck a mic in my face and asked me how I felt about Marilyns passing. Hollywood Boulevard was absolute chaos with everyone grief-stricken over Marilyns death, so we went next door to Browns to have hot fudge sundaes to get away from the crowds.

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.
Mark Ridley-Thomas will be elected on June 7 to his third and final term as a Los Angeles County supervisor, representing the approximately 2 million people who live in the countys 2nd District. We can predict his reelection with such confidence because no one is running against him. Assuming a single person goes out to vote for him, he will win 100% of votes cast in his race, just as he did four years ago. Anyone thinking of registering a protest vote wont get the chance. There will be no general election runoff. Its a done deal. Ridley-Thomas is in.

Thats both good and bad. Its good because Ridley-Thomas has helped move an often moribund county government into action, with better services for those people -- the poor, the homeless, the sick, the marginalized -- who rely on the county for their very survival. He has been good for his district, which previously had suffered from years of neglect. Hes a good supervisor, and for whatever its worth in a one-candidate race, The Times endorses him for reelection.

And its bad, because no choices means no debate, little discussion and little public participation in the management of the county  a government that more directly affects more peoples lives in Southern California than any city hall or school board.

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Incumbents often argue that a lack of challengers is an ideal state of affairs, reflecting widespread satisfaction with the status quo. But it could as easily be argued that it is a signal of democracy in poor health.

Eight years ago it was different. Ridley-Thomas and Bernard C. Parks, the Los Angeles city councilman and former LAPD chief, were locked in a tight race that made it necessary for both candidates to take their competing messages to civic groups and neighborhoods around the district. And because there were other candidates, no one got more than 50% of the vote in the primary, so the race went to a November runoff.

And just to be clear, the district is larger and far more diverse than the South Los Angeles brushoff that is so often used to describe it. Yes, it includes cities like Compton and Inglewood, communities like Baldwin Hills and Ladera Heights, city of L.A. neighborhoods like Crenshaw and Watts  traditional centers of African American population and political power, although for many years now with a plurality of Latino residents, many of whom are immigrants not yet eligible to vote or not yet sufficiently organized to claim their share of ballot-box clout.

Ridley-Thomas has helped move an often moribund county government into action, with better services for ... the poor, the homeless, the sick, the marginalized.

But the vast district also takes in an ample chunk of West Los Angeles. It reaches north past Wilshire Boulevard, at one point as far as the Hollywood Freeway. It includes Carthay Circle and brushes the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It covers Culver City. It is Beverly Hills adjacent. It has Koreatown and significant portions of downtown and Hancock Park.

The supervisor who serves in this district has a dizzying array of needs to meet and a formidable power base  and contributor base  to help move initiatives toward completion and lay the groundwork for pursuing future political ambitions.

But with no choice to make, why bother to endorse? There will presumably be a wide array of viable candidates for the post in four years, after Ridley-Thomas has been termed out  but not necessarily. Even some races for open seats look more like coronations than decisions these days.

When he was evaluated as part of The Times midterm report card project, Ridley-Thomas received a good grade:

What we like about Ridley-Thomas is his leadership on the issues that are most pressing in Los Angeles County. After years of county floundering on child welfare, Ridley-Thomas insisted on a reevaluation by experts and observers from outside as well as inside government. The Blue-Ribbon Commission on Child Protection came back with a critique not just of child welfare but of the entire county bureaucracy. Ridley-Thomas was for many years the countys loudest voice -- sometimes its only voice -- speaking out on criminal justice reform and reallocation of resources to safely reintegrate former prisoners and jail inmates into society. He helped turn homelessness from an afterthought into a top county priority. He is also noteworthy for his lower-profile lobbying, needling and string-pulling on basic matters like the countys decidedly pre-digital technology and practices.

There are things not to like as well. He has a knack for turning every policy or procedural disagreement into a cold war. Hes a lukewarm advocate for transparency. He does not take losing well. In his first term he muffed opportunities to address many things on which he now takes leadership, including homelessness.

On balance, though, he has moved county government in a good direction. He should get another four years. Not that there is any alternative.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Whats the root cause of Los Angeles affordable housing crisis? Many blame the new luxury housing developments springing up in downtown, Hollywood and Koreatown. New apartment towers and mega-developments arrive, driving up interest in the neighborhood and attracting hipsters. Landlords take notice and soon rents start climbing. Thats the story anyway.

But heres the thing: If booming development in hot markets like Hollywood and downtown is why rents keep going up and up and up, why have the same price increases hit locales with extremely limited development?

Sherman Oaks, Beverly Hills, Hancock Park and Alhambra have seen little development over the past decade. Nor are they in danger of being up-zoned for 20-story apartment towers (or even five-story mid-rises) in the future. And yet, rents and home prices have climbed in these neighborhoods right alongside those of the more aggressively developed locales.

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Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau from 2000 and 2010, I compared the change in the number of housing units to the increases in median rent and home value for each ZIP code in Los Angeles County. The result? Almost no relationship whatsoever. Where new development was heaviest, prices went up a lot. Where development was almost entirely absent, prices also went up a lot.

Consider these two very different neighborhoods: Bustling downtown ZIP code 90012 grew by a whopping 36% between 2000 and 2010 and saw rents climb by 73% and home values increase 152%. Laid-back Venice 90291 actually lost 21 housing units over this period, and its rent and home values went up by 78% and 167%, respectively.

So why doesnt the rate of local development do much to explain the affordability crisis one way or another? Because our problems arent driven by a local phenomenon but by a regional one: low residential vacancy rates. Nothing is more important, and data from the American Community Survey confirm this. Zooming out to look at the 20 largest U.S. cities rather than local ZIP codes, the correlation between prices and vacancies is four times stronger than the correlation between prices and new development.

Most experts agree that a 5% vacancy rate is the point where the power dynamic between tenants and landlords shifts. Above 5%, landlords need to offer incentives or lower rents to be competitive; lower than that, landlords know if a tenant leaves, there are half a dozen more clamoring to take her place. According to reports from the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, multifamily vacancies in Los Angeles have been under 5% for nearly five years.

This problem wont be solved by trying to prevent change. Thats the path San Francisco chose, and now a shabby one-bedroom apartment there rents for $3,000 a month.

Metro area vacancy data compiled by the NYU Furman Center confirms that the most expensive housing markets in the nation also have some of the lowest vacancy rates: Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. Cities like Houston, Dallas and Atlanta, where vacancy rates are above 7%, have managed to stay relatively affordable.

Los Angeles is not the only city with a housing shortage, but it is lagging furthest behind its population growth. Among metro areas with at least 2 million people, our vacancy rate is now the lowest, averaging 3.1% over the last year. Residents are increasingly desperate to secure their place in the city  desperate enough to spend 40%, 45%, even upwards of 50% of their income on housing. Rents here arent at San Francisco and New York levels yet, but were on our way.

This problem wont be solved by trying to prevent change. Thats the path San Francisco chose, and now a shabby one-bedroom apartment there rents for $3,000 a month.

To address the affordability crisis, Los Angeles first priority should be confronting this shortage of housing. This will require a more humanistic approach to housing policy, acknowledging that when we reject adding more housing to our neighborhoods, we turn away real people who want to make a better life for themselves and contribute to our regions success.

Providing more market-rate housing will not be a panacea, of course, and it must be complemented with policies that more effectively incentivize creation of sufficient affordable housing and additional resources to support lower-income residents. If we dont remedy the overall housing shortage, though, then all the subsidies, rent stabilization ordinances and affordable housing mandates will amount to little in the grand scheme of things: Prices will keep climbing.

So next time someone suggests that a fancy new development is driving up rents in a neighborhood, remember Venice, and Rosemead and Reseda. These communities arent growing, and yet rents there are surging just like downtown and Hollywood.

The problem is not overly complex or nefarious. Its a simple shortage  the result of 30 years of operating under the false premise that if you dont build it, they wont come.

Shane Phillips is an urban planner in Los Angeles. He writes about housing and transportation policy at Better Institutions.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
The Expo Line extension to Santa Monica starts its official roll Friday, and while there is lots of excitement over an alternative to the dreadful 10 Freeway commute, some transit advocates are pressuring the city of Los Angeles to use traffic signals to help speed up the train.

The problem is that L.A.s newest rapid transit line isnt rapid enough. The 15-mile ride from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica will take about 46 minutes.

More from Livable City>>>

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Advocates say Metro could shave a couple of minutes off the travel time if the Los Angeles Department of Transportation gave the trains signal preemption at more intersections. Thats when the approaching trains trigger a signal change to green so they dont have to stop at the intersection.

The L.A. Weekly reported last month on the Expo Line sluggishness, prompting a change.org petition urging the LADOT to give priority to trains over cars. The petition calls on city officials to give signal preemption to Expo trains in downtown Los Angeles and give priority to a three-car train, with maybe 250 people on it, rather than sitting and waiting for vehicle traffic, which carries 1 or 2 persons per car.

Their frustration is understandable. The new section of the Expo Line from Culver City to Santa Monica is speedier than other light rail lines because the train is grade separated for long stretches and doesnt have to slow for traffic. When the train is at ground-level, many of the grade intersections have signal preemption and gates installed so cars wait while the train speeds by.

The problem is the first phase of the Expo Line from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City wasnt similarly designed. That section, for the most part, is at grade and it has many intersections without gates or preemption. Trains have to follow the same rules as cars, and often have to sit at traffic lights. As a result, the eastern section of the line can feel pretty slow.

The LADOT has worked closely with Metro to synchronize the signals so that trains running on schedule should mostly hit green lights. And the trains have signal priority  that is, they can hold a signal green for a couple of extra seconds to make it through the intersection. That helps. But the problem is the synchronization schedule doesnt account for real-life incidents that slow the trains so they miss the green lights.

But signal preemption in and around downtown may be difficult, if not impossible. The Expo Line merges with the Blue Line and there are intersections where trains pass through about every three minutes. Preemption would mean practically shutting down those intersections, Metro and LADOT officials said.

So, are Expo Line riders doomed to slower-than-desired travel? Not necessarily. LADOT officials said theyll fine-tune signal priority once the Expo extension is up and running. When the Regional Connector is completed in 2020, that should alleviate some of the slowness downtown. The long-term answer, however, is grade separation. Trains can run faster and more safely and stay on schedule if they dont have to cross paths with drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. (KPCC-FM (89.3) analyzed Metro data and found that, no surprise, the underground subway lines have the fewest delays.)

Of course, its more expensive to build grade-separated rail or to retrofit an existing system. An overpass can cost as much as $20 million, one official estimated. But as L.A.s rail system expands in an increasingly dense, traffic-clogged urban area, its penny-wise and pound-foolish to build lines that have to stop at red lights and share the road with cars.

The good news is that Angelenos are demanding better, faster public transit from their elected officials. As of Friday, the petition for preemption had about 1,160 signatures, and public awareness will likely increase after the extension opens next week. In years past, folks might have been content to accept red lights and long travel times because, hey, slow light rail is better than no light rail. But the bar should be higher, and fast, convenient service should be the priority -- especially if voters are expected to pass another half-cent sales tax in November to build even more rail.

MORE LIVABLE CITY:

How L.A. can improve its return on our multibillion-dollar transit investment

What do we do with the Silver Lake reservoirs?

Is L.A.'s housing market really as unaffordable as it seems?

Twitter: @kerrycavan
To the editor: Its hard to feel sympathy for U2 guitarist David Evans (also known as The Edge), who purchased contested, environmentally fragile land for six times the amount that was paid for it a mere four years earlier. (U2s The Edge and his decade-long fight to build on a pristine Malibu hillside, May 13)

Evans army of consultants should have done its homework. But upon finding itself thigh high in hotly contested Malibu soil, why didnt the ostensibly progressive millionaire simply donate the land to the California Department of Parks and Recreation and reap a hefty tax deduction?

Everyone from Evans project director to the dubious members of the California Coastal Commission insist that Evans is just a nice guy trying to do the right thing. But how can the right thing involve taking advantage of the untimely death of one of the coasts most successful guardians, Peter M. Douglas, while wasting millions of dollars and years of everyones time so that another rich guy can build himself another big house?

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Evans is such a good guy? He should step up and donate the land to create the Peter M. Douglas California State Park.

Phoebe Millerwhite, Claremont

..

To the editor: Looking at the designs of the five homes proposed for construction by Evans overlooking Malibu, and comparing how they would blend visually into their surroundings with the existing stuccoed monstrosities already on the hillside below, Id consider his proposed development a far more visually sensitive improvement to the area.

Marcy Rothenberg, Porter Ranch

..

To the editor: Your headline, Faith moved a mountain, seems erroneous to me. It technically should be money moved that mountain.

Without his enormous bank account, Evans personal dream to own and develop a pristine part of Malibu would have died long ago. Adding insult to injury is the unnecessary scope and size of the five houses from 7,000 to nearly 13,000 square feet.

Are there no massive cliffs in Ireland where Evans can develop his own private neighborhood for the super rich?

Peggy Jo Abraham, Santa Monica

..

To the editor: I was in a Starbucks when I read your article about Evans finally getting his way in Malibu, and I had to raise the newspaper in front of my face in order to rant about him.

I cant ever remember me doing that. Still somebody looked my way as if I was in some sort of distress.

Moses Hacmon, the project manager, speaks in terms of carving up the mountain as if it were a sculpture. This is just a beginning. Now that the Coastal Commission has green-lighted this project, it opens the floodgate to the carving up of Malibu wholesale.

Mike Letteriello, Long Beach
Sanders pledges hell win Californias primary

Sanders takes the stage pic.twitter.com/33fd9WwBDJ  Seema (@LATSeema) May 18, 2016

Bernie Sanders said Tuesday that he would win Californias June 7 primary and continue to fight for the Democratic nomination through the partys national convention.

This is, in a sense, the beginning of the final push to win California, he told about 10,000 people in a stadium in Carson.  There are a lot of people out there, many pundits and politicians, they say Bernie Sanders should drop out, the people of California should not have the right to determine who the next president will be. Well, let me be as clear as I can be. We are in till the last ballot is cast!

Sanders celebrated his win in Oregon on Tuesday and his showing in Kentucky, which he narrowly lost to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Sanders did not mention the chaos some of his supporters caused this weekend at Nevadas Democratic convention after about 60 of his potential delegates were not seated. Chairs were thrown and death threats were made against the state party chairwoman, acts that were denounced by top party leaders.

He did issue a sharp challenge to the partys establishment.

The Democratic Party is going to have to make a very, very profound and important decision. It can do the right thing and open its doors and welcome into the party people who are prepared to fight for real economic and social change, he said. That is the Democratic Party I want to see bringing in people who are willing to take on Wall Street, to take on corporate greed and to take on the fossil fuel industry.

I say to the leadership of the Democratic Party, open the doors, let the people in, Sanders said, adding that the alternative was a very sad and tragic option to maintain the status quo and remain reliant on major campaign donors.

Sanders cast Clinton as the prototype of the status quo, dependent on billionaires and super PACs, supporting trade agreements that decimated American workers, aligning with President George W. Bush on the Iraq war, and supporting fracking.

He pointed out that his message of economic, social and economic justice was resonating with young people, something no one expected when he launched his campaign about a year ago with little money, no organization and low name recognition.

Well, a lot has changed in the last year, Sanders said, noting he had won 19 primaries and caucuses, more than 9 million votes and more than 45% of the pledged delegates.

He said he believed that if he has major victories in the upcoming contests, he could go into the Democratic National Convention with the support of a majority of the pledged delegates, though he acknowledged such a scenario was a steep climb.

We just won Oregon. And were going to win California, Sanders said, adding that he previously won Washington state. I am getting to like the West Coast.
Bernie Sanders won Oregons Democratic primary while falling barely short of another victory in Kentucky on Tuesday, prolonging his battle with Hillary Clinton despite his slim chance of securing the partys presidential nomination.

His victory in Oregon showcased his support with progressive voters skeptical of Clinton and eager for a more uncompromisingly liberal approach to government.

As the results were being tallied, Sanders was telling a crowd of thousands in Carson, Calif., that he plans to fight until the Democratic convention in July.

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We are in till the last ballot is cast, he said.

Clinton campaigned heavily in Kentucky in the final days before the primary to eke out a narrow victory in the state as she tries to keep her focus on a potential general election matchup with Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

With nearly all precincts in Kentucky reporting, Clinton led Sanders by less than 2,000 votes out of more than 400,000 cast.

Were always stronger united, Clinton said in a tweet as she declared victory.

In a Democratic contest that has become almost more about psychology than delegates, the Kentucky primary took on outsized importance as Clinton worked to avoid a double loss for the day. Both campaigns had expected Clinton to lose the nights other contest, in Oregon.

In Kentucky she lost heavily in the coal-dominated counties in the eastern part of the state that once were Democratic bastions but have largely abandoned the party in federal elections. But the Democratic front-runner made up the difference by winning the states two largest cities, Lexington and Louisville.

With the results so close, Sanders campaign did not rule out the possibility of calling for a recount.

We will take a close look at the numbers and make a decision on Wednesday, said spokesman Michael Briggs.

As the votes were being counted, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said on CNN that the tight race in Kentucky showed there were still reservations about Clinton. She won the state handily during the 2008 primary.

There are a lot of Democrats who are having second thoughts, Weaver said. I dont think the voters are ready for this race to be over.

Live results from the Kentucky Democratic primary >>

Clinton has a comfortable lead in the race for delegates to this summers nominating convention and only needs to win a small fraction of the remaining vote to clinch the nomination.

But two losses after several other Sanders victories would be a black eye after whats become an increasingly raw contest pitting the Democratic establishment against a grass-roots insurgency with a strong sense of grievance.

Tensions overflowed in Nevada over the weekend, when Sanders supporters accused party leaders of unfairly awarding Clinton more delegates during the state convention. The state party rejected the charges -- Clinton, after all, had won the caucuses earlier this year -- but its leaders were bombarded with criticism, invective and even threats.

Sanders issued a statement Tuesday condemning harassment but blaming the party leadership for the fracas.

The Democratic Party has a choice, he said. It can open its doors and welcome into the party people who are prepared to fight for real economic and social change ... or the party can choose to maintain its status quo.

Although Sanders has only a slim chance of winning the nomination at this point, he has vowed to continue his campaign until the convention in Philadelphia in July.

Going into Tuesdays primaries, Clinton led Sanders among pledged delegates, 1,716 to 1,433. There were 55 up for grabs in Kentucky and 61 in Oregon. Clinton also has the loyalty of many more superdelegates, the elected officials and party leaders who can choose which candidate to support.

The gap has allowed Clinton and her allies to turn their attention, and their fundraising firepower, to Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide | Track the delegate race | Sign up for the newsletter

Priorities USA, a super PAC allied with Clinton, is spending $6 million to run two new television advertisements hitting Trump in Florida, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia. A statement from the organization called Trump a dangerous and divisive con man who should never be president of the United States.

Sanders was widely expected to win Oregon, despite a recent poll showing him trailing there, but Clinton has made a heavy investment in time, and some money, in Kentucky in recent days.

While Clinton left Oregon off her travel itinerary, she held five events in two days in Kentucky, not to mention visits to churches and a diner.

She told the crowd at the diner that she would ask her husband, former President Bill Clinton, to help out on economic issues if she reaches the White House.

Ill expect him to go to work ... to get incomes rising, she said.

Her final rally was at Transylvania University in Lexington, where she made her last pitch before beating then-Sen. Barack Obama in the states primary in 2008.

Clinton even outspent Sanders on television advertising in Kentucky, dropping $178,000 compared with Sanders $107,000, according to data from SMG Delta, which tracks campaign spending. In recent primaries, Clinton has generally allowed Sanders to dominate the airwaves, and she didnt spend any money in Oregon, where Sanders dropped $123,000.

Oregon has had a robust contingent of Sanders volunteers, and theyve helped rally nationwide support for the candidate by using phone banks to target other states. Monte Jarvis, the campaigns state director, said it was important to redirect the focus to Oregon for the primary.

They had all this time with a national picture in our mind, he said. And we had to say, No, no, Oregon needs attention. 

The Oregon poll released last week showed Clinton leading, 48% to 33%. Even with higher turnout among young and new voters, who are expected to favor Sanders, she still had a 7-point lead.

But a big registration effort by the Sanders campaign in April apparently helped make the difference. Volunteers helped sign up thousands of voters as Democrats so they could cast ballots in the states closed primary.

Sanders has struggled in closed primaries, where only people registered as Democrats can vote for one of the partys candidates.

Jillian Schoene, the Oregon state director for Clintons campaign, expects Sanders supporters to shift their allegiance to Clinton after the primary.

When volunteers make phone calls, voters often say, Im going to vote for Bernie in the primary but Ill vote for Hillary in November, Schoene said. We are hearing a lot of that.

Referring to Trumps divisive language, she said, Democrats are going to unite against that.

Join the conversation on Facebook >>

MORE POLITICAL COVERAGE

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chris.megerian@latimes.com

Twitter: @chrismegerian

UPDATES:

11:21 p.m.: This story has been revised throughout for additional details and for clarity.

8:46 p.m.: This story was updated to report that Hillary Clinton apparently won the Kentucky primary and that Bernie Sanders had won Oregon.

6:30 p.m.: This story was updated with complete returns from Kentucky.

4:04 p.m.: This story was updated with early returns.

The story was first published at 2:49 p.m.
Bernie Sanders clashed with Democratic Party leaders Tuesday over violence that erupted over the weekend at the Nevada Democratic Convention, which party officials blamed on a disgruntled group of Sanders supporters.

At issue in the escalating fight is a troubling question for Democrats: Will the fire that Sanders has lighted among millions of supporters with his critiques of Wall Street greed and political corruption burn the party this summer?

Democratic leaders have hoped to see the party begin unifying against the presumed Republican nominee, Donald Trump, and numerous polls have indicated that most Sanders backers are prepared to vote for Hillary Clinton if she becomes the partys candidate.

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But as Sanders hopes for winning the nomination have all but disappeared, a segment of his supporters have become increasingly embittered.

Their anger spilled into public view over the weekend as Sanders supporters at the Nevada convention threw chairs, tried to shout down Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), vandalized buildings and made death threats against the state party chairwoman after Hillary Clinton won more pledged delegates than the Vermont senator.

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After angry complaints by Nevada Democratic Party officials and a chiding statement from Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he had spoken to Sanders and expected him to condemn the violence.

Reid called the issue a test of leadership for Sanders.

The Vermont senator issued a lengthy statement that included one line saying he does not support harassment, but mostly blamed the problems on Nevada Democratic officials.

If the Democratic Party is to be successful in November, it is imperative that all state parties treat our campaign supporters with fairness and the respect that they have earned, he said.

It is imperative that the Democratic leadership, both nationally and in the states, understand that the political world is changing and that millions of Americans are outraged at establishment politics and establishment economics, Sanders said.

The statement clearly angered Reid, who has long dominated the Democratic Party in his home state.

Bernie is better than that, Reid told CNN. Bernie should say something and not have some silly statement that someone else prepared for him, he said.

Wasserman Schultz, speaking on MSNBC, said that Sanders statement seems to excuse their supporters actions, which is unacceptable.

Sanders willingness to prolong an argument with powerful leaders of his own party was particularly striking because the actual stakes in the weekend dispute were tiny.

Clinton won Nevadas caucuses in February, but the Sanders campaign had hoped to pick up some additional delegates by sending a large number of his supporters to the state convention.

In the end, not all of Sanders supporters showed up and others were ruled ineligible. As a result, Clinton gained a couple of delegates more than she might otherwise have won. Before Tuesday, her lead over Sanders in pledged delegates nationwide was nearly 300.

On Monday, the state party lodged a formal complaint with the Democratic National Committee about the disruptions at the convention.

Sanders supporters had demonstrated a penchant for violence that could lead to disruptions at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July, said the letter from Bradley Schrager, general counsel for the Nevada State Democratic Party.

We believe, unfortunately, that the tactics and behavior on display here in Nevada are harbingers of things to come as Democrats gather in Philadelphia, Schrager wrote.

He said Sanders supporters had screamed profane insults throughout Saturdays convention  they can be seen in YouTube videos of the proceedings  and at one point threw chairs, leading party leaders to shut down the event because of security concerns.

The following day, Schrager said, Sanders supporters defaced the partys headquarters with graffiti. In the days since, party Chairwoman Roberta Lange has been bombarded with hundreds of threatening phone calls and text messages after Sanders activists posted her cellphone number and home address online, he said.

Sanders, in his statement, said Schragers claim that his supporters have a penchant for violence is nonsense.

Our campaign has held giant rallies all across this country, including in high-crime areas, and there have been zero reports of violence, Sanders said.

He suggested his supporters had the right to be angry, saying party officials had ruled that some Sanders delegates were ineligible without offering an opportunity for some of them to be heard.

In her statement Tuesday, Wasserman Schultz rejected the idea that party officials had provoked the violence. She said that she planned to contact both campaigns to ask them to stand with the Democratic Party in denouncing and taking steps to prevent the type of behavior on display over the weekend in Las Vegas.

There is no excuse for what happened in Nevada, and it is incumbent upon all of us in positions of leadership to speak out, she wrote.

That some Sanders supporters in Nevada appear to have embraced aggressive behavior despite an earlier plea from the Vermont senator that they work with other Democrats respectfully and constructively shows that Sanders may not have full control of his backers, said Nevada political analyst Jon Ralston.

Sanders has unleashed something that I dont think even he knew he would unleash, Ralston said. Has he started this wildfire that he cant put out?

If the answer is yes, that could lead to problems at the national convention this summer.

The potential is definitely there, said Robert Loevy, a retired professor of political science at Colorado College. There is a long history of fractious conventions, Loevy said, and they typically result from sharp ideological divides.

Sanders, who has run far to the left of Clinton, has waged a largely ideological campaign centered around income inequality. His campaign has drawn in independent voters and others who feel disenfranchised from the political system, and many of them have embraced his ideas with a level of fervor not seen on Clintons side.

Loevy said he doubted Philadelphia would be a repeat of the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago, which erupted in violent street protests after the nomination of Hubert Humphrey. But by staying in the race, Sanders is opening the door for rifts on the convention floor, Loevy said.

If he wants to go to the convention and make trouble, Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party leaders are just going to have to deal with it, Loevy said.

Early in the campaign, Sanders talked about the need to keep Democrats unified and sometimes admonished supporters at rallies not to boo when he mentioned Clintons name.

In recent weeks, however, he has appeared reluctant to call out pugnacious supporters who cross the line from political activism to harassment. Sanders has frequently said that he believes the election is stacked against him by Democratic Party leaders who want Clinton to be elected. His campaign has alleged voting irregularities in several primary states.

Winnie Wong, who helps lead an outside group called People for Bernie that is working to elect Sanders, says her group does not condone violence and has already started talking about how its members should comport themselves at the convention in Philadelphia.

I dont think that kind of violence is ever going to create a consensus, Wong said. Were working toward making sure that doesnt happen.

But still, she said the Sanders supporters in Nevada had legitimate concerns, saying many state Democratic conventions have been stacked in favor of the establishment candidate.

These are just ordinary people, she said. Theyre citizens who feel like their voices arent being heard.

Times staff writer Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

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For more on Campaign 2016, follow @KateLinthicum

Kate.Linthicum@latimes.com

UPDATES:

8:26 p.m.: This article was updated with an additional statement by Democratic chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

4:19 p.m.: This article was updated with an additional statement by Sen. Reid.

3:34 p.m.: This article was updated with an additional statement by Sen. Reid.

1:07 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement by Sen. Sanders.

The article was originally published at 12:09 p.m.
If you have that strange feeling youve seen this movie before -- California voters asked to raise the tobacco tax -- youre right. And it now looks as if youre going to see it again on Nov. 8.

Good morning from the the state capital. Im Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers, and the newest arrival on Novembers blockbuster ballot looks to be an initiative increasing the states tobacco tax.

On Monday, a coalition of health and labor groups began turning in signatures to boost Californias tax on tobacco products by $2 per pack of cigarettes. And as Patrick McGreevy reports, theyve got a powerful ally: billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer.

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Its worth noting that everyone in the looming November ballot fight can argue that the past is prologue. Supporters of the tax hike will correctly point out that Californians voted to raise the tobacco tax in 1988 and 1998. The current 87 cents per pack dates back to the 1998 initiative, one of the lowest tobacco taxes in the nation.

Critics, led by the tobacco industry, will rightly counter that voters rejected a tax increase in 2006 and again as Proposition 29 in 2012. The most recent campaign was decided by just 24,076 votes out of more than 5 million cast.

And it was ugly, with efforts on both sides costing a combined $56 million -- most of that spent by Big Tobacco. Might we see this same kind of scorched earth campaign again?

Keep an eye on our Essential Politics news feed, as this is a big week for all of the November ballot measures, as we now believe as many as 18 proposals have what it takes to qualify.

OREGON AND KENTUCKY

Democrats Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders face off today in the Oregon and Kentucky presidential primaries, with almost no one expecting tonights results to change the minds of either candidates supporters.

In fact, Sanders will already be back here in California, with an evening event scheduled in Carson as part of what his campaign says is its three-week push in the Golden State.

And so Mark Barabak offers what may be the definitive state-of-the-race: Clinton has lost several recent primaries but keeps on winning the race to the Democratic nomination.

Back in the Beaver State, Chris Megerian reports that Sanders has inspired one Democratic congressional candidate to work towards his own political revolution.

Well have live results and analysis of Tuesday nights returns on our Trail Guide news feed. And make sure youre following @latimespolitics for breaking news and more. You can also track the delegate race in real time.

REPUBLICAN SHUTOUT IN ORANGE COUNTY?

For the first time ever, Orange County voters may end up choosing between two Democrats for Congress. You can thank Californias relatively new top-two primary (and a 21-point lead in Democratic voter registration) for the potential downfall of the countys long-held reputation as a bastion of conservatism.

In the 46th district race to replace Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana), who is running for the U.S. Senate, three strong Democratic candidates are waging fierce campaigns, while Republicans have struggled to raise either money or publicity.

TODAYS ESSENTIALS

-- Gov. Jerry Browns pitch to make it easier to build houses in California got a boost when one of his newly endorsed housing supply bills passed the Senate.

-- The states independent Legislative Analysts Office offers its first thoughts on Browns revised budget, and says lawmakers should pledge no less money toward the rainy-day reserves than has Brown.

-- A political committee run by Republican mega-donor Charles Munger Jr. has leaped into Californias U.S. Senate race, plunking nearly $53,000 with a new independent expenditure campaign supporting GOP candidate Duf Sundheim.

LOGISTICS

Miss yesterdays newsletter? Here you go. Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox daily. And keep an eye on our politics page throughout the day for the latest and greatest. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics? Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com.
It was the day that all the drones were grounded.

As Chinas third-ranking leader began a three-day visit to Hong Kong on Tuesday, police responded with what they described as counter-terrorism measures. Officers pitched tents on the citys iconic mountaintops to keep watch overnight for suspicious activities. Others cordoned off the Grand Hyatt Hotel with a six-foot-tall barricade and were screening all luggage at the hotels porte-cochere.

And should anyone attempt to disrupt the fanfare from above, authorities threatened to shoot any drones out of the sky.

The efforts were aimed at snuffing out any protest when Zhang Dejiang, head of the National Peoples Congress standing committee, kicked off his three-day visit to the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Yet, it seemed that nothing would deter Hong Kongs determined demonstrators from trying.

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On the highway into town from the airport, Zhangs motorcade was greeted with a funereal black banner printed with white characters that read: End Communist Party Dictatorship.

Just before the motorcade pulled into the Grand Hyatts driveway, demonstrators rushed up and broke through the police cordon. They were representing Demosisto, the political party co-founded by Joshua Wong, the best-known leader of Hong Kongs democracy movement. Armed with only a sheet of paper with a protest slogan, Demosistos chairman, Nathan Law, was pinned to the ground by several police officers.

We decided to resort to guerrilla tactics in order to express our demand for democracy in a way that shows our backbone and vigor, said Law, after being released at the scene. Confining protest zones to nearby pocket parks far away from Zhangs sight-line is an insult to dissidents like us, Law added.

While monitoring Zhangs motorcade as it turned off from the highway, Wong said he was stalked by a dozen plainclothes officers and hemmed in by a phalanx of many more uniformed police.

All we wanted was to ambush him and voice out our demand as Hong Kongers for autonomy and for self-determination, Wong said. Only by using confrontational tactics could we pierce the illusion that all is well here.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a one country, two systems arrangement designed to protect many civil liberties nonexistent in the rest of the country. Under their own constitution, called the Basic Law, Hong Kongers are promised the right to democratically elect their top leader, the chief executive. But after a 2014 decision that called for candidates to be screened for party allegiance, the territory was engulfed by pro-democracy protests that became known as the Umbrella Movement.

Zhangs visit was the first by any Chinese congressional leader since the movement ended in December 2014.

Although some Hong Kongers have found the counter-terrorism security measures to be excessive, orders likely came from the very top, according to Ching Cheong, a longtime local commentator and reporter on Chinas politics.

Ive no doubt this stringent arrangement was at Beijings behest. All Hong Kong police did was to take the marching orders and follow the security protocol, Ching said. Even if Zhang meant to show goodwill, by putting the people in an antagonistic position vis-a-vis the visiting official was self-defeating.

And it turned out, the mountaintop vigil by police was all for naught. The territory woke up Tuesday morning to find a canary yellow banner that read: I want free and fair elections flapping down from a hillside studded with luxury low-rise residences.

Law is a special correspondent

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Just a few years ago, Yu Woo-sung was thriving. He had fled his native North Korea and resettled in the South. Unlike many defectors from the totalitarian state, he had adapted well to his new countrys fast-paced, capitalist society. He had a degree in business from one of the countrys top universities and a civil service job in Seouls city government.

But Yus dream turned to nightmare in 2013, when he was arrested on espionage charges by the National Intelligence Service, South Koreas main spy agency, which accused him of using his job to gather information on defectors living in Seoul, and relaying it back to North Korea.

Yu spent more than a year trying to prove the charges were trumped up, and finally prevailed in 2014. But he is still struggling to put his life back together.

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His story is at the center of Spy Nation, a confrontational film that recently premiered, and won top documentary honors, at the Jeonju International Film Festival, South Koreas second-largest movie event after the Busan International Film Festival.

Director Choi Seung-ho said he was drawn to Yus story because it highlights how, despite being a functioning democracy, South Korea has yet to fully shrug off the legacy of the dictatorships that ruled the country until the late 1980s.

These types of abuses have been happening for so long, but the public mostly isnt aware of them, and the NIS hasnt been reformed, Choi said in an interview.

In South Koreas tradition of filmmaking as activism, Spy Nation documents a number of cases, including Yus, of South Koreans who were accused by the NIS of spying, only to later be exonerated..

Powerful institutions like the NIS need to be monitored by citizens, otherwise they become monsters, Choi said.

Choi, who has a longstanding reputation as a muckraker, spends much of Spy Nation on camera, accosting NIS officials outside their offices, asking them to explain what Choi describes as abuses of their power. The NIS argues that its work is necessary to protect South Korea and prevent infiltration by spies from nuclear-armed North Korea.

In one of the most discomfiting scenes in Spy Nation, Choi jostles with NIS officials as they try to leave a court parking lot, then stands in front of their car to prevent them from leaving before answering his queries about Yus case.

Yu came to South Korea in 2004, seeking a brighter future. As a member of a small ethnic Chinese minority, he had few employment opportunities in North Korea. Since his family lived close to China, he was able to make trips buying and selling goods over the border.

In China, Yu saw a world of wealth and decided to defect.

He thrived in the South. In his government job, he connected vulnerable residents of the city with social welfare programs. He said he encountered many North Korean defectors in his work, and could relate to them better than other city workers.

Then came the allegations. The NIS hung its case on testimony from Yus younger sister, who said he was a spy for North Korea, and on records of trips the agency claimed Yu had made to North Korea to confer with intelligence agents there. But the case began to crumble in early 2014 when those two key pieces of evidence were called into question.

I just dont want to battle any more. Im trying to live like a normal person.  Yu Woo-sung

The agency later admitted to having forged the documents. Yus sister, who had arrived in South Korea in late 2012, said she had testified that her brother was a spy only because she was pressured during violent interrogations.

Yus case has numerous precedents in South Korean history. In perhaps the best-known case, eight men were executed for spying in 1975 and cleared posthumously in 2007.

Outside experts have also voiced concern about the sometimes-severe interrogations carried out on newly arrived defectors from North Korea.

Given that the interrogation involves long periods in isolation and various pressure techniques, for some North Koreans the process can bring to mind the kind of government surveillance they experienced in North Korea, said Markus Bell, a Ph.D. candidate at the Australian National University who researches North Korean migration and resettlement.

The release of Spy Nationcomes at a time of concern about declining freedom of expression in South Korea. The country fell 10 spots to No. 70 in the 2016 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index. In explaining the drop, the group cited the South Korean governments growing inability to tolerate criticism and meddling in the already polarized media.

This hardening climate hit the film world in 2014, when the Busan festival had its government funding cut by about half in apparent retaliation for screening a controversial documentary about the sinking of the Sewol ferry, which claimed more than 300 lives.

The documentary, called The Truth Will Not Sink With the Sewol, accused the government of botching efforts to rescue passengers.

Spy Nation is scheduled for a theatrical release in South Korea in October. In the meantime, Choi said, he is working on screenings at overseas festivals.

Though Spy Nation provides a blow-by-blow of Yus legal ordeal, it provides no detail on how hes living now, and how his personal life has changed in wake of the ordeal.

Though Yu was acquitted of espionage, he was convicted of concealing the fact that he had Chinese nationality when he came to South Korea (he had spent time in China before coming to South Korea, and was able to receive Chinese citizenship thanks to his ethnicity).

He was ordered to pay back the more than $20,000 in government aid that North Korean defectors typically receive, and was stripped of his South Korean passport. He says he is now stateless, and staying in South Korea illegally.

Reached by phone, Yu said that he now scrapes by stringing together whatever part-time work he can find, including day labor, earning about $6 an hour. He said he is regularly harassed online by right-wing activists who still insist he is a spy plotting to overthrow South Koreas democracy.

Last year, Yu married an attorney who had been representing him pro bono, and he is now looking for a stable job. He hopes the worst is over.

I just dont want to battle any more, he said. Im trying to live like a normal person.

Borowiec is a special correspondent.

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In what a top U.N. official called a novelty, world powers called Tuesday for air bridges that would allow humanitarian supplies to be flown into Syria to relieve civilians who have taken the brunt of the countrys civil war.

The proposal came after the Syrian army enraged aid groups last week by blocking a convoy to the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya, even though the convoy had obtained prior clearance by all parties that it could proceed, according to a statement by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The idea for an air bridge  essentially a route to allow for the delivery of supplies  came during a meeting in Vienna of the International Syria Support Group, a 21-nation body working to end the war, now in its sixth year.

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Starting on June 1, if the U.N. is denied humanitarian access to any of these designated areas, the International Syria Support calls on the World Food Program to immediately carry out a program for air bridges and air drops to all of those areas in need, U.S. Secretary John Kerry said in a televised news conference after the session.

U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura called the idea a novelty and a new element.

The international support group also said it would try to strengthen a fragile cessation of hostilities in Syria and to jumpstart a stalled political transition process intended to create a united, nonsectarian Syria.

The cessation of hostilities, first introduced in February to much doubt, saw a weeks-long reduction in violence and a drop in casualties. But the violence crept back, according to De Mistura, as both rebels and the government launched offensives around Aleppo city.

The proposals for breaking the deadlock evoked a sense of the groups exasperation with both Syrian President Bashar Assad and the armed opposition factions pitted against him for control of the country  and what appeared to be a new willingness to bypass uncooperative parties.

However, the group struggled to find a new date for a fresh round of peace talks, a sign of the gaps that still exist between cochairs Washington and Moscow.

In addition to the army blocking the convoy in Daraya, rebel forces blocked access to Fua and Kafraya, a pair of besieged loyalist towns in Syrias northwestern Idlib province, preventing a U.N. assessment mission to the area, U.N. Senior Advisor Jan Egeland said.

The International Syria Support Group all but sidestepped the most difficult issue confronting it, the role of Assad in any political transition.

Disagreement on his future has been a major stumbling block that beguiled previous iterations of the so-called Intra-Syrian Talks, indirect peace negotiations anchored by De Mistura.

The Syrian government and Russia say there can be no preconditions to Assads presence and that only Syrians can choose their leader. They point out that the oppositions main representative, the High Negotiations Committee, was set up, housed and supported by Saudi Arabia, Assads top regional enemy, and cannot be impartial.

Rebels insist, and the U.S. agrees, that there can be no meaningful end to the war with Assad still at the helm.

Bulos is a special correspondent
Paintings by Syrian children filled easels in one room. Clay sculptures dotted shelves. Paper figurines depicted popular cartoon characters.

In another room, four Syrian women wearing overcoats and hijabs gathered for an exercise class. Aerobics step boards lined the floor.

Mariya, a 29-year-old mother of four from Idlib, in northwest Syria, said the Danish Refugee Council Community Center helps her meet new people. She connects with other refugees in Antakya, in southern Turkey, which offers a sectarian mix similar to Syria  home to Alawites, Sunnis and Christians.

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I was getting bored at home, Mariya said. Here, I get to make new friends from Syria, talk about our country.

SPECIAL REPORT: Fleeing Syria >>

Like other refugees, Mariya still has relatives in war-torn Syria and felt uncomfortable giving her full name.

The door closed when the women were ready to begin their workout.

Several thousand Syrians of all ages have gone to the center since it opened less than a year ago. Activities include computer training and Turkish language courses, knitting and art classes and a wide variety of musical options.

In fact, the music room is open all the time. People can just go in and pick up an instrument  hand drums, keyboard, guitar. Some refugees enroll in formal classes to learn how to play a stringed instrument known in Turkish as the baglama, in hopes of fitting in better with the local community.

Its a place for people to come and socialize and have fun, said Ozge Togay, a senior community center officer for the council.

The center is funded as part of the more than $5 billion in total humanitarian assistance the U.S. has provided to those affected by the Syrian conflict since it started in March 2011, and administered by the council, a humanitarian nonprofit organization working in about 30 countries.

Mostly women and youth use the center, located in a four-story apartment building on the fringes of downtown Antakya.

Much of the centers emphasis is on integration. But aid workers acknowledge that providing a safe space for activities addresses an urgent need because of the civil war in Syria and the resulting death and displacement of millions.

Turkey, Syrias northern neighbor, had absorbed some 1.9 million refugees by the end of 2015, making it the largest host of Syrian refugees globally, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Widely praised for initially welcoming refugees  providing some of the best refugee camps in the world, according to monitors  the nation soon found itself overwhelmed, with Ankara miscalculating Syrian President Bashar Assads durability.

Amnesty International recently accused Turkey of forcefully returning up to 100 refugees to Syria each day, including unaccompanied minors, in violation of the non-refoulement principle of international humanitarian law.

Other rights watchdogs contend that Turkish troops fired live ammunition at Syrians desperately seeking entry to Turkey as Turkish-backed militia suffered a string of defeats at the hands of the Islamic State extremist group in northern Aleppo province, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee.

Many displaced people have been trapped along the border with nowhere left to run. The Syrian government has continued its relentless air assault on opposition-occupied areas of the north. Ankara insists that the U.S. and European powers should establish a warplane-patrolled safe zone in northern Syria, where the displaced and returnees could seek refuge.

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, Gerry Simpson, senior refugee researcher at Human Rights Watch, said, using an acronym for Islamic State. EU officials should recognize that their red light for refugees to enter the EU gives Turkey a green light to close its border, exacting a heavy price on war-ravaged asylum seekers with nowhere else to go.

Under such conditions, the community center in Antakya serves as a haven for some of the lucky ones, even if they miss Syria.

Reja, a 39-year-old mother of six, said she did not want to leave her home in central Aleppo  near that citys large medieval citadel  two years ago, but often indiscriminate bombardments by government warplanes took a toll.

It was too dangerous to stay there, she said. We wanted to stay, but once the warplanes came, we had to leave.

Like others, Reja said her husband spends his days in Antakya trying to find work  construction, perhaps, or any type of labor.

Elsewhere, in a room dedicated to creative arts, Rama, 14, and Reema, 15, both from Idlib province, made decorations from string and paper. A tangled knot of purple string sat on the table in front of the girls; assorted pens, pencils and paints were perched on nearby shelves.

I came here to learn new things, Reema said.

It is the only place we feel happy, said Rama.

The girls wondered if they would ever see Syria again.

I miss everything in Syria, Rama said. Living in Turkey is difficult.

Many Syrians who go to the community center say they would rather be in their home country, but doubt that it will stabilize sufficiently to allow their return any time soon. Instead, they expect to hunker down as refugees.

Four young men from different parts of Syria: the capital, Damascus; Hasakah in the northeast; Aleppo, once the urbane hub of the Syrian business classes, emerged from a Turkish language class.

The grammar is kind of difficult, said Ali, a 29-year-old from Aleppo. I have to learn Turkish. This is my new country.

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All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
As abysmal performances pushed investors out of LatAm equities in droves, the top fund managers are betting on contrarian strategies to beat the pack
Investors began returning allocations to Latin American debt fund in the first quarter, a welcome change for portfolio managers. Still, they are cautious on the asset classs prospects
On 16 May the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed that they will oversee a deal for the release and reintegration of children and minors conscripted by the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Farc) leftist guerrilla group.

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Latino millennials, and the younger generation right behind them, are the largest part of a big demographic trend in the United States: they, and other young people of color together make up the majority of U.S. public school students now.

But as that trend continues to grow, the level of diversity in the teaching staff hasn't budged much at all. The ratio of teachers from backgrounds shared with their students continues to drop drastically, as the demographic shift in the young population far outpaces any changes in the public school system's hiring of teachers from underrepresented backgrounds.

A former high school English teacher in the New York City public school system, Travis J. Bristol spent time teaching educators at the Boston Teacher Residency Program before becoming a research fellow at Stanford's Center for Opportunity Policy in Education, where he studies trends in student learning. Bristol recently sounded the alarm on teacher diversity, demonstrating just how big the representation gap in public schools is these days.

"There is a troubling trend in education that is not getting enough attention: the growth of Latino teachers has not kept pace with the rising Latino student population -- and the number of black teachers is shrinking," wrote Bristol in Sunday's Washington Post.

Teacher Diversity Dropping

Bristol points out that the number of Black teachers over the decade from 2002 to 2012 dropped by huge percentages in major urban areas, especially relative to White teachers in the same school systems.

In New York City's public schools, for example, Black teachers left their jobs at a rate of 15 percent through those ten years, while 62 percent did the same in New Orleans. In contrast, only 1.9 percent of White teachers left New York City schools in the same period of time, and New Orleans' school systems actually had a 3.3 percent increase in White teachers between 2002 and 2012.

For Latinos, there hasn't been a drop in the rate of Hispanic teachers. But the overall ratio between Latino teachers and their Latino students in U.S. public schools has declined, as a boom in Latino students has overtaken any gains in the proportion of teachers with Hispanic backgrounds.

For example, there are 7.8 percent Latino teachers in the national public education system, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. That's up from around 2002, when about 6.2 percent of teachers were from a Hispanic background.

But Bristol points out that currently, the proportion of Latino students has grown to 25.8 percent, creating a vast representation gap in education for Latinos, nevertheless.

Does it matter?

Yes, said Bristol, writing that this trend in education is a problem, along with what can be done to help.

"Why should we care that the demographic makeup of America's teaching force does not mirror the racial/ethnic diversity of our students? Shouldn't the quality of the teacher matter more than the teacher's race in improving learning outcomes?" asked Bristol.

He answered those questions by noting that the two are not mutually exclusive, and pointed to research from several institutions that provide evidence that teachers of color, relative to White colleagues, have higher burdens of expectation for improving learning for students of color. But at the same time, they are more likely to meet them.

Studies Support "Added Value"

"There is, of course, a great danger in suggesting that simply providing Latino and Black teachers for Latino and Black students will close persistent learning and opportunity gaps," he concedes.

But nevertheless, Bristol says, data about the positive outcomes and, what he calls, the "added value" of diversity in teaching staff that reflects the backgrounds of their students should be enough to spur a new focus on raising the diversity levels of public school teaching staffs.

Bristol's policy recommendations do not call for quotas or draconian hiring measures to increase the number of teacher of color. Instead, he recommends more research on how to encourage and better support the retention of teachers from underrepresented backgrounds, along with boosting alternative pipelines for developing educators, such as Teach for America and Pathways2Teaching.

"As a nation, we are faced with the challenges of a teacher workforce that does not represent our country's increasing racial/ethnic diversity," said Bristol. In increasing teacher diversity through tweaks to current system, Bristol says the school system can boost the process of public education that honors the American ideal of "out of many, one."

Check out Bristol's piece in the Washington Post for more details and links to the half-dozen studies he cites supporting his position.
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox suggested that if Donald Trump were elected president of the United States, the world would become inflamed with a renewed sense of anti-Americanism.

Speaking to the Brietbart News last week, the 73-year-old Fox said that the U.S. needed to continue to lead the world by keeping up with a policy of compassionate diplomacy. Nobody wants back the ugly American,' said Fox, explaining that in the 1950s and 1960s the U.S. had been perceived as that hated gringo.

Fox, who led his nation under Mexicos right-leaning National Action Party (PAN), championed teamwork between Mexico and the U.S. rather than the building of a border wall to keep out migrants.

We need now to share prosperity to work together, he explained.

A Friendlier Fox

Speaking to Fusions Jorge Ramos back in February, Fox used much harsher words to talk about Trumps promise to build a border wall and have Mexico pay for its construction.

Using an expletive, Fox declared that he was not going to pay for Trump's wall. He should pay for it. Hes got the money, he added.

Fox made a point to apologize for the angry words he used while discussing Trump. Yes, yes, I am humble enough, as leaders should be, compassionate leaders. If I offended you, I am sorry. But what about the other way around? Fox said.

Regardless of his contrition, Fox went on to castigate the Republican Presidential candidates foreign policy.

To say that hes going to make this nation great again, how great does he want it? This is the great, powerful nation of the world, said Fox, adding, It is the leading nation and its protecting its interests by participating with NATO by participating  to go and defeat ISIS. United States by itself, theyll never defeat ISIS.

Although Fox expressed his support for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, he held out hope that Trump would change his alienating rhetoric and modify his extreme campaign promises.
Immigration is a hot-button issue in the U.S. right now, especially with the front-runner of the Republican Party calling out Mexico to pay for a wall he wants to build at the border.

While it's easier than to get caught up in the current contentious debate over immigration from (or more accurately, through) Mexico, a little data visualization of the past 200 years of immigration to the U.S., parsed by the countries that are the largest source of immigrants, provides a bit of perspective.

Two-Century Perspective on Immigration

Watching the unending flow of immigrants -- one dot accounts for 10,000 people -- from all over the world is a good reminder that the U.S. has always been a destination for people from all over the world looking to build a better life.

Zoom out to the perspective of two centuries' worth of immigration to the U.S., represented in less than about a minute and a half, and you start to get the idea.



Shifting Sources of Immigrants

"Through time, the immigration sources trace a clear path through the world," notes author, New York City-based entrepreneur, and data visualization wiz Max Galka, who created the video. "Starting in Western Europe with Ireland, Germany, and the U.K., the source moves east to Italy, Russia, and Hungary before shifting to the Americas and finally to Asia."

The animated data visualization comes from MetroCosm (via Redditor Megatron_Griffin in the InternetIsBeautiful subreddit), and shows roughly the past two centuries of immigration to the U.S. between 1820 and 2013. The top three source countries of immigrants are shown in the bottom left for each time period.

Data Limitations

The visualization is based on immigration data from the U.S. Homeland Security Office of Immigration Statistics.

There is a caveat about this visualization: the official U.S. immigration data is incomplete in a couple of ways.

For one, the data stops in 2013. The shift noted by Galka, from the Americas to Asia, actually hit a tipping point last year. That's when, as Latin Post reported in May 2015, the top source country for immigration to the U.S. officially changed Mexico to China.

Also, the data only shows "persons obtaining lawful permanent resident status," which does not account for undocumented immigrants. On the other hand, it also doesn't show the people brought to the U.S. as slaves.
Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by six points in a new national presidential poll of more than 6,000 voters.

The Morning Consult survey finds Clinton with 44 percent of the vote to 38 percent for Trump, who was recently officially crowned the GOP's presumptive nominee as the sole remaining republican candidate.

Clinton has Backing of Hispanics and Blacks

The former secretary of state and first lady gains her greatest level of support from minority voters, with 56 percent of all Hispanic voters expressing their preference for her as well as 80 percent of black voters.

Immigration Reform Among Election Season's Biggest Issues

With immigration reform being among the most critical issues of the entire campaign season, Clinton has pledged her allegiance to a reform legislation while Trump has vowed to deport millions of immigrants.

In addition, Trump has insisted he plans to build a wall along the Mexican border to further keep immigrants out, which he also plans to force Mexico to foot the bill for.

Clinton also holds a 45 to 35 percent advantage over Trump among female voters.

Meanwhile, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the only other Democratic candidate left in the field, leads Trump by a 51 percent to 36 percent cushion.

The Morning Consult poll shows Sanders trialing Clinton by nine points, at 49 percent to 40 percent.

Clinton Closes in on Trump in Georgia

Meanwhile, a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll finds Clinton has pulled to within just four points of Trump in the Deep South and reliably Republican state of Georgia.

According to poll results, Trump now stands at 45 percent to Clinton's 41 percent. Georgia has gone Republican in every presidential election since 1992, when it went for Bill Clinton.

Across the state, 75 percent of all black and nonwhite voters back Clinton, while 63 percent of all female voters insist they have an unfavorable view of Trump.
Nearly 250,000 undocumented immigrants applied for U.S. citizenship in the four-month span beginning October 2015, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.

Preliminary data released by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) found 249,609 legal permanent residents completed N-400 forms this fiscal year, a five-percent increase from the same period heading into the 2012 presidential election. It also marks a 13-percent jump from October 2014 to January 2015.

Pew researcher Jens Manuel Krogstad acknowledges the effect Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has on undocumented individuals -- namely his way of stoking anti-immigration rhetoric -- but the influx of applicants may not be related to Trump at all.

Previous years have seen bigger spikes. In 2007, USCIS received over 1.4 million applications after the Department of Homeland Security announced a $265-fee increase. Stringent immigration laws led to the second-largest increase -- 900,000 people between 1995 and 1998 -- after Congress limited public benefits non-citizens could receive.

"Though not yet available, it's possible the data will show the number of naturalization applications increased this spring -- number have spiked in March and April in past years," Krogstad said. "Applications may also continue to rise into the summer, though how many of these new applicants will become naturalized in time to register to vote remains to be seen."

The process of attaining U.S. citizenship takes years; successfully submitting an application takes six to seven months on its own. Unless they marry a U.S. citizen, legal residents must have lived in the country five years to become eligible.

Citizenship Fee Changes

On May 4, DHS released an updated USCIS fee schedule adding 21 percent to the $595 applicants already pay, as well as an undescribed new fee.

One reason, as the DHS letter noted, is that "currents fees do not recover the full costs of the services it provides." USCIS anticipates shortcoming of $560 million without the increase; an allocation of funds which would go to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program (SAVE), the government-funded programs that determines if immigrants are eligible for benefits.

DHS proposed a three-level fee system for new applicants. The first covers the N-400 form cost -- from $595 to $640 -- and the second grants waivers for military personnel.

In an effort to aid immigrant families, DHS also proposed reduced fees for applicants with family incomes greater between 150 and 200 percent of Federal Poverty Guidelines. They hope the change will "increase access to United States citizenship."

Advocacy Group Drawing More Applicants

The Pew Research Center analysis does not draw a correlation between Trump and incoming applicants, but months-longs efforts from labor unions, non-profits, and immigration advocacy groups indicate the GOP candidate is having an immeasurable effect on immigrant communities.

The Obama administration has distributed $10 million in grants to encourage eligible non-citizens to apply for citizenship. In March, the collaborative "Stand Up to Hate" campaign aided some 12,781 individuals fill out applications.

"Stand Up to Hate" -- composed of Mi Familia Vota, UFCW, and the Latino Victory Foundation, among other groups - has spent the better part of the elections cycle educating undocumented immigrants about their rights, and of a possible pathway to citizenship.
Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the controversial figure known for his audacious immigration enforcement efforts, may be two weeks from sitting alongside the Latinos he has imprisoned.

Last Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow scolded Arpaio and his aides for continually profiling Latinos three years after they were ordered to stop. Snow found at least 19 instances in which the Maricopa County lawman knowingly disobeyed court orders, acts that carry civil contempt charges and the possibility of jail time.

"The court finds that the defendants have engaged in multiple acts of misconducts, dishonesty, and bad faith with respects to the plaintiff class (Latinos) and the protections of its rights," Snow wrote in his 162-page ruling.

Snow added, "They have demonstrated a persistent disregard for the orders of this court, as well as an intention to violate and manipulate the laws and polices regulating their conduct as they pertain to their obligations to be fair, 'equitable and impartial' with respect to the interest of the plaintiff class."

Friday's proceedings were based on three violations, one being that Arpaio's office failed to turn over video evidence as Snow requested. Deputies continued detaining Latinos despite the judge telling them not to do so in his December 2011 preliminary injunction. Lastly, Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan was found in contempt for failing to collect evidence after the trial.

Snow set a May 31 date to discuss penalties. Then, he will decide whether the case escalates to criminal contempt.

Arpaio's Strategy

Arpaio never denied defying the judge's order, insisting it was due to miscommunication with his team rather than defiance. His attorneys issued a written statement disagreeing with many of the court's findings.

For his part, Arpaio tweeted "I never hide from the media, but my policy has been I don't talk about ongoing litigation."

I never hide from media, but my policy has been I don't talk about ongoing litigation.

Last wk. did not talk about 9th cir fed. victory.  Joe Arpaio (@RealSheriffJoe) May 14, 2016

The six-term sheriff openly allowed deputies to systematically target Latinos more than a year after Snow's initial ruling. In 2012, when Arpaio was up for re-election, he announced a "backup plan" to drop undocumented individuals off at Border Patrol facilities in lieu of taking them into the Sheriff's Office, thereby circumventing Snow's order and making him look tough in the eyes of Arizonans.

Arpaio even acknowledged that his attorneys hired private detectives to investigate Snow's wife, an incident he apologized for but redirected into cause for Snow to recuse himself.

The Cost to Taxpayers

In a statement, The American Civil Liberties Union applauded the judge's decision, vowing to end Arpaio's brazen tactics.

"His recalcitrance ends here," said Cecillia Wang, director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project. "Strong remedies are needed to protect the community's rights, starting with internal investigations that root out and punish misconduct. Willingly or not, the sheriff will be made to comply with the law."

The case has already cost Arizona taxpayers upwards of $51 million over the last eight years, in addition to $13 million allotted for the next year; defending Arpaio could cost Maricopa County $125 million.

The Sheriff's Office also had to pick up the tab on court-ordered body cameras used to ensure police weren't making unconstitutional traffic stops.
A man working at C&S Wholesale Grocers is accused of beating up his girlfriend at the Hanover Township distribution facility over a perfume purchase.

Jose David Marquez-Guilbe, 29, of the 400 block of Bellevue Street, allegedly began fighting with his girlfriend at the warehouse, 125 N. Commerce Way at 8:40 p.m. Monday.

The woman had just dropped him off for work and was accompanied by her 14-year-old daughter, Colonial Regional police said.

After the woman bought perfume, Marquez-Guilbe began punching her in the arm and thigh area, as well as choking her with both hands, police said.

Marquez-Guilbe also threatened to kill the woman, according to police. Police said the attack occurred with the teenager present.

Marquez-Guilbe is charged with making terroristic threats, simple assault and harassment. He was arraigned before District Judge David Tidd, who set bail at 10 percent of $25,000.

In lieu of bail, Marquez-Guilbe was taken to Northampton County Prison. The judge ordered he have no contact with the victim.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A Bethlehem Township woman is accused of a drunken attack on her husband with a purse while he was asleep in bed, police said.

Elvia Maria Sarquis, 41, of the 3800 block of Tamarind Drive, allegedly woke up her 41-year-old husband as he slept in bed at 10:37 p.m. Monday and began arguing with him.

Sarquis then picked up a heavy handbag and began hitting him in the head with it four or five times until lumps formed, according to Bethlehem Township police.

Sarquis is charged with simple assault and harassment. She was arraigned before District Judge David Tidd, who set bail at 10 pecent of $10,000.

In lieu of bail Sarquis was taken to Northampton County Prison. The judge ordered she stay away from her husband and the home.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A 31-year-old Nazareth man accused of shooting a gun and hitting an occupied car in a dispute over a hermit crab is headed to possible trial in Northampton County Court.

Mario Maisonet (Courtesy photo)

Mario Maisonet, of the first block of Easton Road, appeared Tuesday before District Judge John Capobianco for a preliminary hearing. Dressed in a brown prison jumpsuit, Maisonet didn't speak during the hearing, borough police said.

Two witnesses provided testimony, including Nazareth Police Officer Randall Pompei, who is prosecuting the case with Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Kendahl Barsony Difelice, and Christian Roman.

Maisonet is charged in the April 3 shooting with with six counts of aggravated assault, three counts of simple assault, three counts of recklessly endangering another person, two counts of harassment, two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of endangering the welfare of children.

Capobianco determined there was enough evidence to send the case to county court. Following the hearing, Pompei said he was unaware of any plea arrangements between prosecutors and Maisonet.

Kyree Blair Sr., the attorney representing Maisonet, could not immediately be reached for comment following the hearing.

Maisonet was arguing with Christian Roman on April 3 at a home in the first block of Easton Road, police said. The argument was about Roman's son -- soon to be Maisonet's step-son -- wanting to bring a hermit crab into Maisonet's home, police said.

Roman and his girlfriend were returning the boy from a weekend visit, police said. Maisonet took out a black handgun and pointed it at Roman, police said.

The 10-year-old boy and Roman's girlfriend, Amber Uricoechea, were near a 2002 Chevrolet when Maisonet fired a shot into the left front hubcap of the car, according to police. Christian Roman was about three feet away with his son next to him, police said.

Maisonet then allegedly went to the front of the car and pointed the Ruger 9mm at Christian Roman and Uricoechea, who were both in Roman's Chevy.

Maisonet left without firing another shot, police said. There were no reported injuries.

The gun was later recovered at the Palmer Township home and a spent 9mm casing was found at the shooting scene, according to police.

Eyewitnesses backed up Christian Roman's description of events, police said. Maisonet later allegedly admitted he fired the shot.

He is being held at Northampton County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The substitute teacher charged Tuesday with having sex with a student in Easton Cemetery previously headed a Palmer Township church's council.

According to church bulletins, Kelly Aldinger served as the council's president as recently as last fall at St. Paul's III Lutheran Church.

She appeared before the Palmer Township Planning Commission on the church's behalf in September to request the church be allowed to sell off a parcel of its property at 2561 Newburg Road, according to meeting minutes.

Easton police on Tuesday charged Aldinger, a 49-year-old substitute teacher at Easton Area High School, with institutional sexual assault on a 17-year-old male student after they were caught having sex at 1:06 p.m. May 6 in Easton Cemetery off North Seventh Street.

As council president for St. Paul's, she oversaw Christian education, worship and music, Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. It is not immediately clear if she still holds any leadership roles at the church. The church's website on Tuesday shows a vacancy in the president's position.

"We are praying for all the Aldinger family and we have no other comment at this time," the Rev. Chris Drunkenmiller, the church's pastor, said when reached by phone Tuesday morning.

Aldinger, who at one point taught the student, allegedly started a sexual relationship with him in 2015. They first met when the student, now a high school junior, was in middle school.

She was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail after being arraigned on the charge Tuesday morning.

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
An Easton Area High School substitute teacher was sent to jail on Tuesday morning after a police officer allegedly found her having sex with a student earlier this month at Easton Cemetery.

Kelly Aldinger, 49, who now lives with her parents in the 600 block of William Street in Pen Argyl, is charged with institutional sexual assault. She previously lived with her husband in the 2000 block of Maywood Street in Palmer Township, where she served as council president at St. Paul's III Lutheran Church as recently as the fall.

If found guilty, she faces up to 7 years in jail and $15,000 in fines.

Police say they found Aldinger at 1:06 p.m. May 6 having sex with a 17-year-old Easton High junior in a Chevrolet Equinox at the cemetery off Seventh Street. Both she and the teenager told police they had been having sex since the fall of 2015 when he was 16, according to court papers read by District Judge Daniel Corpora at Aldinger's Tuesday morning arraignment.

Police continue to investigate the previous sexual incidents, police Lt. Matthew Gerould said. The age of consent is 16 in Pennsylvania when it comes to statutory rape, so that charge wouldn't apply, but 18 for corruption of a minor. Aldinger, however, doesn't face a corruption charge.

The institutional sexual assault charge stems from her teaching at the school where the teen was a student.

The 17-year-old met Aldinger while he was in seventh or eighth grade at Easton Area Middle School and she was a substitute teacher there, court papers say.

Aldinger, who has at least one child, is no longer working, she said in court. She was employed by Source 4 Teachers, which placed her in substitute's jobs, police said. She's had no previous arrests and no recent drug use, she told the judge.

Her attorney, Josh Fulmer, asked Corpora to issue unsecured bail due to her clean record, her "full cooperation" and her limited threat as a fight risk. Fulmer said she wasn't working for the rest of the school year due to the charge against her.

Corpora left the court for a time and city police brought Aldinger into a hallway to move her handcuffs from in front of her to the rear. She returned to the court and expressed concern her photo would be taken if she left in police custody. Aldinger, who was dressed in a blue skirt and a tan long-sleeved shirt, asked if there were a back door.

When the judge came back, he set bail at $50,000, with a 10 percent option if approved by Pre-Trial Services. That set off another discussion among Fulmer, Aldinger and two people sitting just behind her who appeared to be her parents. The pair later declined to comment.

They could either put up $50,000 immediately, or allow Aldinger to be processed and then come up with $5,000, Fulmer told them. It was decided that Aldinger would be taken to Northampton County Prison.

If released, Aldinger can't have contact with the victim or other minors, Corpora said.

Aldinger didn't comment as she was walked to a police vehicle.

Fulmer said after the court session on South Side Easton that he had no more information on Aldinger's statements about having sex with the boy than what was in the court papers. He said a deal wouldn't be discussed until Aldinger's preliminary hearing, which is tentatively scheduled 9 a.m. May 31 in Downtown District Judge Antonia Grifo's court.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A Luzerne County fugitive who fled from police along Route 33, prompting an hours-long search, was charged Monday in the incident, court records say.

Francisco Jimenez, 21, of Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, was with a disabled pickup truck May 6 along the highway in Plainfield Township when police stopped to investigate and tried to detain him because he had no identification, police had said.

Wanted as on a fugitive-from-justice out of Nassau County, New York, Jimenez ran off and was apprehended by authorities who searched the woods along Route 33, according to Pennsylvania State Police at Beflast.

Jimenez was arraigned Monday before District Judge Douglas Schlegel on charges of resisting arrest and escape.

Jimenez has been in Northampton County Prison since May 6 on the fugitive warrant, and Schlegel set bail at $50,000 on the new charges. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled May 31 before Schlegel.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Businesses in Naas are being encouraged to make an extra effort to facilitate older people. Known as the Naas Age Friendly Business Recognition Programme, its part of a strategy to make it easier for people to use public areas.

Naas became the first Age Friendly town in Co Kildare in 2013 and since then a workability survey has been carried to assess possible areas of improvement. Some public seating, which is more comfortable for older people, has been provided in Naas and the timing at pedestrian crossings has been assessed.

The impetus to make places age friendly is supported by the World Health Organisation which is trying to address demographic ageing and urbanisation.

The advantages of facilitating older people is a two way street. Kildare county council official Pauric Buggy points out that older people are likely to have more disposable income and there are many low-cost or no-cost initiatives that businesses can implement in order to facilitate older customers.

We would like businesses to have a member of staff assigned to be a champion to deal with older customers. This would make it easier for people to shop and generate business at the same time, he said.

The over-65 population of County Kildare is set to increase from 16,000 to 40,000 between 2011 and 2031.

Its estimated that eh over 60 population in Ireland has 75% of the spending power.

The benefits to business include increased footfall, improves brand reputation and customer loyalty as well as promotional opportunities through the Kildare Age Friendly County Programme.

For older people the benefits include access to appropriate products and services and an improved shopping experience.

A programme workshop takes place at Aras Chill Dara on Tuesday May 31 from 6-7pm. Anybody seeking more information can contact Mr Buggy (980584) or Shane Nolan (980575).
This afternoon, MSPs will choose the new First Minister of Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the largest single party will not be unopposed, though. Willie Rennie, on his fifth anniversary as Scottish leader, is standing against her. Willie is a massive optimist, but I doubt even he expects to get more than a handful of votes. We wont have a Wales scenario in Edinburgh. However, it is important that someone lays down a marker that the SNP, which no longer has a majority, has to work to make its case to Parliament. Nicola Sturgeons comments that she expects Parliament to respect her mandate are not the sort of comments you would expect from a leader without a majority. She has to show a bit of humility and respect for Parliament.

This will not be the only time when the Liberal Democrats will lead the opposition to the SNP, as we did so often in the last Parliament. On Thursday, Sturgeon presents her list of Ministers to the Parliament. Under its standing orders, Parliament can only reject any new names. It cant pass judgement on any of the people already in post. Willie Rennie has appointed Mike Rumbles to be Business Manager (or chief whip). This is a role that he took during the last period of Holyrood minority government from 2007-11. His experience of the Parliaments procedures will be helpful.

The Liberal Democrats have been horrified at the total muck-up the SNP has made over payments to farmers. During the election, Tavish Scott slammed the SNP for seeking to charge interest to farmers on emergency payments made to them while they sorted out their IT system. It seems incomprehensible that Parliament should not even get a say as to the performance of the Minister responsible. The Parliament has an opportunity to assert itself and reject that Minister. The Press and Journal reports:

Opposition is growing to the Moray MSP continuing in his post amid anger over his role in the 178 million IT bungle which delayed the payment of crucial farm subsidies. Today, new Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles will attempt to gain cross-party backing for the closing of what he claims is the Lochhead loophole  a procedural anomaly which means cabinet secretaries can be reappointed to their position without parliamentary approval. Mr Rumbles said: The present rules mean it is possible for the first minister to smuggle the reappointment of Richard Lochhead through parliament with no debate or any possibility of veto. Parliament automatically gets a vote on the appointment of brand new ministers. It is right to extend this to allow a vote on the continuing ministers. The Liberal Democrats have already suggested Mr Lochhead would have to be sacked before they would consider backing Nicola Sturgeons minority government. And a Tory source said it would be folly for the Moray MSP to be reappointed following the Common Agricultural Policy payments fiasco. Mr Rumbles added: My suggestion will be to open up the debate to consider whether parliament wishes to endorse Richard Lochheads continuation as a minister.

During the last period of minority government, I feel that the Liberal Democrats just opposed things for the sake of it and ended up being the third party saying no. This did not do us any favours. I hope that the style we adopt in this Parliament will be more along the lines of what we did in the last. We agreed with the SNP on things like minimum alcohol pricing but vigorously opposed them on civil liberties matters. We were able to change their policy by working with them and by working with others against them. That balance is important and Willie as leader has shown pretty good judgement. Its important that we always make sure that there is a point behind what we are doing. I expect that the five Liberal Democrats will vigorously pursue the issues we championed during the election campaign  education, mental health, civil liberties and climate change and do all it can to make sure the SNP is fully held to account.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Today is the annual International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia as we saw from Team INtogethers post earlier.

The party has been marking the day in various ways. Weve been tweeting up a storm. Liz Barker and Jonny Oates recorded this video:

Theres been a series of lovely graphics:

On #IDAHOBIT2016 , we are #INtogether in Europe because of their work to protect LGBTQI rights across the continent. pic.twitter.com/1lOh1rSD2E  LGBT+ Lib Dems (@LGBTLD) May 17, 2016

On #IDAHOBIT2016 we are #INtogether b/c Europe has ensured equal pay for transgender women pic.twitter.com/hGD36WNJ9B  LGBT+ Lib Dems (@LGBTLD) May 17, 2016

Norman Lamb has resubmitted his motion calling for people who want gender neutral passports to be able to have them. Recently, I saw on social media a teacher who has transgender and non binary pupils under their care object to these proposals. Imagine how that makes their pupils feel and how confident they would feel about that teacher to support them. That brings me to whats been happening north of the border.

Willie Rennie took time out of his short-lived campaign to be First Minister to emphasise the need for all teachers in all schools  thats the denominational ones, too  to be trained to ensure that all Scotlands schools are inclusive environments for learning.

He said:

Improving education on LGBTI issues is vital to ensuring that we can build on the progress that we have made as a society and tackle the inequalities that LGBTI people still face. This is about people like me, and others of my generation, who grew up at a time when sexuality was not really a topic for discussion at the dinner table. And crucially, it is also about working with teachers and schools to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying and discrimination and educating the next generation  whether they are gay, straight, bi, trans or anything else. Nicola Sturgeon announced plans for reform during the election but they do not go far enough. Education is the key to delivering the sort of change that will ensure that in future, young LGBTI people do not face the same discrimination that has shamed our country in years gone by.

As we reported last month, all of Scotlands party leaders represented in the Scottish Parliament support a change in the law to make the process of expressing your gender identity much easier. Recently, Government Minister Humza Yousaf suggested that the consultation process for this would begin within the next year. This is a very, very good thing. However, it strikes me that during that necessary period of consultation, and indeed as the Bill goes through Parliament, were going to see some pretty nasty stuff from opponents of the legislation. They pulled no punches when the equal marriage legislation was going through, spouting nonsense about how it would lead to people wanting to marry their dogs and the like. This is incredibly hurtful to people. If they try to throw the same sort of bile around over these proposals, it is so important that we all have the backs of our transgender and non binary siblings. Its even more important that we make sure that people who may be struggling with identity issues know that they have thousands of allies standing with them against the hatred directed at them. I am sure that the excellent LGBTI organisations in Scotland such as the Equality Network and Stonewall will already have thought about this and will have a plan to deal with it.

Bearing in mind that Scotland is one of the best places in the world to be LGBTI, and we still have to think about combating damaging levels of homo, bi and trans phobia, we should also spare a thought for the many, many places in the world where people face persecution and imprisonment because of their sexuality and gender identity. I hope that the Department for International Development will be continuing the projects started by Lynne Featherstone and Lindsay Northover when they were in Government.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
10 Things to Know About Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis) on the Face and Neck

A dermatologist shares essential facts about the itchy condition, including what triggers eczema on the face and neck and how to get rid of it  or at least improve it.


SINN Feins newly-appointed spokesperson for jobs, enterprise and innovation has called for the Limerick 2030 plan to be developed and delivered.

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan, who was first elected to Dail Eireann in February, has made his way to the front bench of the Sinn Fein party, it was announced last week.

He told the Limerick Leader that, after 70 days of frustration with politicians indecision to form a new Government, his party has also selected its very strong, progressive team.

He said that one of his main goals in Limerick is to see the delivery of the Opera Centre site, which was first proposed in 2006.

The Opera Centre is crying out for work to start on it. There are lots of plans out there, but we need to put people back to work.

My short term objective is to start to reach out to all the different stakeholders, and we are going to come up with a new business rates proposal, and hopefully the Government will take that on board, nationally.

The full details of which we have not fully worked out yet, as we are planning to meet the local councils and chambers of commerce around the country. A priority issue for us is working on the issue of decent work for decent pay, and making sure that people do get paid to go to work, he explained.

He said that they will be the only major opposition party as Fianna Fail are pretending they are opposition, but the bottom line is that they put Enda Kenny back into power. He added that they will be applying pressure on the minority Government, led by Fine Gael.

I think the fact that they are a minority Government, I think they realise that they did lose the election in one instance, and that they will take on board and believe that the proposals we make our good or can be worked on. We will proposing policies all the time and we will be looking for changes.

He stated that he would like to help deliver as many jobs as we can and assist small and medium enterprises over the next five years.
AN ASYLUM seeker who has a propensity for violence was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for attacking another man at a hostel in the city.

Ousmane Baah, who is originally from Guinea, pleaded guilty to assaulting the man during an incident at Westbourne Hostel, Dock Road on November 17, 2014.

He also admitted stealing a mobile phone from the victim, - also a non-national - on the same date.

During a sentencing hearing, Limerick Circuit Court heard the defendant forcefully entered the victims room and demanded that he hand over his phone.

However, when he refused the 26-year-old punched in him the face before continuing to assault him after he knocked him on the floor.

Judge Tom ODonnell was told when gardai arrived, the defendant was very aggressive and highly intoxicated due to the effects of alcohol and drugs.

The stolen phone was later recovered hidden behind a toilet at the hostel while Baah was declared unfit to be interviewed until for several hours following his arrest.

The judge was told the victim, who sustained bruising to his face, has gone on to make a good recovery.

Imposing sentence, Judge ODonnell said Baahs propensity for violence is a concern and he noted that he has a number of previous convictions and is currently serving a sentence for an unrelated offence.

He said the defendant had taken the mobile phone in a very mean-spirited fashion and that the use of violence as well as his continuing re-offending is an aggravating factor.

He said Baahs early admissions and guilty plea were mitigating factors along with the fact that as an asylum seeker he has to live on a paltry 19 a week.

The judge also commented that being an asylum seeker within the prison system is not easy.

He imposed an 18 month prison sentence in relation to the assault charge, backdating it to September 16, last.

The theft charge was taken into consideration.
A COLLECTION which encapsulates the recurring nature of Irelands housing crisis won the overall prize at the 2016 Limerick School of Art and Design Fashion Show.

A total of 27 graduates showcased their creations to over 400 people who watched the show at the college. The show was produced by renowned retail consultant Eddie Shanahan.

The winning collection entitled Civil Contingency was designed by Portmarnock student Liadan Scott-Keogh.

Liadan won the IFIL, AIB Graduate Business Development Award worth 5,000 which includes a three-month paid work experience with leading London-based Irish fashion designer Richard Malone.

Civil Contingency encapsulates the recurring nature of the housing issues in Ireland. I want to embody the feeling of history repeating itself, through the process of breaking down and building up, said Liadan.

The pleating and print within each piece represents the descent of the Ballymun flats from their beginning in the 1960s as a result of a housing crisis to the final demolition in 2015 during the current crisis.

Niamh Murray from Chelmsford village, Cork walked away with a 2,000 bursary for demonstrating the most unique cut and technical creativity in her collection entitled Gozen, inspired by Tomoe Gozen, the first Japanese female samurai of the 12th century. Niamh incorporated an innovative cut and intelligent drafting as well as challenging the line and form of the pieces, to convey the warriors directional movement throughout the collection.

Ranked among the worlds top 50 fashion colleges, Limerick School of Art and Design is continuing to mould future Irish designers. This years students have returned from exciting work placements all over the world including House of Holland, Temperley and Preen in London, Marchesa and Derek Lam in New York and Farrah Floyd in Berlin. The themes of this years show were as diverse as the students use of fabric, colour and form, including sugar candy, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, the Greek mythology Circe, deforestation, computer malfunction and the late rocker Kurt Cobain among others.

Speaking about the fashion show, course director Anne Melinn said that the Limerick School of Art and Design, LIT which has enjoyed another successful year is truly an exceptional college with an enormous amount of talent and a deserved international reputation.

Our graduates have gone on to work with some of the leading labels in the world including Paul Smith, Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen. The students are extremely professional and take enormous pride in their work, continued Ms Melinn.
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Bernie Sanders has finally crossed the line. With his chances of winning the Democratic presidential nomination fading fast, hes ramping up the radical rhetoric and dropping the pretense of political acceptability crafted during his 25 years in Congress. The junior senator from Vermont has tried during the campaign to convince Americans that his extreme views are merely a Yankee variant of those commonly found in all the best European social democracies. Now hes showing who he really is: a far-left revolutionary who despises the bourgeois values of liberty and self-determination that most Americans hold dear.

More than that, though, Sanders supports those who take up arms against the United States government. At a boisterous town hall meeting Monday in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sanders demanded that President Obama release Oscar Lopez Rivera from federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. The 73-year-old mastermind of the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberacion Nacional (FALN), a militant Puerto Rican nationalist organization that terrorized Chicago and New York during the 1970s, Lopez Rivera has served 34 years of a 55-year sentence for seditious conspiracy against the United States and other charges. In 1988, he was sentenced to an additional 12 years for his role in an escape plot involving plans to murder prison guards. Oscar Lopez Rivera is one of the longest-serving political prisoners in history34 years, longer than Nelson Mandela, said Sanders at a rally. We are talking about a Vietnam War veteran who was awarded a Bronze Star. I say to President Obamalet him out! Sanders repeated his demands on Twitter: Oscar Lopez Rivera has served 34 years in prison for his commitment to Puerto Ricos independence. I say to President Obama: let him out.

Lopez Riveras supporters like to pretend that he is a political prisoner. He is nothing of the kind. Though his service in Vietnam may have been valiant, upon his return, he took up arms against the United States to achieve the political goal of an independent, Communist Puerto Rico. FALNs most notorious operation occurred on January 24, 1975, when it planted a ten-pound dynamite bomb that killed four and injured 50 during a busy lunch hour at historic Fraunces Tavern in Lower Manhattan. But Fraunces Tavern is only the best-known of the FALNs murderous plots. As Bryan Burrough reports in his excellent history of 1970s radicalism, Days of Rage, the FALN enjoyed a formal alliance with the eras most notorious left-wing terroriststhe renegade Weather Underground movement led by Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn. In December 1974, an NYPD rookie lost an eye when a FALN bomb exploded in East Harlem. On October 27, 1975, FALN planted a bomb at the State Department in Washington.

On August 3, 1977, several Manhattan office buildings were rocked by FALN bombs. The force of the device that exploded at the Mobil Building at 150 East 42nd Street blew out the ground-floor windows, showering passersby with glass and critically injuring several people. Twenty-six-year-old Charles Steinberg, recently married and working as a manager at a small employment agency with offices in the building, was blown to bits at his desk. A cop told a reporter from the Daily News that the only way he could describe the bloody scene was as a human mess.

The FALN took responsibility for these atrocities and warned of bombs placed at 13 other buildings, including the World Trade Center. The NYPD and FDNY evacuated as many as 100,000 people from potential targets throughout the city. Mayor Abe Beame called the attackand the barrage of threats that followedan outrageous act of terrorism. With the NYPD already dealing with a manhunt for the Son of Sam killer and the aftermath of blackouts that had plagued the city earlier that summer, Beame ordered the rehiring of more than 100 recently laid-off cops to go after the FALN bombers. In an editorial, the New York Times declared that for those who have lived through this mad week in New York there is a shared sense of outrage and impotence.

While some say that Oscar Lopez Rivera is innocent of the charges against him, more commonly, his supporters concede his guilt but argue that he should be freed because, like Nelson Mandela, his cause was just. What an insult to the memory of Mandela. No one disputes that the FALN killed innocent people or that Oscar Lopez Rivera was one of its leaders. True, there is no evidence that Lopez Rivera killed anyone with his own hands, but you could have said the same of Osama bin Laden. Plenty of evidence exists that Lopez Rivera urged others to murder and maim in the cause of Puerto Rican nationalism, and that he organized and participated in terrorist plots.

Moreover, before leaving office, President Bill Clinton, looking to win the support New Yorks Puerto Rican community for his wifes looming senatorial campaign, offered Lopez Rivera a conditional clemency. The condition? That Lopez Rivera renounce terrorism and armed struggle against the United States. Twelve of his jailed FALN confederates accepted the offer. Lopez Rivera rejected it. The whole thing of contrition, atonement, I have problems with that, he told a reporter.

That so many on the American left are convinced that this unabashed enemy of the United States has been railroaded and should be released from prison and allowed to resume his violent pursuit of Puerto Rican independencewhich, by the way, just 5 percent of Puerto Ricans supportpoints to a disturbing question: What does someone have to do or say to be considered a traitor anymore? That Bernie Sanders himself thinks this unrepentant terrorist should be allowed to walk free is more than disqualifyingits insane.

Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images
If you're wondering why prescription drugs containing opioids are so addictive, just ask Grammy Award-winning rap artist Macklemore.

This past Saturday (May 14), Barack Obama invited Macklemore to talk about opioid addiction during the president's online weekly address at the White House.

"I'm here with President Obama because I take this personally," Macklemore said in the video. "I abused prescription drugs and battled addiction. If I hadn't gotten the help I needed when I needed it, I might not be here today." [Top 10 Leading Causes of Death]

More people die from prescription drug overdoses than from car accidents in the United States. (Image credit: WH.gov YouTube Screen Shot)

Drug overdoses now kill more Americans every year than traffic accidents do, and deaths from opioid overdoses have tripled since 2000, Obama said in the video. Opioid drugs are a top killer in the United States.

But why are these drugs so deadly? Scientists say it has to do with how the medications affect the brain.

Opioid addiction

Prescription opioids such as OxyContin and Vicodin are used in medicine to help people manage moderate to severe pain. Once taken, these medications attach to specific proteins, called opioid receptors, that are found in the brain, spinal cord, gastrointestinal tract and other organs, said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

"When these drugs attach to their receptors, they reduce the perception of pain and can produce a sense of well-being," Volkow said in a 2014 presentation to the U.S. Senate. "However, they can also produce drowsiness, mental confusion, nausea and constipation."

In particular, opioids' effects usually occur via a subset of opioid receptors, ones that are activated by the body's own opioid chemicals, such as endorphins, Volkow said. When a person takes external opioids repeatedly, the body stops making its own opioids. That means that when a person stops using these drugs, he or she can feel extreme discomfort (known as withdrawal), Volkow said.

Some people misuse prescription drugs on purpose to get a euphoric high, Volkow said. This group might crush pills and then snort or inject the powder, or combine the pills with alcohol or other drugs, she said. Other times, people mistakenly take prescription pills incorrectly, such as taking too many pills at once, or taking them more frequently than prescribed, she said. It's also possible that a small number of people become addicted to prescription opioids even after following the doctor's directions, Volkow said.

Opioid overdoses

Opioid addiction can be a lifelong struggle, and can have severe consequences, V said.

When people take opioid drugs repeatedly, they can develop tolerance over time. This means that the individuals no longer respond to the drugs as strongly as they used to, and so they often take a higher dose to achieve the desired effect, Volkow said. [The Drug Talk: 7 New Tips for Today's Parents]

"This tolerance contributes to the high risk of overdose during a relapse," she said. People who stop using the drugs for a time may lose some of their tolerance for the drugs, but may not realize it. If they take a high dosage during this time, they can easily overdose, Volow said.

Every day, 44 people in the United States die after overdosing on prescription drugs, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported. The majority of these deaths are due to opioids, the department said.

"I didn't just know someone  I lost someone," Macklemore said. "My friend Kevin overdosed on painkillers when he was just 21 years old."

Both Macklemore and Obama said they hope to raise awareness about opioid addiction so that people who need help will seek and get it. To find local treatment, call 1-800-662-HELP, Macklemore said.

Macklemore, who is 32, has talked about his prescription-drug and alcohol addictions before, The Seattle Times reported. The artist, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, was arrested at age 15 and wound up in juvenile drug court, The Seattle Times said, adding that the musician entered rehab in 2008 and is now sober.

More footage of Macklemore and Obama's discussion about opioid addiction will air on MTV this summer, the White House reported.

Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
Editor's note: As of August 3, 2022, Utah has begun to enforce its 18 week ban on abortion and attempted to enforce its trigger ban to prohibit abortion entirely. This is following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, thus eliminating the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S. The following article was published on May 17, 2016, and therefore the legal information is no longer accurate.

Utah recently passed a law that requires doctors to give anesthesia to a fetus prior to performing an abortion that occurs at 20 weeks of gestation or later.

The law assumes that a fetus may be able to feel pain at that stage in development; however, doctors groups and other critics of the law argue that a fetus cannot feel pain at 20 weeks gestational age.

Indeed, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said it considers the case to be closed as to whether a fetus can feel pain at that stage in development. [6 Myths About Miscarriage]

"The science shows that based on gestational age, the fetus is not capable of feeling pain until the third trimester," said Kate Connors, a spokesperson for ACOG. The third trimester begins at about 27 weeks of pregnancy.

To find out more, Live Science dug into the research and spoke with a leading expert on fetal pain. Here's a look at what we found.

The problem with pain

One reason the question of fetal pain is so controversial is because pain is always a subjective experience, said Dr. Anne Davis, an OB/GYN and the consulting medical director for Physicians for Reproductive Health. Davis is an abortion provider.

ABORTION GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT Abortion laws by state: https://reproductiverights.org/maps/abortion-laws-by-state/ For questions about legal rights and self-managed abortion: www.reprolegalhelpline.org To find an abortion clinic in the US: www.ineedanA.com Miscarriage & Abortion Hotline operated by doctors who can offer expert medical advice: Available online or at 833-246-2632 To find practical support accessing abortion: www.apiarycollective.org

Unlike with blood pressure or body temperature, for example, there's no definitive way to measure pain, Davis said. People do have ways of communicating how much pain they're feeling; for example, doctors often ask people to rate their pain on a scale of 1 to 10. But the experience of pain is fundamentally subjective, Davis said. In other words, what might be very painful to one person may cause very little pain to someone else.

Still, even though doctors can't objectively measure pain, research has revealed much about how pain is experienced in the body and, more importantly, in the brain.

"Pain occurs in [the] brain," Davis said. When a person is injured  say, you stub your toe, for example  a signal travels from the foot up through the nerves in the leg to the spinal cord, and then from spinal cord up to the brain, Davis said. Once that signal gets into the brain, the information is transmitted through a complex web of neurons to an area of the brain called the cortex, she said.

It's in this sophisticated part of the brain that a person actually perceives the feeling of pain, Davis said.

"We know that there are a lot of steps in between the thing that could cause pain and the actual experience of pain," Davis said. For the system to work  whether in an adult or a fetus  all of the pathways of the nerves need to be connected and functioning, she said.

Fetal development

"What we can say about the fetal nervous system is that based on the best science we have" on the neurons that carry pain signals is that the "system isn't developed until the third trimester of pregnancy," Davis told Live Science.

Scientists' knowledge of the fetal nervous system was summed up in a 2005 review in the journal JAMA. The authors of that review outlined in detail the evidence on how this system develops, based on a number of previous studies on the anatomy of the fetus at various stages of development.

Davis, who was not involved with that review, noted that though it was published in 2005, the research is still valid, because the scientific community's understanding of fetal development is "pretty much stable." Indeed, since the publication of the review, "no research has contradicted its findings," said a recent statement from ACOG.

In the review, the researchers highlighted several key points in fetal development that are required in order for a fetus to perceive pain. One is that the receptors in the skin that sense an injury must be developed. Research has shown that this happens between 7.5 and 15 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the location of the receptors on the body, according to the review. For example, receptors in the skin around the mouth develop at around 7.5 weeks, whereas receptors in the skin on the abdomen develop at around 15 weeks, according to the review.

Second, the neurons in the spinal cord that transmit that signal up to the brain must be developed. Researchers who looked at fetal tissues reported that this happens at around 19 weeks, the review said.

Third, the neurons that extend from the spinal cord into the brain need to reach all the way to the area of the brain where pain is perceived. This does not occur until between 23 and 24 weeks, according to the review.

Moreover, the nerves' existence isn't enough to produce the experience of pain, the authors wrote in their review. Rather, "These anatomical structures must also be functional," the authors wrote. It's not until around 30 weeks that there is evidence of brain activity that suggests the fetus is "awake."

Davis noted that while these time frames aren't exact  some fetuses may develop a little earlier, and some fetuses may develop a little later  "there isn't any science to suggest that those pathways [for pain] are complete around the 20th week" of pregnancy.

"It's a complicated development process, and it goes in stages," Davis said.

According to a statement from ACOG, a fetus's brain and nervous system "do not have the capacity to process, recognize or feel pain during the second trimester."

Indeed, it's important to remember that early on in pregnancy, the fetus isn't just a very small version of what it looks like later in pregnancy, Davis said. Rather, things are changing and organs are forming, she said. There are number of fetal conditions that can't be diagnosed until later in pregnancy, because the development simply hasn't happened yet, she said.

Reflexes and stress responses

One argument that is sometimes used to suggest a fetus can experience pain before the third trimester is that a fetus can have a withdrawal reflex, or the ability to move away from something when touched.

But performing a reflex action and perceiving pain are two different things, Davis said. Consider, for example, when a doctor tests your reflexes by hitting your knee with a rubber hammer. Your foot will kick out, regardless of whether you experience pain or not.

"Many reflexes occur at the level of the spinal cord," and don't involve the brain at all, Davis said. But the brain is essential for perceiving pain, she said. [5 Painful Facts you Need to Know]

Another argument is that a fetus in the second trimester can display certain stress responses, such as increased levels of stress hormones, including cortisol and endorphins. However, the authors of the JAMA review noted that these hormones aren't specific to pain (for example, other stressful conditions may affect their levels). In addition, the hormones are not regulated by the part of the brain associated with consciousness, the authors wrote.

Doctors react

Utah's law requiring anesthetizing a fetus prior to an abortion also brings up important technical questions: How should doctors perform such a procedure? Is there an added risk to the woman? For example, although it's been shown that painkilling drugs cross the placenta and reach the fetal bloodstream, doctors don't know how much of the drug they would have to give the woman in order to achieve the desired level in the fetus, and if this amount is safe for the woman, the JAMA authors wrote.

There's no protocol for how to do this, Davis said, and experts in the field of maternal medicine aren't sure how to follow this law. Doctors are able to immobilize a fetus to perform certain in-utero surgeries, but this is different than blocking pain in the fetus, according to the JAMA review.

Dr. Leah Torres, an OB/GYN in Salt Lake City, also said that it's not medically possible for doctors to follow this law.

"There is no medical practice that involves administering [pain relief] to a fetus," she told The Salt Lake City Tribune earlier this month.

Yet another issue is that pain is a part of many medical procedures. And so, fundamentally, the law begs another important question: Why does the potential existence of pain mean that a procedure should be avoided? Davis said.

Follow Sara G. Miller on Twitter @saragmiller. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science.

This article was updated on August 3, 2022 by Live Science contributor Alice Ball following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. This decision eliminated the constitutional right to abortion that was established by the 1973 court case and later affirmed by a 1992 case called Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey.
Nature & Weather, Local News, Home & Garden, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events

By Long Island News & PR Published: May 17 2016

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today proclaimed the week of May 15-21 as Hurricane Preparedness Week in New York State.

Albany, NY - May 16, 2016 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today proclaimed the week of May 15-21 as Hurricane Preparedness Week in New York State. The annual campaign brings together the resources of New York State agencies and the National Weather Service, as well as local government agencies, and volunteer and private sector organizations to teach residents how to protect themselves and their families from coastal storms and hurricanes.



"Climate change has made extreme weather the new reality and it is essential New Yorkers understand the dangers and how to properly prepare for what Mother Nature throws our way," Governor Cuomo said. "New York State is not only committed to preparing our citizens for the next big storm, but we continue to improve our forecasting and the coordination of our responses to be as prepared as possible when the next storm hits."



Preparedness for any type of weather begins at home, and New York State continues to offer Citizen Preparedness Corps training courses for residents to have the tools and resources to prepare for any type of disaster, respond accordingly and recover as quickly as possible to pre-disaster conditions. To date, more than 100,000 New Yorkers have been trained through the program.



Trainings are led by the New York National Guard, working with experts from the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Office of Emergency Management and Office of Fire Prevention and Control. Participants are advised on how to properly prepare for any disaster, including developing a family emergency plan and stocking up on emergency supplies. For more information on the Citizen Preparedness Corps and learn how to sign up for a training, either in person or online, visit here.



There are four basic steps to preparedness:



1. Make a Plan: Develop a plan for you and your family at home, school, work and outdoors. Identify a safe place to take shelter and know what actions to take when a warning is issued.



2. Prepare a Kit: Emergency supplies should last 7-10 days and at least include flashlights, a weather radio, and extra batteries. A weather radio is one of the best ways to be aware of dangerous weather  it will receive broadcasts directly from the National Weather Service. Make sure you have a kit for your home and your car. Plan for any medical needs (e.g., medicine) that your family may have, and make sure you keep and maintain emergency supplies for any family pets.



3. Be Informed: Stay tuned to TV and radio stations that broadcast Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages, and follow local emergency orders when issued. You can also receive emergency information via your computer or cell phone by subscribing to NY Alert, a free service that provides you with critical emergency information when you need it most.



4. Get Involved: Consider a visit to your local emergency management office to learn more about how to protect you and your family. Consider volunteering with organizations such as the American Red Cross, New York Cares, or the Salvation Army. To learn about disaster preparedness volunteer opportunities, visit the Citizen Corps website.



New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner John P. Melville said, "DHSES is proud to partner with other State, local and federal agencies to participate in this important educational effort. Coastal storms and hurricanes have the potential to cause widespread flooding and power outages, disrupting thousands of lives and causing costly property damage. You can prepare now for the 2016 hurricane season by reviewing your familys emergency plan and check on emergency supplies in your home, in your car, and at work.



Governors Office of Storm Recovery Executive Director Lisa Bova-Hiatt said, "Every day, through the collaborative efforts of numerous local, State and federal agencies, we work to make New York stronger and more resilient than before. Hurricane Preparedness Week serves as a tremendous reminder that readiness begins at home. With Sandy, Irene and Lee still fresh in our minds, we cannot emphasize enough the profound importance of New Yorkers being prepared and having a plan, should another storm occur."



Adjutant General of New York Major General Anthony German said, "The men and women of the New York National Guard are proud to be part of Governor Cuomo's Citizen Preparedness Corps training program designed to train New Yorkers on the basics of personal and family preparedness. Helping our fellow Citizens prepare for hurricanes, other weather related disasters, or any other emergencies is the goal of the Governor's program. Our Citizen Soldiers and Airmen know the importance of planning and preparation to make emergencies less threatening and recovery quicker."



Following devastating storms like Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and Superstorm Sandy, Governor Cuomo launched a wide array of efforts statewide to strengthen storm response and mitigation efforts. Through coordinated efforts among state agencies, including the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Service, Governor's Office of Storm Recovery, Division of Military and Naval Affairs, Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Public Service, Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transit Authority and Port Authority of NY/NJ, among others, the state has initiated many innovative projects that strengthen its preparedness for and response to extreme weather.



Last year, Governor Cuomo announced the creation and roll out of NY Responds, a universal emergency management software which was made available to all counties at no cost, and to connect county emergency management personnel with the New York State Emergency Operations Center in Albany to improve coordination and cooperation during disasters or emergencies. With the completion of Phase One, both county governments and state agencies can submit and share vital disaster-related information ranging from incident reporting and resource requests to real-time tracking of assets and weather conditions.



During Phase Two, counties will be trained to utilize Mutualink, a new technology solution that integrates telephone, radio, video and file sharing into one, interoperable application into the NY Responds common operating picture. This new approach to emergency management, is crucial to preparedness, response and recovery form any severe weather incident.



In addition to NY Responds, New York State continues to build out the NYS Mesonet system which will provide real-time weather information through NY Responds to better understand and prepare for the impacts of severe weather. For more information about NYS Mesonet, visit here.



For more information on personal preparedness in advance of potentially severe weather, visit here.

Click here to view Governor Cuomo's Proclamation
Family & Parenting, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: May 17 2016

This evening, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo was presented with the Champion for Working Families & Children award by the Paid Family Leave Insurance Campaign of New York State.

New York, NY - May 12, 2016 - This evening, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo was presented with the Champion for Working Families & Children award by the Paid Family Leave Insurance Campaign of New York State. The Governor received the award at a victory celebration in Manhattan attended by a diverse coalition of advocates, business leaders and policy makers.

Photo: Governor Andrew Cuomo, via Flickr.

In April, the Governor marked a major milestone in the fight for social and economic justice by signing the nations strongest paid family leave into law.





Under New Yorks paid family leave plan, employees  both men and women  will be eligible for 12 weeks of leave when caring for an infant, a family member with a serious health condition or to relieve family pressures when someone is called to active military service. This program will be funded entirely through a nominal payroll deduction on employees, costing businesses  both big and small  nothing.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events

By Long Island News & PR Published: May 17 2016

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano, Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves and County Legislator Dennis Dunne, in partnership with the East Meadow Fire Department, will host a free overdose prevention workshop.

East Meadow, NY - May 16, 2016 - Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano, Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves and County Legislator Dennis Dunne, in partnership with the East Meadow Fire Department, will host a free overdose prevention workshop  on Thursday, May 19th from 7pm - 9pm at the East Meadow Firehouse, located at 147 East Meadow Avenue.

Attendees age 18 and older will learn how and when to administer Naloxone - the lifesaving antidote that can reverse the fatal effects of an Opiate overdose - and learn the warning signs of drug addiction, treatment options, personal stories of recovery and much more.

This free Overdose Prevention Seminar will help save lives and keep families whole, said County Executive Mangano. Together with the Heroin Prevention Task Force, we are combatting the heroin and pain pill epidemic through education, awareness, enforcement, and treatment initiatives.

Dr. Russell Surasky of Great Neck, board certified in addiction medicine, will speak about Nassaus newest, and effective, medication-supported treatment program to prevent relapse in opiate-addicted people.

The program combines counseling, with a once a month extended-release injection of a long-used medication  Naltrexone. Dr. Surasky will also speak about a unique, non-opiate protocol he developed to detox opiate-dependent people so they can begin vivitrol treatment. For more information, visit here.

At least one Long Islander dies, every day, from an Opiate overdose. Naloxone has been used by paramedics and emergency room doctors for decades, to save lives. A 2006 State law allows citizens to administer Naloxone in an attempt to save a life, without fear of liability.

Nassau County has provided overdose prevention training for nearly 6,500 people since 2012 and at least 32 trainees have used that knowledge - and the Naloxone they were provided - to revive someone overdosing on heroin or painkillers. Naloxone is administered through a nasal spray, and provided at no charge to trainees over 18.

Free Continuing Education Units for Certified Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor attendees will be offered for the two hour workshop, provided by the Nassau County Department of Human Services. And, Nassau OHS, along with the Mental Health Association of Nassau County, are an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers, recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work.

Seating is limited. To attend, residents MUST pre-register by email. For more information, please visit here.
Local News, Business & Finance, Health & Wellness, Press Releases

By Allison Gayne Published: May 17 2016

New Memory Fitness Center launched by Long Island Alzheimer's Foundation addressing increasing demand for Alzheimers programs for individuals & caregivers opens in Westbury.

Pictured is one of the staff members at Long Island Alzheimer's Foundation's new Memory Fitness Center, located at Amber Court in Westbury, providing one of the Centers programs to program participants.

Westbury, NY - May 16, 2016 - The Long Island Alzheimers Foundation, headquartered in Port Washington for more than 25 years, announced that it has launched its first Memory Fitness Center program at Amber Court, a leading Assisted living community at 3400 Brush Hollow Road, in Westbury, New York.

The Long Island Alzheimers Foundation (LIAF) offers critically needed social adult day programs for individuals facing Alzheimers disease and related dementias and their caregivers.

Statistics show that every 66 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimers disease. On Long Island the percentage of individuals over 60 is rising. It is estimated that by 2024 one third of Nassau Countys residents will be over 60 and the number will be slightly lower (26 percent) in Suffolk County. This population change will result in a significant increase in the number of individuals and families facing Alzheimers and related dementias on Long Island.

To address the growing need for programs, The Memory Fitness Center is now collaborating with Amber Court to bring much needed respite services to central Nassau County.

Memory Fitness Center sessions are attended by adults with memory impairment on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m at Amber Courts state-of-the-art Memory Care environment  The Alcove. The program will include more days of the week as attendance increases in the weeks and months to come.

Weekly sessions are planned and supervised by professionally trained LIAF staff and social workers. Programs include age-related mind stimulating activities, such as word games, art and music quizzes and fitness exercises. Door-to-Door transportation on LIAFs specialty buses are available as well as a light lunch and refreshments.

Another unique aspect of the program at Amber Court Assisted Living is the inclusion of LIAFs Forget You Not program. Forget You Nots mission is to build connections between young adults and individuals living with Alzheimer's. The program bridges the generational gap and creates new memories to ensure that this population is not forgotten. This program was founded by 12 teens from Schreiber's High School in Port Washington, NY.

The owners and managers of Amber Court recognize that these programs are critically important for individuals as well as their family members. We are dedicated to making the most of each person each day. At Amber Court our philosophy is focused on people and care. Including LIAFs respite program in our community is ideal for all involved, said Amber Court LI Regional Director Robin Marks.

Our goal in opening The Memory Fitness Center at Amber Court is to give more people access to all our programs in order to help maintain and enhance their cognitive abilities. Caregivers are given a much needed respite while their loved ones are attending the program, said Tori Cohen, Executive Director of the Long Island Alzheimers Foundation.

The Long Island Alzheimers Foundation services include support groups for caregivers, in-home respite and a social adult day program that runs five days a week for early, moderate and late stages of Alzheimers or related dementias.

This Memory Fitness Program at Amber Court Assisted Living represents the first of a series of satellite locations that the Foundation will be opening in coming months. For information call (516) 767-6856 or visit www.liaf.org.
Old Westbury, NY - May 16, 2016 - Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano proudly announces that the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have designated New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) through academic year 2021. NYIT is the first university on Long Island to receive this designation, and one of only eight in New York State.

The designation of NYIT as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education is an important step forward in its plans to establish a Cyber Defense Research Facility in Bethpage, said Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano. Cybersecurity is a national concern, and this designation will allow NYIT students and faculty to work on government-sanctioned projects to protect our national security. Nassau County residents put a man on the moon, built our national defense assets, and this rich history will live on through NYIT's cyber defense education and future research facility."

DHS and NSA jointly sponsor the National Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) program. Schools are designated based on their robust degree programs and close alignment to specific cybersecurity-related knowledge units, validated by subject matter experts in the field. CAE graduates help protect national security information systems, commercial networks, and critical information infrastructure in the private and public sectors.

Universities play a vital role in the campaign to stop cybercrime by educating the next wave of professionals through the development of cutting-edge curricula, creating knowledge, framing debates, and contributing to solutions about pressing issues facing our world, said NYIT President Edward Guiliano, Ph.D.

Your ability to meet the increasing demands of the program criteria will serve the nation well in contributing to the protection of the National Information Infrastructure, noted Karen Leuschner, National CAE Program Manager, NSA, in a letter to NYIT about the designation. The Presidents National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace addresses the critical shortage of professionals with these skills and highlights the importance of higher education as a solution to defending Americas cyberspace, she added.

NYIT has been advancing the field of cybersecurity for the past 10 years with undergraduate and graduate cybersecurity-focused degree offerings and its established record of fostering technological innovation and promoting partnerships among industry leaders, academia, and government.

This prestigious designation is further evidence of our focus on and leadership in cybersecurity. It will help NYIT faculty vie for an even greater number of research grants and help NYIT students to secure government and private sector scholarships and careers in cyber defense, said Nada Marie Anid, Ph.D., dean, NYIT School of Engineering and Computing Sciences.
Local News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: May 17 2016

Coast Guard Station Jones Beach crewmembers assisted in medically evacuating a mariner from a fishing vessel near Jones Inlet, today.

Long Island, NY - May 17, 2016 - Coast Guard Station Jones Beach crewmembers assisted in medically evacuating a mariner from a fishing vessel near Jones Inlet, today.



At approximately 11 a.m., Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound command center watchstanders were contacted by the fishing vessel Enterprise on Channel 16 VHF with an injured crewmember aboard requesting to be evacuated from vessel.



The 75-foot clam dredge, homeported in Cape May, New Jersey, reported a 22-year-old man injured after falling off deck gear and sustaining lacerations to the face with possible head trauma.



The vessel was approximately seven miles south of Fire Island inlet making its way toward Jones Inlet.



Sector Long Island Sound launched Coast Guard Station Jones Beach crewmembers aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat, with an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) aboard to help assess the situation.



The Town of Oyster Bay marine constables responded to the VHF communications and also had an EMT aboard their vessel.



Subject was evaluated by EMTs and deemed fit to effectively be transferred from the fishing vessel to the Coast Guard small boat.



Coast Guard transported subject to Station Jones Beach, where an Emergency Medical Service was standing by. Subject was then transported by Nassau helicopter to Nassau Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.
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Columnists Press Releases
Three fighters from the Caucasus Emirate in Syria shown in the video

The Caucasus Emirate in Syria, the official Syrian branch of the al Qaeda-linked Caucasus Emirate, has released a new short video through its Akhbar Sham propaganda wing showing its fighters taking part in recent battles within Aleppo.

The video, which is dated May 3, details heavy fighting between the North Caucasian militants and regime troops within Syrias largest city. The jihadists are shown using heavy and light machine guns, as well as snipers. A commercial drone was also used to document the battles, similar to what other jihadist groups are using in northern Syria. Three Caucasus Emirate fighters, including two wearing Imarat Kavkaz (Caucasus Emirate in Chechen) t-shirts, also make a short speech to the camera.

This is not the first time the Caucasus Emirate in Syria has documented its role in the Aleppo fighting. In March, it released a video showing a nighttime operation against Kurdish forces in the Aleppo neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsud. A second video was recorded shortly before the battles at Al Eis in the southern Aleppo countryside. A fighter in the group, presumably a native Syrian, gives a short Arabic-language address in which he states that the Caucasus Emirate in Syria and two other al Qaeda groups, Jund al Aqsa, and the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaedas official branch, will fight together to liberate the Aleppo countryside from Assad, Iran, and Satans dogs [referring to Iranian-backed Iraqi militias]. (See Threat Matrix report, Caucasus Emirate in Syria highlights role in Aleppo fighting.)

The Caucasus Emirate in Syria was formed when the former emir of Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar (Army of Emigrants and Helpers), Salahuddin Shishani, was removed from his post along with his deputy, Abdul Karim Krymsky, last summer. A small group of Chechen and other North Caucasian fighters followed suit and left with Shishani. The group then released a video announcing its formation and its bayah (allegiance) to the Caucasus Emirate and its emir at the time, Abu Usman Gimrinsky . However, From Chechnya to Syria has reported that Shishani was also deposed of his leadership position of the Caucasus Emirate in Syria, and now leads another small Chechen-led group.

Screenshots from the video:

Caleb Weiss is a research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, where he focuses on the spread of the Islamic State in Central Africa.

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The 15th issue of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsulas (AQAP) Inspire magazine, which was released online on May 14, features two pieces on Ibrahim al Qosis life with Osama bin Laden.

Qosi worked for bin Laden in a variety of roles from the early 1990s until Dec. 2001, when he fled the Battle of Tora Bora and was captured by Pakistani forces. He was then held at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from 2002 until July 2012, when he was transferred to his home country of Sudan. Just over two years later, in Dec. 2014, AQAP reintroduced Qosi as a senior al Qaeda figure. [See LWJ report, Ex-Guantanamo detainee now an al Qaeda leader in Yemen.]

Qosi recounts his time with bin Laden in a lengthy interview with Inspires editors. The interview appears to be comprised partly of a transcript of Qosis answers to some questions one of his comrades posed and written text. For instance, the interview contains lengthy block quotes from books such as President Obamas The Audacity of Hope. In addition to the interview, Qosi penned an article titled, A Moment in the Life of Sheikh Usama, which describes the financial difficulties al Qaeda faced around the time of the 1998 US Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.

As someone who worked closely with bin Laden, Qosis testimony provides another window into al Qaeda during its formative years, well before the 9/11 attacks changed the course of history.

The biographical details Qosi provides are consistent with those laid out in declassified and leaked files prepared by Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO). [For more on Qosis background, see LWJ reports: Al Qaeda bodyguard and accountant pleads guilty before military commission and Bin Laden loyalist transferred from Guantanamo to Sudan.]

In his interview, Qosi explains that he sought to join the jihad against the Soviets in 1988, but he met two brothers from al Qaeda, who came to Sudan from Afghanistan. The pair of al Qaeda operatives assignedsome commercial, administration [sic] and other activities to Qosi in the Sudan. Only in August 1990 did he finally travel to Afghanistan. He was then blessed to accompany and serve Sheikh Osama from the beginning of 1992 until our withdrawal from Tora Bora and Qosis subsequent capture in Dec. 2001.

Al Qaeda in Chechnya

During that timeframe, Qosi was apart from bin Laden only from Aug. 1995 until July 1996, when he fought in Chechnya. Qosi says he fought first in the ranks of the Islamic Group (Gamaat Islamiyya), under the command of a jihadist known as Sheikh Fathi Abu Sayyaaf. After four months with the Islamic Group, which was closely allied with al Qaeda, he spent seven months with Khattab.

Ibn Khattab was the leader of the al Qaeda-backed Islamic International Brigade (IIB) in Chechnya before he was killed in 2002. Some have tried to distance the 1990s jihad in Chechnya from al Qaedas operations, but Qosis story is yet another indication of just how closely linked the two were. Qosi seamlessly transitioned from being at bin Ladens side in Afghanistan to fighting as part of Khattabs forces against the Russians in Chechnya and Dagestan. Indeed, the UNs designation notice for the IIB documents the [n]umerous ties between al Qaeda and the jihad in Chechnya.

Al Qaeda in Somalia

Qosi also discusses al Qaedas early efforts in Somalia, saying the groups very first operations to hit America occurred during the fierce confrontation that took place between the Mujahideen and the Americans in 1993. Qosi is referring to the infamous Black Hawk Down episode and the events surrounding it.

It is worth mentioning that the brothers had thought of having a presence in Somalia since early 1992, before the arrival of the UN troops, Qosi says. This was because of its strategic location and many other reasons, on top of them was fighting the invaders.

He continues: So some brothers were sent to evaluate the situation and [enter into a] general relationship with the Islamic unity movement [al-Itihaad al-Islamiya], which had a strong foothold and presence on the ground.

Al Qaeda was prepared for the UN troops who entered the East African country. Before the deployment of the UN troops, al Qaeda had already mobilized all its military experts to train the Mujahideen in Somalia and the youth of the Islamic union movement, Qosi says. They taught them how to handle weapons, how to fight in the cities and how to use remote controlled IEDs [improvised explosive devices].

According to Qosi, the Mujahideen in Somalia and their brothers from al Qaedajoined forces to battle the Americans. Bin Ladens former lieutenant explains that the biggest blow for Americaoccurred at the port, where eighteen American soldiers were killed and there was the dragging of the American officer after targeting his Black Hawk helicopter by RPG [rocket propelled grenade]. He says the American withdrawal from Somalia was a defeat at the hands of the jihadists.

A defector who became a gem that fell from the skies for the Americans

Qosi also confirms just how damaging one of al Qaedas earliest defectors was to the jihadists cause. In the mid-1990s, an al Qaeda operative named Jamal al Fadl embezzled funds that were intended to serve bin Ladens cause. After being found out, Qosi says, Fadl fled and sought refuge in the American embassy in Eritrea, telling them that he was a member of Al Qaeda and he was close to Sheikh Osama.

Fadl informed the Americans that he had valuable information on the activities of al Qaeda against the interests of America in East Africa, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and elsewhere, Qosi recalls. Fadl was a gem that fell from the skies in the hands of the Americans. In fact, Fadl became one of the US governments star witnesses during the 2001 trial of some of the terrorists responsible for the 1998 US Embassy bombings.

Qosi says that Fadls defection was the first time the Americans got ahold of inside information on the economic and military activities of al Qaeda in the area, leading to the capture of our brothers. Among those detained was al Qaeda leader known as Abu Hajir al Iraqi, who is still imprisoned inside the US.

Qosi also blames Fadl for bin Ladens expulsion from Sudan in 1996. With this information in hand, the American government pressured the Sudanese government to surrender Sheikh Osama or expel him out of Sudan, Qosi says. Sudan refused to surrender him [bin Laden] and opted to expel him. The Sudanese planned in secrecy without bin Ladens knowledge to send him to Afghanistan after contacting some of the jihadi leaders in Jalalabad who welcomed the idea and waited to receive him.

One night, Qosi explains, the vice president of Sudan at the time, Omar Bashir, knocked on the Sheikhs [bin Ladens] door. Bashir explained to bin Laden that there had been immense pressure on them to expel him from Sudan and that the Sudanese government had arranged and planned for him [bin Laden] to travel to Afghanistan and be a guest among the leaders of jihad in Jalalabad. One of the jihadi leaders willing to receive bin Laden was Sheikh Yunus Khalis, a veteran of the 1980s war in Afghanistan who died in 2006. Qosi praises Khalis, Taliban founder Mullah Omar, and another jihadist commander, Mullah Dadullah, for their steadfast support for bin Laden in Afghanistan.

Sudan was an ideal staging ground for jihad until Fadls betrayal, according to Qosi. Bin Ladens man claims Fadl gave American authorities false information about Sheikh Osamas role in bombings that were carried out in the mid-1990s, including in Riyadh and at the Khobar Towers. (The latter attack, which left 19 US servicemen dead in 1996, is a known Iranian and Hezbollah operation. But it has long been suspected that al Qaeda played a role as well.) Still, Fadl gave the US loads of information regarding every mujahid he ever knew.

Striking America and building an Islamic state

Qosi also discusses why bin Laden and al Qaeda came to view America as their primary target in the years leading up to 9/11. Attacking the US was viewed as a necessary step toward their real goal of building an Islamic state. Qosi says that bin Laden believed it would be pointless to have the jihadists separated with different tasks by fighting of their respective apostate governments throughout the Muslim majority world.

The al Qaeda master believed that the jihadists could not establish an Islamic state until America experienced a total meltdown, Qosi says. Only if America falls, then the regimes it backs would fall too. America alters and shifts any government that tries to implement the Islamic law, Qosi complains, because it seeks to impose the values of democracy and secularism through regimes and governments working as agents and allies. In addition, the US aids the Jews militarily and economically, as well as providing them with security and spiritual support. For all of these reasons, Qosi says, bin Laden believed that America should be in the jihadists crosshairs first.

Qosis remarks focus on bin Ladens thinking before the 9/11 attacks. Al Qaedas strategic calculus has changed throughout the years, especially after the Arab uprisings in 2011, when several dictators felt their grip on power slip. Al Qaeda has made the local insurgencies in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere a priority, as the group now believes that there is a greater potential for raising Islamic emirates in these locales.

Qosi offers some words in remembrance of the 9/11 hijackers, including the leader of the suicide squadron, Muhammad Atta. Atta was always at the service of his brothers, helping in the kitchen, Qosi reminisces. Atta was always among the first in prayers.

As one of bin Ladens most trusted subordinates during the 1990s, Qosis testimony is being used to connect a new generation of jihadists with al Qaedas past. He has played an increasingly significant role in AQAPs propaganda since late last year and he will undoubtedly continue to do so, as long as he survives the drones buzzing overhead.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

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Muqtada al Sadr, the radical Shia cleric who battled US forces during the Iraqi occupation, is preparing his militia to participate in an offensive to retake the northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State. The US military is preparing to aid the Iraqi government in liberating Mosul, but has insisted that the operation will not include the Shia militias.

Two recent statements on the website of Saraya al Salam, or the Peace Brigades, Sadrs official militia, said that preparations are underway to participate in the fight to wrest Mosul from the grip of the Islamic State. Mosul, the Islamic States de facto capital in Iraq, fell to the jihadist organization along with much of northern, central, and western Iraq after the Iraqi military was routed in June 2014.

In one statement, Haj Abu al-Issawi, an aide to jihadist leader Mr. Muqtada al Sadr, said that the militia has been told to get ready for the battle of Mosul, and that preparations are underway, according to a translation by The Long War Journal. The leadership of Saraya al Salam is reviewing and evaluating the militias intervention, engineering, and support forces that would take part in an operation to liberate Mosul.

In a second statement, Saraya al Salam said that its Third Division held a parade in Najaf and is ready to participate in the liberation of Mosul. The division commander and a number of leaders and Associate Director of the Martyr al-Sadrs office were in attendance.

A number of photos from the parade in Najaf were displayed in both statements. Saraya al Salams banner is prominent in many of the photographs, which include snipers and fighters mounted on trucks.

The participation of the Shia militias in Iraqi military operations feeds the Islamic States propaganda and aids its recruiting. The Islamic State tells Sunnis that the Iraqi government is a pawn of the Iranians. The presence of organized Iranian-backed Shia militias in military operations in Sunni areas supports the Islamic States narrative.

Saraya al Salam reports to the Popular Mobilization Force (PMF, also known as the Popular Mobilization Unit or Committee), which was created in June 2014 after the Islamic State overran large areas of Iraq. The unit was established with the approval of the Iraqi government, and is comprised of various militias. The paramilitary organization is dominated by Iranian-backed Shiite militias such as Hezbollah Brigades, Asaib al Haq (League of the Righteous), Harakat Nujaba (Movement of the Noble), Saraya Khorasani (Khorasan Brigades), the Imam Ali Brigades, and the Badr Organization.

All of these groups remain hostile towards the US. Many of these groups are led by men who are listed by the US as global terrorists, and one, Hezbollah Brigades, is a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Two of the groups, Harakat Nujaba and Saraya al Salam, have threatened to attack US interests within the past year. One of the militia leaders even said he would overthrow Iraqis government if ordered to do so by Irans supreme leader.

The deputy commander and operational leader of the PMF is Abu Mahdi al Muhandis, a former officer in the Badr Organization who was listed by the US government as a specially designated global terrorist in July 2009 and was described as an advisor to Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani. Qods Force is Irans external special operations branch that is, among other things, responsible for establishing, training, funding, advising, and at times, commanding Shiite militias in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.

The PMF has been instrumental in liberating the Iraqi cities of Tikrit and Baiji as well as other towns from the Islamic State. Soleimani, the Qods Force commander, was directly involved in those operations and has been spotted on multiple battlefields in Iraq.

The US military has aided the Iraqi military, and by default the Iranian-backed militias, in retaking Bajii, Tikrit, and other cities and towns with airstrikes and other combat support. US military commanders have denied that extremist elements have participated in the operations, instead claiming that the PMF, which it considers to be moderate, is supported by the Iraqi government and thus a moderate force inside Iraq. But the makeup of the PMF suggests otherwise.

Images from Saraya al Salams Third Division parade in Najaf

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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Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Growing Intolerance in a Tolerant Society

by Ram Puniyani

Towards the end of 2015 many writers and eminent citizens returned their national honours protesting against the growing atmosphere of intolerance. The list was long and this acted as a process where some introspection took place in society. Still the ruling dispensation and its associates in the Hindu Right-wing politics, the RSS combine, began criticising those who returned their awards, accusing them of being politically motivated. They were also criticised for doing so to influence the forthcoming State Assembly elections in Bihar.

Most of the awardees stood their ground as the perceptions about tolerance, freedom of expression had crossed the threshold and had undergone a qualitative change. This gets confirmed in a 2015 Report by the US Commission for International Religious Freedom. This USCIRF is a bipartisan US Federal Govern-ment Commission. This is the first of its kind in the world and is aimed at defending the universal right to freedom of religion or belief all across the globe. The Report is scathing and points to the state of religious freedom in India. As per the Report, freedom in India is on a negative trajectory, religious tolerance has deteriorated and religious freedom violations have increased during 2015.

The Report points out: In 2015, religious tolerance deteriorated and religious freedom violations increased in India...minority commu-nities, especially Christians, Muslims and Sikhs, experienced numerous incidents of intimidation, harassment and violence, largely at the hands of Hindu nationalist groups. The Report outlines the violations and informs that the USCRIF will continue to monitor the situation and may have to recommend to the State Department that India should be kept under the country with particular concern. It is a significant Report which goes on to say that the US Government should keep this in mind while shaping the bilateral contacts with India and the future of strategic dialogues should be determined according to that.

The Report suggests that the Indian Govern-ment publicly rebut officials and religious leaders who make derogatory statements about religious communities. This is the crux of the matter. Those understanding Indian politics know by now more clearly than before that the leaders making derogatory comments are either directly part of the ruling party, like Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Giriraj Singh (both Ministers at the Centre), or leading Members of Parliament like Yogi Adityanath or Sakshi Maharaj. Then there are others who belong to the affiliate organisations like the VHP, Bajrang Dal, which again are part of the broader Sangh Parivar, or, more precisely, the RSS combine.

When these statements derogatory to religious minorities are made, some from the ruling party will come forward to say that this is not the official position of the party and stop at that. There is neither a reprimand neither demotion of the person concerned. Many have made these derogatory comments even before coming to power, like Giriraj Singh, but despite that they have been given the positions of power. At these times Narendra Modi, who is presented as a powerful Prime Minister, keeps silent for weeks and later comes out with some lame uncon-vincing statement, which does not take away from the impunity of those indulging in such hate speech.

As such it seems to be a coordinated game. Someone makes the provocative statement, and some others from the RSS stable come to defend/justify him/her and some others say it is not official while the PM maintains a deliberate silence. Interestingly, some statements need not sound derogatory to begin with. Hindutvas patriarch RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwats statement about shouting Bharat Mata ki Jai (Hail Mother India) is very revealing. First, he said that we should teach the younger generation to say this. Then he took a step back saying it should not be compulsory. In response to this Asaduddin Owaisi of the MIM gave an unwarranted statement that he will not say so even if a knife is put to his throat. To take the story further, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said it is a must for all those who want to stay in India. As a matter of fact this is a subtle intimidation of the religious minorities who dont worship anybody but Allah; as per Bharat Mata ki Jai, it becomes like hailing Mother Goddess, which they say is not permitted by Islam.

The RSS fellow-traveller, Yoga guru and entrepreneur Ramdev, said that had the Consti-tution not been there, by now lakhs would have been beheaded. These are comments from the top rungs of the political establishment these days. The writers of the Report in their naivety may have given this suggestion, not knowing that currently the protection for such divi-siveness is coming from the top echelons.

This is not an enviable situation for demo-cracy in India. The quality of democracy is to be judged by the degree of safety and security of the religious minorities. True, even earlier also anti-minority violence was part of the Indian political landscape, but now with the BJP Government at the Centre the intolerance and divisiveness has undergone a sea-change. What the awardees were feeling has a lot of truth; the feeling of insecurity is accompanied by the gag on freedom of expression, which is going on together with the intolerance.

The Report has come out at a time Modi is packing his bags for a major trip to the US. But at best it will probably be another document for the libraries.

The author, a retired Professor at the IIT, Bombay, is currently associated with the Centre for the Study of Secularism and Society, Mumbai.
COLUMBUS  Rain or shine, no trip to Columbus would be complete without a visit to the Andrew Jackson Higgins Memorial  especially for the American Legion national commander.

In spite of the occasional sprinkle and ominous clouds, Dale Barnett, who hails from Douglasville, Georgia, stopped by the memorial Monday before visiting American Legion Hartman Post 84.

Barnett, a former U.S. history teacher, marveled at how accessible and interactive the monument is.

One of the things I like very much about this particular monument is that the students can actually get on the Higgins boat and actually experience it, Barnett said. They can touch it, they can feel it. That is incredible, that students can hopefully relate to and understand the sacrifices of our veterans.

Barnett also met Chris Dixon, one of the organizers and fundraisers for the memorial.

Its incredible what the city has done with this memorial, with the 9/11 (commemoration) and the Higgins boat and capturing history, Barnett said.

Columbus was one of many stops the commander made on his trip to Nebraska. Before visiting Columbus, he met with the regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Lincoln, drove to South Sioux City to visit Freedom Park and the local Legion post and went to the veterans' home in Norfolk.

Nebraska is a proud, veteran-friendly state, Barnett said. Weve had a great stay.

As national commander, Barnett said one of his priorities is fighting for the best health care possible for our veterans.

We can never forget those veterans that served, he said. Its up to organizations like the American Legion to continue to fight for those veterans that, maybe because of age, cannot fight for themselves. We have to stand up and fight for our veterans because we can never forget their sacrifice to our nation.

One issue local veterans organizations have raised is the lack of younger veterans in their organizations, but Barnett said this has been the case throughout the American Legions history.

Right now those younger veterans, theyre focused on raising their family, he said. When they age a little bit, then they will want to start serving their community. And the American Legion provides such an opportunity to serve.
Also on the blog this week:

Highlights from the May 2016 issue

Guest post: Five common mistakes of early-stage tech companies

And in our news and analysis:

Latest people moves in Asia

Medtronics David Ruschke appointed PTAB chief judge

PTAB has granted six of 118 reviewed motions to amend  study

Data: PTAB filing up in April, led by HP

Adidas and Under Armour settle

Under Armour, its subsidiary MapMyFitness and Adidas have settled patent litigation, with Adidas dismissing all claims and granting a licence, reports the Baltimore Sun.

Adidas sued the companies in the District of Delaware in February 2014 alleging infringement of patents related to fitness devices. Adidas also claimed that Under Armours director of innovation and research was formerly at Adidas with direct knowledge of the patent portfolio.

In other footwear company news, The Fashion Law blog ran a piece highlighting Nikes large patent portfolio. Nikes CEO Mark Parker has said that the companys number of patents has nearly doubled since 2009, and that as of last year it has the third-largest US portfolio of design patents.

Nike has buried rivals Adidas and Under Armour in patents, as it looks to maintain its dominance with an avalanche of innovations in manufacturing and design while potentially toying with wearable devices, said The Fashion Law.

The blog claimed that Adidas US patent portfolio is about a ninth the size of Nikes more than 4,200 active patents. Globally, Nike has about 19,500 patents and patent applications while Adidas has roughly 2,400. Under Armour has just over 100 US patents, almost two-thirds of which are design patents.

What we can certainly tell from Nikes patent portfolio is that the company is seriously toying with the idea of a wearable device (to rival Apple's not so earth shattering watch, perhaps?) and banking quiet heavily on 3D printing, The fashion Law concluded.

Taking the PTAB to task over amendments

Gene Quinn on the IPWatchdog blog posted strong criticism of the UPTOs recent report on Patent Trial and Appeal Board amendments.

The USPTO said that the Board had only reviewed 118 motions to amend, and granted or granted-in-part six of them, or 5%.

Quinn took the Board to task for saying it has only a limited amount of time for each case when 80% of the motions to amend are being denied for substantive reasons of specific grounds of patentability. Acting PTAB Chief Judge Nathan Kelley said in a blog post that: Unlike in the examination context, the PTAB proceedings must be completed within a year, and there is no time for back-and-forth between the applicant and the USPTO that happens during prosecution.

Quinn said: The position taken by Kelley here is not new. This is the position taken by the Patent Office since the beginning. Essentially, the PTAB is telling the patent owner  sorry, we just dont have the time it takes to allow you to amend so we wont. A terrible reason to refuse a patent owner the ability to amend, but this has consistently been the justification provided by the Office.

Quinn said the USPTO uses the one-year timeframe as an excuse. He pointed out that proceedings can be extended for six months for good cause.

Kelley also said that the PTAB is on course to receive 50 motions to amend this year, about the same as in the first year of proceedings.

Quinn responded: If Kelley is right and there are never going to be many motions to amend filed it is utterly unbelievable that the Patent Office would cling to the nonsensical argument that they cant possibly provide those 50 patent owners a year with an honest, full and fair examination of amended claims. For crying out loud, the Patent Office is in the business of patent examination and we are taking about 50 amendments a year that they say they cant handle with special dispatch? That is pathetic.

A case for Facebook to like

Facebook has won a trademark ruling in China, reports The Wall Street Journal. In a verdict delivered last month the Beijing Higher Peoples Court ruled in favour of the social media company against a Chinese drinks maker that owned the trademark face book.

Zhujiang Beverage registered the mark and its Chinese equivalent in 2011, despite objections from Facebook. The company sells products including milk-flavoured drinks and porridge. It argued that, although Facebook is well known, it has been blocked in China since 2009.

According to the BBC, the Beijing court said Zhujian had violated moral principles with obvious intention to duplicate and copy from another high-profile trademark.

Facebooks victory is in contrast to Apple, which recently lost a case involving IPHONE for a Chinese handbag maker.

Patent troll takes its toll

The use of the term patent troll in newspapers magazines and online publications provides a prejudicial impression of patent licensing that unfairly influences attitudes towards disputes, according to a research conducted by Illinois Institute of Technology  Chicago-Kent College of Law professor Edward Lee.

Lee noted that: [S]ome courts have even barred the use of the term [patent troll] altogether during patent trials on the ground that the term is unfairly prejudicial. But, among the mainstream media, the term is pervasive.

He added the findings of his study suggest that the term may operate as a moral panic in a way that is detrimental to reasoned analysis and consideration of the root problems related to the issue of abusive patent litigation tactics.

The research says that use of the term patent troll picked up in 2006 around the time of the Blackberry and eBay patent cases.

Bruce Berman on the IP CloseUp blog noted: Since then, the media more often portrayed such patent entities in a one-sided, negative light with very little analysis or factual support.

He continued: Until now, few works have provided statistics or discussion of any studies to support their negative portrayal. Practically no articles mentioned the lack of a working requirement in US patent law, which permits all patentees not to practice their inventions, should they so choose. Lees findings provide support for the recent judicial decisions that have barred, at trial, the use of the term patent troll.

Berman said a useful next step would be to drill down into the figures to assess which reporters at which types of publications have used the term. Berman said this sort of analysis will be conducted by the Center for Intellectual Property Understanding, a non-profit education organization that he recently established with several thought-leaders.

.blog goes for $19m

Automattic, the parent company of blog hosting site WordPress, has revealed it beat out Google and others to buy the gTLD .blog last year. Reports suggest it paid $19 million.

Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg said in a blog post: Its now public that Automattic is the company behind Knock Knock Whois There LLC, the registry for the new .blog TLD. (And a great pun.) We wanted to stay stealth while in the bidding process and afterward in order not to draw too much attention, but nonetheless the cost of the .blog auction got up there (people are estimating around $20M). Im excited we won and think that it will be both an amazing business going forward and give lots of folks an opportunity to have a fantastic domain name in a new namespace and with an easy-to-say TLD.

Trademark owners can buy .blog domains in the sunrise period starting in August, with the land rush starting in October.

And finally

Managing IP and others got into creative mode in the past week to mark National Limerick day 2016. You can view a Storify post collecting all of the efforts here.
Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has been awarded the contract to heighten three ZPMC ship-to-shore (STS) cranes operated by DP World Antwerp Gateway NV. The order was booked in Cargotec's 2016 first quarter order intake, and the project is scheduled for completion during the second quarter of 2017.

The order continues Kalmar's long-standing relationship with DP World, a leading global operator of marine and inland terminals. The Antwerp Gateway terminal is continuing its expansion in anticipation of significant growth in container movements and in response to the ever-increasing size of vessels. Kalmar will be responsible for the planning, engineering and execution of the heightening as well as commissioning of the project. The three cranes, operational since 2006, will be heightened by seven meters.



Jef Lambregts, Technical Manager at DP World Antwerp Gateway: "Kalmar's technical and project management expertise in this kind of highly specialised project is second to none. We were extremely happy with the results of the previous crane-heightening project that we concluded with Kalmar in 2016 and are confident that this next phase will also be completed smoothly and on schedule. Upgrading our STS cranes in this way is vital to ensure we remain competitive and can continue to meet the demands of our shipping line customers."



Erik Kocken, Manager, Crane Upgrades Projects at Kalmar: "The professional planning and execution we provide in this kind of heightening project keeps disruption to the terminal's operational efficiency to a minimum. Our relationship with DP World is a long and fruitful one, and I'm extremely pleased that they have once again chosen Kalmar to support them in their continued drive to improve the efficiency of their container-handling operations."



The cranes will be heightened by inserting leg extensions underneath the portal beams and installing bolted flange junctions in the existing welded crane leg construction. During the operation the cranes are jacked up using specialised jacking towers and hydraulic jacks. The project will also involve structural reinforcements in crane travel and trolley travel direction.
Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc., an independently-owned oceangoing petroleum barge company, has introduced a new corporate logo and announced plans to launch an updated website before the end of the year.



Both the new logo and updated website, www.bouchardtransport.com, are designed by WEBDESIGN of New York, a creative agency with an emphasis on web design and technology solutions, based in New York, N.Y.
Bourbons plan to diversify into the gas carrier market has run into financial obstacles. The company said in a statement that its board of directors acknowledged that the financing required for the acquisition of Jaccar Holdings gas activities would not be obtained within the originally stated timeframe.



Consequently, the board has removed the resolution from the agenda of the annual shareholders meeting scheduled for May 26.



The diversification of Bourbon in this new activity remains a strategic objective for the company, it said in a statement. The company said it is now reinforcing its position in its main market and will be the first to take advantage of the recovery of activity when it will happen. It will then be able to ensure a new step in its development.
Wallems Agency team in Japan recently welcomed the MSC Lirica on her maiden voyage. The cruise ship recently arrived in Fukuoka (Hakata) with 1,764 passengers and 743 crew onboard before heading back to Shanghai.

This call marks both the first Japanese port for the ship in its inaugural season in Asia and the first cruise call for Wallems agency team in Japan.

Thanks to Wallems experience in the cruise business, particularly in Asia (handling more than 450 calls across Asia this cruise season), the team made sure that every eventuality was prepared and planned for so that this inaugural call went off without a hitch.

Wallem has been providing port agency services for MSC ships calling at Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand since 2015. With this new business, the company will now look after MSC calls throughout the region, which means also in Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan.

Following its maiden call, the MSC Lirica will call at other Japanese ports (Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Beppu, Kobe and Yokohama) in the future and Wallem Japan will proudly handle these regular weekly calls across Japan.
India and the U.S. held the first round of discussions under the recently-constituted maritime security dialogue between officials of Defence and External Affairs ministries and their U.S. counterparts.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs David Shear, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Manpreet Anand and Vice Admiral Aucoin, Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet, met with their Indian counterparts from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defense to discuss strategic maritime security issues.

Among the issues discussed were Asia-Pacific maritime challenges, naval cooperation, and multilateral engagement, the U.S. Embassy said.

U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma, who also participated in the meeting, asserted on the going relations between both nations.

"The creation of this dialogue was agreed to during Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter's recent visit to India and is a further sign of the growing relations between our two countries," he said.

Senior Indian and US officials exchanged views on security of the global waterways and ways to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two navies.

There is heightened tension between the US and China over the latters claims to disputed islands in the region and Beijings consolidation of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, through a massive land reclamation effort.
Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Nguyen Quoc Khanh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), signed today in Moscow a number of documents to strengthen cooperation between the companies.



The signing ceremony was attended by Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, and Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV).



The following documents were signed:



the Memorandum of Understanding on the development of new oil and gas projects;

the Memorandum of Understanding on power generation; and

the Addendum to extend the Cooperation Agreement on personnel training.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding on the development of new oil and gas projects, the parties plan to examine further opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of hydrocarbon prospecting, exploration and development. Among the opportunities being considered are joint activities within new projects at licensed blocks on the shelf of Vietnam and in third countries.



The Memorandum of Understanding on power generation reflects the intention of the signatories to explore the possibilities of joint projects for gas-based power generation within Vietnam. To achieve that goal, the parties plan to use gas from their joint projects offshore Vietnam and LNG from Gazprom Group's portfolio.



The Cooperation Agreement on personnel training was extended for five years under the Addendum.



Together with PetroVietnam we successfully conduct hydrocarbon exploration and production, work on NGV projects, and implement staff training programs.



The documents signed today expand the scope of our collaboration. We plan to jointly deliver new oil and gas projects and cooperate in the power sector, thereby gradually enhancing our partnership, said Alexey Miller.




Philippine fishing authorities said on Tuesday they had detained 25 Chinese crew of two seized fishing boats on suspicion of poaching, a move that could further strain ties between two countries at odds over maritime sovereignty.



A joint team from the Philippine coastguard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) captured the Chinese vessels on Monday sailing without permits between waters off Babuyan Island and Batanes province in the northern Philippines.



The Chinese vessels were in waters that are not part of the disputed South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also have conflicting claims.



Tension between the Philippines and China has risen as an international tribunal in the Hague prepares to deliver a ruling in the next few months in a case lodged by Manila in 2013.



The Philippines is seeking a clarification of United Nations maritime laws that could undermine China's claims to 90 percent of the South China Sea. China has rejected the court's authority.



The fishing boats were flying an inverted Philippine flag when apprehended on Monday, BFAR said in a statement.



Speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said he had no information and needed to further understand the situation.



Documents seized by Philippine authorities showed the vessels were Chinese registered. The fishermen failed to show permits required to enter Philippine waters, BFAR said.



"Based on existing rules, the fact that both foreign fishing vessels were flying a Philippine flag gave rise to the presumption that they are engaged in poaching," said BFAR director, Asis Perez.



A Philippine court fined nine Chinese fishermen $102,000 each in late 2014 after they were caught with hundreds of sea turtles in the disputed Half Moon Shoal in the Spratly islands of the South China Sea.



At the time, China protested against the arrests and refused to recognise their trial.





Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz
A new wave of investments in Papua New Guineas energy sector could see some $19 billion of projects launched in the coming years, boosting the countrys liquefied natural gas (LNG) output and providing employment to thousands.

France's Total S.A. is progressing work on the Papua LNG Project in Petroleum Retention License (PRL) 15, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and construction of the development is expected to commence in 2018, creating employment for up to 10,000 persons, the firm said Friday when announcing financial results for the first quarter of 2016 (1Q 2016) ending March 31.

The petroleum retention license (PRL) 15 joint venture, which is developing the Elk-Antelope gas discovery as the Papua LNG project, is nearing the final stages of the Elk Antelope appraisal program.

We continue to make significant progress executing our strategy and advancing the development of the Elk-Antelope fields," InterOil Chief Executive Dr Michael Hession said.

In addition to Totals investment in LNG, ExxonMobil is considering expanding output and export capacity at its PNG LNG joint venture, which currently produces about 8m tonnes per year.

In a bid to increase processing capacity, PNG LNGs partners are considering adding a third train to its plant, located north-west of the capital, though a final decision has yet to be made. Global financial services firm UBS predicts that the expansion project could cost up to $9bn.

The commitment to the development of Papua LNG will be welcomed by the government, which is contending with a cooling economy and lower energy revenues.
Tulsa primed to expand shipping capacity as Panama Canal nears completion

After more than two years of phased construction, officials at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa formally dedicated their nearly $12 million dock renovation project Tuesday.

Featured speakers for the dedication ceremony were Chip Jaenichen, Administrator for United States Maritime Administration; Gary Ridley, Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation; Michael Patterson, Executive Director for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation; and Bob Portiss, Port Director of the City of Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority, who joined an estimated 800 national, regional and city officials, industry leaders, employees and their family members in attendance at the event.

This investment in our waterway gives us the ability to move massive amounts of cargo across various modes of transportation unlike weve ever done before. There is no other dock of its kind along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation Channel, Portiss said. The old dock served us well for 45 years, but this dock will take Oklahomas seacoast into the future of shipping for the next 45 years.

The newly reconstructed 720-foot dock boasts a 200-ton bridge crane and over 6,000 track feet of new rail. Shippers are now able to load barges directly onto rail or truck, or efficiently transload between truck and rail, creating a seamless and cost-effective logistics operation for companies ranging from break bulk to manufactured project cargo.

Expansion of the Panama Canal is expected to complete this year, which industry officials say will provide new opportunities for container cargo to be diverted to the Port of New Orleans and into the country's interior via the inland waterway system. As a centrally located multimodal shipping complex, the Tulsa Port of Catoosas dock renovation solidifies its position as a cost-effective destination and launching point for various cargo, including agriculture, steel and manufactured consumer goods.

Truly, the Tulsa Port of Catoosa is a model for the maritime industry, as our nation anticipates and prepares for an explosion in landside freight transport, Jaenichen said. It encourages us as we begin to look in earnest at the urgent need to return to our maritime roots.

The project was partially funded through a grant from the U.S Department of Transportation's TIGER grant program, which has been used to fund improvements to rail, waterways and critical road projects across the nation.
The United States eased some sanctions on Myanmar on Tuesday to support political reforms and economic growth in the country, the Treasury Department said.

The moves include easing restrictions on the country's financial institutions, removing seven state-owned companies from the U.S. blacklist and extending a measure allowing shipments to go through ports and airports, Treasury said in a statement.

The announcement came before a visit to the Southeast Asian nation by Secretary of State John Kerry on May 22.



(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Joel Schectman)
Tuco Marine Group of Denmark informs it has inked a new order for its 11-meter wind farm service boat from the ProZero series of fast rescue boats, daughter crafts and workboats.

Tuco said the new order is from a major, but for now undisclosed, company in the European offshore market, and marks the third sale in a row of the groups 11-meter wind farm service boat, a vessel designed specifically to the far offshore wind farm market as a daughter craft to the SOVs that are to enter this market during the coming seasons.

The ProZero 11-meter wind farm service boat is a dedicated service boat and crew transfer vessel for offshore wind farms. The boat has been developed in close collaboration with experts in wind farm services and the main market charterers, who have been deeply involved in the developments to meet the latest requirements of the park operators.

The vessel is constructed to be lifted on and off larger mother vessels using a single point davit system and can be outfitted with hook systems of the owners choice.

Tuco said passenger transportation and safe cargo handling has been a high priority in designing the vessel to meet the requirements of the far offshore farms on deep waters. These farms are situated so far offshore that daily travel to and off shore is not possible and technicians are therefore accommodated on larger mother vessels (SOVs) or on accommodation platforms. This requires stabile daughter crafts that are capable of transporting personal and cargo, from the accommodation units to and of the turbines and all these detailed scopes and requirements have carefully been investigated by Tuco Marine and several industry partners and build in to an operational circle tool of the daughter crafts, and these tools are offered to Tucos wind farm daughter craft clients.

The vessel is constructed from carbon fiber composites due to the industrys focus on weight and fuel efficiency obtained by less operational power needed. Further the low weight achieved by this construction also makes it possible to fit the fairly large daughter craft to vessels not capable of handling heavier daughter crafts.

The ProZero 11-meter wind farm service boat offers a spacious foredeck and a purpose-built docking and fender system for easy access to the offshore windmills.

The vessels features twin waterjet installation fitted to inboard diesel engines, and operates at a service speed above 22 knots, transporting eight passengers and 500 kilos of cargo on the foredeck.
Algerias state-run oil company Sonatrach has awarded two Chinese firms a $40 million deal to deliver a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier and an option to provide a second vessel, according to a Sonatrach document seen by Reuters.

Sonatrach's Hyproc Shipping Company chose Chinese consortium Jiangnan Shipyard and China Shipbuilding Trading Company Ltd for the provision of a carrier with a capacity of between 11,000 and 13,000 m3, the document said.

It said an offer from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, a South Korean consortium, had been rejected. Algeria is boosting its transport capacity to meet growing European Union gas demand.

Sonatrach currently owns a fleet of ten LPG carriers through its subsidiaries Hyproc Shiping and Sonatrach Petroleum Corporation.

Sonatrach also issued tenders to buy 85,000 tonnes of gasoline and 150,000 tonnes of gasoil in June. One tender calls for the delivery of a 25,000 tonne cargo of premium unleaded gasoline into the port of Algiers during June 13-15 and two additional cargoes of 30,000 tonnes into the port of Arzew in the first and last week of the month.
Inland Marine Service, Inc. (IMS) has partnered with Shawn Hantz of Third Coast Tankering, LLC to launch a new tankering and plant service division called Inland Marine Tankering, LLC (IMT), announced IMS president, Dave Hammond.

IMS is a marine management company employing more than 700 professional mariners annually. The company is based in Hebron, Ky., with operations in Paducah, Ky.; St. Louis; New Orleans and Houston.

Two years ago, IMS began diversifying into other marine related business segments. In addition to vessel management, planned maintenance, compliance management, harbor services and liquid operations, we now have tankering services to offer our current and future customers, Hammond said.

IMT services include loading/unloading liquid tank barges and in-plant services for refineries and third party facilities as well as offering customized training programs to meet the specific needs of each customer.
Designed to combat below-the-surface terrorism, Sea Wasp is the latest generation remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from defense and security company Saab.

Presented at the Navy Leagues Sea-Air-Space Exposition in National Harbor, Md., Sea Wasp has been engineered to relocate, identify and neutralize underwater improvised explosive devices (IEDs). While most underwater IED threats are disposed of manually by trained explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) divers, Sea Wasp is operated remotely by two-person teams from the surface, allowing operators to keep a safe distance from the explosives.

To produce Sea Wasp, Saab leveraged technology from its Saab Seaeye line of commercial ROVs, added capabilities previously developed for its military systems portfolio and worked with the U.S. Underwater Hazardous Device Response Community to adopt the ROV for EOD purposes and procedures.

Sea Wasp is a hybrid of preexisting Saab technologies that can now be applied to an urgent worldwide need, explained Bert Johansson, Sales Director Underwater Systems within Saab business area Dynamics. Underwater EOD is a rapidly growing niche around the world, and Sea Wasps capabilities correspond to that niche.

The U.S. unmanned underwater vehicle market is very important for Saab, said Jon Kaufmann, Vice President of Naval Programs with Saab North America. Our goal with Sea Wasp is to meet U.S. national security needs with an underwater, anti-IED device that keeps EOD teams safe.

Designed with mobility in mind, the Sea Wasp is a portable system that includes a vehicle, generator, pilot station, hand winch and power supply unit.

The modular system carries a sensor suite including wideband sonar, LED lights and video cameras for operation and identification capabilities in areas with limited visibility; however additional sensors can be fitted. Sea Wasps basic configuration can be altered during the mission planning stage to suit each specific mission with the integration of relevant payloads to create a tailored system. This interchange of parts ensures easy configuration upgrades. Modularity is at the very heart of the Sea Wasp concept, and Saab is working with its partners to build additional capabilities into the system as the underwater terrorist threat evolves.

Sea Wasps onboard Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) and Internal Measurement Unit (IMU) deliver navigational capability, allowing it to maneuver between specific waypoints. The vehicle incorporates Saab Seaeyes iCON intelligent control system, and is modeled on Saabs Double Eagle family of MCM vehicles, to give six degrees of freedom for ultimate maneuverability. Its six thrusters deliver enough power to be effective in up to 2.5 knots of current, allowing the Sea Wasp to hover when processing a target or to secure itself to structures such as a ships hull or harbor walls.

Although designed to operate in the difficult shallow conditions and tidal currents of harbors, the ROV has a maximum operating depth of 60 meters, as IEDs vary significantly in form and design, and consequently, tools to counter the threat need to be diverse.

Sea Wasp is fitted with an electrical five-function manipulator arm, giving the operator the flexibility to deploy a range of tools and techniques for Improvised Explosive Device Disposal (IEDD) and EOD, depending on the scenario.

The ROV is used to locate targets, identify the nature of the threat and determine the best method for disposal. When the vehicle is ready, the operator uses Sea Wasps thrusters to lock into position on a ships hull or harbor wall. With the aid of the five-function manipulator arm, a disruptor can be positioned beside the target, ready for detonation. The Sea Wasp is then piloted back to the surface for recovery, after which the disruptor is fired from the surface and the target neutralized.

Sea Wasp testing and evaluation is now being carried out over the next 10 to 12 months, for which Saab has partnered with the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO) in to provide prototypes to three EOD agencies: the U.S. Navy EOD Group 2, the FBI Counter-IED Unit, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Divisions Counter-Terrorist Operations Maritime Response Unit, all three of which have received Sea Wasp training.

System Specifications

Length: 1.7 m

Width: 0.5 m

Height: 0.4 m

Weight in air: <90 kg

Weight in water: Slightly buoyant, adjustable

Operational depth: 60 m

Operational current: 2.5 knots

Vehicle control: 6 degrees of freedom, Saab iCON 2, auto depth, altitude, station keeping, obstacle avoidance, way point navigation

Navigation sensors: IMU, DVL with integrated compass

Sonar: Multibeam forward looking sonar, other types of sonar available on request

Cameras: 1 x color pan tilt on ROV with 2 x optical zoom, 1 x color on manipulator arm

Tether: 160 m power and fibre optic

Power supply: 180260 VAC Single phase 4763 Hz, primary power demands max 32 A, auxiliary power demands max 16 A

Manipulator arm: ECA electrical five-function manipulator arm
Terminal operators at Broward County's Port Everglades say they are already equipped to help shippers handle the new international container weight verification requirements that go into effect on July 1, 2016.

Certified scales are available at several locations throughout Port Everglades to use to weigh export containers. Ocean shippers are encouraged to confirm availability and fees with their contracted marine terminal operators for compliance with the new verified gross mass (VGM) requirements.

"On-port scales, which have already been certified by the state, should help shippers meet the new requirements without services delays," said Port Everglades Chief Executive & Port Director Steve Cernak. "There are still concerns about the new requirements, but the availability of scales at Port Everglades should not be one of them."

The International Maritime Organization approved new container weight verification rules to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) that go into effect on July 1, 2016. The new rules require the shipper of a packed container, regardless of who packed the container, to verify and provide the container's gross verified weight to the ocean carrier and port terminal representative prior to it being loaded onto a ship. A verified container weight is a condition for loading a packed container aboard a vessel for export. The vessel operator and the terminal operator are required to use verified container weights in vessel stowage plans and are prohibited from loading a packed container aboard a vessel for export if the container does not have a verified container weight.

At the crossroads of north-south and east-west trade, Broward County's Port Everglades is Florida's leading container port, handling more than one million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units, the industry standard measurement for container volumes) and serving as a gateway to Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Located within the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Dania Beach, Florida, Port Everglades is in the heart of one of the world's largest consumer regions, including a constant flow of 110 million visitors statewide and 6.7 million residents within an 80-mile radius. Port Everglades has direct access to the interstate highway system and the Florida East Coast Railway's 43-acre intermodal container transfer facility, and is closer to the Atlantic Shipping Lanes than any other Southeastern U.S. port. Ongoing capital improvements and expansion ensure that Port Everglades continues to handle future growth in container traffic.
The Clearview Early Childhood Center in Martinsville recently held a Student Showcase of Learning for pupils to show parents and the public what they have learned in recent months.

Teachers Amy Clemons, Emily Harrell, Vickey Dean, Donna LaPrad and Kim Norris displayed many of the projects that their students in Clearviews program for 4-year-olds have been working on during the semester, helping parents to learn more about STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) classroom activities.

The students and their families listened to the reading of the book Alberts Alphabet, which describes how the title character uses various materials to build letters.

Students, with help from their parents, then made the first letter of their names using materials such as paper, cardboard, pipe cleaners, pieces of wood, string and aluminum foil. Students then described how they made their letters to those attending the showcase, according to Sarah Byrd, the Martinsville City Public Schools director of communications and community outreach.

Materials were bought through a grant from the school systems endowment fund that was awarded to the preschool teachers earlier in the school year, Byrd said. The fund helps teachers pay for innovative learning activities which cannot be covered by other funding sources.

Students in the program for 3-year-olds and special education classes showcased their studies of life cycles.

Those in Laura Judkins, Alex Mills and Amanda Turis classes discussed their efforts to incubate chicks. They showed the chicks that hatched a little more than two weeks ago.

Beverly Keatons students showed off their green thumbs by planting and growing green beans, sunflowers and herbs. Ronnell Penns students have been observing caterpillars, and they anxiously awaited the transformation of the tiny creatures into butterflies, Byrd said.

Parents wrapped their kids in toilet paper, symbolizing a cocoon.

"Then one, two, three, they (the students) broke out" of their cocoons just like butterflies, Byrd said.

Teachers then presented slide shows of events and activities that their classes took part in throughout the year. Byrd said it was an emotional experience.

"There was not a dry eye in the house," she said.

Other activities and attractions at the showcase included a student art gallery, music and movement, alphabet bingo and a hot dog dinner.

Each school in Martinsville holds such an event each fall and spring to showcase what their students have learned. The public is invited to the events, Byrd said.

"Exhibitions of Learning" are planned at the other four schools next Tuesday. Albert Harris and Patrick Henry elementary schools will have theirs from 5:30-7:30 p.m., while Martinsville Middle and Martinsville High schools will have theirs from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
At a mass rally in Soweto on April 30th the Economic Freedom Fighters launched their manifesto for the August 3rd local government elections. This was a big event with a sea of red filling Orlando Stadium. For the working class people, the students and the poor who were in attendance, it was an opportunity to listen to Malemas speech, in which he made the manifesto public.

The crisis of governance manifests itself more graphically at local level than anywhere else. It is the weakest sphere of government. It is so weak that in some places it is actually tottering on the brink of collapse.

The vast majority of community protests which have engulfed the country over the last decade are located here. Disgruntled communities are taking to the streets on a weekly basis to protest their dissatisfaction with the lack of delivery of basic municipal services such as running water, adequate housing, electricity and sanitation. It is also at local government level where the cancer of rampant corruption has its deepest roots.

The state (Reformism) and Revolution

As we explained previously, the EFF is a radical leftwing party with its roots in the fracturing of the ANC. It is a manifestation of the fierce battles and the upshot of the class struggle of the last period. It is a continuation of the process which started in the ANC Youth League before it was disbanded in 2012.

In the month leading up to the rally, the party held more than 200 consultative meetings in which the opinions and views of poor communities were sought. The effect of this could be seen by the reaction of the crowd at the stadium which felt that some of their demands were echoed in a speech given by party leader, Julius Malema. Malema has the ability to formulate these demands of the masses in language which they can relate to. This explains the largely positive reaction his speech received, both at the stadium and by those who watched it on television. However, it is not enough to assess the manifesto purely on the way it is perceived. In order to understand it better, it necessary to look at the manifesto more closely.

In his speech, Malema spelled out the social composition of these poor communities. He said they are mostly domestic workers, security guards, petrol attendants, mineworkers, receivers of government grants, unemployed graduates, etc.. In their class composition, these are the natural allies of the big industrial working class which is represented by organisations such as NUMSA, the big metalworkers union.

Although the EFFs Peoples Manifesto is written with the heavy use of revolutionary rhetoric, it does not conceal the fact that it still operates within the current economic and political framework. The EFF seeks to address the crisis by capturing the state and transforming the economy to benefit the poor. The whole thrust of the EFF manifesto is a commitment to govern better with popular community participation. However, this is only a more forceful expression of the ANC governments Batho Pele (People First) policy which stands for the better delivery of services to the people.

It formulates the creation of what it calls the Peoples Municipality in the following way:

The essence of the EFF commitments is that everything the EFF Municipality does should be people centred and should be directed towards CREATION OF JOBS AND PROVISION OF QUALITY SERVICES TO ALL. In this regard the EFF seek to create PEOPLES MUNICIPALITIES, whose primary inspiration and focus is the PEOPLE.

This people-centred theme is running throughout the manifesto. In the Opening Remarks the manifesto says: The EFFs revolutionary programme will always be rooted in mass organisation and activism, superior logic and taking the people along. This is, of course, the EFFs greatest strength. This orientation towards mass struggle and the fact that the EFF is not afraid to mobilise the masses are the main reasons for the hostility on the part of the ruling class towards the EFF. The ruling class fears that the masses will not stop half way, but will rather go beyond the limits of the system.

But it is clear that the manifesto of the EFF is a programme of progressive reforms without transcending the capitalist system. This flows from the approach of the manifesto in the Opening Remarks, where it says: The Economic Freedom Fighters is a revolutionary political movement which seeks to replace the current government with a progressive one, more democratic, responsive, accountable and, corruption-free government. To achieve this, the EFF contests political power through elections within the difficult confines of electoral rules and systems that favour the existing political parties.

The manifesto correctly states that the party is not constrained by the participation in elections: The EFFs contestation of political power through elections should, however, not be mistaken with our revolutionary determination to remove the current government by any other revolutionary means.

But although this is a very radical position, it is limited to removing the (current) government through whatever necessary means. At present the means is through elections and through the existing capitalist state.

This is confirmed when the manifesto quotes its founding document: Economic Freedom Fighters will contest political power, because we are guided by the firm belief that we need political power in order to capture the state and then transform the economy for the emancipation of black South Africans, especially Africans. The forms in which the EFF contests political power will, from time to time, be reviewed in the light of prevailing circumstances, but the primary role of mass organisation and activism, as a means to raise the political consciousness of the people, will remain the bedrock of political practice.

Here the capitalist state is merely presented as an arena for contestation. It talks about capturing the state to use it to transform the economy. The EFFs entire perspective for the South African revolution flows from this. In the final analysis, this is was exactly the position that the ANC had had when it first came into government two decades ago. It also tried to transform the economy through various means including the Reconstruction and Development Programme. But because it operated within the limits of capitalism, the system could not even afford these relatively mild measures. In the end, the laws of capitalism dictated that the government turn to more open attacks on the working class by adopting openly capitalist policies such as the Black Economic Empowerment, GEAR, ASGISA and the National Development Plan.

The reason for this failure by the ANC was that it is impossible to transform the capitalist state for such means. It is of course possible to have progressive reforms even within the limits of capitalism. However these reforms do not fall from the sky and are only a temporary feature under capitalism. Such reforms are a product of the class struggle and will be taken away the moment the system can no longer afford them. But the important point is that the state cannot be transformed into a socialist state under capitalism merely by laying hold of it. This is such an important point that Marx and Engels included it in the preface to the 1872 German edition to the Communist Manifesto on the experience of the Paris Commune. Lenin explained this in The State and Revolution:

The only correction Marx thought it necessary to make to the Communist Manifesto he made on the basis of the revolutionary experience of the Paris Commune One thing especially was proved by the Commune, viz., that 'the working class cannot simply lay hold of the ready-made state machinery and wield it for its own purposes'

Most characteristically, it is this important correction that has been distorted by the opportunists, and its meaning probably is not known to nine-tenths, if not ninety-nine-hundredths, of the readers of the Communist Manifesto. We shall deal with this distortion more fully further on, in a chapter devoted specially to distortions. Here it will be sufficient to note that the current, vulgar interpretation of Marx's famous statement just quoted is that Marx here allegedly emphasizes the idea of slow development in contradistinction to the seizure of power, and so on.

As a matter of fact, the exact opposite is the case. Marx's idea is that the working class must break up, smash the "ready-made state machinery", and not confine itself merely to laying hold of it.

When the ANC came into government, it too had the goals of running a responsive, accountable and corruption-free government. It did so by deploying its cadres in all levels of government on the basis their strong developmental state concept. But this did not change the underlying class relations. Because they were still operating within the confines of the system, the bourgeoisie managed to systematically corrupt a whole layer of them over time and captured a large section of the ANC leading members, absorbed them into the system and chained them to Capitalism.

The real nature of the state can be seen in the manner in which it violently acts to suppress community protests. This is the function of the bourgeois state. It is a monstrous, undemocratic machine run by thousands of unelected functionaries, municipal officials, bureaucrats, heads of civil service, police chiefs, army generals and judges whose duty it is to preserve the the rule of law and the current state of affairs which chains millions of people to drudgery, misery and wage-slavery. It is an instrument to preserve the capitalist system. It is not possible to capture the capitalist state and use it to serve the interests of the poor. As Marx and Lenin say, it must be smashed, dismantled, overthrown and replaced by a workers state on workers power and workers democracy.

It is of course correct that the EFF contests the upcoming elections within the difficult confines of the system. Marxists understand that, as a general rule, it is necessary to take advantage of all opportunities in bourgeois society to gain the ear of the masses. This includes participating in bourgeois elections. But for Marxists, elections and positions only serve the purpose of exposing these institutions and helping the working class reach the realisation that they must be disposed of and replaced by institutions of the class itself. Spreading the idea that these bodies can be reformed is counter-productive in this respect. The aim is to reveal the real enemy as being not the political parties but the capitalist system itself.

Land reform and allocation

The EFF manifesto sets out commitments to allocate land to poor people for residential, recreational, sporting purposes, etc. It commits to allocate stands to people for residential purposes for free. To ensure that an EFF municipality can optimally provide these services, the manifesto commits to a process of land expropriation. Here it puts position in the following way:

The EFF Peoples Municipality will pass by-laws which will expropriate and allocate land equitably to all residents of the Municipality for residential, recreational, industrial, religious, and agricultural purposes and activities with the principle of use it or lose it.

The land question is certainly of vital importance to people both in rural and urban areas. It is striking to see with the naked eye the massive tracts of land which are in private hands while people are struggling to get a piece of land even for residential purposes. So the commitment of the EFF manifesto to land expropriation is correct. However, there is a glaring omission in the EFF manifesto as opposed to its earlier position. In its founding document and all its public statements the party has committed to land expropriation without compensation. This is one of the seven so-called non-negotiable pillars of its founding manifesto.

It is unclear what the reason is for this omission, but without the compensation clause in the manifesto, the matter is materially different to its founding position. Under current legislation land expropriation for public use is permissible. The government has just passed legislation in this regard. But it is a legal requirement that it has to be done with compensation. This is part of the problem on the land question because it has to go through a lengthy process which is ultimately responsible for the massive backlog in land claims. If the EFF position on land has changed and is indeed correct as it stands in its manifesto, then it simply conforms to current legislative provisions on the land question. In that case it is actually the same as that of the ANCs.

How will it be financed?

The manifesto makes many commitments to provide free basic services for the poor. It states that an EFF-run municipality would establish municipal-owned housing companies to build houses; it makes commitments about providing spacious, quality houses; it promises to provide free public Wi-Fi in taxi ranks, parks and bus terminals; to end outsourcing by absorbing outsourced workers back into the municipality; to create an early childhood development centres in every ward; to abolish the use of consultants; to keep municipalities open 6 days a week, and to provide free electricity to indigent people and free running water to the poor. These are very important steps and we fully support these points.

But section C of the manifesto, which describe hows this shall be funded, raises serious questions. It consists of three very short paragraphs. It says:

Primarily, the support for these Municipalities will be through

Efficient usage of the allocated budget, with the aim of using a minimum of 60% of the allocated budget on the delivery of services, not on intra-municipal salaries and operations; Optimal usage of Conditional Grants; Optimal collection and efficient allocation of revenue collected collected by EFF Municipality Generation of additional income through Municipality Owned entities.

But this does not give any indication of how all these commitments will be funded in ways which are different from those which are permissible under the capitalist system. It merely states the established practices in terms of the existing requirements under the laws governing municipalities like the Municipal Management Finance Act. It is simply a change of emphasis which merely promises that the party will use the system in a more optimal and efficient way.

Part of the problem in local government is that many municipalities are simply not economically viable and are completely unable to sustain themselves. Over the last two decades, the government has tried various measures to try to get out of the crisis. It has tried different approaches to municipal planning; different measures of financing and support; an increase in money transfers on an ad hoc basis from central government; increasing revenue collection and spending capacity plans and enhancing the administrative and financial capacities of municipalities. All of these attempts have failed one after the other.The majority of local governments in South Africa are completely dysfunctional and many are tottering on the brink of collapse.

Capitalist measures like the so-called conditional grants and equitable share of national revenue were consistently slashed for the last two decades to the point where local governments were forced to rely almost wholly on self-generated revenue to fund the delivery of a range of basic services. The result was that municipalities was forced to cut back on services to the poor, resulting in an explosion of protests. The crisis of local government flows from the crisis of capitalism.

The political crisis is an expression of the economic crisis which has seen funding for local government severely cut over a number of years, both at local and national level. With the South African economy slowing towards zero-percent growth and the world economy approaching a new recession, funding for government programmes, including for municipalities, will come under intense pressure. In the final analysis, this can only be overcome by expropriation of the bourgeoisie.The solution is not this or that reformist measure that needs to be adopted or merely the more optimum use of government finances, but the system itself which has proved to be completely incapable of being reformed.

How to keep the Revolutionary Councillor honest

In section B of the manifesto, the EFF sets out the duties of its councillors. Some of them include:

Establish Representative Peoples Committees which will advise the councillor about critical issues in the ward

Hold monthly community meetings

Visit schools, churches, health facilities and social organisations

Under the current system, ward committees are set up and function as advisory committees to the councillor. But the manifesto of the EFF does not say how the convening of Representative Peoples Committees are any different from setting up ward committees, which is currently the requirement.

The manifesto sets out a guide to what an EFF councillor should look like. Some of the points made in the guide include that:

A revolutionary councillor is a well-informed/knowledgeable professional in the way he/she approaches the political question of revolution.

A revolutionary councillor abolishes his/her ego and attachments to personal success; she or he is selfless.

A revolutionary councillor is never depressed, bored and sad; there is always something to do and revolutionary actions to be taken.

A revolutionary councillor does not hold grudges or complain about unnecessary matters.

A revolutionary councillor always reads and listens to people to understand the struggles and suffering of people on the ground.

A revolutionary councillor does not dwell in the conspicuous consumerist practices that seek to blindly show off privilege.

Commenting on this, the Daily Maverick calls it A radical reinvention of ANCs failed cadre deployment policy. Indeed, the ANC also proposes similar lofty ideal on its cadres. But this did not prevent the party from deteriorating along the lines which it seeks to prevent.

The EFF manifesto wants its councillors to be morally upright individuals who are dedicated to serving the interests of the community. But it does not put in adequate mechanisms to achieve this. The party wants its councillors to live in the communities where they are elected and be accessible on a 24 hour basis. But the best way to ensure this is to put in additional measures like giving the community the right to recall any councillor who fails to serve their interests. A second mechanism is to limit the wage of the councillor to that of an average municipal worker and to invest any additional money and any perks back into the community.

In South Africa, at the current time, many apeople are attracted to the prospect of a lucrative career as a politician. On the other hand, given the social conditions in many townships and rural areas, some see a career as a functionary or a counselor as a means to escape poverty. In either case, this often overrides any commitment to serve the poor. The reduction the remuneration to the level of the workers pay, together with making the position of councilor subject to recall, will cut across this. It is the best way to prevent all the careerists and job-hunters from becoming councillors. It will ensure that only those people who are truly dedicated to serve the community are eligible.

Coalitions?

Over the last few months there were numerous reports in the media about possible coalitions after the elections. The EFF has not ruled out the possibility of this. The weakened state of the ANC now make the prospect of opposition coalitions a distinct possibility. The aim of the manifesto to remove the current government, especially in some of the big metropolitan areas, could become a tempting prospect.

While the EFF is committed to remove the current  government, it should not overlook the fact that the ANCs National Development Plan is strikingly similar to economic policy documents of the Democratic Alliance, something the DA is very proud of.

The DA views the EFF as too extreme to govern. Therefore it will not enter into coalitions unless the EFF severely waters down its programme and approach. The dropping of the non-compensation clause from the manifesto will encourage the DA to push for more concessions. Any attempt to form coalitions with the bourgeois opposition makes the EFF culpable for the attacks on the living standards of the poor. In the end, it could do serious damage and will put the future existence of the party in jeopardy.

Focal point

The most important aspect of this years local government elections is that it could provide a focal point for the accumulated anger, frustrations and discontent in South African society. It is not possible to predict the precise form this could take. It could express itself in the form of an explosion of strikes and demonstrations, a mass boycott of the elections or a mass protest vote against the ANC government and a sharp swing for the Economic Freedom Fighters.

All of this flows from the conjunctural crisis which manifests itself in various explosive ways periodically. The contradictions in society are rapidly coming to the fore as graphically expressed in the current political crisis.

The crisis in the ANC represents a crisis for the ruling class as a whole. The collapse of the moral authority of the party means that the bourgeoisie is in uncharted waters. What they fear is that once the masses begin to move, the current ANC leaders would not be able to hold them back. Unable to solve the crisis and feeling the ground move beneath their feet, deep divisions have opened up in their ranks as the ruling class.

On the other hand, the student protests are an indication of the deep malaise in society and the determination of the youth to fight back. The rise of the Economic Freedom Fighters, which has its roots in the rising class struggle, is also an indicator of this process. Through their radical rhetoric they are providing an outlet for some the discontent in society, especially of the youth.

All of this could be expressed through the party in the runup to the elections and on the day of the elections itself. It could usher in a new phase of struggle after the elections in the form of a revolutionary crisis. But for the movement to be successful, it is not enough to remain within the present system which is the source of the problems. By remaining within the capitalist system, the EFF is bound to follow the laws of capitalism, which in a period of crisis means fierce attacks against the workers and the poor. The only way to fulfill the aspirations of the South African workers and poor is to break with the system and replace it with a socialist regime based on the ownership and control of the main levers of the economy by the working class.

Source: Revolution
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(U.S. Senate)Senator Jon Tester released the following statement after U.S. District Court Judge Charles Lovell struck down Montanas campaign contribution limits:

"Montana cannot return to the days of the Copper Kings where floods of money rigged elections and favored the extremely wealthy. What was true back then is still true today: unlimited money in politics is a threat to our democracy. This ruling is dangerous and out of touch with what we know to be true: elections belong to the people."
Le Board of Racing Stewards du MTC Sports and Leisure Limited, compose de S. de Chalain (Chair), J. Keevy, P. Kalleechurn et A. Rousset, a rendu public le Racing Stewards Report de la sixieme journee hippique de 2021.

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The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a consultation into whether changes should be introduced to the chilling requirements of Qurbani meat and offal supplied from slaughterhouses in England and Wales during the period of Eid al-Adha.
by Gord Hotchkiss , Featured Contributor, May 17, 2016

Humans are hunch-making machines. Were gloriously good at it. In fact, no one and nothing is better at coming up with a hunch. Its what sets us apart on our planet -- and, thus far, nothing weve invented has proven to be better suited to strike the spark of intuition.

We can seemingly draw speculative guesses out of thin air -- literally. From all the noise that surrounds us, we recognize potential patterns and infer significance. Scientists call them hypotheses. Artists call them artistic inspirations. Entrepreneurs call them innovations.

Whatever the label, were not exactly sure what happens. Mihaly Csikszentmihaly (which, in case youre wondering, is pronounced Me-high Cheek-sent-me-high) explored where these hunches come from in his fascinating book, "Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention." But despite the collective curiosity about the source of human creativity, the jury remains out. The mechanism that turns these very human gears and sparks the required connections between our synapses remains a mystery.

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Were good at making hunches. But we suck at qualifying those hunches. The reason is that we rush a hunch straight into becoming a belief. And thats where things go off the rails. A hunch is a guess about what might be true. A belief is what we deem to be true. We go straight from what is one of many possible scenarios to the only scenario we execute against. The entire scientific method was created to counteract this very human tendency, forcing rational analysis of the hunches we churn out.

Philip Tetlocks work on expertise in prediction shows how fragile this tendency to go from hunch to belief can make us. After all, a prediction is nothing more than a hunch of what might be. He referred to Isaiah Berlins 1950 essay, The Hedgehog and the Fox. In the essay, Berlin quotes the ancient Greek poet Archilochus:"A fox knows many things, but a hedgehog one important thing.

Taking some poetic license, you could said that a hedgehog is more prone to moving straight from hunch to belief, where a fox tends to evaluate her hunches against multiple sources. Tetlock found that when it came to the accuracy of predictions, it was better to be a fox than a hedgehog. In some cases, much better.

But Tetlock also found that when it comes down to crunching hunches," machines tend to beat men hands down. Its because humans have been programmed for thousands of generations to trust our hunches and no matter how much we fight it, we are born to treat our hunches as fact. Machines bear no such baggage.

This is an example of Moravecs Paradox: the things that seem simple for humans are amazingly complex for machines. And vice versa. As artificial intelligence pioneer Marvin Minsky once recognized, its the things we do unconsciously that represent the biggest challenges for artificial intelligence: In general, were least aware of what our minds do best. Machines may never be as good as humans at creating a hunch  or, at least, were certainly not there yet. But machines have already outstripped humans in the ability to empirically analyze and validate multiple options.

Fellow Online Spin columnist Kaila Colbin posited this idea in her last column, When Watson Comes for Your Job, Give it to Him. As she points out, IBMs Watson can kick any human ass when it comes to reviewing case law  or plowing through the details required for an accurate medical diagnosis  or assisting students prepare for an upcoming exam.

But Watson isnt very good at coming up with hunches. Its because hunches arent rational. Theyre inspirational. And machines arent fluent in inspiration. Not yet, anyway.

Maybe thats why, even in something as logical as chess, the current champion isnt a machine, or a human. Its a combination of both. As American economist and author (Average is Over) Tyler Cowen explained in a blog post, a striking percentage of the best or most accurate chess games of all time have been played by man-machine pairs. Cowen shows four ways a man-machine team can outperform -- and they all have to do with leveraging the respective strengths of each. Humans use intuition to create hunches, and then harness the power of the machine to analyze relevant options.

Hunches have served humans very well. They will continue to do so. The trick is to decouple those hunches from the belief-making mechanism that has historically accompanied it. Thats where we should let machines take over.
by Thom Forbes @tforbes, May 17, 2016

Bill Backer, who brought us Miller Time, Soup Is Good Food and Id Like To Teach the World To Sing, among other indelible memes from the golden age of TV advertising, died last Friday at Fauquier Hospital in Warrenton, Va. He was 89.

A Yale graduate and Navy veteran, Backer turned his facility with words and the piano keyboard into a career not only as one of advertisings leading creatives but also as an inspirational executive and assertive force to be reckoned not only in adland but also in land conservation circles.

Both an Advertising Hall of Famer (inducted in 1995) and named one of Ad Age's 100 Most Important People in Advertising in 1999, Mr. Backer made his name at McCann [Erickson], where he worked for 25 years, leaving as vice chairman and creative director before forming his own agency with Carl Spielvogel, Interpublic vice chairman, in 1979. It opened with one client and was sold within seven years to Saatchi & Saatchi after it had rocketed to nearly $500 million in billings, Judann Pollack recaps for Advertising Age.

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Bill was a unique individual. A very creative, opinionated person who did brilliant work. Coca-Cola will testify that [he did] some of the most outstanding work for them over the years, former Interpublic chairman-CEO Phil Geier tells Pollack. He always ran a tidy ship. He not only hired well, but was able to keep the good ones on board. Every so often, he would let an account guy have an opinion. He was a delight to work with and I enjoyed our years together.

Backer was hardly a one-hit wonder, writes Steve Mollman for Quartz.

He also reserved special occasions for Lowenbrau with Heres To Good Friends, Tonight Is Kind of Special, according to the citation for his Advertising Hall of Fame induction. And unable to come up with music and lyrics for a new beer, Miller Lite, he cobbled together a tough guy script to be used as a short-term introduction in a few test markets. The results were successful and as a result, the Miller Lite All Stars, with their famous argument of tastes great versus less filling became one of the longest-lived and best-liked campaigns in the history of advertising.

That would be accomplishment enough, but Backer had no illusions about what collaboration he would be remembered for, as he told the New York Times in 1993 when he was about to retire as vice chairman and worldwide creative director of Backer Spielvogel Bates after a four-decade career in advertising, Sam Roberts recounts in the NYTs obit.

Nobody out there has heard of J. Walter Thompson or Backer Spielvogel Bates, he said. Those are temporal, self-aggrandizing entities. But if you come up with whats basically a little hymn to getting the world together, its a contribution.

He spoke about his role in co-creating that spot in this 2011 video.

Backer, who was born in Manhattan on June 9, 1926, and raised in Charleston, S.C., after his father died, lived on Smitten Farm near The Plains, Va., and also had a home in Nokomis, Fla. He often commuted by train or plane from The Plains to Manhattan, according to the obituary in FauquierNow.com, which is based in nearby Warrenton.

A member of the Jockey Club, he rode with the Orange County Hunt and owned racehorses and cattle. In the 1960s, Mr. Backer joined local land conservation efforts and the Upper Fauquier Association. He helped that organization join the effort to prevent development of the North Wales estate west of Warrenton, according to the obit.

He also was active in the Piedmont Environmental Councils effort to stop Walt Disney Co. from creating an American history theme park in the region in the early 90s.

Bill was one of the most intelligent, articulate and honest people Ive worked with over the last 25 years, PEC president Chris Miller tells FauquierNow.com. He urged PEC members to attack the location of the proposed project but not the Disney brand, Miller recalls, saying, You cant be against an icon like Mickey Mouse.

Backer is survived by his wife of 30 years, Ann.
by P.J. Bednarski , Staff Writer @pjbtweet, May 17, 2016

In a week that broadcasters telling advertisers things arent as bad they might appear, a new survey from Optimal.com and Wells Fargo Securities says that for the online ad industry, things could be worse.

This new report says ad blockers will reduce online and mobile ad revenue by $12.1 billion by 2020, to about $39 billion, nearly 24% less than the $50 billion estimate offered earlier by eMarketer.

By 2020 36.6% of U.S. users will be blocking ads at least monthly, according to this gloomy estimate.

And thats the story now that ad blocking, a real ad-world bogeyman for years, is still a relatively new wrinkle to many consumers. This report says that over 45% of its survey respondents werent even aware ad blockers were an available (and often) free option.

So, a provocative point suggests, a great way to educate unaware consumers about ad blockers is for publishers to create prominent online warnings against doing it.

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"Given that ad blockers (including those of the highest quality, like uBlock Origin) are often distributed to users without charge, the increase in awareness of ad blocking will be a major adoption driver, and it is possible that publisher action to curtail content to ad blocking users might actually further increase consumer awareness of online/mobile ad blocking," a synopsis of the report states.

Optimal, headquartered in Boulder, Colo., has a dog in this race. Since December, Optimal has been pushing to allow consumers to pay a subscription fee --thats $5.99 a month. And in return, those publishers agree not to serve ads to those subscribers, and share in the proceeds from Optimal subscribers. Apparently it has not paid out any cash yet, though its Website says, We will soon have information here as to how publishers can claim their funds, but rest assured they are currently accruing for you.

For online firms it is still true most of the ad blocking is going on via desktops--not smartphones--but that could/should change with time as more people access the Internet more often via phones.

And heres some bummer news about that: The Optimal/Wells Fargo survey shows consumers hate mobile advertising even more than they loathe TV ads. Im always suspect of comparative loathing stats, but here they are: Mobile pop-up ads are considered 3.7 times more bothersome than TV ads, and mobile video ads are 2.4 times more annoying.

In fact, 21.1% of the users aged 18-29 would be likely or very likely to agree to pay up to $9.99 a month for carrier-led blocking.

Wells Fargo and Optimal surveyed 1,700 consumers in April, specifically aimed at smartphone users because mobile is where users seem headed, fast.

The report says 11.7% of all online display ad impressions were blocked in the U.S. last year. Things could be worse. That figure is 15.1% in Canada and 16% in the United Kingdom. On the European continent, ad blocking is quite the thing: in Germany, 22.8% of ads are blocked, and in Poland, 31.2% are.

More shocking to me, and possibly indicative of problems far wider than blocking, Internet-related entities trail all others when consumers are asked, Which entities would you trust to protect your personal information? Only 6.7% would choose Facebook, 11.7% choose Google, 14.9% choose their mobile carrier, and 17.1% trust their phone manufacturer.

All of those are far below federal or state governments, employers or insurers. Tops on the trust list are banks, with 43.1% believing they can keep a secret. And a significant sign of the times: 42.5% of respondents dont trust that any entity would protect personal information.

pj@mediapost.com
by Tobi Elkin @tobielkin, May 17, 2016

Panelists at the OMMA Programmatic Conference on Tuesday seemed to agree that header bidding, while complex, can be beneficial. On the panel entitled Headers Up: How Does Header Bidding Change Both Bidding And Selling? participants were generally in agreement about the fact that header bidding delivers on the promise of higher overall yield and greater leverage in the marketplace.

Header bidding enables publishers to get the highest offer for their inventory when they can see direct and third-party buyers in a single view. And it puts the auction at the beginning of the process. By the same token, buyers receive complete access to a publishers inventory and audience before a call to the ad server is made. Still, there are pitfalls: Header bidding can add latency, resulting in slower page loads, complexity and cost vis-a-vis tech integration and implementation. Plus, demand sources vary in quality and reliability.

A panel of publishers, led by Alanna Gombert, VP, technology & ad operations, Interactive Adverting Bureau (IAB) and Deputy General Manager, IAB Tech Lab, expressed their views. She asked the panel to generally define header bidding for those who dont know what it is. For the record, its a snippet of code that goes on a page and sends a bid into the ad server ahead of the auction. The ad server sees the actual dollar amounts advertisers are willing to bid.

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Header bidding is great for us because we want to create a unified marketplace so people can bid on the entire marketplace, said Jason Tollestrup, director of programmatic and business intelligence, The Washington Post.

Panelists agreed that while header bidding can be complex, the alternative is even more convoluted: When you make your inventory available to a third party on the supply side, you have to make sure what the average yield is, set pricing and priority. The waterfall is very inefficient and doesnt allow for real-time bidding, said Brian Fitzgerald, president/co-founder, Evolve Media. Header bidding is something that has become important to the ecosystem and valuable to publishers, he said.

The reason Gawker Media does header bidding, in addition to its direct sales, is because its an opportunity to have a more sophisticated offering for advertising clients. Header bidding is a response to [Google] AdXs monopolization of the inventory, said Eyal Ebel, vice president, programmatic, Gawker Media. But, its hard to implement. Its not running perfectly and its a consistent battle to optimize and tweak it, Ebel said.

Fitzgerald noted that if Google -- which recently announced that it would make exchange bidding live in fourth-quarter or first-quarter 2017 -- does so, it will be a game-changer. He said Google actually had a product two or three years ago called Live CPM, but it got shelved. The reality is, Google woke up and said What are we doing? Are we really going to allow third-party demand to compete with AdX? Are we stupid? Fitzgerald added that Googles finally realizing that its going to be in a situation where it doesnt control all the decisioning and JavaScript on the page.

If Google does actually come through with server-to-server integration through APIs, all demand pricing will come in and theres no header and no latency at all. In that scenario, everything would come straight into DFP [DoubleClick for Publishers], Fitzgerald said. Hopefully, well continue to see improvement in header bidding implementation. Weve seen a 20% to 25% increase in eCPMs (the advertising revenue generated per 1,000 impressions) from [Googles] AdX. It is creating tension within AdX, and thats good for all publishers.

Tollestrup said all supply-side platforms have to decide to integrate. Header bidding shows us what people are willing to pay for our inventory, and sometimes its higher than direct sold inventory on a rate card.

On the issue of programmatic competing with direct sales, Christtian Baesler, president, Bauer Xcel Media, said its a non-issue for his company because at the moment, in the U.S., Bauer doesnt have a direct digital sales force. The more we can move to header bidding, the better, because we see the highest CPMs by using it, he said.

We have great fill rates from direct sales, but header bidding is helping us maintain the highest CPMs, said Andrew Budkofsky, EVP, Digital Trends. At hiis company, 85% of inventory is direct sold, while 15% is programmatic. The reality for most of us, if we look at what we get through programmatic, it doesnt begin to cover the content and audience acquisition costs, so we need direct sales.

Washington Posts Tollestrup said the questions to ask are: How are your fill rates for programmatic? Are CPMs going up?

Digital Trends Budkofsky said his CPMs are high, but when clients say theyre moving to programmatic, the fill rates arent so great. They say, we want your audience, but then the fill rate is small. Then theres something wrong-- which adds to the complexity of header bidding. We use header bidding to educate agencies on where CPMs are, he added.

Gawker started in programmatic as a private marketplace-only (PMP) publisher, but by this year, it began to leverage the open market. The fill rate is better now, and our commitment to spending in PMP deals is higher and more aggressive, Ebel said.

Budkofskys fear is that header bidding can be seen as a race to the bottom on the CPM side, but on the flip side, it also places pressure to maintain high CPMs.

The truth is, were making it up as we go along, Ebel said. Smart publishers will invest in content and help brands tell stories. Thats what we should be talking about.
While the diversity of gut bacteria in children with multiple sclerosis appears to be no different than that of children without the condition, children with multiple sclerosis have more gut microbes linked to inflammation and fewer considered to be anti-inflammatory. This is the conclusion of a new study published in the European Journal of Neurology.

Share on Pinterest The researchers found that while children with MS had the same diversity of gut bacteria as the children without MS, there were differences in the abundance of specific species.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease thought to be triggered by genetic and environmental factors, including infections.

In MS, the immune system destroys myelin  the protein insulation that surrounds the nerves of the spinal cord, brain, and optic nerve, causing the electrical impulses that travel to and from these areas to leak out.

As the disease progresses, symptoms  beginning with mild numbness in the limbs  gradually worsen, resulting in paralysis and blindness.

People with relapsing-remitting MS  the most common form of MS  experience symptom flare-ups interspersed with periods of recovery.

The human body contains 10 times more microbial cells than human cells, and over 90 percent of them live in the gut, where they help synthesize vitamins, regulate the immune system, and protect against infection.

Recent studies have suggested that gut bacteria may have a role in MS, but most of this evidence comes from research on animals.

While some studies of human adults have linked disruption of gut bacteria to MS, their evidence is muddied by the fact adults have a lifetime of exposures, making it difficult to pinpoint the role of gut bacteria specifically.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, a device which measures blood pressure around-the-clock may help identify African Americans who have "masked" or undetected high blood pressure. African Americans with any masked hypertension had twice the risk of developing clinic hypertension when compared to those who had both normal clinic and normal out-of-office blood pressure.

Wearing an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring device that measures blood pressure around-the-clock may help identify African Americans who have masked or undetected high blood pressure outside of the doctor's office, a tricky condition that can signal high blood pressure in the clinic down the road, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension .

The reverse of white coat hypertension (higher blood pressure readings at the doctor's office than at home), masked hypertension is normal blood pressure in the doctor's office but high readings outside of the office. Masked hypertension is easy to miss, and can occur during the day or night.

Blood pressure naturally fluctuates throughout the day. To discover who might have masked hypertension among a high-risk population, researchers used ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, an easy technology that involves patients wearing a compact cuff around the arm that is connected to a device worn at the hip. The advantage to ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is that it provides readings of blood pressure over a 24-hour period while doing normal daily activities, whereas home monitoring requires a patient to check his or her own blood pressure at single points in time at rest and at home, and cannot be performed while the patient sleeps.

The study included 317 African-American participants (69 percent women) from the Jackson Heart Study, an ongoing, population-based study in Jackson, Mississippi, that examines the factors associated with and occurrence of heart disease among African Americans.

Participants did not have high blood pressure and were not on high blood pressure medication when enrolled. They wore ambulatory blood pressure monitors at the first clinic visit and their readings were compared with clinic readings taken at a two subsequent visits. Participants were followed for an average of 8.1 years and 187 developed high blood pressure.

Researchers found:

Overall, masked hypertension was associated with a significantly increased risk for high blood pressure detected in the clinic.

Clinic high blood pressure developed in 79.2 percent of participants with any masked hypertension compared to only 42.2 percent of participants without masked hypertension.

Clinic high blood pressure also developed more in participants who had masked daytime hypertension, masked nighttime hypertension, or masked 24-hour hypertension.

"Our study found that African Americans with any masked hypertension had twice the risk of developing clinic hypertension when compared to those who had both normal clinic and normal out-of-office blood pressure," said Marwah Abdalla, M.D., M.P.H., lead study author and cardiologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

"The risk was also high among those with masked nighttime hypertension - a condition where blood pressure is only elevated at night or while asleep. We also found that even among those with normal blood pressure for example, (less than 120 mm Hg/80 mm Hg) during a clinic visit, individuals with masked hypertension had a high risk of developing clinic hypertension."

Using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and paying closer attention to day- and nighttime- masked hypertension may help those at the greatest risk, Abdalla said.

Co-authors are John Booth III, M.S.; Samantha Seals, Ph.D.; Tanya Spruill, Ph.D.; Anthony Viera, M.D., M.P.H.; Keith Diaz, Ph.D.; Mario Sims, Ph.D.; Paul Muntner, Ph.D. and Daichi Shimbo, M.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The Jackson Heart Study is funded by Jackson State University; University of Mississippi Medical Center; Touglaoo College; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the National Institutes of Health. Abdalla is funded by a grant from the NHLBI.
Nematode worms may not be from Mars or Venus, but they do have sex-specific circuits in their brains that cause the males and females to act differently. According to new research published in Nature, scientists have determined how these sexually dimorphic (occurring in either males or females) connections arise in the worm nervous system. The research was funded by the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

"For decades, there has been little focus on the impact of sex on many areas of biomedical research," said Coryse St. Hillaire-Clarke, Ph.D., program officer on this NINDS project. "This study helps us understand how sex can influence brain connectivity."

In nematode worms, (known as Caenorhabditis elegans or C. elegans), a small number of neurons are found exclusively in male or female brains. The remaining neurons are found in both sexes, although their connection patterns are different in male and female brains. Oliver Hobert, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences at Columbia University in New York City, and his colleagues looked at how these wiring patterns form.

Dr. Hobert's team observed that in the worms' juvenile state, before they reach sexual maturity, their brain connections were in a hybrid, or mixed state, comprised of both male and female arrangements. As they reached sexual maturity, however, their brains underwent a pruning process, which got rid of particular connections and led to either male or female patterns.

"We found that differences in male and female brains develop from a ground state, which contains features of both sexes. From this developmental state, distinctly male or female features eventually emerge," said Dr. Hobert.

Next, Dr. Hobert's team showed that sex-specific wiring in the brain results in dimorphic behavior. They discovered that PHB neurons, chemosensory brain cells that detect chemical cues in the environment such as food, predators or potential mates, work differently in males and females. In males, these neurons proved to be important in recognizing mating cues while in females, the neurons helped them avoid specific taste cues. However, early in development, PHB neurons in males also responded to signals regulating taste, suggesting that even though those neurons are found in all nematodes, in adults, their functions differ as a result of sex-specific wiring in the brain.

Dr. Hobert's team used genetically engineered nematodes to look more carefully at individual connections between brain cells. The researchers found that swapping the sex of individual neurons changed wiring patterns and influenced behavioral differences in males and females.

Additional experiments helped to identify genes involved in regulating the pruning process during development. Dr. Hobert's group discovered that certain transcription factors, which are molecules that help control gene activity, are present in a dimorphic state and may help establish male or female connections in the brain. In future experiments, Dr. Hobert and his colleagues plan to examine how these molecules target specific connections for pruning.

This research was supported by a Senator Jacob Javits Award in the Neurosciences to Dr. Hobert. The Javits Award provides up to seven years of funding to exceptional scientists who are nominated by the NINDS. The award is named for the late Senator Jacob Javits, who was a strong proponent of neuroscience research. This work was supported by the NIH (NS039996).
Research questions the reliability of studies based on hospital coding data alone.

The research, by Dr Linxin Li and Professor Peter Rothwell at Oxford University, was the subject of media reporting last week, before the full findings had been published.

There is conflicting evidence as to whether patients admitted to hospital at weekends are more likely to die than those admitted during the week (the so-called "weekend effect").

The issue became headline news last September when The BMJ published a paper by Professor Nick Freemantle and colleagues that identified an increase in deaths among patients admitted at weekends.

Most studies of the weekend effect have used hospital administrative data (diagnostic information extracted from medical records at a later date by non-clinical clerical staff), but the possibility that the accuracy of coding data might differ between weekend and weekday admissions has not previously been assessed.

So Professor Rothwell and colleagues set out to compare the accuracy of coding for all acute stroke admissions on weekdays and weekends from a population of over 90,000 Oxfordshire residents from 2002-2014 and to assess any impact on apparent outcome.

They also assessed patient behaviour and other potential biases that might lead to an apparent weekend effect and reviewed previous studies of weekend effects in stroke.

They found that the accuracy of the administrative data differed substantially between weekend and weekday admissions.

For example, low risk, pre-planned admissions were often miscoded as acute stroke, which carries a much higher risk of death - and so would be wongly included in analyses of administrative data. These low risk admissions were most likely to occur during the week, resulting in an apparent weekend effect for stroke if based on coding data alone.

In contrast, previous studies of weekend effects in stroke that were limited to patients with actual new strokes found no weekend effect.

"Given the limitations of coding of acute medical admissions, at least in the UK, any conclusion based on administrative data alone should be interpreted with caution," write the authors.

They warn that similar biases are likely to occur in studies of the weekend effect in acute admissions for other conditions for which administrative diagnostic coding is prone to inaccuracy. And they say future studies examining the weekend effect "should ideally be based on propsective studies of clinically confirmed cases or at least include some validation of coding data against a clinical ideal standard."

In a linked editorial, Professor Martin McKee at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, says this, and other recent studies, show that at least part of the weekend effect is data artefact (an unintentional pattern in data) and that any remaining association between weekend admission and mortality does not seem to be due to medical staffing.

This new evidence also reinforces concerns about the government's use of evidence, says McKee, and he asks how, in the face of what we now know, can the Department of Health still insist that doctors in training must accept a new contract to address any weekend effect?

Also today, The BMJ's research editors explain why the journal recently rejected a paper by Rachel Meacock and colleagues that found patients attending A&E at weekends were no more likely to die than those arriving during the week.

The paper was reviewed by Professor Freemantle and some assumed that it was rejected solely because of his review, which was not the case, say the editors. In fact, he was largely in favour of publication of the paper.

Some also felt that Freemantle's BMJ paper on the same topic, which reached a different conclusion, constituted a conflict of interest that should have been reported or disqualified him as a reviewer.

But in a blog, the editors say the decision to reject the paper was made by them and not by the four external peer reviewers - and with permission from the authors and reviewers they have posted their signed comments online.

They acknowledge that Professor Freemantle might have included in his competing interests declaration a statement that he had published a paper on the topic in question that reached a different conclusion, but say "this made no material difference to the review process; indeed, he was selected precisely for this expertise because we seek opinions from people who are active in the relevant field."

The BMJ's Editor in Chief, Dr Fiona Godlee, adds: "Any real excess mortality in patients admitted to hospital at weekends is likely to be due to a complex mix of factors. But one thing seems clear from these latest publications: there is no good evidence of an association between excess deaths and medical staffing. Moves towards more seven day services may still be justified on other grounds but will come at a cost and will need to be properly resourced."

Research: Biases in detection of apparent "weekend effect" on outcome with administrative coding data: population based study of stroke , Linxin Li, Peter M Rothwell, BMJ, doi: 10.1136/bmj.i2648, published 16 May 2016.

Editorial: The weekend effect: now you see it, now you don't , Martin McKee, BMJ, doi: 10.1136/bmj.i2750, published 16 May 2016.

Blog: The BMJ research editors: Why The BMJ rejected a "weekend effect" paper, Bmj, published 16 May 2016.
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The study in theinvolved 3,000 people aged 57 to 85 years."The healthiest people were obese and robust," said the study, which found that 22% of older Americans fit this definition of being in good health despite higher obesity and blood pressure. They had fewer organ system diseases, better mobility, sensory function, and psychological health than others. They were also the least likely to die or become incapacitated five years into the study.Researchers also uncovered new classes of people who faced twice the risk of dying or becoming incapacitated in five years - those who were normal weight but faced one key health problem such as thyroid disease, anemia or ulcers; those who had broken a bone since the age of 45; and those with poor mental health.The most unhealthy people were those with uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure, and who often faced challenges with getting around and performing daily tasks. Cancer caused 24% of deaths among people over 55, but seemed to develop randomly with respect to other organ system diseases, said the study.Authors of the PNAS study described a different approach, known as the 'comprehensive model' of health and aging, that includes factors such psychological well-being, sensory function and mobility as essential parts of a person's overall health.Using this new lens, about half of the people considered healthy under the current medical model actually have significant vulnerabilities that affect the chances that they die or become incapacitated within five years, said the study."At the same time, some people with chronic disease are revealed as having many strengths that lead to their reclassification as quite healthy, with low risks of death and incapacity." Co-author William Dale, associate professor of medicine, said the findings suggest that from a health system perspective, a shift of attention is needed from disease-focused management, such as medications for hypertension or high cholesterol, to overall well-being across many areas.Source: AFP
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Dr. Holland and her colleagues created a unique eight-week at-home program and compared the results with their hospital's traditional outpatient program in a randomized controlled trial of 166 patients.After an initial visit from a physiotherapist, those in the home program decided on their own exercise program and reviewed their fitness goals and progress on a weekly call with a health care professional. The caller was trained to motivate patients by asking questions that helped patients focus on what improvements were important to them. Those in the traditional program attended twice weekly sessions at the hospital. Each session included group exercise and education.At the end of the pulmonary rehabilitation and a year later, blinded assessors measured change in six-minute walk distance (6MWD), the primary outcome. Patients also completed validated questionnaires to measure changes in dyspnea-related quality of life (Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire) and self-efficacy (Pulmonary Rehabilitation Adapted Index of Self-Efficacy, or PRAISE).Results on all measures were comparable between participants in the two study arms immediately following program completion. Among home-based participants, 6MWD increased by 28 meters, compared to 29 meters for center-based participants. Neither group, however, retained primary or secondary gains 12 months later - a finding consistent with previous studies. Researchers also tracked hospital admissions and health care utilization and are currently analyzing that data.The costs of the two pulmonary rehabilitation programs were similar: $219 (USD) for in-center; $209 (USD) for at-home. The low cost of at-home pulmonary rehabilitation makes it a viable option, said Dr. Holland, if clinical guidelines incorporate at-home pulmonary rehabilitation into their treatment recommendations."We would need appropriate funding models that recognize a telephone call from a health care professional can be a treatment," she said. "We're not there yet in Australia, and I suspect in most countries around the world."Source: Eurekalert
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As with the national agricultural population, the agricultural health center patient population is clustered in California, the Pacific Northwest, and the South. Health centers in just four states (California, Florida, North Carolina, and Washington) accounted for 71 percent of all agricultural patients served by health centers in 2014.According to national survey data, agricultural workers and their families remain much more likely than other low-income populations to be uninsured - 66 percent versus 32 percent of low-income adults generally. While data on community health centers does not specifically report insurance coverage of agricultural workers and their families, insurance coverage of migrant health center patients has increased over time; between 2003 and 2014, the proportion of uninsured patients served by health centers receiving migrant funding dropped from 42 percent to 30 percent, and state Medicaid expansion has played the major role in this trend. Although migrant health centers in both Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states had statistically significant declines in their uninsured rates between 2013 and 2014, when the ACA was fully implemented, the decline was steeper in Medicaid expansion states. Over the 2013-2014 time period, migrant health centers in Medicaid expansion states registered a statistically significant increase in the percentage of patients with Medicaid coverage, while migrant health centers in non-expansion states did not.According to the study, three factors might account for the impact of the Medicaid expansion on migrant health centers and their patients: high poverty among agricultural workers; the growing tendency among agricultural workers to settle and work in one state rather than migrating across state lines, which in turn may increase the likelihood that they will qualify for Medicaid in their state of residence; and rising Medicaid coverage rates among non-farmworker patients served by health centers that receive migrant funding.The findings from this study underscore the importance of Medicaid expansion in states whose large agricultural industry offers only limited employer coverage. Between 2013 and 2014, migrant health centers in California and Washington - both states that have expanded Medicaid - the percentage of uninsured patients dropped by 9 and 11 percentage points, respectively. Yet migrant health centers located in Florida and North Carolina - both non-expansion states - showed a decline in the proportion of uninsured patients of only 3 to 4 percentage points.Without Medicaid expansion, health centers serving agricultural workers - a population with especially significant health needs - may encounter additional difficulties providing comprehensive primary care and expanding dental and mental health service capacity for their patients when needed, the authors note. "There are up to 3 million migrant and seasonal agricultural workers who provide essential labor on farms and ranches in the United States," says author Peter Shin, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management at Milken Institute SPH. "This report shows that Medicaid is reaching the populations served even by those health centers providing care to patients most likely to be uninsured.""We still face many challenges to providing care for agricultural workers, especially in states that have not expanded Medicaid," says Feygele Jacobs, President and CEO of the RCHN Community Health Foundation, which funded the report. "Community health centers will continue to need stable grant funding in order to expand into isolated areas and provide specialized services to this at-risk population."The report, "How are Migrant Health Centers and their Patients Faring Under the Affordable Care Act?" was authored by Peter Shin, Sara Rosenbaum, Jessica Sharac, Rachel Gunsalus and Chi Tran-all at GW's Milken Institute SPH Department of Health Policy and Management.Source: Newswise


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Understanding the role of insulin is important to understand the underlying problem in diabetes. In a person without diabetes, insulin is normally produced by the pancreas in optimal levels and is present in the whole body throughout. The pancreas provides basal and bolus insulin to the body. Insulin is produced according to the food consumed, activity levels, stress periods and illnesses. The basal-bolus system in healthy individual works in such a way that the blood glucose level is maintained within the normal range at all times (even with consumption of sugar and glucose).

A person with diabetes and on insulin therapy requires the blood glucose level to be maintained at normal levels, without unnecessary spikes or lows. For a person with diabetes and on insulin requiring stringent maintenance, the best method is the basal-bolus insulin therapy. This method of diabetes management tries to replicate the role of insulin in a normal body.

A long-lasting or basal insulin is given as the background insulin to manage blood glucose levels between meals and when sleeping. This basal dosage is combined with short-acting boluses to keep the blood glucose in check after meals. The basal insulin covers 50% of the bodys insulin requirement while the boluses cover the other 50%. Types of basal insulin include Glargine (Lantus), Detemir (Levemir) or the most recent insulin Degludec (Tresiba).

The main aim of going on a basal-bolus insulin regimen is to keep the blood sugar range as healthy as possible. It is important to work out an optimal basal-bolus dosage to take full advantage of this regimen. The dosage is usually titrated according to age, weight, insulin resistance, other co-morbidities, calorific intake and exercise regimen.

In a person without diabetes, pancreas produces insulin at optimal levels and is present in the whole body. The pancreas provides basal and bolus insulin to the body.

Basal insulin is the background insulin which is required by the body to control the blood glucose levels even when no food is consumed or fasting. It helps control blood glucose within the normal range even when you are not eating and the body releases glucose into the blood stream. Basal insulin works even while the body is in the resting/sleep state.

Bolus insulin is released when the body consumes food to adjust the blood glucose levels.

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In a person without diabetes, the pancreas automatically produces the exact amount of basal and bolus insulin to keep the blood glucose levels normal. The basal-bolus system in a healthy individual work in such a way that the blood glucose level is maintained within the normal range at all times (even with consumption of sugar and glucose).

For a person with diabetes and on insulin requiring stringent maintenance, the best method is the basal-bolus insulin therapy. This method of diabetes management tries to replicate the role of insulin in a normal body.

Bolus insulin is usually taken before the main meals of the day which is breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bolus dosages are usually fast-acting like Actrapid or Humulin S. A bolus dosage can also be taken if the blood glucose is high to rapidly bring it down. Temporary high glucose has many causes, including:

Infection

Critical illness

Excess consumption of carbohydrates

Steroids

Incorrect insulin dosage or missed dosage

Psychological stress

Basal insulin is taken just once a day. Most diabetologists and endocrinologists recommend the basal dose to be taken before bedtime for it to work optimally.

The Basal-bolus Insulin Regimen

A basal-bolus regimen can prevent long-term complications associated with diabetes. You are advised to go on a basal-bolus regimen when:

Your fasting blood glucose is high in the morning

You have hypoglycemic or low sugar episodes at night

You require more flexibility regarding meal times and snacking

You work in shifts

You plan to travel across time zones

However, the basal-bolus insulin therapy involves four shots a day. Children, especially may not be so compliant with four injections. This regimen is the current best practice to maintain the normal blood glucose levels without the unwarranted sudden highs and lows associated with the insulin therapy.

The basal insulin (like Degludec) works over 48 hours and maintains an optimal blood glucose level if taken in the right dosage. Basal insulins also prevent too many hypoglycemic episodes.

Bolus doses must be calculated very carefully to match your meal plans and intake of carbohydrates and sugars.

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Remember that insulin is titrated at 0.3-0.5 units/kg. So if your weight is 50 kg and you are an adult, then your total insulin dosage per day is 0.5 units x 50 kg = 25 units of insulin per day

Nearly, 50% of your total insulin dosage should be covered by the basal insulin. So 50% of 25 is 12.5,. approximate this to 12. This should be your basal dosage.

Almost, 50% of your total insulin dosage should be covered by the bolus insulin. So another 12.5 is your total bolus dosage per day. This should be broken up into three doses to cover breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, be cautious as this dosage should vary depending on your prandial blood glucose levels and your intake of carbohydrates at each meal. If you know you are going in for extra carbohydrates or maybe a sweet, calculate the dosage according to the food portion. For example, 2-3 extra units for one small cup of ice- cream.

When beginning your basal-bolus regimen, you are advised to test your blood glucose levels at least four times a day, initially for about 3-4 days until you are able to titrate the right dosage. Test your blood sugar:

When you wake up, first thing in the morning (before breakfast and before consuming anything else), so you get an idea of how to adjust the bolus.



Before lunch



Before dinner



Post-prandial (2 hours after dinner), so you can adjust your basal dosage.
Yoga is an ancient tradition of holistic health. To practice yoga during pregnancy is perhaps the healthiest way to well -being and good health for an expectant mother. Yoga helps to achieve flexibility, relieve stress and prepare the woman for childbirth. Importantly, the discomfort during pregnancy can be relieved through the practice of yoga.

Pregnancy is a time to nurture yourself. It is well- known that the growing baby in the womb is capable of feeling the effects of tension and stress. Therefore, it is of vital importance for the expectant mother to feel relaxed at all times. Yoga assists in promoting a tranquil state of mind, which is very important for the health of the mother and the baby.

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Telltale signs: pregnancy blues

Early pregnancy is characterized by nausea, lethargy and loss of appetite. This condition can be alleviated through 'shatkarmas', techniques to cleanse the body of its toxins.

Other symptoms are:

Morning sickness

Tenderness and swelling of breasts

Fatigue

Nausea

Increased frequency of urination

Weight gain

Mood swings

Missed menstrual period/li>
Introduction

The Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in December 2015, is aimed at curtailing the organization's funding of its domestic and international activities, and also at combatting its global criminal activities - including money laundering, drug trafficking, and human trafficking - by which it funds the terror operations that it carries out worldwide.[1] It bars any "foreign financial institution" that engages in transactions with Hizbullah or with persons or bodies affiliated with it, or which provides them with financial services or launder money for them, from maintaining a relationship with the U.S. banking system. This means that any bank in the world, including in Lebanon, that provides financial services to the organization will be denied access to U.S. financial institutions - and thus to the global financial sector. The ramifications of this are far-reaching and can lead these banks to collapse. The law also imposes sanctions and penalties (fines, imprisonment or both) on individuals or bodies that violate its provisions. It came into effect on April 15, 2016, after the U.S. Treasury issued regulations for its implementation; the Treasury also published a list of some 100 bodies and figures associated with Hizbullah with whom financial institutions may not conduct dealings.[2]

Since Congress passed the law, Hizbullah has been perturbed and apprehensive about its ramifications and the impact it would have on its operation. This has been expressed both in statements by Hizbullah officials and in articles in the Lebanese press, especially the press close to Hizbullah.[3] In a speech a few days after the law was passed, Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah exposed his concern, by warning Lebanon's banks not to "submit to the will of America."

In early May 2016, two weeks after the law went into effect, Riad Salameh, governor of the Banque du Liban (BDL), Lebanon's central bank, stressed, in a directive to Lebanon's banks, the need to fully comply with the law. Following this, Lebanese banks began to close accounts of Hizbullah officials and their family members, and it has been reported that dozens such accounts have already been closed. Hizbullah reacted with a campaign of severe criticism against Salameh and the Lebanese banking system, accusing them of "surrender[ing] to the American financial mandatory authority in Lebanon and warning that this would bring about the collapse of Lebanon's currency and lead to "complete chaos" in the country. Hizbullah ministers argued that the banks had crossed every red line, and other Hizbullah members leveled threats against the banks.

These reactions clearly indicate the scope of Hizbullah's fears about the U.S. law and its ramifications. It should be noted that in recent months Hizbullah has also been the target of sanctions by the Gulf states and several other Arab countries, which have designated it a terror organization and have begun expelling its operatives from their territory.[4]

It should further be noted that it is not only Hizbullah that is concerned about the U.S. law, but also Lebanon's banking sector, because if it does not comply with the law it will be barred from the global financial system, which could bring about its collapse. In light of these concerns, two Lebanese delegations were recently dispatched to the U.S., one on behalf of the Lebanese parliament and the other on behalf of the Association of Banks in Lebanon. The aim of the visits was to meet with U.S. Congress and Treasury officials and to discuss the law and its implementation, and perhaps also persuade them to soften the language of the law and provide guarantees for the Lebanese banks' stability.[5]

This report will review Hizbullah's apprehensions about the U.S. law as well as the organization's threats to the Lebanese banking sector, the Lebanese government, and the U.S. following the law's passage by Congress, and the intensification of these threats since the Lebanese banks began implementing the law.

Following Congress's Passage Of The Law, Nasrallah Warns Lebanese Government, Banks Not To Comply

On December 21, 2015, three days after President Obama signed the act into law, Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah claimed that the law was part of the U.S. war on his organization that it declared years ago. In an attempt to downplay the importance of the new sanctions, Nasrallah argued that they would have no impact. He added that ever since the U.S. designated Hizbullah a terrorist organization in 1995, it has been trying to force the rest of the world to accept this designation, but to no avail; he added that since it failed in this attempt, it is now making false accusations against the organization. "The Americans," he said, "are trying to pressure Hizbullah again with a decision they issued, according to which it is a criminal organization, and they are accusing us of drug trafficking, human trafficking, and money laundering. This is not true. These accusations are unjust, and we are not interested in presenting proof of our innocence, because the accuser is the one who should be presenting proof... This is a political accusation, part of a political, security, and military campaign in the region, aimed at tarnishing Hizbullah's image in the eyes of the peoples of the world... It is part of a psychological war that will not succeed."

As part of his attempts to reassure Hizbullah's supporters and to convince them that the sanctions would have no impact, Nasrallah stated that his organization holds no accounts in Lebanese banks, nor any investments in or partnerships with Lebanese companies or merchants - and that therefore neither the BDL nor any other Lebanese bank has any cause for concern. At the same time, he revealed his concerns when he said: "The minute the U.S. gives the signal to harm some sector or political stream, some Lebanese banks will begin settling scores [with that sector or stream]." He declared that this would be "unacceptable" and warned the government and the banks against "obeying the American will." He claimed that these American sanctions were aimed not just at Hizbullah but at Lebanon's citizens, companies and businessmen, and demanded that the Lebanese state defend them: "We do not want the state to defend Hizbullah and its operatives, its sons and its daughters. We are defending ourselves and know how to do so. But the state must have people to defend any individual that the Americans wish to accuse."[6]

Hizbullah Faction In Lebanese Parliament: American Law Will Spur Hizbullah To Act Against U.S.'s "Terrorist Branches" In The Region

On December 24, 2015, several days after Congress passed the law, the Hizbullah faction in the Lebanese parliament harshly criticized the U.S. over it, saying that "arrogance and terrorism" were behind the decision targeting Hizbullah, its supporters, and "ostensible organizations and elements working with it". This, it stated, confirmed that the U.S. administration is indeed "the Great Satan." The faction also said that the law "would spur Hizbullah to continue its actions against the American takeover plan and to continue resisting its terrorist branches, represented by the Zionists and takfiris, in Lebanon and the region."[7]

Hizbullah-Affiliated Daily: Sanctions Could Lead To Intra-Lebanese Tension

Additionally, on March 31, 2016, the Lebanese Hizbullah-affiliated daily Al-Akhbar published an article implicitly warning that the U.S. law would destabilize Lebanon: "As the countdown to the release of the regulations for implementing the American anti-Hizbullah sanctions begins, the fears that the [Lebanese] domestic arena will be impacted by it and its ramifications are revived... as have fears that this issue will become volatile..."

The article also outlined the assessments that the sanctions and the anticipated regulations for their implementation will be harsh and will cover a broad range of individuals and political, financial, and media institutions, and added that if this proves to be the case, "it could constitute a worrisome factor that could stoke domestic tension [in Lebanon, especially] in everything connected to Hizbullah's reaction to the attempts at besieging it..."[8]

As Sanctions Implementation Begins In Lebanon, Hizbullah Harshly Criticizes U.S., Lebanese Banking Sector

On April 11, 2016, the U.S. Treasury Department released the regulations for implementing the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act; they included details for applying the sanctions as well as a list of 99 Hizbullah-linked individuals and institutions with whom banks and financial institutions worldwide may not conduct business. The law, which as mentioned came into effect on April 15, 2016, is binding on all the world's financial institutions, including Lebanese banks.

BDL Governor Salameh Orders Lebanese Banks To Comply With U.S. Law, Enraging Hizbullah

On April 28, 2016, the governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh explicitly stated, on the Lebanese LBC TV channel's show Kalam Al-Nas, that Lebanese banks must comply with the U.S. law. He stressed: "The American law cannot be circumvented, because the regulations for its implementation include all currency, including the Lebanese lira." The BDL, he said, would issue a statement emphasizing that Lebanon was committed to complying with the law and would hold banks responsible for implementing it. He added, "This will be clear and there will no way to get around it. This is an official and legal position. The banks must align with us."[9]

A few days later, on May 3, 2016, Salameh issued guidelines requiring "all banks in Lebanon and all institutions under the oversight of the BDL" to comply with the law and to immediately inform the BDL of any freezing or closure of any account, or of any refusal to open any account, and to state their reasons for doing so.[10] According to reports in the Lebanese press, Lebanese banks have begun implementing these guidelines, and have already closed dozens of accounts belonging to Hizbullah MPs and associates.[11] Salameh's guidelines sparked enraged responses from Hizbullah.



Riad Salameh (nna-leb.gov.lb, April 4, 2016)

Hizbullah MP: U.S. Is The Great Satan, We Must Resist Its Plans In The Region

Hizbullah MP Hussein Al-Moussawi threatened the U.S., saying: "The U.S. is still the leader of the camp of lies, and, as the Great Satan, it attempts to give the resistance a satanic image, and marginalize it with terrorism accusations and economic sanctions... The sons of the ummah should be wary of the American plans and carry out resistance against them."[12]

Hizbullah: Salameh Surrendered To "The American Financial Mandatory" Rule In Lebanon; Implementing This Law Will Lead To Chaos In The Country

After Lebanese banks began closing the accounts of Hizbullah affiliates, the organization launched criticism not only at the U.S. but also at the Lebanese banking sector. On May 12, 2016, the Hizbullah faction in the Lebanese parliament issued an exceptionally harsh statement against Riad Salameh, noting: "The recent American law, which forces Lebanese banks to comply with its sections, is completely unacceptable because it will form the basis for a local war of exclusion, which the central bank and other banks are helping to stoke. This is in addition to the fact that complying [with the U.S. law] constitutes an appropriation of Lebanese financial sovereignty."

The statement also said: "The orders recently published by BDL governor Riad Salameh... are a form of unjustified surrender to the American financial mandatory authority in Lebanon - which could exacerbate the financial crisis in the country, lead it to bankruptcy because of the ramifications of the deep schism [that could come about] between the Lebanese and the banks, and place the country on the brink of a grave currency collapse in the country and complete chaos that will be unstoppable." The announcement also called on the governor "to reexamine the recent guidelines, such that they will be compatible [with the principle] of national sovereignty," and on the government "to take the necessary steps to prevent the dangerous ramifications that are likely to emanate from this."[13]

Hizbullah-Affiliated Daily: Hizbullah Is Furious At BDL Governor For Reneging On Understandings It Reached With Him

The Lebanese daily Al-Safir, which is close to Hizbullah, revealed on May 13, 2016 that the reason for Hizbullah's fury at the BDL governor is that the guidelines he issued for the banks effectively countermanded previous understandings at which he had secretly arrived with Hizbullah, that were meant to mitigate the impact of the sanctions. According to the report, former Hizbullah MP Amin Shiri had concluded with Salameh that the Lebanese banks would not decide independently on the closure of any Lebanese citizen's bank account, but would obtain Salameh's personal approval beforehand. They also agreed that the banks would allow any citizen, including Hizbullah members, to open an account in Lebanese lira. However, the new guidelines that Salameh released in early May contradicted these understandings; under the new guidelines, banks should close accounts on their own and then inform the BDL, and must prevent Hizbullah members from opening accounts in Lebanese lira -because the American regulations for implementation specifically bar opening accounts in any currency.

According to Al-Safir, Hizbullah was surprised, and enraged, by Salameh's guidelines. It quickly tried to contact him, but after receiving no persuasive answer, it decided to publish the harsh statement against him, and to raise the issue in the upcoming cabinet session.[14]

The daily Al-Akhbar, which is also close to Hizbullah, added that the organization had sent a message to Salameh claiming that "some banks decide for themselves to go too far in implementing the American sanctions, punishing Lebanese [citizens] that the U.S. did not even seek to sanction." The daily added that Hizbullah had told Salameh that it would not allow the Lebanese banking sector "to act purely as the executive arm of the American administration [in carrying out its] decisions."[15]

Al-Safir: Lebanese Elements, Saudi And UAE Foreign Ministers Worked To Step Up The Sanctions

Al-Safir reported that several MPs, apparently from Hizbullah, had complained to parliament speaker Nabih Berri that the regulations for implementation released in April by the U.S. Treasury Department had included new sections that were not in the law itself - for example, that the sanctions apply to all currencies, not only to U.S. dollars. They argued that these additions undercut the understandings between Hizbullah and Salameh, which were aimed at circumventing the sanctions and mitigating their effects. The MPs argued that an apparent "Lebanese element... leaked these [Hizbullah-Salameh understandings]." The daily cited sources as saying that "there is an Israeli-Lebanese-Arab lobby operating daily in Washington under the direct supervision of the office of Saudi Foreign Minister 'Adel Al-Jubeir and the office of UAE Foreign Minister 'Abdallah bin Zayed," and adding that UAE Ambassador to Washington Yousef Al-'Otaiba is working hard on this matter in Congress and the Treasury Department.[16]

Hizbullah Ministers: Lebanese Banks Have "Gone Too Far" In Implementing The American Law"; This Crosses All Red Lines

On May 12, 2016, the same day the Hizbullah faction in the parliament issued its statement against the Lebanese banking sector, Hizbullah ministers raised the issue in the cabinet session. The Al-Akhbar and Al-Safir dailies reported that Hizbullah ministers in the unity government, Hussein Al-Hajj Hassan and Muhammad Fneish, had delivered scathing attacks on the Lebanese banks, saying that they had "gone too far in implementing the American law" and had begun "taking steps against people with no ties to Hizbullah other than familial ties to organization officials."

At the meeting, Hizbullah ministers claimed that one bank had closed the account of the daughter of a former Hizbullah MP. Al-Hajj Hassan claimed that banks had also recently closed the accounts of MPs Nawar Al-Sahili, 'Ali Fayyad, 'Ali Ammar, and 'Ali Al-Miqdad, as well as that of former MP Amin Shiri. Also closed, they said, were accounts belonging to various cultural, religious, healthcare, and societal institutions, as well as charity organizations; he also expressed apprehension that the accounts of dozens of local municipalities would be closed "on the pretext that they [are administered] by Hizbullah members." It was also reported that during the meeting, other ministers who are not members of Hizbullah related how U.S. and French banks had refused to open accounts for them and also closed their existing accounts.

According to Al-Hajj Hassan, these closures constituted "a serious attack that crosses all red lines," especially since the law harms all Lebanese, not just one group or sect. Other reports in the Lebanese press noted that Al-Hajj Hassan had issued threats, and had said that the BDL guidelines and the conduct of the banking sector had "crossed the red line and reached the black line, and Hizbullah will not agree to this, and the American sanctions will not be allowed to pass." It was also reported that Hizbullah ministers had called the Lebanese banks' implementation of the U.S. law submission to aggression, and added that there must be no silence over this law, "because the occupation is not only military, but also financial, political, and cultural."[17]

Al-Safir reported that some ministers from the March 14 Forces, the rival bloc in the unity government, were claiming that Hizbullah had brought this situation on itself, and that the resistance had become a weak point for Lebanon, not a source of strength. Furthermore, one minister argued that Hizbullah ministers could not shift responsibility to the Lebanese banks or the BDL governor, since no one in the world can confront the U.S. The cabinet meeting ended with a decision by Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Finance Minister 'Ali Hassan Khalil to meet with Salameh to discuss the matter and update the government on the results.[18]

Hizbullah Sources Threaten: Hizbullah Won't Remain Silent - We Will Upend Everything

On May 14, 2016, the Lebanese daily Al-Nahar quoted sources in the Hizbullah-headed March 8 Forces as saying that the organization would not remain silent about the new guidelines released by Salameh, and that it would not back down from its demand that they be cancelled. The sources argued that the banks were implementing the sanctions also against people who were not on the U.S. Treasury Department list, only because they were Shi'ites or relatives of a Hizbullah member. They added: "How is it possible that the bank accounts of MPs representing the Lebanese people are being closed - how will they receive their salaries?"

Hizbullah maintained that the BDL and the other banks are going beyond what the Americans are demanding in their implementation of the sanctions, and thus are strangling an entire community. The sources said: "When [Hizbullah] asked the BDL governor about the implementation of the U.S. law, he said nothing about what he is implementing today, but [said that there would be] an investigation and an examination of every account about which there are doubts... But closing the accounts of innocent people who have no connection [to Hizbullah] without any investigation or examination [as is happening right now] - that is a dangerous sign of concessions on Lebanese sovereignty and of punishment of the Lebanese people by the state, which we will in no way allow to happen." The sources argued that the government must "cancel the BDL's guidelines, otherwise [Hizbullah] will react not only by thwarting the government['s activity] but will upend everything, and will open the file of the banking sector from the 1990s onward..." - hinting that Hizbullah has information on improper conduct by the banks.

Asked what was meant by the term "upend everything," the sources quoted a hadith attributed to Imam 'Ali bin Abu Taleb, the fourth caliph: "I am amazed how a poor man who lacks a crust of bread does not go out and brandish his sword at the people" - hinting that Hizbullah's reaction will be harsh.[19]

Nasrallah: We Face A Challenge To Obtain Monetary Aid - "We Will Be Grateful For Every Donation"

Hizbullah officials' threats and harsh reactions clearly attested to the distress and pressure felt by the organization, and to the scope of the sanctions' impact on its activity. Additional evidence of this could be found in a May 6, 2016 speech by Nasrallah following the release of the regulations for implementing the U.S. law.

In his speech, Nasrallah reiterated, as he had first stated in his December 2015 speech, that the sanctions would do little damage to Hizbullah because the organization was accustomed to such pressure and that it would overcome it as it had in the past "under much worse circumstances." But despite Nasrallah's efforts to convey the message that Hizbullah was just fine, the scope of the economic damage done to the organization came through in his statements, in which he noted, inter alia, that the Islamic Resistance Support Organization was now playing a vital role in financially helping the organization. He even personally appealed to the public of supporters of the resistance for monetary donations, no matter how modest:

"I want to talk about this point openly, so that the people will also know how we think and operate. We first of all consider the importance and real value of the intention of the donors, not the size of the contribution... The families of the martyrs donate, the wounded donate, the people donate, the elderly lady who saved for her old age gives a little of her savings to the resistance, the boy who is in school takes some of his allowance and drops it into the cashbox of the resistance. This, for us, is worth millions. This is the real support for us...

"Therefore, today, when we stand before America's, Israel's, and Saudi Arabia's attempts to dry up our sources of funding, we must realize that the sums donated by this or that family via the the Islamic Resistance Support Organization, even if modest, are in fact very large and extremely valuable sums. Obviously, we do not want to embarrass anyone... [so that they will] donate to us, but we trust the faith, the insight, and the reliability of all those who donate to us, since they are the people with whom we have, together, [overcome] the most difficult of days and circumstances, and the most dangerous of challenges and hardships. With them, we have completed the path; we have triumphed, and passed through all the difficult stages; with them, we will pass through all the difficult stages to come, Allah willing."

In an attempt to reassure the resistance-supporting public, he added that they must not worry, because Iran would continue to send economic, material, and military aid to Hizbullah despite the pressures and threats against it as well.[20]

*H. Varulkar is Director of Research at MEMRI; E. B. Picali is a Research Fellow at MEMRI.

Endnotes:
On May 12, 2016, the NATO's "Aegis Ashore" ballistic missile defense system became operational at a U.S. naval support facility in Deveselu, Romania. The following day, May 13, the construction of another ballistic-missile defense site officially started in Redzikowo, Poland. Aegis Ashore was first announced by U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009, as part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) aimed at defending Europe against ballistic missile threats originating from outside the "Euro-Atlantic Area." Although U.S. officials stressed that the Aegis Ashore system is defensive and aimed at protecting mainly against threats from Iran, its deployment in Europe prompted strong criticism from Russia.[1] The ballistic missile defense system has been defined by Russian officials as a breach of the 1987 Intermediate Range Nuclear Force Treaty, which required the U.S. and the Soviet Union to eliminate their nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 km. Referring to NATO and the U.S as "twins,"[2] Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that since Russia's concerns towards the ballistic missile defense system continue to be "ignored," Moscow is reaching the appropriate conclusions, "including in terms of a military-technical response."[3] Russian military officials also stated that Russia will respond militarily to the NATO's Ballistic Missile Defense system.



U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work with Polish and U.S. leaders at the Aegis Ashore missile defense system groundbreaking ceremony in Redzikowo, Poland. (Source: Defense.gov, May 13, 2016)



Aegis Ashore Complex 3D (Source: Defenseindustrydaily.com)

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Rogozin: "There Will Be A Response - A Military-Technological And Modern Response"

After a May 13, 2016 meeting on the defense industry development with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Rogozin, deputy prime minister in charge of military industries, stressed that Russia will respond "militarily" to the NATO's Ballistic Missile Defense system. However, he said that the response will be "inexpensive: "Surely, there will be a response. A military-technological and modern response, but inexpensive... We are not getting dragged into an arms race, but we have forces and resources, including those currently being tested, which will work not in an old-fashioned way but based on the enemy's vulnerability." He added that Russia will develop resources and allocate the funding "to neutralize any threat with the least resources... Concerning the military industry, we reported to the president... about the most recent work, and tests and changes to the regulations for such tests, which allow us to speed up the creation of a weapon whose technical characteristics are even superior to [those of] the weapon of our probable adversaries."

Rogozin said that the goal of the U.S. is to deploy "interceptor systems" as close to Russia as possible, "so that in the event of a counter or retaliatory strike [from Russia], [the U.S.] can neutralize our forces and resources by simply stopping them from taking off... Basically, it is the same nuclear weapon, only in a non-nuclear version. [Therefore,] we cannot see it as defense [system]."[4]

Maj.-Gen. Matveevskii: Russia Will Deploy Iskander-M Missiles In Kaliningrad Exclave By 2018

Russian missile and artillery infantry forces commander Maj. Gen. Mikhail Matveevskii stressed that Russia will deploy Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles on the territory of the Kaliningrad exclave between Poland and Lithuania by 2018, in response to the deployment of ballistic missile defense system elements in Eastern Europe.[5] It is worth noting that the Iskander-M is able to strike with conventional and unconventional short-range warheads.[6] Already in 2008, in his first state-of-the-nation message as Russian president to the Federal Assembly on November 5, Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia would deploy Iskander M missiles in Kaliningrad in order to "neutralize" the anti-ballistic missile system in Europe. Medvedev's speech at the time echoed recent Putin's speech against the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system in Romania.[7] He said: "I would add something about what we have had to face in recent years: what is it? It is the construction of a global missile defense system, the installation of military bases around Russia, the unbridled expansion of NATO and other similar 'presents' for Russia - we therefore have every reason to believe that they are simply testing our strength. Of course we will not let ourselves be dragged into an arms race. But we must take this into account in defense expenditures... We will deploy the Iskander missile system in the Kaliningrad Region to be able, if necessary, to neutralize the missile defense system. Naturally, we envisage using the resources of the Russian Navy... And finally, electronic jamming of the new installations of the U.S. missile defense system will be carried out from the territory of the same westernmost region, i.e. from Kaliningrad. I want to emphasize that we have been forced to take these measures. We have repeatedly told our partners [i.e. the U.S.] that we want to engage in positive cooperation. We want to act against common threats and to work together. But unfortunately, very unfortunately, they did not want to listen to us."[8] It is worth noting that Aegis Ashore was first announced by U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009, as part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) aimed at defending Europe against ballistic missile threats originating from outside the "Euro-Atlantic Area." Obama's EPAA canceled a Bush administration plan to deploy Ground-Based Midcourse (GMD) missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.[9]



Iskander tactical missile system and its target coverage in Europe (Source: RIA Novosti, 2008)

Lenta.ru: "[The U.S. And Russia] Will Shake Hands - While Grinding Teeth - Above Smoking Ruins Of Eastern European Missile Defense Elements"

The Russian media outlet Lenta.ru published an article by Russian journalist Kostantin Bogdanov stating that Russia might launch a preemptive strike against the U.S. naval support facility in Deveselu, Romania that hoststhe "Aegis Ashore" ballistic missile defense system. It stated: "Bucharest cannot misunderstand it - deploying such a sensitive installation as Aegis Ashore at Deveselu site causes the base to be a priority target for a Russian strike in a hypothetical scenario of a hot confrontation between Moscow and the West. It might not be ruled out that in case of using an 'Aegis' as an offensive weapon - the Russian strike may well be preemptive. The U.S. understands that perfectly, but Washington is far away. Some scenarios of escalation and de-escalation of a 'hot' conflict suggest... that both sides [the U.S. and Russia] will shake hands - while grinding teeth - above smoking ruins of eastern European missile defense elements."

Irina Yarovaya, who chairs the security and anti-corruption committee at the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, stated that the U.S. is dragging Eastern European countries into "military adventurism."[10] The Russian media outlet Politonline.ru, quoting an unnamed military source, said that "Russia is not going to bomb any country" in response to the ballistic missile defense sites in Europe. However, if there will be a threat to Russia, states Polit.ru's unnamed military source, "military airbases with nuclear weapons, warehouses, missile defense sites, seaports and submarines' operational locations" are going to be targeted, adding that "every country does that."[11] Dmitry Gorovzov, deputy chair of the State Duma committee on security, stated that NATO's actions, which follow the "American mood," resemble a "blitzkrieg," the style of warfare used by Nazi Germany in WWII, including against the Soviet Union. "We cannot help but to worry and prepare reciprocate moves," Gorovzov said.[12] The commander of Russia's Strategic Missile Force (SMF), Sergey Karakayev, said that Russia is developing new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with special focus on their ability to penetrate the U.S. missile shield. According to the Russian official, "threats from the U.S. missile defense system in Europe" do not critically reduce the combat capabilities of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, because Russian missiles are constantly upgraded.[13]

Endnotes:
The National Council on Foreign Policy (NCFP) will convene at the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, 25 May, under the chairmanship of Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus, Ioannis Kasoulides, in attendance.



The main topic on the agenda is developments in the Cyprus issue.
Nothing fades: the marches, the work, the incarceration, the shacks, the illnesses, the cold, the lack of sleep, the hunger, the humiliations, the barbarity, the beatings, the screams, nothing can and nothing must be forgotten I will never forget. On the German plains there now stretch spaces stripped bare, where silence prevails. This is the terrible weight of the void that forgetting does not have the right to fill and where the memory of the living will reside forever.



With these moving words of French Jewish politician Simone Veil, a survivor of the hell of Auschwitz, allow me to welcome the new and very important publishing initiative of the Foreign Ministry; a volume that completes the trilogy of publications, begun in 2000, aimed at highlighting the contribution of the countrys Jewish Communities to the progress and development of our land. This particular publishing initiative shows without a doubt that, in Greece, there is memory, tradition, a point of reference, value standards in an era very difficult, pessimistic and given to complaining.



On the occasion of the presentation of this specific volume, we are here today to keep memory alive, guarding it against the threat of ignorance, of forgetting, of counterfeiting, of the distortion of all those events that cast their heavy shadow on Europe and our homeland. In particular in the city of Thessaloniki, where the largest Sephardic community in Europe flourished, the memories remain alive, even after the near complete annihilation, as, of some 56,000, only 1,950 Greek Jews were saved.



The 327 Greeks who bear the honorific of Righteous Among the Nations were not born heroes, but they were born persons, in the full meaning of the word. Underscoring the greatness of the souls of those everyday people, this publication sheds light on a previously obscure page of our national history. At the same time, it sends a message to the younger generation, which, unfortunately, is today being harangued with sermons of hatred, racism, anti-Semitism, intolerance for diversity, and more.



Ladies and Gentlemen,



As an active member of International Organizations and the International Alliance for teaching and sustaining the memory of the Holocaust, Greece remains faithful to its commitment to fight for and defend human rights, the peaceful coexistence of peoples, democracy and freedom of thought, not just on its territory but on a global level. Today, in the 21st century, we have no excuse. We now have the knowledge. What we need to show every day is our will not to forget. The will to fight against forgetting.



Thank you very much.
BAD AXE  A Michigan man, who was carted off to prison last year for beating his son with a belt, was sentenced to more time behind bars for an incident intertwined in the case.

Robert Andreas Fruytier, 43, of St. Louis, was charged with criminal sexual conduct-second degree in connection to physically and sexually abusing his 10-year-old son  between June 1, 2014, and Dec. 19, 2014,  while having custody of the child. Fruytier was sentenced to three to 10 years last March on a domestic violence charge in which he left serious bruising on the same victim after the belt attack.

He appeared in Huron County Circuit Court, with corrections officers at his side, for sentencing Monday. His attorney, Diana Kessler, told the judge he has been taking classes and any treatment available for his mental illnesses while incarcerated. She noted Fruytier has always been a working man and would like to be with his family when hes released.

Were talking about somebody who did contribute to society other than these incidents, Kessler said.

An emotional Fruytier then offered his apologies to the court.

Im sorry for taking the courts time and taxpayers money, he said.   Ive been locked up for about one year and not a day goes by that I dont work.

 I apologize for the slips and bad choices Ive made, Fruytier said while adding he has not been able to receive proper treatment for his mental illnesses while in prison.

The prosecutors office learned about the sexual assault allegations made regarding Fruytier shortly after he was sentenced last year.

He was being investigate by Harbor Beach police, Huron County Prosecutor Timothy J. Rutkowski told the Tribune. After sentencing, we learned that (the victim) was making some statements about what transpired over and above the physical assault because there were some child protective proceedings going on.

In court, Rutkowski told the judge that Fruytier would ask the victim to pull his pants down and when the victim said he was tired, Fruytier would hit him in the head until he did so. Fruytier would touch the victims genitals, according to a police report.

Its not one child. Hes done this over and over again, Rutkowski explained, noting other allegations have been made by other children.

Those allegations, as told by Rutkowski in court, include Fruytier allegedly sleeping unclothed with other children, as young as 2 years old, in his bed.

Although Huron County Circuit Judge Gerald M. Prill agreed the system has been gutted when it comes to mental treatment options offered in prison, it doesnt make his actions inexcusable.

Im pleased to see, clearly, that youre taking advantage of the programs offered in prison, Prill said. But heres the problem, you took advantage of your son, your 10-year-old son.

Prill went above the guideline recommendation and sentenced Fruytier to six to 15 years in the Michigan state prison system. He was given credit for 45 days already served. Prill also ordered Fruytier to lifetime electronic monitoring.
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 Marine Corps is getting close to selecting a weapons system and sensors for its prized tiltrotor aircraft, the services' deputy commandant of Aviation said Monday.

Speaking at the Sea Air Space expo near Washington, D.C., Lt. Gen. Jon Davis named some systems that might end up on the Osprey as Marine officials work to build out all their aviation platforms for combat, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Among options being considered: the Switchblade Tactical Missile System, a "kamikaze" unmanned aerial vehicle that has been tossed out of the back of the aircraft in testing for precision target acquisition.

"We are making every one of our platforms a sensor, a sharer and a shooter," Davis said. "We're putting long-range communications and link compatibility on V-22s, we'll put a sensor package on the V-22, and we will weaponize the V-22 as well. Why would you do that? You do that because you're going to need those platforms as you fight your way from [the continental U.S.] to wherever you've got to go."

Other systems used in experiments with the Osprey include the Viper Strike glide bomb, a laser-guided system with GPS capabilities, and the Griffin A aft-eject missile, he said.

"We're looking at really the same kind of systems we've got up on our [AH-1] Cobras and UH-1Y [Venom] and also too on our C-130 [Hercules]," Davis said.

He added that the Corps' Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One had already conducted experiments using some of these systems, noting that requirements officials would have input on the final choice of system.

The Marine Corps is also looking to add Naval Air Systems Command's ALQ-231 Intrepid Tiger Pod to the Osprey. A jamming system already in use by the AV-8B Harrier and F-18 variants, the pod will boost the aircraft's ISR capabilities, Davis said.

It's not clear when Marine officials are set to make a decision on the new systems they plan to add to the aircraft. Flight Global reported in April that MAWTS-1 plans to hold a demonstration in Yuma, Arizona, with up to four competing sensor systems in late 2017.

Davis said he has heard concerns that adding weapons and sensors to the Osprey will overload the pilots, increasing their tasks and dividing their attention. But he said he has been impressed to see the younger pilots joining squadrons today embracing new technology and thriving as they employ it.

"We give them a sensor, we give them a weapons system, it won't be a problem," he said. "I've got zero concerns about that."

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

Related Video:
The Pentagon is stepping up its Zika virus surveillance efforts by pumping an extra $1.76 million into Defense Department research labs and military partner labs worldwide.

Those labs had already received $51 million for research to look into how the Zika virus is spreading, DoD officials said. Army or Navy medical research labs in Egypt, Georgia, Kenya, Peru, Thailand, Cambodia and Singapore will benefit from the funding. Army, Navy and Air Force labs in the United States will also benefit.

The Zika virus spreads through bites from the Aedes aegypti mosquito and can cause serious birth defects, including microcephaly, if contracted during pregnancy. It has appeared in 61 countries worldwide, including the U.S., although stateside cases have thus far been limited. About 4,905 confirmed and 194,633 suspected cases of Zika have been reported in the Western Hemisphere as of early April, DoD officials said.

Earlier this year Pentagon officials pledged to move at-risk military family and female service members from overseas locations impacted by the Zika outbreak. At least one pregnant family-member has been moved through that program.

At U.S military-operated facilities, the majority of the research funding plus-up will allow an increase to ongoing global clinic-based surveillance of service members and civilians. The rest of the funding will be focused on the DoDs blood serum repository, which houses serum samples collected from more than 10 million U.S. service members when they join the military, as well as before and after deployments.

Officials said they will focus their serum research on examining the samples of service members who have been deployed to areas with high rates of Zika infections to determine the exposure level of U.S. troops. About 500 samples from service members stationed in Puerto Rico and 500 from service members deployed to West Africa will be checked, officials said.

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com


"By 1949, he and Wilma had five kids, including me, and needed a house. For $5,000, Whitey bought an old wreck of a farmhouse at 138 Alger SE, only half a mile from the sheet metal shop on Division Avenue." - Author William Brashler in "On Thin Ice."

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Whitey and Wilma Brashler would approve of the recent changes at the old home in which they raised their family at 138 Alger St. SE, says neighbor Tyrone Wilkins.

Wilkins, who has lived next door to the old Brashler house for the past 20 years, watched sadly several years ago as it fell into disrepair, then into tax foreclosure and was taken over by the Kent County Land Bank.

"Whitey kept his house in immaculate shape," said Wilkins. "This house was like the centerpiece of the block."

The 116-year-old house, which the Brashlers updated in the 1960s with an addition and a pillared brick facade, once again stands proudly in the Garfield Park neighborhood.

The Kent County Land Bank is hosting an open house at the home from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, May 18. The property will be listed for $199,000 with Independence Realty the following day.

The land bank assumed control of the house last year after the bank that owned the property stopped paying taxes. It was one of about 90 tax-foreclosed properties the land bank acquired in the city and surrounding communities.

Since then, the land bank invested $140,000 into a reconstruction of the house, which it redeemed for about $8,700 in back taxes.

"This was a rough one," said David De Velder, the land bank's director of real estate development. The living room floor was collapsing thanks to a gas explosion which occurred several years earlier, damaging the foundation. The flooring was buckled and the roof leaked.

The land bank hired Cross Construction to rebuild the house from the foundation up. Now, there's a new roof, new flooring, plumbing, wiring and light fixtures throughout the house.

The house now has an open floor plan with wide portals linking the rooms on the ground floor. In the living room, the wood-burning fireplace in the living room still retains its walnut mantel.

The kitchen has been modernized with stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, tile flooring and an informal dining area next to a bank of windows overlooking the covered patio. There's a laundry area in the mud room and back entrance to the home.

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms and two full bathrooms, including one attached to the master bedroom. The second bathroom and several closets were carved out of a fifth bedroom on the second floor, De Velder said.

The home and an unattached garage stand on a half-acre lot that backs up to the Salvation Army Kroc Community Center, a $32 million community and recreation center that opened in 2010.

The project is the most extensive and expensive renovation to date for the land bank, which has acquired and re-sold all of the tax-foreclosed properties in the city during the past four years.

"The Kent County Land Bank is committed to revitalizing neighborhoods across Grand Rapids by restoring properties like 138 Alger through collaborative partnerships that create opportunities for residential development," KCLBA Executive Director David Allen said in a press release.

"Without using taxpayer dollars and through responsible development, we transformed 138 Alger into a safe, beautiful and welcoming family home during a time where the demand for homes is high and available inventory is low."

As foreclosures wane and the demand for housing remains strong, De Velder said they expect the land bank will acquire about 40 houses this year, down sharply from the 277 properties it acquired in Kent County in 2014.

Next door, Wilkins said he's looking forward to welcoming new neighbors who will bring love and life back to the old house next door.

"This is good for the neighborhood," he said.



RELATED: Land bank ready to scoop up city's tax-foreclosed properties again

Jim Harger covers business for Mlive Media Group. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.
American Craft Beer Week

Michigan is the "Great Beer State"

(courtesy photo)

American Craft Beer Week kicks off this week and runs until May 22. It's a party in the USA, as independent breweries across the country celebrate small beer. Here in Michigan, there are parties, toasts, special brews and more planned all week long.

With over 200 breweries, Michigan sure lives up to it's "Great Beer State" nickname. Ranked #5 in the nation in overall breweries, brew pubs and microbreweries (and, yes, these are all different), Michigan beer contributes over $277 million dollars to the states economy. So haters, don't hate. Beer is a great economic story for Michigan, as well as being delicious.

There's no shortage of events happening this week. A nationwide toast will unite beer drinkers across the country on Thursday, May 19 at 8 pm. For up to the minute info, I recommend checking the Facebook pages of your favorite breweries. Here are some events that are happening across the state of Michigan this week.

Stormcloud Brewing, Frankfort will be offering a punch card, to encourage you to try seven different Stormcloud beers this week. Once completed, turn it in for a chance to win a $50 gift card. "The intent with the punch cards is to get our customers out of their beer comfort zones and to try something new," says Rick Schmitt, co-owner of Stormcloud. "We're all guilty of regularly drinking our one favorite beer. But in the spirit of American Craft Beer Week, we're challenging our customers to discover the immense variety of beer styles and flavors we are crafting by hand, right here in Frankfort."

Dark Horse Brewery, Marshall will have pint night on Wednesday and live music on Thursday. They also will be celebrating the release of their new seasonal session ale, Kamikaze Kaleidoscope, at a release party at Winston's Pub located in the iconic Schuler's Restaurant on Wednesday from 5-9pm. Check out the video for more info.

Short's Brewing Company, Bellaire has events happening at their pub all week long. Wednesday there is a food and beer pairing, Thursday tap a firkin with a brewer, Friday Vox Vidorra is playing, Saturday Hannah Rose and the GravesTones will perform, and Sunday you can enjoy brunch starting at 11 am.

Arcadia Ales, Kalamazoo will offer brewery tours Tuesday, May 17th through Thursday, May 19th at 6pm and Saturday, May 21st through Sunday, May 22nd at 2pm. Limited to 20 people, get their early. In celebration of both ACBW and Arcadia's 20th anniversary, they are releasing special beer flights to show the diversity of their beers. Also, check out their food specials this week as well.

Sherwood Brewing, Shelby Township welcomes Stephen Johnson of Motor City Brew Tours and author of "Detroit Beer-A History of Brewing in the Motor City" for a discussion of Detroit brewing both past and present. Johnson will be presenting at 7 pm on Tuesday May 17, and signing copies of his book.

ThumbCoast Brewing, Port Huron has food specials all week, including a perch dinner on Friday. Saturday they have a special beer and food tasting event, featuring 5 of their beers. Tickets are $30 each, head to their Facebook page for more details.

Cheboygan Brewing Company, Cheboygan will have a special release of one of there exclusive "premiere series" beers on Wednesday May 18 at 4 pm in their taproom. Only one glass per person so everyone can try it. CBC has specials all week long, including discounts on growler fills.

Hop Cat, Grand Rapids has events all week long. Thursday join them for a Dogfish Head tasting which include some rare beers. On Friday, they'll have a Jolly Pumpkin cellar raid starting at 11 am.

Rockford Brewing Company, Rockford will release their "Ain't Jemima" maple amber beer on Thursday starting at 11 am. Available on draft, and in 22oz bottles, this beer is brewed in the spring using maple sap instead of water, and features a unique maple flavor with a crisp, dry finish.

Arbor Brewing Company, Ann Arbor released a special beer on Monday just for ACBW."Flower Assembly Pale Ale" is hopped entirely with Mosaic hops, to create a beer loaded with citrus and tropical fruit character, with grass and pine in the background. It will be available all week. Arbor will also release a beer every day this week, each a different take on one of their standards.

Lansing Brewing Company, Lansing is offering $1 off two crowler fills or $2.50 off of three. You can try their "Angry Mayor IPA" or maybe their signature "Amber Cream Ale" all week at a discount.

Ellison Brewery in Lansing offers $1 off pints of their beer all week. Plus you can get $2 off any growler fill this week in celebration of American Craft Beer Week.

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.
James Kraatz.jpg

James Kraatz, 9, a student at Oakland Academy, raises a flag with a veteran outside his school.

(Courtesy photo)

PORTAGE, MI - A 9-year-old Cub Scout is organizing an event on Memorial Day weekend at the Air Zoo to thank Vietnam veterans for their service and sacrifices.

James Kraatz, a member of Cub Scout Pack 297 in Portage, said he learned about the Vietnam War and veterans of that war through books and conversations with his parents.

"I started thinking about this when I was 8," said James, who attends Oakland Academy and also is a member of Children of the American Revolution. "I don't think they were they were congratulated well enough and I think they were just doing what they were told. They did it even though they didn't want to."

James Kraatz

"A Tribute to Vietnam Veterans and Their Families" is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at the Air Zoo, 6151 Portage Road, Portage. The free event is open to the general public, in addition to all Vietnam veterans and their families and friends. All veterans will receive a special commemorative pin issued by the Department of Defense and their families will be presented with flowers.

The program will include a moment of silence to honor veterans who are deceased or missing in action. Matt Giraud, the former American Idol contestant from Kalamazoo, is expected to sing the "National Anthem." Proclamations will be presented by Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell and Portage Mayor Pete Strazdas and John Riling, III, president of the Michigan Council, Vietnam Veterans of America, will offer remarks.

James said he has no idea how many veterans will attend the tribute, but he just wants them to feel better about their service in Vietnam.

"I talked to my barber's brother who did go to Vietnam and he said they hadn't really been congratulated for 45 years. I want them to know that what they did was important," James said.

For more information about the tribute, email Kazootribute@gmail.com.
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A draft of the long-awaited Sugar Act is to be revised with recommendations from industry figures at a meeting of the Sugar and Sugar Related Products Merchants and Manufacturers Association today.





Once the revision is complete the act will be submitted to parliament through the Ministry of Agriculture.

The association wants to use the act to create policies that support the sugar industry and help factories survive, said chair U Soe Linn.

The draft of the Sugar Act already contains measures that should help bolster the sugar sector, being based in part on Thailands Cane and Sugar Act of 1984. Myanmars draft act includes elements of the Thai legislation including revenue-sharing between farmers and millers, the creation of an industry board, and emergency funds for millers and farmers to cushion against price shocks or weather events.

U Soe Linn said that todays meeting would also highlight challenges and dilemmas faced by cane farmers and factories in an uncertain business climate.

What will our sector become in the next five years? he asked. I want to draw a roadmap, but stability is the major challenge for the market. That is the drawback around re-exporting to China.

Myanmar exported about 100,000 tonnes of sugar to China in 2013 but exports collapsed in 2014 when China turned to Vietnam for its imports. However, since April 2015 the trade has rocketed again with an estimated 200,000 tonnes exported up to the end of 2015.





Well-connected merchants get sugar permits and they import sugar from Thailand and then export to China, deputy chair of the Myanmar Sugar and Sugar Related Products Merchants and Manufacturers Association U Win Htay previously told The Myanmar Times.

The Ministry of Commerce enforces a scheme whereby traders who buy sugar from overseas must guarantee they will re-export it. If they fail, they are required to return the sugar to wherever they bought it from.

Chinese demand for sugar imports is increasing because its own sugar production has fallen, with fields given over to what had been more competitive crops. Landlocked Yunnan province is also forced to pay a premium for sugar, with traders citing a mid-price of some 5200 yuan (US$795) a tonne for refined sugar, about double current international prices.

But the sugar association is worried that the practice of importing and then exporting foreign sugar discourages local production and hurts the local market. Myanmars sugar producers face issues around low production and quality compared to neighbouring countries, making survival in a competitive market difficult, say industry figures.

A lack of contract agreements between cane farmers and sugar producers has also led to production issues, with some factory owners eager to sell their factories back to the government, U Soe Linn said.

At this rate, sugar factories will be dead, he said.

In Myanmar there are 21 sugar millers including private sector entities, joint ventures and state-owned millers under the control of Myanmar Economic Corporation and Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited.
By following expert advice, Yangon could become not just a green city, but a golden city, Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein has told a meeting of town planners. Long-term neglect of planning advice had helped create the problems the city was facing today, including severe traffic congestion and overcrowding, he said.





Many office blocks and other high-rise buildings had been concentrated in the wrong places in the search for profit, he added.

There was no order or discipline in Yangons development. The norms were not in place, and the officials were not in place to enforce them, he said. The chief minister was speaking at an urban development conference held on May 5 at City Hall by Yangon City Development Committee and the Renaissance Institute that brought together regional MPs, town planning experts and developers.

Old Yangon was built to a zoning plan, with many great historical buildings of architectural note. But the recent development of the city has lacked order and discipline. There are too many buildings downtown that shouldnt be there, he said. YCDC officials said last week they expect a new and long-awaited zoning plan, aimed at limiting high-rise buildings and better regulating urban land use, to go from draft document to law this year.

By taking expert recommendations, Yangon could go green and shine, said the chief minister, calling on city residents to play their part.

Planning expert U Kyaw Latt said Yangons problems  congestion, failure to conserve old buildings and haphazard development  arose from the failure of the old government to take expert advice.

The planners would advise the government, but their advice was not accepted. We hope the decision-makers in the present regional parliament and government will consider and approve our plans, he said.





The government is committed to the Yangon Strategic Plan 2040, which sets out the development of the city over the next decades, assuming a doubling of the population to about 11 million in that period. But the plan should be carried out in such a way as to benefit residents, said U Kyaw Latt.

Yangon was 88 square miles in extent in 1988, but exceeds 300 square miles now. The current government should implement the further expansion of the city effectively, he said.

U Kyaw Latt said a development plan for Dala township should also be drawn up to ensure the effective use of its 15,000-acre extent following the completion of the Dala bridge. The bridge would link the once-isolated township directly to downtown Yangon.

The Yangon-Dala bridge project was launched earlier this year, and will be built with funding from Korea. U Toe Aung, deputy head of YCDCs Department of Urban and Land Administration, said plans drawn up by the regional and city authorities had to comply with the strategic plan, which had been drawn up with the help of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The plan will govern development until 2040, and its boundaries have already been laid down, he said.

The Yangon 2040 plan, made public in July 2015, includes the construction of seven new satellite developments around Yangon to help accommodate 10 million people.
Singapore-Based restaurant chain Crystal Jade will break into the Myanmar market this year, opening two outlets in Yangon with others to open across the country from 2017, the firm announced yesterday. Singapore Myanmar Investco (SMI) has entered into a franchise agreement with Crystal Jade to operate the firms first Myanmar outlets.





SMI has ventures across a wide range of sectors in Myanmar including telecoms infrastructure, car hire and rental and service offices. The firm also operates duty-free services at the same Yangon airport terminal that will house the first Crystal Jade restaurant.

The countrys inaugural Crystal Jade will open at the new Yangon International Airport Terminal 2 in the third quarter of this year, and a second branch will open in Sedona Hotel before the end of 2016, according to an SMI press release published yesterday.

A third restaurant is planned for 2017, and a fourth in 2018, according to a separate SMI statement published on the Singapore stock exchange.

The Chinese-cuisine-focused chain was founded in Singapore in 1991 and has over 100 restaurants in the Asia-Pacific region and the US, according to the release. Crystal Jade and SMI are positioning to take advantage of the rising popularity of Chinese cuisine in Myanmar, the SMI press release said. The countrys food and beverage market has strong potential for growth as economic progress continues after major reforms were undertaken in recent years, it added.

A series of foreign firms have announced their first Myanmar outlets in recent months. Singaporean bakery chain BreadTalk revealed earlier this month that it plans to open its first branch here in early 2017 in partnership with Shwe Taung Group.
The European Commission (EC) will ask its council of ministers in June for permission to negotiate an aviation agreement between the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations  the first bloc-to-bloc aviation agreement for the EU.





The EC laid out an aviation strategy in December 2015, aimed at forming a series of agreements between the EU and other countries and regional groups. These include Turkey, China, the Gulf Cooperation Council states and ASEAN.

On June 7, the EC will ask the European Council  comprising leaders of the EU states and other EU bodies  to approve the strategy.

This will allow the EC to start negotiations with ASEAN and other potential partners, Jakub Adamowicz, spokesperson for Transport and Regional Policy at the European Commission, told The Myanmar Times.

The EU and ASEAN are two key actors in civil aviation, Mr Adamowicz said.

Both are powerhouses and the potential for cooperation is considerable. This would be the first comprehensive air transport agreement between two [multi-country] blocs.

The ASEAN-EU agreement would aim to provide more direct flights between the two blocs by reducing red tape and restrictions on EU and ASEAN airlines access to each others markets, Mr Adamowicz said.

The EU boasts an open skies system, where any European carrier can operate a flight between any two EU countries. ASEAN is working on its own open skies system, and an ASEAN-EU agreement could lay the groundwork for airlines to operate more freely between the two blocs.





[An agreement] would help make sure that every airline from the EU or ASEAN could seize market opportunities where available, Mr Adamowicz said, although as the negotiations have not yet begun it was too early to comment on what the specific debating points might be, he added.

Not only is there the potential for greater EU-ASEAN trade as a result of better air connections, but an agreement would help the two blocs address competition from Gulf carriers.

Firms like Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Emirates are geographically well-placed to serve as a travel link between Europe and Asia, and they benefit from high-capacity airports in their home region.

They have also been accused by Western competitors of receiving subsidies from their respective governments, although that accusation has proved contentious.

Subsidy or no, the gulf carriers have been taking market share from Asian and European rivals. Myanmar is no exception. Emirates recently announced it would offer flights from Dubai to Yangon and onward to Hanoi.

Emirates can pick up passengers in Yangon and fly them to Hanoi, as part of the airlines fifth-freedom rights, which allow an airline to fly between two foreign countries as long as the flight originates or ends in its home country.

One potential point for debate in the EU-ASEAN negotiation would be to what extent fifth-freedom rights would automatically be given to airlines operating between the two groups of countries. At present, if a French airline wants to offer flights to Yangon, for example, that would fall under a separate agreement between Myanmar and France.

A full open-skies regime between the EU and ASEAN is likely to be some way off, not least because ASEAN is still encountering difficulties with its own ASEAN Open Skies Policy, to which Myanmar is a signatory.

The policy provides for fifth-freedom rights between ASEAN countries, which has allowed airlines like Bangkok Airways and Air Asia to offer flights from their home countries to Myanmar hubs Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay. But some ASEAN nations have protected certain key destinations from fifth-freedom agreements, and the types of routes to which those rights should apply is still being hammered out by ASEAN negotiators.

The likelihood of a truly ASEAN open-skies [system] remains distant, said Alan Tan, a professor at the National University of Singapore Law School specialising in aviation law, because many airlines are still afraid of competition and seek protection from their governments.

Figures in Myanmars airline industry are concerned about competition from other ASEAN carriers, most of which are larger and more established, and often benefit from a more favourable tax regime in their home country.

The ASEAN-EU agreement would not only be about traffic rights, Mr Adamowicz said. Airlines have to secure slots at airports in order to service routes, and an ASEAN-EU agreement could help encourage airports to increase capacity and governments to build better facilities, he said.

A lack of large airports actually acts as a form of industry protection for Myanmar. The country has only three airports where larger jets used by foreign airlines can land, in Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pi Taw. But if other airports are upgraded, then regional low-cost carriers will be able to target those, too.

Mr Adamowicz said he expected that concerns from countries like Myanmar about increased competition would be focused on during any EU-ASEAN negotiations.

Assuming an agreement is in place by next year, the EU estimates that between 2017 and 2023 a deal could lead to 8 billion euros (US$9 billion) in economic benefits including increased trade, he added.

That figure would be spread although not equally across the EU and ASEAN, and counts expected social impact, mainly through increased employment, a consumer surplus due to lower fares, more tourism between the two blocs, and time savings due to better connections and more direct routes, he added.
Famous actor and philanthropist Kyaw Thu has made a comeback in the detective film Professor Dr Sake Phwar after being forced to take an eight-year break from acting by the former military-led government.





He had been barred from his craft in 2007 when he offered food to monks who took part in a peaceful Saffron Revolution.

Kyaw Thu credited his colleagues, including fellow actors Ye Aung, Yan Aung, May Myat Noe and Min Oo, for helping him through his first film in nearly a decade.

I have been away from the film industry for eight years, he said. I was nervous to see if I could do well.

Professor Dr Sake Phwar is one of the more popular detective novels written by writer, astrologer and political prisoner U Min Thein Kha, who passed away in 2008. The novel was adapted for film and directed by Khin Saw Myo. Kyaw Thu plays the titular Dr Sake Phwar, a colonial-era detective who takes up a murder investigation after finding a dead body linked to hidden treasure.

Kyaw Thu said he picked this to be his return film over a number of other film opportunities in the last three years. He said those other films, mostly comedies, did not appeal to him, whereas Professor Dr Sake Phwar had an interesting plot.

In 2015, Lucky Seven film company offered me the spot in Professor Dr Sake Phwar. I am respectful toward the writer U Min Thein Kha because he wrote many books that benefited readers.

The film is set in the colonial era. In the film, Dr Sake Phwar, undertaker, investigates a murder case after discovering a dead body which is found lying in a cemetery where Dr Sake Phwar works. The case is linked to a hidden treasure.





Kyaw Thu started his film acting career in 1968. He won Best Actor at the Myanmar Academy Awards for Tapyi Thu Ma Shwe Htar (Ma Shwe Htar from a Faraway Land; 1994) and Best Director for Amae No Pho (A Charge for Mothers Breastfeeding; 2003).

He also founded the Free Funeral Service Society in January 2001 to provide free funerals for poor families. Since then his dedication to humanitarian work brought him both fame and respect.

Professor Dr Sake Phwar opens across downtowns cinema from May 27.
The worlds largest data leak  the Panama Papers  has revealed a secretive network of offshore jurisdictions used by some of the most wealthy to stash assets, subvert sanctions, launder money and evade taxes. An extensive database detailing companies and businesspeople involved in the leak holds 16 names from Myanmar, including CB Bank chair U Khin Maung Aye and former dictator U Ne Wins son-in-law U Aye Zaw Win.





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The searchable database made public by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) includes names of more than 360,000 individuals and companies behind confidential offshore entities. Spanning nearly 40 years, from 1977 to 2015, the information is a tiny fraction of the leaked data, but already links to more than 200 countries and several world leaders.

The ICIJ is careful to note that those included on the database have not necessarily broken any laws. Anonymous companies in some cases have legitimate business purposes, for instance to conduct cross-border asset transfers, or make an investment without tipping off a competitor.

However the leak raises suspicions over the need for secrecy and the potential for misuse cloaked by anonymity.

Extensive reporting by ICIJ and its media partners for more than four years has shown that the anonymity granted by the offshore economy facilitates money laundering, tax evasion, fraud and other crimes, the ICIJ says. Even when its legal, transparency advocates argue that the use of an alternative, parallel economy undermines democracy because it benefits a few at the expense of the majority.

More than half of all companies registered by Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, and nearly all of those that link back to Myanmar, are licensed in the British Virgin Islands. The leaked data reveals the firm went to great lengths to ensure the finances of its elite clientele stayed hidden, for a fee.

Celebrities, politicians and their associates  including friends of Vladimir Putin, relatives of Chinas Xi Jinping, individuals linked to Malaysian Premier Najib Razak and the children of former president of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos  have embraced such covert financial management.





While the leak does not include the financial transactions completed via the shell companies, it does divulge the names and addresses of the previously anonymous owners.

The Myanmar portion of the Offshore Leaks Database reads like a laundry list of tycoon industries, including shipping, titanium, timber, petrol, drilling and auto imports.

U Khin Maung Aye, chair of Cooperative Bank Ltd, is listed on the database as a shareholder and owner of British Virgin Islands-based Yangon Riverside New City Development Co Ltd, an officially registered construction company. The offshore entity was created in 2012, and became inactive after defaulting in November last year.

A group of companies related to U Khin Maung Aye, who was adviser to former president U Thein Sein, had five projects approved just before the government changed hands at the end of March. These included the construction of a 440-acre industrial park in Yangon by New City Development Public Company, a CB Bank venture.

The managing director of U Khin Maung Ayes KMA group and CB Bank officials declined to comment on the offshore company.

Oil magnate U Michael Moe Myint  once referred to in a US diplomatic cable as perhaps the most legitimate of Myanmars businessmen after having repeatedly refused pressure to become a crony  is connected to six companies listed on the Offshore Leaks database. U Michael Moe Myints wife and other relatives were also included on the database and connected with British Virgin Islands-registered MPRL E&P and Myint & Associates. According to the US cables, the oil magnates companies have been audited several times, with the conclusion that he often overpays his taxes.

Officials at U Michael Moe Myints company Myint&Associates hung up on The Myanmar Times when asked about the British Virgin Islands-licensed companies.

The database also includes information from another 2013 expose, with documents from the Singaporean-headquartered Portcullis TrustNet which came under fire for allegations of data breaches and assisting the relatives of region dictators to evade taxes. TrustNet, which self-styled as the largest independent operator in Asia, established two British Virgin Islands firms for U Ne Wins son-in-law U Aye Zaw Win in the 1990s, including one called Sky-Link Communications LTD, according to the ICIJ.

Other names on the database include U Myint Swe, U Kyaw Win, U Htay Myint, Daw Mya Thida Swe Win and Joern Kristensen, a former Myanmar representative for the Australian company Institute for International Development.

According to the database, IID Co Ltd was incorporated in the British Virgin Islands in 2012, with Mr Kristensen listed as both shareholder and beneficiary until the account became inactive in 2015. Mr Kristensen says the account was used for legal, above-board purposes to try to enable payments to a Singaporean bank account while Myanmar was still subject to sanctions.

At that time, most embargoes and sanctions on Myanmar were still in place, and bank transfer into the country was extremely challenging, most companies and NGOs brought in their funds in cash, while outbound transfer was, and remain[s], impossible, Mr Kristensen said, adding that he was surprised to find his name listed among the Panama Papers leak.

I, and I would think that is the case for several of the other people whose names are found in the Panama Papers, have done nothing wrong, he added.

According to Edwin Vanderbruggen, a legal partner at law firm VDB Loi, many of the offshore entities are a holdover from an era when it was nearly impossible to move foreign currency in or out of the country.

I think a lot of importers and exporters needed companies and bank accounts overseas for practical reasons. Whether any laws were broken remains to be seen, but in itself this is certainly not an ominous purpose, he said. Of course, it is almost certain that offshore centres have also been used for a variety of other uses in connection with Myanmar which would raise much more concern.

According to a Central Bank official, overseas finances are managed through the 2012 Foreign Exchange Management Law. Myanmar nationals can open bank accounts abroad with the approval of the Central Bank. Under the law, residents and companies must report to the Central Bank all transactions involving their overseas accounts. The law was passed in 2012, but the Central Bank has told The Myanmar Times that, as of earlier this year, it has not received any reports from residents.

By watchdog group Tax Justice Networks estimate, a large share of the worlds wealth is parked in tax havens. In 2012, the group suggested that between US$21 trillion and $32 trillion of financial assets were sitting offshore, largely untaxed.

The problem is particularly acute in Myanmar where illicit cash flows dominate, slashing government tax revenue and fuelling an underground economy.

Last year US-based Global Financial Integrity reported that nearly $100 billion in dirty money flowed through Myanmar from 1960 to 2013. Almost $19 billion left Myanmar over that period, draining funds from the official economy. Nearly $80 billion in illicit funds entered the country, indicating smuggling profits make up a significant portion of the economy. Nearly half of those inflows occurred during the last four years of the study.

GFI said correcting illicit financial flows needs to be a government priority.

The Central Bank is hoping the new government will support enforcing and enhancing laws which require all residents with overseas bank accounts to submit regular reports to the monetary authority, which would allow it to collect better data on capital flows, offshore holdings and Myanmar investment overseas.

Whether or not the Panama Papers leak is valid, there are probably such kinds of businesspeople who want to evade taxes, said government spokesperson U Zaw Htay. We will focus on improving the rule of law when dealing with tax issues. Tax evasion is against our rules and laws and we will try to restrict such activity.

U Zaw Htay declined to comment on specific names on the database, including accusations made on social media that the U Myint Swe on the list refers to the vice president.

To search the database, click here.

Additional reporting by Lun Min Mang and Yola Verbruggen
Around 30 residents of Sittwes only remaining Muslim quarter of Aung Mingalar were allowed to go to the market in the Dar Paing IDP camp yesterday morning, ending what they said had been a temporary lockdown that took place over the weekend.





The number of people allowed out of the police-guarded area was lower than usual, however it has allayed concerns about a potential food and medication shortage.

The temporary stop on transfers followed what residents of Aung Mingalar said was a minor protest staged by a Rakhine group in front of the ghettos police barricades close to the centre of the Buddhist-majority capital of Rakhine State. A government official denied that Aung Mingalar had been in lockdown or that any protest had taken place there.

A petition carrying some 600 signatures was delivered by a Rakhine group to the state authorities claiming the enclaves population had grown. A Rakhine resident who requested anonymity told The Myanmar Times the petition was also in response to rumours there were plans afoot for the construction of a foreign-funded madrassa, an Islamic religious school.

The immigration department has begun conducting identity checks and a head count of the quarter. Many of the inhabitants identify themselves as Rohingya but are known among the Buddhist Rakhine majority  and the Tatmadaw  as Bengalis.

While Aung Mingalar is estimated to be home to some 4500 people, residents say this represents a marked decline on its population prior to the communal riots of 2012 that led to the state policy of segregating Rakhines Muslim minority and confining over 100,000 to camps.

The enclave was held by security forces during the 2012 violence, and has been under armed guard since. In recent times, security around the perimeters had been relaxed somewhat, with Rakhine residents using a road on its outskirts as a shortcut. There has been a minor but incremental resumption of trade and relations with a handful of the citys Buddhist residents, although the ghettos food supply comes largely from the IDP camp market.

With the population of Aung Mingalar not considered IDPs, and many having lost their livelihoods, they are largely reliant on outside donations to buy food and supplies.





Residents of Aung Mingalar can apply to be escorted to the IDP camps by Sittwe police on visits that take place two or three times each week, with some able to stay overnight with friends and family.

A government official said Rakhine people sent a letter to Chief Minister U Nyi Pu asking for the population of Aung Mingalar to be checked because they feared that many more people had entered the quarter and were staying there illegally.

The official, who asked not to be named, said the organisation behind the letter did not have a specific name but included 17 elder monks from Rakhine State and 11 elders from various civil society organisations.

U Soe Naing, a member of the organisation, told The Myanmar Times that the previous government had promised that the people of Aung Mingalar would be moved from there. The letter to the new chief minister asked him to carry out this pledge.

We dont want any more conflict here [in Rakhine State]. If the Bengali people remain in Aung Mingalar then conflict could happen. Aung Mingalar could be a starting place for conflict to happen, he said.

The United Nations and other international agencies which have a presence in the IDP camps on the fringes of Sittwe have not commented on the events of the past few days in Sittwe. Aid workers say the situation is extremely sensitive and they are seeking clarification from the authorities of their intentions.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime will lead training for the Myanmar Police Force starting at the end of the month, the organisation announced yesterday.





A review of the current training system of the Myanmar Police Force was jointly presented in Nay Pyi Taw by Police Major General Zaw Win and the UNODC. The review found that current training manuals are not up to international standards, especially for dealing with communal violence and protecting human rights.

Capacity building will contribute to the proposed changes in the training style of the police force and will be carried out by the UNODC in collaboration with other UN arms. It is expected to last until December.

Two areas of training will be discussed. One is boosting performances through education, the other is how to build the needed infrastructure, deputy police chief Brigadier General Thein Oo said.

The UNODC will also provide teaching aids and training curriculums, according to the deputy police chief.

Based on the report, we need to harmonise the training to fit the current time, Brig Gen Thein Oo said.

Troels Vester, UNODC country manager for Myanmar, said the police force will need improved skills for combating transnational crime.

One area would be terrorism, another area would be money laundering, another area would be human trafficking. Weve also noticed that, for instance, theres a number of armed conflicts going around in Myanmar but the police officer, the first responder is not trained on dealing with people from different ethnic backgrounds, he told Channel News Asia.





The Myanmar Police Force received widespread criticism in March 2015, when it used excessive force to crack down on student protestors in Bago Region. A crowd management training program by the EU was heavily criticised after the crackdown, but the EU defended the program, saying the incident demonstrated that further training was needed.

A police training program funded by the EU and the UK halted abruptly in March following failure to reach an agreement with the military that included issues of parliamentary oversight.

Translation by Emoon and Zar Zar Soe
The Kachin Independence Army is preparing a counter-attack against the Tatmadaw after government troops seized a base last week, according to a KIA spokesperson.





The attack on the KIAs No 6 Battalion in Hpakant township was a joint offensive by the Tatmadaw and a Shan militia, the KIA said. The Kachin armed group has since retreated from the base and spokesperson Colonel Naw Buu said he did not know how many soldiers had died in the clashes.

He told The Myanmar Times on May 15 that fighting continued but he was unable to provide detailed information about the clashes.

A counter-attack is not strange. One side was attacked by the other, so then they are likely to be attacked one day. Thats called fighting, he said.

Coinciding with the clashes, bombings have rocked Hpakant township, spreading fear among civilians and mining companies in the jade-rich region of Kachin State about 130 kilometres (80 miles) northwest of Myitkyina.

Eight bombings were reported on May 8 and 9 alone. Township police officers said explosions had occurred every day since then, but they are yet to identify who was responsible for the attacks.

The Tatmadaw has accused the KIA of orchaestrating the bombings, and of using heavy artillery and hand grenades against army bases and police stations. Seven civilians were allegedly taken by the KIA from Nant Yar village in Hpakant. The Tatmadaw meanwhile said it had seized a KIA training school and five hideouts.

KIA officials denied responsibility of the bombings, saying Tatmadaw-backed militias were likely behind the attacks.





The KIA is not the only one to blame for the bomb blasts. There are other armed groups too, Col Naw Buu said.

On May 13, an explosion was reported at the Tai-Leng Nationalities Development Partys office in Hpakant township, causing damage to a fence and the building but not injuring anyone, according to the partys secretary U Sein Nyunt Thaung.

The ongoing blasts are creating a sense of insecurity in Hpakant, as the deployment of state security troops has failed to end the attacks, he added.

Fighting is still taking place in our township. The police force, jade mining companies and our party office were attacked by hand grenades thrown by an unknown armed group. On May 12, three employees of a jade mining company were wounded by a bombing and also one company was attacked on May 13, U Sein Nyunt Thaung said.

The authorities prevented The Myanmar Times from accessing Kar Mai a former sub-township in Hpakant, which was the scene of the explosion on May 13, saying that they could not take responsibility for the reporters safety.

On the morning of May 15, a hand grenade was thrown at the Lone Khin police station in Hpakant township, according to the township police force. No one was injured.

U La Aung, the Kachin State minister for natural resources, said the fighting would not likely end soon and he thinks the clashes are related to jade production in the area.

Nearly 50 companies announced that they would suspend jade mining operations from May 15 because of the ongoing fighting.

Fighting also broke near the base of the KIAs No 6 Battalion in January, with residents alleging that the Tatmadaw was securing business interests for the Myanmar Economic Cooperation, a military-owned company.
The United States last night announced it had extended sanctions against companies and individuals in Myanmar, adopting new measures targeted against Steven Laws Asia World while removing some state-owned entities from its list.





The US Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) removed seven state-owned enterprises and three state-owned banks from the Specially designated nationals and blocked persons list (SDN).

To incentivise further democratic reforms and maintain pressure on targeted individuals and entities and the military, certain sanctions remain in place, a statement said.

OFAC added to the SDN List six companies that are owned 50 percent or more by Steven Law or Asia World Co Ltd associates on the SDN List.

More broadly, these actions demonstrate the Administrations support for continued political reforms and broad-based economic growth in Burma, while also maintaining sanctions pressure where needed, and providing the private sector with further clarity to effectively engage in Burma, OFAC said.

US officials in Washington, who asked not to be named, said earlier this week that the decision had been taken in line with recommendations from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Diplomats in Yangon said the civilian-led government wanted to maintain leverage against the Tatmadaw and its crony business associates.

In public Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has neither opposed nor supported the continuation of US sanctions since her landslide election victory.

US businesses had lobbied for an end to the sanctions, which had been due to expire on May 20, arguing they damage wider US trade and investment beyond targeted companies and individuals. International human rights groups had called for an extension in an attempt to curb human rights abuses by the Tatmadaw.





OFAC responded to business pressure by adding a general license authorizing transactions related to US individuals residing in Burma, extended and expanded an existing general license authorizing trade-related transactions, and updated an existing general license authorizing certain banking services.

The seven delisted state-owned companies were named as: Myanmar Timber Enterprise; Myanmar Pearl Enterprise; Myanmar Gem Enterprise; No. 1 Mining Enterprise; No. 2 Mining Enterprise; No. 3 Mining Enterprise; and Co-Operative Export-Import Enterprise.

Three state-owned banks were also taken off the sanctions list: Myanma Economic Bank; Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank; and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank.

These removals support US foreign policy goals and acknowledge the changing circumstances in Burma. The entities being removed are organized under civilian line ministries or no longer exist, the US statement said.

Six companies identified as owned 50 percent or more by Asia World or Steven Law were named as Asia Mega Link Co, Asia Mega Link Services Co, Pioneer Aerodrome Services Co, Green Asia Services Co, Global World Insurance Co, and Shwe Nar Wah Co.

Any property or interests in property of those companies within the US or in possession or control of US persons should be frozen, OFAC said.

Search the full SDN list here

The son of Lo Hsing Han, an infamous drug lord and tycoon known as the Godfather of Heroin, Steven Law is one of Myanmars best connected cronies. Hailing from Kokang, a restive region on the Chinese border, he has been sanctioned by the US Treasury since 2008. He had close links with the former military junta and runs a business empire spanning from ports and airports, to trade, mining and hydropower projects.

The remaining sanctions on Burmese individuals and entities are primarily intended to target those who obstruct political reform in Burma, commit human rights abuses in Burma, or propagate military trade with North Korea, OFAC said, noting that it significantly eased sanctions against Myanmar over the past four years.

A senior Tatmadaw officer, who asked not to be named, said that the US was acting in its national interests.

He noted that the US had imposed tough sanctions against China in 1989 after the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijings Tiananmen Square Military but lifted them three years later when Washington realised it gained no benefits.

He said the US had maintained sanctions on Myanmar for more than 20 years because the country was of little economic benefit to the US.

It would be better if they had decided to lift the sanctions. But I dont think it means anything special. We have stayed under sanctions for years, but we did not have negative effects because of them. We can stand on our own. The US is extending the sanctions, giving reasons of human rights, but this reason is not special for us, the senior officer said.

US sanctions include a ban on arms sales and US imports of rubies and jade.

A senior US administration official said in retaining most of the sanctions the objective was to recognise that the transition is not yet complete. Democracy in Myanmar had not yet been consolidated, and there are entities and individuals that may seek to undo the democratic shift, he said.

Myanmars military had been helpful during the recent elections, but retains undue influence with a quota of parliamentary seats, a vice-president and three ministerial positions, he said. This state of affairs is holding Myanmar back from a becoming a fully consolidated democracy, he added.

No individuals were named as being removed from the sanctions list.

A US official said, We continue to go through the de-listing process and continue to do this vigorously.
The United States is expected to announce today an extension of its economic and military sanctions against Myanmar, with some revisions, in line with recommendations by the new civilian-led government, according to Western diplomats in Yangon and reports from Washington.





Sanctions are also likely to feature on the agenda when Secretary of State John Kerry visits Myanmar on May 22. The State Department said he would meet with key leaders in Nay Pyi Taw to signal US support for the new democratically elected, civilian-led government and further democratic and economic reforms.

The decision by President Barack Obama to keep sanctions in place against the military and more than 100 blacklisted individuals and companies puts State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the unusual position of being a de facto head of government inviting punitive measures against her own country.

In public, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has neither opposed nor supported the continuation of US sanctions since her partys landslide election victory last November. However during her visit to Washington in 2012 she asked the Obama administration to ease the sanctions in response to the democratic transition put in place by then-President U Thein Sein.

I think its time because its time for us to take responsibility for our own country, she told The Washington Post at the time. She has also said that since she did not initiate them she could not end them.

Shortly after her election victory, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi spoke somewhat ambiguously about sanctions to the same paper, noting they are not the only thing that matters with regard to progress in this country. But she also said they may no longer be needed with a genuinely democratic government in power.

Richard Horsey, a Yangon-based analyst, said that as the 70-year-old leader is now in the government, her position on sanctions is riskier.





The decision of Aung San Suu Kyi not to oppose the US renewal of sanctions seems at odds with her administrations interest in promoting economic growth and jobs, he said.

It may reflect an underestimation of the impact of residual sanctions on the broader economy, an over-estimation of the leverage they provide on potential spoilers, or both. It is a risky position when there are so many other, better options available, he added.

Major US companies in Myanmar and the US Chamber of Commerce have lobbied for the lifting of Myanmar-specific sanctions, arguing they have a broader impact than intended.

Reporting from Washington, Reuters quoted US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, as saying Daw Aung San Suu Kyi supported the extension of US sanctions with some changes. The officials said discussions with her had focused on how to properly target trade restrictions so they do not hurt the countrys overall economy, but keep pressure on military-owned institutions.

Opinion: To renew or not to renew: Whats at stake?

Diplomats in Yangon suggested that the state counsellor wanted to maintain a degree of leverage over the Tatmadaw, which maintains considerable powers outside executive control, including three key ministries and the numbers in parliament to block constitutional changes.

The sanctions are due to expire on May 20 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which the president can extend each year. The sanctions also include a ban on arms sales and imports of rubies and jade.

In recent months the US had already started easing the measures. In December, the Treasury temporarily relaxed trade restrictions by allowing shipments to go through ports and airports for six months that were under the ownership of a blacklisted company.

Search the full SDN list here

Reuters quoted congressional aides and US officials as saying that Washington will likely offer more general licenses to specific companies and take some people off the Treasurys list of Specially Designated Nationals targeted for sanctions.

David Steinberg, professor of Asian Studies at Georgetown University, noted in the Nikkei Asian Review that to renew the sanctions the US president must issue an order indicating that the actions and policies of the Government of Burma continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

This is bizarre considering that the US has opened a trade office, encouraged responsible investment, and is actively engaged in an economic aid program in the country formerly known as Burma. If one were to take the US statement seriously, its government is encouraging its citizens who are involved in these programs to put their safety in jeopardy by operating in Myanmar, Mr Steinberg wrote.
In the face of ever-rising energy demands and climbing temperatures, the Ministry of Electricity and Energy has released an aspirational blueprint for its first 100 days in office.





The ministry will strive to finish building electricity transmission yards across the country to boost electricity generation, said U Pe Zin Tun, Union electricity minister.

We will increase electricity distribution within 100 days. Mawlamyines combined cycle power plant will generate 30 megawatts more by May 18 and Myingyan power plant will generate 133MW by May 31, he said.

The ministry is also working on transmission projects in Chin and Rakhine states, as well as building transmission lines and yards in Nay Pyi Taw, Kachin, Kayah, Sagaing, Magwe and Ayeyarwady regions.

A total of 15,000 households in Tamu township, Sagaing Region, will be electrified within 100 days, said U Pe Zin Tun.

The new government merged the ministries of electric power and energy, with the new chapter now running four departments, five enterprises and two corporations, according to an official.

U Pe Zin Tun said consumption of electricity is up in every region, creating challenges.

We still face difficulties with implementation, not only in generation but also in transmission and distribution, said U Pe Zin Tun.





Electricity sector authorities have been under fire recently due to continuous blackouts across most of Myanmars cities. Their response to complaints, blaming outages on a system breakdown, prompted widespread criticism on social media.

If something happens along the national grid system it is called a system breakdown, according to the Electric Power Generation Enterprise.

The two main reasons for system breakdowns  including recent blackouts  are technical errors in power lines and bad weather. The countrys electricity consumption in hot season is much higher than at other times of the year.

The countrys total electricity consumption this summer reached 2730MW, while all of Myanmars power stations can only generate 2450MW of power combined, according to authorities.

The countrys commercial capital, Yangon, is responsible for more than half of the nations electricity demand, sucking up around 1250MW. The power plants near Yangon can generate only around 500MW, even though they are supposed to be able to generate 900MW, according to the ministry.

We are going to install 150 electricity transformers and develop related power lines to [improve] electrification in Yangon within 100 days, said minister U Pe Zin Tun.

Currently four power plants owned by the ministry and four that are private operated supply electricity to Yangon Region. Both sell electricity to Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation which distributes it to the public. There are a total of 12,218 transformers currently across Yangon.

The MoEE is also going to promote private investment in renewable energy development through its 100-day plan to ensure energy security in the whole country, it said.

Additional reporting by Zay Yar Linn and Pyae Thet Phyo, and translation by Emoon and Zar Zar Soe
Preparations for a national peace conference and establishment of a new peace centre must be sped up, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi instructed yesterday.





Her office said two teams will separately prepare the 21st-Century Panglong Conference and set up her proposed Nay Pyi Taw-based National Reconciliation and Peace Centre (NRPC) to take over from the now-defunct Myanmar Peace Center in Yangon.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi met aides, military representatives and former peace brokers in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday. On April 27 she said the Panglong-style conference, involving all ethnic armed groups, should be held within two months.

The meeting appeared to have focused on organisational details rather than policy initiatives.

U Kyaw Tint Swe, a former UN envoy named last week as minister for the State Counsellors Office, is to manage the establishment of the new peace secretariat, which diplomats say Western governments are standing by ready to fund.

The MPC will be transformed into NRPC and it will stand as a government body under the state counsellor office ministry and its budget expenditure shall be in accordance with the rules and laws of the ministry, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in a statement released by her office.

Government spokesperson U Zaw Htay told The Myanmar Times that the NRPC would have to work under different circumstances from the MPC.





It will be a government structure, while the former MPC was a semi-government body. The budget expenditure will be more transparent than the MPCs, he said, possibly referring to confusion over what has happened to its assets since its dissolution at the end of former president U Thein Seins term.

The budget will be a mixed one. There will be coordination meetings for the fund between the government and donors, he added.

The new peace secretariat will have its headquarters in Nay Pyi Taw, but will also use the MPCs former premises in Yangons Kamaryut township.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said the future conference would be based on the nationwide ceasefire accord signed last year with a minority of ethnic armed groups but that the talks would need flexibility with amendments to the political dialogue framework on the agenda.

She said two sub-committees should be formed, one to talk to the eight groups that signed the ceasefire and the other to address the non-signatories. U Zaw Htay said the mandates of the two sub-committees had not yet been decided. Members of the governments peace teams will soon be released, he added.

The state counsellor also intends to reform the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee that was set up under the ceasefire pact and includes representatives of the government, military, political parties and eight signatory armed groups. The committee has been responsible for overseeing political dialogue between the armed groups and government.

Civil society organisations are to be granted an advisory role in the peace process, with the state counsellor suggesting that a CSO forum be held soon to gather recommendations for the peace process.

U Tin Myo Win, who is Daw Aung San Suu Kyis doctor and tipped for the role of chief government peace negotiator, attended the meeting. Lieutenant General Khin Zaw Oo and Lt Gen Myint Soe, two key military figures in the previous peace process, were also among those present, as well as U Hla Maung Shwe, a former MPC senior adviser and U Min Zaw Oo, former MPC director.

U Hla Maung Shwe said he was unure what role he would be given but was happy to work with the new government in the peace process.
Fifty years ago this week Mao Zedong launched Chinas Cultural Revolution  a decade of chaos, persecution and violence, carried out in the name of ideology and in the interest of expanding Maos personal power. Yet, instead of reflecting on that episodes destructive legacy, the Chinese government is limiting all discussion of it, Chinese citizens, focused on the wealth brought by three decades of market-oriented reforms, have been content to go along. But at a time when President Xi Jinping is carrying out ruthless purges and creating his own cult of personality, burying the past is not cost-free.





In August 1966, Mao published Bombard the Headquarters  My Big-Character Poster, a document aimed at enabling the purge of the Chinese Communist Partys leading capitalist roader: then-President Liu Shaoqi. In the poster, Mao called for Chinas youth to pull the emperor off his horse and start a grassroots rebellion.

Young people responded with alacrity. Red Guard student paramilitary groups quickly cropped up across the country to advance Maos will. Within 100 days, Mao had succeeded in purging swaths of the central party leadership, including Liu and Deng Xiaoping.

But it was not just Maos political adversaries who were under attack. That first August and September alone, the Red Guards killed more than 1700 people, either through beatings or forced suicide, and banished some 100,000 Beijing residents, after burning their homes and belongings. Educators were particularly vulnerable. Whenever the Red Guards appeared at elementary schools, middle schools, or universities, teachers and administrators were removed.

It did not take long for Mao to turn on the Red Guards, deciding that its members were the underlings of the capitalist roaders. After imposing military rule across China, Mao filled the Red Guard units with new proletarian rebels, often banishing the groups original members to far-flung villages for re-education.

For Xi, the events of the Cultural Revolution hit close to home. His own father, Xi Zhongxun, a senior Communist Party official, was removed from power, imprisoned and ultimately sent to work in a factory making tractors, while his family was scattered across the countryside.

Yet instead of recoiling from the ideology and organisation that tore apart his family and his country, Xi has adopted the key tenets and tools of the Cultural Revolution as his own. Xi seems to have retained within him the belligerence of Cultural Revolution-era youth. Power is his lodestar and he appears to be willing to go to any length to secure it. In this effort, he has one key advantage: Maos legacy.





For decades, Mao promoted a form of class struggle in which citizens informed on one another, even their closest friends, neighbours and family members. With no safe haven at hand, everyone  even non-members  became a servant of the Communist Party. In this environment of fear, the state quietly and efficiently subsumed personal identity.

The savagery required to assert absolute power over the population is one lesson of the Cultural Revolution to which Xi seems indifferent. He is concerned only about the absolute power part. And in his effort to obtain it, the survivors of the Cultural Revolution  people who know what it means to be intimidated into choosing politics over the personal  have become Xis most reliable political capital.

Xi knows that he can succeed only by reinforcing the partys authority and his position as its leader. So he has presented the narrative that there is a grave threat to China from within  a threat posed by treacherous and corrupt leaders  and has declared party loyalty to be of paramount importance.

There are only two types of people: those who support the party and those who do not. Like Mao in 1966, Xi believes that his power hinges on making all Chinese  government officials and ordinary citizens alike  loyal and obedient through any means possible. Power is founded on the repression of opponents, such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo and the tens of thousands of other jailed authors and scholars.

But Xi is not counting on fear alone to cement his rule. He is also attempting to win popular support with a new unifying ideology, based on the so-called China Dream, a set of socialist values and goals that are supposed to bring about the great renewal of the Chinese nation. This has been accompanied by a galvanising form of nationalism that portrays the world, particularly the United States, as seeking to keep China back from assuming its rightful place atop the international order. And he has nurtured a personality cult of a kind not seen since Mao.

Fifty years after the Cultural Revolution, its crimes and sins remain unexpurgated. On the contrary, it is being used to justify more political and social repression in China. But, despite Xis best efforts, his attempts to secure Mao-style authority are likely to end very differently for him, with his incompetent economic rule and political purges and repression gradually producing secret cadres that oppose him. As economic failures increasingly explode into political unrest, the old Red Guards may once again reprise their central role in the Cultural Revolution, backed by a young generation unaware of history. This time, the emperor they pull off his horse will be Xi.

 Project Syndicate

Ma Jian is the author of Beijing Coma and most recently The Dark Road.
The inauguration on May 20 of Tsai Ing-wen as Taiwans new president has got China agitated. Tsai, leader of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, has so far refused to reiterate the formula used to dodge questions about Taiwans status  that theres only one China, even if the two sides disagree about what that means. China has darkly warned that any breakdown in relations will be on Tsais head. Its even threatening to cut off Taiwans access to the World Health Organization, one of the few global bodies in which the island is allowed to participate.





The threat itself isnt surprising. Ever since the United Nations voted in 1971 to kick out Taiwan and give its seat to China, the mainland has sought to block anything that might raise Taiwans international stature and thus imply that the island is a sovereign state, rather than just another Chinese province. The rest of the world has generally gone along, especially as Chinas global clout has grown.

Yet given the challenges China itself faces  from the environment to public health to the economy  this strategy is looking increasingly counterproductive. If anything, Chinese leaders should be promoting a Taiwan thats more, not less, engaged with the world.

A similar realisation  albeit on a limited scale  is how Taiwan ended up working with the WHO in the first place. Back in 2003, as a deadly SARS outbreak swept the island, Taiwanese doctors were denied information, virus samples and even diagnostic tests because the island wasnt a member of the WHO (which called the outbreak a worldwide health threat).

Even China eventually had to admit this was foolish and dangerous. Taiwans SARS cases were almost certainly imported from the mainland, which was then struggling to understand the disease; Taiwans far more advanced medical facilities would have been in a strong position to help. (At the time, Chinese doctors were under intense pressure to cover up their own outbreak.) To hinder the investigation and treatment of a potentially explosive epidemic just 100 miles off the Chinese coast bordered on medical malpractice.

In 2005, China secretly agreed to allow Taiwan to engage with WHO experts in health emergencies. Even then, it took another health scare  a 2009 outbreak of bird flu  before China relented and allowed Taiwan to participate openly in WHO activities as an observer under the name Chinese Taipei. To this day, the Taiwanese medical community remains excluded from important WHO committees, limiting the islands ability to serve as a kind of early-warning system for China.

Similarly, Chinas insistence on excluding Taiwan from the recent Paris climate talks hardly helped its own efforts to reduce emissions. For years, China has consciously modelled its environmental regulations (especially in waste management) on initiatives pioneered in Taiwan, a highly industrialised CO2 emitter. For its own sake, the island should continue to pursue innovative environmental solutions. But its leaders would have more incentive to do so if they were part of the international dialogue over how to address global warming. That in turn would be better for the air on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

China has a more mixed record when it comes to dealing with the Taiwanese economy. Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization in 2002, a year after the mainland did. But the prospect of Chinese opposition has successfully kept Taiwan out of several regional trade agreements, including the US-led Trans Pacific Partnership.





Perhaps some Chinese leaders imagine a weaker and more isolated Taiwanese economy will be more dependent on trade with the mainland. In fact, China benefits immensely from Taiwans openness to the world. In part because of those links, the islands tech sector has grown into one of the globes most innovative and vibrant, both in designing products and the processes to produce them. Much of that innovation makes its way, via companies such as Foxconn and semiconductor giant TSMC, to the mainland. Given the urgent need for China to move up the value chain as labour costs rise, its foolish to undermine such a profitable source of inspiration and technology.

For an increasingly nationalistic China, none of these arguments are likely to matter much when counted against the danger  however exaggerated  of Taiwanese independence. Before piling on the threats, though, mainland leaders might want to recall just what China gains from a vibrant and connected Taiwan, not what it supposedly loses.

 Bloomberg View

Adam Minter is based in Asia, where he covers politics, culture and business.
[May 17, 2016] Orange Business Services Reinforces Its Commitment to African Enterprises, Extending Sales Operations to Nigeria

Orange Business Services (News - Alert), the B2B division of the Orange Group, is reaffirming its commitment to support enterprises in Africa with the expansion of its Lagos, Nigeria presence. It has established a new sales office in addition to the existing customer support activities in the country. The objective is to support senior IT decision makers with strategies to grasp the market opportunities being brought by digital transformation. The potential for businesses to expand in Nigeria is demonstrated by the size and rate of growth already achieved by existing Orange clients, especially in the financial sector. "The expanded Orange Business Services presence in Lagos helps support the many Nigeria-based businesses who want to increase their business performance and profitability," says Giorgio Heiman, vice president, Africa at Orange Business Services. "We act as a trusted advisor to help our customers compete on an equal footing in what is rapidly becoming a global market. This includes competitive, high-quality IT services delivered in all countries in which they operate." Orange Business Services in Nigeria supports both Nigeria-based businesses, which are growing and transforming thanks to digital technologies, and multinational companies from elsewhere on the continent and beyond, which are looking to expand within Africa. "We place great emphasis on local presence in our markets. There are many growth opportunities in IT, particularly in high-growth markets like Nigeria and across West Africa, but these can only be harnessed if service providers have a local understanding of strategic, political and cultural sensitivities in a region. Orange delivers consistently reliable telecommunications across Africa, including in hard-to-reach places and in jurisdictions where the regulatory environment is still developing," added Heiman. In addition to West Africa, Orange Business Services is present across North and South Africa. Customers are supported by glbal customer service centers in Cairo and Mauritius - part of a network of five centers worldwide. Further, Orange Business Services is the only global telecommunications service provider that has been rated as "strong" for its coverage in the Middle East and Africa region by IT research company Current Analysis (News - Alert). And in 2015, it was named the winner of the Total Telecom Award for Best Enterprise Service in Africa with Business VPN Hybrid, and Best VSAT Operator, Africa.



Orange has a strong commitment to the African continent, which has been at the heart of the Orange business strategy for the last few decades. The Group has a long-term approach to its presence in the region and has invested heavily to support infrastructure development and innovations that have changed the social and business landscape. About Orange Business Services

Orange Business Services, the Orange branch dedicated to B2B services, is not only a telecom operator, but also an IT solutions integrator and applications developer in France and around the world. Its 20,000 employees support companies in all areas of their digital transformation: mobile and collaborative workspaces; IT/cloud infrastructure; fixed and mobile connectivity; private and hybrid networks; applications for Internet of Things, 360 customer experience and Big Data analytics; and cybersecurity thanks to dedicated experts and infrastructure to protect information systems. More than 3,000 multinational organizations and 2 million SOHOs, enterprises and local authorities in France rely on Orange Business Services as their trusted partner.

Learn more at www.orange-business.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and our blogs. Orange is one of the world's leading telecommunications operators with annual sales of 40 billion euros in 2015 and has 155,000 employees worldwide at 31 March 2016. Orange is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN). Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160517005806/en/

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17.05.2016 LISTEN

To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.-Robert Muller

Arguments, misunderstanding, fighting, name calling and disputes of various kinds are a daily occurrence in our homes, workplaces and even in our churches. Couples may do things that hurt each other.

Children may rebel against their parents or those in authority. Employers and employees may hurt each other; the list goes on.

Are you willing to forgive someone who has wronged you?

I know forgiving others is not that easy to do. When we get offended the tendency is for us to seek vengeance and hit back, even harder if possible.

We want to repay the offender in his own coin so to speak. We want to do something that will cause pain to the offender.

Unforgiveness is unhealthy. It breeds anger, frustration, resentment, hatred, and jealousy which may cause a person to take the wrong road of vengeance.

Unforgiveness can destroy relationships. It can actually spoil our relationship with God.

As Christians we should pattern our lives after Christ. He is our greatest mentor.

The Lord s Prayer which is a model prayer for Christians says in part, Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

In Luke 6:37 the word of God says, Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive and ye shall be forgiven. God wants us to be compassionate and forgive others.

Remember the story of the prodigal son. He returned to his father and was forgiven unconditionally.

He was given the best robe, a ring and shoes. Animals were slaughtered and a party was organized to welcome him. It was an occasion for merry making.

We should take an inspiration from this story and be willing to forgive people who have hurt us. When we forgive others, we are free to enjoy life to the full and in peace.

Forgiveness is good for our physical and spiritual growth. Here is why.

Forgiveness is the most powerful thing that you can do for your physiology and your spirituality. Yet, it remains one of the least attractive things to us, largely because our egos rule so unequivocally. To forgive is somehow associated with saying that it is all right, that we accept the evil deed. But this is not forgiveness. Forgiveness means that you fill yourself with love and you radiate that love outward and refuse to hang onto the venom or hatred that was engendered by the behaviors that caused the wounds. - Wayne Dyer

Forgiveness does not make us weak people. It is an act of strength. Mahatma Gandhi said, The weak can never forgive. It is the attribute of the strong.

Friend in this life, we get what we give, we reap what we sow. We should let go of resentment. We should forgive.

I am sure there were times you hurt somebody who readily forgave you. When you forgive others, you will be forgiven when you also hurt others. Practice forgiveness.

Count on God to give you the grace to forgive. Whenever you get hurt, dont do anything in a fit of anger. Pray to the Lord and ask him to give you a large heart to forgive.

Every day we sin against God. Our sins are uncountable. We sin by word of mouth, deed, thought or feeling.

God is so merciful, he forgives our sins. In Isaiah 43:25, the word of God says, I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

We should have an attitude of forgiving others. It takes away stress, makes you feel at peace, happy and loving.

In conclusion, there is power in forgiveness. It enables us to forget past hurts, restores us to calmness and peace, and lifts anxiety and depression. It frees us from resentment, revenge and obsession. It also helps us to improve our relationships with God and others. When we forgive we can be forgiven by others. Practice forgiveness then.

Yours in inspiration,

Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU

Correction Officer, Priest & Author.
The Presidential Candidate of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, has charged politicians in Ghana to emulate the example of the late President Dr. Hilla Limann.

He said this in Gwolu at the tomb of the late Kouro Hilla Limann III also the President of the Third Republic of Ghana.

Present were Kouro Lawyer Botie Limann IV (paramount chief of Gwolu), Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr - Campaign Strategist, Emmanuel Kwao Ogborjor - National Organiser, Upper West Regional Executives as well as Prof. Edmund Delle - National Chairman and Leader.

Kobina Greenstreet recounted the selflessness, honesty, dedication and intelligence of Dr. Hilla Limann as he served Ghana with great distinction as a public servant, historian, diplomat and politician.

Ghana needs leaders like this who come to serve not their own self-interest but the interest of Ghanaians. Leaders of this kind are rare but always live fond memories in the hearts and minds of Ghanaians and generations yet unborn," he said.

On his part, Kouro Lawyer Burktie Limann IV welcomed the CPP delegation and congratulated Prof Edmund Delle administration for their unity of purpose.

A prayer was said by the linguist of the Gwolu paramouncy to invoke the spirit of the Almighty Allah and the Sissala ancestry to lead and guide the CPP Presidential campaign to victory come November 7 2016.

The Apam Fofora (new convenant) tour then continued to a mini rally in the Gwolu township where the Parliamentary Candidate was introduced amidst singing and dancing to a large group of excited party supporters.

The entourage was next in Tumu and after greeting the Chiefs another mini rally was held during which another Parliamentary candidate was introduced to another large crowd. The team then left for the Upper East Region.
17.05.2016 LISTEN

SPEECH DELIVERED BY TOGBE NAKAKPO DUGBAZA VIII PARAMOUNT CHIEF OF TEFLE TRADITIONAL AREA ON THE FAIR-TRADE OIL SHARE CAMPAIGN CONFERENCE HELD ON THURSDAY, 28TH DAY OF APRIL, 2016 AT T.D.C.

CONFERENCE HALL TEMA

Imam Chairman, Your Excellencies, The Press, All invited Dignitaries, All Protocols observed Ladies and Gentlemen.

What is the essence of this Fair-Trade Oil Campaign to which we have to border you?

1. To create public awareness as to what is happening in the newly found wealth Oil and Gas sector of the economy.

2. To prevent people in entrusted office, especially in the Gas and Oil Sector, from debasing the Industry to Foreign Oil Companies.

3. To let Politicians wake up to their task and to do the proper architecture on the Oil and Gas Industry for the benefit of Ghana and Ghanaians yet unborn.

4. Any other remedy.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Ghana is blessed with one of the indispensable and most demanded commodities of the world, namely Oil and Gas. However, as a neophyte in the Oil and Gas industry we are confused as to where to start, where to go, how to go and where to stop and draw the line.

Ghana and, for that matter we, are now in a dilemma as to what agreement to stamp for the Foreign Oil Companies with which to operate. A section is saying the Concessionary or Hybrid system is suitable whilst others are proposing the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). Either the Hybrid system or the Production Sharing Agreement, both have their challenges.

The Hybrid System is where a Sovereign Country often transfers its ownership of the resource: to the licensee and mostly gets about 25% of total revenue accrued whilst the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) mostly vests ownership on the host state and could give a country over 50% of the accrued money.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

These are the two rival agreements that are contesting for our Oil and Gas Industry. Ghana derived $3Billion for the past 4 years from the oil sector based on the Hybrid system but proponents of the PSA says, it could have been three times if the agreement were based on the PSA system. In all this, you and I are not conversant with the Oil and Gas Industry. However, I am aware it is capital Intensive but its capital intensiveness should not compel us to spread our resource on a silver platter.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your Excellencies and invited Dignitaries:

Not knowing the future and hoping that Ghana would strike oil one day as we did, the P.N.D.C. promulgated two laws: Law 64 and Law 84. These two Laws are crafted to form the fundamentals of any future agreement that Ghana would enter into with Foreign Oil Companies. I am not in a position to delve into the integral aspects of the Laws but I am aware they are modeled in line with Production Sharing Agreements, the PSA System .

Some school of thought are contending that PNDC law 64 and 84 are outmoded. There is no bad law or order; it has to be respected until it is vacated, repealed or amended. P.N.D.C. Laws 64 and 84 are still relevant to our dilemma regarding the Oil and Gas Industry. Again, a section of the divide is arguing that, PSA are fancied by old oil producing countries.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Am I being told that, if an old Professor uses the mathematical element of calculus to solve a problem, a new and young professor is not qualified to use same to solve a problem? If the Deputy Minister Hon. Dagadu recognizes the fact that adoption of PSA would make the country derive more than 50% of total revenue accruing from Production Sharing Agreement, then professionally, morally and ethically PSA is what he should adopt for Ghana just as the 34 countries in Africa have done.

Besides, are our neighbors in the sub-Region - Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, Republic of Benin, Cote-d'Ivoire old oil producing countries that made them signed unto PSA? Are these East African countries, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eretria old oil producing countries yet they have signed onto PSA? To say Ghana cannot abandon the Hybrid System because our industry is new and that PSA are fancied by old oil producing countries is false and incorrect.

New emerging countries into oil and gas all over the world are signing PSA to maximize benefit from their oil resources. Simply put, the Deputy Minister of Petroleum is saying, leadership in the 34 countries in Africa, despite their various short-comings, are wiser, more knowledgeable and patriotic than the Ghanaian. The Ministry of Petroleum, Petroleum Commission and the Select Committee on Mines and Energy should come out clear and itemize one after the other the reasons why they believe the Hybrid System or the Modern Concessionary System is good for Ghana even though they are aware the system would accrue less than 25% of total production revenue to Ghana. The Ghanaian masses are waiting for their answer.

On the statement that PSA are fancied by old oil producing countries

The Deputy Minister said we have only one producing Oil field, and therefore those who are calling for pure PSA have more than one Oil field for production. I disagree. This is not logical thinking. If you have one spade for your work, you rather have to take care of it and derive maximum benefit from the spades life. If we have one oil field, we have to protect it, sign a formidable agreement from which to derive the maximum benefit.

Now the Fair-Trade Oil Share-Ghana Campaign team is accused of leveling or alleging corruption among politicians and the oil companies.

On this issue of allegation of corruption, we want to say we are not the first to allege corruption. We are rather taking a cue from the Executive Director of Africa Centre for Energy Policy, Ghana, who in a testimony before a Sub-Committee of the US Congress on the topic "Is There an African Resources Curse?" on 18th July 2013 concluded in his presentation:

Quote: In conclusion, I have already mentioned the issue of bad deals in the oil and mining industries, some of these bad deals have already been producing resources and the United State like other importing countries is consuming oil from some of these bad contracts.

This places an important responsibility on the United States to lead by example in ensuring that oil and minerals from countries that promote questionable contracts tainted with corruption are not patronized.Unquote .

In effect the Executive Director is asking the US not to import oil from Jubilee Fields and others that would come on stream because, he believed contracts backing them are tainted with corruption. It is therefore not we who are alleging the corruption directly, in the first instance. But it is likely to happen.

On the question of PNDC Law 84, outmoded and inimical to the budding oil industry in the country, this amounts to giving a dog a bad name and hanging it.

The Law has been labeled outmoded and inimical because, the law does not support the bad deals and corruption tinted contracts and agreements so far entered into by leaders the Executive Director of ACEP complained of before the Sub-Committee of the US Congress.

The Law was crafted to suit PSA and not the Ghana Hybrid System. This meant that, all contract and agreements signed to date do not have a legal framework backing them, hence the false statement and public deceit about it. PNDC Law 84 and PNDC, Law 64 put together can be compared to the Angolan Petroleum Activities Law which is considered one of the best on the continent of Africa. The East African countries are adopting it, which nullifies the statement that every country adopts a system best suited to its peculiar circumstances as stated by the Deputy Minister per Daily Graphic Business Paper March 8-14, 2016.

Malaysians adopted the Indonesia PSA model in 1974 when faced with a similar situation; we are currently in similar situation and we can adopt PSA Systems. We therefore consider the statement by the Deputy Minister as false. We shall in our presentation discuss in detail the salient .features of the two laws to find out whether they are bad laws.

Now let me enumerate on some of the African countries and others that have signed on to PSA accord. Angola contract has the best content Law on the continent. Tullow signed comfortably the PSA with Angola, why not Ghana? 34 countries in Africa have signed the Production Sharing Accord and to mention few I say Algeria, Angola, Republic of Benin, Gabon, Libya and Liberia. Others are Morocco, Nigeria, Niger, Sudan, Namibia, Zambia and many others.

In South America, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. In Asia we have Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and others.

In Eastern Europe: We have Albania, Bulgaria, Russian, Ukraine and others. Middle East: We have Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and others.

"The biggest question is why is Ghana hesitating in adopting the best formula for the benefit of the country, i.e., the PSA?

Ladies and Gentlemen; The Executive Director of African Centre for Energy Policy Ghana (ACEP) said on 18:07:2013 that, so much is happening in Ghana which many people consider a new paradigm of countries in Africa determined to break away from the resources curse. Ghana is indeed being tested and whether she will pass the test or become another victim of the curse is still an open question. What is resources curse?

Ladies and Gentlemen: Resource rich countries such as oil and mineral producing countries have been challenged by how to transform their riches to broad-based democratic development. Especially in developing countries, they are faced with problems of the quality of institutions managing these resources, the quality of investment of revenues from exploitation and the level of accountability of officials involved in the managing large inflows of cash. These countries often see their people live in abject poverty, plagued by conflicts, ignorance, illiteracy and disease in spite of their resources and wealth. This phenomenon has become known as the "resources curse". The "curse" has also been described as the 'paradox of plenty' and oil referred to as the 'devil's excrement' by Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo, the Co-founder of OPEC. We can see from this definition that we may have plenty but live in abject poverty if the Oil and Gas Industry is mismanaged.

Ghana has a poor record of managing its Century old Mining Sector

The announcement of oil discovery in Ghana brought mixed reactions. For some, the expectations were very high. They believed in part promises by politicians that their poor condition and deprivation were to come to an end. There were however the more cautious Ghanaians who were frightened by the "devils excrement", and in view of the experiences in many other oil-rich countries in Africa where oil wealth did not improve lives and brought instead vested interests, corruption, weak institutions and conflicts. This situation has made many not, to be optimistic because we have poor record of managing our resources.

Ladies and Gentlemen: We want to put it straight on record that if our President and his Cabinet understood the flagrant consequences and ramifications of the Bill as it is in Parliament when passed into Law to regulate our upstream oil industry, he and his cabinet would not approve of it.

We of the Fair Trade Oil Share Ghana PSA Campaign Group are opposed to any other fiscal regime other than the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).

The Constitution of Ghana Art 257 (6) says: Quote and Unquote: Every mineral in its natural state, under or upon any land in Ghana, rivers, streams, water courses throughout Ghana, the exclusive economic zone and any area covered by the territorial sea or continental shelf is the property of the Republic of Ghana and shall be vested in the President on behalf of, and in trust for the people of Ghana.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your Excellencies and invited Dignitaries: Based on the constitutional provision, His Excellency the President and the No.1 Chief Executive Officer of Ghana has the mandate, the capacity, the authority and the obligation to protect, defend and enter into accords or contracts that shall be beneficial to the state Ghana and its citizens.

On this note Ladies and Gentlemen: We the Fair Trade Oil Share Ghana PSA Campaign Group are recommending the following by way of demand.

His Excellency The President to call back the present Bill to cabinet. Appoint a Think Tank Committee comprising high profile people who have some knowledge of the Oil and Gas Industry. The Committee to consult, collect data and information, both local and foreign, on the subject matter particularly on contracts with Foreign Oil Companies (FOC). The Committee to use P.N.D.C. Law 64 and 84 as basis for the research and deliberations. To ask for some of the P.S.A. Laws that have been signed by the Foreign Oil Companies in countries such as Angola, Sudan, Uganda and others, for study. The committee to compile its report and put it in the public domain for debate before it's returned to cabinet followed by Parliament. This situation would avoid selling our Oil and Gas Reserves on a silver platter for the Kangaroo to swallow, thus set in what I would call, "THE RESOURCE BREED CALAMITY IN GHANA"

Thank you for listening

God Bless our Mother land Ghana.
Party faithful, activists and supporters of National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Nkwanta south constituency in the Volta region are rooting for the long serving Member of Parliament of the area, Hon. Gershon Gbediamen, to contest the seat again to save the party from total embarrassment.

Nkwanta south is the only constituency in the Volta region without NDC candidate due to some political infighting and power play from the constituency, region and national levels.

TodayGhanaNews local reporter Prosper Agbanyo, in an interview with the party's grassroots supporters at Nkwanta and surrounding villages have expressed concern about the stalemate and lack of leadership from other aspirants who initially won confident of the constituents to lead the party come November 2016 parliamentary elections.

Initially, one Dr. Felix Anebo, a political science lecture at University of Ghana, was tipped to take over from Hon. Gershon Gbediame but it seems the political science lecture has totally lost out, as local politics is a total ball game from academic exercise.

Dr. Felix Anebo, the NDC head-office preferred candidate is not a grassroots person. He lacks political mobilization skills and is totally out of touch with the people" a branch chairman at Tutukpene told TodayGhanaNews.

One branch executive at Odumase revealed that, under the leadership of Hon. Gershon Gbediame, the constituency under NDC administration has experienced unprecedented development.

He mentioned that Nkwanta the District capital and some communities were connected to the National grid in 1997 and between 2013 and 2015 about 40 new communities were connected to the National grid.

Mr. Yaw Nyame, a party activist also mentioned that, world health organisation (WHO) once rated Nkwanta south as leading in guinea worm infestation district in the volta region, due to lack of potable water. "But today the story is different because almost all the communities have bore holes and potable water due to the collaboration between World Vision International, the district Assembly and the MP.

The MP has supported students in schools both second cycle and tertiary with scholarships and was very instrumental in the recent third secondary school (The community Day special schools at Nkwanta). With an additional block provided for Nkwanta Senior High School (SHS) and NTRUBOman SHS at Brewaniase.

It was Hon. Gbediame who introduced the first mobile phone network MTN, followed by Tigo and Vodafone in Nkwanta, all in his efforts to make sure the area is connected to all the national mobile communication grids.

A woman organizer at Obanda also mentioned that, the Obanda - Abrubruwa road has been tarred under cocoa roads programs through the hard- work of the MP.

"Currently the road from Pusupu to Bontibor, and Brewaniase -Salifu is also underway" she added.

Our investigation at the constituency points to an overwhelming support for the long serving MP to contest the seat again. Hon. Gershon Gbediame was written off some 8 months ago but now he seems to regain the number one spot to lead the NDC at the constituency.

The candidates gunning for the Nkwanta south seat are Hon. Gershon K. B. Gbediame (incumbent MP), Dr. Felix Anebo ( a lecturer at University of Ghana), Mr. Solomon Sarpong Bagmoe, Mr. Geoffrey Kini ( a local businessman), and Mr. Charles Narayana Osei Nyame.
17.05.2016 LISTEN

I often do not have much that is either edifying or meaningful to say about Mr. Kojo (Kwadwo?) Adu-Asare, the former National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Adentan, in the Greater-Accra Region, but in this rare instance, the so-called presidential staffer is right-on-the-money when Mr. Adu-Asare opines that the decision by Electoral Commissioner Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei to change the logo of the commission she chairs was totally unnecessary. To be certain, it was a flagrant waste of scarce public monetary resources (See Your Beauty Alone Re-Brands EC  Adu-Asare Adomonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 4/18/16).

And just as I did before in the recent past, Mr. Adu-Asare took the prime opportunity to flatter Mrs. Osei quite a bit, except that I found such compliment to be characteristically frivolous but, nevertheless, unmistakably Ghanaian. I dont for a moment believe that her mere physical cynosure adds anything substantive to the image and/or reputation of the Electoral Commission (EC).

To be certain, her legion of conflicting managerial decisions gives quite a spacious room for doubt vis-a-vis her evenhanded ability to steer the highly sensitive affairs of the EC. But then, even as that tired old cliche goes: beauty largely lies in the eyes of the beholder.

This, of course, is no time to indulge in pulchritudinal or esthetic frivolities. For in the end, even as Mr. Adu-Asare himself acknowledges, the strength and enduring thrust of Mrs. Oseis legacy  absolutely no priapic pun is intended here  would be squarely predicated on the confidence that Ghanaians repose in her competence as the nations Chief Returning Officer. I have already observed time and again, that the EC, as a statutory organization or institution, falls squarely under the supervision of Parliament. Thus any decision to change its logo ought to have been initiated in our august House of Representatives.

The choice of what form of logo to settle on ought to have attracted national input, with all artistic Ghanaian citizens being invited to make submissions within a clearly stipulated temporal span. Out of the pool of submissions, a panel of judges could then have been established to make the most appropriate and relevant selection.

Prizes could also have been awarded to the top three or four submissions, with honorable mentions being awarded to equally fetching submissions that did not make the cut. The selection could even have been more inclusively done by having selected entries exhibited at the Accra Arts Center and also posted on the web to invite spectator input through the solicitation of votes, after which the most-voted-for-submission would then have been selected.

Instead, what we learn is that the handful of Electoral Commissioners at the ECs headquarters had met to discuss just this one recently adopted logo and unanimously agreed on their whimsical taste for the same. We even had Commissioner Osei quoted to be vaingloriously asserting, rather lamely, as follows: We saw it; we liked it; and we adopted it. At the barest minimum, the convention has been for all statutory institutions to sport our national Coat-of-Arms. Rebranding ought not to mean some capriciously autocratic means of selecting a logo for the EC.

Mr. Adu-Asare also went quite a bit overboard in facilely presuming that her purported beauty alone adequately constituted Mrs. Oseis radical rebranding of the EC. Americans have a saying that Beauty is only skin-deep. In Ghana, we are fond of saying that Beauty does not really pay; it is character that matters the most.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
A pro-New Patriotic Party (NPP) group, Save NPP Now, has repeated its call for the flag bearer of the party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to step down from his position to save the party from another humiliating defeat in the upcoming 2016 general election.

The Director of Communications of the group, Mr Baah Acheamfour, at a press conference in Accra yesterday described the party under the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo as a 'sad state'.

He said the party had reached a point where dissenting party members were mercilessly terrorised by thugs who were mostly members of an 'intolerant military wing' brought into the fold of the party by the flag bearer.

'Today, the philosophy and character of the NPP has been defined by ruthless violence, pomposity and chaos... supervised and sanctioned by Nana Akufo-Addo himself and this has gone on well over one-and-a-half years,' he said.

Leadership and electoral fortunes

In a speech that touched on leadership and electoral fortunes, Mr Acheamfour said the party had got to a point where it was no longer possible to freely express one's grievances without being intimidated, threatened or assaulted.

He said Nana Akufo-Addo had put himself beyond reproach and could not be criticised. Such a behaviour,he claimed, was a frightening situation which clearly endangered 'our freedoms as members of the NPP and Ghanaians in general'.

Additionally, he said the party had had its electoral fortunes dwindled since Nana Akufo-Addo took over the leadership in 2008.

He cited that in the 2008 elections, Akufo-Addo garnered 49.7 per cent of the valid votes cast, while in the 2012 elections, he managed to poll 47.7 per cent of the votes.

Again, he said the NPP under Akufo-Addo polled a total of 72.5 per cent of the votes in the Ashanti Region, while he dropped to 70.8 per cent in the 2012 elections.

'What makes this situation worse is that our biggest opponent, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has consistently improved in our stronghold since 2008. The NDC obtained 26 per cent of the votes in Ashanti Region in the 2008 elections and improved to 28.3 per cent in the 2012 elections,' he said.

Injustice and abuse of power

Mr Acheamfour said although the party was advocating a credible voters register, the group was currently disappointed that Nana Akufo Addo's hands were not clean in the fight for a credible register, because 'while it is advocating a credible register externally, it is practising the reverse internally'.

He said there had been so much underhand dealings with the party's voters register in the recent parliamentary primaries conducted across the country, citing cases of electoral fraud in some constituencies such as Ablekuma West, Klottey Korle, Tema West and Sunyani among other places.

In the case of Ablekuma West, Mr Acheamfour said Nana Akufo-Addo, at a National Executive Committee meeting, unilaterally accepted and subsequently directed the use of a dubious second album compiled by Mrs Ursula Owusu, who was an aspirant, to give her an undue advantage over her competitors.

He said the party, under the chairmanship of Mr Freddy Blay, folded its arms and watched the elections rigged in favour of Mrs Owusu 'as a birthday present for Nana Akufo-Addo'.

'Till date, the Manhyia North primary is hanging because the constituents have resolved to protect their interest and choice and never allow the Ablekuma Central method to be used in their constituency,' he added.
17.05.2016 LISTEN

I have enjoyed reading accounts and seeing photos of those committed and courageous climate activists who participated in the recent Break Free from Fossil Fuels actions conducted at various locations in 13 countries from 4-15 May 2016. See 'Break Free from Fossil Fuels'. https://breakfree2016.org/

Much of what was done was creative (some of it demonstrating considerable flair) and, mostly, how it was done reflected a sound understanding off nonviolent principles and dynamics to which virtually all activists adhered. In this regard I must acknowledge the thoughtful 'action agreements' signed by participating activists, the conduct of nonviolence education workshops, the police liaison, legal briefings and arrest support, and the widespread recognition that secrecy and sabotage have no part to play in nonviolent actions for them to be strategically effective.

My friendly criticism is directed at those key organizers who planned the nonviolent actions without understanding how to make the commitment and courage of those who were mobilized have maximum strategic impact on the ongoing climate catastrophe.

I understand that it takes phenomenal effort and a tremendous amount of work to organize international actions of this nature. It is for this reason that I hope that future efforts can be strategically oriented to maximize their effectiveness. It is not difficult to do this, as long as one understands nonviolent strategy. So let me outline a couple of key elements of such a strategy based on the strategic framework illustrated in the accompanying diagram of the 'nonviolent strategy wheel'.

All nonviolent action campaigns have one political purpose. In the case of the climate movement, this might be simply stated thus (but other wordings are possible): To minimize and, where appropriate, halt all activities that add carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide to the Earth's atmosphere.

However, the political purpose is only achieved by fulfilling the two strategic aims of any campaign: 1. To increase support for your campaign by developing a network of groups who can assist you, and 2. To alter the will and undermine the power of those groups who support the problem.

Once the political purpose has been defined, the two strategic aims will define precisely what is worth doing (and what is not worth doing) for the entire campaign. And, as long as each activity (such as liaison with a key trade union or other potential ally) and each nonviolent action contribute to one of these two strategic aims, then the campaign is succeeding.

This is more easily understood if you consider a simple nonviolent action. Each nonviolent tactic has a political objective and a strategic goal. For example, the political objective ('what you want') of one action that was undertaken by many Break Free activists was, in effect, 'to blockade a coal/oil truck/train/ship from entering a coal mine/port/oil refinery to prevent it completing its pickup/delivery'.

However, the (unstated) strategic goal ('how you get what you want') of this nonviolent action is totally different. For example, it might be this: 'To mobilize those who become aware of our action to reduce their personal consumption of fossil fuels (for example, by boycotting cars and air travel and/or by becoming a vegetarian/vegan).' Or, perhaps, 'To mobilize those who become aware of our action to participate in The Flame Tree Project to Save Life on Earth' http://tinyurl.com/flametree (or your preferred self-reliance/resilience strategy).

As you will immediately perceive, perhaps, whether or not the political objective (halting the vehicle/vessel) is achieved is strategically irrelevant. It is achievement of the strategic goal that is determinative. For a full explanation of this point, see 'The Political Objective and Strategic Goal of Nonviolent Actions'. http://warisacrime.org/content/political-objective-and-strategic-goal-nonviolent-actions

The point then is this. As nonviolent activists, our task is not simply to raise awareness by making such statements as 'Business as usual cannot continue', 'The age of fossil fuels is coming to an end' and 'Keep fossil fuels in the ground'. Our task is to take action that inspires people and organizations to mobilize in response to our clear 'action messages' (which must reflect the strategic goal of our nonviolent action).

These 'action messages' must convey a simple idea about something that any individual can do personally that will make a clearcut difference; it will not usually involve them lobbying someone else (because, in the case of the climate catastrophe, this is neither necessary nor useful). So, in the context of the climate catastrophe, such simple messages (expressed on banners, in news releases, on our websites and through social media) might be 'Help save the climate by becoming a vegetarian', 'Save the climate and our world by boycotting cars and air travel' and 'Help save the environment by participating in The Flame Tree Project to Save Life on Earth'.

The average person who sees or hears about our nonviolent action, whether via the media or some other means, is not someone who is necessarily well informed about these issues. But, if our nonviolent action has inspired them to act, a simple message that invites their personal participation by doing something within their power is most compelling. In essence, our task is to inspire people to change their behavior and to give them options for doing so that are both empowering and strategically effective.

Further, when planning any nonviolent action, there are many points to consider, especially if repression is expected. For a full explanation of this, see 'Nonviolent Action: Minimizing the Risk of Violent Repression'. http://rinf.com/alt-news/editorials/nonviolent-action-minimizing-risk-violent-repression/

While most climate actions, thus far, have not experienced significant repression, this will change as the movement becomes more strategically effective. With at least two environmental activists killed in the world each week, it might be argued that climate activists are already living on 'borrowed time'. See 'How Many More?' https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/how-many-more/

You might still be wondering if all of this strategic planning is really necessary. Can't we just turn up and have fun? Well, for the average activist, this might largely be true. However, for those of us who profess leadership in the movement, we have a responsibility for planning and implementing strategies that work or we are mobilizing people for no useful purpose. And actions that simply aim to lobby governments 'to keep coal, oil & gas in the ground' will not succeed.

Our requests/lobbying of governments are meaningless while the market demand for a corporation's commodities tells them that coal, oil and gas are wanted. And corporate elites tell governments what to do, not vice versa. If you doubt this, check out the exposed text of the secret trade deals (such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) currently being imposed on us without public consultation.

If, instead of lobbying governments, we reduce consumer demand, corporate elites will reduce their production/supply. If you would like to watch a video of a successful campaign to slow the destruction of rainforests, based on this principle, you can do so here: 'Time to Act'. https://vimeo.com/18207753 And, as you might already know, many of Gandhi's campaigns were successful largely because he focused on reducing consumer demand and also altering how it was met, both exemplified by his own example of minimizing his personal consumption and self-reliantly making his own clothing. We abrogate our responsibility as nonviolent activists if we are scared to say that consumption (particularly in industrialized countries) must be reduced.

I have only touched on a couple of points about strategy in this article, as the accompanying diagram illustrates. The point about strategy, however, is to apply the principles derived from strategic theory. If we simply ask elites, one way or another, to change their behavior, then they will not. Our task, as nonviolent activists, is to alter their will or compel them to change their behavior by altering the circumstances in which they operate. Again: If fewer people and organizations consume products (such as car and air travel, and meat) that destroy the Earth's atmosphere then, you can rest assured, corporations will not produce them. And encouraging demand for renewables is obviously worthwhile but not as a complete replacement.

There is a detailed explanation of nonviolent strategy for those interested in The Strategy of Nonviolent Defense: A Gandhian Approach http://www.sunypress.edu/p-2176-the-strategy-of-nonviolent-defe.aspx but I am happy for people to contact me too while I construct a new website on nonviolent strategy.

In addition, if you are interested in the wider struggle to eliminate violence from our world, you might like to join those who have signed the online pledge of 'The People's Charter to Create a Nonviolent World'. http://thepeoplesnonviolencecharter.wordpress.com

Given the nuclear and environmental threats to human existence, including the atmospheric carbon dioxide content now passing the 400ppm mark, it is clear that human beings are on the fast track to extinction.

This fact, combined with the rapidly shortening timeframe in which effective action can be taken and the insanity of elites resisting an intelligent response to these threats, makes it imperative that our responses are strategically focused if we wish to be maximally effective.

Our future depends as much on our strategy as it does on our analysis and commitment.

Biodata: Robert J. Burrowes has a lifetime commitment to understanding and ending human violence. He has done extensive research since 1966 in an effort to understand why human beings are violent and has been a nonviolent activist since 1981. He is the author of 'Why Violence?' http://tinyurl.com/whyviolence His email address is [email protected] and his website is here. http://robertjburrowes.wordpress.com
The Head of Ghanas Electoral Commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei, never ceases to shock many a discerning Ghanaian with her undoubtedly established obstinacy. She claims to be neutral, with her outfit (the Electoral Commission) playing neutrality in conformity to the 1992 Ghana Constitution; she is actually not. She is overwhelmingly a partisan individual like most of the workers and Commissioners at the Electoral Commission. She is exceedingly political, tilting lopsidedly towards the NDC.

From empirical observations as deduced from her actions and pronouncements, Charlotte Osei is very partial in the exercise of her role as the Chair of the Electoral Commission. Subsequently, and in my opinion, she is a complete misfit by her lack of morality, honesty, and credibility to organise any fair and credible general elections in Ghana.

She is always siding with the NDC in the formulation of electoral guidelines, polices and procedures for the impending 2016 elections. This leaves one to conclude that she is working for NDC but not for Ghana and Ghanaians as a whole hence my accusation of partisanship levelled against her. She cannot deny this gospel truth.

One wonders why the NDC are quick to come to her defence, always being 100% supportive of all the irresponsible policies she has so far come up with, all aimed at covertly assisting the NDC to win on silver platter Election 2016 scheduled for November 2016.

When majority of Ghanaians in their common sense and expertise called for the establishment of a completely new voter register devoid of the irregularities associated with the current voter register, the NDC vociferously viciously objected to it in line with the view stringently held by Mrs Charlotte Osei.

Again, with the so-called limited voter registration held recently, most of the students in the tertiary institutions could not get the chance to register. Their schools were not only denied registrations centres to facility access to registration but also, the students were in the middle of taking their final exams, especially the University students. Both situations compounded the headache of the students getting registered to vote at election 2016.

When these problems were raised, with the subsequent calling for extension of date for the limited registration exercise, the NDC quickly came out objecting to any such idea. Charlotte Osei also came out saying she will not extend it, her firm, but outrageous decision being in congruous with the earlier declared stance by the NDC. Why is she behaving that awkwardly?

It must be pointed out to her that she was not appointed by President Mahama to serve only the interests of the NDC but that of the entire nation. She has goofed big time if the secret agreement between her and President Mahama was to come and do his bidding. She will soon realise, if not regret, the mistake she has been making with intent to helping the NDC hang on to power although they have ruined the nation.

Figuratively, Charlotte has grown horns by the supposition of, or interpretation of, her obstinacy, to do as she wants when she wants regardless of the contrary expectations of her by the majority of Ghanaians.

Let me take this opportunity to warn her that there is time for everything as stated in the bible  Ecclesiastics 3:1-8. Now, she thinks to have unlimited powers because she is backed fully by President Mahama and the ruling party. There is surely coming a day that she will be given the heave-ho if indeed, there is time for everything which I believe there is.

Charlotte will be living in cloud cuckoo land if she thinks there will not be repercussions for the contentious decisions she is collusively making with NDC aimed at facilitating NDCs chance to win election 2016 against the wishes of the suffering Ghanaian masses.

Let it be known to her that God says, there is a Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace

The horns she has grown that make her feel excessively proud and powerful to behave that much authoritatively irresponsibly will fall off, rendering her weak if the just quoted bible verses are anything to go by. That is certain! Whatever she does, President Mahama and NDC will be voted out of power come November 2016. She can eat pusa kenten ma, who cares!

CHANGE IS COMING!!!

Rockson Adofo
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen cooperation between the UK and Kenya governments on renewable energy was signed today. The document was signed on behalf of the respective Governments by British High Commissioner Nic Hailey and Cabinet Secretary of Treasury Hon. Henry Rotich.

The MoU will promote opportunities for private sector trade and investment by the UK in Kenya's renewable energy sector. As part of the MoU, UK Export Finance (UKEF) has also affirmed its interest in considering requests for export financing or insurance for eligible renewable energy projects in Kenya, drawing on a risk appetite of up to at least 250m (approx. Ksh 36b).

Speaking following the signature at Treasury, the British High Commissioner to Kenya, Nic Hailey said:

The UK and Kenya are leaders in renewable energy, clean technology and innovation. Kenya has one of the most active renewable energy sectors in Africa, and the UK is a global leader in many of the sectors for which Kenya has greatest demand.

This MoU brings UK expertise, development and export credit financing together with the aim of bringing clean, renewable energy to the Kenyan people and accelerating Kenya's development and economic growth. UK firms are excited about the opportunities in Kenya and I'm confident this new MoU will lead to significant increases in UK investment in Kenya's renewable energy.

Notes to Editors

The UK is committed to growing the renewable energy sector, domestically and around the world. The UK- supported Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund is already investing $25m in 32 private sector companies to deliver low carbon growth. The fund is being supplemented by US$ 20 million (Ksh 1.65 billion) to help private sector businesses in clean energy, agriculture and water management in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).

UK Export Finance is the UK's export credit agency. It exists to ensure that no viable UK export should fail for want of finance or insurance by complementing the private market with insurance for exporters, loan guarantees to banks, and support for and provision of loans to overseas buyers of UK goods and services. Sectors in which UKEF has supported exports include: aerospace, construction, oil and gas, mining and metals, petrochemicals, telecommunications, and transport. More information on UKEF can be found on: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-export-finance

In April 2016, UKEF joined African Trade Insurance (ATI), the pan-African export credit agency. This move comes as the UK government looks to encourage more UK businesses to trade with African countries. As an ATI member, UKEF will gain access to information about upcoming opportunities for exporters, as well as local knowledge of firms and projects. ATI will also provide a platform to raise awareness among project sponsors and buyers in African countries of the UKEF support available to importers of UK goods and services.
Tunis (AFP) - As the world marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on Tuesday, in Tunisia the issue may have emerged from the shadows but many of those it affects have not.

Despite the rainbow flag flying briefly on the main avenue in the capital recently, homosexuals are the subject of both social and legal discrimination.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, long taboo in the conservative Muslim state, have improved gradually since the 2011 revolution that sparked the Arab Spring.

And after the uprising resulted in greater freedom of speech, several associations emerged including Mawjoudin (We exist) and Shams (Sun).

However, being openly gay in Tunisia is still a no-no for most homosexuals in a country that hands down lengthy prison sentences for the "offence".

The debate burst onto the public scene last spring with calls for homosexuality to be decriminalised. Under Section 230 of the country's Penal Code, those convicted of sodomy or lesbianism face up to three years in jail.

After a court last September sentenced a youth to a year behind bars for homosexuality, then-justice minister Salah Ben Aissa made a controversial call for Article 230 to be scrapped.

This was cited as one reason for his sacking the following month.

"I don't see why we have to live in hiding. Our private life is our own business," Shams vice president Ahmed Ben Amor told AFP.

At the age of 19 he was ostracised by his family and expelled from high school for declaring his homosexuality.

- 'Get out of here!' -

Braving the open hostility of a large segment of the population, LGBT associations have now begun to emerge into public view and even hold open meetings.

Rainbow flag in hand, activists marched in Tunis on January 14, the anniversary of the 2011 revolution.

But their presence was not welcomed by all: dozens of people shouted at the marchers to "Get out of here!" and police had to escort the activists to safety.

Today, homosexuality has become a recurring topic in Tunisian media. To hear people speak publicly of homosexuality was "unthinkable some time ago", said academic Wahid Ferchichi, who heads the Tunisian Association for the Defence of Individual Liberties.

According to sociologist Mohamed Jouiri, "the post-revolution context allowed a minority to express and assert its existence".

He said that "the situation for homosexuals in Tunisia is much better than in other Arab countries", despite remaining very difficult.

"When you're gay in Tunisia, you live with two faces," a young homosexual in the northern city of Bizerte told AFP.

"When you are with straight people, you don't show that you are different because of the risk of violence. And of course there is also another risk -- the law."

In December, rights groups called on Tunisia to repeal anti-homosexuality laws after six students were jailed for three years after being forced to undergo anal examinations.

NGOs have denounced the use of such tests as cruel, inhuman and degrading.

- 'Forced to dance naked' -

In March, an appeals court reduced the sentence to one month in jail and also overturned a five-year ban on them entering the central city of Kairouan where they were first convicted.

If President Beji Caid Essebsi judged the five-year ban to be archaic, before it was lifted, he did not speak out against the original prison sentence and categorically ruled out decriminalising homosexuality.

"That will not happen," he said in an interview with Egyptian television. "I reject it," he said of Article 230 being repealed.

Every day, homosexuals in Tunisia suffer from profound social rejection and hostility.

"Being gay in Tunisia is worse than having the plague," said Mohamed Ali, 22, one of the six students in the Kairouan case.

He is still traumatised by the anal examination he underwent in the presence of two police officers, as well as his treatment in prison in Sousse where he said he was attacked and ridiculed.

"Inmates forced me to dance naked while amused guards looked on, doing nothing," he said.

The debate in Tunisia may now itself have come out of the closet, but reactions to it show there is a long way to go to the end of the rainbow.

One video circulating on the Internet shows an imam in Sfax, the country's second largest city, saying in a sermon that men convicted of sodomy should be sentenced to death and executed by throwing them off a tall building and then stoning them.

In parliament, one lawmaker from the Islamist party Ennahda, Abdellatif Mekki, defended homosexuality being illegal and said authorising the Shams association endangered the social peace and was "a major sin".

And progressive parties -- when they do not oppose homosexuality outright -- are ultra-cautious, fearing the impact of public opinion.
17.05.2016 LISTEN

By Samuel Akapule

Mr Ernest Okyere, the Upper East Regional Manager of the Minerals Commission, has urged Mining Companies to be transparent in their local communities to minimise conflicts. Mr Okyere made the appeal at Bolgatanga, at the Second Local Dialogue Forum on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and Peace Building in communities affected by Mining, Oil and Gas.

The stakeholders' forum, which have been serialised, attracted Mining Companies, Civil Society Organisations, Chiefs, District Assemblies, the security agencies and Assembly members. The West African Network for Peace building, in collaboration with the Fund For Peace in some Mining Communities in Ghana, organised the forum with the aimed of deliberating on the causes of conflicts in the mining communities.

The forum was also used as a platform to solicit input from the stakeholders to be factored into a national dialogue, which would take place in July this year, in Accra. Mr. Okyere attributed many of the causes of conflicts in mining communities to the lack of transparency on the part of some mining companies and advised such companies to be more open in their dealings with their local communities.

The Acting National Coordinator of WANEP, Mr Albert Yelyang, expressed optimism that the impending national dialogue, which would involve major stakeholders in the mining sector, the mining communities and the sector Minister, would help fine-tune the input from the previous engagements to help reduce conflicts among mining companies and communities.

The best practices and lessons gathered at the series of programmes will all be considered at the national stakeholders' forum and also form a common platform for addressing issues to help resolve conflicts, he said.

Mr. John Messner, the Executive Director of Fund For Peace, explained that Ghana was among the first countries to sign the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and Peace Building, aimed at creating a common platform for mining companies and communities to minimise conflicts. He said there had been a significant reduction in conflicts among mining companies and communities in countries, which had embraced the voluntary principles, and mentioned Colombia and Australia as examples.

Ms Hannah Blyth, the Programmes Manager of Fund for Peace, gave the assurance that her outfit, with WANEP, was committed to supporting Ghana to implement the Voluntary Principles, which she signed. She commended the stakeholders for making significant input and said those would inform policy makers and the Government to make better decisions for the mining sector.

Source: GNA
17.05.2016 LISTEN

President John Dramani Mahama opened the Pandorax box in London the other day, when he told a BBC interviewer that he as a person had never taken bribe before. The Head of State is currently in Her Majesty's Great Britain, where he participated in an anti-corruption summit, involving other prominent leaders from around the globe.

The Presidential pronouncement has elicited a lively debate back home. As has become the norm in this country's political circus, the issue has become a political game with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the largest opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at each other's throat.

Trust the NDC to take care of its own. Officials of the party and its foot soldiers have mounted a stiff defence of the leader and Presidential candidate of the party. On the other hand, the NPP officials are up in arms going to great lengths to impress upon Ghanaians that the President of the Republic might have been economical with the truth.

To most Ghanaians, however, the issue is not about whether or not the Head of State might have gotten himself soiled in underhand dealings. Most Ghanaians are unhappy with the way and manner this administration has failed to curb cronyism, wanton dissipation of public funds through reckless ventures and outright corrupt deals.

When news began filtering through in 2010 that Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome, described as one of the bank-rollers of the political party in power, had succeeded in conning officials of state to part with a staggering GHc51.8 million of public funds for doing nothing, tongues wagged. It was as if the whole society had had a bad dream. Six years down the line, the state has not succeeded in collecting one cedi of that whopping amount from him.

In all this, Mr. Woyome was aided in what Mr. Justice Jones Dotse, sitting at the Supreme Court, described as 'create, loot and share, by top officials of this administration. After taking quite a bit of bashing from the general populace, the Attorney-General only succeeded in putting Woyome on a show trial, charged with causing financial loss to the state, without any of those who aided him in the scam, being in the dock.

The news is that, Mr. Woyome is walking the streets of Ghana a free man. The state has failed woefully in seizing any of his properties, even when the Supreme Court ordered him to return the loot. Unfortunately, Woyome was not alone in the saga of 'create, loot and share.' The Woyome scam came with Waterville, Isofoton, Africa Automobile Limited deals, in which millions of state funds were poured down the drain.

Last week, a scam of another gargantuan proportion reared its ugly head. According to information available, the state of Ghana went to the international market and borrowed US$1 billion from the issue of Eurobond, attracting a huge interest of 10.75 percent. The state decided to give US$250 million of the Eurobond money as seed money to the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, even though the fund had not even taken off.

The fund, with Mr. Ato Ahwoi, a long standing father figure in the NDC as Board Chairman and Finance Minister Seth Terkper, as one of the fund's five advisors, inexplicably decided that all the fund's US$250 million should be turned over to the United Bank of Africa, a foreign-owned bank operating in this country.

The news in the so-called investment is that, UBA in turn used the windfall to buy Treasury Bills from Government, raking in 24 percent interest. By conservative estimate, the Government of Ghana might have forked out 10.75 percent of the Eurobond interest plus the 24 percent government paid in interest in respect of the Treasury Bills, bringing the total loss of Government to 37 percent.

The other day, Mrs. Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, the former First Lady, now leading the National Democratic Party said by the US$250 million scam, the Government directed by Mr. Mahama was either a thief, not wise or both.

It is a verdict pregnant with meaning. Unfortunately for the President, not many Ghanaians bought into his assertion on BBC, which leaves Mr. John Dramani Mahama and his administration with a huge credibility problem. The Chronicle would like to urge the Head of State to work on this image, rather than to play the ostrich.
17.05.2016 LISTEN

AngloGold Ashanti Ghana has received assurances from the Honourable Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. John Alexander Kobina Ackon, that there will be restoration of law and order over the coming week.

The Minister's pledge is encouraging, but we await clear evidence of the restoration of law and order, as well as a safe environment on the site, Obuasi Mine General Manager Eric Asubonteng said. Only once we're assured that we have sole use of the site, can we commence the process of assessing the damage done.

Several hundreds of illegal miners invaded the concession in early February and since then have ransacked the site, pillaging gold-bearing ore and damaging infrastructure. Employees performing non-essential services were immediately withdrawn. The continuing illegal occupation jeopardises the mine's viability and has compromised the rights of those in the community and investors in Ghana.

AngloGold Ashanti Ghana has held numerous engagements at all levels of Government since the site was occupied. Despite these interactions, and a directive in March from His Excellency the President of Ghana that, security agencies return to site, law and order is yet to be restored. AngloGold Ashanti Ghana calls on the Regional Minister to make good his commitment so the company can once again obtain safe access to the concession.
Cape Town (AFP) - A brutal fistfight broke out in the South African parliament Tuesday as security guards ejected opposition lawmakers in an ugly fracas that underlined heightened political tensions over Jacob Zuma's presidency.

About 20 Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party members, who were wrestled from their seats by plain-clothed guards, had refused to let Zuma speak and furiously shouted down the Speaker, Baleka Mbete.

As Zuma looked on impassively, the EFF lawmakers -- dressed in their uniform of red workers' overalls -- fought back to try to remain in the chamber before they were physically removed through a side door.

The disruption was the latest in a series of showdowns in parliament as pressure mounts on Zuma to resign or be axed as president by the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

He has been urged to step down by a number of senior ANC veterans of the struggle against apartheid, which brought liberation icon Nelson Mandela to power in 1994.

But he retains widespread loyalty in the party, and ANC lawmakers have regularly rallied to Zuma's defence.

In April, they easily defeated an opposition move to impeach him.

The EFF, which was also ejected from parliament two weeks ago in similar scenes, has vowed that it will not let Zuma speak in the chamber, saying that it does not recognise him as president in the wake of two recent court cases.

In March, the country's highest court found that Zuma had violated the constitution over the spending of millions of dollars of taxpayers' money on his private rural residence at Nkandla in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal.

In April another court said he should face almost 800 corruption charges relating to a multi-billion dollar arms deal that were dropped in 2009, shortly before he became president.
The Government of Japan has been providing funds to local non-profit organizations through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) since 1989.

The official handing over ceremony of The Project for the Improvement of Educational Environment for Primary Schools within the Tea Farm Areas of Nandi County was held in Kamarichi Division, Nandi South District, Nandi County on 16th of May, 2016.

With the objective of improving the educational environment, the project received a grant amount of USD 119,811 (approx. Kshs 11 Million) which was used for the construction of 10 classrooms, 2 administration blocks, 12 toilets, installation of 4 water tanks and provision of 250 student's desks for Kipsiorori and Kapchemosin Primary Schools.

During the handing over ceremony, Mr. Mikio Mori, Charge d' Affaires ad interim of Japanese Embassy in the Republic of Kenya, congratulated Kipsiorori and Kapchemosin Primary Schools for the successful completion of the project.

Mr. Mori said this project demonstrates the strong ties of friendship between Japan and Kenya, adding that Kenya is the largest recipient of Japan's ODA in Sub-Saharan Africa. He also introduced other ODA projects of education in Kenya.

He also informed the audience that the next Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), the first TICAD ever held in Africa, will be in Kenya this coming August. Not only will this TICAD have historical significance, it will further strengthen the ties between Japan and Kenya.
The new Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North Constituency has been officially sworn in by the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Ajaho.

Gifty Twum Apofo was elected in a by-election after the Member of Parliament for the area was gruesomely murdered by some assailants in his residence.

The National Democratic Congress did not contest.

Gifty Twum Apofo who is the Eastern Regional president of the Ghana Science Teachers Association (GAST) 10,033 votes in the by-election.

The Speaker of Parliament after swearing her in on Tuesday, May 17, advised her to emulate the principles of the late MP, J.B Danquah-Adu.

Clad in a 'Kaba and slit' made from Kente cloth with a blue muffler and standing at the right-hand side of the Speaker, she took the oath of office as an MP and signed the necessary documents.
The Department of Economic Affairs of the African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the Swedish Government and the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) organized an insightful debate on Friday 13 May 2016 at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the theme: Regional Integration in Africa  How to make it work?. The debate was highly attended by members of the diplomatic corps, members from the academia, students, media and representatives from civil society. Participants all came together to explore ways on how regional integration can be done differently as well as discuss lessons that can be learnt from the various integration initiatives in Africa.

Ambassador Potgieter-Gqubule, Deputy Chief of Staff AUC highlighted the need to look into the functioning of institutions and to put more emphasis on regional organizations. The Deputy Chief of Staff also reiterated the importance for Africa to integrate on a global scale especially in the areas of trade; and hence the importance of infrastructure development and the need for industrialisation. She stated that global and continental dynamics are main drivers of integration in Africa. Regional integration covers many sectors, including health and skills development. She welcomed the ECDPM study on the Political Economy of Regional Integration in Africa as it helped identify opportunities for effective regional integration. Ambassador Potgieter-Gqubule spelled out the need for integration as it will go a long way in paving the way for free movement of people and goods, and the importance of production and financial integration to achieve regional integration in Africa.

In his opening remarks Dr. Imani Younoussa Head of Statistics, Economic Affairs of the AUC welcomed the esteemed guests and stated that this is the 18thsession of the Fridays of the Commission. He underscored the urgency for Member States and AU partners to identify those factors that impede the implementation process of regional integration in Africa. In addition he called upon delegates to share information, ask questions on the dynamics of regional integration in Africa. He concluded by emphasizing that today's debate is geared towards finding solutions which are durable and sustainable.

H.E. Jan Sadek, Ambassador of the Swedish Government to Ethiopia, thanked the AUC for providing a platform to help discuss and launch the study on the political economy of regional integration in Africa given the importance to various internal and external stakeholders of regional integration in Africa.

Mr. Geert Laporte, co-chair of this interactive Friday of the Commission and Deputy Director of the ECDPM (an independent do and think tank that specializes in European Union (EU) development and external relations with a particular focus on Africa)also appreciated the open spirit of the debate as it helped identify both obstacles to regional integration, as well as the opportunities for creating coalitions to tackle such blockages and engage in the arduous work in support of an integrated Africa.
The African Union Commission (AUC) will take part at the First World Humanitarian Summit to be held from 23 to 24 May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. During this event, the African Union will focus on the theme: One Africa, One Voice, One Message at the World Humanitarian Summit,. Several side events to initiate actions and commitments which enable countries and communities to prepare for and respond to crises will be organized by the AU Commission in collaboration with partner Organisations such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA); the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons and Norwegian Refugee Council-Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC). The joint activities will also help to share best practices aimed to save lives around the world while placing affected people at the centre of humanitarian action and alleviating suffering.

H.E. Mr, Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the AUC is expected to deliver a key note address during the African Union High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Effectiveness in Africa scheduled to take place on 24 May 2016 during the Summit, while H.E Dr. Aisha Laraba Abudullahi, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs will address the issue of Reforming Africa's Humanitarian Architecture, as one of the panelists.

Meanwhile, the Africa Union will seize the opportunity during the Summit in Istanbul to reaffirm its future priorities and unequivocally call for an inclusive, transparent and fairer humanitarian system, as well as renew its call for mutually beneficial partnerships that seek to put humanity at the fore by enhancing collective ownership of the proposed Agenda for humanity.

Worth noting that, the World Humanitarian Summit will hold against a backdrop of a rapidly changing humanitarian landscape, with Africa facing growing impact of disasters. In spite of the gravity of these crises, humanitarian response in Africa still relies heavily on a global system, whose character is complex and need to be reformed. This is because of the fact that the humanitarian system founded by UN Resolution 46/182, 20 years ago is overstretched and requires fundamental reforms.

In light of the failures of the existing institutional architecture and/or lack of it in some instances, effective solutions to humanitarian crises will remain elusive unless fundamental reforms in governance of humanitarian action are implemented, globally and on the African continent. In Africa such reforms are also needed to strengthen the role of States to predict and prevent humanitarian crises, and where crises occur to effectively respond and/or build resilience of communities to withstand shocks of future crises.

Registration to the African Union (AU) High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Effectiveness in Africa

Participants willing to attend the AU High Level Panel on Humanitarian Effectiveness in Africa during the World Humanitarian Summit are invited to register on the link below.

The high level panel will hold from 9:00 -10:30 on 24 May 2016, at the -Hisar (330 - Theater), in the Lufti Kirdar Convention and Exhibition Center (LKCC) building in Istanbul, Turkey.

The High Level Panel will provide space for dialogue between Africa's leaders and people and the wider global community on ways of creating an effective and inclusive humanitarian system fit for purpose.

Attendance to the AU High Level Panel will be limited to participants who are fully accredited to the World Humanitarian Summit which is done by the UN Protocol and Liaison Service.

For more information on accreditation to the World Humanitarian Summit, please go to: https://www.worldhumanitariansummit.org/whs_summit

More information on media can also be found at the following link: https://www.worldhumanitariansummit.org/whs_press

Journalists are invited to cover the World Humanitarian Summit on 23 and 24 May 2016 in Istanbul.
The African Union Commission informs the public that Haiti will not be admitted as a Member State of the African Union (AU) at its next Summit to be held in Kigali, Rwanda, as erroneously reported by several media outlets.

According to Article 29.1 of the AU's Constitutive Act, only African States can join the African Union.

Given the importance that the AU accords to the African Diaspora, it has developed strong cooperation with sister States in the Caribbean region and citizens of African descent around the world.

The AU was pleased to welcome Haiti's President Michel Martelly and his Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe to its Summits in the past as Special Guests, and the AU had a high level delegation at the celebrations of the 200th Anniversary of Haiti in Port-au-Prince, in 2004.

The AU Commission has a Directorate of Citizens and Diaspora Organisations (CIDO), bestowed with the responsibility to facilitate direct peoples' involvement through Civil Society Organisations from Africa or the Africa Diaspora that wish to interact with the African Union as the sixth region of Africa. The proposed 6th Region made of the African Diaspora still awaits ratification by AU Member States.

Worthy of notice is a special Summit organized in Johannesburg, South Africa, in May 2012, to deepen the relationship between the AU and the African Diaspora. The conclusions of the Summit are in the process of being implemented.
17.05.2016 LISTEN

Accra, May 16, GNA - This year's Stanbic Jazz Festival will feature Bob James, the smooth jazz keyboardist and two-time Grammy Award winner at the Accra International Conference Centre from June 24 - 26.

James is recognized as one of the forebears of smooth jazz and is well-known for the complexity of his arrangements and instrumentals.

Within a year of his discovery by Quincy Jones at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in 1963, James recorded his first solo album, Bold Conceptions, for Mercury Records. Fifty-eight albums and innumerable awards have followed in the last five decades.

Bob James has worked with artists like Hank Crawford, Grover Washington, Paul Simon, Neil Diamond, Maynard Ferguson, and Kenny Loggins.

James has collaborated on separate projects with Earl Klugh, (Cool) and Kirk Whalum (Joined At the Hip).

While recording his album, Grand Piano Canyon, in 1990, James reunited with longtime friend, drummer Harvey Mason, Jr. It would also be the first time James would work with guitarist Lee Ritenour, and bassist Nathan East.

This was the beginnings of what the Jazz world knows as Fourplay. Fourplay's first album was recorded and released in 1991. The Group would collaborate on a total of three albums, until 1998 when Ritenour left the group, and Larry Carlton took over.

Fourplay released Heartfelt in 2002, and spent much of the year touring across the globe. That same year, James released Morning, Noon, & Night, whose title track went to number 1 in Contemporary Jazz Radio.

Take It From the Top was released in February of 2003. It is a tribute to pianists who inspired James; Ahmad Jamal, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, and Oscar Peterson, among others.

James was awarded the George Benson Lifetime Achievement Award by the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards in April 2006

In 2008, James and close friend, the Tony award winning Broadway director Jack O'Brien, received the International Achievement Award from the state of Michigan.

The year 2010 saw the release of the twelfth Fourplay album, Let's Touch the Sky, which led to another world tour, culminating with an unforgettable collaboration with the New Japan Philharmonic in Tokyo in December. Fourplay was voted Best Group of the Year at the American Smooth Jazz Awards to wrap up a busy 2010.

In September 2011, James received the Oasis Contemporary jazz award for 'Group of the Year'.

He was also honored in his hometown of Marshall, MO, with the inaugural 'Bob James Jazz Festival'.

Fourplay joined forces again the following year with the release of Esprit de Four, with several successful tracks, including the powerful 'Put Our Hearts Together'.

In 2013 Quartette Humaine was released. This was the first creative collaboration between keyboardist-composer Bob James and alto saxophonist David Sanborn since their million-selling, Grammy-winning album, Double Vision, twenty-five years ago.

The year 2015 saw the release of James' first live album, Live at the Milliken Auditorium, which was captured on a magical night in his home town of Traverse City, Michigan. The same year also brought the first release from James and Nathan East, The New Cool, a masterful work of art, which truly redefines the essence of cool. Still not finished, James and Fourplay came together for the release of the group's 25th anniversary, with Silver, which was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios, venue of the group's first album 25 years earlier.

GNA
Introduction

Over 50 public relations officers (PROs) drawn from beneficiary districts of the Secondary Education Improvement Project (SEIP) in Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Upper East and Upper West regions met on May 16, 2016 for an update on the components of the Project. It also seeks to enlighten the participants on their role in the implementation process of the Project.

The objective of SEIP is to increase access to senior high school education in under-served districts and improve quality in low-performing senior high schools. It is earmarked to benefit about 30,000 new students in senior high schools, 150,000 students in low-performing schools and 2,000 teachers, heads of schools and officials of Ghana Education Service (GES) and Ministry of Education (MoE).

On access with equity, SEIP is expected to increase transition rates from JHS 3 to SHS 1 in the target districts, increase SHS educational attainment within two poorest quin-tiles in the target districts with quality of low-performing senior high schools and to improve the WASSCE achievement of 6 credits within the beneficiary schools.

The Project would support the Government of Ghanas Community Day Senior High School programme through two components, including support to increase access with equity and quality in senior high schools as well as management, research, monitoring and evaluation.

The Project is deemed to fund the construction of new structures in 23 districts, including the supply of furniture and equipment in the structures so as to increase enrollment to senior high school education in those districts. The new construction will be in districts where there are currently no senior high schools.

The Project will fund the construction of a 24-unit classroom block with science laboratories, libraries and other ancillary facilities (E-Block); technical and vocational block as per the programme offered by the school, an 8-unit block of two-bedroom staff flats; a canteen block; a headmasters bungalow and a security post with ancillary external civil works at each of the beneficiary districts.

The facility-improvement-activity part of SEIP will fund the rehabilitation of the physical facilities of 50 selected senior high schools, including the provision of furniture and equipment in order to increase enrollment in the schools. Heads of schools must request a needs assessment visit from MoE and GES in order to kick start the activity. Beneficiary schools were selected from the bottom 100 districts based on the districts poverty index, SHS demand and the districts population (i.e. from 15 to 17 years).

SEIP would support senior high school education through a five-year credit of US$156 million. It employs an Investment Project Financing (IPF) instrument, which is executed using a hybrid structure [i.e. a results-based funding component (component 1) and a traditional investment technical assistance and management component (component 2) which support Governments overall programme]. The effectiveness date of the credit was October 1, 2014 with November 1, 2019 being the closing date.

Presentations

Dr. Stephen Adu, acting Deputy Director-General of GES in charge of Management Services, led a discussion on the overview of the SEIP programme. He took participants through the objectives of the Project, key performance indicators and the various components of the Project.

Dr Adu implored participants to be resourceful and inquisitive about what SEIP is about, and stated, You can only speak well on the Project if you take your time to read on it and make enquiries on it. You must be inquisitive to know more about SEIP to be able to communicate it well to the public, he said.

Mrs. Elizabeth De-souza, acting Deputy Director-General for Quality and Access at GES, lauded the participants for their performance as spokespersons of GES at their various districts and regions, and urged them to eschew complacency and work as professionals at all times.

For SEIP to meet its desired goals and objectives, you as PROs must be at the fore-front. The public would only get on board to assist in the successful implementation of this Project if you could explain things very well for them to appreciate. I trust that you do the right thing in order for the Ghanaian child to reap the benefits that this Project comes along with, she said.

Mr. Nicholaus Akyire and Mr. Eric Boadi-Misa, public relations consultants, jointly urged the participants to make use of every available tool to communicate issues on SEIP to stakeholders and the general public. They said that effective public relations work will help scale up stakeholder participation and implementation of the Project.

They advised participants to use traditional and modern tools, such as seminars, durbars, school open days, visits to churches, print media, electronic media and social media to reach out to their target audience and beneficiaries.

With or without a laptop, modem or whatever, the modern public relations officer is still expected to reach out to the public at all times. The mobile phone has a lot of facilities and functions, such as Face book, Whats App and Instagram that you can use to disseminate things on SEIP and educational policies and programmes to your stakeholders and publics, Mr. Akyire said.

Mr. Paul Kofi Krampah, a former Public Relations Officer of MoE and the Communications Consultant for SEIP, admonished participants to embrace the spirit of sacrifice, hard work and commitment to excellence in the performance of their duties as PROs.

GES and MoE, through this SEIP programme, have done so much in the area of access to quality education in Ghana. I have gone round the entire country and visited all the beneficiary districts and communities where the SEIP programme is operating and I can tell you that great things are going on. Let the public know about all these things so that we could court their attention and support for this Project to be successfully executed. Let us remember that many lives will be saved through access to quality education, as the Project seeks to give, if we do our work well as PROs, he indicated.

A group work and plenary session was conducted where participants had the privilege to deliver their draft action plans on how public relations would be used to support the implementation of the Project in the beneficiary districts and localities after which Reverend Jonathan Bettey, Head of the Public Relations Unit of GES, gave the closing prayer.
Nouakchott (AFP) - Mauritania's supreme court on Tuesday ordered two anti-slavery activists, one of them a former presidential candidate, to be set free after downgrading the crimes they were convicted for in January 2015.

"The Mauritanian supreme court ordered that Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid and Brahim Ould Bilal be freed," their lawyer Brahim Ould Ebetty told AFP.

"The two men should be freed immediately," the court judgement read.

Ould Abeid, runner-up in the 2014 presidential elections and leader of the Abolitionist Movement in Mauritania, was sentenced to two years in jail along with Ould Abetty for a public order offence and belonging to a non-authorised organisation.

The supreme court downgraded those offences to failing to disperse when ordered to do so by law enforcers, which carries a maximum one-year jail sentence, meaning they have already served their time.

Despite being officially abolished in 1981, slavery is still deeply entrenched in the vast largely desert nation where light-skinned Berbers enslaved local black populations after settling in Mauritania centuries ago.

Slave status is also often passed on from generation to generation, according to rights groups.

"The supreme court found that the court at Rosso and the appeal court at Aleg had legally misclassified the facts used against the two men," Ould Ebetty said, referring to the two jurisdictions that sentenced them and then upheld the sentences.

"I am satisfied that the supreme court has upheld the rule of law and that there is no longer any prisoner of conscience in my country," Ould Ebetty added.

Amnesty International has previously said the activists were arrested while trying to educate people about land rights in the west African country, where descendants of slaves are often forced to give up a portion of their crops to traditional masters.

In August 2015, Mauritania adopted a new law making slavery a "crime against humanity" and doubling the maximum prison term to 20 years.

The country in December also set up three specialist slavery courts and decreed last month that March 6 would be national day for the fight against slavery.
17.05.2016 LISTEN

But for The New York Times [16 May 2016] I would never have heard of Dr Anne Deborah Atai-Omorotu. Yet she was one of the greatest genuine heroines that Africa has ever produced.

She was a heroine on the lines of Florence Nightingale. But whereas almost every schoolchild  even in Africa  has heard of what Florence Nightingale did to save British soldiers' lives in the Crimean War in 1854, no African children, with the possible exception of a few in Liberia, have ever heard, or will ever hear, of Dr Atai-Omorotu. For in Africa, only politicians and businessmen tend to be regarded as news-worthy.

Yet, the name of Dr Atai-Omorutu, like that of Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh of Ghana and Nigeria, ought to be on the lips of everyone who values human life. For they both, in contrasting ways, put their own lives at great risk to save other people from dying from one of the worst enemies Africa has ever faced  the Ebola epidemic.

This terrible pestilence killed at least 12,000 people in its three epicentres -- Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia  between its severe outbreak in 2013 and its 'defeat' in 2014.

Dr Adadevoh caught Ebola in Nigeria from a patient who had arrived there with the disease from Liberia. Sadly, she died. But not before she had put into operation, clever and efficacious mechanisms to  as an article in the London Guardiannoted -- prevent the spread of Ebola in Nigeria.

It is not difficult to imagine what Ebola would have done to Nigeria (with her population of over 170 million) if it had been exposed to an attack by Ebola that was as widespread and severe as that in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. But bravely, Dr Adadevoh, as soon as she suspected that the symptoms shown by a patient from Liberia who had been brought to see her were similar to those of Ebola, quarantined the patient while she sent samples of his body fluids for tests.

Ebola was confirmed in the patient. But unfortunately, Dr Adadevoh had caught the disease herself and died, as did a few of the hospital workers who had been in physical contact with the patient. How the patient deceived her and literally killed her, by hiding facts from her, are distressing to read about.

Dr Adadevoh paid for her efforts with her life. But Dr Atai-Omorotu survived Ebola itself in Liberia, only to be struck down by pancreatic cancer on her return home to Uganda. She succumbed to this disease on 5 May 2016.

Dr Atai-Omoruto, went to Liberia at the height of the Ebola epidemic in 2014 where, according to The New York Times she helped turn the tide in the battle against the disease. She was 59 when she died. .

Dr. Atai-Omoruto was sent to Liberia in July 2014 by the World Health Organization (WHO) with a team of 14 Ugandan health workers she had gathered together. Just imagine the difficulty she must have faced in trying persuade Ugandan health workers  and their families  to go to a centre of death like Liberia at that time. To them Liberia was a "foreign" country. Why should they go and risk their lives for a foreign country, even if it was in Africa?

When the team arrived, Ebola had reached the capital city, Monrovia. Non-governmental organizations were pulling their workers out of the country; and many governments were unwilling to send medics there. Eventually, 4,810 people in Liberia died of the disease and 10,678 were infected, making the country the hardest hit in the region, The New York Times reports.

Dr. Atai-Omoruto and her team began training more than 1,000 Liberian health workers on how to manage Ebola patients, while protecting themselves from infection. The doctor also managed a large treatment unit known as the Island Clinic, a joint initiative of the Liberian government and the W.H.O.

Everything was in disarray and everybody was running away  she came in and stepped up to the plate, said Dorbor Jallah, who was the national coordinator for the Ebola task force in the early months of the response. Nobody knew how to manage an Ebola treatment unit, so she had to step up and play all of these multiple roles.

Hundreds of patients were transferred to the Island Clinic from holding centres throughout Monrovia. To accommodate the influx, Dr. Atai-Omoruto pushed beds closer together and put mattresses in the corridors, creating space to accommodate over 200 patients in a facility that was meant to cater for only 120 sick people.

When clinic workers threatened to protest over a lack of hazardous-duty pay, Dr. Atai-Omoruto persuaded them to stay on the job while pushing the government to respond.

She said, Work for your people, dont let your people die,  Jerry T. Williams, the clinics chief of security, said.

Dr. Atai-Omoruto was born on Nov. 22, 1956, in Kumi Town, in eastern Uganda, to Edisa Lusi Atai-Omoruto and David Livingstone Aisu, who were both primary school teachers. She attended Dr. S.N. Medical College in Jodhpur, India. She completed her masters degree in medicine at Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, and became a teacher and chairwoman of the department of family medicine. She had helped treat patients during cholera and earlier Ebola epidemics, including one in Kibaale, Uganda, in 2012, before she went to Liberia.

Dr. David Kaggwa, a Ugandan pediatrician who worked alongside Dr. Atai-Omoruto at the Island Clinic, said she was known for her no-nonsense style. She was fearless throughout the epidemic, he said, Her style of work was aggressive and unrelenting, and in the process she didnt win favor with some people in the government and the W.H.O.

But the people she treated appreciated her care and her emotional support. A former patient at the clinic said: She came in to encourage the patients. This patient, who lost three of her children and her husband to Ebola, said the doctor told them: This fight is not an easy fight, but dont lose hope, dont even have it in the back of your mind that you might die. 

May she rest in peace. If I were in charge of a foundation that can give funds for establishing institutions to the memory of humanitarian workers, I would make sure that Dr Adadevoh and Dr Atai-Omoruto each had an institute named after her, that would train at least 1,000 doctors and other health workers per year to serve the people of Africa. The students would each pledge never to refuse to be posted to any locality in Africa, no matter how dangerous or poor the place might be.
Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the governing National Democratic Congress General Secretary, has accused Mr Akufo-Addos running mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, of continuously making a lot of false and unsubstantiated allegations against the government.

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a week ago, called for Finance Minister Seth Terkpers resignation for depositing $250 million of the $1bn Eurobond cash meant for the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), into a UBA account, a move he said was at odds with the countrys financial laws. But Mr Terkper, reacted to Dr Bawumias allegations by defending his actions, insisting he would not leave office.

Bawumia has been stripped. Instead of Bawumia coming out to apologise for what he said, hes going about adding to the lies. So, if, with this attitude, you ascend the presidency, it will be bad news for the country, General Mosquito asserted.

Mr Asiedu Nketia explained that the Minister of Finance took out the money meant for GIIF to buy bonds as the Fund was not operational. He said the government saw it financially prudent to invest it in bonds to earn some interest.

GIIF has not begun operations and the money has been sitting there for two years, accruing no interest. Then they take it out to go invest it with another bank, and you come and say that the NDC has stashed the money somewhere to use for its campaign. There has been the explanation that there has not been any storing of money for campaign. Instead of saying sorry for that untruth, you are going about quoting banking laws. Is it true that we have stashed some money somewhere for campaign? If it is not so, then come out and apologise. But he is going about adding to the lies. If he lies and is exposed, then he jumps on to another lie, the former Wenchi West MP lamented.

He said Dr Bawumia should point his accusing fingers rather in the direction of his own party and find answers to why Mr Akufo-Addo had, in connivance with some NPP members, diverted party funds into a secret Ecobank account for his use.

He said the posture of Dr Bawumia was part of a grand plan by the leading opposition party, led by Mr Akufo-Addo, to prosecute a campaign of lies ahead of the November 7 polls.

Mr Asiedu Nketia also warned Dr Bawumias boss Nana Akufo-Addo to desist from campaigning on falsehood if he had ambitions of winning any election in the country.

He said the NPP was pushing an agenda of lies actuated by its flagbearer, using the partys media outlets, mainly allied radio stations and newspapers.

He thinks lies can win elections, General Mosquito said in reference to Mr Akufo-Addo, adding: But let me tell the NPP that untruths do not win elections anymore in this country.

He touched on corruption, which he said was one subject Mr Akufo-Addo and his party had tried to ride on to propagate untruths about the NDC government. He said Mr Akufo-Addo and the NPP were desperately creating the perception that corruption had worsened under the current administration, though the facts available revealed otherwise.

He told host C.J. Forson: This issue of corruption hes harped on, hes been shown records by those who assess corruption in this country. The figures show that ever since Ghana ranked 54th globally on the corruption table, something which happened under the rule of Jerry Rawlings, no Ghanaian government had been able to perform better. I have not heard Nana Akufo-Addos comments on this grading, because if you compare it to an assessment somewhere around 2003, when the NPP was in power, from our 54th position under [President] Rawlings, we slumped to 73rd. But in the latest rankings for 2015, Ghana has moved back up to 56th and is one of the countries tackling corruption. So, throughout the eight years of President Kufuor, they came nowhere near the 50s; Ghana has moved up to 56 under President Mahama.
General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has said Nana Akufo-Addos woeful leadership qualities means he will bungle in office even if he were to be made a District Chief Executive (DCE).

General Mosquito, as the NDC Secretary has been nicknamed, said the unrest in the New Patriotic Party (NPP), of which Mr Akufo-Addo is leader, was testament that his election as president would not bode well for the nation.

The NPP in 2015 suspended three of its national executives  Chairman Paul Afoko, General Secretary Kwabena Agyapong, and Second Deputy Chairman Sammy Crabbe  for working against the interests of Mr Akufo-Addo as flagbearer. Factionalism within the party has seen two of its members murdered as a result. Adams Mahama, who was the Upper East Regional Chairman, died after an acid attack on him allegedly by a brother of Mr Afoko, Gregory. In November 2015, Abubakar Saddiq was also stabbed multiple times to his death by persons believed to be affiliated to Mr Afoko.

Mr Asiedu Nketia, in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson on Accra100.5FMs morning show, Ghana Yensom, on Tuesday May 17, said: Nana Addo has never been president. His only presidency has been to lead his party. But even in leading the party, his deeds within the party, to which his own party members attest mean that even if he is made DCE, there will be trouble in this country. If you make Nana Addo DCE, there will be trouble in the district.

Mr Nketia also accused Mr Akufo-Addos running mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, of making a lot of false statements. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a week ago, called for Finance Minister Seth Terkpers resignation for depositing $250 million of the $1bn Eurobond cash, meant for the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), into a UBA account, a move he said was at odds with the countrys financial laws. But Mr Terkper, reacted to Dr Bawumias allegations by defending his actions and insisting he would not leave office.

Bawumia has been stripped. Instead of Bawumia coming out to apologise for what he said, hes going about adding to the lies. So, if, with this attitude, you ascend the presidency, it will be bad news for the country, General Mosquito asserted.

He explained that the Minister of Finance took out the money meant for GIIF to buy bonds as the Fund was not operational. He said the government saw it financially prudent to invest it in bonds to earn some interest.

GIIF has not finished with its work and the money has been sitting there for two years, accruing no interest. Then they take it out to go invest it with another bank, and you come and say that the NDC has stashed the money somewhere to use for its campaign. There has been the explanation that there has not been any storing of money for campaign. Instead of saying sorry for that untruth, you are going about quoting banking laws. Is it true that we have stashed some money somewhere for campaign? If it is not so, then come out and apologise. But he is going about adding to the lies. If he lies and is exposed, then he jumps on to another lie, the former Wenchi West MP lamented.

He said Dr Bawumia should point his accusing fingers rather in the direction of his own party and find answers to why Mr Akufo-Addo had, in connivance with some NPP members, diverted party funds into a secret Ecobank account for his use.

He is not even in charge of the country; he is only leading a party. You have gone for party funds to open a secret account from which only you can withdraw, something party members have risen against. Your response has only been: Go and beat them, he accused Akufo-Addo.
Bill Gates

17.05.2016 LISTEN

PRETORIA, South Africa, 17 May 2016, -/African Media Agency (AMA)/-The Nelson Mandela Foundation in association with the University of Pretoria, is delighted to announce that Bill Gates will deliver the 14th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture on 17 July 2016, the eve of Mandela Day.

Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will address the theme "Living Together" in his lecture at the University of Pretoria's Mamelodi campus.

The Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture is one of the Foundation's flagship programmes to honour our founder, Nelson Mandela, and to raise topical issues affecting South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world. It encourages both local and international dialogue - often about difficult subjects - as a means to address the multiple and complex challenges that face the world today. The Lectures are addressed by speakers who have made a significant contribution in their field of expertise.

"Living Together" highlights the need for a new social pact across the globe to end protracted conflict, overcome intolerance and prejudice, improve access to healthcare and education, and reduce poverty and inequality.

Considered one of the most influential individuals of our time, Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, is guided by the belief that all lives have equal value, and is dedicated to building a world where every person has a chance to lead a healthy, productive life. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works with partners and grantees to combat infectious diseases that disproportionately affect the world's poorest; empower women and girls to transform their lives; ensure that children and young people survive and thrive; and inspire people to take action to change the world. Through its support for innovative techniques, tools and approaches, the Gates Foundation has helped make possible dramatic progress in reducing hunger, alleviating poverty, and preventing and treating HIV, malaria, and polio in Africa and around the world.

"It's an incredible honour to be invited to deliver this year's Nelson Mandela Lecture. President Mandela will be remembered for generations to come for his courage, his vision, and his relentless pursuit of equality and justice. I believe, as he did, that progress is possible. We can help people everywhere live healthier, more productive lives - if we make sure that innovation reaches everyone who needs it. I can't think of a better venue for discussing these urgent issues than the Nelson Mandela Lecture," said Gates.

"The Nelson Mandela Foundation shares Mr Gates's commitment to improving the quality of life for people around the world. We know that the promise of a better life is possible through improving access and quality of education, health and opportunity. These are causes that Mr Gates continues to advance and support. We are honoured to have him to share his insights on the most challenging issues of our time," said Professor Njabulo Ndebele, Chairman of the Board of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

"We are delighted that Mr Gates has accepted our invitation to deliver this year's Lecture. I have no doubt that his views will stimulate debate and highlight the issues that continue to curb progress of poor and marginalised communities in South Africa and around the world," said Sello Hatang, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

The Lecture will be held at the University of Pretoria's Mamelodi campus.

"As an innovator and a philanthropist, I know Bill Gates will inspire students, staff and academics at the University of Pretoria. His dedication and commitment to improving the lives of the poor sets a remarkable example for us all. We are delighted to partner with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to host the lecture", said Professor Cheryl de la Rey, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Pretoria.
The Tesano District Police Command has arrested three members of a television  stealing syndicate who attempted to sell stolen flat screen television sets to the owner.

The suspects were identified as Nana Kwame Asare, 42, an electrician, Kwesi Yeboah, 40, an electronic mechanic, and Kofi Danquah, 36, alias Aponkye, a sprayer.

They are said to have taken delivery of 20 sets of 40-inch flat screen Samsung television sets from a shop owner at Nima on the pretext of supplying them to a company.

The mastermind of the syndicate, Asare, is said to have called a shop attendant at Dzorwulu in Accra through a contact which had been displayed on a signpost having a notice of a request for 20 television sets.

Shop attendant

Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Tesano Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Edward Tetteh, said the first shop attendant, who was out of stock, contacted another shop owner at Nima and gave the contact to Asare.

He said on May 13, 2016, Asare called the owner of the shop at Nima and claimed he was sending errand boys to collect the television sets to be delivered to a company at Lapaz after which he would make payment for them.

The owner of the shop, he said, asked two of his attendants to join the truck after the men had loaded the television sets onto it to receive the money.

He said at Lapaz, the television sets were unloaded in front of a company's premises (name withheld), and re-loaded onto another truck shortly after the two men who had been sent by Asare had entered a house behind the company with the excuse of visiting the washroom.

Arrest

Mr Tetteh said the attendants, who had been sent to collect the money told the police that after waiting for 30 minutes outside the house after the second truck had been driven away they entered the house only to find out that the men had absconded.

The suspects are said to have shared the television sets among themselves after giving the two truck drivers one each to offset the cost of transportation.

He said the police arrested two of the suspects, Asare and Yeboah, in a hotel at Gbawe when they contracted a television repairer to sell two of the television sets for them.

The television repairer then contacted the original owner of the television sets from whose shop at Nima the suspects had collected the television sets, leading to the arrest of the two suspects.

The third suspect, Danquah, is said to have used one of the television sets as collateral for a loan of GH2000 and had sold two others earlier.

He said the police had since retrieved five of the television sets.

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Last week, the Associated Press reported that the U.S. Army promised to pay to move and re-bury the remains of at least 10 Native American children who died more than a century ago at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

The U.S. Army believes that through government to government consultations, all parties will address the legal requirements and familial connection required to support the requesting Tribes in bringing their family members back home, according to Army Spokesman Dave Foster. The executive director of the Army National Military Cemeteries is the approving agency for this action with support from numerous other agencies including various elements at Carlisle Barracks.

Tom Zimmerman, U.S. Army War College and Carlisle Barracks public affairs officer, said that when the Army executes its plan for disinterment, Carlisle Barracks will be in support.

The cemetery includes 227 graves; 186 are graves of Native Americans who attended the Indian Industrial School between 1879 and 1918. After the Army assumed control of the post in 1918, the cemetery became a military cemetery, according to Zimmerman.

The expansion of the Medical Field Services School in 1927 triggered a decision by the Army to move the cemetery to its current location, according to a story that ran in The Sentinel Aug. 15, 1927.

When an Indian would die he was buried in the Indian School graveyard, unless the remains of the student was claimed by relatives, the story reads.

Thats why now tribal leaders on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota met with representatives from the Army and agreed to work with the Rosebud Sioux and other tribes to exhume the bodies of children who died and were buried at the school, the Associated Press reported. Also, tribes will have to follow the official process for disinterment from a military cemetery, and the Army will address each case individually as tribes may not be able to meet all of the requirements because of the years that have elapsed since the children died.

We are really thankful that they are willing to work with us and that we are going to move forward, Russell Eagle Bear, the historic preservation officer for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, told the Associated Press. His office has used several documents to determine that 10 of the children buried at the site of the former school, which is now part of the U.S. Army War College, are members of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
By Patience A. Gbeze, GNA

Accra, May 17, GNA - Dr Edward Omane Boamah, the Minister of Communications, says government has not considered a ban on the Over-The-Top (OTT) services but is only finding a better way to harness its use.

OTT service is the delivery of audio, video, and other media over the internet without the involvement of a multiple-system operator in control or distribution of the content.

Dr Boamah was speaking at a Digital Family Forum organised by National Communications Authority (NCA) in collaboration with the International Telecommunications Union on Tuesday to commemorate this year's World Telecommunication and Information Society Day in Accra.

The global theme for the Day is: 'ICT Entrepreneurship for Social Impact,' but Ghana is focusing on 'Addressing Challenges of the Communications Industry to Promote Growth and Development: Focus on Domestic Roaming and OTT Services'.

'We believe that as a merging trend, the regulator, together with operators and consumers, should find a middle ground which befits our peculiar situation.

'To this end we wish to reiterate that we recognise the media as development partners and as such, we need your support in communicating accurate and verified messages to the public,' he said.

The Minister said: 'The reality of today's telecommunication industry is that consumers are in control. Consumers love innovation, flexibility, efficiency, comfort, and more often than not, low-cost alternatives and will always seek them to enhance their livelihoods.

'Our mandate should be to seek a balanced approach such that all stakeholders in this industry have their needs fulfilled. It is also imperative for us to learn from other countries and understand why they have or have not encouraged this trend of affairs,' he said.

Dr Boamah said one major aim of the Government, beyond the efforts being made by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), was to consider the case for Domestic Roaming.

He said traditional GSM Roaming is 'the ability for a cellular customer to automatically make and receive voice calls, send and receive data, or access other services, including home data services, when travelling outside the geographical coverage area of the home network, by means of using a visited network'.

'Domestic or National roaming is when the geographical area where the customer roams is within the same country as the customer's mobile operator,' he said.

The Minister said that implementation of such a transformation would stimulate, promote and encourage innovation and further provide the required quality of service while developing a reliable communications infrastructure.

'This service will enable mobile users to switch from one network to the other in the event of network failure. Furthermore, this will ultimately be of an advantage to the police and other security officers in the event of crisis and mass information,' he added.

Dr Boamah said government would continuously partner with stakeholders in all sectors to provide the appropriate environment to promote the adoption of ICT tools.

He said this could increase the competitiveness of SMEs and enable the creation of more flexible links with trading partners because of faster and more reliable communication channels.

The Minister, therefore, encouraged the forum to be open and honest as they shared ideas to make the discussions beneficial.

'It is all about finding solutions to issues of concern so that Ghana becomes a winner. There should be no calcified positions,' he said.

Mr William Tevie, the Director General of the NCA, who presented a message on behalf of the ITU Secretary General, Houlin Zhao, called on stakeholders to promote the role of small, young, and innovative firms in the ICT sector.

He stressed the need to encourage the spread of digital social innovation, priotise economic policies which promote innovation; and ensure the availability of necessary human capacity.

He said they must support the establishment of comprehensive entrepreneurial ecosystems as well as assist entrepreneurs in moving from idea and innovation to sales and revenue.

'Let us put our resources together to harness the catalytic role of ICTs in achieving sustainable development and delivering on economic growth, social inclusion and environmental balance,' he said.

Ms Christine Evans-Klock, the United Nations Resident Co-ordinator in Ghana, in a speech read on her behalf, called on government to invest in young innovators to create more jobs and technologies for the benefit of all.

GNA
business 3 bidders for Tata Steel's UK biz to be shortlisted in June:Srcs All bidders have been individually assured that they won't be taking on the pending liability burden of Tata Steel's UK assets, reports CNBC-TV18's Kritika Saxena, quoting sources.
business Associates' merger to improve efficiency, aid financially: SBI The merger will cut out overlaps with six treasuries being bundled off into one and provide scope for branch rationalisation, said Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman of SBI after bank's board gave in-principle approval to merge Bhartiya Mahila Bank and five associates with itself.
you are here:
business On the lookout to add more spectrum in our portfolio: Vodafone Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Sunil Sood, MD and CEO, Vodafone India said that the company is in the lookout to add more spectrum to its portfolio by spectrum trading, sharing or auctions.
business Snapdeal-Housing.com deal goes for a toss: Sources Analysts have pegged Housing.com's valuations at around USD 300 million but CNBC-TV18 learns that that Snapdeal is keen on picking up the online real-estate firm at a 20-30 percent discount to this number.
business See crude at $80 a bbl in second half of this year: Geoff Lewis Manulife Asset Management's senior strategist also talked about the Mauritius treaty. He said the amendments in the India-Mauritius tax treaty aren't retrospective and they certainly address many tax issues.
business Go long in Bharat Forge 740 Put, says Gaurav Bissa Gaurav Bissa of LKP Securities is of the view that one can go long in Bharat Forge 740 Put.
Ganesh Vasudevan CEO, IndiaProperty.com

As of April, 2015 the projects psft value is averaging at INR 3100. Except towers 20, 23 and 27, all other towers are nearing completion and should be handed over to the buyers soon.Sector 151 lies towards the end of the Noida Expressway and almost touches Greater Noida. The project has not seen much demand as there are ample options available on the Expressway closer to Noida. As per location the project would see slow appreciation.
May 17, 2016 How Will The "West" Cover Up Its Retreat From Afghanistan? The Obama administration seems to have given up on Afghanistan. It should have done so seven years ago but the military ambushed the just installed Obama administration when the only alternatives it presented on Afghanistan was a huge surge and an even bigger surge in deployed troops. Those additional deployments failed to change the realities on the ground and Afghanistan is slipping back into the permanent local war between "western" supported warlords and Pakistan supported Taliban. The later have the huge advantage of some medieval but largely consistent ideology while the former are only driven by greed. This makes the Taliban the likely winner as the U.S. and others are no longer willing to sacrifice their own men and money for the enrichment of a small class of very greedy Afghan criminals. Nearly all internal road communication lines in Afghanistan are now broken or under control of the Taliban: Taliban insurgents have cut the main highway that links the capital with northern Afghanistan and neighboring countries for the past three days, according to Afghan officials in the area.

...

The northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif was cut off, as were road connections to eight northern provinces.

...

Earlier this month, insurgents launched heavy attacks on security check posts along the Ring Road between Greshk and Lashkar Gah, in Helmand Province, overrunning three police positions and killing 15 police officers, and taking six officers prisoner. That again cut the strategic stretch linking Kandahar, the biggest southern city, with Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province. For months, the stretch of Ring Road linking Kandahar and Kabul has been subject to regular Taliban ambushes and so-called flying check posts, making travel dangerous except under heavy guard, for most of the distance. Only the short stretch between Kabul and Wardak Province is passable regularly. The highway has also been shut down by insurgent ambushes in northern Jowzjan and Faryab Provinces, in western Farah Province and along stretches in Kunduz and Oruzgan Provinces, according to local officials and the police in those areas. Recently, even the main highway from Kabul to the Torkhum border crossing with Pakistan has been occasionally shut down by Taliban ambushes. The Afghan government and officials in Kabul are building more walls to surround their compounds out if fear of bomb attacks. Such walls will not keep mortars and rockets from falling onto their roofs. It is rather predictable how this will end. Those with some money will flee the country, those without will arrange themselves with the foreseeable winner, the Taliban. The official government will fall apart. The coalition government, U.S. imposed after the "democratic process" ended up in a stalemate of bribes, did not achieve anything. The army and police exist on paper but in reality are just some gangs solely benefiting their leaders: With an estimated 25,000 troops officially based in Helmand, the government should have enough muscle to confront the Taliban. The problem is many of those troops dont exist.

...

A recent investigation by Helmands provincial council found that approximately 40% of enlisted troops did not exist. The authors of an analysis commissioned by the Afghan government  and obtained by the Guardian  said the share might be even higher. US officials are equally concerned: in a report released on 30 April, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) claimed that, neither the United States nor its Afghan allies know how many Afghan soldiers and police actually exist, how many are in fact available for duty, or, by extension, the true nature of their operational capabilities.

...

One security official cited in the government report said 300 troops had been deployed to a base in Sangin, but when the base fell, there were less than 15 left. The "west" pays for the official number of Afghan troops but the money does not end up paying soldiers or policemen but only those who control the official enrollment lists. The meager troops that do exists will soon leave the south where the Taliban are ready to again take full control: According to the government report, insurgents control 95% of Kajaki district, a lynchpin for British efforts to win hearts and minds by powering a dam to supply southern Afghanistan with electricity. In Marjah, where 15,000 coalition troops staged Operation Moshtarak, one of the largest offensives of the entire war, the Taliban control 80% territory. In Sangin, only the army and police headquarters are standing. Nawzad and Musa Qala are fully under Taliban control, as is 60% of Gereshk, where most UK and US soldiers were based. The situation in other parts of the country is not better. There were huge demonstrations in Kabul last week over the route of a new high voltage electricity line that will allow for the import of more energy. The original technical evaluation recommended to put the line through Bamyan, a Hazara-dominated central province. But someone in the recent government decided to route it through the much more vulnerable Salang pass. The demonstrators believe that ethnic hate against the Hazara led to that change though some local bribery seems more likely. The project also shows that 15 years of "western" development in Afghanistan did nothing to really build the country. Afghanistan has no means to pay for the import of electricity. Instead of building high power import lines it should (have) build many small hydro-power dam projects. The generated electricity would likely be less than the possible imports but it would be sustainable. The new import line, should it ever be finished, will either get blown up by this or that side of a local conflict, or fall into disuse due to a lack of import payments. The "west" has failed in Afghanistan in a more devastating way than the Soviet Union failed there. Despite deploying many troops over many years no military solution could be obtained. Despite billions spend on development no sustainable economic achievement is visible. Despite thousands of "democracy" initiatives the basic might-makes-right rules of the land did not change. Whoever wins the presidential U.S. election will need some very creative propaganda writing to cover up the devastating results of the war on Afghanistan and the retreat from the country. What story line will they come up with? Posted by b on May 17, 2016 at 16:56 UTC | Permalink Comments
Get ready for the Gender Wars, my friends. Weve already seen a few skirmishes between Donald Trump and female op-ed writers, Donald Trump and female television journalists, Donald Trump and female GOP candidates, and Donald Trump and female Democratic candidates.

It appears that The Donald is going mano a mano with 51 percent of the U.S. population, and is winning.

Thats right, hes winning. And you know why hes winning? Because among the 51 percent of women supposedly being assaulted by His Mighty Orangeness, a large proportion are thinking creatures who do not feel singled out for his obnoxious attention. Weve seen what hes done to Jeb, Marco, Chris (before he loved him,) John, Lindsey and, most especially, poor Lyin Ted. Women arent special. We have eyes and ears. We really dont think Trump is on a crusade against the ladies.

We just think hes one of the many words that rhyme with ick.

I say this as a woman who really despises the conduct and content of the man who is the presumptive nominee of my newly adopted (and soon to be abandoned) political party. It is rare that I say never, but the only thing that could ever make me even think of voting for Trump is if Hillary Clinton threatens to appoint non-lawyer Cecile We Dont Sell Body Parts Richards to the U.S. Supreme Court. But its a longshot.

That said, Im not turned off by Trump because of his alleged misogyny. While he isnt the most chivalrous of fellows, the fact he has absolutely no time for anyone who vaguely disagrees with him is proof positive the man is an equal opportunity maligner. Gender really is irrelevant in his rants.

Thats not to say that some of his comments, including his references to Megyn Kellys menstrual cycle, arent disgusting. They are tasteless.

But when Hillary starts making her sly, dog-whistle references to how Trump demeans the sisters, I head straight for the Dramamine. Part of it is that she didnt care too much about the sisters dating her husband.

Mostly, its about the lazy thinking that goes into the war on women shtick, the fraudulent and awkward attempt to enlist people of vastly divergent philosophies, principles and experiences into one happy sorority of solidarity.

Frankly, the only thing that I have in common with Clinton and the type of woman who thinks like her is my plumbing (and even that should become irrelevant with the impending hot flashes.) She, and they, have nothing for me.

But Im supposed to be offended that Donald Trump is making sexist remarks because Im a girl. For a group that has long lobbied for equality between the sexes, this seems to me like a return to the days of pink-is-for-girls-and-blue-is-for-boys.

There is real misogyny in the world, and Ive experienced it, usually from other women and the liberal men who want to date them. Im used to being called ugly, stupid, incoherent, a bad writer, and lots of equally unpleasant things, especially by the sort of people who otherwise are devoted to tolerance and diversity.

And Im not stupid enough to believe that gender is irrelevant. Quite the contrary, I think it is extremely important, and thats why the whole idea of gender fluidity repels me. For example, Im frightened at how willing we seem to just ignore the negative impact of this bathroom nonsense, but its like the frog that sits in a pot of water. If you turn up the heat slowly, the frog gets acclimated to the boiling temperatures, and doesnt jump out in time to save itself.

Thats where society is right now. Legalize sodomy? Turn up the temperature. Same-sex marriage? Make it a few degrees hotter. Caitlyn Jenner? Your tea is almost ready. Transgender bathrooms? Full boil; sayonara.

But recognizing and respecting gender is a lot different from using it as a badge of victimhood.

Trump is a creep. But he doesnt look below the waist when going in for the kill.

In a strange way, Donald Trump is an evolved human being who looks at people as either friends or enemies. Whether they stand up or sit down when doing their business is irrelevant.

So I say we all just demagnetize our woman cards, and focus on what matters:

Will Bill Clintons platform as first lady require parental consent?

Christine Flowers is an attorney and a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, and can be reached at cflowers1961@gmail.com.
It was another record-setting weekend for the Worlds Loudest Month, as Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion reached new heights with more than 90,000 in attendance as the festival grew to three days (May 6-8) in 2016. With more than 60 bands on four stages at Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC  and 12 hours of televised performances and backstage interviews on AXS TV  Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion was a full weekend of nonstop rock for fans in both the Mid-Atlantic and around the country.

The Sixth annual Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion marked the launch of the legendary Scorpions U.S. tour  part of their 50th Anniversary World Tour  with Motorheads Mikkey Dee filling in on drums. The festival also featured performances from Rob Zombie, Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, Deftones, A Day To Remember, 3 Doors Down, Bring Me The Horizon, Cypress Hill, Pennywise, Lamb Of God, plus Rock & Roll Hall Of Famers Lynyrd Skynyrd and Alice Cooper, thrash pioneers Megadeth and Anthrax, and many more.

While SiriusXMs Jose Mangin hosted AXS TVs hard-rocking televised coverage, fans at the festival and around the world were able to enjoy the quieter side of Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion with the Zippo Acoustic Sessions hosted by Alternative Press. Streamed live from Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion, the archived Zippo Acoustic Sessions can be viewed at the Alternative Press Facebook page (www.facebook.com/altpress) and the Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion Facebook page (www.facebook.com/CarolinaRebellion).

Heres a sample of what the press had to say about Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion 2016:

Expanding from two to three days for the first time in its six year history allowed for a more eclectic lineup...Throughout the weekend there was a defiant spirit that Carolina Rebellion and its sister festivals prove that rock  while its not the sole chart-ruler it once was  is by no means dead...I was reminded of the camaraderie and community that these kinds of events create. In a global climate where so much emphasis is on division, the kind of unity music creates is greatly needed."

 Courtney Devores, Charlotte Observer Sound Bites Blog, May 8, 2016

"For the festivals sixth year, fans were treated to a wide range of performers as well as fantastic weather and a handful of standout moments.

 Jeff Hahne, Creative Loafing Charlotte, May 9, 2016

In addition to enjoying Monster Energy Carolina Rebellions massive music lineup, festivalgoers were able to eat their way through a tour of great regional Gourmet Man Food at the expanded Pig Out BBQ Village. Fans rubbed elbows with their favorite bands during artist meet & greets at the Monster Energy, f.y.e., and The Music Experience tents  and lived their own rock star fantasies while trying the latest gear at The Music Experience. The Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion Ferris Wheel offered fans a singular vantage point of the entire festival grounds.

Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents and AEG Live and is part of the World's Loudest Month concert series, which features the biggest names in rock music performing in eight distinct U.S. concert atmospheres in April and May.

The festival is supported by great corporate partners including Monster Energy, Bud Light, f.y.e., Jack Daniel's, The Music Experience, Zippo Encore, Deep Eddy Vodka, and Jagermeister.

For more information on Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion, visit:

Facebook: @CarolinaRebellion

Twitter: @CRebellion

Instagram: CarolinaRebellion
IIT-Kharagpur's Nandini Bhandaru wins European Materials Research Society Award

Published: May 17, 2016

Nandini Bhandaru, a PhD student at IIT-Kharagpur has won the Young Scientist Award of the European Materials Research Societys (E-MRS) for contribution to materials science.

She had won the award for her outstanding contribution to materials science and nanotechnology, particularly nano-patterning of soft films and surfaces.

Presently, Ms. Bhandaru is working at the Instability and Soft Patterning Laboratory of the institute IIT-Kharagpur. Her area of doctoral research is on nano-fabrication, including soft-lithography, polymer blend films, thin film dewetting and self-assembly.

What is Nanofabrication?

Nano-fabrication and nano-patterning technology entail developing methods to manufacture nano-materials or pattern materials on a nanometre scale.

Nano-lithography is a common method used in nano-patterning especially for producing topographically patterned polymer films and surfaces required in the organic electronics.

Applications: It acts as the mother board for many of the devices and applications such as

It acts as the mother board for many of the devices and applications such as (i) organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), (ii) opto-electronic devices, (iii) thin film transistors (TFTs), (iv) biological sensors microfluidics, (v) plastic solar cells, (vi) data storage media, (vii) smart and super adhesives, (viii) lab-on-a-chip devices, (ix) surfaces for nano-biotechnology applications such as patterned substrates for probing of cell behaviour, etc.

Ms. Nandini Bhandaru innovative Research proposes

Possibility of fabricating nano-scale patterned surfaces at an extremely low cost and by using an inherently simple methodology.

These surfaces may act as the mother board for many of the devices and applications.

This technique can be commercialised with minimal capital investment of the fabrication costs of these surfaces.

The fabrication costs can be reduced to one tenth of the current high end expensive photolithography or electron beam lithography based methods.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2016

Topics: Awards  IIT Kharagpur  Nanofabrication  Persons in News  Science and Technology

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Click here for our coverage of the latest Morningstar Investment Conference UK in our special report: What the Experts Say, on subjects ranging from Brexit and risk management to the cost of funds and the future of advice.

India has overtaken China as the fastest growing global economy  and according to Paul Sheard, chief economist at S&P Global India could grow up to 8% annually for the next 30 years.

Speaking at the sixth annual Financial Leaders Forum in Saudi Arabia last week, Sheard was reported to back Indias long term growth potential, thanks in the most part to its favourable demographics.

Being one of the worlds largest importers of oil, India has a net beneficiary of a falling oil price over the past two years, boosting public finances and bringing down living costs in the country.

While the IMF forecasts India's GDP to grow at 7.5% over the next two years, New Delhi's Central Statistics Office expects the country's GDP to climb to 7.6% in 2016, which is an increase of 0.4% than what it achieved in 2014.

Unlike most of its emerging market peers such as Brazil and Russia that are heavily relying on commodity-related exports, India economy is fundamentally driven by emerging middle class consumers in the country.

Political stability is also one of the contributors, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modis efforts to boost foreign investment and infrastructure. In Mumbai, at the Make in India Week exposition, attended by more than 10,000 government and business delegations from 72 countries, $220 billion of investment was committed, creating jobs and boosting manufacturing, according to Kunal Desai, manager of the Neptune India Fund.

Whilst it is debatable how much investment will materialise, we believe it goes some way to show the intent of policymakers  other emerging markets are not approaching foreign companies with this scale and coordination, says Desai.

Desai believes that the most interesting investments in the Indian market exist among mid-cap stocks, where he believes companies to be far more nimble than their baggage-burdened large-cap peers.

James Syme, manager of the Bronze Rated JOHCM Global Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund, agrees, saying India as one of his favourite economies with strong domestic demand.

Which Emerging Market Funds Offer the Greatest India Exposure?

Stewart Investors Global Emerging Markets has 20.6% of exposures to India equities, and the Silver Rated fund has generated 8.1% year to date. The fund has a 3.7% five years annualised return and a 10 -year annualised return of 9.8%. Morningstar analyst Simon Dorricott thinks that the fund remains an impressive offering. First State Stewart has been particularly successful at investing in the emerging markets of India and the stock selection skills was a largest positive, Dorricott adds. The fund charges an annual fee of 1.9%.

JP Morgan Emerging Markets, a Bronze Rated fund holding 23% in India equities has gained 6.5% year to date. Although the approach of co-managers of the fund, Austin Forey and Leon Eidelman, may result in the fund underperforming for short periods if markets are driven by commodities, lower-quality names, or macro and political issues, it has generally not shown significant weakness over more meaningful periods, Dorricott said. The funds ongoing charge is 1.68% which is competitive compared with the median retail share class within the Global Emerging Markets Equity Morningstar Category.
India, US hold first Maritime Security Dialogue

Published: May 17, 2016

India and United States (US) held their first Maritime Security Dialogue in New Delhi for deepening the evolving partnership in the maritime domain between both countries.

The first round of discussions under the recently-constituted dialogue was held between officials of Indias Defence and External Affairs Ministries and their US counterparts.

Key facts about first Dialogue

Both sides discussed various issues including naval cooperation, Asia-Pacific maritime challenges and multilateral engagement.

They agreed to include the conclusion of a white shipping technical arrangement to improve data sharing on commercial shipping traffic.

Both sides also undertook Navy-to-Navy discussion on submarine safety and anti-submarine warfare was also undertaken.

Background

The Maritime Security Dialogue was one of the several new initiatives agreed between Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his US counterpart Ashton Carter during the latters visit to India in April 2016.

It was agreed as part of the maritime security objectives under the India-US Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2016

Topics: Defence  India-International Relations  India-US  maritime security  UPSC

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While competition will certainly intensify in the wake of a recent court decision that upheld the publics right to access housing data, Canadas real estate industry would actually benefit the most in such an information regime, according to an observer.



Ryerson University associate professor Murtaza Haider said that the Competition Tribunals verdict in Aprilwhich took the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) to task for inhibiting realtors from providing sales information to the publicwould bring the industry up to 21st century standards.



We often fail to imagine how an industry will thrive once its been liberated. Information liberation leads to prosperity, Haider stated, as quoted by CTV News.



Accurate and up-to-date information is an invaluable service that realtors would be able to give to consumers if the rest of Canadas real estate boards model any regulatory changes on the Tribunals decision, the analyst said.



The true value of a real estate agent is not that few pages of comparables. The net benefit is the service. A realtors role is to prevent a buyer from feeling buyers remorse and a seller from feeling sellers remorse, Haider argued, adding that the United States housing sector has no shortage of professionals even though it already has the open online database Zillow.



Restricting the dissemination of sales data is nonsensical considering that around 95 per cent of properties get sold for less than 5 per cent of their asking prices, according to Haider. TREB countered that making the data widely available would be tantamount to a breach of clients privacy.



The Tribunal has yet to release the full decision, which is still subject to appeal.
Stevens: MBA will Continue Fighting the Good Fight

Despite a mortgage lending environment that is both the most conservative and safest we have ever seen, David H. Stevens. President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), said on Monday, most lenders feel like the mortgage industry is under attack. "Add in a political atmosphere complete with broad brush accusations in political rhetoric that only perpetuate anger towards an industry that's sole purpose is to provide real estate finance opportunities to qualified borrowers, and it can be tough not to want to fight back."

In remarks prepared for presentation to MBA's National Secondary Market Conference and Expo, Stevens continued, "I'm here to tell you that we cannot let our frustration cloud our judgement, not when we've come so far and have led the discussion on so many critical policy issues."

Stevens touted the difference the mortgage industry's leadership has made "fighting the good fight to responsibly and sustainably provide access to credit and to help offer those opportunities for qualified borrowers." MBA's voice, he said has led to negotiated reforms to reps and warrants and to revisions to compensatory fees. MBA has beaten back seven attempts in Congress to divert guarantee fees and moved the government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) and their regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) toward often seeking public comment on major new policies.

Uncertainty around the future of the GSEs continues to "paralyze investment in new or dormant securitization channels," he said, but still there has been progress. Conservatorship was never meant to be permanent and MBA has been working with FHFA toward non-legislative transition actions to modernize and advance the companies' business operations.

"Conservatorship with no capital and facing a political regime change poses a real threat to our mortgage system," Stevens said. MBA has called for the creation of a single GSE security and for up-front risk sharing to increase competition and provide market access to lenders of all sizes. It also called for the common securitization platform (CSP) to ensure data standardization, fungibility, and objectiveness.

Director (Melvin) Watt responded, Stevens said, the single security is in sight, the CSP is being built although MBA must push aggressively to get it completed, and progress is being made on risk sharing to bring private capital into the market.

Progress has extended beyond the GSEs. MBA fought for a safe harbor in Ability to Repay/Qualified Mortgage (QA) rule and to align QA and the Qualified Residential Mortgage (QRM) rule, one without a downpayment requirement.

Pivoting toward the future, Stevens said that MBA's work is far from finished. While many calls for key policy actions are being met, many are moving at too slow a pace. With the major rules required under Dodd Frank implemented, MBA now needs to keep leading and pushing to refine them to give borrowers the opportunities they deserve.

QM, he said, has done a lot of good but falls short of being a long-term solution. The GSEs can purchase loans that are solidly underwritten but fail to meet the QM standard of 43 percent debt-to-income (DTI) ratios because of a QM "patch" that provides safe harbor for these loans. Without the parch and the permanent exemption for GNMA loans, credit would be much tighter.

But the patch only exists for as long as the GSE's remain in conservatorship or seven years, whichever comes first. When it expires or if GSE underwriting changes substantially "a whole segment of qualified potential borrowers will be frozen out of the market." The QM rule should not punt all credit decisions to two companies that aren't even regulated by the same agency, he said, and the rule should demand the same credit approval process for a borrower whether the loan is being sold to a GSE or a private investor, as long as all the other terms are the same.

He admitted that the industry did advocate for the patch to gain time to assess QM's impact, but said there are now too many "what ifs" that could impact the real estate finance system. What if a new regime at CFPB has a different view about the rule and the patch, or the next FHFA director comes with different ideas of the role scope, and size of the GSEs in the market, or the conservatorship ends?

"The patch is temporary and the clock is ticking," Stevens said. The rule must be proactively and thoughtfully rewritten now rather than in a panic response to events later, and rewritten taking into account lessons learned about access to credit. "We must be mindful of the dynamics affecting approval for a new generation that is more diverse and less traditional than we have ever seen in this country."

The industry must also continue working with FHFA on secondary market transition steps. The conversation about the GSEs future is very much alive and other voices are joining the discussion; consumer groups, economists, and congress all recognize the need to solve the conservatorship question. The transition steps being taken now will prepare the market for what happens and help ensure a competitive marketplace for institutions of all sizes.

He outlined the progress being made on both the CSP and single security. The former is in development and Freddie Mac should begin using it for its current single-class securities (CSS) this year. The CSP has a CEO and an employee base, and they are progressing toward the release dates set by FHFA. The industry must continue to push for a faster implementation to ensure that these critical advances cannot be reversed and to make sure the platform is open to non-agency MBS so that long-term efforts for both private capital and GSE reform can take advantage of the benefits of its efficiency, data, and consistency. And third, the CSP, and CSS itself, must be truly independent. Moving the full function of securitization away from the respective companies to the CSP will bring integrity, scale, and standardization to the securitization market.

However, he said there must be faster progress toward the single security. Aligning each GSE's TBA market to promote a single fungible instrument should result in a more liquid market. Investors will retain the option to stipulate the issuer thus keeping discipline in the process so far as policies that impact prepayment speeds and other performance variables. According to FHFA the single security won't be fully implemented until 2018, most likely after Director Watt finishes his term and key personnel move on. FHFA must be urged to maintain focus on a more aggressive timeline.

Risk share is now a growing part of the GSE model and certainly helpful in transferring risk from the companies and the taxpayers but its risks unleveling the playing field while not directly benefitting borrowers. Other forms of credit enhancement including "deep-cover MI and recourse" need to be implemented with full transparency as to structure and execution. Up-front risk sharing is a common theme in most GSE reform proposals and it needs to be made an accessible option available to all lenders. Stevens calls expanding the existing program a priority.

As MBA continues working on transition steps with FHFA, its new Task Force for a Future Secondary Market will be developing a proposal addressing end-state models that can fulfill and affordable housing mission while reducing taxpayer risk This proposal should be complete by the end of the year to serve as MBA's secondary market position and strategy going forward.

Finally, Stevens said, MBA will continue to fight for a federal housing policy coordinator. A policy expert at the most senior level in the nest administration could coordinate across federal regulators to ensure communication and consideration of the implications created by overlaps in the rules. "America is facing a housing affordability crisis that is only getting worse," he said. "The next president will need to tackle this issue immediately upon taking office."

Mortgage lending, Stevens reiterated, is safer today than it has ever been, "but it is not operating a full capacity because the regulatory/enforcement environment is forcing lenders to lend defensively." Home prices are up, unemployment is down, and there are reforms in place that that make the market safer and more sustainable for consumers, the economy and our businesses. "With low rates, safe and well-underwritten loan products and an improving job market and economy, borrowers who can qualify and want to buy a home should feel great making that decision, but they don't."

"I understand the desires of many to just deal with the issues we have now," he said, "but if we don't look ahead to see what is needed to meet the demands of those coming into the market now and over the next decade, we will end up sliding backward. We have to keep moving forward."
World Bank approves $625-million loan for India's Rooftop Solar Programme

Published: May 17, 2016

The World Banks Board has approved 625 million dollars loan to support Indias grid connected rooftop solar programme to generate clean energy.

The loan will be provided by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), lending arm of World Bank and has a maturity of 20 years and a 19.5 year grace period.

Key facts

The project will finance the installation of at least 400 MW of grid connected rooftop solar photovoltaic (GRPV) across India.

These solar PV installations will provide clean, renewable energy and reduce Green House Gases (CHGs) emissions by displacing thermal generation.

The project will also strengthen the capacity of key institutions and support the development of the overall solar PV market.

It will be implemented by the State Bank of India (SBI) which will on-lend funds to solar PV aggregators/developers and end-users, who wish to invest in mainly industrial and commercial rooftop PV systems.

Financing to these aggregators/developers will be provided to those with sound technical capacity, creditworthiness and relevant experience as per SBI standards.

The Board also approved a co-financing loan of 120 million dollars on concessional terms and a 5 million dollars grant from Climate Investment Funds (CIF) Clean Technology Fund. The co-financing loan has maturity of 40 years and a 10 year grace period.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2016

Topics: india-world bank  Renewable energy  Solar Energy

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Linn Energy on Wednesday became the largest oil and gas driller to file for bankruptcy protection since energy prices began their slide in 2014.

The company said it had reached an agreement with creditors to reorganize the company and planned to continue operating through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. Linn Energy reported about $8.3 billion in debt and employed 1,650 workers, including at its downtown Houston headquarters.
Despite mounting evidence that oil and gas activity has triggered all of the recent earthquakes in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas regulators have consistently questioned the link.

Now a new study by University of Texas researchers argues that humans have been causing earthquakes not just in North Texas but throughout the state for nearly 100 years.

The public thinks these started in 2008, but nothing could be further from the truth, said Cliff Frohlich, a senior research scientist at UT-Austin and lead author of the new study. The paper, to be published Wednesday in the journal Seismological Research Letters, concludes that activities associated with petroleum production almost certainly or probably set off 59 percent of earthquakes across the state between 1975 and 2015, including the recent earthquakes in Irving and Dallas.

Another 28 percent were possibly triggered by oil and gas activities. Scientists deemed only 13 percent of the quakes to be natural. A spokesperson for the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates the oil and gas industry, dismissed the studys methods as arbitrary, but an expert at the U.S. Geological Survey said the study offers important new information that could affect the agencys future threat assessments for Texas.

The Commission will continue to use objective, credible scientific study as the basis for our regulatory and rulemaking functions, Ramona Nye, a spokeswoman for the Railroad Commission, wrote in an email after she and her colleagues reviewed an embargoed copy of the paper. However this new study acknowledges the basis for its conclusions are purely subjective in nature and in fact, admits its categorization of seismic events to be arbitrary.

Frohlich and colleagues at UT and at Southern Methodist University argue in the paper that state regulators have been slow to acknowledge the link between industrial practices and ground shaking. Oklahoma, which experienced 890 earthquakes of magnitude 3 and above last year compared with Texas 21, has recognized the connection and ordered operators to slash the volume of wastewater from oil and gas production that they pump into wells.

Studies by academic scientists and those at the USGS have shown that pressure from high-volume wastewater injections has disturbed faults in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas and a handful of other states, creating earthquakes. The Railroad Commission has taken some similar steps, Nye wrote. In November 2014 the commission tightened its rules for disposal wells. Since then, it has received 51 disposal well applications. Of these, 22 permits were issued with special conditions, such as requirements to reduce daily maximum injection volumes and pressure and to record volumes and pressures daily as opposed to monthly.

Following a 4-magnitude earthquake near Venus and Mansfield last year, the commission asked one operator to plug its well to a shallower depth, Nye added, presumably to lower the risk that it would disturb a deep fault. Texas man-made earthquakes date to the early days of the oil and gas industry, the new study reports.

The first man-made quake struck in 1925 in the Goose Creek oil field along the Gulf Coast east of Houston. Humble Oil, a precursor of Exxon, had extracted so much oil that the ground sank and caused houses to shake and dishes to crash to the floor. Over the years, different petroleum production methods have triggered quakes, including oil and gas extraction and enhanced recovery, in which operators pump water or carbon dioxide into reservoirs to boost the flow of oil. Each method can, in rare cases, raise or lower pressure on faults and cause them to rupture.

As the industry has changed, the oilfield practices that caused earthquakes have changed as well, said Frohlich. Since 2008, wastewater disposal from hydraulic fracturing has triggered most of the states earthquakes, according to the study. Fracturing involves injecting a mix of water, sand and chemicals down wells at high pressure to fracture rock and release oil and natural gas. When the oil and gas flow up to the surface, they bring fracking fluid as well as salty groundwater. Companies separate the water from the oil and gas and pump the brine down a set of deeper wells designed to keep it from polluting drinking water supplies.

As Texas shale boom got underway in the early 2000s, the number of fractured wells and the volume of water pumped down disposal wells increased rapidly. Robert Williams, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., said the paper could affect his agencys assessment of earthquake threats in Texas.

Earlier this year, the USGS released a report showing that parts of Texas, including Dallas and Fort Worth, now have a tenfold higher risk than in 2008 of experiencing a damaging earthquake. Frohlichs paper highlights areas of human-induced activity previously unknown to the USGS, including in the Permian Basin in West Texas and in the Panhandle, said Williams.

Those sites are new and may need to be considered by USGS in future induced seismic hazard maps, he said.

The new paper uses an updated classification system based on five questions to distinguish natural from human-induced earthquakes. The questions include:

- Do the earthquakes occur after potentially influential human activities begin?

- Are the earthquakes and human activities close enough so that a causal relationship is plausible?

- Do the earthquakes appear to be shallow, like most other human-induced events?

- Have credible scientific studies linked the earthquakes to human activities?

The more yes answers, the greater the likelihood that a quake was induced. Frohlich acknowledges that the system is subjective. But, he wrote in the paper, the method serves to focus discussion on the critical aspects of the evidence, such as precisely what additional data researchers need in order to undertake future studies.

Before 1980, he added, there wasnt accurate enough data on earthquake locations and well-injection volumes in Texas to perform a rigorous statistical analysis. Such an analysis can help rule out the possibility that quakes have occurred near wells by chance. Williams found the classification system in the paper convincing. It is still based on correlation, and youll never know for absolute certain, but its pretty strong evidence, he said.

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Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Texas Supreme Courts finding that the states deeply flawed public school finance system is constitutional is disappointing and a blow to Texas public school education.

But the courts long-awaited decision in what the court described as the most far-reaching funding challenge in Texas history should not be interpreted by state officials as a victory.

The system is far from perfect, and its many problems were duly noted in the high courts ruling against the 600-plus school districts that were plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed in 2013.

The all-Republican court found that despite its imperfections, the current school funding system  serving more than 1,000 schools with an enrollment topping 5 million students  meets minimum requirements set out in the state constitution.

It is safe to say that the current Texas school system leaves much to be desired. Few would argue that the state cannot do better, wrote Justice Don Willett in a 100-page opinion handed down Friday.

Hes right. Working to resolve the school funding woes should not wait until the 85th Legislature convenes in January, when the issue will be competing with other hot-button items for lawmakers attention.

Lawmakers have been waiting three years for direction from the judiciary before moving forward with any public school finance reforms. There is no longer any reason to wait.

This important issue merits its own special session, and we urge Gov. Greg Abbott to call one.

The Supreme Court makes clear in its ruling that the power to affect change in the public school finance arena is within the sole purview of the Legislature.

Our judicial responsibility is not to second-guess or micromanage Texas education policy, the court said.

It added, Texas more than 5 million school children deserve better than serial litigation over the increasingly Daedalean system. They deserve transformational, top-to-bottom reforms that amount to more than Band-Aid on top of Band-Aid. They deserve a revamped, nonsclerotic system fit for the 21st century.

In a concurring opinion, Justice Eva Guzman writes, The court holds Texas school-finance system passes the threshold of constitutionality. But this is not an endorsement of the system.

Guzman explains that though she fully joins in the courts opinion, she chose to write separately to further emphasize that there is much work to be done, particularly with respect to the population that represents the majority of the students base  economically disadvantaged students.

We agree. Texas children deserve more than the bare minimum education that those entrusted with setting the state budget are willing to fund. Regrettably, the Texas Legislature has a history of balancing its budget on the backs of its schoolchildren.

The state is still trying to recover from massive public education cuts in 2011. It comes in at 38 on a list ranking the states and the District of Columbia on annual per-student education funding.

This was the seventh lawsuit school districts have brought against the state over public school financing. The courts ruled against the state in five of those lawsuits. If state lawmakers had the best interest of schoolchildren at heart, they would not have to be taken to court repeatedly to get them to do right by them.

There are some tough public school finance decisions ahead that will have major impact on Texas economic future. Given lack of a mandate from the court and Austins political climate, those decisions may not be in the best interest of the states children.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A spokesman for indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says the Republican has the support of the governor and other state leaders and hasn't been asked to resign.

Paxton spokesman Mark Rylander said Tuesday Paxton is encouraged by support received from Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and others. He declined to detail the support from Abbott or Patrick.
A wonderful new fast track program leading to medical school awaits interested students attending Midland College. Midland College, Midland Memorial Hospital and the University of North Texas Health Science Center announce the Primary Care Pathway Program (PCPP). This unique program provides a fast track to medical school at the University of North Texas Health Science Centers College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) in Fort Worth.

A doctor of osteopathic medicine is a licensed physician who diagnoses illness and injury, prescribes and administers treatment, performs surgery and advises patients about how to prevent and manage disease. Osteopathic physicians are licensed in all 50 states. Like a doctor of medicine, osteopathic physicians have opportunities for residencies in such specialties such as pediatrics, OB-GYN, surgery, anesthesiology, dermatology, orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery.

Students will spend their first two years in the PCPP at Midland College. Their course work will include 15 to 17 semester credit hours during the fall and spring and seven hours per summer session. The curriculum is heavily oriented toward math and science.

At the end of their first spring semester at MC, students will apply to TCOM and sit for an interview. If the student is successful in the interview process, has earned a grade point average of no less than 3.5, has an acceptable score on either the ACT or SAT, they will be accepted as a TCOM-bound student in the PCPP. To retain this acceptance, students will need to maintain the minimum GPA of 3.5 throughout their second year at Midland College and their third year at the University of North Texas in Denton.

At the end of their first spring semester at MC, students will engage in a preceptorship at MMH. During the preceptorship, students will participate in a variety of activities to familiarize themseleves with the work of a doctor of osteopathic medicine and to determine if this is the career path for them.

During the second year, students will continue taking a rigorous math and science curriculum at MC. At the end of the second year at MC, students will apply for transfer admission to UNT in Denton and complete a summer internship at UNTHSC.

During the third year, students will complete two semesters at UNT in Denton. These two semesters will be filled with biology-intensive courses.

The fourth and fifth years will be spent in medical school at TCOM in Fort Worth. At the end of the fifth year, students will move back to Midland to complete the last two years of clinical rotations at MMH.

Orientation activities will be hosted by Midland College and UNTHSC during the summer.

For more information, contact me at 685-4615 or mwade@midland.edu.

Margaret Wade is dean of Math and Science at Midland College.
IAB to Establish Southeast Asia Viewability Benchmark

Internet advertising body IAB Singapore has launched an initiative to establish a viewability benchmark for ads in Southeast Asia.



During the next four months, IAB will bring together platforms, publishers, agencies and brands, and draw up a white paper through which to establish a measurement standard. This will then be third-party verified by a company or companies such as Moat and comScore. Members at a recent IAB Viewability Roundtable included digital execs from publishing platforms such as Google, LinkedIn and Facebook, and global brand agencies including MEC, SPH, PubMatic, Xaxis and Starcom. The team of fifteen participants also included IAB CEO Miranda Dimopoulos (pictured), who moderated the event led by comScore SVP Joe Nguyen.



This Roundtable will meet once a month to develop the next stages of the report, and the white paper will be divided into four phases, with the first establishing definitions and a summary of the current landscape of visibility in the region.



Web site: www.iab.sg .




Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula has a rich and colorful history. Researchers at Michigan Tech, assisted by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, have developed a unique way of unearthing the region's historical treasures.

The miners in the boom days of the Copper Country knew that in order to find what they wanted, they had to drill down. Today, thanks to the efforts of researchers in Michigan Technological Universitys Social Sciences Department and a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, those wishing to find out about the people and the places of the Keweenaws past can drill down through history.

Keweenaw Time Traveler is an online map-based tool allowing visitors to explore the layers of history for any location in the Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon county region. The project uses proven technologies and techniques of participatory Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It also employs collections of geographic data and tools that are interactively connected, enabling users to incorporate their own information about a place and store that data long-term, to create a high-resolution database that maps changes in the social, natural, industrial and built environments of the Copper Country from 1850 to 1970.

The project is the brainchild of Social Sciences faculty Don Lafreniere, assistant professor of historical geography; Sarah Scarlett, assistant professor of history; and PhD candidate John Arnold, an architect by profession. They have received $259,882 from the National Endowment of the Humanities to support their work.

Lafreniere says the official name of the project is Copper Country Historical Spatial Data Infrastructure, but it will known publically as Keweenaw Time Traveler. The project can be accessed at www.keweenawhistory.com.

"People can explore maps and get to know the names and occupations of the people who owned and lived in buildings that may or may not still exist." Don Lafreniere



Utilizing GIS technologya digital tool for mapping and analyzing geographic and historical relationships through space and timeKeweenaw Time Traveler will not only give visitors the opportunity to dig deep through the history of a particular location, but also dig horizontally to look at an expanding geographic location at a particular time in history.

The Keweenaw Time Traveler looks at the region from the earliest settlements in the 1820s right up to the present day, Lafreniere explains. People can explore maps and get to know the names and occupations of the people who owned and lived in buildings that may or may not still exist.

Users can ask questions of the data, such as what was the experience of immigrants arriving and living in the Copper Country? Users can find our what daily life was like living amongst the workings of the C&H copper mining operations, he says. The Keweenaw Time Traveler project is just getting underway. We are in the process of gathering data, says Lafreniere. The team is currently in Phase I of the project, which also entails digitizing and geo-referencing more than 1000 maps and other archival items.

While public input is essential throughout the seven-year project, the next phase will rely heavily on citizen assistance, says Scarlett. Starting next year we will need citizen historian volunteers to help us identify and transcribe old documents, classify features of old maps, tag properties and contribute family histories, she explains. This project is just getting started, but we hope people will share personal memories of their favorite places in the Keweenaw.

Lafreniere says the sharing will go two ways, with plans to create kiosks that will travel throughout the region, enabling those without internet access to drill down through history too. Even in the early phases of the project, cooperation has been key, Lafreniere says. Its important to understand this is a partnership project between Michigan Tech and several local heritage partners, including the Keweenaw National Historical Park, the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw and the historical societies of Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties.

While the project is a work in progress, the researchers would like the public to roll up their sleeves and give the website a try. We encourage the Michigan Tech campus community and local residents alike to visit keweenawhistory.com and see what its all about, says Lafreniere.

Phase II of project, which is expected to get underway in 2017, will include the creation of digital historical environments in GIS from the digitized maps; the building of a highly-interactive online citizen-historian time traveling machine; and the engagement of a national heritage community with an advanced space-time linked digital archives through the time traveling machine and on-site public workshops.

Lafreniere has high hopes for the project. We hope building and sharing the Keweenaw Time Traveler will result in a one-of- a-kind space-time linked digital archive that will offer research opportunities for faculty and students, strengthen the collaborative networks among humanities, social science and STEM scholars and provide a new way for the engaged Copper Country heritage community to share their histories with the world.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigans flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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Someone should sue the President for ...
Bismarck residents had their eyes toward the skies when three CH-47F Chinook cargo helicopters made a visit to the towns airport earlier this month.

Some thought it was all part of a military exercise  possibly a general being transported to a secret destination  but nobody knew for sure. It was a puzzle to be sure.

The wondering minds were out of control, said Bismarck resident Jeanne Fisher Kitchell. It was actually hometown boy Chief Warrant Officer 3 Steven Snider and fellow Army soldiers while on their way to deliver troops to Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Snyder is a 1992 graduate of Bismarck High School and is stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. He is married to wife, Sherry.

According to Kitchell, Snyder contacted his parents, Raymond and Rhonda of Bismarck, to let them know he was going to be making low approaches May 6 at the Farmington, Bismarck and Washington County airports and said it would be all right for folks in town to come out and see it for themselves.

The Chinooks flew into the Bismarck Airport around 12:30 p.m. and hovered for a few minutes, she said. There wasnt an abundance of people there, but everyone there showed an abundance of pride as they watched in amazement as they all got to see how massive the Chinook is.

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its primary roles are troop movement, artillery placement and battlefield resupply. Not only is it one of the fastest helicopters in the U.S. inventory, It's among the country's heaviest lifting helicopters, holding up to 50 personnel, Humvees or other cargo as required.

In seeing these massive helicopters and the soldiers who fly them  while considering the many lives they are protecting  makes you reflect on just how lucky we are for all of the wonderful brave souls who sacrifice each and every day for our country, Kitchell said.
Historic photos help tell the story of the first 100 years of Missouri State Parks. One of the most impressive shows the stone castle at Ha Ha Tonka State Park before it was destroyed by fire.

Storm clouds overhead in the dramatic black-and-white photo portend the castles future.

Gov. Herbert Hadley had tried to purchase the property in 1911 as Missouris first state park. Nearly 70 years passed before it became the states sixty-first park in 1978.

By then, the castle was in ruins from a fire, but it was stabilized and now is the centerpiece of Ha Ha Tonka State Park on the Lake of the Ozarks.

Bill Bryan, director of state parks, noted that Ha Ha Tonka is one of the most popular parks, and fulfills the three-fold mission of preserving Missouris finest landscapes, telling its cultural history and providing outdoor recreation.

Its the full boat, Bryan said. It has cultural resources, is recognized for its natural beauty and has the trifecta with fantastic trails that show its unusual geology and plant and animal life. Its a pretty special place.

The photo of the 60-room mansion built by a wealthy Kansas City businessman, who died before it was completed, is part of a new exhibit celebrating the centennial of the park system. The exhibit, titled Discover Your Missouri State Parks, is in the Missouri State Museum on the first floor of the east wing of the State Capitol building.

The museum exhibit begins with the creation of the National Park Service in 1916, an act that may have encouraged Missouri to develop its own state park system. On April 9, 1917, a state park fund was created to buy land.

One hundred years of parks is an important milestone for the state, Bryan said.

You sit back and think, in the life of our country, very few institutions have been around 100 years, he said. Its a testament to the value that generations of Missourians have for public lands and special places.

A Variety of Experiences

By 1928, the state had 14 parks totaling nearly 40,000 acres. Only four states had more acreage than Missouri, an achievement credited to strong citizen support.

In 1933, when President Franklin Roosevelts New Deal looked for projects to employ young men, the scenic resources of the Ozarks drew Civilian Conservation Corps crews. Nearly every park in the system benefited from structures built by the crews.

An array of new parks entered the system, including the magnificent Johnsons Shut-Ins in 1955. A vintage photo in the exhibit shows two women in period one- piece swimsuits perched on the shut-ins formations.

During the next 15 years, Missouri created 26 new parks, many of them historic or archaeological sites and nearly all of them donations.

Theres a great diversity, thats an attribute of having a state parks system instead of a collection of random parks, Bryan said. We have such variety that you can see something different every day.

One day you can be walking on a prairie under a blue sky that goes on forever and see bison. The next day, youre knee deep in an Ozark stream fishing for trout or floating. Next, you can visit the French colonial buildings of Ste. Genevieve.

This summer, Missouri will open Echo Bluff State Park on Sinking Creek near the Current River in the heart of the Ozarks. The park, which will feature a handsome lodge and cabins, will be the states 88th.

Like Ha Ha Tonka, Echo Bluff has natural beauty, a rich cultural history and offers an opportunity to explore the nearby rivers, caves, springs, mills and forests.

Echo Bluff establishes a base camp for families to enjoy the Ozarks in a way not available to them before, said Bryan, the parks director. Not everybody wants to camp on a gravel bar. We now have a great alternative at Echo Bluff.

Making Memories

The museum exhibit includes artifacts; mannequins model the old uniforms worn by park personnel, which include stiff-brimmed campaign hats that resembled what National Park Service rangers wore.

Glass cases also display items that explain the parks mission, including objects found in archaeological studies, plants and other natural wonders from the parks pristine landscapes and a fishing pole, Katy Trail t-shirt and water bottle that might be used during recreational outings.

We tell a little more of the behind-the-scenes story with the artifacts in the cases, said Tiffany Patterson, museum director. We want to show people how they can participate in our state parks.

We want people picturing going to parks and making memories. This is to whet peoples appetites for whats out there.

Visiting All the Sites

Missouri State Parks is celebrating a couple of other milestones  park attendance grew to 19.2 million visitors in 2015, and accounted for a record $12.4 million in tourism revenues for local economies.

Parks are funded by a one-tenth-cent sales tax passed by voters in August 1984, with monies generated split evenly between state parks and soil and water conservation efforts. The tax has since been reapproved by voters three times in 1988, 1996 and 2006.

The tax helps the state offer park visits without an entrance fee. The parks portion of the tax averages about $7 per state resident a year.

The tax provides approximately 75 percent of funding to operate and maintain the park system, Bryan said. Our peak in revenues generated and attendance in 2015 point to the fact that Missourians love the outdoors, love our culture and want to visit these sites more because theyre important.

To celebrate the centennial year, Missouri State Parks is bringing back its passport program, which encouraged people to visit all 88 parks and historic sites in an 18-month period. The first 1,000 people to complete the passport will receive a centennial backpack, made possible by a sponsorship from Bass Pro Shops.

It was one of our most popular activities from several years ago, Bryan said. You can get a traditional passport book that is stamped or participate online at our website.

For more information, visit mostateparks.com.
Microphone and US Flag View Photos

In this weeks GOP address, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) discussed the U.S. economy and criticized the president for the lost decade of economic growth under the Obama Administration.

Sullivan was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words:

Im Dan Sullivan, and Im proud to represent the great state of Alaska in the U.S. Senate.

Today, I want to talk to you about the economyone of the most critical issues facing our countryand about the lost decade of economic growth under the Obama Administration.

A few weeks ago, it was announced that Americas Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at only one half of one percent during the first quarter of 2016. Gross Domestic Product is an important indicator of the health of our economy, it measures progressthe essence of the American dream. 0.5 percent GDP growth is a reminder of what we already know. Our economy is stagnant. The American dream has become a mirage for millions of American families.

The average annual GDP growth rate for America is nearly 4 percent. The Obama Administrations annual rate has been about 1.5 percent; in fact theyve never even hit 3 percent GDP growth in one quarter. We can do so much better for America. But President Obama tells us differently. He lowers expectations by calling his very weak economic record the new normal. He has even taken to bragging about his administrations economic record.

In a recent speech, he actually said that we are better off today than we were just seven years ago. He said that anybody who tells you differently is not telling the truth.

Well, I hate to tell the president this, but even former President Bill Clinton said this about the Obama economy: millions and millions and millions of people look at that pretty picture of America President Obama painted and they cant find themselves in it.

Its not hard to see why they cant find themselves in President Obamas pretty picture:

During nearly 8 years of the Obama Administration, the number of Americans participating in the labor force is now at its lowest rate since 1978. People are just giving up looking for a job.

More Americans have fallen into poverty.

Family paychecks have declined and the number of people on food stamps has skyrocketed by 40 percent, all during the Obama years.

The percentage of Americans who own homesa marker of the promise of the American Dreamis down 5.2 percent.

And more and more Americans believe that we are on the wrong track and that their kids will not be as well off as they are today.

The DNA of America is based on the promise of progress but that is losing out to President Obamas surrender and his new normal economy.

Something is terribly wrong in our country when a leading Democrat recently bragged that were going to put a lot of coal miners and a lot of coal companies out of business. But it doesnt have to be this way.

Strong economic growth made the United States the greatest country on earth.

We have a moral imperative to recognize that we have experienced a lost decade of economic growth and opportunity, and we have to change this.

We have a moral imperative to recognize what pervasive poverty does to our citizensit creates holes in the social fabric that holds us togetherand how, when our own citizens fall through the holes, a piece of all of us goes with them. Because although we are individuals, we are all in this together as Americans.

We have a moral imperative to grow our economy again and create economic opportunity for middle class families.

We are the United States of America. Our economy and workers have been the envy of the world for decades. The economic future for our children can be limitless if we have a federal government that is a partner in opportunity, not the obstacle that it is today. But in order to do all of this, were going to need a change in Washingtona change that doesnt settle for the new normal economy.

We can, we will, and we must reach our full economic potential as Americans. Thank you.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning on AM 14560 and FM 102.7 KVML at :45, 7:45 and 8:45 AM.
Three men were arrested after deputies say two of them killed another man as part of a plan to rob him for cash to use as a prop in a rap concert.

Joseph Gomes Brandon Jr., 18; Jonathan Felix, 21; and Dylan Kindred, 20, were arrested Saturday in connection with the death of 21-year-old Tyler Macklin.

Victim's body found last Wednesday night in Winter Haven

3 charged in deadly plot to rob man for cash to use as rap show prop

Deputies say 2 suspects robbed the man and shot him

Brandon and Felix are facing charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery, armed burglary and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Felix is facing additional charges of possession of a firearm by a felon and violation of probation.

Kindred is facing a charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, deputies found Macklin's body shortly after 11 p.m. last Wednesday at 1244 Tangerine Parkway NE in Winter Haven. He had been shot to death.

Investigators later interviewed Kindred, who told them he was driving through Winter Haven that evening with two other men who he knew as "Killa" and "Waxx," later identified, respectively, as Felix and Gomes-Brandon.

While the men were driving, they discussed their need to obtain a large amount of currency so they could "flash cash" while performing in a rap show scheduled in Tampa for the following night, investigators say.

"They needed some cash because the next night, which would've been Thursday night, they were going to Club Sky in Ybor City to perform," Sheriff Grady Judd said Monday during a press conference. "They are an informal rap group with no name. I certainly can give them a name today. How about the Jailhouse Bunch?"

The men didn't have enough money of their own to be able to "flash and demonstrate their desired level of affluence," deputies say, so they decided to rob someone.

Kindred said he suggested they rob Macklin, who they thought would be an "easy lick," investigators said.

"Dylan said, 'Hey, I just bought some marijuana from a guy a couple of weeks ago who, he'll be an easy lick,' " Judd said.

Tyler Macklin's body was found in a home on Tangerine Parkway last Wednesday night. He had been shot to death. (Ryan Macklin)



He then drove his girlfriend's blue Honda Civic to Macklin's residence. While they were driving, Kindred told investigators that he noticed Gomez-Brandon had a 9mm handgun. Kindred said they were only supposed to steal money and drugs from Macklin, not hurt him, investigators said.

Kindred parked the Civic in front of a house next door to Macklin's house and stayed in the car while Felix and Gomes-Brandon kicked in the front door of Macklin's house, deputies say.

Kindred said that shortly after he saw Felix and Gomes-Brandon go in the house, he heard a gunshot, then saw the suspects run out of the house, investigators said.

The suspects got in the Civic, and Kindred drove away. Kindred told investigators that when the other two suspects got in the car after the shooting, they had Macklin's wallet, $300 and a second firearm that was stolen from Macklin.

Macklin's brother, Ryan, said he doesn't understand why his brother was killed over $300.



"Tyler was a real fun loving person, always smiling and would've gave his shirt off his back for you," he said. "And if those guys asked for the money, he would've gave it to them."

All three suspects were taken into custody without further incident.


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The U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved a $1.1 billion funding package to combat the spreading Zika virus, an amount Florida's senators decried as woefully low.

Senate approves $1.1 billion measure to fund a fight against Zika

Florida's senators supported Obama administration's $1.9B proposal

The package is significantly smaller than a $1.9 billion proposal being called for by the Obama administration. In a rare show of bipartisanship, the senators, Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Marco Rubio, co-sponsored an amendment, ultimately defeated, that would have provided the full amount.

"It's already baked into the cake that it's going to be the $1.1 (billion), but beware," Nelson said during debate on the measure. "The crisis is looming. We haven't gotten an effective method for controlling the mosquito."

With the Zika-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito already reproducing in Gulf Coast states including Florida, some local governments are advocating for increased mosquito control efforts. Osceola County commissioners recently wrote Nelson with a request for federal funding to triple mosquito spraying this summer.

It's uncertain whether the aid package approved Tuesday would meet the increased local needs. Most Senate Republicans refused to support the administration's proposal because of its lack of offsets in other portions of the federal budget in order to pay for the increased Zika funding.

"There's no reason why we have to put our country deeper in debt to protect ourselves against this virus. We don't have an endless supply of money," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said.

Rubio, however, broke with his party's leaders on the size question. A bigger down payment now, he argued, could prevent more expensive consequences.

"You're going to have to come back here and explain to people why, when doctors and medical experts were warning us that this was a significant risk, we decided to lowball it," Rubio warned.

For all the acrimony over the size of the Zika package passed by the Senate, more criticism has been lobbed at the House's Republican-crafted plan which, at $622 million, amounts to slightly more than half the total of the Senate version.
The backlog of untested rape kits in both Flagler and Volusia Counties is finally nearing an end.

Flagler and Volusia counties have reduced the backlog on untested rape kits

Florida had backlog of more than 13,000 kits

A new law tightens requirements for the kits and provided funding to deal with the backlog

As of January in Flagler County, more than a dozen tests were at the sheriff's office. But sheriff's office spokesman said all of the tests have now been sent to FDLE's crime lab.

In Volusia County, the sheriff's office said there were nearly 200 in January and the number is now down to about 20 untested kits that are sent if the victims have agreed on prosecution.

Candice Wilkie works daily with victims of rape at the Family Life Center in Palm Coast. She sees firsthand the pain that victims go through.

"They're very frustrated. They feel like the system is not supportive of them. They begin to think they are not believed," said Wilkie.

Wilkie said that's because the victims wait sometimes months and even years to get answers after they've been tested for rape.

She said the center is currently working with 20 rape victims.

"A survival of sexual assault or rape is having to wait and wait and they're just being re-victimized over and over again. The backlog has pretty much held up everything as far as the process for someone who has been victimized," said Wilkie.

Earlier this year, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement survey revealed more than 13,000 sexual assault tests had not been submitted.

That backlog led to a bill requiring law enforcement agencies to submit the kits within 30 days after a victim has been tested, and the crime lab has to process it within 120 days.

"We're completely elated that the backlog is being diminished and the state has to recognize that it's a problem, said Wilkie. And they're making the steps to being processed and the perpetrators are going to be held accountable."

Volusia Countys spokesman said the sheriffs office also sent some of the kits to a private lab to get some of the job done.

"The final 20 rape kits will be going through the same process, said spokesman Gary Davidson. We have a 3-year contract with the private lab, with an option for two 1-year renewals. We're estimating that we'll be spending about $50,000 a year with the lab -- not just on rape kits, but other evidence processing as well."

"Whether they follow through with prosecution, we would like all those kits processed that are submitted," said Wilkie.
Floridas Health Department is asking Orange County to step up air quality testing at the landfill to see if a smell is making neighbors sick.

Resident near Orange County landfill complained to state the smell made them sick

Landfill emits hydrogen sulfide smell after wrong types of garbage were mixed there

State recommends county step up air quality testing



The landfill is located on Young Pine Road, south of Curry Ford Road in East Orange County.

I live in Avalon Park, so were a few miles away and the smell is literally oppressive. You can almost feel it on your skin, like a dense fog its so thick," said Avalon Park resident Dave Payne.

Neighbors who live near the Orange County landfill say the sulfur smell comes and goes but it leaves an unbearable odor.

It literally does permeate because it permeates our windows. It permeates our garage," Payne said.

In a letter sent to Orange County landfill, the Florida Department of Health said theyve received a formal complaint from a nearby resident that the odor from the landfill gives them a scratchy throat and headache.

With that and similar complaints, the agency is asking the Orange County landfill to step up weekly testing, to twice an hour, 24/7 for the next three months.

I think if were going to be truthful and accurate about our reporting on how bad this smell is and whether or not its potentially affecting peoples health, Payne said, We need to conduct the air quality test more frequently and at a greater radius."

I think what this testing that the Department of Health is asking for will show even more clearly that there isnt really a health issue with this, said solid waste manager Jim Becker. That the levels are below the level that would be any cause for concern."



"So I think that the people within that three-mile radius should be comforted by that, but still they have to deal with the annoying odors and thats what were working on eliminating," Becker continued.

Neighbors are thankful that the Florida Dept. of Health is stepping in calling for odor monitoring sites at a one, two and three-mile radius from the landfill.



Google map shows several neighborhoods within the three-mile radius of the Orange County Landfill.

But now neighbors admit that they are even more leery.

How exactly are we to trust our own officials who say that sure the air is safe to breathe when people are reporting illnesses? Payne said. To the point where the Florida Department of Health is finally gotten involved and said, hey, you guys got to step up your monitoring and do a better job."

Becker welcomes the recommendations.

He said the increased testing should not cost much because they already own the necessary odor detection equipment.

The Board (of County Commissioners) and the Mayor (Teresa Jacobs) have been pushing us  Youve got to get this problem taken care of, whatever resources you need. Were here for you. Lets get this taken care of. And thats what were dedicated to doing," Becker said.

Orange County leaders said the sulfur odor from the landfill was created by mixing the wrong types of garbage.

They've since stopped that practice and hope to have the odor cleaned up by September. Residents in the area can report smelling the odor on the county's website.


Raw sewage is flowing through the front yard of a Casselberry home, and the city is going to start fining the owner.

Septic tank started backing up in September

Officials declared it a public health violation, started fining owners $1,000 a day

Owners say they will get the problem fixed

Cindy Raper and her husband live in an apartment inside the house. Raper said sewage has been backing up out of a septic tank since September.

"Our bedroom window is right next to this odor, and we can smell it morning, noon and night," Raper said. "We'll put menthol underneath our nose to get away from the smell."

The health department declared the issue a public health violation and is now fining the property owners $1,000 a day.

Casselberry officials gave the owners a notice that stated they needed to fix the problem by midnight or move out.

The city can't legally step in and fix the septic tank on its own, but officials said they may shut off the water so no more sewage backs up.



Raper is not the homeowner. No one answered when News 13 knocked on the owner's door, but we did reach the owner's daughter by phone. She said the family is working with a company to get the problem fixed by the end of the week.



Raper has had enough, though.



"To walk out every morning and smell human waste, it's disgusting," she said. "And it shouldn't have been allowed to continue this long."


The area around Sherwood Elementary School in Melbourne is getting a slew of safety upgrades that residents say have long been needed.

Project adds sidewalks, other safety upgrades

Over 100 students walk to and from Sherwood Elementary each day

Melbourne hopes to begin safety upgrades at other schools as well

There are a lot of kids that come through here on bikes and scooters and there are no sidewalks, longtime homeowner Rita McDonough said.

Thats just one of the issues McDonough sees along Post Road. She also sees cars moving too quickly down the 4-lane school zone.

Every so often you see a police car across the street, they watch for those speeders in the school zone, McDonough said.

McDonough also says the watch children signs near the school are not easy to see at a distance.

There is a sign right in front of it where children are crossing, and you dont see it until youre right on top of it, she said.

The dangers of this road will be improved soon though. The city of Melbourne is installing brand new sidewalks, ones that will maximize space and make it safer for students who bike and walk to school.

Theyll also be adding safety upgrades to two intersections near the school: a new flashing beacon to alert drivers that students are crossing and new ramps that will be handicap accessible.

We identified this as a key project for us to get kids safely to the school, because there are over 100 students that walk to and from Sherwood Elementary every day, city engineer Jenni Lamb explained.

For residents, the safety upgrades cant come soon enough, including the new flashing beacon safety light.

Yes, Im very glad to see this, McDonough said. Because several times I have come down here and Im almost on top of it before I see the light blinking.

Construction starts this week and should wrap by the end of the summer.

The city estimates the upgrades will cost around $230,000. They hope to begin safety improvements at other schools, specifically Stone Middle School, in the near future.
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been together for eight years, but married only a few months. It took him a long time to finally marry me, and it ended up that I was the one to propose.

I am 30 and he's 39. I know he loves me. I have always expressed that I want children and he did, too. I have been off birth control and keeping track of my cycle, but now he doesn't want to make love. When I try to get him in the mood, he always finds an excuse. I told him he has had plenty of time to let me know if he doesn't want children.

I love him more than anything, but I do not want to miss out on being a parent. This is a deal-breaker. I am getting older and I don't know what to do. -- FUTURE MOMMY IN WISCONSIN

DEAR FUTURE MOMMY: Settle this now by asking your husband directly why he is either unwilling or unable to perform in the bedroom. You are entitled to an explanation, because he may be having second thoughts not only about starting a family, but also the marriage. If he has changed his mind about having children, talk to a lawyer because you may be able to get an annulment.

DEAR ABBY: I have a friend who is in the Navy. We have been friends for a year and a half, but have never met in person. He's 19 and I'm 17. We Skype at least once a week.

He has fallen for me and doesn't know what to do because he's in an arranged marriage he doesn't want to be in. He doesn't know the girl, doesn't know what she looks like or even know her name. All he knows is she lives in Russia.

I have fallen for him, too. He is only going through with the marriage because his grandparents did it. I thought I would ask for some advice on what I should do. -- MISS CONFUSED

DEAR MISS CONFUSED: Are you sure this person is who he has represented himself to be? "Because his grandparents did it" is not a good reason to go through with a marriage to a stranger. If his story is true, it appears this young man's family has his future mapped out for him, and he isn't independent enough to resist.

If you continue this Skype romance, I see nothing but sadness ahead for you. You would be happier if you found someone closer to home, someone whom you can meet in person.

DEAR ABBY: I don't know what's wrong with me. I say yes to everything! I say yes to people I don't even want to. I agree to plans that override those I have already made. Then I have to lie my way out of events and other stuff I don't want to do, or never had any intention of ever doing. I need help. It's ruining my life. Please, please help. -- CAN'T SAY NO

DEAR CAN'T SAY NO: What's wrong is that you are trying to be a people-pleaser. The problem with making promises you can't keep is that eventually you will become labeled as a flake when you don't follow through.

If you're afraid you won't be liked if you take the risk of just saying no, you are mistaken. People will respect you for standing up for yourself and drawing the line, as long as it's done politely. An example would be, "I'd love to, but I already have plans."

DEAR ABBY: My ex-husband has suggested and arranged for a series of spray-tan sessions for my 12-year-old daughter. I feel that telling my preteen girl that she should spray tan is sending her the wrong message, and we should instead be teaching her that she's beautiful just the way she is.

How do you feel about this? Should I allow my 12- year-old daughter to tan? -- TAN OR NOT IN TEXAS

DEAR TAN OR NOT: NO! Your ex-husband may mean well, but unless a product is 100 percent safe, I cannot endorse using it on a minor child. According to Darrell Rigel, M.D., professor of dermatology at New York University, any absorption of DHA -- the main ingredient in spray tans -- can pose a potential risk of genetic mutations, especially in repeated users of the product and those in higher risk groups such as pregnant women and young children. (By the way, salon workers who apply these products repeatedly throughout the workday should also be aware of this.)

For more information about this, visit: abcn.ws/1K0p8x9. The ABC investigative report is a must-read. Frankly, it curled my hair.

DEAR ABBY: I work at an urban high school. Recently there was a campus-wide fundraising campaign during which one of the teachers sold brownies. A student bought all of them for $1 each, then resold them at lunch for $2 apiece for his own profit. My co-workers insist this was wrong, while I feel it was representative of an enterprising spirit.

My co-workers say it was immoral to make money off a fundraising event. I maintain that the charity was already paid for the brownies, and what he did with them after he bought them is immaterial. What do you think? -- WONDERING IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR WONDERING: Having purchased the brownies, the student could dispose of them as he wished. If other students were willing to spend $2 for $1 brownies, well -- that's capitalism. Perhaps next year the teacher who sold the brownies should raise her rates.

DEAR ABBY: My mother is 70. She lives alone and has been diagnosed with mild dementia and hydrocephalus. She has fallen numerous times and hurt herself, can no longer drive and needs help with household tasks.

The problem is, a relative keeps asking her to baby-sit her 5- and 7-year-old sons. The doctor has said in front of Mom that she shouldn't, because the boys will distract her and she'll have a hard time focusing on her balance and getting up.

I have told this relative that Mom shouldn't be watching the kids, but she refuses to listen. (Other relatives say she will be fine if she does.) My mother loves watching these kids and I understand that. But I'm more concerned about her well-being. Not sure what to do about this. Can you help? -- CONCERNED IN TENNESSEE

DEAR CONCERNED: Speak to the doctor and see if he/she will put in writing what was said to you and your mom about not baby-sitting. If you get it in writing, you can share it with the mother of those children and the other relatives.

Frankly, as concerned as I am about your mother losing her balance because she is distracted, I am equally concerned about the welfare of the kids. If your mom should fall and hit her head or break a hip, would they know what to do to help her? And as she becomes more confused, if something like a fire should happen, would she be competent enough to get the children out and call the fire department?

What you have described could be a recipe for disaster, and I am shocked at the irresponsibility of that mother.

DEAR ABBY: We have an adult son and daughter who can't handle money and can't keep a job. Should we tell them they are NOT going to inherit everything we have when my wife and I are gone?

We have bailed them out of trouble more than once, but they don't seem to learn. They are in their 30s and 40s and neither one is looking for a job. Anything we left them would soon be squandered, and there are many organizations that could put the money to good use. We would leave them something, but nothing like what they expect. So: Tell them or not? -- PERPLEXED IN THE SOUTH

DEAR PERPLEXED: In the back of my mind is echoing the Boy Scout motto, "Be prepared." You should definitely tell your "children" now, while there's still time for them to get off their posteriors and start preparing for their financial futures.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I hang out with a group of six couples ranging in age from 24 to 74. One day, when three of us women went to lunch, I was complaining about the list of things that needed to be fixed in our home. My dear friend came up with a great idea that works very well, and I want to share it.

Once a month a couple will host a party at their home. The wives prepare a covered dish and we all bring any sort of beverage we would like, from tea to soft drinks, beer and wine. The men all get to work on the problem until it's fixed, and then we laugh and eat and drink together. It's so much fun. We call ourselves ... THE "HONEY DEW" GANG

DEAR GANG: I love the concept, which proves not only that "many hands make light work," but also that honeydew is more than a melon.

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
Students at Flagler County Schools are weighing in on the Obama administrations guidelines on which bathrooms transgender students should use.

U.S. Dept. of Education issued new rules on transgender students and bathroom use last week

Counties are weighing what their options are

Flagler County says if the government changes the rules, the school district has to comply

Grace Emery has been the voice for the Flagler County student body as a school board member all year long.

"You have to be able to stand up for something," said Emery.

On the graduating senior's final meeting with board members she stood up for students about the transgender restroom issue.

"I've heard from students already. They're just not comfortable with it or they are, either way both ends of the spectrum, it's just a very strong topic," said Emery.

Last week the Department of Education announced new guidelines requiring that schools allow transgender students to use the restroom and locker rooms that correspond to their chosen gender.

"There are kids who are in gym, they're already changing into another outfit with their friends around -- that's embarrassing for some people as it is, without the opposite sex in the room," said Emery.

Flagler Schools Superintendent Jacob Oliva said a lot of the districts schools have unisex restrooms.

But, he said if the federal government changes their policies, then they have to comply with the law.

"If we receive a mandate that requires us to address our facilities or review our policies, part of the vetting process is to look at our facilities as they exist and ask ourselves, Do we need to update?" said Oliva.

"It has not been an issue for us, so there's no reason for her or any students to be concerned or fearful," said Chair Colleen Conklin.

But for Emery, who is headed to college soon and won't attend Flagler Schools next year, she wants to make sure her classmates voices are heard.

"There are certain things that you do think about when this issue is brought up because it's scary. You don't know what's going to happen," said Emery.

Central Florida school districts weighing options

Other school districts in the Central Florida area are looking at what the new rules are and what they have to do.

Marion County is in a unique position because last month it banned transgender students from using the bathrooms associated with the gender they identify with. The county has decided to wait and see what happens in the courts.

The ACLU has filed a civil rights complaint against the district.

A parent in Jacksonville has filed a lawsuit to stop Duval County Public Schools from following the federal rule.



Osceola County says it will continue to work with transgender students and their families on an individual basis.

Orange County says it will follow all federal guidelines.

Brevard County says it will not take any action until it hears from the Florida Dept. of Education.

Lake County says it will deal with the issue on a case-by-case basis.

Seminole County said it was reviewing the new rule.

Volusia County said it will continue to work with students on a case-by-case basis.
The last defendant in a Poinciana home invasion and robbery that turned deadly now has her date in court set.

Victoria Rios was 17 at time of Eric Roopnarine's killing

Roopnarine was killed during home invasion in July 2013

Rios was friends with Konrad Schafer



Victoria Rios had a pretrial hearing Tuesday morning. She is being charged with murder in the killing of 22-year-old Eric Roopnarine.

According to investigators, Rios, along with three accomplices, were involved in Roopnarine's death July 3, 2013.

Rios, who was 17 at the time, is accused of luring Roopnarine by promising sex. Instead, detectives say, Rios' friends forced themselves into Roopnarine's home, ransacked the house, shot him in the face and cut his throat.

In January, Konrad Schafer pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in Roopnarine's death.

After a number of delays, Roopnarine's father said he cant wait until justice is served.

"They're always prolonging and it's more harder for us, for the family, to deal with it. We just want to get it over and done with," Pooran Roopnarine said.

The judge decided to hear motions June 3. Rios' trial was scheduled for June 6.


A woman has reportedly been released from hospital care after crashing into a semi-truck Saturday night in Plainview.

According to sources, Elida Juarez, 31, sustained non-life threatening injuries after her 2014 Chevy Impala struck the side of a semi-truck traveling on Southwest Third Street just after 10 p.m. Saturday.
Plainview police are investigating a 30-year-old Plainview man who may be connected with a burglary disguised as an online advertised estate sale.

According to Plainview police detective Jamie Salinas, officers responded to a call in the 1800 block of Quincy after a man discovered individuals carrying items away from a house he owns.

Noticing two women loading property into their vehicle, the man asked what was going on.

"The females said that they were at an estate sale and had just purchased the items they were loading," said Salinas.

Not knowing the man was the property owner, the suspect, who was still at the scene, told the man he was having an estate sale. The property owner told the suspect it was his house and went to call the police.

While the victim was calling police, the suspect fled the scene.

The two females advised that they found out about the estate sale on the Facebook page "Buying selling and trading Plainview."

The suspect was not apprehended that day, but the next day was caught with stolen property from the residence. Further charges are pending.

The man is currently charged with possession of stolen property, a Class C Misdemeanor, but the suspect has not been released from Hale County jail.
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Plainviews first ever Lemonade Day turned out a bigger success than expected.

It really was much better than we expected, Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Linda Morris told directors at their meeting Tuesday.

More than 200 local elementary, middle school and high school students participated Saturday, operating 35 booths across the community.

The stand at Culligans is a good example of what we were hoping to get the students to do, she explained. They developed a comprehensive business plan before they got started, and had a breakdown on expenses and duties. They spent a lot of time in planning and development.

The most financially successful Lemonade Stand on Saturday, she added, was one operated by Estacado Middle School students outside Furniture Expressions. Featuring fresh-squeezed lemonade and other treats, and with a heavy dose of promotion, that stand reported sales of $716 throughout the day.

The students were all very respectful and many of the sponsoring businesses reported that the lemonade stands helped draw new customers into their establishments, Morris said. They were impressed with the students customer skills and were very happy with the results.

In other reports Tuesday, Morris said the Chamber recently installed a credit card machine which will allow it to accept credit and debit cards for memberships, banquet tickets and the sale of cookbooks and other items.

Letters have been set to surrounding communities seeking their help in funding Plainviews annual fireworks show. Similar letters soliciting donations from local Chamber members and non-member businesses will soon be mailed as well, Morris said. This year the Chamber needs $14,000 for the professional fireworks show which will be held in Runningwater Draw Regional Park on Saturday, July 2. The general public will be able to help pay for that show by dropping in loose change, paper money and checks into donation jars at Amigos and United Supermarket. The collection jars were decorated by Westridge Manor residents with the help of Pat Alvarez.

Recipients of the Chamber-sponsored Raymond Akin Scholarships are Plainview High graduating seniors Miranda Hastey and Alicia Straley. Both plan to major in ag communications this fall.

Mike Fox, executive director of Plainview/Hale County Economic Development Corp., reported that the Plainview Business Park steering committee reviewed engineering proposals from three firms before accepting one. The EDC also agreed to extend consultant Gary Lawrences contract for six months to help with the development of a business park.

He added that various site selectors continue to show interest in the vacant Cargill facilities, and that an announcement concerning the restoration of the Hilton Hotel into the Conrad Arms Apartments is expected soon.

Plainview will soon have a water park, Fox noted. Royal Splash Texas will be located at 4000 N. I-27, near Industrial Boulevard and the East Service Road, with a new RV park built adjacent to the water park.

Dr. Benjamin Farr reported that Covenant Health Plainview will be getting its own MRI machine. It will be located in what is now the courtyard. In the past, the hospital has been served by a mobile MRI mounted in a trailer that was brought to the hospital twice a week.

Among upcoming events, Morris reported, is Business After Hours from 5-6 p.m. Thursday, May 19, in the John C. Anderson Building. That facility is located west of the main entrance at the hospital, and those attending the mixer can meet Dr. Kevin Jones, cardiology; Dr. Benjamin Farr and Dr. Josua Rollins, orthopedics; and Dr. Jessica Charest, OB/Gyn.

Ribbon cuttings have been scheduled for Covington Body Shop at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, and West Texas Dental, 4 p.m. Thursday, June 2, Morris added.
Andrew Freeman, Assistant City Manager has selected Mariya Hapiy, (pronounced like happy) as the next Librarian for the City of Plainview.

Hapiy holds a Master of Library Science degree from Texas Womens University, where she was a member of the National Honor Society. She also holds a Master of Education degree and has a background in elementary education having taught English for eight years.
MERIDEN  The legislature is looking at a slimmed-down bonding package that would cancel nearly $1 billion in unauthorized borrowing, including $6.5 million for projects in Meriden.



The bonding package, which awaits a vote in the House, also gives legislative approval to new projects next year, resulting in an overall borrowing reduction of $642 million.



Lawmakers say the cuts were necessary to stay under their bonding cap, and were largely done to projects that never got started. Every year, the legislature approves a package of projects they want to receive money from the State Bond Commission.



Anything that hasnt been moved in five years, they removed from the bond bill, said state Rep. Emil Buddy Altobello, D-Meriden, a member of the legislatures Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.



The legislatures bond cap is tied to state revenues, which have dropped tremendously as income tax, among other revenue streams, continue to decline.



We have to deal with the cards that we have, the hand that were dealt, said state Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, also a member of the Finance Committee. She noted that this years package cancels more than the legislature did in similar measures in 2008 and 2011.



Mushinsky and Altobello said the Finance Committee targeted projects that never got started because the bonding was never authorized  the State Bond Commission doesnt release funds for everything in the legislatures package.



Mushinsky said projects can stall for a number of reasons, including a drop in support for a project when new elected municipal officials dont support the initiatives of their predecessors, or when towns cant afford their share of a projects price-tag.



A handful of changes in the package, which the Senate approved 34-2 Thursday, effect projects slated for Meriden, including a new juvenile courthouse.



Mushinsky said lawmakers are hesitant to approve the construction of a new courthouse when layoffs within the Judicial Branch could result in the closure of existing facilities. The juvenile courthouse would be built off Undercliff Road across from a state Department of Development Services facility that is slated to close next month.



The revised bond package would cut $4 million of the $16 million that has been authorized for the project, which carries an overall price tag of $25 million, according to Judicial Branch spokeswoman Rhonda Stearley-Hebert.



The revised package also calls for the elimination of $1.5 million for renovations to the state forensic lab in Meriden, as well as $1 million for MidState Medical Center and $50,000 for Gallery 53, a nonprofit art gallery.



When reached for comment on the elimination of funding to renovate the forensic lab, a state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection spokesman referred to a 2011 study that suggested ways to make the lab more efficient. The study suggested consolidating each department, some of which have work spaces spread throughout the building.



Gallery 53 President Christina Webster said the facility is in need of renovations to its exterior, particularly the portion that faces a planned rail stop in downtown Meriden.



She also said Gallery 53 has only been able to make improvements when grants are available.



Were just struggling to survive, right now, Webster said.



The package also cut $2 million approved for flood control measures in Meriden in 2005. The city received $9 million in bonding for flood control measures just two years later.



Other changes include the cancellation of $34.3 million to the Board of Regents, regional universities and community colleges, and the deferral of a combined $81 million for the Regents and the University of Connecticut. Funding for UConns Gampel Pavilion and science center was also pushed back.



Nearly one-third of the $1 billion in cancellations were needed to make room for $358.6 million in new bonding, including $181 million for improvements to the State Office Building and $60 million for the York Correctional Institution in Niantic.



The bill also provides relief for a handful of school construction projects from statutory and regulatory requirements that will allow them to, among other things, qualify for state reimbursement grants.



Among those school projects are the renovation and new construction projects at Maloney and Platt high schools, which total more than $200 million combined.



The cost for the work at the high schools is being reimbursed by the state at a rate of 77.14 percent. So far, the projects have incurred millions of dollars in change orders that are also eligible for state reimbursement as long as the change orders are within a reasonable scope, as defined by the state.



At Maloney, more than $1.7 million in change orders had been rejected for not meeting the six-month window during which they must be submitted to the state Department of Administrative Services for review.



The value of rejected change orders at Platt was not immediately available.



As part of the bill passed by the Senate, the tardy change orders were made eligible for state reimbursement.



Construction officials contended their tardiness was due to the state tightening the deadline for certain types of change orders, while state officials say the six-month window had never changed since it was implemented in 2008.



Documents obtained by state Sen. Dante Bartolomeo and provided to the Record-Journal show many change orders for work at Maloney had been submitted well beyond the mandatory timeframe.



Altobello said the Department of Administrative Services has been clamping down on reimbursement requests, and towns need to get language in contracts holding contractors liable whenever they miss deadlines.



msavino@record-journal.com 203-317-2266 Twitter: @reporter_savino






DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a hostess at a restaurant. I am 25. I work very close to a 50-and-over community that does not allow children. Many of the women complain to me about the temperature in the restaurant. Occasionally, they will admit that they are going through menopause, and other times they will skirt around the topic. I receive many complaints about the heat of the restaurant. It'll be too hot, too cold, and then too hot again. The women from this community are, quite frankly, snobs, and they expect everyone to accommodate them. These complaints about temperature have gotten so common that my manager tells me not to bring them to him.

I don't want to lie to customers by saying I'll ask to get the temperature changed, but I also don't want to constantly bother my boss. This is a good job and gives me a great amount of spending money. I don't want to get fired, but I need to find a way to please everyone. -- You're Hot and You're Cold, Boston

DEAR YOU'RE HOT AND YOU'RE COLD: You have many years before you have to face the physical and emotional changes that menopause brings, and this can make these women's situations difficult to understand. Your customers may be snobs, but there is a good chance that they are actually just really uncomfortable. Since they believe that this restaurant caters to them and is part of their community, they feel entitled to speak up about the temperature.

Furthermore, there's a good chance they don't realize that it is their body temperatures that are fluctuating rather than that of the restaurant. I highly recommend that you speak to them in comforting terms, tell them you will check the temperature and adjust moderately. Ask your boss only when tempers escalate.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I started dating a man with a now-6-year-old daughter about two years ago. I was introduced to the daughter eight months in, and everything was going well. Recently, he has been trying to encourage her to call me "Mom." The daughter's birth mother died due to complications with the pregnancy, so I know this is not an intentionally spiteful move, but it still makes me uncomfortable. We're not married, and even if we were, I would not want my children calling anyone else Mom, even if I was deceased.

I worry that bringing this up to my boyfriend may cause unnecessary arguments or make him doubt my commitment to this relationship. Am I making a bigger deal out of this than I need to? How can I talk to him without making this an ordeal? -- Not Mommy Dearest, Oakland, California

DEAR NOT MOMMY DEAREST: You are not wrong to want to move carefully into family mode with this child. You should not be "Mom" until you are "wife" first, in my way of thinking. Honestly, the moniker Mom is even more delicate than wife or husband, because two consenting adults enter into those terms consciously.

Suggest to your boyfriend that you are happy to be important in his daughter's life but that you do not want to be considered Mom until you two are clear on your path, and only if she wants to call you that. Otherwise, you can come up with a neutral love name.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I had a white best friend growing up in our small town. We were close throughout high school, but we lost contact during college. After 15 years apart, we recently reconnected through Facebook. It was like old times again. That is, until about a month ago. He recently posted a meme that pointed out the differences in how police handle black suspects versus white suspects, accompanied by a horribly racist tirade.

I found myself shocked and disgusted. I immediately canceled our scheduled meetup, but I did not give him the real reason why. I just wanted to break away quietly. However, he does not seem satisfied with my explanation and has been pushing me for the real answer. Do you think I should write him back and tell him the real reason why, or should I just block him and avoid this matter altogether? -- Ebony, Not Ivory, Atlanta

DEAR EBONY, NOT IVORY: You definitely should tell your friend the truth. The fact that you were friends years ago means that you had a true bond. Time has passed, but he clearly still respects your opinion. Use your connection to educate him. Since he has been persistent, admit that this is a difficult conversation for you to have, but you are prepared to have it. Then, specifically tell him what upset you. Be as detailed as you can so that there is no question about what your thoughts are. Give context to help best paint the picture. Let him know that his comments crossed the line into offensive. Make it clear to him where you think that line begins.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a woman in my 50s with a younger boyfriend. I am still very active and consider myself young at heart. My boyfriend is in his late 20s, and I am feeling conflicted about what to do. We have been dating for a year and are having a great time enjoying each other's company. We truly do have compatible souls; however, it is evident that we are in different places in life. He wants to have children and settle down at some point in his future, and I cannot provide that for him. We have talked about this topic openly, but never about what our next steps are.

I love my boyfriend and our relationship dearly. He helps me stay in touch with my younger, wild side. Am I leading him on even if he knows I have no intention of settling down? Some of my friends say to let him go live his life as a regular 27-year-old. -- Young at Heart, Denver

DEAR YOUNG AT HEART: You have to decide what you can handle in a long-term relationship with him. I have a friend who is already a mother, and she has a beau 20 years her junior. She recently told me that their agreement is that she is No. 1, although he can have other liaisons if he chooses. He just has to make sure that the terms of engagement are clear for everyone. How does that work when one has a child with someone? That could be very difficult. Ultimately, if you two are honest about your relationship as it evolves, truly honest, you can determine if and when it ends or you two decide to stay the course.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been going through a divorce for four years. My future ex-husband and I fight about everything. If it's not child support, it's living situations or seemingly anything. My best friend Jenna's marriage fell apart at the same time as mine, and her divorce has been finalized for over two years. The entire process was quick for her, she says, because she approached her divorce like a business.

This is hurtful to me because it seems like she is implying that I am drawing mine out for the sake of feelings. My entire divorce is messy, and I am jealous of Jenna's divorce, but I don't think she has the right to judge how my process is going. I stay quiet about my proceedings, but Jenna continues to ask. How do I tell her to butt out of my business? I don't need her judging tones regarding my divorce. -- Butt Out, Dallas

DEAR BUTT OUT: Jenna probably doesn't realize that she's passing judgment on you. Chances are, she thinks she is helping you by urging you on. Sit down and tell her that her constant questioning makes you uncomfortable. Admit that your prolonged divorce proceedings make you miserable, and her comments make you feel judged. Ask her to lighten up.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a college student at a state school. I go here because of the affordable tuition, but some attend because of the excellent academics. This isn't to say I don't appreciate the academics; I just didn't have the option to pick an out-of-state or private university.

A girl who runs in the same circle as me is, for lack of a better word, a spoiled brat. She has her own car, her own apartment and all the funds she ever needs. Sometimes I wish I were in her shoes, but she loses friends because of the way she acts about her belongings. For example, she'll complain that her mother "only" gave her $300 in spending money for the week. That's more than I could even spend in a month! She'll complain that no one is fun because they can't go to the same expensive concert as her or shop till they drop at the mall.

She has noticed that she is losing friends and has turned to me as her confidant because no one else will listen. She's really confused as to why she turns other people off. Should I just be blunt with her and tell her people don't like her because she's a brat? -- Truth Police, Syracuse, New York

DEAR TRUTH POLICE: Since this girl has asked for your honest assessment, tell her what you think. Frame it as your observation of her ostentatious behavior. Tell her that the way she brags about her wealth makes you uncomfortable and probably makes others antsy, too. Tell her that not every student has the same level of privilege she has, and her constant flaunting of her financial abundance is a turn-off. Suggest that she try to make friends just by getting to know people rather than buying a good time.

Harriette Cole is a life stylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106
WALLINGFORD  Over 20 food service workers stormed out of Monday nights Board of Education meeting fearful their jobs, pay rates and benefits may be at risk after the board voted to negotiate with an outside company to take over food services for the school system. No official decision was made on whether to hire a company, and board members said next Mondays meeting will ultimately decide if the school system moves forward with outsourcing food services.



The decision comes after years of financial losses in district cafeterias, officials said. Food Service Director Sharlene Wong projected a $350,000 deficit for the food service program earlier in the year, an estimate which turned out to be inaccurate. Wong has been on medical leave since early February, during which time she interviewed and accepted a position as food service director for the Bridgeport public schools. In Wongs absence, food services turned a profit in March under the leadership of interim director Alan Belchak.



The board spent over an hour in executive session discussing the food service contract before voting unanimously to begin contract negotiations. School officials declined to name the company they will be negotiating with.



Food service workers hastily left the Board of Education conference room after the decision, gathering in the hallway to voice their fears and frustrations.



Were afraid were going to lose our jobs, said Ann Willis, part-time manager at Moses Y. Beach School. Whats going to happen to us?



Pond Hill School food service employee Diane Tommessilli worried a new company taking over would mean a pay cut.



I wont do this for minimum wage; its too much work, Tommessilli said.



Some workers feared hiring an outside company would have an impact on insurance policies and benefits such as time off and sick time. Others wondered why the board would still consider outsourcing given a recent improvement in cafeteria sales.



What about March when we had a profit? They wont even give us a chance, said Stevens School Food Service Manager Marcia Niamoli.Since Sharlene is gone give us a year to prove we can do it ... She made us go in the hole big time.



Some took the decision personally.



Its a slap in the face for us, Yalesville School Food Service Manager Marcia Novicelli said. We work very hard to turn this program around and we have



Vicki Quarello, who works at the Sheehan High School cafeteria, was concerned about how the potential shift would impact students.



They just dont understand what we do and they are going to be outsourcing and they are not going to get the quality, they are not going to get the respect that we give these children, Quarello said. These children love us. We work at the high school and they are so upset, they dont want to see us leave.



Board member Michael Votto noted the workers reaction after the decision.



They made a lot of noise leaving so obviously they were upset with the way the vote went, Votto said.



School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo sympathized with the workers concerns.



Obviously were human, so we feel badly about the impact that they are assuming its going to have on them, Menzo said.



ltauss@record-journal.com 203-317-2231 Twitter: @LeighTaussRJ






If you stay in Connecticut and dont travel to the southern United States, the Caribbean, or Central America, you dont have much to fear from the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It doesnt live in Connecticut. The Aedes aegypti is the primary carrier of the Zika virus, which has no cure and has been linked to birth defects. The four Connecticut residents who have contracted Zika so far all spent time in this bugs home countries, to the south.



Then theres the Asian tiger mosquito. Its the Aedes albopictus, which some have called the most invasive mosquito in the world. It is hardier than the Aedes aegypti. It can live in cooler climates, and its found in the southern states and as far north as Ohio. Its range has also been expanding up the east coast, and its now in Connecticut. Researchers have found that although this mosquito is not yet as likely to carry the Zika virus and infect people, it has that potential. The Connecticut Department of Public Health said that the degree to which this Asian tiger mosquito will contribute to transmission in Connecticut is unknown.



The Asian tiger mosquito is also difficult to control. Most kinds of mosquitoes dont bite in the daytime, so early evening spraying works and thats a traditional approach. But the Asian tiger mosquito bites in the daytime. Its eggs can survive a long time. They are laid on the edge of the water and can hatch more than six months later if the conditions are right. Larval source reduction, therefore, is the best protection, but detecting and then beating back the Asian tiger mosquito is a challenge.



The states main line of defense so far is surveillance. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) maintains a network of 91 mosquito-trapping stations in 72 municipalities. This program, however, costs money and probably needs to be expanded. Governor Malloy, therefore, called upon Congress to quickly provide federal funds, and he said, This is too important to ignore. ... Preparation is critical, and we in Connecticut are preparing to the extent we can. Dr. Paul Pino, the director of the state Department of Public Health said, We at the state are monitoring the situation with the utmost diligence.



We are disappointed, therefore, that despite the risks and the rhetoric, the governor and the legislature, in different budget proposals, cut the funding for CAES. Its director said the proposed appropriation wasnt adequate for what it wanted to do. Malloy responded that money for screening and testing would be made available, whether or not its in the budget. The Governor surely means well and he is striving to reassure the public and quash needless worries. But his words are unpersuasive and unreliable. He gives the impression that money magically will be found later, even though he and the legislators are unwilling to find it now. If the fight against Zika is as worthy as he says, the money to fight the spread of the Asian tiger mosquito should be securely in the budget and available to protect the state before tragedies strike.










He wrote poetry using his blood as ink. Armando Valladares did this because he would not write what was demanded of him: "I'm with Fidel."

Because Valladares refused to do this, he was imprisoned by the Castro regime for 22 years. For eight of those years, he was forced to sit naked in a cell -- at times without water, without a toilet.

And yet, Valladares says that he is "an ordinary man." To sign onto Communism, would have been "spiritual suicide," he says.

"My story is proof that a small act of defiance can mean everything for the friends of liberty. They did not keep me in jail for 22 years because my refusal to say three words meant nothing. In reality, those three words meant everything," he declares.

Receiving the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty's Canterbury Medal on May 12, Valladares said, "Even though my body was tortured my soul was free ... They couldn't take away my conscience and my faith."

Valladares sees kindred spirits in the religious order Little Sisters of the Poor, which is standing up to the government's health-insurance mandate, which includes coverage for abortion, birth control and other things that the sisters and many Catholic groups see as violations of their religious beliefs.

The Little Sisters of the Poor, Valladares said, "are rich in that they live out their conscience, which no government bureaucrat can invade." Valladares "saluted" the sisters "for their seemingly small act of defiance."

Valladares himself was saluted that same night by Elie Wiesel, the Nobel-winning author who survived a Nazi concentration camp.

Wiesel warned: It's little things sometimes that begin the erosion of liberty. It's the toleration of seemingly little encroachments, seemingly little evils that we look away from that opens the door to bigger ones.

Having recently spent time with Father Douglas Bazi, a Chaldean priest from Iraq whose flock was targeted by genocidal ISIS fighters, it was hard for me not to cry at these words. It was hard not to understand the possibility of history repeating itself.

We live in a culture of differences -- different opinions, different understandings and different struggles. In many cases, these differences are deeply personal, and give rise to passion. Being in the room with Wiesel and Valladares puts things in perspective: We really have little right to despair. Despair, along with apathy and indifference -- and anger -- may be our worst enemies right about now.

The night of the Canterbury Medal ceremony, which memorializes Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket and his own fatal struggle for religious liberty, Becket Fund president Bill Mumma said, "We bridge differences by celebrating courage." Courage, he said, "allows us to see our enemies as not strong, but brittle."

People like Valladares, Wiesel, and Father Bazi embody courage and radiate the calm that comes with bearing wisdom in your very body, from the scars of brutal reality that come from never buying into delusions that might make for a more comfortable life.

"Even though my body was in prison and being tortured, my soul was free and it flourished. My jailers took everything away from me, but they could not take away my conscience or my faith," Valladares declared.

Conscience and faith -- these things matter. They make for a culture and country where people make sacrifices for each other, where they stand up for each other in the face of persecution and suffering, where people talk about truth with love. Conscience and faith breed courage.

"Religious liberty is only secure when society values religion and treasures freedom," Mumma said. Do we value and treasure these things? It's a question we answer by how we respond to encroachments big and small, who we celebrate and whether we tell the truth in the face of social pressure in favor of illusion and deception.

Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review Online and founding director of Catholic Voices USA. She can be contacted at klopez@nationalreview.com
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The University of Texas Health Science Center has launched discussions with MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to explore ways to expand cancer services in San Antonio, an executive vice chancellor confirmed today.

Collaboration between the two health care institutions would allow San Antonio residents traveling to MD Anderson for cancer treatment to receive much of that care closer to home, said Dr. Raymond Greenberg, the UT Systems executive vice chancellor for health affairs. Both institutions are part of the UT System.

Chancellor (William) McRaven has challenged all of the UT institutions to partner together to better serve the citizens of Texas, Greenberg said in a statement issued by his office today. In that spirit, UT MD Anderson and UT Health Science Center San Antonio are exploring ways that they can leverage their collective resources to expand cancer services in San Antonio.

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MD Anderson presently provides world-class care in Houston to many San Antonians. Through this collaboration, many of these patients could receive much of their care closer to home, thereby saving travel costs and time away from work and family, Greenberg said.

The health science center in San Antonio, which includes the Cancer Therapy & Research Center, said discussions have just begun, so the specific details are still being determined.

UT Medicine and the Cancer Therapy & Research Center are evaluating ways to increase access to cancer services for the residents of San Antonio and the surrounding region, said Dr. Francisco Gonzalez-Scarano, the health science centers executive vice president for medical affairs, in a statement released today.

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Part of this work includes assessing opportunities with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, a fellow UT entity, on possibilities to enhance the patient experience, deliver additional needed cancer services to residents and complement the advanced care and research provided in this market, he said.

Gonzalez-Scarano said theyve just begun discussions and havent yet worked out the details of how they will work together in providing care.

The health science center said it will not be commenting further because those talks are in the early stages.

RELATED: University Health System and UTHSC renew partnership

MD Anderson did not immediately comment on the matter when contacted by the San Antonio Express-News.

The Cancer Therapy & Research Center has provided cancer care to patients in San Antonio and South Texas for more than 40 years. It became part of the health science center in 2007. It is one of four cancer centers in Texas designated by the National Cancer Institute. The institution managed a budget of more than $53 million at the time of its 2015 annual report.

MD Anderson was created in 1941 as part of the UT System. It was one of the countrys first three comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Act of 1971.

Today, MD Anderson employs around 20,000 people. Its total revenue in the 2014 fiscal year reached more than $4.4 billion.

pohare@express-news.net
E. Joseph Deering /Houston Chronicle

Lower ACH volumes and a drop in processing fees on returned checks caused first-quarter revenue to fall almost 14 percent at Payment Data Systems Inc., a San Antonio-based provider of payment solutions to merchants, banks and others.

The company reported $3.2 million in revenue in the quarter ended March 31, a more than $500,000 decline from $3.7 million in the same period last year. It lost $32,002, or nothing on per-share basis, in the most recent quarter, compared with net income of $708,617, or 6 cents a share, a year ago.
If you've traveled through the San Antonio International Airport, then you've seen Eva the Avatar, the hologram-like woman who guides you through security check lanes and baggage claim. But more recently, the real-life Eva was spotted at St. Mary's University.

The actress behind San Antonio International's life-like avatar is Emmy-winning children's show host Michele Lepe, star of "The Good Night Show," a long-running, bedtime series for kids that airs on the NBC Universal cable channel Sprout.
If you were captivated by the stories and photos of one of the ugliest biker shootouts in Texas history, you won't want to miss this TV hour.

"Biker Brawl: Inside the Texas Shootout," airing at 8 tonight on CNN, captures exactly what happened, in raw, dreary detail, on that fateful day in May of 2015.
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Veteran San Antonio anchorman Randy Beamer did something unusual on the late TV news Monday night: He apologized for a silly -- and potentially hurtful -- moment that happened earlier in the day.

Beamer laughed on WOAI's 5 p.m. newscast while reading the story about Thomas Manning, the first man in the United States to get a penis transplant.

"The story had a word in it that a 10-year-old would laugh at," Beamer said during a later broadcast. He explained that "laughing about this in any way just perpetuates a stigma that these patients should not have to deal with."

His longest apology appeared during his 10 p.m. commentary segment, "San Antonio's Voice," during which Beamer often calls out people for doing dumb things.

This time, he added, it was him who deserved to be called out.

The newscaster's mea culpa began this way: "First, an apology for something unprofessional and unacceptable that one of our anchors did on the air right here at 5 p.m. today.

"He laughed during a very serious story," Beamer continued. "It was about the medical breakthrough that has the promise to help thousands of people."

"And the anchor here who was being stupid, immature and unprofessional was me. I'm sorry. I have no excuse for it."

He then explained: "I snickered when I read the story about Thomas Manning and the first penis transplant in the U.S.

"I bring up my reaction because it's exactly the kind of thing that Manning has had to deal with before and probably will have to again, but shouldn't."

Manning of Halifax, Massachusetts, had his penis amputated after he was diagnosed with penile cancer in 2012.

Doctors have described the subsequent surgery, during which surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital connected the intricate vascular and nerve structures of a donor penis with those of 64-year-old transplant recipient Manning as "a surgical milestone."

"Next time you think of laughing at a word or maybe at someone," Beamer concluded, "laugh at me in this teaching moment of why you shouldn't be stupid and insensitive.

"And remember people like Thomas Manning, who is really brave and can teach us all what real manhood is and that laughter can sometimes be very hurtful."

Efforts to reach Beamer or a WOAI-TV manager for a comment about this were unsuccessful Tuesday morning.

So, I'll do the commenting. As a media columnist in San Antonio for more than 30 years, I've witnessed many a stupid and insensitive moment during television news broadcasts, particularly during the anchor banter portions.

But rarely have I heard an on-air apology -- certainly not one as impassioned as Beamer's was Monday night.

Kudos to him for this. The news piece, in its small way, also can be termed somewhat of a milestone in the world of local TV.

jjakle@express-news.net
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Emilio Navaira, a Tejano superstar and San Antonio native, died Monday evening in New Braunfels, according to a police report. He was 53.

New Braunfels police and fire crews were called to the singer's home around 8:20 p.m. in the 6300 block of Myrtle Run after family members found Navaira unconscious and not breathing.

According to the release, when emergency crews arrived, they began life-saving measures and transported Navaira to Resolute Health Hospital, where the singer was pronounced dead.

Navaira's official Twitter account confirmed the singer's passing around midnight, tweeting out a photo and text that read, "Lamentamos el fallecimiento del cantante Emilio Navaira Q.E.P.D. (1962 - 2016)."

The singer is believed to have died of natural causes, but a final cause of death will be determined by a medical examiner following an autopsy.

Navaira's son and fellow musician, Emilio Navaira IV, released a statement on his father's Facebook page saying, "I spent the last few years behind my dad playing drums and watching him every night give everything he had. I remember him being so sick once he was on the verge of tears, but you would've never known it because he loved being on stage."

Fans and fellow Tejano musicians also expressed condolences late Monday night on Facebook and Twitter.

"Rest in paradise my friend Emilio Navaira. I was just with him ... (Cinco) de Mayo weekend laughing about old times. My heart goes out to all his familia. Gonna miss you brother," posted producer and musician A.B. Quintanilla.

RELATED: Tejano music enjoyed a decade-long golden age

Quintanilla is the brother of the late Selena, who recorded the ballad "Tu Robaste Mi Corazon" with Navaira.

Oscar de la Rosa, lead singer for Tejano group La Mafia, called Navaira "mi amigo y companero, uno de los grandes en nuestro genero." ("My friend and companion, one of the greats in our genre.")

Grammy-nominated songwriter Juan Trevino called Navaira an "icon" and "Rey del Rodeo," king of the rodeo.

Navaira rose to prominence as the lead singer for David Lee Garza y los Musicales, a spot he flourished in from 1984-1988. He formed his own band, Rio, in the late '80s with brother Raul Navaira.

The siblings were known for their goofy onstage antics, most notable a silly dance move known as the "Emilio Shuffle."

Navaira became one of Tejano music's biggest stars in the '90s alongside Selena and La Mafia, building his brand on a no-frills sound and an everyman charm.

In 1993, he and Selena joined forces for the fabled "El Baile" concert at the Alamodome. The second concert ever held in the Alamodome, it attracted 30,000 fans.

"Imaging the whole floor of the stadium as a dance floor," said Glenn Smith, the concert promoter who staged the event. "That's one of my most vivid memories. It was huge."

He released more than a dozen solo albums and won more than 20 Tejano Music Awards, including Top Male Vocalist of the '90s.

Velia Gonzalez, spokeswoman for the Tejano Music Awards, remembered Navaira, whom she knew for more than 20 years, as a loving father who did a lot of charity work.

"Spending time with him on a personal level, he had a big heart," Gonzalez said. "He had a big heart for people. He was always happy. He made the best of every situation. He was a happy person."

Navaira also earned a 2002 Grammy for best Tejano album for "Acuerdate."

Among his memorable hits: "Remedio de Amor," "Como le Hare," "La Rama de Mesquite" and "Lucero de mi Alma."

Navaira released two English-language country albums, "Life is Good" and "It's on the House." His most successful crossover hit was 1995's "It's Not the End of the World."

His rich, sturdy voice was perfect for country music and made him a standout in the Tejano genre.

His career stumbled in later years, the result of problems with alcohol.

He nearly died on Easter 2008 in Houston when his tour bus crashed into traffic barrels on the northbound Loop 610 just before the Southwest Freeway exit.

Navaira was behind the wheel and was ejected through the windshield. He suffered massive brain injuries and endured several operations. He pleaded guilty to a drunken-driving charge, resulting in a fine, house arrest and probation.

Despite the grim outlook, he made a miraculous recovery and returned to touring and recording. A duets album, "Juntos," was released in 2015.

"I'm really sad right now with the passing of a great Tejano artist, and friend. Rest in Paradise Emilio Navaira," wrote David Delagarza, keyboard player for La Mafia.

Singer Shelly Lares said she was "sincerely saddened by the news of the passing of my good friend Emilio Navaira.

"He has been a friend since I was 10 years old, and we not only performed so many places together he and his amazing family are friends. I pray for strength for his kids and entire family."

Check back with mySA.com for more details.
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All I wanted was to mock gravity like Neo in The Matrix or Trent Reznor in that classic Nine Inch Nails video, just swooping and spinning in midair like a sleek, black-clad badass.

Little did I know, instead, I would be drifting and frittering about like a red inflatable AirDancer in a stiff breeze.

Good thing Ivan Castillon was there to guide me on this maiden voyage into indoor skydiving.

As a certified indoor skydiving instructor at the newly opened iFly San Antonio, Castillon darts and spins and soars in the facilitys roughly three-story vertical wind tunnel, a capeless Superman buzzing about in a giant see-through tube.

More Information iFly San Antonio indoor skydiving Where: 15915 W. I-10 (at Loop 1604 near Topgolf San Antonio). How much: Rates start at $69.95, which covers two 60-second flights for one person, including training and loaner gear. Birthdays and parties, corporate events and family and group rates are also available. Info: For more prices and reservations, visit iflyworld.com or call 210-762-4359. See More Collapse

Its the kind of unfettered flying most mortals only dream of. Now thanks to the, well, rise of indoor skydiving centers like iFly, its a dream more mortals can make come true.

So if youve always believed you can fly, but dont believe you should do it leaping out of an airplane, take heart: Indoor skydiving can give you a taste of that rarefied howling air usually reserved for adrenaline junkies at 12,000 feet.

Just expect that first taste to come with a good slice of humble pie.

I say that because when I gave iFly a go, I, too, wanted to soar like the Man of Steel, or at least like Castillon. And for several split seconds I did. But mostly I came to the humbling conclusion that indoor skydiving is a lot harder than it looks.

Its also hard to walk away from such an exhilarating rush. And not just because Castillon spun me like a dust bunny in a vacuum cleaner.

No experience necessary, honest

The iFly brochure pretty much nails the indoor skydiving experience: Safe for kids. Challenging for adults. Realistic for skydivers. No experience necessary. Fun for the whole family from ages 3 to 103.

Yes, the Austin-based company has cradled preschoolers in its billowing blankets of wind, as it likewise has flapped the wrinkles of a 92-year-old. And iFly is easily the closest skydivers get to the real thing sans parachutes or 2-mile drops.

Of course it helps that its easier than ever to give indoor skydiving a whirl.

Now there is a gold rush and (wind) tunnels are being built all over the place worldwide, said Vince Arnone, founder of the independent indoor skydiving website, indoorskydivingsource.com.

Arnone dates such public wind tunnels to the 1980s. He said the technology in the last five years has made them quieter on the outside and easier to build in any climate. iFly alone has more than 35 locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia  quite the spike from just four locations more than a decade ago.

Theres even the sport of competitive indoor skydiving or bodyflight, where athletes perform freestyle and formation maneuvers, like synchronized swimmers without the water or gymnasts without the gravity.

Not that you need to roll with the X Games crowd to get in on the fun. Arnone said indoor skydiving is safe and accessible to everyone, without the literal leap of faith with real skydiving.

I personally enjoy really teaching someone how to fly and giving them a little freedom and showing them that they can do it on their own, Arnone said.

Which brings us to my no experience part.

Like nothing I ever felt

Before iFly, the closest I ever got to skydiving was huddling in a plane 14,000 feet over Stinson Municipal Airport for a story on the Army parachute team, the Golden Knights. I stayed in the plane while the Knights tandem jumped, though I was only an arms length away from the roaring winds outside the planes open door. Pure adrenaline, but not.

Indoor skydiving is a lot like that. At least thats what an iFly staffer told me as I initialed my life away on touchscreen waivers.

Its more like youre floating, said Nicole Ortiz, an iFly customer service representative whos also a licensed skydiver of the outdoor variety. Theres no drop feeling in your stomach.

Actually theres no real feeling at all. The iFly wind tunnel carries you on a loud cushion of air that blows at speeds of 115 miles per hour for most adults. You never feel like youre falling, nor should you feel any motion sickness or nausea. I didnt, though I skipped breakfast to be extra careful.

Most importantly, your indoor skydiving instructor stays with you regardless of your skill level. And youll want those helping hands.

As with outdoor skydiving, indoor skydiving is all about positioning and balancing your body the right way, basically like youre in a frozen jumping jack while on your stomach. A short iFly preflight training video highlights three elements of the basic pose: chin up, arms out around eye level, and legs slightly bent behind you.

Once you understand your instructors hand signals for the necessary poses (you cant hear a thing in the wind tunnel, so dont bother talking or screaming) iFly provides the necessary flight gear: a jumpsuit, earplugs, goggles and helmet.

Smartphones, jewelry and other loose belongings are not allowed in the wind tunnel, so forget any floating selfies. (You wouldnt want a loose quarter to fly around and hit you at 115 miles per hour, Castillon said.) Besides, iFly provides flight photos and videos for your posterity and amusement.

Each flight lasts 60 seconds, about the same time youd spend in free fall for a real skydive. Entering indoor flight just requires leaning forward into the wind tunnel with your arms out. Your body should remain relaxed yet stable, nothing too tense like a fist or too limp like a wet noodle.

Easy enough. Now to make sure my body gets it, too.

I took two 60-second flights. For me, the most jarring part wasnt the indoor skydiving itself but rather the mighty wind it requires.

Yes, that strong wind holds you as if youre in zero gravity. But when it blew in my face the first time, I felt like I couldnt breathe. At least I thought I couldnt, which is all kinds of hilarious considering theres technically more air to breathe than normal.

Sticking head out window

iFly likens the sensation to sticking your head out the window of a moving car like a dog. (Also funny, considering I had a slight slobber moment while in flight, too.) I likely was holding my breath without even knowing it, so again its best to just relax and make a conscious effort to breathe normally.

I thought I had everything under control for my second flight, until I shifted my hips and corkscrewed on my back. Any time I screwed up, Castillon was there to gently prop me back up to the upright belly-down position.

Then it got really fun. And by really fun, I mean really bonkers.

Near the end of that second flight, Castillon grabbed my arm and leg and spun me upward, the two of us spiraling up and down in the wind tunnel. So I finally got my Matrix moment, as if I was Neo in midair battle with Agent Smith. It may not have looked that cool, but it sure felt it.

When it was all over, I exited the wind tunnel and my face hurt from so much smiling. I gave myself a personal grade of I suck, but still had a blast. Castillon offered a more diplomatic assessment: I was above-average for a first timer, though I looked a little nervous and tense.

Castillon stressed iFly is tailored for absolute beginners, and can take you from zero experience to being able to fly on your own on your very first flight with the training they offer. And from what Arnone told me, you start to pick up the necessary movement and position adjustments pretty quickly.

Hey, even Neo had to stumble before he soared.

rguzman@express-news.net

Twitter: @reneguz
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A motorist shot to death in 2013 by an off-duty Bexar County sheriffs deputy had been heatedly arguing with his wife via text-messaging shortly before the fatal encounter, a defense attorney told a jury Tuesday as the former deputys murder trial started.

Anthony Lamont Thomas, now 41, was wearing a uniform but was off duty and in his personal vehicle when he and Mathew Jackson, 29, were involved in a minor car crash on Loop 1604 near Lookout Road on the Northeast Side on Aug. 31, 2013.

Jackson had gotten off work at a restaurant and bar and then went to a friends house, where he had drinks. After that, he was driving down the highway when his car bumped side mirrors with Thomas vehicle, and both men pulled over, police said at the time. Thomas, a 16-year Sheriffs Office veteran, shot and killed Jackson. Thomas told investigators he had felt threatened because Jackson ran toward him with something in his hand that looked shiny, and that he heard a gunshot.

Special prosecutor Miguel Najera said in his opening argument that the evidence does not correspond at all to Thomas story, that Jackson was unarmed and there was no justification for the killing.

Thomas said he heard a gunshot, and fired eight shots, Najera said. When (investigators) show up, they search the scene and find eight shell casings belonging to the defendants firearm, some outside (Jacksons) vehicle, some inside.

Defense attorney Cleophus Marshall told the jury Jackson was upset that night because his wife wanted him to go home after baby-sitting at a friends house and Jackson, arriving after work, stayed to drink with the friend.

The text messages and phone calls show that they were in a very heated argument, Marshall said, adding that Jackson responded, Now its on to his common-law wife, Erica Fitts, before his encounter on the road with Thomas.

Marshall also said Jackson had been drinking and was well over the legal limit and intoxicated, though the states first witness, Jacksons close friend and co-worker Rudy Cavazos, said he did not believe Jackson was drunk when he left his house.

A custodial death report filed by the Sheriffs Office indicated Jackson had a blood-alcohol content of 0.12, above the legal limit for driving, but did not appear intoxicated.

Reports indicated that Thomas shot at Jackson eight times and hit him once. Jackson staggered back to his car and died in the drivers seat of the red Mitsubishi Lancer, where a wooden rosary hung from the rearview mirror and a Bible was tucked in the side of the door.

Thomas was indicted on a murder charge in 2014 and has been free on bail.

The special prosecutor was appointed after District Attorney Nicholas Nico LaHood recused himself and his office from the case because Thomas contacted him before his election, when LaHood had a defense practice.

If convicted, Thomas faces up to life in prison.

Last year, Jacksons relatives filed a federal lawsuit against Bexar County, Sheriff Susan Pamerleau and Thomas, claiming that Thomas had a checkered history that included insubordination and a violently aggressive attitude that made him unfit for duty.

ezavala@express-news.net
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One by one, Judson Early College Academy students took to the stage, heard their name called, and then unrolled a scroll to reveal the college campus they will be walking across this fall.

The JECA Class of 2016 participated in the annual JECA Signing Day event May 13 to the delight of family and friends gathered in the schools multipurpose room. Standing beneath a large screen that showed their names and the schools they have been accepted to, all 106 students unrolled a scroll that revealed their chosen college.

Melanie Devos remembers sitting in the audience at last years Signing Day event, wondering what the ceremony would hold for her this year.

You envision it for yourself and you dont know how the next year is going to be, said Devos, who is headed to the University of North Texas in Denton where she will major in social work.

Last year, the University of Texas in Austin was the goal. But that changed over the course of her senior year.

Ive wanted to do the major since my freshman year and when I visited the (UNT) campus, I just realized how supportive the department was, she said. And they just have a ton of opportunities for me.

Devos wants to become a CPS child abuse investigator.

Alexis Porter has had Baylor University in her sights for a number of years.

I want to go into the medical field, so a science was an easy decision. It was just which science. After taking biology and chemistry, I decided biology was probably the best bet to fulfill my major.

Porter said colleges were receptive to her college credits earned while attending JECA and Northeast Lakeview College.

Erin Tiede smiled as she unveiled her collegiate choice, Texas Tech University.

For me, what mattered the most was location and the degree opportunities that would be offered, said Teide, who accumulated $420,000 of scholarship offers and was accepted by 14 colleges.

I heavily looked at going to an Ivy League school up north, the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. But once I visited the college and was that far away from my mom  after the week I was up there, I realized that was not an option for me, Tiende said.

Tiende will attend Texas Tech and major in psychology, a field of study she came across through JECAs integration into Northeast Lakeview College courses.

I came to JECA thinking I was going to be a lawyer, and then a veterinarian, and then even a theater major, she said. But during my junior year I took an introduction to psychology course at Northeast Lakeview and loved it. Thats when I realized that I love psychology. I plan to get a masters degree and specialize in some field of psychology.

jflinn@express-news.net
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SAN ANTONIO  Three people have been arrested following a chase through Alamo Heights that began after an armed robbery Tuesday morning, police said.

Bexar County Sheriff's Office spokesman James Keith said San Antonio Police Department officers were called to a home in the 2800 block of Bent Bow Drive around 9 a.m. after receiving a report that a woman was robbed at gun point while walking her dog in the neighborhood.

Keith said three male suspects pulled up alongside the woman in a black Nissan sedan and pulled out a handgun and demanded her belongings.

SEE ALSO: The latest San Antonio headlines on mySA.com

The suspects then took off, but were spotted within minutes by a BCSO deputy in the area.

The deputy pursued the vehicle and was eventually joined by other deputies as the suspects fled in the car through Alamo Heights and surrounding areas for nearly 20 minutes.

The chase reached speeds of up to 60 mph and came to an end when a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper in an unmarked vehicle performed a pit maneuver and spun the vehicle out of control at Northeast Loop 410 and Haskin Road.

RELATED: San Antonio traffic and transportation updates

The three suspects bailed out of the car and tried to run away through a Volvo dealership.

One was detained in a parking lot of a Frost Bank and the other two were caught near the crash scene.

The eastbound access road of NE Loop 410 was completely shut down while more than 20 officers from multiple law enforcement agencies sifted through evidence.

Keith said the three men may have been involved in multiple robberies in the area earlier Tuesday morning.

According to the San Antonio Police Department, at least two other robberies were reported in the area around the same time as the one on Bent Bow Drive. The first was in the 2500 block of Austin Highway, and the second happened at a bus stop near Pinewood Lane, police said.

Jon Gilhousen, an area resident, said he was walking his two Chihuahuas, Coco Lopez and Chiquita, a couple of blocks from where the chase began Tuesday morning.

He said he didnt see or hear any of the commotion, but was surprised that anything like that could happen in the area, which he described as pretty crime free.

Its pretty scary, Gilhousen said. I walk my dogs (in the area) every morning.

All three suspects were taken into custody for questioning. Keith said two of them are juveniles.

Text "NEWS" to 72727 to sign up for breaking news from mySA

mdwilson@express-news.net

Twitter: @MDWilsonSA
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SAN ANTONIO  Police accused four people Monday of stealing astronomy equipment from a military veterans storage unit on an Interstate 10 frontage road, arresting two.

Barbara Matthews, 49, and Roger Chipman, 44, were arrested and charged with organized criminal activity, a third-degree felony. Also charged was Warner Vaught, 44, arrested earlier on a parole violation. Police have issued a warrant for Misty Bain, 39, who was still at large.
SAN ANTONIO  A man was hospitalized Tuesday morning after being shot while sitting in an SUV on the North Side.

San Antonio Police Department officers were called to the 900 block of Westmoreland Drive just before 1 a.m. and found the man suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body.
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SAN ANTONIO  As potential severe weather bears down on San Antonio and surrounding areas Tuesday, we've compiled 10 creative hacks to avoid hail damage and the associated costs.

The National Weather Service reported about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday that golf-ball sized hail was approaching Bexar County and could be over San Antonio soon.

NWS meteorologist Cory Van Pelt said if the storms continue as they were through Medina County, they would reach the city by 11:30 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning issued for Northwestern Bexar County is continuing east with the storms as they move across the county.

Once storms arrive, they were expected to last for at least 15 minutes, Van Pelt said.

According to the NWS website, the thunderstorm watch is in effect for Bexar until about 1 a.m.

LAST MONTH: San Antonio hail storm called costliest in Texas history with nearly $1.4 billion in losses

National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Fogarty said storms could have damaging effects.

Hail could be up to 2 inches and wind up to 60 miles per hour, Fogarty said, adding that storms will likely last for a few hours and could bring up to three inches of rain in some areas.

Areas under enhanced risk for hail, heavy winds and flooding include more than 20 counties in South Central Texas, primarily along the Interstate 35 corridor and to the west.

The highest impacted area will likely be west of Highway 281, according to the NWS. And while hail has so far steered clear of San Antonio, hail big enough to break a windshield has been reported in northern Texas, according to the National Weather Service's storm reports available online.

Hail was reported in Upton County just south of Odessa as well as in Reagan, Irion, Crane, Crockett, Tom Green and Schleicher counties.

RELATED: Photos show shocking storm damage in Aransas Pass

Strong storms are also in the forecast for the area on Wednesday and Thursday, with isolated showers continuing through the weekend.

See the gallery above for tips on beating the hail and check our updating weather page for up-to-the-minute forecasts and radar maps.

Staff writers Rebecca Salinas and Jacob Beltran contributed to this report.

mdwilson@express-news.net

Twitter: @MDWilsonSA
Aransas Pass city authorities are cautioning that heavy rains in this week's forecast threaten additional flooding to an area that is already recovering from damaged sewer lines, sinkholes, washed out streets and other infrastructure impairments caused by a heavy storm on Monday.

The harbor city that leads to the popular Port Aransas vacation spot received more than 12 inches of rain over the span of five hours on May 16, and rescue efforts were underway since 4 a.m., according to authorities from the Aransas Pass Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
We all know why it exists, but the grade-point average is one of the more destructive elements in American education.

Success is about being passionately good at one or two things, but students who want to get close to that 4.0 have to be prudentially balanced about every subject. In life we want independent thinking and risk-taking, but the GPA system encourages students to be deferential and risk averse, giving their teachers what they want.

Creative people are good at asking new questions, but the GPA rewards those who can answer other peoples questions. The modern economy rewards those who can think in ways computers cant, but the GPA rewards people who can grind away at mental tasks they find boring. People are happiest when motivated intrinsically, but the GPA is the mother of all extrinsic motivations.

The GPA ethos takes spirited children and pushes them to be hard working but complaisant. The GPA mentality means tremendous emphasis has now been placed on grit, the ability to trudge through long stretches of difficulty. Influenced by this culture, schools across America are busy teaching their students to be gritty and to have character  by which they mean skills like self-discipline and resilience that contribute to career success.

Angela Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania is the researcher most associated with the study and popularization of grit. But in her new book, Grit, is the way she is pulling us away from the narrow, joyless intonations of that word, and pointing us beyond the way many schools are now teaching it.

Sure, she starts by describing grit as persevering through unpleasantness. She describes Beast Barracks, the physical ordeal that first-year West Point cadets have to endure.

She writes about high school students who grind away at homework for hours and athletes capable of practicing in the most arduous way possible.

And yet Duckworth notes that moral purpose also contributes to grit. People who are motivated more by altruism than personal pleasure score higher on grit scales. She also notes that having a hopeful temperament contributes to perseverance.

Most important, she notes that the quality of our longing matters. Gritty people are resilient and hardworking, sure. But they also, she writes, know in a very, very deep way what it is they want.

This is a crucial leap. It leads to a very different set of questions and approaches. How do we help students decide what they want?

The GPA mentality is based on the supposition that we are thinking creatures. Young minds have to be taught self-discipline so they can acquire knowledge. Thats partly true, but as James K.A. Smith notes in his own book You Are What You Love, human beings are primarily defined by what we desire, not what we know. Our wants are at the core of our identity, the wellspring whence our actions flow.

At the highest level, our lives are directed toward some telos, or vision of the good life. Were all oriented around some set of goals. As David Foster Wallace put it in his Kenyon commencement address, In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. Some worship money, or power or popularity or nursing or art, but everybodys life is organized around some longing. The heart is both a driving engine and a compass.

I suspect for many, hard work and resilience can happen only when there is a strong desire. Grit is thus downstream from longing. People need a powerful why if they are going to be able to endure any how.

Duckworth herself has a very clear telos. As she defines it, Use psychological science to help kids thrive.

Suppose you were designing a school to help students find their own clear end  as clear as that one. Say you were designing a school to elevate and intensify longings. Wouldnt you want to provide examples of people who have intense longings? Wouldnt you want to encourage students to be obsessive about worthy things? Wouldnt you be all about providing students with new subjects to love?

In such a school you might even de-emphasize the GPA mentality, which puts a tether on passionate interests and substitutes other peoples longings for the students own.

David Brooks is columnist for the New York Times.
My copy of the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines the word pap as something lacking real value or substance and considered to be unsuitable for the minds of adults.

The administration of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has added a variation on this definition with its adoption of the faculty position of professional assistant professor  a title for which the acronym PAP is commonly used.

The position has many features of traditional faculty. Many, that is, except the ability to attain tenure, which is a vested right to their job, vital to giving substance to the position for faculty, students and the community the university serves.

San Antonio colleges and universities should avoid this nontenure employment model at all costs.

Tenure is crucial to guarantee the quality and integrity of higher education by securing faculty members intellectual independence. The people teaching university students have a special need to be protected from capricious dismissal. Tenure is a time-honored status that is hard-earned, usually by a five- to seven-year probation, and maintained by reviews.

Professors without tenure, such as PAPs, are little more than at-will employees. A university must be a place where all views can be aired, including controversial ideas that challenge students to question and defend their own thoughts and assumptions. A professor might even ask students to critique policies of the university administration. A professor might become involved in community advocacy. Without tenure, a PAP with the courage to do so might be managed by an administration by not being sent a new contract.

The academic freedom protected by tenure is essential to creating the atmosphere that encourages students to think critically, creatively and systematically. Do not count on these conditions to flourish or even survive where teachers are vulnerable to the managerial convenience of administration or to the whims of the politically powerful.

Sadly, the rise of the PAP convention and other forms of transitory employment in higher education is part of the increasing corporatization of academia. A college or university should not be like a for-profit corporation. Its free-thinking instructors hone free-thinking people, not assembly line products.

While better than the labor abuse associated with adjunct positions, PAPs are another step in the possible slow death of tenure. A readily disposable, compliant workforce, they present a tempting form of employment to administrators in their quest to govern. Unavoidably more fearful of the administration and outside pressures, PAPs cannot be the foundation of a healthy academic environment in a democratic society.

As the ranks of Mexican-American students and faculty increase in San Antonio institutions of higher learning, the status of PAPs and their counterparts would be especially harmful. Mexican-American graduates need critical analytical abilities to assume leadership roles in our changing society. Such skills can only be imparted by faculty with academic freedom to teach. Traditionally, Mexican-American faculty have spearheaded societal progress. As instructors without tenure, that tradition will falter.

When faculty become PAPs, the quality of education will decline and the learning students receive will become something lacking real value or substance and considered to be unsuitable for the minds of adults. In short, PAP is another version of pap.

Thomas H. Kreneck served as head of special collections and archives at A&M-Corpus Christi where he was the curator of the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Papers for 22 years. He now resides in his native Karnes County.
Compare and contrast two images.

Image No. 1 is a puzzle of many pieces.

In June, announcing his candidacy, Donald Trump said, When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre not sending you. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems, and theyre bringing those problems with us. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

Quite a broad brush there. No matter; later, he doubled and redoubled down, also labeling Mexicans  and other immigrants  killers, and claiming that the Mexican government is purposely sending all its bad elements. Trump criticized Jeb Bush for speaking Mexican and said his sympathy for Mexican illegals is because he has a Mexican wife. Include that border wall, mass deportation and revoking birthright citizenship into the image as well.

When put together, this puzzle spells nativism.

Image No. 2:

On Cinco de Mayo, Trump tweeted a photo of him and a taco bowl from an eatery in Trump Tower and said, I love Hispanics.

This spells Hispandering, pandering for the Hispanic vote, accent on ignorance. Taco bowls are a U.S. invention, as is how Cinco de Mayo is generally celebrated in this country.

If these were the musings of a fringe character, they might be dismissed as what occurs when politicians routinely pander to nativists  for Trump, without the dog whistle  or Hispanics. But these are from the presumptive GOP presidential nominee and Trump was trying to have it both ways. He cant. And neither can the Republican Party.

Yes, Hillary Clintons campaign was Hispandering when it tried to sell her as just like your Mexican abuela some months back. But, then, she hasnt been calling for mass deportation.

There is a serious disconnect going on in the GOP that could spell disaster for the party. Latinos and immigration are ground zero.

A post-mortem after Mitt Romneys defeat in 2012, argued that the partys fortunes were significantly tied to Latinos. The party would have to embrace immigration reform and be more welcoming of changes enveloping the nation.

Immigration reform didnt happen. Neither did the welcoming. Instead, the Washington Post reports, there is a record rush to naturalization for immigrants eager to vote against Trump, including in Texas, according to a Houston Chronicle report.

Immigration isnt the sole issue animating Latino political preferences but is a HUUGE symbolic one. A March Gallup poll revealed 77 percent of Latinos with unfavorable views of Trump, 12 percent favorable. Fifty-nine percent had a favorable view of Clinton, 26 percent unfavorable. The Latino vote is expected to constitute 10 percent of the vote this year, higher in key battleground states. Arizona, because of its Latino population, might even be in play for Democrats.

Hispanics, insulted, apparently arent feeling the Trump love. But not only Hispanics should be insulted. If youre not Hispanic, these are still friends and neighbors who feel belittled.

There is a theory that Trump will moderate in the general election and that voters with unfavorable views of him will forget or rationalize a way to vote for him.

Not likely, and not just because the Clinton campaign will see to it that no one forgets what he said. It will be difficult to vote for him and still look oneself in the mirror afterward. Trumps statements  on Latinos and immigration, on women and religious minorities and on killing innocents abroad  have been incendiary and wrongheaded.

Because of this  and because Trump strays from GOP orthodoxy  some Republican establishment politicians are fleeing the presumptive nominee. Others, such as former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, are piling on board.

However Trump fares in an expected matchup with Clinton in November, the GOP must right this ship.

Much rides on how the party responds, pre- and pro-Trump. This matters nationally but also in Texas, where Latinos are expected to outnumber whites by 2020 and be the majority at the outside by 2044, sooner by other projections.

The parties political success will be determined by which one best embraces the demographic changes occurring. If Republicans choose the Trump route, we can easily predict how that plays out.

We like a two-party system in which the parties serve as roughly equal checks and balances, neither with lopsided advantage. Texas could use some of that.